Lambicorns Festival of dreams bog of nightmares

[lilpupin]

I'm heading out!
Username lilpupin
Art/writing
Lilac smiles at Grimm's new demeanor. Things seem to be much better now. She makes off for the beach, searching for the special fruits. She arrives at the shore and is struck by the beauty of the place. It's something special, that's for sure. The sand is black with flecks of sparkling white and the water is grey and blue. When the waves crash on the shore the light up, bioluminescent creatures in the waves. She sees the tide pools to the right of her, along bottom of some cliffs. It's low tide, perfect for exploring. She makes it to the stones, filled with holes - perfect for water and tiny animals to live in. She takes some time looking at the strange animals that live in this dream world; a three eyed crab, a foot long sea slug,and seaweed that glows in the dark. The odd thing she noticed wasn't the altered appearances of the animals, but that they were actually friendly. She took a crab along with her on her search for the blue freckle fruit, it sitting nicely on top of her head. She soon found a nice patch of them, some growing on the side of the cliff. She plucked the blue ones, ignoring the pink. She made her way back, crab still in tow. She places the bumpy, freckly blue fruit at grimm's feet. "Here you go," she says with a grin.

[ambopteryx]

I accept the terms!
Username: ambopteryx
Signed-up Lambie: Brachius
Linked proof team nightmare affiliation xxx
Other: IM LATE I KNOW,,,

I'm heading out!
Username ambopteryx
Art/writing

The Marshal heard whispers of these gatherings- muttering voices, mentioning Elders and... collections? No matter- Brachius is not one to question these types of things. As his nature, Brach loomed in the back while Grimm announced their instructions- Beach. Fruits with spots. Five of them? Alright, sounds doable. Better to gain the favor of someone this size instead of incite their wrath and ire, so Brach darted off before the meeting was over.

He'd been to the beach before, but only briefly. Their ventures to new places were for meetings with other, more... stationary lambicorns. Hm. Is Lazarus nearby? Maybe he knows of these... spot fruits.

Speak of the devil! There he was, staring sightless into the ever-crashing waves. How lucky!

Well. Not really lucky. This was the same place that Lazarus was pretty much every day. Brach had completely forgot about that particular tidbit. Lazarus turned his head towards the approaching Marshal, and Brach curtly bowed his head in respect. Before Laz could ask what he was doing here, Brachius said, "Do you know where I could find fruit with spots on them?"

Brachius completely missed Lazarus's response of, "Spots? Brach, I can't see." He dashed past Laz, and reached his sharp paws into a particularly deep tidepool. There was a glimmer, just a speck of glowing blue, that he had spied under the clear water. Score! Brach scooped up a cluster of the frecklefruits, dumping them onto the shore. (In the meantime, Lazarus had given up on Brach making sense, and went back to brooding).

There was an issue, however- the fruits were different colors! The tidepool seemed to have both the blue and pink specklefruits. This was... confusing, to say the least. Did it matter what color they were? Brach suddenly regretted not staying for the entire meeting. Not wanting to pick incorrectly, he scooped up five of each color to bring back to the swamp.

--

It turns out that flying with ten fruits was not a simple task! The frecklefruit were not particularly heavy on their own, but ounces add to pounds- ten at once was a decent amount of weight. Though he did manage, it took quite a while to bring them back without dropping them all on the way.

With a newfound confidence, and not a single thought behind those blank-looking eyes, Brachius dropped all ten of the blue and pink frecklefruit at Grimm's feet. Perfect!

(405 words)

[Dr. Paine]

I'm heading out!
Username Makoto Kino
Art/writing

Novaria smiled slightly at Grimm's reply, though... something about the way they answered Nero's question just left them puzzled. 'I had been informed?' Who in the world could have been informing Grimm of this- who would be trusted enough for Grimm to take it seriously? But those thoughts were pushed from Novaria's head as the conversations went on, and they couldn't help but smile at Grimm's reaction to the flower crown, it was pretty cute.

Eventually Lambies trickled away from the bog, Novaria as well. It had been a pleasantly calm day, for once... hopefully there'd be a few more like it to follow.



-----------

Okay, calm was one thing, but... they didn't expect the next task to be a literal day at the beach? Novaria grinned, holo-wings positively buzzing the instant Grimm mentioned Frecklefruits. "Yeah, I know those!" they shouted before they could help it. It had been... geez, ages! since they'd gone and gotten any. In fact...

Well, Grimm really did seem to be hinting that Team Nightmare needed to take it easy and relax some. Novaria dashed out of the bog as quickly as possible, but rather than head down towards the beach, they wandered the surrounding suburb until- there it was! A small house, it looked like it could use a little work- some of the paint had peeled, the numbers were a little crooked, and it just seemed like a tired old place.

But your childhood home always looks like that, doesn't it?

Novaria knocked on the door, immediately flinging their arms around the Lambicorn who answered, sending his glasses... well, more askew than they already were.

"Hey!" the Lambie laughed, returning the hug. "What's this? I thought you were busy until the end of the Festival- and you never come down to the beach-"

"Yeah, but... scavenger hunt stuff, and we've got to get stuff from the beach, so I thought..." Novaria fiddled with a nearby pebble, trying to keep their thoughts in line. It seemed like such a fun idea, they'd taken off without a thought- but it was bringing up a lot of emotions, suddenly, actually being back over here. "Can we go pick some frecklefruits, dad?"

Their father's eyes softened, but he simply fixed his glasses; the pause just a little longer than Novaria felt necessary. Had they done the right thing, coming back over? They'd always met their dad over in the city- even after he'd moved back to the old beach home, when Novaria had moved in with Tera a few years ago, it had been so long-

"Of course. Funny enough, I even found the buckets a few days ago when I was cleaning out the basement."

---

Novaria carefully scanned the scraggly bushes near the tidepools, occasionally breaking off one of the pink-spotted fruits into their bucket. Their father- Sebastian- scouted those on a slightly higher ridge. Novaria could see a few others from Team Nightmare scattered about as well, but thankfully, a bit of a distance away.

"So, frecklefruits," Sebastian called. "They planning on making some candy?"

"I'm not sure," Novaria said, laughing slightly. "It uh... I mean, the whole thing, it started with getting spring water? And then some mushrooms and stuff? And then it..." They paused, rolling a more purple-spotted berry underfoot before plunking it into the bucket, that one was neat and better saved than crushed.

"It?" Sebastian prompted, leaping down to Novaria's level. He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I've been hearing some rumors, you know. The festival this year being... some kind of front for a war between Elders? Prim's been calling for signatures on some kind of letter-"

"It's not like that!" Novaria said. "I mean- not... entirely." They sat down on the rock, and slowly the entire story came out- the increasingly odd tasks, the things Tera had said about Nai'a, the trip to seek out Lambent and the story, the dreams that had followed. Tears welled in their eyes as they recounted the dreams, what Primrose had told them. "-and I- that's why I haven't been back here in so long, I think. I miss Fi, I... it feels wrong being back here, even if... if whatever's keeping her away isn't my fault, it's still- Tera and I're still why she ran away."

Novaria sniffled, wiping away their tears as their father wrapped them in a tight hug. "And I... I feel even worse because it's really unfair to you, especially now that you're back out here. And I haven't even really talked to you in a while, I got caught up in stuff and then the festival-"

"It's okay," Sebastian said quietly. "Novaria- I promise, it's alright." Novaria wiped their eyes, but remained silent as he continued. "It... I understand why you wouldn't want to be back over here. Believe me, there's a lot I'd have liked your help with, or just for you to see, but I figured I'd wait until you felt up for it. Or if you simply never did, then... well, that'd be that." He sighed, drawing slightly back. "I... probably should have done more, though. I never realized you were carrying it that hard."

"Neither did I until like... three days ago," Novaria said with a weak laugh. "And even then... I mean, the first thing I thought when Grimm mentioned the fruits? 'I have to see if Dad wants to pick some too, we haven't done that in forever!' I think-" Novaria blinked, looking around for a moment. "I don't think I've been on the beach since we got my legs put together, actually. Anyway- I... it's all... it's been a lot. And... I'm hoping now that I know what was wrong... I'll try to come down here a bit more often?"

"I would like that," Sebastian said with a small smile. "This place has changed quite a bit, but a lot of it's been pretty nice. I think you'd like some of them." He stood up, picking up his bucket. "But that'll be later on, okay? We still have some fruits to find, right? I think the blue ones grew a bit higher up anyway, come on."

Novaria followed along- still sniffling, occasionally, but smiling. For so long, they'd avoided even thinking of home much, but now... as much as it hurt, they were here, right? And who knew... maybe one day Fi would come back, just like they'd always dreamed, and they could... maybe they could make up. Explore things like they used to, pick fruits and eat until they were almost sick, even just once more for old time's sake.

Funny, how being on a team led by the lord of nightmares led to such a hopeful sort of dream.

--

Novaria returned to the bog, later than quite a few of the others- but they hoped the delay would be considered worthwhile, with what they'd brought. "Here- five blue-speckled frecklefruits," they said, setting the first bucket at Grimm's feet. "And uh... sorry for taking a while, I wound up in my old neighborhood and spent some time with my dad. We made some candy for everyone," they added, setting down a somewhat larger bucket, filled with sugar-crystal coated pink fruits. "I used to do this all the time when I was a kid, it was fun making them again. Thanks for sending us out there!"

Novaria turned to leave, when something stirred in the back of their mind- right. "And uh... I- I know it might not be my place to ask? But yesterday, when you were talking to everyone, you said... someone told you Nai'a might be planning something?" They looked up at Grimm, ears low, afraid they might be stepping over the line... but still. "I understand if you're not answering anything else, or just... don't want to or anything, I'm really really sorry if I'm butting in where I don't belong. But... who'd give you enough reason to believe there was a real threat during the festival?"

[Griff]

I'm heading out!
Username Griff
Art/writing

"You've got it Grimm!" Sunfire says, heading out with a light jump to her step. The beach! She ADORES the beach! And if she found a few seaside treasures there while gathering fruit well, more power to her right? Maybe even she could snack on one of the sour fruits, they sounded refreshing too!

As she gets there, she hears a ruckus if splashing. A far younger lambicorn is playing in the waves, cheerfully dancing about. She cannot help but to smile herself, the energy contagious. "Hey! The stranger calls. "Nice to meet ya, name's Seawhisper! Come on in to play, the water's fine!" She could not help but to jump in, and in no time was splashing about like a small kid again laughing and having a good time. Eventually, as the pair wore down, they each grabbed a pink fruit and shared stories with each other.

Seawhispers was all too happy to aid in gathering fruit, sending Sunfire back with the fruit and some seashells for good measure! Giving Seawhisper a good lick on the cheek and a promise to return after everything, she made her way towards Gromm carefully depositing the fruit. "Here we go! Got to say, wonderful place! I brought you back a souvineer!" She added, sliding a series of strung together shells towards Grimm. "I er, know they might be a bit small but maybe it will fit around a toe. Darn it, knew I should have added a few extra feet..."

[Queen Vivane]

I'm heading out!
Username Queen Vivane
Art/writing
Nero stepped into the bog, feeling oddly pleased to see Grimm standing once again after the shock of seeing the larger Lambiecorn half slumped to the floor in misery upon his return the oher day. He slipped into the crowd of other Nightmare members, listening carefully as the request was made for Frecklefruits. To make sour sweets of all things. Nero huffed out a laugh, a trip to the beach actually sounded fun. There was always the chance to find something of interest in the sand or the rock pools.

"So I heard we're getting a beach day" Bellona had snuck her way over to Nero's side and entangled her tail with his before he'd managed to even catch as much as a glimpse of her dark fur.

"Yeah we're going to find these weird blue things called freckle fruit but I think Grimm wants us to have some fun while we're there" he replied easily as they moved together. "They're used in making sour sweets, so I think we could maybe grab a few to have as snacks" Nero added with a grin, Bellona simply laughed brightly.

The pair of Lambicorns stepped out into bright sunlight, having long since heard the ever-increasing volume of waves lapping against the sand. Bellona was the first of them to hop down onto the sand, using her wings to glide forward for nothing more than fun, Nero merely shook his head with a smile and followed after her. He took the initiative to wander down to the shoreline and dip a single paw in the water, it was surprisingly warm and he proceeded to place his other paw in. Enjoying the strange texture the wet sand offered to the pads, so content in just enjoying the water lapping at his legs he missed Bellona's approach until it was too late. The black lambie pouncing on her sweetheart and sending him to the floor, leaving the blue male to blink up at her in shock as the dark female simply laughed so hard she shook. Nero dissolved into laughter as well and eased himself gently out from underneath her.

They spent the rest of the day enjoying themselves doing various things across the beach and in the ocean, not including Bellona being chased by a particularly ornery crab while Nero sat on the sand howling with laughter. Bellona got him by physically throwing the crab at him, the angry pinch to one of his toes had the blue lambie quickly changing his tune. When they'd quite finished their beach antics, Nero and Bellona went hunting for the fruit Grimm had requested. It didn't take long for Nero to catch sight of the brightly coloured fruit, gently picking 5 of the blue ones and placing them carefully in the sturdy box he'd brought to carry them in. He also picked a few pink ones and put them in a separate bag after giving one to Bellona and taking one for himself, holding it with his teeth as slipped the box and bag over himself.

The expressions on their faces must have been quite the sight screwed up from the incredibly sour taste of the fruit, it wasn't unpleasant however and they quickly finished off their little snack. Heading back from the beach with the shells braided into the hair of Nero's long tail making soft noises when then bumped one another with the motion of Nero's movements. Upon return to the bog, he approached Grimm with a small lopsided smile, unslinging the box from across his back.

"Brought the fruit for you and brought a few of the pink ones in case you wanted to eat some," he told the large Lambiecorn quietly, gently placing two of the pink freckle fruits on the top of the box.

[ketsup]

Time has flown, and the festival is nearing it's close for another year.
Your efforts gathering Grimm's fruits were appreciated, but the elder didn't give you much in the way of answers about the overarching problems concerning the other elders. Perhaps that's a topic better saved for later...

{ +20 Gems apiece to lilpupin, ambopteryx, Makoto Kino, Griff and Queen Vivane }

Shortly after though, things seemed to calm down. Calm, to a point of silence. There was much to meditate on—these things learned over the course of what most considered to be a "scavenger hunt." You noticed you weren't called back to dreams for a while. Was this peace? Or just another moment to reflect before one elder lashed out at another once more? Either way, some who were concerned for Grimm had a strong pull to return and check on the elder. Finally, the eve before the Festival's closing night, you finally awoke in the Bog of Nightmares once more.

But it isn't Grimm who greets you this time.



The bog around the group seems extraordinarily peaceful.

Ave smiles down at you, surrounded by rolling pale blue mist, "Hello. I doubt you were expecting to see me!" She laughs, a gentle but resounding sound.
"Ah! I haven't seen some of you since you were children! How are you doing?"

There's a definite pause, and noticing the confusion, she quickly adds, "Oh, don't fret about Grimm! They are perfectly fine. This... this arising of the situation between them, Lambent and Nai'a has taken quite a toll. They are a dear old friend of mine, and it's high time they rested a bit. I came to provide a bit of closure for you, and also to bring a treat make sure they know we care."

She pulls the clouds of her tail slightly aside to reveal a large picnic basket, "I wasn't part of much for the Festival's activities—there's been several horizon gems brought to me lately, so I'm a little busy with all the children. Nevertheless, some of my sweet teammates on Dream have been in contact with some of the Nightmare team members, and they put together a basket of treats and goodies for Grimm. If you have anything you'd like to add to this for Grimm, please feel welcome. I know they'd appreciate it."

"Tonight, when I leave you, you may add something to this basket for Grimm, if you so choose. They'll discover it come the end of the Festival no doubt, and it will bring them some much needed cheer!" Ave nudges the basket forward and sitting up fully, she conjures several items before you, "In addition, I must applaud you for helping my old friend during such a time. I don't think they had intended it to spiral out of control like things did between the teams—we are fortunate indeed that Lambent intervened."

Prize Pool
-Sparkling Horizon Gem (guarantees 3 lambabies in a dreamfusion; does not count as a ticket item, used when submitting a form)
-Reminiscent of Lambent (adds up to four extra eyes anywhere on your lambie)
-Nightstalker Extraordinaire (Adds glowing clouds)
-Wispwalker (adds glowing rings of wisps around your lambie's paws/hooves (up to two on each leg) & a halo of wisps above their head)
-Ally of Grimm (adds one of Grimm's chains to your lambicorn )
-Nightmare beast (random 'orphan' lambaby)
-Nightmare Styled (adds a new hairstyle to your lambicorn)
-Nightmare Aspect (turns a tail into a tailmouth)
-Wisp-erer (adds several glowing wisps to your lambicorn)
-Crystallized Energy (adds a small gem growth to your lambicorn)
-Runelights (adds several floating, glowing runes around your lambicorn)
-Classic MYO
-Stylish MYO
-Gem amount between 40-70 Gems

Turning to Lilac, Ave places a few tokens on the ground, "You have a knack for noticing the little things around you, and that's very important for being a wonderful friend. Thank you for your comfort."
{ lilpupin: Wispwalker, Ally of Grimm, Stylish MYO, 60 Gems }

-x-

Ave leans towards the Marshal next, "Your diligence to covering all possibilities in the face of a challenge does not go unnoticed—and for that I must commend you!"
{ ambopteryx: Nightmare beast, 50 Gems, Ally of Grimm, Nightstalker Extraordinaire }

-x-

Ave faces Novaria, "I can tell there are things you have experienced here and during your tasks that are important to you. I hope what you're seeking and hoping for comes to be." Her expression softens ever more, "Have faith, and I know it will."
{ Makoto Kino: Reminiscent of Lambent, Sparkling Horizon Gem, Nightmare Styled, 50 gems }

-x-

Turning to Sunfire, Ave smiles brightly, "You have such energy! I love it—and I know it rubs off on those around you even in trying times. Your upbeat spirit is a welcome sight! Thank you for what you've done for Grimm."
{ Griff: Classic MYO, 70 gems, Wisp-erer, Crystallized Energy }

-x-

Finally, she leans in toward Nero, "You have someone you love very much—it resonates through your very being. That sort of thing brings me much joy, and I am happy for you. Continue to kindle the flame of your love together, and it in turn will ripple into others' hearts. Perhaps, even an elder's." Ave smiles knowingly, placing down a few items for you.
{ Queen Vivane: Sparkling Horizon Gem, 40 gems, Nightmare Aspect, Runelights }



This is the last official rewards-prompt for Team Nightmare!
Thank you all for the participation and we hope it's been fun!
Though, you are still welcome to bring Grimm something delicious before the festival's close <3

[Dr. Paine]

(I know it's not for an actual prompt, but I still wanted to add one final piece to this- though possibly not the very last piece with this cast and the fair. Thank you so much to Gremlin for hosting this thread, what started as(being honest here xD) trying to pad for word count turned into a lot of character development, and building a cast I'm looking really forward to refining and working with more in the future <3 & Thanks so much Ketsup for stepping in at the end, especially with such a lovely little artwork! (

It was so strange, everything being so... quiet. Novaria pawed at a small stone, turning things over in their mind- was Tera okay? He'd seemed... alright enough, maybe a bit more haggard, though Novaria chalked that up to one simple fact. Nai'a and Team Dream had still been going, while Grimm had...

Grimm hadn't sent for them, since that last excursion.

Novaria had tried to keep busy- a little day trip, catching up on sleep (which was... easier said than done, when their dreams had taken a turn for the fearful, Novaria was certain they'd seen Prim's shadow cast over at least a few of them), obsessively reading the letter Tera had brought and mentally comparing it to the last time they'd seen Fi's writing- no, wait. They'd gotten the order mixed up- the day trip came after the letter, because it was supposed to be a walk to the park, and... well... it's not like they meant to wind up on the entire other side of the city, but at least they'd found the sweetest little flower shop tucked away there. And sure, the owner seemed like he hadn't had a customer in months, but he'd thrown in some extra flowers for free after Novaria had felt sufficiently awkward enough to buy a bunch.

A cluster of hydrangeas- pink, blue and a rather striking violet- were arranged in an old bottle on the counter, just enough to keep catching the edge of Novaria's vision as they prepared a salad. Because Tera had been busy and needed a nap after the last night of Team Dream's work, and because Novaria was slightly better at cooking, and they needed something to do anyway so why not prepare salad, sprinkling in some bright peppery-tasting flowers that were hopefully enough, hopefully enough to split three ways- Aurorae forbid Fi show back up and they be like, 'hey sorry we thought we killed you, by the way there's not enough snacks for you', what kind of impression would that be?!

They swallowed, shoving the bowl back into the fridge and going to where their tarts had been cooling and flowers had been drying. Candying the flowers wasn't too much different than the frecklefruits, though only a few chunks of those had been done up the same, most had been pureed and made into quite lovely little dishes, lovelier still (Novaria thought, anyway) once garnished. Nice and sweet, bright as summer... surely they would go over well, right? If she was there?

Would they just seem like some kind of mockery if she didn't? Or if- what if something did go on tonight after all, what if it all started again? If there was some kind of threat they had to build against, if Grimm had been hurt and here they'd been, just sitting making pastries-

It continued that way for some time; Novaria darting between preparations and starting new ones to try and silence the thoughts gnawing away at their mind, until suddenly Tera was up and saying things like 'poor coping mechanisms' and 'excessive' and 'just go get some answers', that last one accompanied with a box of tarts and an unceremonious shove out the back door, followed by the distinct click of a lock. They sat there a few moments on the back stoop, blinking in the late afternoon light, trying to process what exactly had just happened. Still trying to process it even as they made their way through the fading fairgrounds.

Novaria's walk was little more than a sleepwalker's shuffle, dazed and slightly staggered as they grew more and more lost inside their own head. Answers? What answers could they find? They'd finally gone a day without checking the bog, every night before had just been empty, and their dreams as well, not so much as a hint of what had gone on; and now here it was, last night of the festivities. Most of the games had packed up and shut down, the rides were coming down, the crowds thinner. Another year gone, all that was left were the fireworks tomorrow evening. Something they'd always watched from afar...

It felt like cold claws squeezing their heart, as the memories rose- not simply because of the loss they represented, but how hazy they were. Novaria had been thinking it over for a few days, since- well, okay, more since the incident with Lambent. But even more since that letter, because how could it be true? How would she- if it was her- even know how to contact them? But what chilled Novaria from scalp down even to the tip of their metal tail, was this: what if they had passed her and never even realized it? They'd always thought themself an observant lambie, but this event... how many times had they wandered and barely caught their location in time to avert disaster? Or that time so early on, racing face-first off a cliff... they shook their head, lying on the ground and crossing their paws over their eyes, 'how could I be so stupid?! I've probably walked by her a million times and never realized it, she's probably been waiting this whole time...'

It couldn't be helped. Novaria just barely managed to flop down to the ground just off to the side of the path, weeping their heart out into the grass below. The last drops of sunshine faded and the stars peered out before the tears slowed even the slightest bit, leaving their vision all blurry and their head pounding, which did nearly nothing to help their mood. They sniffed, trying to calm down-

?

Novaria sniffed again- largely futile, given how stuffy their nose had gotten, but there was something. Some distinct scent that pulled the hint of a memory from the deepest corners of their mind, of perhaps another time they'd sobbed their lungs out and there had been that sweet, milky-candydust sort of misty smell...

Novaria rubbed their eyes. It wasn't just the tears. There was some kind of mist seeping through the trees, pale blue as the dawn sky. They cleaned their face up as best as possible and picked up the tarts, checking them only briefly before making their way to the familiar clearing, where they found-

Not Grimm, but a presence not one ounce less regal. Ave seemed to be greeting a few other Lambies, some of whom Novaria recognized from since the very beginning of the scavenger hunt. They settled in with the other four as Ave spoke, her voice steady and calm, seeming to reverberate through Novaria's being and settle the racing thoughts that had crowded their mind for several days now. Her explanation helped there, too- Grimm was simply resting, and Novaria found that... really, they weren't even upset that there hadn't been a warning to the abrupt end, only worry that Grimm would be okay. That the Dreamland team had put together a care package, and the Nightmare team could add to it if they so desired ('no wonder you left me with these,' Novaria thought, glancing at the container in their paws). And then, stepping back to reveal- well, Novaria could only think of it as a king's ransom of treasures, all sorts of gems and rarities they'd never even dreamed of seeing!

Their attention snapped back to Ave though, as she divided the goods up and approached each Lambie in turn, until-

"I can tell there are things you have experienced here and during your tasks that are important to you. I hope what you're seeking and hoping for comes to be," Ave said. Novaria shied back just the littlest bit- how much did she know? How much could she know- Her expression softened, something like pity and the way their father had always looked when Novaria had gotten stuck in some awful mental loop. "Have faith, and I know it will." She left a small bag of goodies at Novaria's feet, moving along to the next.

'What I'm seeking?' they thought. What were they seeking?

Clarity, said some softer voice in their mind. Just... clarity. Knowing what was what, and having an answer, however good or bad, that's what it was all coming down to, wasn't it? All the anxiety, all the stress, was just... they couldn't help the way their mind kept offering so many scenarios of how things could play out, but it couldn't consume them like this. Even things like all the questions they'd asked Grimm... they wanted answers.

And maybe they just wouldn't know.

Novaria picked up their prizes, stopping by the basket- and smiling, in spite of themself, they saw a couple of cookies with frosting done in a very familiar paw, some cute little cakes- another one decorated with candied flowers, even, how lovely! They carefully placed the tarts inside, letting out a small sigh of relief. One piece down - they wouldn't know what the deal was behind how things had gotten derailed, at least not now, and... that would just have to be that. What mattered was that someone had come in to help wrap things up, that Grimm was safe and (hopefully) well, and that a lot of lambies cared for them and wanted to help cheer them up.

"Thank you so much for this!" Novaria called to Ave, finally managing a smile. "I... I did have fun, no matter what else happened. Thank you- and please, tell Grimm thank you as well!" they called, carefully arranging the pack on their shoulders and starting back home.

They were still nervous over tomorrow- ten years of guilt and fear don't work themselves out in an instant, but it was nervousness now, not the all-consuming anxiety that had been building for days. Tomorrow they would have an answer- she'd be there, or she wouldn't. They'd patch things up, or they wouldn't. One or the other, by the time the last of the fireworks faded into the night, there would be some sort of answer. Nothing would change if they kept fretting about it- which, easier said than done, but it was a solid argument they could use now. They could be worried and sick with hunger and sleeplessness, or they could be worried but rested and well- the answers would come in time, no matter what.

And that would be good enough.


Fun fact: hydrangeas have a variety of meanings, based on color.

Pink hydrangeas symbolize heartfelt emotion.
Blue hydrangeas symbolize frigidity and apology.
Purple hydrangeas symbolize a desire to deeply understand someone.

Fun fact: Novaria’s prominent/key symbol color is blue. Tera's is pink. Fi’s is purple.

[lilpupin]

I have a gift for Grimm!
Lilac comes forward shyly, "Thank you Ave. Can you give this to Grimm for me? I think they'll understand." She goes back to where they appeared in the nightmare realm, she had brought something with her. She brings it forward and puts it in the basket, a giant flower crown.


I also have a note for them, if you could please deliver it. She places the note gently beside the flower crown.
(It's really for Gremlin, but I gotta fit it into the story somehow.)