forum Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. // OxO // ClOSED

Started August 24, 2022 by @EtherealDreamer

tune

"I could've ran on my own," River replied, amused. "But thanks."

Aspen smiled and shrugged.
"You were hurt," she pointed out defiantly. "I wanted to give you time to get yourself together and not add to the pain by running too."

"The pain's gone," River said, feeling perfectly fine. "It was just unexpected, that's all."

Aspen put her hands on her hips and pushed one hip slightly forward more than the other.
"Fine." She said, smiling teasingly "next time I won't carry you like you're my newly wedded wife."

River laughed and got up, brushing the dirt off of his pants. He saw the others run across the bridge, the last one being Maya who tapped her foot again, making the bridge disappear.
She sighed in relief, as if a burden had been lifted off of her. "Alright, let's keep going."

Aspen nodded and Celeste did too, though Celeste's usual pale complexion was punctuated by patches of red high on her cheek bones.

Damiem walked alongside Maya, chatting happily with her, Lily trailing a few steps behind.
River breifly put a hand to his stomach to make sure nothing was broken before setting off after them.

Celeste was at the very back of the group, walking while looking upwards.
"I think this'll be fun." Celeste stated and Aspen gave her a soft smile and laughed.

"Let's hope so." She said quietly

After a few more minutes of walking, River heard the sound of laughter and merriment, and when he caught up to Maya, he saw the village everyone talked so highly of.
He blinked in surprise; this was not the old run-down town he and Aspen were in out of the loop. This town looked brand new, the people there healthy and happy. There were banners and other decor up on balconies and on the exteriors of all of the buildings, and River guessed that they were having a festival.
What happened to make this happy town so abandoned and broken in the future? he wondered as Maya led them down the path.

"What kind of festival is this?" Aspen asked Maya, raising an eyebrow. "All the flags are pink and red."

"The strawberry festival." Celeste said looking around dreamily. "Wait no, i'm sorry, I think I might be wrong…" she turned to Maya knowingly.

"To be honest, I've never paid attention to it," Maya admitted, making both Lily and Damien blink in surprise. "It's probably not about fruit, though. I'm not sure."

"does anyone know what parade it is?" Aspen asked, looking around at them all.
"Anyone?"

"I-it's called the rose festival," Damien piped up, speaking slowly and carefully to cover up his lisp. "You know the song Ring Around the Rosie? And how it refers to the Black Death? That's where this celebration originated from, although they've obviously made it less ominous by focusing it more around the blooming of the rose fields instead of death."

Aspen nodded and smiled at him.
"Thank you Damien, nice to know at least someone pays attention." She told him brightly. She began walking and watched as someone from the balcony above poured down rose petals, she giggled and held out her hands to catch some as they got in her hair.

River smiled as a group of small children raced by him, squealing with delight and undiluted joy as they held vibrant multi-colored rose petals in their hands, tossing them in the air and watching in awe as they gracefully fluttered to the ground.

"We're lucky to live here," Lily said from beside River, making him jump in air. He turned towards her, bewildered; he never heard or saw her move from Maya's side. The young-looking girl watched at the playing children fondly, a soft smile resting on her face.
"Some loops, like the one in Wales, have to relive horrific events every day like bombings," she continued, her voice soft and lilting. "Ours, however, gets to live through a happy festival every day in a beautiful valley with a Ymbryne who isn't strict or old-fashioned. It's nice."

"It is," River agreed, wondering what brought on such an interesting conversation starter. Lily finally turned her intense deep saphire gaze to him, giving him a smile that rivaled that of the Mona Lisa. Then she suddenly vanished, as if the shadows at her feet quickly dragged her to them, and the cobblestone ground next to River looked normal again, as if she had never even been there.

Aspen stared at the children as they looped around the town square. The bright aqualine water in the fountain was riddled with rose petals, which floated on the top. She walked closer, kneeling at the fountain and scooped out a handful of the wet rose petals, she turned back to the others slowly, yet gracefully and put one on Celeste's cheek, she giggled and then she put one on Maya's forehead, where it stuck because of the moisture, she put one on Damien's cheekbone and she moved to River, where she stuck one carefully over his lips and looked around for Lily.

River chuckled as Maya grimaced and peeled the rose off of her forehead.
The velvety and wet petal on his lips fell off and fluttered to the ground, and he ran his hand on top of the fountain gingerly, the water embracing his hand as if he were an old friend.

Aspen grabbed River's hand back quickly, looking around.
"Don't." She warned "the people here might see you and I don't know how they feel about it."

River frowned. "I didn't do it intentionally…" he still obliged to her concerns and reluctantly moved away from the fountain with a small sigh.

Aspen gave him a softened look.
"I know," she said kindly "it's nothing against you, we just have to be careful."

"I know," River replied, smiling at her. "I honestly didn't see the water doing anything until you said something, so thanks for telling me."

Aspen nodded and smiled at him, placing a wet rose petal on his cheek and pushing until it stuck when she pulled her hand away, she giggled and bent down and kissed him gently on the non petal cheek.

"I love this place, I love you, I love this festival, I love everything!" She cried, throwing the rest of her rose petals into the air, where they landed in everyones hair.

River smiled at her, happy that she was happy.
"That's the spirit!" Maya whooped, earning cheers of approval from the people who heard Aspen.

Celeste laughed and looked up at the sky, dancing on the spot.
Aspen whooped for her and began to dance around her.