10611/A New Year's Day Offering

A New Year's Day Offering
Date of Scene:	01 January 2020
Location:	Breakstone, Westchester County
Synopsis:	Poseidon and Shannon celebrate New Year's with a little hot cocoa and cookies. The sea-god makes good on his holiday gift to her, but also makes certain that the young healer in training takes care of herself as well as others!
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Poseidon

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Nightingale has posed:
     Family had to come first, and Shannon had promised her kin to visit for New Year's well before her last visit with Poseidon. It had been a matter of arranging the means to venture down to her old home to see them. Before leaving for the trip, she took a moment to murmur a quick prayer to the sea-god, letting him know of the circumstances, and hoped he would understand. But with the trip now complete, it's high time for her to head out to the little brook with a handmade wreath, her little enclosed votive candleholder, and a small insulated bag slung over one shoulder, of the sort that usually contains edible goodies. It doesn't take long for her to find the brook, despite the fresh snowfall obscuring some features of the area; the little stone bench, though dusted with white, was still there, and did well to mark the spot. She smiles, brushing the snow away, setting her bag down and setting up her candleholder on a flat rock cleared of snow by her hand. A smile lights up her face just as she lights the candle, her breath freezing in front of her like clouds of smoke, or perhaps sea mist in a storm.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon has been, during the later days, quite bored! Nothing to do really apart from sitting on his throne to supervise the oceans as they do their oceanic thing on the world, so basically, as soon as Shannon is sensed in the usual spot, which at this point is almost like a ritualistic spot, the god of the seas stands from his throne, shifts his armour into a simple sea blue robe, and wills himself to disappear and reappear already sitting on the bench which now is free of snow too! "Shannon!"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon turns the moment she hears that familiar voice and smiles! Indeed, that spot had become almost ritualistic, even if perhaps it lacked the outward trappings of a temple. It was built of heart and spirit, and perhaps that was enough for now! Her wings spread outwards, ruffling and fluttering as if for joy at seeing that now-familiar face. "Happy New Year to you! I'm so sorry I couldn't get out here yesterday... hopefully my message reached you?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon tilts his head slightly at first, as if to try to recall, then nods and smiles "ah yes! No worries, Shannon, it's not like you're obligated to come here or anything so you shouldn't be sorry about not coming in time or something like that..." he states, still smiling. "and happy new year to you as well! I still don't understand how this is a thing that you mortals celebrate, but..." he shrugs "I mean what's the difference between today and yesterday, but nevermind, nevermind! It's an occasion to be happy and celebrate and that's good I suppose. How have you been?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles and tilts her head, trying to think of a way to explain. "Our lives are perhaps more... finite, more precarious than the gods. Any occasion to celebrate that time we have, and to give voice to our hopes for the times to come, is a welcome one. I do feel badly about not being here, though, when I'd meant and wanted to do so, but my kin missed me and I them." Smiling, she settles down on the bench, unzipping the little black insulated shoulder bag, and withdrawing a thermos. There are also several cookies of varying sorts, ranging from gingerbread, to chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, oatmeal raisin, and who knows what else! "I feel much better for having seen them. We had a good time bringing in the new year and making up for the holiday missed. But what about you? How have you been since the last time we spoke?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon chuckles and waves his left hand in a slightly dismissive gesture "shannon you do worry waaaay too much." he states "now, if I commanded you to do something within a timeframe, then yeah, be worried... I didn't so, how's that you people say? Take it easy?" he says, shrugging slightly and smiling as soon as the contents of the bag are revealed "aha! Sweet sight in more than a way! Hmm..." he contemplates the cookies, then answers the question "well, see, for some of us with very long lives, it's like we met two seconds ago... So, well, I'm fine as I was last time we spoke, thanks for asking!"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles softly. "Except for the fact that you /did/ mention a timeframe the last time we met, so..." It's a wonderful thing to see that smile, her own turning into more of a grin. "Did a little baking just before going to visit my family, set these aside for you. The thermos has some hot cocoa, too."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon chuckles and shrugs "I know you've been busy, no worries." he simply states, looking at the termos and grinning back "you do truly think of everything don't you?" he says, and collects the termos with his left hand! In his right, out of nowhere, a cup appears, and he fills it with the content of the termos "want some?" he asks, offering the cup to the woman

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grins and accepts the cup, lifting it in a bit of a toast. "Thank you!" A little sigh of pure delight escapes her as she takes a sip of the cocoa, curling her hands about the cup for warmth. "This is the least I could do, for as wonderful and kind as you have been so far to me."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon hmms, summoning another cup for himself and filling it from the termos. "cheers" he says, lifting his own cup, and then taking a sip "it's delicious!" he states, placing the termos back where it belongs and reaching for a gingerbread cookie "and this is delicious too!" he says, after eating it. "but I've done nothing so far..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon raises her eyebrows, looking at Poseidon with utter shock and disbelief. "I can't believe I'm about to scold a god," she murmurs. "And may I not get struck down for this... but how can you think you've done nothing? You've taken precious time to befriend a mere mortal, reached out and helped her begin to make sense of senselessness when there is bigotry and violence. You've made sure she's not alone, listened to her ramble on at times, and you think that is nothing? Then we have very different ideas of 'nothing', it seems."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon chuckles a bit, sipping his cocoa and smiling gently at Shannon "oh, you clearly don't know what kinds of requests people used to throw at me in the old days... Well then it's good because I did all of it gladly!" he states, getting another gingerbread cookie and quietly eating it

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon rolls her eyes and chuckles, shrugging. "I can only imagine. But then, they clearly have no idea of what a precious gift friendship really is. It makes me feel bad even thinking of your offer from the last we spoke." Smiling, she cants her head slightly to one side, and reaches for one of the oatmeal raisin cookies, nibbling on the edges of it. "Especially since you're already giving something far more precious, and that's yourself."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon raises an eyebrow and tilts his head "why should you feel bad about that offer?" he inquires, observing Shannon while he goes for another cookie and eats it slowly, sipping some cocoa after it

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon turns a little bit rosy in the face and smiles. "Because material things are little compared to true friends. But you did insist I think of something." She laughs and rolls her eyes. "Two things I am always losing or run out of when I sew are thread, and needles, both for hand sewing and machine. And that's a real nuisance, especially when I'm either working on my own clothing, or more frequently, when I'm making gifts for others. It may seem silly, but if I had needles that I couldn't run out of or lose, and thread I couldn't run out of or lose, it would let me worry a bit less, and create things for others more. Silly and foolish, I know. But I love crafting things."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon chuckles and smiles, bowing his head a bit as he perhaps concentrates. "well, those are reasonable requests!" he states. The god starts channelling his magic, even if nothing is visible about it. His mind visualizes the object at first, and as soon as the image is clear, on the bench between them a wooden and polished black box appears. As the lid moves upwards on its own, on the velvety inside of the box, some objects can be seen neatly arranged! At first, a small circular section of a softer silky material from which some needles stick out, then arranged in symmetrical rows, some threads of various colors. As the lid lowers again, Poseidon opens his eyes and silently pops another cookie in his mouth "so..." he starts to explain "the needles will always return to the box... So you won't loose them. The, threads, well lets say that the box replenishes itself, so whenever you run out of one, at midnight, if the box is closed, a new one will take its place! The only limit is that those threads and needles are usable only by you. As soon as someone else touches them, they vanish and reappear in the box... Understood?" he inquires

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods and smiles brightly, hugging Poseidon tightly as if she were a little child at Christmas time. "Thank you so much! And a nice way to remind me to get enough sleep, too, needing to have the box closed by midnight!" She grins a little bit sheepishly, and ducks her head. "I'm pretty bad about that sometimes, much to my shame." The box is cradled in her hands as if it is the most precious object in the world, which to her it is. "And I take it the box itself won't become lost, either? Which is good. Thank you so much! When I think of all the things I'll be able to make and gift to others because of this..."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon smiles and hugs the girl back, then quickly touches the box briefly and adds "oh, right, just so you don't spend all day making things for others... The box won't work, now, if you havn't made at least something for yourself every five that you make for someone else! Just so you won't stay up all day doing stuff for people and neglect yourself as you generally do, hm?" he winks "and yeah, the box will return to the place you designate for it, again, everyday at midnight... But try not to loose it just the same ok?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon opens her mouth as if to say something, but then just closes it again, shaking her head and laughing. Her eyes twinkle with amusement as she chortles, peering up at Poseidon. "Sneaky. Couldn't get that one past you, could I? Okay, okay, I'll make things for myself as well." The cookies suddenly become /very/ interesting, and she chomps down on her oatmeal cookie before she can say anything else!

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon nods with an approving smile "good! I know that if I leave you unchecked, tomorrow you'll just set a medical team to make it so you won't have to stand from your chair and spend day and night sewing clothes for every single person in the world, asking for nothing in return. Which is noble, but not really the scope of the gift, nor of your life..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs, and turns red. "Chances are I'd be /on/ that medical team. Or will do a bit more, one day, when I've some more training under my belt. But at least I can still do a little bit to offer some comfort to others, while learning different ways to heal." She chuckles softly and peers down at the box, then at Poseidon, then at the box and chuckles. "I suppose it would be a moot point, trying to make something for you. You've got magic on your side for that."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon looks at shannon and sighs, even if his lips are turned in a smile "you're hopeless..." he just mumbles, lifting and dropping his shoulders and then his hands "well I mean yes, magic can quite create whatever I need! But if that could make you feel any better I'm not stopping you either" he admits

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grins and crosses her arms, looking rather pleased with herself. "Good, because you're right, it would be very difficult to stop me. But, at the same time, I'll make a new dress or a shirt for myself." See, she could compromise! At least a little bit! Right? Right!

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon claps and nods "good girl! Because if I don't start seeing that you're thinking about yourself too, I will weave a curse on you that will freeze you everytime you try to do something for someone else if you've not done something for yourself within that day too..." he states, even quite seriously!

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon's eyes widen, and she leans back a little bit, the color draining momentarily from her face. There was no way he was serious about that--was he? Oh lordy, he was! "Okay, okay! Message received! Yikes..."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon chuckles and smiles as soon as he realize Shannon understood "here's a good girl!" he states, reaching out to ruffle her hair with his left hand, whilst the right brings the cup to his lips to finish the cocoa in it, before the cup vanishes as suddenly as it appeared.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon finishes her cocoa as well, in between bouts of laughter. Her color returns to normal, and she grins at Poseidon. "You're welcome to take these cookies with you if you like," she offers. "I've some still left at home, a few of which yes, I am keeping to myself." Hey, you don't mess with a girl's raisin oatmeal cookies! "I'd say I wish I had something more to give you, but I'd rather not get frozen in place!"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon smiles some more "smart!" he says about her last words, and even summons a small paper bag for the cookies "well I won't turn that offer down, those are really delicious..." he says, chuckling afterwards "and, Shannon, you're really doing already more than you realize... I mean, friendship is important as you said! But if we want to look on the practical side, you actually believing in me means power... A tiny bit, but still power"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon blinks in surprise, tilting her head. "Why wouldn't I believe in you? You're right here. It's a little hard to miss it." Perhaps in an age of skepticism, such innocence and willingness to entertain belief in the unusual and yes, even ancient, was a bit odd, but she had already seen so many strange and unusual things in the past year or two--and especially the past few months--that it wasn't such a far cry to believe in the god of the seas!

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon smiles, standing up from the bench slowly "well, sometimes, seeing something and believing in it are not the same... But still, I do thank you for your belief!" just because for your worshipping would be a lilbit too inappropriate to say? "in any case, I'm afraid I will have to leave you soon... There's some things that I should really take care of before they become a problem for a coastal town not too far from here"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon raises her eyebrows and stands, looking mildly concerned. "Would that be somewhere in this state? Or..." Her brows furrow, an expression of worry leaving its lines in her features. "My family is on the coast of Connecticut, a little town called Waterford..."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon blinks, trying to locate that place in his mind "uhm, no, no it's on the opposite side of the country..." he states "and no worries! I mean, they won't even realize anything happened..." he mentions, though his robes already change into the sea green scaled armour that he usually wears "I just need to have a word with a quite large and pissed off seamonster... Unsurprisingly enough, creatures down there get pretty pissed off when humans open new factories that unload all their crap on their lairs..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods and gives Poseidon one last hug, before stepping back, picking up everything she brought with her to leave the place as she found it. Carry in, carry out! "Not surprising at all, and hopefully one day those of us on land will learn. And not the hard way, either!" Smiling, she cradles the precious ebony box, and dips her head. "Thank you again! I'll have to make a point of bringing a little treat with me when I come out here. By the sound of things, you could use a little bit of a pick-me-up as much as I can sometimes!"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon chuckles and hugs her, ruffling her hair one last time before stepping backwards "thanks, Shannon! And yeah I do hope you learn it not the hard way, I really hope that..." he states, bowing his head in farewell and then, just vanishing into thin air!

Nightingale has posed:
Just as Poseidon vanished into thin air, Shannon takes to the air, sending swirls of snow whirling about on the ground from the strong downstrokes of her wings. In moments, she is above the treeline and heading for home, careful to not drop anything along the way. As she flies back towards home, she takes a moment to appreciate the view below. Fresh snow on the ground, nice and quiet and peaceful. Would that everyone could know a moment or two of peace like this, not just at New Year, but the whole year through!