Well, the weather outside is frightful

[rosestolilies.livejournal.com]

Characters: Everyone!
Date: Midnight the 16th of December
Summary: The inhabitants of the Garden get their reward for making out beneath the mistletoe, in the form of a lights show in the sky.
Warnings: N/A

In the dead of night, the Garden is dead silent. Without the sound of the city or urban life, only the noises of nature pervade the air. Crickets. Rustling leaves. The occasional footsteps of an animal.

However, tonight, at midnight, the silence is broken by a loud pealing of bells, rousing the people of the garden from their sleep. The bells continue ringing for nearly half a minute before falling silent. For a moment, the peacefulness of night returns to the Gardens.

Then the enormous mistletoe plant begins glowing, with a brilliant white light bright enough to be seen from all corners of the Garden. It fizzes, shooting off heatless sparks, and then bursts, shooting up into the sky and breaking into pieces of glowing light, forming various shapes. Above the Orchard, a series of hearts form, burst like fireworks, and reform. Over the Necessities, nymphs made of sparkling light kiss and dance through the sky, winking down at the people below. Over the ruins, flowers of multicolored light pop into existence and disperse. And above the Viridian Pavilion, fiery red phoenixes swoop through the air, burn out dramatically, and are reborn in a new cascade of light.

The show will continue until morning. Fortunately, now that the mistletoe's light has dispersed, it's not so bright that it should keep people awake.

Comments

[headedforhope]

Mami was already wide awake when the bells began to ring. How could she hope to sleep, with thoughts of kisses and closeness still circling her mind at a fever pitch? She could press her face against her pillow, could growl out her frustration into the muffling softness, but the memories remained and left no room for slumber. So Mami was glad enough to investigate the thunderous melody, and gladder still to find a reason to forsake her nightgown for proper winter clothes.

She begins to wander all over the Gardens, drinking in the fireworks display in the dim hopes that their explosive splendor will shove Utena out of her mind. And for the most part, the plan works.

[fatedmagia.livejournal.com]

Madoka, who had began to wander into the gardens to see the fireworks herself, pauses when she sees Mami.

And with some hesitation, she approaches her. It had been such a crazy month. Had things settled down? "Mami-san? Hello."

[headedforhope]

No, Madoka, things haven't - but Mami will pretend otherwise, her first and last form of defense against the things that rattle her emotions.

"Ah, Madoka-san....hello."

A smooth pause; Mami latches on quickly to the distraction that Madoka embodies. The fireworks are beautiful, but they can't talk back. "Have you been enjoying the show? It's all rather pretty, isn't it...."

[fatedmagia.livejournal.com]

Madoka nods, smiling widely. "Mm. But... somehow, I think they look prettier than the ones from home." It was strange, but Madoka somehow feels like they've gotten a little brighter now.

[headedforhope]

Back home....there's only the faintest pang at the thought of it, now. Yet for Mami this thought is encouraging, not depressing, and her smile grows warmer.

"Yes, I agree. It seems like the Gardens really went all out for us!" She draws her jacket a little closer around her body, her breath a bright white fog. "I do wonder where the bells are, though."

[fatedmagia.livejournal.com]

Madoka giggles nervously at that thought. She wondered that, too. But, at the same time... "...I think that... Maybe they were hidden so it seemed more magical." She rubs the back of her head, her gaze directed towards the fireworks as she says that.

[headedforhope]

"Ah, that certainly would make sense. It definitely adds to the atmosphere of the occasion." Mami turns to glance heavenward just as another batch of fireworks explode. Brilliant flares of color against the inky darkness, their light reflecting for just an instant in Mami's gold eyes.

"It'd also explain how the sound could carry so far without losing strength. The peals were loud enough to wake me up, at least."

A lie, accompanied by a twinge of guilt.

[fatedmagia.livejournal.com]

"Me, too..." Madoka's smile weakens a little. "It's a little like another way to celebrate Christmas, isn't it."

Madoka could vaguely tell that something was wrong--something. She looks to Mami for a moment before looking away a bit nervously.

... What could it be?

"Mami-san?" Perhaps her friend was just tired.

[gentlecuteside]

Amamiya had been wandering as well, and their paths intersected in the Necessities, where Amamiya watched with wonder as pairs of women, formed from motes of light, spun around one another and kissed and danced...she spotted Mami's familiar figure from a ways off and waved her over.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

[headedforhope]

She averts her gaze from that particular display, keeping her focus on Amamiya as she obliges the request to approach. The ethereal women are but blurry shapes of light in in the corner of her eyes - and it's safer that way.

"It certainly catches the eye, I agree. Have you seen the rest of the fireworks?"

[gentlecuteside]

"I've not seen any others," she admitted. "Are they different elsewhere?"

Unlike Mami, she was openly watching the pinwheeling figures as they kissed and played. She wasn't so easily embarrassed, and she was seemingly fascinated by them--

Okay those two managed to make her blush and look away. These fireworks women certainly were brazen.