Lily's Memoirs

Before the Party

The months leading up to the engagement party, once it had been decided that we were doing that, were busy and full of things to do.

As those months turned into days, however, things started to unravel. Between Swanky getting anxious and worried about what would happen if an old flame was going to stab him in his gullet to my friendship with Fretty being brought into question with hateful, stabbing accusations, these few days could not have gotten much worse.

As the day of the party began, I suddenly realized the rather long list of things that we had not handled. In my mad dash to the brewery, I cursed and swore at myself for not handling these things days before.

Of all the things to forget to officially handle, food and alcohol was, as I was told, most of the point of a party. Of course, I had the excuse that Fretty had been working hard to find and hire available brewers and bakers, but it was just too late for that. Excuses for procrastination are convenient, but I have to stop letting myself get comfortable.

Swanky met me in the Brewery and was honestly not all that helpful. He even suggested buying the brewery out entirely and not worrying about it. I had to “gently” remind him that no one could carry that much alcohol, and if they could, there’d be no room for food.

However, he did give me the money and called the Eghorus Rising clerk, miss Lyrale, to help out with storing the alcohol and food we procured. This was my first time meeting miss Lyrale, and she was very soft-spoken. However, she seemed to be good at organizing and storing things.

After miss Lyrale had retired, overflowing with goodies for the party, Swanky mentioned his trouble obtaining an albino maha shirt, even on loan, for the party. He still wants to get one for himself permanently, but he desperately wanted to out-do his orange outfit for the party. I believe miss Jeanne supplied a shirt near the last second, though, so many many thanks to her for that!

Talking about his outfit made me realize that I still hadn’t even contemplated my own. I asked for Swanky’s opinion, we experimented for a while, he completely ruled out a skirted outfit. To be honest, while possibly more festive.. Whoever designs skirts do not take into account female Fen’neko anatomy. Perhaps it fits to some tastes, but I definitely do not look flattering in it.

Anyway! Enough about the skirts. After looking through my available wardrobe, he suggested my light blue shirt with my dark dark green pants. It looked good enough that I’ve been wearing it since he suggested it. Ma’ta Phiros even said it looked cute, which was quite a compliment given his critiquing of my other outfits.

Once outfits were sorted, I spent some time trading pep-talks with Swanky and periodically double-checking to make sure the Ethereal Plane hadn’t decided to swallow Gaia’s Garden whole. While we were doing this, Ma’ta Phiros was working on his setlist for the event. After a couple hours of talking and checking, I decided to drop in on Ma’ta Phiros in an attempt to calm my own nerves. He graciously accepted my company and I got to listen as he rehearsed and composed for the party. It was soothing in its own way. I’ve since been considering ser Slyph’s demand that I become a bard a bit more seriously.

While we were there, Frothy made a reappearance. I quickly invited him to join us, along with Swanky. After a bit of a mishap which ended in Swanky, miss Macmaggie and myself falling.. And miss Azel appearing to help us out.. We were all assembled in the bard’s field. Ma’ta Phiros announced that Frothy was an honorary member of Eghorus Rising! I was really happy about this, and maybe when Frothy makes a full return, it will be made official. I think he’s been looking for a good home since he left the Llehn. I suspect we’ll be analyzing his progress and deciding whether to make it official a little after his return.

We spent a good amount of time with Frothy before he had to go, and before he left I took him to see mister Dyaus and miss Astoria. They had a pleasant conversation and then all three took to their studies again. By that time, it was almost time for the party, and the people involved with the preparations were gathering in the garden.

Last minute preparations and the party

In attendance at the pre-party meeting were (in order) mister Ojesi, Ma’ta Phiros, myself, Swanky, ser Slyph, and finally Fretty. Ma’ta Phiros expressed concern with how crowded the garden was going to get prior to the party, and I explained that the place held a great significance for the happy couple. After that, ser Slyph started going on about having the party in the morning. I nearly had a conniption fit with how much complaining she had. Her inability to see the significance bothered me greatly. Fretty did step in and say that it would be afternoon by the time we got started. It was a bit of a lie, but it seemed to calm her down.

After running everyone through the plan for the party, I took to myself. My last shred of confidence gone after my laying out what would happen. I won’t even get into how the efforts put into preparation felt stomped on by ser Slyph and Swanky, though I wonder if some of their requests weren’t specifically designed in order to do that.

Ma’ta Phiros followed me and started yelling at me. I wasn’t proud of myself enough, I wasn’t confident enough, I’ve been letting my studies slip, on and on he went for a while. Nearly brought me to tears, but I managed to hold it together.

After he left, I had about an hour to regain myself before miss Lyrale appeared and I called for people to help me handle refreshments. miss Jeanne and Bulky kindly volunteered and came with plenty of space in their packs to handle the entire load. I think I forgot to tell them ahead of time that they would be considered employees and were entitled to payment for their help. They seemed unprepared for their payment when I finally did pay them. I had to reassure both that the help was invaluable. I couldn’t handle it myself.

I shouldn’t have had to face handling it myself, but Fretty and I weren’t exactly.. Communicating. I was too overwhelmed to really stop him when I realized he was making trips back and forth to the brewery, and as a result, he ended up doing more work than he really needed to. In retrospect, I’m not too sorry for that. He treated me pretty poorly a few days before the party. I really am vindictive, aren’t I?

I spent most of the party in a trance. I’m surprised my sungem didn’t wear down from all the use it saw during the party. Questions left and right, so many people who likely felt ignored because I was unable to keep up with all of the sunstones.

Some things I probably need to clear up:
- This was NOT the wedding
- The one presiding was NOT present, she hasn’t actually confirmed nor denied the request to preside at this point
- The maid of honor is NOT a figment of our imaginations, and I am not in charge of speaking to her

The party was a success, though. I even got compliments from Swanky and ser Slyph. When all was said and done, we’d done a fine job of bringing people together to celebrate the engagement. Excellent music provided by mister Ojesi and Ma’ta Phiros. I even got a visionstone of mister Ojesi’s dedication to the couple. The finale of the casino was exciting and entertaining for all of the people present.

I just have to top this for the wedding, which I believe I can do.

I’d like to make a note of all who attended :
Airlea, Articna, Athl, Aye’Cha, BluePheonix, Chopper, Connie Crete, Creed, D’Ead, Eirian Caldwell, Feodoric, Fiona, Gremlins, Han, Hel, Jeanne, Kaitlyn, Katrina, Leyenda, Lorikeet, Maeght, Mondegreen, Naferu, Natas, Noivad, Ojesi, Phaos, Phiros, Raul, Salazar, Semie, Sos, Stinkfist, Stora, and Var

Not a bad turnout in the least, and I’m sure we’re overlooking people.. But this was the list Swanky was able to make while I was so overwhelmed. Gifts, music, gambling, food, and booze. It was a good time, and I’m glad so many were able to attend! This party is truly an example of how, despite differences, we can come together as a community.

Brief followup, after-the-party
It took me almost a whole day to clean up Gaia’s Garden and the Golden Butterfly. I was sore and tired for the next day.
Things with Fretty have been discussed and we seem to be more communicative and friendly than prior to our argument.
I’ve had a heart-to-heart with Ma’ta Phiros and things are a bit clearer on that front, as well.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had time to sit down and expunge my tired brain of what’s been going on.

It’s not that I’m any busier than before, it’s more that so much has happened and I’ve just not had the energy when I get here to write.

First and foremost, there’s the wedding.

The wedding is gradually coming together, with scheduling issues being sorted out. Announcements about the announcement party should be handled very soon, so long as Fretty doesn’t procrastinate.

ser Slyph’s “curse” has been unwound, and she’s looking much better. On pain of death, I’ve been instructed to not actually voice my opinion on the matter, so I’ll leave it at that.

I think the people around town haven’t been taking this marriage seriously. Just because it’s taking a while to put together doesn’t mean it’s any less real! I’m hoping that the party will alleviate the doubts. mister Dyaus and mister Ootog have been hired as Zo security, on the off-chance that an old flame arrives at the party and decides to gut Swanky like… I probably should leave it at that.

An update to my list :
- Find and invite mister Blubrug
- Hear back from Ma’ta Diotima
- Hear back from mister Xepel about his meeting with Bard Orphkin
- Start collecting Trophies for decoration
- Get on Swanky to handle his contest
- Finalize the wedding party
- Start putting pressure for coordinating attire of wedding party

All in all, I’m learning a lot from planning this wedding. It may not seem like much, but I’m learning how to motivate and coordinate exiles. I’m sure the skills I’m putting together for this will be valuable for other situations, as well. Despite the comments I’ve received about putting my studies on hold.

In other news..

A close friend of mine has been having a troubling time. It angers me when people talk about him, but gossip only perpetuates gossip. I refuse to contribute to it. When he’s feeling better, I trust it all will be forgotten.

ser Slyph has told me to become a bard. and I won’t deny that the idea hadn’t crossed my mind before. However, I am currently too swamped to try to write anything, much less contemplate auditioning, so this may end up being either forgotten entirely by ser Slyph or a long-term project.

And finally.. Ferals are obnoxious.

It’s frustrating when I have to step down from previous obligations. I had agreed to host and organize the pushball tournament, but I simply can’t currently. I have too much going on otherwise. I still have to inform Captain Stinkfist of this, but it’ll be handled soon.

Strike that, I didn’t exactly agree to it.. Much like everything, it was imposed-with-good-intentions. Captain Stinkfist is effectively promoting my community participation by entrusting this to me, but between my studies beginning to consume me and the wedding, I simply can’t schedule the tournament. I just don’t have the energy, not to mention the drive.

The wedding is almost all-consuming, mentally. Despite appearances, my mind is constantly re-rolling through the list of things I need to do. To conclude Teenage Folly, ser Slyph said “yes” to Fishy, and now they are engaged. Seemed quite sudden to me, personally, but they seem happy.

I thought I would be part of the wedding party, and it would be a simple matter of basic normal wedding duties and being able to watch it happen. I’m starting to believe that Fishy and ser Slyph are telepathic in some way and can read my deepest fears, and then take pleasure in using those fears against me.

Congratulations, Lily, you’re in charge of… Everything. I am the wedding director. I’m in charge of planning and pulling off an “extravagant” wedding, an event that anyone would be ashamed they missed. I believe the pressure here is quite intentional.

It all came about quite suddenly, and I must have looked like an idiot when I learned about my new position. They informed me, in front of all of town, that this was going to be the case. I hesitated a moment.. And then accepted it, thinking about a simplistic wedding of traditional Puddleby style. Wedding chapel, reception with music and refreshments. Then it began to trickle in. Extravagance, over-the-top, memorable. Cake, bards, invitations – likely to people who have long-since retired to study, decorations, outfits, original venue.. The list goes on and on. I imagine the expression on my face went from genuinely happy for ser Slyph and Fishy to one with a vapid smile and eyes of fear.

Were this a tale of a damsel in distress, there would need to be a hero. I don’t really consider myself a damsel, but I certainly was in distress mentally. Fretty stepped up to the challenge of playing the hero, and offered to be my “Personal Assistant” to help take a great deal of the weight off my shoulders. miss Miratisu was quite excited. Too excited for how overwhelmed I was feeling. She began listing cake ideas, forms of creatures found around the island. After a great deal of silence on my part, Fretty suggested she be hired to handle the cake arrangements, since she was so eager about it. Once I agreed, she started talking about venues. Oh my brain was going to explode!

Luckily, the wetlands needed help, and as soon as she left for the rescue, I went to hide. It was really all too much!

Fishy, of course, found me. He knows my hiding spots, seeing as we’ve been best friends for several years now. He reminded me that despite appearances, I was going to be able to handle it one step at a time, and it’s a big reason why he and ser Slyph had not set a date. It’s possibly the one kindness they have given me throughout this process so far. Fishy really is a good friend, and he managed to remind me that he was, indeed, my best friend.

There are now expectations from the people who know, and expectations from Fishy and ser Slyph that everyone should know. Probably already. I’m not one for public relations, so it’s another thing I will need to “Delegate, delegate, delegate” (Fretty’s words). Maybe I’ll ask him to handle that the next time I see him. Now there’s delegation for you.

As it stands, I have several things on my agenda to take care of already:

• Speak with mister Xepel
• Speak with Ma’ta Diotima
• Speak with mister Blubrug (miss Crete has agreed to help me look for him, so that’s some relief)
• Seek out bards and listen to their compositions to try to coordinate music played during the ceremony, or look for bards willing to compose new pieces (I will start with Ma’tas Phiros and Ansset, as they’re the most common bards I have familiarity with)
• Plan the announcement party for the official engagement announcement (which will be considerably less work, I think)

I will note that people who work “under” me, or I employ the services of, will be paid. I’ll have to discuss this with the bride and groom, however, as they are funding this extravaganza.

My biggest concern, honestly, has already been handled. miss Althea made an appearance while Fishy, ser Slyph, and I were in town. Well, ser Slyph arrived afterward.

mister Daimoth seems intent to stir up trouble, and informed miss Althea that ser Slyph was to be married. miss Althea took it in stride, despite Fishy being convinced that his life was in danger at miss Althea’s hand. I think he’s worrying for nothing. Either way, after what seems like a failed attempt at riling miss Althea into a jealous rage, he began to attempt to insult Fishy’s manhood, asking if Fishy is the husband or wife. Fishy responded in his typical antagonistic way, advising mister Daimoth to wear a pink ribbon around his head. mister Daimoth decided to threaten to “obliterate” Fishy’s being and divide the pieces across the planes of existence. This entire “conversation” was broadcast to all awake exiles at the time, so it was a public display of wit versus brute strength. Seeing as Fishy is not divided equally across all planes of existence.. I’ll leave it at that. All in all, mister Daimoth seems quite touchy when his masculinity is called into question. Not surprising in the least.

Enough about him, I am glad that miss Althea seems happy for ser Slyph, and it alleviates one of my – and Fretty’s – major concerns. If miss Althea showed up at the wedding to steal ser Slyph back, what would happen? I certainly hope we don’t find out. My impression of miss Althea is a good one, so I don’t think she will do that.

A good side to all of this is that I am able to spend more time with Fretty. I’ve learned a lot about him, and he seems to, begrudgingly, trust me. He is rather flighty, however. Can’t quite read his emotions, still. I’ll learn. The insinuations, however, are not helping.

Perhaps we are too hasty to call the antics of adolescence simply young and naïve. We smile and chuckle at it as adults as if we are beyond it, but when it comes to matters of the heart, I now believe we are all capable of, sometimes very susceptible to that behavior.

Take, for instance, Fishy. One of the oldest Thooms I know, not to mention exiles, and I hold a deep respect for his experiences in the world. It’s a privilege to be able to call him my best friend, or at least up until the most recent chain of events. That may be over now, he may no longer trust me.. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

I’ll start at the beginning and work my way up. The beginning is relative, though, as “how it came to pass” is more a private matter and not truly mine to tell, despite my telling of it to an individual involved.

During our recent visit to the Golden Butterfly, which seems to be at least a bi-zodiacal visit these days, I watched Fishy very closely. I’d been sitting on his feelings for just over two seasons. He’d told me not to tell her, and I didn’t; however, his “adolescent” angst at the situation shone through on the smaller things he said. She, of course, was oblivious.

She’s used to affections with no deeper meaning. People want to be close to her because of her renowned position in our society. She is a Knight, she is a performer, and she’s a personality our town has sorely missed. Her return sparked new life into Fishy, and then subtle misery.

Anyway, background aside.. My story actually opens when she exits the library.

Teenage Folly

I waited for her arrival for days, making sure I was always available for when she did come out from her studies, so that I would have time to speak with her. We exchanged our greetings briefly, and I asked for some time to speak with her privately.

I led her to a place I knew Fishy could not walk in on us accidentally. He had no idea of what I was about to do, and given the reaction afterward, it probably wouldn’t have happened if he had known. I, of course, blurted out that he couldn’t follow us here, and then we had to clarify that Zo bodyguards were not necessary.

I was scared.. No, I was terrified, mostly for his sake. If this went poorly, I would have ruined his chances entirely. It was a gamble of mine to get involved at all, and maybe I shouldn’t have.

After much flustering and sidestepping, as is the general rule with her, I finally got to my point. I cited the misletoe incident, which Lazy Ranger effectively sidestepped when it went badly, and told her simultaneously of Fishy’s affections and how I really didn’t want anything to happen to him.

Then things started to get strange.

She wanted to kill him, but she didn’t want to kill him. She was entirely taken by surprise, and seemed lost within her own thoughts. We briefly discussed some of her marital history, of which I will hold to myself, and then I explained to her how this came to pass.

She wanted to rest in town centre, to digest the information. Fishy was there, and entirely clueless as to what had transpired. She raved at him, vaguely. Gradually, he figured out that I had done something to spark this insanity. I invoked my mystic right to a tight tongue, which got him to stop asking for a short time.

Everyone in town seemed to believe she was referring to Fishy no longer training languages with her, and made inappropriate jokes to that effect. I, of course, could say absolutely nothing as I watched all of this unfold.

Then, after a stream of vague accusations escaped her lips, she exclaimed that she was going back to her studies. She informed Fishy, and all of town in the process, that they would be speaking very soon. Repeatedly.

Then she yelled that it would be a big wedding, which left everyone, including myself and Fishy, perplexed. I’m not actually sure where this leaves everything, but I hope it is positive.

Fen’neko Regret

After the events of Teenage Folly, I ran. I hid. I cowered. I cried. Fishy was clearly angry, and the proclamation of a wedding had all but ensured my demise.

My actions would have left my people ashamed, it might have forced me to re-do my rites as an adult Fen’neko. It was very shameful, but I don’t know how I would have handled things differently. Maybe, in the end, I’m not actually an adult, or maybe this is still a “matter of the heart.”

Regardless, Fishy found me. With mister Aganju at his side, I was chased. Not something I am proud of, again, but I ran. I ran as fast as I could to get away. Survival instincts, perhaps.

The elements were against me and it started to rain. I had no time to don my coat as the wretched rain matted my fur and weighed my flight down. I took shelter in the temple, and prepared for the worst.

Fishy and mister Aganju cornered me there, Fishy demanding answers that I did not honestly want to give him. I gave him vague answers, hoping the brazier would dry me enough so I could make my escape before I had to be directly honest. Unfortunately, it was not the case. It slipped out, and in my panic, I shoved Fishy to the side and stumbled out the temple doors back into the rain.

Again, I was running. I ran all around, trying to shake my pursuers. When I finally did, I dove into mister Bumgal’s hut and begged miss Zonne to hide me. I imagine she had heard the gossip, however, and ignored my request.

Shivering, wet, and cold, I finally donned my coat in the hopes it would bring some subtle comfort. There I waited, hoping for an idea to come across my mind to get me out of the mess I was in.

I thought of living on Thieves’ Island, I thought of trying to make it a joke, I thought of forever hiding from Fishy. None of these ideas were realistic, and before too long, Fishy and mister Aganju made an appearance.

mister Aganju took pity on me, I believe. He claimed that I would never wear my cloak indoors, and that I was, in fact, a sock puppet placed to throw Fishy off my scent. Or something to that effect. He then preyed on Fishy’s biggest weakness. He offered a trip to the casino to get Fishy’s mind off of things.

All the while, Fretty – dear Fretty – was sunstoning me, telling me he had a hiding place he could stash me in. I told him they were still there, and I couldn’t leave. While it was ultimately unnecessary, as mister Aganju had managed to distract Fishy, Fretty sent out general misinformation about my whereabouts in an attempt to lead Fishy away.

Once Fishy and mister Aganju had left, I waited. I waited long enough that I felt sure I could make a break for it. I followed Fretty’s directions, only to meet a walking dead that took a bite out of me before I could make it there.

Down into the underground I went, wounded and weakened. Fretty led the way, distracting spiders and other creatures that had smelled the blood from my wound as best he could. We ran a great ways before an arachne jumped out of hiding and felled me.

I could no longer run, I was too weak. I fell into despair and told Fretty the emotional jist of what had transpired. He comforted me, in his way, and told me he believed Fishy didn’t have it in him to actually kill me. It’s amazing how Fishy keeps his nefarious side to himself.

Then Fishy arrived and without a word, wrapped the chain around my arm securely, dragging me out of the underground. His lack of words only fueled my fears.

I was dragged through town centre, a spectacle for all to see, including Ma’ta Melben. miss Kitty – miss Boo Boo Kitty, not to be confused with miss Moon Kitty – set off in chase. When Fishy proclaimed we were headed to the casino and dove into the bank, the chain loosened its grasp and finally slipped off.

Fretty had miss Kitty heal me, and he and mister Aganju stood between Fishy and myself after his re-emergence from the bank.

Fishy struck a deal with me. I win him something from the casino, something grand, and he would forgive me. He even gave me two thousand coins to bet with. mister Aganju’s suggestion had saved my life, I will have to be sure to thank him the next time I see him.

Once inside the casino, I began rolling. mister Vashein was not agreeable, and I kept losing. I hid inside of my coat to hide my fear, and Fretty again tried to protect me. At that point, though, I was caught. It was this or perhaps death.

Once again, mister Aganju took pity on me, however. He handed me a metal and stood behind mister Vashein. His voice impersonations are quite impressive, as he made it seem as though mister Vashein had awarded me a metal.

Fishy did not seem impressed and insisted I keep rolling. This went on for some time, I did win an uli flower and four ore, but it didn’t seem to impress Fishy. Right up until he said he had forgiven me with the metal. Sometimes, I hate that Thoom. Putting me through emotional torture just so I would spin the wheel for him. I suppose your best friends can also be your worst enemies in the end, though.

Today was exciting!

After a few words in town center with Ma’ta Sally, Ma’ta Diotima, and Fishy, we decided to try for a run at the Abyss. Someone mentioned it in town, and it sparked the idea.. So off we went. Ma’ta Diotima assured us she would watch (likely giggling at our silliness the whole while).

What happened after we landed on Ash was almost bard-song worthy. Ma’ta Sally and Fishy are quite a spectacle to behold. I, of course, fell to a Greater Wraith almost at the doors to the Dark Temple. Ma’ta Sally swooped in with his trusty chain and hauled me through the looming doors.

Inside, he was met face-to-face with a hoarde of Skeletals and a ghost-man blocking the doorway for him to proceed further. Fishy caught up while Ma’ta Sally was trying to maneuver the skeletals and ghost-man away, and between the two, a coordinated effort was made to get past the small entrance into the deeper rooms of the temple.

Down the stairs they went, only to be met with a Greater Death. At least I think it was a Greater Death. Fishy selflessly sacrificed himself in order to allow Ma’ta Sally to swoop him up on the chain and continue on down the red path toward the Abyss.

On the way there, a faithless stopped Ma’ta Sally in his tracks. Quickly he moved to the side, whipped out his wand, and safely convinced the Faithless to kindly move out of the way. He swooped, once again, with his trusty chain, and dove headfirst into the abyss! Our destination achieved!

Surprisingly, after Ma'ta Sally chained us in, we were all still close enough to hear each other

After much confusion from would-be rescuers, my Knight, ser Slyph, managed to figure out where we were. Boy was she mad, too. I’ve been sentenced to wearing tan indefinitely as a result of all of this.

Anyway! The rescuers came and met with the Greater Death I mentioned earlier. They began falling quite a lot as a result, and it has led me to assume that Fishy and Ma’ta Sally survived a Greater Death encounter! Very impressive indeed!

Once mister Naferu, miss Kitty, and their friends arrived, they made quick work of getting us pulled out of the Abyss. On the bright side, we managed to entertain some folks for a while!

As the rescue lands, miss Crete snags us on her chain to bring us to safety

Miss Crete seems a bit disheartened by how easy it was after the Greater Death

I’d say wearing tan is worth it.. I might change my mind after I return to ser Slyph’s residence and see the list of chores she might have in store for me after this, though.

After much thought, I’ve jumped on the opportunity Ma’ta et’Lotharen has offered to us (via Ma’ta Ansset) and reserved this shelf space.

I intend to record the memories most important to me here in the form of stories to share. Once a person is gone, their memories cease to be; however, their stories live on forever.