Faction (DIA) The Festival of Renewal

[Misfits Delight]

Spring arrived gently on Bastion.

It was not the sudden burst of wild color found on less ordered worlds, but something quieter. Carefully cultivated gardens were waking beneath warming skies, flowering trees lined the walkways of the Diarchy's civic districts, and the steady hum of life returned after the colder months. Today, one of those gardens had been set aside for a different purpose.

Laughter.

Bright banners fluttered between the trees, their colors dancing softly in the breeze while lanterns hung low among the branches. Tables had been arranged along the garden paths, offering sweet pastries, fruit drinks, and warm snacks. A wide stretch of green had been cleared for games and wandering feet. Members of the Diarchy had gathered with their children, younger students, and families, trading the usual discipline of Bastion for something lighter. It was a day meant to celebrate the turning of the season and the promise of growth ahead.

Near the center of the gardens, one group of children sat cross-legged around long tables where baskets of bright flowers had been laid out in abundance. Under the guidance of a few patient volunteers, small hands carefully wove stems and petals together, creating crowns and bracelets of every color imaginable. Some were delicate, while others were wildly uneven, but each one earned a proud smile from its creator.

Not far away, a broad open field had been claimed by the wind and a forest of colorful kites. Some were shaped like starships, others like soaring birds or distant planets, their long tails fluttering as children raced back and forth trying to catch the strongest breeze. Each gust of wind sent the kites climbing higher into Bastion's blue sky, drawing cheers from their pilots below.

Along the shaded paths of the garden, another quieter activity had gathered attention. Small plots of freshly turned soil had been prepared beside rows of young saplings where children were invited to plant seeds or small flowering plants of their own. With careful instruction and more than a little dirt on their hands, they pressed the earth closed around new life. Each planting was marked with a small tag bearing their name.

Throughout the gardens, laughter rose easily. Conversations drifted between friends and families. Somewhere a musician had begun playing a soft melody beneath the trees, the notes floating through the warm afternoon air.

For the Diarchy, the day was simple by design. No training. No duty. Just a garden, bright skies, and the promise of a new season beginning.

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: OPEN

Lanternlight washed the streets in warm gold and amber as the celebration stretched across the district like a living river of color. Strings of glowing lights swayed gently overhead, their reflections dancing across polished stone and festival banners that fluttered lazily in the evening breeze. Music carried through the air in soft waves—drums, laughter, the distant melody of flutes—and everywhere there were people moving with the easy rhythm of celebration.

Solon Rey paused at the edge of the crowd.

For a moment, he simply watched.

The festival felt… alive. Not in the tense, brittle way galactic politics had always been alive—full of secrets and suspicion—but in a simpler way. Families walked arm in arm beneath lantern arches. Vendors called out over sizzling pans of festival food. Children chased floating lights that drifted lazily above the walkways.

Renewal.

The word lingered in his thoughts as he stepped forward, blending into the flow of the crowd.

Once, he had moved through gatherings like this under another name. Another life. Another mask.

Freia Kaella.

The name had served its purpose. It had protected him when the galaxy demanded careful steps and hidden truths. But the galaxy had changed. The iron shadow that had once taken over the Core had fractured and collapsed with the fall of the Empire.

And with it, Freia had quietly faded away. It had been replaced with another equally horrid group, but that was not a danger to Solon.

Solon adjusted the layered chain at his collar as he moved between lantern-lit stalls. The modest jewelry caught the warm glow of festival lights, glinting softly against the pale fabric of his shirt. His reflection flashed briefly in the polished metal of a vendor's stand—freckles across his nose, auburn hair shifting slightly with the breeze, violet eyes studying the celebration like someone still learning how to belong inside it.

Freia would have watched from the edges.

Freia would have calculated.

Solon… was trying something different.

He stepped deeper into the crowd, letting the sound of music and laughter surround him. Lanterns drifted upward into the darkening sky like small stars being born, each one carrying a wish or a memory.

Renewal, the banners had promised.

Solon Rey wasn't entirely sure what that meant yet. But tonight felt like a good place to start. His gaze lifted toward the rising lanterns before he exhaled quietly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he continued walking into the festival lights.

 

[Xian Xiao]

Spring on Bastion had always felt… organized.

Even now, with the festival spilling through the gardens and streets in bright color and laughter, there was still that underlying sense of order she'd grown up with. Lanterns hung in careful rows, banners tied with practiced precision, and even the chaos of children chasing kites seemed to follow some invisible rhythm.

Xian found it comforting.

Predictable.

Safe.

It meant no one would end up tangled in lantern cords or accidentally set something on fire.

She walked along one of the garden paths with a paper cup of fruit drink in one hand, her other hand hooked loosely through the strap of the small satchel at her hip. Her red hair was pulled back into a loose braid, though the warm breeze kept tugging strands free to curl around her face. Her black eyes moved easily over the festival as she passed between clusters of people.

Children darted past her with flower crowns slipping sideways over their ears.

A kite shaped like a Republic cruiser swooped dangerously low before climbing again to a chorus of delighted shouts.

Someone nearby was handing out pastries dusted in powdered sugar, and the air smelled faintly sweet.

It all felt… different.

Not wrong.

Just different.

She was used to Bastion being disciplined and quiet, full of training schedules and purposeful footsteps echoing down long hallways. Seeing the same district filled with music and families made it feel as if she had stepped sideways into a place she almost recognized, but not quite.

Xian slowed beneath one of the lantern arches where the path widened, watching two younger children argue over whose kite had gone higher. For a moment, she simply let herself stand there, letting the noise and color settle around her.

Then she noticed him.

He didn't look lost.

Just… separate. Like someone taking in the festival from a half-step back, studying it rather than joining it. The way his gaze moved, steady and deliberate, was familiar in a way she couldn't quite place. Someone who had watched rooms before walking into them.

Her curiosity nudged her forward.

She shifted her drink to her other hand and stepped a little closer, stopping beside him and following his line of sight up toward the lanterns drifting slowly into the darkening sky.

"They always look better from down here," she said, her tone easy and unforced, like she was sharing a small truth rather than starting a conversation.

She took a small sip from her cup before glancing over at him.

"Most of them get caught in the upper winds before they ever reach the clouds," she added, thoughtful but lightly amused. "People don't like hearing that part. Ruins the magic."

A faint, warm smile tugged at her mouth, subtle but genuine.

"I'm Xian," she said, offering her name the way she offered everything else today: steady, open, and without expectation.

Solon Rey

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: OPEN | Xian Xiao

Solon’s attention lingered on the lanterns as they drifted upward, their soft glow reflecting faintly in his eyes. He had already noticed her before she spoke—the measured way she moved, the quiet awareness in her posture. Not guarded, exactly… but attentive. Familiar.

Her voice pulled his gaze from the sky. He glanced sideways at her, studying her for a brief moment—not with suspicion, but with quiet curiosity—before letting a small, almost amused breath slip through his nose.

“Maybe that’s what makes it work,” he said, his tone soft, thoughtful. “People don’t need it to reach the clouds. Just… far enough to believe it might.”

His eyes flicked back upward, watching one lantern wobble slightly before catching a steadier current. “Besides,” he added, a faint hint of a smile forming, “most things worth holding onto don’t survive contact with reality anyway.” There was no bitterness in it—just an observation, worn smooth with time.

When she offered her name, his gaze returned to her fully this time. He shifted slightly, turning toward her instead of the sky, closing that subtle half-step of distance he’d been keeping from the crowd. “Solon,” he replied, the name coming easily, without hesitation.

A pause followed—not awkward, but deliberate—as he took in the details. The braid, slightly undone by the breeze. The way she held herself like someone used to structure, even here among the noise and color.

“You sound like you’ve been watching these for a while,” he continued, nodding faintly toward the lanterns. “Or maybe just used to seeing how things actually end up.” His tone carried no challenge—only interest.

He glanced briefly toward the arguing children and the dipping kite, then back to her, the faintest warmth settling into his expression. “I was just trying to figure out if this place feels more like what it is…” he gestured lightly to the lanterns, the music, the crowd, “…or what it used to be.”

A small pause. Then, a little more open, a little more human: “Do you come here for the festival, or because it reminds you of something?”

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian listened quietly, her gaze drifting back up to the lanterns as he spoke. One of them wobbled just like he said, catching the wind again and climbing higher, its light flickering against the darkening sky.

"…Far enough to believe it might," she echoed softly, like she was testing the idea.

A small smile followed, thoughtful rather than amused.

"Yeah," she said after a moment. "That sounds right."

When he turned toward her, she didn't pull away from it. She stayed where she was, steady, her posture relaxed but still carrying that quiet structure he'd noticed.

"I've watched them a few times," Xian admitted, her tone easy. "Different festivals, different reasons. They always look the same from the ground."

Her eyes shifted briefly toward the children arguing over the kite, then back to him.

"But what it used to be…" she added, considering that part more carefully. "That's harder to see. Things change here a lot, even if they try not to show it."

A small pause settled between her words.

"I think that's why I like it," she continued. "It still feels like Bastion, just… softer for a little while."

Her fingers tightened slightly around her cup before easing again.

"And yeah, I came for the festival," Xian said, the faint smile returning. "Mostly. It's nice to have a day where nobody expects anything from you."

She glanced back up at the lanterns, then over at him again.

"What about you?"

Solon Rey

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: OPEN | Xian Xiao

Solon's gaze followed hers back to the lanterns, watching the slow drift of light against the deepening sky. He let the silence sit for a beat after her question, not out of hesitation, but as if he were weighing how much of the truth to give.

"Mostly," he echoed quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting just a little. His hand slipped loosely into his pocket as he shifted his weight, settling more comfortably beside her rather than apart from her. "I think I needed a place where nothing was expected too," he admitted, his tone calm but more open than before. "Somewhere I could finally be myself again."

His eyes dipped briefly toward the ground, catching the glow of lanternlight across the path, before lifting again. "Turns out that's harder to find than people think." He let out a soft breath, then glanced back toward her, curiosity returning to the forefront. "You were right, though," he added, nodding slightly toward the crowd. "It still feels like Bastion. Just… like it's letting itself breathe for once."

A faint pause. Then, a little more tentative—but genuine: "I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stay on the edges of it or step into it." His gaze flicked toward the nearby stalls, the music, the movement of people weaving through the lantern-lit paths—then back to her.

"But you seem like you've figured out how to stand in both places at once." A small, almost self-aware smile touched his expression. "Mind if I borrow that for a bit?"

For a moment after the words left him, Solon held her gaze—steady, but not pressing. It wasn't really about permission, not in the strict sense. It was something quieter than that.

He wasn't asking to follow her. Not exactly. It was the balance he'd noticed. The way she could exist in the moment without losing that underlying structure—like she understood the rhythm of the place without needing to control it. That… felt unfamiliar. Useful. Safe, in a way he hadn't expected. He'd spent too long watching first, stepping second. Measuring distance. Reading intent. It had kept him intact when things were less forgiving.

But here—Here, standing under lanternlight with someone who didn't seem to demand anything from him, the old instincts felt… heavier than they needed to be. Borrowing it, even briefly, felt like a risk. But not the kind he was used to. The kind that might actually lead somewhere.

His fingers shifted slightly in his pocket, grounding himself as he let out a quiet breath. "I mean," he added, softer now, a hint of something more genuine threading through his tone, "I could probably figure it out on my own…" A faint pause, his eyes flicking briefly back to the lanterns before returning to her. "But it'd be easier with someone who already knows how."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian didn't answer right away. She let his words settle in the quiet between them, her gaze drifting back toward the lanterns as they swayed softly against the darkening sky. Their light shifted in slow, patient arcs, making the whole space feel a little less rigid and a little more forgiving, as if it understood that people sometimes needed time to catch up to themselves.

A small breath left her, thoughtful rather than uncertain.

"Yeah," she said after a moment, her tone easy and open. "It is harder than people think."

Her hands slipped loosely behind her back as she rocked lightly on her heels, not out of restlessness but out of a quiet comfort with the space they were standing in. She didn't rush the next thought; she let it come when it was ready.

"I don't think I figured it out," Xian admitted, glancing back at him with a faint, self-aware smile that held no embarrassment. "I just stopped trying to do it the right way every single time. Turns out that helps more than you'd expect."

Her gaze drifted toward the crowd, toward the music and the shifting paths of people weaving around one another with an ease that didn't need choreography.

"Places like this…" she continued, her voice softening in a way that felt more reflective than fragile, "they don't really ask anything from you unless you start asking it from yourself. They're just… here. And you get to decide how much of yourself you bring into them."

She paused, letting the thought breathe before she added, "So standing on the edge or stepping in… that part's optional. There isn't a right answer."

When she looked back at him, her eyes were steady, warm in a way that didn't press or persuade, just welcomed.

"And if you're not sure yet, you don't have to pick right away," Xian said. "You can just be here for a bit. Let the place settle around you. See what feels right instead of deciding first."

The corner of her mouth lifted, a small thread of playfulness weaving through her calm.

"And if you want to borrow anything from me," she added, tilting her head slightly, "start with that. The part where you don't overthink every step."

Her gaze flicked once more toward the lanterns, their glow catching in her expression before she returned to him.

"No measuring. No perfect timing. Just… letting yourself be here." A beat passed, warm and unhurried. "Just don't blame me if you end up enjoying it more than you expected."

Solon Rey

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: OPEN | Xian Xiao

Solon let out a quiet breath at that, something softer than the ones before it, like a tension he hadn’t realized he was holding finally eased just a little. His gaze drifted from her to the lanterns again, following their slow, uneven ascent. One dipped, caught, then steadied—no precision, no perfect path. Just movement.

“…No overthinking,” he repeated under his breath, testing the words like he had hers earlier. A faint smile touched his expression—not guarded this time, just… there. “That might be the hardest part,” he admitted, glancing back at her. “Feels a little like walking without checking where the ground is first.”

He shifted his weight, then—deliberately—took a step forward into the flow of people passing along the path. Not far. Just enough to no longer stand on the edge of it. His shoulder brushed lightly against the current of movement before he looked back at her, a quiet hint of something more relaxed settling in his posture.

“…Still here,” he added, almost to himself. Another small pause, then a soft exhale that carried the faintest trace of amusement.

“Alright,” Solon said, a little more certain now. “I’ll try it your way. For a bit.” His eyes flicked toward a nearby stall where lanterns were being lit and passed to waiting hands, the warm glow spilling across the vendor’s table.

He hesitated for half a second—then didn’t overthink it. A small nod in that direction. “Come on,” he said, the invitation simple, but genuine. “If I’m going to do this properly, I feel like I should at least start with one of those.”

His gaze returned to her, a quiet openness there now that hadn’t been before.“…Unless there’s a better first step you’d recommend.”

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian watched him as he moved, not just the step itself, but the way he took it.

There was still thought in it, still that instinct to measure and account for what might go wrong, but it didn't stop him this time. He stepped anyway, let himself be part of it instead of standing just outside of it, and that alone was enough to draw the faintest shift in her expression.

Not approval. Not quite. Just a quiet recognition.

Her gaze followed him for a moment longer as he settled into the flow of people, the lantern light catching along the edges of his movement, softening it in a way the rest of the world rarely did. When he looked back at her, something in her posture eased, just slightly, like she had been waiting to see if he would actually do it.

"…yeah," Xian said softly, the word carrying more agreement than commentary.

Her eyes flicked briefly toward the stall he nodded to, taking in the warm glow, the small exchanges, the way people moved through it without hesitation, then back to him again.

"That's not a bad place to start," she added, her tone easy, unforced.

She pushed lightly off where she had been standing and stepped forward to join him, falling into place beside him without crowding, her pace matching his without needing to think about it. For a moment, she said nothing, just let the movement carry them both a few steps further into it, into the noise and the light and the presence of other people who weren't watching as closely as he was.

"That feeling doesn't really go away," Xian continued after a beat, glancing sideways at him. "The part where you want to check everything first." There was no judgment in it. Just truth. "You just get better at deciding when it actually matters."

Her gaze drifted ahead again, toward the lanterns waiting to be lit, the vendor passing them out one by one, each small flame catching and rising in someone's hands before being released.

"And when it doesn't," she added, quieter now, "you let things be a little less certain." A small pause followed, then the corner of her mouth lifted just slightly.

"Like this." She nodded once toward the stall, stepping a little closer to it before glancing back at him.

"No planning. No backup option," Xian said, a faint thread of something lighter in her voice now. "You just pick one and see what happens." Her eyes held his for a second, steady but warm. "That's the whole trick."

Solon Rey

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: OPEN | Xian Xiao

Solon watched her step in beside him, noting the ease of it—the way she matched his pace without forcing it, like she'd already accounted for the space he needed without making it obvious.

His gaze shifted ahead to the stall, to the quiet rhythm of hands passing lanterns forward, flames catching one by one. "…Yeah," he said quietly, more to himself than to her.

He slowed just enough to fall into line with the others waiting, though his eyes still tracked the movement—habit, not hesitation this time. "You make it sound simple," he added, glancing sideways at her, a faint hint of amusement threading through his tone. "Which probably means it isn't. Just… easier than I'm used to making it."

His attention returned to the vendor as someone ahead of them took their lantern and stepped away. The gap closed. No planning. No backup. His fingers flexed slightly at his side—then stilled. "…Right," Solon murmured, almost like he was confirming it to himself.

When it was his turn, he didn't pause. He stepped forward and reached out, taking one of the lanterns as it was offered. The paper was warm where the small flame had already begun to build inside, light spilling softly through its surface and across his hands.

For a second, he just held it there, watching the way the glow shifted with even the smallest movement. "…Guess this is the part where something's supposed to happen," he said, quieter now, the edge of uncertainty present but not pulling him back.

He stepped aside to make room for the next person, turning slightly toward her again, lantern still held carefully between his hands. A small breath left him, steadier than before.

"…What do people usually do?" he asked, a faint, self-aware smile forming. "Just… let it go and hope it means something?"

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian waited until he had taken his lantern before stepping forward herself, accepting the next one with both hands as though it were something more delicate than paper and flame. Warmth gathered immediately against her palms, the thin frame already eager to rise as the heat inside strengthened. She moved aside with him without needing to think about it, leaving space for the next people in line to step forward and continue the quiet rhythm of the stall.

For a moment, she simply looked at the lantern she held, watching the light shift through the pale paper and paint faint gold across her fingers. Then she glanced toward Solon and caught the uncertainty still lingering around the edges of his expression: soft, hesitant, almost endearing in its unfamiliarity.

This time, she smiled openly. Small, but real.

"I think you make a wish as you let it go," Xian said, her voice soft enough to blend with the music and the low murmur of conversation drifting through the lantern‑lit path.

Her lantern tugged upward again, impatient in the gentlest possible way, and she adjusted her grip to steady it.

"So yes," she continued, turning slightly so they could walk a few steps farther from the line before releasing them, "you can hope it means something."

Her eyes lifted briefly to the sky above them, where dozens of drifting lights were already rising into the deepening dark, each carrying someone's quiet hope.

"But make it something special to you." There was no teasing in her tone now. Only a quiet sincerity that settled naturally into her voice.

"It doesn't have to be grand," Xian added after a moment. "No one is checking if it's important enough." The corner of her mouth curved again as she looked back at him, the expression warm in a way she rarely let linger.

"Some people probably wish for peace in the galaxy," she said. "Someone else is definitely wishing for better boots." She lifted her lantern slightly, feeling its pull strengthen as the heat built. "I think both count."

Stepping a little closer to an open stretch of path, she let the glow of her lantern settle between them, soft and steady. "When you're ready," Xian said quietly, "just let it go."

Solon Rey

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: OPEN | Xian Xiao

Solon watched her for a moment as she spoke, the way she held the lantern like it mattered—even if no one was checking. His gaze dropped back to his own, the soft gold light shifting across his hands. The pull upward was stronger now, insistent but not rushed.

“A wish…” he repeated quietly. His fingers adjusted slightly on the frame, not to hold it tighter—but to feel the moment of letting go before it happened.

His eyes lifted, following the others already rising—small lights scattered across the sky, none of them perfect, none of them following the same path. “…Doesn’t have to be grand,” he murmured, echoing her earlier words under his breath.

For a brief moment, he stilled. Not thinking it through. Not measuring. Just… choosing. His grip loosened slightly, but he didn’t release it yet. A faint, almost imperceptible shift crossed his expression—something quieter, more personal—before it settled again into calm.

“…Yeah,” he said softly. Then, just barely audible, more to himself than anything else: “Something… better than before.”

His fingers opened. The lantern lifted from his hands without resistance, catching the air almost immediately and rising to join the others. For a second, his gaze tracked it—watching the way it wavered, dipped slightly—

—and then steadied. He let out a slow breath, shoulders easing as he followed it upward a moment longer before glancing back toward her, a small, genuine smile resting there now.

“…Alright,” Solon said quietly. “I think I get it.”

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian watched his lantern rise, her gaze following it for a moment longer than she meant to. There was something about the way it steadied after that brief dip that held her attention, like it had decided where it belonged mid-flight and committed to it.

"…Yeah," she murmured, softer now.

Her hands shifted slightly on her own lantern, feeling its pull more clearly as the heat gathered and pressed upward, patient but persistent. For a second, she just stood there, not overthinking it the way she usually would, not trying to pick the perfect thing or measure whether it mattered enough.

She just… chose.

Her eyes lifted toward the sky, the quiet glow of other lanterns stretching higher, scattered but not lost.

"I think I'd like…" she started, then paused, the words catching not from uncertainty, but from the realization that she actually meant them.

"…something steady." The admission was quiet, almost fragile in a way she didn't often let herself sound, though it didn't stay that way for long. "Nothing dramatic," Xian added, a faint hint of a smile touching her mouth. "Just… a place where things stop falling apart all the time."

Her fingers loosened then, letting the lantern slip free.

It rose quickly, more eager than his had been, catching the air and lifting upward without hesitation. She watched it for a moment, the soft glow drifting higher, joining the others without needing to be anything more than what it was.

Then she let it go.

Her attention returned to Solon, her expression lighter now, not because everything had changed, but because something had shifted just enough to make space for it.

"…That might be the most serious wish I've ever made over something that looks like this," she said, glancing briefly toward the sky again before looking back at him.

The faint smile lingered.

"Yours sounded better, though." There was a quiet warmth in her tone now, easier than before. "But I think I get it, too."

Solon Rey

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: OPEN | Xian Xiao

Solon’s eyes followed her lantern as it climbed. It rose cleaner than his had—straight into the darkening sky, as if it had known exactly what to do the moment her fingers opened. He watched it until it joined the scatter of gold overhead, but his attention caught more on the words she had let slip beneath it.

Something steady. A place where things stopped falling apart. His gaze lowered from the lanterns to her again, and for once he did not rush to fill the silence. He let the weight of that settle where it needed to. Because he understood that wish more than he wanted to admit.

His thumb brushed absently along the edge of his now-empty palm, still warm from the lantern frame. “…That doesn’t sound too serious,” he said at last, voice quiet. “Sounds practical.” A faint breath of amusement touched the word, but there was no mockery in it.

He looked back toward the sky one final time, then returned his full attention to her.
“I’ve got…” He paused, recalibrating how strange this was going to sound offered aloud to someone he had only just met. “A small inheritance.” He didn’t understand yet that it was a little bit more than small.

His hand slipped back into his pocket, shoulders drawing into a more casual line to hide some of the awkwardness of the admission. “No grand estate territory or anything dramatic like that,” he added, almost quickly, “but it’s enough. I have an apartment. Room to breathe. Quiet.”

His eyes searched her face briefly, as if checking whether he had entirely lost his mind. “The Diarchy did that for me once,” Solon continued, softer now. “Gave me somewhere stable when I didn’t have much of anything that felt fixed.”

A small pause. “The Diarchs are gone now.” The words sat plainly between them. No ceremony. Just fact.

“And that Empire that took Coruscant from the GA is gone as well, which means accounts I couldn’t safely touch before are… mine again.” He exhaled through his nose, glancing aside for a second before looking back to her, the invitation arriving with a sincerity that overrode any self-consciousness.

“So.” A tiny shrug. “If you don’t have somewhere more permanent—or somewhere that actually feels permanent—you’d be welcome to stay with me.”

His mouth twitched into a small, sheepish smile at how abruptly monumental that sounded.

“I know that’s probably an insane thing to say under festival lanterns to someone I met ten minutes ago,” he admitted.

Then, with a softer honesty: “But you wished for steady.” His gaze held hers. “And I think I can offer steady.”

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian didn't answer right away, letting his words settle instead of rushing to fill the space they created, her gaze drifting briefly upward to the lanterns again before returning to him with something quieter behind it.

"The Diarchy gave me a home, hope, permanence, and a future," she said softly, the words steady even as a faint, bittersweet smile touched her mouth, not cold, just shaped by the weight of what was no longer there. "Some of that I still have, and some of it I don't."

She shifted slightly, grounding herself in something more present as her eyes held his.

"My apartment's still there, so I'm not without anything," Xian continued, her tone more even now, less distant, as though she were choosing to stay in the moment rather than drift back into what had been.

A small breath followed, easing the space between them without breaking it.

"But steady doesn't really come from walls," she added, not dismissing what he had offered, just meeting it honestly. "I think I'm still figuring out what that looks like, even if I know what it used to feel like."

Her expression softened just a fraction, the warmth returning in a way that didn't try to hide the truth behind it.

"I do appreciate the offer," Xian said, her voice gentler now, carrying something sincere without making it heavier than it needed to be. "It's not insane… just honest."

This time, when her gaze settled on his again, she let it stay there, steady and open, without pulling away.

Solon Rey

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: Xian Xiao

The faint color rose into Solon’s cheeks almost immediately. He looked away for half a second, eyes dropping toward the lantern-lit stones as his hand rubbed once at the back of his neck. “Right,” he muttered softly. “That was… a leap.”

A small, embarrassed breath escaped him, somewhere between a laugh and a wince. “I may have heard one heartfelt lantern wish and decided I was responsible for solving housing insecurity.” He shook his head once at himself before glancing back at her, still visibly pink around the ears. “Sorry.”

The apology came simple and genuine. His shoulders eased after a moment, and with them some of the embarrassment. “I just—” He stopped, recalibrated, then started again with a quieter honesty. “I know what it’s like when the things that felt permanent stop being permanent.”

His fingers slipped into his pockets, grounding there. “And I don’t have any plans to pick up and leave Bastion,” he added shyly, as if that somehow salvaged the absurdity of what he’d said. “So my brain apparently translated that into offering square footage.”

A faint smile tugged at his mouth, self-deprecating now. He let a beat pass, then looked at her more directly. “…I heard what you actually meant.” His voice softened. “The part about steady not coming from walls.”

He nodded once, slowly, like he was accepting the correction rather than retreating from it. “Okay.” Another breath. “Well, since you don’t need a home…”

His expression warmed, bashful but earnest. “I can at least offer you a friend.” The words were less dramatic than the previous offer, but somehow more vulnerable for it. He gave the smallest shrug. “One who intends to remain inconveniently available on Bastion for the foreseeable future.”

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian watched the color rise in his face, the way he tried to walk back what he'd said without losing the meaning behind it, and something in her expression softened in a way she didn't bother to hide this time. She didn't interrupt him, didn't rush to fix it for him, just let him finish in his own way.

When he offered friendship instead, that was where she moved.

Not quickly, not abruptly, but without second-guessing it either. She stepped in just enough to close the space and wrapped her arms around him in a brief, warm hug, the kind that felt simple and real rather than complicated or careful. She didn't hold it long, just enough to make the point before pulling back, her hands lingering lightly at his arms for a second.

"A friend is perfect," Xian said, her voice softer now, but steady. "And I'm not leaving Bastion either."

There was something quietly certain in that, not just about the place, but about the choice.

She glanced around as another lantern drifted up nearby, someone stepping a little too close to where they were standing, and she shifted slightly, guiding them out of the path without making a big deal of it.

"C'mon," she added, a small smile returning as her tone lifted just enough to keep things from settling too heavily. "I think we need to get out of the way before someone launches one of these into us."

Her hand brushed lightly against his sleeve as she stepped back, not quite taking it, but close enough that the invitation was there.

"Show me where you live," Xian said, glancing back at him, the warmth still present in her expression. "And I'll show you mine next time we see each other."

She didn't overthink it.

Just… meant it.

Solon Rey

 

[Solon Rey]

Objective: Transition from Freia to Solon
Location: Ravelin, Bastion
Outfit: Early Spring Casual
Tags: OPEN | Xian Xiao

The hug caught him off guard. Solon froze for half a heartbeat—then relaxed into it, one hand lifting slightly before settling lightly at her back, returning it just as simply as she gave it.

When she pulled away, there was still a trace of warmth in his expression, softer than before, the last of the embarrassment replaced by something steadier. “…Yeah,” he said quietly, a small smile lingering. “Perfect works.”

He nodded once at her words about Bastion, something in his posture easing further at the shared certainty. “Good,” he added. “Makes it easier to be… inconveniently available.”

At her nudge to move, he glanced at the drifting lantern nearby and let out a faint breath of amusement. “Right. Avoid getting taken out by someone else’s wish.” He stepped with her, falling easily into stride at her side as they moved out of the lantern path and into the wider flow of the festival.

When her hand brushed his sleeve, he hesitated just a fraction—then, without overthinking it this time, let his fingers catch hers lightly, an easy, unforced hold.

“Deal,” Solon said, glancing over at her, the smile returning—quiet, but genuine. “I’ll make sure it’s worth the walk.” He looked ahead then, toward the lantern-lit streets stretching deeper into Bastion, music and laughter carrying on the evening air.

“…And I’ll expect that tour,” he added, softer, a hint of something hopeful threading through it. With that, he kept walking beside her, unhurried, letting the festival carry them forward as the last of the lanterns drifted higher behind them and the lights of the city opened ahead.