Easter of the Ages!

[Sir Galahad]

No fancy build up this time. Just, that time of year when everyone is for some reason infatuated with Bunnies and Chicks... Please share the memory of your characters Happiest Easter memory.

[Jericho]

Jericho found a colored egg on the side of an ancient street. It was quite aged. It reminded him of the holiday that many people celebrated: Easter. It held a religious meaning, yet was celebrated with illogical and senseless traditions, one of them being chicken eggs laid by a bunny filled with candy. The reasoning had no continuity and seemingly no rational origin.

The thought did lead him to think about previous Easters he had experienced. But there wasn't one that stood out. They were all just the same; a day of fighting, pain, and achieving the next goal, accomplishing the next task. Just like today.

Holidays were merely days invented by people to look for hope in a hopeless world. They were all equally pointless. Just like today.

[Arthur Woodson]

Arthur had no idea what Easter was, or that it was even a holiday when he found it. A nest of Qi beast eggs unguarded and untended. It was a rare treat for the hungry young boy, and he eyed them greedily. Climbing up the large tree that housed them before grabbing them and stuffing them away for later. That night he would feast, cracking open the eggs and drinking the insides until his belly was full. It was a good day.

[Cillian McWolfe]

"I found one I found one!"

The young boy that would one day be known as Ardan jumped for joy as he found the brightly colored egg. His Mother and the other adults watching him and the other kids as they poked around looking for the eggs. Often laughing at how excited they were each time they found one. Ardan to this day looks back on those days fondly.

[Ben]

"Ah... Ahhh... Ahhh... AHHH!"

Ben screamed as he was going to town on some chick dressed up as a sexy bunny enjoying himself more than he had in years. She was silent and bored. But he didn't care, he was happy.

[Caelan Xander]

"Happy Easter Mom! Happy Easter Dad!"

Cael called out as he entered their humble abode. It was a silly tradition at this point, but it reminded him of happy times from his childhood and so he always worked extra hard this season so he could have the money to buy fresh eggs and dye. Wasteful? Maybe. But it was a slice of the life they had lost before and that was more than worth it.

"So who is ready to color some eggs?" Cael asked holding up the small basket of eggs.

[Preston Salabim]

With trembling fingers, Preston opened up the sealed missive from the Academy. The young boy's poor heart raced a mile a minute as his eyes read the reply to his application. Three years earlier than the average age, but he was confident in his abilities. Skipping to the end his heart skipped the beat to see he was accepted.

With a laugh that could only be described as giddy, the young boy collapsed on the couch holding the letter close to his chest. He'd done it!

[Blake Oleander]

Blake stayed still in the brush, barely allowing himself to breathe as he waited for the signal. The rest of his party was scattered about as the war party from territory 64 drew near. An arrow would loose, hitting the commander in the throat and from there Blake and the others would spring into action. Swords clashing and arrows whizzing from both sides. The warm splatter of blood across his face as he struck down one of his people's enemies was no distraction as his eyes moved to his next target.

The arrow whizzed through the air, striking Blake in the chest. Just barely missing his heart. Stumbling back his grip loosened on his sword as he felt his mind struggle to process what had happened. And then something he'd never felt before happened, his body wracked with pain and his sword arm twisted and popped. His bones popping and cracking as his muscles bulged. His arm turning into something monstrous. His body moved on its own as he ripped apart his enemies. Unrelenting until he was surrounded by bodies, his own people keeping away from him. Weapons were drawn to keep him back. It was then and only then that it dawned on him what had happened. He had become a freak, and his fate was sealed. Death or banishment.

The first step on the path that would take him to where he was now, and to the creation of Aurora.

[Cecelia Riddel]

Muffled laughter echoed through the halls as Celia and her sister searched for eggs, a tradition she didn't understand but could appreciate the bright colors and the thrill of discovery as the two raced against one another. The rain outside beat softly against the window and roof, a soothing sound and testament to the hunt being indoors this year.

Something shimmered in the light, catching the young girl's attention as she made her way into the parlor, eyes wide as she noticed the jeweled egg on the mantle above the fireplace. That had to be the secret egg this year! Huffing and puffing with effort, the child dragged a footstool to the fireplace, climbing it as she reached for the new treasure. She teetered on tiptoes, small fingers brushing against cool gems and porcelain before grasping it. She rocked on her feet, balance thrown as the stool toppled beneath her, leaving her to clutch the egg to her chest with an "oof!" as a pair of strong arms caught her. Her father's face loomed over her, brow raised and a scowl on his face, but a light in his eyes as he tried to scold her.

"I found it!" she giggled, presenting the egg and beaming with pride.

[Mathew Amtrum]

Mathew tapped his foot on the ground as the girls waited impatiently behind him. The eggs they had watched him bury around their yard being shifted and shuffled around. They did their best to remain keen-eyed and track the movements of their eggs, looking for subtle signs in the Earth as they shifted. He let them stew for a good ten seconds after he had finished, however, just to keep them on their toes.

"Alright, go find your treasure girls!"

Both girls bolted forward with the excitement and energy that only children possessed while Mathew would settle in and sit on his porch to watch them. Baskets and tiny shovels in hand. He didn't have to worry about them breaking the eggs, or the eggs being bad at least. Not since he was continuing a tradition from his own childhood, one of the few things that didn't suck. Fake eggs that were filled with goodies. They'd find their eggs, and within them their treasure awaited.

[Evelyn Amtrum]

Squirming as she waited, Eve's eyes looked out over the yard, the brightly colored eggs just begging to be found and opened. Each second the eggs were shifted felt like a lifetime as she tried to watch, taking careful detail of what an excited child could manage. Then the magic words were said and they took off like a shot, shouting in excitement and jumping up and down as she proudly held up her first prize some minutes later. The best part was, the eggs were never in teh same place twice the next year or year before.

Dirty and disheveled from digging and clambering about, the twins began comparing their treasures after the hunt was done, swapping prizes and guarding others while trying to decide who had the best haul.

[Kyla Himura]

Sunlight poked through the forest canopy, warmth and a tint of green covering the world as Kyla sat beside the fire, laughing along with Kai as she leaned against him. It had been a good day, and better still after a couple drinks and dancing. His hand clasped hers as he pulled her away, both of them grinning as she walked beside him. Her hand gripped his in a moment of panic as she felt him nearly fall, knowing he had more grace than that.

Instead, he faced her as she landed against his chest, his hand at the small of her back as he kissed her. His hand slid up into her hair as she kissed him back with enough force to push him against the wall of the nearest hut until he pulled away with another laugh to lift her chin and look into her eyes.

"Marry me."

[Allison Kazim]

The lights overhead flickered, Ali's focused pulled towards them instead of the book she'd been staring down for the past hour. The words blurred in her memory as she tried to make sense of what was explained, the diagrams helping but not answering the questions or doubts that she had. Somewhere, others were out on the weekend celebrating with friends and family. Parties, drinking, playing.

Sighing, she pushed the book aside and rubbed her face before looking over at the brightly colored package that sat on her bed. It was small, barely the size of her hand, but it was a gift from her family that reassured her that they were still on her side, cheering her on. Proud that she'd made it into the academy.

Smiling to herself, Ali opened the parcel, eyes lighting up at the jelly bean treats within. They'd always been her favorite, and they begged for her attention far more than the test that waited for her tomorrow.

She could use a break.

[Rozalin Kendal]

The rocking of the boat lulled her as she drifted in and out of sleep. Curling up tighter in the hammock that she claimed, Rozalin groaned and buried her face into her shoulder as the men shouted and jeered out on deck.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

'You get really weird dreams sometimes, you know that?' The thought came and all she could do was laugh.

"You have no idea."

'Well I've got one for ya! There was this one time, oh ten years ago maybe? Twenty? I don't remember, but there was a TON a treasure, a mountain of it, just begging to be taken...'

She fell asleep to the sound of Ari's voice as he regailed her with a familiar and beloved story.

[Bailey Oleander]

Easter wasn't a celebration she understood, but her parents did, and that was what mattered. No eggs waited for her, fake or otherwise, but Bailey and the children of her family went seeking clues to a hidden treasure located somewhere in the confines of their dying city. It was like an archeological dig, her heart racing as she grinned.

They followed the clues, comparing and trying to rush ahead. A couple of times, she stumbled, but the excitement kept her momentum going as Bailey and Armen found themselves going back towards their home, mother and father smiling with baby Keith in her mother's arms.

"You did it, and in record time!" A bright crystal was handed to each of them, Bailey's on a bracelet and Armen's a chain. Another treasure to add to the collection for when they were older, and candy besides.

"But no sweets until after dinner," their mother insisted, nodding towards the feast that spread out on the table in the dining room. A feast fit for a king, especially to their young eyes, oblivious to what rationing it would cost to give them this day of joy.

And they'd eat it until they were stuffed. As a family.