Open Quests & Catch-All!

[whichcraft]

WHO: Summer and YOU
WHERE: Prompts are specifically in Bluo and Flavo but you can catch her anywhere in Chroma, really.
WHEN: Mid- to end of March! New arrivals are very welcome.
WHAT: Open starters for Quest 48 and Quest 51, for anybody looking to complete those!
WARNINGS: None that I can think of! I'll update as needed.



I — QUEST 48 (OTA, she's a red!)

[There's actually relatively little to do for general everyday entertainment in Chroma if you're not doing the quests posted to the forum, and this month's complement of them had definitely caught Summer's eye — not least of which because most of them are either so vague as to be conveniently easy to accomplish, or so straightforward that there's not a lot of hoops to jump through in order to complete them. Like hell she's about to let herself be thrown into the harbor, though, and she's not particularly eager to swap bodies with anyone, but the others? She is a red, after all, and the one about remembering someone who's gone...

Well. She's got plenty of experience with clinging to nothing but memories, doesn't she.

It's really just a question of what she wants to do for the remembrance one, really, and while she thinks it over, she goes to hang out by the library in Bluo, setting up a hand-lettered sign that reads:

BE AN ANIMAL FOR AN HOUR
(a quest-worthy new experience!)

Offer not available to people who can already transform into animals. Area witch accepts no liability for dumb shit you may do while in animal form. Standard data and message rates apply.

She's sitting nearby, sketching something in a notebook propped up on her knees, if you care to inquire.]



II — QUEST 51 (OTA)

[Eventually, though, she seems to have figured out what it is she wants to do for Quest 51, and that means all that she needs is a passerby to share it with her. She's taking up residence for this one out near the apple trees in the garden in Flavo, so if you're in that area, you may just be approached by a petite redhead in a long black cloak with a blue jay on her shoulder and a look of determination in her eyes.]

Hey, can I borrow you for a sec? It's for a quest. You don't really have to do anything other than stand around and witness the majesty, okay? Super simple.



III — WILDCARD

[Want to do a different quest? Want her to throw you into the harbor? Want to meet up with Summer somewhere else for an entirely different reason? Wildcard her up!]

Comments

ii.

[suddenlybees]

Eh...

[ He just wanted an apple for lunch... But that's a simple enough request, yeah, but that doesn't stop Kano from being overly suspicious about it, trying to run through his mind what sort of quests were even available that might involve standing around and watching some sort of "majesty." A new experience, maybe? He'd never been asked to stand there and do nothing. ]

Alright, alright, you have my full attention! Go ahead~

48;

[paladads]

[ Shiro reads. He scrolls past through the forum at the suggestion of a young man, Keigo, looking for the so-called quests they talked about, and what he finds makes him grow thoughtful. The grim, flyaway ending of a story about a magical hen isn't reassuring and he files the tale away for later only to be reminded of it when exploring his way to the library in Bluo.

Witch makes him highly sceptical, folding his arms as if in defiance of anything so innocent as turning someone into an animal, glancing around for somebody to ask about the advertisement. That ends up being a nearby girl. ]

Ah, excuse me. Do you know anything about this?

[whichcraft]

Cool, okay.

[Okay, great. Audience, check. Tribute, about to happen. Although, first, maybe she better clarify one little thing really quick.]

This is a thing for Dave, by the way. Did you know Dave? I feel like everybody did, unless he left before you got here.

[suddenlybees]

If he left more than two days ago, I probably don't know him. Is he a celebrity around here? The mayor? What happened to him?

[ People can't escape from this town, is what's been drilled into his head the two days he's been here, so. ]

[whichcraft]

I sure hope so, I'm the one who put it up.

[Says the girl with almost aggressively red hair, wrapped up in some kind of black cloak that is clearly not normal — it's far too big for her, and dwarfs her in its folds, and for some reason the fabric is difficult to look at for long periods of time, as though the gaze that lands on it just sort of slips off like teflon, and ends up fixing somewhere else.

It's magic, that much is evident. At least to anybody with a habit of recognizing magic.]

I'm Sabrina. Area witch, at your service. You looking to get turned into an animal?

[whichcraft]

Oh, you're really new. Well, welcome to Chroma, I guess. Dave's the guy who named it so I guess that's kind of like being a celebrity? He was a cool guy.

[She jerks a thumb at the garden, and specifically the trees.]

He was one of the guys who gave us all this. He liked the apples best, I think, so it's neat that we still have them even though he's not here anymore.

[paladads]

[ Is that a magic-eye book turned cloak, sure seems like it. At least she looks more Teen Witch and less Evil Haggar, which he was almost expecting. ]

I don't know, sounds like it would be a painful process. What's involved?

[whichcraft]

I mean, do you want the stage explanation or the real one? If I were actually trying I'd sell you some bullshit about how I'll reach deep into the fourth dimension with my mystic eye and pull free a warp of the cosmic firmament with my spindle fingers of enigma and enchantment. In practice it's more like "I poke you with a spell and you turn into an animal for an hour."

[There's showmanship, and then there's practicality. A time for everything under the sun, as it were.]

It wears off by itself so you're not dependent on me taking it off of you. I can take it off of you sooner if you hate it or whatever, but it's not permanent. I'm even generous and let you pick the thing you want to be. Cats are pretty popular, historically.

[suddenlybees]

[ There are misconceptions already forming in Kano's mind, namely that Dave must have been one of the pioneers of this town when it was newly established and had planted the apples trees out here from seeds— and trees take years and years to grow to maturity, he thinks, so maybe Dave is... dead... and this "thing" for Dave is a memorial. Ah, heck, he feels bad about it now.

No more smiles, a solemn face and a hand over his heart while he turns to the tree. ]

Your contributions won't be forgotten, Mister Dave. May you rest in peace...

[paladads]

[ Hands up, he tries to slow down her roll. ]

This is my first time doing the whole quest thing, so be patient with me. Does anyone ever get these 'rewards' for going through with this stuff?

[whichcraft]

[JOKE'S ON HIM, HER ROLL CANNOT BE STOPPED.]

Oh, you're one of the new guys. That makes sense. I mean, either that or you're just professionally against ever doing the quests, but I'm guessing it's the first one.

[She shrugs, though, at the question.]

Yeah, all the time. The quests are the best way of getting things you can't just scavenge around here. Sometimes they give you food, and one time they gave out blankets. I think I got shampoo once? Oh, and some neat boots. I've gotten clothes before, and some weapons. Oh, and a music box that keeps away nightmares. You never really know what you're going to get but it's usually useful.

[paladads]

[ All of that would be incredibly helpful, especially the last. If he could stop his nightmares while sharing the boat with Keith ... ]

Thanks for the run-down. I have a couple of other questions about the magic spell, if that's alright.

[whichcraft]

[This is already the greatest memorial service ever. It's exactly as much of a disaster as Dave would've wanted, probably.]

Right, so I'm just going to say a few words here as a sort of tribute —

[She actually clears her throat here, good grief.]

Dave, the way you're moving had us in a trance,
As DJ, you turned it up,
Your sick beats were our jams,
We haven't got Moscato,
And haven't lost our pants,
But you gave us these apples and you did it with no hands.

[And with that, she waves her hands, and in midair explodes a sudden flash of light not unlike a firework, except in the shape of a drawing rescued from the network, courtesy of our departed hero.

As it fades away into oblivion, she salutes.]

[whichcraft]

Sure, I haven't got a problem with that. I realize I look pretty sketchy just sitting here by the roadside like "ho, yon traveler, would you like to be a toad today?!", so ask whatever you want and let me dispel that presumption.

[...]

De-spell. That's a witch joke.

[paladads]

You're not like any witch I've ever known.

[ A compliment for sure. Then he's listing things off on his fingers. ]

Does the transformation hurt, broken bones or melting musculature, anything like that? Where do my clothes go? Do I turn into a clothed animal or will I be a naked animal with clothes that magically reappear when I turn back, or will I be a naked animal and then a naked human? Would I be able to talk like a person in animal form? And, lastly, my arm ...

[ The floating prosthetic he lets her take into consideration. ]

Would that turn into an animal limb equivalent or just disappear?

[whichcraft]

What were you expecting, exactly, green skin and vague threats about how I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too?

[It's somewhere around the mountain of questions, however, that she decides she's actually okay with this guy. He's appropriately skeptical of random people trying to sell him bullshit. Much better than someone who'll just leap into things headfirst without trying to ferret out the catch.]

One: it does not hurt. Two: clothes go with you, they get enchanted along with the rest of you. Three: naked animal with clothes that reappear when you turn back. Four: not unless you turn into something with vocal chords that can handle it, like a parrot or something. Five: ...I actually have no idea, I've never tried this on a guy with a prosthetic. I assume it'd go with, though, the way that clothes do.

[paladads]

I mean ... Pretty much, yeah.

[ All of that, however, sounds about decent. He isn't sure his prosthetic will still be there but if he chooses the right animal he can make up for it with the ability to defend himself otherwise, as if he doesn't already know which animal he'll choose. ]

Okay. I ... I have to talk to someone before I commit, but you're far less crazy than I anticipated and seem rational so it's probably going to be a yes. Could you turn me into a lion, if I asked for that?

[whichcraft]

I can offer character references and testimonials if you're skeptical, including but not limited to one from a guy who stole my powers once and spent the whole damn day sleeping on his bed as a cat. Asshole.

[She says, affectionately.]

And I'm not lion when I say that yeah, I sure can. Why a lion, out of curiosity?

[paladads]

They're my favorite animal. [ For various reasons that instead of delving into he sidelines in favor of taking her in more critically, offer a hand. ] I'm Shiro, and you've been stuck in this dingy town for how long?

[whichcraft]

That's as good a reason as any, I guess.

[And a shake!]

Is that a nickname? You know, 'cause of the white hair.

[Well, well. Looks like someone recognizes Japanese, at least.]

Uh, let's see. Time's kind of wonky here but I got here during "hot as balls", and I've lived through "getting colder", "hellfuck snow", and now "getting warmer again", so I'm assuming I'm getting pretty close to a year.

[paladads]

[ He did wonder when anyone would ask that question. ]

It's a nickname but not because of the hair, that's just coincidence.

[ White hair happens to any guy getting his soul transferred from a sentient robot lion into his clone's dying body, nbd. ]

A year. Does time compress here? I mean, is it a pocket reality, by any chance, or have you heard anything along those lines?

[ He was hoping the situation would last a month at worst, yikes. ]

[whichcraft]

Pretty convenient coincidence. People call me "Red" sometimes on account of the hair, so I just figured.

[It is, in fact, Quite Red. Almost unnaturally so, but not quite.]

I haven't heard anything about that, no. I mean, I definitely think it's a pocket dimension of some kind, but I've got no proof of that outside of intuition and knowing a little bit about dimension bullshit.

[paladads]

I know the feeling.

[ Time and space are so elastic, just ask Keith about it. ]

I need to contact my friend so he knows what I'm getting myself into, will you be here in an hour or so when I come back?

I.

[witchual]

[ Well, Magilou has only just heard about these "quest" things, but of course her eyes immediately found the "area witch" remark. That's a thought that excites her. She's both 1. interested in fellow witchcraft, since no one here is all that jazzed about calling themselves a witch, and 2. curious about what this witch can do. And Magilou can't turn into an animal, so... two birds with one stone?

She bounds over to this suspected-witch curiously, crossing her arms as she approaches. ]

What's this about the "area witch" remark? [ Is someone stealing her thunder? (Yes, she just arrived. Yes, she still thinks this.) With a mock gasp, she continues: ] Could it be that another witch waits in the wings?

II

[troubadamsel]

It sounds... simple.

[Yet she can't help but be suspicious.]