Catch all for June

[pyrafect]

WHO: Pyra and various
WHERE: around
WHEN: throughout june
WHAT: quests, etc
WARNINGS: nothing rn

[ A catch-all log for Pyra! If you would like a thread or a scenario hmu via PM or PP at drinksteapots! ]

Comments

For Ardyn

[pyrafect]

[ For Quest 63: Plant flowers for spring. Pyra: Blue. Ardyn: Red. ]

[ Finding an assortment of seeds within some of the storage houses within Flavo hadn't been too difficult, and now with a small metal spade and rake in hand, she meets up with Ardyn at the church. Its restoration is coming along quite nicely already, what with all the various contributions within and upon the roof, but a few aesthetic touches couldn't hurt.

Pyra crouches, her fingers brushing over some of the overgrown weeds and grass along the edge of the church. ] ...I think that... if we plant some along here, and then here on this side...

[ She motions to either side of entrance before turning slightly, looking at him with a smile. ] It would look nice that way.

[ They had been talking about the church on the forum, after all. And this is a good way to include him in its restoration. ]

[scourged]

[ When it comes down to the nitty gritty of things, Ardyn knows that anyone watching will be finding it weird that he's offering to help with such a thing. Even Chancellors of large sprawling cities weren't thought of when it comes to gardening yet Ardyn knows that right now this whole thing serves a purpose. Things with Noctis and the others are due to come to a head (if being shot means anything) and Ardyn knows when it does he needs the benefit of the doubt, some leeway so to speak for when the finger pointing begins.

That and truthfully he hadn't been thinking of doing much when Pyra had asked.]

I must admit I don't know much about gardening. [ Ardyn pauses, putting a finger to his chin as he gives his head a tilt.] But I think you'd be right in what you're saying. They should look good once they bloom and it would be interesting to see if the conditions here would have an effect.

[ The large male puts his jacket to one side, slowly rolling up his sleeves. He's already had to clean his coat recently, a second time isn't on the cards.] Now, where should we start?

[pyrafect]

[ Pyra may not know much about the man besides their one or two conversations over the forum, but he seems amicable enough and quite polite. Rather, an impolite person wouldn't bother themselves with gardening, she believes, much less concern themselves with a quest. ]

We start with... taking out all the weeds and over-turning the soil, I think. [ She replies, bending over to pick up a rake. They can't just simply plant seeds, they have to make this garden look pretty! ] The gardens here must have been beautiful, once. Since this place is our home, too, we have to take care of it.

[ —Ah, that sounds almost like the explanation she had given him regarding restoring the church. She tucks a strand behind her ear and getting right to work, glancing back at him to ask, ] ...It doesn't bother you, does it? About fulfilling one of Mr. F's quests...? [ He had seemed rather suspicious about it all last she spoke with him... ]

[scourged]

[ Taking out weeds and overturning soil? If those from back home could see him now they'd have things to say, even though Ardyn worked with. On first glance he's the kind to not get his hands dirty if there's someone else around him to do the work and Ardyn inwardly sighs.

This place will always find interesting ways to be a pain. The mention of it being home from Pyra almost gets a shake of the head. No, it's still a prison to Ardyn. Most people could leave their homes if they felt the need.]

Not particularly; somehow last month I managed to fulfil a quest without even wishing to be a part of it. The sky did not cave in and I would rather do this one than let fate decide on it's own which I should be doing.

[ That and it's flowers. Unless they're man-eating flowers Ardyn doubts there'll be any bloodshed with this one and he crouches down to start looking at the weeds, checking for the best place to start pulling them from.]

[pyrafect]

[ Pyra will soon be on her knees to help him as well, tending to her section of the garden. ]

Then, on behalf of the town, thank you for your contribution. [ She's only joking with him, something to lighten the mood as they garden, and she even pauses as she speaks to turn and flash him a smile. Dirt may have dusted upon her stockings, but she doesn't seem at all disturbed by the manual labor. ] I believe that it's also... more than just the act of fulfilling a quest together. [ Pyra continues, turning back to her work. ] It's the bond we are making together, even if we are just getting to know each other.

[ Another pause, blinking as if something has just occurred to her. She sits back on her heels, reaching for the bag. ] And... I wouldn't mind getting to know you more, even without a quest. Not for the sake of restoring color, but because.... [ Well, hm. If she had to put it into words: ] You seem like a kind, good man, Ardyn. [ A less caring man wouldn't have bothered with something like quests or bonds or anything! ]

for lan wangji

[pyrafect]

[ For Quest 63: Plant flowers for spring. Pyra: Blue. Lan Wangji: Blue. ]

[ After creating the flower crown from the cauldron with him, Pyra hadn't exactly known that it had certain properties until she had actually worn it during another flower-planting quest. Now that she does-- ]

Lan Wangji guess what!! There's something about the flower crown you should know! It's really important!!

Come to one of those old, overgrown gardens in Flavo, the one at-- [ Such and such. ] I'll show you!

[ And indeed on this fine afternoon, she will be standing there with a rake, a spade, and a shovel beside her feet, an open bag of seeds there as well, and, of course, the tri-colored flower crown in her hand. ]

> action

[alittlespicy]

Will come.

[ Which he does. And because it's important, he's flying over on his white-gleaming sword, which is far faster than walking.

... if he's surprised to find her actually planting, he shows it not at all. ]

Maiden Pyra.

[pyrafect]

[ Flying on swords... that's new! She watches in amazement as he dismounts from the blade, secretly wondering if there's some way she might recreate the same thing. Mythra would take offense to being ridden, naturally.

Regardless, Pyra motions to the work she's already done with the garden so far, which is upturning the soil with the rake. The stockings upon her knees are stained slightly with the dirt, her fingertips sporting similar soil. ] The flower crown... [ She holds it up between them, turning it so that he might see each bloom. ]

It-- [ A pause, and she stops herself. What's better than simply telling someone something? Making it a demonstration and a surprise!!! ]

...Here, here, you have to try it on!

[alittlespicy]

[ Bichen has certainly not shown any sign of taking offense. Ton even when he carried the weight of three people out of the reach of a waterborne abyss. And this is the first time she sees it mostly because Wei Ying doesn't have Suibian. WangJi suspects he'd focus a lot more on the cultivation and get back there if he had that incentive.

Anyway.

Putting the sword carefully away - any fleck of dust is shaken away with a slow pulse of spiritual energy - WangJi reaches for the crown, looking at it with a slightly complicated expression. ]

You... tried it on your own?

[ What if it had been dangerous? She might have been hurt, without a chance to call anyone to help. ]

[pyrafect]

[ She lets him have the flower crown, stepping away when he takes it. ] Mm, I did.

[ And she raises her hands to her head, as if she were setting an invisible crown above her head. ] But go on-- you have to wear it.

[ Boi!! Wear it!! ]

For Shen Qingqiu

[pyrafect]

[ It's already been full two days within the forest, and their journey thus far hasn't been the smoothest. No matter where they venture, no matter where they turn, no matter where they find a haven to rest or camp, it feels as if something or someone is watching them from just beyond the thicket of trees. It's the same uncanny sensation she had felt when she had ventured into the forest with Choubee a few months ago. She tells him this, of course, and of the dangers of the wraiths and burial ground they had encountered, and because she had told him, she has decided to come prepared.

The freshwater river she had found last time in her venture into the forest is the path she lead him upon, but instead of diverting towards where she recalls the burial mound had been, she continues to follow it. This serves two purposes, the first being that a river's course is a useful way to know their direction, and the second being that it provides a source of water as they travel. As for food, hunting is no issue.

To Shen Qinqiu's interest, they will have encountered a some mythical creatures along their path, most of them proving to be hostile when approached. With the two of them working together, they're able to fight their way through some of them, yet as they progress-- as the forest only becomes denser, darker-- the beasts are much more feral....





The basilisk falls to the ground before them, shaking the trees around them. It's scorched black from Pyra's power, sliced cleanly through from where she had let Shen Qinqiu use her sword, the grays and blacks of its razor-sharp scales scattered about them like leaves, and thoroughly defeated. Venom pours from its slack-jaw mouth, a caustic sulfur-like substance that eats away at the ground. Each of its fangs is is roughly the size of her arm, and even though the basilisk is dead, she'd rather not harvest any part of the serpent until she knows its toxins have spoiled.

It had been a rather interesting battle given that the creature had a penchant to petrify with but a glance, which she had only guessed was its ability given the number of animals that have been turned to stone around them before they first came vis-a-vis with the monster itself. Fighting a creature blind was different and doable, but she can't deny there had been an added tension to the battle.

She's about to say that they should continue on their way, perhaps to seek shelter for their third night trekking through the woods (of which Pyra has nothing to show of wear upon her clothes or hair, given what she's made of), but pauses.

....Because he's walking over to the creature's carcass with her sword still in his hand. Is he-- why does he seem so interested in it? Actually now that she thinks about it, he had seemed fairly impressed with any of the creatures they had encountered. Perhaps he has some sort of fascination of them? ] Is there... Are you thinking it would be safe to eat for dinner?

[shizun]

[ This forest is such garbage.

Shen Qingqiu has a great sense of affection in his heart for all manners of beasts and monsters. However, he has no love in his heart for the forest itself. It's a mantra that he's said since he's first stepped into it. For one, the forest feels neither good nor evil. The neutral feeling is an oppressive one rather than comforting. He's certain to share this with Pyra, uncertain if he's said as much before.

If he put it into words, he would say that he cannot get a good "read" on the forest's intentions. Whether it wants to harm or help, it gives no indication. It means that it's truly uncertain what it will do when someone enters it. Furthermore, it seems to change itself based on who is in it, which adds a whole variety of problems. Can the forest like a person? Can it hate?

There's no real way of telling.

He would think the constant attack on the trees would be enough to earn some ire from the forest, but it remains the same suffocating, neutral feeling. But also, why is it spreading forward? What's the meaning of it suddenly encroaching into the town? Is there any meaning? These are a lot of the questions that he has, and hoped to get some insight while the two of them traveled to reach the forest's edge.

However, other than finding some fascinating monsters (which honestly makes the trip worthwhile for him!!), there hasn't been any answer to anything that he's been wondering! And even as they travel into the dense darkness, the atmosphere never changes from that suffocating neutral.


Wow, a basillsk!! That certainly isn't the thought a person should have after such a difficult fight. Yet in his heart, he feels an explosion of sparkles and pink light covering his entire body. The battle had been a difficult one to fight by feeling the shifts in the air, by jumping out of the way from each strike, while wielding the sword given to him by Pyra. He flicks the blade to the side in order to clean the blood off it. A spray of red splatters onto the grass and he finally is able to "return" it to her.

Once done, he doesn't quite skip over to look over the body of the enormous snake. It's real sad that these things are generally evil in nature, but It's still amazing. Such a deadly beast! The tone in his head doesn't match his words. He sounds downright giddy and has to keep himself under control. If I told her that I've been super excited this entire time, I think she might bop me in the head! These situations have been pretty life-or-death, but I can't believe we're able to see some of these creatures in the first place! ]

Ah? [ He glances back over his shoulder. ] …. I don't think it would be wise to eat. [ FUCK!! Despite trying to hide his interest, he definitely made it known! ]I don't think that I've ever told you that Qing Jing Peak is a scholarly peak… it has volumes upon volumes of the monsters that exist in our world, and so this teacher cannot help but be interested in seeing how reality is different from what has been written.

[ Yeah, that… that's it. ]

[pyrafect]

[ No, she hadn't known that about his sect! She had only known that his mountain-teachings were mostly about cultivating immortality, and she had (wrongly) assumed that that was its only purpose. Perhaps there is a division among his disciples that go out and document the various species of the world. It's a good endeavor, she thinks. Given that in her own world, she's relayed all evolutionary information of how the creation came to be, not having that information automatically transmitted to her is... quite strange. But she also doesn't mind it, because there is now a mystery and surprise as to what sort of beasts she might encounter here. She also gets to wonder and guess as how such mythical creatures came to be. ] ..Oh?

Maybe you should start doing something like that here. You could pen this world's very first bestiary. [ She walks around the basilisk, on the opposite side from him. ] But, all of these creatures.... do you think they would normally be so hostile towards us?

It's as if as soon as it spotted us, it attacked.

[ She looks at him carefully as he speaks, carefully gauging him to make sure he's alright and hasn't expended too much energy. ]

[shizun]

I wonder…

[ Shen Qingqiu doesn't think that is a bad idea. The only issue that he could see is that the forest is strange. Would a bestiary mean anything for it? Pinching his chin between thumb and index finger, he looks back at the basilisk and giving it more of a scrutinizing look (rather than just giving it sparkling eyes). ]

A few weeks back, I had come into this forest with Kaoru Akashi. Not as deep as we are now… we had encountered a group of banshees that had acquired the abilities of Kaoru Akashi's world. [ He hums. ] It makes me wonder if these creatures will continue to evolve, and how.

[ Which makes sense if one thinks about it! If Chroma was a starting adventurers' town, the monsters in the forest would be Level 1-3, with a BOSS at the end that'd be like Level 10-ish. But none of the people present are "starting adventurers' levels." They're protagonists (and some antagonists) that have to be upper-levels!

It makes sense that the creatures would evolve to deal with it. And even not thinking of a videogame, but it makes sense that they would change due to the perceived threat of the people living so close to them. Right? Probably right. ]

Normally, hm. Some of them, no. A basilisk is normally an aggressive creature, so I'm not too surprised, but everything else… no. [ He finally lets go of his chin and lets out a sigh. ] To be honest, the atmosphere has become rather stifling as we've traveled deeper. Not just the feeling of eyes… but it's feeling rather oppressive like being in a large crowd of people.

[ Which is to say!! ] Something doesn't want us to keep going forward.

[pyrafect]

[ The atmosphere has become rather stifling as we've traveled deeper.

With that he points out exactly what she's been feeling as well, and him saying it aloud makes the forest even more stifling. ] The forest...

It feels as if it is its own entity: like you said, it feels as if it's trying to stop us from proceeding, but it also feels as if it's watching us. [ Constantly, even as they paused to rest on their journey, even as they slept. ] But we have to.

Xie Lian said that there was a end to the forest, when he went on a boat out as far as they could. [ She adjusts the pack she had brought with them, carrying extra supplies and parts of other monsters she had gathered. ] If we can find that end... [ It'd be very helpful.

A sigh follows, however, as she looks upward. ] ....But it's getting late. Are you feeling alright? Should we find a place to camp now, or should we continue for now?

[ Even a fog is beginning to roll in. Or perhaps not fog, but shadows. ...It might be a trick of waning light, but she can't shake the feeling that something even more ominous is just ahead of them, just waiting for them to cross a threshold and enter its domain. ]

For Tristan

[mythratastic]

[ It's been some time since Mythra herself had given him a quest to find something that resembles a strand of her hair within the mysterious, colorless land of Chroma. She had told him, then, that if he found something of the sort she would step foot into reality. As fate would have it, circumstances would force her to appear sooner than he would have fulfilled the quest, and so, Mythra steps into the world once more....


She remembers when she first awakened by Addam-- it had been upon the Titan-continent Uraya. It had been spring, it had been when all of the bioluminescent blossoms within the Titan had colored her interior biome pink and rosy like twilight. She remembers there had been others as she awakened, looking upon her with awe, with fear, as the core crystal set had shone and began to form her figure, her body, her skin, her clothes around it. She was a tool stolen down from their god, the Architect's will incarnate. She recalls how Addam's brothers hadn't taken too kindly that he, the bastard, the youngest of them, had been the one to awaken her.

She remembers how it had felt for gravity to actually effect her, how it was like to set foot upon the ground.

She was made to perform a ceremony then. Addam was a prince, after all, and even if she had just been "born" into the world... she had to prove that to the other leaders of the world, the kings and queens of other Titans, the emperors, the Praetor himself, that Addam was chosen by her. She hadn't understood it, then, the need for ceremony, the way Addam had knelt in front of her, how she was asked to bring out her sword and touch its light-borne blade upon each of his shoulders, the applause that then followed....

But all of that reminiscing gives her an idea. ]

Come to the church, I'll be waiting there.

[ That's the message Pyra will send him. ]




[ It's been some time since that oh so fateful day of Tristan losing to his plushie, Lil'Archer, within the memoryscape of Elysium.

Perhaps it's a show of nostalgia, perhaps it's simply whimsy, perhaps it's knowing that the man himself will be just as reverent in show of her appearance as she had first seen others regard her when she first appeared... but in a way, she wants to re-create that ceremony with him. They have the perfect excuse, too: he's her servant for these months.

She'll be standing upon the pulpit, looking up at the bare wall just beyond the altar. There really ought to be some sort of decoration there, she thinks. In her world, it would have been a depiction of the World Tree, branches weaving up towards a paradise beyond the earth. The paradise she wishes to return to one day...

When she hears the doors open, only then does she turn to face him, long, golden hair flowing effortlessly with the movement. ]

I was waiting.

[noholdsbard]

[ Though he’s been to this church many times, there is always a pang of nostalgia there that’s never quite left him. He’d come across this place when he’d first set foot in Chroma. He’d met Zelda—the lady Zelda, the ruler of that far-off realm called “Hyrule.” The selfsame Zelda with hair the color of burnished wheat whose smile lit the decrepit old building aglow.

But now that the church seems to have been restored to its former glory—or near enough, given their limited capacities—it feels all the more empty in here than ever. Indeed, he almost expects to see no one within when those doors creak open. Within the bowels of the church is a glimmer of days bygone, of a year that’s nearly gone— ]

Zel—

[ He catches himself when Mythra turns around, addressing him. His eyes fly wide open and he feels his heart has lodged somewhere in his throat. All he can really do is croak out a feeble— ]

You are here.

[mythratastic]

[ “Zel—“?

He’s mistaking her for someone else, most likely, but it doesn’t matter. His surprise is the reaction she had wanted, and, scarified, she begins to make her way down from the pulpit. ]

This church has come a long way, hasn’t it? [ She doesn’t know what others have done here in their spare time, but Pyra has been doing what she can. Pews constructed from various participants with Pyra, the roof worked on by Link and Pyra, the floors and pulpit reconstructed by Damian and Pyra, the flowers planted around the church for the latest quest between Ardyn and Pyra....

Meanwhile Mythra really had no help in it at all, yet she stands upon the dias, light filtering from the tall windows upon her like if she had simply appeared there as a gift from the deity of the church itself, an object left for those to imagine the impossible. That probably would have been the case in her world, but she holds no connection to whatever powers-that-be here, as she did not participate in this world’s creation. ]

These places... Humans build them to be used for ceremonies. [ Pyra isn’t human, but she was thankful to be human enough to participate in the church’s restoration.

Mythra moves from her spot, stepping down the three or four stairs to the aisle, hair trailing behind her, as she comes before him. Her hand rests at her hip, her stance casual, relaxed. She’s basking in the light; finally, at last she can interact with the material world once more, feel its warmth, its light, is particles dancing upon her skin. ]

I thought this would be a decent enough venue for one of our own.

[noholdsbard]

[ It’s surreal. He’d only ever seen her in the memoryscape of Elysium and it takes a good amount of hard staring and some internal turmoil to convince himself that he is not, in fact, dreaming. Mythra is really here, in the flesh, addressing him as if this is just an everyday affair.

But he hasn’t fulfilled his quest yet. He knows the thread of her hair still glimmers among the strings which make up Failnaught—a silent string for an invisible woman’s plea to come out in the open.

And yet…here she is. He’s elated, of course, but most of all he’s surprised, and he’s trying to shake that off with a helpless chuckle. ]

You have me at a loss here, Miss Mythra.

[ For a ceremony here? With him? He’s not sure he really follows, since as far as he’s concerned, everything that needed to be said about his quest was already done in Elysium. ]

[mythratastic]

[ Yes, yes, she knows she's both amazing and wonderful... Except those thoughts and pride are only felt dryly, sarcastic, and completely mocking. She would say that the way he's looking at her, stupefied and captivated, is putting her on some sort of pedestal. But then again, she did just walk down from some church's altar.

Is ironic the right word for that? ] What, that surprised to see me?

[ Even her chuckle is self-deprecating; architect, she almost sounds like Malos with that tone. Nonetheless, she continues with a more somber tone. ]

....When I had first awakened in my world, we-- [ Ah, her gaze falls for a moment. ] Addam and I... there was a ceremony. [ Eyes back to him, she continues, her tone more carefully even even if she knows she doesn't have to put up a front with him. Old habits are hard to break. ]

This isn't the same. [ She wants to clarify that at least....

Finally, a smile. ] But I thought that... properly making you my servant [ Ceremony and all! ] will be a good enough substitution.

For akira, backdated to a few days after the prom!

[pyrafect]

[ He’ll find her wearing a flower crown— not either from the prom, but one that she had crafted from the alchemy cauldron— planting flowers outside of her house. The crown itself has a magical property to it, for the moment she covers the seeds with soil, little sprouts pop out of the ground.

When she hears someone approaching, she turns and gives him a smile. ] ....Akira.

[ There’s an added grace to her smile, the only kind that comes with the experience of sorrow. ] Good morning.

[ .....She stands, brushing the soil off of her hands. ] How are you?

[lacrimose]

[Akira doesn't speak up immediately, happy to simply watch Pyra do a little gardening without disturbing her. It's peaceful to watch, at least at first, but then he's startled when the seeds immediately begin to sprout. Either Pyra has a green thumb, or she has some kind of magical object to help her...?

He steps forward to ask, when she turns around, and he catches that sorrowful expression behind her smile.]

Pyra... [Before he can even say 'hi' or 'good morning', the words are already coming out--] What's wrong?

1/2

[pyrafect]

[ She should have known to not try to pretend things are alright, not around him. What she just needs, really, is time. Time to collect her thoughts and feeling and... decide what she is to do with them.

She's doing her best to convince herself and Mythra that they are worth having. But they're also painful, distracting, dangerous...

It's occur to her that she's been just... sad for a very, very long time because of them. Even while here. ] I....

[pyrafect]

[ Immediately she wants to retreat. These are her problems, her own problems, her feelings to have. They shouldn't bother anyone else, effect anyone else. It's not as if she even had feelings to begin with. ] ...You could tell that easily, mm?

[lacrimose]

Yeah.

[Unsurprisingly, his eyes are already brimming with tears. He guesses she won't want to talk about it, with how much she keeps to herself, but he can't drop it that easily when he knows how awful she's feeling.]

Did something happen?