awashlogs | June Catch All

[ she nods. ]

Your line of thinking is understandable. Optimistic too. And when things feel the darkest, it is belief and faith that can carry us through the hardest times. If it counts for anything... I don't believe you're naive at all for having that faith, Izuku.

[His smile brightens.] Thanks, Zelda-san. I know people have a good reason to be wary of this place by now, but at least the company's been great so far. For what it's worth, even if we didn't want to end up here in the beginning, I'm glad that I was able to meet people like you!

[Conveniently, just as he's done saying his bit, Izuku seems to perk up at something.]

Oh. Did you hear that just now?

Hm?

[ she stops herself from responding to him when he suddenly remarks on the sounds. her brow furrows and she looks around - right, invisible sheep. ]

No, I didn't. [ her voice lowed into a whisper. ] Do you think you heard the sheep?

I think so! [Izuku holds still, head tilted to the side like he's waiting--]

Baah. [It's faint and some distance away, but Izuku swings his head to look at Zelda hopefully, the question on his face. You heard that, right?]

[ and she follows suit, closing her eyes and keeping herself focused. and when the baah calls out her eyes snap open, a small gasp coming out. ]

That was- [ oh, wait, quieter- ] That was the sheep. We've found them.

[He grins at her, before saying, just as quietly--] At least we know which way to go now.

[And he'll pick out the sound of bleating and start walking in that direction now. Once the sheep sound a lot closer, Izuku glances in Zelda's direction.]

Do you want to try using the slate?

[ she nods at the suggestion, and carefully slips the slate out from its holder. a couple taps of the screen and she begins focusing it on where she thinks the sheep are. and when one of them bleats again, she feels confident enough to take the photo. the slate lowly chimes, an indication that it detecting a subject in the photo. ]

The sheep are here. [ and she lowers the slate so she can set it to its detection mode. a small circle begins to blink on the right corner, and beeps as it detects the sheep. ] It'll get louder as we approach. We have to surprise it.

That's amazing. [Izuku says again, still softly so they don't startle the sheep, though that doesn't mask any of the appreciation he seems to have for her and the technology she's using right now.]

I'm pretty fast when I use my quirk--my power. Maybe you can take the lead and point them out to me when we're close enough?

[ she nods quick, smiling in agreement, and lifts up the slate again. as they begin to move once more through the meadow, the slate continues it's low beeps. as any detector, she moves the slate horizontally, and turns her feet in the direction that the beep resonates in. and within a minute, she stops, as the beeping goes at its fastest. ]

Right ahead of us.

[Izuku turns his head and squints at the area near the ground like he's looking for something, and then, suddenly he's darting forward, sparking with green energy as he grabs at something in midair.]

Baaah!! [The sheep bleats at him indignantly as Izuku picks it up and holds it close so it doesn't escape.] Got it! Here, check in my backpack. I packed some shears that we can use for this.

[He turns his back toward her so she can reach the bag slung across his back.]

[ the slate is quickly shoved into her belt and she rushes to get into his bag, searching inside for a brief moment before she pulls out the shears. she's impressed by how he manage to catapult himself so fast, but she can ask about it later. ]

Keep it still. I'll... I'll do my best not to hurt it.

[ she has never done this before, she makes no promises. ]

Take your time, Zelda-san! [Even while the sheep is obviously wriggling around in his arms, Izuku smiles at her reassuringly.]

I don't mind holding it a little longer if it means we avoid hurting it on accident.

Probably easier to do it this way... [Gingerly, Izuku kneels down so he can set the sheep down on the ground, but he keeps a firm grip on its wool so it doesn't escape.]

[ she watches him lower the... invisible mass in his arms, and it dawns on her how difficult this will really be. she only has a sense of its sized from izuku's cradling, and scoots herself closer on her knees when he presents her the (invisible) sheep. ]

Alright then. Let's see...

[ she breathes in and takes the sheers to the center of the sheep, feeling it's better to start from an area she knows she won't miss and accidentally cut it. slowly she shears, feeling the soft wool tumble down the body as she does. ]

I can't fathom why they need invisible wool still. I do hope this quest has a good purpose to it, unlike the last trial.

[Izuku exhales quietly, but unhappily. Don't mind him, he's still a bit upset about the last quest.]

I hope so, too. I know it was supposed to be a test of will or something along those lines, but that last quest felt more like... taunting us than anything. [He frowns, looking down at the invisible, fluffy thing he's still holding onto while she snips at the wool.] At least, that's how it felt to me.

Your color is yellow - I heard what that trial was like for your group.

[ and though she was telling people that there was no 'contest' on who had the hardest trial, as they kept telling her not to starve herself, in retrospect it's very clear the yellows had it the worst. ]

You're not alone in those feelings. I was part of the group that had to fast. I've done it before, many times, but it was the way that food kept appearing in my home, or even just outside, that truly rankled me.

Yeah... [Just like that, the irritation that had flared briefly drains out of him, and for a second, he just looks wistful instead.

The sheep, oddly enough, seems to have calmed down a bit, even though it's still shifting uneasily on its feet, like it isn't sure what to make of this whole experience.]

I don't mind doing the quests most of the time if it helps the town get its color back... they didn't need to use the people we care about against us like that. [His gaze flicks of to Zelda.] Or the things we especially like. Was it your favorite kinds of food that you kept seeing?

[ she continues the shearing as izuku talks, finding it relaxing to keep focused on a task even as their discussion reflects on worse times. it's maybe for the best that the sheep is invisible, as it means more concentration on how she works. she's swiping wool off the skin and letting it fall as he asks his question, but even so she continues to shear right after. ]

When I was little, there was a fruitcake I always loved made of apples and wildberries. The -- [ royal ] -- family chef would make it for me when he saw I was upset, and he was kind enough to never tell my father I was sneaking desserts.

In the last day, I would keep seeing it appear in my home, no matter how many times I threw it out. Wildberries don't grow here like they do in my homeland, so I can't just make it myself.

[That's about what he expected, to be honest. So it hadn't just been Shouto who had been confronted with his favorite food, like Izuku suspected.]

That was kind of the chef. [Izuku tucks the story away in his mind. It's always nice learning new things about everyone like this.] Oh, hey! I just thought of something. Have you already used that wish coin we all got? If you haven't, you could always ask for some wildberry seeds. Then, we could plant them in the garden!

I could. But... I don't know. The power of these wishes seem too important to waste on nostalgia. It's not about the cake, but the mockery.

[ and then she stops shearing and moves her hand across the skin, not feeling much else that can be cut anymore. ]

Alright, I think we can move onto the next. Would you like a chance to shear? Holding the sheep must be tiring.

I don't think it's a waste if it makes you happy, Zelda-san. But I understand if you'd rather save it for something else!

[Izuku lets go of the sheep now, and he listens to the soft thud of its hooves as it bounds away to its freedom.] I wouldn't mind, but you can give holding the sheep a try if you want to!

[And before he forgets, Izuku pats around the ground for the wool and slips it into his backpack for safekeeping.] Okay, one down... one more to go.

[ not a waste if it makes her happy - she doesn't really think her happiness matters in this equation. it's about helping others, the town, before herself.

she pulls out the slate and once more sets it to track the sheep. as before it beeps as they walk closer toward the sheep, and it isn't more than a few yards before they find the next sheep up ahead. she puts the slate away and rolls her shoulders back, before pushing off the ground and rushing at its general direction. though she's nowhere close to as fast as izuku was, she does manage to swing her arms around it and give it a tight bear hug. ]

Ok I got it! [ she says as the invisible mass squirms in her arms, completely flipping out. ] Quick, get the shears -- easy there, don't worry - stop moving!

Nice catch! [Will Izuku ever stop being impressed by her? Probably not.

Even when Izuku approaches them, shears in hand, he's a little hesitant to start snipping away at the wool because of how much the sheep is moving around. Oh, man. He looks around them for something that might help... there!]

Ah--Zelda-san! Set it down next to that patch of dandelions! Maybe if we keep it occupied with something it'll eat, it'll calm down.

Good thinking.

[ she struggles to get out at first, as she carefully tries to move on her knees with the lamb in hold. calming a wild animal is hard enough without the invisibility factored in. she scoots to the dandelion patch that izuku points out and slowing moves her hand across it. she used to own horses, calming a sheep can't be too different, right? ]

There, there... No one is going to hurt you.

[ she can still sense its fear, but her keeping still does slow wonders to make the sheep more submissive, as it realizes there's no danger. the dandelions do start to be clipped off, as if air was just removing their tops, and she lets out a slow steady breath. ]

Ok, I think you can go ahead now.

[Whew! Now that Izuku can see Zelda's not struggling so much, and the dandelions are slowly disappearing into thin air as the sheep grazes, Izuku picks up the shears again and scoots closer.

First, he quickly pats around the sheep, getting a feel for its size and the amount of wool it has before he picks a place near it's chest and start snipping away. With the sheep becoming more and more calm, the work goes much more smoothly, though Izuku's still careful as he moves the shears around. Finally, he snips the last bit of wool off and the fleece drops gently to the ground. Izuku picks it up with a relieved sigh.]

Okay, I think that's it! [He smiles at Zelda and then ruffles the wool on the sheep's head.] Sorry for scaring you. You can go back to your friends now.

[ and when he says that, she releases the sheep. immediately it turns in her lap and rushes off, the faint sound of the ground pounding that turns to nothing within seconds a clear indicator of its departure. zelda sighs and pushes herself up to her feet, a little disappointed that she didn't manage to keep it as calm as she had hoped. ]

I've never had to do any sort of farm work before. I think I have a better appreciation now for the laborers back in my homeland for all their efforts.

June Catch All

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