awashlogs | it's another one of these!

[ somehow one bad decision led to another, and here they are by a tree just outside the forest. zelda has her bow but oddly no arrows in sight, and she has the apple they need to boot. ]

I wonder what the purpose of this trial is? Unless there is none and it's just foolishness again.

[ she's pretty tired of these trials and it's only been two months. ]

[Okuyasu is just as fed up with these quests, which raises some questions about why they're doing this... it's the easiest one, as far as legwork and actual doing stuff is required, so that's good enough.

He's standing against the tree, which is to say he's leaning against it with his arms crossed, not trying to take it seriously just yet.]

Dunno, maybe we'll get some more shitty hats. You a good shot?

I rather not get anymore pointless clothing. Or pointless anything.

[ for once, she doesn't ruffle at his casual cursing. it feels fitting. ]

Admittedly I'm new to this, but my arrows are created from my sealing power. It shouldn't really hurt you, given you're not a monster or other being made from malice and evil.

[Let Zelda Say Fuck]

Yeah, alright. [...hm, actually, wait--] I got my Stand though, I'm not gonna get Stand-stuck if you miss, am I?

[Stands aren't evil?? But "sealing power" definitely sounds questionable for anything that gets summoned.]

I... I don't know what that means. [ squint. ] What is 'Stand-Stuck'?

[ she knows what Stands are because of Josuke, but... is stand-stuck a thing? ]

[ unicorns is not a phrase she has any familiarity with. it takes a visit to the library to find a fairytale book with the word in the title to understand what they are. a horned horse with magical powers, she can't help but be curious about what properties its hair must hold. and with the need for someone with a red font color to go along for the journey, she decides to contact ryo and hopes his scientific curiosity is enough to convince him.

on the day they agree to meet she waits outside the forest with her bow, in case anything should go wrong, wearing a plain white gown in contrast to her usual wear. if the unicorn is a sacred creature as implied in the books, she feels it warrants a more dressed down and humbled attire. she normally only wears this when she goes to pray, so it feels fitting to wear it today. ]

[ after the boogeyman quest last month, zelda is wary about confronting monsters in the forests. to think such dreadful and powerful entities lurk in the forest give her a shiver. however, she knows she can't let that stop her from venturing onward and making sure things are safe for others. it would be a disservice to herself and to the town, especially now that she's on the defense patrol officially.

but... holding hands? feels like yet another stupid game of the quest giver. but she decides to approach maribelle about it and now together they walk through the forest to search for the chimera, hands locked together. ]

It feels rather silly, don't you think? The hand holding that is.

[It might be!! He has no idea, but why not, right?]

Like if I can't use my Stand. Y'know... pretty much that.

Oh! [ well, hm. ] I don't know much about Stands outside of what Josuke told me... do you believe they are a force of evil?

Not mine, but how do I know your fancy arrow thing is gonna know that? We ain't even from the same world.

[You see!!! This is the most critical thinking he's ever done in his life.]

The fancy arrow is derived from my power. I'm sure it'll be ok - you're just overthinking things!

[ except now she's also doubting in herself, so thanks for fueling her lowkey anxiety. ]

[In his defense, he is letter her shoot arrows at him for a quest they both don't believe in, to get prizes neither of them want. So!!! He holds up his hands in defeat, standing up straight against the tree.]

Okay, okay, it's making my head hurt now! Gimme the apple!

[ Ryo's previous attempt at completing the quest was a spectacular failure and none of the people in his group were able to get close enough to a unicorn to get a strand of hair. But he's not going to give up after one failure and decides to give it another try with someone else. Unicorns are symbols of purity and are said to be drawn by the presence of a virtuous maiden, so maybe he'll have a better chance at succeeding if he's accompanied by a young woman. Zelda is the first person to come to mind, and if she hadn't contacted him first he would have texted her to ask if she would be interesting in tackling the quest together.

He's dressed in white as usual when he heads over to the edge of the forest at the scheduled time, offering her a polite smile in greeting as he approaches. ]

Hello, Zelda. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long.

[ she gives the apple a gentle toss toward okuyasu, and then grabs her bow out from the back. ...now that she's about to actually do this, she realizes how nervewracking it is. she's not very well trained yet and she sincerely hopes she doesn't miss. ]

I think you should kneel down. You're a lot taller than I am - I don't want to aim up.

[ just... just in case she does miss... ]

No, you didn't.

[ if anything she was early, but she's used to waking up at the crack of dawn and going to bed soon after sunset. it's important to have routine no matter where you may be. she pulls on the strap running down from her shoulder past her hip, her bow slightly pushing into her back when she does, and smiles. ]

Thank you for agreeing to coming with me. I've never heard of a unicorn before - I'm curious to see what it's like.

[Oh, cool, that's confidence-inspiring. Okuyasu has the good sense not to say that to the girl with a bow, so he just sighs and instead of kneeling, just- squats. Naturally, as you do.

He puts the apple on his head and somehow holds still enough to keep it there.]

Alright, do your worst. [pep talk level: ultimate]

[ very rousing pep indeed. she lifts the bow up and pulls back the drawstring. after a couple seconds a flash of golden light escapes from her hands and manifests together to form the figure of a proper arrow. never solidifying, only pure light, she releases it and it flies toward the apple--

--and misses, instead striking at the bark of the tree behind him. the force rattles the tree slightly, and the birds that were enjoying their time on the branches quickly ascend to escape an assumed threat. the bark itself has a small scorch mark on it. ]

Ngh. This is harder than I thought.

Yes, it is going to make things... a tad difficult.

[She's got a fire tome tucked under one arm. Generally she uses both hands for magic, so this will be an interesting challenge. Also, blushing.]

[Okay, well, that was mildly terrifying, but it looked cool as shit. Okuyasu doesn't duck until after the arrow thuds into the tree and disappears, which is counterproductive, but he catches the apple as it falls off his head and twists to look at the scorch mark.

Cool, great. This makes him feel safe.]

Don't burn the shit outta me!

[Helpful tip!! As he dutifully sits back and puts the apple back on top of his head. He's still in this game.]

[ Back home, Ryo would often stay up late due to the nature of his work, but here he tends to go to bed early and get up early; when there's no electricity, it makes more sense to sleep once it gets dark and get up at dawn to make the most out of the sunlight hours. ]

I've read about it in books. The unicorn is fierce and swift, and no hunter can catch it; it's commonly described as a very wild woodland creature that will only calm down in the presence of a young, pure woman. In some stories, the woman would sit alone in the woods and the unicorn would eventually approach and rest its head in her lap.

[ a pause, and: ] This was widely exploited by hunters; once docile in the woman's presence, it's easily caught and killed.

...Suddenly I'm beginning to see why you agreed to meet me!

[ she says with a light jest, but it does strike her as curious that the unicorn is more receptive to women. it feels yet another reminder of home and she can't help but wonder how she would fit into any fairytale she has read here. ]

I won't be able to use my bow so I left it at home. It'll be a little more challenging to channel my seal, but I should be able to... make it work...

[ she turns her head toward maribelle and is noticing now- ]

Are you feeling alright? Your face looks a little red.

Edited 2018-07-13 20:42 (UTC)

Sorry! [ ack, he's losing confidence in her... rightfully so. ] I'm sure that's just because it's a tree.

[ she sucks in a deep breath through her nose and begins to aim again. a few moments later she fires and the arrow hits just above the apple, chipping off the stem, and once more rattling the tree. ]

Yes, that was why I agreed. You seem to be the kind of woman a unicorn would take a liking to.

[ He means it as a simple observation, not flattery. They clearly didn't like the sausagefest last time and while he can't say he knows Zelda well enough to know if she would be considered pure and virtous enough to meet whatever antiquated standards these unicorns appears to have, she's probably the best choice for this quest. ]

... Don't you find this quest to be a little embarrassing?

it's another one of these!

okuyasu - quest 17

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ryo - quest 16

maribelle - quest 19

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sorry for the late!!

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no worries!

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