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WHO: Val and quest takers!
WHERE: Bluo, the woods, around town
WHEN: December
WHAT: Open quests
WARNINGS: None for now!

A. Quest 36, blue for quest, anyone for chatting

[He reads it several times and honestly he has no idea what caroling is. A human thing, surely. Does he know much about human things? Not the joyful spirited kind.]

You there. [Stranger or not, blue or not.] What is caroling?

B. Quest 38, wide open

[He has no idea what Christmas spiders are, but decorating a tree is at least something that makes sense. There are no little bat charms around, but he could pretty easily make them with enough effort.]

I'm a yellow. [It's as abrupt as he ever is.] Come get and decorate a tree with me. [It's more like a demand than a request.]

C. Wildcard
[Wildcard, just tag him here for any other ideas. He sure loves fishing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Eventually, yes.

[There was definitely a day where their arguing just continued to escalate. One of which was "You're lonely" "I am not." like he's just a 5 year old arguing with himself.

Wait a sec.]

Did you break your mirror?

[That sounds about right. Val is truly a bunch of baby vampires in a trenchcoat. But hm. He's...going to kind of go quiet before there's a shrug.]

It wouldn't stop. So I made it stop. [And he sort of regrets that now.]

[So he did actually break his mirror. That might be the reason Percy's hair and eyes are an unsettling color of gray. A very familiar grey.]

Sometimes quieting a voice is the best thing you can do for yourself.

[He won't condemn him for an action he needed to take. Some people's demons are much crueler than constantly reminding them that they're alone here and nobody understands them.]

It seems like there were some consequences.

[He almost expects some sort of disapproval. He braces himself for it, actually, a little too familiar with the concept of being a screw-up and a disappointment even though it's been years since he's been expelled from a school or anything like that. It's also perhaps a bit startling that he even has the thought of how he doesn't want to disappoint Val.

Gods. What the hell.

It's silent save for the crunching of snow beneath their feet. He doesn't know what to say next that won't sound compromising.]

The mirror was cursed somehow. [That's an easy start.] In the castle. Everything took effect there. I didn't know what it was, and I don't think I cared at the time. [A color drain. It was the same kind of apathy Val experienced when Percy took his color, he thinks.] Nothing mattered anymore, so I stopped trying. I froze over and stayed that way, and by the time we got back to the town my color was gone.

[So that's what happened.] It's funny. I still don't think the mirror was wrong.

[Percy had to listen to his mirror go on and on about everything. That's enough punishment, he thinks. What words are worse than the ones that come out of something that has the same face as you?

No.

He thinks Percy has learned his lesson. When Percy speaks, he listens closely. The same kind of issue as Val had. But instead of somebody draining away the color it was the mirror.] You aren't missing all your color, at least.

Just because you don't think it's wrong doesn't mean you should've been forced to listen to it. Or have other people overhear your problems.

[It's...possible Percy learned something from all of this, but he's still kind of assessing everything.] I'm not which is both good and also really weird considering the color draining quest drew a lot more out of us.

[Ugh. What if he just never tells Val about the nightmares he had surrounding that event thanks to "quest rewards"?]

It's that last part that pisses me off. [His problems are his problems and he'll fight his own mirror.] That was my problem with all of the mirrors. Not just mine. Why would anyone think that was a good idea to set up to help forge bonds?

It may have been a more specific curse. The color draining depended on the people who were taking it to stop. It was also much more spread out than just eyes and hair.

[What Val doesn't know can't hurt him? Probably.

Despite everything about him he's not an idiot. He gets it. He understands why this is what happened.]

It may not have been a good idea for us, but if the goal is to forge bonds? Making us vulnerable and having us talk about the parts of ourselves we'd rather hide is one way to get us attached to each other faster. It's a clever plan, though unfair.

It's like the time we were forced to share memories. I likely wouldn't have talked to you about Artina. But I was forced to share that memory with you so now you know more about me.

I should have known the color draining quest was going to be a hint to something worse. [This stupid town!!! He pushes aside some branches. They're pretty far into the woods now, but still no sign of a bell.]

...I get what you're saying. Really, I do. And you have a point, we learn about each other from talking about experiences and sharing stuff, but I hate that we don't even get a choice. Stuff like that shouldn't be ripped away from people.

[On the other hand...] I am glad you told me about her though. Even if she's not here.

[Of all the things in the town, Val doesn't really mind any of them. The forest is a nice place to go for quests and for answers. Though when he actually thinks about it, it's strange that the town doesn't seem to own any of its own.

He could keep going for a while. The bell must be in here somewhere.]

FFFFFF disagrees. The faster we care about each other the better in their eyes. At least we're not being told to let the world be destroyed.

[Artina is a lot of things to Val. A lot of things that Val just has no idea how to say. Whenever he thinks about their relationship he just gets flustered and awkward. There's a kindness in her that could never be taken away. He feels like... Percy has a similar kind of kindness. Percy, on the other hand, is still a child. He's a teenager and while he's older than Fuuka, he's still young. Especially for a human.

He flips the hair piece in his pocket. Personally, he'd rather have his party members with him, but even a reminder of them is appreciated.]

Sometimes you remind me of her. I don't know if she'll ever show up in the well. [Or if anyone in his party will show up. More reason to make comrades of the people who are here.] I didn't know her for very long as a human. [But she definitely left a lasting impression.]

Yeah, well, Mr. F can--[He's halfway to saying Mr. F can fuck off, but he quells his anger enough to calm down. He continues walking ahead, jumping over a fallen log.] Is it really caring about people if you just know a lot about them? You can't force people to care about each other just because you're forcing them to work together.

[He cares about people here. He cares about people here a lot, but he does wonder about other people. As it is, he's glad they aren't being told to destroy the town but Percy's been wrestling a lot lately with the motivations of the town and what he's supposed to do next.

He doesn't say so though because...well, does it matter? Things have to be done, so he'll do them even if he finds the method questionable. He turns his head to look at Val as he speaks of Artina, a half-smile appearing and slightly sympathetic.]

...the good thing, I guess, is that there's always a chance she will. This town seems to know exactly what to do to make us act, so maybe she'll show up someday sooner than you think. [It's then that he seems to think longer, debating if he wants to ask one of the questions weighing on his mind.] Val. Do you think it's possible for bonds here to replace bonds we have elsewhere?

Isn't it a start? It's easier to care about people once you've learned about them.

[For example, Val still thinks incredibly poorly of humanity as a whole. The few humans he's started to attach himself to in Chroma though, he cares intently about. They've proven themselves worthy of his time and energy. There's not that much different, they're still humans, they'll still die. They do things that they shouldn't.

But he got to know about them and Val sincerely enjoys having company. The more the merrier. Fenrich would rather they stuck to a two person party, but he just didn't get what he wanted.

He hums thoughtfully. She could show up. It's possible, of course. It's just better to keep his hopes lower, if only because he can't predict the future. He'd love to see any one of his party members, even as much of a headache as Fuuka is.]

What a strange question. Of course they wouldn't. The relationships you form with others are unique. No two of them will ever be alike. Bonds are separate from each other. Bonds cannot be overwritten.

[He knows. He already knew the answer even before he asked the question, but trying to sort everything he's thinking on top of everything he has to do next is kind of a pain in the ass.

Everyone he's become friends with in his life were people he had to learn about. Even he and Annabeth didn't get along right away and it took nearly dying like sixty times to get there.

He's maybe still mad that his closest bonds, his ties to home, were taken away...even though he has people here that are just as important.

It's a complicated matter he doesn't want to talk about.]

Then why does it feel like F is trying really hard to do that?

[Val is tends towards honest and sincere. Especially when it comes to things like comrades and bonds. He's pretty sure Percy knew that answer even without asking it. But, again, Nico disappeared recently.

Would he feel the same way if Artina was there? Fenrich. He hates to lose people. Here it's nothing that Val can do to stop it, they're at the mercy of the town and whoever brings people in.

His expression is thoughtful as he considers it.]

Do you think that's what they're trying to do? Does anybody here make you forget somebody at home?

[He still remembers every person in his party. It's not as though anything has been overwritten. They aren't save files.]

...I don't know. It's not that the people here are any less important than my friends, so don't think I'm saying that. It's that the more time I spend doing stuff here, trying to complete quests or make new bonds because someone's telling me that's what I have to do, the less time I'm spending trying to find where they disappeared to and how to get back.

[...] I've already had my memories messed with before because someone wanted me to do something for them. I don't want that kind of situation again. [So there's that. It's just Percy with a chip on his shoulder, nbd.]

People here are important too, though. But why does it get to be easier to do stuff here with the people here than get back to the people I'm supposed to be with?

[Good, they agree. His comrades here are different from the ones at home, but that's the nature of bonds and people. The difference are important, that's why nothing can be overwritten. Listening to Percy, he sounds as lost as Emizel did when he first met him. Even if he's not standing in his father's shadow, he needs guidance.

Does Val have to be the one to give it?

Fine. He's a Prinny Instructor. It's essentially in his job description. Guidance to (sinful) human souls. That's a better regulated system than this. This is freeform and he has no idea what he's doing. He doesn't know where he's pushing Percy.

That's never stopped him before.]

We will search for them. We'll make the time.

It's understandable you don't want to be made to do something by some invisible force. [Though Val is often jerked around by other people, namely Fenrich. He doesn't tend to care, but as long as he's surrounded by his comrades, that's enough for him. He lets a lot of things go because they don't bother him.

Of course, he can't expect the same thing from others.]

Part of why it's easier is because of how this place seems to work. It wants us to focus on what is here. The people, the things, the places. There's no easy way to go home, but it is easy to spend time with people who are here. You humans are social creatures who thrive on social interactions.

It's easy being around people because of your human nature. [Demons... don't really have that. The more powerful ones are left alone. Other demons regard them as threats and would fight them sooner than join their causes.]

[...in a way it reminds him even more of Chiron and Percy doesn't reply just yet. He mulls over those words as they slip and step over the snow. Making time is important, and it's not like Val's not wrong. People want to help people and people thrive on engaging with people. It's how people stay out of the dark. It's why Percy himself is determined to stop ignoring people back home, why he'd made the deal with the gods that they had to claim their children, why Percy made an effort here for certain people.

He'd almost forgotten that in his own dip into the dark places he was avoiding.

In a way he feels stupider than ever, but...what can he really do?]

I don't think it's just humans who are social, Val. [It's maybe an aside that he doesn't expect an answer from, a gentle jab at Val not being human but social as social can be. He's about to clarify that, but he stops suddenly.] Hey. Take a look. Think that's our bell?

[It's silver and bell-shaped, but it's a short distance away.]

[When has Val ever been wrong? (That time Artina died, that's one.) But he's always intensely sure of himself and he always sounds like he's sure of the words that are coming out of his mouth. He knows what he likes and what he wants and he'll make sure everybody knows it.

It's a little aside, but he chuckles lowly. Percy doesn't have to complete it. Val is incredibly social, but that's not the norm.]

Yes, I think so.

[At least Val Understands. But upon spotting the bell, he perks up and Percy begins walking quickly toward their designated spot.]

Come on. I want to see what happens if we really make a wish.

[ He follows at his usual quick pace. It seems they both agree. Will it really grant wishes?

Val knows exactly what he wants from this bell. A thought that's been weighing on him for a while now. ]

Are you going first?

[As he approaches the tree, he looks up to where the bell is. It hangs almost innocently and Percy nearly finds that suspicious.]

...you think I should? [He's curious though, he'll admit that.]

If you already have your wish in mind, why not?

[ He's also a kid, after all. ]

[...]

Do we make the wish first and then ring the bell? Or vice versa? [But he's approaching the bell. He'll go first.]

You think I spend much time wishing on bells?

[ But he's going to guess. ]

Ring it then say it.

I never really know what you do in your spare time. [But there's a thoughtful glance before he reaches up and yanks on the bell, forcing it to ring through the woods.]

I wish I knew where to go from here to get the answers I need.

I fish. [Or he works, but there's not much work here.

Does he really feel that lost...

Once Percy is far enough away from the bell, Val rings it. Loud and clear.]

I wish my comrades at home stay safe until I return.

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