awashlogs | December Catch All

[She threaded her fingers together, holding her arms at her back.]

Have you thought about what wish you want to make yet?

[Her voice isn't entirely back to normal, but she's at least not sick anymore.]

Edited 2018-12-06 03:38 (UTC)

[Since their last quest went so well she naturally wanted to take Lux along for another.

Though she'd be lying if she said there wasn't another reason for doing this.]

Wouldn't it be amazing if the wish we make comes true?

Edited 2018-12-06 03:38 (UTC)

[She had been worried that this would happen when she showed up in the ice palace without shoes or socks.

So she wasn't surprised at all when she developed a cold. It didn't make it any less awful or make it any less disastrous.

When it only seemed to get worse without getting better...there was only one choice left to her. If anything happened with her powers she'd take out the entire town with her and that wasn't something she could risk.

She had told Guren months ago that the harbour was safest, but Shiho refused to let her go off on her own and...well. The forest was safe enough if it were the two of them together, right?

So off they went.

It was...quiet. And easy. No trials, no dangers, just the trees closing behind them as they walked which was...different.

She was still walking on her own when they reached the cave, but she looked pale and she definitely looked like she was ready to lie down. Since she was holding Shiho's hand, she probably knows that there's the beginning of a fever as well.]

What are the chances we'll find a dragon in there?

[There was only one choice to make and so this is what Shiho had chosen. She wouldn't leave Kaoru by herself, no matter what.

It's with that in mind that she's walking hand in hand with Kaoru right now, tense and always sneaking looks at her best friend just so she could have a visual confirmation that everything was still fine. They should have taken more medicine....

The cave receives a glare and Shiho reaches out to set her hand against the rocks beside it.]

It's empty. Maybe the dragon decided it would be better to give it up to us.

[She tries for a light tone but only manages to sound worried. And then? She narrows her eyes. Someone is following them.

.....that weird guy who blushed when talking about two heads but goes around pretending to be asleep to get kisses? What'she doing here?]

Edited 2018-12-07 18:41 (UTC)

[ He'd had a terrible feeling ever since seeing that message on the network about Kaoru being sick. Demonic cultivation takes its toll on the body and the soul: how many times had he heard that warning, and how many times had he discounted it? His energy, at the peak of its strength had leapt to her body and coursed through it. What was the cost?

So he had asked around and lurked about, and when he'd caught sight of the two of them, he had followed silently, just out of sight, and just at the distance where the trees closed in. His feet are light and his movements silent, as if he were hunting pheasants back in Yunmeng. He's able to stay hidden until they get to the cave.

At that point, it makes little sense to keep hiding, so he steps out from the shadows. ]

Aiiiyaah! What a coincidence! To meet the two of you here, so deep in the forest, who would have guessed it?

[She manages to grin.]

Did the reputation of the Children, the strongest esper team in Japan scare it off?

[She wouldn't have joked about that if she knew they were being followed. But Kaoru really hadn't known there was anyone else here until he spoke. She was surprised and that wasn't normally such a problem except she has a poor handle on her powers right now with the budding fever so somewhere near them a branch or two snaps.

She tries not to flinch at the sound.]

...you sound like a stalker you know.

He probably is a stalker. [Which is why Shiho moves to stand in front of Kaoru, pushing her best friend back behind her and crossing her arms as she regards the newest addition to their party.]

...so you’re just “coincidentally” wandering where we are, Mr. Stalker?

[ He hears the branch snap too, but assumes it's just ice. ]

Hey! Is that any way to address me?

[ Hands on his hips, he bends over until he's eye-to-eye with Shiho; then he looks up, over her shoulder at Kaoru. ]

I thought we agreed you were going to call me "old man stalker"!

That's the part you have a problem with?

[Not the stalker part?

She lets Shiho push her back just because she knows how Shiho is. She'd reach out to take her hand, but Shiho crossing her arms makes that difficult.

All joking aside...]

You shouldn't be here. It's not safe.

[Not the forest but rather here with them. Or well, with her.]

Mister Old Man Stalker, then. [But she's not moving, attempting to stare him down.]

Why are you here?

[ Clearly Lux senses no ulterior motives. She looks in much better shape than they were in the castle, smiling cheerfully as she walks beside Kaoru. ]

It seems pretty unlikely. But considering what we've been through in the last few weeks, I guess the possibility exists.

[ Which is her roundabout way of saying that Chroma better give them this. ]

Still, it seems a little random, don't you think?

Thaaaat's better!

[ He beams at them for a few moments. Then his expression gives way to something more genuine... and more serious. ]

I'm here to help.

[ His eyes shift from Shiho, to Kaoru, and back to Shiho again. ]

Let's go inside and talk. It's cold out here.

[ He brushes past them and heads into the cave, flicking fire talismans as he goes. They stick to the walls and light the way. ]

You're here to--hey!

[Don't just push past her!? She turns and even though she's sick she's coordinated enough to grab his arm. Though she doesn't...try to pull him back with her powers. Who knows what would happen if she did, in the state she was in? So she's probably just going to be pulled along.]

I'm serious! You need to get away from here! It's not safe to be around me when I'm like this!

The quests are always pretty random. We did just deal with a sphinx during winter.

[She isn't very well versed in fairytales but even she knows that sphinxes live in hot places!]

And it's better than the one that asked us to ruin someone's day.

I suppose you have a point there.

[ Lux just assumed she means the sphinx being random in general, not the time of year or location.

She huffs a bit, crossing her arms as she tries to keep a smile from breaking through. ]

Well, if Mister F is listening [ She knows he is!! ] then he should give us more requests like this! This place is bleak enough as it is.

To help by doing what?

[Shiho glares but wherever Kaoru goes, she goes too.

Going back does occur to her, but... the path has closed behind them. UGH. Pressing her lips together in annoyance, she hurries along, eyes briefly glancing at the glowing talismans, reaching out to rest her hand on the wall to examine both those weird, glowing things to the cave itself.]

[ He keeps walking and tossing talismans, as if he hasn't noticed he's picked up a teenage girl-shaped barnacle. ]

What a nice cave! I like a good cave. I used to live in one. I could leave rubbish all over the place and there was no one to scold me!

[ Eventually he finds an open area where the cave floor is relatively flat and the ceiling high. A multitude of stalactites hang from the ceiling, which sparkle like diamonds in the flickering talisman flames. The temperature is noticeably warmer inside than out. That's how it is with caves: cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter.

He looks down at Kaoru. He'd wanted her to come inside with him anyway, so dragging her in is perfectly acceptable from his point of view. Gently he says: ]

I want to help, because I think your illness might have something to do with me.

[ Shiho's investigation of the talismans might reveal their magical nature, woven together from the life energy of blood, of the paper, and complex spellcraft. ]

That's a really stupid reason for liking caves!

[At least it's warm.]

That doesn't matter! It's dangerous for you to stay here!

[Honestly, when you're used to dealing with flying cruise ships, esper flying squirrels and preserved dolphin brains predicting the future, just a sphinx isn't random enough to bat an eye.]

And he should stop being such a shut in and show himself! [He better be listening and hear her call him a shut in.

She tries not to, but she laughs in the end. Because that made her feel better.] But this place already looks better. When we first got here there wasn't any colour at all.

What are you, a bear? [Shiho dislikes seeing Kaoru get dragged.

But the guy doing the dragging always seemed like a good person? So she settles with trying to split her attention between brushing her fingers over the talismans and glaring at Wei Wuxian some more. Interesting... so it's magic. She understands the blood (kind of) and the paper (more so) but the rest flies right over her head.

It is much warmer and if she were in a better mood she'd actually have thought it was beautiful. (Though a tiny part of her does think about snapping off a stalactite for Minato. Until she notices that she'd gotten distracted.)]

And what do you mean it has something to do with you? What did you do? [The last part is said in a low, dangerous voice that promises retribution.]

[ He doesn't answer immediately, instead feeling for Kaoru's pulse once more. A few moments and he looks up. ]

I didn't understand how Maiden Kaoru's "boost" worked. I thought it was similar to a magical tool.

[ Shiho sounds angry. She looks angry, too. He doesn't blame her. He's angry with himself. He'll accept any punishment. ]

My powers might have interfered with hers. If so, that's why she's ill right now. That's why—

[ He turns to Kaoru. ]

—I think I'd better not leave, even if you ask me to.

[He only gets a moment to hold her wrist before Kaoru pulls away to latch onto Shiho. He might be willing to accept any punishment but Kaoru wasn't willing to let it happen. It wouldn't help Shiho and it wasn't his fault.]

I'm sick because I was running around an ice palace without shoes. If it's anyone's fault it's that stupid shut in's! And even if they're related you don't need to be here! If you're here then what was even the point of coming all the way out here!?

[Her hands were trembling from where she held onto Shiho because she didn't want to hurt anyone.]

[Kaoru is successful in pulling Shiho's attention away from Wei Wuxian. Her hand comes up to cover Kaoru's, both as her way of showing her best friend that she was here and was going nowhere, as well as to check the status of Kaoru's health for the millionth time today.]

It's a cold. I mean, it's good that you're trying to take responsibility [because Shiho could still blame him if she wanted] but unless your power is giving people colds then I doubt this is because of you.

[But... she isn't sure. She also doesn't like the thought of blaming him entirely though now that she's figured out he just doesn't understand the concept of a cold.]

Maiden Kaoru, if you were going to throw me out, you would have done it already.

[ In other words, you're stuck with this guy, no matter what. There's a convenient rock formation in the cave, like a little elevated platform. He settles himself on top of it and folds his legs into the lotus position. ]

My power....

[ It's complicated to explain the nature of his power, and why he's convinced his demonic qi might have weakened Kaoru's strong constitution, enough for her to get sick. Rather than focus on what he's done, he'll try to shift the conversation to what he can do to right things. ]

One of my powers has to do with life energy. It has a lot of uses, including restoring health. Give me a minute....

[ He closes his eyes and hopes that this will be enough to get them to quiet down (and let him work on soul cultivating, it's been a while), but as soon as the thought enters his mind, he realizes that it probably won't.

...

He opens his eyes again. ]

Actually. This is something that's difficult to do. Could you help me, Maiden Shiho?

[ Kids, particularly good kids like these girls won't turn down an earnest request for help. And if he can get Shiho meditating, that's one less voice arguing with him. Not only that, but...who knows, perhaps she'll have some talent at it. ]

December Catch All

Quest 39: Kaminari

Quest 39: Lux

Beginning of the month, Wei Wuxian and Shiho

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1/2

2/2

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So late that the Starbucks is cold

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It's fine if it's a frappucino!

This made the former barista in me cry a little

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I'm sorry, lol.

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more wuxia blather

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