awashlogs | CLOSED: January Catch-All

Hey. I have a proposition for you.

[ It's become a regular thing, the three of them questing. It's ... nice! They all work well together. So much so that Vriska decides to copy John's vague "lure your friends into doing a goofy quest" trick from last month and just sends the both of them cryptic messages asking them to meet her in town.

When both boys eventually arrive to meet her, they'll find her in her god tier duds, and she won't immediately explain outside of going: ]

We're gonna do that one dumb quest! Get it? Get it???

[ you know. "fairy" godmother. she seems quite pleased with her stupid joke. ]

[ This one is easy, actually. Given that they live together now, Vriska can just kind of poke her head into whatever room Val is in and go: ]

Hey, wanna go beat up some demons?

[It's not actually difficult for his friends to get him out and about. He raises a hand and waves at Vriska before she starts talking. And then he takes a moment to look her over.

Oh. Is this... a visual pun?]

Does that make you the fairy godmother?

[It also isn't hard to get him to agree to this sort of thing. Even if he hadn't started to trust Vriska more lately, he could have used Shouto as a shield if things got nasty. However, he's following along not too long after and walks up behind Shouto, facing Vriska and immediately chuckling to himself. Yeah. He 100% gets it.]

I am pretty sure it does. That means wish-granting, right? [A grin.] Who's going first?

[There's three of them, they can figure this out.]

[For absolutely no reason, as soon as Val stands up, his cape starts swishing in an inexplicable wind. They're indoors.

He's also biting down on a sardine, but he's quick to swallow that before responding.]

Of course! Lead the way, lass.

Yessss! I knew you'd get it. [ beaming, to john. with a smile at Shouto: ]

Sure, why not! I have no idea what a "godmother" is supposed to be, but the concept sounds vaguely terrifying, so I'm down. John, what do you think our chances would be if you wished for a not-shitty laptop like we talked about?

[ there are many things about val that vriska honestly has questions about.

no wait she's going to ask this one out loud ]

How the fuck is your cape doing that??

[ But with a somewhat incredulous look she'll at least lead the way out of the house. She hasn't got a weapon on her, but she doesn't really need one, all things considered. ]

[There's a pause as Shouto actually has to wonder about "godmothers". He sure doesn't have one, as far as he's aware.] ... I think it means you're magic. Maybe that's the fairy part?

Sounds like John has an idea, so he can go first.

It's part of being a main character.

[Like that explains anything at all.

...Every main character from his franchise does do this though, so he's not lying.]

[ Gives him an incredibly narrow look. ]

Are you, like, aware of how meta you are, in general?

Of course I am. I'm the one that guides newcomers through the battle interface.

[In other words: Val is the guy who gives tutorials.]

I can't believe you are both a main character and a tutorial NPC. Or PC, I guess. That feels like cheating somehow?

[ are they really discussing this ]

You think so, hm? Shouldn't the main character know how to navigate their world's system?

[They really are.]

Come on, you know I have a point! It is basically always some NPC giving the tutorial, like a wise old hermit you never see again or whatever.

That just seems inefficient. If you're going to have somebody giving out a tutorial it should be somebody who's going to stay relevant to the story.

Godmothers aren't supposed to be terrifying but they're powerful which I guess is maybe a little scary, yeah. [He can't help but grin at both of them. Shouto's on the right track at least, and Vriska's onto something.]

I definitely have an idea. I want a laptop that'll play my movies. I think mine is actually in my sylladex? I can grab it and we can see how this works.

Really? A "godmother" isn't supposed to be terrifying? That's .... incredibly lame, wow.

[ WHAT A LETDOWN. ]

Anyway, sure, why not! Get it out, I'll give it a try, since I am the resident fairy here. What could possibly go wrong?

But god is in the title. [Shouldn't they have some godly powers? Some ability to control the laws of nature?

Anyway, he'll defer to John. Go ahead, state your wish.]

Since when?!

[ these two losers arguing about tutorials as they head into the forest to risk their lives ]

Shouto you know Vriska and I are technically gods don't you? [Like. Just making sure. He'll drop the laptop out of his sylladex though and hand it over.]

I guess they can maybe be scary though. There's one in a movie that turned a bunch of mice into men and a pumpkin into a carriage. That is kind of a lot when you think about how different mice and men are.

Since people design games. Besides, I am a Prinny Instructor.

[Look at these meta idiots.]

It would be odd if I didn't instruct them.

[ EYE ROLL. Their bickering(?) has at least carried them to the edge of the woods, so now they can head into the trees and start their search in earnest. ]

I'm just saying that you are kind of a rarity. How many other games have you ever played, anyway?

Just the one I'm part of. I think the superintendent of a different Netherworld spends most of his time playing games.

[ But now they get to look for a demon and he's excited to fight. ]

That explains a lot! And here I thought you were a real gamer. Just trust me when I say it's weird, alright? Even if you think it's "inefficient" or whatever.

[ Since she hates trudging through the snow and underbrush, Vriska will float through the trees, glancing this way and that. ]

You don't know how to, like, find demons or anything, do you?

Right! I am a god of light, and John is a god of windy assholes.

[ smile, smile, as she takes the offered laptop. ]

... actually, how does a fairy godmother grant a wish? Are there like magic words or whatever?

[He gives her an odd little look when she's asking about his demon finding abilities.]

I didn't look for other demons at home. They came and tried to kill me. I'm sure if we go in far enough, we'll find at least one.

Like actual gods and not demigods? [How many weird god friends has he made recently?]

... Bipity bopity boo? I haven't read a lot about fairy godmothers. I think Cinderella had one in it.

[Give him a second to make a face at Vriska before he laughs at Shouto.]

Actual gods, not demigods. Pretty cool right? It's been that way for years. But you are right! Cinderella had a fairy godmother and gave her a chance to go to the ball and woo a prince. I am not sure any of us need help wooing anyone. So...I guess we can bipity bopity whatever my laptop and maybe we can watch Ghostbusters.

Haha! Well, if we're lucky, that's what'll happen here. It'd save us some time!

[ is being chased by demons actually lucky ]

[ sHRUGGOTH ]

Let's do it then!

[ waves her hands?! ]

Bippity boppity boo, I guess!

[ Amazingly, John's laptop will glitter with magic, lifting it into the air! and...!!! ]

[Whatever magic Vriska just used seems to be entirely incompatible with the device. It sparks in some shade of gray before dropping straight back onto the ground, screen busted.

Shouto watches it with mild alarm but makes no attempt to go near it.]

So we should fix that, right?

Very well.

[And then he'll just stop in the middle of the forest.

"Luckily" it does seem to work. But instead of chasing them, the demon(?) seems to be forcing them to chase it. There's a flash of red and silver in the distance, between the trees. Vriska may not recognize that coloration as anything special, but to Val that's his oldest comrade.

So he immediately chases after him without a single word.]

[...?!?!]

Goddamnit! [He zips forward, picking up the laptop to check the damage. The screen's shattered and the hinges seem to be, too.] What kind of magic was that?

[...wait.] Vriska is your luck still backfiring?

Oh, fuck.

[ UH, YIKES???? covering her mouth with both hands ]

Barely, but I wasn't using my luck powers! I can do a lot of things, but glittery fairy magic is not among them. At least, not normally.

... wh-- hey!

[ what JUST HAPPENED. did he do that?? did he summon a demon???? she has questions, and he's gone before she can ask them. dammit, valvatorez!

Vriska takes off after him, wishing she'd taken the time to roll her dice already. As is, what she can do is simple and quick: yank some luck from their quarry. ]

[More likely, the demon was looking for something to hunt and Val seems like an excellent snack. It's not too hard to get him running off like a fool either.

Vriska's power means that the Fenrich lookalike trips over a branch, disturbing the snow on said tree, quickly covering the demon in it.]

Fenrich?

[The unknown demon's eyes are a familiar shade of bright gold and looks unhappy to be pinned this way. He gets up and darts, trying to scratch Val with a sharpened claw.]

Hm- He would never. So throw off that pitiful disguise and fight me like a proper demon!

Okay, so I guess it's probably.... the quest magic backfiring? No movies for us, I guess.

[There's a sad, indistinct squeaking that sounds a lot like "my laptop" in the distance.]

I cannot believe this. [There's a waving of his hands though.] I wonder if this would have happened if one of us was the fairy godmother though? Like even if you were not using your luck powers, maybe Mr. F circumvented stuff anyway.

[ Vriska had been so sure that, by now, that bum luck she'd gotten from the ice palace had left her entirely. Her powers had felt normal again, and she'd stopped having those random bursts of aggravating misfortune. Everything had seemed just fine!

Until, of course, the town got to have its last laugh at her expense, and she'd managed to graze the back of her hand across a thorn she hadn't seen until it was too late.

Stubborn as she is, of course, Vriska just bulls her way through the side effects. Which is why she can be found out in town, stalking the vines back to their source, despite how incredibly shitty she feels (and looks). Don't mind her sniffling and sneezing and rubbing at her face, cursing in a constant unbroken stream. At least, don't mind her until she sneezes again and stumbles, tripping over her own feet and crashing directly into someone she hadn't even realized was there. ]

God, fuck! Sorry--

Whoa, whoa, easy there--

[ the voice should be familiar enough for vriska to discern, but the crystalline hands that catch her shouldn't. tsumugi has held her before, even cuddled her for a quest a while back, but she just feels - more solid now. that's way more important that tsumugi's impulsive wish. ]

Vriska-chan, are you all right? A lot of people have been getting the flu lately --

[ not to mention the vine-covered castle that's just sprouted out of nowhere overnight; tsumugi's been extra careful not to touch them as he follows the cleared-out trail. and it seems that they're not alone in this path, as tsumugi's eye catches the glimmer of yet another gem. ]

Phos-san! Over here!

[ More than anything, Phos is drawn to the castle after seeing the inside of one in a dream over the winter holidays. They only have it in mind to scope out the area to see if it's the same before returning home, narrowly avoiding thorns and curses alike—

Or, that was the plan, right up until they're called over by a familiar face. ]

Tsumugi? [ Their voice is concerned not for their fellow gem, but the horned stranger in his hold. uh. ]

Is this person okay? They look kind of terrible.

[Scenario here, I'm crashing your log.]

[So anyway. John's been getting sort of tired of castles randomly showing up at inconvenient times. It's not so much that it's worrisome, but it's mostly annoying. Fairytales are cursed and while the castle itself isn't too hard to navigate he's keeping an eye out for two of the people he's come to rely on especially recently.

It's maybe fate (no) that he finds them in close enough vicinity he can speak up to both of them.]

Hey! Are you two okay? [Please say you aren't cursed.]

[Shouto's pretty easy going when it comes to this kind of thing. Weird that there's a castle, but this whole place is full of weird things, so he'll just have to live with it.

At the question he looks over at John and then takes stock of himself.]

I'm not missing any limbs and I'm not in an endless slumber. I'm good.

What about you?

CLOSED: January Catch-All

QUEST 43: Damian

QUEST 41: John, Shouto

QUEST 42: Valvatorez

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CURSE BREAKING: Tsumugi, Phos

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CASTLE BULLSHIT: Shouto + John

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