quest catchall for feb!!

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WHO: Tsumugi and quest buddies!
WHERE: around town
WHEN: anytime during february!
WHAT: love-themed quests... this can't possibly go too wrong.
WARNINGS: tba

[ closed threads in the comments! feel free to hit me up via PM or romanticizes if you want to do a quest with me! ]

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quest 44

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[ quest info. ]

@ cairngorm

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[ library rules usually state that silence is golden while inside the establishment, but it should be okay for the two librarians to bend that rule a tad just for this one quest. it won't take too long anyway (or so tsumugi hopes), and since recovering from being a gem himself last month, the human boy has become even curious about gem culture and thus he breaks the ice with a question: ]

What kind of music do gems like, if you don't mind me asking?

[ the way he's set up a table for the both of them is almost akin to a study session back at home - a clean stack of papers here, a jar of freshly-sharpened pencils there, and tsumugi had even gone to retrieve books about music theory and composition.

stupidly diligent as always. ]

I've studied most of these before from back home, but I'm far from being a musical genius myself. Think of this as my way of thanking you for the entirety of last month, Cairngorm-san.

[unghost]

[ When Tsumugi pipes up, they don't actually particularly mind it. It's nice to work in peace and quiet, but Tsumugi's disposition is quite serene in comparison to the other people they spend time around in Chroma - if not a little eccentric. And they never mind talking about gem things to the residents here, it often helps other people understand them better.

So, they answer without protest, but they don't look up from their work. ]

Gems don't have music. We don't have the means to build instruments, in the first place.

[ They only really know what instruments are because of Lunarians, and because of their exposure to them here, after all. They shrug. ]

I guess that's why I don't see how this is supposed to be thanks. Singing is not really something us gems do, either...

[ Since they've interacted a lot because of work, and the whole gem thing, it's probably clearer to Tsumugi now that as prickly as they like to act, it is actually quite easy to make them go along with you. Even after saying this quest is pointless, they're not making any motion to ditch. ]

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Ehh... That's kind of lonesome. I can't possibly imagine a world without music...

[ that's another downside of being a gem, tsumugi muses. regardless, tsumugi is delighted to have cairngorm as a partner for this particular quest; he's going to show him a huge advantage of the human race and that is the power of song! and love!!

so he scoots his chair closer to them , placing a piece of paper and pencil on their part of the desk. ]

So, writing a song isn't as easy as it sounds like - it requires a lot of thought, and you'd have to add a melody along with it. And since we're writing a love song [ and the fact that cairn is not an idol and doesn't seem to want to be one ], you just need to jot down what you love about a person and why you feel like that about them.

[ a beat, and then - ] Do you like someone in Town, Cairngorm-san?

[unghost]

[ They make a face as he explains, sliding the pencil into their hand. How are they supposed to answer that? It goes critically against their nature to admit in plain words that they love, or even like anything or anyone. This was a stupid idea. ]

Even if I do, I'm not writing down a bunch of weird stuff to read to them.

[ Is that a yes? Or a hypothetical no? They don't intend to make the answer clear for him. They're not embarrassed of being with Lupin (except when he makes it embarrassing), but it's just plain weird to list things they like about him with someone else around. ]

The quest just says "someone." Couldn't I write about anyone, then?

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It didn't indicate someone special, so I figure that you can... But you'd still need to make your sound sound genuine. You're serenading, after all -- it's a type of gesture where you typically sing to someone to woo them.

It's a weird kind of human tradition and I don't think serenading is a common thing to do in recent years if you're flirting with someone, but that makes things even more special due to how rare it is. So romantic... ♪

[ ...listen, tsumugi's read way too many books about the subject without any experience of love as a whole himself. let him have this. ]

Anyway! Let's not waste any time -- You could sing to me as an example, so maybe you can list down the things you generally like about me? [ a beat. ] But if that's impossible, you can sing about other people! I don't mind.

@ shizun and phos

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[shizun]

Ah, Tsumugi Aoba.

[ Perhaps, oddly enough, Shen Qingqiu greets him with a small table set in front of him and a musical instrument resting on top of said table. His guqin. His guqin. He had acquired all the parts needed to create it from the castle and constructed it just to mess around with -- who knew that it would be needed for a mission. ]

Phosphophyllite, please sing whatever you wish to convey your warm feelings and gratitude. [ A beat. He clears his voice and make his intent more clear to the other gem. ] Yes, this serenade is for you.

[ He makes a small gestures to Phosphophyllite at his side, awaiting them to start singing. Honestly, it doesn't matter what is sung since I plan to play whatever love song comes to mind. Serenading... I'm glad I'm just the accompanying music. But he can't help but wonder what song will be chosen, or will it just be something they wing? ]

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[ well, if it isn't an odd sight. tsumugi never knew shen qingqiu is acquainted with another gem, one that is legitimate rather than the result of an impulsive wish, and his eyes widen at their little display. the guitar-like instrument is something tsumugi hadn't seen up close, but - ]

I didn't know you play, Shen-san... And Phos-san is singing? For me?

[ huu, he feels like crying but he can't. be as strong as his gem comrades who can never cry even if they tried. tsumugi places a hand to his chest (be still his now beating heart), and nods. ]

Let's hear it. ♪ [ he's been teaching cairn how music works on earth, so he wonders what phos's take on it would be like. ]

quest 45

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[ quest info. ]

@ phosphophyllite

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[ this quest would've been easy from the start, but they just had to venture to the fringes of the forest for a bottle of vanilla extract that's strapped to the back of a crystalline hydra. the good news is that tsumugi's roped phos into doing this quest with him, so phos might have a fighting chance against a beast that has practically the same molecular structure as them.

the bad news is that tsumugi isn't a gem anymore, so he's not as useful anymore. he's not gonna lie, he's missed the innate athleticism and the grace of being a gem, which is why he feels kind of bad hiding behind a tree while phos takes on this formidable foe. well, at least it doesn't look like this fight will take that much longer now. ]

Phos-san, be careful! You've almost got it!

[ maybe tsumugi's more suited to cheer from the sidelines after all. ]

[trepidate]

[ It may just be that Phos is slightly out of practice from fighting, or maybe it's just fighting another gem-like creature that's made this so difficult, but they can hardly believe they're doing all of this for a tiny bottle of liquid.

Rounding on the hydra, they adjust the grip on their sword in a fluid pulse of alloy that ends at their hands. Dismantling this thing has been a piece of work, but after scanning over it Phos can see that it's down to its last limbs, with only a hit or two left until they shatter its neck. With Tsumugi's voice cheering them on in the background, they remember to be conscious of making sure he stays out of harm's way while they end this. ]

Almost! Make sure you stay back, alright? [ They call over their shoulder, not taking their eyes off of the hydra. With one last moment to collect themselves, Phos charges forward and then lunges into the air, propelled up by a stilt of alloy protruding from their heel. High in the air, they position themselves to dive back downwards and drop all of their weight down onto the hydra's neck, sword-first.

Given that its limbs have all long been shattered, there's no fight to be had as they decapitate the monster with a loud, splintering crack that sends shards of crystal flying. ]

Got it!

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[ uwah, it's falling apart! tsumugi backs away with a yelp, barely avoiding the rain of crystals descending on him. all that work for a tiny bottle of liquid too... ]

A-Are you all right?! [ once he gets over the initial shock though, he comes running up to the gem, checking for nicks and scratches on their being. not that it'd help because being human again means having shitty eyesight once more, but tsumugi would like to be helpful to them since they did most of the work here. ]

I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help... You were really cool out there too, Phos-san! With all that leaping and spinning around in the air!

[ it's making tsumugi remember that one time he landed the final blow on the demon just last month... nothing like that nonexistent adrenaline rush. ]

In turn, I'm going to teach you how to make chocolate as promised. Since your kind doesn't have tongues. Nor tastebuds. [ this is gonna be difficult, but they can both handle it. come on, let's scurry out of here. ]

[trepidate]

[ Rising to their feet, Phos steps away from the wreckage and pats their clothes free of any dirt or diamond dust. The edge of their blade doesn't seem to have suffered much from the fight, and they're about to inspect themselves for chips when Tsumugi is running up to them, already on it.

Brows raising at the sudden sincerity of his care, Phos rubs the back of their head sheepishly while Tsumugi looks over them. ]

Ah.. I don't think I felt anything break. Does everything look okay? [ Hearing how cool they looked is kind of embarrassing, but also? They sort of love it. They can't help the need to want to impress him. ]

I was hella cool, right? It's too bad you turned back into a human or I could have taught you how to fight like that..

[ But now they have a completely different task to tackle instead.. Nodding, they toss one last look down at the chunks of diamond strewn through the clearing before turning their back on it. Chocolate is more important than feeling weird about breaking a gem-monster thing. ]

Hey, I can sort of taste things..! [ the AURA of the food. but whatever, we're on our way back home now. ] You'll just have to tell me if I'm doing it right.

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You're always hella cool, Phos-san.

[ look at him, using slang to be hip. tsumugi glows at the praise and, seeing that there's no lasting damage on the gem, he gives them a thumbs-up. ]

I don't think you've chipped yourself anywhere, so that's good! Wouldn't want your bits to get in the chocolate, ahaha. [ why did he have to bring that up ] And yes, I'll be there to supervise; my school would make a bunch of chocolate to give to our fans during this time of year -- it's called the Chocolat Festival for a reason. ♪

[ so as you can see, tsumugi is more than experienced to make vday choco. can't be that hard to teach someone who can't taste them, right... only one way to find out.

they make it back to tsumugi's place safely, the ingredients already laid out on the counter before them. ] Okay, so. Firstly I need to put this water to a boil-- Could you combine the cocoa powder and the softened butter in a bowl, Phos-san? They're right over there.

@ ryo

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[ it shouldn't be that hard to get cherries for this chocolate quest neither - ryo and tsumugi will just have to solve this dilemma that involves choosing between a golden axe and a silver axe, when tsumugi had claimed to have dropped a rusty iron axe into a pond.

this is one of the reasons why tsumugi's given up trying to destroy the poor trees that are slowly taking over the town, honestly. ]

It's neither of those things, you know? [ he whispers to ryo. ] We should just tell the magical pond the truth; the last ingredient is more important than these anyway.

[apocalypticist]

I recognize this fable. Hermes took pity on a woodcutter who had dropped his axe in a lake and tested his honesty.

[ He crosses his arms over his chest, looking at the pond in front of them. ]

In at least one variation, being dishonest got you decapitated. [ Fun facts with Ryo!! ]

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D-Decapitation?

[ HE DID NOT ASK, RYO

tsumugi nervously stares at the lustrous axes and gulps. ]

In that case we say what really happened... It was an iron axe, by the way. We have no intention of taking these.

[ the pond acquiesces with a distinct ripple, and spits out a rusty iron axe along with the bottle of sprinkles. easy-peasy. the silver and golden axe only lay there though. ]

Got it! [ ... ] Should we take these other axes, then?

[apocalypticist]

[ He pockets the bottle, and as he moves to pick up the golden axe he notices that the thin gold coating is flaking off like Parmesan cheese, revealing the rusty iron underneath.

He unceremoniously drops it at the water's edge. ]

...Let's leave them.

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[ oh, so they're imitation gold... it's a good thing they're fake then, tsumugi figures, because they'd have to carry all of them by themselves and those things aren't exactly light.

so he follows suit, matching ryo's stride. ]

Um, have you made chocolates for someone before, Asuka-kun?

quest 47

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[ quest info. ]

@ akira fudo

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[ so it wasn't just his paranoia talking. tsumugi had had felt bad vibes from the woods since day one in spite of being an ordinary human with no supernatural senses whatsoever, and the fact that the trees are slowly taking over the town is making him even more uneasy than he has any right to be. the branches had already broken through the windows of his house, and it's only a matter of time before they reach the library and mess up his and cairngorm's hard work in there...

so it's up to him to ward it back with his own way. chopping those thick trunks would take an eternity to get through, so maybe someone just needs to keep an eye on the woods while everyone else do their jobs. surely the trees would be intimidated by a librarian's cold stare, right? maybe. ]

Thank you so much for accepting my impromptu offer for a little camping trip, Akira-kun. [ because who else is he going to ask for this quest than someone who'd go to great lengths to make sure he's safe? there's also choubee, but tsumugi's saving him for another quest that also involves getting down and dirty. ] Please, make yourself comfortable ♪ I've already laid out a tarp here on the ground and... oh!

[ okay, hold on. he's grabbing a vial of some strangle liquid inside - demon blood - and popping it open. it smells rancid, but tsumugi has every intent to drink from it. ]

I almost forgot about this... Hopefully this will help me stay up and keep watch on everything else.

[lacrimose]

[Akira doesn't mind the camping trip, especially if it means keeping Tsumugi out of trouble and helping protect the town. He's brought some drinks and snacks in a bag, and he's ready to settle down and get comfortable when he notices the vial in Tsumugi's hand. His eyes widen. Isn't that one of the samples of demon blood people had been given from the quests...?]

Wait -- don't drink that! [He tries to snatch it away from him. Who the hell knows what it does, but it's better not to risk it.]

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Eh--

[ the vial's snatched away from tsumugi before he can even react. ]

Akira-kun, it's okay! It might actually help me with this quest!

[ sure enough, the vial is labelled with either the gift of expert forest survivalist skills or the severe lack of it. ]

We need to stay up long enough to push the trees back in our way, right? It'd be perfect for our little camping trip too, since I myself don't know how to survive in something like this either. I'd need all the help I can get.

[lacrimose]

What if you turned into a demon? Do you need to risk it?

[The demons here might not be as powerful as back home, but he still can't shake off the paranoia that it's a trick somehow...]

If we look out for each other, we'll be fine. If you really want to keep it, use it for an emergency. Not this. [Reluctantly, he'll hand the vial back to Tsumugi, though. It's ultimately his call.]