awashlogs | Open Log + February Catch All

Open Log + February Catch All

WHO: Jim and others
WHERE: Around Bluo, forest...basically wherever
WHEN: All throughout February
WHAT: Quests...mostly the chocolate one
WARNINGS: None...?

I: Searching for that one secret ingredient...

[So. Making chocolates. That's certainly easy enough and...much safer than getting buried alive, thankfully! But then the ingredients show up and...something is missing.

So that's how he ends up tramping through the woods with in armour. He may have been backing up and didn't notice when he bumped into you. And though he looks apologetic instead of apologizing he brings up a finger to his mouth and shushes you.

...why exactly is he doing that? It might have to do with the rustling in the bushes. Is it dangerous? The kid's in full armour so probably?!]

Go. I've got this. [He's whispering and he seems confident enough but should you really leave this teenager to deal with this by himself?]

II: For teen protags, failure is part of the process of learning

[Swords are great and all, and he was fairly sure there was nothing the Sword of Daylight couldn't cut. Then again, to cut something his arms have to be free to move.

Which they aren't right now because he's stuck in some kind of giant spiderweb. Don't ask him how this happened it isn't like he planned this!

Then, having a bright idea, he lets his armour dissipate in a flash of smoky blue light and fell from the web...only to get stuck in another one closer to the ground.

...well.] ...that didn't work out how I wanted.

[Then he looks around and, oh hey.] Uh...how long were you standing there?

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[Getting the last ingredient had been....an experience, certainly. But making chocolates was the easy part!

For him anyway. There were, after all, bound to be people who doesn't know how.]

So...it's not really too difficult. I mean, tempering chocolate can be tricky but I don't think anyone's actually going to complain if the chocolate isn't perfect.

[Shiho nearly stumbles but catches herself, turning to give him a flat, annoyed look. Almost about to open her mouth and complain, her look sharpens the moment he shushes her and she hears the rustle in the bushes. She reaches for something in her pocket as she whispers back, eyes trained towards where she heard the sound:]

I'm not going anywhere.

[ Who the fuck agreed to that?!

He apparently agreed to it! But it wasn't like he was going to have Jim gather the last ingredient by himself. What did this place take him for? A monster? Either way, the experience is over and done with and now they're actually to the part that was ... is the fun part. ]

Probably not. [ Shen Qingqiu holds his chin as he looks over the chocolate. I have no idea what I'm looking at. ] ... should we shape them into hearts? [ No, no! This is to people that they appreciate so if they make it too cutesy, no man will be able to hand it out! ]

Nevermind, nevermind ... it was merely an idle thought.

[He frowned and considered his options. He has to do this to get the ingredient...but can he protect her as well?]

...can you fight?

I'm surprised you know about heart-shaped chocolates.

[Then again...what did he know about where Shen Qingqiu comes from?]

I think we'd need special moulds for that. We could probably do heart shaped designs. I think the stuff is included with the ingredients.

[He's going to dig out two bowls to set up a double boiler.]

I read a few books in the library. [ This is going to become his go-to whenever he accidentally slips and says something too modern. It was easier to avoid these slip-ups when I was in that novel world! ]

But, no, no. Giving away heart-shaped chocolates to people that you are appreciative of ... that will end up being misunderstood for something else. [ Also! You're a boy!! You should be hoping to get heart-shaped chocolates not hand them out! }.

Bar-shaped is probably best, don't you think?

[That's fair. He seems like the bookish type so Jim doesn't question it much.]

I'm pretty sure I don't know anyone well enough for that kind of misunderstanding to happen. And it's not like I'm planning to give any chocolates to any girls.

[He's only met like....one girl so far. Not that he'd be giving chocolates to girls anyway. That'd be weird when he has a girlfriend back home. It also.........doesn't occur to him that a guy could misunderstand.]

But bar shaped is good too. You really went and read a lot about this, huh?

[Okay. Uh. Time to turn on the stove but this part is still hard for him...ugh. He wished he had a proper working gas stove...even an electric or induction one would be fine!]

What do you mean that you don't plan to give any chocolates to girls?

[ Excuse?! Oh, I know a good tsundere girl who could use some chocolate. ]

Nevermind, this teacher will tell you to give it to a certain queen of crime and have as many misunderstandings as you like. [ Yeesh! Shen Qingqiu doesn't like the idea that Jim might never have had a nice time like that. Those trolls! Best stay in the Void! He says yet again to himself. ]

That's right. I thought I should read a little on it. It wouldn't do to just have you explain it all while I tagged along like some useless stone, yes?

[ Oh, right, the stove. He at least can be a little helpful what with how he can snap his fingers -- literally -- and create a flame to help the process along. ]

[ Jion's usually a little spacey, but he knows when to be alert, and he's definitely staying aware of his surroundings when he's in the woods. So he actualy sees Jim coming ... and can't help staring in confusion for a moment. Is that armor? Like, real armor?

His hand gently braces against Jim's back before they can collide, and Jion starts to say something -- but frowns at the gesture to stay quiet. That, in conjunction with the rustling noises, has him drawing his pistol from its holster in an instant. ]

Do you know what it is?

[ He's also whispering, and there's the quiet click as he disengages the safety on his gun. Like hell he's going to just leave someone alone with something dangerous. ]

I can defend your back. [Which is to say that she can't fight in the most traditional sense but she can and will get rid of anything that tries to hurt him from any of his blind spots.]

I haven't really met any so far. Just this girl who was picking up all these diamonds.

[Who, in fact, is the same tsundere girl he's thinking about but it's not like Jim knows.]

I don't need any misunderstandings! I have a girlfriend back home! [And why is he making it sound like misunderstandings are something fun!?] But if there's someone who could use some chocolates I wouldn't mind making some for her. [Because he's a good kid like that.]

[Also. That's a really useful trick!] Wow! I didn't realize you could do something like that!

[It is, very much, real armour. The metal also seems to have a faint inner glow. Weird.

Oh, well. He's armed. That's...good.]

No idea. [Jim makes a snap decision, pulls out his sword and readies his stance. He makes sure to stand between the rustling bush and Jion.] Guess we're going to have to find out.

[He hopes its a troll. But what comes lumbering out of the bushes is a chimera. Because of course it couldn't be anything his weapon is good against.]

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

[ In his head, he points to someone on the drums who play a comedy sting. On the outside, his expression remains calm and neutral. ]

...! Oh! [ Wow, really? That's wonderful! Though, he thinks if he holds Jim's hands and cheerfully tells him how proud he is that he has a girlfriend that would be weird. But good for him. I haven't had a girlfriend. Ever. In my entire life. And in my entire second life. ]

I apologize... This teacher merely wants you to enjoy your youth while here since it seems like it was put to the side for more important duties.

[ Heh-heh, right? ]

This old man has many tricks up his sleeve.

[ Oh wow. He has a sword, too. Jion stares in admiration for a moment, though he snaps to attention when the chimera comes looming into view. He's frozen in indecision for a split-second as he tries to figure out how to deal with this thing.

And then he lunges forward, trying to catch the thing's attention with the sudden movement. ]

I'll draw its attention, attack it while it's distracted! [ Will a bullet work on something like this? He's been taught bears are nigh impervious to pistol bullets, and this thing looks about as big as one. Gun shoved back in its holster, he settles for circling off to the side, trying to drag the chimera's immediate attention away from Jim. ]

Thanks. I'll leave that to you.

[And even though they barely knew each other he'll trust her with his back. He holds his sword up in a defensive position.

At that moment, a chimera bursts out of the bushes.]

...why can't it be trolls? Or goblins? I've dealt with goblins before.

Wait--!

[He doesn't want anyone to be bait!? There has to be a better way! But then Jion was moving and...did his just holster his weapon!?

Clearly, now all Jim can do now is try to beat the chimera before anyone got hurt.

There are three heads and in a situation where he wasn't sure what weakness this thing had he could either go for the heads which he can see, or go for the gronk-nuks...which he's not sure this thing has.

So...head it is. He jumps at it, swinging to take out the head off the tail. And hopefully grab its attention again because why....would you make yourself bait!?]

Is that a saying you have where you come from too?

[Yeah he'd have been embarrassed by that. So it's good that it didn't happen.

Because he's still a bit embarrassed! But at least it's not at the level of being mortifying.]

What? That's crazy. I'm still enjoying my life! I still cook at home and... [....what else? At what point did his entire afterschool life revolve around trollhunting!?] and hang out with my friends! We even went on a double date before I got here.

[He's breaking up the chocolate and absolutely Not Looking at him.] I mean, it ended with Claire trying to stab me but like. That's not how all our dates are going to go, right?

Anyway! What about that fire trick? Think I can learn that?

[ Jion shouts and waves at the chimera, trying to keep as much of its attention as possible. And thankfully, the ploy works, because it seems completely caught off-guard by the swipe of Jim's sword -- the blow cleanly severs the snake-head on its tail, and Jion shouts, ]

Nice! One down!

[ The chimera, of course, is less-pleased by this turn of events. And as soon as it starts to rear up on its hind legs, intending to turn around and swipe at Jim, Jion takes that as his chance.

He lunges forward and rams his arm straight down the chimera's foremost mouth, all the way down to the shoulder. The monster promptly begins bucking and snarling, and Jion has to wrap his free arm over the beast's neck to keep from being thrown off. ] -- sorry, I don't know if I can hold on like this for long, you might wanna hurry!

[He was prepared to defend against the chimera's retaliation until Jion...stuck his arm down the thing's throat!?

It's a good thing that the last not-quite a school year has made him better at compartmentalizing. Kill the chimera first, deal with the whole...arm thing later.

He swung to take off the other head, the one that didn't have Jion's arm down its throat. The strike is quick, efficient and not at all hesitant. And then he follows up by stabbing it into its body instead.]

Can you get your arm out?

[ Jion, on his part, doesn't seem terribly distressed about what's going on with his arm. He hangs tight as the monster snarls and shakes his head, looking up to shout to Jim, ]

Yeah! That's two of'em, right? You're really great at this!

[ And with that, he rips his arm out of the chimera's jaw and throws himself aside, out of the way. The chimera turns its attention to Jim, now that it's no longer struggling to breathe around its gag reflex, but the two decapitations and the deep stab into its torso must have taken their toll.

Jion scrambles to his feet, staying on-guard just in case the monster can still put up a fight, but he's largely expecting Jim can finish it off. ]

It is something this teacher heard.

[ He really should stop being so bold about his modern knowledge, yikes! ]

Oh? I'm relieved to hear that you are able to enjoy your-- [ ?????????? Excuse me? Why is your girlfriend trying to stab you? I mean, I hope that not all of your dates end that way, because that'd be weird and I'd have to sit that girl down to talk to her. Like seriously. There would be words. ]

... are you really asking me?

And this is higher-level cultivation.

[ It is so fucking OP. But even if he feels like one of those secret characters that a person has to play one-hundred hours and complete all side-quests to unlock, he also knows that he is just cannon fodder to the main character. ]

If you practice cultivation, you may be able to do the same.

No, it's just a rhetorical question, I guess? [But now that he's asked it...] But now that I think about it...our luck seems to be pretty bad? When I went to her parents' barbecue there was something weird going on with my armour and then she got possessed by Morgana on our double date. And Spring Fling was its own disaster... [Pause. And then jokingly.] Guess next time we should just do a stay at home date.

[His life is...a disaster. If it weren't so sad he'd probably find it funny.]

How long does that take?

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Open Log + February Catch All

Quest 45: Shen Qingqiu

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