[closed] fall and turn the white snow red

[morbide]

Who: Henry morbide & Tataru Taru seemstressed
When: 3/1
Where: Tataru's residence
What: A gift from the outpost, a check-in, and a burden from Henry.
Warnings: N/A

[Fortunately, Henry has a reason to be visiting her that isn't as selfish of him. He'd feel odd if he were to arrange a visit purely for himself, on his own accord, for something like... this. Which still fills him with — something, he can't place it, but it's uncomfortable. Beyond any desire to catalogue it, as someone who'd much rather ignore potent emotions than process them. He's uneasy enough to make him wonder if he should fake ill to get out of the engagement, because he's sure that this discomfort is akin to illness.

(But he walked past a man trimming hedges earlier and ended up stuck for minutes, trying to be good and unseen, in case the trimmers were for him. What part of him, he could never guess: his skin, numb to sensation, prickled in dreadful anticipation... until a crow pecked at his toe. How silly! he realized in retrospect. That kind of thing hasn't happened in some time, but this is the kind of thing he's been dealing with.)

But he has a pack of the things he collected for the Lalafell out in the distant Wilde, bound not by boxes or bags, but individual spells created with Abjuration to keep them sealed and away from each other. He compares the address to what she sent him about five times, doubting his own comprehension, before he knocks on the door.

The moment she opens it, he waves with one hand first, then both.]

Heya, Tataru! Lookie here, as promised: the goods, AND I've still got all ten fingers, no more and no less!

[Be proud! All fingers are there, and he didn't try to... grow any new ones??]

Comments

[seemstressed]

_{[She's already started preparing stuff in the kitchen while waiting for Henry to arrive, humming to herself as she stands on a chair to reach the counter. It's when she hears the knock she's hurrying over to open the door, swinging it wide with a smile and a little wave.]}

I can see that and I'm quite glad for it, that you've all your digits intact.

_{[Immediately she's ushering him inside, getting him to take off his boots and make himself comfortable. She's on auto-fuss mode, it seems, but that's just her natural state of being.]}

Thanks for bringing me back something. You didn't have to.

[morbide]

What the heck? [He IS wearing boots, appropriate for the temperature, and not socks-and-sandals. Proud of him. Henry shakes his head strongly.] Of course I had to! First you ask me to get you some stuff, and now you're saying I didn't have to? Well, too bad!

[He's passionate about making sure that this was asked for of him, not some spontaneous act of goodwill. He wouldn't have known to grab her some mushrooms! Nonetheless, he seems to gravitate toward her kitchen area what with the nature of the presents he collected for her, leaning the pack on its side atop a counter as he lets his attention wander in her house. Already so cozy... She does keep busy.

It's almost a surprise that she'd have time in a day to check in on him.]

So I got you some standard mushrooms you might find in the Wilde, sure, but I found a really special kind out there! They're two kinds of pixie's parasols, and once I found some, I went wild in the Wilde looking for some more of these wild mushrooms! [That is, they were pretty hard to find... But he got quite a bit!

Henry has his first Abjured bundle of mushrooms on the table, seeming magically bound together — they're common mushrooms. But the next group he pulls are a pretty blue, wide-capped but still fleshy. There's plenty; he holds his invisible bag-o-mushrooms out for her to see. (He's pretty good at suspending plant life in invisible cases, since he had to devise a way to do it before.)]

Here's the pixie's parasols that you can eat! Don't worry, I made sure to ask and quadruple-check. They're apparently almost sweet, but great for cooking!

[Approval?]

[seemstressed]

<sub>[Thanks for being smart enough to wear boots and not sandals during the winter Henry. While the rest of the house is quite cozy the kitchen in particular has that homely warmth to it that is more inviting the longer one spends in it. It also helps too that there are a few smells from the oven that are quite tasty.

As soon as the mushrooms are pulled out and Henry begins his explanation, Tataru's hurrying over to get a better look at the goods, eyes wide as she finds herself impressed with the way they're just...stuck together with magic. She ought to get out a few jars though, for when they inevitably unstick.]</sub>

Ohh...they're so pretty! If they taste as you say they do I bet they'll make an incredible soup!

_{[She's pleased as punch and it shows on her face as she grins at him.]}

And the other ones?

[morbide]

[He snickers behind his fingers, mischievous and knowing that she dead did not ask for these. But he had to, as some bonus to demonstrate the magic of the Wilde... He doesn't think she's ever been out there.

(This fun is all a nice distraction from what he knows he'll have to talk about. That intrusive though makes his heart pound, makes him feel sick.)]

Glad you asked! Now remember that blue means "OK", and puuurple...

[With that intro, he pulls out an identical bundle of mushrooms. They still have that otherworldly glow, fleshy and wide-capped, but these ones are a brilliant purple. He sets them next to the blue pixie's parasols.]

These ones are ALSO pixie's parasols! But they're not tasty ones. I was told to wait to eat any of 'em until we were done with our expedition, and for very, VERY good reason. Can you guess, Tataru?

[He's beside himself, like he's playing some kind of prank.]

[seemstressed]

_{[Well someone is rather giddy about the toadstools they plucked from beyond the wall. She eyes the fungi, finding the shade quite pretty. These though aren't the tasty ones, apparently.]}

They're either poisonous or cause the consumer some other averse affect.

_{[Like really, what else would they do? Either mushrooms are safe, kill you, or make you loopy.]}

[morbide]

Bingo! The lucky winner's the mysterious averse effect, of course! Hee hee! That's why they preached responsible consumption, no funny business with the fungi on our adventure. That kind of reckless behavior? A stupid way to die, that's for sure.

[Henry tries to recall what they warned of the purple pixie's parasols with a hum and a tip of his head, curling a finger against his chin.]

Let's see... Hallucinogenic, they said. I sure don't need any more of that. [UM, he'll get to that later. He quickly continues.] Mildly, though, so it shouldn't be too bad! Dunno if you're interested in this stuff, but I wanted to get you a taste of the Wilde! There's some wicked stuff out there, from shades to mind-control plants.

[Back to the pixie's parasols.] Don't remember how long for, but it was kind of a long time... The trip, I mean.

[seemstressed]

_{[Ah. So he really did bring her back shrooms. Nice.]}

I see. Thank you, Henry.

_{[She sounds a bit incredulous while thanking him, but she's genuine regardless. It's a pretty interesting gift, if you will, but who knows? Maybe they'll come in handy in the future. If anything maybe there'll be a demand for them? Maybe there's cash dollars in her future? A mystery.]}

I better get jars for these.

_{[And off she goes to one of the lower cupboards in the kitchen, fishing out two mason jars. She gives the oven a glance on her way back to where Henry is with the jars.]}

Here. Help me put them in here, will you? _[Pause.] I hope you're fond of pie, by the way. I made a savory one.

[morbide]

Jars, that's a good idea! This containment spell works great for portable travel, but this'll keep 'em fresher, longer.

[Henry makes grabby hands for a jar before swiping one up and shuffling back to the countertop, choosing to get to work on stuffing the (hallucinogenic) pixie's parasols into the jar. Delicately, of course — they're still mushrooms.]

I think I told you, but I'm the opposite of picky. I'll eat pie! Heck, I'll eat a lot of stuff. The things I've eaten! I doubt you'd have the sick sense to feed me one of the items on my no-no list, Tataru. Unless you're going to tell me there are eyeballs in there... [He pauses to posture with a finger.] I know what you're thinking. "Henry LOVES to talk about blood and gore, so he must be TOTALLY into eating the grossest of body parts! Blood slushies with an eyeball on top, or fingerlings of fingers, or petrified zombie skin, Henry?" Sure, I might've done it, but that doesn't a make me a fan of it!

[He feels pretty comfortable chatting about eating habits, not realizing that he's very good at weaving an off-putting tale.

[seemstressed]

<sub>[He must be joking.

For a moment she's left staring at him as he begins to fill the jars, not sure how to deal with the words coming out of the mage's mouth. Since the moment she met him in the tavern he's been one to mess around in a more morbid fashion so surely...this was just him doing so again. He's probably eaten eyeballs or blood but it wasn't as if they weren't things that weren't consumed in Eorzea. They just happened to be from, well, animals or monsters...not people.

Yeah, he's definitely joking about the zombie skin part.]</sub>

Of course not! I wouldn't feed you such things, let alone eat it myself. It's just normal pot pie. Quite standard. No eyeballs.

[morbide]

Then I'll like it just fine! I kinda find pie nostalgic, in a way. We had it a lot while I was fighting in the war with the Ylissean army. Ah, good times... Rinse the blood of your enemies off your arms and pick up a knife not to plunge in your foes, but to cut carrots...

[The word "Shepherd's Pie" will NOT come up in this thread, thank you localizers. Henry smiles at her, a completely normal smile.]

Say. Um. ...

[The sorcerer realizes he doesn't know where to start or how. Bond-induced paranoia creeps into the edges of his head, though the worries are without direction, without place and without any productivity. Fear of rejection prevails, so Henry quits speaking and moves mechanically.]

[seemstressed]

Hold that thought-?

_{[Something's up. She's intuitive enough to realize he's just cut himself off, held his tongue from asking her something he clearly wants to. Whatever it could be though she hasn't a clue and decides to take the opportunity to hurry over to the oven, freeing the pie and setting it atop the stove to cool. Turning back to him her brow is raised, giving him her undivided attention.]}

What is it, Henry? Did you need something?

_{[Ah. Maybe he was thirsty? They were talking about food after all...]}

Ah, was it a drink? I can get you one if you'd like.

[morbide]

No! [That's a reaction... Henry smooths himself down.] I mean, I won't say no to a drink... Yeah, sure. Yeah!

[The actual worst save that ends up being sketchy, but he'll take the distraction for what time it affords him to rethink his approach. He sits down and continues to slowly sort mushrooms, exhaling.]

Water's fine. I could get it myself, if you're busy.

[seemstressed]

Don't be silly. I've put you to work, haven't I?

_{[She's teasing of course, as she watches him jar the fungi. Off she moves to get a glass and fill it, having to hop up onto a chair to do so and back down. It's second nature to her though, even if the effort might seem like much from an onlooker. Back she moves to the table, holding the glass out to him with a smile.]}

Here. _{[Time to call him out once he's taken the glass from her.]} ...Is something wrong? Did something happen while you were out there?

3/2

[morbide]

[There's being restless and the loss of sleep that results of it, sure. That could be a reason Henry didn't sleep too well. But that would be to ignore the bleak truth of being un-Bonded for so long, the insomnia and nightmares that accompany such a state, even despite exhausting himself with draining practice and trying to eat up as much magic as he could into a focus.

He finally found rest that way, but it wasn't easy. The real purpose in draining his magic wasn't for sleep, however, but a desperate attempt not to overwhelm his Bond-to-be. ...It wasn't terribly effective.

When Henry woke, he hurriedly pulled on a decent outfit, finding by surprise that the skin of his fingertips on his right hand were tinged black from magic practice the night before... But he could make it look fancy with a little jewelry, right? Of course he could. It wouldn't be the first time they took on a sort of necrotic tingue, and he had faith that it would go away, no big deal.

The Plegian considers grabbing all of his stuff and moving out post-haste, but finds that he's too nervous that she'll have a change of heart. He leaves all but the important tools for magic in the barracks. Just in case he needs to whip up a spell.

Prepared to go, Henry makes his way to Tataru's house by foot rather than by convenient means (teleportation), because it gave him a chance to walk. Stall time. Give her more time. Something.

Once he reaches her door, he gives it two knocks. But not before standing in front of it for about three minutes.]

[seemstressed]

<sub>[To say that Tataru had slept well the night before would be a lie. She'd been restless as she lay in her bed, tossing and turning for most of the evening, until dawn finally came and she forced herself up to get ready. A pink dress that she'd sewn for herself a few days prior is what she decides to wear, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail with an equally pink ribbon. It's nothing too fancy, especially when she pulls a shawl over her shoulders, and part of her thinks perhaps she's overdressed. Whether she is or not however doesn't matter a moment later when she hears a knock on the door and hurries to answer it.

It's Henry, dressed quite nicely, she thinks, although the black of his fingers is cause for alarm. She won't point it out just yet, but it's clear her gaze falls to them immediately before she moves her focus back to Henry's smiling face.]</sub>

Good morning, Henry. _{[It's quite a lovely morning too.]} You're looking quite smart.

[morbide]

Good morning back at you. Smart, huh?

[He laughs. He supposes he'd look smart, given his inclination toward dressing like a book-loving sorcerer! He picks at the edge of the capelet draped over his shoulders, the shifting of chain over his hands a noise small enough to blend into the background. He's usually wearing such dangling metal ornaments, anyway — it's a familiar sound to his ears.]

We should both be focusing on you, honestly! You look great! I feel like I'm dressed to be your bodyguard or something now, nya ha! Like you're a princess, and I'm the unseemly, knife-wielding attendant.

[She doesn't look overdressed at all, though. It's just her... niceness. How well-kept she is. How she holds herself, so strong and prepared for uncertainty. Henry has to admit he's a bit taken.]

Did you sleep well? Not too busy rehearsing vows, I hope! [Ha ha BECAUSE HE REALLY COULDN'T COME UP WITH ANYTHING TO REHEARSE HIMSELF... He feels a little under-prepared, but that's his style, spitballing on the spot in a position of uncomfortable vulnerability.]

[seemstressed]

Well enough, I promise.

<sub>[A half-truth. She didn't get as much sleep as she wished she would've, but she couldn't pass out now even if she wanted to. The anxiety she has hidden beneath the surface of her skin would prevent her from finding any sort of rest - at least until everything between the two of them had been sorted.

As for vows...she hadn't thought up much the other night either. Not that Henry needs to know that. Does she work well under stress when it comes to words? That was more Alphinaud's strength compared to hers. Still, it shouldn't be too difficult, right? She could make it meaningful and not embarrass herself, surely.]</sub>

And don't be so silly - you're not unseemly. If you were I wouldn't be seen with you.

_{[He really shouldn't be so hard on himself.]}

Did you want to lead the way?

[morbide]

Yeah, of course. It's at the Coven, so it's not the furthest walk...

[He could teleport them, and it might be the kinder thing to do with her short legs, but Henry has more yet to say. A walk helps keep his energy focused. That earlier walk here simply wasn't enough, apparently.

He beckons her out of her quaint home with an arm.]

Let's break a leg, then! Maybe then I'll be too unsightly if I take it literally... Hee hee! Nah, I'm joking. I'm not going to back out, obviously.

[OBVIOUSLY. It seems like he's really hung onto that part of what she said last night.]

[seemstressed]

_{[Her legs may be short but she's hardy and walking has never been something she's minded. It was the main source of transportation, after all, chocobo aside. Stepping out past the threshold she's mindful to lock the door behind her, casing a look Henry's way when he pokes fun at himself again. He's joking, sure, but there's that self-depreciation again...maybe while Bonded that's something she can help him work on.]}

No, you're not.

_{[Smile, smile.]}

The morning is lovely. It'll be a nice walk for the two of us.

[morbide]

A bit cold... [Quiet, idle thought, because it is... Or maybe Henry's just sensitive. He shrugs.] But hey, that's what exercise is for.

[He may look like a twig, but Henry doesn't mind exercise. As a sort of ramble to shake out his nerves further yet, Henry shows her his fingers, like an absolute fool. Because talking about disturbing things is easier than feelings!]

Oh, Tataru, check it out! I totally necrotized my fingers last night! [He laughs. His fingertips are black, and he doesn't seem to be able to bend them too easily.] Pretty awesome, right? You don't have to touch 'em today if you think they're gross, but I think it's pretty cool. Especially when you know that I managed to revive an opossum that was probably dead for like, a solid day... Poor little guy drowned. I should've dried it off before reviving it, but, eh. Sometimes that's just how the heads fall, eh? Facing skyward... Vaguely "looking" at you...

[ready to bond...?]

[seemstressed]

_{[It is a little chilly, but Tataru's high strung enough that the cold doesn't bother her for once. She's just about to start walking toward the Coven when he lifts his fingers for her to inspect closer. And here she had thought perhaps he'd been messing with dye of some sort...not turning them necrotic! The shock is palpable on her face as her large eyes go wide, mouth agape.]}

Y-You did what to your fingers?! Henry! Oh, oh no...oh no! Are they okay? Ah...ah! Henry!

_{[Immediately she's begun to flail about, the usual Lalafellian dance of limbs when stress becomes too much, before she's snagging his wrist with one of her hands, hovering her other palm over the blackened digits.]}

I-I can heal them! Maybe? Can I? I-I've been practicing! Surely I can-!

_[Panic.]

[morbide]

Nah, don't worry about it. It's just dead flesh. Besides, [And he raises one of these nasty fingers, though the rest of them have trouble curling into a fist;] One of the things you're gonna learn about healing magic is that it's totally ineffective against dead things. It wouldn't help at all! That's what necromancy's for.

[He tucks his hands behind his back, under the tails of his cape. Out of sight, still emblazoned in mind.]

But I appreciate the sentiment. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside... Don't worry so much. I'll take care of it in the next twenty-four hours or so, honest. I just needed a break, that's all. And maybe a Bond...?

[A Bond to help make his magic stop backfiring on him, perhaps. That's magic in Geardagas!]

[seemstressed]

...Promise? You're not going to be fingerless on me, are you? I didn't tell you to come back from beyond the wall with all your digits only for you to lose them over a soggy opossom!

_{[Is she scolding him? Just a bit. She feels she has the right to, all things considered. Doing her best to wipe a pout off her face she steels herself, giving her head a good shake. As if dead flesh wasn't something to worry about...and it isn't even something she can fix. Talk about feeling useless.]}

Come then, come on. Let's Bond if that'll set your fingers straight again. You really ought to be more careful!

[morbide]

[Oh, damn it all. He's gone and unfairly made her feel as though she has to Bond with him again! He was only trying to make light of it, and now she looks so sad... He can't begin to relate when he looks at his fingers, incapable of seeing the gravity of his potential loss. It would suck, sure, but he deserves it for every dark step he takes in any direction.

The opossum, however, gets to live another day.]

Of course, but no rush! I'm in a stable condition, okay?! I'm not on my deathbed. Sheesh...

[Her worry is completely valid. Imagine how much worse things could get if he keeps practicing magic that won't behave, keeps practicing it until he's past being overloaded on it. That's where he's headed, but at least he did that exercise in draining magic from his body prior to this morning.]

So take it easy. I am, see? [See how easy and relaxed he is, with his dead fingers and bright smile?] It doesn't hurt, either.

[It wouldn't hurt, to somebody who has shot nerves... Unimportant detail. Henry reaches over to pat Tataru atop her head, careful not to mess up her hair but still doing it with warmth. He does care that she cares.]

[seemstressed]

<sub>[It's been some time since someone's dared to pat her atop her head, but in the moment, right now? She doesn't mind it. It's no more patronizing than if he were to reach out and rub her back. There's a small sniffle before she ends up getting a hold of herself, still shocked at the disregard Henry seems to have for himself.

If anything it only strengthens her resolve to bond with him, if he's going to be this chaotic. He clearly needs someone to reel him in.]</sub>

You should be a bit more concerned, you know?

_{[But there's no reason in arguing the point any further. There's a dull ache in the palm of her hand where she'd grabbed his wrist a moment ago, but she thinks nothing of it, chalking the sensation up to being stressed out and nothing more. She begins to walk, tugging on the edge of his caplet to urge him forward.]}

...I'm glad it doesn't hurt.