middaeg | (no subject)

Who: Towa Herschel and OPEN/various
When: Throughout March
Where: Throughout Aefenglom
What: Quests and various monthly meetings
Warnings: potential NSFW topics in Quests I, sexual content developing within threads

Quests

I. L'Amourtentia (Adults Only/NSFW potential)

[This month, there were quite a lot of requests that the city needed help with and as always, Towa took it upon herself to help out where her skills saw fit. Brewing some potions hardly seemed out of her capability. The nature of the potion itself didn't escape her, but she wasn't entirely shy about working with the materials-- just because she wanted to help didn't mean she was curious, right? At least that's what she hoped people would think.

Unfortunately, she's not very subtle when it came to matters of lying or hiding things. No, she's not good at it at all. Luckily though, she is good at making the aphrodisiac brew. Her attention to detail and skill with similar magical tasks made her a good fit for the task on a technical level.

Working in silence is no fun. At some point she's going to try and talk to the others helping out.]

I... didn't realize they used something like this at their establishments. It must be pretty popular if they need all the extra help.

[...yeah, she's not interested at all.]

II. Research Request

[Spending her days surrounded by books is nothing new to Towa. So the request for a bit of research is actually Towa's favorite. Unfortunately, Towa has an unfortunate habit when it comes to the actual process of collecting the books she wants. Even with the various ladders set up, when the upper shelves are involved well... she's just short.

But she always ends up pushing herself to try and reach them despite her stature.]

Wahh--!!

[Catch her before she bruises her butt-- or maybe you're just a victim that catches her (or the book) unwillingly because you're not prepared for it. Either way... timber]

Magic Studies

I. A Little Illusion

[The park is a good place to test out her illusion magic-- and more than that, it's a good place to find people. And today, well... this practice isn't one she wants to do on her own.]

Sorry... do you have a few moments? I was looking for someone who wouldn't mind helping me with a little magic practice.

[Monster or witch, it doesn't matter. She'll be the one doing the magic.]

It's been a while... I don't want to get rusty, when it could really come in handy with the serious quests coming up. And I'm a little concerned-- I've been having... some strange issues lately, when it comes to really using my illusion magic at it's full potential.

[What she's running into, she's fairly certain, is the effect of her magic on her body. But it's rather troublesome. So she'd like to practice with it a little and see just how bad it is before she tries putting it to use in a serious setting.]

If you don't mind, I'd like someone to... keep an eye out on me.

[If you agree, she'll explain better, don't worry.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

.. she sounds like one.

[ It's kind of a wild description, but Asahi isn't lying about it when she says that. Angie sounds fun, sure, but what stands out to Asahi the most is definitely that last part. Being able to live life how she wanted to.. that's a really admirable trait. Being able to not care what others think about you. ]

She must have been really nice to you then. How did you two meet?

If we'd stayed in our assigned classes, we may have never met. Back home, classes are split-- nobles in classes I and II, and commoners in classes III, IV and V. However, there was a project in the works that called to create one special class that was made up of both, without discrimination. In order to prepare for that, four of us were chosen to test the curriculum.

[She feels bad for how much explanation is required, but she tries to only hit the necessary parts to get to what's most important.]

That's how I first met Angie. At first, I spent a lot of time mediating between Crow and Angie because they really got to one another. But in the end, the four of us became best friends.

[But at that, her expression falls a bit; biting her lip uncertainly.]

Or... I thought we all were.

[ Nobles and commoners being seperated.. It's not like that isn't a common thing, but it still doesn't sit right with Asahi. She's never really liked hierarchies of any kind, they just feel so unjust. But at least it seems Towa got the better deal in that world by being able to mingle with both.

She's quickly pulled out of that thought though by the last thing the other girl says. ]

.. but you weren't?

[ That's sure what it sounds like the implication here is. ]

Did something happen with one of you..?

It's hard for me to say yes, even now-- even though I know I should accept it.

[Even now, despite what she'd seen and heard, she didn't want to believe it. But maybe she was just in denial. It's hard to say she isn't when she wants so badly to believe anything but what he'd said that day.]

George Nome... he was one of us. Or at least I always thought he was. But one of the last things he told me before he left was... that he killed Angie. And he was also responsible for setting off the explosion that caused the Courageous-- the airship that the prince and Toval were riding it-- to go up in flames and crash.

He did that..?

[ Killing someone, setting off explosions.. By itself those things would be bad enough. But there's a twist to it that digs right into the thing Asahi hates the most - lying to people. Manipulating them. Her hands ball into fists at her sides, no matter how much she's trying to control her instinctive anger. She knows this isn't the right place for it, but she almost can't keep it from boiling over at the very thought. ]

How could he do that to you? If he was such a scummy guy, he should've said so from the start! How dare he manipulate others into thinking he was their friend if he wasn't?!

[Even without looking at her properly, Towa can sense her anger. And truly, can she blame Asahi for thinking that way? The truth, as it seemed to be, was one that more than deserved that kind of reaction. What he'd done had hurt more than a small number of people-- those effects rippled out. And his effect on her wasn't an inconsiderable amount either. She just... wasn't the type to think much on her own feelings. But it had hurt. Deeply.]

...I don't know. There's so much I wanted to ask. But I never got those answers. That might be the most difficult part. Just... not knowing. What was going on in his head? Why did he feel like getting close to us if he knew he was just going to leave us like that? What was so important that he'd give everything up? I don't... know if I'll ever know.

[Towa shakes her head. Well, there's no point in dwelling on something with no answer. So maybe-- something a bit nicer to talk about.]

What about you though, Asahi? Friends from home that you really miss... I don't think I've ever asked before. Do you mind telling me about them?

[ It's kind of hard for Asahi to just switch over to the other topic. Even if she may not be involved in the matters of Towa's world in the slightest, the instinctive anger at betrayal of that kind still rushes through her like adrenaline. She tries to take in a few deep breaths, but even that doesn't fully make her calm down. ]

.. I don't mind.

[ It's why the words are a little mumbled. She's just trying really hard to get herself back in check before her monster side decides to go all feral, fueled by her anger. She pulls a hand through her hair and sighs. Think of nicer things. Think of your friends. ]

Of course I have friends from home I miss though. I used to hang out with the same five people all the time, so then obviously it's going to feel strange when they're not here anymore. Especially my best friend Koyuki.. But I even miss the annoying guys, really.

[Towa felt a little bad for indirectly leaving Asahi with those kinds of angry feelings. All the more reason she wants to help quell those feelings. While she can't deny there's a certain happiness in having her friends get angry in her defense-- she'd much rather make them happy.]

Heehee, I know what you mean. It feels like we were uprooted from a large part of our lives when we came here. Although I can't complain too much. Because of this, I've been able to make a lot of dear new friends and strengthen friendships in ways I never imagined.

[For her, that includes Asahi, who means a lot to her just for standing here with her through all this mess.]

Do you mind telling me a little bit about Koyuki? I have to admit, I'm curious what kind of person your best friend is.

About Koyuki?

[ Maybe she should have seen this coming, considering she did ask Towa to tell her more about her best friend as well.. But Asahi still gives the other girl a slight curious glance before slowly nodding. She at least trusts Towa enough to not mind talking about her best friend. ]

She's.. very kind, really. I'm pretty sure that's the first thing anything would notice about her. That girl is always running around to help someone, no matter who it is. She's honest, sweet.. and honestly, kind of simple. But that's exactly why I like her so much.

[ Asahi looks up as she talks, like she's reminiscing as she speaks. ]

I never have to worry around her the way I do around other people.

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warning for Trails of Cold Steel 3 spoilers incoming

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