(Open) Mareuer Catch-All

[shadowsthedawn]

Who: Riku and you!
When: Throughout Mareuer.
Where: Aefenglom, Dorchacht, the Northern Outpost.
What: Quest and event prompts.
Warnings: N/A


Aefenglom
a; gardening

[Riku is no stranger to plant-life, having grown up surrounded by it. Aside from the naturally growing plants of a tropical nature, many islanders kept their own flower beds and vegetable gardens. He learned at a young age how to water and tend to plants, pull weeds, and even distinguish edible plant-life from poisonous ones. The teachings were both rather mundane and a matter of survival.

He finds himself grateful for them now, as his basic knowledge allows him to pass over the more basic classes and focus on something a lot more interesting. He wouldn’t have guessed that he would be able to grow plants using his magic. Magic, for him, has always been a matter of attack or defend. Abilities used for battle or healing. This is something new.

But classroom learning has never been a favorite of his, with his preferences laying more in the doing through trial-and-error. Which is why most days he can be found in the greenhouse after class, attempting to put theory into practice to…varying results.

He’s standing over a tomato plant with his hands hovering above it, speaking an incantation softly as he feeds the plant his magic. Excitement rushes through him as he begins to see the tomatoes grow bigger and rounder, becoming redder. He keeps going until they’ve reached a healthy size and then…he realizes he doesn’t quite know how to stop making them grow.]

b; quail fishing

[Riku peers over the side of the fishing boat as it rocks over the water, trying to peer through the reflective surface to what lies below. He’s never heard of these quail of the sea breed of fish before or seen what they look like. But the old fishmonger seems to be sure that there is plenty of them out here to catch.

There’s going to have to be with the number of other volunteers that have been packed onto the boat, else they’ll all be getting their fishing lines twisted and fighting over the catch. He’s pretty confident in his fishing ability, he’s been doing it since he was young, after all.]

Have you eaten this quail fish before? [He addresses the person closest to him in simple curiosity.] I heard they’re supposed to be some kind of delicacy. Seems kind of a big deal for some fish.

Dorchacht
c; monster rugby

[Competition has always been a weakness of his. Growing up the faster runner, the best with a wooden sword, and a collection of other bests that had been bestowed on him by the other children who looked up to him had made him more than a little smug about his capabilities when he was younger. Now that he’s older he’s gotten over some of that, but the desire to compete and test himself against others never has.

Learning of the Monsters-only rugby game, he took it as a challenge to be faced, ignoring the surprised glances and worried looks of city’s citizens as he approached the field. The other contestants, having both more experience with the game as well as physical strength, don’t go easy on him at all. And that’s exactly what he wants.

Someone plows into him particularly hard, knocking the air from his lungs as he falls to his side on the ground. A sharp hand motion and whispered spell causes a gust of wind to form, just strong enough to take a person off their feet.

No one said he couldn’t even the playing field a little.]

d; hungry grass

[The hunger seems to hit his stomach almost as soon as he steps onto the infected patch of grass. Even having been forewarned about it doesn’t stop the sensation from coming as a surprise. His stomach mounts a protest in the form of a loud growl that can be heard by anyone standing next to him. Although, if they’re standing next to him, chances are they’re experiencing the same kind of trouble.

One hand goes up to pat the bag he has hanging over one shoulder. At least he thought to come prepared.]

I packed some sandwiches and snacks, and even brought a couple of extras. I didn’t think we’d be needing it so soon. [He eyes the grass at his feet warily.]

I guess we can always eat while we search.

Northern Outpost
e; settlement ruins

[His last encounters with the spirits haunting the northern outpost had been less than great, but he still feels angry at the idea of these necromancers using their abilities to take advantage of their situation.

He’s learned better control over his magic, and a few more spells since the last time, but still arms himself with his Keyblade, just in case. He hasn’t had time to place any sharpening or protective spells on it, so it remains a blunt instrument, but one he can use to defend himself. Mostly.

Except there are way more animated corpses than he can handle at once, and the more they group up on him, the less room he has to maneuver his Keyblade. Calling for wind, he manages to push a couple of corpses to the side, making a wide enough gap to rush through. But it does little to buy him time as the corpses immediately give chase.

One manages to get close enough to grab a hold of his arm, and the sudden jerk is enough to knocks his feet out from under him. He falls backwards, the back of his head slamming into the ground and causing his eyes to blur and water. Shadows fall over him as he's once again surrounded.]

Wildcard

[ooc: I can be reached at NearTheHeart and Rea#5792 for plotting! But feel free to write your own prompt.]

Comments

stiles;

[shadowsthedawn]

[Riku fiddles with the hastily made lacrosse stick, avoiding touching the slightly sticky netting attached at the top that a helpful Arachne had created for a handful of other similar sticks. Stiles has been showing him the proper way to hold the stick as well as the other rules of lacrosse, and it all sounded simple enough.

But Stiles had also told him that the games wasn't usually played with just two people. He glances around the deserted part of the field they had settled on, the more populated areas being used for the bigger rugby and football games. With all the excitement going on he has his doubts about them being able to lure away any other possible players. But they won't know until they try.]

Maybe a practice round would be good. So I can get the hang of it. It might draw some curious onlookers. [Which would be better than their current state of standing in a field next to a pile of lacrosse sticks they helped put together.]

Re: stiles;

[mensrea]

Sure, dude. Remember what I showed you about cradling?

[ With his own makeshift lacrosse stick, Stiles demonstrates the technique of keeping the ball in the pocket by twisting the stick from side-to-side. He’s a little rusty, but remains in good humor even when the ball slips free on a sloppy twist. Playing lacrosse was never something he excelled at like the other guys on the team – or Kira, for that matter. Still, he enjoys sharing it with someone he’s starting to consider a friend in this world. Riku learns fast and is obviously suited for athletics. Hopefully the other teen will enjoy lacrosse. ]

Heads up.

[ Stiles passes the ball to Riku, more gently than he normally would. It’s not that he doubts Riku’s ability to catch it – but without protective headgear and mouthguards, Stiles doesn’t want to take a chance. ]

[shadowsthedawn]

[He and his friends had played all sorts of games on the island, but they had usually been of the chasing or throwing the ball variety. Nothing that required extra equipment like the lacrosse stick. But the more he handles the stick the more comfortable he grows. It seems like it would be difficult to catch anything with such a small net, but he finds himself drawn to the challenge.

If nothing else, his hand-eye coordination is pretty good.]

Yeah. Ready when you are.

[He's prepared when Stiles makes the pass, stick raised. Watching the ball arc through the air, he moves the net to intercept it. The ball catches inside the net and he fumbles for a moment trying to keep it in place.]

It's more tricky than I thought it would be. Your turn.

[Once the ball is settled, and he's sure he's not going to drop it, he makes an attempt at passing it back. The ball leaves the net with a little more force behind it.

He's never played a game with protective gear. We die like men.]

[mensrea]

[ In a stroke of good luck, Stiles manages to catch the ball despite the awkwardness of the makeshift stick and net. Adrenaline begins to pump through his body, a low-level current of excitement humming inside his veins. There’s something undeniably comforting about this – tossing a ball back and forth with a friendly face, forgetting that they’re glorified prisoners in another dimension. He’s appreciative of this moment. ]

Hey, you’re actually decent at this. Did you play any sports on your world?

[ He throws the ball back, this time slinging it a little off center to make Riku work for the catch. ]

[shadowsthedawn]

We didn't have much organized sports or teams on the island. Games would usually start with one person getting a group together. But we would play a lot of soccer, kickball, dodge ball. Pretty much anything you could do with a ball.

[When the shot goes wide, Riku doesn't hesitate to hurry after it, eyeing its trajectory. Flinging the net out, he catches the ball for a moment before it bounces out of the net and drops to the ground.]

Are we keeping score?

[He said they should do a practice round, but that doesn't mean they can't make things more interesting. He puts the ball in the net and sets up his next shot, also flinging this one a little wide to make if difficult to catch.]

[mensrea]

An island, huh?

[ Both brows rise into his hairline as Riku manages to briefly catch the ball; wow, this guy has damn good hand-eye-coordination. Even if the ball bounces out of the net, Stiles is impressed and ready to cheer for the other boy – but then the ball is flying back his way. Scrambling to catch it, he misses by a mile and has to go running after it. ]

Oh god, did I unknowingly start a friendly game of catch with someone who has a competitive streak?

D. Hungry Grass

[petcromancer]

[Fauns are not the strongest when it comes to impulse control, and Hector takes one of those proffered sandwiches without protest. He tugs any meat out of the bread, and takes a bite of what remains.]

This isn't natural. [He says through a mouthful of food.] Eat a bite, then hold some in your mouth.

[They don't know how long it will take to pinpoint the issue, and their packs of food need to hold until then. Hector is hoping they can trick their bodies into thinking they are eating more than they are.]

We should split up and feel for anywhere the effect is stronger.

[shadowsthedawn]

[Riku keeps one of the sandwiches out for himself, tucking the rest away for now. He takes a bite, chewing slowly as they move further along the grass.]

No kidding. [Nothing about this seemed natural.] Do you really think that will work?

[He supposes it's a good idea as any. Although a part of him had been hoping this would be cleared up quickly. It's only a field of grass after all. How long could this take?]

Right. [It beats digging up the whole field. Which might be Plan B if they don't come up with anything.] I'll start over there.

[He gestures to the right side of the field.]

Just let me know when your sandwich runs out.

[petcromancer]

Well, we won't have a better plan until we have more information. We might as well try.

[He nods at Riku as he chooses his direction.]

I'll take the left.

[Of course, that will take them through the whole field before they meet up in the middle, but that hindsight will be 20/20.

Hector heads to the left of the field and begins his sweep. He tries to take sparing bites of his sandwich when the hunger gets too great, but all too soon, he looks down to find the whole thing gone.

He looks up and waves his arms at Riku. He starts across to meet him...and doubles over partway through as his path takes him too close to the center of the field.]

[shadowsthedawn]

[Riku begins his search on the right side of the field, stepping cautiously over the grass as if expecting it to attack at any moment. Which, as far as he knows, could just as well happen.

Staring down at the grass doesn't offer much to work with. It looks like regular grass aside from its strange side effects. Could the source be something underneath...?

His thoughts are cut short when he notices Hector's wave, and he's already moving towards the man when he sees him double over as if in pain.]

Hector! What's wrong?

[Once close enough, he places a hand on the man's shoulder.]

Do you need more food? [He's already opening up his satchel with his free hand.]

[petcromancer]

[Hector's on the ground, arms wrapped tight around his middle as the gnawing hunger rakes him. Whatever the magical effect is, it's staggering where he is.]

G-give me something...anything.

[Meat? That's fine. He'll chew through the faunish revulsion. He feels like he hasn't eaten for days, like he's past the verge of collapse. He groans, but tries to push through the pain.]

It's here. We're close.

[shadowsthedawn]

[Riku pulls another sandwich from his bag. Peanut butter and jelly, luckily, no meat. He holds it up to Hector's mouth, unsure if the faun has the strength to reach for it himself.

The effects are beginning to hit Riku now, and his stomach gives out a terrible growl that he does his best to ignore for now. But it's excruciating and he finds himself pulling a strip of bread off the sandwich just so he can occupy his body with something.]

Nothing looks different about the grass here. Either it's something we can't see or...it's under the ground itself.

fishie fish

[eluci]

[Like Riku, Noctis hasn't heard of this breed of fish before, and also like Riku, he's leaning over the side of the boat to look at the water, the tip of his tail twitching in interest.]

Nope, never heard of it either. But I definitely need to catch it if it's as good as everyone says it is.

[With a fishing pole, of course, and not with his bare hands like he looks like he might do.]

[shadowsthedawn]

Are you a big fan of fish?

[Fish was an important source of food on Riku's home island. He likes it fine. But growing up with a particular diet makes it a little less exciting. But maybe something will be really special about this fish.

Suddenly, a shadowy form swims right up to their side of the boat, the sun shining off its scales as it gets closer.]

Is that one? [He leans further over the side, his nose just inches away from the water. On the bright side...he's a strong swimmer.]

A

[princessascended]

[After months of tunnel-vision when it comes to her magic, Kairi's been eager to branch out into new types! And learning what plants might pose a danger to certain members of their household is a very good benefit, because after the incident with Ven and chocolate nobody wants to see one of the monsters put something that can poison them in their mouths again.

But there's no doubt that "encouraging" plants to grow is the most interesting thing they're doing here. Kairi's been working pretty well with flowers so far (unsurprisingly), but when she sees Riku trying it out, she turns to watch, though she makes sure not to do anything that might break his concentration.

He's clearly got this in the bag, and as he stops his chant she moves towards him... only to realize that the tomatoes haven't stopped growing.]

Uh... Riku? Are you trying to do that?

[shadowsthedawn]

[In hindsight, he probably should have stuck to flowers as well. But he's been so energized at the idea of keeping a vegetable garden at their house that he wanted to make sure he could do the spells properly before planting anything.

The spells haven't seemed difficult. So he's had no reason to doubt his ability to accomplish his goal. Until now that is.

Wide-eyed, he turns to Kairi when she approaches and slowly shakes his head. Embarrassment creeps into his expression as his neck and cheeks begin turning red. He hates the feeling.]

No. Definitely not. Do you...remember the counter spell?

[It makes him uncomfortable having to ask. Usually he's better prepared than this.]

[princessascended]

[Having food growing in the backyard does sound pretty great. Granted, for some of the members of their household flowers double as food, but that's not true for either of them.

Of course, a tomato the size of one of their heads isn't exactly practical for eating either. She frowns at it and holds out her hands, fingers spread at first, then slowly curls them in.

The growth proceeds to slow, shifting to a crawl. She nods, focusing, slowly squeezing her fingers...

And then when her index fingers make contact with her thumb, she realizes she's just did it slightly wrong.]

Oh crap. Cover your-

[As though squeezed by a giant hand, the tomato abruptly bursts, splattering them with red tomato guts. She winces, having thrown an arm up over her eyes just in time to not get any juice in them.]

[shadowsthedawn]

[He studies her hands carefully as she works the counter spell, making some mental notes for himself later. Recognizing the gesture now that he's seeing it, he quietly berates himself for forgetting something so simple.

But he begins to relax once the tomatoes' growth begins to slow, assured that Kairi has it in control. He doesn't realize her mistake until it's already too late, and it's all he can do to turn his head to avoid the explosion of tomato into his face.

With juice and red bits soaking his shirt and dripping from the ends of his hair, he slowly turns to look at her.]

Let's not tell anyone about this.

[It's too embarrassing. Yet despite that, he can't help the grin that slowly spreads over his face preceding a laugh. They must look ridiculous.]

[princessascended]

In the interest of not giving Sora something to mock us with for weeks, yeah. I agree.

[She's wiping bits of tomato off of her face and tossing them to the side while a few other students look at them and smirk, but most of them go right back to what they were doing with little more than a snicker, and she really doesn't care about that.]

In case you're curious, you're supposed to bring all of your fingers in at the same time, but my pointer was a little faster than the rest. That's why the spell went wrong. I realized it just too late to do anything about it.

[Because isn't that always the way?]

[shadowsthedawn]

[He shudders at the thought. This is not something Sora needs to know. Ever. Riku would like to continue the on-going myth that he's naturally good at things. Even a magic system he's still trying to control.]

And I thought nothing would be as hard as the Mark of Mastery Exam.

[Ignoring the snickers of the other students he gives her explanation his full attention, miming the motion with his own hands. It's not easy to get the timing right.]

I guess I need to practice some more before trying anything for real. [Wiping his hand on the side of his pants first, he reaches out and flicks a leftover bit of tomato off her cheek.]

Now how are we going to get back to the house without everyone seeing us like this?

E

[spirialink]

[The sound of an ongoing struggle nearby was enough to draw Kor's attention, and to that which he came running to Riku's aid. Positioning himself on top of a tall piece of rubble to get a better view of the situation, he recognized Riku at the guy he met at that speed date thing. He gave him a lot to think about, so there was absolutely no way Kor could leave him high and dry here.

His handle on his magic was still pretty poor, so he had to make this count. Leaping right into the fray, Kor swings a long blade formed out of magic, crackling with electricity, through several of the zombies, effectively bifurcating them. The weapon doesn't last long though, fizzling out and leaving only an empty sword handle in Kor's hands.]

Hey! You gonna be okay?

[A couple zombies down, and... more than a couple to go??]

[shadowsthedawn]

[Kor's intervention gives Riku the time and distraction he needs to get back on his feet. While the corpses that had been surrounding him get cut down by the other teen's magic sword, Riku turns his attention to the others still following behind.

Now with room to maneuver, he swings his Keyblade at two of the approaching zombies, aiming for their heads. His weapon may not be sharp, but it's strong, and the corpses are only holding onto most of their parts by sheer chance. All it takes it one good swipe to behead them.

As they collapse to the ground, Riku finally turns to acknowledge Kor.]

Yeah, it's just a bump on the head. Thanks for the help.

[A few straggling zombies are still heading their way at a slow, dragging pace. Glancing to Kor, Riku nods towards the approaching figures.]

Maybe we should take the fight to them. Otherwise, we'll be here all day.

[spirialink]

[Kor nods to Riku as the latter takes position after helping to thin out their opposition. The two of them definitely should have enough power to fight back together.]

Right!

[Kor's eyes drift to the weapon in Riku's hand. Another keyblade, huh...]

You've got a giant key, too? Are you guys in some key club?

[While he asks that question, he takes to summoning his weapon again, a blade made of his magic extending itself from that empty hilt once more.]

[shadowsthedawn]

[He's not surprised by the question in the least, knowing that both Sora and Roxas had come with their own Keyblades. It was only a matter of time before people put two-and-two together. It's not like they were hiding it really.

Even though the voice of Master Yen Sid in the back of his mind is less and less pleased with each new person he tells about the Keyblade.]

It's a Keyblade and...yeah. Something like that.

[But he doesn't let the conversation linger long before he's racing forward towards the approaching corpses, bringing his Keyblade up in a large arc to strike the zombie in the middle.]

[spirialink]

Right, right! We can talk about that later, though!

[Kor watches as Riku wages his attack on one of the zombies. A man of action, just the way Kor likes it. Thankfully, Kor's used to working with others on the battlefield, so he's quick to follow up Riku's attack. Once Riku strikes the zombie and has it stunned with his strike, Kor dashes forward and slices through its midsection with his magic blade, cleanly cutting it in two like a knife through butter.]

Let's keep it going! You lead, I follow!