Lucy/Kaede (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
long_live_the_queen) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
middaeg2019-06-07 11:07 pm
long_live_the_queen) wrote in middaeg2019-06-07 11:07 pm
Idle Notes in the Air [OTA, with some closed prompts]
Who: Kaede and you!
When: All of June! Mostly before the 17th unless stated otherwise
Where: Mostly in the city, with a few field trips outside
What: Catch all for June!
Warnings: Language, Kaede in general, violence against fish?? Will update as necessary
I-A. Entertainment District
[Now that Kaede felt less like death, she could better explore this place. Her burns had been quick things to heal, her head hadn't experienced any repeats of that spontaneous horn growth, and she didn't need to stop and sit down after twenty steps. And! The people here didn't seem so prickly about another Monster in their midst. Unlike certain residents across the road from Haven.
The decorations for the next festival were already going up—how many of those did this world have? A half-finished tangle of wreaths and ribbon arched all the way down the street where buskers played and gaming houses had their doors propped open to take advantage of any cooling breezes. The latter Kaede had no interest in and walked past, but sometimes she stopped to look up at an unfinished display or listen to a musician. She wasn't very tall, but her antlers were becoming rather obvious now. Nevermind her usual tendency to stand in the middle of where people wanted to go, not unlike a cat.]
I-B. Breaking and Entering...?
[Of course, she'd found the run-down, closed up theaters soon enough. The "do not enter" signs made them immediately interesting. And she still got tired of bright colors and music and people eventually, even though a number of the latter seemed to be avoiding her and unintentionally giving Kaede all the space she liked.
There seemed to be markedly fewer people in these specific areas, but enough that the horned girl paced casually (suspiciously) in front of one of the gates and chained up doors instead of trying to force her way in. Getting into places with a modicum of discretion represented a bit of a problem now. So Kaede padded about and studied unsuspecting things, like how tall the walls were, how rickety the eaves were, how rusted the chains.]
II-A. Fetch
[Lilies? She liked lilies. The pompous snot who'd written that request, not so much. And there was nothing in that demand saying she couldn't bring any home with her. So Kaede had...acquired a basket on its last legs that was frayed and stained, something that wouldn't mind getting dirt and roots on it.
She was the first to stop when she heard buzzing, though. Kaede liked lilies, but beestings, not so much. Just charging on ahead seemed like a bad idea.]
Do we have to get rid of all the bees first?
[After all, the bees were just minding their own business. They'd be taking away some of the bees' food sources, that seemed rude.]
II-B. I don't have a clever title for the fishing minigame
[She'd heard someone approaching some time ago, but hadn't stopped frowning at the water like its existence was offensive. It was crystal clear, all the way down—showing off all the holes in the banks where the easily-accessed deposits of crystal sand had been scooped out already. There was much more of the stuff shining further down on the lakebed, but the water's clarity also showed just how many fish were down there too.
One, quite dead, lay near her shoes on the bank; clawmarks had torn into its belly, and there was a bite mark on Kaede's bare ankle, completing that bit of environmental storytelling.
Eventually, her horned head turned just a little—still keeping the water's mockingly calm surface in view.]
Can you swim?
Wildcard.
[For things that don't fit into the above, or things we've planned out beforehand! My plurk is![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
blueraven and Kaede's plotting comment is here!]
When: All of June! Mostly before the 17th unless stated otherwise
Where: Mostly in the city, with a few field trips outside
What: Catch all for June!
Warnings: Language, Kaede in general, violence against fish?? Will update as necessary
I-A. Entertainment District
[Now that Kaede felt less like death, she could better explore this place. Her burns had been quick things to heal, her head hadn't experienced any repeats of that spontaneous horn growth, and she didn't need to stop and sit down after twenty steps. And! The people here didn't seem so prickly about another Monster in their midst. Unlike certain residents across the road from Haven.
The decorations for the next festival were already going up—how many of those did this world have? A half-finished tangle of wreaths and ribbon arched all the way down the street where buskers played and gaming houses had their doors propped open to take advantage of any cooling breezes. The latter Kaede had no interest in and walked past, but sometimes she stopped to look up at an unfinished display or listen to a musician. She wasn't very tall, but her antlers were becoming rather obvious now. Nevermind her usual tendency to stand in the middle of where people wanted to go, not unlike a cat.]
I-B. Breaking and Entering...?
[Of course, she'd found the run-down, closed up theaters soon enough. The "do not enter" signs made them immediately interesting. And she still got tired of bright colors and music and people eventually, even though a number of the latter seemed to be avoiding her and unintentionally giving Kaede all the space she liked.
There seemed to be markedly fewer people in these specific areas, but enough that the horned girl paced casually (suspiciously) in front of one of the gates and chained up doors instead of trying to force her way in. Getting into places with a modicum of discretion represented a bit of a problem now. So Kaede padded about and studied unsuspecting things, like how tall the walls were, how rickety the eaves were, how rusted the chains.]
II-A. Fetch
[Lilies? She liked lilies. The pompous snot who'd written that request, not so much. And there was nothing in that demand saying she couldn't bring any home with her. So Kaede had...acquired a basket on its last legs that was frayed and stained, something that wouldn't mind getting dirt and roots on it.
She was the first to stop when she heard buzzing, though. Kaede liked lilies, but beestings, not so much. Just charging on ahead seemed like a bad idea.]
Do we have to get rid of all the bees first?
[After all, the bees were just minding their own business. They'd be taking away some of the bees' food sources, that seemed rude.]
II-B. I don't have a clever title for the fishing minigame
[She'd heard someone approaching some time ago, but hadn't stopped frowning at the water like its existence was offensive. It was crystal clear, all the way down—showing off all the holes in the banks where the easily-accessed deposits of crystal sand had been scooped out already. There was much more of the stuff shining further down on the lakebed, but the water's clarity also showed just how many fish were down there too.
One, quite dead, lay near her shoes on the bank; clawmarks had torn into its belly, and there was a bite mark on Kaede's bare ankle, completing that bit of environmental storytelling.
Eventually, her horned head turned just a little—still keeping the water's mockingly calm surface in view.]
Can you swim?
Wildcard.
[For things that don't fit into the above, or things we've planned out beforehand! My plurk is
Closed to Minako
As you do.
Kaede was still as wary of this Bonding business as she was before. It required an awful lot of trust of someone who trusted at a glacial pace. But no one at that class she attended had died, that she knew of. Or got sick, or displayed any symptoms of poisoning—and there weren't any rumors that confirmed such suspicions. But maybe it was a slow poison. Maybe their hosts were quashing such rumors before it reached the ears of their visitors.
Whatever this maybe-poison was, Kaede would find out for herself soon enough. The vial's contents sat in her stomach innocently enough, easy to forget. It was a poison with some manners, and the only symptom she felt was...calmness. Not drowsy tranquility—she still felt a bit on edge out here—but like some clutter in her mind had been cleared out, making it easier to think and easier to focus on the forest's shadows.
Right now, Kaede was engaged in a staring contest with some kind of smallish owl, which was very interested in finding out what these strange new things in its woods were. It made an occasional territorial trilling hoot, in case these things were in fact trespassers. This was private property, didn't you know!
...Kaede was only just keeping herself from calling back to it. That grumble she kept making in response to the owl's trills didn't count, right?]
no subject
Ugh, this looks nothing like it...
[she mumbles, as she half-heartedly sketches the owl. Descriptors she can write easily. She got so many As on all of her school science journals back at school. But drawing is a different beast altogether. Speaking of which. She drops her voice to a whisper.]
Hey, Kaede. Do you see those eyes in the bushes on your left, or is it just me?
no subject
Still, Kaede hadn't gotten used to that lamp yet. It was turned down, but she still found it so bright to look at it after staring at the shadows for so long. She blinked a few times, eyes reflecting back like green-gold discs before her gaze shifted to the left. There were some shrubs there, some fireflies--
--those weren't fireflies.]
Are there supposed to be four of them?
[...the shadow also seemed to have too many legs for a fox or badger.]
no subject
[She very slowly raises herself up onto her elbows, keeping an eye on their visitor. When it makes no move towards her, she starts bending over her notebook to get to work on sketching what she can see of it.]
Large round body...four legs? Six? I can't tell.
no subject
I think it's a spider. Maybe one of the jumpy ones. So eight?
[It was busily meticulously cleaning off its mandibles, which would have been kind of cute if it wasn't the size of a dog.
Kaede watched it warily, eyes narrowed. Once it had finished its grooming, the spider walked forwards a few steps in a jarring, quick gait. It seemed more inquisitive than hostile--perhaps the light had caught its attention. A step forward, a step diagonally to get a better idea of what it was looking at.
The chimera quickly decided that she Did Not Like This. The feathery quills in her hair bristled, not unlike a cat's bottlebrushing hackles, and leaned forwards in her crouch until her claws dug into the moss under her palms. And after a moment she pulled herself forwards, closer to Minako. Her reactions were fast, but so was the spider.
There is no food here, go away spider.]
no subject
Oh my god, is it coming closer?
[Minako slowly inches closer to Kaede to meet her halfway.]
I don't think it'll attack us, but we shouldn't provoke it, Kaede.
no subject
The rumbling stopped when the other girl touched her side, and Kaede glanced backwards with a blink. Instead of a growl, she just made an 'er' noise.]
I...guess.
[Movement caught her eye, and the chimera's head snapped back to the front. The oversized spider had hopped onto a nearby tree trunk, still peering curiously at them. Could it make that jump over there, perhaps...?]
no subject
And she still needs to take notes, so she reaches for her paper and pencil again. Can't let this chance to see it up close go to waste, even if she doesn't want to look at it...ughhhh.]
Do you think you can keep it staying in place for a little bit? I need like...five minutes to finish this sketch.
no subject
I can tr--
[The spider had made its decision. Raising its forelegs marginally off the tree bark was its only warning--
--before it jumped. The Monster moved before her brain caught up, putting herself squarely between the Witch and it.
Kaede normally wasn't bothered by spiders. That ambivalence ended when they were on her fucking face. With a shout that was bitten off halfway, Kaede recoiled and raised her clawed hands to swat as the spider did its very best not to get itself dislodged from its suddenly very mobile landing pad.]
no subject
Oh crap, hang on, I'll-- I'll um--
[Barrier! Barrier magic! Minako reaches out and clenches her fingers into a fist, and her shimmering red barrier forms in front of it.]
Hang on, I'm gonna try and flick it off!
[She sets the barrier under one of the spider's legs and tries to lever it off of Kaede, hoping to unbalance the overgrown bug.]
no subject
She caught a glimmer of something red in the too-bright, eye-watering world. At first, she struck at it too.
But--Minako's voice, shaking and alarmed, stayed her hand. That was Minako's spell? Hopefully?
The spider decided it Did Not Like where it had landed, no sir. It moved far too much and had noisy opinions. But--oh, how convenient, there was something else to stand on! It started clambering onto the barrier instead, halfway onto it and still with some of its feet clinging to Kaede.]
no subject
With a mighty tug, Minako brings her shield towards her, dragging the spider with it-- and then the shield dematerializes, leaving no barrier between them. With a quick turn to give her momentum, she shoves the spider away from them with her foot. Gently as possible, because she doesn't want to hurt it, but with plenty of force, because it is a huge spider and she wants it to go away, as soon as possible.]
Sorry, Mister Spider!
no subject
But--but! There were no longer any pointy disconcertingly fuzzy feet trying to grapple onto her face and shoulders. The shove hurled the spider away a considerable distance--it scurried away into the dark as soon as the first of its feet touched the ground. Mission...accomplished?
The owl had stopped calling, and it'd take some time for the forest animals to forget the sounds of the scuffle, though it hadn't been too loud. And Kaede was flat on her back on the moss, eyes pinched shut.]
...is it gone?
no subject
[Minako sighs out in exhaustion, flopping eagle-spread out onto the grass.]
Definitely gonna have nightmares of that later. Geez. [And they aren't even done with the quest yet...she still needs to finish the drawing, and then they have all the other animals in the area to work on, creepy-crawly or no. But maybe they can take a break first. She turns to Lucy's direction and squints, slightly concerned.]
You okay? It didn't bite you, did it?
no subject
[Kaede would like to think she'd have noticed if a spider that big bit her. She felt fine and like she had zero puncture wounds, though she still kept her eyes tightly shut.]
Can you turn the light down?