[Open] Iuneril Catch All

[long_live_the_queen]

Who: Kaede (with a Nyu guest appearance), others, you!
When: June, pre-Underground
Where: Aefenglom primarily, others to be added
What: Monthly thread container!
Warnings: Affectionate magic drunk Chimeras, others to be added



A. Berry Picking

i. [Normally, Kaede was fairly good at doing her job. Even jobs as mundane as fetching easily distinguished berries from thornless bushes, without so much as an irritable jay unhappy at the intruder stealing its lunch to break up the monotony. The only difficult thing was finding an unpicked stand—they always seemed to be in different places than she remembered. And—had she been out here before...?

But, without fail, the Chimera ended up sitting against a tree, her task half-finished. The basket she'd brought with her was at least a third full of the berries she'd been sent after—Kaede had only eaten a few. The scent of this grove was far more appealing, and she was content to simply lounge in the dappled shade, humming to herself.

Rather inconvenient if she was supposed to be helping someone.]

ii. [Sometimes, only Kaede's basket was visible. Just...left out, like it'd been abandoned. There were a few downy, dusty feathers left behind too, but no signs of a sudden scuffle in the moss. The basket itself was decently full of berries—and finders keepers, right?

Any sort of approach causes the undergrowth nearby to rustle, iridescent red-gold flickering between the leaves—and the Chimera hiding there pounces straight for them, clumsily and without the usual serious focus wired onto her face. There was almost—a smile, unhidden and unapologetic curving her mouth, a softness in her normally harsh gaze.

There was still a Chimera mid-pounce to deal with.]

B. Temper(ature) Problems [Aefenglom]

[Kaede didn't recall the warmer weather being this bad last year. But she also had quite a few more feathers to deal with, trapping the humidity unpleasantly close to her skin. It was enough to make her consider turning into a night Monster, honestly.

Some days were more tolerable than others. Today wasn't one of them, though it had started that way. Kaede had been going to finish some errands—visiting an herbalist's shop that was closed during the more practical evening temperatures, and fetching books from a library where the staff seemed either new, with a dim impression of Chimeras, or both. So they'd given her the book, but not a place in the nice cool archives to read it that she'd been counting on.

With that unpleasant start to her day, noon found the Chimera in a crankier mood. She'd taken over the last empty gazebo in this public park, one buried in the shade and a fairly decent retreat from the sun.

Its occupant was...another issue. Kaede barely even lifted her head at the sound of footsteps, and certainly didn't get out of the way. She had managed to arrange herself to take up almost all of the gazebo's tiled floor, between the sprawl of her gangly limbs and spread of her feathers. The book she had wrestled from that unpleasant librarian lay on the ground beside her, unread. The heat made focusing difficult.]

Unless you know a cooling spell, I'm not moving.

[The mansion would make for a much nicer place to read. But it felt like wading through tar to get there in this heat, and it might not cool off for hours yet. Ugh.]

[Wildcard]

[This post is for thread collecting, so feel free to start other planned threads here or plot with me over here if you're interested in other scenarios!]

Comments

berry picking; i

[textsfromhotland]

[Alphys isn't sure why she took the job. She's not one for manual labor, after all, but she felt drawn to the berry patch for some reason. surely it's not because of her monster type, which is definitely not faun And yet here she is, and she doesn't feel totally out of place. Weird!

Even weirder is that her co-worker is nowhere to be found. Was she already finished? The least she could've done was ask Alphys if she needed help. Sighing, Alphys hoists her basket up and moves on to the next bush- and that's just enough to give her a view of Kaede lounging against a tree.]

O-oh! There you are! I thought you already left.

RIP Alphys ever having normal interactions with her

[long_live_the_queen]

[The humming trailed off, and the red-feathered Monster broke her gaze from the dappled canopy to the source of the voice. Her eyes seemed...softer, the harsh lines in her expression relaxed. More importantly, she didn't seem at all annoyed at being interrupted.]

Hm? Oh. I'm sorry. Did you--

[She started to get up, her balance pitched too far back for her gangly legs. The Chimera toppled right back onto her butt before getting far at all, but far from being disgruntled at this failure of basic motor skills, she...giggled. Still soft, and a bit sluggish like someone stirring from a nap.]

Did you need something?

[This time, she remembered there was a tree behind her. The antlered Chimera braced an arm on that first, and slowly, sluggishly, with some wobbling, got to her feet.]

And...what was your name, again?

[textsfromhotland]

[Alphys tries to say several things, but the more she watches this display the more she ends up being at a loss for words.]

I... uhh, the berries... you were helping... unless you don't want do anymore...?

[long_live_the_queen]

Oh. I...was?

[The Chimera stabilizes in her wobbling, finally, and glances over at her basket. And she was reasonably sure it was her basket. She was fairly certain she didn't steal it, even on accident.

She makes a small triumphant noise, punctuating that realization. It sounds a bit like "nyu."]

I was!

[textsfromhotland]

[Alphys stumbles over her words, not entirely sure how to address this situation.]

Are... uh... are... you okay...?

berry picking ii

[peacewithouttyranny]

[The double pay is too tempting of an offer to not take up the simple job, so here he is. However, today he is in a different form than usual, finally getting the avatar to work and able to maintain her physical form thanks to incorporating Geardagas' magitech. And besides, being a giant robot in this town is inconveniencing him lately.

While picking iunerberries with her own basket in hand, she soon spots the abandoned basket not too far from where she's standing. Who would leave a filled up basket there? Suspicious... Now, Soundwave won't be taking advantage of the fact that it's unattended, but she'll approach to investigate.

She was not prepared for the pounce that followed after.]

What-

[The avatar is not the towering metallic giant. The avatar is a 5'2 human girl. She's easily toppled by the much larger Chimera and falls to the ground on her back. Ouch... Groaning, she looks up and... instead of fighting back, a flash of recognition flits across her face when it's a familiar face from that dream back then, not looking as harsh as Soundwave remembers.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[The Chimera's landing was more of an uncontrolled flop than an aggressive tackle; she landed with a fwumph right on her unfortunate cushion. At least the moss was forgiving.

A soft laugh tickles at her throat as the antlered Chimera, slowly, pushes herself up so she stops squashing this person. That was rude. The recognition doesn't seem to be mutual; her red-eyed gaze was as gentle as before, her eyes crinkled at the corners in a smile.]

Got you.

[Even her voice sounds softer.]

[peacewithouttyranny]

[Soundwave wouldn't expect anyone to recognize him in this form. The voice is different, still monotonous but it lost the mechanical tone and replace it with a voice appropriate to this form. Still though, there's this situation to deal with first before that.

She huff when the pressure is off her person. Meeting her eyes, seeing the playful glint reflecting in there, Soundwave can't help a faint blush dusting over her cheeks.]

Got me... For what? Are you okay?

[She's not going to be monster food, is she? Her brows furrowed. This is... Well, Soundwave wouldn't call it unnerving seeing her like this, but it's certainly strange given the circumstance they previously met.]

[long_live_the_queen]

For what? [She repeated, head tilting slightly as she finally pushed herself up into a sitting position, resting on her knees and stretched ankles in a facsimile of a human. These...strange arms were useful, sometimes, she supposed.]

I don't know. But I did.

[The Chimera's tailtip curled into a brief question mark shape before flopping to the moss again.

She didn't answer the part about being okay or not. From the way the Chimera wobbled occasionally despite nothing touching her, though, the answer might as well have been evident.]

A-1

[whomthebelltolls]

[There are some advantages to having a high alcohol tolerance. There are some disadvantages, as well, especially considering how high Maria's tabs can get at the tavern, but having a high tolerance, and a high functional limit is proving very useful for this berry picking thing.

Walking into the patch is almost a wonderful hit of immediate dizziness; the world going soft around the edges, her feet feeling further away than usual, and the ground feeling, every so often, that it's a rotating platform beneath her feet, moving a different direction she is, at all times.

Still not enough to really break her stride, though, and Maria picks berries.

Until she starts to hear humming, at least. She knows the voice, of course - she's only lived with Kaede for over a year now, but it takes a moment for it to sink in through the drunken haze as to why hearing Kaede is a problem.

... Didn't she just escort Kaede most of the way home. Like. Not even an hour ago?

That wasn't a dream, she's pretty sure. She distinctly remembers leaving the patch, with the chimera leaning against her, and heading back toward the city gates. She remembers sobering up, once out of the scent range of the berries.

She's most of the way through picking clean a second bush before she realizes she probably has enough - and has had enough for today. Maria's been spending a lot more time lately than normal in a drunken stupor, but even she has her limits. And the confusion means she wants to be sober to analyze it more.

So she stands, and she moves, and the world seems to be perpetually shifting to her right, but she manages to keep upright as she walks toward the humming figure.] ... Kaede. We should really... get home.

[long_live_the_queen]

[She'd heard the sounds of footsteps, and of rustling cloth and branch. But her humming had continued.

The Chimera glanced towards the approaching figure, recognition coming slowly. But it got there, eventually—that nice lady from that creaking, spooky house. Her humming interrupted with a little "nyu" sound, and then...kept dwindling as she listened, never fully starting back up again.]

—oh. Are you talking to...me?

[The one thing that could blemish her cheerful, vine-drunk haze: being reminded she shares headspace with a serial killer.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Yes, I am.

[And "being drunk" is a great way for her to not be able to parse that this isn't actually Kaede.

Something definitely seems off, but Maria isn't quite sure what.] I don't think we... you... should be here for too long.

[Well, both of them mostly, but Kaede moreso at the moment, because at least Maria can still feel herself being somewhat functional. The world moving beneath her feet notwithstanding.]

[long_live_the_queen]

Oh. Um. Okay. Is this place, this... [her voice trails off as she needs to think of the word first] —grove, dangerous?

[It didn't seem all that dangerous, or scary. The antlered Monster was doing a terrible job at responding to the maybe-danger, sitting up and rising to her gangly feet slowly.

She spies the basket, still half-full, and her ears flick back.]

—oh, I wasn't done... [The Chimera murmurs, wobbling as she reached back for it. Wobbling a lot, in fact, and more than her inebriated sense of balance could keep up with. She leans too far forwards—and topples.]

(i hope it's ok! berry picking, A. i.)

[gilgamess]

[ were the circumstances different, Gilgamesh would say that it is highly inappropriate for a being of his stature to be engaging in so mundane and peasant-oriented an activity.

unfortunately, however, he continues to be without access to his endless supply of wealth and treasures so long as he remains within Aefenglom. dull though such menial labor may be, it is necessary for his present accumulation of wealth. the produce of farmers must be preserved in order that a city-state may survive, especially one in a world so besieged with infection.

when viewed in such significant terms, this task may be acceptable. besides, perhaps something shall happen to enliven the day. bandits may trespass and attempt some act of theft, for which they must necessarily be executed. though it would seem that this city prefers to deal with its executions through some tedious mongrel judicial process. taking a hand for such acts would be a scaled down form of punishment and that Hammurabi suggested such things in his era, but even that might be looked upon negatively when factoring in how tepid the humans of later eras had become.

hmph, well, for now, it is what it is.

the King of Heroes does not exactly hurry with the berry picking himself. it is not the sort of task he would treat with urgency, even if the long-term goal matters as much as do battles. he picks languidly, if confidently and purposefully, and he does not hesitate to inspect those ripe, juicy berries, holding them up to the light to examine their plumpness. ]

Abandoning your labors that you may entertain me with peasant music, are you?

[ that, obviously, is to the lazy mongrel he has been paired with for the day. ]

I should feel some anger at you for this, yet I cannot hate commoners. I have decided I, as King, shall enlighten myself on your strange folk customs. Therefore you may continue to amuse me with this ululation of yours.

[ or maybe it's just the thick, heavy scent of those lush leaves; the air is swimming with it, and he feels almost heady. it relaxes that temper. somewhat. but there is also the fact that Gilgamesh supposes if he must necessarily rule Aefenglom, taking stock of the interests of the peasant class might could prove informative. this girl, with her wild behavior, must be exactly the sort of rustic who can express the desires of such a class. even now, to break into song for him, that is something it seems commoners simply do. it is quite enjoyable to be the beneficiary of these crude customs. ]

Words are pesky creatures

[long_live_the_queen]

[The Chimera who'd left the city gates had been a very...different beast. Stoic, blunt, prone to terrible hunched shoulder postures and exasperated glares. Even her voice had sounded different, when she grudgingly spoke at all; lower-pitched, something that could easily be a growl but, for the sake of civility, wasn't quite.

And now here the very same Monster was, sitting placidly under a tree and staring quizzically at Gilgamesh as if he had sprouted another head. Was he...angry at her? No, he said he wasn't, and didn't seem all that angry. And what was the rest...?]

You...want me to keep singing?

[Humming, whichever. She'd made an attempt, honest, to trawl through what was being said to her. Just...it was a lot of words to hear, consider, and put together with what their meanings should be for someone whose mind felt adrift in tar. Each breath of the heavy air made the last one seem unimportant, the last words she'd heard less clear.

Most remarkable, perhaps, was that she'd answered him at all instead of giving this man another one of those sullen glares of hers before skulking away.]

they are. i probably should've said this, but if anything is confusing, lmk. fate is a lot, lol

[gilgamess]

[ if he were to think on it more, Gilgamesh might even see a certain similarity between this girl and his precious Enkidu.

there is a certain wildness about her, an animalistic quality even apart from those Monster features. perhaps in passing in the city he has noticed Kaede in her more sullen mode, though if he did so, he would not have paid her much recognition. in a city of this size, you were certain to encounter any number of unusual beings.

yet to apprehend her a little more clearly in the thick of the sweetened air of the berry bushes, there is some manner of resonance in the way she seems so much softer now. he has had more than his share of experience with creatures who had such a dichotomy in their personality -- monsters with a deeply concealed vulnerability.

though, if he notices all of this, it is more an instinctual acknowledgment -- reacting to patterns of behavior that strike a chord somehow rather than recognizing what drives her motivations. he remains apart from humanity himself, an observer thereof. ]

Why should you not do so? [ he laughs. not that he is friendly as such -- he remains distant, and the formality of the tone maintains this. but as she noticed, there is not so much hostility. probably best for them both that they are where they are, their rudeness... softened, or just tempered in Gil's case. ] It gives you joy, does it not? And I derive pleasure from it. One must naturally act in a manner that gives them pleasure.

[ ... speaking of, he pops one of those berries into his mouth. because. you know. if he is going to do menial labor like a peasant, he is going to enjoy himself. sorry not sorry!! ]

... ah, but what is that look of yours?

[ now that he takes stock of her a bit more clearly, the contrast in behavior is striking. that expression is so guileless, as innocent as a child. and what had prompted this change? ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Well. That humming did spark joy, though she couldn't put a finger on where she remembered that song. It was just one of many things that was, like the sky being blue and...unfortunately, still waking up in this warped body with fangs and claws and distorted arms.]

My—look? [Her ears come forwards, and roll back again like a quizzical deer's.] Is there something on my face...?

[The latter was more a murmur to herself, as was the soft mewling "nyu" noise she made. The Chimera scrubbed at her face, stared at her palms afterwards, and...quietly tried to ignore the wicked hooked claws at the end of her fingers. She took a deep breath of the sweet scented air, to try and forget.

She looked up at the man addressing her, anywhere that wasn't the claws.]

I don't...know what you mean.

[The Monster's words were still slurred, but definitely quizzical.]

a-2

[beariot]

[ She'd been stopping by the picking meadow to check in on Kaede and deliver her the lunch she'd made when she realized she had left her work behind, something that put her on edge almost immediately. Unfortunately lacking in instinct, she had no way of knowing until it was well too late to do much about it before Nyu was already on the 'attack', and Chariot could do little more than play her victim, yelping on her way down.

It could have been a lot worse. Honestly, her worries were probably the first thing Nyu had detected. And not even just because of the situation at hand, but because Chariot very much did recognize Nyu from before. ]

Nyu!

[long_live_the_queen]

[The Chimera landed with a clumsy, uncontrolled flop, right over her Witch-shaped cushion. At least the moss beneath was soft.]

Nyu! [She repeated, the sound a bubbling, burbling giggle at Chariot's shoulder.] Hello!

[She'd felt the brush of worry in her mind, fretting like an uncertain hen pecking at something odd about its nest. Was it hers? But it felt...distant, like something in the distance viewed through fog.

Maybe it didn't matter so much, because more importantly—]

You remember me!

[Her words were slow—measured, but definitely sluggish. Nyu lifted her head from Chariot's shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek. It felt so nice, that comforting contact with all the prickle of electricity but none of the annoyance.]

[beariot]

[ Oh. Dear.

The slightly slurred speech was new, but it only took a mild bit of magic detection on her part to realize the source, and recalling what she'd read about the berries Kaede had been going out to pick. It was all starting to come together in her mind just what was going on here, and why this... particular version of Kaede was nuzzling against her, agonizingly close and warm and just...

With her cane knocked away in the fall, she didn't really have much choice but to bear it and try to keep herself from getting too warmed up, either. ]

I definitely don't think I could ever forget you...

[ Definitely not. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Oh. Oh no. That made her feel all wibbly wobbly and giddy inside. Nyu giggled again, a sluggish but there warmth growing in her chest. Even if the idea had to make it through the hazy waves of the vines' enchantment—she wasn't forgotten. Never forgotten.

After—a moment, though, the Chimera stopped nuzzling Chariot's face, and blinked over at her instead.]

Oh—am I squishing you?

[Says the Monster pancaked on her Bonded.]

berries ii

[princessascended]

[Well that's... confusing. Kairi approaches the seemingly abandoned basket with curiosity in her eyes and a few careful glances around her. Not, however, careful enough.

She's utterly startled when a smiling and somewhat familiar chimera jumps her. All she can do is yelp and go down embarrassingly easily.

Once she's on the ground on her back, all she can do is stare up into the grinning face of the woman who just pounced her, wondering what the heck just happened.]

Um... hi? [Shoot, she knows this woman, she's sure she does, but they only met like... once or maybe twice. What was her name? Is she dangerous? Please don't let her be dangerous...]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Nyu had gotten better about her pouncing this time! She caught herself, slightly, so she didn't just squash this person. The Chimera's palms were still shoved against her shoulders, but not her claws. Even vine-drunk as she was, Nyu was still painstakingly aware of those.]

Nyu! [It wasn't quite a word, but wasn't just a sound.] Hello!

[She chirps, distracting fluffy tail flicking back and forth behind her like a dog convinced it had done a good thing.

...what was the thing? Well, she did it, whatever it was.

This was a very different beast from the Chimera sullenly staring at the water beneath a bridge.]

[princessascended]

[Once her brain settles a bit from the shock of being pounced, it's a lot easier to place this person. Though that only makes things more confusing, because this is a very different attitude from the one she remembers.]

Um... You seem chipper. [Brilliant conversationalist, she is. She's just so confused as to what's going on right now.]

Is this a game? I didn't know we were playing.

[Also, she's pretty sure that in a game of "pounce and wrestle", she's gonna be at a severe disadvantage.]

[long_live_the_queen]

It's a nice day today.

[That was all Nyu needed to be in a good mood. And the grove's enchantment helped, too, lulling her into a docile, relaxed state of mind.

The Chimera tilted her head, her antlers making the gesture seem exaggerated and owlish.]

Is it a game? [Maybe that was what she was doing.] It can be!