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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!]

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Regardless, I'm happy to see you again. [ Chariot finally got herself in a comfortable seated position next to Nyu, placing her shoulder against hers and letting that brightness within the bond feedback between them, reaching to hold her hand so she could feel it that much more firmly.

It was an attempt to ground her against the drunkenness from the vines on Chariot's part, but she also just... wanted to feel more of this Kaede, to experience more of her. A part of Kaede she knew was true, felt in more intimate moments. Joy, curiosity, and desire to be loved... Nyu represented that, didn't she? The part of Kaede her trauma had buried... ]

I'll stay here with you until you remember why you came out here, okay?

[That soft, warm feeling in her chest never got a chance to dim down. Some of this strange form's feathers fluffed up like the crest of a contented bird's, and she didn't mind at all.]

Thank you.

[Nyu hummed a happy noise, leaning back and squeezing Chariot's hand in return. The energy she felt, circling through all the points they touched—it made her feel more than complete. Like her form wasn't just this physical shape, but something abstract and fuzzy edged that could reach more than she could touch. Nyu dipped her head to prop it against Chariot's shoulder, and—bumped an antler against the Witch instead. The Chimera made a burbling, perplexed noise and—she did it again. And a third time.

With a huff, Nyu stared at what was supposed to be her landing spot, and, with a slow but deliberate (and still wobbly) motion, pressed her cheek against it while holding those inconvenient bony things out of the way.]

Did you come out here to find me?

[ It was a little bothersome, the poking sensation that came form Nyu's multiple failed attempts to get comfortable, but deathly endearing as well and she couldn't help but feel the affection in the Bond grow even more, brighten, spread out and become even warmer... ]

W-well, I came to bring you a lunch, but... [ She reached into her satchel, pulling out the butcher paper wrapped sandwich she'd made which was... quite a bit flatter, now, than it had been. At least the wine and apple were still untouched, that came out shortly after. ]

[Nyu's ears flicked back—at least the visible one. But they didn't stay there.]

Oh. I'm sorry.

[And she actually did feel a little sorry this time, instead of cheerfully oblivious and unapologetic. She still didn't know why she felt jumping at people was a good idea, even though Chariot's presence helped coax her thoughts along. Maybe just a passing moment of exuberance, playful energy finally allowed to bubble free.

Nyu didn't feel very hungry yet, but her head did lift a bit in interest.]

Well... squished or not, it's still plenty edible, for when you get hungry. [ She set the thing aside, content to simply stay there, cuddling with Nyu, holding her hand and letting the early summer sun soak over them pleasantly.

She couldn't shake the feeling of otherness, the strange knowledge that Nyu and Kaede, despite being the same person, were still different enough that she had to be careful. But the feelings in the Bond, the closeness of Nyu, the scent of her, the relaxed atmosphere... all of it was peeling away at her initial sense of caution.

This could be trouble. ]

[The Chimera made a little mrrp noise before she settled back on Chariot's shoulder. Even if it was squished, she could smell bread and cheese through the paper. And the apple, and the wine, and the Witch who'd carried them all. They mingled with the sweet scent in the air and made her feel so sleepy, so relaxed.

Nyu's eyes didn't close for too long between blinks, but she nestled against the slate-haired woman's shoulder and squeezed her hand, curled that tail made of feathers around the Witch's side. She hummed, and felt nothing to be worried about.]

Hey, Chariot. Is this place...is this home?

[Even before, Nyu hadn't felt like she'd met Chariot very long. At least not long enough for her. She hadn't gotten to ask that sort of question yet.

But she felt safe. Like she didn't have to worry about a thing, so long as Chariot was nearby.]

... It is. [ In so, so many ways. A year had come and gone, and in that one year, she'd experienced so much, felt so much pain, so much joy and love. And she'd shared it all with some beautiful, wonderful souls. Kaede was one of them. And she was part of this home. It was hers to be a part of, to feel safe within, to feel loved within. ]

It's a home we made for ourselves... a place for us to return to, always...

[Ah.

The words echoed in her ears, but as more than just sound. That feeling in her mind, the ones that made touching Chariot prickle and caused the thoughts that ran deeper than thought--she heard the sounds and knew, and the warm, soft feeling turned into so many molten fluttery things poorly contained in her chest.

Nyu looked up at Chariot's face, and smiled. Something more melancholy passed through her expression, there and gone like a passing shadow.]

...I'm glad.

[The Chimera dissolved into jittery giggles, squeezing Chariot's hand back tightly and pressing close to the Witch's side. She laughed, softly, briefly--and again, feeling buoyant and relieved and giddy.]

[ She was so close, so warm, so happy... Chariot found her will slipping way, bit by bit. She had to keep reminding herself that this was Nyu, not Kaede. She couldn't... express her affection for her the same way. It wasn't fair to do so. She didn't know how much Nyu understood Kaede's relationship with Chariot, especially with her asking questions like she had been, with the way she snuggled against her like it was still so novel and fresh to her...

Chariot took in a deep breath, and just... let herself exhale, bit by bit. ]

So, about the berries you've been picking...

Nyu?

[The Chimera lifted her head from Chariot's shoulder, tailtip curling into an inquisitive comma shape. She glanced around--and spied the basket she had almost forgotten. That had been important before, she was sure. And it was still half full of those berries from before.]

Oh! Those.

[She began to reach for the basket, but even with how stretched long her arms were she couldn't quite reach it without uncurling from Chariot. She might have to stop her aggressively affectionate cuddling for two seconds, and that was just unacceptable. Nyu paused, her thoughts finally connecting the dots between that basket and that question instead of mindlessly rushing through straight to an action in the most direct line possible.]

What about them?

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