middaeg | [open] if you could only see

[ If Maria feels any particular way about Zack's appearance, she hasn't sad anything yet. He's aware that may change, having learned more about Maria and her feelings toward Monsters from Kaede. Still, the main point he'd taken away from the conversation was that Maria could come around to a Monster if they proved that they were deserving of her trust, and Zack doesn't mind working for it.

Frustrating as it is to be judged based on a designation that had been thrust upon him here, he's aware of why she would be wary. Having experienced firsthand what the full moons could do to a Monster who wasn't prepared for it, Maria's concerns are understandable.

It just means he's going to have to take measures to deal with it, sooner rather than later. He has no intention of letting himself go feral again.

For now, though, his problems are a bit more straightforward. More flower-picking. When Maria pulls back the branches, Zack nods firmly. ]

Should be able to, yeah!

[ He does have to get down on his hands and knees and then stretch forward as far as he can extend his arm in order to grab the flowers, but he manages it. It's only as he's pulling his arm back to safety that one of the thorns tears through his sleeve, grazing him just slightly. ]

... Whoops.

... Whoops?

[She raises an eyebrow; she can't see beneath the branches - there's too thick a snarl of them - and she can only watch below as he seems to pause.] Is there something else under there?

No, it's...

[ Zack shakes his head. It'd have been one of thing if he found some sort of creature hiding in the brambles. That's something they could have dealt with easily enough. ]

You should take these flowers before I drop 'em. I think my arm's starting to go numb already.

[ The paralytic effect is apparently temporary, but running around with a bum arm is going to get annoying real quick.

At least there's one good part of all this. The flowers sure do smell sweet. ]

Numb?

[She vaguely remembers something about the thistles of this bush, and she looks down.] ... Ah, right.

[And she ducks down, careful to keep her face well away from the tangle of thorns and twigs. It's a bit delicate, as she has to keep her shoulder shoved into the side of the bush, and she's not been happier for the high collar of her coat more than this moment. Or... well, maybe a couple of times when a Beast went for her neck, but this is a close second to an actually dangerous situation like that.

The flowers do smell sweet; gentle and nice, and from the usual horrific hallucinations, something that feels... nostalgic, in a good way, starts to bubble forth. Something that reminds her of warm spring days, and the misty dawn after a Hunt.

It's a relief that she nearly gets lost in for a moment.

... Which means the branches start to bend dangerously, a few snapping back into place. Zack might want to move, or she's going to drop the whole bush on his head.]

[ That's not much of a reaction, though as Zack glances back to Maria he finds that she's wearing a strange expression. Nothing so severe as what he's already become used to seeing -- there's an easing up, as if she's just remembered something pleasant.

Not wanting to be in the path of the thorns any longer now that they've done what they came here for (once, at least), Zack takes a few careful steps back before the branches leave Maria's grip and whip back into place.

Well. That could have been bad.

He hisses, glancing down at his arm as the pins and needles set in, and he already knows that's going to be followed by the numbing sensation. ]

Just my arm. Shouldn't slow me down too much.

[ He looks from Maria's face to the flowers in her hand and back again. ]

Guess they're working as intended, then?

[The vast Cainhurst library, quiet times studying into the night...
Blasphemous murderer.

Nights in philosophical debate with the other students at Byrgenwerth
You don't deserve joy, killer.

She blinks back into herself after a moment, staring down at the flowers, vaguely aware she's being addressed. She lowers her hand with them in it.

Her tone is back to being cold and even - perhaps even more carefully so now than before.]

... Yes, I suppose. Do you think we can gather anymore, or do you just want to take what we have back and wait for your arm to heal?

[ Like it or not, Zack's comment snaps Maria out of her reverie. For someone as stoic as she's always been in their brief interactions together (which isn't much to go on, but still), it's hard not to be curious about what memories she might have been reflecting on.

They've got a job to do, though. The paralysis settling into his arm is one thing, but they're also fighting daylight. ]

I don't mind trying to find some more. The more we turn in, the better we'll be paid, right?

[ Like it or not, they've got to make money. That's what being a mercenary is all about, and he doesn't think that a bum arm will cripple him too much if they get cornered into a fight. Besides, Maria's limbs are all still working as intended, and Zack's guess is that she's more than capable of handling whatever comes her way. She's a hunter, right? ]

Yes, that is the implication. It will just be all the more difficult for you, now... [She can handle herself just fine, but helping him out might be a little more difficult, if they get into a bad enough pinch - which, it could turn into in a millisecond in a place like the Wildes, especially the ones around Dorchacht.]

But we can always return on the morrow, or something of that like, if you don't think you'll be able to take care of yourself. However, you seem to want to continue, so we will. Let me know when you start getting feeling back, I'm curious how long that'll last.

[ It's true that they could make the safer choice and just come back tomorrow after Zack's arm is back to normal, but he's stubborn enough to want to press on. Maybe that's the wrong call, but since Maria is willing to do it, he's not going to call things off. They'll just have to be extra careful. ]

Don't worry, I won't get pricked again. We know what we're dealing with now.

[ So with that he heads off, looking out for more of the bushes. There should be more around here, or so he would guess. ]

So... they actually do what people say they do? [ He poses the question while sending a quick glance at the flowers. ]

... Right. [At least one of them is heavily, and thickly clothed, given the nature of this place. For once, all six of Maria's layers have a purpose! Other than to just be Extra As Hell.

His question prompts her to look down at the flowers again. They have a nice... pleasant, warm scent. She takes a deep breath, eyes closing, and for a moment... wavers on her feet as she sees a field of freshly bloomed Lumenflowers, on a warm, moonlit night. That shifts, and she sees other things - figures and people from her younger years that she knows to be dead, or turned to Beasts. People she could sit and talk with. People she could-

... Ah, and there's Adeline.

Which makes her open her eyes.] ... Yes. The intended effect was to bring back good memories... and it does.

[Will she say what those are? Absolutely not. But she has them.] Would you like them?

[ Zack had half expected Maria to simply dodge the question instead of taking in another whiff of the flowers. Instead she lingers on the effect they have, enjoying what they offer her, though she stops short of telling him what memories she's just relived.

That's fine. Zack doesn't expect to get anyone's life story on a second meeting, but the idea of taking a pleasant stroll down memory lane does seem kind of nice.

Except... he knows Aerith will be a part of that, too. And while it will be nice in the moment, he'll just be left aching afterward. ]

Hmm...

[ A pause, and then he shakes his head and picks up the pace. ]

Maybe if we find any more, I'll give it a try. You should hold onto those. I know good memories can be hard to come by.

[That is, surprisingly, not what she was expecting him to say, and she looks up from her flower sniffing to regard him for a long moment. It's not that she thinks he's... reading her too closely or anything (she'd be a lot more hostile if she did), but the way he says it just speaks of a personal experience.

Not one she's going to ask him about, but it is something she files away in her impression of him.]

I'm not sure if these have a limited amount of... effect, though. They seemed to imply it wears out rather quickly.

[The immediate effects do, at least. Already she can feel the darkness closing in.]

Ah... there might be some more up ahead. Though I think we aren't alone.

[She says it lightly, like it's not really a threat ahead, and it's not, really. Just a small, white fox. She's pretty sure between the two of them they can handle a fox.]

[ It doesn't surprise Zack to hear that the flowers only work for so long, and that's probably for the best. If someone were to get addicted to that feeling, it could get bad pretty fast. A brief burst of a pleasant recollection is all they need.

While it doesn't take them long to find another of the thorny bushes that signal where the forget-me-nots are hidden, they've got some competition this time. Zack stops short when he spots the fox, who almost blends in given that the ground is currently dusted with snow.

It blinks at them, yet holds its ground, planted between them and the bush. ]

Huh. It's... actually pretty cute.

[ Zack doesn't want to hurt an animal, especially since it doesn't seem to be infected or anything. That feels like it's a rarity out here. ]

Maybe we can just scare it away?

[Especially bad with someone like Maria, who has already struggled with certain types of addiction before. But even the nicest memories are tinged with the bittersweet, anyway; that alone would keep them from becoming too addicting. The knowledge of how long ago things happened, how they ended, what became of everyone...

Yes, there's no way for this to be... too bad.

Either way, they're faced with a new challenge, and Maria raises an eyebrow at the little fox.] Most likely.

[So, she steps forward to shoo it off... and it decides to take cover under the nearest bush, right where the flowers are. Great.] Hey. ... Well, it's under there now. Perhaps it has a den.

[ Well, that didn't quite go as planned. Zack sighs, planting his not-numb hand on his hip as he considers what their next move should be. This forest belongs to the little fox more than it does to them and he doesn't want to disturb it in its habitat, but at the same time...

Gotta make money somehow, don't they? ]

Hmm, maybe. I don't wanna mess with its home or anything, but I guess there's no harm in taking a look.

[ So he approaches the bush, which doesn't flush the fox out. For now, at least, it's standing its ground. By now Zack's arm has gone almost completely numb, and he glances down at it with a sigh before turning to Maria. ]

Wanna switch spots this time? I'll hold the branches back with my good arm, you grab any flowers if they're there.

[She's actually about to suggest the same thing, but she barely gets her mouth open before he speaks. With that, Maria nods, and steps forward.]

Try not to get scratched again.

[She isn't being altruistic, shut up. Regardless, she has to basically lay on her stomach to fit her large frame under the bush, and she slowly starts to poke her hand under there.

She should've seen the bite coming, really. She is sticking her hand into a creature's den, but she can't think of too many other ways to get under the bush, get the fox out, and also get at the flowers.

Luckily, she's still pretty well covered, and the fox's teeth don't quite get through the thick leather of her gloves, but the pressure from it makes her jolt and back away, and curse in a language that doesn't get translated by the passive magic.

It only lasts a moment before she dives right back under the bush. There's a bunch of snarling and yelping and a few more curses from Maria, and a moment later, she's wrangled the fox out of its den, holding a squirming ball of white fur in her hands that she promptly pushes to the side and shoos off.] Gods damn it that thing can bite.

[Honestly, it should be glad Maria didn't kill it.]

Yeah, yeah...

[ It's not like Zack can be that bothered that Maria isn't letting him forget his blunder from earlier. The dead weight of his arm at his side won't let him forget it either, but he's still able to angle himself so that he can pull away the branches while Maria gets belly-down on the ground to dig into the fox's nest.

Yes, both of them should have known this was going to be the outcome. Zack winces, gritting his teeth when he realizes that he's put Maria into a position where she's getting injured, even if it's nothing more severe than some nips from a fox. He imagines she's had much, much worse, but it's hard not to feel a little guilty all the same.

She doesn't give in so quickly, though, and drags the fox out by the scruff and shoves it away. Finally, the little guy relents, darting off into the snow with its tail between its legs. ]

Look, we just need to grab something and then you can have your spot back! Man...

[ After that, Zack turns his attention back to Maria, wearing a concerned frown. ]

Sorry about that. Are you all right?

[ He seems to be more interested in her well-being than whether or not there's more flowers to be harvested. ]

I'm fine. [That comes perhaps a bit too quickly, gritted out from between her fangs, and then Maria sighs, and shakes her head. Calm down, it was just a bite. It was just a fox.

And it's not infected.] ... I'm fine. The creature doesn't look to be affected by the blight, so it should be alright. Nothing a healing spell can't take care of, later.

[And with that, she ducks back under the brush, reaching for a few more handfuls of those flowers. There's about as many under this as there were under the first, so between them both, they have a couple handfuls.] ... There, that should be enough for a decent paycheck.

[ The defensiveness from Maria would normally have Zack holding his hands up in a disarming gesture, but it's not quite the same with one arm, so he leaves it alone. It's not like he meant to cause any offense by asking after her, but she's just sort of prickly that way -- should've known.

The good news is that there's no serious injuries or infections to worry about, and they even found some more flowers, which means that disturbing the fox and paying the price for it hadn't been for nothing. ]

Hey! Guess we make a pretty good team. [ He nods to her, then looks to see if he can spot where the fox went. It probably won't wander back until they've vacated the area, though. ] Do you know any healing spells? Or will you need to head to the Coven for that?

I will be fine, but I know some healing. Would you like me to try it with you?

[It probably won't work, but she can try it.

Otherwise, she's just going to have some nasty little bruises on her hands. It's no big deal. She's been attacked by far, far worse.]

[ At no point had Zack referenced that he would need her help, mainly because he'd been hoping that this paralysis would fade away on its own. And if it didn't? Well, then he'd go to the Coven for help.

In all honestly, he wouldn't have expected Maria to know any healing magic. It just doesn't seem like it would be her thing, but now he is a little curious to see what she can do.

So he glances down at his numb arm, shrugs with his good shoulder, and then nods. ]

What's the worst that could happen?

[ Don't answer that. ]

[open] if you could only see

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