Canon Update & Catch-All

[overworker]

Who: Towa Herschel and YOU
When: January 4th, and throughout the month
Where: Mirror House, Aefenglom and Dorchacht
What: Towa's canon update takes place and she tries her best to move forward following.
Warnings: Major spoilers from Trail of Cold Steel 3 up to and including the ending especially for the first prompt, but they may come up in the latter two as well. Mentions of death and generally dark themes of betrayal, political unrest, and supernatural disaster.

I. Mirror House

[Towa had not returned to the Mirror House in quite some time, but for some reason, today she felt she simply had to go. All other plans were put off that morning so that she could return not only to the house, but to the specific mirror that she knows is her own.

Hesitantly, her fingers grace the surface of the mirror.

Months pass in her mind, but in reality, it only takes a few minutes for the mirror to impart the knowledge to her in vivid detail. Her eyes widen, a far-away glazed look in them. And when it all sinks in, the strength in her legs gives way and she drops to the floor before the mirror.

A pained wail comes out of her mouth; tears staining her cheeks. For a few moments she truly allows herself to feel the full impact of her sorrows. Of course-- she allows herself this under the impression that there's no one to see her break. But it's not as though she has the proper presence of mind to be entirely sure that that's truly the case.]

II. Aefenglom

[If it weren't for the puffy look in her eyes, one might not think anything was different than normal. She goes to a local cafe to eat-- but at one point, accidentally drops her cup; trying to pick up the pieces and cutting her hand in the process.

Or you may find her missing her step off of a curb, or tripping for not stepping high enough.

Whatever scene you find her in, it's clear that her mind is elsewhere and she's allowing it to get the better of her.]

Oh-- I'm so sorry, I can't believe I'm so clumsy...

[She's fine. Or probably will be.]

III. Dorchacht

[With the heavy weight on her mind of everything happening, Towa's ultimate goal is to stay busy. Stay strong. If not for herself, then for the sake of the others who would rely on her. That's the best thing she can do for herself right now. Not let them down.

One thing she wanted to do was verify the changes in Dorchacht. While she was skeptical that so much could have happened in such a short time when they'd struggled to make even the smallest of impacts, she would like to believe the good news. It would be nice if there was something good to celebrate.

There are others who've likely had the same idea. Seeing a face that she might recognize as one of Aefenglom's mirrorbound, she smiles weakly in greeting.]

I guess I'm not the only one who wanted to see how things were going.

IV. Wildcard

[Anything else, discussed or otherwise!]

Comments

II

[prayerwheel]

[ Tragically, Azura is still trying to figure out how the network functions, so using it to call Towa and ask if she wants to meet up is out of the question. But she also doesn't know where Towa lives, um. Well! She'll just go meandering about the shopping district for a while, her very late holiday gift in her bag.

This is not the predicament Azura hoped she would find her in. She puts her arms out to try to break Towa's fall as she topples off the curb. Good lord. ]

G-Goodness, are you quite alright?

[overworker]

[She'd expected the fall, only to feel two arms firmly hold her upright; long enough for her to regain her balance.]

S-sorry, I--

[Ah. Towa's face goes through a series of expressions. Recognition, gladness and uncertainty. Whether or not she can be considered "alright", she does feel thankful that she was able to run into an old friend like this. It's a nice distraction, really.]

Oh, Azura... I'm... I'm afraid I'm all over the place right now. Thank you for your help. It's good to see you again.

[prayerwheel]

[ .........

[x] doubt ]

Er, yes, it's nice to see you as well.

[ She's far less embarrassed about mist things at this point, thankfully. If this had been a few months earlier she may have been booking it already. ]

Are you dizzy? Do you want to sit down for a few moments?

[overworker]

[Under different circumstances, Towa probably would have been a bit flustered herself to suddenly meet with Azura like this.

But right now, the comfort of a familiar face is more important than that.]

Um... not exactly. But that might be a good idea anyway. [...] Do you mind joining me for a little bit? I could use the company.

[prayerwheel]

Of course.

[ Azura nods and will lead her over to a nearby bench. Though she doesn't sit down yet, she just studies Towa. Hmmm. What happened? ]

II

[activatingcombatmode]

[He's just minding his own business and walking along when he catches sight of the poor girl almost stepping out onto the road without looking both ways and almost getting run over by a travelling horse-drawn carriage.

Luckily Zack's just close enough to reach out and grab her arm and tug her back before it's too late and she becomes a Towa-pancake.]

Towa! Watch it-!

[The horses trample by noisily...]

Are you alright?

[overworker]

Ah--!

[The horses pass in a rush, as she realizes how close she'd been to causing a terrible accident. She looks back at Zack apologetically.]

I'm so sorry, thank you for stepping in there. I...

[Saying she's alright-- can she really do that after something like that?]

I... I'm going to be okay. I'm just a little... out of it, right now. There's just a lot going on in my mind.

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack raises a concerned eyebrow.]

Yeah, I can tell. You don't seem like the type to space out like that usually. Are you sure you're gonna be okay?

[overworker]

It might be smarter for me to sit down for a while, before I cause anyone any more trouble.

[The truth is, she doesn't have a destination in mind, so she can't do anything but wander aimlessly. It might be better if she doesn't at all, then.]

i.

[kivatteru]

[ Fate willed that Wataru would be in the Mirror House that day on a leisure exploring whim as he got a day off work. Never did he consider the fact he would hear the wail of a girl bounce through the walls, knocking him out of his reverie, but here he is-

... And that's Towa over there, crying her heart out, in front of the mirror he supposes is hers. She must have seen... something terrible. Such a friendly and cheerful girl wouldn't be easily turned into a crying mess, right?

He carefully approaches her, until he's close enough to hover a hand over her arm, not touching it yet. ]

Hey, Towa... it's me, Wataru. What happened?

[overworker]

[Not easily no, and as soon as she realizes that she wasn't alone, she tries to sniffle and clean herself up as best as she can. Even though she knows Wataru and doesn't think he'd judge her any for it, she doesn't really want to put him through seeing her like this.

But it's not something that's easily bottled up either. Her best efforts can keep some of it down, but it's a little late to pretend nothing happened.]

For some reason I felt this need to come here and... the mirror... showed me what's going on back home. And it's... bad.

[It's a grave understatement, but an honest answer.]

[kivatteru]

[ His blood runs cold for a moment. He never got tempted to look into his own mirror before, but if it's something that might likely happen to him, especially if it'll show something awful happening in his world... that's not good at all. Maybe it wouldn't break his spirit, but it will no doubt put him into a state of unrest for a while.

More importantly, this is not about him - there's a girl who needs comfort, and the hand that had been hesitating to touch her gently starts rubbing her arm now. ]

I'm sorry. If you want to talk about it, I can listen.

[ There's not a lot he knows about Towa, but for her sake he'll be around.

Oh, and... ]

Maybe we should get out of here first. [ It'd be best if she wasn't near her mirror right now. ]

[overworker]

[At the moment, she doesn't even know where to begin. It's still such a convoluted mess in her mind. But she feels incredibly grateful to have someone who would stay and listen to her, even though the problems were entirely her own.

With that in mind, she feels like she should.]

Right... not here. Um... I could use some fresh air. I think that will help me get my thoughts in order.

ii

[integrous]

[ It's hard to not notice the loud sound of something shattering in the middle of the cafe. But to Asahi's surprise she notices that she actually recognizes the person who dropped the cup when she turns her head to look.

And when she notices Towa moving to try and pick up the pieces, Asahi quickly stands up and abandons her own seat, crouching next to the pieces to try and help the other girl. She may not know Towa well, but the girl has seemed nice enough that she should at least help.

Especially when she notices Towa's hand bleeding. She drops the pieces she was holding off on the table so she can instead grab the other girl's hand. ]

Hey, stop for a moment, you're hurt.

[overworker]

[Towa had been in such a hurry to try and fix her mess that she hadn't even realized that she was hurt. What she had been so worried about was making sure that it didn't cause any trouble for others.

So when Asahi points out her wound, she blinks and stops for a moment, looking at her own hand.]

Ah-- I hadn't even realized...

[But sure enough, when she stops long enough to let it sink in, the pain is there.]

[integrous]

Come on, you have to take care of that first.

[ She lets go of Towa's hand now the other has noticed the cut, and instead quickly gathers up the big pieces to put them on the table. ]

Let's go clean it in the bathroom, okay? You don't want that to get infected.

[overworker]

[Part of Towa hesitates to leave them there without saying something, but upon Asahi's insistence, she decides the other girl is right. She should clean it up before there's any more messes.

So she nods, and goes with her towards the bathroom in the back of the cafe.]

Th-thankfully it doesn't seem too bad. But... thank you, for coming to help me back there.

ii!!

[usurpers]

[ eren almost forgets to return towa her scarf. with most of elliot better from the fever, enchantments return with greater frequency. his tattoos, his clothes, even the heating stone sokie has gifted, gloves from caren (that he’s removing once he’s in), and the new copper scarf around his neck (from best girl herself)— it’s all offering him the proper heat to stay awake this month and much farther away from any brumating.

on top of lex’s unceasing and now shared boner, things are hot and he’s vibrant with colored scales to attract the right attention. tracking towa’s taste to a café probably took him all morning, but eren’s soon whisking the door open to find her. walking over he does, the scarf held in the same hand a small package seems to be in, and—

then she falls. the cup shatters, and eren’s already picking up the pace for not one, but two reasons: towa, and broken, sharp cup shards. it takes a little more than a shred of self control not to go for the glass first, crouching down to extend ice blue, crystal-textured fingers and talons to her, what used to be black and pearl is scraping and peeling off him like shedding skin (his horns are the same, the granite color seeming pale and flaky; beneath them is the same striking, crystal ice).

when she reaches for the piece that cuts her, eren takes an inhale and turns his face, trying to get a hold of the girl’s wrist and shaking it, for her to let go. perfect. like he needed to smell witch blood! ]

I’ll get these, [ he says, a little strained and with a swallow, one that his tongue can’t help but to follow with the flick in the direction of the scratch. looking around, he yanks a napkin off of a passerby’s tray (in which they don’t seem too happy about), eren grumbles at whoever complains to get themselves moving. the napkin, in turn, is held out to her to take: ] use this.

[overworker]

[Towa had been so focused on trying to clean up her own mess that she hadn't recognized Eren until he'd swooped in to assist her.

Familiar with his love for sharp things, having heard as much from Elliot during the raging snow storm last month that trapped them all inside for a while, she thinks at first that maybe that was his intent from the start. Not that the glass is hers to give him though. It only takes a bit of shaking to get her to drop the piece.

But when he hands her a napkin, she blinks and looks at it for a moment before she realizes why. Her hand-- there's a definite stinging pain to it, but one that had been easy enough to ignore when she was trying to focus on the clean up. She hadn't realized it was as bad as it was. Quickly, she presses the napkin to the cut, wincing a bit.]

Th-thank you... [She feels bad for making him do the work. Hopefully he'll at least be able to keep the pieces that were clean. She intended to pay for the cup anyway.]

[usurpers]

[ ummm if eren is taking the cup and putting it in his poncho pocket, blood and all (look at him go), that means he’s paying for it. a goldfinch harpy waitress comes along to take over the mess, fussing it’s fine! it’s fine, dears! until eren finishes scooping up the remains and offers a few coins to her that should cover the glass. and a new cup of coffee.

the harpy chirps once she’s soaked up the mess left splattered, bowing her head with thanks and ushering the extra change back to the register. in the mean time, eren. tries not to look at the witch’s hand, even though when his tongue flicks, it just goes in. that direction. frequency rises in it, but eren— breathes, with a hand on her back and talons brushing her arm, he gestures for her to rise. ]

She’s bringing another one to you. [ he says as he watches the harpy fix up a new one behind the counter. ] Sit back until then. You look like hell.

[overworker]

[The will she'd normally have to fight that just isn't with her today. Her mouth opens to say something, but before she can find her voice it's already been done so all she can do is close it again. At least she can be glad that the waitress doesn't seem upset at all over the loss of the cup.

With his guidance, she stands, only to heed his advice and return to her chair.

The harsh reality is that he's completely right. Whether she can see it or not, she knows he's right. Because she can feel it inside of herself.]

Thank you.

[She knows she sounds like a broken record, but it bears repeating. That, and it takes her a few moments to come up with something a bit more intelligent.]

I've... had better days, yeah. I... feel like hell.

[Gehenna might as well soon swallow her and her entire country up-- if not the whole continent. It seems appropriate, in a sad way.]

IV (with some II flavor)

[thirdbeauty]

[It's been a little while since Natsuru's made time to visit Towa. But that's not the only reason she finds herself wandering in the direction of the house where her Bonded Witch lives, today.

Lately, she's just had a very strong feeling of something being... wrong. She's not the best at this, but she gets a very strong sense of what feels like distress and sadness. Even just feeling the echoes of it shook her to her core at first.

Her own sadness and concern crept in when she realized she must be feeling something from Towa. And she didn't know what to do. Sending a message felt so impersonal, but would it really be okay to show up unannounced at a time like this?

What made up her mind for her was an aching sense of loneliness. Whether it was her own or Towa's, she couldn't tell. But it gave her the motivation to be here now, approaching the door of Towa's home and hoping she'd be there to answer.

A bit lost in thought herself, she miscalculates a step, and a taller girl nearby stumbles and bumps into her.]

E-Excuse m-...

[A short taller girl, she notices immediately. Most people are taller than Natsuru nowadays, but usually even taller than this. That height is the first hint, before she takes another look and recognizes who it is.]

Ah? Towa-san?!

[The moment she realizes, Natsuru reaches out as if to belatedly stabilize her tripped-up friend. It unconsciously turns into something of a comforting gesture too, like a signal that she's here for Towa no matter what she might need.]

Are you okay...?

[overworker]

[While Towa tried to act like she’s alright, she knows that the truth is quite the opposite. However, what’s wrong isn’t something that anyone, herself included could do anything about right now— or ever, in some cases. With that in mind, she doesn’t want to worry anyone more than she has to over something that can’t be fixed.

Unfortunately for her she’s not very good at hiding such things, and even less so at hiding them when she’s asked directly.

Bumping into Natsuru was something of a surprise— if only because she’s been too scatterbrained to really feel out the Bond and where she was. For a moment there’s a look on her face like she’s digging for some kind of answer but—]

Um, well— that’s... not an easy question to answer, I guess. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m not hurt. But I’ve... had a lot on my mind lately. Th-thanks for catching me though. Sorry, you’d think I’d be used to the steps of my own house...

[thirdbeauty]

[The urgent panic of the moment having passed, Natsuru starts to blush when Towa thanks her.]

It's, um... it's nothing...

[Flustered as she might get, she doesn't move to back away. If anything, it feels more important to be close to Towa right now.]

Can I... come in too? It's been a while, and I just... I wanted to see you.

[She's blushing even more now. She doesn't speak them out loud, but Towa hasn't put her worries to rest at all. She's really concerned about what she felt. If she can help at all, even just by being close by...]

[overworker]

[Natsuru is so cute... there’s no way she can turn her down. It has been a while since the two of them have really been able to spend time together. Trying to shake off that sad feeling, she smiles a little.]

Of course!I know it hasn’t really been that long or anything but... I’ve missed you.

[She’s a little more sensitive to it now— just how lonely she’s been without certain people around.]

Come on in!

[Towa will hold the door for her.]