june catch-all; quests and more

[topslug]

Who: Yako Katsuragi + Others (TBD)
When: Throughout June Iuneril
Where: All over Aefenglom.
What: Your friendly neighborhood catch-all.
Warnings: TBD

[ I'll just be using this log for various individual top-levels and custom starters through the month and add them below as I go!. I write in prose because that's what I'm used to, but I can adjust to match. ]

1. Do it with Class

Although it's her second month here, Yako still hasn't made that much progress as far as spellcasting goes. The best progress she's made thus far is in enchantment, though for the most part, she's only practiced enchanting food and doesn't have much in the way of combat applications.

In Abjuration class, she looks a bit nervous when she's paired up with someone, giving them a sheepish look as she readies her focus.

"So, ah, do you want to practice blocking first, or should I?"

In Divination class, her fingers are covered with specks of pale yellow light, but when she shakes them off her fingers, they only drift down lazily onto the ground instead of pointing in any particular direction -- certainly not leading towards whatever hidden object they're supposed to be looking for. She sighs, shaking her head and glancing up at whoever's nearby.

"No good ... I can't get the spell to focus right. How about you? Any luck?"

It's in Transmutation class that she finds a surprising bit of luck: as she concentrates on the shattered teacup in front of her on the table, the pinpricks of light that seem to be her signature magic alighting on the ceramic, some of the pieces of shattered porcelain suddenly snap together in front of her, making her jump and lose concentration -- and it falls apart all over again. Still, she's elated.

"Did you see that?!"

Alternatively, you might catch her after classes end, holding a tray of various baked goods and a clipboard by a doorway. If you make the mistake of making eye contact or even coming too close, she'll perk up and step over.

"Excuse me, but would you mind trying one of these enchanted pastries and rating them? Um, the effects are temporary and nothing bad, I promise -- I just need to know how effective they are."

2. Lost in a Good Book

Early in the month, Yako can be easily found in Undermael College, sitting at one of the tables with a book open in front of her and some scattered notes scrawled all over in a girlishly rounded script. Some of it is information on basic spells and invocations taught in the Coven classes, but there's also a roughly doodled sketch of some kind of globe on one corner, and she seems to be intent on her work ... so much so that she's muttering under her breath.

Those close enough or possessed of keener hearing might catch something about 'leylines' or 'divination' or, more perplexingly perhaps, something about the ideal ratio of dry to wet ingredients ... but either way, as quiet as she may be trying to make it, it's a little bit disruptive.

3. Wiped Out

Closer towards the evenings, though, will see Yako straight up passed out on top of her work, pen beginning to leave a growing ink-stain on paper as she snores softly. Will you wake her up kindly and send her on her way, or be a bit more rude?

4. How Does Your Garden Grow?

In the Shopping District, Yako can be found intently browsing through a selection of ... plants? She hasn't picked up any from the shelves and planters yet, but she seems to be quite serious about looking through them -- so much so that she doesn't realize there's someone right beside her.

"Oh, sorry -- I didn't mean to get in your way. I'm having a hard time deciding what I should get for the garden."

???. Wildcard

[ None of these work for you? Want to write your own starter? Hit me up on the CR Meme, let's make something happen. ]

Comments

[topslug]

'Ritsu' just seems so familiar, though ...! She'll settle on some compromise that works for both of them later. For now, she puts her feet down to hold the bike steady while gives him a jaunty wink, showily tipping the brim of her hat.

"Even witches have to pay the bills, you know! And enchanted food doesn't really fill your stomach..." The last is said in a mutter, but she sighs, dropping her hand back onto the handlebars. "I'm actually heading back to the Coven after this -- what about you? Do you need a ride anywhere?"

[nemuru]

He chuckles at her wink, rocking back on his feet a little. Hm~mm, well, he didn't really have anywhere he was going; the Coven's as good a place as any, and maybe he can get some help for the itchiness down his back where he can just feel more fur coming in at. It's honestly really, really unsettling, and he isn't sure if it's a real feeling, or if it's because he knows things are changing. Sort of like how you become acutely aware that there's a bug on you when you see it and can feel its legs, or when you're told about spiders crawling on people and you can just imagine the sensation. Or when you watch that one video of someone disturbing a nest of harvestmen bugs and they all scatter.

He isn't really susceptible to that kind of stuff, but it gives him a bit of a chill nonetheless.

"Ahh, seems like it's my lucky day~," he replies with a bit of a grin, head tilting against his shoulder. "I was headin' that way too... You really gonna give me a ride?"

Wait, pause. Glancing at her bike.

"Can you really fit two people on that?"

[topslug]

Thankfully, this one is a pretty ordinary-looking bike relative to some of the ones wheeling around, but it does have a distinct lack of places for a second passenger to hop on. But Yako pats the crossbar between the seat and handlebars, scooting a little back in her seat to give more room.

“It won’t be the most comfortable ride, but if you sit sideways close by the bars and hold your feet out of the way, we should manage just fine.” How does she know this? Well, some of the neighborhood kids are about as friendly and daring as the ones they met that first night, and insist on getting free rides from one end of the street to the other...

[nemuru]

"Yako-chan's experienced, huh~? Maybe I should call you senpai." ...That said, he does carefully get up as instructed; he can feel his tail pressed up against his back and is grateful, as ever, to have found less tight clothing in the city. Shopping sucks, so he'd really rather not do it-

he treats Yako to a happy sigh, resting against her as comfortably as he can manage. Head curled against her shoulder, an arm loose around her waist primarily because he doesn't want to chance falling off... Perfect. "'Kay, I'm good, let's go...♪"

oop, mini timeskip time

[topslug]

"Don't idols get to ride bikes to school too?" Yako can't help but laugh, though she's surprised when Ritsu tucks himself in all cozily, making himself right at home.

"Hey ... you're not planning on falling asleep there, are you?" The reproach lacks any real bite to it, though, especially as once she's recalibrated her center of balance, she doesn't waste any time in getting them underway, pushing off the ground and pedaling to keep the momentum going forward.

The layers of cloth go some way to making her a more comfy makeshift pillow, seeing as she's not particularly ahem gifted as far as certain assets go, but she seems to possess a surprising amount of strength and has little trouble steering the bike with an extra passenger along. Inexplicably, this close, the scent of sugar and tart fruit seems to lie close to her, like she's carrying around her own personal haze smelling of freshly-baked goods.

Not that Ritsu can stay that relaxed for long -- Yako has to nudge him off her from time to time so she can actually drop mail off, sometimes leaving it in mailboxes, at other times handing it over the fence to smiling homeowners who are clearly already familiar with her face (and have a curious look or two to spare for Ritsu). There aren't any questions, though, and after the last drop off, Yako points them in the direction of the Coven.

[nemuru]

Just like Mao - she might reproach, but she doesn't mean it, and he shakes his head briefly before they're off. He does nap a bit though, stirring when she nudges him off so she can do her job; he doesn't complain too much either, a grumble here or there, but at the end of the day he's happy to be able to cuddle up close to someone at long last. Admitting that that's what he wants is a little too honest though, given what he knows of rabbits (they die if they're left alone), so he banishes the thought and just relaxes with the steady feel of Yako's breathing by him and the sweet smell of goods that surrounds her.

He wonders if she tastes like that, too, but he's kind enough to wait until her last stop to turn his head up a little, just enough so his lips are dangerously close to her throat.

"Hey, Yako-chan... Can I bite you?" Mmm. "You smell really good..♪ I wanna know if your blood tastes ju~st as good."

[topslug]

Well, that’s unexpected enough to make Yako’s hands jerk on the handlebars, taking them into a mildly alarming swerve before she recovers her equilibrium enough to get them back on (slightly wobbly) course. This close, there’s no hiding the way her pulse has shot up, but her tone is adamant and firm.

“Absolutely not.” No fangs in flesh for you today, sir! Or certainly not in Yako’s flesh. “To begin with, I’m sure my blood doesn’t taste of anything other than, er, blood. Second of all, drinking witch blood can be dangerous for monsters. Don’t tell me you’ve just been going around asking everyone if you can suck their blood...”

On the one hand it wouldn’t surprise her, but still!

[nemuru]

Uwah, an even tastier reaction - well, an even more fun one, but Ritsu presses his forehead to her neck instead, liking the feel of her pulse beneath it, his arm tighter around her slightly from his brief panic at their swerve. If they were closer, she'd get his mouth; so, well, be thankful this is the extent of their friendship right now.

"Blood always tastes different, actually... I can smell it." Just a correction there. "But, mmm, I totally forgot that thing about witch blood... I haven't been asking just anyone though, don't worry. I mean, it's been really hard not to - I'm really thirsty and tired, y'know? - but I'm behaving. Promise."

...He sounds genuine about that, at least, because he is; he's just been trying to adjust in other, less bloodsucking ways. Having only a limited amount of people he actually knows in this city has pushed him towards that, and the people he does know aren't really on his ~would love to bite~ list. His brother, his brother's unitmates, that pink kid, Lucifer-chan... Lucifer-chan gets close at least, being easy enough to sucker into it, but no luck with the rest of them.

"'kay, though. If you ever change your mind, lemme know. It doesn't hurt." Much. "I'm really gentle - Anzu never complained... Well, she usually just gave herself a papercut or something and let me drink from her like that, not actually bite her, I guess."

aaa sorry for the delay, it's been a busy week

[topslug]

Just how many people's blood has Ritsu had the chance to drink? Probably better not to ask, Yako thinks, and she's not sure she entirely takes Ritsu for his word about 'behaving,' but it's not as though there's been anything to contradict that, too.

Her huff of resignation stirs his hair as she steers them back on the path to the Coven. "If you're thirsty and tired, a little blood from a papercut isn't going to help that, you know," she tells him, heartbeat evening out to the normal elevated rate one might expect of someone pedaling a bike with a (mostly) grown man along. "You should get some real food in you. And water."

But then again, she's biased, because she thinks food is the answer to everything. Health lecture over, it doesn't take them much longer before they've arrived at the Coven and she nudges Ritsu off the bike.

"Well, here's our stop," she tells him, walking the bike over to where she can set it in place, to be retrieved later. "I'm going to try out that Bond-testing thing they said they were going to do today ... what about you?"

for the both of us.

[nemuru]

It reminds him, a little, of Mao's fussing, and he just hums at her lecture, just the same he might as him; it's much easier to rest when she's not nudging him off every so often to drop off mail, but he stays awake this time, watching the buildings and people pass on their way up. He gets off the bike easily too, stretching his arms above his head in a bit of an over-the-top manner - thinking, really, about her question.

"...That's the one that needs a partner, right?" Well, Bonds in general do - if he remembers right. She seems pretty friendly, so she'd probably be okay with just having a stranger as a temporary partner; she hadn't shied away from hanging out with him after all, or jumping through fire with him, or anything. Sun-like people never mind who they latch onto, even if that person is a denizen of the night, someone born with one foot in the grave and sinking into the soil beneath the moonlight...

Ritsu slings his arms around her waist, just to set his chin on her shoulder more comfortably. "Lemme come with. It sounds kinda interesting, and I guess if I'm one of those Monster things, I should probably get used to the idea of one or whatever... Since I guess it's supposed to help somehow."

ritsu pls don't go to the grave while yako's talking to you

[topslug]

"That's the one," Yako confirms, only to huff as Ritsu ever-so-casually uses her as a chinrest. Still, it's more in aggravation at the attention it draws to their heigh difference than anything else, and she doesn't pull away. She set the tone for that anyay, with how she'd reached out to him during their first meeting, and it's not as though his hands are sliding anywhere inappropriate, so she'll deal with it, taking advantage of the closeness he's enforced to elbow him good-naturedly in the side.

"It's open to anyone, you know, so you can just walk in if you want to," she tells him, though she follows it up with a smile. "I wouldn't mind the company, though. It'll be my first time, so it should be easier with someone I already know."

So be gentle, Ritsu, okay?

i really hate to say this but this is just how akira writes and i am merely staying faithful-

[nemuru]

"Yako-chan, that huuurt, you're so mean..." A little over-dramatic with the whining, because it didn't really hurt that badly - he still stumbles back a bit, clutching side, looking absolutely betrayed.

It doesn't last, given her next words and the mischievous glint that shines in his eyes. "But aaa-aahh, I'm gonna be Yako-chan's first, huh...~? You'll be my first too," and the way he says it makes it sound a little less innocent than it is, voice low and sweet, "so let's figure it out together, okay?"

[topslug]

Yako can be a bit thick with innuendo, sometimes, but even that's laid on too heavily for her to miss and she sputters, wrinkling her nose at Ritsu like a child (though he's acting like a child himself, with his histrionics and everything).

"You know I didn't mean it like that," she protests, and more mild bickering and teasing might follow as they make their way into the Coven's basement, where they're given the brief orientation on what exactly they'll be doing here and reassurance that everything's perfectly safe. Yako listens attentively, then it's time to line up for a dose of the potions, which goes faster for them since they're already paired and don't have to mingle to try to find a willing partner.

Holding her vial, Yako gives it a ginger sniff, but can't find anything offensive about it -- and it's not like the Witches would play a trick on them now of all times, right?

"Well," she says, raising it to him in a mock-toast. "At least we don't have a chance of being set on fire this time, right?" So arguably, Ritsu's already done more questionable things with her. How quickly she downs it betrays the slight nervousness she has as readily as the connection between them will, though it's also mixed with an avid curiosity.

[nemuru]

He chuckles good-naturedly at her protest, but becomes a little more subdued as they hit the basement; while he doesn't seem like he's paying much attention to the explanation, he has, and -

if he's honest, he isn't sure how he feels about the whole business, what having a Bond entails. He said he'd do it with Yako though, and he raises his own vial in a similar toast. "At least there's that," he agrees, a little soft, and imbibes his silvery mixture at the same time.

It's an odd sensation, feeling her nervousness - her curiosity - but knowing it isn't his own; it sort of bounces against his own hesitation he has about Bonding, even temporary. An odd mix, but he realizes quickly enough that if he can feel her, she can feel him - and he exhales, reminding himself it doesn't last forever. It's fine.

The worry slips away like sand between his fingers, and he waves his vial idly.

"Feel any different, Yako-chan?"

[topslug]

The answer is yes, of course — as surely as Ritsu must be feeling different, too — but feeling things is one thing and being able to describe it is another. It’s the second that Yako is at a loss for, even as the emotions of another person nestle side by side to her own in her chest. It’s not as intense as she feared it would be, and she feels herself relax in turn, shedding the anxiety she’d felt so only a faint sense of awe and inquisitiveness remains.

“Not as different as I thought I would,” she answers honestly. As for Ritsu, as the temporary Bond settles, he’ll begin growing dimly aware of a low-level desire for food, whether or not he had an appetite before.

[nemuru]

He didn't, not quite, so the feeling of it beginning to emerge makes a crooked smile draw across his face - it's weird to be hungry when he wasn't before, isn't sure that he is now... It half reminds him of when he'd like a little fresh blood, but she already rejected him on that - a Bond, temporary or not, wouldn't change it.

Probably.

"Did being nervous make you hungry, Yako-chan, or..." A little fufun. "Well, seein' as you tore right through all those food stalls last month, are you just a foodie...? I have a junior just like that."

A junior he's fond of, evident through the faint warmth in their Bond as he speaks about him.

"Mmm, whatever... Doesn't matter to me. Let's hit the town, grab some food, and see what this Bond thing's all like. Lasts all day, right? They can't just keep us here the whole time."

[topslug]

Wait ... he can feel that? Yako doesn’t have much time to be surprised before she snaps to attention and nods at his suggestion.

“R-right! I think they said it lasts about twenty-four hours...” If he’s willing to leave the subject of her appetite behind, so is she. The best way to test a Bond would be to actually go out and see what it feels like when it’s actually in situations she can’t control, unlike the relative sterility of the Coven.

“Let’s go, then.” It’s easy enough to notify the supervising Witch they’re heading out, though Yako does have a question once they’re back on ground level.

“Did you want to ride the bike again, or walk down?”

[nemuru]

"Bike," is the near automatic response. It's faster, he has to do less work, and he can cuddle up to her. Very comfy. "You'd have to walk it around anyway, right? We might as well just ride it around while you've got it..."

...There's that reasoning too, which he assumes will go over better than 'I don't like walking, coddle and spoil me, please' in the long run.

[topslug]

Pretty predictable answer, which Yako should have expected. She doesn't see any reason to disagree with that, though -- her assent coming through the Bond already before she affirms it with a nod -- and it's a short trip over to where she's left the bike, moving to resume their previous positions.

Still, they probably should have practiced making physical contact that wasn't as full beforehand, because Ritsu's arm wrapping around her to secure himself draws Yako up short, jolting up in her seat and knocking his arm askew. The action is reflexive, more out of surprise than pain, because it felt ... well, it felt surprisingly good, to touch, and that's startling in itself.

"Did that ... feel different to you too?" she asks, tentative.

[nemuru]

Ritsu is startled in three parts: the suddenness of the movement, the surprise flashing across their bond, and ... it did feel good. He's no stranger to physical contact, liking it on his own terms, but it doesn't usually send such a wave of- ah, it feels lewd to call it pleasure, but he can't think of anything else to call it. Ritsu rubs his arm, blinking slowly, and - with more purpose, this time - slides his arm around Yako to secure himself.

It feels more than good, and he makes no effort in resisting the urge to deadweight against her, laughing softly.

"Yeah, definitely...~" And he's having a good time with it, even if he's not sure- why? It feels like this- oh, well, wait, what's different with them right now- "Mmm... Bond?"

...The Bond's fault, he means, he's just too lazy to say more than that.