diceofthegods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
diceofthegods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
childrenofbahamutlogs2024-11-01 12:15 pm
diceofthegods) wrote in childrenofbahamutlogs2024-11-01 12:15 pm
EVENT #1: FAE FESTIVITIES
INTO THE WOODS
Click Clock Wood (Spring) by Grant Kirkhope
2:05 / 4:59
▶︎
Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.
After making your way through the tiny farming town of Ich and out towards the rim of a massive raised crater, you will find yourself being led through a narrow split in the canyon wall. Inside, glow worms cling to the ceiling and create the illusion of a thousand twinkling stars above the moistened rocks.
When you finally emerge, it is into an impossibly lush landscape of massive, redwood-sized tangling trees and a soft moss carpet. Life abounds here. It feels like an oasis of birdsong and animal activity.
A short walk leads you to the prepared party-grounds. A large clearing with quaint huts all around decorated with strange flowers for partygoers to rest or otherwise entertain themselves.
There appear to be several games and stalls set up, the sweet and savory scents of delicious food fills the air, and so do the patrons of the forest. Seemingly hundreds of Fae folk zip around and greet the newcomers excitedly by placing garlands of vines and crowns of flowers atop their heads.
Glowing flowers and toadstools light your way here. It also seems that even the animals get in on the festivities! Really, just about everything talks here. Almost everything, anyways! Talking to a tree stump might not yield many results but you're welcome to try.
Each entrant is also provided upon arrival a copy of The Rules. A rolled parchment that resists water or any other damage. It also prevents you from writing on it so you can't just do what you want.
The rules read as follows:
When you finally emerge, it is into an impossibly lush landscape of massive, redwood-sized tangling trees and a soft moss carpet. Life abounds here. It feels like an oasis of birdsong and animal activity.
A short walk leads you to the prepared party-grounds. A large clearing with quaint huts all around decorated with strange flowers for partygoers to rest or otherwise entertain themselves.
There appear to be several games and stalls set up, the sweet and savory scents of delicious food fills the air, and so do the patrons of the forest. Seemingly hundreds of Fae folk zip around and greet the newcomers excitedly by placing garlands of vines and crowns of flowers atop their heads.
Glowing flowers and toadstools light your way here. It also seems that even the animals get in on the festivities! Really, just about everything talks here. Almost everything, anyways! Talking to a tree stump might not yield many results but you're welcome to try.
Each entrant is also provided upon arrival a copy of The Rules. A rolled parchment that resists water or any other damage. It also prevents you from writing on it so you can't just do what you want.
The rules read as follows:
- DO:
- ⁂ Accept gifts from the Fae.
⁂ Sample the food provided at the party ONLY.
⁂ Play games with the Fae.
⁂ Feel at ease to rest in the provided huts.
⁂ Keep tabs on your shadow lest it wander.
- ⁂ Make a TRADE with the Fae.
⁂ Provide any personal items as gifts or otherwise to the Fae.
⁂ Provide your true name to the Fae.
⁂ Wander away from the designated party area.
⁂ Ascend any staircases you find in the woods.
- ⁂ If you see an old woman hiking through the area, feel free to stop her and lie to her. The more brazen and obvious the lie the better. She appreciates this!
GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT
Amongst the games and attractions are a variety of fun possibilities!
GAMES
- ⁂ Battleship! (Fae Style!) A number of Fae will be hiding on a large grid of flowers. You guess the locations and if you are correct then you will win a small prize! It is a cup of nectar that refills endlessly, and numbs any pains you may have. This works even outside of the forest and can be taken home.
Every time you miss though, you receive a small 'curse.' Nothing harmful! Maybe you’re just rotating in place for the next hour, your ears become daisies, or you grow a tree out of your head? (Feel free to come up with your own silly ideas!) All of the curses will dissipate after a time or upon leaving the forest and none will do any harm or cause pain. The Fae are all about fun tricks, not hurting anyone!
⁂ Dress Up Darlings! You enter a booth and allow the Fae to decide your outfit! Upon the agreement that you'll wear it the rest of the party, of course, no matter how silly or ridiculous it is.
⁂ Bobbing For Onions! Yes, you read that right. Bobbing for onions. There are onions floating around... in water. You have to catch them with your teeth. The prize for success is a Bag of Onions. This bag never runs out of onions. They are always fresh and always onions. Not always the same kind of onion, but always onions nonetheless. This bag works outside of the forest and can be taken home.
⁂ What's In The Box? There is a box. There is something in it. Maybe it's frogs. Maybe it's slugs. Possibly bugs? Maybe apples. We don’t know. Stick your hand in the box and take a guess at what you’re touching! If you’re right, you win the contents of the box!
We'll let players decide via coin flip, rolls, or however they want if their guess is correct! Any items won though will be common, every day items like mentioned and nothing especially exciting. Unless you're really into frogs. Then it's your lucky day, apparently!
ENTERTAINMENT
- ⁂ Slayd & The Possums! Slayd is here and he’s throwing down the banjo tunes with his possum pals. Feel free to join him if you are musically inclined! The Fae will provide any instrument your heart desires! They can't grant you the ability to play it though if you don't know how.
⁂ The Crowning of the King of Misrule! Randomly chosen by the Fae, enter a lottery to be chosen as the King of Misrule for the evening. You will be dressed in a stupid outfit and granted Fae wings for the night! You also have the insatiable urge to play harmless pranks on people. The Fae will also give you a "Special Gift" at the end of the party...
FOR THE FOOLISH
Ahh, but there are rule breakers amongst us aren't there? If you choose to sneak away from the party, chances are nobody will stop you; however, you are now on your own in the Talahee Forest.
The first layer of the forest is very much similar to what you have already seen. Everything is coated in a thick mat of moss and trees wind away like a massive birds nest to form the canopy above. The faint sounds of animals can still be heard. Up here, you may encounter Fae who did not attend the party. They'll ask you your name and other personal details.
Best that you lie.
The further in that you head, the darker the forest gets. It seems you are following a downward slope. The trees get bigger here, as do the insects and toadstools. Bioluminescence rules down here it seems. You may encounter stranger creatures here. Ones that will try to make very tempting trades for your personal belongings. Things that will seem like an amazing deal to you. They offer magical items of great power, or even personal effects from home.
Don't be fooled though. These objects are cursed, and are not at all what they seem. You have the distinct feeling of being watched at all times here.
⁂ Possible Encounters: Owlbear, Displacer Beast, Giant Badger
Are you getting smaller or is everything else getting bigger? Were Slayd here, he would have told you about the concept of Deep Forest Gigantism. The deeper you go - just like the ocean - the larger that the flora and fauna get.
You are dwarfed by the mushrooms here in the pitch darkness and only guided by the latent glow of the creatures and fungi that dwell here. Bugs the size of house-cats skitter in your wake. Are you sure you want to be here? Should you encounter anything larger, you’d best stay silent. Or run!
⁂ Possible Encounters: Giant predatory Elk (RUN), Rodents of Unusual Size, Extra Large Bugs
The trees seem to clear out here as you reach the bottom of the forest. There is no light here so hope you brought a match. The landscape down here is a blanket of moss dotted with countless shallow pools. Looking into one of these pools, you will see your reflection... though it may look different in some way.
You will feel extremely compelled to reach down and touch the reflection in the water. Should you give in, you feel as though your world is turning upside down. You could receive memories not quite your own. Memories of a different version of you, even! (CRAU, Canon Update, or Canon AU!)
Yet, you will be experiencing them as your own. A long time could pass in your mind while only seconds have only elapsed in reality. Upon waking, you will find that you have been ejected from the party and the forest entirely. You find yourself at the entrance to the crater. Disoriented, and compelled not to re-enter, you have only yourself to blame as you must shamble your way home with this burdensome knowledge.
FIRST LAYER
Rak'tika Greatwood Theme ( Civilizations ) by Masayoshi Soken
4:34 / 5:15
▶︎
"Civilizations" prominently features a female vocalist. The lyrics are in the Ronkan language, and has not been officially translated.
The first layer of the forest is very much similar to what you have already seen. Everything is coated in a thick mat of moss and trees wind away like a massive birds nest to form the canopy above. The faint sounds of animals can still be heard. Up here, you may encounter Fae who did not attend the party. They'll ask you your name and other personal details.
Best that you lie.
SECOND LAYER
Click Clock Wood (Autumn) by Grant Kirkhope
1:12 / 4:11
▶︎
Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.
The further in that you head, the darker the forest gets. It seems you are following a downward slope. The trees get bigger here, as do the insects and toadstools. Bioluminescence rules down here it seems. You may encounter stranger creatures here. Ones that will try to make very tempting trades for your personal belongings. Things that will seem like an amazing deal to you. They offer magical items of great power, or even personal effects from home.
Don't be fooled though. These objects are cursed, and are not at all what they seem. You have the distinct feeling of being watched at all times here.
⁂ Possible Encounters: Owlbear, Displacer Beast, Giant Badger
THIRD LAYER
Saint Mocianne's Arboretum (Hard) by Masayoshi Soken
2:50 / 5:10
▶︎
...hordes of aggressive plant life exposed to the strange substance stand between you and the information you seek.
Are you getting smaller or is everything else getting bigger? Were Slayd here, he would have told you about the concept of Deep Forest Gigantism. The deeper you go - just like the ocean - the larger that the flora and fauna get.
You are dwarfed by the mushrooms here in the pitch darkness and only guided by the latent glow of the creatures and fungi that dwell here. Bugs the size of house-cats skitter in your wake. Are you sure you want to be here? Should you encounter anything larger, you’d best stay silent. Or run!
⁂ Possible Encounters: Giant predatory Elk (RUN), Rodents of Unusual Size, Extra Large Bugs
FOURTH LAYER
Poison Tree by Grouper
0:30 / 3:16
▶︎
'Poison Tree' is a meditation on the complexities of anger and the internal conflict it causes. It draws inspiration from William Blake's poem of the same name.
The trees seem to clear out here as you reach the bottom of the forest. There is no light here so hope you brought a match. The landscape down here is a blanket of moss dotted with countless shallow pools. Looking into one of these pools, you will see your reflection... though it may look different in some way.
You will feel extremely compelled to reach down and touch the reflection in the water. Should you give in, you feel as though your world is turning upside down. You could receive memories not quite your own. Memories of a different version of you, even! (CRAU, Canon Update, or Canon AU!)
Yet, you will be experiencing them as your own. A long time could pass in your mind while only seconds have only elapsed in reality. Upon waking, you will find that you have been ejected from the party and the forest entirely. You find yourself at the entrance to the crater. Disoriented, and compelled not to re-enter, you have only yourself to blame as you must shamble your way home with this burdensome knowledge.
Notes
⁂ For the game prizes, we're using the honor system here! So long as you clear the roll then you can receive a prize with no mod permission needed.
⁂ The plotting post for this event/November is up!
⁂ Additionally, we have a state of the game post available to people read about updates, clarifications, and a poll to participate in!
⁂ If you have any further questions or feedback about this event specifically, please comment here!
⁂ Full Navigation ⁂
- - Battleship: If you roll a d20 above a 13, you can receive one of the nectar cups.
- Bobbing For Onions: If you roll a d20 above a 10, you can receive one of the bag of onions. En...joy...?
⁂ The plotting post for this event/November is up!
⁂ Additionally, we have a state of the game post available to people read about updates, clarifications, and a poll to participate in!
⁂ If you have any further questions or feedback about this event specifically, please comment here!
no subject
Gaia has become accustomed to seeing the mako glow but waking up to seeing glowing eyes staring at her momentarily has her taken aback. Know you who else in this world has glowing eyes? ASCIANS.
"Oh! Sephiroth. You startled me." It's not an accusation! Or a complaint really. He did come bearing food.
"Thanks. One moment..." She reaches to adjust the flame on a nearby lamp; whatever changes they've undergone, she hasn't been blessed with draconic vision perks- yet.
"How did you know I was here?" She thought she'd slipped off from the crowds without being noticed!
no subject
Is he though. IS HE.
"I watched you go in a while back. When you didn't re-emerge, I thought it would be good to have something on hand when you woke." It's something a friend would do, which they absolutely are not in any way shape or form. "..There are vegetable and fruit offerings to be had but I'm currently making a point."
It's all meat and sweets and some sweetmeat. He can be staggeringly petty when he really wants to be. "So I hope these will do."
no subject
"Hmm. Well, a festival isn't known to be a place to worry about healthy food." Though too much sweetmeat doesn't appeal to Gaia, she gets up from the couch and wanders over to the table where Sephiroth's been setting up and starts picking over the options. Whatever point Sephiroth's trying to make isn't going to bother her in the slightest!
"How's it going out there?"
no subject
That's going to be an ongoing problem, his idea of entertainment is ... extremely limited. Kind of like the offerings he brought. Hopefully she likes barbecue. "Speaking of unhealthy, there's a thing on a stick they called a 'twinkie' that they battered and deep fried. Don't eat it."
Sephiroth did. It stayed down perhaps a whole of three minutes. "There's dancing, if that's the kind of thing you like."
no subject
Gaia pauses with a stick of meat that isn't fried on the way to her mouth. "A what? What's a twinkie?" Battered and deep fried seems a bit much for anything; the piece she has is definitely a grilled skewer of some type which after a brief scan for hints of anything suspicious, she takes a bite out of. It's good so she'll eat some more.
"I did win a bag of onions. And that cup of nectar on the ship battle game." She was lucky on the latter and just doesn't want to talk about the first. But said prizes are stored near her napping spot.
"I don't think I trust the pixies to dress me up. I'd probably never escape if I let them arrange my hair like they want." The crown of autumn flowers is set aside for now but it's probably still in a basic braid from the onion bobbing incident.
Dancing. This earns a nose wrinkle. "Not really my thing. But if you want to try and need a partner I guess I could do it for a little." It's clear that she's only offering because the other teen himself seems to be... well, lacking in experiences. It's been a bit clear to her as their meetups became a staple of this new life.
"The games and such, they're what people generally like at a festival. Fun is really subjective though."
no subject
He didn't bring anything he hadn't tried yet and found it all reasonably agreeable, if a bit odd in some examples. "Oh, I won the cup too." They'll have to compare cups. There were so many designs. "I'm surprised you tried the onion thing. It looks ridiculous."
Not that he was much invested in his cup but it might be kept at her house regardless so knowing which is which is good. Any mention of a dance gets a quick negative head-shake; he absolutely does NOT want to, even if certain other people seemed to enjoy it.
"I.. suppose I don't have a lot of experience with fun," he agrees reluctantly. "Maybe all of this is well liked and familiar to most people." Just not himself. "But why would people think it's entertaining to be mocked by the pixies and their bigger cousins all the time? There should be some tests of actual skill."
no subject
But she does look a little embarrassed when he points out how ridiculous the onion thing was. Gaia's answer is a little tart in the way that always suggests she's being at least a little defensive about her life choices.
"It was absolutely ridiculous but I figured if it actually lasts, I'd have a supply of onions for soups and such that I won't have to worry about during the winter." Think of all the types of soups and meats that onions are great with! If only they'd had an endless bag of potatoes too, she'd be all set.
The expression of discomfort fades away though when she catches Sephiroth admitting his lack of experience with fun. This... this isn't something she's going to make light of. "Well, I admit that actual tests of skill probably aren't going to be found at a Fae's festival. Though perhaps the Nu Mou would have somethingl like that..." Which aren't... here.
Gaia takes a moment to think before offering. "I guess it's not so much being mocked for some as... not having to take things too seriously for a little bit. We've all been thrown into another place and... stuff's happening to us. For some, it's nice to pretend that there aren't bigger problems than having a pixie laugh at you. At least for a night."
She'll give Sephiroth a look then. "Mind you, I am not completely thrilled myself. The ship battle game was okay." Where they won the nectar cup, barring the small curses for 'missing'. "But I drew the line at letting them try to dress me up. Or putting my hand in the box."
Nope that one was not for her.
no subject
The goal was what was important! Probably!
Sephiroth is almost certain she'd said the Nu Mou were fae before, which draws a frown as he's forced to rake through his memory to be sure. "On the other hand, it could make it seem to some as if there's all these troubles going on, and now there's pixies laughing at you."
His perspective. It's shared by at least a few others. "At least most of the food is good, and nobody seems to mind how much you eat. .. Mostly. There's someone who might yell if you don't eat a vegetable, but he doesn't get an opinion." The grimace at the mention of the box 'game' suggests he feels EXACTLY the same way she does about that.
There's a pause as he glances towards the tent hut's closed entrance; easy enough to hear people doing their own thing outside, but seeing them is another matter. "Did you notice how many have scales now?"
And horns. And claws.
no subject
"Yes, but look, that'll be one less flavor item at least. And maybe someone knows a recipe. I heard popoto..." she pauses short on the word before correcting herself, "pardon, potato are easy to store." And potatoes and onions are said to go together, or so she's overheard... somewhere. "...And you can certainly put onions in salad."
But how about that lettuce over the winter?
She takes a deep breath and gives Sephiroth a wry smile. "Thanks. And you're right. At least I did win. And if I'm going to be honest, I didn't mind the other game." The 'miss' penalties were something she could have done without but they were temporary.
"If nothing else, maybe I can barter the onions." If the locals will trust her and the fae goods. She'll stare at the other teen there for a moment when he brings up the stranger who yelled about not having vegetables. "...What sort of person yells at a person for not having vegetables at a festival?"
...Gaia's getting the feeling that this 'proving a point' thing Sephiroth muttered about earlier is the right thing to do. And it's clear she thinks it's bizarre behavior to be fussed about, given the circumstances. She looks down at what she's grabbed from the offerings on the table.
"I've liked everything you picked so far, if that means anything."
And she'll be leaving that half of the conversation with that, because Sephiroth brings up something she's been thinking about herself. And not just because of what's appearing on other people. Gaia's eyes shift to the side momentarily, her features becoming quite sober and a little uncomfortable.
"Yes. It's..." ...it's a relief to see it's not just happening to her. Comforting is perhaps a better word. "...It's happening to me, too as you know." She's probably at least been seen with the beginning nubs of horns which are currently hidden under all that hair. Maybe some of the patches of scale that are starting to pattern down her spine. At least near the top of her neck.
Who else is she going to have check for her?
no subject
Different words for the same thing are SO common that he doesn't even blink. Salads in winter sounded a little dubious but he's decided to not agitate her any further about it. Maybe there was trade, or greenhouses or something. "..I don't know, but it took my brother turning up to make him leave. He reminded me of some of the lab techs; it doesn't matter what's going on, you had to do things their way when they wanted as soon as they said it, or else." It's an impression that's going to last, for better or worse. Sephiroth can hold grudges for an astonishingly long time, even if it's over something that petty.
Becoming something else is not .. easy. Just thinking about it could be upsetting, and obviously was to her. "Mm. I can see a bit of a shine sometimes." He gestures with one gloved hand, around the collar area. "At least it's everyone. And the dragons of this planet seem to be intelligent, and I've heard third hand we're expected to be able to change back later." Not being just them is a relief.
"..But it's still disturbing. I wanted to bite someone earlier." The vegetable guy, in fact. "I've never wanted to bite anyone before."
no subject
Salads in the winter are dubious in a society like this. Gaia sometimes has First World Problems. She'll learn though and even when she grumbles about something it's usually as a rhetoric and not directed at anyone in particular before she just Deals With It.
She's got that going for her.
"Glad he had your back." Big brother. Gaia sounds sincere and there's a part of her that really wanted to have been there; not to also have Sephiroth's back but to see it all unfol--- stop that.
"So, very pushy? Well if they ever corner you again and need some backup, let me know. And I'll give them a piece of my mind." It's only natural she would offer when she is perfectly aware of the signs that Sephiroth was at a loss. And it might work; a civilian can approach things differently right?
At the same time she's not demanding he call on her. Just letting him know she's available. Onward!
...Where she subconsciously plucks at the collar of her clothes as if trying to draw them up a bit. Uneasy. There might be regrets that she decided to dress up in the clothes she had when she arrived for this little event. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.
"Bite?" That's a little surprising. She remembers hearing something about that changing back thing herself. But it's still troubling. What if they're just being told stuff with omissions? What if....
She puts down her food and brings her arms up around her glancing away. "I don't like the thought... that we are becoming anything. Even if we can change back."
Then she quietly murmurs, "...The dragons being intelligent almost makes it worse. Like we're at risk of becoming them. Even if we can change back after it's all over..." Are they going to become the dragons who chose them who will then have the advantage of their appearances? Or worse, become what the dragons want them to be?
She flinches as something like a whisper of assurance that isn't coming from her own conscious passes through her head. Heard, but in a way that seemed to bypass ears.
tw: emeto?
Feeling cornered and all his warnings ignored counted as necessary.
There's a long pause at Gaia's obvious disquiet. It's not the first time they've spoken of vaguely similar things. She, unwilling to be haunted by a past or a future that wasn't really her, now had a voice whispering in her mind.
Just like he did. "There's a lot we don't know. When I ask questions I'm assured all will be well, but well for who? For us? For them? It's hard not to be concerned, and the more reassurance given the more suspicious it seems. It's.." Frightening. "Unnerving. I've always known I was different, but this is above and beyond. Knowing it's happening to a dozen others isn't helpful."
Probably not to her either, but Gaia's not welcoming it all with open arms any more than he is.
There's a pause, and he hunts around the small tent for something, coming up with a discarded bucket after a moment. Thankfully, it's clean. What was it used for before? "The impulse to bite is new; the ... voice in my mind says it's because I'm a hatchling and have more instinct than reason." He feels along where jawline meets throat as if searching for something. "I suspect it's because I'm venomous." He apparently finds what he's looking for by the way he presses fingers into his skin, leans over the bucket and disgorges a stream of yellowish translucent fluid in a faintly chemical smelling spray. There's no immediate hiss of acidic melting though, just what seems to be a rapid vaporizing of the liquid into a hazy yellowish gas.
Denser than air by the way it stays in the bucket. He licks his teeth and makes a face. "Tastes like bleach." Though his teeth are definitely sharp, none can really be called fangs yet - that might be a ways away. No effective way to administer venom yet.
...I did have an icon for this.
Gaia does seem to think the physical threat might be a bit extreme given what she knows about the circumstance with the vegetable fiend. But there's a lot she doesn't know about what happened in that encounter so she's keeping an open mind. Also she wants to know so she can keep an eye out for the individual that managed to try her not-friend's patience to the breaking point.
Also it was a moment's distraction in the midst of the conversation they're having that isn't so great; even if it's one they need to have with someone. And that someone may as well be each other.
"And why. Why us? Why not people from this world? We can't be the only ones compatible if it's happened before." It's just shy of saying 'why me' but... she knows she's not alone. And Gaia feels they deserve to be a little selfish sounding as to whether this world should handle their own problems.
It takes her a moment to register that Sephiroth fetched a bucket. Why is it there? Well think about what these tents are for and whether someone might imbibe in excess. It's always handy to have a bucket around one way or another. Maybe it's just for fetching water to wash.
Not anymore.
She wants to remark tartly about the whole hatchling assessment; her own voice had not gone so far as to call her that, but given there's a feeling of good-natured humor emoted from that same source...
Well the thing is, Sephiroth is behaving oddly. Bucket, feeling his throat. And... and...
Her face in the next few seconds as the venom sprays into the bucket is priceless. It's as if suddenly the entire operating system faulted and crashed; the mood of discomfort and anxiety over their changes just absolutely derailed by Sephiroth demonstrating why he feels he might be a little bite happy.
"Bleach." It's more a statement than a question but what she finally manages. Gaia doesn't move an inch, much less look fascinated or interested in trying to get a closer look at that bucket and its hazy gas. There is so much more to impact here and over what just happened than what it tastes like.
"Are you saying we all have to look forward to... whatever that was?"
I do not.
Though Gaia might not draw such a reaction in turn if she wasn't doing something to set off that kind of a lecture.
There's no response to 'why' until after he has a bucket of dangerous toxin sitting on the floor in front of him, and he's politely ignoring her expression of abject disgust. "Not all things are calculated. We are the result of randomization. It just as easily could have been someone else." Though if he knew how many came from that one Simulation, he'd begin to question exactly how random it REALLY is. If it really is.
Which would lead back to 'why them' in short order.
But he does give a slow, sober nod; it tastes like bleach. Not an ideal flavor. "I don't think you'll 'look forward' to this specifically. Dragons, at least on my planet, are .. somewhat color coded. Green is venomous, but red exhales fire and blues possess glands in their throat that turns their spit to ice, and so on. You're not green." Though his scales looked nearly black in most lights, when he bothered to have them displayed at all, bright sunlight betrayed them for the color they truly were.
He wasn't sure what color she HAD going on, but it definitely wasn't green. "Be glad you're not. I don't recommend it at all."
no subject
Or more importantly, impressing on others what they think is the right way to live their lives.
Gaia is definitely not green but she's not going to turn around and let Sephiroth take a peek to prove that. It's good enough he saw the edges. "I certainly hope not. Though it makes me wonder what other options there are."
She is enough of a realist not to hope that she'll be a dragon without a breath weapon of some type. Acid? Poison? Some sort of strange element? What if she ended up with water?
Can you imagine having an endless potential water source and still needing to drink when you're thirsty?
Gingerly, Gaia leans just a touch closer to the bucket though not so much as to put herself over it, even if the gaseous substance doesn't seem to be floating up.
"...Shouldn't you cover that?"
no subject
Gray was a shade of black, maybe young ones had different colors. Maybe the dragons here had no such color coding at all and it was sheer coincidence his matched!
.. Nah, can't be.
The bucket earns a look. "..I don't think it's going anywhere." He wiggles it a little, and the fogginess inside ripples a little but doesn't seem like it's going to dislodge itself any time soon. "I'll likely have to find somewhere safe to disperse it eventually."
no subject
"I...--metal what?" The sudden jump to unusual words and a hesitation suggests she might not be talking to Sephiroth. Especially the scowl, the press of a hand to her temple and finally shaking of her head that follows. "...It's gone again." She doesn't sound happy. her dragon tried to tell her something but the connection faded.
She eases back when Sephiroth jiggles the bucket and favors him with a reproachful look.
"Well, probably best to lid it anyway. You wouldn't want to risk disposing of it here in the forest. The fae might take it badly."
...To say the least.
"....I wonder if magic could neutralize it?" She leans back over. "Not that I know that particular method."
no subject
What looks to be a headache, stabbing and brief that keeps her questioning for a moment, draws a long look from Sephiroth. "...Was that the creature in your soul?"
Not a good connection, it seems. "I can speak with mine if I try. But we .. I believe we are actively working towards communication." ... The bucket is given a brief second jiggle, simply and only because of her reproachful look, but it's carefully set aside afterward. It'll have to be dealt with, absolutely. In time. "Esuna could, but I don't have one on hand. If I knew this was going to result I would have brought very different materia."
no subject
"Let's hope we don't run into those in this world. That are... well." Not them.
As her fellow teen brings up the subject of the dragons in their soul, Gaia's discomfort seems to increase a little. There's an obvious struggle, trying to hold back a defensive response; so much so that the conversation about the proper disposal of the poison comes and goes with an absent nod about Esuna and no questions. But then she relaxes a little. Though her gaze doesn't meet Sephiroth's and she places her hand against the opposite arm in a defensive posture, she opens up a little on the matter that so troubles her.
"Things ended badly the last time I listened to voices like this. So it's.... hard. To trust it... they... the creature has good intentions." There is a pause before curiosity wins out and she finally raises her eyes to look at Sephiroth again.
"Do you... when you try to communicate with yours, do they seem... I guess well intentioned?"
no subject
Right now it probably wouldn't go well. He was inevitably in possession of all his skills, but without the power to back it up it might not go well.
Some of this story had been shared before. Prying for details had never been necessary and seemed like it would be particularly cruel. "There is no harm in listening. They may speak, but you don't have to agree. Keep your own counsel, and merely accept them as another voice amongst many associates."
Maybe he'd rate higher than a dragon in her consideration. Maybe he wouldn't. But being able to firmly categorize something like that might help. They didn't have to obey. Right?
But there's his own hesitation, and it's obvious, when she asks in turn about his own. It's uncomfortable for a different reason. "She.." And why at least would be quickly apparent. "She sounds like what .. I always thought my mother might have sounded like."
A boy his age shouldn't be thinking about mommy. "I can't say she's ill intentioned, little she's suggested is dangerous."
no subject
Whatever the reason was. So for a brief moment there is a flash of empathy.
"I see. And it doesn't feel like she's... pretending to be motherly?"
It's not that Gaia doubts. She almost doesn't want to ask because it will lead to more questions. Such as whether or not one 'dragon' being of good intentions will mean they all are. What sort of impression will she gain from choosing to speak to the creature in her soul?
no subject
Her dragon, presumably, isn't doing any such thing that might be perceived as mom. "...What.."
Speaking of awkward questions. "What does a mother actually act like?"
no subject
So there might be a flash of something like pity, quickly cleared away and replaced by the discomfort of trying to struggle for a description she's not wholly sure she knows a real answer for.
"To be honest, I only know what I've seen watching other families," Gaia admits in a way that sounds almost sheepish.
"When I lost my memories, it's not like I had to learn everything all over again." She'd forgotten people, much of her childhood, but it's not as if she'd had no recollection of what it was like to live an affluent life.
"But I suspect my parents were like most of Eulmore's citizens. Leaving my care to servants. And... there was never any indication they noticed when I disappeared. So I won't be offended if you think I might not know the answer to that."
Still, those words have the bearing of a conditional.
"But... I've seen a lot of families since I started living in the Crystarium. Mothers and fathers. I like to think parents that care for their children are interested in hearing about their day or just spending time with them..."
Gaia then huffs, looking embarrassed at herself.
"That sounds silly doesn't it? I'm sure there's more to it, but the only thing I can suggest is watching others with their children."
no subject
And Gaia didn't remember.
Would being raised by servants be less caring than with parents? He supposed it might be like the techs in the lab, interested only in their jobs and the outcomes of experiments.. though perhaps less experiments. "It's not that silly, if it's something normal."
Professor Hojo was in a way, interested in his day. He was, in a way, interested in Sephiroth's well being, and being around him. "...I suppose it doesn't really matter." He won't be watching any families. That will only encourage the lifelong ache to get worse. "My dragon is not my mother, and ... I will never have one. Attempting to frame her that way is unwise."
no subject
It's just that she wished she could offer more encouraging words for someone whom she's coming to see as a friend rather than just ally or acquaintance. Not that she would put it in so many words. A soft sigh escapes her and Gaia looks up again, collecting herself.
"It's only fair you make those decisions for yourself." Who is she to say that he must find himself a mother figure or search for word of his real mother? "Though at least it sounds like you're getting along. So... I'll try to speak to mine."
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)