manta board + may catch-all

[verboaten]

Who: eizen and you!
Status: open
Where: various places!
What: manta board quests + catchall for may!
Warnings: will add as needed!



a. maid day mayday.

[celebrations and traditions can be a damn good time. eizen's not one to jump in on the fun of dressing up as a maid, however. sitting by the bar with a glass of good whiskey and watching the entertainment go on had been more than enough for him.

that is, until some of the bar staff approached him with a request. some of the guys here were getting WAY too handy. most could be dealt with but one seemed to escape notice after said touching. the vanishing perv. someone needed to catch this guy and teach him some manners. the bartender said eizen looked like he'd be a perfect fit for the teaching role. eizen couldn't disagree, especially not with the promise of some free drinks for the hassle.

the best way to land a big fish is by using the right bait.

anyone who comes into this particular tavern will quickly notice one of the maids is especially tall, especially muscular, and is in the process of slamming a guy face-first into a wall with arm twisted beind their back.]

Bold of you try that with the Reaper. Want to test and see if you can do the same thing with a few fingers missing?

b. sipping on seaweed.

[impressive. that's all staff who created these teas can say as they watch on. most people try a few teas and call them bad and leave or actually find a good one. nothing new. what WAS new was someone trying to drink one of their teas and failing. there's no better word for it.

eizen came in earlier because this seemed like a simple enough of a quest. figuring out which brew sounded best shouldn't take too much effort. true to that, he actually found one that smelled good, sounded good and even looked good after brewing. it needed to be measured out JUST right and then steeped JUST right, as teas tend to require. upon request, he did as much himself using a very lovely tea kettle and cup set. but ah, the effort of doing it himself was worth it! the result smelled divine. eizen grinned triumphantly at the brew. this HAS to be delicious. as he lifted the cup to his lips--

it shattered in his hands, drenching him in hot tea. no worries. he only brewed it somewhat hot so the burns were minor. those can be worried about later. he got a second cup of tea--

and the cup had a hole in the bottom and spilled all over the table. ok. usual bad luck no worries. he grabs a PERFECT cup and as he reached to pour the rest of the tea, a random sharkgull flew into the store and specifically picked up the tea kettle with the rest of the tea and then flew away with it all within the span of 5 seconds.

the staff was impressed by this ungodly level of bad luck and agreed to bring out another kettle for him. said second kettle exploded as soon as the tea finished brewing.

and, just as the third kettle of tea finishes brewing and eizen reaches for it, it... spontaneously combusts??]

Oh, are you kidding me?! How the hell can TEA catch fire!?

[reaper's curse, sure, but come the fuck on!]

c. elemental energy survey.

[gathering elemental reactions. why not? being a malak means understanding elements better than most. factor in this is kaveh's request and eizen's happy to help out with that. within limitations of his curse, that is. thunderstorm outings will end up with him eating a face full of lightning sooner rather than later and any water outings are a flatout no. the easiest and safest route ends up being going out on a more windy day to gather some wind energy. wind, unlike say water, is fine.

as fine as it could be, at any rate. the butterflies, overloaded by the energy, end up spazzing around and zooming all over the place. them moving around like little bullet trains beats explosions. if you're not careful though, one of these littles might slam right into you!]

d. wildcard.

((ooc: if there's anything else you'd like to do, let me know on plurk Shaorune or the game discord!))

Comments

[verboaten]

[eizen just gives sorey a flat look.]

No one's dead, dying or missing limbs, nothing's chosen right this moment to attack us, and the building --along with the surrounding area's-- still in one piece: yeah, mild.

[if edna hadn't shared all the details about the curse, eizen is more than happy to. there's a reason he got as far away from edna as possible. given that sorey's love of history and such HAD scored him some points with eizen that more or less balanced out the fact the kid's hanging around with edna, eizen's not all that keen to get him needlessly hurt, either.]

[historiology]

I guess it could have been worse but still. This is...I'd heard about it a little but I guess I hadn't actually seen, experienced it. The whole cursed luck thing Edna mentioned.

[It's gotta be rough. Not just on Eizen but others around him potentially being impacted or at risk, in danger from it as well. Sorey is starting to notice that more. As much as he tries to be optimistic. As much as he tries to see things in a better light. He wasn't quite anticipating this.]

Sounds like a lot....

[verboaten]

[so edna had mentioned it then. good to know. it saves him the hassle of going into a detailed explanation.]

Because it is a lot. Anyone who gets caught up with me gets caught up with the curse by extension and not all of them are lucky enough to make it out alive.

[the van eltia crew lost SO many good sailors all thanks to him. the fact that whole crew is as mad as their captain that they'd be fine with keeping a cursed malak around after seeing said curse in action is a rarity, if a rarity eizen appreciates so much more than he'd ever let on.]

You'd do well to keep that in mind, Shephard.

[it's a warning --a genuine one-- to sorey. eizen doesn't care enough to actively push sorey away if the guy engages with him, but he will damn well make the cost of being around him clear.]

[historiology]

Even if it might be risky. That's okay. I mean. Things back home were kinda dangerous and risky anyway? Being the Shepherd and all. So. I don't mind. I mean, obviously it's also up to you, how often we see each other as well. Not just me. But. I mean, it's just the two of us. From home.

[And of course, part of him figures he can at least keep checking in with Eizen. For Edna's sake. To make sure he's doing alright. Well, as alright as he could be expected, considering everything? Not that Sorey figures to bring her up, to bring her into this. Eizen had gotten a little more intense last time he had mentioned her name, so he figures to just keep that part to himself. Even as he thanks the staff for trying to help with the tea situation.]

[verboaten]

[that response ends up easing some of the tension from eizen's shoulders. his leans back in his seat as he coolly regards sorey.]

If you're leaving charting our course to me then fine. Just remember, you made the call.

[which is where eizen will leave that particular topic. if the kid is used to risk and accepts this level of risk then fine. at least edna's with someone who has a bit of a backbone. ...though he better not be dragging her anywhere dangerous with that sort of heroic tendency.

ah, that reminds him of something he'd been meaning to ask. like sorey said, it's just them here and one of them happens to be significantly ahead in time.]

What were things like back home anyway?

[beyond what they've already talked about being implied.]

[historiology]

I'll remember. Besides, it isn't like I'd blame you, not like you can control this bad luck. Of course you wouldn't want to be dealing with that if you could control it.

[So it's fine. Sorey is of course mindful of it but he would never blame Eizen for it. And he didn't get the chance to really get to know him properly back home, besides bits and pieces from hearing of him from Edna and all. So. This is his chance. He may as well make the most of it. And Eizen was the only sort of familiar face around here from home among everyone.]

Hm? Well, was there anything in particular you wanted to know about?

[Sorey isn't sure if there might be something specific Eizen was curious about or if he just wanted to hear about things in general.]

I only really recently left my village back home before ending up here and all, so I'm not sure how detailed I would be in trying to answer but I can try.

[verboaten]

[the sentiment is actually appreciated, but not entirely necessary. eizen doesn’t much care whether or not he’s blamed for the curse. some do, some don't and either or he can handle. that said, sorey being of the latter is surprising. not many people choose to no place blame on the cause of a curse.]

How about we start with you. Tell me about the esteemed Shephard and his journey and the details of how he came to meet my sister.

[if his tone got a tad harsher at the end, it's cause it did. listen, edna is free to make her own choices, but her traveling around with sorey is something he's still iffy on. hence why this seems like a good starting point for their chat and a good way for eizen to fully confirm that Edna's in good company.]

[historiology]

Me? Ah, well. I guess it really started when I left my village to warn the princess, that is, Alisha, that someone was going after her, after they had followed her after she got lost in some ruins nearby and I helped her, let her stay in the village for a bit. The village was attacked, and after that I left. I wanted to make sure she was okay. That's where I ended up meeting Lailah at Alisha's kingdom, when I went to Ladylake and finding her, making the contract to become the Shepherd. I did know a little about what it was supposed to entail, from records, from ruins I'd explored a bit. But I then left with her to travel. To help out where I could with purifying, with helping against the Malevolence. That's when I went to Rayfalke and I met you, met Edna there. Where we met Zaveid.

[He isn't sure how much detail to go into. But Eizen can always ask if he has questions. Wants to know more about something. Sorey just initially figures explaining briefly, so Eizen gets the idea at least. Not that he needs to go into detail about how it's been rough at first with adjusting, learning his limits and figuring control with this whole Shepherd thing. He's not so sure on the other's experience and knowledge of the prior Shepherds.]

[verboaten]

[just as sorey starts talking, the staff brings over another kettle and some more ingredients. good timing. it gives eizen something to busy his hands with while listening. let's see if this next batch will end up being the winner.

thus he starts working on mixing while listening as sorey speaks. some notable words pop out. ladylake must be a new city that cropped out over the ages (not unexpected). purification of malevolence is definitely something to have a longer chat about. good place to start so--

ah-- hold the hell on. eizen's gaze snaps over to sorey.]

Wait, Zaveid? What the hell was that bastard doing up on Rayfalke?

[that's too damn close to edna for eizen's liking. like ok, him and zaveid have their beef and that is what it is. any understanding and whatnot involved with said beef begins and ends when edna might get mixed up with things. if so much as a hair on her head got hurt because of zaveid, so help him.]

[historiology]

He was fighting you? Edna told him to stop. He said....for some, salvation is death.

[Probably referring to their promise. That Zaveid would help Eizen by killing him. Not that Sorey is able to see it that way. That it is so easy a thing for him to accept. That there really is no way to help Eizen. None at all, beyond having to kill him in that form. Still, he does pause amid the new tea arriving.]

But don't worry! I mean. He didn't hurt Edna.

[verboaten]

[eizen's brow shoots straight up at that. salvation is death? zaveid said that? that sounds almost the polar opposite of what the malak is about from eizen's experiences. time changes people, but for that sort of change to happen... just what could've caused it?]

...You're saying he was trying to kill me.

[the tone that's said with isn't one of anger but one of confusion. of all the people, for zaveid to be the one to try to put eizen down is genuinely surprising for a myriad of reasons.

and of course edna would try to stop him... she's too sweet a kid sometimes.

a heavy sigh escapes him as he leans back in his chair.]

I never imagined I might actually owe that guy one for trying to take me out.

[historiology]

I don't necessarily know the history there. With you two. With Edna only having told me bits and pieces. I'm just telling you what I saw when I first met Edna and you up the mountain.

[He just gathers it sounded like that was Zaveid's way of helping. Trying to spare Eizen that fate. Being in that form after being consumed by the Malevolence. Sorey isn't sure he knows enough to really say if that is the answer. But he's just the messenger. He wants to help somehow if he can. He's just unsure if his abilities, his purifying would be enough or if there is some other way besides just killing Eizen.]

[verboaten]

We just share a common interest at the point I'm from, nothing special.

[not a lie. they both have a connection to aifread and that's where eizen's going to leave that. sorey doesn't need to know the details about that whole mess. the fact that eizen has been avoiding giving said connection more thought because he knows the inevitable outcome but wants to deny said outcome also adds on to that lack of wanting to share more.]

But I appreciate the information. It's good to know someone is trying to do what needs to be done, even if it happens to be Zaveid.

[historiology]

Right. I'm....glad to help?

[Sorey isn't as sure on how much he could help. It could have been a long time in between their memories. Given that Eizen is a seraph and all. Compared to Sorey's mortality, his measly seventeen years at that. But if what he knows might help, he can at least try. Answer questions and explain what things were like from his point in time sort of thing.]

Um, want me to help with the tea?