escordvi | Nov Catch all, manta prompts [Open]

Entry tags:

Nov Catch all, manta prompts [Open]

Who: Rem & you
Status: Open
Where: General location
What: Settling in, Manta quests, etc.
Warnings: none so far

Spellbound Circuitry (General)

A: It's, ah... different than what I imagined. [ There is magitek in her own world, yes, but the kind from Milites are made more for war. Over the years, she's seen the empire produce a great number of terrifying machines, ranging from the artillery mounted on stealthy flying mechs, to colossal structures that transport resources over their frozen tundra, to chilling devices meant to negate the power of the Crystals themselves. Ordinary devices-- such as lightbulbs-- needn't have magic power them.

So, imagine her surprise when she's presented with the prototype above a workstation table, that of a lamp. Rem leans over, examining the metal fastenings that hold the contraption together. One of the researchers mentioned using a bone substrate for some of their magitek, and there it is, right in the center of the glass: the assembled skeleton of a fish. Her eyes lift upward, uncertainly, to meet yours, and she gives you a dubious smile. ] If we power it with magic, you don't think it'll make this room smell like fish, do you?

B: [ Afterwards, she lingers in the building, looking through one of the display windows of the latest magitek to come from the scientists' developments. This one appears to be an automatic sorter for coins of some sort. ] I don't suppose that, somewhere, instead of magitek research, there is... a purely magical researcher?

[ There are archives upon Elah, she's heard. Perhaps she can find something of use there, even if she is not a Paladin. ]

Leap of Faith (General)

[ You. Her. A cliff above, the fresh, cerulean lagoon below, and in case there were any doubts as to who is the more forthwith in their trust, Rem is already sprinting past you and leaping off the edge. What was that about taking turns of one remaining below and one leaping off? Or that one must be from a different armada? Too late, she's jumped.

Rem plunges into the water, clothes and all, with a spectacular splash, causing modest waves the ripple out like the petals of a lotus. Within seconds she surfaces, tossing her brown hair then swiping the remaining strands back from her face. While the distance between the surface and the top of the cliff might be too great to actually see her expression, her voice carries what can only be a wide, relieved grin. Her words are quick and enthusiastic, charged with excitement. ]

Come on! It's your turn, it is! [ To a weary body, the warm, tropical water is beyond soothing to her. She tilts her head back and floats some meters to the side, making room for you to join. Raising an arm, she beckons you. Let's see your best splash. ]

Healing Mix-up (General)

[ It seems that both you and her have decided to consult the poster of the quest at the same time, and let's just say that as a preview of the reward, one snippet of the novel has been shared. For inspiration, of course, because who wouldn't want to start their noble quest of gathering bat drippings, dragon scales, monkey flakes, and cat knuckles without knowing a taste of the prize that comes after?

By the time Rem finishes reading the first two sentences of the paragraph, she's already turned a bright pink. An audible gasp escapes her, and she jerks back, clasping her mouth with her hands. Oh no. (Oh yes?) Oh no, it's one of those books, and, Crystals, just reading that much feels as if she's intruded on something private. She's not sure whether to laugh or to apologize. ] A fair warning, even that paragraph is... [ Still sporting a bright shade of red upon her cheeks, Rem lowers her voice to a conspiratorial level. ] spicy.

[ Well, she's here now. She's here because she needs to have a healer on standby for herself, she needs a good one, and dammit, she will get those ingredients to put her in good favor with a healer (the book is just a plus, shh, no she's totally not interested in it). ]

Gallows Gambit (Corsair but OTA)

[ The shackles around her hands are not the sturdiest of things, but then again, she can't imagine them being made for anything else but to constrain and intimidate. Quality isn't really a thing when it comes to ironworks used against prisoners. With a soft sigh, she tests their weight, clinking the metal against the iron bars of the cell in which she's held.

All her life, she's managed to escape being a prisoner of war (not ture, a gut feeling tells her, but she cannot remember when or where or how it ever was, only that someone died, long, long ago)-- ah. Blinking once, she shakes her head from an oncoming headache, deciding to refocus on the task at hand. How ironic is it that she willingly gets herself put in chains in order to find the paladin behind this mess? Mission accomplished on that one, if only partly. She now has a face and a voice, attached to the man, but not his name. Unfortunately, now she's stuck with another problem. She must escape. It's not the most difficult thing to do should she do so by magic and force, but it would be better to not draw attention at all.

Rem peers through the bars, looking at what awaits her if she doesn't: a guillotine. A semi-public execution, then? Not only that, but the swiftness of the steel against a neck is by far one of the most humane methods she's ever seen. Relatively, anyway. Neither Rubrum nor Milites would bother.

Maybe you're here to help her escape. Maybe you're in the cell with her. Maybe you're one of the gallows' hired help knowing she's been falsely accused, willing to set her free. Either way, she asks a simple question: ] You wouldn't happen to know the time...?

Untilted Goose Gambit

[ This is embarrassing. The eight-headed goose that is supposed to be the bounty she's after has, in fact, made her a victim of its shenanigans already! There it goes, waddling off with what appears to be a silver necklace of some sort. ] Get back here!

[ Rem rushes after the goose. Help her, maybe? Or maybe laugh at her. Or maybe you've also had something stolen by one of the other heads. ]

Wildcard

[ Have an idea? PM this account, drinksteapots, or Jade294#6977! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ What does one offer, let alone say, to someone who is already powerful enough— and immortal at that? Hoping for his understanding in both her struggle and fear feels as if she’s climbing a sheer cliff that’s been painted over with ice. ]

It’ll help me enhance my magic, develop new spells… [ Her voice drifts as she turns her gaze down. Upon the table, her fingers curl.

She has no idea what he means by there being a threat to her spirit. To her, her illness is merely an effect from a disease experimented upon her village when she was a child, and so she shakes her head, continuing: ] Spells powerful enough to sustain me, …hopefully, until I find a cure.

And you are willing to share some of that power with this venerable one should he help you achieve this.

[A statement rather than a question. Whatever illness she had, it sounded like she thought it was linked to her current life. Which was problematic, but likely easier to deal with than anything entwined with her soul.]

Very well. This venerable one will assist.

[ At his agreement, relief washes over her expression. Regardless of the deal they’re making, she’s comforted by the fact that it’s with him. Not only can he sense souls, thereby relieving some of the burden of secrecy for her project, but he’s already proved himself to be knowledgeable in ways beyond her own world. ]

Thank you, Moon Supreme. [ The pallor of her lips does not detract from the small, appreciative smile that forms. ]

To be working with you... I’m grateful. [ Even if nothing comes of it, even if she does wither, even if she is forgotten by others, hope is priceless. Because it is priceless, this arrangement already feels unbalanced.

Her gaze lowers, then raises again to meet his. ] ...If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to let me know.

[He meets her eyes and without breaking eye contact, very pointedly picks up her satchel - now containing only medicines he did not approve of - and dropped it on the table.]

Return or sell these and the next time you want to try a new medicine, you will speak with this venerable one before spending your money so foolishly.

[ Oof, that scolding look. She's unable to keep eye contact, opting to look down with a nod, smiling sheepishly.

But... she has to speak with him before she buys anything else?? Not that she minds his input on this matter, but wow. ]

Oh, no, please, I wouldn't want to worr-- erm, bother you. [ She doesn't want to be a burden, okay? Okay. ]

It will be more of a bother if you continue to seek out cures that are only likely to set back whatever progress proper treatment brings.

[He's going to start looking into doctors that have shops in the city. While he's certain that his current suggestions on medication and eating will help, he still bows to the experts when it comes to extended treatment. But as he doesn't know any of the doctors or their reputations, he couldn't just tell her to go see one specifically if rather than buy her own medication.]

[ She reaches for the satchel, pulling it over to her side of the table. Being a burden is the last thing she wants. Being reminded of how weak she is is painful, too.

He must see some sort of use in her yet, if he's going to such lengths to educate her. She supposes it's nice to be held in some esteem in his eyes, utility-wise, even if he doesn't outright care. ]

...I have to ask, since you know so much. When was the last time you were sick?

Edited 2023-11-29 20:45 (UTC)

This venerable one last felt ill around a week before arriving in this world.

[Technically, he had not been the one sick. But he had felt the pain and discomfort of the one who had been. And normally it would not be something worth admitting, but he wasn't telling the secret of his cursed state nor was he speaking of something that could harm him. It was over with and it would not happen again because Orchid was just far enough away that he seemed only to be subject to her reckless and mercurial emotions. The blessings of being outside of time.

Moreover, Rem seemed the sort to be encouraged by knowing others had been in similar situations as she had. In all of their encounters she had always reacted in a 'positive' manner when he had shown knowledge of a similar or shared experience. If admitting to having shared this one got her to stop trying to argue her way out of doing what he told her, he could make that sacrifice.]

It was also due to an energy imbalance. This venerable one was able to quickly remove the excess energy, but it was... not a comfortable experience. This venerable one would prevent you from reaching the same state as he cannot be certain you will be in a place where anyone can remove the energy in the same way.

[ Indeed, the moment he mentioned he had been sick once (at least) once in his long life, her expression turns sympathetic.

She is also, of course, quietly relieved that they're moving off a topic that's not about her. She can only avoid not promising ~it'll never happen~ again for so long!

However, there is something else he mentions that gets her brow to raise. ]

"Remove the energy"? As in... you can do something else besides eating appropriate yin or yang associated fruits?

This venerable one can transfer energy. Both providing it and taking it from others.

[Well, he could certainly give energy. He had not tried taking any from anyone.]

Energy given can help to heal those it's given to, but works best when the one who receives it has already developed their meridians and knows how to circulate their own energy to put it to it's best use.

Additionally, this venerable one's energy is yang heavy, based in the fire of his immortal root. It is possible this venerable one could relieve your symptoms by providing some energy, but it is obvious you are not trained in how to regulate your own. It would likely lead to a further imbalance.

[Which was why he hadn't offered in the first place. She did not practice in the manner that he did. And the last time he'd given anyone energy, Ramuh had knocked him to a state of injury he'd had to not only allow himself the ignominy of being vulnerable for a full day, he'd had to take another three in meditation to regain the energy he'd used.]

...this venerable one could check your meridians to see how your health is in general, however. If there are any energy blockages that could be preventing your body from regulating naturally.

[ Rem is well-versed in siphoning energy and life force unto herself, as well as distributing energy to others; however, "immortal root", "meridians" are both terms she's beginning to learn. Naturally a willing and earnest student, she even perks up as he explains!

....Buuut then he turns the conversation back to her. Her eyes briefly dart away in a soft, quiet cringe. Rem lifts her hand, waving it. ] That won't be necessary, it won't. [ Seems rather invasive, and she's trying conceal her health, okok. ]

But you keep on mentioning this "immortal root" thing. What is it? Something you have to water like that orchid?

No.

[And at this he looks just a tad offended. His root was fire. Water was not compatible for most cultivation purposes.]

It is the root of what energy you are able to cultivate most effectively with. The element most natural to you in your current incarnation.

[He puts a finger against her forehead and pushes her head back gently ~~for him. he was very strong. he was actively trying not to harm her.~~]

Water is yin. Did this venerable one not just say his own root is an element heavy with yang?

[ When he places a finger to her forehead, she blinks twice, leaning back. She, in turn, looks rather confused. ] You have to water a plant... [ Her reply is measured, slow as if attempting to sort through logical manner. ] and you did say root.

[ Is this not reasonable, she wonders. Unless the "fire" in "fire of his immortal root" he'd mentioned is actually literal--

Her mouth parts with a gasp, and her eyes widen in surprise. Rem lifts her hands to grab the one that's poking her forehead between the two of hers, feeling both the palm and the back of his hand in her grasp. ] But you don't feel hot.

[He gave her such a 'are you fucking with me' look before he released the reigns on his inner fire enough for her to feel like she was standing in front of an open sauna door just from his proximity alone. His hand in hers was practically a pocket warmer.

And he just stares at her. All this talking about controlling his energy... Did she think it was just talk]

[ She feels that change in temperature as immediately as it comes, and the swift shift causes her to look down from him to the hand she holds in hers. ]

[ There, she exclaims not from the heat-- because, really, sauna level warmth feels nice-- but rather from a (delayed) surpise as it clicks. Rem doesn't need to know exactly how this whole "immortal root" thing works, just that (1), it works, and (2) it works in such a way that clearly this means his root is somehow on fire. If not metaphorically, then literally. ]

That's--... incredible!

[He shut his eyes before they could roll and took a deep breath, pinching his nose with the hand that wasn't being held. The heat in the room faded away as he dampened down the effect of his energy on the area. While warmth was good for the plant in his window, too much of something could still be dangerous. If she and Orchid were ever in the same room, the collective intelligence of the world would drop for a few hours as they found every simple thing about the other more amazing than the last and had to comment on it in increasingly understated ways.

Incredible? That's it? That's all he gets?

He took another breath and then shook his hand in a half-hearted manner that she could easily ignore as he attempted to disentangle it from between hers.]

[ She releases his hand, and at this point, the surprise reflected in her eyes has already shifted to that of enthusiastic awe. ]

And it doesn't hurt you? [ Not a question, really, but an expression of her amazement. She brings up one of her hands to her cheek, placing her palm upon it. Oh, it's still warm! He's like a magical space heater. ] Oh, oh, does this make you immune to natural fire, too? What about lava? [ A gasp. ] Or sunburns?

Sunburns?

[He scoffed, sounding genuinely offended.]

If the sun dared to be so disobedient and attempt to burn this venerable one, this venerable one would force it to set for a hundred days. The sun is this venerable one's instrument to use as he wills.

Sunburn.

[As if.]

Lava.

[He snapped a finger and the fire pit and every candle in the apartment flared to life with a roar. The fire pit itself was entirely empty of wood at the moment and it burned higher and brighter than the rest of the lights.]

This venerable one has lost much of his power, but fire remains his to command.

[ She probably should be scared. Surprised (again), yes, but also scared. Instead, her awe trumps any trepidation she might have for his great display of power, because it demonstrates the sort of precision and control only the greatest of sorcerers and Eidolons would have in her own world. Maybe matched to Ignis himself, if not beyond!

Rem leans forward, eyes sparkling in the light of the flames around them. ]

I'm guessing that's not even your warm-up.

[ DOES IT HE GET. ]

[HE DOES NOT. But he does seem mollified by her apparent appreciation for his show of power and relaxes back into his chair.]

This is nothing. A paltry offering of what this venerable one is capable of.

[He waves his hand and the flames all go out save for two of the candles. One near the door and one on the wall beside the table. Where their light would actually be beneficial if Rem remained long enough. With the only windows facing east and north, the apartment got dark relatively early in the afternoon compared to other buildings.

Speaking of which, he leaned his head on his hand and looked over at her.]

Are you staying to eat? If you are, you must cook for the both of us.

[ Her expression falls. Now that he's damped his display of power, it's far more noticeable how far daylight has waned.

That, and she's a bit shocked at his suggestion that she'd have to cook for the both of them. Not that she minds cooking for friends, but... it's the tone! ]

Ah... [ Awkwardly. ] Guess I overstayed my welcome, I did. [ Rem backs away from the table. She should be returning all the necessary medicines while there's still sunlight, too. ]

[Wait.

No.

He didn't say she had overstayed her welcome. He said only that she had to cook.

Eyes widening in clear shock at the sudden retreat, he pushed himself up and away from the table as well.]

No. You did not!

[He came around the table and grabbed her wrist, being careful not to hurt her. Just to get her to stop.]

You should stay. And cook.

[The tone hasn't changed, but he is definitely looking a little panicked at the idea of her not staying and not cooking.]

[ That’s not one of his usual expressions, and both it and the sudden grasp at her wrist catch her by surprise. Given their difference in height, Rem cranes her neck back to look up at him, equal parts puzzled and stunned. As he’s mentioned in some way or another, he doesn’t feel emotions, and yet…

And yet similar to him rushing over to the orchid, he appears distressed. Why.

Gingerly, she tests the hold his grip has on her wrist, giving it a gentle shake. Then she brings her other hand up to his hold, delicately beginning to peel his fingers back one by one. ] Moon Supreme… [ By now she’s come to expect his entitlement, and while it is something she believes he can improve on, she knows that he probably doesn’t mean anything by it, let alone perceive it as being rude on his part. He’s the highest rank and power of his clan- world— even, and she hazards a guess that this behavior is simply something of a standard to him. He is immortal, a leader. No doubt he expects obedience and is used to being served his meals.

…

…. A h. ]

Do you… [ How does she phrase this. Specifically, how does she phrase this in a manner that doesn’t suggest he’s helpless or provoke his chagrin. Rem sidles up to him, and even though they’re the only two in this room, she lowers her voice in a discrete, polite manner. ] …know… [ If she’s managed to take his hand off her wrist by now, she doesn’t drop it. Similar to how she held it before, Rem cups his between her two palms in a way she hopes is reassuring and non-judgmental. ] …how to cook?

[ Come to think of it, she’s never seen the immortal l’cie of her own world eat anything. Maybe he doesn’t— or didn’t— have a need to, either. But unlike the l’cie who were once human, he may have never learned how given his status. ]

Nov Catch all, manta prompts [Open]

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