Rem Tokimiya (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
vermilloci) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
escordvi2023-11-06 05:05 pm
vermilloci) wrote in escordvi2023-11-06 05:05 pm
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)
Leap of Faith (General)
Healing Mix-up (General)
Gallows Gambit (Corsair but OTA)
Untilted Goose Gambit
Wildcard
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! ]
no subject
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?
no subject
[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.
no subject
....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 subject
[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?
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
And he just stares at her. All this talking about controlling his energy... Did she think it was just talk]
1/2
no subject
That's--... incredible!
no subject
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.]
no subject
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?
no subject
[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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
1/2
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!
no subject
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.]
no subject
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. ]
1/2
For most of his time in this world, he had been making allowances for all the small slights everyone around him had been giving. This was not the Three Realms, after all. His power had been sealed and himself made more mortal than he'd been since he was a child. He could no longer force others to do his bidding through manipulation of their minds when simply ordering them and following up with threats didn't work. He never needed an excuse to kill anyone, but there was little point in doing so when all it would bring him was more trouble from the rest of the world that didn't understand or know who and what it was they were trifling with. Lessons could only be taught if the student was open to learning. Even those lessons written in blood could only go so far.
And for most of the small, everyday slights and troubles he had simply sighed and moved on because it wasn't worth the trouble or effort to attempt to correct.
But being that he was mortal enough to need to eat and he had no one in his service that could and would cook meals to share with him... This small thing was not so small anymore. He could either continue to go out and purchase meals that were either far too expensive or outright questionable, or he could attempt to cook for himself. Which was a disaster in the making and even he couldn't stand his own attempts at trying.
He had gone and acquired one of the ever-full fruit and vegetable baskets, so there was always fresh fruit and vegetables at hand. But strangely, he'd found that attempting to eat the same things each day had left him feeling very... empty? Queasy, certainly. Dissatisfied. Uncomfortable with the knowledge that though it saved him money it was just so... bitter. Like taking a medicine and knowing it was bitter because you'd tasted something sweet too soon before having to take the medicine again.
His life in this world felt bitter. And he didn't know how to make it feel sweet with any consistency, but having someone cook for him... That was like a small bite of candy. And he very much had a sweet tooth.]
2/3 actually
His eyes couldn't meet hers and he looked away and down. As she spoke, gently, and with caution, he came to the realization he'd exposed a weakness he hadn't even realized he'd had. Not the need to eat as mortals do. Or that he could not cook. He knew his skill in that area and accepted that he would need to practice. No, the weakness was the bitter medicine of his current existence. An emptiness that he was so opposed to he let down his walls enough to chase after her and... and ask her to stay. And cook. And give him the sweet taste of comfort that he had grown used to in Orchid's Arbiter Hall.
Dongfang Qingcang took a deep breath and stepped back from her. His hand that she still held a lifeline that he took great effort to sever. He had allowed the distraction of Orchid's emotions for too long. Bitter medicine would do him well. Remind him of the empty and frozen sea that was his own heart. Force him to remember that the warm waters and bright sun of other shores were only a weakness he could not afford.]
no subject
This venerable one is not skilled at cooking.
[He answered without shame or anything else coloring his usual bored tone.]
But this venerable one can see to his own meal if you are too ill to see to it without exhausting yourself as you did on the stairs.
also 1/3
...No, that's a lie. She's seen such shifts before. She's seen it in the l'cie, the spark of passion, of fear, of grief, of anger, the vibrant colors of who they once were, misplaced but true, as what they once felt comes alive, only to be snuffed out. She's felt it, herself, when she became one. Perhaps there is something tragic to be found in the loss, the loss of beauty found within emotions and humanity.
But it is a price, and-- --having made a similar choice before, she understands. Sacrifices are warranted. Sacrifices must be honored.
And so, Rem watches this change in him occur with neither a startle nor shock, but instead both respect and... sorrow. Sorrow for whatever circumstance led him to this, and sorrow that he must withhold such vibrancy from the world, when it would surely be as brilliant as spring. ]
no subject
Not when he's already shown her this much effort and kindness for her health, when he truly has no need to. ]
3/3
[ A pause, and she straightens, giving him a demure, apologetic smile. Time for her to reach out to him, and she goes for his arm at his stomach, tugging at his sleeve. She pivots in the direction of the kitchen. ]
I'll cook. But... you're right. I'm too weak enough to cook all by myself-- [ She gives him a pointed look, firming her tone. ] which means we'll have to help each other, okay?
/scene?
It is not an uncomfortable way to spend the evening. The bitter medicine put off for another day.]