nysalogs | (closed) the old moon

[ A delivery job is a simple enough thing. He's done this about a thousand times, each of which with incident, because that's how his life rolls, but he's pretty confident he can handle whatever crops up if things go sideways. That's actually all he has a contingency plan for, because he's looking sort of put out by the job parameters as is, but not enough to back off from the money on the line. So here he is — here they are.

Even this early in the year, the base of the sacred mountain is misty and humid. Mikazuki stays close to the brush lining the pathways, gaze honed on the way down into the city. Their timing should be okay. A few shamans always arrive early to tend to the pyres. ]

We just have to be quiet about it, right?

[ He's confirming with Yoruichi, because he's not a great practitioner of stealth or restraint even on a good day. ]

[ Here they are, enrobed in shaman garb and enshrouded with early morning fog. It's a somber affair and entirely not up her alley, the religious beliefs of others having never played much of a role in her life. But money is money and Mikazuki isn't bad company when he wants to be, and all things considered, she'll take this over having to go dig for crystals in a cave somewhere.

At least it's not menial labor. ]

Either that or lie like you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

[ Somehow, she doubts that particular method is up his alley, unless he's been hiding some very particular talents all this time. ]

Are you worried?

[ She's half-teasing. ]

I'm not worried. [ A quickdraw response, if only because he's being honest about it. Too honest for knowing he's being teased. Which brings him to his next point pretty succinctly: ] It's just that I'm not good with lying.

[ Why would he need to be when he's always been the muscle in any operation? Easier to eliminate the problem if he was capable of it (which he almost always was —) than it was trying to trick it or sweet talk it.

But money really is money. It's not like he has anything against Wyver, it's just opportunism.

Much like when he hears footsteps on the dense jungle ground, hushing him. ]

[ All kinds come through the Gilded Cage — Mikazuki doesn't really make it a point to get to know exactly which kinds, but it's hard to ignore a familiar face. Especially when said face doesn't even go here. But that's really all it took to get a partner for going out into Wyver's jungles in search of remains.

Hopefully this'll go a little better than the last time they went questing. Mikazuki won't be the first to bring it up to Vane though, preferring to look forward.

Saw in hand and all. ]

Ready?

[ An early morning sun is crawling up from behind Namarak Mountain. Throwing light across the sky from the east, it casts a deep blue shadow over the jungles still wreathed with nighttime mist. It's a sight he doesn't wonder if he'll ever get tired of with how different it is from Mars and what little he saw of Earth. Though it's mostly a wooded area, there are open patches of grassy valley that are out of the way, mostly empty of people.

Which is a good thing, considering he offered to help Yona with her bow today. Granted, he's never used a bow and arrow before, but he's a fair shot and a quick study. He can't exactly just give his strength away, but they'll figure it out somehow.

When he hears footsteps, he glances off behind him. Getting out here should have been enough of a warm-up. ]

Hey.

[Traveling between Olympia and Wyver has been getting increasingly more difficult, but sights like this make it all worth it. Yona never would have seen something like this from the palace back home - for one thing, she wasn't in the mountains, and for another, she never would have gotten up this early.

She never would have walked all the way up a mountain by herself, either. But here she is, bow in hand, a quiver of arrows slung over one shoulder, and a smile on her face. She's gotten tougher as of late - Mikazuki is likely to thank (or blame, depending on how you look at it) for that.]

Hello! Good morning, Mikazuki!

Morning. [ Bland-ass, as usual. ] Ready?

[ Pushing up out of his seat in the grass, he pats his legs to shake some blades of it from his clothes. He then turns to face her and gives a slight nod to indicate the bow. It's good that she looks pretty comfortable with it already, since he'll be the one with the learning curve while trying to help her get better with it. ]

Mmhm!

[She'd say I was born ready, but she wasn't. She was born ready for a lifetime of luxury in a palace, not hard work and archery lessons. But this is fine, too. It has its own charms.]

Where should we get started?

Over there. [ He turns his face towards the grassy field. There's a hay bale standing upright there, a flossy golden color among all the green. ] I don't think the guys that come up this way would like it if we shot at trees, so I borrowed that.

[ And lugged it all the way up here... but that's neither here nor there. ]

[Yona scans the surrounding area, and she's not sure if she would be more surprised not to see some kind of cart or wagon than she would be to see one. She knows Mikazuki had to have gotten it up here somehow.

Carrying it seems more his style, but... how?]

That should work just fine. It looks like it's packed in well enough that the arrows won't get lost in it.

[ Not obeying normal human physics, that's how. He doesn't even seem tired out by it. ]

I made sure to get one like that.

[ Despite being used to a whole different kind of projectile, he knows the drill with running out of ammunition. Better to avoid it, if they could. Stepping aside, his gaze slides back to Yona. ]

Can you show me how to shoot it?

[ Honestly he'd never seen a bow in his life before this place. ]

Of course! Watch carefully...

[It's easier to show than tell, which is a fancy way of saying Yona strings an arrow onto her bow, takes aim, and waits a moment so he can see how to place his feet and hold onto the weapon before firing.]

Like that! See?

[ An impressed noise actually, physically leaves his mouth. ]

Not bad. [ Of course, it looks like a pain to have to fight quickly with, and carrying ammo would be burdensome, but hey. A weapon is a weapon. He wanted to see what the business was with it, so to that end: ] Should I try?

[ There are only a few things Mikazuki returns to Olympia for. There are even fewer things he enjoys returning for, but this is one of them. Much like the newness of this planet having so much freedom to it for someone who hadn't thrown his allegiance one way or the other, he hadn't really anticipated the kindness of the people around him either. It's a far cry from where he came from and what he willingly left behind.

And one he's still getting used to. Still, learning to read from Diana is a lot like learning from Kudelia. Mikazuki finds the familiarity calming. So he makes his way through the city and towards the residential area, finding the right place after a short while. Confirming the number, he knocks on the door. ]

It's me.

[She's in her evening clothes by the time he knocks on her door, blue robes that almost resemble the uniform she wore every day at Luna Nova.

She opens it, expecting him, and greets him with a smile on her face] Hello, Mikazuki. Please, come in.

Would you like any tea? Something to eat? I hope the journey wasn't too long.

[ Despite being sort of naturally intense and ruthless as a person when it comes to social interactions, being personally invited somewhere and greeted in makes him oddly timid. The fate of always being the +1 to someone more adept at it than he ever was. But he enters with a nod, taking his hands from his pockets. ]

Both, if that's okay. And it was fine. It goes a lot faster when you have something that flies.

[ Ever since he helped Wyver's stablemaster corral wyverns, he's been getting discounts on renting mounts. It's a nice arrangement. ]

That's very true. Getting my broom back has made travel... quite simpler.

If you'd like to sit at the table, I'll be with you in just a moment.

[She turns, letting him in, a flick of her wand floating a tea kettle over to the stove and turning the fire on as she turns to some cupboards for a snack.]

A broom? [ Those fly? Though technically, he didn't know horses could fly either... or that dragons were a thing at all. A grain of salt, etc. When invited in, he nods and makes his way towards the table. ] Thanks for this.

[ He sounds a little distracted, focused on the practice of magic. ]

Yes-- the one in the corner over to your right. [Brooms fly with her magic, sure. The only thing special about this one is that it has a thicker wooden handle and a metal fixture at the end for better grip.] I can use any broom, really, but that one's designed for flying.

[A short time later, she comes back to the table with a tray of crackers and cookies that she sets in front of him, two cups of tea floating nearby.] You're very welcome. I'm happy to help.

I've seen the animals that fly. And ships... or mobile suits. Never a broom.

[ Though he can take a guess at what it is that causes that as he reaches over to pluck a teacup from the air with a delicateness that doesn't seem all that suited to him. He's still sounding it out, for his part.

Plus, despite Olympia and Wyver both having their own brands of magic, it's not really the same as it is around Diana. ]

[She takes the other as soon as he's grabbed his, settling in the chair opposite him.] It's fairly common where I'm from, at least in the witching world. We have instructional classes at school.

I'm not familiar with the term "mobile suit," though.

[ A hum sounds in his throat, monotony colored by a curious lilt. ]

It's really cool. [ That that's the sort of school they have. Centering his coffee cup, he looks up. ] There were some on Thesa. The big machines that look like humans.

[ Bipedal, two arms, hands and fingers. A face, approximately. ]

Oh! Yes, I recall seeing those now. I thought they seemed utterly fantastical, like something from a storybook.

"Mobile suit," you said? That's an interesting name. Do you know the etymology?

[ Cookie in his mouth, Mikazuki blinks across the table at her. ]

The what?

Hm?

Oh, the etymology-- the origin of the word.

playing preacher — yoruichi

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bone zone — vane

volkkra pact — yona

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reading lessons — diana

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