nysalogs | october shenanigans [open]

Entry tags:

october shenanigans [open]

Who: Haru Okumura (

frombetrayal) & youuuuuu
What: A log for October threads ft. a bunch of open quest starters!
When: October
Where: Everywhere
Warning(s): Nothing yet, will edit as needed!

SHADES LIGHTER;

[A year ago, if you'd asked Haru what she would be doing to make money in El Nysa, "running errands for a brothel" wouldn't have made the list. But it's been a year since she's arrived, and the brothel seems reputable enough, and...

...well, a girl's gotta eat.

She's not smuggling anything illegal - not yet - but she is dropping off a packet of incense sticks when she gets called into another room. When she heads in, there's someone else waiting (that's you!) and they're both asked to handle a pickup of something slightly less than legal.

She sneaks a glance at the other would-be delivery person.]

...shall we?

LULLABY FOR THE DRAGONS;

[Haru, for her part, doesn't look all that concerned as she heads into the Undergrowth. This is a two-person job (she's sure if they couldn't handle it with just two, they'd have been told to bring along someone else), and... well, there's two of them. What's to be concerned about?

Besides, in the event they do run into something dangerous, she's got an axe.

Still... it is, perhaps, a little nerve-wracking. She glances to the side to check on her partner, just to make sure she's not dragging them in somewhere they're not comfortable going.]

How are you holding up?

RISE OF THE RYDERS;

[honestly i need someone to tag this prompt solely so they can eventually good-cop-bad-cop one of rasyc's buddies. ANYWAY.

Speaking of Rasyc's buddies! One of them is... making a run for it. Maybe you're working with Haru already or maybe you're just some innocent bystander trying to make your way down the street without getting mowed down by a fleeing criminal and the axe-wielding girl in pursuit of him. Either way, Haru's calling out for help as he heads your way--]

Stop that man! I need to speak with him!

TUNDRA LIFE;

[Okay so literally all we have to do for this quest is come up with flora/fauna and submit it but you know what, there's fun to be had in expeditions.

SO. Here's Haru. Here's Haru as bundled up as can be, gathering supplies and getting ready to head out into the cold, icy tundras. Luckily, it's easier to dress for the weather when you shop in Nadril first - getting frostbite isn't on her list of "fun things to do".]

What would you like to look for first? [HELLO FRIEND. You've got a tag-along because safety in numbers, and all.] I confess, my expertise lies with plants, but observing animals shouldn't be too difficult if we manage to find any...

CELESTIAL KNOWLEDGE;

[It's not really... that bad, Haru tells herself.

Nadril has a junkyard because the people aren't using the technology here. And much of it is junk, but if they've chosen to throw away something that works - well, can anyone blame her for salvaging it to bring to Cree? She's sure he had something else in mind when he put out the call for people to bring Nadril and Natha technology to him, but...

If they can make it work and pretty it up a bit, what Cree doesn't know won't hurt him.]

What do you think? [She glances over at her partner in dumpster-diving crime.] Does anything look promising to you?

WILDCARD;

[Want something else? Hit me with whatever, contact me at hungriest to plot, or just comment to the post with "WRITE ME A STARTER" and I'll do that for you!]

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[Or rather....... flowercrowns for the dragons.

To be perfectly honest, between the two of them, getting ahold of Dragonflower blossoms is not the difficult part. In fact, finding the dragons isn't the difficult part, either - Mikazuki works with them already, and Haru isn't particularly frightened of them herself.

They've managed to track down one dragon and (mostly) get it under control... they're still a ways off from the Fields of the Exalted, so they'll need to get it moving along, but for now? It seems rather mellowed out by the scent of the Dragonflower.]

He's so calm right now. You almost wouldn't believe he set a shack on fire an hour ago...

[Ren's response to the scene in front of him is to start briefly in surprise and blink, then tilt his head slightly as the criminal runs past him. Ren's attention rests on him for a moment or two longer, his hand moving upwards to rest against his chin...

...and then the criminal trips, crashing rather spectacularly to the ground despite the fact that there's no visible sign of anything he might have tripped on. It just seems he'd crossed into the shadow of a nearby building.

Ren wanders over, crouching down to rest a hand on the man's shoulder and smile down at him.]

It's rude to ignore people who are trying to talk to you, you know... [His expression is innocent and his tone light, but he's also completely unfazed by the axe-wielding woman in pursuit, merely waving at Haru when she gets nearer.]

I like your axe, by the way~ [Good ways to start a conversation.]

[The first thing Haru thinks, when she sees the criminal go down (he hits the ground with a loud thud and an indignant squawking noise), is that it's lucky for her he ... tripped over his own feet? ...the second thing she thinks is that the fall was probably painful, so she feels a little bad for not worrying about that first.

On the other hand, if he hadn't made a run for it, he wouldn't have fallen. Hmm.

Either way, thanks to Ren, she's able to catch up to him. The man squirms under his hold as she approaches and tries to plead with him before she gets too close.]

Hey, that girl is crazy! She just came out of nowhere with that axe! Let me go!

[...unfortunately, she's within earshot, so she just nods to Ren.] Why, thank you! ...and don't listen to a word he says, I caught him trying to extort a merchant not too long ago.

[The man hisses.]

That's not true! You've got the wrong idea!

[Ren's not exactly a heavyweight, but his grip tightens slightly at the struggling, nails digging into the man's shoulder in a way that quietly says he's not really that interested in dealing with resistance. At Haru's accusation, Ren gives a rather thin smile, attention turning back to the man with somewhat more sharpness than before.]

Is that so...? That's not nice at all, is it? [There's still that slight saccharine note to his voice, but when he turns his attention back to Haru, there's definitely a more focused alertness to him than there had been before.]

Is he one of Raysc's, or is that what you were going to ask him? [Delicate is probably the best way to describe how he asks that question, though the man's continued attempts to resist mean Ren's having to press down somewhat more heavily on him even so.]

She's got it all wrong! I was just offering the merchant protection. Yeah, protection!

[Haru fights the urge to roll her eyes as he continues.]

I said, it would really be a shame if one of the former Fangs members were to come by and cause trouble, but for a fee I could--

[He's cut off when Haru nudges him with the flat of her axe and he sends her a shocked look before turning his face to Ren. His expression is a little more pleading now, and he opens his mouth to speak again, but she interrupts him.]

He's one of Rasyc's. The insignia is on his sleeve.

[The man shakes his head.]

I borrowed this shirt from a buddy of mine, you imbecile!

[That's a pretty obvious protection racket, and Ren curls his free hand up to cover the slight hint of amusement at his mouth.]

Oh, that's a little bit of a boring excuse. "It'd be a shame if anything happened to it", "it's my friend's, not mine"...if you're going to be a villain, at least make it entertaining for us, you know? She sounds a lot more convincing than you do right now, aren't you supposed to at least try to make it a hard choice...?

[He crouches down, tilting his head at the man with a deceptively innocent smile.] I'm sure you can tell us all about your friend once you're done telling us about yourself, right? If you want to stop being dull and uncooperative, that is...

[He sounds a little disappointed with the man, honestly. Awful people who embrace being awful are at least usually a little bit more interesting than ones who try to deny it.]

It's no excuse! It's the truth! I'm no villain, I'm an innocent bystander!

[The "innocent bystander" is sweating bullets now, twisting his neck to glance between Ren and Haru. He is no longer sure he can convince Ren that Haru is crazy, but he's... sure as heck going to try.]

Who are you going to believe, me or her? She's the one running around with an axe!

[Haru sighs.]

It's mainly for self-defense - or for dealing with people who are threatening others. Which you were, as I recall.

[The man struggles a bit more.]

You're not even from here! You don't know!

Hmm, you're getting kind of flustered... [Ren makes that observation cheerily once the man starts sweating so much, but the expression immediately shifts into an extremely exaggerated, offended pout when the man comments on Haru's axe.

He's at least polite enough to let them finish their exchange, but as soon as they do, Ren's pointing an accusing finger at the man like he's made some kind of terrible transgression.]

Hey, acting like anyone running around with an axe is untrustworthy is just rude, you know, it's way cooler than anything you have with you. [He Very Seriously pouts at the man for a few moments longer before going on in a more absent tone.] Also, why would someone need to be from here to identify someone threatening someone...?

[He glances to Haru at that, as if wondering if he's missing some context here.]

Wouldn't you be, if you were being falsely accused of something? ...also, let me up!

[He looks very put-out by the fact that he's still on the ground and that Ren's finger is in his face. For a second, he looks almost like he might bite it, but he (wisely) decides that would only make matters worse.]

Because it wasn't a threat! If she was from around here she'd know it's totally normal to offer to protect someone for a fee!

[Haru fights to keep from rolling her eyes.]

It's when you're wearing the insignia of the very group you're claiming to protect them from that an offer turns into a threat.

Is that how you ask someone something? [Ren is definitely just...scolding the man like a parent at this point, though at least he withdraws his finger to a safer distance this time.] You're really rude, honestly, no wonder she suspected you...

[He looks like he's about to complain about that some more when he hears the answer to the other issue, and just takes a moment to look rather blankly between the man and Haru, then back again.]

Don't gangs do that sort of silly thing in most places...? Honestly, if you're going to claim it's normal, don't make your excuse something that's normally a crime anyway...

[This guy is giving them nothing of real use at this point anyway, and Ren lets out a slight sigh before glancing towards Haru's axe.]

Should we take him somewhere less public? He might be more helpful if we do...

[His tone is innocent and light as anything, but the implication is outstandingly obvious.]

Oh, so now you're threatening ME, is that right?

[...well, he's not exactly wrong, but since just asking him questions in public doesn't seem to be working... Haru nods once, stows her axe so that she has full use of her hands, and grabs the man by the back of his shirt to haul him up.]

That's a wonderful idea. Come quietly, won't you?

[Predictably, the man struggles.]

Help! They're kidnapping me!

Ah, how annoying... [Ren lets out a huffy little breath before bending down so he's close to the man's eye level. His manner remains overall upbeat and innocent, but as he looks over their criminal friend, his eyes flick rather quickly to the shadow the man's hair casts on parts of his face and neck.

Ren makes a slight motion with his fingers, as if to beckon something, and something does respond - a tiny tendril, formed of the shadows on the man's own body, that quickly darts up to wrap around the man's mouth at another small gesture from Ren.

It may be slightly more obvious now what the man had tripped on as soon as he passed into a shadowy area earlier.]

I'll let you play with that for a while, okay~? [Ren gives the man a cute little smile before straightening up and positioning himself next to Haru in a manner that hides the man's face a bit from passers-by.]

Do you know any good places around here, or should we just find a nice quiet alleyway...?

[It's all right, Haru! That's because your teammate, in this case, is a fairly talented witch.

Who is also bundled up very warmly to deal with the weather. She's magical, not invincible.] That should be fine, I think. I'm imagining they're not expecting expertise on this, or they wouldn't be requesting the aid of volunteers.

[She glances over at Haru.] Can you draw?

[God bless magic. That will probably keep them from failing at this hardcore.

Well, magic and a small amount of basic skill.]

I can attempt to. [She smiles.] Sketches shouldn't be too difficult. For anything more elaborate, however, it might be best to take our sketches to a real artist to flesh out...

[She remembers with a pang that the best artist she knows has fallen asleep, but... That is neither here nor there.]

[That wistfulness in Haru's voice doesn't escape Diana's attention, though she doesn't call attention to it. If the other girl wants to tell her, she will.

Diana does, however, pull out her collapsed wand from a pocket in her thick, warm jacket, flicking it to its full length.] I have another idea-- I can enchant a pen to do the work for us.

[She shoots Haru with a small smile.] It won't be perfect, but we'll be able to keep our hands in our gloves.

Oh! That sounds wonderful.

[Haru is sure they'll have to use their hands at some point, but it certainly is more difficult to use a pen with any amount of precision while wearing gloves. If they have to pick things up or brush snow aside, they at least won't have to take their gloves off for that.]

That's very clever of you to think of, Diana-san.

Please, think nothing of it! It's a fairly simple spell. I just never thought I'd have to be sketching out in a cold environment like this.

Well then-- unless there's anything else you want to take care of, we should be off? We can start with plants, if that's easier for you. I know a little, but I'm no gardener.

I don't think any of us did.

[But perhaps they should have...? There were similar undertakings in both Olympia and Wyver, as Haru recalls.]

Inspecting the plants sounds wonderful to me. [Onward they go! ...it sure is chilly out here. Haru keeps her gloved hands in her pockets as they walk in an attempt to keep warm. The snow crunches under her boots, and she scans the surrounding areas with a discerning eye.] ...I imagine we won't find many flowers out here - but lichens, perhaps.

[Diana does note the way Haru stuffs her hands in her pockets, gloves or not.] If you're feeling chilly, just let me know-- I can probably do something for that.

[Her boots are also... not sinking into the snow. She's walking on top of it, leaving only the very slightest of footprints. Damn witches.] Lichens are... fungi, correct? Am I remembering that correctly?

Given my family's history, I really should know more about plants than I do. [She admits, sounding somewhat sheepish.]

Thank you.

[For now, she's okay - she doesn't want to make Diana expend more magic than she has to. But she'll definitely speak up if it gets to be too cold.]

Almost! When we say lichen, what we really mean is a combination of two organisms - a fungus and one of two other things. They're symbiotes. [...she's fascinated, really, but she recognizes that this might not be fascinating to everyone, so she'll keep it simple.] Or at least, that's how it worked on Earth. It may be a little different here.

[inb4 we submit a plant-animal hybrid]

...your family's history? What do you mean?

[Can we submit a discount Bulbasaur?

Diana listens to her describe them; while this isn't her particular passion, it's clear that it's something that Haru finds very interesting, and that passion in itself makes it worth while.] Ah, yes, that's right-- I remember, now.

The basic laws of nature seem to work here as much as they did on the Earth I came from, so I can't imagine they'd be too different.

[She takes some time to think about how to answer Haru's question.] Powerful witches, where I come from, can live to be very old-- on the order of centuries. When a very old witch dies, she turns into a tree. Our magic is very... arboreal, I suppose you could say.

Unfortunately, my knowledge doesn't extend much to plants that aren't trees.

[well, if we don't submit that now, i'm going to be very sad]

I suppose you're right.

[score one for basic earth physics and laws of nature because coming up with and remembering completely new ones is way too much of a hassle!]

I see. [Haru's eyes have gone a little wide - she can't help but be curious about it, although the subject is definitely sort of... morbid. Is it insensitive to ask about dead witch trees? Yeah, probably. And sadly, she's tactful enough not to push the subject too much.] Well... if you would ever be interested in learning more about plants, I'd be glad to teach you. Gardening is one of my hobbies.

[...though it's easier said than done up here in Nadril!!]

[Deal. Let's do it.

Diana smiles at the offer, a warm smile in Haru's general direction, though she keeps her eyes facing forward. No telling just what is under the ice, after all.] I'd like that very much, actually. Though, perhaps this isn't the best place or time. [She pauses.] Actually, you should speak to my friend Mikazuki, if you haven't met him. He's a gardener, too.

[She sees that flicker of interest on your face, Haru. She's certainly willing to volunteer more information, but right now, it occurs to her that she has two friends with a common interest.]

[Running deliveries for a brothel isn't the worst thing Setsuna has ever done, though he can't say he likes it. But, bills have to be paid, and its not like they've asked him to do anything too sketchy. Though it seems this current delivery might be pushing things a little.

It's only a little, though, so he doesn't object. Still, he fixes the person assigning them this job with a hard stare for several moments. It isn't until Haru finally speaks that he decides to break off eye contact as he turns to leave.]

Let's go.

[Their cargo is a satchel of some kind - exactly what's inside it, Haru doesn't know, and it's probably better off that way. At least in her case, she'll be able to pretend to be more at ease if there's even the slightest possibility that whatever's in it is only, say, a misdemeanor level of illegal rather than a felony.

Their destination isn't too terribly far - it's meant to go backstage to the dressing room of someone in the theater district.]

The most natural way to get this delivered might be to act as though we're going to see a play, don't you think?

[Admittedly, Setsuna is curious as to just how much trouble he's carrying, but he doesn't bother to peek for now. He can always check on that later, once its been passed off. He glances over at Haru, before looking ahead as they continue to walk towards their destination.]

That'll get us in the theater, but getting backstage might still be an issue.

Oh, don't worry about that.

[She smiles. This, at least, is something she's supremely unconcerned with.]

Sneaking around to places we aren't meant to be is a specialty of mine.

Is it?

[He's not sure if that's confidence on her part, or just some kind of bravado.]

I made something of a habit of it before coming to Olympia.

[...that sounds shadier than she means it to, but you know what, whatever.]

Now - [They've been walking, so they're leaving the brothel proper now; time to shift gears in case anyone is tailing them, so their conversation doesn't sound suspicious.] Which show would you like to see?

[There's a somewhat thoughtful noise from him, because that does sound kinda sketchy, as if she had been a thief or spy of some sort. But, soon enough, they're out on the street, so any discussion of that is put on hold.]

I hear Edrathe's Last Harvest is supposed to be good. We could try that one.

[She wasn't really planning on taking on a task when she came up here. Not really.

Mostly, she'd planned on seeing how Akechi was doing. But she'd learned that Nurray was asking for assistance in compiling a bestiary shortly after she'd arrived, and... focusing on a task isn't a bad idea.

So she's got some supplies with her when she goes to find him.]

Oh! Akechi-kun, there you are. Do you have a moment?

[ Unlike Haru, Akechi is out here to accomplish a task. Right now his only contacts are a girl that rightfully hates him, some sort of space nerd, and a vampire. He needs to get more friendly with people in a hurry, so...

Errands. His own supplies are already tucked into his bag when Haru approaches and he's clearly ready to go - not to mention clearly surprised to see her. Still, he doesn't try to brush her off. If she's approaching him again, then there's a good reason for it. ]

I do. Did something come up?

Well...

[Hmm. Looks like he's had the same idea she has - her gaze drops to his bag for a moment before coming up to his face, and she shifts her own supplies in her arms a little to indicate them.]

I was thinking I would head out into the tundra to do some cataloging for Nurray. They say that two heads are better than one, so would you like to go together?

[ It doesn't take Akechi more than a moment to acknowledge the supplies, and when she makes her offer he smiles. It's the same sort of expression he made when she and Morgana had offered him a place to stay: amused, and maybe a little wry. ]

I was actually thinking that your gardening knowledge would make you an ideal partner.

[ He hadn't approached her, though, because... well. ]

I'd appreciate the company. It could be dangerous out there.

[ Akechi and Haru are in a similar boat. A brothel is the very last place he would have guessed himself to work. Sneaky murders or not, he's still a detective. Not to mention he isn't even 20 yet. Still, this place seems to have a good reputation for what it is, and when he hears about the shiftier aspects of some of the jobs they're offering...

Well. He might not have Joker's talent for stealth, but he can still slip past unnoticed when he needs to. After all: sneaky murders.

Of course, that would be much easier if a certain someone didn't even up being his partner. Akechi's dressed like a local right now, complete with a hat, but he's sure he's still easy to recognize; it's meant to help him blend in, not disguise him outright.

Still, though his eyes widen a little he's not sure it's a great idea to let their 'boss' know that they already know each other. So he doesn't acknowledge her until she speaks to him, at which point he gives her a perfectly pleasant smile. ]

We shall. Care to lead the way?

[ She knows this town better than him, after all. ]

[Akechi has a very specific set of skills, which can in some ways be applied to less specific tasks...

Haru, at least, shares those same skills.]

Certainly.

[She takes her cue from him and doesn't say anything to indicate that they're acquainted already, and soon enough, the pair of them are headed out of the brothel. Ostensibly, they're to pick up a medication from one of the clinics elsewhere in Olympia and bring it back to the brothel.

Or, at least, that's their cover. They've been cautioned not to allow anyone to examine the medicine too closely.]

I've visited this clinic a few times myself - but I hadn't realized they were so prolific with the types of medicine they produced.

I was a little surprised at first, but it makes sense.

[ Joker had never quite been open about where he was getting the assortment of medicines he provided the party with, but it hadn't been hard to tell they were professionally made. ]

They're already set up to produce whatever their clients might need, and it's a touchy enough subject that declining to ask prying questions isn't suspicious.

[ Man, he really is thinking like a criminal. ]

But if they sent two of us then there's obviously some risk involved. [ Thus: ] Should we go together, or should one of us cover the other from afar?

Oh, my...

[Well. They're going to race, apparently. That's a thing. The chainmail armor is a little heavier than Haru is used to, but it doesn't restrict her movement too terribly, so... she'll manage.

She hopes, anyway.

As she and her opponent head for the unicorns, she smiles at him.]

What's the phrase... "May the best man win," I think?

[Ohhhhh man. Roxas had signed up for this thing because he needed to do something to pass the time, and anyway it seemed kind of cool. Except, he's not so sure about that now that he knows they'll be racing on more-or-less horses. A skateboard he could handle; really big, four-legged beasts? He's less sure.

Still, he's not going to go back on his word, and at least the girl he's going up against seems pretty nice. Unless that's just a trick...probably not.]

Or the best girl. [He gives her a crooked smile.] I've never done anything like this before, so I guess we'll see! I'm Roxas, by the way.

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october shenanigans [open]

lullaby for the dragons - mikazuki;

rise of the ryders

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tundralyfe

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Shades Lighter

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tundra life - akechi;

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( shades lighter )

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reformation of the guards - roxas;

woof sorry for the delay!