[OPEN] quit complaining, brother- no one lives forever

[mollymocked]

Who: Mollymauk Tealeaf (mollymocked) and ANYONE
What: Open post for December, mainly for aftermath threads post-Dranbu, quests, and all assorted. Various and sundry open prompts below, and also available for wildcards!
When: Early December
Where: Olympia, mostly, with a brief turn in Wyver for the Strut Your Stuff Quest
Format: Log is written in prose, but I'll match your format!
Warning(s): Molly's Blood Hunter abilities might come up, which involve self harm. Will update if more warnings come up.




i. you can't change fate, so don't feel so bad.

LAVENDER SPRINGS

Last month had been... a lot.

He's not really smart enough to figure out what's to be done about the whole spirit situation. If what happened with Barthala happens again, he's not sure what can be done about it, beyond preventing it. At least Caleb can throw himself into research. All Molly has to his name is relief that it's over and some pent up frustration he'll be taking out on money-making schemes and hedonistic pleasures and maybe a little monster hunting for good measure.

The hedonism wins out, as it usually does. He spends more of his silver in the Lavender Springs than he does generously overtipping and overpaying the Olympian markets. He's already had an extremely comfortable massage and has settled into one of the hot springs that promote a state of pure bliss, which is all he really wants right now. Bliss and a return to his nothing matters and we're all gonna die anyway, so just live life the best you can zen.

It's an awkward hour of the day where the springs are fairly vacant and he's occupying one all to himself with his chin resting on his folded hands on the edge of the stone basin and his tail trailing little ripples through the water. He's at peace with the world, despite all the shit that's happened.

He perks up at the sound of footsteps coming up on the springs and as the person begins to consider which of the springs to take, he sits up. "Nope. Nope. Nope!" His lilting carnie voice, encouraging a sale comes out in full force. "You could have your choice of empty pools, but why would you do that when you have the option to have a chat and a laugh with someone as interesting as me."

As usual, he's full of shit.


ii. enjoy it while you can- it's just like the weather.

TEMPLES OF THESA

As a follower of the Moonweaver, Molly feels like he likely has the closest thing to his goddess here in Olympia, even if he knows what they're really worshiping and it kind of takes the fun out of it. Still, they worship in the same slightly chaotic way as the Moonweaver's followers do, and it's a good place to glean information. It's nice to know that he can go to Wyver and pretend to be a follower of a dragon and then stay here and feel free to be a little more open. He's never going to be Jester about his religion, but it's nice to not have to fucking hide it.

Today in the crisp, cold winter air, he's sitting just outside one of the nicer temples with his cards doing casual readings for himself. It's not really a religion thing- it's a Molly thing- but it feels like if he was ever going to get a proper feeling about something related to whoever the Olympian spirit is, he'd find it here. He can't do much, but he can do this, even if it's a barely minuscule chance of success. It's relaxing anyway.

He notices someone approaching and, without looking up, lays another card down. "I wouldn't do that, unless you're interested in participating. Some of the priests and priestesses have been going at it for about an hour in there. You could probably tap in, if you like."

Gods, he loves this place. It's delightful. He can meditate and be a wanky little shit.


iii. let's have a party- there's a full moon in the sky

ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

On any given day, Molly makes his rounds at the Entertainment District, tossing coins to performers and occasionally getting in on the action to show off his own talents. It's as close to being in the circus he can get and it's a definite mood booster to feel that excitement from the crowd as he does his little tricks. He's gathered a small crowd who have taken a comfortable distance back from him, watching as he juggles two of his scimitars with practiced ease, walking backwards, balancing on one foot, letting one slip just out of his reach and nearly clatter before he catches it by the hilt and flashes a wink at gasping onlookers.

He's good at it, that's for sure. And he enjoys it. After a few moments of his death-defying tricks, he catches both swords and bows with them crossed behind his back and his audience roars and tosses coins into the bag he's set near his feet. Not bad for a day's work he's going to end up spending at the nearest pub or toss right back to other performers. This is honestly how he makes his spending money for the day.

The crowd disperses and he collects his winnings without bothering to count it, catching the eye of someone who is either too slow to disperse or is lingering a bit too long. "Let me guess. You want an encore? That generally costs extra."

iv. it's the hour of the wolf

MURKWELL HOLLOW

A colorful individual and a carnie showman, it's a little known fact until you get to know him better or have experienced a fight with him that Molly... does kind of enjoy killing things. Nothing that doesn't deserve it, of course. He doesn't go out and pick fights, for gods' sakes. But if they happen, he's a little bit into it. It's part of him and he doesn't necessarily like it, but he keeps his people protected so he accepts it.

He also loves ruins and places full of dead things like cemeteries. They're neat. They tell stories, even if they're just what you can make up on the spot about what happened. And, honestly, Molly's just goth enough to know that death is inevitable and being reminded of it just makes you more comfortable with the notion and allows you to appreciate being alive that much more. And monsters, if you're into that, which he isn't into, generally, but, hey, when things need killin'...

Also, Murkwell Hollow, while being a little too close to the Labenda Swamp to be all that enjoyable, is a treasure trove of interesting things, and as he and his companion (who probably did not know this was where he was leading them until RIGHT NOW) wander through the area, his excitement is... Well, a little bit unbearable, really.

"I haven't been here before. It really lives up to its name."


v. we've only got so many tricks

STRUT YOUR STUFF QUEST

Molly keeps his ear to the ground for interesting things, because his wanderlust and inability to stay in one place for very long, even if he's basically running himself between as many places as he's permitted to gain as minimal a reputation as can.

This... Is the most interesting thing he's seen in awhile, and if he hadn't already embraced his casual nihilism to get over what happened in Dranbu, this would push him over the edge to just embrace what good is presented to him and own it. So yes, he's here. And yes, he's indulging whoever the most avant-garde designer is. He's so into it that he spends a lot of time in the dressing rooms bouncing from one person to the next to see what they're wearing, being just as participatory as the audience in how much he's having fun with his fellow models, whether to their detriment or their appreciation of his compliments and personal space violation. Be pleased, everyone, for how often do you get to wear stupid expensive tacky clothing and make rich people look at you and see you! You can probably con them later and they'll be too blinded to resist. (Molly intends to do just that.)

On the catwalk he's not much better, strictly for that reason. He knows how to work an audience, after all, and what he lacks in raw charisma, he makes up for in confidence and a total lack of fear of pushing into people's space and making them damn delighted that he's in it, whether they want to or not.

It doesn't help that he's wearing things like this and this and this. He's an eccentric, he's colorful, and he's here. Appreciate him.

Comments

ii

[thedarkbond]

[Though it's been a little while since the harvest festival, Ren still hasn't had much time to investigate the Temples of Thesa. He definitely flitted through once or twice later in that month, but Olympia is still a decent distance from Wyver even by train, and he usually goes there because he has at least one reason to be there. He'd come in late for something else last night, though, so he figures he might as well take the opportunity to finally check the temples out in the morning before he heads back to Wyver.

Judging by his outfit, he's probably not too fussed by the weather - it's a similar loose-shouldered and excessively long-sleeved shirt plus vest look that he'd worn to Yoshiko's party, if a little more casual and without the accoutrements. The heels of his knee-high boots click on the neat stone and tile of the temple, and he pauses just about at the same moment Molly speaks, having noticed him and been about to greet him.

At the warning, he lets out a slight laugh, which condenses white in front of his mouth.] Seems a bit rude to interrupt with the fun they must be having in there.

[He looks from Molly to the cards - he's seen Molly do readings before, but nobody else seems to be here, and this does seem a slightly odd place for it.] I'm guessing you didn't set up here because you wanted customers, right?

[mollymocked]

They are having a lot of fun. [Molly flicks his red-eyed gaze upwards and grins. Being in two different cities, despite Molly's insistence on being flighty means Molly doesn't get to cling to Ren's elbow as much as he'd like to in that 'you're part of my group and I need to keep you close because I am an abyss of loneliness when I'm left alone' way of his. It's really hard not being able to keep his people together in one safe space. This must be what it's like to be normal. Ugh. Fuck that.

He looks back at the cards, flicking one between his fingers.] Little of that, little of another. Good energies here. Makes you feel like you've got your finger on the pulse of the place. You heard about all that stuff Juno came back with, right?

[thedarkbond]

[Ren honestly has similar thoughts to Molly on not being able to keep his friends in one place - it's unpleasant, for someone so used to having friends with him constantly, to have to spend so much time alone. But it's not the sort of thing he lets other people in on if he has to at all.

In any case, it's definitely nice to see him, and Ren hums in slight interest at Molly's answer.] Oh, yep, I talked to him about it and everything. Are you trying to find out more about the Olympian god, then...?

[It might be an odd way of doing it to some people, but Ren's seen a whole lot more rest on cards.] Cards are a good way to focus on that sort of thing, anyway, though I didn't actually get to learn that much about tarot back home...

[His own cards helped channel his connection to Cray, though, which is a different sort of spiritual link.]

[mollymocked]

I don't do a lot of reading. [More like he barely can read properly, but still.] I'm not gonna be any help at researching and I can't track anything I don't know a basic direction for, so... This is how I feel useful.

[And after utterly failing to do anything on his own terms aside from maybe poke Allura a bit, he needs to feel useful if just in fits and starts.] Also I have met most of the people I know here by turning cards for them, so. [He winks up at Ren.] If nothing else, you meet interesting folks, so it's a worthwhile pursuit if you're open to that kind of perception.

[Because while Molly doesn't have to bullshit, this is one thing he feels strongly about. Just because you're not actually psychic doesn't mean what you see in people isn't valid. Same with those tingles he gets.]

[thedarkbond]

Mmm, I don't have much patience for reading, but I don't really have anything else useful either, so I'll have to do a bit of it, I guess... [Ren sounds a bit done with the whole thing already, honestly, rubbing the back of his head like it's some huge inconvenience he's being forced to deal with. He can listen in on things and mingle, but that's really about it otherwise.

He pauses, though, at Molly's mention of being open to that sort of perception, a trace of something bitter in the smile that results.] If I see someone I think looks interesting then I'll just approach them anyway...I'm pretty good at reading people, though I like doing things with cards as well. It's just usually different things.

[It seems like they're going to be talking for a while here, so Ren sits down across from Molly, looking somewhat like he's considering saying something else, but shakes his head as he leans his arms across raised knees and rests his chin on top of them. It'll probably drag down the mood if he goes into what kind of psychic perception he has, since he can't hear those voices anymore.]

So since it's my second time, would I have to pay you for another reading~? [It's partway a distraction from his own thoughts now, but he also liked the mood of it last time, so he might as well ask again while the opportunity is there.]

[mollymocked]

[Molly's disinterest in other people's pasts and experiences that they're not just delivering or trying to get answered keeps him from asking about Ren's own interest in cards. It'll come up in due time or it won't. It's not the first time it's been mentioned.

Besides, this is an easier way to bridge difficult subjects. When all else fails, ask the cards- even if it's just Molly under a veil of bullshit, insight, and genuine feeling, it feels better when it feels like it comes from some mystical place. And Molly's professional enough and disinterested enough to not do anything with that information.]

I feel like we're a bit past the point of needing to exchange coin. You're more than welcome to put a question on the deck, and we'll see what comes of it.

[thedarkbond]

[Ren smiles a little at that, but it's only very brief before he instead takes on a rather exaggerated expression of thought, tapping his chin as he tries to come up with a good question.]

These aren't meant to be too specific, are they...? [Or at least, that's what Yoshiko had complained about when he'd been anonymously poking her about her tarot readings on the network that one time. At the same time, he doesn't want to ask anything that reveals anything too vulnerable about himself.

In the end, he settles on something that's important and somewhat personal, but not to the point he's going to need to get into anything.] Hmm...can I ask something about what's going to happen with the connections I've made here? Like, how friendships and meetings are going to go and things like that. That seems important enough to me. Especially if someone I already know is going to reveal something really dramatic or something like that.

[He knows it doesn't get that specific, but hey, he can't not add some levity to draw attention away from that tiny moment of him being sincere, because being sincere is still the worst thing ever.]

Temple of Thesa! (set before allura's thread with takasugi because I'm not ready for that yet dfsjl)

[quintessent]

[With the announcement regarding Barthala (sp), despite the uncertainty the laid ahead, the assurance that she wasn’t about to have a lapse in memory and go wandering back into a forest was a welcome one. After several days spent under general supervision (she really couldn’t protest, after all of the stress she put Lance and the others through), Allura was grateful to spend some time out and about on her own again. Especially since there’s a handful of people who she hasn’t seen since her lapse in memory. She’s not looking for Molly per-se but she’s keeping an eye out.

Luckily, a certain purple man with horns hanging outside of Thesa’s temple makes for an easy game of eye spy.]

Fortunately, I am more interested in what is going on outside the temple.

[When he looks up from his cards, he’ll find one (1) princess standing over him, looking cozy in a winter cloak and, most importantly, not looking at him like a stranger.]

[mollymocked]

[Molly is aware of a handful of people who came out of that badness fine and dandy and he'd interpreted Juno, Kirk, and Diana's words as factual just because he trusts Juno inasmuch as one comfortably trusts anyone in these circumstances. Things would sort themselves out. He didn't need to trip over himself to check on everyone.

So, of course, Allura's shadow falling over him and robbing him of some of his light makes him beam like the sun just came out on his face.] Allura. Darling. How's the apothecary business treating you?

[He's cheeky as fuck. She made him worry. That deserves a reprimand, even if it's just in him being flippant, instead of just hugging her outright. That'll come in a moment.]

[quintessent]

[She can't help a well-humored scowl, and she shakes her head.]

Terribly, I'm afraid. It turns out I know nothing about the business.

[Why the forest decided she should be an apothecary is beyond her. Unless it snagged onto some part of her history involving Altean alchemy, but neither of those things have very much to do with each other.]

There were some interesting customers though. One had red eyes, strange tattoos, and curled horns and he simply would not leave me be.

[mollymocked]

Is that so? [Molly props his elbows on his lap and folds his hands onto his chin.] Y'know, I think I spoke to him. He said that your knowledge of herbalism was so lacking that he's shocked you didn't give him arsenic, instead of lavender oil.

[He wrinkles his nose, dropping his little game.] Wasn't lavender oil either, but dear god it had the worst smell I've ever come across. The things I do to do to commit to a con.

[Well, the con didn't deem it necessary for him to use it, but why wouldn't he??] Did it do anything? The con I ran on you, specifically, not the oil. That definitely didn't do anything.

[quintessent]

[With a regal upturn of her nose,]

I am educated in diplomacy not mixing medicines.

[There's a giggle as they drop it. She's definitely in better spirits than in days past. The time she spent under surveillance at home did her goo.

At his question, she nods, expression softening.] It started something. Once I started questioning things, then the inconsistencies started to add up. And then when my father never returned-

[Ah, that's actually painful to talk about. The thing about regaining memories is that it's a little like picking at old wounds. She shakes her head,] Yes. You mattered. Thank you Mollymauk.

[Now would be a good time for that hug.]

[mollymocked]

It didn't feel right leaving you like that. And all of that was... a lot. I'm glad Juno and the other two sorted it out. [He pushes himself to his feet, stepping around the spread of his cards and drapes an arm around her shoulder.] I don't know that many people here. And d'you know hard it is to get along with random strangers? It's bloody awful. You snapping back to reality saved me a lot of pointlessly charming people who aren't half as interesting to fill a gap.

[He's laying it on a little thick, but when you're someone like Molly, you cling hard and cling fast in these circumstances. Laying it on thick makes it seem like pretty lies when really he would have been deeply unhappy at having lost a connection.]

1

[hellzone]

Yoshiko has the awkward feeling like she's been a bat for the past month. One thing is certain: she doesn't really want to think about that anymore. She wants both feet on the ground, no flying, no getting tangled up in people's hair, things like that. So, she decides to treat herself to something very un-batlike: a spa day.

She knew the baths were unisex: she picked this hour for a reason. Yoshiko's still not too hot on the idea of mixed baths, to the point where she's wearing a swimsuit underneath her towel. Maybe this hour in the middle of the afternoon was awkward enough that she'd be the only person there. Of course, as soon as Molly sits up, she realizes that nope, other people.

"Cause it's a mixed bath!" Yoshiko remarks, covering her eyes with one hand while pulling her towel closer to her with the other hand. "You're cool and all, Little Demon Molly, but this isn't gonna happen!"

She is taking plenty of precautions to keep herself from seeing Molly's weenie. It'll be the bath next to his, thank you very much.

[mollymocked]

"All right, all right." He'll relent, giggling a bit indulgently, as he sinks back under the steamy water where nothing can even have the possibility of being seen. Not even his male-presenting nipples. There's more room to spread out then, and they can still communicate without yelling across the hall and disturbing... He doesn't know. The attendants trying to get their reading done in the off hours.

"How're you feeling? Aside from looking like you're going to explode from embarrassment." He doesn't want to flat out say 'hey you were a bat and that's weird,' because he isn't even sure how much they remember of that, but he can still be concerned.

[hellzone]

Yoshiko at least sits in one of the tubs closer to Molly, so they don't have to scream across the entire bathing area. And yep, she's wearing her swimsuit. It's a cute black one-piece and honestly, she feels a little weird wearing it to the baths in the first place, but if she thinks of this more like a waterpark than a spa, maybe her weirdness will lessen.

Thankfully, Molly gives her an entirely new question to worry about as Yoshiko blushes a bit. How are you feeling...well, she was a bat, that was weird, there's no way to get around that.

"Glad to have fingers," she responds, as she sinks into the water. "I still don't know how much of that was real, but it certainly was something."

[mollymocked]

"Well, it's over now and not likely to happen again from what I heard, so if it's easier to deal with, I am more than willing to pretend I didn't see anything and it never happened."

Because Yoshiko definitely needs more soft nihilism of the 'nothing matters, life is short, don't worry about bullshit' school. "I did not have a good time coming out of that place, and I don't know anyone that did."

Okay, maybe Ren, but that doesn't fucking count. That was one of Molly's own high points and it didn't change his feelings on the average.

[hellzone]

Pretending that nothing happened is a little...disingenuous? Yoshiko isn't sure how she feels about that. Because it did happen and she probably should own up to the fact that it happened. But at the same time, man she does not want to think about it not happening.

She frowns a little as she sinks further in the pool. "It was weird, just how...easy, I guess? How easy it was to just not listen to people who were saying true things."

[mollymocked]

"Lies are lovely, don't get me wrong. They always sound better than the truth, even when the truth isn't all that bad." Molly is still personally offended by Dranbu and forcing him to treat the truth as sacred when it's the antithesis of everything. He had to play a hand to get people to commit to who they were and all he can think is that's what Cree would have done to him if he'd let her know that he didn't know or care who Lucien was. He gets to live with the hypocrisy of that.

Or forget about it as quickly as possible, because fuck that. He rests the back of his head against the stone and stares up at the flickering lights above them. "I think it was worse if you weren't fucked over by all that. The people who were didn't have to worry about anything except how weird it was after. Everyone else got to feel bad for ourselves."

iii I hope you're in the mood for More Law

[kikoku]

He won't admit it, but Law was honestly impressed by Molly's juggling. It takes a certain combination of full body coordination and risk taking that he's not exactly unfamiliar with, but definitely not in full possession of. Beyond that, the man seems to enjoy performing, and sometimes you just get swept up in something lively and colorful when you're a walking storm cloud, you know.

In any case, when he realizes he's drawn Molly's attention, he seems slightly caught off guard, but manages to draft a pithy reply in just a couple moments, "I thought I'd stick around in case you messed up and needed medical attention."

Yeah. Casual, Cool, Rude. He might almost pull off this tough guy act if not for the tabby cat currently cradled in his arms that chooses just now to offer a loud meow.

i always want more Law

[mollymocked]

Molly slides both blades into their respective places on his belt and immediately invades Law's space to pet the kitty without any kind of permission. He's used to Frumpkin, who can appear and disappear on shoulders and laps on Caleb's whim.

"It's cute that you think I can fuck up my own act." Molly's arrogance and pride were unmatched, and he hasn't dropped a sword since he was an amateur and even then... Well, he doesn't mind a little blood. "People get way more into it when there's blood, and if you can't roll with that, you're not cut out to be a performer."

Blood, love, and rhetoric, you know. Such is life.

Someone has to

[kikoku]

Law can't bother to be that offended by the encroachment when there's the convenient buffer of the cat in the way. The cat itself seems friendly enough, head leaning into Molly's hand with a contented chirp. Upon closer inspection, the cat seems to be sporting a collar with a name tag that says "Tulip."

In response to Molly's comment just seems to make Law look more skeptical, though. "It's hard for me to tell, your profession seems to change every time I run into you," he finally replies. A hired gun, a fortune teller, now a sword juggler. Who knows what it might be next time. He's not exactly complaining or judging, mostly just defending himself from the comment in which he's called cute, even if it is sarcastic.

[mollymocked]

Tulip. And suddenly Molly knows a lot more about Law and it delights him, because of course it does. Molly is easily delighted by the simplest of things, and seeing grumpy people show their softer side is one of the big ones. Law can only know who appreciates him through the gentler moments, because he doesn't have anything that gives him power over other people to take away. He just has nice moments that you reward. Like Beau.

God, he is like Beau. Fuck.

"Does it change or do I just have a lot of credentials?" Molly rocks back on his heels, pulling his hand away from the cat. "One doesn't preclude the others. I'm very well-rounded."

[kikoku]

Law looks Molly up and down as he thinks over how he wants to answer that, or rather measures if it's some sort of conversational trap. This is a many who's far better at talking than he is, he's not looking to get tricked and end up looking foolish. "I suppose that's fair. I shouldn't be surprised that you wear several hats," he finally concedes, before starting to turn away.

"I don't know which way you're headed, but I have to get this idiot cat back to Elise-ya so she can stop worrying after him," Law indicates the cat in his arms. Sorry to dissapoint, but it is in fact not his cat. That said, it does seem he went through the trouble of locating someone else's cat for them.... so it's still a bit of softness on Law's part. As is the tacit invitation to walk with him, if it's on Molly's way.

[mollymocked]

"It's really hard to fit a good hat over my horns. I have to keep my options open." Molly clicks his tongue and winks... and promptly follows just in Law's shadow, now that his performance is over and no one is actually looking for an encore. Someone tosses a coin at him as he passes and he catches it with impressive dexterity and blows them a kiss before turning all his attention back to Law. That tacit invitation has been accepted, and would have been even without it being an invitation.

"Did you seriously rescue someone else's kitten from a tree?" Honestly, that makes it better. Molly laughs incredulously like he can't believe what he's hearing. "That's adorable."