open november catch-all ( haru okumura + princess yona )

[frombetrayal]

Who: Haru Okumura (frombetrayal) & you! Princess Yona (cutefaced) & you, too.
What: A post-event catch-all for November. Personalized starters will be in the comments.
When: Anytime after the event.
Where: Basically anywhere, though mainly Wyver for now.
Warning(s): Nothing at the moment, but I'll add them as things come up. Mephisto and Jae-Ha are in the middle of some 18+ shenanigans in one thread but that's probably getting cut short.

haru;

one - searching for supplies;
[Haru's up in the Old City today, taking a look at the marketplace. She doesn't seem too perturbed by the state of the Old City itself; sure, it's... definitely got a sort of dangerous feel to it, but she's pretty capable of defending herself if need be.

The axe she's got strapped to her back is something she knows how to use, after all.

That being said, she's not really anticipating a fight - it's more of a precautionary measure. She's calm and polite with the merchants as she looks through their wares, though eventually, she has to stop and ask someone for directions-]

Um, excuse me. [You! Yes, you! Help a girl out.] You don't happen to know where there might be someone selling gardening tools, do you?

[Do they even garden here? Man, she doesn't know. There's plants every which way down in the jungle itself, but they don't really seem organized - it's a very wild feel.

Which has its own charm, of course, but...]

two - foraging for foliage;
[Midway through the month, Haru decides it's about time to get her butt in gear. She's more or less decided that she will be returning to Olympia eventually, but she doesn't want to forget the nice parts of Wyver, either...

So.

She's got a pack full of supplies and a simple sketchpad in hand. You might catch her throughout the city, taking sketches of the various plants that are growing there -

Or you might catch her looking at one or two of them, puzzled.]

Hmm... I wonder if there's some way of harvesting seeds from this?

[If she can, she'd like to grow some of these back in Olympia - though she's not sure they'll take to the climate there.

...eventually, of course, she'll wander to the Undergrowth. She has, at least, stopped to grab her axe, but now she's lingering at the entrance, checking over her supplies.]

Well, no time like the present...

[In she goes!]

three - many hands make light work;
[Haru's spent a decent amount of time in Wyver - but, toward the end of the month, she joins the volunteer efforts to help get Olympia back on its feet. It's only fair, after all - Olympia was kind enough to take them all in when they first arrived, and she can't in good conscience leave them to flounder now.

So. If you're on the road to Olympia at the same time as her, she raises a hand and calls out -]

Hello there!

[Safety in numbers, after all; maybe you can travel together!

On the other hand, if you encounter her once you're both back in Olympia, you can find her basically anywhere in the city - helping move supplies around, working on general cleanup, et cetera, et cetera. She's pretty strong for a girl her age.

Of course, everyone needs to take a break sometime, and she's no exception. Catch her while she's taking a breather and getting a bite to eat, and she might wave you over.]

Are you hungry? I have enough to share.

yona;

one - bad decision time;
[So. Uh.

Here's Yona. Here's Yona at Falmi's Ring, watching some of the fights with interest while clutching a few coins in one hand. Gambling probably is not the best habit for a princess to get into, but she's heard that if you get good at it, it can be a way of making money quickly. And since she doesn't have a steady job yet - she's mainly been doing odd job around Wyver for some coin - this seems as good an option as any.

For now, she's observing the fights. Her eyes are fixed on a slender man currently in the ring, ducking and weaving to avoid his much brawnier opponents' moves. He's quick on his feet and his strategy seems to be wearing his opponent down.]

Hmm... He's doing pretty well...

[Maybe she'll bet on him in the next fight.]

two - practice makes perfect;
[Thunk.

What's that sound? Well, that's the sound of Yona hurling small throwing knives (which she, uh, "borrowed" from Jae-Ha, sorry Jae-Ha) at a tree trunk. But it's better than the alternative! The sound means she's hitting her target and not, you know, missing and nearly throwing a sharp object at your face.]

Hah! I'm getting better at this.

[She's run out... looking proud of herself, she hurries over to pull the knives from the tree and heads back to the line she's drawn in the dirt for herself. Time to get back to work... Oh, hey, there's a person.]

Oh, sorry! Was I bothering you?

[Alternatively -

Thunk. Thunk.

...

Silence, and then-]

Oh, oops!

[Looks like she missed. Maybe you're an unfortunate passerby that is now going to have to dodge the knife? Maybe you got hit. Who knows.]

three - fangirl mode, activate;
[By now, Yona's a pretty common face at the stables, especially now that the week of the full moon has passed, the dragons are back where they're supposed to be, and they're not trying to... you know, eat them.

Today, she's hanging around and peering at them when she gets the chance.]

They're so beautiful...! I wish I could ride one.

[But, uh, she's broke. Alas.

Alternatively, if you catch her in the West, you may see her watching some of the dancers with interest.

...later in the night, you might catch her in a secluded part of town, trying to mimic the moves on her own. She's not quite ready to join in the dancing herself, but she would like to learn!

She's a little unsteady on her feet, though. It's a lot of twirling and jumping.

Heck, she might even stumble out and smack into you if you're not careful.]

Oh— I'm sorry!

wildcard;

[If none of the above works for you, just hit me with whatever! Alternatively, hit me up by PM or at hungriest and I'll be glad to write a personalized starter for you.]

Comments

[cutefaced]

[Vane better eat for the two of them, or else Yona might be tempted to eat a little more than she should. But time will tell.]

...I can't cook very well. I never had to before.

[Sweats.]

But, since I came here, I was taught to make s'mores and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and that was really fun!

[she's useless]

holidays are the worst OTL

[frombetrayal]

That's an option...

[Haru takes a moment to consider it, then shakes her head.]

...no, if you prefer to fight without them, then you ought to fight without them. Let's see if we can sign up for team matches so that we'll be able to watch each other's backs.

for real tho

[gekkajuu]

All right.

[He may doubt his own decisions, but he doesn't once doubt hers. On the contrary, it's just the push in the back he needs, and he's more than happy to look for whatever kind of registration Wyver expects.

It's simple, as expected - barely more than a jotting down of their names, and a scrutinizing look that's probably more because they're clearly not natives than that it's meant to size them up. That's one thing, good or bad: their opponents may or may not underestimate them, but the people in charge of signing up don't seem to be jumping to conclusions.

After that, it's just a matter of waiting for their turn to come, the names they used to sign up called out a lot more loudly than Atsushi is comfortable with.]

how does one convert holiday cheer into tagging energy

[frombetrayal]

[When the person taking down their names scrutinizes them, Haru doesn't bat an eyelash; instead, she merely shoots them a cool look right back. She's used to being scrutinized, but the reasons for that are neither here nor there.

And then there's little to do but wait. She watches some of the other matches with interest until their names are called, at which point she straightens up with a little jolt.]

—that's us!

[Into the ring they go.

Outwardly, their opponents seem to be a decent match for them - they're neither significantly bulkier nor notably smaller than either one of them. An easy win for either side doesn't make for good entertainment, after all.

She smiles at their opponents as they face off in the ring.]

Let's make this a good match, shall we?

[One of their opponents, a man of average height with a messy beard, shoots her a quizzical look before zeroing in on Atsushi. Apparently, he feels more comfortable fighting a man than a woman.]

[terrantrash]

_{[Wow rude...he's not that thirsty. Even mopey Slaine though can't resist petting a soft creature, even if said dog does startle him at times. Nervously he reaches out to pet him, gently running a hand from the top of his head to his back. There, happy?]}

[cutefaced]

[He is absolutely that thirsty.

...anyway, she looks pleased that they're finally getting along. She's watching the two of them with no small amount of fondness. If you wanna be her lover you gotta get with her friends, etc, except in this case her friend is a dog.]

you can't! they're in directly inverted proportion to each other

[gekkajuu]

Yes!

[It's more a squeak than a word, but Atsushi follows all the same. Ohno it's beginning...! He's nervous in spite of himself. It's almost easier to go into a fight to save the world than it is to fight mostly for training and perhaps some vanity, proving yourself the best by winning: there's no room for hesitation when there are huge things at stake.

He takes a deep breath, putting his game face on which looks only a little constipated. He just has to remember two things. Firstly, that he shouldn't chicken out and hide behind the tiger. And secondly, that it's okay to hurt these people. That's what they all signed up for.

Having the focus of that man with the beard on him is uncomfortable; he'd rather have gone with the other opponent, a young man who looks so smooth and polished compared to most people here that you wouldn't expect him to be into this kind of fighting... but then, maybe that's not a good sign, and he's more the sneaky, backstabbing type.

There's no gong to signal a start, and Atsushi is just wondering if it would be wise to make the first move like it often is when he uses his ability, but then the man with the beard comes running at him already. Thankfully Atsushi is fast, even without using his ability: he dodges a hit, ducks under a kick, and uses the same motion to get behind the bearded man and shove him, hard.

... It's not enough of an attack, really: the guy trips, but he's quick to get on his feet again, and this probably only made him angry. But Atsushi didn't freeze up, which is the important thing - and the crowd seems to like it, shouts and laughter erupting here and there.]

timeskip to december again - slaine;

[cutefaced]

[It's just a normal day back at their place in Olympia.

Contrary to some people's opinions, they're not attached at the hip. Yona occasionally goes places without Slaine and vice versa. That's the case today - she takes off early-ish in the morning, citing a few errands she needs to run.

She doesn't come back until the sun is about to set, and when she does, her expression is strangely dull. She's trying to keep the look on her face as neutral as possible, but she's not really sure she's succeeding, so she carefully avoids looking into any reflective surfaces on her way into the house.

She doesn't call out a greeting as she enters, either. Instead, she quietly seeks Slaine out, and instead of saying hello, comes up behind him and reaches out to grip the fabric of his jacket.

...

Hi Slaine!]

alas.......

[frombetrayal]

[Haru, for her part, watches their opponents carefully with her knees slightly bent, shifting her weight from foot to foot and back again so that she'll be ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

It leaves her in a position to be able to twirl out of the polished-looking man's way when he approaches, ducking down slightly and coming up with a curtsy before lunging forward for a quick strike with her fist.

...Phantom Thieves can be a little extra, and Haru's movements are smooth and elegant to start with, since she's not weighed down by the axe she typically fights with. (It would probably be in bad form to slice their opponents in two, though perhaps she could use the flat of the blade as a blunt weapon... something to consider for next time.)

The bearded man, meanwhile, lumbers toward Atsushi once more, though he's more aware of his movements this time. Rather than kicking him and potentially throwing himself off-balance, he's going to try and grab him to wrestle him down to the floor.]

[terrantrash]

<sub>[Just a normal day indeed. Since getting back to Olympia there's been a lot of things Slaine's had to do. Errands here and there, a much needed fix up of the place that had been left abandoned for quite sometime. There was cleaning to do, his job at the institute and of course the chores that came with day to day living. So far he's managed, even though he's really been feeling the grind.

Still, he can't complain too much. Ever since the Gala he's been in good spirits and rested for the most part. Of course that's about to change. He's just finished up doing the dishes when he hears the door open and the sound of her footsteps. Drying off his hands he doesn't have a chance to turn to greet her before he feels a tug on the back of his jacket.

It's only when he finally gets a chance to look at her that he notices something's off. Just what had happened while she was out?]</sub>

...Lady Yona? What's wrong?

[cutefaced]

[It should be easy to just say it.

Hak is gone. Or rather, Hak is asleep. Because she can go visit him, the same way Slaine's visited Asseylum, the same way she went so frequently to visit Soo-won in the early days of her being here.

But when she opens her mouth to speak, she can't force the words out.]

Hak is...

[She manages to get a start on it, but can't bring herself to finish the sentence. Saying it or not saying it won't make it any less true, but saying the words feels like accepting it.]

[terrantrash]

<sub>[She's upset. Something's happened to Hak, but who knows what that might be? Hak always seemed to be infallible as far as Slaine could tell...so just what was wrong?

He can't read minds, so she's going to have to tell him.]</sub>

Hak is? What happened?

[cutefaced]

[She doesn't want to say it.]

...he's...

[But she has to. She knows Slaine can't read her mind, and she knows that refusing to admit it isn't going to bring him back. It's better that she get this out now, isn't it? ...so that, if Jae-Ha doesn't know already, she can be strong for him when he finds out.

She's sure that he'll miss Hak, too. He doesn't need to deal with her tears on top of that.]

...he fell asleep.

[Clearly, she doesn't mean that he's just taking an innocent little nap.]

[terrantrash]

<sub>[Ah.

Well, that explains it.

He doesn't hesitate in reaching out to wrap his arms around he, pulling her tight to his chest. It'd be a lie to say he doesn't feel affronted with mixed feelings - part of him is relieved Hak won't be around but the other part, the part that knows how important Hak is to Yona...well is devastated.]</sub>

He'll wake up again. I'm sure he will.

[cutefaced]

I know.

[Her voice is very quiet. There's a moment where she just stays as she is - where she stands there with his arms around her, her arms at her sides. Hak isn't here. It's so hard for her to imagine.

Even in the days when he'd spent more time in Fuuga than in the palace - before he became her bodyguard - there had never been doubt that he would swing by at some point. But now, unless he wakes up again, he won't. He won't show up and tease her, or give her a hard time, or...

...he won't be there to remember Kouka with her. Instead, now he's part of the Kouka she remembers.

Her breath hitches, and she buries her face in his chest as she finally clings to him.]

...I know, but...

[gekkajuu]

[Atsushi manages to escape the bearded man's initial grab, but a second try catches him off guard. Down he goes, with the bearded man diving after. Atsushi has speed and agility going for him, but he's not foolish enough to expect that he so much as stands a chance of winning if this man pins him down.

So he resolves to turn them around while he has momentum, and grab the man where he can - which happens to be that beard. It's not very elegant, but it proves to be effective: it offers just enough of a handle, and the bearded man ends up in just enough pain, that Atsushi can spin them around once more, pinning the bearded man under him, instead.

It's funny, but now that they've come this far, he doesn't feel the least bit guilty for hurting the man. Or maybe that's not so strange after all, when the "guilt" ingrained in him is often (though not exclusively) a fear of retaliation. Either way, he doesn't hold back at all - except for not using his ability - as he lands a nasty right hook on the man. With more power, it might have knocked the guy unconscious, but Atsushi only has so much strength: the guy stays conscious, and proceeds to knee Atsushi, hard enough to knock the breath right out of him. So much for his flying start.

The polished-looking man staggers back at that hit, but only a little, and it turns out to be at least partly an act: the moment Haru gets close to take advantage, he tries to kick her legs out from under her.]

[terrantrash]

_{[He lets her cling to him for support, a hand reaching up to cradle her head against his chest. He knows how terrible she must feel, how sad and lonely...he knows what it feels like to be separated from someone you care about. He's had it happen to him multiple times now.]}

It's hard, I know.

_{[This is, well, a disaster is putting it lightly.]}

[frombetrayal]

[If nothing else, the audience is having a great time - they let out a loud cheer when Atsushi's fist connects with the bearded man's face, and another when the man knees him in return.

As Atsushi's breath is pushed out of him, the man tries to buck up and flip them over to pin him to the ground - but that hit to his face has left him a little dizzy, and he's not quite able to get the momentum he needs. It leaves Atsushi with the opening for another hit, provided he's not too busy trying to breathe.

Haru, on the other hand, is caught unawares by the kick - but her reflexes are good, and when she hits the ground, she throws her weight in his direction to try and knock right into his knees.

...

This fight has apparently turned into a two-person wrestling match.]

[cutefaced]

...he's always been there.

[It's unfair to dump this on Slaine, too, she thinks. She's vaguely aware of that, in the back of her mind, but the tears won't stop and the words are bubbling up before she can stop herself.]

Even if— even if I wasn't seeing him every day, I always knew I could go find him if I needed to, and now... n-now...

[Now he's asleep in a pod and she doesn't know how to deal with it, honestly. She's always sort of taken it for granted that Hak would be around. Now that he's not? ...well. It's not great.]

[terrantrash]

<sub>[Slaine...honestly can't imagine what it's like, to always have someone there to depend on. He's only ever had himself to fall back on, and so he can't help but hurt for her as she makes the front of his chest wet. Carefully he runs his fingers through her hair, in a bid to soothe, even though he feels completely out of his element. Dealing with her when she'd been sick and even delusional was one thing...this was entirely different.

Especially when he knows there's nothing he can say that'll make her feel better.]</sub>

We can visit him together. I know that isn't the same but he hasn't gone away.

_{[Not exactly, anyway.]}

[cutefaced]

[It's not the same at all.

He knows that, though. Saying so again won't do anything. She shakes her head a little uselessly, or at least, she tries to. All she really manages to accomplish is smear tears all over the front of his jacket.]

...I don't know if Jae-Ha knows yet. How am I going to tell him...?

[The words come out mumbled and slightly muffled against his chest.]

[terrantrash]

...Do you want me to tell him?

_{[If it makes it easier on her he'll deliver the message.]}

You don't have to tell him right away if it's too difficult.

[cutefaced]

[It would be easier to let Slaine tell him.

Yona thinks that, and she immediately hates herself for it. Easier doesn't mean right. She shakes her head again.]

I should be the one to do it.

[Her voice sounds a little watery, because she's still crying. She doesn't feel like she's going to stop anytime soon, which is... odd. He's just sleeping. He might wake up, just like he did before. Hak is the strongest person she knows. He'll come back.

(But what if he doesn't?)]

...I'd want him to tell me, if it was the other way around...

[terrantrash]

Then you can when you feel you can. You don't have to push yourself.

_{[Not when she's already so upset.]}

...Do you want to sit down?

_{[That doesn't mean he has any intention of letting go, but she might want to be up off her feet.]}

[cutefaced]

[She should tell him sooner rather than later, she thinks, but she also knows going to him in tears isn't going to help much at all. Especially not when he's been sick this past month...

She nods, raising her head from his chest just enough for the motion.]

...can we? I'm sorry...