nysalogs | (open) this time i know

Entry tags:

(open) this time i know

Who: mikazuki augus (

sparsity) & various & you!
What: january catch-all, open prompts/closed quests.
When: throughout the month.
Where: mostly wyver, a smidge of olympia.
Warning(s): none as of now!

I. WITHIN WYVER

A. ODD JOBS:
[ Calling Mikazuki a workaholic wouldn't be an understatement. He seems to sleep as little as he can possibly get away with and spends the rest of his time either training in the jungles or picking up odd jobs around the dense, vibrant marketplace. Constant movement comes to him easier than being inert, though no one would really figure him for a restless sort. Whatever the case is, he's been hefting deliveries for different shops, earning some silver and a snack or two along the way.

His current task, one that has him parked outside a café with a carved facade depicting a dragon and a few spartan teacups wreathed in steam, sees him cleaning up a pretty tenacious gnarl of plantlife. Foliage grows freely in Wyver, but overgrowth can be a nuisance. He doesn't seem to mind doing the job barehanded, peeling back vines and thorns from bright red blossoms. Luckily his hands are tough and show he's been at this a while as a result: dirt darkens his wrists, fingertips sticky with sap. At his side is very small deer who daintily steps over the carnage, picking up fallen leaves to chew on. With a flat look, he reaches up to push at its nose. ]

Cut it out. You'll get a stomach ache.

[ While most of the unruly vines have been snapped and put aside, there's a pile of flowers neatly laid out, separated from the bulk. Mikazuki sits back on his knees if approached, reaching up to wipe beneath his bangs with the back of his wrist. There is now dirt on his face. ]

Take them if you want them. [ He places another one down. ] It's a waste to throw them away.

B. FIELDS OF THE EXALTED:
[ Working with animals had taken some more getting used to. Mars had no animals to speak of; insects and birds were rare, strays and rodents a little less so. He'd never seen livestock or working animals, so the abundance of wildlife on El Nysa had been drastic change in pace. But Mikazuki seems to thrive on new things, even (or maybe... especially...) when they're wild, strident, and bloody. Which is why he's parked on an outcrop of rock in the fields where he has his main job babysitting dragons. He tends to be not so good with small or sick things, so he spends his time with the older beasts. They're a pretty cavalier bunch, proudly turning earth and whipping the air with their wings. Squabbling over the last sheep, things like that.

Right now, it's fairly peaceful as the early afternoon sun arcs overhead. Mikazuki lets his legs dangle from his perch and watches over the windswept fields below where the dragons come and go, some napping, others blustering about proudly. He's never really approached one, but he's patient. ]

I heard you could bond with one. [ Whether it's a coworker within earshot or a visitor come to sight-see, it's the same statement. ] Somehow.

[ Though he looks relaxed, he's pretty alert, considering where they are. ]

C. LHONGHA STABLES:
[ Things Mikazuki has done: knife fight moon-crazed wyverns in his underwear. Things Mikazuki has not done: actually ride a wyvern. He's interested in seeing more of the place he's chosen to live, but the insistence on it being done with mounts leaves him skeptical. Still, it was supposed to cost lots of money to do this normally, and maybe he won't get the chance to again. Not that this makes him look any more sure about it despite the calm lay of his features. He lingers outside one of the pens where a wyvern is lashed to its fence. It dips its head over the side and tries to take clips at the edges of his hair with its pointed snout.

He doesn't look nearly as alarmed as he should at being so close to an animal that could fit his whole head in its mouth. ]

It's not that I haven't flown before...

[ Just, you know. A talented pilot doesn't necessarily mean he'd be a talented rider. ]

D. LAGOONS:
[ Whatever or whoever convinced him to go, Mikazuki did in fact take to the wilds with a large reptile creature in tow. Whether he actually rode it or just walked it along with him isn't immediately apparent, but he's stopped by the lagoons for a spell. He's left it tethered to a tree where it idles with brief flexes of its pliant wings. For his part, he's, well. Poised over the edge of one of the cold springs, his head entirely underwater. It's a sight.

With some bubbling, he finally pops his head above water with a breath and a splash, not unlike a dog shaking off. Sorry if you get the brunt of that? Glancing over his shoulder, hair now dripping and mussed every which way, his gaze hones. ]

What? It's hot.

II. WILDCARD

[ what to do something else using the jan outline or unaffiliated quests? go for it! plotting comment here or hit me up at rivalry! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That's almost a face-full of hair, to the point where it sort of detracts from the experience of watching someone do what they're skilled at. He hadn't known he'd really been looking for it until he's missed it, and then there's an order which he kneejerk obeys because he has about two seconds to figure it out before the pegasus starts galloping. Not even being a seasoned pilot prepares him for the feeling of something organic doing that beneath him.

Ducking forward, he's fast to wrap his arms around Clair before Jean gets airborne, chest meeting the dip in her back for security. He's used to force that would liquefy a normal human, but the lurch that gets them wheeling into the sky is much closer than he's ever felt, wind tearing at his cheeks and hair.

At least he's brave enough to keep his eyes open as Olympia's outskits shrink below them. Watching, he keeps his arms tight, not having anything to say. ]

[ There's a certain rhythm to the beat of a pegasus' wings as it climbs into the air, a swell up and then a dip down, like the push and pull of sea waves. She leans forward slightly as they surge upwards, her knees tight against Jean's side as she rolls with the movement.

Her heart soars with them, and she actually laughs aloud, a delighted and unrestrained sound, as she urges Jean to even out their flight. This is probably high enough—they've cleared every building in the city at least twice over, making the people and animals on the ground look small.

The height doesn't appear to bother her at all. Jean's wings beat with longer strides, so that he half-glides through the sky, making the pace much smoother—she takes the moment to glance back at Mika to check in on him. ]

How do you fare?

[ It's very different from the strident, menacing howl of a machine's reactors when it reaches maximum output and soars smoothly on the remaining energy. Like it's suspended in a pocket of time before hurtled forward again. This is flesh and bone carrying them into the sky, and Mikazuki more feels Clair's laughter reverberating off him than he hears it, focused on the tilt and shift of a creature cutting through air.

He's leaning slightly, gaze fixated over the side of the pegasus. ]

It's amazing.

[ The answer makes her smile widen—she's happy that he seems to love this as much as she does. She feels at ease on a pegasus' back, her posture relaxed as she gazes out over the earth below them—the buildings and walls of Olympia, then the countryside that spreads out before them.

She has to raise her voice to speak over the whipping wind. ]

'Tis quite an exhilarating experience, is it not? I cannot see myself ever growing tired of this.

[ It's cold up in the sky despite the morning sunlight streaming down through the cloud cover. But the wind roaring past chills his face in a way that's enlivening, prickling down into his lungs when he breathes in and stealing it away again when he breathes out. It's a humbling thing.

After Jean levels out, Mikazuki allows his grip around her waist to relax, though he doesn't lean away. It's not that he doesn't know the feeling of flight, but he's never had it reach through to him quite like this. ]

Yeah, I see why. Feels good.

[ After seeing the expression on his face, her smile softens a little bit. She pulls slightly on the reigns, adjusting their course towards the ruins, then closes her eyes, just for a moment—to feel the air in her lungs, the sunshine against her skin, the wind against her face and carding through her hair... his arms around her waist, the warmth of his body against her back.

She breathes out and then back in, energy filling her to the brim. ]

Shall we put Jean through his paces? Come, hold tighter!

[ And she guides him into arcing dive. Hope you weren't enjoying the peace, Mika. ]

Like I have a choice...

[ But he's okay with that, a reactive smile quirking at his mouth and reaching up into his eyes — probably into the rest of his body, too. It's strange but also heartening to feel something like this happening before it does. His body sharpens in contrast to her radiant burst of energy, as daring and defiant as it always is. Jean's flight plateaus and then begins to tip, making Mikazuki draw a breath in to counter the lurch of his gut when it's subject to this wild kind of gravity.

He anchors his legs against the pegasus and his arms around Clair as they hurtle down through the air, the topsy-turvy blend of sky and ground managing to sate his nerves rather than sting them. For as many differences as there are to flying like this, there are enough similarities also. ]

[ She'll take that as a yes.

Down, down they go, Jean's wings folded almost flat against his sides as the ground rushes up towards them. Clair lets out a loud whoop of joy, the wind whipping up her hair as she urges the pegasus even faster. At the last second, she pulls back on the reins—Jean's wings fly open with a snap, lifting them back up, up, up.

She goes a little easier this time as they climb, guiding him left and then right in a s-shaped glide, then around and around in a spiral. She really is putting Jean through his paces—she's delighted to find that he has all the moves she's used to, and they come just as easily. Even with the months and months between her and the last time she was able to ride her pegasus, her body remembers it all like it was yesterday.

When they flatten out again— ]

Oh, he is wonderful! I simply must find a way to acquire a pegasus here... [ Is she going to have to?? save money??? ]

[ That's the general gist of getting an expensive thing for the common folk. ]

You can. [ When the flight makes its last arc and levels again, Mikazuki can finally respond without feeling like the air is being crushed out of his lungs. ] But you'll have to stop paying so much for apples.

[ Is he serious, is he just being a shit, it is a mystery. ]

[ are you shaming her for not owning a home because she buys too much avocado toast, wtf

Either way, whatever his intention, it sails right over her head. Mostly because she has no frame of reference for how much an apple is supposed to cost—or how much anything is supposed to cost, really. It's a miracle she has enough money left for rent after spending it all on overpriced groceries and, I don't know, useless As Seen On TV products, probably. ]

So much? Oh! Do you mean to say that I could use that money instead to purchase a pegasus? My! What an idea!

[ Wow this money thing sure is neat. Suddenly, she perks up and points ahead of them, into the distance. ]

Ah, there it is! Our destination. [ Almost there!! Excitedly, she urges Jean to fly a little faster. ]

[ stop buying slap chops

His intention was fairly innocent, all things considered. He's never made a frivolous purchase in his whole life, but if this experience has clued him into anything, it's that Clair should have a pegasus. That mismatched thought also catches on the wind and leaves them behind as their destination comes into view.

Mikazuki hadn't really been looking at where they were going this whole time, a rarity for him. But once the forest gives way to a wide, sloping valley, his eyebrows raise. ]

I know about this place.

[ Overgrown farmland in the shadow of ruins, skulls and statues that rise up against the sky. ]

[ but vince promised her that she'd love his nuts... ]

I admit, I know little of it...

[ So she was just #yoloing into this, basically. Now that they're closer, she circles around for a moment in order to find a good spot to land. There looks to be a suitable tract of open land in front of a large dragon skull, and so she brings Jean to touch down on the grass, though she doesn't dismount just yet. ]

Will this do, do you think?

[ was shamwow her gateway drug ]

I came here a lot when I first arrived.

[ Though it's hard to see what would be of any interest out here, winter's grip making the landscape even more barren than usual save for the dense forests that climb up into the higher areas of land. Twisting, his grip on Clair's waist slacks as he looks around. ]

It should be okay, probably.

[ He doesn't sound too concerned, even when he glances down at the sudden fidgety tiptoe Jean makes now that they're on the ground. ]

Ah! Then do you know whereabouts we should begin searching?

[ She descends now, swinging one leg over the pegasus and then sliding down his withers to the ground. There's a feeling of... disappointment that strikes her as her feet touch down, if only because their flight felt far, far too short. Well, at least there is the flight back...

She turns and looks up at Mika, her arms open so that she can help him down. ]

I know where the caves are. I've never been inside though.

[ It'll be a day of firsts. Following suit and swinging one leg over, he perches on the saddle for a moment before Clair's hands interject from the side. He pauses, but eventually reaches out to take hold of her wrists so he can steady himself as he hops down.

There's something that seems to suddenly catch him and bring his attention back to Jean, making him stop to look up at the pegasus. ]

Will he be okay?

Wonderful! Then this should be a rather simple expedition, no?

[ She basically just jinxed this whole endeavor. Still, there are no mishaps as she helps him down from the saddle, her hands curled around his wrists. And he looks no worse for the wear from the flight, so that's good.

As for Jean— ]

Oh, yes! Pegasi are quite intelligent creatures. He shall be waiting for us exactly in this spot when we return, I assure you.

[ About that... ]

Now lead the way!

[ No wood to knock on to remedy this, so Mikazuki is just going to have to deal with it as it comes. Not that he isn't curious, not that he doesn't have the slightest thrum of anticipation in his nerves. With a glance at Jean, he finally nods and breaks away from the creature, wondering why his concern seemed so... immediate.

rest in pieces kids ]

It's closer to the the statue...

[ Stepping out from beneath the great skull's shadow, he orients himself and points to a rocky outcrop that rises up out of Edrathe's valley. There's an image of a woman carved into it, overgrown and worn with age. It cuts the arc of the sky over the landscape. ]

Over there.

[ Time for a trek! ]

Very well. Let us proceed!

[ She pats Jean on the neck and gives the giant dragon skull one last, long look, drawing in a deep breath. The sight of it rips an almost nostalgic memory from her: the dragon-god Duma's great bone skull, left in the earth right where he was slain. His demise was meant to usher in a new era of peace to all of Valentia—it did, for all too brief a moment.

It inspires a more subdued feeling in her, so that she's a little uncharacteristically quiet as she follows his lead to the statue. ]

[ Mikazuki is content to let the silence persist for a while as they follow the slope of the hills down across the valley. Despite being so early in the year, the sunlight gleams overhead, brightening the wind that pulls over the swaths of grass. Eventually, when the crunching sounds of footsteps gets a little too loud, Mikazuki ventures: ]

Do you feel okay?

Ah, yes!

[ She didn't even realize—well, she stops and turns halfway to gesture to the dragon skull, now lingering in the distance. The gentle wind pulls at her hair, making her reach up and tuck her bangs behind her ear. ]

The skull there is not so dissimilar from the one left by the dragon-god Duma after we felled him. I was merely reminiscing... though I suppose it is gone now, naturally.

[ She shrugs one shoulder, as if to shrug away the past, and continues walking. ]

[ Not always as lacking in emotional capacity as he seems, his pace slows so he can look over his shoulder at the silhouette of the skull. It seems almost washed out and unreal against the skyline. Something that big was once alive to breathe and fight. It must have been amazing to go up against. ]

You must think about being home a lot.

[ He says it as if doesn't surprise him: most anyone would, right? ]

[ It's her usual habit to downplay her negative feelings, to smile them away and move on—but this is Mika, and she doesn't feel as strong a need to put up such a... front. Though she doesn't look at him when she speaks—instead, she stops in front of the woman carved into the rocks, touching her fingers to the apple of her stony cheek. ]

Yes. Admittedly, I... miss it terribly, at times.

[ Now she turns her head to glance at him, her chin angling curiously. ]

Do you miss your home as well? What is it like?

[ It's not worth ridicule, if Mikazuki is even capable of it. Asking because he's curious happens more often than asking because he wants to compare lives — it wouldn't be fair of him. It doesn't appear so with the way he shifts to look across the shapes of stone to leverage the topic he brought up. ]

Sounds normal.

[ There's a path ahead that cuts down into the ruins, natural steps carved by the elements. He moves towards it, gaze forward. ]

I don't miss it. There was no where I belonged anyway.

[ Normal, probably—she knows that in her head, but not in her soul. It makes her wonder if there will always be a part of her that mourns the loss of her home—a small splinter of grief that will remain wedged in her heart until the day she dies.

She follows him down the path, trying to tuck away the thought for later. ]

Nowhere? [ As usual, things that sound kind of sad for anybody else don't seem to really bother Mika at all, to her amazement. Maybe she shouldn't be so amazed... ]

Do you think you could find yourself belonging here?

Well... maybe. [ Overhead, the rock starts to close in, forming a tunnel down into the cave proper. He reaches aside to trail his fingers over the uneven surface. ] I haven't tried.

[ Making a living and carving out a small place to survive wasn't really the same as finding a home somewhere. It just feels like he's had to start over, and he doesn't have the same foundations to grow roots in. The Storm took his world, but it was the work of greed and tyranny that took his home away long before that. ]

I belong with someone. But he's not here.

[ Even if he never wakes up, he's alive. He owes the Natha his life for that much. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject