isleofavalon | eighth shot ⊗ open november log

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eighth shot ⊗ open november log

🧙 WHO: Eustace and anyone
⚔️️ WHAT: various things
🕒 WHEN: throughout November
🗺️ WHERE: various
⚠️ WARNINGS: none except any potential violence against lettuce

⊗ a: task - flappy veg

[Guarding flying lettuce....is certainly something Eustace never would have found himself doing, yet here he was in one of the known locations where some have landed from their migration. Whether they're technically animals or not, Eustace couldn't understand them through animal magic regardless, but he's able to at least communicate that he's there to help and not harm. They seem a bit jittery with all the poaching around.

a. updrafts. The place they landed in is mostly a clearing, but there are a few "obstacles" scattered around in the form of tall rocks and small trees. While most of the Butterfly Lettuce remain on the ground vibing, some also choose to perch on the trees to prune their leaves. However, due to their physique and unreliable drafts at this time, they end up either flopping about or plummeting to the ground. Fortunately none are too bruised, but it's hard to just sit still when nothing much is happening.]

...Hold on, let me help.

[Either by picking them or using wind magic to create some wind to help the lettuce, Eustace can give them a boost up. It's still not perfect, but it works.

Some of the younger lettuce realize they have an on demand draft maker, and Eustace can also be found creating wind streams to help the smaller Butterfly Lettuce "flap" over a mini obstacle course as they play a game while also practicing their skills. It's good practice for him as well. For anyone who might there also guarding him, they can either assist or just watch out for any stray Butterfly Lettuce that flap in the wrong direction—or help catch any that might fall from their perches.

b. poachers. Of course not everything is peaceful. Eventually poachers will arrive. If Eustace is able to sense something amiss soon enough he could send out a warning shot before they enter into the area. If not, he's fully prepared to fight and bring on the thunder, er lightning. Help keep the lettuce out of the way or assisting Eustace in fighting the poachers!]

⊗ b: cure on cloud nine

[Having managed to avoid the basilisks and already wearing gloves, Eustace is prepared to help in retrieving the mysterious Nimbus flower deep within the Forest of the Felled. Having a lot of experience in infiltrating and dealing with traps, including those out in the wild, also helps. So while traversing through a particular are, his suddenly looks up and holds his arm to stop whoever he's with.]

Careful. The branches here have been cut and the ground looks it had once been cleared away. Better to go around.

[Although there are leaves and growth all over the ground, if one looks carefully there's a small patch that looks thinner compared to the rest, indicating that at some point it had been disturbed and recovered. Most likely a pit trap, but no need to try and find out.]

⊗ c: floor is lava

[Although he had (for some reason he still can't comprehend) been granted the both the knight and noble titles, he still hasn't accepted the new grant since it seems too much of a hassle and not really his thing. But he does go out to check on the new townships being built out of curiosity...and also because of the little prank that had occurred. This had to be the most ridiculous thing he's seen yet, though he feels he thinks that every month... After hearing about it and seeing it with his own eyes, Eustace just sighs as he first notes the affected buildings.]

...Rather than play this farce, wouldn't it be easier if I just transformed into a bird and fly directly to the circles to destroy them? Or shoot them down from a higher enough point.

[His hand is already on his holster. He just has to get up to a building and aim, and he has elemental magic on his side it should be easy right??? But will he be allowed is a different matter—

If anyone manages to convince him to do it properly, they better be prepared to join in and expect a riveting platform game where nothing is stable and teamwork is key!]

⊗ d: wildcard

[Although I only picked the cure part of the basilisk questline, I'm open to the other parts! If interested in anything else not included here, just hit me up on

laenavesse or discord and we can work something out!]

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If there weren't so many I'd say we use magic to trigger them all and be done with it. But it may cause an unintended domino effect.

[He has a lot of patience, but since they're not necessarily sneaking around then he really would rather they set them off so they can just walk unhindered. However, he knows it's also a reckless route so he doesn't seriously consider it.]

Even transforming into a bird would do little help as the canopy is thick. [.....Hm.] A bat maybe...?

I suppose that's true.

[Not that he'll admit it.

But yeah it's kind of fun.]

It has been rather...chaotic. I take it you were unharmed during the attacks on Celliwig and the stone giant?

And these things seem to really like it as well. So it's win/win, correct?

[She nods as she catches one of the other ones that were flying a little to far in their play.]

Yes, fortunately. If I were damaged...that's it. I would be done for depending on how bad it was. There's no one I know here with the knowledge to repair me.

Was that a cat?

[That's perhaps the only reason that Zidane looks back to check on Eustace because he can take care of himself. Still, now that he looks back to check on Eustace, he's... wincing. There were less platforms now and the lava was gradually taking away more.]

Hey, do you need help?

[Outside the city isn't that much better than inside, although in some parts, the snowstorms have seceded enough that they aren't too detrimental to travel. The snowfall is still heavy, large flakes fluttering down as far as their eyes could see, but the winds are manageable past the walls of Camelot with the right winter gear. The sun is out at least, which is a blessing, and they've already been through the worst of it, and after being cooped up inside for several days without power, the first thing Tifa does when they're free is find Eustace.

She would check in on him in the mornings with at least a text to make sure that he, Gran, and Eria had made it through another cold night, and would pester him about whether she needed to make a trip to their home to bring food—at least something warm to hold them over—but he would insist that they were fine, and Tifa would have no choice but to concede.

So, the morning after it all finally clears, the two of them leave the city by carriage. He had invited her along to look at one of the many castles offered to him when he received his Noble title—something that Tifa hasn't stopped teasing him about since they climbed into the carriage—and she's now turned this into a full-day trip, complete with soups packed for lunch, hot chocolate, and a small bag of heart-shaped marshmallows for some light-hearted flair.

And when the carriage lurches to a stop, Tifa pulls back the curtains on the carriage windows to wipe the frost and fog from the glass, and her eyes widen with wonder when she catches a glimpse of the castle. She's seen her fair share of impressive infrastructure, because as much as she despises Shinra, they were far ahead of their time when it came to architecture, but there's something so grand and so mystical about an old castle that still stands that a vast cityscape can't hold a candle to.

She's quick to hop out when the driver opens the door for them, her boots crunching in the ankle-deep snow when she lands.]

It's so big...

Edited 2021-11-19 16:09 (UTC)

[You know he would gladly accept it.]

Grab the cat.

[Because it is. Definitely. Not helping. With it meowing and hissing and scrambling all over his head as he pulls himself up onto the platform.]

[A small frown as he regards her, remembering what she told her about her build and the difficulties that came with it.]

That's fortunate, but... You still haven't found a way?

[While Tifa is having a fun joyride, Eustace is just sitting back against his seat opposite her, head resting against his hand as he looks absolutely bored and disinterested in this whole trip. Ever since he heard about the special "grants" gifted to him due to titles he honestly mostly forgotten about receiving, he had just promptly ignored it. He had no need or care for it. But due to persistent summons to at least look at the potential new territory and wanting to get it over with so he can once again reject it.

So Eustace is a lot slower to descend, his eyes casting the same disinterested look as when he stepped into the carriage. Unlike Tifa, he's seen various castles of similar style so it's not really anything new to him.

And seeing one that could potentially be his does not change his opinion.]

Too big.

[And with that curt remark he walks past her, walking easily through the deep snow.]

[He'd been such a giant stick in the mud since they climbed into the carriage, and Tifa had been willing to put up with it, hoping that being here might change his mood, until now. She knows it's too big, too gaudy for someone like him—she knows him well enough to believe with all her heart that he would want something smaller, more quaint, outside the city where it was quiet and didn't draw a lot of attention.

But where was the fun in looking at a place like that!?

The closest Tifa has ever come to anything like this was Shinra manor, and that was a place she never wanted to visit. It was dark, and filled whispers of ghosts of the past... Not exactly up Tifa's alley.

This, on the other hand—this she could handle, and thought it might be fun to at least take a look around. See a real castle...!

So when he walks past her, his response so curt that it makes her grumble under her breath, Tifa doesn't move. Instead, he'll feel something cold slap against his back, shattering and spraying him with snow. And if he turns around, she'll already be packing another ball in her hands.]

What's gotten into you today?

[They haven't seen and barely spoken to each other in days, why is he being like this!!!]

[What the—

Did she just hit him with a snowball????

He stares at her dumbfounded before he just frowns and stares at her, his gaze a little chilly as he's already in not the greatest moods. Even if being with Tifa helped, it still didn't get rid of how overbearing these damn titles are to him.]

Do I really need to explain? You already know my thoughts on this. I'm going to refuse anyway so it's just a waste of time.

[...

Tifa's frowning across at him, her snowball waiting and ready, but it eventually fades into a look of disappointment.]

We've been stuck inside for days, I thought this would be fun. Even if you aren't going to take it, you can at least take a look.

[She wants to take a look, and even if she did have the Noble title to grant her a spot, she wouldn't have done this on her own, and would have brought him with her regardless!]

I know you don't want to buy it and that's fine, but... I really wanted to see...

[Do this for her? Please? How can he resist these sad, puppy eyes she's giving him?]

[...

....

.......

Ahhh dammit. He runs a hand over his eyes, feeling a very strange conflicting emotion before he sighs and relents, his expression softening.]

...All right.

[What has this woman done to him— And those eyes are illegal.]

Got it.

[Looks like it's being a fussy thing, but as a Lindblum citizen himself, cats are kind of important. And he does have the advantage of being able to quickly climb across support rope, and hanging upside down is pretty easy for him to do to, taking the cat off of Eustace's hand. Cat can scratch, but again... gloves.]

[Tifa waits for the man and the carriage to leave, to go park elsewhere and feed the horse while they wait, her smile as bright as the snow that's getting stuck in her hair against the black.

And when the carriage is off, out of sight and out of mind, Tifa trudges through the snow to catch up to him, but jogs to pass...

Not before she throws the snowball in her hand with a giggle, aiming for his chest, and breaks into a run across the too-big lawn and to the front door to seek refuge should he try to exact revenge.

This is her first snowfall since she was a kid, and she wasn't going to let that opportunity slip away!]

[She looked at him seeing the frown cross his features.]

No, I'm sorry. I know that it is a worry. But there hasn't been a way found that could do it. So I just have to be more careful than I normally would be.

Especially risky, with so many unseen. A little bad luck and we could find ourselves in deep trouble should even one of them backfire.

[Otherwise, it is a tempting approach. The part of him that sometimes finds itself with an itchy trigger finger enjoys the sound of it, but he knows it's not a particularly wise move on their part.]

A bat may do the trick. I don't pretend to know much about how animal mages operate in-depth, but I assume you would be able to mimic more traits than the creature's form?

[A bat's particular brand of spatial awareness and maneuvering could come in quite handy.]

[ The carts come to a halt with mere centimeters of track left to spare, and once they do, Somnus allows his arm to fall to his side, letting out a heavy breath in the process. ]

What recklessness...

[ --Whoever left all of those explosives deserves their own unpleasant mine-cart-roller-coaster adventure. ]

[When the carts finally stop, Zidane sinks to the bottom of the cart a bit.]

Oof... I wouldn't mind another ride like that, but without the dynamite.

[Give him a moment to recover.]

[After a rather eventful night and easily one of the best sleeps she's had in as long as she can remember, Tifa is the first to wake, not long after the sun has come up and when the first rays filter into their room through the doors, casting them both in its pink and yellow hues. The fire in the hearth had long since gone out on its own, and although she remains warm under the sheets with herself still curled up at Eustace's side, the rest of the room has fallen cold. The chill from the night had finally found its way in, with the sun their only saviour from it, but she doesn't kick the sheets off just yet.

She remains there a little while longer, head tucked comfortably against his shoulders while she watches him sleep, admiring the way his flattened hair scatters across his face, how his lashes curl, and how he looks so at peace. She notes the way his chest rises and falls with each breath, and she can't help the way she presses a light kiss against his cheek, hoping that it might not stir him awake.

She wishes so much that they didn't have to get up... that she didn't have to disturb this pace they've both finally found. If she had a choice, she would stay here forever, just like this. He had made a promise that he would be here in the morning, and he kept his word, and she fears that if she were to shift this moment in time at all, that it might ripple and fade away tomorrow. She knows that possibility is as real as this is, and she knows that nothing will ever last forever, but if only she could just freeze this single moment for even a little longer, then she would be happy with at least that much.

But there's something else that's doing the freezing instead. A cold wind bustles in through the doors, and Tifa groans sleepily into the pillow at the rude interruption, and it takes her a few moments to finally muster up the courage to pull the sheets back so that she can scurry across the room to close them, a shiver running over her skin as it tries to push inside. Despite that, she lingers for several minutes at the doors, staring out at the still-steaming pools, her memory drifting back to the night before...

How everything had changed between them there...]

Edited 2021-11-22 04:19 (UTC)

[ He's caught a bit off-guard by the additional draft, which does knock some of the butterfly lettuce out of range of his own and begin to tumble out of the sky. But he creates another draft to catch them, though with the additional wind from Eustace it becomes more of a game of juggling.

Not that the butterfly lettuce seem to mind. In fact, the additional forces of wind now have them flying around in a circle, and they seem to be enjoying themselves. ]

...best do it quickly. There are people approaching.

[Nanaki lowers himself into a stance more suited for prowling and hunting, moving to duck into some nearby foliage. If there were poachers approaching, then it was better to ambush them and catch them unawares.]

[It's rare for Eustace to sleep in, but like Tifa he was having the deepest, most comfortable sleep he's had in a while. He doesn't stir at the kiss, but he will start feeling the loss of warmth while she's lingering at the door. At first he doesn't think much of it, but when he shifts his arm and feels a a certain lack of someone, his eyes snap open and stares at the empty space next to him. Normally this wouldn't be a cause for alarm, but considering their talk and the thoughts he was having before falling asleep, a strange cold sense of panic seizes him, one that overshadows the cold air blowing through the open doors.

It's not... There's no way she could have...

He knows it's completely irrational and he's already trying to reason that Tifa likely had gotten up to use the bathroom or something, but the very idea that she could have suddenly left this world to return to hers continues to tear at him in a surprising way. It seems no matter how "prepared" he thought he was, the sudden sense of loss is still greater than he expects.

It's not until he quickly turns and sees her figure at the doors does he relax—though not before his breath catches in his throat. The sight of her bare, pale body illuminated by the sun's dawn rays, her long, black hair swaying from the gentle wind like a dark veil that does little to hide the dark red marks that stain her skin like petals. The serene, reflective gaze in her eyes as she stares outside, the dark red hues shining in the light to become more vibrant, more alive. He really isn't one to really care about one's physical appearances, but for the first time he's found someone whose curves make his eyes follow every inch and shadow, imprinting into memory as he can only think how beautiful she really is. And it's really not just her outer appearance, but her personality as well, that quiet serenity a sweet shadow over what he knows is someone who is cheerful, energetic, and kindhearted.

Yet even that is covering the sadness, pain, and loneliness that she carries, one that he might understand more than realizes.

Without thinking, he slowly and silently slips out of bed, draping a blanket over his shoulders before he silently walks over to come behind her. Whether she noticed or not he doesn't care—his arms around her, effectively wrapping them both in the blanket as he presses his lips against the back of her neck. Already he captures that sweet scent of hers that somehow drives him crazy, but right now it just makes him feel content.

At peace.]

Not thinking of running off again, are you?

[It's said in a low, slow drawl as he clearly teases her, but there is a bit of strength in his arms that wrap around her waist, as if ensuring she really isn't going anywhere. Perhaps it's because of his earlier "scare," but he really doesn't want to let her go right now.]

[It's a good thing Eustace is used to this kind of thing while dealing with Clover... And there will be relief when Zidane has the cat who is not happy at all with the sudden change. Ignoring the swearing that he can perfectly understand, Eustace pulls himself up so that he's on the same level with Zidane.

And once they're off again—]

Have you not run into anyone while going through? I've had to help a few. [Including the cat.]

I'd rather avoid it altogether.

[Okay, sure it was rather thrilling, but definitely unnecessary recklessness.]

Keep the cart still, I'll handle the dynamite.

[He's become knowledgeable in handling explosives so he knows what to do.]

[ Somnus corrects the collar of his cloak, using some of his kinetic magic to keep the cart balanced upon the rails.

...Finding the dragon is one thing. But. ] We ought remove these explosives from the mountain.

[ It could spell disaster for anyone unsuspecting. ]

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Page 6 of 15

eighth shot ⊗ open november log

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wintery fun times ✨

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suggestive themes ahead 👀

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