isleofavalon | [open] SOMNUS & YOU, catch-all dec

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[open] SOMNUS & YOU, catch-all dec

WHO: somnus & you
️ WHAT: Quests and TDM prompts.
WHEN: around Dec
WHERE: Everywhere!
WARNINGS: none so far!

Gliten and Glitonea: Whisper Bridge

[ You may be crossing the bridge, lured by the voices beyond the edges of the rope, nearly stepping towards your brutal doom, when suddenly--

A hand grips the back of your collar, holding you from falling off, and after a moment, he pulls you back to the bridge. While both you and him may be blindfolded for this task, he seems keen on assisting anyone across. Somnus' voice, low and grim, may not be the most encouraging to some; however, it is resilience that hardens his tone, not despair. ]

False hope tempts, insidious. Continue forward.

Avalon Crossing: Snowy Shack Paradise

[ After placing the snowball outside of his residence for the night, he receives the following request for a snow-shack the next morning: home with ancient roman bath theme. Somnus is neither and architect nor familiar with what "roman" is, but he is quite the ancient, dead man, and he is someone who is familiar with the aesthetic of how baths ought appear (whether or not they're "ancient", thank you very much).

Find Somnus constructing the interior of a snow-shack that contains ionic pillars of ice and marble-esque snow-and-ice flooring. Currently, he is working on a pseudo-mosaic just outside, using his kinetic power to meticulously carve a tessellation of stars into the wall. When he hears you approach, Somnus pauses in his work, turning to regard you with a stern, cautioning-- ] Hold.

[ --and gestures to the ground beneath your feet. The steps leading up to the structure are iced over. While it gives the steps a glossy, refined look, it is very, very slippery and dangerous to those unaware of their footing. ]

Isle of Dreams, pt 2

[ The power of the fertile isle yields figments of imagination to come to life, invasive and intrusive as they are. Should you be venturing into the fog that veils the hills, you will see a few insidious hints of someone's subconscious-- or dreams, or long, dead history-- recreated bit by bit. One white sylleblossom spouts along the path, then another, then two more in a cluster: they are pure as pearls, and with petals as soft as snow-made-silk. Soon, they'll be numerous enough to coat an entire field.

Somnus is there, but he's standing still among the flowers. His gaze remains forward, expression as hard as marble, jaw set. Follow his line of sight, and it's obvious just what he's so focused upon:

A woman stands within the field of white flowers. Clad in an immaculate white, her back remains turned to both Somnus and you. In fact, should you approach and attempt to see her visage, the illusion will appear as if her back always remains turned to you. ]

[Closed] Oo-nye-doo? Quest To Ritsuka

[ It has been a few weeks since their prior encounter, and this one occurs much like one before, a coincidental meeting in a field of snow, with him hunting with his great eagle-owl pet. Only this time, he's riding on horseback.

The eagle-owl-- still nameless-- drops a snowhare by her.

At least the bird is polite enough to not drop it on her this time. ]

Wildcard

[ Have an idea? PM this account, drinksteapots, or Jade294#6977! ]

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[ The noise Ritsuka makes is probably best transcribed as: #%*(*(jklfiuerkj#!!

She clings to him on the horse's back, not unlike a cartoon kitten might cling to the wall in protest at being moved. It's a testament to how offended she is that she just makes a little strangled noise at his comment.

"Do not falter against curses" my ass, you stonefaced romance novel protagonist!! I'LL SHOW YOU "COURAGE," YOU WANNABE HANDSOME STATUE, does not actually come out of her mouth, but she thinks it. She's thinking it so hard. She's thinking it so hard that she's vibrating a little with the force of that fury, though she does have the presence of mind to look back at the field, where the cursed horses are ambling around. There is someone approaching, though at the distance, she at least can't really identify anything about them: it's just a relatively tall lean shape, walking through the snowfall. ]

[ Somnus' attention remains focused upon the field as the sorcerer appears, but his figure soon becomes obscured by the herd. For the moment, it may be best to observe what else he may do or what else he may be capable of.

Although there is no need to, since they are well out of earshot, he keeps his voice low. ]

What magic have you?

[ At least at this point she's looked into it a little. Some. At the very least, she and Kadoc have gone over the very basics. Thank goodness; she's still grumpy about the have courage comment--she doesn't need another person looking at her askance because she's been lax on following up on magic. When you've spent the majority of your career as being the one nonmagical person in a field of mages, it just all feels kind of pointless.

Either way, though, it's a mostly moot point right now. ]

Uh--cognitive? I think that's what it's called. I'm not very good with it yet.

[ Given that she's seated behind him on his horse, he can't exactly look at her when she answers. So his reaction is, for better or worse, a non-reaction.

The sorcerer's hands within the herd raise, as if preparing to conjure something else. ]

Are you familiar with any weaponry?

Weaponry...

[ She's not going to count the gun that was gifted to her a couple of Valentine's ago; she's never really gotten either the bravery or the gumption to ask to learn how to use it. ...And it's not like the thing was small, either! It wasn't some tidy little thing she could hide in her boot or her belt to whip out at some dramatic moment!

Other than that, though-- ]

I know self-defense, mostly. So if a guy grabbed me in an alley or something, I could deal with him, but like, actual weapons... I've got pretty good aim with projectiles?

[ She might've been a volleyball girl in school, but she dabbled in softball, too! She's got a decent arm! That's about it! ]

[ She may as well have admitted to having no skills with conventional weaponry and no magic that may help. A frown threatens to clip into his voice, but he remains focused. She mentioned projectiles... ]

Observe: the sorcerer prepares to mount one of the horses.

[ Using kinetic magic, Somnus breaks two bare tree branches off from a pine, and using that same magic, he sharpens them to lethal points. One, he passes to her. ]

This shall be a lesson of javelins.

[ "This shall be a lesson of javelins"? Seriously? Even most of the Servants from older time periods aren't so... so...

Froufy, when they talk. Ritsuka makes a face at him while he's not looking at her, though she takes the makeshift weapon easily enough. The weight to it isn't as good as a ball in her hand, or even a sturdy rock, but what the hell. She's played Ultimate Frisbee before.

(Like once, but who's counting?) ]

Okay... so, what, are we aiming for a headshot?

Nay, we must spare him. [ This is said with a tick of disappointment, as if it would be simpler to go for that headshot. ] Judgement is for officials here. Aim for the shoulder of his weapon arm.

[ That she is completely new to this doesn't seem to bother him, and, in fact, he appears no more or less bothered by her lack of skills than before. This is what this 'practice' is for, anyway, and he's more than capable of defending the both of them while she obtains her experience.

But with the words spoken, his heels press inward, urging the horse forward into a steady canter, then charge.

The sorcerer spots them almost immediately, waving their hand to clear the cursed horses from in front of them, but it's too late. He's caught off guard, scrambling for the reins of a horse.

When they draw just close enough-- ] Now, while he is surprised!

Now--?!

[ Here's the thing: Ritsuka tends to operate on instinct more than she does any sort of learned tactics. For the most part, there is nothing about her that is special or outstanding--she's average-looking, average strength, average speed, and below average magical capacity.

What she does have, though, is an extraordinary amount of luck and gumption. At this point, she's very good at guessing how high to jump when someone yells at her to do so.

And she wasn't lying about her arm, even if she's some years out of practice. When Handsome Statue Man yells now, she draws her arm back and flings the javelin, not entirely like she'd throw a baseball. It shouldn't work, but somehow (that luck at play again, perhaps), it does.

Well, mostly.

She does try to aim for his shoulder, like directed, but instead it goes through his forearm, and then straight through. Ritsuka openly winces at the noise it makes. ]

Aha--...

[ By his arm being taken out, sorcerer's next spell he had been attempting to weave into the air is delayed, and he glares at the both of them in fury and quickly focusing his attention upon Ritsuka. The air crackles with static in preparation of his next spell. Around them, the cursed horses scurry.

Somnus directs, his voice cutting above the storm of hooves: ] Good. Again.

[ Still ushering the horse as they round the sorcerer, Somnus uses the kinetic energy to bring the javelin back from the ground to Ritsuka... which may indicate that he could have taken care of this himself, but. He did say practice. ]

Why again?!

[ This time, her voice climbs up into that offended squeak. The attention of the sorcerer barely registers to her; any murderous intent he's radiating is drowned out by the sheer outrage of seeing Handsome Statue Man (she really should ask him his name, properly, eventually) just call the javelin back like it's nothing. Just because she's good at working with things on the fly doesn't mean she likes to do it!!

But she catches the javelin automatically, adjusting her grip on it without thinking. ]

Isn't this the kind of thing you're better off doing for actual practice?! Not an actual situation?!

[ But she does then return her attention to the ~~target~~ sorcerer, drawing her arm back again. This time, at least, she aims for the shoulder, though the noise she makes is less of a heroic cry and more of another deeply offended AHHHHHHHH than anything else. ]

[ She strikes true, and with that, the battle is over. The sorcerer is unable to cast, and the cursed horses scamper helplessly around, bereft of a capable master.

Somnus pulls the reigns of his horse, slowing it to a trot and then a stop in front of the sputtering sorcerer. Pulling the leather to one side, he passes them behind him to Ritsuka— simply assuming she can handle this task— and dismounts. It takes two strides for him to cross the distance to the horse-thief, taking off his glove, and before the man can protest, Somnus’ fist collides with the man’s face with a thunderous crack. He falls unconscious into the snow.

Shaking out his hand, Somnus turns to face Ritsuka on the horse. ]

Congratulations are in order. We have fulfilled this quest.

...

We have?

[ Wait, what? What?? Was that supposed to happen? She's left still sitting on the horse, holding onto the reigns with a blank expression. Just like that? Seriously? Why can't any of her other quests go that easily? Never mind the ones she's done in this Camelot, what about the ones back home! Why can't just she (or, more realistically, one of her Servants) just waltz up to the boss enemy and just bunch them out?! Is that even allowed?! Seriously?!

The conflicting confused rush of thoughts leaves Ritsuka just blinking slowly at Somnus, before she slowly tips her head down to look at the KO'd sorcerer. ]

...I guess we have...

[ He turns the unconscious sorcerer over, using his hands to apply pressure to where he’s bleeding. ]

Bandages are in the pack attached to the saddle. Let us dress this wound in the meantime, for we are not Avalon’s executioners.

[ When he’s stable, they can bring him back to Camelot.

For now, Somnus looks at her patiently, waiting for her. If she doesn’t know first aide, then he’ll teach her, too (yet another lesson for which she hasn’t asked). ]

We're not, but d'you think we could've maybe... not used a pointy projectile, in that case?

[ It's mostly rhetorical complaining more than anything else; Ritsuka takes a few long seconds to stare down the side of the horse--they're so tall! stupid horses! why do they have to be huge?!--before she takes a deep breath and grips the saddle horn in a white-knuckled grip before she swings her leg over the side of the horse and drops down. There's probably a word for "being less scared of astronomical heights than the height of a horse or a person," but she doesn't know it.

But once she's safely got both feet on the ground, she digs through the packs for the bandages and heads over to the injured man. As much as she's still complaining (a steady little stream of muttering under her breath, maybe next time just knock him out? what's the big deal about horses anyway, if you've got magic technology why can't we just have cars or bikes, things like that), she does have experience with this. Her hands are steady, despite the blood, in the process of cleaning and wrapping the injuries. ]

[ She wraps the wound in a way that suggests she has experience with trauma wounds, and one brow raises in curiosity. He comments, ] You are not deterred by blood.

[ Somnus assists in only positioning the arm and shoulder for her. He doesn't instruct, as it is not needed. ]

...?

[ She doesn't quite register what he's saying, at first, focused on testing the strength of the wrapping and only stopping when she's satisfied with the tension. It's not going to do the man any good if she ties these too tight!

But once it's done, Ritsuka sits back on her haunches, blinking at him. The words finally trickle in, and she shrugs. ]

Ah, no, I guess not. I'm kind of--not used to it, but uh...

[ After a couple of seconds of considering, she just shrugs. There's not really a graceful way to say I'm more used to fixing myself up than someone else! and so she lets the sentence hang. He can guess correctly or incorrectly as he wants. ]

[ Whatever the case, she has experience. ] Most rely on healing magics. Proper wound treatment isn't as common as one may think, here. 'Tis a valuable skill.

[ Somnus stands, and then he kinetically lifts the body and places it atop one of the cursed horses. Using the same magic, he draws out a rope to tether the horse to his own. ]

Magic is all well and good, but nothing beats knowing what you're doing without it.

[ That part she says with the utmost conviction. Ain't no one convincing her otherwise! ]

What happens if you're stuck somewhere where you can't use magic? Or if your mana is tapped out? A cheatsheet like that is only going to get you so far.

[ With the sorcerer dealt with, she buries her hands in the snow, wincing at the cold for a moment, to scrub as much off her hands as she can before she stands. ]

[ Her firmer tone warrants his attention, and so he watches her patiently as she speaks about the merits of knowing what to do without magic. He's already said his piece, agreeing, but her naming additional scenarios earns her a thoughtful look, as if he's seeing her in a different light. ]

You speak from experience.

[ They're set to return to Camelot. ]

Well, yeah. I guess I do.

[ There is a part of her that wants to do the snippy teenager thing and say uh, obviously? but also, Ritsuka is self-aware enough to recognize that kind of contrary instinct in herself. No matter how annoyed she was by being foisted onto a horse, there's no point in dialing up the sarcasm.

Anyway, the point is, she also wants to be taken seriously. Even if it's still vaguely a struggle to do the same for him. ]

I'm not actually a mage, you know? I can't always rely on magic to bail me out of trouble.

[ A cloud of air manifests at his lips after a silent exhale, but says nothing more after that. His expression throughout this entire quest has been nothing but serious. In fact, it seems to be eternally set that way.

Somnus tugs at the reins of his horse. ]

Will you need an escort back to the town?

As long as you don't just dump me in the hospital again.

[ Ritsuka will remember that.

And this time, at least, it's been easier to actually talk to the man like a reasonable human being, and not a landed fish.

Or, at the very least, he seems to have taken her indignation in stride this time around. ]

I still don't know your name. You have to tell people these things, not just, I dunno--waltz out like the love interest from a shoujo manga.

[ He steps to the side, one hand holding the horse's reins, but stops short of bidding he to mount.

"You have to tell people these things--"

A long pause follows her words, and then he volunteers: ]

You may call me Somnus.

[ He's ready to return when she is. ]

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[open] SOMNUS & YOU, catch-all dec

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