[open] SOMNUS & YOU, catch-all feb

[luciing]

WHO: Somnus + YOU
️ WHAT: TDM prompts, Quest prompts
WHEN:   feb catch-all;
WHERE: around
WARNINGS: none so far

Quest: Sashimi Slayer

[ With blade in hand, he remains poised to strike. Turning to you, he nods once and motions to the sushi-beast. ] Let us be done with this.

Cupid's Arrow Beta Testing - Part II

[ Last year's "beta testing" had been a terrible experience, but does that stop him from being affected by it? Absolutely not. Unfortunately for Somnus, he's been struck by an arrow by a particularly pushy vendor of the things, that of the courageous variety. Anyone who knows Somnus may know him to have a rather taciturn nature. Because of these arrows, today that is not the case.

Regardless if you do know him or not, he'll be standing outside at the market, looking over one of the vendor's wares. Without so much as anyone prompting him, he'll be the one to strike up a conversation first, opining: ] This would make a fine gift for my grandson.

[ It's a red, silken scarf with two fish embroidered on one of its edges. Also, it's okay, his opinion can be absolutely wrong. Still dressed in robes of antiquity, Somnus is nowhere near being a fashionista, and his great-great-great^nth-grandson  has infinite more drip. Aware that he is enchanted, and the words spoken unnecessary, Somnus frowns and turns his head. ]

[Closed to Ardyn]

This is true: Ardyn and Somnus have always been and will always be brothers. This is also true: Somnus has been a terrible brother.

The spell under which he finds himself this day makes it so that his terrible fraternity is something that will no longer be tolerated. And so, he begins with sending a message to the other:

th is ardyn ?

this is [ And that's it, the message seems to have been cut out. ]

Wildcard

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

Comments

Cupid's Arrow Beta Testing - Part II

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata is having a stressful month, constantly having to watch out for people wanting to avenge a certain noblewoman he gravely offended with his actions... so when he sees Somnus on the market it's a relief. The stern man is one of the few who surely wouldn't turn on him to carry out someone else's revenge! He walks up to him and can't help but smile when he sees the cute scarf.]

You have a grandson? How old is he?

[Probably still a young child, given the motif!]

[luciing]

[ Normally, his frown would deepen at having been exposed by the curse of the arrows, but fortunately.... The arrow doesn't exactly compel one to tell all truths, merely give opinions.

That, and Hijikata is rather easy with whom to converse. ]

Far younger than I. [ Somnus states, looking at the embroidery. ] He rather enjoys fishing. [ Uh-oh, here's another unsolicited opinion: ] ...Falconing is better.

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata is used to people throwing their unsolicited opinions around all day at home, so he doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary here.]

Right, your birds of prey..! Did your owl deliver my present to you the other month?

[He didn't communicate with Somnus ever since his owl brought him unexpected presents for the winter solstice, so he can only hope that it carried the Counter Curse potion to its owner safely.]

[luciing]

Aye. You have my gratitude. [ He nods, courteously. ] Protection against the fae is most helpful.

[mayoninofukucho]

You can say that again. I honestly hope you won't need it, but...

[He trails off, the rest being a given. He starts to wonder how he should broach the topic of still not being completely sure how to even use the presents he received from Somnus - but he also remembers that he can't let his guard down too much while chatting with him, so he quickly glances around to ensure that nobody is sneaking up on him with a spell at the ready or anything.]

Where was I... ah, right - so the one thing you gave me is a wax seal stamp, isn't it?

[luciing]

I did...

[ A pause follows as Somnus watches the other man. The shifty look, the glances-- he can read that. ]

Is aught amiss?

[mayoninofukucho]

No. Just...

[He lights himself a cigarette. He's been through far grittier stuff than being targeted for a mortifying dress-up photoshoot, but what gets under his skin is the fact that many decent people seem to side with his opposition on the matter. He should probably think more deeply on that, but right now he's unwilling to consider the implications.]

Busy days, you know? There's always some new mess to clean up.

[Thankfully Somnus is terminally offline, so he's just about the last person to have seen the call-out post.]

Cupid's Arrow Beta Testing - Part II

[tantailizing]

[While he doesn't entirely get the Valentine's thing himself (it seems silly to have one day be special. There should be more for loved ones), he can't very well pass up another chance to gift Garnet with something. Especially after last month things... ahem, moving on, shopping! He is shopping now for something that would be a cute Valentine's Day gift.]

[Only, he thinks he heard Somnus? But it couldn't, Somnus isn't so boisterous, and yet, turning his head... it's Somnus. Holding a red scarf with cartoon fishes.]

... Oh yeah? Who's your grandson?

[He already knows (he thinks), but they hadn't talked about it. And if it is, he might wanna... well, no, he probably could get him to wear it once.]

[luciing]

[ Somnus, after giving the youth an upward nod of acknowledgement, turns over the scarf, continuing to inspect its stitch work. ]

You would not know him. He has long left this realm.

[ Normally, that's where he'd stop talking. Too bad for Somnus, it's Another Unsolicited Opinion Time: ]

A good thing, that.

[tantailizing]

Oh yeah? I've met quite a few people since I've been here.

[Should he stop him? Thinking about that guy in the scarf is hilarious... he almost wants to let Somnus buy it.]

Really? But if he was here, you'd get to have some quality time together.

[luciing]

[ At this, Somnus’ head raises, then turns to regard Zidane. He watches him carefully as he speaks, his words spoken slowly. ]

If you met, then you would already know of whom I speak.

[ Because their likeness is undeniable. ]

[tantailizing]

[He nods.]

Noctis, right? He was pretty cool when we talked. Though, it was during that Tournament before Celliwig was destroyed.

[luciing]

[ Immediately: ]

You knew this entire time.

Quest: Sashimi Slayer

[scriptwriter]

[Meanwhile, Kotarou had his light sword glowing in hand. It was one thing to be fighting a monster made of sushi, but Kotarou couldn't help and look at this man who was taking this whole thing 100% seriously. Honestly, he's not sure which one was the weird one here. He felt that one of them should be making a comment about the absurdity here.]

Uhhhh... Excuse me. Just to double check everything before we get this battle started... We are fighting a freakin' sushi monster, right?

[luciing]

[ Somnus, in comparison, continues to regard the sushi-monster 100% seriously and 1000% grimly. Whatever emotions lie beyond those two is impossible to tell. His blade remains drawn, his stance ready to counter. ]

It comes.

[ There it goes, flinging out its tail at them! ]

[scriptwriter]

Whoa! Thanks for stating the obvious!

[Kotarou rebukes by rolling out of the way and he leaps in to strike at the monster's torso. Unfortunately, it blocks him with one of it's swords. Gritting his teeth, Kotarou leaps back.]

Four swords?! Do you know how bulllshit that is!?

[luciing]

[ Kotarou will see that two of the limbs of the monster begin to quiver and then bend to the ground, forcing half of its swords downward. Somnus, with his hand outstretched, continues to hold the sushi-monster kinetically in place. In the same severe tone, yet lacking no urgency as he walks to the side: ] Two, now.

[ And there is an opening. ]

Strike.

[scriptwriter]

[He couldn't help and squint at Somnus's grandstanding here! Was he trying to 1-up him by doing this like breathing!? Kotarou felt that he was working hard, but Somnus was making his efforts look like nothing!]

I don't know what ticks me off more. The fact that you seem to know kinetic magic or how casually you boss me around-- Whoa!

[The sushi-monster takes that chance to strike at Kotarou again. He decides to block it with his light sword. Pulling one hand away from the sword, he takes a second to generate a second light sword and swings it upward to cut off one of its incoming arms that was planning to strike him. The arm falls to the ground as the sushi-monster lets out a cry.]

Yes! Critical hit!

[luciing]

[ When Kotarou initially dodges, the missed attack from the monster thunders against the ground. With the resulting quake breaking his concentration, Somnus' kinetic hold snaps, releasing the other two arms from its magic clutches. By this point, however, the youth has already managed to cut of one of its others.

Good progress.

Somnus leaps back and brings out a common iron blade, and with single leap for prep, he hurls the blade forward towards another appendage. A string of static flashes after it. When it strikes, lightening imbues into the arm, sublimating it from the inside out and finishing the second arm off in a hideous explosion of rice and tuna.

He summons the blade back to him. Two arms down, two to go. ]

[problemsoncauthess]

For better or for worse, Somnus is not the only one in their line who finds himself under the same family-oriented spell (likely because of Ardyn's own tendency to get involved with shady businesses and individuals, but who cares right now?). He's spent a rather long time ruminating on matters today, especially given the recent complications in his relationship with his brother. Questions of duty, what is or isn't just, sacrifices past and future, and most of all their childhood, so painfully nostalgic now for some reason...

But those thoughts are cut short when his phone buzzes with a new message. Ardyn glances at it curiously, then picks it up - cringing slightly at his own username choice. Oh dear, and it seemed so reasonable back then...

therightful: Hello?

[luciing]

Somnus' username remains 000000. He sends the following series of messages:

this os

is somnus

Look, he's trying. After what seems like minutes that pass, he finally sends a fully coherent message.

do you remember how to care for sylleblossoms

[problemsoncauthess]

Ah. The way his brother struggles with using his phone is both a little embarrassing and a little endearing. In those minutes that it takes Somnus to compose a coherent message Ardyn sends one of his own.

Somnus, you really need to master these devices. It is unbecoming for you to stumble so.

The request, though, leaves him surprised. For another few minutes he sits simply staring at his phone, wondering - does he remember? It has been... so long... He can remember how much Aera loved the flowers. She would grow them for him, too...

Shaking his head, Ardyn chases away that thought. Though his disposition towards Somnus is improved by the magic, it's not the same towards others he knows. Even if right now he can accept that it was necessary for all of them to play their roles, the betrayal hurts still, as do thoughts of his former fiancée.

Somewhat, yes. The young Oracle is fond of them, and I have visited Tenebrae.

[luciing]

The deaths of both the first and the last of the Oracles have never once faded from his memory. Tenebrae is in ruins, their kingdom shattered, and it is well within any of their scattered denizens' rights to blame Lucis. Somnus slaughtered the first, and Ardyn killed the last. That is both of their sins.

They deserve to be honored. (Do they deserve to be honored by the two who killed them? That is the better question.)

i have seeds of sylleblossoms

Gardening will not make up for their deaths.

i would see them bloom in spring

[problemsoncauthess]

That gives Ardyn pause. His fingers move to ask how Somnus happened to have those, but... he does not know if he truly wants to know the answer. With the comings and goings in this world, who knows what happened before - and right now Ardyn feels rather too tired to learn.

He stares at nothing for a while, lost in thought, before typing up a reply.

Gardening is unlike you. It requires a more delicate touch.

Perhaps I do need to watch over you in this.

Thinking of the flowers that Aera and Lunafreya so loved leaves him with an unpleasant feeling, but... surprisingly, he does want to spend time with his brother - without fetters of obligation or their earlier hostility. Goodness, he has so much to apologize and make up for, too.

[luciing]

Indeed, gardening is most unlike him. Burning fields of corpses suited him far better. So, too, is being alive very unlike him; yet, here he is, living and breathing once more. The world is full of mysteries.

i am neaar [ insert approx location. ]

you know how

better than i