isleofavalon | [Catch-All] Making Home

🧙 WHO: Aerith Gainsborough, You
⚔️️ WHAT: Catch-All
🕒 WHEN: March
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot, Everywhere We Need to Be
⚠️ WARNINGS: None, Will react accordingly.

01. It's Bunny Season

[Aerith has spent no shortage of time trying to get acquainted with the locals of Camelot and form positive relationships with them. It might not be the Midgar slums, but it's something similar in the way of a community. If she's going to be here for some time, then it stands to reason she ought to try to make it somewhat like home.

Hunting down a royal angora rabbit seems like the perfect way to go about that. At the quest board, she's loosely woven her hands together. And then she decides to get to work and make her rounds to the various bunny cafes.

There's no shortage of them.]

Oh, aren't you cute. A little pudgy, though. [She says with a grin, lifting a bunny as she's searching for particular traits of Sir Fuzzlerton the Cad. But the truth is, she doesn't know very much about rabbits and isn't wholly certain of what she's looking for.]

I can't tell if you look like a Sir Fuzzlerton or not.

[So she decides to hold up said bunny to the nearest cafe patron or visitor. Or possibly another person searching for the same rabbit.] Does this look like a Sir Fuzzlerton to you?

02. Harvest Moon: An Age of Camelot

[Aerith lifts a hand and draws wrist across her forehead as she looses a soft sigh. Being able to help with the fields is another thing that makes her think of home and the flowers that she tends there. She's been happy enough to lose herself in it, too, humming as she works in the soil.

Eventually she makes her way for the hay and the horses to lend a hand there as well. All in all, it's a constructive use of her time. Much better than doing nothing at all and a great way of keeping her from overthinking her situation.]

Hey. [She addresses the nearest to her as she points to a bale of hay.] Do you think you could help me move this? I want to bring it closer to the horses, so they can eat, but I don't think I can carry it on my own.

[Yes, she's already tried and probably looked pretty funny doing so. Bales of hay look deceptively light. Aerith has underestimated their true power.]

03. Flower Crowns

Hm...

[Aerith thumbs at her chin thoughtfully, the hint of a frown playing into her features. She's heard it repeatedly. Many of the merchants and locals of the town have voiced their inability to get to the flowers they would ordinarily use. It's springtime and the outskirts are no short of lovely, but Camelot itself looks a little plain without the variety of colour.

But dragons... That's probably not something a silver tongue can talk through. Basically, she knows she can't do it on her own. She'll need some help, so maybe she can convince an innocent (or not-so-inncoent bystander).

There's only one way to find out. Maybe you're shopping. Maybe you're training. Maybe you're just taking in the sights. Wherever you might be, there's an Aerith popping up ~~like a daisy~~ at your side with a smile.]

Hi there! Do you think I could borrow you for a little?

[And by a little, she has no idea if it genuinely is a little. For all she knows, this could be an all-day endeavour.]

04.Smoothies Like Jagger

[After keeping herself so occupied with the going-on's in Camelot, Aerith is overjoyed to see smoothie vendors in no short supply. Maybe it's intentional in the face of the coming equinox. It certainly seems like everyone has been keeping busy.

With a grateful exchange of the smoothie peddler she's stopped by, she becomes one Strawberry-Rose smoothie richer and takes a long moment to indulge.

It hits the spot.]

Ohhh, that's great! I hope these aren't a temporary thing. I could use a few more, honestly. Maybe I can get my hands on the recipe.

[If not for her to make it, then maybe she can find someone else to do so.]

[OOC: If the above don't strike your fancy, please feel free to PP me at

ofthesky, or send me a PM. I'm happy to write closed starts for those who may be interested.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Somnus takes the rabbit as a hunter might, grasping it by the nape of its neck with one hand and supporting its weight in the palm of the other.

The rabbit is now still as stone, much like its captor. He peers down at it, running a thumb along its fur, and then his gaze lifts back to Aerith. ]

Its coat is unwashed and unkempt. Wild.

[ In other words, this is not the rabbit they're looking for, because it could not be someone's pet that's escaped so soon. ] ...Is there another rabbit cafe to seek?

[He's so... professional. Even with a rabbit. Here Aerith is trying to be careful and coddle them (which they probably don't appreciate) and Somnus is being... Somnus.]

Ah—

[Her eyebrows lift. He can just tell that its wild? That's impressive. But then, it's not like she knows anything about them.]

Oh, yeah. There's a lot of them. I was hearing that they come up around this time for the local festivities. No shortage of cafes for us to visit. Well, me. You don't have to stick around. But I thought you might like to get out for a little bit. [To say nothing of the idea that she wanted to spend a little time with him.]

[ His gaze remains upon her for a few beats more, then he turns his head away. ] Let us fulfill this quest.

[ He takes a step towards the exit, expecting her to go with him-- and, of course, to lead them to the next cafe. ]

[That's one bunny down and likely many more to go.

Aerith can't help keeping his gaze for several long moments, wondering what exactly is going through his head. She still hasn't been able to really figure him out. Not for lack of trying either. Somnus' wall is as high as ever.

Regardless, she trails after him with a smile.]

You always going to be like that? Don't you ever relax or something? You're so uptight I keep thinking you're going to snap in half or something.

[ With her, he heads towards the next rabbit cafe, his footfalls careful to step over any rain-puddles.

Indifferently, ] We are of the same mind to fulfill this task. That is all.

Well, I'm of the mind to have a good time while doing it. You know, get something to drink. Pet some rabbits... Have a snack. If we're going to run errands for the locals, why not have fun doing it?

[Her eyebrows raise and playfully, she elbows him in the side as they walk together. Although it's almost guaranteed that he will, in fact, find nothing playful about it.]

[ After the nudge, he spares a glance at her as if she's finally caught his attention. While he notes her expression, it only elicits a brow raise from him. ]

You wish to indulge in these... rabbit cafes? [ While they look for Sir What's-his-name? ]

[At his question, observant and surprisingly kind, her entire expression brightens.]

You don't think it'd be a little fun? Maybe they'll let us adopt one. I'd name it after you.

[...Is she kidding? Is she serious? It's so hard to tell with her.]

[ The look he gives her is decidedly unamused. ]

Owning a hare may hinder your efforts towards growing plants.

[ They are known to chew through gardens after all. ]

Oh, that's true.

[Aerith wears a frown, but it only lasts a few moments.] I bet I could have both if I put the plants up out of reach. I don't know how high rabbits can jump. Come to think of it, I don't know very much about them. Did you ever have them as pets? You sound knowledgeable.

[ The frown upon her lips comes, then goes.

...

He doesn't need foresight to know that she will not like his answer, either: ]

...We hunted rabbits.

[...Oh. Huh. Well...

Aerith simply stares at him for some moments and whatever she might really be thinking doesn't get reflected in her expression. It's not the kind of thing she'd do, but she's already pinpointed that Somnus is a peculiar man. Somehow hunting rabbits seems to fit him.]

For food, I take it.

[Or sport. But she'd like to think it'd not be for sport.]

[ Her neutral expression doesn't clue him into her thoughts; however, his brow raises at this-- usually she is expressive-- but he doesn't comment to it.

Nevertheless, it seems that her lack of judgement encourages him to share a bit more: ]

A raptor shares its quarry with its master.

[ That is to say, he was a falconer. Falconing is hunting. The falcon eats rabbits, but also catches them for the falconer. ]

I...

[She wonders for a breath or two what that actually means. So she decides to be upfront.]

I've never hunted anything before. At least, not like that. I guess I've helped hunt things down for the others in the slums back home. I don't think that's the same, though.

[Hunting down drakes is not like hunting rabbits.]

Is hunting rabbits pretty common where you come from?

Amongst falconers. [ --And village youths, as they learned how to trap and hunt for their families before moving onto bigger game, or soldiers, as they moved about the wilderness to other territories when rations were low.

But for Somnus primarily-- ] Hares and small game were for m-- [ my falcon, he almost says, but stops himself as if divulging that information would be too personal. ] ...were best for the predators.

[ ... ]

We look for someone's pet, not prey.

[Falconers. Once again, a reminder of just how archaic he really is. What kind of world is it that he comes from? Aerith can only imagine.

At his response, she grins.]

Well, yes. I know that. Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you? I mean, it sounds like your experience with them is usually for hunting, not for anything else.

[She shakes her head and beckons him along with her. She's ready to start scouting through the rest of the rabbits, even if she doesn't necessarily know what she's looking for.]

So the one we're looking for was described as 'angora' something. [She begins thoughtfully.] I don't know anything about rabbits, really, but I think it has something to do with the fur. I thought it'd be easier to find by just picking out the rabbit that looks different from all of the others. Maybe I'm just not good at deciphering differences?

[Catch-All] Making Home

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