Fifth: Brewing and Questing (Mar Catchall)

[colchismagecraft]

🧙 WHO: Caster and OPEN
⚔️️ WHAT: Making alcohol, building pretty figurines, collecting suspicious crystals and being harassed by baby dragons
🕒 WHEN: Throughout March
🗺️ WHERE: Various
⚠️ WARNINGS: Alcohol use, mind-altering magic, violence


1) Brewery
tw: alcohol use

As soon as the opportunity came up for Caster to learn how to make her own alcohol using magic, she was eager to get involved. After all, nowhere did decent Georgian wine, and she was going to do her best to learn.

"Hm...it's not too dissimilar to potion brewing."

She was carefully, carefully watching her preparation. Would she really be able to tell when the right time was...? Well, hopefully between her and her partner, they'd figure it out!

Her skeletal dragon familiar, meanwhile, was wandering around seeing what other teams were up to. And possibly getting a little too close and trying to stick it's nose into the drinks they were preparing. Helpful.

2) Diorama

As the weather was getting a little warmer, Caster was using the time to sit outside on her lunch breaks from work at the library. It was nice to get a little fresh air, after all.

It also gave her the chance to work on some personal projects to pass the time- even she couldn't spent every free moment practicing her magic, after all. So, she could be found sitting on a bench near the library, looking overly suspicious with her long dark cloak and a knife in hand... Except, rather than plotting murder, she seemed to be working on making some sort of figurine- carefully working the detail out of a snake-like head.

3) Baby Dragons!

"So we need to pick flowers that will appeal to the baby dragons, hm... I can't say this is my area of expertise."

Flower language wasn't much of a thing during Caster's lifetime. She'd picked up a little, from what knowledge the Holy Grail had given her on her summoning in the modern day, but the flowers here weren't the same as the ones in Japan, and she was quite sure the meaning would be different as well.

So it was that she picked up a red carnation - Alas for my poor heart, my heart aches - and turned it in her hand. Perhaps it should have been a warning sign that her skeletal dragon familiar started pawing at her robe in concern.

4) Crystal Magic 🛡️
tw: drugs/mind-altering magic abuse

That full moon night, Caster snuck out her room at the Red Springs Inn, using her dark magic to conceal herself in the shadows as she headed down to the water- the moonlight made this more of a challenge, but hopefully she could avoid being sighted...

Either way, once she got to the springs themselves, she took off her outer cloak and placed it by the water's edge. Now, how to get to the crystals at the bottom?

If she's come here with someone else, she'll ask for their input on the matter-

"I think I can see something glittering down there...I hope that is what we're looking for, rather than someone's loose change."

If someone's snuck up on her at the lake, she'll try and find out if they're here for the same reason she is-

"A little late for a bath, isn't it? It's nearly midnight."

5) Wildcard
[ooc: As always, feel free to PM me or ping me on Discord @ ArchangelAmy#4540 if there's something special you'd like to do with her! If we've plotted something out already feel free to kick us off, or give me a shout and I'll start up in a comment.]

Comments

2

[troubadamsel]

Hey roomie heeeeey.

By now, Maribelle was (more or less) used to Caster carrying around the large dagger. It allowed her to easily ignore it now and focus on what Caster was actually doing.

"Pardon me," Maribelle said gently, not wanting to disturb her companion's work. "I hate to interrupt, but I was curious about what you were making."

[colchismagecraft]

Heeyy roomie!

Of course, when she was out and about like today, she usually wore her heavy, hooded cloak - but around the house that outer layer wasn't usually necessary. At least it showed she was comfortable with letting Maribelle see her face most of the time.

"Ah, I was just trying to get the head of this thing right- you saw the model hydra I left out the other day, didn't you? I wasn't satisfied with how some of it's heads came out, so I wanted to practice." With that, she shifted a little on the bench to let her companion sit by her.

[troubadamsel]

... Why couldn't she room with someone who would make normal things, like cute dolls?

She cleared her throat, suppressing that thought down. "It's... very detailed! I didn't know you were so talented. Are these... 'hydras'... common in your realm?"

[colchismagecraft]

She's made some cute figurines! Maribelle's probably also had to see the collection of a young blonde swordswoman in various cute outfits? The ones she would have told her 'not to mention' if she ever met anyone called Saber.

But the hydra was her bigger project for the moment. Someone was feeling a little bit nostalgic.

"...I wouldn't say it was common, no, and certainly they don't exist anymore. I encountered one during my lifetime, though." A small shrug, before she couldn't help a smile coming into her face at Maribelle's compliment. "Thank you, though. I do think I'm improving a little."

[troubadamsel]

Why couldn't they ALL be lovely blonde ladies in various cute outfits? Where does the ugly snake fit into this?!

But, no, swallow it down. Focus on the good.

"It looks like it's ready to spring to life any moment now." Which, technically, is a compliment! "We've never had any such creatures in my realm... the closest we've ever had are the manaketes - beings who can shapeshift between human and dragon form."

This thread is making me laugh so hard poor Maribelle XD

[colchismagecraft]

"Thank you~ I'm glad it came out well...the question is what to make next," she paused, thinking to herself. You never know, she might make something cute, or a horrible ugly snake.

Manaketes sounded familiar. "Ah, I remember you mentioning them and Taguels the other day. So they could turn into dragons?"

being maribelle is suffering

[troubadamsel]

Maribelle nodded, pleased that Caster had remembered. "So long as they held onto a special stone. Although even though it was important, Nowi did tend to treat it more like a toy..."

A soft chuckle. "She was hundreds of years old, but still acted like a child."

Sounds about right!

[colchismagecraft]

"I suppose some people never change, however long they've lived," she couldn't help but chuckle a little too, at that. It was clear from how Maribelle spoke that she was fond of her.

[troubadamsel]

"Well, it was more than just that," Maribelle began to explain, sounding a little sad. "As it turns out... she was separated from her parents when she really was young... and had been alone for a very long time. When we found her, some slavers had been trying to sell her to a cult!"

5!

[impostorsyndrome]

[Halfway through the month, the frost fairies have finally been banished, and the snow has melted away from the countryside. That means it's finally time to make a go at this suspicious dark web job they picked up. Kadoc's been waiting until the terrain was at its best for not leaving footprints or having any unfortunate mud encounters that could lose them time. He is taking the if you stop you're sure to die part of this listing very seriously; he always does.

But it's not going to stop him, especially not now that he has backup.

He's waiting for Caster right outside the city, the hood of his big coat pulled up around his face, with a neck gaiter ready to be pulled up over his mouth and nose later.

. . . What's going to happen once they get this package in their hands, anyway? Kadoc has no idea, and entertains (read: worries) himself with scenarios, leaning against a wall and having visions of ghostly blades suddenly swinging at their heads out of nowhere or something as soon as they get going on this. He has no idea how correct he is.]

[colchismagecraft]

[Caster did not take long to arrive, cloak held around her as the shadows followed in her footstep. It did a passable job at hiding her, but it certainly wouldn't be as affective as Light Magic could do.

Spotting Kadoc waiting nearby, she carefully approached and offered a small nod of greeting to him. It was the first time she'd seen him in person- even if he was mostly concealed by his long coat and they were about to embark on a very dangerous quest, she appreciated getting to see him outside of the devices.]

...Are you nervous?

[impostorsyndrome]

[He nods back, with a little smile; what a way to meet someone for the first time, huh? It'd been a good idea to use video to plan this, though. No real surprises here. She's a tad shorter than he imagined, but that was definitely a whole personality thing. Her presence is pretty large, and yet with the sense that it could become very subtle if she wanted it to, and either might be very dangerous.

For this, though, it'll be perfect.]

Not exactly. I'm on my guard, that's all. Whatever's gonna happen will happen, and we prepared as much as we could to deal with it. . . . But it'll be a relief to finally know what that's gonna be.

[Even if they're sniped immediately or something unlikely like that, at least he'll get to stop wondering what this ad's warning was all about.]

Are you?

[colchismagecraft]

[Caster was a dangerous woman- but certainly rather small by modern standards. At his smile, she offered one of her own. At least for the time being, she seemed calm, despite the dangerous nature of their mission.

It looked like he was well prepared as well. That was a good sign.]

Not particularly. I'm sure something unpleasant will spring up around all of this, but it's as you've said- we're well prepared.

...We'll just have to be ready.

[impostorsyndrome]

Honestly? Something unpleasant springs up around all kinds of random shit here. For once, I'd like to know I'm walking into it instead of having it thrown at me out of nowhere. So I'm ready. . . . Our contact should be nearby.

[In fact, he'd been a little worried he'd run into the bearer of the mysterious package before he did Caster, but luck was on his side this time. He scans the area; there is someone loitering inconspicuously, but looking out of place all the same, maybe fifty feet ahead of them along the wall. When he spots them, he nods in that direction.]

Once we get it, we might need to just start running without touching base first. Anything else you wanna get out of the way before we do?

[colchismagecraft]

Ah. Not a very subtle one, are they?

[Running was not Caster's strong suit- but, well, that probably would be the best way to get out of immediate danger.]

...Let's try and get into cover sooner rather than later once we've got the package, rather than relying on running for our lives. Unfortunately, I lost my ability to fly when I arrived here.

[She's very, very salty about that one.]

[impostorsyndrome]

If they were too subtle, we'd be the ones being obvious about this. So this works just fine for me. Anyway . . . you're right. If we get caught up in just running, we're doomed. So better to avoid that.

[He pulls out his tablet to bring up the map he'd sent her the first time he contacted her about this, on his own device.]

But there's gonna be a lot of open area between here and Celliwig. We should start by skirting the city as closely as we can while heading north. Maybe we can find a building to duck into and regroup before we get too far. . . . As long as no one's inside.

[Kadoc may be perfectly willing to take on smuggling jobs from the so-called Dark Web regardless of how moral they may or may not be, but leading some kind of danger into a populated inn along the way or something is beyond what he'd like to do here.]

[colchismagecraft]

Mm, I'd rather avoid any unnecessary bloodshed as well.

[Although, she imagined her definition of 'unnecessary' differed greatly from Kadoc's.

She studied the map, indicating a couple of possible places they might be able to take shelter en route.]

...Are you ready?

for Klaudia

[colchismagecraft]

[Caster had settled herself in for a decent wait, waiting for the correct time to check the nearby dead drop location- that was where she expected to find the package ready to be smuggled out of town. Of course, she looked rather suspicious in her usual dark cloak...but by now, it seemed many of Avalon's populace were used to her shady appearance.

So, hiding in plain sight it was.

She'd sent Klaudia a message ahead of time, with a joke about 'I'm going to deliver a murder box, is this something to do with you?' And, well, sorry Klaudia. Perhaps that meant you were now in on this too?]

...Nearly time. Good.

[sulit]

[Klaudia has absolutely no problem being in on this. What does it matter to her, anyway? She didn't murder anyone; she's just helping with a delivery. And it sounds very much like someone is trying to muscle in on her territory. Murder boxes were her idea first.]

[Normally she would try to be more subtle about her appearance, but without her illusion magic, there's little she can do. She doesn't even bother raising the hood on her cloak. It's a wasted effort when no one else in town has horns like these.]

[At least she recognizes Caster easily enough. She tries not to be too self-conscious about her appearance as she approaches. She's dressed as she always is: Tight-fitting blouse and vest, a long and flowing skirt, and knee-high boots with a flat heel. Her black hair falls in ringlets over her shoulders and down to her waist. But there's no text barrier now to keep Caster from seeing her red skin or her horns or her blank white eyes.]

[She barrels forward with a greeting anyway.]

Fancy meeting you here at this completely arbitrary location that we definitely didn't plan to secretly rendezvous at~. I hope I'm not late.

[Nailed it.]

Has the jerk who stole my murder box idea shown up yet?

[colchismagecraft]

Hm...?

[Well- When Kludia had said that the little purple emoji with horns was the one that most resembled her, she'd been working on the assumption that her companion was some sort of nymph or satyress.

But all the worlds were different, weren't they? She made a mental note to ask what exactly she would call herself later.

Caster herself had been judged far too often as a witch, and her appearance did not help that in the slightest. So, she'd reserve judgement on Klaudia herself, even if she did pause a moment at the greeting before finding her words.]

...What a coincidence to see you here.

Although, you gave me the impression you literally sparkled when we spoke the last time, I'm a little sad I was mistaken.

[A gentle little tease- or, perhaps an acknowledgement that she wasn't bothered by how she looked.]

I was told to check the drop location at 11 on the dot- we've got a few minutes to wait.

[sulit]

No, I explicitly said that the sparkles were for depicting how cute I am. And I am very cute. No lies were spoken~

[She does a little twirl on the spot, both to calm her nerves and to show off the way her hair and skirt flairs. See? She's goddamn adorable, and totally not feeling self-conscious or awkward at all.]

[But she does come over to stand by Caster, folding her hands politely behind her back as she waits. This is the part where she's not sure what to do. There's no task to perform just yet to keep her hands or her mind busy, but she doesn't want to fidget too much.]

So... All we have to do is take this box from point A to point B, right?

[colchismagecraft]

[That comment made Caster chuckle to herself- Klaudia wasn't wrong about that assessment, especially in a cute skirt like that!]

Mm, well in that case I suppose they weren't too inaccurate~ Those frills suit you.

[If they weren't on a mission right now, Caster would...probably carry on flirting, honestly.]

Yes. And try not to get ourselves killed in the process.

[sulit]

[Despite her complexion already being pretty red, Klaudia somehow manages to go just a shade redder. Maybe it's a trick of the light? It's pretty dark out here, after all.]

Everything suits me~

[She says, turning away to find something interesting to look at because she is dying on the spot. She wasn't supposed to agree! She doesn't even know what else to say to that. It probably sounds so lame.]

And. Well. Not getting killed is easy. You just don't die.

[colchismagecraft]

Everything, hm? Well, I'd be curious to see what other cute outfits you own, once we're done here.

[Ah- was she blushing? That was adorable.

Thankfully for Klaudia, a figure had started 'subtly' making their way over to the dead-drop location, box in hand.]

Well, yes...ah? Is that our murder box?

[sulit]

[Klaudia is spared from her mortifying ordeal of being known by this figure approaching, and she is going to latch on to that distraction.]

Probably--I'll get it.

[She starts over to meet the man halfway and holds out her hands for the box. He draws back a moment, eyeing her suspiciously, but she just smiles sharply in response.]

Special delivery to Celliwig? We're your requested couriers. Speedy and efficient~

[Well, Caster was the requested courier. Technically. She's just here as an extra.]