[OPEN][May Catch-all]

[cantgetanyworse]

🧙 WHO: Jane Porter & YOU
⚔️️ WHAT: Catch-all for May
🕒 WHEN: All through the month
🗺️ WHERE: Noted in top-levels
⚠️ WARNINGS: None yet, will be indicated if they come up

[Feel free to drop a TL or prompt if you would like something! Hit me up at hardtostarboard or PM.]

✹ A Balanced Approach
✹ QUEST: Holo, Goodbye
✹ In which Jane is people watching, sketching strangers and offering them their picture

Comments

A Balanced Approach

[cantgetanyworse]

[She isn't really in the contest to win, but rather because she thought it might be a bit of fun. And honestly? She isn't doing too terribly at it considering she only has a net. She had briefly considered using dark magic to hex them into not moving, but something about that still makes her stomach turn.

At least she knows enough about it not to use it by accident now, in any case.

Given that she isn't exactly competing, she takes her time and can occasionally be found having some water and watching other people around her, perhaps offering a drink to someone who sits down near her looking more than a little puffed out.

Around half way through the day, she's unfortunate enough to fall victim to one of the Frog Tribe tripping her up, and though she doesn't have far to fall it is slightly embarrassing to end up flat on her face. Hopefully no one saw that.

At the end of it all, she easily decides on letting all of her captured bugs go. She opens the trap and lets them all fly or crawl free, smiling as she watches them go.]

[tantailizing]

[Unfortunately, someone saw that.]

Hey! We agreed to no tripping!

[There's what sounds like croaking and a sigh accompanying in a moment.]

I guess, but this contest is between us. You better not be trying to get my bugs by knocking over other people...

[Footsteps approach and Jane would find a gloved hand offered to her once she could look up.]

Need a hand? Didn't fall too hard I hope.

[cantgetanyworse]

Ah...

[Ouch, ouch... One of her hands had jammed directly onto a stone as she fell, and she reaches the other one up to take hold of the one being offered. One she's back on her feet again, with a bit of mud on her skirt and her hair slightly out of order, she picks the stone out of her hand and grimaces as she flexes her fingers.]

That was very ungentlemanly.

[A bead of blood wells up where the stone had poked through the skin, but she carefully heals it with her own magic.]

I think I should be all right. Thank you.

[tantailizing]

Yeaaah, it was, but these guys are pretty competitive.

[Back on her feet, that was quite the tumble. No surprise to see a bit of mud and the rocks - oh - they look bad. Oh, but she had healing magic? Nice.]

No problem. The more 'gentlemanly' one should've stopped and helped you... and said sorry.

[Zidane looks at the Frog Tribe member in question who hops their way over and rubs their head sheepishly.]

Holo, Goodbye

[cantgetanyworse]

[From the looks of things, the quest-givers grandmother was going to have a veritable rockery of holo-stones from this, but Jane doesn't have a moment of regret for coming along as well. It's worth it if only to see the place like this, lovely as it is, and she spends a while sitting by the water watching it sparkle.

It isn't something that she could possibly hope to capture in a drawing, but she still does a couple of little doodles in a small sketch pad while she's sitting there. Mostly of the fairies, and a few of small arrangements of rocks in the water.

After a few hours, she gets to her feet and leaves her shoes and socks behind to venture a little ways into the water and pick up a sparking rock.]

Ah, how lovely. [She sighs as she turns it around in her hand.] What a pity they won't stay like this.

[phoenixwiz]

Wow, these rocks are quite a sight to behold: they look so beautiful as they sparkle. They shine so brilliantly like gemstones.

(Harry is also checking out the holo stones and admiring them as he too picks one up with his hands. The young man has no regrets in accepting the quest in helping the quest giver’s grandmother out, which is a good excuse from him to be at ease with nature, especially with him stressing out his mishap with fire magic recently.

The river looks so serene that he couldn’t help but to feel at peace. He even gets to levitate a couple of them for fun.)

I’m starting to realise how much the grandmother loves these stones so much. I do hope that we can deliver them to her before their shimmer wears off. How many of these stones we do need to get for her, Jane?

[cantgetanyworse]

[She smiles across to the familiar voice, though quickly returns her eyes to the sparkling water and shimmering stones. It really is lovely here, and a pity that it won't last long at all.]

The request said that one would do, though I don't think she's going to be short of offers at all.

[If anything it might get a little overwhelming.]

I dare say she's going to need someone to help her move all of the rocks when this is over.

[phoenixwiz]

I could pick up and move some of the stones with my kinetic magic. That could be a good idea to deliver them to her.

(Harry’s gotten used to make full use of his kinetic magic that he has started to move up to other branches like teleportation and hopefully speed manipulation and telekinetic push and pull.)

I’m pretty sure that there are some good stones that we can find in the river here.

[roppou]

[Given the simple, straight forward nature of the quest, it doesn't take Hitoya long to realize there's no need to go overboard here if he'll get paid for the effort either. He selects one that seems a bit nicer than the rest to his untrained eye, sizeable and near perfectly round, and then he's on his way back almost as soon as he arrives.

As least someone is having fun. Every so often his familiar appears to drop a new rock at his feet before flying off again to find another. He doesn't think much of it--it's far preferable to the trouble it usually causes--when it returns once more with something that definitely doesn't belong to landscape. Hitoya stares down at a shoe. And sighs.]

Where did you get this. [The "and you better show me quick" is left implied. For all the good it does. All it earns him in a reply is a cackle before the bird has taken flight again.

Great. It's seasonably warm for late spring, enough that he could probably stand to lose the jacket so it makes sense that someone else might want to take a dip in the water nearby. That logic turns him towards the shore and before long he thinks he can make out someone up ahead. Hopefully this is the end of it and he can be on his way.]

[cantgetanyworse]

[Jane is just packing up to leave when she realises that one of her shoes is missing. She stands up with her socks and one shoe in her hand, looking around in the grass at the river edge and even further up from where she was sitting... despite the fact she's entirely sure there's no way it could have walked that far on its own.]

Oh, now, this is just ridiculous. [She huffs to herself, frowning down at the grass as if it must have done something to take her shoe. Beside the small pack she brought along with her sits a shimmering stone all ready to be taken back, but she's not going to get very far walking back barefoot.]

Where the devil is it?

General OTA prompt

[cantgetanyworse]

[In Camelot, outside one of the various cafes, Jane sits outside with a sketchpad on the table and a small box of pencils in front of her. She watches the people walking past and pays particular attention to those who stop and stand or sit nearby, and if they stay longer than a minute or two she hunches her shoulders in concentration and sometimes even sticks her tongue between her teeth, sketching away on the paper.

If they happen to still be there when she's done, she pulls the drawing free of the sketchbook and approaches them with a smile, offering it out.]

I hope you don't mind, but I drew this while I was sitting over there. You can have it if you like.

[Jane is an incredibly talented artist, if she does say so herself... and the drawings, while quickly done, are quite good.]

[admiralchiss]

[Cafes are a nice alternative to bars, because they tend to be far less noisy and it's a nice spot where he can read a book or look at art on his phone. At the moment, he's doing the former. The book in question is a detective novel, since those are a secret weakness of his. He has a cup of tea in front of him, which he's been sipping periodically.

When the young lady comes up to him, he looks up from his book and accepts the drawing. He takes a moment to analyze it, noting the line work, the attention to detail, and other small things. Nobody's ever drawn him before.]

This is quite good.

[cantgetanyworse]

[Honestly, she's been a little nervous about offering these to people. Would they think it was weird she'd been watching them? Would they be annoyed she'd been drawing them without permission?

She doesn't really care about all that, but she doesn't much want to deal with the public scene that could potentially be caused by someone who took offence.

(Not that she wouldn't, she just doesn't want to.)]

Thank you. You're a very good subject.

[emet_sulk]

Ah...

[ Caught up in his own thoughts, he hadn't even noticed she'd been there. He carries a bag of groceries in one hand and his phone in the other and had been frowning at the screen until her approach. He glances at the page and his eyebrows lift. ]

This is quite good. You are an artist?

[cantgetanyworse]

Oh, sometimes.

[Jane smiles, still holding the drawing out. She realises he doesn't have any hands to take it, but she doesn't want to assume that he doesn't want it just because of that.]

It's more of a hobby, I suppose.

it's time!! for deer!!

[disasdeer]

[ He has a break between jobs and quests and he's going to take advantage of it by doing nothing by catching a breath of fresh air where he hopes he won't catch many people's attention. He doesn't always like being perceived when he's off the clock (and sometimes while on the clock) because he's a different person when working. He has to be a charming, easy to get along with, sales person.

Out here he can just be quiet and -- ]

Eh?

[ Her voice caught his attention. ]

What, really?

[ He's never really had someone draw him before. ]

DEER

[cantgetanyworse]

[While Jane can draw people very well she can undoubtedly draw animals with far more skill, and someone like Louis had been an ideal candidate. She smiles brightly, holding out the sketch to him in one hand with her sketchbook and pencil clutched to her chest in the other.]

Really! I shan't be offended if you'd rather not take it.

[Though she thinks it's rather good. He's been sitting for long enough for her to put a lot of detail into it.]

I know it must be a little strange to have someone tell you they've been drawing you.

[unknowntodeath]

[Archer had wondered to himself what she had been doing with such focus, but he hadn't realized it would be a picture of him. It was a pretty good one, too.]

You're really talented. What made you draw me, exactly?

[cantgetanyworse]

Oh, well.

[Ehem. She really shouldn't say he caught her eye on account of being quite attractive. That wouldn't do.]

You looked like you were going to be there a little while, and it's much easier to draw a subject that doesn't get up and walk away when you're halfway done.

A day in the life of (hope this is okay)

[beautyrest]

[When Aurora had suggested to Jane they move in together, she had been positively thrilled that the other woman had agreed. While she imagined living alone would have been manageable, it would have been lonely as well. Aurora needed middle ground between the hustle and bustle of the inn and complete silence. She had never had a truly silent day her entire life, not when she lived with Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather; she couldn't imagine starting now.

Aurora was humming as she finished making breakfast, something simple but filling: eggs with wheat toast and grape preserves, a bowl of fresh berries and cut fruit, and chopped sweet potatoes sprinkled with cinnamon and honey. Aurora was not strictly vegetarian, but it was difficult for her to eat meat when she pretty much grew up alongside all her animal friends back home.]

Jane dear, breakfast is ready!

[She removed her apron and hung it on the beg by the stove, placing both plates on the kitchen table while her owl familiar, Vivek was still sleeping away.]

perf

[cantgetanyworse]

[It had been a blessing to get out of the inn, and there was nothing she disliked about the idea of moving in with this woman despite the fact they were still almost strangers. Their love of nature certainly aligned, and they were both clean and tidy individuals who just liked to have a bit of company sometimes.]

Oh, Aurora! You really don't need to cook for me. [It's not the first time she's said it, the gentle scolding coming from her as she enters the room a few moments after being called. Jane hasn't minded at all that her new housemate doesn't use meat in her cooking - in fact, she doesn't believe she's really missed it.]

But thank you, again. It smells wonderful.

[beautyrest]

Once I learned how to, I cooked nearly every morning for my aunts. [She took care of morning meals, Aunt Merryweather took care of afternoon meals, and they would do evening meals together.] Besides, it's much too difficult to cook for only one person, and food always tastes better with company.

[She took a seat across from Jane.]

Do you have a favorite dish? [She would love to learn it for her roommate.] I tend to make all the recipes I know from home, but I wouldn't mind learning something new.

For Corwin

[cantgetanyworse]

Oh, really?

[These deliveries aren't unusual, but Jane has been rather bowled over by the attention that a certain Corwin of Amber has been giving her over the past few weeks. This time it's another - admittedly gorgeous - bouquet of flowers that she takes from the courier with a soft gasp of appreciation.

She gives them a tip before they go and walks back into the house she shares with Aurora, placing the flowers gently down on the kitchen table and planting her hands on her hips. Her lips purse for a moment, then she sighs and closes her eyes, pressing the back of her wrist briefly to her forehead.

Then, she pulls her communicator from her pocket and sends a message.]

Would you be able to pay me a visit today?
I'd like to speak with you in person.

J.

PS: the flowers are beautiful, thank you.

[thepattern]

[ The long and short of it is, there is no shortage of beautiful women in this Avalon. (No shortage of handsome men, either, though Corwin's appetites tended to skew towards the feminine.) There were any number of fair maidens he could attempt to sway into his arms, and hopefully later into his bed, but out of the ones he had directly at hand, Jane Porter certainly seemed like the most reasonable, and also attainable, choice. She was intelligent, kind, had a strength of will that rivaled Corwin's own, and yes, of course, she was also easy on the eyes.

So, Corwin sends her gifts. Small trinkets at first, but then he genuinely finds himself thinking of her when he sees a brightly colored scarf, or a gold pendant in the shape of a bird. The gifts gradually change from attempts to lower her guard, into honest attempts to convey some kind of affection.

When his latest gift warrants a prompt response and a request to meet in person, well... That could only mean one thing, in Corwin's mind.

He's in. ]

I would like nothing more. I can be there within the hour.

Yours,
Corwin

[cantgetanyworse]

[She is a little nervous at having been so bold about it. Though she had been exposed to a more 'modern' way of life by spending over a year in 2020 America, the expectations and norms of Edwardian, barely post-Victorian society were still deeply ingrained for all she had often walked on the outside of them by her very nature.

While she waits for Corwin to arrive, she puts the flowers in a vase and sets them in the middle of the kitchen table. The rest of the time is spent tidying up when nothing actually needs to be tidied until there's finally a knock on the door.]

Oh, thank goodness. [She mutters almost inaudibly to herself before she goes to answer, smiling brightly when she finds her invited guest on the doorstep.]

Thank you for coming on such short notice. Ah-- do come in.