001 - open

[silvergarden]

🧙 WHO: Rinea & anyone [+ closed prompts in comments]
⚔️️ WHAT: alchemized fabric & potion advertisements
🕒 WHEN: May!
🗺️ WHERE: Unspecified Tailor's Shop^(tm) & noticeboards around the city
⚠️ WARNINGS: None yet!

The Clothes Alchemize the Man

[Rinea may not have won the sewing contest last month, but the renewed interest in magicked textiles it caused has made the tailor's shop she embroiders for quite busy. Rinea has had a quiet month, just catching up with orders... and when the tailor closed for a holiday, Rinea thought it would be a good time to go into the shop herself to drop things off.

But turning in her embroidery is but the work of a moment... and with time to herself Rinea is admittedly curious. Maybe she can get in some practice? She has managed to enchant simple decorations into her work, but what if she could use alchemy and kinetic magic to infuse the fabric itself with magical qualities? Like floating?....

When the shop bell dings at the door opening, Rinea looks up with surprised from the lacy, long-tailed bow she was enchanting. She had meant to lock the door behind her, but--!!]

Oh! I'm sorry-- the tailor is away for the moment. [Rinea hurries to curtsy in greeting and the ribbon flutters sadly back to the table, enchantment abandoned.]

Is there-- Is there something I can help you with?

Potion of Don't Die

[Rinea is still not very familiar with using the network. When she wound up with extra doses of her emergency potion after her venom quest, and hoped to do a public service by providing them to others... well, her first thought was putting up posters.

You may see Rinea with her ever-looming familiar posting her little advertisements around the analog notice boards around the city. The posters read:

First Aid Potion - Doses Available
For Emergencies in the Absence of a Healer
Stabilizes a gravely wounded person's vitals to allow their rescuer to transport them to a healer.
Lasts 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on severity of the wound.

current stock limited - pay for cost of materials

It also lists dates and times she's available, and where to contact Rinea should you want one made after her current stock runs dry.

She seems to have the potions on her, if the satchel on her person is any indication-- so you're free to approach!

OOCly, if you'd like a potion of don't die outside of this prompt-- just comment here and we can handwave!]

Comments

Tailor's Shop

[ofsilverflame]

"Don't worry, it's just me." Chris offers with a smile as she steps inside. "Do you have a few minutes? I brought some cakes from the cafe down the street. Ah—" Her gaze is drawn to the alchemy table Rinea had been working at. It's entirely possible Chris had been watching her work through the windows for a minute or two before she tried the door. "I see you've been practicing. Care to show me what you've been working on?"

[silvergarden]

"Oh, Lady Chris!" Rinea's customer-service windup relaxes immediately, and she beams-- though it's a bit sheepish. She didn't mean to be so absorbed!

"Yes... I just couldn't let the idea go." She picks up the abandoned bow again, turning it over in her hands. "I was thinking about the carriages Avalon has, and how they are magically enchanted for lighter burdens...so I was going to, just maybe, try the same with fabric."

She knows Chris is too kind a soul to ever judge her, but Rinea's smile is tinged with a shade of embarrassment anyway. "It's not too silly, is it?"

[ofsilverflame]

"You know "Chris" is just fine, Rinea." She says with a smile. She sees no reason to stand on ceremony here when she's no knight, and certainly no noble (well, not yet at least).

She examines the bow in Rinea's hands thoughtfully. "Of course not. Actually, that sounds like a rather ingenious idea." She counters. "I could see many uses for such fabric. My armour, for example." She's not wearing it now, but she knows Rinea is familiar enough with the suit of platemail. "If we could line the interior of key areas with such fabric, I daresay it would become the lightest suit of platemail I've ever worn." Greatly increasing her mobility at no cost to her defense.

She nods approvingly. "It's a smart idea, Rinea. You should take pride in coming up with it."

[silvergarden]

"Oh, I couldn't!" Rinea protests, though her cheeks color pleasantly at the praise. "At least, not yet. If I enchanted it incorrectly and your plate mail floated away... Why, I can hardly bear to think of it!"

Still, thinking of it is a bit funny-- imagine a torso armor drifting into the ether! -- so Rinea giggles a bit despite herself.

"But... I do have something for you, now that I think about it." She places the bow back upon the counter and hurries to her basket, rummaging through it for a package. "It's a gift, of sorts..."

[ofsilverflame]

Chris considers that for a moment, then laughs good-naturedly with her. The image is, she has to admit, a funny one indeed. "Yes, I suppose you have a point." She admits. "But that aside, this idea still has real potential. I'm glad you're pursuing it."

An eyebrow is raised in surprise as Rinea hurries to get the gift. "I'm grateful of course, but you needn't go to so much fuss. Your companionship has been more than enough of a gift since our arrival." They did get along well as roommates, even accounting for the differences in their personalities. It was actually because of that Chris had poked her head in to talk to Rinea about. But she'll wait until her friend is done with this mysterious gift.

Potion

[notquitetamed]

[Hawk happens to catch Rinea as she's posting one of those notices. He was taking a look to see if there was anything of interest. He sees the notice and is immediately interesting.]

You the one I'd ask about the potion then or you just the one putting up the flyers?

[silvergarden]

Oh! [Rinea was hoping someone would be interested in her modest work... but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly!]

Yes-- that would be me. [She cannot help her manners-- she drops into a small curtsy. Her familiar, Adalhard, holds the rest of the flyers and watches like he's used to this.]

I am Rinea. May I have the honor of knowing who I am speaking with?

[notquitetamed]

[Hey, good timing on his part at least. But it is a solid idea if it works right, especially for someone as reckless as he can be.]

The name's Hawk. [And he's just not gonna comment on the curtsy even if he's finding it weird. Don't get much more common than someone like him.] Hmm, Rinea, could swear I've heard that name before.

[He's silent for a moment trying to think on where he remembers that name from.] Oh right, Chris mentioned it.

[silvergarden]

Lady Chris? [Rinea lights up at the mention, looking less nervous. A friend of a friend is much less intimidating!]

Why, yes! She is my roommate. You must be her gentleman caller.

[rinea......]

[colchismagecraft]

Oh- A first aid potion, hm?

[Now that was something she was interested in! And it looked as if the woman nearby was the one putting up the flyers.

So...Caster will just be approaching. Looking her usual, cloaked, suspicious self.]

...Excuse me, are you the one I should be asking about these potions?

[silvergarden]

[Rinea turns around to face the speaker quite cheerfully, but she's unable to conceal the surprise that mars her expression when she actually sees who was addressing her. This person dresses like a witch... Rinea had nearly forgotten what they were like, so far from home-- but the spike of fear the recognition hits her with is bone-chilling.]

Um-- yes. [Her hands twist together, then release. Calm down. It's just an Avalon citizen. She's not like Nuibaba.. and even if she was, she probably won't take Rinea's head off in the middle of the street.] W-Were you perhaps interested in my work?

[colchismagecraft]

[Oh, she was used to that expression. In her lifetime, many people responded like that when they saw the 'Witch of Betrayal' herself- surprise, dread- but it had been a while since she'd received that reception in Avalon.

...Caster frowned, but pressed forward with the discussion regardless. After all, it didn't matter what this person thought of her, so long as she could convince her to sell the potion.]

Yes, I am- I've seen enough since I arrived here to know the unfortunate necessity of such a potion. Besides, I'm always intrigued to meet others who have been working with the art of potion brewing.

[silvergarden]

Oh... it's-- it's my pleasure. ["Unfortunate" necessity, she says. That's heartening enough of a sentiment that Rinea's guard lowers, just a little. This witch is behaving pretty normally, for a witch... (But maybe that's just because the witches back home had entrenched themselves so fully into the country's power structure that they no longer needed to be furtive?)

Rinea's brows unpinch, but her fingers stay curled in her dress.]

This is, actually, the first concoction I have successfully completed. [Coming back to herself, Rinea quickly fusses to pull out one of the vials and offers it with both hands to Caster. Maybe if Rinea gets on her good side, she'll be safer.] Please, have a look, if you care to.

potion of don't die

[snaccs]

( it is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the familiar which catches Maruki's attention first. he pauses in his route jogging, staring at it for longer than is probably polite, really. but soon enough it moves, revealing the young woman it's tailing as she finishes hanging up a poster and continues on.

so, curiosity piqued, he heads to the poster and reads it.

huh.

not that he plans to end up in a situation where he would need a potion like that, but he didn't plan to be in Avalon at all. clearly planning only means so much. and it's with that thought that he jogs to catch up with her. )

E-excuse me!

[silvergarden]

Ah, good morning.

[Rinea pauses in her walk to allow Maruki to catch up, watching him approach with a smile. Adalhard's gaze bears down hard upon him, though given the monster's silence whatever emotion is actually behind that look is inscrutable.]

Is something the matter, sir?

[snaccs]

( that familiar is... kind of terrifying, but he won't back down. maybe he's really nice! Hastur probably looks creepy to a lot of people too, but he's been nothing but helpful to Maruki. )

Actually, I was interested in learning more about the potion you're advertising.

( and maybe buying a vial or two. he doesn't imagine he would have that much cause to use it, but better safe than sorry, right? )

[silvergarden]

Oh, yes! The First Aid tincture! [Rinea's smile brightens, flattered.] I was gifted the Alchemy magic type, you see... and with it I was able to fashion a natural paralytic into a more useful stabilizer.

My offerings are humble... but I would be most pleased if it was of use to you. [Pulling open her satchel, she offers him one of the bottles. The liquid inside is dark but clear. ] Please, have a look.

Don't Die

[impostorsyndrome]

[First Aid Potion? Sign Kadoc up. At this point, he's fully embraced the need to stock up on any material magical advantage he can, considering the limitations of the magic this place has gifted him with; he likes Light magic fine, but it's not going to perform any first aid for him, and he knows better than to think he'll never need that going forward.

So when he saw the first poster he happened upon, he'd stopped to make a note on his phone of where to meet the healer selling them. That might have been that for a time—but as he'd gone about his day, he'd eventually spotted the girl hanging up another poster on another board, tipping him off to her identity, which he hadn't recognized from the ad.

It's that girl!

Oh geez. Oh shit. It's the girl from the party, when he'd been under that mask effect . . . he wants this potion so badly, but the idea of approaching her makes him shrivel inside with embarrassment. She thinks he's some! Some dancing guy! Some Charleston kind of motherfucker. . . . This is just leading him to weirdly watch her from afar, which isn't ideal either . . .

Ugh. Well, Azul hadn't remembered (or claimed to have not remembered) the party in question, after the trauma of his own mask effect. The only thing Kadoc can do, short of going home and putting on a mask and hoodie or something to disguise his identity, is hope that this woman's own memories are hazy enough that she won't be disappointed by the reality of the guy she'd danced with.

So he approaches at last, after being weird about it for a bit, looking much more collected than he feels:]

. . . Hey. These signs are yours?

KADOC "CHARLESTON MOTHERFUCKER" ZEMLUPUS

[silvergarden]

Yes, that's correct. How may I... [Rinea was stretching to pin her latest poster up as he spoke, so it takes her a moment to turn to Kadoc properly. His voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it until she took in his appearance. Then...]

Oh! You're-- [Startled, Rinea drops the stack of posters in her hands, and they scatter across the pavement with a loud papery flutter.] Oh no! I-I'm so sorry...

[AHHHH HOW EMBARRASSING... at least dropping to pick up the papers gives her an excuse not to look him in the eyes. ]

every time I look at my inbox this subject line blesses me

[impostorsyndrome]

—Damn, sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you or anything—

[He stands there awkwardly for a second, but a second is too long to just watch someone pick up something they dropped on his account without helping out. So he bends too to assist her, also a great way to be looking at the ground right now without it being suspicious! How lucky for them both!

That reaction probably means she recognized him . . . ggghhhh.]

[silvergarden]

No, it's all right— the fault is mine, for reacting so rudely.... [Rinea's face is bright pink, mildly horrified. At least collecting the papers is but the work of a moment, though she still can't quite look right at Kadoc when he returns them to her.]

Thank you.

[She stands and hands off the posters to her familiar Adalhard to avoid any further mishaps, then finally wills herself to face poor Kadoc again. Her hands, now empty, lace together nervously.]

Um... I never did get your name.

[At the party, she means. Aaahhhhhhhooouuu might as well just straight up put it out there]

[closed to Chris]

[silvergarden]

Rinea, being a homebody, avoided much of the fey trial chaos that plagued the city of Camelot throughout the week. The Red Springs Inn was out of its jurisdiction, and Rinea passed the time there quietly, catching up on her studies. It wasn't until the fifth day that Rinea ventured into Camelot for an errand-- and that, unfortunately, proved to be her downfall.

Rinea can no longer remember what she set out for, originally. When she finds herself walking down a steamy, damp rock tunnel, supposedly a new section of the Red Springs Inn-- why, Rinea is certain this is what she wanted to explore. A soak in the hot springs should do her some good.

It's not until the pools open up in front of her and Rinea sees the sole occupant of them that she begins to doubt otherwise.

"Ah, Rinea," says Berkut. "There you are. I was beginning to wonder if I'd need to go fetch you myself!"

Rinea stands at the edge of the spring, frozen and staring at the relaxed figure of her fiancé. There is no malice in his eyes; the stress built up in his brow from the war is smoothed away. This Berkut is smiling at her, a fond quirk of his lips that she's missed so dearly.

But still... her blood runs cold. Something is missing.

"Rinea?" prompts Berkut, again. "Whatever is the matter? Come here, then."

Rinea is very pale. Her hands come together, clenching so tightly her knuckles turn white. She bows her head, posture pulling together, shoulders rising to protect herself.

"My-- my lord," she manages, eyes burning with the sensation of unshed tears.

She should be delighted. She should be ecstatic. This is what she wanted, isn't it? So then... why does it feel so wrong?

[ofsilverflame]

They take turns with the shopping, and this time it was Rinea's turn. But not five minutes after she left the hotel with the list, Chris kicks herself realizing she forgot to ask about a particular item, so she kicks her boots on and hopes she can catch up to Rinea before too long and just ask her to&mdash
She suddenly stumbles to a stop, blinking in confusion as Camelot changes around her mid-step into the familiar form of the Red Springs. She looks around, brow furrowed. A teleportation spell gone amiss somehow? Had Viki found her way into Avalon after all?

But it's not a sneeze that catches her attention, but rather the timid, frightened-sounding voice of her roommate that catches her ear. Rinea's here too? She breaks into a jog, and the mists part to show Rinea standing at the edge of a spring while within...Chris' eyes widen.

"Rinea!" She runs up behind her in alarm. "Rinea, step back from the water!" Whatever that creature was, it didn't look threatening for now, but she didn't want to risk her friend's safety.

[silvergarden]

"Chris," Rinea makes out, voice wavering as she tears her gaze from her fiancé. The appearance of her friend is both a boon and a bane; as reassuring as Chris's presence is, deep in her mind Rinea knows she never wanted the two standing before her to meet. How is she supposed to behave, now? Is this a public setting? Is she supposed to pretend everything between them is fine, like Berkut is apparently doing?

"Rinea?" the illusory Berkut prompts again. His expression clouds over, reminding her more and more of the last she ever saw of him. "I don't recognize this... knight. What is going on here?"

He rises from the water, reaching for a lance. The motion jolts Rinea from her frozen state, panic spiking in an instant. No matter how she feels about Berkut, she can't give up what she has now. The thought of it makes her sick.

"Stop!" she cries, seizing Chris's arm and stepping back. "Milord, please! Please listen— w-why can't you attend to—!"

The siren— for it is a siren, even if only clear to Chris— pays no heed to her plea, and readies to strike and separate Chris from its prey.

[ofsilverflame]

Chris is quick to interpose herself between the two, her own sword drawn in retaliation to the lance being drawn by the man-beast in the water. "Stay back!" She barks angrily to it. "Rinea are you—" A quick look back and Chris can see the anguish on her friend's face, the fear. It's an expression she never expected to see on a woman as kind and empathetic as the Rigelian noblewoman's. It speaks to something deeper, as do her words of pleading to...to whoever she thinks the siren in the water actually is.

This is a battle, but it's not a battle of swords and lances, and not even Chris' battle to fight, though she'll do what she can. Her expression softens.

"...It's going to be all right, Rinea. You're not alone." Chris reassures her. "We can face this together."

Turning back she readies herself in a defensive posture. "A gentleman would respect a lady's wish." She warns the siren. "I tell you again, stand away!"