2017-07-06: Flowers and New Friends
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
- Log: Flowers and New Friends
- Cast:Kaguya Sephilia Lampbright
- Where: Lacour Market District
- Date: 2017-07-06
- Summary: Kaguya and Sephilia meet for the first time, and a new friendship is formed!
=======================================<* Lacour - Market District *>======================================= The Lacour Market District does not rival that of the major commercial powers of Filgaia in terms of volume or value of trade, but it the class of the world in traditional weapons and protective gear. More than a hundred individual shops line the streets of the district, each bearing its own name, specialties, and branding. Almost any kind of weapon or armour can be found in Lacour, and odds are good that anything innovative will be found here first...or make its way here in short order. The merchants of the Market District are proud and competitive, and walking down the streets is an exercise in patience, as they bombard passersby with litanies in praise of their work and curses for the rust-ridden works of their neighbours. At no time is this competition more fierce than during the Lacour Tournament of Arms; this annual exhibition to name the World's Greatest Fighter includes considerable prestige for the merchants sponsoring their entries, and talented fighters will find their services heavily sought-after. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bqMqHag86c ------------------------------------------------< Players >------------------------------------------------- Name Kaguya Sephilia Lampbright -------------------------------------------------< Exits >-------------------------------------------------- <E> East to Lacour - Arms Coliseum <G> Guildhall to Lacour - Adventure <N> North to Lacour - Castle <O> Out to Silver Coast ============================================================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia's been a busy little bee since she arrived in Lacour. First, she had the bright idea that she wanted to make a cheerleader costume for herself so that she could root for her friends who entered the tournament in style, and that took a while to complete. Then she's been attending the tournament to cheer with Chauncey - she's not very good at catchy cheers, but her enthusiasm makes up for it a bit. Now, though, there's finally a bit of downtime, so she's exploring the shopping district. Wrinkling her nose at all the weapons and armor on display, the girl is looking for something--anything--else that's more interesting to her. Chauncey doesn't use weapons or armor, after all. Chauncey dangles from her arms, today, looking for all the world like an ordinary, albeit battered, plush fox doll. He, too, seems disinterested in the gear on offer in the district, his button eyes staring blankly as they move past...
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
There /are/ other shops besides the weapons and armor shops, though they're not terribly popular by comparison. Oh, the food stands are, obviously; combat is hungry work. But as Sephilia walks she come across something else, a different kind of location. It's not a shop proper, but it is a slightly-battered wagon with a few scorchmarks, made of deep wood with a horse attached to the front, pinto with brown and white colors and black points. There are flowerbeds all over the side, which is otherwise unlabelled, with blooms in orange, and blue, and brown, and yellow. There's also a small-looking girl in obviously poor health, looking down at what appears to be a shotgun shell in her hand as she passes her palm over it and brings a bright green glow. Also in her lap is a jar. There's money in it. And to her side... A sign: 'FLOWERS FOR SALE' Kaguya A short, slight figure, this young woman--who can't be more than sixteen or more than five feet tall--stares around at her surroundings sharply, analytically. Her eyes are pale, almost pastel green, and set deeply into her pale face. Her hair is blonde, tumbling past her shoulders unbound about to the middle of her back, a fair gold against the rest of her, which, frankly, looks like hell. But more about that; her clothes at least are sharp. She wears a beige suit vest over a white button-up shirt, with beige slacks to go with it down into neat brown boots that extend from beneath, and have strangely thick soles. Her tie--of course she wears a tie--is a pale green, the main pop of color in her outfit. She also has a brown leather belt with an unobtrusive buckle. Over all of that she wears a thick brown duster, left unbuttoned and going all the way down to her ankles. It's well-made, but also clearly a little protective. ...And it helps to hide the sleek white of her ARM, a single-barrel shotgun with metallic green accents on its black casing along with white... not quite metal, but some hard material. None of her choices in attire can hide the lines in her face however, the way she's downright gaunt, pale in a way she shouldn't be. She looks unhealthy, to say the least. There's obvious fatigue around her eyes, too deeply-set for her face as it is. And of course, she's tiny. She looks fragile. Her posture isn't though; she's outright defiant. And besides, for a sign of life, she has a strange, pale orange flower at her breast pocket. It is almost certainly familiar to few. There are a few unusual things about her, though; beneath her wild hair her ears have a slight point, and her upper canines are large enough to be long, sharp fangs. But that's not too strange, right? It's not like she shows them off all the time. And it would be rude to stare overlong at such a frail, sick girl.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
This is something that counts to Sephilia as "interesting," indeed! She approaches the wagon, peering with great interest at the flowerbeds, and, stowing Chauncey for a moment to hang out of the edge of her satchel, she pulls out her journal and begins sketching the flowers with great interest. It's a few moments before she notices the girl, so engrossed is she with the flowers--not a type of flower she's familiar with, either. "Oh!" she says, on spying the frail-looking young woman. "I--I didn't see you there. I hope it's okay that I am sketching your flowers--they're very pretty. Um, I'll pay you for some, if that's okay. My name's Sephilia! What's yours? Are you sick? I know a little bit of healing--not much, not yet, but I'm starting to learn from my friends--maybe I can help?" She leans forward to offer a handful of coin to the other girl, apparently quite sincere in her offer of payment--and of helping.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
As merchants go she's well-dressed, albeit not at all feminine save for her longer hair. Kaguya glances up as she hears, sees, and feels Sephilia approach, and glances to Chauncy before looking to the girl sketching the flowers again. An eyebrow lifts as she sets the new shell into a very small case with a couple of other rounds. The orange blossom has many long petals, stretching to curve back towards the stem. The brown has many warm petals, beautiful despite the drab colors... and also deep thorns. Yellow has more sprigs of petals that bunch up over time, and thin stems. Blue has a set of petals that seem almost to spiral out as their pattern, all unfolded now that they're in bloom. These, too, have wicked thorns. Sephilia finally notices her, and Kaguya shakes her head with a smile. "I don't mind. It's nice that you like my flowers; I grew them all myself." A beat, "Paying me is good too. It means I don't have to clip them yet if you'rejust sketching." She answers a little at a time, and sighs, shaking her head. "I'm Kaguya. And yes, I'm sick. But there's nothing you can do about it." Kaguya reaches out to accept the payment, counts it, and sets it in her jar before she pulls a small notebook and makes a record of the amount.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia nods glumly. "I wish I could help, all the same. Oh!" she adds, noticing finally that she's forgotten Chauncey's introduction. "This is my best buddy and bodyguard, Lord Chauncey of Foxington. He's pleased to meet you, we both are, Kaguya!" The girl smiles. "Flowers should be let to grow, I say. My Dad--he's a famous explorer--he taught me that it's important not to hurt things just to take souvenirs and stuff as an explorer. That's what I am, too, now, I guess! An explorer, I mean, not a flower. Your flowers are really pretty, though! I've never seen any like them before, but..." Sephilia looks around and lowers her voice, conspiratorially. "To tell you the truth, I'm not actually from Filgaia!" She looks as though she half-expects Kaguya to disbelieve her.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Sephilia does seem awfully sad about it, despite having only just met her. Kaguya blinks at her for a moment, a little surprised still. But Sephilia moves to something else and Kaguya glances down at the doll being introdued. "Body...guard...?" She looks back up to Sephilia's face again, "Uh, sure. Great to meet you... both?" Why is she being so nice? Well, Sephilia is a customer. It's probably just that. Rules of exploration, advice from Dad... Of course her flowers are pretty, but it givs her a bit of pride to hear it, and of course they're unfamiliar but-- Kaguya's eyes widen as Sephilia gives her reveal, leans in closer. "What?" she asks. "Really!? Then where are you from? Tell me everything. Is uh, Chaun..ce from there too?" A pause, "My dad never wanted me to go exploring on my own. He said he wasn't safe. Well, joke's on him, given how sick I am anyway." a beat, "And how does Chaunce guard you?" Pause. "...And yeah, I grow these flowers myself, and I'm not from this continent." Further pause. "But noseriously where are you from??"
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia beams in pride. "Chauncey's big an' tough an' he beats up bad guys and monsters and stuff! Uh, I'd show you but it's pretty crowded here--I can make him all big an' stuff." Sephy has finally learned that she needs to add that part to her explanation or nobody's going to believe her. "We've been doing some cheering at the tournament, if you've been watching -- you may have seen us. An' he's from the same place as me, yeah! We're from Lunar." Sephy glances up, then points vaguely at the sky. "We're pretty sure it's one of the moons. You can see the Blue Star from there--that's Filgaia, I mean--and the stars are the same." She sighs a little. "Sometimes, at night, I go look at the stars and imagine that my Dad and Mom are looking at them back home, too, the same stars I am." "I'm sorry your Dad never wanted you to go on your own. My Dad taught me a lot about how to explore an' stuff. I have one of his journals, here, if you wanna see! He's famous, but not here--except there's a bunch of other people also from back home, and some of them know him, so maybe he's famous here too, in a way." She pauses, not so much to catch her breath as to think, tapping her nose as she does. "I wonder. Does that mean he's famous here, do you think, or would people from here need to have heard of him too for him to be famous?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Kaguya looks intensely skeptical at the idea of Chauncy being big or tough. But Sephilia talks about showing her and then... There's the explanation. "Ohhh," she answers. "...Cool. I want to see sometime." Once again, Kaguya believes immediately. But Sephilia goes on a mile a minute, and nods. She hasn't seen Sephilia cheering. From... Lunar? From a moon? That's a new one. "Huh." Sephilia is... sad about her parents, and Kaguya looks away a moment. She hasn't done the same. "These stars," she murmurs, thinking of the still-unfamiliar sky. Maybe it always will be for her. As much as always exists. She comes out of that pensive moment. Kaguya waves her hand. "I'm small and weak. I get it. It just gets on my nerves. And it's fine now, more or less, I convinced them." Both parents. "But sure, I'll look at the journal. I..." She considers. "No, I don't think that makes him famous here. People need to know about you for you to be famous." A small smile; her pointed, large canines show. "But you could say I feel a little kinship with someone not from this world. I feel often like I'm not really a part of it, not welcome."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia nods, rummaging through her satchel and pulling out her dad's journal. "His handwriting's a bit messy," she warns as she passes it over for Kaguya to examine. "Being small and weak isn't that bad," Sephilia says sagely. "I used to wish I could be bigger like my friend Talise, but I'm...I'm starting to realize there's lots of stuff I can do that she can't, too, just like there's lots of stuff she can do that I can't. I can make Chauncey big, for example, or use healing magic, and Talise doesn't know how to do either of those things!" Sephy's father's journal is labelled in sloppy handwriting as being an account of the journeys of George Lampbright, and contains all kinds of illegible notes and rough sketches--Sephy's own journal puts his handwriting and artistic skills to shame. Still, his point gets across, and it seems to be a valuable collection of notes and advice for further adventures. "Well, I hope we can be friends, Kaguya. Is it too soon for me to say that? I think we have something in common, and I want you to feel welcome somewhere, anyway." Sephy smiles happily, without a trace of guile or deception--she just really is that nice and friendly.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Messy. "Sure, that's fine," Kaguya answers, taking the book carefully because she respects books. But Sephilia's still talking at first. "I get tired of being patronized about it," Kaguya answers. "And most of my people are a lot taller than I am, so I'm smaller than /everyone/." She considers that idea though. "Yeah, I guess that's a special talent. I don't know how to do that, either. I can still do a lot. Like, a lot. And I'm actually willing to go explore, so that's rare. I also fixed up this ARM." She gestures to the weapon hooked to her belt, all silvery and white and green like a strange gun. At that though she looks down at the ournal, flipping through with a bit of interest. "Huh. This is handy. I bet it does you good." Sephilia speaks up again. Friends. Immediately Kaguya thinks no... But Sephy isn't from this planet. So maybe... "...You're way too nice," Kaguya points out. "I guess somebody has to keep you out of trouble. I... Yeah, it's way too soon, but why not. We can be friends." Kaguya's probably a Beastwoman or something, given her strange features. But she smiles again, this time more softly. "...If I get grumpy don't take it personally. A lot of things piss me off. But, nice to meet you two. You still want a flower? You can just finish your sketches, too. Just let people know to come find me if they like them."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia beams. "It does get hard. A lot of people see me an' Chauncey and they assume just 'cos I'm small and have a doll friend I must be a kid, but we've done a lot together! And fixing up an ARM is cool! I couldn't do that. I barely understand how they work. Even though I'm learning a bit. My friends are teaching me! We don't have ARMS back on Lunar at all, see." Sephilia accepts back the journal when Kaguya is finished glancing through it. "It does come in handy. Dad knows a lot of stuff, and--well, even though I miss him, I'm gonna make him proud! Someday, when I find a way home, you should come visit! My Mom makes the best meat pies ever!" Sephy beams and looks like she's going to impulsively hug Kaguya at her acceptance of their friendship, but stops short of doing it. "Um, is it okay if I hug you? I don't want to hurt you if your sickness would..." she trails off uncertainly.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"How old are you?" Kaguya asks. "I'm a--" She pauses, rather than saying her technically correct age, and goes for... "I'm sixteen. And I'm out on my own. Not bad, huh?" A beat, "It's a good thing to learn; it's just a hobby for me, I've done it since I was really young. Lunar really doesn't have them at all?" That's very interesting. Very, very interesting. ...Also surprising. Visions of primitive societies float through Kaguya's Veruni mind. More primitive. The journal is given back. "...I can tell you're fond of him," she says more distantly, like the subject of parents makes her. "Good luck making him proud. And uh... Well..." A laugh, "I'll come visit if you find me a way, all right? I really want to see Lunar. But I'll have to skip the pies. I don't eat meat." Which makes eating around here obnoxious. Is she going to have to start growing vegetables? "...I'd rather..." She decides not to talk about her sister. Sephy beams, and Kaguya blinks. "Uhh..." But she does ask. "That's..." A small sigh and a small, toothy smile. "Let me set down my money jar and.. sure." Kaguya does just that and stands up, setting out her arms a little. "Just don't squeeze too hard and you're fine." She's a little nervous. She's not used to hugs.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia gently hugs Kaguya for a few moments, then pulls back. "I'm fifteen and a half. Well, a little more than that. I'll be sixteen in...just under five months!" She taps her nose at the revelation that Kaguya doesn't eat meat, then beams. "That's okay! Mom makes great strawberry rhubarb pies, too!" On the subject of ARMS--Sephy doesn't seem to tackle thoughts in any particular order--"Yeah, no ARMs or Gears or anything. There's like...Chauncey's pretty special but I guess there might be others like him, and Lemina I think said she made a big robot once. Or something. She was a little drunk at the time, so I didn't ask. Lemina's my friend, too! She's also the Junior Premier of the Magic Guild of Vane. That's a real special important magic guild back home, no matter what the stupid Guard say on their stupid jerk wanted posters. I'm a member too," she adds proudly.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Kaguya, to her credit, hugs back slightly, holding back a lot so as not to hurt this other girl who wants to be her friend. She's a human, but she's an alien. It's interesting enough to be worth a try. She can always dump her later if it's a problem; this is good for her mission! ...Good hugger, though, Kaguya closes her eyes before Sephilia pulls back. "Oh, wow," Kaguya says about Sephilia's age. "I'm not that far from seventeen. Maybe I'll make 19." A beat, "I've never had one of those, so I'll totally try it. I'm not familiar with all the food around here. Like, I had this big problem where /apparently/ they don't serve hamburgers without meat. Whatever, right?" ARMs though... "Hmm, okay. I--" Pause. Lemina... Lemina... "Oh!" Kaguya says, pale eyes lighting in realization. "Leminny! Uh, yeah, Chaunce is pretty impressive--it was Chaunce, right?--and..." She considers. "Magic Guild, huh? I guess that's useful. I can do magic, too, so I don't need something like that. I'm already there. Maybe I'll ask Leminny about her robot..."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia's eyes widen. "You can make hamburgers without meat? That sounds...that sounds really neat, I want to try! I...I hope you make 19. I promise I'll try to find a way to help you. That's what friends are for, right?" Sephilia giggles a bit at Kaguya's mispronunciations of the names. "Chauncey, but he says he doesn't mind if you call him Chaunce," she offers. "And Lemina, with an A at the end. She's on some wanted posters and stuff, but the Guard are jerkbutts so don't pay any mind. Actually I think she's in the tournament, too!" A beat. "You can do magic? Ooh what kind? I can use Light magic, mostly healing stuff, but Lemina uses ice and fire I think. Our magic's different from the magic here on the Blue Star, too, 'cause we get it from Althena--she's the Goddess of Lunar."
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"Eh? Oh, uh, I don't know if you can. I'm not that familiar with hamburgers. I could try to make one...?" Hmmm. Maybe she could. It's just another form of science. She pauses though, and shakes her head. "...Ah, I wasn't that subtle, huh? Yeah. I'm dying. I don't think you'll be able to help me, but it's nice that you want to. None of the doctors I saw could do a thing." What friends are for... "Sure, I guess it is what friends are for. I'm not going to tell you not to try." Even an alien human finding a way where the Veruni couldn't sounds far-fetched, though. Kaguya blinks at the giggle and--"Oh." She glances to theside, "Uh, right." She waits for the rest. She knows there's more, and Sephilia is talking. "The... Goddess...?" Kaguya tilts her head. "Are you sure?" She's skeptical. "I think Lemin...a, is in the tournament too. Ugh that feels weird. Yeah, I saw her bounty, it's really low. Seems weird. Supposedly this big awful person." Shrug. "And Chaunce... whatever, I won't remember anyway. I'm not any good with names." "My magic is... Well, I conjure flowers and stuff to attack. I can use the same magic to make someone faster. I'm not that great with it; it's not my focus. But I learned some. I can also infuse magic in the ammunition for my ARM."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia nods. "Is that what you were doing when I first came over?" she asks. For all that she seems flighty, Sephilia's not without her own powers of observation and is fairly clever when she wants to be. "What does it make your ammunition do? Does it grow plants and stuff when you shoot it into someone? I bet that would hurt." She shudders. "Yeah, Althena's a Goddess. Um, it's kind of like the Guardians here, I think, except not really? The legends say that long ago she saw that the Blue Star was dying and so she took our ancestors with her to Lunar, and created a new homeland for us. I don't know how that worked and..." She frowns, sad. "I don't know why she didn't bring EVERYONE, if she did that. But I guess she didn't. Anyway, her Blessing lives in everyone from Lunar and we can do magic without like...the tattoos or the Guardians or the other...stuff...that people here seem to use." Sephy holds out her hand and a soft, warm glow fills it. "Like this."
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"You got it," Kaguya answers Sephilia. "While I wait for people to show up, I might as well do something useful with my time." A tilt of her head, "Not a bad idea. These make rounds that are good for battering down obstacles... Or enemies. Which are really just mobile obstacles, right?" A little ruthless. "It'd be pretty, too." Althena. Bringing up the Guardians brings a frown, but it doesn't last. "How do people know it was really her?" Kaguya asks. "It sounds kind of weird that one person did all that just on her own. Though I guess she could've been a historical figure who got built up over the years..." Kaguya seems to pay no mind to the fact that she may be insulting something important to Sephilia. "Oh, that's handy," Kaguya answers, and smiles. "It's the same with me." Kaguya holds up her palm and a warm green glow filled with leaves swirling in a small wind fills her own hand. "Yours is nice."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia nods. "Chauncey has some digging claws that I can put on him for battering down obstacles. He's good at beating down doors!" "Well...Althena's still around, actually. Even if she's...gone a little weird lately. She banned singing and dancing and drinking alcohol and stuff. A lot of people are mad about it. Talise--she's my friend--she's a bard, so it really sucked for her when that happened, and one of the Guard even smashed up her lute!" Sephy frowns, sighing. "And it was a Guard I thought was nice, who knew my Dad, too. It's...it's hard. But yeah, she's still up there looking after us." If Sephy is offended by Kaguya's skepticism, it doesn't show. "I wonder if our magics could work together," Sephy says, tapping her nose. "Like...if you could make a plant grow, maybe my magic could help it grow even stronger? That'd be kind of neat, huh?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"Convenient," Kaguya answers. "I could use a Chauncey." She gets the name right! Don't expect it to last. She seems duly impressed by the use of digging claws for that though. "Huh." Kaguya watches Sephilia in some surprise as she talks about Athena being around... And going weird. Could Athena be a Veruni? ...No, of course she couldn't, that doesn't make any sense. She slaps her cheek lightly for idiocy, though she doesn't say why. "That's weird stuff to ban. If you want to rule a populace, it's smarter to keep them happy so that they don't think of rebelling against you." That's your lesson, Kaguya??? "Sucks about your friend. And about your situation. I want to meet her. See for myself." She considers, and then explains, "I don't believe in any gods." The suggestion finds Kaguya adjusting her tie lightly, to make sure it's still straight. She thinks as she does. "Who knows?" She asks. "Maybe. I don't want to introduce unknown variables, though; it aleady takes a lot of delicate work to keep my flowers healthy out here. I'm actually a botanist," Kaguya explains. "So I'm doing some experiments with them."
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Not believing in gods makes sense for a Filgaian, as far as Sephilia is concerned. The idea that there are multiple faiths here surprised her at first, but now that she's used to the thought, it makes sense that someone might choose to reject all of them - and without Althena's Blessing directly impacting their lives, it's easy enough not to understand how for Sephy, it's not so much a matter of belief in a deity as it is secure knowledge that Althena's real. Either way, she's not bothered. At Kaguya's revelation of her profession, Sephy blinks. "A botanist? That's a book-word for someone who knows a lot about plants, right? I know about variables and stuff, Ida and Emma and Shalune taught me about that stuff, so that makes sense. I'm just not so good with book-words." She grins apologetically. "There weren't lots of books around where I grew up. Dad taught me a lot anyway though!" If Sephy thinks it's odd for someone to be a botanist at almost-seventeen, she doesn't show it.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Kaguya is still getting used to the various religions of Filgaia herself, though she's not about to say that. She's good at lying, after all, good at being a spy, in hr mind. Who suspects the frail dying girl anyway? Book-word? "That's right," she says. "Book-word... Well, if there weren't a lot of books I guess it can't be helped. You're doing what you can." She's nice today, she can be magnanimous. "I know a lot about plants. I'm also a gardener I've had one since I was young and I asked for it. Good somen's teaching you that stuff though. If we get the chance we can try combining our magic for something else. I'm a Drifter, so..." She gestures aimlessly. "Whew." At that, Kaguya takes a seat again, taking a breath and then another. "Sorry. Little tired." Of course it's not odd. What, like getting advanced degrees before 17 is hard?
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephy nods. "Maybe sometime we can go on a Dig together! Since we're friends! But...I'd actually better get going myself. My other friends will probably be wondering where I got off to." Sephilia beams happily. "You get some rest and take care, okay, Kaguya? I'll see you around, all right?"