[OPEN] being funny in a foreign language

[aquaveiled]

Who: Himeka + others
When: Throughout June
Where: Solvunn, Nocwich, Horizon!
What: Open & closed prompts
Warnings: She's a menace but in a fun way

Comments

[OPEN] Nocwich

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka isn't the sort to want to stay in one place for long--she's a wanderer, a traveler at heart. She's made it a habit of bouncing from Settlement to Settlement in Solvunn which does offer some variety, but being able to visit Nocwich once a moon? She never misses it.

She can usually be found in the gambling den or the tavern, trying her luck at cards and dice and generally not doing too well. Drinking and eating, though she's good at. She's got no compunction sitting down at any open table whether populated by a familiar Summoned or not. ]

Room for one more? [ Or-- ] Deal me in!

[ Himeka also likes to take this time to peruse the shops in the market. Items that may be hard to come by in Solvunn or, more importantly, any ingredients to add to her pantry are of great interest. So invested, Himeka may not be paying attention to where she's going and bump shoulders-- ]

Oh, sorry!

[ Lastly, if there is someone who wants to join her, Himeka will visit the Hunting Grounds. Weapons and the like aren't allowed in Oeluni Square, understandably so, but the woods are a much better place to inspect the flora, fauna, and maybe weave a few magicks... ]

[theidlemaiden]

[ After Hilda's last interaction in the Hunting Grounds, she's reluctant to return any time soon. Funnily enough, it has less to do with the gigantic cat creature that tried to rip her throat out, and more to do with the awfully cranky man she had run into. And to top it all off, she hadn't even gotten her hands on the pesky flower she had set out into the Hunting Grounds for in the first place.

Maybe this time around will be better. It has to be, right? After all, what could possibly go wrong with practicing magic with Himeka in the woods? ]

Thanks again for agreeing to teach me some magic, Himeka. I'm sure you have better things to be doing in Nocwich.

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka shakes her head. She's always happy to be helpful and feel useful--that much hasn't changed since her childhood. ]

It's the weekend to get to spend time with people you can't normally see. You definitely count, Hilda!

[ Hilda had clicked with her basically since they met. It really is a shame that such a distance separates them on the regular. The trouble that they could get up to...

...is probably best for the Free Cities and for Solvunn. But it's fun to think about. ]

Besides, practicing is always better with someone else. But why don't we start with you showing me what you already know how to do.

[theidlemaiden]

[ They could still technically get into trouble in Nocwich. Or whenever the opportunity arose. But right now was super serious time (which is shocking thing to say considering it's coming from her).

Himeka's question immediately draws a dusting of colour to her cheeks. Out of habit she starts to try and temper expectations. ]

It's not much. I can do some thunder magic and a little bit of healing but it takes so much out of me, you know? [ Or maybe Himeka didn't know; she seemed far more versed in magic than Hilda did. She takes in a quick draw of breath as if steeling herself before she loses her nerves. ] Don't laugh, okay?

[ She extends a hand out towards a stump several feet away. After several beats, electricity crackles to life in her hand before it shoots out towards the tree stump. A spark of thunder glitters there before dissipating. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Super serious times with two not at all silly girls playing with magicks in an enchanted forest. The Luna don't need to be worried at all.

Himeka nods in acknowledgment. It makes her wonder if just helping Hilda redirect where she draws her energy from, she'll be able to use the healing magicks she already knows more easily? But first things first! Himeka places her hands on her hips to watch the show.

Don't laugh? She raises a brow and watches--

--is it wrong to say a spell is cute? It's kind of cute. She likes it, though! ]

Well I don't think the stump is laughing! [ A little charred now. ] So when you do that, do you feel tired too? Or is it only when you're healing?

[theidlemaiden]

[ Super Serious Times with...slightly sparkly thunder magic?

Hilda purposefully waits for some kind of reaction that's somewhere in the realm of disappointment or even the laugh she had asked Himeka not to do. When nothing comes though, she dares a glance towards the red head, visibly still a little bit tense. The attempt at levity does make Hilda's lips quirk however. ]

I feel a little tired now.

[ Magic fatigue is different than the fatigue that comes from swinging an axe around. ]

It's been better since coming here which is weird, but I still feel tired whenever I cast magic. [ But generally as a rule of thumb she just didn't bother because she wasn't certain if she could pull it off in time. ] Enchanting is a little bit easier if there's another medium to help me along like paints.

[aquaveiled]

[ She nods as she considers. Abraxas does seem to have the ability to allow people who never had magical abilities before to tap into them now. She is sure Y'shtola would have some theories on why that is, if it has to do with the balance or abundance of aether here in comparison to the Source or elsewhere.

Himeka isn't an expert in theory, just in practice, which mostly comes with trial and error and a lot of gusto. Though one thing Hilda says doesn't quite make sense to her: ]

Like paints? What do you mean?

[theidlemaiden]

Oh you know, like -

[ Hilda realizes that she's wearing the lantern necklace she had been fiddling with. It's not the bracers that she had been working on, nor the other in-progress pieces, but it'll hopefully suffice as an example. She pulls out the lantern from underneath her shirt to hold it out for Himeka to see. It glows a faint, warm light not so dissimilar to a candle. ]

I enchanted this by engraving the rune for light into it. [ She frowns, pink blooming on her cheeks as she stumbles through her explanation feeling a little bit silly about it. ] Or maybe I enchanted it and the rune made it stronger? Anyway - I did something similar by molding runes for protection into some bracers I'm testing but that's what I mean by medium.

[aquaveiled]

[ She tilts her head to one side and then leans in to take a closer look the necklace. She can feel something in the aether as she draws closer, not dissimilar to an activated piece of equipment...mayhaps enhanced with materia? (She shudders to think of how many attempts it may have taken...) ]

I think I understand! It gives you a little boost to your abilities.

[ Himeka pulls back with a nod and a smile. The explanation isn't silly at all! ]

Magic is also easier for me when I have something to channel it through.

[ She takes the staff from her back, lovingly crafted by Jayce in a seamless combination of woods and metals--suitable for White and Black Magicks. His gift was really thoughtful. ]

It's more...refined? Makes it easier to control.

[ Though Himeka is also prone to be a little chaotic in her own right. ]

So the way I started with magic was really just reaching out with my own aether to grab at the aether around us. That definitely as worked best for healing. There's another tradition where you pull from the natural leylines of aether and dip into that pool for more powerful offensive magicks, but I admit that I find it easier to just to... you know, grab from whatever is around.

[ Is she a lazy White Mage even when she's a Black Mage at times? Absolutely. ]

I'm thinking maybe if you start to pull more from outside of yourself and use that aether more than your own, you won't feel as tired after casting.

[OPEN] Horizon

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka's domain is a unique one--within the confines of a traveling, floating crystal exist a myriad of scenes from her home world and beyond. It follows her around in her own wanderings throughout the Horizon, parking just outside or even inside the domains of others if they don't mind a close neigbhor. When settled, a large watery dome appears around the crystal--a surface for the scenes to play off of.

Inside the bubble, the world around disappears and you enter one of many places ranging from floating islands in bright blue skies to a town beneath the waves of the sea. In these iterations, you can usually find Himeka teaching baby dragons how to run a food stall or playing cards with Moogles. And you're free to join in!

But...recently. There is a new addition.

An entire city of tall black skyscrapers, bathed in an eerie but calming blue green light of water miraculously floating above. The streets are walkable with large angled sidewalks and the effaces of buildings in an art deco-style. But what stands out is that the buildings are impossibly large with doors and entranceways befitting someone three times the size of an average man. There's an aura of somber reflection about and, for the most part, the streets are quiet and bereft of the normal critters that frequent her domain.

That is...except for one creature.

Several of it.

The Cubus.

This man-sized, tar-colored blob with the consistency of a excitable pudding prowls these streets with disturbing efficiency. If anything, they appear to be looking for a fight. And when they're hollowed-out eyes find prey, they strike.

Cubus attack is imminent! ]

[wasalmostdaphne]

[Bay had been driving around in The Thing when she came on a- weirder thing. A large watery dome that seemed to have stuff in it? It was all very weird.]

[Bay parked her car off to the side and peered into the watery surface. Naturally she touched the edge of it. Not water, energy. Nothing seemed dangerous on the outside. So she pressed forward, she can just return to her room in the Castle if she had to. Musicalis was gorgeous, entirely outside of Bay's experiences. She immediately started exploring the and peering at the architecture. Trying to determine the material and process of it all.]

[aquaveiled]

[ Bay won't go long before running into one of the many denizens of this particular domain. A small red dragon takes off from behind the railing, swooping down to take a closer look at the visitor. ]

"You! You haven't been here before."

[ Yes, it speaks, and it's large dark eyes are wide and curious. ]

"Did you lose something? What are you looking for?"

[wasalmostdaphne]

Unfortunately for the Dragon, human speech doesn't do much without a human face. Without lips Bay can read she can't tell what it's saying. She can infer it's making noise of some kind, but that's as far as that goes.

Unfortunately for Bay, a Dragon swooping down at her is startling. Her own eyes are wide with a mix of fear and confusion as she has no idea what to do with this. And in her fear she doesn't try to talk, because it's a dragon. She just take a step back.

[aquaveiled]

[ The dragon waits, staring expectantly (or what one can only assume). When she doesn't respond and only takes a step back, it flutters a little closer. ]

"No, no child of man! We're all friends here, see? This is where we play!"

[ It does a little flip to show off it's nature. ]

What are you doing over there, Tohm Kha?

[ Luckily for Bay, someone with a (mostly) human face makes their way up the stairs to the landing. ]

"Himeka, Himeka! Someone has come for a visit. I've found an new playmate--"

[ Himeka pauses, raising her brows when her gaze falls upon the girl being (lovingly) accosted by one of her dragonets. ]

Oh! I see you've met our welcoming committee.

[wasalmostdaphne]

[Bay's attention rests mostly on the woman, rather than the dragon, once she arrives. Bay's eyes staring intently on her lips as things happen. The tempo is one of conversation. Which answers a question of what the dragon was attempting for.]

Sorry.

[The word is said in both common, and with her hand. Pressed into her chest with a small circular motion over her heart.]

I can't understand your friend, I can't read its face the way I can with other humanoids when they talk. Which is not a thing I was expecting to be a problem.

[Bay had not planned for 'how do I talk with a dragon' as being a thing to work around. Foolish of her, really. She spares an apologetic look to the dragon before her attention falls back on the woman again.]

I'm Bay, I take it this is yours?

[With the word 'this' she gestures to the entire space, not the small dragon.]

[aquaveiled]

[ Even without the full context, Himeka only shakes her head and smiles at the apology. ]

No apologies are needed. They are always excited to see new people.

[ If a little over-excited at times. Though it's when the girl says "read its face" that it starts to dawn on her. ]

Oohhh, I see. You need lips, yes?

[ Himeka points to her own mouth with new understanding. She stakes a step closer and extends her hand. ]

I'm Himeka. I'll officially welcome you to my little domain.

[ And she motions to the dragon with her other hand. ]

This is Tohm Kha. He wanted to know if you came to be his new playmate.

[wasalmostdaphne]

[Bay nods, as confirmation that she reads lips. Smiling at being understood.]

Himeka. Your domain is gorgeous, there is nothing like this in my world.

[Bay mimics the movements of the woman's lips and tongue well enough, but the name isn't close to English. So she doesn't get it exactly right. Her accent shows when compared to words more ingrained into her vocabulary.]

[She shifts her attention to the dragon after, looking... entirely weirded out talking to a dragon. Not hiding this unease at all.]

Sorry, I wouldn't make for a very good playmate.

[CLOSED] Thancred

[aquaveiled]

[ The last time they met in person should have been such a happy thing--the Summoned of one nation visiting another! But the permission had only been granted out of need, really. Himeka didn't regret it, asking or having any of the Summoned who ventured forth from Thorne or the Free Cities. It was a rare opportunity and may have been part of what led to the eventual salvation of all their friends.

But she would have really liked to have shown Thancred (and Urianger and G'raha, for the short time he was here) what life in the Commune was like without the shadow of a crisis looming over them.

She is thankful that Nocwich remains open to them. They have been valuable allies from the start and the ability to see her friends at least once a moon in flesh and blood is an opportunity she doesn't waste.

When she sees Thancred in the Square, Himeka gains a pep in her step as she trots right over to her long-time colleague and friend. ]

For a man of mystery, you're very easy to spot!

[funbreaker]

[ It's quite true that Thancred's trip to Solvunn had been far from ideal, though he still cherishes the fact that he'd been able to see another faction with his own eyes. And not merely another faction, but the place that Himeka called home, at least in this world. There is no certainty that he'll receive such a chance again.

Either way, Nocwich is a blessing, and he makes a point of seeing Himeka each month if he can. That routine can resume now that they're not losing their minds searching for their stolen friends.

Urianger is... managing. It's still a work in process, with his insomnia a persistent problem that Thancred's doing his best to address. Mayhap he'll bring that up now, though he also doesn't wish to unduly worry Himeka.

When she approaches him he turns to her with an unbridled smile, then shakes his head with a scoff. ]

'Tis my choice to decide when I'm easy to spot and when I'm not, dear Himeka. How have you been?

[ They check in regularly, of course, though a message sent with one's mind is quite different from seeing and chatting with a friend in person. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka hums at the excuse, even though it is exactly that--Thancred is a master at sinking unseen into the shadows whether he wears his bright white coat or not. It doesn't mean it's any less fun to poke at him, though. Lovingly as one may a brother. ]

Well enough! Which is more than we can ask for after all that's happened. And you?

[ She moves to stand beside him and very pointedly bumps her shoulder at his upper arm. It is good to see him. The Horizon is never the same as in person.

They had agreed to take a small break, get something to drink and eat, so she starts them off in the direction of the closest tavern as they chat. ]

[funbreaker]

[ "Well enough" isn't a particularly detailed answer, though Thancred suspects that they'll get deeper into the specifics once they've settled somewhere. Either way, he doesn't hesitate to lean against Himeka and give a brief bump back before they're off. ]

I suppose I can't complain. Thorne is Thorne. [ Does he need to explain any further than that? She'd been in the castle once herself, she'll know what he means. ] We've been granted the concession of being able to carry around a small weapon thanks to the newly established Conclave.

[ As far as he's aware, that is a faction-wide development. With that in mind, he raises an eyebrow at Himeka. ]

Have your representatives been finalized? Any motions passed?

[aquaveiled]

[ >i>Thorne is Thorne. Really, it's because Thancred and Urianger there, two people who she knows well can handle their own, that she's spent a little less time worrying about Thorne being Thorne. Should anything go awry, they would be the first to jump on it.

Weapons, though? She looks up at him and her tail does a little pop behind her. ]

Really? They really must trust all their Summoned now. I take it you haven't told them what you can do with a knife?

[ It's a joke, clearly with the grin she's doing a terrible job at hiding. ]

Oh yes, we have goats.

[ She doesn't elaborate. ]

[funbreaker]

Not all. Those who are more newly Summoned or not known as well still won't be granted the option to arm themselves.

[ Thancred has had to straddle the line between making connections both in the Castle and Nott while also not becoming too recognizable, so as to still have the option to sneak about when the situation calls for it.

Granted, some bolstering of his ability to pass through places stealthily also helps. It's odd knowing that he likely owes the Singularity for that.

He waves off her joke with a scoff of his own, but the response Himeka gives is... lacking, to say the least. ]

You've always had goats.

[ He should know, he's been there now. ]

[aquaveiled]

Oohh, hmmhmm. So everyone has to earn it through brownie points?

[ If brownie points were from actual brownies they would be much better to collect, if you ask her.

Still, it does seem like something of a step forward. There has to be a level of trust, but allowing people to arm themselves is a risk that she won't overlook. As much as Himeka says she's shite a politics, she's definitely absorbed enough along their adventures to get what tends to play and what doesn't. ]

These are big goats. They take us between Settlements, now. No more renting or walking all the way.

[ Yes, the Summoned in Solvunn have instantly solved Public Transportation. What is it that they can't do.

Himeka gets a little hop in her step when the tavern comes into view. ]

Not that I mind walking, but the Settlements are so far apart that it definitely helps cut down on the travel time.

[funbreaker]

[ Thancred nods, as "brownie points" more or less sums it up. If they undertake tasks for the Castle and prove themselves to be useful, they're permitted to openly carry a weapon around. To be honest, he has never needed to draw his weapon in the Castle, but he doesn't blame any of the Summoned for wanting that extra bit of security. ]

Like taking a chocobo carriage, then? [ That does sound useful, if portals aren't an option. Thancred prefers a more traditional sort of transportation, to be honest. The portals have never quite agreed with him, though he's used to them by now. ] That does sound useful. What is there to be found in the other settlements? If you wouldn't mind enlightening me.

[ There's the tavern. Thancred also picks up the pace at the sight of it, and as soon as they've step inside they're greeted warmly and escorted to a table. ]