(no subject)

[youmiscalculated]

Who: Adora and OPEN!
When: September + October
Where: Free Cities (Cadens this time), Nocwich, the Horizon
What: Finally getting some exploring under her belt, realizing she has enhanced strength, questing
Warnings: will update if needed, none for now.

Comments

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗋𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗇𝖺 | 𝗈𝗍𝖺

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora wants a sword. It's something she thinks about nearly constantly, missing the feel of one heavy on her back, the way she reflexively reaches for it and of course, there's nothing but air. To fix that, she has to earn money, and to do that, she's started doing anything and everything Mags asks. She sweeps, she cleans rooms to turn them over and gets to keep any random tips. She does laundry which is the worst, and she serves food and drinks. When she needs a break, she heads up to the room she shares with the Doctor.

If she has any spare time, Adora can usually be found at the Sarstina. She's relentless with refills, seemingly at a patron's elbow with a new cup before they can ask. When she delivers food, she gets it to the correct person way over half the time. She may even serve your character; whether or not she gets the order right is up to you.

Unfortunately, it's as she's picking up a full mug of ale that her new ability kicks in, and she lifts with so much force, the entire contents of the mug is tossed behind her shoulder onto someone innocently trying to enjoy their meal. Adora spins around to face them, freezes, and then looks at the now empty mug in her hand, then back at the patron, mouth open in shock. When her brain finally kicks back in, she puts the mug down and immediately races to get something to clean up the mess, then starts trying to sop up the ale. ]

I am so sorry. Really, I am, I didn't...know I'm suddenly strong?

[catholica]

( the last thing matt expects is to be doused with ale. he's been sitting and eating, listening to conversations here and there when he his ears catch someone picking up a mug. it's an innocuous sound though so he disregards it until he actually hears the ale flying through the air.

he's not fast enough to move and ends up with it splattered on his shirt and into his lap.

well. )

Suddenly strong, huh? That mug had no chance, then.

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora's doing her best to try and clean up, awkwardly wiping up anything on the table and dabbing at his shirt before giving up and handing him a fresh rag. Luckily, she leaves his lap to him. ]

I'm so, so sorry. I...guess it's my new thing? This happened last time. One day I couldn't do magic stuff, then I could.

[ All said with zero context, but very quickly because she still feels very bad. ]

I can look and see if Mags has any dry shirts or anything? Or I could pay for whatever you're having.

[ She's willing (but sad) to use some of the money she's earned for that at least. Mistakes aren't acceptable, accidents are never just that. Shadow Weaver would have her cleaning up the floor with a tiny sponge while yelling about control. It's ingrained in Adora to make it right, somehow. ]

[catholica]

It's fine, really.

( he waves a hand to try and forestall any other apologies and such. it's not that bad a spill and he has other shirts. )

This isn't the first time someone's dumped a drink on me. I've also run into people with drinks in their hand so it all evens out. I'm okay.

( just a little wet. )

[youmiscalculated]

[ His reassurance finally gets Adora to ease up and focus on the actual surface instead, at least getting that cleaned up. ]

I haven't had this job all that long, and I don't think Mags saw so...

[ She's definitely asking this man to not tell on her, because she needs this job and the money. He seems nice though, and she finally sops everything up. Carefully, she picks up another mug, and she's pleased now to realize it's like nothing, so light she could be lifting a cloud. ]

Drink-in-your-face aside, this is pretty cool. What's your magic thing?

[ She just assume everyone has something, or an ability, or multiple things they can do. She doesn't think she's met any other Summond who don't have some sort of gift from the Singularity. ]

roomies!

[thedreamer]

[ Most of the time, the Doctor is anywhere but the Sarstina. There's too much to be done! Staying in the room, no matter how cozy they've made it, is just idle time he can't afford. He's been here too long to feel like he's made no progress or traction in stopping a war that feels almost inevitable, and preventing that vision from coming true. He has powers and abilities here, but he's stymied in ways he's not used to and can't abide.

So at his worst and most frustrated, he roams and wanders. He's grateful at least for the kinship he's found in Adora in that sense; she's just as eager to fix things and just as helpless about it.

But he doesn't sink into the melancholy in an obvious way, he doesn't speak of it if he can avoid it. He distracts himself instead, he keeps busy and stays productive. On a rare day when she returns to their shared room in the middle of the afternoon, he'll be in there sitting on the floor, drawing up blueprints for some modifications to his sonic screwdriver. It hardly matters that it can't be done, it keeps him busy nonetheless. ]

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora's surprised but delighted to find the Doctor in their room when she arrives to take a break in between helping Mags. Her plan was to flop onto the bed, but now she plops down on the floor instead. ]

You're never here, and when you are you're never sitting. This must be pretty important.

[ She tilts her head from side to side, trying to figure it out, because of course she can't. ]

You're planning on...a...very dynamic writing utensil?

[ She tried, based on what the blueprints look like to her. Which is, apparently, some kind of over-large pen. Or a regular-sized pen, for a giant. ]

[thedreamer]

[ He could tell her quite easily what it is, of course, but she's the clever sort and he always enjoys their conversation, and he loves seeing how the minds of others work. If he tells her straight out, that eliminates all the fun in getting there.

— of course, he's not even sure how much of this he can practically do here, but that doesn't stop him imagining and wondering and dreaming. ]

A matter of importance, yes. Not quite the most important, but I'd rank it highly enough.

Look at it a bit closer, what do you see?

[ It also, of course, depends on the context she has from her own world, to be able to guess at it at all. He won't lead her on for long, though. If she does glance closer, she'll see different shaped buttons — round, square, triangle. Different colors. Scribbled in notes on the side are wonderings like, Diagnostics?; Glow in the dark?; Instant chocolate? ]

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora does look closer, really examining the blueprints now as she picks one up. It reminds her so much of one of Bow or Entrapta's gadgets, that her mind starts thinking back to what she knows. It definitely isn't something to write with. ]

...You want it to do different things, it looks like. [ She puts the paper back down and lets her gaze drift back up to the Doctor's. ] Is it some kind of multi-purpose tool?

[ A tool that makes instant chocolate sounds amazing, but impossible unless...]

A multi-purpose tool that runs on magic?

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗓𝗈𝗇 | 𝗈𝗍𝖺

[youmiscalculated]

[ Now that Adora's horizon domain is back the way it should be, she feels a little more at ease. Even if it's fake, home still feels like home, and even if it isn't her real sword, at least she has her replica back. Of course there's no power tied to it, but she has She-Ra's enhanced strength, so she practices, out in the open once any guests or explorers make it past the intimidating exterior of her domain.

There's a mural that Adora makes a face at every time she passes by. And every time she passes by, she has to stop and focus on it, trying to make the image the way it should be with She-Ra, not her. Every time she manages to change it, the next time she blinks, it's reverted back, and groans so loudly, someone might hear it if they're passing by. ]

Uggggh why do you INSIST on being historically inaccurate? It's a fact, okay? Get over yourself! It wasn't me.

[ Catching a pair of eyes watching her, Adora looks up and clears her throat, blushing and not-so-subtly sliding in front of the mural. ]

I was just...talking to the Singularity. Sort of.

I'm Sorry

[infiniteban]

[Unfortunately or not Travis only hears her because he's... scavenging her shit. She should be used to it in some sense, right? He's definitely not Entrapta finding a real use for the scavenged goods, but... well. It seems like an area with enough goods that he can sequester away in his own survival bunker. For...

For something.

He isn't expecting anyone to (1) notice him sleuthing around (2) talk to him.

He springs up like he wasn't at all digging through anything and isn't matching her blush in the slightest (busted? shame), absolutely not, he wasn't doing anything wrong.] Uh. Does it uh. Talk back?

never apologize for this lol

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora stares at him for a second, then decides it's her domain, so she's the one who should be asking the questions. Although she has done her fair share of wandering into other people's spaces, and no one's ever gotten impatient with her, so she regards him with cautious curiosity. ]

I think some people can talk to it? Once it made me dream something bad was coming, so I could warn everyone.

[ She tilts her head at him, taking a guess at what he was doing and why he looks so guilty. ]

You know you can just imagine whatever you want, right?

[infiniteban]

Well, shit. Maybe that makes you psychic. Some pre-cog shit. [He makes it sound like that's a good thing, not a curse.] Gotta be careful with abilities though, I think, they might want you for that. Use you. [Who is they? Big Brother. The government. Doesn't matter the planet. He knows all about being hunted for what you are.

But don't worry about that Adora--better to not ask the question, he will give her more inane details than she ever will want.

He looks from her to the weird widget that he's picked up from her domain.] Yeah, but... I can't imagine this. I'm not a creative sort. I'd never even think to imagine... whatever any of this [he gestures around them] is.

[youmiscalculated]

Eh...I don't think so. I think it just used me. [ And she isn't sure what she thinks about it. The Singularity hasn't done anything like it again, but it's also been pretty quiet-ish since she re-arrived.

She tilts her head to see what he has in his hand. ] You've just never seen anything like it before. Doesn't mean you don't have an imagination. And that's part of an old landing gear. At least I think. I was never really that great at the mechanical stuff.

[ Adora walks closer to the center of the outer-space they're in, turning around in a circle and then looking back at him. ]

This is where I grew up. It's actually a giant, crashed spaceship that was turned into a military base. This is where my domain starts, but home is somewhere different now, so it's different, further back. I made this because the path [ She points at the ground, then draws her finger up to the beams and pipes overhead, tracing them to the half-broken walkways and stairs. ] was a running course my girlfriend and I used to race. First one to our bunks got the bottom.

[ Which didn't matter in the end, because wherever Adora slept, Catra curled up at her feet. Casually, she gestures to the stuff in his hands, then puts her hand on her hip. ]

You can keep that, I can make more aesthetic junk. Do you wanna see the rest so you don't have to sneak around?

[ She gives him a small smirk accompanied with an eyebrow arch. ]

There's a whole lotta shiny you might like back there.

𝗇𝗈𝖼𝗐𝗂𝖼𝗁 | 𝗈𝗍𝖺

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora's explorations in Nocwich mostly revolve around food. There's still so much she doesn't know, and even though she eats fine in Bright Moon, she's never seen anything like the food here. Even as she explores outdoor stalls in the moonlight, she always has a food item in hand, something portable and tasty.

At a stall selling something on a stick, Adora oohs and forks over some money (she'll have to stop soon probably) taking her meat (?) and walking to the side, leaning against a wall. Unfortunately there's a flavor that she can't get past, and the face she makes is one of slow horror. Anyone might catch her trying to delicately spit out her mouthful into a napkin. Then, with another napkin, she begins scraping at her tongue, desperate for anything to get the taste out of her mouth as she holds the offensive food away from her.

Another, more successful outing on the second day has her sitting and watching a play, something about stars and thieves, while she eats something sweet and really good. She's never had doughnut holes (or a doughnut) before, and she has a whole bag of them, all to herself. It's the last thing she decides to spend money on that she doesn't need, but the weird night-day has been so nice, when someone sits next to her, she immediately offers the bag, holding it out. ]

Have you ever had the hole of a dough-not?

[ She says the word doughnut as someone who has never heard it before today, but she's earnest and genuine, wiggling the bag in enticement. ]

FLAVOR

[nomnoms]

[ Nearby, when Adora discards her napkin, a small, seal-like creature walking on two legs toddles over and picks it up in his flippers. As it's about to put it in its mouth - ]

NO EAT BABY!

[ A manshark stomps over, frantically waving as Baby quickly shoves the whole napkin in its mouth and swallows it. ]

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora's eyes widen on two counts: one, the adorable little animal that wants to eat her napkin, and the larger, much toothier shouting shark. She doesn't know what traditional animals are, she didn't even know what a horse was until three years ago, and she's most definitely never seen a shark. Adding to it, she literally has no idea what to do in this situation. Does she try and stop Baby? Does she reassure the giant person it's probably okay, with no idea if that's true or not? Does she need to worry about all the teeth??

Standing up, she looks between the two of them, wondering if it's her fault if the little one gets sick. ]

It's just paper, I think it's okay? Can they have frosting? 'Cause there was frosting on it.

[ Adora can't help but 'awww' at Baby, even though she's pretty sure they're in trouble with their par...ent? She has no clue. ]

[nomnoms]

[ Nanaue stops short in from of the pair, his black gaze shifting from the lady, to naughty Baby, to the lady again. ]

FROSTING... ?

[ Baby has an almost identical blank stare, it's eyes just as fully black. It pats Adora's leg with its flipper and holds its open palms to her, as if to silently ask: more? ]

FROSTING OKAY... [ Nanaue finally admits, defeated. Then he too stares at the lady, waiting for her to produce more of the frosting napkin. ]

[lightkeeping]

[Nocwich is just about the only way Aloy can make money--not that there's much to spend it on, given Solvunn's barter system, but this way she can spend money in Nocwich, on things she might not ordinarily be able to get her hands on in the commune. When she visits, she heads to the hunting grounds, then brings her trophies to the market to sell. Right now, she's got a satchel full of curved claws and needle-like spikes, and she's headed with purpose to merchants she knows might be interested. It brings her past the stalls full of street food, and she gives it all a cursory glance as she walks by.

She might be a little hungry, too, though the sight of someone having an apparent bad time with a culinary purchase gives her a moment of pause.]

That bad?

[It's hard not to say anything, given the exaggerated reaction, even though Aloy knows she should mind her own business.]

I was just about to get something to eat. You mind pointing out the stall?

[So she can avoid it. Obviously.]

[youmiscalculated]

[ She's embarrassed to be caught and manages to finally swallow, only slightly wincing at the aftertaste still in her mouth. ]

I'm not used to most of this. We didn't have a lot on Etheria. [ Adora had protein bars, brown or gray colored. Then there were rations, more protein bars. She had some food in Bright Moon, but then they were back on the road, and the food choice was once again brown or gray.

As subtly as she can, Adora points out the stall with the food she didn't like. ]

It's probably just me. They wouldn't be in business if it was that bad for everyone, right?

[ She has no idea she didn't like the taste, only that she didn't and would rather fight off another horde of animals from Beast Island than eat that again. ]

[lightkeeping]

This must be...overwhelming, then.

[All the vendors and stalls, a real marketplace. Aloy is accustomed to such things, but she imagines it might be a little much, for someone used to more austere trappings.

She'll trust her on the food, at least. Sure, some things are a matter of (literal) taste, but when Adora points it out Aloy offers her a nod.]

Come on. There's a stall over here that I like.

𝖦𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅𝗍 | 𝖰𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗄 𝟣 - 𝖢𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾𝖽

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora loves slightly spooky, eerie things. Sure, she knows now that the scary stories about evil princesses and ghosts that Shadow Weaver told her were all propaganda, but they were still a little scary. She likes that, and so she gravitates toward the spirit boards, curious if they actually work.

She's so task-oriented, helping others when she can, that when things start to go awry at the museum and someone looks to her, Adora is ready to step in. Unfortunately, the more they explain what they need, with binding and and sealing spirits, she feels out of her league. That's alright, she's assured. all she has to do is take notes. They already have someone for the binding part.

Taking notes and documenting the process reminds her of Bow and Entrapta, and she smiles to herself as she's led down a corridor. She's given a tiny recording device she's shown how to use (she immediately forgets the name) and when she looks up, she sees a familiar face and calls out with a note of happy surprise in her voice. ]

Geralt! You're the person I'm working with? I have this thing [ she holds up the gramophone recorder ] and a pad of paper and pencil, which is all I need, apparently.

:D

[gynvael]

[ Geralt never runs errands for the Free Cities—barring incidents where he was pulled into them via a certain bard—but the situation reported from the museum is intriguing enough he decides, on his own, to take a look. In his experience, hauntings are usually a trick of the imagination or a trick of, well. A trickster. On the occasion that it is a true curse or wraith, there are usually bodies. At the moment, there are none.

Suppose they'll find out soon enough.

It's nighttime when he steps through the museum's doors, open to those who are examining the phenomenon. Geralt waves off the equipment at the door. He isn't one for finicky readings or recordings. No sooner has he rounded the corner does he glimpse a familiar head of blonde hair and a cheerful face.

He pauses, head cocked in a vague indication of yes, but no. ] I came alone, but...if you require company. [ He steps up beside her. ] You've been experimenting with that?

[youmiscalculated]

[ Adora holds out the small device, letting him examine it if he wants. Then, she rambles a bit. ]

I think the museum people want to hear if anything weird happens while someone does the binding and ritual part, which I've never done before and I don't think I'd be good at it. I still want to help, though, and when I told someone on the staff, they said to find a person doing that part and to take notes.

[ And now here they are together; Adora is obviously pleased to be helping Geralt, which makes her look a little eager, but she's also serious. She really does want to help the museum somehow. ]

[gynvael]

[ Hm. Geralt turns the item in his hand with interest before returning to her. Is that so? He can admit, he is not familiar with the binding—wraiths are dealt with a little differently on the a Continent—and until this very moment, he thought the Free Cities relatively free of spectres.

Suppose even after four years, this world continues to unveil new discoveries. ]

No harm in trying. Wait here.

[ Skeptical though he is of their equipment, Geralt goes to retrieve the binding item and returns shortly. If nothing else, he can make sure there really isn't anything dangerous nearby while she takes her readings.

He turns down the corridor, using the lantern for Adora's sake more than his own. ] How have you been faring?