quest: bountiful buns (failure)

[lackingtalent]

Who: Hythlodaeus and Zelda.
When: Late May.
Where: Solvunn
What: The tier 1 quest, Bountiful Buns. (link)
Warnings: none!




[Hythlodaeus, when stretching his legs on one particular walk through the First settlement, had been accosted. He'd been suitably surprised when he had been waved over by a gathering of elders.

Not by the request of course. Solvunn, after all, was a city that he knew well, by now, tended to turn based upon small kindnesses done by its people for its people, and therefore managing to complete his walk in a modicum of peace and quiet was something that he would find surprising.

What is surprising to him is that animals even could be nuisances. An unusual thing to be surprised about, most certainly. Yet he is not a man from a star that indulges nuisance.

As he approaches, and the issue is explained, he finds a familiar face. And by the time the small gathering of adults the elders are addressing is suitably briefed on the task ahead of them, he finds himself right beside that face.

And as he turns to the young girl:]

Shall we pair up? I daresay we'll make far more progress working together than not.

[That, and it has been a while.]

Comments

[sealingpower]

Oh! Hythlodaeus! It's been too long! It's good to see you.

[She stands to greet him properly, a glass tube and a bottle in hand. On the ground is an array of other bottles and tubes that she had been working on while listening to the briefing.

As soon as Zelda had heard there was a problem, she had set to work even before the assembly was called. She was attempting a concoction that would work better than the lavender mist that had so upset the Shrieking Weeds.]

I would be delighted to accompany you.

[lackingtalent]

[A smile follows. For both the fact that meeting her was indeed far more pleasant than working alone, as well as the fact that Zelda, with the not insignificant array of bottles and tubes around her, appears to have the preparedness (and indeed the botanical learning) he quite lacks.

But that is fitting for his assumption of this particular young woman. Tenacious indeed- and one to not idly stand by slackjawed alike he and so many others. She seems capable enough with most things, actually. So. The good deed here should be completed (he thinks...) in short order.

But he does have to ask!]

I see you have made a start already! ...And quite a way into what smells like a remarkably different concoction.

[He must give credit where credit is due. If something can be improved...

He moves into a crouch, his head tilting at the assortment of vials and containers.]

Might I inquire as to your materials? The scent is only vaguely familiar.

[sealingpower]

[Zelda's face lights up as she's being recognized for her scientific endeavors. Unlike at home.]

Well, you see, I've started with a similar ingredient; which may be why you recognize it. The wildflowers from the field!

[All of these things have already been blended and mixed so all she really has is the bottles at the moment.]

Then, I've added some fruit juice to make something similar to an herbal tea. If I've got the right idea, it should calm the Shrieking Weeds, just as you might take tea to calm yourself before you retire for the night.

[lackingtalent]

[His hand rises to his chin as Zelda explains- his eyes scanning the bottles and vials.

The very same wildflowers that spanned more than a few fields nearby, indeed. The selfsame wildflowers were permitted to grow freely in order to provide shelter to numerous birds, and bees that would both pollinate and spread seeds throughout the fields... as well as the shrieking weeds themselves.

Introducing what they're familiar with as a means of calming them most certainly has some merit. The logic is sound, even without the addition of a (rather delightful) sounding tea. Even if the people of her own star did not see it- Zelda- and her knack for elegant solutions- is something else indeed. So, of course, he is more than willing to make himself of use in assistance.

...Even if it seemed the majority of the work was already done. There is one manner of which can can assist though. He rises, surprisingly elegantly for someone of his size.]

Well! I daresay the difficult part is already done. You will permit me to make myself of some use by applying the solution to the wreaths, I hope?

[sealingpower]

Of course! Your help would be much appreciated. After all, there is much work to be done in applying the solution."

[She hands him one of the finished bottles, a round one to keep it distinguishable from those that aren't ready.]

Make sure to use a good amount. We will need it to overpower the other scent.

[[ooc: so they're supposed to fail so gonna say they just put too much on so that her scientific part isn't wrong and still makes her look good lol]]

[lackingtalent]

[[ooc; sure sure!! I was wondering if the juice might hype them up instead, but using too much works fine too!]]

As you will.

[And in turn, the bottle is taken, and Hythlodaeus, of course, makes his way toward the first row of the little dwellings that form a rudimentary street upon a dirt road between fields.

Some of the other groups appear to have had very little success thusfar. For the scent of lavender is in the air- indicating that their work has been done, yes. But more prominently, weeds are immediately in front of each of these houses, little root feet embedded as far into the earth as they can get...

And yes. The previous effort, and their aversion to it, has them most certainly screaming. And oh- it is loud. Hythlodaeus steps around them with a faintly curious look, before he arrives at one of the front doors. The house owner- a matronly-looking, somewhat rotund, but strong-backed looking woman is outside, her hands clasped over her ears.

Should Zelda's gaze follow Hythlodaeus, she would see him lean down to try and say something to her. She would see the woman's lips very clearly form the word "what?" before the action would repeat.

And it would happen again. Hythlodaeus would lean down to her height once more, repeat himself once more, and again, thanks to the screaming of the little cabbage-like creatures, the woman would, once again, ask him to repeat himself.

Eventually though, what he is asking appears to get through. The woman practically shoves him toward the door in her eagerness to see the situation over with, and he could apply the mixture.

...The effect is not instantaneous.
The creatures scream, and scream, and...

Eventually, they grow silent. They incline their flat faces to the doorway, and...

And then they erupt.
Now, they are all but shrieking.]

...Oh dear.

[Perhaps he should not look so amused. The things are now quite positively deafening.]

[sealingpower]

Oh no! Oh no! No, no, no.

[Zelda covers her ears and rushes over, her expression both horrified and apologetic. She doesn't know what happened! Her calculations should have been perfect! Her mind races with reasons why it didn't work. Maybe it's because the flora of this world is foreign and she needs to research it more. Maybe she mixed the ingredients wrong...

She turns to Hythlodaeus and pulls on his robe so that she can yell in his ear. It's probably the only way she'll be heard!]

I am unsure why it didn't work! Shall we repeat the experiment on another or shall we call the results a failure?

((ooc: you think we'll finish the quest?))

[lackingtalent]

[[ooc: Yeah, ofc. We've got what, a month and a half?]]]

[Well then. It would appear that he was due for two surprises that day. And to his eye, it would appear that the very solution he had previously deemed nothing short of perfect for the task at hand ...was decidedly imperfect. Not even adequate, by the sounds of it.

Odd. Very odd. It was simply unusual to him to make mistakes- to ascertain the viability of something at a glance was his skill, his alone- and not something which had let him down prior. A lingering side effect, perhaps, of losing so very much aether not so long ago? Couldn't be. It was hardly as if that skill relied upon anything of the sort. Or perhaps the creatures themselves are imperfect?

...Ah, that would explain it-]

...!

[He has little time to ponder overlong, for the creatures are screeching. While indeed, their upset lies far beyond both his and Zelda's understanding, he wishes not to investigate further. For the things are screaming and screeching and wailing and shrieking and bawling with an intensity that only builds the longer and longer it goes on.

Where most creatures, more than likely, would come to the end of their hysterics with sore throats and eventual unconsciousness from the failure to regulate their breathing properly- the plantoids seem to only grow louder with each passing moment, their combined wailing a cacophony which... honestly, in Hythlodaeus' experience, was far worse, at least aurally, than any he had weathered prior.

His gaze is cold as he simply looks to the creatures- but ah. He feels a tug on his robe, and he lowers his head accordingly, his brow furrowing as he attempts to make out what Zelda is saying.]

Oh, goodness. No.

[As he raises his head again, he raises a hand to his face, to catch an ever-so-slight laugh. He can't help it. The thought is funny, at least.]

I would imagine the residents of this house will have to move elsewhere. I would not put the entire community out of house and home in the aim of broadening our results.

[That answers that, at least. He approaches one of the creatures slowly, gingerly, moving to his knees a short distance away from it. And he tilts his head as he examines it more closely. On the positive side, it does not get louder. On the negative, he's fairly certain he won't be able to hear correctly for a few days already.

He turns, about to say something to Zelda, before he is interuppted. One of the elders approaches, with two shovels. And oh, they most certainly look displeased.

The pair of them are then told, (repeatedly, for oh, it's hard to hear the old man. Of course, he is asked to repeat himself more than once) that they need to make it right. Making it right, apparently, involves digging the creatures up and moving them into a field so their screaming disturbs as little people as possible.]