Some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun.

[baldrshand]

Who: Ethlyn and others
Where: Mostly around Aldrip
What: Open log for August!
Warnings: Probably thinking about her own death in here.


Keeping busy
[She's been feeling unsettled since last month's journey to the desert, so much so that part of her wishes she hadn't gone at all. That's not a very productive or mature feeling, in her opinion. Still it is there, dogging at her heels as she buys vinegar for the clinic, fruit for her kitchen, takes her boots to be mended after their punishment in the hot sands.

She's so focused on getting her tasks done that she's too busy checking her little list to realize she's about to walk right into another person--until it's too late to stop it.]

Oh no--! Sorry!!

More monsters more problems

[Ethlyn's already somewhat used to the wildness of the animals that live around town, but they've still been animals that she recognizes. She can handle precautions against wolves and wildcats and territorial deer.

What she's not expecting to see as she gathers medicinal herbs in the woods is a huge... mossy boulder... with eyes. And arms. And a froglike mouth. And disproportionately tiny little legs.

She's frozen for a moment until it lumbers past the clearing she's in, and then she backs away slowly.]

I have never see that before.

The voices

[Ethlyn is sleeping less than soundly in her room at the boarding house. This time the new arrivals aren't people--they're plants and animals, some benign and some frightening. Between that and other people's disturbing speculation on the plantlike colossus that attacked the town in May, she's been somewhat on edge.

She's sure it's only the remnants of a dream when she hears a familiar voice--but then it comes again as her eyes fully open. She hasn't heard that voice in months. The last time she did...

She's up and out of bed in a moment, pulling on her boots over bare feet, throwing a coat over her nightdress, her sword in one hand and her staff as she pelts downstairs and out the front door. Quan's voice, calling her name away towards the meadows, and she doesn't hesitate to hurry and find it.]

Quan! Where are you!

Wildcard!

[None of these starters suit? Hit me with your own, or hit me up in the discord, via PM, or @ compassinks to plot something out!]

Comments

monsters

[caregives]

[Leanne spends a lot of time in the woods, for obvious reasons. she'd been studying the mossy boulder herself, trying to consider if it might be a friendly or unfriendly sort of monster.

she didn't hear Ethlyn come up though, and she starts a bit before looking over at the other woman.]

I've never seen it either. It doesn't really seem to be harmful... but I haven't messed with it.

[for good reason.]

[baldrshand]

I think that's wise. Every time it opens its mouth, I can't help but be struck by how many teeth it has.

[And try as she might, she can't shake the thought that a person could quite easily fit into that mouth in just a couple of bites.]

At first I was afraid it was like the monster that attacked the town, but it doesn't seem malevolent. Or even, [and she drops her voice in case she's wrong about this one--] all that intelligent.

[caregives]

[she nods a little.]

At least it doesn't seem to be a carnivore... or it doesn't seem to care much for people.

[she looks at it again, as it keeps lumbering away from them. at least given the construction of the monster, she feels like it might be easy to control. if it really was just a ton of rock...]

No, it doesn't, on both accounts. [do they... actually get a break????] I wonder where all of these creatures started coming from...

[baldrshand]

There have always been dangerous animals beyond the town, but this is the first time I've seen something quite so... fantastical. It seems like they've started to show up after our journey to the desert.

[The gooboue turns, and Ethlyn draws in her breath sharply. She hadn't kept her voice low enough there--and now it's lumbering towards them, although it seems to be in no great hurry.]

...We might get the chance to see if it can answer a question.

[caregives]

Yes... maybe they triggered something while they were out there?

[when the monster starts towards them, Leanne takes a step out in front of Ethlyn in the case she needed protection from the creature.

she looks over her shoulder to glance at Ethlyn.]

Let me speak to it. Okay?

voices

[snowslip]

[ There are nights when Marianne can't sleep well, plagued by her restless thoughts and worries. When she does manage to close her eyes, sometimes she dreams of a monster. Sometimes the monster takes the shape of the collosus that had rampaged the town not so long ago. Sometimes she is the monster itself.

So it's not completely unusual for her to be out in the dead of night, a lantern in one hand and the other clutching her shawl to her as she gets a breath of fresh air and gathers herself. What is unusual is the sound of someone else awake. A voice that she even recognizes, calling out into the darkness. ]

Ethlyn...?

[baldrshand]

[Ethlyn is so focused on following her husband's voice that she's taken for a complete start when she hears one belonging to another--even one as gentle as Marianne.]

Ah! [She presses a hand over her heart as it pounds.] Marianne--did you hear him too?

[snowslip]

I don't hear anything...

[ Marianne shivers in the dark and not because of the cold. Though all is quiet around her, she doesn't doubt what Ethlyn's heard. There had been a time when Marianne, too, heard voices whispering to her, a terrible call and a prequel to the crisis that then struck Aldrip. She doesn't want to think the same thing is happening to her friend. Cautiously, she ventures a question. ]

What does he sound like?

[baldrshand]

[Ethlyn finds herself twining her fingers together. He's gone quiet for now, but the sound of that voice was unmistakable.]

His voice is deep, but not overly so... determined, and forthright. [It isn't a very tangible quality compared to pitch, but Quan has always been decisive--the way he speaks leaves no doubt of his resolution.] You didn't hear him while you were out here?

[If Ethlyn heard him call, surely Marianne must have...]

[snowslip]

[ Determined and forthright. That's quite different from the voice of temptation Marianne had heard, but she doesn't know if she can breathe out a sigh of relief just yet. ]

No, it's been quiet.

[ A pause as she contemplates how to put this. She can't be certain what's happening, but what she knows is that she doesn't want to leave Ethyln alone right now. ]

The last time I heard voices, it was because of the brand. Um, you haven't experienced anything strange lately, have you?

Keeping Busy

[ticket218]

[ Though getting accustomed to life with one arm in a sling wasn't quite as difficult as Sigma was afraid it would be, he may have still overestimated how much he could carry for this week's groceries. It's not a huge amount or anything, but adjusting so he can look at his own list leaves him open to colliding with other innocent people checking theirs.

Oops. Down goes his bag despite his best attempts to recover. ]

Shit, sorry! Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going...!

[baldrshand]

[Oh nooo! Ethlyn backpedals too late, and all it does is afford her a good view of this poor fellow's groceries crashing to the ground. And that gives her a good view of his injured arm, which makes her feel even worse.

She hastily sets her own bag down and starts to pick up his things.]

No, no, it's my fault! My head was in the clouds--are you all right? I didn't hurt your arm, did I?

[ticket218]

[ First instinct is to crouch down so he can help her pick everything up, what with it all being his anyway, but once he's down there he's reminded that the only arm he has to work with is the one that was holding the bag. So now he's just on the ground with her, waving his good hand dismissively. ]

Oh no, not at all! I'm perfectly fine. I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?

[ Let's see, the fruit can handle a little bit of dirt, he didn't pick up eggs this trip--oh. A small jar of honey's made a nice imprint in the loaf of bread. That's. Fine, probably... ]

[baldrshand]

[Ethlyn shakes her head. Truthfully, these errands could have waited for another few days, she just needed something to do.]

No, none of this needs to be back right now. [She looks over his own shopping and grimaces when she sees the squashed bread.] I can buy you another loaf of bread so you don't have to try and stretch it back out every time you try to make a sandwich.

[ticket218]

Oh goodness no, I wouldn't ask that of you just because I couldn't keep my eyes on the road.

[ He'll take a second to inspect it before putting it back in the bag, one hand trying to carefully hold it by one end, and the poor unsupported half hanging in the air droops and droops until it's threatening to break in half at the impact point. ]

...Though replacing it might be a good idea, now that I think about it.

keeping busy

[mooglebow]

Woah—

[Serah's getting her own supplies, juggling some and looking away just for a moment as something shifts uneasily out of the bag, but suddenly there's someone right there—]

Oof...! [When she looks up, she notices...] Ethlyn, are you all right?

[baldrshand]

Y-yes... [Oh goodness, how mortifying. Ethlyn's face is almost as pink as her hair as she backtracks hurriedly, clutching her to-do list so hard that it's crumpling.] Are you? Did I break anything in your shopping?

[What if she broke something! Oh no, it wasn't eggs was it!]

[mooglebow]

No, no, you're good I think! I thought I could see around everything, but I guess not. Sorry.

[She smiles a little sheepishly as she sets her own things down to help grab anything that Ethlyn may have dropped.]

...are you sure you're okay? You seem... [Hmm. Stressed? Distracted?] Like you have your mind on something else.

[baldrshand]

[A couple of things did tumble out of Ethlyn's bag, and she shoots Serah a grateful--and embarrassed--look as she bends down to pick up a handful of pencils and a notebook.]

It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention.

[Her hand goes still when Serah asks if her mind is elsewhere. The word no is ready to fall out of her mouth, but Ethlyn knows that isn't true. There's something, she just isn't sure how to put it into words.]

I guess I'm not feeling my usual self lately. I'm not sure why--I just keep thinking about what we saw in the desert. Were you there?

[mooglebow]

Ah...

[Serah sees the look on her face, and pauses her picking up of things to put a hand on Ethlyn's shoulder with a smile.]

I was, but... what did you see out there? If... you wanna talk about it, I mean. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I don't mind lending an ear if you do.

[Another reassuring smile; hopefully even just knowing that someone would want to listen would be enough of a balm for whatever was bothering the other woman.]

keeping busy!

[feintofhart]

Whoa!

[ A problem with carrying a bow and arrows around, as well as various sharp metal things, is that collisions can be a greater problem -- such as in this case, as his buckle bumps up against the jug of vinegar, emptying its contents over Claude's front. Even here, Claude dresses as though he's reluctant to let anyone else know that he does, in fact, possess a body underneath his clothing, which means there's an awful lot of fabric to get soaked. He raises his arms to either side, staring down at the vinegar dripping off his clothing and pooling at his feet. He wrinkles his nose as he sniffs, then glances up at Ethlyn, his brow raised. ]

Ethlyn, I know you'd like to preserve my dashing good looks, but I don't think pickling me is the way to go about it.

[baldrshand]

[Oh, no. Oh, how mortifying.

For a terrible moment, all Ethlyn can do is stare at how saturated Claude is now. Then she clumsily pulls a roll of paper towels out of her bag and tears a huge wad of sheets off to hand to him.]

I'm so sorry! [water would be embarrassing enough, but she knows that vinegar can really leave a mark if you let it sit.] Come on, we should go rinse it out in the river.

[With the vinegar still dripping out of the bottom of her bag, she takes his arm to lead him towards the river. She's the one who caused this problem, so it's her job to fix it.]

[feintofhart]

Hah! [ For a second, Claude just has to laugh at Ethlyn's expression -- she looks so well and truly mortified over something so small, which doesn't seem like her at all. ] Don't worry about it. It's just clothes, right? Nothing that can't be replaced. Though... I can't say I'm a fan of the smell.

[ There's nothing those paper towels can do against all this. ]

I'm more worried about all your stuff that just broke, but I'm sure that can all be replaced too. Lead the way, [ he says with a sweep of his hand, trotting along after her as though he's completely unbothered by the fact that he's dripping vinegar with every step.

Once they get to the river, he immediately gets to stripping out of his clothes, squeezing them out over the dirt below. Jacket first, then his shirt, leaving him in just his thin undershirt and his trousers, though it's certainly nothing untoward -- in fact, this is just what most ordinary people wear as an entire outfit. His trousers are dripping too... but even though his smallclothes basically just look like a pair of shorts, he's not too sure how Ethlyn would feel about it. In any case, it's a first for seeing that there's actually a body underneath all of that. ]

I've been meaning to replace some of my wardrobe anyway.

[baldrshand]

[It's a relief that he's taking it so well. Ethlyn takes a peak into her bag... the vinegar has soaked into everything there, too. And if it's not ruined by the vinegar, she's going to have to go at the broken glass with thick gloves and a pair of tweezers.]

Yes, it's not the illuminated folio of my family history or anything. [Not anything that urgently needed, either, it's just that a clinic is never going to be worse off for having an excess of disinfectant and bandages, even if they already have sufficient quantities. Aldrip has proven more than once that you just never know when you will need all of it, now.] I'll have to deal with the glass later, but it's all contained at least.

[She's not bothered by Claude disrobing in front of her--proper lady though she is, it's nothing she hasn't seen hundreds of times for bodies of all shapes and sizes. Her brow does furrow when she sees what his underthings are. She's never realized before how much is concealed under all that quilting and folding. .. and what's below still covers most of it.]

Something a little less--[what word does she want here?]--voluminous, maybe?

[feintofhart]

What, you don't like my taste in fashion? Why Ethlyn, I'm wounded!

[ Claude kicks off his boots and socks and sets them neatly off to the side, crouching by the riverside to submerge his clothes, scrubbing at them and wringing them out. They'll need a good scrub with some soap too, but this will at least stop his room at the inn from smelling like a failed science experiment. ]

It's all the rage where I'm from, you know. [ Half-truths, as always. He dresses for his role in Fodlan, knowing that his clothing is just as convenient in the halls of politicians as his armour is out in the battlefield, though he knows which he personally prefers. Even moreso, though, are his clothes back in Almyra; in the desert where he lives, it's always wiser to dress in layers of thin, soft fabrics. Here, he doesn't have access to any of those... but it feels odd just going out in a state of relative undress like many of his fellow Chosen here in Aldrip.

Still, he looks much more like a human being with all of his skin shed. There is a body under there after all. ]

Maybe it's time for me to adapt to the culture here, though. I still haven't gotten a good grasp on it.