logs | october/november catch-all

[ Okay, so this particular commission? Probably something anyone could help with. It doesn't need anyone skilled in anything in particular, after all. Aerith does have some skills, and maybe there's better things she could be helping with, but—

Okay, in this case? Her decision to help is one that is entirely selfish. Because even among the beautiful lushness of Serene, Stygia is... Well, it's kind of lonely. A couple of bunnies— or even just the one— would give her something to care for outside of the flowers that grow around her treehouse (because of course she's looking after them, even if they were growing perfectly well on their own before she came along). It would give her something to do other than worry about Gaia and her friends.

And so those who accept this job from Myrtille— or perhaps just those who have reason to find themselves in Serene— may find a girl in a pale pink dress that is definitely a little dirtier now than it was before she started crawling around on the ground and trying to catch a dozen wild rabbits in what amounts to her bare hands.

...Yeah, she didn't really think this through. ]

[ lumine, on the other hand, has other motivations.

being told that she can have all the rabbits she can catch, which is honestly worth more than the five coins that the woman was offering her. as cruel as it might seem to some, the rabbits are, well, still a source of food and it seems like being dead doesn't mean their basic needs are addressed. she apparently still needs to eat unless she prefers the grueling way of dying via starvation.

lumine expected this as a quick and easy request. so showing up to the field and finding a girl covered in dirt on her hands and knees while rabbits seem to pop up here and there was something that gets her to pause for one long moment.

... myrtille did say they can use whatever methods they have, right? ]

Er, do you need help?

[ It probably says a lot about Aerith that she hasn't once considered the thought of eating these poor bunnies. Not that she doesn't eat meat, but it's just that even in the Slums, she tends to buy what she eats from people like butchers— She knows where the meat comes from, but she doesn't always stop and think about what that actually means.

She's been hungry too, of course, but at least in her mind, the rewarded coins for this job and the bunnies are two separate things.

Aerith doesn't hear the other girl as she approaches, her attention as it is on trying to snag at least one of the small creatures as they pop up here, there, and everywhere. And in fact, she's just missed one of them when the voice sounds from behind her, and she startles, her head twisting toward the sound of the voice—

—before she bursts out laughing.

Oh, she probably looks ridiculous right now, doesn't she? ]

Hi! You're here about the bunnies too, right? They're being really difficult right now!

[ So, yes. She could probably use some help. ]

I can see that ...

[ difficult is the understatement of the year.

lumine does manage a brief smile and a quiet chuckle as she considers their current circumstances. which honestly makes her wonder if these are truly rabbits that they're trying to catch and not ... something else if they're posing so much trouble to one person. maybe she shouldn't underestimate them too much.

crouching on the ground, her eyes darting here and there to regard the rabbits popping in and out: ] Do you mind if I try my way?

[ don't worry, she won't use her sword. she even dismisses her own weapon, certain that it would frighten not just the animals but also the other girl. ]

[ Her eyes drift to the sword when the other girl asks if Aerith minds doing it her way; and there's definitely relief reflected in her expression when she dismisses it. It's not for her own sake, though— she has definitely seen significantly larger swords in her time— but rather that of the rabbits. Even if she doesn't know Lumine's current plan, something about chasing potential pets with weaponry does concern her.

It's kind of cool, though, the way the other's sword just disappears into the aether... a pout forms momentarily on her lips, because she can't help but think that if her staff would just do that, things would be much easier right now.

(Specifically, she wouldn't have a tree branch strapped to her back.)

But that's not this girl's problem, is it? She shoots her a quick, bright smile. ]

Sure. Just tell me what to do!

[ okay, fine. no violence. looks like lumine will have to, uh, make a meal out of the bunnies later instead ...

still, she has a few contingency plans in mind. truth be told, she wasn't entirely sure if they'd be effective, but she's captured a number of creatures in the past that she assumes it'll work for prey animals like bunnies. in any case, she waves at aerith to get up and come to her, her other hand rummaging through the pocket of her dress. once the other girl is out of the field, lumine starts walking across the field.

her hand strews cut apples on the ground, close to the holes where the rabbits had dug earlier. she'd dig her own pit traps, but she didn't know if myrtille would be okay with that.

once she's done, she walks back to the other girl. ]

I've laced those apples with a bit of a sleeping potion. Nothing dangerous, but it should knock them out for an hour or so. [ she gestures at a nearby tree. ] Let's wait and see if it's effective.

[ Aerith is quick to follow to where Lumine is, watching and waiting after as the other girl strides out across the field and places pieces of apples along the front of the places where the rabbits have been digging; her eyes light up as she watches, and there's a bright, cheerful smile when the other comes back to her. Somehow, even before the blonde tells her that she's used a sleeping potion, she knows it's something ingenious— and of course a moment later she's rewarded with her assumption being right on the gil. ]

That's really smart, you know? I hadn't thought of using anything like that.

[ To the contrary, Aerith came in totally unprepared. Whether it was her eagerness to help out or an equal eagerness for companionship, she'll never know— sometimes she just does things like this: jumping first, thinking about it later. It makes life (...death?) more interesting, at least.

Although she has found that without Gaia's flowers and wind whispering secrets to her, her attempts succeed far less often than she might otherwise like.

She follows her new friend's gesture to move over to the tree and putting herself out of the field's line of sight, assuming she means to lure the creatures into a false sense of security. And as they wait, she holds a hand out in greeting. ]

I'm Aerith, by the way! [ Despite the warmth in it, the volume of her voice is low. ] Are you here for the coin, or the rabbits?

[ lumine won't deny the excitement and thrill of jumping in first, thinking about it later. archons know she's done it more than a handful of times, and in situations where she really should be thinking first rather than letting her recklessness get the better of her. this time, though, she's decided that crawling through the dirt might not be the best way to catch bunnies, especially bunnies that have made their life's passion to destroy a garden.

she accepts her hand, shaking it with a bigger smile. ]

For both, really. You?

[ getting the coin and the bunnies just for finishing the request is essentially like hitting two rabbits (???) with one stone. she can at least save money on spending for food by cooking rabbit meat ... sorry, aerith. ]

I'm Lumine. It's nice to meet you.

[ Her smile broadens at the introduction, her hand falling back to her side once they've shaken. ]

It's lovely to meet you, Lumine. [ A friendly, decisive nod. ] I guess it's both for me too. But maybe more the rabbits than the coin. I feel like I'm going crazy here, you know? Having a bunny friend or two doesn't sound bad.

[ And while it's true that she has no idea that Lumine is there to get rabbits to eat, while she naïvely hasn't even considered the idea of using them for food, she wouldn't blame the other girl for having such plans. Things are difficult here, after all, in more ways than just their apparently being dead. ]

Since this plan was yours, though, you should get first pick of anything we catch.

[ That's only fair, right? ]

[ oh, she wants ... oh.

that's a very pure reason why she wants the rabbits after this commission, and lumine feels a twinge of guilt that the rabbits she'll be collecting will eventually go into a pot. good thing she didn't say anything, then, though she wonders if aerith might've figured it out already, seeing that she showed up with her sword brandished. ]

That's a good idea. [ having a bunny friend to talk to, maybe? or cuddle? that's cute. ] I found a talking ruby in the Shadowlands before I sailed here and it's been a colorful conversation partner ...

[ it's been chattering nonstop, slinging backhanded comments when she allows it. it's almost like having paimon around, she's not going to deny. ]

Are you sure, though? [ she releases aerith's hand before she gestures under the tree, taking a seat under its shade. ] I'll happily take whichever ones you don't choose. I'm not very picky ...

[ beggars can't be choosers, after all. ]

[ Maybe if she hadn't been quite so frantically crawling around when Lumine arrived, she'd have put two and two together by now, have clued into the fact that the other girl came at the task with sword out, but naturally her focus— and still remains— elsewhere.

Her brows lift in surprise in the next moment, though— a talking ruby? She's come across many strange things since arriving here, but that... that's new. She's kind of curious, honestly, about what sorts of things a ruby might have to say.

So she takes a seat under the tree too, next to Lumine, and she responds with a slight shake of her head to the question. ]

I don't think I'm too picky either, not really...

[ ...Okay, maybe that's not entirely true. After all, what if she sees a bunny that she just instantly falls for? Her shadow is at her ear, urging her to be selfish, to take what she wants—

She frowns, and shakes her head again, the action somewhat more forceful than before. ]

We'll decide once we succeed then, right? [ A determined nod. ] And maybe while we're waiting you can tell me about the ruby.

[ it'll probably take a while before the rabbits come out again, guards down and unaware that their captors are just nearby. lumine supposes that this is a good time to relax, maybe make a friend along the way; it's the one thing that keeps her sane in this world, company. ]

I picked it up a while after I woke up in the Shadowlands ...

[ they looked like precious stones and she thought she could sell them at a reasonable price. that is, until it started yelling expletives at her. ]

It's pretty demanding, very talkative. [ like someone she knows, but with more cursing. ] It wants me to ignore it but it complains when I do ...

[ like what do you do with that kind of thing??? ]

[ Her brows lift again, and there's a laugh, one that would definitely be louder if not for Aerith's attempts to keep herself quiet so as not to scare the rabbits. After all, they need them to let their guards down if they're going to be caught, and loud laughter probably isn't the way to help that happen.

Still, she can't help but think that a talking ruby would be good company, even if Lumine makes it sound like quite a difficult travel partner. ]

If it says it wants you to ignore it, then complains when you ignore it... it doesn't really want you to ignore it, you know? [ It's possible Lumine has figured all this for herself, but Aerith feels the need to say it, just in case. ] It wants your attention. If it tells you "don't talk to me!", it's making you chase after it... so I guess it's like... you're proving you wanna talk to it?

Maybe that's kinda weird to say about a ruby, but... that's the impression I get, anyway.

october/november catch-all

iii. I've got a theory it could be bunnies (rabbits) ❀

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