october/november catch-all

[aflowers]

WHO: Aerith Gainsborough (and you?)
WHERE: around and about, mostly in Stygia!
WHEN: through the end of October and any time during November!
WHAT: catch-all; there's some notice board starters in here, or you can wildcard at any time!
WARNINGS: n/a, will update if anything comes up!

Comments

[prozaic]

Oh! [shalem jerks in surprise, his tail flicking behind him before he gets ahold of himself. then he smooths down his shirt, tail dropping back down onto the ground again.] I'm sorry, I was just... lost in thought.

[he gives himself a mental shake, and looks back at the notice board.]

Which one were you looking at? [he's willing to do a good deal of what's available, even combat-- he does have a large shield on his back, after all.]

[aflowers]

[ An apologetic expression crosses Aerith's face the moment that the stranger's tail(...?! okay, this is new!) flicks in surprised response before it— and he— seems to visibly relax. She also takes quiet note of the shield on his back; unlike her, he seems to have something he can actually use to defend himself. That's a good start. ]

Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.

[ While she's genuinely apologetic, her tone remains warm and friendly, and the bangles on her arm chime against one another as she lifts her hand to point out the harpy job someone has posted. ]

Something's killing people. We should take of that, right?

[ In her free hand, she brandishes her makeshift staff, fashioned somewhat crudely from one of the tree branches she's scavenged from around the place. Certainly not as fancy as she's used to, and no materia at that, but she can surely make it work. ]

I'm Aerith. It's nice to meet you!

[prozaic]

Ah, that one. [the same one that he was eyeing, then. perhaps he could have gone with something less stressful, like fishing, but... he thinks he's had enough of fishing and being quiet for a while.

shalem briefly notes her staff and wonders-- medic, or caster? he'll find out soon enough.]

Shalem-- a pleasure to meet you. I'm willing to work with you on this excursion... And certainly, as the one with the shield, I'll protect you to the best of my ability.

[aflowers]

[ If she's honest, right now she'd love a little peace and quiet herself. It feels like she's been constantly moving since she arrived here, what with finding herself a home, arming herself as well as she could, and trying to earn enough in the way of small jobs to feed herself.

But of course, there's that weird thing, both feeling and presence, that's loitering behind her constantly, making itself far too comfortable with her for her liking. Aerith feels like if she stays still for too long, it will swallow her whole.

But those are worries for later. For now, she nods in response to his words, gesturing to her own staff. ]

I'm without some of my magic here, but I'll do what I can to support us with my natural skills. And if they don't work... [ A playful smile, and she mimes bringing the weapon down over her head. ] Whack!

[prozaic]

[well, he was right-- medic or caster indeed, so... it's a good opening for him to just ask.]

Aah... but your poor weapon might suffer, especially if you need it.

[then he waves his hand and waggles his fingers.]

Do you prefer hitting the enemy, or do you heal?

sorry for the delay! been a rough week on this end.

[aflowers]

[ She smiles at him in response, a light laugh on her lips; she knows he's right, that the weapon might suffer— but at the same time, she just found it on the ground, so maybe it wouldn't be too hard to find another one, right?

...She'd love a real one, honestly. Something more like what she had back home. But there's time for that later. Or maybe she can use some of the reward money... ]

I guess you could say it's a little of both. I heal, usually, and I'm apparently pretty good at it. But my natural magic does more of the hitting. [ She pulls a face. ] That might not be so useful.

[prozaic]

In that case, I believe we could be good partners in this expedition. You see...

[shalem raises a hand and snaps his fingers, indigo, red and blue sparks flying from the friction.]

I have Ar-- magic as well, and a curious side-effect of it is that it hurts me if I use it far too much in a short amount of time. If we're in danger I may have to do so in order to protect us-- thus I'll have to rely on you to keep me from falling over.

[then he shrugs, still smiling.]

Still, I believe you'd benefit, as my magic also weakens the enemy's resistance to magic as well.

[aflowers]

[ ...Shit. She may have accidentally misrepresented herself. She really needs to get better at explaining the fact that the healing part of her magic is gone, at least until she can work out how to get some Materia around here...

She grimaces a little, shaking her head apologetically. ]

I'll do my best! But... unfortunately, it's the healing part of my magic that hasn't really been working since I got here. I use these special... orbs, I guess you would say? They come from my world, and they make my magic stronger. But I haven't been able to get any of them here...

[ She indicates once more the staff strapped to her back. ]

Same as my weapon, I guess...

[ Truth be told, Aerith has questions about his magic, and how it works, why it hurts him, and so on. But it's not the right time or place for that, especially when she's just shown herself to be so hopelessly useless... ]

[prozaic]

Ah... [he's visibly disappointed.] Seems like I will just have to carry on being cautious, then.

It's fine, I got a little too excited. [then he gives himself a mental shake, tail flicking as the only evidence of his thought process. he can't really blame her for this, nor can he blame anyone else. it just... is.]

I'm still counting on you to watch my back.

[aflowers]

[ She feels awful. She didn't mislead him on purpose, of course, but she wasn't careful enough either when it came to making sure he knew her situation, and now he's disappointed...

Still, she does her best to keep the smile on her face, even as his tail flicks, visibly thinking over the situation. She can't help but for her thoughts to wander off slightly, to the idea of getting her hands on some Materia finally, to actually be able to help him so that he can use as much magic as he needs to use...

She offers him a small smile, regardless of the worries or the guilt she feels. ]

Watch your back? That's something I can do.

[prozaic]

[he's picked himself up because it's just something to deal with. no sense in wishing for the right circumstances, for her to assist him in the perfect way.]

Thank you very much.

[then he straightens up, sighing deeply as he hikes his shield up again.]

We should go now, don't you think? I am in no hurry... but there's nothing else for me to accomplish right now.

[aflowers]

[ She nods. ]

Actually, I'm not really sure what I'm meant to be trying to accomplish either, honestly, so...

[ The sentence slips out before she can quite stop it— before she's even really thought it properly— and Aerith wrinkles her nose in distaste. It seems the slight feeling of guilt for disappointing him has unsettled her more than she immediately realized, and it feels like something is trying to grasp her, to rub her nose in the fact.

She shakes her head, trying to free the feeling ]

Right. Yes. Let's go!

[ She sets off in what she hopes is the right direction— all the while making a quiet note to herself that once she gets a hold of her healing magic, she needs to find a way to help him. ]