IN FULL BLOOM( APRIL 6TH )
april 6 ↴ MINI EVENT: IN FULL BLOOM It's unlikely you see the catalyst of this event, or at least understand it. The entirety of Asgard can be, and frequently is tied to the Gods that protect it and what they have dominion over. The latent curses that Wanderers have sprung upon them are intangible proof, but when it comes to a God like Sigyn...her ties to the world are much more visible, apparent.
She's holed herself up in her district, tending to the earth with her hands and tools, like a human would. It distracts her, makes it easier to force her mind to feel things it isn't otherwise. Most Gods would know this comes with side effects; if snapped out of the state, she would as well. Right now, it's not so pressing a matter.
Her emotional unsteadiness doesn't come out as ugly or marred as one might imagine -- no, if you're standing outside when the magic takes effect, you'll be surprised to see large clumps of flowers curling up from the earth and blooming blossoms larger than they should be almost immediately after coming into complete existence. Some locations for these plants make no sense, taking root anywhere they please. Maybe in a patch of soil, or maybe on the side of a wall. Your roof, your bathtub, the very sleeve of your shirt.
Their sudden appearance may cause you alarm, enough to stay away on instinct. It's likely for naught, with just how plentiful they are. Smelling their aroma or coming into contact with their pollen is basically an inevitability. And when you do...something strange will happen.
- ASPHODEL → This flower will cause the feeling of soul-crushing regret and guilt. What's the one thing that you regret the most? The one thing you would change if you could turn back time? It's time to have that thrown back in your face for the next twelve hours, assuming you're not exposed to this pollen again. In the case that there is no big thing that you regret or feel guilty about, it'll be some small minor thing that has been exacerbated in your mind by the pollen to the point that it is now a big deal as well.
- CARNATION → After coming into contact with this flower, you feel a pull of absolutely clinginess that draws you towards someone you have some degree of fondness for, be it romantic or platonic in nature. There's this niggling feeling that won't stop pestering you, that you simply have to be in close proximity to this person. Hovering, observing, touching. Once you are? The feeling goes away. This magic tether lasts throughout the day, despite how your target may feel about it. If for some reason you can't be near this person, like they force you away by some magical means, your desperation strengthens as the proximity remains broken.
- EDELWEISS → This one will cause you to become extremely reckless. It goes beyond developing or exacerbating a hero complex. It's like experiencing l'appel du vide for twelve hours and actually listening to it. You won't be very susceptible to reason without some magic to put a stop to you, and your sense of consequence? Completely out the window.
- POPPY → Upon close contact with these flowers, you experience mild to severe synesthesia for anywhere from ten minutes to a couple of hours. Your senses mingle. You smell colours, see sounds. It often comes with a very mild sense of euphoria, but some find it disorienting instead.
- GENTANIA → When's the last time you had a good night's sleep? A few days? Weeks? Prior to ever showing up here? Here, let's help with that. The pollen from Gentania andrewsii, commonly known as a closed or bottle gentian, will instantly put anyone who comes in contact with it to sleep. It doesn't matter if they're sitting, standing, driving or swimming. They will fall into a deep sleep, varying anywhere from six to twelve hours. For the duration of that time, they will experience vivid nightmares, and will only awaken after experiencing sleep paralysis.
- IRIS → Apparently you're allergic to this flower. Don't worry, everyone else is too. Contact with this pollen causes a painful burning sensation. Don't scratch or rub at it, because that'll only cause it to spread. Washing the afflicted area or applying any sort of ointment or balm won't help. Tough it out. It'll only last a couple of hours.
The flowers definitely overstay their welcome, as does their magic. The blooms themselves will fall off and uproot themselves from their unnatural settings after about a week. The magic? It sticks with the plants for a whole day. The curse you're hit with might not last as long, but this means being careful: there's always the chance of being afflicted again. Maybe with two curses at once!
How will you know the curse is over? Maybe if you can put two and two together, you'll wake up in the morning and notice stepping outside doesn't...smell the way it usually does. The grass, any stray flowers, trees. None of them have any whiff of a scent. MOD NOTES This is the April mini-event before our bigger event later in the month! Note that you can stack flower curse effects except for the Gentania curse that puts someone to sleep. |
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A
So Chizuru quickly runs up to the tree, and once she's standing under its branches, she looks up with the most worried expression on her face. ]
N.. Naminé, are you okay? Do you need help?!
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Chizuru? What's wrong?
[ Too unbothered. It's uncharacteristic for Naminé to look so happy in the first place, much less in such a context. ]
I'm fine...! I can come down any time I like.
[ Whether or not the method by which she'd see fit to do so would be acceptable to Chizuru is entirely a different question. ]
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.. Are you sure?
[ Because Chizuru doesn't sound sure. ]
I didn't know you were such a good climber..
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A good climber?
[ Actually, she does have the good fortune of remembering some good climbers. Or remembering what they remember, that is, and learning from those deeply-ingrained memories of their childhoods spent messing around all over the play island largely unsupervised. It was enough to get her up there, at least, but, ]
I don't know about that. I've never climbed a tree before today...!
[ Which means she's never climbed down one either. ]
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B.. Before today?!
[ Okay. Sure. She's been trying to not get too panicked today, despite something weird obviously going on around town. She figured that maybe she was just being too paranoid, too cautious - it wouldn't be the first time, after all. But Chizuru is pretty sure that Naminé being that high up without any real tree climbing experience is definitely something worth panicking about. What if she falls? She'll break something from that high up! ]
Naminé, you should come down..! [ Before something bad happens! ]
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Huh? Come down?
[ Chizuru seems pretty certain about there being cause for worry, and in the face of that Naminé begins to frown - or pout, rather, though it's more sad than sullen. ]
But-- why? I like it up here.
[ Defiance isn't part of the question - she's too used to being denied what she wants to have that sort of attitude - but it's more as if she genuinely doesn't understand why heights are a bad idea. ]
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But is that really worth seeing Naminé looking sad? Chizuru's heart almost can't take it.
She does know she has to pull through for her safety though, so.. ]
Well.. You could fall, you know..? [ It's such an obvious answer. It almost feels a little patronizing. But Naminé question sounds so genuine that she can't help but reply with the genuine answer, no matter how simple it is. ] I don't want that to happen.
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I know, [ she says, guiltily enough to indicate that she really does. Nevertheless, she presses on with, ] But I haven't fallen yet...! And I've been up here for a long time now.
[ To her credit, her voice doesn't take on any whining or resentful sort of tone. There's only reluctance, hesitation despite how her nature makes her more inclined to relent under Chizuru's fretting. ]
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[ It's hard, because Chizuru really has to struggle with pushing on with this. It doesn't come to her naturally. Not with people as sweet as Naminé, anyway. She's used to pushing around big guys back home into finally listening to her, but they're grown men, they can take it.
She doesn't want to break Naminé's heart, sure, but she would also prefer to not see the other girl break her legs. ]
I mean.. [ Her voice trails off as she quickly tries to think of something. ] Aren't you.. hungry..? [ That's a good excuse to come down, right? ]
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But she still looks back down at Chizuru when her voice calls again. ]
Hungry? [ Naminé echoes, faltering. Her lips press together a moment, but soon enough she musters a weak smile, one that exists under a knitted brow. ] A little bit, I guess.
[ Not enough to convince her to come down otherwise, but-- her desire to make the people around her happy is such a fundamental part of her personality that even the edelweiss can't block that out; her kindness factors too much into her instinctive choices. ]
Does that mean-- you'll cook for me if I come down?
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[ The reply is practically instantaneous. Maybe Chizuru is a little too eager to latch onto the slightest hint that the other might leave her position high up there, but she can't help it. She's so worried about the girl, especially since right now it seems like she's the only one around to help her. ]
I'll make you anything you want, okay? [ Granted, it's not as if she wouldn't do that for Naminé in an instant. Chizuru would do it for most people, in fact, but Naminé is such a young and precious girl that she can't help but agree even more easily. ] Well.. As long as I can make it here, anyway.
[ Limited ingredients and all. ]
All you have to do for that is come down carefully.
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Mm... well, alright.
[ And for a second she shifts her weight forward, like she might actually jump-- only to turn, leaning instead to try to figure out the best path down from where she's settled. ]
I'll come down, then, if you say so. [ A beat. More quietly, ] Once I figure out how...!
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.. probably won't actually jump. Chizuru still doesn't fully trust whatever got Naminé so bold that she'd climb that high up to begin with. ]
Ah... J-Just try to find the most nearby branch that's only a little below you! [ Easier said than done, sure, but what else is Chizuru supposed to do from the ground? ] Make sure it's not too far away though, okay..?
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Okay...!
[ And Naminé does, in fact, find a branch that's pretty close - it's just getting down there that's the problem. Even after she's gotten a hold of it, the process of moving herself over to it is awkward, and-- yep, there's only one small slip and then she's dangling from the thing - with both hands, fortunately, but still. ]
-- Oh.
[ Just. Give her a second to get repositioned, here. ]
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[ Chizuru is going to age about sixteen years before this whole ordeal is over. She's seen some seriously wild shenanigans back home, sure, but somehow it feels like they bleak in comparison to this. Mostly because at least those were grown men who could take responsibility for their own actions, and Naminé is so small and frail. ]
H-Hold on! Maybe I can find someone who can help you..! [ But that means abandoning the girl in her current position, which seems like an extremely bad idea. Which is exactly why Chizuru can't bring herself to move away from the scene. Instead she just stands there, practically rooted to the spot and completely baffled. ]
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Huh?
[ Naminé looks more puzzled than distressed, face oddly calm as she swings slightly in place. ]
I don't think I can, [ she notes, as if commenting on the weather. ] If I wait any longer, I'm going to fall.
[ Which Chizuru seemed really bothered about before, so. In an effort not to let that happen, Naminé awkwardly adjusts her hold on the tree, shifting around until she finally manages to at least plant the bottoms of her sandals on par of it. From there, well-- she's already eyeing the next branch, so if Chizuru's going to find some way to help she might want to be quick about it before Naminé takes things into her own hands. (Like branches.) ]
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How can she say something like that so calmly!
Chizuru feels so lightheaded at the very words 'I'm going to fall' that she almost feels like she might pass out on the spot. It's the pure urge to be helpful that keeps her from doing so - she knows it won't exactly help matters, after all. So instead she just quickly sputters out a -- ]
O.. Okay, wait, please!
[ -- as she sees the other girl at least.. vaguely safe.. the safest she can be right now, anyway. And then she quickly dashes off.
Chizuru is gone for a few moments. Not super long, since she's way too worried about the other girl to leave her alone like that for so long, but it's not like she can find an instant solution to this problem. After a little while she does return though - holding a ladder that is comically oversized for someone as tiny as Chizuru. She's just.. doing her best to try and drag it along with her.. ]
Here, look what I got..! Just wait until I put it up against the tree and you can use it to climb down, okay..? [ Having a solution ready should make her feel relieved, yet Chizuru knows she won't properly calm down until she sees the girl with both of her feet on the ground. ]
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Okay-- oh.
[ Chizuru's already run off. Naminé blinks, hesitating a moment - and honestly it's a lucky thing she's less interested in jumping than she is in spending more time in the tree, because otherwise Chizuru's quest would likely end up to be in vain.
By the time the older girl comes back, she'll find that Naminé's managed to maneuver herself onto a slightly lower branch and sit down there - although this one looks... a bit less stable than the previous one, considering how much smaller it is. If the blonde were any heavier it might present a problem (and it's bending concerningly already) but for now she glances over at the sound of Chizuru's voice, perking a little and still entirely comfortable with the situation in a very disconcerting kind of way. ]
Alright...! I'll wait. [ And seeming to feel the need to explain herself, she adds a late, ] I'm sorry, my arms got tired holding on like that.
[ Which is meant to excuse her having moved to the new branch, but. It's probably a good thing Chizuru wasn't around to see that whole process because it would have subtracted another five years from her lifespan. ]
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And so she quickly moves to place the ladder against the tree. Except.. there's nothing really 'quick' about it. After all, it's a large ladder, and Chizuru is so tiny. It would look comical if the situation wasn't so pressing. In fact, the ladder almost falls over - and would have bonked Chizuru right on the head - if she didn't manage to grab it at the last moment and press it against the tree.
Chizuru lets out such a sigh of relief when it's finally just standing upright and still.. Although she's still holding onto the bottom, just to make sure. ]
T.. There.
[ So many years off her life!! ]
You can climb down now..
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Which probably suffers a little for how unhurried Naminé actually is about the climbing onto the ladder. Her, ]
Okay. I'll do my best.
[ is polite enough, but the more she shifts around to try to climb onto the ladder itself, the more that support under her creaks. Just as she's about to shift her weight over completely, there's a sharp crack. The branch snaps, and it's only reflex that gets the girl to pull herself the rest of the way onto the rungs before the tree limb falls. As abrupt a motion as it is, it might make Chizuru's job a bit harder, provided she's still holding onto the ladder. ]
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Not that it's great right now either. Chizuru suddenly has to make a lot more effort to hold up the ladder. It'd sure be a lot easier if she could use her demonic strength right now, but alas, even before ending up in this place she never was particularly good at that. So instead she's just trying to hold the thing up the best she can with her regular human strength.
But it's straining her. It's obvious from the way she speaks up: ]
N-Naminé.. Please hurry! I don't know how long I can hold it..
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I'll be right there...!
[ There's at least one instance of her foot slipping on a rung, but she manages to clamber down in good time, hopping off near the bottom in a decidedly un-Naminé-like fashion. She does, however, immediately turn to consider the other girl with far more characteristic attention. ]
You aren't hurt, are you--?
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[ Just terribly exhausted after this whole ordeal. Although Chizuru's answer is probably undermined just a little by the fact she literally drops to her knees on the ground right after she says it. It's just the heavy relief kicking in from the realisation that Naminé really made it safely without dying. It feels like a small miracle, considering how many things went almost wrong just now.. ]
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[ Naturally, Naminé finds this reaction a bit distressing, flower or no flower. She gives a start, and almost as soon as the other girl lands, Naminé's kneeling down next to her, hands hovering awkwardly without any real aim to apply themselves to. ]
You don't look fine...! What's wrong?
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[ Honestly, it's more of an instinctive reply than anything else at this point. There's no way anyone could ask Chizuru if she's okay or what's wrong without her replying that before even really thinking about it.. Even though she's well aware she must not look super fine right now.
She sucks in a deep breath of air, at least trying to smile - though really tired-looking - at the other. ]
I was just really worried about you. [ She'll admit to that much, at least. Chizuru knows it's hard to hide she worries when she worries so much all the time. ] But now you're safe on the ground, it's a relief..
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