SCAWWY 😱 aqua

[concoctive]

The star-shaped glory of the snow speaks volumes. Across cultures, their timely appearance symbolizes hope and optimism, much like the snowdrop's association with resilience. It is, however, toxic to livestock and humans on its own, containing high quantities of HomoIsoFlavonoids which have anti-bacterial, anti-mutagenic, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Comments

wk 0; monday

[concoctive]

[ alfyn is currently seated in the refectory, a small stack of the white cult robes neatly folded next to him as he has his battle axe held securely between his knees with the blade up. he's slowly working one of the sleeves along one point and edge of the blade, deft and focused as he goes, and once he has a strip from it... he rolls it up around two fingers, depositing it into the waiting satchel on the other side.

there's a few blotches of ink where his skin is exposed on his forearms, but he's studiously not paying attention to them. not being able to save her is the one that's most visible when he looks up at aqua's entrance. ]

Howdy there. Feels a little silly to ask, maybe, what with the things we learned yesterday, but - doing alright with the start of the week?

[keeper]

[ THIS CATCHALL IS SO PRETTY WTH!!!! THANK YOU!!!

she watches curiously as he works. ]

...Bandages? [ is he a doctor of sorts? ]

—No, it's not silly. [ she smiles appreciatively. ] Thank you for asking.

I'm... it's not quite what I'd anticipated.

[ she takes a seat nearby to watch him work. ]

Do you need any help?

[concoctive]

[ THANK YOU!! me hunting for a flower with the right Symbolism but also that looks like a wayfinder for the goodest girl in the world

alfyn does nod at her question. ] Lotsa people volunteered their robes, since they weren't gonna use 'em. I used to have actual bandages, but... satchel was empty.

[ with a little shifting, he secures the axe a bit better and gets another strip out of the cloth as he listens, giving her a crooked and sympathetic smile. ]

Dunno what any of us were expecting, but at least we're not alone, right? Forty strangers can become friends real quick. [ there's optimism for this, though he does pick up one of the robes that's still intact. ] I certainly wouldn't mind, if you'd like. I loosened the seams on this one, if you want to try separating the sleeves and hood from the body. Makes it easier to strip.

[keeper]

[ 🥹 ]

Oh... that must've been a disappointment.

[ talk about a fake out... ]

It seems like our observers [ babysitters ] are willing to give us more supplies, if you end up needing them. But I understand resources are precious around here.

[ it sounds like they have to pick and choose carefully. in the meantime, she gladly takes the robe offered to her and gets to work. ]

Of course. Leave it to me.

...Yes. I'm finding myself grateful for the company we have here. Despite the circumstances.

[concoctive]

Worked real hard to build up what I had in there, but I managed to find a few things in the kitchens here. Just... had to clean 'em out a bit.

[ he's not going to tell the pretty girl about the eyeballs in the mason jars. that's just too much. ]

But I'm planning on talking to Death, at least, to see if maybe the four of 'em might be willing to share the garden with us. Even if it's just a little to make medicines with. [ once they get settled in, he'll work on the next strip, rolling it up around two fingers again. ] The folks are good here even with the circumstances.

Think we'll manage pretty alright, if you ask me. Just gotta keep it together.

[ they will not manage alright. ]

[keeper]

I'm sorry to hear that...

[ HELP, not the mason jar eyeballs... ]

Are you? I hope they're generous enough to give you access to their garden. I'm still not sure what they think of us, other than an obligation.

[ at least, they seemed just decent enough to want to divert wholesale slaughter... anyhow, she hands him the two pieces of the robe once they've been separated. ]

...I believe so, too. Everyone's been quite kind so far, and I think it'll go a long way. [ they are going to be proven SO wrong SO quickly ]

Of course, keeping busy like this helps too.

W1 MONDAY

[keeper]

[ she'll just be wandering around the new island! feel free to put them in a specific location, i was thinking maybe the flowers, vegetable field or even perhaps by the fruit trees.

she smiles when she sees alfyn. ]

Have you found anything here that might be useful?

[ medically speaking she means, though useful in a broad sense also applies. ]

[concoctive]

[ let aqua revel in nature and sunshine please she deserves it.

but he gives her a friendly wave when he spots aqua, making his way over and giving her a little nudge of his arm against hers. it's affection week and he has no clue. ]

There's a bunch of flowers, but so far they're just nice for lookin' at. I'm keepin' an eye out for anythin' that might be medicinal, though, and all the food? We're gonna be eatin' like kings.

[ kings that actually use seasoning! but he hums. ]

You find much else interestin' so far? It's real different from the village.

[keeper]

[ she is... even if it's a perpetual sunset, she still loves to see it.

VERY FUNNY THAT ALFYN DOESN'T EVEN NOTICE, he's adorable. aqua gives him a friendly nudge back. ]

It's nice to see some color around here, at least. The food is definitely welcome, too.

[ she laughs a little. they really have been subsisting off of sludge... ]

Well... I got chased by bees earlier. [ i have no idea how that turned out, shrodinger's simultaneous monday pcs!! ] Be careful around the fruit trees...

[concoctive]

[ it's just like meeting the destiny island kids......

as a friendly, tactile kind of guy, this is just another day for him. but he's stepping more into peoples' bubbles with the week the way it is. ]

I was thinkin' about takin' some of the soil over to the village to try plantin' stuff. Might liven the place up a little bit.

[ but oh no... bees... ]

Oh, but bees mean there might be honey? That's good to eat and useful for medicine. Just gotta deal with 'em gettin' mad about it. [ he blinks though. ] They by the fruit trees?

[keeper]

[ it is literally that... ]

That's great idea. Let me know if you need any help. —Were you able to get access to the garden, by the way?

[ honey, huh... ]

...I'd been so busy running away it slipped my mind. [ she laughs a little. ]

They were. I was looking for pears, but... [ BEES! ]

[concoctive]

I was! Pesti's been good about it, and they're... well, they're real serious about the thing. So that's why I wanna try and do a garden on our side of things, to take some of the load off of their garden. Maybe we can plant more food, too, to make the slop in the village more tolerable...

Be glad for the help, though. Might be nice to have somethin' for people to tend to. [ he nods, but then - gives a sympathetic grimace, even as he laughs a little. ]

I don't blame you. I wouldn't be thinkin' about the honey or anythin' like that when I was gettin' chased off by angry bees. Glad we at least have the fruit, honestly.

wk 2; tuesday

[concoctive]

[ after all of the shenanigans of the day, alfyn is hoping for something more easygoing to come in the evening. when he sees aqua, as he's heading past the pyre as he makes his way through the village, he offers her a smile and starts to lift a hand.

but fire casts shadows, and shadows are more inclined towards ensnaring the sacrifices and dragging them into memories this week. at least this one doesn't make him grimace to see. ]

[keeper]

[ closes my eyes. FUKKEN BRITT!!!

but yes, let alfyn enjoy this moment of peace before EVERYTHING GOES TO BONGY HELL!!!

the memory should be a painful one, languishing in the slow grip of a terminal illness, but the aches ease and she's left with a sense of deep gratitude and... wonder. a hope so quiet yet brilliant, something that could only come from a stranger's kindness. something so precious, given so freely. ]

...So that was the beginning of your story?