inemeraldfaith: (pic#14586026)
Aerith Gainsborough ([personal profile] inemeraldfaith) wrote in [community profile] isleofavalon2021-06-15 08:19 pm

[Catch-All] Reunions, Memories, & the Colour White

đź§™ WHO: Aerith Gainsborough, You
⚔️️ WHAT: Catch-All for June / July
đź•’ WHEN: June / July
🗺️ WHERE: Aerith's flower shop, Brocéliande, Camelot city proper, the Bay of Avalon
⚠️ WARNINGS: TBD


[01. Come for the Flowers]
[Little by little, Aerith's flower shop is getting put together. The walls are still a little barren, but contain some paintings done by local artists. Finally, it seems a little more put together.

There's no shortage of flowers on display in intricate arrangements. Planters hang from the ceiling. The scent lingering in the air is some combination of cinnamon and sweet floral notes. There's almost always a cup of tea (or something like it) at the front desk.

Aerith tries her best to keep herself busy, wandering from one end to the other, up the steps to the small loft up the stairs, back down again, making sure that everything seems to be perfect. She hums during the day to herself, overjoyed at being surrounded by some of the things that she likes most, even if she can't glean from them what she would back home.

Perhaps you've stopped in by mistake, maybe you're running errands, or you're here with the intention of finding something in particular. Either way, you're here now, and the little bell sound that chimes once you've come in signifies your entry. It's too late for you to leave now. (Aerith won't be chasing you down if you turn tail and flee.)

Whatever Aerith's in the middle of doing, she looks up from her task and eyes the door with a welcoming smile.]


Hi there! If you give me just a moment, I'll be right with you.


[02. How to Business 101]
Hm...

[Aerith holds a notebook protectively against herself as she wanders the streets of Camelot's business district. She stops every so often in the front of a store window, occasionally pokes her head in to get a good look at the wares and the design. She's doing business research to see what she can do to better her flower shop.

It's also a good excuse to get to speak with owners and others along the way and having never been one to shy away from conversation, Aerith is quite happy to exchange words in idle conversation.]


I wonder how they decided on prices. Did they just compare it to something local?

[A frown briefly crosses her features because she knows her own pricing has been pretty negotiable. But maybe flowers just don't work the same as drinks at a cafe or some of the other wares that Camelot provides.

Her feet start carrying her off to another store, her face is fixed on her notebook, where she's writing in small script her observations. She brushes up against a shoulder, or perhaps she walks headfirst into you, or maybe you simply found her in your way whilst you were trying to pass by. Either way, you are precisely one Aerith richer.]


Oops—Am I in your way? Sorry about that.


[03. Gone Fishing (Not Really)]
[She hasn't been here to visit since her original arrival. Aerith has lost track of time easily, and she knows why. She drowns in keeping herself busy and occupied. It gives her less time to think. The Bay of Avalon is a vivid recollection of how confusing it was to arrive in this new world, with the discovery that the world back home was frozen in time. It's still a little hard to wrap her mind around, but she's continued to adopt the idea that there's no sense in causing an uproar over it.

This is a thing she cannot affect, despite the otherworldly abilities that she may play host to.

It's a pleasant day, one that has her lifting an arm as she takes in what feels like a bay of water that stretches beyond what she can see.]


It's beautiful when you're not swimming out of it in the cold. Or being escorted out by turtles.

[There's a basket over one forearm, not even half full. Aerith has come all this way to see if there's any flowers that might be worth adding to the collection. Down in the water, there's occasional splashes of the fish and the welcoming organic ebb and flow of the water. Maybe one of these days she should consider going for a swim.]

Although it looks a little more serene when people aren't arriving, doesn't it?

[...She wonders if the Lady of the Lake sleeps when she's not bringing newly arrived.]


[04. Communing with Nature]
[Her fingertips splay against the rough bark and for several moments, Aerith remains still, listening to everything around her—the rustle of branches, the far off lilt of birds, and other things she cannot readily identify. For once, she's not out scouting for flowers. Rather, her visit to the forest sitting just outside of Camelot's town is for something more profound.

Aside from the occasional dreams she's had of home, of different times, of times that perhaps have not yet occurred, she hasn't felt the same since her arrival. Aerith hasn't had a way of discovering just how in touch she is with her Cetra abilities. It's not an easy thing to test either, considering the details of her 'abilities' have been complex.

Her touch moves over a subtle gash in the wood and after a moment's pause above it, it takes a gentle push of healing, an encouragement for it to heal. Whether it works or not, she hardly would know. Nature is more hardy than many give it credit for.]


There you are. [She says aloud, though she seems to be addressing the tree. After a beat, she turns to press her back against it before she finds her voice again.] I can't seem to hear anything, though. Even being surrounded by it all, it isn't the same. I'm not connected to you in the same way.

[She sighs, shutting her eyes as she thinks about where to go next. What to do. She's not seen anyone else hunting or searching for any of the ingredients that grow in the veil of trees just yet. But it doesn't mean they aren't there.]

So... what do you think we should do now, hmm?


[05. Wild Card]
[For everything else. If you'd like a closed starter, please let me know. You can PM Aerith's journal or PP me at [plurk.com profile] ofthesky.]
luciing: (pic#14192883)

[personal profile] luciing 2021-07-21 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ A pause, and then he replies, watching her carefully. ]

Do you not wish to be understood?
luciing: (pic#14189118)

[personal profile] luciing 2021-07-21 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ He observes her contemplative expression further.

Then, unprompted, he shares this, softer:]


Empathy and understanding may be in the rarest of places. You need only find it.
luciing: (pic#14227453)

[personal profile] luciing 2021-07-21 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ Dimly, he thinks, when has he ever been in need of consoling?

They continue to walk, and Somnus uses a few moments of silence before he speaks again. He allows a bit of doubt to trace his words. ]


Have you not found anyone with whom to connect, in this realm?
luciing: (pic#14189162)

[personal profile] luciing 2021-07-21 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ Quieter, but questioning, as if he doubts this, too: ]

“Just” have friends?

Perhaps one of them will listen to your story.
luciing: (pic#14093479)

[personal profile] luciing 2021-07-21 12:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He observes, ]

You keep them an arm’s length apart.

[ No judgment from him, however, just an observation. For all of her fluttery kindness and how social she appears, she doesn’t seem to make as deep as bonds as one might initially guess. ]
luciing: (pic#14227455)

[personal profile] luciing 2021-07-21 12:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He inclines his head, and whether he infers this from a like-experience or the wisdom of ages, he offers an alternative observation: ]

Hear me, Healer. [ His tone, again, isn’t judgmental. Rather, it’s made not as sharp, as if this is the closest thing he can soften its edges to have it sound empathetic.

He looks at her. ]


You are protecting yourself.
luciing: (pic#14093476)

[personal profile] luciing 2021-07-21 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A good question, indeed.

An arm’s length away…

Somnus turns his attention from her to the path before them. As chatty has he had been moments before, this time, he doesn’t answer her. ]


…We have arrived. Let us proceed to practice with our magics.
luciing: (pic#14227481)

[personal profile] luciing 2021-07-22 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
Kinetic.

[ And saying so, without raising a hand, he's lifting a few of the practice weapons upon the racks of the training ground to fly towards him. When they're just a meter or so away, they stop and hover in place, as if waiting to be selected from the small arsenal he's summoned to himself. ]

And yours is healing.