Moth Alchemist Aster

I-uh, heh.. Hello! Is the owner of the establishment present? I heard there was a spa in town and I've been quite stressed recently so I thought it could be a n-nice... place..... to........... u-u-unwind.................

<His voice trails off at the sight of Rosy, almost turning to a shaky intonation as the words force themselves out of his mouth. They shake their head rapidly and promptly turn to sprint out the door, the clinking turning to a cacophony of clattering like windchimes in a storm. He nearly makes it, but trips on his own legs and faceplants just before reaching it. The glasses are unharmed, thank gods.>

- @flowering-concoctions

*Rosy's shadow looms over him, and holds out a supportive hand. She helps him get to his feet, and inspects his glasses closely for damage. They then chuckle, and point back to the spa*

Surprised to see another moth, kekeke? Trust me, there is no need to worry about my service, no matter your trepidations. Unless they include a wariness towards nudity, of course!

*He steps back, and beckons the figure to follow*

I-uh.. t-thank you.. I-I'm not used t-to fellow moths being so... u-uplifting? Is that the word? And y-yes, I have not seen another in quite some.. time...

<Aster zones out for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before snapping back to reality.>

A-anyway, what was I saying? Ah, yes, the nudity shall not be an issue, not only am I comfortable in my shell but you see a lot in my line of work!

<They seem to be back to some sense of normalcy, but it's a mask that is not hard to see through. They are still obviously uneasy for one reason or another.>

*she waves him inside, smiling wide*

My apologies if I am a bit forward, kekeke. You are in complete control during your time at this spa, so that you may have the most comfortable experience possible!

No need to apologize, Rosy. I certainly appreciate the openness I suppose, and I am quite a bit more comfortable than expected!

<The words are more to convince themself that everything is fine, they're still very much on edge.>

I do not believe I need anything, but allow me a moment or three to think on it!

*Rosy walks ahead of him, and slides into a large pool of water. She nuzzles into it, and closes her eyes*

*She won't hurt me but what if she does this is all genuine kindness but what if it isn't She won't hurt me but what if she do*

<They snap themself out of it after Rosy invites them in. They will be fine. He slowly slips off his coat and lowers himself into the pool. He flinches a bit, he hasn't been submerged in a hot minute, but otherwise it goes without issue.>

Thank you again for your hospitality, Rosy. You run quite the nice establishment here.

*her eyes are closed, though her head tilts perfectly to follow him wherever he may turn*

<Aster takes a swig of a near pitch black liquid, the darkness only broken by shiny silver flecks and bubbles of pale blue. The drink is followed by a long deep breath.>

Anyways, dream magic is sort of hard to explain for me personally, being that i forget things so often, but I'll try my best!

The way I see and use it, dream magic is simply the ability to manipulate thoughts. Not just fully formed dreams, but the tiniest of moment-to-moment thoughts. This of course allows one to read the minds of others, and if strong enough to enter others' minds as well.

I-interesting.. is it intrinsic or does one have to learn it? And how does it feel being that close to a bug's mind? I've dealt with my fair share of mind-altering reagents, including trace amounts of essence itself, but to read from and even walk through mindscapes.. that is truly unusual.

<Aster nearly leaps out of the water, but steels themself and chugs some more of the black liquid.>

I- you- in the WATER?? ARE YOU NUTS?? Do you even tell your customers you're enchanting them?? At least I am resistant to essence's effects, but think of how they'd feel!!

<Aster takes a long deep breath.>

I-uh, heh.. Hello! Is the owner of the establishment present? I heard there was a spa in town and I've been quite stressed recently so I thought it could be a n-nice... place..... to........... u-u-unwind.................

<His voice trails off at the sight of Rosy, almost turning to a shaky intonation as the words force themselves out of his mouth. They shake their head rapidly and promptly turn to sprint out the door, the clinking turning to a cacophony of clattering like windchimes in a storm. He nearly makes it, but trips on his own legs and faceplants just before reaching it. The glasses are unharmed, thank gods.>

- @flowering-concoctions

*Rosy's shadow looms over him, and holds out a supportive hand. She helps him get to his feet, and inspects his glasses closely for damage. They then chuckle, and point back to the spa*

Surprised to see another moth, kekeke? Trust me, there is no need to worry about my service, no matter your trepidations. Unless they include a wariness towards nudity, of course!

*He steps back, and beckons the figure to follow*

I-uh.. t-thank you.. I-I'm not used t-to fellow moths being so... u-uplifting? Is that the word? And y-yes, I have not seen another in quite some.. time...

<Aster zones out for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before snapping back to reality.>

A-anyway, what was I saying? Ah, yes, the nudity shall not be an issue, not only am I comfortable in my shell but you see a lot in my line of work!

<They seem to be back to some sense of normalcy, but it's a mask that is not hard to see through. They are still obviously uneasy for one reason or another.>

*she waves him inside, smiling wide*

My apologies if I am a bit forward, kekeke. You are in complete control during your time at this spa, so that you may have the most comfortable experience possible!

No need to apologize, Rosy. I certainly appreciate the openness I suppose, and I am quite a bit more comfortable than expected!

<The words are more to convince themself that everything is fine, they're still very much on edge.>

I do not believe I need anything, but allow me a moment or three to think on it!

*Rosy walks ahead of him, and slides into a large pool of water. She nuzzles into it, and closes her eyes*

*She won't hurt me but what if she does this is all genuine kindness but what if it isn't She won't hurt me but what if she do*

<They snap themself out of it after Rosy invites them in. They will be fine. He slowly slips off his coat and lowers himself into the pool. He flinches a bit, he hasn't been submerged in a hot minute, but otherwise it goes without issue.>

Thank you again for your hospitality, Rosy. You run quite the nice establishment here.

*her eyes are closed, though her head tilts perfectly to follow him wherever he may turn*

<Aster takes a swig of a near pitch black liquid, the darkness only broken by shiny silver flecks and bubbles of pale blue. The drink is followed by a long deep breath.>

I-uh, heh.. Hello! Is the owner of the establishment present? I heard there was a spa in town and I've been quite stressed recently so I thought it could be a n-nice... place..... to........... u-u-unwind.................

<His voice trails off at the sight of Rosy, almost turning to a shaky intonation as the words force themselves out of his mouth. They shake their head rapidly and promptly turn to sprint out the door, the clinking turning to a cacophony of clattering like windchimes in a storm. He nearly makes it, but trips on his own legs and faceplants just before reaching it. The glasses are unharmed, thank gods.>

- @flowering-concoctions

*Rosy's shadow looms over him, and holds out a supportive hand. She helps him get to his feet, and inspects his glasses closely for damage. They then chuckle, and point back to the spa*

Surprised to see another moth, kekeke? Trust me, there is no need to worry about my service, no matter your trepidations. Unless they include a wariness towards nudity, of course!

*He steps back, and beckons the figure to follow*

I-uh.. t-thank you.. I-I'm not used t-to fellow moths being so... u-uplifting? Is that the word? And y-yes, I have not seen another in quite some.. time...

<Aster zones out for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before snapping back to reality.>

A-anyway, what was I saying? Ah, yes, the nudity shall not be an issue, not only am I comfortable in my shell but you see a lot in my line of work!

<They seem to be back to some sense of normalcy, but it's a mask that is not hard to see through. They are still obviously uneasy for one reason or another.>

*she waves him inside, smiling wide*

My apologies if I am a bit forward, kekeke. You are in complete control during your time at this spa, so that you may have the most comfortable experience possible!

No need to apologize, Rosy. I certainly appreciate the openness I suppose, and I am quite a bit more comfortable than expected!

<The words are more to convince themself that everything is fine, they're still very much on edge.>

I do not believe I need anything, but allow me a moment or three to think on it!

*Rosy walks ahead of him, and slides into a large pool of water. She nuzzles into it, and closes her eyes*

*She won't hurt me but what if she does this is all genuine kindness but what if it isn't She won't hurt me but what if she do*

<They snap themself out of it after Rosy invites them in. They will be fine. He slowly slips off his coat and lowers himself into the pool. He flinches a bit, he hasn't been submerged in a hot minute, but otherwise it goes without issue.>

Thank you again for your hospitality, Rosy. You run quite the nice establishment here.

I-uh, heh.. Hello! Is the owner of the establishment present? I heard there was a spa in town and I've been quite stressed recently so I thought it could be a n-nice... place..... to........... u-u-unwind.................

<His voice trails off at the sight of Rosy, almost turning to a shaky intonation as the words force themselves out of his mouth. They shake their head rapidly and promptly turn to sprint out the door, the clinking turning to a cacophony of clattering like windchimes in a storm. He nearly makes it, but trips on his own legs and faceplants just before reaching it. The glasses are unharmed, thank gods.>

- @flowering-concoctions

*Rosy's shadow looms over him, and holds out a supportive hand. She helps him get to his feet, and inspects his glasses closely for damage. They then chuckle, and point back to the spa*

Surprised to see another moth, kekeke? Trust me, there is no need to worry about my service, no matter your trepidations. Unless they include a wariness towards nudity, of course!

*He steps back, and beckons the figure to follow*

I-uh.. t-thank you.. I-I'm not used t-to fellow moths being so... u-uplifting? Is that the word? And y-yes, I have not seen another in quite some.. time...

<Aster zones out for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before snapping back to reality.>

A-anyway, what was I saying? Ah, yes, the nudity shall not be an issue, not only am I comfortable in my shell but you see a lot in my line of work!

<They seem to be back to some sense of normalcy, but it's a mask that is not hard to see through. They are still obviously uneasy for one reason or another.>

*she waves him inside, smiling wide*

My apologies if I am a bit forward, kekeke. You are in complete control during your time at this spa, so that you may have the most comfortable experience possible!

No need to apologize, Rosy. I certainly appreciate the openness I suppose, and I am quite a bit more comfortable than expected!

<The words are more to convince themself that everything is fine, they're still very much on edge.>

I do not believe I need anything, but allow me a moment or three to think on it!

I-uh, heh.. Hello! Is the owner of the establishment present? I heard there was a spa in town and I've been quite stressed recently so I thought it could be a n-nice... place..... to........... u-u-unwind.................

<His voice trails off at the sight of Rosy, almost turning to a shaky intonation as the words force themselves out of his mouth. They shake their head rapidly and promptly turn to sprint out the door, the clinking turning to a cacophony of clattering like windchimes in a storm. He nearly makes it, but trips on his own legs and faceplants just before reaching it. The glasses are unharmed, thank gods.>

- @flowering-concoctions

*Rosy's shadow looms over him, and holds out a supportive hand. She helps him get to his feet, and inspects his glasses closely for damage. They then chuckle, and point back to the spa*

Surprised to see another moth, kekeke? Trust me, there is no need to worry about my service, no matter your trepidations. Unless they include a wariness towards nudity, of course!

*He steps back, and beckons the figure to follow*

I-uh.. t-thank you.. I-I'm not used t-to fellow moths being so... u-uplifting? Is that the word? And y-yes, I have not seen another in quite some.. time...

<Aster zones out for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before snapping back to reality.>

A-anyway, what was I saying? Ah, yes, the nudity shall not be an issue, not only am I comfortable in my shell but you see a lot in my line of work!

<They seem to be back to some sense of normalcy, but it's a mask that is not hard to see through. They are still obviously uneasy for one reason or another.>

"to whoever finds this bottle:

if i am fortuitous enough to have a vessel find this concoction of mine, could you perhaps take a sip and note the effects on the back of this sheet? i am conducting an important study and unfortunately do not know any vessels personally :)

thank you in advance!

- Aster"

@flowering-concoctions

-Cinder blinks several times.-

"Huh. Guess I could. If it's poison, whatever."

-She takes a large swig of the weird potion.-

-..Huh. Nothing seemed to be happening. Like. At all.-

-But then, everything began sllowly spinning and dripping from focus, colors and shapes changing and brightening and dulling at the same time. She sits down dizzily and stays there for like 10 minutes.-

-One of the only sober thoughts she had was just wanting to wait the drug's effect off. However, each minute felt like a fucking eternity. Genuinely. Each second ticked once what felt like a minute.-

-In a very drunken daze she would write a incoherent note next to the bottle, and shamble off, almost falling on her face several times in the span of like 30 seconds.-

Ahh,, well this could get interesting! It seems to have had quite the effect on this.. "Climber" character, but to what end..

<The tracks they had left were quite sloppy, most likely due to the effects of the drink Aster had mixed up. It would not be too hard to find them given a little time, so Aster sets themself to work. Eventually, they encounter a vessel in.. quite the state. This must be the one who had engaged in their little experiment!>

Excuse me! Dear horned bug, are you the one who goes by..

<They check the note Cinder had left for a solid 5 seconds>

“Whhhhhhoooo tbhhheh fuchk aer yeouh talbkin avou. Hhhnnnnnmmmm. Mmmhy nahm ibnt climbr >:/“

<Ah, I must have misread the note you left! What is your name then, good bug? Can I call you that? Are vessels bugs? Aaanyway, are you alright? You appear to be.. intoxicated of sorts? How does it feel? Are you hallucinating? Merely tipsy? I apologize for the amount of questions I'm asking, this is just too fascinating!

<He winced at the sight of her opening wounds and stained bandages. They were never good with gore after all. Their curious personality slipped for a moment, genuinely concerned and afraid of what whatever they had cooked up had done to this poor thing.>

-Cinder blinks a couple more times, almost falling on her face.-

"immn allwwwayv sahhllocunate,, iem llliek,,, seeeven tge woessrrsst vasseel tbat ciuld han stumbl acrus your libtle portin,, ib liek,, iobl hav fessel atbt thit pourt.."

-After Aster points out that she is actively bleeding, she clumsily reaches a claw up to a particularly nasty fucked up wound right on her neck. Drawing her hand away would in fact show her she was bleeding through her bandages.-

<Aster's look of concern only grows as Cinder's sentence continues, they could never have accounted for someone already hallucinating and only part vessel taking up his experiment. What had he done? They tried their best to brush it off for now.>

Oh I'm.. I'm quite sorry to hear that.. I could perhaps find a cure if you'd like me to try? While we're here at least, have you noticed them worsening at all? Hm.. a half vessel.. I've never heard of such a bug, I thought they couldn't reproduce.. although I could be wrong, I am quite open to the possibility! By the way, don't worry about being "the worst vessel for this," every good experiment has to have a few variables!

<They flinched again as Cinder pulled away. He spoke true, he was no doctor, but this effect was unexpected at best and horrifying at worst.>

I-I would recommend sooner than later, bleeding out while intoxicated in the middle of nowhere is no way to die. Come to think of it, I think I have a bit of my healing brew left from my flight from Hallownest.. Allow me a moment to retrieve it!

<Aster sits criss-cross on the ground and roots through their backpack for about 2 minutes, coming up with a yellow-orange bottle glinting with specks of purple.>

“Rebrduc?? We vab do tha?? .. … hih. Didbt kboe that.”

-Cinder would refuse the potion. She’d be fiiiine.-

“Nnnabvh, dovet neev tha. Dob worry. Ibn sure Orbhsid cab tak vare if it :3 alsbo i doby gonna die thasaaabbt easily, dobbt even strenbsss!”

I mean, I don't know! I assumed not due to the Void you're... erm usually made of, but I'm just a wandering alchemist, I don't know everything!

Suit yourself! It's there if ya want it, my friend :)

<Aster carefully placed the bottle back in their pack.>

Would you care for some assistance reaching this Orbside individual? I believe you are a bit too inebriated to move completely properly, and while my stature and flight are limited, I'd like to at least try and help!

"to whoever finds this bottle:

if i am fortuitous enough to have a vessel find this concoction of mine, could you perhaps take a sip and note the effects on the back of this sheet? i am conducting an important study and unfortunately do not know any vessels personally :)

thank you in advance!

- Aster"

@flowering-concoctions

-Cinder blinks several times.-

"Huh. Guess I could. If it's poison, whatever."

-She takes a large swig of the weird potion.-

-..Huh. Nothing seemed to be happening. Like. At all.-

-But then, everything began sllowly spinning and dripping from focus, colors and shapes changing and brightening and dulling at the same time. She sits down dizzily and stays there for like 10 minutes.-

-One of the only sober thoughts she had was just wanting to wait the drug's effect off. However, each minute felt like a fucking eternity. Genuinely. Each second ticked once what felt like a minute.-

-In a very drunken daze she would write a incoherent note next to the bottle, and shamble off, almost falling on her face several times in the span of like 30 seconds.-

Ahh,, well this could get interesting! It seems to have had quite the effect on this.. "Climber" character, but to what end..

<The tracks they had left were quite sloppy, most likely due to the effects of the drink Aster had mixed up. It would not be too hard to find them given a little time, so Aster sets themself to work. Eventually, they encounter a vessel in.. quite the state. This must be the one who had engaged in their little experiment!>

Excuse me! Dear horned bug, are you the one who goes by..

<They check the note Cinder had left for a solid 5 seconds>

“Whhhhhhoooo tbhhheh fuchk aer yeouh talbkin avou. Hhhnnnnnmmmm. Mmmhy nahm ibnt climbr >:/“

<Ah, I must have misread the note you left! What is your name then, good bug? Can I call you that? Are vessels bugs? Aaanyway, are you alright? You appear to be.. intoxicated of sorts? How does it feel? Are you hallucinating? Merely tipsy? I apologize for the amount of questions I'm asking, this is just too fascinating!

<He winced at the sight of her opening wounds and stained bandages. They were never good with gore after all. Their curious personality slipped for a moment, genuinely concerned and afraid of what whatever they had cooked up had done to this poor thing.>

-Cinder blinks a couple more times, almost falling on her face.-

"immn allwwwayv sahhllocunate,, iem llliek,,, seeeven tge woessrrsst vasseel tbat ciuld han stumbl acrus your libtle portin,, ib liek,, iobl hav fessel atbt thit pourt.."

-After Aster points out that she is actively bleeding, she clumsily reaches a claw up to a particularly nasty fucked up wound right on her neck. Drawing her hand away would in fact show her she was bleeding through her bandages.-

<Aster's look of concern only grows as Cinder's sentence continues, they could never have accounted for someone already hallucinating and only part vessel taking up his experiment. What had he done? They tried their best to brush it off for now.>

Oh I'm.. I'm quite sorry to hear that.. I could perhaps find a cure if you'd like me to try? While we're here at least, have you noticed them worsening at all? Hm.. a half vessel.. I've never heard of such a bug, I thought they couldn't reproduce.. although I could be wrong, I am quite open to the possibility! By the way, don't worry about being "the worst vessel for this," every good experiment has to have a few variables!

<They flinched again as Cinder pulled away. He spoke true, he was no doctor, but this effect was unexpected at best and horrifying at worst.>

I-I would recommend sooner than later, bleeding out while intoxicated in the middle of nowhere is no way to die. Come to think of it, I think I have a bit of my healing brew left from my flight from Hallownest.. Allow me a moment to retrieve it!

<Aster sits criss-cross on the ground and roots through their backpack for about 2 minutes, coming up with a yellow-orange bottle glinting with specks of purple.>

"to whoever finds this bottle:

if i am fortuitous enough to have a vessel find this concoction of mine, could you perhaps take a sip and note the effects on the back of this sheet? i am conducting an important study and unfortunately do not know any vessels personally :)

thank you in advance!

- Aster"

@flowering-concoctions

-Cinder blinks several times.-

"Huh. Guess I could. If it's poison, whatever."

-She takes a large swig of the weird potion.-

-..Huh. Nothing seemed to be happening. Like. At all.-

-But then, everything began sllowly spinning and dripping from focus, colors and shapes changing and brightening and dulling at the same time. She sits down dizzily and stays there for like 10 minutes.-

-One of the only sober thoughts she had was just wanting to wait the drug's effect off. However, each minute felt like a fucking eternity. Genuinely. Each second ticked once what felt like a minute.-

-In a very drunken daze she would write a incoherent note next to the bottle, and shamble off, almost falling on her face several times in the span of like 30 seconds.-

Ahh,, well this could get interesting! It seems to have had quite the effect on this.. "Climber" character, but to what end..

<The tracks they had left were quite sloppy, most likely due to the effects of the drink Aster had mixed up. It would not be too hard to find them given a little time, so Aster sets themself to work. Eventually, they encounter a vessel in.. quite the state. This must be the one who had engaged in their little experiment!>

Excuse me! Dear horned bug, are you the one who goes by..

<They check the note Cinder had left for a solid 5 seconds>

“Whhhhhhoooo tbhhheh fuchk aer yeouh talbkin avou. Hhhnnnnnmmmm. Mmmhy nahm ibnt climbr >:/“

<Ah, I must have misread the note you left! What is your name then, good bug? Can I call you that? Are vessels bugs? Aaanyway, are you alright? You appear to be.. intoxicated of sorts? How does it feel? Are you hallucinating? Merely tipsy? I apologize for the amount of questions I'm asking, this is just too fascinating!

<He winced at the sight of her opening wounds and stained bandages. They were never good with gore after all. Their curious personality slipped for a moment, genuinely concerned and afraid of what whatever they had cooked up had done to this poor thing.>

"to whoever finds this bottle:

if i am fortuitous enough to have a vessel find this concoction of mine, could you perhaps take a sip and note the effects on the back of this sheet? i am conducting an important study and unfortunately do not know any vessels personally :)

thank you in advance!

- Aster"

@flowering-concoctions

-Cinder blinks several times.-

"Huh. Guess I could. If it's poison, whatever."

-She takes a large swig of the weird potion.-

-..Huh. Nothing seemed to be happening. Like. At all.-

-But then, everything began sllowly spinning and dripping from focus, colors and shapes changing and brightening and dulling at the same time. She sits down dizzily and stays there for like 10 minutes.-

-One of the only sober thoughts she had was just wanting to wait the drug's effect off. However, each minute felt like a fucking eternity. Genuinely. Each second ticked once what felt like a minute.-

-In a very drunken daze she would write a incoherent note next to the bottle, and shamble off, almost falling on her face several times in the span of like 30 seconds.-

Ahh,, well this could get interesting! It seems to have had quite the effect on this.. "Climber" character, but to what end..

<The tracks they had left were quite sloppy, most likely due to the effects of the drink Aster had mixed up. It would not be too hard to find them given a little time, so Aster sets themself to work. Eventually, they encounter a vessel in.. quite the state. This must be the one who had engaged in their little experiment!>

Excuse me! Dear horned bug, are you the one who goes by..

<They check the note Cinder had left for a solid 5 seconds>