...As Travelers of the Wind

“Lest! Why would you try to scare someone out here? I could have had a heart attack!” She glared at him and his wolf, trying to make her point. “What are you both doing out here, anyways? I thought you had chores to do?”

He shook his head at the accusation. “No way. Skipping out on chores results in way more pain than just doing them in the first place. My chores are done. I was actually out here trying to get stuff for upgrading equipment. Plus, I gotta stay in shape!” He flexed in a deliberately comedic manner. He was plenty strong, of course, but he was hardly a muscleman.

Frey was walking around the forest right outside Selphia, just enjoying the day. She had been swamped with her princess duties all morning and just wanted some time to herself. Being in the forest let her mind wander.

As she was walking, she swore she heard a branch snap from somewhere behind her. Shaking her head, she ignored it and kept walking. There it was again! She stopped and turned around, trying to remain calm. It could just be one of the monsters that lived in the forest.

After taking out a few remaining monsters, he took out the gate that had led them from the Forest of Beginnings to the outskirts of Selphia...but once he did, his eyes widened and he grinned as he saw what it left behind.

“A light crystal!” he exclaimed. He’d been looking for one of those for a while, but he’d had some bad luck in actually finding one. And now, he’d managed to get one completely by chance!

He reached down to grab it, but a streak of silver came zooming past him, nearly knocking him down. He scowled. “Flash! You’re seriously an asshole some...times...?”

Well, great. The crystal was gone. His furry friend had probably seen the shiny object and decided that he’d be a better owner for it. The good news was that he probably hadn’t eaten it...at least the wolf wasn’t that dumb.

Then, he saw the wolf’s tail wagging as he stuck his nose into some nearby bushes. That’s probably where it had ended up!

“Out of the way!” He dove into the bushes, and the bright and shiny crystal immediately caught his eye. With a triumphant grin, he grabbed it and put it hurriedly into his rucksack.

By then, the wolf had joined him in the bushes...but he was hearing footsteps. Was it a monster? No, these footsteps sounded like a human’s. His smile returned as he caught a glimpse of green hair that he recognized right away.

He gestured to Flash to be quiet. This was a golden opportunity, after all. He was grateful for having brought a pumpkin mask along with him, and he put it on very carefully. Despite trying to be quiet, though, Frey had obviously noticed some rustling in the bush. Well, his time to build up suspense was gone...but now that she was startled, he could have some fun. He wasn’t always the most patient person, anyway.

The priest frowned a little at the Earthmate’s proposal, thinking about what the other just said. “So you mean to say you want it to be a prank with multiple phases.” Those were the more complicated types, but if they somehow managed to pull it off, then it’d really be something to look forward to and might make all the planning they were gonna do worth the time.

Indeed, like Lest has just said, he disagreed. In fact, he found the butler to be a perfect target, but if the other didn’t want to include him in this little stunt of theirs, then so be it. “Alright then.” He said as he smiled at the others attempt to impersonate Vishnal, “We could still prepare something that would not involve Blossom, if you really want to prank Doug and Dylas that badly.”

Another thought struck him when Leon mentioned not telling the townspeople about why they should act differently around Doug and Dylas as part of this large-scale prank. Obviously, these sorts of comedic efforts required some prior setup, but one idea he’d always had was entirely based on stealthy preparation.

“Uh, there’s also this other idea I’ve messed around with. Just in my head. Maybe it’s because of the whole amnesia thing that I thought of it!” He shrugged. “So Selphia’s got a lot of events that happen, thanks mostly to yours truly. You’re welcome, by the way.” He laughed, mostly because of how dumb that comment was. “Anyway, people have got to be keeping track of this stuff, right? I mean...I personally have a calendar, so I’d imagine other people do too. What if we came up with some kind of fake event and put it down on everyone’s calendars? Everyone would think they’d forgotten about something, and they’d all show up to this supposed event because they’d be too embarrassed to ask anybody about it! But...I’m not sure how that would involve Doug and Dylas specifically. Unless...”

Wow...maybe it was something about Leon’s fondness for messing with people, or maybe just talking through it out loud, but the most brilliant idea yet dawned upon the acting prince.

[His head tilts ever so slightly to the side, before smiling wide in hope he could possibly be of service to the prince.] A recipe? Well I’ve looked through several of the ones in the kitchen .. cook books and what not .. [trails off as his eyes begin to scan the piece of paper.]

[Lips purse]

[His head tilts ever so slightly to the side, before smiling wide in hope he could possibly be of service to the prince.] A recipe? Well I’ve looked through several of the ones in the kitchen .. cook books and what not .. [trails off as his eyes begin to scan the piece of paper.]

[Lips purse]

Though … I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one like this before!

/Once he sees that the former Guardian seems interested still, though, he drops it/ Yeah, I know...I just don't know what creative stuff would be best to use! But I'd like for it to be...layered, I guess is how I'd put it? Like a chain reaction or something!

Uh, yeah...pretty obvious. And I really want to include Doug as a victim, but I gotta be careful because...man, I don't even wanna think about something bad happening to Blossom!

And you'll probably disagree on this, but I really can't mess with Vishnal. There are times where I've come really close, but then I see him all /puts on his best Vishnal-esque smile, complete with the eager expression/ "Yes, Prince Lest, how may I be of service?" /returns to Lest mode/ and I wimp out.

[He finds himself mirroring the stranger’s actions– his own eyes widen, and he blinks silently right back at him.]

[Rubs he back of his neck awkwardly.] Um… long enough to witness you staring down the animals and telling them [Raises his free hand to make air quotations.] ‘I’m watching you’.  That’s just about it. 

See, where I'm from, we have creatures that look like those things. /Points to the animals/ But until you tame them, they can be kinda dangerous! So...I dunno, I guess I'm a little suspicious. These guys don't need to be tamed. What if they're just tricking everybody and waiting to attack?! As someone who's pretty much legendary, I feel like I gotta keep an eye on them.

[He’s on his way back from going to buy more chicken feed, walking down the path with the bags in hand. There’s someone he doesn’t know by the fence, and he furrows his brow. Did he hear him right?]

Water (35 L)

Carbon (20 kg)

Ammonia (4 L)

Lime (1.5 kg)

Phosphorous (800 g)

Salt (250 g)

Saltpeter (100 g)

Sulfur (80 g)

Fluorine (7.5 g)

Iron (5 g)

Silicon (3 g)

But don’t try it, dude, it’s nasty as hell. I mean…I’d imagine it is, because…y’know. I didn’t try it or anything.

Pff, wow okay, sounds like a blast.

As things tend to be when I’m involved! Except when the blast is an actual blast…you know, like an explosion.