FROST MOON

( and hopefully not a copyright violation.. )

❛ I've been a guest of Herta's Space Station for about three years now.. I would certainly hope I knew the place like the back of my hand at this point. Indeed lucky you. I am the best adventuring companion anyone could ever ask for- totally not biased or anything. ❜

The catcakes on his head emit soft mewls as they do their typical squishy movements, a little smile etched into the silver's expression. As he moves behind the desk, he notes two more critters- conveniently stacked together already. Makes it real easy to pick them up with a careful touch to then add to his preexisting stack ( yes he has five catcakes on top of his head- what of it? ).

Dice Rolls: 2, 5, 5 [ Purple Skin, Orange Filling, Mustache Pattern ] 2 [ Heart Eyes ] 2 [ Bandages ] 1 [ No Special Trait ] Point Total: 5

Dice Rolls: 3, 1, 1 [ Grey Skin, Pink Filling, No Pattern ] 5 [ White Eyepatch Eyes ] 5 [ Bandaid ] 1 [ No Special Trait ] Point Total: 5

❛ You know, I am really glad that I already know that you all can come out of the oven with these bandages and whatnot-- because otherwise I would be exceedingly worried about why so many of you were "injured". ❜

No because seriously, what are the chances that three out of the five catcakes he has found had eye patches or other medical-like accessories? What kind of messed up RNG god is rolling the dice?

So very peacefully, in fact, it prompts two more to come out of hiding with meowing requests she can only interpret as an ask to join the stack.

Dice Rolls: 5, 4, 5 [ Orange Skin, Purple Filling, Mustache Pattern ] 3 [ Sparkle Eye Type ] 9 [ Stripe ] 2, 2 [ Core of Ice ] Point Total: 6

Dice Rolls:  4, 5, 4 [ Purple Skin, Orange Filling, Spots Pattern ] 2 [ Heart Eye Type ] 2 [ Bandages ] 1 [ None ] Point Total: 5

“I see. So do you bake them?” It’s a bit harder to kneel now, with all that needs to be balanced on her head, but she tries for the sake of the asking catcakes. However does he manage so effortlessly…? “I suppose it’s not too different from any other life form. Ingredients go in, life comes out.”

It’s perhaps a rather broad oversimplification, but it’s close enough, at least. It’s not as though the way she creates kuuhenkhi is any more conventional. Perhaps even less so, actually, since there are plenty of things one can bake as her own experience has come to teach with her regular cake attempts.

…Her… cakes…. 

Columbina pauses midway through stacking, the second catcake held midair in her arms against its will rather than joining the tower right away as she instead turns to face their ‘father’. 

( and hopefully not a copyright violation.. )

❛ Kuuhkenki..? ❜

The Nameless murmurs, the slightest head-tilt portraying both his confusion and intrigue. Certainly an interesting name- and it's not as if Caelus is lacking in the exploration department. He's run in to all sorts of odd creatures outside of Ruan Mei's creations.. the Chimera on Amphoreus and the Origami Birds on Penacony a few that stand out. Maybe a time will come when he can see these kuuhkenki IRL.

There aren't any other catcakes in the clinic- that he can see anyway. Plus, Columbina's information gives him an idea.

❛ I think I might know a place. C'mon! ❜

With a little skip in his step, Caelus places both of the catcakes he had personally found atop his head before moving through the automatic doors to exit the clinic. He keeps his stride relatively small, as he doesn't want to rush the lass. The silver is a team player, and it'd harm his reputation if he'd dash off and leave his companion abandoned or lost.

Once back down the steps to return to the main floor, Caelus makes his way passed the Reception Center's desk- giving Wen Mingde a tiny wave ( just as he had with the clinic staff )- to enter a relatively long hallway. In said hallway, there is a single somewhat small room. That is the destination. This tiny room has an odd atmosphere- being comforting and mysterious. He remembers when he had to collect several ID cards to even get the room to open.

Dice Rolls: 5, 5, 5 [ Orange Skin, Orange Filling, Mustache Pattern ] 3 [ Sparkle Eyes ] 9 [ Stripe ] 2 [ Special Trait ] 6 [ Phlogiston Mutation ] Point Total: 6

Caelus mentally pats himself on the back for his instinct ( one of the few times it actually benefits him, or.. you know, works ) to come check the room out. Because not even two steps in and the slightest turn to the side presents another catcake in it's blinding orange glory, happily humming along to some random copyright free music that plays off the main holoscreen on the only desk situated near the back of the room.

❛ The Galactic Baseballer strikes again! ❜

Carefully, she adjusts once again, fitting the more aggressive catcake beneath the other as a base, so as not to disturb its leaf hat again as had upset it so before. Huh. They do fit together rather nicely. Almost as though they’re some sort of marketable children’s toy, meant to be collected and stacked atop each other and an adorable display piece… 

…Nah, that’d be silly.

Mimicking her teammates action, the moon goddess carefully balances the little ones atop her own head as she follows, as well as copying in the little wave to the stranger outside the new location — one that is apparently host to some sort of catcake… race, or something…?

Dice Rolls:  3, 4, 2 [ Grey Skin, Purple Filling, ^ Pattern ] 5 [ White Eyepatch ] 2 [ Bandages ] 2, 9 [ Eye of Lightning ] Point Total: 6

What strange music… 

The thought is immediate, but one she keeps to herself. Music is the most personal thing to one’s heart that can be heard, after all, and to insult it even accidentally would be the greatest offense she could ever imagine. As long as the two surprisingly vibrant catcakes immediately noticeably upon their entrance (though one far more-so than the other, she can practically see the light it emits through her blindfold…) enjoy singing along, that’s what matters.

Dice Rolls:  5, 5, 2 [ Orange Skin, Orange Filling, ^ Pattern ] 6 [ Black Eyepatch ] 4 [ Belt ] 2, 1 [ Trash ] Point Total: 6

Oh, and there’s another one. How’d it end up in the trash can??

“Hehe, that he did,” Seriously, what is a baseball? “You seem to know this place rather well. On my own, I wouldn’t have found even half the number of catcakes. I’m very fortunate to have been paired with someone like you.”

Columbina smiles at the baseballer as she approaches the two still-free catcakes, scooping them up one after the other to add to the tower of them growing atop of her head.

( and hopefully not a copyright violation.. )

The urge to give a large thumbs up to the lass is strong, but it is one Caelus must quell. There are more important matters at paw hand! He can't stifle his little giggle as the catcake mews in displeasure at her attempting to rid it of the soil it had been marinating in.

❛ Well done. You'll be a natural catcake hunter once we finish collecting them all! ❜

It's a tad tricky with the catcake he had initially found still in his palm, the silver manages to get down onto on knee to take a peak under the desk. You really never know where these critters are hiding, after all.

Dice Rolls: 4, 5, 2 [ Green Skin, Orange Filling, ^ Pattern ] 4 [ Shades ] 3 [ Ribbon ] 2 [ Special Trait ] 7 [ Virtual Particle Mutation ] Point Total: 6

And it is a good thing he had, as another catcake- slightly larger than the first one he had found- is tucked behind the cabinet drawer. The orange and green color scheming reminds him of something.. of someone-- not now, Galactic Baseballer! The time to gush about your man can come later. Besides.. the scolding that Dan Heng will give him is going to succccccccccckkkkkkkkkk. Maybe he should pick up a special treat for the elusive archivist to ease the blow.. hm. Much to think about.

❛ Geez.. How many of you are in the clinic? Why are you all in the clinic? ❜

Caelus asks aloud, more to himself- or to the catcakes- than anything.

Perhaps, if she finds another, she’ll get to graduate from ’natural hunter’ to ‘expert tracker’. Or better yet, ‘friend’.

Dice Rolls:  1, 2, 3 [ Blue Skin, Brown Filling, O Pattern ] 1 [ None ] 4 [ Bandages ] 1 [ None ] Point Total: 4

Almost as if prompted by her silent wish, a cabinet door by her feet suddenly swings open all on its own, sending a little catcake tangled up in bandages tumbling out onto the floor — followed closely behind by what little remains of the roll it came from. A sight that would have been far more worrying, were it not for the fact that little one seemed more concerned with chasing after the bandages it keeps wrapping itself in more and more than the tangling itself. Cute…

“Perhaps they simply like it.” The moon goddess muses back as she crouches beside the little criminal, ending the chase herself by simply handing it the rest of the roll, leaving it to chomp and bat at the poor thing like the vicious beast that it is as she scoops it up. “I have similar little ones — the kuuhenkhi — they often like to play with whatever they can get their hands on. I assume they and the catcakes must be much the same, in that regard.”

( and hopefully not a copyright violation.. )

It seems like it was amber eras ago that Caelus had caused a housing crisis on Herta's Space Station.. thankfully, he had help to find the catcakes then too. But now, it's his turn to do the searching ( there's not that many of them missing.. right? ), scanning high and low. Still, he does have a partner so it isn't like he will be alone and have a chance to accidentally miss any of the little critters.

Granted, the Nameless has only heard rumors about the lady- all of which were fairly positive, so he has no complaints. Besides, what better way to get to know a person than by going on a spontaneous "adventure"! An adventure to the Base Zone, that is.. granted, there isn't much there besides a few big computer offices- that he assumes are pretty important based on how large the rooms are, and that there is a front desk that you have to pass before going into either area- and the on-site(ship?) clinic that's up some stairs.

❛ Hm.. I can't imagine the catcakes would be in the clinic, but why not start there anyway? You never know, there might have been a patch to where they can go up there now. ❜

Caelus muses with a little snort, easily making it up the stairs until he enters the medical room. Joanne is there ( when isn't she ) and the silver gives her a wave before moving around, making sure to stay out of the way for the rest of the medical staff. He doesn't to impede their work, obviously. Much to his surprise, Caelus does manage to find a catcake sat atop one of the desks along the back wall.

Dice Rolls: 5, 3 ,1 [ Orange Skin, Black Filling, No Patterns ] 6 [ Black Eye Patch ] 3 [ Ribbon ] 1 [ No Special Trait ] Point Total: 5

The poor thing has an eyepatch.. perhaps that's why it's in the clinic! Well.. the presence of the eyepatch doesn't always mean there was a health issue- sometimes they just came out of the oven like that. Weird design choice but Go Off devs. Gentle as he can be, Caelus slides his fingers under the catcake until it rests comfortably in his hands.

❛ Do you see any other catcakes hiding? They do like plants, so they may be resting in the pots or near the flora around the desks. ❜

The Nameless calls to his companion, hopeful that his knowledge of his creations ( still weird to think about ) will be useful in finding his lost kids.

Still, at the very least she knows what a ‘cat’ is well enough, and while she’s unsure what ‘cakes’ have to do with anything, far be it from her to deny the cry for help of an innocent friend. To be lost is a terrifying thing, and to lose that which you care for deeply as he has so many of them, even more so.

“Sure. Lead the way.” The moon goddess responds to the suggestion in a nod. It only makes sense, after all, for the one familiar with such a place to lead. And given he seems familiar with the people too, even more so. Though the cat he seemingly finds may have been fine for her to take alone, it’s unlikely they’d respond so kindly to the presence of a stranger enough to allow her poking through their shrubbery as he proceeds to suggest, were he not at her side as he is now.

“In the plants? Hmm… Alright, I can do that. Here, kitty kitty kitty…”

Dice Rolls:  1, 5, 3 [ Blue Skin, Orange Filling, O Pattern ] 2 [ Heart Eyes ] 4 [ Belt ] 2, 4 [ Seed ] Point Total: 5

Sticking her hands into a potted plant nearby the doorway quickly finds her petting over a very un-plantlike yet very catlike in shape head, bringing a smile to her face as she reaches under its body to scoop it up. It’s… very un-catlike shaped body.

…Oh. So that’s what the ‘cake’ meant. 

Readjusting the little friend in her arms for a moment (and attempting to flick the remnants of plants off the little one’s head, which is vehemently protests with violent squirms until she gives up. Perhaps it was an intentional fashion choice, after all?) she turns back to her companion to showcase her find.

Independent RP account for Columbina Hyposelenia of Genshin Impact. Formerly affiliated with Gnostic Hymns.

Mobile Links: Muse Mun Sample Threads

These days, the word ‘research’ alone was enough to set Columbina on edge — thanks in no small part to a certain doctor she wishes no ‘thanks’ upon more than anything. It’s all too familiar a situation; “Could you do me this one small favor?” The stranger had asked, so very kindly in a voice so very soft, yet a softness was hard to hear over the edge of past voices. “It’ll be quick and easy, I promise you’re capable of it.”

‘No’ had been on the tip of her tongue. ‘I want nothing more to do with you. Find someone else. Or better yet, find no one at all.’

She had so wished to scream at the stranger. But she did not. It would be wrong of her to, after all. Though they share the same profession and greet her the same fashion, this stranger is not the one she wants to see crushed a second, third, and thousand times over. Those words are meant for him, and so she holds them back through a silent smile and gritted teeth.

A silence that, unfortunately, ‘Loren’ takes as a ‘yes’, rather than the temporary placeholder response she had meant it to be while she thought of a more polite declination — and before she knows it, the woman is gone. And being kuuvakhi-less as everyone in this strange place seemed to be, without a trace, at that. The only evidence she was ever there to begin with is the stack of reports that were left behind, and the rather disgruntled moon goddess left to hold them.

Columbina sighs, shifting the new weight in her arms to a more comfortable position (though the most comfortable position of all would be just to drop them here and be done with it…) with a frown. She really should more used to having her choices made for her by now… But if the choice is made, nothing else to be done than to follow through. She’ll just leave it behind and leave before anyone can corner her with compliments and drag her into something else. Another thing these types of people so love to do.

But where to drop them off at…? There’s likely some indication of who exactly they belong to beyond just ‘Loren’, if prior experience was anything to go by. Dates, signatures, and research names were typically present on papers like this for organization, and from there, working backwards to their intended ‘home’ should be simple. But…

While usually she can ‘read’ well enough by focusing on the curves of the pen, be it with her senses to guide her or her own hand, this paper is strangely… flat. Nothing for her hand to feel, and no shapes or crevices for the energy to flow between… almost as if there was no pen involved at all. How strange.

“Excuse me,” Columbina approaches the first person her senses reveal to her with papers held high towards where she can feel his head to be in the space. Thankfully her limited energy is enough for that, at least, even if reading the paper alone had failed her. She refuses to open her eyes in a place like this. The world may be worth seeing, sometimes, but a lab is worth less than nothing.

“Could you spare a moment to read this for me? I’m supposed to be helping transport them somewhere, but I don’t know where… I hope the paper itself may have a clue.”

Columbina isn’t too sure of where she is, how exactly she got her, or what this woman is saying to her — but whatever it is, she is persistent in it.

In the moment, she’d only stopped to look at the bags because the way the moonlight reflecting off the material had caught her ‘eye’, as it were. She had thought from afar that anything that draws the light of the moon must be something comforting in all instances, yet up close, she can’t help but think the extravagant design beneath her fingertips — with its unending patterns and quite frankly unnecessary detailing galore — results in a texture that, without sight to assist, feels rather… tacky. 

“This is… what regular people find ‘nice’?” Columbina drags her fingers across the bag once again, only to frown when the same unpleasant feeling is what greets her once again. Though perhaps, that was just her simpler tastes doing the talking. After all, this lady has spent the past ten minutes passionately proclaiming it to be the ‘luxury among luxuries’.  

“But of course! This is only the hottest among the hot these days!” The woman nods enthusiastically, circling around her a few times in a way she can tell must be appraising of some sort before she comes to a stop behind the moon goddess, placing both hands on either of her shoulders. “And I must say — you do look HOT in it! You won’t find better quality at this price point anywhere else, I can assure you! So what do you say?”

“‘Quality’…” Brows knit together contemplatively beneath her eye mask as she hums to herself. Were it just for herself, she’d probably pass; she has no need for bags after all, with how little she carries. But if it’s high quality… perhaps someone else could use a new bag? Would a gift like that make the traveler happy? If it really is what’s considered the ‘cool’ thing to have, then it could be a nice surprise… Then maybe they could even match.

“Hmm… Alright. I’ll take two.” The saleswoman cheers as Columbina nods, rushing off with the bag likely to complete whatever ‘purchase confirmation’ things she needs to do on her end, leaving the goddess herself to searching through her hardly-used pockets alone. Now where did she put her mora…? 

If she were to be honest — she has no idea what’s going on. A strange feeling to have, considering it’s about a legend of Nod Krai. Stranger still she’s somehow never heard of it before. Closed off as the Frostmoon Scions might’ve been back then, surely this… ‘Reading Mill’ would’ve been mentioned at least once, if it was influential enough to have tales of it reach even people outside the region.

Though… perhaps it’s possible that it was, and it was her who was simply too closed off to care. Or it was something that happened only after she’d ran away from home in search of something to care for. What an ironic twist of fate would that have been, for something interesting to have finally happened right after she gave up hope in Nod Krai having anything interesting for her…

Not as though it matters, anyway. Even if it had happened back then, there would have been no one open to discussing the matter with her around — or at least, not for long enough for her to have overheard and become interested as she had back in Nasha town, before they would’ve noticed her and ran away out of fear of a ‘disrespect’ she didn’t feel. Much less would a crowd of eager tourists have allowed her to tag along behind them with this little fanfare for this long. It’s a more than welcome change of pace from the past, to be able to witness strangers chatting with friends so easily. Though it does begin to make her miss her own…

…Ah. That girl’s alone, too.

“Hello. Are you here for the treasure hunt as well?” Columbina breaks from the main path once the core of the group begins to disperse — likely to begin their searching in different directions — making a beeline for the rather out-of-place stranger positioned a bit away from the rest of the group. Seeing as she made no move to follow another, seemingly just as alone as she had guessed, and if she were to judge by her lack of innate kuuvakhi in her system, someone from the lands beyond Nod Krai at that. A fact that might make her more likely to agree to native help, she hopes.

“Would you mind if I joined you? I don’t have anyone else to go with, but I would like to work with a team, if that’s okay.”