#craneswings

After some further steps away, Yuzu is relieved to find herself not fully alone. One of her allies still stands alongside her, and a tested one at that.

“You are one with the knights, aye?” she engages with him, slipping the ball beneath one of her arms as her head bows. “I am Yuzu, a samurai in training with the Blue Lions. Your vast and varied choice of words against our enemies proved to be motivators all the same. You have my gratitude for assisting me in coming this far.”

Breaking up her long-winded thanks, Yuzu uses her free hand to pull out yet another weapon gifted to her, just like the well-built bow. However, the lance-like object she rolls around in her hand is far from “well-built.” Not that the stick wasn’t firm in grip, it’s more that the slabs of meat stuck to it make its function…questionable at best. And yes, she tried removing the revolting meat prior. It barely budged from its skewer-home.

She spins the mystery weapon in her palm for another second before shifting gaze back toward her ally. “This weapon…the church provided me with it for the final round. Yet I can only be uncertain if it even will serve a needed use. Perhaps the meat could…be a ration…?”

While her mouth speaks of the suggestion, her nose does not dare to follow herself up.

One of their allies had gotten lost in the smoke, it seemed. Hopefully he'd found his way out, but there was no time to go back and search for him. Besides, that would be a job for someone other than Lex. He'd spent too much time in the noxious cloud already. Besides, something about heading back towards the smoke and fire sent a shiver down his spine. It was a fear he hadn't recalled having before arriving at Garreg Mach. He'd spent more than enough time around Azelle and Arvis to be used to fire. What could possibly have changed? Why did it instill such discomfort in him now?

Resting against a tree, he heaved deep breaths, greedily drinking in all of the clean air he could get. A hack and a cough preceded him spewing a glob of dark, sooty mucus onto the ground beside him. Thank goodness nobody was there to see that shamefully disgusting display. Lex was hardly afraid of being a little gross in front of others, but this was a bit of an exceptional circumstance.

...Or so he had thought. As soon as he'd wiped his mouth after coughing up the tar-like phlegm, his gaze turned to see the purple sword girl from his previous battles staring at him. Not exactly his most valiant display, what with the way his legs were threatening to give out from under him right now and the gross gunk exiting him. He hastily wiped his hands on his pants, though it only succeeded in transferring some of the residue from the smoke that had clung to his clothing onto his hands instead, leaving them dirtier than before he'd tried to clean them.

"Yuzu, huh?" Nice to finally be able to place a name to the face he'd kept seeing. There was a certain instinctual fondness Lex felt for the girl, no doubt because she reminded him a bit of his own daughter... and, well, someone else that his daughter looked an awful lot like. Lex had to wonder if she'd had any classes under a specific Blue Lions sword instructor yet.

"Glad to see you made it out safe. I probably shoulda stuck around longer to help get all you kids outta there, but, uh, I wasn't really in much condition to be doing any rescuing. Spending too long in the smoke and passing out myself woulda only put more work on people trying to help get people away from that situation. Wouldn't'a been any help at all."

Lex laughed bitterly, shaking his head. He was, admittedly, rather ashamed of himself and his sudden cowardice. He had considered himself a stronger sort, following his heart over his head. That would usually have led him deeper into the smoke to try and help as many people as possible, not away from it. Fleeing just wasn't like him. Why was he acting like a coward now, of all times?

"I'm Lex, by the way. A knight, as you said. Not with any of the houses officially, but my wife's with the Lions, so I'd been hoping to get to fight alongside her again. Been way too long since we had a chance to. Guess I'll have to wait a bit longer for that, though, unless we run into her soon."

Introductions out of the way, his gaze finally turned to the skewer of meat Yuzu held in her hand. With food suddenly and conspicuously in front of him, he felt complaints rising from his stomach despite the slight nausea that the smoke had inflicted upon him. Fighting certainly did work up an appetite, but the conspicuously large and sharp stick made him wonder if consumption may, in fact, not be the intended purpose of what Yuzu had found.

"...If you picked that thing up off the ground, I doubt it'd be safe to eat," Lex added, realizing he should probably try to be a good influence for once in his life since there was currently a younger, more impressionable person looking to him as an authority figure. "Specially not if it was near the fire. Or... would that have cooked it? I'm willing to test it for ya to make sure it's safe, if you want."

“Niamh! May I have a moment of your time?”

Yuzu sprints over to her chaotic friend, a small jar of lilac purple paint in her hand being the only hint at her calling. Before prattling on, she makes a wayward glimpse back at whence she came from. Technically she did not ask for permission before “borrowing” a vial and brush, but surely the owner won’t mind…?

“Hem,” she forces a cough to snap herself back to attention. “The painter is using our faces as canvases, though we are allowed to paint ourselves if desired. With their predetermined set failing to catch my eye, I thought a friend can offer their own pattern in their stead. If you do not mind, I can repay the favor by…!”

Before she can finish her offer, Yuzu tilts her head slightly, realizing at what she is staring directly at.

“...Erm, would you find interest in having your mask painted? Not for any particular reason. Aye.”

For a moment, Niamh looks ready to sprint away herself. The sudden entrance of Yuzu had surprised her - but when she recognizes Yuzu's intent, she remains. The lilac color that she's chosen...it feels like it would suit her well.

But, based on what Yuzu was requesting, did this mean...

"You want assistance, first..." she inquires, examining Yuzu's face. "I can paint something..."

At first, Niamh can only think in words. In spells and wards that could be painted, but would that provide Yuzu the correct solution? The canvas of sorts wasn't especially large, either. She'd have to get creative with her options.

"...I have an idea." A hand is extended expectant to take the brush from Yuzu. "In return...yes, you can paint the mask...it would be acceptable..."

Is wielding three cups of water perhaps a tad bit overboard? Well…yes, but the student has chosen it as her burden to bear after what else she’s drunk tonight. While Yuzu exits the drinks section and (miraculously) pushes through crowds of people unscathed, she spots a familiar set of dark clothes.

“Sir!!” she calls out in his direction, sprinting as fast she could to close the distance. “My name is Yuzu. I am…erm, one of the contestants from that low bar game from earlier. As you can tell from these glasses, I’ve been following your advice and…I cannot recall if I thanked you proper.”

The girl bows, and in more display of adept hands, slips out a charm from her bracelet to add physical value to her gratitude. It was customary to exchange the charms upon first meeting alone, but between all of the liquor Yuzu cannot even remember doing that…

Yuzu feels awkward leaving the encounter at simply that, so she musters up a follow-up question. “I recount you opting into the game with coin alone, forgoing the…accursed drink. Is there any reason you choose not to consume?”

Now with experience under her belt, Yuzu can guess some reasons on her own, but she is still interested to hear another’s account.

The slender woman Zelkov had tried to help with her eventual hangover approaches carrying a frankly unnecessary amount of water, but he is pleased to see her making an effort regardless.  He offers her a small, cordial bow, and then his own name.

“It is good to make your acquaintance officially,” he replies.  “I am Zelkov.”

He is a little impressed that she's able to manage all those glasses and still offer him her charm, but he accepts nonetheless, replacing the tiny, delicate-looking seashell in her hand with one of the pearls from his own collection.

Charms exchanged, and he can address her more interesting question.  “I do not like the way alcohol makes me feel.  I do not like the way I act when I consume it.  I do not care for its taste, either.  I have the power to avoid these unpleasant situations myself, so I will exercise that power.”

There is something that screams…”familiar” to Yuzu as she peeks over many of the other party guests. True, nearly everyone has chosen to wear something showy or fancy for the evening - and Yuzu is thankful that she does not stand out as much as she potentially did the year prior. But then there are a select few that catch the samurai’s eye without having to look extremely luxuriant.

This lady here, for instance, stands tall while wearing a light mask. Obviously, Yuzu knows of one person who would go around wearing masks outside of masquerades but…it would be harsh to assume everyone hides their face for the same purpose. Who is this person anyway? Beyond the white robes, Yuzu cannot recall any staff member or student with such flowing silver hair…

“Meep!” Yuzu blurts out once she finally realizes that while the crane has been staring so intensely, the lady has been staring back. “M-My apologies…I have just never seen a covering so mystifying, that is all.”

The chance for small talk was killed before there was even a chance, but Yuzu tries so anyway. “...do you plan on entering the masquerade with such a mask?”

Who was this.... child?? She just comes up and then stares for a while. And then has the audacity to stutter out an apology. Thrasir stared back with her ever present expressionless face. She tilted her head, a faux representation of curiosity.

"No, I do not plan on entering the masquerade," she replied blandly. Masquerades were a pointless charade. What was the point in it? She wore her black mask usually to add to her look as a General of Hel. A show of solidarity with Líf. This mask though merely covered her eyes as... perhaps a filter. Something... to help her see the world differently. Muted.

And if she is? Then hopefully she doesn’t mind just one more time.

“That sword,” Yuzu manages to catch sight of the swordswoman once they’ve safely returned to the shelter. “How did you manage to get it? Where did you practice hiding it? How much maintenance does it require by the battle? And-”

Yuzu huffs only a small breath to endure the final spouting of inquiries.

“-and might I try wielding it as well?!”

"Uh, nice to see you too?" The woman's pushy interest in the sword startles Shez at first, but she adapts quickly enough to the conversation.

"You're talking about this sword." Shez summons the sword to her right hand, an unearthly thing primed for battle. "Well, you'll hate my answer. I honestly don't know. It just sorta... came?" Came alongside Arval and those mysterious shapeshifting powers, but Shez hesitates to share the details of that night. She isn't even sure if this sword is something she should be swinging around and showing off. "I'm still learning the ropes of this thing myself.

Yuzu is unable to catch the blonde man for extended conversation until after they have returned from their patrol camp. His distinct mix of red and yellow did not make the search back at the shelter long, however.

“There was little time to express it in battle, but I wanted to extend gratitude for your sharp wits when we were together. The trick with the grapple and hook…I have never seen such a tactic that emulates warp magic!”

Hands are balled into fists, not from intense anger but from interest. “Is such a stunt traditional in the fighting styles of where you are from? I must know more…although it might be best to wait until after this tragedy is past us.”

"Hello Yuzu." The past week was exhausting for Forde, but at least it was spent in good company. After a long nap, chatting with an ally puts a smile on his face.

"To be honest, I only learnt how to do that a few months ago - and that was the first time I used it in a real battle." Usually it was just for fun. He'd never thought about it as a substitute for warp magic, but that was a fun way of looking at it.

"I'm not sure where it came from either. Well, the grapple itself came from Happyland, but I have no idea where they got the idea from." It was possible they just used it for fun too, and the application in battle was invented by the church.

In place of the supposed "significance" of her present remains a well-performed bow from Yuzu in front of her mentor. Afterwards, the girl reveals her offering in the form of a small bouquet of flowers, stems freshly cut from the greenhouse. Even if the accursed plague makes acquiring store-brought gifts a challenge, planning ahead and growing the gift herself is rewarding in its own right.

Yuzu holds the flora forward toward Minerva, a bunch of purple lavenders facing the professor in the comparison of roses toward the giver’s side. A small miracle that the seeds she grew provided such a coincidental batch of colors.

“It would be in my nature to offer a spar sometime in a better present’s stead, yet… Fie, I believe these should do for the moment. A blessed day to you, Lady Minerva.”

"Your presence is actually enough for me" the Macedon instructor smiled at the sight of her, among all the people running back and forth at the monastery, she was certainly the one that she hoped to see during this day. She was a model student, she was an excellent training partner and she was a smart girl -everything Minerva considered a great boast and pride.

"These… remind me of you" she kindly accepted the bouquet of flowers, colours resembling actually both of them, meaning a strong and beuatiful union between the two of them. "I'm not a great green thumb, but I'll definitely do my best to keep them watered and splendid, like you did for our friendship" she smirked, a small bow as she comply the suggestion.

Missing her chance to hop upon the makeshift horses earlier, Yuzu hoped to make up for it now…only to be met with some of the rides taking flight thanks to newfound wings. How far do the reaches of magic truly extend? And more immediately important, why must they challenge her resolve as so?

Yuzu catches the sight of a green-haired girl nearby who feels somewhat familiar. “Pardon, but do you take interest in the wooden mounts as well?” Yuzu ponders to the classmate. “I intended to hop upon one independently. However, I believe I would feel more comfortable when allied with another.”

And no, I do not fear extensive heights, the crane considers adding on, though ends up refraining for her own image.

“If the closer view of the stars is unsatisfactory as tribute, then I shall repay the favor in any other way you’d find preferable.”

Where the magical spinning platform once stood, now wooden birds take to the skies, their riders cheering merrily into the night. Fee cranes her neck watching. The pegasi are almost life-like in their movements, it's certainly a feat of magic. Keen green eyes follow them, but she isn't trying to figure them out; no, she's more than happy to simply enjoy the spectacle.

Her gaze drops eventually, with the need to readjust her eyes to the brighter lanterns at ground-level. Still blinking, she turns to the source of the voice to find a classmate from the Blue Lions house. Faint recognition starts the engine for her train of thought, but ultimately, she can't quite find the name. It's hard to tell in the low light if her hair is purple or just dark, but the bell is a nice accessory, she thinks. "Yeah, sure! You're in my house, right? Don't fly much, huh?"

She didn't need an excuse to let fly her curiosity, but she's happy enough anyway to enable someone else. As soon as she stabilizes, she marches the girl up to the man who prepares the equipment. "One ride for the two of us!"

Just like before, she settles herself in the wooden saddle, being sure to let her fingers run over the smooth paint job. And just as she would for when she flies normally, she then turns and offers a hand to her passenger. The small mimicry deepens the dimples about her smile, and she adds a gratuitous, enthusiastic wink.

"If you like this, you should come fly with me sometime!"