[NOTICE] Attn: Yukiko (Strawberri Stardust)

[FA Venus]

The days of the Valentine's celebrations were approaching fast. Yukiko would be familiar with the time--in fact, this time of year would probably be her favorite, would it not? This was where she had met Anteros, and where she had later gained her little demi-god son who wasn't so little anymore.

He had recently gone on his own quests, leaving Yukiko home alone for a small while.

In the mean time, Anteros had stopped by, more excited than he had ever been in any kind of recent memory; the last time he had been this thrilled, it was because his son had been born. It was a more subtle excitement he had shown last time, though. This time, he was practically jumping up and down, bouncing in place and barely able to control himself. "My mother!" he had said. "She's giving us a special honor this year!"

A special honor, for them!

He almost seemed a little too excited about the fact that they were the ones being honored. A little grumbling about, "Shows that arrogant twin of mine...," probably gave a few clues into why.

He had told Yukiko to prepare for the celebration before he flew away, wanting to make his mother proud of him and the woman who had danced so well with him last year.

It was a few days after he left when Yukiko received a notice from Venus, delivered by a cherub-looking mellon in a fluffy scarf.

Quote:

Darling Yukiko of the Isles,

It is my privilege to personally invite you to my ENGAGEMENT PARTY on February 14, the Day of Love! There will be dancing, food, a string band and lots of tributes to Me!

In particular, you and Anteros were crowned the Queen and King of last years' celebrations! In consequence, the two of you have been given a special role, sitting over this year's dances and celebrations! My congratulations to the both of you.

Before you take your seat of honor at the celebration, though, there are a few things I would like you to do! First, I would like you to find me a bushel of elderberries! Elderberries used to be so common, but they are hard to find these days, especially since your isle fell into the sea and became so warm. Please find me some!

Love Always,
Venus ~

(( Yukiko has been sent on a quest by Venus! She is to find Venus enough elderberries to fill up a standard bushel. There is a small hint on where she can find them within the letter! ))

Strawberri Stardust

 

[Dragon Berri]

Valentine's was Yukiko's new favorite time of the year, and had been since the year before when she was blessed with love in two wonderful ways. Anteros and Adelphos were everything to the snow angel Pae, and she would do anything for them. She giggled softly behind her hand at the sight Anteros made bouncing in excitement. It was actually kind of adorable, and extremely endearing. "It's very exciting," she agreed and smiled at him. She thought the rivalry between him and Eros was a bit much, but she supposed it's what came of being twins. She nodded when he told her to prepare for the celebration. Right. Prepare for the celebration. He made it sound so easy...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later while she was getting ready for the celebrations, a chubby pink mellon brought her a note from Venus herself. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her heart fluttering a bit in her chest as she read the invitation. She was to bring a gift? Of course she was to bring a gift, silly Yukiko. It was the goddess of love's engagement party! She didn't see anything else referring to Venus' fiance though, which was strange to her, but she shrugged it off.

Elderberries. Where was she to find...oh. Well, she supposed if they were hard to find because the isle had grown warm, then it would only make sense that she would find the berries somewhere colder. Right? She hoped she was right, anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was going to be so late. She'd been searching for these berries for days with no luck yet. Maybe she had gone to the wrong place? She'd gone to the Aura Nin Mountains because it had made so much sense. If the berries didn't grow in the warmth of the rest of the isle, then they should grow in the cold of the mountains. She couldn't go all the way to the top of the mountains, but at least it was colder here than the rest of the isle. According to her son, the North Wind resided at the top, how could it not be colder here? And yet, she hadn't managed to find the berries. She was starting to despair of ever finding them. Then what? Should she just go to the dance without Venus' gift? That seemed...well, dangerous. One just didn't anger the gods. Taking a deep breath, she gave herself a mental shake. She would not give up on this. Steeling herself, she got up and kept looking.  

[Dragon Berri]

It had taken her another day, nearly two, before she'd found them. Bunches upon bunches of the blessed black berries. She felt like crying from her relief, but there was no time for that! She had to fill the bushel she'd brought! She had to get back home and dress for the dance. She refused to let Anteros down. Hurriedly she filled the bushel and made her way home. She hoped she still had time to dress and get to the celebrations on time!  

[Guardian_Iris]

Or so Yukiko thought, anyway.

She tried to make her way home, but it was not long before she was intercepted by a bunch of excited mellons. One of them moved his arms a little bit, the bushel of elderberries being lifted from her arms and into theirs.

They squealed.

"Elderberries!" one exclaimed. "We haven't had this in such a long time!"

Another one clapped. "I can't wait to try these! I've never had any of the mythical--"

A final mellon made a loud clearing sound with his throat, quieting the others. "Thank you for the berries!" announced he, chipperly. "We have another note for you!"

Quote:

Fairest Yukiko of the Isles,

Thank you for finding me the elderberries! You're the best. I see why my son likes you so much!

But that's not the only thing I wanted you to get! There was a demon, once, on the Isle. He had such a large selection of alcohol that he dispensed in a bar and grill...

It's been a few years, I imagine his collection must have aged quite nicely by now!

Could you find the alcohol stash? Some of my mellons will come with you, to help you move it.

Love Always,
Venus ~

(( Yukiko has been sent on another quest by Venus! She is to find Venus this stash of alcohol. Since some of the mellons are staying with her, you are free to play them. They will generally be annoying, overly cheerful, and unhelpful. ))

Strawberri Stardust

 

[Dragon Berri]

"Oh! Nonono! Those aren't for you, they're for Venus!" she exclaimed as the mellons stole her bushel of elderberries. She didn't want to be rude, but it had taken her days to find those berries! How was she...oh. They were Venus' mellons. She flushed darkly, a bit embarrassed. "M-my apologies," she murmured as she read the note.

Oh, no! She was going to be so very, very late! Oh, dear...the Isle was a large place, how was she to find some demon's alcohol stash from years ago? A bar and grill... Hadn't she seen one of those somewhere? "Oh, my," she murmured to herself. She glanced up and squeaked a bit as the mellons were hovering near her head.

"Would any of you know where to find the bar and grill?" she wondered. When they just giggled and flew off, she sighed. This was going to be such a fun trip...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As it turned out, the bar and grill was about a day's journey from the mountains. Maybe she wouldn't be as late as she had thought. Maybe. She pushed the door open. "Ah... I don't suppose any of you could just tell me where the stash is?" Again, they just giggled, though this time they tugged her in several different directions. How helpful. Thanks ever so much, Venus. She flushed a bit and pulled her arms away from the mellons so she could look around on her own.  

[Dragon Berri]

She felt so strange looking around the bar. There were half empty and broken bottles behind the bar itself, but she was fairly sure that those were not the stash Venus had sent her to look for. She checked every drawer, looked behind every counter. In the office of the bar, she tugged so hard on a stuck drawer she nearly pulled the whole cabinet down on top of her. With a shriek, she jumped out of the way just in time for it to crash on the floor instead. She lay a hand on her racing heart in an effort to calm it. Well, from the way it sounded when it crashed, there weren't any bottles in there at least. At this rate, it was probably under the floor in some secret compartments she'd likely never find. But she had to keep trying.

Maybe there would be a clue in some paper or something on the desk. She sat down heavily in the seat behind the desk and took a deep breath in an effort to calm her heart rate further. She picked through the papers on the top of the desk, brushing dust away and trying to contain her sneezes.  

[FA Venus]

She certainly found some things in those notes. One in particular was a love letter, terribly written, with some hardened parts of paper hinting of maybe some alcohol stains or tear stains. It described some things in exquisite detail that probably didn't need explaining, like how their lover's drool glistened in the morning light...

... Yeah, probably alcohol.

The mellons were reading over Yukiko's shoulder, giggling and laughing as she thumbed through more and more of the useless documents.

"Pssst," one of the giggling mellons finally hissed in her ear, "the bar was destroyed!"

They seem to find this hysterical.

But this probably just made Yukiko's job harder.

Strawberri Stardust

 

[Dragon Berri]

She arched an eyebrow at some of the things described by the love letters. It certainly seemed like the author was drunk at the time... Really, who on Telrunya would describe anyone's drool with that much detail when they were sober? Still, she supposed it was kind of sweet... She wondered if Venus would be interested in seeing the letters. Was the goddess happy when pae fell in love? Folding them carefully, she tucked a few of the letters in the bag she had brought with her and tried to ignore the giggling of the mellons. She just hoped they were more helpful when she actually found the alcohol. Which she was still hoping to do.

At least until one of them piped up to tell her the bar had been destroyed. "Wha- destroyed!?" Of course they would think it hysterical. She groaned and face planted on the desk. Great. Just super. How was she supposed to find this stash if the bar was destroyed! With a sigh, she pushed away from the desk and decided that maybe she'd check the floor boards...just to be sure. She grabbed a random stick from against the wall and started tapping floor boards with it, hoping for a hollow sound that could signal a hiding place. It felt like what she thought it was: a last ditch effort.  

[Dragon Berri]

Quickly realizing she was going to get absolutely nowhere here, she grabbed her bag and left the building with the mellons still giggling behind her. Well, that was irritating. She grumbled a bit to herself, but let them giggle about the whole thing. She tried to ignore them to figure out what her next plan of action should be.

If the bar was destroyed....would there be debris left? Should she be looking for some kind of ruins? And if so, which way should she go? "Can you guys give me a hint as to direction at least?" she asked her mellon companions.  

[Dragon Berri]

Yukiko walked for what felt like forever, turning over and over what little information she had in her mind. The bar she'd found hadn't been the right one. The right one had been destroyed, but it had been somewhere on the Isle. Which meant it could be anywhere, really. She sighed and rubbed her face. Where were bars usually found? In cities, but Venus' note had said it was on the Isle. As far as she knew, there wasn't a bar like that in Telrunya City. Besides, that wasn't really on the Isle, but floating above it. And there weren't any actually cities on the Isle that she was aware of.

Where else would a bar and grill be located....oh. Beaches were popular, weren't they? It would make sense for a bar to be near or on the beach. Thankfully she was already headed in the right direction, and soon enough she felt sand under her feet. For the angel who preferred colder conditions, the beach was uncomfortably warm. She really wanted to get this over with. She badly wanted to be with Anteros, and not have disappointed him or his mother. Launching herself into the air, she hovered about and looked for what could be the ruins of the bar she was looking for.  

[Dragon Berri]

She was hot and tired and wanted off of this beach. She missed Anteros, and Adelphos, and she was so afraid she was going to miss the dance entirely. She didn't want to let Anteros down. She loved him, she didn't want him to think she would stand him up on such an important day!

Every time she saw a bit of wood, she landed and looked around. There was nothing that looked like it might have been a bar. When the sun started to set, she wondered how long ago it was that the bar was destroyed, and if she'd ever even find the alcohol Venus wanted. With a frustrated cry, she kicked at the sand.

And her foot connected with something much harder than sand. "Oh!" she cried and fell to her knees, cradling her hurt foot and checking to make sure she hadn't broken anything. Wait. What on earth had she kicked? She scrambled over to whatever it was and dug through the sand. It didn't take her long to uncover what looked like a cellar door. Yes! Finally! It had to be the right place! What else could it possibly be? She went to open it and.... It was locked. She wanted to cry. It seemed like everything was working against her. She pulled ineffectively at the doors and sniffled. Hopeless. She felt so hopeless just then. How was she supposed to open it? She fell back in the hot sand and stared at that stupid lock on that stupid door.

She wanted to scream in frustration and rage and kick and punch. But she didn't do any of those things. She needed to think, think how to get that lock off the cellar door. She scanned the area around her and spotted a rock, it looked heavy. Getting up, she grabbed the rock and brought it over to the cellar. Hefting it above her head, she took a moment before slamming it down against the lock.

To no effect. She tried it again, and again, and still no visible effect. She sighed and dropped the rock, looking around for something else to try. Getting an idea, she pulled a pin out of her hair and knelt up to try picking the lock with it. "Please, please, please, please," she murmured over and over. She had no idea how to pick locks but after all this bad luck, she had to have a little bit of good, right?  

[FA Venus]

Yukiko was not exactly a professional lockpicker, but she was resourceful. If she was careful not to break her hair pin, she would find that the lock would eventually pop open, leading to a somewhat musty-smelling cellar.

The mellons that were behind her suddenly flew into the cellar in front of her, squealing at the sights they saw below. Perhaps they found what they were looking for?

"Yukiko!" one of them called. "Help us bring these up!"

Strawberri Stardust

 

[Dragon Berri]

She nearly sobbed in relief when she heard a click and the lock slipped open. Finally! Some good luck. She squeaked as the mellons flew past her into the cellar. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to breathe. She hoped this was the right cellar, how could it not be? But it would be her awful luck to have to look for another one.

The mellons squealed, and Yukiko could breathe. Uncurling from her position in the sand, she slipped into the blessedly cool darkness of the cellar and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. It smelled musty down there, but at least it was cooler than the beach itself. She sneezed as the mellons stirred some dust around, and her wings brushed some cobwebs. It was obvious that no one had been down here in ages.

There were barrels and crates of alcohol and she wondered how on Telrunya they were going to get it all to Venus! She and the mellons couldn't possibly carry it all... But maybe Venus had a plan for that. Once her eyes adjusted, she grabbed a crate of bottles and maneuvered around the broken glass on the floor to get it up to the beach. Hopefully no one stole any while they brought everything up.  

[Dragon Berri]

Yukiko was covered in sweat and breathless by the time they had gotten even half of the alcohol up to the beach. By the time all of the alcohol had been brought up - the barrels, the crates, and finally the bottles that were by themselves or in wine racks.

"Right," she said as she sprawled in the sand, flexing her wings and stretching her limbs. "Now how are we going to get all this back to Venus?" she asked of the mellons.  

[FA Venus]

"Oh, we'll take care of that!"

There was a giggle in Yukiko's ear, but none of the mellons' mouths moved in unison. That was probably a little unnerving... but the mellons didn't give her a whole lot of time to consider it, moving their arms around and attempting to lift the barrels. Some of them made frustrated noises, attempting to physically lift them and not finding much success...

Until one snapped their fingers in realization. They moved their hands around in the air in a particular pattern, and a few of the barrels lifted themselves off the ground, hanging there in suspense.

Wait, they could do that the whole damn--

"Oh! Yukiko, when we were done, Venus wanted me to give you this." The leader of the group flittered over to Yukiko, giving her ...

Another letter.

Quote:

Snowiest Yukiko of the Isles,

This alcohol will be so tasty! I will have my mellons use it for my party ... though the oldest is going straight into my collection. Thank you for that! Maybe I'll let you have a drink when you get here?

Oh, speaking of!

I know someone who could use your help. He lives off the shores of Telrunya, on one of the outlying islands? There will be a strange rock location there! He'll tell you what to do when you get there.

Love Always,
Venus ~

(( Yukiko has been sent on yet another quest by Venus! Yukiko is going to have to find whatever island Venus is talking about. When she manages to locate it, quote FA Venus. ))

Strawberri Stardust