[PRP] Proper Season (Chaeng / Eiylas)

[penemueIntuition]

In which two sisters spend a midautumn night outside  

[penemueIntuition]

Leaves fell all around Eiylas as she crouched low to the ground, face close to a suspicious looking herb. Hmmm... was this the one that could cure a rash? Or... or was this the one that GAVE the rash that needed curing? She wrinkled her nose as she continued to stare at it. Nope. It refused to reveal any secrets any time soon. Instead it sat quietly, temptingly, begging to be picked. Chaeng would know what this was, right? So why not ask her?

"Chaeng!" the little girl called out, springing up and twirling herself around. "Chaeng where are you?" For a moment she turned back around to glare at the plant, before deciding that for sure it could NOT be her new best friend. With that in mind, Ely began to skip through the forest.

"Chaeng! Chaeeeeeenng!" Where could her sister have gone? Chaeng had been there only a few moments before... how far could she have gotten? As she ran through the woods she kicked up leaves, a multicolored trail following behind her. Moonlight poured through where patches in the trees now formed, and the brisk air nipped her face as she hurried to find her sibling.

Aah, there. There was Chaeng! In the light pouring down was her sister. "Hey Chaeng! May I have your help identifying a plant?" Even after running so far, she wouldn't stop moving until she was next to the other troll, panting for a bit before flopping on her butt into the leaves, laughing when they fluffed up and scattered in the breeze.  

[Magician Arcana]

Chaeng, Chaeng!

Someone was calling for her. The purpleblood stopped and looked around the forest. Tall trees with broad limbs coated the sky with multicolored fall leaves. They crunched pleasantly below her feet. Moonlight scattered through openings, speckling the ground in marvelous dancing shadows.

"Izu, did you see it? That one looks like a barkbeast." Chaeng squatted low, her arms wrapped around her knees. There were many stories in the shadows. Lots and lots.

"Huh?" Suddenly her stories were interrupted by a blast of leaves. Eiylas plopped down, laughing merrily, "Oh! Certainly? First, though, did you see the shadows? They're really nice tonight. It's like the moon and trees are making a big story. Do you want to watch it with me?"  

[penemueIntuition]

"Mmmm..." The little girl didn't give a yes or no, but it wasn't really needed now was it? Ely stared into the shadows nearby and started trying to think herself... this was really Chaeng's talent, but it didn't mean that making stories wasn't fun. "I see a..."

After a long pause, the girl pointed at a shadow nearby, dancing along the ground. "There! Doesn't that kinda look like a nibblebeast hopping?" At least to her, thats what it appeared to be! With a big, fluffy tail and long ears... maybe it was secretly Izu's shadow she was staring at.

"Once upon a time there was a nibblebeast, dancing in the forest... and then it saw..." A long pause, a nose wrinkle as well. What did the creature see? She scanned the shadows for some more inspiration before staring up at Chaeng for guidance. "What did it see, Chaeng? Your turn!"  

[Magician Arcana]

"A nibblebeast?" Chaeng tilted her head and gazed at the base of the tree... A nibblebeast, "Oh!" Abruptly her smile brightened, eyes twinkling. There it was, a nibble beast hopping along.

"Yes, I see it." Ely started the story, and a good start at that, before passing it to Chaeng. The only response was a simple nod, her eyes dancing along the shadows.

In the center, a few leaves flickered in the wind, catching the shadows as they twirled. "Pretty... It saw a pretty troll. She was tall and slender. She could dance upon the wind... Ah, no. That's Odette, isn't it? mmm, no, no. Not good. We must keep this original."

Where was the next piece of the story? It was hiding in plain sight, teasing the purpleblood for not finding it. "Ah! There, right there near the mushrooms. The nibblebeast saw three trolls. Each of them had only one horn. The first was big, with a horn on her left. The third was the smallest, with a horn on the right. And the second was neither tall nor short, plump nor skinny, and had a single horn right in the middle... Mmm, what do you think they said?"  

[penemueIntuition]

Odette... from what Chaeng said of Odette, the troll had sounded quite lovely. She herself never met the woman but trusted her sister's judgement. Sort of. To be honest, Chaeng would probably trust a troll covered head to toe in like, dirty glass and needles if they say they wanted a hug. Thats why Ely was around though, right? To make sure those dirty glass needle trolls weren't hovering too close.

But there was nothing here that could hurt them right now. Just the two of them, Izu, and the shadows.

... aah! Was it her turn to add to the story already? "Uh..." Again, she wasn't too good at making stories like her sister was. Yet she had to try! Right? "They said... ... 'Have you seen our Mommy?'" Eiylas gave a solemn nod as she considered their reply. "They said 'We're lost, we were picking mushrooms and she went away. Did you see a colossal Lusii around?'"

For a moment she debated adding this detail, but after staring at the shadows a bit longer mentioned "Despite being alone, they didn't seem to be trembling. The shadows are very steady. I don't think they are worried."

magician arcana

 

[Magician Arcana]

Chaeng was already spinning the idea around - Three trolls, picking mushrooms, lost - when Ely added a new detail. The other troll brightened as if she had been given the rarest mushroom of all, eyes sparkling in delight. This was a marvelous detail! It was even better coming from Ely. "You're right!"

Now, the shadows that were still, not afraid, became a little foreboding. A little... Dangerous. "They don't seem normal. They seem just fine. The nibblebeast sniffed the air in suspicion...

"'If you are not with your lusus... why are you not afraid?' the nibblebeast asks catiously."

Skyli Peep

 

[penemueIntuition]

"'We're together, after all' said the left.' Ely wasted no time in replying, squirming in her leaf pile in excitement. Although she could carry herself well normally, she didn't have much of a poker face. It was clear she was excited for something. "The middle one said "We're all together, so there's nothing to fear.'" The right one ended with "So long as we are all together, we can do anything. So won't you help us find our lusus?'".

"They still aren't trembling" said Ely, as she grinned up at her sister. "Actually they are leaning closer! They seem eager." Hopefully that was enough hints for Chaeng. Oooh, she was just so excited to unleash her super secret plot twist! ... that she... totally hadn't revealed just yet, had she?

magician arcana

 

[Magician Arcana]

"What peculiar trolls..." Chaeng tilted her head this way and that, but couldn't figure out how they could be in the forest and not be afraid. Though, come of think of it, Chaeng and Ely were in the forest and not afraid. "Oh!"

Clearing her throat, the other troll began again, "The nibblebeast realizes that they must live in the forest. That is why they are not worried! 'Certainly' says the nibble beast, 'Which way should I go?'"

Skyli Peep

 

[penemueIntuition]

Aha! The nibblebeast said yes! Eiylas smiled from ear to ear and clapped her hands. ""We think they went near the old hollow tree" the middle troll said, "Thats where we were before we got lost. Maybe our lusus went back there.""

""Do you remember how to get there? We can't!" said the troll to the right." Ely gave a small nod afterwards, and thought to herself. "... Oooh man." She shivered in place just thinking about getting lost from Chaeng. "Its a good thing we know our way around here, right? Imagine if we got lost, too..."

magician arcana