Curious Findings (17) : Maybe it’s got something to do with the weather, or the construction, or all the other general oddities that seem to occur in Destiny City, but for the first time in nearly fifty years, the historic tree in one of Downtown Destiny City’s parks has woken up. While the tree was known for being alive and growing despite a lengthy hibernation, this is the first year that it’s sprouted leaves–but that’s not all! The unique tree has now also started growing strange pods. Because of the trees legacy–and not at all because of the oddity–the area has been taped off, but that really hasn’t been enough to stop anyone curious enough to investigate. The tree itself is several feet wide and stands roughly fifty feet tall; it’s branches spread significantly and seem like they can hold a lot of weight–which is good, because the pods growing on it have a hard brown shell and can grow up to the size of a soccer ball. Sometimes, the larger ones seem to tremble and shake in place. Maybe it's an animal trying to nibble? Maybe it’s just the wind? Maybe it’s something else. The pods can be pulled from the tree or collected from the ground; the shells are incredibly difficult to crack open, and some of them leak a strange, acidic sap that is strong enough to cause skin agitation–and in some cases there are even reports that it’s burned through wood or fabric. Sometimes, the healthier looking pods that aren’t leaking anything even seem to shake on their own, which is a mystery in itself. Another mystery is why Almadel seems so keen to trade for them…
She'd never bothered with the Merchant during the previous years. Wishes, magical requests and exchanges were something Hestia had long determined to just be for people who weren't capable enough to do it themselves. Probably just too lazy to really work for their dreams and goals. But maybe, just maybe, Hestia had been wrong in this. At least she felt it this year. The need for answers beyond her grasp, the goals that seemed to keep fading into something close to impossibility.
She needed help, and maybe the Merchant could be that help.
Word was he wanted the strange fruit from the strange tree (one of the City's many strange trees, really), which felt simple enough. Maybe too simple, really. It wasn't easy sneaking a large, hardware store shopping cart into the clearing. Well, not easy for other people. Holding it upside down above her head for one last, smug second, Hestia carefully placed the cart down, quietly as possible.
The Merchant's request really was too simple, in her opinion. So it would be far more effective to take all of the fruit to him. More fruit meant a better exchange, right?
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2023 11:04 pm
Dumuzi had never heard of a request he hadn't gone way too hard at.
It was hard to be powered and not know something of the Merchant. Richtersveld did, at least, and that was where Dumuzi learned about him, accompanied with a warning from Richtersveld that if he thought Earth merchants were slimy, he should try one from a completely separate planet, or asteroid, or nebula, or wherever Almadel was from. At some point Zotsholo had tuned out, probably between the message of had interesting things and was looking for something in particular.
That sounded like a prize for bringing in the most things he was interested in. Dumuzi loved prizes. He lived for prizes. He thrived off that feeling of victory, so much that his sister's words fell on deaf ears as he ran off to go find that mysteriously massive tree.
(Shikora sighed. Nemyi patted her on the back and pointed out this was Zotsholo she was talking to--)
While he had trained his ability to carry far too much at once when he was carrying both a puppy and a snake, he brought at least four tote bags with him. Dumuzi thought to put them in his subspace pocket with his weights but he decided that was too inefficient; it was time to go the ******** to work and get as many of the juiciest ones he could. Or the rattling ones. Was he tall enough to reach some of the branches--
lizbot
Seiana_ZI
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lizbot rolled 2 4-sided dice:
1, 1Total: 2 (2-8)
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2023 11:44 pm
Across the clearing, Hestia noticed a knight aura, soon followed by a figure carrying...bags? Her eyes narrowed. Somebody was trying to hone in on her fruit tonight, huh? Planting her feet, she watched him eying the branches.
Tall. Good reach. Good form in general, she admitted with grudging respect. Well, good was good, but would it be good enough? With a little smirk, Hestia dashed forward and lightly jumped up, high up into its branches. Sometimes being smaller was an advantage!
Carefully reaching out, she grabbed one large pod and then a second, then...moved to give the branch above the knight's head a good stomp, causing a large one to break off and fall down toward him.
Sadly, the petty attack helpful move also cost her one of the fruits she'd had in hand.
"There you go, sir!" She called down. "You can take that fruit and go now."
Seiana_ZI
Dice 1: how many she gets back to her cart Dice 2: how many fruits are speeding down at Dumuzi
Was a senshi trying to make sure he wouldn't get his?
That leap was a good one, he would admit, but that was all she was going to get out of him. His eyes narrowed up at her as she stomped on a branch, and as it cracked, he reached up to snatch it out of the air, grabbing the fruit that was speeding down to him in the bag he held in his other hand. Too bad for her that he was used to events requiring agility!
"Thanks but no thanks! Came here for my ******** fruit, thanks!"
He slammed the branch into the tree, jostling a couple of the fruit from it loose. He happily dumped those into his bag, too.
Of course, he loosened up a few others up above.
"Good luck catching those!"
lizbot
Seiana_ZI
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lizbot rolled 2 4-sided dice:
3, 2Total: 5 (2-8)
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2023 12:11 am
Up in the branches, Hestia nearly lost her footing when he started hitting the tree with a branch like a barbarian! Which was actually a pretty cool move!"How dare he," she hissed under her breath, catching a falling fruit and bundling it in her apron with the other. Another falling fruit hit her shoulder, leaking a tiny bit of sap that...burned a small hole in her uniform?!
Was this knight trying to start s**t? Because she was extremely ready to end s**t. (No...no actually she was the one to start s**t...)
Hopping down and depositing her gains into the cart, Hestia was zipping back into the tree again like an enraged squirrel. After securing three more fruits in her apron, she grabbed another and then another, throwing them down at the knight violent force and accuracy.
"Oh why thank you!" snarled Dumuzi in a way that seemed so incredibly jaunty as he snatched one fruit out of the air and tried his best to get another in one of his bags. It worked to a point; the fruit was leaking a bit and rolled from his arm into one of his bags, leaving a burning trail behind.
It burned. It burned so good it enraged him. How dare she be so speedy and get more of these fruits than him in the process!
That wasn't going to stand.
"Maidlet!" he declared, slamming the branch against the tree again. This time, the branch cracked, but with it came another several fruit. The two that weren't leaking went right into his bag. The two that were?
He aimed and fired right for her.
"Got a couple for you too! Fresh from the tree!"
lizbot
they're both such caring creatures!!
Seiana_ZI
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2023 6:33 pm
Maidlet.
One fruit hit her apron, the other she punched with a focused, laser-like fury and tried to pretend the resulting mess of spatters didn't sting. <******** maidlet.
Was he insulting her? Was he looking down on maids? Short people? Her specific combination of short and maid? Hestia saw red, her blood thundering the ever important question of WWDDD?
Once again she jumped down from the tree to deposit her fruit, spun around to face the knight and...
"IT'S TIME TO SHINE!"
MAIDLETSYOUSEETHELIGHTBITCH
Sailor Scout Attack: Time to Shine!
(debuff) A palm-sized scouring blast hits a surface, cleaning it to a highly polished state that creates a blinding glare. Most often used on her brooch to create a carebear stare-like attack.
Her behaviour followed the pattern, so he didn't question her jumping down from the tree, working further on getting a fruit down. If she was gonna punch out her own fruit that wasn't his ******** was she shouting out him?!
"Ow, the ********?!" why was everything so goddamn bright?! What was the brightness ******** coming from? Why the hell did she find that ******** necessary? "Maidlet? I meant Maidbitch!?"
Was that as actually as snappy as he'd made it sound? Absolutely not. Did it matter? Absolutely not, because he knew he was bigger than her, so he shut his eyes tight and whurled around, aiming to take out that maid-dressed b***h with his foot.
Not with his fruit though! Those shits were his!
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:14 pm
Maidbitch was right. Satisfied with the change of address, Hestia caught his ankle with a grunt, staggering back from the impact, forced to pull that leg in and over instead of the throw she'd intended.
"Blame yourself for being strong," she gritted out, disengaging and moving to jump up into the tree once more. "If you were weaker, I would be gentle." The word gentle contained a certain scoffing tone. Who would want to be treated gently? That'd be worse than being called maidlet.
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:48 pm
And that was that, and she grabbed his ankle but she wasn't really able to move him. Confident about his own display of strength, he gladly let his leg drop back down when she let go and turned his attention back to the tree.
"Love to blame myself for that," Zotsholo smirked at the concept of blaming himself for his strength. He'd take the compliment once the stinging in his eyes relented. He'd take that compliment further with an open gaffaw at the concept of being treated ******** gently of all things. He hadn't asked to be treated gently since, well,
Maidbitch didn't need to know that s**t.
"Being treated gently is ******** rude." Grabbing another branch and yanking hard on it, he happily collected the fruit that fell. "Treat me like I ******** deserve."
Was that respect?
Maybe.
lizbot
Seiana_ZI
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lizbot rolled 1 12-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-12)
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 2:01 pm
A mutual understanding of sorts was achieved. Did that mean that whatever, completely unnecessary, competition between them was over? Absolutely not. The battle of strength and magic might be settled (for now) but that still left speed!
"What you deserve...is second place!"
Hestia became a blur of black. white, and red as she recklessly sped along branches, leaping back and forth between her cart and the tree. She was fast, it couldn't be denied, but if she thought she had an advantage over her competition here, well...
Dumuzi openly laughed. He even might have let her have the headstart she unfairly took. That was all she got, though, before he proved his length wasn't just for show, necessarily. He stepped, stepped, and then burst, dashing after her and then dashing ahead of her without much more of a thought, cackling along the way because this was his mfing wheelhouse. Did she think she stood a chance?
Not on his life, that was for sure!
lizbot
somehow i missed this tag rip,,
Seiana_ZI
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lizbot rolled 1 12-sided dice:
12Total: 12 (1-12)
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Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:03 pm
Hestia froze as the knight (the page!!!) sprinting ahead. Mouth slightly ajar, fruit in hand dropping to the ground. Did knights also come from deep space? Was this a horse knight?! It was completely unreasonable is what it was!
Noticing his bags were more full than her cart, by far, the maid senshi sprung into action, and decided to just throw fruit into the basket from where she was. Which was a highly successful switch in tactics! But not very good for the fruit to be honest!
But soon, in the distance, came the sound of a dog barking and the bright swinging beams that signaled security flashlights.
Jabbing her finger toward the big page, Hestia announced, "This isn't over!" And then she was lifting the full shopping cart over her head to make her escape. But before she left the clearing, she shouted over her shoulder, "You should join pro wrestling!"
Completely unreasonable? Naturally. Fitting of his Olympian background?
Always.
He was about ready to gloat about it when she was suddenly collecting so many more fruit. The nerve. He could do that too, and still outrun the ******** cops! Except she was grabbing too many too fast, and he only managed to get his hands on two more fruit. What was he supposed to do with that! He didn't have enough to defeat her!
She was right, this wasn't over! He didn't let anything sit with a loss!
Turning into a wrestler? Sounded like a challenge!
"Bet!"
But he had to get out of here, and he bolted with his fruit away from the barking dogs.
