lumberlady | Noctium

[After meeting up with Chiron, it's not hard to find Konoha. Since, you know, they're living in the same vicinity.

[Rather than greeting her like a normal person though, Rey can't suppress her exclamation--]

Konoha!

[--before she barrels forward into a bear hug. Nope, doesn't matter what Konoha was doing before, it's happening right the fuck now.]

continued from here;

[The ground shudders, the tree shakes, and somehow, Konoha can feel it. She hasn’t yet fully made the connection tying these sensations to the chunk of emerald embedded in the middle of a bay haunch, passing them off as intuition, passive observation, or flights of fancy, but though this world is not her land in heart... it seems to be now in body.]

Gonta isn’t here, either.

[Not just a daughter left behind who needed her, but a husband who did, in a different but just as important way. Konoha has told herself that, surely, time will have stopped. It did in Lunatia, so surely Jude and her family... they didn’t notice a thing, it would be a mere blip in the timeline before they were back...

But even if that was true, and their spouses could not miss them... she and Cardan were awake and aching. And, a part of her also knows... apparently still expected to create something similar to chroma for this populace as well. Was that all they were to other worlds? Batteries?

She doesn’t know. But what’s sure is that when Cardan pulls back enough to look her in the eye she meets him there desperately, cheeks shamelessly stained with tears and fingers still clinging to his shoulders, unable to let go yet. A promise from a person who couldn’t lie, even phrased to account of impossibility... it meant a lot. It meant a lot to her.]

Thank you...

[She manages the answer through the choke of emotion, finally forcing herself to pull a hand off him in order to try and wipe the tears from her face with the corner of a sleeve, attempting to pull herself together even though it’s tempting to fall apart.]

Have you... Have you gotten settled and everything? What- What have I missed... ?

[While she’d been living the life she dreamed of on Mt. Tsurugi, building a home, welcoming a daughter, looking forward to another-

All cut short. Again.]

Konoha-chan!

Where do boats go when they're sick?

Miss Konoha, I hope you're well after all the excitement of last week.

[ Following an exchange on the network, Ardbert finds himself out in the woods. He almost misses being unseen and unheard sometimes. At times like these, he would like to scream as loud as he could.

If he could just find his way to Laxan Loft, perhaps...

Well, such things aren't possible anymore. He's present now. A person. Alive. He can't even go out to the woods for a good yell because he knows they aren't truly empty. So he does the next best thing, and he tries to distract himself. He places himself at the most distinctly un-home-like thing he could think of.

He shows up at Konoha and Chiron's house. If his eyes look a bit red, pay it no mind. He's perfectly fine. ]

Konoha, are you home? I was wondering if perhaps you could show me the recipe to those riceballs you made?

IS THIS KONOHA
YOU HAVE A HORSE BODY

[The day after Rag'nbogi draws to a close, Konoha will find a basket sitting outside her door. Nestled inside, packaged in colorful cellophane paper, are an assortment of goodies. Flaky confectionaries tasting lightly of apple, a delicate layer cake sweet with honey, fried cheese pancakes with a small pot of strawberry jam. The pelt she had loaned Nikolai is wrapped around the little trove of treats, and tucked inside is a note in a slanting script:

Dear Konoha,

I described some celebrated Ravkan desserts to a local baker, and this is what she came up with. I think she did an excellent job, but I'll leave you to form your own opinions. Do let me know which is your favorite!

Fondly,

Nikolai Lantsov

Never let it be said that he does anything by half measures...]

[ Joric is most at his ease when outdoors and even more so the colder it is. Here in this little slice of the mountains he finds himself relaxing as he reclines in the grass beside the basic frame of a cabin that still needs built. He's humming to himself — some old tune from home passed down across generations — when he hears the sound of someone else in the area. And here he thought he picked a remote part of the mountainside for his new house. ]

Who's that?

[a few days into the month, Konoha gets a slightly out-of-focus photo of a young girl, around 5 or 6; her arms are outstretched, as if the viewer's preparing to pick her up.]

hey konoha, i got one of those mirrors too
i cant get it to work and pull up a memory of hunter, but... this is my daughter jeane
~~if this is weird you can ign~~
i thought you might wanna see her i guess

[Yet another person has arrived with her own mirror. And after a few days of disorientation and more importantly mourning what she now realizes is the inevitable truth she's more than ready to attempt to move beyond it.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to see anything quite happy enough she does finally get one brief moment. What follows is a voice message accompanied by a picture shortly after.]

Since I got the chance to see your family I wanted a chance to show you mine. Here's Jack.

[Attached is just a moment from one of the better memories. It's Ashi clinging onto Jack's back, arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders.]

[ The feed starts with what seems to be Zagreus juggling his phone and a fussing Manna Bairn bundled in his arms. ]

Wait-- ah, there we go.

[ He manages to prop the device up, leaving his hands free to try and deal with the fussing Bairn. The little one bears several striking features-- one eye red, the other gold, something that looks like an approximation of silver hair or down feathers, and of course, Zagreus' burning feet.

For his part, Zagreus seems a little more tired than usual, but not by too much. ]

Konoha. I'm so sorry to bother you, I wasn't sure who else to ask. [ Mother Nyx would be his go-to. ] You're the only person I know who has any experience with children. I don't know what to do... she's been like this for the better part of the last hour. What am I meant to do?

konoha-san? it's miu

are you free? i need help. i think you're literally the only person who can help me

Edited 2021-07-03 02:56 (UTC)

Hello. We've probably never talked to one another like this.

But well.

You know Zagreus, right? [That's a dumb question but he asks it anyway.] He's getting married. And he wanted me to invite people to come to the wedding. And I'd like to invite you. Because I'll be there. And we're friends. And I was especially told to invite my friends. I'll also be getting married. To him.

Has he told you this already? I bet he has.

never mind then. Not that this is being uninvited more like... rescinding this invitation because you have one from him? Right?

I have no idea how this works.

[ She could find Konoha down in the forests pretty easily and it wouldn't be the first time. Gwenhwyfar is... a bit timider than she usually is. ]

May I ask you something?

hey konoha!

[have a selfie of travis and the cat!!! jeane’s perched on his shoulder, as the two stand in front of a primaveran shop with rows and rows of colorful sweet displays.]

is there a kind of sweet you like?
they have so much stuff here, it’s crazy

[ It's a text because it's like 4am, and also because Cardan has been agonizing over it for the better part of 30 minutes.

Not that it shows in the final effort. ]

Konoha, this is Cardan.

Have you heard from Estinien of late?

[ ...yeah, he supposes that'll do.

Only after sending it does he realize that Konoha probably won't be awake for a while, because he's the only actually nocturnal person in this accursed city. ]

Good day! It's Constantin!

I have, as requested, tried your generously given food, and I have come with my commentary. Are you ready?

[Let It Begin]

Konoha? Is this a good time to call?

[Someone has just discovered Chiron's absence. And someone knows that the first thing that the centaur would want him to do is check in on his roommate and keep an eye on her for the remainder of the time they both are present in this world.]

konoha
it's morga

i realize it's early but i don't know who else to ask and i|

i'm ashamed to say i need some help with something.
you're the only person i know who has experience with something like this

Konoha, can we talk?
Nothing bad I promise.

Konoha, I have a question for you.
You don't have to answer if you don't want to.
It's just been something on my mind.
Nothing.... nothing really that important.
But I'm curious.

How did you know that you wanted children?

My dear Konoha, as the days grow shorter and colder, my thoughts wander back to your delicious cooking more often.

(This is not a subtle hint that you should prepare another basket for me and Alina soon, although I certainly wouldn't decline your generosity.)

I simply thought you would be pleased to know that I've been teaching myself how to cook. The results are astonishingly non-catastrophic!

[As proof, a photo of...what would appear to be beef wrapped in a flaky golden pastry crust? The dish has somehow become a household staple...]

[left outside of Kohona's door is a box containing several bags of tea and a watering can with her name characters painted on the side, as well as a card in the shape of a mushroom]

dear 🌳🍃 (Kohona),
enjoy this tea from flowers I grew myself. I hope you like the watering can and will find it helpful in your own gardening adventures.

Don't ever let anyone tell you you should say or spell your name a certain way to make it easier on them, especially in a place where we're all so far from home. However you choose to write it, for yourself, is beautiful.

Your friend,
Caduceus Clay

I told Alina.

[It's rarely a good sign when Nikolai uses so few words...]

[Late at night, after Liem's birthday party has ended, and Nikolai has returned home:]

Thank you again, Konoha, for hosting the party. I had an excellent time. 😄

[Of course, he didn't message her just for this...]

[action]

OVERFLOW | ACTION

[Text] un; presentmic -- you asked for this

@volkvolny

action

un: ERENJAEGER

hecka backdated

{ action }