The Older Twin

❀ Iluka ❀ Cafe Owner ❀ 828,040G  ❀ Affiliated with Pelago Islands!

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silukaura​:

stardew | siluka & iluka

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•｡ ❀ 𝒜methyst eyes opened, brimming with tears, to vast darkness engulfing the bedroom - with the exception of the moonlight bleeding through the curtain covering the open window. ~ Deep breath in, deep breath out. ~ She reigned herself in from the turbulent seas she was adrift in - escaping the nightmare wreaking havoc on her slumber. Siluka awakened once again with the same dream that haunts her memories, albeit their origin remained unbeknownst to her; however, it still seemed authentic - so real to feel and so true to the touch; alas, it was a fragment of her reality that she could not figure out how to piece into this life she was existing within.

𝒪utside her window, the priestess heard the flowers beckon for her - the sea call out her name; it was enough for the sleepy girl to arise from her bed and exit through the rear of the café that faced the ocean - to feel her twin flame flickering in the distance.

“𝓘luka. What are you doing out here? It’s late.” 

There it was again. The quiet, almost inaudible, whispers of vaguely familiar voices that filled a pitch-black background. Iluka was staring down at nothing, no comprehensible figures or shadows, just the faint sound of voices and... water? Then it hit her, the feeling that she couldn’t breathe, that she was gasping for air, followed by an icy-warmth and shot her awake.

Iluka sat up, breathing heavily and brushing her bangs out of her face. It had been some time since the nightmares had come to haunt her; she couldn’t remember the last time she was jolted awake in a cold sweat. The priestess took a moment to compose herself and ease her breathing, then looked over to make sure her sister was still asleep. The last thing she wanted to do was wake her sister with her... troubles. 

Quietly, she rose from the bed and grabbed a thin blanket to wrap around her shoulders. As it usually went when she needed to clear her head, she walked to the balcony that wrapped around the back of their house and leaned against the railing. The reflection of the moon on the water was calming enough, although she was starting to feel her emotions rise; the feeling of wanting to cry becoming more prevalent.

However, that was - thankfully - interrupted by the sound of her sister’s voice. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

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[ Activity Check - Passed! ]

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gridballgod​:

@carosellocafe

A skirt, in a similar style and colour to the one that had been damaged on their voyage, arrived at Iluka’s address. Aside from the item, custom made on Arcadia, there is an attached note with just two words. 

As promised.

-[1000G] Custom skirt @embroideredsmile -[1000G] Delivery with Pelago Express @tinastea New balance [ 156,010G ]

A few days passed since the voyage and in those days Iluka had tried to salvage her favorite skirt to no avail. The tear had frayed the individual threads and sewing it together, even with the closest of stitches didn’t help. The design was ruined. The gold thread picked apart by the branch that snatched and tore it. The only way for her to even think about being able to save it was to remove all of the threaded gold and start from the beginning. Sadly, she did not have the time for that and instead went with tossing the skirt. It was time anyway... Or so she told herself. Strangely enough, in the same day a package arrived for her. It was neatly wrapped in a box with a note attached. The note alone didn’t make much sense but when she opened the gift the image she was met with said everything else. It was a skirt, much like the one she threw away, and immediately she knew who it was from. And although it didn’t have the same Lulukoko details, it was rather close which impressed her. 

Iluka took the skirt out of the box and admired it for a minute. A smile pulled at her lips and when she felt it, she shook it off and hung the skirt in her closet.

[thepelagoislands]

TL;DR: Alex caused the island to turn to stone by touching the shiny thing that Iluka said he wasn’t allowed to touch. Iluka was mad but maybe a little less mad because Alex almost died saving her life. She tended to his wounds and they had… a moment.

TWs: blood, injury 

This may be reblogged for 3 points of activity! @carosellocafe @gridballgod

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                                                            [ ❀ Beach Day ❀ ]

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[ Semi-Hiatus - End. ]

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gridballgod‌:

City Lights || Alex & Iluka

They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Iluka’s gaze flicker towards him a couple of times, but he didn’t return the look. Part of him was worried she wouldn’t look at him any more if he caught her doing it. Wait, why did that bother him? 

He didn’t have time to think about that when her single word broke the silence. His heart warmed. Knowing Iluka, it couldn’t be easy to show gratitude to somebody she didn’t particularly seem to like… or rather, want to like. He decided it didn’t matter why he liked spending time with her. All that mattered was he was enjoying himself more now, in the silent, still air, than he had in months. 

Something about the magic of the lights surrounding them and the absence of the crowds gave Alex the confidence to do something he normally would have never tried otherwise. Not with Iluka, anyway. She would probably have his arm off. But, even knowing this, he reached out his fingers by his side to touch her hand. 

Iluka’s mind wandered while she looked at the lights. A part of her recognized that it might have been a good idea to start heading back, although the other part wanted to linger around the town more. For the lights, of course. Or so she told herself. Either way, she wasn’t ready to end the night just yet.

And while she debated her plans for the rest of the evening, Iluka felt the gentle brush of his fingers against her hand and for a moment her breath hitched. She didn’t move but she felt her body tense under his unexpected touch. However, she didn’t flinch, she didn’t pull her hand away, nor she did threaten to hit him - as she normally would have. He was known to be a rather touchy person in her opinion as it was and she typically hated it, but this time...

It was the lights. She was fully convinced that there was a strange magic that loomed over the event because her next move surprised her just as much as she assumed it might have shocked him. With the same gentleness and cautious reach that he had, she reached out with her fingers and brushed against his before wrapping her fingers around the ones he extended. The entire time her eyes didn’t dare to look over at him or even the slightest bit in his direction. Not a word was muttered either, as she felt her actions alone had said enough. 

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City Lights || Alex & Iluka

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gridballgod‌:

Rather than keeping his eyes on the lights as they approached, Alex subtly turned his eyes to the side, watching Iluka’s expression. The lights, he’d seen before (although he never got tired of them). The look of awe on somebody’s face from seeing them for the first time, especially when it was somebody who spent most of their time frowning, was a much more unique sight. 

She glanced at him and he tore his gaze away quickly, guessing she wouldn’t appreciate him staring at her. 

“This is the main event,” he explained, leading her forwards to stand beneath the dozen string lights which came together over the square to form a star of criss-crossing twinkling bulbs. “It’s always pretty crowded in the early evening, so I thought I’d save the best ‘til last.” 

Iluka crossed her arms under her chest and looked over the lights that decorated the city. While her eyes carefully studied the displays of all shapes and sizes, she began to think back on the event and how she didn’t particularly regret accepting his invitation. For one, she didn’t know Leuda very well and with the quickly growing crowds knew that she might have decided to turn back early instead of trying to deal with it. And secondly, being that he had yet to turn something she said to him into a tease of some sort, she thought his company wasn’t as annoying as typically was. Truth be told, when he wasn’t sporting his overly cocky attitude, he was... agreeable.

Her eyes lingered on the lights before she glanced - for only a second - over to him, then focused back on the lights. Her thoughts had been stirring for the last few minutes and although she thought that she would never genuinely thank him for anything... She had realized that had it not been for him, it was pretty clear that she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy herself as much, even if she barely showed it regardless. 

There was a pause in hesitation before she spoke and for a second she glanced over to him before quickly averting her gaze back to the lights. “Thanks.” Her eyes never left the lights though the words were meant for him. She wasn’t sure what it was or why, thinking to partially blame it on the city’s current atmosphere, but she was starting to not mind having him around.

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City Lights || Alex & Iluka

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gridballgod‌:

Alex nodded simply at her gratitude, knowing that she would probably appreciate the gesture more than him making a big deal out of it. Wait, since when did he act the way that would make her more comfortable? Normally, he made these decisions based on what was more likely to annoy her. Ah, well, it was probably that he subconsciously didn’t want to ruin this magical festival for her with his antics. 

“If everyone’s heading to the side streets, it must mean that the main square has quietened down,” he said. He headed in the direction of the quickest route. “If you thought the lights were pretty here, just wait until you see the main display.”

Rather than the twinkling lights here that were subtle but effective, the larger displays near the centre were larger and more magnificent than you could imagine, taking various shapes and sizes. He was excited for her to see them. 

Iluka hadn’t been able to catch a break since stepping off the boat. Leuda was more crowded than Arcadia on a normal day on her rare, non-event visits, but this was ridiculous. And being that she was a person that didn’t do well in large, shoving crowds it had started to become more trouble than it was worth. Or so she thought. When Alex started to lead her down another path, the lights got brighter and larger. The display spanned across multiple streets and corralled in the center into one larger display within the display. Upon first sight, it was officially worth the trouble.

“Don’t get used to hearing this,” she started glancing over to him, “but you were right. This is better.” The faintest of smiles appeared on her lips as her eyes scanned over the lights that decorated the city.  It was truly a sight to remember and one that would potentially bring her back the following year, though her event companion may be different. She didn’t see their relationship getting any further than where it was currently, if not reverting back to where it used to be.

[mistresstrupin]

A Family Visit || [[Mist/Iluka]]

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mistresstrupin‌:

“Well, I was just going to say hello to my parents and grandparents,” Mist said conversationally. “I’m sure they’d like to say hello to you too, Iluka, if you wanted to pop over and say hi. Other than that… Let me see… Oh, we could go out for tea and crepes. Then again, would that be the same as giving business to your competition? Do you never eat out at other places?”  Although it might have seemed a bit strange for Mist to gloss so casually over a cemetery visit, she didn’t see why it had to be a particularly awkward thing to admit to. It was simply a fact that she had a lot of dead relatives, and there was no reason to act like going to visit them now should be treated differently in conversation than if they were alive.

For less than a second, she a wore a small smile on her face. She had often forgotten that there were people close to her - distance and relationships - that had a situation similar to hers. Being that she never spoke about it herself, it wasn’t a conversation topic that was on her mind nor was it the kind of thing she’d invite others, who weren’t her sister, to. But she did appreciate that Mist would think of her and ask her along. “Alright,” she nodded. “I’d like to pay my respects to them.” As a shrine maiden back home and on Arcadia, she knew the importance of it, but also being that she couldn’t do the same to her own parents’ graves... The least she could do was bless those of a friend’s.

“My sister and I occasionally eat at other places. I don’t see it as competition when no one else serves what we do in dishes, service, or ambiance. We’re one of a kind.” 

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Puppy Playtime

Open

On her days off, Iluka would take Koa out for a walk to let him release all the energy he gets from… somewhere. Honestly, she had no idea, but it seemed to never go away. He could run for miles and rest for a minute before jumping up and starting again. He was quite the character.

Usually she took him the best places she had found for pets on Arcadia. The Safari Park, which offered off-leash areas for domestic pets to play. It gave Koa plenty of space to romp around by himself or with other dogs that happened to be there. The best part was that the place also allowed her to leave the dog for the day while she went to do her errands, the women who ran the places opting to watch over them. However, she typically stayed to play with him. It was her day off, where else would she go?

On their way over, Koa stopped to greet a person in passing. Iluka often thought that he was a bit too friendly, but the more she thought about it, the sillier the thought was. There was no such things as a dog that was too friendly.

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Shipment Day

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“Idiots.”

She mumbled, arms crossed over her chest as she looked at boxes upon boxes that had just come from her hometown. The shipment was stacked tall and towering over her, which made it impossible for her to manage, and none of the workers had stayed behind to help move them into the shop where they were supposed to be placed. Well, it wasn’t impossible for her do move them herself, but still very difficult considering her height and the fact that the lightest one was twenty-five pounds. After two or three them, she’d be exhausted.

Iluka uncrossed one arm, leaving the other wrapped around her, and rubbed her temples. This was frustrating. She turned around for a breather when she saw someone walking closer. Whether they were walking her way or not wasn’t important.

“Hey, you! How about you lend me a hand?”

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                                                   [ ❀ Founding Celebration ❀ ]