[hypnoticallycaucasian]

Right. Since she came from the same place as Lilith, they didn't have any need to dress pretty or be cute.

It's probably impossible for Badou's smile to get any softer.

"Glad to hear it. Not much into getting acrylic nails, but you can do my toes if you want. And all the hair clips."

[dancingxflames]

"Ah! YAY!" She links her arm around her friend with the biggest grin on her face. "Then let's go! We will get all the stuff." She's always excited and happy. Not to mention, grateful for Badou's willingness to do anything fun with her, really.

[dancingxflames]

Tae has such a mischievous smile on her face as she approaches her friend with the biggest grin, "Good thing they're not here, mm?" She only meant that Zelda was free to wear whatever she pleased.

"Try it on, I'll be your honest critique~!" Of course, it wouldn't be wrong for her to try on a dress.

"And if you like it, you should take it home."

[silentaura]

they weren't here . and perhaps she didn't miss their echoes rippling behind every move she made . and maybe that was enough to embolden zelda , because the pressure is all too convincing . " alright , alright . i shall try it on . pardon me a moment . "

zelda hugged the dress tight to her chest and escaped behind a thick dressing curtain . there was a part of her who held dear the hope that she might put on the dress and feel every bit of how she perceived tae to be . yet , situated next to it was the nagging pessimism that her delusion ran too deep .

she emerged after a good minute with her hope engulfed with shame . rosy were the tips of her ears , warm to the touch . a hand shielded half her face , blistered with a crimson shyness and ashamed .

ashamed to be seen so cute .

zelda did not leave the curtain wholly , but instead stood halfway behind and halfway to present herself as promised . she spoke her companion's answer on her behalf -- as if not allowing her the opportunity to fuss or fawn : " it really doesn't suit me . i am really not meant for such frills . "

[dancingxflames]

Tae waits patiently, eyes shopping for other cute dresses. By time Zelda emerges from behind those curtains, the spirit looks and clasps her hands together.

"Zelda! Come, come! I want to see you in the dress!" She shakes her hand and laughs, "nonesense!" From what can already be seen, Zelda was gorgeous! "This color--" she says, approaching Zelda and gently pushing her toward a mirror nearby, "is your color. Pink and white!"

[windfavord]

. ⟡ * random starter for @dancingxflames !

"Do you miss your homeworld?"

Harukaze paused, realized that it was probably a foolish question-- just about anyone would answer yes to that. So, he added, "If this world suddenly gave you a chance to return, would you?"

Something like that might be a little more complicated.

They were sitting out in the forest, atop a sturdy branch. The late spring weather was nice, breezy and cool from the storm that had passed through earlier, and Harukaze after much deliberation and contemplation had invited Tae to join him on a patrol in the Aether Reserve. They'd spent a while looking for any birds' nests that had been knocked down by the wind and setting them back, making sure there weren't any branches fallen over the paths... things like that.

Because that was what friends did, right?

He sighed softly, glancing up toward still-grey sky.

"Why don't you tell me about Concordia?" he asked. "There are some books in the archives, but it's not the same as hearing it from someone who lived there."

[dancingxflames]

Tae takes a moment to reply as she hums thoughtfully. "I do miss home," she says with a light nod. "I miss my sisters the most. I suppose I would want to return if given the chance! If only to let my sisters know that I am fine. I wouldn't want to return permanently without Lilith." She couldn't leave Lilith behind like that. It wouldn't be right.

Tae's legs kick back and forth. "Concordia is a complex yet beautiful world." She's glad there are books and such in the archive. It's how she learned a bit about other worlds.

"Did you know Concordia used to have all four kingdoms as one a long time ago? Everything was in harmony, in peace, and everyone worked together."

The swinging of her legs stops, and she exhales softly. "So much has changed, but it is still beautiful. You would have liked it.

Will you tell me about your home? What things have you seen? You traveled a lot, didn't you?"

[silentaura]

" oh , wow . "

palm pressed to cheek . the garment was quite frilly , and that wasn't intended to be a dig , rather zelda simply couldn't envision herself in something so obviously sweet and girlish . itchy , thick lace dotted the hemming . the details dangled , held on by a thread . it was cheaply made , but more importantly . . . undeniably cute .

" i have always been told that it is most proper for me to maintain an . . . understated appearance . i can only imagine the scolding i would receive for showing out in something so ostentatiously cute . . . they might have considered me a spectacle . "

zelda's head lulled to the side , retrieving the hanger from tae to inspect it a little closer : as if to give the dress a better second chance than her gut initially had . she held it to her form , trying to better envision how it might look on her , " it wouldn't be vain of me to try to wear something like this when nobody is looking , no ?? "

lips kneaded between incisors , considering playing dress up in good spirits .

[dancingxflames]

Tae has such a mischievous smile on her face as she approaches her friend with the biggest grin, "Good thing they're not here, mm?" She only meant that Zelda was free to wear whatever she pleased.

"Try it on, I'll be your honest critique~!" Of course, it wouldn't be wrong for her to try on a dress.

"And if you like it, you should take it home."

[hypnoticallycaucasian]

"Have you always been into fashion and hair and stuff? What about nails?"

Badou hadn't noticed all that much, if she'd mentioned it before. Then again, so much crap happened, they hadn't had the most time to talk about what they wanna be when they grow up.

[dancingxflames]

"Mm-mm. Those never interested me. However, being here has shown me so much! I enjoy them now." To dress cute and prettifully and with Lilith nonetheless? It was all times spent together with friends.

"I enjoy the bond it provides! It is like making flower crowns or taking a stroll in the forest, don't you think?"

[hypnoticallycaucasian]

His smile widens affectionately, his chest warm at the sight of her so, so happy. Badou doesn't know if the style actually suits him, but he'll do it, for Tae.

"Get a full salon going? Now that's an idea."

[dancingxflames]

"See? You get it!"

"I bet you'll fit any style! You have beautiful long hair for it." Maybe she can even try her hands at giving him some clothes to try for fashion? How exciting would that be, especially when it was all in good fun?

[silentaura]

" and here i thought perhaps you might be in need of something practical from the market , " zelda teased , ribbing gently . although , for one like tae whose femininity blossomed like a bud in spring , perhaps it was perfectly natural to want such delicacies . for tae was dainty and delicate herself .

in some ways , zelda wished she too could suit such frivolities : the desire to one day be seen as precious and cute too . . .

" i have been a quiet admirer of your style for quite some time . is it embarrassing of me to say that i am somewhat eager to know where it is that you shop ?? i am afraid that it might be . "

[dancingxflames]

"Heehee! Then let's go together! Come, I'll help you pick some clothes out, even." All the more excitedly (if that is even possible), she's eagerly pulling Zelda along.

It doesn't take long for them to get to the market place either. Already, Tae is looking and this and that.

The necklace has already been purchased the moment that they had stepped foot in the market. It's in its precious box inside a bag.

"Zelda, how about this dress on you?"

[hypnoticallycaucasian]

He turns a little to look over one shoulder at you, a smile peeking around as his hair is now tucked back, plaited, and you can see all of that goofy face.

"Not a prob. Glad to be of some help, I guess."

[dancingxflames]

"This hairstyle looks so, so good on you!" She's happy he's wearing it. "We should do hairstyles for you! I will find more and practice them on you."

Now, she had two friends she could do different hairstyles with.

[silentaura]

. . . looking all over for her ??

the warm press of a smile crimped dimples into her cheeks . a polite , tight lipped smile brimming with the pride of being invited . included . how she so enjoyed when others thought to invite her along for the most simple of excursions . for the most simple were oftentimes her most favorite .

" certainly . i would love to accompany you . it has been some time since i last visited the markets . " zelda perked and punctuated each word , hands holding as if to grasp a hold of her fluttering core and collect herself , " what is it exactly that you are intending to buy ?? "

[dancingxflames]

"Wonderful!" Tae says excitedly, hands clapping together in glee. She can't contain the excitement and skips over to Zelda to walk alongside her. "Mmmm! There's a necklace I saw before. I want to see if it's still there." It was a beautiful pink one that glistened with other lighter colors under the sunlight.

"And maybe some new outfit~."

[dancingxflames]

@hypnoticallycaucasian

"There. ALLLL done~. Thank you, Badou for letting me do your hair." He had such beautiful and long hair. She's always wanted to braid it nicely!

[dancingxflames]

@silentaura

"There you are, Zelda. I was looking all over for you. I was wondering if you'd like to go shopping with me?" Something had caught her eye when she last went shopping.

[dancingxflames]

Placing a starter call here for Tae!

It's gonna be capped at 2 so let's get it!!!!

[cagedfreedom]

I will be dropping old threads and starting new ones. Just...not anytime soon.

Mentioning my dog Lulu under the cut.

Today is my dog, Lulu's last day here.

I'll post a starter call across my blogs at some point..

[dancingxflames]

Tomorrow will be a whole week since.

[kkryptonian]

☀️-- Clark wasn't entirely sure how to word the question in any sort of delicate manner - it was a strange one in general. Distinguishing so-called "echoes" like himself from people who lived here had been relatively easy so far in some cases, but in most they all just seemed like regular people.

Her answer was both a relief and a disappointment.

"Oh, I'm sorry then miss," he replied. But then he paused in excusing himself. What she said caught him somewhat off guard. "...More than one person can be called from the same place?" He muttered it. More to himself than a real question. He turned his attention back, however, stopping her from leaving with another hasty question. "Ah - uh - Could I... ask how long you've been here for then? I've been trying to figure out some things about this place but I haven't come up with much."

[dancingxflames]

Tae smiles and shakes her head. "Why are you apologizing?" It wasn't as if Clark grabbed her and pulled her and Lilith away from their home, after all. What a silly man.

"I suppose it is possible, isn't it? There are three of us from the same world who were brought here. Me, Lilith, and Lilith's dear friend, Uriah."

He's a man with many questions. Who can blame him when he's brought into a world that doesn't make quite much sense yet?

"I lost count, hehe! BUT I have been here for more than a year." How long exactly has it been? She wasn't sure.

"What were you wanting to know? I may be able to help."

[kkryptonian]

☀️-- Books were adjusted slightly under his free arm as he handed over what he had grabbed to the girl. He didn't have much, not really knowing what exactly he was looking for.

"Oh, it was no problem, miss. Glad to help. It's a shame that they don't seem to have step stools at the end of the aisles."

Clark looked vaguely at the shelf, picking a book for himself without much thought and adding it to his own stack. Learning about the plant and animal life here would be good too, aside from just focusing in on the how and why or history.

Then he thought to ask, slowly withdrawing his hand from reaching for another book, "Uh... this might seem a little odd, but you wouldn't happen to be native to this place, would you?"

[dancingxflames]

Tae is happily opening the book she's been searching for. Lilith would love this book for sure! At the man's question, she lifts her gaze to meet his pretty blues. "Mm? Mm-Mm! I'm like you!" She assumed he was brought here like the rest of them.

"My home is in a world called Concordia, but I was brought here with my friend Lilith."

[magiccuco]

٠ ࣪⭑ This whole place was so confusing. Cucumber scurried down one corridor to another, hiding behind as much cover as possible. Occasionally, he stopped to try to slap his wand into action. None of the spells he tried to cast were working, and he was starting to get desperate.

He just needed to find someone and get the lay of the situation. Back in Arcanus, he had been told what happened and given equipment to help. But he's pretty sure even the East Tower folks... had no idea what this danger really was.

Just as hope was about to be lost, he spotted her.

" T-Tae? Tae! " Cucumber whisper called, waving his star wand from behind his hiding spot in the Tergite Wing. He hoped he could get her attention without drawing the attention of the surveying machines.

" A-are you okay?! D-do you know who else is here? Oh gosh, I'm so glad I found you. " His breath shook from his racing heart, voice trembling softly.

[dancingxflames]

"Cucumber!" Tae moves quickly yet carefully to the small child! She's not happy to see that he is here, but she's glad to see him safe.

She presses a hand against the boy's cheek and affectionately caresses , "youre okay," she reassures. She looks over her left then to her right.

"I know Lilith has to be here somewhere, but I'm not sure about anyone else. There are eyes everywhere. We have to be careful."

[kkryptonian]

☀️-- The nigh reporter instinct to find out more had led Clark to the Arcanus Archives, the man wandering the immense library of information, looking for whatever he could find, tapping out notes on his phone. He was taking as many notes as possible about everything he could dig up on the Isles and how he had been sent here. He tried to be mindful of other people who might want the same books, but the table he hovered over was still loaded with them nonetheless.

He had gone up a level to the second floor, now, to look at folk tales. Maybe that would help him. As he perused the shelves and flickered through books to see if they might be useful, he caught sight of a young lady and changed course. She seemed to be struggling to reach something and he couldn't see any stools or ladders around.

Clark reached up easily to the shelf and picked out what it seemed she was going for. He held it out. "Here, miss. Is this what you were looking for?"

@dancingxflames // starter call

[dancingxflames]

It would have been easier if she just shifted into something that could fly, but alas, the spirit wasn't even thinking. When some kind gentleman grabbed a book she had her eyes set on for her, her heterochromia eyes brighten and her smile grew, "thank you so much," she says with immense gratitude and grabs the book from him.

"I've been looking all over for this book, so I'm glad it's here. Thank you for bringing it down for me!"