strength within spiria.

( RP Journal for Iola Hearts. Please note that Iola is a ghost! )

[formervessel-blog]

( open post )

[formervessel-blog]

Iola looked over at Dona as she approached, still wearing the same expression of surprise that she had before. She pointed to her head, where the point of impact between her head and the tree was starting to show a red mark. 

“I ran into the tree.” 

She’ll give you a moment or a few to take that in, Dona. 

[elrondspast-blog]

“…Eh? Wow, that looks like it hurts. What did you…”

Yeah, took a few moments for her to understand what happened. Suddenly, Dona shared the same expression Iola had.

“Whoaa! Oiy, what’s going on, Iola?!”

She was standing up now and urging her friend to do the same. She couldn’t believe this was happening… and was more confused than anything.

“You know what? You should pinch me and see what happens.”

[formervessel-blog]

Iola shot a bit of a deadpan look to Dona as she suggested that she pinch her. She stood, brushing herself off then crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You really want me to pinch you."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Iola smirked a little at the idea.

"You are actually. Openly giving me. An invitation to deal physical harm of some sort to you."

Dona, you know not what door you've opened.  

[formervessel-blog]

( open post )

Who believes in Christmas Miracles? 

Iola certainly does. Now, at least. Upon awakening this morning, she found that something was very different about her, and very … off. 

Iola was no longer a ghost. 

In fact, she learned this the hard way, when she assumed she would be able to walk through that tree over there. Not only did she not make it through the tree, but she also fell back on her bum. 

She also had a lovely red mark on her head from bumping her head against the bark. 

Now she’s sitting there, stunned, one hand on her head. 

Was she alive? She was solid. She was visible. Right? People could see her, right? Could they? 

Iola was confused. Very, very confused. 

( ooc: Iola is now visible and “alive” until Midnight on December 26th. C: Those who want to, have fun with that maybe? )

[elrondspast-blog]

Strangely, Dona was feeling the same way but wasn’t paying much mind to it. She was walking through the forest to meet up with Iola, not paying attention to the fact she was walking, actually walking. Through the snow.

After a while, she felt cold. Still, she didn’t pay much mind to it especially after seeing her friend… in the snow. Dona rushed over.

“Hey! Iolaaa!” Stopping beside her, she knelt down and gave her friend’s shoulder a shake.

“Hey, what happened?” Dona asked, knowing something was off.

[formervessel-blog]

Iola looked over at Dona as she approached, still wearing the same expression of surprise that she had before. She pointed to her head, where the point of impact between her head and the tree was starting to show a red mark. 

"I ran into the tree." 

She'll give you a moment or a few to take that in, Dona. 

[formervessel-blog]

( open post )

Who believes in Christmas Miracles? 

Iola certainly does. Now, at least. Upon awakening this morning, she found that something was very different about her, and very ... off. 

Iola was no longer a ghost. 

In fact, she learned this the hard way, when she assumed she would be able to walk through that tree over there. Not only did she not make it through the tree, but she also fell back on her bum. 

She also had a lovely red mark on her head from bumping her head against the bark. 

Now she's sitting there, stunned, one hand on her head. 

Was she alive? She was solid. She was visible. Right? People could see her, right? Could they? 

Iola was confused. Very, very confused. 

( ooc: Iola is now visible and "alive" until Midnight on December 26th. C: Those who want to, have fun with that maybe? )

[sleepingprincessquartz-blog]

All Richea could do was smile at the way the two would tease each other. Well, that and the knowledge that she would be able to help them somehow. It wasn’t much, technically speaking, but she understood that it would mean a lot to them. Even without seeing the looks on their faces, she just knew.

“Of course, Iola… anything for my dear friends.” She nodded, and slowly stood so she could walk over to a nearby table. Lifting up a piece of paper and pencil, she glanced over to them. “Now then, if you did want to take notes beforehand, I can help with that, too.”

[elrondspast-blog]

“Me?!  Well… Y-you better write it down too, missy!”   She tries, but really has no comeback for this one.  What the… where’d that paper come from?  She thought, looking back to Richea who was ready to take notes. “Oh.. uh…”  She sighs, not sure where to start with all this.

“Alright then… could you write-“

“B-but, Kohak… I dodged the second snowball.”

Donna gasped when she heard Shing talking and Kohaku’s laughing soon after.  She ran over to the window and peaked out, motioning to Iola to come look.  After a moment she turned back to Richea. “Ah… right, should we try delaying them?  Tell them to go do something!”

[formervessel-blog]

Iola found that she couldn't say anything more .. not after hearing her daughter and Dona's son. She stood up as quickly as she could, moving over beside Dona and staring out of the window alongside her, placing a translucent hand to the windowpane and watching the two with a look of fondness that only a mother could give.

There was her baby girl ... she was beautiful, as Iola had known she would be. And Shing, Shing was so much like his mother it was crazy!

A smile appeared on her face; a soft, sad one.

"Maybe ... if they did come in here, it would be for the best? Perhaps we say the things in our hearts best when we say them on the spot ..."

She did want her baby girl to hear her. She wanted to hug her, both her and Hisui both, but words would have to suffice for the time being ... words spoken through Richea.

[sleepingprincessquartz-blog]

Richea thought it over just a little bit more, before giving her head another small nod. “I think… I would prefer to speak to them directly. Perhaps I can convey your feelings more clearly that way.” She decided, looking to her old friends with a soft smile.

[elrondspast-blog]

Dona smiled when she heard Richea’s decision, running over to her friend. “Thank you, Richea!  Thank you very much… Ah I have to think of every little thing I wanted to tell Shing!”  Even though she knew most of it off the top of her head, she didn’t want to miss this opportunity to tell Shing everything she wanted.

[formervessel-blog]

"Dona, you should write all of it down. I don't think your brain can handle remembering all of it when the time comes to speak with the children." It was a usual jab at her, nothing to be taken too seriously. She looked to Richea again.

"Thank you, Richea. So, so much ..." The look on her face was enough to say how happy and excited she was about all of this.

[sleepingprincessquartz-blog]

Richea thought about Iola’s suggestion for a moment, considering what could be done. As much as she would like to convey their feelings… part of her feared that she wouldn’t be able to properly. Though… one thing did come to mind.

“Perhaps… you could tell me what you wish to say, and I could write a letter?” She wasn’t sure if that would carry the same weight as her speaking, but… it was a thought, at least.

“If I speak to them, though… would you two be right there?” She hoped so, honestly. That would help her to remember the right words, with them there to remind her as necessary. Besides that… she supposed the two would want to see their children’s reactions, provided they believed her.

[elrondspast-blog]

Dona listens to the ideas and nods.  She liked both but thought the letter choice would be easier on Richea… “Well if you did speak with them, we’ll stay right by you!  You’d just.. repeat what we say.” 

She couldn’t think of any other ways to do it, but these two ways seemed perfect for what they wanted to do.

[formervessel-blog]

"Either way, as long as we can somehow communicate with them, it would be more than enough for me," Iola said with a happy sigh. She had a feeling Richea would be on board for this, and now that it was confirmed, she was happier than she had been in a long time.

"We'll both be there with you, Richea. I promise."

[sleepingprincessquartz-blog]

Richea blinked silently for a moment or two, considering what was being asked of her. She could understand the two wanting to communicate with their children… what mother wouldn’t want that? She wasn’t even sure why it was she felt even slightly hesitant. It wasn’t as though strange things hadn’t happened before.

Finally, she gave her head a small nod. “Alright, I will help you.” She smiled, actually kind of happy that she could be of use to her old friends. It was a simple task, but at the same time, something that only she could do—as far as they knew, anyway.

“Though… how would you want to do it?” She asked, tilting her head curiously. She had a couple thoughts already, but… she wanted to hear what they had already thought of.

[elrondspast-blog]

Dona tried waiting as patiently as possible for Richea’s answer, and jumped up when she finally did. “Alright! Thank you, Richea! …Oh, Iola had some different ways of doin’ it.”  She sat down again, Iola had the plans. To be honest, she forgot what the different plans were.  She just wanted to talk straight to Richea and have her tell Shing. 

[formervessel-blog]

The amount of joy she felt just then reflected in her facial expression as Richea agreed to help them out.

"Thank you so much, Richea!" Again, she stood and went to hug her friend ... but realized once more that she couldn't. She cleared her throat and sat back down.

"In any case, the easiest way to go about doing it is to give you our messages personally and have you tell them what we've said ... the idea had also come up to put it in a letter, but there's no guarantee a letter would become solid if it were passed from our hands to yours ..." Iola brought a finger to her chin, thinking about other possibilities.

[sleepingprincessquartz-blog]

Richea pulled a chair closer to the fire and sat down as well, sighing contently as she felt the gentle warmth of the flames nearby. She didn’t even realize that she was beginning to daydream, until Dona spoke up.

“…oh?” She glanced between both Dona and Iola, wondering what they were thinking. She just hoped it wasn’t anything too strange… she could only do so much, after all.

“Well, what is it?” She asked, already growing more and more curious about what the two would have in mind.

[elrondspast-blog]

“…”  Dona frowned for a moment, not sure where to start.  …Might as well just get to the point.  “We were wondering if there was a way you can communicate to our kids for us.”  She was never the best with words, so she left it for Iola.  Most of it was Iola’s plan, after all.  “There’s a few different things we could try!”

[formervessel-blog]

Iola nodded in response to Dona's start.

"As it stands right now, you're the only one in this world that we know of who can communicate both with us, and with Shing, Hisui, and Kohaku. Better yet, they know you quite well, and they trust you." Iola clasped her hands together in her lap, and looked down at them.

"Dona and I didn't have much time with the children ... now, we have a chance to at least tell them everything we've always wanted to. But we wanted to see what you think. After all, this may put you in an awkward position ... there's really no telling if they'll believe you or not, but what else do we have to lose?"

[sleepingprincessquartz-blog]

Richea too glanced toward the shop at the mention of Shing and Kohak, even though she had spoken with the two of them not so long ago. She didn’t comment, however, aware that the two mothers were in a decidedly unique situation here. She wouldn’t want to cause a fuss, after all.

“Right, to Iola’s then.” She agreed with a soft nod, and turned to lead the way back into the village. It wasn’t a long walk at all, before she was stepping into the Hearts’ home, where it was nice and warm.

“Ah~ Much better.” She sighed once inside, before turning to see if the other two had kept up. “Now then, how does it feel to be back?” She asked, somewhat thinking of her own situation. She had to wonder how long she would remain awakened, regardless of how it happened in the first place.

[elrondspast-blog]

“Ah, yeah.  That fire looks toasty warm!” She noted, walking over to the fireplace. She always loved it when she had a chance to visit Norquin, sitting in front of the fire chatting with Iola all day.  

Pushing the memories away, she turned back to the other two. “Oh yeah, Richea!  Iola and I had a few plans and wanted to talk them over with you first.” She tried holding back her excitement as she spoke.

[formervessel-blog]

Iola looked around as she entered the house that she once called home. There was something nostalgic in her expression, though she finally snapped herself out of it as Richea and Dona spoke. She took a seat in front of the fire, looking to Dona, then back to Richea.

"Being back here has been ... a rather interesting experience." She then nodded in response to what Dona had said.

"Right. We were wondering if you could do a favor for us. A rather large favor."

[sleepingprincessquartz-blog]

Richea couldn’t help but smile as Dona confirmed what she was seeing. Turning her gaze, she too lifted her arms as Iola came running, fully expecting to feel her old friend’s embrace.

She too had to stop short, remembering the state that her old friends were in. Right… she couldn’t touch them.

“Y-yes… I’m afraid so.” She confirmed with a faint nod, a bit saddened, but… at least she could still speak to Iola. That was still plenty, wasn’t it?

“It’s good to see you too, Iola.” She smiled warmly, even if there was a tinge of sadness to this meeting. That was to be expected though, she supposed.

“I only wish it could be under happier circumstances… for all of us.” While it was nice to see the two again, knowing they were ghosts was something of a double-edged sword.

“At any rate… perhaps we should find some place warmer to talk?” She suggested, momentarily forgetting that the two weren’t likely to feel the effects of the cold.

[elrondspast-blog]

While her two friends were catching up, Dona wandered off a bit.  Her attention snapped to where the shop was, seeing both Shing and Kohaku heading towards it.  It seemed like they were having a pretty funny conversation as the two couldn’t stop laughing.  She was about to yell out something but instead turned towards Iola to see if she saw them. She was still paying attention to Richea, though.

Dona walked back over to them, hearing Richea’s suggestion. “Aah, yeah, it’s always freezing here!”  She said, forgetting it didn’t matter to her.  Good thing Shing and Kohaku weren’t at the house.  She hesitated a moment before continuing. “Kohaku and.. Shing were over there-” She points at the shop. “-so did you want to go to your house?”

[formervessel-blog]

"They were?" Iola asked, looking in the direction of the shop. Unfortunately, the kids had gone into the shop already by the time she looked. She sighed, clasping her hands together in front of her chest and looking down a little. Part of her wanted to go after them, to be able to see her little girl up close ... but Kohaku wouldn't have been able to see her or Dona, nor would Shing. For now, it would be best to speak with Richea and see what could be done to communicate with them. She nodded.

"Yes, let's go."

[sleepingprincessquartz-blog]

Richea was walking just along the outskirts of Norquin, taking in the snow scenery that was all-too familiar. It felt like a second home, really…

Her thoughts were cut short however, when she spotted two forms walking toward the village.

She watched for a moment, before slowly tilting her head. One of them was Dona, she was almost sure of it. Next to her was…. no, it couldn’t be!

Cautiously, she lifted her hand to wave to the two, half-wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her.

[elrondspast-blog]

Dona smiled and waved back.  She had forgotten that Richea didn’t even know Iola was back yet, noticing she looked a bit confused.  She runs over. “Heh, yeah…  Iola came back too, Richea!”

[formervessel-blog]

Iola's eyes lit up as she saw her old friend, standing there in awe for only a moment before rushing over toward Richea.

"Richea!" She opened her arms to hug her, but then stopped once she was close.

Oh ...

She laughed a little, sheepishly, though she was obviously still hurting a little by this fact.

"I suppose ... I would go through you if I tried to hug you now, wouldn't I?" She opted for a polite bow instead.

"It's so good to see you again, Richea."

[elrondspast-blog]

As Norquin comes into view, Dona looks over and gives Iola a tiny shove. “Hey! We made it! Let’s go find Richea.”

[formervessel-blog]

She laughed a little and smiled at Dona in return.

"Right. I wonder if she'll be happy to see us?"

[formervessel-blog]

how Dona and Iola got to Norquin ~

Iola: You deserved it ~ -trololololol-

Dona: Deserved what?!

Iola: The reality check, of course.

Dona: Hey... nature in Seable is exciting!

Iola: Provide examples!

Dona: One time, a crab popped out of the sand and started chasing me!

Iola: Probably because you were poking at it. Of course it's going to chase you if you disturb it.

Dona: W-well... it was all coming out of the sand and I almost stepped on it.

Dona: It shouldn't be burrying itself!

Iola: My point exactly.

Iola: It's natural for crabs to bury themselves, Dona.

Dona: Why?

Iola: I'm not a crab, how should I know?

Dona: It sounded like you knew.

Iola: Some things are just natural for some animals, and they think you're threatening them if you disturb that in any way. That's kind of common sense.

Dona: ...

Dona: But it disturbed ME. I was mindin' my own business...

Dona: That's right. Mama Hearts is speechless.

Iola: .... animals don't see it quite the way you do, I'm sure.

Dona: Huh? ..... Oh, yeah! Another example is a shark.

Iola: Oh, do tell.

Dona: A shark! What more do you need?!

Iola: .... is that it?

Iola: The shark didn't do anything insane to you? It didn't smell blood and start chasing you?

Dona: Well... I was out on a boat, going to catch dinner. Then I saw the fin! It came up and attacked this fish, and like.. it had a billion teeth! I swear it looked at me, too.

Iola: And that's what I was expecting to hear from you.

Dona: Eh?

Dona: Did I tell you this story before?

Iola: No ... well, you might have. Years ago. But it's been so long that I would have forgotten by now. The point is that I always expect to hear something from you that I don't ordinarily hear from anyone else. Like how a shark attacked you while you were catching dinner.

Dona: But... it didn't attack me.

Dona: It attacked the fish I was catching!

Iola: -waves a hand nonchalantly- Same thing, same thing. -she's totally saying it's the same thing to get on Dona's nerves. |D nyeh nyeh trolololol-

Dona: Whatever!

Dona: You're Jealous because all you have in Norquin are fat lazy bears!

Iola: That we do! That's how I know the reality of bears in nature.

Dona: ........

Dona: *leaves*

Iola: -blink- ... h-hey, wait, Dona-!

Dona: Huh?

Iola: Where are you going? -don't leave me here alooooone-

Dona: Oh... right. -wasn't going to Seable to see sharks- Nowhere! To Norquin!

Iola: So now Norquin is 'nowhere'?

Dona: No! It's your hometown.

Dona: And where our kids are so lets go! *starts running again*

Iola: -rjgnrkgnn- H-Hey, wait up! -yep, rushing after-

Dona: We're pretty close now, huh?

Iola: Mm, we are ... with the way we've been moving, we'll be there in no time ...

Dona: Alright! Let's keep up the pace, then.

Iola: -nods- Right! -let's keep going now! must get to norquin! must see babies!-

Dona: -FOR THE BABIES!-

Iola: -.... so unless something interesting happens the rest of the way there I'd say this calls for a timeskip-

Dona: -Yep, sounds good-

[elrondspast-blog]

formervessel started following you

[elrondspast-blog]

“That’s right!  Let’s get going, then.”  She turns to continue their adventure through the forest, at a slower pace this time.  Now that they weren’t rushing, Dona took a moment to look around.  Everything seemed the same as it had been many years ago.  She lost track on how many years now… about eighteen? 

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard something up ahead.  Quickening her pace, she let out a tiny gasp and shook Iola’s shoulder.  “Oy… Iola, there’s a big bear!  Heh, these things aren’t in Seable.”  Her eyes sparkled with interest as she watched the giant bear sniffing around the forest, before it looked up and headed in the opposite direction.

“Wh-what?!  That was boring… it didn’t do anything!”

[formervessel-blog]

Iola laughed a little at her friend's reaction the bear. It had taken her a moment to realize for the umpteenth time that day that there was no reason to fear the bear, because it wouldn't be seeing either of them anytime soon. As the bear headed in the direction Dona obviously didn't want it to go to, she patted Dona's shoulder, leaning in a little bit and smirking deviously.

"Welcome to the reality of nature, Dona," she said, and then straightened herself up, moving to keep walking.

"Come on, we've still got quite a ways to go!"

[elrondspast-blog]

formervessel started following you

[elrondspast-blog]

“Alright!”  Dona’s smile quickly faded after what happened.  She moved to help but quickly paused.  Iola looked upset… more upset than she should just because she fell into the snow.  “H-Hey… you don’t have to do anymore.  I just-“  ..She kept quiet when Iola let her fury out. 

She wasn’t quite sure what was up with all of this, but knew something was on Iola’s mind.  She waited a few moments before walking over and gently placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

Now it was Dona’s turn to try cheering Iola up.  “It’ll be alright…”  She gave Iola a hug, trying to tell her she wasn’t alone.  The sooner they would be able to talk with Richea, the better. 

[formervessel-blog]

Iola allowed Dona to hug her, even raising her own arms up to return the hug gently. She didn't let it last too long, though, pulling away after only a few moments with a new look of determination on her face.

"I think ... I think I'm all right, now. We should keep going. We still have to see Richea and the kids, right?" She put on a smile, even if she was still feeling the effects of her earlier emotional release. She didn't want Dona worrying too much.

[elrondspast-blog]

formervessel started following you

[elrondspast-blog]

“Heh, sure!  Kick, punch, headbutt, whatever! Just try something so we can hurry it up.”  Iola said it didn’t matter how long it took them to get there because they still had to talk to Richa about their ideas, but the sooner they get there, the sooner they can talk with Richea!

She continues to watch, curious to see what her friend would do.  For a moment she hoped to see a headbutt, but knew that Iola would usually kick anything that got in her way.  Dona continued to cheer her on. “That tree is going down!”

[formervessel-blog]

Iola smiled a little, then stared down that tree in front of her for several moments before getting into an offensive position and throwing a kick at it.

She should have expected it. The kick went through the tree, and caused her to lose her balance. She flailed around for a moment before finally managing to guide herself into falling on her butt, rather than on her face.

.... it was really weird. It was really, really weird. And she could see why Dona wanted her to get used to it, but at the same time, the fact that her foot was going through the tree rather than against it was unnerving and kind of heartbreaking.

Iola bit her lip. No, getting emotional wasn't going to help now. She had come to terms with the fact that she was a dead woman years ago. Just because she was back on Celirand and very much intangible wasn't going to change that fact at all. She was still dead. She was just dead and in a different situation than she was previously.

With this in mind, Iola started pushing herself back up onto her feet.

This was no longer about getting used to being a ghost. This was now about venting her frustrations that she was one to begin with. And, with that in mind, she began throwing a flurry of kicks at the tree, losing her balance more than once, and, as she continued, slowly growing accustomed to it all.

[elrondspast-blog]

formervessel started following you

[elrondspast-blog]

Dona continued running, trying to hold in her laugh at Iola’s reactions.  Though, after the first ten yelps, she sighed and stopped next to anther tree pulling Iola over with her.

She walks over and pats it, or… tries to.  “Alright, now punch the tree.  We’re gonna get ya used to being a ghost!”  Dona had to admit she was surprised that they could go through everything and anything now too, but it looked like Iola needed a bit of help.  Punching the tree a few times should get her used to it, right?! At least that’s what she thought.

Dona crossed her arms and watched. “You can do it, Iola!”

[formervessel-blog]

Iola would have been catching her breath, if she had any breath to be catching. Oh, the woes of being dead. It was at Dona's suggestion that she turned toward her and made a face that clearly said 'are you kidding me?'

Punching a tree. It didn't sound like something that needed to be happening right now. It was all be just fine if they could just, you know, not go so quickly through the forest.

But, of course, this was Dona. Dona was going to take the shortcut if there was one, no if, ands, or buts about it. She was this way when she was alive, and she was glad it had carried over even into death. Iola sighed, shoulders slumping a little, and then looked at the tree with a bit of an uninterested stare.

"Can I kick it instead?"

... like mother, like daughter, it seemed.