well, now!

your world of green and blue

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 2 - shopping mall

If anything, it sounds like exams here aren't too different from exams at Garreg Mach. A bit more of a public spectacle, perhaps (why would they post the scores in front of the school...?), but elsewise equal in its tedium. She'd have to study more before then, just in case... well, just in case the other Katarina ever comes back.

The thought sticks oddly in her throat, and she hurries after the other two, peering at where Alistair directs them.

"...hehe. Maybe it will. Should we get markers sometime, too?" A sweet laugh at Meg's comments, and another step closer to the display. It does smell good... lifting one up, she examines it. Maybe she shouldn't after the big expense earlier, but-- she presses a finger to the ridge of her brow, frowning slightly. She can probably afford two, right? With a bit of change left over for next week's plans, if she budgets her upcoming paycheck.

"Thank you, Alistair." She flashes him a fleeting smile, surer and warmer than the ones before, and tucks two boxes under her arm. "One moment... let me go buy these."

True to her word she departs, returning a few minutes later with a bag in hand. However, instead of leaving the store entirely, she beckons them toward a little basket of rectangular bottles.

"...Aren't they cute?" She smiles quietly, pointing out two types in particular: a peachy pink thing that smells like apples and sweet cinnamon, and a breezy green-hued one that smells light and fresh like pear. There's an unmistakable affection in her eyes, and Katarina giggles to herself. "...They reminded me of you both. That's all."

+1 Fitness, +4 Style, +5 Stress

The two seem to content themselves on the scents of the store they're in, and though Alistair had pointed them both towards the premier incense everyone has been drawn to, he'd himself played himself more uninterested in it outside of helping Meg and Katarina find something that might suit them and serve their purposes well.

He's still contemplating exams, causing that furrow in his brow, when his attention is brought back by Katarina's call towards him and Meg to check out another selection at the store. He follows obediently.

“ Aw, man, say something like that, and you'll make me want it too... ” Alistair says. “ Hrmghhh... Well, if we're gonna be saving on the money I was budgetin' for lunch anyway... ”

He swipes the two she'd pointed out.

“ I'll get one for each of ya! But you'll have to accept how it is. I'm no good at scents or nothin', so I can't pick things out like you do... ”

NEXT: @missus-meg !!

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ codename coronet #✿ t: your world of green and blue #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025

heavens! meg just can't believe it! first katarina, now alistair, doing little gift purchases? all right, all right, she's gonna start keeping a tally. she may not have much now, but with all of the kindnesses her friends are offering, it just wouldn't sit right with her to leave it like that. she's gonna pay them back and then some---just wait!

but for now, she's content to just crush her friends in a big friendly hug. " ooooh, allie, you're just the sweetest! " she squeals. " y'really didn't have to, but i swear i'll put 'er to good use. pinky swear! " the pinky does, indeed, go up.

...oh, yeah! lunch! that's where they were going to go after this, right?

releasing her friendly captives, meg dusts the two of them off with firm pats. " and we can't forget the funny drinks and corn. looks like we've still got some things t'do, eh, katkat? " not that she minds. just being with other people, chatting like pals... this'll be something she remembers for the rest of her life.

Gained: +1 Fitness, +4 Style, +4 Stress

@ephemeralove

Ker-chak. The 'stapler', as her teacher called it, bites cleanly through her stack of papers, binding them all together. Satisfied, Katarina wends her way toward Meg's classroom, where she had asked to meet her afterschool the night before.

"Meg...!" She smiles, and she waves, and she walks a little bit faster once she spies her friend waiting for her. Drawing to a stop in front of her, she separates the bundles in her hands. There are two of them, it seems, one of them marked cleanly with a pink highlighter; this is the one she pulls free, handing it over to her friend.

"I was thinking about what you and Alistair talked about the other day... your favorite subjects?" A bit bashful, she begins rifling through her bag as she speaks. "I'm not sure if it'll be helpful... but I copied some of my notes. I marked the parts I thought might be more helpful... with one of those 'colorful weird markers'. See?"

Smiling, she hands over a pink highlighter.

"It was part of a pack," she assuages the other girl. "Take it. And... good luck on the exams."

meg taps her fingers along the wooden surface of her desk, watching the door while occasionally flicking her eyes to the clock on the wall. was she supposed to wait by the classroom or in the classroom? all she recalls is that katarina had asked to meet with her yesterday evening; no matter what, meg would be there!

but if she's supposed to wait outside, then won't it look like she ditched? oh, no! meg jumps at nothing and skitters outside, looking up and down the halls to see if she could spot her friend---

---ah! there she is! meg waves.

upon katarina's arrival, meg moves to speak... but stops when she sees a bundle presented to her. paper, with pink all over? what's this?

after her explanation, however, meg understands clearly; so clearly does she understand that both hands clap over her mouth and she blinks, dumbfounded. " oh my gosh, katkat, you didn't! " she exclaims. " you really went through all of that trouble just to help me with exams?! "

just a preliminary glance shows the heaps of effort katarina put into her notes: everything is organized, important points are highlighted... it's a lot, but it's extensive. it's comprehensive! meg could read this and feel like a superstar the day of the tests. it's guaranteed!

but what on earth has she done to deserve all of this? the phone repair, the charm, the notes? yes, she wanted to be katarina's friend, but surely... surely there's something she can do in return?

" ---cookies! " meg blurts suddenly as she takes both the notes and the pretty pink highlighter. " i'll bake cookies! after the exams are over. whichever flavor you want---an' if y'don't know which one you want, i'll make the ones i'm best at. you, me, allie! okay? " she's weeping a little bit. don't mind that, please; she's so happy she could leap into the sky. " thank you. thank you! let's do really well on these tests so we can have more fun later! "

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ answered #amcoronet2025 #toaanamorphosis2025 #[ SCREAMING CRYING BEATING THE WALL WITH MY FISTS KATARINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ]#[ OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :dead: :dead: :dead: YAAHHRRRGAHJAHAOAHHGDHSHDH ]#[ THEY ARE SO FRIENDS. SCREAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ]#[ sometimes i think about how little interaction meg gets ingame with folks outside of her immediate circle + zihark ]#[ in fact i think i might have hallucinated a canon interaction just now. that's how little she gets LMAO ]#[ so her getting to be honest and earnest friends with others makes me so :urg: ]

your world of green and blue

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 2 - shopping mall

It occurs that most people have many things they like. Listening to the two of them talk about their favorite subjects and the things they don't look forward to, Katarina thinks -- again -- that she... doesn't. Her fingers flex around her elbow, a bit self-conscious about how little 'self' she has to contribute to the conversation.

Then Meg turns that beaming, effulgent smile towards her, and her grip relaxes.

"...hehe." Briefly, her eyes squeeze shut, shaped into crescents the same as the smile her laughter slips free from. "I'd be happy if you could find fun in your exams, Meg." For her part, she doesn't think they'll be nearly as fun as the brightest of them hopes, but there's always room for things to be better than one expected.

"...Do you like cooking, Alistair?" She hangs her silvery gaze on him a moment longer as they enter the new store, though she turns her head slightly as the assailment of scents and senses begins -- wow. There's a display near the entrance that she gravitates toward, very, very nearly spritzing herself in the face as she listens to her companions. Hoping that they haven't noticed, she grimaces slightly and sets it back down. ...it didn't suit either of them, anyway.

+1 Fitness, +1 Style, +4 Stress

“ Maaan, I wish I could be as happy about exams as you two seem to be. ” Though it most definitely is a whine, it's hardly a severe one from the blond. He too inspects the bottles on offer but makes no effort to grab one and turn it over.

“ I don't love cooking, but we all gotta eat. I like takin' the food we make and bringin' it back home as leftovers. It usually helps me skip out on needin' to buy lunch either, ” he explains. “ But you don't cook for exams. You just answer a buncha questions about how to cook things and how to clean up. That's how it is for all of the tests. Just a gauntlet of subject after subject, checkin' to see if you've been studyin'. Being good in one part ain't enough to cover it for all of 'em.

“ Math is one of the easier subjects. If you're smart, you're smart. It doesn't require fussin' over other stuff like nuances or sense or whatever. ” He continues to walk and talk. “ You an' me might be in the same boat then, Meg. Or maybe you'll beat me at it. We can see how the scores dish out at the end when they post 'em up for the whole school to see. ”

He stops in front of one shelf in particular, waving the two of them over.

“ You two wanted the incense that helps you relax and take off your stress easier, right? Looks like it's right here. ”

Roll: 7. No NPC encounter! NEXT: @missus-meg !!

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ codename coronet #✿ t: your world of green and blue #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025

" ohhhhh. " meg taps her finger to her chin and it is apparent she's a little disappointed. " it's just a bunch'a questions, huh... well, that's not quite what i was expectin', but... it could still be fun! maybe they'll use colored paper... ooh, or maybe i can use those weird marker-things that people use to make text all colorful and bold! "

well, she's not all that smart, but she at least knows how to do some number magic. maybe it'll work in her favor?

but they're not here to worry about exams. they're here to do the opposite! alistair shows the girls some de-stressing incense... and wow! whatever it's supposed to smell like, meg feels calmer just being around it. " smells good...! " she hums, getting another sniff in just because she can. " i'll bet school's gonna start smellin' like this soon, hee hee. "

Gained: +3 Fitness, +5 Style, +6 Stress

your world of green and blue

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 2 - shopping mall

A loosely closed fist tucks closely against her chest, just over her heart. Sharing a small gift just between the three of them, seeing how their faces light up, too... There's a precious, nearly overwhelming sort of happiness that bubbles up inside her. Katarina's eyes drop toward the floor, though there's an unmistakably pleased softness to her expression, dusted pink at its edges.

"O-oh, no... Not really..." Only when the conversation moves on does her head lift again, buoyed by curiosity. "It does? That sounds... pretty helpful, actually." King Marth-- in lieu of any gods or dragons she'd decline to place any faith in-- knows she's been feeling the effects of stress creeping up on her these days. It's almost like doing anything except sleeping compounds her stress!

"...Could we go there?" The question comes out sheepishly. "I'd like to take a look, at least... And smelling all the fragrances could be fun? ...Hehe." Judging by the absurd degree they take some sights and tastes, she imagines smell can't be far behind. (Not that she needs any of those sweetly pungent 'awake drinks'; rather, staying awake is more so the problem.)

+1 Fitness, +4 Style, +4 Stress

“ Ahhh, energy drinks. Those things can work, but for some people, they're just bad news. If you don't have to use 'em, it's for the better. Nicer on your pockets too, ” Alistair adds to Meg's description. “ The fragrance stuff might put a pretty bad dent in your wallet too, but it's probably better than energy drinks... Yeah, I can lead us to that shop. ”

And so he marches on, acting as their guide through the layout of the mall, leading them past stores for clothes and accessories. On the way, he continues the old topic of conversation too.

“ Some people are just good at exams, but I'm not. I feel like I gotta bust my ass to just make sure I don't fail 'em, ” Alistair grumbles. “ They test a bunch of stuff. If it was just math, I'd be fiiiiine. But art? Language arts? Eughhhh. Home ec would be fine if it was just cookin' but... ”

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ codename coronet #✿ t: your world of green and blue #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025

" you like math, too, allie? " meg smiles. " i haven't met a whole lotta folks that feel the same way. crunchin' numbers is hard, but do it long enough n' it all just starts to come to ya! "

but alistair doesn't stop at just math. meg is flabbergasted to hear all sorts of subjects considered for testing, and some of them sound... fun! " art? home ec? " she isn't sure what ' home ec ' means, but he mentioned cooking, so it's probably homemaking skills, right? " golly, those all sound like fun! what're the tests usually like? c'mon, allie, tell me, tell me, tell me! "

she looks back at katarina, grinning as wide as her cheeks can hold. can you believe this? her glimmering eyes say. they're gonna have us do all sorts of fun things for tests! how exciting!

Gained: +3 Fitness, +5 Style, +6 Stress

@ephemeralove

your world of green and blue

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 2 - shopping mall

"You didn't ask, Meg." The refutation comes gently, the reflection of a timid girl growing into loving others out loud. "I just... want to. I want you to be safe."

The smile that turns upon her lips, too, is a gentle thing. "...Let's deal with the shop, first. It... might not be as bad as we think."

--it winds up being within their means in the end, though Katarina's wallet thanks her for her diligent employment and cries out all at once. On their way out she even stops by a little machine with slots for coins and little knobs, looking at it almost longingly... She'd seen some girls in her class with little charms like these hanging from their phones, albeit theirs had looked more expensive. Still, what's an extra rich and a half after all this?

"Um... here," she says, holding out two of the simple, star-shaped charms when she returns to the group, a third one already tied looped through her own device. "I got these, too... i-if you want it." She can keep all three if they don't; she always carries two more stars with her.

Her next words rush a bit faster, shy and eager to move on. "Where should we go next? Maybe somewhere a bit more fun...?" Brows knit sheepishly, a hand wrapping around her opposite elbow. "There was a sweet-smelling shop on the way here... I think it sold candles. Oh, or we could get our colorful drinks...?"

+3 Fitness, +4 Style, +5 Stress

Purchase made, the three walk out of the store and Alistair's contemplating where they head next, but before a decision can be made on that, he's pulled from his thoughts by yet another show of generosity from Katarina— this time, he's included too.

“ Eh?! For me as well? ” His eyes go wide. “ ...W-Well, if you already bought it, I GUESS it'd be a waste not to, right? ”

He takes one of the star-shaped charms and has one of the biggest grins on his face. His eyes light up with delight and he immediately fixes it to his phone, admiring it for a moment before Katarina speaks up again. He bashfully stuffs his phone back into his pocket, listening to her.

He clears his throat, trying to wipe the stupid look off his face.

“ Oh, yeah, that fragrance shop opened just this week. It's got this thing that apparently if you use it when you go to sleep, it makes you sleep like a baby. With exams comin' up, it might be the only thing that'll knock ya to sleep instead of stressin' over 'em. ”

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ codename coronet #✿ t: your world of green and blue #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025

oooh, meg should feel just awful about making katarina spend any kind of money on her like that, but the feeling of a fixed-up phone in her hand is oddly satisfying. it feels almost brand-new; she can't stop rubbing her fingers over the case!

and on top of that, katarina's got a little something extra for meg to put on it: a friendship charm, shaped like a little tiny star. it's the cutest thing ever! now she can match with her two friends... just the sight of three little stars dangling about makes her so happy. " thank you, katkat, " she beams as she fiddles with the charm, " for everythin'. you're real sweet, you know that? "

and alistair looks pretty happy about it, too. meg giggles.

...shoot! " e-exams! " she parrots, shocked. " i totally forgot! everyone's been murmurin' about 'em recently. are they really that bad? i've seen people drinkin' weird-looking cans of stuff to stay awake... " they sure smell funny, but they apparently work? " i guess that kind'a perfume would be good if you drink too many awake-drinks, hee hee. "

Gained: +2 Fitness, +5 Style, +5 Stress

@ephemeralove

your world of green and blue

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 2 - shopping mall

She holds her fist up to her mouth thoughtfully, thumb pinned against her lips to present an illusion of thoughtfulness... but really, it mostly hides her small smile seeing the animated display. Though it pulls double duty soon enough, obscuring the warbling line of her lips. A repair on its own is expensive enough, but if they have to replace it entirely?

While the two of them are having their moment, Katarina silently pulls her wallet from her bag, counting her money. Her family seems well enough off based on their home, and she has a job on top of that... Mmm... ... ... mm... ... ...

"...Why don't we go in and check?" The suggestion comes after she's already tucked her wallet away again. "Depending on how much it costs... I, I might be able to help you cover it."

Brows upturn as soon as she offers it, self-consciousness bearing down on her shoulders. Maybe they'll think she's being pretentious, but... "I-it's just... it's safer for you if you have it," Katarina explains, gaze falling toward the carpeted floor of the shop just ahead. And if she has the ability to help a friend for once, then shouldn't she take it? They need every advantage they can take in a situation like this, even if-- or especially because-- they're in such a foreign, seemingly mundane situation as this.

"Th-then... I can help you find a job after, i-if you want. You don't have to rush..."

+2 Fitness, +4 Style, +7 Stress

Alistair's eyebrows hike up high hearing Katarina just straight up volunteer to pay for the entire thing. “ Damn... No wonder you're popular. Makin' me feel like you're some kinda saint! ”

A swivel back over to Meg.

“ She's right though. It's better to just have a phone even if the price sucks. You never know when you'll need to holler to someone. ” He's still reeling from hearing Katarina's offer, but he lets go of his grip on Meg's shoulder at least. “ If it's a job you're lookin' for, best way to make money is either get into organized fights or work as a game debugger. They pay twice what everyone else in Fortuna does. ”

The second he says that though, he makes a motion with his thumb so as to mimick slitting his own throat.

“ That job's a killer though. Too many hours a week and it sucks the soul outta ya. I quit it the second I realized and started taking up other jobs instead. I like the confectionery. It keeps ya in the know and movin', but the coffee shop and flower shop are good constant pay. The gas station'll get ya some bad looks, but it's not too bad! ”

NEXT: @missus-meg !

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ codename coronet #✿ t: your world of green and blue #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025

" katkat! i couldn't ask ya to do somethin' like that! " meg gasps, hands covering her mouth. there's more she wants to say---really, she wants to object until there's no other way for her to put it---but she cuts herself off when katarina brings up the really good point: it's safer for you to have it.

no, she hasn't really figured out how to use this phone-thing, nor has she done much with it except send messages to katarina and explode it. despite all of this, it's still a magical, miraculous item that lets you communicate with people you can't see... in an instant! no need for letters, no need for mail carriers! it's all right there in a pretty little package... and who knows when she'll need it next.

so meg decides she ought to relent for that fact alone, but she still isn't happy about foisting such a big expense on a friend. there has to be a way she can contribute the lion's share.

alistair mentions two methods, only one of which being one meg will do: getting a job as a... bug killer? a pest exterminator? something about killing, be it bugs or... something. " oh, my, " she whispers in awe. " it... well, it does sound tough, but... if it pays twice as much, i'll be able to fix up my phone faster. then i can just quit, right? "

sacrificing time for money... it would be fine if she didn't suddenly have people she liked to hang around with. it's a hard choice... but that's what being responsible is about, isn't it?

Gained: +1 Fitness, +4 Style, +6 Stress

@ephemeralove

your world of green and blue

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 2 - shopping mall

Katkat? If, indeed, Katarina were a cat, her ears would have flicked and perked up. It feels a bit different this time, hearing the change and the bond it signals. Her eyes wander elsewhere, shyly. Perhaps it will feel like this with Louis, if they become friends, too. Or did--

--she's getting off topic. Shaking her head to drive away the thoughts, she peers over at Meg instead, eyes widening a touch. A picture of the place she grew up is starting to form in her head, and honestly... it's enviable, in a way. She can practically feel the warmth of the place through little glimpses like this.

"...it's pretty expensive to make, though," she reasons gently. At least, she assumes it must be, given Alistair's reaction. "They have to be able to afford materials."

Her gaze moves to Alistair as they near the entrance of the store. "Do... you know how much it might cost to repair it?" If repair is even an option here; it looks... critical. Already, she's tallying the costs in her mind.

+3 Fitness, +3 Style, +7 Stress

“ We're probably lookin' somewhere from 70 to 120 rich, ” Alistair answers. “ If they can't fix it at all, then a new one'll probably run ya somethin' like... 300 rich? It's rough! ”

He despairs to think of how many paychecks that'd take him.

Once he's done reeling from the mere thought of it, he solemnly places a hand on Meg's shoulder, offering his sage advice:

“ Meg, y'hear me? I dunno where you came from, but nothing in the mall's gonna be free. The city charges for everything. If they won't even give our school uniforms to us for free but they'll force us to wear 'em anyway, they sure as hell ain't fixin' something as fancy as a phone for free either. If you see someone offer you something for free in the street, sock 'em and run. They're about to pull something on ya, I guarantee it!! ”

NEXT: @missus-meg !!

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ codename coronet #✿ t: your world of green and blue #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025 #[ Meg Tries Multi Level Marketing ]

meg's pigtails just about stand on end when she hears the prices alistair floats for a phone repair. " 70? 120?! 300?!? " her gasps turn deeper and deeper. " oh my gosh! i don't have that kind'a money. am i gonna have to go without my phone until i can save enough?! "

problem: meg is broke as a joke.

not a single rich to her name. she'd turned down the prize money in favor of giving it to ange ( which she still does not regret, mind you ), and she hadn't picked up a job like everybody else had. shoot, she's at a big store-place with no money? what did she think was gonna happen?!

alistair is trying to give meg some advice, and while she does appreciate it, all it serves to do is worsen meg's embarrassed flush. " i-i... well, i 'preciate you lookin' out for me, but... umm... " oh, gosh. " i-i know y'said that nothin' comes free, but, uh, is there any way to make money real fast-like? 300 rich fast-like? because i can do it, probably! no, i will do it! "

Gained: +2 Fitness, +5 Style, +6 Stress

@ephemeralove

your world of green and blue

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 2 - shopping mall

“ Yeesh, you didn't hold back at all, huh? ” Alistair assesses the damages on Meg's cellphone, face wrinkling. There's something akin to sympathy in his green eyes, but he holds his tongue on saying anything or maybe he just has nothing to say at all— at least not before Katarina gives him the flyer and rattles off reasons why he should be the one to pick where to go after hitting up a phone repair store.

“ ...Alright, but if you think my choice is lame, y'can't say anything, got it? ”

On their way towards the repair store, Alistair seems to have something on his mind, but it takes him a little while before he comes out with it.

“ Err... Do you two not worry about money? No offense. But I'd be rippin' my hair out and bawlin' if my phone screen broke. ”

Roll: 6. No NPC encounter! NEXT: @missus-meg !!

#✿ ic #✿ senerist #✿ codename coronet #✿ t: your world of green and blue #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025 #[ poor meg is flat bastard broke going to a shopping mall ]

" n'aww, allie, no need t'be so modest. i'm sure you'll pick out a great place! " meg cheers, holding her mauled and murdered phone in her hand as she follows katarina's slow pace. " 'sides, even if it ain't all that, we can still find ways to have fun. right, katkat? "

there are places to get drinks, places to buy food, and stores that sell any and all things a girl could possibly imagine. costume jewelry! big funny hats! matching shirts that say ' i'm he's ' and ' he's i's '! (??????) boy, the things she's fixing to write home about will be unbelievable!

meg hums to herself as the trio make their way through the expansive... halls? lanes? teeny-tiny towns? it's difficult to really know what to call these. they're too huge to be halls. this place is so strange---do people live here in these shops? they're all as big as houses. maybe they sleep behind those counters! maybe they've got beds hidden in places that they pull out when it's nighttime. wouldn't that be something?

she's so caught in her own thoughts that she almost doesn't hear what alistair asks her. " hmm? money? what's that got to do with anything? " she cocks her head, brows furrowed. " i thought they'd fix these for free! it was an honest mistake, so i'm sure they'll be kind, won't they? "

Gained: +3 Fitness, +1 Style, +6 Stress

@ephemeralove

your world of green and blue

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 2 - shopping mall

Alistair arrives at the meeting place, sporting a pair of eyeglasses as he navigates his way through the crowd. The mall is bustling as it always is, but then again, what place isn't lively in Fortuna?

“ Oh, looks like a deal at the food court. With exams coming up, they musta thought business would dip. ” Alistair reads out the flyer, focusing on all its details before he stands tall again. “ I could use a cheap meal, so that works out for me! Eheheh. ”

Though he tries to play it off casually, there's an undeniable delight from him at the very thought. He leans back, linking his hands behind his head.

“ I'll let Meg decide where we go first though. 'm not too fussed on gettin' new things... ”

NEXT: @missus-meg !!

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ codename coronet #✿ t: your world of green and blue #amcoronet2025 #toaanamorphosis2025 #[ couldnt not insert some swag references lmao ]

good golly.

is this what they call a " shopping mall? " meg hasn't seen castles this big! ( sidenote: meg has not seen very many castles. ) stores line every single wall, every single space; she looks down, worried that maybe they've put stores in the floors and she just hasn't noticed yet. they haven't. what a relief.

she'd be dizzier about the expansiveness of it if she didn't see her friends in the distance. meg quickly pulls herself close to the group, wondering if maybe she's just too new-girl to understand these sorts of things. " howdy, y'all! glad to see that the gang's all here! "

katarina defers the choice to alistair defers the choice to meg. aw, chee, she's gotta decide where to go? out of the hundreds of millions of places they could go?! hoboy.

" u-um... well... i, urr... " she taps her finger to her chin, thinking... aha! " actually, allie--- " because she's decided right then that both of her friends need nicknames, " ---i heard they got telly-phone repair stores? i need to take mine on over. " bashfully, she removes her phone from her pocket. it's completely smashed. somehow. " somebody was showin' me a weird movin' picture thing 'bout some maze, and halfway through, um, a real scary monster showed up n' started screamin', so... so i, um, smashed it. with a rock.

" ...sev'ral times. "

Gained: +2 Fitness, +2 Style, +4 Stress

@ephemeralove

all that glitters is gold. and everything else. oh god the glitter is everywhere.

"Huh?" Forsyth blinks once, twice as he applies the bandage to her finger. That's an odd question, and Meg's gotten even more nervous than she already is asking it. "I suppose a couch would make more sense. It allows space for others if they are visiting, though if there is a guest room, perhaps a chair would be better..."

He's mapping the layout of this hypothetical living space when it hits him that he has missed the intended point of the question. Meg looks at him like he hung the moon, with a wonderment and admiration that cannot be denied.

Uh oh.

"Ah. Well. You seem to be a lovely person, Ms. Meg, and I value our budding friendship." Great start. If he's reading this incorrectly, this will be horrifically embarrassing, but she's such a bright pink he's inclined to take her to the nurse's office should it be anything else. "I do want to make certain we start this friendship under the right pretenses though, and..."

This is terrible. He can't have a repeat of the butcher's daughter, but he is remembering quickly why he acquiesced to an ill-fated date. The dishonor still haunts him over a decade past; to break a woman's heart is unacceptable and unknightly to its core.

"While he is not here at the moment, I feel like I should let you know that I am...partnered, and not of inclination to the fairer sex to begin with. My apologies if I led you to believe otherwise."

(Surely this will be the last and only time he has to deal with something like this for the mission.)

-1 fitness, +5 style, +2 stress

#✿ ic #✿ viridescent lance #✿ t: all that glitters is gold #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025 #[ sorry it's so short! brain is fizzing out this fine friday evening ]

meg may not really understand half of what this man's just said to her, but she can at least take a hint. " you're lovely, but... " is a universal sign for " no way, buster, " but in the nice kind of way that doesn't make rejection feel quite so poorly.

but there's another thing that grabs her attention---so much so that she utterly forgets about the whole semi-confession thing altogether. " you're partnered? " she echoes, switching focus between him and her house. " so you're goin' steady with somebody... what's that like? is it everythin' that all of them romance books say it is? "

for all of her intrigue with love-topics, she doesn't have a terribly large base of experience to pick from. it's always nice to hear from others about their lives in love. " what's his favorite thing to do with you? ooh, and yours with him? do y'all go on dates an' other fun stuff? "

Gained: +4 Style, -1 Fitness, +1 Stress

i think "airplanes" are not shooting stars

AMCoronet :: week 1 :: studying at the planetarium

“It's good to be curious,” soren agrees. “Most of the time.”

his smile turns wry thinking of all the times he'd have been better served if he were a little less intelligent, and a little less curious. At least it hasn't killed him yet.

“It's a bit overwhelming for me, too,” he continues. "i've never much be interested in astrology, but this is advanced even for the most technical of books i've perused on the subject. Here, it's taken as fact that the world we stand on revolves around the sun. That was hotly debated in tellius.

“When i was a child, i was told that the goddess sits just beyond the sky, right above the clouds and somewhere in the stars. We know that was wrong demonstrably, but i can see how this knowledge would push the goddess further and further away from the people who wanted to care about her. Two of the stars that seem next to each other from our perspective could, in reality, be so far away from each other.”

soren brushes some of his hair behind an ear, ruminating on the thought. It falls back in place as he turns his head back to meg. “That's assuming any of this is at all accurate to our reality. So far, i've no reason to believe that's the case. Disappointing, isn't it? That we might spend so much time learning so much only for it to be completely fucking useless.”

+2 intelligence, +3 arts, -1 fitness, +2 stress

#✿ ic #✿ senerist #✿ t: i think airplanes are not shooting stars #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025 #[ ty for the thread! they were cute :urg: huuuu soren helping shake her more into the role she needs to play ]

meg listens intently, fascinated with hearing all of the little worldly things from soren's perspective. talks of hotly debated facts and cold hard truths fly over her head a little bit; really, she's just interested in hearing how his brain works.

she's never been a scholar, but it doesn't really bother her that she isn't one. she's happy enough where she is, how she is... yes, there's things that eat away at her, but it's not a lifelong regret that she never went to big-britches smart-person school and wrote big essays on things. that's what they do there, right?

it just makes her happy to listen to soren compare and contrast. it's intrigue made manifest---but it's doused, slightly, by what soren says after the fact.

" well, i just don't think that at all, " meg hums, and she's smiling at a model of a grapefruit-sized rock labelled " the moon. " " i think it's perfectly fine to know useless things.

" when i was a little girl, my daddy taught me how to make grass whistles. they don't do nothing 'cept make noise; they don't heal nobody, they don't fix nothing... but they're interestin', and i'm happy that i learned. i think y'could say the same for all of this, couldn't ya? "

a pragmatist and a daydreamer meet. is it possible for them to get along?

" the moon " spins on its string-axis, and " saturn " fraternizes with ceiling galaxies set aglitter with stage lights and craft supplies. meg giggles.

she'd like to think so.

Gained: +2 Intelligence, +1 Arts, -1 Fitness, +1 Stress

end

all that glitters is gold. and everything else. oh god the glitter is everywhere.

You know, Forsyth probably should have known that mentioning this would get a confused response at best from someone who wasn't there, but his sense of what's normal has been thoroughly altered.

"Ah...I'm not sure. Let me check the supplies." Splinters are nasty work, and Forsyth winces in sympathy. Some rummaging later and he procures the holy grail itself, a silver pair of tweezers that have...seen better days, to put it politely. "Here, let me..."

The sliver of wood is stuck pretty deep, with just the smallest part poking from the punctured skin. Forsyth isn't the steadiest hand, but trying to remove a splinter with just one hand is a trial. He manages to tease it out enough to grasp it, and pulls with no warning.

"Sorry! I know from experience that knowing it's coming causes tensing that makes it worse. Augh, I should have gotten a bandage..." Terrible planning on his part. It may be a small puncture wound, but especially if Meg is going to keep doing art she needs to clean and cover it. "Here, take this while I fetch one."

He undoes his tie, making his peace with the fact that it will fall victim to the glittery infection. It already has a few flecks, anyway.

#✿ ic #✿ viridescent lance #✿ t: all that glitters is gold #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025

.............oh!

this is chivalry. like, real, honest-to-goodness knightly chivalry, right?! wow, the way he's tenderly holding her hand while he pulls out a splinter... they should write stories about that kind of thing. it's always the big swordfights and saving the princess, but what about the knightly removal of splinters?!

when it's plucked from her finger, meg doesn't even flinch. really, she's more enamored with the kindness that this Super Craft Hero is exhibiting. when he undoes his tie and uses it as a makeshift bandage, she almost faints right out of her chair.

she looks down at her little house while he's gone and wonders if he would prefer a loveseat or those chairs with really plush cushions on them. she'll ask.

and upon his return, she does. " u-um, e... excuse me, but... but, um. " c'mon, meg, you can do it! be subtle. be smooth! " i... if you... if you n' i, um... if this was... if you had a... if you had a house, and you wanted to sit down in. the house. would you want one a'them big couches? or... or just a real comfy chair? "

smoooooooooooth.

Gained: +1 Arts, -1 Fitness, +1 Stress

i think "airplanes" are not shooting stars

AMCoronet :: week 1 :: studying at the planetarium

“i've seen it,” soren replies. “Only far from any town, though. Torchlight or campfires can ruin it.”

As he speaks, he steps over again to the table, but its information is all to do with the orbs. he steps next to another plaque. This one is explaining the colorful clouds painted across the ceiling. he interprets the information out loud for meg's sake.

“Oh,” he begins, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips. he's pleased to see his observation was correct. "It says here that this is what the night sky would look like without any light ‘pollution’. Hm.

“The clouds are called galaxies.”

We live in the Milky Way Galaxy! the sign helpfully notes, but those words make little sense to soren, so he doesn't translate it for her.

“All of these things hang somewhere beyond the sky.”

+1 intelligence +2 arts -1 fitness +2 stress

#✿ ic #✿ senerist #✿ t: i think airplanes are not shooting stars #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025

meg has an idea of what ' light pollution ' means, based on context; the night skies of ohma looked a little like that, but the clouds weren't nearly as dense and huge as these ones are. maybe it's because they're so far away? boy, even the night skies are different here! she'd like to have at least one look. at least one, before she has to go.

she isn't sure what a ' galaxy ' is, but the definition isn't all that urgent. she gives it a nice long look, smiles, and moves on.

it's weird to see all of those big, faraway phenomena crunched into little compact displays. meg always assumed that stars were just magic, but apparently---at least in this world---they're all reeeeeally far away fireballs. so still kind of what she was imagining, just with extra steps. and to think that there are things out there, beyond the sky. that's possible? really, really possible?

" ...y'know, all of this is hard for a girl like me to swallow, " she mumbles, " and i'm not so sure how much help i'll be. but i wanna try if it means learnin' weird new things like... what ' galaxies ' are, or what ' saturn ' looks like. "

Gained: +1 Intelligence, +2 Arts, -1 Fitness, +4 Stress

the tallest stalk of corn ever gorwn

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 1 - studying

“ The hell? ” At that moment, the internet goes out. The lights stay on, but this means bad news for Allister who, for the past while, has been using one of the school library's computers to play an MMORPG.

He frustratingly slams the mouse a couple times against the mousepad as if that's going to do anything, checking the internet connection beforehand to no avail, and watches as his game time has been completely stalled.

It's by the next time he slams it that he gets a mean look from the librarian that all on its own says: Knock it off!

“ Ah, sheesh. Fine, fine, ” he grumbles, loudly pulling the seat out and getting up, collecting his things and piling them into his bag. It's at this point, by turning around to leave, he at last notices Katarina and Meg have been pretty much within just a few paces away from where he's been sitting, and he lowers the headphones from his ears as he narrows his gaze at them in confusion.

His eyes rest on Meg at last, quietly mumbling:

“ ...Damn, you work pretty fast at the social ladder. ”

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ t: the tallest stalk of corn ever gorwn #amcoronet2025 #toaanamorphosis2025 #[ i think alistair needs to teach meg about anime ]#[ hot new upcoming thread: I Taught a Farm Girl From Medieval Times How to Pirate Ouran High School Host Club ]

" oh! mister alistair! " meg wasn't expecting to see such a familiar face. she's happy to see him! " are you lookin' for fun fact books too? katarina n' me, we're tryin' to find one on potatoes. "

meg squints at her thingamajig, trying to understand how it works. she presses a button and it beeps at her. she presses another and the beep sounds the same, but a different number appeared on the screen. she's utterly perplexed by this little object that beeps at her and shows numbers... but wait! wait!

" um, actually! i have a---no, wait, two, i got two questions for ya, mister alistair, " she says, turning her beeping thing towards him. " first question: what is this thing n' how do i use it? i ain't never seen a thing like this before, but i wanna use it to talk to my friends! katarina said y'could. "

and now she flicks her gaze off to the side, a little bashful but not enough to blush about it. " and, um. the second question... i invited katarina over later so we can have sweet corn n' drink funny-colored drinks. would you wanna come over n' do that, too? " she isn't sure what else she would do other than eat sweet corn and drink funny-colored drinks, but if there's anyone that would know things to do, it'd have to be alistair, right?

Gained: +4 Intelligence, -1 Fitness, +2 Stress

the tallest stalk of corn ever gorwn

ANAMORPHOSIS: Team Coronet week 1 - studying

If Meg's expression is anything to go by, then both of them have plenty of reasons to be fond of the color. For a moment she wonders what Meg's could be. The color of an old keepsake? The palette of a timeworn memory? Perhaps she, too, has precious people with such striking hair.

The thought of it turns up the corners of her lips, and fleetingly, Katarina feels like... just a normal person -- a nameless, unremarkable someone talking to a friend.

A friend? The tips of her fingers curl over the book's cover, her attention slipping from the words on the page to some indefinite thing in the middle ground. For the small time they've shared together, she likes Meg. She has been nothing but charming and effusive, earnest and sincere, returning Katarina's small comfort with genuine curiosity.

And try as she might, Katarina is still a wretch in her marrow. A palm pushes the book closed, lingering thoughtfully on its cover. Is she... allowed to ask someone else to be her friend? The difference she has to make is still so vast... but then, she had told someone not too long ago that she would think of living.

"...Meg?" Perhaps unfairly, she places it in the girl's hands -- both the book, and the question she doesn't ask. But in its place she offers something else:

"If you need help, or anything... I'm here." Her faint smile takes on a tinge of shyness. "Especially in a place like this... here." Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a small lavender-colored item, shinier than wood but duller than glass, and flips it open. "Do you have something like this...?

"Ah... and... I think I might actually have a favorite vegetable." She glances up from her phone screen, stealing a peek at Meg -- and huffs a soft, almost inaudible laugh. "...I think I'm starting to like corn."

GAINED: +5 Intelligence, -1 Fitness, +2 Stress

#✿ ic #✿ ephemeralove #✿ t: the tallest stalk of corn ever gorwn #toaanamorphosis2025 #amcoronet2025 #[ SOBS INTO MY FIST. THEM ]#[ SHO CUTE I AM GOING TO SCREAM ]

...

...hee.

meg smiles in return, not wide but not small, not shy but not overconfident. it's the most neutral thing she can give, but she hopes it's the best thing, too; there is nothing that serves as a greater equalizer than having a friend that cares. in a world where she's destined to be the odd one out, she can sleep easier tonight knowing that she doesn't have to stay stuck in that mold.

she takes the book that katarina gives her, and she takes that question, too. it's hard to ask things like that. she understands. hopefully the way her hands linger a little after touching the book gives her the answer.

" i 'preciate it, " meg hums in reply. she sees the weird object in her new friend's hand and wonders if she does have something like that, maybe, so she sticks her hand in her pocket and... huh. a peach-colored thingy, the same as katarina's, sits in her palm. meg flips it open and a bunch of text shows up. what's this thing?

oh, but...

...

meg fidgets with the object in her hand and huffs her own little laugh, too. " well, shucks. that ain't a bad veggie to like, right there. maybe... if y'wanna come over later, i can make corn on the cob. sweet corn! i think you'd like it. um! if... if you want. "

Gained: +5 Intelligence, -1 Fitness, +2 Stress

i think "airplanes" are not shooting stars

AMCoronet :: week 1 :: studying at the planetarium

soren watches meg's face carefully. It is, after all, the only way he has right now of interpreting her thoughts and feelings. She turns pink. Embarrassed? Upset? he genuinely doesn't know. She struggles through a segue and he lets out a sigh.

Rescued and fought with, she says, not that long ago. Maybe not for her, but it takes him a second to recall that time in his life. Some of it he doesn't remember so well, but ‘rescue’ is a key word. They did one major prison break in the Mad King's War. From the three soldiers recovered there, the resemblance becomes clear.

“i remember,” he says, tone softening. he feels as though he's offended her. “i hadn't realize brom was your father. he and i didn't have much of a chance to speak." As though soren would have entertained an irrelevant conversation back then, especially not with a stranger.

“That probably shouldn't surprise you if he's told you anything about me.” That's a strange idea. Some one speaking fondly of soren? Surely all he got from brom was ‘strange’, ‘small’, or ‘stern’.

“You don't have to be good at asking questions. If some one looks at you funny, just be honest and say it's not like that where you come from. Then, if you think you hear something interesting, but you're not sure, we can… talk about it.”

+1 intelligence +1 arts -1 fitness +1 stress