blossom to the beyond

affiliated castorice from honkai star rail

[netherseas]

CASTORICE HONKAI STAR RAIL

a chrysos heir (essentially a chosen one) from aidonia that searched for the coreflame of death

was cursed with what was essentially a touch of death, as anything biological that came too close to her would die almost immediately

she was used to kill the sick and the criminal against her own will her whole life

because of this she's always had to watch from afar, never able to hold anything, not even a pet because it would immediately pass away

naturally became very lonely as a result

she's come to terms with this reality and her ties to the netherworld, but...

at least she doesn't have her touch of death here (yet)!

good at crafts like making jewelry or plushies

very kind, but the type to watch on from afar

can normally summon a giant dragon so that's fun

[netherseas]

it's been a while so like this for a small starter with miss castorice!

[kiraandfriendss]

[shadeandsuffering]

"...Whatever sure." She hoped something like that wouldn't catch up but knowing her luck it'd unfortunately would. Which meant having to explain to everyone else why someone who knew the slightest about zoo animals or the idea of them was being called an expert.

"It's an expression. Ya' know, when you surprise someone without them being aware. You got the jump on them. Not like literally jumping on a person."

Really once Lich started to explain the joke it changed everything about it in general. Castorice really was something else...

"Is that a friend of yours? I don't think I've met a thief before who also got a "Lady" title before it. Unless she's one of those fancy thieves."

[netherseas]

❍ "I see... So if I bought someone a piece of cake and surprised them, I would be "getting the jump on them"? How novel! I was envisioning some literal jumping... I wonder if I could work that phrase into a new story?" Castorice almost ended up going entirely off-topic for a moment. She was still working on a novel and practiced poetry now and again. She couldn't help but laugh a little at Lich's thoughts about Cipher, though.

"Oh, no! Lady Cipher is one of my friends from my home world, and she is also a thief, but I address everyone that way. You would be Lady Lich, for example. Lady Cipher is very talented at what she does. Perhaps a little too talented. So you could say she's fancy in that way, I suppose?"

[usurpation]

"—From this teleporter landing, it doesn't seem that much different from the ground, but there are several destinations unlike anywhere else up here."

For this first proper date as themselves, Insight dressed down (or up, by anyone else's metrics) in the blue silk dress given to her by Cecil. A pearl necklace rested upon her bare collarbones rather than a tight necktie. She hadn't made any effort to draw attention to this.

"There is a restaurant with a pleasant starry sky and easy privacy; an observatory to watch what they call true stars here; and a place called the Projectorium... where, if you wish, you could see a bit of the world that created me."

She said it peculiarly, both in wording and in tone.

"But even the novelty of being up here with you is refreshing to me." Her hand, now encased in a white glove, extended in a clear offering to hold hands. "Thank you for accepting the invitation."

—✧ @netherseas

[netherseas]

❍ When the suggestion had been brought to her that the two of them go on a date in the space station, Castorice had wondered why she had never thought to go up there herself. There was a part of her that had high expectations for the view of space from within it, because that was the sort of view that the members of the Astral Express so often got to see. She would have liked to see it for the first time with some of the other Chrysos Heirs, but the occasion had never turned up.

The demigod was dressed in a sleeveless white lace blouse and a pair of black pants with heels, a surprising change of pace for a woman that usually wore dresses. She followed after Insight as her partner provided some exposition about where they were going, or at least might go. "I would like to see a bit of the world that created you, if you wouldn't mind that is..."

When the hand was offered, Castorice didn't hesitate to take it in her own. It was rare to see the demigod without gloves, but now she had no reason to hide her hands. "Hehe... You make it sound like I would decline an invitation from my girlfriend to go on a date?" She allowed herself to lean gently against Insight's shoulder as they walked. "Although it's... comforting. I don't feel so much like I'm the only one new at this!"

[usurpation]

Castorice's hand in hers felt like a vow. In this instant — separated from other more powerful, more fraught periods of time in their lives — it was a human hand in another human hand; a meeting of equals. A comfort and a discomfort at once.

The Insight of months before would have found it absurd, but the Insight of now wanted to try it with sincerity. It wouldn't be that simple to impress upon her that she was wanted and cared for as she was; she was suppressing distrust even now.

But, seeing the fireworks set up for her benefit, a clear reminder that their first meeting had left as much of an impression on Castorice's memory as her own... laid those doubts to rest, even if only for this night. The colorful explosions reflected before her blue pupils as she watched, trails of light spreading out energetically through lavender irises.

Insight chuckled softly, intertwining her fingers with the ones returned to her. "You remember that night very well. You were so guarded, but this is enough to believe I carved a place in your thoughts then, just as you did mine."

Castorice had doubted her passionate words, unfamiliar with the ways of one who loved, and loved, and loved all the beauty around her. It was true, however, that her feelings were more like a normal woman's now — again — than they were then.

"Thank you for this lovely show."

[netherseas]

❍ "Well... Perhaps as a result of my long life, I've come to commit the memories that hold importance to me in higher regard than the others." When all of those memories of the endless cycles had come flooding back, at first she had struggled. Not only did she have to pick through the noise to find which ones differed, there were the ones that she had to decide if they were worth holding onto as well. The memories of Spirale all existed outside of this conundrum and they stood out because of that because they were unique.

"I suppose that's a roundabout way of saying that it did leave an impression, however... I'm not above admitting when I was wrong about someone, and while I likely came off as rather cold... You know enough about me now to know why I was wary." It hadn't just been Insight's attitude at the time. In fact, that was probably one of the less important aspects. She had been worried about her curse and so she didn't want anyone growing close. "But this isn't the time to dwell on any of that, of course!"

Fingers intertwined, Castorice leaned in to rest her head on Insight's shoulder as she watched the fireworks go off. They wouldn't go for long, but she'd savor them in all of their fleeting glory alongside the one she had made them for. "Hopefully there are many more of them in our future!"

[flamesire]

"Someone's popular, I see." If the small herd of animals gathering around her were any indication. It wasn't often he saw so many forest creatures drawn to a single person, but it could only ever be a good sign. "--Apologies, I hope I'm not disturbing."

somewhere near the eternal tree, ophiucus. ( @netherseas )

[netherseas]

❍ It was a phenomenon that had only started happening after her curse had been lifted. Animals had always taken a certain interest in her, but had been wary of the stench of death that had followed her. Ever since? Well, perhaps she smelled nice to the animals? She wasn't certain.

"I suppose I am. I wonder if they can sense my divinity? Though I'm not certain why that would attract them." Regardless, holding a bunny to her chest, she would not protest. "Did you need something from me? Would one of these animals happen to be your pet?"

Hopefully not the bunny. They had bonded.

[sadmarimo]

[swordsovereign]

❝ man, the other week i had such a weird dream- honestly, this entire place feels like a fever dream at times... ❞

[netherseas]

❍ "Sometimes I find my memories of my homeland blending with my memories here, if that's what you mean. Unless you have a legitimate fever, in which case might I recommend an ice pack?"

[usurpation]

"Chapter three... I can't wait to "beta read" for you, if you'll allow me." Her eyes scanned the screen, picking up words here and there that piqued her curiosity. The terminology surrounding fanfiction was about as new to her as this relationship was.

"What has Lady Serah done to capture her attention this time?" Lacrymira asked then, the charm on her face even more evident. Castorice bloomed beautifully in these moments, prideful of her rich internal world. She'd even gotten Lacrymira to watch the series the two fictional lovers were from, and while she didn't get bitten by the same inspiration bug as her girlfriend, she liked sharing in what inspired her.

[netherseas]

❍ Castorice was proud of her writing. It could be heard in her voice and even seen in her body language as she turned the laptop around so that Insight could read what she had written. "Feel free! Lady Serah decided to start attending a baking class to try and bake something for Delilah, but it turns out they were both signed up for the same class! They even ended up as partners! ...Of course, Serah was worried about it. But as it turned out, she was there to learn to bake a cake for Delilah's birthday! A classic misunderstanding!"

"But... right! I'll give you a minute to read. Me rambling on about it probably sucks the enjoyment away." She placed her hands on her lap and stared down, humming quietly to herself.

[shadeandsuffering]

"Ten would be generous thinking even for someone like me..." Still the alternative was leaving her to do it all by herself. Which meant Castorice was either going to get completely lost all by herself in a place like this or somehow drag another person into this. While the later did sound amusing the former was going to work even the most devout of individuals to death.

And that said a lot coming from Lich of all people.

"Yup you can just call me Zoo Expert Lich." She hoped the sarcasm dripping from her answer had been caught on. But no one could ever be sure.

"Let's just say I'm always looking out for places people frequent. Not because I care to go there myself. Because I wanna see just how much I can get the jump on 'em when they least expect it."

[netherseas]

❍ "Oh! Miss Zoo Expert Lich, then!" Because she was inexperienced, she ended up taking Lich's sarcastic comment as gospel and followed along. She didn't know her well enough to know if it would be true or not, and Lich leaned into sarcasm semi-frequently. Castorice was unfortunately not very good at catching onto it.

She'd ended up saying something unusual at the end there though, hadn't she?

"Get the jump on...? What are you trying to get the jump on them for, exactly? Are you a thief like Lady Cipher? Hm..." She looked down at Lich thoughtfully. She didn't look much like a thief?

[usurpation]

When that response came, Insight knew she had been too indirect. She closed her eyes, tied up in a sense of discomfort she hadn't felt in... well, likely since she'd acted under the name "L". She had to keep her audience in mind: a woman who had lived far too long without indulging in physical touch. Longing for it, but killing her desires for it before those desires killed others. And, so...

...Castorice had no idea that she was trying to communicate that exact desire, and Insight had no experience in negotiating understanding of it... beyond bluntness at a level she expected might make the other's inexperienced head roll off her shoulders.

"......" she... exhaled, covering her face with her hand briefly. The "god" in her wasn't sure why she was doing this. 'You can have me, but not my heart' was an approach she was acquainted with; starting the other way around was new territory.

Her fingers parted, she looked Castorice in the eye, and that all was the reminder the captivated "human" in her needed. Her hand lowered back to her side.

"I'm very, very fond of you. I would be thrilled to count this as our first date," she replied, the heat remaining on her face even as the wintery air cooled it.

"I would also be thrilled to hold your hand," Insight added, extending one of her own in invitation.

[netherseas]

❍ The demigod knew that if she was to pursue a romantic relationship with someone, it would have to be someone that was willing to be patient with her. Despite how old she looked, she was hundreds of times older and yet had no experience in such a simple thing as expressing feelings. But Insight knew these secrets, and she also knew that Insight carried burdens of her own. They weren't the same, but they also weren't entirely dissimilar.

Castorice paid some degree of attention to her own reactions, wondering if they were appropriate or not. There was embarrassment to be had and she'd expressed as much, but she worried it might have been strange if it didn't show beyond a blush to her cheeks that could be blamed on the cold.

Something changed when Insight accepted her invitation though. Her lower lip quivered as she reached out to take Insight's hand with her own.

"Your hand is warm... although I knew as much. We did dance at the ball, after all." That had been shortly after her curse had been lifted permanently. She'd been overcome with joy at that time. But then she broke eye contact with Insight to look back at the end of the dock and broke the contact immediately. "Oh, um... Sorry, I almost forgot! One second!" She exclaimed while crouching down before the fuse she'd laid out.

She fished a lighter out of her coat pocket and lit it before springing back up to take Insight's hand again. It wasn't long before a small fireworks display went off from the tubes she'd set up. "See? It's just like when we first met! Although... colder."

[computerqueen]

* Yeah Sounds Good * And Yes The "E" In E-Publishing Stands For...

She holds out her hands in a Mr. Beast-esque pose.

* "Electronic" * And No Offense Taken, I'm Flattered To Be Involved With The Project In Any Way || Shape || Form

* You Can Scan Your Pages Or Take Pictures Of Them, Then Convert Your Handwriting Into Text With A Program Or Site * You May Have To Do Some Proofreading Afterward, Like If Your Uppercase "I" And Lowercase "L" Look Too Similar * And Even If You Go For The Traditional Route, Most Publishers Want Digital Manuscripts These Days * Plus It's Good To Have Backups, So Digitize Your Work When Possible

[netherseas]

❍ "Electronic... Oh! I see, because computers are electronic. How fitting... Hm... I wonder if that makes me an e-person? Is that a term?" At least for the time being, she was a product of a digital world. What was she if not electronic signals with a personality? Modern technology certainly sounded like it was amazing. There might have been similar tools on Amphoreus, but they were masked with fantasy explanations.

Castorice nodded along. "That makes sense. Sometimes I write so quickly that I make small errors that I don't notice until I reread what I've written later."

"This reminds me of how odd it was to write when I first arrived, though. Because we somehow simply understand the universal language, that applied to my writing as well. I knew how to write in it without ever being taught, but the hand movements with my quill felt strange. I'm not sure if I'll ever completely understand how this city does what it does."

[usurpation]

"So, what are you working on this week?"

Lacrymira had both elbows on the table, one hand propping up her chin and the other resting on the wood. Her body formed a lightning bolt, angled sharply forward above, with her feet crossed at the ankle and tucked under her chair. Beside her was a large black coffee, medium roast, in a cute paper cup.

"Whether it's an additional chapter or a new work, I would be thrilled to hear about it," she expressed, her eyes focused fondly on the woman across from her. There were other people currently in the coffee shop, but she willfully only had eyes for one.

—✧ @netherseas

[netherseas]

❍ Castorice's fingers worked furiously on the keyboard of her laptop. She usually had to be quick to keep notes during her classes, but there was an entirely unrelated reason that she knew how to type as quickly as she did. She took a sip from her latte here and there, but she was writing and waiting. To see if someone would show up.

When she did, the woman's eyes finally flickered from the screen to look at her. "Miss Lacrymira!" There hadn't been much mystery considering they were dating now, but it was still so recent that she wasn't completely used to it just yet.

She ended up smirking at the theory that she had been working on a new theory and quickly turned the laptop so that her girlfriend could look. "Mhm! Do you remember that Magical Lady Delilah fic I was telling you about? The one where Delilah and her archnemesis and eventual lover, Lady Serah, fall in love in a modern AU? I finally finished chapter 3!"

[leisomnium]

servant of death

[kyoukalover]

the all beautiful casto

[shadeandsuffering]

"I guess it depends on what ya' see as cute." The Captain definitely wouldn't see them as that considering what they told everyone happened the first time they saw one. And even Lich in her ambivalent lifestyle wouldn't say she liked or hated them either. If anything they just got in the way far more then she was willing to admit.

"Wait you wanna do it together all alone?! You realize how long that'll take right?"

Even wishful thinking that she might skip a few places there were far too many businesses and places out in the city that touted a similar mantra. That much extroverted energy in one could practically kill her. Although she'd still put up with it for her sake even if it'd be agonizing every step of the way...

"Geez if that's what you wanna do we should probably pick a place to start then on this truth seeking journey. Otherwise we're gonna be walking in circles."

[netherseas]

❍ "Hm... Small, fluffy, adorable? I suppose that doesn't narrow it down when I believe dromases are cute as well?" The demigod took Lich's comment somewhat seriously, even scrunching up her face in thought. She seemed to be a little confused at Lich's reaction to her suggestion, however. "Do they have more animals than I thought, then? I assumed there'd maybe be ten or so at most..."

She'd never been to a proper modern zoo of any variety, so this wasn't necessarily unexpected. She also had a skewed idea of how much time was "long" considering her lifespan.

"We don't need to do it all at once, however. Let's just start with the one you suggested, and we can go from there? But does that mean there are a lot of zoos that you're aware of? Have you been keeping them a secret from me, Miss Lich?"