Ghostly March

[shadeandsuffering]

"Though she has a knack for teasing mortals and getting into trouble, she nevertheless strives to live her own best life."

Lich | Granblue Fantasy (Art by よるゆめ)

The person your parents told you to worry about in elementary school

Voted most likely to do the shoulder tap prank to you

Looks like and will definitely act like wet cat

Talks to herself way too much for someone that hates "extros"

Really isn't that hard to vibe with provided you get past all her weirdness

Hopeless romantic says she hates romance, proceeds to make up romantic stories in her spare time

Join the club of being a jerkass with a (occasional) heart of gold!

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[iniezione]

"Oh. Alright."

Tikoh's ears sag, but she doesn't say anything more on the topic. No point in dwelling on personal feelings when there's work to do.

She's thankful Lich doesn't have reservations about taking off her clothes, not that's there anything to hide, really. Primal Beasts might look like skydwellers, but it's mostly a superficial resemblance. Digestion, respiration, reproduction, there's no guarantee they even can do those things if they want to. So the fact that Lich can get a thing like a sunburn is almost surprising.

"I would've thought so too, honestly," says Tikoh, leaning in. "Every time I see you, I learn something new, Lich. But the more we know, the better we can try and make sure it doesn't happen again."

A lot of Lich's chest and shoulders are tinted red, and there's some spots on her face as well. It could be worse, but it's also pretty bad as is.

"Does it hurt?" she says, looking up at her. "Something this extensive, you'd usually feel it when you move. So in your case, raising your arms, or maybe bending over or moving your face a lot."

There's some topical treatments, but it usually just takes time for the skin to heal. Will it work the same for Lich? Frowning, Tikoh presses lightly at her shoulder.

"How does that feel? On a scale of one to ten, how badly does it hurt?"

[shadeandsuffering]

Seeing Tikoh's ears droop did manage to strike somewhere in Lich's heartstrings, prompting the beast to look away in order to keep eye contact with the erune. There was no reason she should've felt that way but maybe it really was just as simple as someone she had prior experience with looking like that right next to her. Even if she wouldn't care if it was anyone else.

...Or at least most people.

"You and me both. I guess it makes sense if I don't got a lot of my powers that my body isn't gonna work as I expect. But there's gotta at least be some line in the sand right?" Otherwise there was going to be less of a reason for her to leave anywhere in the first place.

"I mean it's annoying sure. But I wouldn't say it hurts. Granted I don't know what sunburn is supposed to feel like in the first place. So if a little tingly feeling is what I'm supposed to feel then I guess I'm prety al- GAH!"

The touch did make it a little worse. How or why humans dealt with this was beyond her comprehension.

"Like a 6 probably. It ain't gonna kill me but I sure as hell ain't havin' fun with it."

[thiefandlyre]

"Must be the tender and succulent flesh I've got from living a life as a traveling musician rather than a laborer."

[shadeandsuffering]

"Can't say I know what both feel like. But sucks to be so popular regardless of how it works out. I think people would be better off just taking it easy then all that."

[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?"

[shadeandsuffering]

"I guess you could do both. Though that'd be a completely different thing then probably." But if it really all was for the plot to a story then did anyone really care beyond it sounding interesting? Not that Lich really read any interesting books in the first place to base it off of. But Castorice didn't seem like one who fret over minor details like that...

"...Ah so its a "everyone" gets it thing. For the fancy ones..."

It made sense especially for someone who could be a thief and still manage to be sociable enough to do something like that. Although one part of her statement did catch Lich's attention, enough to have her stop right in the middle of her words.

"...Wait if this Ci- I mean Lady Cipher is talented and fancy is that why you are callin' me that too? Because you think I'm fancy or something?"

[thiefandlyre]

"Personally I've had enough beautiful women try to drown me for one lifetime. I'll just use the pool at the gym."

[shadeandsuffering]

"Wow look at you.~~ What a bachelor to have all the ladies swoon over ya' just for a chance to put you leagues under the sea. How'd you get that to happen?"

[thiefandlyre]

"Knowing this place, I predict they will be adding killer sirens next month. May as well have what fun you can, before the briny deep gets you."

[shadeandsuffering]

"Hey at least killer ones could make for a pretty fun time. I'd want a back row seat to see what goes on there."

[thiefandlyre]

"Are saying people are being dragged into the water by some manner of siren?"

[shadeandsuffering]

"Yeah the Siren called "forced to have a fun time." "

[shadeandsuffering]

"Summers coming up soon. It only means all the extros are gonna be flocking to the beaches. Make sure to check up on your intro buddies just in case they're getting dragged off there."

[hanartiia]

The choice words the woman had towards the 'greater beings' quickly became the object of Yuuka's admiration. It was her no-nonsense attitude, combined with the scant disappointment about her predicament, that led Yuuka to see this off-beat woman in high regard. Yuuka straightened her back as her attention heightened, waiting to learn unpredictable and unconventional wisdom from her.

"A rat with a power complex," she pictured her brother and snickered, waiting to lay that new nickname on him and watch him react. "So, participating in the weird situations benefits us in the end; it's archaic, but effective manipulation." Yuuka pondered the role of manipulation across human history, and the concept of the colosseum passed her mind. She then remembered Cross's departed friend, Dura, who was put into a position akin to a gladiator. Except he managed to overcome the manipulators through purest liberation: death. A dour expression painted her face as she paid silent tribute to the man she never knew.

"Do they ever force us to kill one another?"

[shadeandsuffering]

"Unless you want to I don't think they're really gonna care if you kill someone or not. I mean from what I heard death ain't even really a factor in this city to begin with. Kinda wild to think about but I guess they gotta make everything interesting somehow..."

And Lich knew there would be some people back home that'd absolute loathe that thought. Either because there was someone in their life that they certainly didn't want to see here again or just the idea of death not being permanent in general. Both brought some odd sense of amusement to the primal beast, even if there were a handful of individuals herself she wished would stay in history rather then be here...

"Kinda chill really. Best part is if someone really annoys you just annoy 'em back. Or walk away. Not like we have anywhere else to go right? You'll probably run into them at some point sooner or later..."

[scrybeast]

As she talks, Leshy plucks a stray mushroom from his beard, sniffs it, and gives it a bite. He seems to be fine with humoring her, at least to keep himself occupied.

𖦹 You are welcome to elucidate me. I have nothing but time on my hands. 𖦹 (A luxury he thought he could not afford right before he was brought to this place.)

𖦹 And, if I may be so bold, what... is your origin. 𖦹

Was her world simply a game like his own, or was it something more?

[shadeandsuffering]

"Yeah but then I'd have to actually talk about it. You know how much work that is buddy?" A lot. Especially for a stranger who, while potentially entertaining for her was still going to bother her for a story like that.

"Still if you care that much I guess I can throw you some bones. Though it really isn't too much. Hell it might've been something you heard 'bout in your world too. Just not to the same crazy extent. Maybe like I dunno, a few steps below that."

Or maybe she was overselling it a little bit. The sky realm did have its own share of insane oddities after all.

"Makes sense? And we definitely ain't talking out here. Maybe in a home where no one else is or something. More enjoyable that way."

[iniezione]

@shadeandsuffering

"Well, I didn't really expect to see you here, Lich," says Tikoh. "At least, not for something that's not just a social call."

There's so many people in this city with novel physiologies that primal beasts like her are almost normal in comparison. There's still a lot that Tikoh doesn't know about primals, but seeing a physical condition like this is almost a relief. It's something that makes sense.

"And I guess I wouldn't have expected this considering your... lifestyle. But that's a pretty bad sunburn. I guess even primal beasts need to make sure they use sunscreen when they go out. I know the weather is getting warmer, so we want to make sure we're taking care of ourselves, you know?"

She holds out her hand. "Do you mind taking your robe off? I'll need to see the rest of your body so we can see how bad it is. Luckily, they have ointments for things like this that should help."

[shadeandsuffering]

"Oh please you think I'd give a social call to you? That's pretty bold even for being one of the only people I know from back home."

And a pretty big lie as well. There were a few times Lich did consider calling Tikoh just to see if she'd be willing to bum it out somewhere. The doctor didn't seem too busy with patients from what the primal beast gathered which only meant the shady being had to suck it up and actually do it herself.

But at least now she could make up for any "lost time". By being a patient of all things...

"And yeah yeah sure poof goes the robe too." Almost just as quickly did it fall to the ground, revealing rather large red spots on the usually pale individual.

"Tell me about it. I thought we were immune to the whole "human" stuff but I guess something went wrong. Maybe I should tell Rose next time to put more sunscreen on so she doesn't brighten up like a tomato in that Auguste sun."

[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?

[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."

[hanartiia]

Yuuka mentally recorded the new information and placed it in what she called her 'filing cabinet' to resource for later. As she stored the information, she processed her next answer based on what she received. The last item shared blossomed more questions than answers. She was sure that this other person could not speak as to why powers returned overtime, nor could she even elaborate on the "masters" that she mentioned.

However, the reveal of some sort of master caused her to look skyward. She stared at the cerulean blue sky and watched the wind push the cumulus clouds westward as the rotating world pushed the cirrus clouds east.

"Like mice in a maze," she scoffed and crossed her arms. "And everyone acts so normal." She realized that there was no other recourse than to act normal given the strenuous circumstances. They were are all trying to survive.

"Do you ever get to see the so-called "masters"? Are they this world's gods?"

[shadeandsuffering]

"Yeah if the mice were actually a bunch of weirdos from a bunch of different places. And some of them have a power complex that'd rival some of the people back home."

Not that Lich had any experience with that at all. But some of those people that did enter here had an ego she hadn't seen in quite some time. Which was both impressive and incredibly annoying given how many of those individuals Lich didn't want to interact with...

"Beats me. I've never seen 'em around. Though I heard from plenty of others that they usually like to keep to themselves. Unless they decide to throw up in some weird situation that we all gotta participate in. Doesn't matter if you're an intro or an extro, ya' trapped."

[hanartiia]

Yuuka recently observed that several occupants of the city had abilities reflecting cursed energy; however, reality paled in comparison of what Yuuka had hoped. Another such observation was made as the strange young woman appeared disenchanted with the lot of this city. Yuuka told herself to smile at the woman, and she waved her hands in pseudo-excitement as she denied her offer.

"Oh, nonono, no war for me, thanks!" Yuuka scantly thought if the young woman was once social recluse and now had suffer social interaction. "Thank you for answering my question," she refocused her attention on her job, hoping that would elevate some confusion and tension. "You helped me provide clarity to the absence of everyone's power here," she continued her wave of gratitude, then effortlessly shifted gears. "Have you noticed any changes to your abilities, any returning strength?"

[shadeandsuffering]

"Shame." Not that she was expecting someone else to join that easily but having someone else around would've made things far easier. Especially given she was the only person as a member in the first place.

"Not me that's for sure. Though you might have luck asking the people that are here longer. I doubt they were all juiced up the moment they got here either."

And definitely more easier to talk to then the primal beast. That much was for certain...

"Still seems to be some kind of time thing. Longer you spend here the more everything starts to come back. Kinda weird why they didn't just keep it all away from you in the first place but I doubt I'm going to get any real answers from plan masters like that..."

[scrybeast]

This was no ordinary pupil of magic, it would seem, but one who considered herself beyond a mere mortal. Leshy may have owed his existence to humans, but he liked to project an intimidating image of himself all the same.

𖦹 Hmm. Perhaps I have led you astray. All four of us... 𖦹

Leshy pauses, then sighs at his own mistake.

𖦹 ... Well. I suppose there is only myself now. But to carry on with my point... Us four Scrybes were meant to rule the land, with our methods of Inscryption being the keys to our success. 𖦹

𖦹 We were not meant to rule indefinitely, however. There would one day be a Challenger who would rise through the ranks, defeating each of us Scrybes in a game of cards. And upon their victory in the Final Duel, they would take the place of their chosen Scrybe. 𖦹

𖦹 That is... how things were meant to go. In practice, they turned out differently. 𖦹

𖦹 ... In any case, my life would not have value without someone to play against. Do you not feel similarly about mortals? Does toying with them not bring you purpose? 𖦹

And in a world like this one, the line between mortality and immortality was vague at best.

[shadeandsuffering]

"Huh, interesting..." She didn't quite know what kind of response she'd get from someone as weird as him but it wasn't nearly as awful as she expected. Sure there were far more questions now then answers but they sounded somewhat like an offshoot of Astrals. If Astrals were playing card games rather with the lives of others.

"Really if I gave you the full answer to what my whole purpose is we'd probably be here for the next three days. But I ain't got the whole thing memorized and I don't care enough to drag it from the back of my brain. So I'll give ya' the condensed version I guess."

"Same thing basically happened to me. Just with some twists and turns here and there. But I ain't exactly playing games with them, its just a hell of a lot more enjoyable too see how they react to some of the most basic things in the book. Makes you wonder if they'd ever gotten pranked before in their life."

[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?"

[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."

[scrybeast]

Leshy had thought this young woman was an acolyte of Grimora or Magnificus, but it soon became clear that she wasn't familiar with any of the Scrybes, let alone himself.

With a sigh, he rubs a finger up and down the side of his forehead. He has a feeling this one will bring him a headache, though not out of insufferability, he hopes.

𖦹 It is simply how I talk, 𖦹 he says, his eyes turning into orange spirals for a moment. 𖦹 I find it a useful way to spread fear into the minds of mortal men. 𖦹

𖦹 ... You are not familiar with myself, Magnificus, or Grimora, 𖦹 he observes. (There's one he's leaving out.) 𖦹 If you were, you would already know how we three Scrybes tend to converse. 𖦹

[shadeandsuffering]

"Yeah I have the slightest clue what you are talking about."

Although it was annoying to hear that was how people like him managed to talk. But any anger did quickly subside upon hearing he used it to spread fear into mortals. Finally someone who was on a similar wavelength as the primal beast...

"But hey you guys hate mortals too? Saaaaame. They're so annoying all the time it makes me just wanna keep thinking of ways to keep pulling pranks on 'em." As if she was one to talk about being annoying. "But you three sound like you got some real beef with all of them. Willing to spill the deets' to me?"