🌸 one | ota.

[everblooms]

Who ⬤ aerith and you!
What ⬤ substories! i'll also be using this post as a catch-all as the month goes on.
When ⬤ let's say early march. just to be spicily unfocused.
Where ⬤ i'll specify when necessary!
Content Warnings ⬤ i'll edit this to reflect anything, so please make sure to warn in subject lines if your character brings anything up for my own reference! ❤

as a note, if you'd like to plot something personalized, i'm more than happy to chat! you can hit me up with a PM, or message me over on plurk @ hagclub.

wicked on the weekend (night parade PREP, a)

[ It takes a great deal of wrestling with a young youkai with fish's head to wrench the weapon from his grip. It had been obvious immediately, and she's already seen some similar things confiscated. For what reason, she's admittedly not very sure, and as far as she's concerned, it's not really her business. He had been carrying a staff of some sort, an unwieldy thing that collapsed into itself when handed over at Aerith's eager, chipper behest. She only needs to look busy, so the smile she wears is perhaps a dead giveaway.

She holds it up, that woody looking staff that smells slightly of river water and fish scales, inspecting it at eye level. It's dark in color, looks a bit like a twig, but is much heavier than it looks. Her fingers ghost along what feels like hard plastic when...

Hopefully you dodged, because it snaps open, a terribly sharp blade angled directly for her partner's face. Perhaps you got saddled with her of your own volition, or you thought she needed help. Maybe her light hearted approach to the situation has caught your attention, because this isn't the first time she's done this.

She immediately hands the staff back, blade still out. The youkai practically preens in response. ]

I think he can keep it.

[ Her assessment is simple. Why not, really? Maybe he'll need it. She's very, very sure of this decision, and looks to her partner with her fists upon her hips. Do you agree? Argue? Or maybe you should convince her that the two of you need the staff. (She would not disagree.) ]

can i get another amen? (night parade prep, b)

[ A case, woven from fine bamboo, is shoved into your face. The lid nearly topples off, and hangs by the neck of a bottle. It's full of them— alcohol resides inside, and they clink together enchantingly from within their bamboo-y prison. They're practically glimmering with the reflection from the neon lights. ]

Special delivery from Tamamo!

[ Her voice comes before Aerith peeks her face out from behind the case, waiting. ]

We've got more drink where that came from.

[ She waits more, still. Cat got your tongue, or maybe the bottles are just too pretty? ]

...Take it! [ This is the place that was expecting a delivery of spiked juice? ]

it's saturday night (sweet jacket)

No. [ Shaking her head, she continues in a frank tone. ] I don't think it's your jacket.

[ Aerith has a basket dangling from her elbow, stuffed with decorative flowers. Across the bridge is more businesses, and part of the parade route. A problem had presented itself to the pair of you on your way to deliver more decorations in the form of a young man wearing a rather trendy looking jacket. It certainly looks like it's Shuten's speed, from Aerith's cursory glances around the territory.

The man is unready to admit defeat to her simple, matter-of-fact statement. He shakes his head in disbelief, but it's hard to miss the crestfallen glint in his eyes. Aerith feels a twinge of regret, but better to hear it than keep believing it. Right? ]

Aaaand my lovely assistant, [ She turns to you, smiling cheekily. ] can explain to you why, can't you?

[ Her green gaze flicks to the river, where the water soaked visage of a goddess glowers at the trio of them. She gets the feeling she might have to run across this particular bridge from now on, if only by association...

Leaning in, Aerith whispers: ] Psst! Break it to him gently.

wildcard (closed prompts)

[ my ooc intro is here if you wanna plot something out more specific. i'm always happy to write a starter if someone contacts me for one, too! on the other hand, if you prefer to use my post, you're totally welcome to use this for a wildcard open. i'm also only a PM away, or contactable on plurk, listed above!

locked to nia. ]

Comments

[nya]

( there's a thin line between a party and a crowd. the place is nice, sure; she's always in awe of how well put-together things are around here. it's elegant and inviting, but — there's something heavy hanging in the air, like a mist that hovers just above their heads, and she's not sure she wants to find out what it is. the atmosphere feels heavy; charged. it's not that she doesn't like company — it's that this kind of a thing spooks her like it would a skittish animal, unwilling to dive into the unknown without anyone to hold onto.

so she skips; it doesn't seem as if people are particularly hell-bent on them staying here, anyway. on her way towards the exit, there's another girl who seems headed in the same direction; her ears perk up in interest, when she's spoken to, and she turns to look at her, feeling... some sort of an escapee camaraderie, maybe. )

It's taking waaay too long. ( she complains, following after. no idea what a popsicle stand it, but she's down to blow it up?

fresh air feels ridiculously good, after all that. she inhales and exhales, puffing up her cheeks in obvious relief. when you're part-animal, your senses are naturally heightened — too long in a place with such intense smells, and she feels herself going dizzy with it. outside, there's still the lingering scent of incense and perfume, but it's not as intense — she can work with this. and just when she thinks they're free to go —

an unpleasant voice. she looks behind her and scowls, immediately reminded of the soldiers chasing her down back home — if she had her weapon, she'd draw it in an instant, but... all she has is herself, and she hisses back in response, shuffling closer to the girl to wrap a hand around her wrist. these men are big. the alleyways are small. she's a cat — she's good at finding escape routes. )

Run. ( is all the warning aerith gets, before nia throws herself forward and away from the guards. fighting... would've been an option, sure, if she still had any powers at all — like this, it's much better to just bail, and she keeps a tight grip on the other girl's hand as she pulls her into an alleyway after an alleyway, maneuvering between trashcans and discarded furniture, seeking places as narrow as possible, to make sure the men can't follow. where will this take them... nobody knows, but hopefully far enough from the establishment to not be worth the chase. )

[everblooms]

[ "Run" is what Nia says, and Aerith looks at her for a moment then back at the men lumbering over the pair of them like predators. This must be how mice feel, she thinks, before nodding. Her feet keep up even when her mind hasn't quite gotten there, and they tear through alleyways without a word. The soles of her boots mix with the click-clack of Nia's heels. How in the world is she running in those?

At their back, she hearts it— the telltale sound of the men following them. ]

Those definitely aren't bouncers! [ A helpful comment, but she immediately follows it up. After looking back to confirm, she sees their long shadows cast on the wall and looks around for an escape route. Immediately, she realizes: ]

...I know this alley way... To the left! C'mon!

[ Tugging at Nia's grip, Aerith makes a beeline for the fire escape. ]

The rooftops, we can escape across them. [ She looks down at Nia, gaze serious but compassionate. ] Think you're up for some hopping and skipping?

[ Her other hand is already on the ladder. ]

[nya]

( good question... she doesn't actually enjoy running in these, especially without her superhuman agility to help her with the balancing act — but she's spent long enough time running to have this down to muscle memory; hard pavement, heels and all. at the very least, there's no gunfire to follow their steps here — no dramatic explosions to block off their paths; no immediate threat to their life. and, even if the men would catch them, nia would rather tear through their jugulars with her teeth than let herself be captured.

... let's just say she's got enough trauma related to being locked up to last her a very long lifetime — )

Oh — ( distracted, she doesn't even look where she's going — it's only when aerith speaks that she snaps back to attention, glancing to the left.

rooftops... somehow, she ends up climbing these a lot, here. which is fine — back in gormott, everything was easy to climb, and people loved living at high elevations. )

Doesn't look like we have a choice, huh? Whoever these guys are — I'd rather escape than have to fight them. ( without her sword, or her rings... but, well. there's the heels, and if they want to lose their arms — ) Let's go. ( it doesn't take her long to decide; as soon as aerith begins climbing, so does nia, following after with graceful, catlike agility. once they're on the roof, she glances around — there's another rooftop they could hop on, but she waits for aerith first.

can't assume everyone's actually down to jump around on rooftops like it's no big deal... )

Do you need help moving across? ( wandering over to the edge, she looks down. it's not too high up, but the jump is pretty considerable, still. )

[everblooms]

[ Aerith's an old hand at running away like this; the slums were always unsafe, and Elmyra's concern about staying out past dark was never without reason. Still, she's a big girl. Jigoku is a story she's still learning, still listening to. Eager to learn what song it's singing, she throws herself into alley ways, and dives into the underground, maps out the city in a way that suits her. It's full of crevices and secrets.

The night sky is beautiful, to her, and when she looks back at Nia, ice-kissed wind lightly tousles her long braid. Down below is the the clatter of chaos, men rummaging through trash. They don't realize the two girls have escaped to the roofs, and Aerith turns back around to begin her way across, intent on leading Nia away further.

Where the hell'd they go?! comes from ground level. Aerith laughs a little. ]

It's not... too steep, I think!

[ Hopping onto the edge of the roof, Aerith moves as if to jump— ]

... [ A noise leaves her before turning back to Nia, her brows knitted together.

— Behind them, the ladder falls to the ground. Well, no way back now, for sure. ]

Okay. Just... do it. Pheww.

[ Surely this will work.

This time, Aerith takes a running start, backing up before leaping, and rolls onto the roof. Relief floods her when she stands, dirt on her cheek, and sees Nia's cat-eared frame across the way. Grinning, Aerith raises her arm over head. ]

C'mon, the weather's great over here!

[nya]

( the satisfaction of a successful escape is unlike any other; she watches the dark figures fumble around beneath them, clearly thrown off guard by their sudden disappearance, and she snickers, pleased. it's good to have this kind of knowledge — sometimes, a split-second decision to dive into an alleyway might just save your skin, and being aware of what part of the city you're into is always better than aimless wandering.

it's a little hard for her to get used to the layout of his place — a big city like this isn't something she's ever really got to explore. torigoth, the place where she comes from, happens to be the biggest town in gormott — and still, it's barely a quarter as big as this, much less complicated, and, most importantly, not nearly as modern. all the neon lights and all the tiny alleys — all the distracting, bright colors and noises and scents... it's not exactly ideal for her, but she figures she'll get used to it eventually. maybe.

for now, she watches aerith try to make the jump, ready to... dive in, just in case she needs to catch her in mid-air, or something. it takes a certain amount of courage to even leap in the first place — the rift between you and the goal always seems wider, somehow, before you jump. )

Careful! ( she throws in, just in case, watching aerith back up for a running start. a smart decision. still, for a moment, her stomach twists — she watches the other's frame fly over the space without much trouble, though, laughing when she sees the dirt on her cheek. okay, yeah, let's do this —

backing up, too, albeit a little less than aerith, she follows after. the jump is effortless — she is a cat, after all — and she lands on her heels, only swaying once the gravity catches up to her. arms spread wide, she balances on one foot for a moment — before regaining composure and turning to aerith. )

Nice. You're a natural. ( nod, nod. now that they're here, though, she's got no idea where they can go... ) Do you know this part of the city? I've never been here before. ( a small pause, during which she glances down. her stomach is definitely rumbling... everything at the tamamo meet-up smelled weird, so she ended up not eating anything at all, in fear of swallowing something contaminated with drugs. probably a good decision, but she's feeling the weight of it now. )

[everblooms]

[ Nia's graceful to Aerith's eyes. In the moonlight, she's powerful with long limbs and enviable balance. Her body moves with a level of command Aerith admires. She swears she's seen people dance with only half that kind of grace and control, and here she is, using it to leap across dirty rooftops with a girl she just met. It would be a lie to say Aerith isn't charmed by her, spikey heels and all.

When Nia joins her on the adjacent roof, Aerith wordlessly offers her a thumbs up. ]

Thanks! It was nothing like you, though. [ Nia's smaller, but Aerith feels like she's got enough power for the two of them. Without thinking, she balances on one foot, arms out, as if mimicking Nia's graceful, cat-like landing.

A rumbling surprises her, and both of her booth hit the concrete as she realizes... that's Nia's stomach. Shock splashes across her face, mouth agape as she gazes down, only for her to laugh just as easily and quickly as it had come. ]

I know it, sure! I'll show you around. How do you feel, by the way? Me, I could go for some grub.

[ Might as well save her the embarrassment, right? A door sits to the center, attached to a larger part of the rooftop, and Aerith approaches it as if she's been here millions of times before. ]

[nya]

( a little surprised, she watches aerith mimic her movement; huffs out a small, amused laugh, embarrassed. listen... this is nothing! she's much better when she's not nerfed!! )

A long history of running away. ( which seems like something aerith is familiar with, too, actually... the quick thinking, and the familiarity with the alleyways; nia can tell she's been chased before. a lot of different people, and a lot of different circumstances — but there's always some sort of kinship you feel, when you've met another underdog.

... and, clearly, she's a bit better at taking social cues than nia could ever hope to be — )

Ah... yeah, I don't think I touched any food back there. It all smelled really suspicious, y'know? ( like... something's been put in it. either way, she follows after the other girl, catching up to her and peering out from behind her shoulder. ) Where will this take us?

[everblooms]

Well, [ Aerith swings the door open and a cool gust from the air conditioner hits her. The lighting is low up here, and the flickering fluorescent lights give the staircase going down a sense of abandonment. Nonetheless, she makes her way down, easy and comfortable with just sneaking into buildings, apparently. The mystery of Aerith Gainsborough grows more, amd more. To her— Nia's got skills that are necessary for survival. A normalcy in the slums, unfortunately.

But she looks adorable doing it. ]

This place is mostly empty, except for a few textile businesses. I think it used to be a sort of market place, once upon a time. [ She can picture it as they come to the floor. It spreads out into a desolate mall, a few storefronts still open. Each of them advertise a specific kind of fashion or fabric. She waits for Nia to catch up before continuing her trek, still talking. ]

I grabbed some sheets from this place earlier! For my new apartment. [ Pointing into the distance, there is indeed a storefront advertising bedding in an odd corner across from a cart selling kebabs of some kind. ] It doesn't really seen a lot of foot traffic anymore, but it used to be pretty busy. Or so they said. I wouldn't know!

[ There's glass doors leading to the outside world before them, soon enough. ]

It's kind of nice that it's still here, though.

[nya]

( a little wary of the staircase, her ears flatten against her head, as she tries picking up any suspicious sounds or smells coming from downstairs. nothing concrete, though — but she can hear a distant murmur of human conversation, and if aerith says it's safe, well... there's no need to question it, she thinks. if anything, she really doubts aerith would lead her down straight into danger — call it a cat's instinct. )

A marketplace, huh... ( she knows these. this building is still nothing like the buildings back home, but that, at least, gives her a sense of familiarity. the scarce stands; the simplicity of it all... it's not a bad place, she thinks.

clearly, there's not a lot of people hanging around. specialty stores don't exactly need a lot of foot traffic to prosper, though; if you need them, you come to them, it's that simple. she peers over at the textile shop, making a note of it, and then at the cart with meat. meat... meat sounds good right now... )

You seem pretty street smart. ( she notes, after a moment, stepping ahead to open the door for aerith and let her through first. m'lady... ) Places like this will persevere. It's one of the nice things about people's stubbornness, as far as getting attached goes.

( lots of history in this building, she guesses, judging by all the damage. )

[everblooms]

Oh, how gentlewomanly. [ A giggle escapes her. When Nia opens the doors for her, it gives way to an even brighter mess of lighting. Tamamo's district has a certain je ne sais quoi, impossibly and wholly defined by it's leader, Tenko-hime. It is dotted with billboards and neon signs. It reminds her of being top side, and when Aerith tilts her head back up to look up into the sky, the stars are blotted out. They can't shine brightly like this. Not here. ]

Street smart, huh. [ A note of guilt peeks out in her voice as she turns to Nia, smiling despite it. Soon enough, she shrugs. ]

If I can tell you the truth, that was my second time traveling between roof tops. [ Sighing, she continues, lightly. ] It was a lot of fun. Thanks for trusting me. Now, I think that shishkabobs are a little too light for two girls looking for a real meal, so let's find a food stall!

[ Taking to the streets, she cannot help herself and takes a big, long whiff of the streets. Mixing with the stench of alcohol and who-knows-what, something aromatic and delicious hits her. ]

wish dw didnt lose my notifs for me wtf

[nya]

( there's a bustle to this place nia's not quite used to; all the neon lights and never-ending uproar is pretty confusing, for someone who comes from the countryside. despite that, it fits this place perfectly; the streets that never seem to fall asleep, and the steady flow of people all around them — she thinks every alliance seems to have a particular quirk to their territory, a way to easily tell where you are.

as for tamamo, well... if all the girls beckoning patrons to come into various establishments isn't enough of a give-away, it has to be the large variety of restaurants, food stalls and bars peppered all over the place. that much, nia's managed to scope out herself. )

You've got a penchant for it, then. Back where I come from, climbing on top of the rooftops is super common. ( as one would expect from a place populated by mostly cat people...

it's also just more convenient, she thinks. getting a good bird's eye view of the area never hurt anybody. )

Hmm... ~ I'm feeling... seafood! ( ... as per usual... ) Or maybe something with meat... Either way, my stomach feels like it's been empty forever, so... —

( and then she sees it — an open, street restaurant serving large bowls of ramen. and by large, she means like, bigger than her head, which immediately catches her attention. ... despite appearances, she's actually quite the glutton... )

notifs have been so bad lately and im tired of 503 errors..........

[everblooms]

[ Seafood? Aerith hasn't had that in, gosh, ages. Fish isn't particularly common under the plate, a delicacy that thrives primarily topside. Nia proposes something that sounds quite luxurious to Aerith, but with all the simplicity of announcing that she likes rain. She snaps her mouth shut when Nia's statement lingers, drifting off into the ether. Aerith follows her line of sight and spots it, too; bowls of soup bigger than anyone coudl ever possibly put away. A youkai working that evening, a fox with ocean-like markings, layers noodles into a bowl before handing it off. To her eyes, it's decadent and homely; what's better than a warm bowl of soup, after all. ]

C'mon. [ Aerith takes up a light jog to the bar where the youkai's working, gesturing for Nia to follow her. ] Doesn't that smell delicious?

[ At least, it does to her. What Aerith spots when she plops her butt into one of the stools is a menu that lists several kinds of soups, but it's what the worker hands off to another customer that catches her eye. A bowl of noodles with a crab claw sticking out of it. ]

Oooh. Guess your seafood wish can come true.

ME... 502 AND 503 MY DETESTED

[nya]

( on the contrary, back in alrest, fish is rather common — not a delicacy by any means, though it also depends on the kind. sashimi, for example, is a rare treat; otherwise, diving into the cloud ocean that envelops every island is rather easy, if it's just fish you want to catch. she still doesn't like doing it herself, but there's plenty of bodies of water on the land, too — waddling in poses no problems.

here, though... well, she's not sure. she's seen some sushi shops around the tamamo territory, but all of them seemed so... luxurious and expensive she didn't dare walk in —)

Oh — ( nose in the air, she smells the welcoming scent of food; noodles, broth, meat — all of it so homely she can't help but feel drawn in. yeah, this definitely beats the stiff, weird party back at the brothel; she gladly follows after aerith, sitting down next to her and glancing over the menu.

seafood ramen... she can't say she's ever had it, but soup is soup, right? )

Does any of this look familiar to you? ( the options on the menu, she means. ) I haven't heard of most of these before, but... "seafood ramen" would be seafood soup, right?

[everblooms]

[ Watching Nia, she gets the impression that she's not entirely out of water, here. Something about this works for her, and while Aerith makes note of that, she's not too sure what it is. A fluid sort of smile splashes across her face when she replies to Nia, pressing her own menu to her chest. ]

Ramen is just a kind of... style of soup? [ It's clear she isn't familiar with it, but she speaks definitively, anyway. No use playing unaware when you've seen the dish getting served out in front of you. She turns to Nia, brown hair slipping over her shoulder. ]

You're not shy, are you?