[Jean] Chapter 9: Martial Prowess

Throndir · December 17, 2018, 11:31:24 PM

《Chapter 8.5: Jean's Big Book of Wild and Crazy Things

《Chapter 9: Martial Prowess》

Location: New World - Wind Temple of Velothia - Dalina's Home
Date: Day 2 - Morning

Waking up that morning, it looked like the rest were still asleep. There were two bunk beds on either side of Dalina's room. The Priestess and her sister on one bunk bed, with you and Ren on another. Sometime during the night however, Ren had managed to make her way into your bed, and she was still sleeping soundly, with her tentacles wrapped around you, and in your clothes.

Gust was perched out on the window, looking inwards, he chirped a few times,. "Morning!" He said, but eventually flew away.

The slimeling on the other hand was already awake, it looked like it had begun eating the covers and bedsheets on Ren's bed. It left the mattress underneath untouched however. When it noticed you were awake it plopped a few sounds that you understood as its language.

"Food giver!" It then flew into the air, aiming straight for your face.

QuoteYou could attempt reflex, DC 10, to move out of the way and catch it deftly instead, or just have it go through.

pringerbeam · December 18, 2018, 12:13:20 AM

Jean let the slime plop onto his face before pulling it off, untangling himself from Ren, and standing up. He stretched his arms out and then looked down his outstretched arm at the slimeling. "We need to figure out what to do with you." He softly spoke, trying to avoid waking up the others as he looked at the damage the slimeling had done. "You have quite the appetite and yet..." He maneuvered the blob around. "You don't seem much larger than yesterday. Nor do you have the form of your other self. I wonder if this is how your race reproduces or if it is some unique survival mechanism." He sat on the edge of his bed and held the blob in both hands, looking down at it. "I wonder if we find your other self what will happen. Will we reincorporate you or maybe just let you be..."
He looked behind him to Ren as she lay sleeping in his bed. In his old life, he could not have imagined this scenario occurring, and yet rather than be filled with giddy excitement he felt a kind of serenity knowing that Ren was there. Perhaps it was the horrors he ensued with her at his side, but he felt attached to her in a way he could not compare to any relationship he had ever had before. "No dreams last night... I guess that might be for the best. The dreaming city..." He continued to watch Ren's slumbering face for a moment before turning back to the slime. "I've got a lot of research to do... but before that I need to be able to fight. My ineptitude has cost us greatly. Isn't that right?"

Throndir · December 20, 2018, 06:59:01 PM

The slimeling didn't respond immediately. It instead seemed to be preoccupied rotating its face.

"Me... I am other me!" At that moment, the slimeling started to attempt to morph, it seemed to struggle however, but the shape it was trying to go for was unmistakably like its previous form when it was much larger. Back when it had mimicked Eloise's body. However, the slimeling's attempt failed, it seemed like it was starting to form, but it was shivering, as if trying hard to shape it and maintain the form.

It eventually gave up though.

"But... not me!" It didn't seem particularly bothered though, as this time it started to wrap itself around your hands and fingers. Almost like some sort of viscous living goo.

"You... did okay, Food Giver!" The slimeling said resolutely. "You... should have... me stop it. Big metal thing."

It clambored back to your hand normally.

"It hurt. I want protect Food Giver and Snack." The slimeling moved slightly, as if peering behind you, staring at Ren.

"Tentacles... nice too!"

pringerbeam · December 20, 2018, 09:05:22 PM

Jean smiled at the slime's attempt at transforming. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. I wonder how long it will take you to grow to your original size." He looked out the window to the dawning sun as he listened to the slime. "Maybe I should have left you... I don't imagine that my death could have caused the fall of the academy but ten years is a long time to have been gone, a long time I could have spent doing something... But I couldn't have just let you die for me anymore than you could let me do the same... meiotic division not withstanding." Looked to Ren once again with the slime's last sentence. "Yeah, the tentacles are nice. I guess I never would have seen her true form if it wasn't for my death. I wonder if I ever would have known her had the encounter with the metallum gone differently." He bent down and gently moved a lock of Ren's hair aside before leaning in and softly kissing her forehead. "Your name may have come from a place of madness, but it is perhaps all the truer because of it. You nurtured me when I was wounded, you caressed me when I was flayed, you were my companion in my solitude. I owe you my life and more. I'm sorry you died for my folly." He caressed her face as softly as he could, trying not to wake her.
Jean stood up and patted his thighs. He picked up the slime and set it on his shoulder. "Time to get to work. I wonder if Vitaliya is awake yet." His stomach rumbled its protest and he patted his belly. "Actually, I need to see about getting some food first. I wonder what they have in here." He went into the kitchen and began rummaging around for something ti eat.

Throndir · December 22, 2018, 12:29:53 AM

Ren stirred lightly when you caressed her face, but she didn't wake up. There was some rustling from the other bed where Dalina and Anja slept. It was Anja who seemed to have started to wake up herself, sitting herself up with sleepy eyes, she rubbed them awake.

"Good morning... Mr. Hero." The girl said slowly while she was still in bed. More than likely she had heard you speak out loud quietly to yourself.

"Sister's going to be asleep for another few hours still... Wanna eat?"

Regardless of your answer, Anja made her way to the kitchen then, picking up some eggs, and a metallic plate. Heading outdoors, she went bent down near a fire pit, then lighting it with some nearby flint, started it up. Using the plate she brought with her, and placing it on some stone positioned above it, she began to cook.

pringerbeam · December 22, 2018, 12:56:04 AM

"Oh hey Anja... Yeah something to eat would be nice. Why are you awake up so much earlier than your sister?" Jean asked as he looked at the kitchen's shelves. He grabbed what he thought was some kind of jerky and followed Anja outside. "I'd offer to help but I wasn't much of a cook before I came here and I doubt my skills have somehow improved." He watched her work with her primitive setup. "You sure seem to know what you're doing... and that stew last night was really good. Does that make you the better cook of you and your sister? I don't have her food to compare but if you are always up before her then in sure you get a lot of practice in the morning." His ears perked up when he heard a bird chirping in the background. "Oh, when do you get a bird companion of your own? I thought everyone was supposed to have one. And what kind of path are you training for? Your sister said you had lessons yesterday. "

Throndir · December 22, 2018, 09:41:22 PM

"Being the Priestess of the Hero means all you do is focus on the hero. She's completed all of the studying and learning for it, so her responsibilities now are just eating and sleeping. Well... Taking care of you too. And guiding you, whatever that means." There was a hint of envy in her voice.

"For me? I still go to training every day. And no... No bird of my own yet. Only after I finish my training do I get to take care of a bird companion... It's really when the priest instructor feels you can have that responsibility that they let you have a bird companion..." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"I'm hoping to get mine soon at least! I'm hoping it's any day now. For now..." She pointed at Gust who was perched on the roof, keeping an eye on you two.

"Usually it's a relative's bird companion that looks after those who do not have a bird companion yet. And the older ones teach the younger ones. It was mother's bird companion who taught Gust. And when I get mine, Gust will teach mine." Anja explained as she finally finished cooking some of the eggs, and putting them on a plate for you, she cracked a few more eggs though and began cooking that next batch.

"There really isn't much to cooking... Really. Plus these are just eggs. But..." Anja lowered her voice as she shivered. "You don't want to try my sister's cooking... ever." You swear Anja turned a bit pale.

"Sister once said she should do all the cooking since I'm still going through training. And I guess she really wants to help? And I get that, I really do. But big sister doesn't know how to cook at all... At least I managed to convince her to do this 'taking turns' thing."

http://www.youtube.com/v/PkG3yxQDLBI

"It makes sense though. Big sis never did the cooking. It was actually mom who used to do it all. I would help too! I was a good helper! Mom told me herself." She smiled a bit from her comment, recalling that memory.

"She would try to teach us both... We'd be out here, like how you and me are right now. And mom would tell us what ingredients worked well with each other and how to cook things properly. You know... Even though Dalina is my older sister, she never really picked it up very well. But I listened to mom's teaching well. I learned a lot more from her than my teachers... and she always made it so much fun."

"She was a great cook. Like really really good! If you thought my stew was good, my mom's was amazing! She would even find ways to make simple things like this egg be more interesting. Every time we'd land in Mt. Velothia to restock, she always made sure to bring home all sorts of interesting spices. I remember she would spend some nights just experimenting with them all... Everything she made was good! Everything she cooked was amazing! Everything she did was amazing. I..." Anja bega poking the egg that was frying slowly, staring at it deeply as if seeing something.

"I miss mom." She poked it again as swells of tears began to form in her eyes. "I wish... I wish there was no such thing as heroes. It was because of them that mom had to go! She could have stayed right here, where it's safe! Everyone worries about the winged demons, but I'm sure we can lose them up here... We don't have to help the stupid land-dwellers! I hate them... And I hate the heroes. I know I shouldn't be thinking that... I'm not sure, but sometimes I think that's why the instructor is holding back. Everyone my age already has their bird companion..."

"You know. When I heard the stories that you stripped everyone naked... I thought... I thought that means I could hate you too, but then you came here. And... you aren't that bad... You even got that weird lady tentacle person to try to apologize... And you ate at our table, it was like family... Sister and I... never had anyone at our table ever since mom left." She used a free hand to begin wiping the accumulating tears.

"I thought it'd be easy to hate you when you were finally brought here... But seeing you here, you're just trying your best too aren't you? Mom promised me... she promised she would be back to see me each year. She broke that promise. Then she broke that promise again the year after... and-" By this point Anja had begun to sob, her words being choked up.

pringerbeam · December 22, 2018, 11:38:52 PM

"Shit, uh..." Jean fumbled over himself trying to think of what to say. He looked down at the eggs and jerky he had been eating, averting his gaze from the crying girl. "Look... I'm sure your mom had the right idea. It's just that... Sometimes we have to make hard choices to do the right thing and sometimes those choices end up hurting those we wanted to protect. We can't know beforehand how some decisions we make are going to hurt until we make them. Trust me, I made the same decision your mom did and I died ten thousand times for it but I know that I wouldn't have had it any other way because I chose to protect my friends. I think your mom did what she did because protecting you and your sister was more important to her than being able to stay here." He timidly put a hand on Anja's shoulder. "Besides, just because your mom hasn't been able to fulfill her promise doesn't mean she's gone forever... She may just be out there fighting the demons and unable to make it back to the mountain."

pringerbeam · December 23, 2018, 12:02:26 AM

[info]Diplomacy Check[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+1 : 10 + 1, total 11[/blockquote][/info]

Throndir · December 23, 2018, 12:17:13 AM

[info]Heroic Action Point Gained[/info]

She seemed to have been about to get mad, or even further upset. But your words managed to calm her slightly.

"T-That... That's..." Anja said wiping her tears with her robe and sleeve as she shivered. Once she was done, she tried to face you, and put up a smile, but you could tell it was forced. A moment after that, her mouth quivered, and without another word, she flung herself towards you, attempting to hold on to you in a small embrace.

"That's true... but... it doesn't change the fact she isn't here anymore. I just miss her... I just miss her so much."

Anja will proceed to continue clutching on to you, softly sobbing.

It would be a couple minutes more, when you noticed movement. It was Dalina standing at the doorway of their home. Her gaze was sympathetic, from her sister's tears, and the fact she had clung on to you, and knowing that her sister still missed their mother, she managed to figure out the situation. Ren was there too, peeking out from behind, confusion on her face, but choosing not to say anything.

At that moment, you smelled something burning. It was the food.

QuoteSome assumptions made above, let me know if I need to tweak

pringerbeam · December 23, 2018, 12:38:59 AM

Jena patted Anja on the head, letting her cry. "Don't worry. It's alright to miss your mom." He looked over to Dalina and Ren and nodded his head to the burning food while he put a hand on Anja's head. He waited for her to finish crying before talking. "I think breakfast needs to get finished Anja. Everyone is awake and we need everybody to get well fed before we all go to our activities today. We can't have everyone get food poisoning to start the day right?"

Throndir · December 23, 2018, 12:58:50 AM

She wiped her face one more time.

"Yeah... I know. Food poisoning's my sister's job." She giggled, then breathed in deeply and smiled briefly. She gave you one more brief hug though, then stood up. She walked a short way grabbing a little pack that contained her lunch, then with that in hand, she started to make her way towards the temple.

She stopped midway, turning around she shouted.

"Good luck with the food!" Anja called out, then started to jog away.

Dalina made her way towards you, smiling first at you, but then frowning at the burnt food that was left on the make-shift stove top.

"Well... it doesn't look too bad. But... what's this about food poisoning's my job?" Dalina's eyes moved towards you. She was smiling, but there was a certain intensity to that smile. If you had to characterize it. it was scary.

pringerbeam · December 23, 2018, 01:14:37 AM

Jean smiled back. "Secrets of The Whispering Librarians... whatever that might mean? Things just keep coming out of the corners of my mind." He crammed the now cold eggs and jerky into his mouth and stood up. "Anyways, gotta go train! What are you going to do today?"

Throndir · December 23, 2018, 01:31:37 AM

"Well... u-umm... I was planning to sleep, but Ren woke me up when she noticed Anja with you. Umm.. Maybe I can do some cleaning around the house, or maybe... I could cook you some lunch and bring it over?" She seemed a bit flustered. "I'm the Priestess of the Hero so I should be guiding you or helping you in some way!"

"Yeah, that's it. You'll be a Vitaliya's? I'll come by later with some food!" She announced.

QuoteFeel free to move to the Training area, then roll your Training checks.

pringerbeam · December 23, 2018, 10:21:38 AM

"Alright I'll see you later then." Jean took his leave and went to the training hall with with Ren and the slime in tow. He got to the training hall and set to work against the striking stone, trying to launch his blows the way that Vitaliya had shown him the day before.

[info]Training Test[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+6 : 17 + 6, total 23[/blockquote][/info]