prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .010

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You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. Even the few shy moon creatures you find in the wild have strange crystal growths on their hides. This is far from home— perhaps a dream? You pinch your skin and slap your cheeks, yet nothing seems to do the trick. Searching for answers yields nothing but an endless expanse of purple dust as far as the eye can see. You have four options: one, panic; two, soil yourself; three, admire it all then soil yourself; or four, go into survival mode. Eventually, you’ll realize that you’re not alone.

After a day or two of living off the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. After the strange phenomenon during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? Why did I accidentally swallow the worm at the bottom of my tequila? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay.

While waiting for transport to be prepared, you may freely roam around the government center. Eventually you’re called back from exploring, escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the moons and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as the local Prismals. The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ I Heat Up, I Can’t Cool Down
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Planet Prismatica, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

A Settle in your new home at Level 2 to find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

B After settling into your apartment, you notice a shiny silver indestructible mechanoid cube with a pair of tiny stag horns attached to it. The card attached says that it’s a gift from the Lunatian government. One touch of the cube makes it hover in place, light up brightly, and play the classic hit Last Firalia by Blam! on repeat. By the 7th listen, you get hot under your collar, beads of sweat forming on your temples and rolling down your neck, and your breath grows labored. By the 17th listen, you’re all but ready to burst into flames — a stark contrast to the plummeting temperature outdoors.

A bit of vigorous moonlacing should keep you from growing too hot and bothered indoors. Or you could simply decide to chuck the cube out the window and let it be someone else’s problem. That won't really stop it, though. The music only stops once the cube picks up enough Chroma in the atmosphere generated via moonlacing, so go forth, and spread the Firialia lust, love, and cheer!

▶ It’s the Moose Wonderful Time of the Year
City of Lunatia | top

In the city of Lunatia, the streets are emblazoned with beautiful antler decorations, gleaming gold and silver along every walkway. Snowflake holograms appear on shop fronts to announce their annual Firialia sales, and Prismals are all rushing to buy gifts and make preparations for the upcoming holiday.

According to legend, on one incredibly harsh winter, ancient Prismals were downtrodden and on the verge of starvation when the majestic stag king of the forest, Firi, emerged from his humble kingdom to bring them warm clothing, blankets, and gifts for surviving the biting cold. It is said that his spirit remains on the land even after the Calamity, appearing every winter solstice to bless the Prismals for the new year ahead. Every year, Prismals mount festive wreaths on their door, decorated with stag horns in Firi's honor, and exchange gifts to invite the benevolent spirit of Firi into their homes.

A Hanging fake deer antlers is a strong Firialia tradition that has endured for centuries — a success that can be attributed to its magical effects, which often compels two people caught beneath to share a bit of Firialia spirit with one another. One can find these trinkets everywhere, decorating even the most secluded of spaces. The antlers come in three colors:

RED: Causes a dangerous but intense feeling of desire to embrace the person you're with! You will want to roughly pin the closest person to you on a flat surface, passionately kiss, and/or aggressively hold hands.

BLUE: Causes people to want to kiss until they’re out of breath, hands liberally moving across each other’s body, and the errant temptation to go further, but no taking any clothes off in public or the Moon Knights will get you! You’ll simply be eager to tease and kiss beyond the lips and have difficulty feeling sated.

PURPLE: Causes people to want to caress each other's faces affectionately, steal soft kisses, and/or tenderly lace their fingers together. They may also feel compelled to offer up some sweet whispers and compliments!

B To combat the cool weather, Prismals will also be handing out cups of warm chocolate moose mousse. This light and creamy dessert is prepared in enchanted moose-shaped cups with a pair of festive graham cookie antlers poking out of it. Prismal traditions include taking a bite and passing it to your neighbor, enabling you to get a glimpse of one another’s Firialia wishlists left unspoken. Fancy a new fishing rod this holiday? Or perhaps that saucy leather subligar you’ve been eyeing since your arrival? The words and images that make up your list appear before whoever eats your mousse, so who knows? Maybe you might get it this Firilia...

▶ Are You Not Entertained?
Level 1, PrismaPlace | top

After the long wait and preparations, the League Match Action Online (LmaO) preliminary qualification rounds are now underway at the gaming hub in PrismaPlace in Level 1, as the city will be hosting the LmaO Grand Championship next month. Moonblessed old and new are welcome to take the game for a test drive and participate!

The award-winning VR MOBA boasts amazingly seamless first-person view graphics and a real-time combat mode almost as authentic as real life and guaranteed to wow and amaze. Players can explore and immerse themselves in the fantasy world of LmaO, where they can create their own avatars and either fight with or against players from Lunatia and the Kingdom of Lyestellus for glory and loot!

In co-op mode, you will be battling a selection of huge beasts chosen at random. The most notorious among them is Ogma the Dread Ogre, who has high defense and pesky unavoidable attacks. PVP mode pits you against other players, and getting KO’d three times in a row or having your base captured is a loss for you and your team. Fun mode featuring mini-games such as virtual basketball, rhythm step action, beat sword, and many more. Winning any of these modes nets you loads of in-game gold that can be used to buy aesthetic skins, cute in-game pets, fun game emotes, furniture for your in-game house, or weapon and skill upgrades to make you stronger for the next round!

Event emcees will be recruiting anyone passing by for the preliminaries and showing them into fully-equipped private rooms for teams of two to eight players. Each player will be given virtual headsets and tight suits for immersion and communication. Prismal players may be recruited with Moonblessed teams if necessary.

A The scenario for the preliminaries is a majestic coliseum filled with gladiators of all ages and species. In LmaO, weapon choices are currently limited to any melee and ranged weapons you'd find in an ambitious fantasy RPG setting (read: you can find dual swords and grimoires but also gunblades), including an elemental magic system of water, fire, wind, earth, dark and light. Choose your weapon and, with your team, fight for the top spot!

As you begin to battle, you notice that the more you get hit, the more your physical body shows visceral reactions to the attacks. Outside of the game, you lose balance. Bruises appear out of nowhere and mar on your skin. You earn minor abrasions and bleed. It’s possible to feel the sweat or saliva of other players or bots, the sensation of their virtual hands grappling you, or their teeth sinking into your shoulder as they bite. It's a new, tantalizing world of virtual stimulation.

B For those of you more interested in the glamour aspects of LmaO, you are welcome to compete against other players in either the in-game or a real glam-a-thon. Festive LmaO cosplayers will be scattered around the venue, dressed in colorful costumes of characters from the game, such as the ridiculously cool cyborg Kenji and the flirty immortal fox mage Yeri. As for the in-game contestants, they are located on a bright sparkling stage. Large monitors at PrismaPlace can be seen livestreaming everything.

Some of the many competitors are dressed in colorful gear, including stylish himations, risque chitons, and a bevy of glittery, neon gladiator sandals. Challenge other players to a fashion walk-off on the raised catwalk. Score high enough on either contests, and you will win an ultra-rare Firialia plump moose mount in-game. You are welcome to invite others on a scenic moose ride after as the plump moose very slowly waddles across the virtual snowfields and exhibits its adorable built-in feature where it decides to take a nap every few minutes.

▶ Questions
If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( nope. by birth, legosi is just a full-blown grey wolf.

he never faults herbivores for their apprehension or fear. the fact that they had gotten over so much of it to allow their society to function as it did was remarkable. given so many opportunities to be better, carnivores still attacked and killed them. the back alley market still existed, and though many would claim it was a vital part of their society, it was lamentable that it had to be used as a crutch. but even though he can understand all of this, it is still difficult. this is why he had minimized himself for so long — the events of the past year had coaxed him out of that, degree by degree. but sometimes he remembers it is sometimes best to be mindful and cautious.

he stops as she addresses him, turning to look at her at the same time she reaches out. wolves are carnivores, and canines especially are driven by sight and scent. the movement of the sleeve draws his attention, and he can't help but track it and see the marks written in scars on her arm. he's a wolf — he knows what they look like, what they probably are. it makes sense, then. he can't help but think of haru's small arm, bandaged up when he had visited her in the rooftop garden, hiding the wounds his claws had inflicted before. it was just a risk herbivores lived with every day, coexisting with their natural predators.

perhaps it would be best if he stayed away from herbivores. certainly safer. but he is simply a perverted wolf who wasn't content with his own kind and appreciates them far more, and so he had worked very hard to strengthen his self-control. he turns back to her, a little sheepish. ) Um... Only if you want to. I don't want to put you into an awkward position... It's just that, I was told that it's meant to be shared, so...

No, I... I heard that, too.

[Clutching her holiday shopping to her chest in an attempt to keep from fidgeting further with her sleeve (though perhaps accidentally looking like she was using it as a shield), Konoha struggles to find a way to make up for the rather offensive reaction she'd had to him. Her sense of smell was still saying "danger", but the body language she saw with her eyes said something totally different.

And she hated it when humans looked at her like she was an animal. When some of them said she was a "centaur" and that made her "not real" somehow.]

It's the "moose" thing, right?

[Whatever a "moose" was- like a giant deer, apparently? But that didn't matter as much, she had to show that she was serious, so Konoha's gaze lands on the bench the wolf (he!) had been sitting on before, trotting over to circle the ground beside it, kicking a pebble out of the way before she clears the space and lumbers down to her belly beside it. It would make him a little taller than her if he sat, but if she sat she'd tower over him... and it was a vulnerable position for a jinba, not one from where she could easily get up or flee, so... Maybe it would show that she trusted him enough?]

I wanted to try it! Really.

( a year ago he struggled with his predatory instincts; he had not been able to control himself and attacked haru, and he had similarly lost control the first time he had stumbled across the back alley market. had he not been found by gouhin and trained (read: rehabilitated), he might have become a beast that konoha would have been right to fear. but he had worked very hard to strengthen himself physically and mentally. he was serious about who he was, what he cared for, and the struggle he would face in order to live life the way he wanted to. it's because of this that he can now stand near her without too much concern for the scent of a herbivore — one his wolf brain would have pigeonholed as "prey" all those months ago.

she handles the word as if she wasn't familiar with it. legosi's eyes blink, and his canine head tilts slightly to one side. ) Have you never seen a moose? ( he smiles faintly. ) They are very big herbivores. Taller than me, usually. Though... probably not so tall as you.

( of course, he's talking about moose where he comes from. a normal moose would absolutely be taller than her.

where legosi is from, everyone are animals. there are animals, sea creatures, and insects — and legosi loved and respected all of them. he couldn't even begin to understand what konoha is (since horses look so different, where he comes from), but if she is willing to try to put aside her instinctual fears, he will put aside any potentially-offensive curiosities he might have.

she settles down next to the bench he had been at, so legosi sits back down. he turns towards her, carefully holding the cup between his large hands so he could show her; the ceramic was shaped like a moose's face, the cookie antlers sticking out perfectly. ) They look like this. ( he lowers the cup once more, then takes a bit of the chocolate mousse. it's very good — airy and delicious, without being too sweet or too dense.

he seems happy. his tail is wagging through the slats of the back of the bench. ) I'll eat half and give you the rest, okay?

[He asks if she’s seen one, and Konoha can only shake her head “no”, the large bun of hair tied atop her head wobbling along with the motion as she pulls a foreleg up towards her chest and wraps her arms about it in a further attempt not to fidget or betray any instinctual discomforts, her upbringing adopted by humans leading to rather human-like body language translated into a distinctly half-equine body.]

I don’t think we have “moose” in Echigo...

[She does try to imagine it, staring at the cup and shapes her presents between clawed hands, but... nope. Doesn’t ring any bells.]

Our forests just have deer... and bears... and wolves... and boars... and jinba like me, if you go deep enough...

[Nothing with antlers shaped like that, that’s for sure. And certainly not that big... But her thoughts are distracted by the tail she sees wagging behind him. Oh... he’s happy? Relief spreads through her in turn, tightly held shoulders round down and relax a little, her grip on her foreleg loosens. Happy people didn’t attack other people... and also, she’s just glad he isn’t upset with her.

Half sounds more than fair, Konoha nods again... but also can’t help but ask, one hand hovering subconsciously towards her nose.]

Are you new in town, Mister... ?

[She’s never... well, smelled him before. There was another pure wolf running around town, an actual animal one, but she knew his scent by heart now, and this one was... different.]

( he could tell that some of her body language remained a bit defensive, but that was fine. he could deal with that, and so much of it was something that the mind didn't even consciously notice the body was doing. as it is, it's easier to talk like this, even though it feels a bit odd since he's sitting on the bench and she's... basically lying down? but when you're as tall as she is, that's just how it is, he supposes... )

Oh.

( all different kinds of animals lived all different kinds of places where legosi is from; they got bits and pieces of their natural environments during their "environmental time," but otherwise they all lived together. but he supposes some animals liked to live in certain parts of the world more than others... maybe it was something like that. )

Mm... Well, I've never met a "jinba" where I'm from, so I suppose that makes sense. I did know a horse, though. ( and yafya had been... intimidating, to say the least. legosi had been fortunate to escape their first meeting alive. given what he saw on her arm, he thinks it's best not to ask about the other animals. he feels like he understands what the situation was (he doesn't). he takes another sizable bite of the dessert. the spoon is still in his mouth when konoha answers the question; he looks up at her with big eyes before hurriedly swallowing his food, not wanting to be rude. )

Yeah. I only arrived... a day ago? And I was on the moon before that. ( he nudges the spoon back into the dessert, thoughtful. ) Seems really crazy, when I say it like that...

[Konoha is pretty used to looking down at people... it’s mostly that, when you top out at about seven feet tall... if you count the bun. She’s on the small side for mountain stock, but at least it means when she lays down she can be more eye level-ish with humans? Or... look up at them if they’re sat on benches and chairs. It’s still better than towering over them, she supposed- no one liked that.]

A horse like... you? That stands up?

[She’s used to people saying they didn’t know Jinba. The best she usually got was people claiming that there were legends about people called “centaurs”, so... she’s used to it by now. What she isn’t used to... is the idea of a horse on two legs. She does try and imagine it, her gaze drifting vaguely skyward as she squints and works her brain hard, but... no... how would that... work? Well- Like he works? She guesses?

Lots of things in Lunatia hurt her brain, though, so that isn’t new either. Things like the moon... and she can’t help but agree with him wholeheartedly, nodding at the craziness.]

When I first got taken from my village, I thought I might have gone mad or something... but it’s real. At least, I think so- I can’t have been hallucinating for over half a year...

[That would be crazy.]

I don’t want to scare you, but lots of crazy things happen here... and sometimes violent things... but- when things are calm they’re good!

[That... wasn’t very encouraging, was it?]

Edited 2019-12-11 01:34 (UTC)

( really, the only animals that are taller than legosi are typically very large carnivores like bears and lions or very large herbivores like elephants... though it doesn't seem too odd that a horse-like creature like konoha would be so tall, considering horses were often quite tall in his own world. yafya had been quite a bit taller than him —

speaking of. )

Yeah. ( and yafya was certainly an imposing animal. tall, poised, powerful, confident. he was a beastar, after all. legosi still isn't sure how he feels about him. he is a creature motivated by justice, but his justice was harsh — harsher even than he thinks he can agree with. ) All animals are like me, where I'm from. Well, except for sea animals, but... they have always been different. ( the sea itself is so different. somehow, more civilized than land civilization, even though it was so much more tumultuous and unpredictable. ) I'm... getting the sense that's not how it is most other places, though.

( he's quiet a moment, thoughtful. pensive. maybe a little sad. )

Half a year... ( it makes his tail droop, to think about being away from haru for that long. even when she had been in school and he had been working in the city, they had at least texted one another occasionally. but this... )

Hmm... That's about how it is back home, too. ( sometimes crazy, sometimes violent, sometimes calm and nice and good. ) Hopefully it will be more calm here.

( he finishes his half of the dessert. he pauses a moment, carefully resting the ceramic cup on a knee as he fishes a handkerchief out of his bag. he cleans the spoon, then sets the handkerchief down and offers it and the rest of the dessert to konoha with a smile. ) Okay. This half is for you.

( and if she ate it, she would get the strong sense of... a book. a book about bugs — beetles, specifically. now that's odd. )

[So all the animals were like... people? Who could talk and think and walk on two legs? It was such a baffling concept and she definitely wouldn’t have been able to really picture it if someone told her in words, but thankfully... this fellow is right here being an example for what she should think about. Phew! She can accept the dessert half he offers her with a smile and a “thank you” and less confusion on her face.]

So everyone just... eats fish and stuff? I guess that works.

[... So she may not have understood what he meant by “different”. Thinking about food made her hungry, though, and the dessert is right there and she definitely doesn’t care about sharing spoons (plus, he wiped it, so it’s clean!), awkwardly handling the utensil to shovel a bite in her mouth and-

Think about a book about bugs.

Halfway to exclaiming how delicious the taste was, mid-perk up... Konoha just stops, blinking wildly. Not just bugs... beetles?

Confused, she looks down at the sweet mousse and then back up at Legosi, once, twice, before she points at it with her utensil.]

Sorry... Did you see a book when you ate this?

[Please tell her she’s not hallucinating now after telling him this place wasn’t them going crazy???]

( well, the animals were animals, but in the context of this world (and seemingly all others) full of humans who were considered "people"... yes, that's about how it was! at this point, legosi has stopped trying to figure it out. all worlds are seemingly different... it's just that his is even more different than everyone else's! though perhaps konoha's was similarly strange to the majority of people here as well. )

Fish? Mm... no, not them either. Sea creatures think similarly to us, for the most part. They just live very differently... ( legosi was fairly good friends with an amphibious sea creature, a seal, and had a great amount of respect for sea creatures and the way they perceived their world. ) So we don't eat them. No... Herbivores and carnivores eat a lot of the same things, though carnivores have to eat eggs... soybean patties... things like that, in addition.

( depriving themselves of meat is not easy, though. he doesn't really want to mention that most carnivores eat meat anyway — it may be "illegal," but bodies from hospitals and funeral homes were still sold in the back alley market, conveniently in the blind spot of society. it was a complicated topic. legosi might not eat meat himself, but he had spent quite a bit of time in the back alley market for various reasons. the uncomfortable answer he had come to was that it was necessary for many carnivores, and not exactly negatively impactful on their society as long as those carnivores remained civil in all other facets of their lives.

but as someone in love with a herbivore, and with the very existence of herbivores, he simply could not partake.

he had been looking out over the crowd, but the sudden halt to konoha's movements caused his attention to draw back. one of his ears flaps as she asks the question, and he tilts his head to one side. ) Book...? No, nothing like that. What kind of book?

( was she an avid reader or something?? )

[Okay, not fish! Eggs... and soybeans! Konoha might not know enough about nutrition to realize that he's talking about substituting proteins to make up for not eating meat, but. Alright, she gets that it must be difficult to eat... literally anything, when animals were all walking around on two legs and thinking and talking?

But... bugs weren't on two legs and thinking and talking? Well, if that book was from his world. It certainly wasn't from hers...]

A- About bugs? Like... full of pictures of all kinds of bugs and I guess writing... about the bugs?

[Largely illiterate as she was, she couldn't quite tell what the writing in the vision was about, but... if it's next to bug pictures then surely it's about bugs? Confused, and really hoping this wasn't just her... Konoha thrusts the cup back towards him, offering the spoon with a furrowed brow and bit lip.]

You try it- It's a book!

[Except if he does... he's technically being passed the mousse from her this time, which means it won't be a book he sees. The only thing she actually wanted, what's been on her mind all the more seeing all the Prismal families out and about, is a child. The image that waits in the dessert now is an infant jinba, still soft of hoof and fluffy-tailed, chubby cheeked and nestled in loving arms.]

( the bugs were actually just bugs. go figure...

but maybe that's why legosi liked them so much. they were the only type of creature that seemed completely apart from their society. even water creatures communicated with land creatures, every once in a while — they had their own language, and legosi had even been taught it in school (even if he'd never committed much to memory until zaguān had taught him). but insects seemed to have their own world, their own society, that functioned by its own rules. they didn't speak in the same ways animals did, but they still communicated. he found them fascinating... he always had, ever since he was a little pup. that was why he was missing some of the books he'd kept around back home.

which is why his eyes spark when she describes the book in more detail, though there's confusion mingling with the surprise. ) Oh...! Well, I've been thinking about a book like that, sometimes. I had a few about bugs back home... I was thinking about seeing what kinds they might have here.

( that seems... like a little too much of a coincidence.

he takes the cup back by instinct as she pushes it back towards him. he doesn't hesitate in spooning a bite into his mouth, one of his ears flapping as he waits for this book. but he doesn't get the picture of a book. no, at first he doesn't know what it is he sees in his mind's eye (which is pretty strange, as thoughts of something completely unknown don't usually just spring into your mind with no provocation?). but he thinks about it harder, and he realizes... )

Mm, no... I see - it's like you, but very, very small. Like ... a baby?

( his eyes are wide, and his ear gives another absent-minded flap. )

So... not a book. ( the cogs and gears in his head are slowly turning. )

[So it was something he'd been thinking about... something he maybe wanted to buy? She didn't know why that would show up in a dessert hallucination... or why desserts would give out magical hallucinations anyway, but. This was Lunatia. A mousse that broadcast someone's shopping list would be... not the least weird event she'd run into since her arrival.

Konoha waits expectantly when Legosi takes the dessert back, waiting for confirmation that she hadn't been making it up...]

Eh?

[She almost rolls over in surprise with a flail of back hooves in comical overreaction, but she catches herself on a hand, blinking in shock.]

A baby like me? A jinba baby?

[Sure, that's exactly what he just said, but she can't help but try and confirm it, her theory about shopping lists thrown out the proverbial window.]

But that's not something you can buy...

Y - Yeah, I think so...

( what else could it have been?? chubby and fluffy and with those tiny little legs and hooves... he'd never seen such a thing (let alone dream one up), so how else could it have sprung, unbidden and fully-formed, into his mind? had she been thinking about a baby? hopefully not, if it had to do with things someone was thinking about buying -- as she points out.

legosi sweats, feeling awkward in the moment, but he manages a nervous chuckle. ) Well, if you can, there's probably... something wrong... ( it's a joke, and a bad one, considering the type of world he comes from (where such things absolutely do happen and for the worst reasons, not that legosi is as aware of that as others).

so maybe it's not things you want to buy. )

Have you been... thinking about jinba babies lately? Maybe it just transfers some of your thoughts to someone.

Oh...

[Yeah, there would be really something wrong if that was the case... Right? Even in a weird place like this. She may have seen things she never dreamed of in her wildest fantasies since leaving home, like magic and the google and now wolf people, but... surely babies for sale wasn't on that list.

Which meant-]

I... Yes, I have, because...

[But the why sticks in her throat, unable to give voice to the reason, to admit that she'd only recently been given definitive proof to the fear that had been dogging her for months. Finally got off the "network" and rumors and "didn't I hear such-and-such" to talk to those scientists people at Lunar Scientia and actual doctors, who could tell her that the natural outcome of wedded life just wasn't going to happen in this place. Not for her, or any other Moonblessed.]

Because... I'm married... ?

[Smooth. But her hands hover anxiously between covering her cheeks or trying to wipe away the disappointment on her face, torn until she decided to point at the mousse cup instead.]

That means the food probably got magic put on it, if it can see into our heads...

[Is it safe to be eating magicked food?]

( he can hear the hesitation in her answer, a kind of heaviness that settled over his thoughts from little more than empathy at what could cause such trepidation. his heavy brow falls over his eyes in a sympathetic manner, and he holds the cup of the remaining mousse in-between his hands, watching her as she finally found the words for the answer.

married...?

...oh.

legosi's eyes go wide for a moment, but he seems... understanding. truth be told, this was something he had been considering the last few months as well, though it certainly wasn't something he anticipated soon. but as his feelings for haru solidified, and as he got more serious about their future together... could that future even harbor children? he had been investigating that, but in the end, it didn't matter. so long as he was a "predatory offender," they could never get married. and he couldn't impose upon haru something any more perilous than that. inter-species married couples already faced enough discrimination, and a herbivore and carnivore together was almost unspoken of...

he slowly looks back down at the mostly-eaten dessert. he answers slowly. ) It's a very strange sort of magic. I guess... it would be helpful to someone, if they didn't know what to get a friend as a gift... ( this "firialia" was a gift-giving holiday, wasn't it?

he's silent for a long, thoughtful moment before suddenly sitting up ram-rod straight. ) Th - Though yours isn't really the sort of "gift" something like this would help for...!!

[When his eyes grow wide and Konoha thinks he's sort of... processing what she'd said, Konoha can only not a bit dumbly, hoping that the vague answer was enough without needing to explain how gutted she still felt from the news that all the Moonblessed were rendered barren. Most women she'd spoken to seemed quite happy about it, but coming from the world and circumstances she had...

Viewed it as the next logical step that followed a wedding. Saw it as her duty, as a wife, to give her husband a child. And more than that... She'd been looking forward to building a family for herself, as well.

But now that child is just a strange hallucination in a dessert, and she nods along again to Legosi's conclusion that it would be useful for gift giving, on the cusp of realizing that, oh, that's probably why they were being handed out during this holiday celebration, but.]

N- No, I mean- Only my husband can give it, so- It's not-

[It's almost a relief to feel embarrassed, honestly. Better than feeling sad, reminded of what she can't have.]

I guess it's just a baby because I don't really want anything else... I can't read well so I don't need any books, and I'm happy with most everything, I think...

[Life in Lunatia was far better and more comfortable, financial-wise, than her own world... How could she want for anything physical when some moonlacing could make money for her to buy it with?]

( if legosi was aware of that particular side-effect and had it confirmed to him that there was no particular way to get home in a decent time-frame, he would probably be upset about it as well (especially if haru ended up arriving here as well). being in a completely different world solved one of his problems and the main barrier towards his being serious about his proposal to marry her (him being a predatory offender, that is), but... well, it would be sad if they couldn't have kids as well. it's something he's thought about a lot, whether or not it would be a smart or moral thing to do in the first place. wolf-rabbit hybrid children? what would those even look like?

legosi laughs, a little too loud, a little too forced. eager to try to shrug this slightly more awkward strain of conversation away. ) Y - Yeah, definitely...

( to be happy with most everything... that's pretty lucky, he thinks. he's not sure he's ever felt happy with everything. honestly, before working through his feelings for haru... he's not even sure he'd really been happy before? he'd been happy in passing, of course, pleased at various small things that went his way, but. there was a state of happiness, a contentedness with oneself, their goals, their directions in life. legosi was only beginning to work towards that, but he still had so many barriers in his path.

he had to envy her, in a wistful sort of way. )

That's good, isn't it? To be content with most things. ( his tail sways behind him. he seems thoughtful. ) It makes the small things I've been thinking about picking up seem inconsequential in comparison, huh? ...

[Konoha certainly hadn't put much thought into whether having children away from her world in a place like this was moral or smart. That's part of what had stung, being told by doctors that she was making a wrong choice even thinking to start a family here, or being accused of being selfish when to her it was just... the natural consequence of being with another person, the gift that came of loving another.

Well, she's been told definitively now that she was wrong... and it was prevalent on her mind, especially now with the holidays coming and the sight of happy Prismal families abut here and there wherever she looked. She couldn't help it... At least, she's pretty sure she couldn't.]

I mean... I think so... ?

[Maybe it meant she was simple minded, like some people said, but she just smiles a bit absently, content with her own... contentedness.]

I don't think it means anything about stuff you want, though... Everyone wants different things... and you can read books! That's amazing! I'd probably want a book too if I were you.

( selfish...? well, that was a pretty harsh way of putting it.

even though someone might accuse legosi of being the same, if he ever put forth any concrete plans of wanting to have children with haru. the society he comes from... was not actively hostile towards hybrid children, but it certainly made life harder for them — and much easier for animals that married and had children with their own species.

regardless, he could be envious of such an existence. call it simple, sure, but he also thought it sounded placid. he never felt like he had that option. with his world, his place in it, who he loved, what he cared for... he felt the weight of great animosity on his shoulders, but he continued forward in the hope he could make things better. to be content with something had never really been written in his stars.

so much of that is out of reach here, though. so he would have to content himself with items of familiarity and comfort from home: books, kitchen equipment, et cetera. )

Well, they were just things I was thinking about wanting to get right now, not ... necessarily - um, ( he trails off, scratching behind one of his ears as the other flaps nervously. what on earth is he saying?? ) Many are just things I miss from home, you know. I thought it would... make everything else less overwhelming if I had them.

I don't think that's wrong.

[Konoha's expression melts easily back into a little smile, always keen to look on the bright side. Ever since she was young, since she'd realized the dark side of how some humans saw jinba, since she'd realized the hardships her adopted parents went through, taking her in...

She'd decided to smile.]

I did that when I got here... and when my husband arrived, we moved deep into the Greatmoon Groves because it's more like our home... and now things are much better.

[So she does believe it. That things are less overwhelming when you had familiarity around you. And when you had friends or family. But in order to be friends-]

What's your name, Mister... ?

[She'd meant to ask earlier, but... Wolf man.]

( legosi eases up as well, relaxing and falling into a broad smile. it's just about the best they can do when this world is so different from the ones that they come from, right? though it was certainly helpful that the native citizens of this city were so happy and eager that they were here. legosi found it strange, bordering on creepy, but... at least they weren't angry or mistrustful.

his ears perk as she continues. ) Greatmoon Groves...? What's that?

( is there a big forest somewhere near the city? he had barely gotten his bearings for the city itself -- it would be nice to know there was a place like that he could visit if he wanted. even if it was just for a nature walk (and/or a bug hunt). )

Oh! ( his tail raises in surprise as he realizes he hasn't introduced himself yet. that's rather rude of him... ) I'm Legosi. What should I call you...?

["Legosi". It's a weird sound to her ears, but she's getting used to pronouncing words far beyond the capacities of her own language... Konoha still mouths it to herself right after he says it in an attempt to cement the way it sounded in her mind. "Legosi"!]

Nice to meet you, ah- officially! I'm Konoha!

[Her introduction is accompanied by a finger pointed at... well, more at her nose than anything else, but. Me! Konoha!

Her finger moves quickly to pointing south of- no, wait, southeast of where they stand, always eager to help, especially if it means getting new visitors.]

The Greatmoon Groves is over there... It's a really big green area. There's forests, and parks, and a fancy garden... and all the city's farms are over there, too.

( it's actually a bit of an odd name to most animals where he's from, too... but he's used to comments like that by this point. )

Konoha... ( her name is a little odd for him too, but he smiles warmly, though not one that bares his teeth — it's a common courtesy that carnivores show to herbivores where he's from, just as he's careful to keep his hands held or folded in a way that hide his claws. especially if she's been hurt by carnivores (wolves?) before, he wants to be especially careful. ) It's been nice talking with you, Konoha.

( he follows the direction of her pointing finger, knowing innately that it's southeast. he listens, his expression wistful. ) Oh... That sounds nice. I haven't been to a place like that in a while — not for much time, anyways. I was living in a boarding school in the city for several years before coming here. ( a brief pause, and then he continues, tone reprising wistful. ) It'd be nice to go on walks through the forest again...

You, too.

[She definitely appreciates not seeing teeth. She'd felt wolf teeth digging into an arm flung up to protect herself, seen them about to close over her neck... it's more than enough for her.

But he's been nothing but kind, wolf scented or not, and the last thing a jinba should be doing is is discriminating against someone based on their species.]

In a big city like this? I can't imagine.

[She really can't! Creativity isn't one of her strong suits, she thinks, but... then again, she also couldn't imagine a world full of animal people until she saw him with her own eyes.]

If you go, you're always welcome to stop by for a meal... Just... maybe call first!

[So... she doesn't suddenly just scent wolf out of nowhere...]

( they aren't even real teeth. what would konoha think about a young gray wolf with dentures? haru had thought it was pretty funny... )

Not quite as big as this, but... still a pretty big city. ( he hadn't spent much time in it during those years, regardless. he had mostly stayed within the bounds of the school's campus. it had seemed safer that way. not necessarily for him, but... for everything? it was difficult to describe, being a large-breed carnivore in his world. he knows herbivores have it far worse, but you must be so aware, so careful. it's exhausting, and even if you do your best, you are still watched like a bomb just waiting to go off.

but seeing a forest, farms, more rural areas... it would be nice. he hadn't exactly lived in such a place with his grandfather, but it had certainly been more so than the city he had moved to.

he smiles warmly. ) Of course. I'll be sure to do so. ( both because it's polite and also because it's especially required for carnivores. he remembers what happened when he showed up at haru's family's doorstep, unannounced...

he stands, facing konoha. ) It's been nice talking with you, Konoha. Thank you for sharing this with me. ( he lifts up the now-empty container which had once held the chocolate mousse. ) I hope to see you again. Until next time!

( and then he turns and strides away with a swish of his tail. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .010

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i think dw ate this notif i am so sorry!!

DW how could you do me like that???

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