middleofsomewhere | Wings of Wonder: Conclusion

Entry tags:

Wings of Wonder: Conclusion

A Grateful End

Once. the Storm has been defeated all of those who fought on the West Island are taken by the airship back to the South Island where those Sali who could not go to fight are waiting for them. Those Sali fighting in the East have also returned, likewise victorious.

For a few hours everyone rests, injuries are seen to. A few patrols go out, which Voidtreckers are welcome on, to take out the last few birds but it seems that this really had been a victory. The storm is gone and with it the birds. The Forever Ones are pleased, even those who are not in tune with such things will feel a hum of satisfaction in the air.

The atmosphere turns to one of celebration. The Sali fight hard, they are a strict and proud people but when it is time to rejoice they do so.

By Firelight

As. night falls the Sali build a fire and food is prepared and cooked. The Sali keep a close eye on things but will give tasks to any voidtreckers who seem restless or as if sitting idle will not be good for their thoughts. Small sali skip around, keen to share the stories and songs taught to them by the voidtreckers who stayed on the West Island with them.

Food is cooked through the night, meat is roasted, served with vegetables and the Sali share stories, talk of the fallen and speak highly of those who fought with them, both sali and voidtrecker.

As food and conversation flows some of the young adults in the Sali will grow in confidence, asking the voidtreckers to share more tales, of their adventures and will swap them with tales of their own, of hunting and life on the islands. Their tales get pretty boastful but everyone is in good spirits and the Sali are as good at listening to tales as they are telling them.

Gifts

The next morning one of the older Sali call for any voidtreckers and Sali nearby to gather. Some stay working at their tasks but there's a general sense of ceremony as she steps onto a small wooden platform.

"We would like to formally thank those who came to our assistance at this time. We thank you for sharing your skills with us and for aiding us in our efforts to rid out land of the red storm.

For you, at the behest of our Forever Ones, we bring gifts."

A group of sali bring the gifts into the centre of the gathering. Storing pots of meat, vegetables and fruit; some raw, dried, fresh and pickled.

A set of ceramic tools and a few sets of chisels.

Two baskets of yarn with metal knitting needles and spindles, clearly made from their metal trees. Another basket of grasses clearly made for weaving with as well as some rope made of the same fibres. Another basket of fabric, this time more hessian in feal with metal needles and embroidery hoops.

Finally they bring out twenty short wooden bows each with a quiver of wooden arrows, ten wooden spears and finally twenty small throwing axes.

"We hope that these gifts aid you on your journey and you can share them with others that you meet on your travels."

Finally. after another hour or so the train arrives, a message to their SCA's asks All Voidtreckers to return to the Voidtrecker Express. There is a dot on their map where the train has landed, off to the side of the island, away from the village.

Once everyone has boarded once more the train counts down before flying off into the void, leaving this land of floating islands behind.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Grateful End

Nozomi is tired. Between being chased by bears, tending to Purple!Kyoko and fighting off the birds, all the girl wants to do is just sleep. Thus, at the moment, she'll be sitting by one of the trees, resting her head on her knees. She won't be asleep, but she'll be in that odd space between.

Returning to the Train

Once the Voidtrecker Express returns, Nozomi heads for the train. After replacing the gear she took, her first stop is the greenhouse. After spending so much time in a place where her powers were constantly on the fritz, she decided she needed to do a little bit of grounding in.

Shoes and socks kicked off, Nozomi used her nature powers to "talk" with the plants. Unlike the first time, nearly capturing herself, she allowed the plants to wrap around her carefully.

Wildcard

(OoC: Need anything else with her? Hit me up!)

A Grateful End

Ryu floats down from the battle in the west, transforming back into his human form as soon as he touches down to the ground. He looks exhausted and there's burns on his body - still, he's wearing a smile. He keeps an eye on the rest of the group, moving to help any injured before he even thinks to look for help for himself.

Someone should probably make him sit down.

By Firelight

Now this is closer to what he knows.

Ryu seems immediately more comfortable around the campfire, sitting a little closer to the flames than most - but he knows better than to touch the fire. He's not that unaware of things. He eats and listens, mostly content to hear stories of other peoples' worlds. When finally prompted to speak he hesitates before plunging into a story about a daring castle escape with friends, evading guards and monsters.

Eventually he curls up a bit - not sleeping, but just watching again as people get into their stories and food. This... this is nice.

Return

Once they board the train again Ryu heads to the garden, flopping against a larger rock and resting. Eventually he gets up and starts wandering the rest of the train, stopping to help anyone who looks like they might need a hand.

Wildcard

[???]

Elidibus had intended to rest when he returned to the train. The world had been extremely tiring for him in ways he can't remember experiencing. But his attention was drawn by Nozomi's presence. He remembers seeing the child as the one who had purified the soul gem of Purple Team's Kyoko. Though circumstances had kept him from approaching her after the incident, there is some time now.

He doesn't attempt to stop her before reaching her destination and settling in.

But finally, the Ascian approaches and speaks up. His presence is open. He'd delayed by observing other plants in the greenhouse while Nozomi had conversed with the plants. "I want to commend you on your purification of the soul gem. It was impressive."

Never fear. He had stayed well enough away that the particulars of the conversation the two had probably wasn't overheard. And when the purification had ended, he'd left for a bit. The particulars of their private life had not really concerned him.

After the Fight

At least the woolies were safe! That was important. They had stopped the bad birds from getting them. But that fight had been very scary! His shoulders hurt a lot, even if mister Lan Wangji had healed them a bit!

He made his way back to the village, looking for Zetta, or any of his friends. He hoped everyone in the air ship had been alright! If they had gone to fight even more birds! He also keeps an eye out for Lan Wangji, Sibren and the others from the fight. He owes some thank yous!

Healing (For Ryo)

His probably needed to have his shoulders looked at, the bird had scratched them pretty bad and they hurt quite a bit! He remembers that mister Ryo knows how to heal people so it is him that he looks for.

"Mister Ryo!" He grins when he spots him and skips over. "Are you okay sir?" He knew he had been really tired! So he doesn't want to ask him if he's too sleepy!

Bonfire

Romeo is very hungry after all the fighting and running around. So he can be found by the fire happily eating any food he is handed. He likes listening to the stories and he talks to some of the younger Sali, learning the songs they are showing him.

"I'm glad we managed to help everyone!"

It's a good feeling and he is happy to sit in the firelight and enjoy it until he curled up where he was sat and fell asleep.

native attraction?

He's tempted to try the meat, really, though he ends up only taking a nibble from someone else's offering, plucking it off with fingers and appreciating the new flavour of what it is; he hasn't tried any of the native meat up to this point, doesn't know if his system will handle it, and finds he still prefers chicken, even after.

The sali who'd offered the meat to him grins, reaching out to tug on one of the ears of his given over-cloak, the short one made of a cured pelt that hung over his shoulders and down his front and back, lined at the edges with thicker fur, over the night robe he was otherwise wearing. He could have been in his Voidtrecker gear, but this felt more bridging to the people who they'd been working with the last handful of days or so, and while he wears the animal-fur hood down, only his shoes (hello, boots from home) are technically not sali-given.

"Are you open to being courted?"

Jingyi, who'd been about to bite into the baked vegetable in his hand, nearly drops it instead. He also goes red, a blush that steals across his cheeks and stains the back of his neck and even his ears in a slow-spreading, visible way, against the paleness of his skin.

Look, no one's ever just asked him something like that, okay?

"We, uh. Wait, really?"

Help him, friends, he looks entirely flummoxed.

firelight conversations and night skies viewings

He could, and might frankly, take to the airs again, just for the sake of flying without it being on watch or transporting or anything needed. No, the true ease of his flight isn't here, but it's still nice to have the chance, and he knows they'll be leaving soon, which means cramped space and tiny dragon form for another span of time. Two weeks, maybe, less if they're lucky, and he's tired just thinking about it now.

He hasn't decided one way or another, standing there in his sali-granted clothing, when he catches sight and the eye of one of his fellow Voidtrecker abductees, veering off course with a curling twitch of his tail. To anyone sitting, he finds a place next to them to ask, "How're you doing?"

To anyone standing, that he knows reasonably well, he'll dip shoulder to touch shoulder and jerk his chin off into the grasses. "Wanna see what the stars look like when we're not all worried about stupid birds?"

wildcard;

You know how this goes. Throw me a one word prompt in subject line and a blank comment, and I'll spin us a random scenario!

Edited 2021-09-26 05:45 (UTC)

Firelight

She officially hates birds. But this mission hadn't been so bad. Compared to the last couple it hadn't been stupid at all. Even if she had almost been thrown off an airship by birds.

She has Wei Wuxian to thank for her rescue. And Xue Yang. She doesn't want to thank Xue Yang. He will only gloat.

She sits by the fire and half listens to stories, eating food and watching people. "You do be being alright?" She can be polite.

On the train

Even if the mission hadn't been too stupid she was still glad to see the train. Strange that she was starting to consider it her home, she'd been on board over a year after all and she had gotten used to the small spaces and the ever changing passengers.

She gets showered and changed into fresh clothes before going to the cinema. "I do be being pretty sure there do be being horror films about birds." She tells anyone close by.

Edited 2021-09-26 05:56 (UTC)

It's rare that the end of a mission comes and Taiki isn't ill. People do smell of blood, enough that it isn't the most comfortable to be here around the fire but he is not sick or feverish. But being in an established village people have been able to wash and change their clothes. It's not the ideal place for a kirin to be but he's been in worse situations at the end of missions.

So he is sat near the fire, watching the sali and the voidtreckers as they celebrated. He will never be one who can celebrate the death of creatures, even monsters. But he can be glad that their mission has been successful and hide his sorrow for the deaths that have occurred.

Still his quiet watchfulness means he sees when one of the Sali approaches Jingyi and his friends response. He shifts slightly, not saying anything but letting Jingyi know he was there, for support if needed.

If Jingyi had ears like the Sali, his would be canted back right now. The blush is even more evident, but what pleading look can he even send to Taiki, who doesn't know the first thing about saying no? Or clarifying the situation, the guy had zero experience with any of this, the exact same level that Jingyi had!

He sighs, in the end, lifting a hand to run it over one horn, skipping past his ribbon. He recognises the Sali in question, having caught him out of the air earlier in the day, and there's no strong feeling either way, just... confusion.

How is this happening to him. Jesting was one thing, it was easy to jest with Inigo and Tidus, both two people who had zero interest in him, but if he knows little else, the Sali are as honest and straightforward as he is.

"If we could stay, I don't think I'd mind. As it is, my people—we court once, and," he gestures skyward, a rounding motion of his hand, "I want to be able to indulge whoever that is. For more than one night."

No sudden strike of true love right now, so Jingyi's just as honest as he knows how to be, and is met with as much honesty in return. The flick of a much thinner tail, the tip of a head, and a smile bearing teeth in a friendlier way. There's no pressure, but there's a sense of having cast to see where the line would fall, and easy acceptance when there's nothing nibbling at the lure. Also a sort of curiosity—very soon, someone's going to ask after that courting once, if it's so decisive, and why.

Even though he doesn't know Jingyi well and indeed he has himself stepped on cultural hangups of his friend and caused him embarrassment it doesn't take much to know that he is awkward about this situation.

Luckily it seems the Sali are practical about such matters and the matter is smoothed over with a friendly smile and a nod.

Once the Sali had moved on Taiki watched Jingyi a moment more before speaking quietly.

"It seems Shuǐlóng has left an impression."

A. Firelight

Elidibus did not make himself absent from the festivities, though he was not one to easily join any of the more boisterous parts of it. That's not to say he removed himself even from the tales and songs of the children or the telling of one. The Ascian had noticed the sali had a habit of involving Voidtreckers who were trying to stand in the background and he had no intention of adding to his exhaustion. Telling tales to young sali was easy enough and while many are fragments of memory, there's many millennia of history for him to draw upon and the art of words to weave realistic imaginings into what's missing.

He avoids tales of his people or ones of great conflict. But there are many curious, sentient races he's borne witness to, from the prank-loving and whimsical Sylphs to lizard-like Amalj'aa who also live a hunter's life and work with metal. There is a shocking- to Voidtreckers who have spoken with him even briefly- level of emotion and excitement he weaves into his words. It's as though it were a different person altogether. Much of it may be an intentional effort. But there is one extra piece of his tale-craft that didn't need to be done.

Transparent imagry- small illusions really, nothing too taxing or repellant to the world- give form and 'life' to the beast tribes and creatures he's describing. Sylphs and their god Ramuh, Amalj'aa and Ifrit. Curious creatures such as the seedkin Mandragora or the ubiquitous chocobo, a riding bird.

Perhaps there would be a little bit added to his exhaustion after all, in the end then. Questions are entertained and anyone's welcome to listen in or catch him in the downtime between tales, where his features settle into the usual calm expected of the Ascian.

B. Gifts

Elidibus is among those present when the gifts are presented. While there is no set leader, he would speak out among any others who do in reciept of of them. Weapons, simple as they might be, are a welcome sight, as is food stores and even crafting tools. Naturally his words to the Sali and by proxy the Forever Ones are those of gracious acceptance and gratitude.

"You and the Forever Ones have been most generous with your hospitality and we are grateful for these gifts; whether they aid us or other worlds."

There is no hint of not accepting. Not out of greed, but because this is the best course to follow in these circumstances.

But once the exchanges and any speeches are over, Elidibus is there to help organize the gifts and take inventory. By the time the train signals its arrival, it should be easy enough for all the present Voidtreckers who aren't injured from the battle to pitch in and take their share to the train.

"Would you take this on your way?" He may approach you with, whether or not you had intended to help. But at least he has a good eye for what a person might be able to handle and nothing offered will overtax the person.

C. FINALLY, The Train

When the doors of the train closed and the shielding of the train once more added its layer of defense against the world, Elidibus barely held back a sigh of relief. While he might still be tired, there is a distinct difference in being tired but also having a huge, oppressive force suddenly lifted away and vanish as though it weren't there.

I. Hot. Bath.

While something distracted him early on boarding and took some time, the Ascian can later be found soaking in the waters of the heated pool. His injuries might have been more easily healed with magic aboard the train, but he found some of the aches built up in the vessel remained. The first time he'd tried the pool had been several weeks ago, but return trips had occurred and this was a luxury he decided he certainly deserved. He didn't expect to be alone for long, but had also decided to get in early and claim a spot.

"I don't mind conversation, but let's speak of something other than the recent mission," he suggests to anyone that might have chosen to join.

II. Sleep

There had been a bath, a change of clothes and finally sleep. But now there is a need to get food. A roommate might happen on him quietly waking up and setting about preparing to vacate the cabin and see how life has fared and see about a meal. He looks decidedly better; even if he was really good at pretending to be fine, he was still at his limit on the final days of the mission. Now there is no pretense at all. Rest in an safe environment that wasn't trying to reject his very existence has done wonders for his form.

It could be someone passing by as he exits his room. While moving around in the train via his usual teleportation is his habit, he has taken up the policy of not doing so in the cabin or the sleeping car corridors unless there isn't anyone present. For some, it can be unsettling.

Whether in the cabin or outside of it, Elidibus might address another's presence, particularly if they're watching him.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

III. Other Train Encounters
[OOC: Encounter anywhere on the train, just pick a place. Once he's gotten rest, he'll be much more inclined to talk about mission or anything else. Feel free to contact me as well to talk!]

D. Wildcard

[OOC: Anything else during the final day and aftermath, send me a message and we'll figure something out.]

Firelight

Despite feeling exhausted, Kitty is more than willing to help out, doing a few small tasks for the Sali while the the food was being prepared. The past few days feel like they'd gone by in a blur, mostly due to her being a bit distracted if she was completely honest. But now it was over, and there wasn't much to do but relax and celebrate.

And, once the food is cooked and she takes a plate of roasted vegetables, she finds a spot by the fire and settles down, listening to stories told by the Sali. Though she doesn't entirely engage, it does help put her a bit more at ease.

Gifts

She keeps back for the most part as the gifts are presented and passed around the Voidtreckers present, but she can't help looking at the baskets filled with yarn. She knew there were plenty of others on the train who knitted, but there did seem to be plenty.

She'll probably be able to grab a couple later.

Return (Wildcard)

Returning to the train, Kitty anticipates there will be some lines for the showers, so she heads to the library first to wait them out. Even though she pulls a book from the shelf, probably one she's already read, she doesn't completely pay attention to it. Really it was just a way to kill time for a while.

After some time has passed and she finishes showering, she then heads for the spa car. While the shower was to get cleaned up, soaking in the heated pool really helps relax her muscles.

She spends quite a bit of time there before finally heading out and towards the kitchen to grab a snack. She's still a little tired, but the heated pool did help a bit and she's feeling better, so if she spots someone she probably wouldn't mind making some conversation.

Alice didn't participate much in the afterparty. After all, she's definitely not the type to voluntarily hang around a bunch of people.

But that doesn't mean that she isn't curious all the same how the mission went for certain people. And while Ryu isn't one of those people who immediately come to mind, she's at least curious as she watches him pass through the garden. She remembers him - the slightly odd and seemingly naive guy from earlier this month.

"How was your first mission?" She asks him.

He stops and smiles at her a little sleepily. "I think it went really well. We helped a lot of people. Even if the world was weird and didn't let me transform as easily, it was a nice place other than the birds. Were you okay during the mission?"

Jingyi snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. He'd rub at his face but it'd cool on its own, and he didn't care to draw attention to the fact he was embarrassed, caught off guard to a degree.

"He went overboard as the storm was vanquished," he said. "I caught him."

No comment on that being an impression or not, but it was hardly like he'd never helped save other lives. This was just a unique sort of revisiting of it, before he left alone with the rest. Not so different, in ways, than how Night Hunts worked back home. They usually only lingered for so long before they were away again, and the longest would be, what? After that flood, in helping clear out the streets and homes for the town most affected, trying to catch up with whatever dead-thing had moved in with the aftermath.

"It's usually more of a Sizhui issue." Jingyi was, after all, one of those people who looks great! Then he starts talking.

"Ah." That made a bit more sense, they had at least interacted before. He nodded and then looked puzzled.

"Such things happen to Sizhui often?"

Nozomi gasped in surprise as she heard Elidibus talking to her, surprised at the fact she had company. She calmed down and smiled a bit.

“Thank you. I didn’t think it would work, but I’m glad it did.”

Huh, it's a rather positive answer. Not that it's too surprising, given the fact that the last mission went indeed pretty easy on them compared to past missions, aside from the dumb world keeping them from fully using their powers.

"Of course," she simply answers, trying to keep her tone as nonchalant as possible. Please, Alice doesn't know how to deal with people worrying about her, so she's trying to dodge that topic as hard as possible. "I was just curious since this was your first time going on one. I have heard of people who had much worse first mission experiences."

Ryo has been doing what he does after every large fight: looking for his fellow voidtreckers and keeping an eye out for anyone who might need his help. He looks up when his name is called - nobody else calls him 'mister'; it must be Romeo - but the smile on his face falls a bit as he looks Romeo over and catches sight of the torn shirt and bloodied shoulders. He knows his teammates are capable, but it still turns his stomach a bit to see a child injured. "I'm alright. Come here and let me look you over."

firelight

Lan Xichen is tired after the mission, having provided support with musical cultivation for the mission. He is glad, afterwards, that there is a chance to rest and to eat.

The Sali are kind and merry, which is just what he needs after a long fight. Missions make such a thing difficult, of course. Tere will be time to rest when returning to the train but for now, food on a plate, he settles down to listen to the stories and hums along with the songs played.

gifts

At first, Xichen is tempted to leave the gifts for others. He has both his sword and flute here, so it isn't like he's without a weapon to defend himself. Yet, the bow and arrows call to him and in the end he takes one when it's clear that not everyone is drawn to them.

It has been a long time since he's fired an arrow, but he's not completely out of practice. He notices others are still considering what to take, tempted by the generosity of the Sali as well. "What's calling to you?" he asks a fellow Voidtrecker nearby.

return

On the train, Xichen is quick to make his way to the garden car. It's a place of peace, one where he can take his time to meditate and settle in amongst the grass growing there in the shade of one of the trees.

Meditation doesn't call to him, even if he knows he should to process all he learned from his older self before the mission. He should, but he doesn't. Instead, he pulls his flute to his lips and decides to play a tune to calm himself and send a calming tune through the cart. For those that need it, who as what he's playing, he's willing to infuse it with spiritual energy to relieve any tension from the mission.

Ryo is seated close enough to the fire to still have light but far enough away to not be part of the current conversations. For now, he's just trying to find some peace. The mission itself hasn't been too bad, but he's had a particularly rough time with it, and he's trying to come to terms with that. How much of it was the situation, how much of it was actually bad, and how much of it was him reacting poorly to things? It's not an easy bit of self-reflection, but honestly, if he's going to figure out whether he owes the sali he'd talked to when he'd come to meet Enshala an apology, he's going to need to do it before they leave.

He looks up as Jingyi takes a seat next to him, thinks for a moment, then leans against him. "I'm...okay." About as much as he can be while pursuing that train of thought. "How about you?" Jingyi had been in one of the fights, hadn't he? Is he injured?

The tune is familiar and Sizhui hears it from down the cart, closing his eyes and listening to it for a moment before following the tune down to the garden cart. He pokes his head in and follows it toward the person playing it, smiling softly at how it is Zewu Jun that is playing it.

He tries to be quiet as he approaches Zewu Jun and waits until the song is finished before bowing respectively.

"That was a lovely song, Zewu Jun," he says softly.

Xichen isn't expecting company, but he is never opposed to it. Not right now, not when it is a distraction. He sets the flute down in his lap, looking up at the version of his nephew that is older than the one he has been getting to know better.

That seems unfair, he thinks.

"Thank you, Sizhui," he says softly, smiling up at him. "One I have been learning recently, meant to calm the mind during tumultuous times as much as please the ear." He wonders if the other has heard it but Wen Sizhui is from a world much different from his own, so he is unsure. He does not ask, instead giving him a once over. "How are you faring after the mission?"

He nods then settles into a seat before him, cupping his hands and bowing, recalling his manners. They hadn't an opportunity to really get to know each other just yet.

"I'm...faring better. The crystals seemed to drain a lot of my energy at the time." He sits up straighter. "But I'm fine! I'm getting better. I suppose a bit of rest would be helpful and possibly avoiding Xian-ge's cooking for a little while."

Xichen watches him settle in, trying to see if he can read any signs of tiredness he has learned to look for elsewhere. They are not the same young man, after all, the circumstances have changed though Xichen does not know by just how much.

"You should be resting if it drained you considerably," he says with concern in his voice. "I can play if it helps you meditate?"

Then a pause. "Is his cooking not good?" he does not know, after all, nor has the Wei Wuxian of his world even cooked for his brother -- that man is dead and will remain so for some time, as far as he's been told.

He blinks. Oh, that's right. This Zewu Jun is different in so many ways and yet, practically a stranger. He smiles and huffs an amused laugh.

"I apologize, Zewu Jun. You are as inquisitive as I've always known you. We've visited Cloud Recesses from time to time in Hanguang Jun's company and you've come to visit us as well. Xian-ge's cooking is quite terrible," he warns. "So if he offers, please let him know that you're already full. It will stop him from offering again."

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 12

Wings of Wonder: Conclusion

Nozomi Yumehara | Purple Team

no subject

Greenhouse

no subject

lan jingyi | purple

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Elidibus | Red Team

Kitty Pryde | Purple Team

return

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Healing

lan xichen | orange team

Firelight

return

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject