[CLOSED] try for the right kind of life

[sunstead]

Who: Clamor & ?????
When: All through June
What: Catch-all log for closed prompts!
Warnings: None at the moment, will update as needed

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((Just closed prompts for now since I'm focusing more on my other character this month. If you'd like to thread something out with Clamor, feel free to hit me up on plurk at BlueFlewFedUQueen, ping me through the game discord, or send me a PM!))

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Nene | June 18th

[sunstead]

[Conveniently enough, study club and gardening club are on the same floor, and once club hours start winding down Clamor decides to drop in and see if Nene is free. He's been meaning to speak with her about their ghostly encounter from last month, and now that the imps have been dealt with as well...

Anyway, he stands in the doorway for a bit just to make sure he's not interrupting anything (and also that she's, y'know, actually in there today), and once he's noticed he offers a friendly wave.]

Are you busy right now? I don't have much of a green thumb, but I can come back later.

dad......

[mermaidcursed]

( admittedly, nene's been expecting this for a while- maybe she should have said something about it first, herself. but... she's a coward. ... but nothing. she should have said something too.

nene's quick to slide the pot she was tending to back into it's proper shelf space with a smile. )

No, just finishing it up... but, you know, we've got some really good beginner plants if you ever wanna give it a shot!

[sunstead]

Haha, maybe! Actually, that might not be a bad idea if we can get the seeds to grow our own herbs... it'd make things a lot easier if we ever needed them again. [haha planning ahead, what an idea, please don't ask him about how his week has been]

... Oh, but that's not what I wanted to ask you about. [a topic for later] Sorry, I really should've just asked about this sooner, but... you do remember seeing that girl in the library the other day, don't you?

[He's like 99% sure, and he only realized later that Noah hadn't seen her at all... and then he started seeing the imps, and the guy standing out in the courtyard every night, and how the wisteria tree looks a little different sometimes. Things that seem pretty normal to him, honestly, but that's more because he grew up living with elves and surrounded by spirits. The world feels a little less empty.

He doesn't know what kind of world Nene is used to, but it does seem strange that she hasn't mentioned having this "sight" at all. She does appear to be human... maybe that has something to do with it...?]

[mermaidcursed]

We have a few already- the selection's a little all over the place, admittedly. Um... chamomile, mint, lavender... sage, basil, rosemary- oh, and some strawberry seeds! They're not herbs but I think it's super exciting.

( but then the real reason he's here comes out. and it's exactly what she thought it'd be. )

... I do, yes. Did... something happen?

[sunstead]

[so many herbs... and strawberries! something more cheerful to talk about after this, perhaps.]

Oh, no, nothing happened! I guess it's just been on my mind since then... I've started seeing some other things appearing as well, so I thought maybe you've seen them too?

[trying to keep a cheery, casual tone here, because this is a pretty normal thing for Clamor, even if Nene seems kinda nervous about it]

[mermaidcursed]

... There's the gardener. And... something's weird about the tree. And how empty this place is- e-even back home, there was always at least something small around most of the time.

( even as she talks, she fidgets idly. )

Unless you meant something else...?

[sunstead]

[He nods, smile waning a bit at her assessment. It did feel pretty empty here...] Most people can't see them, but lesser spirits can be found everywhere in Elrios. For a place to be completely devoid of them like this... I've only seen something like that once, and it was an ugly sight. A lifeless, desolate wasteland filled with corruption...

[The Henir-infested wastes around Elrianode were pretty disturbing, even if they were only passing through... maybe it's because this world is also connected to a "void"? Just thinking about it makes him worry.]

Ugh. Sorry, we don't have to talk about such a grim topic. I really just wanted to confirm that you could see them... it's unusual for humans to be attuned with spirits where I'm from, so I was a bit surprised.

[unless she isn't fully human?? that's something he's considered, of course... but it would be rude to just ask that. he would know better than anyone how awkward that topic can be.]

clamor: sorry for the grim topic | nene: no its okay i'll make it worse.

[mermaidcursed]

( she could lie. she could avoid saying anything. he's a polite man, he'll let her deflect... but... what has her selective silence done? nothing. )

Its... I won't say it's rare in humans back home. It's circumstantial though. ... ( a deep breath- but when she speaks again, she's quieter. ) Seeing the supernatural is a sign that you're going to die soon. Unless you're connected to it another way, it's... a sign. I. I have maybe a year left, unless Hanako-kun and I can change it.

... Please don't tell Noah-kun.

[sunstead]

[................ oh.

well that sucks.

He's caught off guard, and it shows. But on the other hand... he's already a dead man himself. And while he'd never want to subject a sweet girl like Nene to what he had to go through, death feels a lot less inevitable and inescapable when you've escaped it once before. There are ways of cheating death... and by her own admission, she and Hanako are trying to do exactly that.

He puts a gentle hand on her shoulder, lowering his voice along with her.]

I won't tell him if you don't want me to... but you're always welcome to ask us for help, you know.

[mermaidcursed]

( it sure does! failure is a heavy possibility and no one is okay with it. even the one who'd benefit the most from it hates the idea of her dying. )

... I'm not even sure... where to begin. But. Hanako-kun won't fail me. And I'm not gonna let this place get me.

( she says that, but she has one tally mark and there's no way of knowing what it's from- even if she's not sure what the marks mean. the touch is reassuring, though. )

I- I'm sorry, that was a lot, wasn't it?