june-july quests

[phoenixblessed]

WHO: Diluc Ragnvindr (phoenixblessed), Baizhu (physicianhealthyself), E'kayan Tia (orangebrained), Edmond (sapphireknight), Vennessa (vennessa), Guizhong (godofdust)
WHAT: Open quest prompts!
WHEN: June-July
WHERE: Anywhere the quests are
WARNINGS: Will be noted in subjects as they come up

Plotting - feel free to wildcard

Diluc Ragnvindr | Guizhong | E'kayan Tia | Edmond | Vennessa | Baizhu

Comments

Diluc Ragnvindr ❖ Genshin Impact

[phoenixblessed]

Who Let the Dogs Out

Look, you can’t stay up there.

[At first it looks as if Diluc is talking to a tree. He’s peering up into the branches, one arm lifted up to shade his eyes, but if a curious person happens to join him all will become clear. Up in the tree there is a small winged puppy sitting on a branch, looking down at him as if a) it does not understand how it got up there and b) it has no idea of how to get down.]

You have wings, come on now. [Clearly unconvinced, the puppy remains immobile in the tree. Diluc sighs and starts taking off his coat. It’s long and will only get in the way.] All right, it looks like I’m climbing a tree today.

Never Underestimate the Toad

[Despite being warned that the toads have a peculiar way of multiplying when cut, Diluc is still surprised when it happens right in front of him. Faced with a dozen of the things after a flurry of blows he pauses and lowers his claymore slightly, shifting his weight back off the balls of his feet. At this size they don’t feel like an immediate danger, but there are a lot of them.]

Something about this feels wrong.

[He mutters to his companion, rubbing the back of the wrist of his free hand against his forehead. It’s already warm enough here without using a flaming sword to solve a problem. At least the toads are small enough now that getting what they came for shouldn’t be too difficult.]

Should we really be creating so many of these things? I don’t suppose they said anything about them recombining once they run away.

Messages in the Dark

Wait.

[There they are again, though while he and his companion have been approaching the flashing lights they don’t seem to be managing to get any closer to them. Diluc is trying to be careful about this. It’s a good reward but he knows how dangerous sand can be made to be under the right (or wrong) circumstances and has no desire to end up buried up to his neck.

He narrows his eyes as he looks into the dark, then exhales sharply.]

I think that’s what we’re looking for. [Second thoughts? Yeah, just a bit.] … When you’re ready, let’s get moving. Watch your step.

who let the dogs out

[acquirement]

{ since this has been his favourite quest and a good way for him to venture out after... everything, it's no wonder he's out and about and able to bump into diluc talking to the dog up the tree.

at first he's confused, but as his eyes slide up it all becomes clear. }

If you start pampering it, it will never learn to bypass its fear and think for itself.

[phoenixblessed]

It's a puppy, Ayato.

[Diluc does not pause in removing his coat and folds it over his arm once it's off, never taking his eyes off the small creature for a moment. Despite the way it keeps fluttering its little wings it is clearly too frightened to take a leap.]

I'm going up there to get it. Watch my coat for me, if you wouldn't mind.

[He sets it on the ground and then begins scanning the tree trunk for a likely foothold.]

It has been a while.

Messages in the Dark

[localweirdo]

[Hu Tao was no stranger to spooky and odd things that happen at night. If anything, this was certainly her cup of tea. That said, she had to admit, it was a little troublesome knowing what this sand will do.]

The same goes to you too! Please do careful.

[She said with a smile. As she took a step forward, she heard some movement.]

Did you hear that?

[phoenixblessed]

[It is troublesome, but Diluc has already had what he considers to be the worst kind of shock this place can offer - when he saw his own father standing in front of him as if he was alive again - and he doesn't think that this sand can do anything worse than that.]

Hmn, don't worry, I'm always--

[Careful, he's going to say, but he stops as she steps forwards and speaks again. He cocks his head and listens.]

... I do hear something. Keep going, we can't let ourselves be taken by surprise.

who let the dogs out

[niwabi]

[ Best. Quest. EVER!! With a bag of treats in her arm, Yoimiya happily trots along the area, calling and looking for signs of cute puppies that got loose. As she's humming to herself, enjoying life, the sight of Diluc curiously catches her attention. Is that man... having a conversation with a tree? She stops dead in her tracks, watching him for a solid minute. Puzzled by the situation, she glances upwards.

Oh, okay, there's definitely a puppy with wings up there. He's not talking to a tree. ]

Do you need some treats to help lure it down?

[ She waves the bag of bone shaped biscuits in her hands. ]

[phoenixblessed]

I had a mind to go up there after it.

[Because he does have a soft spot for animals and the poor thing is obviously terrified, despite having got itself up there to begin with.

Treats, though? That's an idea. Diluc looks from the bag she's lightly waving at him, up to her face, then back at the little pup in the tree.] But let's try this first.

[It would probably save his clothes at least. Good on Yoimiya for coming forward with a solution!]

If you wouldn't mind, miss..?

Guizhong ❖ Genshin Impact

[godofdust]

Taming the Mounts

[It would appear that Guizhong is as good with animals as she is with people. It doesn’t take her long at all to attract a winged horse - a skittish black mare with a slender build and a white stripe down the centre of her face - but it does take some time for her to calm the creature long enough that she can approach it.

Unfortunately, the arrival of someone else serves to unsettle the animal and it reacts by backing away from her reaching hand, tossing its head and stretching its wings out.]

Oh no-no-- don’t go, it’s all right.

[Guizhong tries speaking soothingly to the creature while at the same time looking at the newcomer from the corner of her eye.]

Go slowly. You’ll scare her off.

Windy Risks

[’Giant sleeping dragons made of metal’? Even with the risks, Guizhong was all about that the moment she heard about it. Getting there is the easy part and she manages to manipulate the wind abilities granted to her by Ellipsa to make sure her landing is not too difficult, but when she gets to the village she’s almost immediately spoiled for choice with the various mechanical parts and devices scattered around.]

I can get close without waking them. [She observes out loud as she stands close by someone else, looking towards the snoozing dragons guarding their hoards.]

You could say I’m used to dealing with dragons.

[The woman shoots a quick glance up, and a grin.]

But if I wake one up by accident, you’ll need to be quick.

Experimente(a)nting

[She knows what she’s here for. It’s an interesting prospect and Guizhong is by no means shy about such things. Though, she does read the paper quite thoroughly before signing it - knowing what you’re agreeing to is important, after all.

Then she straightens up, puts the pen down, and casts her eyes about for a likely partner to begin the night with (or, just maybe, she’s looking for the person she walked into the hotel with?).

Either way she sidles up beside someone and lightly taps them on the elbow.]

This is all very exciting, isn’t it?

((ooc: as an fyi, feel free to use this as a mid-fuck prompt if you like and direct the responses towards Guizhong’s IC Inbox if you want to take that route.))

taming the mounts

[acquirement]

{ given the quests available, this seems like a good one to get started with. he doesn't have to venture too far and has the option to avoid danger. he has no idea what drew him this way, but there's certainly a look of relief when he sees guizhong there along with the creature. the winged horse is certainly bigger than most animals he's tried this with, but he'll use his autumn power to ask small favours of animals to try and calm it. }

There's nothing to be scared of, please calm down.

{ it likely isn't as successful as it would be with a squirrel, but at least it isn't trying to run anymore. for the rest, he'll speak towards guizhong: }

Apologies if I interrupted when you were getting somewhere, I was curious to see who had found one.

[godofdust]

Hehe, hello Ayato.

[Guizhong turns her attention to him for a moment to offer him a smile and then goes back to soothing the creature, running her hand up and down its face as she hums and speaks softly. Whatever Ayato had done it seemed to work wonders in calming the creature and she hardly has to do anything at all as he comes in closer.]

It's no interruption. In fact, it seems you arrived at just the right time.

[The winged horse stomps one hoof lightly against the ground and throws its head again, though not enough to pull it from Guizhong's hands.]

She's lovely, isn't she.

Taming the Mounts

[badsunrising]

[ He stops quickly, feeling genuine guilt over frightening off the animal. Enough that it quickly passes over his face. Less so over the disappointed girl in front of him. ]

Speed won't matter much when it comes to me.

[ But he still does his best to slowly step backward, barely brushing the grass with his shoe, as if this style of stealth is common to him. It probably also helps that tiny wisps of wind around his feet seem to be doing a fair job of flattening every blade of grass to sooth the sound of his steps. ]

[godofdust]

[Oh, he is a big one. Though it doesn't seem like it fazes Guizhong as she looks up and directly into his eyes without fear. He only has to take a couple of steps back for her to be shaking her head with a small smile and holding out one hand towards him.]

Not backwards. Come here.

[Her fingers move in a faint beckoning gesture, half her attention on him and half on the horse.]

Come on, now. You don't need to be afraid either.

for Kenta (@fiorello)

[godofdust]

Would you hand me that blue one?

[Guizhong smiles over at Kenta as she indicates the flower she wants - a spray of delicate blue blooms attached to a slightly woody stem. She's been using the firmer-stemmed flowers here and there to give some more stability to the flower crown she's in the middle of making.

Her flowers of choice - at least this time around - are blue and white ones.

When she had invited Kenta to do this activity with her it had been in the hope that the calm and quiet of it would be soothing for the boy. It seemed that he had a lot weighing on his shoulders and she would dearly love to be able to help with that... in whatever small way she can.]

Unless you'd like it. I don't mind, I can choose another.

[fiorello]

[ "A lot" feels like an understatement. But at least he's coming out from under it all? Maybe? ... It's a work in progress.

But despite the sad undertones, he is genuinely happy to be out here with Guizhong. The sun feels so warm and pleasant on his skin, and he does, in fact, feel some peace in this moment. Guizhong's presence is as comforting as it was when they first met.

He looks over to the stem, and hands it over without question. Sure, they're using the same colors for their crowns, but she asked for it! ] Yeah! [ Then, he looks to her work. ] Your crown's really pretty, miss Guizhong!

[ On the other hand, his is barely started. He's still thinking about what flowers he'd like to use... and thinking in general. ]

windy risks

[niwabi]

[ Gods, she's even more dazzling in person! Ever since Yoimiya first laid eyes on her over the network, she's been ecstatic to meet her in person and as lady luck would have it, they just so happen to be partners for this quest. ]

That's impressive! Hehe, am I in the presence of a dragon whisperer?

[ Or is she a dragon slayer? Eyyyy SORRY MORAX They only just met but she's already fascinated with Guizhong's abilities. ]

Don't worry, I got your back! If anything happens, you can count on me to swoop in.

[ She's so excited with all the array of parts strewn about, there's so many things they could possibly make with this. But even so, her eyes flicker back to the mechanical dragon that's dozing away. For the time being, it seems like it's a deep sleep but she's keeping a close watch on it just to be safe. ]

[godofdust]

A dragon whisperer? Hehe, you could say that.

[Guizhong is not shy about her origins and exactly who and what she is and has likely already mentioned that she's an adeptus, but they both have priorities to keep in mind right now and her life story is not one of them.

It had been an interesting time getting up here but at least the devices they had been supplied with had kept them both from being blown away. She's not sure if even her beast form could have battled against some of the stronger gusts.

Guizhong shoots Yoimiya a cheeky wink then moves forwards slowly, keeping her eye on the dragon she's approaching the entire time. When she reaches a pile of parts she begins to carefully pick through it, but dragons don't really care too much about making sure things don't turn into landslides and one mistake is enough to send a few items clattering down.

She grimaces. One of the dragons slowly shifts in place.]

... Whoops.

E'kayan Tia (WoL) ❖ Final Fantasy XIV

[orangebrained]

Let Me Entertain You

Uh-- hey.

[A small Miqo’te holding the arm of a teenager a couple of inches taller than he is taps you on the elbow with his free hand. The kid he’s restraining does seem to be half-heartedly struggling, but the man holding him is surprisingly strong considering his stature.

In his hand, E’kayan is holding up some item belonging to the person he’s trying to get the attention of. A purse, a watch, a bracelet, or something else. He offers it out with a long-suffering sigh.]

I think this is yours.

[When he’d suggested the teen demonstrate to him how they usually entertained themselves (to give him some kind of idea) he hadn’t been expecting a quick show of pickpocketing. Luckily enough, he’s fairly good at pickpocketing, himself.]

… Sorry about this.

Never Underestimate the Toad

Explosions or a sword, what do you think?

[He can, in theory, do either (or both). The 5’3” tall Miqo’te doesn’t look like much but he isn’t overstating his ability in this respect. At the moment he’s holding a stave, his head tipped back and tail flicking from side to side as he looks at the approaching toad without a flicker of concern.

How could he be concerned with the kinds of things he’s seen in the past few years? It’s just a toad, he’s put down dozens of them before… though the splitting into multiple, smaller toads is a new thing.]

I can back you up, whatever you want to do.

[As ever, he prefers to not take the lead if he doesn’t have to.]

Experimente(a)nting

[E’kayan would readily admit, if asked why he’s here, that he’s ingested weirder and more dangerous things (and not always with his consent) before now. A bit of aphrodisiac tea doesn’t seem like too much of a problem when the reward is taken into account.

Once he’s in the room with the person he’s going to be trying to stuff with, he hops up onto the edge of the bed and scoots back along it, crossing his legs before he puts down the small box of teabags in front of him.]

So… which one do you want to try first?

((ooc: as an fyi, feel free to use this as a mid-fuck prompt if you like and direct the responses towards E’kayan’s IC Inbox if you want to take that route.))

for Chuuya (@darkdisgrace)

[orangebrained]

Yanno, I've seen a lot of weird stuff.

[E'kayan hums the words out thoughtfully as he walks alongside Chuuya, tracking one of the escaped pegasus dogs around the edge of a residential district. One of his ears flicks slightly, his tail waving from side to side as they walk, and he glances at his current companion with a crooked smile.]

Even seen a flying dog before, only that one didn't have wings.

[And, arguably, was not actually a dog... He's not actually entirely sure what Argos is.]

What did that guy say? Down here then a left?

Never Underestimate the Toad

[afoolshope]

Hm.

[He had a sword in hand, but he didn't really have it at the rest as he studied the big toad. Minato hardly looked impressive himself, short and without much muscle definition, it was easily to underestimate him. There was a holster at his left him, a gun-like object within. But he didn't use it just yet.]

If we're fast enough, sword should be fine but... explosions would probably be faster. I can do either one.

[Minato was used to being a leader, so after some more careful thought even as the toad approached, he sighed and shifted his sword to his left hand so he could unclip and pull out his Evoker.]

I would rather get this done quick so, explosion. Swords will be back up. Do you know fire or lightning spells?

[He mentally went through his Persona cache to figure out which was best. Orpheus had Agidyne, Mother Harlot had Ziodyne... actually Odin had an AOE version of that called Maziodyne so if the toad still split, they had that to use. He nodded to himself, okay. He knew who to choose. His sword could easily pick up the rest, too.]

[orangebrained]

Do I ever.

[Heh. When it comes to fire and lightning he'd call himself an expert. E'kayan pulls his staff loose from his back and grips it firmly in one hand, and the air around him crackles with static electricity and purple light begins to gather at the head of the staff.

Lightning is a classic opener to his arsenal of Black Magic.]

You might wanna stand back for this, though. [The splash damage if Minato gets in the way isn't going to be something he can do much to mitigate.] Get behind me, yeah?

Edmond ❖ NU: Carnival

[sapphireknight]

Paradise Forest

[It seems dangerous, but Edmond is of a mind that such things should be approached by those people willing and able to handle them before the unwary end up stumbling into danger by accident. He approaches the border of the Autumn and Winter segments with determination but slows his pace as he draws close, casting a quick glance to the person accompanying him.]

I’m going to be putting my trust in you for this.

[Make no mistake - if things go wrong and it is his companion’s fault, Edmond will not be gentle in his admonishment. If it turns out they messed it up on purpose then he would be the kind of person to make sure everyone else knows about it.

But for now… he’s willing to put his faith in the person he came here with.]

Shall we continue?

Beauty of the Well

Does this seem far too conveniently like a trap to you as well?

[It isn’t that Edmond is naturally suspicious (he is, a bit) but the idea of a beautiful woman going missing in something called the Abandoned Well just raises all the hairs on the back of his neck. So, as he prepares to descend into the well’s depths with his companion he cannot help but comment on the strangeness of it and how it seems like it’s all set up to go wrong somehow.

There is a good chance that he’s going to regret this before they get to the bottom of the mystery.]

If it is, we should put a stop to it quickly.

Blossoming the Meadow

[Gathering some calming herbs seems like a simple enough task, and it’s the task that Edmond will claim he is there for until his curiosity inevitably leads him to finding one of the other herbs in the meadow.

The one that the guild quest was about.

Not what he’s here for. It’s not! But these things do have a way of happening to him and should he end up tangled up in the grass with someone, blushing up to his ears in embarrassment while giving horribly mixed signals about exactly what he wants, he can’t really be blamed for it, can he? A sweet scent fills the air around him when he’s aroused, long before any of his clothes are actually off, and that acts as an aphrodisiac as well.

If anyone finds out about it, Edmond is never going to live it down.]

((ooc: as an fyi, feel free to use this as a mid-fuck prompt if you like and direct the responses towards Edmond’s IC Inbox if you want to take that route.

Edmond has a tendency to tell his sexual partner to stop and says ‘no’ a lot but doesn’t mean it (and will encourage continuing if said partner shows concern that he’s not actually enjoying it - he definitely is, he’s just bad at relaxing even when he's horny as heck).))

Vennessa ❖ Genshin Impact

[vennessa]

Plant Octopi Are Evolving

[Today, Vennessa has traded her usual sword for a spear and is currently crouched at the edge of the lake working on securing a length of rope to it. Since it doesn’t matter if she kills the plant octopi, she isn’t really thinking about being careful with how she captures them.]

If you think you have a better arm than me, I don’t mind being the bait.

[She’s thinking about getting one of the things close enough to the edge of the water to be able to spear it and drag it in without too much trouble. Of course this comes with its dangers… but it would definitely save some time.]

Once we’re done here, are you going diving into the caves?

Flowers for the Sun

[As someone with a little sister Vennessa is well versed in the art of flower crown creation, though needing to apply an enchantment to the flowers she picks is a new step. She has been doing that as she goes, but somewhere along the way (and with a half-full basket of flowers) Vennessa has stopped to sit down and make a flower crown of her own.]

I’d make these with Lind when I had the time. [She comments to her companion with a smile as she weaves the flowers together.] My younger sister. I suppose she’s getting a little old for it now, but we still do it together.

Maybe It Bugs Me

How are such huge bugs so good at not being found?

[It feels like they’ve been looking for ages with no sign of any maple mantis, four metres tall or otherwise. How can something so big be so good at hiding?

Vennessa stops walking to look around, squinting up into the trees and resting her hand against the pommel of her sword.]

Say, do you think cutting one of the maple trees might draw them to us?

flowers for the sun

[applehearted]

Were there any particular flowers that you used for this sort of thing?

[ Mafuyu asks out of curiosity; after all, if she's more familiar with this sort of thing than she is, she might know better. ]

flowers for the sun

[mistsplitter]

[ Ayaka does not mind not being remembered, when she's accepted this as a common occurrence. She hopes she and Vennessa will still be able to get along, though, at least. ]

One can never be too old to spend time with their sibling.

[ At least, Ayaka thinks so. She's a very sentimental young lady, so others may think differently. ]

I've never made flower crowns with my brother before, but I imagine it would be a very fun activity, too.

Baizhu ◈ Genshin Impact

[physicianhealthyself]

Ice Cold Reflections

Are you ssssure that thisss is a good idea?

[The question comes from a white snake coiled up near Baizhu as he sorts through the diving equipment on the bank of the lake. He looks at her sidelong, pauses, then lets out a soft ‘hmm’ of thought with his hands hovering over the air tank.]

That’s the third time you’ve asked me that question. I can’t expect everyone here to do everything for me, you know.

[And Changsheng knows that - of course she knows - but her face still shows concern even with the limited range of expression that she has.]

I underssstand, but don’t you think--

Enough, Changsheng.

[Don’t mind the man at the lakeside, arguing with a snake.]

Cakes for the Moon

[Though not much of a baker at all, Baizhu does decide to take some of the cakes to the Flower Yard and lingers around to see if he can spy any of the little creatures while he’s there. It doesn’t take long for him to end up with a couple of moon bunnies in his lap - an unexpected result, by the way he looks like he isn’t sure of where to put his hands.]

Ah--

[He spots someone else entering the yard and lifts his hand to them while trying not to move too much.]

Could you spare a cake? I’d hate to disturb them.

Snakes on the Branches

[Baizhu would be the first to admit that he avoids conflict and needing to exert himself with fighting as much as he possibly can, but something about this particular problem drew his attention in a way that he couldn’t ignore. Changsheng is just glad he isn’t trying to go diving again, having been very concerned about him during that little adventure, and she is quiet as she stays draped around his neck.]

Hmm…

[As a user of Dendro, Baizhu is naturally attuned to nature and everything here feels wrong. It’s enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck as he and his companion work their way towards the barrier.

Maybe it’s the Darkness, or maybe it’s the twisted branches leaning through the barrier itself, but he doesn’t like it one bit.]

We should get started. [He says, but in the next moment there is a flash of green as he casts out his hand and throws up a shield. An arc of lightning spat in their direction by a large coil snake bounces off the shield harmlessly. Baizhu looks surprised for a moment but quickly gathers himself back together.] Ah… quickly would be best.