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Seasons Mods ([personal profile] seasonsmods) wrote in [community profile] seasonsrpg2023-08-01 10:14 am

Quest Mingle: August-September


Quest Mingle: August-September
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION


Quest Plotting!

• These quests are valid from start of August until end of September.
Characters don't need to be a member of the guild to do quests and anyone can do any segment's quest! The quests are just marked this way to show where the quests are taking place.
City Location Details | Segment Location details
• Remember to keep distances (times are calculated as walking times) in mind when planning what quests to do when. You have two full months, so there's no rush!
• For some of the monsters, additional details can be found from the Beastiary.
• Rewards are for one completion of the Quest, but characters can do it multiple times to earn more money from them, as the problems do repeat.

• Please see the guild page for permanent quests.

🚨 Emergency Quest 🚨

Going Gorgon

A massive monster has been spotted in the Jungle of Judgement (Summer Segment). It has been feeding on the native fauna and even people! It looks like a giant snake lady with wings. Some have identified it's name to be "Gorgon". We can't have this monster feeding on everything that comes even close to the area of the Jungle its at, so we need people to take care of it! We will pay 2000 Moon Coins for your efforts of somehow solving this problem - may it be destroying the monster or just getting it leave!

OOC: This is a player made quest that won't last for two months. More information on it in this post. To suggest a quest, please leave a comment on the Player Suggestions page.

Log for the Gorgon Quest is here!




City Quests

Even in your city... quests! [ Click to Expand ]
Quest NameDescriptionOOC NotesRewards
Blind CookingLocal TV channel is looking for participants for a new type of reality cooking show. In the show one person is blindfolded and the other is giving them instructions. This is very much a trust building exercise for the participants, as well as entertaining for the viewers. Of course, any and all injuries will be healed by a team of specialists on set.Upon entering the set the producers will do a spell that will determine how well the two people know each other. The closer they are the less likely they'll be allowed to work together. The goal is to find people who barely know each other to take a leap of faith in cooking. Of course the spell can be fooled by keeping your thoughts neutral about the other person while it's being cast.500 Moon Coins, a free self made meal
Emotional ArtAmberfall artists have set up giant blank canvases all over the districts (even in Frostreign) with plenty of different painting tools (brushes, spray cans etc). The task is to paint with your positive emotions and make pictures that radiate with positive energy. The tools and canvases are all magical so trying to enforce negative emotions into the paintings will lead to the paint disappearing once it's been on the canvas for a while. These works of art are meant to uplift the spirits of the citizens and just let people have fun with painting.Characters may learn an instant spell for cleaning their clothes from paint (and only paint) while they're participating in this quest or can be provided with overalls. Occasionally the paintings will be changed to a new blank canvas to give people more room to paint, but the "finished" canvases can be found from various places in the city.100 Moon Coins, a watercolor set, watercolor paper
On a Magic Carpet RideThe Research Center is always looking for fun new ways to travel. Now they are looking for people to test out the newest ones. It's a magic carpet meant to be ridden by two people. One of them powers up the carpet by singing (anything goes, even songs thought up on a whim) and the other steers the carpet. The test drivers are asked to complete a course where they need to pick certain items throughout the city and then return back to the Research Center.You are free to come up with simple items (fruit, special tokens, stamps - anything that won't be too heavy to carry) for the course. If the character in charge of singing stops, the carpet will gently float down to the ground (or whatever is beneath it) until singing continues again.700 Moon Coins
Pipe ExpressMysterious turquoise pipes have appeared all around the city. Some natives have entered them out of curiosity and ended up in a completely different place. Turns out they're warp pipes, a new way of fast travel! However, some of the warp pipes have an extra challenge that will take them to either a grassy terrain where you get chased by small dinosaurs that breathe fire or a pool with fish called Toe Nibblers. Some have even found just a room with a bunch of gold coins! Please help us label all of the pipes and where they might lead.Fire Breathing Dinosaurs are the size of a house cat and can look like various different dinosaur species. Toe Nibblers are various fresh water fish that nibble on people's toes and aren't generally very dangerous. There's 1/10 pipe chance to end up in either of the enemy pipes and there's 1/50 chance to drop into a room full of gold coins.300 Moon Coins
Undercovered
CW: Gang Activity
After the opening of the Underground Mall, there has been an increase in criminal activity and shady people, especially in the center district. The police are very understaffed, so we're asking otherworlders to go undercover and infiltrate these crime groups (but only those on the surface). Any information provided is important and will help towards making the city a safe place to be in.You're free to come up with different motivations, reasons and plans the minor crime groups may have and use the local Law Enforcement to bring them down with the help of your character. Some groups will hand out simple flower pins (imagine small, like hair accessories) to characters out of trust towards them.2000 Moon Coins, possible flower pin


Winter Segment

Lights, Snow, Quests [ Click to Expand ]
Quest NameDescriptionOOC NotesRewards
Invisible MazeThroughout the Winter Segment, invisible walls have appeared. These walls form a maze and occasionally one finds themselves stuck in an invisible dead-end. They're very hazardous and make traveling in the Segment difficult. We ask that you find whatever is causing this maze to exist.Passing through the maze will lead to finding an invisible Mime Monster (a bipedal, masked ermine creature). Once the characters reach the Mime Monster it will turn visible and attack. All its attacks are invisible but you can predict what they are by participating in a game of pantomime. The Mime Monster doesn't need to be killed if you show it a pantomime it can't solve.400 Moon Coins
Just Around the RiverbendThe rivers and lakes of the Winter Segment are flooding due to giant monstrous Snow Beavers making dams all over the place. These beavers are the size of human teenagers and their coat looks like powder snow. You don't have to kill the beavers, just get rid of their damn dams!Snow Beavers usually travel in groups of four and make dams on any watery surfaces. The dams are strengthened with ice, but shouldn't be too hard to destroy; it's just that there's a lot of them and the Snow Beavers will try to bite anyone who attacks the dams.600 Moon Coins
Snowed OutThe Summer Districts want to make ice and snow sculptures in the city to cool the areas a little bit. To accomplish this, special snow and ice need to be delivered from the Winter Segment. Any snow and ice that glitters like the northern lights under sunlight will be perfect for the task as it won't melt. Bring as much of it back as possible.Sleds and other means of transport are provided for the task. Snowmobiles can be rented to pull sleds easily through the snow.200 Moon Coins
Yet We Must FightA group of Giant Yetis have emerged from the forests of the Winter Segment, looking to destroy anything in their paths. They have weapons made out of wood that they use to hit opponents with. They've been making steady progress towards the City Barrier, attracted by the masses of people inside it. We believe the barrier will hold, but the natives would likely get spooked if they saw them banging on the barrier so chasing them away is important.The Giant Yeti max height is 6 metres / 20 feet. They don't have any other abilities other than their size and their wooden weapons. Killing them is optional, they just need to be chased out. Usually by fire.900 Moon Coins


Spring Segment

Breezing through quests [ Click to Expand ]
Quest NameDescriptionOOC NotesRewards
Cats Need Catnip BadlyLocal animal shelters have run out of cat- (and other creature-) nip due to not being able to visit the Creature-Nip Meadow regularly for the past two months (due to a certain quest). Now they want to fill their storage with as much of the herbs as possible.Eating or otherwise ingesting the various herbs in the Meadow may turn people into the creatures they're meant for (cat nip -> cat). At the least they will make the person act like said animal for a few hours.200 Moon Coins
Farming LifeThe Research Center has provided barrier stones. These stones can be used to protect farming plots where you can grow various vegetables and herbs. The barriers don't protect them from normal animals, but they do protect them from various natural disasters and monsters. Place these barrier stones around the various abandoned farming plots and maybe get into farming yourself!The barrier stones only cover plots of 5 x 5 kilometres / 3 x 3 miles. There can be multiple next to each other. Various vegetable and herb seeds are also provided by the quest givers.200 Moon Coins, fresh vegetables/herbs later
Movie InspirationsA movie producer needs references for a fight scene and wants people to defeat local Spring monsters in the flashiest way possible and get it on camera. Camera provided, of course, with enough film for four different takes.Any Spring Segment monsters in particular will do the trick (even slimes). Cameraman safety is not guaranteed during the quest and they may have to tend to themselves.100 Moon Coins per clip
Panda Picking SeasonIt's the time of the year when Giant Pandas tend to feast on the Bamboo Labyrinth in large parties. This is a necessary cycle to keep the labyrinth in good shape. However, the panda babies tend to run off. Please protect them and bring them back to their parents. The grateful mama pandas will give characters golden bamboo shoots they find from the ground as a reward.Golden Bamboo Shoots are a special type of bamboo that will upgrade the Spring Power Holder powers when added to regular food. If a non-spring holder eats it they will just feel a lot lighter for a few days. It also tastes delicious.
Please refrain from taking the baby pandas away from their parents. If you must adopt a panda, adopt the whole family at least!
Golden Bamboo Shoots


Summer Segment

Get your hottest quests here [ Click to Expand ]
Quest NameDescriptionOOC NotesRewards
All These Mummies
CW: Mummies, Skeletons, Mind Control
Areas near the Deserter's Desert have recently seen an increased amount of Mummies. They have certainly appeared from out of nowhere (or from sand, we suppose). They're a menace... but not in a fatal way. Instead they're trying to wrap bandages around people to turn them into them. The bandages do have a 1/50 chance to actually make someone completely act like a mummy (walking in a trance, wrapping bandages around people) that can be canceled by taking the bandages off. They should be dealt with as soon as possible.The mummies are otherwise mostly harmless, but the Research Center would appreciate if someone captured a few of them so they could study them! Actual mummies have skeletons underneath all the bandages but nothing else. If they're stripped off their bandages they will comically cover their genital area and run away.300 Moon Coins
It's Raining ... Fire
CW: Burns
The Summer Segment is a place where it rarely rains outside the Rain Jungle, and when it does rain it can be something other than your regular water. Like fire. Recently observational team has noticed fire raining down from the skies. The source seems to be Wyverns circling in the skies (their scales, when falling, turn into fire). Put out the fires before they spread too far and dodge the unpleasant rain.The Wyverns can be fought, but they're danger level 10 and even killing one is a very, very hard task, especially since they're cloaked in Dark Energy most of the time.400 Moon Coins
Pirates of the Great LakeMysterious ships have made an appearance on the Great Ocean Lake: ghost ships and pirate octopi ships. They're disturbing all life on the lake, throwing explosive and other things into it. The Research Center has provided ships that can be taken to the waters and some pirate outfits to fit the theme (optional). Destroy the enemy ships and restore peace to the lake!Ghost Ships are ships that don't seem to have any members onboard (or they can only be seen by the Winter holders). Pirate Octopi are octopi with eyepatches (and some even have mechanical tentacles in place of normal ones). The ships rarely fight each other but they don't consider each other allies either.700 Moon Coins
High Risk Quest❗
La Va Land
CW: Burns
New creatures are emerging from the Lava-Ridden Land. Monsters made completely out of lava and rocks and are slowly making their way towards the segment and burning their way through everything. They're especially headed for the airship station, though we are unsure if they'll be able to cross the Forever Fall, but we don't want to risk them actually passing through it. Defeat them, however it takes or chase them back beyond the barrier.Lava Monsters are extremely dangerous and will burn anything they touch. They're closely shaped like slime and other blobs, making hard to tear apart as they will just reform themselves. Their weak point is the lava core, lodged deep inside their bodies. Breaking the core means the lava creature will dissolve.8000 Moon Coins


Autumn Segment

Maple scented Quests [ Click to Expand ]
Quest NameDescriptionOOC NotesRewards
Leaf Me AloneMajority of the autumn leaves have turned magical and have started to cause people to fall into a state of sleep whenever they hit someone. Luckily, most people have fallen asleep on the safe zones, but there are those who did not. Be careful not to get hit by the leaves and try to get rid of them instead, all while saving the people sleeping in wrong places. As long as a leaf remains on someone they will either sleep or feel very drowsy and the more leaves they have on them the more potent the effect is.The effect is less effective through clothes, but will still make one feel sleepy/yawn a lot. With enough layers of clothes the characters will be able to collect the leaves for extra potent sleeping potions. However it's not recommended to eat the leaves as they are, as it might lead to a comatose state instead.300 Moon Coins
Migrating FoesOver the course of several weeks, some (Spring) slime and (Winter) Gem Biters have made their way to the Autumn Segment and are now eating special mushrooms near the Mushroom Sanctuary (but not inside it). These mushrooms grow them in size and now we're dealing with human-sized foes. Slime are still relatively harmless, though now they can cover someone in their slime drool, but Gem Biter bites may actually be dangerous. Fight these creatures and either destroy them or bring them back to their original habitats (the effects of the mushroom will fade with time).Eating a mushroom will make someone grow triple their current size (clothes will transform with them). The effect will fade in a day. Used in potions this mushroom will help with plant growth.400 Moon Coins
Silent StreamsIn the woods, near the Silent Mountains, people will find they lose their voices. In fact, all the sounds disappear. However, it's also the place where you can find one of the purest of water sources, needed for a special potion. The quest is simple: obtain the spring water and bring it back, but be careful of the dangers you cannot hear.While the area around the spring is relatively safe, sometimes Spirit Animals wander around, attracted by the emotions of those in the area. They will only attack if there are too many different emotions in the area at the same time. There are also actual bears and wolves wandering the woods, but they rarely come too close to the Silent Zone.100 Moon Coins per water container
High Risk Quest
Rest in Pieces
CW: murder, drowning
Lately people have died or gone missing near the Abandoned Graveyard. A new type of Kelpie specie has emerged from the Flooded Woods: the Ghoul Kelpie (or Ghoulpie). It can't enter the protected area, but it will haunt people right outside of to either immediately feast on them or take them with them back to the woods to drown them. They're extremely aggressive and attack anyone on sight. They need to dealt with as soon as possible to bring peace back to the area.Ghoul Kelpies have a sticky fur that anything sticks to. Their teeth are sharp and venomous and their mane turns into vines that poison or stun their opponents. Their weakness is that the more dry they get, the more vulnerable they are to attacks so they occasionally need to retreat back to water.8000 Moon Coins


NSFW Quests
DO NOT use the Quest Mingle for these quests and instead play them on other posts! This questboard is only unlockable by characters that are 16 or older.

The Spice [ Click to Expand ]
Quest NameDescriptionOOC NotesRewards
Sex on AirA new airship is looking for workers for their opening months. The airship cruise that circles around the districts and segments is meant for pleasure and pleasure only. Employees will dress up in sexy lingerie and serve customers drinks, food and entertainment. It's much like a sexy host club on air. There is also a chance of trying their new spell: actually having sex while floating in the air. Just make sure not to fall behind the airship or you may be in trouble.Of course anyone is allowed to just be a customer of the airship - or why not both, with occasionally doing work and occasionally being served. The Airship leaves evening second evening from the Nightwake Central station and returns after two days. Think of it as a luxurious cruise.900 Moon Coins per cruise
Shibari LessonsDue to the last month's Freezing Heart incident, local sex shops have opened up workshops around the Underground Mall. They are teaching characters magical shibari. Every knot tied around someone will represent an emotional or physical block they have. Once all knots are in place a spell is cast on them that will relieve them of their burdens for some time (depends on the person, how fast they will grow these burdens back in their minds/bodies). May also cause arousal to doing this with a partner you know and trust might be a good idea.The spell doesn't completely erase the burdens, it's merely meant to bring temporary relief and pleasure. The spell is a customized for every person, but it has to include the words "release you from your burdens", but otherwise it can be worded however the one doing the spell wants (for ex. "With my love and care towards you, I release you from your burdens"). The spell has to be one full sentence, but it can't just be "I release you from your burdens".Shibari Spell, Shibari Rope



code bases by tricklet
mayoninofukucho: (Hazy)

[personal profile] mayoninofukucho 2023-09-26 06:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Hijikata lets Reiner focus on his earth magic, channeling energy into him and getting the same amount returned, but as they sink deeper into the ground he can't help but voice his concern.]

It'll fill up with rain in no time. Or can you make a roof?

[Back on Avalon, where he had control over all elements, he found the earth hard to control. He enjoyed opening it up to swallow the undead - it felt approapriate for them above all other enemies -, and on some occasions he raised the soil up as a momentary shield against magical attacks, but he certainly was never able to fine-tune his manipulation of it like his fire magic. As such he assumes that it may be equally challenging for Reiner.]
hometown: (don't give us any trouble)

[personal profile] hometown 2023-09-26 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ Grimacing, Reiner shakes his head, their steady sinking coming to a stop as he halts the flow of magic. Hijikata's touch is an immense help; if Reiner were to have done that alone, he'd likely be pale and slightly dizzy. As it is, he only feels that inner woof that comes from dumping so much magic into a single move. ]

Not with magic.

[ Not yet. He makes a note to figure out how.

For now, Reiner casts Hijikata a quick sideways look before speaking again, his voice unconsciously falling into the steady rhythm he adopts when discussing strategies with his comrades. ]


The way I see it, we have three options.

Option one: I climb out of this hole, turn into the Armored, and lay its body across the top. That'll be our roof. Then, I'll leave its nape and sit here with you. We'll wait and hope the storm ends before the Armored's body evaporates. Full evaporation takes quite a while, so we'll have time to reevaluate the situation if necessary.

Option two: I use my Titan's power to try to create something to protect us in this situation, specifically. Something like a cave. That's the high-risk, high-reward option. I don't have much experience with that. It could backfire.

Option three: You've got something up your sleeve that doesn't involve me using my Titan. Something that will keep us all alive.

[ He raises his hands from the earth and tugs off his soiled gloves, his eyes on Hijikata. ]

What do you think?
Edited (wording) 2023-09-26 07:50 (UTC)
mayoninofukucho: (Thanks for that.)

1/2

[personal profile] mayoninofukucho 2023-09-26 01:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hijikata appreciates Reiner's neat summarisation of their options. Option 1 immediately invokes unwillingness in him. He doesn't want to sit in a dark hole in the ground shadowed by the goddamned Armoured Titan!! He'd rather get drenched to the bone!

Option 2, meanwhile, feels too risky. He doesn't want to end up buried under collapsing soil with Reiner either (especially not when he imagines how Jean will chew him out for it one his flower spits him back out... but at least, he supposes, this time he'd chew Reiner out too)!

Option 3 needs some consideration on his part. He mentally leafs through his arsenal. His fire magic can't help them here, and since he didn't plan to go farther than a few hours from the city he didn't bring his tent with him either. There might be one thing that could be of use, though...]


Let me try something.

[He activates his Aura, the "soul magic" (as he mentally refers to it sometimes) Sun unlocked for him. It usually absorbs any damage his body would take in a battle, like a shield, until it gets depleted. He should be able to externalise that shield and turn it into a large dome to protect them!]
mayoninofukucho: (Here we go again.)

2/2

[personal profile] mayoninofukucho 2023-09-26 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[He closes his eyes, trying to focus on detaching the energy from his body. Reiner may see some ripples of what looks like a glowing green sheen run across him, but... that's all that happens. Hijikata, it turns out, isn't skilled or experienced enough to pull of such an advanced use of his Aura. He tries hard a few more times, but to no avail.]

...

Sorry. It isn't working out.

[By now both of them are pathetically wet, and the soil at the bottom of their pit is already soggy. If they don't make a decision soon, they'll get to enjoy the water rising to their ankles or even knees, depending on how long the storm rages. Currently it feels like there's no end in sight; thunder and lightning are so loud and fast that the athmosphere is infernal. He lets out a faint sigh. There's no way around it, huh.]

We're going to have to go with Option One.
hometown: (titan distant)

[personal profile] hometown 2023-09-26 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Reiner waits patiently as Hijikata does whatever he does, gold eyes curiously watching the green sheen running over Hijikata's form. He doesn't interrupt or ask questions; he remains silent, letting Hijikata focus.

Honestly, Reiner hopes that it works. He'd rather save his Titan's power for an emergency. (Although, given the ominous rumbling of thunder and the very real threat of lightning, plus the fact that their only "shelter" is filling with water, he has to admit that this qualifies.)

Unfortunately, Hijikata's attempt fails. Reiner nods, then fishes out Panzer's pokéball and hands it to Hijikata. He has no idea how (or if) his transformation would affect Panzer if she stayed with him, and he doesn't want to find out. ]


All right. I'll go make us a roof. [ Then, as he stands: ] Gold lightning will strike nearby. Don't worry about it.

[ That said, Reiner turns and climbs up the slippery side of the hole, quickly disappearing beyond the edge.

Five seconds pass. Ten. Fifteen. Then—

BOOM!

The promised gold lightning strikes.

Reiner had jogged a fair distance away before transforming, not wanting to risk hurting Hijikata or damaging the newly created hole. But once the Armored begins walking back, each footfall resonating through the ground (though not quite as heavily as its appearance would suggest), it won't take long before Hijikata spots its blond hair, gleaming gold eyes, and heavily armored form. ]
mayoninofukucho: (On Standby)

[personal profile] mayoninofukucho 2023-09-27 12:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hijikata is used to the lightning from questing with Eren, but when he hears the Armoured Titan's heavy footsteps and, moments later, sees it loom above the hole he's in, he can't help but glare up at it. Despite never having seen others' memories of it, he can imagine how scared the civilians in Trost were when it broke through the wall that protected them.

Reiner could easily just stomp him, but Hijikata knows it would do the titan boy no good. Even if Reiner were a sadistic or vindictive kind of person, it just wouldn't be worth having to deal with Hijikata's bitching and Jean's and the others' disappointment 3 days later. He trusts him to do as he said and park the titan overhead. If anything, he has some doubts about its huge, heavy body slumping down onto them while Reiner is outside and can't control it... but Reiner probably took that into consideration.]
hometown: (titan face 2)

[personal profile] hometown 2023-09-27 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As Reiner approaches the pit where Hijikata stands, he notices two things that cause him to rethink his initial plan of laying the Armored's body across the top. One: the ground is already so wet that any pressure on the pit's sides might cause a mudslide. Two: if the ground gets any wetter (which it will), the Armored might sink more than intended, leaving them in a very bad situation.

But if he doesn't lay the Armored down, won't its large body attract lightning…?

There is no good answer. No failsafe plan. Even being in his Armor is risky; Reiner has no idea how a direct lightning strike to his Titan would affect him.

He still has to get them through this. Hijikata may be confusing as hell, but he's Jean's friend. And Reiner won't let another one of Jean's friends die. He won't. He can't.

When Reiner reaches the pit, he gets on his hands and knees, his body over it. He looks down, noting Hijikata's expression, but… Well, it's not the first time he's helped someone who hates him.

He uses his Autumn powers to speak into Hijikata's mind—something that takes more effort than usual, thanks to the magic he dumped into making the pit. ]


Shout if I cause an issue.

[ Carefully, he tucks in more, effectively curling the Armored into a ball that won't collapse when a limb weakens. He tries to make a dome over the pit with his curled legs and arms acting as the sides. However, the Armored is not known for its flexibility, and it's so bulky (like its wielder) that there's only so much Reiner can do.

When he thinks he has them covered as well as can be, he mentally calls out to Hijikata again. ]


Does that work?
mayoninofukucho: (Excuse me?!)

[personal profile] mayoninofukucho 2023-09-27 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Bulky as the Armoured Titan is, in this curled position it does a fine job at keeping the rain away. Hijikata summons a dozen or so fireballs, both to light the pit that has become dark as night with the titan's body casting it in shadows, and to dry his soaked coat and jacket (which he takes off and levitates, given that he's got no clothesline).]

It works, but are you staying in there?!

[On the one hand it doesn't feel right to make Reiner handle the heavy downpour like the Silent Protector meme, but on the other hand... he's a titan. Those goddamn things recover from anything, right? If he keeps his head down, it should be alright.]
hometown: (marked speak)

[personal profile] hometown 2023-10-04 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
No. I'm coming down.

[ There are a number of reasons for that. The possibility of a lightning strike is chief among them; Reiner doesn't know how his Titan would handle such a thing, and he doesn't want to risk it with his damn nape to the sky. But he also doesn't want to wear down his stamina, leaving him unable to transform again without a rest period. Better to cut this transformation short and leave his options open.

Steam erupts from the Armored's nape as Reiner extracts himself, fleshy tendons clinging to him as if trying to hold him in place. He brushes them aside and slides down the Armored's body, squeezing through the space between its neck and shoulder, then dropping with a wet thud into the pit.

The Titan lines with which Hijikata is familiar mark Reiner's cheeks and beneath his eyes, which widen in surprise as Reiner takes in the fireballs. ]


Nice call on the fire.
mayoninofukucho: (Smoke)

[personal profile] mayoninofukucho 2023-10-04 10:20 am (UTC)(link)
[When Reiner lands, Hijikata looks at the curled-up, eerily illuminated titan again. With its wielder not inside, it seems like a corpse, and while a dead titan should be a good titan, it's still fucking creepy!! He opts to turn away from it and focus on his companion.]

Take your outerwear off; I'll dry it.

[If Reiner complies, he'll float his clothes about as well. The levitation- and fire magic will eat up a good amount of his mana (and he has to pay attention to not accidentally burn the clothing, too), but it'll be worth being dry and warm again after the storm is over. Right now, the fire is keeping the pit at a cosy enough temperature that they won't have to shiver without the extra layers.

The flames illuminate Reiner's face, making the marks stand out. Just like with Eren. Suddenly, he remembers what Hange told him - that titan shifters have a significantly reduced life expectancy.]


...

How old were you when you became a titan shifter?

[Hopefully that question isn't too uncomfortable. He has no plans of pressing Reiner about his and the others' mission again; he's learned what he needed to. He just wonders how long he has left to live. Big and tall as he is, he can't be older than Jean and Eren. Those who became titan shifters really were so desperate that they didn't care about throwing most of their lives away, weren't they?]
hometown: (anything we can do)

[personal profile] hometown 2023-10-05 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ Reiner does indeed comply, stripping off his coat and letting his soiled gloves dangle from its pockets, leaving him in a fitted long-sleeved shirt. He watches as Hijikata floats the coat, suitably impressed. (Although a part of him expects Hijikata to abruptly dump the coat in the mud.)

Then Hijikata asks his question—one that seems to come from out of nowhere. Surprise flashes across Reiner's face again, then wariness starts swimming in gold eyes. Did Hijikata wait until they were effectively trapped to resume interrogating him? Never mind that it turned into a two-way interrogation last time; Reiner is in no mood for a repeat performance.

Still, it isn't as though the answer is a big secret. Reiner has freely shared it with more than a few people in this place. ]


I was ten. Why?
mayoninofukucho: (Idle)

[personal profile] mayoninofukucho 2023-10-05 03:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[10. That's too goddamn young to become a war machine - but then it's not like Hijikata's world was that much kinder during his childhood years, with many kids losing their parents either to the fighting on the frontlines or to the consumption making the rounds in the countryside. His own life went to shit when he was 11 (albeit not for either of those reasons). He nudges his chin up towards the still titan again.]

Was it always this big? Even when you were small?

[That question is just a diversion, really, to cover up that he already got his answer. Reiner only has a few years left to live, just like Eren. At this point, Hijikata won't begrudge him any joy he can find here on Ellipsa (provided he remains an upstanding citizen, otherwise it will officially be Hijikata's resort to meddle in). He lets out a small sigh as he takes his cigarettes from his floating coat.]

Is it okay if I smoke?

[Look, at least he's polite enough to ask in such an enclosed space!]
hometown: (speak)

[personal profile] hometown 2023-10-05 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Reiner glances up at the Armored as though to gauge its size. Looming over them, lit by the firelight, it would likely appear frightening to most people. But Reiner smiles, pride bubbling in his chest.

The Armored was never meant to be Reiner's. Marcel revealed as much. But it is distinctly his, its features resembling Reiner's own from the first time it formed around him. ]


Yeah, it's always been that big. I grew into it.

[ There is a faintly humorous note to his last words. A hint that he's joking, at least a little. Reiner is a big guy, sure—but he's not that big.

He returns his gaze to Hijikata, that flash of wariness having waned. ]


You can smoke.

[ It isn't as though Reiner has to worry about the health effects. Who knows? The scent may even remind him of home.

Then, as he takes in the fireballs and floating coats again, he adds: ]


We should stay in contact to help your magic.
mayoninofukucho: (It's always something.)

[personal profile] mayoninofukucho 2023-10-05 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hijikata smiles a little at that, too. You sure did grow into it. Reiner looks like a literal poster boy for titan war recruitment... and that indirect reminder of there being a whole anti-island-people propaganda machine at work where he's from takes the smile off Hijikata's face again. What a shitshow, seriously.

He lights himself a cigarette, and when Reiner makes that suggestion, he gives him a curious look. His hands on his shoulder seemed to help him earlier when he was using his earth magic, but Hijikata hasn't really correlated the touch energy with his mana meter up until now. He considers the former necessary to stay healthy and not turn to stone, whereas he's been recharging the latter by resting and sleeping (or simply not using any magic for a while). Does prolonged contact make mana recharge faster? He suddenly feels like he should long have checked up on that.]


...

Sure. Whatever works for you.

[He's leaving the choice to Reiner because he feels hapless at figuring out what would be the least awkward thing to offer him. Hand-holding? Standing back to back? He's got nothing! But putting the ball in Reiner's court also shows that he trusts him to not do anything annoying. That's something, right?]