Anarion

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Giriel looks about her and smiles a wry smile. They are within the collapsing tower. One of the clearest symbols of disaster in all of divination, crossing civilizations, cultures, and the great seas themselves. It speaks perhaps to the shared understanding of hubris in all who look upon the world and, finding it wanting, seek to work change. Whatever the hopes and dreams of the maker, there will come a time when something they did not or could not have expected undermines what they have made. Fire, flood, war, and if all else fails, the slow creep of time will undo all that is made.

Philosophizing is, of course, the last refuge of the damned and Giriel Bruinstead understands full well her situation. Her group are lost all about and she won't leave them. No magic that she can work could hold up this tower. Perhaps in another life, in another time, a heroic effort on her part could accomplish such an end. But for herself, she must be content with slamming her blade like a club handily into a few wrack dolls. Keeping her current charge, the noble girl, at least alive. Knowing that the tide is unending and the stones below that tide quickly disintegrating, she can do only what she can in the moment and offer a prayer to Saturn that this is not yet their time.

It is funny that this is so much worse and she is far less panicked than she had been in her first encounter with the general. But it is in the nature of the mind that the most extreme reactions are the product of surprise and the unknown. Even the most extreme peril, encountered more than once, can become mundane if one survives it. This, then, is the reason that Giriel only screams when the ground beneath her feet finally gives way.

[Giriel attempts to defy disaster to protect Azazuka with her wits and will, offering up her own footing at risk. The dice say 1+2+2=5. Marking experience.]

Sunshards

“You need confidence Chen”

Her mommy’s words hung in the air, floating in Chen’s mind. Ysel’s hand was patting Chen patronizingly like all she needed was a bit of reassurance and she’d fall in line. It felt like she was in one of those trap rooms that sometimes appeared in ruins where you step on the wrong switch and the ceiling starts lowering on you until you’re crushed.

Chen had grown up with Ysel as her mommy. They had lived together for years and even after Hestia and Ysel found that they were such different people that they couldn’t function under the same roof, Chen had spent years of her life in Ys, the place that Ysel controlled utterly and absolutely. Everyone in the palace knew their role and followed it to a tee, some to earn favor, some because they liked things being well run and were happy to be a part of it. The streets, built of everything that Ysel had collected for her rule might seem brought together in a mad hodgepodge, but fundamentally reflected the likes and dislikes of the woman who ruled them.

Chen knew these things, this place. These patterns that her mommy pressed into everyone around her were grooved into Chen’s mind. Ysel knew that too. It’s why she thought she could react this way. Years of call and response were here. The times when Chen had missed a step in her sword forms and Ysel had responded with a disapproving purse of the lips. The times that Chen had snuck out to paint (something that Hestia at least endorsed as a hobby) and been met despite the Ysian heat with her mommy’s cold voice upon her return. There was even the time that Chen had just wanted to spend the day with Ysel, had begged to skip her lessons and just get food together, had told her mommy about some incredible azuki bean buns that she had tried in the streets and asked if they could just go enjoy them together. Ysel had politely asked the vendor to relocate to a neighboring village, out of Chen’s travel reach at the time, and it was done and that had been the last time Chen had ever told her mother she liked anything.

There had been as well the rare smile, when Chen mastered something particularly hard. She once got a head pat for doing a sword form she had fallen in love with and adding a move to it, a true moment of following her heart that lined up with what Ysel had wanted. Because that was the thing with her mommy. The praise came when you fell into the place that Ysel had set for you. And so years of that life made it almost rote for Chen to blush, to nod, to move into line and get on a horse like she was being told to do.

But Chen had been away from home for a long time now. She didn’t want to come back to this. Especially this. This feeling of being pressed until you fit in the slot that was laid out for you, crushed into place. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair! Chen wanted a mommy who loved her unconditionally, not one who loved when Chen fit her mold. She wanted a mommy whose delight came from seeing her daughter find the things she loved, not who was only delighted at the success of her own plans. Chen wanted a mommy who would see her after months of being away and be happy that Chen was there, not one who saw a game piece to move onto the board for a flank! She stared at Ysel like a poison dagger that had just stabbed her, half in disbelief and half in revulsion. And then…

“I won’t!”

The shout burst from Chen’s mouth before she even realized it. She tried to breathe, to calm herself, but it felt heavy and labored. Her eyes were hot and she could feel tears pooling at the corners, though she didn’t cry or sob. Yes, this hurt. It hurt because she wanted something so badly and it wasn’t that way. It was never going to be that way. She couldn’t make Ysel into the mommy she wanted and no amount of being a good girl and behaving as she was told was going to change that. That was the pain she was feeling now. The pain of growing, of coming back and not being able to fit into where she had at least been comfortable, but not having things change the way she wanted. That was the pain that was burning its way through her heart just now. That screamed inside of her until she had to scream with it.

“I won’t! I won’t! I won’t! I will NOT fall in line or command your army, or or get on a horse for you!”

Then Chen could breathe. She had to catch her breath. Her eyes were on Ysel’s eyes. The rest of the assembled all but forgotten, no care at all for the public moment this made. Perhaps Ysel was embarrassed that her daughter would behave so rudely in public, though if Chen had the head to think about it, that sort of reaction was much for Hestia’s than Ysel’s. Ysel was the mother who indulged, who made freedom and power one and the same. If you wanted to follow your own whims, you needed the power to do it. That was her bit, her advice even here. It was like a whirlpool, pulling you into it.

Now that Chen could breathe, she felt it too. You need confidence Chen. Was that all this was? Was she just fitting into her mommy’s view of the world even now? Was her growth just gaining enough confidence to confront Ysel? Was it really just enough strength in her sword arm, magic at her fingertips and shouting in her throat that moved her from a pawn to demanding her role?

No.

No. Now that the first explosion had escaped her, Chen could breathe. She didn’t just want to become like Ysel or to reject Ysel and demand that only her world and her choices were the right one. She wanted to be better.

For a moment, Chen remembered one of her practice duels with Yue. It had been in the heart of winter, a while after they’d started, and because Keron had a sense of theatrics and it was good training, they were dueling outside in the keep’s courtyard as a light snow fell. Yue was getting better then, and they were using real metal swords (dull for safety, of course) and going faster than they had been before. There was something magical about it. Chen had taken to the air freely then, and while Yue still didn’t totally have her flight down, she’d tried the same and it had been like, like they dancing snowflakes themselves.

Chen had lost herself in the wind, her moves coming faster and faster, the clang of the metal like the beats of the dance as they parted and swirled. And somehow Yue had kept up. She wasn’t moving as far as Chen was, and if Chen hadn’t been so lost in reveling in the world, she might have noticed a brief look of panic on her friend’s face as things got faster and faster, but somehow Yue had set her chin and her stance and had managed at least the series of parries, almost like Chen was on a string flying in and out and back in to Yue again and again. Chen even began to twirl and lift her legs as she went in and out, truly dancing in the storm. They had dueled to a standstill until exhaustion overtook Chen, and she finally noticed that Yue was shivering all over and holding her sword in quivering hands, like all her muscles had turned to jelly, but she had the biggest smile on her face and it almost seemed like she wanted to be wagging a tail she didn’t have.

It was only then that Chen realized what had happened, how fast and how long they’d been going. But when she’d blushed and apologized, saying how sorry she was, Yue had smiled, and said that she’d never seen her friend so beautiful. And on top of that, she hadn’t even known she could do that, but she couldn’t let the dance end early, she just couldn’t and so she’d managed to keep up her end of it. Because it was beautiful. Chen had cried then because she’d never had anyone say something like that in all her years training with the sword.

That was the start of it. There had been the anime with Jessic too. And the sessions training with Rose as a handmaiden, and also “training” with Rose as a handmaiden. Those had been how Chen learned new stories and skills. That had been how she had started practicing, herself, how to make her girlfriend feel beautiful, and how good it had felt to have Rose undress her and for her to undress her little Rosepetal and have that thick, strong body melt beneath her hands. That was how she had formed her dreams, was still forming her dreams. But she remembered as she dreamed those dreams the way that Yue had helped her live her own and part of Chen’s dream was to do that for her friends. No, not just her friends. For everyone that came into her care, for everyone that she could help. That meant Qiu even when she was being a meanie because she was only doing that because she couldn’t find anyone to help her feel the way she wanted to feel. And that meant Ysel too, even if…even if she made Chen hurt and couldn’t find a way to see past the way she had been living. Even then.

That was why, then, Chen finished her breaths and she took up speaking again, to Ysel, to the generals, to the people below the palace steps because this was for Ys too.

“Mommy, I won’t be your general because you’ve got the wrong plan. You’re doing the wrong thing for Ys, and for Qiu, and f-for me. I…I can’t claim that I’ve got this all figured out. But I know there’s more than just coming up with a vision and being confident in it. What you want, it makes everyone in your kingdom have to serve you. If it works, it will hurt Qiu and leave her sad and lonely. If it doesn’t, she still won’t get what she wants and she’ll bury this whole city in her rage.”

Chen took a deep breath, and continued, “And…and it won’t make me happy either. Because. Because I want to do better. I want to give Qiu the duel she deserves and save Ys. We can do that. We can do both. I want to fly, not ride because that’s what I love. I want to pick up the sword and save Ys because I love the sword and I love this kingdom, it’s one of my homes. I don’t want to do it because it matches your plan or because you think that’s the best role for me.”

Chen sighs then. “I don’t…I don’t think it’s wrong that you want an army either, mommy! I don’t…like I said I haven’t figured it all out. You don’t have to give up your dreams to let me have mine. D-don’t you dare! I just, I know that we can do more. That we can find a way to have dreams together and sometimes that will mean that everyone else doesn’t do exactly what you want, but that can be okay and you can still have your dream, it won’t disappear. Because a princess…a princess has to inspire people, not just command them. That’s what I think. A princess has to have dreams of her own and she has to make other people feel beautiful and that’s the only way it can be. S-so, I’m going to go help my friends, and you can take your army to face Yin’s knights, but please don’t try to force this on Qiu. Or on Yin. Or…or on me again.”

Then Chen walked right up to Ysel and gave her the hug that needed to happen, offering one last whisper just for mommy. “We can do better Mommy. I love you.”

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Giriel steps out from the backstage, carefully leading the noblewoman by the shoulders. She wants to prevent her from losing her composure. Things will be okay, after all, they've got a good team. She gives her a gentle pat of reassurance around her shoulder, it will be fine.

They exit to find themselves facing a roaring wind, the demonic arrow wind, Kalmanka, as the castle shakes and many things appear to be happening in many places. Giriel has just the presence of mind to close the door behind her, fully completing her travel spell, and then throws her current ward to the ground as fast and as hard as she can, using all of her bulk to shield her. She turns then, arm upraised and fingers together in a warding sign, hoping she can manage a chant before they're all killed only to see the dragon waitress (Piripiri, she had to keep the name straight in her head instead of just thinking of her as the waitress) holding out her umbrella and singing.

And such a song. A tale of becalming against the arrow wind, and of change and travel! In divinations, change and travel were often synonymous, a change of scenery being literal as opposed to metaphorical being one of the most difficult distinctions for the diviner to make. Considering they had just come out of a portal in a new place, the symbolism of the entire room shouted instability as loud as it could. Whatever was happening now, things would not stay as they were. It make Giriel a little worried. An optimist might simply assume that they were about to defeat a bunch of demons, but symbolism like this (and Han going on a full and wondrous rampage) made it just as likely that the symbolism was telling her that the entire castle would topple down around them before this was over.

Still, Piripiri was succeeding, her channeled essence through her song and her umbrella shielded them. So, Giri rose and offered a hand to the noblewoman she had so unceremoniously tackled as they entered. And as she lifted up the girl, she turned to the slowly coalescing wind, and spoke: "Kalmanka, the Arrow-Wind, I name you. Lady of battle, armored in arrows, the black wolf and the silver swan."

And then she is silent. For now, at least, Giriel has no request for this being, but in naming her, she has offered that she may, or perhaps that her companions may now that they are not being assaulted. Let one of them fill the silence first. Piripiri, perhaps, deserved that for saving their lives from the assault.

Sunshards

Chen is flying full tilt, summing wind against the doors and then suddenly there's Ysel issuing commands like it's nothing. She pulls up suddenly, her momentum too great to stop, so she diverts upwards instead, shooting into the air and stopping herself, coming to rest with a wide puff of her dress and her sword above her in an impromptu but almost elegant defense.

Her frustrated grimace ruins the landing though. "I was coming here to save you, Mommy!" She pauses, tries to take a breath, tries to give herself some focus to an entire jumble of emotions all bubbling and boiling inside her. "I rushed here, leaving my new best friend to go face Qiu, and my new handmaiden somewhere in the city to make sure you were okay! And you were, what sitting in your palace getting everyone lined up for my arrival?"

Chen gestures with her sword at the assembled cavalry. "What are they going to do, exactly, huh mommy? Are you planning a charge down the middle of the city against a demon circus? Are they going to go toe to toe with Yin's knights right up until she turns them all into...into opossums? When was the last time you even saw Qiu? She wants a duel, mommy! She's overthrowing your entire kingdom just to get a good duel! If you throw an army at her, she'll drop them in a...a giant sand pit!"

This was easier than any other reaction. Chen couldn't take it all in otherwise. She'd rushed to the palace, heedless of anything else to protect her family and she finds this? Her mother doesn't even say hello! She doesn't ask about her daughter at all. Her daughter who's been gone for months with no cell reception (she probably got a note from Keron, but still!) who she hadn't even seen for a while before that, who just crashed her way like a meteor from heaven through the city to get here. Not a single comment. No I missed you, no wow, good job, no look how you've grown, not even a moment to hug her and have some kind of actual reunion. How was she supposed to handle that, huh? Hi Chen, get in line, knew you'd be here, earn your shard now. It...it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that her mommy was like this, it wasn't fair to her or Hestia or...or even Ysel herself!

This was why she'd nearly had a meltdown the first time. Once Chen had started on the sword, once she'd shown some talent, Ysel and Hestia both simply had a place for her. She'd felt this way about Qiu too. There had been that moment of affection, but then when she was hurting, she just wanted a hug and Qiu wasn't able to do that. She had a role she wanted Chen to play, everybody had an idea for her. It was...it was what made Rose and Yue so special, wasn't it? How they actually saw her. How they thought about what she wanted and made her want to think about them.

She wanted to slap Ysel and hug her. She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief and scream all at once. She wanted to fly off and save her friends and she wanted to keep her family and her people safe all at the same time! The only thing she knew for sure she didn't want to do was get into the cavalry line, which was laughably stupid.

Sunshards

The hug comes when Yue is working on the flight spell, hands trembling. It's all the speed Chen has to muster, wrapping herself around her friend and holding her tightly. "You've got this" she whispers up to Yue's ears, and her hands are so warm and soft as they cup Yue's trembling hand until it steadies and she can properly draw her flight runes. "We'll come join you as soon as we can, and then we'll have the best Ysian chai in the whole city." Chen smiles as Yue departs, and even manages a little wave.

It's only when Yue's gone and out of sight that Chen starts pacing the hill, taking in the scene. She's thinking quickly, her steps sharp and agitated. Her eyes dart over the scene, taking it in. She looks at the sunset glow of the radiant knights of Yin betraying Mommy Ysel like it was nothing. Her eyes snap to the menagerie of great cats and wolves and all manner of beasts flung aside by the Pyre of Inspiration in a great demonic parade. Then her gaze falls to the battlements, covered with assault ribbons as soldiers climb up ladders unopposed.

Damn it. Damn it this is her home, those people are her friends! Qiu didn't have to do this! Tears well in her eyes. For the briefest moment, she just wants to throw herself upon Rose and cry until her sweet, wonderful girlfriend takes her away from it all. This was all too much. All the weight of power being thrown around here, the mixing of the old world and the new all under Qiu's banner, all to ruin a bastion against her and, Chen understood at some level after her talks with Jessic, all to force the conflict that Qiu couldn't get for herself. It was awful and unhealthy and it wasn't fair that this had to be Chen's problem!

But then that instant passes. Because...ah, Yue, you're not here to see it and that's a pity. You'll just have to let Rose regale you later. But Chen doesn't give up because that fire of Princesses the world over is burning in her heart. She wants something for herself. She wants to save her family and her friends and push out Qiu and seize her own shard and see her dreams become reality. She's learned a lot about how to do that right, how to do it in a way that doesn't hurt other people the way that Qiu and Yin are doing right now. She doesn't claim to know how to do it all just right, but she knows how to try. And what matters is that the dream, that insistent little voice, is in her and it won't let her leave no matter how big it all seems in the moment.

Before she leaps into action, there's one other little nagging thought. Where was Ysel? Where was her mommy?! Shouldn't she be leaping to the battlements or roaring out from the palace in her tricked out car to slam straight into the pyre of inspiration music blaring? Well, if she wasn't coming, Chen would have to go to her.

Chen blinks back her tears and looks straight at Rose, those sparkling wet eyes earnest and serious, "Keep up, Rosepetal."

Chen draws her sword, metal gleaming in the twilight, and she's off like a flash. She's first falling and then flying as she works spells in motion, the magic of her training and her sword work. On a section of wall, a sudden streak of brilliant light cuts every soldier free of battle ribbons and drops every ladder. And then Chen strikes the battlefield exactly like a dazzling comet. A block of Qiu's soldiers, all standing in formation for their turn at the walls scatters apart in a crack of thunder and Chen is already moving again. A sudden tornado of blades and skirts smashes the radiant knights holding the gates, sending them flying away to land dazed on their backs. Even the Pyre's circus slows as a blazing sword bursts among the lesser demons bringing up the rear of the procession and they break and flee from the main body.

Chen surges past them all, a blur flying through city streets, over low roofs and around old buildings and hodgepodge construction stacked one atop another to whims of a thousand competing architects. She traces a perfect route to the palace, moving among the chaos with a speed and comfort that comes only from long years of familiarity. The grand palace gate, inlaid with desert rubies to catch the glittering reds of the sun so often on the horizon, she blows open before her with a wind from her blade, not stopping her flight nor slowing her speed as she races full tilt for the throne and what's become of her Mommy!

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Maidens above this was so stupid. It wasn't hard to follow Uusha's reasoning. There weren't many dragons in the flower kingdoms, this one probably worked for Red Wolf, it wasn't exactly a secret that something was up when the waitress at the tea house drops a demon sword on your table. But that was the point, damn it! The waitress at the tea house could have been spying quietly, but she cared enough to drop that sword and help them. It was the same with Red Wolf letting Giriel know about the spirits of the honored dead being misued (by Uusha, let's remember). If Giriel had found out about that from a wandering shepherd, of course she would have gone and stopped it. It dishonored their ancestors! The fact it came from Red Wolf and maybe she served people who had long-term designs to hurt the flower kingdoms didn't mean you ignored a real problem that was happening now. And you didn't turn down allies who obviously wanted to help with your local demon problem!

In different circumstances, Giriel would have given Uusha a piece of her mind here. She still might. But this was a crisis and the conflict was over. She was already panicking, who starts a fight in the middle of a magical transportation spell through another dimension? What if the Rakshasa had been there, huh? What if they'd attracted attention on their trip? The spell helped them stay safe, but it was still supposed to be quickly in and quickly out, no guarantee of that next time! So, she didn't agree with Uusha, but she did agree with ending the fight and getting out of there and she wasn't about to stop that for anything.

The poor noblewoman though. Giriel sighed. "We'll fix it later, Uusha's a fool, but her heart's in the right place." She put her strong, thick arm around Azazuka's shoulders and guided the girl towards the exit. "What's important now is getting where we're going and sorting this whole demon thing. Then we can deal with all this business of politics and kingdoms."

And with that, she gave Azazuka a push out the exit and leapt through herself.

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Uusha a Rakshasa? No that wouldn't make any sense. She was here still as she was, and it was hardly surprising that she had attacked a daughter of dragons once revealed. It wasn't hard to reach the same conclusion Giriel had: that the mostly likely reason for such an exalted presence here was as a spy for the Red Wolf. Starting a fight here, as Giriel was traveling them through the stage was incredibly stupid though. Just so stupid. They needed to complete their circuit and get back in to the castle quickly. This wasn't a safe place!

But what could she do? Giriel stood there and seethed as the fight came through in earnest, but she was a witch. A witch already in the middle of working magic no less. She wasn't stupid enough to throw herself in between the Stag Knight and a trained martial artist with draconic powers. They'd mash her, probably by accident!

No, if there were a Rakshasa, there was a chance that Giriel's spell would have surprised it. A Rakshasa in disguise might have been unprepared to come into its own realm. It might have-

Wherever Giriel's train of thought was going, it was utterly derailed by an explosion of fiery essence. Was that...Han? It was, but she was lit up like a beacon, outshining everything else around them, diving for another destination out in front of the curtains. Had she found her own route? This was beautiful. This was incredible. This deserved studying. And Han's symbolism! Giri was starry eyed. A beacon of essence like this spoke of the bonfire, a great light in the darkness, a sign of power, safety, and reveling, though sometimes also of chaos, excess, and orgy. And the way she moved, like wind and flame and some great snake in the corner of the eye, that had yellow symbolism, the color of Mercury for journeys and messages sped swiftly and safely. Oh, this was incredible, amazing, Giriel could spend a day just writing notes about this moment and what it might mean.

And those two oafs were missing it. Damn fools. "Follow the light! Hey, idiots, we need to get out of here, this is a travel spell, it's not safe! Hey, hey! Stop killing each other for one damn minute and follow the light!"

[Giri will spend her string on Uusha to get her, at least, to pay attention and stop the fight until they can get out of this space (and she's hoping cooler heads will prevail at the demon castle, but no promises on that one]

Sunshards

Do you know how hard it is sitting and watching a really good duel? It's sooo hard! You've got to have laser focus and you need to manage to stay in your seat even though you're so into it that you're swinging and swaying and gesturing for a move and trying for a parry and thinking about what openings there might be! And if your little butt leaps out of the seat and maybe you swing your arms in a cutting gesture that very nearly takes the wide-brimmed straw sun hat right off the head of the poor traveler sitting next to you as you let out a "woooo!" well, hopefully you can be forgiven because they understand just how hard it is to sit there.

Chen's watching this duel like a hawk. Eyes darting back and forth to the combatants. They're not evenly matched, but they are evenly paired, if that makes sense? Like, if Chen sat down to explain it to you, it's like, this is a duel where it's obvious who's got the sword winning happening, but the conversation of the fight is extremely close, edge of your seat tension. And not just like the words part of the conversation (that too though, Chen tenses when Yue brings up her parents, but of course she does need to think about them). But like, the flow of the fight. It's a conversation about how Yue's coming along, and how Rose wants to present herself, and how Yue pulls Rose into letting herself go, and how Rose shows off those thick, sweaty, gleaming muscles (Chen swoons a little, who wouldn't, come on).

For a minute it's really going Rose's way. You can see her playing with Yue, stringing her along, matching the pace, speeding up the pace, really giving the crowd her show as the powerful and controlled handmaiden. But then, Yue lands the killing blow...emotionally! And Rose is stammering and thinking and you can see how she lets herself go. Chen's watching the moves, watching Rose forget herself and be more free and a part of her brain is thinking about what to call Yue's secret technique as Rose starts stammering and moves with her snake instincts, grace and flow and beauty unleashed for everyone to devour with their eyes (and for Chen to devour later with other body parts). It's so good, it's incredible. Yue's caught and pinned and reduced to meeps and squirms of the best sort and she looks like she's having the best time. And on top of that, the whole time, Chen is thinking to herself what name she might give Yue's secret technique. It needs to be cool, but also Yue style (Yue style, Chen has decided, is two parts sunshine, one part floof, one part frizz, and five parts goofy earnest joy).

So, when Rose makes her big presentation, the first thing out of Chen's mouth is "Secret Technique: Irresistible Emotional Support Giggle Questions!" and then she blushes and giggles herself because that part of her brain was running so far ahead of everything else happening that there was no catching it. Again, being a good spectator is really hard!

She looks down, smooths out her dress, and meets Rose's eyes again. "That's, uh, Yue's technique name, I think. What it should be. As for my offering, well." And here she grins, Yue. The most wicked princess grin you've ever seen out of Chen, who reaches out and up up up on her tipptytoes (despite Rose bowing) to give Rose a good girl pat on the head. "Well, my sweet handmaiden, I think Yue is already spoken for, so I command you to make a present of her to Hyra. I'm confident..." here she only slips slightly as she thinks of her parents, though it's not because of you Rose, don't think that for a second, "I'm confident that word of this duel and the rumors of our plans will be a better gift for my mothers than any present we could offer up to them. But as for this little gift, well she needs to be a proper present, she's not nearly well-prepared enough for presentation to her lady. I'm going to need you to prepare her as...hmm yeah I like your dancing girl suggestion, Petal. Good girl!" and she gives Rose another pat. "Yes, prepare our prize as a proper dancing girl, with wolf accessories given who you're giving her to and then present her as a gift from the Princess Chen and her loyal handmaiden to Hyra of the Wolves to do with as she pleases." And Chen is trying to look just a little imperious, but she's grinning soooo wide. She's just gonna have to own that, the only way she can manage is to lean into her fun.

Good luck you two, she can't wait to see how you end up.

Sunshards

It’s an odd experience for Chen coming into all this. She’s spent a lot of her life moving in the top Princess circles, shown off by her parents when she was younger, the hope of the Princess Alliance against Qiu, a point of dispute when Hestia and Ysel split up, and now having been completely missing for a season (though she assumed the sky castle must have sent some word to broadcast their victory and it was possible that Jessic, Keon, and Qiu had even worked together on letting her stay there with no grief considering how everything had gone down).

But now she’s reappearing with a new handmaiden and a highly unusual entourage. She had thought that perhaps people wouldn’t recognize her. After all, aside from her frillier maid outfits (which to be crystal clear, she is not wearing right now) she isn’t particularly strong or memorable in her choice of dress. She’s a short little princess who dresses in cute and sometimes bold colors and styles that change depending on where she’s staying. She hasn’t even worn her distinctive long scarf in months! That isn’t to say she was against looking pretty (and she certainly enjoyed special clothes quite a lot) but just that her personal style wasn’t especially unique and she’d always aimed to stand out for her skills and her movements more than her looks.

But, people do recognize her! Maybe it’s because word spread of their group exploits at the Sky Castle and the duel with Keron and Jessic? Or their confrontation with Qiu even if it wasn’t a winning one? Or maybe they just know her better than she had realized. Or maybe…

“Um…i-is it true that your new handmaiden picks you up and carries your around on her shoulders all the time?” Asked a brave girl who had stepped forward despite the timidity in her voice and who seemed to have a glow of iron about her? And Chen had to nod and blush in front of several onlookers gathered around an old-fashioned covered wooden wagon because of course that was something Rose had done in every town they’d entered since coming down from the Sky Castle. In fact, she’d made quite the point of parading her Princess about for all to see. A gentleman wearing an old-fashioned style suit with the most silly accent chimed in that he’d heard it too, and suddenly there was a small crowd surrounding Chen as she sat on the end of the wagon all coming up and asking her all about her new handmaid and what they did together, and what different ways Chen liked being carried around! She really couldn’t do anything but squirm in place on her perch, blushing and nodding, as the crowd was having the best of times speculating how she’d found the new handmaiden with a relationship like this.

It was about when the crowd was on their third round of ideas, this one being that Rose had been assigned by Keron as Chen’s minder to kidnap her again if she ever spoke ill of the Sky Castle, that a few different voices started coming up. One tall woman with blue skin and long white hair falling over a spear strapped to her back walked up near Chen and put a gentle hand on her leg as she asked quietly: “I heard you actually fought Qiu once and you’re going to try again.” Another woman with a mystical air about her, dressed in a scarlet evening gown like she was ready for a ball came up among the crowd too and stood in front of Chen as she added, “I heard you fought Princess Qiu because she tried to recruit you and you refused.” Another, a young man wearing a suit and a snow leopard print hoodie and tail, stepped in front of them like a barker and added “I heard Princess Chen was supposed to have the winning dance in Qiu’s contest last season, but she revoked it after they fought and she wouldn’t dance with anyone!” He grins a feral grin and turns to give Chen a kiss on the back of her hand as the rumors start spreading through the audience that somehow Chen is taking a stand against Qiu, that there’s going to be a big showdown or a grudge map, or maybe some kind of group fight, or even a boss gauntlet for Qiu to take on to wear her down, with Chen and her new entourage near the end of it.

Chen finds herself the center of attention of the crowd, blushing scarlet in equal parts taking in praise and wishing she could sink into the ground and disappear forever as rumors swirl. At least until Yue, the most beautiful and perfect salvation in girl form to have ever existed, taps Rose’s blade with her own and Rose responds with her own blade leaping out to become a Ysian scimitar (which would also have made Chen blush if she weren’t in it so bad already!) to signal that a duel will be happening.

Which, well, everybody knows that a duel is the most important thing for everybody’s attention to be on compared to anything else. So Chen has the honor and privilege of being allowed to catch her breath and have a little space as the crowd (and Chen!) all turn their attention to Rose and Yue. In fact, helping the rumors not even the slightest, Chen gives a squeak and a little clap of joy when she sees Rose rise to the challenge. This is going to be so good, she’s already got a huge grin on her face and she’s forgetting her embarrassment, mostly. She can’t wait to watch!

[I rolled a 13 on Don’t you Know Who I Am? I’m applying it to several individuals within the group speaking with her, which I hope is okay. I am also, after all this time, invoking the Chosen’s Destiny with Arch-nemesis as Chen’s return and rumors about her are painting her in that role and bringing her destiny closer, probably soon reaching her parents and/or Qiu.]

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Giriel loves stories of all kinds! As an aspiring sorcerer, you learn a lot of stories. They’re good teaching lessons. Some of them are horror stories about witches who didn’t follow the right precautions and got dragged down to the hells (yes well, that had seemed a lot less likely until the last few days), sometimes they were fascinating stories about obscure spirits and deities and how they moved in the world, and other times they were thrilling, seat-riveting stories about the wonder and miracles that happened around people every day.

Then there were the stories that you learned by doing the work. Banal stories about backaches and old war wounds, about warts and rashes and all sorts of ailments. Stories about harvests and rivers and trees. About local families, ancestors, gods and spirits, and about respect and disrespect. The movements of everyday life and religious life, and all the little interactions that people have and need help fixing when they make mistakes they didn’t intend.

But, if Giriel is being honest, her favorite stories are the romances. That’s right, she’s something of a sap. But the Flower kingdoms are full of them, and they come in all shapes and sizes! Some of them are so tiny and so real: people who come to her just because they want a potion to make their hair look nice and their skin healthy to meet someone special. Others are so big, weddings that fill an entire village with flowers, or tales of lost loves kidnapped. Some are the work of high fantasy like the stories of knights and damsels fighting off the hells themselves to be together, defying the strands of fate themselves, and the distant stories of gods long past who could rewrite reality and yet railed and screamed and clashed in the throes of their feelings for the loves they could not have.

Giriel loves these romances, big and small. She loves any part she gets to play in them, and she loves dreaming about them on her travels.

[The Astral dance is a 13]