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What Are You Listening To?

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	F I R E D 2022 _____________________ remi wolf _____________________ juno (deluxe) _________

^{wish me luck with a thing.}

What Are You Listening To?

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	D E E P C U T S 2021 _____________________ healy _____________________ tungsten _________

^{a little swiss cafe.}

Code Vein (Closed)

A K A I A

A K A I A

_{The Crow's Nest · Evening
Collaboration with: @Daxam and @Medili
___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Vincent had just finished belting out a song about being ‘halfway there’ and ‘living on a prayer’. Halfway where? He didn’t know. Was he off-key? He couldn’t remember ever hearing the song, so on top of being dreadfully off-key, most of the song was also mumbled to the cadence of the melody. Did he care? Of course not, since he was having a blast.

Regardless of how one might perceive Vincent’s karaoke performance, Cerise was cheering him on, a big smile on her face. After all, the karaoke night would have turned into a quiet dessert-eating night if it wasn’t for Vincent. As far as Cerise was concerned, karaoke wasn’t really about being good at it anyways. “Hehe, keep it up Vincent.” she said cheerfully when Akaia suddenly called out to her.

“Share!”

The Sidhe had entered the room shortly after Ajax had his peek, finally giving in to the curiosity that was the sound of music. Inside, she found Vincent and Cerise there waiting, with one on the mic and the other listening… or being forced to. Of course with little else to do in the now, there wasn't much of a choice. Still, seeing two of the commune finding comfort where they could brought some small amount of joy to the her and whatever confusion or troubles were hanging over her like a cloud was quickly forgotten. There was comfort to be found here for Akaia as well and she was already pulling her into a hug.

“Oh, ‘Kaia! Great, you’re finally here.” As Akaia squeezed her from behind, Cerise accompanied her words with a return hug in kind, beaming at Akaia. Vincent overheard as well and turned to see the two holding each other. He grinned and held out the microphone as he said, “Be my guest. I just finished up, anyway!”

Akaia looked at him confused. She tried to line up what Vincent had said to something or anything that made sense but was failing miserably. It was Cerise, however, who laughed, quickly realizing that Vincent seemed to have misunderstood Akaia’s words as a request for the mic. She decided to play along with it. “How about it, ‘Kaia? You wanna try singing?”

Akaia turned to Cerise, still confused. “A-are you sure?” She asked.

“Of course! Go for it, ‘Kaia! I’m sure it’ll be fun. Right, Vincent?” Cerise nodded at Vincent as she said so.

“I had a blast and you heard how good my singing is,” He said with a laugh as he placed the microphone into Akaia’s hand. He then flopped down onto the couch next to Cerise, his hands laced behind his head as he added, “If I can have that much fun with my god-awful singing, then I’m sure you’ll have a great time, since I’m sure you can’t be any worse at it than me!”

A smile lit up Akaia's face and she nodded excitedly at Vincent. An opportunity had just presented itself and one that she'd been waiting specifically for for some time. "Okay!" She exclaimed as she swung around the chair. Licorice, sensing his perch was soon to forget his existence, hopped off of Akaia's shoulder and onto the couch to find somewhere safer to rest. He shuffled closer to the two and found a spot in a crook between two seat cushions on the other side of Cerise. He received a head pat for his troubles.

As Akaia began shuffling through the available songs looking for a specific one, she paused momentarily and turned to Cerise as well. "Close your eyes!"

“Close my eyes?" Cerise gave her a nod and a playful giggle. "Okay then. My, I wonder what song it is you’re going to pick~” She didn't have to wait long.

The song started quiet with light percussion and guitar and a few seconds later was joined by Akaia. "Shaaaaare-eeee.... Share-ee baby! Shaaaaare-eeee.... Share-ee baby! Shaaaaaaaaaaaaare-eee baaaaaby..." As she sang, she began hopping to the rhythm, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet and turning to face Cerise. In the Sidhe's pale eyes, there was some visible embarrassment. The acknowledgement that there was no comparison to her voice and the one she was trying to match, but perfect emulation was out of the question. For the past few years, the girl on the couch had been coaching Akaia to use her own voice, not just in speech but also in song. They'd spent many an evening together at the piano practicing, both for the joy Cerise found at the keys and also for the lessons learned by Akaia. Of those lessons, one was significantly more eye opening than the others: Singing and speaking were not the same. At least for her, one was significantly more difficult, but it was also yet another form of communication and she was ever looking for more ways to do just that. It was for this reason she took to it and another reason why she was so determined to practice. Long ago, Akaia had determined that she was going to use her own voice around Cerise and that meant now, in front of her best friend and another face she'd only just barely met. She knew despite practice that she was far from any degree of skilled and whatever was coming out of her mouth would be rather tone-deaf. However, it wouldn't be enough to drown out the joy that overwhelmed her from being able to be herself around Cerise. The smile across her lips that constantly threatened to turn into a giggle and the happiness in her eyes was enough to bury whatever embarrassment she felt.

She turned to the screen again when she began forgetting the lyrics, the force behind her song dropping when she had to read. The bounce in her step however never left. "Whyyy dooon't yoou come oooout, to my twist party... where the bright moon shines... we'll dance the night away, I'm gonna make you mi-Aah!" Akaia's arm flinched violently as if she were recoiling from pain and the mic fell out of her hand. Looking down at her palm, she noticed that despite the pain feeling very real, there were no cuts or lesions. All that remained was a persistent tingling under the skin and a cloud hanging over her she thought had left her that tasted of frustration and annoyance.

She turned to look at the door.

Word association Game!

Syrup

What Are You Listening To?

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	S O R R Y 2022 _____________________ umi _____________________ forest in the city _________

^{three day weekend. woo.}

Code Vein (Closed)

A K A I A

A K A I A

_{The Crow's Nest · Evening
Mentions: @Force and Fury
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Akaia stared at the closed door for a moment, considering emotions as they bubbled from a well in her gut. Worry, relief and then acknowledgement at her exclusion. She was no doctor. She was no Revenant. Most of all, she was no brother to Amelia. All things considered, there was little she could do in that room besides be another body and another body in their space served little purpose beyond being in the way. And so she remained outside, content with waiting for word or a clue on the girl's situation and doing little else besides staring.

However, as she stood there studying the door in the quiet she was left in, music from the Great Room found her again. A muted, playful melody tumbling from the doorway and telling of the more jovial atmosphere on the other side. It sounded like a promise. A promise of warmth and laughter following a week's worth of isolation and a day's worth of Lost that didn't take much convincing to sell. The thought that Cerise might be there as well was just icing on the cake and a smile that brightened her face.

Just as quickly as the door had been shut was it forgotten as Akaia turned instead toward the Great Room. She moved to join the others, but just as she was about to reach the door, a series of clucks distracted her and turned her around. From above, a familiar black crow appeared in the rafters with its head tilted slightly to the side and a pair of deep red eyes regarding her with a wild curiosity. Then, as if it'd found the answer to a question not asked, it suddenly opened its beak.

"[Change]."

"Change?" But before she was given an answer, Licorice leapt from his perch and dove into the hallway. "...Change?" She called out again, quickly following after him. "What change?" Around the corner and at the other end of the hall, the crow had landed on the ground and was already hopping its way into what had once been Ionna's room, clucking at her to follow. "Yes. Little bird gone. Girl is gone. Another friend... another friend change." But as she entered the room herself, she was met with a far less empty situation than she had imagined. Already replacing what little furnishings Ionna had requested for her room were a myriad of instruments and equipment that Akaia immediately recognized as belonging to Lysandra. All of it seemed rather complicated and quite fragile and after taking only a single step inside, she immediately stopped and gave the bird a sharp, high-pitched whistle. Licorice froze, hopped in a small circle and then jumped onto her shoulder.

"Lee-saw stuff." She said in a whisper as if speaking too loud would knock something over. "Fragile." Looking around, she began memorizing the various objects and their position in the room, filling out a map of the space in her mind's eye and finding what safe paths she could take between everything if she had to. Of course, it was always difficult for her to distinguish exactly what was what when it came to the importance of a 'thing' that belonged to Lysandra. There was just too much. Too many shapes. Too many colors. Too many pipes and boxes and buttons and names too complicated for her to remember. Instead, Akaia learned early on that it was simply easier to assume that touching anything and everything would break it. Better yet, not being in the room when Lysandra was also not in the room was much preferred.

She wasted no time turning to leave, but as she did, Licorice began bobbing his head in the opposite direction as if urging her to explore further. She would not.

"[No]." She clucked back.

"[Change]." It repeated.

"Yes change. Lee-saw room change."

"[Mistle]." To which Akaia perked up. She turned around again, this time scanning the room for the familiar flora she had dug up only the day before. Given how sparse the room was when compared to others lived in for more than just a day, it didn't take her long to pick through the surroundings and find a glow peeking out from behind some unmarked uninteresting piece of machine. Very carefully, but with a deft agility natural to her, Akaia wove herself around objects without touching them until she was standing in front of the plant. Now, much closer to the mistle and in an environment much safer than the last, she gave the thing a proper once over and almost immediately noticed what Licorice had before. She furrowed her brow.

"Are you... feeling better?" She asked the plant, staring at it through a lens of confusion. With a careful hand, she pressed a finger against the underside of one of the glowing leaves and traced its stem. It was brighter than it had been before, a very obvious sign of its improved health beyond the fact that it was also no longer drooping. There was also a bit of resistance to her touch as if somehow, in so short a time it had found its strength again. "Lee-saw fix you?"

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Minutes later, Akaia was back in front of Desmond's door, chewing her lips and rubbing her hands together with a look of confusion across her face. Licorice sat on her shoulder just as confused and neither of them were paying much attention to the music.

Code Vein (Closed)

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

A K A I A

A K A I A

_{The Crow's Nest · Evening
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_______________________"When the song changes...

The man brandished a knife and spun the blade in the palm of his hand.

"...You are being hunted._______________________

It was caught by the edge between two fingers and passed with the grip toward the girl.

"Now get up. Get me my food."
_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Akaia's eyes fluttered open.

It was late. Late enough that the day's light was beginning to fade. For exactly how long she'd been out she had no way of knowing but having met with another sunset after spending the last half of her yesterday running from one, was telling in and of itself. The short of it was that she had rested too long. There were things she needed to do. Not just for herself but as a senior member of the commune and even when considering the nature of her constant travel, she was not exempt from sharing the burden of their survival. She needed to get up.

Akaia shut her mouth and waited a few minutes for the chamber to be cleared of the pollen she'd released in her sleep. When it was done and she's been given a chime to let her know the air was clean, she found and flipped a latch along the edge of the capsule door and pushed against it. With a small hiss and a quiet 'pop', the seal was released and the door was propped up with ease allowing the girl to gingerly step out.

The first thing she noticed was the empty room. Cerise was nowhere to be seen, although there wouldn't have been much of a reason for her to be in the room at this time in the first place. Commune members were usually out and about during daylight hours working on projects here and there or spending time with each other. The same could be said for herself, had she been up, and Licorice who usually stuck by her side. However, having been in the room the entire time while she was asleep, she expected to at least see him, but the bird was also nowhere to be seen.

The second thing she noticed was the smell. The heavy stench of dirt and grime and mold that was rubbed into the fabric of her shirt and pants had stewed in the chamber with her while she slept, marinating herself in the stink of a world that had been left behind to rot. It stuck to her skin like glue and clung to every strand of hair. In another life, she wouldn't have cared and might have actually preferred it as a form of camouflage, but a certain commune member had put in the effort to teach her how to better care for her own hygiene. She was loath to disappoint or inconvenience her, especially since they shared a space. While a bath would have been preferred, given the loss of time and her slight confusion, that would have to wait until after she'd caught herself up with everyone else. For now, a change of clothes would have to do, and maybe something to tie up the mess that was her hair.

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

The Sidhe would exit not long after, donning a plain black shirt and gray sweatpants. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail mostly to spare the other members from her disheveled appearance and had been tamed as best she could. Color had also returned to her skin and with eyes bright despite the pale, and a warm smile, she set about finding where best to make up the time she'd missed.

There was some strange urge to check on Amelia that drew her toward the center of the Crow's Nest, along with a need to find Cerise and Licorice. There was also the fact that she was yet to properly introduce herself to the newest face of the team. Her odd stares and the recent excursion into the city hardly counted as such and so she was determined to set that right. But as she approached the memorial of the fallen, the sound of laughter and music caught her attention. She turned to the source, the Great Room, in time to chance Erik leading Lysandra into Desmond's room and was reminded about the still lingering urge.

Wondering if perhaps the girl had woken up, she moved to the room and stood near the doorway to see what all the fuss was about.

What Are You Listening To?

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	G L O W 2021 _____________________ alice phoebe lou _____________________ glow _________

^{cocoa pebbles are yummy.}

Code Vein (Closed)

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

A K A I A

A K A I A

_{The Crow's Nest · Evening
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The return to the observatory was for the most part uneventful for Akaia. Exhausted beyond words and on the verge of collapse, she did little more than excuse herself from the group and find her room, only making it all the way there thanks in no small part to assistance from Cerise. Once she had shed enough of her gear to make sleep in her capsule comfortable, she gave the revenant a hug, climbed inside and shut the door before promptly passing out.

There she would remain for nearly the entire next day.

Licorice, however, was not one for long periods of rest when the crow needed so little of it. The next day found it restless, especially given the previous day's events and what was expected to come of it. Its reliance on Akaia's ability to gather what it needed was fundamental to its survival and recently, like everyone else, her supply was running low. Capable Revenants weren't the only ones struggling to keep a constant supply of blood beads. So after the departure of the three most senior members of the commune to the exchange, and a 'farewell'... or more accurately a dismissal of the smaller bird, Licorice retreated to the rafters of the Great Room and awaited their return there. As the others went about starting their day, the bird remained mostly out of the way, spending much of its time doing little else than fluffing its own feathers and picking at stray bugs that crawled out of dark corners and wooden beams. It wouldn't come down again until Poppy, Erik and Ajax returned with their prize.

They were met with a steep dive and a hard break that landed the bird, gently, on the lid of one of the crates. Almost immediately it began to tap on the box and while to some it may have seemed like a bout of curiosity had overtaken it, to the three, it was obvious what the crow needed, especially since the Sidhe who usually fetched it was still asleep.

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

For the rest of the day's afternoon, Licorice would spend time flying circles around the observatory, following Cerise into the garden, checking on Akaia... and refusing to participate in the madness that was everyone consuming Poppy's cake. Clearly the Commune was losing its mind.

Aesithas, a D&D 5e Experiment by Fading Memory

Awesome! I think I'm looking at the Du'Eld. And I'll be a little slow working out the details as I'm currently still at work.