theafflicted | 06

06 - week six

WEEK SIX

Sunday starts with more aches and pains than you might be used to. Florence patched people up after Saturday’s lesson, sure, but it’s not a complete cure - not to mention it doesn’t ease the sting of betrayal. Some classmates that you thought would cooperate wound up breaking your trust in the end, and this week will be interesting with the fallout.

It’s hard to say what this week will have in store otherwise. Things are changing, and it’s not clear what this means for all of you. On the bright side, however, the creatures and places you once knew from home have suddenly disappeared, so that's less that you need to worry about. There are new areas for you to look at as well.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

FLORENCE / LORELEI

FULL NAV

(CODE)

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( shizuku starts the morning off... poorly. specifically, she wakes up with a jolt and a strangled gasp as her mind blanks for a moment- where... what... oh. oh, this must be- right, right, she's in the college right now. the more she wakes up, the more of whatever nightmare just tormented her through the night fades from memory.

this is why people will find shizuku at the tea house, still a little shaken at first but slowly relaxing throughout the day. it looks like she's been there for quite a bit though.

eventually, she'll leave to look around a little bit more. in the supermarket she's getting a better look at things- like the soda garden- and sighing disappointedly at something? huh. but the smell of bad produce will eventually be too much and she's out.

then it's back to something usual for her- sitting in the courtyard, one of her instruments in hand as she plays a gentle song. )

[Mae comes over to the sound of gentle music without knowing who's playing, partly because it's nice to hear something that isn't Luci petulantly playing the trumpet for once this week. When she sees that the one playing is Shizuku, she actually comes closer, curious.]

I thought you just sing, didn't know you play instruments too.

A little! My dad and mom are both musicians- my dad was even a bassist in a popular band before retiring- and they taught me and my sister some things. I thought early on in this ( mess ) course that it'd be fun to go a bit further, since they have instruction booklets you can get with those points.

( she's got an acoustic guitar, a kalimba and a (nerfed) magic harp now... quite the range! but she thinks it's exciting. )

Music really runs in your family, huh? Is your sister an idol too?

[She really does have a range! All Mae can play is bass. And she has attempted to play Sholmes's viola a few times, with no success.]

It does, but she's not. She's the bassist in a band she made with her friends, like our dad was. It's called Leo/need, after the Leonid comets. My mother is also a musician, but she favors traditional Japanese instruments.

[ Luci stops, quietly watching her sitting there for a few moments before he scuttles up to sit on her table. ]

Sooo, whatcha drinking?

Oh, Luci...

( she'll uncap the tea pot so he can take a sniff, if he's so inclined. there's a faintly sweet floral scent. )

It's a jasmine oolong tea. If you want, I'm more than willing to share.

[ Fai is at the supermarket himself in an attempt to find things that Hien will make for him. He’s cooked for Fai a few times, so he’s determined to make it a regular thing now.

He’s taking his time looking around at everything too, when he hears a sigh as he turns into a new aisle and right before he spots Shizuku. ]

Ah, Shizuku. Something wrong?

Fai! Hello.

( shizuku smiles before almost pouting at the aisle before her. )

I woke up craving my favorite food, but it doesn't seem like there's anything similar to it here.

Oh? What’s your favorite food?

[ Maybe there’s a possibility he can make something similar… ]

It's called kitsune udon. It's very simple, but also the flavors are rather specific...

( she's not found anything similar though. sad face. but she'll tell him what she's trying to find, at least. )

[ He runs through a mental checklist of everything he's seen in this store. ]

Hmmm... I don't believe that's here, unfortunately.

[ What a shame. ]

I'd be more than happy to cook you something with what he have available, however. I know it's not nearly the same, but...

[ It would still be a nice meal. ]

I know. But thank you. ... Would it be okay if I took you up on that?

( she almost feels like a little girl, asking that, and briefly she thinks back to when she was little, wandering out of bed after a bad dream and asking her mom for help.

at least it's around noon instead of the middle of the night. )

Of course it would be. I wouldn't offer if it wasn't something I genuinely wanted to do for you.

[ A nice meal might be just what Shizuku needs right now. He knows she's had a lot of stressful thoughts. ]

( shizuku chuckles and nods, linking her hands together. )

What are you thinking of making...?

Hmmm... well, it'd have to be something vegetarian... perhaps a pasta?

[ Butter noodles could be good with a lot of seasonings. ]

We've had quite a bit of that lately- not that I'm complaining, of course.

( but they can work with it, and the grocery store at least offered more to go with it- nothing fresh, but still. )

I'll trust your judgement, but if you need help carrying anything, I can do that.

Thanks.

[ He doesn't think he'll need help carrying anything, but he knows Shizuku likes to help so he'll let her anyway. ]

Let's see what kind of pasta they have to offer. Perhaps we can try something new and different?

[ it might not be any surprise that ace runs into her in the supermarket, peering at what she might be sighing over. ]

What's got you down?

I was hoping to find something to make my favorite food- or something similar, at least. But the selections here really aren't that fitting...

( of course she won't complain about being fed in general- that they're able to get more food sources, even if it's pre-packaged and processed, is not a gift horse she's going to look in the mouth... but not even an international section? )

[ It doesn't take much watching to realize something's got her unsettled, so he'll quietly clear his throat to get her attention. ]

Any recommendations for what you've liked from here so far?

[ He's much more of a coffee guy, so this is a little out of his element. ]

( oh- oh she hadn't even seen him come in, how embarrassing. she really hopes he hadn't been trying to say anything to her before that- smiling sheepishly, shizuku nods. )

Oh, certainly! But my recommendation will change depending on if you like strong or soft flavors. So which do you prefer?

( she's had quite a bit of time to find some good options, after all! )

[ If he notices something's up, he doesn't make it obvious to her as she talks. ]

Usually, I go for stronger flavors. I usually take my coffee black, if that helps.

[ ????? will it????????? he has zero clue here. ]

Ooh, a black tea might be good for you then.

( she slides out of the booth and walks over to the displays, going over each one carefully before she finds a few- )

This one is a good breakfast tea- nice and strong. And this one is a chai, it's rich and full of spice! Annnnd this one, Pur-eh, is strong and earthy... I think it'd be the most like coffee.

( as she speaks, shizuku opens each box so he can take in the scent, since those really are previews for the taste. )

Do any seem better than the others?

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06 - week six

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courtyard

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supermarket

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supermarket

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