idolpro | TEMPTATION OF ANGELS, which is named KHRYSAOR: A Heart Game (I)

[ squints ]

Like the science?

Harlowe looks at you like you've said something blatantly stupid.

"No. Flower magic. Use the meanings, you channel the flower like it exists in Heaven."

Oh—

"As above, so below."

A nod.

"Like that. And here's the situation: you can only stick so much Destiny in one soul. Two flowers." He holds up two fingers, for emphasis. "Not four."

Harlowe pauses, then meets your eyes very deliberately. "But there is always a choice."

Aconite, lotus, wild rose, star of Bethlehem—

There's too much. So she has to decide which ones she ought to be?

"Yes."

Adalet again. There's something in her—a kind of tiredness—which is far more ancient than an apparently living woman should be.

"She's been shattered twice now. So."

In that case, if it's hurting her—

Well, we could simply uproot some of the flowers, but firstly—it seems there's a great many of them, and secondly, it seems if they want to grow back, they surely will.

So she needs help reaching a decision. Where is she?

"At least you pick things up fast enough.

"The flowers are here because of her, not the other way around. Put your effort, and your choice, where they count."

"We couldn't tell you where she is, though. It isn't what we are. Axes and Injustice are the hard edge of this Familia's enforcement, not its searching heart."

Adalet half-smiles, wry. "And Kiri doesn't understand enough about Sprouts for me to help her that way, either. I'd suggest you talk to Quentin, over there—"

She points, indicating a mousey-haired young man with an oversized knapsack, currently in some kind of argument with... a centaur?

"Or... Leli. She's at the central pond." And indeed, this whole wide clearing is dotted with ponds like the one you arrived in, most with strange crumbling stone bridges that half-cross them before falling to rubble.

I do pride myself on being a quick study. I'll go speak with them, then, though—

...what happened to all the bridges?

"...Nothing that didn't happen to Leli."

Adalet pauses for a long moment.

"Which is to say: they formed that way, when we made this chancel." A subtle extra emphasis on "this."

...I see. I begin to understand.

[ there's a lot to unpack in that phrasing. damn this is a lot of metaphor. ]

I appreciate the explanation, and your time—but in that case, I'll take my leave to speak to your companions.

[ gestures at the guy arguing with the... centaur? what? ]

Harlowe follows your gaze, then half-snorts.

"Good luck."

...Which is maybe a slightly weird attitude to take about one of your own Familia. (Unless they're something akin to siblings, in which case probably it makes perfect sense.)

Do you indeed go speak to Quentin?

Edited 2021-01-30 23:50 (UTC)

[ she indeed goes to speak to quentin.

things are about to get very silly, I am sure. ]

As you head towards the forested edge of the clearing, you can see that there's smoke rising in the distance—thick plumes of it, as though part of the forest is burning. No one here seems the least bit concerned by it, though...?

Quentin himself is particularly worn-looking in person, with the beginnings of stubble shadowing his chin. The centaur he's talking to is in... some kind of poncho, which he occasionally fidgets with and which is entirely out of place with his frankly medieval feathered cap.

The centaur keeps staring at you as you approach, but Quentin himself doesn't seem to notice until you're practically on top of him.

"Ah! You're... a visitor?" He sounds friendly enough, but also a bit... airy, almost; like his mind is still half elsewhere.

It seems so, anyway. A friend of Kiri Hellfire's.

I'm looking for her, in fact.

"Oh–! Ah. Ah... did she go off somewhere?"

...shouldn't you know? You're her... people, aren't you?

The centaur slaps a hand over his face, slowly dragging down. Quentin scowls at him, but turns back to you, still friendly.

"Well, ah... you see. I just got back from some travels myself, so... I'm taking the time to catch up on... ah, what I missed."

Slightly muffled from behind his palm, the centaur adds on, "He means he was off making doe eyes at Ananda."

I have no idea who that is but I already regret asking.

If she's not here, and she's not in our dormitory, do you have any ideas where she would be, though? Or places one could go from here?

"Oh, you need to get somewhere, then?" Quentin perks up. This is his Moment.

He extends a hand to you.

"I'm Quentin, Power of The Quest. And I think it's safe to assume you're a friend or, to be honest, there'd just be a faint red smear of you left, after talking to Adalet and Harlowe, ahahaha!"

[ she pauses, and then gives him a very brief, very perfunctory handshake before crossing her arms over her waist. ]

I'd certainly call myself a friend, yes. Nothing to be unfriendly about here.

So you're—

...you give people quests? Is that it?

"Usually I'm on a Quest—" (The centaur mutters under his breath: "For Ananda.")

"—but." Quentin clears his throat, then stands up a bit straighter, voice finally taking on a more certain tone.

"From one seeker to another, I can surely point you in the right direction. Those bridges—" He indicates the crumbling structures that half-cross the various ponds, "—take us where we need to be. Based on your Quest..."

He studies you carefully a moment. "I'd say your options are the Vengeance Room, Heaven's Garden, or back to Chancel BAD END=DEAD END."

...all right, what's "the Vengeance Room."

"You know... the room where you... get vengeance?"

He smiles, almost apologetic. "Everyone else always loved that one."

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