idolpro | Shrike's Heart (#4)

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!heart games

Shrike's Heart (#4)

The woman before you is beautiful—fair of features, with lovely golden skin and luxurious long black hair, petite. You have the immediate and distinct impression that she's just let go of your hand, and she steps back, and smiles.

It's not quite a happy smile.

"I'm sorry," she says. "There's just nothing I can do, as things are. But the way is there; it just needs to be lit."

You open your mouth—maybe to say something, or to express confusion—but you have to cough, and taste something metallic, spattering black blood onto the ground in front of you. Then you realize—blood seeps from opening wounds in your arms, your chest, your stomach, your face. It rims your eyes and trails from your nose and you feel like you're dissolving—

—and you fall through the ground like it's the surface of a lake, and go down, down, down.

> Wake Up

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh it's a full on blush now]

C-come on, aren't I the one who's supposed to say nice things t'you??

[ she laughs. ]

Well, you're going to make me blush, but I'll accept it.

I love you, and I love her, and I love so many people—the whole wide world. I can't really help myself. But it feels... better now, better than it used to.

[That makes him smile. Genuinely, warmly.]

I'm glad.

Hey, is there-- is there anything I can do for you? Or can I, like, give you something?

Well—

If there's anything you could think to me, you'd be better served giving it to her, probably, so wait a little bit.

If you keep going, you'll find her. You're almost there.

Okay. Then... I'll just give you a hug?

I'd love one.

[ And she throws her arms around him, her face pressing into his hair; it feels... familiar, even though her frame is much more petite. ]

[He hugs her tightly, with all the heart he can muster.]

Travel safe. Even if this is the past or whatever, and-- things happen, I hope...

That the love in you's always warm.

I will. Everywhere I go... there my love will go also. And so will yours, too.

Thanks.

[He squeezes her firmly, punctuating the hug before they part. It's probably midday by now right]

Well, I don't wanna keep you if you're on a tight schedule.

I'm here for just a little bit longer, so—don't worry about me. I'll be off when it's time.

[ she combs her fingers through his hair, gently. ]

This is home, so part of me will always be here, because of you. It wasn't like that before. It was just... empty.

O-okay. Cool. Wow.

[im losin it]

I guess I'll. See you 'round. There, uh. A-anything I should know about the house?

[ paff

and she leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek, for good measure. ]

Well, I'd say try not to run into Mother, but you could probably give her a run for her money.

Check on the garden for me, will you, though?

Garden. Got it.

[His cheeks burn red as he starts to leave, but not before telling her,]

Thanks. For being part of her.

[ she just smiles. ]

Love you, Griffin-kun. Maiden of Journeys light your path.

[Okay, he can still leave as if he were a cool guy. Gives her a casual salute as he heads back towards the house]

Keep on singin', Lark.

[Now, WHERE IS THIS GARDEN]

[ Well, heading back to the house, you find yourself passing through the yard. This is an area with the same practical aesthetics as the rest of this place; it's a large, paved square with a stone-paved path on either side, with some markings for boundaries or footwork in white paint, though a lot of it seems to have been worn down over time.

To one side, there's a rack of wooden swords sheltered by a waxed canvas cloth awning, and along one edge are a handful of training dummies, though they don't seem to have seen much use.

And this time since you're not just passing through looking for somewhere else, you notice that there is, somehow, a colorful garden improbably encroaching into the edge of the yard that borders some bushes. ]

[Huh! Wow dang he sure missed this on the way out. Griffin's going to head toward the garden, careful to watch where he steps so that he doesn't step on any young buds.

Maybe looking for a watering can or other supplies to help out with. He... kinda almost sorta remembers some stuff from helping in the community garden.]

[ The garden seems like it hasn’t been weeded for a little bit, only tended in fits and spurts, but the flowers are colorful if wilting slightly. In the center of the tiny garden is an empty patch of slightly loose earth, like someone turned it over recently.

There doesn't appear to be a watering can, there's a bucket for water sitting near the training swords, and you can hear the sound of water somewhere nearby—you saw some canals in your search for the meeting place, so it's probably one of those. Maybe on the other side of the bushes? ]

Edited 2020-02-29 06:03 (UTC)

[Well, before he sets off on a water-gathering venture, he's gonna do what he can to pull out the weeds. Griffin rolls up his sleeves and gets to work, though...

Who? Took something from the garden??? This, admittedly, worries him. Keeping it in mind, he pats down the dirt so there isn't just this hole, but. If he sees anyone, he makes a mental note to question then.]

[ When you pat the soil down, it actually feels... hard, like there's something underneath, but not buried very deeply? ]

[oh wait i interpreted wrong i thought there was a hole nvm

...Huh. Okay, curious, he sifts through the dirt to investigate what it could be. If it's part of the garden, and if Lark wanted him to check on it, it might be important?]

[ Your hand meets solid wood, and clearing some of the dirt away, you find a small wooden box made of mahogany. ]

[Gonna open the box!!!

But like, carefully and reverently. Y'know.]

[ Inside the box are—photographs, a whole stack of them. Some of them are candid photos of members of avante en garde, and a particularly large number of you, largely smiling widely; there’s a lot of photos of Sekhmet, too, cooking food, trying things at the café, resting post-workout. She even seems to have caught Persephone smiling once. There’s one of dancing with Cobalt, and of Wednesday showing her music; drinking with Cardigan and Amaranth.

There’s Harpy making breakfast, and Shishiou playing the piano; Gold making a baking abomination; Nitro and Nemesis cracking jokes together. Kaguya pouring two cups of tea. There’s even one of Kohime sitting on a branch.

Not a one of them seems creased or dirty; they all seem like they’ve been very well taken care of. ]

Edited 2020-02-29 06:36 (UTC)

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