eighth shot ⊗ open may log

[flamekthunder]

Who: Eustace and anyone
Which: Open May Log
Where: Various
What: Bookkeeping; flower blossom owls; giant flower jungle; rat infestation
Warnings: None just shenanigans


⊗ a: quest 501: bookeeping

[While checking out the new Tree of Stories both for the eggs and just the tree in general, Eustace will be browsing through the shelves to see what kinds of books there and if anything from his world might have popped up... Never hurts to check.

But on occasion he'll hear the strange rustling of papers and see a book moving around. Sometimes crawling over the floors, but mostly flying around. For the most part he stays out of the way if he sees others trying to get a handle on them, but he also some assistance if one is near.

Such as zapping a book that's being too rambunctious.]

Noisy...

[It's basically a library, so keep it down. But don't worry, no harm is done to the book. His dreamotion control has developed so that his lightning is more like an electric stun, thus the book will have basically been electrocuted so that it falls to the floor and twitches a little.

And if there are several getting rowdy, he creates ice walls around a small area to trap them in.]

Go and grab them—or I'll freeze them, too.

⊗ b: quest 503: flower blossom owls

[Although the trees had taken some damage, it didn't take long for them to flourish again. And hearing about the owls...as long as it's like one or two it should be fine to use their trees right? And didn't the Corgi Tree have an owl in it...where'd it go, anyway?

Well, whatever. He can at least try and lure the owls away first, and what better way to find fresh flowers than using the Flower dogs who can also try to help herd the birds. So while working around the neighborhood gardens, if he sees anyone nearby also trying to help he'll call out to them.]

If you need some flowers, just ask the dogs nicely and they'll shed a few for you to use. But it's better to bring these owls out of the neighborhood...

[Unless residents actually want them??]

⊗ c: quest 504: giant flower jungle

[Okay, now he can destroy plants, right—

Armed with his rifle gun, Flamek, Eustace ventures into the jungle with a wary eye, and it isn't long before gunshots and bolts of lightning can be heard and seen as he fights again some assortment of mushroom monsters along with the other large carnivorous plants. Lightning is particularly effective in stunning and burning the monsters so that he can finish them off while also maintaining good range—and for good reason.]

Don't get too close, it can release toxic spores.

[The mushrooms in particular are more agile than they look, especially the ones that like to latch onto living hosts to try and control them. It's even worse if they're working in tandem with any plants that have vines to try and trap anyone caught unawares, so watch out!]

⊗ d: quest 506: eraser rat infestation (learning bass guitar)

Damn pests...

[It's always one thing or another, and these rats are too quick for him to try and shoot without resorting to do an area attack. But after learning they need music to be lured out, he's become a bit uncertain. Should he just let others handle it? But a group of musicians who have tasked themselves in helping with the rat problem suddenly shove a bass guitar in his hands.

"Just try and pluck some strings!" they encourage cheerfully before getting to work.]

...

[But he's...never played before??? Does he even look like someone who would— He's seen it done, sure, but not closely and all he knows is he pushes down on the strings like this and then strum his fingers over the strings like—

He cringes from the off key notes. One can actually see broken notes appearing above the bass.]

...This is ridiculous, I don't have time for this.

[He has nothing against music, he enjoys the classics and some rock pieces, but he really doesn't have time to try and learn playing an instrument just to get rid of some Erasers that could cause trouble later on. Like damaging his home with Tifa since apparently the rats have been sighted around the neighborhood.

...

......

..............

An hour later, Eustace can be found sitting against a tree with the bass guitar still in his hands and a beginner's instruction book on the floor as he frowns.]

...So the scale in this key is like this...

[He is by no means an expert, but he is a quick learner and he is currently fiddling by strumming out scales and a few basic notes and chords, occasionally clicking his tongue if he does it wrong only to work on it more. He just needs something basic to lure those damn rats out with!!!

Although strangely, as he's playing broken music notes will sometimes appear when he goes off key. They have a bit of a static electric charge to them, so hopefully no one gets shocked. When he gets a nice melody or string of notes, soft music notes with a calm wind appear instead.

And once he's gotten at least some kind of simple melody he can play over on a loop, he'll try and see how effective it is on the rats. Maybe those more musically inclined can give him advice or suggestions.]

⊗ e: wildcard

[Open to other prompts! Some other things he'd be interested in but I didn't write up prompts for are helping with Quest 507: Bank Robberies and going to the Observatory to see what changes were made compared to when it was around fro the dreamshift last month. Feel free to hit me up on discord, PM, or laenavesse for questions or further discussion!]

Comments

[judicialassistant]

Oh, I love a good mystery, too. But I suppose it wouldn't be very efficient of us to search the same sections.

[flamekthunder]

You're free to continue browsing through the romance section.

[Just. Saying that with a straight face.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Maybe she will?! There might have been a flash of embarrassment, but why should she be. ]

. . . I, I wouldn't mind. I never read romance novels growing up, so I'm sure there's something I could learn? They must be popular among girls my age for a reason.

[flamekthunder]

[A small shrug.]

I personally wouldn't know, but the women I work with read them. Tifa has a few as well so I could always ask her for recommendations.

[Just an idle comment that he doesn't think twice about.]

[judicialassistant]

You haven't read any? ...Hmm. But you seem to know her heart so well.

[ Just an idle comment that she doesn't think twice about. ]

[flamekthunder]

It's not—

[Wait.

Only now does he realize what they're talking about and he just stops and stares at her questioningly.]

[judicialassistant]

[ The most innocent of looks! She actually does seem to pause here though, expecting him to finish the thought, but fine, since he's going to make her ask— ]

Not... what?

[flamekthunder]

[There's a considerable moment of silence as Eustace quickly weighs his options. On the one hand...Susato clearly knows something, but is it because she saw them together or did Tifa tell her? If the latter, then he can say whatever, the beans have been spilled. But if it's the former, does he still honor Tifa's wish to keep their relationship somewhat unknown? Even if he personally doesn't care either way...

...

The girl knows something, sorry Tifa. It's more troublesome to try and avoid it than just admit to it.]

It's not what you think. I just go with what makes most sense and follow her preferences.

[judicialassistant]

[ It's really not that serious. It's also not really her business, so she's even less inclined to push the issue than she was with Tifa. At least she knew Tifa a little better, from working with her.

There's just a light shrug. ]

As long as you make each other happy, then I am happy for you both. That... is what I think.

[flamekthunder]

I agree.

[He then looks at her a little curiously.]

I have to ask—how did you know?

[judicialassistant]

. . . We were looking for Rose after we got Aerona out of the flower maze, and... she mentioned that the dogs are the first thing you care for every morning, right after breakfast. I may have made the assumption that you live together, and... I suppose it just went from there?

[ To be fair, the assumption was incorrect... at the time. Or so she was told. ]

[flamekthunder]

[....Aah... He nods in understanding. Knowing his morning routine is something rather intimate, even more so for someone as close lipped as he is about his personal life.]

While I don't care, for some reason Tifa prefers if not many people know yet. So I would appreciate if you don't mention it to anyone.

[Not that he actually thinks she will so it's said more offhand than threatening.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato doesn't look surprised, so he might have guessed that she told her this already; but she'll nod anyway, just to confirm. ]

I know. And... I understand how she feels.

[ She wonders if it bothers Eustace. But if he says he doesn't care, Susato has no reason not to believe him. ]

By now, I would hope she knows I am trustworthy. [ Though, she'd guess that conversation would have gone very differently, if she didn't. ]

[flamekthunder]

If she's told you as much as she has, then it's likely. I can at least vouch for you if needed.

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato just stares at him, mouth open for a second like she's surprised, but if her expression is any indication, at least it's the pleasant kind of surprise. ]

...Thank you. You both have my word.

[ Her actions will speak for themselves. She just sort of trails off there, though, staring off at the rest of the books in whatever romance section they seem to be in. ]

[flamekthunder]

[Just a nod before he notices her staring at the books.]

I'll head off to the next section then. Which ones have you checked again?

[judicialassistant]

[ She turns her head, as if snapping out of an odd trance for a second. ]

Oh. The... [ ...? Right, snakes. ] Nature and wildlife.

Now that I think about it, there was one other thing I wanted to check for there.

[flamekthunder]

[A small nod.]

And you said the shards came from the books that were flying around, correct? I'll check the areas adjacent to those. And so that we're not here all day... How about we meet up again in half hour? Hour?

[He's flexible, but if she's been here a while he wouldn't blame her if she wanted to head out somewhere else.]

[judicialassistant]

[ What do you mean, so that we're not here all day? Doesn't he want to stay here all day?! ...But right, food is a thing, and she might think about getting some at some point, if she doesn't forget.

She gives Eustace a nod. ]

We can see what we've managed to piece together after an hour. Um, perhaps we can meet by the stained glass windows on the top floor? [ Good excuse to check on the eggs, too. ]

[flamekthunder]

Sounds good to me.

[As he starts heading back, he adds.]

Good luck...and don't get too distracted.

[Said with lighthearted jest.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Rude! But Susato will let him get the last word, taking it lightheartedly as intended. Her gaze lingers for a moment as she grabs her things, some choice books, and disappears behind a shelf into another section.

One hour later, she can be found at a table near the stained glass windows, as promised.

Her copy of Written in the Stars is no longer smoking. Her books about snakes are still there, and now she's added one or two books about nightmares and dream interpreting, but sadly none about noctaere.

Rather than read any book in particular, however, she has the pieces of mirror that she's found laid out in front of her like a puzzle. ]

[flamekthunder]

[It takes a bit for Eustace to find books that have shards, but he does find a few and once he's collected a fair number he heads up to the mysterious room with the eggs. By now it's been cleaned up a bit and others have done their part in taking care of the eggs, and there are a couple of others who are still decorating or keeping an eye on the eggs to make sure they're cozy and warm.

After glancing at them, he walks over to Susato and drops the small handful of shards he collected in a small pile next to hers before sliding into the other seat.]

Here. Figure out anything?

[judicialassistant]

[ Well, hello to you, too, Eustace. Although she doesn't really react much when she looks up. She just kind of smiles, because it is rather nice to know that he is able to be casual with her. ]

Oh. Well... [ She gestures. Some of the shards fit together quite nicely, though there are others that are off to the side where Eustace has placed his that she's not sure about yet. ] It's something. I think we can show the pixie what we have, at least, and then simply return once we have more.

I was just seeing what I could piece together, but it's difficult when we don't know exactly what it's meant to look like.

[flamekthunder]

Mm... I have to wonder why it broke into so many pieces to begin with and if it would even be effective once put all together.

[Seeing at least two pieces seeming to match, he lightly fingers them together and they seem to stick well enough.

What if this was just one giant elaborate prank—]

1/3

[judicialassistant]

[ ...... Then the treasure would be a really cool mirror, and the wolf boy man she got to know better along the way.

Susato doesn't have the answer, though it definitely sounds like something they should talk to the pixie about. Seeing Eustace push the two pieces together, she sees another that can fit. ]

We'll just have to see what becomes of it.

[ ...And so on, and so forth. ]