[OPEN] November Catch-All

[fishflakes]

Who: Toge Inumaki and YOU!
Which: Open Log
Where: Farmlands and Treehouses
What: Quests: Harvesting, squirrel wrangling, and tree pruning
Warnings: N/A, will update as needed!

Harvest Time
[Toge isn’t really much of a farmer, but he’s taken care of the gardens around the Jujutsu High campus, so he knows a thing or two about gardening. So when the call goes out to help out with the farms and harvest the fruit, Toge is there to lend a hand.]

[His short and lean frame doesn’t look like it would be much help with something as labour-intensive as harvesting, but Toge works quite diligently, filling baskets with salvageable vegetables and fruits and bringing them over with the rest of the harvest. He works alone for the most part, softly humming to himself as he works, and might not even be noticed at first due to his quiet nature. But if someone is in need of some help, whether it be needing help carrying baskets of veggies or pulling up weeds, he’ll approach them with a wave, before pointing at their task.]

Tuna mayo?

[By the end of the day, he can be found sitting near a pair of baskets full of food that he was allowed to take home, going through a couple small pouches of seeds. Maybe he can start up a garden closer to home…]

Pesky Squirrels
[Back when Toge had arrived, he had somewhat befriended a squirrel while exploring the rubble and ruins. That squirrel ended up living close to Toge’s chosen treehouse, and had become a familiar figure for Toge to keep an eye out for. So when winter began to set in, Toge decided to help the hungry squirrel, rather than chase it away like others. It was a friend, after all, so why not help it out?]

[The squirrel decides to use a little hollow in the side of Toge’s treehouse as a storehouse for extra acorns and nuts, which is fine; Toge doesn’t take up much space, so he doesn’t mind sharing. However, it seems as though, as “reward” for his help, the squirrel has been dropping off all kinds of trinkets and objects at Toge’s windowsill and door. Objects that most definitely belong to someone else. Toge’s grateful for the thought, but he should… probably return these items. So, he will put out a little PSA out on the journals.]

If anyone’s lost anything small, I might have it at my house. I have a squirrel living in my tree who’s been leaving me gifts.

Treehouse Pruning
[With winter coming, the treehouses have begun to get… interesting. They seem to be getting more excited, or at the very least warmer, which is nice for the encroaching cold but has also led to a couple nights where Toge has woken up sweating from the heat. Something’s gotta be done to regulate this.]

[After seeing a few people trying out their dreamotion powers on the trees to help cool them off, Toge can be found outside of his chosen treehouse, arms crossed and foot tapping. He’s just… gotta channel dreamotion energy, right? But how can he do so? Is it like channeling Cursed Energy? And if it is, will he suffer a backlash for it?]

[He knows the only way for him to test this out is to… do it. But there’s a hesitance to do so. There’s a reason he doesn’t venture out of his chosen safe words and commands very often, after all.]

[So focused on staring at the tree before him, he might not notice others approaching him.]

Wildcard
[Permissions for Toge's Cursed Speech, if it arises, can be found here. If you’d like a custom starter or would like to plan something different out, feel free to PM me here or hit me up on plurk at pocketnoivern!]

Comments

treehouse pruning

[piromare]

Toge?

( the young man is staring at a tree. of course that's going to get his attention, even though he's on his way back from the cafe with a drink in his hands and his mind focused on the sorcerer. as he comes to stand next to toge, he also looks at the tree wondering if it has any secrets to tell them both...

...

and no. just a tree. well... )

Hm. The leaves remind me of my fire.

( except they're changing a little too randomly. )

You okay?

[fishflakes]

[Toge jolts a little bit, looking over at the new voice, but relaxes when he sees it's someone he recognizes.]

Kombu.

[He nods in greeting. He listens carefully, looking up at the tree. Huh... the leaves do remind him a little bit of fire. It definitely is reminiscent of the golds and browns associated with autumn, that's for sure.]

[Toge considers for a moment, tapping one finger against his crossed arm.]

...salmon. Bonito flakes.

[He is okay... and yet he's also not. It's a little complicated.]

[piromare]

( he doesn't recognize what 'kombu' means here, but the implications are easy to follow. a greeting, somewhat short but only because of toge's attention being directed toward those autumnal looking leaves. the trees here have been pretty... well, unusual in general. so he can't blame the sorcerer for being in a somewhat precarious situation. )

Well, if I can help...

( his eyes go back toward the tree. the urge to let his fire do the talking is always on his mind. )

... then I'll do what I can. No matter how dangerous it could be.

[fishflakes]

[Toge gives Lio a curious look, surprised and touched by his words. But he nods once at the other boy, before reaching into his back pocket. He pulls out a journal, different from the ones that the tapirs gave him; more mundane in use and function. He takes a moment to flip to a blank page to write down some words, before offering it to Lio to read.]

I wanted to try something with these trees. But I'm not sure how it'll work, or how it'll affect me.

[piromare]

( he's used to being in more dangerous and life-threatening situations, both here and from his experiences in aefenglom. so... perhaps he feels a little more in control when with toge, that he knows that whatever he can do will be helpful in some way.

even if it's just supporting someone who doesn't feel confident.

he hums in thought, nodding after reading what toge's written. )

Does this have to do with cursing things?

[fishflakes]

[Toge nods.]

Salmon.

[He takes a moment to write a few more lines down, and Lio can probably see how he pauses a few times, trying to pick his words. Eventually he does write some stuff down before showing it to Lio.]

My usual power involves cursing people and forcing them to do as I say. I thought I could do something similar here, with the dreamotion energy. But I don't know how to use it, and don't know if it'll backlash on me like cursed energy does. And I don't want to curse hurt anyone nearby either.

Pesky Squirrels

[chippedsoul]

[...Huh, wonder if that's where the honey went.] Did the squirrel take a vial with some rainbow colored liquid inside?

[fishflakes]

[Give him a minute to check his "gifts" before replying.]

Yeah, I do. Was wondering what it was. Is it yours?

[chippedsoul]

It's honey. Noticed one of the vials was missing when I was cooking the other day. So most likely yes.

[fishflakes]

Honey? There's rainbow honey here? Made from what, rainbow bees?

[chippedsoul]

Unfortunately they aren't, but they are blue. I have a friend who harvests their honey. It's probably that color from whatever nectar they're gathering.

Harvest Time

[seemagicshit]

[Zhao can prepare food with the best of them, but farming is new. Not exactly a lot of space to do that in the crowded places where he grew up. But he's young and strong enough for a bit of physical labor.

Plus, he has to set a good example for his follower, who is certainly doing his best by earning his keep. Not to mention all the veggies they've earned for their trouble today.]

Holy hell. I think I got a full body workout from all that. But c'mon, what'd we score?

[What new recipes can he make from this mess?]

[fishflakes]

[Toge's worked up quite a sweat himself, and other than the collar which stays firmly in place, he's taken to unzipping his uniform to help cool off. He looks up when Zhao comes over, before gesturing to the baskets near him.]

Tuna, tuna.

[Look at that haul! Two big baskets full of fresh veggies, probably enough for several meals. He also holds up the bags of seeds he was holding as well.]

Tuna mayo.

[He's gonna plant these back near the treehouses.]

[seemagicshit]

I can make some good shit with this and a bit a rice? Hell yeah.

[He looks at the bag of seeds, type unknown.]

So you're not sure what they are? Try smelling them and see if they're familiar at all. If not we'll still have fun growing them.

[Zhao kind of stares up at the sky, sitting against a tree, mind kind of empty but feeling satisfied at a job well done.]

[fishflakes]

Salmon, salmon.

[Heck yeah, all these veggies with rice sounds awesome. All they needed was some fish to make it one hell of a meal.]

[Toge hums a bit, before opening one bag a little to smell them. Hmm... He's not too sure, but Zhao's right. It'll be fun to grow his own garden.]

[He looks at Zhao, tilting his head.]

Mustard leaf?

[How was Zhao doing? He looked a little tired.]

[seemagicshit]

Me? Just a little winded, I guess. I've worked out a lot, but that was different kind of working out. But I gotta keep in shape too, since I'm not getting into fights every day now.

[Come to Ijincho for the constant combat, enjoy a ripped bod as a side benefit!]

With your seeds, know what we should do? Since we don't know what they are, put up a few stakes if they're like tomatoes or shit like that.

Treehouse Pruning

[lethechained]

[ Toge wasn't the only one to offer their services to help on the farm. Although she likely had much less strength to give, Naminé was there earlier today, herself, content to fight the warmth of the sun and the chill of the wind in an effort to be of assistance. If they saw each other, perhaps she waved.

Now, though, as the girl makes her meandering way homeward, she pauses when she happens across the familiar figure staring intently at a tree. If not for her own recent experiences, this might have struck her as strange; instead, she slows to a knowing stop, considering the back of his head for a few moments. Then, with a reluctance due purely to wishing to avoid being impolite, Naminé steps off the path and comes to stand nearby. She places herself just inside where she estimates the edge of his vision is so as not to startle him too badly when she asks, voice gently sympathetic, ]

Is your friend misbehaving, too?

[ It seems she's all too aware of the problem some of the trees appear to be having these days. ]

[fishflakes]

[So focused on his own thoughts, he actually almost misses Naminé's approach. He blinks in surprise, looking at her properly. He blinks, looking back up at the tree, tilting his head for a moment before shaking his head.]

Bonito flakes.

[Not exactly, but... he hums, reaching into his pocket to pull out a mundane journal, different from the enchanted ones that the tapirs gave them. He writes something down, before offering it to her to read.]

I wanted to try something, but I'm not sure how to go about doing so.

[lethechained]

[ Her kind eyes are waiting for him expectantly when he looks at her, head tipped down slightly to regard him. Upon his acknowledgement of her question, she takes a couple careful steps forward to stand beside him properly at a polite distance, both hands clasping the handle of her basket in a position that suggests she has no intention of moving on any time soon.

Curious, she watches Toge reach for the journal; after seeing it, her brow smooths with understanding. Upon his offering the book, she bends to examine the writing on the page. ]

Not sure how? [ Straightening again, she looks contemplative. She has a fair guess of what might be troubling him, considering how common a problem figuring out the magic of this world seems to be. Casting a glance at the tree, ]

Is it that you don't know where to start, or... is it that you're afraid you'll do something wrong?

[ She was, when her tree started acting up. ]

[fishflakes]

[Toge hums a little as he considers her words, before he nods to her.]

Salmon.

[He takes a moment to write out a reply to her. He pauses a few times, considering his words, before finally offering her something to read.]

A bit of both. My power involves cursing others and forcing them to do as I say. It's why I talk the way I do. I was thinking of trying something similar here with the dreamotion magic, but I don't know how to do it. Or if it'll cause a backlash like cursed energy does.

[lethechained]

[ Although she's slightly relieved that he's willing to elaborate rather than leaving it at a vague affirmative, the extended duration of his scribbling does cause Naminé some small amount of concern. She's never lacking in patience, but she possesses, too, an inclination to consider the worst when left to her own devices. Openly interested in reading what he's wrote, the girl doesn't waste a moment before setting her gaze on the words once they're ready - then pauses and reads them again before glancing up at him, her head tilting. ]

You can't control it?

[ That's the natural assumption based on the strictness of his adherence to his peculiar speech pattern. If it's as he says, that's an admirable level of dedication, but her features wilt slightly at the notion of such a responsibility, one so heavy that he can't speak freely. ]

Not even by asking nicely?

treehouse pruning

[yesdoubt]

[Momo is also taking this situation with the trees as a good opportunity to try and branch out his dreamotion magic a bit, though he's been trying to shoot down fruit more so than cool down the trees. It's been going spottily, though as with anything, he's improving the more he does it. He's not even blowing up the fruit next to the one he's aiming at because the line of cutting air he sent out was too wide now. Most of the time.

That said, the remaining spottiness means he's looking for people to link up with just so he doesn't end up blowing up any more fruits before the end of the day, so when he spots Toge, he seems like the obvious choice since they've worked together before. The fact that he's staring down a tree rather than doing anything to it is pretty noticeable, though, so rather than come right in with the pair-up option, he approaches with more of a casual, curious sort of air.]

Something up with this tree in particular, or just figuring out how to attack the problem? [Or something else, but he's trying not to probe too blatantly.]

[fishflakes]

[Toge had been pretty lost in his own thoughts, so he does jump a little in surprise when he hears that familiar voice. He looks over and blinks in surprise, before nodding once to Momo in greeting.]

Kombu.

[He shakes his head; no, there's not really much up with the tree, but... he pauses, before reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a plain, mundane journal, not unlike the one Momo had offered him to use to communicate in Baba Yaga's house. He flips passed written snippets of one-sided dialogue before coming to a blank page, where he writes out a sentence before showing it to Momo.]

Just trying to figure out how to make this dreamotion magic work. It's different from what I'm used to.

[yesdoubt]

[Being back in the "regular" dream world (a concept Momo is still adjusting to a bit) does make things easier in some respects. Even though they were only in that other world for a week, having to conceal their origins had gotten a little tiring by the end, especially when they were trying to fix things.

When he reads the message, Momo nods understandingly, gesturing upwards.]

I've been trying to practice with it here, but since I don't have any experience with magic at all, it's been a lot of trial and error. If it's not like this, what's the magic that you're used to more like?

[He knows in theory that there must be a lot of types of magic out there, he just lacks actual exposure to it.]

[fishflakes]

[Toge lets out a little hum, nodding. Right, Momo had mentioned something about not knowing much about magic, didn't he? Toge may not know what he's doing, but he has his basis in jujutsu sorcery. Someone who was completely lacking in magic would have a lot harder of a time, wouldn't he?]

[He takes a moment to write down a couple things for Momo to read. Normally, he would be a little more reserved about revealing stuff about jujutsu sorcerers (since they were supposed to be keeping jujutsu sorcery a secret), but Toge figures that in a place like this, secrecy probably doesn't really matter as much.]

I'm used to something called Jujutsu Sorcery. It's a form of exorcism that uses the energy of malevolent spirits and curses against them in order to purify them. It's why I talk the way I do. My Cursed Speech involves channeling cursed energy with my words.

I thought I could use dreamotion magic like I do my Cursed Speech, but using emotions is different from using cursed energy.