video, un:charon

[notimeforfailure]

[Lysithea appears on the screen in front of a doorway painted mint green, looking grim, but resolute. Her arm is in a sling and she has obvious scars and cuts across her face and neck, but at the very least, she is in one piece. She couldn't say the same for some of her friends.]

I am one day late.

I am pleased to announce...

[And here she makes a gesture with her good hand, and it becomes clear that this is a recording through the eyes of her Omen. The bird flaps back a few feet to reveal a recently renovated building that looks, if not grand, at least, well... intact.]

The grand opening of the Patisserie Lysitherie. Located in the Willful Machine, [address here], five minutes' walk from the closest Lamp Friend.

[Lysithea steps inside and her Omen follows to showcase part of the interior.]

...I'm sure I've prattled on about my business long enough, so I won't bore you with more details. Just know that our trade rates are exceedingly reasonable, and we seek to procure only the finest ingredients from the docks. It is winter, of course, so temper your expectations accordingly. Additionally, all purchases will come with a package of Weeping Wafers, our first in-house concoction. The taste is nutty and earthy with hints of nutmeg and almond. It's delicate - and not excessively sweet.

Most importantly, it is made with raw, diced Weepers.

After the... occurrences of the previous month, I imagine we could all benefit from their magic. If you seek mental stability, come by and we're happy to provide you with free samples. Don't take too many, though - I don't know what the effects are if you overdose.

...Well, that's all. Thank you for your business.

[...It is evident that Lysithea has no idea how to end this. After a moment, she looks around awkwardly and then dips her head as if in a bow before the transmission cuts.]

[action, ota, at the Patisserie]
[Lysithea will be manning the sweets shop during business hours. Her employees are welcome to join her when they're free - she could use some extra help, given her dislocated wrist. Drop by to sample normal baked goods, Weeper products, or simply strike up a conversation.

On slow days, Lysithea can be found eating her Weeping Wafers and fingering what appears to be an old research journal of some sort.]

Comments

[imaglyphwitch]

Yup. Almost died. It was pretty bad. Eda was still there at the time though, so I was OK.

[Granted, the vampire didn't bite to kill, but you still got awful close].

I remember that, actually! You could say I might have even gotten a little inspired by you back in Deerington. You were mostly able to stand on your own two feet, and I wanted to do that myself. I wanted to continue seeing what I could do without, well, a parental figure.

[Even if she missed both of hers very, very much].

Oh right! Is it sad that it was kind of tame in comparison to Deerington? Of course, when I first arrived last year there were zombies. Strangely, that was also pretty tame compared to what happened later on.

[vibing]

[ Yuri would talk more about gels (pineapple are his favorite), but her question leaves his quiet. He heads into the kitchen and starts to put things back in their places, which is unusual in and of itself.

What should he say? Should he even answer? But he owes her. He owes her big.

Letting out a breath, a long minute later: ]

Got caught. I lost a few minutes there, but, yeah. Next thing I knew, I was being tied up.

They didn't... get you too, right?

[ The corruption got too bad, and those minutes in that last room, when the zealots found them, are gone from his mind.

He has faith that she got out the same way Flynn did. He didn't find her, when he and Kaeya were trying to escape ]

[notimeforfailure]

No. I found myself outside the tower. Some of those we rescued - they were with me, though I lost track of the others.

[Lysithea's back is still to Yuri as she straightens some objects that don't need straightening. She abruptly turns.]

I'm sorry.

I hate this. That I abandoned you. That I was so... caught up in my own mind I could barely speak or be coherent. It was my fault we were in that room in the first place, and I just... disappeared.

I am ashamed of my conduct.

Did they hurt you?

[notimeforfailure]

Er.

Customers.

People who actually want my offerings. And then they have to be willing to make trades for them with things of value.

[notimeforfailure]

Hm.

I fear... I don't know a single one of those things. Oh, perhaps that last one.

[She does know some powerful light magic.]

What do you call... offensive spells? Ones meant to be used in battle?

[notimeforfailure]

Oh -- I hate to think I was an influence in any way.

[Lysithea, looking back at her sixteen-year-old self, is not convinced that she was a good influence. The kettle is properly screaming now; she removes it and begins to prepare the tea set.]

But that's a normal part of growing older, too. It won't help if I say that you're already fiercely independent and entirely capable of determining what path you shall follow in life, will it?

[She pours out a cup for Luz and slides it over.]

I think everything was tame in comparison to that tower now. Although I might have forgotten some of the worst parts of Deerington.

[danserai]

So we just need lots of people to know about it!

I'm happy to tell lots of people to visit and try out your sweets!

[imaglyphwitch]

Why? You didn't even have someone like Eda to help motivate you, and you've done pretty well for yourself! Your magic has gotten better, and you own a business! If anything, I'd say you've done pretty well for yourself!

[It wasn't like Luz didn't note that Lysithea was imperfect back in Deerington: she'd been pretty blasé about her impending death and she'd been persnickety at times, but ultimately, she'd been a really great friend and the two of them had managed some pretty impressive magic together]!

I did sort of stumble into that a bit myself, but that was after dying and losing people in Deerington so. I feel like somewhere in the transition between Deerington and Trench I could have used some therapy.

[In other words, it felt like Luz had sort of fast forwarded some of her gradual development, so now she just thought that she was sort of fragmented a little there].

It was different. There were literal monsters in Deerington, but they didn't hide what they were. The Zealots are different. They have the ability to reason and think, and they still do what they do and don't think they're monsters.

It makes them scarier than monsters, honestly.

[entreats]

[ Ange doesn't think it was foolish, that hope. After all, she felt it herself as well. It really felt like they were leaving a crappy place behind them in order to build up something new and better in a different place. A place that didn't mean they would have something horrific thrown at them every single month.

But.. ]

It is too much.

[ Even if - aside from last month - things might not have been as awful as in Deerington yet, if not just for the lack of as many deaths, they have still been pretty awful. ]

Living like this.. it's unacceptable. [ She shakes her head. ] And I refuse to just give in to it. Even though it seemed like we couldn't do anything against what happened last month, there has to be a way. We have special powers now.

[ Or.. more special powers, in their case. Already having been able to use magic and all.

At least Ange's tone is less socially awkward now, and more just determined. ] There has to be a way to shape this place in such a way that we can all live here without constantly fearing for our literal lives.

[onerthes]

Hah. Very droll. You know, I think it might be interesting if we could do it safely. Because you're not wrong. We've done so much of the same...

...

Maybe I'll try to reach out to Doorway. She's my patron, so... we'll see.

[thunderingcourage]

Alright, if you need of those I've started making some with Snow White.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul goes around and selects the treats he's picked out for Usagi. When he comes back over, he writes down on the pad of paper, holding the pen in a reverse grip like the way a child learning how to write might. When he's done, he pulls a gold coin out of his pocket. Now where did he get one of those?]

Will this suffice?

[royalfling]

[ Wu shudders ]

No, thank you. Nope! I'm still a fan of delegation. Big fan. One lesson from my months as a king, delegate!

What I mean is, Mako likes things that are less, ah, perishable, as payment. You know, he grew up without very much, so money, even the strange money here, he has an eye for it.

But I would happily spend that money on more of your pastries.

[notimeforfailure]

Thanks, Ahiru. I'd appreciate that.

How about... if you work for me by helping advertise, I can pay you in some cakes and buns?

[notimeforfailure]

Jams?

Well, I've got a few from the farms. But if you're making them on your own, I'd be happy to sample something you've come up with.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for, but I'll know the taste of Noa fruit when I find it. ...Or the approximate taste.

[notimeforfailure]

Well --

I did have four years to grow up in between some of those events.

[Lysithea smiles and pours herself a cup of tea as well, before taking the tray and sliding it onto a small table where she kneaded dough. She gestures for Luz to sit again.]

But thank you.

And I agree. It's worse when you're faced against something that shouldn't be monstrous in nature. A perversion of what ought to be. You certainly do need someone to talk to, but I'm not sure if anybody in this town is qualified.

Perhaps that's why we're having this talk.

I find... that self-reflection helps me get where I need to be, sooner or later. But an outside perspective is always invaluable.

[notimeforfailure]

Well, if you get more answers, let me know.

In the meantime, the only concrete answers I ever get are to the question, "Chocolate or strawberry?"

[Lysithea pauses.]

What are you finding for yourself here, Vira-Lorr?

[notimeforfailure]

Cakes... can be less perishable.

[Lysithea mutters rebelliously.]

You can freeze them.

[...]

Fine. I suppose that's a point to Mako. Ugh, it's not as if I don't have stacks of rocks taking up space in the back room. I'm happy to offload some of them into your business.

[notimeforfailure]

Hm?

Yes -- Yes, I suppose that would.

[Lysithea responds slowly, holding out her good hand to accept the coin. There is something about this that perhaps seems familiar.]

Did you perhaps get this from a certain individual with a... propensity for manifesting coin?

Just out of idle curiosity.

[notimeforfailure]

Hm.

[The way Ange voices 'special powers,' for some reason, brings a faint smile to Lysithea's face.]

Perhaps if we hone them with enough diligence, we can overthrow the Pthumerians and create a new order in this world.

[...She's probably being sarcastic.]

No, but we've spoken of this previously, haven't we? These recent developments, though - they do make the situation much more pressing. If this is our... second - third month here... what will happen two years out from now? I don't anticipate they will lessen.

Ange -- the way you speak...

It feels to me as if you've had to determine to change your fate, once before.

[danserai]

That doesn't sound too hard . . . Okay, I'll do it!

[imaglyphwitch]

Yeah, that was pretty lucky.

[Luz was wondering if she maybe should have tried going back to the Isles for a bit before coming here but figured she would have just missed everyone so much she would never have wanted to leave. She wanted things fresh, and she wanted to do it
on her own as much as she could].

You're welcome!

In their head, I guess they were trying to appease the gods or whatever, but they didn't see anything wrong in hurting us, and that's the thing that's disturbing. What kind of god wants you to end someone's life slowly and painfully like that?

[Luz sighed. Lysithea was probably right about the lack of psychiatrists].

I think it helped we were both there too, experiencing the same thing. It might be harder if we'd gone through the farm, but in a different way somehow.

I try that myself, the self reflection. Sometimes it helps, but other times I definitely need other people, or I feel like I might go crazy.

[onerthes]

My home mostly. Finally getting a moment of rest, breathing. A little bit of happiness. Trying to tell myself it's not just a lie I'll wake up from tomorrow. I feel like I get to be myself here a bit, without the whole title of General attached.

It's been creepy but peaceful?

Oh, and ... dark chocolate please.

[notimeforfailure]

Perfect.

[says Lysithea, who expects absolutely nothing out of this exchange.]

Here's some advanced pay.

[A milk bun is dangled in front of Ahiru tantalizingly. ...Maybe Lysithea just needs a pet to play with or something.]

[notimeforfailure]

[Lysithea takes a sip of her tea - after adding several spoonfuls of sugar, of course.]

I won't hesitate to say - in some ways, being concerned for you helps to distract me from my own feelings about the matter. Or rather... it feels as if - helping you will help me, by extension.

...I have seen such things before.

[Her teacup trembles slightly as she places it down on the table.]

That time... there was nobody who could be saved. So at least -- we were able to help. Even if only a little.