[akaza... isn't sure who else to turn to, for this particular thing. he'd be loathe to ask a child at all, but pavlova did mention his true age more than once -- and akaza, eternally eighteen, would be a hypocrite if he let someone's appearance dictate their capabilities.
besides, the kid can always say no.
so it is that, shortly after sundown, he follows the energy of pavlova that he'd been acquainted with at the tavern. whether it leads him to a public space or a private residence, akaza has the wherewithal to announce himself first, be it by knocking or clearing his throat. then, he doesn't waste much time.]
Hey, Pavlova! Can I interest you in a little adventure of sorts?
[ This is a little weird for him, people don't usually go out of their way to involve him in stuff. He lives with White Lily, so Akaza might notice that when he gets close.
But the little one does answer the door when called for. ]
[it makes sense. people from the same worlds seem to flock together, here, for the most part.]
I received a task from our local trader to find some flowers in the forest.
[for all his confidence in initiating a conversation, here akaza takes pause, and something akin to... maybe anxiety, maybe embarrassment, crosses over his features. someone isn't used to asking for help or admitting his shortcomings.]
Admittedly... I don't have a very good track record for sniffing out flora! You seem like you know a lot, so I wondered...
[ Trader, huh? Well he guesses it's not weird for a trader to want rare flora, but this still settled oddly with him. It felt like there was more to it. ]
You wondered if I could help you find it.
[ He finished the sentence easily enough. He doesn't seem mad about getting roped into it at least. ]
I guess I don't mind. It shouldn't be that hard to find!
[ Even if it's rare, they've been all over this grove before- Pavlova has an idea of the more likely spots to find things. ]
Good! Is there anything else you need before we head out?
[and just so pav is fully aware before he trudges into the forest with akaza...]
It's called an "inkbloom." It's blackish, and hangs down like a bell. She said it sometimes grows where something has recently died. I'm guessing those plant creatures still hunt each other like normal animals, so a carcass like that might be our best bet.
Eh, so we've got a bit of a walk. [...] At least in my case. It's fine by me.
[he wouldn't expect something like this to be stupid easy, after all. this shit takes effort.
when they approach the forest, akaza pauses to take a practiced, crouched stance. on the ground beneath him, a twelve-pointed snowflake flashes magenta and blue before fading again. as he straightens back up, he smiles at pav like he hasn't a care in the world.]
Just a little precaution, in case anything hostile tries to get the drop on us! Ready?
[ He's not sure if that's a jab at his wings or his short legs, but he leaves it there without taking the bait either way. He's much more interested in whatever he'd just done. ]
Is that like magic or something?
[ In lieu of an answer, the boy just starts heading in, listening carefully to his surroundings. ]
[ He's mostly interpreting it as rude because he hasn't figured out proper flight with them yet, but Akaza doesn't know that. Accidental asshole behavior. ]
Demon, huh.
[ There's a hint of irony in that, really. ]
Our world had a lot of magic in it, so I was just curious. Dad's been teaching me more lately.
I knew you weren't human, but I didn't know what you were.
[ He figured it didn't really matter. He doesn't know the details of what being a demon means. ]
He is, yeah. That's sign language. He's teaching me all sorts of stuff. He seems pretty worried about me being able to protect myself so it's been mostly healing spells and defensive spells thus far. Or little useful things like this.
[ And he holds his hands out... and produces a little orb of light to help them see. ]
Hah. It's... weird, for people not to really care. [and concerning. most of the other residents probably aren't aware of just how close they are to a creature who would attempt to prey on them, given the right amount of hunger.]
I'm not a parent, but that sounds like a decent thing to want for your kid.
[he says that, and then pav shows off. the kid doesn't know that akaza can see perfectly in the dark, and wasn't exactly expecting to get flashbanged with magic light. it doesn't hurt him, but it's a surprise. besides a couple of hard blinks, though, akaza doesn't actually complain.]
[ Pavlova in fact has no blessed idea that his new friend would like to nom on him. He thinks humans are weird enough for eating cookies. ]
Oh- sorry. I didn't know you could see in the dark.
[ He helpfully lowers the intensity of the brightness. better for your eyes sir. He also takes one of Akaza's hand so they can search together and not get separated. ]
Don't apologize, it's fine. [it was just a lot at first... he would be a pretty shit demon if a light turning on was enough to continue to deter him.
really, holding his hand is far more likely to send him running. even if it isn't necessarily meant to be affectionate so much as practical, it's still a lot for a guy with hundreds of years of violence being his only physical contact.]
... Think I smell something this way. C'mon. [he maintains a gentle grip on pavlova's hand, turning onto a side path that he thinks will lead them closer to... a very distant aroma of plantimal carcass.]
[ Wait until Akaza finds out non-violent touch can be weaponized. Pavlova's flight response to his hair being smoothed back is something else.
As it is, though, Pavlova doesn't see a single thing wrong with this arrangement, swinging their hands gently as he follows along. The light bobs around the trees as he controls it, peering at different flowers in a radius around them as they walk. ]
[he has definitely begun to learn that... but even so, it'll likely continue to be effective against him for a very long time, too.
it's... still very strange to akaza, for pav to act so whimsical around what he now knows with certainty is a demon. pavlova is a mystery on many levels, really. he's a thousand years old, but a child, he's sweet and playful, but insistent that cookies are plenty capable of the same horrors that humans and presumably demons are... maybe akaza should just give up trying to fully understand him, and take things as they come, the same way pavlova just looks at the flowers they pass.]
... Do you know what they are? I've never seen any of these.
[... don't mind akaza, just pausing to crouch down in front of some of the forget-me-nots. he looks ready to pluck a few of them out, but... pauses.]
... They'll die if I pick them. [they're not what he's looking for, but... that name. and the idea of bringing miss lily a lily, but bringing her one that would die would be fucked up -- ugh, this being nice and sentimental thing is hard.]
[ He tilts his head a little. Well, he kind of gets what Akaza is worried about. He's not sure he's ever seen ayone get concerned over the life of a flower before, though. ]
They will, but more will grow back. Forget me nots reseed themselves. If you're careful you can take a cutting and get them to sprout roots. Then you can just plant them again somewhere else.
Thanks. I'll do that. [if pavlova says that's the spot, akaza trusts him. he carefully measures his strength to snap off just this part of the plant and nothing else... and carefully tucks the cutting away. hopefully he doesn't just kill it anyway...
when he looks back up, he inhales deeply once or twice, and furrows his brows. they are still on the path, but... it branches, and he can't pick out the scent anymore.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
a few nights after the king's game
besides, the kid can always say no.
so it is that, shortly after sundown, he follows the energy of pavlova that he'd been acquainted with at the tavern. whether it leads him to a public space or a private residence, akaza has the wherewithal to announce himself first, be it by knocking or clearing his throat. then, he doesn't waste much time.]
Hey, Pavlova! Can I interest you in a little adventure of sorts?
no subject
But the little one does answer the door when called for. ]
An adventure? What kind of adventure?
[ Interest is piqued. You have his attention. ]
no subject
I received a task from our local trader to find some flowers in the forest.
[for all his confidence in initiating a conversation, here akaza takes pause, and something akin to... maybe anxiety, maybe embarrassment, crosses over his features. someone isn't used to asking for help or admitting his shortcomings.]
Admittedly... I don't have a very good track record for sniffing out flora! You seem like you know a lot, so I wondered...
no subject
You wondered if I could help you find it.
[ He finished the sentence easily enough. He doesn't seem mad about getting roped into it at least. ]
I guess I don't mind. It shouldn't be that hard to find!
[ Even if it's rare, they've been all over this grove before- Pavlova has an idea of the more likely spots to find things. ]
no subject
That's great!
Do you need a pair of those special glasses? I wouldn't want you to get lost in the woods if we were separated somehow.
no subject
Besides he's been wanting to try actually being helpful more often ]
Glasses? Um... yeah probably.
[ He doesn't generally go far enough out to need them, but his dad would probably lose his mind if he got lost in there and no one wants that. ]
What flower are we looking for, anyway?
no subject
Good! Is there anything else you need before we head out?
[and just so pav is fully aware before he trudges into the forest with akaza...]
It's called an "inkbloom." It's blackish, and hangs down like a bell. She said it sometimes grows where something has recently died. I'm guessing those plant creatures still hunt each other like normal animals, so a carcass like that might be our best bet.
no subject
[ He tugs his bow down from its resting place on his back just in case. ]
But odds are It'll be further into the woods I haven't seen them nearby before, but I do think I know what we're looking for.
j'zargo voice: if anyone sneaks up on us, i'll smell them coming
[he wouldn't expect something like this to be stupid easy, after all. this shit takes effort.
when they approach the forest, akaza pauses to take a practiced, crouched stance. on the ground beneath him, a twelve-pointed snowflake flashes magenta and blue before fading again. as he straightens back up, he smiles at pav like he hasn't a care in the world.]
Just a little precaution, in case anything hostile tries to get the drop on us! Ready?
no subject
Is that like magic or something?
[ In lieu of an answer, the boy just starts heading in, listening carefully to his surroundings. ]
no subject
akaza tilts his head this way and that, pondering...]
We call it a Blood Demon Art, but I guess that's one way of looking at it.
no subject
Demon, huh.
[ There's a hint of irony in that, really. ]
Our world had a lot of magic in it, so I was just curious. Dad's been teaching me more lately.
no subject
Yeah. You didn't know?
Your dad -- he's the one teaching people to speak with our hands, right? What else is he teaching you?
no subject
[ He figured it didn't really matter. He doesn't know the details of what being a demon means. ]
He is, yeah. That's sign language. He's teaching me all sorts of stuff. He seems pretty worried about me being able to protect myself so it's been mostly healing spells and defensive spells thus far. Or little useful things like this.
[ And he holds his hands out... and produces a little orb of light to help them see. ]
no subject
I'm not a parent, but that sounds like a decent thing to want for your kid.
[he says that, and then pav shows off. the kid doesn't know that akaza can see perfectly in the dark, and wasn't exactly expecting to get flashbanged with magic light. it doesn't hurt him, but it's a surprise. besides a couple of hard blinks, though, akaza doesn't actually complain.]
That's -- pretty helpful for humans, huh?
no subject
Oh- sorry. I didn't know you could see in the dark.
[ He helpfully lowers the intensity of the brightness. better for your eyes sir. He also takes one of Akaza's hand so they can search together and not get separated. ]
no subject
really, holding his hand is far more likely to send him running. even if it isn't necessarily meant to be affectionate so much as practical, it's still a lot for a guy with hundreds of years of violence being his only physical contact.]
... Think I smell something this way. C'mon. [he maintains a gentle grip on pavlova's hand, turning onto a side path that he thinks will lead them closer to... a very distant aroma of plantimal carcass.]
no subject
As it is, though, Pavlova doesn't see a single thing wrong with this arrangement, swinging their hands gently as he follows along. The light bobs around the trees as he controls it, peering at different flowers in a radius around them as they walk. ]
Okay!
no subject
it's... still very strange to akaza, for pav to act so whimsical around what he now knows with certainty is a demon. pavlova is a mystery on many levels, really. he's a thousand years old, but a child, he's sweet and playful, but insistent that cookies are plenty capable of the same horrors that humans and presumably demons are... maybe akaza should just give up trying to fully understand him, and take things as they come, the same way pavlova just looks at the flowers they pass.]
... Do you know what they are? I've never seen any of these.
no subject
Oh, yes. Some of them look to be from my world as well. I don't think Milkcrowns are native to anywhere else.
[ He's not going to explain how they're cultivated, but he nods to a pretty white flower that indeed looks like a crown, vaguely. ]
There are forget-me-nots too, those little blue ones. And it looks like there are a few different kinds of lilies out here too.
no subject
... They'll die if I pick them. [they're not what he's looking for, but... that name. and the idea of bringing miss lily a lily, but bringing her one that would die would be fucked up -- ugh, this being nice and sentimental thing is hard.]
no subject
They will, but more will grow back. Forget me nots reseed themselves. If you're careful you can take a cutting and get them to sprout roots. Then you can just plant them again somewhere else.
no subject
How do I cut it?
no subject
[ He points about four inches down a stem, just below a "joint" in the flower. ]
Then you'd cut the lower leaves and let it sit in a glass of water, with good sun exposure. I'd keep it inside for now though, since its getting cold.
no subject
when he looks back up, he inhales deeply once or twice, and furrows his brows. they are still on the path, but... it branches, and he can't pick out the scent anymore.]
... Why don't you choose the way to go?