Tana-baa-ta

[survivaltricks]

WHO: everyone!
WHERE: the pasture
WHEN: day 22, all day

[the morning of day 22 begins with a light drizzle, as has been typical for the past few days. but despite the damp weather, a playlist of music also echoes across the pasture, luring you towards the center!]

[there, you will find that someone has planted a large bamboo tree, which is surrounded by wooden tables that are covered with colorful slips of paper and pens. a colorful sign, decorated with random doodles of stars, clouds, suns, and other fun shapes, contains a set of instructions:]

WELCOME TO TANABATA!

WRITE A WISH ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND TIE IT TO THE BAMBOO TREE.

HAVE FUN!

[the music and the bamboo wishing tree are a great start to the festival, but other people have been hard at work to make this a day to remember, right?]

[it's time to celebrate Tana-baa-ta!]

((FEEL FREE TO MAKE YOUR OWN TOP LEVELS IN THIS POST AS WELL! I made a few to get things going, but you should all run wild and free and thread to your heart's content ♥))

Comments

[apothekitty]

I thought I was very obvious.

[potentshell]

W-well you didnt' sign a name so ...

[apothekitty]

That's because I don't have one.

[ she's been here for like five days. ]

[potentshell]

... Still? No one helped you find one?

[apothekitty]

I was given a few suggestions, but none of them really spoke to me.

[potentshell]

What kinds of suggestions...?

[apothekitty]

Crois calls me a different thing every time. A couple of useful herbs. "Apothecary."

Those work to identify me, but I don't know if I'd use any of them as a name.

[potentshell]

... They don't sound a lot like a name, yeah ...

Do you like the plant theme? There's lots of flower names.

[apothekitty]

I'm an apothecary who specializes in herbalism. If I had to pick a name, I'd rather it be some kind of poisonous plant.

[ points for actually asking her what she wanted ]

[potentshell]

P-poisonous plants...

[ He thinks for a moment; the gardener at his family's mansion had been a wealth of information. ]

Nightshade and hemlock are classics... Oleanders and azaleas are also surprisingly poisonous, despite being flowers.

[apothekitty]

Oleander... it's useful for heart troubles, but too much of it will stop your heart, among other things.

[ she sounds thoughtful, nodding. ]

I'll consider it.

[potentshell]

I think it's a pretty name. A-and you can make nicknames out of it. Like Lea, or Ollie ...

[apothekitty]

Nicknames...

[ considering the ones she remembers, which were:

"Mad Scientist"
"Poison Maiden"
[redacted] (Xiao Mao, which she would have recognized as alluding to her real name) ]

I guess if people wanted to use them.

[potentshell]

I-it can be nice, as long as they're nice.

[apothekitty]

Anything can be kind or cruel, depending on how it's delivered.

[potentshell]

... Well. Yes. That ... th-that too.

But if people you like call you something you like ... it's hard for other people to take that away at least.

[apothekitty]

I suppose.

In the end, the name I want the most is the one that's actually mine. But in the meantime, I'll keep considering.

...anyway. The real question I had was if you were actually interested in my experiment.

[potentshell]

Oh! Yes! A-at least - I'm curious.

What are you trying to do?

[apothekitty]

The shady merchant said that if I wanted a decent knife and some linens for my workshop, I need to develop a new poison for him.

But poisons aren't too far off from medicines. Like with oleander, it's all a matter of dosage.

[potentshell]

... so you need someone to experiment on ...

[apothekitty]

I'm not going to give that guy anything that would actually kill anyone. But I need to prove it's effective.

[potentshell]

[ Eclair thinks about that, chewing on his thumbnail for a moment. ]

Has anyone else agreed to help so far?

[apothekitty]

Fifi. The man with the cat ears on Rose.

[potentshell]

S-so I'd be the second ...

Well. You helped us in our game, so. I'll help you now.

[apothekitty]

Are you sure? How high is your tolerance?