springle (spring mingle)

[finalefantasy]

WHO: you
WHERE: wherever
WHEN: afternoon into evening 61

[the spring thaw continues! how's that scent of fresh wet grass and the sounds of critters popping back up, huh?

towards evening, there's another strange smell on the breeze (ozone? oleander?) and a soft flurry of tiny dark feathers blown into the pasture and meadow.

if they happen to land on you, you may have a weird moment where you experience the perspective of some other, non-sentient creature in the area -- a squirrel scratching about in a nearby tree, for example, or a frog swimming in one of the team ponds, or one of the local songbirds stretching its wings and digging for worms.

it's harmless, and might be interesting, but it's also briefly disorienting. try not to fall on your face or into the lazy river.]

Comments

[arrowace]

Practice.

[ nods at frog ]

Specimen . . . or snack?

[wants_the_phd]

I think this occasion merits a little treat, don't you?

[Without hesitation, she bites down on the frog's head and crushes it's skull in her teeth. She already knows this species isn't poisonous, which is why she was trying to spear it in the first place.]

[She offers the frog to Mute, leg first.]

Want to share?

[arrowace]

[ They pause, surprised at the offer. They don’t love eating raw meat as a general rule, but somehow, the offer coming from Azdaja is so touching they want to accept anyway. They take a lower leg with a nod, and MONCH. ]

[wants_the_phd]

[Sometimes bonding comes in the form of peacefully breaking frog together. She nibbles on the leg that was left behind. So cold. So slimy. Yum yum.]

I had a weird dream about you the other day.

[arrowace]

Do you have . . . normal dreams about me?

[wants_the_phd]

Not usually. That's why it was weird.

Does the name "Master Warden" mean anything to you?

[arrowace]

[ 😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬 ]












Perhaps.

[wants_the_phd]

[Yeah okay. That confirms it was a real shared dream. She had a feeling when she saw mute turn into an owlbear during the ritual.]

I dreamed an old fool caught a human child and trained it to be a hunter.

[She takes another bite of frog.]

Do you know what purpose emotions serve? The reason why we have them?

[arrowace]

[ opens and closes mouth several times, deeply unsure of what kind of answer she wants to hear, so settles on: ]

Yep.

[wants_the_phd]

[She waves her hand in what is hopefully to be a calming gesture.]

Ah, no, dont worry, this isn't a test. I just got the feeling Master Warden didn't know, so maybe he wasn't able to tell you.

[arrowace]

[ ooooooh relAXES. Takes a breath. Remembers that this is still Friendship Mode. ]

Ah.

[ Eventually they nod. ]

That’s correct. He is . . . profoundly fucking stupid. However, I have . . . found several less ignorant parties.

[wants_the_phd]

I'm glad to hear that.

Have they told you the purpose of joy?

[arrowace]

Not specifically, no.

1/2

[wants_the_phd]

Everyone has things in life they're uniquely drawn to or suited for. You can think of it as "a calling" or "thing they're meant to do." We aren't born knowing what it is, but if we find it, and pursue it, we can find great success with it more easily and naturally than we might otherwise.

Of course, with enough effort, you can become skillful in all sorts of areas. Nobody could deny you're an extraordinary hunter, for example. You're the best I've ever met. But if your heart isn't in it, it means you have to work that much harder to achieve the same level of proficiency. By contrast, if you're doing something that you're naturally drawn to, you'll achieve even greater success for the same amount of effort.

[wants_the_phd]

Just as fear tells us we're in danger, and anger tells us when we've been wronged, joy is what we feel when we've found the path in life that's leading in the right direction.

Joy isn't the enemy of success, it's a critical part of it.

[arrowace]

[ pulls out their notebook to write this down ]

1/2

[wants_the_phd]

You're an amazing person, Caesura. I think you'd be great at any pursuit you chose for yourself.

[wants_the_phd]

Now, I'm gonna go home and change out of these wet clothes.

Thanks for the frog. ♪

1/?

[arrowace]

[ WH—

[arrowace]

[ WHH—

Done

[arrowace]

[ blushes furiously before going invisible ]

TH-THANK! YOU!!

1/2

[wants_the_phd]

[uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGHHHH SHE'S SO ENVIOUS SHE'S INSTANTLY MELTING DOWN ON THE INSIDE]

[SHE WISHES SHE COULD DO THAT SO BAD WHAT THE FUCK]

[wants_the_phd]

[sigh, another day in sheep, surrounded by magic fuckos she wishes she could be. Nothing to do for it but to turn and start walking back to the barn, waving back over her shoulder.]

Go find your joy. ❤

[see ya space cowboy]