aefenglom | Under new management? Dontation seeking? We just don't know

Oh, yeah? What're you using? Might have some extras I could give you.

[and if not...well, he's more than happy to go out and buy some. gifts are always nicer when they're handmade.]

Uh, not sure what's what?

I'd been using yarn to knit them, but I can sew fabric scraps together too... That's quicker. [Because she had to knit the sections then attach them. Tragically, circular knitting needles were not yet a thing.]

The thing you said, grab bag?

Oh! If you need fabric I got plenty I could give you - uh, they dumped a bunch of stuff out in the slums like a couple month ago, remember? 'nd there were tons of curtains that looked fine, but I didn't really know what to do with them...so, uh, just took a lot home.

[they've been sitting in a bag in his linen closet since then. awkwardly. judgementally. mocking him for his inability to discover a better use for them than taking up space.]

...you never did a grab bag before! They're fun! Or, uh, they look fun. Never did one either. [he laughs] 's basically just people put a bunch of gifts in a big bag 'nd everybody grabs one and gets to keep it.

Yeah. I didn't see anything that looked useful though. Why were they throwing something so useful out... [She wasn't expecting an answer to that. Huffing about how much of a waste it was. Though she does hum at his answer.]

So they get a random gift? [She pauses, wasn't the point of gifts the thought put into them? But it did seem fun, albeit a bit weird.] I'm not sure how something like that could be arranged...

Would you be able to bring the fabric over?

[it's good that Mikasa wasn't expecting an answer, because it's still one that Styx can't really give. he'd wondered the same as he'd been doing cleanup down in the slums, and while he's sure that 'useful' had different meanings to different people it had still felt - dissonant, he supposed. they'd all been able to salvage an awful lot of things there.

even so, he once again gives the question a run through his noggin. you can practically hear the wheels turning in his brain before producing...nothing. oh well.]

Uh, usually everybody going to a party brings one, 'nd I guess they kinda pick out stuff they know anybody who's gonna be there would like. So if we got people to get some things most kids like, it should be ok?

- oh, yeah! For sure! Where you want it, dude?

That makes sense, though I'm not sure what most kids would like... [She'd had dolls and dug around in the garden, hunting bugs.

But Styx is being sent an address for a cottage in the haven.]

I do my knitting and sewing from home. There should be plenty of space for it.

[it takes Styx a moment to copy down the address, not remembering he can just...look at his watch as he's walking...but after the scribbling noises diminish he answers.]

Cool! Be over once I get it all together.

[and indeed he is, his large form heralding his arrival through shadowed windows even before he raps gently on the door. with the curtains already bagged up in his closet it hadn't been a particularly difficult trip to set out on; he enjoyed the walk, even, once he realized that with the thing slung over his shoulder he looked a little bit like an ugly Santa Claus. ...haha.]

[It's fine, it's fine. It only took Mikasa seven months to learn there was a map on the watches/ The little cottage was a little overgrown. With a small vegetable plot and a chicken coop only just visible around the back.

His arrival was heralded by the small yips of a tiny dog. Not that Mikasa needed the warning, she'd invited him. The fairy ring around the property only letting people she allowed in. Handy that. So it doesn't take long for her to open the door for him. Tater following at her heel, poking a fuzzy head out to sniff. While the fae looked at the sack.]

There's so many... I'm not sure if I'll be able to use all of it for blankets but I'll find something.

[Though she was frowning at some of the net curtains as she streched them out. Lace... She'd worked with it before, at Sew N Sews but not on this scale. At least there weren't many mixed in with the more standard fabrics.]

[the cottage is so cute...Styx is momentarily struck by how picturesque the place is, marveling at its landscaping and architecture as he waits for Mikasa to arrive at the door. it was amazing how widely varied the homes in the Haven were, wasn't it? if he closes his eyes he bet he'd feel as if he were deep in some enchanted forest.

...thankfully the sound of a tiny puppy keeps him from looking too stupid by the time his friend opens the door. the drummer sets the bag down easily when he spies Mikasa's face, freeing him up to drop into a crouch so that little Tater can investigate (and receive pets, if he so wishes) to his heart's content.]

Think you can do dresses with them, too? Uh, saw somebody do it on tv once, anyway. Might be nice since we gotta find some more clothes anyway.

[that was a movie, Styx. people don't wear curtain dresses in the real world.]

[It was a tiny place compared to a lot of the houses closer to the roads. But it was a hell of a lot bigger than her childhood home. To Mikasa, this place was peak luxury.

And Styx. You have now got a friend for life, Because Tater is happily wiggling into and onto the hands. Clambering about, sniffing and licking. The barking stopping as the pup was distracted. Only pausing his wiggles when he heard Mikasa hum.]

Maybe. I'm not sure about dresses for winter, but they'll need clothes once the snow melts. [With that, she began arranging the fabric. Putting the heavier stuff in piles. Lifting her head when a thought occurs to her.] Have you gotten a coat yet? The winters here are pretty bad. Like the north.

[look at this baby. Styx can't help but laugh with open delight at the dog's affection, leaning in close so that he can nuzzle the little pup right back in between licks and some serious petting. he's always so afraid of scaring animals, even now, that it feels like a small miracle whenever it goes so wonderfully as it is right now.]

Seen lots of people wearing dresses around here even when it gets cold...but I guess it must be magic or something, yeah? To keep them warm 'nd stuff.

[but spring clothes were good too! as Mikasa said, kids grew surprisingly fast. there wouldn't be a season they didn't need some new stuff in for a long while.]

Uh, you don't gotta worry about me or nothing though! I bought some shirts with longs sleeves...oh, and a sweater! Like, you know, the thick ones. So 'm real good.

[he hasn't owned a real coat for most of his life, and certainly all of his adult one. the big guy's just used to making the best of things in a hoodie, 'weathering' the weather so to speak. here in Aefenglom he's about to receive an early Mordinacht gift that will change all that in a few weeks...but he has no way of knowing that right now, of course.]

[Tater was a brave boy. Ask Eren, who he tried to bite for making Mikasa cry... His teeth hadn't been able to break the skin, but he tried. Though for a moment he waddled away to see what Mikasa had. Only to sneeze and dart back to Styx. The curtains are a no for him.

Even with Mikasa stopping her arranging to frown.]

I guess. I've managed to enchant a few things. [She rolled her shoulders at the sofa, where there was some of the blankets that were warmer than their thickness would suggest. Those were pretty great. But she gave a small snort at his dismissal.]

If you say so, just make sure to save some money just in case. I was fine back home but the winters seem harsher here.[Or it was just the nature of some monsters, to feel the cold more.] ...Oh and people will throw snow and ice at you.

[they are pretty dusty, aren't they? not to mention whatever travel dust they'd accumulated on their journey out into the slums to be dumped. Styx laughs in sympathy at the dog, gently nudging him onto his side for some well-deserved belly rubs. you were very brave, good job.]

Oh, really? That's great. 's harder to enchant stuff than you'd think...I really gotta focus or else it weats off after a while.

[not that he could really see anything remarkable about the couch or its accessories from here, but he believed Mikasa and was pumped for her all the same.]

Haha, what, like a snowball fight? Or, uh...they just do it all the time?

[Brave, or prefered the pampering that Mikasa couldn't give with her hands full? Styx was already crouched on his level. Unlike Mikasa who was still stood and scratching her head. Ear giving a wiggle when a hand got a little too close, brushing the hair enough to show a glint of silver.]

All of them wear off after a while, once the magic put in runs out... Apparently, it's a speciality of fae but, [She shrugged.] I can only do it to things that I make.

[Though his mention of snowball fights makes her stare into the wall by his head. Distant. For a second.] I think it was to be a snowball... but have you seen how big some fauns' hands are?

[It was more like a snow boulder.]

[those ears sure had a mind of their own...as absorbing as the puppa pets were (and trust him, they were) the tiny flash of light is still enough to distract Styx's attention for the briefest of moments. oh, had that been..? but he couldn't be certain. the drummer knows Mikasa had mentioned the struggles of getting her ears pierced as someone now fatally allergic to most of the common metals, but that was a long time ago; he'd have to make sure to ask her whenever he saw fit to stand up again, presuming his brain could hold onto the information for that long.]

Mm...makes sense. Gotta stick it on from the start, yeah?

[kind of like how it was harder for people to stuff tacos that they hadn't made themselves, because the thing was already wrapped up so perfectly. or...something. the awful internal metaphor is easily banished by Mikasa's errant gaze, prompting him to look over at that same wall with equal intensity as he waits for something to happen.

...nothing. maybe it was something only fae could see?]

Mean, I've seen fauns? But their arms 'nd stuff never looked that big to me.

[looking down at his own hands for a second, he lifts the free one up to display it with a laugh. they big.]

Might just be 'cause of what I'm looking at all the time, though!

Edited (uwu) 2020-12-15 13:11 (UTC)

I guess. From what I was told it's... feeling a purpose for the item.

[So vague. Like most of the explanations of magic. It was why she had so many issues grasping the basic concepts. Because even with things like titans, the world she called home was too brutal for something like magic. It was why Eren turning into a titan all those years ago had stunned everyone. It had seemed like something impossible. And now she was in a place where everything seemed that way.

But the fae was pulled out of memories of being dunked and looking back at the witch again, at the movement. Looking at his hands. Giving him a small snort.]

I guess it depends on the faun, the bull ones have the same build as you. [At that she made a small gesture at him. Giving him an appraising look, yup he bulky.] There's a lot of you here... [Maybe it was a strange statement in this place. But while there were a lot of muscular people back home. Most of them were svelte.]

Oh, like...knowing what it's supposed to do? That's kinda cool.

[maybe it was like...well, Ymir had always told him that everything had a soul, even objects. so he guesses that faes could sense that soul and what it was meant to do. or...something. it sure as hell seemed pretty goddamn neat to him!]

There's always a lot of me, haha. Same here as it was back home.

[it's a strange statement, made even stranger by the way that the drummer misinterprets it. there's a lot of him, bulky thing that he was, although the laughter he accompanies it with doesn't make it seem as bad a thing as it's always been.]

[Nod, nod.] Yeah, it's like...weaving the magic into it. [That was the easiest way to describe it. Because she couldn't learn the finer points of magic like casting. She could only feel it. But with that said, and the curtains sorted by weight. The fae was moving to the open kitchen. There weren't many walls in this cottage, all open-plan.]

It's different. Most people are... less than me back home. [She was...very buff. Even by the standards back home, her muscle was harder.] Is it hard to find clothes like that? [Then before he has time to answer she calls out from the taps.] Do you want a drink?

[weaving? like, with a loom and everything? Styx contemplates this for too long, his friend having totally left the room while he was doing so. that sort of thing always looked ridiculously complicated...oh, but maybe that was why Mikasa had four arms? it'd probably make producing magic-fibers for stuffing into objects a hell of a lot easier.

she really was cool, wasn't she? .........oh, she's talking.]

Oh, no, you don't gotta! You can save it for when you really need it.

[save...the water. in a place that has indoor plumbing. ok, honey.

but the big guy's pushing himself back upright with that extremely moronic answer, ambling over towards the source of Mikasa's voice at last. it'd be rude to be shouting at her across rooms in her own home!]

's pretty hard to get stuff that fits, yeah, even when the place isn't all old timey like here is. Usually just buy whatever's not tight and hope it don't flap too much.

[most of his clothes are oversized in some area or another, a tragic consequence of the death of tailoring as an art form. having lived with discomfort his entire life, such a comparatively small inconvenience doesn't even occur to him any more.]

[Hilariously, despite knowing all these craft things. Mikasa did not know how to weave. Even though that was the first very first step in most crafts.

That second pair of arms, the bug ones. Didn't really do much half the time. They just stayed folded against her back, reaching out to grab or show those barbs when something knocked her off guard.]

Oh, okay. [She's just going to fill the bowl on the floor then. But she wasn't too far. The cottage wasn't especially big, and the kitchen and living room were just one big room. It was still big, given that this one room was twice the size of her childhood home.

But the fae was nodding as she got back up from refilling Tater's bowl.]

Yeah. I find it easier here with there being so many different people. [Nearly every monster had to have just a slightly different fit. Most things had to be adjusted for wings and tails. It was just a standard thing here. Still, the fae gives a small snort. Her eyes creasing in smile attempt.]

My sleeves aren't too tight here.

[She hadn't had to let out the seams for her biceps yo.]

[there was something comforting about the wild variations in 'monstrous' appearances here which Styx could definitely relate to. not only was it easier for him to request alterations to things (even if he didn't) but his own unnatural physique passed about without a second thought. he was...kind of normal, in this place. just the thought makes him smile as he leans up against Mikasa's counter.]

Ohh, yeah! They got those buttons on the ends of most of them, right? Makes it real easy to roll them up 'nd shit.

[that's...not what Mikasa had meant at all, but here we are. at least he's just as jazzed about it as she is.]

[That gets a thought, the fae taking a moment. Then a nod, yeah. She'd seen that. She had a preference for longer sleeves so the buttons didn't get much use.

...And she didn't normally have an issue with sleeves unrolling.]

Normally my arms are too thick to roll them up far. I could get them to my elbow... Then it's too tight to move. [Like having a bundle of bandages rolled up around her joint.] Though I don't think you'd manage to get a normal shirt past your forearm.

[His was like two of her's. She'd gotten used to being smaller than the guys in terms of height. But about the same in tone, other than the obvious things that were now apparent, the guys having broader shoulders and such.

Though she did give a small huff of air.]

I'm surprised you've stayed this big. A lot of people seem to get soft here, that's why I've been working so much.

- oh, like that? [he nods understandingly.] Haha, yeah, that sucks super hard! 's why I kinda don't do long sleeves if I can help it...even the t-shirts can get kinda tight if it's a bad cut.

[the sort of fight that was purposefully close to the skin rather than loose...more often than not it made him feel as if he was about to rip the entire thing right off the garment just by raising his arms too high. it was a bit of a nerve-racking experience, being reminded of his own ungainly form even more often than his mind did on its own.]

...you think? 'm not really doing all that much different than what I did at home.

[he's barely ever worked out in any 'real' capacity, truth be told. gyms made him feel too self-conscious.]

Yeah. There's not much you can do to fix that either... [There was a limit to how much the seams could be let out.] Though that's not been an issue here. Even when I grew wings and more arms... [It had been a rough week of scrambling to find and adjust clothes, the money to accommodate the sudden growth.

There hadn't even been any comments on her build. It was a nice change, even if it had been many years since the occasional comment about what clothes didn't see her, what was ladylike and what wasn't. She'd been able to rebuff the words at the time, but still... No, she'd made her choice. Made sure she was strong and capable of defending others.]

That's good, someone I...know didn't work as much here as back home. It's good to keep busy.

[That was what she was assuming anyway. That Styx was a hard worker back home and if that hadn't changed, he was a hard worker here.]

[he bobs his head softly, understanding.]

Yeah, people're pretty cool here.

[it wasn't true for every resident in the city, let alone the entire continent, but overall...this was a kind place. Styx could tell, just from the way that so few people stared at him with poorly masked apprehension.]

'nd you're right, haha! There's so much cool shit to see around here, kinda feels like a shame to just sit around and spin your wheels. Though I guess it's not too bad to take a break now and then.

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>action?

action! \o/

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