driftfleet | Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

( a. near the water )

[It goes without saying that Mikleo is intrigued by the water. He's seen bioluminescence before, of course, but never in this abundance, and the mystical way it feels is equally fascinating. For a while he can be found at the edges of various bodies of water, running his hands curiously over the surface, dipping his toes in, using his artes to call little bubbles of it up and out of the rest to watch it weave through the air and glow. So cool.

He doesn't seem to notice at first that the more he plays with it, the more his own body absorbs that glow, his hair and bare skin giving off a soft halo of light. That's kind of weird, huh…]

( b. the nerd museum, for nerds )

[There's a museum, so of course Mikleo is checking it out. He'd prefer if it was about the nature of this planet more than the royal history, sure, but he's a fan of studying lineage anyway, so it's still right up his alley. He can be found poking around the place for hours on end, scrutinizing the cases, reading every item description, sketching out whatever looks really interesting.]

Apparently the family was elevated to royal status around the time when the bioluminescence began. It's said that's how they stayed in power for so long. That's amazing, isn't it? How the public can make such wild associations about nature like that...

[Sorry if you've been roped unwillingly into a conversation! Let's talk history.]

( c. ice caverns… and the tree)

[So, ice caves. That's pretty cool. He'd heard the rumours, of course, and he's more keen on exploring uncharted ground than anything else. He's not terribly interested in getting anything from this supposed magic tree, but what interests him is learning more about it, since this isn't the first planet they've come across that not only had one, but had requirements to get something from it. He's done a few invisible good deeds around town- baked food for an elderly couple, carried some packages and supplies for people while they weren't looking, liquified ice under the feet of passersby so they dont slip- so now he's sort of lurking around the tree, curious about what sort of things people are actually doing to get what they want, and seeing how said gift is received. Straight. Up. Creepin'.

He's not the king of stealth or anything, though, invisible or otherwise, so feel free to catch him in the act.]

( d. wildcard )

[As usual if you have an idea, hit me! I'm open and so is he.]

[[Resonance permissions]]

[Okay well, someone else is noticing. They didn't start out together; sometimes when they happen upon a new planet there's just too much to keep their exploring to pairs. Sometimes Sorey will want to go hunting while Mikleo will want to go to the library, and sometimes Mikleo wants to explore the towns while Sorey wants to stay put. For all the time they spend attached to the hip, they do occasionally part ways.

Sorey's trying to get better about it, too. He doesn't have to be hovering around Mikleo all the time; Mikleo should get to explore places that can see and appreciate him without Sorey acting like his keeper.

......but like, the water is glowing and stuff, soooo

Sorey finds him near a pool; the waters are frigid, some of the water floating slush or ice near the shores. Anybody but Mikleo entering the water would probably freeze but there he is, pulling up droplets of his element, the water, his hair, his skin glowing. Sorey keeps back, half-hidden behind the trunk of a huge evergreen. This isn't something he should interrupt- something he should be allowed to interrupt.]

[It takes a little while for him to catch on, since he's too distracted by toying with the water itself, taking a few extra steps into the pool so the water and the glow surrounds him entirely. Eventually, when he lifts his hand to weave a bit of the water into a vertical spiral - a glowing miniaturized geyser - he spots the light on his hand and jerks sideways, startled. His foot slips on the rocks beneath and just like that, with an inelegant yelp, he flails and drops backwards into the water, vanishing under the glowing surface.

He's beauty, he's grace, biolumens on his face.]

[There there's one nerd, there's a thousand. Someone else is here also taking notes, though he's more interested in whatever items and artifacts they have here than the lineage of this royal family or whatever. As always, he doesn't give a flip about nobles.

He looks up from his dutiful sketching of a near-ancient iron scepter.]

It sounds convenient for what is essentially late-era feudalism. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a whole other side to this royal family that we know nothing about. Perhaps the bioluminescence began around their reign, but what about the years leading up to it? One doesn't wake up at the top of the food chain. How many other families could have claimed the throne, I wonder...

[Oh boy he is so damn cynical. Sorry Mikleo.]

There could have been some specific event that seemed like a miracle to the people, and they connected the two.

Mm, that's very true... I'd prefer if these plaques were more specific, but they seem to lean more towards giving people a rudimentary amount of knowledge on each subject. Maybe they have a library with more detailed information somewhere.

[He can't really blame Belth for his cynicism- after all, he's had plenty of cynicism on the nature of mortals himself through the years, and learning about Pendrago's royal history (and Hyland which honestly was no better) made him feel a healthy amount of distrust for the noble class. Working alongside Rose gave him plenty of insight there, too.]

Keep an eye out for a custodian of this place, you can ask them about it.

They should. I don't get the impression that this is a society bent on censoring everything. This feels more like... a brief summary for tourists to pass the time.

[Which is basically what this is, but still. His ears twitch.]

I don't hear anyone else at the moment, unfortunately.

Have you done anything with the water at all? It seems to have a high concentration of something. I've been calling it mana, but I don't think it's mana like I'm used to.

[And Mikleo almost immediately goes bright, uncomfortably red.]

It's... definitely a sort of mana. The water here is very responsive to seraphic artes.

[Which is almost an answer?]

[Belthazar isn't used to seeing Mikleo blush. His eyebrows slowly move upward. This is... suspicious.]

I noticed it feels kind of tingly when I bathe in it.

[... Is it more intense for Mikleo? Is that what this is about???]

[Mikleo coughs delicately into a fist and turns away, because dammit now he knows he's blushing.]

Yeah, um. It felt more or less the same for me! It's weird, right?

[Belth continues watching him with that same skepticism.]

Definitely weird.

[He could be talking about the water or the way Mikleo's acting at this point.]

This isn't the first singing planet we've been on, but they've all been fairly different.

[Belth isn't asking, so Mikleo isn't volunteering it.]

That's true... this is what, the third? At least the third that I've experienced. But it's not the first time that some sort of great tree has been involved...

I can say with confidence that the universe is full of magic trees. Usually trees of life from my experience.

[Hmmmm...]

That might be what we're dealing with here, too.

Well, trees are often found sacred and a source of life in many mythologies, across multiple beliefs and locations, so it's no surprise that it might happen here as well.

Of course. I have to wonder if this tree actually exists, though. It's certainly worth looking into, and we seem to have time.

Have you investigated the rumors yet?

Edited 2018-12-05 15:06 (UTC)

I've looked into it, but not much just yet. The surface and the water has had me distracted, and with how the planet feels, I'm wary of going underground until we know more about what's going on.

[Plus he's worried that if he goes down below he'll end up lit all over like their holiday trees or something.]

That's entirely understandable. I still remember the first time I set foot on one of these planets. It was dangerous to be outside at nighttime, and I haven't gotten over that entirely...

[He idly glances at the plaque again.]

But I think as long as you don't go alone, the risks will be minimal.

Doubly ideal, since you're supposed to "share" something in order to get a gift from the tree. It's better to have someone with you for that.

Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

mikleo | ota

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