Voices from Heaven (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thespaceopera) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
driftfleet2019-01-20 07:25 pm
thespaceopera) wrote in driftfleet2019-01-20 07:25 pm
Entry tags:
- !event,
- !mingle,
- adrian "alucard" tepes,
- baku,
- bentley "ben" douglass,
- ciel phantomhive,
- connor,
- felix gaeta,
- glenn rhee,
- grievous,
- haggar,
- james tiberius kirk (au),
- kaname buccaneer,
- katherine "kitty" pryde,
- keith,
- krolia,
- lance,
- libra,
- loki,
- lorden gesh,
- lup,
- magnus burnsides,
- manji,
- messer ihlefeld,
- mikleo,
- nico di angelo,
- pavel chekov,
- prompto argentum,
- remy lebeau,
- sorey,
- taako,
- the vision,
- thor odinson,
- tyrion lannister,
- vash the stampede,
- veronica,
- victor frankenstein,
- wanda maximoff
dreams in digital
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(last updated: 1/21/19)
Escha Malier
The door closes gently behind you as you enter. One good look around tells you plenty about what goes on in here on a daily basis: the shelves are lined with tons of reference books, and even more reference books lie open on tables or on the small couch near the door. There's a huge cauldron at the back, filled to the brim with... some sort of simmering liquid - it's impossible to tell what's going on from where you currently stand.
Tending to that cauldron is Escha, stirring the contents with a long wooden spoon and looking rather... harried. Her hair is a little bit of a mess and there are soot stains on her hands, sleeves, and even her cheeks! But she seems to have a pretty good attitude about it, at least - she even smiles when she sees you! ]
Oh! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were here! Things have been really busy like, all day... I'm trying to keep up, but requests just keep coming in -- Aah!
[ The cauldron begins to smoke a little bit, but with a few more heavy stirs, it settles down! She sighs, relieved, then flashes you an apologetic smile. ]
Do you think you could help me out? I have all of the recipe cards I need for today spread out on the bench over there. [ She points. ] If you could pick a card, then hand me all of the ingredients on it, I can get through all of these orders a lot faster!
[ What would you like to do?
→ The bench in front of the couch has several recipe cards to look at and choose from.
→ There are two items on the couch: a closed silver pocket watch with an apple blossom on the cover, and a witch hat keychain.
→ A thin, illustrated children's book has just fallen off of the shelf and onto the floor! Looks like it landed open...
→ The view out of the single window looks a little... fuzzy...
→ Or, you could try talking to Escha again! ]
(( OoC: No major content warnings! Will adjust if that changes, but the odds of that changing in Escha's calibration are pretty dang slim let's be honest. Consider this a breather episode, maybe~? ♥ ))
no subject
[Keith looked down at the bench, examining the cards.]
Is there one in particular you need first?
no subject
Any one is fine! They all have to get done at some point, right?
[ At least she's being cheery about it...
The following recipe cards are lying right on top:
→ Healing Salve
→ Apple Tart
→ Bomb
→ Airship Part - Automatic Drive
→ Neutralizer - Blue
→ Neutralizer - Red
Moving these cards aside to try and read the others is useless, the words and pictures just jumble and blur until they're illegible. Looks like these are your options for now! ]
no subject
He picked up the apple tart, just to be safe.]
Here you go.
no subject
... There's a flash of light, and once it subsides, Keith isn't standing in the atelier anymore - he's standing on the front porch of a small wooden house that happens to be.. in an apple orchard! It's midday, and the sun is shining. All of the trees are absolutely covered with bright red, delicious-looking apples - and there are even more in baskets and barrels along the path toward the house. There's a green-haired woman dutifully - almost mechanically, really - standing on a ladder and picking some of the apples. And... is that a wind-up mechanism on the back of her head?? It might be. But Keith might be too distracted to look any closer at that because--
-- a tiny, pink-haired child comes zooming down the path, her arms completely full of apples, giggling like she's just won the best game in the universe! She zips right past Keith and into the house behind him. The door remains wide open, so he can see the scene that unfolds.
"Mom! Mom! I got a whole bunch!! Let's make something! Let's make something!"
"Alright, alright. Bring them over here, Escha. Put them in the cauldron."
The child does as she's told, with a bounce in her step. She has to stand on her tiptoes to effectively drop the apples into the large, bubbling cauldron, but in they go, one by one.
There's a woman tending to the cauldron, with her back to Keith, stirring away. Her hair is the same pink color as the child's, but the way it falls over her shoulders doesn't seem to stay consistent - it's short, then long; straight, then wavy... And occasionally, the color of her dress changes too. It's as if there's no solid form to this woman -- or, at least, the memory of her.
But the child doesn't notice. She peers into the pot, intensely curious. "Hey... how do you know if you got the right apples?"
"You know, and you trust. Here, come stir for mommy, okay?"
"Okay!! I get to stir the best medicine ever!"
The woman laughs, kindhearted and melodic. At least her voice doesn't seem to change. "Honey, it's just a base-- but... Oh, all right, yes, you can stir the best medicine ever. Someday."
... And with another flash of light, Keith is back in the atelier, as if he never left - and Escha's holding an absolutely perfect-looking apple tart in her hands! It smells heavenly, and it's just warm enough that she has to quickly put it down on the table between them. ]
Hooray! We did it! [ She smiles at Keith, completely unaware that anything just happened. ]
no subject
Yeah, we did. I guess we have a few more to do, huh?
[After all, even with the specific ones that seemed to be drawing his attention the most, there was a pretty large pile.]
no subject
I think we can do it, though. [ Firm nod! And she brushes her hands off on her skirt before walking back over to the cauldron to prepare for the next recipe. ] You're doing a great job at picking! Wanna do it again?
[ The topmost cards are now:
→ Healing Salve - M (cw: grieving / mention of parental death)
→ Bomb
→ Neutralizer - Red
→ Dragon Secret (not technically a cw but triggers combat - yes, for you!)
Or, if anything else in the room catches your eye instead, those are all still options! ]
no subject
This sounds useful...
[He handed it over to her.]
no subject
[ She taps her chin and hums thoughtfully as she looks through the cabinets of ingredients like before... After a few seconds, she grabs everything she needs: distilled water, two types of medicinal herbs, and a flask full of a liquid so richly green that it almost glows. She adds them in carefully, humming as she goes...
... And with a bright flash of light, Keith is no longer in the Atelier! Yet again! How surprising (not). He's actually inside of the orchard house he saw last time. It's a little dark in here, even though the sun is shining brightly through all of the windows. Sitting on the bed shoved up against the far wall is the same tiny, pink-haired child, hugging her knees to her chest and silently crying - completely still, save for the huge tears streaming down her cheeks as she stares blankly at some nebulous space before her.
The green-haired woman from the last memory walks over to her, places a gentle hand onto Escha's back as she sits beside her. At first, Escha doesn't react, but she eventually gives into the reflex to lean against the woman and let her pull her into a hug. She closes her eyes tightly as the tears continue to fall.
"Your mother was a very close friend of mine," she says to Escha. Her voice is just vaguely toneless, just the tiniest hint of mechanical, but it doesn't take away from the true emotion she feels. "I miss her too."
Escha scoots the tiniest bit closer, burying her face in the woman's shoulder. "What do I do now, Clone?"
The woman shakes her head. "I do not think that's something that anyone can tell you." She hates to say it, and Escha hates to hear it, but it's... true. Young as she is, she can still understand that much. After a few seconds of silence, Clone speaks up again. "I think you will know what is right for you when you find it."
Escha nods as she sniffles, shifting to fit more comfortably at her side. Her gaze drifts over to the alchemy cauldron in the corner, untouched since Milia Malier tragically passed away. But amidst all the sadness that washes over her just by looking at it, there's still a feeling of warmth, surrounded with the happiest memories. But it's faint, right now. It still hurts. But maybe with time, that will change.
A visual glitch, and the scene shifts - Clone is gone, young Escha is standing in front of the still untouched cauldron, and she runs a hand over the dust-covered rim. Another visual glitch, another change - there's water running from the tap in the room, and it's almost comical watching a tiny, pink little girl attempting to scrub out the inside of the cauldron without completely tumbling into it (seriously, she almost does). Another visual glitch, and a fire is going beneath the cauldron, and Escha's holding a single, bright red apple over it, ready to drop it in...
... And with another flash of light, it's right back to the Atelier!! This time, Escha's holding a bright blue container. She uses a wooden paddle to scoop the salve out of the cauldron, portions it into the container, and twists the clear lid closed. The salve looks expertly made - high quality, and beautifully presented. Escha really knows her stuff! She's all smiles as she sets the container next to the apple tart, and her wolf-tail accessory is wagging happily behind her as well~ ]
It's done! Wow, we're really on a roll here!
no subject
But the scene was over, and he had to admit he was glad to see she dealt with her grief and kept going. He gave her a small smile, even if it was tinged with a little sympathetic sadness.]
Yeah. We are. I'll uh... I'll grab another one.
[These things usually needed three anyway, right? That seemed to be the average before the 'dream' ended. He turned, heading back over to the table of recipes. The dragon one sounded interesting, even though he really had no idea what it was or what would come up, but... welp. He handed it over.]
Here. Next one.
no subject
Right!
[ She takes the recipe card, grabs all the stuff off of the shelf: a dragon's scale, a blue teardrop-shaped jewel, distilled water, and black powder. She starts stirring...
... And the atelier fades away again. This time. Keith stands in the bottom of a rocky canyon. It's sunset, which would make this whole thing a rather gorgeous sight if not for the very real threat of a very large dragon. It swoops in as if to protect the gigantic pile of metal behind it - a pile that Escha had been beelining for before the dragon dropped out of the sky. ]
Yikes!! [ She leaps out of the way, landing not-very-gracefully in front of Keith. But she picks herself back up, steadies herself with her staff, and nods. ]
Looks like we're going to have to beat it if we want to keep it from eating everything... Are you ready? [ And she turns to Keith, directly addressing him. ] I've got plenty of items. I know we can do this!
[ If Keith normally carries any weapons around, he has them on him now. (Because dreams are awesome that way~) Everything here is solid, and capable of being interacted with. Seems like this "memory" requires some audience participation!!
Speaking of -- that dragon is already taking a deep breath, flame building in its throat, and with a roar it takes its first move: trying to roast the both of them! ]
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[ The following recipe cards are lying right on top:
→ Healing Salve
→ Apple Tart
→ Bomb
→ Airship Part - Automatic Drive
→ Neutralizer - Blue
→ Neutralizer - Red
Moving these cards aside to try and read the others is useless, the words and pictures just jumble and blur until they're illegible. Looks like these are your options for now! ]
no subject
no subject
Great!
[ She pretty much beams as she takes it from him. She doesn't even need to look at the list of ingredients, she knows this one like the back of her hand - forwards, backwards, and upside down! Absolutely a no-brainer. She sets it down, grabs everything she needs off of the shelves behind her: water, two types of medicinal herbs, and a strikingly green liquid. She tosses all of them into the cauldron, gives it a stir...
... There's a flash of light, and once it subsides, Libra is in... a completely different atelier. There's still a cauldron, but it's set in the middle of what looks like a tiny house. There aren't may other objects in here - definitely nowhere near as many supplies, books, or honestly much of anything useful. But a 12/13-year-old Escha is still standing at the cauldron, stirring away - with nowhere near the confidence she had in the original room.
The cauldron isn't warm enough. Libra just knows this - as dream states are wont to have people know things - and he's probably also aware that she's stirring too fast, her rushed movements causing breaks in the thick liquid that's attempting to form. Escha frowns when she finally notices it too, and she looks near tears. She lets go of the handle she's using to stir, turns to try and turn up the gas for the fire beneath the cauldron, but it's too little too late. When she turns back to the cauldron, her entire concoction is a mess, like a broken sauce that's impossible to recover.
Her arms drop to her side in defeat, and she hangs her head... and then the tears start. She takes a few seconds to sniffle and cry, rubbing at her eyes with the huge pink sleeves of her shirt. But once she's let all of that out, She straightens her posture, gives a firm nod to absolutely no one (but herself), and grabs the cauldron with both hands to tip it over and let the contents drain. Time to try again.
"I'll do this." Her voice cracks a little from the tears she'd just cut short. But her determination shines through anyway. "I can do this. I promise, mom. I'll keep trying."
... And with another flash of light, everything is back as it was before! Escha uses a wooden paddle to scoop out a measure of healing salve from the cauldron and portions it into a simple-looking white container. It looks perfect, made from top-quality ingredients and imbued with some of the best healing properties she could pull from the materials. She smiles brightly as she sets it down on the table near him. ]
We did it! That was perfect - thank you so much for helping! [ She beams at him, completely unaware of what just happened. ]
no subject
I'm happy to help, Miss...?
no subject
Oh! I didn't even introduce myself before roping you into work... I'm sorry! Um, my name is Escha. What's yours?
no subject
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[ The topmost cards are now:
→ Healing Salve - M (cw: grieving / mention of parental death)
→ Bomb
→ Airship Part - Automatic Drive
→ Neutralizer - Red
→ Goddess's Shield
Or, if anything else in the room catches your eye instead, those are all still options! ]
no subject
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[ She tosses everything in - some silvery clay, a bright green gem, a blue teardrop-shaped gem, and a small bundle of golden threads - and gives it a stir...
... There's a flash of light, and the scene shifts again, but not very much this time. It's still inside the atelier, everything is still where it was before, but there's a silver-haired boy standing in front of the couch. Escha is standing in front of him, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes as she listens to him beating himself up about an incident in his past - about how he has no right to continue research... her heart breaks for him. This isn't the Logy she knows. She pulls him into a tight hug, and fusses at him and tells him what-for while he... tries to figure out why she's the one crying and not him! (She's not crying!! *sniffle!*)
As they smile at each other, and everything seems to have calmed back down, the memory ends. Libra's standing where he was before, and Escha's holding a six-sided metal shield roughly as long as her forearm. It glows with an innate magical quality, though it's almost imperceptible if you're not looking for it. ]
Here it is! All done.
no subject
[ He moves over to the bench, hesitating before he chooses one. Whatever she's working on looks important, and he's no wizard. ]
Uh.. which one?
no subject
Any of them are fine. They all have to get done eventually, after all! Just pick a starting point and we'll go from there!
[ The following recipe cards are lying right on top:
→ Healing Salve
→ Apple Tart
→ Bomb
→ Airship Part - Automatic Drive
→ Neutralizer - Blue
→ Neutralizer - Red
Moving these cards aside to try and read the others is useless, the words and pictures just jumble and blur until they're illegible. Looks like these are your options for now! ]
no subject
How about bomb?
no subject
... With a flash of light, the scenery shifts, and Carl finds himself standing in the hallway outside the atelier. The door is closed, though Escha is clearly speaking with someone on the other side of the door. Just down the hallway, a dark-haired woman sits at a desk, filling out endless stacks upon stacks of paperwork. All is calm, nothing out of the ordinary.
Until the door to the Atelier slams open, and Escha rushes out, followed by a silver-haired boy. "Look out!!" they shout in unison, just before--
BOOOM!
Smoke billows from out of the atelier, the floor and some of the door frame now covered in ash - some of it is still gently falling, kind of like snow, just... black and gray instead. Escha and her friend are staring at the mess from the other end of the hallway, eyes wide. And the dark-haired woman? Is apparently more upset that her stacks of paperwork are now all over the floor... but, well, at least she's not fussing at them?? Small mercies.
There's silence as the two alchemists stare at the scene before them... and then, Escha snickers. ... And then they both just start laughing - how could they not? The whole scene is absolutely ridiculous! And besides, they're alive, and it could have been so much worse.
The silver-haired boy catches his breath, shaking his head. "I'm guessing we made some sort of miscalculation. We should - hah - we should probably fix that, right?"
Escha's still giggling behind a hand, but she manages to answer him. "Well, on the bright side, we learned how to make an even more powerful bomb next time!"
They laugh a little more, then hurry inside to start cleaning up. It's all about silver linings after all, right?
... And with another flash of light, Carl is back where he was standing before - inside the atelier! And no, it's not ash-covered. No signs of explosion here! In fact, Escha is holding an expertly crafted bomb in her hands - and it's totally stable. (Promise~) She smiles and sets it on the table between them. ]
One bomb, made to order! I wonder what the client wants to use it for...? Hmm. People should really be careful with those.
[ Says the small pink thing that apparently explodes things??? sure. Either way, it looks like she has absolutely no idea a memory flash just happened. ]