Outside 49: I don’t remember what it looks like either

[Rebonack]

[Chilly Forest]

"I'm glad you approve," Reassa replies with a sultry smirk. She accepts the arm and embraces Krayger in kind, laying her head against his shoulder. "I saw how you were hurt. I felt... a little of how lonely you are. I know loneliness. My life is a solitary one. Being alone is the most terrible burden; you don't have anyone else to help you carry it."

She breaths deep, savoring his scent.

He was always worried that people would be offended by his smell.

But Reassa things he smells nice.

She leans back, looking into his eyes, her nose inches from his.

"I thought maybe with each other, we can both carry each other's burden. Just for tonight."

Then... she waits. Will he accept her advance? Reassa really hopes so. It would be good for both of them.

[Earl of Purple]

Tidepools

The ring that is the serpent swallowing its tail has no effect, and doesn't change size to fit the wearer. The other ring, with the four-leaf clover, that one does have a magical effect. When it's worn, the ring makes her luckier. It does this by 'stealing' her luck from the future, so when it's removed she will become commensurately unluckier. And to make matters worse, it does change size, and whilst it fits now, it will eventually slip off her finger and get lost forever.

The mirror doesn't reflect Seraphina, instead there's someone else where she should be. Specifically, an old and stately looking male elf, with silver hair and bright gold eyes. It copies her movements, and behaves as a reflection does, but it's not her.

[Deathkeeper]

Chilly Forest

Krayger takes a deep breath. He was burned too badly the first time to give her what he thinks she wants. But...
Just spending a night close to someone is something he thinks he can do.
"That sounds nice."

[Rebonack]

[Chilly Forest]

No.

Not what she would really like.

But?

Reassa leans to one side and gives Krayger a kiss on the cheek.

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

The next morning the blizzard has ended and the sun is busy melting the newly fallen snow. Getting back home will be easy enough. Reassa is gone, having slipped away some time in the night.

Not without a trace, though. A little note has been left behind.

Meet me here again some time.

[5a Violista]

[Tide Pools]

Seraphina isn't really using the mirror to look at her face, only her hand, so she doesn't notice the face of the elf at first. She just figures there's a weird filter over it.

Seeing the four-leaf clover ring perfectly fit her smallest finger, Seraphina feels disappointed. If it fits her pinkie that well, it won't even come close to fitting her other fingers. She turns towards the two sisters and calls out, "Hey! Do either of you have small child-sized hands?" She takes off the clover ring and holds it up as a demonstration. "I found a really pretty ring but it only fits my pinkie and pinkie rings are kinda trashy."

She moves the snake ring to her right hand ring finger, though, because it should fit there. Maybe a little large, but it's fine.
"Also I don't have any piercings so these earrings won't work for me. Either of you have pierced ears?" She obviously chooses to not mention the tooth necklace or the weird figure because they look really tacky.

She looks down, to grab the earrings in case one of them wants them.
Looking down, she spots her reflection in the mirror, and that it's an elf. "Also! Either there's a man trapped in this mirror, or it has a really good filter."

[Purple Eagle]

Spoiler: Rolling Hills

Show

[Rolling Hills]

A whole bunch of chunks just abruptly blip out of existence when Selekhael blasts the fae. Even more as Zabb and Arukhael blast away at it!

And then Lapis fires her SHAPE CANNON.

A coherent beam of clashing, jittering, vibrating energy slams into the buggane, causing it to begin warping and snapping and contorting as the anti-regeneration effect further amplifies the potent weapon. Now too busy just trying to remain upright, the buggane is showered with more and more projectile fire until it explodes in a shower of mud.

*BLORCH!*

"Excellent work, Aspirants!" the Servant announces. "If this is your first time in the tutorial you will all be rewarded with a Perk Point! To spend your Perk Points, focus on your reliquary. While doing so, you must empty it. This will present you with the list of Perks you are currently qualified to purchase. Remember Aspirants! Perks always come in sets of four which must be purchased sequentially with each new Perk adding greater power! Choose wisely."

Rolling Hills

Selekhael focuses on her... Reliquary? That's the feeling of fullness, right? Ah, and those little motes of power must be her trait points. All three of them. She focuses on them, and is surprised to see a list of traits appear. She cycles through them. Oh, that seems useful. And she can think of a few places in the last adventure where she could've used that. But what about the third one? She puts a point into her spread gun, and holds it out as it changes shape, becoming heavier and longer, a proper cone weapon. Now she shouldn't have as many problems hitting things far away. Her next point goes into her speed. She feels her muscles tense in readiness. She could give a nice burst of speed out of those, and she should be a little faster all the time too. But that third point. She turns to Arukael. "What would you, uh, recommend I get?"

[Rolling Hills]

"Yay, we did it!" Zabbaiel declares once the buggane is down, hugging Lapis. He reaches to hug Selekhael but thinks better of it. Since he has neither a perk point nor reliquiary, he spends his time looking over at Selekhael to try and get a glimpse of this reliquary.

"Your system's fun, Lapis."

[Rebonack]

[Rolling Hills]

The reliquary is really more an abstraction than a physical thing, so seeing it is pretty tricky.

You know what isn't tricky, though?

Hugging Lapis!

She embraces Zabb right back. "I know it's really exciting I love it!" Lapis agrees. "Oooh and that was just enough for my fourth perk! Oh no what should I get..."

Sounds like she's waffling a bit here.

"I know I want more swording perks but I don't know which one," Lapis says as she stows her GIANT BACK TURRET. She used it like she was supposed to but YUCK! Guns are lame. "I've already got Hero's Sword1 and Burning Spear1 and Searing Shield1. That big ugly faerie was REALLY tough so maybe I should get Drillbreaker1 to use on big tough things? But Hero's Sword2 sounds really neat and Burning Spear2 would let me hit more bad guys."

Poor Lapis there are so many choices!

Arukhael, meanwhile, gives a little shrug. "It really depends on what you want to be able to do. I've been focusing on bolstering my sphere invocations. Back when I was human I always wanted to be able to use my magic to actually help people and now I can. So I've been filling in a set of traits that improve ALL my invocations first. Once I've finished that I'll start getting more specialized ones."

He offers Selekhael a sheepy smile. "So what DO you want to do?"


[Tidepools]

"Um... no? I have n-normal sized hands," Lambslaural replies.

"We're just about done with the boat! Oh wowie I'm so excited this is going to be great!" Snapdragon dithers.

Sure enough, the boat is coming along nicely!

It's more like a large canoe than a raft, which is nice. Less likely for water to come sloshing over the side and get them all wet.

"Huh?" Snap grunts when trinkets are brandished at her. "No? No pierced ears here. Just great big swively deer ears."

She swivels her ears by way of demonstration.

"You ready to go check out the crab?"

[bc56]

Rolling Hills

Selekhael thinks about it. "I, uh, want to help people, but, uh, I don't want to hurt anyone if I can, uh, help it." Suddenly she's searching rapidly through the perk list. "I, uh, know what I want now." There it is. Open Heart 1. Use the Id Sphere to create a temporary aura of peace around you, calming aggression and lessening violent emotions. That seems like exactly the thing. That means in the end, she took Cone Gun 1, Speed Boost 1, and Open Heart 1.

Eao, on the other hand, knows exactly what she wants, and she grabs it immediately. Weapon Versatility 1. Once per scene, switch loadout instantly. She's not sure what a scene is, but she likes switching weapons to deal with all sorts of situations.

[Morty]

[Journey to the Center of the Elves]

"Yes, Speaker, I do apologize for the intrusion. But they say they've heard... the tale. The one we cannot speak outside these- yes. We will call for more guards and stand watch."

The guard's voice nears until he eventually emerges from the door of the spire and takes a suspicious look at the trio.

"Come in," he says, as he moves to take a position behind them, as do other guards arriving. Their spears and bows are ready in a way that makes it quite clear what's happening... someone doesn't want the HALO team going anywhere they're not supposed to. When they come in, they will themselves in a circular room at the base of the spire. The walls are adorned with paintings and drawings of birds and dragons, as well as totemic sculptures and effigies. In the middle sits a female elf, with a strangely ageless appearance. Her hair is silvery white, pulled into a tight braid, and her eyes are covered with a cloth. She's wearing a covering light blue dress adorned with patterns and pictures.

"Travellers from a faraway land, coming to us with the tale we fear most," she says, looking up at them through covered eyes. "At whose behest, I wonder. I do wish you hadn't been met with a talkative official who seems to have panicked at the mention of it."

[Chaotic Bob]

A Brisk Afternoon Run

G’nichi is starting to feel a little tired, but he’s still not winded.
By Bahamut being huge and fit is great. He should have gone on that quest years ago.
”Does this town have a name?” he asks the lady, politely not commenting on the regrettable state or repair it‘s in.
Or the spooky graveyard.

The graveyard is only mostly spooky! In the usual graveyard way, not the "definitely haunted by ghosts after 10PM" way. Probably.
Who can say?

G'nichi's sword seems to be projecting a sense of being ill-at-ease, but still with no degree of specificity behind it.

The woman straightens herself out after catching her breath and lightly resumes moving onwards. Their path is the obvious one here, down the road and towards the houses.
"Ah, this part of town is Gerusasa. The snobs all live over in Omoshin."
She doesn't elaborate on that too far before they clear enough of the trees to get a better look at the little village.

It is very, very little.

The entire village seems to be predominantly in this one large clearing in the surrounding forest, amounting to just over a dozen buildings.
Most of them look to just be rather poorly-looking homes, single floor without any windows and simple doors. There are two larger buildings towards the center of the clearly, one a round, two-story building with double doors, and the other one that looks like a small temple, ringed by a basic wooden fence.

This road coming from the graveyard leads straight towards the bigger buildings and heads off into the trees on the opposite end of the clearing. The homes themselves seem to have no actual paths leading to or from them.

There does not appear to be anyone outside, at the moment.

"Tada. Home, sweet crummy home."
She gives a very half-hearted presentation gesture with one hand, a wry smile on her face.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Brisk Afternoon Run]

Oh, dear. This seems like the exact sort of settlement that the Temple would be sending alms to. G'nichi should speak to them and see if he can't get a box of supplies sent here to help them through winter.
"Well, I don't want to impose on anyone. Do you think the mist will let up in the next few hours? I wasn't planning on stopping at all until I ran into you. Is this sort of thing normal?"
Because it certainly does not FEEL normal. In fact. something feels very wrong, and he doesn't even need the sword to tell him that.

[Purple Eagle]

[Rolling Hills]

Whatever Lapis chooses, Zabb knows it'll be great, and he encourages her as such, patting her back encouragingly.

And then Selekhael says those words, which increases Zabb's opinion of her. There's a time for smiting and a time for peace, after all!

Until the next phase comes, there isn't much he can do. Thus, he busies himself chatting with Uriel through their shared link. She's learning of all the cool things he's seeing!

[Earl of Purple]

Tidepools

Now she's holding the ring and waving it around, it seems bigger. Maybe she should try it on another finger, just to be sure it won't fit.

The elf in the mirror continues copying whatever Seraphina is doing, behaving as a reflection would. Possibly a filter, then? If she looks the reflection in the eyes at any point, she'll be tempted to tell the mirror her name.

[5a Violista]

[Tidepools]

Nah, Seraphina knows how this works. It's probably curved on the inside so it just looks bigger when it's off your finger. It's a style thing, she supposes. To make it look like you're wearing a too-large ring. She's not going to fall for its deceptive looks, though. As a children's ring, it would still look trashy on her pinky, especially since the 'wearing a too-large ring' look would make it look even more childish. Since it obviously wouldn't fit either of their hands too, there's no point in keeping it, and just puts it back, and puts the earrings back as well since nobody here has pierced ears.

At one point, she does catch the reflection's eyes (it's hard, since the hood obscures most accidental glances at the mirror from seeing eye-to-eye), and feels the temptation, but...
She glances over at the two sisters. C'mon: it would be completely inappropriate in every conceivable way to just say that name when others are around. Or even if others could be around. The temptation isn't nearly strong enough to get her to break a promise just like that.
Seraphina puts the uselessly tacky and/or ill-fitting jewelry back into the case. "Yeah! I'm ready," she calls back. She then puts the jewelry case and the novelty mirror back into the box so that they don't get lost: giant crab is more important than poorly-fitting jewelry, anyway. "Just going to leave this all here in case you want to look through it when we get back!" At least she got a cool snake ring out of it, though. And a fork, too.

She looks at the ground and picks up a rock, then stands and jogs back over to Snapdragon and her sister. On the way there, she tries to use the rock to straighten out the bent fork tine.

Once there and the boat is in the water, she hops in it.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Run]

The woman frowns a little at G'nichi's questions. Not in a displeased sort of way, but more...concerned.

"I think...that you should stay for dinner."
Which is not at all an answer to either of those questions he posed.

She makes a gesture towards the two-story building that they are by now very clearly walking towards.
"Before anything else though, I'm Mari.

As they move along, the sounds of voices can be heard from their destination.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Brisk Afternoon Run]

”Um. May I ask why? Is this one of those no-leaving things?”
Because that would be very annoying. He would have cross words for the sword if it didn’t warn him about that.
”And I’m G’nichi in any case.”

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Run]

Mari stops a short distance away from that two-story building, where a man can be heard very loudly grumbling about needing to finish up some crop area, despite "any stupid superstition".

She seems to be mulling over precisely what to say here, before settling on an option.
"Stay for dinner, Sumiye likes making food for guests. The elders will want to know you arrived and...um, well let's just see what they have to say."

There is a Work being performed here and we have walked into it.
The sword sounds a mixture of concerned and annoyed, though the latter seems to be more of a cover for the former.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Brisk Afternoon Run]

Oh.
Oh no.
Now G'nichi understands.
The sword brought him here to do heroics. Despite the fact that he still has no training, almost no equipment, and his sword is naught but a blunt instrument whom does not want to be drawn.
"Ah, so you have Elders? I would be happy to speak to them. And pay for dinner of course." he says politely. This is going to turn into a quest. The least thing he can do is give these poor folk a silver coin for a meal. Though he's not expecting much. At least with his new dragon's stomach he can digest food mammals eat normally.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Run]

I mean, yes, the sword absolutely lured G'nichi away from the bothersome distractions of the city in order to indulge in some good heroics.
Though it was probably looking for something different than what looms...

Mari waves away the thought of paying for dinner, in a way that will probably be explained better as they walk into that two story building.

As she pushes open the door, the smell of cooking meat and vegetables (potatoes and corn, maybe?) rushes out, and the voices inside hush.
The interior is something like a very small cafeteria or a shabby parlor, with a few long tables arranged near other, while a bartop counter runs along the far wall. There's a simple kitchen setup there, with some sort of stove and sink arrangement, where a pleasant older woman with short black hair is stirring something in a pot.
A younger man with glasses who looks to be in his late teens is nearby pulling plates and cups from a cabinet.

Seated at the tables are six other individuals:
A very muscular man with an annoyed look, short brown hair, and rather functional looking worker's clothes.
Across from him is a somewhat frightened looking gray-haired elderly woman in too-big robes.
The next table has two other teens, in the form of a punk-style "biker girl" with a bored expression and a boy in a private school uniform who seems to be excitedly performing complicated shapes with a string wrapped around his fingers.
At the far end of their table sits a nebulously aged woman in a priestess' robes, long black hair covering most of her face while she seems to be praying.
The last table is solely home to the only non-human in the room, a light-green skinned elvish man, staring pensively towards the priestess.

All eyes but the boy with the string's immediately snap over to the door, as Mari throws it open and loudly declares:
"The prodigal daughter returns! Also guest!"

[Deathkeeper]

[A Brisk Afternoon Run]

G'nichi waves sheepishly as he is introduced so casually. He really wishes that this woman would just explain what's going on. "Hello."
He steps in and finds a spot for himself. With no small amount of pleasure does he note that he looks bigger and stronger than the muscular fellow, who would have completely dwarfed him only a few weeks ago.
G'nichi isn't expecting any seats made with folks with tails in mind, but he'll make due.

[Chaotic Bob]

[A Brisk Afternoon Run]

The seats in here are benches, predominantly, though there are some chairs against the walls for use if people want them. This is probably easier for G'nichi anyway.

There are a mix of responses to his and Mari's entrance.
The woman at the kitchen area pauses, then says something to her helper who grabs another set of dishes from the cabinets. They both politely wave.
After a quiet moment of schooling his features into something more neutral, the muscular fellow gives a small little nod their way in greeting.
Further alarm colors the elderly woman's face.
"Mari, why would you bring an outsider here now of all times?"
"Didn't bring 'im, just met down at the river. He looked lost."

This statement seems to make her look even more alarmed.

The priestess doesn't really react at all, past a very slight shifting of her head, not seeming willing to break from her prayer quite yet.
Opposite of this, the elf looks straight at G'nichi in a peculiarly unblinking sort of way and smiles just a little bit, approvingly.

Which is all fairly tame and orderly, up until those two teens react. The boy with the string bounds up out of his chair to go rush a hug in on Mari, yelling something about "learning new tricks" whereas the girl is chasing, yelling about "acting cool" and "not making a big scene". There is no regard for this whatsoever, as the boy quickly rotates around a rather amused Mari to stare up at G'nichi, poking and prodding at his legs.
"Whoooooa, you're like a pair of walking tree trunks!"

[Deathkeeper]

A Brisk Afternoon Run

G'nichi is quite sure all these people have their own reasons for reacting these ways and also that he will probably never know any of them with how this day has gone.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his glasses so he can actually see the people close to him. The boy prodding his legs will discover that under the dragon-fellow's jeans are legs that are exactly as muscular as he expected.
"Oh, well thank you. It took quite a lot to get them that way." And that's not a lie, just not suggesting what you might expect. G'nichi slips out of his thick outer shirt and his bag's strap so he can properly set them down. And maybe so he can show off his arms in his tank-top. But he will be keeping the sword over his shoulder. It's an extra set of senses if nothing else.

[Rebonack]

[Tidepools]

Honestly the tide pools are mostly an afterthought at this point.

The important part is CRAB!

Lambslaural will step up into the boat first and offer a hand to help Seraphina up. The gaiad is surprisingly strong for how slender and petite she looks. Probably has something to do with being a minor goddess. Once their friend is in the boat Snapdragon will shove it out into the water and SPRIOINK! into the boat herself. It rocks a little when she lands aboard, but it manages to stay upright.

She's so excited!

She grabs the oar she and her sister and made and begins rowing.

"SO! Rings and earrings and some other stuff. I'll check it out when we're done checking out the crab and OH MY GOSH this crab is looking bigger the closer we get! How are we even going to get up on top of it?" Snap rambles.

"I... um... I could probably make a rope?" Lambslaural offers.

Approaching the crab helps to really drive home just how absolutely inanely huge it is. Why DO crabs come in that size? Maybe they'll be able to find out once they reach it.

"You know, I don't have pierced ears but if those hope earrings are big enough I bet I could just slip them onto my ears," Snap ponders aloud. Her ears are pretty big. Comes form having deer ears.


[Rolling Hills]

"Congratulations, Aspirants!" the Servant announces. "You have completed the basic tutorial! At any time you may choose to retake the tutorial or participate in one of the more advanced sessions. Farewell!"

Bip.

The Servant is gone along with the putti. Lapis, Arukhael, and those with them will still remain, however.

"Okay! Now that Eao knows how to get perks we should go find those evil robots," Lapis says.

Arukhael quirks a brow. "Evil robots?"

"Yeah they're SUPER bad! They want to take over the whole Nexus or something and we're going to stop them," the little seraph explains.

[bc56]

Rolling Hills

"Yeah! We're going to blow them up and stop them!" Eao enthusiastically says.
Selekhael on the other hand looks worried. "Uh, why weren't we sent back?" She looks around. They aren't trapped in this tutorial place are they? How will she find her way home?

[Earl of Purple]

Tidepools

The fork's tine doesn't straighten easily, but it can be done, if enough force is applied. Otherwise, the box and the mirror remain where they are on the beach, along with the other debris from the crab burying itself.

[Gullara]

Journey to the Center of the Elves

"Looks like we got caught up in quite a situation." Zhareen remarks in a hushed tone as they're ushered away by the guards. "Not bad for a simple excursion, eh Korrina?" She lightly jabs her elbow in her students side. "You should ask Eon for help. He's pretty smart!"

[Journey to the Center of the Elves]

"Yes, Speaker, I do apologize for the intrusion. But they say they've heard... the tale. The one we cannot speak outside these- yes. We will call for more guards and stand watch."

The guard's voice nears until he eventually emerges from the door of the spire and takes a suspicious look at the trio.

"Come in," he says, as he moves to take a position behind them, as do other guards arriving. Their spears and bows are ready in a way that makes it quite clear what's happening... someone doesn't want the HALO team going anywhere they're not supposed to. When they come in, they will themselves in a circular room at the base of the spire. The walls are adorned with paintings and drawings of birds and dragons, as well as totemic sculptures and effigies. In the middle sits a female elf, with a strangely ageless appearance. Her hair is silvery white, pulled into a tight braid, and her eyes are covered with a cloth. She's wearing a covering light blue dress adorned with patterns and pictures.

"Travellers from a faraway land, coming to us with the tale we fear most," she says, looking up at them through covered eyes. "At whose behest, I wonder. I do wish you hadn't been met with a talkative official who seems to have panicked at the mention of it."

[Journey to the Center of the Elves]

Korrina raises an eyebrow at Zhareen. So lighthearted. Does she not notice the tension or does it just roll off her? In any case, she decides not to comment at the moment.

As the elf speaks, Korrina is lifted from the carpet, perhaps by the same force that propels it, and settles onto her feet. It's a tad difficult when she has her hand jammed into the crook of her back to provide some much needed support, but she doesn't intent to display weakness to this person. She'll stand under her own power against any accusations. "We come under our own behest." She breathes out at last, releasing the spirit she'd been holding. Just as before, she seeks insight into the thoughts of those present, t6hough now she fears that she might need it as a warning rather than leverage. "We come only to learn and to understand."

[5a Violista]

[Tidepools]

Seraphina doesn't really need help getting into the boat, but after dropping the rock and putting the fork back in her cloak, she still grabs onto the hand anyway to get in.

If there's any other oars besides the one Lambslaural is using, she grabs it to help row as well. She's not supernaturally strong, but she has rowed through rapids before.

"Don't worry! I'm pretty okay at climbing," she says, raising an arm in a flex to show off (it's not really that muscular...) "so I could probably get up." She's not sure about how easy it is to climb with four feet, though. Goats can do it, but centaurs aren't really known for their climbing skills. They'll just have to find a route they can all climb up. "Maybe you could show me how to use those plum phones and I can put it up there on top of the crab and then give you guys a call."

Hearing Snapdragon's ponderings, Seraphina says, "So not really like earrings but more like ear rings?" She overemphasizes the space between the two words. "I totes should have brought them, then."

[Rebonack]

[Tidepools]

"YES!" Snapdragon laughs. "Ear rings! Exactly!"

She seems to think this is hilarious and laughs some more for good measure. Lambslaural giggles a little, too, but it's mostly a 'yay I'm participating' sort of giggle.

Before long our heroes will reach the really really big crab and it's time to get to work! There really isn't a hand way to get up there, so Lambslaural has spent the ride over making a grappling hook! Sturdy vines with an ironwood hook at the end. But that crab is SO TALL there's no way she could toss it all the way up there, right? It would be like tossing a hook all the way up the Cliffs of Insanity!

But she does it.

She totally does it.

Just SHOOOOM! off it goes.

There was probably some magic involves.

One end of the rope is tied to the boat so it doesn't drift away while they're exploring the crab island.

"Yeah! Alright let's go!" Snapdragon says as she grabs the rope with her human hands and braces her hooves against the crab! With the way she's spreading her toes out they seem to be getting a pretty good grip on the crab's surface. Then up she goes!

Wow.

This is going to be a long climb.

"Umm... you're s-sure you can make it up there?" Lambslaural asks Seraphina. "N-not that I'm saying you're weak or anything."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Flowers]

"It seems as though if it's possible, it would be best for the both of you... And I did do a bit of searching while you were away. I think that I might know a way," Vivi says, but doesn't quite elaborate yet. "But your situation is uniquely complicated... And I think perhaps we should have Sylvess' mind analyzed by some sort of professional before we proceed. You are... something. Something special. It is best if we understand strictly what that is before I try to offer solutions."

[Forest of Flowers]

"Well, Spako did have Sylvess talk to a professional and that- that sort of helped?" Sort of helped, sort of didn't help. It depends if you consider less voices to be a good thing when Lucy is one of those voices. "It was how we sort of came to an agreement about what Sylvess needed for his relationship with Spako, a-and to have...eggs."

"I really don't know if there's anything special about me, though, Vivi. I had to remind myself a couple of times that I don't want to go away."

[5a Violista]

[Tidepools]

Seraphina was expecting they might have to do freeclimbing or lead climbing or something like that. Just tossing the grappling hook all the way up there is definitely not what she was thinking of. You'd have to be insane to even try throwing it up that far instead of sailing around for a better spot.

She opens her mouth.

She watches it sail up.

She closes her mouth.

After Snapdragon starts ascending, Seraphina grabs on to the rope. She doesn't start climbing yet, just in case the hook at the top isn't in a completely solid position and adding her own weight to it would dislodge it. Plus, she doesn't want to make it sway more by having two people climbing at the same time. She watches for a bit.
Gesturing up with her head, she says to Lambslaural, "If she can do it, then I can probably do it too."

She looks up to see how Snapdragon's doing. Once it looks like it's far enough up that she starts to level out more, Seraphina quickly dries her hands off on her cloak and starts climbing. "Besides," she calls down, "if I slip, you'll catch me, right?"

She climbs...okay. Decently. She has climbed things before and can definitely lift her own body weight relatively easily - not that that's really saying much, but...she can still do it. The only problem is that, since she's climbing upwards, gravity pulls her hood down and because she needs both hands and both feet to climb (sometimes on the crab, sometimes on the rope) she can't put it back up until she's at the top. It's okay, though. She doesn't have any disfiguring scarring or whatever that you'd expect from someone who wears a hood like that; it's just short red hair and a kind-of androgynous face, and freckles. Not really a big deal. Probably just easily sunburned or something.