And it's the stars, the stars that lie to you.

[neverheardofhim]

[This week, Varric opted to take a page from Vanille’s book. Gathering everyone together after the roller-coaster that the first trial had been proved to be somewhat cathartic for himself. He hoped that it would prove to do the same for the others.]

[He wasn’t alone, of course, having found himself blessed with the most ragtag team of chefs and party-planners. He might have had words for and thoughts on Elda and Kimbley, Mikazuki was welcome company, and he wasn’t about to turn away potential allies, even in a fight as simple as cooking dinner.]

[Once everyone’s set to a task, baking a cake, brewing tea, or stirring stew (the only task Varric could think to assign Elda to), Varric excused himself to his room. His first task was writing up cards, each personally titled and signed by Varric.]

Food in the Library. 5 p.m. Don’t spend the night alone.

[Each note was slid under a door and accompanied by a single rap on the wood.]

[With his tasks completed, Varric returned to the kitchen to put out any potential fires and, with luck, set the food out. A table in the library would be adorned with plenty of tea, cake, pancakes courtesy of Viktor, and stew thanks mostly to Varric (sorry, Elda).]

Comments

[oyashiromama]

A-aah-! [She keeps doing that, playing with her. How...so strange.]

Then...I suppose...the Bluemother will appreciate it. I hope.

[She...lets out a sigh, shoulders sinking.]

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda won't do something as stupid as ask Hanyuu if she's okay. And she knows she's hardly comforting at the best of times. That was always something James excelled at. But for Elda's part, remaining leaned in, keeping close(ish, there is still two basins between them and this water is kinda cold-ish) ]

I'm not about to pray to you though, unless you want me to.

[oyashiromama]

H- h-haaa...?!

[The...what, intimacy? Suddenness? Of the moment confuses her and she leans back abruptly, and- ...falls backwards, water and all, with a small shout. She is now a very soggy, very undignified god lying on the ground with her feet in an empty basin.]

Wh-what kind of thing to say is that?!

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda... smiles. In spite of everything else, how exhausted and haunted she is and how much she's allowing Hanyuu to ask for for them to talk about of what came up at the trial, she's instead just laughing at that fall, stepping gracefully, if wetly, out of her own basin and shaking off her (shoeless) feet. Her pants need to washed, but standing over her, a hand on her hip with one hand and the other held out of her ]

You're the goddess of this motley crew, right? Gods don't have equals, but a friend's just that - so unless you're into that praying thing, I'm not going to bother.

[oyashiromama]

[Ohhh...! She lets out a frustrated sigh and then...her face melts into something a little more relaxed. Still sad, but relaxed. She takes Elda's hand.]

I'd...actually much rather prefer being equals. [Is she allowed to admit that?]

[matchbreaker]

God, then we agree.

[ And she yanks up with the offered hand, getting the other woman to her feet and maybe even catching her??? or something. either way, she... ]

Do demons get colds, by the way? If they do, I should probably warm you up.

[oyashiromama]

[Whoa! Alright, Elda is stronger than anticipated, that's actually really appreciated, she doesn't have to like, slip and slide around on the floor.]

We... ...I don't know, I've never been in the position to. [She's always had some kind of technology to keep her healthy when she was physical??]

[matchbreaker]

[ Hmmm....

Hmmm.

She wanted to talk to her in private, and Hanyuu is a Japanese name, and she wears those weird scraps of fabric Japanese clothes, and Japanese people... ]

You're used to bathing with other people, right? Come on, I'll even wash your hair nice and properly.

[ LOGIC???? ]

[oyashiromama]

[ELDA HOLY SHIT-- Hanyuu goes red in the face and promptly, furiously, shakes her head.]

I- I only bathed with one other person b-besides Riku, only one, and I'd known her for months!

[matchbreaker]

Well I've never bathed with anyone besides...

[ James. (and her son, Henry, for what that counts) Her heart contracts.

... And she grabs Hanyuu's arm. ]

So there's a first time for everything, let's go.

[ to try and drag her off..... ]

[oyashiromama]

[It's hard to put your foot down when it's in a puddle of water but you know, she'll try it.]

Oh, no no no, I- besides, we have to clean this up, don't we?!

[matchbreaker]

Yeah, but later, who cares?

[ Still, trying... to tug her...

Tbh this might overbalance them both ]

[oyashiromama]

I-I don't want to leave a mess- and I have to gather the prayers and rites-

[Yeah they're totally falling over]

[matchbreaker]

[ THEY FALL.

Somehow Hanyuu's on top.

Elda yelps as they fall. ]

[oyashiromama]

[This is a comedy of errors.

Hanyuu groans and rolls off- through more water, yep, awesome.]

Why...are you so insistent on this?

[matchbreaker]

[ Well now she's soaked too, uh. And her hair-- ]

Well, now I've got to go fix my hair anyway. [ That's not a real answer... ] And I wanted to talk to you. We bth got beat up in the trial.

[oyashiromama]

[Oh... Well, Hanyuu...sits up, in the water puddle, and thinks for a moment. Then:]

Let me gather the texts Alani left me...and then alright. ...I don't know if those small bathrooms are the best place to have a conversation, though.

[She's fighting it less, but well, practicality's sake.]

[matchbreaker]

We're both small.

[ . . . She's just bing stubborn now. ]

But fine, as long as you let me dry off somehow we can jut do your room.

[oyashiromama]

[No lies, she's grateful for that. Hanyuu lets out a sigh and then carefully collects the documents on the benches, as well as her sleeves, which she'd removed for the meditation in order to keep them dry and, ironically, appear to be the only part of her that is so.]

It's just across the hall, come.

[She'll shower properly later, all she wants is to dry off and get out of these wet clothes.]

[matchbreaker]

Alright, alright, I'm coming.

[ Being in soggy pants is the worst. And honestly! She feels cold down to her feet now, and her dress is clinging to her and revealing that she has absolutely no boobs... It's a whole thing, really. Not to mention her hair. She doesn't want to even think about her hair.

But okay.

She's coming, lead on. ]

[oyashiromama]

[She really is just across the way, though...let's grab a few extra towels from storage, shall we? Better.

Hanyuu's door is slightly ajar, as she...was preoccupied and didn't really shut it earlier. No one's been in here, so it's alright. Her letter from Alani sits on her desk, and she places the notes on top of it.]

Aah... You can dry off in here, just...don't sit on my bed until you are.

[And she'll be wearing her school uniform, which is...a little less awkward to wear this week.]

[matchbreaker]

[ Don't u need to change too???

Oh well, Elda will... Well, she turns away from Hanyuu, but after muttering thanks, she's going to go and strip. The fact of the matter is that she is embarrassed, but she needs to do that and then pat herself down before she's at all warm.

And she needs to pat down her hair even more. Frowning and... ]

I won't. You don't have a good brush, do you?

[oyashiromama]

[OH SMALL MISUNDERSTANDING THERE, as Elda starts to dry off, Hanyuu gathers her school uniform, to change in the bathroom! The question, however, gives her pause.]

A-aah? No, unfortunately. [Her poor hair, she's hand to run her hands through it all.]

[matchbreaker]

You don't?! ... Girl, from here on out you need to borrow mine!

[ She is appalled.

That said, she's going to keep stripping, patting herself down, and once she's content she's mostly okay she's going to wrap herself in a towel (leaving the wet clothes in a pile on the floor) and sit on the bed like that.

Because considerate ]

[oyashiromama]

R-really? You'd let me do that?

[Said through the bathroom door, open just a crack.]

I wouldn't turn down such an offer, thank you.

[She dries herself off...pretty fast, at least, mostly. Her hair, the mountains of it, she has to try going over many times, until she finally just uses a towel as a cape to keep it from dampening her school uniform.

When she's finished, she'll emerge and take a seat on the bed as well, next to Elda but not too incredibly close.]