- 92 [Action]

[fortunefail]

[Action]

[Today began just like any other day for Yuan. It wasn't until he stumbled upon the Malnosso's little 'reminder' that he realized just what today was.

Five years. Exactly five calendar years ago is the day he first arrived here. So much had happened over these past years and he's seen many residents come and go, but here he is. It's not an achievement worth celebrating, that much is for sure, though the Malnosso evidently had other plans. Indeed, much like Albert did a few months ago, Yuan received a gift.

He found it in the bathroom, hanging from the rod that holds the shower curtain and with a bright blue bow around its neck. It was a bit over a foot long and covered in brown fur, with sharp claws. For a few moments, he'd assumed it was some sort of stuffed animal, yet closer inspection proved him wrong. This thing was very much alive and did not seem to appreciate being awoken from its slumber. It gave Yuan something that could almost be interpreted as an annoyed glare, but still refused to budge.

A note lay on the sink nearby. He snatched it up, his scowl only growing more severe as he read it:

"We apologize for being unable to return you to your native reality. Please remember to stay active and ready, unlike your new friend."

What followed was simple instructions on how to take care of a sloth. The note was signed by "the Malnosso", but Yuan knew perfectly well who was responsible for this gift. He snarled and slammed the note back down on the sink, then moved closer to the sloth to assess it again. It was already fully-grown, by the looks of it, and by now it was dozing off again. Much as he was itching to toss the creature out of the house, the instructions informed him that sloths are tropical animals. If he were to move it out into the cold, it would die within a day. He's not that heartless just yet.

There's nothing else for it, then. He'll have to create a more suitable 'habitat' for the beast and hope Kratos won't comment on it. Well, at least it'll be something to keep him from following the sloth's example and sleeping the rest of the week away.]


[Starting early in the afternoon, Yuan can be found moving between house #8 and the general store to fetch assorted items. A few sturdy wooden rods, tools, a small box, a tub of sand... It takes a few trips back and forth to move it all. Once he's got everything he needs, he stops by the flower shop to see if they have any small trees or tree-like flora. It's the leaves that matter.

In the evening, after dinner, he stops by the stables to visit Noishe. As he always does when he visits the Arshis, he takes a seat in a corner of the stable so he can lean back against the wall. Somehow, even relaxing has a tiring effect on him. Thinking back to the days when he first arrived in Luceti, he has to admit the Malnosso have a point. He has been growing lethargic.]

Comments

[fortunefail]

[He continues to peer down at the creature, trying to figure out what he's facing and, more importantly, what it wants. Its face isn't exactly expressive and he has no clue what the musical notes mean. Does it want to play...?]

Can you not speak?

[chirpchirp]

[the traveler steps forward when Yuan speaks to it, tilting its head in the other direction. it mimics his speech in tones and song]

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪~?

[fortunefail]

[Another pause follows, before Yuan sinks to his knees before the traveler. He puts the things he's carrying down in the snow, then holds a hand out to the creature to see what happens.]

[chirpchirp]

[it knows what a hand can do and the traveler rushes forward, rubbing its cloth face against Yuan's fingertips. the gold design barely seen beneath the frost covering its red cloak starts to glow faintly and the traveler continues to nuzzle Yuan's fingertips]

♪♪~

[fortunefail]

[The glowing of the cloak is surprising, but the state of the traveler even moreso. Yuan extends his hand a bit further, so the creature has better access to his palm. He's wearing fingerless gloves, so that might be a bit more appealing than just his fingertips.]

... You're freezing.

[chirpchirp]

[it jerks back a little when the hand suddenly moves and startles it, but with the palm shown it rubs its face against that instead. being near someone is nice, especially someone who is so warm. the glowing grows brighter the longer it is in contact with Yuan, although the icy edges around its cloak don't seem to be melting much further. it eventually steps up and huddles against Yuan's legs, bobbing its head as it chirps]

♪♩♪♩♪♩♩♩

[fortunefail]

[Whatever this thing is, it's both very affectionate and very cold. Yuan's still not sure whether it can understand his words or not, but he feels obligated to try.]

Do you want to come inside and warm yourself? My house isn't too far from here.

[chirpchirp]

["house"

it knows this word. people keep telling it to come to "their house" and it never really knows why, but it knows that "house" is warm and house is out of the snow and the cold and the memories of the mountain. it trills and begins to trudge a circle around Yuan, looking for where this "house" is.]

♩♩~ ♩♩~

[fortunefail]

[Hm... The creature seems excited. Yuan will take that as a confirmation, then. With a mild smile, he picks his things up from the ground and gets to his feet again, turning in the direction of house #8. It's still a bit of a walk from the store- they'll have to cross a bridge and everything. He can only hope the traveler is up for that.]

It's this way.

[chirpchirp]

[it stops when Yuan moves to stand up and turns to face him. without contact, its cloak has gone dark again and the ice is creeping back up to reclaim the red fabric. it watches Yuan carefully for a moment and then follows after him, trudging along through the snow dutifully.]

[fortunefail]

[The cloak's response hasn't gone unnoticed and Yuan wonders if this is something to be concerned about. Still, the creature doesn't seem to be having any trouble walking. He'll just watch it from the corner of his eye so he can step in if something happens.]

[chirpchirp]

[the snow is much harder to move than sand, but the traveler trudges on behind Yuan, trying to keep up. it's difficult since he has a longer stride than it does simply by virtue of being human, but it tries. every so often it ruffles its cloak, trying to slough off some of the snow and chirps to Yuan to let him know it's still there and still walking with him. it doesn't mind the walk, but the longer they go, the slower its steps and the icier its cloak becomes.]

[fortunefail]

[For half the trip, Yuan is content to let the creature walk by itself, in hopes the exercise will keep it warm. However, it seems that the longer they walk, the colder the traveler is becoming and by the time they've crossed the bridge, Yuan comes to a stop. He turns and sinks to his knees again, placing the box of sand in front of him and patting it with one hand.]

Hop in.

[chirpchirp]

♩~?

[it's confused at first, then it sees the snow and flops over into it, glad to feel something familiar for the first time since winter set in. being made of cloth, the traveler doesn't weigh much and it kicks its legs happily as they hang over the edge of the box. sand~ glorious sand~]

[fortunefail]

[Pleased that the traveler understood his intentions, Yuan can't suppress another mild smile. He continues on his way, careful to hold the box steady as he walks. At this rate, they should reach the house in a matter of a few minutes.]

[chirpchirp]

[the sandbox is nice. it wonders why there are not more boxes of sand around and why the sand is covered by icy snow at all. this isn't a mountain so snow shouldn't be here!!

but this is nice. it eventually stops kicking its legs and lies still in the box, face pressed against the sand, and its icy scarf nearly frozen against its back. it won't move or make another sound until they near the house and only then when it feels the warmth from inside radiating out from the building.]

[fortunefail]

[The moment they reach the house, Yuan has to put the box down so he can open the door. He could've attempted to shift it under one arm, but he'd rather not risk dropping the contents all over his porch, so this will have to do. Once the way into the house is clear, he lifts the box inside with both hands and shuts the door again with his elbow.

Where to leave the box... He'll just set it on the floor near one of the heaters, for now.]

[chirpchirp]

[WARMTH

the traveler lifts its head when it's brought into the house and then lays back down in the sand before the heater. this magical device is making the snow outside seem like nothing but a memory and it doesn't want to move again until all the ice has melted away. it doesn't take long, however, and once the crystals give way to deep red cloth again, the traveler pops up and buries itself sitting up in the sand, looking around for Yuan]

♪？　♪♪　♪～

[fortunefail]

[Yuan had planned to use the box of sand as a litterbox for his new pet, but he doubts there's much of a hurry. According to the instructions, sloths only come down from their branch to defecate once a week and he's fairly sure that won't be any time soon. He has no problems with letting the traveler use it a while longer.

However, it won't stop him from keeping busy around the house. After making sure the creature was comfortable, he'd moved into the guest room to continue work on the sloth's habitat. When his enhanced hearing picks up on the traveler's musical notes, he strides back into the living room to check up on it.]

Oh, you're feeling better?

[chirpchirp]

[SAVIOR

the traveler chirrups and climbs to its feet, the sand sloughing off it easily. it stamps about in the box for a moment, turning in circles before it looks to Yuan again. how can it say thank you??]

♪♩♪♩♪♩♩♩♪♩♪♩♪♩♩♩~

[it jumps out of the box and runs over, wanting to flop against his leg]

[fortunefail]

You're an excitable little creature, aren't you?

[Still, it's strangely endearing. He sinks down to his knees to hold out a hand for the traveler again. At this point, he'd rather pet the little guy than have it flop around near his legs.]

[chirpchirp]

[whoa hand! it stops when the hand comes out, taking a moment to recognize what it is. then the traveler steps forward and rubs its cloth face against Yuan's fingertips again. thank you for saving it, tall blue person!!]

♪♩♪~

[fortunefail]

[At this point, it dawns on Yuan that he's thankful Kratos isn't home. He has a suspicion his housemate would never let him hear the end of this. As it is, there's nothing stopping him from letting the creature rub its face against his fingers a bit longer.]

If you can't bear the cold, you should be seeking refuge somewhere. [He still doesn't know if the traveler can understand his words or not, but he'll give advice in the offchance that it can.]

[chirpchirp]

[but this is not home and home is outside; even if it is cold now. the traveler understands, but it can't communicate back so it rubs its face against Yuan's fingers and palm and then runs off to go climb on the furniture. furniture yay! from here it can turn and look out the foggy windows, peering out quietly at the snow outside.]

[fortunefail]

[Hm. There's no way to tell if he got his point across, but ultimately it doesn't matter. As long as this creature sticks around near the village, he's sure plenty of residents will take pity on it and lead it towards shelter. For a moment, he stops to wonder if he should attempt to feed it. It doesn't seem to have any kind of visible mouth.

After lingering in the room for a while longer, he decides to head into the kitchen and make himself a sandwich regardless. Perhaps the creature will respond to the appearance of food, if it does indeed eat.]