- 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

[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.]

[chirpchirp]

[the sound of Yuan moving away, pulls its attention from the window and it turns, curious as to where the big blue person is going. when he disappears into the kitchen, the traveler chirrups and jumps down, running in after him]

♩~!

[only to stop again when it sees Yuan at the counter. oooh what are you doing?? it runs over but it's too short to even see what is up there.]

♪♩？

[fortunefail]

[He pauses when he sees the creature following him, but only for a moment. Then he starts gathering the necessities for a sandwich. Bread, cheese, slices of meat... He picks up a crop of lettuce, peels off a leaf and leans down to place it in front of the traveler. If he had to wager a guess, he'd say it would eat greens, but he knows he could just as well be terribly off.]

[chirpchirp]

[it steps back when Yuan leans down to show it the green thing and pulls its head back, confused. what is this thing? is it another traveler? it looks like a green cloth creature, only very small and...not moving. maybe it's frozen like the creatures up on the mountain!

the traveler throws its head back and sings loudly, sending a bubble of energy out from itself, its rune popping up above its head.]

♩

[fortunefail]

What th-! [Yuan backs away from the traveler instinctively, his exclamation of surprise cut off abruptly when he bumps into the kitchen counter. Still, his eyes are on the bubble of energy and the rune that follows. Of all the reactions he'd expected, this was not one of them.]

[chirpchirp]

[oh, no! the big blue person is running away.]

♪♩?

[it looks up at Yuan and stretches up to try to bring its face closer to the lettuce again. did it work? did the green cloth come back to life???]

♪♩?♬♩♩♬

[it can't seeeeeeeeeeeee]

[fortunefail]

[For a few more seconds, Yuan decides to keep his distance. However, then he notices the creature remains curious about the lettuce. Slowly, he steps forward and moves the leaf closer again.]

[chirpchirp]

[it crowds forward when Yuan lets it see the lettuce again, pushing its face close to the leaf. it isn't moving! D: ]

♬♩♪♩?

[the traveler gently rubs its face against the lettuce for a moment and then pulls back, looking at it. still not moving]

♪♩? ♬♩♬♩♬♩?

[fortunefail]

[Meanwhile, Yuan attempts to gauge the traveler's reaction. It seems confused by the lettuce, perhaps even alarmed. Evidently, it's not going to eat it. Using a very slow pace, he pulls the lettuce back towards himself again.]

[chirpchirp]

[noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! the traveler chirps and sings and strums as it follows after the lettuce step by step. why isn't it waking up? it isn't cold in here! the green cloth should wake up!! or at least sing back like the flower in the desert. why isn't it singing??]

♬♩♬♩♬♩♬♩~!! ♬♩! ♬♩! ♩!♩!♩!♩!

[fortunefail]

[Good lord, what has he started here? If only he could understand what the singing meant. That is, if it has a meaning at all.

Sighing in defeat, he puts the lettuce down on the ground and leaves it there. Attempting to feed this creature was a terrible idea and whatever it wants to do with the lettuce, it's free to do so. Yuan will return to preparing his sandwich.]

[chirpchirp]

[it follows the lettuce when Yuan puts it down, tracing its path with its face. but the lettuce still doesn't move and now the traveler is confused. why won't it move? is it not able to move? is it like the rocks?

when Yuan goes back to making his sandwich, the traveler uses its pointed foot to tap at the lettuce, still confused.]

♬? ♪♩...

[it taps it again and then looks up at Yuan. maybe this green thing is not cloth after all. it gives up and sits down, looking up at Yuan.]