realmofstories | A Thousand Sugar Stars, Oh Put Them in a Jar (October Catch-All)

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A Thousand Sugar Stars, Oh Put Them in a Jar (October Catch-All)

Characters: Kotori Iida [Sweet Porridge Girl], Della Duck [Icarus], Master Crane [Crane (Tsuru no Ongaeshi)], Disciple [Jekyll and Hyde], and YOU!
Campaign: Break
Format: Starting with brackets, but will match
One Open, Two Closed
Summary: Kotori comes back from a brief trip home, makes lots of tasty food with people, and wakes up at an ungodly early hour to train. (Oh, also, Hyde happens.)

A. I Looked at the World Through Apple Eyes (Closed to Della Duck and Master Crane)

[Wild and unpredictable as restoring The Little Mermaid had been, Kotori is very, VERY glad the ending turned out happy, with not a speck of mermaid-derived seafoam in sight. Coming back to the Index and seeing the city dressed in autumn colors, though… is it already close to a year since the Storyteller first brought them here? Close to a year since she last saw home… She should fix that.

So after telling a few of her closer friends and asking them to watch her place and let any other Aspects who ask know so no one panics ~~ROXAS~~, she asks the Storyteller to send her home, just for a little while. By Index time, she’s only gone a few days; in Japan, it’d only been a few weeks. It was… weird being back in a completely normal world after spending a year here. Going through school, cooking more with Inuzuka-sensei and Tsumugi-chan, her mom working hard again. Shinobu had even been visiting her during lunch break lately, even if it felt a bit awkward not telling her about cooking with the Inuzukas… or this place, for that matter. The remembered it vividly for a few days, but… then started writing it off as a dream. Huh. The whole business is weird, really, like the time differences, and her feelings for…

But she can think about all that later. The Storyteller brought her back in late at night it seems, and she’s already really tired. One good thing about all her schooling being left at home is that she can sleep in as late as she wants tomorrow. …… Which, if her memories of the Index had been a little fresher, she’d remember as having scheduled a certain meeting with a certain duck. This should be interesting.]

B. And Cut Myself a Slice of Sunshine Pie (Open)

[Between this new routine of cooking sessions with the Inuzukas, her pot’s new shapeshifting ability, the pub’s brand new kitchen, and actually having a recipe collection to work with, and creating the massive feast during the ball, Kotori’s not only started getting used to cooking with other people, she’s actually starting to crave it even more than she had been. So whether she asks you herself, or you ask to come over to practice a recipe (especially for a date coming up~), from late morning to a little bit into the evening, Kotori’s available to make just about anything.

Or maybe you smelled good food inside and decided to invite yourself into this strangely cauldron-shaped pub. (Especially if it involves daikon ~~GOBO~~.) Those in this category might be confused to see that the space is clean and well-kept, if rustic, there doesn't seem to be much of a crowd. In fact, the only person here is a teenage girl, in the middle of cleaning the kitchen in the back, sweeping and polishing the floors and counters up front, or sitting down at the bar for a meal for one, depending on what time of day you catch her.

Still, yes, Kotori’s door is open, so come on in, cook, and eat!]

C. I Danced with the Peanut Butterflies (Closed to Disciple)

[Of course, even with how fun these cooking lessons are, a little quite time in between is always nice. (Not to mention kitchens don’t clean themselves…) So after doing some sweeping and mopping for the day, Kotori’s sitting at the bar counter with a nice, simple dinner with a steaming bowl of nyuumen and a cup of hot green tea. Perfect for a cool, peaceful autumn day like this… ……. Okay but maybe a miniature apple charlotte after this would be nice. After seconds, of course.]

D. Till Time Went and Told Me to Say Hello but Wave Goodbye (Wildcard)

[[Got something in find other than the prompts listed here? Feel free to hit me up on Plurk or Discord so we can plot!]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He hugs her close to him, carefully brushing her hair aside and wiping porridge from her face. He holds her carefully while she collapses, keeping her held together as she breaks down in his arms.]

[Softly, he begins to hum to her, then softly sing a song to her. He lets his magic seep into his voice, just enough to help calm and soothe her.]

[If it were any other time, she'd pull back and stare at him for choosing a love song- a MARRIAGE proposal?! But she's so tired and so close that the magic takes effect quickly, and the words barely register by the time he reaches that fourth line. The fear and the pain slowly surrender to the soothing magic and her natural exhaustion and just being DONE, and it's not long before she starts going limp in his arms.]

[There hasn't been much thought into the song choice; he just knew it was a softer song, something he'd heard the bards sing in town, and one he knew was something that seemed to put others in a good mood. He really just wants to help Kotori calm down.]

[And calm down she does, right to sleep. He lets out a small sigh, running a hand through her hair before pulling out his notebook.]

[He'll contact Naomi, to check Kotori over and make sure she isn't injured... and also to contact Shizuo, let him know about the Hyde situation. What a night...]

[He'll get a message back from Naomi shortly, asking where they were and if they could make it to the apothecary. Otherwise, if they were in a specific location, she could come to them.]

[Geez, it's beginning to get worse, isn't it?]

[The apothecary wasn't too far away, so Roxas messages back, saying he will take Kotori to her. He'll be over shortly.]

[With that, it doesn't take too much for him to scoop up Kotori and, holding her close, carry her to Naomi's. It's not too long before she gets a knock on her door.]

[It's long enough for them to get here that she can make out some cots for the two of them.]

Hurry in. Lay her on one bed and settle in yourself.

[Meanwhile, she's going to shoot a look around. No immediate threats... This would be fine then.]

Okay.

[He nods at Naomi when she opens the door, and he carries Kotori inside. His arms are burning from the effort, but he's gritting his teeth and bearing through it; he wants to make sure she gets the help she needs.]

[He puts her down on one of the beds, and it's only then does he wobble in his step. He'd been working on pure adrenaline, so now that he's gotten a moment to rest, he feels pretty wobbly.]

[Naomi steadies him with a hand on his back before he really falls over, taking a moment to guide him over to the second cot.]

Wait here...

[She of course had potions for this, but she needed to look Kotori over as well.]

Thanks...

[He's grateful for her help in guiding him to the other cot. He lets out a sigh as he lets his posture sag, exhaustion finally seeping into his muscles.]

She... I don't know how many injuries she has. I used my voice to help her calm down, and she fell asleep because of it...

[The worry is pretty evident in his voice.]

Ah, so she's not out due to exhaustion...

[She had been wondering. Her posture wasn't really that of someone who passed out.]

She'll be fine, Roxas. I can treat her, but I need to see the extent of her wounds. I don't want to give her anything too strong.

[It's now that Kotori's eyes begin to flutter, and she wakes up with a quiet moan, the pain starting to overpower the magic and exhaustion.]

Nn... wha...?

[Where is she...?]

Ah, speaking of...

[Turning better towards Kotori, Naomi stands over her head.]

Take your time. Slow breaths.

[Okay, she'll try. At least her breathing isn't labored at all as she lies there, and smoother now that she's not terrified. Still, those are some nasty bruises on one side of her face and her right wrist, and that wrist might have some hairline fractures on the bones. The front and back of her torso will have lighter bruises and abrasions, and a good portion of her body is soaked in rice porridge form head to toe, but aside from that nothing serious.

[Roxas looks over as Kotori begins to stir, and he moves to stand.]

Kotori!

[He rises to his feet and goes to the other side of her bed, letting out a breath of relief. Thank goodness she's awake...]

Roxas, you're supposed to stay in bed.

[He's lucky she can't just transform parts of herself. Well, with her examination done, she'll walk over to her potions. She's concerned about Kotori's wrist in particular, but she would treat the bruising and abrasions first. Once she had gained more consciousness, she would test for a fracture.]

[Kotori blinks at the ceiling for a bit before gingerly sitting up, still favoring that wrist, meeting Roxas's eyes once she's upright.]

Where are we...?

I know, but..! [He frowns at Naomi, a hint of defiance on his face. He's worried for his friend, geez!]

We're at Naomi's potion shop. I brought you here after you fell asleep.

[She sends a look his way.] You don't need to get her worked up. Also, someone was about to collapse after getting here.

[She walks back over, a dark green potion in hand.]

You'll have to drink this, Kotori. It will take care of the bruising and scratches, but I need to examine your wrist after.

[Okay, Kotori knows she probably shouldn't look a miracle cure in the mouth, but... well, she is a very culinary-oriented person. She sniffs the bottle first and... huh, it actually smells really nice and herbal. Bottom's up...

.... Okay, the grass taste isn't the BEST, but at least it's closer to summer grass? And it's not THAT much different from nori or kombu. (Also, Kotori was taught VERy early in life to eat everything on her plate.) It also helps that she's probably a little dehydrated from fighting for her life and then crying.]

Mm. [She downs the bottle in one sitting after that initial flinch at the taste.] Thank you, Naomi-san...

[She turns to Roxas and gives him a medium-depth sitting bow.] Thank you too. I couldn't have made it out of there without you, Roxas-kun...

[He huffs at Naomi, wanting to fight back, but settles for just huffing.]

I know, I know... sorry.

[He watches as Kotori drinks the potion, and gives her a relieved look and a nod of his own.]

Don't mention it. I was just glad to get you out of there...

[He pauses, the frown returning.]

But what set off Hyde? Why was he transformed?

You're welcome... and apology accepted.

[Huffing... yup, he's a teenager.]

[While Kotori and Roxas talk, Naomi will begin examining Kotori's wrist. She was attempting to not use it and the fact the potion did little in terms of healing... yes, that was likely it.]

[It does feel a little better, at least the swelling has gone down- or at least it feels better until Naomi examines it and she needs to flinch- but yes, that might need something a bit more intense.

As for Roxas's question... THAT makes her freeze even more.]

I... I don't know... I think he was... already Hyde when he came... I ran downstairs when he ripped the door off. And then... then he started shoving this bloody bag in my face and whispering in my ear and--

[Yeah, no, she's starting to tense up and hyperventilate again.]

[Oh no. Seeing her hyperventilate like that makes him start, then reach out and rest a hand on her shoulder.]

I-It's okay, Kotori. Hey, look at me. [He moves so he's closer to her.]

He's gone. He's not here. We're safe. You're safe, and he's not going to hurt you.

[Fortunately, it's not a break. A brace would do to hold the fracture while it healed. However, she had to... sigh at the recount that Kotori gives. Hyde - she still hadn't met him, but tact was definitely not something he apparently had.]

[And recalling the details, Kotori was having a panic attack.]

Slow, deep breaths, Kotori. Concentrate on Roxas.

[The hand at her shoulder and the soothing words help a little. She leans into the touch and TRIES to slow her breathing down, but the fear's too strong right now.]

I don't know what to do. What if he comes back for me, he said he-- [sniff!] He was going to kill and... and eat me, I...

[And from what she's heard... who knows if he'll follow through on that.]

A Thousand Sugar Stars, Oh Put Them in a Jar (October Catch-All)

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