trulygifted | • IC INBOX

yo nico
we got a problem

[ Because he absolutely is that kind of guy that suddenly texts you, after not giving the sign of life for over a month ]

hey specks, how's your magitech career going, found something?

( It's a few weeks before Nico is able to chase up the invitation she extended towards Hubert a few weeks prior. To be fair, no one could have predicted the upheaval that would tear its way through Aefenglom, but now that things are returning to some semblance of normal? What better way to keep spirits lifted than to follow through with her idea. She arranges to meet Hubert a couple of hours before opening one Friday night— )

Hey, you made it!

( And she's pleased to see him, even if he isn't exactly what she'd call a familiar face just yet. Nico can't help it: it takes a lot for her to forget a person, and she's one of those naturally friendly types. Befriending odd, taciturn men is becoming a specialty of hers. )

C'mon in. Welcome to Worse Dragon.

( She isn't on shift yet but she's dressed up in her work attire: a wine-red velvet bralette with gothic-looking lace around the edges, and a pair of tiny black shorts offset by ... a toolbelt? Yes, it's a toolbelt, and if Hubert's the observant type he might notice a few dark smudges of oil rubbed into her fingers. After closing the door behind him she gestures for him to have a look around: )

Don't be shy now, feel free to have a look at the merchandise. You're gonna be workin' with some of it if we come to an agreement, after all.

[Attached is a picture of a straight-sword, one that Nico will undoubtedly… not recognize, but Sephiroth can’t be sure until he tries. He doesn’t like that the burden to find this sword’s owner is on him, not when the mistake of mismatched deliveries had not been his own; but here he is, anyway, trying all those who might feasibly recognize a blade. Nico, with her talent in weaponcraft, is a logical person to ask.]

Is this yours? Or do you recognize the blade?

[If there are certain subjects that are being blatantly ignored, or otherwise subtly stepped around as though they do not exist, it’s going to be acted upon the same way right now. It’s fine, everything’s fine. The issue at hand is this mystery sword.]

[Sephiroth's lived in the city of Aefenglom for the stretch of a year, but a years’ worth of time is still not enough to deprive him of an array of firsts. In all its festivities and warm traditions, doled onto him through the natives, this winter holiday provides him with another: a scavenger hunt, a paired activity for the sake of entertainment, and curious prizes for the winning. He would not normally participate—for since when does Sephiroth ever seek “fun” outside of the clashing of steel?—but he’s made an exception for Nico. To deny either of them of the experience would make him a hypocrite, painting his previous confession of wanting to do more than just work, than just missions, a moot point. And it had been a sincere sentiment, too; the result of which meant that minimal arm-twisting was required to sign him up.

He finds himself wondering this is not just more work under a thin guise of entertainment, however. A hedge maze may pass a novel amusement, but pinning down a Neeklur at its heart and clasping a collar around the animal's neck feels only like research, though he supposes that Nico would not mind it terribly. They move through the hedges—tall and thick and tangled with leaves—at a brisk pace, fighting against the ailing sunlight as the afternoon slides into the shadows of dusk.]

We’ve been this way before.

[He says, knowing that it must be true, despite this upcoming turn being different than the last — a left instead of a right. He wonders at the mischief inherent in this hedge maze seemingly alive, if it exists to hinder their journey to the middle, or if it’s an ill-timed inconvenience is based solely on their bad luck.

Still, he’s sure he hears chittering nearby, just like the last time they came this way. Surely they must be close to the center; now if only the maze itself would cooperate.]

[Evening snow was light enough to be negligible, especially with the foot traffic through the stalls. Some merchants and crafters burned low lamps by their wares to take the edge of the cold off while others relied on enchantment; the particularly frugal ones just huddled in thick clothing expecting their customers to do the same.]

[The festivity was a bit much; Hubert looked out of place in any festivity at the best of times, and particularly these last few weeks have seen his polite smiles turned sullen during the high points and sour during the lowest. Endless cheer and encouragement to spend all time and meals with family and loved ones in the wake of Edelgard's departure was only salt into the magically-worsened wound.]

[That Nico's unrelenting... everything, left little room for wallowing was as exhausting as much it was a boon.]

I hardly see why it is necessary, [Hubert complained as Nico tugged him along by the wrist to whatever stall she'd been chattering about. Cute accessories?] They're animals. They don't care about aesthetic.

[On the day of the holiday, a plate of homemade cookies and a sample of herbal tea mysteriously appears on her doorstep. The wrapping is decorated with a fresh lily flower (actually a Fae magic product, designed to fade away from existence in a few hours) and a ribbon. The attached handwritten note reads as follows:]

Happy Modranicht! Let’s have another great year here in Aefenglom!

M⚜️

text; early july

text; early september

FOR HUBERT.

text; un: sephiroth

scavenger hunt adventures.

Modranicht