felldenlogs | Harvest Time! [OPEN]

Harvest Time! [OPEN]

WHO: Hoju & you!
WHAT: Various and sundry harvest-y activities. Also probably bandits.
WHERE: Moon Territory, but may venture around neutral territory if any star folks care to meet him!
WHEN: 9/14 - 9/22
WARNINGS: will update as needed!

1.Hunkering Down For the Winter

When he had ventured into the fields outside of the Moon Temple and town limits to assist with the harvest, this had not been Hoju's expectation. Then again, given all the small tasks he's done for various hamlets and small villages, this is not the strangest.

He sees a farmer struggling with a board in the wall of his home, the plank clearly old and beset with rot. It pries away in pieces. With a gentle voice, he offers to help. Dressed in a scholar's robes, Hoju may not look much the carpenter, but with that kind of size, he can at least do some manual labor, right? "I have some skill with carpentry," he promises, as they clear the rest of the board away, and lift a freshly planed plank in its place. Several more await on the ground for further repairs- and this house is not the only one in need of strengthening against the coming winter.

Hoju motions to someone close by, as he reaches up to nail the piece against the upper supports. "Would you mind holding the bottom in place, just there?"

2.Who Needs A Ladder?

There are crops aplenty that need plucking and pulling, but most are well in hand by this point. Much of what remains among the orchards are those fruit in the higher branches, either not yet ripe when the rest of the tree was picked, or because there are only so many ladders to go around. Sure, he can't reach the tops of some trees, but the higher branches, at least.

He reaches over someone struggling to reach a fruit, plucks it, and offers it with a smile. "Here we are. Mind if I join you? Mayhap we'll get more done betwixt the two of us." He motions to his own basket, not yet half full.

3.Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen (But We Could Use Some Vegetables Chopped)

It's probably for the best that they don't let Hoju near anything that requires actual seasoning. While he could technically make food, one wouldn't actually say that the Roegadyn is 'able to cook', per se.

Chopping and peeling vegetables, though, that he can do. Despite using a larger knife for the chopping, it still looks almost comically small, given how large his hands are. And as for peeling- you could barely see the knife at all. Both are somewhat slow going, given how infrequently he's in a kitchen (and for the better, really).

Give him a hand?

4.Other Options! / Wild Card!

(feel free to write a starter for these, or ask me to write one for you! To plot, you can pm me on this account or reach me at ricorori)
a. Hoju will be out in the fields or in the kitchens most of the week, though may also venture closer to neutral territory for other reasons. If your character sustains a small to moderate injury, whether from bandits or a paring knife or otherwise, feel free to approach him or have him notice and offer healing!

b. Hoju won't be seeking out bandits on his own, but if they show up, he'll certainly come to the defense of the farms and any otherworlders.

c. Having figured out that practicing his magic is causing him to regain his strength in it, Hoju will be working on that in the training grounds nearest the Moon Temple. If you'd like to spar against a magical partner, or learn from him, now's your chance!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[In the two weeks since their arrival here, it seems like there's been little to do but train. Without active combat to use her magic in, getting it back has been an exercise in frustration and pounding sand. Considering that l'Cie magic can tear the roof off a house that's probably for the best, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating when her thrown fireball only rocks the target instead of knocking it over into a burning mess.

For first fireballs, smoldering would be good! For someone who's used magic as long as she has, it's not. With a soft "tch", she turns away.]

Dammit.

[Even learning to use it the first time was easier than this. Crossing her arms over her chest, she scans the training ground. Hoju has been impossible to miss--even Snow wasn't that tall--and seems to be having similar problems to her. Just one more thing to hate about this place.]

No luck either, huh?

[ Hoju turns his attention to the woman at his side, and offers her a faint, sympathetic smile. ] A bit more luck now- though, at the first, it was little and less 'luck'. It would seem we are not the only ones.

I do not know if being brought here weakened us, or our magic labors to operate under the laws of this world.

[ He glances to the smoke that wisps from the nearby target, then looks back to Lightning. ] Have you been working on yours much?

When I can. There hasn't been much time.

[Too busy exploring the lands, getting a feel for this world that'll be their home for the foreseeable future. Whatever her thoughts on the Priestess and her ilk, they're here to stay for now. Better to know where she'll be fighting than be taken off guard...though it does leave her with precious little time for proper training. At least here magic barely gets a second glance. She snorts softly.]

Definitely not enough time to learn how to use this crap all over again. Once was enough for a lifetime.

[ He gestures with a single hand in an agreeable, but 'what can you do' sort of motion. ]

It does not seem to quite so much of a struggle as that. Mine own strengths have returned far quicker than relearning from the first.

Whatever little reassurance that may provide. [ A wry smile that fades shortly after. ] The implication seems we'll have little time for idleness after the feast, so perhaps it best we've begun.

[What can they do? Nothing but train. It isn't as if railing at the ones in charge will get their magics back in proper working order. Still...]

Yeah. [She tosses a hand in the direction of the target, taking small comfort that at least the first level of spells comes easily enough. Blizzard puts out the smoldering target, a burst of chill air ruffling past the pair of them.] Would be just like these people to throw us right into the fighting. Might as well be ready for it.

[ That- was a familiar spell. Although, perhaps it was not so uncommon, ice-aspected magic. He glances to the target, then back to Lightning. ]

Aye, that seems to often be the way of it. [ Hoju is rather used to this, by now.

He tips his head slightly. ] If you're of a mind to train on something a bit more substantial, I offer my skills, such as they are at the moment. [ A small gesture. ] If you find training opposite another magic user agreeable.

[Oh, she's of a mind. In her world, only the l'Cie could use magic. Seeing it used to frequently, so freely, here has made her more than a little curious. And Hoju does look like he can take a hit or two, so maybe...]

Depends. What spells can you use? [A second's pause, then:] Are you a healer or do you use combat spells?

[Cure or Fire, basically. She doesn't want to rush out the gate at a pure healing type!]

Healer by choice, combat by necessity. [ He smiles placidly. ] In my world, I am known by the titles Scholar, and Summoner. Ruin; bio, miasma, and ways to manipulate those two; a handful of offensive summons, and my companion Eos; as well as healing and shielding.

[Jack of all trades, then. She nods slowly, filing away questions for a better time. Ruin, Bio, Miasma. Poison and healing. Not the front lines type, but what choice is there now? Though that does leave her with one pressing question indeed.]

I know combat spells. Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Water, and Aero. [Up does the eyebrow.] Unless you know Shell, I'm not sure throwing those at you is the best idea.

[Not unless he. Really wants to test both his healing and her slippery grasp on her own Cure magic. Gah, this would be easier if she could reach Odin!]

[ So that spell was familiar. Hoju's brows loft above the lenses of his spectacles in surprise. ]

Thaumaturgy and conjury, then?

[ He smiles. ] I know not any spell by that name, though I have mine own shields against blows. You may attack freely, if that is your concern.

[Thauma-what now? That's an. Odd thing to call magic. One more check in the Other worlds are weird column she's been keeping in the back of her mind, and a discussion for another time. For now, she sets her hands on her hips, looks Hoju up and down once more...then nods firmly.]

Right. [Then, a little quieter,] Guess we'll see if your healing's up to snuff, too.

[Hers is. Decidedly on the fritz. Which is a real shame: she'd like that one back, too.]

On your mark.

[ Hoju chuckles. ] I should hope so, for mine own sake if naught else. [ Hero of not one world, but two, and still modest. Either that, or he knows the threat Lightning poses, strength recognizing strength.

He steps back, holding the large book aloft as though at the ready with a weapon. It was a reference, the arcanima he commanded a singularly mathematical branch of magic, but equally a conduit. He did not need it for either, by now, but it helped.

At his side, a summon of green aether bursts into life with a rush of wind. He smiles, though it is different- more serious, and he gives her a single nod to indicate his readiness. ]

[Right. Nothing for it but to try. Push come to shove, she can yank out a few measly Cures, for all the good that'd do. Either way it's practice.

So, for now, she takes a few long strides away from him and calls on the magic in her Brand. Frozen since the day she arrived it's slow to respond, but the flames that come to her palm are steady. Fire was never her strongest spell, but when compared to Thunder it's at least more avoidable. Here goes nothing.

With a few tosses of her hand, she throws out three fire spells in quick succession, followed by a backflip and two more. Swapping between spell types doesn't want to work right now, but that's still five fireballs coming right at him! How's he going to handle this one?]

[ Hoju was trained primarily in healing, and he used it almost as often as his combat magic. They'll be fine, so long as-

Well, so long as he doesn't take the brunt of these fireballs.

Casting shields that could negate damage entirely is not instantaneous, so the summon flies before its master, rather than the scholar trying to evade. With a single, powerful beat of wings, the first fireball is snuffed as though it were no more than a candle flame. Normally, it likely could have handled all five (though were Lightning also at full strength, that might be a different story). Still, it's enough time to cast, and the summon twirls gracefully out of the way of the rest. The next three fireballs beat harmlessly against- well, it almost seems like nothing, save for a green shimmer in the air where they impact a magic barrier. With the last, there is the bizarre effect of what looks like shattering glass that, instead of pieces falling, simply fades.

With the way Hoju's foot slides back for balance, it's clear he took at least some, if not most of the damage of that last fireball. Hoju returns with a volley of unaspected magic, coupled with a burst of direct wind from the summon once again at his side. If Lightning prefers to stay ranged, Hoju will do the same- though if she brings it close quarters... the Warrior is not without his tools. ]

[Lightning chooses to keep her distance, skipping back to avoid the first spell and pushing back to avoid the second. The wind buffets her, pushes her back a step, but rather than try and cast Fire through that she switches tactics before letting loose her next volley of spells. Wind means Aero, which means there's no point going there, but...

Well. She always was good at Thunder and its ilk. Sparks jump between her fingers, crackling like a tempest in a teacup, before she lets them go. One, two, three, flip back and land, four, five. Five bolts of Thunder rushing for Hoju from slightly different angles, with no attempt to close the gap.

This is just practice, after all. She has no need to get in close and make it personal.]

[ The wind summon does considerably less well with Thunder. Unable to repel it, the summon flies higher to avoid the volley, and continue its assault from a position that is currently relatively safe.

The scholar gestures before him, and a dome springs up around him. They do not stop the bolts of Thunder, but they do seem to diminish the strength they have. He moves to avoid the first three this time, the last two dashing against another shield. He allows the summon to do most of the work as he prepares a third shield. The summon directs a wider blast of wind towards Lightning, and Hoju follows it with a stronger cast of unaspected magic. A bit slower, but then, Hoju has much the same mind of it as his opponent: this was to strengthen their magics, not true combat. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Harvest Time! [OPEN]

Magical Training.

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