Complete Comms Challenge Once Upon a Whistle

[Lune]

Cycle 1

Receiving the talisman, Lune proceeded to put it inside the pocket of her pants.

"From Ataru, got it."

Passing the lead of the horses to Ataru, she then bid him farewell before leaving to meet the others and resume their expedition.

"We'll be back. Come on Diego, let's go."

Lune pulled Diego who was still petting the calm ram away. He was enjoying the petting way too much.

"Remember what we came here for. Also, you're soon to be a Violet Whistle, so control yourself."

@Chanlye

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Cycle 1

There's nothing wrong with hoping that things get better. Just make sure you don't get depressed if reality doesn't match up to your hopes.

Mizuki didn't see the Moon Fang becoming more hospitable any time soon. Even now they still guarded their territory ferociously and showed little interest in the outside world as anything more than a place to hunt.

The information about the Moon Fang who had actually left Moonfall behind was, however, in contrast with her expectations, which meant that Mizuki now found herself intensely curious. She nodded at the female Sun Claw as she explained what she knew, then turned towards the girl Luthien had already approached.

I'll go ask them then. Thank you for your hospitality.

She smiled at the two of them before walking towards @Luthien and @Yugam, her wolves following closely behind her. Given that the elf was already addressing the little one Mizuki would wait to see whether the archer could make her open up.

@Chanlye

 

[Luthien]

Cycle 1

”You can join, but weren't you at the new years celebration?”

"Mhmm, and that shrine was a sight to behold… but I’ve never visited the nearby villages or seen their own local shrines."

A pity really now that she thought about it, and the ranger couldn’t help but make a mental note to herself to try and get out there and explore again… once things back in Finweald and the League were better, at least. A nod is given as @Ueno Mizuki instructs them on the proper etiquette to hold for Uene, with a short giggle given at @Yugam ‘s reply.

"Yeah. It's gorgeous. I'll try not to embarrass everyone."

”You’ll be fine, she seemed to like you after all… and if not then we’ll have to hope that cute maple leaf charm of yours is enough~ ”

 

[Chanlye]

Curious Sunrise
Cycle 1 - Scenario

"Thank ya, sweetie. When you are done with my favor, I will give you something nice."

He winked with a grin, saluting for a goodbye.

"Ehehe~ ... Woah-!!"

Diego opened his eyes widely as his hands were abruptly parted from the fluffs of the ram, suddenly being carried away by @Lune.

"Right! The Violet Whistle. To the Ascent!"

He chirped, getting on his own feet and glancing at the rest of the group from afar, using his hand to shield his eyes from the blinding sun.

"Let's see if they finished their prayer then."

Hurrying ahead, he made his way to the Shrine at the end of the town.

 

[Luthien]

Cycle 1

Worried Sunset

"A-AH! H... Hi..."

Shoot… She can’t help but wince upon seeing the small caenis flinch at her greeting, the action enough to unbalance the young pup for a moment before she got a grip on herself once more—but not before a few things spilled out of the basket she held.

”Sorry! We didn’t mean to startle you…”

A nervous smile accompanies the small apology even as the ranger crouches down, her hands instinctively reaching for some of the fruit that had rolled in their direction to pick them up. "E-Everything is..." She’s barely able to catch the sound of her muttered words before the breeze has a chance to snatch them away, and it doesn’t take an expert to see that something seems to be weighing heavily on the girl’s mind.

”Here, I think this is all of them.” She stays crouched down to be at eye level with the caenis girl, three plump fruits held out for the pup to take back. ”I’m Lúthien, and this is Yugam.” She points towards herself first, before motioning to the man standing not too far, hoping that by introducing themselves the young caenis might feel slightly at ease. ”...mind if I ask for your name?”

 

[Yugam]

Cycle 1

Worried Sunset

The girl looked...afraid? Nervous? As he and Luthien approached, going so far as to spilling the contents of her basket onto the ground. Like Luthien, Yugam stepped forward to help the girl pick up the brightly colored fruit.

Here...

Yugam held out the collected fruit to the girl.

@Luthien | @Chanlye

 

[Chanlye]

Worried Sunset
Cycle 1 - Scenario

As @Luthien and @Yugam approached, they could see on the girl a necklace dangling on her neck, with a small moonstone shard shimmering and resting on her chest as she was crouched, picking up the fruits and putting them back into the basket.

"It... It is fine. It is my fault..."

She said, with her eyes fixated on her task, until the both of them offered some of the fruits, making her look at them, with the elf being on her eye level and making her lean slightly away.

"U-Uhm... My name is Luna..."

The girl introduced herself, looking at the fruits and finally mustering the courage to take the fruits offered, looking at the fruits and rubbing her fingers on it before letting out a faint, relieved sigh.

"... Thank you... H-Here, as a thanks..."

She offered one of each fruit for them.

"I don't think I will be using them, after all..."

The girl muttered.

 

[Luthien]

Cycle 1

Worried Sunset

""It... It is fine. It is my fault…"

”It’s no one’s fault,” The words are out before she can think it over, soft in tone to show the caenis there was no harm behind them. ”Sometimes accidents happen and we can’t avoid them, what’s important is how we act afterwards.”

The gem dangling from the girl’s necklace was impossible to miss, if only because the stone matched the one on Lúthien’s choker, and she smiles upon hearing the name of the girl. It fits her well~

”That’s a beautiful name Luna, it’s nice to meet you.”

There’s a moment of hesitation as Luna stares at the fruit that Yugam and Lúthien picked up, but eventually the girl reaches out to take them. Each one is inspected before being placed back into her basket, a quiet thank you leaving the little pup before she holds out a fruit for each of them to take.

”Thank you, these look delicious~”

She gently held the fruit in her hands while remaining at eye level with the small caenis. Between the body language and her soft mutterings it wasn’t hard to guess something was bothering Luna, but Lúthien wasn’t sure how to find out what that might be with how quiet and reserved the pup seemed to be. She glances up towards the hunter beside them, before her gaze returns back to Luna as her hands—and the fruit—rest on her lap.

”What were you planning on using them for, Luna? Maybe Yuu and I can help?”

@Yugam | @Luna

 

[Chanlye]

Worried Sunset
Cycle 1 - Scenario

The girl's cheeks flushed at the compliment, with her eyes averting and falling to nowhere in particular.

"Th-Thank you... It is a little weird, to be named like that... But I don't dislike it."

She admitted, taking a glance at @Luthien once again.

"It is nice to meet you too... I-I do hope those are delicious-"

They couldn't be less than delicious, after all-

"... I wanted to give them to the Keeper... But the Ascent has been dangerous... Th-There are bad Moon Fangs... And no one wants to go with me... Even Ataru told me to let the good Moon Fang to solve his problems with them first, but..."

Her lips pursed.

"What if the Keeper is sad... Or mad at me for not bringing more fruits to him..."

The girl swallowed.

 

[Luthien]

Cycle 1

Worried Sunset

She couldn’t help but smile as Luna averts her gaze, her shyness was quite endearing, but it felt that—little by little—they were making some progress as the caenis began to share her worries with them.

”I see…” She looks down at the fruit held in her hands, noting the almost perfect state it has, before looking back at Luna. ”Do you take these to the Keeper all the time?”

The name of someone slips from the young girl, perhaps a friend from the village, but it’s the mention of a good Moon Fang and bad Moon Fangs that catch her attention. She’s not ignorant to the rivalry that exists between both clans, though her knowledge of it is surface level at most. A glance is given towards Yugam once more, a silent question within those crimson eyes, before her face lights up at his next words.

”We’ll go with you.”

”Mhmm~This way the Keeper won't be sad, and if any bad Moon Fangs try to hurt you we'll keep you safe.”

Besides, they were going up there anyways for the moonstones... so what was one extra detour along the way?

@Luna | @Yugam (Panda gave me Yuu’s words for this post :mewtwolul: )

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Cycle 1

As Mizuki would expect from @Luthien she was making progress in getting Luna to open up. The name did make her eyebrow rise, but she didn't comment on it as she instead listened to the conversation. She only butted in after the other two suggested that they accompany Luna to the Keeper.

We can keep you safe while you visit the Keeper, but it would help if you told us a bit more about the dangerous situation. Do you know anything about this good Moon Fang and what problems he's having with the bad Moon Fangs?

@Chanlye @Yugam

 

[Chanlye]

Worried Sunset
Cycle 1 - Scenario

The question made the girl nod, looking at her basket, mustering a faint smile and fidgeting her fingers on the moonstone of her necklace.

"Yes... I always take these to him... He loves fruits... And company..."

When @Luthien and @Yugam offered to bring her there safely, her eyes opened widely, and her ears perked up.

"Truly? D-Do you mean it?"

She looked behind her back, as if scanning the rest of the village and looking back at them, nodding eagerly, with a muffled mhm! mhm! mhm! escaping from her closed lips while her tail wagged. When @Ueno Mizuki appeared, delivering her own questions, Luna remained quiet for a moment, only softening when looking at the pair of wolves, that picked her interest-

"A lot of things... Th-This path is usually safe, but the bad Moon Fangs... The Harpies... And other beasts that have been causing so much... Problems... Even hunting there has been dangerous."

She explained, letting out a sigh.

 

[Luthien]

Cycle 1

Worried Sunset

A soft chuckle escapes upon seeing Luna’s ears perk up and her tail wag, almost as if life had been breathed back into the young girl—it was hard to consider their choice could be a poor one when Luna looked this excited.

"Truly? D-Do you mean it?"

”Yup~”

A nod was given towards Mizuki as the wildling met up with them, an apologetic smile on her lips as the elf realized she missed the opportunity to go pray with the caenis and her friends. Maybe we can stop by again on the way back… Her interest in knowing more about the other deities was genuine, but the sight of the young pup by the gate had been impossible to ignore.

”This is Mizuki, and these are… her packmates…?”

Her voice trails off at the end, realizing at that very moment that she’s never asked the wildling if her two wolven companions have names of their own. Instead another glance is given towards Mizuki, the space made so she can introduce them to the girl that seems interested in them.

"A lot of things... Th-This path is usually safe, but the bad Moon Fangs... The Harpies... And other beasts that have been causing so much... Problems... Even hunting there has been dangerous."

”Hmm... ” The possible enemies and monsters that Luna listed were within the expectations, the books she’d read about the Hylands had warned her as much. ”Did something change around here lately…? Anything you can think of is fine, even if it seems small or silly.”

After all Luna admitted to doing the trip towards the Keeper in the past, probably often too, which means the path had once been safe enough to travel on… or the monsters in it hadn’t been numerous enough to persuade other villagers from accompanying the young girl.

@Luna | @Ueno Mizuki | @Yugam

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Cycle 1

The two wolves noticed the interested look they were getting from the young caenis, walking closer to her and sniffing her before licking her face. Mizuki smiled a bit at this, nodding as @Luthien referred to the two as her packmates.

They are, yes. They'll take care of you out there.

Mizuki could only be in one place at a time, but if she coordinated with her packmates protecting Luna should be possible. However, she frowned as the girl tried to explain the situation, folding her arms.

If it's not just Moon Fangs but also local beasts that are more aggressive than usual it sounds like something is riling them up. How long has this been going on? As long as the good Moon Fang has been here?

If it was a temporary problem they might be able to wait it out, but if it had already been going on for twelve months it might not stop until someone went out there and figured out the problem.

If you really want to visit the Keeper we'll do our best to help, but we can't guarantee it'll be safe if there's something going on.

She glanced towards the shrine.

It's your choice.

@Chanlye @Yugam

 

[Chanlye]

Worried Sunset
Cycle 1 - Scenario

When the wolves approached and licked Luna's face, she giggled, setting the basket down to crouch and ruffle their fur, following with a ear scratching.

Then, she looked up at @Luthien and @Ueno Mizuki.

"No... But... It has been as long as the other Moon Fangs appeared..."

She paused, trying to think about it.

"A moon ago..? Th-The rumors started earlier... But it has been a moon since the Good Moonfang has been worried."

When posed with the offer, she looked at the baskets, still filled with the juicy fruits she had collected to him, and after a moment, she turned to look at the two, taking a firm hold of her necklace and nodding, determined.

 

[Luthien]

Cycle 2

Hylands Ascent - Tranquil Falls Path

"There are only old killjoys around, so I'm glad to have someone around that lacks a bit of responsibility like me-"

”Uhmm... Re... Responsibili- Wah?!"

This little twerp…! She remains close to Lna as they walk along the trail, her attention mostly focused on their surroundings, when the whispers of Diego reach her ears. She moves just a bit closer to the pair getting acquainted, before leaning over to butt into their conversation as a hand pinches the side of Diego’s ear.

”Keep that up and I’ll get the white whistle long before you do, Diego~”

​

"We could find some empty, small caves around here..."

"Small caves… Well, it should be good enough for us, aside from those two amazons, we aren't that spatious!"

A comment that would normally earn a laugh from Lúthien instead seems to pass by unheard, the blonde currently focused on whispers drifting on the winds… the unnatural silence of the area hasn’t gone unnoticed by the ranger, and she knows it can only mean one thing: trouble is coming.

"Food, food~ Finally some food~"

"A-Are you really sure we need to do this..?"

"Ugh! Stop being a crybaby, we just need to kill them quick and it will be fine!"

The occasional twitch of her ears was the only physical indication that she was spying into the conversation of others, lips pressed into a thin line as it progressed. Her mind reaches out to each individual of their party, pressing against their consciousness lightly to gather their attention and avoid starling them.

{ Guys, it seems we got company for dinner… and we’re all on the menu. } A fourth voice complained about the fruits and seeds they’d been forced to eat so far, before a fifth complained about the poor condition of her feathers... at least the sixth voice seemed to recognize they wouldn't be an easy meal. { Feathered ones… probably the harpies we’ve heard so much about? }

"Two of them are cubs, only one is a grown up, we may have a chance..."

"I am not sure about this—"

"Shh... It will be okay... We must do it. They have grown greedy, we need to fight for our food too..."

{ There's at least six—no, make that seven—of them. } She continues to listen in as they walk, doing her best to appear calm and collected, until the last words cause Lúthien to frown.

Greedy, huh… sounds like it could be 'cause of the Moon Fangs after all— She can’t help but think back on Luna’s words from before as her thoughts begin to divert into possible theories… until a chorused reply of ”Yes ma’am!” crashes against her ears.

"They’re coming—!"

@Diego & Luna | @Fiora Di Angelo | @Lune | @Ueno Mizuki | @Yugam

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Cycle 2

For some reason, they had decided to bring along a girl to one of the most hostile environments any player or Lander could be facing. If the way up didn't kill her, then surely a predator would given the competence she expected out of this group's decision-making.

She could hope that Starcalled would be at least capable of murder, but even that was doubtful in this group considering the ranger and hunter duo...

Fiora took her place as the vanguard and kept to herself for most of the trip, until a voice pecked against her mind, and not precisely the one she wished to hear right now as heat struck against her skin and made of the elf a sweaty mess. The information though made her eye widen, but her course didn't deviate in the slightest, beyond her pupil eaching the corner of her eye, glancing over her shoulder back to the ranger with contempt behind her glare, using Mindsend to communicate back at her.

{ No time to think too hard, focus on hitting your target }

{ If it moves,you kill. Get the job done right this time, Val. Or I'll do it for you }

@Luthien

 

[Lune]

Cycle 2

"Remind me why are we bringing a little girl along again?"

On their potentially dangerous expedition? She looked at @Luthien, @Yugam, then Diego to confirm that they indeed made this choice after thinking thrice. The woman ended up sighing, before continuing to climb while muttering.

"I really want to stress about risk management, at the cost of sounding like a killjoy."

Of course, the worse came to the worst, as Luthien indicated that there was a hunting party nearby. Tough luck.

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Cycle 3

Having been pushed back by a far more fiercesome opponent, the greenette peered to the side and noticed how the colorful bird flew further away from her reach, and given present company, she wouldn't have an easy time catching up to her.

So she set her gaze on the one improbable ally that could help leverage the situation in their favour. Her worry? That she wouldn't have the balls to see this through.

{ The harpy is getting away, North West from where i am at. I mauled her plenty, but you have to finish her off. }

Monotone voice reached out for Luthien via her mindsend, pained groans following afterwards.

{ They are coordinated. You have to shoot her down Luth, this will break their morale and disrupt their formation. If we don't, we are gonna get overwhelmed real soon, and Luna's safety is our priority. }

{ A priority we can't guarantee right now- I'm counting on you. }

The innocent lives at risk were in plain sight for the ranger this time. Deadpan had left plenty of blood pouring from her newfound wounds. Strength masked as weakness for this endeavour-

She knows Luthien cares for her still. She's seen the blonde shoot down goblins before when her own life was at risk. This same care for her friends and Luna is the one Fiora would now manipulate to guide the ranger's arrow straight through Cheerful's neck.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Cycle 3

Hylands Ascent - Tranquil Falls Path

”L-Luna?! Diego!!”

Her hands press against her temples tightly as a presence suddenly weighs down heavily on her mind, before quickly shifting to cover her ears against he incessant whistling that threatens to burst her eardrums. A moment is all it takes for Meek to get away with not just the fellow explorer but also the lighter Sun Claw pup that willingly accompanies the party.

"HI-HIYAAAAAH!"

"LUNA!"

Their cries aren’t the only thing to assault her hearing, after all there’s plenty of combat happening right before the ranger’s very eyes. She’s at a loss of what to do, torn between helping the youngest two of the group or those in front of her, when a monotone voice slips into her mind.

{ The harpy is getting away, North West from where i am at. I mauled her plenty, but you have to finish her off. }

There’s little time to wrestle with the new pressure that bears down against her chest upon hearing it, grasping onto the forced clarity that those words offer against her overwhelmed senses. There’s no need to look down at Fiora, the ranger trusts that she’s able to take care of herself, and instead her gaze quickly shoots in the direction pointed out by the knightess that she still considers a friend.

”There you are…”

With her vibrant plumage Cheerful is impossible to miss, the ranger drawing a deep breath to ground herself as a hand reaches for the arrows in her quiver…

@Fiora Di Angelo