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Post by Shitakibo on Dec 16, 2023 18:50:55 GMT -5
So much had been happening this winter, Taki felt stretched thin at times. Those days she would make the trip home and take a few days of rest to calm her mind... but this time had proven to be less than serene. Even after finishing the day's chores and spending a full afternoon training with Hakaze, Yukina and Shuchu, she felt restless and uneasy. She stepped into her study and pulled out a cherry wood box. Setting it on the small, round table in the corner, she opened the vent for heating followed by the window closest to the chair. She enjoyed a break, a short while to herself to clear her mind and relax her anxious nerves.
She pondered all that'd been happening since winter's frosty grip took hold of Charon. Much of it spurred on by the research she'd been doing for the Mage's Guild... She stood up from her seat and walked over to the shelf, scanning her personal collection for an unmarked notebook among a shelf of others. Flipping through it's pages, she reminisced about the encounter. How her companions had been just as curious about Beist's as his were... She almost smashed the book squarely into her muzzle. Of course, she'd been meaning to meet up with him again after their little soiree with the Rock Fish. A heavy sigh of relief washed over her as she returned the notebook to it's place and pulled out her set of writing utensils.
"Greetings and Good Day, Beistmild.
I would like to invite you to my home for a meal if you'd be so inclined. Our research has proven to be quite the stir amongst the Mage's Guild, and I'd like to hear about how it might have impacted your own days. As always, you're welcome to bring any and all companions, and they will be welcome at the table with us.
May this find you well and warm
Lady Shitakibo, Jinsei-No-Seishin"
Taki sealed the letter, added it to the outgoing pile and then headed to bed for the evening. All she could do now is wait for some sort of response, and try to unwind.
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Post by Beistmild on Jan 11, 2024 17:01:46 GMT -5
Beist let out a long yawn as he walked out of his bedroom, his feet thumping loudly across the wooden floor as he lumbered down the hall and into his kitchen to make some breakfast. His very own home was finally completed and he and all his animal companions had all moved in. It felt wonderful to have a real bed again, though the price of having it all made was going to haunt him for a while. Having to have it all built to suit a practical giant wasn't cheap. And then there were the special rooms some of his companions required... Oh, he was just glad his potions and research were successful enough for him to afford it. Though, he did sometimes miss the wagon and all of his animals snuggling up with him when he slept. Well, he probably won't miss it while he's back in it to travel around.
"Good morning Terry..." He said after stifling another yawn behind his hand to his new golem who was walking into the kitchen from the door leading out into the greenhouse. Terry the earth golem looked like a four foot tall, top heavy humanoid figure made of dirt and wearing a pair of overalls with his large shoulders, back, and the top of his head covered in a lush green moss. He turned his head to face Beist, their eyes just empty holes in their head. The earth golem gave Beist a nod and placed a basket of fruits and vegetables he'd just picked on the table before heading right back out. On top of Terry's head, a moth the size of a cat folded its wings and then changed color to become nearly invisible among the moss and dirt.
"Good morning to you too, Simon." Beist added, giving the moth a lazy wave. He walked up to his stove and started to brew himself a large pot of coffee. He gave a casual flick of a finger and the fire started beneath the beaker to get the water boiling. His magic had improved and he'd even gotten the hang of a touch of fire magic. Not enough to fight with really, but enough to use on a daily basis for cooking and such. That was plenty for him.
He went about his morning routine while he waited for the coffee to be finished. Washing his face, he rubbed the towel over his face and felt it brush across his whiskers- Wait, whiskers? When did he grow those? Did those just appear in his sleep? He sighed and made a mental note to write that down later. Just another sudden change. Just how unstable was his body after all the potions? Maybe one of these days he'd wake up a little shorter than the day before. That might be nice.
As he was grumbling to himself, Beist suddenly heard a knock on the door. He finished wiping himself dry and went to see who it was. The front door of his home was enormous, large enough for him to walk through easily and then some. He'd made it extra large just in case he had any more unexpected growth spurts. On the bottom of one of the double doors was a much smaller door for normal people to be able to open and close since the large door would likely be too heavy for most.
Opening the large door, Beist looked down to see a tiny drake with a letter clutched in its mouth. It looked up with bright eyes. With the door opened, it had accomplished its job of delivering the letter, so it dropped it on the oversized welcome mat and flew off. Beist watched it fly away, wondering if it would be a bad idea for him to try and adopt his own postal drake. Probably... He did already have too many animals and would likely adopt more in the future. He just couldn't say no when some poor creature looked at him like it wanted to come home with him. Even if said creature could burst into flames or shock him with lightning bolts...
He reached down and delicately picked up the little letter, closing the door behind him as he brought it to the kitchen table to read while he drank his coffee that was finished brewing. He brought the small letter close to his face to read it and his mouth opened in surprise. It was from Taki! And she was actually inviting him over to her home again? He thought after the last time they'd seen each other she'd still be furious with him. Things hadn't ended well and it had all been his fault. Accidentally getting them both swallowed alive by a gargantuan sea monster and then accidentally swallowing her alive himself, well, that didn't exactly bode well for their friendship. But it looked like she might have forgiven him.
He finished the entire pot of coffee and then went into his study to write a reply at his desk. Pulling out a rather large sheet of paper and a quill big enough for him, he put ink to paper slowly, thinking through what he wanted to say before he wrote it.
"Hello Taki,
Thank you for the invitation. I'd be happy to come over and have a pleasant conversation. I'm sure several of my companions would also be happy to see you again or meet you for the first time. I've adopted a few new ones since the last time we saw each other. My apologies for how that went, by the way. I am very happy that you wish to see me again even after what happened.
Best regards
Beistmild"
He reread the letter a few times before folding it and putting it in an envelope. Maybe he could have written something a bit better, but he didn't want it to sound fake. This should be fine.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jan 22, 2024 8:42:44 GMT -5
Taki was walking through the greenhouse, checking on the winter crops that blossomed in the warm, bright building. She plucked ripe fruits and veggies gently, snipped off seed pods from spices and transplanted any unwanted plants. As she was loading up a box to take out to the storage building, Kamina came zipping in. With a little curtsy, she gave the shaman a letter and headed off to another task. She turned it over to see that it was a reply from Beist, which gave her pause. Heading over to the storage to finish her task, she packed away the harvested goods and headed towards the main house.
There was a bit of apprehension as she opened the envelope, as she anticipated his reply to be showing up on her doorstep if favorable. She opened the letter carefully and opened it up to read.
"Hello Taki,
Thank you for the invitation. I'd be happy to come over and have a pleasant conversation. I'm sure several of my companions would also be happy to see you again or meet you for the first time. I've adopted a few new ones since the last time we saw each other. My apologies for how that went, by the way. I am very happy that you wish to see me again even after what happened.
Best regards
Beistmild"
The reply by letter struck her as odd, but in a way she could understand. Not everyone had an Orochi's sensibilites, this was his 'RSVP' so to speak. With a soft smile that held hope for a renewed friendship, she gathered her writing utensils for a reply, and her pipe kit to enjoy a break while she wrote it. She gathered her thoughts, and set about writing a reply as the pungent smoke of the pipe seeped into her nerves.
"Dear Beist,
It is wonderful to hear that you'd like to attend, and I shall be home for a couple of weeks in preparation for another large foray. Any days or evenings you're available to make the journey, you're welcome to come by. The gardens have been well tended and fruitful this year, so bring your appetites, and some extra storage if you'd like to take some home to enjoy. Until that day, stay warm and be well
Regards,
Shitakibo, Jinsei-no Seishin"
Once she finished, the letter was sealed and sent it out with the day's mail. Taki returned to the afternoon chores, thinking about the variety of dishes she could prepare for the occasion and taking stock of her stores.
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Post by Beistmild on Mar 6, 2024 23:51:33 GMT -5
Beist finished reading the latest letter with a smile. Taki didn't give a specific day to come over, more of a window of time he could visit, but he decided he should go as soon as possible. His home was in Moonglade, which wasn't too far from the Crescent Isles, so the trip would be fairly short. Still, it was better to arrive earlier than later. Probably. Wait, would she prefer him to arrive later in the week? Did she need time to clean or something? No, no, she'd given him a window to arrive. Certainly, she'd be ready for him to arrive at any time during that window, right? He was overthinking things. She didn't mention anything about the last time they saw each other in her reply. She couldn't still be mad, could she? Her letter didn't sound like she was...
Should he write back and say what day he would arrive? No, what if he was delayed on his journey there by something and arrived later than he wrote he would? Then she might think he'd lied to her. Oh this was a disaster. Should he just call the whole thing off and write back that he actually couldn't come? No, that's also mean he lied in his first letter!
Dora watched Beist's face shift from happiness to panic and rolled her eyes. She knew what was probably happening right now. A common occurrence, for the old man to overthink and spiral into panic over something stupid. When it came to research and alchemy, he could be considered a genius in his field, but when it came to social interaction, he was a total idiot.
The griffon stood onto her hind paws, placed her avian front legs on Beist's shoulders from behind, and reached her beak up to bite onto one of Beist's horns.
"Ah! Dora, what are you doing? Hey!" Beist protested as she tugged his head from side to side and jerked his head backward, forgetting about all the ways he thought up of this trip going wrong.
A few days later, a familiar, very large wagon pulled by an equally familiar griffon stopped in front of the entrance to Taki's home. Beist stepped down from the front seat anxiously. The weather was pleasant today. He hoped this was a good time for his arrival. It was within the timeframe Taki had given him. Maybe he should have sent another letter.
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Post by Shitakibo on Mar 7, 2024 7:17:42 GMT -5
The few days leading up to Beist's arrival had been pleasantly plain and relaxing, giving the shaman ample time to set up for the occasion. Not only had her companions' efforts filled their stores to capacity, they'd put together a gift of crops, smoked treats, spices, dried herbs and fruit. She also spent a day copying some of her own recipes for treats and folded them into an origami onigiri as a centerpiece for the smaller basket for Beist personally. Packing it all into an unassuming box that blended into the pile of her storeroom, she checked over her other preparations before relaxing.
It wasn't long into the day when the first rumblings of a large wagon were picked up by Taki's Geomagnetic Sense. She walked outside with Kamina on her shoulder towards the gate, smiling as the pair teased each other across the courtyard. Yukina landed on the limb of a tree, watching the road and Beist's progress through the winter trees. Shuchu and Hakaze were pulling open the Workshop doors and clearing tables from the middle of the room so they could pull Beist's cart inside. Shion and Rina slumbered away the winter peacefully in Rina's room, while Hanehiko spent her winter at sea.
As the wagon came into view, Taki waved to them and stood aside to let the cart pass. Once they came to a stop and unloaded, she walked over.
"Welcome back Beist, how was your journey?"
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Post by Beistmild on Apr 16, 2024 11:59:54 GMT -5
"Oh, thank you. It was a very pleasant journey. It was clear skies the whole trip." Beist answered with a smile, though he was clearly nervous despite his attempt to act cheerful. The trip had been so calm he had worried he'd arrive too early, one of the possibilities he'd overly worried about, and it had actually happened. "Thank you very much for inviting us again. My companions really enjoyed coming last time, so they were all excited to come along, as well as a few new ones that have joined my family since then. I hope it's no trouble."
As Beist was speaking, he had begun undoing Dora's harness at the front of the wagon to let her walk about freely. With the ropes released, she stretched her wings and legs and then walked over to greet Taki and her own menagerie of companions. Beist headed to the back of the wagon and opened it up, letting several more creatures walk out. An eel hound with yellow skin and brown spots that made it look like a banana that ran out and immediately began spinning, chasing its own tail with excitement. A small, very round and fluffy grey cat with a bushy tail and a pair of wings on its back that Taki might recognize as a manul tuftbird. A cat-sized, fluffy bumble bee.
Along with a few new animals, some of the ones that had accompanied Beist the last time he visited were also there. Awd the raccoon dog, Leon the woolful, and Sorbet the snowy mothcat walked out happily. Dora, of course. It was apparent though that Moe the little lightning fox and Pretzels the tiny winged snake were conspicuously absent.
"This fellow here is Banana..." Beist pointed to the spinning eel hound, starting to introduce the new additions one at a time. The manul tuftbird he introduced as Pebbles, and the big bee he introduced as Ned. "And you remember Awd, Leon, Sorbet, and Dora."
Beist held a hand up to a couple of golden charms on a string around his neck. He used to keep them on his horns, but with how often he grew or shrank from potions or other, he decided to move them to something he felt was safer.
"Moe and Pretzels are also here, but, well, you could say they had a bit of a growth spurt and couldn't fit in the wagon. I had to keep them in these for the trip." Beist explained as he gave two of the charms a touch and the gems on them glowed for a moment before turning colorless.
A huge, purple fox appeared, with yellow fur on the tips of his seven tails, underside, and on his feet. Small arcs of electricity crackled across his fur and between his claws and tails. Beside Moe, a massive, 30 foot long snake made of golden metal scales and with golden metal wings also appeared, looking more like a mechanical golem than an actual creature. White light glowed from beneath the scales and out of the eyes and mouth of Pretzels.
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Post by Shitakibo on May 2, 2024 15:01:57 GMT -5
"You're most welcome, and of course you're all welcome. It's good to see you've been having wonderful adventures."
She stepped back as Beist's larger companions appeared from some sort of magical space. They had indeed grown, and changed quite a bit since the last time she'd seen them. She chuckled softly, realizing this by itself could be written as a companion to their previous research and cause just as much stir. Their first collaboration had spurred a new wave of research across the Mage's Guild, some of which Taki herself had participated in.
"I hope you've all brought your appetites, we have a proper feast in the works for this evening. There's snacks out if you'd like something before it's ready, and plenty of drinks."
Shuchu and Hakaze would help Beist's companions bring their wagon into the workshop, while the others scurried about with various trays and ingredients for the planned feast. Taki walked over to the outdoor cooking area and added fresh wood to it's fire, checking the various dishes cooking in both the smoker and oven. When she opened the door to the smoker, the courtyard filled with the smell of herbs, spices and savory meats. The oven when opened added the earthy depth of roasting vegetables and the sweet citrus smells of baking fruits. Satisfied that things were all going to be done roughly at the same time, she poured herself a cup of mixed fruit juice and walked back over to Beist and company.
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