Something Old, Something New

    It's morning on a mild winter day. The wind is strangely calm today, though there's not a lot of relaxing going on. Things are bustling as the returning villagers of Eas have been moving back into their homes. Numerous (but small) repairs have been required and Elly has been busy.

    Further, she's been busy getting ready for something else. The wedding. Though no specific date has been laid down, there's no secret that preparations are moving swiftly. Whispers of a shipment from Gwen having arrived in the middle of the night are swirling. It won't be too much longer, in any case.

    To take a break from this, Elly is standing in her usual place, where her friends know she goes when she needs to just breathe for a bit. It's a little path that leads to an old dungeon entrance, but has a dramatic overlook of the waterfall.

    Having recently finished her studious work on enchanting up the mechanisms to create lifts and jacks, Fukaziroh collapsed into a long and very satisfying sleep before getting up, cleaning up, and eating a small feast. Or not so small, to be fair. All considered, not at all small. Once that was done she returned to the road, to help with ensuring Eassians got home and got what they needed to get settled back in. Preferably with the help of a few portable lofting tools.

    As a result Fuka's knowledge of the upcoming wedding plans are... kind of lacking. She might have heard, but was distracted at the time. Upon returning to Eas with news of the arriving convoy and being unable to find Elly in public areas, Fuka seeks out the more private and personal places. The shrine to the Beautiful One, various bedrooms and studies. A kitchen or two. Finally, a little trail overlooking the waterfall. Seeing Elly there, Fuka starts sneaking up. And let's face it, she's not very sneaky in her plate-and-chain travelling gear. But there IS a waterfall so who knows?

    Elly is rather distracted, as well. She's lost in thought. Only when Fuka gets close can she hear her ramblings, though. "Something new.. we have that covered. The clothing is new. Something blue.. well, I've got that for her and she has one for me."

    She smiles and draws in a deep breath. "That leaves something old. Besides me. I don't think that counts. And something borrowed. Maybe someone can lend us hair pins? Or a brooch? Hm. I don't like brooches, though."

    Clearly she's musing about the deepest of mysteries here.

    Marriage lore isn't exactly Fuka's strong point. Okay sure she's a romantic, but she's more into visual novel or computer game romances than storybook wedding tales. Still, she takes interest in whatever people she likes like. "You can borrow anything you want from me!" she pipes up loudly. "Want Chopstick? It's pretty old, and it could be really handy depending on what you're into. I could loan you Frank too if you like, but ... uh... I'm a little more attached there and will need him back after whatever you're doing." she offers.

    "Ohhh, chopsticks for the hair?" Elly thinks that might work. She also breaks into a smile and does NOT curtsey. She hugs Fuka instead. Warmly. She's starting a new custom. At least with those she loves.

    "Have you been back in Eas for long? I fear I haven't made much of a hostess. Things are still rather a mess and here I am, resting! Still, it's hard not to reflect on everything that has happened in the past two years. So many changes, so many hard fought triumphs and difficult losses."

    Fuka grins, though slightly disappointed she didn't surprise Elly. Not too disappointed, no, particularly given her greeting. "Oh no, just got back. Been wandering around a bit!" she explains. "And Chopstick is... er..." she pauses, makes a series of gestures to access her inventory, and then materializes the weapon Elly first saw Fuka use before she had her lightning blade made. An axe almost bigger than Fuka herself, heavy enough to make sharpening it almost redundant. A tool of brute force, not finesse, which rather suits the smallish sylph.

    "I could get you chopsticks, sure! Though does it count as borrowed if I buy you them as a gift? Or you could have my earrings." she adds thoughtfully. The little sparkly star-shaped earrings Haru gave to Fuka as a gift. The ones that can take a mana charge and let out a bang without actually ruining them. Or as Fuka likes to call them, 'explosives'. "What do you need to borrow anyways? Something old? Why?"

    "These are wedding traditions. They go with a little rhyme:

    Something old,
    Something new,
    Something borrowed,
    Something blue

    These are meant to bring good fortune, and it's kind of a fun thing to do, as they connect you to others. Finding something old and finding something to borrow are the more interesting parts, I think. They are meant to be worn, and aren't really for combat."

    She looks over Fuka for a time. "You look well! Have you been feeling good after your studies finished?" It sounds nicer, somehow, than saying strange mood or obsession.

    "Oh!" Fuka realizes, surprised into thoughtfulness by the rhyme. "Hmmm. Probably not Chopstick then." she muses, storing the weapon away again. "I mean sure one of you could sure wear it. And it might even be useful, depending on the sort of party you're expecting! But it's not ... like, not exactly fashionable. Hm, you could still borrow the earrings?" she offers again, frowning slightly. "Do they match colour and all that? I don't really know much about fashion, only what looks cute!" she claims, turning her head to show off the earrings. Bronze, with red chips of some sort of gemstone, the colours are warm to go with Fuka's own pale colours.

    Fuka grins, nodding along. "Yeah, been feeling pretty good! Thinking of going out on an extended training mission soon too! Been thinking about my series of defensive spells, maybe putting them to the test. Need a few good elemental powerhouses to take out! Er, take on!"

    "Hmm, I don't know if I should borrow earrings that were given to you in that way," says Elly gently. "But I greatly appreciate the thought. You gave me an idea, in any case. Finding an ornate chopstick set that I could borrow would work. I could use it to put up my hair. I think Tae will like it."

    She turns her mind to Fuka's plans. "So you are working on expanding your combat prowess. Is there any specific type of elemental you will be hunting?"

    Fuka shrugs dismissively. "I think *because* they mean something personal, they make for the best sort of thing to borrow." she claims, but doesn't press the point. It could get awkward after all, particularly if Haru sees it and misunderstands the reason behind one of the couple wearing them. Fuka's willing to let others with more sense make those kinds of decisions, so long as her offer to help is understood as genuine and accepted as thoughtful.

    The question brings another smile. "See, that's the thing!" she begins, making a vague gesture. "I now have shield spells that can block each element, so I can hunt ANY elemental! Or, you know, known duellists like the Scale fire-wielders, or Kaumare and her specialties, or... just about anything so long as I know in advance what I'm facing!"

    "So would it help you to be blasted with light?" asks Elly. She sounds playful. Probably. She has been training a lot with that element over the past year!

    "And since Haru will be there, I don't want him to feel strange about the earrings. I want you both to have fun during our celebration. Which reminds me.. what color dress would you like to wear? We would like you to be in the wedding party. Don't worry! I'm not going to make you give a speech or anything. Unless you want to."

    "Oh, sorry, jumping tracks again. You know, I am starting to suspect there is a considerable dungeon structure beneath the falls. I've seen a few strange things behind the falling waters."

    That makes Fuka grin brightly. "I would love to be blasted by light!" she says cheerfully. If there's innuendo there, well, so be it. "I mean that's the point of me creating those spells! They have to be able to stand up to the strongest elemental users and, if not block everything completely, at least reduce the impact enough that I'm still able to go on!" she claims.

    She hmmmms thoughtfully about the wedding dress question even as she beams even more brightly at the offer to be in the wedding party. "We get a choice of colours? Well, green's very traditional for Sylphs. I've worn a lot of green over the last two years and I think it looks great!" she claims. "But I'd also be pretty happy with Eas colours too. So you're standardizing the style then for the wedding party? And making the colours distinct or something?" she shrugs. Fuka's fairly stylish, and loves looking good. That said, she's not particularly fussy or shy about clothing. Or, for that matter, all that prone to be fashionable at the expense of expressing herself.

    "So." she muses. "What's under the waterfall then, do you think? Monsters? Treasure? A secret boudoir?"

    "Well, when you want to get hit by some lasers, let me know!" Elly can be silly. Sometimes. Not really very well, though. She tries. Just like she tries puns. "I'm sure I can illuminate you." Like that..

    She tilts her head, looking Fuka over carefully. "Green? Well, that would be perfect for you! Do you like dark greens or lighter ones? Pale of vibrant? I would like everyone to be comfortable and pick colors that they love. This is Eas. Roses have many colors!"

    Then the dungeon part comes up. And try as she might, Elly can't hide her excitement. "I don't know, but I think it is dangerous! I mean, think of it. If it's really true, past the first door, once it's unsealed, the images indicate that there may be multiple dungeon systems, each more terrible than the last! I wonder what it could be in there.. vampires? Liches maybe? A.. a demon?! It's so exciting, isn't it?"

    Fuka hmmmmms thoughtfully. "Dark greens are wonderful for travelling clothes. Everyone thinks you wear black when you want to sneak around, but black stands out in the forest because it's darker than everything around it! But bright greens look way better if you're trying to stand out!" she claims. Stand out? Fuka? YES! Vibrant looks are her thing for sure.

    She blinks, looking intrigued and thoughtful. "You know if you don't invite me on the first raid of any dungeons under Eas, I will be very cross." she scowls. The scowl doesn't look sincere though. More a pout really. "I will bring Defense against the Dark Arts! And Frank." she claims.

    "Ohh, well, let's make sure you stand out. Cause that's a lot more fun." She grins and hugs Fuka again. Elly's a hugger. "I will talk to Gwen about it. I want to make sure it's perfect for you. Does she already know your taste in dresses?"

    She pauses to consider the dungeon matter. Then Elly smiles. "Ohhhh, I have an idea! We should do a wedding party opening of the first dungeon! We can try it first! I mean, not in our nice clothes, but fully armed and ready to clear! I hope there are things to incinerate with blasts of light!" That's her favorite.

    Fuka grins at that. "If Gwen doesn't know my taste in dresses, Morri sure does!" she claims daringly. Morri of course is well known for being responsible for the outfits Gwen typically wears. And what is Gwen but Fuka made large? Besides, as noted, Fuka has no shame. She trusts Gwen though, and as long as she doesn't end up in something that distracts from the actual wedding, she'll be content. Standing out is fine. Distraction, not so much.

    As pleased as she is at the thought of wedding dresses though, Fuka's even more pleased at mention of being fully armed and ready to kill things. "That sounds like a wonderful idea! But ... you know, should probably not run a major dungeon immediately before a wedding. Just in case someone gets badly hurt. Maybe the reception can be in the dungeon!" she offers an off-the-cuff suggestion.

    "Oh, that's perfect, then! I talk to Morri whenever I can." Elly sighs. It has been a while. Perhaps she can hear a lot of new rumors!

    "And of course you are right. I had best do the raid a full week before the wedding. That will give everyone time to recover! And be in perfect shape for everything! Maybe it does lead to the next dungeon and we can do that later!"

    She sighs then, as a chim comes in. "I need to see to a few things. Perhaps you can walk with me? I have some questions.. like how high your lifts can go, or how far they can throw things.."