Inbox for ryslig

[charmpagne]

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Comments

[knifemonopoly]

I think that'd be nice...and, it might see these books go to use!

Not by me, though, [he adds.] Reading a book feels more like work than fun...

...though, there are some comic books I like.

[He's chatting idly, making conversation, as he gets the board's pieces into place.]

[charmpagne]

Comic books?

[That's funny. Atem doesn't seem like the type...at least until Sparkling thinks for a moment and remembers how into games this guy is. It might make TOO much sense, actually.]

Well if you have any you'd recommend...I could pull a few strings, perhaps.

[knifemonopoly]

Well...I like the Steel Samurai. Maya Fey lent her copies to me...

[He hands Sparkling a die; they'll roll to determine who goes first. Atem has black pieces, Sparkling has white.]

There's also a comic of one of Ryslig's old vampire stories, that an old friend gave me. I could lend it to you, if you like...it's a little scary, of course, but also sentimental. Would you like to borrow it?

[charmpagne]

Maya Fey? I thought that sounded a bit familiar...

[And anyone who has known Maya for any length of time has heard of the Steel Samurai at least once. Some more than others.

He takes the die carefully in his palm, turning it over between his claws before tossing it onto the table. A 5, so says RNG.]

Oh really? I would actually, if you don't mind...I don't mind if it's scary...I actually like seeing what differences between the stories behind monsters here and the actual reality of what they are like are.

[knifemonopoly]

[RNG says 2! Sparkling goes first: Atem passes both dice over.]

In that case, I'll definitely bring it by! You can borrow it, but I'm afraid I can't let you keep it....it was given to me by a friend who's not here anymore, and I'd like to keep it to remind me of her.

[charmpagne]

[Guess who does not know how to play backgammon ITS MEEEE so Sparkling takes the dice in his claws and gets the game started. He is doing The Backgammon.]

That's even kinder of you to lend it to me, then! I'll treat it as if it were my own regardless, I promise. The distraction is appreciated nonetheless...between this, and Joshua introducing me to Peninsula of Passion, I have a full schedule of not working to look forward to.

cw drug flowers. atem doesn't realize his home's traditional medicine is a mild narcotic.

[knifemonopoly]

I'm glad to hear that!

[HELL YEAH THEY"RE BACKING SO MANY GAMMONS IT'S A NICE FUN GAME THAT'LL HAPPEN FIRMLY IN THE BACKGROUND.]

Even if we don't make a drink with it, I'll leave the other thing I brought with you, for your time off. Ever since February, I've been growing flowers from the kingdom I was born in in my apartment. They're very effective against pain, and...hm, how do I describe it? They calm you down, and enhance your other senses, the good ones.

[Too much leads to slight hallucinogenic effects...but Atem didn't bring enough that he expects it to be an issue here, so he lets that part go.]

Atem don't know he got the good shit

[charmpagne]

[...Sparkling almost feels bad that his first thought in response to that is "so it's like weed?", but since Atem is talking about something from his home...he will just keep that to himself. He imagines it matters little either way.]

That sounds incredibly useful. Did you ask Mana for them? I've actually been thinking about asking her sometime for one of my home's jelly trees...I would love to be able to make drinks with them again.

[Drinks that are, you know. Not going to cause peninsula wide catastrophies.]

it's medicinal!!!! --atem, bless his heart

[knifemonopoly]

[Sparkling's not wrong!]

No...no, they appeared among my flowers in February. Maybe it's strange, to keep seeds from flowers that hurt you, but I wanted to see if the seed pods would work, and, sure enough, I got then to grow!

[Maybe a little gross, but it meant he didn't spend mana coins on them!]

Having a nymph who lives in the building probably helped. But, tell me about the jelly trees...do they grow fruit that's made of jelly?

[And, it's different from jelly blood, right...?]

[charmpagne]

Gross in some sense, but practical in others. At least you got something positive out of that whole ordeal.

[Which is more than can be said for most.]

But yes, they're...jellybeans, they're called here. But we just call them jellies. They come in a wide variety of flavors, and were a staple food back home. We used them in almost everything...the juice I bought from Mana was made using them too.

[So people technically have had them already, just. Uh. Not in their most ideal state.]

Some come on trees, others bushes...my only fear is that I don't exactly have all that much of a green thumb. If Herb were here, I wouldn't have that issue.

[knifemonopoly]

Jellybean trees...!

[Okay, from the expression that lights up Atem's face, he finds the idea profoundly charming. Candy trees! That grow candy! The part of Atem that's still a boy-pharaoh, delighted by the rare and unusual, really really really wants to see one.]

Well! If you're worried about keeping them alive, it's not that hard. As long as you're friendly with at least one nymph, you'll have someone around who can help them grow!

[charmpagne]

[There are so many kinds of candy trees Atem, you don't even know. Maybe someday if you visit him in the Cube, he can give you a clearer picture of what he's talking about.]

I do have a Nymph friend who I could call on, though I doubt he's ever seen a Jellybean tree before either.

As far as I'm aware though, it's really the same as any tree. Maybe they're happier when it's warmer? But not too warm...I think the jellies might melt otherwise.

[Which would make for a thoroughly unpleasant experience for all.]

[knifemonopoly]

Are the jelly fruits seeds, too...? That is, if you got one, could you grow more?

[Ignoring the horror of melting candy fruit in favor of candy propagation!]

[charmpagne]

They are! Theoretically, all you'd need to do is plant the whole thing. Now...whether they'd grow is another story entirely, but assuming Nymphs can help unconventional plants grow...I don't see why not?

[Augh, he's getting his hopes up...he'll have to put some Thought into this.]

[knifemonopoly]

It's worth a try, right? Personally, I'd love to have a jelly tree...even if I had to keep it on the roof of the 38-8!

I like things that're from other worlds -- that are important to my friends, and that not just anybody can get their hands on! Really, I'd give that pink stuff a second chance if you ever offered it, as long as the Fog's not in. You know, the way it's supposed to be!

[charmpagne]

...really? You...you would like to try it again?

[That actually catches him off guard, just a bit. He would have understood if nobody ever wanted to even see the stuff again, but to have someone actively want to try it as it's meant to be...

Well. It's touching, and it shows in the way Sparkling's expression softens.]

Maybe I'll consider it. It's not something I'm going to be able to dispose of since Mana enchanted it to refill indefinitely...so it would be a shame if it all just went to waste.

[knifemonopoly]

Really!

I think Mana's generally trustworthy...and I think what went wrong was only because of the Fog. If you say it's safe again, then I believe you.

And, I liked being pink, before the other effects set in. It was like a special variant design...like a limited edition version, of myself!

[charmpagne]

Hah! Well, I can't argue with that. Honestly that was always what I liked most about it too. And I do think I look rather dashing in pink...

[He shakes his head a little, chuckling.]

And maybe if I do get my jellies back, I can try experimenting with making a new drink of my own. That would make it all worth it.

[knifemonopoly]

If you do, count me in! I can also become a nymph, sometimes, if your tree starts to look a little sad, and none of your other nymph friends are available. Those powers really worked wonders on my lotus cultivation...

[so much ancient egyptian weed. so much.]

[charmpagne]

[SO MUCH EGYPTIAN WEED]

I appreciate it Atem, thank you. Though, please don't go using all of your coins simply on my behalf. We'll have to try to coordinate to make the most out of those abilities of yours, should the need arise.

[knifemonopoly]

Oh, no...

...it doesn't have to do with coins. I have a power that lets me re-take the form of any monster I've been before. So, it'd be no trouble at all to spend the day as a nymph, again!

[charmpagne]

Really! That's incredible...

[The More You Know]

You really have a lot of useful abilities at your disposal, Atem!

[knifemonopoly]

[Atem's smile turns a touch rueful.]

That's on purpose...

[He pauses, the dice in his hand, waiting to make his next backgammon move.]

...a lot of difficult things have happened to me here, Sparkling. I've had some very bad luck over the last year and a half! So, I've been working hard to make sure I have the kind of powers that will keep those things from happening again. Having a collection of monster forms, each with their own abilities, that I can take at any time...makes me hard to catch.

[Hard, but not impossible. He knows that. He won't get overconfident.

(He tells himself, not even a month before he decides to go into Draugr's maze to challenge him despite winning the monster's card games. It's a process.)]

[charmpagne]

[It makes sense, even if Atem's reasoning for it saddens Sparkling to hear. It's not surprising that he's been having trouble in a place like this of course, who among them hasn't, but to hear Atem tell it it's been a higher concentration than normal...and given what Sparkling has witnessed himself, he believes it.

His expression softens, and for a moment he's quiet as Atem continues to consider his next move.]

That's very practical of you. You're acknowledging your shortcomings and making up for it. Meanwhile the most I've ever really considered gaining are things to make my day-to-day more convenient...

[Or more profitable, and we all know how THAT blew up in his face.]

But there are benefits to both, I suppose. It all depends on your approach.

[knifemonopoly]

It depends on what's needed. Gaining things to help you in your day to day life...it means that when you come back from the difficult things, you'll have a lot of things that make you feel better. You'll heal faster.

As for me, I...

[He presses his lips together.]

I used to step in a lot, on the behalf of humans that were in trouble. Usually, against Ryslig's threats to their lives...

...sometimes, against monsters. And, every time I did it...something bad happened to me. Something I couldn't avoid. Take it from me -- don't make trouble like that, Sparkling. It just opens you up to danger.

[A beat, then Atem pulls himself together.]

So, what I needed was to stop the hits from coming until I could get my head on straight again! So far, between avoiding interference and the additional powers...it's worked.