A Glamorous Gesture [Open] + Budding Quest Catch-All

[envers]

WHO: Verso and anyone taking up his request + Various
WHEN: Throughout Budding
WHERE: Hearthsong Salon + Various
WHAT: Verso is honing his Meramancy and seeks volunteers for glamour experiments. Need a special dress or a fresh look? Your help will sharpen his skills. Send a courier note to meet him at Hearthsong Salon. He'll be there, ready to make you look enchanting! ...Plus additional closed quests.
ANYTHING ELSE: Prompts in comments! Feel free to reach out to me on Discord or Plurk (jackets) if you want to plot.

Comments

A Glamorous Gesture [Open]

[envers]

[Soft sunlight pools across the patterned rugs of the castle's own Hearthsong Salon, and the air smells faintly of bergamot and fresh-cut flowers. Laughter and the clink of porcelain mingle between gilt mirrors as a harpist threads a shy, tinkling tune through the room. Verso lounges by a low table, sleeves rolled up, sketchbook and pencils splayed like a small sunburst.

It's the perfect season to experiment with your look — find inspiration for a custom piece, plan outfits for the Courtship Games, or map out how to shine at the Hearts Aflame Faire or the Bridge Bloom. Maybe you're sharpening your image for the Bellvine Hill duel. Whatever the reason, Verso will collaborate with you, helping you find a look that truly suits you.

If you fall for a design, but aren't ready to commit to an actual outfit, he can also agree to fashion short-term glamours for special nights, creating little borrowed wonders to make a memory feel like magic.

Designing outfits isn't Verso's usual trade, but he still keeps the memory of childhood afternoons spent with shapes and colors, imagining how a silhouette might sit. Even if he can't rightly call himself a tailor, honing his Bloomcraft is a welcome excuse to revisit that old delight.

But first, he asks:]

What do you want to feel when you're wearing this glamour?

Cinnamon Challenge Pt. 1 [Closed to Dainsleif] - March 31 Deadline

[envers]

[As Verso and Dainsleif glide along the gently rocking canal in Menthward, the air hums with a medley of scents — freshly caught fish mingling with the sweet aroma of ripe citrus and fragrant blossoms. Boats bob side by side, their wooden hulls painted in cheerful colors, each one a floating stall draped with vibrant fruits, baskets of spices, and bundles of herbs. Vendors call out warmly, their voices carrying over the soft lapping of water, inviting passersby to sample exotic blends and homemade preserves. Above, laundry flutters from balconies, and the laughter of children playing near the water's edge blends with the distant strum of a lute. The sun, or rather Calyx’s rosy glow, casts a gentle light that dances across the rippling canals, wrapping the market in a warm embrace of life and colour.

Verso glances around, a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices in the area.]

—You know, I don't usually shop for ingredients. Shall we just... pick a stall at random and ask for samples of anything with cinnamon in it?

Cinnamon Challenge Pt. 2 [Akane] - March 31 Deadline

[envers]

[The next time Verso sees Akane on the Castle Grounds, he politely approaches her to talk. After a few pleasantries (and expressing sympathy upon learning her sister and fiancé are both gone), he gets straight to the point:]

Dainsleif and I found some blends that attract sprites. Could you brew something to help us test them — like a tea that changes colour? Or a brew that glows when the offending cinnamon is added? Little detection tricks like that could be helpful for vendors.

The Proper Instruction - March 31 Deadline [Octavia] - March 31 Deadline

[envers]

[It began with a run‑in at the Unbirthday party and turned into an agreement: help the local dueling club test new blades and, conveniently, teach Octavia the ropes for combat. They have a private practice room, thankfully. For propriety, Verso kept the door open.

Before he takes position, he asks Octavia:]

Do you want to show me what you can do? Or shall we, ah, start from scratch?

Re: Cinnamon Challenge Pt. 2 [Akane] - March 31 Deadline

[mahjongheart]

Hm. Might be tough. If I had one of the sprites nearby, I could probably ask them to contribute and get the right effect, though.

[She looks at the various phials and appliques.]

These are them?

[hjadningavig]

[ The sights are bright and rife with life, Dainsleif taking care to observe every little thing for anything that might catch his eye; he thanks everyday he has had time to acclimate to the noise when he has come down here. Even if it's still quite a bit to behold and are merely sounds of people living their lives.

It's a reminder of how much cheer and prosperity remains in surplus within the land. But, Dainsleif's own gaze is flickering to and fro to the multitude of options, a little frown borne of concentration as well as consideration. ]

Hrm...admittedly it is the same for myself as well, so that plan of attack seems sound to me.

[ Then, pointing to one individual calling out, he suggests: ]

...This one seems closest, so how about we try that vendor?

[plangona]

[ octavia was as eager to learn as ever when verso had initially offered to teach her when they last spoke. before coming to the ground, they had an crash course in earth skills but that didn't exactly go into any combat skills but since coming here it was definitely something that became more of interest to her.

there wasn't much she could show him which she knows kind of speaks for itself when she answers] I've never really done this before so starting from scratch would be a good place to start.

[prickster]

[ Chelsea has been slow in acclimating to the cozy, gentle wonderland that is Rosavelle. It's odd—the aesthetics are definitely charming, by and large, but to her? It still evokes artifice. In the empire where she lived (and to where she'll return) the corrupt and oppressive nobles lord over the lands in their lovely mansions, and palaces, and castles like this one. Unsightly squalor, or even modest but livable spaces, existed in a different reality. Such was beyond their walls and beyond their recognition.

She should let herself relax. That's one of the reasons she's doing this, and hell, it might even be the main reason. The tension clinging to her may never dissipate in full, but at least she can distract herself.

As Chelsea approaches to greet him, her hand unconsciously extends toward a vase of the sweet-smelling flowers that's perched upon one of the low tables. Her fingertips don't quite reach the petals as she passes.

Should she sit? Before that, Chelsea considers his question. Speaking of distractions, though—he's handsome. The scar, the beard, the whole look. ]

Let's go with... graceful. Oh, and dangerous, since I'd hate to give just a boring answer.

[ She tilts her chin, still on her feet, studying him. ]

What do you want to feel while you're making it?