Artoria Caster Catch-All | Ripening

[roundofavalon]

WHO: Castoria & You!
WHEN: Throughout Ripening
WHERE: Castle & Town
WHAT: Practicing Bloomcraft, powering through the Toux Roux, and the occasional memshare!
ANYTHING ELSE: Nothing yet, may update with more prompts later on.

Comments

Hearthsong Salon | Imprintwork Practice (Early-Mid May)

[roundofavalon]

[ It feels weird. Practicing something from scratch again. Bloomcraft is similar to Magecraft, at least for Artoria, but still different enough that it’s hard to get the hang of. It’s fortunate, at least, that a lot of the practices involved with Imprintwork are already things she’s good at.

The problem is… trying to embroid a feeling into a physical object? It’s harder than it looks. For a variety of reasons, but if she had to pick one… what kind of feeling exactly is she supposed to put into something? Something positive, presumably, but it feels embarrassing to think of something nice from her life and put that feeling into an object.

Then again, maybe that’s the problem. She’s trying to use her life as a basis, and her life… even at her happiest, it was always accompanied by something else. Something that poisons it. ]

Hah... this is harder than it looks...

[goldship]

Maybe you're over thinkin' it?

[ Says Gold Ship, Peering over Artoria's shoulder at what she's working on. When did she get there? How did she sneak up on Artoria so thoroughly? Don't worry about it!

A snort and bellow comes from over Artoria's opposite shoulder, attracting Golshi's twitching ears. That sure is Gold Ship the horse looming every bit as loomingly as Golshi the uma. ]

The big guy asked if you've been takin' any breaks. Thinks you may have fried your brain, Tori.

[ Oh. And there's a nickname now. Sorry Artoria. ]

[roundofavalon]

Wah...!

[ Startled, both by Gold Ship herself and Golder Ship, Artoria very nearly drops what she's working on before fumbling and eventually catching it. ]

O-Oh! Gold Ship! Gold... Ships? Ahaha...

[ The fact that Artoria was so lost in thought almost definitely contributed to helping Gold Ship sneak up on her. Which kind of drives the point home that she's been at this for a while. ]

I mean... am I? You're supposed to imbue, like, feelings and stuff into these... so aren't I supposed to be doing a lot of thinking?

[goldship]

Nice catch.

[ Golshi claps politely, Gold Ship gently raps his hoof against the ground in the best a not real horse can do to emulate clapping. But then they're both looking rather serious, thoughtful even. ]

Bloomcraft, huh...? Ya tryin' imprintwork? Not really my area but-

[ Is Artoria on seat built for more than one person, because if so Gold Ship is hopping over the back of it to sit next to her. ]

-thinkin' and feeling ain't exactly the same thing, ya know? Bloomcraft's pretty vibes based, ya need to think to direct it, but as far as like, powerin' it, I guess. Thinking too hard keeps the emotion from flowing into it. Like... I dunno, squeezing on a hose and backing up the water kinda?

[roundofavalon]

"Vibes-based", huh... maybe that's why I'm struggling. There's a level of intuitiveness to my magecraft, but at the end of the day it's still formulae and applied knowledge. Bloomcraft... honestly, it feels a lot more like sacraments from my world.

[ Sacraments, which all faeries can use... save for herself and her predecessor, at least. Faeries are, by their very nature, already existences far beyond anything magecraft can replicate. Basically, they can accomplish most kinds of magical phenomena on their own without having to go through all the trouble that magecraft requires.

In a way, the way Gold Ship describes Bloomcraft reminds her of that. The one saving grace is that, in this case, it isn't a case of Artoria being incapable of it... just struggling with it. ]

You'd think it'd be easier like that, but I guess for people like me, stuff with clear-cut steps and instructions is easier, even if it results in something more taxing...

[goldship]

"People like you". Ya mean high-strung perfectionists? Yeah. I know the type.

[ And the best way to help with that? Bringing as much levity into the situation as possible. Which is why Gold Ship proceeds to put an arm on Artoria's shoulder and lean on her like a post, while retrieving a carrot from her satchel to munch on.

She's going full Bugs Bunny. What better way to lighten the mood! ]

Try to forget about your world, alright? Forget about the rules, any laws of physics or anythin', it's just you and the Everbloom when it comes to Bloomcraft. The hows ain't important, what's important is feelin' what ya want and just... doing it!

[ She is THE BEST TEACHER (citation needed.) ]

[washandrinse]

[ Shanpu sliiides into a sear across from Artoria, two cups of tea in hand. One of them is set in front of Artoria, while Shanpu gingerly takes a sip from the other. ]

What are you practicing? [ I mean... sewing, obviously. But it looks like more. ]

[roundofavalon]

[ Artoria looks up, surprised. ]

O-oh! Hey, didn't know you were hanging around here, too...

[ Oh, and she brought tea... come to think of it, she didn't notice until just now, but she is thirsty... she must've been focused harder than she thought. She'll take the cup, then... the warm tea easing her mind just from holding it. ]

Thanks... oh, this? Well... I thought I'd finally start practicing Bloomcraft, y'know? I heard that one form of it lets you channel magic through textile arts to make enchanted items, but... as you can see, all I've managed to make is normal cloth.

[ It's excellently-made, at least. But otherwise mundane. ]

From what I can tell, emotions and sentiments are pretty key to making it work... which makes it pretty different from the magecraft I practiced back home.

1/2

[washandrinse]

[ Shanpu sips her own tea. It's good? But of course it is, she made it after all. ]

"Bloomcraft"... nn. Right. I should pick it up while I'm here...

I hear there's one that can even impart magic when making tea.



[ Siiiiip. ]

[washandrinse]

Where I'm from, magic is not something anybody can.... pick up and learn. Only very special people, and it's still very hard.

This world... is special itself, that anybody can learn.

But what about you? Is your world special, or are you?

[roundofavalon]

Ehhh, really? Bloomcraft really is... amazing...

[ She says, in the middle of sipping her own tea... ]

Aha... I dunno... maybe a little bit of both? It's a little complicated. Though, I guess you could say it's more the latter, since not everybody can...

[ ...Hey, wait, what was that she said about the tea? Artoria promptly stops sipping the tea and looks over at Shanpu.

...She's just messing with her, right? She didn't do anything to the tea, did she? ]

First Symptoms | Outside Lily Barracks (Late-May)

[roundofavalon]

[ Artoria had figured that she would've been able to handle the symptoms if she happened to catch the Toux Roux. She's a mage, after all. She's had to take care of herself before, she's proud to say her immune system is nothing to scoff at.

But clearly, she underestimated it. ]

ACHOO...!!

[ It's a good thing she started practicing Imprintwork, since she was able to create a face mask that's easier to breathe in, but she's seriously getting hit by this harder than she expected. Her magecraft doesn't seem to be as effective on it...

What was it they said would help? Emotional honesty? Seriously?

Nah, she's a mage! Finding other solutions to problems is, like, her whole deal! If her usual sickness-treating spells aren't working, then she'll just experiment and try a more brute force solution. First, she's gonna find a way to clean her sinuses. All she needs to do is come up with a way to shoot clean water through them and just... flush all the mucus and irritants out in one go, right? The theory is perfect!

At least, the theory is. In practice, well... ]

BANG!!

OWWWW...!!

[ It's evidently an eventful day at the Lily Barracks, since Artoria decided to test her newest magecraft creation just outside the building... which resulted in a loud noise similar to an explosion, followed by pained shriek by Artoria.

The result of trying to pack magically-cleaned water into a small pellet, sticking it up your nose, and using a minimal amount of explosive force to cleanse her sinuses with as much force as possible... didn't end well. Heck, for that matter... ]

It didn't even work...!

[ At least she isn't injured...? Soaked in water and soap suds and clutching her face, sure, but she's otherwise fine! ]

[maidfree]

[ hayasaka had gotten off easily with this. she hadn't managed to get sick, and made sure to keep herself and the places she's been to sanitized before and after. maid habits dying a bit hard.

it's what allows her to jump into action when she hears the loud bang from outside of the barracks. she's immediately out there, and's a little more worried than she'd like to seem. oops. ]

Castoria-chan?! Hey, are you alright?!

[ that was loud as hell and-- something didn't work?! ]

[roundofavalon]

[ The magecraft process is... trial and error. That's her excuse. She wasn't entirely reckless about it in any case. She's tougher than she looks, and she used a truly minimal amount of magical energy... but things still ended up like this. Maybe trying to do delicate magecraft while she's sick was a bad idea...? ]

Mm' fine...

[ In addition to being soaked, her nose is red... and not because of what she just tried. Plus, she looks exhausted. ]

Ugh, did I mess up the amount of magical energy...? Ugh, it went up my nose, but it didn't clear anything out at all...! I might be able to turn these into decent bath bombs, though...

[ Despite the state she's in, though, she doesn't look like she's considering stopping. ]

[maidfree]

[ oh what the hell! she's out here soaked, sick, and sticking things up her nose?

hayasaka marches right over. ]

I don't know what the hell you're doing over here, but I'm putting a stop to it. Come on, you need to get some rest and stop messing around.

[roundofavalon]

Huh...? Oh! Hayasaka!

[ She hadn't even registered who was the one asking if she was alright. She quickly stands upright, trying to straighten herself up and... huh? ]

N-no, it's fine, really! I was just trying something to try and clear my sinuses, it's totally sa—KOFF...!

[ ...Extremely rude of the Toux Roux to make her cough up a chunk of flower petals at that precise moment, she feels. ]

[relativezero]

[ Oh. Huh. It's Artoria, huh...

Eyes wide and startled, Yuno looks at her with a sandwich in her hands, seemingly having enjoyed a day of better weather among the rain and storms of May, having been scared frozen on the spot at the explosion. ]

Artoria-san... [ She begins, blinking confused. ] Are you... alright?

[roundofavalon]

Uuuuugh...

[ If it had actually worked, then she could've said yes... but nope. Her flu-like symptoms are still as bad as ever.

Of course, she'll still say yes. It'll just... not be true. ]

Yeah, I'm fine...

[ She says, with a voice considerably more nasally than usual. Heck, for that matter, she doesn't really look great either... aside from being soaked, that is. ]

[relativezero]

You don't look alright, though...

[ Doesn't take fae eyes to tell as much. ]

Do you want me to get you a towel? Something warm, maybe?

You look so snotty, right now... [ She offers her a napkin. ] Here.

The sickness seems to be wearing everyone down...

[roundofavalon]

Hnnn...

[ She knows, she knows she probably looks all kinds of terrible right now. Sighing, she takes the napkin and uses it to wipe her nose. ]

Sorry... and thanks. It's the weirdest thing, isn't it? I'm usually pretty confident in my immune system. I've never gotten this bad before...

[ Whether that can be chalked up to being a faerie of paradise or just her upbringing... well, she's got no clue, but whatever the case she isn't doing so great now. ]

Closed to Hoshino Ai

[roundofavalon]

[ A week passed. As per her deal with Metal, she waited a week... and after that week, Metal would do whatever he could to keep Archer out of the way so that Artoria could see Ai alone. There's a part of her that feels a little bad, but the whole point of this would be moot if Archer were around to interject or anything, after all.

Plus, there's a nonzero chance that showing up with him around would escalate into a fight, so. Trusting that she won't have to worry about Archer... Artoria knocks on Ai's door. ]

Um... hello? It's me, Artoria!

[ ...Just in case, though. She's ready to be met with a rain of swords just in case. ]

[liedol]

[ The door clicks open and there stands Ai, looking surprised but certainly not displeased. ]

Oh...! I didn't know you were dropping by, Artoria-chan. Here, come get in out of the rain...

[ She steps aside and holds the door open for her to enter. ]

Sorry if you were looking for the other two... you just missed them.

[roundofavalon]

Aha... thanks! Rain is easy for me to handle with magecraft, but it's not completely perfect...

[ She steps inside, though she holds the tip of her staff out for a moment like it's an umbrella... because it is. An invisible barrier centered around the top of the staff kept the rain off of Artoria, and a collection of water is released outside onto the ground as the magecraft ends. Then, Artoria steps inside properly. ]

That's fine. I came here looking for you, anyways. Still, I'm surprised... I didn't realize you kept such um...

[ What's a good word for it... ]

...entertaining company!

[ That's a nice way of putting it, right? ]

[liedol]

Oh, you were? I guess I did move out of the barracks pretty suddenly...

[ ... Actually, come to think of it, she technically never moved out officially, she just kind of... stopped going back to sleep there... she should probably make a point of finally moving all of her things out of there, huh...

Well. She can worry about that later. She leads Artoria through to the kitchen and pulls out a chair for her. ]

Aha. It was kind of a surprise when I realized he was living here with Shirou-kun too, but... we're getting along okay. He'd get embarrassed if you said it to his face, but he's a good kid. - oh, um, do you want a drink? Or a snack?

[roundofavalon]

[ Shirou-kun!? Is that his first name!? Huh... wait, and she's just calling him that!? ]

Haha... I think he's alright, too! I mean, kind of. When we first met he was so rude I almost considered hitting him over the head with my staff.

[ It would've been deserved, trust. ]

Oh, you don't have to worry about me! I just wanted to talk, since, um... well...

[ Artoria's cheeks flush just a little. ]

So... you and Archer, huh! And you're even calling him Shirou-kun...