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Owner	Pose
Tamamo	The place to which Tamamo-no-mae has called everyone is not a place with a warp gate, nor is one expected to be built there. The place still calls to mind how the valleys of Niigata prefecture once looked, but the colors are all different, now, and the greenery entirely gone. The calamities of the Onslaught left this place barren, and only the river continues to flow, making stones smooth and carrying away what earth reached it, now that no roots are there to hold it in place.     The same rivers are the easiest way to reach this place, with Tamamo, herself, choosing to travel the shortest distance from warp gate to water, and there take a shallow-drafted sail- and motorboat the rest of the way. The current is enough on its own, if one is patient, and poles away from the rocks. Tamamo is not much of a sailor, but even a child could manage this much, if they paid attention the entire way. Old and broadened rivers flow more calmly.     Not much changes along the way. Even invasive species find difficulty, here. There was little touched by human hands, and little worth destroying in any calculated manner. Still, there are the signs, here where nothing should be growing, where the entire ecosystem was destroyed, startling for their lack of natural sense, their anti-assimilation into terrestrial nature. Nevada has its deserts, too. Here and there, one can see the blue-black sand, the skeletal growths with twinkling lights on their northern sides, the kelp-like growths flowing in directions irrespective of the wind, and distressingly bloodlike growths upon stone, as if growing each boulder its own circulatory system. This place is not, in itself, safe for the 'known' world. It is not 'claimed' by any friendly hand.     Still, you've not been brought here to deal with that, directly. Tamamo, with the help of any willing (and preferably leaving it to someone more eager to deal with boating than she), steers clear, especially of anything appearing suspiciously as if it might spore. The stretch of valley to which you're headed was chosen for its few horrors, among other auspicious details.     And there it is. "And here we are!"     It's not much to look at, which is sort of the point. There's enough blocky, complex stone to excite more adventurous mountaineers, and cliffs going high enough to make them dangerous. There's water taking faster routes than it had, hugged by stone on all sides, yet narrow enough to be easily crossed from stone to stone, if one simply never slips. There's earthy remains where something, years ago, had burnt the land so quickly that there was hardly anything left to rot, but there's no presence of fire, now, and the presence of soil is as much as Tamamo, in her surveying, had hoped.
Tamamo	"Some assistance in moving these things ashore would be welcome." The boat can't make it past this point. Without a dock, running it to ground is the safer option, then pushing it away once it's lost its heavy load -- and that load is substantial, apart from the passengers, even if much of it was chosen for being less than dense.     Stones are the exception. Only a few have been brought, since more were expected to be found locally. These ones are oddly shaped pieces, worn into holed, rounded, or letter-like shapes. Paper, Tamamo had mentioned, along with bamboo wickerwork that is serving double duty in carrying other things materials. Scissors, shears, paints in small quantities -- water being another thing to source locally -- and wood are stacked together. Most of the latter is hinoki, a native variety of cypress, though a few others show. The carpentry tools lack nails, having at most dowels available as replacement, which could prove troublesome, in the unlikely event that both joinery and craft glue prove lacking.     Most fragile are the plants, carried in thin, clay pots with their soil. The grounds here are not well suited for gardening, not yet, which made the transportation of at least that much soil necessary, though more would have been better. Regretfully, every ounce meant the boat would be that much lower in the water.     Tamamo carries, herself, a collection of fox-faced masks on strings, and a bundle of candles. There's extra wax, since it can be used for a few different purposes.     "Does everyone quite understand the intent? Please do speak up if there is any confusion. One cannot give precise instructions for how the making of homes is to be accomplished, for we know not the tastes of each and every spirit, to the last. Our guiding principle, then, shall be 'to begin small.'"
Kale Hearthward	Somehow, Kale Hearthward returned. ... Well, he hasn't really been gone, just dealing with things outside of the multiversal elite spotlight. Some family matters, some homeworld matters, some training matters. When Tamamo makes the call for assistance, the stars align in Kale finally having enough free time to answer. Kale takes the lead on steering the boat, if nobody else steps up for it. He's not all that skilled at boating per se, but he does have fine control of the local winds, which fills in a lot of the gaps, and his self-confidence ("How hard can steering a boat really be? Other people do it all the time") fills in the rest of the gaps. "We're building tiny spirit houses, right?" says Kale, once unloading is complete. (He can't carry a lot, but being able to fly helps with getting smaller things up past difficult terrain.) "And by tiny houses..." He tries to think of a metaphor that doesn't involve Christmas. "Gingerbread houses, kind of?" Then he has a better thought that doesn't involve Christmas. "Model train village houses?" Kale himself didn't quite understand the assignment until he arrived and saw the supplies Tamamo brought. As a result, his own personal stock of supplies are from raiding the discount bin at a teacher supply store: packs of off-brand colored pencils and crayons, sheafs of colored construction paper, and several sheets of motivational kid stickers. ... Kale has a You're a 100% Shooting Star <^> sticker stuck to the side of his face, and hasn't noticed.
Angela	Netzach is the laziest of the Sephirah and that hasn't really changed since their Meltdown. If anything, they're more comfortable with their desire to be human furniture. Mikey, their subordinate, in the Floor of Art, is certainly passionate about the one thing but he keeps using his radio privilege to say things that annoy Angela. And so, Angela has forced both of them to leave the Library and help Tamamo whom Angela feels indebted to. Both Netzach and Mikey arrive wearing their Library uniforms, though Mikey's is paint splotched. Netzach themself is sleepyeyed and hunched over from the journey over to the 'valleys of Niigata'. One of the Library's kodomas seems to have snuck out and is poking its little head out of Netzach's suit. But Netzach doesn't seem to have notied. ''And here we are...' "Ooffh we made it..." Netzach flops onto the floor to just lie there on the ground for a while. "So we did everything we had to do right?" They seem content to act like this despite this mostly being a boat ride. "So we're building tiny little homes? Do you got like plans to follow or is this vibes?"
Star Twinkle	Without a clear safe way to touch down directly at their location without getting lost, and to help with the sailing, Hikaru and Lala-- and Yuma!-- join along on the boat ride from the warpgate. Hikaru is wearing her overall shorts on top of a ruffly pink and white shirt, pink belt cinched around her waist, and Lala is wearing a teal and yellow poofy skirt, with a cutesy beret that has a star matching Hikaru's headband. Both of them have their Star Color Pendants hanging off their necks, and Hikaru additionally has the critical piece of equipment of-- a very long stick!! Compelled by the draw of an appropriately staff-like stick when she found it on the ground, it might not properly be a pole for sailing, but she'll use it for that anyways!     At first impression, the young teenage girls in their adorable little outfits might seem like a very bad match for the postapocalyptic wastelands of the Onslaught-blighted world. Given the omnipresent sense that there's something terribly wrong with the environment, it might seem like they should be brought away from this situation immediately for their own safety. But not only are the Cures unphased, this alien landscape seems to be practically their preferred terrain, and their energy isn't any less for it. "Yahhh--! A rock in the river! Staaaar Pole--!!!" "Maybe if I take a sample of the water, AI could scan it to learn more about what's hurting the spirit, lun." "--_-___!"     Once grounded, Hikaru leaps to begin rushing around carrying baskets off of the ship, sparking a competition that's apparently been ongoing for some time. Lala, lagging behind because of her curious antennae pulses into the vial of river water she took and her generally more cautious demeanor, startles when Hikaru giggles after scooping up the stones in front of her and hauling them off the boat as if she's racing. Lala stumbles after her, carefully squatting down to wrap her arms around a potted plant, and calls out plaintively when Hikaru laps her to take another armload of materials. "Hi-ka-ruuuu!! You can't carry everything, lun! Let me help!"     Once the boat's settled, Lala lifts up her gloved hand, tapping it with an antenna to power it on. With a stated command-- including a Foundation ID-esque readout of an eight digit personal identifier-- the glove blips in recognition, and AI's voice emanates from it.     "Understood, Miss Lala. I'll engage autopilot to your location now."     Several minutes later, the pink egg-shaped rocket ship covered in stars and hearts appears as a speck in the sky, and a wash of heat announces its descent. It plops onto the rocky ground while its rockets ease off, and then the heart-shaped porthole automatically opens and dispenses a ramp, from which the girls start to unload *another* set of crafting supplies: pads of stickers, tubs of glitter, a folding table to work on, some strange crystals and lumps of grey alien metal, and lots of popsicle sticks and glue and so on. "Our guiding principle, then, shall be 'to begin small.'"     "Yes!!! I'll build the best houses these little guys have ever seen!" Hikaru punches a fist into her palm excitedly.
Sarracenia	Sarracenia Sundew...is not actually a big fan of nature. Her homeland's nature is so intrusive and virulent that it has soured her to nature in general. But...the thought of helping cute little spirits or creatures or whatever they are is enticing. She found it quite fun when she encountered small mushroom creatures in that odd land called Everhood.      Of course, the spirits here may not appreciate gold as much as those mushrooms did, but Sarra is looking forward to some arts and crafts! And since they are going to be working outside, Sarra has opted to wear a red jean skirt that reaches only to just below her knees, along with a red jean jacket, a black silk blouse underneath, and red leggings. All of the red items have golden embroidery of small leafy vines curling around them. She naturally has gloves on, but thicker than usual. And she has finished off her outfit with a set of boots she rarely gets to wear but is quite fond of. A set of black cowboy boots with Bullet Bill-style shark faces on the toes. Since they will be working outside for an extended period, she has put on a broad straw cowboy hat to match the western-theme she has gone for. It has been designed so that her crown is inset into it. Her silver hair has been set into a thick outdoorsy braid that sways when she walks.      When she sees the boat and the materials, she hesitates a moment before asking Tamamo, "...is this all we are bringing? I could have plenty of building materials and soil brought in from the Sundew Kingdom. Or...is this project meant to be made of local materials to foster more affinity with the local spirits?" She doesn't know anything real about spirits, but she's read plenty of romantic fantasy books.      Kale being here is a surprise, and Sarra isn't sure yet if it is a good or bad thing. "Doll houses? Or bird houses, perhaps? " she offers when he starts listing things.      She notices the sticker and starts to point at it, but her hand only raises about half way and her finger only points somewhat before she hesitates and lowers her hand. She's a bit tired of verbal fighting and doesn't feel inclined to start something when Kale is being pleasant so far. She can't quite stop a giggle as she imagines how it got there, though. "I imagine this place has a lovely view of the stars at night." she says, surely not related to anything.      Hikaru, Lala, and Yuma join the boat ride!      Sarra gives each a big hug. "Hello! It is good to see you all! Having you along is sure to keep our spirits up-" Sarra blinks as she realizes what she said, then shrugs and giggles, "-as we work!"      Sarra helps unload once they arrive. She's stronger than she looks, and takes on the task of carrying those rocks with little trouble, holding them over her head like that is just the way one carries rocks. Although she appears not to have brought anything herself, once the boat is unloaded she starts reaching into her purse and pulling out supplies. Namely, glittering ribbons and streamers, small planks of wood, and entire bolts of fabric with different nature designs on them along with a few of shimmering silver, gold, and ruby red. And of course scissors and other supplies one needs for overly gaudy but still fairly basic arts and crafts.      "Start small..." Sarra muses to herself as she joins the StarTwis at their table. "...I might be able to do that." she adds after a moment. "Are you sure they would not like a mansion or castle or something?" she asks Tamamo after a moment more thought.
Foundation Scions	At the rendevouz point, Matilda Bouanich, Monitor Assistant, and self-proclaimed master of arts and crafts, shows up bright and eager for this similarly bright-seeming little mission. Dressed for an outdoorsy occasion in brown overalls, a smart blue shrug, and a matching straw hat to boot, Matilda Bouanich comes prepared! A small little rucksack sits over her shoulders, which she hastily packs away her Foundation and Paladins IDs into, for safekeeping. She can't help but hum some half-remembered tune in the gaps between conversation, before setting off along the river journey.     "... What is it that left such an emptiness all around these parts?" On the boat ride in, Matilda has been far from 'placid', moving from one side to the other to lean out and look at the hills, stretch out over the bow, or trail her fingers in the water, and even reach out at passing rocks. She'll eagerly try her hand at piloting a boat- she's never done that before, but for *certain*, she'd be a natural- right? 'And here we are!'     Matilda hops right out over the boat's side- not quite onto the shoreline, her landing stirring up a decent splash. What's the point in waterproofed hiking boots if you can't put them to the test? "Ms. Tamamo..? Is there any particular significance to this site, beyond its good fortune? Ouh, it may be quite desolate, but with such an ambient void, the night sky up above must be as clear as crystal... We are no close distance at all to any cities, are we..?"     Clearly, outside of the office environment Matilda was first encountered in, she simply Can't keep still. In general conversation, she crouches down by the riverside to turn over rocks for the hopes of seeing river moss beneath, or small creatures, when given a gap in focus, she ambles further up the hillside to investigate larger boulders. "Without as much as a plant... this would be such prime of an area to forage for crystals, all the moving water and steep faces.... oh, but alas.."     Luckily, that's fully unnecessary today- Matilda Bouanich comes prepared! Stored within her rucksack, as she excitedly demonstrates, is a pouch absolutely full to bursting with unfinished and unrefined quartz topaz, half faceted, some smoothed out to near-transparent round, some like they just came out of the rock minutes before. "I had thought these a kind addition, perhaps? Too small, or too imperfect for proper charms, but they served me well in the practice of faceting and hewing~!" And paperweights.     Matilda gathers up a small armful- maybe more material than she needs to 'start small' -of twine and twigs, before trying to find *just* the sort of rock-niche she'd love to prospect for crystals within- the sheltered corners beneath boulders, shaded and damp, with pebbly substrate, to start making a dainty home. Trying her best, she even has to half-stick out, and bite, her tongue, diligent and hardworking! Do your best Matilda! >A giant pick rocket lands!     "C'est pas vrai- that vision was no metaphor? Um- Excuse me? That contraption is... yours?" Matilda waves down Lala and Hikaru, fascinated and confused, building supplies still held in hand.
Chuyao He	Chuyao He, scholar of the late generation, travels down the river alongside Tamamo. He wears flowing, breathable white shenyi robes with smart black trim and simple black cloth boots. A satchel is slung over his shoulder, resting against his hip. Even with some of it styled into a bun, set into a silver hair crown with the help of a coral pin sporting a carved orchid motif, Chuyao's black hair reaches past his shoulder blades. His soft features lend themselves as well to his gentle smile as to the genuine frown of concern at the more obviously alien aspects of the landscape. The less distressing parts of the journey even see inspiration dancing in his inquisitive brown eyes.      Along the way, there is opportunity for introduction. "I, the scholar of the late generation, Chuyao He, humbly present myself to Lady Tamamo's guests." And here we are!     A black steel brise fan slips from the sleeve of his robe into his waiting palm. He flips it open, revealing a hammered silver triptych playing out across the slats. The mythical giant Kuafu chases the sun, grows thirsty and drains two rivers in his pursuit, only to die of thirst with the sun out of reach. The final third shows the grove of trees which serves as his impromptu funeral mound.      Chuyao fans himself, taking in the scenery with wide, inquisitive eyes. Some assistance in moving these things ashore would be welcome.      "Of course," agrees the scholar. "Please allow this untalented scholar to assist." Chuyao leaps from the boat to the shore, and despite the distance, the boat scarcely so much as rocks with his departure. The flutter of his robes is much more pronounced, in fact. After a nimble aerial cartwheel, he lands facing the boat, and fans himself a second time, sharply, as if beckoning. "Hoh!"      A breeze blows across the boat, whirling around within it and lifting up a few effects to carry them safely to the shore. That contraption is... yours?      "I have never before seen its like. That there's such a conveyance... what a remarkable thing!"      For his own little project, under the guidance of 'starting small,' he sets aside a particularly flat-looking stone, opens his satchel, and procures a steel-capped calligraphy pen from a lacquered box, one of a pair. A charcoal rod is placed into the slot of an inkstone and ground, then one end of the stone is dipped briefly and carefully into the water to gather a small portion for the stone's reservoir. Removing the rod, Chuyao gently uncaps the implement, smooths the hairs of the brush and dips it into the freshly-made ink.      The characters for 'joyous welcome' are painted in long, meticulous and even strokes, even for such a small canvas, with perfect regard given for the space he works with. Allowing it time to dry, he sets up a foundation of twigs, carefully interlacing vertical with horizontal until he can set up four stones--three walls and a 'roof.' The back wall bears the message, like a little plaque for visitors and returning masters of the house alike.
Lilian Rook	Lilian isn't particularly a sailor either. Under any other circumstances, she'd let Kale figure it out alone, and relax on a bench somewhere like a princess being carried around on a palanquin. Seeing as this is Tamamo's project, though, Lilian had deemed that idea unacceptable rather quickly, taken a pole and a couple of fibreglass emergency oars 'just in case'.     She spends most of the river ride proactively steering the boat far enough away from anything solid that it's practically a disneyland ride when she's focused, and only lapses a little when she breaks some silence or another by asking Kale about his month, or haranguing Netzach for lying around in the bottom of the boat, threatening to plant him too if he wants to be a vegetable so badly. When there's absolutely nothing to do, she breaks out the oars and 'tries getting some practice with them', which means showing off how much she can speed up the boat without looking like she's trying.     Which is quite considerably.     Though she'd like to dress in some cute summer casual, the fact of the matter is that this is home turf, or 'My planet' if prompted by either Precure; it'd be irresponsible not to take it seriously, and furthermore, years of experience by now make habits difficult to drop. Given the prospect of boating at the height of summer, Lilian has limited herself to a perplexing blend of cut-down green merino wool top, something close enough to bike shorts, athletic rowing gloves, expensive lace-up leather hiking boots, adjusting the cross straps of the former to hang a little off her body just before throwing some trendy yellow semitransparent jacket over it anyways, bought from some futuristic world in past, and sicarded halfway once the splash risk subsides.     Her hair being tied up in back into a fancy updo somehow seems to 'mean business' more than the gorgeously detailed and slightly oversized alchemical sidearm strapped to one thigh, now plainly visible without a skirt, or even Night Mist and Lycian sheath at her opposite hip; neither strapped to her back, nor occupying the necklace slot. The fact is, despite the outwardly unconcerned, even vacation-like affect she chooses, her bag contains almost all of her Immunes corps field gear, eclectically jumbling high-tech and mass-produced magic together.     '... What is it that left such an emptiness all around these parts?'     "The end of the world. Or should I say the previous era?" is the answer that Lilian gives Matilda offhandedly. In the present place, time, and company, she sounds a lot less razor-sharp British about everything. "There aren't any cities as you understand them anymore, but you're correct anyways; there'll be no light pollution out here." With her next breath at the oars, she adds, "No phone service, roads, hospitals, or anything like that either."     She helps run the boat aground, towels off her arms and neck, tries not to laugh at Hikaru and Lala competing, gives up on stopping it, and then starts hauling weight without further delay. Her mood is in the uncanny range where AI rocketing in mostly gets a contemplative-surprised "Ohh." out of her, and only thirty seconds later, leaning over near Lala to say "Be careful with her, okay? It's empty around here, but you never know. Flying always presents at least a little risk on this planet."     Realizing she has no free hands, the imp of the perverse conjures to mind an unbidden hallucination giving Lala a little peck on the top of the head instead, and is quickly banished by remembering Lala is not, in fact, a scrunkly little war orphan, and has living family members back home.
Lilian Rook	'Without as much as a plant... this would be such prime of an area to forage for crystals, all the moving water and steep faces.... oh, but alas..'     Dusting off her hands, Lilian laces her fingers, stretches her arms and back, and then remarks at Matilda, "Forage? You don't just divine where they are ahead of time? Or do you just prefer rustic words like that for the vibe?" looking backwards over her shoulder. She seems about to turn and go about her business again, but the glittering greebles catch her eye, and instead she focuses fully on Matilda for a second, gasping "Oh! You're a jeweller! That makes a lot of-- No I suppose I'm just surprised that the Foundation allows that sort of discretionary hobby work instead of forcing you to requisition everything. My my."     'Um- Excuse me? That contraption is... yours?'     "Oh, and that rocket is their house, and also the main body of AI. Say hi to AI." Lilian directs, too-casually to be reassuring.     Her mood is so minimally stressed that she can even more or less ignore Sarracenia being here for some godforsaken reason. With a little battery charge gained from catching Tamamo from behind, squeezing her enough to lift her up slightly, then putting hands over hers, Lilian is temporarily mentally impervious! She watches Chuyao over her shoulder for a little while, even, whispering something for Tamamo's ears only on some subject or another, and then saying out loud, "So~? Coral?" as if him moving the rest of the supplies via kungfu alone were simply a polite ritual to indicate himself worthy of her attention.     "Good taste, though~" says the woman wearing a lily hairpin to a man wearing an orchid one.
Star Twinkle	> You're a 100% Shooting Star <^>     Seeing this, Lala wanders up to Kale with a pad of her own star-themed stickers in hand. She observes him like a nature documentary, searching through the stickers and squinting at him to compare to see if any of them match exactly. None of them do, but she's engaged in the curious exercise of flipping through stickers like they're a botanical compendium. "I imagine this place has a lovely view of the stars at night."     "Uh huh! Probably! The American Southwest is super duper good for that because it's got low light pollution and low humidity and high elevation in lots of places too. There's a *ton* of observatories around-- well... maybe not here, eheh. But Area 51 is a secret government base for studying aliens and it's in a place like this! I've alwayed wanted to visit." Hikaru is sooo willing to give and receive hugs, Lala is somewhat more shy about it. "Hi princess!!" "Ouh, it may be quite desolate, but with such an ambient void, the night sky up above must be as clear as crystal..."     A kindred soul!! Hikaru nods several times, arms crossed. "Uh huh uh huh! I've been to a planet that was aaaalllll desert, and we got stuck on it at night because we needed to hike for a while to get more fuel crystals, and we could see *every* star. It was almost as clear as being in space!" "C'est pas vrai- that vision was no metaphor?"     Lala can be very prideful when admired, and she lifts her hands to either side in a shrug with a closed-eye and glowy-antennae smirk. "It's just a simple spaceship, lun. We have thousands of them on Samaan, and lots of things even bigger and cooler too. This one's got my personal AI installed, lun!"     The biggest star on the spaceship briefly lights up, and then a synthesized voice comes out of it. "Greetings, Miss Bou-an-ich. I am Miss Lala's AI. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."     Reminded by AI being much more polite than they've been, both Lala and Hikaru fumble over each other to cram in an introduction as well. "It's nice to meet you, mhm(lun)."" "Flying always presents at least a little risk on this planet."     Lala takes this warning extremely seriously, giving Lilian a firm nod to show that she's paying attention and understood. "Lun. Because of monsters, right? Maybe we should have Yuma warp her out...."
Kale Hearthward	Oh, new people. Or at least, people Kale hasn't met before. He has at least been introduced to Matilda by the radio before, so he starts with her when there's downtime. "Monitor Assistant Bouanich," he says, nodding to her. "Doing alright? Keeping up with things so far?" He sticks his own thumb into his chest. "If you need any help, you know who to ask, alright? I've been at all of this for ages, I've seen pretty much anything and everything the multiverse has to throw at me. There's not much that can phase me." Faze and phase are homophones, but you can just tell he's using the wrong one regardless. "Honestly you can just sit back and relax with me here. We'll just all let the junior chevaliers take a little break, right? I've seen everything." With impeccable comedic timing, the pink starship descends, leaving Kale speechless. "Oh, that, stuff like that's always happening," he bluffs, counting on everyone else to have been looking upward and not at his expression. "Is that, that yours?" he asks the precures. "Maybe a little bit too much style over substance, but it looks like it gets the job done." Kale's stickers do not match. A lot of them are misprinted, or have weird phrasings or artwork, leaving no question as to why they ended up in the arts and crafts bargain bin. You are the bomb! proclaims one sticker, with a curiously realistic drawing of a pipe bomb next to the text. Next to Chuyao - who has... oh, he has the *good* art supplies. In a *satchel*, not a plastic shopping bag like Kale has. Kale, clutching his box of off-brand crayons, feels false nostalgia flooding into him from the cultural collective unconscious - being the kid in class with all the dollar store supplies sitting next to the rich kid whose mom brought him the one hundred and twenty eight box of crayola. With the built in crayon sharpener! Next Chuyao is going to pull out a graphing calculator with an actual battery inside it, huh. "Oh, you don't want to use that." Kale feels moved to act. "I've seen those, they - they wear out really quickly. Here." He tries to pluck the calligraphy pen from Chuyao's fingers and press the box of shitty crayons into his hand instead. "Use these, they last forever, they don't even need to be sharpened or re-inked."
Tamamo	EARLIER:     "Oh, thank you," Tamamo says, to Hikaru, Kale, Matilda and Lilian handling the boat. There's room for four, in fact, between the motives of pole, sail, motor, and oars, even if some conflict a bit, the physics of motion in a fluid medium being what they are. "Though it is not so difficult as dealing with seas and storms, there are some things I will never entirely master."     As long as they respect the rocks, it's all smooth, without any jumps in difficult along the way. Getting some tailwind gets everyone to the destination sooner -- and would make the rocks much more dangerous, if they actually got close to them, but they don't! Not with Lilian and Hikaru on the poles.     "Oh, yes, be careful not to fall in, but -- acquiring a sample is ever a good plan." In most things.     'Or...is this project meant to be made of local materials to foster more affinity with the local spirits?'     "That is part of the reason, for layering new earth over old would merely bury and replace the land. Another reason is this: If this project is to succeed, it must be something that can be repeated by others for it to change the world. There are a hundred rivers in the islands -- or seven thousand, or twenty-one thousand, or more, depending upon how they are counted. I would not ask you visit every one."     '... What is it that left such an emptiness all around these parts?'     Tamamo glances toward Lilian before answering, "It was called the Onslaught, and was like a war. My arrival on this world was but a few years ago, and that conflict, which was not quite a war, was some time well before. We shall not meet any of its perpetrators today, so my divinations have said."
Tamamo	NOW:     "Gingerbread? Ah, hm, that can last a rather long time, but something more durable would be preferred. Of course, paper is only so resistant to the weather, even when treated with oil, and the residents will handle much of the work to maintain their homes... should they like them! In that sense, what is first important is that they be pleased, and all other matters can be deferred." Tamamo's already planning return trips to do checks on everything, afterward.     "Model trains... I wonder, whether they would like to ride one..." Tamamo may be missing some context around Christmas traditions. That, or the notion of miniature public transit is just that distracting.     "The important thing, remember, is to put feeling into your art!" Tamamo answers Netzach with a rolling-up-sleeve fist-pump gesture. It only looks a little silly with her detached sleeves, which have a lot of volume to roll up. Her determined expression shows no awareness of practical work attire. "They are a varied lot... as are all small creatures. If one does not like a particular work, then, perhaps, another shall! Oh, but it would be useful to have at least one altar." Whether she means the sacrificial kind isn't specified.     Lala and AI will find the water to be mostly normal, and slightly very weird. It's got trace particles of something very small and heavy, yet very buoyant. Solving the paradox is hard, but finding a way to filter is probably doable. What they'd do in a person or a root system is a mystery.     'I'll build the best houses these little guys have ever seen!'     "I shall warmly anticipate."     'Are you sure they would not like a mansion or castle or something?'     "They might, so long as it is a small one. Larger, vaster rooms only become cold when there are not the people to fill them."
Lilian Rook	'Lun. Because of monsters, right? Maybe we should have Yuma warp her out....'     "Usually." Lilian says, nodding like Lala gave an answer she can check off as correct on a test, but as her favourite student, she has to elaborate more. "But sometimes it can be other things. Anomalous zones, leftovers, and confluences of things that technology is especially sensitive too." Yeah, it's totally a teacher tone. She put her finger up. "It's not that you shouldn't fly at all; even crossing the street has a little bit of a risk every time. You should just try to think about how much you're asking AI to fly around on her own, where, and why."     And to think she always used to address AI as 'the AI; it'. Lilian might even stop to reflect on that if Lala weren't being the funniest catty little middleschooler in the world right now.     'Uh huh uh huh! I've been to a planet that was aaaalllll desert, and we got stuck on it at night because we needed to hike for a while to get more fuel crystals'     "Hikaru . . ." Lilian begins, not sure how to attempt the topic. A flash of inspiration strikes, and she pivots. "You and Lala should try writing a flight manual! Like, with a pre-launch checklist, flight plan, maybe a countdown even, like NASA?" Covering the thing with sparkly stickers and doodles might even mean that they remember to check it and read the fuel gauge next time.     'Use these, they last forever, they don't even need to be sharpened or re-inked.'     "Hearthward."     Lilian's tone is completely different than the idle asking about his month she was doing on board the boat. "This is Chevalier Chuyao He, courtesy name Jianya." she says, emphasis on 'don't try scamming Paladins come on at least do it to Sarracenia'.
Chuyao He	Say hi to AI.     "The humble scholar respectfully presents himself to the marvelous flying homestead, AI," Chuyao offers with a bow, before returning to his work. So~? Coral? Good taste, though~     "You are most kind, Dame Commander Rook," Chuyao smiles. "It was a coming-of-age gift from my parents."     "The Master said of the orchid that though it grows naturally in the remote forest, where no one may admire it, it provides a pleasant fragrance nonetheless. For this reason, it is named among the Four Gentlemen; it does not desert its moral principle even in destitution or solitude." His fond smile is ever so slightly dimmed by the inevitable wandering of his thoughts towards what he considers his past desertion of principle. With a sigh, he adds, "I believe that symbols may be powerful reminders of our obligations to ourselves and others. Don't you?" You don't want to use that.     The calligraphy brush doesn't budge, though Chuyao shows no outward signs of force, let alone hostility; there is only a small smile. "Brother, you're very kind to me, but I cannot accept such an extravagant gift." That isn't sarcastic; he does seem genuinely impressed by the crayons. "Besides, these brushes are more than they seem." He gently thumbs the steel cap. It's sharper than it needs to be, and sturdier, too; imagining it on the brush, it wouldn't be hard to picture him using it as a weapon with its companion if both were capped. "If they should wear out, it is because they have been well used."     "I would, however, be most delighted if you would join me." The scholar pats the ground beside him. "Lady Tamamo has said that feeling is of great import. Your bouquet of colors is a marvel I have not known; what better pair is there to calligraphy than the earnest splash of an artist's vibrance?"
Tamamo	'Ms. Tamamo..? Is there any particular significance to this site, beyond its good fortune?'     "Ah, but 'good fortune' is quite a few different things, you know. Its good fortune includes a degree of safety for us, as well as for any that follow, and 'safety' is a topic no shallower. The shorter answer is, still, a 'no, not particularly.' This is not a place of noted value to any greater entity."     'I had thought these a kind addition, perhaps?'     "They shall serve quite well, I expect."     A breeze blows across the boat, whirling around within it and lifting up a few effects to carry them safely to the shore.     "Oh, my, how skillful." Between Chuyao's arts, Hikaru's enthusiasm, and Sarracenia's strength, getting everything off shouldn't take long at all.     With a little battery charge gained from catching Tamamo from behind, squeezing her enough to lift her up slightly, then putting hands over hers...     "Oh, my!" Tamamo laughs lightly, taking a few moments to twine her fingers with Lilian's. Sure, there's plenty of work to do, but it's not like they're in a rush. She'd checked the omens thoroughly enough for that.     Sudden PDA, in front of children... fortunately, Tamamo's already determined this to be positive to both Lala's and Matilda's development. (Sorry, Matilda. You've become youth-coded until your romance matures.)
Angela	Netzach imagines what it must be like to be planted like a plant, to just sort of get to chill and photosynthesize and help the bees have their little bee lives. At the same time, they know better than to take a threat from Lilian lying down so they roll up to a seated position. And then they think that they shouldn't take Lilian's threats sitting down either and so with a heavy sigh, they sit themselves up. "Yes ma'am..." They say. "Don't worry I'll help." They--and Mikey--do seem to perk up a bit at the opportunity to do ART though even if the travel has worn the former out. ''The box of shitty crayons'' Netzach and Metzach each pluck a bunch of the shitty crayons out of the box even as Kale is offering them to someone else. Netzach offers the green crayon to the kodoma who clambers out from Neztach's suit and tumbles out, falling to the ground and then hefting up the crayon like it was a giant dumbell, gradually starts coloring the one of the rocks green, occasionally dropping the crayon and struggling to get back started again. Occassionally, Netzach uses a finger to help bear the weight for the little guy. Mikey has brought his own paints and works on performing a kind of 'mural' on the wood, piece by piece. It's a little difficult to see what he's making right off the bat but it seems to be an attempt to creature a kind of bright green and blue pastoral visage right there on the wood, there's the beginnings of a river too. ''That vision was no metaphor'' "Are you able to...like...see visions of the future? Must be tough to know if it's symbolic or not with all the weird stuff out there." Netzach sleepily observes the kodoma playing around with the crayon.
Foundation Scions	'The end of the world. Or should I say the previous era?' 'It was called the Onslaught, and was like a war.'     Matilda's eyes fall, it shouldn't be un-expected that whatever reason was catastrophic, but, most specifically Lilian's likening of it to the Storm's impact, tugs at a certain pained sympathy. "... I see." A huff-exhale, "At least it is safe today?"     Matilda uses her hand as an additional visor (her hat's brim is small! It's functional, but!) against the unshielded sun, looking around the spot. The alien pockmarks of strange beings and activity that sparse remain stand out all the more, now. She can't help but associate it, slightly, with the abstract absurdism that overtakes reality in the final moments before the Storm. That thought makes her uneasy. Getting out on rocks and dusty-ing up her knees in outdoorsy activity, that'll fix her mood right up! 'It was almost as clear as being in space!'     Matilda repeats, "Every star..? Oh, what an opportunity that must have been!" A pause, and bleedingly curious, half-whispered, "Did you, by any chance, take a polaroid?" 'It's just a simple spaceship, lun.' 'Oh, and that rocket is their house, and also the main body of AI. Say hi to AI.' 'Greetings, Miss Bou-an-ich.'     "Just a simple- o-oh! Ah, pardon-moi, good day to you, 'AI'? It's a pleasure-" the, confused, "Lun?"     "It is so very pink..." 'Forage? You don't just divine where they are ahead of time? Or do you just prefer rustic words like that for the vibe?'     "Oh, no, no, Ms. Rook! Most crystals that the Bouanich family acquires, they come from salesmen and other prospectors, to be processed and utilized, the foresight of lucrative opportunities is *much* sought. But, ah, it is its own joy to find things on your own, yes? Mon grand-père, heh, he used to talk end on end about it, where he'd always look for them..." Quietly, she hums, eyes fixed on a little crystal she's pulled out from her own bag, dully glowing with internally refracted sunlight. "Would you take some of these? There is no shortage!" 'Oh! You're a jeweler!'     "Mh-hm~! My bracelets, them and the jewels set amongst them? Of the craft of none other than the Bouanich family~! Look, aren't they spectacular? Emeralds of great brilliance, these! My orbuculum is of the family's craft as well, and many charms and seeing stones you are to find amongst customers with good taste in all corners of the globe!"     Matilda threads support-bits of cypress twig to lean against boulders, and cord-ties little quartzes amongst it, to form the effect of 'walls with windows' and 'skylights', but also to sparkle from far away in the bright light, and shimmer in the crevices to, hopefully, entice things to venture within. She'd love to drape some moss overtop it, or that manner, but this doesn't seem quite the environment for that yet. 'Are you able to...like...see visions of the future?'     Matilda turns her head away from her work, speaking so her voice carries, "Of course I can- and most clearly, too! I assure you, it is an exceptional challenge- for others, but for Matilda Bouanich, well- I am simply second to none!"
Kale Hearthward	For the record Kale *can* afford better art supplies, he just saw the shitty ones in the discount bin and thought he was getting a great deal. > emphasis on 'don't try scamming Paladins come on at least do it to Sarracenia'. Kale has enough ranks in Language(Lilian Rook) to understand that emphasis in full. Oops. He's turning his head to see where Sarracenia is, when Chuyao speaks up. > "I would, however, be most delighted if you would join me." > "Your bouquet of colors is a marvel I have not known;" "Oh- well..." A little bit of flattery goes a long way. Kale promptly sits down where indicated instead of causing further trouble. "Oh, well, of course..." He ends up working on decorations first, perhaps inspired by his own earlier comment about 'model train villages'. He digs around for properly sized pebbles to create stepping stone paths outside of the little houses, and little garden walls made up of stacked stones and twigs. Mostly he ends up making flags. Kale likes flags, and with construction paper and twigs, they're easy enough to make. The stickers serve as combination ersatz-tape as well as flag designs. Most Improved! reads one flag. Pizza Party! reads another flag (with a picture of a sandwich on it). Success isn't for everyone! proclaims another flag. The flags are all placed around other peoples' construction wherever it looks like they'll be improved by a flag. A few of Kale's crayons go missing. He figures he just misplaced them. "So - you're a scholar," he says to Chuyao as he settles back down after distributing his latest set of flags. "What do you write? Or... study?" "Myself, in another life, I could have been a playwright."
Tamamo	'I believe that symbols may be powerful reminders of our obligations to ourselves and others. Don't you?'     "Importantly so," Tamamo says, in full earnestness.     "Oh, yes, I must see to some other preparations. There is no need to wait for me. Rather, we have many supplies with which to build, and I shall return ere long." Tamamo heads off with a stack of talismans, though she remains in sight as she works. It's not very dramatic work. She's just walking a distant perimeter, hopping across the water as necessary, making some arcane measurements, and burying rolled up bits of paper.     When she returns, the shadows have moved a noticeable amount, and Tamamo takes some advantage of the precures' crafting table to also set out her picnic supplies, well to one side of it, to minimize the amount of glitter that gets onto her sandwiches. There are a lot of sandwiches. They seemed like the right thing to stock in slightly absurd quantities, with meats and cheeses and egg salad. Rather than calling people to them, Tamamo says, "" and sets the example by picking one up to nibble as she walks about to inspect each construction that's taken shape.     Meanwhile, the array Tamamo set up begins to work. Supernatural attentions congregate onto the river valley...
Sarracenia	There are a couple new people, one of whom's voice Sarra recognizes. "Ah, Mister Jianya. It is good to meet you in person. " she says to him, then looks to Matilda. "I do not believe we have met. I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew. Pleased to meet you."      Lilian catches and squeezes Tamamo from behind, and even though she does not like Lilian Sarra smiles slightly. It is cute to see people be like that with each other.      'That is part of the reason, for layering new earth over old would merely bury and replace the land. Another reason is this: If this project is to succeed, it must be something that can be repeated by others for it to change the world.'      "I see. So, this is to be an inspiration for the people of this world as much as the spirits. Lovely!" Sarra says happily.      'They might, so long as it is a small one. Larger, vaster rooms only become cold when there are not the people to fill them.'      "Excellent! I am sure there are spirits that will appreciate a nice, modest abode. But, there must be some royal spirits around as well!" Sarra says.      'So~? Coral? Good taste, though~'      'You are most kind, Dame Commander Rook, It was a coming-of-age gift from my parents.'      Sarra's hand wanders to the rust red lotus in her hair. "I found mine in a tunnel. It was a rather peculiar and wonderful thing. A metal flower just...growing out of the ground!"      She listens to Hikaru and Lala as they talk about stars and the worlds they have seen as she starts working on her castle. She starts simple, with a square piece of wood. But, rather than using the dowels she uses her Silver to punch small holes in the wood, a pair to a side. Then, she pulls out four longer pieces and does the same to them. Then, she finds four thick and round pieces of wood.      As she builds, instead of glue or dowels she cuts pieces of cloth and twines them into tiny ropes, which she uses to tie the castle pieces together. Pine cones are pulled from her purse and used to cap the towers. Thatch woven between ribbons is used to make the roof of the small castle. More ribbons are used along with small twigs to make flags to top the four towers and the room, flowing lightly in the wind.      The construction is simple and quick, but once done it looks rather plain. The cloth ties and ribbon flags give it some color, but it could certainly use some paint or something. That can wait for a moment though as Tamamo sets out refreshments. "Oh! How considerate, Lady Tamamo!" Sarra says and cheerfully takes a sandwich to nibble on as she considers how to decorate her castle. It looks like it could house a small cat. Sarra might be equating 'small animal' with 'small spirit'.      The talk of jewelry distracts her, and she looks at Matilda's bracelets as she listens. "Do you do much work with rubies? I have a certain color scheme I must adhere to, you see. But, the bracelets do look lovely!"
Star Twinkle	"Maybe a little bit too much style over substance, but it looks like it gets the job done."     "Yeah!! It does! But there's no such thing as too much style!" Hikaru enthusiastically throws her arms out to the side and waggles her hands to show off the rocket to Kale. "It's important that it's super duper stardorable, because it's *our* home!"     Lala chimes in, a little bit self-conscious of the criticism but buoyed by Hikaru. "Lun. It was plain before, but... Hikaru convinced AI and me to redecorate it when we were repairing it before. I like it a lot now, lun... even though it's against Samaanian vehicular color regulations." "Another reason is this: If this project is to succeed, it must be something that can be repeated by others for it to change the world."     Lala looks over to the lumps of sparkly grey metal on the table and taps an antenna bulb to her cheek. "Oyo... maybe we shouldn't use the Samaanite then. I don't think this planet would have any, lun."     "But I bet it has glitter! And if it doesn't, then I'll spread it everywhere, so that everyone can share the happiness of glitter!" Hikaru declares this grand mission with her hands on her hips, before a sudden gust of wind picks up a pile of glitter on the table and scatters it around to make her statement more literal than she intended, while the Cures go ""Wahh--!"" and try and keep the bigger bucket from spilling. "Of course, paper is only so resistant to the weather, even when treated with oil, and the residents will handle much of the work to maintain their homes... should they like them!"     "The little kodama construction workers...!" Hikaru's eyes sparkle in delight, and Lala taps her on the shoulder with an antenna to ask, "What's a kodama, lun?" "You should just try to think about how much you're asking AI to fly around on her own, where, and why."     Now that Lala's in school, she might recognize the teacher tone, but she hasn't been in school long enough to feel any kind of negative way about being lectured to. Instead, it's exciting, and makes her feel respected! "Lun. I thought it might be too dangerous to fly here first, but now that we know where the warpgate is going back, I think it'll be safe enough. And it's safer if Hikaru and I are with her, since we've gotten stuck in a lot of 'anomalous zones', lun."     "... Hikaru, how do you write 'anomalous zone'?" "Oh, there's a bunch of kanji, but they're simple! I'll show you later!" "You and Lala should try writing a flight manual!"     "Oh!! We should!!" Mission success! Only half of the Precures' comical crash-landings are out of negligence, though; they're also magnets for bad luck, or simply getting shot at. "That way we won't forget our homework on Earth again, lun." That's probably not the biggest priority.
Star Twinkle	"Did you, by any chance, take a polaroid?"     "Yes." Hikaru firmly nods with her fists on her hips and then suddenly beams and grabs Matilda's wrist. "Come on! Come in and look! We've got lots and lots of pictures!"}     Dragged up the ramp through the heart-shaped porthole, the interior of the spaceship is a surprisingly spacious room. Made of teal metal and cushioned with plush purple seats and yellow decor, with a large central command table shaped like a star and a teal horseshoe-shaped futuristic chair, it is, in all likelihood, cuter and cozier than any Foundation dorm. The girls' bunk beds are set into one wall, covered in plushies and drawing notebooks and pillows stitched with stars, lit up with string-lights; a meal calendar covered in spontaneous doodles; and what Hikaru drags Matilda to, a wall absolutely covered in drawings and polaroids.     Among the dozens of them, mostly made up of pictures of one or the other girl interacting with silly cartoonish aliens, or both of them getting into Situations together-- there's even a group photo on some rainforest-looking planet that includes Lilian in it-- Hikaru points out a specific one. A sea of stars and even galactic sparkles, completely unlike anything visible on Earth, with purple rock mountains visible on the sides, and Lala's hand outstretched into the camera frame reaching up for them. Besides that, there's pictures taken out of the spaceship window itself, while flying through the galaxy.     "There! We were on Planet Desertrian! It's pretty, huh? So what kind of place are you from? Can I trade glitter for some crystals?"     Later when they finally get to work, Lala and Hikaru end up on the ground in the circle near Chuyao. The supplies stay stored on the table, but this is a sitting-on-the-ground type activity, and it's important to get sort of dusty while doing it. Hikaru is writing the kanji for EXCLUSION ZONE in glitter glue on the side of a little wooden house they've made-- which textually contains bad vibes, but the feeling imparted into it is positive, since Lala is leaning shoulder-to-shoulder with her to learn the kanji. Lala has peculiar little power tools, designed to fit as caps on the bulbs of her antennae and use the electrical charge contained within them, and she uses these to actually *weld* little decorative metal statues together, hand painting them like figurines with cute wide-eyed faces and smiles.
Tamamo	Though Matilda finds no moss, the plants brought over among Tamamo's supplies include some creeper vines. They might serve as something similar.     It's not instant, and while the sun is still as high in the sky as it is, they're hard to see. Furthermore, what happens soon only happens where people aren't looking. Nothing notable occurs so long as one continues to work at a particular place. It's only when someone feels like they've finished something, and moved away from it, that there's a chance for it.     Noon had already passed by the time the boat came to shore. Shadows lengthen, as the day continues.     Matilda's little homes of twigs, twine, and gems is the first that can be noticed. Not quite as clear as Netzach's kodama, but there's a ghostly little presence walking about outside it, then passing in and out again, just visible within the boulder's shadow. An ambiguous person-shape, or maybe similar to the pikmin Hikaru and Lala know well, if even smaller -- relative to them, that is, and not to 'a twig.' That faint presence goes inside the twig home, and then it's lit from inside, just faintly, shining through the jewels. If one looked at it just so, and squinted to darken the surroundings, it might look like a far off house in the night, lit from within by candles.     Chuyao and Kale's joint work becomes inhabited soon after, delayed only by the work gone into it. The spirits needed to wait for them to finish, after all, and then also for everyone to be done admiring it. More than one little figure can be seen, walking along the 'garden' paths, going inside and bending as if reclining on a chair -- though there isn't one there -- or walking by and looking up at the welcome message on the back, or Mikey's mural.     The faint, green-gray presences refuse close scrutiny, especially in the light, retreating mysteriously if approached. Their willingness to appear remains fragile, for now, though once noticed at all, one can begin to see them, now and then, hiding in the distance, behind stones, or across the water.
Tamamo	'But I bet it has glitter!'     "Oh, yes, I believe so." Tamamo doesn't know much about glitter, but she's at least seen it before.     Truly, she's new to glitter. Even seeing it begin to scatter, the implications of its presence have yet to click.     'What's a kodama, lun?'     "A kodama is a type of small tree spirit -- though one might call any similar spirit a kodama. I have seen some that resemble frogs, though they tend to walk about, like... oh, there is one." Tamamo only points with her eyes. Pointing with fingers is rude, after all, and may startle the pointee.     But the pointed-to direction just as quickly seems to have nothing, and she's not sure if that's what Netzach's little green helper(?) actually is. A library does contain paper, and paper is made of wood, but the connection to 'trees' is... hm. Actually, that might be quite a strong connection, given L-Corp's work.
Angela	''Of course I can- and most clearly, too!'' "Oh cool." Netzach says. "So if I ask, 'Hey, is everything gonna be okay?'--you can answer that, totally clearly?" They don't seem to be the sort of person who is inclined to carefully tailor the question before asking for said vision. Maybe they figure that fate will also decide if they get a useful answer or not. "Cause I'm getting a little worried that everything won't be okay." "Pfffh nah everything's gonna be fine!" Mikey insists. "I haven't been attacked by monsters in months!" r"Yeah...maybe." Netzach says. ''The little kodama construction workers!'' Netzach is distracted. "Oh these little guys? I'm not sure. They just kinda be little guys. Though I guess we live in a tree so maybe that's all they really need to do. Cause we're in a tree already." The kodama wiggles their head at Hikaru. ''A kodama is a type of small tree spirit.'' Netzach, who is more motivated about the little guys than anything else in their life, turns to focus their attention on Tamamo, and then follows Tamamo's gaze. "Oh, nice, are there invisible little guys around...?" They manage a goofy little smile. "Kinda nice thinking that these little guys might just kinda be around whenever you're out and about." Their opinion of going outside has increased somewhat. They pet THEIR kodama lightly on the head which auses it to sit down on its butt and continue crayoning mostly ineffectively.
Lilian Rook	'It was a coming-of-age gift from my parents.'     Yay! Lilian actually absorbs things about East Asian culture sometimes! She has herself a self-satisfied smile like she just nailed someone's unusual pronouns on first glance at a mixer. "How fitting, then, seeing as it would take a gentleman to carry it with him, without replacing it with something more auspicious." she says. Men should wear more jewellery actually. "I'm familiar with a few turns of the same phrase, from various cultures. That a virtue practised only where everyone can see it is worthless, and that virtue for its own sake, which earns no approval, is often its highest expression." she says. "Or so I'd paraphrase."     Still, the talk about 'reminders' sinks in eventually. Once she's run out of scholarly things to say, her fingertips, as if magnetized, are drawn to tracing the thin scar beneath her eye. "Of course they are."     She can't linger on that for long, though, with Tamamo around. Any damage is immediately healed by closing her eyes, breathing deep, squeezing her around the middle, and leaning her head against hers. She only looks up from Tamamo's shoulder for . . .     'At least it is safe today?'     "If Tamamo says it its, then it is." Lilian says. "And if it stops being safe, then I'll fix it. Okay?" Detaching from Tamamo comes with click of her sword settling against her thigh again.     'But, ah, it is its own joy to find things on your own, yes? Mon grand-père, heh, he used to talk end on end about it, where he'd always look for them...'     Lilian gives Matilda a slightly weird smile. Positive, but difficult to clearly read at the same time. "I suppose that's true. I used to sneak out of the house all the time, to go foraging the woods for bits and pieces I thought might be useful for my private research." And places that weren't the woods. "I've met one or two Elites who were into botany, but you're the first I've met who knows much about crystals and minerals."     ". . . Take? For free? Why?"     'Look, aren't they spectacular? Emeralds of great brilliance, these! My orbuculum is of the family's craft as well'     Lilian briefly contemplates the term ~orbaculum~ but says, "I can tell you that they're gorgeous, but I'm not nearly so familiar with crystal orbs to gauge their quality. I feel like it'd be disingenuous to just agree without knowing what I'm talking about."     Yay! Kale picked up on nuance! For some mysterious reason, Lilian approaches him with one of his own dubious stickers, and applies it next to the existing one. Specifically 'Most Improved!'     'I found mine in a tunnel. It was a rather peculiar and wonderful thing. A metal flower just...growing out of the ground!'     Lilian opens her mouth, feels the waves of hitstun wash over her, and closes it instead. She looks to Chuyao apologetically, and offers instead, "Mine was a gift from my fiancée. Besides being my namesake, in this tradition, they're symbols for purity, hope, unwavering commitment, rebirth, and new life. You might consider it a hopeful gesture that paid off, but it's long been a symbol I've held close." She breathes. "For my own reasons."
Tamamo	'Kinda nice thinking that these little guys might just kinda be around whenever you're out and about.'     "They are about, yes," Tamamo says, in between sandwich nibbling. She favors the egg salad, for some reason. "They do not tend to live among cities with humans, however. There are... other spirits, but it is a matter of... crowding, one might say. Most such spirits are quite shy. Furthermore... as with all small creatures, they must consider the amount of harm that a larger being might inflict upon them. It is well that your <little guys> seem unconcerned and unstressed." That one term said in English, for even more mysterious reasons or, possibly, none.     ...closing her eyes, breathing deep, squeezing her around the middle, and leaning her head against hers...     Tamamo endeavors to find a moment no one is looking to give Lilian a kiss. It's difficult, among this many people and socializing, and she might be tragically spotted in the act, but she'll persevere, and own her actions.
Sarracenia	Sarra finishes her sandwich quickly and resumes work on her castle. While construction may be finished, including small round windows and a second floor with a little twig ladder leading up inside, it doesn't really have any flair to it yet.      Sarra soon remedies that. She joins the others in the decorating circle, taking a seat beside Lala. Using some wood glue and glitter, she adds glittering rainbow designs to two opposite sides of the castle. Around the arch-like door she carefully paints a vine-like design (which looks about equal to a sixth grader's art). On the final wall, opposite the entrance side, she paints the most holy of forest spirts.      A unicorn! Complete with glittery main and a sparkling horn!      Flanking it she paints a couple of trees, each filled with star-shaped fruit, and stretching between the trees is another rainbow.      That done, she stands up and looks at it proudly and with a firm nod. "Perfect!" she says with much the same child-like enthusiasm as Hikaru or Lala...despite being probably twice there age in actual and perhaps three or four times in practical.      Sarra really tries not to watch Lilian and Tamamo, but her obsession with romance and her jealousy of what they have together means she is stealing furtive glances at them quite often when they seem to be being affectionate. Of course it is harder to be secretive about it when one eye is covered with a patch. It means she has to turn her head much more often. If she sees the kiss though, she certainly doesn't draw attention to it.      Once her castle is finished, Sarra goes to find a nice raised mound to set it upon so that the ribbon flags have plenty of room to flow in the breeze. Then, she heads back to start working on another home. It won't be a castle this time, but she figures a single home won't do. "...there are some spirits that fly, are there not?" she asks no one in particular, but apparently is going to make another home.      'Kinda nice thinking that these little guys might just kinda be around whenever you're out and about.'      Sarra nods in agreement with Netzach. "Indeed!" she says as she starts working on what will eventually be something very much like a bird house. She constructs it similarly to the castle, but it is a quaint little A-frame instead of a castle. Still with extraneous ribbons and plenty of glitter, but this time with wind-like swirls of white and silver. "I quite like your spaceship, Hikaru and Lala. I almost wish I had one of my own, but I do not really have anyone to go on space adventures with."
Lilian Rook	Her own work, though, is a little bit different from the others. When Tamamo wanders off to perform her tasks, Lilian sets to her own, prepared well ahead of time. Finding a clear, high-up space, she unslings her duffel, unzips, and removes each item she had the extra space for one at a time. Water in opaque black vials, powdered minerals, mixed inks, pouches of seeds, small knives, incense sticks, a mortar and pestle, bowl, brazier, and finally her now-seldom-used wand; the historical non-movie length, folding shell made of modern materials, parted helix tip.     In a way that Matilda won't recognize as similar to her sister unless Sonetto has already submitted the reference, she goes about etching an especially wide circle into the earth, a tiny pilot light at the tip of her wand even burning it into the stone. She repeats the circle to a triple circuit, taking the same number of paces each time, and then inscribes a smaller one within it, and then a smaller one within that, connecting each with preliminary signs of the cardinal directions, ogham earth water and air, their alchemical twins, and then several seemingly meaningless sub-circles and crossing lines.     Once she's done, powdered copper, gold, mirabilis, magnesia, and vitriol are called for, after which she carefully plants seeds at each location where lines intersect, pours the water into each hole whilst concealing it from the sun with her hand, and buries them. A few choice pulses of magic at key points make waves of dim, lunar-shade light run through the complete diagram like ripples, and fade into the earth. Then, after lighting incense at each key perimeter point, she sits down and begins idly grinding up something while . . .     Plants grow within the circle, slowly at first, then more rapidly. Golden rod, peppergrass, nightshade, broomsedge, reaching maturity, blooming, fallowing, and decaying back into the soil, only to be born again in a wider range. Dogfennel, myrtle, and groundsel grow up on the third cycle, then on the ninth, a handful of saplings belonging to various conifer and hardwoods. As the growth begins to peter out, Lilian applies her mixture to the bark of each tree, slowly inching over her head, and then retreats to find particularly suitable stones, finally asking for some of Matilda's spare crystals, if she has any. Each one is cut with runes much more obscure than the Futhark alphabet, and planted vertically as markers, mostly by memory with the ground obscured by foliage.     The centermost tree, a cypress, is one that Lilian pays special attention to, redrawing the same circle, denser and smaller around it, and placing an entirely new ring of stones as it exceeds her height. Only then does she stand back and watch, and with a careful, critical eye, she finally draws her sword, hacks free a limb, florishes and sheathes it, all in one motion, then finally applying one of Tamamo's own talismans to the small bare section. After a while, circling around the tree, she repeats the process. Then again, after a while. Forks that grow upward into the canopy, which cause the main branch to sag; practically bonsai on a tree slowly becoming her height and a half, using a five foot magnetite sword.     The growth slows down over the course of hours, to double her height, and Lilian looks relieved when small hollows have started to form; as they do in Cypress.     Looking back, Lilian raises her voice to be heard, and says, "Does anyone feel like decorating?"
Star Twinkle	The houses that Hikaru ends up making are all bizarrely experimental little contraptions. Strange bubble-shaped houses that look like alien designs; a fake tree made out of popsicle sticks glued together into a cylinder and painted over with colored paper, with crystal windows and scavenged rock furniture inside; a glittery model of her own spaceship with crayon-scribbles of herself and Lala welcoming the spirits in. Lala, on the other hand, spends hours on a singular project that can house *many* spirits: an extremely exacting replica of... a normal-looking trailer park.     She weaves lattices of wicker and uses sticks for structural support, draping the exterior with paper delicately glued down to adhere to the curves properly, using a small exacto knife to carve out windows. Each trailer is placed into an arrangement into their collective community, with bespoke decor in their lawns with small fake trees and even lamps and benches. She seems to be treating it more like a figurine diorama than building discrete little houses.     When asked why, she explains, "I saw it on TV once and it seemed like it'd be fun to live with other people nearby that you could see all the time, lun."
Chuyao He	It is good to meet you in person.      "Ah... could it be? Yes, her majesty's bearing leaves little doubt. This humble scholar would say the same, your majesty. I hope the journey was agreeable and that the day finds you well." A metal flower just...growing out of the ground!      Chuyao pauses in his work to ponder that, for some reason, his expression one of momentary but sincere and effortful thought. "It is understood that metal destroys wood, and wood insults metal. To find something which takes the shape of wood with the form of metal is a very curious thing indeed; perhaps it is an omen of peace and differences overcome." Or so I'd paraphrase.      "The Dame Commander grasps it well," nods Chuyao. "I would be most interested to introduce you to a friend who has a truly excellent collection of paintings of the Four Gentlemen," he adds. "As well," with a little smile, "I believe he would dearly enjoy any ruminations of yours on the flower you wear--as would I, of course."      What do you write? Or... study?     "Poetry, literature, history, divination, strategy, law, and music, answers Chuyao. Though with respect to music, my skill with the zither is scarcely worth mentioning."     The placement of flags draws an interested 'hmmm' from him, setting him to stroking his chin. "How stately," he opines. "They seem majestic even from above." One of the stickers conjures the image of a band of martial heroes. Who is named among the Pizza Party, and what great endeavor do they labor at in the rivers and lakes? He ponders it quietly.     "This unrefined scholar assumes that Hearthward is your family name," He shoots Lilian a small smile. "You say that you could have been a playwright, brother Hearthward. Do you believe the time has passed, or is there another reason?"     The inspiration which Chuyao felt along the way coalesces into something tangible. Kale is on the right track--this place, a place which will be healed after a long injury, is deserving of some festivity, even in its humility, isn't it? With a sudden, bright flicker in his eyes, he takes a long stone and his brush, and begins inking a poem onto it, as a little stele to serve as a memorial for the founding of this little village of spirits. The stones are old, the cliffs are tall, the black sand dry. The brook is long, the stream is wide, and lush shores die. Far my boat has sailed this day, the way is odd and dark. This new shrub chose a long road, but light and rains are nigh.      He is absorbed enough in the delicate writing of tiny 7-character verses across the small 'stele' that he doesn't notice any displays of affection. He quietly appreciates his work with a single nod. "A simple poem to commemorate the righting of a wrong," he gently intones, placing it into an unoccupied space visible from the garden path and gently massing earth to allow the 'stele' to stand upright. He wouldn't have even noticed the inhabitants in his project with Kale, if not for catching them out of the corner of his eye as he caps his brush and puts it away. He makes an effort not to direct his gaze all the way at them, and in fact, his eyes close as he wraps the inkstone in a stained cotton cloth, giving his smile a quietly radiant appearance.
Foundation Scions	'. . . Take? For free? Why?'     Matilda looks equally confused- "These are of common quality, quartz, feldspar, topaz... easy to collect, these, and with, I assure you, enough imperfections I would never bring them to market- but they're pretty, non? To practice with and look at?" She brought the satchel of crystals to use, after all, as gifts for the little homes! 'I feel like it'd be disingenuous to just agree without knowing what I'm talking about.'     Matilda takes this in stride! "Of course! The excellence stands on its own, someday, when you have trained your eye, you will be sure to see it~!" 'Do you do much work with rubies?'     Yay! She's getting even more attention! "Ah, on occasion, most certainly! Though, the clearest of gemstones most suit the purposes we seek, and in rubies, a vibrancy is most crucial... ah-ahem, however, there is, of course, no end to the Bouanich family's excellence, and I at its forefront- is there a project you had in mind..? I did not bring invoice forms.." 'Come on! Come in and look! We've got lots and lots of pictures!'     Matilda is simply so easy to drag around by the wrist! "Ah- hey, watch where we're going- Ohhhhhhhh, it's so-" Matilda has (figurative) stars in her eyes, staring around at the inside of the space ship. It's garish, but in so charmingly cartoonish of a way, which undercuts the intensity. Used so much to a color scheme of white, grey, and the occasional rare brown and green, Matilda is basically seeing shrimp colors inside the spaceship. It's adorable- the way she first expressed that, is to whisper, "This breaks, perhaps, every single rule of the dormitory upkeep guidelines..." Is that meant to be some sort of chastisement or compliment on the Precure's interior design style?     "So clear... ah, planet... 'Desertrian'? Not of the solar orrery, that! Heh... imagine. I, am from Paris, France, and you, most certainly can have as many crystals as you should like!"     Matilda excitedly pours over the board of photographs- who couldn't be vicariously excited on the two's behalf, seeing evidence of their adventures?     As the shadows start to lengthen, back outside, Matilda takes a deep, long breath of wilderness air- there's an ever so slightly more prickly nature to it, to Matilda, with the new presence of the first of the spirits- or maybe it's just more of a chill in the breeze? Matilda's own sense of arcane fluctuations is far from 'keen', but it's enough of a clue that it's working to excite her. Looking up at the sky, in idle curiosity, "What phase is the moon of this world in? I believe I could construct a quite pleasant ritual in-perpetuity, if it is amenably bright, this evening...? A simple little charm, to bring stars down to earth..."     Matilda collects up sandwiches, then carries them back to some of the other projects she's set in motion- a tented little circle, in a small nook, with wall-less twigs domed across it and a neat spiral of site-found pebbles to form some imagined little grand hall, she couldn't tell you what her intent was in building it, but with bits of topaz and jade left amongst it, it's sparkly! Some of Hikaru's glitter dusts it as well, no thoughts spared to the ecological contaminant that often is. Maybe it's space glitter, and works nicer?
Chuyao He	Chuyao has to observe Tamamo's example to observe the proper consumption of a sandwich, which he believes to be called pizza, possibly in honor of the heroes of the Pizza Party. Or possibly because those heroes had or have a fondness for it. "This is rather light and refreshing, isn't it?" He says of the sandwich. "I can see why it was brought for such an outing."
Lilian Rook	'To find something which takes the shape of wood with the form of metal is a very curious thing indeed; perhaps it is an omen of peace and differences overcome.'     "I'm certain that's what it's the symbol of." Lilian mutters, thinking more about its origin than anything.     'I would be most interested to introduce you to a friend who has a truly excellent collection of paintings of the Four Gentlemen'     'I would be most interested to introduce you to a friend who has a truly excellent collection of paintings of the Four Gentlemen'     "Oh that'd be wonderful!" Lilian says, clapping her hands together. "I actually brought my sketching supplies in case I had free time! Oh I'd love to do some of everyone's projects!" Her enthusiasm is oddly intense, for things people made with craft supplies.     'I believe he would dearly enjoy any ruminations of yours on the flower you wear--as would I, of course.'     Lilian chews on the corner of her lip. Nobody's actually asked. Once again, she finds herself at a bit of a loss to explain any deeper.     "The woman who gave me the name knew that I was born in a dark time, and wished for hope. She knew that there would be many people who would want to turn me into something I shouldn't be, and wished for purity." Lilian says, in a roundabout way that probably means she doesn't regard her mother a mother anymore; which is mostly true, and beside the point. "And that my family was all but dead, as was my world, and so that I might be a 'rebirth' for either was a secret wish."     Lilian sits down on a rock, and idly produces a sketchpad from her backpack, as well as a case of pencils, pens, and a kneaded rubber eraser. She sharpens the pencils with her knife; ostensibly crude, but actually the classical style. "I've always loved it for those three things. It isn't a name I simply took as an arbitrary marker of my birth, but one I've taken seriously. 'Purity', to me, means . . . clarity of purpose, an unbending nature, a clear and defined shape that isn't smudged at the edges by the world; a committment to protect and define oneself, and not to allow your heart to become muddied with demands outside yourself."     It isn't clear what she actually started drawing. With her eyes down and lucidly focused on oddly languid pencil strokes, her tone drifts into contemplatively far away. "Hope is something I teach, in my own way. That 'hoping for' and 'having hope' aren't the same thing, and that the principle of 'exercising hope' is hard, painful, and often difficult. And rebirth . . ." She stops to tap her pencil against her lips, looking up at the tree. "I've begun building up my own school of martial arts, you know. Perhaps it's a bit precocious, but it was something my master said I would learn a lot from." What that has to do with anything is forthcoming after only a short delay, when she turns her pencil back to the paper.     "Cleasanna Lilí Dubha. Right now I suppose it's just an art, not a school, and an incomplete one, but I chose 'black lilies' for specificity." she says. "A black lily's connotations are different. Its rebirth is a transformation and a new beginning. Its hope is strength and resilience. Its purity is remembrance and mysteries revealed. It's not nearly so classical as the white lily, but I think that's fine, when my goal is both to respect the old ways and to innovate upon them."     The inking of his poem makes her smile a second time. Neatly setting her sketchpad aside, Lilian returns to the cypress, and at the central marker, inscribes: Go raibh mo ghleann mar bhaile Do leanaí na gealaí
Kale Hearthward	Artist's rendition > "Poetry, literature, history, divination, strategy, law, and music..." "Oh! That's quite a list. And you find time for all of that..." Kale sounds... jealous? A little? > "You say that you could have been a playwright, brother Hearthward. Do you believe the time has passed, or is there another reason?" "I mean... I'm a warrior now. And I'm good at it. I was good at it pretty much from the get-go, while meanwhile I put everything I had into putting on one play and it bombed hard on the very first night. It went so badly that I ended up in debt, wound up in the military to pay the bills, you know how that song and dance goes I'm sure..." "And now... well..." Kale puts down the stones he's sorting, and then shrugs. "I mean, I'd be basically starting over at the thing I'm really passionate about, but I'm good at the thing I'm sort of passionate about, so I think, maybe the time has passed. Putting time in the one would mean taking time away from the other. The battlefield is my stage now, I guess." "... So if you like all that, if it's all working out, stick with it? It seems to be working out for you." "And I like the poem." He looks around. "It seems like they're liking all this too." He puts another rock into place.
Star Twinkle	With the spirits moving in, Hikaru vibrates with the suppressed excitement of seeing them, trying to not be so active that they're immediately scared off again. She flickers between grabbing Lala's shoulders, clasping her hands over her mouth while her eyes sparkle, fidgeting with perfecting her little homes to make them more inviting, and then eventually pulling out her notebook to start sketching them.     Laying down on her stomach like a cat trying to minimize its profile, she's right next to Netzach while scribbling. She turns her head to the side to smile at Netzach's own little guys while they work, and she reaches out a finger to offer a handshake, or a gentle headpat if they don't understand shaking hands. "Little kodama... they're so cute... what kind of tree do you live in?" "I almost wish I had one of my own, but I do not really have anyone to go on space adventures with."     "Maybe we can have more space adventures where you can come along," Hikaru reasons, her tongue tip sticking out from between her lips as she intently focuses on laying a planet sticker flat on the page she's doodling on.     Lala has a different take, though, while using a power sander attached to her antennae to smooth down an angle on a tiny statue she's built. "Space can be... really lonely if no one's there with you, lun. Before I came to Earth, I was traveling alone for a couple months... and all I had for company was the intergalactic radio, and AI, but she wasn't very talkative back then. A lot of adventures are scarier when you're all alone."     "Mhm, but Princess Sarra's got lots of friends, so she doesn't have to be alone. And next time you go back to Samaan, you'll have me and Yuma with you!" The yellow Star Drop flies in a circle around Lala's head, humming a cheerful-sounding tune. "Not of the solar orrery, that!"     "Uh huh! It's in the Starscape Galaxy!" Hikaru starts rapidly doodling an arrangement of strangely-shaped and colorful planets, holding the sketchbook up for Matilda to look at. "That's where we fight the Nottraiders most of the time, since they're trying to steal Yuma and take over the galaxy." "I actually brought my sketching supplies in case I had free time!"     "Oh!!! You draw too! I didn't know that!"
Angela	''They are about, yes'' "Sweet." Netzach says goofily. "Well they were a bit panicky at first, but I won 'em over." "Netzach doesn't move around a lot so he's a bit like terrain." Mikey supplies 'helpfully'. "Yeah I'm chill." Netzach adds. "But I can always become more chill." "You might freeze." Mikey continues his little carvings, eventually building a little tiny 'cottage' with the tools and materials at his disposal. Netzach helps out a little, but most of the work is on Mikey but the painting along the 'cottage' is still all nature-themed, grass, hills, rivers, little tiny animals, mostly cows and 'kodama'. Mikey doesn't know many creatures. ''A gentle headpat.'' The kodama's reaction toan extended hand is to offer Hikaru the crayon. The headpat causes it to tumble on its butt again but it doesn't seem to be bothered. It makes a faint clicking noise in response to her as its head wiggles. It's communicating! well, it's trying to. Maybe. r"It's a real big tree. It used to be a giant underground building, but eventually it sprouted up as a tree." Netzach offers, since they can answer too. "It's also a library, though i'm not really sure that entirely fits the themeing of 'tree', but we all live there. We're not really sure how these little guys showed up but they're harmless so we just sort of let them do their own thing, which is normally ... just chilling and building little stacks of things." No wonder Netzach likes them.
Tamamo	It takes a bit longer for the castle to find an occupant, but when it does, there's a little crowd of them, jostling through its entrance, or crowding its walls. Someone who waits at a distance and watches very patiently, without making any sudden movements in doing so, will see how the little spirits -- becoming clearer every moment the valley drifts further into evening shadow -- circle around the raised mound, climb up and down, or pull themselves to the top to look at the flying pennants. Despite appearing ghostly, they don't drift easily, but seem restricted to walking about and using ladders or stairs.     If one watched long enough, they'd see a few of the spirits stomp their little ghost-feet on the castle's hill, flattening steps up the slope for the rest to use.     Now that there are at least three dwellings finished, they've started to trod paths between them, leaving faint paths -- or the barest impressions of them. They continue to need to do so only where people presently aren't, which is easier the more clearance they're given, but there's still much work to do.     Tamamo, for related reasons, eyes the lines and distances between each person's work, finished and otherwise, and begins to plant some of the flowering plants she's brought, not exactly on those lines, but in some close geometric relation to them that must make perfectly firm sense to her.     The stony ground is not great for this, but there are softer areas. Flowers, for the most part, aren't actually present, though this is only because it is out of season. "Greenery and leaf cover are important," she says, to any who might ask.     Lilian goes to greater lengths for similar ends, prompting Tamamo to now and again step over and watch, though without interfering with the growth. She doesn't even feel the need to direct. No, it's simply admiration for the efforts, as well as the results that she feels.     "Here," she says, offering one half of a bacon sandwich, and, "be sure to eat."     Though, given that Lilian's hands are full... "Or else, I could feed you, of course." That's a joke, surely.     Between Hikaru and Lala, they've made a great many things, and the reactions to them vary, once enough time is given for them to be found. By that point, shadows are getting quite long, with the valley running northwest to southeast. The hills aren't that tall, but they're close.     However Hikaru would like to put the homes together, they find their use. The tree-formed house seems the most popular, or maybe that was because of her care in placing furniture. It's even harder to see inside of the home from far enough away not to bother its inhabitants, who are by now looking more and more visible, even if still a bit amorphously armless, but through one crystal window, a spirit resting on top of a tiny rock and kicking its tinier feet can definitely be seen.     Lala's work finds more of the spirits spending their time outside the homes, going into them, then coming out at once, gathering in small groups, wandering for a space, then scattering to return to their homes all at once. They especially seem to like her benches, none of which go unused in the midst of these wanderings.
Foundation Scions	'Maybe we can have more space adventures where you can come along,'     "And you'll bring me along as well-!" Matilda adds, injecting herself into a conversation *and* inviting herself along to future events in the same go! Efficiency! This way she won't be left out and forgotten, who would do that to her? Not these charming new acquaintances, most certainly- especially not if Matilda has any say in the matter! 'Uh huh! It's in the Starscape Galaxy!'     "The... Starscape galaxy? I have never even heard of such a thing! Hm!" Matilda fidgets, craning her head to look at multiple angles of... a drawing, on a flat surface.     "Here, in la Voie lactée, though, ah, another world of it than this, is where I- er, *we*," The classic organizational 'we', as she's not quite done so herself, "Fight the 'Manus Vindictae', to find a way to return to the future!" Wow! What a similarity, that means Matilda has to seem cool, right?
Sarracenia	'It is understood that metal destroys wood, and wood insults metal. To find something which takes the shape of wood with the form of metal is a very curious thing indeed; perhaps it is an omen of peace and differences overcome.'      Sarracenia is far from being a philosopher, so this is something she hadn't really thought about. The flower was just a cute and cool trinket that happened to have some special powers. "An omen of peace and differences overcome...?" As she thinks back on what has happened since finding the flower, Sarra is skeptical about that notion. "Is that true about metal and wood?" she asks, then hmms. "It makes a sort of sense. Metal -is- used to destroy wood. But, why does wood insult metal?"      'I did not bring invoice forms..'      Sarra waves a hand in a 'no worries' sort of gesture and smiles. "It was merely curiosity. But, I may call upon you and your family if ever I need to replace my crown or expand my jewelry collection." she says before Matilda is dragged away.      'The woman who gave me the name knew that I was born in a dark time...'      In this desolate place to which they are trying to restore hope, Lilian is insulated enough from Sarra that Sarra gets to see a completely different side of Lilian. Sarra stays very quiet as Lilian speaks about her name, brings out her sketch book, and talks about her philosophy. Naturally Sarra doesn't agree with everything that Lilian says, but like someone who has encountered a deer up close she does her best to not disrupt the situation.      'Mhm, but Princess Sarra's got lots of friends, so she doesn't have to be alone.'      For Sarra, the peaceful state suddenly ends and a slight frown forms on her face. "...right...lots of friends..." she says, then blinks and tries to smile again. She doesn't want to bring gloom to the two cutest space explorers ever and their starry companion! "And, that includes the three..." She looks toward AI. "...four? Of you?" If it does that may double Sarra's lifetime total of friends.      Sarra is too focused on her work and the people around her, so it isn't until Hikaru starts vibrating that Sarra realizes spirits have already started moving in. She blinks in surprise, and immediately starts watching her castle. Her work comes to a stop, and for perhaps the first time in her life the princess is completely still and quiet. Her one good eye is wide, staring nearly unblinkingly. As the spirts climb all around the castle a pure and bright smile forms on her face as her eye practically sparkles, then actually sparkles a bit as some moisture forms. Of course she 'knew' that the spirits would love her castle, but 'knowing' and seeing it are very different. Sarra did something, and it helped, and the people she was trying to help actually like it. So much that they made stairs up to it. Which makes Sarra giggle in a 'why didn't I think of that' sort of way. Of course a castle needs stairs to its door! She makes a metal note to go reinforce those stairs as she wipes at her eye with a sleeve.      Sarra resumes her work finally, and though she is uncertain if it will even be used now, Sarra plants a pole about her height in the ground and mounts the little A-frame on top. And as a bit of an afterthought makes a rope ladder out of her cloth and some of Lala's popsicle sticks. "If it turns out there are no flying spirits...perhaps some of them want a penthouse suite."      Sarra is about to declare it done when she notices the attention to Lala's and Hikaru's furniture. So, she sets about making some of her own. A proper bed made with some sticks tied together beneath a mattress of silk, and a tiny chaise lounger of similar design with a bit of silk stretched over it to form the lounging surface.
Tamamo	As the total population increases, so too does their inclination to wander from one home to another, and the paths become more distinct, not in straight lines, but winding so as stay near greenery and away from rises in elevation, even tiny ones, as much as possible. Those with garden walls and those with lampposts go and visit and are so enriched, though each returns to their original choice of abode.     "It is a sentiment both pleasing and appreciated, Jianya. A dedication, of sorts, was in my thoughts as something necessary, though I would wish for nothing 'dry,' as it were. All of this is, after all, a dedication to others, in the entirety of our efforts, that something hopeful may grow where, for long turns of winter to summer and back again, all had been forsaken."     On the topic of sandwiches, Tamamo responds with bright cheer, sunny even as light sets, "I thank you for your praise. It is a Western style of some renown, though I am unsure of the detailed history." Prompted by personal biases and readings dated far after the food's invention, she half-speculates, half-recites, "Wives packed such for their field-working husbands, out of a convenience of form, with some half the versatility of stew."     Stew, for the culinary record, is extremely versatile. And Tamamo, for a chance to speak of packed lunches, is visibly pleased.     Laying down on her stomach like a cat trying to minimize its profile...     Hikaru finds that the local kodama are easier to see this way. It's not just that they fade into the ground when looked down on from above, but it is sort of that. Shifting to a cat's perspective helped immediately.     'A lot of adventures are scarier when you're all alone.'     "That is... certainly true," Tamamo says, after being visibly struck for just a moment.     'Netzach doesn't move around a lot so he's a bit like terrain.'     "Mm, yes, I understand," Tamamo says, nodding. That part, at least. "The library... is a tree? I suppose I have not seen it from the outside, nor its many levels, just yet." She was thinking of a metaphorical tree, of the esoteric mystic variety, but now she's not so sure. If the City could have a giant tree... surely, she'd like to see that, if it were not a wish corrupted.     Faintly, she frowns. 'A wish, corrupted' seems like the sort of thing to expect from the City... but she doesn't want to get down into the whole topic Lilian had talked about the other day, just now, about people walking about without hope, because they expected things to be terrible forever. That's exactly the opposite of what she's working on right now.
Chuyao He	Oh! That's quite a list. And you find time for all of that...     "Cultivation has no upper limit," says Chuyao, between chaste bites of his sandwich. "I began my formal schooling when I was younger, but I endeavor to learn even now that it is over. Even when I am old and wizened, I hope that I still learn often. As for time..." That thought gives him pause. "Do you find that there is a paucity? Perhaps it is a difference in worlds; everyone has their responsibilities, on mine, and some are busier than others, but there is a limit to how much can be done in one day. A farmer cannot debate her crops into growing; a soldier cannot kill the same invader twice."     So if you like all that, if it's all working out, stick with it? It seems to be working out for you.     "Brother Hearthward is very kind to say so," says Chuyao, inclining his head after another measured bite of sandwich. "I am saddened to hear that your first play went in such a way. If this unrefined scholar may be so bold..."     "I know not how the hours of your day are measured out, but to spend them in development of yourself is a good thing, whether it is the one art or the other. Perhaps, however, if you may still say you are most passionate about theater, the time has not passed, after all? It is not unheard of that scholars, nor actors, nor musicians, should also be martial artists; so, why not a playwright?"
Chuyao He	Oh I'd love to do some of everyone's projects!     Chuyao smiles and inclines his head, after his sandwich is finished. "That would be a great honor," he says.     'Purity', to me, means . . . clarity of purpose, an unbending nature, a clear and defined shape that isn't smudged at the edges by the world; a committment to protect and define oneself, and not to allow your heart to become muddied with demands outside yourself.     "To observe the flower, one may see these qualities plainly; it dares to have its distinctive shape even in a world where the eight winds may blow it this way and that. Its petals open wide, unafraid to bear the core of its being to the world."     "How much energy it must take, to manage this--to muster the hope necessary for a bud to become a bloom, and yet..." he gestures with a sweep of a palm towards the lily in her hair. "Generations of that flower have no doubt filled this field or that in its home land, born again no matter how cold the winter before the spring." It's not nearly so classical as the white lily, but I think that's fine, when my goal is both to respect the old ways and to innovate upon them.     Chuyao closes his eyes and nods. "The stones of one hill may polish the jade of another; it is not the soot of a traveler's lantern which illuminates those hills at night, but the fire. I shall eagerly observe the development of your school as I continue that of mine." Oh!!! You draw too! I didn't know that!     "Is the exuberant junior sister an artist as well?"     And then--     It's also a library, though I'm not really sure that entirely fits the themeing of 'tree', but we all live there.     Chuyao utters a pleased hum. The people of the Multiverse are cultured, it seems; or at least a fair few are. As much as this has been the case, it must also be the case that the offense he would cause the heavens were he to enter inauspicious numbers into his 'radio,' as Petra had warned against, is as grave as these people are refined.     "Is this the same Library that brother Roland and sister Angela live in?"     A palace as Sarracenia has built should exist in the context of a people, and so, Chuyao begins the careful process of making more humble little houses, and ensuring that their openings face towards the mouth of the river. Beginnings are important. Tamamo, who he intuits to be the local expert on these spirits, must also be consulted; her advice about greenery and leaf cover is taken, too. He builds near the flowering plants she brought where he can. When he's done, a humble, small village of three little stone houses is overlooked by the castle.     "It was said of a favorite disciple of the Master that a single strand ran through his heart," Chuyao ruminates aloud. "My own practice of the Way is clumsy by comparison... but looking at our work, I do feel a certain tugging at my heart." But, why does wood insult metal?     "It would be this humble scholar's pleasure to explain to your majesty. All the world may be understood as interrelated forces acting on one another, often as part of a great cycle. In broad, simple terms, one force may be created or overfed by another, destroyed by a second and insulted by a third. An axe may fell a tree, but the tree leaves its mark on the axe, little by little. Though wood is softer than metal, its fibers nevertheless wear even at the sharpest edges over time. Eventually, it will dull, and must be reforged; the metal head will ultimately melt, but it will insult the fire and quench it, slowly, over time."
Chuyao He	Wives packed such for their field-working husbands, out of a convenience of form, with some half the versatility of stew.     "Ah, indeed? It does seem quite practical, now that you mention. I would be interested to learn of the differences in food where the West is concerned, now that I have sampled some of it."
Tamamo	'Does anyone feel like decorating?'     Seeing how occupied the others have become, Tamamo moves in, tapping some of the resources not yet used. Her oddly shaped stones stack together with a depression in the center, in which she places a thick candle. Long bits of old bronze hold up paper walls, carefully joined with glue, and finally topped with a wooden frame of hinoki, forming a lantern post of four (or six, or seven) materials. It looks like nothing that would grace a temple, but it does almost look like it was grown here. Tamamo is satisfied with the artful imperfection she's made.     Plenty more paper is available, but not plenty more bronze. Tamamo hangs cloth with thin, red ropes, finding branches that lets these nearly touch the ground, the end result being a further shaded area beneath all the leafy branches. Moreover, the cloth is the canvas upon which she can make her own attempts with Hikaru's glitter-glue supply. She's very careful in its application.     One such cloth reads:         Let us not be greedy, yet hold a myriad of wishes.
Foundation Scions	'But, I may call upon you and your family if ever I need to replace my crown,'     "Hein? A- a royal crown set? That would most certainly be a quite exhaustive comission- perhaps, ah... yes! Another time?" The Bouanich family is in no way wanting for business- but wouldn't it be such a noteworthy cause for praise, if, the next time she were to visit her family, she could come with such a task already completed, for someone of another world? That's initiative! That's spreading the family's renown!     The last little crafting task that Matilda has her heart set on is, perhaps, more elaborate than creating little structures- but she wants to create a sort of welcoming gift for the area nontheless, especially with the scattered spirits already filling in to watch from the edges. As the shadows lengthen, and her thoughts dwell on the sky, the stars, and space, it's a small idea she latches onto. 5tUsing some of the nicer remaining crystals she has, and- fished out for the first time today, her own orbuculum, she digs a small bowl in the dirt in which to place it and surround it by the glittering common gems.     "Clair de Lune, envoyez-nous tes étoiles, s'il te plait..." Matilda murmurs, close-in to the surface of her crystal ball. With those who have a sense for magic, it's clear that what the girl says is an incantation of sorts- weak, small, and slow to take effect. Small lights, like lifeless fireflies, flicker into the depths of the ball, then the translucent crystals arrayed around it- and as she stays still, focused, and quiet, into the air itself around. As she'd simply asked into the heavy sphere- it's as if a few of the moon's own stars had been sent down to visit, in ever-faint light. "Merci."     "Do you think they'll like this..? I thought, perhaps, it may make it all friendlier. It's, ah, a little trick mon grand-père taught..." Matilda asks, as she slowly, carefully, starts to extract her orbuculum from the dirt depression she'd set it in- careful to leave the surrounding crystals unperturbed. "It may, ah, last quite a while, so if not, ah-heh..."
Tamamo	The sun begins to truly set, the sandwiches are mostly eaten, drinks are taken at the hours requiring them, and the kodama in the outskirts come closer and find the offerings left to them. Chuyao finds continued success -- or rather, acceptance, and an unexpected boon for others, besides. Not only are the three homes beneath the castle soon filled, but their completion connects the spirits inhabiting the little castle to the trailer park beyond, and from there to Hikaru's many experiments. Without leafy cover and neighbors between, and maybe without a transitional space of style of homes, the travel had been... more difficult? Less attractive? The exact motives are unclear, compared to the results. At this point, even with many kodama lounging about their little stone and doll-sized wooden furniture, there is a constant stream of travel, whether out of social need or simple curiosity.     There is some social need, there, certainly. The little spirits don't pass through each other, but congregate, bow, come close as if in conversation, and part again. As the first stars are visible in the sky, some even look toward the -- to them, giant neighbors, acknowledging their presence without disappearing, though still they stay a safe distance away.     There are a few more oddities of note, or differences in behavior and treatment. The EXCLUSION ZONE house holds no permanent resident, though kodama pass in and out of it. Little impressions of arms, or maybe just very tiny arms, are raised as if they're carrying things, as it's now dark enough to see. They've found a use for the marked house... but what is it? They're not saying.     Matilda's grand hall meets its intended use before too much longer. A small crowd gather out of the trailer park and, rather than scatter again, join up with several from the castle, and go to sit in a circle beneath the twig dome, wiggling about animatedly. If they're audible at all, it can't be made out. The whole lot of them eventually finish their... discussion? ...and continue to the circle of lit gemstones Matilda left for them in a depression, where they form another circle, this one rougher, and begin to dance. It's a line dance, which Hikaru, at least, has probably seen during a festival at some point, or something close enough to it. The feeling of it is there, along with the very faint impression of someone playing drums, even if they can't be seen.     The dancers, too, remain shy enough that anyone getting too curious would ruin the party. Such is the risk of peeking in on spirits. Showing even this much is a rare event, brought about by circumstances for which Tamamo's array is partly responsible, and partly by the otherwise unvoiced gratitude for all the gifts that have been left today.     Lilian's wild gardening is another thing. Once in a 'completed' state and left alone, an uncountable multitude, all those who had been waiting near the fringes of the valley, perhaps, move in and disappear within the greenery. They climb the roots, sit on the branches, and make the shrubs rustle as they bounce from woody tips.     "Everything here may be, to them, an 'offering,' this is the closest to 'a natural home,' and a thing that gives them strength." Tamamo explains, eventually. "It is what they would create, on their own, eventually, or something like it, and we would wish to give it respect, that they would be satisfied and feel at home in it. That we may do so immediately is a boon to all involved, a kind of proof of what will come. Yes, I believe this was well done."