Devil's Deal IC 7: The Color of Garmine

[Hazuki]

Wotcher takes the berries in her pallid hands, but doesn't eat them.

~

"Both?" Brigadier replies, looking Dilaa up and down again. "You don't act or look like the warriors I grew up around, or he Red Knights."

[Archmage1]

Tulip, finishing the last of her berry, looks up, and notices Wotcher's lack of hunger.
"Don't you like them?"

[Raunchel]

"Please, Wotcher, you should try to eat something.", Shaisane says, obviously worried.

[Hazuki]

Wotcher shoves the berries into her mouth and chews them slowly.

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks eagerly at her, clearly hoping to see signs of enjoyment.
"Raspberries are really yummy! Even if the vines are a little spiky!"

[PersonMan]

"What sort of warriors did you grow up around?" Dilaa asks, curious. She probably didn't look anything like most soldiers or proper knights, so her comment isn't surprising.

[Hazuki]

Wotcher doesn't show any signs that she enjoys the berries, but does eventually swallow them.

~

"Guards. Just guards. Those are the kind of warriors y'find in a city." Brigadier replies. "Those, and people who end up shanking themselves."

[Archmage1]

Tulip looks sad as Wotcher doesn't seem to enjoy the berries, but after both Shaisane and Wotcher finish eating, Tulip flits over to Wotcher, and lands on her head.
"Dahlia's garden is this way!"
She points towards the mountain, before she starts playing with Wotcher's hair.

[Hazuki]

When Tulip sets to work on Wotcher's hair, she finds it very difficult to shape. It's limp in her hands, limper than any she's worked with before, and flops apart into lank locks as soon as she releases it.

[Archmage1]

Disappointed at the strangeness of Wotcher's hair, Tulip tries weaving some flowers(Tea and Iris) into it, to try to give it a chance to be beautiful.

[Archmage1]

While she does so, she speaks up.
"Wotcher, you're hair's really strange! It's like it's really bored, and not having any fun at all!"

[PersonMan]

"So you're from the city?" Dilaa asks. "What sort of place is it?"

[Hazuki]

Predictably, Wotcher doesn't have much of a reaction to Tulip complaining about her hair.

~

"It's," Brigadier breathes in. "Pretty ****, honestly. People are everywhere, vermin are everywhere, manners are nowhere, and you're as likely to wake up in the sea as you are in whatever cubbyhole you've found for the night. Give me the wilds any day."

[Archmage1]

Tulip continues playing with Wotcher's hair, weaving her Iris and Tea flowers into it, in an effort to help it become beautiful.

[PersonMan]

"That sounds...unpleasant," Dilaa agrees. "The city I lived in was clean, but the price for that was blood, like it was for many of its other accomplishments. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever see towering marvels like it again, even in a place so full of magic," she continues. "But there are many wonderful things in these lands that I never could have imagined in my old home."

[Hazuki]

Wotcher, Shaisane, and Tulip slowly make their way up the mountain paths until they reach the familiar (To Tulip, at least) domain of Dahlia, the Alchemist. Unfortunately, she does not catch sight of the magnificent bird that she saw last time they were there, but her garden is as splendorous as ever. Wotcher trudges alongside Tulip and their elven compatriot, just as Tulip catches sight of the Gargoyle tending to some plants.

~

"I get the feeling that the cost of blood wasn't a willing or necessary one." Brigadier comments, glancing at Dilaa. "Would I be right?"

[Archmage1]

Along the way, Tulip continues to try to help Wotcher be beautiful, a complicated task, involving shaping her hair with woven flowers, giving her a garland, and painting her fingers with bright images of flowers. She also acquires a nice rock, one willing to be shaped into something nice for Ruffles. Of course, her usual travel methodology applies, and she cheerfully shows all sorts of fun things to Shaisane and Wotcher, as well as playing music from time to time.

As soon as she sees the Gargoyle, Tulip flies up to her, merrily smiling, glad to see her friend.
"Hi Gargoyle! I thought we'd come and visit! And maybe see if Dahlia can help, and maybe visit her garden?"

[PersonMan]

"Unwilling, certainly, but necessary...I'm not sure if they could have maintained that degree of order without such cruel means," Dilaa replies. "Garmine doesn't need that sort of heavy-handed rule, which is a relief."

[Hazuki]

The gargoyle looks up as Tulip and her followers approach, before standing to its full height and folding its wings against its back. It seems to be looking at her, at least - but it's rather difficult to tell when it has smooth blank stone instead of a face. It raises a taloned finger and points to the hollowed mushroom that is Dahlia's home.

~

"It is nice." Brigadier concurs. "Although knowing most people are are retired adventurers is a little scary."

[Archmage1]

Tulip smiles happily, and darts over to hug Gargoyle.
"Thank you!"
After a few moments of merry hugging, Tulip lets go, and darts over to Wotcher and Shaisane.
"Let's go and say hi to Dahlia!"
With that, she starts flying towards Dahlia's nice home(And looking at the garden, smiling cheerfully)

[PersonMan]

"Scary?" Dilaa asks, raising an eyebrow. "Because of how strong everyone is?"

[Raunchel]

Tulip was right. The garden is beautiful, and just like it looked in the illusion, even if these colours are not as bright. She doesn't say much, still thinking and worrying about Wotcher as they head towards the strangely shaped house.

[Hazuki]

The gargoyle doesn't have much of a response to Tulip hugging it, and returns to the flowers almost as soon as the group starts walking away. Wotcher continues to trudge alongside them, until they reach the house itself, walk through a couple of doorways, and come across the familiar (To Tulip, at least) form of Dahlia. She's wearing a many-colored robe and standing at a single large table, which is covered in materials of all varieties, and her hands dart between them faster than can be seen - along with a few phantom hands that pop up here and there to adjust existing materials.

"Good day!" Dahlia greets the group, turning her head to face them with a little bounce of her very bouncy hair, while her hands conitnue working. "How may I help you?" The lithe woman asks.

~

"Half that." Brigadier nods. "Half, well...adventurers go through a lot of things that normal people don't. And a lot more of the things that soldiers normally go through. That has an affect on people, doesn't it?"

[Archmage1]

Tulip smiles merrily at Dahlia.
"Hi Dahlia!"
She darts over and hugs her.
"We were trying to help Wotcher, so we tried to come here, but we ended up in the ocean, instead, so then we tried again, and we were in the forest! So we came here, and got the rock to carve for Ruffles, but I thought we could come and say hi! And maybe see if you could help her too? And maybe see your lovely garden again?"

[Raunchel]

"Greetings.", Shaisane respectfully bows her head, but finds that she is interrupted by the rather excited petal. "I am very sorry for intruding on your rest, but as Tulip said, our friend, Wotcher, needs help. She has lost her memories, and we are trying to retrieve them. And we were told that a certain Ruffles might be able to help, but that she would require an interesting gift."

[PersonMan]

Dilaa nods. "I think so, yes. I imagine it does have a lasting impact...I know the violence of my youth has had a great one on me," she says. "I don't think it's something that would need to be feared, however."

[Hazuki]

"If a gift is what you're seeking, you've come to the right place." Dahlia informs the two, after briefly returning the hug of the Petal. "But I need to know what you'd like, before I can make it. An unfortunate aspect of linear time, wouldn't you say?"

~

"Well, not all the time. That'd get exhausting." Brigadier smirks to herself as she meanders through the alleys alongside Dilaa. "But it comes up, sometimes, and it's definitely different to what I'm used to. Even the folk at the temple of the Red Knight are more...normal."

[Archmage1]

The merrily smiling petal finishes her hug, and sets down on a clear portion of table, before she pulls out a fairly nice piece of granite.
"I'm going to carve this rock into a nice garden, and color it, so it becomes really pretty! I'm sure Ruffles will love it! But... maybe you could help with something else? There's a meanie, who's cursed, and I'm hoping that removing the curse might make her nice, but I don't think she'll let me remove it, so I'll need to be sneaky, but I don't know how to remove a curse!"

[Hazuki]

"I know of a spell that allows you to remove curses." Dahlia comments, looking back at her table and the granite in Tulip's hands. "But are you sure it's a curse? You don't want to waste time on something that might not work, do you?"

[Archmage1]

Tulip smiles, and nods.
"It's an amulet, and it won't come off, so I think it's cursed! It's Blackriguard's spirit, I think!"