A Faerie Affair - IC III: In the Court of the Faerie King

[Archmage1]

Heading through the palace, Violet occasionally stops and admires things, and she cheerfully says hi to the guards as she passes, before Astra guides them to her room, and Violet looks it over with a smile. "It's wonderful, Astra! There are lots of fluffy things around, and it's a room, and everything! It'll be lots of fun!"

As things settle down, Violet once more pulls out the carefully cared for flower, trying to check to see if it's ok.

[WindStruck]

Astra smiles at Violet's enthusiasm but it wanes as she notices the small sleeping accommodations she has in her own room.

"I don't want you to sleep on the floor violet.. soft as the rug may be, maybe you deserve a bit more! Why don't we check on Kyu's room?"

She partly flits and walks over to her neighbor companion. "Oh wow, you have a nice room, and a HUGE bed, Kyu!" Noticing the extra-large mirror, she for once notices her extremely lengthy hair, probably since the last time in Reena's court when it was washed and brushed.

"Oh yeah, with all this adventuring, I keep forgetting!" Astra gets her own brush which she was given some says before, and sets to work trying to straighten out and care her hair. It might take a while...

"Um... do you mind if I borrow one of your other brushes, Kyu?"

[Pyon]

Kyu was in her room straightening out her hair before bed. "Yours isn't like this? It's super soft too, like sleeping on cotton flowers." She opens her drawer and takes out a hairbrush, flying over to Astra. "You can sleep with me if you want Violet, but I'm a bit of a sleep talker. I hope that doesn't bother you! And let me help you with your hair Astra, you should have asked me while we were on the road. Us girls need to find time to keep our looks in check, even while out being traveling."

[WindStruck]

Astra says, "Yeah, I like my hair and all, but when we're traveling so much and with all the excitement I just kind of forgot..."

She notices all the pink ribbons Kyu had in her hair, compared with the naturally pink color of her own hair. She'd never need ribbons! But it gave her an idea, and she grinned. "You know, I was thinking... why don't we go out tomorrow and set a new fashion trend? These people wandering around dressed like hobo mercenaries is depressing!"

[Pyon]

"Oh? That sounds like fun! Kyu claps her hands together. "How about pink? Or maybe a weird hairstyle to prank them a little? Oh oh or ribbons! Do you have any good ideas?"

[WindStruck]

Astra says, "Well I think we've already got enough pink and ribbons for a lifetime and they weren't taking to that. And I don't really want to change my hair either..."

She looks down at her worn, white dress. "I definitely think it's time for something new though. Summer is even coming.. clothes made of ribbons? Or, I know! Magic illusion clothes! I wonder if anyone's ever made that before! And then could you imagine if someone pranked them and dispelled it?" Astra can hardly contain a mischievous giggle.

[Archmage1]

Violet smiles cheerfully at Aster's suggestion. "Ok! Maybe we can have a sleepover? We could tell stories!"

With Aster moving past her to Kyu's room, Violet slowly looks into the vase, containing the crystalline flower, and her expression falls. No! She's... She's not going to make it, but... but she really, really wanted to experience rain, and... With her mind whirling, trying to come up with a way to help, she walks into Kyu's room, almost running into the bed in her distracted state, but she had her idea.

With the flower carefully held in one hand, her other pulls out her pan flute, and she plays a short tune, a long low tune, almost mournful, a short series of up and down notes, giving a sense of hope, with a jaunty, almost home-like finale.

And then, the room seems to fade away, the homey surroundings replaced by a vision of beauty. A large oak, majesticly standing resolute in the center of a small delve, the sides coated in a gentle blanket of moss, with a small creek burbling happily over stones, with lillies floating here and there, and hyacinths growing along the sides. Further out, a riot of croci, tulips, violets, bluebells and more grow, each adding their own splash of color and beauty to the grove. The edges, just before the ridge leading out are home to an assortment of fruit and nut bearing plants, and through it a single path runs, with crystal-decorated stepping stones marking a safe way through, and over the creek, meandering enough to give anyone taking it a great look at the garden. The sky above is grey, and overcast, and a steady rain falls, and the sounds of the rain, and the wind fill the room.

At the base of the tree, looking over the garden, Violet stands, holding the flower as her tears fall softly onto its petals, as she mourns, and tries to let it's final time be one of great beauty.

Spoiler: Music

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So, I couldn't find it online, but the tune she plays is the Wildland Whistle from Bards Tale 4.(Alas, I don't listen to a lot of music, but it seemed appropriate.)

Spoiler: Mechanics

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To disbelieve, you need to pass a DC 14 investigation check(Should you choose to.) Also, you might notice that you're not actually getting wet, and that the things in the room are still there, just sort of hidden.
Also, this is probably pushing well past what a Major Image can actually do, but... it seemed appropriate.

[WindStruck]

Astra is at first surprised by the illusion, but she quickly figures out it's true nature. Still, it hardly takes away from its beauty.

"Wow... This is beautiful..."

[Archmage1]

Snapped out of her sadness for the poor flower, Violet looks to Astra, and offers her a small smile. It's somewhat forced, but she's clearly trying. Afterwards, her attention turns back to the flower held carefully in her hands, and she whispers to it. "This is what rain's like, and what the surface can be like, and I wish I could show you."

Spoiler: Nature check?

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Violet's communication efforts, so the flower understands. (1d20+7)[12] Nature.

[Ninja_Prawn]

The crystal flower doesn't have much energy left to respond. You think you see its petals shrink back from the 'rain' at first, but between Violet's explanation and the obviously illusory nature of the scenery, it soon relaxes again. Violet feels confident that this sort of flower would be happy in her garden, if she could obtain a living example.

[Archmage1]

Doing her best to conceal her sadness, not wanting to make the flower sad, Violet starts to talk once more. "This is my garden! Or, well, an image of it? But that's the Big Tree, he's really nice, and he was ok with me living on him! And there's the creek! It's usually really happy, but sometimes, she gets scared, and that's really scary! But Big Tree tries to help! And I got to help lots of flowers, and they're really happy, and I try to help everyone be happy, but this is Mrs. Diamond..." Slowly building energy, Violet starts trying to introduce the poor flower(And Astra and Kyu) to her garden, and the personalities within, to try and cheer it up.

Spoiler: OOC

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Not sure if anyone wants to interject, but she'll only get ten minutes of introduction done. Most of the flowers are named after how they look(Mrs. Diamond tends to glitter in the sunlight), but some of them are not.

[WindStruck]

Astra tries to listen, but after the tenth flower her interest seems to drop off. It was one thing to listen to names of flowers and their personalities. Astra still wasn't really sure of that. But illusions of flowers? She was feeling far too weary for this.

She tries to find the large mirror in the room again and continues brushing her hair, occasionally glancing back at Violet with a smile and nod.

[Archmage1]

After ten minutes pass, the room fades back into existence, with no sign of the wondrous garden that once stood there, leaving a sad petal and a dying flower standing near the bed. After a goodbye, Violet carefully places the flower back into the vase, doing her best to make sure it was as comfortable as possible, before she turns her attention to Astra and Kyu, her voice a shadow of what it was. "I... I'm sorry. I should have said something, but... they're dying, and there's not long left now, and they wanted to experience rain, and then it didn't rain, so... I tried."

[WindStruck]

Astra nods sadly, but there wasn't much she could do. She couldn't cry and mourn for every flower. It would be maddening.

Astra gently offers, "W-would you like a hug?"

[Archmage1]

Violet nods, unshed tears shining in her eyes as she looks at the dying flower.

[WindStruck]

Astra slowly moves over to embrace Violet in a sisterly hug. She imagined like trying to comfort a younger sibling or a good friend.

"There, there. This is sadly the way of things for many flora...

[Archmage1]

Violet sniffles a bit as she returns the hug, her tears dripping onto Astra's back as she starts to speak, her voice broken and sad. "It... it's not that... everything has their... their time. But... but... to just abandon, or... or... or ignore a wonderful... flo... flower?" She takes a deep grasping breath. "No one... no one should... should have to d... di... die alone."

[WindStruck]

Astra nods sadly, still rather unsure of comforting a cut flower to such an extent, but in any case once Violet's tears had dried, she finished brushing her hair and then turned in to her own room for sleep.