gentlenekomata

[gentlenekomata]

The immediate reaction of Ena luckily managed to save the incautious petite priestess, who came out safe and sound, with no sign of injury or concussion –she got away with no repercussions. As she tried to catch her breath, Sakura shifted her gaze towards Ena, delicately grasping the arms of the young girl. “Thank you..” she whispered as she lowered her gaze in guilty, knowing that she had been reckless to act that way, “It was.. odd. It felt like it was somewhat calling me” she added, recalling the strange sensation that she felt soon after the hand was dragged inside the hole.

Right, the hole!

She immediately turned to check, but the opening was slowly fading in front of their eyes, but the energy pulsating from it was persisting, the dark aura was growing stronger, despite no visible track of it could be seen or perceived. While the petite priestess stared at the hole, the area around them was silent, almost surreal –even the landlady was baffled yet quiet, she probably has witnessed other events of this kind, but she strangely kept any possible reaction to herself.

:: Save me ::

A low voice echoed in the room, almost as it was a call, a plead, coming from an unworldly place, but to be more attentive and observant, the sound seemingly came… from the painting. Sakura, whose eyes were still fixated on the painting and on the hole, frowned her expression as she wondered what in the world was happening in that exact moment. Then, another plead.

:: Help me, please ::

It clearly was a request of help, but from who? The petite priestess turned to face Ena, offering the same puzzled expression from before. “Did you hear that too?” she asked, not sure if the voice was meant for both of them. “The painting… is asking for help?” she returned her gaze of the artwork, staring at the face of the young noblewoman. “What shall we do?”

♡ love can be without boundaries and frames ♡ | Sakura&Ena

⤷ Anniversary 2024: reason +1

[gentlenekomata]

Azama was fast and while Sakura crouched in front of the little beast, observing the heroic deeds in trying its best to conquer the ball, the trustworthy retainer managed to accomplish his tasks, addressing to the petite priestess in the meantime. “Me?” she looked surprised as she lifted her gaze towards him, “Well, a little miss helped me getting acquainted with them, hehe” she giggled while she returned her gaze on Soup; it was playfully scratching the ball, luckily not doing any damage to it. As a matter of facts, Elise did help her getting acquainted  with wyverns, since there weren't many similar creatures in Hoshido.

“I think that it will take a month, more or less” she did some calculations in her mind, while absently staring at the ball, “Yes, four weeks and our little guy will be able to resist famine a little better” she closed her eyes in a satisfied expression, then she slowly stood on her feet once again. “Obviously each wyvern is different: maybe Soup requires more time, or maybe less” she added, giving a small pet on the head of the creature. Wyverns were amazing creatures, but also very unpredictable: you couldn’t guess their thoughts like horses or pegasi, but they could be tame to behave more predictably.

Soup continued with its show and the petite priestess stared at it enthusiastically, hoping it would grew fond of their strange parents. She also acknowledged Azama’s funny question.

“It is quite rebellious indeed” she laughed, but she was serious when she continued, “But we should check on it at least twice a week, in order to teach it some tricks and to teach it to behave good with humans and other creatures” she looked around the stables, resting her gaze on the little wyvern rolling down on the ground, with the ball. “Will you take this commitment with me, Azama?” she timidly asked as she returned her gaze on him, sketching a tiny smile as she hoped to create a special moment and a solid routine with one of her favourite retainers.

As she waited for Azama to come, she turned to pleasingly see that the manger was richly filled with several kind of food –definitely a good variety of supplies that would surely satisfy the appetite of the young wyvern. as she returned her gaze to him, his enthusiasm almost overwhelmed Sakura, who sheepishly blushed, while her hands tried to timidly hide the redness of her cheeks.

Son?! she chuckled to herself as she thought of Azama as a father, but the interest of the girl was immediately caught by the noisy rumbling of Soup’s hunger, which apparently jumped itself inside the manger to easily eat the whole food supply just served by Azama. With a sudden reaction, the diligent retainer launched himself towards the baby wyvern, though leaking a bit of hesitation by the gestures of his hands –he was afraid? Insecure? Sakura pondered for a little while before saying anything, but she didn’t want to leave him on his own to deal with such an unpredictable creature.

“We need a toy to distract him, if you want to adjust the manger” she suggested, observing that something else was missing, “We need to fill the water bowl too!” she noticed the empty bowl, but she then concentrated her gaze to see and find something that could be used like a toy: there weren’t many objects inside the stables, but one thing for sure did catch the petite priestess’ attention – a small ball. She didn’t know why and how a ball has ended up in here, but since it was small and seemed quite bouncy too, she decided to pick it to call Soup’s attention –or at least, to try and call for its attention.

“Soup, come here!” she called its name, walking by the side of the ball and picking it up, “See this? We can play with it!” Sakura added, making the small ball bounce up and down on the ground; the sound of the object certainly managed to beckon its attention from the manger, since it suddenly popped out from its feast. Another bounce. “Play with me” she gestured it with one of her hand to come closer and the little guy seemed to understand the command, as it crawled outside the manger and get closer to Sakura and to the ball. “Here, let me see what you can do” she lastly added as she crouched nearby its muzzle, placing the ball right in front of him.

A shift of her eyes and she directly addressed to Azama, “Take care of the water, please?” she pleaded with a gentle tone as se observe the small wyvern approaching the ball.

[gentlenekomata]

The abrupt movement of his hand almost made the petite girl flinched as she still was concentrated on the face of her companion, baffled and amazed at the same time due to the tenderness leaking from his words; his innocence was so aloud that even if she didn’t mean to do it, he still felt guilty for having proceeded in their connection, for more than few moments.

“Oh, no, please don’t think about it..” she tried to make him feel more at ease, eyes following his movements as he turned to watch the primrose. “You did nothing wrong” she simply stated as she rested her gaze on the flower as well, feeling the pureness of his soul as he observed the cute blossom slightly trembling due to some gust of wind coming from the open entrance door.

Perhaps for as skeptical as I am, it's you who has the magic between us.

His words hit her heart like an arrow, not sharp though, but delicate and passionate, as if he was tenderly caressing her cheek with a soft hand, fingers brushing against the corner of her face, feeling the heat coming from her chest as her face burst of red. She felt lost and wordless for few moments, then a breath and she eventually managed to speak again.

“The legend of the primrose could be childish for many, but for me… it is true” she spoke with a low tone, reaching out again towards the small leaves attached on the stem of the flower, grazing the surface of them with her fingers. “It connects those who believe, those who seek, those who love” she felt somewhat romantic, somewhat puzzled, but she was sure about one thing: their meeting was to some extent intentional, wanted by fate. Few days were passed, but the more the time she spent with him, the more she felt like they knew each other since many years by now. Their connection was magical.

“Do you think that this moment was… somehow predestined?” she timidly asked, shifting her gaze towards his face, actually scared about the answer that it would come.

She felt the presence of Pelleas getting closer to her as he probably crouched as well to inspect the flower, his humorous statement made the petite student curled her lips into a dainty grin; thinking back at the shop, it would be actually amazing to be capable of spreading such beautiful flower to other people, but then, the magical behind its mystery would soon disappear and it would become a very common flower, just like many others at Annalee.

“A very pretty flower indeed” she agreed with him, nodding her head as she continued to stare the flower with curiosity and perplexity: what if she touch it? The urge to feel the delicacy of its petals was irrepressible and as the hand came closer to the flower, a light sensation of warmness and kindness filled Sakura’s heart in a heartbeat, making the petite student almost losing the balance from her crouched legs: as her fingers were close enough, she brushed the borders of each petal, feeling a very very slight fuzz that made the sensation of touching very pleasing and odd at the same time. But, aside from that concrete feeling, no other perceptions were felt by the pink-haired girl –no arousal, no happiness, no dizziness, no passion. She was feeling the same as before.

“Hmm” she pondered for a moment before turning towards Pelleas, but she didn’t considerate the distance in between the two of them and as she turned to face him, her hand gently placed itself above his hand, making Sakura feeling a bit nervous as soon as she realized it: a long moment passed before she could say anything or do something, but the voice came out lightly from her mouth: “I..” she suddenly froze, her sight fixated on his face, she felt absolutely defenceless, no words coming out from her mouth, aside from a very faint  s o r r y.

[gentlenekomata]

🎄

"Well, fancy meeting you here, Lady Sakura!" Laslow grins, climbing down from the ladder currently sitting underneath the door's archway. A fresh sprig of mistletoe hangs in place of the sad, brown-edged plant now held in Laslow's palm.

"Does this mean I get two kisses?" He teases while shaking hair out of his eyes. "...but don't tell your brother, eh?" It's bad enough he's got one king now keeping an eye on his every move.

He's slow when he leans in, giving Sakura time to back away if she desires. Sensing no hesitation, Laslow places a gentle peck on one of her cheeks, then the other.

Satisfied, he pulls back, grin still in place. "Enjoy the rest of your day, my sweet!"

 🎄  ‘TIS THE SEASON.  🎄

Decorating the hallway was becoming more of an habit for Sakura, especially during the festive periods of the year: she loved the atmosphere, the people, the magic that dwellt in the air. Yet, she could not expect such outcome from a dainty and delicate occasion as that one.

"Sir Laslow!" she chirped at the sight of him, "It's always a pleasure meetin you" she bowed her head, returning her gaze to his glance at the mention of two kisses.

W h a t

She frooze for a moment, carefully listening and not reteating from her position as he lent over her, delicately poking her cheeks with the surface of his lips -a warm sensation feeling in Sakura's chest as she felt the heat running up her stomach up until the redness of the cheeks became more visible and clear.

"You always manage to surprise me.." she timidly blurted, sketching a smile in response as she waved him goodbye and she wished him a good day as well.

[gentlenekomata]

🎄 Edelgard stood on her tiptoes as she reached to grab the green decoration strongly placed to the side of the dining hall, tugging it down into her grasp before the morning crowd began to pour in.

"What excellent timing. I have something for you," she said as she placed it in Sakura's palms. "Would you keep this? After looking it over, I've come to the conclusion that it would make for nice hair decor." A shake of the head. "At least, that is my opinion. However.. If you do want to try it, would you show me? It may inspire me to try similar fashion."

 🎄  ‘TIS THE SEASON.  🎄 | accepting

The timing was always at its best with Sakura, who most of the time managed to come by whenever a person needed a hand or a help.

"Please, let me handle this, Miss Edelgard!" she kindly replied as she drew closer, welcoming in the palms of her hands the cute decorations picked from the ceiling. "Oh, a hair decor -what a cute idea!" she giggled, staring at the mistletoe with enthusiams, then answering Edelgard's request with a dainty smile.

"Sure, let me try it" she picked a small piece of it, a twig with some leaves and some berries and she carefully placed it in her hair. "How do I look?" she smiled, though not waiting for the answer, not immediately at least. "You know what? I bet you would look amazingly with these!" she chirped, drawing closer to the elegant girl and delicately placing another twig behing Edelgard's ear, gently caressing the soft mane of hair.

"Very elegant, very charming" and she lastly sent a small kiss on the cheek of her interlocutor, treating it like a thanks for the previous gift she made her.

"Now festivities will surely be better!"

[gentlenekomata]

🎄

"Lemonade girl!"

Lysithea chuckles, shaking her head as she walks over. This was the girl who had… well, accidentally brain-blasted her with a super sour lemonade.

"I was wondering when I'd run into you again."

Smiling, she flips back her hair, looking over at the pink-haired girl.

"Think you can make me another batch of it at some point? That stuff was… a lot, but it was really good!"

 🎄  ‘TIS THE SEASON.  🎄 | accepting

At first she wasn't sure that the lilac-haired girl was addressing to her, but when the cute girl started to walk towards her, she was sure she was talking to her.

The lemonade, right.

As the thought ran back inot her mind, Sakura couldn't help but smile at the fact she actually remembered her for something so unique and strange at the same time. "I'm glad you enjoyed it" she giggled, soflty observing the girl, while noticing a cute mistletoe hanging above their heads. "If I manage to procure my secret ingredient back, maybe I can make you a new one" she stated, "But for now, I can simply give you a thank you gift!" and she lent closer to affecionately kiss her cheek, a soft touch she was grateful to prove.

"I'll treat you with a tea party too, my pleaure for celebrate these festivities!"

[gentlenekomata]

‘TIS THE SEASON.

send 🎄for our muses to get caught under the mistletoe !!

[gentlenekomata]

starter for @anthieseofvalentia

It was the very first time for Sakura in Varley territory: located in the central area of the Adrestian Empire, it was an unusually arid region compared to the rest of the Empire and it produced armours and weapons using resources extracted from the mountains. That was all the knowledge that the petite priestess managed to acquire before entering the zone, accepting the role of cleric and supporter of injured mounted units and knights: despite she usually wasn’t called for the expeditions, the situation at the moment was quite distinctive, since the new year has brought with it a shake-up coming from the lands of Adrestia –the re-establishment of the Southern Church. Obviously the resonance among all the students and professors of the Garreg Mach Monastery has been very aloud, especially from the members of the Church of Seiros: of course, as part of the latter, Sakura felt the urge and the pressure from her superiors to go and have a look at what was wrong in that vast territory, especially around the County of Varley, where it was said that many problems and struggles were happening.

It has been few days since Sakura’s expedition group has settled in the territory, but when everything seemed to be proceeding on the right path, something began to feel wrong: many steeds used from the knights on duty were very distressed and agitated, especially the ones patrolling the area around the small village where they were staying for the first days of the expedition. Even Sakura couldn’t manage to calm them, or rather, it took her several attempts to soothe the agitated spirits of the horses.

“Poor creatures, I wonder what makes them so troubled..” she murmured to herself as she looked around, observing the several knights that were preparing for the patrol, but as her eyes travelled from head to head, she suddenly stopped, recognizing a familiar reddish head of hair, a faint smile as she wasn’t sure whether or not she was here for helping the mounted units as well.

“Miss Celica!” she addressed to her with a very gentle tone, smiling and offering a delicate bow with her head, “I’m glad to see you here, your help will be very much appreciated!” she giggled, tilting her head on the right, “Have you discovered anything yet?”

Only the horses, can save us tonight | Sakura&Celica

⤷ Distress: riding +1

[gentlenekomata]

starter for @paragonknightxander

As she was in the Adrestia Empire for taking care of some business for the Church of Seiros, Sakura couldn’t help but wonder what was happening in the small village where her groups of people were staying at the inn for recovery: from times to times, someone disappeared and despite the efforts of each team leader of these groups, people continued disappearing from the village, leaving just a faint hope in the other’s hearts, as well as a very strong feeling of distress. It was clear that someone didn’t want them to be there, but who?

Regardless the very important and urgent situation displayed, Sakura couldn’t miss the opportunity to get some flowers, herbs and plants that only grew in that part of Fòdlan, accompanying the expedition party during some of their patrols, even though she perfectly knew it was not only dangerous because of the disappearances, but also very scary, because most of the expeditions and patrols took time during the night hours. It was a risk she had and wanted to face.

She decided to help one of the groups as well, especially since she couldn’t help but feeling upset about the possibility of another human being to be captured and then who knew what would happen to them; as she was looking for the next party that would go on exploration and obviously that would investigate the mysterious disappearances of the other party members, goldenish eyes met with the one gaze that she surely didn’t forget from the very first time they met, in her homeland.

“Sir Xander” she addressed to him as she slowly approach his figure, “I’m surprised to find you here” she  was puzzled about his presence; the threatening aura from his gaze was unforgettable, but her manners remained delicate and untouched. “It’s nice to have you here with us, though. Your presence will be very helpful, I'm sure” she though recognised his values, despite their past. “Have you already find any clues?”

two crownie heads unveiling the truth | Sakura&Xander

⤷ Distress: no points

[gentlenekomata]

While she quietly listened to him reading, she figured in front of her goldenish eyes the horrible conditions where that poor unlucky person had to endure while staying in that cold and inhospitable place; apparently the person inside that cell was held captive there for a long period of time, days, weeks if not months or maybe even years… The diary wasn’t accurate, but it definitely was a written testimony of the stay of that person. Yet, one thing surely caught the attention of the petite priestess as she carefully listened to each page read.

“Paces were heard, so it means that… someone was patrolling the area outside this cell” she muttered, staring at the diary for a moment, then shifting her gaze towards Raven, searching for an answer that did not come, “The entrance of the cell is… not the same as the one we discovered!” her eyes shone in hope, desperately looking behind the young man, seeking for clues that might lead to the real entrance of that place. “Maybe… the person of the diary escaped from the tunnel from where we came in” she hypothesized, her index finger bruising her lower lip as she mumbled for a moment, before continuing her speech, “But the monster is still there I bet…” she lowered her gaze, scoffing off her mind as she tried to leave that thought aside: they were trapped.

Before she could hear anything from her companion, she started to nervously walk around the area, keeping her arms folded against her chest, as if she could contain all the fear she was feeling in that precise moment: would they ended up like that person who had written the diary? No, it can’t be, her thoughts were becoming larger, wider, but rationality luckily came into her rescue. No dead body was found, no sign of bones, human bones. They surely had escaped.

Then, she suddenly stopped, lifting her gaze towards the ceiling. “What if this cell is some sort of… p i t?” she trembled a little at the thought of that possibility, but as she scrutinized the upper part of the room, a light block of rocks definitely caught her attention. “Do you think that..?” she was still staring at the ceiling, but the question was clearly directed to Raven, this time she hoped for a positive answer.

Is That Fucking Mothman?

[gentlenekomata]

♡ November activity check ♡

Skill points

activity

Activity Check – any +1

total — [ 53 + 1 = 54 ]

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Points allocation

given to Faith [ B* -> B+ ]

Claims

-

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

On going thread

waiting for you;

Girl I’m on fire (again) - Arval | reason +1 @laruarva

A mistery in monochrome – Katarina | sword +1 @ephemeralove

Riding back to our long-forgotten memories – Ryoma @raijintosworn

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

have to reply;

a name for the baby! - Azama | flying +1 @carefreemonk

Is that fucking mothman? – Raven | axe +1 @peerlessscowl

a flower to make a dream come true - Pelleas | Tokimeki Memorial AU @pirrhyc

Miracles do exist - Mikoto | Ethereal Ball 2024 mini-thread @vallitemaiden

Love can be without boundaries and frames - Ena | reason +1 @spinnerofhope

Baby emergency! | Pelleas | reason +1 @pirrhyc

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

➤ Wanted Plots (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝)7

Just few threads, since I already have some other ones to finish and to take care ෆ

Prompts 1 & 2 required a BE, while 3 is a non-mission tb ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)

TAKING CARE OF THE HORSES ; she’s really worried about their health, she just wants to help every creature ♡＾▽＾♡ [ Riding +1 ]

MISSING PEEPS ; investigations is not very suitable for Sakura, but as soon as she heard about the disappearances, she jumps herself into the threat, ready to unveil the truth behind those disappearances! [ no points ]

DUNGEON CRAWLER – PART II ; after the funny adventure in the undergrounds, why the hell not going into the Abyss’ tunnels? [ no points ]

[gentlenekomata]

The warning from Ena wasn’t that senseless and while she spoke, Sakura returned her gaze towards the portrait, as if she was enraptured by the magical and dark aura coming from inside the painting itself: she fixated her goldenish eyes on the frame, scanning inch by inch as she looked for any clue, for anything out of place, till… something actually happened. In the moment that Sakura decided to slightly touch the surface of the upper part of the frame, a sudden light burst in between the frame and the finger of the petite priestess, making the Hoshidian girl step back with a little hop, as she truly didn’t expect something like that.

“Oh my..!” she covered her mouth with both her hands as she stared in astonishment: the light was slowly becoming wider and wider, covering the whole portrait with an intense glow that was growing darker and darker; it stopped as soon as it reached the lower corner of the frame. It was… some sort of a hole?

Sakura gawked at the strange occurrence with wide but curious eyes, a little terrified, but sure that the solution behind that mysterious disappearance of the woman was behind that glowing hole: despite the eerie aura, Sakura was intrigued by that unknown surface and as she took few steps closer, reaching out for the dark void with her mere fingertips, suddenly something felt horribly odd.

!!!

An abrupt force dragged the hand of the petite priestess inside the painting, with an horrified expression on Sakura’s face as she almost yelled at the unpredictable change of the events. “Miss Ena!!!” she desperately tried to grasp for her body, anything really, she just wanted to get away from that portrait, while the hand was slowly being absorbed. “I’m stuck!” she tried her best in order to pulled the arm back, forcing her hand to get out of that unsettling place. "Please... I need help"

♡ love can be without boundaries and frames ♡ | Sakura&Ena

⤷ Anniversary 2024: reason +1

[gentlenekomata]

She wasn’t exactly expecting to be doing a tea party while adventuring among the fields, but she did bring with her all the occurrence for such occasion: despite the fact that she especially loved making teas and gathering all kind of herbs for both her medical studies and her pure enjoyment for hot beverages, she wasn’t hoping for a request like that from Ryoma.

“It’ll be my pleasure pampering you with my teas!” she giggled, sweetly tilting her head on the side as she sketched a timid but genuine smile: they never had many occasions for sharing moments like this, since her older brother was very busy with family issues and problems, but hearing the authentic interest showed from Ryoma was making Sakura’s heart pounding soundly, feeling a very deep happiness in her stomach and in her chest –she couldn’t asked for better.

As soon as she finished her sentence, she rummaged in one of the bags attached at the horse's saddle: she searched for a while, until she eventually pulled put some small silk bags, which she immediately showed to him. “These are for making the tea bags” she almost whispered, as if it was a secret to keep between the two of them, then she put them back inside. After that, she looked over the other side of the saddle and she reached for the mini wicker basket. “We’ll use this to collect leaves and herbs” she stated, placing the basket into Ryoma’s arms, “Now, let’s see what we have right here in this clearing!” she lastly announced, already walking around the area with inquisitive eyes: there were several types of grass, most of it was common and quite useless for making teas, but below some trees she noticed white flower and a very distinguished scent.

“Mint!” she announced as she drew closer, picking up few leaves from the little plant, “We’re looking for this, for instance” and she pointed the plant, showing also on the palm of her hand the leaves, “But if you see other flowers that pick your curiosity please, call me so that we can inspect them together” and she closed her eyes in a satisfied expression, returning her attention on the mint’s leaves.

Riding back to our long-forgotten memories ; Sakura&Ryoma

[gentlenekomata]

His gentle tone was reassuring, but the fact that he did know nothing more than her, slightly went against her thoughts about him, as for now: she didn’t know him yet, but something in his eyes and in his manners certainly reminded her of something. Yet, regarding manners, she bowed her head gently as she did almost forget to introduce herself.

“I’m Sakura anyways, thank you for helping me through this… delicate situation” she paused as she lowered her gaze on the fake baby, while pondering about his last question: “It started to cry while I was trying to make it sleep, but perhaps… it’s hungry?” she said it with a bit of uncertainty in her voice –how should they fed it and what kind of food should it eat? She looked puzzled as those thoughts wondered in her mind, but the glance quickly shifted on him, timidly hoping that he could magically answer her doubts.

“I’m not sure, but children usually drink milk and at this age they should eat something soft and tender, I guess” she glanced over the counter of the infirmary, with the hope that the organizers of the laboratory have left some clues about the right course of actions they should follow to accomplish those tasks; there were some bowls, few empty bottles and some tiny baby bibs folded nearby. Maybe those were the clues.

“Perhaps we have to prepare something to eat?” she kept on gently lullabying the baby, while addressing to his partner, “Do you think you can do it for me?” she asked, but she was obviously open to do the same, leaving the baby to him, in case. “But I’m pretty open to do it as well, if you would love to take and try this incredibly realistic experience” she softly giggled, offering a view on the fake baby, which seemingly was calmer than before.

baby emergency! | Sakura&Pelleas

⤷ Anniversary 2024: faith +1

[gentlenekomata]

Sakura quietly listened to her companion speaking and asking the permission to get closer to the painting, nodding at the kind request of Ena, since she on the first place was unsure whether to proceed or not: it definitely was a curious case, especially since it wasn’t very common in her homeland to own paintings of that type –not that she wouldn’t like a painting of a loved ones, but she has never experienced something like that, up until now at least, and as far as she knew, she owning a painting like this one, clearly was something very deep and profoundly reverential.

As soon as she finished listening to Ena and they both received the approval of the noblewoman, the petite priestess carefully drew closer to the wall, approaching the painting with her eyes scanning the entire surface: the portrait itself didn’t have anything suspicious or strange –it was the perfect representation of another elegant and beautiful woman, all dressed-up with all sorts of jewellery and a neutral background behind her. A very splendid painting with nothing out of the ordinary, if not… the strange aura emanating from it; the more you drew closer, the more the presence of this aura was clearly palpable, giving off some very odd and unsteady vibes, especially if you stayed particularly closer to it.

Roll 1d20: 2

Yet, despite the very uneasy sensation, nothing seemed to happen as Sakura was few centimetres from the painting, eyes fixated on the face of the noblewoman, as if she wanted to inspect right inside the eyes of the woman’s portrayal. “Something feels… off” she muttered to herself as she observed the frame of the portrait, slightly touching it with the tips of her fingers. Then, she suddenly turned towards Ena, a serious expression hovered on her face.

“Do you feel something?” it was an odd question, she soon realized it and she added something more: “I mean, around the painting, I fell something… dark, unclear, almost unsafe” she tried her best to search for words, but she clearly wasn’t sure about them either, since nothing truly happened as she got closer to the painting.

♡ love can be without boundaries and frames ♡ | Sakura&Ena

⤷ Anniversary 2024: reason +1

[gentlenekomata]

♡ October activity check ♡

Skill points

activity

Activity Check – any +1

total — [ 52 + 1 = 53 ]

＊✿❀　❀✿＊ ＊✿❀　❀✿＊ ＊✿❀　❀✿＊

Points allocation

given to Sword [ E -> E+ ]

＊✿❀　❀✿＊＊✿❀　❀✿＊＊✿❀　❀✿＊

Claims

n/a

＊✿❀　❀✿＊＊✿❀　❀✿＊＊✿❀　❀✿＊

On going thread

waiting for you;

Is that fucking mothman? – Raven | axe +1 @peerlessscowl

Girl I’m on fire (again) - Arval | reason +1 @laruarva

Miracles do exist - Mikoto | Ethereal Ball 2024 mini-thread @vallitemaiden

A mistery in monochrome – Katarina | sword +1 @ephemeralove

a flower to make a dream come true - Pelleas @pirrhyc

have to reply;

a name for the baby! - Azama | flying +1 @carefreemonk

Riding back to our long-forgotten memories – Ryoma @raijintosworn

Love can be without boundaries and frames - Ena | reason +1 @spinnerofhope

Baby emergency! | Pelleas | reason +1 @pirrhyc

dropped;

Bonding among the snow - Yuzu | heavy armor +1

[gentlenekomata]

The coldness and stillness of her companion did impress Sakura in a very positive way: she wasn’t sure about the interrogation and she has never done one in her whole life, but seeing how much confidence Katarina was showing off, certainly boosted the courage and self-assurance of the petite priestess. “Sure, I can do that again” she replied with a smile, wondering though why a criminal was begging for his freedom like that; it wasn’t that strange, but he seemed to be hiding something far more important than a mere misdeed.

With a simple gesture of her hands, she cast the spell again and the air around his hands got immediately chill, freezing and creating some sort of circular barrier around his wrists –done, he couldn’t move neither hands nor feet, but, he still could speak.

“Please, this is a mistake..!” he begged, aware of Katarina’s blade vicinity, but risking his throat to add something more, “This should be...the contrary!” the man admitted, eyeing both Katarina and Sakura with decision and fear at the same time, probably feeling the actual risk he was running into at the moment. Yet, something in Sakura’s mind flickered and she suddenly remembered something.

–Learn how to withstand interrogations… […]

There was a flyer, a paper that introduced this course as something like a way to learn how to deal with interrogations, but why on earth did he started to run after Katarina then? That wasn’t clear and there was something definitely missing: maybe he kidnaped one of the instructors, took his place and pretended to be one of them just to ambush students and maybe kidnap them as well? That was huge, far more intricate and complex than Sakura could ever imagined, but… he was there now, crouched in front of them with both hands and legs frozen. He was incapacitated of kidnapping or fleeing –that was the perfect chance to learn how to interrogate someone..

“Why have you started running after this student?” the petite priestess started the interrogation, pointing out at Katarina as she referred to her as a student being run after. “You chased after her without saying a word about this-” she stated, but then she was abruptly interrupted by the captive.

“I had to! It’s part of the plan!” he shouted, staring to shiver a little due to the low temperature of their legs and hands. “You have to believe me” he continued, looking straight into her goldenish eyes. “I can say no more..” and he remained silent for a long moment, before one the girls spoke again.

“This is going nowhere, we need more information” Sakura made a perplexed expression, staring at the face of the fake instructor, and in the end she shifted her gaze towards Katarina: “What do you think?” she asked, resting her hand above her chin as she pondered about a possible way to get more information from him.

a mystery in monochrome