#Clay Avian Friend ~ Nendoko

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After adding the final touches to the statue, including writing a note for Momiji. it's ready! "...?" There's only one issue. How does one send a present to someone they don't know the exact location of? Easy! She gives Nendoko (and a few other of her avian creations) simple directions! "Look for someone on Youkai Mountain wearing a tokin"! That should be easy enough. Right?

"Coo, coo!" These instructions are easy enough for them to understand, so with that, they fly off to deliver the package. "...~"

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The note is written... awfully. It's just barely able to be read properly.

"this is too Miss Inubashira. i lik u so i made this i hope you lik it. pls put in your hom. if u dont lik it thats ok i promis i wont get mad. m ynam is daichi i live in the big forest with the tres and mushrroms and i am to scarred of u to giv u this by hand but i hope you lik it. pls tell nendoko what u think [Small doodle of Nendoko, the Magpie, with an arrow pointing to it] - daichi ps i dont know where u liv so i had my bird lok for ur col hat i like ur hat by the way"

"Miss Inubashira"... is it meant to be Inubashiri? Nendoko waits patiently for Momiji to finish the note and give her thoughts. What a well-behaved bird... that goes for all of them. "Coo...?"

From higher up the mountains, a peculiar flock of birds descends towards Momiji! There're carrying... a bizarrely-accurate wooden statue of Momiji herself! The smallest bird, a clay magpie, has a note in its beak. "Chh, chh!" Does it want her to take it? Looks like it.

A flock of birds heading toward the wolf is not something she's used to, but she doesn't feel threatened by it. And it seems they're coming to deliver something... she's not sure who would use birds as a delivery method, though. No one she knows. Even so...

"Is this... me?" It certainly looked like her. Startlingly so, even. And she wasn't aware of any admirers. Unless maybe this was a commission work? Maybe the note will explain. She'll go ahead and open that up now.

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Daichi (+ Nendoko)

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Name: Daichi Watakhnum (+ Nendoko) Text colour: Green (Nendoko: Green and small) Title: One-horned Life Sculptor (Nendoko: Clay Avian Friend) Age: 253 (Nendoko: 125) Birthday: March 28 (Nendoko: Birthday unknown) Species: Xiezhi (Nendoko: Sculpted Animal (magpie)) Location: Forest of Magic (Nendoko: Nearby Daichi) Height: 6'3" (191.6 cm) (Nendoko: 1'1" (33 cm)) Weight: 196.3 lbs (89 kg) (Nendoko: 1 lbs (460 g)) Gender: Female (Nendoko: N/A)

Appearance: Very, very fluffy off-white hair, poofy and fuzzy like cotton. Has green eyes and freckles, too. She has two large... ram horns, one of which is permanently broken. Nendoko is often perched atop the other. They aren't too apparent, but she also has the ears of a sheep! Nendoko: A small magpie made of clay. What do you want me to say?

Clothing: Wears a white dress that transitions to green in a spiral pattern. A small vine is wrapped around her intact horn... though it seems to either be woody or deceased. The inside of her dress is full of wool, which probably isn't good for summer. She wears platform shoes that heavily resemble hooves. Her intact horn also has what appears to be a scale at the end. If only her other horn weren't broken... Nendoko: ... nothing????

Personality: While she often remains perfectly silent, she's kind and gentle to everyone around her, especially her creations. She acts motherly towards them, but shy to everyone else. Loud or aggressive people can upset her, especially if they pose a threat to her creations. Lay a hand on them and you'll surely earn yourself some danmaku to the face... or a headbutt! Please, be nice to her. She might cry. Nendoko: Nendoko is quite a silly bird. Very intelligent, too!

Abilities: Sculpting small animals out of earthly resources: By sculpting dirt, clay, stone, wood, etc. into an animal shape, she can turn it into an animal! These sculpted animals are identical to normal animals aside from their appearance. They are connected to Daichi's will, not entirely controlled but "steered" by her. They can also link telepathically to her. The animal MUST be at most half as big as her. If she wants to make a larger animal, she will have to scale it down to that size for this ability to work. Nendoko: Collecting objects of interest: Nendoko often collects things it thinks Daichi will like. Simple.

Likes: Loves the peace of the forest, rarely leaving the parts people rarely go to. Being alone with her creations is all she really wants, after all. Daichi is a simple woman: this is the extent of what she wants. Nendoko: Nendoko likes being around Daichi, as well as collecting things.

Dislikes: Daichi hates loud people, putting as much distance between her and them as possible. She also hates being told to speak, something she doesn't like doing for the most part. Any harm done to her creations will upset her, either to the point of bawling or rage. Nendoko: Nendoko dislikes anything that upsets Daichi. That and predatory animals.

Strengths: With how many animals she's created over the years, attacking her is sure to bring an army of little creatures running at you. Her love for silence has led her to be able to hear people approaching from decently far away, giving her time to leave the area. Nendoko: Nendoko is a loyal bird and has very good eyes.

Weaknesses: Her shy nature makes gaining connections difficult, and her muteness makes communicating even harder. If she were to ever get bored of her creations, she'd have a hard time making a new friend. Her love for her creation can put her in danger, too. She'd rather be fatally injured than lose them. Blinded by her unconditional love... tragic. Nendoko: Nendoko is made of clay!

Theme: Blooming Branch of a Ceramic Tree ~ Cotton-textured Silence

Spellcards: Wooden Snake 「Wooden Twisting Vine」 Collection Flight 「Magpie Treasure Pile」 Fluff of Nature 「Silence of Cotton Season」 Battering Ram 「Ram in a Ceramics Shop」 Primordial Clay 「Beloved Kofun Magpie Friend」 Gao Yao's Request 「Horn of the Unjust and Righteous」 (Last Word)

Tag: Creator of All-natural Sculptures ~ Daichi Nendoko: Clay Avian Friend ~ Nendoko

Professional Artist Rendition (Nendoko included):

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Pulling along a barrow full of deadwood, our local half-youkai was once again stocking up on fuel for the impending winter. The less he has to go cutting down full trees, the better, although this has a very obvious drawback.

It has not been the most efficient way to gather wood, in spite of how much he's collected. He's been at it for around an hour and a half by now, and that was to continue. At least, until he heard something that made him finally halt in place.

"Hm?.. Someone else out here?" He knew what it sounded like when there were other footsteps aside from his own.

(@halfkuma passing that ask y' were owed)

Yes indeed. From afar, through the trees, a pair of unblinking eyes watches him. A strange, one-horned woman with an odd bird on her head. She's completely silent, but her expression is fearful. "..." Unprompted, the bird atop her head caws, causing her to panic. It's a loud noise, one she's certain will draw attention to her. Quickly, she takes the bird, trying to hide it. To no avail.

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"Coo, coo!"

Message received! Nendoko takes the note back, helping the other odd birds take off again with the statue. Then... they fly off, heading further down the mountain! It can only be hoped that they don't end up giving it to another random "col hat" wearer...

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"Poor fool. I am not your target."

When she finished the note, Megumu stared into the magpie's artificial eyes. It seems some strange magician has become fixated on a mountain guardian. Oh well, that was not her problem. The wolf tengu were not within Megumu's branch of responsibility. Even if she did often overstep her bounds.

She holds the note out towards the bird. Attempting to get it to take it into its beak again.

"You will find who you are looking for lower down on the mountain. Not anywhere near as high as here."

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Primordial Clay "Beloved Kofun Magpie Friend"

How to tell your creator loves you: - She refers to you as beloved in the spellcard title - She trusts you enough to call upon you - She launches you at her enemies!

This spellcard is quite simple, though it can get wall-y if you don't misdirect Nendoko. We love slowly falling bullets, right?

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Oh? Nenoko has returned to Daichi! Slowly, it lands on her horn, ready to tell her what Momiji thought of her gift.

"Coo! Twee~!"

"...? ...!?" She... liked it? And... Daichi doesn't have to be afraid of her? Interesting. She takes a moment to sit and think about this. Youkai Mountain... it wouldn't be an easy trip, but it might be worth it. She'd need to bring lots of things, though. Lots and lots of things.

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I see you, Lis. TAKE THIS! AHA!!! Haruka - "I do not believe murder is okay under most circumstances, though I do believe that it is a grey issue that cannot be summed up with being either okay or not."

Aurora - "MURDER IS OKAY!!!"

Momoe - "MURDER IS OKAY!!!"

Kimu - "Murder is okay."

Daichi - "...~"

Nendoko - "WOCK WOCK!!!! (MURDER IS OKAY!!!!)"

Taemi - "Is murder okay? YES!!!! BWAHAHAHA!!!!"

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"...!" It seems like Nendoko has brought Daichi a true treasure! A one-in-a-million find! Nendoko has found...

A cool stick.

Many pets on the head are in order for Nendoko. Good job, birdie! "...~ ...~"

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The note's writing is... almost illegible. Almost. "this is too Miss Inubashira. i lik u so i made this i hope you lik it. pls put in your hom. if u dont lik it thats ok i promis i wont get mad. m ynam is daichi i live in the big forest with the tres and mushrroms and i am to scarred of u to giv u this by hand but i hope you lik it. pls tell nendoko what u think [Small doodle of Nendoko the Magpie with an arrow pointing to it] - daichi ps i dont know where u liv so i had my bird lok for ur col hat i like ur hat by the way" ... "Inubashira" is the only thing written even decently, written as if whoever wrote this letter spent... way too long trying to perfect the name. They misspelled it, though. The magpie seems pleased with the note being read, but it's not leaving yet. It's job isn't over. "...?" Seems to be waiting for Megumu's thoughts. But she's clearly not the intended recipient... should she say anything?

From the distance, a group of strange birds arrives at Youkai Mountain, all made of weird materials. A stone eagle, a peculiarly-small metal vulture and... a clay magpie. They're carrying an object with them. It's... A suspiciously life-like wooden statue of Momiji. And they're delivering it to... Megumu? There's a note held in the magpie's beak that it seems to want Megumu to take. "Chh, chh!"

"Simulacrums of birds, hmmm? With a tengu statue. How quaint."

What an odd display, though Gensokyo was a place of nothing but odd displays. Megumu was hardly fazed by this. Normally her correspondences went through her pipe fox servant, but she was otherwise occupied in this moment. Seems she would have to overlook it. She took hold of the note twisting it over to examine what had been written.

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Nendoko has returned to Daichi and is ready to tell her the news! "Coo, coo!" "...?" T-they called her a fairy...!? She seems... vaguely offended by this, but that's not the worst that could have been said. "..."

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"Coo!"

The small bird nods, chirping happily. While it can't exactly respond back to her, its motions are enough to convey that it's pleased with her answer. It takes off along with the other birds, leaving the note and statue for Momiji to keep. What a strange encounter... maybe she will get to meet this "Daichi" someday.

The note is written... awfully. It's just barely able to be read properly.

"this is too Miss Inubashira. i lik u so i made this i hope you lik it. pls put in your hom. if u dont lik it thats ok i promis i wont get mad. m ynam is daichi i live in the big forest with the tres and mushrroms and i am to scarred of u to giv u this by hand but i hope you lik it. pls tell nendoko what u think [Small doodle of Nendoko, the Magpie, with an arrow pointing to it] - daichi ps i dont know where u liv so i had my bird lok for ur col hat i like ur hat by the way"

"Miss Inubashira"... is it meant to be Inubashiri? Nendoko waits patiently for Momiji to finish the note and give her thoughts. What a well-behaved bird... that goes for all of them. "Coo...?"