unfinishedlibrary | in the glass cup, a liquid ruby

Who: Hisako and YOU
What: Scrying, or trying to look at what's happening in canon. She can only get still, frozen images or nothing, but she can get them of your canon if you cooperate!
When: Vague time!
Where: Garden
Content warnings: minor self-harm to a purpose (to use blood magic)

[Putting on airs for the heck of it, Hisako leaves this on a paper, painted with a brush on the bulletin board. She'll return and take it down after making her scrying effort.]

Attend my words, for this humble scribe is a sometime seer. Among my talents is to peer into another realm, even should the twain be sundered, and therefore discover what transpires in my absence. Only come to the garden and you may see this, should you behave. Behave well enough, and only ask, and I will help you see just what you are missing as well.

Those who fear the sight of skin and blood, and those who love them without restraint, are invited not to attend. On very good authority I have it that my skin is well enough, and that my blood is lacking.

- Your most lovely flapper, Hisako.

[If your character comes out to the garden, please come see this permissions post! They can cut in at any point in this process, I'll roll with it.

The preparations are simple. Hisako has brought a plastic bottle of store brand canola oil from the kitchen, and half filled a garden bucket with water - carried laboriously, shuffle-hopping, handle in her teeth - which are set to either side of a bench whose seat she hops atop. She half spreads her great gleaming wings in a theatrical gesture.]

This is the technical part! I will be very put out if you jostle me!

[Hisako pulls a wing in a bit closer and reaches out with her neck, and gives herself a shallow cut just below the hairline, wincing a little as she does. Her blood is silvery. All of the scars on her bare skin, most of them resembling knife cuts, are also silverish. A fist-sized blot of crimson light with bright gold highlights flies to batten on the fresh wound. She will look sharply at anyone approaching her during the 'technical part'.

Before long the blot draws away, leaving her bleeding sluggishly. She mantles her wings around it and it opens into a little bowl full of silver, then starts flattening and widening, spinning slowly in the air, until it's more like a dish. Hisako nods briskly.]

You, with the hands! Pour something in, won't you? It's going to be a small image if I don't thin this out.

[When she's satisfied, Hisako leans her head down on her long neck, her expression distant and intent, and breathes on the surface of the floating disk. The silver clouds over. She contorts a wing to tap a spur on the surface, and it clears to a still image of other Stormwings in flight - people like her, but their skins and feathers are much more dappled with dirt. She frowns and it clouds again. She taps it again and there is a still image of a white-eyed man talking to a tall bipedal lizard.]

Strange... Here, does this happen with you? Come here.

[When Hisako decides to stop, she realizes she's worn herself out. Reaching out like this takes much more strength than she'd expected. She pulls her wings back and sways on her feet, much too tired to take to the air. Nope, nope, no flock or friends here, she can't just show weakness! Clenching her feet, she runs the tip of her tongue between her upper lip and her teeth and summons up some bravado and a cheeky grin.]

Well, that was fun. Show's over, chickadees! Today's ripe fruit have all dropped off the vine and tomorrow's are too sour! Now scat, I'd rather clean up by myself.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It does. I grew up outdoors... I don't think I'll ever understand the desire to live in a crowded city.

[But that's where the Scions are at the moment, so that's where he's staying. But she's... huh. Maybe humans just look different where she's from.]

I was awakened to the power of what we call the Echo. I was also gifted a blessing by a being akin to a goddess. I can't control it like this, though.

I've an idea. There's usually work and food in a city, and if you're lucky you find a lot of people like yourself.

[Sometimes Hisako misses Port Legann. Not everything about it, certainly, but there had been good too. Hearing a dozen languages spoken around her. Food from near and far. The sight of tall-masted ships in the bay. The music her mother and aunties played. There's nothing like that in the Divine Realms.]

Huh. So it just takes you? Or does it happen in dreams?

True, but the noise... ah, well. It's where adventurers gather, true.

[He shakes his head, rubbing at his temple.]

No, it takes me - with a massive headache. It's almost like you're going to pass out, but instead of black your vision turns to whatever past event you're seeing. It can 'transcend the boundaries of the soul', which is why it's difficult to see anything from someone who isn't around.

[She grins, trying not to show her sharp, shearing teeth too much.]

I liked the noise! The first time I was out away from it it bothered me how quiet everything was.

That sounds obnoxious. And dangerous! So you just end up... seeing peoples' histories?

[The teeth don't bother him - he has fangs of his own.]

I suppose it's what you're used to, isn't it?

Mm. I do. Often whatever is on their mind the most. And of course I can't control it, because why would it be convenient?

I was born on the wharf. The stink of brine and fish is nostalgic to me, what can I say?

Does that get you in trouble? A lot of people seem like they'd care about that kind of thing.

[Hisako is not particularly concerned. Gods read minds a lot.]

Meanwhile I keep a good distance from Limsa Lominsa - an island wharf city-state - unless I need to.

Anyroad... it does, yes. People don't often appreciate it, as useful at giving me information as it is.

So what is nostalgic to you, grey-lourie? Cricketsong? 'Outdoors' is a big place.

[She's calling him after one of these.]

I'm sure! Even if it's accidental and of benefit, a trod-upon foot is still a trod-upon foot. Well, don't worry about me. My feet are tough.

The sound of wind rustling through the brush. The sound of a river. The feeling of sandy, rocky ground. The smell of fresh-roasted meat, the feeling of dry snapping twigs. I grew up near a river running through a scrubland on the border near a desert and a forest.

Mm. I'll keep that in mind if I should accidentally see your past. And I make it a point to not tell people what I see unless someone's in danger.

Sounds nice! Hunting types then?

Well, I've gone through with some things that, ahhhhh, fair seem odd without context, so you can tell me if you see anything. How often does it happen?

Indeed. I grew up in a hunting clan... most of my kind hunt, just in different structures depending on our tribes.

... It's unpredictable. I've had it happen here once, but at home it's been anywhere from days to months or closer to several months between visions.

So what is your kind anyway? [She cocks her head inquisitively. Rio had said it was rude to ask that kind of thing, but she feels entitled to some rudeness as a Stormwing.]

Hah! Exactly what you want from a vision. This makes me wonder if I could teach you to scry and that'd do anything. I can look into the past but it's this whole involved process to pick out where and when and it doesn't really have anything to do with what people are thinking.

Miqo'te. I'm specifically from the Keepers of the Moon tribe, as opposed to the Seekers of the Sun tribe. There are many kinds of peoples on my star. Some very large, some very small.

... It might. Someone was teaching me a little bit of how to control it, but it's... difficult.

[She grins.] And I am a Stormwing. Specifically from the nation called Mortal Fear. Pleasure to meet, and all that rot.

[Hisako has not asked for or given her name. He didn't object to being called gray-lourie, after all.]

What were they teaching you?

Good to meet you as well.

[Mortal Fear is a weird name for a place, but a lot of place names translate strangely. Radz-at-Han translates literally into 'diverse city', so he's not surprised.]

They were teaching me how to track things by resonating with where something or someone was rather than having to have them in front of me.

[She taps her tongue against the roof of her mouth thoughtfully.]

Hm. Well. I can find people or places like that... You want to see if I can help you look at, I don't know, the place where you sleep? Something here in the Library that you know well and I absolutely do not. Don't know if it would do anything about this involuntary thing though.

That sounds like a good idea. The involuntary nature of it is... probably a side effect of a few different things.

[Not being a 'complete' soul, for one.]

What do you need me to do?

A moment. Let's see...

[She extends her neck and breathes on the surface of the scrying medium again. Darkness spreads across it, like ink combining with water. In a few moments it's black and very glossy, reflecting the faces of whoever looks into it in a distorted way. Hisako pulls her face back out of the reflection and nods at him.]

Lean over this and look in as deeply as you can, gray-laurie. Find out if you can see anything in there.

[He does as she asks, looking in and trying to see with his eyes what he sees with his mind. He can see the bed - a little messy, despite his attempts - but he's starting to get a distinct headache that's very different than an Echo headache. He can almost see it, as if he's trying to force the image out of his head, but...]

Ow.

... Nothing.

in the glass cup, a liquid ruby

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