get it all done

Ellyra

We made plans to kiss the sun at night
Hopeless dreamers, hopeless types

It was a misty morning in Stormbreak. The autumn was wet and the day was cold, with no sun even peeking through the clouds. Ellyra left her apartment early, donning an oversized sweater, leggings covered halfway with tall boots, and a long silken scarf wrapped around her neck thrice. She didn't stand out, which was exactly what was called for on this day. Ellyra had chores to do, and very little desire to do them.

Grocery shopping was not Ellyra's favorite thing to do, but as far as her favorite things on her least-favorites list, it was that. A necessary evil, some would say. A girl had to eat, nonetheless. With her basket in hand, the young woman spent most of the misty morning gathering from different shops and bakeries what would certainly help satiate her over the next week -- save for what she would make time to hunt and devour in her lioness form, of course.

Shedding skin you show your beauty scars
Don't forget me or who you are

we make up horrors

Delphia found herself spending lots of time in Pacifist Plaza. The hustle and bustle was new to her and she was trying to orient herself to it - in her own spooky way of course. She walked through her father's realm, invisible but felt as a cold chill running down the spines of those she passed. Tishy stayed curled in the pocket of her sweater, content to snooze in its warmth.

Passing through the door of a bakery, she perused the baker's stock. Most things she didn't recognize, but her eye caught on something with a red jam center. Passing a woman with a basket without thought, she peered at the delicacy with curiosity. Well, she may as well ask what it was. Before the woman's eyes she materialized, entering Vi's realm once more. "What is that?" she said, pointing to the pastry behind the glass, not at all aware of how unsettling her appearance may have been.

DELPHIA

to cope with the real ones

Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd

Ellyra

We made plans to kiss the sun at night
Hopeless dreamers, hopeless types

Ellyra gave her coins to the baker and took the pastry. Her mouth watered with the idea of it alone. Raspberry and cream in between buttery folds of dough. This made the dredge that was grocery shopping better. It was a little treat for herself to get her through what was happening now and her distaste for it all.

Goosebumps raised on the lioness’ arm before she knew anything was going to happen. The temperature in the bakery shifted, and as Ellyra noticed it and went to turn away with her purchase, a woman materialized before her. The gasp that erupted from Ellyra’s shaking mouth was nearly a scream. ”Gods damn!” She breathed in the words rather than breathing them out, her hand immediately going to clutch her rapidly beating heart. The pastry was abandoned, falling to the floor soundlessly. ”You scared the shit out of me.”

Shedding skin you show your beauty scars
Don't forget me or who you are

we make up horrors

Delphia blinked. Well that hadn't been the response she expected from the woman. "What are the gods damning? The Ascended are gone." she said with a curious tilt of her head. They were the only truly damned thing she knew of - even Abandoned got visits from the gods after all.

She glanced down, noticing the pastry that had fallen. Bending down she picked it up and held it out to the woman. She had scared her? "I'm sorry, I did not mean to. I just wondered if you knew what that pastry was." she said. Delphia thought it an innocuous question, not scary at all. It did not occur to her that her sudden entrance into the world of the living would have scared her. She was still accustomed to everyone knowing her and her eccentricities.

DELPHIA

to cope with the real ones

Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd

Ellyra

We made plans to kiss the sun at night
Hopeless dreamers, hopeless types

”That, whatever that was.” Ellyra breathed as the stranger picked up the pastry. She couldn’t help but notice the teenagers working behind the counter snickering at her. Ellyra shot them a warning glare and they went back to work, ducking their heads and keeping their eyes from the lioness. She was sure that if she had the ability to partially shift her fangs would be growing in her mouth, and that she would have hissed at the kids.

Ellyra looked back to the woman, though, and shook her head. ”You scared the crap out of me, just appearing out of nowhere. What kind of magic—“ She stopped herself, then. The words cut off suddenly and Ellyra held her basket closer to her chest. ”Wait a minute. Are you a demigod?” She asked, lifting her chin and taking a small step back. Then she looked the stranger up and down, all the while not noticing how she tried to return the dropped pastry.

Shedding skin you show your beauty scars
Don't forget me or who you are

we make up horrors

Whatever that was? Well that was rather vague. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to make sense of the woman's words. "You mean stepping from Mort's realm into Vi's?" she guessed. That was all she had done besides ask a question after all, and the woman seemed fine with cordial conversation.

She continued to hold out the pastry, patiently awaiting the woman to recognize the gesture. Her head tilted as she stammered on, finally coming to a question she felt prepared to answer. "Yes. I am the daughter of Mort, Delphia Thanatos, brought to life by the sacrifice of my priestess mother." she said, a small smile curving her lips. "I did not mean to frighten you. I merely wondered if you knew what that pastry was?" she said, pointing to it again.

DELPHIA

to cope with the real ones

Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd

Ellyra

We made plans to kiss the sun at night
Hopeless dreamers, hopeless types

Ellyra blinked several long, slow blinks. Her tongue clicked and she opened her mouth, eyes suddenly focusing on the pastry again instead of the suddenly-appearing demigod. "Oh, uh, raspberry. I think." She had picked it for the color and flaky pastry dough rather than the fruit filling's flavor. Her head shook slightly, another session of several blinks starting. "Have you, uh, always been able to do that?" She tilted her head curiously, her fingers curling around the woven braid edge of her basket.

She couldn't identify within herself if the fear that the woman materializing before her had truly shifted completely to awe. She couldn't tell what feelings swirled and melted within her breast. "I mean, shift back and forth?" She found herself suddenly stepping forward, closing the gap she had created only moments before. "Do you see both the living and the dead?"

Shedding skin you show your beauty scars
Don't forget me or who you are

we make up horrors

Delphia blinked back. Was this some kind of Stormbreak code or was she just that taken aback? There were many demigods, surely she wasn't the first one the woman had ever met. Slowly, she reached out and placed the woman's pastry in her basket, since she didn't seem keen on retrieving it from her. But she did finally answer her question. "Raspberry. How Longheaty." she said with a hint of a smile.

Her head tilted as she was now asked a question in return. "I grew into the ability when I was young." she said. So not always, but almost. Now she was moving closer and she supposed her fear had worn off. "I see and communicate with both realms." she said with a nod. "My father made me to assist him in Ludo's absence when the Hollowed Grounds barrier still existed." she explained.

DELPHIA

to cope with the real ones

Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd

Ellyra

We made plans to kiss the sun at night
Hopeless dreamers, hopeless types

"Okay. Well, that's cool." Ellyra breathed, blinking her great round eyes as they filled with wonder and awe. From the startling she had, she now settled into the majestic idea of talking to a demigod. They were all talked about as celebrities, as royalty, here in Stormbreak and as she stood before Mort's daughter, she understood it.

Shaking her head a little, the lioness took back the dropped pastry. It was effectively ruined now, and she frowned a bit. "Do you, uh, want to get one? I wonder if they'll replace this one for me." Ellyra said, turning her head back towards the bakery counter.

Shedding skin you show your beauty scars
Don't forget me or who you are

we make up horrors

Delphia tilted her head in thought. She had never considered her abilities to be cool per se, but rather a natural extension of herself. But she supposed it was a compliment that she ought to be grateful for. "Thank you." she said with a hint of a smile. Briefly she wondered if everyone in Stormbreak would be so taken aback by her. If they were she supposed she could handle it though.

She glanced at the pastries behind the window again in assessment, then nodded. "I think I will." she said. Then she stepped closer to the counter. "May I have one of those, please?" she said, pointing to the pastry she wanted. "And can you please replace my friend's pastry? It fell on the floor." she added.

DELPHIA

to cope with the real ones

Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd

Ellyra

We made plans to kiss the sun at night
Hopeless dreamers, hopeless types

The baker stepped back to the counter from the back room as the women approached, as if he knew somehow they were there without calling out for him. He was a tall and skinny man, and as Delphia requested a pastry, then indicated over at the lionness, he looked at them with skeptical black eyes.

Ellyra gave a slightly sheepish grin, digging her pockets for more coins to pay for her second pastry, but stopped as the baker waved her away. He handed each of them a pastry and sighed a defeated these are on the house before entering back into the room behind the counter, which Ellyra assumed was where his ovens were housed.

Pulling in a breath, Ellyra gave Delphia a look that suggested they leave before the man changed his mind. Stepping through the door to the sound of the bell's toll at the top corner, Ellyra breathed out her held breath into the crisp autumn air. Then, giving the demigoddess a flash of a smile, she took a bite. the taste exploded in her mouth and her eyes rolled back slightly. "Ugh, this is soo good."

Shedding skin you show your beauty scars
Don't forget me or who you are

we make up horrors

Delphia was oblivious to all the subtle nuances of the conversation occurring. The squinting of eyes, the reaching for change, none of it processed in her mind as important context. She wasn't used to much living human interaction after all. So when the man gave them the pastrys "on the house" as he called it (which made no sense, they were in a shop not on a house), she simply smiled and took hers. There. That was easy.

She followed Ellyra out of the shop, more like a duckling following its mother rather than from noticing her unspoken summoning. Her reaction was a little brighter than Ellyra's, more a pleased quiet squeal than a moan of delight. "It is very good. Are such pastries common in Stormbreak or only here?" she asked. There was such a variety of shops and stalls, surely some had to overlap in wares?

DELPHIA

to cope with the real ones

Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd

Ellyra

We made plans to kiss the sun at night
Hopeless dreamers, hopeless types

Ellyra cast a fond, knowing look at Delphia. She marveled at the simplicity of the exchange. She took another bite of the pastry with a warm smile.

As they strolled out of the shop, Ellyra chuckled softly at Delphia's inquiry. "Well, Stormbreak has its own share of culinary delights, but the unique flavor of these pastries, can only be found here," she explained. "I always come to this bakery when I am running other errands." The pastries were more than just sweet treats; they were symbolic of the comfort and warmth that Ellyra had found within Stormbreak. Living here brought her a sense of security she had known nowhere else.

Though, as the war was further behind them everyday, she could feel the tug on her heart to explore more of the world.

FIN

Shedding skin you show your beauty scars
Don't forget me or who you are