nymphcria

[nymphcria]

the bear walked up to him, standing (towering) in front of morrigan. then it just... stared at him.

there's a bear in your house

Morrigan looked over with a frown.

...what the hell.

[nymphcria]

hm..

can you point at people quietly too?

☀️;; happy birthday lotus.

they told me i should send this photo to you.

thank you!!!

how do you point loudly?

[nymphcria]

yay!!!

okay!! just a cake. and churro. and mallow. and bones.

Koji came up to her and instead of speaking, handed her a small box.

There were a whole bunch of bracelets, each looking like one for each worker with a bunch of them just for Lotus, the charms for each one spelling out a different letter of her name. Along with that were some…dirt ish covered flowers in small bags and a small drawing of a tiny Lotus with a small churro, holding a giant birthday cake happily.

@lightcurse2end

she looked down at the box, taking her time to open it. her smile grew with each thing she pulled out, first the bracelets, then the flowers, then the drawing

this is… really sweet, koji.

she put on most of the bracelets, stretching her arms out to admire them.

these are so cute! did you make them yourself?

[nymphcria]

lotus held her breath as she slowly stepped through the portal

Moon appeared, looking awkward and uncomfortable.

I believe it's your birthday today. Seeing how you found birthdays important, I brought you this.

She looked away as she held out a wrapped box. Inside was a celestial plant, deep purple, almost black, with soft yellow spots. The pollen replicated comets.

lotus blinked, her gaze shifting between moon and the box., then slowly reached out to take it

it.. it is. um. thank you.

her voice was soft, somewhat quieter than her usual energy. her fingers moved carefully over the wrapping before she opened it. eyes widening at the sight inside

this is beautiful. it looks like a little galaxy. what should i name it?

thank you. really. i'm going to take such good care of it!

she went over to place it next to the other flower moon had gifted her, then turned back to her

do you want to sit with me for a bit?

[nymphcria]

COUNT YOUR DAYS.

IM SHAKING. SOL.

SOL.

YOURE GONNA MAKE ME USE MY ANCESTRAL WORD. WATCH UR DAYS

did you liiiike it? :3

[nymphcria]

but... but it's your birthday..

can you at least come celebrate with us at the café? i can make you a cake!

Koji came up to her and instead of speaking, handed her a small box.

There were a whole bunch of bracelets, each looking like one for each worker with a bunch of them just for Lotus, the charms for each one spelling out a different letter of her name. Along with that were some…dirt ish covered flowers in small bags and a small drawing of a tiny Lotus with a small churro, holding a giant birthday cake happily.

@lightcurse2end

she looked down at the box, taking her time to open it. her smile grew with each thing she pulled out, first the bracelets, then the flowers, then the drawing

this is… really sweet, koji.

she put on most of the bracelets, stretching her arms out to admire them.

these are so cute! did you make them yourself?

[nymphcria]

How does your garden grow?

I. Germination: A Seed Is Planted

꒰ ooc ꒱ happy birthday lotus!!! i'm not super happy with this but i was kinda on a time crunch because i really wanted to post this on lotus' birthday hehgrehe anyways this takes place during the end of the day!! after all the birthday wishes and all that :3 ꒰ word count ꒱ 623 ( i need to work on writing longer works )

Three hundred and thirty three.

It had been exactly three hundred and thirty three years since she’d come down to the Loom Below. Nymphe spared a glance at her bookshelf, where her old diary stood. She should probably throw that out, she knew she should. She just didn’t have the heart to. 

Her attention was brought back to the cake in front of her. The animals decided to surprise her after her shift had ended, when she headed upstairs. They had placed a makeshift petal crown on her head and brought up a cupcake that they had stolen from downstairs.

Mister Squirrel attempted to light the candles, a feat that would prove difficult for him, as he struggled with the weight of the lighter. With a giggle, Nymphe took it upon herself to light them. Three candles. Three hundred and thirty three. 

Her time in the Loom Below had been… a mixed bag, of sorts. She had spent the first hundred or so years traveling with Evanthe, then, about a hundred and fifty years cooped up in that old lab, and the rest.. she just walked. She roamed and roamed, having lost her memories and looking for a purpose. She had her memories back, but, if she was being honest, Nymphe didn’t really know what she was doing here. 

The animals began to sing. Off-key, as always. Mister Squirrel thumped his tail against the floor like a drumbeat while Churro… sang…? While Churro did his own thing (he’d forgotten half the words, and was incredibly off tune, but it made Nymphe smile anyway).

Nymphe smiled. Her eyes didn’t quite focus as she leaned forward and blew out the candles, leaving the room in complete darkness for a moment. 

Moments later, the gold on her skin lit like wildfire, lighting up the whole room. The air around her grew tight, constricting, as it grew thicker and thicker. As she struggled to catch her breath, she watched the animals scramble towards her in an attempt to help. 

The air kept thickening. It pressed down on her lungs and filled her nose with something damp and foul, causing her legs to buckle and her knees to hit the floor. It wasn't just tight now, it pressed against her skin and her ribs, like something trying to crawl inside. She coughed once, then again, sharp and wet, and somewhere behind her, glass shattered.

The animals chittered, panicked. Why couldn’t they get to her?! They felt the floorboards cracking underneath them. Ivy shot through the cracks, coiling around the table and snapped the cupcake clean off the edge. It wrapped around Mister Squirrel’s tail before he could scramble back, jerking him sharply to the side. Nymphe reached out in an attempt to grab him, but the vines kept growing and growing and she couldn’t breathe, why couldn’t she just breathe!? She felt like she was underwater, slowly but surely losing consciousness.

Everything pulsed, she could feel her heartbeat in her throat. The golden light flickered, then dimmed, then sparked again. It looked like a dying lightbulb. The vines crept along her arms now. She could feel their tips brushing against her collarbone, testing her skin, and reached inside her chest, pulling something out. 

Nymphe shuddered, gasping for air as she saw what the ivy had dug out of her. It was her lotus. Her lotus. Her heart. The ivy shook it in front of her, showcasing the slowly dying petals of the flower.

Then, without warning, the plant shoved the lotus back in her, letting her go. It began curling into itself, leaving behind a trail of broken furniture and scared animals. 

Lotus simply sat there, dazed, as one of the candles from her cake lit back up. Then another. And the other. Three hundred and thirty three years.

[nymphcria]

oh, well, first, i always wear my apron! and i also make sure that my hair is out of my face. and roll up your sleeves. and always keep your workspace organised! you need to make sure you know where everything is.

Kalaren walked in, eyes on the floor.

Um...hi. Moon said it was your birthday.

I-I'm sorry I ran off on you. Here. Happy birthday.

He held out a small box. Inside was an attempt at a fruit tart. It wasn't very pretty but he did accidentally use far too much sugar so Lotus may like the taste.

It was not easy to do and I don't think I did it right.

lotus paused for a second, before softening.

hi.

it's okay. actually, i'm sorry for the way i acted last time. also, moon mentioned that?

she took the box gently, opening it with clear curiosity. when she saw what was inside, her smile brightened. she took a small bite.

it tastes great!!

she smiled. truthfully, she couldn't really taste it, but she could tell he put a lot of thought and effort into it, and that was more than enough.

i love it. thank you.

[nymphcria]

i've heard of that pistachio flavoured chocolate trend... but, gold?

lotus do you guys serve gold flavoured chocolate cake

gold flavoured chocolate...? is that a thing?

[nymphcria]

i don't... understand?

☀️;; happy birthday lotus.

they told me i should send this photo to you.

thank you!!!

how do you point loudly?

[nymphcria]

oh, um.

she hesitated, before giving her a small nod. lotus stood up, brushing off her skirt.

sure, why not?

Moon appeared, looking awkward and uncomfortable.

I believe it's your birthday today. Seeing how you found birthdays important, I brought you this.

She looked away as she held out a wrapped box. Inside was a celestial plant, deep purple, almost black, with soft yellow spots. The pollen replicated comets.

lotus blinked, her gaze shifting between moon and the box., then slowly reached out to take it

it.. it is. um. thank you.

her voice was soft, somewhat quieter than her usual energy. her fingers moved carefully over the wrapping before she opened it. eyes widening at the sight inside

this is beautiful. it looks like a little galaxy. what should i name it?

thank you. really. i'm going to take such good care of it!

she went over to place it next to the other flower moon had gifted her, then turned back to her

do you want to sit with me for a bit?

[nymphcria]

lotus shook her head stubbornly.

no! it's not fine, koji! i'm gonna make sure people remember your birthday!!

Koji came up to her and instead of speaking, handed her a small box.

There were a whole bunch of bracelets, each looking like one for each worker with a bunch of them just for Lotus, the charms for each one spelling out a different letter of her name. Along with that were some…dirt ish covered flowers in small bags and a small drawing of a tiny Lotus with a small churro, holding a giant birthday cake happily.

@lightcurse2end

she looked down at the box, taking her time to open it. her smile grew with each thing she pulled out, first the bracelets, then the flowers, then the drawing

this is… really sweet, koji.

she put on most of the bracelets, stretching her arms out to admire them.

these are so cute! did you make them yourself?

[nymphcria]

I FINISHED IT

🌻: WRITING ANGST IS HARD I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS SOBS

[nymphcria]

🌻: WRITING ANGST IS HARD I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS SOBS

[nymphcria]

☀️;; happy birthday lotus.

they told me i should send this photo to you.

thank you!!!

how do you point loudly?

[nymphcria]

Lotus to Koji and Moon: You need to celebrate your birthday! It's an important date and you deserve to be celebrated 🥺

Also Lotus: Brushes off her own birthday

i'm not "brushing off my birthday! "

[nymphcria]

but what about yourself? you're important too... is it because you might be uncomfortable with big parties?

Koji came up to her and instead of speaking, handed her a small box.

There were a whole bunch of bracelets, each looking like one for each worker with a bunch of them just for Lotus, the charms for each one spelling out a different letter of her name. Along with that were some…dirt ish covered flowers in small bags and a small drawing of a tiny Lotus with a small churro, holding a giant birthday cake happily.

@lightcurse2end

she looked down at the box, taking her time to open it. her smile grew with each thing she pulled out, first the bracelets, then the flowers, then the drawing

this is… really sweet, koji.

she put on most of the bracelets, stretching her arms out to admire them.

these are so cute! did you make them yourself?