surasthana

[surasthana]

"I don't think that's safe...or sanitary, Sephiroth."

"Wait. I can just give myself piercings!" Why didn't he think of it sooner? How hard could it be to do it himself?

[surasthana]

"I'm willing to try anything at least once, so it's definitely going into consideration."

"I really appreciate your input, by the way. I often have trouble understanding others, and I find it very difficult to connect with them. But I think I understand a little just by speaking to you. I've definitely gained a new perspective."

"I don't think I've ever heard of such an instrument..." Nahida watched her hand movements carefully and took note that it must be related to how it's played.

The other's subtle encouragement helps a little, but she still has her doubts. "Would you like it if your favorite song were played on an otamatone? Or a kazoo?"

[surasthana]

grow

[surasthana]

"I don't think I've ever heard of such an instrument..." Nahida watched her hand movements carefully and took note that it must be related to how it's played.

The other's subtle encouragement helps a little, but she still has her doubts. "Would you like it if your favorite song were played on an otamatone? Or a kazoo?"

"Happy... That's unlikely. But I do think that is something that would trigger human amusement. I once tried playing a popular song with something called an Otamatone, and it was well-received for very different reasons than my usual work..."

Her hands moved idly as she recalled it, the gesture resembling holding the electronic synthesizer.

"If a kazoo is what you have, it still might elicit a positive reaction."

[surasthana]

Nahida smiles, kind and caring, before beginning to carefully yet skillfully unpot the flower she'd set down moments prior. She holds it, hands full of dirt and soil, before holding it up to her newfound companion. Once taken from her, she points toward the small patch of soil in front of them, dug earlier for the little one in hand. "Right there is fine!"

She watches him, with a helping hand ready if he needs it, but it doesn't look like he does. She's used to guiding people along if they need it, so she can't help but hover. "Flowers blooming in a desert are kind of strange, aren't they?" In a land that's usually so barren, it took a special kind of person to cultivate life like this. It's something she's well-aware of and even takes pride in, even if her abilities did most of the heavy lifting.

"But it makes them so much more beautiful, I think." After all, it's the little things that she's come to appreciate. But before she starts waxing poetic about something so mundane, she stops herself and begins with a proper introduction. "But before I continue, I'm Nahida."

          WHEN HE'D SCENTED THE SWEETNESS of flowers amidst the endless rolling dunes, for a moment callum had frowned. it had been odd, and deeply out of place. following it had been natural, and now he found himself in front of... a cottage? his gaze slid over the sprawling garden outside its door, unable to help but stop and stare. the tumble of colors reminded him of a pink dress and a bright laugh, and callum found himself struck by nostalgia for a moment.

     enough that when the girl called out to him, it startled him. callum's head jerked up, blinking rapidly as she spoke. he watched silently as she approached, eyes flickering down to the flower pot she carried. the flowers that bloomed ( with magic, an achingly familiar sight ) were bright and golden, a shock in the drabness of the desert sand.

     ❝ I... ❞ the warlock trailed off, mouth open and expression seemingly lost for a moment before he seemed to snap back to himself. ❝ Yes. I would like to help. ❞

[surasthana]

"Hm...as much as I agree, being able to replicate certain types of music could prove to be a little difficult. Though I'm used to improvising, so it shouldn't be much of an issue."

"The instruments, however, could prove to be troublesome. I don't think everyone would be happy hearing their favorite song played on something so simple as a kazoo, right?"

"Food may have strong ties to memories, but music is even more likely to have them... provided the proper instruments are either present or able to be synthetically reproduced."

"It is impressive how strong a comfort it can be to hear an instrument often featured in one region's music when it is not as frequently utilized in others."

[surasthana]

"I'm more worried about people who don't have anywhere to go…"

[surasthana]

"What would be a good way to help people feel less homesick?"

"Would familiar foods help, maybe? Music...?"

[surasthana]

"I hope you like them all; they took a very long time to grow," she calls from her doorway, door half ajar as she looks out toward the boy who stands overlooking her garden. It isn't often that she received visitors this far out into the desert, but whenever a passerby stopped at her little patch of green, they were always greeted with a smile. He gives no reaction, just continues to stand where he is, and she in turn takes that as her cue to venture over, flower pot in hand as she moseys to stand next to him.

"That one's called a desert marigold. Kind of looks like a sunflower, doesn't it?" The flower pot filled with soil that she holds is set down on the ground, and with a snap of her fingers, more marigolds began to sprout from the seeds within. A bit of a cheat code of sorts, but she didn't feel bad doing it, considering she had a guest.

"Want to help this one join the others?"

@bloodhunted

[surasthana]

My full piece for the Sprout’s Rebirth zine! I wanted to highlight the brother/sister relationship between them with a special holiday from my culture.

Raksha Bandhan is an annual ceremony between sisters and brothers. A sister will tie a rakhi, a sort of amulet or talisman, around their brother’s wrist as a symbol of protection. Likewise, it is a promise between brothers and sisters to protect and care for one another. Very fitting for how Scara and Nahida’s relationship played out hmm??

[surasthana]

"Why don't you take this opportunity to relax a little more? Sure it may feel strange to have idle hands, but think of it as a blessing! I'm sure there's something you've been wanting to do, but haven't had the time, hm?"

❝ Business has been a little slow lately... I wonder if it's due to the recent holidays? It's weird not having to meet a deadline. Do things always slow down like this despite how hectic these holidays seem? ❞

[surasthana]

"Is that so? You must really be in your element then!" Nahida didn't exactly find herself like a fish out of water, but this fast-paced contest environment sure was something. That, and having to adjust to the presence of a new friend made it a little challenging.

"Lamaceta..." Nahida taps her chin, her spiralemon mimicking the same motion before it nodded its head, waving again at Liko as if to signify that it agreed with her. "Oh, I think it likes that name! I guess that's settled then." Her attention then turned to Liko's own newfound friend, who looked a lot like the trainer herself with some notable differences. "Shall we also come up with a name for this little one as we get Lamaceta ready?"

"Maybe....Liko the Great? Liko the...second? Little Liko?" All pretty generic names, but they were still fitting in her opinion seeing as the resemblance was there!

◓ This was really Liko's first experience with how strange the city could be. Well, stranger than normal at least! Everyone seemed to have Pokémon? Or little creatures that reminded her a lot about Pokémon. Liko hadn't even been exempt from this herself, ending up with what looked like a tinier version of herself spliced with Hattrem and dressed like a witch somehow.

A bunch of activities had been opened for this period and Liko had chosen Dazzle 'Em. Not only could she show off her talents as a trainer, but she could dress everyone up in cute outfits! Sprigatito had a little, blue magician's outfit on complete with a big hat. Whereas the chibi witch Liko had adorned herself with a bow.

Sprigatito was quick to jump off the table at the sound of a familiar voice and ended up rubbing against Nahida's ankle. But she seemed wary of the potted flower.

"Oh, Nahida! Mhm. This kind of reminds me of home." It was all foreign, but she felt like she was in her own element at the same time. "I've been actually having an issue with my own..." She glanced back at her own Spiralemon. "Hm... What about Lamaceta? It means flower pot in Paldea."

[surasthana]

EVENT: the challenger's path. ( dazzle 'em )

At first, she's not sure what to make of the potted flower-turned-creature at her side. From its beady little eyes, coupled with the springy little grass legs it had grown to properly support itself in walking, Nahida had little time to process fully just why it had been given life in the first place. All she knows is that everyone has seemingly been given similar partners of their own and because of Ofiuco's short explanation of the situation, she has an idea of what to do.

As she stands in the large dressing room, people frantically dressing their spiralemons in different sets of clothing, makeup, and other accessories, Nahida feels a bit lost in the commotion. It's only the familiar face of Liko that grounds her again, who also seems to be having fun dressing up Sprigatito! "Liko, you're here too?" she calls, moving to the girl's side, flower pot in hand. It waves at Liko and Sprigatito, matching Nahida's cheerful tone. "Oh! This is…well, I haven't thought of a name yet. Maybe you could help me?"

"Not just with the name, but with this whole...competition, actually!"

@pkmnhorizons

[surasthana]

"I'll remember you, Sephiroth!" she wishes that she could do more for him, but would rather not push the topic. "If that's how you feel, then I hope when I see you next time, I hope you'll have found something. Until then!"

She really was too kind for her own good. Sephiroth hoped that she kept such kindness as she got older. "Sephiroth," He answered. "I'll be fine. A child shouldn't worry about adults. It should be the other way around."

[surasthana]

"Well, she seemed too tame to be a street animal, so it made sense!" That she had an owner, that is. Liko's appearance not too soon after only served to confirm that statement. Plus, just from a glance, they seemed to match in both appearance and energy.

Liko's staring doesn't go unnoticed, Nahida just smiles in response and instead chooses to focus on the both of them rather than herself. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend. Your partner, then!" As there was clearly a distinction and she wanted to respect that. "Sprigatito..." As the Archon mulls over the name a sweet scent emanates from its fur.

"A display of trust, maybe? What a wonderful smell!"

◓ Liko had been watching from afar. Sprigatito didn't seem to be causing any problems for the girl and they were getting on well enough. She was trying not to stare at the girl's ears, but it was because she still wasn't used to seeing things that wouldn't have made sense back home.

"O-Oh! I'm surprised you could tell..." That the two were a pair. Maybe she had been watching a little too obviously, and when she'd crept closer it had become even more obvious. "She's not my pet, though! She's my Pokémon partner! Her name is Sprigatito, she's the Grass Cat Pokémon!" She was just reciting what she remembered from the dex entry.

The Grass Cat in question mewed from Nahida's shoulder, shaking to release the sweet scent from her fur.

[surasthana]

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🪷 ⋆˚･*｡ lesser lord kusanali (otherwise known as nahida), archon of sumeru.

the youngest archon of the seven nations of teyvat. gentle and modest in nature, nahida presides over the nation of sumeru–or at least she would if it weren’t for the akademiya locking her away in the sanctuary of surasthana. after the death of her predecessor greater lord rukkhadevata and subsequently her birth, the akademiya decided that they could not possibly be led by her and thus began her isolation. plagued by self-confidence issues, coupled with a large majority of her nation not even being aware of her presence, nahida finds herself unworthy to lead them, but this does not mean that she does not try to be with them regardless. though her wisdom is sorely lacking in comparison to rukkahdevata, her own intelligence is nothing to be scoffed at…even if she is a little socially awkward because of it.

application. statistics. guidelines. affiliation.

[surasthana]

"If you're sure..." That dour look on his face doesn't give her much confidence, in fact, it makes her all the more worried about him. "I'm Nahida, by the way. I know how it can be when you're drifting along here, so if you ever need someone, you can text me! What's your name?"

He took a moment to gather himself. If he was going to reject her, the least he could do was be gentle about it. "As... kind as that is, no." At least he tried. "I will find something. I don't need other's pity or handouts."