#tip ! every loop... Use your silver coin in front of the tree

[solargeist]

thank you for convincing me to play in stars and time because omg it is so good

YAYYYY YIPPIE ITS SO GOOD i did all the achievements i love it so much, i hope you have fun !!!

[atamagaii]

medieval au || yoichi && lucy

Footsteps echoed throughout the large chamber as Prince Yoichi paced back and forth; he would occasionally look outside to watch the sky, a pause in his movements as he seemed to consider something.  The minutes seemed to be passing more slowly the more he paced and it was clear he was growing agitated.  His tutor watched him carefully as he flipped through a large tome; he didn’t appear to actually be reading it.  Eventually Prince Yoichi stopped in his tracks and turned to face his tutor.

“Clooney, you must surely have something better to do than sit around and watch me.”

“I do.  However, your incessant pacing, twisted mouth, and overall demeanor tell me that you’re up to something.  As your tutor I thought it best to keep an eye on you before you do something…”  Clooney flipped another page in his large book, glancing down at the words printed on the page for a moment before clapping it shut.  “Utterly and completely stupid.”  He stood up and tucked the book under his arm.  “As you are prone to doing during your bouts of boredom.”  Yoichi scoffed.

“I’ve never done anything even remotely stupid in my entire life.”  He folded his arms across his chest but a rather carefree smile spread across his face.  “Well, perhaps I’ve done a few stupid things, but nothing that requires babysitting.  Did my uncle put you up to this?”  He was no longer joking; his tone was carefully disguised as nonchalance, but Clooney knew better.  The tutor let out a sigh.

“No, he didn't.  I’m keeping an eye on you of my own accord.  You’ve been quite scatterbrained this week.  I noticed you didn’t even try to look at astronomy charts I gave you last Friday.  Usually you at least pretend to study.”  Yoichi bit the inside of his cheek.  Clooney was too observant for his own good.  “You can tell me what’s going on you know; you, in fact, employ me, not the King and Queen.”  Yoichi’s brain moved at lightning speed as he tried to come up with a cover.  He needed Clooney off his ass, and fast.  The sun was just about to set on the horizon -- he needed to get leaving soon.

“Ah, well, since you’re a good friend Clooney, I suppose I’ll tell you.”  Yoichi collapsed onto a lounge couch and draped a hand across his forehead.  “I’m just absolutely lovesick.”  He paused for dramatic affect.  Clooney raised an eyebrow and dropped back into his chair; he crossed one leg over the other to place the book in his lap.

“Go on.”

“Princess Esta -- the beauty herself -- hasn’t written to me in over a week.  I’m just so stricken.  I can’t go on without seeing her wondrous, looping handwriting as she tells me about her week.  I can imagine her delicate hands as she rolls up the parchment -- I’m sure she places a kiss on the seal -- before tying it to her fantastic hawk, who so diligently carries her words to my very bedroom.  When I read them I--”

“Stop, stop, I get the picture.  Have you perhaps considered writing her a letter to see what’s going on?  Maybe she’s waiting to hear from you.  Or she could simply be busy, I’m sure--”

“You know what Clooney, that’s a genius idea.  I’m going to go get some parchment right now and cook up a love poem.  Would you like to help?  You’re quite the wordsmith after all.”

“No, I think I’ll pass on that fascinating opportunity.”  Clooney stood up and tucked the book under his arm once again.  “I suppose I’ll leave you to it then.  Once you’re done composing the love poem of the ages I request you look at the astronomy charts.  I borrowed them from the royal library and I’m sure they’d like them back sooner rather than later.”

“Of course Clooney, anything for you.”  Yoichi watched his tutor let out a small sigh before he approached the archway that led into the main hall.  He continued to lay on the couch until Clooney’s footsteps sounded far enough away that he could escape himself.  Hopefully the other didn’t take it upon himself to write the Princess Esta, who would have no idea what he was talking about.  While Yoichi was quite good friends with the Princess from the neighboring kingdom of Aboolis, he surely wasn’t pursuing any sort of romantic relationship with her.

Once he was sure Clooney was long gone, Yoichi made his way to the entrance to make sure there were no other staff hanging around to bother him.  One of the scullery maids was walking past; Yoichi flashed her a grin as they made eye contact and she giggled.  She scurried off to tell the other maids of her chance encounter.  It appeared he was in the clear as he was careful to creep down the hallway while making as little noise as possible.  He eventually made it to an alcove tucked away in a corner of the castle that few people passed through; there he had stored some clothing for this late evening adventure.

Yoichi traded his fine silken clothing and leather footwear for a beaten traveling cloak, as well as some worn shoes.  He poked his head out of the window to check for anyone below.  There was one person, a knight, readying for nighttime patrol.

“Well met, Sir Luciel!”  He made sure his clothing wasn’t visible as he waved to the knight in question.  Sir Luciel looked up; his visor was, as always, covering his face, so his expression was unreadable, but Yoichi knew he likely looked quite irritated.  That was generally Sir Luciel’s mood around Prince Yoichi.  What exactly the knight disliked about the Prince, Yoichi wasn’t unsure.  There were about a thousand reasons he could think of, but none of them quite stood out.  Luciel gave Yoichi a salute before moving further along the castle wall, each footstep a deafening clunk of pure steel.  The Prince waited for him to turn the corner before descending from the window.  He knew the ivy wasn’t going to hold his weight many more times, so he was going to have to figure out a new way to escape the castle the next time he needed to leave.  That was a problem for another day.

Yoichi was cautious as he attempted to slip into the nearby forest.  Ideally he would use the road to make it to the small village adjacent to the castle, but he couldn’t risk someone recognizing him.  Going through the woods took longer, but only enough that he simply had to pick up the pace.  He expertly navigated through the bramble bushes and the old tree roots that jutted from the forest floor; Yoichi had made this same trip every month for the past two years -- he knew where he was going.

The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon by the time Yoichi made it to the village.  Shops were in the process of closing up; the owners locked the doors as they made their way to the tavern.  This was instrumental to Yoichi’s plan.  He hid in the shadows as he walked towards the village’s main hall -- this was his target.  The treasurer’s emissary exited the main hall and tipped his hat at the knight guarding the front door.

“All done, sir?”  The knight asked.

“Yes, all the money is accounted for.  Tomorrow we’ll load the wagons and head back to the castle.  Keep it safe.”

“As is my duty.”  The knight placed his fist to his chest and bowed his head.  Yoichi rolled his eyes as he watched the exchange.  They were both so full of shit he could hardly stand it.  The emissary finally left; likely returning to his coach for the night.  It didn’t take long for the knight to leave his post.  As every tax day, he would leave for the tavern and come back after a few drinks.  This was Yoichi’s cue.

Once the knight was safely out of sight, Yoichi picked the front lock and slowly opened the front door to the hall, before he quietly closed it behind him.  Concealed within his traveling cloak he had a large sack, which was filled with many smaller sacks.  It was time to go to work.

The Prince opened up the chests that were loaded with the villagers' money; he very deliberately filled each sack with exactly 12 gold coins, 5 silver coins, and 15 copper pieces.  Clooney never gave him enough credit -- his math was excellent.  After filling each small sack, he placed them back in the larger sack and hefted it over his shoulder.  He locked the front door from the inside and exited through the back window.  No one would notice that it was unlocked.

Yoichi slid back into the shadows and waited for the knight to return to his post.  Now it was time to wait for the tavern to close shop; there was never an exact time -- it simply depended on how everyone’s day had been.  He placed the bag against the wall in an alleyway and leaned his back into it as he sat on the ground.  Yoichi was beginning to doze off when he suddenly heard rapid footsteps heading his way.  He barely had time to react before he was pushed on his back with a sword at his throat.