Mar 27, 2023 18:54:42 GMT -5
Post by Ayu on Mar 27, 2023 18:54:42 GMT -5
She was glad to see Zerori smile. Even more, when a friendly nudge was a clear agreement to her shy suggestion and Ayu chuckled a little, feeling pleased to know that they could meet again. There was no certainty that she'd make a good teacher but there were still days when she felt lonely on the Lookout. Dende was an amazing mentor and she was friends with Mr. Popo, yet the djinn was always busy. Terra was still a lovable child but she couldn't tell her everything and Liari - Ayu did not know where Bluebell was. Callion or Tabu, she hasn't heard anything from them. That's why the thought of having someone to talk to felt so nice. Having a more friendly relationship with Zerori, who was as fierce as she was strong, well... There weren't many people she could confide in - and it's not like she wanted to burden her with her thoughts, of course not. It just would be nice to have some company from time to time... Maybe a friend was what Ayu needed right now. So she thought - but right after a nudge Zerori said this magically abashing word and her mind went blank.
She had to blink and needed a second - or two - to process what she heard, making sure her ears weren't playing tricks on her.
"D-Date?" the rose color started to burn her cheeks so much when in unusual panic Ayu looked at the Saiyaness all flustered. "... I t-thought we c-could h-hang out o-or..." she started to stutter, her voice cracking because Zerori again had this jovial and teasing grin on her face. There was no possible way for Ayu to jump behind a tree to hide that abashed blush. Nor she could grow one between them either - after all, they were still holding hands, and they both hasn't finished walking through the forest. That would be a very bad idea if something would forcibly sprout right next to their feet... So instead of anything like that taking place, her free hand nervously stroked her green hair. Ayu's finger got entangled with the braid. Turning her head away from Zerori, she shyly hid the lower part of her face behind her locks, not aware that the tips of her pointy ears were dark pink already. She could only murmur something into her braid, her lips moving on their own, and she wasn't able to hear what she said herself - her heart was beating too loudly. Why was she nervous like that? Her whole life she was aware that she was shy and had trouble communicating with others but this? This was something else...
To make matters worse - flowers appeared. It wouldn't be anything weird considering Ayu's connection to flora but the most problematic was their location. Because right between her locks, around the crown of her head, white and light red blossoms appeared adorning the green hair. So bashful she was that Ayu never noticed them... She was walking around with flowers sprouting on her head. She wouldn't be able to spot the gentle pale camellias and merrily bright carnations if one of them didn't fall on her forehead. Ayu let go of her braid, brushing the thing above her eyes away with a quick gesture - only to notice that it wasn't a strand of hair. After carefully feeling around the top of her head, the blush was almost visibly steaming on her cheeks but her attention from date shifted to the unexpected flower crown. That was something new and again, Ayu was quite confused. First things were getting weird inside her head, then on her head?
"T-This never happened before..." she mumbled shyly and brushed her bangs away, the flowers disappearing and petals flowing down toward the grass. For the rest of the walk, she remained quiet, trying to focus on energies and to by any chance, not make any blossoms appear out of nowhere. That was embarrassing...
But Ayu forgot all about that when they finally reached the camp that the siblings made - here they were. The place was a bit of a dump but not more than Celric and Cress, two kids, messy, disheveled but very much alive. It was like a stone rolled out of her heart and shoulders and Ayu laughed with relief, returning Zerori's happy embrace with honest gratitude. The joy was so big she might have started dancing if she would only know how! They made it, they found them... She didn't oppose when she was pulled toward the kids by Zerori who grabbed her hand again, because how could she? Following the warrior's steps, she reached the children, and kneeling down she opened her arms. They fell heavy into their embraces and for a moment everything was right again. Feeling how she was tearing up but at the same time, Ayu couldn't stop this warm smile from appearing on her face, she could only chuckle. Stroking the messy hair, returning hugs and smiles, they finally had their fill of affection and relief. The Saiyaness stood up, waving her hand in front of her face, and for a good reason... Laying down in the ground and then running around the forest didn't do any good for Celric and Cress. At least appearance-wise, and, well, smell-wise. Did they roll in mud..? Ayu got up too, dusting her knees and she had to admit that the warrior was right - the siblings needed a bath. A good one with a lot of scrubbing and soap.
"I'm alright," she reassured her when Zerori turned to her, wiping the tears that were gathering on her eyelashes. "Just g-got something in my eyes again," she added softly with a little smile. It was obvious that she was so relieved and touched that she couldn't help herself but that was enough. Tears were tears, even if they were full of joy - and they had to do something with the kids. They found them and now it was their responsibility to take care of them... And both, Celric and Cress, were through a lot. Taking a deep breath, Ayu looked at the three of them more serenely and her head slightly tilted to the left. "There should be a stream on our left," she smiled and her gaze turned to the children, her hand stroking her cheek. "You guys need some washing, that's for sure..." So they would have to bathe them and find some clean clothes - but they were in the middle of the wilderness, so how? For now, she knew how to deal with one of those problems, at least partially.
Joining her palms Ayu used a bit of her energy to make a certain plant. Green leaves in her hands sprouted and seamlessly turned into vibrant red flowers. The shape of the inflorescence was closer to a pinecone and a pleasant and slightly spicy smell appeared in the air. It certainly didn't look like something from this side of the world - in fact, she saw this plant once at the school's biology fair. She examined the flora and nodded, smiling a little abashed while she presented what she made. Because how could that help..? Well, here she was beginning to explain.
"This is a Shampoo Ginger Lily. As the name says, we can bathe them with this," Ayu clarified, not really sure about the reaction that this plant-cosmetic could create. "You just have to squeeze the flower to get the fluid. Think of it as soap and shampoo in o-one," here she started to be worried a little that she sounds and looks weird - but if Zerori trusted her enough to believe that there was Earth's Kami, the Guardian, there shouldn't be a problem with a single plant. Feeling better, Ayu lowered the ginger lily so the kids could get a better look. "This will also disinfect any scratches or cuts that you two could get and would stop the itching..." she told the siblings. Ayu could bet that this dried-up soil in their skin was irritating them and asking to be scratched. Not to mention that they could have gotten wounded or eaten something bad and...
Her expression mellowed. They were both really courageous and resourceful to make it so long without any adults with them. She got down on one knee to have a better look at their faces.
"You both were really brave. None of you is hurt, right?" Ayu asked in a gentle, warm tone. Their signatures seemed alright and intact but she wanted to make sure. One thing was their physical health, the other was their mental strength. How could she not be concerned... "You can tell me anytime," with that assurance Ayu got up and turned her yellow gaze at Zerori. She wanted to ask her about their plan but a loud and growling sound made her stop even before she opened her eyes. It was unbelievable that two little bellies could make so much noise... It sounded like a dinosaur snoring. She blinked, looked again at Zerori, and chuckled, breaking the tension. "Bath is one thing but we should a-also make a new fire and prepare something to eat. Though I can only make plants, I could cook a meal if we'd catch anything." Ayu touched her cheek as usual when she was thinking hard. "But they can't wear what they have... I can't f-fly so I can't exactly go to the City real quick to buy anything."
Maybe she should ask Mr. Popo for a lift? Ayu's home was off-limits at the moment and Lookout was too far away - Cress and Celric needed a bath and a hot meal right now. Not to mention that they needed to think about what to do about them in general... Though that could wait. First things first, they needed to make sure they are alright, calmed down, clean, fed, and most important, safe.
Power Level - 243,444 | 10 (Seal technique)
Word Count - 1,647
Total Word Count - 8,495