( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛɪᴅɪɴɢs | ( ɴᴘᴄ ᴘᴏsᴛ )

[acatastoria]

[ there is a sudden sparking that emits from your magical watches and a hologram appears, showing a petit woman with dark hair. her eyes seem to hold a certain amount of mischief and light, and when she speaks, you listen. it's something about her; you are captivated by her presence, and you can't help but give her your attention. ]

Hello, hello, hello~! ♥

[ it's a trill of a voice, light and airy. ]

I know you've all just arrived~♥ but I wanted to introduce myself! To those who haven't met me, my name is Astoria! I know many of you are likely unhappy with being found here, and I understand. But the need is urgent, and dire, and I am in desperate need of your help, as is the universe in which we reside. There is much darkness, in this universe . . . plenty of worlds on the brink of collapse, or at the precipice of something great. It is my job -- our job -- to help where needed. Like superheroes, but a little less flashy!

[ she pauses. ]

No offense to the superheroes. -- but anyway! I want to let you know were we're going to go first.

[ she takes in a D E E P breath!! ]

There is a city, by the name of El Minha. It's beautiful, an oasis in the desert. There are many shops and stalls and the entire city is bustling, but El Minha is facing a difficult path. Transitions of power are hard, you know? And they have a new King, who is . . . probably nice, but the people there are suffering. Crime is at an all-time high, and King Kathashun can only do so much . . . if he's doing anything at all.

[ she brushes a loose piece of hair behind her ear, and astoria smiles a little. it is obvious, by now, that she's definitely bubbly and full of spirit, but she is deadly serious about her mission. ]

I truly believe that we have the ability to help those who need it most, and those people are in desperate need. So we're going to go there, explore, and talk to them! And maybe, just maybe, we can affect some good in this world, and change the tide for the better for these poor people.

[ she pauses. ]

So that's where we're going first! But before that, I'm here to greet you, to support you, and welcome you to my beautiful Temple. Please, please, please make yourselves at home! I'll be here if you have any questions. ♥

[ astoria pauses before lifting up a single finger, as if she's forgotten something important. ]

Oh, and please let me know if you find anything interesting or important or otherwise peculiar in the Temple! The Forest of the Fey is a magical place, and I'm keeping a careful eye on all of you explorers to make sure you don't get too lost, but my dear friends within the forest may like playing with you all, so be respectful of the wildlife! It may fight back. ♥

[ is she serious? the world may never know. ]

Comments

[acatastoria]

Oh, of course!

[ and, just like that, with a burst of light, a bird with jet black feathers, a deep red beak, and at least six sets of eyes appears in her hands, squawking through the hologram. ]

One of these?

[oculusriffs]

Yeah, I — holy shit, that thing has more eyeball than brain.

[Dave low-key Loves It. if he could let a flock of them chill in his room like the crows did in his apartment, he would.]

The hell does it even need that many eyes for? Are there a ton of predators I didn't see in the forest or something?

[acatastoria]

Well, there's my friend, Zheng.

[ thoughtfully, and the bird flaps its wings a bit to land on Astoria's shoulder. she seems unbothered by the prospect as it begins to preen through her hair. ]

He lives in the forest and he's plenty dangerous, but he's very friendly! And very smart, and very good conversation, if you're lucky enough to find him. But he's not very sociable. I haven't seen him in a few decades. And Zheng isn't his real name, and he has a very lovely spouse, but he probably eats little guys like this.

[oculusriffs]

Man, mutant birds and friendly hermits — you've pretty much got a full rolodex of fantasy forest fauna in there.

One last question, though. Why'd you pick me?

[acatastoria]

Why wouldn't I choose you?

[ a question for a question. she sounds curious. ]

[oculusriffs]

[and boy, is it a loaded question she's just fired back at him.]

You pretty much started your entire spiel with the notion that we're all superheroes without the pizzazz. Maybe the charm, though.

I'm just not really seein' how I fit that definition.

[Dave never wanted to be a hero in the first place, not even the reluctant hero sort of role that Paradox Space seemed so keen about foisting on him. and when he was put in a position to actually do something heroic? he couldn't even manage to save someone he cared about.]

[acatastoria]

Maybe you should have more faith in yourself, Dave Strider.

[ with a slight shrug of her shoulders. ]

You might not be conventional, but you have the ability to do a lot of good.

[oculusriffs]

[... did she just call him weird. that's. well, okay, it's not wrong, and Dave's not about to protest it.]

Has anyone ever let you down on that before?

[acatastoria]

Let me down on what?

[ she thinks she knows, but she's going to prod regardless. ]