adventageous | Inbox: Aefenglom

[She'd needed a couple of days to gather her wits before reaching out to Alice, to practice some of the things she might say. It seemed like a reasonable kindness to offer the other young woman, as well— she had been through a lot, even before coming here, and giving her some time to process all that only seemed polite before Karin herself potentially piled on simply by existing.

It would probably be fine, she tried to convince herself, but she couldn't help being anxious all the same. Alice had always been some distant, untouchable figure from Yuri's past, a person she was endlessly curious about and yet had realized early on that she would never measure up to. Things had changed since then, become both more and less complicated depending on what angle you looked at them from, but some apprehension remained, despite the fact that Karin had known for a long while that if they had ever had the chance to meet, she would like Alice herself very much.

Approaching her in person seemed the best course of action, and she had expressed her desire to meet with Alice on her own to Yuri, who had mentioned that she might find her around the Coven that afternoon. Karin herself had spent precious little time there, being a monster, but she was familiar enough, and summoning up all of her courage, she heads that way shortly after lunchtime, having left the rest of her day clear of any tasks or odd jobs.

She knew her when she saw her. It was from behind, in one of the Coven's many magic studies, but the dress the other young woman wore looked exactly like the replica she had seen made from one of Yuri's drawings. Softly, she clears her throat to get the other woman's attention, coming to stand just inside the door with her hands folded neatly in front of her.]

Alice?

[ Tsutha remembers where Alice lives from her time seeing her put up decorations earlier in the month, and so on the first day of Modranicht there is a small package delivered to Alice's door, wrapped in simple brown paper. Inside, are some figurines of festive carolers, along with a note written in a careful, if clumsy hand. ]

[happy holidays, partner! Styx leaves his gift for Alice in their shared office, such that it is, too shy to present it in person. it's a simple thing, really - a small pouch of jam cookies from a local bakery and a handsomely bound book detailing the most famous ghost stories in Aefenglom.

...well, there's also a card. it's been hand-drawn by someone who clearly has no experience with art, but Alice may recognize the figure on its front: the same ghostly creature riding a sawblade motorcycle that the drummer had suggested for their logo, now decked out in a Santa hat and streaking across a snowy Modranicht sky. what a masterpiece.]

[Alice's gift from Dorian comes wrapped in over-the-top gold paper and far too much ribbon, but when she opens the box, she'll find a number of hair ribbons that are similar in style to the one she wears most frequently, but in a variety of different fabrics and patterns. Most of them are decidedly blue, since she seems to favor it, though he's snuck one silky white and one black ribbon in as well for variety. There is also a small bottle of very light and tasteful perfume, as well as a small box of highly decorative chocolates.]

Happy Modranicht to a truly remarkable young lady.

- Dorian

[On the day of the holiday, a plate of homemade cookies and a sample of herbal tea mysteriously appears on her doorstep. The wrapping is decorated with a fresh lily flower (actually a Fae magic product, designed to fade away from existence in a few hours) and a ribbon. The attached handwritten note reads as follows:]

Happy Modranicht! Let’s have another great year here in Aefenglom!

M⚜️

[Though they're still getting to know one another, there's no denying that Alice is an important figure in Karin's life, her presence far larger than her small stature might suggest. It goes without saying that Karin wants to give her something to help make her feel welcome and mark the season, and so among other gifts that Alice will find left on her doorstep, there's also a small package in bright red wrapping with gold ribbons.

Inside is a leather-bound journal along with a little box of seasonally decorated sugar cookies from Karen's Patisserie, tucked into the journal's leather tie is a fountain pen.]

Alice,

Happy Modranicht! May these help you as you continue to study with the coven. I look forward to getting to know you better in the coming year.

- Karin

[It's taken a bit of gumption to get to this point, because his new transformation has been, to put it a bit nicely, a real storm of a thing. It's taken him more than a week to even feel somewhat comfortable about it, and it may have been a bit obvious he was, er, avoiding certain people and situations, but honestly, he's been doing that for a while after the Circle, too.

This is simply... hard. In a way he was not prepared for, considering he's never had to admit something like this before.

Not that he thinks badly of Alice at all. But there are certain qualities Jaskier has always been quite proud of, and his appearance is one of them. He knows he's adorable. Of course he is. He takes care of his hair, he bathes frequently, and he crafted his own perfumed oils.

Now he's --

Blue.]

Ah, hello, my darling Alice. I hope you're doing well. [He pauses. This is not a formal letter, but his voice is a bit unsure.] Something has... er... there's been a change with me, I fear, and it may shift things for us --

[Oh gods, that sounds awful!] Nothing dire! [He wilts.] I think. I simply -- perhaps it would be easier if we were to meet. I'm... a bit different, and I think it's fair that... er, you're quite aware of this.

[Aefenglom's complete acceptance of monster-kind has, for some reason, not made this any easier.]

action | backdated to shortly after arrival

A Modranicht delivery

modranicht

modranicht

Modranicht gift

modranicht

[voice] - backdated to late-ish May?