Red Fruit and the Garden of Everyone's Souls

A tranquil sea-themed mess hall.
This location is flooded with shallow, crystal clear water. The striking odour of the sea wafts through
this long chamber, perfectly complementing the bleached planks and rough stones that add character to
the walls. Long benches, worn by use, flank two crooked tables of the same pale wood. Logs of seaweed-
covered driftwood and netting clutter all corners of the hall save for one, which instead houses a
large roaring fireplace that warms the air and fills it with muted crackles. In the shape of an open
palm, a metallic sigil lies here. There are 8 bottles here. Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory hovers here
watching the world around her.
You see exits leading north (open door) and east.

Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory flits around the room, examining the benches, table, and fireplace with
equal interest.

A rather bizarre and colourful example of a celestial being, Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory appears to
be made up of a number of unconnected parts. Her main body is a series of rings within rings that don't
quite touch each other, rotating and revolving around a central core, which is a sphere of crystal
clear water. At the center of the sphere is a shimmering, rainbow-hued pearl with dozens of eyes
marking the surface, occasionally blinking. The rings that surround the central watery core are each
made of a different material, with the outermost ring, having a diameter of slightly less than two and
a half feet, being made of rainbow crystal, with facets that slowly shift their colouration completely
independently of any outside light source. Additionally, each of the facets of the ring of rainbow
crystal reflects a different eye, with no two being the same, and very few even being similar. The
middle ring is a ring of ever-burning flame that gives off an aura of holiness and purity. The colour
of the flame shifts just as surely and slowly as the facets of the outer ring, from pure white to
radiant gold to an opalescent shimmer. The innermost ring is the most stable and unchanging of the
three, made of bright yellow gold, and covered in the impressions of hundreds of feathers that overlap
and intertwine. She is held aloft by a series of six wings which are made wholly of prismatic light,
with the structure of a bird's wings, including feathers, clearly on display. With each slow flap of
her wings, shimmering rainbows briefly light up her immediate surroundings.
Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory is a humble-looking creature.

You ponder the situation.

The hands on a dark pearl pocket watch with a clover charm read eleven o'clock in the morning.
The phase of the moon is the Waxing Gibbous.

You have emoted: Tridemon checks his watch and peers out the door to the north.

The sound of a carriage careening by can be heard outside, strange and out of sequence to its normal
route, followed by the scuffling of heavy footsteps coming to find their balance.

You nod your head sagely.

A sense of well-being and calm fills the air and warms your heart as an enormous tae'dae with black and
gold fur strides in from the north.

Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory perks up at the arrival of Aschwar and flits over to examine them with
interest.

Aschwar's gaze carries along the length of the hall, soaking in the new sights and sounds even as their
nose works furiously. Eventually, their gaze finds you, and though they open their mouth to greet you
they are distracted by the approach of Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory.

You have emoted: Tridemon stands from his more or less seated position on one of the benches and
smiles. "Good morning. I'm glad you agreed to this meeting..."

Aschwar nods their head slowly, tilting their gaze crooked as they cant their head to the side in an
effort to see more of the heavenly being before them. "Y-yes!" After a few moments, they seem to find
their voice, and say, "Sorry I am so late! I had to wait for the carriage to come to the volcano."

Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory lets out a series of agreeable chimes at Aschwar before flitting over to
the bottles on the floor.

Quietly, their voice a very loud whisper, Aschwar says, "That looks like something I'd see lots of
where the egregores come from, Friend Tridemon. Where did you find them?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Zanthasiel? Oh, she came to me on Celestia. Says
she's an ophanim, but didn't explain what, exactly, that is. She's angelic, though."

Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory strikes a pose.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Anyway! In addition to the painting, I brought a
selection of drinks- a number of juices, milk, honey, uh... blood, not sure why that ended up in a
bottle here. ... or whose blood it is..."

You peer at a bottle unscrupulously.

With a concerned look, Aschwar says, "...why would you carry a bottle with blood in it anyways? If
you're gonna use it for magic, it's gotta be fresh. That's what the Shofet said, at least."

The Guardian Drachou rises up out of the city of Gaudiguch, his great, prismatic wings raining motes of
energy down upon the city.

Motes of prismatic light briefly fill the area with a multitude of tiny rainbows.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "It showed up in my fountain one day and I didn't
really want to let it sit there, mostly."

look aschwar
Radiant gold and inky black compete for prominence in the thick fur that covers this enormous tae'dae's
body, the well-groomed hair shifting like fields of wheat and clouds through the night sky with each
movement. Despite their thick limbs and eleven-and-a-half feet of height, an aura of well-being and
contentment radiates off of their body, only enhanced by the gentle smile that is nearly always present
on their muzzle. Glittering mis-matched eyes, one brown and one green, stare with a gentle warmth at
the world around them, only inches below a pair of fuzzy round ears that have several notches missing
from them. A brilliant red hieroglyph crackles in the centre of their forehead, flaring occasionally
with small tendrils of red lightning. They are nicely dressed in a comfortable pair of deep grey
trousers, held up by a burgundy belt of leather, and a three-layered tunic of bright red-violet cloth
that fits them nearly perfectly. A hooded coat of striking vermillion hues hangs atop this, flower
petals hand-sewn across its embroidery and circling the black star easily visible on their back. Light
tan, a pair of strap boots are a stark contrast to their fur and have been decorated with little, hand-
drawn moths.
Aschwar has an air of extreme strength.

Aschwar says, "."

Aschwar's mouth opens but they say nothing, staring down with concern visibly etched on their face.

With a light laugh, Aschwar exclaims, "Well, I suppose that is smart. It would leave stains!"

Aschwar wanders over and crouches down low on their haunches, still a good 6 feet tall while crouched
as they inspect the bottles closely. "So...do all the different colours taste different?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "I'll figure out what to do with it eventually.
Not suitable for beverages. And yes, they're made from different fruits and such. The bright yellow
liquid is lemonade, I believe."

You pick up a bottle.

The bottle is crafted from thick, green glass. Indeed, the opacity of the bottle is such that the
contents, if there are any, remain completely hidden.
It has 50 months of usefulness left.
It weighs 12 ounce(s).
Blood sloshes about in it.
It has the following aliases: bottle.

Aschwar stares blankly at you before asking, "What's a lemonade?"

The glittering dome of light surrounding New Celest shimmers with power as the star high above sparkles
ever brighter.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Oh, it's a sweet and tart drink made of lemons,
water, and sugar."

ih
"palm sigil366076"            a palm sigil
"bottle161165"                a bottle (filled with lemonade)
"bottle220290"                a bottle (filled with grape juice)
"bottle222196"                a bottle (filled with orange juice)
"bottle250307"                a bottle (filled with apple juice)
"bottle282181"                a bottle (filled with grapefruit juice)
"bottle312527"                a bottle (filled with honey)
"bottle383433"                a bottle (filled with milk)
"zanthasiel150250"            Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory
"liar303869"                  Aschwar
Number of objects: 10

Still looking entirely clueless, Aschwar says, "What...is a lemon?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "It's a sour, yellow citrus fruit that grows on
trees- not unlike oranges, but much more tart. That's why it needs water and sugar to be palatable for
most people."

Aschwar reaches out and takes the bottle carefully, uncorking it and sniffing at it before carefully
pouring a small amount into their mouth. They react immediately, blinking and jerking their head back
slightly as their cheeks withdraw towards the inside of their mouth and their lips purse. "Oh! That
is...very...lemon. Yes."

You have emoted: Tridemon points to the rest of the bottles in turn. "Grape juice, grapefruit juice-
very different from grape juice, and more bitter- orange juice, apple juice, honey, and milk."

As they carefully replace the lemonade, Aschwar says, "But if they are different, why are they both
called grape?"

Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory flits up near the ceiling, letting her prismatic light illuminate some of
the darker corners of the room.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Oh, that's because grapefruits grow in similar
structures to grapes. They hang from their trees in bunches, like grapes do from their vines."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "They're actually much closer to oranges- another
citrus fruit."

Frowning as they attempt to puzzle it out, Aschwar says, "But...are grapes a fruit?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "They are indeed."

As they look up with a look that is half confusion and half judgemental, Aschwar says, "So...the grape
fruit is not the same as the grapefruit, because the grapefruit is a fruit that is not the grape
fruit."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "That about sums it up. ... it should be noted
that I did not name them, and cannot properly be held responsible for the oddness."

Aquamantic symbols suddenly project themselves upon the very air in dark blue light, fading after a
brief moment.

Aschwar shrugs and reaches out to grab the purple, grape juice and carefully uncorks it before
commenting, "Your world is very, very weird. Like there are lots of names for big water that don't all
mean big water." They shake their head in disbelief before pouring a small amount of juice in their
mouth and smacking their lips together thoughtfully. "Oh, I think I like this one very much! It is nice
sweet, not super super sweet, like a candy."

You sense the sweeping gaze of Esei looking upon you.

You have emoted: Tridemon nods sagely for a moment. "Grapes are also used in quite a lot of winemaking,
so you can probably get different varieties of the juice... although you should definitely be careful
that you're not getting wine, instead."

Aschwar sticks their tongue out of their mouth, shaking their head and saying, "You mean that gross
stuff? I tried that, and it tasted like someone's shirt that got left in a dirty puddle with bad food."

Aschwar reaches next for the apple juice, uncorking it and taking another pour into their mouth before
tentatively pouring a second one. "This...I do not think I've ever tasted one of these before. What did
you say it was?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "That's apple juice. They're a nice, sweet, crisp
kind of fruit that grows on trees. Also with a lot of varieties that can range from very sweet to quite
tart."

It is now the 21st of Juliary, 562 years after the Coming of Estarra.

Curiously, Aschwar says, "Do all fruits grow on trees? I've only seen and tasted oranges before, 'cos
there's so many in the Shofet's realm."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Many fruits do! But grapes, for instance, grow
on vines. Then there are things like blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries that grow on bushes,
and strawberries which are this low lying plant which isn't tall enough to be a bush."

You ponder the situation.

As they carefully take another drink of the apple juice, Aschwar exclaims, "What does an apple tree
look like? I might try and grow some, too!"

Starry shadows herald Dusan, the coruscant as he deposits a black widow cookie of strawberry and poppy
seed into your hands before dissolving into mist again.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Here, an illusion."

An illusory tree appears in the middle of the room, slowly rotating, showing off the shape of its
leaves and the tone of its bark. After a few seconds, the tree blooms, showing off apple blossom
petals, which curl and mature into bright red fruits, before the entire thing vanishes into sparkles.

Aschwar's eyes widen and they gag and sputter, spitting out apple juice to the side and hurriedly
dropping the bottle down. "IT'S RED? YOU GAVE ME A RED FRUIT?!" They look close to tears at the
thought, violently gagging and attempting to force the liquid out of them.

You blink.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Not all apples are red!"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "There are also green apples and even yellow."

Aschwar scrubs their paws at their tongue, attempting to scrape away what little remains of the juice,
and then they sit perfectly still, wincing as they tremble in fear and anticipation.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Are... red fruits forbidden by the Shofet?"

The Mantle of Starlight flows gently against your form, twinkling stars shifting across its surface as
the starry infinity continues its eternal motion.

It is several long minutes before Aschwar moves, looking up incredulously and reaching down to pat at
their stomach carefully. "I...I didn't...?" They stare for a few moments and then a visible flush
creeps over their skin in the gold that stretches across their cheeks, quietly confessing, "N-no. Where
I come from, red fruits are poisonous. If you messed up, they made you eat them, and then you'd..."
They trail off, but the implication is clear from their tone and previous actions the end result of the
force-fed fruit.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Oh... I apologize. I didn't know. But none of
the things here are in the slightest bit poisonous. I wouldn't dare."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Poisoning food and drink is very rude, in any
case. Something to reserve for one's enemies, not friends."

Quietly, Aschwar says, "I guess...it's not the same here. I should have known, I'm sorry."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "A lifetime of common knowledge and instinct is
not so easy to shed. It's not your fault."

Aschwar looks down at the remaining bottles and then shakes their head carefully. "Well, thank you, but
I do not think I am very thirsty any more." They laugh sheepishly and rub the back of their head with a
paw, saying, "They were very tasty!"

You nod your head emphatically.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say to Aschwar, "Then I really ought to present you
with this..."

At four feet tall and four feet wide, this oddly square painting is
larger than most, with a custom frame built out of an unknown
golden-toned wood that has streaks and whorls of sparkling blue-violet
crystal as part of its structure. The painting itself is a still life of
eight different flowers or clusters of blossoms, set against a
background of vibrant green bamboo, with rings of bright blue-violet
crystal where the segments of the bamboo meet. The flower most central
to the painting is a large clover blossom, largely a bright orange
colour, but with a bright blue-violet at the tip of each of the many
petals. Above and to the right of the vibrant clover blossom is an
oversized black rose that seems to drink in the light, with a tuft of
greyish-white fur sitting on one of the larger petals. Below the black
rose and further to the right is a cluster of cheerful pink button rose
blossoms, with a bumblebee alighting on one of the more central blooms.
A little below the cluster of button roses and closer to the bright
clover is a set of small blackthorn blossoms, but what they lack in size
they make up for in number, having no fewer than fifteen blossoms packed
close together. Slightly below but mostly to the left of the orange
clover blossom is a large chrysanthemum which is mostly violet, with a
section of the blossom that makes up about a fifth of the petals in
oceanic hues of greens and blues. Further to the left of that are three
poppies- growing from the same stem, but distinct from each other. The
closest to the clover is a poppy with black and gold petals, with
sections of the inside of the petals missing, but otherwise seeming
entirely healthy. A little further away is the second poppy, this one
with faceted crystal petals of azure hues, inlaid with smoke, and what
appears to be a dusting of glittering sugar crystals. The third poppy is
the strangest of the bunch, with each petal a different colour- blood
red, sky blue, golden yellow, bright white, and a fiery orange, each
with a black marking resembling a closed eye.
It has 253 months of usefulness left.

You give a painting of The Garden of Everyone's Souls to Aschwar.

Aschwar blinks and then looks down at the painting carefully, holding it arm's length. "Oh, these
are...so pretty! Did you paint all of these flowers, Friend Tridemon?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Indeed. I'm fairly prolific with my paintings
when I'm inspired, though almost all of my works are on display in Gurashi's manse at present. Others
were mostly gifts to Divines, and the very occasional commission."

Aschwar looks carefully at the painting, and then quietly says, "Friend Gurashi, and...me, and Missus
Friend Shulamit. There's you, and...oh, that is Friend Tsakali?" They smile softly as they look at it,
and quietly comment, "I hadn't made flowers for lots of people yet, but I think this is very nice,
Friend Tridemon."

A chicken comes flying in from the north and lands on the ground with a 'thump.'

A chicken clucks and hops off to the east.

A chicken hops in from the east, scratching at the ground.

A chicken clucks and hops off to the east.

A chicken hops in from the east, scratching at the ground.

A chicken clucks and hops off to the east.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "The five-colored poppy with the closed eyes? No,
that's supposed to be Alary. I think. ... Could be Tsakali if it fits them better, I suppose. One of
the very best- and worst- things about art is that what you learn from it is your own, no matter what
the artist thought they were saying."

A chicken hops in from the east, scratching at the ground.

A chicken clucks and hops off to the east.

You peer about yourself unscrupulously.

A chicken hops in from the east, scratching at the ground.

A chicken clucks and hops off to the east.

A chicken hops in from the east, scratching at the ground.

A chicken clucks and hops off to the east.

You snort and snuffle at the air, sensing through a ridiculous pig nose upon your face the faint traces
of others in the surrounding area.
Esei: 416, 417, 418, ... Old Imperial Road

A chicken hops in from the east, scratching at the ground.

A chicken clucks and hops off to the east.

A chicken hops in from the east, scratching at the ground.

You pick up a chicken.
A chicken wriggles in your hand, trying to escape.

You give a chicken to Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say to Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory, "Hold that."

With a light laugh, Aschwar says, "No, I think you are right, Friend Alary makes lots more sense. But I
didn't know you were also friends with them."

Aquamantic symbols suddenly project themselves upon the very air in dark blue light, fading after a
brief moment.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Oh, we've met a time or two... outside of
combat, I mean. ... Which, I believe, is actually more than I've ever conversed with Tsakali, come to
think of it."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "And, of course, Shulamit is friends with just
about everyone who isn't mean to her, from what I remember."

Aschwar nods their head slowly in understanding, before they blink twice and the painting is consumed
in a torrent of golden sand that quickly vanishes from sight. "Of course! You'd have to be some kinda
illithoid monster to not be friends with Missus Friend Shulamit."

You nod your head sagely.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Let's see here, there was... something else I
wanted to say, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was..."

Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory moves to hover a few inches directly above your head, letting out a
series of encouraging chimes.

You ponder the situation.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Oh, right! Did you get someone to put pockets
into your outfit? I remember Gurashi was talking about having that done."

Aschwar tilts their head curiously to the side, offering unhelpfully, "Well, the Shofet didn't tell me
why we were meeting, just that you asked if you could! And then I said that of course I would, because
you are one of my friends, and also one of Friend Gurashi's friends, and that means that you're kinda
sorta friends to the Beloved. Or at least friends to me, which is close to the same thing! Except for
the Beloved who don't fully like me, but then again there's lots of Beloved so maybe you can't say
you're friends like that unless you got a special kind of person? It's very weird to think about, yes
yes."

Aschwar blinks.

Aschwar exclaims, "Oh! I do not need pockets! Because I can do THIS!"

Aschwar claps their paws several times in repetition, miniature starbursts of golden sand revealing
potted plants that fall through the air only to be returned to whence they came from at the next clap.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "That seems a lot handier than pockets! And less
chance of leaking dirt."

Motes of prismatic light briefly fill the area with a multitude of tiny rainbows.

Nodding their head, Aschwar exclaims, "Yeah, and it used to take a lot of concentration and made me
very tired, but now I can do it lots!"

Aschwar says, "Plus, if I really want to, I can use it and GO places. Like, if I think real hard about
Missus Friend Shulamit, I can go to her! Or anyone who I've seen, or the Shofet shows me, really."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "You're growing stronger."

You nod your head sagely.

Aschwar nods their head and then looks crestfallen for a moment, sighing, "...but not better." A brief
pause follows, and they smile softly before shaking their head. "But...I promised not to get sad about
that anymore, so there's no point thinking about it."

Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory seems to grow bored with hovering above your head and flits in closer to
Aschwar to examine them for a bit again.

With a gentle voice that chimes out of the ring of gold, Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory says to Aschwar,
"... you are good."

Aquamantic symbols suddenly project themselves upon the very air in dark blue light, fading after a
brief moment.

Aschwar blinks suddenly before turning to look at Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory with a gentle awe on
their face. "You can TALK?!"

Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory dips her body from one side and then the other in an approximation of a
shrug.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "She can talk, but she doesn't much like to.
Apparently it's a bit hard for her to speak more than a few syllables at a time."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "So she only says things that she knows to be
important, and true."

Aschwar laughs and then nods their head in understanding, offering Zanthasiel, the Rainbow Glory a
sweet smile as they say, "Well, thank you very much. I try my best to be as good as I can be."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "In any case, that's pretty much everything I'd
intended to talk to you about... I have to go ask Esei why they decided to throw a chicken at us."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "You can take the rest of the bottles with you if
you like, for later."

Aschwar nods and then says, "Oh!"

Aschwar says to you, "Can you tell Friend Gurashi that I said hello? I ran out of origamis and can't
send any, but I am hoping to see him very soon."

You cough softly.

You ponder the situation.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "I'll... say hello, but the 'him' bit isn't
currently accurate."

Aschwar stares blankly at you.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "It's very complicated but essentially Gurashi's
forgotten past doesn't want to become Gurashi's present and is trying to make sure that nothing
changes, but there was a mirror for changing genders, and now Tiso won't let Gurashi change back..."

Aschwar's blank stare grows even more concerned and confused as they attempt to follow along with your
story.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "... but if Gurashi tells you they're just sick,
don't try to pry. They're... embarrassed by how they can't speak right now."

Aschwar's head cants to the side and they frown slightly, face as concerned and confused as it was just
a moment before. They would almost look funny were the conversation not so serious.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "It's not a fun story."

Aschwar carefully reaches into the air and a small gout of golden sand appears above their paw. They
gently press a plain, red poppy into your hands, saying, "Please give this to Friend Gurashi. Let hi--
er...her know that I care very much for her, and if she wants to just sit in the garden or make food in
my kitchen, I will be glad to not talk. And spend time together. That's what friends do!"

p 233924
Silken petals of brilliant red ring the dark, bell-shaped interior of this delicate blossom. Beneath
the flower, the stem is a slender length of furred green. A few small leaflets sprout underneath the
poppy, remnants of an open bud.
It has 20 months of usefulness left.
It weighs 2 ounce(s).
It does not retain any heat whatsoever.
It has the following aliases: poppy, flower.

You nod your head emphatically.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "I'll make sure to get it to her the next time
she's about."

Aschwar stands slowly and says, "Well. Thank you for not poisoning me, and all the juices. I will let
you keep them, and see if I can learn more about fruits that are fruits but not the same fruits."

The world seems a little less pleasant as an enormous tae'dae with black and gold fur departs to the
north.