{PP-F1} Chasing Daydreams (w/ Himiko)

[Adelyte 0]

The world felt as though it was wrapped in a soft, gray blanket. The sky a smooth, overcast expanse, with clouds ranging from light, wispy streaks to thick, dark masses. The sun's light is diffused, casting a gentle, even glow over everything. The air felt as it had within the waning months of winter, cool and breezy, but not harsh. The low hanging clouds hid any signs of the large, stone disk that was the second floor, though its labyrinth rose from the ground and faded into nothingness far off in the distance. It made the tower seem even more impossibly tall, if one hundred floors wasn't tall enough as is. 

While the threat of rainfall was foreboding enough to keep some indoors, the streets of the Town of Beginnings were still bustling with activity. Players and NPCs alike embarking on their daily tasks and adventures, bundled up in light jackets to fight off the cold. Weather like this never seemed to bother Adelyte. In fact, she enjoyed the chilling, yet refreshing bite as she inhaled through her nostrils. 

She sat cross-legged on the soft, pink blanket, a sketchbook balanced on her lap.  Beside her, a small, glass bottle with a yellowish-orange juice sitting idly, and a half eaten blueberry muffin. Her pencil moved swiftly, capturing the world around her with fluid strokes. The tip of her tongue peeked out as she concentrated, eyes flicking from the scene before her to the page, then back again. In this instance, her subject was a small pond that sat peacefully in the center of a park. The faint rustle of the wind through the tress was the only sound she intercepted, a gentle soundtrack to her quiet creativity. Long, cyan hair, slightly tousled by the breeze, framed her face as she lost herself in the rhythm of her sketching.

Placing her pencil down atop the paper for a moment, she dragged herself back to reality. Reaching her arms over her head, she loosened her stiff muscles, having been locked in place for what felt like hours as she lost herself in the lines she marked on the page. With a content smile on her face, she took another bite of her pastry, basking in the muted, yet still beautiful stillness of the quaint body of water. 

  

  

   ♦Lv1 Adelyte

Spoiler Adelyte | HP 20/20 | EN 20/20 | DMG 6 Lv. 1 equipped 2H Warhmmer DMG|DMG -- -- battle-ready inventory 3x Potion (+50 Hp) skills Spoiler HAMMER | Rank 1  data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==   buffs Spoiler   data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

[Himiko 0]

There was a quiet hum beneath the surface of the bustling town—the kind of stillness that only existed in between the sounds of footsteps and idle chatter. Himiko liked that part the most. The way the world softened around the edges, a little quieter, a little slower, like it was waiting for something. Or someone.

She had been watching the girl for a while now. Not in the creepy way, she told herself, but in the way a stray cat might watch someone from a safe distance. The soft pink of the blanket, the gentle flicks of her wrist as she sketched, the way her hair caught in the breeze—it was a nice scene. Safe. Unbothered.

Himiko curled her knees to her chest, the cool air brushing against her skin, a pleasant kind of cold that made her feel awake. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve as she debated whether or not to move. To speak. To make herself known. But the cyan-haired girl looked so peaceful, lost in her own little world of paper and pencil, and Himiko... she wasn’t sure if she wanted to step into it just yet.

A step forward. Then a pause. Her lips parted like she might say something, but the words tangled up before they could form. Instead, she crouched a little ways off, resting her chin against her arms, golden eyes peeking over at the sketchbook.

"What are you drawing?"


 

It came out softer than she intended, like she wasn't sure if she wanted to be heard at all.

[Adelyte 0]

The sudden realization of the girl's presence, even at a slight distance, was startling. Others walked the park's paths, keeping to their own devices. In a world of swords and monsters, a lone woman sketching wasn't exactly an exciting sight. Yet, here this young, ashen haired girl crouched, her gentle gaze locked onto the dark scribbles of charcoal on the page. 

"Gah! Don't look!" was her first instinct, nearly toppling over as she pulled the book into her chest. The girl appeared young, maybe about half of her own age, and timid given the volume of her voice and the space she gave Adelyte when posing her question. A tiny sigh passed from her lips as she released the tension from her shoulders and arms, bringing the book back into her lap. "Sorry, you startled me." she offered a breathy laugh as she smiled at the young girl, "I used to hate letting people see my drawings before they were finished but.." holding the page up in front of her, as if comparing it to the real life still across from her, her smile only widened, "Pretty sure this one is all done." 

With a slight twist of her torso, she would present the open page to the girl. The pencil strokes are light at first, outlining a soft, oval shape for the pond. The water’s edge is uneven, with some jagged bits where grass creeps over. A few wisps of lines form the surface, barely disturbed, except for the hint of ripples where a duck glides by. Around the pond, vertical strokes hint at tall grasses, some with a slight curve, as though swaying in the breeze. The background is filled with a few sketchy wildflowers, dots of texture for color. The whole scene is captured with delicate, yet rough strokes, conveying a sense of calm but with the pencil’s subtle energy lingering in the air.

As the girl looked over the sketch pad, Adelyte would move her belongings, her afternoon snack and unequipped boots off to the side to allow space in case she wanted to join her on the blanket. "What's your name?" she asked, a sweet curiosity in her eyes as she gently patted the blanket beside her. "I'm Adelyte, its nice to meet you." 

[Himiko 0]

Himiko flinched at the sudden outburst, instinctively shrinking back, she leapt like a scared cat, bolting away she hadn’t meant to startle the woman, but she supposed most people didn’t expect to be watched so closely. That was her mistake. Still, there was no anger in Adelyte’s reaction, only surprise, and soon enough, that gave way to warmth.

 

The invitation was clear. A shift of belongings, a pat to the blanket, an opening in the moment.

 

She hesitated, just for a second. Then, quietly, she moved forward, settling onto the soft fabric with her legs tucked beneath her. Her fingers hovered uncertainly before finally resting against the edge of the sketchbook, tracing the air above the lines without touching. The pond was captured in careful strokes, rough in some places, delicate in others. It had a quiet kind of life, like a memory frozen in time. It was… nice. Warm in a way that wasn’t about temperature. Naturally, as children tend to be- Himiko was quite handsy with the notepad, attempting to get a better grip. Almost smudging it with her thumb.

 

“Fu-ji-ko Hi-mi-ko, Adelyte-san…”

 

Her name came out small, but not hesitant. It was simple. An answer given because Adelyte had asked, because she hadn’t demanded it or pried. Because there was something safe in this moment, something easy.

 

As she spoke her name, she was counting each syllable on her hand. Putting a pause between each spoken syllable. Holding up six fingers with a wrinkle of a smile on her face.

 

“My name has six syllables, that’s what we’ve been learning at the orphanage…!”

 

She seemed elated to have someone to share this knowledge with, being the youngest at the orphanage meant any knowledge she learnt failed to impress anyone else. It was quite demotivating…Beneath her frail arm was a small, clearly well-loved book. Its cover faded, only leaving the vague words Fa…iry…Tal…S

 

“Do you draw a lot? I like drawing too! Wanna draw together or play pretend?”