[OPEN] The Latest of November Open Stuff!

[matchbreaker]

WHO: Elda Marker and YOU?
WHERE: Various locations around the city
WHEN: Through November. One prompt set pre-Thanksgiving, one set at a nebulous time, and one explicitly set after it and the Ninja Warrior competition.
WHAT: Elda jogging and running into late egg shenanigans, learning she's gained the power to erase memories, and lamenting some missing buildings.
WARNINGS: None of note I think?

A) Training does require a high egg diet [Pre-Thanksgiving]
[ So fifty dollars is in no way enough for Elda Marker to bother to help out with the turkey catching affairs unless she was to consider it a civic duty and... well, she doesn't, not with so many other hands on the job already! So her main contribution to the effort is if anyone is looking for part time job to clear out the ones on her lawn/in her neighborhood she's more than willing to pay people for that! In fact, she puts out an add on the neighborhood facebook and bulletin board.

But aside from that, many of her days pre-Thanksgiving in the week or two before it carry an odd mix of her getting her reservations in for her turkey, ham, side-dish ingredients, etc while at the same time doing a fair bit of training of ninja warrior, which she signed up for. She already did self-defense courses and jogged daily, but she's timing herself for more intense runs in the midst of the jogging here and there, do you might catch a blur of purple wearing goggles as she's testing out her sprinting in the park. Or you might see her jogging while carrying some of the good for Thanksgiving!

... Oooor might might see her actually running into one of these golden eggs on the ground, picking up up, frowning, shaking it, ]

What was in these, again?

B) This city keeps changing around me [Post-Thanksgiving]
[ One of the first things Elda notices the day after... well, not only Thanksgiving but also Black Friday and that Ninja Warrior competition which was all going around the same time is that Yamazaki's Paris vanished. It was a cheap-ish French place that she didn't mind going do now and again. With a frown, in the days that follow she goes around the city, wondering if it too just moved, like Ophelia's Lament it before it just vanished (well, in its case, merged) too.

... Oh. That's- ]

Towers used to be on the other side of the street.

[ She mutters that to herself, and over then next several days up through the end of the month she notices a few more landmarks - some of which she didn't even realize she knew - vanishing as well. the Cathedral vanished too? She wasn't even Catholic, but that was a big landmark, wasn't it? What's even going on anymore? She tuts, going on this exploration daily, a minor pilgrimage to these forgotten sites. Hell, even the bakeries that she got all her cakes at for the party earlier in the month seem to be gone, now... merged. Into some weird giant thing. What, is the city as a whole going to contract?

... And maybe she picks up a book at Novel Idea because it's admittedly convenient to have one big bookstore, once she worked out where it was. ]

C) The loss of memory can be a real tragedy [whenever]
[ So one other thing which has happened to Elda this month, though she's not yet figured out this is the case, is that she has regained the ability to erase memories! Just a touch to the head, a bit of concentration, and bam, memory erasure. Thing is, this power is new, she doesn't know she has it, and she doesn't know about controlling it just yet. And as such... well...

Basically, if she pats you on the head, bumps into you, or some other thing, you might end up missing what was going on. This is free for all though by definition a vague prompt because the reasons she might end up touching your head are wide and varied depending on who it is. For this sort of accidental misfire the amount of memories erased will be between a few minutes and up to four hours at your discretion. This is all permission-based so if you don't want it to kick in then it won't both now and in the future. ]

[ Or feel free to wildcard me! You can PM me or hit me at bigdamnhero in order to work out something specific you think needs negotiating or just reply with something that seems like it'll work out, I'm sure! I know it's late but I promised the memory thing and I wanted to deliver on that and some other prompts I missed. ]

Comments

B.

[drydrown]

[...Cumore is, like, an Easter/Christmas Catholic at best, but he's going to kind of notice an entire goddamn cathedral deciding to up and vanish. It was there, and then it wasn't, and that's...unfathomably weird in a way that even he can't ignore, and he's been quite happy ignoring everything that's going on here, thank you very much?

And then there's this woman here, and- ]

Please tell me you're also finding this odd.

[No, really, please tell him you are, because he is getting so annoyed with people acting like they aren't. (Or maybe they're not acting, and that thought bothers him, but you know what, why the hell should he dwell on that.)]

[matchbreaker]

No, you mean that the cathedral's gone? About a dozen sets of directions I can think of online'll need to be rewritten now.

[ And...

Like...

Wow...??? ]

[drydrown]

[Oh, thank fucking god.]

How long do you give everyone before they conveniently forget that it was here?

[matchbreaker]

Traditionally, it's been a month.

[ It took everyone a month to stop asking about her hair and eyes. And then later her strength. But then... monsters were never noticed in the first place nor... ]

Or less.

[drydrown]

[Traditionally...]

Good to know that there's a going rate for these things, I suppose... I only recently started noticing these things myself, so I'm still not entirely accustomed to how all of this - [and it's accompanied with a vague, whatever-the-fuck sort of gesture, just kind of indicating the general everything] - is supposed to work, precisely.

[matchbreaker]

It was a month I stopped getting strange look for my eyes.

[ And she lowers her sunglasses just a little, even it it hurts - just a bit to show her red eyes. She slips them back on hurriedly. ]

But no one ever seemed to think monsters were odd in August. Or when everyone shrunk.

[drydrown]

...That's because they weren't, from what I recall.

[Granted, his memories of that time are hazy, but he seems to remember that there was...insurance, of some sort? For the monsters. And why would there be insurance offered if they were odd?]

Given that this place has been toying with our heads, I can't say I'm the best resource out there in all confidence. But the monsters certainly weren't odd.

A

[sunnymerc]

[Unlike Elda, Soleil is totally gung-ho about chasing the turkeys--and she isn't even aware she can get paid for this. She just thinks it's fun. The turkeys are cute and the drop magic eggs, so why would she not chase them?

Unfortunately, the turkeys she is chasing seem primarily concerned with getting away from the crazy pink-haired girl than they are with avoiding any obstacles, such as middle-aged ladies.]

Hey, hey, watch out! Turkey coming through!

[matchbreaker]

Turk--ey come-- whoa, hey, watch it!

[ Elda has more than enough strength to pick up both the Turkey and Soliel, but right now she's skidding off to one side in a surprisingly nimble movement that-

rips her skirt a bit?

Shit, but she thinks it got her out of the way. ]

[sunnymerc]

[ The turkey comes to a halt and worbles at Elda, but Soleil slides in between them, pointing at the bird. ]

Don't worry, fair maiden! I'll protect you from the beast! Hehe.

[ The turkey is worbling like crazy. This may or may not be a poorly thought out attempt on her part to pick up chicks. It worbles more. ]

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . Wow?

She laughs a little all the same, pulling her golden egg she found up to her chest and - you know what, fine, let's play her part. ]

Oh, please protect me! I do need to shop much more!

[sunnymerc]

[Soleil's plan backfires when the turkey notices Elda clutching an egg and goes from mildly irritated to enraged. That is either its egg or it is too stupid to realize it isn't, but either way it gobbles up a storm as it leaps into the air at her. Soleil is still in the way but has no idea what to do except flail her arms to keep the bird away.]

Shoo, shoo! Stop it! I didn't know you things could actually fly!

[matchbreaker]

They aren't flightless girl?!

[ Should she help? What-- no, that might damage her honor? But if the muscled girl gets injured that would be on her... uh. Hmm. ]

c; mid-november

[complementing]

[Minako has been super busy this month, but honestly when is she not busy. At the moment, she's carrying a huge stack of books in her arms down the street, mouthing the words to a song she's listening to on her headphones.]

Ah! Elda!

[She hefts the books into one arm and waves to catch her attention before wrapping both arms around them again.]

Long time no see!

[matchbreaker]

[ Jeez, that girl...

... she's reminded though, of that chat we had about Togusa. They both had agreed she'd be great, but when she looks as the girl's arms and ears as full as they are, the older woman actually feels a bit silly to only have a little backpack on with the jogging clothes. But then... well. That's for the best when she was jogging.

Still, she comes to a stop to wave back and break the distance between them. ]

Eesh, you going to throw you back out doing that? It's been a while though, yeah!

[complementing]

No way, I can't throw out my back. I have a test to take in a few hours.

[Her music is a little bit too loud for conversation, though, and in a rather puppy-like way she starts wriggling, trying to nudge her headphones off a bit with her shoulder.]

Sorry, one sec.

[matchbreaker]

... Bend over a bit, girl, I can reach that.

[ Elda's a little short, but how hard is - okay now let's just get off the headphones. that'll be more efficient than her just wiggling it out. Once she's in a position to though, the woman is going to be reaching out to grab hold of the headphones to yank them off!

... But that does brush her hand on Minako's scalp. And when that happens Elda blinks a little as he hand glows slightly. What? Was that? (unknown to her, somewhere between a few minutes and a few hours was just erased from Minako's mind entirely. Ooops. ) ]

[complementing]

[Minako obediently does as Elda asks, though she has to stifle a sound of protest at the rough treatment of her headphones. Those are her favorite pair, Elda, please take care of them :c

And then-- Minako suddenly feels woozy, unsteady on her feet for a few seconds, and her arms going a little slack. A few of her books slide to the ground.]

What--?

[matchbreaker]

-Whoa, careful! If you're tired, that's no good!

[ Yeah oops the headphones are getting even more rough treatment in that she keeps them in hand as she spreads her arms to get her arms around Minako to try to steady her. This causes her sunglasses to slip a bit, but- worth it? Right now, she just needs to keep her on her feet.

... Which I mean hope this didn't have a fragile cord. ]

C

[imaginex]

[It's the golem's fault, really.

Sakura's grown accustomed to the strangeness of the city, but every once in a while something makes her stop, stare, and seriously question how the world works. As adorable as the tiny golem is, fluttering around like quick-winged bird, it's also incredibly distracting. The heck is that, some kind of flying ball with an eye in it?

Curiosity has her turning her head, staring over her shoulder as the thing lands on someone's shoulder while they... talk into it... like a phone of sorts? - and really, Sakura should know better than to walk while she's distracted. When the inevitable happens and she bumps into her unfortunate victim, she loses balance and ends up crashing into the ground -- unharmed! though she spilled the contents of her tote all over the sidewalk]

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda's the even smaller of the town, though she does have the benefit of super muscles and balance so even if he's knocked over by the force of it, she catches herself before either her or her purse hit the floor. The woman shakes her head and mutters something under her breath before blinking to see- ah! ]

Oh, Sakura. Golly, you okay there?

[ Let's offer her a hand up. ]

[imaginex]

Mm?

[Well that's... a helpful reply. Also a vaguely confused one as Sakura squints at Elda, then her hand, only taking it after she's stared at the fingers for a disconcertingly long time]

Oh... good morning, Marker-san!

[It's 3 pm... but okay]

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . Morning?

Elda looks at the girl and - yes, the fingers were worth looking at. A faint glow was surrounding them, though it faded as Sakura is looking at it and Elda is looking dow nat her. The woman's eyes, under the sunglasses, shift with some concern. ]

A...ah. Good morning. Get a late start?

[imaginex]

[The pleasant, if vaguely confused look in Sakura's eyes doesn't disappear immediately, but she does answer that question with her usual chirp]

Oh no, I'm not usually up this early. [But that is Okay because Sakura puffs a little with pride] But the college asked me to come over and sort out my financial aid! I've been accepted into the art program.

[matchbreaker]

[ This... early...?

Tilting her head, Elda considers going right for her phone to confirm the time, but more to the point she shakes her head and- ]

Hah! So you did go for it after all! That's good!