ph_logs | Late Winter Catch-All [Open]

Late Winter Catch-All [Open]

Who: Heather Harne (

heatherbythesea) & YOU!
What: Knitted goods sale + catch-all
When: January - February
Where: Anywhere
Warning(s): None at present, will edit in if needed.

Waste Not
If it costs something to rent a spot at the Winter Market on Main Street, then Heather won't be able to have her own booth, but her knitted scarves and stocking caps can be found mixed in with other artisanal crafts for sale. (Her pieces are distinguished from the others by a paper tag cut into a scallop-shell shape. The booth owners note each time her items sell, and at the end of the day, Heather collects her portion of the profit -- a fifty-fifty split. If the sellers didn't accept her wares, she's sure that she wouldn't sell a single piece, so she doesn't mind.)

Each scarf or cap is quite soft to the touch and holds warmth easily. None of them are in solid colors, as the yarn used to knit them has subtle gradations of color and little flecks of dark in the lighter colors, or light in the dark shades. And, for those who can sense magic, these rather humble knitted items might ping that sense.

Heather has been testing out various materials for remaking her merrow cap, with no success so far. She uses her innate magic to change things with ephemeral substance into something more solid. (The sound of a cat's footfall, perhaps...) But each 'failed' material still results in a lot of yarn. And having grown up in poverty, Heather is not one to waste what can be reused. Thus, scarves and hats for others.

They're not intended to transform anyone or cause mischief (but if you say they do, why not! I'm not your boss, and if you'd have fun with it, go for it...) because she's been careful to unpick any intentional spells out of the weaving.

Other than the Winter Market, Heather has also placed a sign in the window of her house: Need Winter Accessories? Inquire Within - Free!

She doesn't want to shut out anyone who might need some assistance in keeping warm. And if you visit her at her house, you might get the opportunity to pick a unique color combination for your item...

Wildcard
[If you want to start something, go ahead and hit me up.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The scarf is well made, that much Fever can tell, but there's something prickling her senses about it. Confusing, something she can't pin down - strange magic. Like it was knitted into the structure of the piece, or perhaps just inherent. Across all of the ones with the specific tags, actually - Fever's brow furrows, as the shape of the magic escapes her yet again. A curiosity, not a problem, and it's enough that Fever approaches the booth owner holding the mostly teal piece, hoping they can direct her to the right place.

"Excuse me, but do you know who made this?"

Whether Heather is nearby, or she'll be sent to her house, either works. She's no stranger to a sidequest, after all.

The seller answers that it was made by Heather, and gives directions to her house. It's not hard to find, since it's near a trolley stop.

If Fever comes by in the daytime, Heather is likely going to be seen through the large front window of the home, knitting away. If it's later, the curtains get drawn at sunset.

Feel free to knock on the front door.

It's afternoon when she comes by, the scarf tucked into her bag with a corner peeking out - it's a good color, and it'll be a nice summoning day present for her father. And it'll be an even easier prop to point out what's going on, and where.

The knock is sharp but polite, and she waits for the door to be answered. When it is, she has a friendly smile on her face, unassuming.

"Hi. I'm looking for Heather - would that be you?"

[[ OOC: Finally a day without OT... my brain is far less tired. ]]

Heather smiles and nods. "I'm Heather. Who are you, and how can I help?"

Without waiting for the answer, though, Heather steps aside to allow a path into her house. She's either not a suspicious person, or she thinks she can handle whatever threat that others pose.

Fortunately for her, Fever's come not with suspect intentions, and she steps inside so they're not having to hover in the doorway.

"I'm Fever. I found your work when I was at the Winter Market, and quite admired it. But I was curious - what did you do to the yarn? It's unlike any other I've seen before, which is why I was looking to find you."

Heather smiles brightly. "I spun the yarn from morning fog and different kinds of water. I used my magic to make those things more solid, and then I knit from the yarn that it made."

She gestures with one hand to the sitting room. There are several other balls of yarn, stacked in baskets around the place, and while Heather's current project -- vaguely sweater-shaped at this point -- occupies one chair, there is another armchair and a two-seat sofa that stand empty.

"Would you like to sit and talk about it?"

"Yes, I'd be delighted!"

There's a sparkle in her eye now, and coming into the sitting room, she's quick to shed her coat and come to sit on the sofa. An honest enthusiasm lights up her expression, and she looks around at the other balls of yarn, intrigued.

"Are all of these such creations?"

"Oh yes. It's a merrow ability, you see, to make material out insubstantial things, and then use the material to make our magic caps or cloaks. Then we can change our shape." Heather gives a small, sheepish smile. "I don't know exactly what I need so that I can change back from this human shape to my merrow body, so I've been experimenting a lot. But even outside of shape-changing spells, I can work magic into the yarn and into the cloth. It takes well to most spells."

[ooc: so it turns out getting sick does a number on your ability to write... 😷]

"That's incredible. That would explain what I felt from it when I found it. I should clarify - I'm a sorceress, and sometimes I can pick up if things are enchanted or the like. Finding magic I've never encountered before, I'm always curious as to the craft, but this...this is art."

And knowing nothing about it, she had immediately set off in search of answers.

"Sorry to hear about your body, though. That's a sort of frustrating I can't even imagine."

At least she hasn't lost her drive to keep trying, but Fever can't help but wonder what exactly you would give form to change your own. Something mutable, maybe?

[[ OOC: Yep! I learned that one the hard way... hope you're feeling better now <3 ]]

"I didn't know much about magic until I discovered my merrow heritage. Witch magic is different from merrow magic, too." Heather pauses, and blushes a little as she hastens to explain, "In my world, human magic users almost always call themselves witches. I don't mean to use the wrong word for you."

She nods at the sympathy about being stuck in her human shape, and gives a little smile. "It was older, more experienced merrows who made my first cap. I remember the patterns of the knit -- there are certain stitches that hold the spellwork -- but the materials are part of the magic as well."

She shakes her head at the explanation - there's no offense taken in the slightest. "Call me whatever's easiest for you. The only thing I am not is a wizard, and that's because they get very picky about who gets to use that title."

But instead, she's more interested in Heather's cap, thinking about what it could be.

"Do you think that if you found something that's meant to change, it could be a good substitute? Something that's meant to be mutable, so that you could then change with it."

"I've used different forms of water, autumn leaves... I even unmade the robe they gave me at the casino to see if it had any inherent magic..." Heather trails off and shrugs. Clearly that was a dead end of some sort.

"One of the priests at the Temple says that the Goddess of Summer also has the sea as a domain, so... eventually, I'll try to ask her for some hints if I don't make progress. Really, I'm open to any ideas."

"Mm, Kora might have an answer, or at the least, she might be able to reach out to those who might be shapechangers to see if they'll help. My father also might - he's rather versed in transformations."

A very mild way to put it.

"But I get it if you'd rather sort it out yourself."

"I am pretty new to this. Even new to being a merrow, really..." Heather looks a bit sheepish. "I'll take any help I can get."

She smiles at Fever, though, and asks, "Seemed like you wanted to have me make something? We could have an exchange."

"Fair enough. An introduction for a scarf is my offer."

A commission...now that she thinks about it, there's someone she misses at Givingstide who wouldn't mind a late surprise.

"Kora, I know you can write a letter to, and leave in the Temple. It might take a while for her to respond, since it's not her season, but she'll get it. And my father works downtown, at Butterfly's Fang. He won't pass up the opportunity to discuss such a thing. His name is Sheogorath - he can be a little strange, I'll admit, but ultimately harmless. Especially if you tell him I sent you."

He might be able to suggest something she hasn't tried yet, or offer a new perspective. At the least, she knows the conversation won't be boring.

"Butterfly's Fang? I'm not familiar with it..." Heather responds, "but if you let me know where it is, I'll certainly take a look. And ask for... Sheogorath." She says the unfamiliar name slowly, as she commits it to memory.

"I hadn't thought of leaving a letter for Kora, but it's a good idea."

Heather moves further into the room and picks up a few baskets of yarn, carrying them over to the table in front of the couch. "Are there any colors you'd prefer, for your custom scarf?" (Fever will be able to see that there is a great variety of color on offer; basically anything is available, or Heather will make it.)

"Hues of violet. That'll be perfect, I think. No need to be too somber just because the weather's cloudy."

It'll look nice, and she knows the color will suit her intended recipient. Something to have, to stay warm and to keep whenever the wind decides to pick up. Sea air can get so chilly at night.

"If you really want to get Kora's attention, you can bring her a gift as well. She likes anything from the sea, but also a good drink, so I'm told. I didn't get to glimpse her last summer - apparently she showed up at one of the festivals. Alice just blushed when I tried asking too much about it."

Sephiroth has mixed feelings after some of his dreamworld experiences. He confronted a lot of pent-up fears and guilt about himself and is still struggling with those feelings now that they've been revealed. But on the plus side, he was able to help some dreamers and some dreamers helped him as well. Now that he's awake again, he's wandering about trying to make sure everyone he met got out safely. Currently he's at the beach, walking along the shore and lost in memories of Junon back home, a place special to him and his friends.

Heather is currently seated on a rock, squeezing sea water out of her long, long red hair. Although she is human sized now, she's still pretty tall for a woman at six feet in height, and her bright hair is the same shade as it was in her merrow form.

There's a piece of driftwood beside her, with a little depression in the sun-bleached wood, where she has deposited a few tiny greyish and cream-colored pearls. She isn't looking in Sephiroth's direction just yet.

He notices her and that distinctive red shade of hair. He goes over after a moment of observing. "Hello," he greets. He isn't sure she's from the dream world, but he suspects she might be.

Heather turns her head, sees him, and smiles brightly.

"Hello, Sephiroth. How nice to see you awake."

Sephiroth relaxes, seeing he has the right person, and smiles and nods in turn. "Likewise. Did you get back alright?"

"Nearly fell out of bed," Heather jokes, "but otherwise I woke up without trouble."

She runs her fingers through her hair, combing out a few small tangles. And then she scoops up the tiny pearls and says, "Here, today's 'catch'."

A smirk. "At least it was only that."

He looks at the pearls. "They're quite striking. Do you craft with them?"

"No. But feel free to take them. There are some jewelry artisans in town who will purchase or trade for pearls."

"I see. Thank you." He decides he will, and scoops them up.

"Have you seen anyone else who was in the dream world? I'm trying to make sure everyone got out safely."

At his next question, Heather shakes her head. "I'm sorry; I don't know for sure." ~~Because many of the threads are incomplete just now...~~ "My memories of most of the dreams I was in are foggy. I think maybe I only remember you so clearly because the one we shared was the last."

[[ OOC: Oh, oops! (stops leaning on the fourth wall) 😉 ]]

((OOC: LOL.))

Sephiroth nods. "I visited quite a few people, passing from one dream to the next before arriving at yours. I don't know what happened to those people after we were separated."

Edited 2025-02-09 00:08 (UTC)

"I think some people are still asleep. But I wouldn't go back into that dream, nightmare, whatever it was. Not for love or money."

"I wonder if we can prevent it. Surely we can't stay awake indefinitely, and we may enter it again against our wills when we fall asleep."

He may try to stay awake as long as possible in case of that happening.

"Tch... 'Twere no regular sleep that held us there, Sephiroth. We were under for days and days. I don't think we'd get back to it just by dozing off... but... if y' want to test such things, I'd watch over you."

It's more involved than she'd normally be, especially for 'witch nonsense', but Heather was brought here to help... so she may as well give some help.

"I realize it was unnatural, but perhaps the spell or whatever it is set to activate again once normal sleep is entered," Sephiroth says. "I hope that is not the case." It was all so sadistic, he wouldn't put it past whoever did it to them in the first place. He smiles a bit. "But thank you. That is appreciated."

"You just let me know when you'd like to start. If it starts looking like you'll go into that not-normal sleep again, I can sing you awake. At least with you, I know there's still a soul to sing to."

That rather sad comment gives him pause. "You've tried to sing to someone who could no longer be helped?"

"My friend let a demon in. So that he could still function after a head trauma. But... demons don't heal. My friend's body is still walking around, but what made up my friend... his soul... isn't there anymore."

"I'm so sorry," Sephiroth frowns. "There's no way to reclaim his soul?"

He's died several times and been restored to life. But then, he's a special case.

"It's not something I can do," Heather answers, shaking her head sadly. "And even if could reclaim Harrison's soul, I'd have to fight a whole coven of witches to get to his body and reunite the two. After casting out the demon that's gotten damn entrenched in his body."

"I would help you if I could," Sephiroth says. "This is back in your home world?"

"It is. And you cannot help me."

"Yes, I imagine it's unlikely we would be allowed to go to any worlds other than our own when this is over," Sephiroth says, assuming that's what she means.

That is... mostly what she means. Also, Heather doesn't think that Harrison would be able to come here, not with the demon Focalor inhabiting his body. They have demons aplenty here.

She does not speak just yet. She is always suppressing the mesmerizing quality of her voice when she speaks, and with the memory of facing the thing within Harrison brought to the forefront of her mind, Heather's control is weak. It would not be safe to speak.

She nods, and turns her face away from Sephiroth.

Sephiroth of course doesn't realize that is the reason for her silence and looking away. "I am sorry for bringing back such a painful memory," he says.

Ah, well. What the hell.

She doesn't know if it will work, if he'll understand her American Sign Language, but regardless, she looks back at him and signs,

|Remember that I have a dangerous voice. It takes self-control to speak safely, and emotions weaken my self-control.|

[[ OOC: In general, I believe there's a translation effect going on for people here, and it's usually played as applying to signed languages as well. But, player's choice, of course! ]]

((OOC: Okay!))

Sephiroth does understand it regardless of whatever translation effects may be in play here.

"I understand," he says. "It must be difficult to control such a power."

He withholds a immense amount of his own powers and has never, in fact, used them to their fullest potential. When sane, he doesn't want to hurt anyone with his full strength. When insane, he tends to think he can beat others without bringing out his full strength.

|My mother didn't let me speak aloud until I was halfway through five years old, when I showed the self control. I was able to speak, but because I would compel others without trying, I wasn't allowed.|

Unsaid, but it ought to be clear: yes, it is difficult to control such a power, since it took years to master.

"That must have been a difficult childhood."

He understands that well, although he'd had the opposite problem: the main mad scientist raising him had put him through all manner of torture to try to force his powers to come out.

"For a while. But it was for the safety of everyone around me." Heather shrugs. "Once I had control, things were mostly normal."

Sephiroth nods. "It's understandable why it had to be that way. I'm glad you were able to enjoy your childhood after that."

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Late Winter Catch-All [Open]

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Wildcard

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CW: Mention of child abuse

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