deercountry | June Catch All

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June Catch All

Who: Makoto Kino & Open
What: Catch all for the second half of June.
When: June 14 to June 28
Where: Various Locations, Flour & Bloom (Cellar Door), Maze under the city, The Boardwalk

Content Warnings: Ghosts/supernatural horror for the boardwalk prompt.

At Flour & Bloom:
Despite the rumbling earlier in the month, Flour and Bloom had managed to remain fully intact and all the walls were still standing. Between Snow-White and Makoto there was almost always something in the oven, giving the shop the smell of fresh baked goods, a sweet scent that lingered into the street and mixed well with the flowers that they were offering for the month.

For June there was Tulips, Day Lilly, Peony, Lavender, Roses, Sacred Lotus, & Black Knight all of which were in bloom and were pretty. As well as many of which were supposed to be calming and were said to have mystical properties to help deal with restless spirits. As for the bakery it was stocked with Cinnamon Delights, Lavendar cookies, Lemon Drop Cookies, Angel Food Cake, and by special request once or twice Apple Pies; but only when Snow was out for a bit.

Walking in there's a small bell above the door, alerting Makoto to a guest. In apron and summer dress she'll cheerfully call out,

"Hello, welcome to our shop, how can I help you bloom today?"

Visiting Friends:
So with everything that was going on, Makoto was making sure to visit all of her friends with baskets. Each of them had incense inside along with a vile of Vial Blood she'd given, some lavender, and whatever their favorite baked good was. Many people had been having nightmares, so there was no way that Makoto would let them get out of accepting something that might help with just a little rest.

Knowing that most of them would argue about it she didn't bother calling ahead and instead just showed up on their doorstep knocking.

The Under City: Featuring Sailor Jupiter
Why was there always a secret tunnel or city underneath wherever they were? Jupiter had made it a point to start coming down to the maze through the cracks to help others and to make sure that there wasn't anything dangerous down in the lower levels. Luckily the light from her tiara made the area right around her visible in the darkness, giving off enough to see for about ten to fifteen feet. Jupiter wasn't great with maps, but she was certainly up to facing any danger that might lurk down there and was willing to face whatever they had to uncover what was going on or to learn a little more about the true nature of Trench.

"Stay close."

The Boardwalk:
Makoto was walking down the boardwalk on her own, at least it looked that way at first until two figures seemed to join her, one on either side, taking her hand. Only they were reaching much lowever than where Makoto's reach was now.

"I remember, we would always go exploring when papa got home from work. Going for walks to see what we could find."

The ghosts had appeared recently, and it was only through sharing memories of her childhood that she managed to calm them enough to keep the house and the bakery in one piece. The mother looked very much like Makoto, or what she would likely grow to look like in a few more years, and the man had a few similar features as well. Still, while they were complacent with the stories at first, it did little to keep them so, it was obvious that Makoto wasn't a little girl any longer. They wanted their little girl, and as they walk along the beach the woman begins to lament for her missing child.

"I'm still here."

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"You as well." Vira-Lorr was standing next to her as they entered into the tunnels. Seated on her shoulder, a little candle smiled away, adding to the light that the two women shared and waving over at Jupiter while the seer stalked close and remained right beside her, rapier out. Jupiter was more than able to take care of herself, but she was her friend, and Vira-Lorr wasn't about to let her come to harm.

She had a particularly nervous energy to her. Sinkholes and her were anything but friends. She'd developed a little bit of light claustrophobia in her time here and she detested when things like this happened. "I don't know what to expect here, but at least it isn't as bad as the tunnels we traveled getting to this world."

Jupiter returned the wave from the candle, and was glad for the company. It was a challenge for Vira-Lorr she knew, especially with what Makoto had learned about the first tunnels and sinkholes that had appeared. But that was part of the reason that she insisted on being one of the first to explore the tunnels, so if those same dangers presented themselves, no one else would be exposed to the risk.

"I will, but so far everything seems pretty clear. These aren't nearly as deep as the sinkholes were, so I don't think there's going to be a completely different world like there was before. At least I haven't seen any big enough for a dinosaur."

But even if that was what was down here, the two of them would be more than capable of taking it down. Though Makoto did know that Vira-Lorr had said she wasn't going to fight as often she knew that the other probably wasn't that rusty after just a few months. However, Jupiter would have to make sure that she came home in one piece or Minako would kill her.

It was a sentiment that they shared. For all of her nerves, Vira-Lorr wasn't about to let others take these perils without at least attempting to come down here and see what was possibly beneath the city. "You're right. It's definitely not as deep as any of the sinkholes, and it's wider than the tunnels that monstrous worm made earlier on, so it feels a bit like actual catocombs." She didn't add that she had a sneaking suspicion that they were probably walking through the halls of the tower's frame as it spread through all of the city.

Either way, as they neared one of the chambers that was visible, she frowned, moving to the doorway and glancing in. For now... nothing. The walls did not crawl with life. But that did not mean things couldn't change in an instant. "I'm expecting traps. how about you?"

(OOC: Feel free to choose any peril from the list or any you like!)

Luckily Jupiter had an idea of just where they were going, managing to avoid any dead ends or falls. Her steps carried them forward without hesitation though eventually, they came to pause before a large door, markings and symbols corresponding to the moon and Pthumerians spread across it.

"This is it, what we're looking for it is on the other side of this."

Though there was likely a trap on the other side as well. Something to keep those who entered from finding the scrolls and the orbs that were contained therein. Despite how hard she pushed though, Jupiter was unable to get it to budge.

Vira-Lorr looked over the door for a moment and rested a hand on the shoulder of her friend. "If you're not able to push, then it's not something that strength can handle. I really only know one person who was ever physically stronger than you." And, well, big and green wasn't here anymore. "What do you think, Makoto? some sort of puzzle related to the moon? What about these symbols?"

It certainly wouldn't have shocked her if it was something like that. She started to stare at the symbols more intently. "Almost wish we'd brought a lunar orb. weren't there glowing stones around here on the path back? They looked similar..."

Lavender. Tinya's a sucker for lavender, so to know that the flowers themselves were coming in was a huge treat. She may actually have some blooms at home, but she figures it's best to support local businesses as well as attempt to take care of her garden. which she's at a complete loss at, back home she had gardeners for that kind of thing.

But she goes in, smiling. Not her usual brilliant smile, but one which is a little wan. This month's...business has seemed to touch entirely too close to home and she's counting the days until it's July.

Imagine her surprise, though, to see lavender cookies. She'd never heard that such a thing was possible and she's buying a lot. A lot a lot. Perhaps enough to clear inventory of them.

"Hello...I see you have lavender items for sale? How much for all of the cookies?"

"We do, the Lavender had been starting to bloom, and it has a wonderful scent."

Next to Lillies and roses it was one of Makoto's favorites. Makoto could see that it had been a rough day, or maybe week or two for the other, going over and grabbing the platter that had the Lavender acookies on it, there were only four or five for sampling on this one but Makoto had two boxes of a dozen each ready to go.

"Feel free to try one, but usually I just accept whatever people are willing to give for them. So far everyone has been pretty generous and helpful so I try to be as well."

"Oh, I know. Normally I'm into roses, but it might still be a little early. But lavender is just as wonderful in its own way." The color, the fragrance, the flavor...all of it was wonderful.

A rough month, really. She hated to think of how easily she'd fallen prey to this month's peculiarities, but she had. Maybe because she had almost nothing but regrets about the way she'd left things back home, it made her an easier target. Tinya had heard the term before, "corruption," but didn't know enough about it to be able to tell if she actually was.

But, yes. A far better thought was lavender cookies. She took one with a smile and bit into it, the flavor and scent tickling her senses in a good way. As soon as she'd finished chewing and swallowing, she made a little happy sound and grinned.

"Well, I'll do my best to be as well," Tinya said and handed over a bag filled with dried coral, much of it jewelry-quality. "Will this be enough?"

Oddly enough with the roses, there were enough differences to where she was able to keep some variation of roses around pretty much all of the time. Which went well with the earrings and pendant which Makoto wore constantly.

Seeing the other enjoy the Lavender cookie Makoto smiled, accepting the small bag.

"It will be great."

They were pretty cute and would be perfect for what Usagi had started up, plus she knew that at few of the booths at the boardwalk traded things like this as well.

"Are they your favorite? If so I can make them special anytime you'd like."

Such would be the case with roses. Tinya was partial to the ones so deep a red that they were almost black. They reminded her of the red roses from home. Of course, there were also the Bgztl blues, ones which smelled and tasted of marzipan.

The lavender cookie was easily the best thing she'd eaten since coming to Trench.

She hands over the bag of coral in exchange for the cookies, grinning almost foolishly in her appreciation.

Tinya had assumed that the coral would be well-received. It was rare that people were willing to go the distance or comb the sea that carefully for coral to be traded. Ordinarily, she went with sea glass, but these cookies were something special and so called for something special.

"They are. Those and rose and violet. I'm a--a little silly about flowers in case you hadn't noticed," she said with a self-deprecating laugh. "There's Earl Grey with each flower, too, have you had that before? I may be slightly partial to it."

"Don't worry I was the president of the gardening club at home and was the one responsible for the school's greenhouse for our grade."

That was to say that Makoto was just as passionate and thrilled by flowers as Tinya, her own personal favorite being a pink rose. Though she wasn't really familiar with any of them being used for tea. Makoto shook her head,

"No, but Rei was the one that usually knew about tea. I'd be glad to learn though."

"I'm not worried. Your store looks--and smells--beautiful. It's clear that you put a lot of work into it."

Tinya loved flowers, but she had what could kindly be called a brown thumb. She was even afraid to mess with the flowers and shrubbery at her house for fear of accidentally killing something. Watering too much, watering too little, too much sun, not enough. The possibilities were endless and embarrassing.

"Then I'd be happy to teach you! There's a lovely little teashop in Cellar Door which serves tea and sells loose tea."

"I do my best, and luckily I have help from several of my friends as well."

Snow-white helped her with a lot of the baking, and Atsushi helped to carry a lot of the flowers from the garden and greenhouse back at the Pink Monstrosity, plus Usagi was always telling others all about the place and how great Makoto's cooking was. She was truly blessed to have so many amazing people around her, it made helping others like Tinya easy and enjoyable really. Besides Makoto had one of the greenest thumbs around.

"I'd really like that. It'd be really good to know what to recommend for others too. Thank you, that's really kind."

"That's very kind of them."

She hadn't met any of them, but maybe that was because she travelled in Night Walker circles. She honestly wondered if it was time that the Night Walkers--all of them--could use their own home in Cellar Door. Not a brother, never that, but a place where they could relax and see clients at their own pace.

And Tinya would appreciate any advice she could get on her back-yard. She was afraid to approach too much for fear that her brown-thumb would take control.

"Sure! And floral scents and flavors...they tend to be very popular. If the amount I bought from you is any indication," she says, smiling wide.

"Usually it's chocolate that's the most popular, but these have been surprisingly popular yes."

Then again in December sugar cookies had been the most frequent request, along with lighter desserts like angel food cake. Makotto was still getting used to so many enjoying the things that she made, or the fact that so many people seemed to really enjoy the flowers that she grew as well. More and more she became a lot more confident in interacting with others without the lingering doubt of before.

"Let me know when a good time would be and I will see what I can do."

"Well, who doesn't love chocolate? Other than those who are allergic to it, I suppose. But lavender...you don't see that every day. It's unique and a good reason to keep coming back"

Tinya isn't sure she wants to think about December. Because after December comes April and her twentieth birthday. Five years world-hopping. And she has so much to do back home, save her sick son, try to save her crumbling marriage. Love wasn't the question, she still loved Jo as much as she did on their wedding day. Maybe more. She simply didn't know if his love for her was as secure anymore.

"Let's see...when do you close shop?"

"It took a few tries to get it right, but the recipe was pretty easy to follow and there are supposed to be a perfect treat for the month."

It was kind of like a farmer's almanac but a bit more about why it was helpful to have Lavender in this season, and what blooms could be used to offset symptoms of this month. Some of them Makoto didn't know, but those that she did, she made sure to plant at the appropriate times.

"We usually close around five or six."

"Then there's no way I can possibly say no." And she grinned playfully. "Not that I want to."

Such a thing would be very useful. Tinya was terrified of becoming corrupted and would do just about anything to not let it happen. She still didn't fully realize that it wouldn't necessarily need her approval to proceed. A strong will was a good thing to have, but not when it blinded a person to certain inevitabilities.

"Okay, then how about I meet you back here at six and we can go to the tea shop. They brew tea right there, so you don't have to worry about buying anything you haven't tried."

Usagi felt Makoto before she saw her both through their bond and the string that connected her to all the senshi. She dusted off her hands as she picked up the bag of shells she collected from the beach. Usagi lifted up her arm and was about to call out when she saw the ghost. A chill suddenly going down her spine at the sight of them.

But... they were next to Makoto, and the woman LOOKED like an older version of Makoto. She swallowed her fear and came closer.

"M-M-Mako-ch-chan! He-Hel-HI!" she managed to get out, hugging her bag close as she kept eyeing the ghosts.

Makoto hadn't expected to run into Usagi at the boardwalk, in fact she'd left the house with the ghosts to try and avoid running into the blonde knowing how scared of ghosts she was.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you. I know you don't like this kind of thing."

Her father began to chide about manners, being embarrassed. After a moment Makoto turned standing next to Usagi.

"Mama, Papa, this is Usagi Tsukino. She's a classmate and a very good friend. She helped me settle in after I moved. Usagi, this is my mother and father."

Usagi wants to cry because she's dealing with ghosts but she also wants to cry because her best friend's deceased parents are here in a way they can never be. She bowed deeply in greeting trying to be on her best behavior.

"H-H-Hello, it's n-n-nice to meet you, Makoto-chan is amazing and sweet, she's one of my best friends."

Makoto knew that it wasn't really them, from the time that they had first turned angry and loud. But at the same time, it was nice in the times when they were quiet when they were like she remembered. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed them, though she was constantly reminded of everything that they had not been there for.

"I've told them a lot about you and Sushi-kun. They can't stay though."

She looked down, the images of her parents flickering into shadows and twisting momentarily, her mom crying out for her little girl, her father going off about standing up straight and proper honorifics.

Usagi looked between the two of them and then back to Makoto. She took a deep breath and grabbed Makoto's hands, wanting to be there for one of her best friends with something like... this.

"Whatever you need, Mako-chan, I'm here," she shivered as a chill ran down her spine. But Makoto was more important. Makoto was always more important.

"What do you need?"

As much as she didn't want to, it was clear what she had to do. She had already seen how others had talked about it, but she didn't want to ask Usagi to have to deal with the ghosts, she didn't want to force her parents to leave either. She was on the verge of tears,

"I have to say goodbye. Can you help me tell them that?"

It took two different blood types, but it had always seemed the vile blood and pale blood did well to complement one another. They would need to draw a circle.

"Of course I can," she came over and hesitated a moment before completely closing the distance. "Whatever you need to say or do, I'm right here to help you. Do you want me to say anything?"

The last time he spoke to Makoto, he was an embarrassing mess because Hunk disappeared. And then the heaviness of that loss became too much and he retreated into turning into a deer for long stretches of time. Keith pulled him back to his humanity earlier in June and he's been trying to figure out how to be a person again since. His memory is also a mess.

But he remembers her face as a hazy flash and the smell of the flowers and baking is what draws him here. Scent is a powerful memory trigger and it inspires that feeling of memories bubbling just under the surface of his mind, closer but still hard to grasp. So the feeling is powerful and he follows it inside. The greeting she gives as he's looking around, turning in circles is pleasant, but also gives him pause.

"Wait, 'help me bloom'? Please tell me that's not literal. I can't tell anymore around here."

"No, I just thought it was a cute way to greet customers coming in. Sort of like, how can I help you."

Makoto was glad to see Lance again, she had been worried after the last time that they spoke. But she also knew that sometimes you needed time to yourself when dealing with certain things. Grabbing one of the Lavender cookies she walked over to where he was,

"Want to try a sample? They're fresh from this morning."

He relaxes a bit when she clarifies and smiles slightly, "Hey, that's pretty clever, actually."

The offer of a cookie is a bit surprising and welcomed, but it's such a Hunk-like gesture that he feels his throat closing a bit. He swallows forcefully and puts on a bit of a lopsided grin, "Hey, yeah, thanks," he takes one off the plate, "So uh, how's business going?"

It was her goal and Snow-white's to help as many people as they could and to make sure that everyone felt welcome, Makoto remembered how generous and friendly Hunk had been in Deerington and she was trying to provide the same thing for Trench.

"It's been blooming. We have a few regulars, and a few people have had us help out with special events And there are even a few that come by for lessons occasionally."

Lance takes a bite of the cookie and blinks, "Hey, this's damn good."

He takes another and swallows, then asks: "Lessons? Like… learning how to cook and stuff?"

"Yes, the more people that know how to cook at least a few simple dishes the better. Especially if there's ever an emergency."

Or if something were to happen to those of them that seemed to do most of the baking and cooking for half of Trench. Just imagine the horror of no cookies or cakes for a month because one of them fell into a sleep trance or something.

"Man, tell me about it. I dunno how Shiro survives without- uh," He clears his throat and shakes his head with a bit of a sad smile, "Have you met a guy named Takashi Shirogane? Tall, white floof of hair right here-"

He gestures with his hand near his head where Shiro's white forelock is.

"We've spoken a few times, I've heard a lot about him from Vira-Lorr and Usagi though."

Plus she had seen a lot of the posts he had made. He seemed like a pretty popular guy that was the kind to step up and take charge but was likely to forget about the basic needs at times and would have to be reminded to eat or sleep.

"Awesome. Then you might've heard he's like the worst cook to ever live. Seriously, the guy can't even boil water."

He chuckles at that. No, he will never not get a kick out of dunking on Shiro for being so bad at cooking. And yet being the most accomplished pilot of his generation and being the responsible big brother of their team.

Makoto laughed a little, trying to hide it behind her hand for a moment.

"I hadn't heard that, but it's good to know. Next time I hear he's heading something up I'll offer to make boxed lunches for everyone."

If they were going to work and fight it was the least that Makoto could do, exploring was a pretty rough job without having to worry about cooking and it wasn't like someone could be good at everything.

He snort-laughs and then snickers a bit, "Oh, he's totally banned from ever trying to cook, and he knows he totally sucks at it. Buuut that doesn't mean he won't try sometime in like an emergency. I'd say he should take some lessons with you, but he's probably hopeless. Hunk was keeping him properly fed for the most part, I think."

Lance has tried here and there to compensate as he can cook too, just not as well as Hunk. It's hard, though, he doesn't do it as fast or as well.

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June Catch All

The Undercity

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At Flour & Bloom

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The Boardwalk

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At Flour & Bloom

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this is ancient, feel free to ignore

It's alright, but we can handwave the rest if you'd like.

i'm good either way!

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