Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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melodiesoflife2016-12-09 12:18 pm
worstintheworld) wrote in melodiesoflife2016-12-09 12:18 pm
Entry tags:
Natalia VS The World
WHO: Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear, Yuri Lowell, OPEN!
WHAT: There are two (2) monsters that Natalia needs to defeat in order to improve her skills and abilities. As long as she's headed to Trano Golsaucia, why not go for both of the monsters found there? She's at least accustomed to fighting them. Then in the third prompt, Natalia takes a "rest" in the Santa Village where she attempts to make cookies. And fails. It's up to Yuri to save the children from the worst baker in the world.
WHEN: December 2016 (dates flexible)
WHERE: Trano Golsaucia (Prompts 1 & 2), Santa Village (Prompt 3)
NOTES: If there's other CR you'd like with her, feel free to start up a thread of your own!
Archers were definitely best suited to take on the winged menace of the Calamity Buers, Natalia discovered. They were difficult to hit, but if she activated her Aim, she found that hitting them was the easy part. Getting them to stay down, that was tricky. Especially since she lacked the strength and skill she'd possessed in her homeworld. The Santa job boosted magic, and she'd hoped to keep White Mage equipped for a peaceful month.
As dangerous as the world was, however, that simply wasn't an option. At least the Christmas Spirit she carried improved the morale of the people in town, as well as those who'd agreed to defend this city alongside the plucky princess.
Finding the monsters was far from difficult. One only had to keep a steady watch on the horizon, and eventually one would come wheeling down toward the city with a beastly screech.
"Avoid looking directly into their eyes!" Natalia instructed. Not something one could easily do, given that the Buer was almost all eyeball, but the last thing they needed was to start turning on each other once the fight got rough.
Sighting the monster with her bow, she released the string, and her arrow sailed through the darkness with a soft whistle to bury itself in the monster's wing. It spun around with an enraged shriek, fluttering toward the ground steadily but surely. Natalia was already drawing her next arrow, ready to plug it with another shot if those on the ground below weren't able to finish it off.
* * * * *
Without the White Mage job at her disposal, Natalia had to use the gil she'd earned fighting these monsters to purchase an enormous supply of Antidotes. The Toy Bag was useful in storing the lot of them, as well as extra arrows to ensure she wasn't caught low on ammunition.
Carefully she'd wrapped several of her arrows in oil-soaked cloth, standing outside the city wall near a blazing torch. "If you have any sort of fire-based attacks, you would do well to use them," she nodded to those who'd moved to fight these villains alongside her. "Attack at a distance if you are able. I'll watch your back if you must move in close." The ochus could put its victims to sleep or poison them. Or both. She'd learned the hard way what happened if it managed to capture a Hero, and the memory wasn't a pleasant one.
One of the wooden chocobos on the abandoned carousel suddenly creaked as its brass pole was cruelly bent, and a Calamity Ochu clambered over it with a guttural hiss. Its viny appendages flopped and wriggled as it heaved its crystal-plated bulk over the ground. Upon spotting the blazing fire, it hesitated. But once it saw the heroes lined up beside it, it roared its challenge and began slap-dragging itself after them immediately.
Natalia dipped her arrow into the torch, the oil-soaked cloth flowering brightly in flames before she loosed her attack on the Calamity Ochu.
* * * * *
A hard-working Santa-equipped Hero of Light was well received in the Santa Village, and after fighting so long and so hard in Trano Golsaucia, even working nonstop in the Village was practically a vacation in comparison. Wherever they needed Natalia to be, she was happy to be of service. And if they didn't have any particular assignments, why, she would make her own, and draft anyone she could find into pulling their weight. She built fires, babysat children, mended broken window shutters (once she learned how it was done), and assembled toys.
But her most frequent job assignment was to play the role of Mrs. Claus, welcoming visitors to the village and encouraging them to donate, or indulge in shopping trips to boost the village economy. One of her duties in being Mrs. Claus, she discovered, was baking cookies alongside her "husband," which...admittedly made her frown a bit, but she understood it was just a role, and not an indication of romantic attachment.
It was a good thing the cinnamon-scented pine cones and the fir trees were present, because Natalia's baking could choke a chocobo. She mashed whole eggs into the dough, wadded up the mass and threw it into the oven, added too little flour, added too much milk (when the recipe didn't even call for any), and was generally a walking, golden-hearted disaster.
"Let's see..." Natalia bent over the cookbook (not that it was doing her much good), studying the next step intently. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin? She could do that. Gripping the pin by one of its convenient wooden handles, she took a firm stance with feet spread apart and began hammering on the sad wad of sticky dough that, perhaps in more capable hands, could have once been made into delicious cookies. Alas.
WHAT: There are two (2) monsters that Natalia needs to defeat in order to improve her skills and abilities. As long as she's headed to Trano Golsaucia, why not go for both of the monsters found there? She's at least accustomed to fighting them. Then in the third prompt, Natalia takes a "rest" in the Santa Village where she attempts to make cookies. And fails. It's up to Yuri to save the children from the worst baker in the world.
WHEN: December 2016 (dates flexible)
WHERE: Trano Golsaucia (Prompts 1 & 2), Santa Village (Prompt 3)
NOTES: If there's other CR you'd like with her, feel free to start up a thread of your own!
Archers were definitely best suited to take on the winged menace of the Calamity Buers, Natalia discovered. They were difficult to hit, but if she activated her Aim, she found that hitting them was the easy part. Getting them to stay down, that was tricky. Especially since she lacked the strength and skill she'd possessed in her homeworld. The Santa job boosted magic, and she'd hoped to keep White Mage equipped for a peaceful month.
As dangerous as the world was, however, that simply wasn't an option. At least the Christmas Spirit she carried improved the morale of the people in town, as well as those who'd agreed to defend this city alongside the plucky princess.
Finding the monsters was far from difficult. One only had to keep a steady watch on the horizon, and eventually one would come wheeling down toward the city with a beastly screech.
"Avoid looking directly into their eyes!" Natalia instructed. Not something one could easily do, given that the Buer was almost all eyeball, but the last thing they needed was to start turning on each other once the fight got rough.
Sighting the monster with her bow, she released the string, and her arrow sailed through the darkness with a soft whistle to bury itself in the monster's wing. It spun around with an enraged shriek, fluttering toward the ground steadily but surely. Natalia was already drawing her next arrow, ready to plug it with another shot if those on the ground below weren't able to finish it off.
* * * * *
Without the White Mage job at her disposal, Natalia had to use the gil she'd earned fighting these monsters to purchase an enormous supply of Antidotes. The Toy Bag was useful in storing the lot of them, as well as extra arrows to ensure she wasn't caught low on ammunition.
Carefully she'd wrapped several of her arrows in oil-soaked cloth, standing outside the city wall near a blazing torch. "If you have any sort of fire-based attacks, you would do well to use them," she nodded to those who'd moved to fight these villains alongside her. "Attack at a distance if you are able. I'll watch your back if you must move in close." The ochus could put its victims to sleep or poison them. Or both. She'd learned the hard way what happened if it managed to capture a Hero, and the memory wasn't a pleasant one.
One of the wooden chocobos on the abandoned carousel suddenly creaked as its brass pole was cruelly bent, and a Calamity Ochu clambered over it with a guttural hiss. Its viny appendages flopped and wriggled as it heaved its crystal-plated bulk over the ground. Upon spotting the blazing fire, it hesitated. But once it saw the heroes lined up beside it, it roared its challenge and began slap-dragging itself after them immediately.
Natalia dipped her arrow into the torch, the oil-soaked cloth flowering brightly in flames before she loosed her attack on the Calamity Ochu.
* * * * *
A hard-working Santa-equipped Hero of Light was well received in the Santa Village, and after fighting so long and so hard in Trano Golsaucia, even working nonstop in the Village was practically a vacation in comparison. Wherever they needed Natalia to be, she was happy to be of service. And if they didn't have any particular assignments, why, she would make her own, and draft anyone she could find into pulling their weight. She built fires, babysat children, mended broken window shutters (once she learned how it was done), and assembled toys.
But her most frequent job assignment was to play the role of Mrs. Claus, welcoming visitors to the village and encouraging them to donate, or indulge in shopping trips to boost the village economy. One of her duties in being Mrs. Claus, she discovered, was baking cookies alongside her "husband," which...admittedly made her frown a bit, but she understood it was just a role, and not an indication of romantic attachment.
It was a good thing the cinnamon-scented pine cones and the fir trees were present, because Natalia's baking could choke a chocobo. She mashed whole eggs into the dough, wadded up the mass and threw it into the oven, added too little flour, added too much milk (when the recipe didn't even call for any), and was generally a walking, golden-hearted disaster.
"Let's see..." Natalia bent over the cookbook (not that it was doing her much good), studying the next step intently. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin? She could do that. Gripping the pin by one of its convenient wooden handles, she took a firm stance with feet spread apart and began hammering on the sad wad of sticky dough that, perhaps in more capable hands, could have once been made into delicious cookies. Alas.
buer fight
(She'll reserve being amazed at what she can do later, when monsters aren't swooping at them.)
She triggers her Aim skill as well, and lets her arrow fly at another one emerging on their right. It manages to hit the monster's tail, but she knows that won't be good enough to take it out, and readies another shot.
Re: buer fight
And while Natalia and Namine were relatively inexperienced, the pirate had come ready to fight.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Her Mastered Gunner job protected her from the creature's gaze. She took aim right at the eye, but then shifted to the right. The Monster arena needed them alive after all. Aiming for the broad wing of the flying monster she fired a Sleep Shot. At best she'd subdue it, but attempting to cripple it worked just fine as a backup.
no subject
They certainly seemed like they were able to pin it down, and it gave a more feeble shriek of rage as it tried to rise, only to be shot down again. Its single eye grew heavy with the Sleep Shot Mary had fired at it, and its movements grew sluggish.
"There! That should do it--"
The roof exploded beneath their feet as a second Calamity Buer, drawn by the howls of its brother, slammed itself bodily into the casino. Shingles splintered and cracked, and Natalia nearly lost her grip on her bow as she tried to steady herself. But she was starting to slip.
The Buer lifted itself up as it circled up into the sky, then doubled back as it prepared to back another dive attack at the very foundation upon which they stood.
no subject
It's a choice between climbing up to higher ground or trying to reach for her bow. But with the monster approaching so swiftly, there's no choice but to try and stop it, and so she goes for the third option. Naminé flings a large bit of shingle at it at an attempt to slow it down, hoping that it gives Natalia and Mary the time to reload.
Sorry!
That pride didn't last long as the situation turned to chaos. Her own instincts had her moving out of the way just as the attack came in. Being a Sky Pirate had her at a disadvantage on the rooftop as compared to if she had Assassin equipped, but she had her way of dealing with things.
Rather than taking another shot Mary instead focused on her prone ally. They could always regroup and rally on their attacks, but a lost Hero would not be so salvaged. And that was merely the pragmatic reason, not the one driving the pirate. She simply wouldn't let friends or crew to their fates, not as long as she knew she could count on them.
Pulling a rope from her belt she lashed it out and the rope's end fixed itself to a point in midair. Sliding down the rooftop, kicking a few shingles off and away as she went, she swung down and grabbed Namine from her perilous position.
"Hang on!" She kept on running, aiming for a broader ledge to land themselves on.
no subject
Well. So be it! If she had to go down, then let it be on her own terms. Rather than let herself be lost along with the casino roof, Natalia instead took the brief window of time she was afforded to sling her bow over her shoulder, leaping not off of the slanted roof, but onto the buer itself.
It was a dangerous and reckless plan, but there simply wasn't enough time nor enough resources to consider anything else. Her hands scrabbled for a hold in its crystal-studded skin, and it flapped its wings wildly as it drunkenly swung to and fro in an effort to dislodge the princess who clung to it so tenaciously. At the very least it was too busy trying to drop her instead of knocking Mary and Naminé to their deaths. Perhaps she could force it to land.
"Take your shots! I'll hold it!" As if she had any other option but to hold it...
no subject
"Oh bloody hell..." She ran back, climbing up the wall to the rooftop from before with her own trained skill and not with the mobility offered by a job. Swift but not quite as fast, but still faster than most Heroes with her current job setup could muster. Of course, jumping on the monster was something she'd been debating doing herself, but she didn't expect it to turn out as well for Natalia as it might for herself or others.
Once she was high enough she took aim, trying to take care, worried that even if she hit the monster it might pass through and hit her as well. Or worse it would die in midair and send her plummeting. "Damn girl...." She waited, waited until its shadow was right over her, and then fired a sleep shot right at the monster's eye.
culinary artes!
Yuri yawned briefly as he was making his way down the small stairs of the residence that he was staying in. It was the same one that he was floating in last year with Rukia. This time he was a bit sleepy and the sound woke him up. At first he wanted to ignore and let it slide but the noise kept going and going. Eventually, he started picking an odd smell. The smell further made him worry about what was going on.
It almost smelled like something was burning.
He runs a hand through his slight bedhead as he walked to the kitchen to catch sight of short blond hair. He immediately put a name to the the back. This doesn't look good so far. The swordsman raises a brow as he got closer and the crunching and throwing. He almost cringes at the sight when he finally gets close enough. What on earth was this girl trying to do?! The poor ingredients-- the dough and the food that's being wasted!
He immediately spoke up.
"-H-Hey Princess, easy!"
He grabs the pin after the x amount of times that Natalia has been beating the egg shell covered dough before any more damage to the food and her happens.
"That's not how you use a rolling pin, Princess-- what are you doing anyway?"
Yuri questioned briefly. Please for the love of everything good-- don't tell him you are trying to cook and your cooking skills are even worse than Flynns!! At least his looks edible. Natalia's looks like it can kill someone.
no subject
"What...? Yuri?!"
Once the shock passed, she relinquished the rolling pin, but only because she didn't really know what else to do with it.
"I was assigned the role of Mrs. Claus for the day and told that I should bake cookies. What are you doing here?" He didn't look like any Santa Clauses she'd ever seen.
But before he could answer, she caught sight of a curl of black smoke, rapidly turning into a fat plume escaping from the oven. Natalia gasped and jammed the oven mitt onto her hand, using it to take out the wad of blackened dough. It looked more like a cannonball than something edible.
"I think it's done," she said, carefully carrying it to the countertop before picking up a butcher knife. "Now I just need to carve it into shapes." Surely then it would look like it was supposed to, right?
no subject
"Good Morning to you too, Princess. What were you doing?"
He raised a brow as she seemed shocked to see him here. Did she really not notice that a room was occupied last night? He cranes his neck some as she said that. Ah, right the traditional thing in this village. That's why she's here. He's not really out to fulfill any roles but he needed a place to sleep. So much for a peaceful winter.
"What kind of shapes can you carve into that? How long did you bake it?"
He seemed almost distressed by how awful t his all looked. Yet, he's trying to swallow and not make it sound any worse, "Not to be rude, Princess, but have you ever cooked or baked before? I mean aside from.... you know boiling water and instant foods."
Yikes, he didn't seem subtle at all.
no subject
"Snowflakes, I'm hoping," she replied, settling a hand on top of the dough wad to hold it in place as she prepared to slice it like a holiday ham. "But from what I understand, stars and little men are seasonal favorites." As for how long, she hadn't really timed her efforts, so she had no reply to give to him.
The knife managed to flake off a few black flecks, but she seemed to be having difficulty forcing the blade into the doug boulder. She shifted her weight on her feet and adjusted her grip on the knife, pushing a little harder.
She lifted her head to blink at him as he posed his question. He said he didn't mean to be rude, but the princess frowned a little just the same. It was fine until he mentioned the last part about only being able to boil water. "I've made cake before." Poorly, and it had been a disaster, but she'd still made it. "But I don't see what that has to do with anything. Even beginners are able to make cookies. That's what the Moogles said."
The knife glanced off of the rock hard dough, but fortunately for Natalia she only nicked her finger instead of chopping it off. She winced and stuck her finger in her mouth. It wasn't too much blood, but it still hurt.
no subject
"The dough's too hard. You didn't knead it correctly. Beating it with the roller only made it worse," he replied slowly. His voice was calm as he walked over to the rest of the things she was doing in terms of cooking and baking.
"They're kind of-- well not recognizable honestly-- did you even toss the shells from the eggs?"
Please for love of everything good, why was he dealing with this mess right now and why was he grabbing utensils and rinsing out the already used bowl? Let's not really ask since Yuri was going to obviously take matters into his own hand. He didn't get far when he caught her hurting herself.
He took the knife from her before she hurt herself anymore.
"How did it taste and how did it look?" he replied as he grabbed her hand, not giving her time to protest and putting a cold cloth over it. He searched for a first aid kit he hid somewhere in the kitchen and put the band aid on her finger that got nicked.
"Okay, princess you're going to need to throw all of this away. We're going to start over and I'll show you how to properly bake. Just because a moogle said beginners can do it, doesn't mean they can. Some can, and others need practice."
no subject
She stiffened in surprise as he deftly tended to her small injury. That was rather kind of him. Natalia examined the bandage with no small hint of redness in her cheeks. "Oh. Thank you."
While she hesitated to throw away her work, perhaps it might be best, in a 'dispose of the evidence' sort of way. Her defeated stance perked up immediately as well when he offered to actually show her what to do. "You don't mind? That's very magnanimous of you." Even after she'd surely irritated him with the banging and acrid smells of burning, foul food, he truly was patient. She appreciated that deeply.
Feeling increasingly optimistic, she smiled and inclined her head. "Very well. Let us begin!" She picked up the diamond-hard lump and dropped it into the trash can where it hit with an ear-splitting clattering BANG. Hopefully that thing was biodegradable, but with the Calamity spreading, maybe they'd get lucky and force it to keel over once it engulfed the poor results of Natalia's cooking.
While she was a poor cook, she didn't seem to have any problems cleaning up, wiping off the counters and moving the dirty dishes to the sink where they would be out of the way. "What must I do first?"
no subject
After tending to her injury, it looked like they were ready to do things. He shook it off dismissively as he usually did.
"Don't sweat it, Princess. Let's get started."
He replied handing her the clean bow and mixer, "Not at all. I'm not extremely fancy at what I do but this stuff is pretty basic," Yuri replied reassuring as she looked a bit confused at his offer. Yuri didn't want her to waste anymore good ingredients or hurt herself while baking. It was better for him to take the hull for now. The young man almost winced at the sound of the large lump landing into the trash.
Well, at least no one was going to get killed tonight.
"First you have to mix the flower with the eggs. You need to crack the eggs and not get shells in the mix. The flower you got to be careful."
Eventually, he showed and gestured for her to do the small things while he worked on the harder parts.
no subject
Now for the flour! He said to be careful with it, and she supposed that to mean pouring it carefully so it didn't puff up and dust her face and clothes. Cradling the bag under her arm, she tipped it, giving it a few light shakes to send brief gouts of flour into the mixing bowl.
Maybe someone should introduce her to the concept of measuring cups.
"Yes, this does seem far more proper," she agreed cheerfully. "You've been most helpful, thank you."
no subject
Natalia. He grabbed her arm as soon as she tried to pick out the shells that way. This was way more complicated than he thought it would be and if he let her loose anymore, he's going to have to get new ingredients at the store. Had this princess really never cracked an egg before? He understood that she was a princess and such things were much new to her but how did it turn into this. He grabbed another egg and looked over at her, showing her what he meant.
"You're suppose to do it like this and stop with the flour," he retorted, grabbing the flour from her as well. This was already a disaster and he was going to choke on cooking flower. This was not going to be pretty. He'd have to really be detailed with this.
He replied as he cracked it on the edge of the bowl she had out filled with some flour and the insides slowly fell out as he cracked it in two. Following that he did another one or two eggs. There was no point in wasting the flour, so they would have to add extra egg and extra other things.
He grabbed measuring spoons and the measuring cup for her.
"Alright, look measure everything as I say and then put it in the bowl. Easy right and don't thank me yet. Thank me when we both got this right."
no subject
...Oh, so that's what she was doing wrong. Oops.
She made a faint growl of frustration in the back of her throat, but she was nonetheless still determined to figure this out. Awkwardly she accepted the measuring cups and spoons, glancing between them. There were so many different shapes and sizes! How was anyone supposed to know which ones to use?
"I believe I can do that." Time would tell if she could or not, as it would depend entirely on how clear Yuri was with his instructions. "What must I do next?"
no subject
"Okay you measure this many teaspoons of the vanilla flavoring."
With that he slowly told her things here and there so she would be able to do them slowly. He didn't make the instructions too forced and if along the way she had questions or uncertainties, she could ask him.
"Good. You're doing great so far."
He reassured her as he pointed to various other things he wanted her to do, "Now mix it together like this. You don't have to apply any pressure just do that."
no subject
At least it wouldn't hurt the overall taste.
"Do you mean that?" she beamed, glowing with pride at his praise. "I must admit, you're more supportive than the others." With the exception of Tear and Asch, no one seemed to have much faith in her cooking skills. Even Asch told her not to worry about it altogether, and that he'd simply do it for her. It felt good to be doing this on her own. She was truly learning something new!
Natalia looked back at the bottle, surprised to find that it was empty. "Oh, I suppose we've run out of vanilla. My, but that does smell heavenly, doesn't it?" she smiled down at the mixing bowl, picking up the spoon to give it all a good stir. It wasn't a disaster yet, at least.
no subject
"You were suppose to put about a teaspoon in that not the whole bottle."
Supportive was an understatement. He really wanted to take the whole thing away from her but she was being so earnest that he couldn't. Not that he was afraid to hurt her feelings either. Yuri was just having a hard time.
"Alright, why don't we take a trip the store. I'll explain to you what you're suppose to do and not suppose to do on the way there and back. You better remember."
no subject
Hopefully.
All the lessons in the world seemed to mean little when it came to Natalia's cooking.
"I shall do my best," she promised, very seriously inclining her head. Yuri's frustration seemed obvious to her, and she truly was grateful for his patience in the matter. It was vexing to be an accomplished healer and archer, while a skill most people possessed was so far beyond her grasp of understanding.
The princess reached behind her to unfasten the strings of her apron, hanging the garment neatly on a peg before she rinsed off her hands and fluffed out her hair. After retrieving her purse, Natalia took her place next to Yuri as she prepared to step out into the cold. "How long have you been cooking? The skill is practically second nature to you."
no subject
It seemed that way but Yuri was more than a bit determined to make sure she makes something edible.
"Can you grab the basket? We're going to head out now."
He replied as he handed her the list of items, "We'll need these but it shouldn't be hard to find once we get to the general store."
"As long as I can remember honestly. When you grow up without anyone to take care of you personally, you pick up a few things here and there. I suppose it's kind of like if I didn't know how to make my own food, I'd starve."
Yuri mused with a laugh.
no subject
"Certainly," she agreed, tugging a pair of gloves onto her fingers before taking up the basket and settling it to hang from the crook of her elbow. Natalia neatly folded up the list and pocketed it to better protect it from the falling snow outside.
She listened to his story, but rather than looking at him with sympathy, she frowned. "That is no laughing matter, Yuri Lowell! How dreadful, that your city had no measures in place to properly care for young orphans." That would never have happened in Baticul, not as long as she retained any degree of influence over what happened there.
She pressed her knuckle to her mouth, closing her eyes and clearing her throat. "Nonetheless, it's impressive that you've managed to become so independent. In that sense, I envy you. My own limits have constantly been tested because of my own upbringing. You are far better equipped to survive in this world than I."
no subject
He's not even sure why anymore but he's going to accept that they're going to need a lot of work.
"The nobility in my world aren't quite as kind and charitable you are, Princess. If we had one of you where I am, we wouldn't have to struggle to survive everyday."
Estelle was a special case, but she was also someone who didn't really know about the real world due to her own sheltered life. He couldn't blame her for that. This is the reality of the nobility and their lack of care for the people they govern. This was why Yuri had become such a person as he was now.
"Nothing is without practice, Natalia. With time, you will be like everyone else who is capable of doing these things. It takes patience, understanding and the ability to want to learn. You aren't like most nobles, so you're much more equipped for this kind of survival than most."
Is that a compliment? MAYBE IT IS. Who knows.....