The Librarian is no harder to find than usual, as they drift around accompanied by the crinkling of paper being thoughtfully chewed on. They float before Soldat and Pudding as they consider the request, raise a hand draped in veils to their face in thought, then nod in acceptance.
When Pudding uses her ability, the Librarian drops to the floor. No longer floating, they sit as if kneeling, and the veils ripple as they shudder. They gather the veils closer around barely-present shoulders, huddling in on themselves, and give a quiet, keening moan. Several seconds pass before the spirit finally gathers themself up and even if Soldat and Pudding can't see their face, it's not hard to imagine the Librarian is shaken.
And then they thrust out a hand and demand snacks as penance.
---
The two find Rye-Mother next, who is lurking in a patch of black, wilted weeds near the graveyard - though little is visible of those plants except the dead seed-heads poking out of the snow. Rye-Mother strokes their bundled effigy child and explains that Flesh Horse is elsewhere along the lake shore, watching for the World Eater. They are happy to participate, though, and hope that they get to see more of who they were once.
Once Pudding uses her powers, Rye-Mother doesn't move at first. They stand there in long silence and stillness - even the hand that usually strokes the bundle in their arms stops moving. But then they look around as if remembering where they actually are, and with a sense of purpose, they gather up a handful of the dead weeds, plucking them from the snow one by one as they carefully select the nicest, then walk into the graveyard. They come to a stop at a headstone half-buried in snow and so worn with time the text is no longer legible, and lay the offering down, then offer Soldat and Pudding both a quiet "Thank you."
---
Soldat approaches the Dog, who initially does a full-body wiggle in recognition of their friend. But at the request, they lower their head and scoot backwards, whining and drooling with anxiety. So that's probably a no.
---
The two could go track down other spirits, and the Librarian and Rye-Mother are both willing to suggest some, but ultimately the end result appears to be that yes, this ability does work. It doesn't always last more than a few seconds, but in some cases that might just buy someone enough time.
no subject
When Pudding uses her ability, the Librarian drops to the floor. No longer floating, they sit as if kneeling, and the veils ripple as they shudder. They gather the veils closer around barely-present shoulders, huddling in on themselves, and give a quiet, keening moan. Several seconds pass before the spirit finally gathers themself up and even if Soldat and Pudding can't see their face, it's not hard to imagine the Librarian is shaken.
And then they thrust out a hand and demand snacks as penance.
---
The two find Rye-Mother next, who is lurking in a patch of black, wilted weeds near the graveyard - though little is visible of those plants except the dead seed-heads poking out of the snow. Rye-Mother strokes their bundled effigy child and explains that Flesh Horse is elsewhere along the lake shore, watching for the World Eater. They are happy to participate, though, and hope that they get to see more of who they were once.
Once Pudding uses her powers, Rye-Mother doesn't move at first. They stand there in long silence and stillness - even the hand that usually strokes the bundle in their arms stops moving. But then they look around as if remembering where they actually are, and with a sense of purpose, they gather up a handful of the dead weeds, plucking them from the snow one by one as they carefully select the nicest, then walk into the graveyard. They come to a stop at a headstone half-buried in snow and so worn with time the text is no longer legible, and lay the offering down, then offer Soldat and Pudding both a quiet "Thank you."
---
Soldat approaches the Dog, who initially does a full-body wiggle in recognition of their friend. But at the request, they lower their head and scoot backwards, whining and drooling with anxiety. So that's probably a no.
---
The two could go track down other spirits, and the Librarian and Rye-Mother are both willing to suggest some, but ultimately the end result appears to be that yes, this ability does work. It doesn't always last more than a few seconds, but in some cases that might just buy someone enough time.