[ Waking up in a brand new place for the second-ish time in as many hours is disorientating, to say the least. Especially when it feels like they were asleep for both a blink of an eye and an endlessly repeating eternity. But it wasn't sleep, was it, it was-


Well. That panic attack can wait for another day, if we're being honest. It's already bad enough that they're bleeding ontop of some poor farmer's sack of flour, there's really no need to add hysterical babbling to the list of crimes apparently on record. There's things to do - people to help, directions to follow, that kind of thing. They would've barely been able to manage one sack alone before their chest wound, what with those wimpy nerd arms. Two is right out, they're half dragging it as it is. But maybe it's the thought that counts.

Either way, you might run into a very confused, very bloodstained Lion not far from the windmill, staring in open wonder at the surrounding countryside. ]

It's... beautiful. [ Quietly; they barely notice that they spoke aloud. ] Wait, which way did he say the town was again...?

[ If there's one thing that an Ushiromiya can always fall back on in times of stress, it's the ability to showboat in front of a crowd.

It's a little different then they first expected when the jewelcrafter coaxed them into helping out. There's no peddling of wares or elaborate haggling to be seen; just the cheerful enthusiasm of a master craftsman sharing their skills with an equally delighted public. It's... nice.

So maybe that's why they're spending more time watching everyone else's geodes then actually cracking their own. They've been fiddling with the same one for the past ten minutes, barely glancing at it in favour of chatting with the other participants. Like this, as another geode snaps open under a stranger's hands- ]

Oh, that one's rather bright, isn't it? [ And they tilt their head to the side, eyeing the flashy gem. ] I wonder why they all seem to be different colours...?

[ Or perhaps you've been lured over by tournament?

Lion's no fisher. That much is obvious to anyone with eyes, given how prissy they still manage to look even however-long out from their arrival, and all the curious glances they keep stealing of the contestants. It looks..... okay, it just looks really boring from where they're sitting? But everyone seems to be having fun, so it's no business of theirs what others waste their time on.

What is their business is what comes after. It's hard to say if they've commandeered a portion of the impromtu kitchen by choice, or if a local figured out they had some skill at cooking and roped them into helping - in either case, the end result is the same: one rich brat babysitting several merrily bubbling plates and way too much seafood.

If you have a fresh catch and are trying to get their attention, it takes them a minute to clear some space, with Lion split between you and fussing over a very stubborn stovetop. ] Just a moment- just need to... get this under control...!

[ But if you try and sneak a handful of something already cooked, you might find that hand swatted by a spoon, as Lion whips around with an uncomfortably bright smile. ] Ah, none of that, thank you. You can wait until the event is finished, the same as everyone else.

[ or hit me with something shiny and new! i'm open to suggestions tbh. my plurk is skulltaffy - and because umineko is A Canon Of All Time, there's a handy-dandy permissions and opt-out over here. ]