[center][h1][b]Jiugui & [color=DC143C]Homura[/color][/b][/h1][/center]


Jiugui had retrieved his buzz after waking up from his post-death experience. He had toured the Nalusan lands in a giggling stupor, followed by maramodas who eagerly danced and laughed along with him. Jiugui found that he enjoyed their company very much, and they shared stories around the campfires in the night and choired under the sun during the day. An absolutely lovely bunch were they - Jiugui named them the tribe of Joy, and selected the most joyful among them to be chieftain. He named him Laff Awt-Lout, which he shortened to Lawl. Lawl accepted his name by rolling on the ground in submission, which cracked Jiugui up mightily. Other names followed soon: Lawl’s mate, Raphl; the designated fig schnaps brewer, Kehk; the master huntress, Lemau - the list went on. The tribe of Joy soon numbered 150 named individuals, and Jiugui said onto them:

“Be fruitzful like a good liqueur - no, waiz, be fruizful ‘n muldiply! Spreaz joy all aroun’, ‘n turn this land inno a giand pardy plache!” The maramodas had cheered alongside him, chanting, “Party, party, party!” And then Jiugui had moved on without them, travelling the world once more in solitude, just him and his wine cup. 

It took little time before he arrived at the edge of the badlands, and an edge it certainly was. Almost like a border drawn on a map, the Nalusan sands simply stopped, blowing a little inwards but barely a few feet over an endless brown flat of stone and dirt. It was as though the land was an empty slate, hardly worth a thought or a fart in the wind. Jiugui rubbed his eyes with sweaty hands. “Blimey,” he blurted out and took a shot to curb his amazement. He reached out a foot and tested the soil - it was compact at least, perhaps too much so. He placed both legs on the other side of the border and took a deep breath. The ground screamed its horrible, unspeakable lack of purpose. It was yearning, starved for identity - anything! A simple plant, just please, anything!

Jiugui smirked. He wasn’t one to turn down such a request. He pulled up the arms of his robes, but just as he was about to unleash his power, he felt something. The drunk god’s instincts clocked into overdrive as even they weren’t so groggy as to not be able to sense another presence. Something was coming, something powerful. Jiugui took another shot for courage and closed in on the presence in a staggered sneak.

The red goddess strode ahead of a procession consisting of three massive machines vaguely shaped like the horses that roamed the Eidolon Plains, and her presence was similar to the rising sun as it painted the sky with the colors of dawn. She held in her hand a golden spear tipped with prismatic light, and swiftly marched towards the drunken god. Her eyes shone fiercely. Jiugui, slowly realising he maybe - just maybe - had been spotted, cleared his throat way too hard and ended up coughing once or twice before bowing deeply with hands stretched straight out before him and saying, “Hail, honourzed colleague! Wha’z brings you ‘ere at sush high speed?”

She suddenly stopped and arced her spear skyward, signalling to the three titans that followed her. The colossi ceased their march, and the red goddess resumed her brisk walk towards Jiugui with purpose in her stride. Homura came to a halt before the drunken god, respectfully bowing in response to his greetings. “I am Homura. I mean no harm to you, brother, unless you should mean harm to me. I had been following the stench of many grotesque creatures that had traveled to these lands, when I sensed your presence. What is your name?”
The drunk god raised his cup to her and, remaining bowing facing the ground, he conjured forth a second cup and floated it over to her. “Honourzed Lady Hom’ra,” he slurred respectfully, “This hummel servand isz but a lowly goblin’n comparizon wiff yoo - its name isn’ worthzy. Sozzy for thze stink…” he apologised and sniffed for emphasis.

“There is no need to apologize… It is I whom should seek your forgiveness.” She hesitantly took the cup and analyzed its content, the physical manifestation of Jiugui’s aspect, so sweet and tempting, but strange and terrible as well. She did not sip, simply holding onto the drink for the time being, and continued to speak. “I unfortunately have no gifts to offer you, as I have just finished delivering all that I had with me to our sister whom resides upon the moon. Allow me to remedy this, and meet with you again, so that I might offer such gifts as well.”

Jiugui remained bowing and slurred, “Oh, do nozz worry, muh Lady!” Only then he straighten up and smile from ear to ear. “A true giffd iz never giffen wiff the expectashun of anythin’ ‘n return.” He took a sip of his cup. “Pray tzell, wha’s stink you followin’?” He sniffed his pit as discreetly as he thought he could, lifting his arm high up and snorting deeply in the fold of his robe. “Nozz mine, righ’z?”

Homura blinked bemusedly, as if she could not comprehend the words he spoke before shaking her head in answer to his question. “No, your scent is… unique, and a source of… something… sacred. The stench I refer to originates from mortals, and their continual acts of cannibalism which pollute the world. It seems the beasts beyond the sea have come here to spread their sickness. I had hoped the great sea would prevent them from reaching so far.” Her gaze turned to the north, and she sighed with sorrowful regret before her attention shifted back to Jiugui.

“What brings you to this desolate place, brother?” She asked, and shook the wine within her cup, as if curious whether or not the liquid would suddenly react violently to the motion. She peered into its depths and saw her own small reflection staring back at her.

Jiugui thumbed over his shoulder into the far horizon. “Came wessfrom. Nice place, but the sky’z really weirr there fussomreesn.” He squinted and shook his head. “Cannibal morzals, huh… That ain’d very pioush, iszit? Sure ain’d noble!” He made a disapproving ‘prrt’ with his tongue. “Consizer zhem ALL denouncéd,” he declared and threw an arm into the air that undid his balance somewhat. Recuperating slowly, he mumbled, “Wasseylooglige? Mayyyybe I’fe seen’um?”

“Mortals have many shapes, but the most grotesque that I have seen are the bjork. Creatures capable of being what I envisioned for humanity, but disrespectful towards all that is sacred. If their madness is not healed, only death and despair await them, and I cannot allow any of our creations to suffer such a cruel fate. Our brother Chailiss, and I, have sworn to protect them, but there are others among the divine that work against us. This Singing Maker and Green Murder, who bring only strife in their wake. They must be brought to justice.” Homura stands still, as if untouched by the hand of time, while she speaks and her voice resonates with both conviction and otherworldly power. The golden spear she held began to shrink until it seemed to have completely vanished in her palm, and she held out her now empty hand towards Jiugui.

“Brother, let us promise to work together to protect all of creation and prevent its demise. Only together can we truly serve the Monarch of All, and enjoy the greatest of gifts that He has given us.”

Jiugui took her hand humbly and offered her another bow. “Why, thass all I came ‘ere t’doo, muh Lady! This hummel servant of Hish Impeeral Mashesty, [sub]urrp![/sub] ish noffin’ - NOFFIN’ - if nod a puhtector of all creaashun.” He squeezed his nose with his free hand and rubbed the mucus on his robes. “Ooof, ‘scuse me… Shay…” He looked around and gestured widely. “Why don’ we cuhmemm… Cuhmemorih… Coh-mehm-mo-rate dis occashun by makin’ somethin’, huh? Since you ain’ thirsdy, howbouda treat?”

“Hmm… What do you have in mind? I am afraid I must make haste as I have promised one of our brothers that I would deliver his humans within three days from now, but it seems only proper we honor our first meeting.” After clasping hands, Daybringer regrew in her grasp, and the red goddess silently watched as Jiugui stained his robes with the strange slime that came from his nose. She looked at the cup she held in her hand with a stoic expression, and took a single step back from the drunken god.

“Oh, don’ worrzy, id’ll jush be a lil’ snack-- oop!” As he bent forward to make a table out of the brown ground, he accidentally spilled wine all over the ground. Where the wine dropped, rich, flowery grass spawned and then spread for kilometres in every direction as far as the eye could see. Intermittently, thick bushes of broadleaf forest popped up on the horizon, as well. And then, most importantly, the area filled with wine plants like fruit trees, berry bushes and grape stalks as far as the eye could see. Jiugui blinked at the ground and scratched his head. “You seein’ green or am I havin’ a sztroke?”

“I see, you are Phelenia, father of the forests. Wine which is born from the fruits of your creations, I understand now. You are not what I expected, but your contributions to Galbar are all beautiful.” Homura nodded her head sagely, as she correctly assumed the drunken god’s identity. She slowly wandered the green fields that had grown, her feet left no tracks, nor disturbed a single blade of grass. She looked back at Jiugui and smiled softly, “Your verdant children are perhaps the most beautiful aspects of life that I have seen thus far.”

Jiugui threw himself back up and staggered back some, smiling almost as broadly as he was wide. “Why, zhank you, muh Lady.” He bowed and catapulted himself forward again. “Can’d ‘ave wine wizhout fruitz ‘n creashuns to share ‘zem wiff. Now, le’s see aboud magin’ a lil’ table… ‘N [i]hup![/i]” With that, Jiugui dug his hands into the soil and pulled upwards. However, he very much miscalculated the amount of strength he was putting into it, like when you crush the foot of the wine glass when putting it back on the table sometime around four in the morning. Within the next second, him and Homura stood atop an enormous mountain, their sweet conversation kept professional by a cool breeze and now about a foot of snow. Jiugui hid his face in his hands. “Alash, I am mush too inebriaded for thish, you gozza escoos me…” he wept in drunken shame.

“Why drink until you are like this? Why succumb to its dizzying influence? Could you not abstain from alcohol, or at least moderate your consumption? If you are humiliating yourself without reason, you should stop, brother.” Homura tossed aside the cup, the wine within spilled forth like blood on the snow, and she placed a hand upon Jiugui’s shoulder. “You do not need to ask for my forgiveness, for you have done nothing wrong. However, it does hurt me to see you like this… would you be willing to come with me to Keltra, perhaps I can offer you a place to rest?”

Jiugui suddenly frowned and all his tears dried in a flash. He straightened himself and only staggered minimally and said, "I drzink becoz is my thing - liddle Jiugui was meantta drzink, so drzink he will. I may be inebateded, buzz a zober Jiugui is like an evol Lady Hom'ra: Unnajural." He offered a polite smile, took Homura's hand and squeezed it amicably. "Now, le's head down, shall we? A place like dish isn' one for snacks!" The spherical man trundled around Homura and towards the slope of the mountain.

“I find your words concerning, brother. To indulge in such an addiction and proclaim it is necessary seems so wrong... it is akin to drowning yourself in water, or being buried beneath the earth. Why would anyone advocate such? However, I do not claim to understand the nature of wine as well as you, so perhaps I have failed to see the meaning of this erratic behavior.” Homura followed after Jiugui, continuing to contemplate his words, and leaving behind small shimmering scarlet steps in the snow as she walked. Her gaze had wandered to the three colossi and her champions that awaited her, ascertaining their safety after the massive mountain had manifested so near to them.

Jiugui waved a finger in the air. "Ah, buzz wine's so mush more than jusz the buzz afferwars." He tumbled down the mountainside until he reached the bottom, his wine spilling everywhere. The droplets flew for thousands of kilometres and spread the mountain into chains that spanned the entire region. The snowmelt from all the mountains gathered into great rivers that greened the land even further and poured out into the sea to the north. Jiugui lifted his head out of the snow and shook his head free of frost. "... I'm okay!"

As the earth had surged skyward, thousands upon thousands of spires and peaks piercing the sky above, Homura soared towards the three colossi before the spillage of wine could reach them. Her red radiance shone upon the machines, and seeped into their forms, filling them with ephemeral divine power. The eruption of wine had reached them, and splashed upon the land all around. Great mountains arose from beneath the massive hooves of the colossi and the machines were suddenly carried upwards, though their bodies did not truly touch the summits nor the slopes they now stood upon.

Homura looked where Jiugui had fallen, and swiftly returned to him. Her light receded back into her small form, and she offered her hand helpfully to the drunken god. “Our brother would be impressed with what you have done, I imagine. Though travel between Keltra and the lands of the west will be much more difficult for most mortals now.”

"Will id? Aw, shucks…" The ball of man rolled back up to a seat. "Eh, I'm sure dhey'll be fine…" he brushed some snow and dirt off himself. "Mordals'rrrre smard, they, uh, will find a way."

“Indeed. However, we should be wary of drastically altering the landscape in their presence. They are fragile and require our guidance, not our imprudence or apathy.” The goddess simply stood nearby, watching with an enigmatic expression as Jiugui sat up and cleaned himself. “Will they remain smart when they drink? Will wine help or hinder their progress, I wonder?”  

Jiugui shrugged. "Jiugui wouln't know. All my good creashuns 'ave been maye unner influence." He grinned playfully. "I'm sure id'll be fiiiiine." He had another cupful of wine. "Haven' heard anythin' about crazy drzunks yet, anyway." He then looked over at the mountains. "Oh, loog, a goat!"

The greenery and mountains hadn't come alone; the flora was quick to be joined by birds in the mountains and broadleaf trees. In the hills and on the slopes of the great range, goats, lynxes, wolverines and foxes crawled out of holes and caverns in the stone. The broadleaf forests soon were full of insects, deer, elk, owls and wolves. The grass plains filled with bison, rodents and aurochs. Finally, the rivers filled with salmon, trout and amphibians and the snows atop the mountains sported forth lemmings, hares and reindeer.

Jiugui smiled. "How shweet."

Homura turned her gaze upon all of the animals, and she tilted her head in curiosity. “More creatures that roam the earth, fly across the sky, swim through the water, and embellish the great garden that is Galbar. However, they all resemble the beasts I have seen in the north, and I fear their spirits, their minds, and their bodies, all seeking to satiate themselves. Are these creatures considered sacred, Jiugui?” The red goddess asked.

The red-skinned god shrugged again. "Wha's shacrednesh to a goad? To a lemmon? Wha's diff'rent in a worl' where everrone Iive to sashate themselfs and a world whur err'one live to sashate others? In one, you's a hero for helpin' others; in the ozzer, you's a mizer for thinkin' 'bout you's own good. The norf, yeah, I been, but the worl' there's one of hardy creashurs who make the most uvva hard life. Sure, some gozza thing of dhemselfs 'n dheir own, but who elshe will eff nod dem, amiride?" He had another sip. "Whevver dhese creashurs're sacred 'r nod isn' ub to me, I thzink; dhey can decide dat for'emselfs," he said with a small, dismissive wave.

“You claim that you are a protector of all creation, and yet you fail to make a choice. You are a god, Jiugui. You cannot ignore your responsibility…” Homura halted herself, and realization dawned upon her. “You are the Singing Maker. You are the one that has made the bjork, and then abandoned them! Their suffering has spread like fire and will burn more of the world unless it is prevented from persisting farther. You have not guided them. You have not protected them. Why should I believe your words when your actions speak differently?” She seethed with rage, breathing heavily, and struggling to stay still as she spoke. Her eyes blazed with bitter flames, seeking any answer that may ease her aching heart from the seated Jiugui.

Jiugui waved calmingly. "Ogey, it seems I may've upsed you - my deepes' apologies." He bowed deeply. "Bud ash yoshelf, muh Lady - whad cou'd I, lil' Jiugui, teach mordalidy? What good ish my guidanshe when I dun' even rember wherrre I em." His mouth flattened and he offered her a deadpan frown. "His Impeeral Mashesty wouldna wand me tellin' morrals how ta behave; you wouldn' wand that." He nodded understandingly. "Truss me, I agree. Likewishe, I'd prolly cause more death dhen life if I ever swore to protecc, whell, anythin'." He bowed to her again. "Dhis hummel servant ain't made fe' war 'n order; only drinkin' 'n joy."

Homura remained silent, as his slurred words only seemed to beget more sorrow and anger in her. An aura of otherworldly might exuded from her, but she did not move, and did not speak. Jiugui sighed and straightened himself up. 

"Deary me… Sheems I may've ruinéd the mood quite udderly," he lamented quietly. Looking around, he picked his nose discreetly and flicked away a booger which, upon contact with the ground, became a blooming, yellow flower. "How'sh aboud we do a lil' raincheck on dat lunch, huh? Wouldn' wunna keep ya if you're in a hurry," he asked with a small smile.

“Hmm… I would like that. You are… always welcome in Keltra. I must make haste, our siblings are waiting, and I do not want to disappoint them.” Homura breathed out, and felt shame sear her skin, burn into her heart, and remain there as she turned to leave. “Until we meet again, my beautiful and broken brother.” She said before she walked back to the three colossi and her champions.

"Alwaysh a pleashur, muh Lady," said the little drunk with yet another bow, safely hiding any reactions to his freshest moniker. "Wish you all a pleasen' journey, 'n say hi from lil' me to whomeverrr you's visidin'!" He waved with a hand that had been drowned in his silken sleeve.

[hider=Summary] Between Nalusa and Keltra, the rose-cheeked god wandered with the joyous maramodas, dancing and laughing as they traveled. Jiugui named the group of maramodas, the Tribe of Joy.

The god of wine took his leave, and reached the end of the desert, to the desolate wastes before the forested realm of the east. Jiugui decides to change the barren landscape into something with meaning when he senses a powerful presence from afar.

Homura leading her procession of colossi after delivering 169,000 ish humans for Yudaiel approaches where the drunken god is. They greet each other, but Jiugui doesn’t reveal his name to her, and the two discuss their reasons for being in the wastes, mortals, gifts, and nature, before Homura explains that she must depart soon and Jiugui says that they should commemorate their meeting.

Jiugui fumbles with a cup of wine and makes a mountain, then he tumbles down the aforementioned mountain… and makes even more mountains. A lot of them. Homura suggests he stops drinking, and he disagrees because such would be unnatural. At the bottom of the mountain they see life blossom over the mountains, plants and animals, but Homura is reminded of her visit to the north, and questions Jiugui about what is sacred, and their responsibility to mortals.

She discovers that he is the Singing Maker, after assuming he was Phelenia, and becomes both mad and sad, while Jiugui provides his reasoning for his actions. They agree to meet another time, bidding each other farewell as Homura goes back to her entourage to resume her trek back to Keltra.[/hider]
[hider=Vigour Summary]
Jiugui - 7 vigours
Make the Szrnelici, a colossal range of mountains that separates Keltra and Nalusa and forms the majority of Tamarzh-Kagi (4 vigs)
Make Tamarzh-Kagi, a large biome to fill the mountains of Szrnelici and surrounding lands with plants and animals and, most importantly, all the ingredients needed to make delicious wines of all kinds. (4 vigours discounted to 2 with Wine aspect!)
End Jiugui - 1 viggy.

Homura spent nottin."[/hider]