[Job] Filling Your Niche (Lily Ambrosia)

Job Details:

After the opening ceremony had come to an end Lily returned to her position on top of Basin's back. Dagda, the guild leader, had said that everyone who wanted to could find themselves a room on the ship which they could call theirs. Apparently it'd even be okay if they customized it to their wishes, which Lily imagined was quite generous. While buildings made of stone and wood were easily customized (at least, for her) she could imagine that a big metal construct like this, which also had to perform tasks such as flight, was a bit more complicated.

That said it wasn't like she or any of her companies had any wishes which were difficult to fulfil. Basin would want there to be dirt and rock. Nepo would want there to be water so he could swim about freely. Saku would want there to be plenty of green. And Lily? Well, she just wanted to feel at home, which was a difficult thing to express in specific things. As long as her companions were there she was certain she'd be happy with it as long as it wasn't really dry or something.

"Okay, so the dorms should be on the second floor..." As Lily mused this aloud Basin began to move towards where they could descend from the deck towards the innards of the humongous airship. Nepo and Saku, realizing that Lily and Basin were doing something important now, jumped upon Basin's shoulders to accompany the two of them. Truth be told they'd both rather stay outside in the forest that covered the topside of the S.S. Endeavour, but they needed to make sure that the dorms would accommodate their wishes as well.

At first when they entered the ship everything was okay, but it didn't take long for Lily to begin feeling uneasy. The metal insides of the ship were interesting: so smooth and elegant, with odd corners that you wouldn't see from most man-made structures. The lounge was spacious and pleasant, with even several plants spread throughout to help people feel at home. Saku jumped off of Basin's shoulder and flew around a couple of times before returning to his former position. Between him and Nepo he was clearly the more interested in their foray into the belly of the metal sky whale: Nepo was glancing around but otherwise didn't do much.

The spaciousness and the presence of plants helped Lily feel at home in the lounge, but when they reached the second floor where the dormitories were located she quickly found herself glancing back up at the forest they'd left behind. "It... really is amazing in here, isn't it?" She didn't understand any of the technology that went into this ship but she could still tell that it was a product of great labour. The civilized folk may often have trouble living in balance with the rest of the world but there was no denying that their ability to cooperate and share knowledge allowed them to produce magnificent things. Everything looked so refined and elegantly designed... but that efficiency also meant that no space had been wasted. There were metal walls everywhere, clearly indicating the boundaries of the area they could move about in. If these were stone walls then Lily could feel them like they were a part of her own body, but now she felt like she was cut off from the rest of the world, trapped in a metal shell she couldn't interact with.

"Th-these halls are kind of small... are you s-sure you'll be all right Basin?" She patted Basin's head, although she wasn't sure if that was to reassure zir or to remind herself that ze was there as well. Basin shrugged, Saku and Nepo bouncing once in response before settling down again. While Basin found the sensation of a metal floor alien ze wasn't one who was easily bothered by such things: as long as there was enough room to move everything else could be endured. Since they didn't want to damage the interior of the ship ze did try to walk carefully, but even then zirs body, made of living stone, resulted in a clear thud resounding throughout the hallway as the guardian walked towards the nearest door.

Sliding off of Basin's back Lily took a deep breath before opening the door, slowly walking inside and looking at the initial conditions of the room. Like the hallways it had a very sleek and elegant design, but everywhere she looked there were metal walls. "I-I think they wouldn't m-mind if we brought some p-plants and dirt in here... would they?" She chewed on her lower lip as she looked back towards her friends. Saku followed her inside of the dorm and landed on her shoulder, flapping his wings once or twice for balance while looking around. However he then leaned against Lily and rubbed his cheek against hers.

Lily blinked at the gesture, then gave a weak laugh and patted Saku's head. "I-It's okay Saku. I'll just... let's just go back outside for now, okay?" The green dragon nodded, and the dryad quickly left the room and climbed back onto Basin's shoulder. Basin, not having failed to notice Lily's discomfort, didn't waste any time lumbering back towards the Arborium, this time followed by a higher frequency of thuds.

When they reached the deck of the S.S. Endeavour Lily took a deep breath and slid down Basin's back once more, pressing her toes against the comfortable soil the moment she touched the ground. "Sorry, I guess I'm not very comfortable in there." She admitted with darkened cheeks. She was the one who always pushed the other three to spend more time learning about the civilized folk, but when push came to shove it turned out she was the one who couldn't stay at ease inside this metal whale.

Nepo tilted his head at the apology, then shrugged before nodding in acceptance. He didn't really mind either way, since he hadn't been interested in the interior of the ship in the first place. Basin also didn't care, although that was also because ze would always prioritize Lily's well-being over anything else. Saku for his part nuzzled Lily again, then let out a soft chirp before flying towards the centre of the Arborium. With the other three following close behind he kept flying until he found a particularly large tree close to the fountain that marked the dead centre of the deck, although far enough away that one could easily forget the presence of the neatly organized clearing and imagine themselves in the middle of a wild forest. Landing on top of one of the lower branches he chirped again, spreading his wings to catch the eyes of his friends.

Lily looked at Saku, then at the tree he'd chosen out. Stepping forward she placed one hand on it and closed her eyes. Her skin, already of a brown colour reminiscent of a golden oak, shifted as her hand merged with the tree. At the same time her toes burrowed into the ground and took the shape of roots, connecting with the network that kept the large tree nourished. After about a minute of this Lily opened her eyes again and withdrew her hand while her feet returned to normal, leaving no sign of what she'd done. Through the tree she'd felt the entirety of the Arborium. She'd also come to a decision: possibly a minor one in the grand scheme of things, but important to her nonetheless.

"I don't think I could ever be as comfortable in those dorms as I'm up here." She looked around at her companions. Saku was still in the tree, and Nepo had returned to lazing around in the fountain in the distance, but Basin was still there, carefully listening. And she knew that the others would also still be aware of her decision, and approve of it. "We'll have to tell Dagda that we're happier making our home up here." This time her smile was the usual cheerful and relaxed smile she often wore. Yes, she would definitely be happier making herself home up here. It's the kind of environment she'd known her entire life, after all.

"Let's find him and tell him we'll look after the forest for him. I'm sure he'll be fine with that." Lily said as she climbed back on top of Basin, who nodded and set off in a search for the guild master. Having a dryad taking care of your forest could be considered a blessing, especially if that dryad was Lily, who herself was blessed with the ability to shape not only the plants but the landscape as well.

WC: 1,450
PWC: 1,450/1,000 (Completed)