After speaking to Tsukuyomi, Spider heads out with her rucksack equipped and headed towards Tsukuyomi's cottage. She finds the house pretty easily. Just as Tsukuyomi described, it's a two-story blue-painted cottage about 10 minutes up the road. In the front are a bunch of garden gnomes seemingly protecting the front garden which are full of freshly planted flowers and mushroom statuettes. A wooden porch with two old-looking wooden rocking chairs completes the ensemble. The house looks a little old, a bit dilapidated, but it appears to be well-loved by those who live here. Behind the house, and sticking out like a sore thumb from the driveway, is a large glass structure with green plants growing within it, and someone seems to be working inside of there.
Briefly tilting her head as she takes in the house Spider strolls up to the door and knocks.
After a few moments pass, Tsukuyomi in all her glory opens the door. She is an older woman probably in her 60s wearing a black turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. The scent coming from inside the house suggests she's baking cookies alongside the white apron she has on. After seeing who it is, she smiles and says, "Oh! Are you the person who got my item?" She seems very friendly, even grandmotherly, a farcry from the person Luna spoke so poorly of years ago.
After taking a moment to take in the person she's only vaguely interacted with through text, Spider nods shrugging their rucksack off, "I am."
Tina looks over from inside the house and stands near the doorframe and waves, "Yo Spider! Glad you found your way here."
"Spider? That's an.. interesting name isn't it? Right, would you like to step inside?" Tsukuyomi steps back as if letting her come in.
A smile crosses Spider's face at the sight of Tina and they step inside.
Upon stepping inside, you immediately step into Tsukuyomi's living room where a TV playing some cartoon is easily seen. Two full size couches and a rocker recliner all in a shade of brown match with the wooden paneling and beige carpeting. By the far wall of the room, you notice a glass enclosed shelf of various artifacts including some photographs of Tsukuyomi and Jan, some photos of what looks like an aerial view of Capital City, pictures of a small black-haired girl holding Tsukuyomi's hand with a very bright smile, and oddly and rather out of place, fully built and painted figurines of some kind of seemingly anime-inspired mecha robots.
From the living room, Spider can see a staircase heading up with a wooden railing and a hallway leading to a kitchen where the scents of freshly-baked cookies derive from.
Tina smiles at Spider gently and sits on the opposite couch while watching whatever's on the TV.
Tsukuyomi sits in her rocker recliner and asks, "So, may I see my ring? Oh and would you like some cookies? They're just about done."
Spider returns Tina's smile then digs into her bag pulling out the jewellery case and handing it over to Tsukuyomi, "I'm alright thank you."
Tsukuyomi smiles and opens it up. Upon seeing the ring, she begins to tear up. "Spider.. I-- Thank you for bringing this back to me. I still--" She pauses, unsure how to exactly phrase her feelings, "This ring means so much to me than most would ever know. I'm sure you're aware of the old rivalry between Solaire and FMS right?"
Spider nods in response.
"Well it wasn't always like that. At one point before things went to hell, Sol, the leader of Solaire and I were madly in love with one another. We even got married, proof of which is this ring you've returned to me. But then," She pauses, worried she might be talking too much, "Things changed. We originally planned to start the LUNA project together, we probably would have if the Gods hadn't interfered and given me the gift of life." Tsukuyomi then turns to Spider, curious about her response to something, "Do you know where Luna's soul came from? Or rather, what soul I was given? I've figured it out after a long time trying to solve this."
Spider pauses the question putting her on guard. After a couple of seconds they respond, "I know she has multiple souls."
Tsukuyomi nods and explains, "That's correct. Four of them to be exact. Her first soul, the one I received first was her Red soul. One that I recognize now to be a fragment of the Creature of Legend named Malfunction. Why the Gods gave me that soul first, I still don't understand. That soul then split off into another fragment, that one being her Blue soul, her main. The purple one came from Krystal, a soul transferral between lovers. The green one, ALAIS, I still don't know where that one came from. It's possible that like the Blue soul, it was also a fragment of Malfunction, but I don't know for sure. Does it make sense as to why so many people are attracted to her? She is, for lack of a better term, designed by a God. We have very few hints that the Gods Above even exist, but my Creation, my da-- Luna, she is direct proof. And even then, I'm not even sure what to believe anymore."
Tina looks confused as she listens to this topic. A lot of this is going right over her small head, but she tries to respond with, "Soooooo Luna is... a glitch?"
"Not exactly. It'd be easier to call her a contradiction made incarnate. Ever hear of a theory called "The Moon Isn't Right"?" She asks both Tina and Spider. Tina shrugs.
Spider takes a deep breath the weight of that loaded phrase evident on their face, ".. you could say that."
Tsukuyomi nods and continues with her spiel. It's clear that talking about this is a passion of hers, "Right. So, in the Magickas, it is a theory that something about the moon in our orbit is doing something directly to our Global Ecosystem that causes Magic to exist. It is said that long ago, rewind... thousands of years ago, that the Moon literally watches over people like a strange eye in the sky. As we know now, that cannot be. It's a hunk of rock orbiting around us. It does assist us with our tides though at least, keeps them in check. The Ancient Lunarians, a civilization praising the Moon as a God, truly believed that there was more to it. That whatever Magic, or substitution thereof back then, was being directly provided to them by it.
They didn't have the foresight of Modern Science though.
Regardless, even today, you can still find people claiming that the moon is magical and that whatever radiation that comes off of it is the purest form of Magic in our World. It is a contradiction. It both provides and doesn't provide depending on who you talk to. It radically changes how certain Magic Users work. I imagine that in other worlds, these changes can be even more erratic. It is a contradiction. A Lunar Contradiction.
My daug--- Creation, Luna, was born on the night of an eclipse. I was given her soul that night. Her body may have been around for a few months prior, but her soul never existed until that fateful night."
"So Lu... is the moon then?" Tina is not cooking here.
Tsukuyomi exhales, "In a way, yes. It's closer to call her a Concept, much like many of the other Creatures of Legend. She's had her origins shaped by the moon so much that her connection to it is deep." This is when Tsukuyomi realizes how long she's been blabbering on for. You notice a blush come across her from sheer embarrassment. "Ah... uh.. My apologies, I didn't realize I was taking so much of your time. We could continue if you wished or had questions, or you're free to go whenever you're ready. Don't mind me, it's just... a scientific passion of mine." She has the ring back on her left hand.
Spider tilts their head in thought, "so this moon soul is separate to Error's?"
"Yes and no. The blue soul, the main soul that Luna has, is a fragment of Malfunction's. This blue soul contains her weakness to the moon and her hypnosis weakness, both of which originate from Error. The moon weakness is the culmination of her lunar sensitivities, i.e. being directly affected by 'The Moon Isn't Right'. Her hypnosis weakness is thankfully mitigated by her helper Soul AI knowing her password to pull her out of it," Tsukuyomi explains with a sigh, "In any case, I don't think it's possible to deny these weaknesses. The moon will continue to exist no matter what, no matter what World she travels to, as long as it's similar in that of our Earth." She leans back into her chair, seeming tired. "Before you head out, did you have any other questions for me? Your quest is marked completed and I will send your rewards to the house soon. I just need more time to prepare them. If not, you're free to leave whenever you wish. Thank you for finding my item, Spider."
"So.... Luna's a werewolf?" Tina asks.
Spider looks at Tina after she asks the question, the irony causing a quiet laugh to escape them.
Tsukuyomi sighs at Tina’s question and she corrects her with, "No no. She doesn't transform. She doesn't go feral. It’s easier to describe as feelings of sheer overwhelm: intense symptoms of panic, fear, and paranoia, but also a massive strengthening in power and mana. The Moon, whether it’s right or not, boosts her magic at least twentyfold. It’s a pretty common symptom for anyone with Lunar Empowerment Syndrome. A similar effect exists for the sun, but it’s a bit different. That one is called Solar Empowerment Syndrome.”
Tina tilts her head towards Spider in confusion, "Huh? Did I say something wrong?"
Shaking their head Spider simply twitches an ear at Tina before turning to Tsukuyomi, "I'm guessing the solar empowerment thing effects Hinata?"
"My knowledge on Solar Empowerment Syndrome is rather limited. That was January's specialty as Solaire was keen on researching Solar Syndrome. FMS was the same for Lunar Syndrome. I believe Hinata is affected by that, but as for the specific effects or what conditions cause it, I don't know. If January ever returns home," Tsukuyomi pauses and looks at her ring longingly. Her voice becomes raspy, "when January returns. I will ask him for the effects on it and have him relay it to you. I want to know this too."
Spider tilts her head questioningly, "he's still missing?"
Tsukuyomi nods sadly, "Unfortunately. I don't know where he is. I worry that Nova has kidnapped him or... worse. I haven't heard from him since shortly after the New Year." She looks like she's on the verge of tears and Tina offers her some tissues. "I just wish I knew he was safe. Hm." You hear a high-pitched ding! come from the hallway, probably leading to the kitchen. Tsukuyomi stands up and says, "right, I must get back to cooking. I'll message you in Luna's Mind when I get more information." She then walks out without another word. With your finely-tuned wolfy senses, the scent of baked goods wafts in your direction, probably chocolate or something. Tina continues to watch cartoons while laying on the couch.