#interaction: allyphase

[blaiddllodi]

“Um, excuse me...?”

Her voice is light, like a breeze over grasslands, and it announces her presence before he can truly hear her approaching. When he does turn, he’s greeted with Mark’s smile, poking out from behind her bangs. She gives a small curtsey, then folds her hands in front of her. “May I speak with you a moment, Dimitri?”

“I am, um, submitting some paperwork... to the administration,” she begins. As ever, her words are endlessly deliberate, carefully enunciated, like they were the only words she’d ever get to say. “I am changing, um, my affiliation. I believe I would be able to, um, do more, as a librarian.” She pauses, gathers the rest of her sentence. “There is, um, a section on the form, for House changes, as well.” She wrings her hands. “I, um, was wondering... if you have space, in your House, for a tactician.” Her gaze falls. “I, um, don’t have any... alligiance, to my current House. But, um, I’ve really liked, following you.”

Dimitri was used to being approached, for one thing or another. It came with his lot – as prince, as house leader, as a skilled combatant in the training pit, and as a young man who generally attempted to make himself of some use in a busy space with work to be done. It wasn't quite that there were steps that approached, stuttered to a stop – it was the voice that accompanied, soft and tentative, but in the end familiar.

"Ah! Mark, good day." He dipped his head in greeting to her, the polite mirror to her curtsey. Dimitri cocked his head expectantly. "Yes, of course, how may I be of assistance?"

He had spoken to Mark on few enough occasions, but they had been pleasant nonetheless – somehow, in spite of the undercurrent of loss that suffused them in both instances, once on the archipelago where they had both been sent away in failure, and the second just days ago during the candy collection game.

His fingers fiddled with one another a bit – he still had yet to make it up to her, hadn't he?

"Ah, yes, the paperwork can be quite daunting at first, I have heard – if it's help in figuring out which sections to fill out, I can surely help with -"

But the rest of it caught him aback.

She had...liked following him?

If it were one of Faerghan blood, this might have been a statement that might have been less surprising – perhaps even expected, something he had been conditioned to hear and to accept with grace. It was his blood right, it was his legacy, it was his burden to bear. But in the recent months, he had...felt himself slipping, the ground unsteady beneath his feet when it came to currying to loyalty of those who had not already pledged, and Dimitri had found himself wondering if he was worth following to begin with.

"You...you wish to join the Blue Lions?" For him? He blinked once, twice, a fluttering motion of pleased surprise before the smile cracked on his features. "I – yes, of course! We would be delighted to have your skills in our house! We could all learn from your experiences, I believe – that is, if you are certain that you would like to share them with us. Please, if you choose to join us, it would be my honor - !"

[bxldrsdraumar]

Sigurd had been ready for much when the march had begun - ambush, inexperience, or numbers beyond their ability. He had expected it to have been like any number of the hundreds of marches to battle that he had done in his time, across countryside, or through desert, or mountains, or woods.

What he had not expected was that their first stop was to a shop in town.

Nor the flood. He hadn't counted on that.

The transition from waking to sleeping was quite the blur, and if his normal waking moments had not been so mired in haze and confusion on their own during his time in Fodlan, it might have been more disconcerting. As it stood, however, he was able to keep himself composed - keep the smile on his face for those in despair to see, to keep his back straight and his shoulders broad to carry whoever might have needed it, either literally or figuratively.

As the homes had been lost in the flood, and they had made their way into the tunnels, he found he had needed to do a bit of that, and Sigurd was glad to - for the time being, keeping morale high was paramount.

Eventually as they found cover in the cave system that sprawled underneath the area, it seemed the remains of the villagers and his companions alike were able to find a brief moment to rest. Carefully, after ensuring as best he could that all were under the same roof, Sigurd took a post at the mouth of a cavern, prepared to take vigil during the long night.

He grinned at the companions that joined him - a young lady, a student of the Golden Deer house, who had taken a post and immediately retrieved a chessboard from her robes, and young Forde.

Sigurd extended a hand to shake. "Together again, are we? Always happy to have a familiar face nearby, in troubled times."

A shift in the loose stones behind him, and Sigurd cocked his head, smiling broadly at the child who appeared from the dark of the cave. "And what's this? Isn't it quite past your bedtime, young lady?"

Though his words were a scold, his tone was teasing, and the little girl - Aphaea, he believed - smiled at him, and cocked her head in return. "What use is a bedtime when there is so much to see? Maybe you'll miss something, and it will come in to gobble us all up."

Sigurd laughed. "Well, we shall try our best not to allow that to happen, won't we?"

Night Shift starter for @allyphase and @renaisguy

Whoa! Nice Creepy Doll You Got There

[pryings]

a quiet hum buzzes through the dining hall as those assembled are shuffled in. this 'psychological experiment' or 'speed dating game' or 'social gathering' or whatever it is has been prepared. in place of the long dining tables, the hall is filled with numerous small, round tables, each with a number placed upon them. you are to find your assigned tables, chat with your partner, and hopefully make some kind of connection.

the goal of this exercise is somewhat vague, but knoll and hubert seem poised to take notes. so that's interesting.

schedule:

12pm. EST Feb 14 - 11:59pm Feb 15 ROUND ONE. 12pm. EST Feb 16 - 11:59pm Feb 17 ROUND TWO. 12pm. EST Feb 18 - 11:59pm Feb 19 ROUND THREE. 12pm. EST Feb 20 LAST WORDS.

please tag all interactions #toaLoveHypothesis2024. you will receive an ask from hubert or knoll within the next few hours asking if you like or dislike your partner. unanswered asks default to a 'no.' please answer it at any point before the round ends.

rounds will be 36 hours long, but should narratively simulate the speed dating experience of only having a few minutes to talk. it should feel rushed. interactions can be asks or short threads, please communicate with your partner to determine what works best. you can continue an incomplete interaction after a round concludes if you wish, but please note that you need to vote by the round's end!

the questions provided are only suggestions. if your muse would not want to discuss this topic, feel free to talk about whatever you wish.

caspar (@berglietz) & yarne (@taguelbunnyboy) topic: assuming you do not die within the coming months, what are your plans for the future?

linhardt (@pridelessdaydreamer) & sakura (@gentlenekomata) topic: what hobbies do you partake in?

lucius ( @semperiuvare) & sara (@shadoll)  topic: if tasked with healing an injured stranger, how would you respond?

louis (@etrefleurbleues) & arval (@laruarva) topic: how do you connect with others on an interpersonal level?

deirdre (@nagaficat) & eitri (@grimkkr) topic: thoughts on magic and its practical uses.

elffin (@moriddyn) & forsyth (@viridescent-lance) topic: describe your ideal vacation.

lachesis (@pridedprincess) & selena (FE8) (@fluxrspar) topic: two interesting truths and one compelling lie.

shez (@partnerindestiny) & hilda (@delicatevalentine) topic: fabric softener and its impractical uses.

dimitri (@blaiddllodi) & l’arachel (@aglaean)  topic: total monsters you have vanquished.

minerva (@reddragonprincess) & zephia (@ruinakete) topic: which food brings you the most joy?

jakob (@indevouement) & denning (@beholdenning) topic: which animal you most relate to?

mark (@allyphase) & laslow (@laslow) topic: your favorite type of cat.

elincia (@amitieos) & hector (@braveryinblue) topic: what is justice?

(tumblr has decided to implement a limit on how many people can be @'d in a single post, so if you do not see your muse's name, check the second part of the post)

[peerlessscowl]

He'd been called in as a favor, actually. Leaving behind the monastery had been easy, but although he hadn't kept in touch with many that resided there, it seemed that his name still bore some weight as someone that might be called on in an emergency.

Raven didn't understand why this counted as an emergency, as such, from the details he'd been given - student, female, under some enchantment or other, needing to be locked in the storeroom until either the spell wore off, or she was able to be subdued - and yet he found himself carefully making his way down into the stores of the monastery, watching the candlelight flicker on the stone walls as he passed.

He didn't mask his approach, quite, but neither did he feel the need to make a spectacle of himself, no desire to strike the same chord of fear in the girl's heart, if she could feel such a thing under this enchantment - simply took his steps cautiously until the door appeared before him.

"Hey," he called softly through the wood of the door, listening briefly for signs of movement from within, "My name is Raven. I've been sent to check on you. I'm coming in, all right?"

Warning given, he pressed the door forward, eyes catching on the flurry of movement just as it occurred, the flash of fabric and glinting accoutrement and something fierce in the girl's eyes -

Just as he pivoted, shepherding her into the direction the door swung, and pushing it against her back, trapping her in the triangle that formed between the door, wall, and nearby shelf, pressing firmly - though not unkindly - against her form as she writhed.

"Careful," he said, craning his neck around the door while keeping a firm hand against it. "You could hurt someone."

my heart once dwelled in my skull

anniversary faith +1

[enarmor]

"Why, I'd do what we knights were born to do."

Sain speaks with an overbearing kind of conviction. The kind that leaves no room for error nor space for speculation--that claims what he's saying is something he believes with his whole heart. Knighthood is baked into his blood. Though Mark's question is good, it is one he can answer without breaking eye contact.

"Protect my fair lady, for starters." One finger goes up. He's making a list. "Be it a threat to your life or some unsightly scoundrel looking your way, you can always count on me to shield you from harm." And that is not because he believes Mark to be defenseless. Far from it, in fact, he's seen how cutthroat she can be as a commander. Rather, fighting should not be something she should have to do, and neither should fending off weirdos. Better to leave that in the hands of the guy with gauntlets, Sain thinks.

"Be loyal to you, now and forever. Times have changed, my goddess of wisdom, but my devotion to yourself and Lady Lyndis has not." That's finger number two. "Staying by your side can make all the difference, you know!"

Now Sain twinges. That was a lesson taught to him the hard way. As he stops to run his hand through his hair, he redoubles on his vow to never leave his friends again.

He does need them, after all.

"And naturally, serve your interests however you see fit." The third and final finger sprouts up, followed by a small wave from the same hand. Sain has been losing the seriousness strewn over his face over the course of his explanation, and now it's almost all gone--replaced by another of his golden smiles. "Dear, you've always been good at instructing me, so why stop now? I can help with studying, relaxation--whatever you need! ...I do hope you see more use for me than just stabbing people." The Lance is a truly versatile tool, even if Mark already knows that. His steel tip can be used at range or thrown to cover greater distances, or pulled back to half-wield against a closer foe. His hickory shaft can deliver a blunt strike meant to disarm, or extended to an ally to help climb a horse. And in times of great need, even the flag flying the Legion's colors could be tied to his neck. Sain is plenty happy to be the face of any operation, equal parts standard-bearer and active combatant.

"I'm all yours, Mark--passionate and devoted!"

✢⁎. binding ties

[nothosword]

Woof, now that's a thinker. What isn't Fergus here to study? More years spent meandering as a mercenary than he can count on his fingers, and the guy has nothing to show for it. He thought to finally make something of his life, now that he's in the final stretch for his thirties. But to answer his question...

Why doesn't he actually start with what he isn't studying?

"Nothin' to do with swords or horseback riding, that's for sure." He slackens on their dance during his explanation, giving Mark the opportunity to regurgitate his lessons back at him. Things continue like this for a while, with the blonde's wide-swaying motions dying down into ripples in a pond. "and I'd prefer to skip history, if I can. That class bores me half to sleep..."

He realizes he's sounding picky, and so he shoots his brow further up his head. "Government's fun, though. I keep an open book, but it'd be nice to be something better than a sellsword." If, by some miracle, he finds a way to quell his bursts of anger. Fergus can't imagine holding any kind of professional job where he talks with his knuckles before his mouth.

He plugs his stream of rambling and sets his feet flat against the grass. They could pick up their dance at any moment, but Fergus wants to ask something first:

"Why, you got any recommendations?"

✢⁎. nova in the night

[blaiddllodi]

Night came strangely quickly, and with it a chill that Dimitri would not have expected from such a lush, warm environment. He had heard that the sands of Sreng soaked away all heat from the sun, and stored them at night, when temperatures would have quickly dipped to something that a northern man might have been more familiar with, but it was strange to expect that the sands of the beach would have behaved the same. 

"Perhaps we should gather some firewood?" The suggestion came easily, and mostly from a place of wanting to keep busy – it would have taken a blind man not to see that his new companions, from all teams, were low and in their heads about their defeat so early in the competition. 

"Whoever would like to assist, I would be grateful for the help," he announced to the group, slinging the strap for Areadbhar over his shoulders. He didn't truly believe that their hosts would leave them into the cold night, merely to fend for themselves, but it was a poor leader who left those in his charge to fester under the weight of their ennui. 

The first few steps along the treeline proved less fruitful than he would like: not only could he not see any usable dry kindling, but what he could see chilled him greater than the crashing waves at their backs. 

Find wood king? Roll: 5! A monster appears!

Eyes. Pinpricks of glowing light, reflecting the rising moon and glimmering just out of reach. 

His hand went for Areadbhar's haft, and he planted his stance firmly, his other hand extending to one side to keep any others behind him, lest the beast strike. 

Attempting to make himself larger, the more frightening of the two, Dimitri puffed out his chest, made stern eye contact with the beast, and lowered his voice. 

"Leave us! Get out of here! Go on!" 

Okay but can you chase it off king? Roll: 2! Of course not!

It didn't seem to care. 

Was it laughing at him? 

Lovely Day. Sure Hope There Aren't Any Getters About

Happyland 2024 - Week 2 - Sadland Bonfire

[renaisguy]

Forde is pleased to be working with Mark again. They didn’t talk much when they were on night watch, but she seemed like a pleasant woman, if a little stressed. This job should be far less taxing. And Lianna, though they hadn’t interacted yet, seemed well spirited. 

The house they were in was a bit of a shambles, but it was workable. He thought about how a bit of paint would brighten the mood, maybe a few decorations… but that wouldn’t be possible, unless one of these houses had painting supplies in them.

“Aye, we’ll do whatever you need of us.” Forde doesn’t like heavy lifting per se, but he’ll do what’s asked of him. Lianna has the great idea of checking the walls thoroughly, so Forde joins her. 

Roll: 10+1 = 11

“Ah, there are some loose stones here.” He says, running over the left wall. “Not too many though, so- ah!” One of the stones falls out of the wall easily, and for a moment Forde panics. “It’s fine! It almost feels like the wall was built to have this hole.” Other than that cubby, the walls are structurally sound.

He laughs, then realises he’s right. There’s something hidden away in the wall. “A key?” He questions, taking it. “Hey Mark, any ideas what this could be for?”

@allyphase

move-in day - settling in

Roll 1d10 for every post after your starter. Starting with your third post (including your starter), with every post, add +1 to your d10 +1 counter resets after +5 1-8: carry on 9-10+: ping key

[blaiddllodi]

"Indeed, it seems as though this island was not attended to in our clean up efforts over the last month."

It was so bizarre, he thought, that there could still be so many creatures about - but then, of course, there was no telling how many islands truly lay in this archipelago, and it seemed as though prior to their host's entrance and the church's assistance, these islands had been both uninhabited and uninhabitable.

He was beginning to believe that perhaps this was for the best, frowning as he once more strapped a thrumming Areadbhar to his back, ignoring the chill that crawled down the bare skin of his back as he pressed on.

"Come, we cannot let this deter us - the sun is going down, and we must build a fire. If not for warmth, then at least to deter the wild creatures that lurk in the jungle."

What do you think chat, does he do it this time? Roll: 4! Nothing found

Blast! He really was no good at this, was he? It seemed that no matter where his eyes turned, he could find no dry wood to be used, feeling only the return of other eyes on him as they inched forward into the wilds.

Dimitri sighed. "Are either of you finding anything?"

Lovely Day. Sure Hope There Aren't Any Getters About

Happyland 2024 - Week 2 - Sadland Bonfire

[blaiddllodi]

Well, that was embarrassing. It wasn't as though he had wanted to harm the beast, he had no grudge to bear against them, but it stung for these two mousy girls to jump ahead of him merely because the beast didn't designate him as enough of a threat to heed.

Dimitri shook his head. "I apologize, I...I hadn't wanted to harm it, but I suppose that put the two of you at risk, didn't it?" A soft sigh through his nose, part frustration, part dismissal - better to move forward than to dwell. "The two of you did well. I suppose we should take those bones with us, in case they prove useful. We cannot know how long we will be here."

The night grew darker with every step they took along the beach, and gentle sweeps of Areadbhar's haft along the underbrush of the emerging jungle proved fruitless in the search for dry, usable kindling.

Can you guess what he's about to find? Roll: 6 That's right, it's another monster.

The rustle of branches caught his periphery, and he spun - was it the same beast? Or had it sought out reinforcements...?

This time, he drew Areadbhar fully, felt it tremor in his grip, the curling whispers singing in his blood at the prospect of blood - but he kept his stance firm, pitched his voice once more.

"Begone! We've no quarrel with you!" It was a more reasonable request than he expected the monsters were used to, and it occurred to him, briefly, that he might have better luck if he stopped treating them as men.

Can you guess whether he scares it off? Roll: 2 Of course he doesn't lmao

The beast huffed what sounded, once more, suspiciously like a chuckle, and Dimitri grunted.

Oh, come on.

@allyphase

Lovely Day. Sure Hope There Aren't Any Getters About

Happyland 2024 - Week 2 - Sadland Bonfire

[bxldrsdraumar]

Panic began to pinch at his chest, watching Forde's javelin wrenched from his grasp and the successive strike to the top of his head – even if it did no harm, being disarmed in the middle of combat with such an implacable opponent was reason for concern, to say nothing of the fact that Aphaea was still within its grasp as well. 

It didn't seem to be harming her – if anything, the whole thing seemed a grand old adventure for the girl, who giggled and squealed in the vine's grasp as though this was something she might have looked forward to for weeks on end. The naievety of children – Sigurd could only hope that the reality of the situation did not reach her, that it could continue being a game for her until she could be rescued. 

Sigurd reached for Mark, who had dug her hands ineffectually into the writhing mass to tug, trying to pull the girl free as best she could, only for the vines to slither in her direction as well, looking to suck her in alongside the child. He took a gentle bonk to his head from Forde's head in the process, grunting and gritting his teeth in frustration, swiping to grab the lance from its grip. 

"They only want to play, you know," he heard muffled from within the creak of vines – there! He reached forward again, trying to dig into the vines to find the human-shaped space where Aphaea might be. The girl giggled again, kicking his hand gently. "Do you not like this game? Should we be playing something else?" 

"Well, perhaps it's merely that we don't know the rules," he needed to keep her talking, could not lose her location, "Why don't you ask your friend to let you out and you can explain it to us?" 

"Hmph," Sigurd could hear the pout in her voice, the turn-up of her little button nose. "Are you sure you aren't just a little slow?" 

@renaisguy

Whoa! Nice Creepy Doll You Got There

[bxldrsdraumar]

It was easy, for a moment. Aphaea had joined him, as bidden, and had launched into another tale, animated in her expression and bearing, gesturing with her dollie with such energy that Sigurd could not help but smile softly, the shivering of the nearby branches dismissed as merely trick of the firelight.

He could not fault young Forde for being tense - the dark did strange things to a mind, and if he had been dozing as the little girl had accused him, then the gentle persuasion of her campside story might have twisted what monsters lay in the fringes of the dark night for the young man.  With the fervor the girl told her tales, Sigurd found himself wrapped up as well, focusing more on attending the girl's mood than the world around them.

And then, under his nose, she was grabbed, and stolen.

He blinked, at first, the echoes of young Forde and young Mark's voices around him seeming to come from a distance, dulled by that last glimpse of the cocked smile on Aphaea's face before she disappeared from view, and Sigurd had to shake himself, rattle the cobwebs from the crevices of his mind before the realization settled on him.

No -

Not -

Not again.

He leapt to his feet, his lance in his hand and his footsteps bounding after the shambling mass of vines. At the very least, he had the presence of mind to call to his companions over his shoulder, "On your feet, we cannot let it take her! Our priority right now is her safe recovery!"

They were all children, he remembered - not just Aphaea, but Mark, and even Forde, students of the academy, mere babes in the face of his experience, no matter their talents in their homelands, no matter their battles fought and even won, they were still fresh and green, capable of allowing their fear to swallow them.

Not he.

The shambling mass of vines, writhing and swallowing, was not terribly quick to move, but implacable, and seemed only to swallow whatever roughage lay in its path - he caught up in seconds, his arm already reared back to strike the shape down.

Roll: 7 - Hit!

A hit, but not as dire as he would have preferred - he saw a pale hand emerge, waving, and he reached for it, fingertips grazing against the mass of greenery until coming to wrap fruitlessly around a sopping handful of vines. There was life, still, from within the shape - peals of laughter echoed out into the night, rattling against the walls of his skull as the shape continued its journey into the dark.

"Just like one of my favorite stories," he heard whispered, hissed, a shiver traveling up his spine.

@renaisguy

Whoa! Nice Creepy Doll You Got There

[bxldrsdraumar]

Young Forde seemed amenable to indulging the child, just as Sigurd was – whatever she needed to distract her mind from the horrors of her situation. It was, perhaps, macabre that her instinct was to jump to tales of what shivered and shook in the night, but Sigurd listened regardless, smiling fondly at the girl as she spoke, the doll in her arms wiggling with each gesture. 

When young Forde jumped, alerting them to the movement of the creeping vines, Sigurd's hand tensed about the shaft of his lance, but he did not immediately rush to action, entranced by the mischievous glimmer in the girl's eyes for a moment longer than he ought. 

She had fallen silent, and she was smiling. 

The student, Mark, had torn herself away from her game, rising to her feet in her panic, pleading with them for direction – it seemed to pain her, not knowing what to do, panic welling up in her just as the waters of the flood had. Sigurd exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and finally stood, moving to place a comforting hand on Mark's shoulder. 

"Calm, my friends. I think the story might have gone to our heads for a moment. Look, see here - " He nudged the overgrowth of vines – hadn't been there before, had it? No, it must have, these things didn't just appear- with the butt of his lance, watching for a moment before smiling back up at his comrades. "No movement. No threat." 

He turned to Aphaea, and cocked his head with a grin. "You've quite the imagination, young lady. It is a rare talent, to enrapture those around you in a story like that. You should be careful," he teased, wagging a finger at her, "to use this skill only for good." 

The girl's smile widened, for a moment in the low light of the cavern mouth seeming to split at the sides, yawning and cavernous, too-wide for her face before Sigurd's brow furrowed, he blinked, and the shape of her face returned to normal in the flickering of firelight. 

"Did I distract you?" she said, all innocence as she held her doll up before her face, considering its dangling legs for a long moment. "Would you like to hear another story? Or shall I stay quiet like a good little girl?" 

Her eyes laughed at him when they flicked up to meet his, clearly conveying what she thought of the notion. 

"Have you another story to tell? Come, I will listen." Sigurd seated himself, and patted the space beside him in invitation. If the girl needed comfort for her situation, he could provide – and if his comrades needed focus, not to fall into the same headspace as their guest, well, he could provide that as well. 

@renaisguy

Whoa! Nice Creepy Doll You Got There