#interaction: etrefleurbleues

[blaiddllodi]

" prince dimitri ! why, hello ! "

in his grip is a poster. depicted is shades of blue and a slogan - ' fight for the blue lions this upcoming boel !'. beneath it is a lion, if it could even be called as much.

it almost looks . . . sick, even. the lines are unsteady and the colors appear to be an earnest attempt to make it initially blue before the realization dawned it did not ' pop ' enough ( and thus, hastily covered with other colors , making a rather unsightly hue of blue-and-yellow-and-gold ). it's as if louis had never seen a lion in his life.

[ roll for 1d20 drawing : 2 ! ]

"i have procured many of these posters in my free time to put up around the academy in hopes of encouraging other students , or inspiring the unaffiliated , to fight for our most wonderful house this coming battle," he smiles, handing dimitri various other pieces. each lion seems worse than the other, but they all were formed with such care and dedication with each and every attempt. "oh ! this one is of you, giving a thumbs up."

it hardly looks like dimitri. there is a lion roaring behind him, yet it is a quarter of his size. dimitri himself looks a tad too buff, and louis seemingly had no idea on how to draw his hair - but he got his facial features right!

"if you would like to accept these, we can hoist them around the classroom first and then around the monastery. i have permission to do so from professor naesala," the cardboard wobbles in the air a little. there are . . . many, each distinct in design and somehow uglier. "in fact, he seemed very encouraging. how wonderful !"

There are some things that politesse could not possibly account for.

This poster was one of them.

"You've procured...many of them...?"

But in many instances, befuddlement made up the difference. He plucked at one corner of the proffered poster and examined it more thoroughly. The lions looked...bad. Some rangy, their colors mottled and smeared, and others weighted down by what seemed to be genuine sadness.

He glanced at Louis - earnest, smiling. Proud of his work, and of his house.

He smiled back. "And this one is me?"

Dimitri shifted his stance, and mimicked, for a moment, the caricature on the poster. The anatomy was off, so it was uncomfortable to hold for much long than a moment, but the effort made, and he laughed, shaking his head.

"This is a wonderful effort, Louis. I must commend you for it - I hope that we can hang them in enough places for everyone to see. With allies like you at our backs, I'm certain the Lions will secure the win this year."

[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)

[blaiddllodi]

[ READY-TO-PAINT CERAMICS ] before louis sits a bowl, fingers drumming on the table. "you know, prince dimitri. maybe i ought to give this art hobby more of a focus than i had thought . . ." the bowl is blue. on the side is, you guessed it, another poorly painted lion. "i have a few younger brothers. they always request i send them something home from fodlan, you see. the environment here is so very different from that of what i know."

paintbrush dips into white, and next to the lion he writes 'BATTL E OFEAGLEANDLION'. louis clicks his tongue in distaste - the writing is illegible. "ah . . . i ran out of room . . ." at that, he paints over the text - and yet, the sheer amount of paint he was applying had begun to stack. the bowl itself smelt strongly of chemicals. undeterred, he tries again. 'B ATTLE OFEAGLE ANDLION ANd DEER'. he isn't satisfied. louis furrows his brow, and paints over it again, before picking up the brush once more. "here i go!"

he stops.

"unless, you would like to try ? are you one for handiwork ?" at that, he holds the brush out. the scent of chemicals has made some people move away. "it would be my greatest joy to collaborate on this with you."

Dimitri hesitates to take the brush and bowl. Visibly, even. It is not because he doesn't want to participate with Louis - he had been delighted at the suggestion, especially with the unprecedented three-way tie, and one could never accuse Dimitri of being a poor sport - it is just...

Well...

Gently, gently, please, he reaches for the brush extended out to him, and for a moment he thinks he has the feel of it, doesn't press to hard to keep his grip on it, aren't you supposed to keep it secure in the thumb joint rather than between fingertips? He offers Louis a bright smile at even the slightest success.

"It is a good thought, Louis," he says. "The Battle oft the Eagle and Lion is an old tradition, harkening back to the War of the Eagle and Lion, before the Leicester Alliance separated from Faerghus."

Careful, careful. He reaches for the bowl, charmed by the recurring theme of absolutely atrocious lions produced by his new friend's hands. Rather than painting over it, he presses the brush to the ceramic, frowning when it leaves an unseemly streak.

"Ah, I don't suppose that can be passed off as antlers or a wing, do you?" He sighs, setting the brush down to press the tip of his finger against the smudge, hoping to coax it into something passable, or barring that, to clean it up.

"But given how important the Alliance has become, not just here at the Academy but in Fodlan at large, I suppose it would follow that they deserve a seat at the table - er, recognition in the name, that is - oh, blast - !"

He might have known that it would have happened, but as Dimitri shifts his grip on the pottery, turning it to inspect if he had made a mess further, his fingers tighten and the inevitable crack forms.

His head droops, and he set the bowl down before he can make a further mess of it. "I don't think that 'The Battle of Eagle / and Lion and Deer' is what you were going for, was it?"