#interaction: floreix

[bxldrsdraumar]

He could remember the first time he saw an Emblem, he was shocked. To know someone resided inside a ring... that for a human felt like fiction, yet he saw it with his two eyes over and over again.

The sensation Alfred first felt when he put on the ring of the holy knight was one that would never leave his chest, the surge of power that rushed through his veins and when they Engaged? It felt as if his body was no longer frail, the first time he wished to stay like this for just a little longer but ultimately knew that if he wanted strength, he wished to build it himself even if other's helped him. To take it from someone else, to use their strength, that didn't fix how weak he was in his core.

But those thoughts scattered like petals when he stood in front of said knight that had aided him and his friends countless of times. Emblem Sigurd had left this world, he saw it with his own two eyes, yet... here he was standing as if nothing had happened. "...It's good to see you," He mumbled low, more towards himself than the person he wished to speak to.

No, this couldn't be the Sigurd he knew, not only he wasn't floating but he clearly could be touched. And that was when Alfred remembered that Emblems shared name, voice, stories, appearance with people that had already existed, and it sends a bittersweet sensation in his heart—to see the face of a friend but for it to not be them, how unfair it was for this Sigurd to in this moment live in Alfred's heart as a shadow of someone the knight didn't even know.

But the prince kept those feelings to himself, a smile—one he tried to make seem as sweet as he could rather than sad—on his lips but his hand still reached towards him. "Hello there!" He said with a vibrant tone. "My name's Alfred, it is great to meet you." Sir Sigurd, the holy knight.

It was a funny thing to become accustomed, being recognized everywhere he went. Even in his own home of Chalphy there had been some small degree on anonymity - merely some lord or another, merely some knight - but here at Garreg Mach, Sigurd had grown to learn what it looked like as recognition beamed bright as the sun while he smiled politely and waited for his own understanding to dawn.

In most cases it happened with knights, professors, a draw to them that held them as distinctly Jugdral, distinctly countrymen or those whom he had shared arms and tales with under a broad night sky beside a cookfire. Fewer, with children - children of Grannvale, or Thracia, or Agustria as the progeny of his closest companions found themselves drawn to him in their due course.

And others that knew him only by name, a portrait printed in a history textbook, and that fame he found he'd the hardest time shouldering.

But there were times other still that straddled the line in between, of intimacy and familiarity, but also of distant legend.

He'd seen it in the deaconess, in the king professor, and he saw it now in the smile of the young man before him.

Sigurd grasped the boy's - Alfred's - hand, gripped it firmly and smiled warm in kind. "It is a delight to make your acquaintance, Alfred, lad. I look forward to seeing your growth in these halls. You've the makings of a fine knight, if I've ever seen one."

[servarreginam]

If it wasn't for the fact he already looked at his retainer's arms the same way, Alfred would have kept the impressed but mostly yearning to be as beefy face. He did not know this man in the slightest but how easy it was for him to start a conversation and specially how easy it was if muscles were the main topic Alfred couldn't help but approach him with curiosity and a chance to inspect his build.

His arms were clearly strong, the muscles in them not needing to be fully flexed to show most of its firmness. His thighs seemed to follow the same path, how much training did it take for him to achieve this? And his pectorals? Well, they sure seemed firm and... big! This red-haired man was a pinnacle of strength, just like Boucheron was. Oh how he wished to know his secrets!

Fixing his gaze away of the very nice looking chest, he finally met his brown eye. The eyepatch on his visage not only made his already inspiring appearance cooler but also made him realize that surely he was a though guy. "My name's Alfred, nice to meet you!" He cleared his throat, this was a question of upmost importance after all. "Say... you're pretty beefy, what is your training regimen? Did it take you long? Do you have abs underneath your shirt?"

Never-ending questions from a prince that felt like a frail stick in comparison to him.

Saber was used to being stared at - came with the job, any merc worth his salt would know who he was, or at the very least would know he was someone to be wary of. And even if they weren't a merc, he wasn't stranger to a pair of friendlier eyes on him.

This seemed to lean closer to the latter, though he couldn't say he was expecting the wave of questions that followed. Beefy? He'd been called worse, he supposed...

"Hold on there, kiddo," he said, pressing a firm hand to the boy's shoulder. Eager little fella, wasn't he? "Alfred, you said? Yeah, pleasure, charmed an' all - you just walk right up to a guy an' ask about his abs?"

Not that he was opposed to talking about them, if the situation presented itself, but this wasn't quite his usual segue. Or his usual audience - a lot younger, for one...

And a lot more interested in the hows rather than the whats.

Scrubbing a hand along the back of his head, he looked down at Alfred dubiously. "Listen, kid. I got this body by needing it - been in a lotta scrapes, and a lot worse than scrapes. I ain't gonna recommend you try bein' like me - " gods forbid, "'cause it ain't something that someone like you should strive for. You stick to your fancy noble exercise regimes, they'll do you a sight better than the life I've lived."

[blaiddllodi]

Corralled into this hut along with others bearing the red bandana of the snakes, Dimitri almost felt as though they were merely back at the monastery, filing into their dormitory assignments, awaiting the first day of classes. It was absurd, of course, granted the amount of time they had already spent in the sweltering heat of these islands, performing the labors at the whims of the owners – and, of course, the series of strange characters that greeted them, and the stranger circumstances of this... 

He hesitated to call it a game, but in the end he supposed it was as good a word as any. Not martial training, nor anything so dire as some of the missions they completed for the monastery, Dimitri could only assume that it was all in good fun. 

"Hm?" Ducking into the room, he met more and more familiar faces, and he broke into a grin. "Ah, hello! I suppose we are to be rooming together for the duration of our stay?" 

His pack hit the mattress of the available cot with a gentle bounce, and he strode about, shaking the hands of his new comrades eagerly. He had seen most of them about the Blue Lions classroom for some time, and the remaining figure seemed at least passing familiar to one. 

"Prince Alfred – oh, I suppose it's Professor, now, isn't it? I look forward to your company and good cheer. I can only hope that we can all follow the example of your enthusiasm during the duration of our stay." He grinned. He hadn't known Alfred closely, but it was impossible not to know of him, if one was a Blue Lion. A prominent face, his energy was infectious and friendly. 

"And...you must be Ephraim. I have heard Sir Duessel speak of you. I am surprised that this is the first time we've met in person, but I look forward to competing at your side." The remarks were lighthearted, but there was some curiosity there as well – the shared companionship of the general, the shared tutelage. If he wasn't mistaken, it was not the only thing they shared, and Dimitri was eager to become more famliar with what Sir Duessel saw in the other, if only to see those things in himself. 

"And...I beg your pardon, we have not met. I...don't think that I know your name. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, I am the House Leader of the Blue Lions, and crown prince of the Kingdom of Faerghus. Well met, my friend." 

@floreix @solarsbrace @sacretic

So Do We Arm Wrestle For Top Bunk Or?

[rozyrne]

continued.

ETIE, HUH? THE NAME BRINGS TO MIND the muscular girl he'd usually spot in the training grounds, serious expression on her face and making two-hundred squats look like a walk in the park. he'd always regarded her with some mixture of admiration and envy, as a fellow retainer for a royal family. . . and maybe just a little bit of anxiety. hard to ignore the impression she gave off, after all.

so turns out she was really good at flowers, huh. . . he'd never've thought.

as they start walking toward the meadows that strew the island on its south-facing side, he listens happily to alfred's gentle answers. roses are a pretty standard pick, but they make plenty of sense for someone like him——he's sure he's seen one or two pinned to the prince's outfit before, both in and out of battle. and red ones are supposed to be the most heartfelt expression of emotions to match their deep and vibrant color, right? prince alfred's always seemed like the sincere and honest kind.

there's a piece taking shape in his head at the thought, and he almost misses the other's return question; though it's not much of an issue when the prince continues onto the second part of what he'd asked a beat later.

" ' outside of what we're given? ' " rosado suddenly parrots, confusion clouding interest for a second as steps slow. "what do you mean?" the ' if ' statement wasn't what he'd been expecting ; the thought that this could be anything but a fun getaway hadn't even crossed his mind.　/　@floreix

[dcggersedge]

Good. Cause she definitely wouldn't.

"You're making it a little easy." She admits with just enough guilt in her tone not to feel too bad about it. But it's...nice. It feels good. It's the most personal they ever gotten about anything ever, but Yunaka doesn't feel like the floor is going to swallow her or that she needs to run or...well, maybe that's just because it's not about her.

He's doing some teasing of his own, with that offer of his! Yunaka stares at him with wide eyes. The staring only stops when she snorts and falls into a fit of giggles. She lets go of her hand to push herself up. "Won't kiss me, but right to the bedroom? Didn't think you had it in you, Prince."

On her feet, she takes the time to stretch out her back. The stars above them keep their watch. Yunaka starts to dust the sand off the back of her legs. "Sure, my room is empty right now too. Some company'd be nice."

There's still sand, but that'll be a problem for whoever's bed she takes. Her hands are held out to Alfred to pull him up. "Come on, bed time!"

She doesn't magically sleep better than she normally does. She still wakes up periodically to scan the room, eyes at the ready and knife in hand under her pillow, which she slipped there when Alfred wasn't looking. But in the dark, she can see the rise and fall of Alfred's breath in his bed throughout the night and...and yeah.

Company is nice.

end

just you, me, and this brick wall you built between us!

[fellpurpose]

push ups were not on the agenda — but before odin can interject, the young prince commences with his regiment, leaving his onlooker surprised in turn.

instinctually, disappointment lines his face, though it quickly dissipates as odin recalls his own words ( show me YOUR idea of a spectacle! ) thus, he reminds himself, it is unfair to judge alfred so harshly.

and while the display is one severely lacking in magic and grandiose matters, odin must admit there is something there. he watches the other intently. hmmm. yes. a sense of theatrics after all, paired with an energy and eagerness that seem malleable in capable hands...

professor waits impatiently for pupil to finish. alfred finally comes to a stop, and his compliment does not go unacknowledged. odin beams, puffing out his chest. "of course it was! i have been KISSED by magic! it flows through my veins— such spells are but second nature to me."

and now, it's his turn to make a scene again. he slowly circles alfred, calculative eyes glinting with a hint of excitement. "i'll be frank with you. that wasn't what i had in mind," he starts gravely, "though you did, however, use your talents...without holding back." his golden head bows in approval. "i'll give you that. most people falter at the mere idea of a performance, inhibited by the self-restraints of the mortal affliction known to us as stage fright. but you..."

odin clears his throat dramatically. "though you lack the magic-touch, so to speak, your enthusiasm is a boon in of itself. we can make it work."

and now he spins on his heel, gesturing grandly at the impressionable prince. "NOW! all that's missing is a story behind your act. what drives it? what are the stakes at play? and most importantly, what makes the audience root for you, O' PALADIN OF PEAKED PHYSIQUE?"

the lesson doesn't end there. odin's hand flutters to his chin as he stews in thought. "i'll give you an example. BEHOLD! you, revered for your passion for push-ups and unmatched strength, step forth into a grand tournament. your noble intent is to shield your kingdom from imminent peril. yet, as you enter fate's arena, you are ensnared in a perilous maze of political machinations and envious adversaries. despite the shadows of betrayal and deceit, our valiant hero - you - must showcase thy physical might and cunning intellect to triumph over adversity and secure the dawn of a brighter morrow~! now you try. "

*oprah voice* YOU get a participation medal!

( RECOVERY, reason +1 )

[blaiddllodi]

It was true that they had all been given the same information, but what was not given was equally important - and what had been given in return, perhaps that, too, was just as vital.

"I cannot say that I have had anything in particular disclosed to me," Dimitri mused, bringing a knuckle to his chin thoughtfully, "but…we would be remiss to ignore some of the hard work that has been put in at the island owner's behest over the last several weeks. I have certainly pulled my share in a number of tasks, and though I cannot claim an familiarity with what lies ahead I think that our hints lie in what has passed."

He recalled the hours of grueling labor, the treks through dense greenery and soft sands alike - and he had recalled the same enigmatic answers each time, if answers at all and not merely a terse dismissal.

"In any case, I agree with Alfred. We can only see when we have seen - for now, mere speculation only serves to rile our imaginations. If the hosts are seeking a good show, I am certain that we will all be able to provide."

Smiling at Lyon, he added, "Regardless of our areas of expertise. Not every task is physical, of course."

@solarsbrace

So Do We Arm Wrestle For Top Bunk Or?

[blaiddllodi]

The bright and friendly energy right out of the gate was a comfort – Alfred and Ephraim he knew were people that he could count on, for their strength and skill as well as their competitive spirit, and when Lyon indicated that he was friend to Ephraim – and perhaps to Sir Duessel as well? What a small world it must be – he found his smile softening at the edges. 

"I have heard tale of Grado! I look forward to getting to know you better though our time here." 

Dimitri was savvy enough to know that what he'd heard of Grado was told through rose-colored lenses, and with a great patriotism of someone who loved his home very much, and it did not escape his notice that Lyon seemed of a less hale constitution. He knew how these things went, and that behind every great nation, there was equal opportunity for tragedy. 

"I apologize, Lyon – I seem to have interrupted your reading. Please, I won't disrupt you further." 

The mention of emblem did not strike particular curiosity – what was a crown prince but an emblem of his country? Dimitri was used to such things, used to being seen as a symbol of past and future in one before he was seen as a young man and a person in his own right – but the mention of working together again caused his brow to furrow, politely quizzical. 

Perhaps Alfred simply meant...as members of the Blue Lions house? It was an odd phrasing regardless, and Dimitri tucked it away in the event that it became a concern. 

"Indeed, I hope that we can all come to rely on one another – our strengths are surely varied amongst even this small group of us, not to mention the tenants of this cabin at large. For the spirit of this competition, may we all come together as one unit to seize victory!" 

@solarsbrace

So Do We Arm Wrestle For Top Bunk Or?