#saionofvalflame

[disgracedvessel]

Elysian Echoes

starter for @nagaficat & @saionofvalflame

It takes two nights before you finally settle into the village enough to relax and enjoy a full nights’ rest. Dreams come to you readily, but you find yourself lucid in them, able to control your own body and interact with the world. And it’s a paradise. Everything you could possibly want is at your fingertips, even loved ones who have long-since departed from the world are here and whole. You find one of your classmates/colleagues in the dream with you, and they are everything you ever wanted them to be, whether you realized it or not. They are your companion as you traverse this utopia of your mind’s creation, but when dawn finally breaks and draws you reluctantly from your dreams, you discover that your classmate/colleague remembers nothing of it. In fact, they had had a completely different dream.

The countryside passed by in a faded smear of browns and the last tenacious greens of the season. Perhaps even in the country, razed and ravaged as it was now at the end of a decades’ long war. There were the bones of villages, the charred remains of woods and fields, and then the solemn stones of cemeteries that had been the only things in the world to prosper. Julius cupped his chin in the palm of his hand, elbow resting against the carriage door as he peered out through the curtained window and watched the scenes flash by one after another. They weren’t new. This had always been the way the country looked to him, and unfocused eyes found themselves more intrigued by the flickering flames his reflection cast across the scenery as it passed.

He was to visit the territories around Grannvale in person and assess the damages and resources, but more importantly, their loyalty. It had been a long time since Jugdral had not been embroiled in conflict, but now it was Julius’ turn to take the reins of peace that his father had not been able to handle in his own rule. Whatever the people thought of him now, they were at least glad to be done with all the fighting. There would be no more Scions of Light, nor daughters of Naga, to deceive them into picking up arms again for a pointless rebellion, but the new emperor had to be sure anyway. Like wounds, a country could not recover if it was not pulled together and held that way.

The horses galloped along unimpeded. The driver was an old man getting up into his doddering years, having served both the late king Azmur and the former emperor as well, but he knew how to handle a horse. Within the carriage, Julius had invited along his mother, Deirdre, along with the last remaining of his half-siblings, Saias. Whatever the years had done to her, Deirdre was still a capable priestess from whom no staff withheld its secrets, and Saias retained his popularity both within the empire and abroad. They were the soothing hands that the country needed, to make unifying them under the new Lopt banner all the easier.

To round out the group was a quiet young man named Colla. He was a yet uninitiated soldier of the empire, hand-selected by Julius himself many years ago to be steeped fully in Loptous’ doctrines. Now he was twenty, pale and sunken-cheeked, but with a fierceness in his coal-black eyes that had once set a veteran knight trembling before him. His gloved hands would not relinquish his sword, even in the company of allies.

“The Velthomer castle should not be too far now,” Julius remarked, having long-grown bored of the short journey. He glanced toward his mother. “Surely Father showed you its grandeur. Belhalla may rival it in size, as the center seat of Grannvale, but Velthomer is a far more beautiful territory.”

[aegisshielded]

You are Grounded For T(ea)l College || Felix & Saias

Reason and Faith band together to put on this month’s special seminar: the history of tasseomancy! You will be learning the “magic” behind divination and how the old masters used the remains of tea leaves and coffee grounds to predict future events. Just in time for the moon of love, you will all be divining your romantic futures from a delicious cup of white rose tea. [Grants Reason or Faith +1] 

This was such bullshit. 

Felix chewed the inside of his cheek between his molars as his frustration began to bubble up within him, his patience running rapidly thin as the professor droned on about the moon of love and tasseomancy and other divination-related smoke and mirrors. To Felix, it was all bullshit. 

But alas, he was required to attend a special seminar of the professor’s choice after being caught ditching class to go to the training grounds for the third time in a week. Now he was stuck in this classroom where the overwhelming aroma of white rose tea threatened to choke him with its floral stench. It felt as though he’d crashed right into a perfume stall at the market. 

Beside him was Saias, another Blue Lions student--though Felix had spent little to no time socializing with the fellow lion. To be fair, though, he spent little time talking to anyone, really. The only thing he really knew about Saias was that the guy was keen on this kind of stuff (at least, he hoped so. Technically, he only really knew the guy was good with healing magic, and this was somewhat adjacent). Once the professor ceased their ramblings about the lesson, the tea and all necessary items to brew and read its leaves were placed at each station. 

"You any good at making tea?" Felix asked, looking to Saias with bored amber eyes. He hoped the other would say ‘yes’ simply so that he wouldn’t have to deal with smelling the floral tea any more than absolutely necessary. 

@saionofvalflame​

[atypicalsenerio]

Blue Sky, Calm Waters [Saias & Soren]

H.E.A.R.T. starter for @saionofvalflame

Soren only ever brought food outside when he needed to eat while studying. He certainly didn’t do it as a social activity, but it was what was being asked of him.

This feels like something Mist would do. He let his mind wander as he packed a small basket with two sandwiches, grapes, a couple apples, napkins, and then some cookies for dessert that he certainly hadn’t made himself. Thankfully, it was a season where finding a couple cutely decorated cookies for sale was easy. He put a small cloth over the top and stepped back, looking at the quaint basket like a stranger had filled it, and not he.

Was this something normal people did with friends? Soren got a sudden wave of something not quite sorrowful, but not nostalgic. How could he be nostalgic for something he’d never done before?

He simply felt he did not belong. This mundane little picnic with someone he barely knew fit in better in someone else’s life.

Still, he picked up the basket and walked out with it on his arm to the grassy banks of the lake closest to the monastery. He saw Saias in the distance and didn’t bother waving, waiting until he got close enough to speak.

“I was meant to bring food, as requested.” Soren glanced to the dock. Had Saias been tending to a boat? “The day is suitable for rowing- was that you intention?”

[serraic]

@saionofvalflame

   The chattering of students confers a buzzing, murmuring din, gentle and steady like the pattering of rain on the pane of a window. Their teacher has ended class with an assignment — research of ancient tomes and the benefits of tome verses tomeless magic — and has told them to divvy up into pairs. It is one of her first lessons, and Serra knows no one here. That realization has seized her heart with a grip like a vice but, never one to be undone by her apprehension, she leaps from her table and charges towards the first person not yet joined by another she sees. 

   “Hello! I’m Serra. Let’s be partners, how about?”

[sublimeflowoftime]

Vicarious Reading Session

Starter for @saionofvalflame

The library was a place that Sothis often avoided. All of the books on the shelves and knowledge readily available to grab only served as a reminder to her that she couldn’t grab it, and there was so much she didn’t know. Both in terms of general knowledge, as well as herself. It was to the point that she had almost convinced herself that she didn’t even know where it was, so obviously she couldn’t go there even if she wanted to! It definitely was not one of the first places she stumbled upon when exploring! What’s a library? Sounds dumb. She would much rather continue to bother the various staff members she could find around the academy.

Unfortunately, the staff that she could find didn’t appreciate her genius solution as much as she did. They would often completely ignore her or find some excuse to leave. Not that she really minded. She was bored, and even negative interactions were entertaining. Besides, it seemed like it was a busy day. Despite her complaints, she understood why they wouldn’t entertain her commentary, so she would just find someone else. The current person she was following was walking somewhere, but she didn’t particularly pay attention as to where. It wasn’t until they closed the door behind them as they went to grab a book from the other side of the library did it truly click. Oh. Okay. Sure why not.

Her moment of realization caused her to lose sight of whoever was being tormented advised by her until now. It’s fine, she can just leave. As Sothis reached for the door handle and pulled, nothing happened. Oh. Again. Right. She can’t move anything. Sothis sighed, accepting she was stuck somewhere that didn’t have anything for her to do. Might as well go find the person who led her here. Before she took off on her quest, she noticed a student staring at her. Wasn’t there a class right now or something? How curious.

Sothis wasted no time to float up behind the student, trying to peer over the students shoulder at whatever book was being held at the moment. “Skipping classes, are we? What could possibly be so interesting as to warrant that?”

[concealedbybreeze]

Petals in the Wind

The air of the ballroom is seeping with joy. Song and laughter drown out the sound of the breeze.

Here they are! The Ethereal Ball is finally upon them, and the students of Garreg Mach couldn’t be happier about it. Lewyn cracks an amused grin at the crowd, reminiscing at the odd event he used to play for. High spirits and fervent dancing sure does bring him back. But now’s not the time to be daydreaming about the past! The Silessean’s got a dance that he owes to a certain someone, and with how much they practiced in days prior, it’d be a shame to miss him now.

Scanning the crowd, he picks out Saias’ bob of red hair almost right away. There’s something oddly familiar about it, now that he really gives it a look... 

“Looks like you’ve decided to go all out,” He jeers, as steps are taken to approach the Velthomer, “Love the outfit, really. It suits you, and that’s not somethin’ I can say to just about anyone in here.” He’s kidding about that last bit, but the compliment is genuine. It’s delivered with some positivity in the bard’s expression.

“Say, now that I’ve got you here, mind if I ask you somethin’? You remind me of someone, so I was wondering where you were from. If you’d rather stay anonymous, I get that, but I’ll share a secret of mine if you share yours.”

@saionofvalflame

[nagargent]

glitter

continued from here;

He is so very gentle to her, even now. Tears gather at the corners of Julia’s eyes as she tries to resist the urge to wrap her arms around him right this moment. At the very least, she believes she owes the priest an explanation first. With a sniffle, she quickly swipes away the moisture with the cuffs of her sleeves.

“Oh Saias, it really is you!” Joy resonates from her voice as her face splits into a wide, beaming smile. The Saias she knows is likely at least a decade older but he’s the same person; warm and gentle like firelight. The same ardor and compassion her father carries so well. “I do know Lady Deirdre, in fact. Rather well, actually.”

Julia giggles in delight. Excitement sparked like electricity through her veins. Her (not so much) older brother was here too!

“She’s my dear mother, just as Lord Arvis is my father. I’m their youngest child,” she informs him with an eager smile and excitable heart. Her hands reach out in the space between them, although she stops just short of grasping his in her own. Instead she continues, “I suppose that makes me your younger sister, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

“Although it seems you don’t know me yet. Why don’t we change that? If you aren’t otherwise engaged, of course.”

@saionofvalflame​

[nagaficat]

this time it's not a fight!

The cathedral of Gareg Mach monastery is a breathtaking monument to the goddess of Fodlan. Even for someone outside of this faith, it's hard not to feel reverent in the presence of its extravagance. This being a school affiliated with the church, it makes sense that much of the population would be devout but Deirdre wonders of the rest of the continent shares the same level of devotion.

Deirdre finds herself coming here often to take solace in the beauty and peacefulness. There has been so much that has happened in the short time she's been here and it's nice to have a place where she can quietly meditate on the strange turn her life has taken.

There's a choir practicing as she takes a seat in one of the back pews. This particular group of singers has clearly been working hard and the harmony of their voices carries throughout the room. Deirdre bows her head, not in prayer to the Fodlan goddess, but in contemplation.

@saionofvalflame

[thyrosus]

SEALED FOREST; criss-cross.

UNLOCKED 2021 STARTER:  @arcstral; @heartstringbound; @saionofvalflame; @thiefs-vow.

—FIRST, FIRE, for what little good it does to fight back against the oppressively dreary surroundings.

There is no place for indecisiveness at the onset of what could very well be a war, enemy unseen. His classmates needed a steady presence, and he has a duty to fulfill it. He had almost missed the party, settling affairs as his peers prepared—in private, steeling himself, fingers tracing at the blasted mark—

No. They need a cool head, such as himself. Someone prepared to brandish spell and lance and stare down an unknown foe; and, failing that, someone with the wherewithal to see to their retreat.

He had almost missed this opportunity. He will not again, stepping up to decode the mystery of the door barring themselves from the heart of ancient, gnarled tree. Casted Fire matches the strange blue lights that dot the entryway, the orange flame natural, the sickly blue decidedly *not.*

The door. Focus.

Lorenz bends himself down as he scans each edge, only stopping once the first curiosity gives him pause:

A… slot? As though someone had forgotten to carve the keyhole properly.

“Come, look,” he speaks, to draw the attention of the small party under his care. “I… have not seen a keyhole so peculiar before.”

↳ @thiefs-vow!

[nappingscholar]

How to Train Your Kinshi

When Linhardt woke up in his room after the mission to the Sealed Forest he was convinced it was a dream. He saw his friends die in front of him, yet everyone was accounted for at the monastery. 

Linhardt would spend more time with his teammates from the mission. There was an unspoken bond that had formed between the group, and even Linhardt couldn’t help passing the time with them. 

It was a beautiful spring night, and Linhardt was half-asleep under a tree next to Saias, who was making idle conversation with him. Linhardt listened to Saias talk, and let out quiet noises of agreement. This was the life he longed for, one full of peaceful naps under a tree.

It must have been an hour for Linhardt to open his eyes. How late was it, he wondered as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and noticed Pelleas walking alone. “Where is he heading?” he asked under his breath.

Linhardt glanced over at Saias. The red-head obviously wanted to follow Pelleas. “Fine, you can drag me along...”

@saionofvalflame @pirrhyc 

[goldoanheart]

Mapping New Territory

Hope you’ve been brushing up on your cartography skills: it’s time to grab your mapping supplies and set out. This is new territory to everyone, so travel with care and hang tight to your map- oh. There it goes, perhaps lost forever… wait! There it is! Oh. Huh. This isn’t your map… but it is a map, albeit a crude one. The most important thing of note on it, aside from the fact it seems to loosely detail your surroundings, is that nice big red X in the corner.

starter for @saionofvalflame

Kurthnaga slung his bag over his shoulder, checking that all of the supplies that he had been giving were in there before heading out the front gate into the wild unknown. Luckily, the area was mapped just a little already, at least the path was. He pulled the freshly inked parchment out of his bag, holding it up and squinting closely to see where he was supposed to go. A light breeze picked up as he studied the map, now satisfied that he knew where he was heading. As he reached to put in back in his satchel, the wind blew it out of his loose grip. 

“Ah, wait!” He chased after it, but sadly, did not manage to find it again. Great, now he was stuck out here without a map.

Though, he did decide to search a little longer, looking around nearby bushes to make sure that it hadn’t gotten stuck on any of them when the wind blew it away. Finally, he came across a piece of paper stuck onto a low hanging branch of a tree and jumped up to grab it down. He was about to store it in his bag when he noticed something curious about, realizing that it wasn’t his map at all. It was slightly more detailed than the one that he had been given by the church when he set off, but the most important detail was that there was a giant red X in the far-right corner of it. 

“A treasure map... I see.” 

[disgracedvessel]

Nowhere To Go [Julius & Saias]

starter for @saionofvalflame

It was by rounding an innocuous corner of the grand reception hall that Julius found himself nearly face-to-face with one of the last people he would have expected to see in Garreg Mach. Behind Sigurd, who was most certainly the least. And perhaps Julia as well. And— well, maybe he wasn’t the last after all, but the sight of Saias stepping out from the double doors in all his poised dignity wasn’t one that Julius wanted to witness, anyway. His feet froze, and for a split second he considered ducking behind one of the marble columns to await his half-brother’s passing. Hesitance gripped him a moment too long, and the brief window of time that would have allowed his escape closed when his eyes met with those cerulean daggers he had always felt could find his weaknesses in a glance. Whoever thought this man a saint clearly couldn’t see the demon of psychological warfare behind the mask.

He was coming down the stairs toward him now and for a moment Julius leaned on one foot as if to flee. Then they were face to face.

“Did you not receive my letter? I told you everything was fine here,” Julius accosted him, all at once defensive and ignoring - or perhaps simply not noticing - the startled look from his half-brother. He crossed his arms and scowled. “Or did you simply not trust me?”

No one ever trusted him. That was what he told himself, anyway. And it was unwarranted. He only lied when he’d get something out of it. Suddenly distracted, his scowl unwound itself, his jaw falling slack as he squinted. He leaned forward slightly to examine Saias.

“You look… different.” He couldn’t pinpoint how, exactly. There was a youthful fullness to his face. Or maybe it was the way his hair was tied back. Or— Julius’ eyes fell to the clothing he wore, at last realizing that he wasn’t in the usual white robes of the silly little faith he followed.

“Why are you wearing this uniform? Wait— No, no.” He shook his head with disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’ve come to be a student here?” Then an accusing point of his finger as realization brought the scowl back to his face, pushed words out between his teeth. “I knew it! You never trusted me at all.”

[saionofvalflame]

❀ april | 2022

Status:

Passed!

Skill Points Gained:

Monthly Activity - +1

How to Train Your Kinshi - +1

Skill Point Allocation:

+1 -> Flying -> C

+1 -> Reason -> C

Total Skill Points: 20

[avemaera]

He's not exactly hungry for barbecue... but Saias would've asked to come, considering this is his father's marriage they're celebrating, of course. So the young, currently redheaded swords-mage finds himself approaching the imperious grill-master with all the shyness of the flowers Saias loves to cultivate. "Hello, Father, I've come to bring you well wishes for your happy marriage!"

Poking his fingertips together, he asks, "May I please have some food? I can't wait to try out your cooking!"

"HELL YEAH BOY, why don't you work the grill for a bit like your old man." alvin and the chipmunks said, handing his son the burger rotational device. "i gotta go see to a man about his hair color and gender anyway."

"FUCK👏IT👏UP👏"

[boundlesshart]

rainmaker

blessing the rains down in faerghus with @saionofvalflame [ Flying +1]

It’s like the Verdant Rain moon all over again. The rain bears down hard on the land, each drop drumming against Claude’s face. Wind tears through the trees and blows the rain towards him with even more force–he pulls his thick scarf over his nose, but his forehead still stings from the cold deluge.

Claude already resigned himself to catching a cold. At this point, he’s just happy that they’re headed home.

This is what they get for wanting a storm. After someone contaminated the water supply, rain had been their only hope of getting fresh, fairly clean water anytime soon. But now that they’ve filled their barrels and waterskins of it, he’d love nothing more than if the universe could just... respond to their wishes being fulfilled.

And the universe does respond, in raucous thunder and high winds that will definitely be hell to fly through.

"That sounds bad,” Claude comments casually as he adjusts Roxane’s tack. And, once again, the wyvern grumbles in protest at the prospect of flying in such awful weather. Even within the cave that he and Saias are taking refuge in, they can’t completely escape the storm outside. Of course, neither can they just sit here and wait for it to blow over. If they leave any later than this, the sun will set midflight. The storm will still be blowing, and conditions will be even worse.

Still, it had to be asked. “What do you think?” Claude turns to Saias, curious about what the Blue Lions’ ‘elite tactician’ had to say. “Time isn’t on our side here. You know your mount best, but I’m sure that Roxane can fly through this. It’ll only get colder from here... for a wyvern, it’s now or never.”

[swiftscion]

Brains and Nyawn

Larcei’s had a few days to settle in to her new academy life. She kept up with her studies fairly well, engaged in rigorous training, and filled her free time with niche activities. Most of these aren’t really noteworthy, but what is interesting is a new secret she had begun to get wrapped up in just a short week ago. It all started on a rainy Saturday night. The Isaachian was returning from that evening’s dinner, feeling pleased about her stomach full of food. It left her in a content mood--the kind that had her closing her eyes and humming along as she walked, in spite of poor weather conditions. She was rounding the corner to her dorm area when a sound caught her attention. A meow! Or, well, it was more like a mewl, meak and quiet, but just loud enough to be heard over the rainfall. Its uniqueness was just about the only thing that spurred her attention, and in a matter of moments Larcei located its source. A tiny Gautieron kitten, about 8 cm in height, was left abandoned outside the classrooms. Now, finding cats around the monastery was common, but a kitten all alone in the dead of night and dreadful downpour? That hit Larcei close to home. Y’know, tugged at her heartstrings, made her stop in her tracks. She remembered biting her lip and doing a quick check in all directions, before shrugging and scooping up the little thing for a quick trip to her room. “It’s mother will probably be looking for it in the morning,” she told herself, before giving it shelter for the night. The cat slept peacefully throughout the night, but come next morning Larcei awoke to that same mewling noise. Her baby was hungry! 

Actually, it’s terribly rude to continue referring to this little thing as ‘it’. Larcei thought the same way, hence her affectionately naming him ‘Mischief’. The inspiration for the name mainly came from Mischief’s black coat, and the way he kind of suckered in his way into the student’s life. While she swore she’d only be taking care of him for another day, fast forward a week and she’d be making a habit of feeding him her leftover table scraps--in secret, of course! Mischief was under strict orders to not leave Larcei’s room, which led to the usual messing up of her belongings as his curiosity grew, but one day that suddenly stopped.

It was by no coincidence that this day was the same one when his owner noticed a problem with him. Mischief was beginning to look underweight. He wasn’t severely scrawny, but his thin frame and lack of energy told Larcei all she needed to know about his starving before she picked him up, and that the leftovers weren’t going to cut it. So, she got desperate. Desperate and crafty, mind you. She tucked the little bugger into a satchel and carefully slung him round her shoulder, huffing out as she thought about how best to feed him. It was too early for the nearby markets to be open, and while she could have just waited, she felt the need to get Mischief some grub ASAP. In only one short week, Larcei had become a very affectionate cat-mom. So affectionate that she was willing to go on a kitchen raid for her little son, which is exactly what she ended up doing. 

Being one of Od’s descendants, the Isaachian is fleet of foot. She shuffled off rapidly to the dining hall, and rapider still to the foodstores in the back. As she ducked down, she prayed that whoever was on breakfast duty would show up just a bit later. For now at least, the coast was clear. She then unzipped the cat and, after hushing him down, let him at some of the meats. Cats can have a little salami as a snack, so she treated him to some cured porks before directing him to the fish. Little Mischief nibbled away like his life depended on it, which surprised even his unofficial owner. Her hand gingerly pet him as she watched him munch away. The scene was just so cute that she neglected any sense of urgency she had before, tilting her head and smiling from ear to ear. Oh how she could do this all day!

But if the footsteps behind her (y’know, the ones Larcei was presently ignoring) were any indication, she wouldn’t be getting anywhere close to a day.

@saionofvalflame