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JUNE TDM + SETTING UPDATES
BEARING FRUIT (NEW CHARACTERS ONLY)
It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.
The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.
From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.
And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.
You wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this, because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.And then, it goes wrong.
The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looking down, and they spill forth as if sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes.
So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—
You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.
I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.
The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.
From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.
And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.
TWO CITIES, ALIKE IN DIGNITY
With the new Shard-Bearers present or en route, it is Kathova and Cetina that approach the established ones, requesting that they form mentorships with the new souls to assist them with the integration process. To this end, they have both provided a centralized zone in both Highstorm and Springstar for a small, casual meet-and-greet to be held before the new Shard-Bearers are unleashed upon Kenos as a whole.
Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events on different days, it is possible for the knowledge-hungry to participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ, and some Shard-Bearers who have chosen to harmonize with either faction may even find their way to the opposing faction's session as well.
However, for those who have attended such events in the past, they'll note a marked difference—Only newly arrived Shard-Bearers and members of the faction are welcome. If you're a member of the opposite faction, you'll be questioned and ultimately turned away. If you want to join the party, you'll have to be a little sneakier, it seems.
Tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare typical to Springstar's mild winters-- fruits and wines, savory smoked meats and roasted vegetables, and large bowls of soups like youvarlakia and fasoalda have been lain out to encourage forum participants to snack as they speak. The atmosphere is ambient with informality and friendliness, though topics will inevitably stray towards philosophic or political, Springstar's meeting grounds are decorated with handsome chaise lounges and slouching klismos chairs in small, intimate groupings. This is a forum in the classical sense, where people are encouraged to speak freely, no matter the topic.
However, there’s a little tension in the air at this particular gathering. Whether you’ve recently arrived or you’ve been here nearly a year, it’s not hard to figure out—Meridian has just lost the Iconoclast Oracle, and though the Blight (see below) is improving, letting such an important things slip through their fingers again is painful. Without the Oracles, they’ll never see home again, after all. Yet to make matters worse, Meridian lost an unknown but not insignificant amount of its Shard-Bearers to Zenith’s sway. Even in the Seat of the Tribune, it’s not hard to overhear conversations about “what should be done to ensure they win the next Oracle” or questioning “if Tribune Cyrus is really up to the task.”
There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in a milling of bodies as they flow and ebb between smaller gatherings, clustering in small-to-large groups with small platters and shimmering flutes of drink held in their hands. Yet, as you look, you’ll see that the selection is also quite interesting. The foods and drinks on offer are from a multitude of worlds, and so you may find a new favorite! Or something not suited to your palate at all. It’s at least a chance to be adventurous.
The mood of Highstorm is subdued as always, but still seems to be pleasant and joyous thanks to claiming the Iconoclast Oracle. Again, it’s worth noting, as the Oracle was contested and therefore rightfully theirs in the first place. Congratulations are given to more senior Shard-Bearers for their efforts, and those who have just arrived may be regaled with stories of bold heroism at the first battle in the Scorching Isles or stories of wits and cleverness at its reclaiming last month. However, these stories aren’t always true, exactly, as only the Shard-Bearers have been present for either conflict. It seems they’re getting a bit of mythology built around them by the public.
Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events on different days, it is possible for the knowledge-hungry to participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ, and some Shard-Bearers who have chosen to harmonize with either faction may even find their way to the opposing faction's session as well.
However, for those who have attended such events in the past, they'll note a marked difference—Only newly arrived Shard-Bearers and members of the faction are welcome. If you're a member of the opposite faction, you'll be questioned and ultimately turned away. If you want to join the party, you'll have to be a little sneakier, it seems.
SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος
In Springstar, the Seat of the Tribune becomes available for such a forum. While a section of the building itself has been reserved for the meeting between fresh faces and experienced Shard-Bearers alike, the hustle and bustle of Heliopolis continues around them -- acolytes still gather their robes and tomes, hurrying from their quarters to lessons. A score of young militants march in step across the yard to the training grounds.Tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare typical to Springstar's mild winters-- fruits and wines, savory smoked meats and roasted vegetables, and large bowls of soups like youvarlakia and fasoalda have been lain out to encourage forum participants to snack as they speak. The atmosphere is ambient with informality and friendliness, though topics will inevitably stray towards philosophic or political, Springstar's meeting grounds are decorated with handsome chaise lounges and slouching klismos chairs in small, intimate groupings. This is a forum in the classical sense, where people are encouraged to speak freely, no matter the topic.
However, there’s a little tension in the air at this particular gathering. Whether you’ve recently arrived or you’ve been here nearly a year, it’s not hard to figure out—Meridian has just lost the Iconoclast Oracle, and though the Blight (see below) is improving, letting such an important things slip through their fingers again is painful. Without the Oracles, they’ll never see home again, after all. Yet to make matters worse, Meridian lost an unknown but not insignificant amount of its Shard-Bearers to Zenith’s sway. Even in the Seat of the Tribune, it’s not hard to overhear conversations about “what should be done to ensure they win the next Oracle” or questioning “if Tribune Cyrus is really up to the task.”
HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы
Eternally in opposition, Highstorm provides the Manor's courtyard as the setting for their informational meeting. Formality is of utmost importance here, with attending Zenith loyalists and residents dressed in beautiful, albeit austere attire -- they are, after all, standing before Lady Yima's home. A buffet-style luncheon is spread alongside one of the largest reflecting pools, wherein you may gaze and find your memories revealed in retrospect upon the water's surface.There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in a milling of bodies as they flow and ebb between smaller gatherings, clustering in small-to-large groups with small platters and shimmering flutes of drink held in their hands. Yet, as you look, you’ll see that the selection is also quite interesting. The foods and drinks on offer are from a multitude of worlds, and so you may find a new favorite! Or something not suited to your palate at all. It’s at least a chance to be adventurous.
The mood of Highstorm is subdued as always, but still seems to be pleasant and joyous thanks to claiming the Iconoclast Oracle. Again, it’s worth noting, as the Oracle was contested and therefore rightfully theirs in the first place. Congratulations are given to more senior Shard-Bearers for their efforts, and those who have just arrived may be regaled with stories of bold heroism at the first battle in the Scorching Isles or stories of wits and cleverness at its reclaiming last month. However, these stories aren’t always true, exactly, as only the Shard-Bearers have been present for either conflict. It seems they’re getting a bit of mythology built around them by the public.
SETTING UPDATES
In both locations, information passes between all in a forum, spread and disseminated among the masses - it's a good opportunity for city residents, faction loyalists and interested new parties to share and share alike. Once the meet-and-greet has concluded, twin missives from both faction leads are read out -- invitations for all present to explore the cities to their heart's content, and warnings about stumbling ill-prepared ( or at all ) into the Below, or worse yet, the Beyond. As Shard-Bearers new and old take in their cities, they'll all see it change throughout the month...
OOC, these are all updates to the setting at large that players both new and old are free to interact with as little or as much as they wish! Feel free to use them as prompts on this post, in your characters on-going lives and arcs, or just let them go "that's none of my business" and ignore it. The world of Kenos is shaped by our playerbase, and these are some of the wider reaching effects of various player plots and actions.
OOC, these are all updates to the setting at large that players both new and old are free to interact with as little or as much as they wish! Feel free to use them as prompts on this post, in your characters on-going lives and arcs, or just let them go "that's none of my business" and ignore it. The world of Kenos is shaped by our playerbase, and these are some of the wider reaching effects of various player plots and actions.
THE BLIGHT (CONCLUSION)
The Blight, a strange, time-related disease that had been ravaging Highstorm and Springstar both is finally being addressed concretely thanks to the efforts of a few Shard-Bearers (game-locked log) and unknowingly, of Aetós. While the cities are both still affected by the Blight, it’s now on the mend as the knowledge gained in the Scorching Isles is applied. For living things, a vaccine and medicinal potion has been developed, and for the environment, a technique has been developed to reverse the effects. Efforts are ongoing for each to eliminate the Blight from the cities entirely.FURTHER DETAILS
- Though the two cities are at war over the Oracles, the Blight is an area in which they’re unified because of the level of threat it presents to everyone. As such, the people of Highstorm and Springstar will both gladly accept help in distributing vaccines/potions or purifying the Blight from objects, regardless of their faction.
- Distributing the vaccines and potions is quite standard, should you wish to assist with that effort, but both cities are offering monetary incentives for anyone willing to collect or donate its most important ingredients: gold, silver, or platinum (if you’re willing to kindly donate objects containing these materials to the cause), Turquoise Vitalia (a flower that grows in the highlands of World’s Edge), and Blue Lotus (a flower that’s springing up and growing rapidly near bodies of water in Highstorm).
- You can also assist by purging the Blight from inanimate objects that are under its effects. Any Shard-Bearer who has Harmonized can be taught the process by some of the more senior NPCs that are in the bodies of government, but the basic process is simple. It requires a member of each faction, and similar to the purification of Discord, you’ll both push your faction’s energy into the object. As the process starts, you’ll innately sense that there’s a stronger presence of one energy over the other, and you’ll work together to equalize the energy.
CITIES IN RUINS
As part of the disastrous side effects of the Blight once ravaging the cities, large vines and roots have torn through the cities. This has created zones in them that are now uninhabitable because of collapsed buildings (which can be viewed for Highstorm and Springstar). There are efforts to rebuild both cities that are ongoing, but the unusual weather effects that were witnessed seem to be a bit more intense after a new batch of Shard-Bearers have arrived. This “unusual weather” can be pockets of thunderstorms of flurries, but they always carry additional effects such as (but not limited to) causing one to hear voices from the past or future, visual or auditory hallucinations of themselves from different timelines, pockets of space where old injuries, illnesses, or previously known physical conditions are re-experienced as if their body is going back in time. However, there are some new oddities that are also present...FURTHER DETAILS
- You may see ghostly specters of Shard-Bearers who have come and gone. Sometimes, they seem to notice that you’re there and flee deeper into the districts and disappear. Other times, they just go about what seems to be daily life in the district, though things don’t always match up. They might be leaning against a counter that’s no longer there, for example. Very rarely, you might even find one that you can have a conversation with, though not for long.
- OOC, if your character is one that you’ve dropped, feel free to have them make a cameo reappearance. This is more a chance to give a little hello (or farewell!) to CR and is totally optional. We ask that you not make a toplevel for them (unless you’re planning on reapping them), but we’ve made a toplevel for these kinds of interactions here. We also encourage you to give some friendly (or maybe not so friendly) hauntings to new players!
POLITICAL TURMOIL
After new Shard-Bearers arrive and settle into their new homes (so much as they can), those that frequent Springstar will see that the tension of the welcoming forum wasn’t a one-off. Meridian is a faction with opinions and ideals that are as diverse as the worlds people hail from, and so not all are happy with Tribune Cyrus’s performance in leading the faction to lose the same Oracle twice. Debates spring up in restaurants and bars, but it’s only aided by two notable Springstar residents encouraging such debates. Desmond Ó Ruadháin and Agapitos Voreen both draw crowds in public places as they speak to the people that gather. Their talks are peaceful and encourage people of Springstar to talk amongst themselves… But they’re also distinctly political about the future of Meridian and Springstar.FURTHER DETAILS
- Desmond is the foreman who oversees how the unique architecture of Springstar is made, and as such as a deep connection and investment in peoples’ home worlds. When Desmond speaks, he brings people together and tells stories from his homeland and well as from others that he’s heard. It’s something he encourages for those gathered, though it does make the sting of the loss of the Oracle more worrying. If Meridian doesn’t get the Oracles, then they’ll never see home again. There’s an undercurrent in his speeches that having been born here and to a noble family that’s living in Springstar for generations, Cyrus can’t truly understand the stakes here. He may be a good Tribune during peace, but this is war.
- Voreen is a businessman whose family owns several large shops throughout Springstar, and as such has a deep connection to the city and its people. When Voreen speaks, he brings people together by focusing on how Springstar itself is almost a miracle, and how it’s brought people from all walks of life together. His gatherings encourage people to get to know each other and to learn more about the people and the worlds they come from, since he deeply believes that the diversity of experience and knowledge is Meridian’s strength (…and frequent cause of arguments, it’s true). There’s an undercurrent in his speeches of a deep distrust of Zenith and especially of Yima. Anyone that offers you exactly what you want always has strings attached, right? Cyrus is too conciliatory towards Yima, and it makes Meridian as a whole seem weak. He may be a good Tribune during peace, but this is war.
- This is also a situation that Yima is well aware of, and she’ll send a brief message to Zenite Shard-Bearers to inform them of the unrest brewing in Springstar… And that for those with a deft hand for such matters, it’s a good opportunity to encourage this unrest in whatever way they see fit. She makes it clear that if Springstar is busy with internal politics, it’ll be much easier to stop their occupation of Alenroux as well as ensuring that the city itself may not be able to provide resources or backup to its Shard-Bearers in the fights for the Oracles.
SMALLER CHANGES
PASTORAL PEACE (ALENROUX)
Thanks to the ongoing efforts of both Shard-Bearers and Springstar’s military forces, Alenroux is now a much safer place to stay at night. While the threat of creatures roaming its lands isn’t negligible, the Southern portion of the island (close to the main Cornerstone) is now a place that can be inhabited by those willing to make the effort. Think of living there as being similar to living on the frontier—you have to build your own place to live and once night falls, you’re essentially on your own to protect yourself. Creatures will naturally gravitate towards anyone that chooses to set up a residence there as if they’re drawn to the life force, but so long as a home is well-fortified, it should be safe during the night. However, this does not apply the further North you go.
That said, while the people that work in (or just generally really like) Alenroux may be grateful to Springstar for its help in this regard, it does now seem unnecessary… Which is in large part thanks to Zenite efforts to undermine Springstar’s occupation. As a small town starts to be built around the Cornerstone, Springstar’s military or those that have been seen supporting it are treated with suspicion, if not openly told to leave. While the burgeoning community of Alenroux can’t said to be pro-Zenith (yet?), they’re definitely leaning decidedly anti-Meridian.
THE BALANCE OF POWER (KOWLOON)
For those that have been in Kenos for a while and frequented the underground city of Kowloon, it’s been clear for a while that the drug den and bar Draumahol is under new management. Or, should we say, Draumah👁l? The establishment is now very openly owned by Silco, but anyone who spends enough time in the city to learn about its loose form of governance would also pick up that this means Silco has likely scooped up a position on the city’s “council”, though concrete confirmation of that is still hard information to get.
However, in a definitely unrelated point (it’s not), Meridian characters may find themselves running into more difficulty while in Kowloon. There’s no open hostility or even widespread distaste. It might seem more like bad luck unless Meri talk amongst each other. They may be more likely to be pick-pocketed or mugged, may find that some shops offer an arbitrarily higher price to them, etc. These are all free for players to decide, but should be on the level of being unlucky or a particularly bad day down in Kowloon rather than anything more serious.
OOC NOTES
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kenoslogs.
2a when a man's so beautiful you just have to stare like the yippee creature
The man was looming, tall, and demanded attention. Byleth felt a prickle down his spine, a scent of predator, and his attention twitched from the food to the intriguing oddity in a figurative heartbeat (figurative being the operative word, as he lacked an actual heartbeat), a taut line threading through his shoulders and down his spine.
Their gazes locked.]
...
[Byleth did not blink or look away, his expression void of any and all emotion. One could almost mistake him as a statue with how still he had become, the only sign of life being the slow, barely there rise of occasional breaths. It was as if he'd been petrified beneath D's gaze...
...in truth, he had a passing thought that the man looked rather familiar, which proceeded to send his thoughts tumbling idly through rabbit holes of comparing the man's beautiful face to the various covers of his (not)guilty pleasure collection of various romance novels and bodice rippers. It was as if someone had gathered up every single beautiful, brooding love interest and distilled them into the perfect entity before him.
A conclusion he came to while just. staring. intently. at D. without saying a goddamn word.]
HELP, BYLETH
The two stoics have an eye-locked staring contest. D doesn't budge, but he is surprised someone else has decided to give him the same treatment he gives other people. (He is unaware of Byleth's label of being the most handsome romance love interest.)
After a long moment of surveying Byleth, standing there in this ridiculous cape which drapes over his entire body to cover it--not unlike Batman actually--he says in a surprisingly soft voice,]
Hello.
[That's it.]
:3c
...hello.
[...]
...
[As the silence stretched, Byleth became acutely aware of another's gaze on this situation: Sothis. The progenitor god herself observed this charismatic meeting of two social butterflies with a palpable air of morbid fascination, her attention spurring Byleth's atrophied social skills to slowly flick through his mental flash cards of "conversation starters". Clearly, he was doing something wrong if Sothis was staring at him like he had just started licking the walls unprompted.]
Food. [A topic! Good start. Now, attach a verb in there somewhere.] Do you want any?
[Excellent. Bravo! Sothis facepalmed and promptly went back to sleep, washing her hands of this situation entirely.]
no subject
The strange thing is D waits very patiently for Byleth to try, to continue. He doesn't look annoyed, or disgusted. They really just have the same sort of disposition.]
No thank you.
[This isn't offered unkindly. He has a strange sort of courtesy about him, something a little chivalrous, if anything. It does not at all match the aesthetic he's standing here exuding.]
Don't let me stop you.
no subject
[It seemed a bit odd to him to not take advantage of the free food and stock up on provisions while you could. While Springstar didn't struggle for food, years of experiencing food insecurity thanks to the mercenary lifestyle and the few famines that graced had Fódlan in its history had him compulsively hording food whenever he could get his hands on it. Every mercenary worth their salt knew that having a half-mouldy bread roll was better than nothing on the long march between jobs.
So, he turned back to the table and took the closest thing to him: a red apple. His satchel was rather full now, so it was time to actually eat; and he did so by taking a solid bite out of the apple with a satisfying crunch - letting one catch a brief glimpse of perhaps sharper canines than the normal human had.]
...
[As he chewed, he returned to his new favourite activity of staring at D unabashedly - though, this time he remembered to blink more often. He really was intriguing to look at. Much like spotting a pretty vista, Byleth felt compelled to simply observe and let his thoughts wander... though, even he knew that one couldn't stare silently at a person without eventually being questioned about it. Never mind that was what he was doing right now, but this man didn't seem to mind. He hadn't shooed him away yet.]
You're new here. [It was a statement.] Are you adjusting fine?
no subject
I am.
[Only slightly annoying on his end, less from being new and more from lacking a lot of the knowledge of how everything works right this moment.
He watches Byleth eat with idle interest, still unbothered by the fact Byleth takes to staring at him. It really isn't any different than the many people on the Frontier who found him scary, or immensely beautiful. They always stared.]
Yes. [He is a man of so many words, wow.] How long have you been here?
no subject
[Byleth is also a man of so many words. He took another bite of his apple, and after finishing that mouthful, belatedly added:]
Long enough that I may be able to answer some questions. I don't know everything, however.
no subject
For a long moment or two, he stands there in silence while he thinks about whether or not he wants to bother asking questions when he thinks he knows the gist of it all. The nuances are what he doesn't know.]
If you were honest, do you like it here?
[Starting out with the hard ones.]
no subject
They were going to get along swimmingly.]
No.
[Short and sweet and to the point: no.]
I'm separated from my home- [Home being Jeralt, more than an actual location.] -and am forced to engage in a manufactured conflict between two factions I have no personal stake in. Though I'm a mercenary, that doesn't mean I enjoy being conscripted against my will.
['Crunch'. Another bite of the apple. Chew. Swallow.]
Not to say it's been all misery here. Unlike home, I'm not forced to engage in combat on a nearly daily basis, allowing me some moments of peace. But that's a mere, paltry silver lining of what is otherwise a...
[He paused and cocked his head slightly.]
Hm, what would Shez call it again? Ah, right: a shit-sandwich.
no subject
Also, he finds understanding in the familiarity of being a hired sword who dislikes always somehow being dragged in the middle of political strife between others. (:handshake:)
The corner of his mouth twitches once, but his expression doesn't change.]
From what I've heard, that lines up.
[Which doesn't surprise him either. You can't spend thousands and thousands of years in the middle of a human-vampire and vampire-alien war not to take one look at two opposing sides and Understand.]
If I wanted to begin, what would you suggest doing first?
no subject
[One last big 'crunch', and all that remains is the core. Byleth contemplated it for a moment before peering around himself. There were no bins nearby, so he incinerated it with a highly controlled fire spell instead, the apple core crumbling into ash in his palm. He brushed his glove clean, small puffs of fine ash drifting to the floor to dust the space between his boots.]
Do you mean pledging yourself to a faction? Or situating yourself a relatively safe space in Kenos? Or gathering information?
no subject
He may be more of a nerd than he is a jock actually.]
You tell me. If I started from where I'm standing right now as I am, where should I begin?
no subject
Security.
[The answer came surprisingly quick, considering his otherwise ponderous silences before answering questions.]
Identifying a safe location that can be used for rest and respite. There's no point gathering information or supplies if you have nowhere to retreat to. However, Springstar and Highstorm both offer free boarding to new arrivals... for a few weeks, at least. If you haven't converted to their cause, then they will shoo you along. But it'll do as a starting point.
no subject
Byleth is a bro, and D continues to not ask just yet about any strange magical occurrences. What matters more to him actually... is that... Byleth composted the apple instead of tossed it on the ground? He has a weird little knightly code. The green Sim pluses above his head appear.]
You're knowledgeable about this sort of thing.
[Obviously, this hadn't been about ignorance or being clueless, or even of honest inquiry. It tells him a lot about Byleth as a person, and he finds he doesn't mind what he learns. It's smart, practical. It's also kind.]
no subject
It's what any mercenary would suggest.
[Since in Fódlan, mercenary culture lent more towards being rather nomadic. Rare was it to find a mercenary that settled down in one spot for longer than a few weeks outside of a job. The longest he had stayed in one spot was for a mere season to guard a village from hungry beasts during a particularly lean winter.
Of course, Byleth didn't think about whether a mercenary would simply tell someone that advice for free - or even indulge the question. Someone asked him for advice, and so he gave it. He was a helpful soul like that.]
Ah, forgive me. We've spoken at length, yet I didn't think to introduce myself. I'm Byleth Eisner, of Jeralt's mercenaries.
no subject
Not that Fódlan couldn't be blood-thirsty. He can't think of too many mercenaries who would give him such an earnest answer. First of all, they'd never speak to him at all because he's a dhampir. Second of all, they'd probably tell him to go fuck himself.]
I'm D.
[If there is any kind of follow-up, none comes. It's just... D. No surname, not even a title. It seems rather ~*mystery*~, but it's less a grasp at being an enigma and more he does not think enough of himself to exist outside of a letter. A blip of nothing in people's time. D.
He lacks a great deal of pride in himself. A monster which shouldn't live at all.]
no subject
D, then. In retrospect, you're correct that most mercenaries wouldn't be forthcoming with information without monetary incentive... but this isn't the time for coyness or greed, wouldn't you agree?
[Time and place for trying to fleece people!]
In any case, if there is any other way I can aid you, please let me know. I'm not engaged with any tasks except collecting food, so it'd be no bother.
no subject
Mm.
[In agreement, of course. Depending on if the person is wasting his time, he can occasionally withhold information out of stubbornness, but mostly, he sides with Byleth on this one.
There's no point in selfishly offering up bad advice when a person can be swayed to one of two sides, among other things.]
Thank you. I'm only watching and listening for now.
no subject
Very well. I won't bother you overly much, then.
[As he spoke, he turned slightly towards the table, pilfering yet another apple and crunching on that too. He also went back to staring at D shamelessly, his expression void of any and all emotion and his gaze both intense yet distant, like he was clearly focused on D, but he also wasn't the object of his thoughts.
In fact, no object was in his thoughts. Byleth was going back to 'he is very nice to look at so this is the perfect place to focus my eyes on as elevator music plays cheerfully in this empty void called my skull', slowly munching away at his apple - and after a very prolonged pause, it seemed like this was just... what he was planning to do for the rest of his time here.
Until:]
You remind me of someone.
no subject
If Byleth's return to standing with Mii music and staring bothers him, D doesn't show it at all. It's true plenty of people on the Frontier did this very thing to him all the time. A room wasn't even necessary; even outside, stepping into the area drew every single person's attention always.
So Byleth can start staring at him again, and D instead does the exact same thing to other people meandering around. He really doesn't say much more. The rust-colored eyes watch how people move, where they go, where they don't go, and he listens to pieces of conversation, wading through them all carefully.
Finally, Byleth draws him back, and he looks at the other man.]
Who?
im not sorry
[Byleth took another bite of his apple, and chewed, taking long enough that it seemed like he wasn't going to elaborate on whatever the hell that meant. Fortunately(?) he did elaborate(?), his tone still maintaining its utter deadpan.]
It's a romance novel. The main love interest in it is called 'The Twilight Jewel', a prince of a Dark World renowned for his brooding beauty and legions of devoted admirers he takes extreme pains to avoid. They did some art of him in between chapters, and you resemble him quite a bit.
[He looked him up and down slowly:] I think it's the hat.
HELP ME
He's also choosing very quickly to ignore the fact this is not a wrong call out. He likes his hat, thanks.]
You like to read?
[Instead, he decides to completely dodge the factual assessment (grits teeth) in favor of getting Byleth to talk more about himself...]
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I do. I'm an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, though recently fiction has become something of a favourite of mine, especially those of the romance genre. I find that they explain human behaviour and interaction in a way that I can digest and understand, as they exaggerate the emotions of the characters within.
[Because the truth was, Byleth was uncomfortably aware of how bad he was at interacting with people. While it was difficult to tell with how he steamrolled people with his weirdness and exhibiting no embarrassment or shame whatsoever, he was keenly aware that he had to improve his social skills and expressions if he was to succeed in making friends from his own merits, rather than inheriting the bonds from an alternative Byleth in Claude and Dimitri's worlds.
So, of course, he decided to take his cues from books. Or, rather, using that as a foundation to help him get the foot in the door, as it were (it just made him weirder).]
I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm not very good at talking to people. I'm strange and off-putting, and my lack of expression tends to intimidate or scare others. So, I'm trying to learn. I've even been practising my smiles.
[Though, not as much, nowadays! Smiles were coming to him a lot easier when talking to those used to his, erm, quirks. It was just he couldn't really do it on demand very well. Fake smiling? Impossible.]
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The unfortunate part is he rather likes it when people are interested in things for wholesome reasons. And it isn't as if he can talk (obviously). He's very much like this in a way, except unlike Byleth, he hasn't really gone out of his way to change who he is for others.
He's kind, at least. He's kind, and he compensates for the lack of sociability and gloomy energy by performing acts of service. If you don't notice, it may pass you by.]
I don't mind your company. I think it's fine.
[Says local Twilight Jewel who also has atrocious visible cues for conversation. He at least can read and understand the nuances and cues in others, but... he... does not give them himself like he should.]
I understand.
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[And he......!!! Doesn't smile, exactly, but something in Byleth's otherwise blank expression softened enough to convey a genuine, simple happiness at D's words. It always pleased him to know that his presence didn't bring discomfort to others.]
I think your company is fine as well. You have a... patient air about you. I find it quite pleasant. Maybe after today, we can meet again once you've found your footing and enjoy each other's company some more.
[This is. This is clearly Byleth's way of trying to. make. friends. It's so earnestly awkward.......... but so genuine................]
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