Exactly What It Says On The Tin

i am always taking asks and you may certainly have your headcanons! i’m just in sort of a funk so it’s uh, taking a while for me to respond.

asra: surprised that past-you was able to keep it secret from him for all those years. is intrigued about your old life and looks into what exactly your status was and why you left.

nadia: knew about this and is stunned that no one else did. she thought that you were simply hiding your identity. is she really the only one who keeps tabs on important persons?

julian: well at least you have the power to harbor him next time he becomes vesuvia's public enemy #1, haha. oh, by the way, does he have to refer to you by some sort of title now? Your Grace? Your Mageliness? Master/Mistress?

muriel: o-oh. great. since you're an Important Person now, you probably have to leave and go do Important Things... i-it's okay, this isn't disappointing or anything... he likes being alone anyway...

portia: THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!! who are your old family? can you take her on vacation to see where you lived? you can go on a road trip! reconnect with your old roots! it'll be great!

i traced the portraits for some sort of roleswap au

(edit: tumblr predictably ate any image quality so i separated the pictures)

*clears throat*

COUNTESS PORTIA <----> HEAD SERVANT LUCIO

Like the canon version of Lucio, Portia spent several years as a (pirate) mercenary and then settled down and become Countess of Vesuvia through ambiguous means. Her reign is relatively the same with the exceptions of a) the Coliseum has been toned down to non-lethal combat, b) the menagerie of awesome pets is much better trained, c) the Palace’s party budget has been cut, and d) there is a distinct lack of plague.

Lucio initially took a position with the Palace as a servant when the Devil started talking to him about potentially overthrowing the Countess and replacing her. Soon enough, though, he ended up befriending Portia, becoming head servant through sheer force of personality, and putting the whole overthrowing thing on hold. He hasn’t taken any deals yet, thankfully, but the Devil won’t stop nagging him and he’s considering cutting ties with that annoying goat out of spite.

COMPANION MURIEL <----> RECLUSE NADIA

After Muriel was sent away from his tribe, he was picked up by a group of slavers and sold to the Coliseum, being forced to kill to survive until Portia rose to power, realized her champion fighter wasn’t doing this voluntarily, and shut the whole thing down. She offered to let Muriel stay in the palace. He spends his time tending to the menagerie and roaming the quieter sections of the gardens.

Nadia, sick of her family and needing to get away from it all, left Prakra and had her contemplation tower built in the woods surrounding Vesuvia. She still gets the occasional visit or message from her family, but she has made it clear to them that she needs time to herself. The people of Vesuvia have come to see her as an enlightened sage figure, and every now and then someone will trek to her tower to consult her for advice.

DOCTOR ASRA <----> COURT MAGE JULIAN

Asra is an extremely competent doctor, though his enigmatic personality and cryptic sense of humor often keep people from trusting him with their health. He doesn’t seem to have any true friends, though he has many friendly acquaintances. There are some nasty rumors about what he does in his downtime (everything from bedroom preferences to “dark science”), but none of it is backed up by any evidence. This kind of gossip just comes with the territory of being mysterious and elusive 24/7.

asra: you two live together, so this scenario normally wouldn’t take place, but asra is shocked one day when you knock on the door to his residence in nopal. he invites you in to share the meal he was just cooking, and he warmly tells you how proud he is of you and your progress.

nadia: makes pleasant conversation with you for a while before asking where [whoever usually escorts you] went. when you inform her that you arrived on your own, she flirtatiously remarks that, if no one knows you’re here, then they won’t be able to find and interrupt the two of you... possibly for several days.

julian: of course, you find julian perched on a bar stool in the rowdy raven. he’s happy to see you, and he starts introducing you to the other regulars until he notices that the crowded bar scene is making you panic. he drapes his coat over you, and you pop the collar to use as a sound barrier as he escorts you out to somewhere calmer.

muriel: opens the door, looks around, and sees that you haven’t brought anyone. seems far more relaxed with the knowledge that it’s just the two of you. doesn’t comment on it being your first time out alone, but his smile is softer.

portia: bumps into you at the palace gates. pauses, looks at you, and proceeds to tackle-hug you with the biggest smile. look at you, going out on your own! all just to see little old her! ...did you bring her anything?

lucio: sees you approaching him in the middle of a party. oh, this won’t do. ;) surely you’ll worry your little head off with all the people and noise. ;) he picks you up, tosses you over his shoulder, and walks you to his wing of the palace. it’s quiet there ;) ;) all safe and sound ;) ;) ;) ;)

valdemar: is pleasantly surprised to see you waiting by the elevator for them. you can accompany them underground if you like, but you’d better remember your mask and gloves. they can’t let you succumb to whatever remnants of plague are still in there a second time.

valerius: you find him sitting on a chaise lounge on the palace balcony. he looks you up and down with one eyebrow arched before pouring a second glass of wine and setting it on the table. you take the seat in front of it and watch the sun set with him, neither of you saying a word. 

vlastomil: you’ve finally come to the manor without company! whenever you show up with someone they usually urge you to leave early with them, so you’ve never gotten to meet the worms. and vlastomil is ecstatic to introduce you to the worms. you may not touch them, though. or feed them. they have many teeth and they do not trust you yet. but that will change in due time.

volta: she’s wandering around the palace halls with a fretful look on her face. when she sees you she runs up and clings to your side. the two of you were to meet today, and she could not remember where! she is so grateful that you have found her! she was so, so worried that one or both of you would get lost! and as both of you are easily distressed, that would have been a disaster!

💖

julian walks in on you crying your eyes out. distressed and caught off guard, he exclaims “oh! sorry!!” and leaves the room. he paces around for a little while, fretting about the situation and wondering about whatever could have made you so upset. if only he knew what was wrong, he could find a way to help… it takes him way too long to remember that emotional support is also help. cursing himself for being so dense, he runs back in to console you just as you’re wiping the last few tears from your eyes (better late than never i suppose).

you’re welcome fam also please don’t worry about asking again if i was too vague

heya, sorry for the wait on this one. i did indeed have a little trouble because the the prompt is so open-ended, what with all the possibilities for how MC freaks out, but here’s my take anyway.

nadia, muriel, and portia would also be upset for you and immediately try to comfort you. for nadia and portia, this is the first time that they’ve heard about your death too. for all three of them, there’s a lot of holding you close and crying and whispering that it’s going to be okay. muriel is running his fingers through your hair. portia is still in shock and can’t form a coherent sentence. nadia is swearing revenge.

alright, cool. your afab apprentice decides to pass their lil nugget of a newborn around the room. here’s what happens.

asra: cradles it for a while and lets it fall asleep in his arms. it’s had a rough journey today, and it needs its rest.

nadia: politely declines. she does not know anything about babies. ask her again in about seven or eight years when it can carry a conversation.

julian: excitedly coos over the kid and carries it around the house, showing it interesting new things and talking to it in nonsense.

muriel: pales. holds the child for a couple of seconds before desperately trying to pass it off to someone else. he’s obviously fond of it but is worried about injuring it on accident.

portia: sits down with the baby on her lap and bounces it for a while, speaking softly (“hey, little guy!”) and letting pepi get acquainted with it.

it is certainly not stupid! and even if it were, i do not mind replying.

asra: as your partner, he is worried about your social life. he knows that isolating yourself from others is psychologically damaging, and he doesn’t want your lack of social exposure to damage you. you remind him of muriel that way. if he is not your partner, he is saddened that you’ve chosen to cut him out of your life. the two of you used to be the best of friends, and he misses you dearly.

nadia: as your partner, she is unconcerned. she is occasionally seen as aloof and dismissive by others, so she knows what it’s like to be in your shoes. it is not an issue so long as it doesn’t cause drama among the court. if she is not your partner, she is slightly put off by your refusal to speak to her, but does her best not to take it personally.

oof, another long one. enjoy!

ASRA

crimes: jailbreak, suspicion of accessory to murder / conspiracy / treason

outcome: when julian was arrested and no “apprentice” existed in this au to prove his innocence, asra broke him out. the two were seen leaving the city in separate directions. you are sent after asra while a team of others chases after julian. you know asra’s clever, so instead of looking in the direction he went, you check the shop. it appears empty at first, but you find a magic gateway to some sort of pocket dimension. he’s sitting there, calmly drinking tea, and he offers you some. he had only expected the city guard to look for him and is surprised that the palace sent a specialist. he agrees to go with you, but the light in his eyes suggests that he’s just going to escape again anyway.

NADIA

crimes: alleged accessory to murder / conspiracy / treason

outcome: valerius hired you to find her after julian accused her of working with him, but you don’t have to go far. you find her “incognito” in the town square, feeding birds at the fountain. she’s shocked to hear she’s been branded a criminal; she had just stepped out of the palace for some air. if someone had told her, she would have let the guards escort her to her room for house arrest. she allows you bring her to valerius and chews him out for having the gall to bring a bounty hunter into this, though she does make sure that he pays you.

JULIAN

crimes: piracy, malpractice, alleged murder / conspiracy / treason, jailbreak

outcome: has been having so much fun with your cat-and-mouse rival dynamic. midnight duels. rooftop chases. speeches about how “you’ll never catch me alive!!” you’ve actually caught him a couple of times but he keeps slipping away. you’re pretty much forced to be an audience to his hammy shenanigans. the fun stops when you learn enough of his tricks to stop him from escaping once and for all. he seems hurt and embarrassed because he assumed that after all this time the two of you had become close.

MURIEL

crimes: runaway slave

outcome: there is no written or spoken record of this person. you double-check your orders, take it up with your superiors, and everyone agrees that this must have been a clerical error.

PORTIA

crimes: piracy, trespassing, mail theft / mail fraud (minor but still a crime)

outcome: you find her in her cottage. she offers you lunch and asks why you’re visiting. when you tell her, she’s confused about why anyone was sent after her. you take out a scroll listing her misconducts and start reading them aloud. when you’ve said enough of the piracy-related crimes that it’s clear that she’s under arrest for real, she interrupts you with a sucker punch and books it. you’re out cold for a couple of minutes but when you come to, you chase her all the way to mazelinka’s house, where mazelinka and her crew kick you to the curb. you’ll have to try again later.

LUCIO

crimes: several war crimes, patricide, battery, obstruction of justice, vandalism, harassment, indecent exposure, parking in a handicapped zone… the scroll of misconducts continues until it spills at your feet

i am doing well, thank you :)

i’m not entirely sure if you mean doctor mc as in pre-amnesia mc working under julian or if your mc is a doctor 24/7 so i’m going with the pre-amnesia one because that’s most likely

NADIA:

-has found you to be the most agreeable of all the doctors and often consults you (that is, when valdemar isn't there or she needs a second opinion) about the status of her people and how close the palace team is to finding a cure for the red plague

-is also very interested in hearing about your magical and medical knowledge

-while you, julian, and asra research possible cures in the library, she is usually reading over your shoulder, watching your methods intently

-has learned much about medicine from overseeing you and the rest of the team, but she rarely offers her own ideas during discussion for fear that an unqualified opinion would only cause more harm

-eventually confides in you and you alone when it becomes too painful that vesuvia is dying while she can only watch from her ivory tower

JULIAN:

-does his best to be a good mentor but has no earthly clue what that entails

-uses every opportunity to try to dispense Wise Teacher Knowledge and it almost always falls flat (“remember, when applying anesthesia... erm, how did that saying go again?”)

-feels like wherever nazali is, they’re very disappointed in him

-to top it all off, as a pirate field medic, he really only knows how to dress wounds and apply leeches so while he has a ton of surgical knowledge... you, the person who grew up in a shop full of magic herbs, know WAY more about medication than he does

valdemar: this patient has an infected cut on their leg

julian: *raises hacksaw*

you: *lowers his arm and fetches an antibiotic salve*

valdemar: i was more interested in 069's solution but very well

asra: three guesses on who taught you how to dance (or at least helped). you won’t even need two of those guesses because it was undoubtedly asra. he’s graceful, knows how to keep a beat, and is thirsty on main. also he definitely kept that gladiator costume.

nadia: gives you a sly look but doesn’t say much about it. if you’re in a relationship with her, you return to the palace one day to find a prepared costume in your room along with a note requesting a private show.

julian: is curious and asks you some of the details about your job. puts his foot in his mouth by accidentally insulting the sex industry. spends the next week trying to atone for this even though what he said wasn’t actually that big of a deal to you.

muriel: Would Prefer Not To Imagine You Like That Thank You Very Much. he’s so soft and modest that if he saw you dance he would probably straight up suffer cardiac arrest because all of his blood would be in his face.

portia: asks you for lessons. you’re so flexible! and it looks like so much fun! she’d love to learn how to move like that and join you for a song or two. she’s surprisingly good at the stunts for a first-timer due to the muscles she’s built up from work.

volta is a smol precious bean and she warms up to you very quickly. she loves having a new friend, especially one who isn’t rough on her like the other courtiers, and she spends any opportunity she can chitchatting with you and offering to share her snacks.

she doesn’t think it’s anything important until, sooner or later, someone brings up how much she hangs around you, and she realizes that what she thought was a simple friendship has crept into crush territory. oh, oh no. this will not do. you have obviously been opposing the devil, and that makes you her enemy! but she likes you so very much! oh, what is she to do?

while she still keeps you company, indecision and a fear of the other courtiers force volta to keep her feelings a secret for as long as she can. she lasts maybe a day or two. volta is terrible at keeping secrets. she acts very suspicious around you, stammering and sweating and blushing, until you ask what’s wrong and she tearfully admits everything. the crush, the problem regarding you and her employer, heck she even gets halfway through explaining the devil’s plan before you can stop her and have a proper heart-to-heart.

apprentice: i'm going out asra: did you take out the trash? apprentice: yeah of course i did asra: *checks pulse* heart: *going crazy af* apprentice: *sweating*