12th Paladin of Charlemagne

So at this time, Astolfo is officially not in isola, and I’ll consider coming back as indie or something, but all isola threads are officially dropped and I’ll be away from Astolfo.

Every few weeks, I rush in after a spell of inactivity and try to make up for it all before having another lapse. I’ve taken a hiatus before and am reluctant to do it again.

Put simply, I have muse but just not the spoons to keep up in a group or with threads. It’s been a lovely few months, and perhaps I’ll come back someday in the future, but 2020 has simply sapped a lot out of me, and I never wanted to leave any partners hanging or accidentally hog a muse.

So for now, I’m dropping. I’m doing well, except for this low amount of energy and how busy I got irl. As this cycle of just not coming on for weeks continues, it’s time for me to admit that at this time, sustained RP here isn’t in the stars. I’m happy to chat over on my ooc tumblr on my mun page!

Selenie shifts awkwardly. 

“Errr… I’ll… keep that in mind?” She tried, not sure what to say to the idea of a hippogrpyh having the will of a Spoken, let alone any sort of standards in regards to who it would consider a friend. The disgraced Dragoon had no idea what to think at this point. It was beyond painfully obvious that hippogriffs in his realm were not even remotely the same creatures they were in her realm, despite sharing the same name. And that was only scratching the surface of her confusion.

She wondered what was going through his head. What did he think of what she’d told him so far, besides what was obvious? She had a feeling that, if she didn’t know about these Servants of his world, then he probably had no clue what it meant to be the Warrior of Light, nor what a primal was. Poor kid, that was probably for the better anyways. 

“Ah, so you’re meant for mounted combat, are you? Don’t really have much in the way of horses in my realm-they do exist, but they’re more common as… tribute to primals than anything else. Usual mounts of choice that you find are generally… well, some sort of gigantic bird. In Eorzea, we have chocobos, and in the Far East, they have giant falcons, for example.” She told him, wondering what it would be like to see this kid fighting on the back of a chocobo. He’d probably love chocobos just on principle. Most children did.

He did seem genuinely intrigued by Maltet. She wasn’t sure exactly how well he was listening, and to be fair to him, it was a lot. Quite frankly, even she didn’t fully understand things at times. She was no scholar. Then, he asked… and she laughed a bit.

“Well… in my world, Dragoons were meant to be able to fight dragons on both land and in the sky, at least, before the Dragonsong War ended. So, I guess, sometimes, you could argue we were mounted? After all, we spent plenty of time leaping onto the backs of our enemies and driving them into the ground. Now, after the Dragonsong War, it’s actually quite common for Dragoons to find dragon companions and work with them. I’m usually off being the Warrior of Light, so I just… haven’t found the time to bond with one, I guess.” She corrected, before sighing wistfully.

“Still feels weird sometimes… I wonder how in the hells the likes of me ended up as the Warrior of Light…” She muttered, before shaking her head. It didn’t matter. What was done was done. She couldn’t help but laugh at his eagerness, telling her more about his own realm.

“You’re right about that! Never heard of any of those places, but to be fair, you’ve never heard of Eorzea or Ishgard until now, so if there was ever any doubt that we’re from different worlds originally…” She then grinned, and proceeded to stride over to him.

“Oh, royalty, are we? You’re admittedly the youngest prince I’ve ever met!” She told him, before proceeding to pull him close and start ruffling his hair a bit. She then let him go. She then nodded as she took in the summary of how these “Servants” worked. 

“Aye, in my world, there are several different fighting styles. You have Dragoons, like myself, but there’s also the Dark Knights, who use greatswords as their weapons and tend to be the more wild vigilante type, Astrologians, who use cards and the stars to fight and heal, and Thamaturges, the most powerful of which sometimes even embrace the Void and become what we call Black Mages… it goes on and on and on.” She summarized. 

“Hmm… we use a different energy, called aether, in my world, for magic-related shite. I’m no mage either, but some of my more powerful abilities do involve using aether. I’d show you, but I don’t think here is the best place.” She looked around a bit in the area crowded with trees and other structures. “Wouldn’t want to accidentally burn something to the ground for no reason, after all!” She further added. She then let out a bitter laugh.

“A bit rough… understatement of the bloody era! But there’s no point in wallowing in self-pity. Got that out of my system a long time ago.” Because there’s no time to waste on something like that, there’s too many threats to Eorzea and I have to be the Warrior of Light above all else. She doesn’t say the full extent of her thoughts, and shoves them down quickly. She manages to force a smile. “I guess? Not sure I’d let myself be called a Servant, as I serve no one, but who knows? If that’s what being the Warrior of Light would translate to in your world, then I suppose that’s what I’d end up being.” She muses.

“A ray of sunshine like you would be very welcome in my realm. If you ever want to meet up again, just look to the skies. I fly around this bizarre realm all the time. Don’t be afraid to call out to me. I’ll likely be able to hear you.” She assures, the smile from before now becoming more genuine.

She had no intention of telling him that she envied his ability to be so bloody happy all the time. Lucky brat.

@himbogriff

Sacrificing animals as tribute? Astolfo blanched for a moment, although it was hard to tell in the moonlight. He regained his spirit at the mention of giant bird mounts- that was something he could work with. “Giant birds! Yes! I’d catch and tame one easy! Animals really love me, and I love them! Hippo-un was basically like a giant bird!”

He tapped his foot thoughtfully. “You see, I’m good at letting birds get close to me. You just have to be still.” He paused. “I had a lot of practice when I was a tree.”

Astolfo pressed on, not elaborating on that either. “Nope, never heard of those places, but I’d love to visit!” He stretched, palms extended towards the heavens. “My favorite place is the open sky, and the freedom to go wherever I want!” Spirale seemed to be a sealed area. A large one, certainly, but still contained in fog beyond the forests. His disappointment in a world with boundaries was immeasurable.

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Well, I’m a prince for sure! Princes have to be born you know. We’re all young at some point.” And again, there was a huge difference in experiences. “You serve no one, but you’re a Warrior of Light? I’m only a paladin or knight because of who I serve- without Charlemagne or my home country, I’m just an adventurer!”

A good adventurer at that, in his opinion. With his skills and Noble Phantasms, he’d always been confident in himself wherever he landed.

“I keep my eyes in the skies a lot,” he assured her. He beamed, waving again. “I will, Selenie! And if I met anyone else from your realm, I’ll say hi!” He wondered what she meant by her realm needing someone like him. He didn’t know any other way to exist than how he did. 

Isola Open Location: Archimedes Ward,  ευτυχία

Inherent in the word paladin in the modern day is an expectation of righteous and loyalty to a creed of chivalry. As a knight born purely from legend, it was Astolfo’s duty to have his own place in the songs and cycles, constantly running his course in a bard’s poem as a hero centuries old like a star soaring through the sky in its constellation’s plots. 

But noble as that was, Astolfo was just a person.

A person who knew how to party in 16th century style. In fact, anyone from Le Pèlerinage de Charlemagne certainly knew how to drink and jest far too much.

So, he’d set out to explore the Archimedes Ward in which he’d been stationed. The alleys and walkways were cozy, dappled in shade between hues of blue and white buildings. It was like an ancient heaven populated by modernity, as bicyclists rode past and people dressed in every way imaginable wandered by. Astolfo found himself beaming at the whole scene, letting his feet carry him aimlessly. It was how he found Dionysus’s Chalice.

It wasn’t quite dinner time, but that didn’t stop him from brightening and rushing in. Ah, if only the other knights were there to celebrate with him! Astolfo strolled in, taking in the interior of the Greek themed bar. All of Spirale felt foreign to him, but then so did most of the modern world. He seated himself at the bar counter, still gazing around and reading the advertised drink descriptions and pictures.

She gazed upon the treats; Chaldea resonated from their name, but that may have been simply coincidence. Fingertips brushed the foil wrapping, twiddling the crumpled design around with intrgue; they certainly appeared like any ordinary sweet, so the thought did cross her mind as to what might occur if they happened to get mixed in with mass-produced candies of the regular variety. Other than unbridled chaos.

But with such a free spirit around, the infectious excitement would be quick to sweep away any such concerns. A smile produced itself while she reached back, pulling the door closed and twisting the jingling keys to lock it. With the house properly attended to, she moved, matching his pace with steps not as excitable, but with his hops, it would be difficult to emulate that mood with regular strides. “Having such a depdendable companion when any trickster might be lurking in the shadows will be assuring once we’ve the treats to transport safely back. But don’t let me keep you too long; there are a huge number of properties in the city that you haven’t visited yet, I assume?” Never one for taking up another’s time, and with the celebrations a limited-time deal, holding back the Servant for even a second when he’d much business still to attend would unfairly take away from his experience. “Someone with your expertise should be able to point me in the right direction so to make the most out of this”. The wrapper between her fingers grumbled.

“But you’re right, I imagine. Getting to become something else and show off extravangant costumes that wouldn’t stand out like a sore thumb, it must be the dream of someone with a vivid imagination or a fire for unique fashon. I have seen in television shows montages of characters trying on all array of outfits for whatever occasion they’re shopping for and the range is fascinating. I suppose it was just that I never imagined myself in the same situation so putting thought into what clothes to aim for never came to mind.

Oh, right, you likely haven’t met them. The Doctor who raised me and my Master; their names are Romani Archaman and Ritsuka Fujimaru respectively, so if you come across them, now you’ll know where they live. It’s information that could prove important if something were to happen, so you needn’t worry about prying. In fact, Doctor Roman would be a good hub of information regarding sweets in the city. We regularly visit Star Trail, where there are many sweet stores, those Good and Plenty, I think we’ve seen them before”. She hummed, lips pressed while contemplating the various options offered by the long road alone, let alone the remainder of the city. “There’s one about halfway along that area, it stocks unusual flavours for its products, particularly the chocolate bars. It may be the kind of store that imports sweets from another city or country. I never asked because the stock would have my attention”.

Astolfo followed her lead, doing his best to pay attention while hopping. They had no task at hand but to have fun, so he didn’t stress over anything she said. Ah, he did have a big city to explore, didn’t he? “Well, I can see the city anytime, right? Now I’ve made a friend to see it with! I’m certainly nor bored right now, so don’t worry!” He asserted them as friends within mere minutes of knowing her. He couldn’t help it, as he eagerly whipped his head around to take in houses decorated with everything from pumpkins to strings of lights to skeletons and darker drapings of Halloween.

Now, a costume, that required focus. Astolfo looked Mashu up and down again- what would she look good in? “Hmmm, I think people look best in what they like! I don’t know you too well yet Mashu, but we’ll think of something. Haha, we can even have a montage of many costumes, just like you said!” Even he could change if he wanted with a simple pop of a candy in his mouth. Decisions, decisions. “You could be as fancy as you want, like a queen in a ballgown! Or maybe you like being a knight! I like a dose of both, you know?”

Names, new names! Astolfo reigned himself in, nodding along. “Doctor Roman, huh? I’ve never heard of him, but I’ll remember him.” The poor man wouldn’t see the barrage of questions and energy Astolfo could unleash on command coming. “And Fujimaru.. okay! I live in condo 403, I don’t think my roommates would mind if you ever came by!”

He hadn’t asked. He wasn’t one to ask for permission.

“Trick or treat!”

Isola Event: Maskerade starter for @cometform

Life was full of surprises, especially so near Samhain, or Halloween. Astolfo still hoped to find familiar faces in the crowds, darting about between this and that around Spirale. He bet Hippo-kun would’ve enjoyed it as much as he did. Seig, too. Which was better- to recall friends with a nostalgic fondness that dug into his gut, or to forget? The latter seemed more unbearable.

But all his past encompassed wasn’t all... friendly per se. 

Astolfo nearly blew past him at first. In fact, he was in such a festive mood his previous rival, or at least who’d been a rival for much of the Grail War, it got all complicated and blurred in the end, didn’t even register to him. He only saw unmistakable green hair and that orange cloth trailing behind him.

“Hey, nice Achilles costume!” Astolfo waved in passing.

He immediately ran face first into a wall.

Costumes couldn’t turn you into specific people though, right? His one braincell informed him of this.

He whirled around, rubbing his head right between the bunny ears. Oh!

Astolfo was pleased to be recognized as a knight, despite his unusual appearance and uniform. His hip felt light without his sword, but at least the cape helped.

himbogriff​:

Unlimited Candy Works [Mashu & Astolfo]

Ever the fan of frilly attire, to catch Astolfo’s choice of costume felt very much fitting. Likewise his excitement for such festivities. If there was anyone who could be so elated for a costume-themed event rivalling Elizabeth, it was Astolfo. Her hand drifted from the doorframe, attention circling around the Servant who cried out his festive spirit. If only Charlemagne were still among the streets, she could imagine his reaction to seeing his treasured companion enjoying himself so much. That hand rose to wave at him, freezing once he spoke with words that drove home that he wasn’t familiar with her. Pink tinted her cheeks; in a sense, the Shielder armour that cradled her frame was a costume as much it were a uniform. But the idea spoken aloud reminded her of the embarrassment of first donning the look in Singularity F.

Perhaps… it was best that Astolfo was free of any torment associated with Chaldea’s predicament. “O— Oh, thank you,” her voice weakened in answering, when there was nothing all that impressive about it. But his compliment, she was touched by it. “I’m afraid I haven’t yet picked out a costume. Frankly, I’m not all that good with picking out something suitable. But there is time”. Whether that was believable when standing in an outfit that would easily blend in with the stock of the costume venues was difficult to say. Her lips curved as her eyes danced around his ears, something about them helped to keep her from overthinking and fretting too greatly. “But it looks like you’ve got one that’s perfect for you, it’s really pretty. Oh, but trick-or-treating…” She hummed, holding her chin thoughtfully. “We weren’t expecting anyone so early, but I could always run to the nearby store to buy something, for your trouble coming out here. Would you like to come along and choose something?”

It would offer an opportunity to garner a better impression of what state Astolfo had been summoned. To play it careful and not unnecessarily bring up anything that might lie in his future was the smartest move; she daren’t cast any grey clouds on a night he thrived. “My name is Mashu Kyrielite, if it would help. I do apologize for the trouble that our lack of readiness has caused”.

“You’re welcome!” he responded cheerfully. “Anyone’s hair can be pretty, but I’m partial to pink, how could I not be?” He reached into a pocket and pulled out candies, holding Ascension ones out in his palm. “You can try one if you like! This is what I always look like, really, except the bunny parts! You can just look like whatever you’d want to be!”

He angled his head, as though noticing how her hand froze. Was it recognition? Astolfo didn’t know how well known his legend was, in all honesty. King Arthur’s stories circulated so much more widely than Charlemagne’s. Drat, if he’d stayed home in England- ah, he could never not love his king anyway. He bounded on his heels again, looking her up and down and figuring out that it was perhaps an invitation to go shopping, which he took and ran with. Her uniform was something like a knight’s or armor, but he didn’t know her name from anywhere, odd.

“Oh, the displays are great if you want ideas! I’d be happy to escort you! Ha- we just met, I guess, but I’d still guard you and all! I’m a paladin, so you’d be safe.”

What had made him suddenly feel as though they should go out side by side? It wasn’t quite deja vu, but an impulse. Odd.

Such a carefree brat, Selenie thought, as she watched him. How old was he meant to be? Or perhaps the better question was how old was the brat he was meant to be based on? He couldn’t be very old, with how how was acting… or perhaps, maybe Selenie’s life of pure suffering, tragedy, and misery had soured her view of the world from an even younger age. She wasn’t really sure, and quite frankly, she couldn’t be damned to care anymore.

“Hmm… so you don’t entirely remember how you got your… Hippo-kun-” The name was forced through gritted, draconic fangs for teeth, as if saying something so childish and soft was rather difficult for Selenie to say at all- “but you’re still keen to accept him as a dear friend without any sort of question at all…” She trailed, before bringing a clawed hand to her helmeted head, tapping the crown of her draconic helmet a few times as she tried to make sense of it. She sighed, shook her head, and returned to looking at him.

“You’re soundin’ more and more like a primal as you continue to describe what you are, minus the whole tempering and sucking the life out of the realm by merely existing bits. I knew primals who could summon little friends to their sides whenever they wanted. Granted, they usually were there to help the primal in trying to kill me, and not as a pet like you’re makin’ this… creature of yours out to be, but hells if I know… this isn’t my world, after all. Things sure as hells are very different here in certain ways from my world.” She admitted, shrugging.

“…Rider class? The hells is that meant to mean? Is it like how I’m a Dragoon? How you fight? What you can do?” She guessed, before looking to the sky. 

“I’ve heard of these airplanes too. There’s some in this godsforsaken realm. Never been inside one-from what I understand, it can get pretty small in there, and it’s not like I need any help to get around anyways.” She then admitted, continuing to beat her wings to stay airborne. She then grinned as he excitedly asked about her spear, and returned to looking at him. 

“Let’s get to the ground first, then I’ll do my best to explain her to you.” 

She once again brought it out, following him as he descended to the ground. Once they were both on the ground, she brought it more into the moonlight, allowing him to see the fine details, holding it as if presenting it with both hands.

Unmistakably a spear in overall shape, with a moderate-sized dragon that rests a bit below the head, whose tail was coiled around the handle. It was mostly navy bluish in coloration, with greyish decorations, and a faint purplish-whitish aetherial glow, barely visible, truly. 

“This here is Maltet. She was made for me after my previous spear was destroyed in a battle where I took on a rather nasty dragon all on my own. She does everything you’d probably expect a spear to do, but she’s enhanced with what I can basically describe as dragon magicks. Also, she’s designed to make it easier for me to use my own magicks in battle. I’d show you, but there isn’t a lot of open space and I’d like to not level the area, and by extent, you’re a bit too close.” She summarized.

“And don’t sell yourself short. There’s more than one way to win a battle. Just because my friend Alphinaud is more skilled with slinging spells, healing, and tomes doesn’t make him any less useful than me out there.” Selenie assured, placing a hand on his shoulder. “If you’d like… I’ll admit, I’m not exactly the best teacher, but I’d still be willing to try to help you better yourself.” She then offered.

“And don’t think I’ve forgotten about your question about where I’m from. I have no doubt in my mind that you and I are from completely different worlds. I’ve never heard of Servants in the sense you’re talking, and you’ve obviously never heard of primals, by how you’re acting, just for one example. The world I’m from is called Hydaelyn. I was born in a place called Ishgard, and I grew up there too. Place is bloody freezing all the time. Almost never stops snowing. And was constantly under attack from dragons. If you weren’t from the right bloodlines, your life was generally shite, unless you happened to be good at fighting. I was a lowborn, but Halone be damned if I couldn’t beat the shite out of anything that got in my way.” She was sparing him the darker details, he didn’t need to know just how royally fucked up her life had been, and just how fucked up things were with Ishgard on its own. 

“Then, after a while, I managed to claw my way into the ranks of the Dragoons, but eventually… a lot of things happened. A lot of things you don’t want to know, trust me. I ended up becoming just another adventurer-another face in the crowd, hired to do whatever was needed, going from place to place. Then, by chance, I ended up meeting some interestin’ people… and, thanks to a special power I’d had for a while, I ended up becoming something more. The Warrior of Light. Champion of Eorzea. Primal-slayer. On and on and on. Didn’t ask for any of it, mind you… but what’s done is done. Can’t ever go back.” She finished summarizing, doing her best to not show just how much it hurt to think of her past. He was such a sweet, innocent little brat-he didn’t need to know such things. The disgraced Dragoon chuckled.

“Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine? Enjoy it while you can-you never know when it’ll be taken away from you.” She told him, deep inside, a bit jealous of the fact she would never be able to feel such innocent joy like he did.

@himbogriff

“If you met Hippo-kun and you were nice to him, he’d be a friend! He’s got standards and all that, I’m sure. Hippogriffs are smart!” Astolfo hadn’t done much to earn his hippogriff’s approval, but he figured being nice counted for something. He loved his hippogriff so much, he was sure it was why they got along. He couldn’t imagine not loving animals anyway, especially as a Rider. Well, maybe he didn’t adore animals that weren’t cute, but most of the tameable ones were.

Well, she definitely wasn’t a Servant. Astolfo was perplexed, but not for long. “I’m an expert with horses and other creatures, like Hippo-kun! Vehicles too. I’m usually the fastest on any team I’m on!”

Astolfo peered curiously as she showed off Maltet. From her history, it was sounding more like she’d been an experienced knight from elsewhere, maybe even with more battle experience. It was difficult to tell her age, and even in his state he knew not to ask out of the blue. He then tuned in the the rest of her story, fitting together that Dragoon was similar to his own position. “A Dragoon is a cavalry member, right? You must’ve been similar to me as a Rider!” He nodded along, glad to have some common ground.

“I’ve never heard of those places, just like France, Britain, and Romania must sound foreign too. Cool! I’m a prince, but it really doesn’t matter here then with people from all over.” He dropped that information without a second thought and continued like he’d commented on the weather and nothing more.

“There are seven classes, and eleven other paladins. Even if I’m physically the weakest one, I’ve made it so far!” he said cheerfully. Selenie’s physical abilities already, just by looking at her, surpassed him on any day but a new moon, he assumed, but the fact that she had magic too was a definite bonus. “I draw on mana and use magic items, but I don’t have any myself. You’re born a Mage, or you just aren’t one.”

He lost track of a few of the events she mentioned, but he mostly followed. “That sounds rough.” He stood up taller. “But you became a hero, it sounds! You’d be like a Servant from my world, someone worthy of becoming legendary! I’d chat anytime, if you like!” He grinned. “And don’t worry about my disposition, couldn’t be changed if anyone tried!”