XVI. THE TOWER.

The prince keeps his gyrfalcon perched on his gauntlet as he walked along with Pent, keeping his eyes trained as well. His gaze catches the sight of blood against white a moment after Pent does, reading the count's expression and following his line of sight to spot it.

Recognition.

Well, the boy wasn’t daft; there were things that could be ascertained about a person from the moment of meeting, and Pent could tell from the glimmer in Zephiel’s eyes that there was a sharp edge in there. 

This… blooming competence that outstripped whatever sum came of his parentage. If he had to guess, Pent would wager that the odds were stacked against the boy, but if he could make it to his coronation in one piece, Bern may see a prosperous reign yet… (But until then, Etruria’s eyes remain diligent.)

“Murdock? Nonsense; the good commander is a memorable figure in his own right. A respectable men deserves that much.” It wasn’t a lie, but the mage’s own pale gaze washes over the way the prince carried his shoulders and the lines that cut across his young face. One thing was amply clear: he didn’t buy Zephiel’s lie of omission. The gaping hole in his statement spoke volumes in itself. The Mage General smiled. “So I am afraid your praise is somewhat unmerited, Your Highness. You have my thanks regardless.”

“But I digress. Whatever the circumstances, you did not come all this way to Fódlan just to to speak of home.” He could throw him a bone. Nothing would be gained by pressing the issue here aside. Desperate animals bite when cornered. Pent inclined his head to the boy, both in mild concession and parting. “A number of festivities are planned for the Academy. Perhaps you might grant me some of that precious free time then, but for now, I do hope you are settling in, Your Highness. Garreg Mach is full of interesting characters.”

And that much was genuine.

   Playing at court was not an art that Zephiel has had a lot of time to master yet— certainly not as much time as Count Pent has had. Perhaps this is what his father had wished him to practice here; with an overabundance of nobles in attendance, there were ample forces to contend with without an actual bearing on Elibean politics.

...If one ignores the smattering of some people already here. They may be in the minority, but if Count Pent is here, there is a chance there may yet be others from Elibe here too, and offending one person, the wrong person, could bring with it heavy enough consequences.

Had his father not known such figures might be here, or did he leave that detail out of Zephiel’s grasp on purpose?

“ I shall have to make the time for you during then, Lord Pent, ”  the prince replies.  “ I am still quite unaccustomed to the area, but I have every intention to converse with as many people I can from this region and learn all that I can of the customs here. The festivities will surely be a wonderful opportunity to meet these  ‘ interesting characters ’  you describe.

Favorite Tea: Four-Spice Blend - A novelty tea blended with four unique spices inspired by the Four Saints. Enjoyment requires a mature palate. (30g)

Conversation Topics: 

A new gambit...  /  A strong battalion...  /  A word of advice...  /  Close calls...  /  Equipment upkeep...  /  Evaluating allies...  /  Exploring the monastery...  /  Fódlan's future...  /  Mighty weapons...  /  Monastery rules...  /  Monastery security...  /  Overcoming weaknesses...  /  Past laughs...  /  Potential training partners...  /  Reliable allies...  /  Someone you look up to...  /  Sturdy weapons...  /  The ideal professor...  /  The last battle...  /  The library's collection...  /  Working together...  /  Your ambitions...  /  Capable comrades...  /  Food in the dining hall...  /  Shareable snacks...  /  The ideal relationship...  /  The existence of crests...  /  Classes you might enjoy...  /  Plans for the future...  /  Dining partners...  /  Hopes for your future...  /  I heard some gossip...  /  You seem different...  /  Falconry...  /  Little sisters...  /  Assassinations...

Tea Time Dialogue

Status: Passed Skill Points Gained: 1

Monthly Activity Check - Any +1 ➜ allocated to Sword +1

Skill Changes

tw: emotional abuse and toxic parenting under the cut.

geniusmageknight​:

Kempf would never acknowledge this, but nobles are not actually perfect judges of dancing. After you reach a certain skill level, judging “which dancer is better” comes down to personal opinion. From his own experience in Friege, the best dancers are not the ones who effortlessly glide across the ballroom, but the people who others are too afraid to say anything bad about. If you don’t believe yourself to be the best dancer, why would anyone else?

“My thoughts?” Kempf had much to think about when it came to Zephiel’s performance. The kid clearly knew the moves, but lacked originality. The demonstration was competent, but wasn’t anything that would stand out. What Zephiel needed to learn was not how to dance, but rather, why he was dancing.

“Zephiel, answer me this. Do you believe the purpose of dancing is just to show off some fancy footwork and maybe woo some girl you like? Some people are fine with dancing like that. Dancing just well enough to not embarrass themselves. Doing a good enough job to impress the people that don’t know any better. Are you okay with just settling for that?”

Before Zephiel had a chance to respond, Kempf answered on his behalf with a forceful tone.

“You CAN’T settle for that because you’re BETTER than that! A prince today, but a king tomorrow! And if you are to be king, you must be respected, feared, and most importantly, leagues above those around you! When the Heron Cup happens, I want to see you get out there and embarrass the competition! You can’t do that by using some moves learned from somebody else! You have to show the people something they’ve never seen before! Your dancing should have onlookers think to themselves “Why should I even BOTHER trying to outdo him!” This isn’t about some school event or getting a trophy or whatever they do here! When you dance, it is a matter of proving your superiority! You must erase any doubts in people’s minds that you will be anything other than their leader! Understand?”

And with the pep talk over, the teacher could now sit back and watch as his student contemplated the somewhat disorganized rant pretending to be dance advice. Kempf himself wasn’t sure what the real takeaway lesson would be from the advice given, but that wasn’t his problem.

   Kempf's reprimand strikes Zephiel into a near unprecedented state of shock. The last time he can recall being legitimately surprised by something someone had said to him was the very first time he had been so openly rebuked by his father, but with each time it has occurred, the shock of it has diminished, for nothing will sting as much as it does the first time when the wound is brand new. Ever since, Zephiel had grown accustomed to a neverending pattern: be showered with praise by everyone, be shunned by his father. It was comedic almost in how he had grown so used to the contrast, that he had resigned himself to the belief that the only person who truly looked out for him and his growth was his own father and his refusal to ever say a good word to him even once.

Everyone is eager to get in a prince's good graces. They will tell him only what he wishes to hear, and they had all decided that it was utterances of how perfect he was or how he deserved to be the next king.

Professor Kempf had been the first person outside his own blood who had dared to do otherwise.

“ Well, I— ”  Zephiel's attempt to give a proper rebuttal are effectively shut down before they can even have the chance to be born, Kempf's own voice clear and booming over his. Zephiel hadn't thought himself a quiet sort of person, perfectly competent in public speaking, but General Kempf had an overpowering presence that demanded nobody else be foolish enough to even think of speaking without his permission.

Professor Kempf was quite bold to exercise such behavior against a prince, but it was clear to Zephiel that this man still held some respect for him. The words, though harsh like his father's, were far more encouraging. In a way, they almost remind him of his own teaching methods with his dear sister Guinivere.

Briefly rendered mute in his surprise, it is a moment later that the prince's expression blooms into a wide smile and his golden eyes shine with the most vigor they have in what feels like over a decade.

“ You are right in that I ought not settle for complacency. ”  Whilst Zephiel could point more flaws in Kempf's logic, like the idea that Zephiel might be king one day, he holds his tongue on that. Though he normally was quick to shoot down such claims, he imagines Kempf might not give him such sound guidance if he were to shatter the illusion.

Sometimes, a little white lie was better than to be honest, the prince finds.

“ To be worthy of the throne, I must break the boundaries of those who come before me. I thank you for your honesty, Professor, as difficult as that may have been to give. For Bern's sake, I will strive to do better. I will make my country proud. ”  That is his conviction, and it is perhaps the most motivated he's ever been to even attempt such lofty thoughts. He wonders for a moment if his father's own insistence that the throne go to Guinivere's future husband was meant to be a test of will — to see if Zephiel would fold when the odds were stacked against him.  “ This has been quite the eye-opening experience. I see why you are a professor now with such approach to guidance, though I wonder if your talents are wasted here. You would do better in a court than in an academy. May I praise your sound judgment in addition to your generosity, Sir. ”

Still, as pleased as he might be with this new direction, there was still one issue.

geniusmageknight​:

After what felt like hours of viewing students attempt to perform the art of dance, Kempf noticed that he was actually being approached by a student for advice! The rather unexpected nature of this encounter had caused Kempf to merely stare at the boy for a bit before realizing internally “yes this a real thing that is happening”.

The noble of Friege would never admit to being shocked that someone at the academy was genuinely interested in learning from him. But this was no mere minor lord or hotshot commoner! This was the prince of Bern, a land known for its powerful military force and wyvern riders that put the rest of Elibe to shame, at least according to what he has heard. Kempf considered the nation to be “the powerhouse Thracia had aspired to be, except with actual brains and experience to back it up.” Not only that, but the boy was clearly quite wise himself, seeking out the assistance of a true virtuoso. Such wisdom and guts deserve to be rewarded, and so the genius saw fit to impart his skills upon another.

“My expertise is not something that could fully be taught to another within the short month we have prior to the ball, but I’m sure I could turn you into the second-greatest dancer within this academy! Before we can get into the full training regiment, I will need to see a display of your current dancing skill level. Go on, impress me!”

   “ The second greatest behind you, I presume? ”  Zephiel shoots back, lacking any clear inflection behind his voice. Regardless of the veracity of that statement, what Kempf says does hold some weight to it: it would be difficult to become an expert at dancing in but a month, but Bern's prince did not invite the ire of his mediocre father by being talentless in all he does.

“ Very well. The dance you shall see is of Etrurian origin, ”  he explains before assuming first position. To dance alone is daunting, but he imagines the figure of his mother before him, repeating the motions of lessons spent with her as his teacher. His lessons have been more infrequent than any other topic, but Zephiel's memory is sharp and his mother an even sharper critic, having aimed to make him the envy of all as she once was an Etrurian belle herself.

His moves, whilst technically good, lack any passion of someone into it as an art; Zephiel dances like it is a task, nothing more, and though he assumes the role of someone who leads and is certainly not short for his age, it has been many years since he has practiced these steps, and he is angling the positioning of his hands intended for someone much taller than him.

When he finishes the routine, he holds the last part before turning to Kempf once more, assuming a more conversational pose though by no means more relaxed in posture.

flowerofgoneril​:

“He’s loving, sure, but he’s also incredibly annoying. Seriously, you cannot even imagine how overprotective he is sometimes. I’m honestly surprised he even let me come here but I guess,” she stops and continues in a mock deep voice, “upholding the Goneril tradition” her voice goes back to normal, “trumps protecting the precious little sister.” She rolls her eyes as she sighs. The Goneril tradition really cramped her style sometimes.

“I guess when it comes down to it, yeah. Holst and I are pretty close. You know, when he’s not being lauded for some amazing achievement or another. I do love him though. My father too. They spoil me. It’s nice.”

Her cheeks flush the slightest bit pinker and she reaches to touch one of the mentioned earrings. “These? No, no. They’re actually just a little something I threw together. It’s a silly little hobby of mine, I guess. What do you think?”

Hilda is no stranger to resin jewelry but typically she uses resin to encase flowers for pendants. This is the first time she’s tried it with earrings and she isn’t quite sure she likes it.

   Patience is rewarded, and Zephiel's smile crooks up at the corner as Hilda complains about her household. So he does indeed speak to a woman of high peerage as far as Fódlan is concerned.

This outing has proved more fruitful than he could have even anticipated, truly.

“ They look fetching on you, ”  Zephiel replies. It's the safe answer, for what noble woman would wish to hear the contrary?  “ I compliment the craftsmanship. It is not often that I meet a woman who pursues such a hobby, but I think it a worthwhile venture should you wish to make something more of it.

Mission Task Board: With only weeks to practice for the White Heron Cup, students busy themselves by ordering their ball attire and practicing their dance moves. Even the stodgiest grump can’t help but feel energized by the excitement in the air.  // @geniusmageknight​

   To be a part of the aristocracy is to be competent in all manner of things. Though Garreg Mach Monastery may be primarily focused upon the militant side of matters, the upcoming White Heron Cup and the ball to come later reminds Zephiel that his stay here may also be an opportunity to grow in other matters too. His mother would want him to become a skilled dancer, and being able to successfully navigate a ball was as much a responsibility for a blueblood as was the art of war.

Various faculty members seem to be overseeing the practices of students in the academy's courtyard, but one of them in particular had been quite vocal at the beginning of the month...

“ Professor, ”  Zephiel greets the silver-haired general, bowing at the waist.  “ I have heard you to be quite the capable dancer— the envy of the lords of your land, so the rumors say. ”

Or at the very least, the man was quite confident considering the rumors had spilled from his lips in the first place.

what goes bump in the knight

Sword +1

     Celica was no fan of the cold, and even less fonder of having to walk back to her dorm at night, when the chill was at its worst—where the only warmth to be had was the heat of her own embrace, and the only sliver of light cast by firelit windows, or the dim glow of the moon. Nighttime walks from the library were not a rare occurrence for her, as she often got completely absorbed in her books, but with recent rumors of a convenient new shortcut, she finds that her usual path has changed.

     And for tonight, her purpose as well. Rather than use the shortcut to get back to her dorms, she uses it as a chance to look into another rumor: the armored thief supposedly stealing books and essays from the students who came through there. Despite the warmth of the gallery hall, the atmosphere was quite unsettling. Rows of armored knights lined either side of the corridor, their shadows stretching along the floor; they danced ominously underneath flickering firelight, cast by the torches that lined the walls. 

     Save for the clicking of her heels, all was silent. With how empty this place was, it was little wonder that a thief would see this as a prime opportunity for their nefarious misdeeds. After all, the lack of witnesses and interference made for the perfect crime. However, that did beg the question of how they could be this successful for so long… one would think that a person lumbering about in a suit of armor would be simple to catch, in such a quiet hall.

     She keeps her eyes fixed ahead, so as not to tip the thief off, books held comfortably to her chest. It isn’t until Celica hears another set of footsteps behind her does she tense slightly, her hand inconspicuously lowering to adjust the hem of her skirt, where a dagger lay hidden underneath.

@nonfayth​

    “ At ease, ”  a dignified voice announces, stepping through the darkness of the gallery hall, going far enough to at least allow his face to be seen by the other person. It does him good to be able to identify them too, knowing they have no intention to run yet. If they had, they would have already, he is sure.

“ If you are a thief, you would do better to flee before another could see you than to give me this chance. ”  He hopes he’s made his implicit show of faith in this stranger clear; if not, he gives a warning at least.  “ Of course, given the rumors, you would have felled me already. The people speak highly of this academy’s book thief. ”

Though they are were not direct praises, the people’s rumors of a thief who has yet to be caught and has succeeded in each theft is surely some compliment to their strength and competency. Zephiel holds no intention of thinking he can outwit someone trained more in stealth than him, instead donning the role of bait with the messenger bag wrapped around his person filled with various documents.

“ Though if you feared our thief, I imagine you would have dashed through these halls for very different reasons as well. ”

I'm always in need of a sword point for Zephiel, and he's had his own share of experiencing getting attacked late at night, so I am here to bully him by putting him through it again [: He's less interested in the reward for catching a criminal and more just worried about leaving a potential threat running around. Though all the rumors say is that they're doing petty theft, if they keep letting them get away with that, what other more horrid evildoers shall run about in the night, knowing that security isn't exactly the best around here?

Zephiel isn't exactly planning on becoming a dancer, but with the White Heron Cup coming up means everyone is practicing their dance moves, and this boy knows his mother would be pushing him to practice dancing as well, given how important it is in his mother's homeland. I think it'd be cute for someone to stumble in on Zephiel practicing dancing by himself, BUT if there's already someone with a muse who would be rumored / known to be good at dancing, then he'd definitely potentially approach them with the intent on getting advice from them. It's best to learn from the best after all!

    Count Pent of House Reglay — a distant in-law on his mother’s side and a powerful link to have at that given his own prestigious standing in Etruria as current Mage General. Zephiel would be foolish to relax around such a figure, even if in a way they are family.

“ He is a reliable retainer, you shall find. I am ever so grateful to have him in my service, ”  the prince answers, not wishing to confirm or deny the general’s presence in the area. If the count believed there was a chance that Zephiel’s loyal vassal was here, then it certainly put the prince at the advantage. So long as the possibility existed that Murdock was here, Zephiel would be safe from any potential threats. Even if the chance had been slim to begin with, it would be prudent of him to reduce that risk as much as possible.

“ In fact, I thank you for going through the effort to recall his name and face, Lord Pent. Your military exploits must be greatly aided by such conscious decisions to remember notable foreign officers, I take it. ”  The mage general may prove to be a shrewd mind. It does Etruria good to pick its generals well, though should the day ever come that Etruria and Bern become enemies...

...Well, that would certainly prove problematic.

“ We have much to catch up on. I confess to be curious to know what Etruria’s finest mage is doing so far away from home. ”

Etruria must feel comfortable right about now to weaken its defenses like this. Either that, or they feel as if their greatest threat lied in Fódlan and not in Elibe. But could it be that Pent is acting not on orders but his own whims and fancy? It would be a lie to say that Zephiel hasn’t heard reports of the man’s actions being quite unorthodox for that of an Etrurian noble before; by St. Elimine, his very choice of wife had proven that point, if the tales of a ball and a bow and arrow are to be believed.

Status: Passed Skill Points Gained: 2

Monthly Activity Check - Any +1 ➜ allocated to Heavy Armor +1 BOEL 2021 - Any +1 ➜ allocated to Sword +1

Skill Changes