Just trying to make a living.

( mango )​:

“I… excuse me?”

Since coming to Fodlan and settling into the academy, Laegjarn had grown used to seeing and hearing the strangest things. Hell, since coming to the Order of Heroes she had met and had been acquainted with some of the most outlandish personalities. Because of that, she had assumed that nothing more could surprise her– that she had been desensitized to enough madness to find it normal. That was until she met Mangohead Guy.

Mango… was that supposed to be her?

Eyes squint at the man, scrutinizing. Though he didn’t look like it, he was likely a figure of authority, considering how the younger students bent to his will and how he easily (and perhaps gleefully) took command of them. She frowns; she didn’t know how seriously she should take the guy (he did just call her mango, after all) but if he was a professor, she supposes she should accept the task given to her and work with him.

“I’ll chop wood if that’s what you need of me, but you’re going to have to axe that lumber with me. It’d be best for us not to idle.”

The general tosses him a sidelong glance, her tone beat into polite neutrality. 

“My name is Laegjarn. I hope you can remember that.”

Uh-oh, this other student wasn’t a yes-man and actually talked back. If he actually had to work, this won’t be fun for him anymore. 

“Lae-- yeah, no. Mango will do just fine.” What is it with kids these days and their overly complicated names. He swears folks just slammed together letters and decided, ‘Yep, sounds about right!’ then proceeded to shove it down their kids throat. If he ever has a kid, they’ll give them proper names. Like Sprinkles. All the other kids will love ‘em.

Cue, quality acting. He pats his arm and grimaces, false pain expressed as he moved his arm, “I used ta’ have really toned biceps but I took an arrow to the arm, ya see. I can’t use it much anymore.” He looks off into the skies, eyes closed as he imagines donuts flying above him, too far up for him to reach. Truly, it was the saddest. 

( hotshot )​:

[ Grants Authority +1 ]

Cooking.

Certainly nothing that was part of a prince’s regular skill set. But, Innes did not believe in limits. Through practice, and learning, most things were possible. If he applied enough dedication, he was confident he could master any craft. But he was no fool. Rarely did Innes accept challenges he knew he couldn’t win. And as loathe as he was to admit… he had no experience in cooking. Any contest involving it would surely result in crushing loss.

So the prince had no intention on joining in the cooking competition that was being held… at least, not until he spotted a certain smug-faced knight. Something about the man irked Innes to no end, and it only took a snide comment towards his cooking skill (or lack thereof) to incense the prince, prompting him to throw himself into this fool competition.

(Ah, his hubris.)

True, he was no culinary master, but he was sure to be better than a slacker like Gaius.

Mossy green sweeps over the room, to the other contestants preparing their dishes, spectators hoping to get a taste, and the judge—a rather rotund man, fitted in a decorated suit as he twirls his thick mustache, the monocle over his eye glinting in firelight. Clearly a man of high standing, and no doubt an expert in his field.

The odds were already against them, which is why Innes decides to at least stick to what he knows: seafood.

“…We’ll go with shrimp stir fry. Flavorful, and simple enough to make for someone like you. I trust there are no objections?” Innes declares, glancing to the ginger-haired man next to him. The hard edge to his voice leaves no room for argument.

@sweettoothforhire

Gaius, once again, found himself in a heated challenge between noble and commoner. It was mostly done as a joke-- a quick remark to provoke the other, try to rile him up... but damn, he didn’t expect Prince Hotshot to actually take him on to the challenge.

Now he’s side by side the prince in a cooking competition he had no intention of participating. If he did, he only wanted to taste the good stuff, not make one... but alas, he might as well. This was bound to be interesting. He wasn’t even sure if the overly confident prince could cook, but in a few minutes, he’s bound to find out. He’ll be the first to smirk if he makes a full of himself.

“You sure, Hotshot? Is simple your standard now?” Gaius is already polishing up a knife for no reason other than to look cool and professional. He liked baking, but cooking other dishes? Nah. He’ll just grab one from the kitchen if he can help it. If he can push most of the work on the Prince, he can still enjoy the show while doing minimal effort... 

Stir fry, stir fry... what’s the easiest task for stir fry-- ah!

( ‘delia )​:

( stumbles, oh honey )​:

          Ah, Spring~ Sumia could never get tired of it. The flowers, the colors, and of course, the baby pegasi! She loved all the little creatures who were born unto the earth this lovely season, but the pegasi were, admittedly, the cutest. (Sumia could not budge on this opinion, no matter how much she tried to force herself to be unbiased.) So, what was better than training them and grooming them? Training and grooming them with friends, of course! Cordelia was a no brainer, obviously, but this time around, even Gaius came along! 

          “Huh?” She stumbled a bit when he bumped into her and blinked. “Well, yes. A lot of the pegasi that most organizations use are bred…” Wait. Did he… not know where the baby pegasi came from? Oh. Oh goodness. Sumia pressed her lips together and looked to Cordelia for assistance, but it seemed that this task would be solely up to her this time. Gulp. Okay, okay. This should be easy! It was good practice for when she’d have to say the same for her students!

          “So, in the spring, there… Oh, maybe I should start a little earlier? You see, it takes them almost a whole year to carry–” Sumia was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice as Gaius was bitten and fled behind behind her… That is, until she felt Cordelia’s stare on them. Blinking, Sumia glanced up at her, tilting her head to the side. 

          “Is something…. wrong?” She followed her gaze and blinked at Gaius. “Oh! You’re hurt! Hehe, don’t worry. Cordelia is one of the best nurses I know! She took care of me a lot when we were younger~” A fond smile touched her face. “Remember, Cordy? I scraped my knee that one time, and I was so upset you needed to carry me back to the captain!” In the moment they thought her tears would never stop, but now, Sumia couldn’t stop giggling at the memory. 

          “Here, let me get the special treats while she fixes you up~” She turned to her bag, rummaging through it. “You’ll have more luck with these than sugar cubes.”

up next: @lareinacordelia

     Cordelia felt responsible for being Gaius along. He owes her, she’s sure. They had a battle some moon ago, when the warmth of the sun was rare, and winter was upon them. Now, it was spring, but she’s sure she wasn’t here for the previous year… It must have been a dream. Dream or not, he agree to come after some pestering, and now the chance to entice him further with flying is upon her. She’s sure with Sumia by her side, she can push her agenda more successfully.

     What she didn’t account for was Gaius, for all his charm with the women, cannot even feed a pegasu. Under her breath, as Sumia tries to explain how they can be bred and Gaius gets bitten right on the hand, Cordelia mutters with a shake of a head, ❝ Pegasi are not horses you can bribe with sugar cubes… ❞ This will be an interestingly long day…

      ❝ That’s a bit of an exaggeration– although I do have some first-aid knowledge… ❞ Sumia’s smile was enough to remove the disappointment in her tone completely, a small smile sent to her way. ❝ Phila always said I shouldn’t spoil you too often, but how can I resist when you look like you’re so close to crying? It certainly made for useful experiences. ❞ Laughter follows, not to insult, but simply of mirth as she recalls simpler days. Days when they still had Phila, even.

     As for the cowering man behind her… ❝ You should be more gentle with the little ones. They’re not trained yet and prone to impulses without much thought, Gaius. They can sense intent. If you belittle them like this, it won’t just be this little one that bites you. ❞ She shakes her head as she approaches Gaius, a small medicine kit always on her person just in case of emergencies. This was hardly one, but Naga knows how fragile the thief was underneath all that sugar. ❝ Let me take a look at your hand, come on now. ❞

     The bite wasn’t too hard, thankfully. A bite from a pegasi can be dangerous and can even break the ones and tear through flesh much harsher than most animals. It bruised the back of his hand but at most, it will only make moving his thumb and pointing finger hurt for a while. Disinfecting and wrapping it up should be good for now. ❝ Don’t move too much, hold on… ❞

                → @sweettoothforhire​

“I didn’t mean that! Just didn’t think they made babies like rabbits.” A hoard of evil flying babies that terrorized poor souls like him... great, that’s exactly what he needed. While he’s out here hurting and obviously being conspired against by the seemingly innocent but obviously foul creatures of the sky, the two pegasus riders took a trip down memory lane. They’re like brownies and vanilla ice cream-- they just work, no questions asked. They’re already sweet on their own but together? Damn. He’s already getting cavities.

The sweetness is balanced out by his presence, however. Cordelia immediately shifts her expression from soft childhood friend to mother hen in a split second. Her words go in one ear and out the other. Something about being careful and getting bitten again-- ah, great. At least she know they were dangerous, now all she needs to realize is how evil they can be. Who bites other peoples hands when you offer them treats?! Rude...

“Don’t know what you’re on about. My intent was purer than pure. I was giving these buggers something tasty!” Sure he ate them for himself earlier, and now after he got rejected, but he wasn’t hoarding it! He holds out his hand for Cordelia to treat and looks back at Sumia who was looking for ‘better’ treats. “What’s better than sugar cubes anyways-- ‘sides, kids shouldn’t be picky eaters.”

Not gonna lie, if it was better than sugar cubes, he wanted  a bite of it first... but then again, it could just be some oats or some healthy variant these winged horses strangely liked. Gaius wanted to take a quick peak but the stinging from his hand immediately stopped him. Cordelia’s warning should have come sooner...

“You know, one of these days the both of you should hop on over to those faith seminars in the monastery. Pick up some healin’... It’d make for quality bestie bonding~” And a quicker way for him to heal. 

( stumbles, oh honey )​:

          There must’ve been something wrong with her. Uncanny dreams, the seasons passing, the strange sense of deja-vu… Did she hurt herself? Not that she could recall. Had a fever? No… her temperature was fine. Then what could it be? Sumia let out a deep sigh. Homesickness, maybe. Her thoughts must’ve been wandering then spilling into reality out her ears. 

          One petal, two petals… She plucked each one, thinking of her fortune, reading the omens, the wind, the way they fell…

           A surprise will bring you closer to your destiny…

          A surprise? What did that mean? A surprise could be anything! 

          …

          It was fresh air that she needed. A walk in the marketplace. That always cheered her up! Taking a deep breath, Sumia packed some money and headed into town. A change of pace… 

          It was certainly not a place where she felt lonely, at least. The smells, the sounds, the sights! Not to mention the sellers. Every two steps she took there was another merchant in front of her. Hoo! All the amazing deals! Like that butter slicer! That was a surprise! She had no idea there were gadgets to make the slightly time-consuming task of slicing butter easier! Oh, and an umbrella hat! That was all the convenience of an umbrella without having to use your hands! The fact that it was so cheap was surprising AND a steal! And was that merchant selling pet rocks? Sumia didn’t even know inanimate objects could be pets! A surprise of the century! 

          One by one the merchants swarmed her, and she dropped gold coin after gold coin until she was half a person, half an assortment of bags. There were so many, she MUST have bought the “surprise” her fortune mentioned by now, right?

          Then, a colorful streamer caught her eye. Turning her head, the sight of a star greeted her, covered in shiny gold, silver, and red papers. They flapped and glimmered in the breeze as the star itself twirled on a rope. The view of it was pretty enough, but what the merchant said next made her heart jump into her throat. 

          Inside was… a surprise. Sumia muscled her way forward, her smaller height working to her advantage despite the bulk of her purchases. The merchant explained the rules. Inside the star was hollow and filled with something. The rules were, you needed to hit it blindfolded until it broke. Sumia frowned as the first contestant went up, swinging. Only with each swing, an assistant pulled the rope and up it went past the aim of the stick. 

          Well, that wasn’t fair! 

          Sumia was so transfixed that she didn’t even noticed Gaius until he was right beside her. 

          “Ah!” She almost jumped out of her boots. “Gaius?!” A heavy blush colored her face. Oh, of all the people…! Her dreams were especially cruel when it came to him. Bonfires, books, rain… Her imagination truly got away from her, if not her entire mind. But for his part, he hardly seemed different. Just the same, casual Gaius. It eased the panic in her chest. (Yet strangely, not the flutter.)

          “It’s a game,” she explained. “Like a competition.” Her gaze returned to the spectacle. Yet another patron was giving it a go, but knowing the trickery now… Sumia let out an involuntary gasp when the stick connected with the so-called piñata.

          “Gaius!” Sumia turned to him, frantic. “I need to win! But… It’s a gold to play and I already spent all my money.” She lifted her arms, which hung with bags the same way a Saint’s Day tree hung with ornaments. “Please! I’ll pay you back as soon as we’re in the monastery!”

“That so?” Gaius gives her object of interest a lazy look, not really seeing the appeal but hey, a festival is a festival. Sometimes all you need is a loud voice, a colorful display, and the promise of a prize-- boom, instant crowd. 

He then goes back to Sumia, who looks way over eager over this game. And not just that, she forgot the memo gift giving was last winter, not spring. She’s like a grandma with three generations of kids she needed to give gifts, too. Yeesh. He’s not ready to make babies yet, let along a generation of one.

She’s cute, at least, so he’ll poke her about it some other time. 

“Calm down, I have some gold with me-- and yes, it’s actually mine this time around.” Perks of actually having a job: you don’t need to steal other people’s coin pouch. Although he admits, every now and then, he’s tempted to do so just for fun.

Right now, he’s not interested in stealing coin, however. Sumia’s request was a perfect chance for him to submit to the ravings in his head (and his heart) without outright stealing one from her. She can just give him one to him instead. He digs deep into his pocket and searches for spare coin. Copper... Copper... Silver... ah, there it is: gold! He grins wide and flips the coin up in the air, catching it with a flair as he presents it to her. Right when one would think he’s ready to give it away, he hides it in his palm. 

( pixie ):

Olivia was skipping on her stroll across the beach, enjoying the warm rays of the sun as they shone down upon her. It wasn’t often she had the opportunity for personal relaxation, especially at a beach as lovely as the one she found herself on. There were still a lot of questions she had such as how she had arrived there and why there were others (and why some of their memories seemed to be missing). But that was a problem she could always look on later. 

A hum filled the air around her as she continued her stroll took in the scene. Lovely gradients of azure skies and sea, golden shades of sand, the lush greens of the jungle, the bright red of burnt skin, the-

?

Olivia retraced her steps, doubling back a couple steps to come across an especially pink and red comrade. A small shriek escaped the pinkette, horror and shock mixed on her face as she called to the sweet thief.

“G-Gaius?! How long have you been out here?!”

Gaius’ dream consists of swimming in a sea of caramel, the water thick and sugary. He keeps his mouth open as he swims, reveling in the taste. A fish leaps out of the water, directly at Gaius, and he knew, he just knew, the fish was going to be ridiculously tasty. He can almost see the sugar covering its scales.

Before the fish could hop on this mouth, however, the world around him breaks and shifts. Gone was the caramel seas and the sugared fish, and there in front of him was a familiar dancer of long light pink hair, a look of horror in his face. She must have seen something else before she saw him-- she can’t possibly give that look at him. He’s a treat.

“Huh? Morn’, Pixie. Whaddyame--” He’s about to raise his arm to give her a short wave as a greeting but its the sting that hits him first. It was subtle, and as he retracts his arm and rests it on his stomach, the pain intensifies, pale palms hitting reddened skin. “--ow... Fudge... What the...”

( blueberry )​:

“Woah!” Larcei held her arm up to deflect the fork, and it bounced off before clattering to the floor. For a utensil, it hurt quite a bit. For such a small creature, that crab was strong, and had good aim. Apparently.

How had this even happened? Larcei had spent the last couple of hours training, and had worked up a bit of an appetite. All she wanted was a nice filling lunch, what had gone so wrong? 

She’d seen a few people screaming as they fled the dining room, but she’d just assumed the head chef was doing another challenge, and had failed to impress. The idea that a school’s worth of crustaceans would be holding a revolution had never crossed her mind (and she would have been a little alarmed if it did). 

She felt a tug on her leg, only to see an unarmed crab crawling up her, reaching for the training sword she still had at her waist. “Oi, stop that.” She batted the creature off her, feeling just a tad icky now. It landed on its back, and Larcei felt a tad sorry for it. 

She took the sword out of its scabbard, and held it in two hands, ready to take on any other crabs that got close. “Hey!” She called to the guy in front of her, recognising him as one of the knights. “What’s going on?” She asked, really hoping he had a clue as to what was going on.

This was too amusing. The crabs were all scattering around scaring people, with a good majority now wielding some sort of improvised weaponry. He swatted one of the crabs that held on to a rolling pin, snickering as he picked it up. “Rolling pins aren’t that threatening, ya know?” 

It was then when his attention was called, just as he acquired his first capture.He looks back, crab still held up as it squirmed and kept trying to hit him with its pincer. Too bad for the little guy, he knew just where to hold it. Ha ha! “If it ain’t obvious, Blueberry. The crabs are startin’ to rebel.” He’s taking this too lightly, panic in the air ignored as he enjoys himself. The sword held tightly by the student didn’t go unnoticed, however, to which Gaius just responds with a raise of a brow.

“Well ain’t ya an eager one... careful, they might steal your sword~” Not that it’s possible, he’s sure. They’re just dumb crabs that had a lucky shot and-- “OUCH, OI!“ 

Gaius got stabbed with a longer weapon this time-- a prong. He ends up dropping the crab he had captured, the distraction enough for one of the crabs to nab the concealed dagger he had on his ankle. How in the???

( beryl )​:

Merric can’t help but chuckle as he sees that Gaius clearly shares his sentiment on those of the higher social standing. The Mage is fully aware that this is somewhat hypocritical of him - he is, after all, one of them to at least some extent - but the kind of people who seem to believe that being born in the right family gives you the right to be a horrible person towards others is something he will likely never truly grasp.

This type of vile, ill-spirited nature is beyond the understanding of one such as him.

Upon noticing Gaius’ reaction to his mention of the generally unpleasant hypothetical scenario of zapping oneself, Merric winces and shakes his head in apology as he realizes that perhaps for this guy it’s not so hypothetical after all. “Oops, sorry. I had no idea.”

The mention of picturing a giant candy elicits a raised eyebrow from the Altean, but he shrugs it off quickly. Anything that helps the guy get it right is good in the end. Plus it is not as though Mages don’t have unusual methods for mastering some abilities.

But as Gaius focuses and raises his sword hand, Merric sees the flash of doubt in the knight’s eyes. The charge, however, resonates through the air, and instinctively, he closes his eyes and covers his ears–

–just in time to avoid getting blinded and deafened by a bolt that landed roughly halfway between the redhead and him.

Once the danger has passed, Merric shakes his head to recover. Well, that was a thing. When Gaius voices his comment, the Mage thinks about it for a moment, before nodding.

“Hm, yeah. Don’t imagine it to be something you don’t want to hit.” He chuckles - probably should have thought of that before this happened and intervened - before turning to the dummy again. “Imagine it’s something or someone you do want to hit. Someone you don’t like, an enemy, I dunno– a stuffy noble, or if you’re into food, something you’d hate. And then try again.”

“I don’t know... Food’s hard to hit, and everyone loves me.” He chirps, zigzagged blade twirled like a baton as he passes it between one hand to another. Something he doesn’t like... Something he wants to zap with lightning and burn...

He fixes his grip on his sword and snaps a finger with his free hand when something comes to mind. “Alright, Beryl. I got the perfect thing in mind. Watch closely-- err, guess you can’t do that... but look away with confidence!”

The thief flashes a confident grin, sword once more positioned at his chest as he holds it with both hands. He looks onwards towards the target, the lifeless target shifting in his perspective. It looks more like a podium to him, and where the head would be was an unbaked container of pie just waiting to be cooked. Or in this case, zapped.

“I’ll cook you up reaaaal good.” He doesn’t close his eyes in time as the bright light flashes before him once more, this time, directly on the target in mind. He’s blinded, but the grin never fades, his vision taking its time to recover. In front of him, the charred remains of a target. In Gaius’ perspective, a perfectly baked pie. He lets out a sharp whistle.

( junior ):

“I’m… not quite sure that’s correct, my friend, but I’ll take your word for it.” It was quite the marvel just how Gaius would stay as slim as he was while still maintaining his sweets-only diet.

As they entered the kitchen, Morgan knew that Gaius was going to be doing most of the work while he sat by and watched. His job was most likely just to keep the other company; tactician didn’t mind this in the slightest. He didn’t quite have the arm strength to heave himself up onto one of the counters, however, so he settled instead for just leaning against it—safely out of range of the splashing boiling water.

“I believe that’s what makes them so shiny, is it not? The wax? It’s safe to eat, we know that,” he hums. At Gaius’s next question, he gives a little shrug of his shoulders.

“The academy is nice. I’m quite fond of classes, especially learning to cast tomeless magic. As far as their faith goes, however, I’m not the biggest fan. Their goddess… well, she’s no Naga, to say that much.” A light grin stretches at his lips. “Let’s just say I won’t be believing anything unless I see this goddess in person. What about you? How are you faring?”

“Safe doesn’t mean tasty-- the wax taints the flavor!” Not by a lot, but anything that lessened the sweetness was foul in Gaius’ book. He covers every base when it comes to his sweet delectables, and today was no different.

He does a bit of a hum as he listens to the younger tactician’s response, not too surprised but he figured he’d ask anyway. Sometimes it only takes one push to shift beliefs. “If you ‘round sayin’ that, she’s bound to appear before ya~” Or at least, that’s what his more devoted peers say. The Goddess is always watching over us. Pray enough and she’ll answer. Pshhh. He knows its a lie since he already prayed multiple times to wake up everyday to a freshly baked pie. Has it ever happened? Nope!

“Oh, I’m totally a believer. Praise the Saintess Seiros and let the Goddess Sophie fill me with divine sweetness!” He’s sure that was the name. And if not, something close to it. If that scary archbishop hears him right not he’d be sent straight back to Ylisse, he’s sure. Still, he grins through the false show display of faith, broken only by drops of boiling water burning his hand as he scoops out the apples with a bowl. “Youch-- guess the Goddess got mad.”

starter for @keen-kin

Mission Task Board: It began with a crab with a knife. Monday night’s seafood surprise took a bit of a twist when crabs broke free of their bindings, picked up arms — kitchen knives, forks, utensils of all degrees of pointiness — and began a crustacean revolution that spilled out into the mess hall. Will you fight them back and restore order to the kitchens? Or will you lead them to glorious freedom? [ Sword +1 ]

All Gaius wanted was a nice snack from the kitchen. Normally he’d be ale to sneak out a pie or two, but what greets him is the sound of panic. He’s confused since there’s no fire. What other disaster in the kitchen could be worst than a fire? All those burnt pies and melted chocolate... it’d be a tragedy. 

Instead, what he sees are people hiding behind the kitchen counters, fleeing personnel, and... armed crabs ready to stab at anyone that went within 5 inches of them.

Gaius had to pinch himself a couple of times to make sure he wasn’t having a fucked up dream after falling asleep right after snacking. It’s the third pinch that confirmed that it was impossible and he hasn’t actually eaten yet. This crab revolution... was actually real.

“...right. I have nothing to do with this.” He’s about to turn away when one of the crabs braved the front lines and raised a fork against him ‘menacingly’. The loudest snort he could ever muster immediately follows and Gaius couldn’t resist crouching down to give the little fella a better look. “Well ain’t ya brave?”

starter for: @fortuitousflowers

Mission Task Board: Bright colours in the marketplace have caught your eye: a ‘piñata’, the merchant called it. Hollow creatures made of paste and colourful paper strips and filled with a… surprise. You like surprises, don’t you? They explain the rules of the game, and you pass over a gold piece to give it a try. [ Lance +1 ]

The cold winter has officially passed, the makeshift beach has faded, and their bodies have returned to where they should be, normalcy now back. 

Gaius remembers, however, both the good and the bad. He remembers running around those damn hallways with injured students left and right,fighting a scorpion and an alligator all while tripping and falling in the sky and to much, and even how everyone mourned over Cat Eyes last heroic feat. Then there’s recollection of the beach, some shenanigans, tons of food, a dance, an almost kiss, the rain, an actual kiss... 

It didn’t help time was distorted when everything returned back to ‘normal’. He wasn’t here for the start of the school year, and time since to have moved backwards. No one he knows mentioned it so far, and if he’s the one that does it, he’ll be called a loon. That was too much trouble, and like in all things, he goes along with it. Adapting was once of his specialties after all. 

There’s one thing that bugs him and wants to clarify, amidst everything else that happened. He’d e more than happy to shrug off that winter hell, and consider the beach as just some fantasy. That’s fine, it might as well just be a nightmare and a good dream respectively. What he wants to know though is... if he remembers, does she?

It’s the pegasus wings on her hair that gives Sumia away in the middle of a busy crowd, in an already bright and colorful marketplace. That, or it’s just so damn easy to spot her and ignore everyone else. He gravitates towards her, pushing one person after the other until he’s right in front of her. There’s a crowd gathered, something about a price to be won -- or was it a surprise? bah, he’s not really paying attention. He takes a step forward to stand beside an unsuspecting Sumia, both arms folded across his chest as he looked forward to pretend interest on the spectacle. When some rando started swinging a bat around while blindfolded, Gaius finally speaks after a quick side head bump to the beloved flower knight of Ylisse. He wanted to reach for a hug but in this crowd and if it’s unannounced? He’d get smacked right before he can say a word in. 

starter for: @muspellheim

Mission Task Board: The monastery is a flurry of activity as faculty hustle to finish cleaning and preparing for the flood of new students. Students who have arrived early, however, have been roped in to help and you’ve found yourself scrubbing walls and chopping wood while a professor watches. What’s more, there’s a rumor floating about that some deviants are spreading muck across newly cleaned surfaces… [ Axe +1 ] 

Not gonna lie, the power was overwhelming.

It started off as a joke, with him relieving one of the professors from their duties so they can take a hour long break, while he takes their place. It was plain silly in his head, boss around some kids, play professor, and boss some kids around some more.

The power was consuming him. 

It’s the defiance in their eyes, their voice, and their body language that amuses him. When he tells the ones gossiping to pick up the pace and scrub the walls a second time around or they missed a spot, they grunted, quietly gossiped about him, but followed him anyway. Right after, just as the first half finished, he asked them to get him some iced tea. They can’t say no, and a few minutes later, he received a questionable glass of iced tea, but hey! He got it!

“Just another half hour, huh? Who can I bug...” The gossips already went away and successfully escaped after the errand, but there were other students to pester. One in particular had the oddest hair he’s ever since. A faded out green for the most part, and right at the center, an even fainter yellow. It looked just like... 

starter for: @exaltbound

Mission Task Board: For the last several weeks, hunters from a nearby village have been going missing without a trace. The villagers have warned them of the local folklore, that the forests of the region are protected by spirits sent by the Goddess herself to ensure that the land has time to recover and grow in the springtime rains… You set out to investigate these disappearances, but as you step into the woods, rain begins to fall. [ Bow +1 ]

The report Garreg Mach received from the neighboring village was concerning. Disappearing hunters just as the spirits in the forest are recovering from the cold winter? The spirits must have taken them!, said the village chief. Daddy, I’m scared!, said the little girl that was listening in when the adults were talking. Further mentions of the spirits came afterward, and now they’re here to find traces of those taken by the spirits. Please be careful, they might take you too...! Ooooooh. Spoooooky.

Fat chance it is.

“I’m tellin’ ya, Blue. Those hunters are just out there hidin’, waiting for investigators to pop up, and then, they mug ‘em. Been there, done that. It ain’t that original.” Gaius stands by the path leading into the forest and stares into the quiet and empty wilderness in front of them, wondering what kind of trap befell them. Spirit stories were so old school! It’s beast stories that were popular now-- or it was some months ago, but it’s Spring again. Maybe the giant beasts didn’t exist anymore...

starter for: @houseofreglay

Mission Task Board: A recent theory from the scholars at Fhirdiad’s School of Sorcery suggests that a person’s innate elemental affinity influences what spells they learn, should they follow the path of Reason magic. Faculty and students intrigued by the idea have gathered together to host an extracurricular period for the purpose of putting said theory to the test—even the less magically inclined are welcome to attend if curiosity permits. Fire, thunder, wind, ice, light, dark… Which one dwells within? [ Reason +1 ]

Seminars? Boring! Fancy machines that scan you for magic? Kinda interesting! He didn’t need big, flashy magic. He’s a sword and dagger guy, he doesn’t blast eldritch energy or elemental gimmicks. What he lacks in magic is already compensated by his cool Levin Sword, and if Beryl’s right, even if he’s not meant for magic, he can just use cool stuff that can! Sweet!

It doesn’t mean he’s not against having some magic in him. Maybe he did have a bit of spark inside, it was just deep, deep down. If these nerds can spell it out for him, then sign me up!

The only problem was... the line was too damn long. Too many curios other nerds out there wanting to get their free magic scan. He doesn’t have to wait in line and he’s sure there were plenty of gulli-- ahem -- good Samaritans in the monastery. It takes him 5 minutes to determine the perfect hiding position. Another minute to brace himself, and just 6 seconds to execute it. 

A flash of bright light covers the middle of the line, blinding his unsuspecting targets. Praise be Seiros for bestowing him with light. It’s within that quick flash that he takes the opportunity to dash through the light, eyes covered, but positioning ingrained in his head. All he needed to do was put himself in front of someone and pretend everything’s an accident--

starter for @dearmissmaribelle

Mission Task Board: A number of students and faculty seem very desperate to learn faith magic after the previous month, so a large Faith seminar has been put together. But how does one explain how having faith in the Goddess gives one access to white magic to foreigners who don’t believe in her? Or how does one explain how having faith in a cause or person can do the same if you’re in a pinch? How are you meant to explain this or parse it out if you’re there to learn? [ Faith +1 ]

A seminar was the last thing he wanted to do after that whacked up trip to prison, the dreamlike beach that came after, and suddenly coming back to the beginning of the year. He wasn’t even in Fodlan last Spring, and yet here he was, along with many others. It was strange and gave nothing but headaches at his attempts to rationalize it. So he chooses not to. Distractions were welcome but boredom sure wasn’t.

“I think you missed the memo, Twinkles. I’m already an expert in Fodlan faith. Totally up to date with the Saints and the Goddess.” He knew one Saint’s name, and the Goddess is the Goddess, it’s not that complicated! Every now and then he prays too. As far as he’s concerned, he’s met his faith quota.

Twinkles over here doesn’t share the same sentiments, however. And despite the amount of swords, lances, axes, and bows he’s taken over the span of a few years, that parasol of hers is a different kind of scary. He needed to get out of this safely...