#blazingxhero

Spotting his favourite redhead amid the crowd had come alongside a wave of relief, and Hector had immediately made a beeline for his fellow Marquess-in-arms. This time, it had been the Ostian who greeted the Pheraen with a clap on the back, but the second Eliwood opened his mouth…

In a bid to keep from deflating, Hector instead puffs himself up, lightly tapping his friend’s shoulder with a curled first. “Fie! Fie on your misgivings, Eliwood. You look dashing as ever, no, even more so! Enough to make many a maiden swoon - and this, I know, because I’ve witnessed the proof with my own two eyes.”

The Ostian lord was perhaps oblivious to any affections hazarded in his own direction, but when it came to pairs of eyes pinned on his friends… He does not fancy himself blind.

“Besides, you’re not alone when it comes to feeling askew, you know?” He is, of course, referring to himself and the mild discomfort he feels in this fancier garb… and to Lyndis as well. (She, he did not fail to notice, had attracted her own fair share of stares, as well.)

With a grin to match Eliwood’s, he fishes up his own card and exchanges them. One signature, and one Ostian crest from his signet ring, coming right up. Affecting formality, he bows, then rises with a flourish with the intent to return his friend’s card to him - then thinks better of it, holding it close.

Lloyd knew of the rumors surrounding the Goddess Tower, what with so many people chattering about it in conjunction with the Ethereal Ball several days prior. He’d had no plans to go anywhere near it, and yet it seems he’s been bested by a childish prank.

It’s just as he considers returning to the ballroom that he hears a painfully familiar voice call out to him—there’s no mistaking that head of vibrant red hair when he turns around. It was probably inevitable after encountering the other two Lycian lords within the monastery, the past clawing at his ankles as if to say “You can’t run”. The Pheraen looks tense, perhaps wondering if Lloyd intends to harm or kill him now that they’ve unceremoniously run into each other again.

“Relax,” he says, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m unarmed just for tonight. Weren’t expecting to see me here, were you?” Lowering his hands, the swordsman lets out a breath through his nose and stares Eliwood down. “I’m not here because I want to be.”

Extremely Personal Questions | Also asked by @braveryinblue!

“…Wouldn’t those things be embarrassing because you don’t want people to know about them?”

stonework headcanons

Very devoted! I’d choose ‘possessive’ over obsessive, but some of his tendencies in his pursuit of this devotion may lean toward obsessive nevertheless...

He’s shown in his supports with Tethys in particular that he doesn’t especially like to share. Ewan still has a bit of growing up to do in that regard. He is devoted to her and any close friends in that he’d devise a way to move the moon for ‘em if he had to, but odds are good he’d near work himself to death in the process. . .

He is, at the least, determined to show his loved ones he cares for them.

“Pft- You really laid it a tad thick there, my friend.” He chuckled as he shook his head. Eliwood has always been a good judge of people. Those he had chosen to trust had never led him astray, no matter how questionable their background may be. But when it comes to romantic cues and such he can be rather oblivious. Whatever stares he got that night has been automatically assumed as people being polite or curious.

“But thank you, you look quite dashing as well. We really should get used to wearing these things though.” Even if he thought that some things were exaggerated, he’s still grateful for his friend’s words. Hector’s no liar and that gave him the much needed confidence boost.

He stamped the card and neatly placed his signature underneath the seal. He had also caught his friend’s theatrics and laughed. But when his friend kept his card hostage, he shook his head and kept his smile. Heh. Two can play that game.

“I see you won’t be needing this then.” Eliwood waved Hector’s card before promptly pocketing it. “Glad to know that you’re still the paragon of sportsmanship. Why, you’re willing to throw away your own progress to give me a chance to catch up. That’s very noble of you.” Eliwood tried to keep his tone genuine and innocent but his eyes sparkled with mischief. Hector must have forgotten that he has yet to receive his own card or else he wouldn’t come up with that prank. “I didn’t expect that you’d love small talk so much.”

“Did I, though?” Doubt coloured his words, eyes narrowing in speculation as he scanned the crowds anew - he knew what he’d seen, and didn’t think he’d been imagining the eyes following his favourite redhead. “Give me some credit,” he grumbled, and shrugged, then laughed.

“I know I do!” he said with a grin, jabbing his thumb into his chest. “Gotta be more confident, Eliwood. We’re to lead nations - and in that, also, we are not here alone tonight. I don’t care much for politics but even I understand enough to know there are wolves out there wont to pounce on the first crack they see... So chin up, mate!” Another clap on the shoulder for good measure.

As far as getting used to these getups though... blegh. He’d not be in a rush. Might be he’d instate a new dress code back in Ostia over getting all fancied up day in and out. Could he do that? He’d have to ask Oswin or Matthew if they thought it feasible.

Hector’s grin took on a mischievous air as he mirrored Eliwood and pocketed the other’s card. “Hard to progress if you don’t have your card, hm? And I win if I have more than you.” Technically not how it worked, but he’d decided, now, that these were the rules. “And if I win this, that brings my total to one up over you.” Smugness coated his words, even if (half) jokingly.

Hand on his hip, he chuckled. He’d return Eliwood’s card... eventually. For now, chatting with his friend was a nice breather from the rest of the evening’s playful, hectic shenanigans.

“Hmph. I’m not in love with small talk by any stretch of the imagination, no,” he offered freely, frowning. “But... we’re here to learn, right? And to make connections. I want...” He fell quiet a moment, glowering at the floor in thought. “I need to make Uther proud, Eliwood.”

How big is their imagination? Do they tend to share these ideas or keep them to themselves?

Caspar is a dreamer, 100%. Several of my starters have had him imagining some grand future accomplishment for himself–anything ranging from just pounding the shit out of all the training dummies today (see nearly any thread that puts him in the training grounds to start, lmao) to becoming a master in conventional “hero” weapons like swords and lances (Blacksmith’s Errand, Phoenix Forged), to soaring the skies on a wyvern (Budding Bonds), to even something as ridiculously mundane as wishing he could have height lmao shoulders as big and broad as Sylvain’s (Manly Deeds). Recounting all the dreams he’s had, I don’t think he’s shared very many of these with people not named Linhardt or not in the Black Eagles (especially not the last one XD); however, his most obvious dream (to be a HERO who fights FOR JUSTICE!!!1!!1!!!, albeit by challenging everybody in the monastery he views a worthy match) is something he broadcasts, and how.

On the flipside, his imagination can also take him down dark alleys, during which time it would be best not to have another downer nearby him (cough LInhardt cough. I’ve sorta made it TOA canon that Linhardt arrived late to the monastery because we didn’t have a stable Linhardt for a while (thanks for fixing that, Chanel~); and his long absence led Caspar into some depressing talk about what if he never saw him again right when they first reunited whoops. HOWEVER, at least if Linhardt is being the downer (though I imagine anyone else would do, though the only evidence for the previous is also a ship thread–Living on a Prayer, if you want to take a look), if Caspar notices the mood lingering sour, he’ll make the first move to attempt to lighten things up… even if it’s at his own expense (which in itself has a really negative connotation given said ship thread is set during Crimson Flower). As a rule, Caspar is optimistic and irrepressible–you can’t keep him or his mood down forever; he will bounce back.