#florentius

We don't talk about my guy Florentius enough and he doesn't have enough lore in game so FUCK IT. I gave him some because I don't know if I'll get to go over it in my fanfiction [specifically, the Great War stuff. Fingers crossed that I do, but in case I don't, that's what this post is for].

Yes I do in fact believe that his connection to Arkay is, in fact, real. Some of the shit he says is uncanny, and the other shit is downright scary. It isn't unheard of for Divines to speak to mortals [remember the quest where you save a little Karthwasten girl named Fjotra from Forsworn, only for her to become the new sybil of Dibella?], so it isn't too much of a stretch to say Arkay gives Florentius all the tea on everyone around him.

Florentius can train the player in Restoration, and he's the guy you go to for alchemy ingredients. He's a healer, and damn good at it. He's old enough--in my mind--to have served some time in The Great War, where he no doubt mastered these abilities and witnessed some truly awful and gruesome scenes. I imagine he got into the war after his fall out with Isran, which makes it extra painful [and I love painful]. He of course rejoined the Vigilants after, as he didn't know what else to do.

That being said, I don't think Arkay was ALWAYS with him. Rather, I think Arkay came to him after The Great War. Runil, the grave tender from Falkreath, turned to worshipping Arkay after the war on the side of the Thalmor. Florentius, then, most likely knows Runil, and perhaps they're even friends after sharing a similar experience.

Going back to Isran, they're ex-boyfriends. They have the chemistry! And I just can't ignore the 'goofy sunshine and grumpy asshole' trope and I love them being a bit of a parallel to Vigdis and Serana. Of course in my fanfiction they get back together because, well. I can. The way Isran is just so ANNOYED when you ask him about bringing Florentius to the fort is too funny. I love annoying the man whenever possible what can I say--

Anyway. Due to Florentius' knowledge in the healing arts AND his connection to Arkay, he's very capable of performing miracle-level bullshit if he's desperate enough. I won't spoil my fanfiction, but he does exactly that . . . with a bit of intervention from another Divine as well. [Someone really didn't want her to die.]

OH, and because of his experiences in The Great War, I think that's often why Florentius is . . . goofy. Funny. Sarcastic. It's how he copes with the trauma. When he is serious, the entire room seems to shift and it's just .. . so good. I don't know the voice actor's name, but serious props to him for accomplishing so much emotion just through voice. It's fantastic.

Gunmar hammered away at the metal, creating a new shoulder plate for one of his trolls. Looking up he saw the Dragonborn walking towards him. Always dark in the castle, she was in flickering shadows until she stepped into the torchlight.

"By the gods! What happened?" He exclaimed looking at her covered in blood.

The trolls snorted and pounded the ground, the smell of blood agitating them.

Totally unbothered by her appearance, she threw something towards him. Looking down, he saw the head of a vampire roll and stop at his boots.

"I’ve returned triumphant. This vampire will never plague Riften again!" She exclaimed with pride.

The bloody head of the vampire stared at him with its red eyes. Wrenching his gaze from his feet, he looked back at her beaming face.

"We're you successful in discretion this time?" He said looking her up and down.

"Ahhhhh...maybe?" She trailed off. Her appearance stating otherwise. It was quite a gruesome sight.

He remembered the last several missions she came back from--tales of being chased by guards and townspeople.  Often returning covered in blood from battle, but not this much.

Throwing down his tools with a sigh, he beckoned her to follow him.

Leaving the castle, they walked down the hill, passing a very confused Agmaer on the way. She gave Gunmar a funny look when he stopped in front of the Dayspring Falls. With a sweet smile on his face, he picked her up and flung her in the water. After a huge splash, she spluttered to the surface, flapping against the water.

She swam towards land, until her feet met the gravelly bottom. Standing up, she pushed her wet hair away from her face and saw Gunmar, muscled arms crossed, with a crooked smile on his face.

"Now clean that off." He said throwing a cloth at her and moving away.

"You could always help," she said with a sly grin.

He hesitated, strongly tempted, as she started peeling off her armour, letting them splash into the shallow water. His green eyes trained on her every movement.

"Gunmar, there you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I've got the best idea for a new crossbow design, if we..." Sorine stopped, seeing Gunmar frozen staring at Y/N, "Oh, Y/N! Why wonder Agmaer was acting weird when I asked if he had seen you, Gunmar. You two seem...busy. I can come back later."

Gunmar flushed, looked at Y/N`s grinning face and her disheveled appearance then back to Sorine's amused look. Sorine raised an eyebrow but left back up the path.

“Don’t worry, the schematics can wait.” Sorine called over her shoulder.

He heard another piece of armour hit the water and turned to see all of Y/N’s armour gently bobbing in the water.

Florentius walked up behind Gunmar, surprising him.

“Ahh, swimming lessons is it today? Always useful. What’s that Lord? Excellent idea, beautiful weather for it.” Florentius said, as he started hopping while taking his boots off.

All her armour off, she backed into the water, floating, giving an amused grin to Gunmar as Florentius made his way in, talking about the best swimming forms.

Looking at her out of her armour, free of the blood and grime, her hair flowing in the water, his mouth twitched in irritation at Florentius’ presence.

“Next time, try discretion.” He said to her, watching Florentius paddle towards her.

Inktober #22: Ghost

His Ghost haunts him.

A vivid memory that refuses to let him go.

So he sees him in every moment.

Red eyes that shine in the paintings hung on the wall...

Laughter that echoes through the garden...

A flirt whispered in his ear as he walks through the streets...

A loving smile in the bedroom...

And the blood on his body that haunts him every sleepless night.

Blood as red as his eyes.

Blood as red as his soul.

To the people, he was a hero.

But for one heartbroken Soul of Justice, he was so much more...

A sparring partner.

A friend.

A soulmate.

...A Lover.

Beloved, and never forgotten.

Dead, but far from gone.

A lingering memory of the past...

HEJ HEJ HI HELLO!! So something in your director's cut answers inspired to talk about how I write about Vig's dragon soul, since I haven't really talked about stuff in the sequel dfklgdfkl

ANYWAY. This is a scene from Breathless' Chapter I, A New Unease:

Isran sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes, aggravated. “Anything else I should know about?” The vampire’s glowing persimmon gaze settled on the hunter. She wished that Isran would just let Vigdis sleep; it was obvious to Serana that her nightmares were worse than before, her fitful slumber often disturbed by a racing heart and sharp inhale. The lack of sleep pulled at her freckled features, drained of its natural rosy hue, accentuated by the dark shadows beneath her hardened eyes. “No,” Vigdis growled through her teeth. “There isn’t.” “Oh, but there is something else, isn’t there?” All heads turned to Florentius, who stood beside Isran with a knowing grin on his lips, his peridot eyes alight with excitement. “What are you talking about, Florentius?” Isran gruffed out. Serana could feel Vigdis’ terror and rage, as if the Red Mountain itself had exploded beside her. Then, feeling became taste: blood and fire and smoke curled over her tongue, doused her throat and lungs. Serana swallowed thickly, even as raw, uncontrollable power snaked into her body and coiled around her bones. She had never felt such intensity before—and it scared her. She stood up. “Floren—” “She’s Dragonborn.” Silence settled over the atmosphere. The taste in her mouth dissolved into nothingness, and Serana released the breath she didn’t realise she had been holding. Her shoulders dropped, but she continued to stand with an anxious apprehension as an endless meadow of questions bloomed in her mind at the priest’s words. “I’m waiting to hear what exactly that means,” Isran pressed in controlled, measured tones.

Lorenzo: .........

Florentius: ...Snrk-

Lorenzo: D’ANGELO DON’T YOU DARE-

Florentius: HAHAHAHAHAHA! I told you it was obvious!

Lorenzo: FFFSS- STOP IT THIS ISN’T FUNNY.

Florentius: Really? I find it hilarious!

.....Dear-

Lorenzo: ONE MORE WORD AND YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF AT THE SHARP END OF MY BLADE.

-------------------------

If anyone is wondering these are the 2 side characters I’ve grown attached to. Athlai’s mentor, Lorenzo Silvestri.

Aaaand the last Determination mage, Florentius D’angelo. XD

He was very loud and boastful two seconds ago before I interrupted him (you can see the previous dialogue line at the very start of the video) and for the next (this) line, completely drops that tone and just. Sounds very much like he's trying to convince himself (and us, since we're right there.) Kinda drops the ball at the very end there with the last two words.