#strategematicusrex

Continued from here.

strategematicusrex

“Worry not, Marquess. It didn’t trouble me at all; that is abundant in my land of Frelia,” Innes chuckled. And silently regretted his choice of wording–AGAIN–because of the implication it might cause.

Clearing his throat, he bowed at Eliwood. “I’m Innes of Frelia. Now that I’m a guest in your presence, I suppose my status doesn’t matter before yours.”

“Innes...of Frelia?” Eliwood repeated thoughtfully, his eyebrows slowly drawing together as he searched his memories for the odd sense of familiarity that had come over him. Ah...that name! Could he be Prince Innes? I believe Ephraim has spoke of him in passing once before. Yes...by blessed Elimine, I am certain of it. The way in which he has styled his hair...it is quite reflective of the description Ephraim had once given. With those thoughts, he found himself a bit confused. He hadn’t introduced himself with his title. Did he perhaps wish for him not to know? 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Innes. Now that you have introduced yourself, I am quite certain I heard of you from an...acquaintance of yours? Prince Ephraim has spoke of you once...we are friends.” He explained with a warm smile, hoping to coax some sort of confirmation from the other man.

[ get to know my character meme ]

hee hee. no way he’d be able to hide it even if he wanted to. he’d probably be stuck in a fit of giggles. Unless someone told him, he’d probably never even guess that it’s untoward in any shape or form - it’s just a bodily function, after all. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

It was hard not to feel amused by the way the princess–alright, alright, Queen Eirika now–responded to him. There was something endearing in the way she said how she was his interrogator, and while half of him felt the adrenaline rush because of the challenge, another half wanted to smirk and beg her to just do it.

He scanned people. He interrogated people. He was always the initiator, and not on the receiving end. Eirika had grown to be a formidable sovereign as well as she was a warrior, and her strong personality shone although in the end she was still the Eirika he knew from childhood–the Eirika who would take up challenge as likely as he would.

Right–he shouldn’t forget that she was, after all, sharing Ephraim’s blood.

“I’ll be honored to be interviewed by such regal interrogator,” he said, hoping she did could see that no, he did not at all mean it to be sarcastic. For saving her? Utmost loyalty? There was honesty in wine, they said; so perhaps he could return the courtesy. She seemed to be really, really unreserved at this point.

“I see! So, saving each other grants said person loyalty, is that it, Eirika?” he chuckled, taking her to rise. Why did she even curtsy to him again? It was still endearing, amusing–yet at the same time seeing her drop on her knees before him like that was rather… unsettling. Was it strange that he had no taste of… say, subduing her?

Clearing his throat, he dropped his voice lower. “… Eirika, I never, never forget Carcino–even in my sleep,” he poured himself some water. “I miscalculated everything which nearly cost lives of those who trusted me to command them. When you were there, I learned more than just tactical flaw, Eirika–I never thought I would pray, and yet you came before me; unscathed… no, you rescued me. Despite everything I’ve said and promised you.”

Would she even remember this the following day? Perhaps not. Would he even say this under normal circumstance? Perhaps not. Then hell, why wouldn’t he try his luck with this one? Even if she forgot, he had no regret.

“Eirika, I’m the heir to my throne and a strategist. But I’m also your ally–and friend,” he lifted his glass. “And I do not use princesses and despair as currency. You better forego this idea that I’ll be charging you rent like that.”

… Oh, how the war had made her aware. He wished he could cancel it, but—

“And no. If I seized your lands it would only benefit me in a short, short term, Eirika. Your prosperity grants better stability and growth rather than subjugating you under my rule like that. You curtsied to me, yet you suggest I overlord you?”

Recruiting citizens of Renais–for his army?

He needed the water. Suddenly he wished he could just–perhaps, retrieve her innocence back. Somehow he understood Ephraim’s protectiveness now; as he wondered if Tana ever harbored similar… thoughts and opened up this way to another person.

Suddenly he wished they were children again. Safe and sound, away from cruelty.

Were Eirika thinking more logically, she would have given greater thought to how she approached her questions. As it were, they were rather varied in tone. “All right, Innes. First, is it possible for a pegasus to be afraid of heights? Some people fear them, after all. Second, were you surprised when you heard that I was traveling to Grado in search of my brother? And third... What is your goal in being his rival? At what point is one of you declared the victor?” She imagined Ephraim and Innes urging their grandchildren to wrestle each other for a moment, but quickly dispelled the thought. While she couldn’t speak for Innes, she knew that an heir was far from her brother’s mind.

“Friendship grants loyalty, too.” Why was Innes loyal to her? Was it because she had aided him in Carcino? She looked away from him. No, friendship didn’t mean unconditional loyalty. She sipped from her glass of water.

She nodded in response to his memories of Carcino. “I doubt we’ll ever forget those memories from the war. It’s awful. I know some people use alcohol to escape their troubles, but I’m feeling all the more wretched about everything tonight.”

“I doubt you want to hear this, but in the grand scheme of things, at least you didn’t lose anyone. And I put you in that position anyway. It’s my fault we ended up with this war.” Another sip of water. 

She tilted her head, considering his words. “I trust you, Innes, which probably makes me a fool. But I wouldn’t let you take advantage of my country’s troubles.” She missed the significance of what he said; namely, that he would never attempt to exploit Renais in the first place. “And I do not want you to overlord me?” Where had he gotten that idea?

@strategematicusrex

There had been a string of cases that Hector had been following lately but he wasn’t finding any new leads. He couldn’t help but grow increasingly frustrated at the lack of new information that he had because that meant that soon, his cases were going to grind to a halt and go cold. It didn’t help that he had also gotten multiple infractions from their lieutenant because he had rushed into crime scenes when he wasn’t supposed to because he wanted to see if he was able to gather any information about who could be behind all of this. 

He had never been assigned a partner because most of the other officers at the precinct didn’t want anything to do with him. They couldn’t handle his impulsive nature and how whenever he got a lead, he would just go off and chase it without going through all the necessary hoops and hurdles that he was supposed to. No one wanted to have their jobs in the line of fire just because they had gotten assigned to be his partner. Hector had been quite content with working on his own because it meant that he didn’t have to deal with another person telling him what to do or reminding him about the mile high tall stack of paperwork he needed to fill out. 

However, when he came into work that morning, his boss had called him into his office to tell him that his new partner was supposed to be arriving soon. It was someone outside of their department, which meant that Hector had never even heard of them before. To say that he was irritated was an understatement. He didn’t know why he was suddenly being given a partner when it had never been an issue before. Even though his boss had said it was to help him with his case, he knew it was also to help keep him in line and insure that he was doing everything that he was supposed to be doing. 

Continued from here.

@strategematicusrex

Innes wasn’t really even in the mood of meeting new people, but the silver-haired girl caught his attention for slowly approaching him. “I believe that is my name,” he said cautiously, typical each time he heard someone he was hardly acquainted with mentioned his name. The lady’s name… ah, what was it again, he could barely even remember even though the King had been lenient with their harbors and borders following the revitalization of Magvel after the war.

And delivery? He had received many guests these days that he almost, almost could not keep up with whom presenting him what, so he simply walked up to her to receive whatever it was she handed him.

“Thank you, uh… Miss–” his eyes scanned her again and again while his hands were actively unboxing the package, and—

BONES. B o n e s

He probably gasped too loud than he intended to, and definitely he had no time to conceal the paleness as  colors drained out of his face.

The moment Innes’s gasp left him, Micaiah was unable to resist giggling in amusement. She honestly wasn’t sure whether or not Innes could truly emote other than his typical stern exterior, but she stood corrected upon seeing the sincere fright written on his expression. Deciding that she had scared him quite enough and feeling slightly guilty, she touched his shoulder with a smile.

“Oh, don’t you know! Those are decorations for the party. Resin bones look so realistic, don’t they?” The maiden paused for a moment, before she was unable to resist an addition.

[ Characterization meme ]

8. What is your biggest fear? You must answer with only one sentence.

Pelleas opens his mouth to speak, but the second half of the question stops the answer on his tongue. His eyes find some distant, formless spot on the ground and a private smile crosses his lips. Several moments pass, and the smile turns sheepish with the discomfort of his own indecision.

“Well…” He speaks to the floor and rubs a hand along the side of his cheek. “I think the idea of accidentally hurting someone scares me the most. I– Oh, I’m sorry. That was one sentence.”

He lets out a laugh to match his smile.

10. What is your idea of fun? What is not fun?

“I enjoy talking to others,” he answers unhesitatingly. “Or… actually, I enjoy listening more than speaking. There’s so much I can learn from the people around me. Frankly speaking, I feel rather inadequate by comparison.” He laughs. “I guess that doesn’t answer the question…” Glancing away, he pauses to think. “My idea of fun would be a small get-together, over tea or some other informal gathering where we may simply chat. In contrast, I do not like large parties or crowds. They’re often too loud, or too busy, and I feel lost within them.”

11. What are three things you’re very good at, and three things you’re very bad at?

Pelleas laughs immediately, then it dissipates with a sigh and settles into a thin smile.

“I know what I am very bad at, but the list is far lengthier than what you have allowed me to speak about.” He chuckles, but it’s empty, and he looks down at his hands clasped palms-up in his lap. “I have never been very talented, and even with the pact I made with the spirits, I am not particularly skilled with my magic either. In the last war, I fear that I was nothing but a burden to everyone. Certainly, many of the problems Daein encountered were my fault…” A self-deprecating laugh doesn’t punctuate his answer this time, and another sigh extinguishes the light in his expression.

“I am merely a commoner; I was never meant for leadership. I’m such a fool for believing someone like Izuka. I think…” He pauses and begins to fidget with and turn the silver ring around the middle finger of his left hand. “I think I simply wanted a role to fill. I knew I wasn’t good for much, even then.” The silence falls heavily, but Pelleas suddenly becomes uncomfortable. He shakes his head and forces a smile.

Continued from here.

@strategematicusrex

He overheard some palace maids chatting about lunches, and he heard one of them saying how the cook nearly ran out of ideas what to feed the royals and nobles in the palace. It was understandable because lately the royal palace had been busy serving royal guests from all over Magvel who came for a visit in the context of fostering peace, encouraging cooperation, and affirming allyship. And just this morning Innes found himself curious enough as the King announced they might see more of the guests, including those from abroad-elsewhere as Magvel slowly revived itself and opened for global contacts.

“It’s not winter. We have more options here. Actually, why not save the meat for winter?” that was the head of royal palace’s lady-in-waiting speaking.

“Right, right! Princess Tana seemed to favor simple niceties too like the late Queen. I’ll see if I can find some edible wild-anything and hope the Cook approves. The royals hardly ever had the chance for a pleasant village banquet anyway. But the Prince might not…”

“I will tell him. Now ladies, go back to work. Don’t worry, it’s not like we are plotting to poison Prince Innes.”

That tickled his ears. Really now? Wild berries and mushrooms? If Demon King couldn’t kill him, what could small harmless little things do? And speaking of which…

Curses, she was right, I really have never had a modest wild mushroom soup. Out of the things I thought I knew…

Innes dragged his feet outside. Beautiful morning light shone on him, revealing the greenery outside the palace back entry, which was fenced by a pair of tall, metal doors with elaborate vegetal motifs with their family crest on it. Before he knew it, he had been tracing the road, thinking if this led to castle town, then perhaps he had to make it better-guarded. And yet…

Wild fruits. Mushrooms.

Suddenly he wondered if more guards would ruin this little paradise. As his steps went further and further he accidentally stumbled upon a…

What a huge, unlikley mushroom. Poisonous? He went closer, revealing a…

Little girl? So this isn’t a… wild mushroom?

He crouched low, gently pat her cheeks. “Hey, you. Wake up. Are you lost?”

“No...I don’t want any,” The small girl mumbled out mid-slumber, shifting her head slightly at the patting of her cheeks, “Papa...” She groaned, her lashes finally parting to reveal cherubic silver eyes, nearly as round as her face. For a moment, Kanna stared at the man that had awakened her with a dazed expression, sleep numbing her ability to realize the nature of the situation.

The man crouched beside her was definitely older than her, she decided, judging by his height. She also recognized the serious expression on his features, slightly cold, but not intentionally callous. His eyes were narrow and calculating, causing her to wonder the subject of his pondering. His clothing was unlike anything she had ever seen, ornate yet plain. With as long as his long jacket-like clothing, she couldn’t help but to wonder if maybe he was feeling cold. Then, the realization struck her that this man was in fact a stranger, someone she had never met before. 

With that she abruptly raised herself, somewhat of a frightened expression written on her features. 

“Who are you? Where am I?” She asked with a degree of panic in her tone. Glancing around her immediate surroundings, she found the area completely unrecognizable, only fueling her anxiety further,