.//true friendship

                ✾~ “Yeah. They’ll back off if ya throw a mean few punches at ‘em,“ Or swings of a                 sword, since it seemed like they were this guy’s weapon of choice, "But they still                 like to swarm, y’know? Best not to let ‘em catch ya by surprise, ‘specially in                 the maze.”

He grinned when the other man accepted his proposal to travel together. Nice, a new companion! Someone else might have been suspicious, but Tytree didn’t bother too much with that kind of mistrust. If a guy was being open and friendly, he took it at face value, preferring to see the good in others rather than the bad (when good was to be found, anyways).  

              “Sounds good to me! I’m Tytree, by the way. Tytree Crowe.” He offered his gloved                 hand for shaking. “And you’re?”

Tytree—it’s not a name he’s heard before, but if this entire land is one he isn’t familiar with, then it’s not a big surprise that the names would seem different, as well. It’s almost a relief; to be able to casually talk with someone this way. No expectations, no pressure—too much of his life has become life and death, lately, and part of him misses those days when he could stroll about the Fabre estate and chat with the other servants on equal footing. Even if in that scenario he was a bit of an exception ( the ‘favored’ servant of their young master ) it was nothing like his life now.

Maybe he won’t rush back home. Surely, the others can carry on without him for a short time.

“Guy.” He returns the greeting and the handshake with that old nickname that he doesn’t get to use nearly as often anymore. With the exception of Asch ( he’s grateful for that ), everyone those days normally addresses him by that name given to him by his father. It’s such a contrast that Guy and Gailardia nearly feel like two different people to him. Today, he’s perfectly content with just being Guy.

“Do you travel alone very often? Even for someone with combat experience, it’s pretty dangerous to travel long distances alone, isn’t it?” It’s just a guess, but considering the threat of being ganged up on was already mentioned, he’s sure travelers prefer safety in numbers than solo operations.

Jude was indeed the trusting type, though he had quite the talent for being a good judge of character. Even if they weren’t perfect, even if they had other goals in mind, the chance to betray that trust… He could see through that. People were far from simple. If it had to go beyond a judge of character..? It was as if he could see the good in others– or believed in that good for their sakes. 

Guy may be keeping secrets close to his heart, but he was genuinely lost, that much was true. There was nothing wrong with helping someone out, and he wasn’t really going out of his way since it fit in nicely with his schedule.

“You asked for help and it’s on my way back. It’s the least I could do.” really, this was hardly much. It made his journey back a little more exciting if anything. “Besides, you’re not a stranger anymore Guy.” that had ceased the moment they exchanged names and decided on traveling back together.

He really had to wonder just how much that meant when Guy worded it like that. Though he had confirmation that the other had never traveled to Elympios before. He’d never seen the effects of the Schism on the ocean, he’d never been to Marksburg or had likely even seen a train before. Realizing that… Jude might need to improvise on the train tickets, for Guy’s sake. 

It was hard not to feel sorry for Guy if his friend expected him to get to Trigleph all by himself when he’d never done it before. The friend should have at least guided him through it once… It sounded like something Leia might do. But the name his new companion ended up uttering at the end caught him off guard. I mean… How could it not? It was not a common name for either side of the world. So much so that Jude put aside the storytelling for another time.

“Did you say… Alvin?” it was enough for him to take a little bit more caution, for his friend, though Guy may indeed be who he claims. There was no reason to distrust them, and it could be a completely different person they were referring to. What were the chances, right? But he’d learnt how small the world could be during his travels… He had that kind of luck where there would always be a connection. “I don’t suppose they’re a merchant that has dealings with the Kitarl Clan?” sometimes lies in sales? Is purposefully annoying at times? No he kept his mouth shut because Alvin would never let him free if he let that slip.

Thinking on it now… Would Alvin be the type that would expect someone to travel a long distance with little knowhow on how to get there? He really wanted to say no– his friend would never do something like that… But he totally would. He would likely have a good reason (hopefully!), but he totally would…

“Huh?”

Jude’s surprise in turn shocked Guy a bit, too. Alvin seemed like a pretty popular person—or, at the very least, the kind of person to know a lot of people for ‘just in case’ situations—but someone like Jude? Somehow, Guy just really can’t see what the two of them would have in common. Personality and interest-wise, they seemed as far apart as…

Well, probably about as far apart as he and Alvin seem. In the noble’s defense, he isn’t through and through the optimistic, kind-hearted man he puts forward. He tries—and he’s been trying more and more lately—but he believes it probably all comes naturally to Jude. It’s too early to judge for sure ( he knows that ), but he also has a pretty good track record when it comes to being able to determine someone’s nature.

Jude, he can say with some certainty, is just one of those rare, honestly good people. So, to think that he and someone like Alvin would be acquaintances—is there any wonder why Guy is surprised?

“The Kitari Clan? I don’t know anything about that.” The name isn’t familiar, but then again he and Alvin don’t normally talk business dealings when they do talk. However…

“He is a merchant, I’m pretty sure.” At least, he has some dealings with some dealings. Guy never really poked and prodded into whether it was all official or not, but it seems like it is. “To be honest, we don’t really talk too much about our day-to-day life. I’m sure he’d be surprised to hear some common knowledge things about myself, too.”

With all thoughts of their previous conversation put aside in his mind—he barely even remembers to be grateful that he doesn’t have to craft a vague story to appease his audience—Guy fixates on his own curiosity. He’s sure Jude is wondering the same thing he is. There’s no reason to keep his side of the story a mystery, so he offers up the information before asking his own questions.

“We met pretty much by accident. Truthfully, I can’t even remember which of us was in the tight spot, but we ended up fighting off some monsters together and traveling for a short time after that.” It’s a bit of an awkward explanation and it’s accompanied with a similar, brief laugh.

                ✾~ Well, whoever he was, this person looked pretty relieved to see another person                 on the path. Tytree smiled back and briefly waved. He took on a more serious                 expression as the man asked where he was, but his pleasant tone still didn’t fade.

                “You’re ‘bout halfway through Lost Forest. If you’re lookin’ for the path to Minal,                 you’re pretty close. You just need to go a bit further down the trail and take                 a left. Just watch out for the Viruses.”

The Viruses appeared in way less numbers than they did in the past, but they could still pop up sometimes and cause trouble. Man, he hoped this guy didn’t eat some toxic mushrooms… How could he not know anything about where he was? He had to have some idea, right?

                “I’m headin’ back to Petnadjanka, if you’re goin’ there.” Tytree never minded                 some company. It was easier to navigate the forest that way.

The foreign names solidified the suspicion that Auldrant was, quite literally, now a world away from him. He rubbed the back of his head as if to stimulate some idea of which path to pick—is either one any better or worse? He has nothing to go off of and although the other man seems friendly and helpful, there’s no telling how many prying questions will make him suspicious. Still—

“Viruses, huh?” It’s safe to say he doesn’t know the term. Are they like monsters? He doubts the danger is some rampaging illness, but then again it’s difficult to tell. His arms cross over his chest and he contemplates his surroundings for a moment before making a decision.

“Safety in numbers, right? I don’t have a specific destination right now, so company sounds nice.” Maybe nice was an overstatement, but Guy is a social person and he believes himself pretty easy to get along with. At the very least, if they encounter these Viruses it seems like the native will know how to handle them.

“You’re impressed,right?” He doesn’t even try to mask his pride as he greets the onlooker. Ofcourse, he’d never be so arrogant about one of his own creations—that might not be entirely true, but he’d try to hideit!—but this isn’t exactly his.

Actually, none of thesedisplays are.

“This was made by astudent right at this very school!” Just in case the stranger hadn’t noticedthe large ( although, by school standards it was probably considered modest ) building situated in thebackground of their positioning, Guy raised a gloved hand to indicate it.

“I’m guessing by yourexpression, you didn’t realize we were having this display today.” Or maybe hejust thought it would be some rinky-dinky set-up with a few haphazard machinesthrown about.

The first School ofFontech was in no such state. Indeed, they’d even grown enough in popularitythat they had people from all over the world donating or selling them rare anduseful pieces of fontech to continue their research and education. He had togive most of the credit for running the place to Sync—the replica had reallystepped up his game and filled in when Guy was occupied with inane requests bythe emperor or long meetings required of his noble status.

The result—just a fewshort years after his dream had been expressed—was this: a bustling faire ofinnovative, useful, or just bizarre machinery that came original from the handsof its creators. Designed and produced right in the building he had just mademention of; how could he not be proud of everyone’s accomplishments?

great to see you around! congrats on the acceptance for uni. hope to write again sometime?

thank you! and yes--absolutely! if i don’t come to you with something soon enough for your liking, you can always come to me! i’m a little slow initiating but that doesn’t mean i don’t want to.

pyroxened replied to your post “hey friendos! i’m trying to be here a bit more than i have in recent...”

really great to see you back around!

TAGGED BY: @oculare TAGGING: anyone who has at least 11 drafts waiting on them right now :^)

001.  what’s your zodiac sign? do you think it suits your personality?

i’m a cancer! honestly? yeah, i fit most of the stereotypes for cancer pretty well-- i work in the caregiving field now if that’s any indication. i’m pretty emotional, creative, and nurturing which are i think the top three things people associate with cancers. especially that emotional part phew.

002.  if you could watch only one tv show or one movie for the rest of your life, what would you pick? 

it’s a pretty big toss up between archer and the office. i don’t know what it is about those two, but i’ve watched the entire series of both at least three times already ( archer is probably closer to five ) and i’m still not bored of them. i have simple pleasures.

003. what’s an animal that you associate with your muse?

guy is... basically a human-sized dog so. 

004. does your muse understand memes? if they do, what’s their favorite meme?

guy is the meme. 

005. is there something your muse is a fan of? (e.g. a show, a book series, whatever) 

FONTECH

006. is your muse good at video games? if they aren’t, are they a sore loser?

in his modern verse, guy is pretty dang good at the vidja gaem.

007. do you have a Type of character you tend to pick up as a muse?

i’ve been through pretty much all types of personalities, but i guess the ones i warm up to quickest are the muses with a little sass and a sense of humor. but again. i’ve roleplayed as a giant hand so.

008. is there a particular fictional character you really relate to? if so, feel free to explain why!

not really. i haven’t had many of the typical young adult experiences or i’ve done them out of order or something to that effect so it’s hard enough to relate to other real people let alone fictional ones. 

009. do you prefer funny headcanons or sad headcanons? 

i guess funny? those tend to be made more in-the-moment and are associated with something that happened in-thread or in a conversation with an rp partner, so they have a way of being more unique to your muse than a lot of sad headcanons. because let’s be real, everyone has a tragic backstory and everyone has trust issues. i feel like there’s more than that needed to define a muse.

010. which genre do you like more: science fiction or horror? 

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. can’t i just say sci-fi horror is the best? i like sci-fi more in general but a good horror movie is hard to beat.

011.  if you could borrow one of your muse’s talents or skills, what would you pick?

guy is pretty fearless when he speaks. he’ll say anything on his mind, especially if it’s a compliment-- he openly compliments a lot of people in canon and i think that’s a really brave thing to do that most people are embarrassed to do and i’d like to be able to do it more often.

QUESTIONS:

If you and your muse were to meet in an abandoned place, how good or bad of a time would you have?

Is there something about your muse ( canon or headcanon ) that doesn’t really seem to fit their character? Why do you think they developed that trait?

Is there something your muse wants to be good at but doesn’t have the skill/time/motivation to develop?

How would your muse react if they were suddenly made aware that they were in a video game and their actions/thoughts/feelings were all pre-determined by someone else? 

What kind of setting does your muse thrive in?

Is your muse keen on gender identity or would they just be confused by explanations outside of the male and female genders?

If your muse isn’t in a position of power already how would they handle being given a title of authority ( such as a country leader, high-ranking military officer, a respected professional in their field, etc. )? If they already have this status, how do they use it?

Does your muse choose their words carefully or do they not place much importance on syntax ( i.e.: using non-gendered words like ‘humankind’ or ‘police officer’ instead of traditional terms like ‘mankind’ or ‘policeman’ )? Note This isn’t a matter of sensitivity to any subject but their particular feelings on word choice.

How much does intent mean to your muse? Can they excuse actions if there was noble intent or do they draw a hard line?

If your muse is cornered, what is their first reaction? Do they try to talk their way out or do they immediately start a fight?

( send me a copic color for a headcanon )

frost blue: does your muse enjoy the snow and cold? or are they the type to enjoy summer more?

peacock blue: is your muse honest? what sorts of lies do they tell, if not?

lapis lazuli: does your muse prefer the idea of exploring the depths of the oceans, or the boundless expanses of space more?

reddish brass: how likely is your muse to step up and take the role of a leader? are they willing to take the challenge, or are they more apt to being a follower?

burnt umber: how stable is your muse, mentally and/or emotionally?

champagne: does your muse drink (alcohol)? are they a heavy drinker, if so?

tea orange: what is something that your muse is fascinated with?

malachite: has your muse ever done anything that they winded up feeling incredibly guilty for in the end?

olive: is your muse prone to feeling envious of others? if yes, what is it that they typically feel envious over?

vermillion: is your muse courageous, or would they consider themselves to be more of a coward?

coral: what is your muse's romantic and sexual orientations?

bougainvillaea: would your muse consider themselves as blunt, or do they beat around the bush instead?

currant: what's something that absolutely disgusts your muse (can be a person, place, thing, ect)?

crimson: how passionate is your muse about the things they love most?

raspberry: what food and/or drink can your muse not get enough of? do they indulge in it often, or is it something reserved for special occasions?

baby blossoms: does your muse have a favorite scent? what is it, and why?

mallow: what sorts of things might remind your muse of those close to them? any scents, objects, sounds?

aubergine: does your muse prefer the day, or are they more of a night-owl?

acacia: how much does it take for your muse to hate someone?

cadmium yellow: what subjects or topics does your muse avoid, because they bring up harmful / painful memories?

honey: when your muse loves someone (whether it be romantic, platonic, or familial love), how do they show it?

chartreuse: if you had to describe your muse with a color, what color would it be and why?

anise: when it comes to self-care, what does your muse do to take care of themselves? do they take care to spend time on it, or do they feel they don't deserve it?

new leaf: what message would your muse send to their past self, if any?

moss: how easily does your muse adapt to any new situations they're thrust into?

silk: does your muse care about appearances much? do they spend a lot of time on their own appearance, or do they just go with the flow each day?

sanguine: does your muse typically have an optimistic, pessimistic, or some middle ground outlook on life?

atoll: if your muse could go anywhere, without any restrictions whatsoever, where would they go? why would they go there?

cool grey: if your muse could ensure one thing for certain in their future to come, what would it be?

hey friendos! i’m trying to be here a bit more than i have in recent months but since we’re so short-staffed at work i’m going in at all kinds of weird hours and working long ( 17-18 hour ) shifts so some days i probably won’t be on just for that reason.

before the less important stuff: concerning things like overdue replies or memes that might seem lost in the sauce-- or even recent ones that you’re super excited to see a response for. if you ever really want to see something from me, let me know! knowing that other people want me to be here and like what i do here is actually pretty encouraging! so bugging me for replies and asking me for things isn’t a burden or an annoyance at all. if anything, it means even more to me.

there’s some mumbo jumbo beneath the cut that isn’t immediately relevant or important but i feel like if i put it out there in the world then maybe i’ll try to keep to it more than if i just promise it to myself.

     Heels waltzing around to transport slender silhouette as igniting hues are locked to environs, quiet yet heavy sigh escapes parted lips. The climate, in contrast to Hellawes, radiates of warmth, welcomeness – & temperature bereft of impact onto malevolent body, clothes were not completely deemed as inaccurate. & as steps advance forth ( almost sprucely ), train of thoughts jumbled thru mindset, looming atop one, important question : what is this place’s name, where it is located ? With no map in hands nor teammates to adduce useful informations, astray may be the word portraying her predicament.

     & stopping the promenade she did, interpellation reverberating throughout the atmosphere. Canting a bit her visage, amber gems lock their vision ‘pon the foreign silhouette as wariness pulled its strings on the ravenette’s features.

❝ Van– Who? ❞ a name which didn’t ring any bell. & so forked tongue proceeds to add on. ❝ Yeah, you got the wrong person there. The only name I care about is Artorius Collbrande. ❞ wisps of acrimony lingers onto the enounciated name, as it is enough to indicate the repugnance held & honned towards the Shepherd. 

“So you don’t know him…” A twinge of disappointment can be seen pretty easily on his features, but if she really isn’t his contact then it can’t be helped. At least he can relax a little more—even if she’s a bit intimidating, her lack of connection with Van eases him a little. He trusts the man himself, but the people he associates with can be pretty sketchy.

“Artorius…? Hm, I don’t think I know anyone by that name.” Either way, he’s sure glad he’s not that person. She doesn’t seem to be in the business of friendly conversation. Despite her appearance, he can’t just walk away without asking one more question.