middaeg | [Open] Catch all!

Who: Bernadetta and YOU
When: First couple of weeks in the month
Where: Various locations
What: Bernadetta is having to adjust to some new changes. It's a lot to take in! For someone who is getting smaller every day...
Warnings: Hopefully just her usual anxieties. But I'll throw up a warning for potential mentions of child abuse (she had a rough childhood) just in case. Other than that it's just body transformation things!

A. Home is where the heart is (Closed to the people she lives with at the Lions or Eagles houses)

[Those who live with Bernie may not see her that often. Which, honestly, is pretty normal! She loves to spend time in her room and keep to herself. With that said there's always food for either household and she makes sure it's well suited to individual needs. Of course she makes sure that she doesn't make a mess either. After all she doesn't want to be a rude housemate!

With that said, her housemates might notice something rather...odd. Or maybe even a few things.

For one, she's definitely been getting smaller. She'd started out at around 5'5" but now those around might notice that she's got to have shrunk...several inches. Why, she's shorter than Edelgard now!

But there's more than that. Thin, almost hairlike things are starting to stick up from her hair. She's a little self conscious about how weird they might look so she's been dodging people. That and the fact that the window in the back of her clothes is definitely showing off very noticeable nubs that indicate her incoming wings. And are her ears...pointier?

Well she can't dodge people forever. Eventually one of them will find her! Especially if she thinks she's alone and has a space to do some sewing or reading in another part of the house.]

B. Sometimes she has to get outside

[It's rare for her to go outside right now with her odd looking changes but she knows she can't hide forever. Besides, she really wants to do some painting or sewing outside! Which means that she tries to find a private but pretty location to do just that. It helps that there's a lot of gardening things going on right now which happens to be one of her favorite things in the universe.

A nice vase of flowers arranged on the ground before her as she hums to herself while she either paints it or embroiders the design of it onto fabric. She seems lost in her own little world so she's not likely to notice she has company right away.

Don't let that stop you though. She might be jumpy but friendship is good for her!]

Wildcard

[If we have other plans feel free to use this one here! Otherwise feel free to plot with me and we'll figure something else out!]

[ooc: Just a heads up that tags will be slow on weekdays because of school for this month! Still I will do my best to not keep you waiting too long! Thank you for your patience in advance!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Bob...Ross?

[She obviously has no idea who that is but his words do sound nice to her. The invitation is a surprise but he seems really friendly. He's certainly not jumping at her and he's just talking about her painting.

Slowly she comes over and just sits on the edge of it. Cautious. Like she's seeing what he'll do now.]

They're not too dark?

[They seem so dark.]

[ Aware of her apparent hesitation, Stiles makes a mental note to dial back his usual exaggerated animation; she seems a little timid, and he can be a lot for people to handle. Given the recent-looking emergence of Monster traits, he assumes she must be a Mirrorbound. Try not to scare her off, he thinks dryly. ]

I dunno. I think they look fine. If they are dark, does it matter? It’s your vision.

[It's...her vision. She looks up at him and stares for a good amount of time before looking away then. That's such a nice thing to say to her. It's so encouraging and she smiles as she looks down at her painting again.

Her vision.]

I guess...maybe not?

[She tilts her head again.]

Um...do you like it?

[He's honestly already made his opinion known but she still asks again.]

[ That prolonged stare has him twitching in restless discomfort, uncertain if he’s said the wrong thing and accidentally stepped on a landmine. When she smiles, the tension drains from his body in a relieved sigh. ]

Yeah! I think it’s awesome. I suck at anything involving the arts, so it’s pretty cool to me what you’re capable of capturing on a canvas. If you wanted, you could probably make a business out of selling your art to people in the city.

I don't know if I'm good enough for people to want to buy my things. Mostly when I need fresh air I come outside to paint. I don't really...do anything with them.

[She just kind of shoves them away somewhere when they're done. She's not even sure what's happened to some of them. Maybe they got thrown out. The ones she did growing up definitely were.]

That’s cool, I guess. It doesn’t need to be for anyone else’s benefit.

[ Stiles is simply of a more opportunistic mindset. With a shrug, he leans back on his hands and gazes up at the sky. ]

Even if you don’t do anything with them, you should get into the habit of signing them or something. Their yours, after all. [ A beat. ] You can call me Stiles, by the way.

Signing them?

[She looks at the picture she's doing so far. Somehow tainting it with her name feels...wrong.]

Stiles? Oh. I'm Bernadetta.

[She'll focus on that instead.]

Yeah, signing them.

[ Too lazy to lean forward and point at the canvas, he just makes a vague hand gesture. ]

Like, write “Bernadetta” somewhere in a corner. Build a name for yourself. Maybe date it too, so you can look back and see how much your art has changed over time. That kind of thing, y’know?

I guess dating it could be nice. Though I don't really want to make a name for myself. It's already so much pressure being the heir to the Varley name.

[Is she even still that? With so much of nobility being crushed and erased... She's never had to think about that before. Who is she now? What is her life to become?]

You’re gonna have to explain that one, chief. Varley means nothing to me.

[ He squints at Bernadetta thoughtfully, trying to imagine her as the heir to some huge corporation. ]

What’s the story? Are your parents bigwigs back home? You a princess? Celebrity?

Oh! Sorry! My father is...was Count Varley. I'm his only child.

[Which means his only heir by that logic.]

Huh.

[ Stiles, who has no idea what being a Count entails, just nods agreeably. ]

Well, you don’t have to be anyone you don’t want to be here. You know, some artists release their work under pseudonyms. Maybe create a new pen name for yourself. Dunno, just an idea.

A pen name...

[She stares at him.]

I could be...a mystery...

[Does she look like that is the coolest thing she's ever heard of? Because she's sure feeling that way.]

[ Give him a minute as he tries not to laugh at how awestruck she seems by such a simple idea. In a way, it’s a little sobering – just how lousy is her life back home that she’d be so eager to abandon her identity and remain an unknown? Stiles decides not to linger on such thoughts; he doesn’t want to assume too much about someone he’s just met, after all. ]

Think about it. You’re out for a walk in the Shopping District and overhear a bunch of people raving about the latest paintings from this certain pen name. They have no idea it’s you, but your work is still getting the attention and praise it deserves. Pretty cool, right?

I don't know if anyone would ever love it that much. But the idea of people liking my things but not getting the attention for it sounds like a dream come true. Almost like there's no way it could be real.

[But she's kind of hoping it could be. Her works admired by all. And everyone wondering who the mysterious creator is without ever knowing for sure. Fame without any of the horrifying pressure.

What a dream...]

I could pinch you, [ he offers with a teasing grin. ] Just, y’know, so you can check if you’re dreaming or not. A light pinch.

[ Despite his proposal, Stiles does not actually try to pinch her. ]

You got any ideas of what kind of pen name you’d want to use?

AH! Don't pinch me!

[She squeaks and holds up her book to defend herself. Well, "defend" really. Because she realizes a second later he's not serious about that.]

Oh... Um. It should probably be something that people wouldn't figure out right?

Right. But it could be anything. Initials, a string of random words, maybe...

[ Stiles trails off as his comm watch begins to vibrate. His roommate is calling him. With an apologetic look to Bernadetta, he packs up his belongings. ]

I gotta take this, sorry. You can keep the blanket though. [ As he starts to trot off, he calls out, ] Tell me what you come up with later!

( ooc | Sorry to end this abruptly! Gotta close up on my older threads. )

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