Mareuer Catch-All [Open]

[crestfallenfor]

Who: Sylvain and YOU
When: All throughout Mareuer
Where: Y'know, just. Around.
What: Quest prompts, mostly, but this is a general March catch-all!
Warnings: None yet, but will edit to add if necessary.

[ Q1 | Quail of the Sea ]

[War has a way of keeping you away from the simpler things in life. The important, day to day things that keep a society running. Which is why, when a quest comes up for "strapping young folks" to go out on a fishing boat, to help out the locals, Sylvain actually jumps at the chance.

It's been years since he's done anything similar, since before going to Garreg Mach, when it was still important for Faerghus nobles to roll up their sleeves from time to time and help out with commoners' work during times of the year when there simply weren't enough people to do everything that needed to be done.

That said? He's pretty rusty, and things are just different enough in Aefenglom to trip him up a bit besides. At least he's not tangling up the nets, but he does look as though he might need a hand, from time to time. The other side of that coin, though, is that he does remember enough that if anyone else is struggling more than he is, he's competent enough to lend a hand.]

[ Q2 | L'Amourtentia | Possible NSFW ]

[Contrary to popular belief, there are many reasons why a serial flirt and philanderer might be interested in assisting with the manufacture of an aphrodisiac, aside from just the obvious.

(Well. In addition to the obvious, at any rate.)

In fact, this particular one was drawn more by the potion-making practice than by the effects of said potion, so to say he's taking the work seriously is actually a bit of an understatement. Afterwards, though, when the shopkeep slips samples to interested helpers? Sylvain examines the potion in the light, then appears to catch sight of someone - you! - through the vial and puts on a more characteristic, charming expression.]

So, up for trying this out?

[ooc: Feel free to hop in at any point in the prompt for a more sfw route, or take him up on his offer to hop right into nsfw options! He's bi as hell, so men and women are both fair game for the propositioning.]

[ Q5 | Research Request ]

[To anyone who knows Sylvain, the amount of research he's been doing since he arrived might have seemed odd at first, but is likely a normal sight at this point. It's still unsettling, to be without full use of his magic, but he's been steadily improving, little by little, every day. So when a request for research comes up, he's quick to take it. And why not? He's going through several books every day on his own, the least he can do is keep an eye out for the information the requester wanted.

That said? He hasn't had much luck on that front so far, which is why - no matter where he is at the moment, at the library, a bookshop, even Diplomatea, there will be four stacks of books by him. One he hasn't looked through yet, one without anything of value to him, one with potential for the quest, and the last for books he wants to read more deeply. It's a meticulous system... would be a shame if anything were to happen to it.]

[ New Moons | 24th-26th ]

[To say there was a lot of excitement going on over the course of the month was... a bit of an understatement. By all rights, Sylvain should be exhausted, but as the moons grow darker and darker in the sky each night, he grows more and more restless. His emotions hit higher highs and lower lows than he usually allows them to, and he seems to have endless energy for any number of pursuits. His home ends up utterly spotless. Several books get read cover to cover. He even goes out on the town, hitting up local bars and entertainment venues with some regularity. Sleep doesn't come easily, but neither does exhaustion.

It feels almost... normal, except for the odd happenings around him. Occasionally, a plume of flame will spark in his hand, persisting until he puts it out, or similar small flames will rise from the ground under his steps, flickering out moments later. His ambient body heat is running very high, to the point where skin-warmth can be felt through several layers and a several foot distance. Bugs may die if they come within a certain radius of him, and plants will wilt and wither from a similar distance, like his energy is sapping the life of small things around him.

Because, honestly, it is.

None of these magical side effects are constant, at least - coming and going without warning, but nor are they especially unobtrusive, either, and there's only so much apologizing can do when one burns a hand print onto a table or kills a prized houseplant from just walking by.]

[ Wildcard / 3 Places, 3 Happenings ]

[Want something else? Event prompts are here, or feel free to wildcard me with anything else! Also feel free to hit me up on my plotting post, through pm, or on plurk (subjuggul8ion) for a custom starter!]

Comments

q5

[loverboi]

[ diplomatea has kind of become lance's go-to spot for chilling out. tea is good (and is also supposed to hydrate one's skin, which lance is desperately trying to do these days) and allura works here, so of course he's going to be a regular here.

he walks in, turns left, and directly in front of him is a familiar face with red hair. and those eyes are the eyes of a man who was ready to kill him if he'd done anything to hurt bernie, he's 100% sure of that.

his eyes immediately go wide and he freezes up. hoooo boy. under his breath, he utters: ]

Quiznak.

[crestfallenfor]

[Unfortunately for Lance... Lorenz works here, too, so it's slowly becoming a more common haunt for Sylvain, too, when he's out and about, so... regular, meet regular. Good luck.

The sound of people milling about is normal, here, but the sound of someone very suddenly stopping short very close by is, well, not. So he looks up, sees the kid Bernie had brought home, and... offers him a smile as he sets the book in his hands down in its required stack. A far cry from the near-hostile reception he'd gotten initially.]

Lance, right? I don't think we've... officially met.

[Because, no, vaguely threatening him doesn't count. And if his reaction on seeing him here was any indication, it worked, so there's no good reason to be unpleasant. He hasn't hurt Bernie, after all.]

[loverboi]

[ oh. well that's...not the reaction he was expecting? maybe it's because he hasn't done any bad and actually treats bernie very well -- as a friend, of course -- and he looks a little less tense. his shoulders drop a little, though eventually he does bring a hand up to rub the back of his head. ]

Uh, yeah! That's me. You know, Bernie's-good-friend-Lance.

[ emphasis on the friend part for obvious reasons. ]

And you're Sylvain, right?

[crestfallenfor]

[...Honestly, they could be more than friends, and Sylvain wouldn't mind, so long as she's happy. He's about the last person to have any room to judge anyone on their... dating... habits. But if Lance is going to assume the worst, he won't exactly correct him either, until he has to.]

That's right. [And he stands, to move a stack of books off of a chair, just in case Lance isn't here to meet someone.] Have a seat, if you'd like. Oh, and don't worry, Felix is the scary one.

[That is. Mostly a lie. But no one needs to know that.]

[loverboi]

[ oh... huh. well, this trip to diplomatea is a lot more eventful than he thought it'd be. he wasn't expecting to run into sylvain here and be invited to sit with him in the same day, so that's something. ]

Both of you were pretty intimidating, not gonna lie. I'm pretty sure we just got off on the wrong foot, though.

[ at least he cracks a smile when he says it...! ]

So...how do you know Bernie? Is she a friend of yours from home?

[ it's not exactly a wild guess, either. he figures that they must have some kind of history for them to be that protective over her -- well, okay, maybe not. lance is also kind of on the bernie defense squad and he's only known her for a little over a month. ]

New Moon

[bergamotrose]

[Whether Sylvain was aware of it or not, Lorenz had been keeping track of him throughout the day. The heightened sense of vibrating energy that emanated from Sylvain's part of their bond left a palpable discomfort in the back of his mind, tightening the muscles in his shoulders and causing his fingers to tremble with no apparent cause at inopportune times. Discreetly asking for time off work, Lorenz took to the streets-- tailing Sylvain as best as he was able to with the added factors of both their Bond and the physical changes that had been brought upon him in recent weeks.

Even with the hooves and cane, however, he liked to think of himself as reasonably stealthy. Stalking Claude for all of those years had it's own benefits.]

...I might have a steady income now, but I don't make enough to pay for all these repairs.

[Lorenz said after a while, catching Sylvain as he was walking passed his hiding spot behind a wall.]

We need to have you find a way to control yourself, Sylvain. This can be dangerous.

[crestfallenfor]

[Sylvain was not aware of Lorenz keeping track of him specifically, though he was aware that he was around, courtesy of their Bond. It's enough of a cursory awareness of his presence that, when he does speak to him, he isn't startled, which is a boon in itself.

And, well. Lorenz is right, of course.]

Mm... I know. It would seem this is like my full moon, though, so...

[So he's not entirely sure how to mitigate it. It's not like he can just hide away in the cellar for a day or so and wait it out - he's too restless, and too cognizant of everything to do that. He knows he'd simply unlock the door and see himself out.]

I apologize for troubling you.

[bergamotrose]

It's no trouble. We are Bonded... and you did do the same for me.

[Reaching out a hand for Sylvain to grasp if he wished, Lorenz twirled around his cane idly with his free hand and searched their surroundings for something-- anything.]

Since you're unable to sit still, we may as well burn as much energy as we can so that you can sleep later. What is it, exactly, that you're seeking right now?

[crestfallenfor]

[He bites back an argument - yes, Sylvain did do something similar for him, but... it wasn't quite similar enough for it to sit well with him.

Especially after all the trouble he'd given him while he was on the expedition.

Regardless, he does take that offered hand, lacing their fingers together as he does. Lorenz can likely feel that he's burning up - past feeling feverish, though he doesn't have any of the other accompanying symptoms - but the contact with one of his Bonded is still steadying, somewhat.]

Hah, I couldn't tell you. I'd thought to go find some company, but we've never had much luck with that together, so I guess I'm stuck with you.

[He's... mostly teasing.]

[bergamotrose]

[Lorenz does feel the heat-- though he does his best to quell the initial alarm he felt at the astoundingly high temperature, doubtless Sylvain caught the dregs of it before he succeeded. Dismayed and bemused, Lorenz laughed.]

Is that truly all?

[If it was... he could possibly work with that. Feeling the near electric spark of magic between them from their intertwined fingers, he briskly tapped the tip of his cane on the cobblestone street impatiently.]

Shall we walk and see what the city has to offer?

q2 ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

[mirrortide]

And "This" would be...?

[Because Lapis isn't someone who'd shove things into her body willy-nilly. Generally speaking, she doesn't even eat, let alone drink if she can get away with it. Which means she's already looking unsure as hell, arms crossed as she eyes the potion warily.]

[crestfallenfor]

An aphrodisiac, supposedly.

[Well. That's pretty open and honest.]

Freshly brewed. The shopkeeper said we'd get a bonus for testing out our samples, and I'm not opposed, so...

[Look, no one in his house has a steady job, yet, and also... sex is fun. There are literally no downsides to testing this potion for him, as far as Sylvain is concerned.]

[mirrortide]

[You know, she's fairly certain she's heard the term "aphrodisiac" before, but she has no idea where or why! Or what it is, but obviously if the shopkeeper is handing them out, it probably isn't dangerous.]

Sure, why not. Know if it's rock safe?

[That last part is mostly a joke.]

[crestfallenfor]

[Probably not dangerous for her... may be dangerous for anyone trying to sleep with a rock. Jury's still out on that one.]

Don't see why it wouldn't be.

[Mostly a joke or no, it still warrants a response.]

Should probably head back to your place first, though.

[Also he's... mostly assuming she knows what they're getting into.]

[mirrortide]

[She gives him a look, shrugs, turns on her heel, and gets walking.

She's expecting him to follow! He knows where she lives, after all. And all of this is done without a single word.]

new moon

[callmeven]

[ventus hated this time of the month. the moon hanging in the sky above him felt like a heavy weight over him, draining him of energy until he was left feeling more monster than human. it was the worst part, not feeling completely in control of himself but he'd tough it out like he did every month before now. surely this would be the same.

yet his growing fatigue didn't stop his body from wanting to wander and pace around the city, tired but infected with a wanderlust that overpowered his usual hesitation to being alone outside now. two months since being kidnapped and it felt some of the scars still hadn't healed completely.

when he's walking down one of the side streets, distracted and not completely minding himself, his shoe hits a stray piece of broken street and he stumbles forward into syvlain's back. what hits him first isn't the horror that he bumped into someone, but the wave of heat that seems to come off sylvain.]

O-Oh-!

[crestfallenfor]

Woah-?

[He's honestly not expecting to be bumped into so suddenly, so when he is, he pitches forward a bit before catching his balance, and looking back over his shoulder at whoever ran into him.

And then promptly turning, so he can lean against his chest instead of his back.]

Ven...? Are you alright?

[Well... aside from being a monster out on the new moons. He looks drained at best, so Sylvain drapes one arm around him and brings the other hand up to gently pet his ears. Hopefully that's relaxing, to some extent, and it is giving him something to focus on. The heat coming off of him doesn't lessen, but a little bit of a calming aura just might be joining it.]

[callmeven]

[he realizes it's sylvain, belatedly, by scent - maybe that was why he'd been walking this way? because of the familiar scent? some thought for another day when he didn't feel so floaty.]

S-sorry, Sylvain... [he does melt a little against him when sylvain starts to pet his ears, an automatic response by now.] I'm okay, though! Just trying to wear myself out so I can sleep better later.

[will it work? probably not.]

[crestfallenfor]

What's keeping you up?

[All in all, Ventus seems pretty lethargic, and as far as he could tell, the new moons had that effect on monsters. He's sure that his Bonded can feel his energy buzzing through their bonds, but as far as he knew, Ven didn't have one.

Maybe he does. He'd never asked.

He'll keep petting his ears, though, since that seems to be relaxing for him.]

[callmeven]

Mhm... [he trails off and closes his eyes for a moment, contemplating his answer.] I just don't want to lose control and sitting around when I feel like this... it's uncomfortable.

[like there's an electric current under his skin.]

... Why are you out this late?

The Cursed One

[seemstressed]

Hm?

_{[It's after class and Tataru's carrying a few books in her arms that she's planning on reading when she gets the chance when Sylvain calls out to her. It's hard not to be curious of the vile he seems to be holding but she has no reason to believe it's anything insidious. After all, Sylvain has been rather charming and genuinely good natured. The liquid that's kept sealed away could, quite literally, be anything. Taking a few steps toward him she shoots him a smile and inquisitive look.]}

Is it a perfume you've made?

_{[What else could it be?]}

So cursed

[crestfallenfor]

A perfume...?

[He actually... examines the vial for a second, thinks about opening it to smell it, to see if it would work as a perfume, but thinks better of that.

If it does work as a perfume, then the intended effects would set in (maybe to a lesser extent??) from smelling it, and he's not about to try it in the middle of the street.]

No, it's an aphrodisiac... There's apparently quite the demand for them, and the potion shop is giving out a sample if you help in addition to pay... and they'll pay extra if you test it, so...

[So he asked someone familiar, who he saw. Simple.

...Sounds kind of shady saying it out loud, though.]

[1/2]

[seemstressed]

_{[Wait. Hold up. Did he just say aphrodisiac? He had to be joking, right? There's a pause of silence as Tataru stares up at Sylvain, wide-eyed as if she's trying to make sense of what she's just heard.]}

[2/2]

[seemstressed]

W-What?!

<sub>[This is probably the most flustered Sylvain has ever seen or heard Tataru become. Immediately her hands go up in the air, the books she'd been holding clattering to the ground. She's peak Lalafell distress stance as she tries to get a grip on herself. The way he'd asked her so casually...sure, it's not the first time she'd been flirted with or propositioned but that had been an Eorzea thing.

Sylvain, for better or worse, is the first to ask her something like this.

Immediately her cheeks flush red as she forces her hands down by her side, as if getting control of her limbs will. This is...a lot.]</sub>

S-Surely there must be less dubious means of making coin Sylvain.

_{[She hasn't said no yet, but it hasn't exactly occurred to her to say as much either.]}

How much are they paying you?

_{[Look she can't help but ask that.]}

[crestfallenfor]

[Oh. Cute. He hadn't meant to fluster her that badly, but... well, he thought that the quest was well known enough that it would be obvious when he'd initially asked, and he can't really regret flustering her if she's going to be that cute about it.

He does bend to help pick up her books, though. It's the least he can do.]

It's not... that dubious, is it? There's a need for the potions, apparently, and that's the main way of making coin off this.

[Testing it is for a bonus...]

1500 cunes a day is what they're paying.

[So not a whole lot, but still... a lot more than some jobs, and it allows him to practice his potion-making.]