middaeg | Mareuer Catch-All [Open]

Entry tags:

Mareuer Catch-All [Open]

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!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You're telling me...

[And he seems to be the only one that thinks so?? Thanks for validating him, Lance, you're a bro.

Anyway. More time for questions later. Only Blue Lions, now.]

Yeah, I did? At the academy we went to there were three houses. I was in the Blue Lions house, along with Felix.

[ he can't help but chuckle at this, because it's kind of ridiculously coincidental. ]

So you and Felix are Blue Lions fighting in a war? That's cool, 'cause so am I! [ a beat. ] Well, okay, I'm not a Blue Lion, but I pilot one! I'm actually called the Blue Paladin.

[ a fancy title for a fancy boy. ]

And you said that Black Eagles were one house, so what's the other one?

[It's almost like it was fated, and Sylvain honestly can't help but laugh at it, too.]

Yeah, we are. Oh, I was a Paladin for a while, too, until the Professor decided I'd be better suited as a Dark Knight. [Small... multiverse?] Wait, pilot? You ride lions into war in your world?

[He's picturing Lance riding on the back of a literal lion, in bright, shiny blue and silver armor. Whoops.]

Right, the third one is the Golden Deer. [...The Ashen Wolves also exist, but he doesn't know about them, because #DLC.]

A Blue Lion and a Paladin? Dude. Nice.

[ his opinion of sylvain has improved drastically. the way he says it kinda sounds like he's giving sylvain a metaphorical hi-five, too. ]

Not literal lions! They're alien tech and mechanical, though they kinda move like the actual animals. Real fluid. It's good stuff.

[ it's still bizarre to him that alteans have lions but not cows, apparently. the universe is wild that way. he'll ask more about the houses and the war in a bit, but right now? lions. ]

Heh, you, too.

[Metaphorical hi-five returned!]

I don't think we'll ever have anything like that back home, at least not in my lifetime. Magical automatons exist, but only a few people- [Notably: on the other side...] -know how to control them, and their movement isn't very fluid at all...

[He really wants to see the lions now, though??? Gosh, Aefenglom is so unfair.]

So you ride mechanical lions into battle. That... makes sense, since you have them. Better than having to train a new warhorse, if yours is shot out from under you, right?

[There's a big ol' hint that they're from way back, Lance.]

Oh, kinda like androids and sentries then, but powered by magic? Makes sense.

[ is this even terminology that sylvain would understand...who knows. especially considering that he's from a time where people ride horses into battle. goodness. ]

...Okay, if you guys still ride warhorses, you're from the past. And I mean centuries into the past. [ holy cow. ] I kinda had a feeling since Bernie mentioned horses before, but wow.

To be fair, though, the lions we use aren't really common knowledge. There're only five out there, and they're considered to be some of the most powerful weapons in the universe. People on my planet don't even know they exist since they were made by another species known as Alteans. [ there's so much to unpack here. ] Uh, also, they're mostly mechanical, but there's some magic that goes into it too? It's hard to explain.

Yeah, I guess.

[Look, he knows what a sentry is, obviously, and he's sharp enough to puzzle out what it also means in this context, along with androids. He'll ask if he gets too tripped up anyway, since learning all this new stuff is pretty neat.]

You mean you don't? What do the people use who aren't so lucky to have one of your lions? And commoners? Don't tell me they walk everywhere...? If you had horses in the past, then you had carriages, too, so...?

[Cars are gonna blow his mind. Especially since Rhea covered up the discovery of oil.]

Oh, so they're similar to our Heroes' Relics... Except those are pretty common knowledge in my world. There are only fifteen, and are supposedly the most powerful weapons in existence. Only certain people can wield them, because they were gifted to our ancestors by the Goddess. [As far as he knows, anyway.] I... think I can understand, somewhat, since our mechanical beasts move with magic.

[ at that, he laughs. sylvain's a pretty smart guy for asking these kinds of questions. lance thinks it's amusing, so unlike the time he'd explained this to sasuke, he actually doesn't mind elaborating. ]

They have smaller vehicles called cars! They're all man-made. We don't ride on animals in the future. [ which is neat! ] Actually, we have all kinds of different vehicles. They're like upgraded carriages that don't need horsepower! Cool, right?

[ oil is amazing, what are you doing rhea. ]

Yeah, it's similar to that. Only certain people can pilot each Lion. The Lion chooses its Paladin, and once it does, the two of you need to bond to strengthen your connection, which affects your ability to pilot it. So I'd say it's pretty similar to the Relics, yeah.

Huh. Yeah, it is pretty cool. Never would've dreamed about anything like that. Shame you don't use wyverns anymore, though. You seem like you'd get along with one.

[But imagine that! Self-propelled vehicles! The future is pretty amazing.

...And, honestly, her logic for that is "it's bad for the environment, and also, people would definitely start wars over it" so. Fair, tbh.]

Heh, luckily we don't need to bond with the Relics. I don't think mine would like me very much, though it hasn't killed me yet, so that's got to count for something.

A "wyvern"? You mean the ones that look like dragons? You have dragons?!

[ oh no, now you've got him all excited. dragons are cool, okay, and lance is a big ol' nerd. ]

Dude...your world sounds like it's straight out of a fairy tale or something. That's awesome.

[ ...you know what's not awesome though? a relic that tries to kill you. ] Wait, why would yours try to kill you? [ lance you don't want to know the answer to that ]

Edited 2020-03-09 00:50 (UTC)

Yeah, we have wyverns and dragons. Wyverns are small and domesticated, and are basically a more sturdy pegasus, you know? Dragons... aren't.

[Okay, he has to laugh at that, though, because. Yeah, no way The Immaculate One - or anything like her - could be.]

Do you not have them? No wonder you had to invent cars and such in your world.

[...But, yeah, sentient weapons aren't really that cool when they have a penchant for chipping away at your soul at best, and murder via spooky ichor tentacle at worst...] Mine won't try to kill me, because I have the crest of Gautier. It'll kill anyone who doesn't if they try and wield it, though... Some seem to have more... patience, I guess, for people without a crest, but it's not generally safe.

Buddy, I'm making this my next stop once I get back home. Or, well, to outer space? Wherever my Lion is. Earth sounds pretty boring compared to your world, not gonna lie.

[ is blue okay. is she just floating into the void.... ]

What's a crest, anyway? Sounds like it's kind of a big thing where you're from.

[ ah.

ah. ]

Hah, well, hopefully we'll have cleared up the war by then so we can give you a proper welcome.

[Blue is probably okay. She's a smart lion, she can handle herself.]

What's a... You don't have them?

[Wow that must be nice... Anyway, time to whip out a notebook for Crestology: 101, and he goes ahead and draws out his crest first while he talks, along with the Fraldarius and Blaiddyd crests, too, mostly so he can glower at them and not at Lance.]

So, along with the Relics, the Goddess gifted people Crests, too. One for each of the ten elites - my ancestor was one of those - one for each of the four saints, and then a fifteenth that people... don't really talk about that much anymore. Couldn't tell you why. Most of the nobility keeps their power because they've just... always had crests. Society built around them, and the Relics, because you can't use a Relic without a crest, and they're really powerful weapons, on top of crests also giving anyone who has one some other special abilities. A friend of mine has always been ridiculously strong because of his. [And he'll go ahead and point to Dimitri's.] Like - can snap a steel sword with his bare hands, strong.

[And a pause, and a heavy sigh.]

They're genetic, and most noble families will test their kids on birth to see if they inherited their family's crest. It's been over a thousand years since they started being a Thing, so the odds are pretty diluted. My... older brother lost his inheritance, because he didn't have one, but I did, and that's pretty normal in Fodlan.

[...Okay, most of Fodlan doesn't quite go to the extremes that the Gautier family does, but. The concept is there.]

Kind of jealous you don't have to deal with all that, honestly.

Same here. We've got a lot of work to do on our end, too.

[ and, well, if voltron can't stop the galra, then there might not even be a fodlan to visit.

he's quiet, though, as sylvain gives his crestology lesson. he looks at the crest while he speaks, and really, this all does sound like it's straight out of a fantasy novel, but it's real. it's real and...not as great as he thought it'd be. especially the part about families testing their newborn children. he can't imagine that'd go over well when you're dealing with something so powerful. ]

Wow. I can't even think of all the things people on earth would do if something like that existed. [ YIKES. ] You think it's more of a curse than a blessing?

[And they're almost done with their war, so... hopefully Voltron can defeat the Galra, and Fodlan will have had plenty of time to recover.

The nitty gritty of systems of power in fantasy novels are never... really pleasant anyway. Lance is just getting a first hand account about this one.]

It's... a bit of both, I think. I can't deny that the power that comes with it is... useful, to say the least, and growing up I didn't want for anything, but... [Well. He kind of wanted Miklan to love him, but he doesn't think about that for Reasons.] It's hard to tell if people are nice to me because I have a crest or because they actually like me, you know? Especially since a quick way into the nobility is to have some idiot noble boy's crest baby.

[ aww ye. fight the power. anyway, what sylvain says is...pretty tragic in its own way. ]

Yeah, I get it. [ he's not gonna offer any words of wisdom or anything because he's just met the guy, he doesn't know what he should say -- but he understands where he's coming from, at the very least. ]

Must be nice to meet people like me who have no idea what those are, right?

[ man...he kind of wonders what allura would say to all of this, being born into royalty and all. ]

[Honestly, Lance just... understanding, and not trying to offer words of wisdom or support means more than even Sylvain registers. It is a lot to just dump on someone he's just met, but... he'd asked, and it was an integral part of their world, so...

Well, he can hope it provided some context for other things, if not now, then in the future.]

Heh, it hasn't even really sunk in yet, you know?

[The assumptions do still nag at the back of his mind with most, but... well, Lance had pretty thoroughly jettisoned himself from that category by now. Even though he's just had a crash course.

...Allura and Dimitri would probably have a lot to talk about, if he were present, honestly.]

But you're alright, Lance.

[ yep, this is important for context. while lance doesn't know the extent of just how badly sylvain hates crests, he knows that the guy's not a fan of them and that's enough to keep in mind. ]

You think so? [ a pause. ] Well, I am pretty great.

[ he says it like he's kind of joking, though. hm... ]

But yeah, for what it's worth, I'm friends with a literal Princess and even I forget she's royalty sometimes. Her name's Allura, she's actually working here if you haven't met her yet.

[ they're practically family. ]

Yeah, I do.

[Hm. He sure knows that tone. He's sure used that tone pretty often. For now, he doesn't call Lance on it, and just reiterates the statement, but also resolves to keep an eye on him, to some extent.

Is it necessary? Possibly not, but he'd rather do it and it not be necessary than not and regret it later.]

Oh, we have met! At the bonfires a couple months ago. She reminded me of a princess I knew. [Petra - and only kind of because Allura looks as though she could be from Brigid.] I feel as though she'd have much to talk about with a friend of mine who isn't here. He's King, now, actually, but I still can't help but think of the soft little prince I grew up with.

[They're also practically family, tbh.]

[ look, someone needs to look out for him. lance probably won't realize it until later -- if ever -- anyway, so keep an eye on him all you'd like sylvain. ]

Oh yeah? The princess you know must be pretty amazing, then. Allura's really something else. [ there's some adoration in his voice when he talks. it's usually there whenever he talks about allura.

that comment about his king is kind of adorable though, not gonna lie. ]

Childhood friends, huh? Nice. You probably miss him a lot, don't you?

[Good, because that's what he does. Or tries to do. He's The Big Brother Friend for a reason, after all.]

Heh, she really is. Bernadetta knew her better than I did, though, so you should ask about her if you're interested. They were both Eagles.

[...If Sylvain's comment was adorable, then Lance's is too, though. He can hear that adoration in his voice, and from what limited contact he's had with Allura thus far?

Well, it doesn't feel misplaced in the least.]

Yeah, I do... I'm not sure how well I'd be able to protect him if he was brought here, though, so maybe it's for the best. Knowing he's alive back home, though, helps. The last time we had a long separation, everyone thought he was dead for five years.

[REAL STRESSFUL TIMES, LANCE.]

Yeah? I'll bring it up with her, then!

[ everything he's learning about sylvain's world is so fascinating, from the people to the culture. he's glad that sylvain asked him to sit with him, now. ]

...Separation, huh? [ he lets out a weak laugh at that. ] Yeah, I know what that's like. I mean, it wasn't five years -- or maybe it was in earth time, I have no idea. It happened in outer space. Anyway...yeah. One of my friends disappeared for a while and we were worried that he was...

[ dead doesn't feel right to say. just the thought of shiro being gone forever like that sends a chill down lance's spine, and he shoves the thought away immediately. ]

You know.

[It is a fascinating world! And he'd honestly be just as fascinated with Lance's world, too, if conversation swung that way - he's definitely already making mental notes to ask next time, if it doesn't this time.

But he does listen as Lance speaks, nodding when he can't quite finish the statement. It speaks to his character, honestly - he might be at war, but he's not as intimately familiar with death as Sylvain is.

That's good. Makes him want to look out for him even more than he did already.]

Yeah, I know. Dimitri... came back to us changed, too. It took a while for him to come back to himself, even though he was with us physically. I hope your friend is alright.

[...Accidental Voltron foreshadowing... whoops.]

[ he definitely isn't. they've probably killed at least a few galra soldiers by now but it still isn't quite the same. he didn't have to hear their screams or see their bodies be set ablaze. he hopes he never has to see death for himself.

(little does he know that he'll face it in due time -- it may not be during battle or on someone's death bed, but it's still death nevertheless. he'll realize that seeing allura's smile for the last time will be more bittersweet than anything else in the universe. but that's neither here nor there.) ]

Actually, he's here in Aefenglom. His name's Shiro, and I'm, like, eighty-percent sure he's from the future? I hope so, because that'd mean he came back to us alright.

[ fine. fine. haha........... ]

[It's one thing to destroy starships. It's another thing entirely to have one of your Bondmates find it kind of romantic that you killed him with your own hands in your timeline. (Thanks, Lorenz.)

Death of a loved one is usually bittersweet, but still not a pain that ought to be inflicted on anyone... But so it goes.]

I hope he did. For all your sakes.

[It hurt to see Dimitri suffering as he was. Though if Shiro isn't, then... it should be fine...? Right? Hopefully? Maybe? (Not for a long while.)

TIME FOR. LIGHTER TOPICS. haha.... ha........]

But, anyway, Lance... what do you enjoy doing, here, other than going home with cute girls and being spooked in mostly dark rooms?

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