[Semi-Closed] April Catch-All | Great Tree Moon

[bergamotrose]

Who: Lorenz + Plotted CR (with Open Prompts)
When: April Full Moon, Event and After
Where: Throughout Aefenglom
What: Full Moon + A Quest + Memories and whatever else comes up
Warnings: General. He's a Shady Faun, so proceed with caution. TBA as threads occur



Full Moon

[A recent spar with Felix had revealed to Lorenz one factor that he had not anticipated with his monster transformation: that he could run. He had seen Judar do so, but witnessing it and experiencing the sheer power of his new legs for himself were so drastically different that using the extra force in a friendly test with Felix had surprised the both of them.

Pleasantly so.

Energized by the radiance of the waxing moons, Lorenz found himself unable to sit still. All but vibrating with the excess in energy he found himself with, he briefly found his thoughts straying to his friends at home. Was this how Raphael felt when he got into the moment and started hauling everything from the day's grocery shopping to random desks he found streetside around as if they weighed no more than kittens? Was this what Claude felt when he stayed up into the deepest parts of the night, working feverishly on his schemes or stealing out to visit his Wyvern while the rest of the world slept?

He didn't know. He didn't care.

Racing in his giddiness, Lorenz once more found himself at the docks and staring out at the water.

...He wondered how well his new form took to swimming?]

Plantagorium

[Lorenz could easily respect a man's desire to start a rooftop garden. With his still nacent plant magic, he understood that drive well-- but this man's efforts left Lorenz rather... disappointed.

Afterall, anyone who failed that badly with seedlings had a talent that Lorenz didn't want to understand.

Packing his bag and grabbing a sturdy stick, Lorenz prepared himself to set out over the Wall briefly to find something sturdier for the poor man. A sapling, perhaps. Trees were far sturdier than delicate herbs like basil and mint. Even aromatics like lavender, rosemary, and garlic fared better than anything whose name referenced a 'balm' in any way, and Lorenz had a general idea of what he was looking for.

Feel free to catch him in the shops, gathering some last minute supplies (like appropriate hoof coverings), or on his way out of the gate.]

Wildcard

[Don't like a prompt? Make one up! HMU on Plurk at woodrift with questions or plotting requests. Close toplevels with previously plotted CR for the event will be coming as I get organized.]

Comments

Event: Dream a Little Dream (Of Me)

[bergamotrose]

[Close Toplevels Within. If you want to thread something with this, HMU on Plurk]

Edelgard

[bergamotrose]

[This was an unusual environment for one of the shared dreams that the powers within Aefenglom seemed fond of thrusting it's populace into. The Looking Glass House was a place that Lorenz rarely ventured unless he was seeking out someone specific. Even his own mirror rarely saw any company.

Finding another mirror with it's reflective glass gleaming piqued Lorenz's curiosity, and despite his own sense of propriety Lorenz found himself approach. The frame was plain enough, save for the simple eagle motif on it's frame. Prominant at the apex was an insignia he would never fail to recognize:

A double headed eagle, it's wings outspread and twin beak open wide as if in a battle-cry.

The symbol of the Adrestrian Empire.

Heedless of his own sensibilities, Lorenz laid his hand upon the placid surface of the glass. The reflection rippled under his fingers, as if it were a pool of water-- when he blinked, he was Elsewhere.

The darkness was the first thing he knew, but up ahead he saw the shape of a man he recognized. The proud aura he exuded from his person and solid stance of his legs was offset by the vibrantly yellow cloak he wore draped over a shoulder that Lorenz knew was deceptively strong; the way those thick curls fell over his collar characterized a man who was at once a strong leader and cunning schemer.

Before him was one Claude von Riegan.

A man Lorenz knew he would never forget.]

[unyieldingmarch]

[Edelgard felt the pull of the dream, the tug at her mind, and when she blinked and her eyes cleared, she wasn't surprised to see Lorenz standing in the streets of Derdriu. This was hardly the first vision she'd seen, though strangely it was one she hadn't expected to have. This had been quite a day, yes, but nothing nearly as momentous as some of the others. Claude had put up a difficult fight, but compared to Rhea...?

Well, no sense in debating. She walked forward to stand beside Lorenz.]

...Strange, isn't it? Seeing a city on the eve of a battle. And...seeing Claude acting serious for once.

[bergamotrose]

[If there was one matter they undoubtedly agreed upon, it's that Rhea was not to be trusted. After hearing Edelgard's harrowing tale, and after witnessing her rapid slip into a strange madness in the weeks after Edelgard had revealed herself within the Tomb, Lorenz didn't need more evidence against her.

It was matters closer to home that troubled him.

Looking at Edelgard, Lorenz nodded quietly.]

It is. This is a sight that's rare on both counts.

...I had hoped that the war would never reach this far.

[unyieldingmarch]

It was an unfortunate inevitability. War was coming for Enbarr, Fhirdiad, and Derdriu.

[Edelgard does sound regretful, at least.]

Claude had evacuated the civilians days ago, sending them towards Alliance holdings throughout the region. And my army was under strict orders not to burn anything. It was intended to be as bloodless a conflict as possible, from both sides.

[Further out, the sound of trumpets heralds the arrival of the Imperial army, and from their vantage point atop the wall it's easy to pick out the Black Eagles Strike Force. Comprised entirely of their classmates, most of them mounted on horses or flying steeds, it moves into position just outside the open gate.]

The only thing that truly caught us by surprise was Claude's reinforcements. If you look to the east, out to sea, you'll see several ships moving this way, laden with Almyran elite troopers.

[bergamotrose]

[A nod. It was heartening to hear that all the combatants involved were dedicated to keeping unnecessary casualties as minimal as possible. There was no good way to strategize for a war, but a simple respect for life went a long way.

Turning his head at Edelgard's words, Lorenz did spot the ships with the Almyran flag just beyond the shores.]

Given what you've told me, and what I already suspected, that's only natural. They are his people, after all.

[unyieldingmarch]

[As they train their eyes out to sea, the battle begins. Troops move in blocks. The gates break. Pegusai and Wyverns meet in the sky, the typical movements of battle beginning.

A contingent of flying units break through first, soaring over the sea and crashing headlong into the Almyrans. Edelgard herself, Byleth heralded by flashes of the Sword of the Creator, Ingrid with the Relic Lance born by her family, and Leonie with a strange looking bow, all mounted, strike out straight for Claude.]

...It's strange, watching this from the ground. But, I suppose the mirror's decided it's worth you seeing it.

[bergamotrose]

...Is it not your choice as well?

[This was a dream, and dreams were notoriously unstable. Scenes could shift and change with the fluidity of water seeping from cupped hands. They were ungraspable, unknowable.

But...]

There is truth in what you say, [He added, following Edelgard's gaze up to the flying contingent from below.] He is the greatest of my doubts.

Sylvain

[bergamotrose]

[When Sylvain comes to after approaching a mirror with a familiar motif of forests, deer, tea accoutrements and roses, he would find himself faced with a familiar sight: the skyline of Fhirdiad. It was wintertime and, from the windows of the high class dorm he stood in, the streets between the towering stone buildings were covered with snow. Paths had already been tracked through the white powder along the streets and walkways that were usually taken by the daily traffic. In the hallways beyond the door, students bustled as they made a show of doing their coursework in between courses of killing time with their friends and classmates.

Between laughs and questions about lectures or readings, there was an undercurrent of tension. Scattered throughout were questions among themselves of recent events.
'Did you hear what happened out west?' One student, a particularly energetic type, piped up before being quickly hushed.

No one wanted to talk about it. They just wanted to do their work and enjoy the time they had.

Inside the dorm room, Lorenz scoffed irritably while he packed his bags. At sixteen years old, he hadn't quite enrolled in Garreg Mach at that time yet.

For obvious reasons.

Closer to Sylvain, he would hear a familiar sigh.]

Ah. The Royal Academy of Sorcery. Even though I had begged my father to let me enroll, I never got to spend even an entire semester there. It's quite a shame, really.

[crestfallenfor]

[It's surprising to step through a mirror that was clearly Lorenz's, only to end up in Fhirdiad in the winter. It's... nostalgic, and Lorenz might feel a stirring of nostalgia and homesickness from him. He had very few unpleasant memories in the city, after all, considering it had just enough distance from home to be safe.

He knew Lorenz had attended the school of sorcery here, in that sort of nebulous way one tends to know little tidbits of knowledge about classmates and acquaintances - but why the shared dream saw fit to show him this was yet to be determined.

So when the Lorenz of the present makes himself known, Sylvain turns his attention to him.]

My mother entertained the idea of enrolling me for a little while... I wonder what would have happened if she had convinced my father to allow me to attend.

[Idle musing, and something he hadn't thought of since he regretted not meeting Annette sooner in his life.]

Why didn't you stay?

[bergamotrose]

Sylvain. We both know you would have made a menace of yourself. There were quite a number of beautiful and intelligent ladies in attendance at that time.

[It was a tease. Lorenz himself likely would have gotten into trouble as well, since he was still clinging to a shallow definition of Nobility at the time.]

Truthfully, I wanted to stay. The Royal Academy of Sorcery is an excellent school that's renowned across Fodlan. My mother attended for a while when she was younger, and even managed to graduate before arrangements were made for her to wed my father. I wanted to learn what they were teaching there.

But... I was recalled. You likely know more details than I, but there was some sort of revolt not far from the school that Prince Dimitri personally quelled. My father, in his infinite sense of practicality, saw the affair as a threat to my person and sent message for me to return to Gloucester.

[A shrug. A sigh. That was so long ago that it felt akin to another lifetime. There were moments when Lorenz asked himself the 'what if' questions, but those answers often lead to futily wrestling with worries about what never was.

Perhaps that was part of having a writer's nature, he had told himself on the matter. After all, the heart of a poet was never truly satisfied.]

...I very nearly never attended the Officer's Academy at Garreg Mach. What a strange reality that would have been, hm?

[crestfallenfor]

All the more reason to attend, Lorenz, and you would have thought the same at the time~

[Tease for tease - though once the mild barb is returned, he falls quiet, listens to the Lorenz of now speak as the Lorenz of the past packs his belongings.]

I don't know many details about the revolt, to be honest... at least not the sort of details one couldn't find in military reports anyway. Gautier was too far to send many reinforcements, considering the snow. I know Felix was present, if you're truly aching for the gruesome details.

[And if he can wrench them from him - or from Dimitri. The odd twist of emotion from Sylvain, though, tugging at the bond, ought to tell him that nothing was quite the same after the revolt.

Not that the details matter anymore, it's so far in the past.]

Hah, maybe if you hadn't, you would have killed me instead on the bridge.

[If Lorenz had focused entirely on his magical prowess, instead of the mounted knight as expected of nobility, maybe he would have been able to take Sylvain out before he got close enough to run him through with his lance.

But that's. Gruesome. To think about. So he shrugs, lets it go, like so much else.]

I wonder why it saw fit to bring us here.

Iskandar and Caster! Cu Chulainn

[bergamotrose]

[Within the gleaming glass of the mirror was a scene of a picture perfect summer just beyond the glass panels of a large window overlooking the vast property the manor stood upon. The sun shown brightly in the clear, endless sky and just beyond the flowering trees pristine gardens kept cloistered within the wrought iron gates was a glimpse of rows upon rows of winding vinyard. In the distance people could be seen tending to the delicate crops; closer still, within the decoratively painted papered walls and soft, heavy draperies lining the window, was an air of tension that was dissonant with the relative serenity outside.

Leaning against one of the walls on the far end of the chamber was a familiar figure-- a good deal shorter than the version that resided in Aefenglom, with a hair cut that had yet to grow out into it's full glory. An uncommonly severe look turned his lips down and furrowed his brows as he listened to the hushed conversations on the other side of the heavy wooden door that he stood beside.

Huffing irrritably, the young man glared daggers at the door.]

They're truly dancing around the obvious in there, aren't they? [He asked aloud to the empty room, as if speaking would help him organize his own thoughts.]

Clearly, it's sabotage.

[towards_okeanos]

[It is a dream and dreams go by their own rules. Though to be fair, this one looks to Iskandar more like an actual memory just not a mere vision of the past.]

What makes you think so?

[He asks before realising the one he's directing his question to won't be able to hear him. Much less, respond to it. He's not even aware that someone is watching him. Iskandar shakes his head. Magic. But he can't turn away from the mirror. He's just too curious.]

[bergamotrose]

[There was a chuckle nearby.]

That one can't hear you, my King.

[Lorenz chuckled, stepping up behind Iskandar in his full cervine glory. With his hands braced against his hips, he looked up at the man with a boyish, embarrassed smile.]

I was such a fool at that age, eager to please everyone else for the sake of trying to curry influence of my own. It... didn't work out.

[He shook his head.]

No one was hurt-- but a great many were inconvenienced. Who would have thought that forging wine labels would be so upsetting?

[towards_okeanos]

[Congratulations, Lorentz! You are to witness a rare sight. Embarrassed Iskandar. He turns to the source of the sound with a wide grin scratching the back of his neck. Errr...]

I... well, I know.

[Iskandar grin widens. Someone is looking really good today.]

Aren't we all at some age?

[He had some not exactly the brightest ideas himself. Though those usually involved feats of bravery not wit, that too often crossed the line between actually courageous and horribly stupid. All to prove to his father he's not useless.]

Who would have thought indeed.

[Iskandar nods with a solemn expression that bursts into laughter.]

What were you exactly trying to achieve by this?

[bergamotrose]

I was trying to save a vinter in my father's territories from having their reputation ruined.

[Lorenz said with a sigh, casting the towering man a look of amusement.]

I wasn't successful-- the cargo of wine was intercepted on the way to Derdriu for a summit of the Round Table. That is, the name we call my country's ruling council. It was unfortunately the first of many attempts after the late Duke Riegan's life... though I'm sure you'll be gladdened to know that the Duke himself passed away of natural causes.

[Clacking a hoof impatiently on the wooden floor beneath them, Lorenz glanced out the window at the brilliantly bright day. Fields of grain crops could be seen in the distance, broken up by the occassional path, waterway, or stand of trees.

It was rather idyllic to see.]

Come, there's nothing much of import to see here. My life has been relatively uneventful compared to some others from my world. Not to say that it was easy... but I am nothing more nor less than the person I was raised to be.

[towards_okeanos]

Then it was a noble endeavour. Even if it failed.

[It may surprise Lorenz but Iskandar is deadly serious. A man's reputation can be his life. Or death. It is no trifling matter. To help one uphold it, even if the attempt is not successful, is a good deed. The intention will be remembered even in the absence of results.]

Perhaps. Yet here I am, still curious who exactly that person is.

full moon

[bloodwit]

[ well. that's not an expected sight. ]

[ fixated as the faun appears, viren doubts he's yet to be noticed. upright, he leans somewhat heavily on his ornate staff — it's an object he no longer often takes with him, minimized as its use has become without his magic. he props an arm to it, drums claws against his sleeve as he thinks as to whether he should interrupt. this is the full moon, afer all. ]

[ after a moment of consideration, he straightens again. there's a few tps of the staff's end against ground as he better comes within earshot. still a distance away, and still even further from the ocean — the dragon had no inclination to test his form against that. ]

[ with curiosity, ]

Lorenz?

[bergamotrose]

[Ears flickered at the sound of a familiar voice in an unfamiliar setting, and Lorenz easily turned to face the man. A look of bewildered curiosity lit his face-- and Lorenz offered a chagrinned smile.]

Sir Viren.

[The honorific wasn't necessary. They both knew it wasn't necessary, but Lorenz kept with it for the sake of politeness.]

It's strange to find you in this part of town, Sir.

[bloodwit]

[ viren surveys lorenz another a moment, noting the monstrous features. his posture straightens at properly capturing the faun's attention, and then he makes a noise of agreement, ]

No stranger for me to find you here, either.

[ his tone isn't harsh. ]

Moongazing? [ idly, ] Contemplating a swim?

[bergamotrose]

[A chuckle. The steady, curious tone was a relief.]

Would you judge me too harshly if I said both?

[He asked, a boyish smile on his face.]

My homeland is inland. Sights as magnificent as this one are not ordinary in my experience. Even the largest lake can't compare to the ocean.

[bloodwit]

I'd say... I certainly wouldn't be joining you. —But then again, I'd hardly been invited.

[ somewhat dryly, and without accusation; of all of his rudeness, apparently the fire dragon thinks inviting himself along for a swim should cross a line somewhere. but the admission as to an inland home reroutes viren's attention: ]

That being the case, yes, the ocean is a beautiful, awe-inspiring thing. [ there's a slight lifting to his shoulders, a gesture toward the waters. ] Enjoy it as you will, hm?

[bergamotrose]

...would you like an invitation, sir?

[His eyes were bright with the light of the sister moons on the docks, and Lorenz smiled teasingly at the man. Self-aware as he was of his own flaws, he was still a Faun during a full moon.

Perhaps a work place associate who was at a higher level than he, and closely associated with his boss, could keep him in line? Such was Lorenz's thinking-- at least, for the moment.]

I will not be foolish. It's merely nice being here.

[bloodwit]

[ he is a faun during the full moon; for all of viren's contemplation regarding this situation, he hadn't made that precise connection. consider who he oft keeps as company, he should have. ]

[ so lorenz receives a rounding of his eyes, and then one of his dark eyebrows to slowly, pointedly arch. ]

[ in the meanwhile, he props an elbow against his staff to hold it in place; from within his coat, he draws out one of those rolled cigarettes that everett will sometimes have on hand. ]

You're not on the cusp of ferality, are you? [ he lights its end with a puff of breath, a tiny flicker of flame. ] I hardly know you well enough to tell.