[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

[bloodwit]

[ viren doesn't have much use for the second, returned cigarette, and pinches it out. his own remains entwined between his fingers, that hand resting upon his staff. his head had tipped as lorenz explained, and then concluded, and, ]

... Lorenz.

[ it's not anything like a warning tone - far from, they've been engaged in this sort of verbal dance these past few minutes. but it's an acknowledgement from viren that he's heard. as they're wont to do, his fangs press into his lower lip. ]

[ it's not the first time someone's made that assessment; it's one too familiar for him to be offended, especially when he weaponizes that reputation. to his fellow councilmen, he reeks of it. so viren, for better or for worse, knows it to be -- accurate. refraining from overt confirmation, ]

I'm a man that would prefer amicable, peaceable means, of course... [ remarked politely, obviously, spoken with a lilt that's just a bit honeyed. ] —But I also recognize when that's not always a possibility.

[ an eyebrow quirks, and with hand to grip his staff with more firmness, he leans forward. with faint amusement, ]

You think I'm dangerous. Yet, you would still place yourself in my care?

[bergamotrose]

You're more familiar with the moons than I am.

[Lorenz said airily, in a teasing tone as he drew light upon his own failing in that exact moment.]

Clearly, you are more responsible as well.

[But the smile on his face was knowing, familiar-- as if he were used to working with people whom many would consider 'dangerous to know', and had done so on the daily in his adult life. The political arenas within his homeland were filled with people with a burning hunger deep in their soul. The question was over how well they hid it, or whether they allowed themselves to be controlled by it.

Though their association was still new, Lorenz read a similar hunger in Viren's demeanor. It was a strange comfort to him, being around someone with whom he could simply be himself.]

[bloodwit]

[ responsible, dangerous?

not necessarily two different sides of to the coin, as viren's aware enough of himse that he knows he can embody both. the dragon surveys lorenz another moment, taking him in, pretty gleam of moonlight and all, for a time long enough to take a drag of his cigarette. he replaces the hand at the head of his staff. there's the light tptp of claws drumming against its metal. he knows the effects of the moons by now; nothing so severe ferality, having always dodged those "dangerous" effects with his witchbond, but other pulls -


god. he thinks he would probably never live this down, if anyone were to find out out (even those that have -- known him during this time, these circumstances, as this isn't the first). but, spoken evenly, ]

Would you like to come back to my place, Lorenz?

[ safe, yes; whether they made more of it, well. the invitation's out there, and the ball is in lorenz's court. ]

[bergamotrose]

[There it was; the out needed, the invitation from someone to take the reigns for a short while. Lorenz heaved a breath of relief, tension draining from his shoulders as he took some comfort from that simple fact.]

I would very much appreciate that.

[Spoken with a smile-- but a tired one. Lorenz, ever the meticulously fussy person who liked to have every matter in his life Just So, allowed some of his fraying edges to show in that moment. There were so few people he trusted enough to show that side of himself... and the ones he did trust tended to be those who were inherently Dangerous to Know.

It was a relief, seeing the truth of someone's nature and knowing roughly where they stood in the grander picture. There was less need to constantly be on edge if you already knew what to expect.]

[bloodwit]

[ oh. well.

that had been - nowhere near as needlessly complicated as his brain had tied into a knot about it. viren's pleased that the invitation's accepted (and no less, very much appreciated), with a faint smile, likewise, flickering over his expression.

he extinguishes his cigarette. his wings reshuffle over his back. ]

This way, then.

[ he allows himself one last, long look out at the vast, dark waters, boats gently rocking within the harbor, before he slowly turns. there's the metal tapping of his staff, now more proper, against solid ground. he nods, indicating another direction, ]

I would consider flying you, but — I have yet to do so with another, without first having fully shifted.

[bergamotrose]

Another time, then.

[Lorenz replied easily, casting one last-- longing-- look out over the dark waters as well before facing the gentleman he was with. Even in the darkened docks, Viren cut a striking picture amongst the shadows...]

I've handled wyverns well enough in the past, but coaxing one to fly was never a skill I excelled with. While the wind is nice, I'm still far more comfortable with my feet on the ground.

[bloodwit]

[ that would settle that, then -- at least for this day; a precursor of adrenaline, likely, wouldn't be needed for the remainder of the evening. the walk to viren's house, that which he shares with gwen, is thankfully uneventful — no disasters should strike between these two.


it'd been a simple acceptance, and it's a simple affair. once having hung up his outer coat at the door, it's a living room they should find themselves at, with viren's taste of more lavish decor having made itself, eventually, known in the weeks he's resided here. and in an effort to at playing host, he would offer red wine; whether lorenz accepts, well. he pours himself a glass, keeps the bottle on the table for lorenz to serve himself, if he'd like. (fauns, after all.)

viren's seated himself at the couch; close enough that, being a fire dragon, he thinks he can feel the other's bodyheat. yet, with enough space to keep it polite. being forward, intimately, was rarely something he was known for. ]

—I don't think, actually, Lorenz, that I know much about you. [ not quite 'think' -- he realizes this, fully. ] You are a noble, is that right?

[bergamotrose]

[The gift of wine was readily accepted by Lorenz as he admired the lavish decor of the room and settled into a seat adjacent to the dragon. Even with his lanky height made further difficult by his proud antlers, sagging into the cushions of the offered spot on the couch was relaxing in and of itself. Sipping at the wine, Lorenz allowed himself to let go of the moment and simply enjoy the refined company he was with.]

Indeed I am, [Lorenz confirmed with an easy smile, stretching out his digitigrade legs before him and paying careful attention not to scuff the flooring with his hooves.] It's not something I've made a secret, but the title I stand to inherit when my father eventually passes is not of big import in the eyes of history.

[None paid much attention to the actions of Counts, after all.]

But, I find I am in a similar position with you. Your manner and demeanor are familiar enough to me-- you are a noble as well, yes?

[bloodwit]

I am. I am a Lord, [ was ] a High Mage, and one that stands to inherit the throne.

[ that's a real whopper of a lie, viren knows well at this point. he knows he stands to be imprisoned for his crimes, potentially stripped of even his lordly title. it's a familiar lie that, in aefenglom, he feels compelled to keep appearances with; no need to confuse any of his audiences. thus it's spoken smoothly enough, almost gracefully. he hopes that it sounds so natural that it leaves little room to doubt.

as he listens, viren swirls the wine in his glass, watching its red bleed against the glass's inner walls, settle again into smoothness. it's a cup of delicate crystal - only the best for refined company, after all. he takes a deep drink from it, eyeing lorenz over its rim.

he lowers it, raises his chin, and with an innocent quirk of an eyebrow, ]

Does that satisfy you? That you're to quietly inherit a title of little historical importance?

[bergamotrose]

Certainly not.

[He chuckled, knowing this song and dance all too well. With the way inheritences worked, Viren could be any number of steps away from the throne and still be able to make such a claim. No one was immune to human ego, not even the most polished of nobility, and Lorenz briefly wondered how much of that he was seeing in this moment.]

But the country I hail from foreswore alliegance to any throne generations ago. We are ruled by a council, upon which I will attain a seat once my father steps down. The territories attached are also the largest within our Alliance-- and, if something should happen to our current head of council, it would be myself that would take his place as the respected ruler of our country.

[A sigh. None of this was a lie, but politics within the Liecester Alliance, when compared to more traditional Kingdoms or Empires, could become quite complex.]

For the moment, I merely wish to watch and wait-- and guide the young, foreign-born Duke in his plans for bettering our country and the lands surrounding us.

[bloodwit]

[ viren can, regrettably, note from lorenz's responding tone that he sees through (or rather, just sees) any potential nuance to his own statement. his elongated fangs dig into his lower lip, and he takes another sip of wine as coverage. ]

[ he listens, carefully -- so while he may know the politics of the other four kingdoms, intimately, he's of the understanding that a country, of another world, would have an unfamiliar method of succession. learning of that, for academic purposes alone, is something he finds of interest. ]

Watch and wait. [ a little click of a forked tongue; that did have its time and place, certainly, but viren's always been of the restless, impatient sort. ] Why take it upon yourself to guide this Duke?

[bergamotrose]

Curiosity.

[He intoned simply, shifting and settling deeper into the cushions of the chair while he met Viren's gaze. Similarly, Lorenz kept himself abreast of politics in the countries surrounding his, but he is similarly unfamiliar with what Viren may know or understand.

Then again, the Liecester Alliance was unique even in Fodlan.]

He calls himself an outsider. His only connection to his house is through his bloodline, which we have verified through a variety of resources, but he was not born nor raised on the soil our country sits upon.

I wish to see what he will do. His mind is brilliant, and I believe well enough in his intentions. Now... he is being tested in the manner afforded to those who are called to lead.

[bloodwit]

[ curiosity.

that leads to viren lifting his eyebrows, with faint, very faint, amusement pulling at his mouth. as someone who picks and probes into the unknown, even against contrary advice (sometimes, especially), viren can very well understand simple 'curiosity' leading one down unexpected paths - and the appeal of it. ]

[ he leans back into his seat, more comfortably, tipping his head in lorenz's direction. ]

So you wish to see his potential blossom. [ he rests a hand comfortably against his own knee, tapping a claw there. ] A gamble, nonetheless. And do you have any plan, should things not result in your favor?

[bergamotrose]

[Idly:]

I was raised with the intention of taking that role should their be a problem within the House that sits at the head of the Roud Table. With that in mind, although I do not relish the idea of leadership so far from the people of the lands, I will certainly take on that role if this man proves... less competent than I hope.

[The words were uttered with unwavering conviction despite the Moons' effect on his mind. This was a singular truth that Lorenz sas not ashamed of. While he wanted to see what Claude would do, that didn't change the fact that he was a stranger to the land he sought to influence.

Should Claude not have the best interests of the Alliance and Fodlan in mind, Lorenz had no qualms about taking matters into his own hands.]