[Open + Closed Prompts Within] June Catch-All | Garland Moon

[bergamotrose]

Who: Lorenz + Open (Closed Prompts in Comments)
When: Throughout June
Where: Throughout Aefenglom and possible Quest locations
What: Lorenz adjusts to a quiet home + Quests/Plots/Whatever Else
Warnings: Gen right now. TBD as they come up.



A

[He had kept quiet about his troubles, but after the full moons had passed and started to wane in the sky, Lorenz couldn't fight the lingering restlessness that ate at his person unchecked for much longer. Even leash training his young black cat, minding the tea at the shop, and the sundry other projects he had on his plate could only do so much to ameliorate the situation at hand.

Lapis was gone. Pumpkin with her. His home within Aefenglom was, once more, too quiet for his comfort.

Craving a change in his routine, Lorenz dropped into the Purramid Cafe to see what sort of business this new establishment was. Perhaps he would pick up a few surprises for his own cat... or perhaps he might be recognized as the tall, elegant Faun with flowers in his antlers that worked at DiplomaTea. Who could say?]

B

[...For once, Lorenz seemed dreadfully out of his element. His hair and demeanor were as pristinely manicured as ever, but there was a certain spring in his step and furtive look in his eyes that betrayed just how distracted he was. Quietly biting his tongue into silence, Lorenz retraced his steps throughout town-- checking lost item bins in every establishment he went through.

His target: a simple, leather bound folio with page leaves that seemed too well worn to be a mere log of notes or personal journal.

No. It was his private book of hand-written poetry.

With each turn of his private quest remaining unfulfilled, Lorenz quietly grew more agitated and anxious as he passed through town. While ordinarily friends passing by would be met with a casual conversation, he was prone to being both startled and hurried.

He wanted to give the impression that everything was as fine as it always was. It wasn't.]

Comments

Free Dibs on reading the poetry book!

[inlikethebrume]

[It was when she was leaving a shop for delivering some potions that she spots the well worn tome on the floor. Her first thought was why anyone would leave a book around unattended and secondly, how well worn was this book? Perhaps it was the bookbinder in her that takes a look at whether this tome could be able to withstand any more wear and tear.

The poems are pretty interesting as well, even as she stops for a moment to take them in.

Look, there's no name on it so there's the question if it's a first edition or something else. Who knows.]

B.

[finesseblade]

[ Truth is, Felix found the journal a while ago, and recognized the fragrant mix of tea leaves and floral scents attached to it as surely as he would have recognized them on the man himself. Thumbing through the pages confirmed Lorenz's handwriting inside, and if he's honest with himself, he should've stopped there.

If he's honest with himself, curiosity got the better of him, and he didn't. He'd idled his way through a couple of pages of flourishing verse before he remembered that this was not his to look through, and Lorenz had respected his privacy, so maybe he ought to set the book aside and read no further.

Felix catches him, finally, on the outskirts of the haven, with the journal tucked away safely in one of his coat pockets. ]

Lorenz.

[ He'd be fully prepared to hand over the journal on the spot, but something in Lorenz's demeanor draws him up short, making him tilt his head and perk his ears. Maybe it's his predator's instincts recognizing the restless unease in his movements and interpreting it as something anxious.

Or maybe, he thinks with an unsettling clarity, he's just gotten so used to Lorenz that now he notices when the fop's body language has shifted just left of normal. ]

What's got you so spooked?

yes, do it!

[bergamotrose]

[It certainly was a first edition-- as in, the first and only of it's kind, perhaps to never even be published except maybe posthumously when he would no longer stand to bear the myriad questions and comments that his friends would have.

The words woven together within formed florid strings of metaphors-- some recognizeable to anyone, others perhaps not so much. A pegasus's wings glinting in the light of the Horsebow Moon was a very specific reference, after all. None but those who had tasted Seiros' rare brew of tea could possibly understand every esoteric epithet contained within.]

[bergamotrose]

Spooked?

[Lorenz asked, voice pitching uncharacteristically and ears flicking to alert despite recognizing the familiar voice in an instant. Sucking in a breath, Lorenz made a conscious effort to relax his posture and cast Felix his most shining, most polished smile--

--And failed. Clearly he was distracted.

Chuckling, Lorenz ran a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair and continued.]

Certainly not. Spooked? Please.

...I've merely misplaced something. 'Tis no matter, truly.

[inlikethebrume]

...huh.

[Pegasus she gets but Horsebow Moon is a new one. Mira finds herself finding a bench to continue to read more of this book because it's rather interesting. The owner however may be able to see her if he's running in that direction but she's too engrossed in her reading to pay any attention.]

B

[unyieldingmarch]

[It wasn't Lorenz that Edelgard had found. It was a book. A book resting casually on a park bench in one of the city greenspaces. She'd plucked it up on her nightly walk and thumbed through it, curious...and found...hmm...

Well, the LHG engraved into the bottom of the book's cover was a clue as to who it belonged to. And so to the watch!]

Have you lost a book of poetry lately, Lorenz?

a!

[cardtrick]

[ Purramid? Sounds like a cat cafe! And Trucy loves a cat cafe, they do good work and the cats are so cute. Which means that, when she stumbles upon it while wandering through town, she simply has to go in.

... Unfortunately, she enters scant seconds after Lorenz, and quite literally runs into the back of him as a result.

(She swears she's been moving quicker in Aefenglom. It's cool and all, but it makes things like this happen.) ]

Yikes! S-sorry.

[ When she hops — quite literally hops — back, her face remains obscured by a combination of a sky blue top hat and the floppy, fluffy white ears on which it is perched.

But trust, there's an embarrassed flush spreading across her cheeks. ]

[finesseblade]

[ Oh, this is too much. Lorenz is trying to put on his usual airs, but it's so obviously fake that even Felix, who rarely looks anyone in the eyes if he can help it, can tell. There's something amusing about that—another side of Lorenz that Felix has hardly ever seen at all except in glimpses.

He chuckles. Maybe it's just coincidence, but Felix has an idea of what he's lost—he just isn't going to say so yet. ]

Was that face supposed to convince me? You look more like you swallowed an insect..

[ Felix flashes him a grin both literally and figuratively wolfish, baring sharp canines as he tilts his head just slightly to one side and folds his arms, appraising. ]

Not like you to let yourself get this out of sorts. What exactly did you lose that's so important?

[bergamotrose]

[The impromptu message from Edelgard took Lorenz by surprise-- and, too quickly, he sent his reply:]

I do not know what you are talking about, Lady Edelgard. Why would I have a book of floridly written poetry about the trials we face in our daily lives?

[The denial was a bit too specific...]

[bergamotrose]

What? No-- no! There's no reason to apologize!

[Spying the young woman's apparent discomfort, Lorenz wisely took a step back to allow her as much space as she desired. In truth, he hadn't been paying attention either and was backing away from a display case when they collided.]

If anything, I should be the one apologizing for not paying attention!

[bergamotrose]

An insect!?

[Lorenz did make a face at that-- one that anyone who had attended classes or extra curricular activities would recognize instantly as he devolved into fussy dramatics.]

Ugh. How dreadful.

[He pressed his lips into a thin line, biting down on the lower lip briefly as he parsed out exactly how to reply without giving too much away.]

...It's little more than a trifle of personal nature. I didn't have many of my personal belongings with me when I arrived, but this item was one of the few and among the most important.

[bergamotrose]

[Lorenz did spot her-- fair cheeks reddened from the warmth of the summer afternoon as he rushed around town on his hooved feet. This was the first time they had met since that shared dream, and Lorenz had been meaning to search out Mira as it was. What a convenient happenstance!

Slowing to a halt, Lorenz quickly ran his hands through his hair to pull it out of his face. He did not notice the book in her hands.]

Hello, Mira.

[He said, smiling as casually as he could manage-- which was quite well, running into a familiar face was a wonderful distraction.]

It's quite hot out today. What brings you out?

[inlikethebrume]

[It's not the hooves that get her attention but the voice who calls out to her. Mira looks up from the book but keeps it open and gives a small wave. It's been some time since she's seen the faun and they've usually had good conversations.]

Hello, Lorenz!

[Her hair is shorter but it's still her. But she spots those red cheeks of his.]

I was finishing up a delivery when I found a book on the ground. Are you feeling well...?

[unyieldingmarch]

Because you are you, Lorenz.

There is no shame in it.

[bergamotrose]

[Edelgard. You're killing him.]

You write those words as if you expected this sort of foolish and selfish hobby from me.

You did not read anything, did you?

[unyieldingmarch]

No. It's your private journal.
I just read the first page, to see who's it was.

[bergamotrose]

I am humbled by your discretion, Lady Edelgard. Few others have shown it on this matter to such a degree.

[bergamotrose]

The fur makes cooling off a little difficult...

[Lorenz said with a halfhearted shrug, trailing as his eyes laid upon the book-- and stopping completely as his mind registered what exactly it was.]

Miss Mira.

[He said stiffly, voice catching uncomfortably as he stared at the leather folio.]

Where, exactly, did you find that book?

[inlikethebrume]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully they have something that will help for the next moons.

[Looking at the book and then at the stiffed up faun-buddy, are you ok? Truly?]

This? 'Twas on the ground, which should not even be considered with how crafted the book seems to be. Well worn but holds care to it but oddly enough, I could not find any name of the owner nor of the writer. So I am not sure where to go to start looking if it was from a bookstore or something else.

[unyieldingmarch]

I only do what is correct, Lorenz.

Your words are your own and I am hardly going to judge you for indulging in a harmless hobby.

[cardtrick]

[ The ears are shook away from her face as she takes a look up

and up

and up

(what do you want from her, she's not even five feet tall!)

at the guy she ran into. ]

But you didn't do anything wrong! [ She just moves way too fast for her own good now, and it's kind of annoying. ]

[finesseblade]

[ That's about the reaction he expected, honestly. Leave it to Lorenz to look positively affronted that someone didn't take his peacock-posturing at face value, even when his body language so clearly betrays him.

Seems as though Lorenz isn't going to elaborate without a nudge in the right direction, though. Felix sighs. ]

You're stubborn, you know that? You could just ask for my help hunting the thing down.

[ Like that's not the half-charred cast iron pot calling the kettle black. But if Lorenz wants to get to know him so badly, a little give in the other direction wouldn't hurt. Surely they've known each other long enough for that. ]

That trifle wouldn't happen to be a book, would it?

[bergamotrose]

[Lorenz gulped, briefly wishing that the ground would swallow him in that instant and that Death itself would come and relieve him from this misery.]

On the ground? How careless. Hmmm...

[He was stuck, and he didn't know how to proceed.]

...I may actually be missing a book that looks quite like that, [He added quietly.] It wouldn't happen to have handwritten words in there... would it?

[bergamotrose]

Many thanks. Few others even know about it, nonetheless have seen it. What's inside is just a simple hobby... hardly polished enough for an audience.

[bergamotrose]

Then neither of us need to apologize.

[He chuckled, entertained by how jumpy this bunny girl was.]

...Truthfully, this is my first time in a cafe of this sort. Where I am from there are certainly cafes and cats, but no one has thought to put them together under one roof.