Aguril Catch-All Prompts (open and closed)

[silentsavant]

Who: Soren and the Aefengang (that's you guys....)
When: Anytime in Aguril
Where: your heart's desire.... or wherever the prompt designates
What: Open and closed prompts for events and quests and whatever strikes our mutual fancies. Prompts are in the comments.
Warnings: Minor blood. Mimes. Will add warnings as/if they come.

If you would like to plot a custom starter for your character, feel free to hit me up at wingything or my CR plotting meme comment! I absolutely love tailoring threads for just one character. Feel free to create your own starter in the comments below if there is something different you have in mind (wildcard option??).

➤ Red-String Strung Along. Soren and some poor shmuck (your character) discover that they are ~destined to be~ via the red string spell that went haywire. Original prompt can be found here.

➤ Match Made. Two prompt flavors: help Soren try to find mates for difficult customers, or get paired up with him for a complimentary date instead and see if you can get him to say yes. Quest page can be referenced here under the part-timer quest titled Match Made.

➤ Forget-Me-Nots. Two prompt flavors: Soren experiences pleasant memories while picking flowers, and then there's the option where one of those flower-loving foxes bites him, causing him to accidentally poke himself on the toxic thorns. Quest page can be referenced here.

Comments

Red-String Strung Along [OPEN]

[silentsavant]

[ Soren follows the red trail that the miscast spell has divined will lead to his one and only with stern irritation nestled into his brow. Whoever turns up on the end of the line cannot possibly be the one meant for him, he has decided. That person isn't even tied to this world right now.

Either way, he is out to end this farce right now. After either a short while or taking great pains to locate who destiny has in store for him, who does he find, but... ]

[unsundered]

[It was truly fate's hand at work today.

This wasn't the first of those troublesome strings to have graced the Ascian's hand, and it's another one that he regards with a most general displeasure. Fortunately he was already out and about somewhere in the city when he noticed its manifestation, but does he do anything to find his other half?

No. That would entail more walking around and more effort than Emet-Selch could rightfully be bothered with. But what is he more willing to do? That would be sitting (practically sprawling) on a bench. He's pretty rude about it too, being right in the middle of it, arms stretched along the back, making it clear no one else was welcome to join him. This bench was for him and for him alone.

Staring half at the sky, expression bored, idle, detached- he only loosely pays any notice of those people milling around. Only enough to notice when one seems to take notice of him. Almost as if--

Ah. The thread told the tale. But this time it involved a stranger.

Emet-Selch regards Soren with as much regard as he would any other apparent human- which is to say, not much at all. His voice is a low, casual rumble, waving lightly at him with his threaded hand.]

And so your fortune has led yourself to me. A blessing unfathomable, wouldn't you agree?

[He has no idea who this is.]

https://i.imgur.com/xTvAYQb.png

[silentsavant]

[Unfortunately for the both of them, Soren knows more about the looming manspreading figure before him than even a common stranger would feel secure comprehending. This may well be betrayed by the swift and soft collapse of his composure into shock as a brief chill arrests the space within his ribcage. His catlike pupils constrict, the spines at the tip of his twitching tail fan out as though in defense.

Destiny indeed. His Bonded's enemy. But now that their ties have been severed by the whims of Talam's hold on its outworlder guests, nothing lies contrary between them. Nothing to worry about. Two parties, completely neutral, at best tentative allies in the sense that they're both outsiders who come from the mirrors.

It's not that Soren has secrets to guard any longer, is not a potential pawn to be risked should the architect of the Exarch's world's demise ever catch onto their alliance. Nevertheless, he still has cause to be on guard about an immortal being who previously wielded enough power and likely still harbors a healthy disregard for countless lives to accomplish such sacrifice on the scale of entire empires, of many worlds to the pyre of his agenda. It has little to do with Soren now, but a character that sinister cannot be trusted.

Then again, Soren has never been generous with his trust to begin with. Even knowing nothing of him, he'd be wary.

The way he speaks, almost like he's toying with him... Does he know who he was to the Exarch? Or is that just a grating facet of his personality, like he'd seen in the Exarch's memory?

The small black dragon hardens that chink of surprise and relaxes only halfway, hoping the blame for his startle could be laid somewhere more casual. A tension still tightens his shoulders. He speaks with a cold and level distance.]

I can fathom that is it the work of a spell cast by hopeful amateurs, and nothing we need contemplate any further. Let's just snap this fraudulent connection and be done with each other.

perfection

[unsundered]

[A grating, charming facet of his personality to be sure, the Ascian's manner remaining quietly smug, casually superior as though his very existence of being himself gave him this right.

But this stranger's reaction to him also gets a raised eyebrow. There were irritable sorts, and there were skeptical sorts, and there were rude sorts, and Soren's reaction encompassed and surpassed all of them. And there was something more to it too, an edge of surprise that he had a hard time explaining, and Emet-Selch had no clue what the cause of it might be. Had he given him some reason for offense in the past without realizing? Perhaps the man was just insulted by this whole process of a thread deciding romantic potentials for him.

It's not as though the Ascian liked it either, but he also didn't take it seriously.]

And so you would challenge fate so casually... but very well.

[He sighs, giving a slow shake of his head, as though disappointed at Soren's failure to appreciate the opportunities spread out dramatically before him. Opportunities like... being condescended to, comparisons to vermin, disease, or insects. Things like that. Or if he's very fortunate, generalized misery and pessimism.

Emet-Selch toys with the string as he speaks, tugging idly at it between his fingers. A toy, just like the person it was attached to.]

I have no idea who you are, and I care nothing for your existence. I can go into more detail if you like.

[usurpers]

[ great pains indeed, for the one at the other end of the red string of fate was no other than . . . another black dragon. the other black dragon. by musk and scale alone, it’s eren.

except he’s literally yanking at the current string attached to his finger like he’s wrangling a bull and when soren comes pummeling through— he ceases, staring back with little to no movement in him until he attempts a slow moving wave; of reptilian recognition. ]

Sorry.

[silentsavant]

[ that little beardie wave is cute and all, but it's winning no points from soren, who is ticked off! and what's worse than being ticked off by someone? being hormonal and helplessly attracted to them...

needless to say, he has quite a few bees in his bonnet. he gets up from falling flat on his grumpy face and thumps him on the chest. ]

You should have been sorry before you started jerking me around like that. What did you think was going to happen?

[usurpers]

[ soren’s punches on eren probably make that sound when flats tries to kick spongebob’s butt. at least the disgruntled slant in the other dragon’s brows does . . . little in changing eren’s expression: big eyes just staring down, and an intrusive tongue flipping out to tickle and taste the top of soren’s head, or the start of it. ]

Something else would come out. [ like . . . food? a knife? an apparition. he didn’t know, spells were immensely capricious. ] Are you hurt?

[ pulling his arm up, eren dips to take a look at the (probably) rising other hand that’s tangled in this mess, that is, if soren doesn’t forcefully yank back. ]

[tryhard]

[ ...Waver! He finds Waver. Looking absolutely baffled and glaring between the string around his finger and Soren with mounting annoyance. ]

Really?

[ At least it's someone he knows. ]

[silentsavant]

[ Soren looks less annoyed than Waver, just... resigned and quietly fed up with these magical hijinks. It appeared as he was on his way to Inkchanted, and the longer he traveled through the hilly arteries of the Harbor District, the easier it was to narrow down who his soulmate of the day was. His quip comes out sardonic and smileless as he holds up his finger like he's looking at a broken nail. ]

I come all this way to meet my one true love, and this is how he reacts? [sigh...] Fate really is cruel to me...

[ no lol he's coming to work and they both know it. They both know this is actually such bullshit. Right? ]

[tryhard]

[ ...and a matching sigh from Waver too. He tugs at the string, watching it go taut. ]

Oh, don't give me that.

[ He's not serious about actually looking for his true love, is he?? God. Hopefully not. That'd be awkward and disappointing. ]

It's just some sort of spell gone awry again. These idiots are obsessed with all these stupid rituals for this stupid supposed 'holiday'...

[ Grumbles Waver like a complete, cold-hearted skeptic. As if he didn't take the majority of Lunasa's observance off of work to renew his Bond and be a lovestruck sap for two days straight. Ahem. ]

Match Made [OPEN]

[silentsavant]

A.

[ Soren approaches your character with a modest sheaf of bios, which are all different from the ones you've got. He looks mildly troubled or miffed as he extracts one of the sheets from his pile. He may say any one of the three things (depending on which problem you want). ]

You wouldn't happen to have another so-called "Fae enthusiast" in your collection there, would you? I have a candidate who will only date anyone who is as passionate about the subject as he is.

[ or ] Hmm... This one might be a little tricky. I'm hoping to find a match for one feisty, independent, and choosy turnskin woman. She's broken off seven Bonds with witches already because none of them 'understood' her. She's not looking for anyone too clingy, aloof, energetic, melancholy, cowardly, reckless, or... allergic to cat fur, it would appear. Among other highly specific qualities she hates. None of my other candidates seem like a good fit for her. What have you got?

[ or ] I have a mime. Do you have anyone who might be willing to date a mime.

B.

[ Don't think the organizer hasn't noticed you working so well with Soren! Of course, "working well" could be defined as loosely as managing to sustain a more involved conversation with him, even if it is about the job itself. That just means you have good chemistry, right?

That's why you're now being asked if the two of you wouldn't like to go on a date tonight... on the house! Wherever you'd like, completely free. It's just that, it warms their heart to see soren cooperating with someone you two hitting it off so well, and... ]

Excuse me?

[ Soren may look a little offended, if not a bit embarrassed at the insinuation. ]

B

[wylderrant]

[ Iramaat is fortunate in that she and Soren actually do get along well enough, so she can handle him (and he tolerates her or something approaching it). So its not a total surprise when she gets praised for "working well" with him. It's a little more surprising when it's suggested they go on a date. She blinks and then she shoots Soren a beaming grin and threads her arm through his before he can object. ]

Oh, I think that would be lovely.

[ She isn't going to let Soren say "no". ]

Come on, Soren, it'll be fun. [ And, you know, that time in the Underground was kinda still on her mind. ]

[silentsavant]

You know I hate fun.

[ Of course she'd fall for this idea... Their Underground romp definitely jumps in his mind when going on a date with her is sprung upon him. He wrestles his arm back weakly, gives her a withering look crumbling with signs of embarrassment, and shoots it at this puca organizer, who shrinks, grips his clipboard and looks very sorry for even asking. ]

It's- It's free, buddy! C'mon, don't look at me like I'm giving you extra work to do... Look; she's a pretty girl! And she's clearly into you!

I know. We're well-acquainted.

[That sure is one way of putting it...]

Then-

[He sets a hand on his hip and just keeps on scowling.] Why is this any of your business?

A-Actually... it... kind of is... my business... just a little?

[Gosh, Soren!!!! He ships you two!!!!!!! That's literally his job: shipping people! Also, you look like you need to unwind.]

[wylderrant]

Soren, Soren, please.

[ Iramaat on the other hand is all laughter and smiles, even with the withering look he's given her. It rolls off of her like water off of a duck's back and she casually props a hand on his shoulder as she joins him in peering at the poor puca. ]

There's not need to get so uptight about it. Surely we can enjoy some time together again?

[ The puca earns a bright grin for his trouble. ]

We accept. And I won't take "no" for an answer.

[ She really won't. ]

Honestly, you're acting as if I'm going to pounce on you or something. Like I'm some sort of beast after prey.

A

[enkidoh]

[Enkidu just reads all the bios with utmost care. After all, they have to match humans with another human and a beast with a witch. This requires intense knowledge of humanity and they might have come to the right clay person.]

What is a mime? Is that some beast I haven't seen yet?

[They smile a little.]

Will you describe one to me?

[silentsavant]

[B-Beast... If Soren were the type to laugh or smile more openly, he might have. Instead, he just snorts at the idea of one being categorized in the same slot as 'beast'.]

Maybe they are, if the performing arts scares you. A mime is a performer who uses exaggerated body language to convey stories and ideas to an audience while refraining absolutely from speaking.

[enkidoh]

[There are a few things that do scare Enkidu but no, performing arts is not one of them.]

Well, let me see if I can find someone who is good at acting.

[They take their time as they look at the profiles provided to them.]

Hmmm...I do have a singer of some sort. If he exaggerates his singing he might qualify as a mime, not?

Forget-Me-Nots [OPEN]

[silentsavant]

A.

[ This task isn't tricky to anyone careful enough to mind the brambles above the flowers, and it's easy enough to stoop down low where that would hardly become an issue. As the dragon works at plucking seed pods close to the ground, the blooms caress his cheek, rub against his hair, drift beneath his nose. Even if they weren't touching him, their uplifting scent would have still reached him.

A rare smile sweetens his face as he works, casting a complete contrast to his usual coldness with the warmth that accompanies it like a pleasant song that makes the job less of one. He looks far more approachable this way, even gentle or compassionate. What could be on his mind? Interrupt his daydreams? Hopefully with a question, and not some kind of accident or anything disastrous like that. ]

B.

[ As Soren loses himself to the irresistible fold of his nicest memories, he fails to notice that one of the tiny foxes has taken an interest to his long tail, which shifted teasingly along the grass. It pounces with a jawful of teeth and a bite force completely unexpected for a vulpine of its size. The dragon jolts up and around with a scream. ]

Ahh!

[ ...And ended up accidentally scratching one of his body parts. Wing, arm, leg, face... Fate is in the hands of the next tag. Soren growls and whips his tail to fling the feisty fox off (watch out, fellow quest-taker!). ]

A, but later....... B.

[benedicus]

( it was perhaps a little unfair, but aziraphale had been intensely relieved to find that he had been able to partner up with mr soren during this particular endeavour. this was the first month that he was trying his hand at doing something other than part-time work, not that he had had actually been there all that long, but he was incredibly anxious about it. he hardly even knew where to begin! finding himself able to work together with someone who was far more knowledgeable than himself about the area and how it works felt like nothing short of a blessing.

as did the apparent simplicity of the request itself. they just needed to carefully retrieve the seeds of a particular flower and rush them back. it hardly seemed like an issue at all.

or at least until he catches the sharp change in soren's expression. he had been very curt, but not impolite, this entire time with a very serious expression, but now he seemed to have greatly softened around the edges. was that the flowers, he wonders? they did say something about why they needed them. )

Mr. Soren.

( he begins, running the rim of the bag he had been holding for soren to deposit the seeds into between his fingers. )

Has it gotten easier?

cackles ominously

[silentsavant]

( soren blinks up at a.z. fell, a note of mystification in the margins of his dreaminess as he puzzles out why he's asking such a question. what does he mean? it had never been a particularly difficult task. then, it hits him, and he sends his attention back down to his work and releases the handful of seeds into the sack presented, a bit shier than before as he shakes his head and remembers he's not alone. )

Oh... It's nothing. The flowers are just... doing what they're sought after for. ( another breath, another memory breezes by. it's sunset, it's simple, he's talking to ike about nothing important, but it means everything to him. he sighs and smiles to himself against all restraint. ) I can see why they're wanted so much.

hmm, not a good sign

[benedicus]

( oh.

that's a little uncomfortable. by no stretch of the imagination could he say that he knew soren very well, but he had spoken to him enough to get a fairly decent idea of his personality. he hadn't thought he would see this particular side of him.

at least not so soon? surely?

his gaze flicks over him. )

Ah, yes. I do recall that they were said to be quite comforting.

( and dangerous. )

Were you able to see a pleasant memory?

Lady in the Lake [CLOSED to Juza]

[silentsavant]

[Still lake, nestled glassy and lifeless in a snow-cloaked wilderness, a landscape that almost seems frozen by time itself. Not even the breeze whispers by to breathe any life in the dead of this wintry place. It's cold enough, devoid of life enough, to remind Soren of a Tellius where men and women everywhere were turned to stone. Quiet. Peaceful. Unnatural.

Like any job or mission, Soren never goes without first equipping himself with information gathered beforehand. Bundled up in enchanted layers to combat his exothermic challenges, he surveys the surface of the waters, a keen sense of foreboding creeping into the pit of his stomach that he's sure he's not just imagining.]

Deceived by the man she loved, plunged to her death in these waters by him, then forsaken in death for another girl... Quite a chilling tale we have here.

[The air almost seems to drop ten degrees after saying that... The dragon shivers and heightens his awareness with searching eyes, ready to act at any moment. He lowers his voice.]

Do you feel that?

[sneaksweet]

[It's cold, and he's pretty sure no winter he's ever been in even compares. At least there's a plus side to having so much fur. He doesn't need to bundle up quite as much as Soren does.

Even if his instincts are driving him to think that falling asleep in a cave somewhere is a great idea. Time to ignore that and push right along.

The story of this woman reminds him of something, there's a tragedy that goes like that, isn't there?]

... Got colder. [His voice matches Soren's softness.]

[silentsavant]

[It goes without saying that the unnatural plunge in their environment could easily be attributed to the supernatural. Not even Soren, gifted even before his shift into dragonhood with higher perception than the average "human", can ascertain exactly what is going on or where the ghost might be... and that makes it all the more chilling. He shivers to himself and inches closer to the turnskin, as though meaning to protect him should something happen. He whispers.]

She's really here. Watch yourself, Juza. We don't know the full extent of what she's capable of.

[They can't fight her, nor can they do anything to exorcise her spirit. The wilders only told Soren that she can be spoken to, and that anyone who has tried has been met with psychic damage mysterious injuries, temporary deafness, and/or a rattled disposition upon coming home empty-handed. He has not been informed as to the nature of their attempts at conversation, or even what the ghost could possibly be pacified by that they could even give her. The wind finally stirs, inspiring the branches of the nearby firs to claw at the air, stirring snowflakes and ice to sparkle in dusty flurries. A shrieking, plangent peal erupts into the air that causes Soren to clutch his ears in defense, followed by sound of wretched, heartbroken sobbing. Lines of cuts appear on the dragon's cheek as his head jerks, like he'd been slapped by an invisible rake. An unearthly, disembodied voice howls at them, swirling around them. A gauzy, intangible form catches his eye, but he cannot hold onto for very long before it vanishes from sight.]

Don't you dear speak of it! Of us! Of HIM... How would you like it if I started prying in YOUR deeply disturbing affairs?

[sneaksweet]

[That's a lot, is the first stupid, honest though that comes through his head. It really feels like one of those climactic scenes that begins a final battle- except it's very real and they're very stuck here until they manage to get their goal and leave.

With the... woman(?) screaming at them, the idea of trying to tend to Soren's wound is put off for a moment.]

Do... you want to?

[How does ghost etiquette work? He's not going to those classes, if they even exist. But she was the one who brought it up first. Maybe it's some sort of fairness thing?]