middaeg | Aguril Catch-All Prompts (open and closed)

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Aguril Catch-All Prompts (open and closed)

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.

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[So that means she's probably nearby- or behind him, because that's definitely a new and weird feeling he's never had to deal with before.]

What is the source of your self loathing?

[Juza startles, was it that obvious? That's the kind of thing that doesn't come up unless he starts it. Or maybe this is just the kind of magic this woman has. The ability to know things about those who approach her.

The chill grows greater and he has a harder time thinking the answer through. It almost feels like claws against his neck the longer he takes to answer.

Does he know that? He knows how much self-loathing he carries, but what started it?

The memory of that bully who tripped down the stairs, the way after that people started giving him even more space. Nobody approached him for years and years. He isolated himself from his cousin, he didn't want his bad reputation rubbing off on him.]

... Lonely.

I was lonely. I don't.... know how to talk to people- or approach them. Thought it would be better if nobody knew me 'cause I had a bad reputation. People kept pickin' fights and I didn't want my family gettin' involved in my crap. [It's uncomfortable to be this honest when it's not in the context of a performance. When it's not about trying to convince people that he can really act. Even then, that was a regret. The biggest regret in his life, but it was still a singular regret. He never had to get to the heart of this issue.] People deserve better than me.

[Acting is a time where he gets to set himself aside and he gets to live out the fantasy that he's anyone else. Hero, villain, it doesn't matter, as long as Juza has a moment where he doesn't have to be Juza.]

[Self-loathing...? Soren watches Juza falter before her inquiry. It must be true if her question rattles him so. As he struggles to find his reply, he, too, feels almost as though he's being choked in his own way. He has no idea how to help him in this moment.

Then he begins to explain, and the longer he goes into the reason he hates himself, the more pained the dragon becomes. He got the sense that there was something lonely about him before, back when Juza intervened in the fights other monsters were trying to start with him Underground, but he never had that confirmed quite like this. Having to review this harsh aspect of his growing up clearly upsets Juza. And to hear him admit that 'people deserve better than me'...? It snaps Soren into refuting him.]

So nobody understood you. So nobody bothered to try. So it forced you into a lonely existence. So what? No, those kinds of people deserve less than you, Juza.

[He speaks with firm conviction, the passion that comes from having been somewhere like that before. A completely different world, a completely different reason and set of circumstances that left him rejected and alone, but full of the same truths. It's abundantly clear that Soren's hurt by the idea that Juza feels any reason to think so little of himself, his face strained as it is while he looks up at him.]

And I hope that you learn that soon. Because... ...I like you.

Edited 2020-08-19 00:15 (UTC)

An honest one.

[The cold tightness wrapping around his neck finally pull away. The Lady seems more than satisfied with his answer.

He tries to believe when people say that about him. His little brother sounds like that, rejecting everyone who didn't see the good in Juza. It's... so strange to hear it from somebody besides Kumon.

A small warmth blossoms in his chest. It doesn't completely chase the cold away, but he does appreciate it- Soren likes him? He can't imagine why. There are always going to be better people around than him, but he's going to appreciate it while it lasts.]

... Thank you. For believing in me. [Even if there's a huge part of him that thinks that's entirely misplaced.]

[Soren's faith in him is not nearly as warranted as the likes of his little brother, given only a few windows where he could peer into what kind of person he was. But even this, the way the smile he shows him rises from the heart... it supports the feeling that backs his opinion. Juza may not be the most eloquent, nor the most well-mannered or approachable, but neither is Soren, and he has no reason to base his self-esteem on the insecurities and failings of others.

Soren's eyes widen and reflect more light at the warm turn of his lips. It basks a chilly part of his chest in a tender sentiment he can barely handle, but has been much-needed and feels good all the same. His own smile in return is delicate, defying the red streaks athwart his cheeks.]

...I've only known you for a few months, all things considered. But in spite of that, I can already see that you are a good person with little reason to hate himself. You're earnest, you stand by those who mean something to you, and you're willing to work hard to improve yourself. You... remind me in many big and small ways of my best friend when he was younger. He was full of self-doubt like you are, but even then, he was the best man I knew. The only one I feel secure enough to place my complete trust in. [He averts his eyes to the snow below, self-conscious the longer he prattles on shamelessly like this, uncharacteristically pouring himself for someone else. It must be the mood between them that makes for the perfect catalyst of open vulnerability.] Perhaps that is why... I've warmed up to you so astonishingly quickly.

[He never warms up to others like that.]

Would you have grown fond of him that quickly if your friend were here to curb your desperation?

[Soren's face falls. Then, it grows bitter, a little bit cold and forlorn. It's none of her business. But if he shuns her, he will only pique her fury. He folds his arms to himself and sighs.]

...Probably not. No, I doubt I would have been so receptive. I'd been hurting. ...Lonely. He's no replacement for Ike and never will be, but being around him... I felt an ease I don't normally feel around most people.

[Soren sounds so much like his family right now.... and he gets it. He really does. They don't have their people around here. They just have to do their best with who's here, and who's around. Juza understands that much.

The entire reason Juza warmed up so quickly to the Soren he's bonded with was because his presence and actions reminded him so strongly of his little brother.]

I don't blame you for that. I ain't gonna hold it against you either.

[If he brings some level of comfort, then that's a plus, isn't it? It's a lot better than being reviled.]

[The dragon tilts his head up to look him in the eyes, another fragile smile chasing away the ordinary coldness of his features. His heart has absorbed his words for what they are, no doubt nor scrutiny to repel them.]

...Thank you, Juza. For understanding.

[He would be capable of understanding, too. Soren hasn't forgotten why the other Mirrorbound who shares his name struck a fondness for him. Though the original reason Soren softened for Juza had been by way of familiarity with someone dear to him, it doesn't mean that he isn't beginning to appreciate Juza as a person all his own.

The specter still hovers, only tangible by the chilly breeze of her movements as she stalks them. Their concord sits foul in her embittered heart. She decides to ask Juza another tough question to spoil the improving mood.]

[The thing about Juza is when it comes to his past there's not too much in those closets. He's 17 and the sins he carries are things he's honestly just too hard on himself for.

But there is one thing. One thing that squirms in the pit of his stomach when he thinks about it for too long.]

What did you feel when your cousin was on stage?

[His younger cousin, easily spooked, easy to panic, transforming into such a different character in the span of just a few months.

He wanted that for himself. The chance to be somebody different, just for a moment. Seeing his cousin there...]

... I was jealous. [He might not enjoy divulging details of his life, but he's also somebody with a clear view of his feelings. The idea of lying doesn't even cross his mind.]

[Boy, you don't want to see all the skeletons in Soren's 17-year-old closet!]

Your cousin?

[The question tumbles thoughtlessly from Soren's lips. He knows of his younger brother, but not this family member. ]

My younger cousin. Muku.

He's... real timid, and he says stuff like "I'm sorry for being a hollowed out radish" when he feels like he needs to apologize. One of the nicest guys I know, but... sein' him there on stage, confident for the first time...

I couldn't help it. I was jealous, and that's shitty of me, but... I don't ever want to let him know how jealous I was.

[...Hollowed-out radish? Well, that's a new one.

Even though the situation and mood has been lending itself well to an unexpected heart-to-heart, even though Juza really would answer if pressed, Soren isn't the one asking all the prying inquiries around here. It obviously makes him uncomfortable, so he resists follow-up questions like, 'Why would it make you jealous?' even if it's something he wonders.

But he doesn't have to wonder much at all, does he? The ghost revealed Juza's complete lack of self-esteem to him. Soren has often been accused of coldness or insensitivity, and they would be right — in certain contexts, with certain people. The real truth is, Soren is almost too sensitive beneath the layers of ice he forms to protect his soft inner core. He finds himself empathizing with the younger monster's feelings of the past.]

To never feel jealousy would be unnatural. Even if you don't think you have a right to that feeling, nobody can ever help it. It's just your brain's funny way of reminding you that you want to improve in some way. In that moment, the jealousy you felt was simply reminding you that you wanted that kind of confidence for yourself. That's not wrong to want. I'm sure your cousin has felt that way about you before in some capacity, even if he never admitted it.

[Muku has a wild and truly impressive imagination. Juza just wishes he'd use it on things that aren't disparaging remarks about himself.

Juza's been working on himself. He can't do as much as he could back home and his most pressing issues were getting his homework done on time, but it's still something. It's impossible to really act if he doesn't have a handle on who he is. Or at least the way he does it.

The points that Soren makes are valid, and he knows it. Still, they make some part of him squirm in discomfort. The leader of his troupe came back after he watched Juza's performance, the way Juza laid his regret out on the table. There had to be something there that spoke to his leader. Maybe it was something like jealousy.

The thing he wanted wasn't so much the confidence as the ability to be somebody else. To fully let go of "Hyodo Juza" in favor of another role and being another person was what he was chasing after...]

Ain't no reason to look up to somebody like me. [Especially not for Muku.

Juza's a delinquent with a bad reputation. It wasn't something he actively cultivated. He didn't want this for himself. A series of misunderstandings led him to his life back home.]

[Soren's patience for Juza stretches far beyond the extent of many other Mirrorbound. However, at this point, it starts to strain.

If he were to analyze himself in this moment, it could easily be attributed to his own interpersonal shortcomings and his frustrations with his inability to improve the situation. Pep talks do not come naturally to him. He really doesn't know Juza like he knows Ike, so knocking some much-needed confidence into him would be like firing with his eyes closed. It's not easy to know immediately how to encourage him, and it was never easy to deal with his own self-doubts and insecurities, much less someone else's. When Ike had lost his father all those years ago, when he was forced to shove all of his grief aside and hone himself into a capable leader under such immense pressure and scarce time, Soren felt completely helpless whenever Ike began to doubt himself. He had no idea what to say except to remind him that he had faith in him, that he would always stand at his side and support him.

That's not exactly true here. Soren's confidence in Juza isn't based on the same principle, and the truth is, he doesn't want to always be here to support him. He wants to return home. So he falters for a moment.

Then he realizes something. Does it matter if his support is undying? That someday he won't be here? What kind of mode of thinking has he been operating under that offering casual support without expecting anything in return, without some other overarching tangible goal, without committing himself to someone absolutely, seems so unnatural? He just cares about another's well-being. There's nothing that strange about it, is there? The tone he takes is imperative like he's issuing a mildly exasperated demand, but the intent can still be glimpsed beneath.]

Don't dismiss your value like that. I think you do have admirable qualities, and if I need to keep reminding you of that over and over in order for it to sink in, then so be it.

[There's absolutely no need to go to such great lengths for somebody who Soren's only really known for a few months at best.

The thing about Juza is that about 95% of his problems are an internal problem that he's slowly trying to work over. He's just been carrying it around for such a long time that working through it is incredibly slow going. He knows, objectively, that Soren is probably correct. Even his dumb roommate back home has a couple of things he appreciates, even if he's mostly an ass. By that same principle, Juza probably also has something good about him.

"Sorry" doesn't feel right, somehow.]

... Thanks. [It's not much to say, but he does mean it. ]

[That's much better than an apology. Soren looks satisfied by the response.

As if growing bored and impatient, or perhaps jealous of the accord they are capable of finding between themselves in spite of her attempts to divide them, the ghost prods Soren with an icy chill that spikes at his shoulder and creeps down his spine. Her voice hovers close.]

Young dragon... You're slated to outlive everyone who means something to you.

[She's stricken a chord and it shows in the dreadful widening of his eyes, the tightening of his pupils.]

What are you planning to do when your reason to live comes to his natural end?

...

[Her phrasing cuts to the bone. Soren peers off into the frozen expanse of the lake. He'd been expecting a difficult question to come his way, but this is one that has been gnawing at him every now and then, especially recently. Such a future looks bleak. Even if it's invaded his thoughts every now and again, it inflicts too much pain to contemplate for long stretches of time. He averts his thoughts like one might their eyes while peering into the blinding sun.

Soren shivers. The cold is really getting to him now. He can't even come up with a solid answer. If he lies, he'll be hurt. What is the truth?]

[Juza thought Soren's friends at home were also dragons, or at least people who would live for much longer than a human would. It's hard to imagine outliving somebody, especially when they seem to be close. They only idea Juza has of that is second hand, and that person died due to an accident, not something anybody would call natural.

At least Juza's questions were things that had solid definitive answers. They just weren't things he wanted to admit, or talk about. In contrast, this looks like something Soren doesn't know for certain.

It's not Juza's place to butt in here, even if he does want to cut and run so Soren doesn't have to answer. So he watches him, quiet and waiting, ready to follow his lead if he wants out.]

[After a long moment of contemplation, Soren admits what he thinks is the truth. His voice emerges dry, quiet, and somewhat brittle.]

Usually, I like to plan ahead. I like to be prepared for what the future brings. However, this... is something I prefer not to contemplate overly much. Therefore, I don't know what I will do when the time comes.

[It's odd to say this in front of someone else. Not even Ike has gotten to hear these fears of his. Once they have been released into the wintry Wilde, he's left cold and silent, awaiting the possibility of her retaliation, wishing he didn't have to subject someone like Juza to such a dreary fact of his life. It doesn't even have anything to do with the young actor. What good does it do him to know?

But she doesn't move her spectral hand against him. She doesn't punish him for having no answer. Instead, the air's heavy charge cedes, and two pearly objects plop into the snow between Soren and Juza. Soft surprise overtakes Soren, then relief. He looks up at his furry companion to gauge his response to this change, then the area around them, then the tiny round dents in the snow.]

Was that it?

[It's... hard, isn't it? To know that your lifespan is so much longer than the people he cares about. And it's not really something Soren can do anything about it. Why would anybody try to think about the future when this much is so immutable.

That's it, huh? The ghost woman interrogating their deepest, darkest feelings- not letting them get to ask her any questions... and then she leaves.

Juza looks thoughtful, but slightly less tense than when she was in front of them.]

Yeah. I think we're done talkin' to her.

You okay, man?

[His eyes meet Juza's before he averts them aside and to the snow, arms crossed over his chest like he's fending off a chill. A pause drifts between them before he straightens and collects himself with a self-soothing sigh.]

Yes. I will be just fine. Her question took me off guard, is all.

[Soren stoops down to sift through the snow that had been pelted. Two smooth round shapes brush up against his fingers. He scoops them up and rises again, two snow-flecked pearls nestled in the slate-colored palm of his hand.]

These must be what the Coven was seeking, so I would say that we are finished here.

[Juza does not try to meet Soren's eyes after he moves them away. It's just kinda uncomfortable to meet each other like that , right now.]

'kay. We just gotta get these back to 'em, right?

Yes. Though we may also keep them, if we so wish. They are supposed to glow when someone is telling a lie.

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Aguril Catch-All Prompts (open and closed)

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