Sieglinde von Brandt
“It's just ‘Miss Brandt.’ Von means ‘of,’ and as cute as it is ‘Miss of Brandt’ is kinda silly~” Sieglinde giggled, before nodding along in fascination in regards to Lac's explanation. “Ooh, more magic stuff! Maybe I can borrow it sometime...? I can take care of it! And... not doodle inside it...!”
It was hard to tell if she meant she truly wouldn't or actually would.
“Anyways, I've been reading other stuff! There's this poet I like; some of his work's been turned into songs! I'd love to write like that for real...” she sighed in a dreamy fashion. “My poems are all dumb, though. They'd make for really weird songs!”
Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 19th 2021 at 4:52:26 PM
borkTorhild Hidenfal
The past several days flew by as Torhild settled in. Most of her focus in classes for now was on her knifework and close combat to conserve her ammunition while she started making contacts in town in search of a new supply.
Much of her free time was spent researching information on local trade and history, and looking for information on jellies for taking care of the water jelly core she captured after the giant jelly was defeated and learning more about her classmates, after all, it's never too early to be networking for after graduation.
Torhild wandered throughout the party, drinking in the atmosphere (and the booze) while everyone cut loose. She'd spent some time dancing to various musicians but after a while she had to go see how some of her classmates were doing. She'd dropped a couple bets just for the fun of it, but her relative little experience with melee combat didn't help much when it came to evaluating combatants.
However there was a Sigi pestering a stray student. ""Oh-ho? You're a poet Sigi~?" Torhild announced her presence by wrapping an arm around Lac'ner's shoulders and leaning into the conversation, a mostly full flagon in her other hand "Heya Lac, you get a drink yet?"
Pick
Alcohol was a concept Pick could not grasp. Why would you drink something that reduced your intelligence? And damaged your body, potentially irreparably? He suspected it was something borne of tradition. Something that might have once had logical basis, only for people to keep doing it once it was no longer necessary.
Or maybe there was some benefit he wasn't aware of. Verona seemed happier, at least, so perhaps she thought the drawbacks were worth it. Pick disagreed, but he didn't voice it.
"I have never had cider." Pick noted aloud, though Verona didn't seem to wait for an answer before setting down one of the tankards. Adjusting his stew bowl, Pick grabbed the tankard with both hands, lifted it, and took a tiny sip. As expected of the pungent liquid, it did not taste good.
"Bleck." Pick said, involuntarily. He managed to not spit it out, at least. Setting the tankard back down, he took another bite of stew meat, to get the taste out of his mouth. As he did, Verona announced her desire to fight.
"Be safe, Verona." He said, sincerely.
As he watched Verona stumble towards the ring, his hand twitched slightly towards the wooden sword still at his side. He assured himself that Maya wouldn't let her students get too hurt. And in the worst-case scenario, he could jump in to assist her.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?Considering how fast Shard had zoomed over, Elliot could help but go somewhat red from embarrassment giving a cheerful smile at finally seeing a familiar face. At this point, even if it was someone like Freana dragging him off to fight in the brawling ring, it'd be preferable to...some of the other students so far.
"It's certainly different from what I was expecting! And I guess we have been a bit busy to talk while doing our own things the last few days..." Elliot admitted before giving a smile, not at all bothered by Shard rambling on.
"But we can talk and walk now! Maybe grab something to eat...see if there's a contest that doesn't involve potentially one-sided fights? We're supposed to be having fun, right?"
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Lac’ner Kineas
“I-I suppose lending it wouldn’t not hurt, b-but please no doodling. As for poetry…I-I beli-HIIII!”
Suddenly, Torhild.
“M-M-M-Ms. Hedinfal! Yes, hello, you frightened me!”
The lanky lad inadvertently lobs his apple high into the air, grabbing for his hood.
Now that they’re properly exposed, Lac’s arms seems to be wrapped in a rather excessive amount of bandages.
“D-D-Drink? Oh, ah, uh…n-no…I have not…”
Don’t look toward her, don’t look toward her, not now not now, godsshesmellsnice-
Edited by Skyzerk on Sep 20th 2021 at 3:54:35 PM
Sieglinde von Brandt
“Mhm~! I guess I am!” Sieglinde nodded in response to Torhild as she appeared, giggling wickedly in amusement as to how easily she flustered Lac. Well, more than usual anyhow. “You wouldn't want to read my stuff, though. They get pretty... uhhh. Well, I wrote a lot of it after my first hunt, sooooo...”
She shifted into a cross-legged position, drumming her fingers atop her knees as she gave them both an innocent-seeming (^-^) smile. That, or she was using it to hide another expression.
“...heh, I got pretty morbid! And sad. But I guess I could write more...? Now that I'm here, I mean...~”
borkTorhild Hidenfal
"Ah, sorry, just though you looked like you could use some cheering up." Torhild chuckled and gave Lac a little squeeze before releasing him from her hold under her arm. Then nodding to Sigi she said. "Hey, the way I hear it poetry is all about expressing yourself, nothing wrong with it not being about sunshine and butterflies. Maybe you could write some about your adventurer training?"
"But you look like a bundle of rags studying all by your lonesome" The bandaged arms certainly didn't help that description, Torhild thought as she handed Lac'ner her flagon of wine "You're at a party, you should be having a drink and some fun with your friends"
Freana
Freana took a quick look around the stands, taking another sip from her flagon. Everyone seemed to be having fun, maybe more than she was. Sigi and Torhild were with one of the other newbies, chatting it up as they got themselves good and plastered. She thought about joining in, but a couple new challengers were entering the ring, and both were her friends and comrades. She briefly weighed the odds of who was more likely to win, but whether it was genuine affection or the booze getting to her, she knew who she was gonna pick regardless.
"Think I'll toss in another bet, teach." She took another sip and threw a tiny bag of coins towards the teacher, a small part of her portion of the reward. "All in on the dragon man! Show 'em what you've got!" She gave Zyan a wink, eager to see if he'd live up to her modest gamble.
Sieglinde von Brandt
“D'awwwww. I think the cloak looks nice!” Sieglinde cooed upon seeing Lac's visible disappointment. “Maybe I'm biased, though...~”
She gestured to her own velvet hood and cape, before petulantly sticking out her tongue at Torhild like a child would; albeit in an obviously teasing manner. Besides, she could see where she was coming from. Nice hood or not, Lac'ner did look just a little... homeless.
But then again, so did herself. So it shouldn't make much of a difference.
“At least he wears shoes! I look like a hermit next to him~” she pointed out with a giggle, hoping to lift Lac's spirits somewhat. “Actually, we all kinda do! I think we represent every single place in Menagerie at the same time. Which is kinda cute but it hurts the eyes.”
A pause, before she shook her head and carried on.
“Anyways, I've never really been to a party either~! I usually just watched 'em. Or snuck away to look at the stars. Or hid in my bedroom. But now it's...” she gestured vaguely, before blushing and scratching the back of her neck guiltily. “I... uh, got found this time. But! This... u-um, isn't bad...? I like the music~! Hate the fighting...”
...so I like half of it.
“Oh, and food's nice too~”
Two-thirds of it.
Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 21st 2021 at 10:33:13 AM
borkShard
"Ooh, yes, that sounds good!" Shard clasped his hands together, grinning ear to ear. "I mean, someone's had to have set up something that won't end with getting knocked out in one punch!" He paused, then let out a nervous chuckle. "Again."
He held out his hand, a clear invitation to take it. "So...which way do you wanna go?"
"Look inside yourself and to the stars; there, you will find your answers."Fight Club
"Ssssuuuuuuure~! M...Mona, wasn't it? And...Ryan? *hic* Heehee, sure you can go a few roundsh, and you'll get a portion of the bets as the spoils~! Now, shince yoush signed up at the same time, you'll have to fight each other-" Maya slurred out her words, scribbling down their names onto the piece of paper, before a voice interrupted her.
"I'll take them both on. At once. These fights have been boring, and I gotta prove myself. Besides, it'll certainly give the crowd a show." It was the Alvar girl who had spoken up, approaching the table while massaging her fingers, bringing the swelling and bruising down. "A sorta 'main event', get everyone real excited, and I think I can handle it."
Maya looked over her shoulder, eyebrows raised in intrigue at the thought of even more money coming in, a devilish grin on her face as she shrugged and turned back to Verona and Zyan. "Ooh, that soundsh great! And if our reigning champion ish okay with it, why not? Whaddaya s-say? Wanna try a lil 2 on 1 action? I'll even spice things up a bit more."
The Alvar girl gave the two contenders a smile, moving to brush her hair out of her face. "I'm Lilia, by the way. Roth. Looking forward to seeing you in the ring, together or solo."
Xera
Xera made her way back to the Academy with Elliot and company. Her week had been about as expected - she was starting to become a bit more proficient with body magic, though her natural physical strength gave her an edge in that regard. She was trying to learn more about swordplay as well, because while she was strong enough to wield heavy swords with relative ease, she still lacked formal training.
But academics weren't the only important thing. It was important to be able to enjoy the downtime as well, which is why she brought some cider for Elliot and the gang.
"Oh, hi everyone." Xera greeted Elliot, Shard, and the others who were present. "I brought some drinks if anyone's interested."
Verona Auer
Verona, who had been about to start complaining about Freana's obvious lack of faith in her, paused to consider this suggestion. On one hand, this other Alvar obviously thought she (and Zyan) couldn't take her on their own, which was insulting. But on the other, it might be nice to have a partner for once in a fight - maybe they could strategize! And being part of the main event would be cool...as long as she didn't embarrass herself.
Eventually, Verona nodded her acquiescence to the plan.
"You're on! But, uh, I could've totally taken you one on one, just for the record. Oh, I'm Verona, by the way..."
Her excitement mounting, Verona looked around to make sure her classmates were going to be watching her and Zyan's debut. She quickly honed in on the trio who seemed to be ignoring the fight club altogether.
"Hey, Sigi! Sigi!" Verona shouted across the field, waving her hands frantically. "Torhild! Lord Lac! Zyan and I are gonna fight together! Watch us!"
Mission accomplished, Verona spun toward Zyan and grabbed his arm in a surprisingly tight grip, her voice hushed.
"Okay, listen, we need a plan. What if one of us keeps her distracted while the other catches her off guard?"
Freana
Freana was guzzling down her flagon and gnawing on her drumstick, eager for some action and some extra coin, but seeing someone worth a damn pledging to take Zyan gave her doubts. It was then that she remembered that little moment they shared in the forest. Short, but all too sweet. One she'd all but forgotten in between train trips and haunted ghost towns. And it only made her all the more worried.
Her concern inching her towards sobriety, she moved closer to the front of the stands, making sure Zyan could hear her loud and clear. "Hey. You've got this, you hear me? Don't have any doubts about that..." She meant it too. If a big killer machine couldn't bring him down, then this poser couldn't either. "...but be careful, okay? Don't want anyone beating that handsome face in, do we?"
Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 21st 2021 at 7:08:03 AM
Torhild Hidenfal
Torhild paused for a moment realizing she hadn't really thought the comparison through, but didn't let that slow her down for long "Well, maybe not rags... But it always seems like you're hiding in those robes"
She was a little surprised neither of them had any experience with parties, mostly from not thinking of it. "Well nobody said you have to do everything at a party, if the fighting isn't fun we can go hang out somewhere-" And then Verona called out her intentions to join a match, Torhild waved back and chuckled "Didn't realize she'd be joining in though"
Sieglinde von Brandt
“Sorry, Verona's wha—”
Suddenly, Sieglinde's countenance changed, and the warmth in her voice and body languages drained away to be replaced by a chilling, quivering rage. But it was not apparent so readily on the outside, merely a frozen smile and eyes held blankly open perhaps a mite too wide, giving her an odd stare that showed her sclera and gave her the appearance of a predatory animal ready to pounce.
“Ahem. Excuse me~! I have to rectify a mistake,” she said serenely, getting up as smoothly as one could when on the verge of snapping a poor random stranger's neck on a whim. “Come with if you want! I won't be long~”
She then beelined towards the fighting ring, and with eyes closed in a sweet upturned smile she somehow still navigated directly up to Lilia. Passing the others by as if they weren't there, she gently placed her hand atop the champion's left shoulder and squeezed it lightly.
On the tendon that connected it up to her neck. The one that could paralyze a person if pressed tightly in just the right spot.
Which was the exact spot she had her fingers on.
“Hurt 'em badly, and I'll slit your pretty throat~” she murmured, her tone unchanging as she teasingly patted the other girl's shoulder. “The girl especially. Okay? Okay. Good luck in your fight! Have fun...~”
Then, with a final kiss on the girl's cheek in farewell, she drifted back into the crowd whilst playfully humming to herself, uncaring if anyone had eavesdropped. It seemed an only fair thing to ask, after all. Her friends were first-timers! At least, against this person.
So it was nice to set boundaries straight.
Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 22nd 2021 at 2:05:55 PM
bork"Exactly! I don't know if it's...like the festivals I've read in books with games of skill like tossing rings, for example! So considering the brawling and bards are over there...we should go in the opposite direction."
He couldn't help but wince a tiny bit with Shard bringing up what was essentially their introduction to that...one particular teacher and tried to give a reassuring smile. "To be fair, you weren't expecting a punch like that, I think anyone probably would've keeled over. Especially considering the one throwing the punch wa-"
Elliot stopped himself short, both at realizing that he probably didn't want to chance someone overhearing and noticing Xera as he cheerfully waved back.
"Good evening, Xera! It's good to see you!" ...Granted, he did get a little flustered at the mention of drinks but mostly bounced back with a smile. "W-Well, that's certainly thoughtful, it just means we have to worry about deciding on what to eat, I suppose!"
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Zyan Zyat
“it’s…Zyan. Zy-an.”
Ah fuck it, she probably didn’t even care. The prospect of a double team match did sound like fun. He didn’t need to fight a friend and they could team up, try out some strategies.
Her grip on his arm surprised him, she was stronger than he gave her credit for. As he pondered the idea, and also tried to ignore his team mates own teetering edge of tipsy-ness, he stroked his chin as he pondered.
“If she’s as good as they say she may not fall for distractions very long. We just need to be quick and on our toes. If one of us gets the attention, the other needs to hit her and hit her hard. So if she’d focusing me, you come in, if she’s focusing you, I’ll come in. She’s good but I don’t think she’d THIS tag/ team good.” He confidently grinned as he gently bopped her side with the back of his hand.
Freana grabbed his attention and he could only grin in response. “Hey no worries, I’ve been training for stuff like this. I’m gonna be fine and this-“ he gestured to his face, “is gonna be waiting for you at the end of the fight.”
He turned around but spoke in a quiet voice that only Verona could hear. “Oh my gods I’m so lame why did I say that I’m such a loser.” He hissed.
Freana
Unfortunately, Freana's large fuzzy ears could hear anything short of uttering nothing, and she couldn't help but giggle. "Gonna hold you to that! You and that face come back in one piece, maybe you'll win something special.~" That one was the booze talking, but she wasn't going to bend over backwards to correct herself.
But if she could hear Zyan's little aside, then she could hear Sigi's, and it damn near made her spray her drink all over the stands. She always knew Sigi was... off, but even if she'd didn't mean it, that was a bit much. Maybe she would've done the same thing back in the day, but...
...but she was too drunk to dwell on it. She turned to Vivi, giving her some small words of encouragement. "Hey, Vivi! You be careful too, okay? Don't do anything too stupid, you hear me?"
Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 23rd 2021 at 12:42:23 PM
Verona Auer
Verona hummed in thought at Zyan's comments. As she did so, she noticed Sigi approaching, and grinned.
"Hi, Sigi!"
But Sigi walked right past her, and towards Lilia, which was weird. Verona didn't have time to investigate further, though, as her attention was grabbed by Zyan and Freana's flirting.
"Dude, no, that was suave!" Verona whispered to Zyan, loudly. "Like a line from a book."
Sure enough, Freana seemed to agree. Verona pointed her way, looking at Zyan, and added a thumbs-up for emphasis. When Freana addressed her, though, she waved the comments off dismissively.
"I don't need to be careful, we're gonna win! We have a strategy," Verona declared. At that moment, Sigi happened to walk past them again in the opposite direction, humming happily. "Uh, bye, Sigi!"
Focus, Verona! Think about your strategy!
"Anyway, Zyan, you have a point. Let's just make sure she can't keep both of us in her line of sight at the same time, and she won't be able to keep her guard up for long."
Torhild Hidenfal
Part of Torhild wasn't entirely certain she'd actually seen anything concerning as she watched Sigi's sudden and subtly intense departure, but it certainly felt like the temperature had momentarily dropped a couple degrees.
"Okay, remind me not to interfere in Alvari romances" She murmured in a half-hearted attempt at a joke.
Edited by BlitzTrain on Sep 22nd 2021 at 2:25:48 AM

Lac’ner Kineas
Suddenly, Sigi.
“Hih-gya-!”
Lac cuts off his scream with a fit of coughs.
“O-O-Oh…hello…Miss von Brandt. I, uh…didn’t see you there.”
He flips his notepad closed and places it atop the hefty textbook. “I-I was studying some material from the library. It’s, uh…Elements: A history of magic.”
He drums his fingers on the worn cover. “M-Master Mekel recommended it to me, after one of their lectures.”