flame spirit, protect me

petra macneary, princess of brigid - a black eagles student at The Officers Academy Current threads

[calderosea]

running, jumping, climbing trees

[diadic]

       To Petra's praise, Leif shakes his head.  “ I don't reach people the way a leader does though. Diplomacy requires charm. ”  

A charm he does not have. A charm he has seen and relied upon to clean up the messes he could not. A charm he has watched and adored and envied both, manifested in the woman he loves and the man he wishes he could be.

A type of charisma that has always seemed out of reach.

“ I could learn so much more, get people to change their minds, if I had that... ”  Rueful he may be over it, he still appreciates the words Petra tells him. He was no poetic person by any means, but the imagery her last line gives softens the rough edge of frustration that wells up in him to do this kind of self-reflection.

Her words are paired with the invitation of an exchange, and he can be satisfied with this.  “ We do not have much time in this setting to talk, but you can meet me in the training hall or the Golden Deer classroom if you wish to talk more about this... I'm usually found in those places. ”  

[calderosea]

Briefly, Petra's face scrunched, certain that she was misunderstanding what Leif was saying to her - had he not made her smile, warmed her heart in the way that home might have? Was this not the charm of a leader? Was it not diplomacy to find the threads of similarity in a foreigner, and to weave together the beginnings of a friendship?

She might have thought on it deeper, so used to the duplicity of nobles here in this land and certain that it was perhaps that he did not think her worthy of being charmed, if he had not continued - so it was simply that he did not see himself, and so could not acknowledge the qualities in himself that he saw in others, whoever they might be.

Her brow pinched in sadness but only for a moment before she nods at him, the smile back on her face.

"Yes, I will be seeking you - our time is almost ending for this event, but not at this Academy. We will be training together, soon," she promised as the bell marking the end of the round, and the event, sounded, eager to see what strength of body this boy carried, if he came from a home that seemed so similar to hers. Would he fight like her, or would there be something to learn for the both of them?

- fin.

[calderosea]

running, jumping, climbing trees

[diadic]

    “ Ah, no. Leonster is across the sea. ”  Just as much as the ocean is a body one can potentially grow lost in, it is just as much something that has the potential to be a bridge between lands and their people.

“ I am here because the academy we had in my homeland was shut down due to war. The next alternative is the one here in Fódlan, ”  he explains.  “ But that's not all of it. Growing up, I realized if I wished to see the future I wanted for the world, then I would need to go out and see the world for myself. I can hear stories, but I won't understand it unless I see it. ”

He has spent a lifetime hearing stories, hearing only one side. He has spent too long as the ignorant prince.

“ The large number of students from different walks of life and countries here is extremely important to me. I wish to learn all I can about all of them, no matter how insignificant someone might find their story. Because it's important to me. 

“ That includes your story too. I would like to learn more of it, ”  he states.  “ I did indeed grow up near the ocean, but I need to learn of life anywhere and everywhere. ”

Because one of the places he feels the need to help the most is the opposite of where he grew up. It is in a land full of mountains, a land far from the bounties of the earth, a land that few ever gave another chance to.

“ The longer we stay here, the more places we shall learn of. I believe in that. ”

[calderosea]

Petra listened, head cocked - it was a longer speech than she was used to hearing, but she found that she needed less time to absorb and understand, each sentence clearly stated. This Leif did not seem shy or uncertain of what his heart wanted, and not for the first time in the conversation she found herself glad that she had met him, eager to learn from him as he seemed eager to learn from her.

"You are saying that you are not so good at diplomacy, but I am thinking that you have its understanding within your grasp. It is the wanting to learn and to reach out to other people which is having importance."

It was the foundation of telling a story, she thought, of passing down and sharing those important histories that so many in positions of reverence did without care in Fodlan, but that she treasured herself. It seemed, too, that Prince Leif also treasured this - hearing these different sides, learning the different stories so that they may all come together in a colorful tapestry, rather than repeating the same lines by rote.

Her smile warmed, and she leaned forward. "Yes. I am believing also - I would like to be learning of Leonster, and in turn I will be sharing with you stories of Brigid. We will not be able to see the ocean, but perhaps hearing of it will bring calm to the wildness."

[calderosea]

running, jumping, climbing trees

[diadic]

    “ I have not found anything similar in Garreg Mach either. There are places to swim, but it is not the same as the ocean. ”  There is a vastness to such a large body of water— one that exemplifies a mysteriousness to it, to not know just far down it goes and what lurks if you keep going and going and going, but it is exhilirating in this way too.

In such endlessness, it also speaks to the possibility of freedom. With fear, there is the opportunity for joy as well.

“ I don't think people would enjoy us swimming in the fishing pond at the academy anyway. ”

Not that it was his first choice for where to swim in this area anyway. It was too close to others, too crowded. At times, one person wishes to be alone, and such a thing is difficult here. No, to find that, he must look farther out.

To her answers to his question, however, he nods. 

“ So you're not only a princess but a crown princess as well. ”  The connection to Patty and Febail then likely wasn't much despite the shared name.  “ Your role is important. I am here for the same reasons as well. I am crown prince to House Leonster, so I am trying to learn everything I can. I can take to combat well enough, but it is diplomacy that I struggle with still. ”

He is not proud to admit this, something that sours his expression, but he does not allow it to stop himself.

“ Have you had luck in this area?? ”

[calderosea]

"No, it is not the same." The ocean was a force that could not be imitated, just as the sky could not be imitated, nor the jungles, nor the volcanoes. No matter if there were mountain rivers of freezing snowmelt to swim in, or the fishing pond put there by man.

She felt a pang for home, looking down at her hands, only for a moment before his next words settled in.

"I am not knowing House Leonster - " the word felt thick and uncomfortable on her tongue, much the same shape to her as the Alliance, Leicester, but with more rounded turns to travel, " - is that in Fodlan?"

She frowned. "I was thinking that I had learned many names of territories, but I am seeing now that I must study with greater hardness to learn about your home. This is part of diplomacy that I am lacking, is the knowing of many places. It must be settled near the ocean, for your memories to be living there."

[calderosea]

Like a Mage in Headlights

[calderosea]

"I see..." Petra felt her heart reach out for the boy across the table, his shyness coming from him in irritated waves. If it was as he said, then it was easy to see why: an event specifically to socialize with people, most of whom one had never met, for a boy who did not like people. How trapped he must have felt.

"Your...master...?" Petra shook her head firmly. "I am thinking this may be why you are not trusting your own heart. If you are not free, then your heart is being chained to your master's, you are seeing his decisions only. Once you are being free, then you may still not be trusting your heart, but you can learn. You can grow. Are you not thinking that this is so...?"

Her brow pinched, and she leaned forward further, placing her hand on the table in between them - plaintive, determined, her gaze fierce as she looked upon his face, creased with irritation and worry.

"You are not belonging to any but yourself. If your heart is needing facts, then this is your feeling. You will become more sure. My heart is believing in yours."

[adalrikr]

Erk's hands clench at his pants, small fingers digging into the fabric in his lap, nails nearly piercing to the skin underneath, "He is still my guardian, until I have reached the age of majority in Etruria." Guardian was more likely a better word than master; wasn't it? It is easier than "father" but also a more simple way of putting his relationship with Lord Pent, rather than have to explain all of intricacies, "I'm not good with change anyway."

Violet eyes blink in surprise at her determination in him, for him. For as kind and caring as Lord Pent and Lady Louise were, they were more content to let him follow his own path rather than offering proper guidance and determination that he would do the right thing - Lord Pent moreso than Lady Louise.

(Erk thinks that perhaps he was always like this though, even before he had been taken into Lord Pent's care. He doesn't remember much of his childhood before that fateful day in the snow, but he can vaguely recall that he had been shy, untrusting in others and himself. He hadn't had anyone to even think of having faith in his heart then.)

He smiles, though it just barely recognizable as a smile, "Perhaps someday... if I try..."

[calderosea]

running, jumping, climbing trees

[diadic]

    “ And I am Leif, ”  Leif introduces himself in turn, noting that this is the first time he's been sniped for the first word during this entire event. He takes it as a sign of the princess's take-charge attitude, one he assumes she must have, and he sits up that much more straighter as a result.

(Brigid is a name he recognizes from the impassioned shouts of Seliph's Liberation Army— a name tied to Patty and Febail but also a name said both with great reverence and ridicule both. He does not know which side of it this Petra woman falls upon then.)  

“ We are much the same then. I disliked being cooped up, so I was always excited when I had the chance to be outdoors, ”  he empathizes straight away.  “ The ocean in particular always made me feel better even if it was wild that day. I liked the feeling of swimming in it. I have searched for something similar in this monastery. ”

Though it had been an afterthought, he responds to it all the same.

“ You said you study with much perseverance... Is it only the language? ”  How fortunate that he had been able to converse in it with no problem when he transferred here then. He hadn't realized it was a thing he had taken for granted.  “ Or do you study other things too?? ”

[calderosea]

"The ocean has much wildness," she agreed with a solemn nod, "but she is always there to be comforting. Even though reaching the ocean is difficult in the mountains. I have not been finding anything similar in Garreg Mach," she added, a touch sadly.

Though this Leif spoke a mite quickly for her liking, it was easier, she thought, that he was so direct. He didn't speak in many of the flowery tones and turns of phrase that many of the nobles she'd spoken to had, or use much of the jargon that many commoners did - he got to the point, an arrow hitting true.

"I am studying all things since coming to Garreg Mach," she replied, cocking her head. "The same battle formations, to be strategizing for future combat, and history." Fodlan history, she didn't say, but the thought pinched her brow.

Shaking her head, she continued, "I am having to study all things with hardness, because I will be queen. I will be knowing how to stand on the same ground as the leaders in Fodlan. This is my duty."

[calderosea]

haha bro noooo don't leave me to die in a pit of quicksand haha

[justices-blade]

No yeah, he definitely loves her spirit! She's solid, made an impression on him towards reliable and honest: Honestly, he'd love to actually go on a trek or hike with her sometime soon.

He wonders what Petra's homeland is like: Begnion, Crimea, Gallia, Begnion are all as different as they come, but Adrestia's different even to that, and then there's also Faerghus, Leicester... The picture she paints is loose, and all Edward can imagine is broad strokes, but it fills him with a sense of wonder either way.

"Man-groves?" he parrots, eyes widening, head cocking. "I've never seen one of those... If there's crocodiles though, they're water-trees, right? Are they like willows?" His wrists limp in demonstration, swaying slowly to imitate how their branches hang, before snorting and pulling his hands back, fingers of his right hand drumming at the palm of his left.

"Either way, yeah, no wiggling." Is everything that's sticky and watery and bad a 'no wiggling' place? More importantly: Pumping his fist, deadly serious, he states with full confidence. "But if it comes down to it, I could definitely fight a crocodile!"

[calderosea]

His energy was high and infectious, and Petra could not help but laugh as he demonstrated with his hands the sort of trees he was talking about.

"I am not knowing willows, but mangroves are not moving in this way." She thought for a moment, deciding that although they did not sway, there was perhaps a similarity, and she curled her own fingers, spiderlike, one hand atop the other to mimic the massive, gnarled root colonies that lurked in the water. "They are growing like this, and emerging from the water like serpents - you must be careful, or you will be getting trapped.

"You should not be wiggling," she confirmed with a solemn nod, drawing her hands back.

At his claim, the end of the round sounded, and she assessed him carefully - his bluster and energy seemed to mark him as the sort of easy companion she might have liked to spend time with, even if it also made it perhaps hard to follow what he was saying with any consistency.

Still, she liked this Edward, and she smiled to show it. "If you are having to fight a crocodile, then I will not be leaving you to die there, either."

[calderosea]

Like a Mage in Headlights

[adalrikr]

Erk's hands clench at his pants, small fingers digging into the fabric in his lap, nails nearly piercing to the skin underneath, "He is still my guardian, until I have reached the age of majority in Etruria." Guardian was more likely a better word than master; wasn't it? It is easier than "father" but also a more simple way of putting his relationship with Lord Pent, rather than have to explain all of intricacies, "I'm not good with change anyway."

Violet eyes blink in surprise at her determination in him, for him. For as kind and caring as Lord Pent and Lady Louise were, they were more content to let him follow his own path rather than offering proper guidance and determination that he would do the right thing - Lord Pent moreso than Lady Louise.

(Erk thinks that perhaps he was always like this though, even before he had been taken into Lord Pent's care. He doesn't remember much of his childhood before that fateful day in the snow, but he can vaguely recall that he had been shy, untrusting in others and himself. He hadn't had anyone to even think of having faith in his heart then.)

He smiles, though it just barely recognizable as a smile, "Perhaps someday... if I try..."

[calderosea]

More alike than not, then. She recognized the uncertainty of feeling small in a situation much larger than yourself - though guardian certainly had a different connotation than master, she thought that perhaps his discomfort still may have been telling.

Petra smiled in return, nodding once in affirmation. "Yes. If you are trying, then you may be succeeding. Trust is hard, but you do not have to be trusting in yourself at first - you can be finding to trust in your heart on your behalf."

The signal for the end of the round sounded, and Petra stood, bowing her head in acknowledgement of the new friend she'd made. "Please be finding me if you are lacking in faith."

- fin.

[calderosea]

Like a Mage in Headlights

[calderosea]

@adalrikr, continued from here

Petra's face instantly split into a smile, and she leaned forward. "Then we are agreeing! I am thinking that it must be for each person to decide what is most of value to their soul, and what guides the direction of their heart. It is like this for the people of Brigid - is it also like this with the people from your land of home?"

She couldn't say that she knew anything about the place whence the boy hailed, but she would have been eager to learn - if only he'd meet her eye. She'd known shy people before, indeed there were some who were notoriously so in their shared house, but that didn't suit the environment much, did it, of an event so centered around conversation?

She cocked her head at him, this Erk, and hope that the warmth suffused in her tone was enough to help crack whatever barrier was before him.

"Are you having to make many decisions of your heart, here?"

[calderosea]

running, jumping, climbing trees

[calderosea]

topic: preferred ways to pass the time.

This was a rather easier topic to discuss than some of the others she'd been presented with, and Petra had her answer prepared, rehearsed in her head before her newest partner had even sat down.

She greeted him with a polite nod, eyes assessing his face. "I am Petra," she said. "I am princess of Brigid, and we are liking greatly to be outdoors. To be giving some examples, hunting in the trees, or swimming in the ocean."

It was different for many in Fodlan, she knew - though her home had its share of learned people, they were not the scholars and politicos of the mainland. They felt the spirits around them more starkly and basked in the abundant nature, and she had tried her hardest to retain these habits, even here.

She cocked her head, then, almost in afterthought she added, "But I am also studying with much perseverance to be learning while I am at Garreg Mach. This language is still new to me, so I must always be...applying myself, with hardness."

@diadic

[calderosea]

haha bro noooo don't leave me to die in a pit of quicksand haha

[calderosea]

@justices-blade, continued from here

Jerking back, Petra shook her head firmly. "No," she said, tone quite serious. "We will not be pulled into the sand together. We would fight," she insisted, bringing one hand up to form a fist, as though this would demonstrate her own determination.

She liked this Edward - his energy shone forth from his spirit and kindled her own, and though he could not have been any less a foreigner than she, she felt the call of something comfortable in speaking with him.

Even if he spoke rather quickly, though he had slowed down his speed considerably since she had first spoken. She recognized the instinct, in the way that many do with struggles of language. Far from feeling patronized, as another might, Petra felt grateful - for the effort, for the attention, for the acknowledgement, even though she would have preferred he not have needed to to begin with.

"I am not having been trapped in bog or sand, but I am understanding your meaning - we have forests of mangrove trees which one is needing a strong trusted companion to be navigating with. You should also not be wiggling there," she added, thoughtful, "for the crocodiles will be hunting you then."

[calderosea]

topic: how would you save your current conversation partner if you were in a sandpit together, getting slowly pulled down into the abyss? or would you prioritize yourself?

Upon deciphering the long note Knoll and Hubert left the two of them, Edward barely gives his eyebrows only a moment to reach his hairline before shoving the note back to Petra, eyes alight.

"I've never been in a sand pit before, but bogs aren't that different, right?" he asks, before clenching a fist enthusiastically. "I'd never let you sink! I'd get both of us out of there, no problem!"

When Petra had signed up for this event, she had not necessarily gone in blind, the doe-eyed creature some might have expected. She had known that courting was an odd thing in Fodlan, having watched those with and without Crests grapple for attention in the Imperial Court. Here at the monastery, it was little different - it was merely that the scale was smaller.

It fascinated her, the lengths that the Fodlani would go to, to manoeuvre a connection where previously there had been none. Hubert did not seem the type, his lot already cast, but the other host, their quiet, dour little librarian...

Petra blinked at the note that had been provided for them, and she parsed it after a moment, her brow furrowing at the young man's voice - though she didn't have trouble putting together what was written on the note, she struggled for a moment reading and listening at the same time.

It wasn't that his sunny disposition didn't charm her, it was merely that he spoke so quickly.

Finally, after a moment of somber silence, Petra agreed, "Yes, I am never having been in a pit of sand, but if we were to being trapped then I would not be leaving you to die."

[calderosea]

amazoness • empress

[calderosea]

With the coming of peace, it allows people time again to enjoy leisurely pursuits. Art appreciation and games return. One noble re-introduces an old deck of cards, each painted with a monster, spell, or trap, to the people of Garreg Mach and the game spreads like wildfire again. Everyone scrambles to dig out their own decks, or gather new ones, and become the most powerful summoner on the continent. Merchants and artists even begin to sell new sets, breathing life into the game for those who had played it the first time, and providing a fresh entry point for newcomers as well. Care for a game? [Grants Authority +1]  (starter for @hresvelged)

"Bet you never seen nothing like this in Brigid." 

The vendor winked at her, and Petra blinked at him in return. His smile faltered, before he scrambled to display a series of cards before her. It wasn't unusual for people to direct comments of these kinds to her, as though every sight and sound in Fodlan was brand new to her, but it was not as though the people of Brigid did not play games. 

She looked at the presented cards with a discerning eye – it was clear to see why the vendor had thought that she would like them, depicted with towering golden brown women or lush junglescapes or prowling feline beasts. This seemed to be what most in Fodlan pictured when they thought of Brigid, if they thought of her at all. 

Petra found she did not mind, at least in this instance. Leaning forward to take in the words on the cards, and piecing together what she could decipher of the rules from this limited information, she felt herself pleased that her people would have such a fearsome reputation, to be compared with such mythical power. She nodded at the vendor, and she allowed him a smile. 

"I will be taking them," she confirmed, digging into her coinpurse, pausing as she noticed the other presence in the shop. 

"Hello Lady Edelgard. Are you also here to be purchasing the Dueling Monsters? It is a game of great skill - " here, she turned to the vendor for confirmation, who nodded, eager for the idea of two sales for the price of one. 

"Would you be liking to play the game with me?" 

[calderosea]

mm, freaky man-baby

[cremisii]

Hubert was impressed. He had not heard Petra approach, and though he was not startled by her appearance he was surprised. Luckily for him, a fellow Black Eagles student was never a threat, and therefore did not raise any alarm bells.

"Ah. Petra. It is good to see you," he turned to look at her, and listened intently to her words. She had clearly thought this through ( something he expected from someone of Petra's caliber and intelligence ) and had already formulated a plan.

"That is correct," he said as he looked at her weapon. Despite the short amount of time they were separated ( Hubert blamed this upon his duties that stole him away from the monastery ) it remained clear that their friendship had not suffered for it. "If this creature is incorporeal as you have suggested, I have brought my tome along in case it becomes hostile. Hopefully it will not come to that, but it is best to be prepared."

The rumors had indeed intrigued and piqued Hubert's interest, if for nothing else he wished to know what was happening around the monastery. It was his duty, of course, to keep Lady Edelgard safe and to inform her of any goings-on.

Such a trifling matter such as ghost hunting was beneath her. And yet -- Hubert found this to be a fun exercise and thought experiment.

"Come. Let's hunt ghosts, as you said."

[calderosea]

She nodded once at his acceptance, brusque, but ultimately pleased that he had so willingly agreed to follow her into the dark wood. Trusting Hubert was something that came with practice, and when she had first arrived at the Imperial Palace all those years ago she had feared him just as everyone else did, taking the cold gaze of a predator at face value in this land where everyone looked as though they wanted to devour her, for good or ill. 

But with time, she remembered that she could be a predator as well, and his circling felt less like being hunted, and more like being assessed. A protector in his own right, for Lady Edelgard. 

She led the way into the forest surrounding the monastery, strides confident as she followed the tromp of old footprints – careless, these hunters, to leave such deep tracks – into the center of a dense copse of trees, a small opening cleared for the statue itself. 

It did not seem old, the cracks in the stone fresh, more dirtied by exposure to the rains of the last week than eroded by age. There remained little sign of activity around the statue to indicate what it might have been monument to, and the damage done had scoured any sense of purpose or identity from it. Footsteps light, Petra approached, placing the palm of her hand on a small patch of smooth, undisturbed stone. 

If she closed her eyes, would these supposed spirits tell her their names? Would she have been able to hear them, if she listened? 

Turning back to Hubert, her brow pinched into a sad frown, she said simply, "I am not thinking that this was done by spirits." 

[calderosea]

if it is bleeding, then we can be killing it

[calderosea]

Seminars are encouraged at the monastery. They help others learn from their peers while strengthening friendship at the same time. Well… most seminars. This seminar, on the other hand, is on… the basis of keeping one’s composure? That’s what the paper says, after all. “Learn how to withstand interrogations that may test your emotional and physical strength.” What wasn’t included in the description was that the instructor would attack you the moment you arrived at the meeting place! By their words, they’ll chase you and your partner through a booby-trapped forest to raise the tension, but if you’re caught… Well, they only smile at you and count down. [Grants Sword +1]  (starter for @beholdenning and @fangedjustice)

The lands in the territory surrounding Garreg Mach – the timbered Oghma Mountains, and the river valley towns that lay nestled safely under watch of the Fodlan Goddess – were quite different from her homeland. Where there her lungs felt flush with the air coming from the sea, here it was thin and tight, as though her lungs were perpetually reaching but could not quite grasp. The sunlight, too, when it shone in Brigid it hit her cheek as though the cupped hand of a friend, of family, the warmth seeping into her heart immediately – whereas here it was bright and distant, filtered through the clouds until it took on a silvery quality. 

Even the woods, though she felt comforted by the surrounding trees, fell still and silent, bereft of the clamor that the lush, dense jungle of home provided. 

Even so, as she moved through the underbrush she measured her steps, each footfall silent but for the barest shift of fallen conifer needles. 

Hunter, now hunted. 

It was a lesson in composure, those in attendance had been advised – to test not only one's ability to keep their wits about them in the blind tension of the chase, but also to remain calm when captured. 

She did not intend to be captured. 

Petra knew that she did not need to worry about her composure, of keeping her head cool in the face of danger – every day in this land was a danger, to her, to her people, and so she learned through experience quickly – and so instead took the opportunity to exercise a different skill she was well-practiced in. 

Wind from the south – birds silent. Laying in wait? 

She cocked her head, squinting through the blanket of fog that had settled heavily in the area, before turning back to the companion that accompanied her for the exercise – a knight, handsome, and with the wary gait of a swordsman. 

She shook her head, jutted her chin in the direction she believed their pursuer rested, unwilling to give the slightest sound.