welcome to red lobster | plateau, a.
Wings shuffle in pained irritation. Narrow head tilts, heron preparing another advance. Inigo flicks up his killing edge, droplets of black sludge creeping down the curved metal.
Professor Byleth finally stirs, the strange bone sword of his flicking out with deadly accuracy, cutting through the heron like butter. Heron staggers once, talons half raising before it falls in a heap next to their companion.
Inigo only half hears Larcei’s reply, dropping his guard as a fresh wave of pain rolls over him. Left hand comes up to his chest. The cuts appear to be shallow, if bothersome. Fingers coming away sticky with blood, he casts about for a cloth to clean himself up. Something about Fernand’s brusque tone doesn’t sit quite right. Inigo’s brow twitches, biting back a quick retort. Talking back to a teammate—and academy professor, no less—requires a level of confidence even Inigo can’t fake. “Tis but a scratch! Ol’ Inigo’s endured far worse!” Dancer quips, though his slightly heavier breathing breaks through the bluster.
Byleth walks unbothered further into the kitchen. Finding nothing more suitable, Inigo rips a tablecloth off a nearby table, using one corner to clean his blade. Sheathes the weapon, bunching up the fabric to dab at his chest. The bleeding has slowed, thank Naga.
His companions wander about, discussing booklets and poking around the kitchen as he catches his breath. Pauses in his poor attempt of battlefield medicine. Takes a half step forward, towards a door leading to the other side of the room. Is that…breaking glass? Drops the dirty white cloth, again reaching for his sword.
“Hey, I think I hear something…” Shoulders the door open to find three fish attacking a group of his fellows from the Academy. So they’re not alone aboard this ship. As Inigo files that information away, three more of the monsters seemingly mutate from the very air directly in front of him.
Naturally. A red creature resembling a lobster materializes closest to him.
[Attack roll: 12+2=14! Crawfish 2 is Critically Hit!]
“No hard feelings!” Inigo tosses his sword in the air once, catches the spinning blade and brings it down hard, slicing off a pincer. Fierce grin, avoiding a spray of black sludge.
[Crawfish 2 roll: 13! Inigo is Hit!]
He slides directly into the pathway of the remaining pincer. Steps backward as quickly as he can, earning a snap on his upper left arm in the process. Inigo grits his teeth, doing his best to push through the lines of fire lighting up his entire upper body.
> @elysieth help a student out!
♢ ` — byleth thanks larcei with a quiet nod, taking the drink menu in hand before flipping through it to search for something that might look similar to what sits before them. they didn't like surprises. really, it would be best to know what the drink tasted like before he did drink it. eyes barely lift when he hears the other professor protest. did it bother him? it wasn't as if though their students were unused to combat. they were trained. some newer to the sword and lance than others, but not wholly incapable of defending themselves. there were any number of capable adults in attendance.
"——— no," comes his reply, turning the pages a little while longer before he turns the menu toward larcei. "do you know which one?" he gingerly lifts the glass to show her, just as another figure enters in his periphery. muscles tense involuntarily, arm reeling back to throw the glass in their new assailant's face before realizing that it is just matthew. he lowers his arm. "oh, hello." byleth exhales, tipping his head toward the knight in quiet acknowledgement. he tries for a smile. it doesn't quite land.
turning to face fernand, he issues the announcement that they've found some others. ( rather, they find them. ) they agree to go their separate ways. if they'd ended up in the same kitchen, there must be other rooms that are connected. with any luck, they might find the remaining third of the group that they'd arrived with. splitting up would serve them the most, though the decision is less made by him than it is just made just simply by nodding. as pent departs from the kitchen and byleth only briefly returns to his attention to the drink menu, navy lifts again as he hears inigo's voice. he returns the menu to larcei's hands, hurrying after him. "wait, don't —"
but the sound of not-so-distant fighting isn't. pushing the doors open, byleth finds inigo's back and three creatures materialize before them. a pause. they didn't even have a fishing trawl. this time, byleth is more prepared. withdrawing his sword, the blade severs as it whips out in the direction of a mutated fish just within reach.
byleth rolls a 6 ( barely hit )! shad, 1.5 / 3.
sharpened bone cleaves through scales, but the mutated creature does not fall. the monster contorts, twists as it lunges towards him and manages to send byleth backwards with a solid strike to his gut once more. arm immediately lifts to guard his stomach after, professor reluctantly pleased to know that another unfortunate sound does not emerge. still, it was embarrassing. he doesn't know how he'll tell jeralt when they get back. it would bruise in the morning. if, well — if it wasn't already morning.
shad rolls a 13 ( hit )! byleth, 7.5 / 10. @eideslanze, it's your turn!