My What A Guy

Gaston Bouchard. 24. Noble. Extremely handsome. Winner of the No Belle Prize.

[aaurorarose-deactivated20160109]

Aurora didn’t really care for the attitude coming from the man who practically gave her a heart attack. She held her hand over her racing heart, trying to calm herself down and biting her tongue all in one go. Before the possibility of saying something she might want to take back became a reality. It wasn’t til the man stood up in his full height that Aurora realized she knew this man. Any previous ire gone at the knowledge that this was the man that literally saved her life.

“Señor Gaston? What…what are you doing here?” She didn’t know he would be nearby her kingdom, if she did she would have extended an invitation for him to be a guest in her home. Its the least she could do after…everything. “I feel like I never had the chance to thank you properly for…” Aurora looked away, shuddering as visions tried to claim her consciousness. Clearing her throat she struggled to push those dark memories away and with a softer more shaken voice she continued. “saving my life.”

“Oh god, I’m sorry for this.” Aurora pointed at her red eyes that were beginning to tear up. Taking a deep breath she pushed past her embarrassment at looking like a blubbering fool in front of this man. “Could we please go somewhere else to talk? There is so much I want to say to you. Please?”

[gastonnbouchard]

Frankly, Gaston hadn't expected to run into anyone he knew while in Mirindra, let alone the woman he had saved weeks ago. She was no longer dressed as the embodiment of death, but even without the makeup he remembered her. It was a strange coincidence to find her, sitting before him with the same look as a wide-eyed doe. At least he wasn't the only one at a loss for words.

He set the broken vase pieces down on the table beside him, brow furrowed together. "I was initially on a hunting trip. The old man here needed an extra hand unloading everything so I took a detour." Gaston replied gruffly, eyeing Aurora warily. She wasn't looking as chipper as she had been at the ball, although he supposed most people weren't so optimistic if they had managed to live the night. The hunter preferred not to dwell on it when he could. Even then, she had become much meeker in the time that had passed. "You mean for keeping you off the wraith's ten course meal? I assumed the gratitude was implied."

An alarmed expression rose when the young woman started to cry in front of him. Though he considered himself well-acquainted with the opposite sex, Gaston hardly thought that he had done anything to cause it. "I'm known for making the ladies cry, but not quite in this context." He could feel the disapproving stares on him and he knew what it might have looked like to have a behemoth of a man towering over the slight creature. The discomfort was stifling. "Yeah, let's take a walk. Do you know a place?" He asked her, offering a hand to pull her up. The sooner they got out of there, the better.

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Hunting Party || Gaston and Hercules

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Hercules rolled his eyes at Gastons passing comment on his opinion being all that mattered. That didn’t sit well when Hercules watched people die for a living. “No that’s not all that matters, because you wouldn’t have to tell their families about their untimely deaths.” The soldiers looked at Gaston fearfully, and Herc scoffed and looked at his surroundings, “Knowing my men, the cyclops will have to use a tree, not a soldier.” Hercules being trained my Phil had fared a lot worse than a cyclops hunt, but his men, this would most likely be the hardest task they had been given so far. He respected Gaston for doing this as a living. 

The ripe smell of rotting flesh seemed to grow as they trod deeper into the forest, whether it be from the rotting deer or a worse scene laying ahead, Hercules was unsure. The stubbornness of humans that Gaston spoke of was something Hercules could understand first hand. They never seemed to want to back down, or change their way of thinking, even if given a good enough reason. People were set in their ways, yet they didn’t understand other creatures being the same way. It was a confusing concept to the knight, but he decided not to dwell on it, and just rolled with it instead. 

Watching as the men learned he couldn’t help but smile. They seemed to proud of themselves and it was hysterical to watch. Hercules on the other hand was able to see that they were missing much more than they thought, but for beginners, they were doing alright. Hercules cringed once more at the term brute, and execution. But it was Phils commands that they get rid of the cyclops, and that was the only reason Hercules was here. The man narrowed their eyes at the hunter when he made them seem to be stupid. “If you show them how to do it,” Hercules said motioning to the wire, “they’ll be able to do it.” 

Hercules leaned against the tree watching the men tie knots, seeing Gaston approach him out of the corner of his eye. Stifling his initial annoyance, he took a deep breath reminding himself that Gaston was here to help, and didn’t have to. Putting on a smile he turned to the other man. “I can assure you that one thing I never do is fight half heartedly,” Hercules looked back at his men. “Perci!” he barked, “Fix that knot, and if it isn’t at Gastons standards go make yourself useful somewhere else.” A yessir was heard and Herc turned back to Gaston. “We’ll be able to take care of ourselves, you said so yourself at the beginning that you believed they were ready.” His smile dropped slightly, a look more of remorse on his face. “If you think there is a slight chance that these men may die though, you need to tell us now.” A memory of battle flashed in his mind, causing his muscles to tense up. “I can’t go tell another family that someone they love won’t make it home. I believe in these men without a doubt. But you’re the professional here Gaston.”

[gastonnbouchard]

Perhaps he was being insensitive, but Gaston could not help but sigh at the captain's comment. "You're certainly a ray of sunshine." He muttered sarcastically, noting how the captain's tone changed the way the soldiers acted. Hercules' follow-up got a chortle out of him, however. "You might have a valid point." At least compared to the both of them, the other knights were hardly worth a morsel to a man-eating beast.

The men moved about them like eager working ants, with their captain overlooking their progress with pride. Gaston folded his arms, shrugging beside their leader. "I'm sure they can fight, that much seems pretty obvious watching them. My biggest concern is whether they know how to keep their heads under pressure." Hercules' men could follow orders decently, and the art of snare-making wasn't completely lost on them. However, it was clear that they didn't have much else aside from that. In the doubtful event that their leader fell, it wouldn't be long before they followed him right off the cliff. "This isn't a group of thieves we're looking to bring down here. A cyclops is a creature designed specifically to hunt humans. One slip up and a skilled fighter can easily become its next meal. It's a different kind of fear they'll be facing. I hope you know that."

He lowered his voice, so as to avoid provoking the other soldiers. "Like any pack, people are only as strong as their alpha. If they notice their leader's resolve faltering, the rest of the group will break apart. Do you see what I'm getting at?" Gaston gave Hercules a pointed look. Perhaps he had fooled his comrades well enough, but the hunter knew tension when he saw it. Currently the knight was more high strung than a violin, which would undoubtedly get worse if he didn't get his act together. He clapped a hand on the knight's shoulder. "Don't get cold feet on me, Hercules. I'd like to keep casualties to a minimum."

Gaston gave the knights' work one final check, and found the snares to be satisfactory. If all went well, these would be adequate protection for the inexperienced hunters. All they had left to do was to go fetch the ghastly beast. "Now do you want the honor of drawing out our quarry or should I?"

[gastonnbouchard]

Crashing Kingdoms Task #4: Gaston Bouchard Aesthetic

[seanoprydaily]

Sean O’Pry for H&M’s Holiday Campaign 2015

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Hunting Party || Gaston and Hercules

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Laughing as the scared under dogs removed their shielding, fear in their eyes, he listened to their new teacher. Sizing him up, he seemed to be close to the same height as Hercules, almost the same build. The other man seemed to be much lighter on his feet than Hercules, which would make sense due to his chosen profession. Gaston seemed entertained by the soldiers, and Hercules could understand that, they were funny to watch always lumbering over themselves trying to impress everyone. Hercules remembered himself being in the same exact situation. 

When Gaston emphasized that they would be hunting the cyclops today Hercules’ stomach flipped. “Are you sure we’re even ready for that?” he said failing to talk Gaston out of it, “I mean look at them, they’ll die.” The men seemed offended but Hercules waved them off. But next thing Hercules knew, they were following him deep into the woods, off to kill the ‘monsters’. “Don’t worry,” he said calling the soldiers into line, “They know how to follow orders.” 

Hercules cringed at the word beast, he felt for the cyclops. People seemed afraid of them just because they were different, and Hercules could relate to that. Hercules could tell that Gaston knew more than he was letting on, but how much he knew, Hercules had no idea. All of the men were listening intently to what their teacher had to say, looking around for any sign of the cyclops. When Hercules was called out he glanced up before looking around and observing the forest. It looked like a regular forest, but there seemed to be a lack of sound. The usual chatter of the birds, snapping of twigs, it all seemed to be missing. “It’s quiet,” Hercules started continuing to look for clues, “That could mean that they are close by, so all the animals fled.” 

[gastonnbouchard]

The captain’s uncertainty was met with laughter on Gaston’s part, smirking at Hercules as though he had only invited them to pick strawberries. “I am, and that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?” It wasn’t as though the other knights would be of any help, but they were at least still following. The party that he was guiding was definitely out of their element, though Hercules seemed to be faring better than the others. Of course, rallying cries would only go so far. Once they met the monster face to face, Gaston wondered if the bravado would remain. “For their sake, I hope so. One wrong move and the cyclops will have a new toothpick on hand.” 

He noticed that the other man flinched at the mention of the beast. That seemed rather odd to Gaston, though he chose not to comment on it. Rather, he paid more attention to how the knights were observing their surroundings, nodded at Hercules’ opinion. “Exactly. With a predator the size of a cyclops, you require a substantial amount of food every day to keep going. The smart animals are the ones who get the hint and change feeding grounds.” As he spoke, he pointed out other signs. A trampled bush, the remains of what seemed to be a deer, and a tree that had been knocked over by something large. “Humans, however, are more stubborn about moving, which brings us back to why we’re doing this in the first place.” 

Once they were able to point out the other indicators, Gaston brought them further into the forest. They seemed to get the basics at least, although they had trouble looking for the finer details. Luckily a cyclops was not a subtle creature in the least. “Our resident brute is resting in a cave up ahead. We’re first going to establish an execution grounds with snares.” Gaston tossed the knights a few reels of steel wire. “Do you think you and your men can handle that?” He asked, demonstrating how to tie the wires between the trees and let the group have at it. 

As they went to work, Gaston approached Hercules. The earlier reaction to the mention of the beast they were assigned to kill had been concerning. “Have you had any experience with a cyclops at all? It isn’t a creature you can fight half-heartedly, you know.” He frowned as he saw one particularly bad knot being tied by the one the knight had called Perci. It would have to be redone later. “I can handle this monster on my own if needed, but I’d like to know how much of a pain in my ass it will be to keep your soldiers alive at the same time.”

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Hunting Party || Gaston and Hercules

Hercules was following a group of his men through the forest, apparently one of them had taken it upon themselves to get the army hunting lessons. And Hercules wasn’t exactly happy about it. “Perci, where are we meeting this man?” he asked glowering at the lower ranked soldier. 

“Right through the clearing sir,” he said stepping through. Recently the cyclops’ had been wreaking havoc, and Phil suggested once to get rid of them, now all of the soldiers were jumping on ideas on how to kill them. It was ridiculous if you asked Hercules, but Phil wanted them to check it out. So here they were, walking through the forest on Hercules’ supposed day off. 

As they were nearing the clearing, Hercules could hear the deer surrounding them run away. They seemed to be everywhere this time of year. Right as Perci stepped into the clearing, an arrow embedded itself into the tree directly next to him, and a deep voice bellowed at him from a tree across the clearing. 

Hercules entered and easily ripped the arrow from the tree, and looked up at the man who had shot it. “Standard uniform, the lower ranking have to wear it,” he explained, handing over the arrow, “they won’t be attending the cyclops hunt, they just have to attend training.” Hercules himself was wearing his usual leather pants that were flush against his muscular legs, to not hinder his movement at all while fighting. “Perci,” Hercules barked, “Get over here and introduce yourself, this was your idea.” The soldier clanked over, his hand outstretched in greeting. “I’m Sir Hercules Angelis, the Knight leading these soldiers. Thank you for taking the time to teach us.” 

[gastonnbouchard]

The hunter raised an eyebrow at the knights who filed into his line of vision. One of them, who wasn’t dressed completely ridiculously, pulled his arrow out the the tree as easily as plucking an apple. Gaston knew for a fact that it would take considerable strength to dislodge one of his shots. “Well, if they’re coming here for lessons, they better know how to dress. You lot,” he pointed to the other soldiers that trailed behind their burly leader, “take off the armor. It’s useless for what we’re doing today.” 

Gaston waited until they were properly stripped down, chuckling as Hercules emphasized that his subordinates were only there for training. “Don’t be ridiculous, captain. The cyclops is their lesson. We’re going after it. Now.” He grinned arrogantly, looking at the expressions of shock that came over the soldiers. A few were looking at the collective pile of armor with longing. Gaston didn’t bother to mention how useless it was against a beast that could crush a barn in minutes, lest they lose their nerve and run away screaming. “There’s no better way to learn than out in the field. So long as they know how to take orders, most of them should survive.” He shrugged it off, indicating the men to follow him deeper into the woods. If they were brave enough, anyway.

“Now the beast we’re searching for is relatively close to here. The signs are all around us.” Gaston explained, pausing a few hundred metres into the wooden thicket. He had already tracked the creature to its den ages ago, but it would be a decent exercise for the ones who planned on staying. That was what he was paid for, after all. “When it comes to hunting, you need to be observant. You need to see the indicators that your prey has been through a certain area. Tracks, remains of prey, that sort of thing.” His eyes went back to Hercules, calculating and calm. “You’re their leader, why don’t you show them how it’s done?”

[aaurorarose-deactivated20160109]

Aurora knows better than to wander off in thought, she really does. She’s looking down at her hot chocolate filled mug but not seeing a thing. Only clinging to the warmth the mug provided. She had hoped that by going out and visiting the small bakery nearby the castle that she would feel that bit of happiness that now evaded her but it seems that she can’t escape the nightmares even while awake.

Its the sudden crash of china behind her that startle her into awareness, just as she feels a person bump into her table. The combination of the two jump starts the warring reactions of flight and fight leaving her frozen staring up in fright for a few seconds.

“Oh god, please be more careful!”

[gastonnbouchard]

It was just Gaston’s luck that the baker had strained his back. All he had wanted to do was drop off his delivery of game then be back on the road to Aldora. But of course he had entered the small shop to see the poor man with an ice pack, and of course the way he had so easily lifted the hundred pounds’ of food over the counter had caught the elder man’s attention. He really shouldn’t have bothered at all, but a promise of a day’s wages and a full meal was a hard thing to resist. 

So there he was, lugging around a sack of flour the same weight of a dead man when he heard the door open and turned around. In his wide movement, the bag smacked into a china vase, hurtling it off the table and making a huge racket. “Ugh, just great.” Gaston muttered with a frown, setting the flour sack down on the table with an audible ‘thump’ as he bent down to pick up the fallen pieces. His broad shoulder brushed against the neighbouring table, which seemed to invoke the ire of whoever was sitting there. “What? I only nudged it a little. It was an accident.” 

He stood back up, looking annoyed. However, when he had seen who it was, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Huh, it’s you again. Now this is a coincidence.”

[gastonnbouchard]

Hunting Party || Gaston and Hercules

Larean was a beautiful kingdom, with its flourishing harvest on the cusp of winter. The trees were an array of colours, and forest animals ran about gathering food for the long and grueling winter ahead. Gaston watched them from the boughs of a tall oak tree, positively bored as he awaited the arrival of the royal guards. Considering how much they were paying him to show them how to hunt down a cyclops of all things, he was surprised at their tardiness. He let out an annoyed grunt, eyes flickering back to the rough piece of wood he was whittling away at. He was not a patient man by nature, and given how long he had been away from Aldora, his mood was not improving.

Ever since Maldonia had been attacked a few weeks ago, Gaston had been constantly moving around from kingdom to kingdom. It seemed that everyone was desperate to remove every and any magical creature within their vicinity, and the number of hunting requests had gone through the roof. He hardly had time to see either Belle or LeFou at all before he was called away to deal with some beast that wasn’t nearly as much of a threat as the villagers claimed. It was annoying, being dragged out to deal with relatively harmless creatures, but money was money. Who was he to complain?

The sound of twigs snapping and the clumsy movements of the royal knights signaled their arrival far quicker than their actual appearance. Gaston looked up, the grazing deer below scattering away. That was never an assuring start. The hunter put the half-finished bear carving and his whittling knife into his satchel. He took hold of his trusted bow, drawing a solitary arrow and taking aim for the moving bushes. Gaston’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the space just above the soldiers’ heads. As soon as the first man made himself visible, he fired. The arrow shot overhead, nearly clipping the stranger before burying itself into the tree beside him. “First thing about hunting, try not making enough noise to wake the dead. A cyclops won’t be so merciful if it hears you coming.” He jumped down from his hiding place, scowling as he took in the knight and his companions in annoyance. “And which one of you thought it was a good idea to wear steel armor while bumbling about in the woods? If I can hear you, then everyone can.”

[danselaesmeralda-blog]

“Probably there are. If they are more friendly to us than Maleficent, then I hope they see how much we need the help and step forward. But it would be stupid to go track them down and try to force them to help us, if they’re as powerful as she is. Perhaps we’ll never have a great relationship with them again, but it’s just as likely that this is the perfect opportunity to try to salvage those bonds, don’t you think? Use this to show the world that we are collectively better than Maleficent thinks we are? I certainly hope no one goes to those lengths. That’s a surefire way to turn all magical folk against us. If it’s just against the dark fae like her, then maybe… Yes, he seemed a clever enough fellow, I’m sure he’s very cautious about who he tells.”

“That’s the other problem. Seems everyone’s too scared to make up their minds about what to do. It’s aggravating, but I guess baby steps are going to be the only way to do things. First step, stop everyone from killing each other and doing her job for her. Second step, get everyone to agree to band together and fight instead of cowering in a corner. Even animals mostly know they’re stronger together than on their own. Wolves travel in packs, herd animals stay close when predators come around, even cats will gang up if they deem the threat to be big enough. We can learn a lot of things from animals. Maybe that’s how we should start thinking.”

[gastonnbouchard]

“That’s a big ‘if’. It might be better for us to hunt them down the same as Maleficent for that very reason. Sure, they might be interested in helping us, but any one of them might simply fill in her shoes should we be lucky enough to slay her. It becomes a question of whether or not we can take that risk, and I’m not certain that we can. Leaving those powers unchecked is just begging for trouble, even if they remain inactive. Maybe, or we could damage them irrevocably. It will depend on how humans treat faeries after these attacks. It would explain why Maleficent is the way she is, assuming she was part of those culls. The royals ordered them in the hopes that it would make Verden safer. I’m glad to see how well that backfired.”

“Do we have time for baby steps? Who knows when the next attack is going to be? Assuming the rate at which they’ve been occurring, we might lose an entire kingdom’s worth of people in a matter of months. We don’t have time to hold hands, we need to act now, while she’s still preparing her next attack. Hopefully the pack mentality will kick in soon enough, but there’s no way of knowing when it will. If Maleficent figures out how to make us scatter like this again, things look grim.”

[danselaesmeralda-blog]

“They’re probably in hiding from people who want nothing to do with them now. Maleficent is after humans, yes, but her actions are reflecting badly on magical folk in general, and it’s making people scared. They don’t want the help of any faeries, regardless of their loyalties. That doesn’t exactly spell ‘good working relationship’, so the fae all start avoiding us to keep themselves safe. Or some get convinced that Maleficent is right and join her cause, because they see no reason to try to help us anymore. Either way, it is very likely they will all be more reticent to help us now. Well, not all. I did actually meet a fae that night. I didn’t get his name, but he was a nice guy, if a little eccentric. So perhaps there were more there, just afraid to out themselves in case people turned on them. There has to be give and take.”

“That’s what I mean. Infighting is the last thing anyone needs on top of the threat of death or enslavement at the hands of a mad witch. We need to get our shit together first. Time used to be that people from all over Verden got along pretty well. Now, we’re already starting to do Maleficent’s job for her. She doesn’t need to attack us outright, although she probably will just for kicks. But she could just let us work ourselves into a state of fear and watch us tear each other apart like those wraiths did. Aldora would have much bigger problems on its hands at that point. We need every ally we can get.”

[gastonnbouchard]

“Even if that was the case, there must be others who are as powerful as Maleficent. She surely can’t be the strongest among all of them, otherwise they would be following her to the ends of the Earth. So where are they? I honestly don’t know if our relationship with them will go back to normal once she’s taken care of. There’s too much bad blood between our kinds already. I’m surprised the kingdoms haven’t ordered a cull over all faeries, rather than just the bad ones. I heard they’ve happened in the past, when there used to be more of her sort. Did you really? Well for his sake, I hope that fae stays smart about who he reveals himself to. Since clearly the bulk of humans don’t trust them anymore.”

“That witch is probably laughing at all of us from whatever hellhole she came from. I, for one, am ready to fight, but over half of the kingdoms haven’t figured out where their alliances fall. I do have to give it to Maleficent for her execution; she was planning on making us fight one another, and it seems to be working. Humans can be just as bad, if not worse than wraiths when backed into a corner. This is why animals are so much easier to deal with- their intentions and feelings towards you are straightforward, at least. Allies are slim pickings at this rate, but hopefully they’re enough.”

[danselaesmeralda-blog]

“Her kind of fae are dangerous and untrustworthy by nature, as far as standard human morals go, but I have known many faeries in my life who want nothing to do with her idea of a perfect world. They would rather keep to themselves, mostly, or even work with us; they have none of her delusions of grandeur or dreams of violence. In one regard I agree: it would’ve been a relatively small price to pay to give her and those like her some land far from here, somewhere where they couldn’t be a danger to those of us not interested in their lifestyles or their magic. But her actions so far show that she’s taking an awful lot of joy in fucking with us all, so there’s always the possibility that even giving her what she wanted would not have been enough. Whatever the case, that’s not an option anymore. She’s coming for blood. I haven’t seen Prince Naveen, but I heard he’s been particularly shaken by it. Didn’t he get into it with some princess or another? A whole bunch of people were talking about it in town. I don’t blame him, but I hope he snaps out of it soon. It just takes a few people to stand up, but it’s a helluva lot more effective if those standing up are figureheads and powerful nobles. I can’t even get my family to listen to me about staying to help.”

[gastonnbouchard]

“If there are any fae who disagree with her, I haven’t seen them anywhere. You would think that they would have shown up that night to try and help, assuming they were among us. I don’t think they’re as reliable as we might hope- after all, Maleficent’s grudge is against humans, not faeries. Why would they give a damn? The way I see it, if we want to bring her down we can forget about getting help from them. Of course she enjoys it. She doesn’t want to defeat us- she wants us to suffer. Given the normally short lifespans of her kind, I bet I can guess why. Either way, she’s the sort to play with her food before eating it, which at least gives us a chance to fight back. You’re right about that. Maleficent probably won’t accept anything less than all of Verden by this point. One thing’s for sure; she won’t be getting Aldora without a fight. If that’s what she wants, then she’ll get it. Yes, I’ve heard about that. Bloody great job by him. If we have to add an inter-kingdom war to this mess, then we are truly fucked. Maleficent is bad enough on her own without adding politics to the matter.”

[gastonnbouchard]

Crashing Kingdoms Task #3: Gaston Bouchard Personality Chart

“ESTPs leap before they look, fixing their mistakes as they go, rather than sitting idle, preparing contingencies and escape clauses.”

“I never want to see any of them again, either. The dead are meant to stay dead, end of story. She’s not a god, no, but she is meddling with things that no one has any right to be meddling with. That makes her more dangerous, and more in need of being stopped. Less big parties for her to ruin will be a start, but we can’t just abandon each other, either. She’s made it clear she’s going to do whatever she can to clear space in the world for her kind. Sowing discord and fear of the unknown is the fastest way to do that, so that we tear each other apart first. We have to stick together, unite, otherwise she’ll pick us off one by one. I just hope we can start doing it sooner than later, before we lose more loved ones.”

[gastonnbouchard]

“I’ll drink to that. If I never see one of those creatures again, it will be too soon. I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. You think? This is exactly why the fae are not to be trusted. Nothing good ever comes from magic. Really though, what would have been the problem with giving the woman the land she wanted? If the royal families had dealt with her in the first place, none of this would have ever happened. We’re stronger as a group, but there were hundreds of us here tonight and only one of her, yet she tore us apart like it was nothing. Sure, it had been an ambush, but we need to stay one step ahead of her games. I’m not sure how well the uniting effort will go. Have you seen Maldonia’s prince? He looks like a walking ghost. We all do, really.”

[danselaesmeralda-blog]

“I wish it were just a bad bowl of punch, but I tripped over too many bodies to pretend otherwise. I’m sorry for your losses. To think so many people could be taken from like that in one night. It’s… it’s infuriating and terrifying at the same time. Part of me wants to find some secret corner of the world for my people to hide in until she’s finished her rampage, but part of me wants to go find her and knock some of her teeth out. She’s making life so unnecessarily difficult for everyone!”

[gastonnbouchard]

“It’s just so unreal. I’ve seen all sorts of magical creatures before, but I have never seen so many of those...things in one place. This isn’t just some pissed-off witch, but she isn’t a god either. This Maleficent, she’s something else entirely. As much as I agree with you, she can’t be brought down like your average beast. This is someone who knows every trick in the book, and who won’t stop until she’s the only one left. We need to be careful, and have fewer of these celebrations.”

[danselaesmeralda-blog]

“Yeah, chances are we won’t be going back to Maldonia for a while, much as I might hope otherwise. They’re pretty good to us there, but since the ball, my uncle’s been strict about people leaving camp or going off alone. We… we lost someone that night, so he’s worried. He’d probably chew us both out if he saw me talking to you.”

[gastonnbouchard]

“I understand the sentiment. I had come here looking for a good time with my friends, and now I’m going back to my village without a few people. I doubt that there’s anywhere in Verden that’s safe anymore, not when Maleficent was able to break into the heart of two capitals in a month. It’s just...That did happen, didn’t it? That wasn’t some fucked up fever dream she made us all have at once, right?”

[gastonnbouchard]

megcostas:

“Did you ever think that it’s possible two people could be grumpy at a party? Actually, with a face like that, I doubt you do much thinking. Probably got a sidekick to do that for you, huh? You know, most villains were what you call ‘snowflakes’ and now, everyone’s close to bowing to Maleficent. Maybe you’re happy, but is she? Didn’t I see that lady you brought dash off towards some ghostly man? It doesn’t pay very well, that’s why no one does it as a profession. We do it for the company, pretty boy. Well, since you’d prefer not, I’ll stick to just being cynical.”

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean? It is possible to have beauty, brawn and brains, you know. Life is unfair like that, but I have a feeling you’re already used to it. I do have a sidekick, but I also have friends, and none of them do the thinking for me. I can’t imagine you to have either with that pleasant tone. Do I look like I’m bowing to a psycho woman? I don’t think so. Another shocker- I have no problems with letting my girlfriend talk to other people. She isn’t the type to be swayed by a pretty face alone and she is, in fact, happy with me. At least we’ve reached some compromise in that regard. Cynical, I can deal with.”

[running-pietro-deactivated20160]

“How big are your woods? Tell me about them.” Large bodies of forestation weren’t common in Agrabah. There were trees and sometimes one could find them in small abundance, but those moments were far and few in between. So the idea of having lived surrounded by them was foreign to her. But he clearly knew his way around them. “Can’t say I’ve ever had the luxury of camping or using a snare.” Jasmine lived protected by the palace, having people tend to her, living in the highest of luxuries in Agrabah. So common things were usually out of her expertise, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to try them out. “Everyone has their talents, no one’s ever the same. I wouldn’t hold it against you too harshly.”

She listened quietly taking his words into account. “And how do you feel about the fae, Sir?” Everyone was having mixed feelings that bordered negative at the moment. Ever since Maleficent’s grand speech at the last festival, it thrown everyone on edge and paranoid. But it was better to get a grasp on the consensus while it was still early. The farthest thing Jasmine was going to do was hand her kingdom over that’s for sure. But judging the entire fae all on the actions of one person was a bit of a stretch for her. Still, she could admit that she was naive on the topic of them and would do her best to learn more while she could.

[gastonnbouchard]

“They cover a good amount of the land, though part of our kingdom is completely clear of it, as it borders the kingdom of Atlantica, and by default, the ocean. They’re quite dense in some areas, with many hills and valleys where magical creatures reside.” Gaston explained to her, thinking back to his homeland’s environment. For him, it was like trying to explain the sky- it was something he had always lived with, and was rarely away from. Of course, it also begged the question of where this woman did come from, if she lived somewhere that woods did not flourish.“My village is further inland than others, so we often come into contact with these beasts. Hence the need for hunters to keep the peace, in a sense.”

The hunter frowned, thinking of how best to address his companion’s question. “I wouldn’t trust them. It’s in a faerie’s nature to trick mortals, and while it’s often harmless, just as equally it can end in disaster. On other days they make it feel as though we’re only around because they allow it.” He certainly didn’t have to name the one who elicited that particular feeling. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, the less we have to do with faeries, the better off we are.”