Hopeful Eludicator

"You seem to be in excellent spirits. Did you discover a book to your liking?" (( Laurent from Fire Emblem RP Account - to be affiliated with Academia Mare. Currently in room 319 with B-ka. ))

[jackedmyswag]

it made sense for Laurent to be interested in such tomes.  the other mage’s investments was always a hunger for knowledge, no matter how minuscule or trivial. if anything ,the sheer diversity of the books he found in Laurent’s hands was a little overwhelming compared to himself, where he had always focused on strategy or accounts of war.

laurent’s knowledge, regardless of what they were interested in, could be interesting to listen to later on if any of these books came to fruit. robin had his doubts about actually being able to perform any of these duties.

carefully stacking the books in his arms, robin noticed that the pile in laurent’s own was still far larger. however, the tactician couldn’t think of an excuse to lighten laurent’s load any further. 

"Well then, shall we be off to your lodgings?"

a sly smile spread across his face as he waited for laurent’s response.

[mageane]

Curiously, the other male gave no raised-brows or disbelieving comments about this strange book choice at all - as if he knew very well that taste in books, and wasn't about to judge for it: hmm. This likely had to do with the matter of strange deja vu about the entire thing, and the fact that the male knew his name. As such, his theory about them perhaps meeting some time in past - the past that was so spookily unclear and fragmented when his mind recalled many things easily - was looking more and more correct.

How exactly did this male know him? Why did he wear robes akin to Morgan's? Furthermore - had he been an ally and trusted friend, once upon a time? The last thought was the question Laurent found himself most inwardly desiring to try and get an answer to. It simply would not do at all to forget a friend. For some reason, he...he found the thought of anyone forgetting him frightening, and somehow, it made...it made him feel lonesome.

Like something akin to that had happened to himself, and he shouldn't make anyone else have to go through it.  He honestly didn't know, but he was certainly knowledgeable enough to catch the hidden meaning of the male's words.

He couldn't help but feel inwardly a little amused at it.

"Ah, you seem quite interested in talking to me more, if I am to catch your little hidden meaning correctly - once I have the books safely in my lodgings where they shall not fall on anyone else, we shall have time to talk, indeed..."

[blindfoldallegro-deactivated201]

A mage? Was this person a…what was it called? A LARPer? No, no way. That would just be too much. It would explain the strange clothing, though. It would also mean he was very committed to staying in character.

"Practical uses…sounds like you have pretty noble goals there." Ignoring the topic of magic in Laurent’s speech, Kido smiled at the mage. "So you mostly study from books. What kind of things have you been able to discover so far?"

[mageane]

"Well, thank you kindly for the compliment."

Despite his seriousness, there was a genuine smile, there, at the praise for his goals - it was nice to know he was on the right track with aiding folk, and all! On the subject of what he'd discovered thus far, the mage's eyes seemed to light up, as he explained:

"In this school, I have managed to discover that many people do not believe in the powers of magic and such natural abilities in the place I come from, Yilesse - therefore, any attempts to help others magically here must be done carefully, cautiously. However, if I can impart my knowledge of magic to others in the process and help them to learn spells that can aid in day-to-day life or to aid them in doing difficult tasks, perhaps it would be a good idea to try and slowly introduce folk here to the magic I know.

I have also discovered that there is a most curious and fascinating variety of plants here visual-wise: some of those are some I recognize and have made healing salves to help bind wounds together faster when I myself get injured, and some have no particular use, but taste nice in teas. It would certainly be a good idea for me, in future, to study the plants I don't know here further...perhaps they, too, have wonderful applications in science or medically?"

The mage adjusted his glasses, before excitably continuing, practically beaming at being able to talk about wonderfully intriguing things he'd noted here so far.

"...Though as of yet, as you can see, I certainly have not discovered as many things as, perhaps, a more seasoned scientific mind. However, I can see so far, and thus believe this place holds much promise for information, and guiding me to discovering more to help others. At least, I should very well hope so."

That all said, Laurent (finally) stopped talking.

He certainly was passionate about his science, that much was obvious.

[crabclawsnap-deactivated2014042]

Amare Intro - Crabby Arrival

[crabclawsnap-deactivated2014042]

Karkat knew that no one here probably understands Sburb concepts, like Breath players. Sucks for them - well, maybe not. Sburb does bring about the apocalypse of any world that is cursed with its presence, so… Well, lucky you, mage-person. And everyone else, of course. Luck everywhere. Maybe they’re all secretly Light players.

cG: BASICALLY PEOPLE WHO CONTROL THE WIND AND WHATEVER.

He found it hard to explain, considering that there were many types of Breath players that use their powers in specific ways, and those specific ways affect certain people in specific ways, and - damn that’s a lot of specificness. That’s not even a word.

[mageane]

"Ah, I see...so they are similar to mages, then? Only, mages like myself can hold mastery over many kinds of magic, and - akin to your 'breath' players, we have a certain 'element' of magic we were best at. I'm good at using both fire and wind magic, after much training...there are mages who can use more than one kind of elemental power, but it takes a lot of focus and training, yes....I used to not be very good at summoning wind at all, and fire magic was my strong point."

At least...from what little he could remember.

"Ah, actually, it may be a great deal quicker to show you what mages can do, instead of talking on and on..."

Closing his eyes a moment in concentration, willing the spell and it's memory to come forth, he then spoke, on opening his eyes again:

"Fire...!"

A small flame slowly flickered to life in the empty space of his hand that he had unclenched, curling around the mage's gloved fingers as if he had total control of it. Carefully holding the small flame, Laurent then placed his other hand on top of the flame, snuffing it out of existence.

"That's only a small demonstration, mind...I dare not use too powerful magic in the hallways for obvious reasons, but hopefully it was an adequate example."

"Granted, there are many wonderful scientific things about magic and it's not as simple as it looks, but given you seem surprised about the knowledge of it, it would be more sensible to leave those talks for another time."

[mageane]

Animals are intriguing (and cute).

[wyvernbatman]

Ah.

How could he be so foolish as to forget a face as familiar as he so easily? Behind his mask, Gerome averted his gaze out of embarrassment. How he did not initially recognize Laurent is beyond him. Embarrassing, to say the least. The rider shifted his weight, his gaze still focused elsewhere; anywhere but the Ylissian before him. He should have recognized a comrade’s face easily, however he failed to do even that.

"I see," is the most that Gerome responds with as he shifts himself into silence.  Not recognizing Laurent of all people! The mage of which Gerome got along the best with on a normal basis, considering that their outlooks and demeanor are almost identical. Why had Laurent slipped his mind so easily? If pinned on a repressed memory, then why Laurent; why a child he got along so easily with? Questions like those will be posed at another time. Even from the back, Laurent should be nigh recognizable.

Then again, his mask limits his field of vision.

"Forgive me. I did not recognize you right away." A nod came from the rider. “You’re wise to learn how to get along with horses in preparation. I expected nothing less from you.” Idly, on this rare case of Gerome wishing for social interaction, he approaches to speak to Laurent on a more informal level. His gaze shifts to the stables, watching briefly the horses at play. "I would offer aid, but my expertise with horses are next to none. Them and wyverns have drastically different temperaments, obviously. Regardless, the smaller horse seemed to have enjoyed your company before I scared it."

Speaking so much is odd to the rider. On a typical day, he wishes not to interact with any of his comrades on an extended scale. Laurent proves himself to be good company; hence, Gerome finds himself more willing to pass more than just a cold stare his way.

[mageane]

Ah, it looked like his verboseness had resulted in remembrance, here, and Laurent, despite still looking as serious as ever, couldn't help feeling a little bemused inwardly about it all. Was his manner of speech that lengthy that it was the most recognizable thing about him? He'd assumed it would be his mother's hat he always wore, given how pointed it was, but evidently not. Well, his companion had recalled him, and that was the main thing!

"That's quite alright. As I priorly mentioned, I suppose appearance-wise, I look like any other normal Yilessean mage, no? It's only natural, therefore, that from the back a friend might not recognize me instantly." Logical reassurances aside, he nods at Gerome's other words.

"I suppose I shouldn't treat them as 'my own', you are correct in what you said before...but if I treat them the way I would treat a horse normally, then I can better perceive their reactions to certain types of speech and hand motions, and therefore train my own horse when I befriend one a lot easier. At least...in theory!"

Explanations aside, Laurent still looks a bit sheepish, though.

"Granted, I know it looks a very childish thing on first glance, but if you treat animals with the same respect and kindness you do people, my father always used to say - they will be more willing to aid you. You and Minerva are wonderful examples of this logic being true, also. How is she, by the way?"

Though he was usually very formal indeed with most folk, with his friend Gerome, he didn't have that problem as much. Because of their similarities, he was a relaxing person - someone you could reveal a bit more of your 'true self' around, so Laurent was sincerely glad the other DID remember him, after all.

"Yes, every animal is as different as every person...but I quite enjoy our talks, so I'm quite content to chat and try to get to know the horses in equal measure."

The mage was actually giving more than a small smile here, that's how much he enjoyed the chats with a good friend.

[crabclawsnap-deactivated2014042]

Amare Intro - Crabby Arrival

[crabclawsnap-deactivated2014042]

cG: ELEMENTAL? ARE YOU A BREATH PLAYER?

The breath players he knew were Egbert, who was nerdy as hell, and Tavros, who was a complete pushover. Plus Tavros died, so that’s a thing. …Well, died and stayed dead. Sburb deaths are never what they seem.

cG: I DON’T REALLY MIND THE WALK. I GET TO SEE WHERE THE F- … WHERE I AM.

You’re so used to using profanity, that you’re almost letting it slip in front of someone you don’t even know. Normally cursing all the time would be okay Karkat, but geez, these are humans, not trolls. Humans actually have feelings that they display outwardly. …Now that Karkat thinks about it, so do Alternians… Though not as much. Quadrants don’t really count, in his opinion.

[mageane]

"Breath...player? I'm afraid I don't know what that is, sir Karkat. I am a mage, capable of using flame and wind magic...but, please, feel free to enlighten me if you like, however: we're still a few minutes away from the end of the hall. If you don't know what a mage as myself can do, we can exchange in a  swapping of information...no doubt it shall make the walk seem shorter."

To be honest, the promise of learning something new had caught his interest and curiosity, as easily as a honey trap might catch a bee. He couldn't quite resist that, being the scholarly mage he strived so hard to be!

[blindfoldallegro-deactivated201]

"Kido." The green-haired girl nodded. "So you’re a scientist then, yeah? What kind of experiments do you run?" Most likely something high-end, judging by the way he spoke. He seemed more like a philosopher than a scientist, really. Though Kido should’ve known better than anybody not to judge a book by their cover.

[mageane]

"Well, I...suppose you could call me a 'scientist', whatever those are? Are they like a differing kind of mage? ...But I shan't let my confusion derail me from the topic. I dream of becoming a true scholar, one who can find the truth from great legends. So I mainly study magic and intriguing matters, and attempt to find new practical uses for them. Ways that can help people to fulfil day to day life, or enrich it...that is the goal of my studies."

Despite his seriousness on the subject, talking about his dream....brought the faintest of smiles to his face.

He couldn't quite help it, but talking about it just...made it seem more solid and close to becoming real. Perhaps, in a way, that too was a kind of magic, as childish as it were.

[mageane]

Laurent's just blinking behind his glasses, here.

What on earth did he miss with that supposed ' game' of Truth or Dare that resulted in him spotting someone out of the corner of his eye that he was CERTAIN was Owain, heading towards where he saw Gerome last?

(Gerome's a private person, so the last thing the mage expected is for someone to willingly walk in there. Even HE'S not that game, as relaxed as he feels talking to Gerome.)

This school is truly a most curious and intriguing place.

About as interesting to study as Owain's theatrics, almost.

Maybe next time he should attend so that he can study the science of it?

[jackedmyswag]

precarious was one way to describe the pillar of books surging from laurent’s hands. yet this was something robin himself was quite familiar with, with all the strategy books they had lying around in the barracks.  

"It is indeed, thank you." leaning over to pick up the mjolnir tome, robin quickly scans it for any signs of tears or bends or scratches.  any of those would reduce the damage output if he really needed to use it in a time of need (though he really hoped he didn’t need to in a place as peaceful as this).

the last time he had talked to laurent, the mage had a stack of books as impressive as this one.  there was no doubt that laurent’s ability to pick out books were unparalleled, and yet robin knew how annoying it was to have to weary of stragglers like himself who didn’t watch out for the way. 

"You don’t mind if I give your library a glance, do you?"

it was a sly way of saying that he wanted to help out with laurent’s books, since robin figured it would be too embarrassing to ask.

[mageane]

Ah, the logical assumption that the last book un-sorted on the ground was the vaguely familiar male's tome was correct, as suspected, and it didn't seem like the far more potent magical tome had been outwardly damaged in any way. So in the end, there was no harm done, but the fact remained that maybe he shouldn't quite have stacked the pile of books quite this high again. Perhaps next time he should borrow the great deal of books in the library he wanted to borrow and get to read and know in smaller 'stacks' one at a time, or just teleport them straight to his room.

...Though Laurent still didn't know how his room-mate would react to the sheer amounts of books. Hopefully they'd take it well. Thoughts aside, the male then enquired as to taking a glance at the plethora of books.

"Ah, by all means, go ahead. It's the least I can do for barrelling into you with them like that...though I'm not all that sure that such spells as these would be to your liking as well."

Amongst the 'useless but amusing' spell books were:

Using Wind magic on water to create bubbles 101

Telepathy for as long as you hold your breath - a brief study

Rainless Rainbows and you

Obnoxiously lengthy-to-cast teleportation spells

Spells of Talking to animals - but only ever understanding one word from them

Levitation for amusement 

...So, Laurent had good reason to muse maybe the stranger might not like such spells as that, because they were all essentially 'useless' - except for the fact that they made people smile. That was the reason he, Laurent, liked them, anyway.

[mageane]

Can Magic only exist in dreams?

The dare proffered to him had been simplistic, almost laughably so, in wording, but the fact of the matter this would be a very curious thing: this dare being to offer to talk to a complete stranger and speak about the magic he knew so well as a mage to them. Quite a few people he'd told about him being a mage had not believed him about it, scoffing that there was no such thing as magic, that it could only exist in 'dreams' or something equally childish.

Laurent had found such scoffing rather amusing, and hadn't seen it as worth his time to argue the truth back to anyone. No doubt even if he summoned fire in the palm of his hand in front of such disbelief, they'd still not believe him, most likely, so there was little point to doing such childish things as an argument.

So to try and talk sensibly about magic to someone and see if a complete stranger had a similar reaction to what he had seen already, sounded an interesting thing. If anything, it would make for an intruiging scientific pursuit -  did all the people here that weren't his allies not believe in magic any longer?

Ah, there was a stranger, passing by now. "Excuse me, miss. May I have a moment of your time? I would like to talk with you about magic...but if you are already preoccupied with something else, I shall talk to someone else about the matter."

The simplest way to listen to the dare's request of 'ask someone you DON'T know about magic' was to talk to the nearest passer-by - and seeing as how this pink-clad madam was the closest 'stranger', he'd try to talk to her. If she didn't want to talk, though, he'd try talking to another person to fulfil the dare.

[mageane]

Truth or Dare: Dare - Offer to talk about magic to someone you don't know.

"Hm? What an odd request this is, but certainly a 'dare' I can do. Well, whoever I happen to see passing me by next will be who I speak to about it, if I don't know them. Perhaps I may be lucky and be able to find someone with such an interest as practical scientific use for magic as myself?"

[mageane]

Animals are intriguing (and cute).

[wyvernbatman]

The smart thing to do would be to know your surroundings well before partaking in any sort of activity of which these island chains have in store. An odd sense of urgency guides Gerome’s actions. He wished to know these island chains as quickly as possible; for what reason, he is unsure. His urgency lies without context, which alone frustrates him to no end. 

The islands provided Gerome with a plethora of alien technology. Boats were reinforced with heavy material that theoretically should not be floating on the water at all, an automated, reinforced cart on a single vertical pole. To Gerome, neither option seemed very safe or practical; thankfully the rider had his own means of transportation. Minerva needs her exercise, anyways.

Aerial travels had lead him to a more visually familiar compound; the stables. Back in what was left of Ylisse, horse stables were commonplace, as they were the typical mode of transportation. Perhaps he will pay the stables a visit. That thought fresh in mind, Minerva makes her landing, and with a gentle pat of her snout and a hushed “Wait here”, the wyvern is hitched on a pole and the rider wanders off.

Someone else is already here— someone with a manner of dress he’s familiar with. A Ylissean magic user…?

Ah, perhaps. Seeing Severa around opened Gerome’s eyes to the possibility of other Ylisseans attending this very academy for reasons unknown to him. As per typical, Gerome kept his distance until formally addressed. The stranger (A stranger? Can’t be.) immersed themselves in speaking to and giving affections to the horses. Of course, his presence disturbed the horses, hence, alerting the other to his presence.

Brows quirked behind the mask he dons, and Gerome’s lips part to speak. "Enough," was his simple answer. "You speak to the horses as though they were your own."

This odd sense of familiarity… Gerome could not shake it.

[mageane]

The answer from the stranger was blunt, curt as Laurent expected it to be - but...but this was certainly no stranger! He'd recognize one of his friends and stalwart companions even if a worrying amount of his own past was missing information-wise. Furthermore, even if he had amensia about his friends, whcih he certainly did not (and was glad for it) - this particular individual's mask would have been distinctive enough to make him recall the other straight away.

Gerome, the wyvern rider - and a friend of which Laurent felt like he got along with because they shared a similar sense of seriousness. Most of the time, anyway. It looked like the other didn't quite recognize his face, though, either that or he, too, had forgotten things about his past for whatever reason. "It is somewhat of a childish action in appearance, I do know that you are quite correct in saying this. However, I should very much like to progress and become a dark rider someday. In which case, trying to get to know horses better, given dark riders work with them, is quite essential: I did not have the honour of growing up close to a particular animal most of my life as you did, Gerome."

A pause, after that explanation, as Laurent regarded his ally with the faintest of smiles, for once, not looking quite as serious. 

"I don't blame you for not quite recognizing me right away, given I am likely not...the most impressionable of mages. I have much to learn before I am on the same level as my mother or father...but it's me, Laurent. It's nice to see you again, though the circumstances could certainly have been less embarrassing on my part."

Hopefully, musing his name again to his friend would help him remember. If not, though, he might have to jog the other's memory a bit.

...For some reason, the thought of being....forgotten wasn't one that made him feel all that happy. Laurent didn't understand why, but...perhaps all humans held that primal worry and fear inside.

That seemed the most rational explanation. Yeah.

[mageane]

Animals are intriguing (and cute).

Having had the matter of 'fancy stables' on the island recently having opened told to him, the mage had mused to himself that as he had answered to the person who talked to him about it - going over and trying to get used to horses was something he expressed an interest in, should he ever become strong enough to become a Dark Rider through the magical use of the greatly magic-imbued item called a 'Master Seal'. The fact you could ride on one of those fascinating steel boats - or a strange magical silver thing called a 'mohorail' - only attracted Laurent further to it all.

He could actually try to figure out one of those steel boats or the 'mohorail' while it took him to the second island, and then investigate the horses after that. At least, that was the theory - but the 'mohorail' he had decided to take was...faster than a pegasus, maybe (he'd never ridden on one, so he wouldn't know...) and given him little time to sit in awe about the advanced magics at work, and the sheer speed made him a little dizzy.

...Perhaps the wiser option was to stick to boats or teleportation magic, for the time being. Oh dear Naga...but getting some fresh air certainly helped, and seeing the horses moving around the large area kept for them was nice, too. One or two of them flicked their ears in vague interest at the human, as he carefully approached the fence.

"Hello, there, horses. Are you all having an eventful day?"

He wished he had saved a carrot or two, but no doubt that would spoil the food left out for them.

The horses gave a snort, and walked along.

"Ah? Nobody much has come along this way? I see. Would any of you like a rub behind the ears?"

Laurent proceeded to hold out a gloved hand, one of the smaller ponies snuffling and approaching slowly. Only, something spooked the small horse at the last moment, and it darted away from him.

Aw...wait. Turning, Laurent jumped in alarm at seeing someone was behind him.

Well...this was embarrassing.

"Oh my. ...H-how much of that did you hear, if I may ask?"

Talking to animals was probably seen as a silly thing to do, goodness.

[blindfoldallegro-deactivated201]

She shrugs. “Who knows? I just sort of…felt like it. And you were the nearest person, so.” There really was no reason for it, now that she thinks about it. Some sort of cosmic force? No, that was far too cliché. Who even says ‘cosmic force’ anymore?

[mageane]

"Ah, so following basic human instinct? To follow the bounds of human curiosity - all of us have been enraptured by flights of fancy like that at some time, so  I don't mind that at all. I find myself chasing the bounds of science and such out of curiosity and desire myself, so in that way, I suppose there is a similarity."

Nodding to himself, he then paused in thought for a while, then talking again.

"My name is Laurent. Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name, too?"

[jackedmyswag]

robin, on the other hand, recognizes the hat immediately as one of miriel’s, or he supposes by the sound of the male voice, it must be laurent.  he was there in the dessert as they tried to hunt down the mirage village, after all.  the thought of the damn near mounds and mounds of sad makes his throat go dry.

he clears his throat, gratefully accepting the gloved hand and dusting himself up as he clambers to his feet.  he pulls the half-slung hood off his head. although the panic seizes him immediately, robin tries to brush that worry aside. 

how could laurent be the one standing in front of him… if they lost the final battle?  robin’s head quickly runs calculations for any possibilities, but finding none, he supposes the best way would be to ask for an answer if the opportunity came up. for now, there was no harm in being friendly.

robin sighs of relief, leaning over to help laurent stack his library. “Thank you, Laurent.  I’ll help carry the rest of your stack so this doesn’t happen again.”

and then he forced himself to chuckle, “Don’t worry, I won’t fall again.”

[mageane]

The hooded stranger thankfully gets to their feet with little problem, prompting the mage to almost give a sigh of relief - yet that motion catches in his throat and doesn't quite make it all the way there as the hood sweeps back, and a terrible sense of deja vu overcomes him. W-what's all this, now? He's never seen this male before, or has he? There is indeed a lot of his past that is a worrying blank, so the fact this male seems so darn familiar would imply that maybe he HAS met the male before...before he woke up in this place with a good deal of his memories about the past missing, anyway.

Hm...that can be left for another time, however. As can the fact the male's robes look startlingly similar to the ones he knows Morgan always wears, assisting the fellow comes fir - wait hold on a moment did the male just call him by name? Then they HAD met before! Ugh, why couldn't he recall? Trying to force himself to remember wouldn't do him any favours, however.

He had a headache as it was.

"I should very well hope I don't make you fall again! I mean, the last thing you need if you use tomes like me is unknowingly taking the wrong book and then having a useless spell appear in a serious situation! That would be potentially quite dangerous - is that your book, there?"

Glancing over as he did his best to steady the literal 'library' in his arms, there was one book left over...so logic pertained it was this male's, correct?

Still, the deja vu about all this was very odd...for some reason, he felt a bit more relaxed and calmer around this other male. Even if he couldn't remember, such a calming person would be nice to try and get to know again, right?

[blindfoldallegro-deactivated201]

Kido was unsure why, but she was feeling compelled to strike up conversation suddenly. First time for everything, right?

"Hey. How’s it going?"

[mageane]

Laurent pauses to blink curiously at the stranger. He's...not all that used to being approached by total strangers willingly, but...knowing people are willing to chat (that he doesn't have to be alone - wait, where did that thought come from?) makes him smile, just a tiny bit, despite his seriousness.

"All things considered, things could be better...but they're not all that bad, either. Just average at the moment, really. What piqued you to ask this of a total stranger such as myself, though, if I may ask a query of my own?"

[mageane]

Horses: What do you think about the new equestrian center? Have you tried interacting with the horses?

"What's an...equestrian center? Is that like a fancy name for this place's stables? If so, I haven't explored it as of yet, but I'd like to do so and talk to the horses. You see, if I ever become more proficient in dark magic, I could become a dark knight some day, and they work with horses...so it'd be a good idea to get to know horses a bit if that ever comes to fruition."

That's all of his answer.

Totally wouldn't go to see horses to try and give them pats and say 'cute' things to them because he likes animals like his dad.

Nope.

Of course not.

[mageane]

Uuugh. I guess I owe you a date for voting for me. Look forward to it.

"...!"

Laurent blinks in a mixture of disbelief, and slight awkwardness.

...Well.

Okay then.

"I didn't vote for you for that reason, you know. Despite all my grumblings and complaints I make to you at times, we are still allies. We are still friends and comrades. Therefore, seeing as you are my friend, I wanted to do something kind for you merely because that is the sort of thing friends do, is it not? You needn't feel obliged to take me anywhere."

Plus, he doesn't know much about the 'science' of 'dates'. 

(Where's Morgan when you need her? She knows a lot about that kind of thing, right?)