(Art Credit: Mun)
Secularch - from Secular (not pertaining to religion) and Arch Knight (a bow cavalry class in the Jugdral duology)
More rough info available under the cut:
Deimne is taken from a post-Genealogy timeline where he is not married and Muirne is alive. Isaach is under its rightful ruler, and he has gone back to being a relative nobody.
As of current standing, I will be writing Deimne and Lester as having existed concurrently, rather than Deimne completely erasing Lester. In part this is because (as of May 2026) we currently have an Edain with a preferred partner and a Lana muse, and I don't want to overstep anything in that regard, and in part because I like Lester and don't want to completely erase him. As such, dialogue and events shared between the two will not be considered canon towards my portrayal of Deimne (i.e. scouting with Oifey in Chapter 6), but rather used as supplemental to my portrayal of Deimne.
For Canon Gen2 characters, I will be writing Deimne as being acquainted at best on his end. He is more on the reserved end of the spectrum, and has a lot of feelings on the matter of Holy Blood and the nobility of Jugdral, so I don't see him being overly familiar with any particular canon kid. If you want to write a different dynamic with your muse, however, I am fully on-board with this!
Relationships-wise, I will be writing Deimne as having a crush on his childhood friend Corinne (event in Chapter 6, where he gains 5 strength), and as such I am closed to Deimne forming a canon relationship in TOA. AUs and Ask Games are fair game for exploring these dynamics.
More info can be found on the Muse and Mun pages on Deimne's account.
Word gets out that the mayor of Baile’s daughter is an infamous foodie. Though the town hasn’t put in an order for her sake, various cooks in the monastery get fired up with the hope of creating a dish that will satisfy her. Informal competition between all these chefs sparks to life, each using the festival as an excuse to prove themselves the best cook in all of Garreg Mach. However, when you go to taste test for one of these chefs, you taste something horrifically wrong and your body starts to go numb. For reasons unknown, you’ve been poisoned.
The Ethereal Ball was both too distant a memory to properly remember everything and too close an occassion for anything else to get through Deimne's mind, but the flow of time remained ever flowing. It was a new day, and the town was abuzz with news of a far-flung land and a young girl with one desire - food, and apparently a lot of it.
Walking into the food hall of Garreg Mach, Deimne's senses were flooded with the aroma of fresh, warm meals and the sights of gorgeous plates almost too pretty to eat. No effort spared from anything, in great contrast to the plain popcorn that was served and consumed there and the flowers.
He didn't need to try anything like that again, but just thinking it conjured up the bitter taste, the image of a half-eaten orchid and a new aquaintence formed… Despite the circumstances, he wouldn't take that last part away for the world.
And as if luck were on his side, here she was once again, a shock of red-pink hair he could never forget. "Oh, hey Yunaka." Deimne gave her a wave and a smile. She should recognise him, right? It hadn't been that long, and he doesn't look too different… "How've you been holdin' up?"
Happy Pride Month! Here's what Deimne is keen to explore this time. As an unaffiliated mercenary in Garreg Mach Town and primed after a pretty decent ball (and mun is not very busy this month), he can take on any tasks anyone is willing to throw his way.
Mission Board:
Bow +1. Pure, simple hunting. It's easy to get relaxed in an environment where you know what you're doing, ad if you need to decompress after the stressful ball season, Deimne's willing to lend you an ear. Alternatively, if you're the devious type and willing to fudge the numbers, Deimne is here to be the voice of "but why though?".
Non-Mission Board:
Amiibo gazebo, specifically for any other flower eaters. For those not in the know, Deimne ended up eating a flower at the Ethereal ball, and he is looking to connect with any who did similar (I know you're out there :eyes:). Whether he's reaching out or not, I don't mind, I can play it both ways.
CAT CAFE!!! I love cats, I want Deimne to love cats, I want our muses to hang out in a cafe full of cats, I want them to love cats.
In addition, I am fully available to plot anything on the mission board if you want!
You look at the bouquet in hand. It's a bit rough around the edges, despite others reaching out to help neaten everything out. Perhaps it's the one half-chewed flower tucked right at the back that ruins the otherwise pretty good display. But it's certainly not an award-winning bouquet. Someone presses it down to commemorate the night, and with a smile says "You can do better next year, I know you can."
In spite, you feel proud in the now. It's the first right steps, and after tonight you can call others a friend. Perhaps, you can carry forth and bloom, just like a bouquet.
But for now, you are exhausted. You dip from the celebrations as warm sunlight pierces through the horizon line, heading back to your keep. You are ready to sleep for at least a day, perhaps more.
Activity Status: Passed
Skill Point Total: 5 -> 6
Skill Point Allocation: Riding (D -> D+)
New Rewards: N/A
New Classes Accessed: N/A
Classes Mastered: N/A
Threads Started: 4
Threads Finished: 1 (0 dropped, 1 concluded)
What A Wonderful Buffet We Have (w. Yunaka)
Current Active Threads: 6
Threads I owe: 0
Currently waiting on: 6
UnFunction (w. Eirika)
On the Routier’s Route (w. Soren)
Preparations due Soiree (w. Camilla)
Art Draco (w. Dimitri)
waste not want not (w. Ananke)
relationship charting (w. Leif)
Housekeeping: As mentioned in the little blurb above, Deimne did not trade 5 flowers, and tbh I am very happy he didn't. He's still learning to be more involved with people, and I am very happy he had a chance to interact with others in any sense. But for his current development, I think it makes sense he didn't achieve it immediately. Still, I am proud of him. Well done, Deimne, and thank you to everyone who interacted with him! Ball was a blast!
Anyway, onto more exciting stuff: I am (not officially, still waiting on grades, but functionally) out of university! So I'm hoping to be more active of an RPer on here! In addition, it's fast approaching the time I rejoined TOA! I'm not doing anything special, but wow. This past year has been incredible, and I am so happy I get to write with all of you. I love you guys.
[ SQUIRM ] "...Does anyone notice that the board is always landing on red?" Bruno frowns, tilting his head toward a nearby onlooker. "I've never seen a person turn into a straight line."
Huh, so it has…
If there were two separate boards, then maybe there would be foul play at hand, but the body parts and colored sections were on the same spinner. Deimne hummed, not wanting to spin it and get roped into a game he’d no hope of winning. Especially if it landed red again.
“Maybe everyone is getting unlucky?” It’s not a good explanation, but it’s the only thing he can think of at this moment in time.
[ WATER ] - The liquid of life, the quencher of thirst. Served in crystalline glasses. And what’s more dramatic than throwing water at someone’s face!
“i, uh... i-i really like your clover pin,” bernadetta finally finds the courage to mutter, and if he hasn't heard her, it's perfectly fine—she only hurries the glass of water to her lips in case he hasn't, so she isn't left standing there awkwardly, and never mind if she nearly chokes on the first sip.
Deimne’s ear prick up. “Oh, uh, thanks.” It was an impulse buy at the stand, but it goes nicely with his necklace. He fiddles with it, before looking over at her. “I like the flowers on your dress.”
He watches her lift the glass, and drinks from his own cup. It’s just water. By this point, he would’ve thought someone would’ve messed with it, like adding glitter or fire to it, but it’s just water. It’s refreshing.
“Nice water we’re having,” Deimne says, trying to fill the air between them. But he wouldn’t mind if they just drink in silence.
At Deimne's answer, Leif blinks dumbly, wondering what might be the story behind that. But before he can figure out the words to ask, the dance has already finished, and his fellow brunet's handed him his flower as is customary for this.
Leif will hand his lily in return, and then they'll be off to their own nights: two paths that intersect for convenience but then diverge.
His time's running out then.
“Sure, but...” Leif still does listen to the tradition, still does pull out one of his lilies and holds it out in offering, but it comes with a question: “What did you mean by what you said earlier?? If you grew up together, isn't that enough??”
One question grows to multiple, Leif helpless as he fails to grasp the situation.
“What's the difference between a childhood friend and someone you just grew up with?”
Deimne blinks at the question, taking the lily from Leif. He puts it into his bouquet while answering, concentrating on the arrangements to not look him in the eye.
"I'm not from Tirnanog, not initially. We, me and my sister, Muirne, we grew up in a nearby city, but we moved when I was young. I didn't know why at the time, but in hindsight it was pretty obvious. Tirnanog, it was one of the safest places in Isaach."
His hand instinctively reaches for his necklace, and for a brief moment he contemplates telling Leif about his old friends, about Corinne and their connection, but he lets it go. He fiddles with it with one hand, a smile forming on his face.
With nowhere he could turn his attention to avoid Leif, Deimne faces him. "There, I learnt a key difference between me and Lord Seliph - he's noble, and I'm not. People like me, we'd have no place next to him usually, but..." he shrugs. "Muirne wanted to help out, and I didn't want her going alone. So, I joined in." Not much help, but in the end he did something, and that's more than nothing.
"I trust Lord Seliph with my life, and I know he's a good man, but I don't think we're close enough to call friends."
It was important to follow up on every lead about the killer, but not every lead warranted thorough investigation. This one, for example, had led them to what appears to be a den of traps. She has tried the door out to no avail. It is locked and the only way out is forward.
"Please, call me Eirika. You are—"
"WELCOME HOPEFUL CONTESTANTS!
Eirika jumps at the sudden booming voice that fills the air.
"WELCOME TO MY FUN HOUSE! WILL YOU BE THE LUCKY ONES WHO GET TO SURVIVE? LET'S FIND OUT! TONIGHT'S GAME IS BOMB TOSS!"
Before them appears a platform with a small round object topped with a dormant light. It doesn't appear to be an ordinary explosive. Perhaps a magically enchanted one?
"THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A BOMB AND THEN YOU RUN, RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN TO THE BOMB CONTAINER. BECAUSE IF YOU HOLD ONTO IT FOR TOO LONG, THE BOMB WILL EXPLODE!"
A light flickers on down the corridor and illuminates what she assumes is the bomb container. And between it and them is a small moat of acid.
Eirika casts a worried look toward Deimne. "I do not believe that we have a choice."
"LET'S GET THIS SHOW STARTED!"
The light on the bomb flickers to a slowly pulsating red.
He's a little hesitant to take the bomb, but Eirika's right. There's no other choice that he can see, and disobeying whatever madman made this place is definitely not the right choice. Deimne gives her a nod, picking up the bomb.
The bomb has a decent weight to it, the surface smooth to the touch. It's not the easiest to grip onto, so he hugs it close to his body instead. Deimne looks ahead. Aside from the acid, the path itself was mostly empty. Good. He wasn't in the mood to die today.
"Deimne, it's you!" Seliph thought he spotted a familiar face in the crowd of Ethereal Ball attendees. He is proven right once he gets a closer look. They were never particularly close, but it hardly stops Seliph from directing a warm smile his way. "When did you arrive in Fódlan? I visited Tirnanog a few months ago, but we must've missed each other... I don't think I saw Muirne either."
“Oh, Lord Seliph!” The familiar face of the Liberation Army’s leader, ever standing against the darkess, and leading the way for the bright future Jugdral now lives in. He wasn’t a major factor in Seliph’s plight, just a guy who got wrapped up into a war that wasn’t really his to begin with, but to be remembered by the leader is a niceness he hadn’t expected but warmly welcomed. “I’m surprised you remember my name, it’s nice to see you again.”
Speaking of seeing each other again, they had missed that chance a little earlier. And by the sounds of it, Muirne missed him too. She’d be devastated to learn that. If Deimne had joined for Muirne’s sake, then she did it for Seliph. Though to hear of Garreg Mach touching ground in Tirnanog… Deimne vaguely remembered it, though the details were fuzzy. Maybe he had heard of the academy in passing when they were here?
He can’t remember, but Deimne’s sure it isn’t just a coincidence.
He shrugs. “Not too long ago, must’ve been a month and a half by now. Figured after everything back home was settled, I’d try looking for work elsewhere. Home’s fine, and Muirne’s well as well. She misses you, my Lord.” If she had known Seliph would be here, maybe she might’ve come along and found a place here…
[ FLOWER ARRANGEMENT ] "Oh, excuse me...!" The wallflower pushes herself away from the wall, hurrying after one of the ball-goers who'd just passed her by.
"Excuse me," she says again, more softly as she comes into range of him. A hand hovers near his flowers, but hesitates to touch without permission. "One of the flowers at the back of your bouquet is getting bent..."
"Hm?" He's getting a little rusty, the general noise and hubbub of the ball distracting him long enough from someone approaching him. A hand closes on his bouquet, and he eyes where it's headed. "Oh!"
He holds the bouquet out, inviting her to rearrange it. "I think you'd know more about flowers than me, miss. And please, take one, as thanks."
[ CHOCOLATE ] - Stefanelli’s has partnered with the monastery to make the most of the supplies left in excess of their workshops earlier in the year by offering packages of sweet chocolates for attendees. The offerings appear generous… that is, until you open your box to find it only half full.
"Why do you think they've packaged them like this if they didn't intend to fill them." A moment before her eyes widen just the slightest bit. "Unless...do you think someone ate some before they were handed out?"
The mystery of the half-filled chocolate boxes had been weighing on his mind for a while now, and formerly it was good faith that led Deimne to believe that it was just an incident of high expectations not being met. He could understand that, he's been there before. But now that she's bringing it up...
The doubt creeps in, as does the realisation: Stefanelli is highly praised and celebrated around these parts, yet they couldn't fill the boxes up for the students here? Would someone really stoop that low, just to get some chocolate?
Probably. If it was high-quality enough, people'd do anything. "Maybe..." he hummed, before pausing. Deimne dropped his voice lower, leaning in closer. "You think they're still here, somewhere?"
[ SHAVED ICE ] [ CORN ] Forde's new ball experiment: mixing different foods together. "Want to try some?" He asks. It's alright, he thinks, maybe he'll ask if he could get some fruit syrup without the ice.
"Sure, anything's got to be better than the plain corn." And the flowers, Deimne adds mentally, but he's not going to make him aware of the events from earlier...
He grabs a spoon, and takes a bite of the concoction. The feel is very off, the ice melted onto the corn gives it an unwanted somewhat claggy texture, but the flavour? That's a lot better than before, and it overpowers Deimne's negativity towards the texture.
He takes another bite to affirm his position. "You know, if you could just stop the ice from melting, I think this'd be a hit."
IT'D ALL STARTED WHEN SHE'D SEEN 𐂂 a dolled-up foreign princess in finery toss out a completely-untouched strawberry cream pastry. completely untouched! there was no way of knowing why she'd taken it in the first place if she wasn't planning on eating it, when there was anyone else who could have.
it'd only escalated from there——peering into the trash baskets was a cold slap to the face ; there were entire feasts in them! entire sandwiches, cakes, sweetmeats, discarded, each of them at best half-eaten.
she couldn't help but count each of them by how much she would've paid years ago to have it: this basket was at least three-thousand gold, that one well over ten. and she was estimating modestly ; with no expenses spared for the noble and wealthy, the ingredients being used had to be way beyond the price of the things she was used to eating.
it had her winded, a little light-headed. by the time she found herself in the back corridors, pulling a plate of three unbitten eclairs from the rubbish, her eyes have hardened to flint and her ears have flared at the sides of her head with rancor. she wasn't desperate enough anymore to eat it, thank elnias, but it hadn't been so long ago that she was. and now what? she'd just put it back?
. . . helplessly, she realizes there's nothing else she can do. she can't send it back to notia, can't go back in time and give it the ones who hadn't survived. her face falls as she drops the plate back into the refuse, seeing grasping hands, thin bodies, and faces sunken with starvation. / @secularch
Between the mingling crowds and people jumping from one conversation to another, everything was in full swing. The academy must've prided itself on the annual ball season, with how every aspect was celebrated. From the decorations to the catering to the live band and dancing, it screamed high-end noble party.
And Deimne was beginning to feel it.
Is he having fun? Sure, he is, he wasn't going to waste this chance pretending otherwise. However, he knows he isn't meant to be here, not really. The glittery gowns and suits of the other attendants, the brilliant bouquets handed right at the door, strangers scouting out young hopefuls as they danced and made merry... this was the sort of party royalty held. The sort common folk like him would only hear about in passing, wishing to be let in or judging with envious eyes. Not attending. Never attending.
He slinks from the crowd to a quieter area, less people and fuss to be made. It's calmer here, and he can hear himself think. A brief respite, just to be alone...
Except for one person also here, looking through the trash bins. She pulls out some food, and despite where they came from, they don't seem to be worse for wear.
He doesn't want to startle her, but curiosity piqued Deimne slowly approaches, a weaponless hand raised as a peace gesture. "Hey, everything good?"
Fair enough trade. Yunaka slips another of her flowers out of her bouquet, expecting that to be that. What she doesn't expect is for two brand new flowers to be presented to her in return. Her smile drops. "Aw man, really?"
Ugh...well, she's eaten worse. As soon as he has his orchid, she takes the pair of hyacinths in return, frowning at one while she tucks the other away. "Bottom's up, I guess."
Angling the flower like a kebab, Yunaka takes a big bite of the bulbs. The second the flavour hits her tongue, she's wincing. Bitter. But this has all been a hell of her own making, and it's too late to back out now! Reluctantly and slowly, she chews the bulbs until the mush is enough that she can swallow it. As soon as it's clear, she gasps for breath. "Bluh...not my fav."
It's only fair that Deimne fetches a cup of water for her, handing it over. The new, pristine orchid is tucked into his bouquet, which he puts down and picks back up the popped corn.
Compared to the flowers, it's a lot nicer to eat. Plain, but nice.
"So, guess this was a bust." Eurgh, he can still faintly taste the flower in his mouth, and likely would be for the next few hours. "Can't believe we just did that, huh?"
At least he got a couple of flowers in exchange for everything. "Oh, and the name's Deimne. Don't want you to call me the guy who ate your flowers, you know?" He smiles, happy to have met her.
[ CHOCOLATE ] - Stefanelli’s has partnered with the monastery to make the most of the supplies left in excess of their workshops earlier in the year by offering packages of sweet chocolates for attendees. The offerings appear generous… that is, until you open your box to find it only half full.
Deimne had heard good things about the Stefanelli chocolatier, even if they hadn't grabbed his own personal interest. But here, free in front of him, is the best opportunity to try it for himself. Taking one of the boxes, Deimne gingerly opened the lid.
...well, that's a bit of a letdown.
As he was about to put it back, Deimne spots another person close by. Maybe she'd enjoy it? Even if it's only half full?
He approaches her, holding out the open box. "Wanna split?"
Woah, he actually ate it! She totally thought he'd turn her down and call her a weirdo for suggesting it! Before she can take it back and say sike, though, he's already gone and taken a fat chomp right out of the flower.
Yunaka squeaks and quickly rushes to grab a glass of water off the table and pass it to him. "Sorry again! I'll keep my silly little experiments to myself next time, haha..." That just leaves a very wet orchid to deal with. Yunaka grimaces a little and points to it. "Um, you can hang onto that, if you'd like? Or I guess I can grab you a new one if you need it, but uh. I don't really want it back."
Accepting the glass of water, Deimne takes a large gulp, washing his mouth of the awful taste. The bitter notes still remain in the background, but now nowhere near as nasty as before. "Thank you, and it's okay. Didn't know what I was thinking," he laughs.
The flower in his hand is in a sorry state, no wonder she doesn't want it back. He tucks it into his bouquet, trying to hide it among the other blooms he's amassed that evening. Which isn't many, but it's the effort that counts, right? Although if they're checking for the quality… "I won't mind another, yeah.".
"Well, now it's your turn." Deimne hands her two of his flowers - one to eat, one to keep. "If I ate one, so do you. It's only fair."
"Sure, anything's gotta be better than this." Deimne set the popped corn down on the table and takes the flower from the stranger, smiling in return. If there's such a surplus, surely they wouldn't mind if they ate just a few of them?
Orchid in hand, he plucks one of the petals off and puts it in his mouth. Immediately the bitterness hits his tounge, and Deimne is unable to mask his reaction as he splutters. "Yeah, okay, no. I take that back, this tastes horrible." Maybe these flowers are better for gift giving rather than eating.
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