#activity | june

[bibliophiliacs]

Sitting here listening to this lecture has been a pain in the ass— and he’s sat through a lot, mind you. This sorta thing has never been something he enjoys, but there’s also nothin’ he wouldn’t do for a pretty lady… and that’s the exact reason why he’s still here, chin propped in his hand.

Can’t blame a guy for putting his best effort forth, at least. By the time it’s all over, he stifles a yawn before swaggering up to the front of the classroom, hands shoved into the pockets of his uniform pants. She definitely has the whole librarian look down, but you know what that means? It means she’s got the vibe of an older gal. Just what he likes, and he leans his hip against the edge of her desk as he grins with a smolder.

“Well, teach, you’re awfully good at—“ Um. Teaching? “— explainin’ all of…. That.” He honestly doesn’t even know what this lecture was about, and he certainly hopes she doesn’t ask.

“Name’s Balthus. I’m not usually around these parts, but I guess it was just my luck to run into you today.” At that, he clicks his tongue before offering a wink. “Make a guy’s day and share a nice, hot, free meal with me in the dining hall?”

   Miriel finishes her lesson, and as she begins to erase her handiwork, so that whichever professor has claim over the room next would have nothing in the way of extra work in cleaning, a lingering student calls out to her.

   Turning to give her attention, prepared to answer whatever question may have still hung in the air, Miriel’s otherwise neutral expression turns into something reminiscent of a scowl; of all the students to approach her, the one who seemed least interested had to. Sighing, she crosses her arms, allowing the student to speak his mind.

   A mistake, rare for one such as Miriel to make. 

   The only noteworthy thing he offers is an introduction, yet even that was laced in unimportant drivel. Not only did Balthus make it rather evident that he hadn’t paid an iota of attention to Miriel’s lesson, his words were laced with something lecherous in nature. Clearly he was leering rather than giving any sort of mind to Miriel’s reason lesson, so much so that even someone as mostly uninterested as her could realize it. So of course this means that Miriel must run a little social experiment. 

   Adjusting her spectacles, Miriel places a hand on her desk. “Okay. Cite the first Fundamental Theorem of Reason, from memory and subsequently backwards in tow, and perhaps your proposition will be considered.” She leans in, her expression unchanging, though a glint in Miriel’s eyes carried something chiding. “Lest your focus had been far away from that of today’s lesson, Balthus?”

[bibliophiliacs]

This professor DEFINITELY knows her literature! Not that Tsubaki makes a habit of defining others solely by appearances, but he does pay particular attention to his fellow faculty.

"Say," he speaks to her one day at the cafeteria, tome in hand, as if to subliminally signal themselves as a fellow scholar. "How far does your breadth of knowledge reach? If I were to quiz you on another genre outside the arcane-- take for example, intercontinental romance fiction-- could you answer?"

Tsubaki smiles.

"My students would like to host a book club, you see." He lies, "But they've already burned through our library shelves end-to-end. With so many kingdoms represented at the monastery, they'd thought it'd be brilliant opportunity to familiarize themselves with novels beyond Fodlan's borders… And so here I am, honoring their unquenchable thirst for knowledge and leading the search."

   Miriel doesn’t hold any obvious reaction to her meal being interrupted. She wants to reject the professor’s request, disinterested in any sort of discussion in the midst of her luncheon. However, the mention of a book club piques her interest.

   As such, Miriel taps her fork against her lips in consideration. Of course, her expertise lies more in books of the scientific and arcane, however the idea of reading for the sake of was not outside of her wheelhouse. Plus, Miriel parsed through as many of the books available within the Halidom as she could, though of course nothing beat the writings of her mother’s work. 

   “Mmm… works of a romantic nature… Whilst I am able to say that I have perused such readings, my expertise lies more within scientific, historical, and perchance even arcane accounts much like you presumed…” Miriel drifts off before she pauses, allowing her answer to sink in potential disappointment within the professor’s face, “I can still recommend a fair few romantic texts. And other such scriptures of various genres as well.”

   Leaning in, Miriel forms an uncharacteristic yet excited all the same smile clear as day forms on her face. Evidently, this suggestion has the young scientist beyond intrigued. “The Familiar Taste of Ruin is a riveting tale of two arcane assassins – one from Ylisse, another from Plegia – attempting to claim the life of one another. Cliched as it is in name and concept, I found the exploration of magic within this particular yarn to be incredible. Might I share other such parables with you?”

[soulsaligned]

🎲

kiss roulette -- 35, a kiss against a wall.

" I-I think this should be okay? " 

A momentary getaway fling was something Chrom believed to be taboo, yet in between classes he found himself in a precarious poisition. He had Yunaka pinned against a wall, embarrassment taking it's hold of the Exalt as he allowed himself to be whisked away by his coworker. It was a fling between classes, between the walls of buildings in Garreg Mach, away from prying eyes as Chrom's gaze pierced Yunaka's. 

Am I doing this right? -- A moment of question, question wondering whether or not Chrom had taken the lead correctly. Despite the many questions Chrom held, he knew they needed to be quick. Their momentary tryst was but a fleeting instance of lightning caught in a bottle, and Yunaka and Chrom both held understanding of that.

So, as he held her pinned against the wall, Chrom made his move. A kiss. As their lips made contact, momentary sparks from the bottled lightning began to engulf his being -- an electric hunger he held need be satiated in this moment of shared taboo, shared sin. Yet, despite the hunger Chrom held, his gentleness shined through. While one hand had Yunaka against a wall, Chrom allowed his other free hand to gently take hold of the small of Yunaka's back, pulling her closer to deepen their midday tryst. 

He pulled away, a brief moment of repsite amidst the hunger, a catch of fresh air amongst desire -- " W-We can't take too long. Classes start again soon, and how would I explain my disappearance... "

Yet despite his concern, he pulled in to kiss once more. There was passion in his kiss, passion in the radiant dance they held with one another. Chrom's hand moved from the small of Yunaka's back to her waist, and the hand that held her against the wall soon moved to her cheek. He was gentle, he was careful, he was methodical -- he was a leader and would lead Yunaka through a gentle kiss to satiate whatever it was that had been felt in this moment. 

And he would do so in whatever time they had left to share before classes began once more. 

[muscle-blues]

[WHISPER]

It's not often he gets the chance to try clothing from another world for anyone but himself, and especially not when within the few hours before a social outing. He's known in his personal life to prefer high collared, long-sleeved shirts that tuck into high-waisted or slim trousers, a coat or some loafers also thrown on to round out a respectable look. Now, he was more likely to blend within the crowd and even find certain clothing items within others that match his own. Of course he was still stylized and the white to black attire with a cut not unlike the windows upon his original outfit was familiar, what wasn't always familiar—

—was a pair of new eyes, unlike anything he had known since he'd taken to sharing his presence with the locals. His glasses, not custom made and still square and thick in frame, are gently flipped closed as he binds the scroll he had been reading for later. He doesn't even need to turn as her heels click, his only warning of her formal arrival as he turns around beside the table he had been using. They weren't perfectly facing each other and he's more likely to call it shoulder-to-shoulder, her posture as straight and sure as his, and he turns his chin to lower his face.

Yelan and himself did not need to talk above what was necessary for basic conversation, the hydro user actually quite soft spoken compared to... other brokers he knows, and it's a welcome change of place for once. Comforting, even. No matter if it is fabricated or not, he did try and extend the same courtesy.

"Miss Yelan, you're never one to initiate a meeting without establishing dates and times. I am to take it this is for friendly chatter?" His voice is low, but it's not as soft as it would be if this was simply about catching up. "What is the matter?"

Reasons to Cup a Face -- Whisper (not accepting)

The information an otherworldly scholar provided, had wrought insight into the mind of a Yelan who desired to learn more. From her brief parlay with Dr. Ratio -- their combined efforts to find the catackes of a careless Trailblazer -- alongside other interactions Yelan had with the recesses of space, the Liyuean came to several understandings.

For starters, she held meager knowledge of the world that lays beyond the skies of Teyvat. She held the barebones of knowledge for what it meant to traverse the space of what is such a vast sea. Yelan wanted to understand that, and frankly, Dr. Ratio's seemingly encyclopedic knowledge had been her best bet in attaining understanding. 

It was silly, to rely upon a man she had only met out of circumstance, yet here he was, heeding her call so willingly. Yelan, from the corner of her eye, paid note of Dr. Ratio's outfit, a smirk curling on her lips. He took quite a bit of effort to come out and see me~. Her thoughts had been as playful as most of her actions. That had only become even more apparent as Dr. Ratio spoke.

His tone indicated some level of concern, as though he expected some sort of emergency out of her. It was true, Yelan was a woman who established clearer plans above all else, especially to make sure her schedule had been as clear as could be -- however, sometimes exceptions happen. Sometimes, Yelan simply wished to see what would happen. Besides, as much as she did want to understand the innerworkings of the cosmos that she had failed to understand, Yelan did also want to bask in the company of the Doctor. He was a fun presence, and Yelan wanted to capitalize on that.

She turned to look up at him, her form relaxing and a sly smile taking complete form, as she cupped the Doctor's face, playfully. " Now, Doctor, no need to stress over me, hey? " Her words were a lull, and her voice was teasing. Friendly, of course, for her relationship with the Doctor had never exceeded past anything more. " I did want to invite you for a bit of friendly chatter, but also to learn a bit from you. You are an educator, yes? " She spoke in question, yet she felt certain in her words. Lest Dr. Veritas Ratio had been a doctor of medicine, instead, Yelan had been certain her intuition of his scholarly pursuits had been correct. 

Her hand loosens from Dr. Ratio's face, as Yelan looses a light chuckle. " As you know, Liyue, and really Teyvat as a whole, isn't as...let's say technologically advanced as some of the planets from where you're from. I wanted to learn more, know what to expect, not feel lost in a boundless sea of my own misunderstanding. " And, if I ever need to make any deals in the sea beyond the skies...well, the Doctor's knowledge might prove aid to me. 

" Care to spare a little knowledge on a promising student, Doctor? "