#allegreta

[rafent]

"Ah, hello! Rafal, was it? I am Leanne, of the heron tribe." Leanne makes her way to the grumpy dragon's side soon after the rest of her comrades disperse. The silver-haired man is a dragon, his self-proclamation confirming her suspicions. He feels more similar to Grima than Kurth or any of the other dragon laguz, but he's a lot more forward about his heritage. Interesting! "I do apologize if we bothered you earlier. While it is important to build rapport, it was not my intention to cause you distress."

Leanne's instinct is to hum a soothing galdr to dispel the tension and soothe the man's distress. It takes her some small amount of time to realize the folly of this--Rafal had specifically complained about the shanties, and here she is following that up with her own tune! Hopefully the magic already released will ease things, but if the dragon truly cannot stand the sound of singing…

Leanne fishes in her pocket, procuring a small wrapped caramel. She'd packed a fair few sweets for this journey, thinking it wise to bring along easily-preserved, high-energy snacks--plus, of course, they taste quite good. Rafal seems to have a taste for them, so maybe this can serve as penance for earlier?

"Please accept this with my most sincere apologies, Rafal. And another, for my own mistake." Two caramels is a little costly, but he obviously needs it, given his attitude. And if she is to speak with him on the topic she so desires, she simply must get in his good graces. "We herons utilize galdr, songs of old magic. It is instinct for me to slip into it sometimes, and I did not mean to reoffend your sensory sensibilities."

"Forgive me for asking, but you said you are a dragon, yes?" Leanne wracks her brains, trying to remember the information on her comrades. He is from...Elyos, yes? The same land as Zelkov and Alear. "I am not certain the classification of dragons where you live, but in my homeland of Tellius, there are dragon laguz with a similar--" oh, what is the best word to describe this in modern? "--feeling-aura, to you. It is wonderful to meet you!"

After his episode Rafal found the quietest corner he could, wishing not to be bothered and expecting it, too. Not many brave souls saw fit to approach the prickly Fell Dragon after he showed his true colors; his fury easily ignited, his attitude severe sometimes even cruel. It thus struck him as a mystery when an ally sought him out with kinder words than his earlier outburst deserved, even going so far as to come with a pair of offerings in hand.

"Humph, your intentions are transparent. Come to buy my forgiveness? You will find that I am not an easy man."

He said that but accepted the caramel drops without a second thought. The rustling of a wrapper followed next. Eager to pop the accompanying source of sugary salvation into his mouth, he nestled the caramel in the inside of his cheek where a maple-like flavor spread outwards. A bit warm, a bit misshapen from the heat of a pocket, but absolutely divine. He made a noise straddling a sigh and a moan. It tasted salty and sweet like the sea, though Rafal didn't wish to be reminded of his sickly circumstances any more than necessary—ah, but he had company, didn't he?

Returned to Leanne's presence, he trained his attention more carefully- curiously- upon the delicate heron to find that their inhuman natures were mirrored even if not identical. Such a fact was reflected in her curiosity for his origins. He would have been lying if he said his sense of intrigue wasn't piqued just the same. Galdr? Old magic? "I am a dragon, yes. A Fell Dragon to be specific." Though it was knowledge that might have earned him fear or hatred from those outside Gradlon, Rafal didn't hesitate to say it. He continued just as smoothly.

"I know not of your dragon laguz, but in my world there are a number of dragons. My kind is born in pairs of twins. All of us children of Sombron—each destined to fight and kill their twin and their half-siblings in the struggle to be his one true heir."

Those were only the basics- and as much information as two candydrops could earn. Beyond the schematics, Rafal would not go into details about their powers. His goal to stop here, however, wasn't marked by any unfriendliness; in fact he went so far as to grant sweet Leanne the boon of a warning. "In any case, I will remember your name, Leanne of the heron tribe. But if you wished to make friends, you are better off finding someone else. My twin would have served a kinder prospect than I."

[swiftscion]

i want to see someone get shot 🥰 - team 10 iron round

Larcei tries to protest against Deirdre’s scolding--tries to put up her arms in defense and come up with some reason or another to justify her suspicions. Isolation leads to suspicion, she would have said, or She was holding a strange magical artifact! But as though this dream wishes to put their feud aside, the arena shifts. Rustic bars, dusted floors, and simple wooden seats all vanish without a trace. The smell of blood and sweat in the air is gone, giving way to something more sterile. The playing field widens. Metal plating covers the ground they walk on, streaks of blue energy coursing through the floor. For lack of a wall and iron gate, a similarly colored bubble surrounds them. It seems to hum with life, appearing translucent but definitely solid. It is a force field, meant to keep their fight contained. On the other side of this field remains their audience, though their accommodations have been upgraded. Their seats of matte-black chrome are padded using some soft and alien material, and they hover in the air, so that everyone can have their perfect view. It is a setting totally unknown to little Larcei--far beyond even the scope of her imagination. 

And when she looks at her hands, expecting some powerful weapon of a similar era, she finds nothing. Not even the tingle of magic at her fingertips, not even the flow of mana in her veins. “GUESS I DON’T HAVE A WEAPON,” she tries to mutter to herself, but speaking below a shout has been made an impossibility. Her voice, regardless of how much she tries to control it, rings at a deafening volume--each word pounding against the eardrums of all unfortunate enough to hear. But strangely enough, she doesn’t seem to notice. 

“BUT I’LL BE DAMNED IF WE LOSE BECAUSE OF THAT! YOU!” and again, she points to Lucina, “ENOUGH STANDING AROUND! IF YOU’RE REALLY ONE OF US, THEN YOU’LL FIGHT TO GET OUT OF THIS PLACE! ATTACK THE ENEMY; GIVE THEM EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!”

Larcei uses Rally with her Booming Voice! Lucina receives +6 speed and +3 luck for one round!

The enemy in question is not so easily felled, however. One, evidently the leader, towers over our heroes with limbs of great mechanical might. Its entire body is cased in metal armor, but the sheen around that seems to provide even more protection. It, too, is of the sky-blue color seen on the floors and walls around them. Each of its shoulders holds a missile rack, and strapped front-and-center is an intimidating gatling gun. Of course, this technology is foreign to Larcei, but she isn’t the kind to be willing to mess around and find out with strange devices. Especially when those devices are pointed at her. 

Three nodes surround it, each a futuristic pod of robotic material and circuitry. At their cores is a similar blue light, and evidently, they are connected to the main body. After taking a look at them, Larcei doubts even Lucina could hold her own. She turns to another ally.

“YOU TOO, LADY DEIRDRE! YOU TRUST HER, RIGHT? THEN BACK HER UP IN BATTLE!”

Larcei uses Ruse with her Booming Voice! Deirdre receives +3 speed and +1 luck for one round!

UP NEXT: @exclted @allegreta

[enarmor]

a playful kiss to make the other stop rambling (leanne kissing sain, specifically)

Leanne had heard tell of a mischievous green knight who'd recently arrived at the academy, bringing passionate (or obnoxious, depending on the reteller) declarations of love to any woman who crossed his path.

It sounded like a fun thing to participate in! She doubts he is particularly invested in an outcome, moreso partaking in the recreations of romantic engagement as a hobby. So it shouldn't be too rude of her to appear to him in heron form, cooing a little before shifting back to beorc form and giggling.

"Hello! Welcome to Garreg Mach. And who might you be?"

If she kisses him in the midst of one of his infamous monologues, it's all part of the fun!

"Is... Is this heaven? Have I died and been brought back to life? I see... An angel before me! N-no--a goddess! With wings of wondrous splendor and hair like sweet ambrosia!! And you can turn into a bird... No, surely this is some sweet divinity! I-I am Sain, a loyal Knight of Seiros. Your ethereal beauty... It graces me so! Like a light from parted clou-"

He's getting more than just graced.

Leanne's lips smack against Sain's, and cut off his speech as though she had just turned off a tap. His flood of words winds up barred behind the dam of her embrace--forgotten amidst the hazy fog she creates from his mind. He melts to her touch, eyes fluttering shut as he begins to pour her his everything. It is not knightly to spare a woman his charm, not staunch to deny her the love of her hero. So he moves closer and binds his face to hers, not daring to let go lest he upset his lady.

And he stays that way--beguiled and enchanted. He knows nothing of Leanne save for her sweet voice and delicate form, but the feeling of her body pressed against hers is enough. Sain falls madly in love! This is the first woman who would not cut him off with a slap or push to the ground, but the hallowed blessing of her mouth. He is sure--convinced--she is some kind of deity sent to reward only the most honorable of knights.

When finally their love departs, he leaves Leanne with a lasting impression of his lips. A finger smooths over her cheek, and a smile connects his ears. "I believe... I am ready. Take me to your afterlife, o venerated one! I shall spend an eternity by your side!"

[artificidel]

when the day met the night ☀☾ team 10

@exclted @swiftscion @nagaficat @allegreta

Ephidel found that in the nightly hours, when he stalked the night sleepless and the humans laid their bodies and minds to rest, his seemed to drift just the same. It happened slowly. The digits of his body began to respond less. Then the limbs. Then the rest. Until his mind seemed to rise above his frame and warp from it.

Until golden eyes opened to a coliseum of people demanding entertainment. Ephidel glanced around himself; saw others from the monastery with strange weapons in all their hands. What was all this? Were they to play fools for these vermin’s approval? He would not dance this waltz for such a reason, and idly inspected the needle and syringe he found in his grasp. And there, clasped around one finger, he had also been adored with a ring.

This all made little sense, and before he could ponder it further, a large stone door opened on the far wall of the coliseum, and out flew a phoenix shimmering in a rainbow of light. It stretched its wings and cried a mighty shriek before diving headlong at the lot of them.

Violence, was not the first tool in Ephidel’s arsenal, but he knew how to wield all manner of magic and blade, and he wasted no time in using what he had been gifted.

He tucked and rolled out of the way of incoming talons, and readied a stance for the next opening. When the bird swooped in again, he leaped to its back and drove the needle deep. It seemed to have no effect, the bird’s hide thick and battle worn, and so Ephidel broke the needle at the base, sending metal shards deeper into its flesh. The beast howled. It did not seem to take any damage, but an opening had been made.

Ephidel used Slatterslash with the Injector! Roll 1d20+2! 14+2=16! Hit! -0HP

Twin Soul 10/10 HP

Twin Soul receives -1 DEF/RES for 1 turn

The great beast had just as little patience for Ephidel as he had for it, and turned to peak at the flea on its back. A direct hit to his shoulder weakened the strings in his arm, and Ephidel’s grasp released, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Twin Soul countered with Sharp Beak! Roll 1d20! 8! Hit! -1.5HP

Ephidel’s HP 8.5/10

[exclted]

@allegreta asked:

"Lucina! I am honored to be your opponent." Leanne bows, feeling the looseness of her monk robes in the motion. She is ready to be quick, to be dangerous, and to win for her team! And, most importantly, to have fun! Battle is usually a swirl of chaos that gives her a headache, but such friendly sparring, even with the competition, is instead exciting.

It is also a far cry from the horrendous forces that had tricked Lucina and Leanne into attacking their own allies, during their trials in the dreamrealm.

Leanne attacks Lucina with Seraphim! Roll 1d20-4=14, hit! -3HP to Lucina (2/5HP)

Leanne takes to the skies; an opponent with a sword cannot fare well when their quarry is out of reach. She chants the incantation for the powerful light magic spell she recently mastered--Seraphim, it is called.

A beam of holy light, adorned with feathers as if from an angel (or a heron, Leanne thinks--the perfect spell for her!) hits Lucina head-on. Leanne feels a twinge in her stomach at the blow, but Lucina is strong! She can take it!

It is both unnerving and relieving to see a friendly face opposing her. Lucina dips her chin, a greeting in return. “The honor is mine.”

She only hopes this will not be so terrible as the last time she saw the heron at her blade’s end, for there will be no need for guilt here. Not the way there once was, anyway. Today, they are opponents. Fair and square.

And as arcane energy to rival the sun’s own light bursts forth from her sky-bound foe, Lucina can do little more than take it. Teeth grit, eyes squeezing shut as light fizzles out, leaving only the pain that ricochets through her chest and the lazy rain of feathers as evidence to the spell’s existence.

Lucina heals 0.5 HP from Prayer Ring (Lucina 2.5/5HP) Lucina attacks Leanne with Bane of Monsters (Killing Edge). Roll: 9, hit! -2.5HP to Leanne (2.5/5 HP)

But enduring is a skill of hers that is well cultivated, and so Lucina raises her sword despite the way pain stiffens her muscles and blurs her vision. Leanne’s feet have hardly touched the ground once more before Lucina herself is airborne, a flash of blue and silver as her blade carves its anger through white fabric and then flesh, dragging across her foe’s shoulder before falling away.

[kitsunesreciprocation]

🦊

"Ah, hello!" Leanne is excited to see a fellow laguz, and a vulpine one at that! He's almost certainly not from tellius, she's never heard tell of a fox laguz, but there is still a connection between them that she feels wholeheartedly. "I am Leanne, of the heron tribe. May I ask your name?"

Kaden’s eyes widened in shock, attention instantly drawn to the wings. “Whoa, you have wings?! I didn’t know humans could do that!” All concept of keeping a respectful distance flies out the window, the kitsune taking a step forward and titling his head back and forth to get a better look. Without touching, of course. That would be rude. Maybe this is how humans feel when they see a kitsune like him for the first time? “Haha. Weird.”

His tail wags softly in amusement at the new perspective, mortified realization hitting him a few seconds after. His ears pinned themselves down to his head in distress as he jumped back, waving his hands in an apologetic panic. “Wait, that came out wrong. You don’t look weird, that’s not what I meant! You’re very pretty, miss! I— Ugh, I’m sorry.”

Kaden looks down in embarrassment and guilt. That was… NOT his finest moment. He can only hope she wasn’t too insulted. Ears still slightly downturned, Karen’s attitude flips in an instant, happy grin back on its place. “Lemme try that again. Hi! I’m Kaden, of the beautiful kitsune tribe! Pleasure to meet you, Leanne.”

[regnumaves]

A Flower, For You ❁ Tibarn & Leanne

@allegreta​​

Flowers and flower arranging are not things that Tibarn considers himself knowledgeable with. While King Lorazieh, Reyson and later Leanne resided in Phoenicis, it was normal that the Hawks, while out gathering food for them, would also bring some flowers to decorate their rooms. It’s not something they think much about themselves, but when trying to help their brethren feel as welcome and comfortable as they could in spite of the tragedy they endured, small gestures of camaraderie and understanding like that went a long way.

Doesn’t necessarily mean Tibarn has learned anything of note about the art. So when the rumor about the flower vendor setting up shop at the marketplace in preparation for the whole Ethereal Ball thing reaches his ears, his interest is not immediate.

It’s only when he realizes he might find a certain someone there that he, as usual, puts his current affairs on hold to take a trip to the spot to see if he is correct - and true to form, he is; even among a sizable group of students, that pair of snow-white wings is easy to spot.

(“Hello there, Leanne.”)

The few words of ancient tongue that he can speak feel a little funny on his lips - though he has remembered and preserved what little he could, it nevertheless has been years since he last used it. Chuckling, he drops it quickly.

“It’s nice to see you. Figured I’d find you here. How have you been?”

[nagaficat]

Brendan Urie is Sick of I Write Sins Not Tragedies: Team 10 Gold Round

Naga must pity her, Deirdre thinks as she awakens and finds herself in a beautiful cathedral decorated in white roses as if for an extravagant wedding. She has been killed twice now at the hands of someone she cherishes. And twice now, she has woken up injured but otherwise alive.

Her dark robes have been replaced by pure white and glowing, golden light encircles her head. She does not know that this is how she is imagined after her death in Jugdral as well. She does not know she is revered as a saint in Verdane.

She does recognize the bird-like beast that crashes through the large stained glass window poised to fight. It is similar to the first enemy they were forced to fight. The others must recognize it as well as they are able to act quickly enough to prevent it from acting first.

"This must be it!" Deirdre raises her arms, palms up, and wills every ounce of magic in her blood to answer to her bidding. It will not be enough to simply focus on one of her friends. She must save them all. "If we can win this fight, this nightmare is sure to end!"

Deirdre 5/10 HP heals +1 HP with Bond! Deirdre 6/10 HP

Deirdre 6/10 HP heals the party with Fortify! Roll 1d20 = 15, +8 HP; Ephidel 9.5/10 HP, Larcei 10/10 HP, Leanne 10/10 HP, Lucina 10/10 HP

It could have been such a happy dream, she thinks as her healing magic finds each member of her party. To see Larcei standing at the altar fills her with as much happiness as seeing one of her own children in the same situation would.

@swiftscion @artificidel @exclted @allegreta