#bullsrush

[lobeiro]

"Prince Kurt!"

Carina bounds up to her liege the moment she sees him, stopping at his side with a little hop and flick of the tail. Her purpose for being here was to get stronger—not just for Ast's sake, but his. It was now her duty to protect the prince and deliver him to his throne, and she would not fail.

She wouldn't let Father or Gotthold down.

"Have you been holding up alright, Prince? Anything I need to get you, any creeps you want me to deal with? No one's been mistreating you, right?"

"Carina!"

It is a testament to his knight's training that she is able to come to a clean stop. Her energy is like a loaded spring; wound up and ready to burst forth if she lets her attention wane. The number of torn and bent items he has logged as expenditures is proof enough of the raw strength that Carina carries that even Kurt himself finds worthy of envy.

But more important to him than that the worry clear as day as she fusses over him. If she wanted, she could have easily barreled into him or gone to try to solve those perceived problems by herself. She could hoist him up into the air and hunt down any troublemakers without even breaking a sweat if she truly desired.

That she had slowed down for a moment is more than enough to inspire pride in his knight. The sight sets his tail wagging.

"I'm fine, Carina. The people here have been very kind to me," he assures her. "What about you? Have you been settling in well? Is there anything giving you trouble?"

[lobeiro]

(FES Book 1 Spoilers)

"My prince!"

Carina's hand is already raised in salute as she approaches the sole heir to Ast, the sight of a knight being subordinate to a newer student probably an odd one to outsiders looking in.

But being in a foreign land didn't change the simple fact that Kurt would always be the one she swore her loyalty and devotion to. The prince that she would give everything to protect, a responsibility that grew even more paramount in Alberta's absence, and after the loss of...

She swallows the lump in her throat.

"It's a relief to see you safe, Prince Kurt." Carina lowers her hand, expression softening into a smile. "I hear your dear Rose has arrived safely, too? If the two of you need anything, I'm just a call away. Gotta pick up the slack for my fellow Astian knights, after all!"

How relieving to hear his knight's voice, clear and bright in her enthusiasm. The instinct to peek around her and see her partner trailing behind her quietly is strong, but even if he were to look, Alberta had not followed them to this foreign land. When Carina rushes ahead now, she does it without someone at her back.

As a prince, he must not look back. He must forever fix his gaze forward, because his people are depending on him to do so. He must look ahead, because he must not allow his path forward to falter. He cannot afford to lose any more than he already has.

Even so, Kurt looks over his knight's shoulder to her unprotected back. Content to find nothing threatening her there, he returns her salute and smile with a smile of his own.

"And it is a relief to see you so lively, Carina." They both smile, because they must. If they don't don't smile, the absence of those who should've been here with them will only be felt more keenly. "I'll be counting on you once again for your service."

The prince's smile is the first to falter, gloved hands clenching at his sides.

"Once..." he starts, voice lowering, "we gather our strength here, we will see everyone else again. We will most definitely reunite with everyone when it's time to reclaim our homeland."

[boundlesschaos]

A new gambit...‎ ‎ I heard some gossip...‎ ‎ Children at the market...‎ ‎

"I'm pretty new here, so I'm still learning my way around..." She pauses to take a sip of tea, "But I'm sure you've been to the markets in town, right? Aren't the kids there just adorable?"

Carina chuckles, "I didn't have enough gold for this charm I was trying to buy, and two little siblings tried to give me a few shiny rocks from their collection to cover the cost!"

"I had to insist they keep their treasure in the end, but the thought was really sweet. Brings a smile to your face, doesn't it?"

At first, the question is left hanging. Niamh's expression doesn't do any favors, either. At most, she initially only tilts her head slightly, not a hint of a smile (or a frown) present on her face. But, something clicks, and she tilts her head a bit the other way. "They tried to give you their treasures...?" She thinks of some of the others she's encountered during her time here. Some of them, definitely little, the sort who'd find themselves in all sorts of mundane troubles. There's others who are closer to Niamh's age, but she'd see offer all the same - eager to provide that kind of assistance. Not to mention, she's obtained all manner of trinkets from various gatherings, too...

And she thinks of home, too. It's been a long time since she's thought of it. It's a place she can't return to. What would it have been like today? She stares down at her tea. "...it was nice of them. I wonder if their collection has grown..."

That their curiosity remains just as strong in their futures.

[renaisguy]

"That looks like a pretty strong sword. Sure glad I won't be on the other end of it!"

As an axe user, Carina learned pretty early on just how tricky sword users could be. Nimble and precise, they were able to deal about ten blows before she could even manage one swing of her axe. Magic users like Alberta and lancemen like Commander Gotthold were much better matches for them.

Peering curiously at the man's weapon, she hums to herself. "Mmmhm. Looks like you handle it with a little experience too. You use swords before?"

Forde's been swinging this sword around with more energy than any training session in the last five years. It's the second sacred replica he's got his hands on since coming to Fodlan, and the excitement hasn't faded yet.

"I've been training with them all my life." He smiles at Carina. "I won a sword tournament when I was a boy, and I like to think I've still got some skills in me. Never thought I'd get to use this one though."

It takes him a second to place the axe by Carina's side, but he knows he recognises it. "That's Lady Edelgard's, isn't it? It's in good hands, you seem to know your way around an axe."

Out of the three weapons he'd trained back in Renais, he'd never quite the axe. Never figured out why, either, maybe he lacked the raw strength, maybe he lacked the fire warriors seemed to keep in their hearts. Either way, glad to see their team had a good variety of fighters.

[ninisdance]

@bullsrush sent: "That sword looks fierce! And, uh... pretty dangerous." Even from where she stood, Carina could feel the energy radiating off of it. "Sure you'll be okay?" The woman before her wouldn't be here if she wasn't at least trained in some form of combat, but she didn't really have the feel of a swordsman. At least, she didn't carry herself the way Prince Kurt or Zasha did.

Ninian had wavered for a long time on whether or not to sign up for this arena. In the end, it was recalling the concern she’d caused everyone on her first mission that decided her. She did not regret her actions themselves, could not ever regret them when she and Adaline had had so in common, but she knew that her frailty was oft worrying; and she also knew that her death had distressed them all, no matter their opinion on her choices or its temporary nature.

And yet, now that she was here, she was having second thoughts.

The elementals of Morfis were not the spirits she worshipped; they were strangers to her and she to them, so it came as no surprise that they would have gifted her a weapon she had never wielded before now. Still, could it not have been a lance? An axe, perhaps? Why did it have to be the weapon that had cut her down?

It could have been worse, she reasoned. It could have been Durandal itself in her hands. Thunder was distant enough from fire that it wasn’t so —

“ Oh... ” She murmured when a stranger came to her, seeming far more comfortable with her axe than Ninian herself felt — which, apparently, was obvious. The dancer flushed. “ Ah... I... I am bringing a — a friend’s protective charm, which ought to help... and I have a staff too, in case the sword does not suit me even still... ”

Needless to say, it would not. It did not. Still she managed a smile, small and timid though it was.

“ Which is to say... I will be alright, yes... ” All the more so with Lady Edelgard’s axe not only on her side of the field, but in the hands of such a kind person. “ I thank you for your concern, my lady. Ah... My name is... Ninian, by the way... ”

[dcggersedge]

🍪 + 2

"Up for a game?" Carina balances the thin cookie between her fingers, grinning at the star-dappled woman. "You seem like the type who's down for a good challenge."

And with that, the bull slips the cookie between her teeth.

Pocky Game | Accepting! | Roll: 1

"Ooh, you betcha!" Her eyes linger on the horns for a split second. She's not sure what's up with them, but the only other person she really knows with horns on their head was bad news. She doesn't sense anything off about this stranger just yet...but there's nothing wrong with a little bit of caution hidden behind that bright smile she puts on. "Don't get too heartbroken when I win though, okay?"

The cookie slips into place and Yunaka slips right after it, stepping up the other girl boldly as she latches on to the other end of the biscuit. Yunaka's grin never dims as sharp eyes meet her briefly before taking that first bite.

The cookie snaps immediately.

Yunaka's whole expression drops. Then, a second later, she splutters. "W-wait! No! No fair! That was obviously busted or something, let's go again!"

[aliberation]

Someone you look up to...‎ ‎ Fashion...‎ ‎ The courtyard couple...‎ ‎

"Oh, I like your hair! It's really cute." Carina excitedly compliments the other girl, awed by how her two-toned hair almost seems to shimmer in the light.

"My partner Alberta has colored streaks in her hair too, but you're WAY more adventurous with it." Teatime momentarily forgotten, she waves a half-bitten cookie around in her hand, "And it's so long! How do you keep it under control? I always have to braid mine, especially when I'm training or fighting."

Oh! The horns on this girl's head are really cute, she thinks to herself- and Alear is more than happy to see that she's as outgoing as the Divine Dragon is. A light laugh follows her comment, and Alear leans over the table to examine Carina's hair at the mention of braiding-- at one point in time, she couldn't remember how to do anything with her hair. With enough practice and some help along the way, though, it was easy enough to relearn after her slumber. "Thank you! It probably wouldn't surprise you for me to say I get a lot of comments on it." She doesn't seem upset by the fact. If anything, Alear can appreciate that she's constantly reminded of the blue half of her hair, a direct symbol of her late Mother's love for her. Love that saved her in more ways than one. "It's a long story, but I don't dye it or anything like that. Genetics are funny, no?" Well, that's not entirely how to explain it... but Alear really doesn't want to go into it all that much. "It's cool that your partner has it too! As for the braiding... If you'll let me, I can show you a couple tricks. I'm just so used to it being long-- and I couldn't imagine cutting it." Couldn't imagine watching those blue strands fall away, couldn't imagine purposefully harming it. "What's kind of funny, though... I only get bed-head on the blue side. Weird, right?" "Anyways, I've got time. Want me to show you...?"

[ostianshadow]

Things that bother you...‎ ‎ Garden mishaps...‎ ‎ Favorite sweets...‎

Carina looks at the pile of pastries on the table with some bemusement, not remembering having ordered all of it. She had been pretty hungry, sure, but this was way too much sugar for her. Didn't help that the guy sitting across from her didn't seem like much of the sweets type, either.

"It's a lot to get through, huh?" She shrugs, smiling. Carina was never going to let a morsel of food go to waste. "At least we have the tea to wash it down. You a fan of cakes?"

[ perfect teatime? ] / accepting

“Not exceedingly,” he admits. “But waste not, want not, eh?”

That said, he hopes she’s got a bigger appetite than he does right about now. Having the tea is a plus, but even that will only go so far - a guy can only stomach so much tea in one day, you know?

(Surely that’s a blasphemous line of thinking in some camps but eh! More tea for them, the way Matthew sees it.)

“… It really is a lot though, huh. How did this even happen…?”