#devotedscholar

[jehannandancer]

» to play with death

starter for @devotedscholar

Under the moonlight, far from the hotel where most were probably slumbering, Tethys escaped to somewhere more peaceful and serene to be by herself and... focus.

She channeled it once, in the throne room, but never again. Perhaps it was out of desperation, but the few runes she was able to read from tomes that have only told her about divination came to life that day. She might not be an expert, but she knows magic left unexplored and uncontrolled can be dangerous. If she gets it right, however, and can actually use it properly... perhaps she’ll be a step closer to being more than just the beloved dancer from the desert.

Her golden bangle jingles lightly as she sways her arms as if she’s weaving a ball out of thin air. She sweeps her legs once on the cold sand, forming a small crescent as she continues to sway.

The shimmer and glow normally present in her dance fail to form, and what coats her instead are small embers. Warm and soothing fire... but it doesn’t last for long. Crimson flames turn dark, red replaced with purple hues. They swirl around her, still warm but eerily so. She’s reminded of the Queen back in the throne room and how mercilessly she attacked not just them, but her own child. 

Her focus breaks, the sigil below her forming. It looks similar to the one before, but slightly different. Instead of a ball of dark energy forming in front of her, all around her, the purple energy spreads and gathers just a few feet ahead of her. It explodes in the center like fireworks, only it made everything darker, grimmer. And she swears, for a moment, in the middle of the darkness she saw eyes glaring back at her.

Forget. Focus.

She shudders and breaks the spell she did not intend to do.

What did Saleh used to say about magic... Her visits to Caer Pelyn were rarely to discuss such a topic-- she doesn’t even do so with Ewan. It’s not her forte, and she doesn’t have the same affinity Ewan or some of her peers did. But it did come up, once, twice... Something about how it affects the body and soul and how she needs to--

“Pace yourself.” She takes a deep breath and starts again, eyes closed, stance reset. Focus. Focus.

Her dance starts anew, and just as she feels a sphere starting to form in her hands, when she opened her eyes, she sees a pair of eyes not too far from where she was. This time, she was sure it was real. “--!!!” She lets out a shocked gasp, magic quickly dispersing as she registers the person in front of her. He seemed young, possibly a student. Thank goodness she didn’t accidentally hit him. “Y-you startled me! What are you doing here?”

[braveryinblue]

Though they were only acquaintances at best, it was hard to avoid Hector - he was big and he was loud. Resigning himself to fate, Erk approached with a glass of water for the other. "Hey Hector, here. Make sure you stay hydrated to keep your spirits up."

He jumped at the sound of his name, eyes wide until he turned slightly to see who it was addressing him… and they grew wider still after that. “Wh- you’re- err.. thanks?” He took the water with an appreciative nod, grateful for the excuse to mull over his thoughts just a moment whilst he sipped at it.

Was all of bloody Elibe bound to show up here? At this rate, he’d not be surprised. First he’d met the Fang brat, then Lyn, then Eliwood, then the Other Fang, and now Erk, that one mage guy who’d escorted Serra for a bit way back–

–Serra…

He flinched as though struck. Terror flashed in his eyes. He glanced over Erk’s shoulder furtively, as though looking for a ghost in the crowds. He’d only recently Stopped having to look Twice every time he caught the back of that one Deer chick’s head - perhaps he had been wrong to let down his guard. “She’s not here too, with you, is she?!”

[hotheadhero]

Zurvan

Zurvan - How would your muse define justice? Would they go to the utmost of ends to obtain justice for themselves, or for a loved one?

This one is probably more nuanced than I can quickly think of, and tbh, I may need to revisit this again someday. (Caspar too, and his tea party war phase lines seem to indicate he still hasn’t figured out the answer to this question.) Even though his allying with Edelgard could be taken as this if one discounts their friendly relationship and his admiration for her (self-)honesty (he points out her "always [being] real critical of [herself]” in their A) and staying true to her ideals/self, Caspar’s initial idea of justice is not (blindly) fighting for someone else’s or a figurehead’s ideals if he at any/enough points finds them disagreeable. That’s exactly why he takes issue with Dimitri in my bad end AU, and that’s what he takes issue with Catherine for, even from their C. “I don’t think I could do it [cut down even armed children] even if it meant disobeying orders, even if made to for self-defense or to keep them from doing it to each other in revenge.” He also takes issue with Catherine’s ability/preference to “blindly” trust another’s justice (which, in a manner of speaking, is the goddess’s--so this could double as an answer to that age-old ask I have in my inbox on superstition(/occult) if I interpret that as belief in the goddes, heh - but I think Caspar would also take issue with that tenet to “not kill, harm, lie, or steal unless such acts are committed by the will of the goddess” especially if the target of such actions from him are groups he’s sympathetic to). I don’t know if taking life or “deciding between life and death” is inherently hard for Caspar since he can get very into a fight and has absolutely no problem killing bandits or other groups he deems too evil to live (from the first bandit fight: ”Are all real battles this exciting? Come on, let's get on to the next one!“). His “Might makes right” war phase victory line doesn’t help this either.

Caspar’s idea of justice seems to skew more towards defending his friends and allies and/or the underdog. He’s a protector and highly values friends (allies count as this even if he’s never met them - this refers to the killed knights in Byleth’s B/A, but it’s entirely possible he’s already met them all, given how personable/well-known his dad is to even the commonest soldier under his command and how he himself wants to be a great warrior someday) and relationships, even to the point of being willing to cut them off if he thinks their presence is hurting them (e.g. Byleth A, Linhardt in Reconcile) or die for them if need be (e.g. Linhardt in Living on a Prayer). I could go on about how some of this is fed by an inferiority complex inherited from being (the unfavored sibling) compared to his older brother and Count Bergliez, but this isn’t the place for it. In the absence of others to defend, he seems to follow “common-sense” morals, e.g. helping others in need (Ferdinand C: “ If someone's in trouble, you gotta help them out.”), supporting the “right” thing to do (“I saw people acting out of line so I had to step in.”), or learning enough about a situation to be able to make that call, what’s the “right” thing to do. Understanding and finding the truth is another pervasive theme in his character - possibly even the biggest part, though he still favors the kids over even knights who he might’ve fought alongside in Byleth’s A. The easiest expression of justice as truth is his hatred of lying and manipulation, but he also brings it up again in Catherine’s B (using this as a tool to decide which children in her hypothetical revenge situation to defend) and last/ball event (ehe). Additionally, while both targets of this at least eventually don’t feel enmity for him for this, he uses his insight into his own feelings to understand and justify Petra’s and Shamir’s (assumed) hatred of him; he backs off from his confused defensive stance when Bernadetta explains her ire with him in their A; and it might be the camaraderie gained from fighting alongside those knights at some point during the war plus having learned the value of letting one villain go to get information on the others that explains his distress at hearing they died in Byleth’s B. You could say that Caspar tries to be a caring, empathetic, and upstanding person to those he meets, even if his own hotheaded nature, love of a good fight, and (if the victory line is to be believed, his own ego) frequently get in the way. This might already be enough to define him as “noble” even though he doesn’t associate with his own status most of the time. (I might need to consult with those musing the “noblest of nobles” on that last bit, heh.)

[sweetbabysisterandhealer]

👗Though he would have avoided it all together, Erk knew once he saw her, he wouldn't be able to avoid it. Lightly tapping Elise's shoulder, he tried to be polite, but his voice rose in loud, high-pitched nervousness. "ELISE YOUR DRESS IS VERY PRETTY."

Elise jumped excitedly and gave a twirl, long twin tails whipping behind her. She'd met Erk before, but it was just the one time. If he was coming up to her to compliment her pretty new ball gown, that must make them friends now!

"Aww Erk!" she squeals and continues talking a mile a minute, "You're looking dashing too! This ball is just so much fun! Everyone is having fun and dancing together! I didn't know we'd get to so something like this when I signed up to come here. What about you, are you having a good time? We could dance if you wanted!"

[regalblades]

18. What gives you nostalgia?

Extremely Personal Questions

“The days we of the Black Fang spent together before… things changed. All that can be done now is to keep those times close to the heart.”

One could even say he clings to those memories, for fear of ever forgetting what are more or less the best times of his life.

[sweetbabysisterandhealer]

A box is sitting outside of Elise's room. It is carefully tied with a pink and black ribbons, though slightly messy. Inside is a stuffed white rabbit plush with ribbons on its ears. A note is sitting inside next to it: "I saw that it was your birthday, Elise, so I wanted to wish a happy birthday somehow. Have a lovely day! -Erk "

Elise squeals happily when she finds a present left outside her door and even louder when she sees who it's from. Project New Friends must be a success! She races into her room to tear open the box and immediately gives the bunny a hug. "Awww Erkie! I love it!" the princess cries out to an Erk that isn't anywhere nearby.

[flowerofiris]

"Hey there, Nino?" Erk heads over to her and holds out a hand, to reveal a small sand dollar. "I found this sand dollar, and I thought you might think it was neat. If you want, we ahhhh, could go look for more, though I am not too sure how many there might be... here."

Nino’s eyes sparkled a little— both at the sight of Erk and the sand dollar he found. She began to find further appreciation for the things she already appreciated. Time with her friends was one of those things. Sand dollars were another— she couldn’t even remember the last time she had seen a sand dollar. 

“It is neat...!” Nino smiles, a little bit of her radiance coming back to her. “Let’s go find more— I bet we’ll find tons more! Can you show me where you found it? We can start there!” Nino had a small wish— nothing more than just a little hope in her heart that they’d find a bunch of nice sand dollars on the beach. She heard whispers of how this place granted wishes— she hadn’t really been taking advantage of it.

Because whoever was above, watching her... They had already granted her greatest wish of all. Anything more made her feel selfish— but this one was for Erk, so hopefully it would be okay.

[sancturum]

With a frown, Erk looked at the two glasses of sparkling water in his hands. What was he supposed to do with two? Bothersome. He quickly looked up and around him, picking the first person he saw. "Excuse me, umm... are you, ah..." He held up the second glass, not sure how to ask, nervous.

With the ball in full swing, it was questionable whether she need to stand off to the side, watching. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, in her line of sight anyway, and she had a need to move around a bit, as she was starting to feel a little stiff. 

Her attention was drawn by someone approaching her with a couple glasses of sparkling water. Not recognizing him, she assumes he is affiliated with another house. She tilts her head slightly at his question, or lack thereof, but is able to connect the dots when he holds up the second glass. 

“Oh.” Elincia raises the side of her hand to cover her smile, trying not to chuckle at his awkward advance. She takes one glass from his hand. “And just who am I to be thanking for this kind gesture?”