#seawardoath

[sacrificialspear]

[ SAMPLE ] To say that Ronan has never been intimidated by Sir Finn would be untrue, even if he had handled his feelings mostly by avoiding the man in any way he could. The man always looked troubled by one thing or another, especially when it came to chasing the heels of his liege, so Ronan simply tried not to be in the way. That's why he stands back now near the wall, staring a hole into the knight's back as he works up the courage to confront him about something. His fingers stretch, then ball into a fist again, and then with a sharp breath, he marches up to Finn with as serious a look as he can muster. "Sir Finn, may I speak to you about something?" Committed now, but no less hesitant, he holds up a little marble-shaped candy between his fingers. It's hard to tell what exactly it is in the hall's soft, blue-white glow, but it appears to be roughly mint-sized. "You've been handing these out to the guests, haven't you?" Suddenly, he pulls a face - some kind of revolted grimace that makes it clear his next words have been softened for the sake of cordiality. "They... don't taste very good. They're awful, actually."

"Ronan, good evening." Another unexpected face had washed up on these foreign shores. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. At the very least, it seemed that he had gotten over the shyness that plagued him during their time on campaign together. Going from hardly being able to meet the knight in the eye to this stiff but bold approach was an improvement. Hopefully his time here would lead to more.

"Are you concerned about something." Finn's brow furrows as he raises his eyes just high enough to glance around them. "If you have seen something that has caused you concern, or might be a risk to the event's security, I will be happy to..."

The damn mints again.

Finn's words falter as his lips press into a thin line. Had this really spiraled so far out of control? What had initially been a display of concern had spiraled far past what he'd anticipated. It was enough to make one wonder if people would ever be rational about mints again.

Though now Ronan presented him with a new concern that had yet to be brought up this evening. "...are you sure that you don't just dislike them?" How could they taste bad? It was mints. There was nothing to them but mint flavor. Finn sighs. "If it is not a taste you enjoy, then don't force yourself to eat them just to blend to in."

@seawardoath

[lunaestice]

[ GOSSIP ] A uniform wasn't enough to fit in. Usually there was something else that would give you away as not being "one of them." The boy who hovers nervously near the wall not too far from where Ronan rearranges the unclaimed glasses has that "something" about him despite his expensive attire. It's his face, maybe, familiar in ways Ronan can't quite name but can nevertheless feel. He sidles close enough for conversation as he continues setting the refreshment table.

"Nobody's caught your eye yet?"

Standing on the side, watching as pairs of students danced to the music like it was the most natural thing in the world, Ashe only became more keenly aware just how different of a world they lived in. It wasn’t that he envied them or resented them. Nobody asks to be born the way they are, after all. It was just a fact that they were different, just like it’s a fact that the sky is blue.

It being a fact didn’t make the difference any less intimidating at times though. The cup in his hand made what, the third chilled beverage he had? All in the name of trying to cool off his nerves. When one of the people setting the tables appeared to get closer to him, briefly the boy wondered if he was in trouble somehow for drinking too much. Thankfully for him (and his poor heart) the man seemed to only be here for conversation.

“What? Oh, no!” Was he eyeing one person for too long? Was his infatuation too obvious? (Not that he was actually interested in someone right now… of course.) The boy laughed softly, a slight flush to his freckled cheeks. “I was just.. thinking about joining the others on the dance floor. But I keep psyching myself out, ahaha….”

“It really is so different, when you’ve been taught to dance since you were young. I only just recently started learning myself.” Green eyes then flit towards the man, watching him work. “Would you.. perhaps like some help? I’d rather be of use to someone than just stand around all night.”

[hresvelged]

@seawardoath sent: [ NETWORK ] Ronan knows this guy. He'd been hired as a groundskeep not too long ago - an older man, hard in the face and stout, with an odd tattoo on his left forearm. By some miracle, he'd glimpsed the shape of it only because the man had torn his sleeve open on the rose bushes, and he'd thought at the time that it resembled the symbols of the pirates that had plagued Enbarr's port a while back. Now, it's covered by the sleeve of his tailcoat, because now he's managed to corner a young noblewoman with a business proposal like he has any right to.

"--y'see, miss, I know a fellow. Real trustworthy, I swear on my life. Some call 'em the king of jewelers, on account of the fact he knows just about every soul in the business from Derdriu to Enbarr. Them pretty pearls around your neck look mighty counterfeit to me, so I can have 'em shipped--"

Ronan's feet march him over to the pair before he can even think twice. The rank scent of alcohol on the man's breath hits him first.

"Is there any trouble?" he asks the young woman, hearing the fury in his voice for the first time.

"None concernin' you, lad."

"— Oh, but that would be wrong."

It's deplorable, she thinks. From his irritating demeanor to the way he eyes her pearls as they glisten under false and painted skylight. She begins to think she should have better prepared for a situation like this. No matter how many carpets the monastery rolls or rooms they are led astray in, they will never prove just. Is this the sort of behavior they allow? Noble as she is— prepared and graced she ought to be— she cannot know everything.

It is not an artificial church attendant that comes to aid, but someone else. Someone who, she surmises from the way he enters, feels the same as she. She wants to say yes. She doesn't, but she will.

"Huh? Why's that?" The man quirks his head and inches closer.

In an effort of quick thinking, the Imperial Princess moves her hands behind her neck. She reaches the clasp keeping the necklace together and allows the pearls to fall quietly into her hands. Gracefully, quickly, she extends the set of pearls over to the man helping her and places them in one of his palms: "Because I have nothing to offer you."

He scoffs under his breath and keeps his eyes on her necklace, haphazard it may be. "What? You sure 'bout that? I could..—"

She moves to stand in between the two and crosses her arms: "I'm positive. Thank you, but goodbye."

[starrook]

63. You seem different…‎ ‎ 8. Equipment upkeep…‎ ‎ 12. I'm counting on you…‎ ‎

"Your hands..." Ronan stared. He couldn't help it. He'd heard this Alcryst was an archer, but he'd also heard he was a prince, both of which became obvious now that he got a better look at him. At a glance, his hands were perfect - well taken care of - but Ronan could pick out the tell-tale signs of his lengthy experience with a bow.

"I apologize if this makes me come off as strange. When I noticed your hands just now, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of gloves you use when you shoot." He pulled his own hands out from under the table and laid them flat on either side of his teacup. The middle fingers of his right hand were nearly misshapen with hard callouses; a feature he'd simply grown up around in his village and its veteran hunters.

"Maybe we just use the bow in different ways."

“Are you also an archer?” Perhaps that was a foolish question to ask, seeing the hands Ronan placed on the table. Calluses have formed where the bowstring puts the most pressure. Wear and tear is a natural part of living life, but even this seems excessive to Alcryst.

“I use a three finger glove that covers these fingers.” Alcryst touches Ronan’s middle fingers on his right hand. “I still have calluses—I also play violin, so it’s inevitable—but protection helps keep them manageable…

“…If I, if I may?” The Brodian prince takes Ronan’s callused hand into his own. His fingers run across the hardened skin. “If you use a hand cream or something similar like lanolin, you’ll find this skin becomes more flexible. It will feel softer, but it won’t be softer. You’ll still have that extra protection callused skin provides, but you’ll also prevent the skin from cracking and becoming painful.” Alcryst lets go of his hand. “What sort of bows do you use? And how do you draw them?”

[dcggersedge]

[ CORN ] [ // loading yunaka up on corn this year ]

"Hey, hold this." Normal circumstances would probably dictate that you give your name to a person before you shove a whole bouquet of flowers into their arms, but Yunaka's got her eyes on bigger prizes than that right now. Namely, prizes that taste good.

See, if anything she overheard from Bunet was true, then it took dangerous and bold experimentation to make new dishes. Yunaka's never been good in the kitchen, but this is a table. And hear her out; she's got weird little corn things that taste like nothing. And she's got a chocolate fountain thing in front of her that is just begging for some dipping.

The problem is getting the popcorn in there without just sticking her hands in. She frowns as she carefully tries to speak the popcorn with a toothpick. "You can take one of my flowers if you need 'em, by the way. Consider it a thanks for helping."

There, got it. With her new toothpick lance, she carefully dips the piece of popcorn into the chocolate stream. The force nearly knocks it loose into the pool of death below, but her other hand shoots forward in time to catch it and pop it into her mouth instead.

Hey, that's not bad! She waves to the other person before pointing to the fountain. "You wanna try some? It's a lot better than just that stuff on it's own."

@seawardoath

[far-from-common]

(Fruits)

Ronan has been looking for someone to try this for ever since he saw someone else doing it earlier that morning. Mostly because he's had his fill of the fruit - and especially the sugar - as he practiced, and doesn't want to waste it. Only problem is that this particular stand hasn't been that busy, and those who'd come to check out the pot of melted sugar when Ronan had have all gone off to other attractions.

"Oh! Excuse me," he calls to the woman who strides confidently up to the pot next, and slides off his stool to point at the fruit she's impaled at the end of her wooden stick.

"Do you mind if I see that for a moment? I'll give it right back."

When she relinquishes her soon-to-be-treat, he pulls out the crude pair of pliers he'd fashioned out of a couple of the dipping sticks he'd broken and begins to work the sugar coating into a shape while it cools. He's never considered himself an artist, but he's seen enough rabbits in his lifetime to pull the sugar into a shape that looks close enough like one to be recognizable. When it's done, he hands the fruit - now with rabbit ears and a little tail - back with an uncertain smile.

"What do you think?"

L’Arachel’s continued journey in experiencing every thing that this event has to offer has led her to the stand with fruits and sugar. Before she can figure out the intricacies of it on her own, one of the other people there asks for it instead.

“Why, go right ahead!” After all, it shall most likely be better if she watches someone else do it first; though do not get her wrong, she can most certainly learn by doing if she so wishes.

That being said, she is quite glad that she had let this man showcase his skills; the result is utterly fantastic! His question is almost redundant; L’Arachel is positively radiating joy at the sight of the little rabbit shaped treats.

“It is absolutely magnificent! Truly, truly incredible; oh it will make it so much harder to bring myself to eat these delicacies when they look so very gorgeous.” She manages to tear her eyes off of the rabbit fruit long enough to give their creator a big, beaming smile.

“You have my utmost gratitude; your talent is quite incredible!” After she has had her fill of walking around and exploring, mayhaps she shall come back here to try and learn something similar; both so she may have a new trick up her sleeve, and so that she may express her gratitude in more than just words.

[verseandrhyme]

♡

thots? | accepting!

●○○○○ | ATTRACTION ●●○○○ | AFFECTION ●●●●○ | INTEREST ●●●○○ | LOYALTY ●●●○○ | TRUST

Curse turned to fortune / cycle starts over anew / may it be better.

[lunaestice]

♡ commoner archers 🤝

What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!

⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️ | ATTRACTION

⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | AFFECTION

⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️ | INTEREST

⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | LOYALTY

⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | TRUST

“When you’re surrounded by so many people of noble heritage, it’s a real comfort to meet someone like Sir Ronan. He seems like a very down to earth man, which I can appreciate. I wonder if he’d be willing to give me some archery pointers sometime…..”