#toaheart2022

[blaydiud]

Caprisun Connoisseurs | dimitri & deirdre

H.E.A.R.T. task starter for @nagaficat​

The Day of Devotion has started and the tasks were sent out- it was stated that everyone had to participate or their grades would take a hit...well, it seemed nice, to have a chance to bond with others. Although this was a little awkward.

The prince choose a nice, shadowy spot near the lake for a picnic, or at least that was what the list had in store for him. A picnic with...Deirdre. He had met with her a few times here and there, and she did seem like a wonderful person, but...wasn’t she a compromised woman? As House Leader, he had heard things about Deirdre being involved with a knight by the name of Sigurd. As she his wife? If yes then Dimitri would later tell Sigurd that all of this was just a friendly meeting.

Because Dimitri himself didn’t think that a romantic picnic would feature an entire box of juice baggies, all of different kinds, resting under his arm. There was no explanation for it and their branding was especially cryptic- ‘CethleeSuns’.

The sound of incoming steps made the prince turn around, smiling cordially and offering the lady a wave. “Good afternoon, Deirdre. Uhm...I got the...juices? The workers at the kitchen graciously handed me these. I mean, I only asked for two but they gave me an entire box, so...well, I am sure there are great flavours in there.” He shuffled around a little, a bit awkward. “I also brought some cheese and bread.”

“Well, I chose this spot here...I hope it is good enough. If not, then I can pick another!”

[aimlessarchery]

Marinara Melee

H.E.A.R.T event starter for @ashenprofessor

Wasn't this supposed to be a war school? Python has yet to see a time where knowledge of courtship and etiquette ever saved somebody's life on a battlefield. He'd like to see his paycheck, though, which means he has to suck it up and check off the boxes for this mandatory event. He carries a plate of pasta through the dining hall, searching for a head of teal hair amongst the crowd. At least he knows her....sort of. There hadn't been all that much time to talk with Byleth in the chaos that erupted out at Derdriu, but they'd supported one another and both come out alive. That's a bond that can handle some awkward spaghetti-sharing, surely. "Hey," he slides the plate onto the table, sitting beside her. "Dunno what's so romantic about sharing a plate of food, but at least it's an easy one, right?" He idly pushes the singular meatball with his fork, "...Even if they skimp on the meat around here...."

[disgracedvessel]

Captive Audience

H.E.A.R.T starter for @amnesiac-pawn

“Mandatory,” Julius grumbles. “Are the others really so hopeless...” Of course they are - he answers his own question - but he doesn’t understand why his classmates’ failures to form the networks required by their noble status should mean that he must be out here by the lake on his hands and knees, fighting the autumn breeze to keep the corners of a picnic quilt from flipping over. Long red hair drapes over his shoulders and down his back as he works to wipe away the last of the wrinkles, but the thought that he should tie it back and out of the way remains an idle one beneath the ceaseless stream of muttered grousing.

“We’re not children,” he continues to no one but the placid lake and the whispering pines. A picnic was not something he had endured his days in Belhalla with Julia and - occasionally - Sara. Later, they were planned as gifts for Ishtar and Ishtar alone, and he fancied himself something of an expert in their preparation by now. But it was child’s play, and after a war and countless scrapes with death, it feels frivolous now (though, he supposed, so did school). Still, as asinine and tedious as he finds the task, Julius spares nothing to perfect his own picnic spread. He would show his peers how charm could be weaponized, and how true nobility conducted themselves.

But he would need a partner. Unfortunately. Julius sits back on his heels before the extravagant display of dishware (some pilfered from the locked cabinets in the dining hall; others brought from home) laid out upon the now-immaculate quilt and searches for someone with which he could spend any length of time without contemplating their execution. Whether by fate, coincidence, or something else entirely, his roaming gaze settles quickly on a passerby adorned in the academy’s uniform.

“You there!” Julius calls with the authority of a past long-gone, and rises to his feet to tail the other boy if he shows no sign of stopping. “Join me for a light snack.” A flash of teeth behind a smile. “I assure you, there are far worse tasks than this for this silly exercise. Only a fool would pass on one so easy.”

[atypicalsenerio]

Blue Sky, Calm Waters [Saias & Soren]

H.E.A.R.T. starter for @saionofvalflame

Soren only ever brought food outside when he needed to eat while studying. He certainly didn’t do it as a social activity, but it was what was being asked of him.

This feels like something Mist would do. He let his mind wander as he packed a small basket with two sandwiches, grapes, a couple apples, napkins, and then some cookies for dessert that he certainly hadn’t made himself. Thankfully, it was a season where finding a couple cutely decorated cookies for sale was easy. He put a small cloth over the top and stepped back, looking at the quaint basket like a stranger had filled it, and not he.

Was this something normal people did with friends? Soren got a sudden wave of something not quite sorrowful, but not nostalgic. How could he be nostalgic for something he’d never done before?

He simply felt he did not belong. This mundane little picnic with someone he barely knew fit in better in someone else’s life.

Still, he picked up the basket and walked out with it on his arm to the grassy banks of the lake closest to the monastery. He saw Saias in the distance and didn’t bother waving, waiting until he got close enough to speak.

“I was meant to bring food, as requested.” Soren glanced to the dock. Had Saias been tending to a boat? “The day is suitable for rowing- was that you intention?”

[lilyfonded]

lakeside flora

Flayn is more than excited to be sitting by the lake, enjoying the company of a fellow classmate. It was her goal to know as many people as possible, even more-so for other Black Eagles! She feels she can learn a lot from Deirdre.

She sat opposite of Deirdre on a blanket with a lovely little basket residing right in the middle. The abundance of flowers accompanying the magnificent view of the crystal clear waters made her feel nostalgic. She wants to remember this view for centuries to come, too.

With her gaze shifting from the water back to her newfound friend, Flayn runs her fingers atop the petals of a purple flower with a sparkling smile: “I could not ask for a better companion to enjoy a picnic with! I always find events such as these are the best way to know someone better.”

She may not be the most knowledgeable person on flowers or have much experience with picnics (save for any makeshift ones with her father), but she can’t help and find it calming. Flayn speaks softly, scooting herself closer towards the flowers that captivated her attention: “Do you have a favorite flower? Or.. A favorite color, perhaps?”

@nagaficat

[ashenprofessor]

Painting up a storm

H.E.A.R.T starter for @avemaera

Byleth waited by the lakeside with a set of oars by her feet. There was a small red boat bobbing at the end of the short dockside ready to take out on the lake. The professor was waiting for Arvis to arrive.

She'd been a bit surprised when he's asked out of the blue to help him with a project. Apparently he wished to recreate a scene often used in artwork of a person rowing across the waves. Whilst Byleth though there may be other more suited to the role than herself, she supposed the teal of her hair would work well with the colour of the water or something. It was Arvis' choice of muse so she didn't wish to question his decision.

Glancing up at the grey clouds on the horizon, Byleth grew a little concerned about the weather. The waters were calm for now but she wasn't certain how long this would remain the case.

A voice distracted her from her thoughts and looking round she saw Arvis approaching.

"Hello" Byleth greeted her fellow professor. "Have you got everything you need? I have the boat ready to go."

[flowerofgoneril]

Prom Practice

HEART starter for @prayerwitch

Hilda is glad that at least one of her assigned tasks is something she'll actually enjoy doing. To think she'd even been excited for this only to be forced off a cliff and to write a poem. She's partnered with Sara which she is also quite pleased about. It's a shame the two girls haven't really hung out before now. Sara seems like a kindred spirit.

"Hey Sara!" Hilda chirps cheerfully when they meet up to practice dancing. "This should be kind of fun, right? I mean, it's never too early to start getting ready for the Ethereal Ball!" In truth, it's probably one of the only things Hilda will put effort into ahead of time rather than waiting until the last second.

[songstriked]

gift of poetry

The scenery of the event itself was something akin to an opera- The majestic waters in the background, the sounds of people talking, and even the soft breeze moving through the air. Nobody could control the weather, but what they could curate was the tasks each and every one of them seemed to have.

Dorothea found herself presented with gift-giving. She can’t say she minded- For someone like her, she was much more used to being on the receiving end of gifts. Granted, those always tended to be from people who didn’t know the true her. They never would.

It made it all the more easier when the songstress saw she was paired with a classmate of hers. Holding a tiny box in her hands, she approached Joshua with a wave and a tiny wink: “Hello there. How are you enjoying these events? Personally, I find it all rather thrilling. I mean, how many opportunities like these are we really going to get?”

As much as more sounded appealing, Dorothea could never truly predict what those in power here might be thinking.

@kingofwhitedunes