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i hope some day i'll make it out of here even if it takes all night or a hundred years.

[ufvivian]

— nostalgia ,

FINN !!

the lotus festival brings back a lot of memories, not all of them good.

well, most of them are good, or they should be good, but somehow the good memories hurt more than the bad now.  it’s all a reminder of what feels like another life now: when the lucinier name meant something, when it was easy to smile and he was full of pride and enthusiasm.

lotus campus is a familiar stomping ground for him, a lotus academy student in his teen years. when he’s in the hall itself, he takes it in, and can’t help but recall the past years: him laughing with his academy friends, him seeing how charming he could be in one night, dancing with anyone that wanted to, and how beautiful yura looked year after year on this day in particular.

he’s only really here because ziyu paid him a lot of gold to accompany her, though chances are he would’ve ended up coming even if it was just vivian begging him to.

finn is afraid to face his memories, and he is afraid to face those he knew before he lost the war, but he has been enough of a coward in recent years at vivian’s expense. ziyu is paying him, and he owes it to his sister to at least attempt to be the brother she deserves and that he robbed her of for the past year.

it takes him time to find an opening to leave ziyu’s side; she has many duties to attend to and finn doesn’t want to cause any trouble by skipping out on her in the middle of a meeting. he is keenly aware, however, of the passage of time, and that he is late to meeting vivian where he agreed. thankfully, he’s free to leave before long, and he hurriedly heads to where he’s supposed to meet his sister.

she looks worried. he can’t blame her, but it still saddens him. she really thinks he would leave her hanging when he told her he wouldn’t again? he supposes it’s too soon to entirely mend the trust he broke between them, but he likes to think it’s improving, and that tonight might aid in that healing.

“vivian,” he calls to her, and he smiles softly. “sorry i’m late. turns out being an unofficial bodyguard at the lotus festival is a busier job than i anticipated.”

     it feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders when she hears her brother’s familiar voice, her shoulders dropping and her posture straightening up, just barely noticeable to the untrained eye. but her brother has always known her well, and even if she doesn’t consciously think about it, he surely recognizes the signs of nervousness in her posture alone. 

     “finn!” she calls out in response, her expression brightening just at the sight of him. the reassurance that she really hadn’t been waiting for nothing, that he hadn’t forgotten about her or left her again, feels so good in that moment that she takes a few steps forward quickly to latch onto his arm. she hadn’t really thought that he was going to forget about her, not this time, but at the same time, there had still been a niggling seed of doubt deep down that had whispered about how easy it would be for him just to not show up again.

     “it’s okay,” she says, the words coming out more easily and genuinely than she had thought they might, beaming up at him. there’s something very nostalgic about the fact that they are at the lotus academy for a festival, something that reminds her of better days before their territory had been ripped away by war. “you’re here now and that’s what matters. i fully intend on dragging you around everywhere,” her grin is seemingly irrepressible, eyes bright with excitement, and she tugs on his arm to lead him towards where they can at least get some food. 

     “what do you want to start with?” she questions, hoping for something from him so that they can actually both enjoy the festival.

[finnuf]

{  * defensive assist  }

finn wouldn’t say he expected this, but after losing a war he was raised to endure, he tries to prepare for the worst. no, eyeball monsters slamming through the windows of lotus hall’s ballroom was not on his list of assumed events, but…it doesn’t surprise him as much as it might most people. some of these people are probably cushy nobles that have never known violence a day in their lives, so horrified by the idea of so much as an injury.

finn is used to fighting, so as people flee every which way, his course of action is clear: fight. most people heed laurelia’s advice, providing some semblance of order, but it’s still mostly chaos, and finn is glad vivian was beside him for the speeches, otherwise he would be among the frantic trying to find her.

sure, he has an employer; he’s supposed to be a bodyguard today, so finding her is also urgent, but finn trusts ziyu enough to take care of herself and sorry, but his sister takes priority. finn has few people left in this world, and besides, ziyu already paid him so handsomely that even if he ultimately fails at his job and word gets around that he’s a shitty mercenary, he’ll be set for long enough to find something else to do.

vivian is top priority. he thinks it’s only fair, after the way he abandoned her last year. now that he has his head on straight again he realizes in many ways it’s just them; he and vivian against the world, or maybe he’s still being too much of a stubborn idiot. many people he lost are self-inflicted; he ran into leila and yura here again as well, and he hopes they’ll be fine.

he can’t worry about them, though. right now, it’s vivian by his side, and he drags her along with him to fetch his weapon so he doesn’t lose her, just as much for how tiny she is as anything else.  

by the time they return to the ballroom, fully prepared to fight, the mogalls outnumber the fighters. finn hopes the numbers will even out as more people gather their weapons, but it seems even more filter in through the windows every time one is felled.

speak of the devil: one locks it’s large eye on vivian, and thankfully, the creature isn’t too fast. it summons its dark miasma for a moment before it attacks, so there’s a brief time to prepare–– at least long enough for him to step in front of his sister as the creature hurls an orb of dark magic. he doesn’t know if blocking would help against the magic, but he only partially gets his sword up in time, and tanks the rest of the hit.

it burns, but just a little. “i’m good,” he assures his sister, but that miasma forms around their enemy again. “get ready to dodge.”

* @ufvivian

[ufvivian]

     they really just can’t catch a break, vivian thinks in exasperation to herself as the ugly, eyeball monsters slam into the windows of the lotus hall ballroom. she can’t lie and say that the slamming didn’t startle her, but at least fear doesn’t grip her painfully like it had when she had first seen war. the monsters are ugly, but vivian has seen people who are far worse. at least, that’s what she tells herself. 

     but somehow the sight of the monsters still sends a tremor through her, if only momentarily, and she feels her hands clench into fists involuntarily, swallowing as she tries to force her body to respond. she’s not a child anymore, there’s no reason for her to be so scared — she can take on these mogalls. 

     but she’s dragged from her attempt at self motivation by her brother’s hand around hers, seizing her and pulling her along. she doesn’t have to make the decision and she is relieved for that, following her brother as he retrieves his weapon before they head back to the ballroom. by this point, she’s more prepared mentally to face them again. she isn’t alone, this time. 

     she has finn by her side and that makes all the difference, at least in her mind. her brother might not be infallible but she knows that at least, if they’re together, she can protect him as much as she can. it’s her turn to take care of him, naive though the thought may be. 

     as she gathers the magic in her hands, inhaling as she focuses for the stronger spell of elfire, she only realizes that her brother has stepped in front of her to block a hit when it’s too late to dissuade him. she doesn’t let the magic go, gritting her teeth as she lets her eyes flicker over to her brother in concern, shoulders untensing slightly as she notes that he really does look okay. at least, she hopes so. “you’re okay? be careful, finn,” she says with a worried tone in her voice, heeding his words and shifting to the side, out of the way of the eye, so she can also have a clear line of fire.

[ufvivian]

CONGRATULATIONS! you have LEVELED UP!

VIVIAN has received a 9 STAT level up and is now LEVEL 7.

you will gain levels by being active throughout the roleplay and meeting certain requirements. these requirements are a secret, but consider every ic post as something that gains you experience and puts you one step closer to your next level up.

remember, the stats you can add have been randomized, and you must now distribute one point each across nine different stats. this means you will add one stat point to all of your stats! how exciting.

please record this level up on the “stat tracker” page of your status page, and link this post under the “link” heading as proof of your level up. well done!

[ufvivian]

— mistaken identities ,

AZURA !!

“a few,” azura confirms with a nod. “while it’s not super common, it does happen. it’s mostly young students from the academy.” she looks over the girl again. she had said she was nineteen, which was well within the age to still be a student. “you a student there yourself?” 

“your brother, huh?” azura immediately starts racking her brain for a regular who looks similar to the girl in front of her, but can’t think of who it might be. perhaps they’re just siblings who don’t look particularly alike? it also doesn’t help that she has no idea how old this brother might be. 

her curiosity is too big for her to leave the topic alone. “who is your brother, if i might ask?” she questions as she picks up the jug of lemonade from the counter behind her, pouring out a glass before placing it in front of the customer. “if he’s a regular here, i probably know him. might be able to tell you if he’s been here recently or not.” she offers the girl a smile, her usual relaxed demeanor replacing her spout of suspicion. “oh, and enjoy your lemonade. freshly made just a few hours ago.” 

     she can’t help but sigh a little bit, knowing full well that when she had been a younger student here, there had definitely been younger students who had done exactly what the bartender had been talking about. “yeah. i’m in my last year now — i took a year off last year for, um, personal reasons.” she explains with a touch of hesitance, thinking that she’s probably being vague enough that there aren’t really any conclusions to be drawn from it. 

     she hesitates for a moment to tell the bartender and reveal the relationship between her and finn. if indeed her brother is a regular here, there might also be stories or expectations, maybe even stories that this stranger has heard. it’s just another reminder that maybe she doesn’t really know finn that well after all. 

      she takes the lemonade with a soft word of thanks, taking a sip of the cold drink and she makes a pleased sound. “his name is finn,” she decides to say with a wry smile. “does that name sound familiar? he’s a few years older than me. and this lemonade is excellent, by the way.”

     belatedly, she realizes that despite everything, she hadn’t introduced herself, and she still doesn’t know the bartender’s name. “i’m vivian, by the way.” she leaves off her surname for the time being, the surname that she technically no longer has the right to use. “what about you?”

[ufvivian]

— under the cover of night ,

FINN !!

at first, he doesn’t know if she’ll believe him. she looks up at him like she’s searching his face for the answers to all of the questions she had in his absence, and he doesn’t know if what she finds there will be good enough. she will find honesty, though. he has no desire to deceive his sister, or ever hurt her again if he can help it, though he knows better than to think he never will. he will never do so intentionally, but…he didn’t even mean to hurt her when he left. he was just drowning in the grief of it all. he was starving for some kind of relief, and when you’re dying of hunger, you don’t think of who else is starving when you find food. you just try to live. finn saw an escape from it all and took it without thinking of anyone else, too. he was just trying to live with it, and living with just himself was already too much.

it’s not a good enough excuse, though, and he knows that. he has much to repent for and even more to redeem himself from. in some ways, it’s intimidating, but in other ways it’s simple; it will take time to win back vivian’s full trust, but he doesn’t think it will take too much to win her love. somehow, he doesn’t think that really went anywhere, or that it ever will. maybe all he needs to do is just be. just stay.

“okay,” he replies, voice soft, and offers his own nod in confirmation. vivian’s terms are fair. truthfully, he isn’t sure how he’ll leave her a note yet, or where he’ll need to leave it, because he doesn’t know where she’s been or where she’ll go and if she’ll expect him to follow. they should probably talk about that, shouldn’t they?

 "are you still going to school here? where are you staying? i have a…pretty cheap place on the outskirts of xakar now. i don’t think there’s enough room for you to stay very comfortably, but you can come visit when you’d like to, at least. i’m actually not home too often, though. i do a lot of mercenary work now and it has me traveling a good deal.“

     there’s a certain kind of peace that feels like it’s present within her, hearing her brother’s earnest words and the promise that he’s not going to up and leave her again with no warning, not like he had before where she had been left wondering if it had been something she had done, or if he had been kidnapped and killed in the middle of the night, or what. she had mourned him when he went missing because she hadn’t known what else to do. 

     it had been wartime, after all.

     she holds onto him tightly, swallowing past her pain and hurt for the time being. “don’t think i won’t burn all your hair off if you break your word, finn.” she mumbles through a voice that’s thick with tears she’s trying to blink back, her cheek pressed against his shoulder now as she holds onto her big brother. she might not be able to get her home back, but she has one piece of her family back, and that’s better than nothing. 

     “i’m back at lotus academy for this year,” she tells him seriously. “i live in the dorms...” because i don’t have anywhere to go back to, is what she doesn’t say. “i’d like to come visit you once, though. i haven’t really been to podakko before.” she says quietly, although there’s a very good reason why she had never been allowed to go before — it’s not really the place for a girl as young as she still is. “but i guess you’ll have to invite me, if you’re away a lot,” her lips quirk up in a wry little smile at that. 

[ufvivian]

ufeliot​:

turning his back on the bandit causes the hairs on the back of his neck to stand at ends. if he learned one thing from being a kid involved in one or two scuffles, and then more with his mischievous little siblings, it’s that he shouldn’t turn his back on the unknown. he’s tensed until he notices vivian relax out of the corner of his vision. she turns to him and eliot is quick to meet her gaze, smiling widely as his own body relaxes at the perceived safety. the road ahead of them are safe for now, but he’ll bet his last gold piece that he’ll encounter some other form of trouble before the end of the night.

“i’m heading out west, hopefully.” he’s not so obviously that he sighs in relief at their shared thoughts, but his smile shines a little brighter at her suggestion. “i think that’s the best option.” they’re both tired and the last thing eliot needs to spend more energy clearing a path for himself and then finding himself ravenous the next time he has a moment to sit down for a meal; at this rate he’s going to wear a whole in his coinpurse. “are you from noyillai?” it was an area he’d been through quite a few times recently, but he wasn’t entirely familiar with the mountain range. “i hail from gleerium!” he didn’t expect to make friends on his search, but vivian looked like someone he could befriend easily.

     her expression freezes when he says that he’s from gleerium, and it feels like ice has just swept through her. she should have guessed. it always seems like the happiest people are from gleerium, unaware of the wars that their country had waged, the lives that they had stolen and disrupted. maybe it’s not fair of her to be angry at all the people of gleerium, but a mage...? surely he must hail from nobility, and in that case, she thinks she has ample right to be angry. the nobles are complicit. 

     “gleerium,” she repeats in a suddenly flat tone, quite a visible (or audible) indicator that something has gone wrong in their conversation. she’s not from noyillai, simply studies there, but to hell with it if anyone in deyuis thinks she’s going to tell someone from gleerium that she’s from etlia. 

     “i see.” her expression is so shuttered, her expression so blank now, that it would be impossible for eliot to not realize something is wrong. it’s suddenly as though she’s carved out of ice, such a contrast to the fire she wields. 

[ufvivian]

— nostalgia ,

enjoying the lotus festival with @finnuf !

     vivian fidgets a little nervously as she waits under the tree they’d designated as their meeting point. her brother has been doing a lot better when it comes to communicating, and since they’d met again, he’d kept his word of at least telling her if he was going to disappear or if they could meet somewhere. there haven’t really been times where he’s given her an uncertain answer or left her hanging, but that was how finn had been before he’d run off after the war, too, so vivian is still worried. 

     after all, that abandonment had been for the first time, too.

     time ticks by as she glances up at the sky, and the ball of worry that’s been growing in her stomach gets bigger as the appointed time passes by. she wants to believe that finn isn’t going to leave her hanging, that he’s planning to show up, but the fact of the matter is that he’s late now... and she’s not sure what’s going on. 

     she doesn’t think her brother would forget about her, but there’s a small, hurt part of her that’s worrying more and more loudly about the potential. 

[ufvivian]

CONGRATULATIONS! you have LEVELED UP!

VIVIAN has received a 3 STAT level up and is now LEVEL 5.

you will gain levels by being active throughout the roleplay and meeting certain requirements. these requirements are a secret, but consider every ic post as something that gains you experience and puts you one step closer to your next level up.

remember, the stats you can add have been randomized, and you must now distribute one point each across three different stats. you must add two of those stat points to two of the strong skills listed on your application (MAGIC, RESISTANCE and LUCK.) 

please record this level up on the “stat tracker” page of your status page, and link this post under the “link” heading as proof of your level up. well done!

[ufvivian]

— circumstantial ,

on opposite sides of a war with @ufnathaniel !

     there is something to be said about war. it ruins everything. friends become enemies, and people are hurt. it’s destructive and the only people who benefit are the extremely rich. 

     vivian hates it. 

     of course, it’s not often that she runs into someone she personally knows from the war in the streets, so for the most part, people are safe from her ire. but it’s one particular afternoon in the streets of noyillai that she sees a figure she knows all too well, one that towers above her, a person she knows from their school days, even though he had been older than her and more connected with her brother than directly with her. 

     she has to hurry to catch up with him as he leaves the more crowded area, and he only gets taller as she stalks closer to him, her anger rising up. her hands are clenched into fists, following him as quickly as she can (curse his superior height, it’s not fair that she practically has to run to keep up with his strides) and it’s only when she catches up that she calls out, “nathaniel.”

[ufvivian]

— haven ,

a safe space with @ufastrea !

     vivian’s not entirely sure how she’d found her way to calendula in the first place, but she’s ever so glad that she had. unexpectely, the healer there had become someone that vivian quite enjoyed talking to, someone who listened well to her and also offered her a strange sense of safety. 

     so it only makes sense that when vivian finds herself in a rather irritated state (to understate it) after an encounter, that she would make her way to calendula, seeking out someone she felt safe ranting about gleerium to. 

     stupid nobles, stupid greedy annexing fools that they are — she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to forgive them for the callous way they’d simply ripped land, lives, people and families away from etlia as if they were the only ones who had ever mattered. 

     “astrea,” she calls as she pushes open the door, the anger simmering under the surface, carefully contained until she knows for sure that the healer is alone and she’s not going to be executed for her anger. and maybe also for claiming a title that is no longer hers, but she doesn’t care. it was hers, rightfully, until it was stolen. 

[ufvivian]

ufeliot​:

he’s relieved when the other mage smiles along with him and introduces herself. it wouldn’t bode well for him to piss off a mage that knows fire spells and looks like she could kick his ass.

“i think we can power through…” he prepares to attack the remaining bandit again, wanting to pull his own weight now that they’re acting as a team through necessity. he would have loved to go through his day without encountering a bandit, let alone two. it was probably wishful thinking but eliot hoped that this would be his last encounter of the month– he’d had enough already with just today’s fighting. he wasn’t one to instigate fights but when it was necessary it took quite a bit out of him– he really did hate fighting and causing harm, as much as that may make him viewed as too sensitive.

“hm, i don’t think they’re going to be getting back up– but if you’re feeling drained maybe we should take this chance to get out of here.” he’s not sure which direction vivian is heading but eliot might just take the chance of tagging along with her until the next tavern or resting spot- just in case one of them runs into another bandit group. “which way are your travels taking you?”

     she can’t help but grimace, both of them on their guard and wary of whether or not the bandit will be getting back up. “if we have to,” she agrees, her hands held out in front of her as she takes a few careful steps backwards. it seems like eliot has the same thoughts as her as he suggests clearing out of the area. tightening her bag on her shoulder, vivian gives a sharp nod, her eyes still warily watching out for the bandit even as she backs away from the camp, gesturing for eliot to follow her. 

     once they’re safely away enough that they’ll hear the bandit coming, she finally relaxes, her expression curious as she glances up at the mage next to her. “i’m heading back to noyillai. what about you?” she hesitates for a moment before she continues, a little reluctantly if only because she doesn’t like to rely on others, “would you like to continue to the nearest warp pad together?”

[themoongirls]

220720 | YEOJIN 💌🐻

[ufvivian]

— under the cover of night ,

FINN !!

it’s easy to hold onto vivian like this. finn closes his eyes, and tries to relish in the fact that he’s no longer alone.

that part isn’t as easy. somehow, that not being alone scares him. if he isn’t alone, that means there is someone to lose, and with his history, he will lose them.

he knows it isn’t a rational train of thought. it’s not a good enough excuse to leave vivian again, and he doesn’t want to. loss is inevitable, and he left vivian alone. he chose his loneliness willingly, but he decided vivian’s for her, and that wasn’t fair. she needed him; even the grand duke told him so on the day they lost everything. add him to the list of people finn has disappointed.

he was incredibly selfish. he realizes the depth of that selfishness as each second ticks by, and all of the people he abandoned without a word, and all of the pain he caused in doing so. first, he couldn’t show his face from the shame of losing the war, and all the lives lost in his honor. now, there’s that, and the guilt and embarrassment of running like a coward. somehow, he feels more disgraceful than ever.

what now? does he try to find everyone he left and make peace with them? does he move on and leave the chance of reunion up to the gods?

those are questions for later. for now, vivian clings to him so tightly, and he rests one hand in her hair, and there’s much to be thankful for. she’s safe. she still loves him, even if she’s angry. he doesn’t know if she’ll ever forgive him, but just this much is enough: her safety and her love.

will he run away again? he’s afraid to promise he won’t. he doesn’t trust himself to stay when anything gets hard anymore, but he can’t hurt vivian the same way again. "i’ll at least leave a note,” he swears, with a hesitant smile. “i travel a lot these days, so i might run away for a little while…i’ll come back, though. i promise.”

     she inhales shakily, letting her brother hold her and hugging him back just as fiercely in a way that speaks of just how much she had missed him, even though she’d only said it once aloud — i missed you — it’s the words she doesn’t say that betrays just keenly she had felt his absence while he was gone. it’s like she hadn’t know how lonely she was until finn wrapped his arms around her, and now she thinks that she will feel the hole he leaves with as a gaping ache. 

     but maybe she isn’t giving herself enough credit, here. she had survived. she had survived more than a year without him, and she can continue to survive if she needs to — having him here will make it easier, though. and she wants to savour that feeling for as long as she can, pushing the anger and resentment aside for the time being until she can drink her fill of what it feels like to have her brother present and with her again. 

     finn doesn’t promise not to run away again, but in a way, vivian can understand that. he’s trying not to make a promise he can’t keep, but it’s the promise he does make that warms her heart. pulling away from him to stare up at him with searching eyes, looking for the truth in the depths of his soul, she nods twice, satisfied with whatever it is that she sees. 

     “okay,” she says softly. “leave me a note and promise that you will come back to me... don’t leave me like that again, finn. i really won’t forgive you if you leave me like that again.”  her voice is quiet and subdued, an unspoken reminder that his actions really had hurt her. 

[ufvivian]

— mistaken identities ,

AZURA !!

“yes, you,” azura confirms with a nod, eyes still narrowed as she studies the girl’s reaction. there’s immediate denial, though azura isn’t sure she fully believes her. the thing is, she’s seen this before — minors reacting strongly to being called out, in an attempt to convince the server or bartender that they are in fact of age and should be served. part of her wants to call the girl out on it, tell her she’s seen this kind of lie before, and ask for definite proof of her claim. 

…though, that’s probably the part of her that’s already had a terrible day speaking. taking it out on a stranger wouldn’t be fair. besides, the girl doesn’t really seem insincere — her reaction is more one of annoyance, as if this is something that happens to her often. perhaps she just looks young for her age. 

taking a deep breath to calm herself down, azura makes an attempt to put a kinder expression on her face. “oh, uh… my bad. you just look very young. but i bet you already get that a lot.” she lets out a chuckle, a brief one, though she suspects the girl won’t find it that funny. 

“let’s start this over again. what can i get ya?”

     vivian’s eyes narrow at the bartender a little suspiciously, her lips curved down into a natural pout, which probably does not help her claim that she’s a full adult at all. but thankfully, the bartender seems to give in, whether because she genuinely believes that vivian is an adult, or just because she can’t be bothered to care more — vivian isn’t sure, but she’s grateful either way. she really has heard this far too much to want to put up with it anymore. 

     “like you wouldn’t believe,” vivian replies, softening her tone slightly to take away some of the annoyance that might have seeped through otherwise. “but i guess you were just doing your job. you must see a lot of minors who try to get in.” 

     here is where vivian becomes a little bit sheepish, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “well... i’m not actually here to drink. so maybe a lemonade? i’m just looking for my brother and i know he frequents this tavern,” she confesses to the bartender, seeing as how they’ve seemingly started over.

[ufasher]

catch me if you can.

@ufvivian​

asher is in trouble. well, that’s not new, but he’s usually smarter than the people he’s in trouble with. or at least faster. but this time it seems that his luck failed him; he’s pissed off the wrong person and not only do they know this city better than he does (and all of the shortcuts; he’s nearly been cut off and cornered three times), but they have a surprising amount of endurance for such a large person. asher’s really wondering how he got caught up in this. all he did was take a bite of an apple —one that he fully intended to pay for, for the record— before the merchant was suddenly blowing his lid, screaming at asher and threatening to call the authorities. asher, with an apple in his mouth and hand halfway into his coin purse, did what any rational person would do: he ran.

it’s amazing how the merchant manages to have the breath to shout expletives and threats at asher with all of the running they’re doing. through the shouting, he thinks he’s been able to put together at least half of the story. apparently some group of kids has been robbing this merchant blind. kids that supposedly look just like him, or maybe the man just needs glasses. asher doesn’t stop to find out, though he’s a bit more sympathetic if he does. shame on those kids for robbing a blind man, though asher had really tried to pay him properly. he clutches the once-bitten apple in his hand; he didn’t think to put it down and now that he’s on the run, he’s not giving it back.

taking a glance over his shoulder, he’s pleased to see that the man is starting to slow down, that asher is finally starting to make some ground for his escape. whew! he’s glad he’s in such good shape! he’s still looking back when he rounds a corner and— bam! he collides with another body, one that easily folds under his force and they both topple to the ground. “shit-” asher’s apple is knocked out of his hand, rolling away to be trampled by other pedestrians traveling up and down the street. now it’s really not worth all of the running he just did. “sorry, i’m so sorry,” he doesn’t have time to apologize, not when the merchant is still on his tail. but asher realizes he knocked over a little girl and he’s afraid she’ll start crying or something, so he’s sort of freaking out. “i didn’t see you there! are you okay? um, actually, i’m so sorry, but i really have to go. i hope you’re alright!”

he’s picking himself up off the ground to take off into a sprint again. but, much to his dismay, he finds himself staring into the face of a merchant who is no less red in the face than when he first started screaming and sputtering. shit. asher’s luck certainly has run out today.

[ufvivian]

     with every day that passes, vivian wonders exactly what she had done so wrong that the gods had cursed her with such a small height. while many women would perhaps love to be smaller in stature, especially when it makes looking like a lady easier, vivian rather thinks that she’d missed the expectation of the perfect height for the lady and gotten very stuck in the you will forever be mistaken for a child height. 

     unfair, really, especially when you consider that her older brother had somehow gotten all the height in the family. he could have spared a few centimeters. 

     while her height does make her quite the perfect person to sneak around and get into places that she’s not supposed to be, that’s not very helpful when vivian has no intention of sneaking around and would much rather be noticed. 

     also, it really sucks when she can’t hold her own physically against someone bigger and stronger. these thoughts are only sharply conpounded when she is simply walking down the streets of noyillai when someone full on runs into her. vivian buckles under the weight and force of the person who had just slammed into her, toppling to the ground and landing with a solid thump that jars her bones. 

     “ow...” she winces even as the male who had knocked her down immediately begins apologizing, talking about how he needs to run and he scrambles to his feet so quickly that vivian, winded, can barely process as she tries to gather her bearings, rather irritated with the fact that this person had just knocked her down so hard and is about to take off. 

     but then there’s the sound of a merchant spitting and yelling, and vivian’s temper rises in a way that it only ever does when the rich are taking advantage of the poor, or the powerful of the weaker. “and exactly what do you think you’re doing, causing a scene in the streets, sir?” she holds her head high, her small stature doing very little to encourage her intimidation tactic, but her voice authoritative. “it’s past time for this scene to conclude.”

[ufvivian]

CONGRATULATIONS! you have LEVELED UP!

VIVIAN has received a 7 STAT level up and is now LEVEL 3.

you will gain levels by being active throughout the roleplay and meeting certain requirements. these requirements are a secret, but consider every ic post as something that gains you experience and puts you one step closer to your next level up.

remember, the stats you can add have been randomized, and you must now distribute one point each across seven different stats. this means you will add one stat point to all stats but two. you must add two of those stat points to two of the strong skills listed on your application (MAGIC, RESISTANCE and LUCK.) 

please record this level up on the “stat tracker” page of your status page, and link this post under the “link” heading as proof of your level up. well done!

[ufvivian]

ELIOT !!

eliot watches the red-hued flames soar and land on their target. he follows up with his own gust of wind, watching in delayed horror as it whips the fire away from the now-downed bandit. the field where the enemy has fallen catches the flame and begins spreading around in the small area of grass. he grimaces as he looks over to the other mage, “oops… ?”

he doesn’t think the bandit is going to move again so he turns fully to her and reaches out a hand, “eliot thanien, mage. it’s a pleasure to meet you, though i could say i would prefer it under better circumstances.” it’s a little unorthodox to make friends over a dead bandit but he assumes many befriend each other in the victories or defeats of battle– not that he would truly know since he hates harming others. he starts heading towards the small fire, wondering how he’s going to conjure up water, he may just have to run to the closest inn.

there’s movement from the trees lining the field they stand in. eliot guesses the bandit wasn’t travelling alone and is confirmed when another comes running out. she probably thinks they’ll be tired after fighting her buddy but eliot’s quick to run ahead and cast wind at her, watching grateful as she’s knocked back. it’s just his luck that she ends up crashing into the little fire he’d caused, the impact wiping it out.

“well, i guess that handles that!”

     her jaw drops when the gust of wind blows some of her flames into the grass, which promptly catches on fire and begins to burn. turning to meet the other mage's eyes, she deadpans, "great job," and her lips quirk up at the corners in an amused smile. she can't help but find the situation a little funny, the bandit prone on the ground and a section of grass on fire, and an unfamiliar mage holding out his hand to shake.

     reaching out in response, she takes his hand firmly, smiling up at him in amusement. "vivian von lucinier. it's a pleasure — and i don't know, i don't think the situation is too bad. we did win quite handily, i suppose." glancing back at the small fire still burning and spreading, she sighs a little bit. "now... how do we put this fire out?" she muses to herself before movement catches her eye and she lifts her head to watch the stranger — eliot — fire off a well-timed wind spell.

     grimacing, she backs up to stand with him. "good timing," she mutters before she bites her lip. "i don't know if i have the stamina to handle another one. what about you?" her voice is reluctant and she's already readying herself to cast a spell, hoping that the wind spell and the little fire that the bandit's body had snuffed out would be enough to keep her down for a little bit.

     if not? well.... she could force her way through it.