When It Comes to Monsters, It's Ride Or Die

To anyone else, I'm Niner. To you, I'm Vincent Othello, captain of a Hunter squad in the New World. I capture, hunt, and sometimes tame monsters. The rest? None of your business. [ MHW independent OC, sideblog to captainsnakepants ]

[psyncin-in-the-restrain]

Trouble || viciousbonds

[viciousbonds]

psyncin-in-the-restrain‌:

viciousbonds‌:

“Yeah, First Fleet was sent out here forty-five years ago, and they sent the Second, Third, and Fourth out, then us, so I just did the math and guessed at it.” At least he’s honest. Presumably. It’s hard to read someone whose eyes you can’t see, and, honestly, it’s a wonder how he can see, with the thick mop of silver in his face. 

“What did they feed you, then Saito? Something about adventure? That’s what sold me on coming out here. Adventure, new monsters to record, new things to eat…” Mostly the latter. Vincent has the unfortunate habit of thinking with his stomach, especially when it’s empty. 

“Your best friends are gonna be your Handler, the quest boards, the Smithy, and the Canteen. Smithy’s up the stairway from the yard and the planning table, and the Canteen’s up the stairway from the Smithy. Or the arboretum, if you’re like me and you want a shortcut.” He thumbs toward the comically oversized tree on the left-hand side from the tradeyard, next to a Wyverian sitting on an equally comically extensive pile of books. 

“Meowscular up there has about the best meat you can get your teeth into. I was thinking about saving the Canteen for last, because I was gonna eat, but once I’ve eaten, I don’t wanna force myself to do anything.”

“Let’s just say it was forced rather than fed, but I really did want to be a hunter.” [Saito said. He sounded genuine in his response as he attempted to mentally calculate Niner’s math. It looked like it all added up, but with the news that each Fleet came at a specific time only made the young hunter all the more concerned about his predicament.]

[But he was here now, and instead of considering it punishment, he was going to see it as a new opportunity to begin again.] “Wait, arbo-what?”

[And then he saw the tree that Niner was referring to. And the Wyverian. That… that was enough to catch Saito’s attention. He stared for a good few seconds, but eventually went back to following after the veteran hunter.]

“Meowscular? Sounds promising.” [He weakly commented.] “I think I want to check out the smith and get an idea of what they can provide. Perhaps I can find a better weapon than what I got?”

“Really wanted you out here, huh? My guess is they want you to do research, and learn from us A-Listers. And, knowing the Commission, “A-Listers” means me.” He sounds disdainful of that fact, grumbling about the fact that whenever everything was going on and the ecosystem was going crazy, it was one thing after another, and it was always his job to handle it, because he was the best. 

The others wouldn’t get the CHANCE to be the best, if they kept putting all their eggs in one basket like that. 

“Yeah, the chef. His master, Grammeowster, is just as good, but she’s a lot less obsessed with gains, and a lot more obsessed with getting warm food into idiot Hunters who forget to eat before going out on assignments.” He can’t imagine being so forgetful. His stomach was the bossiest thing he had the misfortune of spending time with, making its complaints loudly if he went too long without eating. 

“Smithy? All right, then, Squeaky, follow me.” He starts heading through the tradeyard, now, mostly ignoring the friendly greetings from his fellow Fivers and some of the Fourths. 

Up the stairs they go, and through the door, volcanic heat billowing from the huge, open door to the Smithy and jetting from the wide-open top of it. Vincent doesn’t seem the remotest bit bothered, and the young, dark-haired fellow at the table greets them with a smile. 

“Hi, there! What are we- oh, you’ve got someone new! Hi!”

“Sixth Fleet. See if you can’t give him some options.” 

[psyncin-in-the-restrain]

Trouble || viciousbonds

[viciousbonds]

psyncin-in-the-restrain‌:

viciousbonds‌:

Astera is a lovely little settlement, based next to the Ancient Forest and a stone’s throw from the Wastes, which weren’t really wastes, as Niner had found, but instead a veritable playground of monsters, Wyverns, and Kelbi. The thought opens up a void in his stomach, but he ignores it, for now. He could eat when he showed Saito the Canteen. 

It’s a wonderful tradeyard, bustling with a few dozen Hunters, moving supplies hither and yon under a canopy of sails and banners. The whole place is built out of old, retired voyaging ships, prows and hulls and masts sticking out of the architecture. 

“Fifth Fleet? …We sailed out here some five years ago. I’m surprised they sent the Sixth so soon, there’ve been about ten-year gaps between them sending Fleets out.”

“Wha– seriously? Ten-years?!” [That was enough to send a shock to Saito’s system. Yeah, then there was definitely something to his travel here, and the young younger wasn’t very pleased with the result.]

[Nonetheless, everything around them was enough to distract and catch his attention. If he didn’t know any better, he could’ve been visiting and not mind only staying for a few days!] “Well, I guess I better start getting used to it here. If that’s the Commission’s intention? Honestly, their explanation as to why I was coming here seemed unusual. I didn’t mind it at first, but…”

[Saito shook his head and huffed.] “Whatever. There are loads of places we could go to, but where can I find the more important stuff?”

“Yeah, First Fleet was sent out here forty-five years ago, and they sent the Second, Third, and Fourth out, then us, so I just did the math and guessed at it.” At least he’s honest. Presumably. It’s hard to read someone whose eyes you can’t see, and, honestly, it’s a wonder how he can see, with the thick mop of silver in his face. 

“What did they feed you, then Saito? Something about adventure? That’s what sold me on coming out here. Adventure, new monsters to record, new things to eat...” Mostly the latter. Vincent has the unfortunate habit of thinking with his stomach, especially when it’s empty. 

“Your best friends are gonna be your Handler, the quest boards, the Smithy, and the Canteen. Smithy’s up the stairway from the yard and the planning table, and the Canteen’s up the stairway from the Smithy. Or the arboretum, if you’re like me and you want a shortcut.” He thumbs toward the comically oversized tree on the left-hand side from the tradeyard, next to a Wyverian sitting on an equally comically extensive pile of books. 

“Meowscular up there has about the best meat you can get your teeth into. I was thinking about saving the Canteen for last, because I was gonna eat, but once I’ve eaten, I don’t wanna force myself to do anything.”

[viciousbonds]

“Do dinosaurs taste anything like Wyverns, I wonder...” 

[psyncin-in-the-restrain]

Trouble || viciousbonds

[viciousbonds]

psyncin-in-the-restrain‌:

viciousbonds‌:

“Asking too much of me? Nah. Not like I’m ever doing much besides going on hunts when the Commission asks- all too often- and expeditions whenever the hot damn I feel like it.” Still, he can’t help but notice that Saito’s staring at him with a little too much wariness, and he cuts into a horrid slasher smile, his jaw full of teeth that seem entirely too thick and sharp to belong in any human mouth. 

“Excited, huh? I can relate. Mine gets into trouble entirely too often. Almost got eaten by a Deviljho once, not that that stopped her, but she was a lot more cautious after that.” And thank heavens for that. He wasn’t sure how much more of her shenanigans he could take. 

The Palico beaming at him softens his resolve- he has a sweet spot for the little creatures- and his demeanor is gentler when he speaks to Saito next. “Saito, huh? Call me Niner.” He starts to amble off toward the tradeyard, now, his Palico tottering happily behind him. “Tour time. Les’go.”

[That smile… If the guy’s appearance wasn’t enough to convince Saito to stop staring, that smile was the final indication. But hearing that there wasn’t much happening did make his heart sink a bit. If that truly was the case, what exactly was he here for, then? It truly must be because of what he’s done back home, and this was his punishment.]

[Quickly, Saito’s Palico began bounding after Niner and his partner.] “Niner…” [Now that’s a name he could get behind. The hunter followed after Niner and once again, he was blown away by the appearance of the area. And seeing the different people working here made Saito wonder why he didn’t consider pursuing something else other than hunter. Next best thing he could be is a scholar. Or maybe a weaponsmith!]

[But the more he thought about it, the more Saito came to realize that maybe, just maybe, becoming a hunter truly was the right decision.] “Hey Niner? I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how long ago was it when the Fifth Fleet was called on?”

Astera is a lovely little settlement, based next to the Ancient Forest and a stone’s throw from the Wastes, which weren’t really wastes, as Niner had found, but instead a veritable playground of monsters, Wyverns, and Kelbi. The thought opens up a void in his stomach, but he ignores it, for now. He could eat when he showed Saito the Canteen. 

It’s a wonderful tradeyard, bustling with a few dozen Hunters, moving supplies hither and yon under a canopy of sails and banners. The whole place is built out of old, retired voyaging ships, prows and hulls and masts sticking out of the architecture. 

“Fifth Fleet? ...We sailed out here some five years ago. I’m surprised they sent the Sixth so soon, there’ve been about ten-year gaps between them sending Fleets out.”

[psyncin-in-the-restrain]

Trouble || viciousbonds

[viciousbonds]

psyncin-in-the-restrain‌:

viciousbonds‌:

“Don’t tell me they sent a wet-behind-the-ears Hunter out to the New World. They run out of A-listers back home?” They had been sending out the best they had for about forty years, it wouldn’t surprise him too much, he’s just…disappointed. “If you get stuck with me as your mentor, which, judging by everyone’s high opinion of me, is extremely likely…stars help you.” 

His smile is wicked, full of large, thick, sharp teeth. Most of the Hunters here have fairly normal human features, they just seem to be gung-ho about whacking giant monsters around, but this one looks like he might be a monster. “You wanna go on expeditions, then, Squeaky? Sounds fun. Say, where’s your handler? You didn’t leave them back home, did you?” The playful tilt of his head suggests a wink, but it’s hard to tell.

That bowgun is going to be more useful than Saito realizes, probably, but he’d need to craft the right ammo, first. He watches Saito’s Palico try to square up with his own, and he laughs, looking down at the little catfolk with what must be endearment. “Hey, little buddy. You trying to be big and tough like Widget, here? You’ll get there.”

Then he looks at Saito again. “Yeah, Squeaky. You got a problem? If you want the grand tour, follow me, but I’m not gonna wait up for ya.”

[If he meant new to the whole monster hunting thing, yes. But Saito considered himself a hunter for… other reasons… a hunter not of monsters, but–] “Eh? You as my mentor? Honestly, I think that’s asking for a bit much.”

[Especially now that he’s getting a better look at this guy, Saito strongly hoped they would assign another mentor to him. No, he didn’t have anything against the veteran. There was just… something different about them.] “Oh! My handler’s already running around and seeing if they can’t get as much information as they can about the place. Let’s just say they were a bit too excited to come and didn’t want to wait on me.”

[As he slowly got off his seat, his Palico heard the veteran’s voice and gazed up to them. Their tail swayed a bit and they brightly beaned with pride. This hunter gets it!]

“No, I don’t have a problem.” [Saito’s been called worse; ‘Squeaky’ just came out of nowhere. He readied himself to follow after the hunter.] “By the way, I don’t think I introduced myself. The name’s Saito.” [The look on his face read that he didn’t seem to mind the weird nickname.]

“Asking too much of me? Nah. Not like I’m ever doing much besides going on hunts when the Commission asks- all too often- and expeditions whenever the hot damn I feel like it.” Still, he can’t help but notice that Saito’s staring at him with a little too much wariness, and he cuts into a horrid slasher smile, his jaw full of teeth that seem entirely too thick and sharp to belong in any human mouth. 

“Excited, huh? I can relate. Mine gets into trouble entirely too often. Almost got eaten by a Deviljho once, not that that stopped her, but she was a lot more cautious after that.” And thank heavens for that. He wasn’t sure how much more of her shenanigans he could take. 

The Palico beaming at him softens his resolve- he has a sweet spot for the little creatures- and his demeanor is gentler when he speaks to Saito next. “Saito, huh? Call me Niner.” He starts to amble off toward the tradeyard, now, his Palico tottering happily behind him. “Tour time. Les’go.”

[viciousbonds]

megxlo‌:

viciousbonds‌:

“Fuckoff huge” seems to be the only size these weapons come in, because after he’s done butting heads with “Hawk,” he one-arms the damn thing and hauls it into the tent, and after some clattering and clunking, comes back out with a pair of bone blades, one shrouded in gleaming gold scales and nearly as long as Vincent’s leg by itself, the other a startling silver with that same wrap of scaly beasthide as about as long as his thigh. 

“We’ve been trying to reverse-engineer the Leshen portals, with very little luck. The eggheads over at the Division are toiling at it day in, day out, though, and they’re saying we’re on the cusp of a breakthrough, so let’s hope, hm?”

Big trees. Some of them have trunks as big around as Grecian pillars. Their canopies seem to go on forever, crowns brushing the heavens the way only a virgin forest can. 

“Bet your ass. Snap decisions are what make or break you as a Hunter, Jean.”

[ The food is good. Jean finishes his helping quicker than he meant to, placing down his utensils and revisiting the stein. There’s a lot to think about. If people who live here, who are used to happenings like this, who are - and this is very easy to assume - more intelligent than Jean is, what chance does he have of making some kind of breakthrough on his own? ]

[ It’s not going to stop him. Maybe he can go and talk to these people at the Division, see how he can help. If he can’t help, well, maybe he’ll just ask them what a Leshen looks like and go and undoubtedly get himself killed. ]

Maybe you’ll make a Hunter out of me yet. 

[ If “making snap decisions” translates to “being stupid and reckless”, Jean’s already one step on his way. ] 

So…how long are you out here for? [ He figures it doesn’t matter either way; he’s not exactly in a rush. If they’re staying here any longer maybe Jean can shadow Vincent when he’s on Monster Killing Duty, or whatever he’d been out in the wilderness for. He’s a grown man and if he wants to put himself in harm’s way, nobody can stop him. The more time he spends here, the more at peace he feels with the world’s insurmountable dangers. ]

The mention that Vincent might make a Hunter out of Jean amuses him, clearly, judging by the smirk on his face as he takes a seat on the stump adjacent to the other man, clasping his hands together in a way that only the fingers are interlocked. “How hardy are you, Jean? Hunters like me can take being grabbed in the jaws of something eight times my size, chewed on, and thrown into a tree afterward.” He doesn’t look like he’s suffered such abuse, seeing that he’s still alive.

The way that Jean so quickly finishes his food, though, makes Niner wonder if he had something to him that him and Saroga weren’t aware of. 

“I’m out here however long I want to be out here. If it’s an afternoon, it’s an afternoon. If it’s a few days, that’s not uncommon, either, but you’re a little more noteworthy than a few fish and some birds. If you’d like to enjoy nature a little longer and listen to the sounds of animals desperate to get laid, that’s your prerogative.”

[viciousbonds]

soulsxstars‌:

viciousbonds‌:

Vincent watches Edwin as he prattles on, tilting his head with the same simple curiosity of a beast, a soft, bemused grumble rolling in the back of his throat. Tiny little man. Full of himself, but smart. Intriguing. 

The little prince goes on to say he’s a crack shot with a bow, despite his faintness at the sight of blood. “You’re not gonna be too useful if you faint after the first bolt you land, there, little man,” Niner muses, though his smile suggests he’s amused, “Heavy draw? Perfect. How many kilos, there, Edwin? Unless you can pull back about fifty, you’re not gonna pierce. And, uh, hate to break it to you. Most of the Wyverns around here breathe the stuff, so your fireballs aren’t gonna do much.”

Edwin seems rather confident in himself, eager to prove that he’s more capable of defending himself than his appearance implies - up until the point where the dangerously outfitted man specifies the weight he’d need to pull.

“I, uh… don’t know. Not the exact weight. I know they’d be considered old fashioned, but it’s been a while since I’ve actually had one I preferred.” ‘Modern’ bows rather disgusted him. So many gears and pulleys and wires - how could anyone prefer that?! “I’m probably out of practice too - it’s been… t-technically several years since I’ve practiced as often as I used to.” Just a few. Over a hundred wasn’t that long at all. Nope.

It was a wonder he could still draw a bow at all.

“It was enough to go hunting with, on the few occasions I dragged myself out there. I think they were the same sort of bows the soldiers used, so I’d able to defend myself if war ever came…” Edwin mused, partly wishing he was back home. He missed his city. Wait. The monsters around here breathed fire? Oh well that made his magic just about totally useless then, didn’t it?

“Of course they do.” He said, his voice and expression mostly flat, with a hint of irritation. “My magic isn’t allowed to ever be useful. Let me guess - they’re all absolutely massive, too. At least my size means I’ll be able to hide easier. Wiggle into some little crevasse in the rocks and make myself smell like soot and ash.”

One he preferred. Was he picky? He couldn’t afford to be picky. Vincent squares his shoulders with a growling huff, nostrils flaring with the sound, as though a disgruntled horse. He leans down a bit, now, and Edwin might be able to see a glimmer of electric blue behind his fringe. “Then we’ll teach you. You don’t have the luxury of preference, for the most part, Edwin. You take what you need, it works how it works, and it’s either work with what you have, or die.”

Well, those certainly aren’t high stakes at all. The mention of war sends this frightening man laughing heartily, as though Edwin had told him some great joke. “War? We haven’t seen war in centuries! In fact, the last time we warred, we drove ourselves and Dragons nearly to extinction. We’re not going to try that again any time soon.”

When this new acquaintance of his expresses disgust at his magic being useless, Niner claps a hand on his shoulder, his short claws digging in a bit. “At least you know what you’re dealing with, kid. They’re not all big, and don’t all breathe fire, but most of them tick both those boxes. We don’t even have magic here, so you’re a step ahead, already. But, I’d be cautious. There’s monsters that like to eat slag.” 

Peril at every corner. No wonder he looks so scary.

[viciousbonds]

megxlo‌:

viciousbonds‌:

The cat, amusingly patterned like a Bengal, looks to Jean mid-munch as he takes a nervous sip of the ale, then back to Niner. “Meowster, who is this?”

“He’s a friend. I’m going to see if we can’t get him better equipped to deal with everything.”

“Prrrr…he’s coming with us, then, Meowster?”

“Yeah, we got extra cargo, little buddy.” 

Satisfied with that answer, the cat plops down on their haunches and goes back to tearing apart the snack they were given, making little noises of contentment as they do. Niner then turns to look at Jean, and sets his weapon aside with the ease one would expect of a sword and shield half the size, rolling his shoulders. 

“I wouldn’t say a lot, but we get visitors every now and again. Flotsam like you, warriors from other places, all kinds of people.” 

Jean asks how big the dragon was, and Niner laughs at the suggestion it was tree-sized. “Bigger. About three-quarters the size of an airship.”

“Commander’s still impressed with your stones, there, Star. Taking on that thing on first instinct with no idea what you were doing.”

“It was either do that or let the Seeker get squashed. You’d do well to take lessons from me, Hawk.”

“What, be absolutely batshit with no sense of self-preservation?”

“It’s worked so far.”

[ Jean gives the pair space to bicker for a while, having taken a portion of risotto from the spread - picking at it despite his hunger. This world is wild, and loud, and dangerous, but now he knows he’s somewhere safe, he’s given an opportunity to wonder how the hell he’s going to get home. ]      [ He finds himself eyeing up the weapon - being fully aware that he’d be capable of lifting something that size, but not of swinging it with any dexterity. Hopefully, once they get to port, he can find a weapon more suited to someone who is used to handling a broadsword at most. ]

Hm. Maybe my next port of call is finding more of these flotsam - figure out where these portals tend to show up. Maybe they’re two-way.

[ And he could end up somewhere more wild and more loud and more distracting, but he refuses to poke holes in his plan so quickly after its conception. ]

Damn. [ He’s not sure how big an airship is, but he finds himself looking up at the trees, trying to imagine the thing’s size anyway. He had to appreciate Vincent’s tactics; Jean knew that were he to face something so big, he’d probably rush into it just the same. He would also most definitely be killed, unlike Niner had been.  ]       I guess when something’s that big and dangerous, you kinda have to walk before you can run. No point in forming a plan if everyone’s dead before you can put it into action.

“Fuckoff huge” seems to be the only size these weapons come in, because after he’s done butting heads with “Hawk,” he one-arms the damn thing and hauls it into the tent, and after some clattering and clunking, comes back out with a pair of bone blades, one shrouded in gleaming gold scales and nearly as long as Vincent’s leg by itself, the other a startling silver with that same wrap of scaly beasthide as about as long as his thigh. 

“We’ve been trying to reverse-engineer the Leshen portals, with very little luck. The eggheads over at the Division are toiling at it day in, day out, though, and they’re saying we’re on the cusp of a breakthrough, so let’s hope, hm?”

Big trees. Some of them have trunks as big around as Grecian pillars. Their canopies seem to go on forever, crowns brushing the heavens the way only a virgin forest can. 

“Bet your ass. Snap decisions are what make or break you as a Hunter, Jean.”

[viciousbonds]

soulsxstars‌:

viciousbonds‌:

“Lost is a word we use for people who belong here, but get trapped out in the wilderness. Flotsam is people like you who get “washed up” here after an interdimensional mishap.” He seems to be oddly at ease with the idea of people not from his home plane just showing up. Hm.

“Maybe. I know a good few monsters who’d like to have you for lunch. You look soft and undefended.” A little bit of him was growling in the back of his mind for just a good bat-around, but he stifles it easily. “Don’t like blood, huh? Little late for that. But, as far as bow use goes, the Smithy should have something useful. If you have a regular old hunting bow, that’s not gonna do you much good except maybe piss off Old Ugly. I’d shack up with something that’s got more oomph if I were you.”

“Hm. I… suppose you have a point. Rude as it sounds, you do need to have some kind of catch-all term for those kinds of people. Otherwise people just end up confused, and in a dangerous place, ‘confused’ isn’t useful.” He’d never been anywhere more dangerous than Subcon, so he had to admit he was entirely out of his depth here. Perhaps challenging the locals on what terminology they ought to use was… unwise.

“Just because the sight of blood makes me ill doesn’t mean I don’t know how to fight. I can throw a good punch, and last I checked my aim with a bow was expert.” He tried to make himself look taller - but given he was so short, it probably failed. “I’ve never used anything but a hunting bow though. Well, a… Probably a ‘regular’ hunting bow. Heavy draw, preferably. Lighter ones don’t feel right. Oh! And I’ve got my fire too, so if they try to eat me I can scorch their mouths and make them regret it!” Edwin’s expression brightened at the thought - clearly he was unaware of the kind of monsters around here.

Vincent watches Edwin as he prattles on, tilting his head with the same simple curiosity of a beast, a soft, bemused grumble rolling in the back of his throat. Tiny little man. Full of himself, but smart. Intriguing. 

The little prince goes on to say he’s a crack shot with a bow, despite his faintness at the sight of blood. “You’re not gonna be too useful if you faint after the first bolt you land, there, little man,” Niner muses, though his smile suggests he’s amused, “Heavy draw? Perfect. How many kilos, there, Edwin? Unless you can pull back about fifty, you’re not gonna pierce. And, uh, hate to break it to you. Most of the Wyverns around here breathe the stuff, so your fireballs aren’t gonna do much.”

[viciousbonds]

megxlo‌:

viciousbonds‌:

Vincent chuckles at the expletive, amused by the disbelief Jean has at the enormity of the beasts the Hunter shares land with. It’s a little mind-boggling to imagine creatures that big, yes, but as he fought them daily, he scarcely thought so. 

Speaking of the little cat, it meows enthusiastically at the sight of him, and bounds over, prompting him to kneel down and hand it a link of dried sausage, which it tears into with relish. The smile on his face is…oddly soft and fond. He must be close to this little cat-person. 

Once Jean’s got his butt in a seat, this brash woman pulls out a platter from the oven, gathering a few more dishes that were on smaller stoves to the side, and sets them down in front of Jean. When she has it all laid out, there’s a bowl of risotto big enough to feed two of him, five different kebabs, and a sliced, skin-on, whole, braised salmon. To the side, she places a stein of ale. “There you are, then, Jean. Dig in, it’s all fresh.”

When he’s addressed, Vincent looks over to Jean, and smirks dryly. “Yeah, they’re calling me that, now. Commander decided that after I took out that huge dragon at the heart of the New World, I was deserving of a title, or some shit. I’d really rather be called by my first nickname.”

“What, Niner? That dorky shit?”

“Clap your trap, Hawk.”

[ Jean follows the feline with his eyes, trying not to outwardly react as it takes Vincent’s offering - despite the fact that he’s not a fan of cats, he’s not a monster, and he knows when something is cute. Though he’s not sure how sapient the thing is, so he resists the urge to pspsps in its general direction. ]

[ The urge goes away as soon as the food is brought to his attention. With no small amount of hesitation, he takes the stein in both hands and takes a sip. He’s not usually an ale person, but the refreshment is welcome - as is anything that can soothe the nervousness he’s been trying to obscure. It’s a new, strange, dangerous land. He feels he has a right to be anxious about it. ]

Thanks. Do you get many people just…showing up?

[ The bickering makes him smile, but it also makes a part of him lament the fact that he’s never killed a dragon and earned a cool nickname. What’s he got - wolf? He’s not sure how he came to deserve that one, beyond gaining Bjorn’s respect. His old therapist called him Westley, but he had to take her word on the fact that it was a compliment. ]

How big was the dragon? Tree size?

The cat, amusingly patterned like a Bengal, looks to Jean mid-munch as he takes a nervous sip of the ale, then back to Niner. “Meowster, who is this?”

“He’s a friend. I’m going to see if we can’t get him better equipped to deal with everything.”

“Prrrr...he’s coming with us, then, Meowster?”

“Yeah, we got extra cargo, little buddy.” 

Satisfied with that answer, the cat plops down on their haunches and goes back to tearing apart the snack they were given, making little noises of contentment as they do. Niner then turns to look at Jean, and sets his weapon aside with the ease one would expect of a sword and shield half the size, rolling his shoulders. 

“I wouldn’t say a lot, but we get visitors every now and again. Flotsam like you, warriors from other places, all kinds of people.” 

Jean asks how big the dragon was, and Niner laughs at the suggestion it was tree-sized. “Bigger. About three-quarters the size of an airship.”

“Commander’s still impressed with your stones, there, Star. Taking on that thing on first instinct with no idea what you were doing.”

“It was either do that or let the Seeker get squashed. You’d do well to take lessons from me, Hawk.”

“What, be absolutely batshit with no sense of self-preservation?”

“It’s worked so far.”

[viciousbonds]

soulsxstars‌:

viciousbonds‌:

Edwin. He stashes the name away in his data banks, before sneering his lip up. “Edwin,” he growls, though that seems to be his native register, more so than the child of any anger or frustration, “You can call me Niner. I’m calling you flotsam, yeah. What, you got a better name for riffraff that just show up unannounced?” Someone’s cranky. Or he’s just like this. 

“You’re in the New World, kid. Welcome to Astera, however much that name means anything. You’re at a research base. And I don’t wear this shit for giggles, buddy, the world’s a place that likes to grab people like you in its teeth and worry ‘em like a Jho with a Kelbi.”

‘Niner’ is a bit of an odd name, but Edwin doesn’t say it. the man sounds angry enough without Edwin insulting his name to his face. And he’s not stupid enough to even attempt to word the statement differently.

“I don’t know, ‘lost’, maybe? Something with a bit less of an insulting tinge would be nice.” He grumbled, still feeling quite terrified despite the tone. “But at long as it’s not an insult, I suppose I can live with it.” Be nice, be nice. Then the man continues - and Edwin is almost at once lost.

“Astera? I’ve never…” Of course he hasn’t! Reality had tripped over itself and spat him into another world, as it always tended to do with him. He sighed, then continued. “I don’t know either of those two terms but I can gather from the context that I’m right in wishing I was anywhere but here. The last place I want to be as a hemophobe is a place rife with danger where people wear terrifying armor regularly…” He would have preferred Subcon - at least most of the monsters there where dead already. “Let me guess - me being able to shoot a bow won’t be very useful here?”

“Lost is a word we use for people who belong here, but get trapped out in the wilderness. Flotsam is people like you who get “washed up” here after an interdimensional mishap.” He seems to be oddly at ease with the idea of people not from his home plane just showing up. Hm.

“Maybe. I know a good few monsters who’d like to have you for lunch. You look soft and undefended.” A little bit of him was growling in the back of his mind for just a good bat-around, but he stifles it easily. “Don’t like blood, huh? Little late for that. But, as far as bow use goes, the Smithy should have something useful. If you have a regular old hunting bow, that’s not gonna do you much good except maybe piss off Old Ugly. I’d shack up with something that’s got more oomph if I were you.”

[viciousbonds]

soulsxstars‌:

viciousbonds‌:

soulsxstars started following viciousbonds

Little, little man. He grunts gruffly as he looks him over, his true feelings about him an utter mystery. “Don’t tell me we’ve got more flotsam…” he grumbles, peering at this small, sweet-faced Prince through a curtain of silver hair. The fact he’s got his arms crossed does nothing but accentuate the ink in his skin, and raises the pauldrons of his frankly angry-looking armor. 

“Who are you, kid?”

Oh god, where has he gotten himself stuck now? Whoever this is in front of him is absolutely terrifying, looking less like a knight - which is his first instinct - and more like… well, something way more powerful. Something he’d really rather not tangle with - especially given how Edwin doubted his fire would do anything to this man.

“Edwin Allencourt, sir.” He said, pulling a respectful tone as best he could into his likely nervous voice. Hopefully this wasn’t an enemy… “And I don’t know if you’re calling me flotsam, in which that… sounds rude, or if you’re referring to actual flotsam, in which case… I am not related to it. You… wouldn’t happen to know where this is? Or if that armor is purely for aesthetic reasons?” The young man was barely resisting the urge to let himself just erupt into fire. Fire was usually reasonably protective, after all.

Edwin. He stashes the name away in his data banks, before sneering his lip up. “Edwin,” he growls, though that seems to be his native register, more so than the child of any anger or frustration, “You can call me Niner. I’m calling you flotsam, yeah. What, you got a better name for riffraff that just show up unannounced?” Someone’s cranky. Or he’s just like this. 

“You’re in the New World, kid. Welcome to Astera, however much that name means anything. You’re at a research base. And I don’t wear this shit for giggles, buddy, the world’s a place that likes to grab people like you in its teeth and worry ‘em like a Jho with a Kelbi.”

[viciousbonds]

soulsxstars started following viciousbonds

Little, little man. He grunts gruffly as he looks him over, his true feelings about him an utter mystery. “Don’t tell me we’ve got more flotsam...” he grumbles, peering at this small, sweet-faced Prince through a curtain of silver hair. The fact he’s got his arms crossed does nothing but accentuate the ink in his skin, and raises the pauldrons of his frankly angry-looking armor. 

“Who are you, kid?”

[psyncin-in-the-restrain]

Trouble || viciousbonds

[viciousbonds]

psyncin-in-the-restrain‌:

viciousbonds‌:

Vincent looks at the Palico of the other with a smirk of either fondness or amusement, it’s hard to tell, since his eyes are smothered by his long, snowy-silver fringe. How does he even hunt like that…?

“Sixth fleet! Well, lucky for you, I’ve already done all the really back-breaking shit. So, you’re the Research Commission’s lap dog, huh? Must be nice.” He’s also the Commission’s “lap dog,” but since he gained the status of “Star,” he’d been up to his gills in work. 

Chewing on the new meat would be a welcome change. 

His own Palico, whose face also can’t be seen for the strangely adorable, but porcupine-like, dragon-faced armor they wear, puts their paws on their hips with gusto. 

“You want a tour, or something, Squeaky? Surely they gave you a run-down of what to expect.”

[Yeah, and it felt unusual to be called in if there wasn’t much work to be had. Not unless of course Saito was chosen for some… other reason…] “I wish I shared the same thought about that. Honestly, I was hoping I can get my feet wet within the next few days. Maybe just explore and gather up a few things for some of the people here while waiting for something big to come around. But I can’t have everything, can I?”

[Then again, why would they need a new guy like him to assist in big hunts? Saito carried a heavy bowgun to begin with, and there were probably some groups that were balanced enough as is.]

[What a curiously armored Palico! Saito’s partner simply stared in interest before minicking the other in stance, only to puff out air they held in, in attempt to look just as big as the other.]

“…Squeaky?” [That was a weird nickname, but then again it sounded like this guy already knew a bit too much about Saito based on his appearance. Saito was fairly new to this whole hunting ordeal, after all. He wasn’t in any fights or anything bad to badly damage his body. The only things that were damaged were his mental and emotional processes. But who’d care for such things like that?] “If you’re okay with pointing out to me the general direction of everything, that would be great.

“Don’t tell me they sent a wet-behind-the-ears Hunter out to the New World. They run out of A-listers back home?” They had been sending out the best they had for about forty years, it wouldn’t surprise him too much, he’s just...disappointed. “If you get stuck with me as your mentor, which, judging by everyone’s high opinion of me, is extremely likely...stars help you.” 

His smile is wicked, full of large, thick, sharp teeth. Most of the Hunters here have fairly normal human features, they just seem to be gung-ho about whacking giant monsters around, but this one looks like he might be a monster. “You wanna go on expeditions, then, Squeaky? Sounds fun. Say, where’s your handler? You didn’t leave them back home, did you?” The playful tilt of his head suggests a wink, but it’s hard to tell.

That bowgun is going to be more useful than Saito realizes, probably, but he’d need to craft the right ammo, first. He watches Saito’s Palico try to square up with his own, and he laughs, looking down at the little catfolk with what must be endearment. “Hey, little buddy. You trying to be big and tough like Pixl, here? You’ll get there.”

Then he looks at Saito again. “Yeah, Squeaky. You got a problem? If you want the grand tour, follow me, but I’m not gonna wait up for ya.”

[psyncin-in-the-restrain]

Trouble || viciousbonds

[viciousbonds]

psyncin-in-the-restrain‌:

viciousbonds‌:

“Must be? Certainly, I must be.” Such remarks are no alien concept to Vincent, so he plays along, matching this strange man’s meter as best he can with his gruff baritone. “Have to be, to do what I do. I’ve never seen you before, did they send in a new batch?”

“New batch?” [Saito’s question apparently made that obvious. He’d stare at the veteran hunter and pondered a bit. Before he could say anything, his Palico partner pulled on his coat. A small groan escaped him before turning his attention to a white and pink-tabby bipedal cat. There was a bit of irritation in the small Palico’s gaze; maybe Saito was embarrassing them.]

“Yeah, I just arrived, actually. Trying to get a feel for everything around here. Wasn’t told much other than more support was needed.”

Vincent looks at the Palico of the other with a smirk of either fondness or amusement, it’s hard to tell, since his eyes are smothered by his long, snowy-silver fringe. How does he even hunt like that...?

“Sixth fleet! Well, lucky for you, I’ve already done all the really back-breaking shit. So, you’re the Research Commission’s lap dog, huh? Must be nice.” He’s also the Commission’s “lap dog,” but since he gained the status of “Star,” he’d been up to his gills in work. 

Chewing on the new meat would be a welcome change. 

His own Palico, whose face also can’t be seen for the strangely adorable, but porcupine-like, dragon-faced armor they wear, puts their paws on their hips with gusto. 

“You want a tour, or something, Squeaky? Surely they gave you a run-down of what to expect.”

[psyncin-in-the-restrain]

Trouble || viciousbonds

[viciousbonds]

psyncin-in-the-restrain‌:

(( @viciousbonds​ ||  [Lyric Starter] ))

“Hey now, there he goes. He must be mad.”

“Must be? Certainly, I must be.” Such remarks are no alien concept to Vincent, so he plays along, matching this strange man’s meter as best he can with his gruff baritone. “Have to be, to do what I do. I’ve never seen you before, did they send in a new batch?”

[psyncin-in-the-restrain]

I just woke up to potato walk, and since I have a few new followers, why not start some rps? (I'll write them up in a few hours)

Like this post for a lyric starter! I have my music player on shuffle and I'll use it to create a starter for you. For the record, though, it's going to be a one-liner, so just a heads up.

You don't have to be a new follower to like this post; it's a free-for-all. Multimuse blogs, please reply to this post with the specific muse you'd like Saito to interact with. If you don't, I'll go ahead and choose from your list of active muses.

[viciousbonds]

psyncin-in-the-restrain‌:

I just woke up to potato walk, and since I have a few new followers, why not start some rps? (I’ll write them up in a few hours)

Like this post for a lyric starter! I have my music player on shuffle and I’ll use it to create a starter for you. For the record, though, it’s going to be a one-liner, so just a heads up.

You don’t have to be a new follower to like this post; it’s a free-for-all. Multimuse blogs, please reply to this post with the specific muse you’d like Saito to interact with. If you don’t, I’ll go ahead and choose from your list of active muses.