[ The ███ Knight ]

    perhaps it’s impossible        to wear an        I D E N T I T Y             without becoming what you   P R E T E N D                      to be             [ return to prana member ]

[dragonpreacher-blog]

Catching the knight startle, the man chuckles lightly. The sight of her grasping the hilt  of her sword would be alarming if she were anyone else, but he already knows that she won’t go so far as to fully withdraw it. This isn’t the first time he’s caught her by surprise, nor will it be the last.

His shoulders roll briefly as Forte lashes out her rebuke, showing no indication of what she’s saying deters him. Rather, he seems to relish the fact his presence seemed to have that effect on the blonde. Leon’s confident expression remains as he meets her irritated gaze.

❝ How cold. I was only implying you should take a break. ❞ he replies, a lilt in his voice. Though she seems serious with her questioning, he merely smirks in his usual sly manner. ❝ What could I possibly want other than to simply enjoy your company? ❞

[wheretheheartls]

       The confidence Leon wears serves only to add further annoyance for her. Her lips press together a bit at his smirk and she readjusts her visor, her eyes turned away from the man. “Unless I’m called upon for something of utmost importance, I don’t have a reason to take a break. I don’t really need one anyway,” she responds. Sure, she patrolled around the town a few times already, but she was enjoying the run and didn’t want to stop. Of course, she wasn’t going to admit that.

       The woman catches Leon’s eyes with hers for a quick second before turning around to face away from him. “If you are here to tease me, you’d best go to someone else. I won’t be falling for anything this time,” she tells him in a stern voice.

[eyeglassesmania-blog]

RQ: Fall Cleaning |►| Forte + Arthur

[eyeglassesmania-blog]

The traveling merchants had been diverted for the most part. Arthur had to clear the area of other merchants before leaving up signs asking upcoming people passing by that the roads were closed for maintenance. 

It wasn’t exactly a lie. The hover warriors were making a complete mess of the pathways, leaving rocks and boulders everywhere. It was going to be a mess to clean up—but that was later and also something Frey and Lest could handle.

Calming down the remaining merchants was turning out to be harder than he thought it would be. Arthur had to explain to a fussy book dealer that, no, as long as he stayed out of the way of the hover warriors until they were cleared out, there would be no damage to his rare misprint books. Yes, he had to wait until then. Arthur was in the middle of explaining that no, this was not normal for the area and it would be a safe passageway for merchants again soon when Forte arrived.

"Goodness, are you all right?" He asked as she bent over to catch her breath. He only put in the request a couple of hours ago and didn’t expect anyone to come for another few—she must have seen it immediately and came running. “Ah—don’t worry about that for now. Please, take a moment.” He insisted, holding up a hand to reassure her.

He cleared his throat before answering her question. “There are signs up diverting people who come this way and I’ve helped the merchants leave.” The fussy book dealer behind him scoffed. Arthur smiled as he corrected himself, but it was tested. “…I’ve helped most of the merchants here leave. I’m assuming some of them have accidentally fallen from the Floating Empire, because they don’t seem to be attacking with a purpose. There is quite a lot of them though.”

[wheretheheartls]

       “Y-yes, I’m... quite all right... Just a little out of um... breath,” the Dragon Knight responded, breathing still heavy. At Arthur’s reassurance, she shook her head, trying to let him know that it was all right. It was... strange though. When that request came in, she expected this place to be swarming with Hover Warriors attacking anyone and everyone at every moment. A battlefield, in a way. 

       ...This place was rather calm, in a sense. There were Hover Warriors around, but they were mainly secluded to a specific area. From what she was able to see, they were seemingly just... minding their own business. Truly she was a woman who knew of war. She came extra prepared in the case of a worst scenario yet she was glad her initial thought proved to be a worst case scenario. 

       “I see,” Forte muttered at Arthur’s explanation. She had given the merchant behind him a glance when he scoffed but kept her tongue. Finally starting to catch her breath, the knight reached over to grab her water canteen hanging from her waist to take a sip from it. “So long as they’re not attacking at random. This’ll give me an easier chance at getting to them first,” she said, popping the lid back on the canteen.

       Stepping away from Arthur, Forte tried to get a better view of just how many Hover Warriors were around. He was right-- there were many of them around. Far too many for her to tackle on alone. The terrain had been changed around a bit too due to the machines toppling over boulders and rocks, so she’d need to take extra precaution to fight around those. She’d need assistance, and the only other one around who could provide any sort of battling help would be... 

       “So there have been no injuries at all then? To you or the other merchants?” Forte asked Arthur, turning around to face him.

[fieldsofbriar]

Unwanted Questions| Kiel & Forte

[fieldsofbriar]

She got one of her swords… Stuck in the ceiling? Kiel couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. She’d gotten them stuck in things before, The wall, her bed, trees outside, but never the ceiling. He stared up at it as she pulled it out.

“Wow, hope it doesn’t leak next time it rains.” He said smiling widely at her. It actually would have been pretty funny if it did, but he was sure his sister wouldn’t be happy about cleaning up a puddle in her room. He couldn’t wait to talk about this later, especially Leon would get a kick out of it.

“Oh!” He had almost completely forgot the whole reason he went to find her in the first place. “Right! Well, Leon said something today that I didn’t really understand.”

“You see, Dylas came out of the restaurant with a girl, and Leon accused him of having a ‘one-night stand’.” Kiel paused looking thoughtful, still trying to figure out what the term actually meant. “I tried to ask Dylas and Leon, but they wouldn’t tell me what it meant.”

[wheretheheartls]

       Pulling out the last inch of the blade out from the ceiling, Forte brought it down to take a closer look at the blade. No damage done to it, it seemed... “So long as this blade didn’t go all the way through, it should be fine. If it leaks, I’ll just... try to patch it up as best I can,” she responded, continuing to glance the sword over before looking up to give the ceiling a quick glance over. There was a visible hole where the sword had lodged itself, but it wasn’t too big or bad. 

       “Leon...” Forte muttered the Dragon Priest’s name with annoyance as Kiel spoke of him. She continued to stay on top of the bed as she listened, wondering if she should be dreading what it was Leon had told him. 

       “...! Aah?!” 

       ...Which ended up being a yes. As soon as the words “one night stand” was brought up, Forte panicked-- enough that she let go of the sword she had been holding. Thankfully her reaction time was good that as soon as her grip loosened, she immediately scrambled to grab the sword again. Unfortunately, she only served to push the sword away from her enough that it fell and lodged itself into the floor next to her bed. Beds were also not the most stable things to be standing or hopping about on, so Forte soon followed after, managing to land on her feet and a single hand.

       She lifted her body up quickly and stood straight. “Are... you asking me what a um... ‘one night stand’ means?” Forte asked, internally hoping that wasn’t the term Kiel was stuck on and it was something else she might have missed.

[fieldsofbriar]

Unwanted Questions| Kiel & Forte

So many entertaining things had happened in such a short time, there was so much to tell! First, however, there was the question Leon had posed to him. No one seemed to want to answer it when he asked. There was the possibility that it was something bad, but Kiel wanted to know. The pursuit of knowledge is important after all.

He opened the door and stepped inside he and Forte’s home. A mess of books was strewn about his room. He had been doing some research into a few things regarding old texts and languages before he went out and forgot to put everything away. ‘Hmm… oh well!’ He had something else on his mind right now, he would get to cleaning it up afterwards.

“Forte! You home?“ He called out, setting his bag down in his room quickly then wandered over to his sisters. “I wanted to ask you something!”

[wheretheheartls]

       "Erm...” 

       Staring at the training sword currently lodged into the ceiling above her bed, Forte sighed. While doing her daily reps, it wasn’t unusual for her wooden dummy to lose a part and have it fly across the room. What was unusual was for her to lose her grip while swinging and have her sword fly across the room. Thankfully she only ever did her reps alone, so this wouldn’t have posed as much as a danger as it could have. As soon as the knight stepped onto her bed, her brother’s voice rung through the house. 

       “I’m here!” Forte called back. Grabbing the lodged sword by the hilt, Kiel walked in as she slowly began to pull the sword out, trying not to cause any more damage to the ceiling. “...Don’t mind this,” she quickly told him. “What is it you are wanting to ask?”

[dragonpreacher-blog]

wheretheheartls

[dragonpreacher-blog]

Leon, already having fished at the Keeno Lake, walks back on the road to Selphia while stretching absentmindedly. Days like this, when everyone’s busy and he’s left on his own — really, they’re the worst. He’s spent enough time by himself, considering all past events, so it’s only natural to want company. But who to pester? Thee’s no one within range, at least he doesn’t think so — until he catches a figure walking by the entrance of Selphia, looking stoic while on patrol.

He initially held no interest towards Forte, finding her heavily-guarded personality to be a barrier, but with time he’s realized she has the potential to be a fantastic target.  And so, there’s nothing really stopping him from approaching the knight. Not even the fact she may or may not have thrown him some looks in the past.

"Truly, you never seem to put down that sword of yours." His smile is seemingly harmless as he sidles up to her. “I don’t see the need for it. We hardly ever get any trouble here anymore. Pretty boring, don’t you think?” 

[wheretheheartls]

       "If you go through Melody Street and up past the Sincerity General Store, just keep going up and you'll see Porcoline's Kitchen straight ahead. ...Yes, that's our local Diner. Would you like me to guide you there? ...Okay, that's fine. Do you have any more questions? ...All right. Goodbye and enjoy your stay in Selphia."

       With a wave, Forte took a few seconds to watch the small group of tourists walk off. It seems like they wouldn't have any trouble finding their way, so she turns to make her way towards the town entrance to continue her patrol of the town. At first, she sees nothing at the entrance. No new tourists or people walking in, no monsters coming too close to the town, nothing. The coast was clear. She turns her back to the entrance and pauses to look around the plaza before she begins to walk away.

       "...! Wha--?" As per reflex, the sudden voice and presence from behind causes the knight to rush her hand to the hilt of her sword. Before she's able to pull it out, Forte notices strands of blue pass by the edge of her sight, then a feathered fan. Upon the realization of who the person was, she throws him a look of annoyance and lets go of her sword.

       "It is called being a knight," she retorts. Of all the people for her to have run into today... did it have to be him? He may have been relatively new to town, but all he does is tease her, which does nothing but irritate her. "'Hardly' isn't enough. As long as there is the potential for a problem to arise, I must be at the ready to help. The days of peace are a blessing, not a bore."

       A raise of her brow in questioning. "Is there something I can help you with?"

[wheretheheartls]

Dylas wasn't there, but he had left a box in Forte's home. Inside, was a small slice of chocolate cake he had made, a little note on there saying 'Um Happy Valentines day, J-Just take it.' ~Dylas

       At this point, Forte had given up on bothering with these people who kept entering her house while she was out and leaving random gifts around. It was Valentine's Day-- she'd just accept it for one day. Plus they were people she knew ( for the most part ) and everything in her room seemed to still be in place so...

       Forte sat down on her bed and placed the box on her lap. She couldn't help but let out a small shake of her head at the fact Dylas stuttered even in his writing. Silliness. She unfolded the top flaps of the box out. Upon looking inside, she blinked once. Twice. A very light blush.  

       "...It must be coincidence he made me cake. He couldn't have knowledge of it," she mumbled under her breath. Dinner was about to be ready so she wouldn't be able to eat it yet, but she was very thankful for the lovely gift. 

       Very thankful.

[wheretheheartls]

Dolce wrapped each of cookie in a little pouch she had sewn, adding a little paper bat on the top to symbolize it was from her and Pico. She quietly went up to you. "Here, Forte, you can have one too." She handed the pouch to the brave knight. "I made too many.." She continued, still with a pokerface. She then turned her head a bit to the left. "If you don't want it, just throw it away." She muttered. "..I appreciate everything you have done." she tried to thank her.

       "Oh? Is this..." Forte took the small pouch from Dolce and looked over it. It was very nicely sewn and the bat was a nice touch. Upon further touching, it felt like there was something round inside too... something that she already had an idea on what it could be, considering the day. More sweets-- how lovely.

       "Ah, no, I--" Before she was able to first tell Dolce she was thankful, Forte blinked. For everything she's done..? That had further implications than what people usually thanked her for, aka doing her job of protecting the town, so she couldn't give Dolce her usual response to those types of thanks. Instead, Forte smiled and gave a single nod of her head. 

       "...Thank you, Dolce, for both the gift and the words."

[wheretheheartls]

It was a disaster and Xiao knew it, but otherwise she managed to get into the house - thanks to Kiel (what a nice guy, thank goodness she didn't forget to give him a cookie too) - and drop Forte's own cute cookie box on her bed, only this time, it had a little Pomme-Pomme on the top as decoration. Soon after, the girl hustled off, ready to run again.

       Thankfully, this time, Kiel alerted the knight when she got home that Xiao had dropped by to leave her a gift. That made seeing the little cookie box resting on her bed expected and nothing for her to worry about in terms of people sneaking into her home. Forte took a moment to admire the little Pomme-Pomme that decorated the box. The box itself was cute, but the Pomme-Pomme... She took the decoration off and set it upon one of her shelves. No way she was letting anything that cute be thrown away.

       Upon opening the box, she was happy to see the gift this time were some cookies. She'd try them later, as Kiel was calling her for dinner, but she was thankful for the gift. The next time she saw Xiao, she'd have to thank her.

[itty-bitty-noel]

Yeah! *Nods* There’s gotta be a bad guy and you fight em all the time so you gotta know lots about ‘em, right?

[wheretheheartls]

You make scary noises like *Does a (cute) roar, waving his arms* “Raaawwwrrr!” and I stop you! *Shakes his head* I have special powers ‘cause I’m a superhero knight!

       Oh this was cute. This was very cute. So cute she couldn't help but let out a light laugh at Noel's little show. 

       "Well all right, mister 'superhero knight'. I'll be your scary monster..." She pulls down her armor headpiece over her eyes, sits on her knees and readies herself. "And you use your 'super special' powers to take me down. If you can make me fall on the ground, you win!"

[flowersofgoldandcrystal]

the belle of the hotel || Xiao - Forte

[flowersofgoldandcrystal]

… Eh? Xiao Pai’s head tilted to the side a little in confusion at Forte’s abrupt word turnaround. So Forte is… thinking that rose petals are relaxing? Well, they ARE very popular, if I am remembering correctly… okay! Roses it will be! The girl’s smile widened as her mind discarded the idea that Forte had also described the petals as ‘romantic’ as she said, “Okie dokie then! Special flower petals for Forte, coming up, yes?”

[wheretheheartls]

If I am remembering right, Mama keeps the flowers somewhere upstairs… Mumbling to herself, Xiao nearly missed Forte’s next request. Almost. "Hm? Oh!" The platinum haired innkeeper’s daughter clasped her hands together almost a little too eagerly. "Is Forte wanting a hotter bath with the flowers? I recall that Dylas and Doug once requested a hotter bath to themselves and that was okay, yes? Is that what Forte is wanting?"

"It can be arranged, yes!" Xiao Pai glanced behind her at the front door. No guests coming in, and the ones that were already in the inn were milling about in the lobby, talking to the shopkeepers and each other. Perfect. "It would seem Forte has the bath to herself! … Which is something I just noticed now. Perfect, yes?"

"I will get everything ready for you then!" And with that, Xiao scurried off to gather the materials. "Take a seat or prepare 

       Though she wasn't sure whether or not Xiao was just ignoring her little slip up, Forte was relieved that the young innkeeper didn't make a mention of her using the word 'romantic'. She really needed to be more careful on what words she used when speaking her thoughts...

       Oh, Doug and Dylas. She recalled hearing from Kiel about that before. In fact, that was why she was wanting to see what a hot bath from the bath house felt like... "Mm-hmm. Yes, that's what Forte wa-- I mean, y-yes, I would um, like that," Forte responded, stumbling a bit on her words. She couldn't help it-- sometimes Xiao's way of speaking was infectious. 

       "..?" Wait, Xiao told her earlier that she'd let her have the bath all to herself, yet she just noticed now the bath would be free from people? What would she'd have done if there were bathers in there? Well, whatever, she didn't need to ponder that. 

       "A-all ri--" Before she could even finish her sentence, Xiao ran off. Shutting her mouth, Forte lightly shook her head and ran her hand through her hair. She walked over to one of the couches and sat down, her clothes placed down on her lap. Well, all she could do now was wait for Xiao to tell her it was okay to enter. Hopefully that wouldn't take too long... The knight was growing excited on finding out how relaxing this 'treatment' was going to be.

[wheretheheartls]

Amber looked around the whole room, before placing a jar full of honey by the desk. It was Valentines, so why not show gratitude by giving honey? After all, all the people here were nice and, wait for it… sweet.

       Who on earth were leaving these gifts for her? Lumi had made mention of her name on her card, then someone named Mist left her something, now an unknown person left some honey on her desk. 

       How did Lumi and this person even enter her home without her realizing?! This is breaking and entering! And why honey?! What is with these unusual Valentine's gifts?!

       ...Well, all right. Honey wasn't too bad. She liked honey herself. If she figured out who left this gift for her, she'd be sure to thank them for it--

       Wait.  ...It was a gift, right? It was Valentine's, so she'd assume... But a note wasn't left with it, so it might not be. Who would just leave a jar of honey inside her home on her desk though? Nobody would actually do that, would they?! 

       This was giving her a headache. Did someone really just break and enter her house just to leave a random jar of honey then leave? Forte didn't know, but she'd stick with her assumption that it was just a gift. 

       Goodness gracious, this day.

[wheretheheartls]

[Knock-knock. On the front porch, there was a basket of turnips and a Valentine’s Day card in the center. As for the person who left it there… they escaped without a trace.]

       To receive chocolates, cookies or flowers on a day like today was common practice. Some times even a small gift like a plush wasn't uncommon. 

       Turnips however... Were a whole different story. One that confused the knight as she examined the contents of the basket in front of her door. Plus, the card didn't make much sense to her. She got the pun-- that was the reason why she was glaring at the card with a straight look. The name of the sender, however, was unfamiliar to her. Forte wasn't sure what to make of this, but she and Kiel were out of turnips at the moment, so... 

       "Um, thank you, I suppose..?" she muttered as she grabbed the basket and brought it inside.

[wheretheheartls]

Lumi crept carefully into Forte and Kiel's home. She didn't want to chance waking Forte and getting sliced, so she made her way to the kitchen and left a small light blue box with golden ribbon labeled, 'To Forte' on the table. When opened the box would contain a wide variety of milk chocolates and a note which read: "Great job keeping the town safe! You really are the best knight around! Happy Valentines Day! -Lumi"

      The knight stared at the small box at sat on her kitchen table, a little confused as to how it got inside her home. Perhaps Kiel brought it in? Forte was going to hope that was the case and not someone having just snuck in. 

       The words on the note catches her eyes and she huffs lightly. At least it wasn't someone thanking her for just doing her job like usual. Still, she smiled and opened the box, her smile becoming brighter once she saw what was inside. Forte reached inside and took a single piece of chocolate out, popping it into her mouth. 

       She made a mental note to thank the local detective later in the day.

[inemuuri-blog-blog]

Stolen | Forte & Karina

[inemuuri-blog-blog]

⊰ ❀ ⊱ Napping on the job wasn’t a rare occurrence for Karina, especially on slow days where the only customers would be regular townsfolk looking for furniture or seeds. She was slouched over the counter by the time she had been discovered by the stranger, caught in sleep’s web and dreaming. However, the small chime of the bell hanging over the doorway jolted Karina awake, eyelids fluttering awake, directing her gaze towards the entrance to see if it was her mother.

“Oh, it’s just another customer..” she yawned, the back of her hand reached up to rub at her eyes. “Um, yeah. I’m Karina. You’re here for my request?”

( Finally.. any longer and mom might’ve found out that I lost it. )

“… I haven’t seen you around before. What’s your name?”

[wheretheheartls]

       It was perhaps by luck the young woman's moment of sleep went unnoticed by the knight, else she herself would have a few words of proper work etiquette to give. Instead, her gaze had been averted to a different side of the store once she moved past the door, seeing the woman's head up and looking back by the time Forte noticed her.

       "Ah, yes, I am," Forte responded, quickly stuffing the ripped up paper she held into her waist pouch. Marching up to the front desk, she stood up straight and held out her hand.

       "My name is Forte Allegra Searle, current Dragon Knight of the town of Selphia. I heard that you had an emergency pertaining to a stolen item and came to offer my services. If you'd inform me of what sort of monster it was that took it and where it ran off to, I'll hurry off to go take care of them for you."

[wheretheheartls]

F O R T E

F:Have you ever been cheated on?

       "Ah, I've never been in a relationship before, so the opportunity for that situation has never occured."

O:Do you believe in the phrase, "Age is just a number?" Why or why not?

       "Um..."

       "Well... I-I don't know. I feel like it's something that depends on who the people are? There are different species that um, age differently than humans do, so... I s-suppose yes and no...? Mmph..."

R:Turn off's?

       "Rudeness and laziness are aspects that are never tolerated with me, particularly laziness. As well as having a general dislike towards um... certain... food items..."

       "...On second thought, disregard that last comment. ////"

T:How do you know it's time to end a relationship?

       "...When trust has been broken. If there's no mutual trust given between both people or if that trust becomes broken, I don't see the point in continuing. Quite honestly, I see this both in friendships and intimate relationships."

E:Pretend I'm you ex, what do you want to say to me?

       "Um... Hello? ...I'm not quite sure what else to say. If I did have an ex, I'd still speak to them like any another person."

       "...Wait."

       "WHY AM I ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT LOVE?! I-- AH! PLEASE DISREGARED EVERYTHING I'VE SAID-- ////"

[wheretheheartls]

Because Valentine's Day is coming up soon, ask!

A: Who do you like and Why?

B: Have you ever been in love? If yes, how many times, and how do you know it was love?

C: Longest relationship you've ever been in, and why did it end?

D: Have you ever changed for someone, if yes, how?

E: Pretend I'm you ex, what do you want to say to me?

F: Have you ever been cheated on?

G: Have you ever cheated?

H: Would you date someone who's know for cheating, if yes why?

I: What's the most important part of a relationship?

J: Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings?

K: When you are dating someone do you believe in going on "breaks"?

L: How many people have you ever hooked up with?

M: What's one thing you regret saying or not saying, doing or not doing in a previous relationship?

N: What age do you think is appropriate for kids to start having sex?

O: Do you believe in the phrase, "Age is just a number?" Why or why not?

P: What about "Love at first sight"? Why or why not?

Q: Turn on's?

R: Turn off's?

S: What do you consider a deal breaker?

T: How do you know it's time to end a relationship?

U: Are you currently in a relationship? If yes, for how long? If no, how long have you been single?

V: Do you think people who have dated can stay friends?

W: Do you think people should date their friends?

X: How many relationships have you had?

Y: Do you think love can last forever?

Z: Do you believe love can conquer all things?

1: Would you break up with someone your parents didn't approve of?

2: If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice about dating what would it be?

3: Do you think long distance relationships can work? Why or why not?

4: What do you notice first about another person?

5: Do gay, lesbians, bisexuals or transgender people bother you?

[inemuuri-blog-blog]

|►| OPEN REQUEST

NAME: Karina.

LOCATION: Sharance, Norad.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Bravery, some form of combat ability.

REWARD: Free meal of your choice.

“A monster from Oddward Valley took something important from me while I was taking a nap by the waterfalls. If you can get it back, I’ll try to cook you something… and if you’re coming from out of town, I’ll book you a place at the inn overnight. Please help, it’s an emergency.”

[wheretheheartls]

       Double checking over the ripped piece of paper she held in her hand, Forte checked to make sure she was in the right place that she had written on it. Noticing a rather muscular man with a fishing pole walk by, she stopped him to ask him where she was exactly. One loud laugh, few 'bro's, and many questions of fishing later, the knight was relieved to hear that she was indeed in Sharance-- her destination place.

       Thankfully, it didn't take long for her to find where this 'Karina' was. She had forgotten to ask about her from that Carlos guy, but luckily she managed to meet Raven here, not having known this was where she lived. Finding out Raven and Karina apparently knew each other well, she was told exactly where she could find her. Finding herself at the Diamond General Store shortly after, Forte walked inside and closed the door behind her.

       "Excuse me. I'm here to answer an inquiry for a request. Might you be a Miss Karina?" she asked, noticing a young woman at the front desk.