Whispers in the Wind

An independent roleplaying blog of Soren from the Fire Emblem series. Selective.

[whisper-in-the-winds]

"I was looking for someone with your...special talents."

The query was as strange as the man who said it. He carried himself with a stillness, a hardness carefully carved from porcelain skin, like a suit of armor with the helmet closed. He wore a carefree smile, his tone was smooth, but his gaze was as sharp as a knife.

“Special talents?” Soren frowned. “Surely you don’t expect flattery to get you further than gold would. What exactly do you want from me?”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

for-grado‌:

❝ don’t call me a bitch, bitch ❞

“Don’t wear the title so well then, Bitch.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

What's old, dickdog?

“... if what is old for dickdog and what is new for pussycat exist in the same continuum, it’s likely, given narrative parallels, that they are one and the same. In this essay I will--”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

delleal:

❝ i couldn’t have done anything without you.  we make good partners. ❞

“y-yeah.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

delleal:

❝ well, okay, maybe they were just saying those things, but they sounded genuine.  you did win us a war, remember.  and Soren... ❞

❝ you know i mean it. ❞

“You won us a war. All I did was-”

“.....I... I know you mean it, Ike.”

“But I won’t take credit where it’s due to you.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

delleal:

❝ they say you’re skilled and talented and i agree. ❞

“Skilled perhaps, talented? I think not. In any case, people passing compliments rarely do so without ulterior motives or poorly veiled malice. Be wary what you say, Ike.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

delleal:

                               @whisper-in-the-winds​

❝ Soren, the nobles are talking about you again. ❞

“...Odd. Should I be worried?”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

delleal:

❝ that stack is huge!  by the time you’re done, it’ll be past any good time to nap. ❞

“... Then I’ll bring it with me where we go to lay down and work on it there before sleeping.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

delleal:

❝ i know you!  i’m sure you’ve got enough work done that you could relax for the next three weeks and everything would run smoothly without you.  one nap. ❞

A hard bargain indeed.

“...One nap. After I finish this stack of notes.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

delleal:

❝ i was hoping you would maybe try it out sometime.  we could take a nap on the parapet under the clouds.  it could be nice. ❞

“You’ve learned how to... drive a hard bargain, Ike. Can’t we compromise and relax around my self-induced work?”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

delleal:

@whisper-in-the-winds ( cont. )

❝ we’re not the ones giving the orders anymore, Soren.  why don’t you just relax? ❞

“The summoner does whatever I tell her, so it’s practically the same thing.”

“And when have you ever known me to relax?”

[delleal-blog]

"I always knew you were a one man army, but this is not quite what I meant."

❝ Soren, how can you say that when you made certain that i was the only participant on Elincia’s side during the Mad King’s War?  i mean, you let Mist come in for the fight against the Black Knight, but i pretty much did the whole campaign myself… ❞

[whisper-in-the-winds]

“My tactics worked flawlessly, if you recall, so I fail to see the problem. In any case, there was only one of you then, now there’s at least three. I can’t complain, I’m simply commenting that you are defying the definition of ‘one man army’ and I’ll have to rethink my plans.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

Of Gods and Men

[whisper-in-the-winds]

valflame:

⊰ ♖ ⊱

                  The man spoke more harshly than his words alone seemed to suggest. All at once the driver of the carriage guffawed at the stranger’s audacity in addressing a duke of Grannvale in the flippant way that he did, doubling over himself to get a glimpse at Arvis before deciding he couldn’t read the nobleman’s expression from his position and readjusting himself to face forward again in his seat waiting for the order to see the carriage off again whenever the command should come. Arvis himself stood silent, his eyes flickering the slightest bit wider in surprise; it wasn’t every day he was so rudely spoken to directly. Now that he’d been stopped and he’d gotten a chance to speak to him a little more up close it seemed impossible to miss the perplexing mark situated on the stranger’s brow; instinct told him that it had to be some sort of Holy Brand ( and it did resemble the look of one, really ), but its design didn’t bring to mind any of the twelve ( thirteen, in his case ) that he was accustomed to. Someone walking around with a brand unleashing wind magic and disposing of bandits scattered across the countryside… He wasn’t a nobleman of Silesse, or at least not one he’d ever seen or heard of before.

                  He pursed his lips.

                  “Is that right… I’m afraid there aren’t any grand forces with me at all. It’s just me. I’ve been told in the past that I make a fine army all on my own, but that hardly means a thing when the people I’ve been sent to dispatch have already been taken care of. You… Say you took money from the locals??”

                  That last bit was said almost scornfully, the duke’s expression twisting in distain. What the public paid in taxation was mean to go to the capital for the sake of funding their defences and the upkeep of the land. He was supposed to fight on their behalf, not some travelling mercenary. Arvis shook his head in silence.

                  ”… That won’t do at all. You’ll need to give them their money back, I’m afraid; it isn’t right to take it. I can pay you myself for your services. Please, step into the carriage and we can get right to matching the gold they’ve given you, sir…??”

“Excuse me?” Soren raised a brow.

There was a spark carried in the Duke’s words. Soren knew how fire worked. He had banged the rocks together; all that was left was to ignite the blaze he’d started.

“You appear to be insinuating that I acquired this money unfairly,” he said, “but the villagers implored for a service and I provided it for a fee. That they chose to pay it is of their own volition, unless of course the crown of this nation regulates gold so tightly that the peasantry cannot spend their own money at their own discretion?”

He shrugged. “It’s of no concern to me. I have my gold, and I’ve earned it fairly. There’s no reason for me to climb into the carriage with a stranger to shift the funds I already have, unless you’re willing to pay me extra for the time spent. I typically charge seven hundred and fifty gold per hour of negotiation, but I’m willing to haggle differing rates of currency.”

It was dangerous to play with fire. If the duke was as powerful as he claimed, an altercation wouldn’t leave Soren unscathed, but wind could not be easily tamed, and a wild gust rarely left flames undisturbed.

“Work with me, Your Grace,” he let a smirk seep into his features in spite of the somersaults his stomach was doing. He was acutely aware of the gaze on his brand, white hot and piercing. Confidence was his only shield. “I’m far more pleasant when I’m on my own terms.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

Victory should be naked.

“Ike put your shirt back on for the love of the goddess you are drunk Don’tYouDareTakeOffYourPants!”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

caraidean:

Plotted AU starter for @whisper-in-the-winds

“You’re horrible! You are all horrid people! You disgust me beyond words! And you owe Elincia a proper apology.”

“My… My lord Ike, please–”

She must not appear weak. She must not appear gullible. She must not appear naive. Lessons that Sephiran had drummed into her since her ‘adoption’, lessons that she’d had to learn far earlier than any child should have ever had to.

“Wretched peasant! You loose that treasonous tongue once more, and–”

Ike’s words were unforgivable, at least if she wanted to keep a tight grip on the Senate and her reputation. She only had a few moments to try and figure out a way to let him slide, to let it go. But Lekain’s words forced her hand, and she had to do something.

“That’s enough, Duke Lekain.” Sanaki’s high voice cut through the air, but despite her voice it carried all the weight of her position and authority. “Ike. While I can admire your passion for your employer, I will not let you stand here and slander both myself and my court so brazenly. Perhaps a few days in a cell will clear your head to reality. Commander Sigrun?”

There was uproar from the Greil Mercenaries that were present, as expected, but Sanaki had already turned away amid admiring compliments from the senate. For once, she believed that some of them were even telling the truth.

She could feel eyes burning into her back - if that was Elincia, good. She’d need that kind of steel to rule effectively, never mind lead her country to liberation. Perhaps she wasn’t as useless as some of Sephiran’s information had seemed to suggest.

Commotion, at four in the afternoon. The one benefit to being so young, in Sanaki’s mind, was that at least she was allowed to have significantly more time to herself than most apostles. Granted, they were meant to be lessons, but Deputy Commander Tanith was far from a strict teacher - with her, anyway.

Besides. She’d already memorized what had happened to the Forest. She may have been no more than an infant, but she could still remember seeing the blaze growing in the distance, and the screams that sounded more like song.

“Stay here.” Tanith said curtly, going to check the door. There was shouting, and what Sanaki could have sworn was the sound of gathering wind - so either Tanith had drawn her sword and begun using it already, or the one at the door was…

“Tanith! Let him in.” She rubbed her temples, sighing and blinking - having the presence of mind to shove one of her 'childhood’ keepsakes under the desk. It wouldn’t do to have someone who was already clearly of a low opinion of her see that the Apostle played with dolls.

“Your commander hasn’t been harmed, if that’s why you’re here.” Sanaki said coldly when she saw that her suspicions were confirmed. Tanith stood behind him, Sonic Sword drawn and by her side, ready to strike the man down if he tried anything.

“Soren, correct?” She tried to look regal, but under his withering gaze it was proving…difficult. So those were his eyes she’d felt.

A shame. Elincia would still need tempering, then. “What do you want.”

The imperial palace was a grand structure of towering spires, each dotted with stained glass that scintillated in the sun a thousand shades of red and gold. Between the sweeping marble parapets and intricately carved arches, the courtyards were segregated into neatly squared sections. These were individually designed and immaculately groomed; the smallest near the servant’s quarters, the largest near the richer folk who had time to enjoy them.

Regardless of size, every plant and path was some pattern of red and gold, and they were viewable from anywhere in the castle. It was easier, Soren supposed, to ignore the pleas of the people when one didn’t often have to look out at them. He understood that nobles often created their own worlds and rules because the truth was too terrifying to face.

Ike hadn’t though, because his morality blinded him. He lived in the real world. He could not be caged in the closed mindsets of people who would use their influence for personal gain. Games of wits and words meant nothing to him. He was a fool, to be sure, but Soren had not fought past the deputy commander for audience with the apostle to deny that.

“Sheathe your weapon,” he said, voice curt. “We both know I’m not vacuous enough to engage either of you so openly. Aggressive negotiations were simply a means of preventing this meeting from being circumvented in a prolonged game of wits and words.” At this, he shifted his attention towards the apostle herself, gaze hard.

“In my experience nobles enjoy avoiding accountability for their actions. Forgive, me, your Imperial Highness. I understand how easy it is to forget these things, but I was not willing to take that chance given the time constraint of a war waging outside these quaint little walls.”

He waited until the door was closed before stepping closer to the desk, the last wall of authority that stood between them. “I’ll get straight to the point, since this meeting is so abrupt.” He crossed his arms.

“You may not have physically harmed the commander, but you have caused harm. We have struggled with Princess Elincia to get here in the hopes of receiving the forces we need to defeat Ashnard, and we have been waiting for days, playing your little party games of wining and dining while the world outside falls apart. I don’t pretend to know or care what it is you’re making her dance for, but while you dawdle the entirety of our forces are imprisoned here.

“It’s an extravagant prison, but a prison nonetheless,” Soren continued. “Throwing Ike into the dungeons proper is redundant, but more than that, it’s a direct answer to the question we came here for. It says that you will not only withhold the forces we need, but also actively spit on the rebellion against King Ashnard.

“Our ranks aren’t only made of stragglers from Daein and Crimea, but Gallia as well. You imprisoned Ike because of petty politics, because he was honest in a room where no one wanted to hear the truth,” he took another step towards the desk, “but when Ike is released, Crimea will be liberated one way or another. He will see to that, and when you are placed on the wrong side of history for most of the world, will the senators side with you, as you sided with them yesterday? I think we both know the answer.” He raised a brow. “A more pertinent question is whether or not you’re smarter than them. I should hope so, given the voice of the goddess they say you have.”

[whisper-in-the-winds]

does the name Twyla bring back any memory for the mun?

{I admit that it took me a couple hours of ‘I know this but I can’t remember’ because my memory is very poor in general, but! It does it does!Twyla was the cute lil hypothetical child of Matthew and Leila that the old Kent blog on the block came up with, and she was a gift!

I haven’t been on my Leila blog in awhile, but I do love her still. She’s just such a niche character that its hard to drum up activity.

Is there a reason why you ask?}

[elibiantactics]

Just thought I’d throw up a quick promo before I officially get this blog up and running, so please like or reblog this if you’re willing to rp with a Fire Emblem 7 Tactician OC! I do have verses for non-FE games, including a modern verse and a Dragon Age verse. Mark’s a sweetheart, I’d be more than happy to throw him your way! Thank you all so much!