Fire Emblem: Tides of War

[LVL1337N00B]

"Oh, that's okay! You keep it, I-", Mala stopped short to listen to the taguel's speech, seeming to briefly forget about everything else around her. Despite his appearance, his voice seemed to be a powerful thing that could not be easily ignored. It seemed the white haired lordling had taken a firm hold on Rowan's attention as well, leaving him to watch in silence along with his companion. Even the wyvern, Hera appeared to have turned her gaze toward him.

The speech itself was a decent one. Not particularly rousing, Rowan thought, but he'd assume the taguel was saving those speeches for the big battles. To him, this one more or less sounded like a debriefing. The attempt to impart a sense of duty to one's country upon the army was a good call, a classic one at that, very much something he'd become familiar with in the stories he enjoyed. He and his companions were foreign to this land, but he would gladly fight to defend it.

Once the lord finished his speech, the pair held silent for a moment longer. "So, that's the hero of our story, huh?", Rowan spoke up, lifting a hand to rub his chin, "It's pretty common in fiction, but it's pretty surprising to see someone so young looking lead an army." The brown-haired rider kept his eyes set on him a while longer, somewhat lost in thought. "I wonder what he'll be like", he said, more to himself than anyone else.

"I'm looking forward to finding out!", Mala said, just now remembering Rowan's hand on her head and managing to jerk it away while he was distracted. "Maybe people will write stories about him and his army", she suggested, then smirked a little as she continued, "Maybe they'll include you, if you somehow manage to serve as anything more than fodder. It's doubtful, of course.." Rowan rolled his eyes and grinned, pulled back from his thought. "I'll probably be too busy taking care of you to get myself recognized", he teased the girl back, replacing his hand on her head and ruffling her hair. She frowned, though the playful glint in her eye would make it hard to believe she was really too displeased.

"I'll look forward to fighting alongside you, Hugh", Rowan said, shifting suddenly from his current dialogue with his partner. Mala turned her attention in the same direction as well, the corners of her lips stretching into a grin. "And I'll be there to help if you get hurt", she said, setting her hands on her hips, "So be sure to call for me if you need healing, okay?"

[Sorry I didn't react to your post in my last one, @Panne - I was dead tired and kind of forgot about it at the time]

 

[underpressure]

Masatsura stood somewhere in the middle of the crowd as people pushed and shoved to make it to camp. The commotion seemed to die down, as the commander began briefing everyone in attendance. Masatsura looked in the direction of the taguel speaking, and let it sink in that he'd have to work with others. It didn't matter, so long as people weren't tripping over eachother to kill the Ignis. So long as people remembered whose side they're on.

He squinted in the direction of the commander as the speech finished, and raised a hand in salute. Masatsura then checked himself, showing a grin of satisfaction when he found that his bow and arrows weren't nicked by someone while he was busy listening. He'd never drew his bow at a man, but he'd done it at a hog or a fox enough times to 'know' what was expected of him. For what they paid the former farmhand, he had better know.

What caught his eye after the speech was finished though was Hugh, and the two flanking him. He wasn't bothered, but Mala being there did make Masatsura raise an eyebrow. He had yet to set out, and he was already taken aback by what happened on the trip. He went back to checking his gear and examining the ground, but he was clearly unnerved by the fact that someone looking younger than him was serving in the military. A slight shudder rolled down his back, and he could only think of this upstart army being routed in the woods. Him, certainly. The others would fare better. He began walking towards the group, raising a hand up to get their attention.

"Uh, hello. I figured with what time we have left, I'd best get to know people who I'm serving with. My name is Masatsura." The boyish man said, bringing a hand down to dust off his pants, and the sage-green jacket tied around them. It's clear he wasn't well off financially before this, but he tried to flex nonetheless.

@Rothene @LVL1337N00B

 

[Rothene]

"Just make sure to not get killed," Hugh gave the obvious advice to both companions with a smirk, "Enemies like to go after healers often, so stick to someone large and armoured Mala. Especially without keeping your dragonstone nearby for some emergency scales."

When the archer joined the group, Hugh looked to him with a slightly disappointed look as he muttered aloud in a deadpan tone, "This one isn't large and armoured. Don't suppose you can shoot the wings off a fly from a hundred yards?"

 

[LVL1337N00B]

Mala covered her snickering with her hand, albeit not very well. It seemed she wasn't the only one that liked to poke fun sometimes. Once she settled down, she took a step closer and thrust her hand out toward the archer. "Good thinking! I thought it'd be a good idea too, actually", she said to him, smiling still, "Better than thinking of eachother as just faceless soldiers, right?

"True, the more unknown characters tend to either get killed off early or become villains."

The manakete looked back at her partner with a sort of impatient frown. "This isn't one of your dumb stories, you know", she said, then shook her head and turned back to Masatsura, "I'm Mala, and that's Rowan and Hugh. Nice to meet you!" As she introduced the men, she pointed to both of them respectively. When his name was called, Rowan raised a hand in greeting.

"I do think you're right, though. I feel we'll benefit from becoming better acquainted", Rowan said with a nod, leaning back against his scaled companion. She didn't seem to mind too much, only emitting the faintest grunt as her rider relaxed against her. "We'll fight harder for the chance to meet again, feel more inclined to watch eachothers backs", he explained, folding his arms across his chest, "Yeah. You guys definitely have the right idea."

 

[TuttyTheFruity]

"You're welcome!~" Lumaana chirped as Gwyn uttered his guttural thanks. Maybe this guy just struggled with adult words. It's okay, she'd make some time to coach him later.

She overheard the sound of approaching footsteps, though the enormity of the sack obscured her vision. Though she had control of the teetering sack, she felt a hand press against it, seemingly to keep it up. It actually served to throw off her balance slightly - she stepped aside to rebalance it, glancing aside to catch a look at the odd kitsune.

She scowled. She wasn't frail. Quite the opposite, in fact. She huffed, hoisting the sack... though the kitsune's cutesy display did elicit a chuckle out of her.

As Gwyn left to handle other affairs, Lumaana felt attention on her. She grumbled. "Fun guy... anyway, I-I'm fine carrying this thing, really. Hoisted it all the way through the Holy Lands. It's outright brisk out here in comparison." She heaved it silently in a show of strength, before glancing between the two. She seemed to be insistent on carrying the enormous burden for now.

Her ears picked up on some of the speech. She was more focused on where they were going. She needed no inspiration to blast ingrates.

"Huh. I hear Invidia Forests had incredibly diverse wild life. Dr. Vexam identified 200 varieties of toxic mushrooms. It was... an unpleasant read." Her tone trailed off, some sense of revulsion washing over her briefly.

@SirBlazeALot @-Vesper-

 

[Solace]

​

The prejudice in each persecuting glare, every incriminating snarl; Doran Cres had seen enough to know that it would never change. It had been difficult for his younger self to adjust to the hatred and rejection from the general population, but it was something he had learned quickly, no matter how tough of a reality it was to accept. Existing with the ignominy may have been an uphill battle, but being on his own at that age with no possessions or a single caring soul was an entirely different struggle.

That was why it came as a surprise to Cres that he had picked himself up so briefly, in the aftermath. It was fortunate for the young man that mercenary work was seldom biased towards social status, and rather, how good you were at killing people before they killed you. Case by case, it paid well, enough to get by; he wasn't going to be settling down anytime soon, but it was enough to afford a nice coat or two.

Even though the continent was in such disarray that they essentially dispatched a distress call for a call to arms, Cres held no real interest in fighting for a country that always despised the likes of him, and matters were only made worse, considering his condition. Truthfully, his primary motivator was the coin and retribution factor. Not to mention, it had also been a long time since he had eaten well; there had been a distinct lack of chicken in his diet, and it concerned the young man immensely.

Cres had kept himself to a more discrete location of the encampment when their leader spoke aloud, about ten meters away. It was the sort of talk that was meant to bolster their morale, but he figured that if there had been a few numbers regarding their pay, it would have garnered a better response. Or, perhaps, a response at all, for that matter.

When the last line of supplies from the capital had arrived earlier, Cres had taken one of the fresh swords from its armaments and immediately began to tend to its state. Keeping the hilt at his thigh and anchoring the blade downward towards the earth, he stroked the whetstone evenly against the fuller of the sword, from the guard to the other end.

Investing the time to manage your sword was of dire importance, his father had always stressed. Cres' eyes focused on the process, precise with each motion of refining the blade. As the packing of the encampment was underway, he simply awaited for their leader to give the order. He would only speak to others if spoken to, but true conversations were rare for him.​

 

[Marlowe]

Being surrounded by so many different faces both excited and terrified her.

She remembered what it was like to be part of such a large group. When she was a mercenary, she was able to feel at ease around the heartwarming and familiar smiles. But those smiles soon turned into disdained scowls and jealous frowns, and that was when those few years of satisfaction faded into the past. To Rhiyah, it was like she was starting over again. And technically, she was; she was just part of Zephyr's new army now, and that was good enough for her. At least she had a purpose once more, and that purpose was to drive out the Ignis soldiers from their home.

The purple-haired woman listened intently to the taguel, which also happened to be their leader. His words weren't really inspiring to her-- they were mostly common sense, but that was just coming from here. Rhiyah lowered her arms, finding that setting her hands on her hips for too long was more tiring than she thought. She wondered what exactly they would find in the forestlands, but most of all, she hoped that her wyvern would not be harmed.

Milana was like family to her, a precious creature that she kept close to her heart. While some would cower and hide in fear of the wyvern, Rhiyah never understood why. Her Mila wouldn't hurt a fly... at least, that was what she thought. But what mattered was that she had been by her side since she left her home, no matter what the case. The two were more than partners, Rhiyah thought; even though Milana appeared to be an overgrown lizard, her rider saw her as something much more than that.

Rhiyah blinked, shaking her head. She had blanked out again, didn't she? Standing around and looking like an idiot wasn't how she wanted to look like on the first day. She turned around, a huff leaving her as her lilac eyes scanned the area around her. Everyone seemed to be having distinct conversations with one another, except for the one fellow sharpening his sword. She supposed that she should approach him and try to form relations with others, even though the first conversations were always the hardest.

"That's quite the handsome one," she told the male as she approached. Rhiyah stumbled over her words as she realized what she basically said. "Handsome sword, I meant."

@Vayne

 

[Captain Asshat]

"It will be done, commander~" Percival replied, sitting up straight on his horse after doing a fabulous hair flip. His silver eyes then fell on the girl with the rice. Why she was carrying such a humongous bag didn't particularly matter to him. The commander seemed to have his hands full with the new recruits. They were all pretty strange upon first meeting them, especially the kitsune. Neither of the two seemed to understand how to behave around royalty, but that was to be expected from common riff raff. Again, totally not an elitist. Percival saw it fit for a knight such as himself to set a good example and help the commander out.

The girl seemed intent on making his orders difficult to follow by refusing to be helped with her bag. But that wasn't a problem for Percy. "Now, now, miss," Percival began, dismounting from Ganymede and setting his lance down to free his hands. He smiled warmly down at her and addressed her strength. "That's quite the feat if I do say so myself. Especially for a woman your size. Remarkable really," he schmoozed pleasantly. "However, we wouldn't want to disobey an order from the commander now would we~?" he asked sweetly. "Though I can't claim to know his thoughts on the matter, I'm assuming he doesn't want you weighed down for the coming battle." Percival held out his arms to accept the bag.

@-Vesper- @TuttyTheFruity

 

[Takumi]

Osamu and Remi, shortly after arriving stayed towards the back as the commander gave his speech. Osamu simply grinned while Remi patted the snout of her steed who had occasionally let it's attention shift between it's rider and the white haired Taguel.

Once all that was over Osamu wandered off to find something fun to do, or at least get a feel of the others around camp. Weaving past soldiers here and there, the Kitsune's tail swayed behind him happily.

He noticed a girl holding a large bag of rice, both impressed and curious, he approached, noticing another Kitsune among them brightened his mood considerably-if that was even possible.

"Hello there.~ How's everyone this fine day?~" the Kitsune practically purred out in delight, tail continuing to sway back and forth behing him. Maybe it was the fact that something edible was nearby or just the fact he's meeting one of his own after such a long time being with only Remi.

@SirBlazeALot @-Vesper- @TuttyTheFruity

Speaking of Remi, she had found herself curiously joining a small group near a Wyvern, a girl looking to be rather young, a man with pretty long hair and an archer. Her horse winnied happily behind her as it was led by it's reigns.

"Hello. Since we have yet to move out I wanted to introduced myself; I am Remi." she introduced with a smile. She hoped that she wasn't interrupting all of a sudden.

@LVL1337N00B @Rothene

 

[Sinon219]

Shizuni entered the camp looking at all the people there. She sneered, all of them looking so dreary or ready for the loot. They didn't understand the real weight of signing up to be here to fight. But she did, her older brother and sister had died for this cause, and she would not let their hopes ride on this worthless bunch. As she entered people kept casting glances at her suspiciously, she guessed word of her past affiliation with the underground dirty work did not go unheard by many. Behind the suspicious glances was some snickering at her outfit. True she was a thief and she was wearing the Royal Sniper armor, but why should that affect how people think of her? Not that she cared either way. "Idiots" she thought to herself. She was coming closer to the conclusion that she was the only one here who could put up a decent fight.

Who cares what they laugh at anyway? She didn't come here to laugh, she came here for revenge. She smirked at the thought of cutting down some Ignis soldiers and having their blood run down her bronze blade. They will know her pain ten-fold. She stuck her left hand out towards the direction of Ignis and clenched her fist tight. "Ahhh!" she shouted in pain as her burn scar split and she then kneeled on the ground, her hand gripping her shoulder. The burn was always splitting, a constant reminder of the reason she fell so deep into Hell itself. The blood began to soak the shoulder of her sister's uniform, turning it a brownish-red. She needed to find a healer soon s she didn't bleed out again like last time. She grimaced at the thought.

She began searching the camp for a healer, but there were none to be found. Without a healer, a wound of this size will never close, what was she to do?
@LVL1337N00B

 

[Rothene]

The manakete could not help but chuckle at Mala's remark on the horrors of being a faceless soldier. He makes an effort to extend his hand to shake Masatsura's if the archer permits as he introduces himself, "Well met Masatsura, I am Hugh."

And then another newcomer entered the scene and for the first time, Hugh wondered if their little crowd seemed out of place. He cast a quick glance around camp and concluded that they did not look like the typical rank and file, encased in dour uniform and flaunt their own fashion sense.

"Greetings Remi," the manakete said putting one hand by his waist and gesturing to each person nearby as he introduced them, "I am Hugh, and my merry band here are Rowan, his well groomed wyvern Hera, the short one is Mala and the guy with a bow would be Masatsura. Anything we can do for you?"

 

[underpressure]

Masatsura smirked as Hugh extended a hand to him, and graciously shook his hand. He took a moment to process the words said to him, and chuckled a bit. "Aye. Well met. You're a good man, agreeing to fight with us. I myself am a bit uneasy, but the pay is holding me firm. Now. Shoot the wings off a fly from a hundred paces, you say? I don't suppose you can either. I am a conscripted farmhand who happened to have a weapon on-hand, not a gentleman in lengthy robes like you are, sir." He said, shrugging his shoulders. His body was posed rather openly and vulnerably, and it was quite clear he was enjoying this brief spell of banter before they'd have to die together.

He seemed to roar with laughter for a moment with eyes shut, before looking to Remi as she entered the fold. "You're right, one dressed even more like a monk. We have far too much time before deployment. The Ignis may as well be right over the hills by now, and I haven't an ounce of drink in me 'fore they have my head." He said as the smirk on his face slowly disappeared, bringing an open palm to his belly and rubbing it in circles without shame.

@Rothene @LVL1337N00B @Takumi

 

[LVL1337N00B]

"You can get a drink when we're done beating up the bad guys", Mala was quick to say, grinning at the archer, more or less saying he wouldn't be parting with his head as he suggested. "I bet I could do it, you know", she continued, drawing an imaginary bow and pulling back on an equally imaginary bowstring, "Shoot the wings off of a fly, I mean." Rowan tilted his head slightly downward and shook it, a little smirk spread out on his face. "Somehow, I doubt that." She stuck her lip out, brows furrowed as she turned to face the wyvern rider. Before she had a chance to say anything to him, however, he had already turned his attention toward the newest arrival. "Pleased to meet you, miss", Rowan said with a smile, raising a hand in greeting.

Mala rolled her eyes, then turned back around and approached the horse following Remi. She reached out to touch the mount's neck, beaming brightly at it. That expression only held for the briefest moment however, as some distant cry caught her attention. The redhead glanced over at her partner and asked, "Did you hear that?" He shook his head and began to speak, but was cut off before he could. "Of course not, it's probably taking every bit of effort to pay attention to just this small group", she said with a smirk, scurrying over to their tent to retrieve a very simple looking wooden staff, "I'll go check it out." When the small girl emerged from the tent, she then hurried over to Remi and grabbed her hand without warning, giving it a quick shake before letting go and bolting off.

-ROWAN-

Rowan sighed, not bothering to call after the manakete as she fled. A similar but distinctly different sound came from behind him, his wyvern either mimicking him or sharing in his woe. "I hope she doesn't try to run off like that in battle", he said, his gaze turned away from the others momentarily. Worry was plain to see on his face as he set his eyes forward again. "Could I ask you all to help keep an eye on her?", Rowan asked, straightening himself and moving a little closer to the rest of the group, "It's a selfish request, I realize. It might well cause problems, giving special attention to one person."

-MALA-

While her companion was left behind, fussing over her safety in the trials to come, Mala too felt worry. The sound was faint, but she definitely heard someone in pain. She rushed toward the direction that sound came from, her eyes darting to and fro, assessing the physical health of people she passed as best that she could. She'd figure an injured person would be easy to pick out of a crowd, after having to patch up Rowan and Hera as often as she had.

Before too long she'd spot the person she was looking for, a young woman clutching at her shoulder. "You there! You're hurt, right?", she called to the girl as she approached, slowing from a run to a jog before stopping near her, "I can help!" She leaned forward and set her free hand on her hip, catching her breath quickly before straightening and outstretching a hand. "Show me", she said, her tone gentle but demanding.

 

[Solace]

Like most mercenaries, Cres was not the type of person to ponder about the jobs he took on, or the people he killed. It had always been a steady concern of his; he worried of growing cold and indifferent, as much as it was what the world made him out to be. Placing the whetstone in his pocket, his hand curled against the right side of his neck, drawing a heavy sigh.

The swordsman wondered when they would get things underway. His fingers faltered from his neck, lifting the sword and resting it in the sheath at his side. Cres would manage wielding a conventional sword such as that, though he was eager to get his hands on a curved blade. He needed to be swift in battle, and a heavier sword was not the best option for that approach.

At the very least, these types of swords were inexpensive and reliable, enough to do the job. Only as Cres took a few steps from his location, did the young man raise a brow towards a woman who had approached him. He had not heard what she said towards him, but from initial impressions, she seemed a bit skittish. Strange, coming from someone who looked like an ordinary soldier.

He adjusted the bracers at his wrists, walking past the woman. "Look sharp," Cres said in a simple manner, trotting a few steps from where he initially stood. He crossed his arms, waiting, anticipating what would come.

 

[Mami Tomoe]

(It'd be best to wrap up all interactions, soon! Gwyn will have the troops move out, so they can chat along the way!) ​

 

[Promedai]

Takeda turned to stare at the horse-rider who had flaunted his fantastic hair; the boy was about as pretty -- nay -- prettier even, than the girl he'd been ordered to help out with the rice situation. What on earth was the commander thinking with this one? Here he was, ready and willing to carry the whole sack himself, as he had done so several times during his cross-country travels as a wandering salesman, and yet the task was given to a guy that could do no better lifting with his thin arms than the girl he intended to assist. The two could be mistaken for sisters from a far distance!

It was then that Takeda suddenly caught sight of something that made his heart jump in excitement. It was the unmistakable fluff of a joyful tail swishing back and forth between the congested groups of soliders standing about. He held his breath until he saw, for the first time, the friendly face of a kitsune come forth to make their aquaintance.

"My friend!" Takeda cried out in delight; forgetting all about the girl with her oversized bag of rice, he held his arms open wide in a welcoming gesture towards his fellow kitsune. "It's so very good to see a smiling face amidst all these sour ones! No one knows how to have a laugh like us kitsune, you see?" The crumpled dandelion he had held out for the commander was still pressed tight between his fingers, a gift rejected. That did not diminish it's value in his mind, however; it only needed to be offered to someone more worldly and capable of appreciating nature's simple pleasures, so he wasted no time with repurposing his present as a sign of friendship for the other fox. "Here, I'd like you to have this!" He said, handing the same smashed flower over to his new associate. "You can call me Takeda, the fortune fox! Good things come to those who befriend me -- things like this flower or even food! Imagine that!"

@Takumi

 

[Takumi]

The manakete could not help but chuckle at Mala's remark on the horrors of being a faceless soldier. He makes an effort to extend his hand to shake Masatsura's if the archer permits as he introduces himself, "Well met Masatsura, I am Hugh."

And then another newcomer entered the scene and for the first time, Hugh wondered if their little crowd seemed out of place. He cast a quick glance around camp and concluded that they did not look like the typical rank and file, encased in dour uniform and flaunt their own fashion sense.

"Greetings Remi," the manakete said putting one hand by his waist and gesturing to each person nearby as he introduced them, "I am Hugh, and my merry band here are Rowan, his well groomed wyvern Hera, the short one is Mala and the guy with a bow would be Masatsura. Anything we can do for you?"

"Just wanting to get acquainted with my fellow soldiers before we head out. After all, I'll be helping to heal you guys when you're hurt." she replied with a friendly smile.

"You can get a drink when we're done beating up the bad guys", Mala was quick to say, grinning at the archer, more or less saying he wouldn't be parting with his head as he suggested. "I bet I could do it, you know", she continued, drawing an imaginary bow and pulling back on an equally imaginary bowstring, "Shoot the wings off of a fly, I mean." Rowan tilted his head slightly downward and shook it, a little smirk spread out on his face. "Somehow, I doubt that." She stuck her lip out, brows furrowed as she turned to face the wyvern rider. Before she had a chance to say anything to him, however, he had already turned his attention toward the newest arrival. "Pleased to meet you, miss", Rowan said with a smile, raising a hand in greeting.

Mala rolled her eyes, then turned back around and approached the horse following Remi. She reached out to touch the mount's neck, beaming brightly at it. That expression only held for the briefest moment however, as some distant cry caught her attention. The redhead glanced over at her partner and asked, "Did you hear that?" He shook his head and began to speak, but was cut off before he could. "Of course not, it's probably taking every bit of effort to pay attention to just this small group", she said with a smirk, scurrying over to their tent to retrieve a very simple looking wooden staff, "I'll go check it out." When the small girl emerged from the tent, she then hurried over to Remi and grabbed her hand without warning, giving it a quick shake before letting go and bolting off.

-ROWAN-

Rowan sighed, not bothering to call after the manakete as she fled. A similar but distinctly different sound came from behind him, his wyvern either mimicking him or sharing in his woe. "I hope she doesn't try to run off like that in battle", he said, his gaze turned away from the others momentarily. Worry was plain to see on his face as he set his eyes forward again. "Could I ask you all to help keep an eye on her?", Rowan asked, straightening himself and moving a little closer to the rest of the group, "It's a selfish request, I realize. It might well cause problems, giving special attention to one person."

-MALA-

While her companion was left behind, fussing over her safety in the trials to come, Mala too felt worry. The sound was faint, but she definitely heard someone in pain. She rushed toward the direction that sound came from, her eyes darting to and fro, assessing the physical health of people she passed as best that she could. She'd figure an injured person would be easy to pick out of a crowd, after having to patch up Rowan and Hera as often as she had.

Before too long she'd spot the person she was looking for, a young woman clutching at her shoulder. "You there! You're hurt, right?", she called to the girl as she approached, slowing from a run to a jog before stopping near her, "I can help!" She leaned forward and set her free hand on her hip, catching her breath quickly before straightening and outstretching a hand. "Show me", she said, her tone gentle but demanding.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, sir." Remi replied to Rowan, shortly before Mala scurried off. Remi watched the woman run off with a curious expression. She didn't question it, assuming that something important came up that she needed to attend to.

@SirBlazeALot @Rothene @LVL1337N00B @underpressure

Takeda turned to stare at the horse-rider who had flaunted his fantastic hair; the boy was about as pretty -- nay -- prettier even, than the girl he'd been ordered to help out with the rice situation. What on earth was the commander thinking with this one? Here he was, ready and willing to carry the whole sack himself, as he had done so several times during his cross-country travels as a wandering salesman, and yet the task was given to a guy that could do no better lifting with his thin arms than the girl he intended to assist. The two could be mistaken for sisters from a far distance!

It was then that Takeda suddenly caught sight of something that made his heart jump in excitement. It was the unmistakable fluff of a joyful tail swishing back and forth between the conjested groups of soliders standing about. He held his breath until he saw, for the first time, the friendly face of a kitsune come forth to make their aquaintance.

"My friend!" Takeda cried out in delight; forgetting all about the girl with her oversized bag of rice, he held his arms open wide in a welcoming gesture towards his fellow kitsune. "It's so very good to see a smiling face amidst all these sour ones! No one knows how to have a laugh like us kitsune, you see?" The crumbled dandelion he had held out for the commander was still pressed tight between his fingers, a gift rejected. That did not diminish it's value in his mind, however; it only needed to be offered to someone more worldly and capable of appreciating nature's simple pleasures, so he wasted no time with repurposing his present as a sign of friendship for the other fox. "Here, I'd like you to have this!" He said, handing the same smashed flower over to his new associate. "You can call me Takeda, the fortune fox! Good things come to those who befriend me -- things like this flower or even food! Imagine that!"

@Takumi

Takeda's overall friendly attitude towards Osamu brightened the Kitsune's mood.

"You are right on that one friend!" he laughed lightly at Takeda's first statement. As the other Kitsune offered the flower Osamu happily accepted it.

"Why thank you, my friend. I am Osamu. It is good to see another Kitsune after so long." the white haired male said with an ever growing smile.

@-Vesper-

 

[Sinon219]

When she saw the young girl show up Shizuni was stunned. What is a girl her age doing here? She stretched out her hand, "Show me." she said. As usual Shizuni's pride got the best of her as well as her inability to trust people, "It's nothing I can't handle myself, I don't need-". Shizuni fell over and began to see black spots in her vision, then she noticed the healing staff in the girl's hand. She grit her teeth, this is not how she wanted to start out this day. Shizuni looked up at her with a stubborn look, "I guess, if you are qualified enough I would like your assistance..." Great, she's been here a couple minutes and she has already almost died, what if her shoulder were to split again on the battlefield? These stupid people would try to help her and probably get killed in the process. What a burden she would be. She looked up at the girl preparing to heal her shoulder, "Hey, aren't you a little young to be in this war?"
@LVL1337N00B

 

[TuttyTheFruity]

"!"
The nerve! She seemed to sulk a bit, her mouth opening and closing indignantly. "I'm not small! Y, you're dizzy from propping yourself up on that horse! L-less oxygen, y'know..."

He had an irritating point, in any case. If it was an order, she'd be stupid to ignore it. If she was expelled, she wouldn't get to blast any ingrates. Her eyebrows furrowed as she considered the thought.

"..."

She grinned a little.

"Okay then. All yours, sir knight.~"

She plopped the heavy sack into his outstretched arms. It had to have weighed a ton.

@SirBlazeALot

 

[Advent Core]

"Ignis..." Arkos stood before the Zephyr encampment, pleased to see that it had nearly been dismantled by the time he'd arrived. He still preferred to setup his own little camps a decent distance away from all the other troops, valuing the solitude and relaxing ambience of fewer people. He was still adjusting to his new lifestyle, and still had several old habits that he needed to break if he was to operate more effectively with fellow soldiers. For now he only wanted to adjust to large social crowds at his own pace.

He barely managed to make it in time for the young lord's speech, but the soldiers seemed to lack morale nonetheless. These men needed a victory, and Ark felt the same way. He advanced toward the tageul leader with his weapon and shield holstered to an obscured black pack on his back, which was secured to him with several black and silver straps. His crimson armor gleamed with reflected sunlight, a testament to the time and effort he spent on the upkeep and condition of his equipment.

The young man's confident demeanor showed a hint of curiosity and concern as he passed a wounded girl along the way, but she seemed to have the assistance of a healer already, and so he continued toward the tageul lord without paying too much attention to the girls. A momentary flick of azure eyes was all the attention he gave them as he stepped by, hoping not to break the cleric's concentration in the process. His intuition sparked a warm feeling of belonging in that moment, but he wasn't sure of what it meant. The same feeling had occurred when he encountered manaketes in the past, but he was unable to pinpoint exactly what it was he felt. The internal sensation subsided as he drew closer to the tageul, passing several other interesting individuals along the way.

"Sire." Ark greeted the tageul lord, Gwyn, with the utmost respect that he could manage. "I am Arkos, and it is an honor to meet you in person. I am here to defend both you and this nation with my life." He gave a single gentle nod, and then his expression intensified with a passionate determination. "And I request to be deployed on the front lines."