crestoflamine

[crestoflamine]

♗ @sorcelleried​.

mercedes feels a bit out of place on her visits to the university. the amount of students traversing its hallways and grounds is staggering compared to the population of the officers’ academy, she is determined to become adjusted. though not enrolled in any capacity, the public library is too promising a resource to pass up.

the chatter of the outdoors gives way to hushed whispers as she steps over the library’s threshold, and she offers the librarian a little wave when their eyes are drawn to the opening door.

in the aisles between the massive shelves are tables meant for study, and seated at one is a familiar face!

❝ annie! ❞ she says as quietly as she can manage, trying her best to be mindful of other readers despite her excitement. mercedes has missed her friend dearly, and hurriedly approaches the table. ❝ i didn’t expect to see you — oh, this is wonderful! ❞

[crestoflamine]

♗ @decomposeyourself // starter call.

the mainland boasts quite the impressive assortment of gardens and parks; they dot the more developed areas with color, and attract people at a respectable rate. children looking for a place to play, adults looking for time away — they all make their way to the fields and the flowers.

there are seating areas beside the flowerbeds, comfortably shaded and just off the footpaths. 

mercedes hears the cawing of crows as she walks along, and her eyes are soon drawn to where several gather at the feet of someone that sports a veritable nest of dark hair.

❝ aren’t crows the birds that remember if someone is kind to them? they’ve definitely taken a shine to you! ❞

[crestoflamine]

heiroftheslain‌:

Whatever an observatory was, he didn’t have much interest in it—it really didn’t sound like something that would be of interest to him, anyway. He’d only wound up here as the crowds were pushing in this direction, and he swore he saw a familiar face among them.

And he seemed to be right about that.

After walking up the stairs and only giving so much as a glance to the surrounding exhibits, he was approached by just who he thought he had seen. Shifting out of the way of the others ascending to not cause any issues, he looked down at his sister, feeling a mix of emotions after seeing her again.

“I… am, yes.”

“I didn’t expect to find you here… But I can’t say I am unhappy to find you. I have been adjusting well enough here, it’s not an environment I… believe will be beneficial for me, but what about yourself?”

❝ that’s wonderful to hear. ❞ she clasps one of his hands between hers for a moment. ❝ it is a little... overwhelming sometimes, and much different than anything we’re used to... ❞

her expression is thoughtful, eyes soft. 

❝ but it’s safe, at the very least. for now, anyway. and if things go bad, we can always set them right again. ❞

several patrons of the observatory filter out as their turns on the telescopes end. mercedes moves to claim a spot, motioning for her brother to follow — if he’s so inclined. she continues speaking as she takes her seat at the equipment. 

❝ i’m doing well! there’s no need to worry over me. you, on the other hand, ❞ she says, smile making its way into her voice. ❝ now that i know you’re here, you can expect me to check on you. if you ever need help with anything at all, or if you have something on your mind... you know you can come to me! ❞

[crestoflamine]

liquidsnxke‌:

the drone of the mostly one-sided conversation occurring at the cash register adds to the atmosphere of the cafe. eventually, he looks away, less interested in what they were saying than when the woman began. liquid finds himself lulled into a comfortable trance, pale gaze watching the citizens of the district wake up and begin their days through the window of the cafe.

he’s startled out of a slow train of thought when the other patron addresses him and he turns his head abruptly enough to disturb the hair over his shoulders. liquid blinks at her once, twice, his finger twitching over the exterior of his mug.

“i…suppose you could say that,” he answers. “this place isn’t hardly as chaotic as i originally anticipated.”

to himself, he thinks that perhaps, a quiet and boring place to relax is what he needs. he’s never had the opportunity before, or if he has, it was so short-lived that he cannot easily recall. liquid removes a hand from his mug to sweep his hair over one shoulder. a mild, short-lived smile is offered to the woman, but it’s just that— gone as quick as it appears.

mercedes nods in understanding as she judges the temperature of her tea with an initial taste. it’s perfect.

❝ while it was... a bit jarring to arrive here, you’re right. it has been easy enough to get my bearings. things could certainly be worse. ❞

though creature comforts and neighborly kindness are both well and good, the healer cannot help but feel as though there is another shoe readied and waiting to drop somewhere down the line. it is a worry for another time, and, not wanting to sully her morning, she drives it away.

❝ my name is mercedes, ❞ she tries, wanting to chat but not wanting to wear out the welcome of the conversation. he doesn’t seem like the talkative type, and that’s fine. ❝ what’s yours? ❞

[crestoflamine]

♗ @flamecoded // starter call.

mercedes has grown somewhat more comfortable in her assigned quarters and the surrounding area; it’s quieter than other neighborhoods, and the people that call it home are kind enough. she feels nothing if not welcomed, and this does wonders to take the edge off her worries about affairs back home, especially with emile about. they can count on each other if the situation ever grows dire.

surprisingly, mercedes has seen little of the person she’s been roomed with, and has naught but a name to go by. perhaps he’d been active in the city, and their paths never crossed.

she has a small batch of cookies in the oven, but they aren’t made from scratch this time. certain provision stores sell pre-mixed and ready-to-bake dough, and mercedes has decided to put their recipe to the test against her notorious sweet tooth.

it’s as she settles at the dining room table with a book that she hears the apartment door open.

❝ oh, hello! are you louis? i’m mercedes. it looks like we’re going to be roomed together. at least for a while. ❞

[crestoflamine]

♗ @heiroftheslain​ // starter call.

mercedes has not the faintest idea of what an observatory is aside from what its name implies, and seeing as it’s open to the public, has a mind to investigate. more people frequent it at night than during the day, and she is soon to understand why. the second floor is dotted with several rather enormous telescoping devices, each of which providing a wonderfully close view of the stars.

they are all in use when she arrives, so she busies herself while she waits by looking at some of the other available floor displays. an interesting fact about the islands’ night sky here, a scientific model of the planet there. it’s all more advanced than anything she and hers were taught in fódlan — such is the power of unfettered human ingenuity.

someone she doesn’t quite expect to see is ascending the stairs when she turns to some other exhibit, and her face lights up in an instant. mercedes gently moves past several strangers to greet her brother properly.

❝ emile! you’re here, too! ❞

her smile is such that her eyes scrunch up a bit at the corners.

❝ this place is amazing, isn’t it? how have you been faring? ❞

[crestoflamine]

liquidsnxke‌:

@crestoflamine​ // liquid pauses as he tunes into the discussion held between the woman standing at the cafe counter and its cashier. it’s still early in the morning, leaving the streets quiet and the stores even quieter. fortunitea, the small magician’s cafe he’d found in chamomile district, was far from the scene one might usually find liquid snake in, but he’s spent his time in koi thus far exploring. no rock left unturned.

there’s little to do besides stew in the bleariness of early morning and his cup of tea, which was a bit spicier than he anticipated but isn’t entirely unkind to him. rooibos were never his first choice. halting his train of thought, he peeks over his shoulder, watching as the pale-haired woman lifts a small trinket from a display next to the cash register.

the mere idea of a combination tea-and-magic shop was more than enough to pique mercedes’ interest. though somewhat of an effort to get to, the cafe is adorable, and the staff members behind the counter are welcoming. she places her order — one cup of whichever tea variety was considered the specialty of the house — and proceeds to rather excitedly engage the person tending to her request in a conversation about magic.

the barista listens as well as they can, but gently informs the healer that the shop doesn’t specialize in that kind of magic. most of their training and subject matter pertains to craft practiced in one’s home; simple things, for good luck and health. 

unfazed, mercedes inquires into their best sellers. the barista points her to small crystals affixed to thin chains. they are supposed to improve mood and energy as long as they are kept on one’s person. willing to put that claim to the test, mercedes adds one to her bill, and takes her seat once her order is ready. 

upon realizing there is another customer seated nearby, she offers a polite greeting.

❝ hello. it’s a wonderful morning, isn’t it? ❞

[crestoflamine]

hey! i’m all set up and ready to go! here’s a fresh and new starter call to get mercedes rolling in kny!

leaving it UNCAPPED for the time being, but i’ll be a tad selective depending on the amount of notes / what i have the energy for, and i’ll be putting them out over the coming weeks! thank you so much for your patience!

[crestoflamine]

MERCEDES VON MARTRITZ // FE3H // KOI NO YOKAN

it’s very hard to upset mercedes because of her tendency to avoid overthinking. she doesn’t allow herself to become worked up, determined to go with the flow and not sweat the small stuff.

one of the oldest among her peers, mercedes can often come off as motherly. she is a fantastic shoulder to cry on, and is always available to lend an ear.

going with the flow doesn’t necessarily make her a pushover. she’ll stand her ground in the face of behavior she doesn’t like.

be supportive! be encouraging! be kind!

annette is her very best friend. they will set the kitchen on fire. watch out!

is not actually a nun or a priestess, but is very spiritual nonetheless. the “if i were not a holy woman, i would beat you senseless” jokes still apply.

[crestoflamine]

hello! my name is eden! i’ve been in and around the rpc for a long time, indie and other groups alike. kny is a fresh start for me, and i’m very excited to get to know you all! i’m a nonbinary lesbian, and i use she, he, and they pronouns. i am in my early 20′s, so i’d prefer to only interact with other adults! some special interests of mine include:

league destiny dishonored

i like plenty of other media but these are The Big Three. i’m an artist, too! if you’d like to find me elsewhere, my twitter handle is @osmiumthrone. 

i look forward to writing with you!

[crestoflamine]

// hey! eden here, letting everyone know that i’ve submitted a drop for the following muses:

orianna (techmaturgically)

marie steinberg (mariesteinberg)

mercedes (crestoflamine)

bloodhound (felagifighter)

eris (courtbreaker)

fenris (laesocorde)

here are the urls for easy unfollowing if you’d like to do so. i’m going to miss my writing partners and the friends i’ve made here, but it’s time for me to move on. thank you so much for your patience and kindness over these last couple years, and i wish you all the best.

[crestoflamine]

♗ @exaliant // signal event starter call.

mercedes has yet to be afflicted by whatever condition has come over most of the island’s population. people are at the mercy of terrible hallucinations, and more than once has the healer come across someone battling or fleeing a creature she couldn’t see. whatever the monsters are, they mostly pay her no mind; she hears odd footsteps now and again, scratching on the pavement, noise in the distance. nothing aggresses toward her.

as she rounds a corner on one of the emptied streets of archimedes, the glint of a familiar weapon catches her eye, and recognition of its wielder is soon to follow.

dimitri appears injured, though to what degree she cannot tell. his grip on areadbhar is two-handed and white-knuckled, the spear brandished at his invisible foe. mercedes can’t imagine what he’s seeing. she doesn’t want to startle him, so she is careful in her approach, considerate of his space and potential state of mind.

❝ dimitri? it’s mercedes. are you all right? i have some uses of heal left, if you’d like my help. ❞

[crestoflamine]

cetraborn‌:

no matter how long she had been residing on this planet, she still could never get used to the scenery surrounding it as it could never really compare to midgar. the sun emanates from the sky onto the flowerbed she was currently tending to, sunlight which did not shine throughout the city of midgar at all. 

“oh no, it’s perfectly alright! i think it’s neat to meet another green thumb– but most of them i did indeed grow myself for awhile but some were already planted before i got here. i just thought the flowerbed needed a bit more variety!” 

aerith could talk forever on the variety of flowers that she happened to have found back in the archimedes ward despite how dangerous the place could be. and she thought maybe if she worked a little harder, perhaps people would appreciate them much more. 

she stood up, sweeping off the remaining dirt from her hands, looking towards the other. “you look like you possess good knowledge on plants yourself, is it true?”

❝ oh, yes, but perhaps not as much as you. there was something of a small community garden that i tended with some friends for a while, but we would share the workload. and... it was mostly vegetables. i’m sure flowers require different care. i would probably end up over-watering them! ❞

a few members from each house would let their green thumb show from time to time. taking care of the plants was a collaborative effort. the students that had no mind for gardening treated it a bit more like a chore, and mercedes didn’t mind picking up the slack.

❝ they look wonderful, and i’m sure they will keep doing well with someone like you looking after them. ❞

[crestoflamine]

windspells‌:

crestoflamine​ ( mercedes von martritz ! )

With days having gone by, she finds herself wandering in the Church of Onoma whenever she could spare the time. Every time she had, she entered with a hopeful twinkle in her eyes, yet today, alike all other days, would have that gaze of hers shift into a distant sadness. Here and there, people would turn to her to inquire about her expression, and in return she would remark that she had missed someone dear to her that was no longer present in her life ( more or less ). Of course, she had missed more than one person—her mother, her uncle, her father to name a few—and she had put the same effort in searching for them as she had for everyone else. Her journey here however, would be in search of someone entirely different. “It’s a good thing that I can’t find you…” Those are words she repeats to herself at a constant pace; after all, Mercedes not being here had meant she wasn’t trapped here, and that was something to be happy about.

Despite telling herself that though, she still can’t dissuade that sadness she feels. After spending what seems to be an hour or so quietly listening to the musical ambience around her, Annette finally rises from one of the pews and heads for the entrance. The voice of the choir grows distant as she continues to take steps forward. As she contemplates her next stop, she realizes just how late it had gotten. With the sun now setting, the temperature had dropped, thus she begins to tug her mantle upward to safeguard herself from the cold. In the midst of doing just that, her actions suddenly come to a stop, and for a few seconds, she’s fearful to confirm her sightings to not be true. It was rather dark, others had also been about—she shouldn’t raise her hopes, and yet she still finds herself looking. She’s overcome with shock upon immediately doing so, unable to even call out the name she has in mind.

Rushing forward, she instead reaches out for her forearm to prevent her from walking further into the crowd. By now, there was really no way to conceal the fact that she was crying.

despite the amount of time she’d spent on the island, mercedes has only just started looking into the faith. the church of onoma and the practices held within are possessed of qualities both strange and familiar; the architecture evokes the same imagery as any stone monastery or cathedral, but it sticks out like a sore thumb against the more modern amenities of the ward. there is an altar at the fore of the assembly, and pews for prayer. when she speaks to a member of the clergy, they inform her of a schedule for organized sermons — otherwise, the church is open to any and all for individual worship.

mercedes decides rather quickly that she wants to come back the next time a service is being held.

this conviction does not deter a sudden, homesick feeling. her thoughts turn briefly to her friends; though several members of all houses have before and since appeared in the city, there’s one whose presence she misses most. having already spent a couple hours inside, she decides that the sun setting through the rose window is cue enough for her to start heading back to her housing.

just as she gathers her things and begins to leave, though, she feels someone grab her arm.

❝ annie! ❞

once mercedes’s initial shock is resolved, annette is met with a comforting smile, and is pulled into a hug. seeing her in tears is enough to make mercedes cry a bit, too.

❝ if i’d known you were here, i would have come to see you right away! i’m so sorry. are you alright? ❞

[crestoflamine]

make your muse and you!

[crestoflamine]

♗ @hermidetta​ // starter call.

there is a crafts store among the businesses of the golden ward, and mercedes has vastly underestimated its size from the outside. upon entering, the healer is greeted with row upon row of supplies ranging from fabrics to paints to woodwork. it’s all quite exciting.

she’s seen a multitude of unique fashions since her arrival, and wants to try her hand at emulating such designs. besides, it’s good practice. she would hate for her sewing to become rusty.

down an aisle lined with bolts of fabric and spools of thread, mercedes has a spark of recognition. she hadn’t gotten to know the purple-haired girl very well over their time as students, but knew that she shared her love of sewing and creative projects.

❝ oh, bernadetta. i hadn’t expected to see you here, too! ❞

mercedes has greeted all former attendees of garreg mach with the same warmth, regardless of wartime affiliation. it is her hope that this place will foster forgiveness and growth among them.

❝ are you working on something, or are you just looking? i’m a bit overwhelmed, myself. ❞

[crestoflamine]

dawncrests‌:

In the short weeks since Edelgard had arrived on this island, she had grown more accustomed to all things out of the ordinary. Among those occurrences always existed the possibility that people she had known at Garreg Mach would continue to stream in — and they always did, whether she was walking through the city streets or indulging in a sweet as she was now.

It was cruel, almost — though she knew she would never remember these events if she ever returned to her own realm, the emperor did not appreciate these incessant reminders of lives she hadn’t ever wished to jeopardize. But she supposed it was likely that events had unfolded a little bit differently in Mercedes’ recollection of their world. And here the woman was now, apologizing to her with a forlorn expression. 

That alone was enough to tell her that things had not panned out the same for them.

“Mercedes.”

“Whatever it is that you apologize for, you do not need to be sorry.” She was not… good at easing others’ nerves, with her typically rational approaches to conversations and refusal to emote too deeply even herself. And likely, she was the last person in this world who could even hope to provide any comfort to Mercedes. “I don’t wish to distract you, but if you think talking would be of benefit to you… You are welcome to join me.”

but she must apologize; if not for their disparate outcomes of war and sheer waste of life, then for the circumstances that created such a conflict. though she is not herself responsible, mercedes knows not what else to say.

it feels hollow when pressed against the weight of all they have endured, but an apology in earnest is all the healer has to offer.

still, edelgard seems to similarly hold no ill will. this assuages mercedes’ fears somewhat, but she cannot seem to drive off that forlorn feeling. 

❝ you wouldn’t be a distraction at all. i would be happy to join you. ❞ 

the mere notion that her tea order should take precedence over speaking with edelgard is bizarre. she hopes that the emperor does not often discredit herself so.

mercedes takes a seat across from her, hands folded on the table’s surface.

❝ if anything, i was hoping that... we could get to know each other a bit, now that the situation has changed. if you would like to, that is. um... how long have you been... here? in this city? i’ve never seen anything like it. ❞