#umbralexemplar

[enarmor]

Hey! Shoo! Stay back, you!

But, my fairest love, what you ask of me I cannot do! Does a stream refuse to flow? Does the sun refuse to set? You are the creek I must move round, the sky I must blaze across. Swat me not like a fly drawn to last week's dinner, but welcome me as a bee captivated by the honey of your sweet embrace!

[craneswings]

The moment Yuzu walks through the double doors of the entrance hall, Shade practically bowls over in shock. A glimpse of plum hair from the corner of her eye, behind her partner in conversation, snatches her attention, and all thoughts at hand fall through her arms. Pushing them aside, she dashes forward, vying for a closer look. As if her eyesight weren’t perfect, and she would never doubt her first impression. As if that girl with the bell in her hair could be mistaken for anyone else.

To think that she would be reunited with her friends properly, after a month of solitude (an eternity), seemed far too good to be true. The reality of the situation gripped and tethered her, forcing the truth into her acceptance.

“Yuzu!? Oh my gods, Yuzu! So you’ve made it here too!”

Her arms reach for a hug she’s not certain will be reciprocated. 

“I’ve missed you. What took you so long?”

Doors are kept wide open, yet she adheres to slipping into the entrance hall near its right rather than center. It allows her to move in without drawing great attention to herself - or at least believing she won’t. The last outcome on her agenda is causing a big commotion before even being fully moved back in. A stealthy re-entry, yes…that would be for the best.

A walk closer to the great doors primes the girl to turn toward the material, to observe. As if she could make out any notable differences from a place she had only stayed in temporarily. The material appears as stable, unassuming as ever. To be fair, little should change in the two months since her leave. Or no…was it three?

Loose pondering continues as the student slowly escapes the exterior’s sunlight, her bell’s light jingles protecting her light mumbles from being overheard. Though even if the crane’s focus is airtight, by no means does her eyesight fail her. And at the moment, said eyesight cannot ignore the lady adorned in black rapidly approaching her position. Adorned in black, with long…long silver locks?

As soon as she realizes, the bell’s ringing stops. She stops. With a slight head-turn up, a face becomes clear. She fails to hold back a gasp.

“L-Lady Shade?!” Yuzu’s casual, forced sputtering of name comes out firmer than she intended. The appearance of another friend lost to chaos should not surprise her, given the number of them that have found themselves back here just the same. And yet…staring into the sky blue eyes of one she has found comfort in relying on since long back…

Hoshidan slides into Nohrian arms, solidifying the grasp with her own hands - for a good moment or two, at most. Yuzu would still prefer to maintain low profile…even if the mage’s calling already put that in jeopardy. Still, the embrace extends for enough to complement Shade’s declaration.

“What took me for long? Fie, Lady Shade. You are the one who is rich on time-” Yuzu’s reprisal gets cut as she detracts from the hug, realizing she is already biting back at the teacher. She should correct herself before being lectured on disrespecting her seniors…

“Ahem. I mean to say that, I have arrived at the academy earlier than you. Along with Emma, Sir Randal, and some of the others. Though I will confess, the walls of teaching felt…imprisoning. I took temporary leave the past season. Thankfully, the church has respected my return without additional review.”

A shame, too. I made it clear I am never shy of another duel, yet the knights were quick to refuse, Yuzu keeps to herself.

“That is to say, I have returned with a clear mind. And if my return is to concur with your own arrival in this place,” Yuzu’s words remain stern, though a smile grows thicker upon the connection, “I hope to only improve under your tutelage, Lady Shade. That…is what you are here for, yes?”

[old-scalebag]

"You!"

She crossed the small room, as the teacher's meeting came to a close. Those that were slow to leave looked up, surprised. Her finger waggled accusingly in the large man's face. Rather, due to their heigh difference, towards it.

"How long have you been here, hm? What makes you so much better than me?"

Ah. So she had gotten upset it seemed.

Dheginsea had only managed to get out of his seat when the professor had approached him. Blocking the narrow walking path between the tables and the wall. Wagging her small finger towards him as if he were a delinquent student and not a colleague telling it how it is.

There was a brief pause were Dheginsea merely looked at her, a brow slightly arched, before shaking his head with a sigh. Disappointed and unimpressed that he needed to further explain himself to her again.

“In the year that I’ve been here, I have accomplished and excelled in matters far beyond your current capabilities. Not to mention the other areas I must cover on behalf of other professors, and the short time it takes me to complete them... Proper compensation is only natural.” He said as if it were a matter of fact.

Indifferent to her indignation, Dheginsea turned to collect the papers he had brought for the meeting. Tapping them neatly together on the table, before addressing the professor once more. “Overcome your own shortcomings if you wish to be better. Otherwise wait your turn. Now move aside...”

[boundlesschaos]

“Oh, hello Niamh! Yoo-hoo!”

That masked warrior couldn’t exactly camouflage in plain sight. No, despite the shadows the hedges cast on the tea garden, Shade was all too used to her presence. She caught up to the woman just as her hair disappeared around a corner. Tsk, tsk, you’re not disappearing just yet!

“Are you here for your research? Well, no matter, it’s good to see you again.”

"Hm?" Niamh had been especially deep in thought. There had been a number of curious cases across the monastery that had gotten her attention in the prior month - the sorts of things that could only be reasoned by a magic spell or curse. Even if those oddities had subsided, she hasn't stopped thinking about the various possibilities as to how they could have started. The cure, too - surely, it wasn't just the quarantining of a certain individual, right?

Regardless of what conclusions Niamh draws, she puts them on standby as her attention is brought towards a familiar voice. Her mind immediately reasons that there must be a cause for this, that there has to be something that has brought the other here, but...

"It's nice to see you again..."

Maybe for once, she can simply accept the encounter as chance, and leave any factual grounding for later. And if Shade's looking for someone like Emma or Alice, then Niamh can see about helping, too.

[mourningcomess]

The idea of a wedding does not bode well with Ishtar. While she is merely an anonymous face masquerading within the Pearl Sholes community, the topic of love and romance draws her spirit back to Jugdral. The princess was not yet sure how to feel about her recently single status. So much of her life, every step, every breath she took, was in devotion to Lord Julius. To step back from it all and think of herself alone was almost far too much to bear. 

Alone. That's right, she was alone. While a wounded animal could lick its wounds, Ishtar did not have the opportunity. She had to save face and keep walking. Within the prestige of a community such as Pearl Shoals, there was no time nor breadth to feel sorry for oneself. She had a mask to keep up. And while acting as a bodyguard was the furthest thing from her thoughts, the employees told her of how she'd be very handsomely rewarded. Ishtar was no longer the star of Friege; she could hardly afford time to refuse.

So she stood while the clock ticked on the bride's entrance. The whole affair was lavishly overdone, rather irritating in a way that the mage felt smote down by the romantic aftereffects. How was she going to last? Ishtar eyed the proceeding bridesmaids and the exit. It certainly would be more interesting if someone would crash the venue. A click of the tongue, and she slammed her fist down on the gate.

"Of all the places to be stuck......the pay is hardly worth this damnation." @umbralexemplar

damnation be welcome

+1 / pearlescent

[quartzhearted]

[HANDS] - sender takes receiver's hands.

The professors are seated comfortably beside one another, enjoying the warmth and light of the fireplace. The Knights Hall has been emptying out for the past hour or so; only the fire's crackling and their own firecracker remarks resonate in the open chamber. Shade takes another sip of her wine absently, turning to place it on the nearby table between the pair. She takes a moment more, examining the man's hands resting on the arms of his chair.

"You could use a bit of moisturizer here and there, you know." Shade reaches over, taking his hands in hers, examining them splayed over her gloves. Her nimble thumbs prod and press. "Hmph. I heard Brodians were barbaric, but this just seems unhealthy."

morion enjoys downtime almost as much as the active moments in his life. it gives him some space to think ( or not think, if that's something necessary ) and he doesn't have to worry about people interrupting it. duty this, duty that. can't a guy take a nap or drink a beer every once in a while?

the temperatures are lowering, which makes for good time to sit by the fireplace. there's nothing like warming oneself after a long day, especially with a mug of mulled ale to warm the insides. oh, yeah. this is the life.

he's so entranced with his relaxation that he's a little surprised when the professor next to him begins speaking to him. he doesn't acknowledge her at first, but turns his head once he does. morion puts his near-empty mug down, ready to engage---then is struck with confusion at the subject. " huh? my hands? " he repeats, watching as this woman he doesn't know takes his hands and begins inspecting them.

that's fine and all, but the barbarism comment makes him raise a brow. " s'cuse me? " he's not insulted, per se; dragons know how many times he's been called worse than a barbarian. he is, however, confused as to why she thinks this is a good conversation starter. " i can assure ya that despite my un-moist hands, i'm still perfectly healthy. " if we look past the fact that i've got this giant hole in my chest and rotting skin on my arm, he adds, snarkily, in his mind. but that's still got nothin' to do with my hands.

[spinnerofhope]

[LAY] - sender guides receiver by the shoulders to lay back.

"Come on," she coos, "it's simply so relaxing. I've done it so many times." Shade continues to guide Ena down to the chair, careful not to disturb the orange slices placed delicately on the dragon's face. "We'll sit together like this for oh, say, 10 minutes, alright?"

Once Shade's sure she's situated, she sits down on a similarly reclining chair opposite her, and places orange slices on her own cheeks.

"Ah. Isn't this nice?"

[Simple Actions] ACCEPTING | 1/?

Ena does not find herself... "relaxing" much. The idea of laying back and doing nothing for who knew how long was... foreign to her to say the least.

But she is easily coaxed into doing so, it seemed, as she easily lies back as the - quite beautiful - woman before her gently pushes on her shoulders to get her to relax.

Ten minutes. Ena could do ten minutes of nothing... right?

"..." She does not say anything at first, because she is not entirely sure whether it is in fact nice or not, but after a moment, she says: "Yes... I do believe it is... nice..."

[craneswings]

It is with Shade’s lean toward her ally in former chaos that only further confirms her distaste of their current conditions. Hearing the brunt of the dark mage’s suspicions causes a strict frown to form around Yuzu’s lips, both to contemplate Shade’s request as well as failing to mask some deject.

She has been feeling like her movements related to cleaning and housework have been quite swifter in comparison to Shade’s. But that hasn’t concerned Yuzu until now, as the same can very well be said regarding combat and other showings of speed. Seeing the role of a maid as some sort of challenge to execute has made it easier to remain undercover. Though hearing Shade hesitate now…makes her hesitate.

Before she can respond to her question properly, the sharp footsteps force the women to return to work temporarily. Shade readies her broom where Yuzu prepares her duo of dusters.

“Then allow me to sweep the kitchen!!” Yuzu announces with enthusiasm, somehow keeping to a whisper of similar volume. Without further delay, the Hoshidan does just as she proposes: taking a lap about the kitchen premises and sweeping the surfaces of any obvious mess. As she bolts, she makes sure to be soft on every step from her maid heels, finding herself once again silently thanking the ball for preparing her for such an ordeal.

Her short tour of the room includes peeking into some of the cupboards and pantries splayed across the room. Though no matter how many she opens, the same result of ordinary foodstuffs and pans are all that can be seen. While releasing some low sighs, Yuzu returns by the door Shade shut and gives a quick peek, remaining hidden from outside sight. The silencing of the previous footsteps and a clear view is enough of a tell for the samurai to close the door.

“Clear, again,” Yuzu reports to Shade, “and my lightning-fast footwork should be enough to impress any interlopers may they find us. With that…fie, my apologies. The kitchen appears to lack any apparent tells of hiding secrets, let alone artifacts.”

She pauses her speech to return the small dusters into pockets of her dress, finding parallels to sheathing her weapons. It harkens to the ironic joy she finds in the cleaning…that Shade appears to not.

“‘Common mercenary’ we may be, I find the work substantial to perform. And if it is to support the monastery…I see this only as a gain,” Yuzu claims, looking deep into the teacher’s eyes. “Do you not feel the same, Shade?”

spy x fates

Yuzu & Shade - Any Skill +1

[senerist]

dreams & quests plotted starter for @umbralexemplar

By the third night of this silly diversion, soren is sick of it. Rumors have already swirled about the monastery that he and those he meets inside his dreams are not the only ones given these silly little tasks to perform before they're permitted to wake up, and three sets a pattern that is quickly growing tiresome.

The first night, soren had met a woman he vaguely remembered from the library, one of the people working there. They had both been in the library, sorting through books, and once everything had been put away properly, soren had awoken in his dorm room with a strange feeling. he did not seek the woman out to discuss anything, but he could tell that she had been curious if he remembered it too, which had been enough to confirm that it had, in fact, been a shared experience.

The second night paired soren with a student. They weren't from his class, so he didn't know their name, but they were certainly adept at annoying him. The two of them had to row a boat down a river and deliver some sort of package to a dock at the end, and the student had made sure to complain the entire time about how this was the worst dream they'd ever had. soren had mistaken this instance as a normal dream, brought out from his own newness to teaching, until the student had approached him in the waking world and tried to bother him about that 'crest' on his forehead.

And at the very beginning of night three, soren instantly feels a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knows this place too well. It's a grassy knoll overlooking a small little fort home to a specific mercenary group he once counted himself a member of.

his feet follow familiar steps before he can think twice about it. There's a tree up here, twelve paces from a patch of perennial wild flowers that Mist favors, and it's Ike's favorite napping spot. soren half expects to see either of them, as they would have been decades ago. he only sees one, but it's enough.

Ike. He's exactly as soren remembers, unfolded under this tree like a discarded rag doll, snoring gently, just as he would after his afternoon training. It's a sunny day with a gentle breeze, and he knows that's the perfect weather for this.

soren's feet bring him to Ike's side, and he all but falls into the grass beside him, watching Ike with a dazed expression. This is a dream, he knows, but that doesn't matter. Any reminder of Ike is enough to satisfy soren fully. he'll spend as much time as he can, simply enjoying this memory being replayed. Will Ike wake up? he wonders distantly. Would Ike accept him here, too? He never had before, in soren's dreams. That was why reality had been so much sweeter.

he finds himself smiling, reaching out slowly to place his hand on Ike's. Ike doesn't so much as move, still sleeping. He had always been slow to wake. soren treasures the moment anyway, he can almost feel how warm Ike's hand is, still flush from the exercise he presumably just completed.

Then, there's a foot step behind him. soren turns to investigate, but doesn't manage to wipe the smile off his face. It's a woman, some one who he vaguely remembers seeing before, but can't completely place. The smile fades as he realizes she's here to interrupt this precious memory. he withdraws his hand from Ike's, for Ike's own sake. It's habit.

"What are you doing here?" soren asks the woman.

everybody's looking for something

[princeofopenness]

Go in first. What a convenient little suggestion. Alfonse had already intended to investigate by himself. It was a little easier to get away with if Shade wasn't right behind him. If he needed to open a door back before she arrived and pretend it had been there the whole time, then he would have time enough to get away with it while Shade was none the wiser... hopefully, at least. He didn't think she would be following too close behind him.

"We should probably prepare for the possibility that there might not be an easy way out," Alfonse suggested, mostly as something of a cover story for himself. It would look a little suspicious if he was wholly unconcerned with the notion of getting stuck on the other side. "Perhaps we ought to send a message out with one of the knights gathered here? Make sure they know what we're doing before we prance off into the unknown?"

Not that he expected them to have much of anything they could do to help if they did get stuck. As far as Alfonse was aware, the only one with the ability to help in that situation was... well, himself. That, and whatever force had opened the door to begin with, but he had a sneaking suspicion that they weren't going to be all too helpful.

"...Maybe we should tether ourselves to something on this side? Or... at the very least, we should go in armed and ready for a fight," Alfonse offered. "There could be an ambush waiting for us over there, after all."

All the more reason to check things out himself first. He was confident in his own abilities to escape trouble. Having to look out for additional people could make things more difficult... but he could also envision Sharena, Anna, and the Summoner scolding him for that precise line of thinking.

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Non-mission board - Alfonse & Shade

[craneswings]

If the gowns and dresses reminiscent of the balls have concerned Yuzu with constructiveness, these maid outfits are…not that bad, actually??

Sure, the dress itself slumps to the floor a tad too far. Yet it is not restrictive enough to disturb the warrior girl as she crouches below a table to take on the dust who dare challenge her below. The sleeves are also quite flexible despite their apparent length, allowing her to swipe her duster at the specks until they are no more.

Is this all to accommodate the many duties of a diligent maid? Although Hoshidan, Yuzu has heard rumors of the many maids of Nohr. And all stories are in agreement that the delicate dress does not belittle their efficiency in housework nor battle. With all that considered…perhaps she can see this task more as training for the specialized class of the maid!

Though as she triumphantly doubles back from a job well done, a whisper somewhat slings her back to reality. Yuzu looks at Shade quizzically at the suggestion, only to recall their real reason for combating another man’s dirt.

“Aye,” the younger maid obeys with little more than a peep and nod. Understanding the implication of the lowered tone, Yuzu glides to the room’s exit and peeks over a kitchen she could never dare imagine owning. With one hand beckoning her ally and a simple, “It’s clear,” Yuzu ducks into the room first.

It is only while standing still and not actively searching for an object to clean that Yuzu suddenly yawns. How long have they been cleaning for anyway…? She would ask the friend she reunited with, if not for the tense expression she can read on Shade’s face. The time for free talk is few.

“Something to discuss, then?”

spy x fates

Yuzu & Shade - Any Skill +1

[princeofopenness]

Naturally, the rumors of a portal appearing beneath the monastery had brought Alfonse running almost immediately. This was his area of expertise, after all. Askr governed the connections between worlds, and as its future king, overseeing them was part of his duties. That was part of the concern, at least. The other part was the fact that he had nothing to do with the appearance of this doorway. Who else could be responsible for opening it if not someone of Askran royal blood?

Going through the proper channels within Garreg Mach had been tedious and frustrating. Without detailed knowledge of who he was and what, exactly, he did, it was hard to convince higher-ups that he of all people ought to be assigned to its investigation. Really, he intended to get to the bottom of it himself whether they approved him for it or not. Getting that official go-ahead just made things easier. Being forced to work alongside academy faculty for this was... slightly frustrating, because it meant he had to continue to hide aspects of his identity even now. That was precisely why he had arrived ahead of time to allow himself a moment to inspect the offending door between worlds by himself.

Alfonse assumed the gate had not been there prior, either, or at least not for very long. It didn't seem like its location was exactly designed to host such a structure. People often designed structures and stonework around the presence of more permanent portals, from what he'd seen, like the Dragon's Gate in Elibe or the Outrealm Gate of Ylisse. This had no such care put into it, simply floating unceremoniously in the middle of a hallway and forcing people to go around it. This thoroughfare was far from the sort of location people would choose to have their portal.

"Are any of you Alfonse?"

The voice that reached Alfonse's ears was warped noticeably by the magical aura surrounding the gateway. Alfonse sighed, drawing himself back up to his full height. It seemed his opportunity to investigate this on his own had come to an end. He sidled his way past the gate once again, pushing through the assembled knights on the other side and emerging in front of the witch who had called for him.

"Yes, that would be me," Alfonse answered, dusting off his uniform to try and look as presentable as possible. "My apologies-- I wished to get here as quickly as I could. It seemed too important of a matter to wait to begin working on." Not a lie, but still only a half-truth. That had been the hallmark of most everything Alfonse said since he arrived. He wasn't used to being quite so evasive in his wording, but it made things so much easier to not have to explain how Askr worked to these people.

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Non-mission board - Alfonse & Shade

[princeofopenness]

Impatient. Sure. As if he didn't have reason to be. Alfonse barely held himself back from scoffing. Shade didn't understand his unease. It was easier that way. Allow her to think herself the only one familiar with such gateways. So much simpler than the questions she'd have if she knew anything of Alfonse's history with doorways like these... and the demands that would come if she knew he could open them at will. The fact Alfonse didn't seem remotely perturbed by the portal's presence was really the only thing that would immediately stand out as odd, at least as far as he was aware.

"I don't think falling through it is much of a concern," Alfonse stated, deliberately ignoring most everything else Shade had said. "I... presume it wouldn't be a one-way trip. I've been investigating it for a little while now, but I've waited to go through it myself. I think... we probably ought to familiarize ourselves with everything we can about it, right? We'll... probably have to figure out where it leads sooner or later, and I can only think of one way to really accomplish that."

He was still dancing around his concern. Portals typically didn't just appear out of nowhere. If nobody on this side had made it-- and from everything he'd heard thus far, nobody on this side had reason or capacity to create it-- then that likely meant it wasn't a portal leading out of Fódlan. No, it would have to be the opposite. Someone was trying to get in.

What would this intruder be after, though? The relics contained within the catacombs, perhaps? Objects of immense power like those made the most sense. If they knew anything of the nature of crest stones or relics (and considering that their intruder had enough knowledge of Fódlan to want to come there at all, it seemed likely they would know more about relics than the average attendee of the Academy), then they likely knew how to use them to their fullest potential, up to and including conferring crests upon themselves and others. Perhaps they had intended to open their doorway directly into the catacombs and had simply missed the mark and gone too far down. Alfonse didn't exactly know how accurate this hypothetical third party would be with creating portals. Alternatively, the Abyss was the easiest place to sneak in from for somebody who had the ability to infiltrate through otherworldly portals. After all, who knew how long that portal had sat there before anyone even noticed it?

"...Consider that this portal suddenly appeared in the depths of the monastery. There's a few reasons I can think of that this could have happened, but... well, none of them are particularly good. I don't believe Rhe--," Alfonse stopped himself abruptly. He should speak of Rhea more formally. He had a façade to maintain. He usually didn't use a title when referring to Rhea back home, but not every Rhea he knew even used the same title. The fact he questioned whether or not she deserved to be in a position of power didn't help. Here, though, he needed to hide that. His knowledge of the Archbishop's identity was something he certainly needed to hide.

"I don't believe the Archbishop would listen to me if I asked, but you're trusted enough to teach here. Your word would have a little more sway. We need to scour the monastery grounds. Make sure everyone is accounted for... and that they're all supposed to be here. If nobody here made this doorway, then that means somebody from outside the monastery must have been using it to get in."

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Non-mission board - Alfonse & Shade