adalrikr

[adalrikr]

Erk startles slightly at the sound of Ewan's voice, unable to help the shock that trembles through his body. To him, it had been years. Well... only a few, but the difference was still a formidable wall between him and those he had known when he had first come to the academy. He was only somewhat more important now than the mere student he had been then, but some things did not feel like they changed at all. Lord Pent was still...

So much more admirable than him.

"Hello Ewan," He says calmly, trying not to betray any of the myriad of feelings that might be bubbling in his chest at this very moment, "You would be correct... I do not desire one of these toys for myself, but rather for..."

Red creeps across tanned cheeks, the young mage instinctively pulling his tome closer to his chest as he blushes. Only to quickly clear his throat and attempt to regain his composure.

"For someone quite dear to me..."

Can't Bear These Feelings

Restoration | Forge-a-bear

[adalrikr]

Erk winces in pity for his lover, barely managing to stay upright as his own feet as he tries to travel the small distance between them to help her up. That was the right thing to do; wasn't it? What kind of man would he be if he left his girlfriend on her butt in the middle of a frozen lake? A bad one, probably. And certainly a bad boyfriend.

The mage reaches out a hand for her, tugging her up with an amount of difficulty. He continues to grasp her hand tightly, holding her upright as he barely manages to keep his own balance. He... wouldn't want her to fall again and get hurt more seriously. So he will keep a careful watch on her, as he had once done during the days he was her bodyguard.

(She was the one who insisted on doing this anyway. If she was the only one to get hurt then, Erk isn't sure he would be able to recover from that.)

"Please be more careful, Serra," he states far more calmly than he feels, "I do not want to see you get hurt..."

I Could Be The One to Love You

[adalrikr]

"Matching gifts? Isn't that a little... trite?" The mage asks carefully, trying not to roll his eyes. It was a fine enough idea, if they truly wanted to look like that much of a lovey dovey couple. (Which, while Erk loved Serra incredibly much, was far from being anywhere close to the truth.)

And then there was...

"Lord Pent and Lady Louise don't care about things like that," he says with a sigh. She should have none their eccentricities by now; shouldn't she have? Either way, they didn't need him to make them look good for other nobles. In fact, they would probably advise him to simply be himself. Probably. He's not sure that's the greatest idea in the world either, "Is there not something plain enough that we could get besides dinnerware that still seems nice enough for nobles? Ugh... what a pain..."

Gifts for the Greedy 🙄

[adalrikr]

Erk had only held a bow a few times before. Once, out of curiosity when he had been a few years younger, he had borrowed Lady Louise's bow and attempt to shoot an arrow with it. He had only wound up hitting himself in the face and had promptly decided that it was better for him to stick to his books than to mess with things that he didn't know anything about.

The second time had only been briefly holding a bow for an ally as they needed their hands free to complete a quick task, the weapon being quickly taken from him moments later.

Bar the incident from his youth, he hadn't even shot one before. So one could understand why he was trying so hard for this outing to be perfect - starting with not shooting himself or anybody else in the face.

"Got it," Erk nods quietly at the older man's instruction, relieved to have some sense direction. Focus on his own line of sight... he could do that, "If it comes to it... I shall just abandon the bow in favor of magic. But I hope it won't. There would be no point in trying to learn something new if I just revert to old ways at the first sign of trouble..."

He said that, and yet... that really was a lesson he needed to have drilled into his head a little more. It was always easier to say than to do; wasn't it?

Turkey + Geese = Turkeese?

Excavation | Bow +1

[adalrikr]

Activity Check (May) - Passed!

Total Skill Points: 23 -> 24

[Monthly Skill Point]: +1 to Reason (Reason A 0/3 -> Reason A 1/3)

Other Points: n/a

Claims

Rank Chart: n/a Classes: n.a

Housekeeping

Waiting on Partner:

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle, The Lion Says You Should Stop Assigning Anthropomorphic Values of Morality To His Actions (a-Wimoweh) (Celica) (Riding +1) [Restoration, February 2025]

I Could Be the One to Love You (Serra) [Excavation, April 2025]

Turkey + Geese = Turkeese? (Karel) (Bow +1) [Excavation, April 2025]

Gifts for the Greedy (Serra) [Excavation, April 2025]

Waiting on Me:

Can’t Bear These Feelings (Ewan) [Restoration, February 2025]

Night to Remember (Serra)

Who Put This Sassy Lost Child in Charge? (Tine) (This Month I'm Getting That Starter Out I Swear)

In Queue:

n/a

Dropped:

n/a

Completed:

n/a

[adalrikr]

[ MINT CANDY ]

"Hey, bookworm. Looking to finish your bracelet?"

Legault slips both a shell charm and a wrapped candy into the young man's palm with a wink.

"I think the band is going to play a slow song soon. The girl who came in on your arm might appreciate if you had fresh breath before you pull her close the dance floor, mm?"

Erk jumps slightly as the man approaches and slips two small somethings into his hand. He recognizes him, as much as anyone could recognize someone they had fought alongside but didn't know well.

Glancing at his palm, he sees the charm and the candy. The young Mage General didn't care about the bracelet and all of the charms that came with it. In fact, he'd made it a point to avoid the ordeal altogether. Too many people, and too much interaction with them for his liking.

As for the candy...

He feels his cheeks flush at the other man's words, "My breath is fine, thank you very much, Sir Legault!"

Why should he take advice from a shifty man like him anyway? Erk knew how to deal with Serra, and all of her intricacies. What did Sir Legault know? Nothing, that's what!

"Have a nice night, Sir Legault," The young man turns on his heel and strides away as quickly as he can, "Do try not to bother too many people, if you can."

[adalrikr]

"Of course... I'm in awe of you," Erk mutters quietly, cheeks aflame. How could he not be? Serra was so terribly beautiful upon this fine night, he can't even find the words to describe how incredible he finds her. She walks over to him, and his breath catches further, because the closer she gets to him, the more stunning she is to him.

Serra takes his hand in hers, gentle hands that only knew healing, and he can't help but to remark silently to himself that her hands are so soft beneath her gloves. The type of softness that he does not usually get to feel. Her touch is always gentle, but without her gloves, it feels even more so.

She holds his hand, rubbing those gentle healing fingers over old burn scars. There was no sorrow behind them, no terrible storys to tell. Just the tales of a reckless child first learning how to wield a power that had been far beyond him at the time. It was only natural that he would have a few scars from all of the accidents that had happened back then.

(He'd been terribly happy, to have been taken in by Lord Pent and Lady Louise, to be able to start studying under Lord Pent, to have a room of his own and a soft bed to sleep on within Castle Etruria. The start of his study into magic had been bumpy, with more than a few accidents under his belt, but he had learnt. And he had grown. He held no shame from that time. How could he? It would be like saying he regretted the kindness of his adoptive parents, and he could never regret that. Even if they were too kind and loving for him to bear sometimes.)

"Yes, let's... go," A part of him wants to run away with her, to keep anyone else's eyes away from his beauty. But he wouldn't deny her the pleasure of a night that she had been dreaming of for what he can only assume is a very long time, "no use waiting around here all night."

Night to Remember

[adalrikr]

Erk still thinks he is going to hate this whole thing, but Serra seems excited. And an excitable Serra is a Serra with a lot of energy. More than enough energy for the both of them. She could enjoy herself then, and he would do his best to stick to the wall and avoid people as much as possible. Or at least, as much as Serra would allow him to.

Too bad it was likely going to be too loud for Erk to concentrate properly, or he would bring a book along with him to read and continue his studies.

Erk waits for Serra calmly, and yet he still cannot help the soft gasp that escapes from him when she finally does arrive. She's.... Saint Elimine's Tits, she's so incredibly beautiful. If he were a lesser man, he's not sure he would be able to hold himself back from her. In the past, he can't imagine ever being able to think that Serra was this beautiful, no matter what. But everything has long since changed, and he cannot help his love for her now.

"You look... stunning, Serra," he says quietly, flush darkening his cheeks, "I'm... sure everyone will be in awe of you. How could they not be?"

Night to Remember

[adalrikr]

"Of course not..." Erk sighs. Why couldn't nobles just want the kinds of gifts that would satisfy any commoner kid? Like... a good book or something. Or simple things. Not all of that fancy stuff that they liked to flaunt all of the time. The nobles he knew though, of course, were not quite the average picture of nobles, especially not the kind in Fodlan. Lord Pent and Lady Louise were nothing like some of the stuck up brats that hung around the academy like they were the best thing in the world.

He can't imagine them ever having been like that. Lord Pent and Lady Louise are too good. Too kind.

"I'll look into the carriage idea later. Let focus on one thing at a time, Serra," More like he needed to be able to focus on a single thing at once, lest he be easily overwhelmed.

"Do you think we should pick out gifts that match, since we will be attending together, or will this lordling not care about things like that?" Perhaps something they could buy as a set, to ease the strain upon Erk's meager budget, "I'm sure there's... something nice enough that we could get cheap. I'd rather not spend too much money on the required gifts for entrance to a mere ball. A bit of a waste; isn't it?"

Gifts for the Greedy 🙄

[adalrikr]

Tracker

Seashell: Legault Starfish: Anchor: Turtle: Pearl:

Ooo Wee Ooo It's the Ball

Only Nasir and Erk are in attendance, Kurth has humbly requested to stay home and Nasir is praying to the goddess that he doesn't get into any trouble while Nasir and his father are on the other side of the continent. Good luck little dragon, we've got to party. (Erk is literally just chilling, he was dragged here by Serra, womp womp)

Charms:

Nasir: Turtle

Erk: Starfish

THE FITS

Nasir

Another one of his deceased wife's dresses, this time a little more dour to suit his mood this year a little bit better. He's not thrilled to be here, but he would rather Dheginsea get into trouble with him than be here all alone. Fancy braid for him this year.

Erk

(Drawn by Niezna)

He's trying to look as lowkey as possible while also trying to be dressed well enough for a ball. No he will not abandon the coats and longsleeves, it's winter you idiots. He will be stuck to the wall the whole time unless Serra or someone else drags him out to have fun. Good luck with the little grumpus.

[adalrikr]

"..." Erk can't bring himself to tell her that this was a terrible idea, so he doesn't say anything at all. He simply stares at the frozen over lake blankly, willing himself to put on a brave face for Serra. She seemed far too excited about this for him to falter now.

He reaches for the skates, taking as much time as he can to lace them up as Serra babbles on. The longer he makes this take, the less time he has to spend on the ice where the cold will only seem that much colder. The less time he has to spend making himself a fool by slipping and falling flat on his face in front of his lover. (Not that he is assuming he is going to fall right away, but it only seemed natural given he had never been ice skating before.)

"I... I'm glad I get to spend time... with you at least..." He mutters under his breath as he begins to wobble over to the edge of the lake, testing his weight upon it with a single foot.

If he's going to make himself a fool, he'd rather get it over with right away. But to his surprise, he doesn't slip as he shakily stumbles onto the ice, turning back with wide violet eyes to make sure Serra was going to follow him.

"Come on, Serra, let's get this over with."

I Could Be The One to Love You

[adalrikr]

"Will I?" Erk mutters under his breath, knowing that he's already agreed to going along with whatever Serra has planned. It's a bit too late for him to complain now, given he's submitted himself to being dragged along.

The cold nips at him, the dark and the snow reminding him of days long past where he had been so afraid. Days where he wasn't sure that he would survive the night at all. He needs to ignore those feelings, he doesn't want to disappoint Serra after all. He can't disappoint Serra.

She has such... lofty ideas of him, Erk knows that much. He doesn't want to let her down by being less than all that she dreams of him. He wouldn't dare to let her down. He knows he wouldn't be able to bring himself to.

Erk watches Gerald wander away, taking in the warmth of the campfire before he assumes that he won't inevitably won't be able to. He doesn't let on that weather like this bothers him at all, not wanting to crush Serra's terribly vulnerable heart. He knew better than to do that, especially when she was this excited.

With a sigh, the young mage opens the picnic basket, raising a questioning eyebrow at his lover over the contents.

"Ice skates? But I don't..." I don't know how to ice skate, he stops himself from saying. Because he doesn't want to have to admit the reason. Not yet... not yet anyways.

I Could Be The One to Love You

[adalrikr]

"Good," Erk turns away for a moment, feeling his cheeks flush lightly. He wouldn't want to go to the ball with anyone else. If he absolutely had to go, he would rather go with Serra than be left to his own devices, floundering at the idea of being anywhere near presentable enough for such high society things. He wasn't suited to it, no matter his position in the world now.

But with Serra by his side... he thinks he might be brave enough to try to endure the entire ball.

"True. Do you think they expect expensive gifts, or will something more practical suffice?" Erk sighs. He didn't have much money to his name, refusing to accept the allowance that Lord Pent and Lady Louise had offered to him on multiple occasions. They had a family to take care of, and while Erk no longer doubted their affection towards him, their money would be better spent on their young children rather than him. Toddlers and babies needed more things and attention than Erk did after all. Erk was grown, he could take care of himself, though he knew Lady Louise worried.

"As for transportation, I'm sure there are carriages that we will be able to take," Erk groans at the idea of having to walk that far with, with a complaining Serra at that, "If not, I will look into something so we do not have to walk. I doubt you would want to travel that far by foot, knowing you."

Gifts for the Greedy 🙄

[adalrikr]

"Okay," Erk nods carefully, though he finds himself rather unsure of how to be the leader in a situation like this. He was... almost always a follower of others, looking towards someone else to tell him where he was expected to go. He had never considered himself to be the type fit to be a leader. (Of course, as Mage General, he would have to be able to take up that role sooner or later, but that was a burden he could worry about in the future.)

He takes a tenative step towards the forests, where the strange birds awaited them. Every step he finds himself looking back, to confirm whether Sir Karel was truly going to follow him or not.

Erk wouldn't blame him if he didn't. The young mage was nothing like Lord Pent. Sir Karel surely would have wanted to follow Lord Pent. ... Right?

"I'm not sure how to start..." Erk clears his throat nervously, "I'm sure you can tell but... I've... never been hunting like this before. The bow is... not my area of expertise. I am a mage, not an archer like Lady Louise... do forgive me if my skills are lackluster."

Turkey + Geese = Turkeese?

Excavation | Bow +1

[adalrikr]

Erk is only half listening to Serra as she rambles on, idly flipping through the pages of his book. He's not even truly absorbing the information either, what with Serra's voice as less of nice ambient sound and more of a background distraction. He finally glances up with a sigh, slamming his book closed since it didn't seem like he was getting anymore worked done today anyway, purple eyes turning to fixate on his lover.

"Do you wish to attend together...?" He asks sheepishly cheeks burning a little darker as he avoids making eye contact with her. Erk was not much of one for parties. He had ducked any and all interaction even at the small gathering that was held after his appointment as Mage General. A ball sounded...

Like a lot of energy that would be used, and far too many people. But if Serra insists...

"Wait... we need to bring gifts? That's... rather odd isn't it?" Erk hadn't heard of such a requirement for entry into a ball before, but perhaps there were nobles even stranger than Lord Pent and Lady Louise in Fodlan. Who is he to judge anyway? "Must we both bring one or will just one for the both of us suffice?"

Gifts for the Greedy 🙄

[adalrikr]

"How can you be so certain?" Erk mumbles under his breath, pulling his cloak a little tighter around him. From what he could tell from within the safety of his quarters, it was freezing outside - a fact that definitely did not make him shiver with fear at all, it was the cold, that was it.

He tries to never have to think about that snowy night, wandering in the cold alone and abandoned, almost on the brink of death until Lord Pent had saved him just in time. Erk had hated winter, and the snow that came with it, ever since. But for Serra... perhaps he could push aside those feelings at least for a little while.

"I'm plenty warm, I promise," Warmer than he had been back then, at least. Warmer than he had ever been before Lord Pent had found him and taken him in. He wouldn't complain even if he was cold, like he hadn't complained then, terribly certain at only twelves years of age that he was going to die. Erk doubts any cold could be worse than how it had felt then.

He finally steps outside, trying to keep his expression as flat as possible as the evening's winter air sweeps over him, "Let's go then. I wouldn't..." The young man blushes softly, "... our time together to be wasted..."

I Could Be The One to Love You

[adalrikr]

"I don't see how being unskillful should dictate who I choose to accompany me," Erk drags a uneasy finger along the string of his bow that he had worked so painstakingly to put together, somewhat unsure without the spine of his usual tome to run his fingers across the fraying binding.

It wasn't like he knew anything about hunting with a bow either - or how to use a bow, for that matter. He only knew what he did from observing his Lady Louise, and that observation had been meager at best. Perhaps he should have paid better attention to her, rather than trailing after Lord Pent like a lost puppy all of the time.

No, what was he talking about? Lord Pent was... Lord Pent was everything. Lord Pent was perfect and wise and all that Erk aspired to be. (On that note... how could he ever live up the expectations that his predecessor had left behind for him? How could he ever be even half as good as Lord Pent?)

Erk can't help but to grip his bow a little tighter, trying terribly hard to not let the insecurity get to him this time.

They were just stupid birds; how hard could it be?

"Shall we then? I don't see a point in standing about talking in circles about this for any longer, since we have seemed to come to an agreement already. There's no reason to waste time."

Turkey + Geese = Turkeese?

Excavation | Bow +1