jasperlion

[jasperlion]

[I've made a Purchase of all time

just a little guy (from here on etsy ) ]

[jasperlion]

[ I know the 'villager fork' is supposed to be a... pitchfork, and that's funny imagery in itself to give to someone like Clive, but the manga taking the Actual Fork approach has lived in my head forever so it's what it is. ]

[jasperlion]

At least the corpse staring him down wasn't, you know, his own, but it was still unnerving when he knew the living Chrom.

"Uh...?"

AND he was just standing there. Menacingly. Alm crosses his arms. "Something on my face?"

" . . . " he has a familiar scent. Is this ...the master's smell? But it's odd, like ... lighter. S T A R E S EVEN MORE.

[jasperlion]

The little guy seemed so unsure... and so, so uncomfortable. It reminded him of Celica, when she had just arrived to Ram. Withdrawn, scared... at least he wasn't lashing out, too. Still, it made his heart ache for the young dragon (a dragon he... didn't exactly have a name for, actually, they should do something about that), more so at the little one's apprehension at his proffered hand.

He holds the far smaller hand as if he were holding something fragile, and smiles, though the question makes it feel like his heart and stomach dropped to the rug beneath them instantly. Gods, the kid was scared stiff, huh? "No offense, buddy, but I don't think there's anything I could do to stop you from just transforming and flying away or something." He says as he tries desperately to keep his tone light and humorous, although there was no lie in his statement. It was, well, extremely possible. "Though it'd make me really sad to see you go so soon— we only just met."

The grip, loose already as it was, loosens all the more. "You can let go anytime, okay?"

Alm tries to lead the dragon out of the room and to the hall of the place they are borrowing to rest before returning home, dispersing the crowd with a tired wave of his hand. Should the dragon be amenable, he will be lead to Alm's room for the night and... prompted to take a seat on one of the chairs. Maybe he should demonstrate? The door is, of course, left open. It invites intrusion, but he'd rather the kid doesn't feel trapped first. "Now this is a seat!"

The young dragon was purposely trying not to notice the small crowd that was starting to form just outside of the open room. Instead, he focused more on the rug, holding his legs and staring down at it while listening to Alm. What the other said made sense, except for a couple of words he hasn't quite grasped the meaning of yet. Most of the others in the group that he returned with were not as comfortable as the rest that he had tagged along. Sure, they haven't met any dragons his age, but he hasn't exactly been in social situations with humans either. It was almost a case of who's more afraid of who.

“ Um... I guess so...”

Sensing that the other was getting up, the child look up at him, a bit confused why the other was suddenly doing so. They were only sitting together for a few moments. But then, seeing the hand outstretched towards him, he only stared at it for a moment, a little unsure that he is supposed to grab it. Alm has been pretty trusting so far, being one of the very few that don't seem to be scared of him.

“um...” Deciding to join, the child also got up, cautiously grasped the other's hand. “ You're not going to lock me away, are you? ”

[jasperlion]

He's got to stop dealing with corpses...

"Uh. Hey. I was just leaving."

s t a a a r e s.

[jasperlion]

" . . . " did ...someone call him?

[jasperlion]

"Hey, man, how's it goi—"

[jasperlion]

The summoner cuts an imposing figure— a tall warrior, a fighter in his own right even in his home. From what he understands, Chrom hails from a time after his own, where his reality is regaled to history books and treatises, and that's always been an awkward sort of truth to swallow. It's borderline comical, then, how sheepish and bashful the man seems on approach. It takes Alm's everything to keep his expression a neutral smile, rather than laugh at the juxtaposition of it all (anxiously, even, thanks to his own rising nerves), especially upon being addressed— after all, the title still hits a little like an unexpected gust of Rigelian wind, but in time he may get used to it.

"Not-quite King Alm has a funny ring to it." Diffusing tension with humor was almost a grounding exercise at this point, and at least it worked on him, posture relaxing and smile widening somewhat. "But... you'd be right, I guess. For the Deliverance, and then... even Zofia and Rigel, I sort of... sprouted out of nowhere." He gestures in a circular motion to a potted plant nearby.

Alm hums in thought, crossing his arms and letting his eyes wander along with his mind. It's tempting to think longer on his difference with Chrom in that aspect (and, in turn, his similarities to his own father, having not been raised with the expectation to lead), but he instead puzzles over the actually posed question. It's not like he didn't do as the Summoner claimed, it's just that he never really... thought of it? He had just kind of trampled his way through leadership, in his opinion. He starts to speak, and in turn unravel his own thoughts.

"It might sound disappointing, but I was mostly playing it by the ear at first." He finally admits with a sheepish expression of his own. "I decided if there was something I could do, or I could do with help from those around me, I'd do it. And I'd convince them to come with me." Absolutely not sound advice, but at least he went from rushing out of the bushes to confront a bunch of bandits to asking his fellows if they wished to join him on doing what he thought was right. "Or, well... give them the choice to step down, once the stakes got... high."

"I was candid and up front, if anything. Maybe the honesty won them over, or maybe it was just that I kept delivering" hah "on what I was saying." Ah, wait, but that wasn't entirely everything, was it? "All I had to back me was what I had done before... is what I'd like to say, but even with being an unknown factor myself, well... my credibility did also come from the names of men before me." Time to put the cards on the table — he wasn't exactly a complete unknown.

"I may have been lied to about being Mycen's grandson, but it was his deeds and name that gave what I was saying more weight to the Deliverance. It means a lot in Valentia, you know? Who your lineage belongs to." He paused. "It was what Clive was banking on when he asked me to lead— that by having the blood of a folk hero to the commoners, they'd have more reason to rally with the ex-Knights of Zofia." Perhaps Alm and Chrom were not so different, even if this specifically was built on a lie. A lie that... still stung, really. It probably hurt a lot of people, many being people he cared deeply about.

"And, in Rigel... well, my father was the previous Emperor, a powerful one at that. Surely, if I had his blood, I must at least be worth something. God-killing aside, of course..." Alm trails off. "Didn't mean I could let my guard down or appear weak, as much as... there was still that expectation, even if I did come out of nowhere." The shrug that follows this is, perhaps, still an attempt from him to be the Emperor that Rigel expected. No one was here to catch him slip and take advantage of the weakness, yet the new habit was as biting as his old ones.

"I might actually not have the answer you're looking for, but as the Summoner, I guess you kind of already have some sort of expectation and faith, no?" Alm turns his attention to the Exalt, smiling as he metaphorically kicks his thoughts down the road. A problem for the Alm of later. "If I can offer anything: learn about everyone you can. Make yourself known and make everyone else feel known, yeah? They'll feel more confident in leadership that knows what they can and can't do. At least... that's what I think. I did something similar when I finally joined up with the Deliverance... my first fight as their leader was going to be a big one, and I didn't want to fumble it. That meant knowing the troops. It was harder to apply to a whole nation, but knowing what you have to work with is so helpful."

Not groundbreaking advice, Mycen had taught him that when he was a boy, but it felt almost instrumental to the work he had done for the Deliverance and the work he was undertaking in Rigel before his... summoning.

"There's definitely people smarter than me that can give more specific advice around here. Might as well find 'em!" Best start there, Alm felt there was precious little else he could offer to Chrom on his dilemma. "I bet there's some good advice street smart folks can give about it... Oh! And I bet the Commander has some advice about the cultural nuances you might wanna be more aware of, too. For Askr, anyways. Everywhere else is kind of a tossup..." Maybe this was too many ideas! He should stop! "What do you think?"

@jasperlion liked for a starter

"Saint-King Alm? Er, well, I guess technically when you're from you're not quite king yet, but--anyway, that's besides the point." A sheepish expression crosses the exalt's features, a bashful hand raised to the back of his neck in boyhood habit. "Maybe this is an odd question, seeing as I'm currently older than you, but...the Deliverance and your work after the war must've involved bringing all sorts of people together, right? People that didn't know you, initially."

"I'm not wholly inexperienced in this, but back in Ylisse, most of the people I was responsible for already had some faith in me...or at least faith that I wouldn't be as bad as their other option. But that's not something I can rely on here in Askr. So I wanted to ask if you had any advice on this sort of thing."

[jasperlion]

The kid wasn't scrambling away or shying away from him, so that was a small victory for Alm. He listens, of course, keeping his eyes on the Dragon as he enjoys the feel of the rug and then... retreats, somewhat. At least it's a thoughtful kind.. he hopes.

"Hmm..." Well, he should have really expected this response. This kind of spotlighting would be awkward no matter your age— but he can't fault anybody else for having doubts and concerns. They had gone and slain their Gods, mad with a sickness they could not be saved from... and then picked up a little one. He knew the unease his friends and fellows had about this whole thing — that perhaps Valentia's history would repeat should they not heed the warning of dragon sickness, but... what else could they have done? Alm's eyes wander away from the boy and towards the small crowd milling around them (trying very hard not to evesdrop, he's sure... uh huh), then back.

"I think everyone just needs time to get used to the novelty." He says, trying to soften the truth a little bit instead of hiding it entirely. "It's not every day you meet a Dragon your age. For us, anyway." A God, he wants to say, but he stays the thought in remembrance to Mila's final words to him and Celica.

"But..." With that, he stands, stretching his arms over his head then looking down at the kid with a smile. "It doesn't mean you gotta feel eyes on you all day!" He offers his left hand. "Will you walk with me? I have something to show you."

After all, the rug was nice and all, but there are nicer places to sit. It might be time for the little guy to get acquainted with stuff like... chairs. Nice ones. And some privacy, besides.

The child was actually surprised that the other decided to sit with him. Though, it wasn't exactly unwelcomed either. His feet waddled a bit on the plush rug, nodding in agreement that yes, it is in fact better than cobblestone, almost a hint of a smile on the smaller one's face. “ Uh huh. It's why I like it. ”

Though, the smallest hint of a smile disappeared when Alm asked about crowds. He was silent for a moment, trying to put his thoughts together of why he doesn't like them rather than saying he just doesn't. Maybe it's because it's all so new to him, being looked at and treated a certain way for as long as he can remember. Only ever accompanied by corpses, reanimated or not.

“ I... don't like the staring. It's not a good feeling when so many people are looking at me. It's easy to just be alone. ”

[jasperlion]

...

Bad pottage from the mess hall was no joke. Eesh.

[jasperlion]

"What in tarnation...?"

[jasperlion]

Jedah.

[jasperlion]

@devotedrigelianflower @indumasname HUH

[jasperlion]

A soft clap as Alm walks by, "That suits you, Alm. Congratulations. I have to ask now a duel who can score more using a bow haha." No, he is not joking. He is serious.

"Oh—! Hey!" Not quite expecting an audience as he takes his new outfit for a stroll, Alm smiles at his friend, offering a small spin in turn with a laugh. "It's got a little bit of flair to it, don't you think? Celica did always have the better fashion sense..."

Trailing off, his left hand traces the outline of his bow, beautiful and elegant. "As for the duel..." It's a lovely bow... really. It just screamed to be used! And what better way than to accept.

"Well, I'm feeling pretty confident in my victory!" With practiced ease, an arrow is drawn, which he twirls with his fingers. Maybe it's the outfit, but he's feeling a little boastful. "Though regardless of the result, I'd be honored! I hear you're quite the marksman yourself, Chrom."

[jasperlion]

[ went orb collecting and smacked into the newest plotline in feh. i think we should have just gone to court and done an ace attorney parody ]

[jasperlion]

"I wonder what Celica will think about this." Something about the cape makes him want to take a silly little twirl and bow...

"Now we match, don't we?" Alm was pleased, all things considered.

[jasperlion]

"Soft, is it?" Alm asks, shuffling his feet slightly on the rug with a small smile. He remembers thinking similarly not so long ago, having even been tempted to remove his boots! Still, this was no place to sit!

But, well, admonishing this withdrawn little guy wasn't gonna get anyone anywhere, especially if he felt comfortable, so...

Walking closer, Alm situates himself besides the dragon, a few steps away for the (apparently) smaller one's comfort, then slides to a seated position himself with a grin. "Well, it's not cobblestone, that's for sure." The tone is lighthearted, and he does indeed make himself comfortable, propping his arms on his knees with a hum.

"Say, do crowds still make you uncomfortable?" The question is framed as friendly as he can, hands clasped together and trying to give the dragon his undivided attention. "Can you tell me a little about how you feel about it?"

It hadn't been so long after they had found themselves one crew member extra, and based on what little information Alm had to go on, the little guy had been mostly by himself for a very, very long time. It was probably stressful, or upsetting, or... something, and it was for the best to get to the heart of the matter now.

"You don't... have to, y'know. I'd just like to know. Maybe we can figure something out together, alright?"

The child was sitting alone, away from everyone else. It was odd, being in a such new place, experiencing outside, and meeting lots of people. He was still weary about it all, staying away from everyone when he would venture around to help get a better sense of his new surroundings. He sat on the floor, arms wrapped around his knees, sitting quickly on a plush rug, sometimes hearing whispers of others when they walked by.

Someone must've informed Alm because not too long after the last few people that walked by, Alm was now joining him in the room. The child looked up at the other as he approached, then there's a look of confusion when Alm spoke.

“ I like this spot? It's. . . soft. I'm away from people, too. ”

@jasperlion || ღ