#ufastrea

[finnuf]

{  * unsteady  }

finally, it’s quiet. all he can hear is heavy breathing of his comrades and some grumbling, but clearly human, not the guttural groans of all the creatures slain today; not the clashing of weapons or shouts of pain that come with a fresh wound.

he is afraid to take in the sight of the ballroom. he fears it will remind him too much of the last battlefield he stood on: the casualties, the bodies, the soldiers he could still put a name to even after their death.

he must, though, to make sure those he cares for most are safe, and it hurts to so much as move. he is not quite broken yet, but he is bruised, so much of his body sliced up by the skeletons’ swords and abominations’ claws after hours of fighting. he feels so heavy, so exhausted, and a little sick to his stomach, and he knows part of it is the eye monsters’ dark magic he couldn’t help but absorb a little of throughout the evening. 

there are so many bodies, monsters and people alike. he doesn’t know if it’s dark magic that leaves such a large pit in his stomach, or if it’s simply rational dread. he went into today knowing he would be surrounded by familiar faces, most from his past that he would rather not see again, but now he can’t help but wonder if they’re among the corpses littering the ballroom floor. 

for as much as he swore he wanted so many of the gleerians to die, he feels no satisfaction when he considers that they might have today. he takes a moment to look up toward the balcony, searching for gleerium’s rat of a king. he doesn’t see him, but he sees some knights acting casually, so he assumes he’s still up there alive and kicking. that’s one man finn wouldn’t mind dying to some abomination today.

he, however, lives to die another day, as always. as always, he stands among the living for reasons unknown to him, but today, he is too tired to question it. maybe it will haunt him in the coming days, but all he knows now is his aching bones and stinging blood, and it’s far too hard to breathe for his liking. 

he searches, searches for familiar faces, and somehow, it’s astrea of all people that he finds first. she appears to be in one piece, thankfully; that’s one friend he can count as alive. she’s a skilled healer, too, and he’s surprised she hasn’t busied herself trying to aid those in trouble yet, though he supposes the fighting really has only just died down. maybe she, like him, is still only catching her breath now.

in many ways, he feels guilty seeking her help when there are so many bodies laying on the ground, some which may still live should astrea heal them. she meets his eyes, however, and he drags himself over with a tired smile, because he figures she wouldn’t let him go even if he tried to get away from her.

“i’m okay,” he assures her before she can even say anything. “there are others here that need your help far more than me, so don’t waste your time on me.” i can help you look for survivors, he nearly says, but he doesn’t know if he can. he doesn’t know if he’s strong enough. 

* @ufastrea

[ufleila]

- take my hand -

@ufastrea

there’s an extra air of excitement around the lotus festival this year, and it’s impossible to miss all the extra fanfare about the world leaders gathering here for their annual meeting. all the promotions keep reminding everyone that this is the first year in decades that no one in deiyus has been at war during the festival, and the reminders make leila seethe. if she had any choice, she’d march right into gleerium and declare war right now. 

honestly, some of her worst impulses urge her to try to shoot the king right in his smug face, but she knows that’s going to be impossible. all of the leaders will have the tightest security imaginable, and the people may not even be allowed to bring weapons with them to the festival hall when the leaders are slated to be there. 

besides, it’d be stupid for leila to throw away her life on a crack shot at the king’s life -- in a place this crowded, there’s no way she’d be able to escape, even if she did manage to kill him. and while it feels like it would absolutely be worth it as long as he dies, she still has a duty to her people, scattered and oppressed as they may be. she needs to survive, so that means no reckless attempts on a king’s life. 

to distract herself, then, she lets herself get distracted by astrea, a friend she’s gotten surprisingly close to since they met almost seven months ago now. because of the circumstances of their first meeting, astrea has always been able to see behind leila’s mask, and it’s led to a rather close friendship, even all this time later. leila is happy to follow astrea around through the festival, their arms linked as they weave through the crowds. 

“i’m hungry,” she says. “how do you feel about omaduunian for dinner?”

[undertheflagrp]

under the flag’s activity checks happen every thursday at 8 pm est unless otherwise stated. if you haven’t posted in a week, you will end up on the warning list, and if you do not post before the following activity check, you will be removed from the roleplay. members must post ic content that is 200 words or more each week to be considered safe from the activity check. faceclaims listed under the “cleared” and “dropped” section are now free and available to be reserved and roleplayed.

DROPPED LIST

none

WARNING LIST​​​​

​LEE FELIX | @ufasher​

CLEARED​​​

PARK SUNGHOON | @ufuriel

SHEN XIAOTING | @ufastrea

[ufazura]

taste test.

perfect timing with @ufastrea

"hmm.” azura frowns as she puts the spoon down. she’s trying out a new recipe — a spicy fish and turnip stew, after a recipe she received from one of the kitchen workers at lotus academy who just happen to be one of the regulars at the tavern. they’ve shared no small number of recipes with azura in the years she’s lived in noyillai, and the server couldn’t be more grateful. usually, trying out the recipes goes relatively well, but this time she’s unsure. the taste doesn’t seem quite right, but at the same time it does, and azura wonders if the problem is that her spice tolerance is too high for her to tell if the dish is balanced or not. 

stirring the pot once more, azura sighs, a frown still present on her face. if only she had someone who would test it for her. there are a few people currently at the tavern, sure — but she couldn’t serve it to just anyone before it’s been properly taste tested. no, it has to be someone she trusts. 

with a deep sigh, azura leaves the kitchen, taking a round of the tavern to check on the customers. there are a few plates and cups to clean up, as well as gold to collect. her hands full of dirty dishes, she bids the leaving customers farewell, and then — it’s as if the goddess has heard her prayers. because entering the tavern is none other than astrea, and azura surely can’t think of anyone else she’d rather have taste test her new dish.

“astrea!” she calls out, and has to control herself to avoid dropping the dishes she’s carrying on the floor. right, she should probably get rid of those before she starts pestering the younger to taste her food. “uh, i’ll be right back.” she’s gone in the blink of an eye, but returns just as fast — the dishes left on a counter in the kitchen to be dealt with later. 

“okay, so! food for you is on the house today, if you’d like.” a wide grin has replaced her frown as she motions excitedly for astrea to take a seat at the bar. “i’m trying out this new dish, but can’t tell if it’s actually good or not. i desperately need a second opinion. will you taste it? pleeeease?” 

[ufvivian]

— haven ,

a safe space with @ufastrea !

     vivian’s not entirely sure how she’d found her way to calendula in the first place, but she’s ever so glad that she had. unexpectely, the healer there had become someone that vivian quite enjoyed talking to, someone who listened well to her and also offered her a strange sense of safety. 

     so it only makes sense that when vivian finds herself in a rather irritated state (to understate it) after an encounter, that she would make her way to calendula, seeking out someone she felt safe ranting about gleerium to. 

     stupid nobles, stupid greedy annexing fools that they are — she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to forgive them for the callous way they’d simply ripped land, lives, people and families away from etlia as if they were the only ones who had ever mattered. 

     “astrea,” she calls as she pushes open the door, the anger simmering under the surface, carefully contained until she knows for sure that the healer is alone and she’s not going to be executed for her anger. and maybe also for claiming a title that is no longer hers, but she doesn’t care. it was hers, rightfully, until it was stolen. 

[undertheflagrp]

under the flag’s activity checks happen every thursday at 8 pm est unless otherwise stated. if you haven’t posted in a week, you will end up on the warning list, and if you do not post before the following activity check, you will be removed from the roleplay. members must post ic content that is 200 words or more each week to be considered safe from the activity check. faceclaims listed under the “cleared” and “dropped” section are now free and available to be reserved and roleplayed.

DROPPED LIST

none

WARNING LIST​​​​

PARK SUNGHOON | @ufuriel

SHEN XIAOTING | @ufastrea​

CLEARED​​​

none! great job!

[undertheflagrp]

under the flag’s activity checks happen every thursday at 8 pm est unless otherwise stated. if you haven’t posted in a week, you will end up on the warning list, and if you do not post before the following activity check, you will be removed from the roleplay. members must post ic content that is 200 words or more each week to be considered safe from the activity check. faceclaims listed under the “cleared” and “dropped” section are now free and available to be reserved and roleplayed.

DROPPED LIST

none

WARNING LIST​​​​

JI CHANGMIN | @ufeliot​

LEE GAHYEON | @ufleila​

SHEN XIAOTING | @ufastrea

YU JIMIN (KARINA) | @ufyura

CLEARED​

CHOI SOOBIN | @ufnathaniel

[undertheflagrp]

under the flag’s activity checks happen every thursday at 8 pm est unless otherwise stated. if you haven’t posted in a week, you will end up on the warning list, and if you do not post before the following activity check, you will be removed from the roleplay. members must post ic content that is 200 words or more each week to be considered safe from the activity check. faceclaims listed under the “cleared” and “dropped” section are now free and available to be reserved and roleplayed.

DROPPED LIST

none

WARNING LIST​​

JI CHANGMIN (Q) | @ufeliot​

JEON HEEJIN | @uflucia​

LEE FELIX | @ufasher

 LIU SHISHI | @ufziyu​

SHEN XIAOTING | @ufastrea​

CLEARED

none!

[finnuf]

{  * bruised  }

six months ago with @ufastrea

it's not too bad this time. no stab wounds or gashes, just some bumps and bruises. usually finn would just wait it out and let everything heal itself, especially because healers usually want something in exchange for their services, which he usually does not have. even these minor injuries will slow him down, though, and he's going out with a mercenary troop to hunt down some bandits tomorrow; he can't risk being less than his best. besides, the job should pay him enough to make up for anything he has to spend to heal these minor injuries, right? surely.

he's in noyillai this time, because he has a frequent client here and not at all because he's a fan of the alcohol. he feels stiff. it's annoying, and it won't cut it. he wanders around. surely he knows some healers in noyillai, right? noyillai has everything.

he remembers then. finn forgetting about astrea was probably his brain protecting him from trauma or something, but he remembers her now, and he stops in the middle of the street and sighs.

everyone in finn's circles talks highly of astrea. she helped people during the war of the states, they said. from what he heard, she's pretty, too, which means she can't be that old, and contrary to popular belief finn isn't stupid. he can do the math. the war of the states has basically been the war on etlia as long as he's been alive, and likely astrea's as well.

he remembers where to find her, too, and his feet carry him there like he has no real say. the brain that previously protected him now insists on facing something he would rather not. this woman that healed his people over the years; the ones that fled from etlia because it wasn't safe enough for them.

the ones he failed.

he wonders how many patients astrea had the day andreas made him kneel and swear his allegiance to gleerium. he wonders how many of them died, and how much of their blood he has on his hands.

he doesn't even know. there's something gutwrenching in that itself: he doesn't know how many of his people they lost during gleerium's final invasion. he doesn't know their names or their families or their futures he failed to protect.

he reminds himself then, that they aren't his people anymore. king andreas made sure of that, and he severed any remaining connection he had to them himself when he fled. he has no responsibility to anyone anymore. he is free. he is free.

he stands in front of calendula and sighs again. there are surely other healers he can see that will cause him less grief, but some part of him decided it has to be her.

so he steps inside, and takes a look around the establishment. there aren't many other people there, which somehow brings him comfort. astrea herself is easy to find; he heard she has bright red hair, and the girl in front of him sure does.

"hi," he greets her with a sheepish smile. "i don't have too much work for you, i just uh...got in a fight today and i can already tell the bruises are going to cause me trouble tomorrow, and i have some work i need to be in good shape for, if you don't mind helping?"