#unborderedreflection

[ofstarsandskies]

Milla presents a tiered cake, the bottom layer having the color of a clear blue sky, the middle layer the color of the sun at dusk with pink clouds, and the top the color of the dark night sky, with a scattering of stars like one could see in the most remote regions of Rieze Maxia.

"Here. Elle helped with the decorations. ...Happy birthday, Ludger."

@unborderedreflection || For Star's Birthday!

Milla's been gone for a while... should I call her? Ludger ponders as he finishes drawing the adorable foam Lulu in his hot chocolate.

When he woke up this morning to an empty apartment, all he had to show for his birthday so far was Milla's note saying she needed to finish something and Elle's with her. It did say she'd be back before too long, but it's already noon and he's still alone. Ludger's used to spending his birthday mornings alone while Julius worked, but he was hoping that might change with having a family bigger than his brother and Lulu--

The apartment door's automatic door slid open; finally someone came to see him! Ludger set the three hot chocolate mugs down to see his first birthday companion. And sure enough, with this arrival, the note kept its promise.

"Milla! I was... um, I'm glad you're here!" Ludger avoids forcing his troubled thoughts down her throat. "Wait, is that...?"

Milla brought with her three layered cake fashioned into the phases of the sky, his favorite sight at the top like it deserved. She remembered his silly little closet hobby after all this time... It's not like he hid it from her, but considering they went one time before the Trial ended, he wouldn't hold it against her to forget all about it.

But here's his birthday cake, full of love and detail.

"Milla, I..." Ludger sniffles as he has to hold back the urge to squeeze the life outta her; don't want to ruin all that hard work by knocking it over. "I'm... I love it, thank you. I made us some hot chocolate using these super fancy cocoa beans from one of few still living coca bean farms in Elympios. Would you do me the honors of having a drink and a slice?"

[talesofourworlds]

@unborderedreflection liked for a Xillia anniversary starter!

She wasn't his Milla, but... she was still a Milla. No matter how odd it was to be around her, he had seen Jude spending time with her. Surely Ivar could do the same. It helped that she seemed to be on her own that day, as was he. With Spirius having no orders for him and no reason to go anywhere else, Ivar had chosen to linger around Marksburg for a time. Doing so seemed to have benefited him, as she was there too. Doing what? Well, Ivar didn't know. Maybe Marksburg being something of a middle ground between Rieze Maxia and Elympios made it appealing somehow?

Cautious, careful steps were taken closer to join the 'fractured' Milla. He didn't like thinking of her that way, he decided. Would she even want him around, though? Surely she had had her own Ivar back in her world before...

Don't think about it, he decided. When he got close enough to her, to see what she was doing, Ivar prepared himself. All he had to do was give her a chance.

"Lady Milla...?"

[broadswordandpistol]

Anti-Honesty Hour! "So? How does the soup taste?"

"Terrible. Gonna spare the rest of the world from having to eat it. Pass me another bowl, will ya?"

[talesofourworlds]

"Okay!"

Though Milla wouldn't know it, the way Sophie lifted her hand up and stood a bit straighter was mimicked as best as she could from the way Pascal did it. With that done, she made to lead the way to the house in question. As she walked, the question and introduction took hold. Sophie's head bobbed up and down, her pigtails bobbing along behind her as she moved.

"Yes," she answered. "When I first met a couple of my friends, I couldn't remember anything about myself. Including my name. So they decided to name me after the sopheria flowers they'd found. It's very special to me." Perhaps some might have thought that was a bit too much information, but Sophie didn't think so. She was proud of where her name had come from.

"Your name is very pretty, Milla," she said. It didn't sound like a flower name, but it didn't have to be. As long as Milla liked it, that was what mattered. Still, she was curious. "Were you named after anything special?"

"A blossomgale... I see..." She'd never heard of a thing like that before, but it did sound nice. Granted, she didn't know much about flowers beyond just that they were able to be used in food.

When the girl mentioned using a house owned by a friend of hers, Milla smiled. "That sounds perfect then. Let's head out and get started." She had no compunctions about having someone else's house volunteered for cooking in.

Just as she was about to set off (even not knowing where to go), she paused. "Sophie... Just like that flower you mentioned, sopheria, right? I'm Milla." She hesitated but decided against using her last name for this. Did she really have much of a connection to it anymore?

[marginalfighter]

Victor slapped the sheet down with disgust. He had only done it at Elle's insistence--she seemed to think it was funny--and she'd even nitpicked everything he'd (not) filled in until he'd ended up filling in practically the whole chart.

Without a word though, he turned to leave. He had no desire to talk about this at all--now that it was over, it was better to pretend it didn't happen at all.

Zig was halfway through a crescent roll when Victor's hand slammed into the coffee table.

"What--?" By the time the shock wore off, he couldn't even ask what's wrong before Victor retired to his room for either the next hour or the whole night.

Why's he so pissed off all of a sudden? I didn't bother anything today far as I know-- hm? There's a paper on the table with his name on it. Flipping it over, it's that fill-in-yourself "are you my type?" bingo chart. No doubt Elle put him up to it, but even with her breathing down his shoulder, he expected a blank sheet or just the free space filled in out of spite.

From the sheer amount of stamps just on the first row alone, seems not. Hell, he actually bent the knee about the cold baths. Who knew the day'd come?

"I guess all the jokes about us being closet best friends isn't too far off," Before Victor commands he burn this, he'll fold the paper and stuff it into his pocket and... do something with it. Maybe prop it in the dresser so he'll see it but Victor sure won't.

Are you goat boy's type? || @unborderedreflection

[riftdancer]

Sidestory Quest: Another Time; Another Dimension

@unborderedreflection​

Once in a blue moon, a strange phenomena would occur within this star that some have come to call by it’s original name, Etheirys. Strange visitors from another realm, far preceding one’s knowledge. At least, that’s what the Dragoon had spectated thus far. The only thing was, it would start as a simple observation request, and span forth into something greater.

Her last visitor from another Mother Crystal had departed safely with his astounding vehicle after they had successfully fell the Primal which once resided in his realm that greatly resembled their own, though less aggro-y. And much like this quest, it had started out the same as before.

A strange anomaly in the Black Shrouds, stirring up the Elementals and causing a commotion amongst themselves. The adventurer took the task upon herself that she were to travel to Central Shroud and check to see what set the spirits off. Nothing seemed to have been out of place, however, and her last stop was at the Everschade where The Guardian Tree stood tall.

Upon arrival, did the brunette spot a hyur beneath it’s canopy. Although her attire was different from the civilians and various other adventurers she’s seen along her journey, her hair was strikingly similar to a certain Maxwell, though ears not present. Leia treads through the shallow waters and approaches the other, “Excuse me, are you alright?”

It did not appear from behind that the other had horns either, so the possibility of them being a Padjal was way out of the question. After all, someone of her...age? Would probably have horns quite visible like Kan-E-Senna. “Normally, people don’t come here unless they have some sorta business.” And as far as she knows, nothing was wrong with the Guardian Tree.

[otsukaleia]

@unborderedreflection​ -> Cont.

Hearing the gratuity from the blonde brought a smile to Leia’s face. It was nice being appreciated, but it was just...good that Milla had accepted her help. She had turned away her assistance earlier, but the reporter supposes that now was better than later, especially with an injury this bad.

“Brace yourself for how much it’ll hurt...” she warns the older female and with her handkerchief, doused in rubbing alcohol, Leia began to gently pat against the blood soaked area and slowly clear away the mess.

“I’m not a doctor like Jude, just an ex-nurse trainee, but I think even if you’ve taken worse injuries than this, I don’t think anyone can tough it out.”

“I’m not trying to scold you or lecture you like he would. I just want you to be more careful, that’s all...” Once her injury was cleaned up, the brunette hovered her hand over the wound and began channeling her artes to seal up the wound.

[aeternale-carmen]

@unborderedreflection​

“Lady Milla!” he called to her from across the long hallway, dashing forward to greet her. It was probably foolish of him to get so excited considering he wasn’t her handmaid anymore... but he hadn’t gotten the opportunity to see her ever since arriving in this strange land. Ivar didn’t even pay mind to how ridiculous he looked in the reindeer costume-- that’s how happy he was! But he came to an abrupt stop just a few feet away from her, looking like a (rein)deer in headlights as he did so.

“Hold on a second! You’re... Milla?!” The one from the fractured dimension?! But that was impossible! ...wasn’t it? “Ahaha... this is, uh, awkward...” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Seeing someone he thought he’d never see again, and he looks like this. Fantastic.

[brave-vesperias-yuri]

@unborderedreflection​ said

 Milla's eyeing him warily...

“Yo Spit Fire! How’ya been?” 

[the-king-of-the-wind]

@unborderedreflection [con’t]:

Maxwell. 

The manner in which she spoke the name implied it carried some manner of significance, though that meaning was lost upon Richard. Whatever it might be did not mitigate the state she appeared in, edging close to limits while the threat of the monsters far from over. 

Perhaps Richard was a hypocrite, telling her she oughtn’t face such a trial alone, being out here by himself as well. But he knew well what the beasts that roamed these parts were capable of, knew that a contingent of knights were beginning a sweep from the north. This woman had seemingly already faced her share of the dangers he had come to clear these roads of. 

“It’s a pleasure, Miss Maxwell. I’m Richard.” He offered a hand. “Would that we meet under better circumstances.” 

Richard glanced about. The leaves rustled in the wind that never fully left these lands, the forest seemed to hold its breath. Much too quiet. 

“Quite to the contrary, you could say that seeing to the safety of those here is my purpose.” His duty as a king, and as someone trying to atone for losing this threat upon the world. “The monsters in this area are far from normal, as you might have already discovered. Will you permit me to accompany you to the next village? It would be safer to travel together should the monsters decide to attack.” 

[talesofourworlds]

❝ that haunted trail sucked, i want my money back. ❞ (to Ludger)

"So do I," Ludger confessed. The haunted trail had sounded like a fun time, but when they'd actually gotten there and gone through it Ludger and Milla found it to be... lacking. Whoever had put it together must not have had a strong idea of how to make a trail haunted. Apart from the occasional spooky decoration, and that was putting it lightly, there hadn't been a lot in the way of terrifying experiences. Not even someone to potentially chase them!

"Gald is hard enough to get these days as it is," he said. "The least they could do is offer a refund if we aren't satisfied. Let's see if we can find the guys we paid at the start of the trail." How hard could it be to find them? All they had to do was look around, right? Ludger sighed, his breath visible in the cool autumn air. All he'd wanted was to show Milla a good time. That was the least he could do, considering everything...

"I'm sorry it wasn't as fun as we were hoping. Want to see if we can find something else to do after we get our refund?"

[shimmerfang-impact]

“Does Lady Milla feel that way as well? Should I not go back to Nia Khera at all...?” If they all thought of him as a failure, then they’d be relieved to have him gone.

[xxmathis]

“Can you shut up for once in your life?” (I'm sorry for her ahaha)

There was always a clear tension between the two of them, and honestly, he’s well-aware that most of that was his fault. Because she wasn’t his Milla. He had difficulties speaking with the alternate without thinking about her, and how she wasn’t there. Perhaps he had been a little too obvious about it. 

The outburst brings up an awkward pause, and the researcher shifts on his feet in clear discomfort, before a hand grips his opposite arm. 

“Oh. Uh, sorry.”

he smiles nervously. 

“Did I... say something?”

[riftdancer]

@unborderedreflection​ liked for a starter!

↪ accepting

“Your not a bright-eyes, and you’re certainly not like Rinwell. Why is it that you can cast astral artes?”

[isaaccecilbryant]

Gif us (it's been awhile but this sounds like fun!)

Send in “Gif us” and I will find a gif that I think sums up our character’s relationship.

((Do I need to explain it? XD))