in which there is no respect for the sacred art of rope tying (or the law)

Caught up in the thrill of the chase, L’Arachel loses sight of anything but the retreating back of the two ruffians who had so marred her work. Bolstered by the fury of an artiste scorned and spurned by charlatans, she lunges forwards, hand oustretched. 

Her glove connects with the hood of one of the retreating scoundrels, and for a fleeting moment she is certain that she has caught victory itself by its limber wings. But then, the escapee, finding his escape arrested, shrieks and picks up the pace, causing the fabric to grow ominously taut.

‘I think! Not!’ L’Arachel snarls between gritted teeth, intensifying her grip and digging her heels into the ground. Two deep furrows begin to form in the earth beneath her feet, but the Princess of Rausten will NOT be deterred by a little bit of mud! Since fleet-footing through that wretched bog of the three-legged-race, her sensibilites are somewhat numbed to its displeasing qualities.

Mag, distinguished only by a most unpleasing spray of stubble across his chin, continues to charge forward, apparently undetered by the green blur affixed to his hood, only acknowledging her efforts with an occasional flick of the eye towards his periphary. Huffing, he pushes forward even harder, and the already thin fabric of the hood begins to fray. Thread by thread, it detaches itself from the back of the thief’s neck, until L’Arachel is clinging on by only one string. 

For a moment, she dangles there, heels buried in the ground, clammy gloves clinging to the thin shred of black. And then, with an awful, tearing noise, she finds herself flat on her derrière, having succeded only in detaining a slightly moth-bitten hood. 

‘Bother!’ She scowls, and then frowns, frustrated at her own indiscretion. Really, she knew they were thieves, but it would not do for a holy woman to speak unbecomingly. She had refinement!  

Craning her neck, she looks around for Farina. A few distressing crashing sounds had been occuring somewhere above her head, but as she had been otherwise occupied the attention she’d have typically paid to them had been stolen. Now, it is uncannily still, and L’Arachel stands, charging towards the thieves once again when suddenly an elysian spectre emerges! 

‘Great heavens! A ghoul!’ Stretching out her hands, as if she had finally grasped the tome-free casting indigenous to this region, L’Arachel instead flings herself forward, tackling the monster. A strange feat, even for one as talented as she, when ghosts are purportedly incorporeal. 

A white sheet reveals her professor, and flushing furiously, L’Arachel pulls the quick-thinker to her feet. ‘Ahem. Apologies.’ 

Behind them, Hag and Mag have began to hie deeper into the village, fleeing no doubt, the ghost of their past wrongs, and perhaps also the actual ghost, now unmasked by L’Arachel. ‘We must not allow them to escape!’ The Princess declares, allowing them ample time for each fiend to disappear down a different, narrow street. ‘I shall advance on the treacherous Mag, and you, I trust, professor, can handle Hag?’ 

Without confirming this to be the case, L’Arachel charged forward, bursting into a busy market street, brimming with shoppers flogging their wares. Mag was nowhere in sight. 

♠ - Being tackled right after falling off a roof is probably one of the less bad things that could've happened to her but at least it got her out of those sheets. "Nah, it's fine. it happens.", Farina laughed, waving off L'Arachel's concerns and the rest of the sheets that had so entangled her. "Right. You take on Mag. Leave the Hag to me!"

With that. Farina sprang out of the bin, buoyed by her newfound sense of duty. Finding Hag, though, proved more of a challenge. The streets were packed and these tiny alleyways were like a giant maze. But, well, nothing else for it. If they let these scoundrels get away, then all their previous work (not to mention reward money) would have been all for naught.

Simply trusting in her luck, Farina dashed her way into the nearest alley and by chance, noticed Hag's distinctive hood just as he turned the corner. She charged forwards in an effort to keep up, once again missing him and only noticing the telltale door in a nearby building swinging shut that signified his escape route. Bursting through the door before it closed, she quickly found that the building it opened out to quickly lead to another alleyway on its other side. Not to mention the sound of the scoundrel's telltale footsteps that spoke of another narrow escape.

On and on the chase went, into alleyways, into buildings, up stairs and across rooftops, and each time, the mercenary found herself just a step behind the scoundrel...and growing more and more frustrated in the mean time. But, for the sake of justice (and her prize money), she will persevere! Sooner or later, he will have to make a mistake at some point and then she will get him! Besides, he has got to be running out of escape routes by now.

Slamming open the umpteenth door she's had to open this chase so far, Farina found herself somehow staring right into Hag's surprised-looking face as he apparently sought to use that same door as a get-away, from the other side. "Heh, gotcha!" Just as the scoundrel hurriedly retreated back away from the doorway, Farina took a step back and pounced forwards through the doorway, arms reaching ahead, determined to seize him once and for all.

Well, she'd ended up seizing somebody. Although the blonde hair and slim shoulders quickly told her that she's grabbed the wrong person. "Right, uhhh, whoops?", Farina managed to stammer out, standing up quickly from the Blue Lion she'd tackled to the ground. Well, this was awkward. Where was Hag, by the way? A series of disappearing footsteps told her of yet another narrow escape. "Missed him by this much.", she muttered bitterly, pressing her thumb and index finger a tiny distance apart from one another. "How'd it go on your end? Just as much a wild goose chase?" At this pace, maybe they'd be better off springing a trap of some kind. Just depends on what they could find as bait.

How to deal with a Panicking Mage - Farina and Pelleas

    “ C-Calm down?! How could I?! ”  This might possibly be one of the worst possible ways this seminar could have went. In the heat of the moment, in an exercise that was all about testing one's emotional and physical strengths, Pelleas had completely crumpled on the former, and now he was paying for it in the price of being stuck in a ditch.

(If he had been calmer, would that first instructor have maybe helped him out of the booby trap or was he just doomed but to different flavors of tragedy?)

But perhaps there were such things as mercys and kindnesses, for to Pelleas's surprise, Farina seemed to genuinely be helping him out? Sick of the mud, sick of struggling down here, he eagerly tries his best to reach out to meet her hand, trying to find some way to get out of here...

Before remembering. Right. Mud. And he's covered in it! His hand slips from hers in an instant, and so he groans as he hurriedly tries to wipe his hands off on something— anything really!

(Would talking help him calm down? He doubts it, considering his history, but she did ask him a question...)

“ A-Alright, so I was taking this seminar that's meant to help keep your composure under pressure, ”  he explains, unaware that Farina was one of the very instructors chasing people around as well,  “ But as I was getting chased, I fell into this trap, and I saw that instructor was still going after me, so I... I... ”

After trying and failing to wipe his hands on his sleeves, then next the walls of his ditch, he settles for his hair and face and now clean enough, clasps onto Farina's outstretched hand at last and for real this time.

“ ...I attacked him. I know! I shouldn't have, but I thought he was going to kill me while I was down...! It's what I was expecting, so...! ”

♠ - Oh, she was aware enough of the purposes of this seminar. It was just a mystery why he thought he was his a good fit for it, considering his, well, everything. Not that she thought he was weak or anything but a strong source of emotional composure, he was not.

And neither was he a picture of cleanliness either. Mud all across his face and hair and there was likely spotlets of mud left along his hands. He looked like a real mess but a mess with clean-enough hands so up he goes. With a quick tug, Farina pulls him a fair bit up out of the pit and onto dry land.

Well, dry enough that she could let go and not fear him sliding back down into the pit. Frowning, she scrunched up her nose in disgust. "You, uh, should really go ahead and get yourself cleaned up. And, uh, no. We weren't meant to kill anyone. Just to scare them. Honestly, what kind of paranoid theories have you been buying into?" Probably one with assassins and cloaks and daggers and stuff. Danger behind every corner and such. Or was that royal court thrillers she was describing there?

Anyway, back to their instructor problem. Lying in the middle of a magic-fueled crater. She marched over to the instructor, puffed out her cheeks and let out a huff. "Soooo, what do we do about him? Can't exactly leave him there, can we?" Well, he's clearly still alive, she could tell, kneeling down to take his pulse. Just, uh, unconscious. "You, uh, caused this. You got any magic that can fix this? Heal injuries and stuff?" Staff magic was a part of any advanced enough mage's arsenal, right? If not, it was worth a shot, at least.

Horsing Around - Farina & Hector

from here

He flinched ‘neath her admonishment.

Yeah. No.

“Kinda hard not to notice, trust me!” After all, Florina barely uttered a word in his presence, Fiora was stiff as a board, and Farina— well, Farina wasn’t anything like the other two, that was for sure.

Muttering in annoyance, arms crossed over his chest, Hector huffed and looked away. He’d not meant it like that, but could she blame him for assuming? (Clearly, yes, she could, but. That was besides the point!!)

What was wrong with Murphy then if Farina didn’t have as much a grip on him, versus Florina’s handle on Huey? Was their bond lacking? Oh, now that, he’d the sense to not go speaking aloud. And it wasn’t really his place to gauge, anyway. 

“Wha- no I meant, with your job as an Ilian mercenary, as part of the renowned orders of Pegasus Knights!” Come to think of it though, he really didn’t know much about Ilia, it was starting to seem like. What else should he know? And was Farina the best-suited to ask about it? Probably she’d not sugar coat things but…

… Well, she wouldn’t charge him for her time, would she? (A not small part of Hector worried she might.)

And like hells if he was gonna pay for that!!

Short of like. Paying for a lunch. Or something. That much seemed only fair. Right??

All of this paled, however, in the face of her lack of confidence in his chances against her horse with wings.

Hector snorted.

“What? Such little faith in your previous boss! It’s not like I’m gonna hurt him. Maybe just set him straight.” Fists clenched, then unclenched. Okay. They were surrounded by small pegasi gnawing on their boots and pants and fighting over bits and pieces of carrots.

Maybe this wasn’t the best time for such a showdown. Couldn't go setting a poor example, yeah?

“… Whatever. You deal with him then. And deal with these guys too!! Their spit’s gonna take bloody forever to wash out, ugh.”

He’d stomp away, but there wasn’t really much room to do so. 

And so, Hector settled for looking suitably unimpressed.

♠ - Well, she was glad they'd had that settled. If that burly Ostian was seriously mistaking her for her little sister, well, uh, she was gonna have to advise that he go get himself some glasses because, damn, was he needing them. Which would make for a pretty funny image but not one she cared to say out loud.

It didn't really suit him, anyway. That aside, she had to address his next question - that of her job as Ilian mercenary. To which she had the simple answer of "Well, do all your knights know how to forge their own armour from scratch?", she asked, waving a hand at the burly Ostian. Ostia, of course, being the home of their famed armour knights. "It's a similar thing. I might be able to handle grown-up pegasi but this is...kinda my first time handlin' 'em when they're this little. That's more a pegsus handler's thing."

Speaking of handling pegasi, these little ones were starting to become a handful, fighting over bits of carrots and chewing on her boots. Well, there was little else she could do here. Reaching a hand up to her collar, she once again pulled out her whistle and blew on it hard. Once again, the little pegasi around her leapt up, neighed in pain and bolted in all directions, seeking to escape the piercing sound.

Well, at least they were no longer hanging all over her and him, even if they were both left rather covered in pegasus spit. Which left one final awkward task... "Ehhh, wanna go try rounding them up, big guy?", Farina chuckled, turning towards Hector with a nervous grin. This would have been so much easier if they were still all over them. Oh, well. At minimum, baby pegasi needs their naptimes...

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐑 !

FOOD & DRINK:

ARTS & CRAFTS:

GAMES:

GUIDELINES:

Who Ya Gonna Call - Farina & Corrin

One of the kids tugs on Corrin's sleeve, pointing at the glowing orb he still held in his hand. They hold out their own hand, gesturing him to pass it over. He gladly does so. There's no reason for him to hang onto whatever that was anyway. If the kids wanted to have fun poking and prodding at it, then all the more power to them. All yours!

Corrin sighs, "Kind of disappointing that it didn't end up being any kind of ghost at all." He glances back towards the now ruined statue, shattered stone scattered across the ground. A shame really, both for art and occult enthusiasts all around.

He yawns quietly, eyes beginning to blur slightly as the kids clamber for attention, begging to go somewhere else.

"Now, now," he says, puncuated with another yawn, "I think we've all had more than enough excitement for one night. We have fulfilled our original mission, and it's time for all of us brave little ghost hunters to go to bed."

(It was time for Corrin to go to bed more like it, but kids needed their rest too!)

He turns to Farina, with a smile and a gentle wink, "You look tired too. Come on, let's head back."

♠ - Well, as much as she was glad that they've solved this mystery, she'd still need to raise an eyebrow at Corrin just giving the rock away to the kids. Who knows if they'd even be able to make heads or tails of it. Wouldn't it be better if they saved it for the real eggheads back at the academy?

Oh, whatever, she's a little too tired to care that much about it. Unless it was worth a pretty penny then she would very much like to care about it but really, she didn't seem like it would. Just a flashing, flowing rock in her eyes.

"Sure, let's go back.", Farina muttered, staggering her way back in the direction they came from, too tired to argue. "It's not like there's gonna be much use sticking it out around here." She might not be much a believer in ghosts but she honestly wouldn't be much surprised if an actual ghost showed up around here.

She'd really hate to be the one to find out whether those things actually existed, first hand.

Talon and Claw

BOEL R1 B3

One down, at least, and the odds have lessened -- only slightly. Two against one was still ill-favored in his direction, but Harken had not been taken down yet nor had he been ordered to surrender, so he would fight on.

The older man was wise, indeed. His standing companion could only strike at him from up close, and she was more damaged than Duessel himself. So, as the Golden Deer shuffled up their positions to bring Farina out of his range, Harken adjusted and let fly his axe once more.

A solid hit, but all it serves to do is rattle the man's sturdy shield. If he couldn't land a more direct hit, it would only be a matter of time.

Another change in position, and now Harken is face to face with the older knight. As the sounds of battle fade away into the white void background of Harken's awareness -- even Farina's friendly banter little more than the lapping of gentle waves at a distant shoreline -- every move he makes is honed down to be as efficient as possible.

No more errors, no more mistakes. He is the weapon, the tool, and he is still at war.

Before Duessel can properly settle himself in to his new position within striking distance of Harken, the blond flicks his eyes to his now vulnerable comrade, and with a rush of power, hurls his hand axe in Farina's direction. It crashes into her solidly, a blow that was potentially harsher than necessary for a mock battle.

But there is whispering in Harken's ears and a far away dullness in his eyes, and he is no longer on the battlefield of the Eagle and the Lion.

It is just himself and one more foe, now.

What follows is a close and intense duel between two knights. One with his honor and pride in tact, the other hardly worthy of such a title in his own mind.

It is a glorious battle to be sure, though Harken would only have been able to enjoy it as such if he were not a part of it. His blows connect, all well aimed and timed, but he cannot break through Duessel's shield no matter how hard he tries. Likewise, Duessel's lance arm is well honed; he lands several piercing blows, a glancing one, an unfortunate miss...

But their energy is both starting to waver, and an end has to come eventually.

@making-dough

♠ - The worst thing about these shields, Farina quickly decided, was how much they covered. It was nearly impossible to find another opening unless you were standing right in front of them...which really just left anyone else without any way of covering the distance standing idly by, twiddling their thumbs, as the shields forced a one-on-one duel. Which was likely all well and good if you were a knight and you liked that sort of thing. But she wasn't a knight and she wanted to have some fun beating some folks up!

"Wha-Hey!", Farina shouted in protest as Duessel shoved his way into her position, leaving her very thoroughly out-of-position and stuck in that aforementioned very awkward thumb-twiddling position. "I've already got this. Go get your-oh.", was all she could say in response to Rafal's disappearing presence. So, he had gotten his own...after she'd spent most of the work beating the 'fell dragon' up for him.

A killthief. The old knight's a killthief, that's what he was, the mercenary quickly decided, circling around the oncoming duel, looking for another opportunity and growing more and more frustrated with the pair in the meantime. She was still circling the 'battle' and searching for an opening when the random-seeming axe came flying in her direction, its heavy blow knocking the shield straight out of her hands and leaving her crouched against a nearby tree, covering a rather large gash in her side.

There was a brief moment where she continued to watch the duel between the two knights unfold before she eventually threw a hand up in pure frustration. "You know what? You boys have fun.", she opted to spit out. "I'm outta here! See ya!" She probably needs to have that gash looked at back at the med tents and above all else, she couldn't stand watching this 'battle' a moment longer.

If this was the knights' 'chivalry', then sod chivalry. She wasn't sticking around to see the end of this. At this rate, this could take days... @obsidiendo

Talon and Claw

BOEL R1 B3

He braces himself for the attack. He is sure it is not the strongest blow the other has ever landed, though Duessel does grunt a little as the axe connects with his shield. He's pushed back a little ways and he regains his focus; this battle -- this show of strength -- is for his students.

This is for their pride as a house, and a chance to show them that they can win this. They can do anything they set their minds to -- he knows this. He wants to go onto the next round so they know it, too.

Duessel looks at the man in front of him. "I do not pity you. I respect you, my opponent," he says as he raises his lance once more. "You have fought well and I have much I can learn from you."

He strikes clear and true, his voice carrying out in a triumphant cry. He looks at his defeated foe, and drops his lance before he extends a hand to help him leave the battlefield, if he chooses to take it.

♠ - A mere hop, step and jump across the battlefield brings her face to face with another opponent. This time, a far more familiar face. "Yo, Harks!", Farina greeted cheerily. "Fancy seein' ya around! How've ya been? Just, uh, axing for a friend?"

Well, jokes aside, he's been tossing that hand axe at Forde for a good while now. She might as well put a stop to that. The over-friendliness of the greeting aside, anyway.

A series of quick kicks aimed around his axe arm soon catches his attention, with Farina offering Harken a friendly wave for good measure. Hey, this was a sport, not a real battle. There was nothing wrong in being a little friendly, right?

Talon and Claw

BOEL R1 B3

Not all outwardly appeared weaklings were true to form; this, the once mendacious heir of Sombron knew more than well. A grimace flashed shortly across Rafal's face at incoming twin blows, buffeting him one after the other with another set following without reprieve. The foe he'd condemned as unremarkable was not as weak or featureless as initially assumed, he would give her that. But was she precisely the same manner of wolf donning lambskin that 'Nil' had been? Not by a long shot.

He brushed off the blitz with a more solemn darkening of expression, grounded and newly calculating if not otherwise touched by some perplexity. ". . .'How do you like them apples?' What manner of nonsensical lingo is that?"

Though puzzled, brows drew low as if overcasting a grave decision. No-one, man, woman, child, or dragon, would lay a finger on Rafal and walk free without comparative damages. Now, it had become a matter of pride.

"No matter. I will grace it with but one answer. You struck me—for that you will pay." But alas intention went one way and outcome went the other. Upon approach a slippery stretch of mud skidded underfoot - most unexpected - and the dragon diverted all attention from attack into maintaining balance, leaning forward onto the pommel of his axe. More cane than weapon. Had anyone seen that? Had Nel? Ahem, surely not. Even so, victory as he so confidently sought would not be seized with perfect ease, or a slight margin of error so it seemed.

♠ - Look, it was never her best mid-battle banter but he'd hardly needed to comment on it. Besides...it'd hardly needed to matter, won't it? Not least, because he seemed distracted enough to attempt to swing, only to seem to skid in the mud and stop himself mid-swing.

Looks like as golden an opportunity as ever!

Pouncing in lightly before he could recover, she slammed a series of rapid-fire punches across his face and chest and hopped back, cackling cheekily to herself. She flashed him a smug self-assured grin, as if daring him to do anything about her. With opponents of this calibur, even if they claim some lofty title, this battle should be a breeze~!

Talon and Claw

BOEL R1 B3

It makes strategic sense, of course. And the professor is the only one within his range -- Duessel should not, and does not feel bad about it. He's been looking forward to the Battle of Eagle and Lion since its announcement, even gone as far to recruit more to his side ( he wonders now how Knoll is doing -- and if he is enjoying himself ).

No time to think on it. His shield is heavy, and it slows him down. Instead of lamenting this he keeps his head held high as he strikes.

No time for small talk. This is in support of his students.

NEXT UP: @making-dough

♠ - Oh, she was familiar enough with real battles. The stench of death and bloodshed was a familiar enough companion to her somewhat-illustrious career. But, this was hardly real. This was a game, almost a sport. Scarcely any time to be taking this so seriously.

She matches his axe swing with her shield and winces a little at the impact. Damn, at least his strength gives him a little bite worth his bark. "Ohhh?", she laughed out and grinned in response. "Only if you've got a god worth listening!"

Quickly parrying away the so-called fell dragon's swing, Farina quickly ducked under, pivoted and rained a one-two punch at his abdomen.

They seemed like good solid hits. Solid enough to lead to her letting out a whoop in celebration. "Alright! Now, how do you like them apples?" Not the best from her, admittedly, but she can do worse.

Send me a quote/scene from my character’s canon, and I will explain (ic or ooc) what went through my character’s head during said quote/scene!

Horsing Around - Farina & Hector

from here

“Really? I always figured that came with the whole ‘horse lady’ territory. A perk, of sorts.” He was only half kidding. “Florina always seemed like she could read Huey’s mind - which makes it all the more vexing that she landed him square on me way back when.”

He remembered that day quite clearly. He’d been haunted by pegasus hooves in his sleep for weeks.

And now he had been abandoned, left alone.

Well, alone, minus his new flock. Or was it herd? Whatever. His bunch of tiny pegasi all hungry for attention. Or maybe just hungry. Hector could not much claim to care either way.

“Thank heavens you’re back.”

‘Took ya long enough’ went unsaid but the implication was there.

“My hero~” he taunted.

It really was kind of amazing to see her work her magic, though.

“You think? You haven’t done your fair share of raising ‘em, then? Doesn’t come part and parcel with the job back in Ilia?” Huh. Then again, Farina could prove guarded - clearly, there remained yet a lot the marquess did not know about the former mercenary. 

At her comment on his appearance, Hector grimaced, and went to run a hand through his hair - and grimaced more, his regret instantaneous. “Eugh… Can’t say I was havin’ the time of my life, no.”

But he’d not have to worry about that anymore, not for the time being. Farina had got their attention now with the food, and the kiddos seemed content. Carefully, Hector kept his brush moving, trying to distract them as little as possible while he went about his own goal.

Until he had reason to pause, shocked as he was.

“What?! He doesn’t even really listen to you?”

He frowned, stood tall, one hand on his hip.

“I can take ‘im. Let me at ‘im. I’ll straighten your boy out, I will.”

Oh, Hector, no.

♠ - Oh, she'd heard about that incident. She wasn't there, of course. She'd joined way too late to witness it but she'd heard of it and it had sounded hilarious. Poor, timid, little Florina...really didn't know she had it in her! "Yeah, well, Florina's always had her ways. She was always the best of us at handling pegasi." Her voice sounded wistful, almost nostalgic at first but then quickly grew agitated as she waved her hands wildly. "But, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not Florina!"

Really now, he's met all three of them. He should know how different they all were. How could he even mess that up? No, no, putting that aside, the little ones definitely needed feeding...and he seemed to be wanting an explaining.

He didn't seemed particularly impressed at her explanation, though, drawing a sticking point at 'I think', as if he thought she wasn't that sure of what she'd just explained. Which, alright, he kinda had a point on - she was never the most attentive of students and had a tendency to just wander off - but, c'mon, at least she knew more than he did. "Hey! Not everyone in Ilia was involved in raising pegasi, you know! We've got your usuals too - blacksmiths, cooks, farmers, so on." This was a slight wince as she mentioned the last - poor sods doomed to farm those icy fields.

Anyway, what was a bit more concerning was his reaction to her admission that Murphy doesn't really listen to her. "You. I. What.", she yelped out, waving her hands wildly and practically tossing her basket of carrots up into the air as the young pegasi swarmed around them, eager to catch the falling carrots with their teeth as they fell. "No, really. Don't. Unless you wanna get sat on by another pegasus again?" Seriously, as big as he was, what even was his chances against an animal just as tall as he is and about three times as long?