[CLOSED] we're not not in nott

[subhuman]

Who: Dante & Thancred
When: Late May-ish
Where: Nott
What: Sewing some seedy spells (May Quest)
Warnings: Just guys being dudes

[ Doing a good deed should be a reward in and of itself, but from what Dante can tell about the spiel they were given, Nott seemed to be doing this whole little display just fine on its own. This is definitely a political stunt of sorts, and a heavy-handed one at that, especially given the fact that the royal family themselves is making an appearance.

But...a ticket to ride is what it is. Say a few nice words to a couple of people and it's basically a free vacation to another part of the kingdom, right?

Thancred, as it turns out, is pretty familiar with the settlement. Dante slaps his companion on the back as they make their way through the town. ]

I'm sure you're rearing to play tour guide. Let's say we get the assignment over and done with and be out of their hair before you can say, "pandering to the elite", hm?

Comments

[funbreaker]

[ With the King and Queen making such a show of sending the Summoned out to Nott to help with their crop yields, "political stunt" is certainly the right term for all of this. It goes to show why some people in Nott are wary of the Summoned at this point, if they view them as little more than the Castle's lapdogs.

That isn't Thancred's intention in coming here, nor does he want to be associated with the more formal part of this display that will be taking place in the town square. Which is why as soon as they're left to their own devices, he makes to leave down and head out to some of the surrounding farmsteads where he might actually be of some use.

Dante is right on his heels, however, though Thancred doesn't necessarily mind the extra pair of hands. Especially not from someone who looks like he can haul supplies around with ease, or perhaps even put some elbow grease into cleaning a stable. ]

The last thing I want is for the people here to think I have anything to do with what the King and Queen are up to. Though I should tell you now that I won't be able to perform the enchantment. Mayhap you can take that on?

[ He recalls Dante telling him he's not much of a magick wielder either. Still, he assumes he isn't actually physically incapable in that area. ]

[subhuman]

[ Dante drops his hand from Thancred's back and pulls a little slip of paper out from some dubious place it's been tucked away in his shirt. It's haphazardly folded, but with a surprisingly neat script of the incantation the mages made sure was properly jotted down. ]

I've been known to recite a bit of poetry in my time.

[ Not more so than Vergil, of course, but he thinks he gives a much better performance. Which may get them booed but hey, community service is often thankless. ]

Maybe you can add an extra "abracadabra" at the end just to really make it feel like a team effort.

[funbreaker]

[ Is that truly all it will take? Reciting an incantation? Thancred's rather skeptical, as this strikes him as the sort of thing that only an accomplished mage could manage back home, but he knows the rules around magick are quite different here.

What's the worst that could happen? Well, probably something quite catastrophic, but he'll ensure that there are no other people close at hand when Dante performs the recitation. ]

Abraca— what was that?

[ For all that Thancred is from a world where manipulating aether is rather commonplace, what Dante just said sailed right over his head. ]

[subhuman]

[ That's all Dante takes of it. It's not like he's particularly wanting for, erm, extra abilities. But he sees no use for his own natural talents here, thankfully. He'll recite a little poem or whatever it makes people happy for now and gets him out of the castle. ]

The magic word, my friend! "Abracadabra"--a go-to if you're not sure what else to say to end your incantation.

[ Who is the wizard here? Dante is the wizard here. ]

And look! Just in time, we have some disgruntled locals up ahead.

[ Understandably disgruntled. They're watching some Summoned here as envoys of the royal family walking towards their home. ]

I'll give you the honors of introducing us.

[funbreaker]

[ A flourish of sorts, then? Thancred can't be all that surprised that the means of spell-casting differs from place to place, though he also feels as if he must take anything that Dante tells him with a grain of salt.

However, that's neither here nor there. He's somewhat relieved when Dante decides to leave the talking to him, and after nodding to his partner, strides up to the two farmers who've decided to await them outside their homestead. They're not quite carrying pitchforks and the like, but they don't look terribly pleased either.

With no further ado, Thancred steps up to them and starts with a half-bow of greeting, his hand placed against his heart. ]

Thank you for the welcome. My friend and I are both Summoned from Castle Thorne, yes, but I can assure you we are not here on behalf of Queen or King. We will perform the incantation, but I would also like to offer any other manual labor that might be of help to you and your farm.

[ If Thancred has learned anything, it's that if you go looking for a sidequest, you will find one. ]

I think you can gather that we are both more than up for the task.

[ Translation: they're swole. ]

[subhuman]

[ Dante can definitely put on a show of customer service, but Thancred has a more genuine nature about him. The two can shoot the shit just fine...maybe it's just that Thancred's a lot more honest about his desire to help people. Something even an old man like Dante could learn from.

He mimics the bow and mostly stays silent, though he does do a little flex beside Thancred at the mention of manual labor. ]

We've a lengthy resume of walking grand distances and moving heavy objects. When you hire us--probono, of course--you're hiring two guys with the strength of our backs and our bonds.

[ This is why Dante shouldn't do the talking.

The farmers seem dubious at best, but at least it seems clear that they're not exactly here to spread propaganda. ]

"...There are some barrels that need to be moved into the barn."

[funbreaker]

[ The strengths of their backs and their bonds? As it turns out, that's not so inaccurate, although Thancred doesn't know much about Dante's bonds in particular. He's aware there's some connection between him and Nero from Solvunn, something that he suspects runs deeper than either of them would want to admit. That, and Dante had worried for Mat's safety during the abductions. Other than that...?

Thancred sets that aside for now, nodding firmly when one of the farmers comes up with a chore for them to do. It does feel like right now they're merely being humored, but he's more than willing to put truth to what he's promised. ]

Perfect. [ He can even see said barrels clustered off in the distance. ] Before that, however, shall we do the task we came here for...?

[ He looks sidelong toward Dante. The second farmer clears his throat and gestures with one arm. "Sure, right this way." Soon enough they're being led to a crop field with perfectly manicured lines of green.

Thancred watches, arms crossed over his chest, hopeful that nothing will go too wrong here. Dante's one type of magic involves food, so surely this will be fine...? ]

[subhuman]

[ This is marketing, Thancred. As an accomplished failure of a businessman, Dante knows what he's doing. Two Strong Men are a good pitch to anyone looking for manual labor or eye-candy. You just got to go with it.

But in this case the magic is up to him. Luckily for everyone involved, his abilities do go beyond that of making the best pizza you'll find in all of the realm, but also in the realm of entertainment.

He makes quite a show of pulling the incantation on a small scroll out of his pocket. The performance has a Shakespearean flare, punctuated by several dramatic poses that are only missing equally dramatic stage lighting. But for all the flashiness, magics do seem to be weaving above the growing vegetation, so he's not totally talking out of his ass. At the end, lowers into a deep bow. ]

...and we all finish on time!

[ Dante don't put it like that. ]

[funbreaker]

[ Skulking around the castle and searching the forests for a lost horse aside, this is the first time that Thancred has truly gotten to see Dante put some truth to his claims. Not that he's boasted much about his capabilities before this (save when it comes to pizza-making), but Thancred has known for a time that there is more to him than meets the eye. Magic may not be his forte, but he certainly doesn't engage in any half-measure here, instead opting to put on an entire performance as he recites the incantation.

Thancred watches from a distant, vaguely amused, though it's difficult to tell what the farmers make of the display. They're wearing decent poker faces as they observe Dante's nonsense with crossed arms and careful stares.

However, their interest does seem to grow alongside their vegetation. Perhaps it's because of the showiness of Dante's spell-casting, but the corn and pumpkins and other crops are growing rather large. Almost comically so.

Thancred steps closer to one of the fields to confirm for himself. A lot of work will now need to be done in harvesting it all, but... ]

This should certainly help with some of the shortages, wouldn't you say?

[ It's quite the trick. He gestures for Dante to come and take a look as well. ]

it's sad and fitting this is the first ability thancred gets to see

[subhuman]

[ Poker faces are a step above booing, so Dante will gladly take it. The lack of reaction doesn't seem to bother him much it seems, though he straightens and dusts himself off with a pleased smile, casually slipping the little piece of paper back into his coat.

Job well-done, indeed!

When Thancred beckons him over, both Dante and the farmers do come take a look. Dante rubs his stubble and nods. ]

You know what they say about big corn...

[ One of the poker faces starts to slip just a tad. ]

...it's a-maize-ing!

[ Yeah, he's absolutely killing it today. ]

"...Do they say that?"

"I hope not."

it feels right, feels natural

[funbreaker]

[ This time, Thancred can't hold back a laugh at the deadpan reactions from the two farmers at Dante's truly terrible pun. He reaches over to give him a pat on the shoulder out of camaraderie. His odd methods aside, he did get the job done. ]

Regardless of what they say, this does appear to be enough corn to feed a small village. [ Such as Nott. A bit more subtle in the joke department, that. ]

Now, you said something about moving barrels?

[ Having already spotted them, he turns back in that direction. The farmers do seem taken with what Dante did, as they're both distracted admiring the massive crops before one of them realizes he asked a question and clears his throat. ]

"That's right, right over there. If you could move those into the nearby barn, it'd make our day a lot easier."

the bar has been so low for so long and now it's...still there

[subhuman]

[ Vergil won't be cracking these awesome dad jokes any time soon, so it's Dante's job to take up the mantle in his place. Even if it's towards people who aren't his son.

There's another joke brewing, but luckily Thancred directs them towards the little bit of extra labor they're offering. Easy enough for two muscly men like them, right? Right!

Dante salutes the farmer before starting towards the barn, rolling his arms as he stretches them. ]

Not bad for a day's work?

[ It's been like 10 minutes max. ]

I'd say we earned a break after this.