abraxaslogs | [ OPEN ] hide your love, don't be shy

Entry tags:

[ OPEN ] hide your love, don't be shy

Who: Claude and you!
When: all throughout August and September
Where: Cadens (pre-Nocwich), the Horizon (any time), and Libertas (post-Nocwich)
What: Catch all for both months
Warnings: For anything referencing Libertas: death, violence, and war

( Open and closed starters in the comments! Also good with prose or brackets and if you'd like to plot something more specific, you can find me at

indech, arboria#1862, or by PM at any time. )

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a. at claude's

[ Despite being rather secretive when asked any deeper than surface level questions about himself, the doors to Claude's domain are always open. If someone chooses to cross the canal out front by boat, one will be waiting for with oars that are easy and effortless to use. They'll get you across the water in no time, and even better: they won't cause the boat to go in useless circles. (He has, perhaps, had that experience while using real oars and decided to spare anyone else from it.)

Whether Claude is there or not, a baby white wyvern will likely be perched on a tree in the first courtyard that greets everyone and might just give them any new faces a side eye. She'll let anyone in no matter what - and isn't likely to bite - but she certainly won't say no to a snack if a visitor is feeling generous enough to offer one. If Claude arrives later, she'll give a trill to announce someone is waiting.

The much larger courtyard has more to offer. There's chairs and couches for relaxing on or to get comfortable while chatting, and shelves full of books on all topics from Fodlan. Guests can take one with them to read later or even leave a book of their own for Claude to browse. Chess and backgammon boards are also set up here and there and if someone is unfamiliar with one or both, Claude's happy to provide a lesson and will even throw in his favorite strategies for both. If someone has a favorite board game from back home, he'd also love to learn how to play. There's also a weapons rack stocked with swords, axes, and bows and various targets if that's more a visitor's speed, and they're all weapons he knows how to use for impromptu training sessions.

If he's there reading or simply finds he's not alone there upon arriving himself, that smile in greeting will be quite genuine since he enjoys entertaining guests and getting to know someone new or an acquaintance that much more. Don't be shy! ]

b. or yours

[ When in the Horizon but not at his own domain, Claude's out investigating what others have built since each domain is a source of fascination to him.

The paths between each one are walked in turn to help him get a better idea of where each one stands or notice new details on those he's strolled past before on these trips. If someone is out walking doing the same, he'll keep them company or possibly point them in the direction of where they're trying to go if not sure.

When he stops at a domain most of his admiration will be done from the outside, if there's no clear way in or if it seems the owner isn't present, so he might be found simply studying the grounds, the structure, whatever's there. He might wander in if it looks welcoming enough just to see what's going on inside. As long as it's clear he's not trespassing in some way, Claude's happy to stay and chat for a while if noticed. He may come with a brightly flowering potted plant that grows in the courtyard of his own domain as a gift for wherever he's visiting, but no pressure in accepting it. ]

Edited 2022-08-12 14:16 (UTC)

[ Much like the Horizon, Claude's here, there, and everywhere around Cadens these days.

Most mornings he's helping merchants balance their books, organizing inventories, or running errands as they request. If he finishes those jobs earlier than planned, then in the afternoons and early evenings he'll be browsing the libraries and museums. In the libraries Claude usually has books on about every topic possible around him, and whether he'll be reading casually in an armchair or jotting notes down at a table that day is anyone's guess. At the museums he tends to browse the exhibits and attend lectures here and there. One might guess it looks like he's gathering information either place, and they'd be right.

When evening rolls around, he's either at a tavern or at Mag's Inn. Probably also in the tavern section when at the inn, where he's still picking up the occasional shift here and there to help out as Mag needs though he's stepped back from that to give their newest arrivals something to do. When he isn't, though, he'll be at a table playing cards, reading, or enjoying some tea. Ale might indicate it was a hard day, but he's never opposed to company. There's always an extra seat or two left there anyone's welcome to slide into whether Claude's met them or not.

Some nights when it's cooler, he's also still out wandering the city. The streets are more familiar now thanks to many nights of doing this, and the circuits he makes around them change night by night but are still pretty reliable without being totally predictable. Where there's musicians performing he'll stop to listen, might head through a market to check out what's for sale, and has been looking for more clothes to expand his wardrobe a little further after the visits to Libertas. He's still adjusting to Abraxas fashion coming from Medieval Times and mostly wears simple trousers, a plain white shirt, and brightly patterned scarves wound around his waist as a sash at this point, so any advice is welcome here. ]

Edited 2022-09-12 21:52 (UTC)

You'll keep all your memories this time, I swear. [ It's not the first time he's said as much - maybe more like the third, if he's counting accurately - but it feels important to underscore that it's not the same experience as the last trip they made in together. ] Not only that, but you'll remember what you did the last time you were in there. Like what you worked on, if you met anyone, whatever else.

[ They're seated on the floor of the sitting area since it's easier for three people to fit there than scattered about in different chairs or in different rooms. At least in Claude's logic, anyway, and even if they aren't required to be touching this time now that Petra and Sylvain can visit the Horizon as they please. Still, it's a nice little echo back to their introductory trip in. He's keeping it this way too even if it is absolutely a rare bit of sentimentality he's expecting to be called out on.

In the meantime, he glances from one to the other. ]

I tend to show up in my domain first whenever I go in, but I don't really know if that's the case for everyone or if you can treat it like Warp where you point to a spot and say, go there and you do. Or however it works, I've never actually asked Lysithea how she does that since she's only used it on me when I've annoyed her too much.

Anyway, I figured mine would be a good place to start just so I can figure out where yours are relative to it. If you get lost, just look for something that looks like Derdriu. [ A pause where his mind plays that back to himself with a note only one of them would know that that means, and he looks to Sylvain next with a wave of one hand. ] Lots of canals that look more like rivers that serve as the roads, houses right up on them. I'm pretty sure it's the only one like it around but if you wander in somewhere else then I wanna know all about it.

Edited 2022-08-14 00:05 (UTC)

[Wilhelm thinks of his domain as his sanctuary, a rare thing that belongs only to him, that can't be touched by anyone else unless invited. Well, surprise visitors have wandered in a few times, but he'd made his little corner of the Horizon hard to find on purpose, tucked away among trees and bluffs. For this reason, projecting his desire for privacy onto everyone else, he hasn't explored much of the landscape shaped by the whims and wishes of the Summoned. The combination of curiosity and boredom, though, draws him out eventually.

It's the rowboat that catches his attention. Waiting untethered in the canal, it feels like an unspoken invitation. After a moment's debate, he climbs in — better to ask for forgiveness than permission. The heft of the oars is familiar in his hands, though the size and shape of the boat itself is different from what he's used to. It wouldn't win any races, that's for sure. He's also used to sharing the burden with three other rowers, but as he dips the oars into the water he discovers that the boat glides with unexpected ease.

The smooth sailing ends, both literally and figuratively, when he steps out into the courtyard and finds himself getting stink-eyed by...what looks like a baby dragon.]

Um...I come in peace?

[Even if he didn't have his hands raised to his chest in the universal placative sign of I'm not going to hurt you, Wilhelm wouldn't look like much of a threat.]

[ Though he's in and out most days, today Claude happens to be reading further inside. Or, well, reading in the technical sense; given that there's parchment papers scattered around the stacks of books next to him and a quill that remains inked (thanks, Horizon) in one hand it's more accurate to say he's reviewing some research left undone by coming here. When there's a sudden chirp he's learned means visitors imminent he closes the book with a handily conjured up bookmark to save his spot in it for later, stands up and dusts off his coat and trousers, and heads to see who it might be.

As Claude steps out from the inner courtyard there's only a slight flicker of surprise from him someone is already standing there, but there's absolutely no surprise about the glare from the wyvern perching on what seems to be her designated lookout spot as he glances to her. ]

You're a very poor welcoming committee, you know. One might even think you don't even like people based on your behavior.

[ This is said with great cheer towards the wyvern who looks deeply unaffected by this proclamation and simply ruffles her wings a bit in acknowledgement. With a roll of his eyes - given that her behavior here is so much like what deals with daily from her real-life much larger counterpart; thanks, memories - he turns to the young man she was lightly menacing and appraises him for a few seconds with a smile. ]

I don't believe we've met before, but it's nice to see new faces around here. I trust the boat is still working well, then? I'd made some changes to it recently and was hoping that'd be the case, but you're the first to test it out.

[ Sylvain stretches, looking pretty relaxed beside the other two in the strange little triangle they'd formed. His grin is easy and a hint sardonic as he listens to Claude try to reassure them for... is this the third time now or the fourth? It's oddly endearing, especially when he's not entirely certain what Claude's so nervous about in the first place. ]

Don't worry so much, I'm sure it will be fine. We'll figure it out. And maybe if we're lucky, we won't be far anyway. I mean, you did drop us in there all together last time, right? We just have to meditate and poof! With our memories intact this time, I'm sure we'll be able to get our bearings in no time.

Besides. [ He tips his head towards Petra with a wink, teasing her. ] I'm not sure she knows how to get lost. Can't she just ask a squirrel for directions or something?

( she's said it once, to someone, though she isn't entirely sure she believed it at the time: that the places in the horizon feel more like safety than being in the welcome confines of solvunn's territory, as though it's a place where she can get lost or hide away, a place where she doesn't have to show her best face if she doesn't want to. wandering through domains, finding little pockets of interest or beautiful sceneries encouraged by the memories of the owner? it's like traveling without having to really go anywhere at all, and it sates her vivacious curiosity in some ways, as though it allows her to do things without worrying about putting herself, or anyone else, in danger. this domain that she's found, in particular, looks lush and beautiful, almost like a city in and of itself--it's so different from her own domain that she's drawn to it in the same way that the skies of midgar draw her in, terrifying but somehow beautiful in the same way.

getting to the double doors isn't difficult, but it does take some time--when she finally works her way through, walking carefully in her muddied boots as though she's worried about tracking dirt through the walkways, her eyes are drawn upward; at first, she thinks that the creature there, perched on a tree, might be some sort of warning device, the sort of animal that will immediately screech and squawk and duck down to attack any intruders. she stares at it, brows knitted together, as though they're both locked into a staring match--but it's the little dragon-like creature that yelps first, a melodic sort of trill as it edges down to a lower branch, and aerith laughs, bright and pleased. a friend, then, which is precisely what she wanted: standing up on her toes, she stretches one arm towards the creature, urging it down another branch as it tentatively sticks its neck out. )

Are you hungry? ( there's no one else that she can see to talk to but the creature, so she does--her lips press together, thoughtful, though it doesn't look like there's much to give it, and after all, what might she give it? does it eat meat? fruit? flowers? apologetically, she runs her fingertips down the neck of the creature. ) I'm sorry, I'll find something...

( what she finds, instead, is the beautiful courtyard, her eyes taking in all the details as she stands there, trying to read the spines of the books on the shelves from a distance. there are places to sit and read, she figures, as well as places to lounge, and: there's some sort of curious board game set up on a table, which draws her attention as she approaches. the board is checkered, and the pieces look to be done up in the style of...well, she can't quite tell. curious, she picks up a pawn piece, twisting it in her fingertips.

the creature, back at the doors, lets out a trill of announcement: aerith doesn't know what it means, but she figures it might mean the owner of this place is back; hurriedly, she sets the piece back on the board, but her knee knocks into it, and a few of the pieces topple over, falling to the ground--she quickly crouches, her dress fluffing over her legs, desperate to scramble up the pieces so that she can put them back where they belong. )

[Petra laughs warmly, her hands both resting atop her knees as she sits cross-legged to make up her side of their little triangle. The first visit had been unsettling, at least once they had left and she had remembered enough to be upsetting, but Claude's reassurance had done a great deal to aid. This time, the prospect of entering is all the more exciting for it— she's curious to know what she had gotten herself up to the last time. Memories or no memories, she is absolutely the type to explore given the opportunity.]

It only counts as getting lost if you are willing to be giving up, anyway. Otherwise, it is just finding a new path!

[She tries to shoot Sylvain a rueful look regarding the squirrel comment, but she's too tickled by it and can only smile instead.]

You would do well to pay attention to what animals are having to offer. Squirrels are not very good for directions, however. It is better to ask rabbits.

[She turns her attention to Claude, drawing in a sharp, cleansing breath.]

I am being ready whenever you two are.

Are you saying you created squirrels in there just because you could?

[ Aimed at Sylvain since... are they about to walk into some kind of squirrel calamity? All he can picture is all the many cats roaming around Garreg Mach but replaced with animals that generally aren't content to just roll around in the sun for their own entertainment. It's the Horizon and anything's possible, and though he's trying to look like that's a concerning proposition it's mostly just amusement, especially when Petra adds rabbits are a better option and even he has to laugh at that. ]

And here I would've thought the best option would be birds. I'll have you both know I'm also keeping back an Alois-level joke about birds to go along with that, so, you're welcome.

[ Claude stretches both arms overhead for a minute like it'll prevent him from getting too stiff during their trip in, then rests his hands on his knees and shuts his eyes. ]

Off we go, then.

[ Easy enough, right? One last slow inhale, and on the exhale the switchover to the Horizon happens. He opens his eyes to find himself standing on the ledge running alongside the canal as usual and turns his face up towards the faux sun briefly. No bird needed, it turns out, as his wyvern chirps from behind him and with a smile he holds out a gloved arm for her to perch on. That's one way of locating Sylvain and Petra, if needed. ]

What, are you saying you didn't? [ Sylvain's just grinning, taking the banter easily. But he does pretend for a moment to give Petra's suggestion some serious thought. ] Nah, rabbits are too shy. I think I'd have much better luck with the squirrels.

[ Antsy to get on with this himself, Sylvain closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, focusing on the meditation Claude had shown them last time when they first left for Horizon. It feels like it comes a little easier this time, even though it's strange to be doing this by himself.

There's a moment of dizziness and then he opens his eyes to... a lush field of green, a familiar stable set nearby, although it faces away from him for the moment towards... ]

Well, I'll be damned.

[ He supposes he shouldn't be surprised to see the looming shape of the Monastery beyond that, but he still sort of is. He pauses, glancing around but there's no one else in sight beyond the paddock he's currently standing in, just a thick lush forest somewhere beyond the far fence. ]

[ The Horizon provides endless fascination to Claude as well, what with all of the ways to see things he could never have imagined might exist even in his dreams of what might come to be someday in Fodlan if technology was allowed to expand. On this day in particular he's returning from roaming a new section he hasn't yet studied in depth and is lost in thought as he opens the doors to his own domain upon return, intent on jotting some notes down into a journal he's created for just that case. Something to occupy his mind while he's here, mostly; another habit of not being able to let go of always searching for information when and where he can find it.

The wyvern greets him with a noise he's come to recognize, and he reaches up to pat her taloned foot as he passes in acceptance of the alert. Even though her job is done, there's a telltale tiny rush of air behind him when she takes flight to follow him into the courtyard. And there Claude comes across a woman he doesn't know, at least not from not being able to see her face as she straightens up one of the games of chess sitting about waiting for a player or two. It's the sort of thing he'd hoped would happen by leaving the doors to his domain open for anyone to stop by, so curiosity draws him in to head her direction and hopefully not startle her in the process. ]

Have I arrived too late and already lost the game? That's unfortunate. For me, anyway.

[ A joke, kind of, regarding the chessboard being reset with the pieces all moved back into their places like after a successful (for one of them) game or so he's assuming from a distance. As Claude approaches though he can see that's not quite true, though she's made a very valiant effort to put each back where they belong. A slight hm escapes him since that's likely kinder than chuckling as he's tempted to do - and though the noise likely betrays his amusement all the same. ]

If you'd be interested in learning to play I'd be happy to teach you the ins and outs of it all. Not necessarily right now, of course, since it's supposed to be for fun but being put on the spot tends to be anything but.

And - [ with a short pause, to address what feels like the other obvious thing here - ] I don't believe we've met before, unless my memory's failed me?

( she imagines that this person, whoever they are, must be the lucky owner of this abode--which means that it's his game she just messed up, quickly jerking herself up to her feet as her fingertips drop a piece here and there, pushing them hastily back onto the board. no, it's not a game that she's familiar with, but she imagines there has to be some sort of 'undo' button for it all, like a way to start the game over with all the pieces back where they belong.

her head whips, from him to the board, and she tilts her head at it, thoughtfully. )

...Well, the joke's on you, actually. ( when she looks back over at him, it's with a wry, amused sort of smile, like she's making a show out of knowledge they both likely know she doesn't have. ) I know how to play this game really well. I'm a pro white...piecer...

( or whatever this game is called. with a smile, she gestures to one of the seats. his seats. is she really inviting him to take a seat in his own little piece of horizon? yes, she is. )

Let's play a round. I'll tell you my name if you can win one of my pieces.

( and, with a quick, nervous sort of swallow, she takes a seat on the chair opposite the one she indicated for him. it's not that she's particularly worried about the game, but: this man looks to be someone a little more done up than just a regular citizen, or maybe it's just the effect of his clothes. she looks the same as always, plain and normal; honestly, she prefers it that way. )

Can we change the colors? Of the pieces, I mean, before we play. They're a bit dull.

[It's not that he was forming an image in his mind of the person responsible for this wedge of the Horizon, but when Claude appears in the courtyard, he's pretty much what Wilhelm would expect the owner of a pet dragon to look like. He feels...if not underdressed, then at least conscious of how his hoodie and shorts are woefully out of place. Now that he's reasonably sure that the creature isn't going to fly down and snap at him, he lowers the shield of his hands. But every now and then his glance slides back to where it perches.]

Yeah, it was really easy to work. [He shoves his hand through his hair, crosses his arms over his chest.] I'm Wilhelm, by the way. Sorry for intruding.

[The man doesn't seem to mind his unannounced and uninvited visit, but he offers the apology for good measure.]

I, uh...haven't been out on the water since I got here, so I just got curious when I saw the boat.

[ 'Pro white piecer' makes it rather difficult to restrain a smile which he's doing lest she think it's at her expense, but the gesture for him to be seated following that makes it impossible to hold back. ]

Chess is the usual name for the game, and I can't say I've ever heard pro piecer before but I'm betting it'll take over as a new name for it very soon. [ So much for not teasing her about it a small bit, though he's certain to keep his tone light, all geniality. Still, he'll take the invitation and sit down just in time for yet another surprise. The offer to learn her name in exchange for winning one of the pieces has Claude studying her carefully, unable to keep himself from wondering if she does secretly know how to play chess after all. If not, the tiniest bluff he's been given is one he can also respect. ] And that's quite the wager to go with it. It's hard not to like someone who has that level of confidence in their skills.

As for the colors...

[ Claude trails off and looks down at the standard squares with pieces to match and studies in thought. The pieces aren't back where they belong, not really, though it was a fairly good attempt to straighten them up. And really, she has a point that the pieces are far from exciting to look at. Claude reaches to tap a knight with one finger, transforming the black stone of it and all the other pieces to a dark blue one shot through here and there with lighter and darker blues not unlike agate. At the same time, the pieces out of place slide across the board back to their beginning stations.

Afterwards, he raises an eyebrow while surveying his work. The board does look better now. ]

You're right, they were a little dull before. I have to admit I sometimes miss being able to do things like that outside of the Horizon, but it's probably for the best I can't change things at random. You choose which color you'd like to change the others to for your use.

[ At the apology, Claude merely waves a hand in both acceptance and to politely brush it off as not needed. Or at the very least, hopefully to put Wilhelm at ease since the way he folds in himself just a bit during that introduction reminds him just a bit of Marianne and her shyness. ]

It's hardly intruding if I leave the docks unlocked, right? I can't say I haven't stepped into a few domains here and there myself under those same rules. But it's nice to meet you, Wilhelm. I'm Claude. And for the record - just in case it wasn't already clear - you're welcome to stop by whenever you'd like.

[ It takes him a second to process the rest of what was said, mostly because he wouldn't have guessed the teen is a sailor. In the most literal, medieval sense of the word, of course. ]

Are you a sailor, then? The city where I used to live was a popular port so we often had ships going in and out but the boat you arrived here in was used more for getting around the canals running through said city.

It's been a bit since I've walked where the canal outside of here leads, but it does connect with the domains of two of my friends if you haven't met them yet already. If you'd like to take the boat along it further than that sometime you're certainly welcome to do that as well, so long as you return to tell me where it leads past there since I haven't figured that out for myself just yet.

[ As he talks, there's another distinct rustling of wyvern wings from the perch above and in what's clearly a long practiced routine thanks also to those memories Claude extends an arm for her to sidle down on as her new perch. She does not, fortunately, take this opportunity of being closer to menace Wilhelm further. (On the contrary, her pointed gaze is now hoping for snacks she's learned to plead for from visitors, but Claude isn't going to indulge her in this.) ]

[For a moment, Petra considers continuing on with the teasing— but once they have shifted, any such jests die on her lips. She, too, finds herself alone, but her surroundings are all too familiar, open and lush and green, beautifully warm and full of more trees than even she could ever imagine climbing. There is nothing manmade in sight, not until she turns— and somewhere along the horizon, she sees the outline of what looks like the faint skyline of a port town.

How their domains are connected, she does not know, but while she did not remember what she had done in this place following her previous visit, coming here now sets her heart at ease. It looks, feels, smells like home, and she approaches the nearest tree to pluck a bright, ripe fruit from one of its lowest branches, then pauses only for a moment before picking two more. She's to be seeking out her friends, after all.

Fruit in hand, she begins to make her way towards what she can only assume is Derdriu, though her pace is steady and even, intent on enjoying the scenery.

It has been far, far too long since she had been in Brigid for any length of time, and she does not want to rush it.]

[ Claude waits for a few minutes, but no one appears. At least that's not totally unexpected what with how arriving in the Horizon works but it does mean added exploring his on his horizon (in more ways than one). ]

We might be on our own here. What do you think? [ Said to the wyvern, who merely shuffles her wings a bit in what he's always considered a shrug from her real life counterpart. ] Well, no time like the present, or whatever the saying is.

[ Either way, time to locate his friends. That idea about having the wyvern scout comes to mind again so he lifts his arm to send her out soaring and in the meantime, Claude wanders down the canal. Maybe it'll still connect to a river from someone else's domain, maybe it won't, but it feels like his best option.

Before long, the wyvern returns with a strip of greenery in his mouth and when he retrieves it, he recognizes it as some of the ivy that used to grow on Garreg Mach's walls. That's certainly a positive sign, can really only be one of two people, given that he didn't create the monastery himself, so Claude lets the wyvern lead the way in what ends up being towards Sylvain standing in a paddock. ]

Huh, I guess this answers my question of who was responsible. [ Called out with a wave of the ivy still in his hands as he approaches, opting to hop the short fence just like he had many times as a student. Now it's Claude's turn to turn in place to take it all in - the stables, the greenery, the forest he remembers, the monastery looming above - before casting a glance Sylvain's direction. ] Nice to see it again without any of the... you know.

[ Damage. So much damage. ]

[ Sylvain's head comes up at the sound of the familiar voice and he glances over his shoulder in time to see Claude hop the fence. He catches sight of a shadow and glances up against the sunlight to spot the shape of a small wyvern circling overhead. It makes a fond smile quirk about his lips as he watches the familiar shape - he hadn't realized how much he was already missing the familiarity of home until just now. Being in Cadens was both exciting and frustrating - for a variety of different reasons - but there was certainly something comforting in being surrounded by the familiar once more.

He waits as Claude takes it all in before nodding and agreeing, his hands propped on his hips. ]

Yeah, it... hasn't looked this good in years. We worked on it a little before we left to meet up with Rodrigue, but even then... [ He grimaces, because the damage had been extensive. There were parts of the Monastary that were still inhabitable, but many places had collapsed or had the roof caved in. Or just the damage from being neglected and uninhabited for five years. ]

This place is crazy. It even smells like I remember it. I didn't even realize that was a thing I could miss.

( it's not that she's suspicious of him, but more that there's a curiosity for his relatively pleasant, easy-going behavior that has her gaze focused on him as he sits down. he moves like someone who is used to a battlefield, or perhaps a ballroom: someone that knows the precise ways to move their body, someone who is used to standing tall or walking tall or maybe just being tall in general. of course, compared to her, anyone is quite high in stature, but: combined with his clothes, she feels like she's starting to piece together a story for this stranger.

the distraction comes with the way he touches the board--and it shouldn't be a surprise, just as it shouldn't be anything particularly flashy, but her hands lift from the lap of her dress, pressing her palms together like it's something to marvel over. the pieces on his side flood with a beautiful blue, sliding around the squares on the board; it turns out she hadn't gotten them all back to where they belonged, but that doesn't seem to matter. ) How gorgeous...!

( what sort of color is it? the color of the deep ocean, perhaps, or a shimmering gemstone, hidden in the dust--it doesn't make her think of the sky, or the terrifying color of it, or even the blue-green shimmer of mako in the irises of those that she loved once. )

For me, then... ( carefully, her fingers pluck at one of the pieces from the corner of the board: it looks like the top of a castle, perhaps, like a tower illustrated from a storybook about princesses and terrible magicians, and as she touches it, the white flickers through with pale pink striping, curling around the piece like a ribbon. when she sets it back down on the board, the rest of her pieces follow suit; they look like candy, all wrapped up neatly in the same pink of the bow in her hair. ) Perfect! This should be fine.

( amused, her gaze flickers up to the stranger--with one hand, she gestures across the board, both casual and playful. )

I think I'll let you start. I don't want to be too much of a pro and scare you, and it's kinder for the guest to let their host take the lead. ( there's a faint smile, in case it isn't obvious that her confidence, while strong, is gentle in nature, not the sort that will get upset about being proven wrong. )

[ As she picks up a piece and considers it, or maybe her options of what can be done now that the colors on the board are changing to anything but the standard ones, Claude uses it as a chance to study her as well. Her actions read as self-assurance, from sitting down to a game he's still not wholly sure she knows how to play to the (sort of) challenge that he won't get to learn her name without winning a piece first. Whether it's real or not is yet to be seen; then again, with the general range of emotions he tends to switch through as needed, it's not like he has any room to talk.

The pieces changing over to be striped through to match a color she wears is fitting, and Claude spares a brief glance towards the ribbon in question before meeting her gaze once more. Now he can't help but raise an eyebrow whether this is a planned strategy or not. Perhaps he's just leaning too much on what he knows when it comes to figuring someone else out. ]

It is, is it? Someone once told me there's value in not making the first move. Better to not let your opponents see your plans right away, and all that. [ Or 'someone' is Claude. It's almost definitely him who said that and in reference to some of his own plans. ] You're proving your pro status with each tactic.

[ He contemplates the board then with a slight half-smile, running through a list of common strategies it's been too long since he's had a chance to use without anyone to play. Though this likely won't end up being the strictest to the letter game of chess he's ever played, Claude finds he's looking forward to that, to something decidedly different. At the end of his few seconds of pondering, he reaches to nudge a pawn forward and leans an elbow on the arm of his chair to wait for her move. ]

We've covered that I'll have to pass a test before I get to learn your name, but do I get to learn which faction you're from before then or will that be worth something else?

[ Not that he minds if it's the latter. They've got nothing but time on their hands, after all. ]

[As Petra grows closer to what looks like the skyline of Derdriu, the path branches, and now she can see something else familiar beyond the lush trees of home— the towers and ivy of the monastery, a place that she had come to consider home in its own right, largely in thanks to the people there.

She pauses at the fork— Claude had mentioned to look for Derdriu if they got lost, but it has been too long since she has seen Garreg Mach as it ought to be, before it had become a war camp, and nostalgia tugs her heart away from the port town and towards the monastery itself. If Claude was responsible for Derdriu, then Sylvain had to be responsible for this place.

The transition between them is almost seamless. The humid warmth of Brigid's forests ebbs away as she emerges from the treeline and finds herself in the milder weather she remembered from Fodlan. Though it's a brief distance to the main hall of the monastery, she does spot something familiar as she leaves the forest behind— the stables are a welcome sight, as are the two young men standing within their bounds. She takes off at a run to cover distance more quickly, holding an arm up to wave as she makes her way towards them.]

Claude! Sylvain!

[ That grimace says it all, doesn't it? Claude finds his gaze going back to the sprawling buildings, ones now without rubble littering the walkways, broken stained glass, scaffolding set up but with no progress done at all. Odd how this is Sylvain's memory, ostensibly, and yet it aligns with so much of his own before the world as they know it imploded. And in different ways, he's reminded, thanks to that mention of Rodrigue.

He's got a question about that since Sylvain decided to mention something Claude doesn't know at the other's own peril - Sylvain should know better, as if there's ever going to be a chance where he doesn't take advantage of that. Fortunately, the redhead is spared by the call of another voice familiar to them. He turns to see Petra approaching and raises a hand in greeting. ]

So you were drawn in by Garreg Mach too, were you? I guess now we know which place ranks higher than any of the others for us.

[ That's called out to Petra as she comes closer though it applies to them both. Or all of them, this nice reminder of what the monastery looked like in better days. Sylvain's recreation of it is, at this point, better than the real version. ]

I'm not sure I'll ever recover from you guys deciding to ditch Derdriu in favor of this. But I'll get over it somehow. Someday.

[ More like in five minutes or less. Claude glances back towards the direction he'd arrived from and then looks back at Petra's route, and raises both of his eyebrows. ]

I take it all of our domains aren't too far from each other's?

[He opens his mouth to correct Claude's faulty assumption, but the guy keeps talking, and he doesn't want to interrupt. Nodding to show that he's still listening, he takes the opportunity to glance around the courtyard. The leathery shifting of wings pulls his attention back to the wyvern as it settles onto Claude's arm. After a short-lived staring contest with the creature, he clears his throat.]

Oh, I'm just on my school's rowing team. So...not actually a sailor.

[Based on the whole dragon-tamer, daring-adventures vibe the man exudes, Wilhelm assumes that the concept of organized sports is lost on him. So, with a little shrug, he clarifies further:]

It's just for fun.

[Half of the reason he joined, he can admit to himself, may have been to have an excuse to spend more time with a certain boy. He was further motivated by the fact that August would have somehow found a way to be twice as annoying if he didn't join, and the fact that his brother had rowed in his school days. But he did like it too, the dependable rhythm of the oars and the feeling of flying across the water.]

[ The assumption of organized sports being beyond Claude's current knowledge of the world - not just his, but what he's learned from others, too - is a valid one. Especially because when Wilhelm explains the sailing isn't for a profession, that it's meant for fun, that stops Claude in his rambling enough to blink a couple times. Purely out of curiosity, though he's quick to give his own clarification that it's nothing more than that. ]

Well. Maybe you're not the type of sailor I'm familiar with but I'd say you still count as one, wouldn't you?

[ That not quite a question, not quite a comment's offered with a smile since really, he does mean it. Partially because he's having trouble imagining someone rowing for fun given the ships - or even small boats that'd be more likely to require it - he's familiar with, but. It's far from the biggest difference he's heard between what he knows from home and what someone else's is like. ]

Oh, and we don't have to stay out here. C'mon in, there's more to this place than just this room alone. [ With one shrug of his arm the wyvern takes flight like she's going to lead the way or perhaps just go off for a flight around the Horizon as a whole in search of someone else she knows. Claude follows that up with an additional c'mon wave of his hand before turning to lead the way into the domain. ] And I'd like to hear more about where you're from. Assuming you don't mind sharing, that is, and if so you're welcome to tell me to mind my own business then or at any time, really.

[So, what he knows about Claude so far is that the man loves to talk. Which is fine, Wilhelm supposes, since one of them has to fill the quiet. He's better suited to nodding along and interjecting when prompted. Like now, when Claude lobs a question his way.]

I guess so.

[He's positive that an actual sailor would have to know a lot more than just how to time his strokes and maneuver the oars in such a way to maximize efficiency. But it's easier to just agree. Go with the flow. Sliding his hands into his pockets, Wilhelm follows Claude through the next doorway.]

It's honestly not that interesting, where I'm from.

[He never knows what to say when people ask about it. When you're thrown together with dozens of people from as many different worlds, it's natural to be curious about the multitude of paths that led everyone here. But his mind just goes blank, and somehow gets blanker the harder he tries to think of something worthwhile to say.

So instead, he diverts the conversation back to Claude and what is, in his mind, a much more interesting topic.]

Did you have a dragon back home?

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[ OPEN ] hide your love, don't be shy

horizon — open

cadens, before nocwich — open

— petra + sylvain

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