Crimson Paladin

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

"I've been to soirées akin to this before, but nothing quite as high profile as this, and not as an Iron Rose," Fleuri answered, before turning to the table to fill his plate. He assembled an impromptu entrée from the available meat and vegetables, taking his time to make the dish look presentable for what would be a very brief and largely unnoticed existence. Once Fleuri was satisfied with his creation, he turned back to the serpentine knight, plate in hand. "To answer your question, I am enjoying it so far. House Jodeau is no longer a player in the game of intrigue, but we're still considered aristocracy and are thus obligated to keep up appearances, and I am honored to have the opportunity to attend a ball hosted by the monarchy."

All the more reason we must be on our best behavior, Fleuri thought as he briefly glanced over at Tyaethe and Gillian, still arguing with that noble.

Fleuri picked up his glass and took another drink. "And if anyone here disparages you, they're a fool. It is because of the valor of knights like yourself that they, not Phoran Cal and his treacherous cronies, celebrate tonight within the Crown of Thaln. Granted, not everyone who sided with the monarchy did so for unselfish reasons, but they all gained from the efforts of those who took up arms against those traitors."

@FlappyTheSpybot

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

My work here is done, Fleuri concluded as he watched with some satisfaction. With Gerard and Jarde fully engaged in their storytelling, he took a few further steps back and turned around, slipping away from the conversation. He'd probably need to keep an occasional eye on them in case something unexpected came up, but it looked like they had this well in hand.

He took another look at what the other knights were up to. Near the refreshment tables he spotted Tyaethe near Gilliand and the captain, currently in the process of confronting a noble. Fleuri guessed it was some aristocrat who didn't like how the Iron Roses were run or how its captain was chosen. It wasn't an uncommon sentiment, especially after the order transitioned to a secular order in service of the crown, and it wasn't unheard of for even fellow Iron Roses to disagree with the tradition. With Fanilly being as young and new to the station as she was, such opinions would be emboldened for the time being.

It's best I don't get involved in whatever is going on over there.

He noticed Maritza at another table, currently gathering food and not engaged in conversation with anyone. I suppose it's as good a time as any to grab something, he mused. Fleuri weaved through the crowd to the table where the Knight-Serpenta currently stood.

"Good evening, Dame Verenna," Fleuri greeted her as he grabbed an empty plate in one hand and put his wine glass down with the other. "How are you enjoying the ball so far?"

@FlappyTheSpybot

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri was a bit concerned that his banter had only served to darken Jarde's mood. To step into this world for the first time with relatively little under one's belt was a daunting and intimidating task for those not brought up in it. The young knight's lack of arrogance and appreciation for his inexperience in the area of aristocratic gatherings was no doubt a virtue, and a welcome departure from the arrogant nobles who thought more of themselves than was warranted, but it was clear that a little confidence would benefit him.

At Jarde's prompting, Fleuri glanced over at Gerard, who had been approached by a few young ladies, and was regaling to them the story of Bandit King Jeremiah. What Jarde had missed, however, was that Sir Segremors' body language suggested that he was similarly out of his element, in need of a fellow knight's aid as surely as if this were a battlefield. Fleuri glanced at Jarde and back at Gerard again as he concocted a plan.

Yes, that ought to solve solve both of their problems.

"You're right, Sir Devaron," he conceded as he turned his attention back to Jarde. "This is not an occasion for lamentation. It is a time for celebrating our victory. And if you would be so gracious to assist me in this celebration, simply follow my lead." Fleuri approached Gerard and the admirers that had entrapped him, paying careful attention to their conversation and movements. He approached it not dissimilarly to a battle, interpreting a foe's body language and rushing to the aid of a clearly overwhelmed knight-brother.

"Good evening, Sir Segremors," he spoke up, drawing close to the group. "Regaling the ladies of the tale of our recent triumph over Bandit King Jeremiah and his bloodthirsty band of brigands?"

"It was quite the battle afraid I myself took a rather uneventful role in it. I cut down a few bandits, sure, but unlike some of the others, I didn't have the excitement of crossing blades with the Bandit King. He was quite the terrible foe, from what I heard though. Strong enough to fell a massive tree with a single swing of his weapon, and so tough that he went into battle without armor," he narrated, intent on grabbing their attention.

"Sir Devaron, you fought Jeremiah too, might you assist our friend Gerard here on recounting the battle against that terrible fiend to these lovely ladies?" he asked, gesturing to Jarde and drawing the group's attention to him. On a battlefield, it'd be grossly irresponsible to hoist the center of attention to a junior knight or squire in such a manner, and perhaps it was somewhat irresponsible here as well, but Gerard needed help and Jarde needed this experience.

With the assumption that attention had been diverted from him, Fleuri backed away to observe the commoner-born knights tell their tale, taking another sip from his glass. Once he could be sure they handle the ladies without a chaperone, Fleuri would be able to slip away and mingle with the others.

@PaulHaynek@HereComesTheSnow@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

I'm reading Lord Velbrance's lines in Nazeem's voice.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri drooped his shoulders a bit at Jarde's reply, which was a bit sadder than he had expected. "Everyone has to start somewhere, and you're off to a decent start. Iron Rose, veteran of the skirmish that slew Bandit King Jeremiah. In my book you've done more to earn your place here than a lot of nobility your age," he assured the younger knight. "With Thaln's aristocracy diminished by Cal's rebellion and the Iron Roses' role in squashing it, it is an opportune time for aspiring knights to cement themselves as nobility by their deeds. And the prestige of being part of the order is far more meaningful for warriors like ourselves than the prestige associated with being born to an influential family."

"And I'm sorry about your attire. Not really anyone could have done about that, with how little advance notice we were given for this party. Ideally, we'd have a few days to prepare for it, sort out everyone's formal attire, and perhaps ensure everyone is familiar with dancing and etiquette." Fleuri took another careful sip of wine. "But I suppose it couldn't be helped that our triumph over Jeremiah coincided so closely with the date of the ball, giving just enough time for the Princess to extend her last minute invitation, but not enough time for us to make adequate preparations."

"Oh, and speaking of your borrowed outfit, a word of advice. Be careful if you sample the red wines, they leave very noticeable stains," Fleuri cautioned. "I made that mistake once and ended up spilling it on a tunic that had been in my family for generations."

@PaulHaynek

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

I seem to have been ninja'd, so I edited my last post to interact with Jarde.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

The remainder of Fleuri's day was spent cleaning his armor. It was a routine drilled into his mind during his time as a squire, and as a knight, he preferred to maintain it with his own two hands rather than entrust it to another. After the blood stains were removed and the metal polished, he retired to bed. He regretted not being able to interact with the other knights- after all, camaraderie and brotherhood/sisterhood were an important aspect of the Iron Roses- but he was simply too tired at this point.

The events of the next day were unexpected, but not unwelcome after the events of the previous one. In the morning, Fleuri was informed that Fanilly had selected him as one of the knights to accompany her to the royal ball, and thus much of the day was spent preparing. He bathed and groomed, then spent a few hours touching up on his formal attire. By the late afternoon when the ball drew close, Fleuri was ready. It was fortunate that he had gotten a good night's sleep the day before, because there was still much to do before the day's end.

For the ball, Fleuri's attire consisted of a white mantle over a white long sleeved tunic, accompanied with black pants, boots, and gloves. Both the mantle and tunic proudly the black sun symbol of the Jodeau family. This archaic-looking ensemble was was his family's traditional formal wear, nearly unchanged since before they gave up their wealth. While Fleuri was no longer relegated to wearing century-old hand-me-downs, he still honored his family's traditions by donning formal wear crafted in the same style.

As he and the other knights followed Fanilly to the ball, Fleuri looked up at the castle. He wasn't unfamiliar with these sorts of events, but he had never attended one as an Iron Rose knight. House Jodeau wasn't completely removed from Thaln's high society, still commanding some prestige from their history of service to the crown and to the Church of Reon. This time, however, he was representing an organization far more prestigious than a noble family- he represented the Iron Roses, making it all the more important that he not make any missteps.

It could be worse, however. I actually have some experience with this sort of thing, he thought to himself, glancing at Gerard. This is probably a completely new experience for a commoner-born knight like Sir Segremors or Sir Devaron. Fleuri didn't doubt their worthiness- if anything, it was a virtue of the Iron Roses that commoners like Gerard and Jarde could climb their way up the kingdom's social ladder through valor and skill at arms. It may take a while, but we'll make nobleman out of them.

Fleuri was led through the courtyard and into the castle proper. Fleuri waited until it was his turn to be announced, then stepped forward.

"Presenting Sir Fleuri Jodeau, of House Jodeau. Knight of the Iron Roses. Champion of the Brennan Tournament melee."

His first impulse was to look around. Fleuri made his way to one of the tables, glancing over the refreshments that had been laid out. He carefully picked up a glass of white wine, not wanting to risk staining his clothing red. The knight glanced over the vast room as he took a sip, looking over the guests in hopes of spotting someone else wearing the Jodeau colors. He had no idea if anyone from his family was also attending the ball, and was hoping for a chance to catch up.

"I don't see any of them. Guess I'll mingle with one of the knights. Fleuri saw Jarde wandering nearby, and took the opportunity to approach the neophyte knight. The young man looked pretty starstruck, no doubt it was his first time at an event like this.

"Sir Devaron," he started, taking another sip, "The ball is quite a sight, isn't it? How does it feel, taking that first step into Thaln's high society?"

@PaulHaynek

Champions Have Arrived in the New World: A Problem Children and No Game No Life-Inspired Isekai RP

Augis

"The catch is that this is not without risk. Partaking in a challenge can result in injury, death, or, being claimed as part of the victor's winnings," Augis answered, stepping forward and turning his head to Vel's plaything. It seemed somewhat disrespectful to undermine Lila like this, but as a warlock, Augis was uncomfortable with the thought of anyone committing to an arrangement- especially the perilous life of a champion- without an understanding of the risks and dangers involved. Besides, it would be very unwise to deceive those whose hands they were going to place their fates in.

"And I agree with Vel that we should would be most effective to show them our community first," he continued, now turning to Lila. "The ways and laws of our world may be sufficiently alien to the arrivals that a solely verbal explanation may not be enough to grant them a proper understanding." They seemed similar enough at first glance, but Augis was not one to assume that an otherworldly being's similarities ran any deeper than what he discerned on the surface. For all he knew, they could be more alien in nature and mind than the shoggoth.

@ghastlyInc
@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

I'm ready for the timeskip.

Champions Have Arrived in the New World: A Problem Children and No Game No Life-Inspired Isekai RP

Augis

That could have gone better, Augis thought as he watched Lila stumble out of her hiding spot into the clearing. It couldn't have been the entrance that she was hoping to make, and certainly not the first impression she intended. Nevertheless, he assessed, things could be worse. The child was no longer panicking, and all things considered was handling her midair suspension fairly well. The snake reverted back to its human appearance and seemed to have a particular interest in Lila, perhaps due to the dragonblood's reptilian features. The fellow that Velktlthrih was attending to regained his consciousness and appeared unharmed. In fact, he clung to his aberrant caretaker, seemingly as interested in her as the snake girl was with Lila.

Quite the courageous one, to handle coming face-to-face with a shoggoth in such a manner.

"You there! Where are we? What is going on?" shouted the levitating child at one of the other new arrivals. Augis decided this would be a good time to reveal himself and explain before things had a chance to re-escalate. His attempts to push his way through the brush were hampered by seemingly every branch snagging his robes, as if the flora itself sought to restrain him. I should have simply disguised myself as a bush rather than trying to hide behind one, he thought to himself as he dislodged the branches from his attire. He managed to get through without tearing his clothing, although the resulting noise and movement eliminated any chance of making a subtle or discreet entrance.

"To answer your questions, madam, you are on a world known as Nova Terra, and were invited here. At least, I think you were. You'll have to ask Lila about the details, she's the one who brought you here," Augis spoke, pointing a gloved finger at the prone dragon girl. He himself wasn't totally sure about how this particular summoning worked. No rituals, no incantions in strange languages, no geometric symbols, just a few people falling out of the sky at a designated location.

"And I apologize about levitating you like that," the warlock continued, gently putting the girl down with a gesture of his other hand. "I was worried you might flee into the woods. Rest assured, we mean you no harm. Well, at least I don't. I can't speak for Vel over there."

@Styrgwyr@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist