Octo

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Gertrude winced at the thought that she'd given Fionn more credit than he probably deserved. The stupid git had put his life on the line for a moment of idiot-glory when Gertrude could have finished the thing from range. The main thing stopping her was probably that she thought it would've been funny if the man had been mortally wounded.

But again, she wasn't about to upset a princess. Stories were meant to entertain, after all.

"Aye, Sir Fionn is very-"

Bloody stupid.

"-Brave. But with the guardian defeated, we entered the Fey Realm of The Moonlit Queen and her coterie. Despite her grandiose title, she was actually no taller than you," she related to Maletha, "she was tiny, pale, and beautiful. Dark, enchanting eyes. Hair so long that it pooled like a waterfall. It turned out she had taken the duke's wits because he didn't seem to have time for her any more. Apparently, they had met when he was young and played together. Now an adult with responsibilities, the duke had allowed his friendship to lapse. Needless to say, if either of you befriend a powerful Fey, maintain a good relationship."

---

"Oh? Are you jealous, Yaya?" Gretchen asked, a mischievous grin on her lips, "I don't pat just any paladin. Only the small and cute ones."

Gretchen reached out her other hand to pat Tyaethe.

"Well, Fleuri is the knight I'm least acquainted with, so I look forward to seeing what he's capable of. Still..."

Gretchen frowned slightly in thought.

"Haizea? If not for glory, why would you fight in the tournament if given the chance? Anyone can see that you are eager. Is all of that on behalf of your goddess, or do you desire the pleasure of a good fight? Is it worldly desire, or entirely outside of yourself?"

Gretchen went back to grinning as she looked down at Tyaethe, and thought about how excited she had looked in her fight with Rozenalt. The way she selfishly demanded a duel she wasn't completely certain she would win. Prideful and bloodthirsty in a way Gretchen hadn't seen before or since. She wondered quietly if there were many paladins like that.

Sword and Dungeon: An Adventurer's Guild-based Fantasy RP

Hrefna shrugged as the Dwarf toddled off. That the tiny thing should be so concerned about blood in their alcohol was something that Hrefna found at least moderately amusing, but she appeared to be taking a different job with the puppies. As for the job Hrefna had just casually signed on for...

Well, if it was a curse, she was uniquely suited to deal with it. Her consultations with the darker side of magic made her quite good at identifying and breaking curses as much as casting them. If it was a proper disease, however, she doubted she'd be of much use as a healer. Either way, matters like these tended to become more interesting the more you dug, and could possibly end in busting the head of some crazed black mage or alchemist.

This, she would relish. She could already feel the blood on her knuckles-

Oh, wait. Yeah. The heads.

"A pleasure to be working with you, Manager," Hrefna relayed to the departing Csenge with a small amount of derision. She respected strength, and tolerated competence. That woman was, at the very least, competent. Hoisting the dripping heads over her shoulder, she regarded Pete with a grin.

"Yes, everyone should know Hrefna Wyrmbender, Pyotr. There is no need for my introduction," she bragged smugly, turning her gaze to the snake woman.

"Hyselia. It is a beautiful name. I look forward to working with you," Hrefna said, winking as she extended a gore-crusted hand in greeting, "I need only to turn my previous job in, and I will be ready. I would offer to buy you a drink with the coin I am about to receive, but local puppies are already buying, so I will likely just be getting wasted for two hours."

Then, she turned her eyes downward to the paladin, hand still extended to Hyselia.

"Are you old enough for alcohol, little one? You say you are adult. Would you like to get wasted?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Gertrude grinned uncharacteristically, seemingly pleased that the princesses were taking an interest. She wasn't very socially adept still, but she could at least pull herself together enough to act cordial in front of royalty. Well, that and she had a soft spot for kids around Maletha's age. She scooched a little closer.

"Well, I can't say whether or not any other fairy has self-applied the title, but this one was more than powerful enough for me to believe it. As we would discover, she had her own fey realm and presided over a number of unique subjects. But before we could be granted audience, we had to contend with the gatekeeper," Gertrude said ominously, spreading her arms in a theatrical manner.

"A great serpent with skin of bark and sinew of vine! It lunged with its great fangs, each tooth as big as... well, the mistress, at least. Arken and I flung spells from the rear, shooting for an ever-moving magical core. With each piece blasted off, the weak point became larger. Then, when the other knights had pinned it down, Fionn called upon his newly-awoken magical ability to let loose an enormous slash!"

Yeah, this was sounding good. She would have mentioned the meeting with the sister, but she wasn't there for that, and it would bog down the narrative. She'd let herself editorialize a bit.

"That done, we finally gained access to the realm of The Moonlit Queen."

---

Gretchen nodded along with Yaya's explanation. She hadn't been present for the beginning of the relationship, but her own dealings with the Niyar made it clear that the fairy at least considered herself wedded. And Fionn certainly never disabused her of the notion.

"Yes... I'm certain the wedding would be quite lovely indeed. I'm sure you'll be invited, since you're so well-behaved," Gretchen said, smiling. It wouldn't hurt to latch a little extra incentive onto the woman keeping her cool at the tournament.

"I don't know what everyone plans to do, but if I had to guess... the mistress seems well-suited to a duel. I don't know how well Fionn would do, but he'll probably participate anyway. Gerard is almost a certainty, and I think it will be expected that Renar takes part. Fleuri would likely concentrate on the joust, though who knows? Maybe he'll go for more than one. It doesn't seem Rolan's specialty, so I doubt he will."

Slowly, carefully, Gretchen reached out to pat Haizea's head.

"But we'll have to wait and see for sure, won't we? I'm certain spectating will be quite fun."

Sword and Dungeon: An Adventurer's Guild-based Fantasy RP

Hrefna did not react to the Dwarf referring to her as 'fork-head'. It was not a term she was familiar with, so it did not occur to her that she was being called out. At least, not until the tiny thing began shouting at her directly. There were not many people Hrefna could look down upon, but here were two, and they were both yappy pups. It seemed that tiny animals tended to make the loudest noise. Hrefna grinned.

"You say 'fork-head'. This is new term. Because of my horns, yes? Is very funny."

As she discussed this casually, she gestured with the heads she was carrying, making even more of a mess for the employees to fuss over. She would let them do their job. They were both in the occupation of cleaning up messes, and since she took joy in her work, so too must they.

"But worry not, little one. I will not spill blood into your cups. This is blood of Hrefna's enemy, and you are not entitled to imbibe in it. If this blood makes its way into any cup, it shall be mine. You sit and drink all day like lazy kitten, so the glory is not for you," she stated matter-of-factly, "but floor... floor holds up every seeker of glorious combat. Floor is honorable, so floor can have."

Hrefna turned her gaze from the Dwarf to the flailing hammer-child, then to the lamia. Then, at last, to Csenge.

"I am finished with the baby-child," Hrefna related bluntly to the older woman, "but if she is in need of guidance, I shall take care of her. I will be unoccupied once I turn in previous job, and it would not do for her to die so early on."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Gertrude smiled awkwardly. She hadn't even considered that Yaya was capable of amicably playing with children. What they would even do together was baffling to her, so she had simply assumed the girl was asking why Yaya wasn't in the tournament. This really wasn't starting well. Thankfully, Elisandre allowed a change of subject.

"R-right. Well... we received word that the Duke's wits had vanished. Or perhaps... they had been stolen."

Gertrude figured a little showmanship wouldn't harm the telling. She tried to emulate how Aleksiya and Merilia used to tell her stories. She smiled as she leaned in, still not getting too close to Maletha.

"Even court mage Arken had attended the Duke, but was unable to discover the cause. No fault of his own, mind, it was simply that inscrutable. The knights split up to conduct research, and we came to the conclusion that the cause was likely fey in nature. Simply put, Thedric's insanity was too much like a depiction of madness in a story to be true. Still, in his words there was occasionally a seed of truth. A clue. We had an appellation: The Moonlit Queen."

---

Gretchen smiled gently at Haizea as she continued patting Tyaethe's head. She was starting to understand why they had all been gathered like this, and concluded that she likely was capable of assisting.

"Of course, Haizea," Gretchen said, nodding, "I'd be happy to tell you about the entrants."

Perhaps if the woman could have fun betting on the outcomes of the fights with the information Gretchen supplied, she'd be kept too busy to rush the field herself. Keeping her entertained could only make their job easier.

"Fionn is daft enough to win," Gretchen started off, wanting to get the lout out of the way, "and enough of a glory hound to push himself well past where he should be going. He's also married to a Niyar, and incorporates fey magic into his swordplay."

Gretchen frowned.

"Fanilly is... mistress is quick, but she perhaps takes too much upon herself to be as lightfooted as she could be. I don't know if she wants to win enough to take victory, but her skill with a blade has been honed with a determination to live up to her title. I... admire her, a little."

Blushing slightly, Gretchen cleared her throat.

"Whether or not Renar wins depends on how... creative he allows himself to get," Gretchen continued, avoiding saying specifically that the man was a complete scoundrel, "he's clever, calculating, and skilled. I don't think he'll lose to anyone short of a monster, if they're not apt to strategize."

That was about as diplomatic as she could put it.

"Rolan is an excellent shot with a crossbow. Whether or not he can use his alchemical supplies, I don't think he'll have much trouble in a competition of bowmanship. He doesn't have any particularly strong abilities as far as melee or horsemanship, though. I think he's best when on a team."

Which is to say, Gretchen had learned that he can make some very good shots on a distracted opponent.

"If you already know Fleuri, there's little to say except that he's vastly improved his skillset from the last time you've seen him. He probably won't lose the joust unless he unexpectedly goes up against a legend."

Then, lastly...

"Gerard is... he fights like a commoner, but in a good way," Gretchen said, having difficulty describing what exactly she was getting at, "he does the job, and he wants to win. He has a fire that could carry him far."

Had Gertrude been the one giving Haizea tips, it likely would have turned out as a roast that made all the knights look bad. Thankfully, Gretchen had less difficulty being honest about the skillsets of her companions.

Sword and Dungeon: An Adventurer's Guild-based Fantasy RP

Hrefna's grin widened as the little girl furiously corrected her. How cute.

"My sincere apologize. You are tiny like Ingvarr girl-child, except with less heft. I make bad assumption. You are not child, but under-fed, yes? You must eat your potato and drink your milk, grow to be big and strong."

As she was about to offer to feed the weakling, the snake-woman slithered up to them. Hrefna did not know her, save for her very distinct appearance, but it seemed she was popular today. She didn't understand the issue with the Orc heads, but she did take a liking to the term 'macabre flail'. Hrefna laughed again.

"Macabre flail, you say, snake woman? Is very good. I will add this to the tale of my victory. 'Hrefna make macabre flail of the heads of her enemy' very evocative," she complimented, nodding, "but why do you hold little girl up into the air like baby-child? Are you teasing her? Is funny, but she does not need uppy-boost like toddler. She need stew."

Then another small child, this one with a beard, stepped into the puddle of blood which was admittedly pooling a lot as Hrefna stood in one place. Hrefna did not understand the question very well, so she simply held up the Orc heads.

"Is to show off my glorious victory."

Then she turned to Reeva, who was also approaching her. She knew this name. The woman was very pretty and very friendly, so she was easy to talk to, even for someone like Hrefna. She grinned back at the woman.

"Is to show off my glorious victory," she repeated as if she was saying something entirely sensible that no one else seemed to understand.

Fate/Illuminate Histoire

Lucia's eyes glimmered as she examined the two outfits Nero had made. Both seemed to have impeccable craftsmanship, and they were prepared so quickly! The focaccia was still warm, and they already had their disguises. At least, Lucia assumed. They probably had some sort of glamor on them that allowed them to pass for different people. She had no idea how it worked, but Nero's proud face left Lucia with little doubt that it would.

"Oh... they're beautiful, Lucia," Lucia chirped, an adoring smile on her face, "you certainly are talented."

Lucia softly traced her finger across the luxurious fabric, down the perfect seams, simply admiring the handiwork. It was important that Nero knew how appreciative she was, after all. She may have had no idea why Nero chose these outfits in particular, but far be it from her to question an artist.

"I should get you to make me a really nice habit. Well... since you made them, which would you like? I would be happy in either."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Gertrude quickly let go once she realized she was actually capable of hurting Tyaethe. Apparently assuming the woman was always borderline invincible was a mistake, and she felt a tightness in her chest. When she thought Tyaethe couldn't be hurt, she was determined to crush the woman. When that turned out not to be the case...

Gertrude glanced down at Tyaethe, taking note of how small she was. She ran her thumb gently across the back of the woman's hand, and muttered an apology.

"S-sorry, Yaya."

As reluctant as Gertrude was to insert herself into the situation, it was obvious that Tyaethe needed help managing all these people. Gertrude's social skills were awful, but she could fake them well enough. Maybe helping would alleviate some of whatever was going on inside her chest, whatever that bloody was.

Gertrude took a seat near the princesses and smiled.

"Wouldn't it be a bit unfair if Yaya took part?" Gertrude addressed Maletha, reaching out to pat the girl's head, "what's a tournament if you know who's going to win?"

The younger princess quickly hid behind her sister before Gertrude got too close, and the mage's cheeks colored.

This was not starting off well.

"U-um! Well. Uh... I was with the knights during their last adventure. Would either of you like to hear about it?"

Gretchen looked on as Gertrude floundered, but there was no way her getting in on this would help anyone, much less herself. She chose, instead, to remain near Tyaethe, who she began patting affectionately. There was none of Gertrude's usual snide bullying in the patting, she was purely trying to connect.

"So... you're here for Haizea?"

Gretchen's eyes flickered to the excited Hundi and back.

"Can I, um... help at all, Yaya?"

Gretchen smiled innocently.

Sword and Dungeon: An Adventurer's Guild-based Fantasy RP

Hrefna smiled lazily as she approached the Guild, black heels clacking against cobblestone while blood seeped into the cracks between. If eyes weren't on the short Ingvarr woman, they certainly were on the three Orc heads dangling from her fingers. The Three Brothers swung gently from their long black hair as Hrefna strode, unbothered, through the guild doors.

The triplets had been making trouble at a bridge nearby, their numbers and tactics too perilous for a beginner but not serious enough for a veteran. While the lower-ranks waffled trying to get a group together, Hrefna simply went out and took care of the thing. Each head being taken by another brother's axe was quite poetic, and would make for an excellent story, but it was purely efficient.

For Hrefna, bringing back recognizable proof was one of the more difficult parts of the job.

As she approached the counter with a bloody missive crumpled between a mass of craniums, her eyes caught a lone child on her tiptoes awkwardly swerving around the sweaty mass that surrounded the board. She chuckled as she approached.

"Worry not, small child. They will disperse when easy jobs all taken," she spoke in a very distinctly Barukstaedian accent, "unless... you want easy job, tiny one? Your polite words will never reach them. If you want, you must take. If you do not have the strength to push to front of line, you are too weak even for children jobs."

She let out a harsh laugh at her own joke, the heads swinging raucously from her fingertips as if the Brothers were also laughing.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Gertrude swore as Tyaethe dragged her along, but at least trusted the Vampire enough not to do anything about it. Gretchen followed, less petulant and more concerned. The duo was made to take the sights in quickly, or not at all. Gertrude already knew that she wasn't participating. She wasn't a knight, and had little in the way of martial capability. Blowing up aa arena made for a very short show, after all. Gertrude just figured she would eat something while the witless dullards bashed each other's heads in.

Apparently, Tyaethe had other plans in mind. Given how the scenery evolved as they traveled, Gertrude assumed they were going to the posh section. The amount of posh, however, she couldn't have guessed. Gertrude's eyes flickered to the colors of the crown knights as Tyaethe explained almost nothing to her.

"Haaah? I don't need a bloody babysitter-" Gertrude began to complain, a weird feeling in her gut as she was pulled into a room with three very distinctive blondes. She quickly quieted herself as Tyaethe introduced them.

Yaya would pay for this later. She was still in a bloody maid uniform!

"A-ah... your highnesses. A pleasure," Gertrude said as Gretchen quickly moved to flank Tyaethe's other side, "Gertrude. A mage in association with the Iron Rose Knights."

Gertrude and Gretchen curtseyed as a pair.

"Gretchen, a researcher."

As Gertrude smiled at the occupants, her hand squeezed Tyaethe's as hard as she could muster. It wasn't much, but it was clear that if Gertrude was capable of crushing the woman's hand, she would have. As Gertrude seethed quietly, Gretchen turned to Haizea.

"Oh, you call her 'Yaya' too? You must be friends."