Standing in the afternoon sunlight, wooden sword swung across her shoulder–the runes across its surface flickering with an unnerving red light, because of course the vampire’s idea of “necessary sparring implement” if she couldn’t use live steel was something that still let her swing recklessly and leave nothing more than some light bruising where you fell over–Tyaethe gave Renar a confused look. An improvement from the blank one she’d been wearing, but only just.

He’d wanted to spar. She’d obliged, even with the sun burning her skin. Why, then, did he seem annoyed by it?

Renar picked himself up from where he’d been left prone on the ground, scowling. One blow. He hadn’t even seen it. Evidently, Tyaethe hadn’t been interested in playing along today. She’d even shattered his quarterstaff, snapped straight in two.

”If you truly didn’t want to indulge me with a spar, you could have saved us both the trouble and simply refused, you know.”

She didn’t, that was true. But she didn’t really want to do anything and this was a small ask besides. Spar. Fight without intent to kill, but with enough effort that there was a learning experience in it, or at least good exercise. This… it wasn’t the easiest but it still counted.

Pinching the bridge of her nose for a second, Tyaethe did her best to look Renar in the eye. Hopefully he looked down a bit.

“What were you expecting? I can’t try less with my approach and still hope to teach anything.”

What was Renar going to do, not look down at the person far shorter than him? He resisted the urge to pinch his brow in return and grumble, limiting himself to only a sigh instead as he brushed himself off.

”Something I could learn from. Though I suppose that’s my own fault for not specifying. To tell the truth, I wasn’t expecting you to actually say yes. Fine. If you’re going to go to the trouble of humoring me, once more.”

He took a replacement weapon from the training rack, and settled into a stance again. At the very least, by the end of this, he might even be able to perceive her speed at least a little.

One pass, and Renar was on the ground again. At least the training sword was intact. He planted into the ground, using it as a crutch to lever himself up.

”Incidentally, you’ve been acting strangely ever since we returned from the previous assignment. If I’m wasting my time with this line of questioning, feel free to inform me sooner rather than later.”

“It… is meant to be learned from…” Tyaethe returned, sighing, “My specialty is fighting monsters. So many things in this world, you take a swing at a vulnerability,” Tyaethe once again mimed her telegraphed opening, “And then even if it lands, it doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s too tough, maybe it heals, maybe it just doesn’t care what you hurt…”

Not that this really said what to do. She would have advocated for endless movement, or just hitting so hard it can’t be ignored. It wasn’t really a transferable opinion; all that Tyaethe could do here was represent the opposition.

“I didn’t think you’d want me to treat you like Flori or Parv. What would you get from that?” If she could even do it. She was acting… subpar, maybe. Distracted. Focusing on being a good example was far easier reached.

This explained some things, at least. Even Candaeln scuttlebutt never quite mentioned the First and Youngest’s lack of actual technique. To tell the truth, he wasn’t quite inclined to share such, either. Renar supposed he understood. What would be the point for most reasonable people, when she could simply bulldoze through mundane men with physical ability alone? It wouldn’t have satisfied him, of course, but that was why he was here, volunteering to be beaten repeatedly by a vampire.

”That means nothing to me, you know. I’m not privy to how you interacted with the other founding knights. Nor do I have an interest in the subject.” Edwin’s godsforsaken voice almost whispered in his mind as a reminder, and Renar barely kept his scowl off his face.

”I suppose this would also be the part where I call you out on dodging the question, but at this point, you could simply knock me out to stop my asking.”

“I don’t want to but that doesn’t matter.” Fingers tapped on the blade in an erratic pattern. “I have sworn duties to uphold and that includes keeping as many of you alive as possible. If I have to spar a few times…”

Tyaethe shook her head, spitting a few errant hairs out. “What do you want out of this? I’m not a teacher. If I try to go much easier…”

She gestured with the now-lightless sword a few times, arms now shaking with the surprising effort. Without any magic, or the benefit of a weightless blade, it was a heavy length of wood; she was just a child in body and not a strong one.

”Fine, you’ve made your point.” Renar said flatly, lowering his own wooden sword. As driven as he was to improve, this avenue wasn’t getting him anywhere for the moment. ”That doesn’t make this the end of it, of course. We’ll do this again once I’m better able to follow your movements. I’m better able to improve by training with Lilia at the moment, it seems. No affront to you, of course.”

He moved to replace his weapon onto its rack before turning back to Tyaethe.

”And here I was under the impression that most of the order didn’t take advantage of having an immortal swordsman as a sparring partner because she refused them. Still, the degree by which I lose to you will make a good barometer for improvement. Any more advice to share, then?”

Renar doubted he’d get anything substantial out of the question, considering how differently Tyaethe fought and thought about fighting compared to quite literally every other knight, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

“Just… bear in mind what I said,” the paladin answered, after a pause, “There are too many things in the world that can attack you even if they leave themselves open to injury. Magic armour, vampires, wild monsters in general…”

She had tried to demonstrate that. Let Renar get a few hits in, hold on just enough footing to swing back unexpectedly when he did hit. In that sort of situation, with enough speed, she didn’t need to escape the offense first.

“Most of what the Iron Roses deal with are normal humans or similar. But you’ll need to be ready for those that aren’t, who won’t be impaired the same way. How you learn to deal with that is up to you, but try not to learn on the spot. Doing it that way hurts.”

”Fair points.” Renar conceded with a brief nod. Obvious ones, but the easiest observations to make were still important ones. ”Admittedly, most of my experience has been against the spoken races, though I suppose orcs are the closest thing to monsters in that list.”

”If there’s nothing else, you never did say anything about what’s been actually bothering you to the point where it’s evident to just about everybody. Was it what the Boars were doing last we marched?”

"Nothing is bothering me," Tyaethe said, frowning and looking away. It was even true, so far as it was worth commenting on. "The pointlessness of the entire fight, of enjoying it until I was about to kill some idiot boy's twin in front of him… that's just a cause."

"It's been this way since before Elionne was even born. I'll get over it, you don't need to be concerned."

”Twin? I take it you refer to that bunch you convinced to surrender?” Renar tilted his head in curiosity. So Dame Tyaethe was one of those kinds.

”At least you managed to find someone worth fighting. The ones who rushed in to die were pitiful compared to the reputation of their oh-so-dreaded company. As for the rest, if you’ve been like this for two hundred years, nothing I say will convince you otherwise.” He shrugged callously.

”I’m not Fionn or Gerard. The Boars were simply an obstacle in my eyes, and nothing more. If you view the matter as pointless, who am I to say otherwise?”

The response was a humourless laugh. "Worth fighting? Only by dint of my own flaws. Everyone there… maybe it would have been too far to challenge them alone? I should have been able to survive that, at least, and convince them to stand down much sooner."

"So many dead, and over what? A piece of something that's rightly the church's duty. Because some monster somewhere had its pride wounded and lashed out, or thought itself better…" Tyaethe took on a bitter tone, fist clenching on the training sword.

"Regardless… nothing is bothering me. It will pass. If that is all?"

Really? After all that, and she still dared to claim nothing was bothering her? Far be it for Renar to give a damn about the First and Youngest outside of her combat strength, but this was just pathetic. He fixed her with a doubtful look that suggested she certainly wasn’t fooling him, but shrugged nonetheless.

”Do as you will, then. Do it enough, and you might even feel better. But who am I to offer advice to someone who’s spent two centuries living like this already?”

By all means, wallow in misery for another century or two. What a waste of immortality. Renar offered Tyaethe a brief salute before turning to leave, taking another quarterstaff from the track to commit to more training on his own for the day.

"'Try something else', 'talk about what's bothering you', 'is everything okay'... you think nobody's ever suggested that?" the vampire muttered, rubbing her bare arms. Too cold… and burnt. She headed off to change.

“I’m not an exception here. I’m a knight of the Order.”

She didn’t turn to face the unfamiliar voice, spending another few moments examining her equipment. It was just habit though, that caused her to go through those final motions, as was the nod of approval she gave her own work before she set it down. Only after they rested on the rack did Serenity swivel around, using the knuckle of her thumb to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as she settled her gaze upon the stranger.

Younger than her, shorter than her. Blond and lightly armed, a friendly smile and cheeks plump with babyfat. It had a vestigial resemblance to Lucas, and that was enough to tease a frown upon her own lips. Prejudice was unbecoming though.

“As for Sir Renar’s whereabouts, if you wait here long enough, he ought to arrive. His commission is complete.” The lioness’s gaze swept over his form. “But what’s your purpose for seeking him out?”

The young man instantly flushed at his mistake, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah...my apologies. You look close enough to my age that I assumed...never mind." He cut himself off before digging that particular hole any deeper, instead choosing to focus on what he'd been told.

"So you know my brother? We were supposed to meet in town for drinks in the evening, but the knight I serve let me off early enough today that I thought I'd seek Renar out first. Besides, I'd always wanted to see Candaeln from the inside." A pause, as he realized something.

"Right, I'd forgotten. Elias Brias. And you, Dame Knight?"

___



Well, that had been productive. At long last, the keep smith's queue finally got around to him, and Renar had finally gotten the runes he'd discussed with Serenity inscribed onto his poleaxe. After a brief lecture regarding not depending on the runecraft, which Renar hadn't intended on in the first place, the crusty dwarf let him go, and Renar started proceeding out of the smithy's interior, out into open air. Only to hear a familiar voice.

"And you, Dame Knight?"

He blinked. Still with his poleaxe leaned vertically against his shoulder, Renar strode outside to see who else but his younger brother conversing with Serenity of all people. Huh. She must have arrived after he'd went inside to see the smith.

"Eli? What are you doing here?" A genuine smile crossed Renar's face for once, and he headed over to grasp his little brother by the forearm in greeting. "I thought we weren't meeting until tonight. To say nothing of how you managed to get past the gate guard."

"Brother," Elias smiled back, returning the warrior's greeting. "I pretended to be a messenger of our house. Said I was delivering family news to you."

Renar's smile tightened slightly at the reminder of the rest of their shared family.

"Lying is unbecoming of an anointed knight, little brother. Good work." They released their grip, and Renar turned to Serenity. "I hope he wasn't interrupting anything. The runework is done, anyhow." A brief shift of the axe head resting flat on his shoulder. "My thanks again for the suggestions. Are we in the way?"

@ERode

“So long as you don’t make the same mistake with the Knight-Captain or the Paladin.” Though it’d be funny if he did. “Serenity of House Arcedeen.”

She took a step back as Renar appeared from deeper within the forge, her eyebrows lifting slightly at the uncharacteristic display of affection upon her fellow knight. From here, he looked almost like a normal older sibling, their muddied lineage notwithstanding. Two siblings with a history, perhaps, of causing harmless trouble. It wasn’t something she’d imagine out from Renar, but few could live without crafting a couple of faces to wear for the appropriate situation.

As their attentions turned towards her once more, however, Serenity shook her head. “No, my work’s been settled. It’s pleasant to see that familial love isn’t something completely foreign to you though, Sir Renar. Care for a bout with your improved weapon?”

A flicker of bemusement surfaced in her gaze.

“Or would you like my help with naming it first?”

Renar narrowed his eyes slightly at Serenity, more for her earlier comment than her latter. His only favored brother knew of Renar's...issues with the remainder of the family, but not how deep it went. There wasn't any point in complaining of such to him, anyway. Elias was the only person of Brias blood that Renar didn't despise, and even mentioning that resentment wasn't something he wanted to introduce into their relationship.

"Let's not get into that here, shall we?" His smile became tight, and he met her gaze, his eyes sliding in Elias's direction briefly. Serenity wasn't stupid enough to not understand what that meant, certainly.

"And you know I don't name my weapons, of all things. As for a bout, I think I'll have to pass for today. Some other time, perhaps."

"You could come with us, you know." Elias piped up, to which Renar gave him a questioning look. "What? Unless we were going to head out drinking in the middle of the afternoon, I was thinking you show me around the keep first. That is, if you've no duties left for the day."

"I was only training for most of the morning." Renar shrugged. "That said, I'm not privy to Dame Serenity's schedule. If she wants to accompany us of her own volition, so be it. Otherwise, she's free to do as she wills, as per usual."

@ERode

"Some other time then," Serenity echoed. Keeping secrets from someone who was more or less an adult. Renar expected his brother to handle a blade but not a feud, hm? It wasn't worth losing a sparring partner over though, and it wasn't as if she didn't keep her own host of secrets.

"Though if you don't name it yourself, others will do so in your stead," she continued. "And I don't expect you to share the tastes of Aimlenn's drunkest bards." Her gaze bounced towards Elias. "Imagine your brother, riding off to battle with his trusty Moonshine-Clad Sin-Eater, Bane of Bandits and Boars."

As for her own schedule...

She'll take a break, one the length of the remains of the afternoon.

"Rare enough to see Sir Renar so amiable though. I'd be remiss to refuse such an invitation, Elias."

Shortly after her brief sparring session with Renar, Tyaethe returned to the exact same spot she'd left, albeit with a single change: now, on top of the rabbit, she had precariously arranged a pair of swords to balance against her seat, easily in danger of falling over if no care was taken. One was instantly recognisable--the elongated, wavy blade that she used all the time. The other... well, it was smaller, but only in the sense of being a normal length for a two-handed weapon.

It also looked expensive, in a way that the paladin's blessed sword didn't. The crossguard was golden, but not just the lustre of gold leaf--the reddish-gold of orichalcum, framing an expensive looking jewel in its centre. The wrappings on the hilt were themselves a deep red, and showing no signs of wear. As for the blade... it was plain in design, straight-edged and functional. All that truly stood out was the elven writing inscribed upon it, should anyone care enough to read it.

---

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

---

Before Fanilly had a chance to respond, Gerard rounded the corner, calling out to him with some sort of purpose—

Then immediately clamming up and addressing the captain. Fionn raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift in demeanour, before turning back to Fanilly as she spoke up. Whatever Gerard was hunting after would have to wait a little while longer. "Why start with the library when you have people involved instead?" he asked after a moment of thought. "Not just the prisoners, but they might help. Veilena said the Mage's College had the shard, right? Start there. Even Veilena herself might have something more helpful to supply."

It all seemed very simple, by his thought. Starting, gathering information, that was the easy part. Piecing it together was where the real effort would have to come in, where the real difficulty would lie—and where the library would probably come in handy. "It seems like you're getting a step or two ahead of yourself, captain. Don't start on the roof before you've even laid your foundation. Right now it seems like Angroron is all you have to go on, and that's too broad."

"I'm more partial to the Pig-Sticker. Or the Goblin Grappler. Brother did make his name against orcs, after all." Elias chortled back, starting to head off on their little tour of the keep. Renar just sighed, following along at a more sedate pace, only really bothering to stop Elias should he wander into a more restricted or private area.

"The bards can do as they will." He rolled his eyes. "What's one more lie compared to the hundreds they sing regularly? The only opinions that matter are the ones that are held by those with power, anyway."

"Always so cynical." Elias tutted, seeming completely used to Renar's bitterness. "And yet Father will never acknowledge that you're the one who internalized everything he said best."

Renar simply sighed at that, seeming far less hostile than one would expect of someone mentioning himself and his father in the same breath. "Let's not discuss family issues in public, shall we?"

"Fine. Honestly, I'm the only one that even wants to discuss them at home, anyway." Elias shot back as they headed inside the keep. While he was admiring at the various pieces of art that decorated the great hall, Renar turned back to Serenity, his voice lowering.

"We've not spoken since last we marched. So, the Boars. Vastly overrated, wouldn't one say?"

@ERode

---

Unlike most, Steffen spent the rest of the trip back to Aimlenn in repose, despite the baggage on him. He was more than satisfied with so many Boars wiped off the face of the continent, some by his own hands too. His revelry in taking a human lives was a rare cuisine, but sweetened from past encounters, and here it was his to savour. Ultimately, he slept that night well.

The Ingvarr took his time the next morning, justifying his absence from his usual spot in Candaeln with the lengthy sortie two days prior and the battle with the Boar. And it didn't seem like such measures were that required, the day was much quieter than normal. There were knights at the training grounds like usual, but the usual suspects weren't there at the time. The library was also without its commongoers. At least Lein was still doing his own things, though at this point Steffen was too used to it to correct him on the Hundi's duty. It turned out, the garden was the gathering spot this time around. Not a bad choice, but he raised his eyebrows towards the sight afar.

As he approached them, he could discern the general outline of the topic the two knights were discussing, but held back and instead letting his natural physique catch the attention before raising his hand for a gentle greeting.

"Good morning. Fancy seeing you three here. Sir Gerard, how're you holding up?" Steffen eyed Gerard for a bit, judging the healers worked as impeccable just like usual, but sporting the usual concern he'd reserve for a younger less experienced knight, before turning back to Fanilly and Fionn. "I don't see you guys often around here. While I hope you're enjoying the calm scenic, I couldn't help but ask: what's the occasions?"

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow@The Otter

"Mm, if it's orcs upon which Sir Renar will make his claim to fame, I'm sure the title of 'Orcbolg' has laid quiet enough to be foisted upon another."

The soft spot the terminally-cynical knight had for his little brother was of such indulgence that it was like a melted milk pudding. As some silence was brought within the cavernous hall, curiously empty for the time of day, Serenity shrugged, her own gaze settling upon the successive paintings of Tyaethe across the decades, each rendered by a different painter.

"They threw away their honor, and still died like swine." Such a restrained expression, such a restrained tone. "Suppose it was the Goddess's mercy that dulled their wits, when the advantage would've been theirs in but a few more hours."

Gerard Segremors

@VitaVitaAR@The Otter@Conscripts

"A white mask, huh? Hm." he grunted, turning his gaze upward in thought as sticking around inevitably drew him into the conversation as well— seemed she was irked at the concealment of the bigger picture, not having a lead that she could really force into a wedge to pry the veil open with. A rare concern for the experiences he'd lived beforehand, but for her...

"I'd heard some mumbling when my old band got dissolved about a few guys continuing in offshoot elsewhere... but there's no way it could have been them. Not enough time to pull together funding to get mired into all this, put that many Boars on payroll, or scoop up any mage worth their salt in the arcane, let alone one that could manage what we went over in the debrief. It's true. That isn't much of anything to work with."

Leadership meant taking stock of more than just state of one's own men— it was the environment, it was the supply, it was the opportunity available to you. More than maybe anyone, her business was not only the Knights, but the world around them as well. Eyes, Ears, Tongue, Nose— every sensory organ was at the head. The captain didn't have luxury he'd always enjoyed, of focusing on simply executing the task placed in front of him— she was the one who was saddled with the responsibility for the how, the why, the where and when.

She clearly had heavy regard for the lives of those she commanded, as well. The three of them together like this, it was easy to let the mind drift back to the raid on Jeremiah's encampment, in their swift but vicious clash with the Bandit King. A wrong step there had caused Sir Rickart to die. As things stood, a wrong step here, when dealing with such a fundamental curse upon the world as the Shards of Angoron... much the same, doubtless, was on the table. And yet that responsibility, as sworn protectors, would not abide them doing nothing with this. To sit idly and let whatever machinations they'd walked into play out until hands were shown would be inexcusable. Nothing good could come of anything involving what they'd uncovered in the past two days.

"If we know our enemies're on hunt for them, I do think it'd make sense to do what we can to cut them off by getting a hold the shards first." he offered, nodding to Fionn before continuing. "And since that'd require safe containment and transport, it'd be another angle you could take from going down the line Fionn's talking about— the people involved with the exchange originally must have had some means of doing so. 'What was supposed to be happening' hand in hand with 'How it was supposed to happen'."

From the corner of his view, a steadily growing mass of dark color tipped in staglike horns had finally stopped, waited for his moment to cut in, and greeted them all— quick to find looks of his concern brushed aside, ill-placed.

"No occasion, just needed to get ahold of Fionn for something and it looks like we all blundered into eachother," he breathed, before noting the held gaze settling on the wrapped arm, the gauzed jaw with a blink that almost seemed puzzled. "And me? I'm fine. This is all just doctor's orders, I've let the march heal worse."

He jerked a thumb in the direction of the veltic swordsman, an amused grin sliding across his features for a moment. This was gonna be Hope all over again if he let it, wasn't it?

"Your concern is appreciated, but he and I were fighting men well before we became knights, Sir Steffen. He can handle his duels, I can handle a scratch or two. Battlefields were our workplace since we were younger than the Captain, here."

He tapped his skull twice with a fingertip, right by the temple.

"The thinking we're doing to try and lend her a hand's the harder part. So saying, Captain, you obviously oughta be taking what I say with a grain of salt. Fionn's got a point in keeping your focus tight and manageable."

"Indeed. For all that Gerard and Fionn despised them, that lot died as easily as any other mercenary I've come across. There's little point in atrocities without generating an advantage, and considering the strength of the Boars we fought..." He shrugged, idly observing the varying portraits of Tyaethe over the decades. Goddesses above, why did they even bother? The vampire would continue to be the same ten years from now, twenty, fifty. Actually, a better question was why Tyaethe deigned to actually sit for all of these.

"Well, if I'm to consign myself to the darkness when I die, I'd at least have liked to actually accomplished something in life. Without that, one might as well leave their soul lily-white."

"What are you two whispering about?" Elias called over from a distance away, having noticed the two having a furtive conversation.

"I'm trying to gauge if she has any interest in a betrothal with you." Renar shot back instantly, causing his brother to flush. "You're only two, three years apart in age, after all."

@ERode

"A rare thing though, to choose when to die. The tragedies of playwrights exist to remind us that our lives aren't ours to shape."

As a preference, however? Yes, it would be good to have accomplished something. Serenity would have gone a step further, and desired to accomplish something that only she could have. Humans don't have much sway though, not when spirits and immortals possessed knowledge and power to dwarf armies of men. Her finger tapped a slow tempo on her belt. The limitations of time and mortal flesh, of the aging body and the wandering mind.

"Might I remind you, Sir Renar, that I am but a Knight?" Serenity eyed Elias, placing a hand on her hip. "Someone like you, I figured, would rather play matchmaker for a more profitable pairing like...Elias and Knight-Captain Fanilly Danbalion. They'd be even closer in age."

She flashed a smile. All in good fun.

"And in height."

As Renar chortled at the jibe, Elias scowled, forgetting his decorum for a moment as he raised his voice.

"I've not hit my growth spurt yet, simple as that! I'm still a few months off from fifteen!" Then he caught himself, raising a fist to his mouth as he coughed awkwardly. "Er, my apologies for the unseemly display."

"You weren't minding your manners to begin with in a casual setting." Renar waved it off, though not without some chiding. "Just remember to never let your guard down when it's important. Otherwise, you'll end up like Felix. How did our lord father take the news of that, by the way?"

"He was livid." Elias chuckled awkwardly, whether it be at the chastisement or the reminder of Lord Brias's reaction. "Very much so at you, but worse at Felix. He'll probably let you have it the next time you see each other."

"Father can seethe all he wants." Renar forced an expression of unnatural calm onto his face. "What, is he going to disinherit his bastard? By all means, I've nothing to lose." He glanced back towards Serenity, suddenly breaking up his expression with a smirk.

"Which is clearly why I'm trying to make arrangements for Elias instead. Besides, last I checked, the Arcedeens were a more prestigious family. No offense to our Knight-Captain, of course."

@ERode

Serenity gave a sympathetic look towards Elias. Fatherly temperaments were a common burden for children of noble houses, made more awkward when one was stuck inbetween, caught in the crossfire of others' battles. At 15, the youth was likely less ignorant than Renar believed, but they both put on masks still.

It wasn't her job to pry though. Nor her place to remind Renar of the myriad of methods in which a blue-blood could get back at a bastard. For all she knew, he may be excited at the prospect, of having justification for striking back at the house that disowned him.

"The Danbalions are lesser nobility, yes, but the Arcedeens..." Serenity shrugged. "If Elias here wished to bed an Arcedeen lady, I would recommend earning martial fame enough to become a titled knight, at least." No need to say that her family was equally open to those who weren't knights, so long as they were exemplars of strength and skill. "Though that brings up the question. How experienced are you?"

---

"Alright, no worries. Just making sure." Steffen raised both hands in response. Despite the obvious jest regarding the topic, it was interesting hearing the response. He distinctly remembered hearing from Sir Katte about some of the knights being a little touchy, but he wasn't sure if this was just a common cultural thing, or it was a knee-jerk reaction to a familiar gesture. He had heard of one particular knight that embodied this kind of behavior.

As for the thinking part, Steffen turned to Fanilly just as Gerard did. "It's about the shard of Angoron, I presume?" He crossed his arms. "If it's any help Captain, you can ask a knight you trust to assist you and take some load off your shoulders. That's what we're here for right?"

Steffen noticed this with Fanilly quite often, trying to tackle problems on her own in the library. They were the boots on the grounds carrying out the dirty works like wiping out the bandits or clearing out the mausoleum or finding this shard sure, but as soon as sorties were done, it seemed like he and the rest just went back to doing their own things until the next sortie orders came. It was different from the image of the Iron Roses that Steffen imagined, one united in goals and objectives, knowing what they are set out to do and to protect. Not to mention that could not have been healthy for the Captain to be shouldering such responsibilities on her own.

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow@The Otter

"...I'm asking for your help, idiota!"

"Ah! So you admit it! A first for you, you stubborn vacca!"

"Don't be that way about it. It isn't as if my life depends on you."

"Bullshit. If it didn't, you wouldn't have asked."

"Have I not helped you?"

"No, brother, you force yourself on situations that don't ask for you."

"Pah! And now I am the one that calls bullshit."

"What?"

"Erina. The stolen cow. The magic broth-"

"FINE, ENOUGH, ENOUGH!"

"Things are a bit clearer, eh?"

"...For the record, asino, the cow was a misunderstanding, eh?"

"You misunderstood it wasn't yours."

"...Do you seriously not remember any of the recipes he cooked?"

"..."

"...The tiramisu?"

"..."

"I'm unsure if I remember how to make that, in fact."

"Are you going to help me or not, jester?"

"You- I told you not to call me...you redheaded fucking uptight prick!"

"Abele, this is testing me."

"You're testing me!"

"Brother...it's an important favour."

"..Hmph."

"..."

"..."

"Well?"

"...How soon do you want to have mastered this?"

"In a few days time. Sooner if we can manage it."

"...I expect a full tour of the grounds. And whoever you're making this for, I want to meet them. It's been too long since I've seen one of your attempts to court a woman, brother!"

"I...?!!"

"Final offer, Knight of the Harvest Moon!"

"Fine. FINE! Consider it done."

"HAH! YES!"

"Look your best though, for Mayon's sake. I can't have the Captain think I'm entertaining a tramp."

Renar couldn't help but chortle slightly at the double entendre, whether Serenity intended it or not. Though judging by her comment of bedding, she likely did.

"He's still a squire, and we're in a time of ostensible peace. Actual experience is hard to come by when we've been putting out the bush fires. Last I evaluated him, though, he isn't bad. A few more years of training and experience and he'd be Crown Knights material." He said simply, to which Elias sighed.

"But not the Iron Rose, eh, elder brother?"

"We'll see, won't we? At the very least, you aren't going to do worse than Felix. As for the other understanding, well." Renar shot his younger brother a teasing grin. "He isn't completely innocent, at least. How is that merchant's daughter I helped introduce you to last festival season? Elise, was it? You bed her yet?"

Elias flushed again, but answered nonetheless, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"We've not gotten that far, though I haven't seen her in a while. I'm kept rather busy as Sir Galmeth's squire."

"You'll get there. Just try not to get her with child." Renar patted Elias on the shoulder in commiseration before glancing back to Serenity.

"Does that answer the question to your satisfaction?"

@ERode

"I..."

Fanilly trailed off. Was she taking this from the wrong angle? She did need to speak with the Mage's College, that was for certain. They were the ones who had apparently had the shard in the first place. But she'd never set foot in the College before. The idea of attempting to do so was rather daunting. But surely, surely, they would want to help locate such a dangerous artifact, especially when they'd possessed it in the first place, right?

On top of that, Veilena had clearly been willing to assist, given that her own plans to recover the shard had fallen through. Could she know what was going on?

"Ah, Sir Steffen, hello," she greeted the ingvarr knight, remembering herself, "I... hm. I... I'll have to arrange for meetings with the College and with Lady Veilena."

It only made sense. She'd been handling this from the wrong angle from the outset, hadn't she. But that wasn't all.

Sir Gerard had noted her other concern, after all.

"Sir Gerard is right, it's just just understanding what might be going on with the stolen shard," she added, "But stopping any other shards from being collected. If there's any other pieces of Angroron in Thaln, we can't let them fall into the enemy's hands. So... I want to try and find out where the others might be."

@The Otter@HereComesTheSnow@Conscripts