FujiwaraPhoenix

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

Reginald von Afah

Curious though he was about whatever had sparked this incident in the first place, Reginald reminded himself that, at the end of the day, there were other matters to worry about over investigating the circumstances that had kept everyone here to begin with. With that being said, though, it wasn't as if he could tell as if these events were predetermined or not to begin with. He had little memory of any events like this while proceeding through the game, but at this point, chasing after a dangling thread on his first day here in hopes that it would lead to other issues seemed a bit...

Frivolous? Yes, frivolous was the word. He needed information first and foremost, not instinctual hunches.

"...Well, there were surely other witnesses. Hopefully those with more authority will find the ones responsible," he said, shrugging his shoulders as he glanced towards his maid. Being the person she usually was, of course, his servant requested recompense—one that he was less willing to give due to the bird that seemed to be gravitating towards her, granted, but what she had done otherwise at least warranted some minor bonus.

"If you wish to bill me, I will, of course, review the costs," he remarked back, watching as Mella attempted to get the bird off of her head. A small smirk crossed his face as he watched the bird flit about, dodging the maid's hands as it flew into the air for a moment... Before promptly returning to sit atop her head.

"Would you prefer I purchased that bird for you? Or, rather, maybe I should do so regardless..." he joked before taking a step to the side as a few more shopkeepers—and, now, some more willing volunteers—began to carry the rattled animals back to whence they came.

Walking back towards Elastasia and Terys, though, the black-haired student noted that the latter was still wrestling with a rather large puppy, which seemed to have taken to him as much as the bird had to his maid. Whether or not he wanted to be pinned to the ground and licked over and over was not necessarily his jurisdiction, of course, but given that it seemed to have been going on for long enough for the boy to try (and fail) to push him off...

Well, it only seemed right to step in and assist.

With a sigh, Reginald leaned over and wrapped both of his arms around the dog before prying it away from Terys, the beast notably heavier than it seemed to be at first glance.

"I am... Surprised they could keep this thing to begin with," he said, some strain evident on his face as the dog shook about in his arms. "Rather friendly, it seems—for better or worse."

@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist

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The older man stared at Cervantes for a moment before shaking his head and sighing.

"Jacob Verdan. As for recovering what was lost, well..."

There was a moment as he trailed off before glancing at the people bringing the animals back over to the shop.

"...I suppose that can wait until after I've taken inventory. There are a fair number of creatures I need to make sure are all right... Assuming that they've been captured," he remarked, shoulders slumped as he moved to take a snakelike creature off of a young man's hands. "If there is anything missing, though... Well, depending on what it is, I might have to take you up on your offer."

By now, more of those animals were starting to be brought back in, whether in makeshift containers or in the hands of someone... Or, in some cases, hanging off of a limb with their mouths firmly latched on. It was a comical sight, to be sure, but the sheer quantity of the animals in question made this a far less entertaining matter for the man who had to worry about them to begin with.

@AThousandCurses

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Lilian seemed to physically recoil as Serrica stepped forward and said her piece, though she made an honest attempt at trying to mask her displeasure with the noblewoman's words and actions in the process. The young woman seemed to be suppressing the urge to simply respond to the provocations of the greedy woman in front of her, but it was difficult for her to not try and create space between herself and Serrica as the latter moved closer to her.

"My feeling towards Chr-the Crown Prince have nothing to do with this matter. Regardless, I would sooner bite my own tongue off than deal with you alone for a night," the young woman responded, a frown on her face as she let out a brief sigh before turning towards the stammering young lady caught up in this mess. There was a pause, of course, as she listened to the nervous attempt at an introduction before sighing.

"No need to feel so alarmed, Miss Marielle," Lilian said, a businesslike smile crossing her face as if her prior reaction towards Serrica did not exist moments prior. "Though our stations may differ, we are all students here. Though..."

There was a pause as the blonde-haired girl threw a passing glance towards Serrica before continuing.

"...I worry some people here may treat this school as a hunting ground of sorts rather than a place of learning. In any case, I suppose I should ask what you were doing here, given that there isn't exactly much to do within the building at the moment—especially not at this time of day."

@Pyromania99@VitaVitaAR

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

Reginald von Afah

Still oblivious to the danger within his hands—at least, for the moment—Reginald simply gave Elastasia a look of mild confusion as she warned him about the avian struggling within his grasp.

"Blow my hands off?" he asked, glancing down for a moment before shaking his head. "I can see it glowing a bit, sure, but it's not as if—"

But before he could finish his rejection therein, the momentary lapse in attention as he turned towards the maid calling his name followed by the flight of a rather flightless creature towards his face left the young man a victim to his instincts—and in so doing let go of the bird in order to catch the axolotl-like creature hurtling towards his face. It was as much for his sake as it was for the animal's, of course, but the bird that he had taken the pains to catch was now flapping it's wings as it tumbled momentarily through the air.

But that was for no more than that fleeting moment, though, as the creature swiftly swerved upwards with a flap of it's wings as it dodged the ground. The glow by now had become palpable enough for even Reginald to be aware that it was indeed likely more magical than he had first believed it to be, and the sudden burst of light thereafter after it flew into the center of the would-be helpers caused him to instinctively shield his eyes.

The light itself seemed to do no damage—quite the opposite, really, as a few of the more disoriented animals at their feet began to regain their bearings—but the bird that was the source of all this seemed to simply fly towards Mella before promptly perching itself in her head. It seemed to be staring daggers at Reginald now, of course, but it at least seemed to not be trying to escape again... For whatever reason that could be.

"...Well, that's a rather rude bird," he remarked, checking on the creature in his hands to see if it had been affected by the bird's magic before promptly handing it off to a nearby shopkeeper. "But I suppose that if it means to stick around, that's one less problem to worry about."

The kitten, though, seemed far less pleased with the current state of affairs. It was a bit more limp, now, pressed between the maid's hand and chest as ait was, but there was only so much it could attempt to do given the restrictions it seemed to impose upon itself. Surely, a scratch or bite would likely cause her to drop it... But the beast seemed to simply give up and accept it's fate.

"For what reason would you let loose a bunch of creatures into the area like this, though...?" Reginald mused to himself as he brushed off some of the dirt on his clothes before turning towards one of the less occupied shopkeepers. "Could I hear more about the details of this situation, by any chance?"

The person in question—a somewhat lanky man in his late thirties—responded with a weak smile and a shrug.

"I'm sorry, sir; all I can recall were some young men sprinting away before the chaos broke out. I think one of them might've been holding onto something, but..."

"A robbery, maybe?" Reginald responded, arms now folded across his chest in mild concern. "What sort of idiots would attempt a robbery in broad daylight...?"

@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist

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The rather ham-fisted method Cervantes had chosen to get the wyvern out of his hair (or, well, net) drew a bit of an irritated glance from one of the shopkeepers nearest the event, and who, despite seeing everyhing unfold as it did, not not seem particularly pleased with how the wyvern had been lobbed into it's cage.

"Though I do appreciate the help," he began to say as he brought a large hamster-like creature towards it's cage, "I'd prefer if you didn't damage the merchandise in the process."

There was a pause and a sigh as he stared at the rows of cages—most of which had their doors wide open—before shaking his head.

"Thousands of coins' worth of merchandise, all for a... Prank? I don't even know at this point..."

The exhaustion and mental fatigue were rather evident from his body language alone, but there was only so much the poor man could even attempt to do at this point beyond try to salvage what he could from the mess that had just transpired.

@AThousandCurses

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"I certainly did not expect to see you here of all places, Lady Haldblum. Were the events outside too few and far between to entertain you?"

As the conversation between Serrica and Anne found itself coming to a close, a rather dignified-looking young woman with long golden hair walked straight towards the pair. It was a face that Serrica would have grown to known well by this point, and one that would, in a sense, strike fear of a different sort into Anne's heart.

It was hard, after all, to ignore the main 'love rival' of the crown prince's route—Lilian Meridan, the prince's straight-laced and sharp-tongued childhood friend.

It almost seemed as if there were sparks flying out of Lilian's eyes as she stared straight into Serrica's eyes before turning towards Anne.

"...My apologies. I should not be so crass so as to not introduce myself first," Lilian said, taking a step back before giving a light curtsy towards the unfamiliar young woman in front of her. "Lilian Meridan, the daughter of His Royal Highness' chief advisor Byron Meridan. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Once she had spoken her piece, though, Lilian simply turned back towards Serrica with a look of mild contempt.

"I suppose that matching your refined tastes would have been a rather daunting task to begin with regardless," she remarked with a shake of her head. "How unfortunate."

The thinly-veiled venom Lilian's words was almost palpable as she continued staring Serrica dead-on, her gaze unflinching as she continued staring the woman opposite her down.

"To be quite honest, I'm quite surprised to even see you here in the first place. I would have thought you would have better things to do with your time than stroll down the hallways making small talk with the new students."

@Pyromania99@VitaVitaAR

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

Reginald von Afah

With the barrier comparatively unperturbed by the kitten's valiant efforts, the rest of the animals soon found themselves crashing into the magical wall... Or one another. To Reginald, who was watching the whole affair unfold in front of him, the mental image of a nasty pileup quickly came to mind—and a somewhat restrained grimace crossed his face as he turned away from the carnage.

"I certainly don't envy any of them..." he remarked to himself as the bird in his hands continued to wriggle and squirm about. Though he could not necessarily see the growing energy it was exuding now, he could certainly feel it now. To that, though, the young man simply chose to maintain his hold on the creature. 'Twas not his place to question why a magical creature was being held here, of course, but as far as he could tell, there was not much amiss about it beyond a slight glow.

The two more magically-inclined girls in his company would likely be able to tell what was going on to some degree, though, given how the bird seemed to be absorbing energy from the disoriented and injured creatures lying about as the shopekeepers began to gather them back up. By now, the identity of the avian was a bit more obvious to those who had run through this event in the game—the heroine's "companion" on the routes more relevant to the church, traveling around and growing alongside her.

Unfortunate, though, that such growth usually required the presence of the injured and pained... Such as those lying around the street right now. Doubly so, of course, when one considered that the bird could hit a critical mass of energy before it reached a new stage in it's growth, as seemed to be fast approaching, and in so doing could cause anything from a shockwave of mana to a pulse of healing energy affecting those who it was nearby to anything in between.

All the while, though, the kitten that had now been caught in Melia's arms was flailing about, trying it's hardest to push itself free from her grasp. Notably enough, though, it seemed to deliberately not be trying to scratch or bite at her body despite being caught in a rather unbecoming situation... Though for what reason it chose not to do so remained to be seen.

By this point, though, the shopkeepers had begun to capitalize on the efforts of everyone actively aiding in their efforts to stop the stampede, and more than a few had already begun to bring the creatures splayed out on the streets back to their cages... For better or worse. The wyvern in Cervantes' grasp, for example, continued to struggle away at the net that had wrapped around it's body—or, to be more accurate, the net that it had incidentally wrapped itself up in. But the slight red glow beginning to form from within it's mouth was not exactly a herald of good things to come for anyone left unaware...

@AThousandCurses@Rune_Alchemist@Raineh Daze

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

Reginald von Afah

Reginald paid his maid a slightly curious sidelong glance as she commented on the oncoming chaos before deliberately acting as if he hadn't seen the glint in her eye. Over the past few years the young man had grown somewhat accustomed to his maid's odd lust for money, and so as long as she didn't attempt to actively undermine his family's finances Reginald himself had no reason to intervene.

Of course, the others nearby had also chosen to jump into action, each moving to help stem the chaos in their own way. The shopkeeper had whipped out a net from his bag—one of a surprisingly sturdy make, if the way he swung it around was any indication—while Elastasia had begun to funnel all of the creatures into the road and towards them.

That would certainly help his plans along, if anything. Though he had no weapons upon him, injuring the animals likely wouldn't have done him any favors with the shopkeepers attempting to rein the situation in anyways.

What was to be done instead, then, but simply work to try and catch the animals just barely too far out of reach for the others to capture? After a deep breath, the black-haired student sprung towards one of the barriers the mage had erected before leaping towards it. There was a brief pause as Reginald shifted his body around in mid-air before turning to use the very same barrier as a springboard to push himself even further into the skies. A pure-white bird that was just barely about to pass just overhead was soon caught within his hands as he descended to the ground.

"...Hm. I suppose that I should've considered what to do if my hands were full..." he mused to himself as the bird—which would be somewhat notable to both Melia and Elastasia given the holy aura it seemed to faintly exude—continued to struggle away.

With that said, the menagerie bearing down on everyone was not exactly without any other noteworthy creatures. There were a variety of smaller magical creatures trying to shove their way through despite the narrowing corridor, but a few seemed intelligent enough to attempt to double back...

Or, as in the case of a smaller kittenlike creature, leaping straight at Elastasia's face in what seemed to be an attempt to break the spell blocking it's path of escape.

@Rune_Alchemist@AThousandCurses@Raineh Daze

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

Reginald von Afah

Given that he was more searching for his maid than Elastasia's brother, Reginald was caught completely off guard when the white-haired girl opted to start pulling him down the street. Though taken aback by the sudden pull, the black-haired student quickly regained his composure and followed his companion's lead without too much hassle.

It was convenient, then, that finding Terys would also incidentally lead him to Mella. There was a brief moment of contemplation as his eyes glanced at the scene in front of him before a sigh finally escaped his lips.

"I suppose this works just as well," he remarked, nodding towards the smaller boy as he gave his apologies in turn. The humility, at least, was a nice change of pace from some of the more indignant nobles that would frequent social gatherings. "If that is all, then—"

Though the black-haired student was apt to take his leave, the sound of some chaos nearby quickly pulled his attention. There were a few more mischeivous students running off in another direction, for what little that was worth, but the real commotion seemed to be coming from where they were running from—that is, to say, the group of shopkeepers and students trying their hardest to catch a few creatures that were scrambling about.

"...Well. That's... Something," Reginald said, frowning as he took a step forward. "I suppose it's only right to try and help resolve the situation."

Not that they really had much of a choice, though—not with a few of the beasts making their way towards them. Whether or not this was event that had occurred in the original work was less relevant now, though, given the absence of the heroine... Though maybe something like this always happened, regardless of what she had chosen to do?

@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist@AThousandCurses

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"Suddenly... Fainted? Interesting."

There was a pause as Johan considered Anne's words before he drew back and squinted at the unconscious Noctis.

"Well, he seems to be in perfect health otherwise. No signs of heatstroke or the like..."

It wasn't long after that, though, before the activity within the nurse's office promptly tripled. Another student—this one, with somewhat more tangible injuries—was brought in, which swiftly drew the nurse's attention towards her instead. Following her, of course, was a noble lady of rather noble make, and following that came the revival of the young man whose consciousness had escaped him. Rather than try and make a fuss about things, though, Johan simply stared quietly at the one who had just awoken.

"...Well, I'm not quite sure that'd be a reason to pass out, but for the moment, I'll not pry further," Johan stated before standing up and dusting himself off. "Though I suppose you should be wary of sleep deprivation regardless; learning is rather difficult without proper sleep... Not that I'm one to talk."

Rather than linger ere long, though, the nurse's assistant simply made his way back over to what he had been carrying earlier and began to sort what he had out. The other students, he reasoned, could do well enough among themselves; so long as they didn't treat this place like their personal hangout, then he could care less.

@VitaVitaAR@Pyromania99@MagusDream

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

@Chiro: Uh... I would rather you not play royalty, if that's what you're asking.
That aside, uh... We probably want to try and balance the cast in terms of abilities/personality to some extent...?

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

Right, I FINALLY have time now.

@DrabberRogue: Hm...
I think the character would have more to gain by not being super heavy magic spec, personally? Having it in the repertoire is fine, but I think that with our cast, too much magic might not be the greatest path to take. We don't have any mixed magic/physical people in the crew, for example, and reasonably speaking if you want that combat spec you should consider something like that instead of going for super magic focus. That's a power thing, though. Reasonably, it being rare should be sufficient to make him valuable, not that it should need to have access to the BEST of the rarest.
As for personality... I think you could probably do with making it a bit more defined? I get a feel for what he's like, sure, but only in a bit of a vague sense where I get how he "acts" but not the sort of person he "is", if that makes sense.

So I think for now it's not quite a rejection, but... Not acceptance, either.

@Chiro: We're still open, yeah. As for that concept, though... It's all about execution on that front. Gotta come up with someone compelling to be more than just "a character who tries to mess with meta-knowledge" like that.

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

Reginald von Afah

Though he seemed somewhat lost in thought as he proceeded forward, the concerns that Elastasia had were not necessarily ones that Reginald shared... Or, at the very least, not for the same reasons. Regardless of when he was meant to meet the heroine, the fact that he was a capture target to begin with couldn't be ignored...

And, as he wished to do for most of the people of concern, Reginald wished to keep tabs on as many of those as possible. The fact that he was also fundamentally tied to one of the best generalist magic units in Cross Heart Academy—in other words, the girl following behind him—only meant that trying to maintain a decent relationship during his time here was of a rather high import.

Not that he shouldn't have already been worrying about such a thing; keeping up airs was rather important despite the "equal" footing the school tried to place on them in terms of status.

"Well, if you are to search, I suppose starting here is as good a place as any," he said, the streets abuzz with chatter as the pair walked into the markets proper. "Though... Hm. That might prove difficult, given the crowds."

With the flow of students constantly shifting about them, it would indeed be rather difficult for anyone to spot anything, regardless of their height—but through the smallest of gaps, a fleeting glimpse of some rather distinctly familiar white hair could be seen before it disappeared back into the sea of people.

@Raineh Daze

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With all of the people moving throughout the marketplace, it was but a given that people would end up bumping into one another on occasion. The streets were not so crowded as to outright hinder movement, but with all of the new students eager to explore the academy's town-within-a-city, it was difficult to not expect at least a little pushing and shoving here and there.

What would likely not have been expected to Mella, though, was a full-on collision with a certain overeager white-haired boy. Nary had a moment gone by since Cervantes had said his farewells did the maid find herself run into at full force by the new student. The boy had fared no better, of course; rather than landing on top of her, the momentum he had built up dodging through the crowd had left him unable to properly maintain his balance once he had failed—which, in this case, had led to him rather comically tripping over himself before tumbling onto the ground.

"...Ow..." he groaned, slowly pushing himself off the cobblestone below with a few more cuts and bruises than he had moments ago.

@Rune_Alchemist@AThousandCurses

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Christopher looked at Anne with mild surprise at her near-instantaneous declaration to stay behind before smiling and nodding.

"Your friend is very lucky to have someone so concerned about them at their side. I would certainly like to stay and make sure he is well..." the prince began to say before shaking his head, "but I do have other things I need to attend to. We should speak again in the future, though; in the meantime, I hope your time at the academy serves you well."

And with that, the prince promptly left the room—only for a brief knock on the door and the nurse's motion to open it reveal someone else of import. With a somewhat gloomy atmosphere about him, a young man with dark purple hair walked into the room, a crate of bandages in hand.

"Master, I've brought the bandages you requested," stated one Johan Kyrman, his gaze slowly panning across the room before landing upon both Anne and the unconscious Noctis. "...I see we already have a patient, though."

"Oh, thank you, Johan! You can put the bandages over there," the nurse said, gesturing off to an open area to the side. Though his gaze lingered upon the pair for a moment, the young man simply followed his "master's" orders before promptly walking over to the unconscious Noctis and checking the student's temperature and vitals.

"...Hm. No sign of any irregularities..." he muttered to himself before turning towards the nurse for a moment, then towards Anne. "What happened to him?"

Needless to say, the nurse's sigh rather than any attempt to stop him would have made it clear that the young man at their side was more than a little "eccentric".

@VitaVitaAR@MagusDream

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

@DrabberRogue: I think that framing for dark magic is fine, honestly.

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

@DrabberRogue: Aye, baron would work fine. Dark magic... Would likely need to be defined a bit clearer, but depending on what that is it could probably pan out well enough.