Psyker Landshark

Of Steel and Hope: An Academy-life

Applying
me like mecha

Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Next Gen

Valerie Durand

___

Homeroom, First Day

What a bunch of...quirky people she was stuck with. With a resigned sigh, Valerie stood up as she came up in the rotation for introductions, starting to speak.

"Hey," She waved lazily, looking around the room. "Name's Valerie Durand. Let's see...something I do besides dueling...well, I read a lot. Mostly fiction." She said plainly, clearly unused to talking about herself. "As for fun facts, my favorite pro duelist's Chazz Princeton. Chazz it up. Woo." She sat back down without another word, looking bored.

Seemed Ceruli was being too skittish to materialize. Something he'd said last night about want to take the measures of others first before he demonstrated her own spiritual awareness. Still, without his help, Valerie couldn't exactly tell if there was anyone among her classmates similar to her unless their spirits decided to manifest. Without anything better to do, she found herself being forced to just keep sitting through the introductions, waiting for the bell to ring.

___

A few nights later...

Valerie had been in the process of getting ready for bed when it hit her. She staggered slightly, cursing under her breath as she looked out the dorm room's window. What the hell...? What was that light?

"Ceruli, you got any idea what's going on here?" Valerie asked quietly so as to not wake Roche up from her slumber, already putting her clothes back on.

"None whatsoever." He said, looking resigned at his charge raring to go put herself in danger. "I realize that I cannot stop you from running into this crisis head-first, but might I suggest you at least caution? This...spirit geyser is dangerous, if nothing else."

With her uniform back on, Valerie just nodded briefly at Ceruli, slotted her deck into her Duel Disk, and left the room, starting to make her way towards the forest.

___

She'd barely made it a few steps in before she'd met her first duel spirit that wasn't her own partner. An Adhesive Explosive. Reminded her a little of Roche's Blast Sphere, really. Too bad the little prick was both mute and obstinate, immediately challenging her to a duel. And he was a prick. Five turns of stalling, followed by Val finally having the resources to just roll him over. As the duel concluded, Valerie barely spared the spirit a second glance before rushing further into the forest, curious as to what exactly was going on here.

If nothing else, she wasn't insane after all. There had always been an underlying current of doubt in her mind over the years, wondering if she'd just hallucinated Ceruli's presence and voice out of sheer loneliness. But if anyone else on this island had a spirit, or, hell, could even see them, that would put her worries to rest for good.

As she stepped into the clearing, Valerie was greeted with a bewildering sight. One of her classmates...shit, what was her name? Haruko? Helena? Whatever. But she was floating, and-

"Possession." Ceruli manifested beside her, his lip curled as he called out to the floating girl and the multitude of spirits surrounding her. "How distasteful. You would take your resentment out upon an innocent child with no responsibility for your predicament? And here I thought I was free from the barbarity of the Dark World under that idiot. Girl, for your own safety, I recommend dueling. These little fools won't stop hounding anyone until they're defeated."

"What happened to being careful?" Valerie snarked back at her partner, but trusting him implicitly as she raised her duel disk. There was another girl here, in the same Ra Yellow uniform as her. What was her name...? Screw it. "Yo," She called out to Mina. "So I'm pretty sure you can see spirits, same as me. Mind jumping in on this duel at all? Not gonna turn down free help when it's not an official game."

Pokemon: Ascendancy

Fiona MacConnell

MENTIONS: Sawyer @Vertigo, Nordrin @Yankee, Isaiah @PrankFox

Small wonder they'd gone for her Talonflame first. Judging by the number of moves she'd had her Pokemon try on the weird unknown Pokemon, Fiona could surmise that they were probably Steel and Bug type. Fiona scowled at the thought, continuing to command her Pokemon. She couldn't exactly tell who was commanding them, but someone was clearly giving orders, based on how well the fusion Pokemon were moving.

"Nuts tae butts, th' odd fuckers're probably Bug! Definitely Steel! Hit 'em with Fire if ya got it!" Fiona yelled out towards her fellow Gym Leaders while continuing to keep an eye on the battle. The sudden arrival of reinforcements had started to turn the tide, with several of the robbers' Pokemon being knocked out.

Apollo's Flamethrower scored direct hits in the sides of all three of the strange Pokemon, their pained reactions definitely revealing that they were at the very least, weak to Fire-type moves. Unfortunately, this also gave Nordrin's Pokemon more to deal with as they were putting out the fires. As the rest of the criminal Pokemon began to fall and the odd ones were further weakened by stray attacks flying back and forth across the street, the thugs began to panic slightly. Just then, however...

"Damn it, you're all useless. A few people that can actually battle worth a damn show up, and you goons start falling apart. Hell, even the party favors don't look so hot. We can't afford to lose the prototypes to these idiots. Boss'd have my ass, which means I'd have every single one of yours." A male voice boomed, its owner stepping out of the lab with a steel briefcase in hand. A heavy coat, a hood, a high collar, and a cap all served to obfuscate any noticeable feature the man had, and he casually pulled three Ultra Balls out of his coat pocket, recalling the three mystery Pokemon. "Fall in and rally behind me, we're pushing out-" He was cut off by Felon's roar, and the apparent leader of the group tilted his cap up towards the Mega Salamence, seeming to start for a moment before staring straight at Fiona. "...You."

"What, do I know ya?" Fiona raised an eyebrow, even as she commanded her Gliscor to sucker punch a few Pokemon who were turning away to rejoin the main group. "Don't think I owe ya money...fuck it, just get on wit' it. Who tae fuck're ye?"

"Someone whose property you stole, bitch." The hooded man snarled, fishing another Pokeball out of his pocket and releasing an Alakazam.

"Wait, wha-"

The Alakazam gripped its spoons tightly, snarling and drooling slightly in a disturbing fashion. This species...wasn't supposed to be that animalistic.

"Wide-range dispersal." The apparent admin commanded, and the Alakazam actually howled as it smashed its spoons together, black tornadoes forming around the entire street as they ravaged through friend and foe alike. By the time it was over, whatever the attack had been did a number on nearly every Pokemon in the street. No matter their Type, every Pokemon staggered like it had been hit by a super-effective attack, knocking out even Pokemon on the criminals' side that either had already been weakened or were just fragile enough to be unable to take a hit.

On Fiona's side, she gaped for just a moment as half her team was knocked from the air, having already sustained enough damage from the ongoing battle to knock them out. Of her team, only Raptor and Felon remained conscious.

"Crazy fuckin' bastard!" Fiona snarled as she recalled her KOed Pokemon. In the confusion, the thugs started to disperse, recalling their Pokemon and running every which way. "Dammit, let th' coppers get after 'em, we gotta take this one!"

"Come on, assholes!" The hooded man screamed back, releasing an equally vicious-looking Steelix as backup for his Alakazam, briefcase no longer in his hands.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Renar Hagen

@VitaVitaAR @Rune_Alchemist

For a moment, Renar had to remind himself to be patient, lest he start thinking like Serenity. He had to be patient with the captain acting like a teenage girl, because she was a teenage girl. One that didn't exactly ask for this role, unless he was catastrophically mistaken about how the selection process worked. And so Renar simply didn't comment on Fanilly stammering, instead giving her a patient, blank stare. Smiling would just be brown-nosing.

"How have you been settling into Candealn, Captain?" Time to continue taking the girl's measure. Judging by the fact they'd mopped up a group of war veterans while losing only a single man, Renar had little to complain about thus far. But that was only one battle. Flukes could happen. He glanced over to Cecilia, eyeing the little snacks she'd brought.

"Mind if I take one? Now I'm just curious as to what had the Captain in such a fuss."

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Dragan Meszaros

Dragan been prepared to abandon his attack on the skeletal paladin when the giant reached for him, but fortunately, it appeared that he didn't have to. Aleksiya's assault upon the giant distracted it enough that Dragan could continue his offense without reserve. A quick scan of the battlefield revealed that most of the enemy undead had been taken care of, leaving only the abomination remaining. Dragan mentally commanded his horde to continue slaughtering the stragglers before moving on to the larger targets, freeing Aleksiya to deal with the more threatening elements without distraction.

As the paladin turned to face Illena, Dragan raised his hammer once more, preparing to strike it from the back. The gorebat sent to support him was immediately commanded to distract the paladin from above, and Dragan hefted his warhammer.

"Goodbye, brother. Rest now." He murmured quietly before dashing forward and swinging with all his might, aiming to pulverize the undead paladin's helmet and skull in a single stroke while it was distracted.

A Song of Ice and Fire - the Blackfyre Rebellion

Houses Tarly and Hightower

Hours before the tourney was set to begin, the lord of Horn Hill and his only daughter sat before a table set up within his tent in the Tarly camp, patiently awaiting their guests.

"Remember," Talbert nodded to Mina, idly filing his dagger as they waited. "Give me your measure of the boy when we're finished. The Hightowers have enough sons that you've your pick of the bunch, should this one not be preferable to you. Unless Ryam Hightower is a more neglectful man than his accomplishments have led me to believe, I doubt they'll all be lackwits."

"Oh?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "How strange, that you're giving me more of a choice than Sam. People may talk, Father."

"Let them," He grumbled in response, lowering the file to inspect his weapon. "The Hightowers have four sons, all unwed. I've only the one daughter. I'll not have you wed to anyone unworthy. Fortunately, you're more realistic than your brother. I hope you'll judge the Hightower lad by practical terms than by any...superficial matters."

At this, Mina scoffed. "One night and Samwyle's already besotted with the Redwyne girl. But speaking of superficial matters, am I to mention the fact that I can wield a dagger and bow as well?"

"You complained enough about the training that I doubt it's anything you take pride in." Talbert said flatly. "Do as you will regarding that. Only know that it may just save your life one day." A brief commotion outside had him turning his head up, returning his dagger to its sheath.

"Enough. Our guests arrive."

"Remember, the Tarly House is proud and rightfully so. They have a long history of military achievement and as such are to be treated with the respect they are due for such a legacy. Do you remember all the notes on Lord Tarly's daughter?" Addam Hightower, Heir to Oldtown and the Hightower looked over and back to his aunt, dark brown hair falling slightly over his eye.

"I did the required research that you gave me, but I don't see a problem. I don't consider myself repulsive and I believe I'm simple to get along with. And besides Leo is as yet not promised to anyone, nor is Ashton."

His Aunt scoffed and rolled her eyes, brushing her hand on the back of his jacket to remove imagined dust or dirt. "Leo would rather marry a book and Ashton, bless his soul would have a heart attack before he could even speak to a woman about simple court proceedings, let alone betrothal. No, while you have brothers, you must be the one. Marrying the heir of the Hightower gives Lord Tarly a perceived higher standing. They get the Heir and the Redwynes get the only daughter and one that will never likely gain anything in the succession."

Addam sighed and nodded before turning into the main walkway to their hosts. As they arrived Addam shot a quick wink to his sister who had remained silent thus far, even when spoken about as she was. She was a bright girl, exceptionally quick and well spoken while also unafraid to let her opinion be known or be disagreeable. Addam got a nod from the girl and he turned to the front and gave a nod to the herald to announce them as they entered.

Addam came first, escorting his sister. Addam wore a flowing silver silk tunic, tight in the shoulders and loose near the hands. A black jacket was worn over the tunic, a silver collar blending in with the tunic, with the first three buttons undone and folded over top. The jacket was long, going to the Hightower's lower shin. Polished black boots and leather belt finished the outfit. Addam's hair was styled his usual style, well brushed and pushed to the right. Alicent on the contrary wore a stunning cloth of gold dress, obviously tailored specifically for her as it hugged and accentuated all the right places. An emerald necklace, earrings, and hair pin accentuated the gold coloring. Finally came Khloe Hightower, the sister to the current Lord Hightower. Khloe was dressed much simpler, a nice but not striking powder blue dress, and silver accents.

The trio approached Lord Tarly and Mina, to whom Addam offers a wide dimpled smile, and they all bowed or curtsies at the same time. "My Lord Tarly, it is an honor to be hosted by you for this discussion."

Talbert and Mina rose to meet their guests, returning the bows and curtsies with their own. Talbert was clad today in a tabard bearing House Tarly's colors over a leather jerkin, and Mina in a silk dress dyed a rich navy blue.

"My lord and ladies Hightower. In the name of House Tarly, I bid you welcome." Talbert gestured towards the seats, giving them leave to sit. As they did so, Mina looked over all three of the visiting delegation with a critical eye, though Addam most of all. A stern enough expression crossed her face that she looked for all the world like a younger, female version of her father.

Talbert reached for a jug of wine on the table and began to pour into several cups for his guests.

"Arbor Red. From our mutual allies in the Redwynes." He stated plainly, raising his own cup in a brief salute before taking a sip. "Now for the formalities. Ser Addam, I take it you act with your father's authority in this matter?"

Lord Tarly, Lady Mina, thank you for your welcome. It is well received and honestly after travel it is a great relief to finally have a chance to rest. This meeting is very important to our House which is why it is you that we have come straight to meet upon arriving." The two ladies sat Addam waiting until they did so before sitting himself. His eyes found Mina's again and he looked right at her unafraid to hold the eye contact.

Addam maneuvered the various cups to his female companions and then looked to Lord Tarly whom he nodded to a few times. "In this matter and in any other that may arise I do speak with my father's voice and my actions should be considered as his." He inclines his head and then politely sips his wine, smiling and nodding a few times. "A great taste here, but now. As you said let's get to business. Alicent here," he nods towards his sister, "will be going to meet with the Redwyne lad after this meeting."

At this, Talbert simply inclined his head to acknowledge Addam's words while Mina began to speak instead.

"Oh? We wish you the best then, Lady Alicent." Mina offered a slight smile before turning back to Addam, her gaze suddenly sharp again. "Tell me of Oldtown, Ser Addam. I have visited on occasion, but that pales in comparison to having actually lived there since birth. After all, if you wish for us to be wed, I ought to know more of the lands I am to help you oversee, yes?"

Talbert himself said nothing after Mina's question, merely staring at Addam with an inquisitive gaze, bordering on challenging. It seemed this was some sort of test, really.

Alicent smiled widely at Mina when she spoke and gave a quick wink that Mina would notice. "My thanks Lady Mina, just as I hope that my bone headed brother here doesn't make a fool of himself."

Addam simply chuckled and sipped his wine again, eyes moving from Talbert to Mina and back again rapidly. When Mina asked her question though, Addam's smile widened and his eyes glimmered while he sighed in contentment. "Oldtown is, simply out, the most magical place on earth. Boats coming in from quite literally every place in the wider world. The way the sun catches on the buildings and sails, the louder voices on the dock or the various celebrations House Hightower sponsor in the city. It's... Home, I don't really know what more to say."

The barest hint of a smirk crossed Mina's lips at Alicent's wink, and she inclined her head back briefly to acknowledge it. Her expression softened slightly at Addam's clearly enraptured overview of his home, and she took a sip of wine, waiting until he finished before she spoke again.

"A beautiful picture you've painted, my lord. Though I was more wondering the amount of effort you and your family have put in to see such a city thrive. As I've heard, Oldtown has prospered greatly in the recent years of House Hightower's administration, yes?"

Addam chuckles and nods, his hands going out before him and making a sort of shrug. "Apologies, I quite love my home, as I'm sure that you love yours. Before I answer I wish to make it clear that any desire at any time you have to visit will be understood. The last thing I would ever seek to do is make you a prisoner. But yes, we have spent most of my father's rule to ensure the city flourishes, putting regular stipends of cash into keeping things going, broadening trade little by little so as not to overflow, and of course prop up our armed troops, and city watch."

Alicent spoke then, having mostly sat quiet. "Addam has been working directly with a group of Essosi mercenaries on drilling a standing force. And I Routinely walk the city and keep an ear on things." She copies her older brother's chuckle, "so you could say that we recognize that the city IS our strength."

"I should think that I'd be doing my brothers a favor not returning often, really." Mina said dryly, though she seemed genuinely touched by Addam's sentiment. "But I do appreciate the thought. And that your family understands the value of your territory. I've doubts that Father would hand me off to someone likely to drive his house into the ground, after all." She gave Talbert a significant look at that, to which he held up a hand, finally speaking once more.

"Enough. This match has my blessing. Ser Addam, if you'll have my daughter, I consent to joining Houses Hightower and Tarly together." He stood from his seat and walked over to the desk present in the tent, pulling out a sheaf of parchment before heading back over and sitting down, handing the documents to Addam.

"I believe you'll find the offered dowry is more than generous." The documents that Talbert handed over listed off a significant sum totaled in in crowns, food shipments to Oldtown, and preferential treatment in Horn Hill's fur trade.

With the words from Talbert, Khloe stood up and walked out of the room. The woman had remained quiet for the entire meeting, showing that she was more or less just an observer and advisor if needed. Alicent also stepped towards the door and gave a curtsy to the Lord Tarly and another wink to Mina. "I look forward to seeing you in Oldtown Mina. I will be looking forward to having another female presence in the family dinners. I've been outnumbered for some time."

While his grandmother and sister moved to leave, Addam simply stood and moved over to the parchment Talbert stood over. He quickly read through it, and then muttered softly so only Talbert can hear. "My father wishes to know if this agreement consolidates previous discussions with himself over wine". It was a coded message and spoken nonchalantly, and before Talbert could reply, he leaned down prepared to sign.

Mina didn't quite wink back, but smirked slightly instead and dipped her head towards Alicent, standing up and curtsying as well to both Talbert and Addam.

"By your leave then, Father." She said, turning to exit the tent after Talbert waved her off. With all that done, he looked back towards Addam, who was busy in the process of signing the marriage agreements.

"It does." He murmured in as quiet a tone as Addam had given him before raising his voice once more. "Ser Addam. By all accounts, you are a man of honor. I trust that after you wed my daughter, you'll continue to be as such." His eyes narrowed. "The girl was trained to fight and hunt at my command, no matter how much she protested against such. But I've no reason to threaten you for misconduct. She is entirely capable of expressing her displeasure with you in such a case on her own. Remember that."

His threats made, Talbert softened his gaze slightly towards his usual stoic mien. "That all said, should you wish to make her happy, allow her to take the reins in administration of your holdings, as befits a competent wife of noble stock. Mina's talents lie with numbers, and she's been trained through aiding myself and Samwyle in managing Horn Hill's lands for the past few years."

Addam finishes writing and then goes for his wine goblet. "When I take rule over from my father I assure you that Mina will have all the administration she desires. I can't promise my younger brother or sister won't attempt to help but it'll be made clear who is in charge. I swear to you and the seven now that I will do all that I can to make her happy and comfortable, and to defend her with my last breaths if needed."

He takes a sip of wine after his declaration and smiles. One marriage down. What a crazy tournament this would be.

Tl;dr:

Both houses hash out marriage agreements to each other, Addam Hightower and Mina Tarly are set to wed. Possible hints of conspiracy definite loyalty.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Renar Hagen

@VitaVitaAR @Rune_Alchemist

After finishing his maintenance on his weapons and separating from Fionn and Serenity, Renar did exactly as he stated he'd do, and returned to his quarters to begin drafting several letters. They'd been exactly as he said they were supposed to be as well, comprising of various reports of the battle on his end, sent out to contacts of his with varying influence. And his family. Some were of more use than others, but anything that got his name on the lips of the upper echelon of power in Thaln would be beneficial towards his goal.

Writing the letters hadn't taken too much time, given that most were the exact same in content, and Renar left his quarters once more in order to send them off. Once he'd finished mailing them away, he began the slow walk back to the dormitory, wondering what to do with the remainder of his free time for the day. Under ordinary circumstances, he'd be training. However, for some reason, none of his usual training partners and/or friends were located within the training grounds. Unfortunate. Perhaps they all had something else to do for the moment. Regardless, that did leave him with a wealth of free time.

It was during his musings of what to do that Renar stumbled across a rare sight. The knight-captain and Cecilia in the chapel, with the latter having fed the former...something. Judging by Fanilly's reaction, it wasn't exactly pleasant. Still, it clearly wasn't a poisoning attempt. Or at the very least, it was the worst poisoning attempt Renar had ever heard of. Regardless, the chapel was a public place, and this didn't quite seem to be a private conversation. If nothing else, he could use this chance to get more of a gauge on his new commander.

"Captain Fanilly. Dame Cecilia." Renar approached, giving Cecilia a respectful nod and Fanilly a brief salute. "I hope you're not trying to poison our new knight-captain so soon after our first successful mission." He smirked briefly at Cecilia, conveying his jest.

A Song of Ice and Fire - the Blackfyre Rebellion

Lord Talbert Tarly and Ser Aegor Rivers

By mid-morning, Talbert was already striding through the tourney grounds, a pair of bannermen at his back to serve as his guards for the time being. He concealed a grimace as best he could, though the bags under his eyes belied his state. Dinner with the Redwynes the previous night had resulted in him drinking far more than he would have preferred, if only to keep his hosts and potential allies happy. As a result, he was nursing a particularly onerous hangover, though Talbert powered through it as best he could and got on with business.

Said business brought him to the Bracken encampment, where he announced himself to the men-at-arms and awaited permission to be led forward. When said permission was given, Talbert strode forward, following after the guardsman who eventually led him to the tent of Bittersteel. After being let in, the lord of Horn Hill would incline his head towards his peer in a show of respect.

"Ser Aegor." Talbert greeted, waiting to be granted leave to take a seat by his host. "I received your raven before I departed Horn Hill. Everything is in order, then?"

Despite the jovial nature of the event, the Braken encampment was ochestrated as if it were at war, men-at-arms in the prideful yellow of the house standing guard with no sense of levity throughout the microcosm of the camp. Despite this, the process of Talbert was smooth through the process, admitted with efficiency and no lack of greeting for the anticipated ally of the house.

The reception that the man recieved from Aegor himself was more muted, a careful studying of the potential ally, his intense violet eyes lifting from the missives on his desk to regard Talbert. Papers aplenty spread across Bittersteel's desk, the man standing, not sitting, behind the light wooden frame.

"Fetch Lord Talbert some water." These were the words the man first heard in greeting, as Aegor supped from his own cup, his eyes casting back down to the papers as a servant scurried to perform the task, as military in their precision as Aegor's armed men. "Matters proceed as they should, soon Daemon will be willing and able to claim what is his." He spoke in the brief windown between the servant leaving and the drink being provided, then dismissing them from the tent with a nod from his head. "Can House Tarly be relied upon?" Aegor spoke in a manner which suggested the question had as much to do with the current meeting than any grander sense, those same cold eyes boring into the man before him.

Talbert took a seat at Ser Aegor's offer of water, taking the cup when it was provided to him. He matched Bittersteel's gaze with his own, unfaltering.

"Of course we can." He stated plainly, sipping his water. "I bring all the swords of Horn Hill and my bannermen, both of which you've campaigned alongside before. You know their quality. Between our houses, we possess some of the only battle-tested forces available in this age. So long as Blackfyre is willing to do what is necessary, he has House Tarly's support."

Talbert studied Aegor for a moment, as if musing over his next words. When he spoke, it was quieter.

"I bring word from others as well. House Peake is fully behind this venture, and have brought me into their alliance of Reach houses so as to influence the other two. I mean to marry my heir to a Redwyne girl, and my daughter to a Hightower to bind them into the fold. I trust this is acceptable?"

"Have a care with who we approach, matters are progressing swiftly and we must control when those against us become aware of what we are capable of." Aegor mused in reply to the Lord, his attentions still on the table before him.

He took a short, brief, sip from his own cup, before he once again matched gaze with Talbert. "But we are not in a position so strong as to turn down such aid, feel out the potential of their support, or at least, their willingness to stand aside for when Daemon acts. Of that, it can be sure to be soon, once he arrives I shall have the full measure of his wishes." It was not like Bittersteel to not be made aware of the entirety of the Blackfyre cause, yet Daemon was playing cards closer to his chest of late, it made Aegor uneasy, and yet, it would mean he was finally close to pressing his claim. It had to.

"Would there be anything else?" The final question was blunt, but with no additional sense of dismissal, simply the words of a man who did not waste time when it could be spent effectively.

Talbert waited patiently, showing no sign of offense at the abrupt bluntness of Bittersteel's last sentence. After all, he'd prefer to conduct himself in much the same way most of the time. Still...

"Nothing else of note on my end at this moment." He confirmed, taking one last sip of his water. "Your brother hasn't made the full extent of his plans known to you yet? I had been led to believe you were among his closest confidants." Talbert stated neutrally, not intending for his words to be a challenge or accusation. "Do you foresee this to become a potential problem?"

"There are matters that are not safe for ravens." Aegor's response was terse, but it was not entirely untrue, even as his attention drifted back to his missives. "When he strikes camp, we will know all."

Tl;dr:

Talbert and Bittersteel discuss DEFINITELY BEING LOYAL TO THE IRON THRONE. Yep.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Renar Hagen

Frankly, he hadn't expected Serenity to actually take the bait. Still, what she said told him enough about her feelings on the matter. As for her own question...

"Paladin Tyaethe gave us our commands, and we executed them. I suspect she'd prefer not to be in a position of leadership, but her target prioritzation was correct. We were ordered to focus on either Jeremiah or what we now know to be the griffin should they appear, and I would have commanded the same in her position. As for unit tactics, to be frank, I'd wager the fault is more on our individual components than our leadership." He glanced in Fionn's direction in acknowledgement for a moment before continuing on.

"Unlike the common soldiery our friend here came from, I find that most knights tend to be somewhat too proud to consider unit tactics and formation warfare past the lance or wedge on horseback. There are exceptions, like ourselves, but to an average member of the order? Doubtful. After all, it's the poor bastards on foot bearing shoddy munitions that need exact drilling to survive and win against men in full plate and on horseback, not the other way around."

Renar glanced down to his own armaments, having finally finished maintenance on them. As he began packing his supplies back up, he looked to Fionn who seemed to be leaving.

"Go on, then. I'd join you immediately, but I've some letters to send out first. Reports of the battle, petitions, and whatnot. While I can't claim any greater glories, I'll not see any effort I made go to waste."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Renar Hagen

And now he was being scolded. Renar bit back a sigh, simply staring at Fionn impassively until he finished. Frankly, Fionn was one of very few people he would tolerate this sort of lecture from. And only because he knew that his friend was a genuine believer in church and chivalry. If Fionn didn't want to hear this from him, fine. Fionn wouldn't hear this from his mouth again. In earshot, at least. But his own injured pride wasn't quite worth continuing this argument with one of his only friends in the order.

"Fine, friend. I hear you." Renar looked to Fionn, his expression resigned. "Consider the matter dropped on my end. I'd prefer not to argue with you over it. And Gerard would likely take your side on this." But he couldn't resist getting one last jab in. "Though I still reserve the right to complain about the little shit's antics."

"As for the Captain, that's good. Seems we're in no immediate danger of disgrace or disaster, then. Unless you'd object to that, Dame Serenity?" Renar looked over to her, a half-smirk rising to his lips in challenge. He had a suspicion that she felt more strong about this subject than she'd let on. It was just a matter of seeing if she'd take the bait or not.