The Otter

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@ERode@Psyker Landshark@PigeonOfAstora@Crimson Paladin@Raineh Daze@HereComesTheSnow@Rune_Alchemist@Creative Chaos

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Lein's smack on his chest met with a raised eyebrow, but Fionn declined to comment either on it or on the idea of the diminutive Hundi riding atop Steffen's great shoulders. The Crown Knights had quickly surrounded the princesses and started escorting them back deeper within the castle; while he'd been inclined to follow along very shortly, the assassin's capture and Steffen's own comment about having looked through the halls before arriving in the great hall gave him reason to believe things would remain...calm enough for the next few moments, at least.

No matter how strange it all was, as even the short evacuation seemed to grind to a halt given the peculiarity of the overall situation. The snippets of the conversation from around the assassin reaching back to his ears only reinforced how odd it all was. "Lein, you're quick and slippery. Keep close to Steffen and keep your ears open if you go looking around—if you can't see any sort of special or hidden entrance, you might still hear something from the other side. I'll keep a finger on things here...there's something very strange about this, like, and I've got a feeling that there really is going to be more to deal with before the night is through."

Something about a sister, the Nem couldn't speak, something about a mastermind. Coercion, then? A sick practice, threatening the family of one to force them to do such dirty work, though he couldn't deny his own disapproval of the Nem's actions. Rarely could the sorts who used such tactics be expected to uphold their end of the bargain. It was just as likely that the would-be assassin and her sister got killed afterwards for all their trouble, to tie up loose ends and let the plotter make good on their escape; why, then, bother to harm an innocent when there was likely no real gain for it?

But at least, in her failure, the Nem had opened up the chance to have her sister saved. Some small good came out of the attempt, misguided as it may have been.

With Lein and Steffen dismissed (if they so chose to take the chance to go and search), Fionn made his way up to the rest of the group, drawing a handkerchief from one pocket and holding it out wordlessly to Serenity as he came up just within her peripheral vision. Her clenched fist and the hint of red starting to well up in her palm was as easily noticeable to him as the rest of her body language in reply to what was going on. One of the rare benefits to practicing swordplay as one's life's work—it made reading people into a force of habit.

"Captain." As Renar and Gerard made their inquiries, he focused his attention back on their leader. "If we're to remain here much longer, whether or not this can be pursued tonight, we'll need equipment. Shall I go ask Sir Adeforth if we can access the Crown Knights' armoury?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@ERode@Psyker Landshark@PigeonOfAstora@Crimson Paladin@Raineh Daze@HereComesTheSnow@Rune_Alchemist@Creative Chaos

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Fionn's confusion over the cake was interrupted almost instantly by Lein coming to his side once again. "Oh, bother," he muttered, thinking about having to re-tie the Hundi's laces again, before his fellow knight's conspiratorial whisper reached his ear. His brow furrowed immediately, one hand reaching down for the sword at his belt, the other pulling Maletha in closer. "Why would I—"

His gaze, scanning over the ball, snapped back to one small figure they'd slid over moments before with nearly no recognition. Past the other princess and those surrounding her just ahead, the glint of light coming off the tip of the assassin's weapon caught his full attention faster than he could even complete his reply to his comrade. Even Jeremiah hadn't been able to render him speechless so quickly.

No mercenary who had survived even a single battle came out of it without a healthy respect—if not fear—for the capabilities of a crossbow.

Longbows were bad enough, and anybody well-trained with one could fill the air with arrows at an astonishing rate; at close range, with a heavy enough bow, an arrow could even penetrate a helmet or dent a well-made breastplate. At their most useful, however, they were used to soften up formations, take out unarmoured infantry and the like, and they could be countered by another force of archers. What crossbows lacked in sheer rate of fire, in usefulness in pitched, open battle, they made up for in ease of use and surprise.

Any farmer, even without any useful experience, could be trained to use a crossbow with decent accuracy in a matter of hours. One who was at-all dedicated to their craft could prove as accurate as many master archers within weeks. Moreover, one could be held at the ready nearly indefinitely. This made them fantastic implements for picking out higher-value targets, for manning defenses during a siege, and especially in an ambush.

Fionn had personally seen some of those he used to fight alongside have the necessity for proper scouting, situational awareness, and just general readiness drilled into their heads far more literally than was ever needed for himself—all due to advance skirmishers armed with crossbows.

"Stop her! Stop her now!"

The hand that had been creeping towards the hilt of his sword struck out suddenly, shoving Lein roughly off to the side. In the same movement he dove off to the other side, wrapping Maletha up with his other arm and turning so that he was covering her should the bolt miss Elisandre and come in their direction. The unmistakable snap of the weapon followed as soon as the pair hit the floor, and he was already on his feet rushing towards the heir apparent, Maletha still wrapped in one arm, as the captain and Sir Adeforth started bellowing orders over the din of the frightened nobles. Veilena's oversized knight, Renar, Vier, and Sergio all peeled off in an instant in pursuit of the diminutive assassin; the roar and following heavy footfalls behind him made it clear that Gerard was doing similar.

Serenity's words went unheeded as he was already rapidly approaching; Tyaethe's met with a single nod, although he didn't move to comply with her command, either. "Captain!" Fionn barked, to get Fanilly's attention his way as he set Maletha down near Tyaethe, drawing his blade and nodding in the direction of the dais and beyond, where the rest of the keep and the royal residences could be reached from. "If one assassin could make it past all of our watch here in the great hall, there could be more throughout. With your leave, the four of us—"

Meaning Fleuri, Lein, and Serenity, the only others who hadn't yet taken off to bar an exit or intercept the assassin.

"—will join the Crown Knights to make sure the path is clear for the three of you to evacuate the princesses back to the royal apartments." A better place for them by far than in the middle of the hall, surrounded by five current knights and one former.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@ERode@Psyker Landshark

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With the younger girl's attention pulled from the clash of steel behind him, Fionn smiled warmly down in response to her earnest words. "I shall trust in your wisdom, then, your highness," he replied, before straightening back up as the others started talking about the short 'exhibition' they'd just witnessed. There wasn't any doubt as to who'd won, of course—not in Fionn's mind, at least. Any fool brazen or stupid enough to challenge their own brother to a duel in the middle of a royal ball likely wouldn't have the cleverness or true experience to keep up with Renar's blade work.

Certainly not after all the various tricks and strategies that were shared on the practice field between multiple of the knights. Somehow, he doubted that Felix would be particularly receptive to such things from his fellows, if Fionn's initial read on the man's demeanour was accurate.

"Now, shall we follow along with your sister and the others? Or, perhaps, go and peruse the rest of the banquet tables. Why, they had the largest cake on display, nearly as large as you—" As he turned, about to point the cake out (perhaps pointlessly, it began to occur to him, as it likely wasn't a surprise to Maletha), he was shocked into a sudden silence by the cake's conspicuous absence. Surely it had been there when he'd last looked in that direction a few moments ago?

"Wait, where'd the cake go?"

Hopefully being a 'stalwart ball knight' did not come with cake guarding duty. It would be a poor showing for both himself and the Roses if he was to be fired before the night even ended.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@ERode

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Fionn took the offered hand gently, bowing his head down respectfully.

"There are, aren't there?" he agreed. "Royal balls must be quite the occasion." He shifted his grip slightly, closing the younger princess's fingers around some of the candied fruits he'd been hiding in his grasp, before drawing his hand back with a sly wink. "But I dare say, between us and your crown knights in attendance, you've little to fret over and much to enjoy."

Even if he couldn't take Tyaethe's advice to try and enjoy himself quite so easily, he could at least do his best to pass it on. In truth, even in his mercenary days, he'd rarely been comfortable carousing with the rest of his company, though they, at least, were of the same social standing he'd been born into. He much preferred to have something to do rather than just to socialize, and helping alleviate someone else's nerves seemed as good a task to assign himself as any.

"Fionn MacKerracher, at your service, your highness—at least for the length of the ball."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@HereComesTheSnow

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"I'll make an attempt," Fionn replied, somewhat dubiously, to Tyaethe, before the trio fully split apart after re-entering the hall. He quickly made his way back to his prior table, his glass of wine retrieved and promptly drained. If he was going to be rubbing elbows with some of the others around this ball, he'd at least need to be properly prepared for it; lacking any real experience interacting with the upper classes anywhere other than among his fellow knights, the best preparation he could really get at the current time was something to help himself relax.

Unwind.

Just don't overdo it. That would be bad.

He didn't have long to dwell on how best to not embarrass himself before the princesses made their entrance; the elder was suitably radiant, as any well-raised and prepared princess should be, her clear voice ringing out into the hall with only slightly more effort needed than the herald was using. The splendor of her dress clearly outshone all the others as well, the divide between the royalty and the mere nobility made clearly evident with one garment that could likely pay the yearly salary of the entire mercenary company he used to serve with.

Princess Elisandre didn't hold his attention for long, however, before his eyes fell to her younger sister. Maletha stared out at the guests much like he'd been doing, trailing along beside her elder sister. While she didn't exactly seem as uncomfortable as he felt, she certainly didn't seem to be as in-her-element as Elisandre or any of the others who were more successfully socializing. A kindred spirit, albeit closer in age to some of his siblings than to him.

But, if he was required to present himself, at least he could entertain the younger princess rather than embarrassing himself in front of the elder. It would help distract him from whatever fresh hell was to arise between Renar and his sibling, as well. He strode up to the center with a nod at Gerard, stopping behind Sergio and Serenity. As the pair presented themselves to Elisandre, Veilena Cazt given the opportunity to introduce herself, he knelt next to the younger princess.

"Your highnesses," he greeted, giving a nod to each alongside his kneeling down before the younger, though he'd wait for Veilena to introduce herself before giving his own name.

Of course, if Princess Maletha felt like extending a hand in greeting, that would be the perfect time to secretly pass over some of the sweets he'd nabbed on his way up.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze

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The eyebrow remained raised as Lein spoke in the more common tongue of Velt. One he was familiar with, certainly, being a native of the country and having travelled through it as a mercenary before winding up further south, and it was certainly a bit of a surprise to hear Lein rattling off in it so suddenly...but if the Hundi thought he was speaking Fionn's mother tongue, he was undoubtedly going to be disappointed. Not that he had much time to mull over why Lein knew any of the common Veltian tongue to begin with before the act began anew.

With some odd sort of studiously-polite response to Tyaethe added in, although Fionn couldn't imagine any particular reason for such intentionally-inoffensive choice of communication. In his experience, people usually only acted that way when they disliked the person they were speaking to but didn't want to actually argue or fight for some reason.

"Careful, lad. Get too snippy and you might be jumped to the top of the menu." He pulled back one sleeve an inch, showing the faint marks left from the night before. "Too late for me, I'm afraid. My mother did always say I'd have to learn these things the hard way." If Lein had been spending most of his time figuring out ways to avoid the training yard, he might also have failed to notice that there were various knights who sometimes had to skip out or take things easier than usual.

Everybody might get asked eventually, certainly, but he was hoping that Lein didn't know that yet.

"But—perhaps we should return, before they all start gossiping about us anyways?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze

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Fionn glanced up, one eyebrow raised in mild confusion and surprise.

"No, just good with knots. Lacing's easy to follow." String and rope were always useful tools to have around for various purposes, whether on the farm or out on a river boat, after all. It wasn't as though the tails of the lacing were done up in some devilishly complicated manner, either; a delicate show-knot, sure, but it wasn't ridiculous.

Surely most other men, common or noble, didn't have trouble with something as simple as helping a woman dress or undress. Right?

"Glad to know my presence forestalls a scandal, at least."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze

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Fionn shook his head as Lein began to turn. "Jah, Frau Lein," he said after a moment with an entirely straight face. "But not right here, that might look scandalous. There's a little alcove off from the entrance where I can attend to your needs without too many stares." His jokes at Lein's expense might seem a bit mean-spirited, but given how uncomfortable Fanilly had looked from Fionn's glances over, the Hundi deserved it in his mind.

Besides, at least Tyaethe might enjoy the jokes. It wouldn't be surprising if she liked being at the ball about as much as he did, so getting to bring some sort of enjoyment to it would be a worthy cause.

"If you'll follow me, my lady."

Sticking to the edges of the great hall, Fionn moved at a quick pace to lead Lein to the entrance, back through the passage, and over to a small secluded corner of the hall leading back to the kitchen. Hoping that no servants would walk by and glance too closely—or that none of the other guests in attendance had similar ideas about finding a secluded space—he quickly set about the task of loosening Lein's laces. "So, is this what you get up to when you aren't training with the rest of us?" he asked as he worked, undoing the decorative knot so that he could actually pull the stays loose.

"Hadn't figured you for the sort, really, but if you intend to stick with this, what you ought to do is get Fleuri to dance with you. Appeal to his courtly senses, see if the Flower of the North still has it in him to act like a normal noble gentleman at these events." Hopefully Lein wouldn't take such testing too far, otherwise Fionn might end up with some explaining to do all his own.

Rather than yank the stays apart once he got the lacing free, he decided to be careful, loosening them individually—both to avoid damaging what was likely an expensive garment and to keep everything nice and even. "Alright. Able to breathe a little better, now, or do you need them looser?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze

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"Well, now, Lein may not have had much of a chance. Could've been a spur of the moment decision, right?" Fionn patted Lein on the shoulder with a smile. "Really, though, the corset and trying to stuff the bust, that's where I think the wrong choices were made. Need help loosening the laces so you can breathe better?"

“Many men had gathered in an attempt to protect the giant that Ser Gerard and the Captain were preoccupied with—"

Fionn's smile faltered slightly.

"I should have brought that bardiche, or walked in carrying Jeremiah's blade."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@PigeonOfAstora

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It didn't seem to take long after he'd found his little observation post that the conversation fully started to erupt around him. For a moment, he nearly went over to where he saw Sergio and Gerard, willing to give the latter, at least, some back-up when being accosted by three noble girls—but between the two of them, they seemed to have it handled well enough. He let his eyes drift over to Renar and Fleuri's group, where the former was now fully caught in conversation with some smirking crown knight.

He squinted; the hair colour was entirely wrong, of course, but parts of the face, the similar build, the richness of the voice...he might have to keep a closer eye on that pair than he'd originally planned. It wouldn't be good if any familial resentment started to bubble out too much between them. A quick glance at the captain showed that she was still fine, albeit looking thoroughly confused for some reason; Lucas and Tyaethe were—

"—however he may have towered over us before the Captain and I struck him down."

The muscle just under Fionn's eye twitched. In years past, he might have immediately made a move over to where Gerard was talking and joined in the fray; not to correct him, but as a not-so-subtle reminder not to leave out important details like Fionn's own contribution. Eventually, however, he'd learned some level of patience, and Gerard came from a similar background as he did. The younger man was likely just as uncomfortable surrounded by nobles as he was. Whether a slip of the tongue, or a purposeful omission for some purpose he couldn't divine, Fionn was willing to forgive it.

He turned back in Renar's direction, hearing his suspicion as to the relation between himself and the crown knight confirmed as the younger dove headfirst into picking some sort of verbal fight with his sibling. That, he resolved, was something that would have to be watched more closely. Before he could take a step, though, something else moved in the corner of his eye. The captain was...alone?

So quickly?

"What—"

His eyes slid over the small girl off by one of the windows and her hulking guardian, as he quickly scanned the crowd for the woman who had been speaking with Fanilly, only to find himself quickly accosted by the very same.

"Pray tell, are these blades the very same you used to dispatch those horrid Bandit King crooks?"

Fionn blinked.

"You were there, lad."

From a distance, the disguise had been convincing enough; Lein's slight form and not-overly-masculine looks made it a very achievable effect. Up close, though, it wasn't hard to see through. "You're looking a bit too red in the face, might loosen up the corset. Why go for the hourglass shape, anyways? There's plenty of noblewomen here who have more of a runner's build like your own and aren't trying to hide or augment it."