I - Hot 25M Redhead Seeking Understanding About New World

[gautsome]

Who: Sylvain, Claude & You

Where: Violet City, Cherrygrove

When: Shortly after Fourth Wall

Summary: Sylvain gets a feel for his new surroundings

Rating: S for Sylvain (so. T)


A- Video

[Sylvain starts the video all but beaming at the camera. If you had the displeasure of witnessing his first video, it should probably come as some relief that he seems to have a better grasp on what he's doing. For starters, he's looking right at the camera, and seems to be actively engaging, rather than using it as a mirror.]

Hello, new world, and all of its cute inhabitants. [A wink here. He may not be preening for the camera, but he's certainly no less image conscious.]

Since we have not been properly introduced, I'll give you the pleasure now. My name is Sylvain Gautier, and I am going to be your new favorite person. [The smile widens.] If any of you fine folks are around the -- Cherry? Grove? area, I would be happy to give my greetings in person.

Otherwise, line up in an orderly fashion on this thing here -- [There's a knocking sound, likely fingers drumming against the surface of the gear.] I will be with you in a moment.


B- Action, Violet City Vineyards

[Dimitri had mentioned, shortly after Sylvain's own arrival, that it was easy to find work around this new world they found themselves in. There's just the small matter of being woefully unfamiliar with having to work for his own wages. While Sylvain was used to physical labor, it was usually for the sake of training, and he could pacify his feelings by spending his family's money afterward.

Unfortunately, that money is terribly far away now, and what precious little he was given by his so-called "mother" in this world certainly won't last very long.

Which is why he's now trudging back from the vineyard, looking a little worn out. There's a few leaves sticking out of his hair, something that is becoming dreadfully commonplace. Not that he's realized that it's happening. If he had, he might not be stopping every few feet and casting interested glances at strangers. He even manages a few horrible one-liners.]

No one told me I had died and gone to see the Goddess. Only way to describe seeing an angel like you.

[And if you're too young for his gaze, or perhaps just an unfortunate bystander, feel free to step in and knock some sense into him.]

C. Ruins of Alph

[It's not all hard work on Sylvain's part -- he's made sure to take some time to explore and enjoy himself. On one of those excursions, having been out entirely too late, he'd come across a Honedge. It's the closest thing he's seen to a weapon since arriving, which means he's going to be damn sure to try and catch it.

... Unfortunately, the only way he's going to manage that is by laying low and waiting. The creatures are rare enough as it is. Worse still is the fact that he is unable to weaken the creature at all. No Name flops uselessly wherever it goes. How it hasn't died without water, Sylvain doesn't know.

(He wonders if he should put it out of its misery)

One such attempt quickly goes sideways. After tossing a ball at the sword creature, Sylvain finds that it's quickly knocked back. He's left holding a bruised temple, a useless fish, and watching the sword smugly float away from him.

Comments

[gautsome]

[[Continued from here]]

Off day, I never have an -- [But Claude is already off on another topic, and all that Sylvain can do is slump his shoulders and pay attention.

Which... he has to admit, Claude makes a very good point. Before leaving on the road, he'd done a similar look over the equipment he was given. It was the exact reason he'd picked up the hefty stick in the first place, and then an even heftier one when the first failed to dissuade some of the more bolder creatures.]

You would think there'd be some utility, though, right? [He hadn't seen anything like his useless fish, or the infant creature in the woods. That had to mean there were more out there, and Sylvain didn't doubt that they came in bigger sizes. If a stick was hardly enough to fend off the bunch as he traveled, he can't imagine much else will fend them off.]

I mean, why give us them unless there was a reason? Not to mention all the people talking about not going into "Tall Grass" without one.

[He can't imagine No Name would do very well against anything -- hadn't thus far. He also can't imagine that Claude's companion has fared much better.]

Maybe you are right about things being peaceful. But it still seems odd to hand off creatures to unknowing souls without a reason. [He pauses, then shrugs.]

But I guess if the professor can have their fleet of cats, a whole world can have odd beasts to keep around for fun.

[vrdantwind]

I mean, they might serve a purpose, too. Pets can do all sorts of tricks and fill more than just one role, can't they? [Claude shrugs and smiles.] But the way I see it, what can we expect out of animals that just got shoved on us with no warning? They don't know us, we don't know them. It's pretty early to expect much of anything yet. Heck, we don't know the first thing about them - maybe they can do things and we just don't know how to get them to do it yet.

All I know is, expecting much of anything before we know much of anything is probably too optimistic. But I plan to learn. And I've been compared to you a few too many times to think you won't be pretty quick on the uptake yourself, or I might have to be retroactively offended. [He offers a wink.]

Anyway, that aside...do you mind? [He reaches his hand halfway to Sylvain's hair, giving him a questioning look about completing the gesture. It's a perfectly innocent thing, but, well...Sylvain had seemed pretty distrustful when Claude first walked up, so he's giving the man veto rights just in case.] Only you've got some leaves there...

[gautsome]

Easy for you to say. Yours can at least poison people, right? [He motions over to the dull-eyed stare of No Name, floating on its side in the water.] Pretty sure mine is absolutely useless.

[But that's fine, Sylvain can learn to live. He'll just have to find a much sturdier stick to travel with. Or maybe even some friends. And if Claude keeps up his complimentary attitude, Sylvain might just consider bringing him into the fold.

They were allies after all, right?]

Who has been talking nice about me this time? Was it Hilda? I bet it's Hilda.

[He opens his mouth to press the matter further, but stops short when Claude reaches out. The brief moment of companionship fades for a split second, replaced by a chilled grip against his ribcage. It's the same feeling he'd felt night after long night as he and his father's army had struggled to fend off the empire.

It's hard to shake years of war, even for someone who liked to present himself as lackadaisical as Sylvain.

Claude, thankfully, doesn't seem keen on doing much other than fixing Sylvain's hair. He waits just long enough to see the leaf emerge from between Claude's fingers, before allowing his shoulders to go lax.]

Better not breathe a word of this, Riegan.

[vrdantwind]

Oh, I didn't say the comparisons were complimentary, necessarily. [Claude winks.] I mostly heard it from Ingrid. [Just let all the air out of Sylvain's balloon at once, why don't you, Claude.]

That said, I'd occasionally hear a mention of us having similar personalities from other quarters, too - usually just one-off remarks, though. But, well, let's say that I made some observations of my own...especially after I started hearing things like that. I wanted to see if I could see the similarities too, you know? And honestly, I could. You tend to keep a pretty cool head and a laid-back attitude, for one - that's obvious enough. But you're also really good at reading people, aren't you? That's why you tend to be so good at charming them. And you're smarter than you let on, too.

[He flicks the leaves away, giving Sylvain one of his more charming smiles.] And don't worry, your secret's safe with me. [Does he mean the leaves, or Sylvain's brain? Ah, the beauty of generalized statements.]

[gautsome]

[And just like that, Sylvain (predictably) deflates. He gives Claude a look, one part hurt and two parts resigned. He knows the reputation he has, just as he knows that he's earned it. At some point, he might think to be smug at the legacy he's left, and how his father surely must cringe to know the black mark he's left on their name.

It's almost disappointing that they're so far from home. Sylvain might have liked to see his reaction to whatever trouble he could stir up.

It's almost easy to fall victim to Claude's niceties. Sylvain certainly thinks it a compliment when his companion draws such bold comparisons. Maybe he's faintly unnerved by how well Claude (and apparently others) had read through his facade but... He'd always known that the young noble had sharp eyes.

But those sharp eyes are also what send a cold chill through Sylvain.]

You know, most people talk nice to me when they want something. [He keeps on smiling, but something cold shifts into his eyes.] That interested in the crest of Gautier?

[It's almost by compulsion that he asks. Claude didn't seem to think crests were entirely useless here, after all. It could just as easily mean he was after something.]

[gautsome]

[[Continued from here]]

[His brows draw further together. Maybe Dimitri had started to slip further and further off the deep end during their last few weeks together at the monastery. Maybe he'd started slipping into far more savagery than Sylvain would have liked. None of that changed the fact that they were friends -- a quartet of allies that had stood together since they were young. They'd weathered death together, the start of war, even.

He couldn't think of a damn thing that would change any of that.]

Hate for you to disappoint your employer, Dima. [He moves back toward the scattered mess of bags, bending down to gather the remains. Maybe he's trying to run from whatever seemed to be happening -- who can say.] Think that lady in the house gave me some money. I can replace whatever got damaged.

with some 4th wall applied shenanigans

[nastyboy]

No.... It is my responsibility.

[After all, he's the one who dropped everything, and with no real good reason. While it fills him with even more despair that people he once knew and cared for - that he still cares for, without his own rage blinding him towards one single direction - have ended up dying, he should have known it would happen.]

[He is unfortunately all too aware of how war doesn't care who it takes away.]

[Picking up the groceries, Dimitri doesn't mind the peculiar little deer that's also been a part of all of this and who he was carrying in his other arm. Dimitri doesn't actively pet it, but he does go very still when it nudges his arm, or any other part of his body. He doesn't dare touch it, for reasons that Sylvain can probably guess after knowing him for so long.]

[gautsome]

If you're sure.

[Sylvain looks... a little skeptical. Dimly, he thinks of a time when the kindly, pragmatic Dimitri he'd spent his formative years with would have scolded him for not sharing his burdens. The man in front of him seems a far cry from that.

Instead he turns his attention to the creature at Dimitri's side. He reaches around, fishing within a side pocket of his bag until he comes free with a berry. It had tasted awful to him, but the fish seemed to like it. Hopefully the deer was the same.]

Don't worry about him, little guy. He's stiff, but he means well.

[He used to mean well. Who can really say, now.]

[nastyboy]

[At least the Deerling seems to be dealing with this bizarre situation better than Dimitri is. They lean forward when Sylvain addresses them, and immediately nuzzle their way against his fingers in search of the berry.]

[With the groceries gathered, held against his chest as though he'll lose them along with any stability he's managed to get here, Dimitri watches the little Deerling carefully.]

...I stumbled upon them shortly before Claude von Riegan arrived here. That means something...

[It's coincidence mostly, but, well... For Dimitri, a lot of coincidences have been happening lately, and his mind does not need much to leap to conclusions.]

A [Video]

[cyan_maid]

[Oh hey, it's the flattery guy! At least Jane is prepared for that now? It's not going to catch her nearly as off-guard as before, that's the main thing.]

Well, well, well! You've certainly got the hang of making videos now, huh?

[gautsome]

[Oh hey, it's that cute girl from before! Time to turn on the smolder.]

If it isn't my new friend. You know, I don't think I got to thank you for your assistance before. Or even ask your name. It's not too late to make up for that mistake, is it?

[cyan_maid]

Not at all! My name is Jane Crocker. It's nice to meet you, and there's no need to thank me! Just doing what others would've done, is all.

[ie help someone out!]

[gautsome]

Jane Crocker. [He looks thoughtful.]

A cute name for a cute girl. [Instinct drives him, and he starts to hold out his hand, before realizing the problem.]

Sylvain Jose Gautier, of the Kingdom of Faerghus.

C

[zukeini]

[After losing his drumsticks again the morning of the 14th, it was back to the old grind. Zuke found himself back at where he was near the ruins and, needless to say, he spent so many hours just looking at everything.

Zuke was an absolute nerd for culture and looking at all of these markings and puzzles was just like food for him. He spent so long no just jotting down notes of the Unown, and suddenly-

That happened.

He knew this dude. That guy who couldn’t catch a break. He saw the fish the guy held and he had an instinct that this was in his job description to help.]

Whoa, hello. You okay? No one’s hurt after that?

[gautsome]

Uh huh. Oh yeah, We're just great.

[Sylvain is still clutching the side of his head, obstructing his view. The fish in his arms gives a deadpan look at Zuke, flaps once -- long enough to slap Sylvain in the arm -- and then settles down once more. Maybe it's telling him to pay more attention. Or maybe it's just an asshole.

Nevertheless, Sylvain looks up.]

Oh -- Music man, right? From Cherrygrove?

[zukeini]

Yep, that's me. Music man.

[Bashful that that was what he was going to be recognized for. But anyway, time to drop that now. He looked over to the scene.]

No one's injured, right? Lot of battles in here can get pretty heated, and catching is harder than it looks.

[gautsome]

Had worse, if that's what you're asking. [He's marginally certain he's not concussed. And No Name is as unbothered as ever.

Should have named the damn thing Linhardt.]

Catching isn't the problem, exactly. It's getting them weak enough to even try.

A

[paladinlost]

[Sadly for Sylvain, he gets at least one response that's not from a cutie, but at least Cecil is very pretty?]

Well, it's nice to see a new arrival adapt so quickly and enthusiastically. You'll certainly be popular at the Goldenrod Gym, should you ever decide to challenge it.

[Or he'll be run out of there with metaphorical pitchforks. Not-so-metaphorical Miltanks are also an option.]

[gautsome]

[Sylvain takes one look at his screen and... decides that this is fine. It's not his usual territory, but the dude is pretty.]

Goldenrod gym, huh? That where the ladies go for a workout or something?

[What was that about adjusting well?]

[paladinlost]

[Alright, maybe not. Still a step up from those who panic, though.]

The Goldenrod Gym is, in fact, the only one in Johto that is staffed exclusively by women. Charming or otherwise pleasing Whitney before you defeat her is strongly recommended. But it's not... Has no one told you about the Gym challenge yet?

[What are people teaching newcomers these days?]

[gautsome]

Gym... challenge? [The woman that had called herself his mother had said... something about that. Sylvain had been too busy trying to figure out why she was so insistent on their relationship.

And maybe trying to figure out if it was bad that he was checking her out.]

'Fraid not. But I'm guessing it's not about working out, huh?

A - video

[fearinahandfulof]

[Oh. It's this man again.]

I don't think you can really line up on these things.

[Also, the likelihood of you ever becoming her favorite person is rather low, Sylvain. Sorry. But hey, she might eventually decide she likes you?]

[gautsome]

Oh, hey! [Clearly their last conversation has done little to warn Cassandra off, which absolutely means they're friends now.]

Wondering if I'd hear from you again. Don't mind the figure of speech, sweetheart. It's all in good fun.

[fearinahandfulof]

[Cassandra is already having doubts.]

Oh.

[...Wait.]

"Sweetheart"?

[Definite doubts.]

[gautsome]

Not a fan, huh? No need to worry, there are plenty of other terms of endearment. How about darling? Does that suit your fancy more?