v: can't wait to get on the road again

[gautsome]

Who: Sylvain, Razor & Ashe

Where: Cherrygrove and its surrounding routes

When: January 13th, onward

Summary: Sylvain backtracks, makes a new friend, and finds an old one.

Rating: E



For Ashe

[After some amount of fussing and a few promises from Sylvain that he would "be right back" and that he just had to make arrangements with his King and his "boy friend--s", Sylvain disappears for a handful of hours. When he returns, he has a large bag slung over his back -- messily stuffed to the brim with hastily packed traveling supplies.

The only problem is that his new friend is nowhere to be found. He's not near the fountain, isn't hiding behind any buildings, and as far as Sylvain can tell -- isn't hanging out in the cluster of trees immediately surrounding town.

That's the only reason why Sylvain ends up as far onto Route 29 as he does. He can't make much headway, heading down the road -- but hopefully he won't need to go too far?

And when he happens to spy relatively light colored hair in the distance? He thinks to be relieved. He races toward the figure, choking down his exasperation. Flustered as he is, it doesn't occur to him that he might have the wrong person.]

Razor? Hey, Razor! You're going the wrong way. King Dimmy Tree and his knights are the other direction. North, not south!


For Razor

[For the most part, Sylvain tries not to pry over the course of their trip. He tries to be friendly, of course, especially with a familiar face joining them. The last thing he wants is for Razor to not feel included. But he doesn't want to come off as nosy.

Not that he's certain that Razor knows what being nosy even is.

Still, one night, he does pull out the makeshift training halberd that had been made for him. It's little more than a stick with a crude head attached -- anything more intricate surely would have caused trouble. He holds it out to the young man.]

Have you ever fought before?

Comments

:3c

[lightningfang]

[As far as Razor is concerned, most people, and wolves for that matter, are nosy. Except in the cases of unfortunate accidents... But that is neither here nor there.

But the "halberd," he takes in his hands and tests it out, feeling the texture and the weight. A polearm definitely feels unwieldy and unbalanced in his hands, especially given its material, but then again, so too had his original sword.]

Many times. Protect lupical with steel fang. Much stronger than this... stick.

[He doesn't mean to be ungrateful, honest! In fact, he's ready to learn, assuming Sylvain has a second one.]

[gautsome]

Oh, yeah -- This stick is awful, don't get me wrong. [He tilts his head back and laughs. Felix had taken a long time to craft it just so -- making sure the balance was at least close to what his at home had been, even if the weight is entirely different. But he'd also had to make sure it flew under the radar, as well.

The result is... pretty comical.]

But they won't let you have... steel fangs out here. So... To keep training, we had to make do. [He folds his hands behind his head, glancing up at the sky.]

Of course, if you ask me, I'm not much for fighting. I barely even like having my team here fight for me. It just feels... wrong. I might be a knight, but I think it would be a lot better if no one had to fight at all.

[lightningfang]

[Razor nods along, swinging the polearm like he would a sword, and finding it ineffective. It'll take a while to get used to wielding this -- not that he won't try.]

You are right. Much better. But... [His face falls, thinking of the Abyss Mage, of the ignorant and cruel hunters of Springvale.] Bad people, evil monsters, they always fight. So I fight.

[gautsome]

[The face Sylvain is making only grows more fretful. He hates that Razor is right. There will always be someone fighting.]

Tell you what. I'll teach you about this thing -- this steel... tail? Claw? So when you go back, you have something new to throw at them. How does that sound?

[lightningfang]

[For now, Razor resigns himself to simply carrying the stick and growing accustomed to the distribution of its weight. His eyes light up when he looks back to Sylvain, though. It's pretty clear how much Razor already looks up to him.]

Thank you. I will work very hard.

[gautsome]

Just don't work yourself too hard! [Sylvain gives him a little nudge. It's meant to be playful more than anything.]

It's important to take breaks. If you don't rest yourself, your body won't be able to get better. At least, I think that's how it works.

[Still, Sylvain does shift a little. He nudges Razor's hands into a better position, one more sited to balancing the weight.]

[lightningfang]

[On the one hand, Razor does know how to have fun -- he still acts like a pup sometimes. On the other, he really wants the approval of his pack elders...

As it is, he simply allows Sylvain to help him, and his expression lifts as it becomes more natural.]

Oh! Better, yes?

[gautsome]

Much better. [There's an enthusiastic little nod. Sylvain moves around to Razor's front. His hands ball into fists, which are held in front of him.]

Now, you see how much range you have on me. You can swipe down at me, and I won't even be within arms reach of you.

[He pats the meat of his shoulder.] You can try it, if you want.

[lightningfang]

[Razor nods, not striking out immediately, but weighing the option. Sylvain's given him the go-ahead and he's got on armor, so this wooden stick shouldn't do any real damage.

He tilts it back and forth in his grip once more, and when he's ready, he swings it up and then down onto Sylvain. It'll take more practice to actually aim well and hit hard, but at least it connects.]

It is long. Does it hurt like a fang?

[gautsome]

[The twang of wood hitting metal is at least satisfying. Sylvain rolls his shoulder beneath the blow, grinning even as he does. Aside from a hollow ache from the vibrations, it hadn't been bad.]

This one? Not so much. But the one I had back home? Absolutely. [He squares back up.]

That was a good hit. Try one more time?

[lightningfang]

[It's somehow both more and less forgiving than a sword; the unwieldiness of the long pole is the price for the amount of the blow it absorbs.

Nonetheless, Razor swings again, this time from the side. It feels more natural that way, and he connects at an angle that glances downward off of Sylvain's arm rather than up toward his head.]

This is a good... [What had Sylvain called it?] ... tail. [It's not as weird to Razor as it probably is to Sylvain. Andrius' tail is a weapon, after all.]

[gautsome]

Yeah? [Sylvain gives a little thumbs up.]

You can keep it for now, then. At least until we can get you your own fang -- or tail -- made. Like I said, it won't be nearly as good as what you are used to, but... It'll be a comfortable, familiar weight, right?

[lightningfang]

Yes. Familiar... Thank you, Silver Vein.

[As comfortable as the halberd makes him, something else seems to be weighing on Razor's mind. He's quiet for a while, glancing at the trees around them as they walk, before he finds his courage. Or perhaps it's just a lot of words for him to summon, and he speaks slower than usual.]

I don't have a rat... for King Dimmy Tree. When I try... Pup chases the ball. Don't want to... not... have a gift...

[gautsome]

Oh!

[Sylvain stops walking, turning to give Razor the most wide-eyed, concerned of looks. He reaches out to put a hand on the young man's shoulder, though he stops short to give Razor time to either prepare or pull away.]

I know I joked about tithes but... You really don't need to give him anything. Dimitri is... a good man. He really just wants people to be happy. So if you can't find a rat, just give him a smile. That will be enough of a gift for him.

[Sylvain still looks thoughtful, though.]

If you would like, I can catch a Rattata for you, and you can give it to him? No one has to know -- it will be our secret.

[lightningfang]

[Razor hears Sylvain, but it isn't exactly about paying homage at this point. He said he would do something, and he wants to follow through.

Okay, and maybe he wants to see how alike Dimitri and Andrius are.]

Really? You would do that? Pup and I... we can fight. Just not catch.

[gautsome]

Of course I would. [Sylvain reaches into his back and holds up three balls.]

And there's more where that came from. We'll get you the best rat in the forest, alright?

[freckledarcher]

Hmm, I hope we're not lost. [Ashe said to his Piplup as he looked around. He got started on his journey, but on his way to the next town he may have gotten a little lost along the way. Piplup chirped and gripped his pants leg. Ashe gave him a reassuring smile, he reached down and rubbed his head.]

Don't worry, we'll find our way. Let's see the guide says we're on route 29 so we should go a little more south right? [While Ashe looked over the guide to see where to go next, Piplup started frantically chirping and tugging his pants leg.]

Hmm, what's wrong? [Ashe turned to the person Piplup reacted to when Ashe blinked at the familiar face coming towards him.]

Sylvain!? Sylvain!

[gautsome]

[The fact that the figure ahead of Sylvain is now acknowledging him is a good sign. Something about it seems a little off, at first, but without being able to place it, Sylvain just continues to bound forward.

He gets within a handful of yards when he realizes that the man -- not the boy he'd expected -- in front of him has hair that's far too short to be Razor. Moreover, even from this distance, he can make out the faint definition of a smattering of freckles over the other man's nose.

At first, Sylvain stops short, puzzling over just how the man had known his name -- (his real name, he realizes, and not "Silver Vein," as Razor had pronounced it). Considering how long it had been from Sylvain's perspective, it... takes a little while longer than it should for him to fully grasp what he's seen.

And then he's bounding forward, grinning from ear to ear.]

Ashe? Goddess, when did you get here? Did you bring anyone else with you?

[freckledarcher]

[Ashe hoped that it would be Sylvain he really just went off the red hair he saw in the distance along with the way Piplup went crazy when he saw someone new. He was ready to apologize if he had to when to his relief it turned out to be Sylvain instead. He grinned as he waved him over. He was so relieved to see him again, it was great to see someone from home.]

Hey Sylvain! I got here a few days ago and just started my journey with my little friend here. [Ashe gestured to the Piplup by his leg.] Nope, I didn't bring anyone else with me. Are there other people from home here?

[gautsome]

[Sylvain smiles down at the little Piplup. He lowers himself, holding a hand out to the creature.]

Nice to meet you, good ser. I trust you're keeping my friend safe?

[He glances up at Ashe, still smiling as wide as ever. For the time being, his earlier search is forgotten. This is, at least momentarily, far more important than a search for an already perfectly capable young man.]

There are a few of us, yes. Dimitri, Felix, and Claude. And myself, of course. [He directs a wink Ashe's way.] You've... kind of missed quite a bit.

[freckledarcher]

[Piplup nodded as he chirped happily and took his hand in his flippers. From the way Ashe reacted, he could tell that he was a good guy. Ashe smiled fondly at his Piplup as he leaned down to rub his head.]

He's been a great help. [He laughed at Piplup's chirps. Ashe is glad that Piplup didn't try to size up Sylvain the minute he walked over to them.]

Oh, there's more people here than I thought. [Ashe chuckled at his wink, some things haven't changed, though he is curious about what Sylvain mentioned.] I have? Like what?

[For once he has all the time in the world. Want to fill him in Sylvain?]

[gautsome]

[Sylvain curls his hand into a fist, then gives Piplup's little flipper the lightest bump he can. He's picked up on a lot of fun gestures here -- he'll be damned if he lets one of Ashe's friends not learn about it in kind.]

Yeah, it's a whole party. It makes picking up and going in the morning a little difficult. You know how it was on missions, right? Like that, only add Claude's distaste for cold to my distaste for mornings.

[He chuckles as he stands up. He doesn't manage his weight on his own for long, though. Soon enough, he's slung his arm over Ashe's shoulders.]

As for what you've missed. I'll tell you when you're older, how about that?