Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, local cryptid (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nastyboy) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
victory_road2021-10-03 09:53 am
nastyboy) wrote in victory_road2021-10-03 09:53 am
nastyboy) wrote in victory_road2021-10-03 09:53 am
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He rolls his eyes and starts lifting his bottle to his lips at Claude's, but pauses halfway there. "Actually, Dimitri hasn't been officially coronated yet, and I'm no knight. So I've evaded your retaliation for now, Claude." He nudges Claude slightly with his elbow, smug.
Ashe's, however, does get him to drink, even if he does it surreptitiously. Since Claude's drinking too, he shouldn't have to explain it!...wait. Why is Claude drinking? Felix lifts a quizzical brow at him.
Grant's doesn't get Felix, but he gives Grant a disbelieving look. "Every day? And I thought our nobility stood on too much ceremony..."
Dedue's obviously gets him, not that he'd care about explaining that one if he had to; everyone here already knows that. He already knows he won't, though, because of Grant.
Soon enough, it's his turn again, and he narrows his eyes at Dedue. "I've never had to duck to get through a doorway."
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Then he has to turn to, unexpectedly, defend himself against Ashe. "Now where did that come from?" he demands. "Dedue didn't put you up to that one, did he?" He gives Dedue a mildly suspicious squint. "If not, that's a pretty random suggestion. But does that mean an entire plant, or would stealing the fruit or vegetable of a plant count?"
With Grant's, unfortunately, there's no uncertainty. He's forced to take a drink, muttering about it not being his fault that Fodlan is so insular.
Dedue's statement, however, fortunately passes him right by. Of all the many things Claude has poked into in his life, magic has never been one of them. There's always been a "those who can, do battle; those who can't use magic" attitude in Almyra, where mages are tolerated, even accepted, but at the same time are viewed as (and, to be fair, often are) those too weak, sickly, or otherwise incapable of being warriors. The fact that they can fulfill useful, even vital roles on a battlefield earns them honor in their own way, but to be a robust Almyran warrior is still considered the pinnacle of achievement, and anything less is second place at best. Claude had respect for mages even in Almyra, which has only grown since his time in Fodlan and seeing a culture where mages are considered an equally valuable asset to any fighter, but...well, in Almyra, he could hardly afford to invite more speculation as to being weaker than other Almyrans. So he'd eschewed magic early, and has never revisited the subject.
Felix's challenge to Dedue, naturally, bypasses Claude completely. That gives Claude time to consider his own turn and what he'll offer. But whether it's a symptom of the alcohol or perhaps a product of where his thoughts have gone, most of the challenges he can think of are...kind of depressing. He doesn't want to bring the mood down, but also he's drawing blanks otherwise. (Of course, to be fair, he's done quite a lot of things, so his pool of available questions may be the smallest of anyone.)
In the end, he gives up and goes for one of the less depressing options. "Never have I ever had a childhood friend." He points at Dimitri. "And before anyone says anything, teenagers aren't children. That's different."
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But right as he's in the middle of taking a sip from having to duck through doorways - it's not his fault Blaiddyd genes hit hard during five years of mainly not living in houses - Felix goes and says that. Immediately, Dimitri lowers his own glass to look at him with a puppy dog eye that could put an actual puppy's own two to shame. "The cloak pin does not count?" he asks.
Well. If that's how it is. Dimitri huffs a little at Claude for calling him out like that, even as he takes a sip... and then promptly says, "Never have I ever ignored a social engagement to go practice my skills."
What do you mean he isn't drinking alcohol and this shouldn't count? He doesn't care. He's entering The Fray.
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"Okay, never have I ever got caught showing affection in public. I'm talking about kissing or anything like it in the main areas of the house too."
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For Dimitri's, though... he has to consider it for a moment, but he drinks for that. Man, he's gonna need another beer soon. "In my defense, I've barely been to a high school or college party that didn't suck."
...Ashe's means he has to ask a question again. "Does... uh, extended hugging in public count?"
He attempts not to look at Dimitri when he says that. It does not work.
"Anyway-- hmm." Alright, so far, he's tried not to target anyone too hard (even if he ended up getting, for example, Just Claude by accident), because he's... well, he's not very competitive.
But he also just had to take four drinks in one round, and it might come out to more.
"...Never have I ever wielded a Pokemon as a weapon."
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As for the others who have not essentially declared war, he drinks for Claude's, but not for any of the rest. There have been few social events that he's been invited to, and those that he has, he really didn't have the option to avoid. Public displays of affection have never been an issue for him, nor would he have considered wielding another creature as a weapon.
Thus, it's his turn again. Dedue already knows exactly what he will say, and looks directly at Felix when he says it.
"I have never cried because I could not hold His Highness' hand."
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So he does, which empties his bottle, but immediately he has to go fetch another one because now Dimitri’s coming for him. It’s gratifying to see Grant drink too, though, as he opens his bottle and takes a sip. “Hmph. You’re lucky I don’t leave this social engagement to practice my skills.”
And then it’s Ashe’s turn, and…it catches Felix off-guard, because he hasn’t actually done that since Sylvain left, and he’s about to protest that the house is not a public space, but the memory rushes to mind too fast for him to get the words out. Sylvain had talked him into helping him clean the kitchen, and Felix agreed on the condition that Sylvain spar with him afterward. Sylvain took that as an invitation to ‘spar’ with broom and mop handles, and one thing led to another as they often do…did. As they often did. And then Chip had walked in, yelled “EW GROSS” (even though they were just making out) and walked out. And Felix actually, legitimately laughed with Sylvain after Chip was gone.
He becomes aware abruptly that he’s been quiet for a few seconds too long and shakes himself slightly, taking a drink without saying anything.
He drinks again for Grant’s, still quiet, and Dedue’s turn rolls around. Felix misses that he’s looking at him because his eyes are on something random near the ground somewhere, but when he hears what Dedue says, his head snaps up to give the man a disbelieving scowl.
…and another memory comes to mind, not about Dimitri, but about curling up in a tent in the woods with Inda one night while he was on the road and crying himself to sleep. Which he never told anyone about, obviously, but he can’t get it out of his thoughts now. And who the hell is Dedue to judge him, anyway, when he does literally nothing but follow Dimitri around like a mindless automaton?
“Go fuck yourself,” he snaps, standing up abruptly. “I should have been training instead of coming here. This was a mistake.”
He can tell that he’s tipsy already, but he turns to walk away anyway, drink still in hand.
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"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Felix - " Claude gets to his feet in a flash, and wobbles just a bit. Whether it was getting up so quickly, the alcohol, or some combination of the two, Claude isn't sure and isn't worrying about. Instead he reaches out and catches Felix's arm, gently tugging him back. "C'mon, don't run off. Dedue was just teasing you - same way we've been teasing each other with targeted statements. Him loosening up enough to have fun with us is a good thing, right? I know you don't want him acting like he's just Dimitri's servant. And I don't think you're that embarrassed about what he said..."
Claude's brain hurriedly replays the game between Felix's last turn and this one, trying to find the problem. "Is this because everyone nailed you this round?" he asks, turning it over even as he says them. Everyone did manage to hit Felix this round, one way or another. Maybe he felt ganged up on? "No, I think you would've gotten angry sooner..."
Then his brain finally lights up. "Wait - the reminder about Sylvain was what hurt, wasn't it? But you don't have to leave, sunshine. Let us make you feel better instead of going off to be upset alone - that's not gonna help. You can sit out for awhile, if you want. Sit with me or Dimitri. Please?"
He's not at his most eloquent right now, but he's trying.
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"If you do not want to be with crowds, you and I can step out a moment alone," Dimitri offers hastily, alongside Claude's own proposal. After all, the game won't matter much with him absent. He's here for the socializing with all of those he holds dear. "We can even spar, if you'd like."
That Felix may not be in the best of shape of it is inconsequential. Whatever has them moving and getting rid of some angry energy is the key.
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For once, Dimitri's offer to spar isn't quite what Felix is looking for. If he were sober, it probably would be, and he would probably walk away now to spare himself the humiliation of having to exist in the same room as Grant and Dedue and Ashe after he succumbed to grief in front of others and his boyfriends had to coax him like he's a stray cat or a wild horse. He's not sober, though, and the thought of having Claude's or Dimitri's arms around him currently sounds a lot better than being alone, regardless of what Sober Felix wants.
And, says his tipsy brain, regardless of what anyone may think of him for it. Fuck 'em. He'll do what he wants. In fact, if Dedue wants to make fun of him for wanting to hold Dimitri's hand, he can do it in real time. Besides...
"Tch, I'm not going to sit out. I can handle a dumb game, and I can't win if I don't play." Arguably he's losing already as probably the tipsiest one here so far, but whatever. He turns around to let Claude pull him back into the circle, but instead of returning to his own seat, he waits for Claude to sit and then deposits himself squarely in the man's lap. He reaches over to grab Dimitri's hand as he glares daggers at Dedue, daring him to say something in mockery of it.
Finally, with his free hand, he drinks for Dedue's turn, and then points at him. "I've never scared off a horse by trying to smile."