March Catchall [closed]

[nastyboy]

Who: Team Femblemtroika
What: Spring is coming, and it's the last month before Prom. Can the gang enjoy a month in peace? Stupid question, never
When: March
Where: Mainly Vermillion City

Comments

Spa Vacation w/ Ashe

[silky_bearing]

Cherrygrove is a lovely city and one Lorenz has grown quite fond of. More than that, though, it's been recommended that he go there for medical reasons as well. Something about the spa being able to show him some techniques to manage his symptoms. But he hadn't expected to have company for this little venture. Still he was glad not to be alone.

"I do hope you can find somethings to entertain yourself with while I am working with the massage therapist here, Ashe." He offers a small, almost guilty sort of half smile before sipping at his tea once more, plucking unenthusiastically at the bowl of fruit beside his breakfast. The amount of food he's expected to start eating on a daily basis is patently ridiculous, so far as he's concerned.

[freckledarcher]

"Thanks Lorenz, there's a lot of restaurants here that I haven't tried yet I'll go visit them and check the bookstore here again. Thanks for letting me come along."

Ashe planned on leaving the house for a bit to sort his thoughts. After Felix's dance there were a couple of things on his mind that he was coming to terms with. He wasn't in distress over the thoughts, mostly thinking back to the different events in his life where a lot of things started making sense to him. There was also some more tension in the house that he needed to just leave for awhile.

While he loved everyone in the house there were times the tensions became a bit much for him that he just needed a little break. On his way out he ran into Lorenz who was on his way to Cherrygrove he joined him.

Ashe reached for his toast as he looked over at the way Lorenz poked at his food. He knew Lorenz was told to eat more, but it wouldn't be as easy. "Um, I could take some fruit, if you don't mind?"

text for all adults; @rose_of_gloucester

[silky_bearing]

I know it has been clear to everyone already but I feel it is worth stating outright that certain symptoms that I have previously been able to manage easily with Faith magic are causing far more trouble here. After speaking to the medical experts here I have a rather extensive regimen I need to follow. If something happens where I need assistance Stephanie will have a backup inhaler for emergencies and be able to offer instructions as to what to do.

There is other information that I feel you should all be aware of. While this is largely only relevant to those of us from Fódlan To save any confusion or need to clarify things with others I thought it best to include everyone. I have attached a document that explains what seems to be a gap in our overlapping knowledge.

[And, as promised there is an attachment included.]

[Private addition for Byleth]
Professor. I wished to warn you before you read further that... much of the information included is in regards to those responsible for your father's death. You may wish to wait until you are alone or at least not in public before reading.

1/"hey james how long will this-" don't worry about it

[nastyboy]

[Oh, so it seems as though Lorenz has sought to see the healers of this land of his own accord. It is good that he is getting properly seen for his ill health. Dimitri knows they've all tried their very best to help him in varying ways - Dimitri has been rather insistent on having lunch with him, from his end, because a little more meat on his bones could surely not be a bad thing - but professionals are always far better suited for such things.]

[And anyway, maybe Lorenz will listen when it comes from proper healers.]

[But something important, for those of them from Fodlan? Well, Lorenz may be somewhat melodramatic at times, Dimitri will admit... It seems a symptom prone to those of noble blood when they don't take into consideration that tableware is not as important as, you know, human lives, and the like. Still, to address it to all of them like this, with the time he was from, and how traumatized he was... Well, surely it must be serious, then.]

[It takes him a little work to get the attachment open, because How Email, but eventually he does. Alright, so how does this start-]

[perfectteatime]

Ah. Thank you for the heads up.

[ So he can go somewhere and not cry in public, or in front of Dimitri. ]

He took...awhile before composing this

[vrdantwind]

I'm, uh...gonna make a list. Take this stuff point by point. Since there's a lot to keep straight.

1) These people you're talking about are responsible for Remire? Honestly, that makes sense to me. Remire was...even compared to Edelgard's war, on a whole other level. And she seemed as sickened by it as any of us after it happened. I had a hard time reconciling that she would do something like that, especially without any significant strategic value gained from it...so it not being her work makes a lot of other things make sense.

2) You can't just say '"Rhea" and her kind' and then not elaborate on that? What kind are we talking about here, Lorenz? Explain.

3) My grandfather had suspicions about Godfrey's death and Count Gloucester's involvement...so it's true, then. I must have missed that incident also being the one that took the lives of Raphael's parents...or maybe my grandfather didn't pay much attention to that detail. He never mentioned it to me, that's for sure. But I could see how losing his son would kind of blot out other concerns - or casualties - at the time.

4) Your father wasn't 'willing' to allow me to dissolve the Alliance. I had to fight him every inch of the way. He might've finally given in after coming up with some alternate plan, I'll grant you that much, but don't make it sound like he just conceded to me. I dragged myself over hot coals just to get that much, you know?

5) Captain Jeralt, too...we have a lot to make these people answer for. So let me ask the burning question of the day - these people are apparently responsible for any number of atrocities in all the countries of Fodlan, and a lot of interfering in all three countries' power structures. You haven't mentioned the Tragedy of Duscur, but given everything else...what would you say the odds are on that one? Is that the one tragedy they're not behind, or...

6) Uh...as far as I know, Lysithea didn't tell anyone but me about what happened to her, and that was in private. And it's kind of sensitive personal information, so if she shows up here again I'm not gonna protect your kneecaps from her. You know she's not going to want pity or coddling.

7) Why would they perform horrible experiments on Edelgard and then put her in a position of immense power? More than that, why would she use that power to then work with the people who tortured her and killed off her siblings? I'm not following the logic of any of that...but you can't actually confirm that's true, so I guess trying to make sense of suspicions that may not even be correct is kind of pointless. We probably won't know the truth of any of that unless she shows up at some point and we hear it from her directly. I will admit Lysithea shared those same suspicions, though...

8) They will pay for what they did to you and Lysithea. And Edelgard, if you guys are right about that one. There aren't any holes to hide in deep enough.

9) I guess now I know why you were so shocked about Lord Arundel dying at Derdriu. I hope that threw a nice wedge in their spokes.

10) Your father killed your horse?

To sum up...this is a hell of a lot of game-changing information, Lorenz. Thanks for making it available to all of us. I knew both at the academy and during the war that it felt like there was some powerful force behind a lot of seemingly unconnected events, destabilizing things and increasing tensions, but after Edelgard started her war I thought maybe it had just been the work of the Empire. It didn't really sit right with me as an explanation, but dealing with the war didn't give me a lot of freedom to go seeking alternate explanations. Maybe if I'd had you with me, things would have been different. Because if you knew this much, then it's all the more obvious to me now why your father called you away.

And now I'll share a little information with you. Lysithea, when she was here last time...she was from a different timeline than we are. One where Teach taught our class, not the Blue Lions. And in that timeline...you didn't go home. You stayed with us. I don't know if it was Teach's call, or mine, or yours, but at least in one world, you were there to help me. And now I wonder just how differently the war in Lysithea's world went for us, if I had you and all this information at my disposal there.

I didn't mention it before because it doesn't change much for us, and I guess also because it stings to talk about a world where things went better than I was able to steer them. But after you shared all this with us, I can't help thinking about that, and it feels wrong to hold anything back now.

for felix; sometime after Bird Crisis

[woofdad]

This isn’t the first time Grant and Felix have gone drinking - and used that as an opportunity to chat about their shared relationships with less risk of either of them getting self-conscious. This time, however, Grant’s got a secondary goal in mind.

Or… well, no, confessing to Felix is his primary goal, if he’s honest. It’s just that-- he can’t just jump right into that. Yes, he intends to say it as clearly and concisely as he can when the time comes, but there’s… something else that’s still concerning him, and he’s got to check that first.

So, once it’s clear that Felix is (unsurprisingly) not interested in small talk, he gets right to it. “I wanted to check in with you, in regards to… well, the rest of us starting new relationships, and how you're feeling about that."

[bestswordmaster]

Someone coming up to Felix and saying 'hey let's talk about relationships and feelings' is usually his cue to leave immediately, but...Grant would probably quietly implode thinking Felix is upset with him or something. Better to just get it over with.

So here he is, sitting across from Grant at a small table with a bottle of sake, a six ounce glass, and a plate full of spicy yakitori. He chews a bite of chicken and waits for Grant to say more, but after a slightly awkward silence during which no more comes, he swallows his bite and gives Grant a blank look.

"Why?"

Bird Crisis: Meanwhile, at the homestead

[silky_bearing]

He can't help it. Lorenz.... is pacing. A lot. The announcement and the subsequent call to action among the others in the house has him all but vibrating with anxiety. Not only are none of his pokemon even close to being of a level high enough to be useful.... the idea of getting rammed by another big angry bird is enough to have him freeze up. Not only the encounter with Sandalphon weeks back but the memory of Ladislava looming over him on her wyvern, suddenly blocking his view of Ferdinand and Byleth and-

He shakes his head, huffing a sigh and turning on his heel to head back into the kitchen. He can get more tea (herbal now, he's apparently been drinking too much caffeine) and find something to snack on to ease his nerves. Mister Whiskers barely twitches an ear in his direction as he leaves, only to very nearly run smack into Sylvain.

"O-oh! I- Apologies. I thought you'd have... gone with the others?"

Re: Bird Crisis: Meanwhile, at the homestead

[sonofagautier]

Sylvain's got a dish full of food for a few of his smaller Pokémon in his hand when Lorenz rounds the corner. He manages to shove it onto the counter, around either of them, without dumping it all over. There's a distressed growl under his breath about being too preoccupied with his anxiety to notice he hadn't been alone in the kitchen.

"Er, no." Sylvain grimaces at the reminder that he's stuck here. It's not exactly easy being a knight that can't help or even protect everyone out there fighting. "No way to keep in the sky, really. I'd just be a target." Which isn't a problem if anyone asked him, given somebody should keep the beasts' attention.

"So I'm stuck on babysitting duty." He raises a brow, not saying it aloud, but maybe the wry smirk he wears means he's implying Lorenz is a part of that babysitting part.

HONSE for Dedue

[silky_bearing]

Things are warming up, plants will be able to get started soon and it's no surprise that Dedue is out in the yard looking after some of his previously planted specimens. The thing is, with Dimitri and the others discussing a new location, somewhere with more room, he's not entirely sure of the details, Lorenz can't help feeling like poor Dedue is going to need more help. So after running through their morning drills and trying to have Safrano help teach Yuzu a few things about horsemanship... Lorenz is left contemplating the variance he's going to have to put into his approach with his new steed.

The differences between training a flighty, high energy saddle horse and a hard headed draft are... a new challenge for him. One he's actually rather excited for. But that means more bonding with the young mudbray and so Lorenz is going to hover outside for a time, watching Dedue work. Reminded of the times he'd do the same in the greenhouse years ago and blushing faintly.

"Is there anything I could assist with, Dedue?" He finally asks after a time, after he's rested a bit since running Safrano through his training and using the blasted inhaler to ease the tightness in his lungs after.

[donoteattheweeds]

This early in the year, there are a few hardy, weather-resistant crops that can be planted and still withstand the fickle spring weather, and the cold frames that he constructed before the frost set in have protected those plants that could overwinter. Dedue sets about reawakening the garden-- turning over the soil in preparation for sowing, opening up the cold frames to let in the spring sunshine. It's a different sort of work than what he had to do in the greenhouse; heavier and harder labor, the kind that brings a sweat even in cool weather. At some point during it, he'd had to strip down to his undershirt to avoid overheating.

At Lorenz's arrival, Dedue nods to him in acknowledgement, but otherwise continues with his labor. He'd seemed like he needed rest more than conversation, anyway, and thus Dedue was content for them both to continue as they were until Lorenz decided to initiate.

He stops for a moment to answer, sticking his broadfork into the soil and leaning against it.

"For now, much of what needs to be done is working the soil," he replies. "It is difficult labor."

Heavy enough to tire him, and he's of a far stronger constitution than Lorenz. Giving him a steel broadfork and asking him to till might actually kill Lorenz outright.

"It is nearly time to start seedlings, however. I will need to keep them indoors and transplant them to the garden later, once the weather is less volatile."

That would be far more Lorenz's speed-- less heavy lifting involved.

[Text] @the entire travel group (backdated to late Feb.)

[bestswordmaster]

[The text comes a day or two after Felix's birthday. Most of the message is the selfie Sylvain obviously took.]



sylvain insisted that we send this right now
with the picture
so here it is.
we're engaged.
again.]

[Felix typed and then deleted that last line.]

[perfectteatime]

oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
let me marry you! mbgood
i mean let me
let me do the marrying of you. together.
you know what i mean.
im so ha ppy for you!
congratilations!

ps do they m ake gloves ythat work betttr for texxt?

[nastyboy]

[And right under Byleth's response-]

Does this mean I will not officiate this time?

[silky_bearing]

[Internally, he is cringing at the informal nature of this announcement. Surely there should have at least been a request for everyone to have dinner together so it could be made in person? Formal announcements mailed to their friends that do not live at the house? Speeches? Something???

Felix making a speech. Okay, no, that's laughable. Maybe it's better (safer?) for everyone that they've done it this way.]

Congratulations!
It is wonderful that you've been able to come to that place in your relationship despite the strange setbacks this place has thrown your way.
I wish you all the best.

[crumbs_and_yums]

In order of importance:

A) A LITTLE WARNING NEXT TIME!!! I tripped and fell and now my Gear is all dirty!

B) Yaaaaaayyyyyy! I'm so happy for you! I don't know if I believe in Fate, but Fate certainly believes in both of you. As well it should!

C) That picture is SO adorable! I'm saving it forever.

D) Now my Gear is all wet, and you'f think it eoulf mskr it vlrsn but it judt mskrd it hstfrt to typr

[donoteattheweeds]

Congratulations on your engagement. I am glad that you have found happiness together.

[It's not surprising or anything, they were already apparently married once. But at least Dedue's here this time around, so that's nice, and he's about... 75% sure that he would be invited to the wedding.]

[vrdantwind]

Congrats, guys! Can't say I ever really doubted the outcome; didn't I tell you, Felix? No matter what happens, the way you guys feel for each other is already set in stone, so you'll always wind up getting back to the same place sooner or later. I hope actually seeing it happen helps that sound more reassuring.

So, do you guys want me to handle the catering again?

[Text]

[woofdad]

Oh man, congratulations, guys! Any idea of when you want to schedule the wedding for, or is that still to be decided?

Naming Ceremony! OTA

[stormstar]

It's finally time. Not for the big one, no, but still a major step for Crookedkit. He's been talking it up all week, that he has something special he wants to do on the night of the full moon and he'd like for as many people as possible to attend. All that excitement has been coupled with a few prolonged absences as he's run off into the woods to make some kind of preparations, and now it's finally ready.

The spot Crookedkit has staked out is lovely, an underdeveloped section of beach that's tucked away slightly behind the treeline. He's enlisted help from his Pokemon in pushing a sturdy rock out into the sand, which is now where he stands with his back to the water and the moon above it. There isn't really anywhere prepared to sit on the beach, and all of Crookedkit's team is gathered up, Bluepaw laying flat on the sand and Needlepaw sticking her pointed snout out from among the waves behind him to watch while all his terrestrial teammates are already grouped up before him on the sand.

Standing on top of his rock and looking over both all his Pokemon and over everyone who took the time to humor him in the middle of the night, Crookedkit feels more than a little nervous, but he sucks in a deep breath and starts anyway.

"Let all, um...Pokemon and Trainers and Breeders awake right now gather beneath this rock for a special meeting!"

Already his heart sinks a little at the wording. No Tiderock, no Clan name to invoke...it will have to do, though.

[nastyboy]

Dimitri does not entirely understand how important all of this is, not truly, but he isn't entirely sure how much of it he needs to understand. This is important to Crookedkit. Thus, that is all he needs to know.

Well, or so he thought, up until he settles down on the sand as well with his cloak drawn up over his shoulders. The nights are still just cold enough for it to be warranted, of course, but he isn't thinking of that. Instead, he is considering Crookedkit, and the idea of fur over one's body.

The wording is awkward, he notes. There is no way he could know the proper way of it, of course, but he was to be a prince, once. He can pick up on this much awkwardness during a formal situation.

Maybe he can help. "Is there anything you want us to say?" he asks quietly, wondering if there is a call and response, or if he should simply shut up and listen.

[Group text] [KIND OF nsfw]

[perfectteatime]

Hello friends, I forgot to share these, but I had some of the cruise staff help take pictures of Dedue and I's vacation to Sevii. I thought some of you might enjoy them!

[Upload: img23.jpg, img24.jpg, img25.jpg... there are several pictures. Some of their pokemon, some of the sunset, Dedue drinking some kind of fancy drink out of a novelty glass, both of them playing some of the games on the ship and there are- oh. There are a few of both of them near the pool!

At first glance they look normal! But... all of them have a kind of vibe about them, in that Byleth is never looking at the camera in this set. His gaze is set on... is something wrong with Dedue's swimsuit? ...Oh. Oh. It happens to be very uh. Form-fitting. In these ones, Byleth's suffering is almost palpable. ]

[silky_bearing]

Sevii really is lovely. I would like to go back some time. With fewer Mai Tais.

I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves!

[ Guess who doesn't know how to private things yet and is hiding these from Stephanie so she can't do it for him. He tries. And fails. ]

Are you certain it's entirely appropriate to be sharing ALL of those?

OTA for all homeschooling shenanigans

[woofdad]

It started, over a year ago, with the realization that he and Chip would be here for a while, and he should probably pick up their education himself. So he’d started looking into lesson plans, and eventually began homeschooling them.

Then Eri joined the group, and it became clear over time that she hadn’t had much of an education at all before arriving, so - might as well pick that up.

And… well, Crookedkit is a literal feral kitten, so obviously he’s never been to school. But, now, living as a human child, he could… probably benefit from knowing how to read, and do some basic math.

…So, in short, that’s how Grant ended up entrenched in organizing homeschooling lessons for three children at different points in their education.

Honestly, he’s just glad that there are other adults around invested in said children’s respective educations; with the workload already split, he can more easily focus effort into his part of things, interspersing lesson planning with breeding notes as he works in public areas of the house. The lessons themselves, meanwhile, he tries to hold outside when the weather is good enough… or, if that doesn’t work for one reason or another, he’ll just. Warn everyone they’re gonna be inside. He doesn’t really want to surprise anyone with Child Math Time if they’re trying to do something else.

Drawing With Dimitri

[nastyboy]

Honestly, Dimitri isn't entirely sure how much good he would do as a teacher. You know, for the important things, like mathematics, and reading, and all of that. He's better at more physical things, honestly.

Unfortunate that there's no real need for it with Chip, Eri, or Crookedkit as active as they are. So, instead, Dimitri tries to think of some other way to help - both because he wants to ease some of the burden off of Grant, and also because he genuinely likes spending time with all of the children.

That's how he ends up with a small set up whenever Grant needs a break, composed of various sketchbooks, pencils, crayons, and even paints. The kind that won't poison someone, even! Incredible.

Sometimes it's nice to just get some artistic inclinations out... or do anything that isn't maths. Besides, from what Dimitri understands, Chip has been engaging in some therapy with his therapist that relies on art. This will at least be familiar territory.

Feel free to meet up with him as he's getting all the things ready (or cleaned up), or in the middle of a lesson as he has various Pokemon model for them sometimes.

( backdated to the night after felix's dance ) OTA! a hungover prince has entered the building!

[fatefulprince]

[ <sub>Oh ... ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh by the Gods. Ohhhhhhh sweet merciful ancestors. The past 24 hours of Corrin's life can be described like a Katy Perry song, honestly. His head ... was throbbing like nothing else. He's never had a hangover like this before.

Corrin has woken up in --?! Where ... was he? This was ... inside? Somewhere? Not his tent! Not anywhere he's seen before! How did he even get here!?

With a groan, the prince attempts to sit up - but ultimately gives up and crashes straight back down into the sofa he was laying on. Whoever looked after him (thank you Byleth) in his drunken state was clearly very attentive, as he had a glass of water by his side and a blanket draped over him.

The last thing Corrin remembers prior to arriving at the Emblem House™️ was chatting at the bar with Felix and then -- nothing? Nothing at all?? A blank??? ... He kind of remembers Byleth being there. Did they party into the night? No, Corrin, you didn't party into the night. Maybe if he hadn't drank his body weight in Pinap Coladas he would remember this, but ... alas!</sub> ]

Oof ... [ _{His mop of dusty blonde hair can be seen poking out of the blanket, with his Flygon laying by his side and ... ah. Finally, his trainer was awake. The green dragon prods Corrin as if to be all - "you alive?" - and miraculously, he was. Just a bit scruffy-haired and hungover.} ]

Ugh ... Clem, I think I'm dying. Where are we...?

Throughout March oh my god i cannot believe it took me this long

[nastyboy]

As April draws ever nearer, Dimitri seems to be getting... more tired. Or maybe it's just that his exhaustion shows a bit more as he yawns frequently in the mornings even as he comes back from training with Felix. The circles under his eyes don't seem to be getting deep again, which is a good thing to see, but he does seem to spend more time away from the house. Maybe it's for naps? Dimitri isn't falling outright asleep, after all, which has to mean something.

This isn't too unusual. There are a lot of times when Dimitri has ended up very busy. Coming to Johto has give him far more hobbies of idle pleasure than being the crown princes of a kingdom did, funnily enough. Practicing drums, woodworking, sketching his Pokemon and coming up with art activities for the kids, occasionally going out to get better at being a handyman just for the fun of it. Certainly, him planning and working with construction workers on their new home takes up a good bit of his time as well.

So it is decently likely that no one picks up on things being up... Not immediately.

And it doesn't help that Dimitri can be, in fact, worryingly quiet.

Once upon a time, a time that wasn't all that long ago truly, Dimitri once had to fend for himself in the wilderness even as he waged his own small war against Imperial forces making their way through the mountains of Faerghus. A difficult thing to do, at times, when a single suit of armor was all that he had to protect himself with and yet would also give away his position easily if he wasn't careful.

Sometimes that meant waiting for ages, knowing that a patrol would come but not just when in the day. Sometimes that meant bullrushing forces before they had a chance to prepare. Sometimes, it was foregoing a piece of armor, more than one, so that he could land a sneak attack.

Dimitri does not bring to mind the image of a sneaky man, but he does seem to manage quite well regardless.

It becomes, in the end, a matter of people picking up on the absences - whether wondering if something is up despite Dimitri's claims to the contrary, or simple luck at spotting an empty room in the dead of night, or a figure in dark clothing slip out.

Or maybe find him as he waits for Martlet and apprentice-in-training Cinnamon to signal their findings... Or even him in the middle of smacking down a Team Rocket Grunt.

He has a lot of them to take out after all, whether directly in Vermillion or connnecting cities. And there's no rest for the wicked. .