flameguard | mygod | pc catchall

[ kate has changed into her regular clothes and she's mostly been wandering away from the main paths and landmarks. she seems surprised to be spoken to. ]

... If my presence would not bother you.

[ she steps closer to the fire, and as she does, the flames illuminate... absolutely no facial features whatsoever. there is just shadow. ]

[ oh... there's a little surprise on his face, because - well, of course there is, but after a moment, it fades, easily replaced with a warm smile.

rondo pats the seat next to him. pat pat. ]

Not at all. Come, sit! I don't think we've been acquainted yet, right, miss?

[ the look of surprise is expected. the warm smile... less so. but she'll take it, and she comes over to sit by him. not too close, but about arm's-length from him. ]

Kate. My name is Kate.

And you are?

[ once she's settled, rondo reaches up and puts his hand to his heart! he's seated, but even still, he bows, the gesture gallant. very fairy tale. ]

My name is Rondo, of the Knights Ardante. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kate.

[ genuine as ever. ]

Are you warm enough? Splashing around in that pond wasn't exactly pleasant...

Yes, I'm all right. I was able to change my clothes afterward. The bath in that old house seems to be in working condition, too.

[ we can have a little hygiene, as a treat. ]

But a knight...? I didn't think they still existed, outside of stories.

Oh? That's good. I was starting to wonder where the water would come from... I'd not want to bathe with what's in there.

[ running water is about to rock his ye olde world. however! he nods, perking up a little. ]

And - yes, that's correct! You're not the first person I've heard say so since I've arrived. Mr. Gale said that it seems like many of us could be from other... worlds...? I'm not sure I entirely understand it, but... knights are very common. Well! Not that common - you know what I mean.

[ nice. good job. ] - That is to say, that, yes, there's a large order of knights in the place that I am from that helps to defend the continent, of which I'm a member. I can hardly imagine a world without them...

Other worlds? That would be a problem...

[ there's a thin trail of smoke rising from her head as she considers that. ]

... Will your order be all right with your absence?

[ rondo looks down - his gaze falls somewhere to near his side, where a sword rests sheathed on his hip.

... ]

... I think so. I'm not so important that they need me, and... if I have this, then... maybe things are alright.

[ this is not a very helpful explanation. at all! but it's fine - whatever weighs on his shoulders here seems to fade, and he turns his head back to kate. very obviously, his eyes go up, watching the smoke. whoa... ]

What about you...? Will your home be alright? Your family?

[ as he asks those questions, the smoke thickens. ]

It will be difficult to explain my absence for just one or two days. If I'm away for too long, I may not be able to return.

[ rondo being on fire rondoson understands this (maybe) ]

I see... [ frowning further for a moment... and then he perks a little, clenching both of his fists in front of himself. ] Well - don't worry! We'll definitely find a way out! And quickly. Whatever situation this is, I'm sure there has to be a way out of it.

[ the smoke starts to thin out. ]

... Thank you. Yes, you're right.

I don't suppose we have any leads at this point, though, do we...?

Not yet.

[ which does put like the babiest pin in his optimism but it's fine. ]

But... with our things arriving all of a sudden, even if they're a bit limited - maybe that's a good sign...? At least, I'd like to think so.

I wonder...

If it was orchestrated by the same people who kidnapped us, then there could be some ulterior motive... but I can't imagine what it would be.

...well, maybe. I didn't have any of my chainmail - just my uniform - but I still have Fisteralda...?

[ so that's weird...? it's not a great feeling, but he's just glad to be armed, honestly. ] Normally, I'd think we could find books or something to read to figure out what's going on, but... the only book around seems to be in a weird language...

[ she's looking around for a few moments and then seems to fixate on his bigass sword. fisteralda? that's probably it.

but the book situation...... man. ]

Yes... that's disappointing for a number of reasons.

[ ding ding!!! she's correct. he smiles a little when she fixates and nods once he realize what's going on, like, yes, that's its name. it's the worst name ever.

as for the book thing... yeah... he sighs a little... ]

...it might be nice to have something to read, even if it was just something that wasn't related to this... it feels like we're just waiting for something to happen, doesn't it, Miss Kate...? It'd be nice to fill the time...

I agree.

You also like reading, then, Rondo?

[ an enthusiastic nod!! ]

I've always loved books...! I did a lot of reading growing up with my sister. Earlier in the year, I got to visit the Royal Academy's library, and - it was amazing, I hardly even knew that many books existed on the continent, let alone all in one place...!

What kind of books do you like, Miss Kate? I like adventure stories the best, but I don't mind nonfiction, either.

Edited 2024-06-09 02:32 (UTC)

It sounds incredible... I've never been to a large city, so there were no grand libraries to be found, except perhaps the one in the manor...

I prefer nonfiction, myself. But I enjoy reading all kinds of books.

[ a manor...! that checks out. ]

Mm, mm, we had a lot in our house growing up, too - Oh, you definitely would've loved it, Atlasdam was amazing...! I wish I could show you.

[ so genuinely...!!! completely forgetting about the like. separate worlds thing. also the being trapped here thing. ]

I don't have as much time to do it nowadays, but I try to sneak in a book or two when I can. Maybe there's a big, grand city behind the fog and we just don't know it yet! [ this sounds stupid but that's what it was like in [redacted] so you know ] If there is, then, we'll have to find the library for sure.

... I would like that.

To see Atlasdam, or any grand place like that.

[ there's a beat... and after a moment, he holds out his pinky. ]

Then... I'll promise that I'll do the best I can to help you see it! How about that?

[ ...

she raises a pinky and holds it out in return. ]

[ pinky promise!!!! The Covenant Has Been Made ]

Heh, okay! I'm pretty good at keeping my promises, too.

Is that so? Then I look forward to it.

mygod | pc catchall | kate

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