[open] february catch-all

[birdflipping]

Who: Nero and you
What: Cupid arrow effects, syncing magic, and other awkward mishaps
When: Throughout February
Where: Camelot
Warnings: Nero being a gross simp??? look I warned you okay

1. Cupid's Arrow Beta Testing (Quest)
[After being struck with an unfortunate experimental arrow, Nero has been acting a little... off. Not that he's noticed it himself, but the arrow has proven perhaps a little too effective, and he's either falling in love with anyone he lays eyes on, or -- if the feelings are more platonic -- decidedly more affectionate around them than usual.

One of the ways this manifests is Nero following your character around while trying to be subtle about it. In reality, he's more like a puppy starved for attention. Maybe it's little things like offering to carry your shopping or training equipment like a gentleman-- "Hey, is that heavy? Let me help." Or maybe he's very awkwardly approaching and starting up small talk about how much the rain sucks, while shyly avoiding eye contact, because oh no he's gotten the attention of the person he likes. Maybe you're doing a quest, and he swoops in to the rescue! Even if you didn't need rescuing, it looked like you were in danger! He's here to help!!!

Whatever scenario you choose, he is here, and he is ready to simp. Sorry about that.]


2. Sync or Swim
a. [Nero had good intentions to put in some serious magic practice, but it's taken so long for a partner to show up that he's a little too relaxed in one of the meditation tents set up. Whoever walks in will find him sprawled out and apparently dozing with an arm across his face, listening to some mellow beats (even if the lyrics are... not so much?). When he hears someone enter he rolls over and cracks open an eye, squinting.]

...Come on, can't a guy nap in peace?

[Was napping the real plan all along? Who knows.]


b. [After the syncing is finished, Nero parks himself by the bonfire. He's both officially done with all the touchy-feely happenings this month, but he also can't get rid of the nagging feeling of loss that's been bothering him since the synchronised spellcasting ended. It's both depressing and annoying in equal measure.]

What a pain in the ass. [He mutters to himself. It's tempting to get up and leave instead of just sitting around feeling sorry for himself, but he's stuck here at least until his shadow comes back.]


[If you'd like to hash out any specifics for the first prompt, hit me up at moonsilver or via PM! As mentioned in the prompt, it can be romantic or platonic affection if you have a preference either way. For the second prompt, I'm happy for the syncing to fail or succeed either way depending on the CR!]

Comments

1

[whatsamada]

[Meanwhile Ken had been struggling with his homework as of late. With so many new concepts, it was a challenge to understand it all. As he wandered around in the small apartment building, he was about ready to get some fresh air.

He really needed some time away from the desk and he hoped it would help him focus more.]

[birdflipping]

[Nero can be found with his blade, Red Queen, spread across the kitchen table along with a variety of cleaning and maintenance equipment. Usually he'd leave jobs like this to Nico and her superior weaponsmith skills these days, but since she isn't around, it's up to him. With the blade newly enchanted courtesy of the traders, he has to make sure it's in top working condition.

When he spots Ken emerging from his room, he glances over, surprised. Hadn't he said that he was busy with homework...?]

Hey, Ken. Finished already?

[whatsamada]

[Just as he was about to head out the door, he heard a familiar voice. Suddenly, he turned around before flashing a small smile at him.

Hopefully he did think he was leaving his work unattended!]

No I haven’t, I thought a little fresh air could help me out. I figured I could use a break.

[birdflipping]

Oh yeah? If you're stepping outside, I'll come with.

[He puts down the rag he'd been using to clean the blade and moves over to join him. Maybe the company will help clear his head too, and for some reason this week, Nero himself has been craving company more than usual.]

I'd offer to help, but I bet you're more of an expert than me on magic homework at this point.

Cupid's Arrow Beta Testing (platonic edition)

[phoenixwiz]

(Harry is having a really busy day at the cafe today as he is dealing with the lunch rush, taking orders from customers and getting the drinks and sometimes food ready for the people who ordered them.

The fact people here are going crazy for the cafe breve with melted honey this month does get him really busy with his co-workers and he expects that it will be like this for the incoming weeks ahead.)

[birdflipping]

[Nero was curious about the cafe breve fad himself, but mainly he visited today to see Harry. By the time he reaches the front of the line and places his order, he can see Harry looks practically rushed off his feet.]

Hey, Harry. Never seen it this busy here before.

[phoenixwiz]

Nero, hi!

(Pardon him being in a hurry to get to the ordered drinks out on the counter as he picks up Nero's order.)

People and faeries here are into the cafe breve during this month, especially with the added bonus of melted honey being incorporated into it. And it's lunch time as well, that explains the larger amount of people coming in than usual.

1! oh hai fellow GMT-er - I think these two are close in age so happy for romantic or platonic

[corpsewarblade]

[Mukuro's currently hanging around in town, eyeing some weaponry she really can't afford right now in one of the nearby shops' windows.

Ergh- no, she should really be focusing on buying more fashionable clothes if she was to keep up appearances, right?]

But seriously I at least need somewhere better to store my knife that's not just shoving it in the top of my boot, so... huh?

[Oh, there's someone else nearby to hear her talk to herself! She flushed a moment before giving Nero what she hoped was a not-awkward wave.]

Oh, hey!

o7 gmt buddy! romantic works for me, just to make nero's cr with gundham super awkward

[birdflipping]

[Nero had been trying to make his attention on the girl not obvious and more like he'd been sidling over to check out the window display, but he doesn't look particularly startled to overhear her talking about knives. Probably because he's carrying around a sword on his back himself.]

Hey. [He offers a wave of his own and a small smile, which is... kinda awkward.] Are you, uh, looking for something?

[He's never so much as seen her before, but his heart is pounding. Hopefully he can play it cool and not show that he's nervous.]

haha yes that's going to be awkward, oops

[corpsewarblade]

[Oh- that was a nice smile. She hadn't been affected by the arrows herself, but she never quite knew what to do when someone actually smiled to her like that.]

So, like, I was trying to find a better way to carry this around-

[She gestured to her combat knife, currently tucked away at the top of one knee-high boot.]

'Cause like seriously, this isn't fashionable or practical, you know?

2a

[morns]

( alright, let's try this thing. what's the worst that could hap—

oh. )

It's you.

( fuck 🙃. well, she's here now and so Kate prods him in the side with the toe of her boot. )

C'mon, move.

( she needs space. )

[birdflipping]

Hey! You can't just walk into tents and assault people.

[So he says, but he is at least moving to roll over and sit up to make room. He dusts himself off and sighs.]

Was starting to think no one would show up, but here you are.

[morns]

Who said you were people?

( but, despite those words, she's quite happy to sit down next to him nonetheless, crossing her legs and rocking back on her hands.

that rhetorical question aside though, she has a real one; )

How long you been here?

2b

[cameprepared]

[Claire is feeling a little similarly. She's an extrovert, and pretty open, but the whole syncing up with someone else is draining even on her. She's hardly the best person to link up with, and the affair is just...draining.

She settles down near the bonfire herself, and nods in agreement after hearing his commentary.]

Definitely. I think I overextended my 'social' muscle with all that. [Just a bit.]

[birdflipping]

Me too. Trusting people you just met is a lot easier said than done.

[Nero looks over as she joins him at the bonfire. He's an introvert, for all his mouthiness, so it's not like he has the strongest social muscle to begin with.]

How'd it go? Did you manage to pull off the spell?

[cameprepared]

A few sparks. Nothing crazy.

[She's got some trust related things to work out, and she also was trying to keep her emotions in check to hide memories that she was worried might get shared. Memories of zombie town is not something she's thrilled about.]

You?

i

[intrapid]

[ This is really creepy. It makes the hair at the back of Karma's neck stand with how obvious he's being followed no matter how brisk his pace or how many times he suddenly takes a corner walking down the street trying to shake this guy off.

This must have been how Koro-sensei felt like at the beginning when they all sucked so hard at targeting him, Karma thinks to himself as he pauses in front of a sweets shop to squint through the window display at what's inside but also take the chance to reaffirm Nero's position by his reflection.

...No, probably not. Sensei had always faced them all head on.

Karma enters the store. ]

[birdflipping]

[Nero's not trying to act like a stalker, but... yeah it does come across that way. He's also not very good at subtlety, so when Karma goes into the sweet shop, Nero makes the very cunning and sneaky decision to, you know. Go right in after him.

Once he does, Nero's already thinking of a way to strike up a conversation, and he sees his opportunity when he spots Karma reaching for something from a high shelf.]

Hey there. Want me to get that for you? [...Just gonna go ahead and do it anyway, whether Karma actually wanted him to or not.]

[intrapid]

[ Karma is stupid tall at 5'9" and 14 years old, so he's never found himself on the receiving end of somebody reaching up and getting something for him. What he'd been eying is a little box of salted dark chocolate almond toffees, and he has to restrain himself from giving Nero a look when he's handed the box.

He holds it in his hand, but doesn't actually take it, leaving it held up between the two of them as he gives Nero his bestest brightest smile. ]

Thanks! I don't have enough money, though, so do you think you could...?

2a

[temptationaccomplished]

[As he's standing in the doorway, the spell begins to affect him, adopting for Aziraphale's ears the calming sounds of light traffic in the middle of a bustling city, the chirp of songbirds, the dull murmur of human conversation, and the pleasant sounds of ducks in water and their occasional quacks: a park during the spring or summer.

He carefully lowers himself to sit on the ground beside Nero with all the ease of someone not accustomed to sitting on the ground much these days.]

Never quite understood the appeal of a nap, really; too much Sloth for my liking. That's more Crowley's indulgence.

[birdflipping]

Yeah, yeah, spare me the sermon. Heard enough of those to last me a lifetime.

[Nero sighs and sits up when the other man joins him. Well, he supposes he can't nap forever given the whole point of the task, but he's still grumpy about being interrupted.]

You here for magic practice?

[temptationaccomplished]

[That was very mild as far as an angelic sermon went.]

Suppose I am, really. I figure I ought to, if I'm to go on these quests and don't want to risk the lives of my companions.

@ V - THE LIBRYRINTH P1 (QUEST)

[birdflipping]

[Nero has gotten into the habit of accepting quests each month, but he has to admit that for this particular quest he's signed up for, he doesn't know the first thing about libraries. So he enlists the help of someone who does -- that is, V -- who might be able to shed a little more light on whatever's going on.

They still have a lot to talk about regarding events back home, but truth be told, Nero isn't even sure how to broach the subject. So for now he'll just focus on keeping himself busy. He agrees to meet V at the library after dark, and he's brought his weapons, just in case.]

Ready? [He turns to open the door to the library, then pauses for a second.] If we get caught, we bail. A quest like this isn't worth the hassle.

[If it were a monster hunting quest that'd be another matter entirely, but this doesn't seem nearly so important.]

[summonere]

[ This would have been a piece of cake for V... if he still had access to his familiars. Well, he technically still has one of them. The large demon is sitting on his shoulder again, and is too heavy, like he always is. ]

Then we won't get caught. Can the two of you handle staying quiet?

[ Sorry, Nero! He doesn't associate you with stealth. ]

Get off my back, V.

[ Who is on whose back right now? ]

[birdflipping]

Of course I can handle it. Maybe Polly the parrot here should stay outside with a cracker, though.

[That's his way of saying he definitely doesn't trust Griffon to keep his beak shut.

Regardless of whether Griffon tags along or not, Nero leads the way into the library. Fortunately the front door is still unlocked, even if it creaks much louder than he'd like as it swings open.

It's dimly-lit after hours inside, though, and visibility is poor. Nero gestures for V to follow since the coast is clear, leading him through the entrance lobby to the equally dark main area of the library. There's not much to guide their way here, but the moon is at least bright enough tonight through the large windows that they can see the shelves upon shelves of books without fear of bumping into anything.

Where to start? There's no sign of the old librarian yet, so Nero casts a quizzical look at V to see if anything's caught his eye. The quest description did say something about strange symbols...]