best foot forward [OPEN]

[sighsheavily]

🧙 WHO: Cecelia & OPEN
⚔️️ WHAT: assorted happenings/questings
🕒 WHEN: early/mid-march
🗺️ WHERE: in & around Camelot!
⚠️ WARNINGS: none in prompts; if issues arise, the content will be tagged


o1. the cinderella situation - camelot, shopping areas
[Cecelia Ardenbury is not very great at the pauper life, and she knows it. she grew up wanting very little where material needs are concerned, and her understanding of "making do" is skewed by the world of fiction.

still..."make do" she must.]

Have you...any system in place of...lending your wares? [her smile is a touch pained as she speaks to one of the workers at a clothing boutique. her hand goes up almost in pefect timing with their eyebrows at the inquiry.] I know. Strange, yes? And you've got little cause to trust me. But is there any collateral I can offer in exchange? Surely others from other lands have found themselves in such a situation, and as it stands, I can't work in this...

[she sighs down at her gown, utterly ruined by the days of travel and strife she's found herself in upon arrival.]

...Unless you have some simple cleaning that needs done in exchange instead, I suppose...

[or someone with coin to spare feels moved to lend her a hand.]


o2. the sorcerer, re-apprenticed - outside camelot

None of this magic is really mine, is it?

[a small tongue of flame dances above hand, bouncing from fingertip to fingertip while she's seated on a stone along the side of the road leading back to the city. her journal is in her lap, and she scratches away notes while idly juggling the flame. a slender, goat-sized unicorn lay at her feet, seeming to doze while the half-elf woman murmurs to herself.

a chilly spring breeze snuffs the flame out, and Cecelia sighs.] Not mine in the slightest... [her spark,the flames she could conjure on her own from her own blood and heritage...

she shivers, hugging her arms to herself.] Nh. I'm...not used to feeling the elements like this, either... [she sighs.]

One hell of a square one...this is so vexing...!


o3. wabbit season - Camelot
[ye gods, the indignity... fetch questing?? what is she, level 2?

be strong, Cecelia. it's just a dumb animal. and at least it's not like she has to crawl through mud or brambles? this is actually quite gentle. yeah! this'll be fine! this...this is fine.]

Right, then...

[animal handling: one of her greatest failings in her ages of training. Cecelia frowns down at the array of fuzzy lumps currently populating this little cafe, then at the photograph provided by the app.]

Is it you, hm? I'd quite like this to be over quickly, so--

[she puts her phone away in some hidden pocket within her dress and tentatively reaches down to pick up one of the bunnies, looking like she's about to lift something potentially radioactive, letting it dangle at arm's length until, naturally, it begins to fidget. the second it does, she yelps in alarm, letting it drop and bound over to whomever else is on the case.

still in bunny-hold pose, her expression struggling to contain her disdain:] Gods...


o4. the randomizer - varied -- Camelot adjacent (this bitch can't afford a ride yet)
[wild card me, i fuckin DARE U.]

Comments

2

[fireandhoney]

I know exactly what you mean.

[It looks like he's not the only one who came out here to hone his new skills and get used to how magic works in this world. It's not like back home where he could just summon it without even thinking about it, using his own inner mana reserve. He also couldn't help but be drawn to the only other voice he heard out here, since he's a very nosy elf. At his side is a white spider as big as a terrier.]

Magic doesn't work the way it does in my world. It's like my lute got smashed and now I have to learn how to play the harp.

[sighsheavily]

[Cecelia's ear twitches at the sound of a reply -- the only outward sign of alarm she can warrant as she lifts her gaze from her writing to the stranger.

...and then to his hideous familiar. then, unfortunately, she cannot help showing some sign of disgust. g r o s s.

she clears her throat, making a point to look very pointedly anywhere but in that thing's vicinity, back up to its master.]

Are the instruments simply metaphor, or are you one of the students of a magic bard's college?

[fireandhoney]

[Finn regards the spider and motions for her to stand behind him, where she's out of sight. Or she can go wherever familiars go when they aren't needed.]

Metaphor. I never fully attended the Bard's College.

1.

[takoyakitori]

[Tamaki is not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but what he has he doesn't do much with -- he's mostly been saving up from tasks and odd jobs he's done around Camelot. So when he sees someone trying to barter with this boutique's staff he hesitates.

It almost looks like he's not sure about whether to buy something, that is until he gives up and finally walks over.]

Excuse me... [He's quiet, almost monotone, and definitely somewhat timid.] Depending on what it is... I can at least help. Buy it, at least. This once.

[sighsheavily]

[Cecelia's ear twitches when she hears someone drawing close, already shifting her attention with a sharp, scrutinizing look as he speaks, looking him up and down. what sort of character is this, now? and--]

I...beg your pardon? [the last thing she expects is such a bold offer from...a complete stranger, right? his form doesn't call to mind any of the many sorts she's met in her past, and especially none she had more of a bond with. so this is...]

...Sir. Are you suggesting you would be willing to purchase clothing for me? Whatever for?

[there is always a catch, after all.]

god i'm sorry about that coding

[takoyakitori]

[Tamaki pauses, hesitating. Maybe she was the type who didn't want help?]

You need it, don't you?

[He shrugs a little.]

I don't have to, if you don't want me to. But it would be less troublesome than doing chores all day for something you need.

01.

[thepattern]

[ Corwin is also in the market for some new threads, getting awfully tired of the tunic, trousers, and cloak he arrived in. He is, of course, sticking to his trademark grey-and-black color palette, but is selecting a fine assortment of new outfits for himself to try on. After the magical mishap last month made getting dressed so difficult, he wants to make sure each item is easy to put on and take off... Just in case.

He can't help but spy Lady Ardenbury's bright fiery hair across the shop, and makes his way over, listening in shamelessly on her attempt to barter. ]

Why, Lady Ardenbury. How lovely to see you. Please, allow me to lend a hand. [ Having already paid handsomely for his own purchases, the shopkeep recognizes Corwin as a man of expendable funds (all thanks to that one quest last month that garnered him a healthy payout of a million gold). Corwin gives the shop owner a smile, and offers, ] Whatever it is she needs, I'm good for it.

[sighsheavily]

Hm-? I--oh. [she does a bit of a double-take when she recognizes who's cutting into this awkward dance on economics. she smiles blandly, though her brow pinches with a touch of doubt. or, perhaps, suspicion? especially as he makes such a bold offer.

she quirks an eyebrow at that.]

Sir Corwin, swooping in to save the day? And so brazenly, with little context. [unless he's stalking her? not likely; she'd have noticed. probably.] What am I going to have to be paying back in return for such generosity? Surely not just that nebulous ask of general advice.

[thepattern]

[ He honestly isn't of a mind to stalk anyone, though he is somewhat amused at how they seem to keep running into each other.

He pauses to give the problem some thought, then smirks beguilingly. ]

I've recently moved into a house just outside of the city. Do me the honor of being my first dinner guest, and I'll call this one even.

03

[faithfulson]

[ Originally, Luke wasn't going to say anything; he had seen Cecelia scooping up the rabbit (well, more like acting like it was some kind of poisonous critter), so he assumed she would be able to handle it. The critter was slipping out of her grasp a moment later, and he immediately sprang into action, dipping down and scooping the excessively fluffy bunny in his arms. The critter's ears flattened back against his head, but Luke let out a soft, calming noise, cradling it in his arms and stroking it reassuringly as he headed toward Cecelia. ]

I take it you took the rabbit quest too?

[sighsheavily]

[she allows herself to huff out some exasperation before quickly bottling it up and focusing on the fellow now cradling the creature with ease and--

ah.]

...Indeed. Yes. Hello again. Skywalker, yes? You'll forgive me for misremembering the name of a fellow I've encountered but only once.

[faithfulson]

[ Luke smiled warmly. ]

You didn't forget, but just Luke is fine.

[ He nudged the rabbit up a little so she could see him. ]

I don't mind you taking the credit for this one. I can help you bring him in.

02 Teach me sensei

[forgeabettertomorrow]

I think the jury's out on that one, actually.

[She undoubtedly recognizes the voice of the man approaching her, and likely heard his heavy footsteps long before she even saw him. Darin's on his way back into the city after a stop off at the mines outside of town. Slung over his shoulders is a long, wooden staff, and dangling from either end were large sacks of ore. He's dirty, and if Cecelia were downwind of him, she'd likely catch the stench of a day or two in the mines and not much time for any sort of self-care.]

[He smells like a hobo.]

I actually got some interesting info recently about these familiars of ours.

[sighsheavily]

[the tromping of those footfalls are what catch her ear, but hardly her attention (it's not like this road isn't unused, right?). rather, it's his voice that does it. Cecelia goes still before slowly lifting her head to see............

Darin.........looking like a blue-tinted chimney sweep.

ye gods.

blinkblink.

she frowns softly, putting her quill down and dismissing the little candle flame so her hands can set on her book.]

Did you? What information and from where? [or whom, she wonders.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

The Lady of the Lake herself.

Interested now?

2

[morganknight]

[Oh, hey! It's fireball girl, who he actually has the option of saying hello to with words. Not quite catching what she muttered, he nonetheless can tell she's not exactly happy -- so he diverts his path from out of the city towards her, stickup up a hand.]

Hey!

[sighsheavily]

[it's a bit much to hope that hey is directed at someone else, isn't it. too much, indeed -- those footfalls are drawing closer to her, bidding her sigh and dismiss the little flame and lift her gaze up to attention and--

ah.

wait. this one she recognizes.]

...Well, then. [her eyebrows lift, and she twiddles her quill between her fingers before setting it down on the pages.] One of my elusive rescuers, now complete with sound. The picture is now painted with a few more colors.

Good day, sir.

[morganknight]

Good day, madam, and allow me to state how pleased I am to add present melody to remembered radiance. [He sweeps a bow, way way way too melodramatically, and when he comes back up his smile is bright and self-mocking, full permission to laugh at him granted.] Or hi. I can do either.

2

[impostorsyndrome]

[If Kadoc's going to be taking on any potentially dangerous missions to Celliwig this month, he needs to get a much better idea of the lay of the land outside Camelot than he has right now—so that's how he's spending today, wandering just outside of town, making observations and notes on the terrain. But he's headed back to the city when he picks up on someone practicing nearby. . . . Those are familiar sentiments, too. Not my magic? Yeah, he knows the feeling all too well.

Still, he hasn't decided yet whether that's worth a conversation with someone who's clearly also trying to focus. It feels rude, and he's tired. Lacking his own magic means that happens a lot more easily to him now, and that sucks. When she mentions "feeling the elements," Kadoc chalks that up to a literal description of feeling the elemental magic she's clearly channeling with those flames—it makes sense, right? The elemental type magicians probably do feel the elements.

Then she shivers, and he feels like an idiot. Oh. Right. It is pretty chilly out, huh? Feeling the elements indeed.

It's enough that he finally decides to approach her after all, shrugging off the oversized, fur-lined coat he's wearing and holding it out. The sweater he has on underneath is still plenty warm.]

. . . Considering the practice you're working on, maybe this is just begging you to set it on fire . . . but whatever. It's just a coat anyway. You can borrow it if you're cold, I'm fine without.

[sighsheavily]

What's this, now?

[the flame flickers and vanishes as she looks up to see the boy approach with his offering. she looks to that for only a second before her attention hard-locks on him, scanning his features for familiarity or signs of old patterns of people she's met before. he may be entirely a stranger, but he's not free of familiar signs she can recognize.

all the while, she doesn't move to accept; it's not safe to do so freely, after all.]

That's a very noble offer, young sir. [a plain truth, no peppering of her tone with blitheness or a putting-on of airs.] Without some price in exchange, no less? Or am I to concoct something I deem equally generous myself.

[impostorsyndrome]

[He is a stranger, and holds himself diffidently: he stands at the greatest distance from her that he can without it being weird to hold his coat out to her, for one thing. She can grab it if she reaches back, but only just. His other arm folds over himself as if he might be chilly too, though he isn't. He's pale, tired-looking and underfed, watching her with a cool curiosity. When she responds that way, his lip twitches briefly in a self-deprecating smile, then that slips away.]

You just looked cold. I'm no noble knight. . . . It's barely generosity, so I don't even know what I'd think of as equivalent exchange. But I wasn't thinking about it.

3

[scension]

[Sprawled on a table nearby, a particularly large and plush-looking rabbit dozes peacefully despite the hustle and bustle of the cafe around it. A teenage boy in a bright red jacket leans over it, frowning slightly as he glances between the rabbit and his phone. Unfamiliar as he still is with both these creatures and these devices, he can't be sure whether the resemblance between it and the photo he's looking is entirely in his head or not. Maybe he can take a photo of his own, careful not to disturb it, and compare how the pictures turn out...

Naturally, right as he raises the phone to do so is the moment when a woman behind him yelps, a smaller rabbit hurtles away between his ankles, and he almost loses his footing trying not to step on any of the other bunnies milling about.]

Whoa!

[Sagi at least catches his phone before it can thunk onto the table, but the damage is done: the table rabbit's nose twitches as it sits up, groggy but tense. Whoops, looks like just grabbing it might not be a workable plan any more. Admittedly, that plan also just slid way down Sagi's mental priority list, because what the heck could that smaller animal have done to startle a person like that? Are they magical in some way that no one bothered mentioning to him? Instead of picking up where he just left off, he turns to look at the source of the yelp, concerned.]

Are you okay? Did it kick you or something?

[sighsheavily]

[Cecelia remains a bit frozen in place, her hands still out as if she still holds onto some invisible creature. at the prompting, an ear twitches, and she peers over her shoulder.

gods, of course there'd be witnesses to this buffoonery.

after a clearing of her throat, she offers a mild, somewhat dry response:] I am unharmed, thank you. Merely...no master of rabbit handling, if that is even a thing.

3

[mycrosstobear]

[You know, he was just looking for someplace to have lunch. But so many of the cafes have given themselves over to primarily being rabbit petting zoos. It's getting more and more inescapable and more and more irritating.

Especially when a rabbit comes shooting towards his legs to hide behind them, in fear of...Cecelia?

Who is standing there gripping air?] What are you doing?

[sighsheavily]

Wolfwood.

[however a person can sound both so exasperated and relieved, Cecelia somehow manages to pull it off. of course, those feelings don't play on her expression so much as how impatient she is becoming with these fiddly, nimble little creatures she has no rapport with.]

Kindly--grab hold of that one? So I may confirm if it is the one I'm meant to find. I'm on an irritating job that will end, should it be the one.