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

[sighsheavily]

[mildly:] Be careful who you say that to here; goodness knows what kind of burdens you may find yourself bearing. Resilient or not, this is far outside the norm for many, yes? 'Resilience' may take on new trials.

[morganknight]

Oh, probably. But like I said, I'm in a very lucky place. If I can do something to help others who aren't, I'd like to.

[Catch that little flicker of his eyes at the end there, Cece? You're included in that umbrella, though he's totally guessing she's the sort who would get a hundred times more stubborn if he actually said that out loud, let alone tried to coax her to unburden herself a bit. This way she can get the message and pretend, for as long as she needs to, that she didn't.]

[sighsheavily]

Knight in name only may not be long your fate, speaking like that. [her expression softens, but it still has a cooler tinge to it. being endeared to people...she doesn't like to let it happen, but does have a soft spot for the types of people whose traits remind her of the sort of foolish, youthful imaginings she entertained. a flaw.]

Perhaps knighthood is in your future, Morgan.

[impostorsyndrome]

I was expecting you to text me or something.

[He digs into his pocket to find his little tablet and bring it out to hold up in illustration. The benefits of modern . . . ish . . . technology! Or whatever this is. He's still working out the level Camelot is operating on here.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

...Oh. Okay.

Sorry, you just seem the type to make notes about people.

[mycrosstobear]

[Vermin? They're annoying, sure, but that seems harsh.] I thought you liked nature.

[morganknight]

[What would she think if she knew he'd grown into these traits? That his life had fallen out such that it had made him into this?]

Eh, maybe. I'm not saying I'd complain. I can't pretend I don't miss having things like money and power, even if that doesn't exactly reflect the best on me. [Shrug! Knowing your own weaknesses is important! Admitting to them is important! Even if it's embarrassing!]

[sighsheavily]

I am the type. [she dots a letter and looks up, arching a brow.] People and other things, naturally. Having a solid record of things does one far better than ambling around without one, no?

[sighsheavily]

[hotly:] Can we please table conversation until after the thing is in custody?! Please.

[sighsheavily]

[her mouth curves up, though there's no smile in her eyes. she's just looking for a keener read of the man.]

What does, then?

[mycrosstobear]

[Fine, fine, he'll help, no need to snap. It's just a rabbit. He's barely experienced in animal handling himself, but it's not like rabbits are particularly smart, right?

He looks over at the cluster of animals nibbling on the potted flowers by the cafe door.] The one with the black ears, right?

[sighsheavily]

Yes, please! Ooh-- [she scoots, trying to get away from a cluster of these things, to close a door and potential getaway for her target.] Don't let it jump out of this area, or it'll be all a wash!

[sighsheavily]

Hm.

[that... well.

hm.

that will depend on how savvy she can wind up being, selecting multiple handles on those phones. she's not completely inept with technology, but...it's also not her forte.]

I suppose that leads this conversation around to what was lacking at the start.

Who are you?

[mycrosstobear]

[He walks slowly over towards the rabbits, trying not to startle them, and then crouches down when he's roughly within arms reach.

How did it work with dogs, again? He holds a hand out, palm down. One rabbit turns to sniff at it, then turns away immediately. Well, at least they're not startled. Slowly, he reaches for the target.

Suddenly, the rabbits bolt in all directions, and Wolfwood lunges across the floor to grab a hold of black-eared animal before it can bolt away entirely.]

[morganknight]

Reflect well on me? My reflection, of course.

[He lifts his arms in a quick flex that doesn't actually show too much off, because he's wearing his coat still.]

But seriously, I think I did all right during that fight we were in, so I'll take that without feeling too much embarrassment.

[scension]

I wasn't! I'm here!

[It's only fair that she turns the quest in too, but even if Sagi were a little less painfully earnest, it's not as if he'd have anywhere to run. The unending panicked stream of rabbits, the throng of cafe-goers turned goggling crime scene eyewitnesses just outside the door, a few of the customers inside trying to push their way out at the same time so they can take their business elsewhere - it's all he can do to stay on his feet.]

But I think we should be... [Oof, give him a second, he almost dropped the alleged Sir Fuzzlerton.] ...literally anywhere else!

[To be honest, he doesn't have anywhere in mind. Is he supposed to just find a sidewalk to stand on and hug this tetchy animal like a plush toy until its owner comes to retrieve it? He gets the strangest feeling that the rabbit won't be keen on the idea.]

[sighsheavily]

[Cecelia reflexively yelps, pressing her back up against the door as Wolfwood dives for their prey. bunnies are scattered, some trying to hide under her many skirts, and what few patrons are actually in this themed cafe are watching with a mix of interest and annoyance, because if this is part of the experience, it seems to be poorly planned.

after swallowing her heart back down her throat, she blinks and looks over at the facedown shape of her old friend. he's probably fine, what's more important--]

Oh, thank gods. [he has it!] Don't let go of it, now! We need to find a rope or a cage of some sort.

[sighsheavily]

[the eye roll is implied in the flattening of her tone:] Ah, no -- knighthood sounds like it will suit you well, with or without the perks of fame or fortune. [with less sass:] And you did perform well enough in that scrap, yes. Doubtless you'll find more of its like to entertain yourself with in the future.

[sighsheavily]

Opposite the flow of vermin traffic, if you please! [to further her request, she catches up and nudges at his shoulder to turn at the next crossing while she avoids trampling one of the fleeing rabbits.

after a few paces:] Right, stop. Stop, this is fine. Just--don't let that thing go, I'm going to confirm where it needs to be dropped off. [she pats around her mess of gowns to find the pocket where she ferreted away her phone and gets that out to thumb through.]

With my luck, this woman will be clear across the island...

[scension]

[Better her than Sagi. He's going to be picking fur out of his sleeves for weeks, he thinks, but at least the target is secured with minimal fluffy casualties. For now.

It seems impolite to watch her while she thumbs through her phone - he hasn't owned one for long, but they're personal objects, right? - so instead he stares into the rabbit's beady eyes, hoping it will be emotionally ready to surrender soon. It isn't yet.
It simply twitches its nose at him.]

I sure hope we got the right one...

[sighsheavily]

There may very well be some gratuity for the level of effort, even should it not be the culprit. [there had better be, she thinks, tapping open the quest listing and paring it down to the map.]

Mm. Right. And we came from...? [give her a moment to murmur and get her bearings, looking from screen to street and back again before she's assured herself of direction.]

Right. This way. Shouldn't be far. Though-- [she frowns at the captive in his arms.] Should we...bind it in some way? [hog tie? leash?? how do you convey rabbits. she doesn't know.]

[scension]

[Sagi looks troubled.] I don't think they'd want us to hurt him -

[A particularly heartfelt squirm from the rabbit cuts him off.]

Shhh, come on. You're going home.

[Okay, he's going to need to adjust his grip again, or else the creature is going to hurt itself. One arm around its body, one supporting it under the tail...]

...Where is his tail, anyway? What kind of animal is just a block of fur?

[Whoops, he said the quiet part out loud. Not that he notices.]

[impostorsyndrome]

Yeah . . . sorry. That was rude of me, not even introducing myself. I'm Kadoc Zemlupus.

[This is weird positioning to offer a handshake or anything, and he hates those anyway. So he doesn't, and just inclines his head a little instead in greeting.]

[morganknight]

[Morgan waves a hand vaguely, trying to shoo that thought away.] Pfft. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't entertained by it. That's the royal bi-- that's the problem with knowing how to fight. You never want to have to actually do it and nine times out of ten, if you have to, all the skill and technique you've trained in doesn't mean a thing because you have to solve the problem another way.

[sighsheavily]

[the royal what, now?

with an arched eyebrow:] Have you actually confirmed that? Ten whole times, at least.