[open] march catch-all

[leicesters]

🧙 WHO: Claude and you!
⚔️️ WHAT: Quests, being a nerd, and dumb happenings
🕒 WHEN: Throughout March
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot, the Red Springs and the Broceliande
⚠️ WARNINGS: Nothing yet.

1. RUN SNAGGLEFOOT RUN (QUEST)

[Apprehending thieves is nothing new to Claude, even if he's more accustomed to battling dangerous, heavily-armed bandits than just chasing down someone harmless yet sticky-fingered. Somehow the latter is proving much more elusive, however, and he's chased his target all the way from Camelot on horseback to try and catch up to him before he can make his escape.

Initially he'd managed to hit the thief with a curse to try and slow him down, but Snagglefoot managed to give him the slip when his curse wasn't quite what he wanted: hitting him with a binding curse only managed to immobilise one of his arms rather than his full body.

By the time Claude dismounts his horse at the springs and runs after him, he realises someone has already beaten him to the punch and -- intentionally or otherwise -- is blocking the doorway to the inn the thief had just tried to flee inside. Claude puffs, out of breath, hands on his knees.]

Grab that guy for me... would you...?

[If they hesitate for even a second, the thief might just get away again.]

2. LIBRARY

[Claude's not thrilled about being hurled into another world, what with everything resting on his shoulders at home, but it's also not the first time he's had to adjust quickly to a completely new land. His reaction in this case is to handle things just the same as he first did in Fodlan: get as much information and then some, as quickly as possible, so he can make up for any disadvantage he has in knowledge.

... Maybe he's overdoing it a little, though. It's getting close to closing hours in one of Camelot's libraries, and he still has a huge pile of unfinished books on the reading desk he's seated at, covering subjects as broad as history, magic, flora and fauna, geography, and more.

He yawns, and his familiar, a small cat-sized white wyvern, headbutts his arm -- either for attention, or just to make sure he stays awake. He pets her absently.]

We'll leave soon, just let me finish this chapter first. [He stifles another yawn. He should call it here, but he's also dreading the idea of lugging lots of heavy books back to his room.]

3. BROCELIANDE

[For anyone who might be wandering in the Broceliande, you might hear a voice complaining and cursing through the trees. Follow it to its source and you'll find Claude, who seems to be... kneeling by a stream and... crying? At the very least, there's tears streaming town his cheeks, but on a closer examination he looks more exasperated than upset.]

Ouch ouch ouch...

[He splashes his face with water to try and rinse his stinging eyes, his wyvern keeping a lookout as he does so.]

Owww. I knew I should've left that flower alone. [The wyvern trills in what sounds like agreement, or maybe because she just spotted someone approaching. Hello friend!!]

4. WILDCARD

[Choose your own prompt! If you want to plot anything out, feel free to hit me up via PM or at moonsilver.]

Comments

1

[firesinthesky]

[ There’s something blessedly normal about being tasked with chasing down a jewel thief. Were the man a pirate, Blaze would really feel at home, harkening back to her days as a rogue, tracking down those who spat in the face of the city’s laws against piracy. This Snagglefoot fellow (an unfortunate name if she ever did hear one), is no pirate, but by gods he is fast.

Finding a horse sturdy enough to bear her this far was certainly something of a task, and when she lost track of the thief on the road, she feared she’d be too late. It’s merely by chance that she catches a glimpse of him ducking into the inn and bolts for the door. She’s just mulling over her options when there comes a rather familiar voice behind her.

Of course it stands to reason that she wouldn’t be the only one giving chase, but of all the people… ]

Claude? Are you after our jewel-thieving friend too?

[leicesters]

[Claude's still too out of breath to string much of a sentence together, but he managers to puff:]

Y... Yes! Hurry up and go after him!

[This is definitely no time to talk when he could be making his getaway, or at least finding a decent place to hide.]

[firesinthesky]

Easy, friend.

[ Poor Claude looks like he’s run all the way here. He is right, though, and time is of the essence. Simply kicking down the door isn’t much of Blaze’s style, but a glance through the door’s window tells her that their man has pulled to a stop in the lobby, trying to catch his own breath, one eye keeping wary vigil on the doorway. ]

Be ready to make a grab for him if he bolts.

[ The instructions are hastily tossed over her shoulder as she pushes her way through the door. Snagglefoot pales as Blaze’s long-legged strides carry her across the room in record time, though he manages to duck under her first attempt to grab at him, that rather unfortunately puts him between her and Claude. ]

2. LIBRARY

[darkestbefore]

[ Claude isn't the only one in here far later than most, although it's Yona's rumbling stomach that eventually has her getting up, selecting one or two books to take home with her for the time being and leaving the rest for another day.

She's done this before. Pacing is important. So is food, for that matter.

There's a small dragon curled up on her shoulder, tail wound around her throat for balance as she departs the quiet little corner she'd been tucked away in for most of the afternoon and evening. His scales are almost a golden hue tonight, the color of sunshine despite the late hour, and he's yawning as if her movements had woken him up from naptime.

She thought she'd been the last one here, but she hears a voice on her way out, so she pauses to detour, coming across an unfamiliar for surrounded by a veritable mountain of books. She blinks, but then smiles in amusement as she peeks around a bookcase at him. ]

You know, if you're going to try and get through all those, they're likely to turn out the lights on you.

[leicesters]

They can do that?! [Claude seems startled out of his earlier sleepiness. Oh, right. Light switches. Unlike back home, it's not like he can just hunker down here with a candle all night and assume no one will find him.]

Arrrgh. What would you say my odds are that I can sweet-talk the librarian into letting me stay?

[...Slim to none, probably, given that the librarian here is a stern, no-nonsense looking older man, but he can dream.]

3

[wolfhunted]

[Robyn visits Broceliande pretty often, both to hunt for small game (though rabbits are off limits this month) and to practice her animal magic. Since she wasn't allowed to leave town back home, she appreciates that she can visit the forest without having to sneak out.

So it's not surprising that she eventually comes across Claude by the stream. He has tears on his face, but he doesn't actually look sad...still, it is a little concerning. She approaches him carefully, her golden wolf familiar silently following her.]

Er...are you alright?

[leicesters]

Hm? [Claude was so preoccupied splashing his face that he hadn't noticed someone approaching. He looks up at Robyn, squinting.]

Oh, yeah! I just got hit in the face with a flower. [Wait, that makes no sense. He rubs his stinging eyes and tries again.] Um... some kind of special flower? It barfed out some kind of magical pollen-y stuff in my face when I tried to pick it.

[His eyes are watering less now that he's washed his face, at least, but it's going to take a while for the effects to completely go away.]

2

[cameprepared]

[Claire can't help but overhear. She's in the library just picking up a couple of books on magical theory herself, and a few young-adult readers for Sherry, her dog familiar in tow. Eyeing the speaker, the last guy in here besides her, she chuckles.]

You know you can check those out, right? I think they'll kick you out before you get done with that stack.

[Hey, no reason not to be friendly.]

[leicesters]

Why can't they just let me pull an all-nighter? I can't carry all this. [He sighs, but gets to his feet, closing the book he'd been reading -- a tome on the history of Atlantis. Even though this book problem is entirely of his own creation, he just can't help it when his curiosity gets the better of him.]

Guess I'll just have to check out what I can carry. [Which... isn't much. Where's Raphael and his giant muscles when you need him?]

3

[sparkstrikes]

[Hunting is right up in Lightning's wheelhouse, or at least, as close as it can get to what she's used to. She would spend some shifts as a Guardian Corps wandering outside the city on the lookout for any feral monsters who wandered too close and would take care of them. So, hunting for food she goes, out of the city and into the Borceliande, where she's had very little luck with finding anything so far.

That is, until she spots the wyvern by the water. It seems to have noticed her, and when their eyes meet, she's quick to slide her gunblade back from its holster where she grabbed it only seconds ago. No, she didn't think it was something she could use for meat, what are you talking about, ha ha. Ha...

Lightning wanders up closer, taking very careful footsteps, but stops when she hears a voice.

Ah, there's a man here.

From behind, she calls out.]

You shouldn't go touching things just 'cause they're pretty. 'Specially in a place like this.

[leicesters]

[The wyvern seems more inquisitive than aware of the potential threat, so it merely watches and tilts its head as Lightning approaches. Claude blinks and stops grumbling when he hears that sudden voice from behind.]

Hm? [He squints, and has to blink a few times to clear his vision.] I didn't touch it just because it was pretty! I thought it might be useful.

3

[backstreetbard]

[ He'll hear her before he sees her, because she's singing as she explores the forest. This is an unfamiliar land, full of strange people and strange creatures; barring a few familiar faces, the only constant is herself, so she sings to help ground herself in the moment as she explores the magical woods. At one point, she even finds herself in a harmonized duet with her familiar, laughing when the bird mimics her soprano tone.

That doesn't mean she misses the sound of Claude's cursing. Recognizing his voice, she naturally follows it to the source, and when she sees that he seems to be in pain, she rushes to his side. ]

Hey, are you all right? What flower?

[leicesters]

Dorothea--? [He definitely hears her before he sees her, because he can't see much of... well, anything, at the moment. His vision's still blurry as he squints at her and jabs a thumb over his shoulder.]

A big pale flower, back that way. I thought it was the same flower I saw in a book.

[The experience has been educational, albeit not in the way he would have liked.]

1

[suetekh]

[Blocking the thief was entirely unintentional. While Set had gone here to try to look for the thief because he was sure this much he could do without magic, Set didn't entirely realize this was who he was looking for until he was exiting the inn after asking about this thief.

And isn't it just lucky for everybody that this thief ran straight into Set? Dressed in all of his gold accessories and bejewled earrings. At least he's finally gotten a thick coat over them (this sure ain't Egypt) but he's still going out of his way to dress as he always has. Somebody dressed like this would attract a thief for sure but that wasn't how it went. It was just bad luck for the thief to run into Set, who already gets annoyed when someone casually bumps into him. But this guy fully just ran into his chest. It doesn't take long for Set to figure out the situation and Claude hasn't even finished his sentence before Set is taking out his sword and putting it to Snagglefoot's neck. No getting away from this but the jewel thief definitely is panicking now.]

I would hate for your dirty blood to tarnish my blade. [He'll still totally kill him, though, even if this is not what the quest was asking for.]

[leicesters]

[Claude's a little awestruck by just how much gold and jewellery the man is wearing -- he's either some kind of ruler or just insanely wealthy, he thinks. Not that he has much time to dwell on the matter, when Set is drawing his blade and pointing it at the thief.]

W-whoa, hold on now! [Claude takes a step forward, then thinks better of it, just in case the sparkly stranger takes a dislike to sudden movements.] He hasn't actually hurt anyone, so there's no need to kill him.

1

[morns]

( how many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?

Kate sighs, stopped in her tracks by something that looks like a comedy sketch, and doesn't even bother to move from the doorway, pushing the thief with a flare of magic right back towards Claude. )

Take him. ( we'll see how long it takes before he's back trying to escape with jewels again, but she's betting it won't be long. )

[leicesters]

[Claude reacts quickly, snagging the thief by the collar before pulling him into a chokehold, then grabbing the stolen pouch the thief had tied to his belt. All the while the thief is still resisting, struggling to get away.]

I admire your tenacity and all-- [Claude says between gritted teeth,] but what I admire even more is people who know when to throw in the towel--!

[The thief slams his elbow into Claude's stomach, forcing him to let Snagglefoot go. Evidently predicting he'd try something like that, Claude had already stuck his foot out, so the thief goes tripping right over and crashing down to the ground.]

...Oops?

library~

[snaccs]

( Claude isn't the only one who takes to the library as soon as he gets the chance — Maruki has sat at a table for several hours, poring over books and transcribing notes into his phone until the screen is filled with an endlessly scrolling block of text explaining facets of magic and the history of it.

he's discovered many things about cognitive magic, but this is merely the tip of the iceberg in study, and he's so ready to continue plunging into it, even as his eyes ache and someone nearby promises to leave soon.

wait... )

Is that the time?!

( whoops. he got a little too engrossed there. )

[leicesters]

Hm? [Claude hadn't realised someone else was still here, so he looks over curiously, before addressing them.] Seems that way, unfortunately for us.

[Should he try to hide so he can stay here all night, or figure out a way to take all these books with him...? Decisions, decisions.]

3

[fooligans]

[ Coincidentally, Claude's wailing helps Akira find the stream. It looks like he wasn't the only person examining what the forest outside of Camelot has to offer. ]

Water...

[ Akira kneels next to Claude and puts his hands in the water. He's learned about a very spicy berry growing in Broceliande but it turned out that its spiciness should never be underestimated—while trying to pick up some of them, Akira burnt his fingers. ]

Flower? [ Berries, flowers...what will come after them next? A boar? ] This forest is no joke. Are you okay?

[leicesters]

[A boar might just come after them, if Dimitri happens to be lurking in some bushes somewhere. For the time being they're probably safe, though.

Claude squints at the stranger coming to join him, but his sight's a little too blurry to make out clear features. The voice isn't one he recognises, though.]

I'll be fine... Just got something in my eyes.

1

[theleadingman]

[It takes only the briefest of moments to put the pieces together— the panicked look on the face of the winded man's quarry is telling in and of itself, the way he ducks into the inn like his life might depend on it. He'd come here himself chasing a rumor, with perhaps the intent to look into some other business, but he would wager a fair amount of gil that the subject of that very rumor has just fled into the inn.

He gives Claude a sharp nod before he, too, gives chase, allowing the other man a moment to catch his breath.]

I'll detain him— catch up when you can!

[He's gone through the door immediately, and while Claude will miss out on the visual aspect, it would seem that he's quick enough— if the startled yelp and the sound of someone falling down the stairs and crashing into a table is any indication.

Come and claim your quarry, sir.]

[leicesters]

[It's impressively fast, in fact, and Claude still barely has time to get his breath back as he follows inside and down the stairs to the scene below.]

You-- you got him? [The inn staff are cowering behind the reception desk in alarm, so he adds to them as a hurried explanation--] Thief. Sorry.

[The thief in question is groaning and clutching his head, which gives Claude enough time to drag him to his feet. Then he shoots an appraising look at Balthier, looking mildly impressed.]

Not bad. Have you done this sort of thing before?

1

[reresurrected]

[And here Baldr had just been planning to have a nice, quiet lunch that someone else had cooked... he's on his way out of the inn when this stranger stumbles up, looking utterly winded, and suddenly that other man who had come careening through the door not thirty seconds ago makes a whole lot more sense. One man running, another giving chase... a thief, most likely, and Baldr isn't the sort of person to just ignore a crime happening right in front of him.

He glances over his shoulder to see if he can spot the other fellow, then looks back to Claude.]

That man...?

[No worries, he's got this. If there's one thing Baldr is, it's fast on his feet. He covers the short distance between himself and Snagglefoot in the span of a couple of seconds, and then...

... well. Hopefully no one will mind that he applies a bit of creative license to his interpretation of the word "grab" in that sentence-- he'll just go one step further and shoulder check the unlucky fellow, sending him stumbling backwards, and then proceed to drop down and sweep his feet right out from under him with a spinning kick, dropping him to the ground like a sack of flour. What? It served the same purpose!

Once he's satisfied that Snagglefoot is down for the count, he turns to Claude with a smile on his face.]

My apologies for getting carried away, but I simply wanted to ensure that he wouldn't escape.

[... yeah no he's not about to go anywhere anytime soon. So, uh, here you go, Claude, he's all yours.]

[leicesters]

[Claude's witnessed his share of hand-to-hand combat, both in the training grounds and on the battlefield. Still, he wouldn't say it's his forte, particularly since as an archer, it's best not to let an enemy get so close to begin with.

So following Baldr and watching him dispatch the guy with (maybe a little excessive) ease has him staring, slightly open mouthed.]

You... uh, definitely ensured that.