deercountry | fitz's february catch-all (open!)

Entry tags:

fitz's february catch-all (open!)

Who: fitzchivalry farseer & you!!
What: fitz doesn't understand what speed-dating is, but he's doing it now whether he wants to or not. other starts and closed prompts to come as discussed.
When: throughout february /waves hands
Where: throughout trench
Notes: if you're keen on doing something, hmu via DMs or plurk!

Content Warnings: None yet, will update as needed

i. speed dating?
open to all! note: platonic dates only please

Fitz does not know how he came to be seated in a plush chair across from... whoever is across from him at this moment. Nor does he have any clear recollection of how he went from clearing out old firewood from behind his humble cottage in the woods to attending this event, because surely he would remember changing clothes? He quickly looks down and takes stock of his appearance and, yes, he is looking a bit more polished than normal. (A quick touch to his jaw; when did he shave? ...Did someone else shave him? No, don't think about that.)

There's a cheery nametag slapped onto the front of his deep blue shirt which reads, helpfully: "Hello! My name is: FitzChivalry Farseer / T̵̥̃ȏ̸̮̗̂m̷̱̗̉̅ ̵͖̇̎B̵̃̆ͅḁ̴̲̅̕d̸͇̝͒g̷͕͋e̴͇͒̕r̷̭̒l̵͓̒̈́o̸̺̾̆c̵͈̾̀k̸̪̬̓ ̵̡́̎/̸̝̉̈́ ̴̥̊̋Ĉ̸̘̾h̶̗̖̉̒ä̵͖́̀n̸̼̣̈́͘ḡ̵͍̆ė̸̳̩r̵̖̆ ̷͈̑̊/̸̼̓ ̸̺̆͜K̴̗̕e̴̘͓̍̎p̶̧͒p̷̪̞̓ẻ̵̟̂ť̴̲͉ ̴̮͠/̶͍̎̕ ̷̩̙͒̑C̶̢͎̀ą̵͒ẗ̷̬͉ȃ̷̗l̴̐͊͜y̷̯̜̓́s̵̗̣̉t̷̠͛ ̷̢̃͠/̷̺͜͝ ̸͕̃N̶͈͂̑ë̴̥͇̓ẅ̶̘́b̷͉̂ỏ̶̧̭͐ÿ̴̖͍́͐" in increasingly small and illegible handwriting as every name that anyone has ever called him with varying degrees of seriousness is squeezed onto the small sticker.

He reaches up to yank it off, but stops when it becomes clear that to do so will involve ripping the fabric it is attached to.

"Um," he smartly begins, clearing his throat, but whatever else he is about to say is interrupted by the chimes that sound from both his omni, and the omni of whoever sits across from him. Thus he is informed of the rules, as it were. The random assortment of questions that are provided catch his interest, too.

To whomever sits across from him, here is the informational blurb that pops up on their omni's display screen:

UN: BADGERLOCK
The man before you is clinically depressed and bisexual, newly aware of only one of these things (it's the latter) while making an absolute fool of himself regarding the other (it's the former). Ask him about wolves and horses. Maybe avoid the topic of addictive magicks and scheming patricidal uncles.

( FitzChivalry Farseer / T̸̥̲̀ȯ̷̝́ͅm̶̺̻̒ ̸̗͗͑B̵̙̙̄̈ȧ̵͉̮̆ḑ̵͙́̑g̷̡͛e̶̝̙̒r̴̬̀ḷ̴̰͑͝ó̶̼͕c̵̡̬̾͝k̷̼̍͠ ̸̭̯̉̈́/̵̝̑ ̸̦̲̆̚ / Ĉ̶̨̱̠͙͎͇̝̗̬̋͛͋̏̏̀̈́͋̏̋̚͝h̶̨̧̘̝̦͓̣̞̘̳͑̎̕a̷̹͖͖͍͉̗͚̺͓̝͒ͅͅͅṅ̷̫̼̮̤͙̻͍̖̻̜͔̫̔͐͆͛͆͗͜g̶̪͍̑́̓̋͝ͅę̴̙͙̦͙̥̳̮̎r̵̹̹̹̙͚͕̽̋͂͠ | 36 | M | Bisexual )

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[she doesn't know if she's supposed to just be wandering around, but maybe she has to get her own snacks? either way, she's here, and she doesn't look that bothered about it, and his blurb gets a careful press of her lips with accompanying nod, and a bit of consideration. she can probably avoid those topics no problem - they're not her go-to small talk, or any talk, really. so she plops down into the chair with a sympathetic smile and makes a go at this. she knows him only a little, but her manner's familiar.]

Which do you like better, wolves or horses? And, if that's a pain in the ass to answer because it's complicated or you can't choose:

Favorite wolf and favorite horse, ready, set, go.

[Fitz's expression of pained bewilderment evaporates as soon as Vi plops down into the seat across from him, because thank the gods, someone he recognizes. though that question--ouch!

naturally, the wolf that sits with his tail curled neatly around his paws seems to have an opinion about this. Nighteyes flicks his ears back and voices a grumble-growl of a huff before turning to sulkily consider the rest of the room. Fitz scoffs a little at his pouting and drops a hand to ruffle the fur of his scruff.] Don't take it personally, [he says to Nighteyes, grins back at Vi, and then opts for the second question, naturally.]

Nighteyes here. And my old mare, Sooty. Gentlest temperament in a horse I've ever seen, and her colt Ruddy had a beautiful roan coat. [clearly he could talk about horses for a while, which is probably why he follows this up with,] What about you? [a vague hand gesture,] Horses or wolves? Or do you have favourites as well?

[when he waxes lyrical about that horse, vi brightens, nodding along in a yeah, i get it sort of way. she's got a horse, too. and a wolf. sometimes. (and when that wolf's being a troll her favorite (dire)wolf becomes lady.)]

Used to be wolves, but then I saw the nightmare steeds, so now it's both. Don't see either in the Undercity, but I live with a couple wolves, and one of them's my favorite wolf if my Omen doesn't count. Plus, my house is sworn to House Stark, and their sigil is a direwolf.

[she pauses, in case fang decides it's 'share opinions and commentary' time, but no smoke pours out so phew, guess that answer was acceptable. to night eyes she adds:]

Who knows, if I met you first, you might have been my favorite wolf.

Favorite horse is easy. That's my nightmare, Wojciech. He's super black, with white eyes and and this cool ass stripe right---

---hold on.

[she can show him one of several photos she's taken on her omni - the murder horse in question looks indignant in most of them, but there might be a hint of pride there.]

What color's roan?

[because she's trying to picture it.]

She's like us, [this observation from Nighteyes is communicated to Fitz privately, but it's clear that something has passed between them. Fitz and the wolf share a glance, and the corners of Fitz's mouth twist up into a wry little grin of agreement, one that doesn't fade even when Nighteyes adds,] though I will never understand your fondness for horses.

[rather than answer the wolf, Fitz instead leans in to admire the pictures on Vi's omni, and visibly startles at the look of the beast that glowers back at him. he glances back at Vi with raised eyebrows, though he appears impressed rather than skeptical.] What a fearsome-looking fellow. They're called nightmares, you said? [very appropriate,] How did you come by him? Certainly a horse of any kind would make getting around the city easier for me.

[then at her question,] Ah, roan is--well, let me show you. [Fitz fetches out his own omni, brows drawn together into a thoughtful furrow, and if it takes him a little bit longer to pull up a browser window to enter his query, just... just bear with him. (he enters text with one finger, one letter/symbol at a time. it may be a bit painful to watch.) but then, at last, he pulls up the search results, and turns to showcase an information page about the roan horse coat pattern.] Roan can come in all colours, it's more of a coat pattern than a colour itself. Ruddy was... [pause,] well, ruddy. Rolls off the tongue more pleasantly than 'reddish.'

[she's spent a lot of time with new sleepers, put in the hours on the boardwalk to show them the ropes, and that sometimes means the omni from the ground up - some places don't have any technology. so the patience is built in, and it's not as if vi isn't used to killing time slowly.

she takes in the image with a thoughtful face - nodding after a moment.]

It'd make a cool background for some ink, or even the main event of the ink if it was a patterned piece.

So she's that pattern but all reddish. I mean ruddy. It's a fun word.

Horses? Definitely a thing here, and they don't spook like ...other horses, I hear, because they're super scared and they shiver all the time. Didn't really see horses much before, so I'm not an authority or anything, but I did learn to ride on one of them. They're sweet, maybe like your Sooty.

But my nightmare? I had to fight him to get him.

[not the whole story, and of course it's nice to want to seem cool, but sometimes you've got to tell all the sides of the thing, even the parts that make you look like an idiot. so before the shock comes (and she looks as if she anticipates it) she'll just plow through the embarrassment:]

That didn't go so well. My blood was all weird and I didn't land the punch and then he kicked me and was pissed off I had the poison blood. Had to scrape it off his hoof, and he couldn't even bite me.

We worked it out with a third party. So maybe don't go for a nightmare unless you really want to step in the ring with them.

[so the trench is exhausting.

viktor isn't particularly shocked to find himself here, sitting in a nice chair across from- oh, hello fitz. his nametag just says viktor, and he offers a look of 'hello i guess we're stuck in some new bullshit.' a glance at the omni and he rolls his eyes.]

Well, I suppose here we are. [and he knows there's no use fighting it, might as well play get to know you. it's probably fine. he looks at the questions and asks,] What is a memory from your childhood that you appreciate?

[he's been sitting in this seat restive as... well, as a wolf in a cage, maybe, but he noticeably relaxes when Viktor appears in the seat across from him. this is good, he decides, because at least if he's going to be subjected to more of Trench's unrelenting weirdness, the city is being kind to him. kind-ish. he chuckles self-consciously and spreads his hands a little to either side, before letting them drop to his knees.] Here we are indeed.

[then that question lands, and he pauses, a considering frown creating a thoughtful crease between his brows. at his feet, Nighteyes breathes in, exhales, and rests his chin on the toe of Fitz's boot.] ...my writing lessons. With the court scribe, Master Fedwren. I had a gift for it, apparently, and might've become his apprentice if--things had gone differently. [so, there's appreciation there, but some baggage, too. he waves a hand to dismiss the complications; this surely isn't the place to delve down into them.] It's certainly served me well to have good penmanship at any rate. What about you? Are there any memories from your childhood that you appreciate?

[a pause, and then,] If you'd rather not answer that one, there's--[and here he consults his omni to read the question that has been made available to him. he grimaces and, reluctantly, reads the question aloud, verbatim.] '...why do you think some sunsets are better than others.'

[at least there are way worse people to be stuck with. his lips quirk faintly- also his blurb ~~which i forgot~~ largely sticks to making pointed mockery of being a workaholic and way too maybe poking at the fact he was dying until about a month ago. stay class, trench.

he listens, a tilt of the head at 'if things had gone differently.' the end though, the sunset question, that has him laugh, a bark of a thing.] No, I think the other is more palatable.

I should introduce you to Palamedes, he is a writer. [of saucy nonsense sometimes but still.] Why not explore that again here? A gift like that never truly goes away.

but yes, his turn. after a long moment he decides,] Rio. My omen, you've met her. [the big pink axolotl thing that sat in on fun bloodstone removal. she's happy to pop up when mentioned, plopping her head on viktor's knee and regarding fitz and nighteyes curiously.] I met her in some of the fissure caves, her and my mentor. She was my first friend, I suppose. Fussy, playful, endlessly fascinating to child.

[he shakes his head, but it's fond, and rio trills at being called fussy.]

I suppose I could take up the pen again, though I don't know what I could write about that would be of interest to anyone here. [he hasn't completely dismissed the idea if his expression is anything to go by, though when Viktor brings up his omen and Rio appears beside him, his expression warms into a crooked smile. next to him, Nighteyes pushes himself up from where he's been curled up on the floor beside Fitz's chair to peer at Rio, something beyond wolfish intelligence in his yellow eyes; out of habit, Fitz rests a hand in the dense grey fur of his scruff.]

Yes, I remember her--hello, [this, clearly, to Rio, along with a little dip of his head. he can't help staring; she's like nothing Fitz has ever encountered in his own world, beyond his brief brush with the dragons Tintaglia and Icefyre, and they had been... decidedly unfriendly.] Forgive me for being blunt but--what is she?

Then write it for yourself. I won't pretend to know the creative process well, but I do imagine there's an audience for anything. [even if just him. frankly he'd be curious to read it purely because he finds sleeper points of view fascinating, being from so many walks of life and worlds.

rio trills her hello- she seems to have at least four tongues that dart out to scent the air.] I'm not entirely sure myself. My mentor cultivated her as a very rare genetic mutation, I believe of a species from my world called waveriders. I suppose in some ways she is entirely unique.

[but his turn for a question, and not even about sunsets!] If you were to write here what would you write about?

[he's devoted more than enough years writing for himself, is what he does not say, because he knows himself well enough to know that sooner or later, he'll feel compelled to put the thoughts kicking around in his mind down on paper again.

--which possibly makes Viktor's question rather prescient, if the startled look that steals across his face is any indication. he blinks, cracks another slightly abashed smile and looks down at Nighteyes, only to find the wolf gazing up at him again all too knowingly.]

...I suppose, [he begins slowly, considering,] if I were to write about anything at all, I would write--letters. To a dear friend, who I loved. I should like to tell him about this place, strange and terrifying as it is, and about the people I've met here. Such as yourself, [said with a small grin, and a nod to Rio,] and your companion, of course. He was fascinated by dragons, in my world, so I imagine he'd find the mere idea of her marvellous.

[ whatever this is, it's aggravating, but at least they're sat across from each other and not holding hands. asriel hates that he's thankful for that kind of thing now.

he squints at what's on the omni for a moment and then exchanges a look with stelmaria, who naturally has also simply appeared as he has. his own blurb is brief, but still a thing. ]

Wolves and horses aren't typically things that go together in my experience, but I suppose horses aren't really suited for the sort of country where I've seen the most wolves either.

[ it's not exactly a question, but it's an opening. asriel would prefer to talk about just about anything else if it means he doesn't have to talk about himself. ]

[Fitz is staring at the blurb beneath Asriel's name, trying to decide just what he is intended to feel in response to such a short, succinct, and entirely revealing description of a near stranger. 'near' only because they've spoken via the network, of course, but nevertheless it makes Fitz's shoulders draw together with some low-grade anxiety, considering what may be displayed about himself. he tries not to think about it.

the wolf, who had been laying at his feet, now sits up at Stelmaria's appearance. he's clearly not Fitz's omen, but there's something more than simple canine intelligence in the gold eyes that consider the snow leopard in apprehensive silence. Fitz rests a hand on Nighteyes' ruff to calm him, then cracks a small, rueful grin at Asriel's observation.]

He's not an ordinary wolf. [a bit cryptic, for Fitz, and so he goes on a moment later.] We share a... bond. I met him when he was only a cub and I was barely out of boyhood myself. His name is Nighteyes.

[he looks with open curiosity to Stelmaria, but clearly knows enough about predators to avoid looking directly into her eyes.] Your companion is impressive. How did you come to know each other?

[ it seems fitz has hit upon a good question because asriel's posture relaxes some from very guarded to wary, which is a start.

for her part, the snow leopard doesn't seem overly concerned by the presence of the wolf — especially when asriel himself settles — although the fact that it's not an Omen at all is still a matter of some interest to them both. ]

Stelmaria is my daemon. She is what most other worlds would define as my soul, and so we came into the world together.

[he looks from Asriel to Stelmaria with a certain softness in his eyes, and understanding--not a perfect understanding, obviously, but whatever the bond that ties Asriel and Stelmaria together, it is recognizable enough to him. he absently ruffles Nighteyes' fur behind his ears, which earns him a low, growling whine from the wolf who tolerates the affection as though Fitz is still a pup who hasn't learned his manners yet. Fitz grins at him affectionately, then drops his hand back to his lap.]

I think he and I are like that, a bit. [the way Fitz says the words, however, suggests that this is not something that is desirable, where he is from.] We've spent enough years sharing a mind and our senses that... [an uncertain gesture with one hand,] I suppose he's become more like a man, and I've become more like a wolf. Neither of us are very good at being what we were born as anymore.

[a pause, which will shortly turn awkward if he doesn't do something about it. Fitz lifts up his omni.] ...Shall I ask you the next question, then?

I would say that was in both your natures all along; you just didn't know it yet. In childhood, our daemons are unsettled and try out many different forms, but it's not until later that they choose one, and we see the sort of people we are.

[ this is one topic where asriel allows himself to address more than the cold logic. it would be too hard to stick to that, given all that Dust and the nature of souls mean to him. he's been to different worlds, so who's to say what fitz and his wolf have isn't as strong as what he has with stelmaria? ]

Go on.

[ he supposes he can live with this a little longer. ]

[Well, it wasn't like Maul hadn't been in awkward situations like this before. But they never got any easier for him to deal with. He wasn't built for making small talk and getting along with people. He was made to kill them, and while he'd recently found his chill, that still hadn't made it any easier to talk to people.

He just sat there for about a minute glowering at Fitz before he glanced to the side of his chair.]

Did the wolf come with you today?

[indeed, the wolf did accompany Fitz today. there he rests on the ground, great head resting on his forepaws and gold eyes watching Maul with interest, though it seems his initial wariness of the strange man and his face markings has faded with time. Fitz similarly does not seem bothered by Maul's glowering anymore, as though he has come to expect it, and has simply accepted it as this odd man's... resting state. maybe it's preferable to what he looks like when he grins, anyway.]

He did, as you see. [a closed-mouth little smile, and he snorts.] Not that either of us had much of a choice. But I take it this sort of thing isn't so uncommon in Trench?

No, not uncommon at all, I am afraid. These 'getting to know you' sessions are quite frequent. Sometimes they're a bit more like group therapy where we all sit around and talk about our feelings, so this could be much worse.

[He grinned at the sight of the large wolf, the expression meant to be happy despite the fangs within his mouth, which made it a bit more disconcerting than he meant. He was reminded a little of some of the canine species in his own galaxy, some of who were far smarter than the two-legged humanoid ones that surrounded them.

Maul's own info on the Omni was, frankly, quite embarrassing in his opinion. But there was no changing it:

deerlyBeloved: Sithalicious

He's horny and looking for a good time. Don't let the ever-present look of potential murder in his eyes put you off, this Sith Lord definitely knows how to Force Choke you in all the right ways.

( Maul | 30-somethingish | Male | Sapient species )

He looked at his own claws for a moment before looking back up at Fitz. Well, this situation wasn't going to get any less awkward simply sitting there like a stiff mannequin, so he might as well engage in conversation.]

Just so you know, I'm married, so let's stick to just some platonic and pleasant topics of conversation, shall we?

Edited 2023-02-13 10:18 (UTC)

[Fitz takes one look at that blurb and--well, yes, that's certainly more than he was ever hoping to learn about a complete stranger. he clears his throat awkwardly and takes a moment to browse away from the description on his screen, though when Maul makes it clear where he stands, he, too, relaxes noticeably.]

I am pleased to hear it, [he replies, chuckling mostly as an outlet for his nerves rather than because this is actually a funny situation. (it is, a little bit, and he'll appreciate that later.) still, that's as good a topic as any to start with.] Though I didn't realize you were married. [he tries not to look too... shocked... about it.] Is your spouse here with you in Trench?

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fitz's february catch-all (open!)

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platonic speed dating baby!!

heck yeah!!

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rolls in here with horse discourse

we enjoy a good game of horse disc horse in this house

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