open post ☀ stahn aileron

[majinken]

a: a lost boy;

[they say "there's no place like home." some also say "wherever you go, there you are."

stahn aileron, though, tends to handle things just a little differently when in a strange place. and he's definitely in a strange place right now. though he's been all over the world, none of the sights seem familiar.

so what stahn has to say at a time like this is "whenever in doubt, ask your sword!"

and so he does, holding up a rather old, but ornate sword in front of him. the blade is pointed upward, and it's probably a bit strange. what is that guy doing?]

Hey, Dymlos... do you recognize this place? I think we might have made a wrong turn somewhere...

[the problem here is that very, very few beyond swordian masters can actually hear dymlos speak. those who are exceptionally spiritually inclined might, or those with a certain exceptional strength that could make them a potential master. those who don't posses that will definitely just see a weirdo blonde with a massive mullet talking to himself. those who do will hear a voice much deeper than stahn's responding.]

Something is amiss; I know we didn't make any wrong turns, but this isn't anywhere in Darilsheid.

[well, that seems like a problem.]

I thought so too. Maybe we should backtrack? Or do you think we should just ask around?

[someone help him before he ends up wandering into the abyss as nightfall sets...

or just call him out on talking to himself, it's fine.]

b: takoyaki;

[well, the plus side to friendship with stahn? he'll definitely protect you in a bind, and he'll make sure to show his appreciation however he can. he works hard to cultivate his friendships. even if you hate him, he probably thinks you're his friend.

or will be determined to make you one, unless you've done something truly deplorable like trying to destroy the world or killing his best friend or something.

but hey, part of the perks? food. which is why when stahn sees a takoyaki stand on the street, he's pretty immediately hype.]

Mmm, do you smell that? There's takoyaki nearby! [he... really likes takoyaki, it's fine.] Come on, come on, let's go share some, my treat! [there's no getting out of this.]

c: sleep;

[have you ever met a person who really truly sleeps like the dead?

congrats, you have now!

it could be literally anywhere. rooming together. on the street, while walking—the sky's the limit, because this boy can sleep anywhere, and waking him up...

well, there's a reason the aileron secret arte is calling "waking the dead" and requires slamming a ladle against a frying pan and shouting loudly. please though... try your luck? maybe eventually stahn will stop snoring and drooling.]

d. wildcard;

[write your own prompt, if you want, i'm here for it!]

Comments

b!!

[thatsthespirit]

Takoyaki?

[WHY ARE THESE TWO HANGING OUT, we just don't know, but here they are! either way, she looks intrigued]

What's takoyaki? I'm not certain I've had the pleasure of indulging myself with that particular cuisine just yet.

[this is just what Maxwell needs: to be introduced to more food]

[majinken]

[it probably doesn't matter, dimensional crossroads or some other bullshit, since apparently he can get to elympios by way of temporal weirdness at some point anyway. thanks, canon!]

Eeeeh!? You've never had takoyaki before? Come on, now we really have to try it! [stahn, that still doesn't even tell milla what it is.

are you even trying, child...

either way, he's definitely going to lead her to the takoyaki stand, because they need to have it. they just gotta!]

[thatsthespirit]

[well, even if he didn't answer her question, Milla is following with obvious eagerness. and her expression seems to light up even more once those delectable takoyaki smells reach her nose]

Oh! It smells wonderful. A savory blend of spices and fried flour batter.

[she nods, determined, as though her mind is made up]

Very well. I accept your offer.

[as if following him to the stand wasn't acceptance enough]

[majinken]

Mm, it's all those things, and octopus, and it's got tasty toppings, too!

[he's.. a really simple soul. friendship, food and a place to sleep are really the best he can ask for, even if there are entirely too many times in his life where things get far more complicated than that.

but it's fine. it's all fine, there's takoyaki, and he's just going to have to get some for them to share (...and maybe more after that, but one step at time). they only cost a few hundred gald—

which he has to be mindful of, or he'll get an asswhooping from rutee later for breaking the budget—so he'll spring for it, beaming pretty brightly while he waits for them to serve it up.] I think you'll really like it! Or, I hope you will?

[he's pretty sure she will, though.]

[thatsthespirit]

[she'd offer to help pay, but being Maxwell meant that she had spent most of her life (inside a human body) receiving offerings from the villagers of Nia Khera. she's used to accepting gifts without protest, and this time is no different!]

Octopus? I see. . . so it's a type of sea food.

[she places her hands on the counter and leans into the booth, which earns her a few weird looks from the workers. IS SHE TRYING TO CLIMB INSIDE. . .]

Do you think they'd let me watch them prepare it? I have to admit, my curiosity is getting the better of me.

[majinken]

[the slight problem with this is... well, stahn's probably not going to be the one to point out this problem.

...because he really doesn't see much wrong with it. sure, it's a little awkward, but she's curious. and really, stahn kind of follows suit.]

We should ask! I've never really watched how it's made either... maybe we could learn how to make it too!

[but they do have one more on them, the one who tries to keep quiet most of the time—until he really needs to.

like now, when milla is looking like he might just crawl into the booth.]

Would you both just take a step back before you cause a scene!? [dymlos is clearly the straight man in this comedy routine, even though he's.

you know.

a sword.]

[thatsthespirit]

[STAHN AND MILLA ARE TRULY TALES PROTAG SOULMATES]

I'd like that. If we learn to make it ourselves, then--

[but her excitement is ruined by the straight man of the bunch, and with a slightly annoyed "hmph" she pulls herself away from the booth. much to the relief of the workers]

Is that any way to talk to Maxwell, the Lord of Spirits?

[she addresses the sword with a stern gaze, one hand propped on her hip]

a! tags u with someone who isnt kashuu for once, who am i

[modissty]

[ONE DAY... One day Sakyou will actually probably have the power to hear Swordians. He's got some wild stuff in his future, okay. Wild stuff and magic swords and also cursed swords and it's A Time.

But for now? For now, he's definitely just seeing some weirdo talking at his sword. HM.

...Best evacuate this weirdo before he does anything sketchy.]

—Excuse me, sir. I couldn't help but overhear you... Do you need directions?

a beautiful person and also a vampire probably

[majinken]

[stahn probably won't do anything much more sketchy than... pouting and arguing with his sword in the middle of the street, it's fine?

it's probably fine.]

That's not what I—Oh!

[at least sakyou interrupting stahn's imaginary argument with his sword actually works and catches his attention. he looks surprised, but not particularly... well, like he's thinking he did anything strange by having this argument out in the open.]

Ah, mm! I think I got a little turned around, I thought I knew where I was going, but I don't recognize this place at all! [the life of definitely walking through some small tear in the dimensions, it's fine.]

look u LOOK...... i, a perfectly normal human being,

[modissty]

["IT'S PROBABLY FINE" look, that is what so many people in his canon say before they die horrifically.

On the plus side, this guy really doesn't seem too outwardly nefarious... Sakyou's pretty good when it comes to detecting sketchiness considering he himself is sometimes sketchy as heck, so he's totally a Grade A expert here.]

May I ask where you were heading? I'll do my best to help. [...] Though I've only recently moved here, myself, so I can't be sure that I'll be a handy guide if you need to travel the backroads.

laughs, IN WHAT WORLD

[majinken]

[thanks for the vote of confidence, sakyou. though his assessment is obviously not wrong, since stahn is definitely not sketchy.

granted, stahn doesn't really perceive sakyou as sketchy, even if dymlos does immediately. this is also fine.]

Really? That would be great! [he seems exactly 0% fussed that it may not be much help. he appreciates the offer that/i> much. he may have no idea where he is, but at least the people are really nice and friendly!] I was trying to get to Darilsheid! I thought it was this way, but...

[apparently, it's not.]

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS DISBELIEF HAPPENING HERE

[modissty]

[HE DOES HIS BEST TO NOT BE SKETCHY but unfortunately they can't all be as un-sketchy as Stahn... And he is kind of sketchy at heart anyway, so really, Dymlos is Not Entirely Wrong.

Anyway, what the heck is a Darilsheid. He can't even pronounce it, weighing it on his tongue without speaking it aloud for a second or two before deciding that those are some pronunciation Olympics he just won't win.]

I... don't believe I've ever heard of that before. Do you know which domain it belongs to?

YOU'RE IN DISBELIEF AT THE DISBELIEF :O

[majinken]

[the problem with that question is that stahn has no idea what that even means. domain?

that's also shoving aside the fact that stahn doesn't get how he can be unfamiliar with darilsheid.]

...You've never heard of Seinegald's capital? [???? even stahn knows, that and he's from a tiny village in fitzgald!]

I don't think it's part of any... domain... though? [he's confused, honestly. getting lost was confusing enough, but now it's getting more confusing.]

a. i wanted to bust out my best tales too

[storywriter]

[Even if Estelle was just a regular person, seeing someone talk to their sword probably isn't the weirdest thing she's ever seen. Probably.

The fact is though, with the Four as a constant presence even when apart from her, she's far from just a regular person. A stranger coming in through Halure isn't anything particularly odd, but with the even stranger sword here, it apparently warranted the spirits to come by and warn her to be cautious. This definitely wasn't an ordinary sword.

As far as Estelle's concerned though, the scene seems innocuous enough. It's a little weird, sure, but that's never been a reason for her to not approach someone before. It certainly won't be one now.]

Are you alright, sir? This is Halure. [And after a beat of consideration:] I'm afraid it can't be anywhere near Darilsheid, as I've never heard of the area.

good, i'm so glad!!

[majinken]

[they're probably not wrong to warn estelle; stahn and dymlos could be a very dangerous combination if threatened.

but stahn is more confused than threatened right now, and estelle's approach absolutely seems like a kind and friendly gesture to him. he'll stop talking to dymlos almost immediately, as if trying to play it off.

sword? what sword, he's not talking to his sword!!

(he was totally talking to his sword.)]

Halure... [he repeats back to estelle.] It's pretty... but I've never heard of it.

[suspicious!

no, it's not. stahn actually lets out a bit of a sheepish laugh.] But I've never heard of a lot of places, so I must just be lost! Really lost, if I'm nowhere near Darilsheid...

[but since estelle seems very kind, he might as well keep up in the hopes maybe she'll be able to get him in the right direction.] What other towns are near here, anyway? Maybe we can figure it out from there!

[so, so optimistic.]

[storywriter]

[Come on Stahn, it's too late to try and play it off!! She already responded to the sword itself!!!

But she really is concerned for him since she's never heard of Darilsheid. Maybe it was a new town that had been built? But she's pretty sure that she would've heard news about it if so, given that she has to travel pretty frequently thanks to work with the Council and guilds. And if not from her own travels, surely one of her friends would've mentioned it to her by now. Then again, maybe it's just THAT new?? Likewise, she's hoping!! Surely optimism won't fail them here!!]

The closest towns would be Zaphias and what's left of Aspio, and past there would be Capua Nor. Across from Capua Nor is Capua Torim, but that's already in another continent...

[majinken]

I've never heard of any of these places...

[he seems puzzled, so puzzled. he knows there's a lot of places he's never been in the world, but... not hearing of any of them seems a little suspect.

especially when dymlos, too, seems dubious about this. he's definitely more aware of the world than stahn, even it's certainly a different place than it was a thousand years ago. he mutters something to stahn about taking it one step at a time and starting simple—at least he knows his master is a dumbass who will get easily overwhelmed.]

Right... [that's his quiet response to dymlos before focusing on what estelle is talking about.]

I think I got really turned around somehow...! what continent is this, anyway?

[it looks a lot like fitzgald to him, but that's his home country and he knows there's definitely no places called halure, or zaphias there, considering there aren't really... many towns at all in fitzgald.]

[storywriter]

This is the continent of Ilyccia...

[Which... she would think that he should know, given that he's here... Then again, given that he doesn't even recognize any of the town names she just gave, maybe it was pointless to hope for that. She's just really not sure where he's expecting to be, and she wouldn't know how to help him to get to Darilsheid.]

What continent is Darilsheid on?

[majinken]

Ilyccia?

[what the heck is an ilyccia? can you eat it?]

I don't know what continent that it, but Darilsheid is in Seinegald... it's the capital!

[it's probably one of the biggest cities in the world, estelle!

(they're not going to get anywhere this way.)]

c!

[sharplydressed]

[HE HAS NOT, IN FACT, MET ANYONE WHO SLEEPS LIKE THE DEAD... And it's kind of concerning?! Most other swords have a hard time getting to sleep or staying asleep, and even though Yasusada is difficult to get up in the morning, it's still not this level of complete exhaustion.

So Kashuu - who has probably poked and prodded and pinched his nose and tried all manners of Stahn wake ups by now - has instead settled down and is... braiding Stahn's hair while he snoozes.]

Y'know, you have a snore that could seriously transfer over entire oceans.

[JUST CASUALLY CHATTING TO THIS CONKED-OUT NERD WHILE HE WORKS... He'll move on to Part B of his plan, actually waking Stahn up, in due time.]

[majinken]

[kashuu is maybe going to feel regret later for braiding stahn's hair without his consent.

but then... stahn probably deserves it at least a little for conking out this way, especially since there's probably no good reason for him to be asleep right now.

and yet, here he is.

almost entirely undisturbed by kashuu's presence.

almost.]

Just.... give more minutes... Lilith...

[...

he tried, maybe. and right back to snoring, with some minor fussing, because he can feel that presence there, even if he doesn't realize it's kashuu or what he's doing quite yet.]

[sharplydressed]

[HE PROBABLY WILL... At least it's a relatively small and loose one instead of a monstrous masterpiece like this which is apparently what he tends to do when left to his own devices.]

Lilith?

[IF ONLY HE WAS THAT LUCKY at least his hair would be safe then, even if his eardrums probably wouldn't be. Both of them are likely equally stingy when it comes to doling out more sleep-time, though. No rest for the weary.]

No more minutes! Come ooon, wake up already, would you? I'm bored! Everything in town's gonna be closed by the time you get ready. Staaaaahn...

[Is it time to whine endlessly??]

[majinken]

[well, the whining probably... kind of works? but mostly because it's persistent fuck.]

Huuuuuh?

[his eyes are opening!

though he's still clearly not processing that it's kashuu and not lilith... mistakes are being made. kashuu probably needs to start carrying around a ladle and a frying pan, honestly.]

...Good morning...

[it's not morning and he's not even cognizant. not completely.]

DIVES BACK IN LORD i was destroyed but now i have been reborn

[sharplydressed]

[If there's one thing he's good at, it's being annoyingly persistent. Also slacking when it comes to chores... What a great skillset.]

You're a liiittle bit off there with the time. Geez, did you get any sleep at all?

[He's just kind of poking at Stahn's cheek while he talks, as if that'll help anything at all. Just another +1 to the annoying part of annoyingly persistent.]

We have shopping to do, you know!

but have i, or am i still deda

[majinken]

Hmmm...

[that first question is probably never going to be answered. the truth is, kashuu? stahn slept through the night. but then he was waiting for kashuu and just dozed off.

""""dozed off"""

in stahn terms, at least.]

Shopping...? [wait for it...

waaaait for it...]

Oh! [that is when his eyes pop open. nailed... it...]