[ i honestly have no idea what day this is happening but here is izumo in the middle of the bookshop with a small fortress of books of various genres around her? rather, just enough to where she could be seen as partially hidden from view. mods said that are no chairs or the like, so she's sitting on the ground.
it's totally fine because books and silence and...she can only take being sad for so long. also, for funsies, she's in a very cozy kigu. ]
(This is fine and Claude is just going to pluck a book from her pile and take a seat right next to her! He doesn't mind sitting on the ground. Claude is also wearing a kigu! But he's got it folded down and tied around his waist. He doesn't mind it! It's comfortable! But it's a little warm, isn't it? Anyway, what animal is it? It's a little hard to tell like this.
He's brought a couple of other books with him that he just sets down next to him. The pile is... well, it's a mix. A reference book about plants, a book of animals, several poetry collections, and what looks like a few short stories. It's a whole mix. )
What's your favorite animal?
(An easy conversation starter. But it would be too easy to just get an answer so he continues,)
Let me guess... you look like someone that would like cats. A sand cat, perhaps?
[ warm or not, izumo is cozy it up because this is exactly what she needs in her life. she'll give claude a glance from the edge of her book when he plops down next to her. of course, also interesting in his selection which...not bad. poetry is the interesting one of the lot.
that said the first thing? that comes out of his mouth??? ]
Sand cat?
[ why...a sand cat, but the mental image is definitely a welcomed one. their faces. so cute..... ]
(He hums, leaning back against one shelf (careful not to knock it over or anything), and tries to think of any other cats he might know. He closes his eyes, thinking about this sooooo seriously and opens one, looking over at her,)
Maybe a Riegan?
(That moment when there's a whole cat breed that has the same name as ur fam.)
she's still peeking out at him from the edge of her book as she suggests the next ""cat"". she has definitely not heard of a riegan, but at the same time... is. is he really pulling this on her? ]
Last time I checked, you weren't a cat.
[ she'll glance at what he has tied around his waist. it doesn't look like it has any cat pattering, but it's hard to actually tell. ]
Ah, missed my mark, didn't I? It's a type of cat where I'm from. "The Riegan Tabby." You can usually see them around towns. I'm not sure why they're named after my house though... Maybe they're from the family.
(It's a mystery. As for his new look? He laughs,)
Can't you tell? (Of course not, he's got it tied at his waist, hiding a good part of it,) I'm a deer, of course.
[ she'll concede and close the book she was reading—a high fantasy book with what looks to be a dragon and a unicorn in the middle of a fight on the cover. like practice, she'll use her left index finger to "bookmark" where she had left off. ]
But what do they look like? Tabbies come in all sorts of colors.
[ a better look at what he's wearing... ]
...and I'm sure I'd have a better idea of it if you actually put it on instead of having tied up.
Maybe the whole Alliance is named after them. Herding cats would be easier than dealing with everyone at the table.
(Hah! But he likes this theory. Maybe they're named after cats because they're just a mess!)
Hmm... They're mostly white. (he touches the top of his head,) They're orange from their ears, down their back and to their tails.
(Basically, an orange and white tabby. Pretty standard! Nothing to special. Ah, but he can tell what she's looking for now and... well, he isn't moving, )
I'm sure it'd be more enjoyable to deal with cats than a bunch of stuffy nobles any day.
[ she has no idea if that's actually factual or not, but she assumes that it's stuffy! but the tabby sounds cute even if it's very average. ...but all cats are cute so why is she even trying to qualify it? ]
And that's the idea. [ she raises one hand in the air which looks like a little wing. ] It's no fun if you don't show them off, right?
I never would have thought you were someone who enjoyed being at the center of attention.
(Izumo! Wanting to show off! It's cute.
But ask and ye shall receive because Claude will set his book aside on top of his pile and stand up, untying the kigu and pulling it up over him. It isn't until he puts the hood up that it becomes clear what he is.)
What do you think? Would I make the Alliance proud like this?
(Personally, he can already imagine the other Dukes screaming at how inappropriate it is... which, honestly? He digs it)
Who said anything about being in the center of attention? I just think these are cute...and comfortable.
[ sometimes you just wanna be a chocobo and feel safe and warm for a bit while you get over bad things and wriggles fingers about processing things correctly. ...also what is mourning? don't know that.
but! she hum softly and honestly laughs a little. he looks stupid but oddly fits him. ]
...and I think they'd be furious to see someone dressed like that, which sounds like a problem for them. Unless there are rules against dressing up like that.
(Honestly, Claude is unfortunately one of those people who can look good in almost anything. Maybe space week hadn't worked out for him but the last two weeks have been coming through.)
My thoughts exactly. (And he'll just
Give a small twirl on the spot, showing off the whole kigu. Look at the spots and little tail in the back. He laughs, clearly mocking someone in particular,) "How dare you make a mockery of our sacred protector!"
But doesn't it feel warm? And like you said, comfortable too? Fearsome and solemn doesn't suit a deer at all.
[ she humors him with his spin and the impression—clearly someone from home—with a smile and a shake of her head. always so much and she can't mildly wonder if the display has a secondary meaning. ]
Deer are can be seen sacred messengers of the gods where I'm from. [ she hums softly for a moment. ] I wonder if I should be concerned about that—someone like you conversing with the gods could be pretty dangerous.
I wouldn't worry too much. (And he's just going to sit back down next to her,) I've never really been much of a believer.
Even if given the chance, I think I'd rather talk than ask for favors.
(He can do things on his own. He doesn't need divine guidance or a special miracle. There's something else that he's more interested in though,)
So you guys respect deer too, huh? Like I said, they're a sacred protector for the Alliance. They're pretty important where I'm from, too. (Again, implying that he comes from a different place than the one he currently hails from,) It's interesting how different places can have things in common.
[ it's always interesting talk to someone who doesn't believe in gods while gods (demons) are very real for izumo. still— ]
Who said you couldn't do both? [ talking to them and asking for favors? don't those go hand-in-hand on some level? ] But, yeah, I guess there are a couple of animals that we find sacred depending on who you're talking to. Deer and foxes are two of them.
[ though, of course, there's the duality of fox but that's something that they may be aware of. ]
What other animals does where you hail from respect?
Deer protect the Leicester Alliance and there's legends of a great dragon called the Immaculate One...
(He shrugs,)
Then I guess the other houses have their symbols but they're mostly associated with people. The eagle is on the empire's coat of arms and the kingdom's lion comes from and nickname associated with one of their past kings. There are some fish associated with the saints and goddess but that's about it.
Mostly in Fodlan, we give thanks to the goddess instead of the earth so you won't really find any particularly
[ it's nice to learn about claude's world. it really is. the respect shown to an eagle and lion seem about on par with what could expect. even the idea of idolizing a fish isn't too strange for her.
honestly of all of it—the one about giving thanks to a goddess is by far the most generic. still, though.... ]
You didn't answer my question.
[ if you don't think she can pick up on those small cue then what's the point of being a fox? she's been observing him from the start. ]
(Well. He shifts some, the way he usually does when someone brings up anything about him. This is also the part where I just make up something because what is Almyra lore but based on certain influences,)
I feel like every nation back home has some sort of story about a dragon. Whether it came from the heavens or the sea... or if it was good or bad. Everywhere has some version of a dragon that did something impressive a long time ago.
(Huh, interesting, though,)
They're not too common in our stories, though. Maybe one or two... it's what makes them special.
Yeah, like what you've said. There are different nations and countries with all sorts of different takes on what a dragon looks like and what they represent....
[ hmmm.... ]
There are multiple people here who also have dragons in their lore somehow, too. It's interesting that a dragon be that common across so many different worlds, realms, whatever you want to call them.
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wk 3; tuesday!!
it's totally fine because books and silence and...she can only take being sad for so long. also, for funsies, she's in a very cozy kigu. ]
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He's brought a couple of other books with him that he just sets down next to him. The pile is... well, it's a mix. A reference book about plants, a book of animals, several poetry collections, and what looks like a few short stories. It's a whole mix. )
What's your favorite animal?
(An easy conversation starter. But it would be too easy to just get an answer so he continues,)
Let me guess... you look like someone that would like cats. A sand cat, perhaps?
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that said the first thing? that comes out of his mouth??? ]
Sand cat?
[ why...a sand cat, but the mental image is definitely a welcomed one. their faces. so cute..... ]
I... I mean they're cute.
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(He hums, leaning back against one shelf (careful not to knock it over or anything), and tries to think of any other cats he might know. He closes his eyes, thinking about this sooooo seriously and opens one, looking over at her,)
Maybe a Riegan?
(That moment when there's a whole cat breed that has the same name as ur fam.)
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she's still peeking out at him from the edge of her book as she suggests the next ""cat"". she has definitely not heard of a riegan, but at the same time... is. is he really pulling this on her? ]
Last time I checked, you weren't a cat.
[ she'll glance at what he has tied around his waist. it doesn't look like it has any cat pattering, but it's hard to actually tell. ]
Or dressed up as one.
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(It's a mystery. As for his new look? He laughs,)
Can't you tell? (Of course not, he's got it tied at his waist, hiding a good part of it,) I'm a deer, of course.
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[ she'll concede and close the book she was reading—a high fantasy book with what looks to be a dragon and a unicorn in the middle of a fight on the cover. like practice, she'll use her left index finger to "bookmark" where she had left off. ]
But what do they look like? Tabbies come in all sorts of colors.
[ a better look at what he's wearing... ]
...and I'm sure I'd have a better idea of it if you actually put it on instead of having tied up.
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(Hah! But he likes this theory. Maybe they're named after cats because they're just a mess!)
Hmm... They're mostly white. (he touches the top of his head,) They're orange from their ears, down their back and to their tails.
(Basically, an orange and white tabby. Pretty standard! Nothing to special. Ah, but he can tell what she's looking for now and... well, he isn't moving, )
Do you want to see?
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[ she has no idea if that's actually factual or not, but she assumes that it's stuffy! but the tabby sounds cute even if it's very average. ...but all cats are cute so why is she even trying to qualify it? ]
And that's the idea. [ she raises one hand in the air which looks like a little wing. ] It's no fun if you don't show them off, right?
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(Izumo! Wanting to show off! It's cute.
But ask and ye shall receive because Claude will set his book aside on top of his pile and stand up, untying the kigu and pulling it up over him. It isn't until he puts the hood up that it becomes clear what he is.)
What do you think? Would I make the Alliance proud like this?
(Personally, he can already imagine the other Dukes screaming at how inappropriate it is... which, honestly? He digs it)
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[ sometimes you just wanna be a chocobo and feel safe and warm for a bit while you get over bad things and wriggles fingers about processing things correctly. ...also what is mourning? don't know that.
but! she hum softly and honestly laughs a little. he looks stupid but oddly fits him. ]
...and I think they'd be furious to see someone dressed like that, which sounds like a problem for them. Unless there are rules against dressing up like that.
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My thoughts exactly. (And he'll just
Give a small twirl on the spot, showing off the whole kigu. Look at the spots and little tail in the back. He laughs, clearly mocking someone in particular,) "How dare you make a mockery of our sacred protector!"
But doesn't it feel warm? And like you said, comfortable too? Fearsome and solemn doesn't suit a deer at all.
(He... really likes deer.)
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Deer are can be seen sacred messengers of the gods where I'm from. [ she hums softly for a moment. ] I wonder if I should be concerned about that—someone like you conversing with the gods could be pretty dangerous.
[ then again he does speak to fox a lot? hm! ]
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Even if given the chance, I think I'd rather talk than ask for favors.
(He can do things on his own. He doesn't need divine guidance or a special miracle. There's something else that he's more interested in though,)
So you guys respect deer too, huh? Like I said, they're a sacred protector for the Alliance. They're pretty important where I'm from, too. (Again, implying that he comes from a different place than the one he currently hails from,) It's interesting how different places can have things in common.
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Who said you couldn't do both? [ talking to them and asking for favors? don't those go hand-in-hand on some level? ] But, yeah, I guess there are a couple of animals that we find sacred depending on who you're talking to. Deer and foxes are two of them.
[ though, of course, there's the duality of fox but that's something that they may be aware of. ]
What other animals does where you hail from respect?
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(He shrugs,)
Then I guess the other houses have their symbols but they're mostly associated with people. The eagle is on the empire's coat of arms and the kingdom's lion comes from and nickname associated with one of their past kings. There are some fish associated with the saints and goddess but that's about it.
Mostly in Fodlan, we give thanks to the goddess instead of the earth so you won't really find any particularly
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honestly of all of it—the one about giving thanks to a goddess is by far the most generic. still, though.... ]
You didn't answer my question.
[ if you don't think she can pick up on those small cue then what's the point of being a fox? she's been observing him from the start. ]
How about where you're from?
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(Well. He shifts some, the way he usually does when someone brings up anything about him. This is also the part where I just make up something because what is Almyra lore but based on certain influences,)
Deer, also. Horses and dragons.
(Short, simple answers.)
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One of those certainly isn't like the other.
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(The horse, right?)
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[ claude please? ]
Though I can't say too much. Dragons are pretty famous in our stories, but they're just stories for us.
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(It's news to him!)
I feel like every nation back home has some sort of story about a dragon. Whether it came from the heavens or the sea... or if it was good or bad. Everywhere has some version of a dragon that did something impressive a long time ago.
(Huh, interesting, though,)
They're not too common in our stories, though. Maybe one or two... it's what makes them special.
(Me, being vague. Because what is Almyra lore.)
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[ hmmm.... ]
There are multiple people here who also have dragons in their lore somehow, too. It's interesting that a dragon be that common across so many different worlds, realms, whatever you want to call them.
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Maybe we'll run into a dragon here. Hah! Could you imagine that?
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