counting bodies like sheep to the rhythms of the war drums

[ashehole]

↪ Pick one of my characters (make sure to specific which version) or pick from the handy-dandy links below.
↪ Use RNG and enter 1-11 for a scene; roll again for specifics.
↪ Or cheat and just pick something.
↪ You can also just throw a picture, quote, or whatever kind of prompt you want.
↪ OPTIONAL: combine a bunch of memes and scenarios and go nuts.
↪ FUCK YEAH WE'RE TOTALLY ROLEPLAYING RIGHT NOW!!!

Shamelessly stolen from Jen who got it from a million other people. Ooops.

I. BED INVADERS

A. Decide you know this person! (Castmate, previous CR, etc.)

1. WAKE THEM UP. You don't care how friendly you are to the person in your bed; they need to get up.
2. PRANK! Oh, this has just got to stop. They need to be punished. But how?
3. CAN'T BEAT 'EM, JOIN 'EM. Push 'em over & snuggle up. You're too tired to deal with this craziness right now. Or sleep on your couch.
4. LET THEM SLEEP. Whatever. It's noon. They're asleep and you've got things to do. Regard them or disregard them.

B. Decide you have NO CLUE who is person is! (No CR, castmates who have never met, crosscanon, etc.)

5. SCREAM 'OMGWTFBBQ GET UP!' Really. Default action going on here.
6. PRANK! What a better way for you to remember this moment of meeting than by painting a mustachio on your new 'friend's' face? (Remember, it's your bed. Be wise what you do.)
7. GENTLY AWAKEN THEM. Oh, the poor dears! They must be exhausted, but they can't stay here. Be nice, even if it isn't IC for your character. This is what you get for rolling. Shake them up quietly. Or reroll.
8. GET TO KNOW THEM NON-BIBLICALLY. Well, they're asleep. But they left their wallet, important work, or identification out (no matter how OOC it may be)! Let's see who's REALLY sleeping in your bed. (Use your own judgment on what you find. AS a suggestion, have the most they find is the sleeper's name and maybe place of work.)
9. TIE 'EM UP. FUNCTIONAL typing up. Not kinky, no matter what the other party might think. Let them continue their blissful moment of rest. They'll answer questions later and you'll be safe and sound.

C. Decide - fuck the police. You heard. Fuck 'em.

10. YOU MOVE FORWARD AND MAKE YOUR OWN FATE.

II. ROAD TRIP

1. BREAK DOWN. Oh snap. Your car decided to break down out in the middle of nowhere. WHAT DO? Is that Leatherface? Will this be "Children of the Corn"?
2. HITCHHIKERS? Is this even a good idea? Threads may also have a third participant. Go wild.
3. WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST HIT? Dude, I hear deer mess up cars... Or I think that was a deer...
4. DON'T MAKE ME TURN THIS CAR AROUND. Alas. You're the parent or disgruntled friend who has had it up to here with all the fighting in the bakc. This thread may also have a third or even fourth participant, if you can wing it.
5. OMG, I WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THIS LANDMARK! No, no, and no. You tell that person that they're going to be driven around and they're going to like it.
6. THE GREAT ESCAPE. Either dinosaurs or the mothman is chasing you. Don't stop now.
7. MAKE OUT. For whatever reason, the person you're traveling ith in the car. You would love to make out with them and then some.

III. CUDDLES

1. SWEET DREAMS. It's been a long day and all you want to do is sleep or just rest your eyes for a bit. Hopefully whoever is close by doesn't mind if you use them as a blanket.
2. STORMY WEATHER. The heavy rain, thunder, and lightning won't be letting up anytime soon. Luckily, it's the perfect weather to stay indoors and snuggle up close and keep warm.
3. SLOW DANCE. It's the end of a party, or maybe it's only the two of you, but the tempo is slow and the lights are low. Let your dance partner take the weight and just sway.
4. SURPRISE ATTACK. Time to invade someone's personal sapce. Are they working too much and need a distraction? Maybe you just wanted to brighten their day. Either way, they won't see it coming.
5. MOVIE NIGHT. It can be on the sofa or in a darkened theater, but you've got your popcorn and someone to settle against during your favorite movie.
6. I LOVE YOU, MAN. It's totally platonic, really. You're just very good friends, no matter what people like to think. But you just love your friend so much you want to hug them, whether they like it or not.
7. JEEPERS CREEPERS. Welp. You were just frightened. Was it a spider in the washroom, a ghost in the attic, a bad dream? Either way, you're looking for someone to cling to right now, and who better than that person right there?
8. HURT AND COMFORT. Whether you're sick in bed, just been dumped, or suffered a traumatic event, you need someone to wrap their arms around you and make everything go away.
9. SUNDAY MORNING. Maybe you just had a wild night. Maybe there's just not enough space at your place and you need to share your bed. Or maybe you just got really tired and someone else happened to be there. Doesn't matter because now the person with you looks way more comfortable than any blanket or pillow. Drape to your heart's content.
10. MOMENT AFTER. You just had incredible, vigorous sex and if you weren't a cuddler before, you are now. You're probably too exhausted to do anything else anyway. Just enjoy the moment.
11. MENAGE A TROIS. Or four, or five. Get a group and cuddle away.
12. PLAYER'S CHOICE. Pick one or make up your own!

IV. HURT/COMFORT

1. INJURY. You've been injured. Broken bones or bleeding out or maybe just a tiny little papercut. The choice is yours.
2. SICKNESS. You're sick and laid up in bed, at home or in a hospital. The severity is up to you.
3. FEAR/ANXIETY. Something is happening and you're scared beyond belief.
4. LOSS OF SENSES. Sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell, etc. You've lost some important sense or ability and now you're left to deal with it.
5. DESPAIR. Nothing is good or right anymore and you can't shake the depression. Maybe that friend of yours can help though.
6. MAKE UP. Fight or break up, it's time to make up.
7. RESCUED. You've just been held captive and/or tortured for however long and finally, someone has come to the rescue.
8. BAD ROMANCE. Fight, cheat on, abuse, whatever the case is, someone else can clearly see you need comfort from someone who isn't your terrible lover tonight.
9. LOSS. You've experienced a loss of some kind and need help getting through it.

V. FIGHT

1. FISTFIGHT. Straight-up, unfussy, no-holds-barred facepunching. Clearly you're emotionally invested in this argument. Or maybe you want some stress relief.
2. BAR FIGHT. Someone's had one too many drinks. Curses are being slurred, bottles are being smashed. Just don't be surprised if you get thrown out.
3. VERBAL. A caustic, intellectual battle of wits? Or just immature playground insults? Either way, the fighthing here isn't physical; sticks and stones can break your bones, but we'll see if words can hurt you...
4. WEAPONRY. Fencing practice or a real swordfight? Paintball or battlefield gunfight? The only limits are your imagination (and the extents of human military engineering, of course)!
5. SPARRING. Maybe you're a streetwise punk teaching the new kid on the block the ropes of self-defense. Or perhaps you just want to get some practice in before your karate exam.
6. SEXY. That collar-grabbing led to a kiss, that knee stayed in a place a little too long, those gazes got a little intense... There's heavy breathing here, but it might not be because you've been exerting yourself.
7. DUEL. You insulted the wrong person. Or got caught cheating at cards. A duel, sir, a duel! The glvoes are off (and slapping you) and it's pistols at dawn.
8. COMPETITIVE. Boxing, wrestling, martial arts, the possibilities are endless. Just remember: the first rule of Fight Club...
9. OTHER. Combine any of the above, or make up your own!

VI. HIGH SCHOOL AU

1. CLASS TIME. Pick your class, pick your seat. Whether you're paying attention or goofing off, you're interacting constantly with someone else.
2. BREAK TIME. Those precious minutes that aren't lunch, usually half an hour if you're lucky. Are you hanging out on the grass, rushing to get homework finished, or bunking off school early?
3. LUNCH TIME. Food, glorious food! ... As long as you're not eating the school lunches. What sort of chaos will you get up to in the endless queue that is the lunch line?
4. FOOD FIGHT. The natural reaction to being served school lunches: throwing them as far away from you as possible. You're caught in the middle, or maybe you're instigating it. Who knows? No one can tell.
5. STUDY PERIOD. Yeah. "Studying." They mean catching up on gossip, right? Or watching that crappy TV in the common room? Or maybe you really want to study. I'm not judging.
6. SKIPPING SCHOOL. Did you even get to school before you bunked off somewhere? Or did you just take the bus five stops further and in to town? Hope you don't get caught, either way.
7. EXAM WEEK. You're going into an exam, or just cramming every last bit of knowledge into your head. Either way, good luck! You're going to need it.
8. DETENTION. What did you do? Or were you innocent and wrapped up in your friend's scheme, and now you both have detention? I do not envy you at any rate.
9. SUMMER HOLIDAY. SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER! Burn your books, burn your uniforms. Everything is over for another 6 weeks (or however long you get off).
10. FACULTY. Oh, hello miss/sir. No, we weren't talking about bunking. Yep, you're the teacher. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you get this option, you or your partner can do a second roll for the scenario.
11. TAKE YOUR PICK. Free for you. Whether you want to pick something from the list, or make up your own scenario, this option allows that. (Of course, you could just bypass the rolling entirely.)

VII. APOCALYPSE HOW

1. LAST ACTION HERO. You tried your best to save the world, but despite the superpowers, the teamwork, and the sacrifice of many good friends, you couldn't quite pull it off. Now you're left with your guilt and a universe where half the people left are depending on you to help them, while the rest are trying to hunt you down for your failures. Good luck with that, hero.
2. SCIENCE SAVIOR. They said it was impossible, they said it was futile, but you know that if you just got a little bit of support you could fix all of the world's troubles. Maybe your experiments are a bit on the unethical side, but the survival of humanity is depending on you! You can't let the world down. Time to grab those test-tubes and get yourself a lab assistant that doesn't mind getting their hands dirty.
3. THE LAST PERSON ON EARTH. Well, it's finally happened. A virus or disease or genetic mutation has all but wiped out members of the opposite sex and humanity is doomed. But what's this? A lone survivor? As the saviour of the species, they'll be glad to lend a hand (or reproductive organ) to help restore the population, right? Maybe a little bit of persuasion is in order.
4. SO LONELY. You haven't talked to another person in days and you're starved for conversation. So when you finally meet another lone traveler it makes total sense to stick together, right? Maybe share some food, some companionship, some ammo. . . . Better hope you both get along.
5. MUTATION STATION. The bomb dropped and some people weren't fortunate enough to go in the blast. Now those left behind have to deal with nuclear winter, a dwindling food supply, and some strange additions to the human gene code. Maybe these superhumans are friendly and misunderstood. Then again, maybe they just want to eat your brains.
6. LAST DANCE. The world is ending. You know it, everyone knows it, so the only thing left to do is party like it's 1999. Complete your bucket list, do the things you never got the chance to do before, and maybe screw up the courage to do the things you were too scared to even think about doing. Oh, and watch out for looters.
7. FREEBIE SCENARIO. Anything you can think of that isn't already mentioned can go here.

VIII. PARANOIA

1. EROTOMANIA. That person loves you. They belong to you. They might deny it and be with someone else but they're ridiculous. You know better here.
2. DISTRUST. Simple as it sounds, you're being lied to. You can't prove it but you're not falling for their tricks anymore.
3. HALLUCINATIONS. A vague classic. Those sounds, those sights, your senses are screwed up and the world is upside down. There's plenty of senses to screw.
4. TAINTED. You're completely wrong. Is it in your family's blood? Is it parasites? A disease? Aliens? A sin? But it's consuming you, whatever it is.
5. CONSPIRACY. Why are they after you? Who knows. Maybe you know. But everyone is in on it and you're the only one left fighting against it.
6. CONTROL. Your actions aren't your own, even if others insist they are. Somehow, either drugs or magic or something, someone is making you their puppet.
7. FIXATION. Either it's in you or someone else or a thing but this imperfection is clawing at your mind. Just fix it. Fix it and you can rest.
8. FOLIE A DEUX. The more either you or the other person talks, the more you feed into this unease and the more real it sounds. What can you two alone do?
9. REPLACEMENTS. Is it just this person or is everyone being replaced with a fake? You're not a fake, though. You won't let them replace you.
10. REAL. Is any of this real? Maybe you're dreaming or drugged. Maybe you're dead. But you need to prove that this is really happening, whatever it takes.

IX. RANDOM LOCATION

1. LOST. Oh shit, how did you even get here.
2. ON THE RUN. Getting away from someone or something that's after you.
3. TREASURE HUNTING. Something you desire is here. Maybe it's being guarded or you're competing for it.
4. TRAVELLING. You turned up here on purpose. Why is up to you.
5. ESCAPE. Things have gone wrong and you need to get out of this place.
6. DISASTER. Something awful has happened whether you're the cause, a witness or there to help.
7. INVASION. It's a siege! Are you defending or attacking?
8. HOME. It's actually where you live.
9. DUEL. The predetermined location to end a feud.
10. WHATEVER. Just make something up, whatever.

X. INTIMACY

1. PHYSICAL INTIMACY. It might just be innocent touches or it might be during sex.
2. LONG CONVERSATIONS. Honest words can be more intimate than touch.
3. DRUNK. You're oversharing or simply maudlin.
4. FORCED INTIMACY. Magic. A truth serum, whatever - you didn't mean to bare your soul, but that is precisely what you're doing right now.
5. SLOW-DANCING. There is something inherently intimate about trusting someone else to lead you, and someone trust you to lead them.
6. OTHER. Intimacy can come in many forms. Pick your poison.

XI. OTHER

1. BOUNTY HUNTERS. You're wanted. And someone is chasing you. Maybe it isn't your fault? But maybe you did rob that bank. Either way, there's someone after that price on your head. Confront them, or run? Specify hunter or hunted.
2. TRUTH. You can't tell a lie. Maybe both of you can't, or only one of you, but now is the time to ask those embarrassing questions.
3. OBEDIENCE. The person posting is compelled to obey, no matter what. (Un)Fortunately the person commenting is compelled to give orders. All orders given must be obeyed.
4. LOTUS EATERS. The person posting is trapped in their own dream of personal paradise. The person commenting is trapped with them. Help free them, or fall into paradise?
5. PLANTS OF DEATH. Plants are trying to kill you. (Something's . . . happening.)
6. INSOMNIA. One or both of you can't sleep, and that sucks. Be awake together.
7. DREAMWALKING. One of you is trapped in the other's dream - or nightmare.
8. SOULMATES. You are meant to be, whether the relationship is functional or . . . less so.
9. PICTURE/QUOTE PROMPT. Throw a bunch of pictures and/or quotes around and see what happens, freeform style! Try RP Visualocities or A Sea Of Quotes.
10. OTHER-WORLDLY. Go to the Other-Wordly blog and hit 'Random' until you get a word. Use the word as a prompt to write up an RP scenario. Do this several times if you like. Mix & match.

Handy-Dandy Quick Links:
Jordan Langley ↪ Galen Marek ↪ Galen Marek (63) ↪ Belle Beaumont

Seph McCauley ↪ Vanessa Cleveland ↪ Jaime Lannister ↪ Zekk

Tahiri Veila ↪ Sally Malik ↪ Carswell Thorne ↪ Edward Kenway ↪ Finnick Odair

Finley Odair (63) ↪ Alyss Heart ↪ Seth Gecko ↪ Chloe Saunders ↪ Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

Steve Rogers ↪ Cullen ↪ Aveline de Grandpré ↪ Helen

Aveline Vallen ↪ Elissa Cousland ↪ Fenris ↪ Gretel ↪ Jack Swift

Jonah Kinlock ↪ Piper McLean ↪ Commander Shepard

Urdnot Wrex ↪ Jacob Taylor ↪ Will Scarlet

The Exile ↪ Meetra Surik (Mando Era) ↪ Revan ↪ Revan (Mando Era)

Hatake Kakashi ↪ Uzumaki Naruto ↪ Kusanagi Yui ↪ Balder Hringhorni

Comments

[fantasyfrench]

To be completely honest, Henri is bored.

It's not a difficult task to manage in Sterling - ten years, and Aorlind has not grown on him in the slightest. But usually, he can find some way to entertain himself. Which is how he ends up in the library, even though he's mostly sure the pale librarian has banned him from the place.

Not to read, of course. But there is a good chance Jasmine is there, and where Jasmine is lately, so is Alia. If ever there was a cure for boredom, it's with those two.

But as he casts his gaze restlessly over the library patrons, he finds himself distracted. The girl is beautiful, in a wild and unkempt sort of way, and Henri allows the magnetic draw of her to pull him in without much thought.

"I am almost frightened to ask how long you have been in here, mademoiselle," he says softly, carefuly not to draw the attention of the librarian. He's careful to alter his tone to a gentle humour, something that can turn easily to a compliment if she doesn't take well to teasing about her appearance.

[bearnecessities]

Belle is here to read, of course. It's a library, after all, and just about the only place with four walls that she enjoys spending time in at all. The fact that it claims to house the most information on fairies and magic - well, that's just a bonus.

Home is not kind to magic in the same way that Aorlind and its neighbors seem to be.

Belle isn't necessarily too kind to magic either, even as it thrums in her blood.

Long ago, she might have snapped when being approached, shuffled away, hidden herself. She almost laughs at the idea of long ago only being a few years before, but she has grown up in a short period of time.

She shoots the man a glance before snorting. "Depends on the time. An hour, perhaps?" It takes a moment, before she realizes he means because of the way she looks. "I forgot to brush my hair, if that's what you mean."

Belle does that.

[fantasyfrench]

That glance allows him a look at her face, and something pings in his memory. He has a head for faces, for names, for things that come in handy when one is a courtier in a hostile court. The Beast of Camwood floats across his mind first, but that’s not the sort of thing a person should really lead with. Not, at least, in a library.

“Isabelle Beaumont.” A smile curves his lips, genuine pleasure at having the opportunity to mean so interesting – and influential – a person. “I am Henri.” Per his usual habit, he neglects to mention any surname or place of origin. “I had the honour of being present at your introduction to the Queen. The time, incidentally, is something past the eleventh bell, and if I thought you seemed the type to care what I think of your hair, I would tell you that you look as lovely now as you did that night.”

[bearnecessities]

She can feel her eyebrows crawling up her forehead before she can even stop the surprise from overtaking her.

"There were a great many people there when I was introduced. My king would have taken insult otherwise."

Taking a cautious sniff, she decides that he's not much of a threat. In her human skin, her senses aren't nearly as great as the beast's, but part of that magic carries over, and she has been training it to suit her purposes. Being an advisor to the Bear King and being a magical anomaly means dangerous things, especially when there are morons who think her appearance means she is easily dispatched of.

Henri, though, does not seem to be one of those morons. No, he's of an entirely different category: the one who approaches a beast and thinks himself brave. "Just Henri? No titles to have me swoon over, no wildly inaccurate prestige?" She clucks her tongue. "So more than an hour. If I were the type to care about what you thought of my hair, it would have been delicately done by some maid's hands, and then you wouldn't have to lie about how lovely it is," she bites out.

[fantasyfrench]

Henri lays a mournful hand over his heart. “Surely a face like mine would be recognisable even amongst a sea of others?” Nothing about his tone implies that he’s even a little bit serious about that.

He’s pretty sure that she sniffs him. It would be unsettling, but from what he has heard of this woman, he finds it more intriguing than anything else. There’s a brief moment where he wonders what, exactly, she picked up from him.

He gives her a short bow of acknowledgment. “Ah. If you care about any of that, you will find it out for yourself, I am sure.” And judging reactions before people know his whole sordid history is a hobby of his. It is difficult, to find entertainment in Aorlind otherwise. His eyebrows skate up his forehead. “You shame me, mademoiselle. I would never be so cruel as to lie about a lady’s hair. Just because you remain equally lovely does not mean you are lovely in the same way.”

[bearnecessities]

Her gaze flickers over his face again. It's handsome, to be sure. Softer than Philippe's, lighter. "Not particularly, no. Do not take it too personally, I'm terrible with faces." More like she doesn't care that often, but still. Best to not reveal that one.

It hits her, a moment later, the softest whiff of something that is almost like a gentle rainstorm once spring rolls in. Her lips purse as she looks him over again. It's nature at its quietest, and there's part of the old Belle left in her to reject it.

"I am sure I will find out whether I care to or not," she sighs. "People tend to talk, no matter what circle you find yourself in. But I do appreciate the air of mystery. That is a new one." Most men - and some women - had a strange habit of throwing themselves at her, as if they could tame the beast. As if they could have a pretty new pet. The King's Whore, the shapeshifter. "Oh, then you would be so cruel as to tell her the truth?"

It's not a question of judgement, but one of curiosity.

[fantasyfrench]

He laughs, the sound rich and vibrant and probably too loud. Sheepishly he looks around for the librarian. "Now who is the cruel one?"

So far, it seems, he is safe from the wrath of Iseult. "But I thank you. I am a very appreciable character. More than one person has said so!" Two, as a matter of fact. He waves an idle hand, picking his words and doing his best not to look like that's what he's doing. "Ma chérie, you must not have been long at court. You speak as though those are my only two options."

[bearnecessities]

Instinctively, Belle looks around as well. But there's a vague hint of a smile on her lips before she can get rid of it. "I never claimed to not be cruel. Haven't you heard the stories, monsieur?"

She arches an eyebrow now. "I am sure you have many admirers who would say so." Thing is, she does believe so. Men like him, the charming and handsome, they always do. It's a deadly trap. "At this court, or court in general? In either case, I make it a habit - Ah, forgive me, what I mean to say is, I would not know the options men have when complimenting a lady."

[fantasyfrench]

A smile? It's hardly surprising, but Henri savours it nonetheless. This woman does not strike him as the smiling type. "Stories? The stories would have you at ten feet tall and slavering besides. If that were the case, you would not have fit through the doors, and I see no drool."

That wins a chuckle from him, with none of the old bitter twinge winning through. "At least two. Although I would not call them admirers to their face, one of them has already done enough damage to mine." He gestures lazily in the direction of his nose. "Court in general. And may I say, that makes the men around you fools." His head tilts slightly, and he eyes the direction of the doors. "Would the books be terribly offended if we were to retire to another location? The librarian is a bigot, and likely to toss me out should I press my luck."

[bearnecessities]

"I don't salivate nearly as much when I'm human, thank fate. It's hardly becoming to ruin such finery with that particular problem. Or so my sister has said on a number of occasions."

The smile turns into a bit of a smirk. "So not a wound from a grand fight, then?" There's something about him that reminds her of Philippe in some ways, when he has his more smooth edges displayed. "Oh, that is something I already know. But men are always fools for a pretty face, I have learned. Even if they hide such sharp teeth."

Belle pauses then and looks at the books she had placed on the table. They would not be going anywhere, of course, but she's not sure if she should be. "Retire to where?"

[fantasyfrench]

When I'm human. There's no denying the pure curiosity that sparks in him at that, at the idea of a human shapeshifter. Fairies, of course, could do it without thought, but actual people? Idly, he wonders if that is the sort of magical research Jasmine would be interested in, or if he's alone in this. "Ah, do not fear, mademoiselle. We in Aorlind are experts on ruined finery, regardless. Our princess is...active.

A wince. "A case in point. I would argue that the fight was terribly grand, for a nine and eleven year old, but you may find yourself disagreeing." He offers her his arm courteously. "To where? Wherever you may wish. This foolish man knows this behemoth of a palace inside and out. For Aorlind, the gardens are not hideous."

LOL i had missed that

[bearnecessities]

Belle regrets it the moment she says anything about her particular ability. He doesn't do anything, but she can see the subtle light that sparks in his eyes. It's not as though what she is is a secret. There is no hiding the monster beneath her skin, but it does become bothersome after a while. "So I have heard," she says. "About your princess and less about your ruined finery."

There's another quirk of a smile. "I am sure whatever you did, the nose was most deserved." But here she hesitates again, glancing from his arm to his face before she decides to take his arm. He isn't a danger, her animal senses tell her, but bears think of very little about the intricacies of human affairs. "I would like to see the gardens, in that case. I've been cooped up for too long."

just assume they're always there tbh

[fantasyfrench]

He wants to ask. The woman can turn into a bear! Who wouldn’t? But he keeps his thoughts to himself. Isabelle Beaumont is not due to return home any time soon, and he expects that the ability to turn into anything named the Beast of Camwood is a less than ideal topic for a first – or second – meeting. “As it turns out, there is dirt outside. Occasionally mud. I have learnt not to get too attached to my finery, so you may slaver over me as much as you wish.”

Henri can’t help a smirk at that, and that second smile only improves his good mood. “I see you are indeed capable of great cruelty. I will be sure to inform Alia you think so.” The hesitation is noted, and immediately discarded. There’s no point in calling her out on it, not unless he has some strange wish to ruin the rapport they’ve established so far. “Then allow me to lead you to freedom. Perhaps you can tell me more of Camwood as we walk? It has been some time since I visited.”

He considers, briefly, if she has thought on his identity at all.

i mean i missed them in the sense that they do not happen as often now BUT NOW

[bearnecessities]

"I do enjoy dirt. And mud, especially." The smell of rotting wood and breath of stags and the way her claws dig into the ground - She takes a deep breath and settles herself. It would be so nice to run, she thinks, but the woods are fairy magic, something she can taste in the air, and she'd rather avoid any of that if she can manage.

"So what did you do that the great princess deemed to smash your nose in?" She's quiet as they walk for a moment, glancing at his profile. So he has been to Camwood. And he is familiar with Princess Alia. A noble, definitely. They have a certain feel to them, she's been picking up. Capetian.

"It has seen better days, but King Philippe is a good ruler. Him and Queen Naya have done well to establish a sense of stability since his... unfortunate disappearance. The war was not kind to any of us, but war rarely is."

It's in her mind, the things she knows about the Aorlind court that Philippe spent days going over her with. Her fingers find the small bottle around her throat as she tries to think of it.

[fantasyfrench]

It’s only an instant, the barest second, but Henri thinks for a moment that he loses her there. He wouldn’t have noticed, except that he can remember similar deep breaths coming from Jasmine any time they had approached some kind of fairy magic. “A shame you have not visited before now. You would have found an easy place with Alia’s attendants.”

‘Great princess’ makes him snort, if only at the idea of Alia’s reaction to it. “I made a comment on her appearance,” he says airily. “It is not a topic one should breach lightly with the most beautiful girl in the world, as it turns out.” He still hasn’t quite gotten used to the way she really looks. Something unsettling in his stomach isn’t surprised that his dream never quiet matched reality.

Henri mulls that over in silence. Camwood’s alliance with Adelisien had been concerning – even a nation as great as Capet had no wish to be trapped between two budding imperialists. But stability was preferably to the threat of war spilling over borders, and it seemed as though the other kingdom had not yet gotten its feet under it enough to do more than think about said stability. His expression twists a little at that last comment, an instinctively bitter reaction that even a decade of distance hasn’t cured him of yet. And from little cause; it was not, he reminded himself, as though anyone had thought of the Skirmishes as a true war.

“That would depend on your position,” he murmurs. “War seems to have done quite well for Aorlind.”

Other than getting their sole heir cursed with death. But even that had turned out well for them.

[bearnecessities]

"Doubtful. I don't find an easy place wherever I go. You don't become a monster and assume people will simply accept with you open arms." Besides, she was not much in control of herself as she is now. Who knows what the magic could have done to her then.

"She is quite pretty, isn't she? Not to my tastes, though," Belle says quietly. "So, what exactly does one say to a beautiful girl that gets her upset enough to break one's nose?"

Belle catches the expression on his face, and she has been through enough to know what war can do to someone. And then it hits her. She is a fool, of course. Downright foolish and naive, as usual. This is the prince that Philippe had told her about, and she has been too caught up in her own selfishness that she hadn't put it together until just now.

"But not so well for Capet?" A beat. "It might have done well for Aorlind in some areas, but I am sure the small people would not agree so much. I have been in the middle of it with my hands as dirty as the rest of them. Nobody is untouched by war."

And in the end, Aorlind had suffered from nearly losing their heir. They all had a price to pay.

[fantasyfrench]

She hardly seems monstrous to him, but then, he barely knows more than her name. Perhaps she truly was a demon in disguise. "Did I mention open arms? You are very presumptive about our willingness to embrace, mademoiselle. As for what I said to Alia - you know, I honestly do not remember," he lied easily. "The fight was truly spectacular."

The small people. Henri manages to avoid sighing at the reminder, knowing she's right and aware that they had not been a particular focus of his. "Most would say Capet has had it's own share of wellness in war." He turns a sparkling, self-deprecating grin on her. "But. More to the point - has my maudlin conversation inspired any swoon worthy recollections as to my titles? I carry smelling salts, should you require them."

[bearnecessities]

"Some embracing must have been going on for me to fit in well with these attendants of hers. You don't fit in otherwise." She's quiet a moment. "I forget sometimes that I am dealing with nobility and grew up a merchant's daughter myself. What I consider accepting and what you do must be vastly different, I am sure." A snort, now. "It must have been something horrid enough, or Alia has a horrid temper."

She makes a soft noise of agreement in the back of her throat. Countries can, the big people will. It's just the fate of the world as it is. "I'm afraid I no longer swoon, princeling." She leans in close to him now, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I am the right hand to the Bear King. After that, you do not meet many who are - well, inspiring of swooning. I have developed an immunity. Do you make the fine ladies of the Aorlind court swoon enough to be forced to carry them out of habit?"

[fantasyfrench]

He spreads his free hand. "I had the luxury of not needing to fit. Where else were they going to put me? 'Honoured guests' are very taxing, politically speaking. And do not worry your differences. We nobles can use the occasional forgetting, I think." That free hand touches the side of the nose in question. "I seem to recall you appreciating an air of mystery."

There's an avid sort of interest to him as she leans in like that, as though he really is bending all of his attention to her. She is an engaging speaker, and Henri is a fan of conspiratorial whispers besides. "Ah, of course! I could not forget the might and manliness of the Bear King, there is no competition. Thankfully, the ladies of Aorlind have not yet met him, or I might have to stop carrying my vial around."

[bearnecessities]

"I suppose they could have locked you up in a fancy room and said it was for your own good. Honored guest does not have to mean free roaming." Her own nose wrinkles in return. "I think I might have changed my mind about that. Mystery is nerve-wracking."

She laughs, softly, briefly, before swallowing the sound down again. He is a prince, and she knows the trouble of princes all too well. It thrums in her very blood now, the wild calling out to her. "He is... impressive with a fancy title to boot. Do not feel ashamed should the women fall victim to him. They'll come running back the moment he growls."

[fantasyfrench]

It's tempting - very - to crack another joke in agreement. But no matter his bitterness, Henri is well aware that een Queen Eleanor wouldn't resort to that kind of treatment. Alia would not have stood for it, even if she had. "Ah, no. I must give some credit to my hosts. They are exceptional at following through on their duties." The look he gives her is amused. "An ambassador without a head for intrigue is a strange creature indeed."

He leads her through a set of double doors to the gardens. The ones closest to the palace are carefully manicured, laid out in geometric shapes and rigorously tended, although they grow wilder the further one gets from the massive structure. Henri glances at his companion, raising an eyebrow. "But I thought the curse had been lifted?"

[bearnecessities]

"Hostages are such a strange thing to hold onto," Belle murmurs as they step into the garden. It's not wild or free like the land, but she appreciates a good garden and the sunlight streaming down on her. Once, she remembers her own little garden and a poor excuse for a library in a run-down castle. "But I suppose it's good to know that the queen is one to keep to her word. And Alia is the same, in that case?"

It doesn't hurt to know who her hosts are.

"Ah, yes." She slips away from him, running her fingers through her tangle of hair as best as she can. "Have you ever been a bear before, Henri? Few people have. The fairy who cursed Philippe wanted to make him into the exact beast she saw him as. It was a cruel curse, but not exactly without forethought to it." She presses her lips together for a moment. "You do not come back from that unmarked."

[fantasyfrench]

"It is prefered we do not use the 'h' word. Diplomatic fictions are so important. Besides! That is all in the past now. I am attached to the embassy in some capacity or other. I am certain there is another title in there somewhere." He waves a hand, as though that can rid the air of the whole topic. "The queen will keep her word, always. It is the word you need to be careful of. Alia, meanwhile - Alia is an experience one must discover on one's own. Just be grateful she has lost half her blessings."

They had argued about that, about the folly of letting people know she was less gifted now than she had some been. But there was no fighting the princess when she had gotten an idea in her head, and Henri couldn't deny that she made a fair point about the gift of music not really coming into political machinations.

He lets the woman go without hesitation. "I am grateful to have never been anything other than myself, mademoiselle. But I have seen the scars the claws any curse may leave on a person. I understand, I think, what you mean."

[bearnecessities]

"I am sure Naya has told me the same thing before, but she is perhaps even more impatient with me than my own sister on these matters. People make for decent commodities, is what it boils down to." Belle thinks about that for a moment, and wonders if she would have fallen prey to these blessings of the princess as well. Blessings, indeed. A gift from any fairy was a curse in disguise. "I will have to see for myself, then."

Which should be happening at some point, she is sure. The idea fills her with some semblance of dread. Sophie or Marguerite would have been better at this. Smarter choices.

"You should be," she says softly. "So, yes, he has technically foisted his curse off, but it lingers. Hence, the name. And the growling. Which I found to be amusing, honestly. He wasn't even that scary as a bear. What sort of bear does not know how to fish?"

[fantasyfrench]

He notes the familiarity with which she refers to the Queen, wonders what that means for rumours about her relationship with the Bear King in question. She's pretty overly familiar when she talks about him as well, after all. "Don't worry. She will be gentle. Most likely. At the very least, I doubt you will have to run the gauntlet of her attendants. She has less to worry about when it comes to people's intentions, these days."

Foisted his curse off. Was that true, then? The nature of Aorlind's curse had meant everyone and their mother knew about it, and what it would take to remove it. The rumours surrounding Camwood's misfortune were much murkier. His own family, he was sure, would appreciate clarification.

"Their are worse monikers for a monarch, I suppose. Capet once had a 'Beardless', did you know?" He grins at the fishing information. "I thank you for this. I had the, ah - joy, of meeting his majesty when we were both younger, long before his curse. It is good to know that he failed at something."