nysalogs | hopping on the open log train

Who: Frederick (

pebblestone) & open
What: Beach ep, red light ep, you-name-it ep
When: May
Where: Olympia
Warning(s): NSFW doubtful but I'll update if it comes up

FLONA COVE, PT 1

[ Frederick the Wary does not go to beaches for fun. There's simply too much to do and not enough time to do it, and it's not like he's ever learned the meaning of the word relax anyway.

But he also understands the value of team bonding, and so when Cam and JJ clamor to go to the beach he begrudgingly follows along. Perhaps there might be gossip at the docks about the current state of affairs, or some fresh seafood he might be able to turn into tonight's dinner, and so he begrudgingly follows behind, hoping that the whole affair ends sooner rather than later.

Instead, JJ and Cam run off and Frederick ends up swarmed by a group of small children at the beach, all of whom have declared him a perfect fit for their sand project - a project they refuse to reveal the nature of when he asks suspiciously. His initial response is to turn them down, suggest they find some other more willing victim for their tricks, but there's a little girl with hair the color of the sun and a wide, wide smile, and he can't help but accept when she shyly asks please.

So here he sits now, expression resigned and long-suffering, as the children pile sand over his legs. One of them, wanting a second opinion, runs up to the nearest stranger - that's you - with a question. ]

Hey, hey, should he be a starfish or a mermaid?

[ Congrats, Fred's fate is now in your hands. ]

FLONA COVE, PT 2

[ Of course, Frederick wouldn't be Frederick if he didn't turn his beach outing into an impromptu training session. Once he's fulfilled his requisite duty of posing as Mer-Fred in the sand, it's back to work for him. After all, the resistance provided by the sandy beaches provides wonderful benefit to strengthening ones legs during a run, and there's nothing like warm sun to work up a good sweat.

His armor's been traded for shorts and a simple short-sleeve shirt - because even Fred has limits - and he's proceeded to engage in all manner of exercises typically included in a fitness regimen: push-ups, sit-ups, laps around the beach. In fact, to anyone that knows him, this is probably the happiest he's ever looked.

And if he catches you watching, he'll happily wave you over. ]

Would you care to join me? There's nothing quite so exhilarating as a good workout.

SHADES DARKER (MINI QUEST 1)

[ Every now and then, even without Lord Chrom around, Fred's overbearing instincts kick in. The house gets cleaned from top to bottom, the weeds around the house (and as far as two blocks down, much to the bemusement of the neighbors) get pulled, and he makes lunch for the whole household which everyone frequently forgets to bring with them.

He's taken the liberty of dropping off Clair's lunch today, lest she starve to death, but Lady Luck has seen fit to turn her face away from him. Clair is nowhere to be found, the gaggle of models at the front are all too happy to press themselves against him, and what's meant to be a simple three minute task suddenly turns into a much longer stay as he's pulled to a side room, one of the girls determined to bully him into doing a favor for their wonderful Lady Koralle.

In this case: mixing and matching perfumes alongside a few other patrons.

So there he sits on a plush chaise lounge, the tie around his neck askew and tufts of hair sticking straight up, looking absolutely befuddled at the dozens of small glass bottles in front of him. ]

I'm afraid I haven't the foggiest idea what scents young women like to wear these days.

[ NOTE: I'd like to stick mostly to SFW options for this prompt (truthfulness, relaxation, etc) but if you're interested in NSFW options, send me a message/hit me up on plurk and we can hash something out. 18+ F only. ]

AROUND OLYMPIA (MINI-QUEST 2)

[ In the interest of fostering better relations between Wyver and Olympia, Frederick has taken it upon himself gather some samples of the local flora and bring them over. Rumors float in the air of a man willing to reward anyone who comes forth, though of course Frederick is less interested in the reward than he is the idea of improving goodwill.

He's currently attempting to tackle a cluster of stickweed, the task made all the more difficult by the little bits of fluff that keep attaching themselves to his clothes, his skin, his hair. But he pays them no mind, because surely they're harmless, like fuzz from a dandelion, and so he keeps going, never quite realizing that the puffs are lifting him up and away until he bonks his head on a nearby tree branch. At which point, it becomes quite obvious that something is definitely not right. ]

What's the meaning of this—?

[ A little help here? ]

[ ooc: Or pick a different plant, I'm easy. ]

WILDCARD

[ ooc: I'm definitely open to any other situation that strikes your fancy! Feel free to slap down a starter or leave me a blank wildcard and let's get this ball rolling. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ There you go, Frederick, flattering her and making her cheeks a little sunburned. She smiles a little and laughs sheepishly. ]

I'm afraid you are mistaken! I have a few friends here, but I only awoke about a month ago. [ She picks up where she left off in the meantime, shoveling sand into her bucket with no hurry to the task. ] There are many, many unfamiliar faces... but I am eager to be acquainted with as many as I can.

Spoken like a true princess.

[ Was he supposed to stop? No? He'll just keep going then. It's hard not to feel at ease in Asseylum's company, with her gentle manner and kind smile. ]

Are there any from your home among your number? I hear it's easier to adjust if you have friends making the journey with you.

Why, yes! I'm grateful to have my childhood friend, Slaine, here. He's helped me in so many ways since I arrived... I couldn't even begin to count. He provided me a decent place to stay, company to keep, information, even things he needn't trouble himself with, like clothes. [ The fondness in her expression only grows. ] He's always been extraordinarily kind to me, ever since we were small. What you say is the absolute truth: It would have been a lot more difficult without his support. I never feel alone.

[ That's so dere...

Only a fool could miss the affection in her voice and bright eyes, and her enthusiasm only serves to bolster his own appreciation of her. And also of this Mystery Slaine whom he's never met but is already harboring a positive opinion of. ]

It sounds as though he cares for you very much.

[ And then, because Frederick is Stupid™ when it comes to things such as love and romance and line between it and mere friendship, he charges forward without nary a second thought. ]

Does he wish to seek your hand in marriage? That's quite the level of devotion.

[ Is she even old enough for marriage tbh ~~definitely yes in FE universe~~. One of the girls immediately looks over at the mention of 'marriage' and promptly yells out 'Ewwww cooties!' ]

[ Look: she gunshot-married someone only a year later from her current point in canon, so I'd say she considers herself pretty darn ready to marry whenever the situation presents itself! A-Anyway... The very idea catches her off guard and does a fine job at flustering her, and little girls screaming about cooties is not helping her feel any less so, thank you very much. She stops her shoveling completely, tugs at strands of her long hair self-consciously, and draws them in close to her embarrassed face as though a curtain. ]

I-I don't think so...! At least, well... Th-the thought never even crossed my mind! Back home, on Vers, it would have never been an acceptable match! But here...

[ Would Slaine ever try to marry her now that he can?? Whoa; food for thought! Would she ever accept? That's moving a little too fast for her liking! How does she even feel about him? Her feelings are a maelstrom right now. Look at what you did, Frederick! ]

He's nice, but... I never even considered the possibility...

Edited 2018-06-02 02:56 (UTC)

[ He's nice but, the death knell for any hopeful boy in this day and age.

Or usually would be, but Asseylum seems more open-minded about this whole thing. And while it's usually not in Frederick's nature to pry into others' love lives, he can't help but be fond of this girl he's only just met on the beach, enough that he wants to do what he can to preserve her happiness. ]

I suppose it wouldn't have been a possibility, if he were not of equal rank with you.

[ Princesses don't marry paupers after all, not without causing a large amount of dissent. He doesn't seem to be a firm stickler to this rule though, if the kind look on his face is any indication. ]

But I hear things are different here, especially as we are now but refugees and not lords and ladies of our lands.

[ Which is to say, go for it Asseylum, if that's where the heart leads. ]

[Will Slaine end up being that woebegone nice guy (tm)? Only time and future interactions will tell.

At any rate, for now, the idea squirms around in the back of her mind, and she tries not to let it pull her undertow while she has kids to play with and knights to bury. She smiles at Frederick and nods in agreement, refreshed by how free refugee relations can be now that they foster a new kind of life together.]

Yes... It's wonderful, I think. I'm still adjusting to such a change in perspective, but I think I prefer it when people don't feel pressured to stand on ceremony with me. [She deposits a few more scoops of sand into her pail and dumps it on Frederick, though his body itself is beginning to disappear beneath the beach.]

Sir Frederick? Were you of noble birth where you came from?

[ Soon Sir Frederick of Ylisse will transform into the most beautifulest mermaid that ever laid upon Olympia's beaches. For now, he remains a grotesque half-man half-sand creature. He doesn't seem to mind, save for those grains of sand slowly wiggling their way down his swim trunks.

The topic of conversation shifts slightly, away from her and back towards him, and while he's never preferred talking about himself, the question is innocuous enough. ]

I was, though not enough to make regular appearances at court. It was for the best; my father was never one for words and courtly politics, and I seem to have inherited that from him.

[ In that he much prefers a weapon over flowery words. ]

Truth be told, the experience here hasn't been all so different from the life I led back home. There are fewer soldiers to train, I suppose, but there's always work to be done.

[ And at the end of the day, he's a working man at heart. ]

[ Poor long-suffering Frederick, subject to the whims of children and the sand they dole out creeping into most uncomfortable of bodily contours. Asseylum provides them more assistance, heaping his bare torso with sand. ]

Is that so? You must be a part of the royal guard, then.

Edited (smalltags outfoxed me) 2018-06-11 00:22 (UTC)

Not yet.

[ Though the assumption does give him pause. It's not the first time such a path has been suggested to him, nor does he doubt it'll be the last. Even so, he finds he has difficulty making that move just yet. To swear loyalty to a country other than Ylisse...it seems to soon, even if he has lived in Olympia for nearly six months now. ]

I suppose I should though, if those around me keep assuming such. The demand for capable men and women is high, no doubt, given the tensions of late.

[ His expression clouds over slightly. It's not hard to figure out what tension he's referring to. ]

[The clouds move fast, crossing over Asseylum's features as well. The shift in topics is not a comfortable one for her to dwell on, and the thought of Frederick submitting himself to a life of battle, no matter how accustomed he must be to it, fills her with unease. A warrior's lot is an honorable one full of sacrifice and lofty ideals, but a savage one Asseylum wishes humanity could find a way to abolish absolutely. Upon waking in El Nysa, she exchanged a strife-laden world she left behind for another one. She buries her sights in the glittering, sun-soaked sand, watching as the earthy granules scatter by sway of the wind.]

...I hope it never comes to such measures.

hopping on the open log train

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aaagh sorry... I was on hiatus for most of June because of moving out drama...