redacted ★ claude

[infreefall]

i need you to know how much i hate this image

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week 3, tuesday.

[infreefall]

[ sometime in the afternoon, ochako comes out of the ruins. there is an arrow in her leg, but she’s walking, so she’s fine! surely! she doesn’t even seem to notice it!

she does, however, notice claude? and immediately turns to go back into the ruins. Maybe if she’s quick enough he won’t see her?? too bad that limp is still slowing her down! ]

[riegan]

(I also hate this image thanks a lot)

Hey, Ocha-- (And then she's turning heel and THERE"S AN ARROW IN HER LEG?? And of course, he isn't going to let that go so he gives chase!! He's chasing her down and just gonna

Grab her by the arm? Wrist? Hand Uwah this is really romantic in some shoujo context I guess.) Hey! Where d'you think you're going like this?

[infreefall]

[ oh nooooo this is awful! the very last thing she wanted! and all escape routes are sealed off as long as he's holding onto her... wait why is he - what? ]

I'm fine! It's just a couple of scrapes - it'll heal in no time. It's nothing to worry about, really!

[ does everyone here really think she's that delicate? ]

[riegan]

Just a few scrapes? (Oh, boy... He sighs and gives her a very gentle tug to get her attention. He knows how she is! She's an easily flustered sort of girl but he needs her to focus right now,) Ochako... you have an entire arrow in your leg.

(Look?)

[infreefall]

What? No, I dodged them all, I just...

[ her voice trails off as she looks down and sure enough, there's an arrow right above the stab wound in her leg. she stares at in shocked silence for a good, long moment. ]

Is that why I tripped...? I thought it was just a rock. [ aaaaaaa ] I-I don't know how to deal with arrows yet...

[ archer-san didn't teach her that?! ]

Week 4, Monday

[riegan]

(How is it week four why am I still alive god please

Anyway Claude is checking out the new location! It's interesting. This place is... well, different from what he's used to but it's similar in some other ways. The climate and the natural environment remind him of a certain place and he takes to it easily. The buildings and whatever culture seems to be associated with this place though? Totally foreign to him.

He's at the clothes shop, trying on some of the clothes. It's kind of unfair how he can pick at the racks and come out with something not horrible considering what some of the men's options are. He's trying on a vest right now! And when he sees Ochako, he holds out his arms,)

What do you think?

(Yes? No? Not too bad?)

[infreefall]

[ closes my eyes at imgur ANYWAY

ochako is internally cursing her luck at finding herself here at the same time as claude, but least her blush is mostly? under control? maybe if she focuses on the clothes instead of the one wearing them, it'll be fine. ]

...You look like you're about to take one of those horses for an afternoon ride or something.

[ it's... kind of funny, actually? and she's very bad at stifling her laughter, rip. ]

[riegan]

(Ochako, please... he's just an ordinary guy here???)

I thought about it. It's been a while since I've been on a ride.

(Of course he'd also know how to ride a horse. OF COURSE HE KNOWS HOW TO RIDE A HORSE.)

[infreefall]

[ . . . ]

You know how to ride a horse?

[ people still do that? ]

week 4, friday.

[infreefall]

[ going two weeks in a row missing bodies SUCKS and now hikaru! is probably the missing victim! bad! terrible!! the worst!!

that means there are at least two people she's kind of super worried about, though? unfortunately claude is one of them, so she's actually seeking him out for once. funny how death brings us all together, isn't it?

anyway wherever she finds him she'll offer a soft greeting. ]

Boo...?

[ how you doing buddy ]

[riegan]

Boo.

(There's no cheer there. He's just holding this baby pterodactyl now and well, for the most part, he seems fine! He's definitely low energy but he seems to be processing this all his own way.)

We couldn't find her.

[infreefall]

[ she sees the pterodactyl and just. sighs. ]

Then it was Hikaru-san.

[ ochako won't offer apologies, because we all know how miserable this is. and she's run out of promises that they'll to find the killers, so she won't offer those, either. ]

So... we keep looking for her tomorrow. Even if we can't do anything else, we can at least find her.

[riegan]

(...)

Yeah.

(Just going to pet his new pterodactyl. )

It's not that I don't care about Alyssa but I'd like to find Hikaru's killer. (He speaks lightly, his tone calm as if he's trying to explain any ordinary plan,) I won't judge them but... they might have information that can help us. Information that could help us prevent this from happening again.

week 4, saturday.

[infreefall]

[ well. turns out she was right not to make promises about finding the killers. it's a miserable feeling, especially with someone innocent being put to death tomorrow instead. but now that their chance is gone, and ochako's said her goodbyes to bucky, there's one more person she wants to check on this weekend. ]

Riegan-san...?

[ she's hesitant, because they aren't really friends. but it wouldn't feel right not to try to talk to him anyway. ]

[riegan]

(The trial is over, he lingered after to say good bye to Hikaru, and he stuck around to explain what he knew about splintering and now

He's free.

Which means there really isn't much else to focus on. He has this pterodactyl now and something about it keeps bringing back this strange feeling whenever he tries to take care of it. Like he's trying to reach for something but can't quite grasp it. Maybe... he should know how to take care of a flying beast like this? Hmm, he isn't sure but it's now the proxy wyvern for the wyvern he clearly has never had!!!

Catch him outside sitting out near the base of the mountain. Those dang bubbles are still around and the pterodactyl seems pretty preoccupied by them. When he tries to pull it away from one of the bubbles it pops and--

The memory is short and brief.

There's a boy dressed in colorful robes. He stands at the edge of beautiful a fountain in a... grand palace? It isn't completely clear but wherever it is, it's clearly a beautiful and important place. He looks out at the sand dunes and mountains on the horizon. The air is warm and dry but there's a cool, evening wind. In the distance, there are... dragons? Yeah, dragons and people are riding them. Most of the dragons are dark-- shades of brown and black but one, white wyvern approaches the boy on the ledge. Its gold eyes are bright and intense, focused on him and once it's close enough... it stops right at the ledge. The water in the fountain waves, getting his feet wet but he doesn't mind. The boy holds out his hand to touch its maw. There's no fear, only adoration and respect for the creature that lets out a low, rumbling sound from its throat and takes back to the skies.

And when the memory ends, there's just Claude at the base of the mountain holding the pterodactyl in his arms. He tilts his head curiously at Ochako. He isn't... quite sure what he just saw but he isn't going to dwell on it,)

Hey, Ochako. Did you come all the way out here to find me?

(Huh. He didn't think anyone would come this far.)

[infreefall]

[ dragons... the memory makes her smile, just a little, but something is missing, so she couldn't say why. maybe it's just claude's own feelings, leaking through the memory and into her? it seemed like he was used to seeing them and admired them so much.

it's not important right now, though, so ochako resolves to ask about it again later. ]

Yeah. I thought someone should.

[ and hikaru... well. ]

[riegan]

(From his own perspective... everything is gone. All he can really recall is the memory of watching wyvern flying but surely, he's seen that plenty of times in Fodlan, too.

He smiles at Ochako, quiet and amused,)

Hmm... Well, you've checked on me.

(And he watches her to see what her next move might be, what she might say,)

I didn't think anyone would come out here... (It wasn't popular before and he can't imagine it being a top destination now,) But let's see... this is the part where I should say something.

(What can he say, though?)

"At least we found her."

(Optimism.)

"May the goddess watch over her now."

(Hope.)

That should do it, right?

(It should be enough? Even if there are a hundred other thoughts on his mind.)

Week 6, Wednesday

[riegan]

(Wednesday at noon, even thanks a lot rabbit.

Claude arrives early and just... hangs out by the Ferris wheel I guess. He's dressed casually today! A t-shirt from the emporium, some board shorts, you know he looks like an ordinary enough guy from the modern era. This is now modern AU.

Whenever he sees Ochako he smiles!!)

Ah, so you really came. (He's surprised but also not?) I was wondering what was up.

[infreefall]

[ meanwhile ochako's wearing a sundress because it's also mini-event day and she's not doing that in a swimsuit, thanks! but she's here... not sure if it was a good idea, but she's here. ]

I wanted to see if I could catch whoever actually wrote that letter. Don't they usually hang out somewhere close to watch when this happens on TV?

[ like claude would know ]

[riegan]

I would say, so a sundress is better? But a FEmble is the last person who can judge outfit choices.)

Do they?

He's looking around? He doesn't television, okay. But he does get the idea of setting people up and hiding in the shadows to observe.)

Did Rabbit give you your letter too?

[infreefall]

Yeah, but Rabbit-san's probably just the messenger.

[ they're too nice to pull this kind of stunt on their own? ]

Kinda hard to believe someone would think we'd both fall for it, though.

week 7, friday.

[infreefall]

[ it's a little later after their arrival that ochako goes to find claude. and when she does, she offers him a wave. ]

You talked to Hikaru-san, right? She missed you a lot.

[ if he says no she might punch him (no) ]

[riegan]

(And guess who's just going to tilt his head and act like he has no idea what she's talking about!!!

Except he winks at her. Again. Which is the sign that he's teasing.)

Yeah, I just shook her off. (Sent her to go catch up with some of the others.) Gotta share and all that.

(Can't keep her all to himself! But it's fine. They'll have more time to catch up. He knows it.)

[infreefall]

[ well if he's going to wink at her again then he can stand some teasing in return. ]

Hm, I don't think she'd mind so much if you didn't. She did say you need more friends, though.

[riegan]

Hah! (He laughs at that,) I do have friends.

And people who are dear to me, too. (But why don't they go find somewhere nice to sit for a bit?) ... It just takes me a while to really show it, I guess. I'm not used to it.