April Catch-All

[wolfish]

WHO: Yuri Leclerc wolfish & others
WHAT: Catch-all for April
WHEN: Late Pelu
WHERE: Various locations
WARNINGS: None, will update if needed.


I. Resupply Run (Old Springstar)
[ Yuri isn't yet acclimated to Skysong. In truth, he's not entirely certain how long that adjustment is going to take. Adaptable as he is, he hails from a world in which mass literacy is nonexistent and flight entails mounted travels. For most men, that's wyverns.

Seeing how it's been over a century, the house needs some creature comforts. Given the improvements to local technology, this day that means Yuri's drifting from one store to another examining their new wares.

A. Background Character
[ Occasionally, this leads to him being stopped by strangers who begin regaling him with their backstory. The prevailing trend here is that it's always something about their parents or grandparents — people Yuri either saved or helped. Orphans who moved on to have happy lives and families.

The thing is, Yuri doesn't know what to do with effusive gratitude. So, without fail, he'll be standing there like a deer in the headlights, clutching some kitchen gadget or other like a lifeline, in the face of strangers' enthusiasm. ]
B. Gadgets and Gizmos
[ On the occasions when Yuri manages to evade what's proving to be a small army of orphans' descandants, he spends his time examining the new innovations Old Springstar has to offer. Each time he encounters a new appliance that is neither enormous nor impossible to lift, he picks it up for manual examination, turning it about between gloved hands with rapt interest.

It may or may not be clear to passers-by that this is something beyond curiosity in the sight of something novel. Rather, he appears to be trying to discern what makes it tick. ]

II. Old Routines (Alenroux)
[ While the world has changed a great deal, developing in ways Fódlan certainly hasn't, some things are near enough to the same. At least, Yuri tells himself as much, holding to whatever scraps of familiarity if he can. For him, that means resuming the activities he'd used to pass his time previously.

In this case, Yuri spends the "early" daylight hours in Alenroux training. When he doesn't have a partner to spar with, he instead rigs up targets using whatever he can find — old buckets, broom handles, fallen branches — and slings spells their way. It's a flashy bit of a show that comes in two flavors.

Sometimes, visually identical magic strikes the target much more feebly.

Others, Yuri tosses one spell at his training dummy, then another, different spell, observing how they combine. In these cases, the answer is usually that his constructed target gets blown apart, its shredded components sent sailing in all directions, leaving him to sigh and trot off to retrieve them. ]


III. Free to Good Home (Communion)
So... Turns out before Fluffy joined Byleth for that incredibly long nap we all took, he found himself a sweetheart or two first. Now, we're swimming in cats. Much as I'd like to think looking after tham all is doable here, I'm not thinking it's ideal for them.

[ The cats, that is. Fellow Harbingers may be treated to fleeting mental images of cats and dogs milling about the grounds of Garreg Mach Monastery, uniformed students and recognizable clergy pausing to pet, feed or play with them. Then, too, are images of people who are evidently thugs and brigans...still fawning over cats in the underground halls of what some might guess is Abyss.

Yuri can't help the strength of his nostalgia in this. He spent a fair amount of time pining after feline affection due to just how bad his allergies are, not having the means to overcome them until he admitted his troubles to Marianne. By then, they were in the midst of war, far from Garreg Mach.

At least he's not sneezing to death now. ]

So if anyone's interested in giving a good home to a cat or two, let's make some arrangements.

[ Apologies in advance that they may answer to odd names already. ]

IV. Wildcard
[ ooc: If you have a different idea, feel free to drop a starter here! No need to plot ahead unless it needs some prior coordination. If it does, DM Yuri's journal or hit me up on discord (matchadrop)! ]

Comments

[wolfish]

[ Yuri follows him through, glancing around to see what has changed with open curiosity. ]

Offerings, huh? Like your own little shrine.

[ He speaks lightly of it, if only to take some weight away from the topic. ]

[hauntedking]

Yes. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it.

[ He shakes his head. ]

But it can't be helped. Here-

[ He ushers Yuri inside. It's changed a bit from a hundred years ago; the rugs are different, the furniture touched more by age. But someone maintained this place, at least - cleaned it. Made sure it wasn't turning into a dusty, moldering ruin. That's something. ]

[wolfish]

Mm... Well, I'd take it as a compliment.

[ He'd be bewildered, more like. If those offerings included food, though, the guys he lives with would handle that for him, he's sure.

Still, it's an expression of appreciation, however odd it may be. ]

Doesn't seem too dramatically different in here.

[hauntedking]

No, not terribly. Just... older.

[ He settles his hand on the armchair that sits in the small sitting room. ]

How odd to feel like I've missed so much. You feel it too, don't you?

[wolfish]

Hard not to. Everything looks so different out there, with little pockets of familiarity.

[ Primarily, their residences.

True, Byleth's place overtly wore its age, was overgrown with valerian plants and swarmed with cats, but it felt less foreign than the world around it. The same holds true of Dimitri's cottage. ]

Like finding ourselves in another world again, almost.

[hauntedking]

Almost like we're right back at the start.

[ Dimitri sighs. ]

We just have to keep going. There's no alternative.

[wolfish]

Yeah. Only shot we've got at home, after all.

[ At saving it, at helping their people.

In all their time here, they've found no other course. ]

But we're capable men, aren't we?

[ One of Yuri's hands seeks out Dimitri's, fingertips brushing his palm. ]

[hauntedking]

We are. And...

[ His hand turns and he catches Yuri's fingers so he can give them a squeeze. ]

We have one another to rely on.

[wolfish]

[ Yuri smiles softly up at him, fingers curling to hold on. ]

We certainly do.

[ Something he finds himself grateful for, and though he doesn't say it in words, it warms his eyes. ]

...So how has the rest of your house fared?

[hauntedking]

Much the same.

[ He gives his hand a squeeze and then-

He takes a breath. ]

Yuri. Would you... like to sleep over this evening?

[ He's so formal about it. ]

[wolfish]

[ Surprise flits across his features.

Is Dimitri asking—

No, he discards the thought. Surely Dimitri said exactly what he intended. ]

A proper invitation and everything?

[hauntedking]

It seems like it's the right thing to do so there's no misunderstanding.

[ Dimitri thinks he's being clear, oops. ]

[wolfish]

[ Yuri is so used to people dramatically different from Dimitri, he's bound to overthink.

But he decides Dimitri is simply asking for his company overnight. It wouldn't be the first time, but the last was unplanned dozing off on the sofa. ]

Rest assured, I'd ask if something seemed strange coming from you... But I'd like that. Want me to fix something for dinner?

[hauntedking]

If you'd like. There hsould be enough to put something together in here. We can do it together!

[ He smiles, beaming, and ushers into the kitchen, slinging his cloak and outer layers off as he starts to bustle.

Someone's in a good mood. ]

[wolfish]

[ Yuri tries, with limited results, to suppress a grin. The sight of Dimitri in high spirits is terribly endearing as his eyes follow him around the kitchen. ]

What shall we make then... [ He peels off his gloves. ] Suppose it depends on what you've got around here, yeah?

[hauntedking]

Well... I don't have quite a lot of fresh items, but I do have some sort of noodles... some root vegetables...

[ Hes murmuring, half to himself as he starts to go through his pantry. ]

Something simple would be fine, I think.

[wolfish]

Not bad ingredients to start with.

[ Yuri trails after Dimitri, leaning to peer at what there is for them to work with. All told, he's made finer meals with less. ]

So it's those fat noodles... Those lend themselves well to soups or stir fry.

[ What would Dimitri prefer though, hmm. ]

[hauntedking]

Well, a stir fry would be faster... and I think that would probably suit the vegetables a little better. Here-

[ He hands over an onion and some carrots and a few other odds and ends. ]

If you can start on these, I'll see what else I can do.

[wolfish]

Well look at you, a kitchen king.

[ He teases gently, his tone fond as he picks through the vegetables for the ones that need washing first. ]

Stir fry sounds good to me... Allows plenty of room for creativity, too.

[ With the vegetables sorted, he makes his way over to the sink. ]

[hauntedking]

Let's see...

[ He starts pulling out material for the sauce. Some seasonings, a bit of oil, some other bits and bobs, and starts laying it all out. ]

Any flavors you're not fond of?

[wolfish]

I could do without anything spicy. Never did adjust to that sort of thing.

[ Or Gautier cheese, for that matter, but he's quite safe from that here.

Would he try to eat such things if it was what Dimitri wanted to have? Yes... ]

This one time Flayn had cooking duty and the results felt like my mouth was on fire, and that was after Ashe had intervened. I might not have survived otherwise.

[hauntedking]

Very well. I don't mind spicy, but... I also didn't taste much for a while.

[ He seems a touch bemused by that. ]

Something savory, I think. It'll go with the natural sweetness of the vegetables.

[wolfish]

I'd think it'd be even worse for a northerner.

[ Dimitri might be in for a surprise if he gives it a try now... Though Yuri's not eager to test that theory, seeing as he'd prefer that Dimitri enjoy his meals. ]

But I'm on board with savory. That'll go especially well with the carrots and onion.

[ As he finishes washing those carrots, he gets right to the task of chopping the vegetables up. ]

[hauntedking]

[ The stove comes on and he starts the water for the noodles and gets the pan going as well - with heat. He's rather pleased with himself honestly as he turns back to Yuri. ]

Let me know when those are ready.

[wolfish]

[ Yuri's familiar enough with knives that he makes short work of the carrots. The onion, however, has him blinking hard to stave off how it makes his eyes burn. ]

Won't be long... Carrots take longer to cook, so want to start with those?

[ He nudges the bowl of chopped carrots closer to Dimitri. ]