freetolanceyourheart

[freetolanceyourheart]

Xane snorts into his hand- “No promises~ A party like this is ripe for mischief. I take no responsibility for your actions ‘Yarne’. Besides, no one is going to ‘go extinct’ from my pranks.” he rolls his eyes “Just relax and enjoy the fun! Our fearless hosts went through the trouble of setting this all up, all the more reason to put it to good use! Waist not want not I always say” He folds his hands behind his head, seeming unbothered by Yarne’s distress, and completely unthreatened.

As he rambles a bit to keep Yarne distracted, he slips a few more noisemakers under the cups for good measure. Perfect. Anyone who picks up a cup will be at a toss up for getting a noisy surprise.

Now that the punch table has been thoroughly rigged for now, he scans the party for a new location to booby trap… The cookie table looks promising, as do the decorations. Xane makes up his mind and gives Yarne one more mischievous grin. “Speaking of enjoyment, I’ve got plenty more mischief to make, so unless you have anything else to talk to me about..” Xane trails off, about to spin on his heel and dart into the crowd, intent on causing that mischief he referenced.

The Freelancer Punches In

#toabaldrsbounty #The Freelancer Punches In #taguelbunnyboy #Yarne!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

“Pfft-” Xane snickers- well that was quick! And tons of output for his effort, a beast species went so far as to transform! Skittish, easy. Judging by the build.. Taguel? It’s been awhile since he’s seen one, he thought they were extinct. Apparently they are only as extinct as he is. “Alright alright cool your jets mysterious Taguel, just a harmless noisemaker, all in good fun all in good fun. Sorry for startling you” Xane does not sound sorry in the least, eyes glittering with mirth as he offers a hand to the beast former once he’s sure they understood his words. “The name’s Xane, a mischief maker of the completely harmless variety, see?” seeing the Taguel too hesitant to shake his hand he holds both of them up in a placating palms-forward gesture, but it's somewhat undercut by the snickering he is barely stifling. Oh this is too good really. Let it be known, Xane’s still got it.

“Here, you wanted a drink right? Absolutely positively untampered, scouts honor” Xane grabs one of the cups (without a noise maker under it) and ladles in some punch, offering it. With his other hand now free of the ladle he makes a mock ‘cross my heart’ motion. Once again, this is all undercut by his way too cheerful and mischievous demeanor.

The Freelancer Punches In

#toabaldrsbounty #The Freelancer Punches In #taguelbunnyboy #Yarne!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

Punch Bowl - A haven for the less socially-inclined, you can gather around the proverbial water cooler and make awkward eye contact until someone drags you off to have fun. Unless of course the more mischief-minded decide to slip a little something in there to lighten things up?

Xane had gotten bored just sitting stuffing his face (mostly with meats, though someone further up the table had brought some tasty smoked salmon that Xane would be a fool to say no to) and decided he might as well mix things up at this mixer. What better place to survey the other guests than the one and only place anyone who knew him would have a mounting dread seeing him at? The punchbowl! A shame that he is morally opposed to spiking it… yet. He’ll wait till most people have gotten at least one cup and the party starts slowing down. Right now the drama doesn't need alcohol to grease the gears going off of some of the conversations he overheard.

As Xane scans the crowd, two familiar faces of bright red haired royalty stick out to him- Minerva and her wayward elder brother Michalis. He remembers the leader of the Macedonian White Wings fairly well- her straight laced attitude was always fun to mess with. He hopes her little sister is doing well… As for Michalis, well this seems to be a place of second chances, it’s not up to Xane whether he blows it or not.

Glancing around some more- Xane swears his heart leaps to his throat (hopefully not, that would be a pain to fix in the middle of a party). If it isn’t princey’s little retainer… He’d had the fortune of greeting Marth in passing but hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the knight who tends to be glued to the king’s side (come to think of it, shouldn’t he find a new nickname for Marth now that he's been coronated? Eh, future Xane problems). Seeing him here and now… Xane isn’t really sure what to do. He was as honest to Kris as he dared be to anyone. It’s one of the big reasons he left Archanea all together. Xane knew it was always a possibility he'd find Kris again, but now that he’s face to face with it he’s at a complete loss at what to do. He stares out at the floor with an uncharacteristically forlorn glint in his eyes and a heavy heart. His playful grin never falters, and his stance is calculatedly approachable, but he seems lost in thought looking out at all the heads of colorful hair and fragrant plates of food from all over.

He shakes himself- alright Xane let's get to work! First prank of the night- something small and nothing that would turn people off from eating... how about a noise maker under the cups? He unfolds his hands from behind his head and scooches closer to them as nonchalantly as he can. Gee sure hope no one notices… 

The Freelancer Punches In

#toa open #toabaldrsbounty #The Freelancer Punches In #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

"Hello, my friend, and welcome!" Sigurd almost missed the strange lad in the throng, though he couldn't have been sure how or why. When his eyes allowed him to focus on the boy, he was distinct - bright red hair, eager eyes and an open face - but somehow the closer he stood to another, the more in danger, it seemed, he was of being eclipsed. No, that wasn't right, it was more subtle than that.

Nevertheless, Sigurd was all smiles, and propped a brief bow, grinning. "Well met, my name is Sigurd, of Chalphy. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance - we hope, my sister and I, that you'll enjoy yourself! We always did, in our childhood, and we could not have found a reason not to share that with everyone. Oh! My manners - speaking of which - "

He turned away but briefly to grab a goodie bag from the nearby table, dropping it gently into the boy's hands. The bag is of a plush sapphire velvet with braided gold drawstrings. If he were tempted to peek inside, he would find the festive goodies of the typical Chalphy holiday season: roasted nuts coated in a caramelized warming spice mixture, a hand-pulled twisted peppermint stick, decadent candied orange peel, and a holiday cracker to be pulled later with little knick-knacks within.

"Treats of my home," Sigurd explained, his eyes twinkling with delight. "Please, enjoy - if you've anything you need, call upon me!"

Xane was looking this way and that at all of these people- ohhh he was right to attend, this is a ripe opportunity for a new student like him to get familiar with plenty of faces to steal and cause mischief wi- er.. Borrow. And cause no lasting harm with no sir-ee. Looking around some people seem to have taken the opportunity to get dressed for the occasion! Xane doesn't exactly have anything fancy to wear (it’s not like he has the funds to get something in addition to the Hors d'oeuvres he managed to whip together, pulse he’s no magic time traveler who can retrieve ceremonial garb from ages long past.) but he’s not complaining. Just the academy uniform is plenty fancy enough for him thankyou!

He grins as ‘Sigurd, of Chalphy’ approaches him. So this is one of the fearless hosts who put this together- Xane has to admit he’s impressed. Looking this guy up and down- blue haired. Knightly. Seems like he either is a cavalier/would be good as a cavalier… maybe a lance wielder? Hard to tell without seeing the calluses on his hands. It wouldn’t be too hard to mimic the guy. Nothing interesting to note. Xane balances the covered tray of stuffed olives on one arm and takes the goody bag with his freed hand.

He passes the tray to Sigurd while Xane introduces himself. “Enjoy I will! Xane, pleased to meet you ‘Sigurd of Chalphy’. Here, a little contribution from me for this here festival- careful though, some of these have peppers in them 'case anyone is allergic.” Listen Xane may be a trickster but he draws the line at endangering people with his pranks outside of the battlefield.

He pulls open the goody bag and pops a roasted nut into his mouth as he makes his way to find where ever he'd been seated. What a tasty treat. This little potluck is sure to be a great time, Xane has a good feeling about this.

#toabaldrsbounty #Sigurd!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

Xane swipes a tear from the corner of his eye as the two of them finish laughing- oh this kid’s a riot, he’s sure Ewan will be a ‘great ally in the days to come’ as that princey would say. Something something the bonds that unite us. Xane dosn’t know about all that, but he dose know he is definitely going to be taking advantage of Ewan’s skill, willingness to get into a bit of harmless fun, and sweet face in order to cause all kinds of mischief. He can practically imagine the gasket Kris would blow if he found out- the thought causes Xane to snicker a bit more. “Elyos huh? I think I visited there once or twice…maybe…” Xane tilts his head, thinking… Was that the place with those weird artifacts and dragons? Or, no, maybe that other place with the weird artifacts and dragons? Or the other other place with the weird artifacts and dragons… eh, too many of those to count actually. Xane shrugs it off “Yeah you got me good with that, I’m not too proud to admit defeat… for now” he grins with some comic foreboding thrown into his voice. A light hearted prank war would be the perfect way to shake off the rust (er…seawater?) and get into the groove. It never hurts to be in the good graces of a mage anyways, regardless of how green behind the ears said mage may be.

“I found a uniform I think will fit me better. This looks like the last cabinet to straighten up then we’re home free! Any other important places I should know about before we head to the dorm halls ‘oh fearless upperclassman’?” he winks at Ewan.

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Xane!FireEmblem #Ewan!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

“Hn? A book huh? Got it…” Xane calls distractedly as he finishes another cabinet's worth of folding- oh these shorts and suspenders look promising, in his size too… As he continues to root through, he finds a black thermal in his size, a belt and a good book bag he could hook onto it… yeah this stuff is looking a lot more appealing then the ‘default outfit’ he had gotten in the mail. He should’ve probably just sucked it up and come to the monastery in his usual clothes, but the idea of standing out that obviously made his skin crawl. Honestly Xane get yourself together! He’s not normally this self conscious- guess that voyage and the intimidation of ‘going back to school’ did more to his mental fortitude then he’d like to admit. Ah well, all that’s to do for it is get back into the swing of things! He tucks his outfit choices into the book bag, satisfied. All that’s left is to finish cleaning up.

As he finishes some more folding he finds- right Ewan mentioned a book didn’t he? Before Xane reaches for it he pauses- waaaait a minute here. It’s wrapped in a way that he can’t see the cover, with only the book mark sticking out. He doubts it could’ve gotten tangled just so on accident, in a perfect way to convince its finder to open it. Xane remembers again that Ewan likes pranks- ohhh he sees how it is. Well no harm in the kid getting one over him as pay back, Xane’s little jump scare did go a bit farther then he wanted it to. All's fair in pranks and war.

Xane grins at his decision and calls out to make sure Ewan knows to look over. Nothing is more satisfying than watching a well laid prank come to fruition. As he speaks he picks up the book letting it flip open in his hand “Heya Ewan! I think I found your book over here, let me-

WA!” Xane is blasted spectacularly in the face with chocolate cream!!!

He blinks. He licks his lips. He looks down at the cover of the now revealed- ‘Tome of Tirimistorm’ “Pfft-HAHAHAHAHAHA!!” he bursts out laughing, chocolate dripping off his hair as it starts to vanish from the magic in the tome “Tirimistorm? Oh my goodness where did you find that! I’m- bWAH HAHAHA I'm covered in chocolate!”

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Ewan!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

Seeing Ewan burst into laughter makes it harder for Xane to maintain his composure, but he manages. No need to get too silly with it. He examines the pieces they are folding up, trying to find something he might like… c’mon there’s gotta be some kind of looser top in here, but this cabinet seemed to only be full of formal shirts and stuffy frills. Blech. Onto the next one then!

“They really do need to lighten up- it’s always Sir Xane what are you doing? You shouldn’t tarnish the reputations of your allies, or do I have to remind you again?” As Xane speaks he takes the form of a familiar blue haired swordsman, someone Ewan should recognize at least in passing as he is a fellow Blue Lions student. Though the outfit is different then a uniform, complete with blue tunic and leather pauldron on his right shoulder (Xane is now in the shape of Kris from the time of New Mystery of the Emblem).

“...” Xane blinks at Ewan’s struggle to stand up the next cabinet- this kid.. His arms are noodles- Xane snorts in a decidedly un Kris-like way at how hard Ewan tries to pick up the hardwood.

“Please, allow me to assist” Xane grins at Ewan and rights the piece of furniture with ease, then continues to go around the room setting all of the toppled pieces upright. It’s been a while since he took the shape of his old friend and brother in arms- it has him feeling a bit nostalgic if he’s honest, he wonders how much Kris has grown by now… Welp, no need to get gloomy! 

Once he’s finished he resumes his normal shape, wiping his brow “whew! It’s easier to just set them all standing at once huh? now all we need to do is fold stuff, not too hard.” he turns back to Ewan with a grin.

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Ewan!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

Xane blinks watching the ‘thump..thump..thump..thump..’ of the cabinets, each with a little wince of his own, until the last one finally ‘thump’s and the dust settles.

“...pfft-” he can’t help it- he snorts- huffs- and starts to downright *laugh* “AH- HAHAHA-you- your *face*- and then- the cabinets- ahh i can’t breath” Xane bowls over a bit, clutching his stomach- 

he manages to calm down fairly quickly- oh but look at this mess.. Well, there are two ways he could go with this. He could grab Ewan’s hand and sprint off, leaving no one the wiser on who made a mess of the store room… but that would not be a good note to open his semester with, especially if they got caught.

“ahhh… that was too good- come on let's fix this up before we can be blamed for it” he grins at Ewan and bumps into his shoulder. If there’s anything Xane learned from his time under that princey, it's that if you want to cause mischief and not get in trouble for it all you need to do is make it look like it never happened. He’ll probably need to flex that skill, looking at the mounting dread on Ewan’s face- oh he feels bad… 

“hey don’t look at me like that, I didn mean to make you knock the cabinets over, honest! I just wanted to have some fun. Hey, If anyone comes down while we’re cleaning up, I’ll take the fall for you alright? “ Xane winks as hes already started to right the first cabinet and pick up some clothes “besides, this is a much more efficient way to look through everything! Now all I gotta do is put it all back instead of taking it out first!”

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Xane!FireEmblem #Ewan!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

Xane’s eyes widen just a bit- aha! So manners of romance are what get this kid flustered! Good to know. Xane feels a bit of pride in himself for managing to find Ewan’s weak spot. He’s still got it, trickster extraordinaire. Take that loneliness from the ocean! Not so unflappable now huh kid? He presses the back of his fist to his mouth to hide his snickering at Ewan’s fluster- damn this kid has good reactions. Xane had thought so before, but this cements the idea that Ewan is gonna be a plenty fun partner in crime (he still hasn’t forgotten that ‘pranks’ comment)

“Storage room, yeah” Xane lets Ewan off the hook, for now.

“Woah- color me impressed, I didn’t expect there to be this much variety” Xane whistles as he looks around at the cabinets, poking and prodigy a bit. It’s a bit dusty smelling, but surprisingly no evidence of moths. It’s well kept, and Xane feels… maybe just a bit of magic? Probably a ward for said moths, wouldn’t do to have the student uniforms getting ruined after all. He surprisingly neatly folds his coat and puts it in one of the cabinets with the similar style and sizes. “Good riddance Mr. Tight Seems” Xane scoffs at it as he closes the cabinet and turns to keep exploring.

It’d be easy to hide down here in all the clothes, scare people like a ghost, hide a frog in here… none of which Xane will do right now of course, he’s on a student led tour on his first day after all there’s no way he should pull out any serious pranks just yet, right…?

-But he can’t help himself. As he and Ewan explore the store room he finds a larger robe that looks like it could belong to a student mage. Perfect. He slips under it, waiting for Ewan to pass by- 

“BOO!”

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Ewan!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

The combination of a pure white feather and band - both unusually clean and well kept despite their mutable coloration. Chin-length hair no less brilliantly red than the untold Fire Dragons of the Flame Barrel. Lastly, a bright and impish demeanor that lends no possibility for mistake toward the young man in question. Condensing all these things into one welcome face, familiarity lights a spark in the Hero-King’s eye and his earnest greeting follows:

“Why, if it isn't.  .  .Xane! What a pleasant surprise!”

An old friend. Another ally reunited on Fódlan shores. The occasion is first and foremost a happy one, though Marth cannot deny the curiosity of seeing the elusive manakete manifesting here of all places when he’d proven scarce even in their native Archanea. On that note, he smiles on a moment of contemplation.

“It has been a long time, my friend. Too long." Long to humans but short for the dragonkin, the Altean royal could only imagine. To those of the world's most primordial race who see the long-flowing years as mere minutes trickling by. Nevertheless, his friendly words continue without missing a beat. "If I may ask, what brings you so far from Archanea? Naturally I cannot hold you to any one place, but whatever your plans, I would be happy to find you here in the days to come.”

Xane whips around, heart rate skyrocketing with adrenaline- no way he's scarcely been here a week he's not that fortunate to see-

"Princey! Heya!" He practically forgets himself, nearly tripping over his own feat in his haste to come over (completely forgetting to be aloof and unbothered for the moment). There's no mistaking that friendly smile (though you could easily mistake the blue hair and lordly-ness. too many of those around here)

"Ah hah- I've just been traveling, here and there ya know? shouldn't I be asking you that? don't you have a kingdom to run?" just as quickly as he lost himself, he's back on the ball and as easy going as ever. he gently elbow's Marth "Then again I can't blame you for wanting to learn more. I'm probably here for the same reason as you- heard about all the knowledge packaged here and wanted to come see it for myself! All the better to find some familiar faces. I'll probably be sticking around for a bit, so get used to seeing me! or maybe even another one of you~" he snickers, clearly already of a mind to cause plenty of trouble using his old commander's face.

Inside, Xane has two competing thoughts:

One is that he's overjoyed to see his old friend hale and happy- Marth is one of the reasons he set Fodlan as his destination after all. He'd been admittedly curious about how the Hero King was fairing, and had wanted to ride on his coat tails just a little longer.

Two is that he left Archanea for a reason, that reason being he was getting too attached. It had gotten to the point he'd known most of the army by name, between the tactics that required borrowing different forms left and right to the community that was fostered between them all as they marched to keep their spirits up... all Xane could ever think about in those days was the growing anxiety of how quickly his new comrades lives would be snuffed out, be it by the blade of steel or time.

Thanks to this, what should be a purely lighthearted and joyful occasion has nerves turning in Xane's stomach... hopefully not literally turning, he doesn't need to untie his organs again thankyou very much. He resolves to quickly set all of those thoughts aside lest they begin to show on his face, princey is too attentive for his own good really. After all he's a part of the blue lions, same as Marth apparently, so he'd better get used to it.

(Why oh why did he get into the blue lions instead of anywhere else? he bemoans his luck, not realizing his assignment may be due to wanting to be closer to his friends.)

#arcstral #Marth!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem #Ask the Freelancer #woa marth jumpscare :D #Xane has a lot of feelings about having human friend dw abt it

[freetolanceyourheart]

Xane nods along with Ewan’s explanation, mentally filling it all away- this kid has a lot of pride in his homeland, that’s for sure. He refrains mental judgment over this Myrrh- and just hopes that whoever she is, she hasn’t been hurt too badly by humans before. 

“Stopping by the store room would probably be a good idea- I wanted to get accepted as soon as I made landfall, so I mailed everything in and got a package with this stuff in turn on my way here. I didn’t really have the chance to pick it out myself” Xane decides to explain a bit, must be weird seeing him so uncomfortable in a uniform that is normally fully customizable. 

He can’t help but admire this place for that, he’s seen other human places of learning be plenty more strict. Perhaps he judged the Officers Academy too quickly. (maybe he judged Ewan too quickly as well, but that’s a thought that gets quickly locked away with practiced ease.)

He notices the flush on Ewan’s cheeks and his grin turns a bit more mischievous “Oh, so they’re a bit thin? Wouldn’t that make them nice and breathable for training in? I don’t see any problems with a well built male student just wearing them then, though I guess some female student’s would get embarrassed…” he pokes a bit, trying to tease Ewan again. C’mon kid take the bait— he dosn’t have much hope that the tease will land. 

Man he’s rusty at this, maybe those months drifting around at sea with no one to talk to did a number on his social skills, who woulda thunk it? “Well I can’t have that, what if someone pulls the ol’ water bucket over the door frame on me? Lead on, fearless upperclassman!” he finishes with a flourish, trying to cover up his awkward attempt at mischief.

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Ewan!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

Xane’s grin gets even wider at that- Oh this kid likes pranks??? This is gonna be great. He lets him brush past the topic for now, intent on shocking Ewan with his personal favorite once he gets more information on the people Ewan knows (and who it would be funniest to confess his ‘undying love’ for Ewan as)

He lets his shape return to normal, content with having shown off and shocked this kid to his core. Xane figures his ego could always use the little boost.

“Eh… Magvel?” Xane tilts his head to the side, squinting as he tries to think… he’s been to so many lands, drifting here and there for so long… wait, how long has it even been?! He’s sure he must've made landfall there once or twice, but he can’t remember anything about it really. He must not have traveled very far into the continent if at all. “Can’t say I have, what’s it like there? What do you think, should I make it my next destination after learning all I can here?” he folds his arms behind his head and gives Ewan a cheeky grin- oh geez those seems are Creeking. You know what- Xane unfolds his arms and sheds the outer coat from his uniform 

“hey, they wont care too much if I don’t wear this thing right? I thought I saw some other students without one…”

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Xane!FireEmblem #Ewan!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

Xane bursts out laughing- Ewan’s own cheerful voice ringing out from him. He finally calms himself down enough to actually turn himself this way and that so Ewan can examine to his heart’s content- aw yeah this kid’s reactions are great.

“I can’t teach how they did it back where I’m from, but I picked up some spells that do similar stuff so I can teach you a different way. The limit is I can only do humanoids in humanoid forms. A shape made from description or paint wont be as good as seeing the real deal and definitely won’t fool anyone. I’m real good at predicting stuff that I can't see. Like you- you’ve got tons of bumps and scrapes I bet! Especially on your elbows.” Xane leans away from how close the kid is getting and pulls up ‘Ewan’ s sleeve to show he’d mimicked a fading bruise right on the elbow.

Xane answers just as rapid fire as Ewan asks. Admittedly he’s not being… entirely truthful. The reason he can shapeshift isn’t something he will ever talk about if he can help it. He’s not lying about finding similar spells though- in his travels he managed to get his hands on a Nohrian spell book that had some interesting light bending techniques that he adapted. As for the ‘details he can’t see’ bit… he can mimic someone perfectly. Part of the magic he could guess, but anything skin deep no matter what, he has a sixth sense for what it is. He never thinks too hard about it, rather not violate the privacy of who he’s mimicking that much thank you. Further than skin deep it’s for the best if he doesn't worry about it too much.

As far as mage apprentices go, this kind of boundless curiosity is a pretty good trait to have. Xane is sure it’ll take this kid far as long as he learns when to bite his tongue for his own safety. “So what do ya think? Pretty neat huh?”

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Ewan!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

“Well hold on to your- oh?” Xane stops short as Ewan explains about the training arena with a bemused smile. Oh ho? This kid has some pretty explosive ideas about magic if he thinks Xane’s trick is gonna cause that much trouble. Then again who isn’t a combat mage these days. He decides to go along with it, even though his magic definitely counts as ‘conveniences’ (and if it doesn't then anyone who tries to stop him will have to suck an egg). This is also a good opportunity to build anticipation, and Xane is nothing if not a good showman of course.

“Well I can’t be getting into trouble on my first day now can I? lead the way.” he gestures ahead, and follows around while Ewan explains everything. With how unsure he acts, this kid definitely isn’t some kind of trained student outreach of any kind. Xane’s little ‘punishment’ theory is sounding more and more likely with each stumbled explanation and the occasional backtrack to cover something Ewan forgot to mention. Not that he minds, making careful mental notes of everything in comparison to the map. One or two places he notices something that could be amiss, like a secret might be hiding unmarked just beyond an unassuming corner, and he makes careful mental notes of each time he sees this. All the while he keeps up a playful atmosphere towards the kid. He tries to jab at him with teases a few more times, but Ewan seems either oblivious or more mature than Xane had given him credit for ignoring it. He’s fairly certain it’s the former.

When they finally reach the training grounds, he grins. Time to show his stuff! In all his observation of Ewan he is fairly certain he can predict what the kid is going to say at this moment- vital information to complete the effect. As soon as Ewan finishes about the training ground- 

“-show me what you got! I’m really interested in seeing your magic!”

Ewan is face to face with what looks like a perfect mimic of him, not even flipped like a mirror, a genuine mimic, grinning back at him with the same eager expression on his face.

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Ewan!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

“Guardian of the Great Dragon huh? Those are some big shoes, careful you don’t trip in em” He says it lightly enough, but is something in his tone a bit heavier than before? It’s gone before Ewan can really examine it, a blink and you miss it detail.

“But if this is such a huge place, then I’m sure we will need a map huh? Oh! But since you’re my senior, I’m sure you know the layout here by heart, being such an aspiring mage an all” This kid is just handing him ammo to tease him with left and right, Xane’s already having fun and he hasn’t even brought out his favorite trick yet. he grins a bit wider letting Ewan sweat just a little longer… before snickering. “But just to make sure, here” his arms finally drop fully and he pulls out the map of the monastery for students he’d been given with the rest of his academic materials and books. He hands it over to Ewan with an easy going lopsided grin. “Just in case, it’s always good to be prepared!” not a philosophy Xane can say he actually subscribes to, but eh, its better to set a (mostly) good example for kids.

He walks alongside Ewan, head tilted to the side so he can easily look at the kid without feeling too much like he's looking down on him, hands resting on his hips instead of behind his head. “About me huh… well I guess I can give you the highlights~” he winks, and leans back working his mouth a bit while he considers how to begin “Lets see… I’m from a place pretty far away, really in the boonies. I spent a lot of time in the continent of Archanea though, got caught up in a pretty big war that happened back there. Then I heard my old commander ended up here. I figured ‘hey, since I'm in Fodlan, why don’t I go see what he’s up to!’ and here I am!” He decides to stick to the story he gave on his application, easily breezing past the details and giving Ewan a big grin to seal the deal. 

 “I’m something of a mage myself! In fact, I even have a signature spell from my hometown. It’s something everyone from there could do, wanna see?” his eyes glitter with mirth. Sure Xane was gonna try to keep his shape shifting a bit of a secret at first but… oh who was he kidding this is his favorite part. Not to mention at least princey is already here, if not plenty of other people he's met who know his specialty. It’s not like it’s a big secret.

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Ewan!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

Xane can't help the grin that splits across his face, nor would he want to. Who wouldn't smile at such a fun greeting. It dose strike him as a bit odd that the kid fell asleep waiting for him-  it's not like he arrived late in the morning, so either this kid was so excited for a classmate (which he might believe) or it was a punishment (much more likely). Whatever the reason, he was kind enough to supply Xane with ammo to tease right off the bat.  “Hey there, rise and shine! The name's Xane. It's a pleasure to meet ya, Ewan. Your intuition is right on the money, I've got my acceptance letter for you right here.”  He quirks his head to the side and unfolds one of his arms from behind his head where he was holding it, offering the piece of parchment he'd been examining earlier to Ewan.

While he greets his new classmate, he takes stock of him. A shorter kid with a cheerful face- no. Not just short, damage from malnourishment probably. He's seen it plenty of times. Still has baby fat on his face and impeccable taste in headband if Xane says so himself. A cheerful expression, seems like he has a good enough humor, open to pranks perhaps? Xane is confident he could mimic this kid in a heartbeat.

He folds his arm back behind his head and leans back, the feathers on the side of his headband bouncing cheerfully complete the effect even as the seams on his vest protest- Yeah he's definitely shedding this thing the moment he can. Between that and the lapels it wouldn't last 2 weeks on him anyways.

“I take it you're a mage of some kind then? That or you're a good showman.” Xane winks, but it's not like there's any doubt in his mind this kid is a mage. Bright eyed apprentices like this are a dime a dozen if you've been around long enough. Xane's complete initial impression is that this kid is… utterly unremarkable. It's nothing personal of course, he'd just rather not get attached.

“I've got to say, I've been looking forward to this tour- this place has the look of a right fortress, I'm sure there are plenty of spots to get lost in~”

Introducing the Freelancer

#Introducing the Freelancer #eagerfutureflame #Ewan!FireEmblem #Xane!FireEmblem

[freetolanceyourheart]

 Xane has made his way to Garreg Mach Monastery, but will he really be able to blend in seamlessly without causing too much trouble?

Xane fidgets for the nth time with the stiff lapels of his new uniform. He's plenty used to wearing a wide variety of fashions, anything from the most avant garde of nobles to the heavy robes of those of the cloth to the clunky metal of an armor knight, but being stuck in a uniform still never fails to rub him the wrong way. At least with all those other outfits he could retreat back to his normal clothes at a moment's notice, but it’s not like he can shapeshift into himself… Or could he… no, no, stay focused Xane. He shakes himself and double checks the parchment in his hands before looking back up to the towering spires and imposing architecture characteristic of holy buildings just about wherever you go. 

The gates look even larger up close, he knew they would be big from how easily he could see the monastery from afar, but it’s different finally being here.. There are heavy grey clouds swirling around the tips of the roofs, a cold damp layer blanketing the stonework, and the silhouette of a concerning anomaly in the sky that Xane had decided very quickly is Above His Pay Grade Thankyou Very Much, all but the last characteristic of this time of year in Fodlan. That coupled with the guards in clean armor and the increasing amount of holy robes he’d spotted on his way in strikes quite the impression in the early morning light. Yup, this is definitely it.

Not that there is really any room for doubt, traveling from the coast inland after he got his letter of acceptance had given him plenty of opportunities for reconnaissance. That and it would be downright impressive of him if he got all the way to the front gate only to find that ‘no, this is actually the other monastery in the center of Fodlan, he needs the one two roads down and to the left.’ he snorts at his own bad joke and sobers up.

He’s finally arrived, at Garreg Mach Monastery.

Xane folds his arms behind his head to get another good look of the monastery from the outside before he heads on in. Just as he’s about to enter and start exploring, his ears perk up- now what or who could that be?

“...Hm?”

Introducing the Freelancer

#toa open #Introducing the Freelancer #Xane!FireEmblem