Forum Thread

+ I tend to write A LOT when inspired, and only do paragraph style roleplaying.
+ One-liners and general replies such as "Character A woke up and walked to the store." replies are a super no-go for me. ^^; I'd more than likely lose interest fast. I love exploring a character's thoughts and feelings.
+ I like side chat from time to time, but I'm def not serious in ooc??
+ |D it goes without saying, but I write completely different than said ooc chat.
+ I love doubling, tripling, whatever the roleplay calls for. I do NOT, however, like being the only one to do so.
+ I'm a sucker for romance(building!), drama, angst and a bit of action. Not all necessary, but thought I'd throw that out there.
+ On the subject of romance, I prefer mxm and fxf, but also really enjoy all types?? Read; not picky, tbh. Just NO insta-love??
+ Please also note that, with VERY FEW exceptions, I don't tend to enjoy roleplaying with characters that are super cutesy/innocent/blushu. Shy is understandable, of course. I just don't want to be the only one pushing the roleplay.
+ I like to sketch and talk about characters a lot?? Silly, angst-filled, general ideas, ect.
+ real life for me is pretty hectic, and I sometimes get overwhelmed. B/c of this, I'd prefer roleplaying over messages/boards here(?)/email, ect. I can typically reply at least once a day, though.
+ If roleplaying on PH(messages, boards, what have you), standard site rules apply.
+ I'm over eighteen, and I heavily prefer my roleplay partner to be, as well. It's not necessary, but I'm more comfortable roleplaying with people near my own age.

+ Pokemon || trainers and/or gijinkas***
+ Post apocalyptic || zombie** or otherwise
+ Mafia/crime based || cops and robbers-esque, or internal
+ Certain time periods || roaring 20's, medieval, feudal Japan**, ask
+ Super heroes and/or villains || may or may not be in canon comic universes
+ Supernatural || vampires, werewolves, witches, ect
+ Mythological || gijinka creatures, or myths in general
+ Dragon Age || loosely based on the game, not the canon storylines*
+ Certain anime/manga/other fandom universes. Feel free to ask.


- Slice of life || unless paired with something more, it's a no.
- Animals || unless they're shapeshifting humans, also a no.
- Canon characters || I am willing to double if they're needed for the plot, but I strictly prefer OCs

(( taken from a current roleplay with a friend. Generally, I match reply length, unless doing a time skip, using multiple characters, setting something up, intros, ect. ))

----

The knight let out an apprehensive sigh at Brenner's persistence. There was little time for rest, not when there was sure to be a corrupt army or a swarm of bandits lurking some rivers away; the latter seeming more and more ominous than his former brothers. They had dodged the main roads, sure, but bandits were the scum of the forest, and it was unlikely that there would be a path they did not know. Slow to notice the shift in their positions due to the exhaustion he would have preferred to continue ignoring, Gilbert finally felt the gentle weight nudging him, and the more intense stare focused in his direction. The knight was torn. Not obeying the heir further went against the codes he had already broken, and would inevitably leave him sluggish and more of a hindrance in the event they were found, but submitting meant he wouldn't have a careful watch on the prince for some time.


Standing in silence, his own forest green eyes uncharacteristically holding onto the younger man's gaze, Gilbert could finally feel the weight of the day-long journey and the fight that had proceeded it baring down on him. He had no choice in the matter, after all. Breaking eye contact with a tip of his head, the blonde knight sighed softly once more. "I...understand, sire. Forgive me for making you worry." He could feel the coils of embarrassment tighten in his gut at the realization that had made his prince plead for something, more so than anything else that had happened up until that point. Gilbert tugged the cloak around Brenner's shoulders a bit more firmly before motioning toward the shabby, run down house. "Wait for me inside, your majesty. I'm going to tie Stormbreaker and fetch him some water, then I'll join you." Hesitantly letting his hands fall from the smaller shoulders of the prince in front of him, the knight once again chose not to wait for approval. His words hadn't been a request, after all, but closer to an order for the third time since the castle; his voice focused and unwavering despite the continued inner turmoil.


Tugging at the white steed's reigns, he led the large creature to a crooked fence post some steps away. Securing the leather retainers around the wood, Gilbert gently patted the worn out horse. As if in understanding, Stormbreaker lowered his head, allowing the knight to nudge his own mess of blonde locks against him. "Rest, dear friend. We have a long journey ahead of us." Hushed words falling from his lips, he knelt, tipping a half broken vase with him that had been propped up nearby. Grabbing the full water skin from his waist, he lifted it, dumping half of its contents into the dip of the clay object before fastening it once more. When he woke, there would be much he had to talk about; plans he would have to discuss and knowledge he would have to share. Weighing even more heavily on the knight's tired shoulders, however, was a single question that he hadn't been able to shake off since the first fires that night. Was this God's wrath, or just his way of testing him?


Reluctant to stray from the prince's side for too long, Gilbert drew in a sharp breath and gave the mount one last pat. Regardless of the answer, he wouldn't turn back now. Returning to the thin door, he ducked inside and attempted to dust off his gloves. "I...humbly apologize for the accommodations once more, sire. I..." It had grown uncomfortably dark inside the small abandoned house, leaving only traces of the moon and stars above that struggled to pour in through cracks and openings in the roof as a dim, almost useless source of light. It was stifling. Worse, however, he had become unsure of Brenner's whereabouts. "Sire?"

(( from same rp as above, further along. some parts omitted for reasons. mostly a time progression/world building reply ))

----

The way Brenner shifted against him, first to one side and the next, had made the knight more than well aware of how uncomfortable the prince was becoming atop Stormbreaker; no matter how inconspicuous the young man had tried to make his ache seem. Gilbert could feel the slow creep of a dull ache in his own thighs from the almost steady three-day ride, but he had grown accustomed to it while he traveled and squired for the knight commander. Or, perhaps used to ignoring the stiffness that came with a long ride. Sam had never been one to stop at a little pain, after all. Not when there were places to be and things to be done. Still, Gilbert couldn't recall a time that Brenner had rode horseback willingly, and more oft, he seemed pleased to avoid the beasts altogether. He would need to procure some sort of salve, as well, it would seem--(this part has been omitted for reasons).


Gilbert cleared his throat and shoved his wandering thoughts aside, relieved to have the prince's words to pull him from any lingering his mind might have been wont to do. Focus, he chastised himself for a sixth or seventh time since they woke that morning, maybe more. He had lost count.


"As you command, sire," He replied simply at first, hung up on the story he had proposed. Brenner's own words had come reluctantly, and with pause, and while Gilbert certainly understood the apprehension, he knew their trackers would be thrown off for at least another few nights if they stuck with such an unwelcomed guise. Of course, that was if they were questioned--or, perhaps when, the knight reminded himself. Valcove was undoubtedly not used to travelers, not when many folk stuck to the King's road and bypassed the waning port city completely. He would hash out the rest of the details in his head, then, as opposed to troubling Brenner with them further. If the time came that they so needed a ruse, or when, his thoughts echoed, he was sure the prince would follow his lead. What an odd thought that was; but certainly not unwelcome.


Night came slowly, and while they would have reached the edge of Valcove before darkness was upon them, Gilbert had reluctantly made the decision to slow their pace just a bit more and stagger their arrival until the sun had all but disappeared. There was likely to be less questioning then if say, some travelers had lost their way or thought of one direction as a shortcut and found themselves without daylight, after all. Still, the cover of nightfall had its own sort of problems--especially if they drew suspicions about them. Trouble always seemed to come in the shadows. It was a lesson that the blonde knight had learned well, and even better three nights prior. Two men atop a single horse might look a little strange, then, and while he was ever reluctant to leave Brenner's side, he knew they couldn't risk drawing unwanted attention this early in their journey.


"Pull your hood up and take the reigns, your majesty," Gilbert commanded softly before shifting his grasp to Brenner's and bringing the younger man's hands to the leather straps he, himself, had been holding. The city gates lingered ever so close ahead now, and torch lights could be seen in the waning distance. They were manned, then. The knight wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad. Not yet.


Carefully, he slid from atop Stormbreaker and fell in pace beside the beast--keeping a gloved hand ever attentive to the dangling bit of reigns on the side closest to him. It wasn't that he worried the stallion would take off out of fright or curiosity, but he was sure now that some part of the prince didn't quite like the beasts--whether it be from lack of love for the riding experience or perhaps something more he didn't know. He could only hope that his closeness and control over his steed would soothe the heir for the time being.


Before long, they had reached the gates--if you could call an open entrance as such. The road led directly into the port town, manned only by two single sentry towers on the far end. Atop them blazed torches, illuminating the road carefully, but not so much to make the knight think they were wary. News hadn't reached them, then. Good. That would play in their favor, at least. Still, the half-high towers were manned, and as they drew ever nearer, a man called out to them in a tired, deep voice.


"Awful late for traveling, lads. And so far from the King's good road."


Gilbert nodded in response, forcing a bit of embarrassed laughter from his throat. "Aye. I'm afraid I'm not one for directions. Got turned around chasing after my mount. Bloody thing was spooked by a fox." The lie came easily enough, as did the conversation. He was used to it, after all. Years on the road had taught him enough about mingling with more common folk, especially those at gates. The weary man gave an amused laugh at the story he had been told, and that all but reassured the knight that their passage would be unhindered.


"'m afraid there ain't much in the way of spare mounts you'd find here, lad, but perhaps you'd at least be able to get your baring. Valcove's not as grand as she once was, but we do pride ourself on hospitality. Especially to green eared boys like you lot."


If their need to enter the town unnoticed hadn't been so grand, Gilbert was sure he might have felt irritation over playing a fool, but he knew that it was better to let someone think he was a mere young man without any wits than the truth--and safer by a long shot. So, he laughed again; as falsely ashamed as he had been the first time. "So much for my test of courage up at the Labyrinth," He managed, carefully ushering Stormbreaker forward. "My father will have me working day and night just to repay him for that lost beast, but I thank you for your kindness. Might I ask which inn you recommend?"


The man had joined them on the road now, his unfocused gaze shifting between Gilbert and the concealed face atop the steed he could not see. Gilbert wondered if perhaps their fancier attire, Brenner's in particular, had made him more alert now that he was close, but before long, the man's curiosity seemed to wear thin. They at least didn't look like bandits, or some other nasty sort, the knight was sure that had been what the man had been checking for. Regardless, he seemed friendly enough when he mentioned some inn not too far from the gates, and a second name if they preferred a better meal. The second, however, was further, and likely to be crowded this time of night, he told them; Gilbert in particular since he couldn't make out the other's face.


Gilbert thanked the man once more and urged Stormbreaker to follow him between the towers and dancing glow of torches, beneath the small stone arches littered with splotches of moss and weathered from sea salt, and finally into the heart of Valcove.


The port town's buildings matched that of the gates, hard and grey as any stone the young knight had ever known, and dotted here and there with moss and algae, though not as prominent. The greys here were darker, as well, and not made of pure stone, if Gilbert had to venture a guess. There were no mountains near Valcove, however, and the knight found himself wondering just how old the buildings were if the people there had traded for it when such a bustling port existed for them. Perhaps it was a question he had wondered before. Before his own wandering curiosity could get the better of him, however, he finally felt eyes on them, and carefully, and discreetly, glanced around them as they strode casually onward.


What he was sure would be the more curious bunch of eyes, eyes of children, had been lacking--as he had hoped. Gilbert knew it wasn't entirely late, but parents weren't quite fond of letting their kids roam after dark; not when there wasn't a giant wall or a lingering promise of knights to protect them like back at the Grace. Still, there had been a few kids dotted here and there along the main street through Valcove, gawking at the pair of strangers as one might expect. Some men and women, too. Perhaps because of the time, or their attire, or perhaps even because of Stormbreaker. Gilbert had remembered to strip the steed of any kingdom banners he might have been adorned with when they made camp the night before, but he was sure the courser stood out from the typical beast one might find this far north-west of the Southern Kingdom. Better their attention linger on the beast than on himself, or Brenner in particular. Brenner. He wanted to see how his prince was doing, especially since he hadn't spoken to him in some time, but carrying on any sort of conversation right now would have been a mistake, especially with the attention they were receiving.


So, he urged Stormbreaker on quietly.


Valcove wasn't grand in size, by no means. It wasn't, however, as paltry as one might expect of an almost forgotten relic of the kingdom's past. There were spiraling streets that spread out like great spiderwebs, leading from the hills they had left behind to the great sea to the west; waves crashing against stone more than likely a shade of green there from clusters of algae. Buildings, some tall and some short, lined many of them, some with signs, some obviously houses of sorts, each topped with flat stones with no peaks to be had. The flatness of it all meant one could see for quite some time, at least see the sea of greys and splotches of green, and even see small vessel masts off in the distance, in the direction of the old port. The streets beneath them were just as grey, if not broken in small places here or there, but seemed well managed so long as you didn't venture down an alley or found yourself lost in a more questionable row of businesses. On they walked, pass fish houses and brothels, and taverns that held no beds, and even the way they would need to venture soon, toward the market and what supplies it might offer them, and eventually, the large inn they had been told about came into view.


Stone Breeze Inn, the wooden sign above the entryway read. As one might expect after venturing this far into Valcove, it too was a sturdy building of stone. Unlike the others, however, it was braced with wood between columns of grey--heavy and hardy logs taller than the trees they had passed. There were torches and lanterns lit along the first-floor window, and some even dotted the second and third floors as well. Off to the side was a stable of sorts, a young boy running in and out of vision with arms full of hay for what lay within. Murmurs of talk could be heard from within the walls as they drew closer, and Gilbert briefly worried over if there would be any room--and safety--within those walls to be had that night. They would have to chance it, though, and he was sure Brenner would sooner sleep in horrible conditions than he would go much further on Stormbreaker that night. Better yet, he had promised his prince an inn, or at least assured him as much, and that wasn't a word he was wont to go back on.


"You can dismount now, your ma--..." Gilbert hushed himself instantly, realizing for the first time that there was no safe way to address Brenner; be it by title or name. Even if he could shield the heir's face from those that would undoubtedly recognize him, or dress him in garb not befitting of a royal prince, the younger man's name would surely catch an ear it was not meant for. They would need to discuss more direct aliases, but for now, he turned and offered his hand to the prince to help him down. "We'll talk more once we have a room. I...apologize for the silence." He hoped the other would understand, and it took all he could muster to not bow when he spoke, or attach 'sire' on the end as he had grown so accustomed to doing.


"Would you prefer to wait here, near the entrance, while I take Stormbreaker to the stables," Gilbert was sure the prince was sore and tired from the ride, and the stables weren't out of sight. Still, the uneasiness from several nights prior hadn't left the knight, even if word had not yet reached Valcove. Had he not been so worried about someone recognizing Brenner inside the inn, as far off the beaten path as that city had become, he might have even chanced asking the heir to inquire about rooms ahead of him, if only to get the younger man out of the open and away from possible leering eyes, and behind closed walls of sorts. That, however, left him feeling just as perturbed. "Or, would you prefer to accompany me?" The blonde knight knew which he, himself, would have preferred almost immediately.