Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: Valentine Park

as written by glmstr

"Oh neat!" Camille chimed in response.
"Nice to meet you, Noah," Karine stood up and gave a brief bow, and her son did the same.

"Well, I think my first round is one or two spots after this one. Father will probably still compete even with the injury, but we'll have to see how his shoulder's doing before Mother will let him within arms reach of a sword."

"Hey Perri, do you know if they allow parrying daggers in the sports competition, or is that just the general sparring?" He glanced to the sheathed weapons gently laid out on a blanket: a saber, an Estoc and a parrying dagger, the latter two intended to be wielded in tandem while the former one was to be held in one hand with an empty free hand.
 
as written by Script

"They're allowed," Peregrine answered. "All standard fencing styles are permitted, as far as I'm aware. The Aurellae has always been a bit more freeform than other tournaments."

He glanced over at Lucas, frowning faintly. "Hopefully it'll be fine. Uncle's shoulder, I mean. I'd feel cheated if I beat him because of an injury." He chuckled. "Even if it's likely the only chance I'd have." Despite his talent, Peregrine still hadn't reached the level of mastery that his uncle had. He had skill beyond his years, but Lucas had that, and more years.

"He must be good," Noah remarked, smirking, "that's the first time I've heard you make any sort of concession as to your own skill. I should mark the calendar."

Peregrine folded his arms and directed a light-hearted glare at him. "And I'll do the same when you make an attempt at humour that isn't at my expense."
 
as written by Faithy

He promised the twins he’d come see them, but for the life of him, Jimmy just couldn’t get motivated. He seemed to be slipping further into melancholy, but chalked it up to all the families that were gathering to see their children participate in the different events while his father made no attempt to come see what he was doing with his life. Jim sighed and stared at himself in the mirror for a few minutes, trying to see what parts came from his mother and what features his father gave him. His heart broke when he realized he looked like his mother for the most part. No wonder his father wanted nothing to do with him. Clenching his fist, the Proselyte slammed it against the mirror, shattering the glass instantly.

“Damn it! Even now he is fucking with my mind and my emotions!” Moving slowly away from the shards, he grabbed a cloth and wrapped up his bloody hand before slamming it against what was left. Moving over to his closet, he grabbed his first aid kit and wrapped up his hand before tossing the bloody cloth in the trash. Moving out of his room, he locked it behind him and jogged out of the building, heading to where everyone was gathered, though he didn’t really look too hard for the others.
 
as written by Script

"I'm going to be matched up against Celeste, if she wins her first round. How good is she?"

Inarin glanced up at Val's question, his face finally having returned to a somewhat normal shade as he got used to the other boy's closeness. "Uhm... she's the best at technical swordplay in her year, I think. But I've never seen her fence, since it's not one of the weapons the Monastery teaches formally. Probably quite good?"

"Good," Val flashed a smile. "I'm looking forward to dancing with Al in front of an audience... so I intend to win. But I'd hate for it to be boring."

"Y-you two do seem to like ... ah... being watched." Inarin noted, laughing hesitantly. His mind went back to some of the twins' 'displays' at the rave, and he shifted awkwardly in his seat at the memory.

"We do," Val murmured. "And who knows? You might get a private performance some time..."

The brief respite from redness ended and Inarin felt his cheeks grow rosey as his imagination went wild. "O-oh-"

"Ahem."

A pointed cough drew both boys' attention from one another to the stairs beside their seats, where Aurelion was stood with his arms folded and a frown on his face. Inarin's heart plummeted into his gut, and his eyes widened like a deer in headlights. Oh, God, let the earth just swallow me now.

Whilst he was frozen, however, Val didn't seem to be flustered in the slightest. He leaned back away from Inarin with a friendly smile to the paladin. "Good morning, Sir Nuvellon!"

There was a long pause before Aurelion spoke. His eyes flicked between Inarin and Valére for several moments, then he simply sighed. "Good morning... Valére. Inarin. I-" he hesitated. "In, would you rather I left you two alone?"

It was a good question. He'd never been in a position before where circumstances had aligned to force him to consider whether he might not want Leon around before. But at the same time, he'd been looking forward to spending a few days at the Aurellae with his brother for a long time.

"N-no, you don't have to go," he finally replied, managing a smile. "We-we're just... uh..."

"We were talking about my first match," Valére cut in, saving him from his floundering for words. "Assuming she beats her opponent, I'm going to be up against Celeste. Should be interesting."

"Yes, well." Aurelion took a seat a place down from where the pair were sat. "Hogan's a damn good swordswoman. I imagine she's a dab hand with a rapier or sabre, too."

Despite the mundane conversation, there was an obvious tension in the air. Not a hostile tension, but an uneasy one. Inarin knew his brother well enough to recognise his expression for what it was: concern, not anger. Thinking about it, he couldn't blame him for having doubts. He had plenty of his own. But there was no harm in ... having a good time, as Val put it? It wasn't like he was going to go ... too far, or anything. Or assume it meant anything. Valére and his brother probably did this sort of thing all the time, with all sorts of different people.

No doubt Leon assumed him too naive to not read too much into it, but the opposite was true. It would have taken a lot to convince him that it did mean anything. After all, Val ... wasn't exactly in his league. And he was training to be a paladin. Intimacy wasn't even allowed.

"Don't worry, In," his name being spoken brought him back to the conversation, which he realised had been carrying on over his head whilst he was lost in thought. "I won't take offence if you root for Celeste." Valére smirked. "Not too much, anyway."

He laughed nervously. "Ah... I'll be rooting for both of you..?" he ventured. "Hurray for cop-outs?"

Valére raised an eyebrow. "Having fun on that fence?"

"... it's a good vantage point..?"

Inarin was disproportionately pleased when Val burst out laughing, squeezing him gently, and he grinned.

Off to the side, Aurelion watched them impassively. He wanted to believe that the Castellane boy's intentions were genuine, but he knew their type well enough. There was always another motive.

Only time would tell what it was. And if it meant Inarin got hurt, then... well, the he'd figure something out. Something that wasn't as inappropriate for a paladin as his immediate ideas.
 
as written by Krysis

While others were having their bits of drama, Celeste and Robert Jr were having a bit of their own. Well, not between them, but having to do with someone else that came up to visit Celeste in her warm-up area.

It was not the expected Remy that arrived soon after Jr, but Remy's ex-wife. Which was tolerable, barely, because aside from her endless litany of work-place ills and conflicting rumors about every famous incident in town, Charlene had also brought her adorable son. Celeste's nephew squirmed through the fence within moments of showing up. Or rather, tried to, and was lifted by Jr and set inside without comment.

Little Jamie grinned up at the silent male and started to imitate Celeste's exercises. Though he was quiet in the face of the the stream of chatter from the vivid blonde, good cheer and happiness radiated from the tyke.

"I've heard it all, trust me. You know how the cops love that greasy spoon in the evenings, and the 24-hour breakfast place at 3am, and they can't stop talking about that church. You know the one. Everyone has a theory." Charlene leaned in with a conspiratorial twinkle in her pale blue eyes. She didn't seem to mind draping an arm around Jr's back to get close enough to lower her voice.

Jr gave his ex-sister-in-law a perfectly neutral look and ignored the arm.

"My favorite is that the same demon that sucked the drug dealers to death in Fountainbleau is the one that got those rich parishioners. Must be for the same reason too. Corruption is rampant in the upper classes!" the waitress stated firmly, but a derisive sound behind her made her look around sharply.

Celeste shrugged at Remy as the angry male glared at his ex-wife, but didn't stop doing her warm-ups except to catch Remy when he over-balanced and then show him how to do the move correctly.

Jr again remained passive, though he wore a slight, calm smile at that point and had put a bit of warmth in his eyes as he turned around to watch the inevitable squabble.

"Same bastards you'd looooove to be fu--" Remy started, only to break off at the way Celeste lunged to cover Jamie's ears. The shorter male managed to look uncomfortable for a moment before it was covered in wave of anger. "What are you doing here? Don't you have work?"

"Now that You have caught up on payments, I don't have to work two jobs anymore." Charlene came back bitterly and gathered her purse in preparation of leaving. She was making a 'come on' gesture at Jamie, but the three-year-old hid behind Celeste's muscular legs and yelled back at his mother, "No! I want Auntie Lesty!"

"If I wasn't drowning in debt from you, I would be able to find more work! I don't want you around, messing everything up. You'd probably distract Celeste!" Remy answered bitterly.

"We came to see Celeste fight, and so Jamie could see you get trounced in the cooking competition. Your 'steak fingers' are too tough and dry, no matter how much burgundy sauce you put on them!" Charlene snapped back, rather hopelessly trying to snag Jamie's arm.

"Enough!", Celeste finally shouted at them, loud enough that everyone within earshot looked around. With her dark blue eyes flashing with her displeasure, she instructed them. "Remy, Robert, left side of the stands. Charlene, you take the right. If you can't stay civil while I am in the ring, I will come after you All with the practice swords. Do I make myself understood?!"

Unfortunately, that meant the lot of them completely missed what was said on the loudspeakers at the same time.
 
as written by Script

Thankfully for Celeste, someone else had been paying attention - both to the speakers, and to her state of distraction. His emerald eyes bore a glint of amusement as he sauntered over just under a minute later. Though the perfect smile he offered her family was apologetic, for having overheard their spat, there was no escaping the subtly inviting edge that lurked behind his eyes even then.

"Hey, Celeste. Been a while, huh?" Arien called over as he paused by the ropes separating her practice area off from the crowd. "You just got called up. I wasn't sure if you'd heard." Of course, it wouldn't have been long before one of the organisers had come to fetch her, but it would save her a little face.

Trailing along with him, looking a mixture of bored and uncomfortable in the absence of his twin, Alvére waved a hand of acknowledgement towards Celeste. He seemed content to let Arien take the lead, which seemed quite the role reversal when one considered which of them was the minor celebrity worth billions.
 
as written by Faithy

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Jimmy to find Celeste, though she appeared busy with family. So, instead heading over to interrupt them, especially since it seemed from his viewpoint that they were having some kind of argument, he left them alone. Besides, she was probably getting ready for her match. Resuming forward, it didn’t take him much longer to spot In, his brother, and Val. Frowning a little, the Proselyte wasn’t sure if he really wanted to go interact with them. He slid his fingers through his hair and opted to head over instead, especially since he did say he’d watch Al and Val’s match.

“Hey!” He figured he might as well fake it so no one worried about his mental state of mind. Flashing a bright smile, he didn’t take a seat, but instead stood around near where Inarin, Val, and Leon were currently at.
 
as written by Krysis and Script

The argument had merely paused at Celeste's outburst. Or rather, Remy had merely paused. The other two adults were pleased that the youngest had finally spoken up for herself. Robert Jr had started to try to guide Remy away and been shaken off while Charlene had smirked at her former husband.

The thrust of Remy's upset seemed to be about Celeste's youth and lack of respect. What he called 'loose ways' also showed up in his incoherent ranting when Arien and Alvére turned up. Finally, the shorter brother pointed at the boys, "See?! There they are! The same boys you were flirting with yesterday!".

Celeste gave Remy a scathing look while Arien was talking, though she gave the auburn-haired males a grateful nod and a smile before addressing Remy. "No, brother. Al was there yesterday, but Arien was not. I guess that means I have too many boy friends for you to keep track of."

While Remy sputtered in impotent rage, something about his baby sister not having any boyfriends at all while he was around, Celeste was picking up her gear, though she let little Jamie carry the fencing mask.

As the argument continued, the two boys exchanged a glance. Alvére raised a dryly amused eyebrow, shrugging his shoulders at Arien's questioning look.

There would be little warning as Celeste reached out to grab Arien by the front of his shirt to keep him from backing off. She gave a bitter smile before she leaned in to press her lips to Arien's though calling it a kiss might be stretching it. For a moment, it seemed as though Celeste had managed to actually stun the ostensibly unflappable teen, but if the way he instinctively pushed back against the clumsy kiss was anything to go by, it didn't last long. When she pulled back, he was wearing a delighted smirk, his eyes alight with amusement.

Dead silence from the brothers, though little Jamie giggled and hid his eyes.

It wasn't until Celeste released Arien and turned her attention to Alvére that Remy blew his top. For the twin, she'd curl her one free hand behind his neck before leaning in to kiss him. She was actually nice about it to him, not really sure he was interested in kissing a girl in the first place. Where Arien had been taken by surprise, Alvére had warning enough to figure out what game Celeste was playing, and he was more than willing to play along with the drama. He brought his own hand up to her side, and drew out the smooch into a lingering kiss that danced dangerously close to the line of sensual. After all, he'd had plenty of practice with making a performance out of a kiss.

Remy left off gaping at that point and tried to lunge at the teenagers, though Robert Jr was holding him back as best he could.

Celeste grinned at the boys then, not aware that her collar had slid down and revealed the marks on her neck. "Thanks, guys. I think my luck has been vastly improved."

"Our pleasure," Arien replied, winking. "Do us proud."

"But don't expect the same treatment next match," Alvére added, grinning. "I'll be saving my luck for Val, then."
 
as written by Script

"Hey there, Jimster," Valére replied, looking across at Jimmy with a smile.

Inarin's eyes widened briefly at being 'discovered' once again, but he quickly shook it off. Jimmy had been at the rave, after all. He didn't have to worry about his reaction. Probably. Not that there was anything to react to. Mostly. "Hey," he finally said, shoving aside his mental back-and-forth, and smiling nervously.

Aurelion simply offered the proselyte a nod of acknowledgement, before turning his attention back to the match that was being prepared down below. Celeste had been a little late to the ring, but had arrived now, and the match was about to begin.

"Study time," Valére remarked, also turning his attention towards the fencing.
 
as written by Faithy

Why had he even bothered to come watch these matches? Oh right, to support the people he considered to be friends, though he was beginning to wonder if that friendship was a one-way street. Sighing and shoving that thought out of his mind, he nodded at Valére before glancing over at Inarin, the poor Proselyte obviously still being pursued by the twins, though he wasn’t sure what they had in mind. He smiled at In, not even bothered by what was going on, well, not as far as Inarin was concerned. Did he trust Al or Val? No, not really.

“GO CELESTE!” Jimmy yelled, grinning widely as the shout seemed to make him feel a little better. He finally slid up into the stands and took a seat nearby Inarin and turned his attention towards the match that was about to occur, knowing that Celeste was going to win easily. She was after all a beast with the blade.
 
as written by Script and Krysis

Celeste had a snappy come-back, but then she saw the offical approaching and just gave the boys a wave before she jogged off to compete. Little Jamie followed her, laughing in delight.

Robert Jr seemed to be making some headway with Remy, the brothers ambling away with the elder being reasonable and the younger being hurt and earnest in his explainations for why it was just plain wrong for their baby sister to be snogging right in front of them.

That just left the blonde woman in the immediate area, and she seemed distracted. Charlene was digging in her purse, a huge thing made of some brightly patterened cloth that seemed designed to not match anything. Ever. Especially not the warm browns and golds she favored.

"Well," Alvére remarked, turning to face Arien with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Neither was I," Arien chuckled. "I can't help but feel we were just used to make a point." Not that he was complaining. It seemed that the Church's flock were less well controlled than he'd presumed. Teenagers were teenagers, after all, no matter what uniform they wore.

Charlene giggled at the idea, then gave the young men a wicked smile, "It's about time she stopped letting everyone push her around. Poor kid. Not that I have room to talk. As her sister-in-law, I did my part... to--" She had been about to offer her hand to Arien to shake as she introduced herself, but then the blonde was staring at Al as her face went white. The blonde forgot to mention her own name as her heart pounded and she became very flustered. "Oh my god. You're--! Oh my God! My sister just kissed one of the Castellane twins!?"

"The two and only," Alvére replied with a smirk and a playful wink, "but can you guess which one?" Of course, if Charlene had been keeping up with the tabloids, she'd likely have heard about the twins' little spat the previous day. If there was one thing the papers liked more than celebrity mishaps, it was celebrity mishaps that painted the church in a bad light.

"What? No, I-- Oh, wait, wasn't your-- And Celeste was there then too! I should have realized that-- Err. Umm. You're Alvére, right?" Charlene was too flustered to finish a sentance at first, but then she was trying for a properly sympathetic expression. It didn't quite hide her excited grin as she kinda forgot about poor Arien. She claimed Alvére's hand in both of her own. "I did read about your brother's mishap, and I am very sorry. But you are the first celebrity I've ever met and I can't help just being happy about it!"

"Got it in one." Alvére laughed, practically basking in the adoration. He and his brother weren't big enough names that this was exactly a regular occurrence, so it had yet to lose its novelty. "And, well... I'm happy to be your first, then?" He winked.

Off to the side, Arien pointedly refrained from rolling his eyes. His restraint was practically audible.

Charlene giggled girlishly, then asked shyly, which was very unusual for her, "Don't suppose I could get your autogrpah? I kinda hate to ask, because-- well..." She gestured to her purse, with the end of one of the tabloids that had carried the story poking out of it. "I was really stopping by to get Celeste to sign it, since she is mentioned, but you are Way better."

Charlene blushed then and asked in an even smaller voice, "I don't suppose your brother is around too?"

"Val's a little busy right now," Alvére answered, his eyes drifting off towards the stands on the far side of the ring. They were too far away to easily pick his brother out in the crowd, but he had little doubt that he was over there with Inarin. "But if you stick around, he'll be coming down to get ready for his match before too long."

He held out a hand to take the paper and a pen, looking back to Charlene. "Against Celeste, provided she beats..." he glanced over his shoulder at the match, that was just getting started. "...whoever that is."

It was telling, that despite the fact that Al wore the uniform of the Lacroix Academy, he didn't recognise Celeste's opponent - another of the academy's pupils. The twins kept themselves to themselves during their fencing classes.

Charlene hastily provided the pen, the paper, and a book to lean on for writing, though the book was the peice she seemed to be most nervous about. She tried to keep them from seeing that she was reading a-- cook book? At least there was a fine hunk of meat pictured on the cover. "She will. Celeste always fights better when she is angry. I'll try to be gone by the time she is up against Valére. Wouldn't want him to collect any more bruises."

The single mother grinned at Alvére and would shake his hand heartily when he was done providing the coveted autograph. Only then did she recall Arien, and turned towards him with a blush of embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I loose my wits when-- Hi there! I'm Charlene Hogan. Celeste's sister-in-law. Ex-sister-in-law, actually, I guess. The mean brute used to be my husband, as I am sure you gathered."

"Arien," the other teen replied with an easy smile, "Arien Valentine. There's no need to be sorry. I'd be the first to admit that Al can be very... distracting." Despite his modest words, as his eyes met Charlene's, she was drawn into their emerald depths, making it difficult to look away. It lasted but for a moment, before he blinked and broke the spell, but the handsome vampire wasn't about to be totally outdone.

"Says you," Alvére murmured, nudging him with an elbow and grinning.

"Mmm. Distracting." Charlene agreed vaguely as she found herself staring into Arien's eyes even after the initial shock of how pretty they were had finally faded. "You have extraordinary eyes. So clear and bright.". Of course, her own eyes weren't bad, palest blue with sooty lashes, but there was no power to them. The woman was exactly as she appeared: human.

The nudging made her blink and smile again, turning her gaze back to Alvére at his playfulness.

"So I'm told," Arien grinned, running a hand through his hair. "But thank you."

"C'mon, casanova," Alvére cut in, placing a hand on Arien's arm in an almost possessive manner. He flashed a halfway apologetic smile to Charlene. "We ought to be getting back to Val, but I'll be sure to point him your way when it's time for his match."

"I'll look forward to meeting him!" Charlene responded as the two walked away, still a little dazed. Despite her normal preferences, she found her gaze following Arien instead of the young celebrity. Too young, too soft, too pretty, nothing but those glorious eyes really going for him-- When Charlene had a moment to think about it, she'd be confused, and then shrug it off and forget about it, unless given cause to remember.
 
as written by Krysis

The crowd likely cooed over how cute it was when Celeste knelt to let the three-year-old that followed her to the ring put her fencing mask on her. The buzz of speculation from all sorts of people assuming that little Jamie was her child instead of her nephew immediately followed.

That was why the dark haired girl was so relieved to hear Jimmy shouting encouragement. He got a nod of recognition from the proselyte as she walked to the appointed place, though naturally, she couldn't do anything else about hearing him.

From Jamie's point of view, it was magical. His beloved Auntie Lesty was transformed into an action hero with the mask and sword, and he had helped her do it. He thought it was wonderful how the pure white suited (superhero) girl was facing off against the (evil villain) opponent in the colors of the rival (evil) school. Bouncing up and down at the sidelines, held back by the admonishment of the official that had come to fetch Celeste, Jamie's support was for--

"Who the hell is Sky-girl?" Celeste muttered, but then she found the cold burning edge of rage in her guts again as she let herself think about how terribly unfair her life was. The typical teenage complaint had some merit with her, after all. The Church had seen to that for almost all of the proselytes.

The cold in her mind was perfect for the order of fencing. Stamp, parry, riposte, lunge. The point is called. Two for Celeste, none for her opponent, some fellow named Zachary.

Anger for strength, to block a heavy head-cut, and then to retaliate with a brutal punch to the exposed midsection while the swords were locked and the idiot tried to use his free hand to add more power. Two more points for Celeste, but the matches go to ten.

The opponent grew more wary then. As a student of the Lacroix Academy, he had expected to win this match easily. He was eager to get on to a real challenge in one of the Castellane twins, or someone that had beaten one of them. Zachary was paying for his arrogance with sore ribs already.

So next time he tried a more defensive approach. Drawing the next engagement out would give him time to stretch his side and-- But Celeste was having none of it. She pressed the attack the moment she realized his ploy with a vicious flurry of blows to his weakened side. The only way he could stop it and get some breathing space was a slash at her knee that barely connected as he flung himself back and away.

It was a move that would have resulted in death in any real situation, since Celeste would have been able to reach him and finish the job even with her leg bleeding, but the judges ruled the point in Zachary's favor anyway.

The rest of the match would continue that way, one point to either opponent, depending on how desperate Zachery was. Celeste kept the cold, methodical anger, radiating with the rage of family and school wanting her to always be alone and never make any real connections beyond the uses they had for her.

They wanted her to be a killer, and she was good at it.

Poor Zachery would be covered in bruises by the time the ten points had been gathered by the icy proselyte. Her family was demonstrating their pride in by the time the loudspeakers announced the winner. From her brothers jumping up and down and roaring in the stands, to Charlene and Jamie dancing together in the prep area, and even Pierette, who was grinning and lurking nearby with her pothead friends.

The only Hogan that wasn't excited about the victory was Celeste herself, as she was starting to feel bad able taking out her temper on a stranger. Just a kid, really, with a massive mole on his lip and a look of fear as he was forced to shake her hand. Celeste was actually ashamed of herself and apologized under the cover of the noise. "I'm sorry that I hurt you."
 
as written by Script

Several more matches took place after Celeste's, pitting Camille against a Monastery fencer by the name of Abel, and Alphose against girl who was also from the Lacroix Academy named Jessica. Both were able to soundly defeat their opponents and advance to the next round. Just before his brother's match, Valére excused himself from the Nuvellon brothers in the stands - both to prepare for his own match, and to speak to Alvére before his.

"So..." Aurelion turned to look across at Inarin, raising an eyebrow. The proselyte smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not going to pull the over-protective brother shtick, In. But be careful. I'm sure Val's alright, but he's from a totally different world. He'll have totally different expectations of... well, whatever it is you two have going on, than you do."

"Th-there's nothing going on..." Inarin replied hastily, flushing. "I'm ... I'm not even g..." He trailed off, unable to complete the sentence. Because by this point, he knew it was a lie. A lie that nobody but him had believed for a while now.

"In..." Aurelion's expression became sympathetic. "You know it doesn't matter to me if you are. You're my brother. I already... after the rave last week, I put two and two together. Here," he shuffled over to sit beside Inarin, putting an arm around him. "You don't have to say it, but you shouldn't be afraid to. Most people won't even care if you... prefer men." Inarin winced to hear it said out loud, but didn't refute it. "I know your friends won't. Most of them almost certainly already know."

"I... Izaic will..."

"I did say your friends," Aurelion grimaced. "Listen, if he gives you any trouble... I don't care what duty and protocol say. I'll make him regret it."

Inarin nodded. "Thanks. It's just ... we aren't even supposed to have ... romantic stuff. So I never... I never wanted to think about it. Face up to it."

"Just because we don't act on it, doesn't mean how we feel isn't important." Aurelion shook his head. "And plenty of paladins have romantic relations. It's only sexual ones that are forbidden."

"I guess that's true. N-not that Val and I are- I mean, I- we're going to hang out later, b-but, not under any a-assumptions..."

"I understand, In. I just don't want you to be hurt if he's after different things to you."

"I won't. I'm not as naive as everyone thinks. I just ... I just want to see what happens. It'll be fine." Inarin couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to convince Leon, or himself.

The fencing continued below, as Alvére danced circles around his opponent, staying on the aggressive throughout every exchange. His footwork was as impressive as, if not more so than, his swordplay.

"Leon?" Inarin turned to look up at his brother. Aurelion looked back at him questioningly. "Th-thanks. For... well, for being okay with it. I didn't think you wouldn't be, but... I'm glad to have actually told you, now. Officially."

Aurelion grinned. "I'm glad you told me, too. I've suspected for a while, even before the rave."

"Wha- why?"

"I'm your brother, In. I could just tell. It was just little things. I noticed which of your classmates you would talk about more, and who your eyes would follow when we were out together. That sort of thing. You're a teen. It's a hard time to be subtle, proselyte or otherwise." He snorted with laughter at Inarin's mortified expression, ruffling his hair. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, I wasn't sure."

Inarin nodded, turning his eyes downwards. "Do you think... do you think that mum and dad... I mean, did they know?"

Aurelion's smile faded. "I don't know, In. I doubt it."

"Would they have... been alright with me?"

"I'm sure they would. It might have taken them a while to get used to it, but they loved you, In. Even if they were bad at showing it sometimes. They wouldn't have let something like this change that." He squeezed Inarin gently.

It took a little effort, but Inarin managed a faint smile in response. "Yeah... you're probably right. I think Aunt Florianne already knows... after yesterday, anyway. The twins were, um. Quite obvious."

"Probably. She doesn't miss much. But she'll definitely be fine with it."

The conversation lulled as both brothers returned their attention to the fencing, and their own thoughts. Inarin inwardly sighed. It was going to take a lot of getting used to ... actually admitting the way his preferences lay. Not that he imagined it would come up very often. Doubtless the twins would get bored of him soon, and then it wouldn't matter any more.

Probably. There was what Valére had said about Izaic... but that was probably just the twins being themselves. There wasn't any real merit to that suggestion. There couldn't be.

Could there?
 
as written by Ronin

Aaro raced up the steps in between matches and found an open seat next to Jimmy and his friends.

"Hey Jim, In, Sir Nuvellon," he smiled before taking the seat next to Jimmy. He had an ice pack tapped around her shoulder and was happily munching on a baked good. He extended the treat towards In and Jimmy. "Dudes, look. This is called a 'churro'. I think it may just be the single greatest culinary invention made by outlanders."

He looked towards the ring and nudged Jimmy. "Valere and Celeste are about to fight, right? That's the one I wanted to see." He took another bite. "I figured she'd trounce everyone else cleanly. Looks like I was right."
 
as written by Script

Alvére's match ended swiftly. The Castellane boy danced circles around his opponent, only conceding a single point over the course of the match. His style was one of aggression, forcing his opponent off-balance from the moment the exchanges began, combined with impressive footwork and more than a little psychological warfare in the form of taunts. The Lacroix Academy fencer he was facing was practically in tears of frustration by the end of the match, though what exactly he'd been saying was lost to the cheers of the crowd.

After the final point had been scored and his victory declared, Alvére bowed to his opponent in a manner that could either have been gracious or mocking, before twirling around and departing the arena.

By the ropes that sectioned the fencers off from the crowd, Arien and Valére were waiting for him. Val was already kitted out in the majority of his fencing gear, as he was scheduled to be facing off against Celeste in the next bout. Alvére pulled his fencing mask off with a whistle, running a hand through his soggy hair. "Well, I certainly hope not all of my matches are that easy."

Valére smirked. "Unlikely, Al. Next round, we get to dance. Or you and Celeste, if she beats me."

"I hope she doesn't," Alvére murmured, hooking an arm around Val's waist. "It would be a crime to deny our fans the sight of us clashing swords in the ring."

"I'd have to agree," Arien cut in, wearing a broad smirk.

"Even if Celeste beats me, I'm sure we can provide you with a private show sometime," Valére grinned. "But I should get in position. They'll be calling me soon."

"Win for me, okay?" Alvére pecked his brother on the cheek before releasing him.

With one last wink, and a blown kiss to Arien, Valére swept away towards the ring.

____

Inarin grinned to Aaro as the other proselyte charged as heedlessly as ever into their midst. "Heya, Aar. Yeah, Val and Celeste are up next." He looked down towards the arena, picking out Val as he flitted away from his brother and... Arien?

The younger boy's eyebrows rose, and he found his heart inexplicably beating a little bit faster. "Oh. It's Arien..." He hadn't realised that Arien was here. Why hadn't he come over? Didn't he...

...what? That was stupid. Why would he have? They'd only met a couple of times. He shook his head - just because the twins seemed to have decided to have fun with him, didn't mean that every attractive guy that he met at a party was going to suddenly start flocking to him. He flushed slightly at the thought.
 
as written by Faithy

Jimmy’s attention soon drifted from the match, well, once he knew for sure she was going to win. He was mulling over everything that had happened since they all went to the café together and he wondered whether that was the turning point for the majority of them. Who they were before that moment was not who they were at this moment, not really. The rave did something and he still wasn’t sure what that thing was, but he didn’t really care either. As he sat there, the Proselyte attempted to keep from eavesdropping on Inarin and Leon’s conversation, but it was hard.

Poor kiddo… if Val and Al hurt him, I am going to destroy them. Jimmy’s inner-thoughts spoke volumes about how he truly felt about the twins. Shaking his head, he glanced up as Aaro appeared out of nowhere, munching on something he called a churro while welding an icepack on his shoulder.

“Mmm… hey, Aaro.” Jim didn’t have to answer his question since In beat him to the punch, which was alright. Shifting his gaze towards where Inarin was looking, Jimmy arched his brow at the sight of Arien. Of course he was here… he probably came to support the twins. Glancing back towards the younger Proselyte, he just sighed and kept his mouth shut.

“Aaro, what’s with the icepack?” He questioned, his brow arching a little.
 
as written by glmstr

Camille's match against Abel, a fencer from the Monastery, was similarly trouncing as the preceding bout. The Lacroix boy brought a single saber to the match, a weapon he tended to favor for sport. The aggression of that style made matches much more interesting and flashy, something which he took to heart this time.

It was quite obvious that he was showing off -even from the beginning- with the wide flourishing parries, broad arced swings, and even the occasional twirl between guards or attacks. He felt slightly bad about that sort of showmanship, but the sentiment was shrugged off. Shouldn't have joined the tournament if he wasn't ready.

The match quickly came to a close, Camille managing to not lose a single touch to his opponent. He shook Abel's hand, quietly mouthing an apology and giving a respectful bow. Whether or not the gesture would be accepted as genuine was another matter entirely, and frankly not a concern of the blue-haired boy.

After giving a quick wave to the crowd, he exited the arena to back where he was milling about with his mother before the match, and they briefly left the venue.

A few minutes passed, and the two returned and found their way into the stands, Camille now wearing street clothes instead of the fencing uniform.
 
as written by Ronin

"Oh you remember, Jim," Aaro nudged his friend, "I fought Izaic in the boxing match the other day. Hurt my arm pretty badly. It's healing up, but I'm still icing it periodically today."

He looked up at the mention of "Arien", following Inarin's line of sight to the head of auburn hair near the arena. "Hey! It is Arien. Wonder what he's doing-" he perked a brow, "-...that's Sir Durandet coming up behind him, isn't it?"

---

Sir Durandet it was. If Arien didn't turn to the sound of steel-clad boots crunching through the grass, he would find himself engulfed in a broad shadow. The knight loomed over the vampire, lips knotted in a tight half-scowl. The upper half of his face was, as usual, obscured by his helmet and visor.

"Arien, I presume," his voice was gruff and hard, rumbling from somewhere deep within his throat. "Been looking for you." He'd seen and heard much. His fraternization with the Castellanes (and Celeste, for that matter), coupled with his description and the three or four people who referred to him as 'Arien' all sealed the deal in Savien's mind. This was the boy he was looking for.

"We need to talk."
 
as written by Faithy

No, he didn’t remember, but to admit that might slight Aaro, so Jimmy kept that thought along with countless more locked in his head. Instead he just sheepishly grinned and rubbed the back of his head while nodding it in agreement. Shifting his attention back over towards Arien, he arched his brow for the second time and just studied the scene unfolding while suddenly wishing he could hear their conversation.

“Mm, yep, it sure is Sir Durandet. Wonder what he wants with Arien. Probably nothing good…” He sighed and nearly climbed to his feet to go defend Arien, but figured that wouldn’t be a very good idea.
 
as written by Script

Arien had turned to face the approaching paladin with a raised eyebrow, which only rose further when the stranger seemed to know his name. Doubtless heard from Inarin's brother, or one of the proselytes. "That would be me," he answered with a perfectly acted smile. Nervous, as any teen who had a hand in organising illegal raves might have been if approached by an irate looking paladin, but not so nervous as to suggest any greater wrongdoing. "How can I help you, Sir..?"

Behind him, Alvére leaned over the rope to half drape himself over the other teen, resting his chin on Arien's shoulder and slipping his arms around his waist. "Durandet, wasn't it? You're the one from yesterday." The Castellane boy's eyes were equal parts confrontational and curious as he met Savien's gaze, unflinching.

"You're... ah, dripping on me, Al," Arien noted with a smirk, patting his arm gently.

Alvére's stare broke as he blinked, flinching backwards with an embarrassed flush, as Arien laughed good naturedly. "S-sorry. My bad." He had apparently forgotten about his still somewhat damp state from his match.
 
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