première danse

[feeltherhythm]

[walking out of the Chaos Gate is a young Macabre Dancer with red hair. He looks a bit disoriented... And appears to be talking to himself] I can't say I remember ever coming across something as strange as this. Then again, it isn't every day you go to sleep in your own bed only to wake up on a stone floor, is it? Sleepwalking isn't really my thing. Granted, this whole costume gig isn't something I'm foreign to, but I don't think I've ever had to wear something like this. Eh, Fondue?

[he looks down only to find that he was standing there alone]

... Fondue?

[a quick search reveals absolutely nothing. No fur, no bandanna, no pretty poodles for Fondue to woo]

Oh... Where'd he run off to? [he turns to try and stop a passerby] Hello! Excusez-moi? Can I have a moment of your time? 'Allo! I'm a bit lost and it seems like my partner has gotten himself lost as well. Do you know where we are, why I'm dressed like this and have you seen an Altasian Cheesehund around?



[ooc: I have no icons, but I can't seem to bring myself to care. 8T also might be scarce this week, be back on the 21st]

Comments

[noisyclockhands]

It never stops being interesting, in a way. Still, it's good that you arrived here and not in one of the fields.

[ sssoooo we're shaking the hand of someone who might be a boy or girl, but is definitely wearing a skirt. No problem with that, you are not the first poor sod to end up with interesting clothes.

Kicking his legs in the air, and feeling very grateful for his shorts here ]

We're back to the beginning then. This town is called Mac Anu [ no more comment on that, he wants to see your reaction ] As for your clothes, it seems that you're a macabre dancer. Congrats, I don't know all that many of them!

[ can you tell that this will take some time ] It's a . kind of armour.

[feeltherhythm]

That would have been interesting...

[HEY, Raphael totally sounds like a boy. 8T He also would prefer proper pants, but whatever, he'll manage]

... [he sighs after that blunt explanation, looking a bit incredulous] Sounds like one of those games I hear about. 'Mac Anu', hm? Definitely not near Paris anymore.

[there's a slight smirk when Oz mentions his class though] I guess it suits me. The class, not the costume, but beggars can't be choosers.

[there's an unspoken "but what about my own clothes?" hanging at the end there]

[noisyclockhands]

Probably. I could accompany you to one of them if you're curious~ practical knowledge has a lot of advantages!

[ Oz cannot comment on his voice then, having Junko Minagawa as a voice actor and all...]

Not if Paris is a town where you come from. None of the people I have spoken about came from here initially.

[ so, French accent but no idea what Paris is. It's getting better and better, eh? ]

Hmmm~ You don't like skirts all that much then? And trust me, there is always someone who looks weirder than you here...and macabre dancers are pretty useful! You might have a lot of fun, if you're up for it.

Not that you have much of a say in it. You won't be able to change your clothes to anything that doesn't suit your class. [ we are good at partial answers, CAN YOU SEE ]

[feeltherhythm]

[he balks]

Paris? A town? What- Well, I guess some people have different definitions of 'town' but Paris is anything but. Hnnnngh... [he scratches the back of his head because what. What?]

[After a moment to mull over what Oz said though, Raphael pushes himself to his feet. A quick dust down and-]

Somehow, I get this feeling that heading out on my own might be easier. Just like learning a new dance, just gotta learn the steps first.

[noisyclockhands]

Tell me. It's unfair if you don't give me the chance to learn about this at all.

[ That's a pretty steady tone here, the request unashamed.

He'll lean against the wall here, after a moment, seemingly perfectly fine with your plan ]

Sure, if that's what you want. I mean, you know how to summon your weapon, right? Or what you'll have to do when an enemy casts a spell on you? I mean, it's not as if you don't know what kind of monsters you can fight and which ones will end you in a moment~

[feeltherhythm]

Paris, the capital of France and a city with centuries worth of history, warfare and artwork. And definitely with better architecture than this 'Mac Anu'.

...

I've done a fair share of improv in my time. Waltzes are fine and all, but... [he pulls out his Relic, giving it a quick spin while in his hand]

Video games aren't my area of expertise, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't familiar with the system. I may just be learning the new dance, but it's still the same basic steps.

If that little spiel you gave me at the end was any indication, at least. [he snaps the fingers on his free hand]

[noisyclockhands]

Oh. It sounds brilliant! It's too bad that I'm not able to see it on my own.

I know a fair bit about classical dances as well. I guess you could say that I'm a great talent even! [ That's some rather impressive ego rearing its head here ]

That's why I know that they're easier because you have another person to do them with. Imagine what would happen if you'd have to suit your steps in accordance to every single person in the room, or that everyone would be dancing against you.

You'll see that most people prefer to pair up here. It gives you the chance to get stronger in a shorter amount of time.

BRB FEELING SELF-CONSCIOUS FOREVER ~~~~~~/)____/)

[feeltherhythm]

It's always a sight to see, is Paris. Especially during the Fete de Paris with the colours of France being flown in the streets.

[a smile and a challenging glitter in his eyes]

[then he decides to live up to the dancing name of his class by doing a quick little dance number for Oz, striking a pose at the end]

It's all right, I can dance on my own too.

[he drops out of the pose soon enough. The expression on his face now is a lot friendlier than his last one] So how about giving some straight answers without me having to jump through hoops? I don't mind, but I'm not familiar enough with this layout to do things the hard way without getting lost.

that's okay, you feel self-concious and I shall *^* at the icons. Deal~? ALSO SORRY FOR BEING LATE!!

[noisyclockhands]

Have you seen the Fete de Paris often? Are there many people? It's a festival to celebrate the city, if they fly the colours, I guess! There should be many people because of that.

[ Oz -- stares for a moment, eyes wide, before he begins to laugh, almost helplessly so. ]

Do you have concrete questions? You could ask me those and I'll see what I can do for you.

no worries, it happens |D

[feeltherhythm]

It's something that happens once every few years, so of course it draws a crowd when it rolls around. Imagine flying our colours every year! That'd be a bit overkill, don't you think?

[he crosses his left leg behind his right, then uses the motion to spin around. Raphael seems to take the laugh in stride....?]

I'm guessing there's more to this world than just the town. So what's the deal behind these 'fields' and 'monsters' I've been hearing about?

s-so annoying though /////// /staples self to thread!

[noisyclockhands]

I'm certain that there would be people who'd like that, and those whose ego would welcome it too.

[ It's a nice laugh! Genuine, and it even has the corners of Oz' eyes crinkle into the first lines of crescents. Not exactly one of his own expressions, but one he is growing into ]

That's a good place to begin. Let's see, the city is what you call a root town. The place where you can trade and recover. You remember those monsters I told you about? You won't find them here, but they are common on the fields. At the same time, there are no merchants on the fields, so you should make sure that you have everything you need before you head out.

Ah, it's odd that we'd leave the only safe place for a dangerous one, huh?

[feeltherhythm]

Hmmm... I can see that happening. [there's a wry little smile on his face as he crosses his arms in front of him.

But he listens quietly when Oz explains the Root Town and fields to him-]

No pain, no gain, right? Some people just like the adventure. Stability's nice and everything... But it sounds like it's organized in such a way that there's no helping it.

[he stops as a thought occurs to him]

Guess I'll have no choice but to take a break from looking for my father. [and look for Fondue instead. And he thought he was so close to a breakthrough too...]

[noisyclockhands]

You can find treasure chest on the dungeons within those fields! And use magic!! It's enough of a lure for most people. t's the only way to get stronger, too. That's useful in a place you don't feel safe in, it's not as if we can trust most of the people here.

[ h-he should probably stop smiling when he says this but, nope. What does make him stop however are your last words. The flicker of his eyes grows soft and he leans back against the wall ]

I'm sorry to hear that. They don't care about individual causes, it seems.

[feeltherhythm]

That's definitely something worth keeping note of. Magic and treasure chests... [there's a bit of a puff at the trust comment. Oh well-

Raphael gives Oz a bit of an awkward, lopsided smile to try and reassure]

Hopefully father doesn't leave me too far behind. I'm sure things'll work out. Finding Fondue matters more right now.

[his only family leeeeeeeeft ;; ]

[noisyclockhands]

Different kinds of magic, too. A few attack directly, others make it easier for you to defeat your enemies without damaging them on their own. Some you'll learn yourself, for others you need items.

[ Thoughtful at this, and finally he's looking away ] I'm sure he won't. I'm sure....that he wants you to find him, Raphael! [ Smiling now, almost too brightly, and he jumps down from the crate ]

What does he look like? We should look now before he has any time to get lost.


..I won't promise anything though.

[feeltherhythm]

... [The strange reaction does not go unnoticed. He blinks at the sudden moodswing though]

Father? Or Fondue? [a wistful look] No worries. Father's been missing for so long... There's no way he'd be easy to find no matter what happened.

[cough] He's got the same red hair as me, only he has blue eye. That's Father. Fondue's a white Cheesehund with a brown patch on his left eye and a red bandanna.

[I swear to god, Raphael's dad looks like Kratos Aurion or Cross Marian. It is the weirdest thing]

[noisyclockhands]

I was talking about Fondue, but it's good to know about your father too. It would be nice if this place could bring you together again [ but he's learnt his lesson about promising too much, about drawing too many possibilities into the sky ]

We should start with Fondue first though! If he has stayed with you through all of this then we should honour that! We could talk to some of the merchants.

[ Oz' dad doesn't have ~facial features~ and this has been a thing for 7o chapters; it really is a magical top hat he wears (and the question is: does he act like Cross Marian) ]

[feeltherhythm]

With how hard to find he is, I doubt this place will be able to get him at all. [it's been three years. Raphael's been clutching onto the vague hope that a strange coin that was left behind will lead him to the older man. By now, he just wanted to clear the air. He just wanted his papa back]

Anyone here sell food? Because knowing Fondue, he's probably gone straight for the big cheese.

[MAGICAL TOP HAT YOU SAAAAAAY? Story of Evil!Layton's life what (He doesn't appear in the game enough to judge...)]

[noisyclockhands]

You never know, this place can bring people from different worlds together after all. Still, for now you could just settle with meeting interesting people!

[now that sounds like the summary of most of Oz' childhood hi buddy ]

Aha! I see~ does Fondue have any favourites?

[ Walking already but doing it backwards, so he is watching you

and yes, a magical tophat that obscures his face ALL THE TIME. clearly, this is fate ]

[feeltherhythm]

[brother from another world. /hi5]

Well, when we decided his name would be 'Fondue' it had a lot to do with him being a melting pot. That dog will eat almost anything!

[Raphael follows afterwards. The way he walks, he seems to bounce slightly; like someone who's nodding along to some beat or another]

Bread's a good starting point. Followed by meat. Oh, who am I kidding? Fondue just likes to eat.

[noisyclockhands]

[Nobody will have a chance to escape the two of them!]

Sounds like we have our work cut out for us! I have more experience with cats than dogs but that is not enough to stop us!

[ The bouncing is mirrored, but probably much less gracefully. Oz just seems *~*energetic*~* and lively ]

We'll just go and try one stall after the other, that way you'll see some of the people here too.

[feeltherhythm]

[sheer frustration or utterly adorable? No one knows for sure]

Two birds with one stone? I can get behind that. Lead the way, mon ami.

[noisyclockhands]

[they will forever despair because they won't be able to decide if they are meant to feed or kick them ]

It's really odd, you know. Some of the words you're saying-- [ reaching to his ear and pulling his earpiece out. he's doing it without much of a fuss, and it might look like he's just tugging at his hair] You said your name is Raphael, right?

[feeltherhythm]

[he doesn't stop walking, but at least he turns to look at Oz] That's right. What's up?