A collection solely dedicated to anything I write that is set to the Octopath Traveler games, if it wasn't obvious enough. Spoilers abound for both games!
Or: i am impatient with writing what i want and am obssessed over and this was what i came up with.
i blame ultra sonic
SPOILER WARNING: As an obsessive avid fan of the Octopath Traveler series, I am assuming you have already played at least the entirety of Octopath Traveler II, if not played both games, and if not, then I highly recommend you give Octopath I a try and preferably play it and its the whole way through before continuing on, because there will be SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE SERIES, BUT MAINLY FROM OCTOPATH TRAVELER II and I wouldn't want anyone to find out about those spoilers before they've tried out the game. Because, again, huge Huge HUGE fan and would love for you to give it at least a chance. I know I was happy to have been unspoiled on the games until I could play them, especially II.
But hey, if you haven't played it and still feel like reading even though you're gonna be spoiled on the Octopath Traveler games, but mainly II, then go ahead. I'll appreciate you reading this. Just remember spoilers will be freely discussed and so on. I just hope that this gives a nice impression of the game I so love.
Table of Contents
Snippet I: The Hound and the Snake
(In which Temenos saves a puppy and meets Throné)
Snippet II: Winds of Fortune
(In which Agnea's purse is returned by Partitio and she does a dance for his hometown, Oresrush, as thanks)
Snippet III: Like an Igloo
(In which Throné learns more of Temenos and the two of them save a half-frozen scholar found by their puppy friend)
Oblivious Does Not Mean Stupid
(In which Cyrus and Ophilia meet, and the Flamebearer gives some insight for the oblivious scholar)
New Delsta. The bustling city hub born from the emmigrants of the fallen kingdom of Delstasch some fifty years ago, not that most residents of the city knew of this. Temenos merely knew because of the Pontiff told him of the city's history when they had visited together, telling him during one of their breaks from his lessons on proselytizing, along with the kingdom's relation to the foundation of Stormhail. ...it already felt like a lifetime ago. But he had no time to reminisce. He had come to restock on his supplies before heading for the anchorage in the northern Brightlands. He knew not the schedule for the ferry, so for all he knew, he would be cutting it close. So he would find the general store, buy what he needed, head to the armory if he had any leafs to spare, and then leave. And it was going exactly as planned. He even got a few fruits to treat himself with. But just as he was at the crossroads with the street to the city's exit, he heard a yelp and turned to the source of the small commotion: two men, with attire and demeanors that did not hide the fact that they were thugs, looming over a puppy. He could, logically, ignore it due to his plans. It was just one dog, after all. But well...
"Stay right there, lil' doggie," the dark haired of the thug duo said. "We won't kill ya. We just wanna see how sharp our new blades are."
It was his job to guide lost lambs. And that included dogs.
So he went up to them with his best smile and said, "Pardon me, 'gentlemen', but may I have a moment of your time?"
"Huh? Whadda you want?" The man scowled. "Got something to say, do you?"
The other man, with sandy brown hair, grumbled and said, "Mind your own business! Things were just getting good!"
Temenos quirked his smile just the slightest. "Indeed they are." He brandished his staff and said, "Feel the Sacred Flame's wrath!"
"Wha—ack!" they said, reeling at the burst of light.
With them shocked, Temenos whacked one on the head. That one crashed onto the ground just as the other recovered, shouting,
"You'll pay for that!"
"Oh I'm sure," he couldn't resist saying before he mumbled, "May the Sacred Flame guide me."
The slash from the man's blade still hurt, and he no doubt would have to clean it afterwards, but with the pain dulled by the light of the Flame, it gave him the chance to smack him not once, but twice, and in the face. The man shouted, cradling his face, and the other was back on his feet. But with their movements uncoordinated, they crashed into each other, and Temenos once more called on the Sacred Flame's light. In fact, he was ready to do it again, but at that point, the black haired man said, now fearful,
"There's no need to get angry! It's just a mangy mutt!"
Temenos kept his smile. "Angry? Whatever are you talking about? I merely wished to speak of the tenets of the Sacred Flame. Such as 'provide Warmth to those without, for without the Light, they might never find their way out of the Darkness'," he said to them, but his eyes were elsewhere, spotting a slight movement in the streets behind the men.
The sandy haired man looked ready to retaliate, but when he saw his comrade do nothing at Temenos's words, he merely grunted in frustration. But that didn't stop him from saying, "Damnit! You'll regret this!" before they ran off.
Temenos counted. One. Five. Seven...
"Gack!"
"Aaahh!"
Ten steps they took before the shifting shadow from before pounced. And as he expected, it was an expert, for they were out with just one hit each. What he hadn't expected was what he saw. It was a young woman, likely not that much younger than himself, clad in purple clothes that hugged her form but were loose enough to not hinder her movement, and on her neck...was a collar. A collar with two snakes emblazoned on it. In other words...she was one of the rumored, and infamous, Black Snakes. Temenos very nearly commited blasphemy then, for he was just helping a puppy and now he had to deal with an assassin. But then the facts caught up with him: it was broad daylight, they were out in the open...and she was approaching the puppy.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
The dog answered with barks, a wagging tail, and a few appeciative licks.
The woman softly chuckled. "Ah, you must be hungry. Here, have this," she said as she pulled out some raspberries from her pocket, which the puppy happily ate.
Temenos, for the moment, allowed himself to relax. If she was indeed a skilled Black Snake, then there was no reason she would kill him out in the open like this...much less ignore him in favor of a little puppy. Speaking of which.
The woman stood and approached him, saying, "This little one is my friend. Thank you for protecting her."
...well, he would admit, if only to himself, this was a surprisingly polite assassin. So he saw no reason to rattle her feathers as he made sure to smile.
"No trouble at all. Just one of my many everyday duties, Miss...?" he said, hoping the prompt would lead to an introduction.
And it did. "Throné," she said. "I'm Throné."
"Miss Throné. Now, pardon me for my rudeness, for while I am indeed glad your friend is safe, I must be on my way." Because as tempting as it was to actually catch a Black Snake and possibly finally learn more about the den of thieves, yet another thing the Sacred Guard has not culled, the pontiff's murder still took priority. And so he thought that would be the end of it.
But then Throné said, "You're a traveling cleric?"
And he paused for a moment, wondering why she would ask that. Was he a target of hers after all? No, it still made no sense. Though snippets from eavesdropping were all he had to go by, the Black Snakes were thorough, and they were quick, leaving without a trace. They didn't do the long con, at least when it came to kills. But that begged the question: why was she asking? So, in the end, his curiosity won out as he answered.
"Indeed, I am. An inquisitor, to be precise."
And then she said, "You wouldn't happen to need a hand, would you?"
...full of surprises, this one. He could think of various reasons why she would ask, most of which along the lines of "perhaps she really is going to play the long game after all, there are always exceptions to the rule". But Temenos noted her posture, though clearly ready to strike at any time, was relaxed, arms hanging loosely by her side, and her expression, though neutral, was not harsh either. And that softened when the puppy, realizing her owner was going to stay still for a while, took the opportunity to paw at her leg. It may have been brief, but it was still still there, as the assassin bent down to say, quietly and with amusement, "I'll give some more later, okay?" before petting then gently pulling her away from her. He would be an idiot to ignore the truth.
She simply wished help on her journey by offerring to help his own.
And there was an easy enough way to test the waters.
"I certainly wouldn't mind, but you wouldn't happen to need help yourself, would you?"
As he hoped, she easily answered. "I'm looking for two particular individuals. I was going to leave to look for them myself, but I know the roads can be dangerous, even for me."
That would be enough for now. The rest he could elucidate on their journey.
"Very well then. Welcome aboard. I appreciate having assistance," he said. Before anything else though... "And what of your friend? Will she be partaking on our journey as well?"
"...only if she wants to."
With the weight in her words, a mix of fretful concern and personal meaning, Temenos suspected there was more than that, but he elected to turn to the dog and say,
"Well then, little one, what do you say? Will we go off together? Or will you wait valiantly for your friend to return?"
A short and quiet snort of amusement to his side, and yet Throné waited as the puppy looked to him and her with curious head tilts. Eventually, the little one walked closer to him, and Temenos kneeled before her, a hand outstretched. The pup sniffed it a moment, then let out an excited yelp before...jumping into his arms.
"Ah! Settle down now. You might get tangled in my robes." Of course, the puppy was undeterred as she squirmed to settle into just the right spot, so Temenos resigned himself to adjusting his hold and letting her. Once she was situated, he said to Throné, "Well, there's our answer. So shall we be off?"
Another brief window, this time of hesitancy and concern, before she said, "... All right. If you're sure, little one." Her friend barked in answer, and so her worries faded. "Lead the way, o' cleric."
Ah. Right. He had made no introduction. "Temenos," he said. "You may call me Temenos."
"All right, Temenos. Lead the way."
And so, after a brief discussion on food supplies and hunting, Temenos left New Delsta with one snake and one puppy in tow. Author's Notes: This is all @Ultra Sonic 007's fault.
Okay, not entirely his fault, but if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have done this. and ill take any excuse to use that phrase cuz damn it he really does inspire ideas in me often
You see, I am...obssessed an avid fan of the game, Octopath Traveler. I absolutely loved it, and unsurprisingly, I loved playing its sequel. Also unsurprisingly, as a result of that obssession passion, I, a fanfic writer, thought of quite...a lot of ideas. Or rather, lots of scened for a would-be "novelization" of Octopath II. But I, unfortuntaely for me, already have a project I am focusing on: a Sibling AU + novelization of Persona 5 Royal, so I can't do that idea anytime soon and had settled on hopefully making one-shots, which I would put in my one shot collection...
...initially.
But then I remembered that Ultra Sonic has collection too, specifically a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 drabbles and short stories collection (which I can't confirm myself of the quality since, as of writing this, the Xenoblade games are still on my "to play" list, but I love his writing in general so I'd say give it a shot if you're a Xenoblade fan). So that gave me the bright idea to both satisfy my impatienceobsession want to write for Octopath yet not take that much time and energy away from my main project, all the while (hopefully) exposing more people to this series I love so dearly by having a thread dedicated to it instead of folding it into my main one shot collection. And thus, this was born.
This thread will basically be where I'll put any one-shots related to Octopath Traveler and, most relevant to the above piece, snippets to my "would be novelization" of Octopath Traveler II, which are essentially half "storyboards" for the concept and half "reminders" so that I don't forget these scenes later down the line, all because, well...I really wanna write one, but there's no way I'm writing two novelizations of long JRPGs at the same time. As such, most of this collection is likely going to be Octopath Traveler II focused until a third game comes out, and while it'll be mostly canon compliant in the case of the snippets...just like with my P5 fic, there are going to be headcanons and stuff for my "storyboard" snippets. And ships. Don't forget the ships. Which will mainly be Temenos/Throné and Hikari/Agnea, with some for other ships if I can think of something (mainly Castti/Partitio). Oh, and the title of this thread is one of Temenos's victory lines...and that was inspired by how Ultra Sonic titled his Xenoblade 3 collection (tho i have absolutely no context about the dialogue).
So far, I have two other snippets as of writing this, so I'll put them up soon, spacing out and all that, but once they're up, schedule is out the window, as well as what exactly I'll post, since one of the points of this was me not worrying so much about this so I can focus on my (as of this writing) main fic project. But most likely it'll be more "storyboard" snippets for my "would be novelization" of Octopath Traveler II. and yes i decided to start on the new year's day because why not herald the new year with a new "fic" and of my 2023 game of the year
Now with that out of the way...I can talk about the snippet itself!
For those wondering, yes, Temenos was my starter Traveler, because I enjoyed having Cyrus as my starter and Temenos seemed most similar to him in terms of the type of story his journey will be, and Throné was the first one I picked up. The snippet title is a reference to "The Fox and the Hound", but also to Temenos (who is referred to as a hound at points) and the little puppy, and Throné (a Black Snake member). The events themselves are not that much different from the game, except that the puppy joins the team, but I get to show off what I think Temenos would think of that meeting. I mean, if anyone was going to know about the Black Snakes, it'd be him. Who, by the way, was a lot of fun to write for in this snippet. As for the puppy joining...well other than just me wishing that in the game we had brought the puppy, I'll admit that I'm basically thinking of her being a bit, if not a notable, plot device. One of which you'll see soon enough. The bit about New Delsta's history is from the Merchantile Manuscripts in Sai, while the bit about Temenos visiting New Delsta with the Pontiff is from a banter conversation between him and Agnea in her Chapter 2, though the exact time is never mentioned, so that I made up. Meanwhile, for the actual "would be novelization", the actual chapter 1 would be novelizing Temenos's chapter 1 itself, while this snippet may or may not also be part of that hypothetical chapter 1, depending on how I feel when writing it and how long it ends up. This was just the first thing I wrote 'cause, well, these two were my first Travelers (and my main ones that I kept while constantly switching the last two slots) so I wanted this to be first too, aaaaaand...me shipping Temenos and Throné. And...that's about it.
I can't decide to laugh over the ranks of "this is all [insert username here]'s fault" tags, or be happy that you actually read it and liked it.
I'll decide on funny cuz it's funnier.
(Also yes, looking it up, there are others, but "this is all strypgia's fault" beats everything else by three pages. The others barely fill one)
Anyways, now onto the snippet!
Agnea, in her mind, knew it was going to be very hot when she would go through the Crestlands and Hinoeuma, set on the scenic route to the Camalbrine anchorage instead of heading straight for the one on the way to Crackridge. She had studied the single map of Solistia in her house, the one Papa had bought to learn of the places Mama would go, so that she wouldn't be ignorant when talking to big city folks. There were a lot of badlands and sands before she would reach the more temparate climates of the Harborlands. But to feel the heat was a different matter. It was like being near an oven. Not bad on its own, but stay long enough and it starts being unbearable, except instead of being just one part of the body, it's all of her body. Add in the fact she wasn't familiar with the roads and that monsters would pop up if she wasn't careful, and... To say she almost collapsed in relief when she arrived at Oresrush would be an understatement. She had worried she wouldn't have made it with how befuddled her mind was, stumbling more than a few times. But as she made arrangements at the local inn, ready to pay for the night, dread thudded in her heart.
"Oh no..." She scrambled through her pockets and even the rest of her dress, hoping to find it. But as each pass left her with nothing, it settled in: she had lost her purse.
Agnea turned to the innkeeper with an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry, do you mind if I go...?"
Luckily for her, the innkeeper turned sympathetic and said, "I'll leave it for you 'til someone else comes to stay. That all right for ya?"
"Oh! That's more than enough! Thank you. I'll be right back!" she said, smiling, an expression the innkeeper returned.
She rushed back outside, all thoughts about the heat gone as she scanned the town. She hoped she had dropped it somewhere in town, otherwise... Agnea shook her head. This was no time to get gloomy. She had to try. And she did. First, she tried looking herself, combing through the path she had taken from the entrance of the town to the inn. When that turned up nothing, she had been ready to ask the townspeople if anyone saw it and picked it up, or saw if anyone took it, when someone behind her said,
"'Scuse me, miss?"
And she screamed.
The man shouted in return then said, "Sorry there, missy! Didn't mean to scare ya!"
Agnea sighed in relief, then flushed in embarassment. "N-No! I'm sorry for screamin'." She cleared her throat when she noticed her accent slipping. "I was a little too busy to notice."
"Ah, glad to hear that. But you wouldn't happen to be busy with, per chance...lookin' fer a purse?"
She gasped. "Yes! Did you see it?"
The man smiled, tipped his hat, then pulled out something from his coat with a flourish. "Here! See for yourself."
It was, indeed, her purse, her Papa's stiches and all. "It is!" she said, taking it back in her hands. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how worried I was. I wish there was something I could do you in return."
"Heh heh, no need, miss, it's no skin off my teeth," he said. "But if ya don't mind me askin', you lookin' to make a big purchase on somethin' with all those leafs?"
"Oh, no! Nothing like that. It's just my money for my travels."
His eyes brightened in interest. "Ah, no wonder I didn't recognize yer a face. You just arrive today?"
"Yes, indeed—" Agnea froze. "Ah! Sorry! I gotta go! Thank you very much again for finding my purse!"
With that reminder, she ran back to the inn where, thankfully, her room hadn't been taken and she could finally rest. Her body, at least. She meant what she said to the man. If she had lost all the money she had been saving up for her journey... Agnea shook that thought from her mind. Her purse was found by a kind stranger. The least she could do was repay the favor. She had originally planned on leaving come the morning, excited to see New Delsta with her own eyes as soon as possible, but maybe she could spend a day or two dancing here. She would have to check if the tavern had any space to dance first. Good thing she happened to arrive in the morning. She could check there when she had her lunch. ...not so good, while the food and drink were delicious and affordable, it was one of the smaller ones, so while she had expected the lack of a stage, she was disappointed of the small space inside. She couldn't even do one of her simpler dances that didn't have any traveling. But as she contemplated what to do next, it seemed the bartender noticed her mood and asked her what was wrong. She had attempted to assuage him, but instead it led to, well...
"Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for coming! I hope you enjoy the show!"
It led to her performing at the town square, in front of many of the townspeople. Including the man who had found her purse. There was a part of her that worried she was intruding with her impromptu dance, but it eased when the tavernkeeper and several people helped her get the little show together while she gathered up an audience. So, with a deep breath, she began to dance...and sing. The sun was high in the sky, and so she made her movements match its heat and her voice as bright as the light. Since it seemed to be a very close knit town like her own home of Cropdale, she would pause at points in her performance to encourage the audience to move along with her. To her delight, they did, with many laughs and smiles and good natured teasing over each other's steps. And lastly, emboldened by everyone's mirth...she would dance with some of them, going down from the "stage" to join them. All of them were surprised and hesitant, not thinking they could dance with a professional, but a quick reassurance that she would lead had led to many more cheers, Agnea changing partners when least expected and sent her previous ones to others she thought, from seeing how they danced earlier, would enjoy the company. By the time she was back on the stage to bow and end her performance, there were more than a few people sitting on the ground or leaning against rails, exhausted but, luckily, smiling.
"Thank you for being a wonderful audience!" she said, and to that, they answered with applause and words of praise.
Soon enough, the crowd dispersed, though not without quite a number offerring her both money and items for her dance. Agnea had, at first, tried to turn them down. She had simply performed as thanks. Some of them accepted that, but most were insistent. Something along the lines of "dancing like that deserves a little something. I've never seen anything like it! So just take it. It's not much anyway." So, in the end, Agnea didn't have the heart to turn those down. ...And she would admit, holding some of the food, healing grapes, and leafs they gave her as she watched them leave left her feeling warm from their kindness.
Footsteps caught her attention and she turned just in time to hear the owner say, "There. Didn't spook ya this time."
She laughed. "Nope. You didn't." She said, "What did you think? I thought I'd put a performance as thanks for helping me."
The hat donning man reeled in astonishment. "That dance was for me?!"
"Ah, well, it was. But it was also for the tavern, since I thought that I'd bring in a little extra business like I did back home while I was at it. But well..." Agnea laughed again. "Well, one thing led to another and then I performed here." That being the tavernkeep had suggested, and insisted, that she could perform in the town square.
"Haha, I can see why. You got a light to you. A charisma that warms all 'round you like the sun on the prairie. I thought that when I saw ya, and it was real clear while you were dancin'."
Her cheeks stung in slight embarassment. "Really? Haha... Thank you."
"No, thank you! Lady Luck must be shinin' down on me, 'cause it ain't every day you meet someone like you!"
As embarrassed as a part of her was over such high praise, Agnea accepted it as she said, "Then I guess that's one step closer for me to becoming a star."
"Oh? A star? That's why you're travelin' now, eh?" he mumbled. Before Agnea could ask him if that was a big deal, he said, "Say, you know, I was about to hit the dusty trail myself, for my own big dream. What do you say we travel together?"
"Uh huh! We can help each other's dreams come true! And I need all the help I can get. After all, this ain't a dream I can make real on my own. So I'm more than happy to make sure yours does too."
The little countryside girl stared. "Y-Ya really mean it?"
"As sure as a bird flies!" he said, then flipped a coin, a silver one, and offered it to her. "So? What you say?"
It took a moment for it to sink in, but when it did, Agnea smiled, took the offered coin, and said,
"Okay. I'd be more than happy to."
"It's a done deal then!" he said. "Folks 'round here call me Partitio Yellowil. What about you?"
"My name's Agnea. I'm looking forward to your journey together."
"You betcha!"
And so that was how Agnea left with not only a little more than she arrived with, but a friend to brave the world with too. Author's Note: For those who have not played the game, because I have seen some people's playthroughs and them having trouble with pronouncing when they start, Partitio is pronounced "par-TI-shee-oh". Okay, with that outta the way...
I love these two so much. Just balls of sunshine in their own ways. If it weren't for the fact I wanted to have a full team ASAP while also making it make "sense" (as in "oh yeah they'd run into each other like this") and thus went for Osvald then Ochette, I would've went for these two much sooner. I was also torn between choosing her, Partitio and Temenos as my starter just because I just loved the vibes the former two were giving from the info and stuff. It was only my experience with Octopath I, as I mentioned, that had me settle in the end. But that's not the only reason why I wrote these two next. In my "would be novelization" of Octopath Traveler II, Agnea would be the "leader" of the western continent gang because there's no reason the Travelers wouldn't already be traveling. Plus it means I can have the western and eastern gangs converge in Canalbrine, but I'm getting ahead of myself. As for if this would be the next chapter in the would-be novelization...not sure at this time. It could go either with that or having several chapters of the eastern gang and then the western gang until they converge. Either way I'd rotate between what groups I'd focus on and whether they'd be split in the first place after they converge in Canalbrine.
Title of snippet is a "combo" reference of Agnea and Partitio on multiple levels. For Agnea, it's a reference to her line when using her Windy Refrain skill ("The winds of favor blow") as well as her magic element mainly being wind, while for Partitio it's referencing him being a Merchant as well as his "Arrow of Fortune" skill, and they just both happen to combine into a phrase that suits them both. Meanwhile, the only thing that is similar to the meeting of either of them is Agnea losing her purse and Partitio's comments on her charisma and asking to come along. The rest (her losing it in Oresrush when, if not chosen as the starter, she loses it back in her homerown Cropdale; her staying at the inn; her dancing in the center, and so on) are what I'd imagine Agnea doing when she gets there on her own. It was fun doing that dance sequence, since I had to figure out how to make it matter/show off how Agnea gives hope to those around her without the use of a visual medium.
Also yes
I am embedding vids into these snippets
I WILL use this thread as an excuse for others to hear the game's OST which i forgot to do for the previous snippet but let's pretend that didn't happen shhh...
So I am indeed breaking from my usual
Because damn it I love the OST so much
I probably won't put any for any "proper" one shots tho.
Maybe
We'll see.
Her targets were dead. The rain was washing away the blood, but she could still smell it, sickening her to her core. Nothing could make it go away. It made it all the easier to deflect the blow from the culprit. But...
"Pirro...?"
It was him. Her fellow Snake. Her comrade. ...her friend.
He wanted her dead.
No...
"I'll be the one controlling the town from the shadows."
Please. No...
"And I'll do whatever I must to get there."
"...Don't do this. I don't want to fight you."
"I'm sorry, Throné."
"Pirro...!"
Shing!
"...ngh. Aha, my apologies. It seems I was careless in waking you."
Throné gasped. It wasn't on the large balcony of a high class mansion, under the weight of the rain, it was a bedroll in a forest, lit by the glow of a lantern. It wasn't Pirro driven to kill her in desperation for his dream, it was the inquisitor waking her up for her turn of their planned nightwatch. And it wasn't a blade she needed to parry...it was an arm bloodied by her dagger that had aimed for a neck. An arm that gently put down her own as the cleric said,
"Do you have any suggestions as to how to wake you? It would be troublesome to have to block everytime I did."
Thrown off at his nonchalance, she did nothing but stay still. Of course, her little friend decided it was the perfect time to yelp and whine in concern. In turn, the inquisitor turned to the puppy with a reassuring smile.
"No worries, little one. 'Tis but a scratch. See?" To prove his point, with a brief prayer, the wound, while covered in blood, was healed.
Her friend sniffed the arm as if to make sure. When she was, she yipped in pleased satisfaction, then gave another concerned whined, this time at her. Before she could think, Throné pet the little one and said,
"I'm fine."
At that, the cleric said, "Aha! Of course! Next time, I'll have your little friend wake you."
Her heart jumped in fear. She didn't want to hurt the little one. "Now, hold on..."
But her friend barked, and quickly bumped her head against her before doing the same with the inquisitor, as if agreeing with his suggestion.
Temenos smiled, with a hint of smugness. "I'm glad you have accepted this most grave task, little one. I shall pray for your success."
Throné groaned but decided not to argue further. She could try to convince the cleric, but the little one was already on board with being her designated attendant and she knew how stubborn the puppy was. She has stuck by her side despite surely smelling more obviously of blood to the little one, after all. Instead, she offered to at least cleaning his cleric uniform, which he accepted after changing to a spare tunic. ...though, thinking on it as the inquisitor settled onto his own bedroll and allowed her little friend to snuggle up with him, maybe she wouldn't have been able to convince him. She knew he was as kind as a Sacred Flame cleric was supposed to be, saving the puppy when he had no reason to. So she had pegged him as one of those virtuous but naïve types. It didn't help that she saw his gaze. He had noticed her collar and recognized it. He knew she was a Black Snake and yet easily accepted her request to travel with him, as a useful cover story and...a way to repay the favor. She had thought he was just hopelessly optimistic about having a thief and assassin by his side. But now...after accidentally attacking him... Now she wasn't so sure. Someone so naïve wouldn't just shrug off an injury like that, but he was still...continuing to be kind to her, as if she hadn't nearly sliced his neck.
That rumination continued as they traveled to the anchorage. He was clearly genuine about his faith, his light and healing magic some of the strongest she's seen and felt. Such magic was only possible with a stalwart belief. And yet he has mentioned, on more than one occasion, "supposedly" forgetting sections of scripture, and treating the gods with an irreverence that was more typical of "heretics", coming off as a "lazy cleric". But the most notable things about him were, one...
Throné stared at the man as they prepared their first meal on their trip.
Temenos returned it with a curious look. "Is something the matter?" he said.
As if he hadn't just offered to skin the animal she had managed to hunt for their lunch. ...as if he hadn't managed to figure out, despite not saying anything and having come to ignore her disgust, that she hated the scent of blood.
"... No," she said. Then she offered her dagger. "Here, use mine."
It was subtle, but his expression was surprised for a moment before he smiled and said, "Aha, thank you. This will make things much easier."
...his keen eye. And two...
"Ah! What's the matter, little one?" Temenos said as aforementioned puppy was squirming in his arms.
Throné was about to ask the same when he put her down...and she ran off. Without thinking, she ran and grabbed her friend, her experience helping to catch her, especially as she still squirmed. At that, Temenos reasoned she wanted to help someone...and he wanted to as well. And so, with a sigh, she let her friend go and...they did indeed find someone, fallen unconscious not too far from the road leading to the Winterlands, where the man had obviously come from due to the snow that still clung to him and how his body was nearly frozen. Of course, Temenos wanted to help, she did too, but even if they went for the nearest town to drop him off, there was a good chance they would be late for the ferry. And yet, Temenos made no mention of it at all. Instead he said,
"I believe there's a small town nearby. Let's go there. The cold can't be good for his recovery."
...his kindness, in spite of his keen eye.
She knew that he could tell that the man they saved was a convict, his prisoner collar clear to see even with the man's large mane. And yet still, he said nothing on the subject as they carried him over to the town, merely "complaining" that he was "not suited for physical labor such as this". ...she would admit, if it weren't for the fact that he had saved her little friend, she would doubt his kindness, especially in light of how observant he was. But if that hadn't convinced her how genuine he was in spite of his other traits telling otherwise, arriving at the town would have convinced her...because she wasn't any better.
Both of them stared at the town that came before them, no one in sight...knowing that, while they couldn't guess the cause now, the end result had them both on edge.
"...no, not anymore. But we don't have time to turn back."
So they settled the man in the nearest house, unlocked as if its owner would be back in a few minutes, but the dust and wear telling otherwise. With their patient in place, Temenos got to work in stabalizing him as much as he could while he asked her to check the town for anything they could use...or if anyone was there. ...there were, in the end, two people. One a simple traveler and one a fellow thief. Unfortunately...both confirmed the worst case scenario. The traveler had come upon the town with all its townspeople, from the elderly to the children, dead, fallen down and covered in dark purple bruises all over, like a ill omen, but buried them nonetheless, having just buried the last one that day. The thief was stealing from the homes and was likely selling them off, seeing as she knew there was a black market nearby. Normally, she wouldn't have cared. The dead had no need for these things, and she was doing much the same...she had no right to stop him really. But the little one did not like the man one bit and yapped at him, he had kicked her in aggravation, and, well...for now, he was out cold. Thus she all the more focused on pilferring from the homes of the now dead townsfolk, looking for what medicines and herbs she could find. It turned out, she actually hadn't needed to search far from Temenos. The very house they settled on was filled with ingredients for and finished products of medicine. Most of them weren't usable anymore, but some of the concoctions still worked. And so Throné spent the next couple hours staying nearby and keeping watch in case anyone else came. When Temenos was satisfied the man wasn't going to die from hypothermia, they discussed what they were going to do now...and the state of the town.
Throné could tell he was curious as she led him to the thief she knocked out earlier, her friend being the "guard" for their patient, and then to the traveler. But as he gleaned what he could, as well as put the thief in whatever ropes they could find, in the end he seemed to have decided to drop the matter for now, agreeing with her to head to the anchorage as soon as their patient awoke, whenever that would be. But while the man in question luckily woke the next day, it was just one mystery to another as the man, Osvald V. Vanstein, requested he travel with them since it was "logical" ("I repay my debt to you and you can have extra protection with my magic") as they were all heading for the western continent. Osvald V. Vanstein...a name that Temenos seemed to recognize as he told him that he would agree, but first needed to be sure she wouldn't mind and so left to discuss it privately. Throné ignored the strangeness of having her opinion matter as she got straight to the point.
"Do you know him?"
"Not personally, but yes, I do know of him."
"...and you're not turning him in?"
Temenos just smiled. "Even if I didn't have a hunch about him that would stay my hand, no, I wouldn't. At least not without making sure the prison he ends up in actually does its job instead of exploiting its prisoners."
Because she knew what he was implying. The man had escaped from Frigit Isle, the world's most "secure" prison...because the inmates would die long before they could even try to escape. So while the man was dangerous, even more so since he had escaped from that damned prison, it was the last place a cleric of the Sacred Flame would wish for a criminal to go to. It was needlessly cruel. ...just like the inner workings of the Black Snakes.
So when he asked, "Indeed. But only if you have no objections."
She said, quick but genuine, "It's fine. He can come."
For some reason, Temenos's smile was smaller but more genuine as he said, "Very well, then it's settled. Thank you, Throné."
She huffed. "Don't thank me yet. If he does anything, I won't hold back."
Temenos chuckled, soft and warm like an ember. "I expect nothing less."
And so that was how they ended up with a convicted scholar, Throné all the more curious of the inquisitor she was traveling with. Author's Notes: And now for more stuff I made up myself! That being Temenos and Throné's general interactions until they find Osvald and then what they do after they find him. I figured Throné would, in the beginning, would likely try to kill anyone who tries to wake her, and that leads to an interaction I thought would be interesting, as I imagine Temenos to shrug it off, which then throws Throné off since, you know, what she knows of him at this point. But that leads to him guessing that she has a dislike of blood, since she wanted to clean his tunic, which intrigues him seeing as, well, Throné is basically an assassin, and that leads to him testing it that theory out with asking to skin her hunts and well... Basically I quickly found that with this, I think their early relationship is gonna be a constant back and forth of unknowing kindness done due to intrigue until it, well...becomes intentional kindness. Which didn't help my shipping goggles on them. XD As you can see, puppy leading them to Osvald is one of the reasons I wanted her to tag along, since I needed a reason for them to find Osvald when they were going to do a left. Is it believable even with the distance between the way to the anchorage and the "entrance" to the Winterlands? ...probably not. But hey, this is a magical setting. Not to mention, when you find Osvald, he's in the snow in the Winterlands, he wakes up not long after you find him, and he doesn't collapse at all when you have him as the lead, so moving him to the threshold/near the entrance to the Winterlands while having a dog with a "sixth sense" was the best I could come up with.
Speaking of coming up with things, I debated over how much Temenos would know of Healeaks, but considering there is little mention of it elsewhere and that he doesn't know much, if at all, of Eir's Apothecaries, I settled on him knowing of town locations in general from being well traveled but not knowing this one, especially since it doesn't seem like it has a proper church. ...yes, I admit, I could've had them take Osvald to Cape Cold, but one, Healeaks is "closer", being in the Brightlands, and two, I wanted them to see it because of its ties with Castti, and all the possible thoughts they could have when they realize...the town that holds the answers to her memories is a ghost town. Temenos knowing of Osvald meanwhile is the same logic with the Black Snakes. I figured he would regularly hear news and rumors of stuff like Frigit Isle and its prisoner abuse and with shocking cases like Osvald's "murder" of his wife, Rita, and his daughter, Elena. And because I imagine both his curiosity and the importance of truth to him means he would like to have Osvald along, since he suspects foul play, while Throné's rough experience yet kind soul means she wouldn't mind, especially considering how Temenos is treating her. Of course, at this point, as she said herself, if Osvald does anything fishy, she won't hesitate to stop him. Oh, and I made it her POV partially to have the nightmare be a flashback, but also so that, well, I can write her POV, since I had just written Temenos's. For the would-be novelization, that probably would...mostly remain, because I would extend some of the scenes in this snippet. Especially their interactions before finding Osvald.
Oh, and yes, if it wasn't obvious, they had put Osvald in what I assume is Castti's old house/the old homebase of Eir's Apothecaries. The traveler is an NPC whose description says that he buried all the corpses (which explains why it's so "clean" when you get there in-game) while the thief is indeed stealing from their homes. The black market just happens to be nearby, so I thought I'd make that the excuse why/how he's selling these items. ...yes i used the puppy as an excuse to get him to stop, partially in reference to Throné's knock-out mechanic. But mostly because DAMN IT, after what happened to Healeaks, him stealing and then selling their belongings makes me wanna knock him out. And lastly, snippet name is a reference to all three of them by using an igloo as a...metaphor, I guess. Basically all three of them appear "cold"/"made of ice" on the outside like an igloo, but if you get to know them better, "get inside of the igloo", you'll find they're warm, while it's an igloo/ice themed because of where you find Osvald, the Winterlands, though I changed the specific location in this snippet.
And with that, schedule's out the window! Though I can say next snippet is mostly likely Agnea and Partitio meeting Hikari.
Get the Sacred Flame, take her sister's place as the Flamebearer, and perform the Kindling in her place so she could stay by her father's side if anything happened to him. It had been simple. If anyone deserved to stay by the archbishop's side when he was at risk of dying, it was Liliana, not Ophilia, so it didn't matter if she was going to get the worst scolding of her life. But now, after aforementioned scolding being nowhere near as bad as expected, set to leave Flamesgrace with the supplies meant for her sister's pilgrimage and Aelfric's Lanthorn in her hand, holding a piece of the First Flame...
You are not the real Flamebearer, just as you are not a real daughter of the archibishop. Just because Liliana deserves to be by her father's side...doesn't mean you should be the one to take her place.
She wondered if her impulsiveness had gotten too far once again. And yet, despite that doubt, she couldn't bear anyone else to take her place. As much as the Church prepared the Flamebearer for the journey, that didn't ensure their safety when monsters roamed everywhere, and there were only so many Sacred Guard members that were able to quell them, let alone be provided for a pilgrimage that, until her father had done his, was traditionally done alone, for others influenced the Sacred Flame within the lantern, not just the Flamebearer. And he had still been in the middle of convincing the pontiff to allow some form of guard for Lianna when not only did he fall ill, but she decided to become the Flamebearer. So even if Ophilia had found a way to convince them to choose a different Flamebearer, it would've been difficult to ensure their safety. So her it was.
Ah, of course. You, an "imposter", deserve to d—
"W-What seems t-to be t-the matter, miss?"
Ophilia startled but still managed to answer. "Ah, no, nothing at all, sir." Before he could inquire further, she said, "Are you all right?"
Though the man did wear a thick black scholar's robe with its hood up, he was still shivering like a shaking branch.
"...n-no, a-as e-em...barrassed...as I am to...admit... I had underestimated how cold the Frostlands would be even in summer..." he said, sheepish as he glanced away. But then his gaze returned, eyes keen as he asked, "T-Though now...I can't help b-but wonder...h-how are you still warm in your vestments?"
Ophilia smiled and chuckled. "A little trick every cleric in the Frostlands knows. Here, how about I show you?"
A few words and gestures and then light surrounded the man's garments for a moment. Once it passed, he blinked, astonished as he examined himself and found that nothing else changed about his attire, except for...
"Oh, marvelous! A warding spell against the cold! And easy enough that I should be able to replicate it with just that demonstration. Hmm, curious it hasn't been recorded in any form of book detailing the applications of magic if it is that simple... Ah, but never mind that for now." The man bowed. "Thank you, my kind lady, for the favor you have given."
"It's no trouble. Like I said, it's just a little trick."
"A useful little trick, and one I am incredibly grateful for." Ophilia smiled at his thanks. But then he said, "Now, what was it that was troubling you earlier?"
Astonished he would return to that topic, she wasn't sure what else to say except, "I'm okay. I wouldn't want to trouble you." Considering she didn't recognize him, he was likely a traveler passing through Flamesgrace.
The man shook his head. "Nonsense. If it was enough to have you lost in thought with such a severe expression, it must be incredibly troubling," he said. "And it's the least I can do to repay for the spell you casted. You have saved me not only from falling ill to the cold, but my finances as I will not need to purchase clothing more tailored to the current environment. So what is troubling you? I would like to lend you my aid as much as I am able."
She shouldn't. She really shouldn't. And yet... He seemed earnest in his offer. And it was hard to believe he would have any ulterior motives if he just came in to Frostlands shivering and likely almost dying to the cold. But in the end...
"Well...if you truly don't mind."
"As I said, no, I do not. Of course, if you're uncomfortable, you don't have to share it. However...I'm sure I can still provide some assistance. It wouldn't be gentlemanly of me to simply ignore someone in distress."
"...okay."
...it was her gut that made the final decision, and it said this was someone she could trust.
"I... Well, I'm going on a journey now, but it was actually supposed to be someone else that's supposed to do this, and I've taken her place. I don't regret doing it, because I know she would be very worried about leaving since...someone she cares for has fallen ill. But now...I'm not sure..."
"Unsure as to whether you truly do not regret your choice?"
"...more like...I wish someone better could take my place, since I don't deserve it, but at the same time...I wouldn't want to put anyone else through what's usually a dangerous journey."
"Hmm, I see..." he said, pondering.
For a moment, Ophilia thought it would take some time, and she would have to calm herself as she waited, nervous of what he would say. But the moment passed and he said,
"...did you cheat?"
She sputtered, startled. "What?"
"I assume there was some sort of test that your friend had to take in order to claim the spot, otherwise her being chosen would've been more than enough to ensure her being the one to travel even with interference, so I ask again: did you cheat?"
"Er, um...no?" She didn't think so... She wasn't even sure what would count as cheating in the eyes of the First Flame's Guardian.
"Do you believe the test giver had let you pass without truly testing you?"
"No." Most definitely not. She could still remember the bruises she got from the guardian's stone sword.
"And what did your friend do after the fact? Was she upset?"
"...no." If anything...
"I owe you an apology," her sister had said. "I was relieved. You would be in great danger, and yet I was relieved. Could you forgive me?"
"Then you are more than qualified, my lady," he said, smiling at her with pride. "You are a kind and determined soul. Even if you weren't chosen, the fact remains that others have considered you worthy. You might believe it yourself now...but so long as you trust their judgement of you, then perhaps one day you will."
"Thank you, mister..." Ophilia laughed.
Understandably, the gentleman was confused and said, "Whatever has amused you so?"
"I just realized we didn't introduce ourselves."
"Ah! How rude of me! It had slipped my mind... Ahem." The man cleared his throat. "May I be the first to do so, my lady?"
She giggled. "You may."
"I am Cyrus Albright, professor at the Royal Academy of Atlasdam, on sabbatical," he said.
She couldn't help but meet him in equal measure. "I am Ophilia Clement, cleric of the Order of the Flame, and current Flamebearer for the Kindling."
Cyrus froze, wide-eyed.
Ophilia frowned, confused.
"You're the Flamebearer?!"
It took about three minutes to calm him down, and seventeen minutes, five or take, to answer all of his initial questions. By the end of it, while Cyrus was quite excited at the prospect of meeting a Flamebearer...
"Ah, my apologies for my barrage of inquiries. I knew the Kindling was due this year, but I never thought I would chance upon the Flamebearer! I didn't dare think about it considering the chances were unlikely, but it is such an honor to meet you, so I wished to learn as much as I could with this encounter."
...he was still as polite as ever.
And she was still as impulsive as ever as she said, "Well, depending on where you're going...you could come along, if you want."
Cyrus stared, wide-eyed in shock, but also hope and excitement. "...truly?"
"Yeah."
He smiled, brilliant and shining, before he bowed. "Then it would be my honor to travel with you, Ophilia. I'll be looking forward to our journey."
"So where was it you were planning on going originally?"
"It is Quarrycrest, but never you mind that. I couldn't possibly delay you in your Kindling. It is nothing particularly pressing, so it is more than fine that we continue your way to Sainstbridge."
"Well...wouldn't it be smarter to go to Quarrycrest first and then Sainstbridge? Quarrycrest is on our way there, if a bit of a detour, while I'll be heading for east to Goldshore after Saintsbridge."
"...haha. That would, indeed, be an efficient travel plan if we do so. Very well. To Quarrycrest we shall go!"
Cyrus chuckled as he and Ophilia at last set foot upon the arid town in the Cliftlands. The cleric was surprisingly persuasive, but upon a brief reflection, it made sense, considering how he came to be her traveling companion in the first place. Not that he needed much convincing to travel with the Flamebearer herself. It was only once every twenty years. It would would be a long time until he would get another chance, but he digressed...
"So this is Quarrycrest?" Ophilia said, taking in their surroundings. "I'll admit, I wouldn't imagine a scholar moving in here."
"Ha, indeed, for most. But there are precious materials and minerals here, so I suspect that is why she chose the town." I can't believe it's been ten years since she left.
"I see," said Ophilia. "So where are we heading? You have your friend's address, right? Or at least directions."
"Ah. Yes, indeed. Though I...have forgotten, but I do have it on a letter of hers right here." He wasn't quite sure why he had forgotten such important specifics, but as he opened it...he recalled the particular reason why he barred it from memory.
You have all the makings of a great scholar, my friend. But your clumsy manner in dealing with matters of the heart will land you in trouble. It would do you well to not only be considerate of how you treat your research, but of how you treat others, especially young ladies. One day, people are going to take your words and actions, then look at your handsome face (you are more handsome than you give yourself credit for), miscontrue them and then be upset when they assume you are after some fair maiden without properly courting them. And you know how that goes among nobles.
...oh how she had been right. It was almost prophetic. Ten years after she had sent this letter, he's banished from the Royal Academy to quash any chance of the rumor of an illicit relationship between him and the crown princess of Atlasdam to spread. And all because one of his dear students had felt neglected as he always met the princess's inquiries for he was excited for the day when she would surpass him in knowledge, not realizing she wished to spend time with him as well. And to think I laughed at this when I first received it after she left Atlasdam... He was already grimacing from the mere thought of Odette bellowing after he explained his reason for being here and how it led to that.
"Is something wrong, Professor? Are there no directions after all?" said Ophilia.
"Oh, nothing of the sort," he said as he skimmed the letter to find aforementioned directions. "I was merely recoiling at the reminder of my friend's warning about women."
Ophilia frowned in confusion. "Huh?"
"Oh, I do not mean a warning against women for they are dangerous. I simply mean a warning in how I treat others, with a special emphasis on women, lest I cause misunderstandings."
"Oh. Well, intelligence such as yours can be very attractive."
He scoffed, though not unkindly. "Please, my dear. A word such as 'attractive' must be kept in reserve for those of great beauty—such as yourself." Not only did she appear so, but her heart was kind and her resolve strong. She risked her life and trouble with higher authorities for the sake of her sister, and she had treated him kindly even when he, in hindsight, appeared rather suspicious, a stranger approaching a young lady and inquiring as to their well being. He could see why the Guardian of the First Flame deemed her worthy to be Flamebearer. She truly was beautiful.
Though said young lady was...staring at him, as if uncomprehending. "...erm..."
"Is something the matter?"
"I think maybe that's the kind of thing your friend was talking about..."
He frowned. "You think so? But I was merely speaking my mind. Am I not allowed to tell a beautiful woman that she is just that?" It was simply stating facts after all.
She turned sheepish, glancing away for a moment. "Well, sometimes you can, but maybe for someone like you, you shouldn't..."
"Someone like me?"
"You know, because you look..." She flushed as she said, "...handsome."
"And giving a genuine compliment while appearing handsome is enough for others to misconstrue my action?"
"Especially because it's genuine."
"But how can being genuine cause such a misunderstand?" That was what being genuine, being truthful, was for, so as to prevent misunderstandings. How could being handsome while also being truthful lead to such an outcome?
Ophilia hummed in contemplation. "Hmm... I'll admit I'm not an expert on this, Professor, but I think..." She took a few moments to collect her thoughts. "Think of it this way. You know about fairy tales, yes, Professor?"
"Yes. Due to their origins often being tied with history, I know quite a fair amount."
"Well, you remember those stories of heroes saving their loves?" He nodded. "I know a lot of people dream about that, about meeting their one true love that will go above and beyond for them and loves them for who who they are. So, imagine, what they would feel when they meet someone who's kind to them and looks attractive... It would be a dream come true."
He stared at her, incredulous. "I appear as if the hero from a fairy tale come to life?" That was how he appeared?
"Yes."
"I...see..."
Cyrus has never been compared to such before. He did not see himself similar to such heroes. As admirable as their traits are, and he did indeed strive to be good as well, he wasn't... Well, he was a scholar. It wasn't as if they were known to be popular prospects for romance. It wasn't as if he was out being heroic, like the knights others would often swoon over, though he was more than willing to help should anyone require his assistance.
Ophilia once again caught his attention as she laughed sheepishly. "I'm sorry. That wasn't helpful, was it? I told you I'm not an expert."
"Nonsense. Even if you aren't an expert, you can still provide unique insight on any subject, so long as you realize your shortcomings. Such as this. I think I better understand why do I keep finding myself in trouble with women and my words. However..." He said, "I can't help but wonder. Do they truly not notice my intent? Even if I share qualities similar to their ideal, the reality of the matter should still be clear. I am simply giving a compliment in response to a quality I find beautiful or as feedback to efforts that I view similarly so."
The cleric smiled, but it was with a melancholy that...did not sit well with him to see upon a face as young as hers. "...sometimes people see what they want to see, and not what something, or someone, actually is," she said, with all the wisdom and weariness of an elder that spoke from experience.
Cyrus stilled at her words. It hadn't occured to him that it was because they wished for it that someone would latch onto any small hint that could make it to reality. But not only that...couldn't that also apply to himself? That perhaps...he did not simply notice romantic advances on him because he didn't think anyone would be interested in him in such a way, and so would rationalize the action with another explanation? However, that would be a cause for reflection later, when he had the time to solve his end of the problem. For now, he would endeavor to solve the other end, but first he said,
"Thank you, Ophilia. That was incredibly insightful."
"Ah, you're welcome, Professor," she said, blushing for a moment again. "Though I'll remind you yet again I'm not an expert."
He chuckled. "This is the closest I have been to understanding whatever Odette is always warning me about. So if you wouldn't mind, might you give a suggestion on an immediate remedy until I can adjust my behavior to avoid misunderstandings while we head towards her home?"
"Oh, um...okay," said Ophilia, surprised for a moment. "Well, I guess for starters, maybe try not to compliment a girl's physical beauty? You usually only say that when someone asks if they look good, or if you have a romantic interest in them."
"I see..."
And there were many more suggestions as they slowly made their way to Odette's residence.
After Cyrus had warned her that his friend might act rudely or oddly because it amused her, it was no surprise that when he knocked, the fellow scholar opened her door, got one look at her old friend, and shut it right in front of him a moment later. She herself couldn't help but chuckle, even if Cyrus looked mildly betrayed by her amusement. But even she felt sympathy for the scholar as he explained how he was "allowed" leave from the academy in the first place, as much of a fumbling comedy as it was from the outside. She felt sorry for Cyrus. It was obvious how he loved to learn and teach, giving his best to his students. But that best was still clumsy when he had difficultly understanding how he came across until now. If he interacted with the princess and this "Therese" was like how he had...complimented her earlier (the thought alone nearly made her blush again), it was no wonder the rumor had happened. And his old friend's first response to all of that was...
"Ahahahaha!"
Ophilia watched, sheepish, while Cyrus was unamused.
"...I knew to expect this, and yet still I hoped otherwise."
"Then the years apart really must have dulled your memory. I did warn you after all," Odette said once she had her laugh.
Cyrus sighed. "Yes, yes, I know. But I only realize what you mean now. You could stand to be more clear on what you mean in your warning," he said with a pointed look at the end.
The woman was astonished, but whatever it was that caught her off guard wasn't enough to stop her teasing tone. "Oh? Now I truly must be hallucinating. Cyrus Albright, actually thinking about how he appears to ladies? The world must be going even more mad."
A long suffering sigh as he said, "Of course I care, Odette. I do try to treat women as a gentleman should. That is all the more why I am vexed that it is only thanks to the help of Ophilia that I could even have a hint of what you meant. Which I am incredibly grateful for. I can't imagine what kind of trouble I might be in yet again whenever I return."
"You?"
She jumped as Odette at last turned to her.
"Yes, indeed!" Cyrus said, smiling. "If she ever decides to teach, I'm sure she would be wonderful."
She was thankful she was somewhat inurred by the professor's compliments on their way here, the professor having praised her often while she was giving her suggestiond, otherwise she would've been blushing as she said, "Hello. I'm Ophilia. I'm pleased to meet you."
Odette stared at her for a moment longer before she leveled a questioning look at Cyrus, likely thinking something like, "You said you learned your lesson and yet here you are travelling with a young lady. Alone." Which. Well... That was hardly Cyrus's fault. It was her and her impulsiveness that had them traveling in such circumstances. But before she could say anything about that, Odette returned her attention to her and said,
"I'm pleased to meet you as well, Ophilia. Are you why this insufferable idiot is here?"
"Oh, no, not at all. He was heading here before I asked him to travel with me." Now the disbelieving look was aimed at her. She knew what she was going to ask. So before she could, she said, "What was it you wanted to ask her about, Professor?"
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Ophilia." He gave her a brief smile in thanks. "Now, Odette, are you perchance familiar with 'The Far Reaches of Hell'?"
And that, well, led to the unusual situation of her being the most knowledgeable on a subject over two scholars, even if it wasn't that much more than them. They learned the book is, in fact, extremely dangerous, that translations were banned to prevent any use of necromancies and similar rituals, and that the copy Cyrus was searching for was likely an unreported one since the Order would've hunted all available copies. So it was all the more imperative that she and Cyrus track the book down, and Odette was willing to try and look into the book some more, but first there were a string of missing person cases that needed to be handled. And as both repayment and doing their part to help, both she and Cyrus were going to solve it. However, after the scholar left the house, but before she followed suit, Odette said,
"Excuse me, Ophilia, but could you give me a moment?"
Confused, but concerned, she replied, "Not at all. Is something wrong?"
"Just making sure you're all right. I know how insufferable he can get."
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. His awkwardness isn't that much trouble." If anything, besides that, he was wonderful company.
Odette laughed, and Ophilia would've been offended had she not said, amused and exasperated, "Ha... I should've known... He's already gotten to you too..."
...she would admit, she had been doing her utmost not to think about that. After his compliment when they were discussing about Odette's letter, she...realized she was very fond of the professor already, enjoying his earnest kindness and curiosity as he easily helped strangers willingly just as much as he wished to learn even about something as simple as the local names of plants and animals. And then that discussion over how he treats women and his interest in them—or rather, their interest in him—occured, and she realized, if this kept up in their journey together, well... She could see why Odette asked. She didn't want her to possibly have her heart broken over her old friend.
But still, she said, "I know you're his friend, but please, don't underestimate how much he's willing to learn from mistakes."
The day had been quite an adventure, and he was likely putting that mildly. His arrival at Quarrycrest had that enlightening conversation with Ophilia, they had found the serial kidnapper with some help from a traveling merchant and her bodyguard, and the culprit had an abridged and translated copy of "The Far Reaches of Hell". Thanks to that tome, and hours and hours of searching Odette's collection between her, himself and Ophilia, they had their next lead: Stonegard, where some of the best bookbinders on the continent, and most importantly, where the materials that made up the abridged copy are at their most plentiful. For now, though...
"It's getting quite late..." said Ophilia, returning some of the books to their proper place.
"Indeed. How about you go on ahead and book us a room in the inn? I will finish up here and catch up."
"You sure?"
"Quite. Now go. I'll be along soon enough."
"...all right. I'll see you later, Professor."
"I'll see you as well."
And so the Flamebearer left the house, and Cyrus would have resumed cleaning up the mess they made, but it was then he noticed Odette observing him.
He sighed. "What is the matter now?"
"Be careful of your feelings, Cyrus. I wouldn't want either of you getting hurt."
My feelings? He was confused on why would she tell him such, until he remembered when she would usually be oddly opaque. "This is about how I treat women again, is it not?"
She seemed astonished but then she smiled, if a bit rueful. "Ha, you really are learning."
"Odette..." Cyrus said, punctuated with exasperation.
"I know, I know. I just..." She sighed. "You are clumsy enough with others' love. I can only imagine how you will be when you are the one in love."
"Me?" he mumbled but said nothing more.
"So whenever you do fall in love, whatever happens, please think over it considerably and thoroughly. You need to know exactly what you're feeling, and have to decide if those feelings you have are worth keeping the way they are. Okay?"
While he was still confused as to how it got to this point, he understood her concern. He barely recognized whenever someone was romantically interested in him, so she was merely asking he confirm that what he felt truly was that form of love, because if it did not...he could decide to confess to the hypothetical object of his affections before he realized the true nature of his feelings, and it would hurt the both of them. Perhaps it was a rather extreme possibility, but it was still possible, and one he wouldn't wish on anyone.
So he nodded and said, hoping he was earnest, "...okay, Odette. I'll keep that in mind."
She smiled one of her few genuine smiles. "Good."
He was glad to see he had reassured her. But now he had to know. "Who would I possibly fall in love with though? Surely I haven't shown interest in someone and not have realized it, yes?"
She stared for a moment...and then she guffawed.
Cyrus grumbled. "Oh, come now, really, Odette?"
"I'm glad to see you haven't changed that much."
He wasn't sure what was so amusing, but he was glad she seemed to have cheered up. Even if it was at the expense of his mood, which he hadn't realized had been rattled until he after he left Odette's home, for when he arrived at the inn and met with Ophilia, she asked,
"Did something happen, Professor?"
He shook his head. "No, nothing of serious concern, thankfully. It is simply Odette teasing me yet again."
She giggled. "Ah, I see. I'm glad it was simply that. You two are quite close."
"Indeed. Though sometimes I wonder how I came to be such whenever she does that."
The cleric's smile turned mischievous for a moment. "Well, speaking as a younger sister...while I wouldn't do anything bad...I can speak from experience that even when we get on each other's nerves, we're still close."
"...now I am curious on what you could have possibly gotten up to."
"How about I tell you over dinner? And you can tell me stories of you and Odette as well."
He smiled. "That sounds lovely."
The night was warm as the two shared pleasant conversation over their adventures, and antics, with loved ones. Author's notes for this version: Welp. Turns out, nope, it isn't an Agnea-Partitio-Hikari snippet next. It's my entry for the Shipping Wars Contest about a month and so ago, featuring my main ship from Octopath Traveler I: Cyrus and Ophilia. (And yes indeed that contest is why I have this neat gold star as of posting this!) For the most part, the main body is the same. Just some minor edits here and there, mainly of sentences that I felt like I can word better now that I look back on it, and, well, the OST vids I embedded. I was tempted to do it in the contest, but I figured I shouldn't since, well, contest. Other than those, really, the main difference will be this note, 'cause there are stuff about this "oneshot" I didn't mention in the original notes because I forgot or thought I didn't really need to mention then.
First off, this "one shot" is really just me putting together four would-be snippets of a hypothetical novelization of OTI into, well, one. Each POV change is basically what would've been a snippet in here, and a part of a hypothetical chapter, but, again, since this was for a contest, I had to make it into a one-shot that was still cohesive despite the massive time jumps within it. ...considering the commentary I got on my piece, it worked...mostly, but the fact this was meant for something bigger was very apparent.
Next, Cyrus and Ophilia meeting in a more OTII style, aka they meet after the character's Chapter 1 occured, because in OTI, you'd join in/recruit the character while in the middle of Chapter 1, and thus assist them in their Ch1 boss. Yes, this leads to lots of cheesing. Not to mention the plot making little sense for most of them. Hence the change in how Cyrus and Ophilia meet. And well, the stuff I mentioned in the notes for the OG version. As for why they meet first, you can probably guess that, besides shipping reasons, they met first because Cyrus was my starter and Ophilia was the second character I recruited.
Another thing to note is some world building I did. The thing about her dad only recently trying to push for the Flamebearer to have guards during a Kindling, and the bit about it being solo before to prevent outside influence? Well...none of that is in the game. I made it up. But the reason why I did so was to tie several elements together. It's been mentioned that the Kindling is a dangerous ritual, and while a Flamebearer is given supplies, they are not given guards, and you'd think after at least a hundred years of doing the Kindling, they would do that, but there is not mention of it. And even if it wasn't, I'm sure her dad would want to have protection for his daughter's Kindling. So, the explanation I came up is that the Flamebearer must be alone in order to prevent influence on the Sacred Flame, which is shown to be possible in Ophilia's Ch 4. Lianna, while under the influence of both grief and Matthias, changes the flame from light to dark. But Ophilia's dad was advocating for a change so that Lianna would have guards, especially because he proved that the flame can still be light even of he has guards travelling with him, so long as he trusts them and they trust him in turn.
And lastly, well...actually I think that's it. inb4 i forget something and edit it in So here, have the notes from the OG version as well as a list of OSTs used (because unfortunately it's only Japanese titles) for this one-shot:
Enveloped in Kindness
The Cliftlands
Tranquil Days
Ophilia, the Cleric
It just occured to me I don't usually worry about word count, and when I do, it's for chapters, and thus I can easily just cut and move it to the next chapter. But this? I had to remove a lot, or rewrite events entirely, particularly for Cyrus, because my tendency to be long-winded plus the narration voice I was going for him and his way of speech meant he tended to, well, get long.
A part of me was tempted to just. Leave my entry as the first Ophilia POV. 'Cause I'll admit that's the part I'm most proud of. Which is ironic, because, the main idea that started this is that first Cyrus POV section and the first section was written because of me wanting to introduce readers to the setting, characters, and ship. But since the second section was why I chose to write this in the first place, I kept moving on.
I'm worried everything else after the first section falls...flat, because of my attempts to cram a lot of stuff in 5000 words without making amy shifts jarring. Yeah I could just...wait a little longer and keep editing and rewriting to condense it even more, since there's still at least like a day and a few hours left as of posting this. ...but I also spent like five days stuck on this and kinda wanna get back to other things. So yeah.
Yes, the merchant and "bodyguard" I mentioned are Tressa and Olberic, and they helped with Cyrus's Chapter 2 boss. Then they split and Tressa was off doing her chapter 2 alongside Olberic.
The second section was essentially born because of me looking at a "banter" (aka a dialogue sequence after certain points within a chapter) between Cyrus and Ophilia, having shipping goggles on from having these two always together for gameplay reasons and favoritism goggles from using both of them so much, and deciding, "Oh come on, Ophilia. Can't you tell him why he's being dense? He's an inquisitive mind who wants to learn! If there's any oblivious character I can believe who would get better, it'd him!" ...hopefully i made that believable
Speaking of, some of the characterization of them are...I guess headcanons. Ophilia's behavior is inspired from how she treats her father despite being close to him and Lianna for a long time, how she just went and took her sister's place even knowing she herself would get in trouble and risk her life during the journey, and being a war orphan, so I thought she still has feelings of not, well, feeling like she deserves being with her adoptive family, and is surprisingly impulsive as she does what she thinks is right. Cyrus is largely based on how he loves to learn, always hopes his students will surpass him one day, and that he's supposed to be polite (but apparently the English translation made him sound a bit more stuck up than he was supposed to be? I haven't confirmed it myself however), so, I figured, again, he'd keep asking the girl Travelers what exactly he's doing wrong.
And I think that's it. ...hopefully. Now excuse me while I cope with my nervousness...
