volkamenia | take or leave who i am cause this is me [camilla/gerome, retainer au]

[ The four of them arrived out of nowhere: trained warriors from lands unknown, appearing before the court to, what? Seek audience with the royal family and become their retainers? Despite the sketchiness of the group, they somehow manage to impress their difficult-to-impress father through charming words and sheer ability. And so Xander ends up with a whimsical man named Laslow, Leo with a... rather interesting character by the name of Odin Dark, Elise with a haughty woman named Selena, and then herself with the most stoic of the bunch, whom she can't quite remember if he spoke at all.

Camilla couldn't understand the king's reasoning if she tried - she expected a bloody public execution, or at least for them to be locked away for intensive questioning, not an additional wyvern rider by her side - but, well. They're all strong, and their hand-picked retainers more than capable. If they turned out to be traitors, they surely wouldn't last long.

She wears the threat clear on her face as her newest retainer steps into her room. ] I'm very pleased to have you here - no doubt you will prove yourself as capable to me as you did my father.

[ Her heels click against the floor as she steps closer to him. To tower over him. ] I don't believe I caught your name before, darling. Could you remind me?

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[Gerome hadn’t been allowed to speak even if he had wanted to because he was the only of the four being reasonably suspicious about this whole thing. Even though he had every right to voice concern. It wasn't like he was ungrateful and he wasn't about to break their promise to Anakos after he had already restored their original world, but everything was still super suspicious and full of holes --!! Anakos had definitely said to go to Hoshido at first but then he changed his story now they were in Nohr.

Nohr, the kingdom run my a bunch of loons apparently. The four of them had shown off their abilities and proven themselves, yes, but the king had accepted them all too easily. No responsible, sane, king just accepted a bunch of strangers as royal retainers. And who in their right mind would trust the crown prince with Inigo.

Although with the size of Xander, Gerome maybe feared more for Inigo's well being than the other way around.

And the princess he'd been assigned to. Well. He'd been dubious just seeing her from afar but now he knows he doesn't like her.

He can tell what she’s doing, it’s not the first time someone has tried it on him. He'd lost count of how many times someone had tried using their height and bulk to try and intimidate him. That stopped working on him ages ago; it isn’t hard to be bigger than him and he knows his own strength. But not only that, she also reminds him of Inigo with her fake whimsy and painted on smiles. Her mask already has him prickling with irritation.

Her only saving grace is that behind the mask, she's wisely as suspicious of them as Gerome is of the whole situation. That makes him feel a little better.]

Galle. [He bows his head.] Milady. I won't disappoint you, you have my word.

[ Even with the mask on, Camilla could tell that Gerome hardly even batted an eye at her. A good thing, certainly - not that she really wants to deal with an assassin or the like, but it'd be a little too easy if an obvious intimidation tactic scared him away.

She tilts his head back with a finger, her sharp, carefully maintained nail scratching his chin ever so slightly. ]

I trust I'll be in good hands, Galle. [ Another sweet smile, as obviously faked as the last, clearly for pleasantries and good will but also a And If You Break That Trust, Your Pretty Neck Will Be Slit, before she drops her hand. ] Now, would you like for me to give you a tour of the castle? Or shall I leave you in the hands of your superior, Beruka?

[Forget what he thought about her being anything like Inigo. Sure, the smile is fake but it's hardly a mask and it's certainly not for his sake even if for "good will."

Regardless, Gerome's glad she takes her finger away before he has a chance to snap his head back in defiance. They have to see this through. He has to be respectful and keep this position. That means Camilla can do whatever she wants to him now. And he can't so much as raise his nose to her.

Or leave so he can go strangle his comrades because that sounds a hell of a lot better than either her two options.]

... I wouldn't dare trouble you on my first day, milday. But it would benefit both of us to become a bit more acquainted.

Now, now, don't worry about that. It is hardly any trouble if I offer. [ Camilla squeezes his shoulder as she steps past him, toward the door. ] Shall we be off?

[ And. Well. Gerome still can't say no to that, really. She keeps him by her side as she shows him the library, the mess hall, the barracks, common areas like that. The essentials.

After twenty minutes or so of this, Camilla breaks her rhythm and turns to Gerome. ] Would you like to see the wyverns next? I'm sure you're quite anxious to check in on your darling mount, after such a long journey here.

[Gerome takes it all in best he can. She's only showing him the essentials and it's still a lot to remember. He knows he'll end up walking through the halls later, at night when he most definitely wont be sleeping, to properly memorize where everything is. He'll find his own landmarks and tricks, shortcuts, that will come in handy.

But oh. Checking on Minerva - That's the best idea he's heard in ages. He has been anxious to see where she's being kept. If the environment is suitable for her. And he knows, even if it is, Minerva will be just as uneasy as he is about this new place. If there are other mounts with her she can't be happy about that either. He replies a bit too eagerly. But let her catch it, he doesn't care.] Yes. Please.

[Gerome lets Camilla lead him to the stables where the scaley variety of mounts are held; past the horses he doesn't even spare a glance at. He's been stiff this entire time, all hard edges, but his demeanor changes the second he sees Minerva.

He's still very much aware of Camilla watching him and thus on his guard, but his focus is on his mount now. Her familiar gaze and rumbly chirps breathe relief into him as he reaches up to pet her muzzle. He can just feel a good amount of the tension melt from his shoulder.] Minerva... I'm sorry, did you worry? You've been very good...

[ Camilla is indeed watching him carefully - or, more accurately, observing him, trying to figure out more about this mysterious new retainer of hers. Goodness, is he a softie beneath all that armor? How endearing. Reminds her of some of her siblings...

She chuckles softly, mostly to herself, and walks a few wyverns down to her own sweet scaley darling. With all the hubbub over Gerome and company's arrival, she didn't have the time to visit her wyvern all day. ] Hello, beautiful...

[ She gives Marzia a few affectionate pets and coos before turning back to Gerome. ] Galle, come over here. Meet Marzia.

[ Like owner, like mount - if a wyvern could look suspicious, Marzia does. ]

[It takes every inch of restraint in Gerome's body for him not to sigh, and loudly. He's a softie beneath the armor but literally only for Minerva, and Inigo on a good day. Though, he has to admit that Marzia is a beauty. Even when she looks like she'll bite his face off if he so much as blinks the wrong way.

Gerome tries to make all his movements as relaxed as possible. A wyvern is like any other animal (though superior) and they can read body language well. He can't let her sense how on edge he is, which is kind of easy since he's feeling better after seeing Minerva. He also keeps his eyes on her even as he speaks to Camilla.] She's gorgeous, milday.

Are there many wyvern riders in Nohr's army?

[ Marzia lets out a low rumble - as much of a greeting and "thank you" as Gerome's going to get when she's still wary of him. There's no obvious warning signals coming from Gerome himself, but the wyvern can tell from Camilla that Something Is Up.

Camilla keeps her attention on Marzia as well, continuing her affectionate touches with an extra set of eyes on her. ] Yes - wyverns are native to this area, so it's only natural we form a bond with them. [ coo coo and she loves her wyvern soooooo much~~ ] There are parts of the kingdom that're nearly impassable on foot or horseback, so you could also say it's out of necessity.

[ Her attention drifts over to Minerva at this point. Goodness, what a cutie she is! But... ] I've never seen a wyvern like yours before. She's certainly special, isn't she?

take or leave who i am cause this is me [camilla/gerome, retainer au]

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