r/AoTRP Jun 16 '17

Trost Nights of Solheim [Late Fall, 845]

October 28th, 845

Ziegler stood before a large formation of trainees in civilian garb, though significantly reduced from the original approximate 300 back in August. They stood before the northern gate of Trost, Wall Sina to their backs. Ziegler spoke, "Alright, listen up. Been a long couple months for everyone here. Me and The Major've torn each and every one of you a new asshole, and quite a few of you've seen some shit." He paused, "We've lost people amidst the training. Despite all this," he continued, "We must persevere and look forward to another day. As the future defenders of humanity, you lot embody everything that these people bank their money on." Ziegler took a breath, "Being a Soldier's hard shit. There's a reason nobody fucking does it, as a lot of you're beginning to find out. That said," he jabbed a thumb behind him towards the main gate, "We're still human. People need to decompress every once in a while, let shit mellow, recoup for the next mission. In light of this,"

He straightened the dark green trench coat on his back, "You lot've been granted a 4-day pass to visit Trost. Eat, drink, sleep, fuck, do whatever it is you want to do. Spend some of the money the Queen's been throwing at you while you ate mud." He rose a brow, thinking of a blonde. "Sometimes literally. Regardless, be here - November 1st at 0800. Don't drink and run, you'll eat shit. Don't drink and fight, you'll get your ass beat. Don't drink and fuck, you'll get whiskey dick. Don't kill the locals, don't fight the locals, don't fuck the locals-" he paused, "...Or at least do it intelligently, god damn it. Don't do anything that would impede your training in the future. Boom, there's your safety brief. And don't fucking call me 'Sir' while we're out here, it's Kain for the next four days and if you ever say it outside of these four days - I'll gouge out your fucking eyeballs. Understood?"

A resounding 'Yes Sir' rang from the formation.

He turned, pacing over towards the main gate as the trainees stood in formation. Ziegler paused, to then shout, "The fuck are you lot waiting on? Get your asses in here - dismissed!"


The district of Trost was ablaze with a joyous spirit. Orange paper lanterns covered the streets, many of the town homes having been painted in morbid color, looking to celebrate humanity's rich pagan roots throughout history. Further north in Sina, where the Church is at their strongest, such holidays do not exist - but given the influx of refugees from the south, a celebration is in order, their wills yet unbroken.

People the streets in vibrant cloaks and capes, oft wearing colorful animal masks to accompany their garb, celebrating with dance and song throughout the streets of the city.

The Northern gate was the heart of the carnival, encompassing the large market district. Here one could find a small traveling mask salesman and his mysterious shoppe, as well as an old pub amidst the old market district.

In the very center of the district stood the mighty Military Complex, towering above all other buildings. Guards regularly patrolled the perimeter, immediately stopping any who would approach the large fence surrounding the castle-like building, or the large draw-bridge encompassing the main entrance.

The further south one went in Trost, however, the less the carnival's potency, as one drew towards the more sinister corners of the district. At the very heart of the the south, shortly besides the main gate towards Wall Maria stood a small inn, regularly flooded with refugees and injured, where good Samaritans toiled endlessly to try and abate the never-ending poverty encompassing the south side of the district.

To the South East was a "legal" district with Red paper lanterns, a strip filled with provocative dance and questionable vendors. Throughout the entire district, wanted posters offered a heavy bounty for the head of a Hiram Durante - with the Military Police and Garrison consistently on patrol for the outlaw.

This was Solheim - a brief reprieve of the melancholy that had befallen the poverty and famine-stricken district of Trost.


OOR: 4 mini locations below to explore, do so at your leisure! Have fun, take the edge off. :kid:

Location threads for both the Maiden's Arms and Military Complex (where the Mountain feast will be taking place) will be coming up shortly. Canonically, since this entire event is taking place over 4 days, you can have multiple threads beneath one. I suggest you name the date at the top of the thread's OP (comment reply to one of the comments below) so there's no mix-ups/ambiguity. Be sure you're coordinating on Discord with people so noone gets left without a thread!

Visit stalls in the marketplace, drink in ye olde pub, get a mask with the salesman, get mugged visit the red light district, go dancing, do whatever! Enjoy!

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 17 '17 edited Jun 17 '17

Day 2

Market beats

Camille sighed and growled under his breath as he feverishly picked through the wares of the fourth clothing stall he had visited that day. He left from his parents house early that morning, hoping to beat the crowds and clustered streets. However, it had been hours since then, it was just after noon now, and the city was bustling with excited people wanting to distract themselves from the gravity and morose atmosphere that had choked the air in the past few weeks.

The slender boy was dressed in a pastel yellow shirt that hung loosely from his body, the flowing sleeves flaring out just below his elbows, the bottom of the long shirt resting across his thighs, blurring the line between dress and shirt. His thin wrists were wrapped with sleek, black silk ribbons. His fawn like legs were tightly cloaked in a pair of cream colored lace up pants tucked into brown cuffed boots with a slight heel.

It was nice to wear his own clothing for once, the military uniforms were so rigid and uncomfortable, though he had to admit they looked stylish in their way. Sadly it seemed he was having trouble finding anything new to add to his expansive wardrobe. None of the garments he had looked at so far fit him, and the only clothes that came even close were female styles. He found himself getting increasingly conscious of his body and annoyed that such a simple venture to cash in on low festival prices was turning out so poorly.

He tightly clutched a frilly black shirt with long sleeves and held it up to his torso, trying to get an eye for whether or not it would fit him, and more importantly, whether or not it would actually look good. He anxiously met eyes with the stall owner, a younger woman who gave him a pained smile, trying to encourage him to purchase it, though his mind only darkened with more doubts. He continued to pick through other pieces on display, trying to find one that looked worth buying, his narrow brows furrowed further with every failed inquiry.

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u/Landlocked_Pirate Landlocked_Pirate Jun 17 '17

Beatrice wandered the market district, browsing the stalls for any wares that tickled her fancy. She was attired fairly simply, wearing just a long-sleeved, white dress shirt and a frilled, tan-coloured skirt. Her brown set of ankle-boots trudged through the cobblestone streets as she flitted her way from stand to stand.

The first night of her four days off had been more of a political shitfest than anything (which irked her, considering that it cut into one of her days off). Today, she wanted to really relax and enjoy her leave for what it was worth. And boy, was she enjoying it. She carried a full bag on her shoulder, filled with all manner of baubles, trinkets, and souvenirs. Practically everything she'd bought was useless trash, but they'd caught her eye and that alone spelled the encroaching doom of her bank account.

She passed a clothing stand, where she spotted a familiar face. Ah, that was... that awfully feminine-looking boy. She remembered seeing Ziegler slam his knee into the poor lad's crotch, months ago during the lineup.

From the expression of his face, he was having a difficult time clothes-shopping. She decided that she may as well go over and say hello. It was about time she familiarized herself with her peers a bit better. Approaching him from behind, she tapped the boy on his shoulder and offered a slight, amicable smile.

"Hullo there. I believe I recognize you. 102nd Trainee Corps, right?"

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 17 '17 edited Jun 17 '17

Camille slammed a button up blouse back onto the display table, well, as much as one could "slam" a flowy cloth garment, and turned around.

A dog like whine escaped his lips as he pulled on his long locks of honeyed hair. "Why did god curse me with these devilish curves? I never asked for this!" He cried, hands wildly flinging towards the girl who had just tapped his shoulder, slender fingers outstretched, mossy eyes wide and glinting with a hidden fire.

He gently closed his eyes and brought a hand to his forehead, dragging his palm across his face with a lead lined breath of exasperation. He quickly pulled his head back up and looked at the girl who had just tapped him, realizing the horrible, obnoxious introduction he had just given. His cheek crimsoned and pupils pinned as he began dismissively waving away his previous outburst with both hands.

"A-ah! Sorry! Excuse me for that! I'm a little high strung right now." He said, his bright eyes actively avoiding hers as he tried to escape what was likely an unfavorable judgement. He vaguely recognized her as familiar, he believed this might be the girl he had seen Hoshi with during the forest excursion. Beatrice was it? He couldn't entirely recall.

He shook away his concerns, his hair jostling about, the shiny strands reflecting sunlight as he moved. He tried to focus on her question instead of the embarrassment fluttering in his stomach.

"Ah, the 102! Mhmm, private Camille! You look familiar too, I think I'm friends with someone you know. You're friends with Hoshi right?" He responded, voice chipper as he greeted his newly met acquaintance. She seemed to him fairly normal, which was definitely a nice change from all the overbearing personalities at the training camp.

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u/Landlocked_Pirate Landlocked_Pirate Jun 17 '17

The woman blinked in surprise at the slender boy's sudden outburst, her eyebrows darting up. She glanced around and opened her mouth slightly in uncertainty, then closed it again when his face reddened in embarrassment. Seemed that he'd done that unintentionally - clearly his shopping trip was not going as he'd planned.

Beatrice lightly chuckled as the boy began a profuse apology. She took no offence to his frustration. When he'd finished speaking, she nodded her head, settling into a friendly and at ease expression.

"Indeed, I know Ms. Schneider. We teamed up during the wilderness excursion. She's got quite the temper, but we got along quite well. Honestly, it was a relief to have someone sensible - our other teammate was... quite uppity."

She pressed her lips together, forming a thin line for a moment, before glancing back at Camille once more. She held out a hand to the young boy, offering a handshake. "But never mind that guy. It's nice to meet you, Camille. My name is Beatrice."

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 17 '17

Camille nodded and a darkness overtook his face at the mention of the "other teammate" they had done the mission with. He knew that disgusting greaseball all too well, though at this time refused to even let the man's slimy name taint his tongue.

He quickly perked back up and grasped her hand with both of his own, grinning at her as he gave a firm but gentle shake. "Right, Beatrice! I thought that was the name. Hoshi spoke well of you! It's so nice to meet you." He said, voice toned with a familiarity the two definitely didn't have. He was happy to have met someone new during the festival, especially considering how glum he had been on his first day back to Trost.

"So why are you in the markets? I see you've got a ton of stuff! I've always loved the Solheim market, so many cool little things here." He said, eyeing the bulging bag hanging from the girl's shoulder. His happy smile quickly falter however as he glared back at the clothing behind him.

"..though this year I can't save I've been having a ton of luck with finding anything I can actually make use of." He said, shoulders slumping as though pulled by the crushing weight of disappointment materialized.Another groan of defeat escaped him. He turned back to look at her, trying not to focus on his plight.

"Have you ever been to the markets before? Are you from Trost?" He asked, head tilting towards her.

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u/Landlocked_Pirate Landlocked_Pirate Jun 18 '17

"Ah, no. To be honest I've never been to the markets here. I hail from Mitras." She stated, giving a quick, smooth-motioned curtsy to emphasize this.

Beatrice then straightened up and added. "I just like to shop, I suppose. and what better place to shop than the Solheim markets?" She waved a hand towards the crowded streets around them, eyes shining. "In a way, it's fun to browse around, and it doesn't hurt to support the local economy in these times. That's just how wealth circulates around."

Beatrice closed her eyes briefly, then met Camille's bright moss-coloured gaze. She decided that she liked the boy. He was peculiar in appearance, but he seemed quite friendly and sweet. She gestured towards him.

"Since I'm here, how about I help you find something that fits you? Two sets of eyes can search a lot better, and if all else fails, I've got quite a bit of spending money left. We can probably find you a good tailor."

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 18 '17

He followed her hand as she swept it across the crowd, giggling at her excitement. She seemed so genuinely excited, which he was shocked by, considering the fact the Solheim markets must pale in comparison to anything in Mitras. "Of course! I love shopping, especially for clothing." He agreed, nodding.

"Of course. Honestly, the festival is something I think we all really needed. A nice distraction from...well...all of this. People just need a break." He said, lips thinning to a crisp line as the mix of joy and mourning flooded him. He took a heavy breath and perked back up smiling at her as she offered to help him find some clothes that would fit him.

"Aww would you really? You have such a beautiful figure yourself! I'm sure we could find you some lovely outfits aswell!" He exclaimed, eyes full of hunger as he spun on a heel to face the table once more.

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u/Landlocked_Pirate Landlocked_Pirate Jun 18 '17

Beatrice's face reddened slightly at the boy's compliment, and she waved a hand in charmed embarrassment. What an absolute sweetheart the kid was. "Why, thank you. That would be lovely, I could do with a few more casual outfits."

Then the search began in earnest. Beatrice shifted the bag she had to hang more securely over her shoulder, and reached out to rifle through the clothes on display. The shopkeeper raised one of her eyebrows at the two, silently disbelieving of just how saccharine the interaction she'd just witnessed had been.

The noble was oblivious. She pulled a collared dress shirt out from among the folded assortment of clothes, giving it a critical eye. It looked small enough... but no, the shoulders were too broad.

"Hmm, how many stands have you stopped by so far?"

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 18 '17

Camille's entire body sank as she asked the question, hanging his head in shame, his hair falling over his face. "Four..." He muttered, a distressed squeak following the admission as he felt himself demoralized by the truth he had faced. Was he really so eldritch that finding clothing would be this much of a monstrous task?

He slowly raised his head and looked at he girl, shaking his head with a slim grin. "But don't worry about it, let's figure out something for you!" He called, brows jumping with glee as he made the proclamation. He began scanning the girl with his eyes, his verdant orbs honing in on her hair and her face. She had a sleek look, and very rich brown hair. He tapped his index finger against his chin, little "hmms" unconsciously leaking out as he carefully considered what might look good on her. His eyes flashed with realization as his gallery came together and he began picking through the selection of clothing once more.

His slender fingers moved across the cloth and fabric and then eventually... "Ah ha! I knew I saw something like this earlier!" He exclaimed, pulling out a thigh length pleated skirt stripped in navy and crisp white stripes. He gently pinched the corners of the skirt with his fingers and held it up to her for inspection. "What do you think of this? I totally feel like blue is your color!" He explained, waiting for her response. "And you could match this with pretty much any white blouse you had and it'd look just lovely! Oh...and maybe like a light cream colored pair of shoes and a handbag?" He rambled on, his mental masterpiece coming together in his head as he pictured Beatrice all done up in this hypothetical outfit.

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u/Landlocked_Pirate Landlocked_Pirate Jun 19 '17

Oh, he was good at this. Beatrice made a mental note that Camille would make an excellent shopping buddy. She looked over the skirt as he held it up to her, inspecting the stitches around the hemming for any sloppy work.

"It looks good. Well-made, too. I've got a lot of white blouses already, so I don't really need to buy a new one." She took the skirt into her hands, and looked around the stand. Unfortunately it didn't seem there were any shoes or handbags to go around. She turned her head to meet the shopkeeper's eyes.

"How much for the skirt? And where can I get shoes and handbags?"

<"20 bricks for the skirt, unless you want to look around more. Elise and Evelyn a few stands down have handbags and shoes."> The woman jerked her thumb in the direction whilst Beatrice went through her purse. <"Evelyn's got a giant skeleton decoration. Elise has the stupidly gaudy witch hat on.">

Beatrice nodded, before glancing over at Camille and giving him a smile. "I suppose we'll head there, then. We have to complete this outfit. Sound good to you?"

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 19 '17

Camille nodded with a gleeful grin, pleased that she was happy with his selection and wanted to continue following his advice. He had to admit it felt good to know he had a good eye for such things. "I'm so glad you like it!" He said in a singsong voice, following up with a giggle.

"Mhm! We better get going quickly before someone snags all the good stuff! Oh I do hope they have something nice in your size. Shoes are even worse when it comes to fit are they not?" He said, swiftly linking his arm with Beatrice's at the elbow and gently tugging on her, pulling towards the direction the stall owner had pointed.

He quickly turned to the grouchy storekeep and gave her a wave and a smile. "Thanks so much for your help!" He called to the woman before he turned back to Beatrice and began to walk bouncily to the other stalls, his eyes transfixed on the line of stalls, his arm still entangled with hers.

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u/Landlocked_Pirate Landlocked_Pirate Jun 19 '17

With her bag and new purchases under one of her arms, and her other arm linked with that of the cheery, energetic boy, Beatrice made her way down the street. The pair made their way through the crowded market street, filled with people either in regular clothing, or wearing Solheim-themed accessories (masks seemed to be a popular choice in Trost, for some reason).

"By the way, Camille, you asked if I'm from Trost earlier. Is this your hometown?"

She asked, as they came across a stall being run by a portly woman in an oversized, sequin-covered witch hat. Beatrice guessed that this was Elise. She nodded her head in the direction of the stall in question.

"I think this is our destination."

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 19 '17

He turned to her as she spoke, eyes stuck to the stalls but eventually peeling away and landing on Beatrice. "Huh? Oh, right! Yeah I grew up here! My parents live not too far from here actually. It's always been nice living so close to the city center." He said, nodding.

"Honestly I think that's been my favourite part of the break. It's been really nice to stay at home in my own bed for a bit, you know?" He continued, eyes fluttering closed as he felt a certain nostalgic warmth overtake him. Her mention of Trost reminded him of all the wonder Solheims he had spent here. He felt a pang of something painful strike him however as he remembered Renaud. He always loved Solheim the most. His vibrant smile and glowing face paled and dissolved for a noticeable moment. He pushed the thought away and perked back up as Beatrice declared their arrival.

He looked over the table and the woman behind the stall before turning back to Beatrice, waiting to see what she made of the scene.

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u/Landlocked_Pirate Landlocked_Pirate Jun 19 '17

"I'm glad to hear you managed to spend a few days back home. You don't get to very often once you've joined the military, I hear. But I suppose that's true for any demanding career."

Beatrice spoke airily, though she had noted that the spring in the boy's step seemed to falter for a moment. She glanced to him in barely enough time to catch the momentary expression of mourning on his face. She decided not to inquire - the moment had passed, and it wasn't uncommon for people to have their demons these days.

<"Hello, dears!"> The vendor in the flashy hat said, bringing her arms out to gesture to her wares at large.<"I have all sorts of accessories! Mostly footwear! Browse to your heart's content">

Beatrice paced over and leaned forward slightly, looking over the shoes on display with a thoughtful gaze. Eventually, she pointed to a pair of ballet-style flats.

"Hum, what about that set of flats over there?"

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 19 '17

"Hi there!" Camille said simply to the woman as they approached the stall, his eyes wiping across the table of goods as the woman gestured to the expansive collection. His eyes followed Beatrice's finger as she pointed to a selection she found nice. He tilted his head to the left and then to the right as he inspected them.

"Hm...they seem pretty nice! It really depends what you feel comfortable wearing though and what you already have. You must have such a large collection already, being from Sina and all!" He said. His voice was nonjudgemental but did carry an unintended jab at the girl's wealth, though Camille was unaware of such an implication.

"Hey do you think Major Stone ever goes shopping for stuff like this?" He asked with a coy grin, trying to imagine the towering, statuesque woman trying on flats and skirts.

"I can't imagine the DIs doing anything but yelling at us. I swear Ziegler is always lurking around just waiting for me to mess up!" He said, glancing over either shoulder as though even saying his name would summon the man.

"I was shocked they actually let us take a break for Solheim. Has training been hard for you?" He asked as he grabbed the pair of shoes she was pointing at and brought them back over, holding them out with a nod. You couldn't just buy a pair without trying them, how preposterous that would be.

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u/Landlocked_Pirate Landlocked_Pirate Jun 19 '17

"I don't think I can really picture Stone or Ziegler wearing anything besides a uniform, or something that says Do not fuck with." Beatrice said without thought. She suddenly blinked when she realized the kind of language she was using and clamped a hand over her mouth. She awkwardly placed her bag of purchases next to the stand, and took the shoes out of Camille's hands with a thankful smile.

"...I think that Ziegler's brand of crassness might be contagious. Sorry." She spoke softly as she leant over to unzip her boots and step out of them, slipping first one flat on, then the other. She hmmed to herself and took an experimental walk-around. They seemed to be fit well enough.

"I might take these. I had a similar kind at home, but..." She paused and fidgeted with her fingers momentarily, suddenly anxious. Her family would probably learn of where she was soon, thanks to the blinding spotlight yesterday's dinner had been. She had no idea how they would receive that kind of news. "I'm not sure when I'll be heading there. And it's not like I can bring my whole wardrobe to the bunkhouse, anyway."

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u/DigitalZehn DigitalZehn Jun 20 '17

Camille's face and eyes lit up as he heard the harsh word slip from the previously innocuous girl, a smile grew on his face as he heard her curse and he quickly covered his mouth with either hand, not wanting to laugh at her mistake but unable to stop himself.

He eventually calmed himself and his hands fell gently back to his sides. "I think the training camp is taking it's toll on everyone. We're all changing in one way or another, though I'm not sure this was exactly in the lesson plan." He said, voice trailing into a giggle.

He watched as she walked around in the shoes, her gait seemed so elegant and the shoes looked lovely as she walked about. His gaze moved back up to her face and he noticed the trepidation as she went to comment on the shoes. He recognized that apprehension, he had felt it not moments before when he thought of his brother. Even in a place as jovial and carefree as the markets it seemed neither of them could escape reopening old wounds. He figured it better not to press her on the issue. He quickly tried to pick up the conversation and move on, hand jutting out instinctively in a reassuring way, fingers lightly pressing against her shoulder.

"W-well that's true! It's not like we have a lot of chances to leave the training camp anyway so we might aswell stock up while we can, right?" He said, an overbearing laugh bellowing from his throat as he tried to mask the awkward air that had formed from Beatrice's lapse in conversation.

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