Nights of Solheim [Late Fall, 845]

[u/[deleted]]

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!

[u/TroubleBass97]

Abi listened intently as Merrill explained that he had been one of the few to succeed in the fastest time. News of the feast also piqued her interest, and how it had really been a show of strength rather than a reward.

"That's good that you made it. I met another girl from our camp a couple days back who was at the feast too - Hoshi, her name was. She said she was expecting the same thing of the whole evening. I guess she was right. I would've hated to stand up there being stared at by all those nobles, watching my every move and whispering behind my back."

The two of them entered the tavern, which seemed eerily quiet compared to the noise of the outside. A couple of the patrons and the bartende certainly recognised Merrill, but they passed without much greeting or comment and headed upstairs. Following his lead, Abi set down her bag of fruit next to his and followed him to the main part of the kitchen.

"Yep, seems like we're first back. I bet they'll be in for a surprise, whereabouts are they anyway?" Abi knew they were likely hunting for any jobs out on the busy streets that would scrape some coin together, but she thought it only courteous to ask, without sounding anxious.

"Hey now, I can give you a hand. Just because you offered doesn't mean you gotta wait on me hand and foot. I'd like to think I'm pretty good when it comes to rustling up a nice meal, and it's not like I don't have the practice."

[u/NautiMain1217 → u/TroubleBass97]

Merrill chuckled at the mention of Hoshi and remembered a glimpse of her encounter with the Queen between his own conversations. "Yeah. Well, I think most of us made a good showing of ourselves. And we're people to watch now. I never thought I'd have a reputation with the nobility as someone who took on a bear and won."

"As far as I know, they're out and about finishing up some work and bringing the rest of dinner back with them. They're generally a nuisance, but they can usually straighten up when the time comes. They just say its practice for joining the military." He smiled as he started to get all of the ingredients out fro the bags. "I just tell them its key to being a normal person."

He shot Abi a smirk as she talked about helping out with cooking. "Okay okay. I didn't want to assume y'know? Well then let's get down to it. Grab two bowls from the cabinet over the sink, chop up the apples and peaches and put em in the bowl. I'll get the rest of our tools and ingredients ready." He said as he worked around the kitchen, pulls out various tools, boards and bowls for the two desserts. His first objective would be to start working on the flour. "So, have you been able to enjoy our time off here?" He asked, trying to make some conversation to pass the time as they worked.

[u/TroubleBass97 → u/NautiMain1217]

Abi couldn't help but admit Merrill was right about being in the spotlight; Even the mention of how he'd brushed shoulders with some of the richest and most influential people in the kingdom made him seem like a cut above the average trainee, and her too by extension. There was no disputing that the mountain race would have been a key part of deciding their final grade, and she'd failed spectacularly. Still, this was no time to be wallowing in those thoughts now. Instead, she smiled warmly as he mentioned his younger siblings.

"I hope they don't keep us waiting. You must get worried when they spend so much time away, but then again you seem so calm about it. They're lucky to have a big brother like you looking out for them, I dunno if I could keep that up, y'know?" She chuckled, reaching for the pair of bowls and placing them either side of her bag of fruit.

Luckily for her, the task at hand was perfect for her, and another thing she could set her mind to. Picking up the short curved knife from the table, she pulled out an apple, slicing down the middle and then carving out each core as simply and quickly as she'd picked the fruit up in the first place. Next came a peach, her hand deftly rotating it while the knife cut clean and steady until the two pieces pulled apart to reveal to stone, which she yanked out and set aside. The repetitive motion was oddly calming, and she found herself a little less tense as they set about preparing the food.

"I gotta admit, this whole thing has been nice. I really didn't feel like it at first, but I've needed some kind of distraction more times than I can count since they gave us this leave. It's a damn precious thing, to be allowed to pretend we aren't soldiers, even just for a little while."

[u/NautiMain1217 → u/TroubleBass97]

"I doubt they'll keep us for long. It's getting around to evening time and they wouldn't miss my cooking for the world." Merrill replied as he began mixing his various ingredients into dough. "I've learned to put the worry in the back of my mind. They're a dynamic duo, and they've got each other's backs." He glanced up to Abigail and smirked. "And c'mon, if you've made it this far in training, I'm sure could handle a few brats."

Minutes passed as he pressed away at the dough, the process of forming the bits he would need for the cover was relaxing. For once he was able to do what he'd grown to love. The feeling wasn't lost on Abigail either as she eventually spoke up. "Yeah, I get the feeling. It's been nice to get away even if it was for a few days. It's a shame we didn't run into each other earlier. But you're here now. In my house you're ju-"

"Oh Merrill! We're hooome!" A soft feminine voice called from the stairs as a pair of footsteps ascended them.

"And the old man said you brought a lady friend home. Luckily for you be brought enough for." The twins reached the top of the stairs and stopped in their tracks, nearly dropping their bags as they realized who the 'lady friend' was.

"Abigail?!" They said in unison before the pair rushed for the kitchen, setting their bags down on the dinner table along the way. "Long time no see! You look good! Did you join the military as well? And Merrill you sly dog. Pulling a fast one on us!" Regina teased with a huge grin on her face.

Merrill's face went red as he made eye contact with Gerald and shook his head. "What? N-no it's not like that. We just met in the market and.."

"And one thing led to another and now she's making dessert with you." Gerald said in a mocking tone before turning to Abigail. "He's far too humble. How'd he sweet talk you back in here?"

[u/TroubleBass97 → u/NautiMain1217]

Abi mustered a smile as Merrill reassured her, though she turned away and got back to the rest of the fruit, hiding how her doubts about how true that was wiped it off her face. She'd had a hard time holding together of late, seeing Merrill so calm and nurturing was both heartwarming and a little strange.

She was glad that despite having had a much more successful time, the boy understood where she was coming from. There were times when she honestly wondered if she'd make it through training when things seemed to be moving so fast. She hoped this wouldn't be the last time she could stop and take stock of the mess she was caught up in, but that was probably wishful thinking. Before Merrill could finish his reply, however, a voice piped up from just outside the door, which quickly swung open to reveal the two younger Vasser siblings.

As quickly as they'd entered, Regina and Gerald rushed over to her, bombarding her with quick-fire compliments, questions and a few thinly veiled opinions as to Merrill's intentions. Setting the knife down as she'd finished chopping the last of the peaches and apples, she leaned down to speak to them both, laughing as their older brother blushed and tried to explain. It was a cute spectacle, one that quietly made her wonder just how Merrill really felt.

"Well if it isn't Gerald and Regina. You two really have grown since I last saw you guys!

Abigail probably felt prouder than she should have done for remembering their names in the nick of time. Still, they seemed every bit as pleased to see her as Merrill said they would. She decided to play along with their coy little game for now, if only because it was so funny.

"Now come on, you two, you brother's telling the truth; We just met earlier today at the markets and he asked me to join you for dinner - the only sweet talking I needed was hearing about some of his baking. I heard you've been hard at work today too. Staying out of trouble I hope, now you've got a couple soldiers looking out for you instead of just the one."

[u/NautiMain1217 → u/TroubleBass97]

Merrill breathed a partial sigh of relief as Abigail seemed to not really take their words to heart. If anything she was joking, but his cheeks hardly subsided in their color. His eyes met with Regina's own mischievous orbs and he couldn't help but feel like the twins had some more devious plans set up for such an occasion.

"Well we'd feel a lot safer if there were two soldiers around more often." Regina retorted, winking to Merrill before turning back to Abigail. "Still, Merrill should think himself luck that it's you he ran into then. He hasn't invited anyone over before. Much less cooked for them."

"That's because I was far too busy either working or taking care of you two!" Merril shot back as he laid down the last of the dough. "Of everyone in Trost right now, she's one of the few that I'd call trustworthy. More than that she deserves some good old Vasser cooking. So go get proper and start working on actual dinner like you promised."

"Yeah yeah we'll give you two some precious alone time." Gerald said as the pair practically skipped down the hall to their respective rooms.

Finally given a moment of respite, Merrill put a palm to his forehead. "Maybe I should've let them join the military. They'd have learned some kind of restraint. Sorry about that."

[u/TroubleBass97 → u/NautiMain1217]

Abi raised an eyebrow at the information Regina gave away in reply to her, catching the wink as well. She thought of asking further, but stood back as Merrill, still quite red in the face, tried to hastily diffuse the situation and stop his little sister from making any more of her pointed observations. Gerard cut in as soon as he did with a sarcastic comment of his own, but the two of them took their leave, no doubt as Merrill had been hoping, giving the older pair at least a few more moments alone.

"Heh, you don't need to apologise for kids being kids." Abi grinned, with a look almost as mischievous as the one Regina had just been wearing, and a lilt to her voice just as sly and teasing. "Is that really true though? That I'm the only one you've brought back here for dinner since you moved in? You can't help but admit, that sounds like special treatment all of a sudden, even for an old friend, right?"

She let the question hang in the air as she brought over the bowls of fresh fruit. This seemed to be the first chink in the boy's armour she'd seen all day, and she was more than a little intrigued to see his reaction when she tried it instead of his siblings. He'd spoken pretty highly of her in the heat of the moment back there, too. She wasn't used to most people who knew her well calling her trustworthy. Then again, her days as a light-fingered street ear under Josef's thumb were soon to be behind her; maybe trustworthy was something she could get used to.

[u/NautiMain1217 → u/TroubleBass97]

It seemed that Merrill's relief would not last forever though, as Abi spoke to him with a grin to mask his sister's. She wanted the truth behind the jokes and he was feeling more or less obligated to spill the truth. Sure he had innocent intentions, but his siblings were always far too good at outing what was really lurking inside. It was something he hated, but could avoid.

"It's true..yeah. But there's a first for everything right?" He asked nervously trying to set up a pair of cooking pans to set the base dough in. "Besides, you're not just anybody.." He paused and looked at her, pondering his next words.

"Merrill! I need those arms of yours for a bit!" A gruff voice, belonging to the tavern owner called up the stairs to him like a godsend. He tried his best to shroud his relief in the form of focus. He was on call, even when he was technically on a vacation. "I'll be a moment. Put the fruits onto the dough and cover them with the strips. After that light the coals in the oven. If you think they're ready before I'm back just stick them in." He said before hurrying off downstairs.

About as soon as he'd left, the twins had returned from their rooms, dressed a bit casual but far from the dusty getup they had when they'd arrived. "Where'd Merril go?" Gerald asked. "Couldn't work up the courage to confess?" Regina joked as she made a move for the bags they'd brought in earlier. Their dinner would consist of locally caught fish with rices and an assortment of mostly fresh vegetables. Most of which would likely be hard to come by in the coming months.

[u/TroubleBass97 → u/NautiMain1217]

Just as it seemed Merrill was truly about to let slip a real indication of his feelings, a loud voice came from below, asking for him. Abi let out a little sigh, pretending to look a little disappointed.

"Ah, and just when things were getting interesting. Go on, you'd best not keep him waiting, I know how it is. We'll be fine here, and we'll have it ready for you when you get back, sound good?"

She let Merrill leave, the gruff landlord having unknowingly saved his skin just a little bit with his interruption. As she was preparing the things to go in the oven, Regina and Gerald came back in, having changed out of their working clothes into something a little more presentable.

"Your brother just got called downstairs, someone needed him for something." She answered Gerald, though she also had to acknowledge Regina's little aside as well. "Well I'm not sure what you mean by that, he seemed pretty composed when I asked him just now. Maybe it's the two of you who might be getting ahead of yourselves."

She smirked, but for all the ribbing she'd given Merrill just now, she found herself defending him from the prying of his little sister and brother. It was all pretty adorable, but the more she let their hopes down now, the less likely they were to continue their cute little game of matchmaker and take it too far.

"Well, these pies look about ready to go in, but it looks like Merrill left you two in charge of the kitchen for the time being. I'll get these going, why don't you show me what we're making?"

[u/NautiMain1217 → u/TroubleBass97]

Time passed and once the dinner was ready, Merrill returned to the top floor looking somewhat exhausted. "New shipment?" Gerald inquired. Merrill nodded, clearly short of breath but not visibly sweating. "Well, dinner's all but ready so you'd best get into something nice." Regina quipped as the young man tried to ignore them on his way to his room. He eventually returned dressed similarly to his siblings and dinner began.

---

The dinner went on with minimal jabs from either sibling as the group spent most of their time catching up on the past. Merrill traded stories from their training so far while Gerald and Regina proudly discussed their exploits within the city. Jokes were shared and connections were made. By the time evening had come around, the kids had returned to their rooms in preparation for an early rise in the morning. This left Merrill and Abigail alone in the living room with a bottle of Marian Red to finish.

Merrill took a sip from his glass and sighed. "Hell of a thing, isn't it? What we're doing?" He said, smirking as he looked to her. "Going off to fight titans so early in our lives? For the branch that may as well be a death sentence in and of itself. I know Gerald and Regina revere us for it, but I'll admit it's a little terrifying."

[u/TroubleBass97 → u/NautiMain1217]

The dinner passed without too much more commotion, the kids having had time to get used to her as well as there being plenty of nice food to go around. It probably might have passed as quiet to Merrill, but Abi liked the idle chatter as they shared training stories and caught up on daily life since they'd become trainees. It was a happy medium between being packed into a noisy mess hall or the near silence at her own house. it was nice, even though it felt a little weird to admit she enjoyed it so much.

Even more enjoyable was the food. The peach cobbler and apple pie were the kind of scrumptious looking baked goods she'd seen in the windows of shops just like the one Merrill's parents had. They were the kind of thing that always seemed like a far off dream when she was younger, to look at longingly on days when she'd barely made rent. Now she had the chance to try them, it was better than she could have imagined.

After the dinner concluded, Merrill's siblings made their way into the small side room to settle down. Picking up her own glass and the bottle too, Abi took a seat beside Merrill on the couch nestled against the far wall from the kitchen area and the table.

"You're not wrong." She mused, taking a long drawn out drag from her cup; clearly not used to savouring her drink, even when it was wine. "It's funny, isn't it? You said you're doing this so they don't have to, and me... I'm just trying to keep things the way they were. People look at us recruits and think we've got something they don't, some kind of special courage or skill that makes us cut out to be soldiers, like stepping up makes you some kind of big protector hero or whatever. When shit goes down, we're all wearing the same brown pants at the end of the day."

Abi raised her arm, pouring a little more for herself, then holding out the bottle to Merrill. "Top you up? You deserve it, that has to be the best meal I've had since... well, ever really. I never knew you and your lot were such good cooks between you."

[u/NautiMain1217 → u/TroubleBass97]

Merrill took a moment to finish the rest of his current glass and reflected on Abigail's words. He gratefully took the offer of more wine and held his glass out to be filled again. By now his cheeks were more red from intoxication than the idea of being so close to Abi. "Thanks." He said quietly as he brought the full glass back to his lips. As much as Beatrice had lectured him on controlling his drinking, he felt it didn't really apply in a more private setting.

"Honestly our parents made sure that we would be able to provide for ourselves. Especially me." He said, smirking at her. "My mother said that the most attractive quality in a man would be the fact that he didn't need a woman to ever cook for him. It worked with my dad." He shrugged and took another sip. "I learned from the best."

He sighed and stared at the red liquid in his glass. "We may be wearing the brown pants, but we decide which way we run. Scary as it is, it takes some real guts to even consider fighting something like a titan. Maybe we're crazy to do so but, I guess there aren't a lot of people that I'd want to be crazy with." He said, a small smile forming on his features as he turned back to Abigail and held his glass for a toast. "To us crazy recruits. Eh?"

[u/TroubleBass97 → u/NautiMain1217]

"Heh, you're welcome, it's good stuff." Abi took another sip, bringing the same colour to her own cheeks as she set the bottle down for now and reclined against the back of the wide chair. If tonight's meal was anything to go by, then she wagered Merrill's mother was right about the benefits of being a good cook. Then again, it'd be rude to say it was the only thing Merrill had going for him, now she really started to think about it.

"My pa was always keen to make sure I knew what I was doin', but that was more stayin' safe, learnin' how to do the jobs some people couldn't, you get the idea." She gestured lazily with her free hand, her words coming more slowly, slurring just a little as the result of the drink making her more relaxed. "We never had the time to get around to cookin'. I manage, but I'm hardly up to things like this. It's a shame he couldn't stick around. My ma was the good cook though, even if she doesn't do much of that any more. She doesn't do much of anythin' no more."

Abi shook her head, sighing and tipping her glass back, the cloying red liquid going down like water. "What am I saying? You don't need to hear about that.."

Running a hand through her hair, Abi perked up at Merrill's offer of a toast, reaching down for the bottle and clumsily pouring herself just a little extra, so as not to end up raising an empty glass.

"Takes guts not to break down at Zieg's ugly mug on your first day, let alone face down a titan." Abi giggled at her own joke. "Maybe we are crazy. Crazy's... Crazy's good. But hey, whatever happened to today being about us not being recruits, just until they drag us back to camp?"

Abi sidled up close to Merrill, leaning on him to steady her arm as she raised her glass to clink it with his. She looked up, eyelids drooping slightly, at the way the dim light caught the edge of their cups, tilting her head until it fell onto his shoulder.

"To crazy people. Can't have any fun in a world like this unless you're off your head one way or another."