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video; un: stargazer

Hey there, friends! I have a little poem I wrote for you. Yes, you.

[Well, he actually wrote it for Merlin, but who's nitpicking? He reaches for a piece of paper he composed his masterpiece on, clears his throat, and recites:]

My magic is green,
But also dark,
After hearing my terrible poetry
Are you feeling a little spark?

... No? [There's a lingering grin on his face, before he screws up the paper and tosses it over his shoulder.] Oh well! I'll think of something catchier next time.

Anyway, now that I've got your attention, I just wanted to let everyone know that earlier last month, me and a couple of pals did a little exploring in the desert on the north side of the island. It was a long journey, but eventually we found what I can only call a huge whirlpool of sand.

I would have loved to have gotten closer to see what was causing it, but the sandstorms around it were way too strong. My guess has to be some powerful being hiding inside it, or maybe some strong magics were cast on the area to keep out intruders. For now, it's a dead end.

It did get me wondering, though: has anyone done any exploring of their own around the island? What did you find?

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Oh is there?!

[Hmm... is that the sound of footsteps? the sharp click of heels on stone and a door slamming??

He knows where you live, Claude, and he is absolutely not afraid to track you down to lecture you face to face.]

[Oh crap. Time to turn off the phone and make a run for it!]

[You have to come home sometime. He's just going to sit on your stairs and cover them in roses while he waits. Good magic practice. Spite.]

[Scary... Maybe he can sneak by him with shadow magic and hope he doesn't notice the door cracking open and shut...?]

[After Byleth stomping on his dramatics he... might be a little more... sadly toying with roses by the time Claude gets back, oops.]

[Well then! He abandons the plan to sneak on by as soon as he arrives and spots Lorenz looking upset.

Claude himself might be a little out of breath as he approaches, hunching over and putting his hands on his knees. Avoiding Baiken was a lot scarier than the Wrath of Lorenz.]

H-hey, Lorenz, fancy seeing you here... [Maybe he'll get angry at him again and forget whatever he's sad about. Is that a win?]

[His expression darkens briefly, annoyance clear on his face but he can't maintain it. He's rather run out of steam by the time Claude returns and the look grudgingly shifts into a faint smile despite himself.]

Yes, well. Someone needs to see to it that you do not continue to make a fool of yourself.

[His sulking would be less amusing, perhaps, if not for the drooping tall pointed fox ears and the massive bushy tail curled around his legs on the stairs. He feels rather like a fool himself.]

Though I am not the only one looking to give you a piece of my mind.

Trust me, I know. I-- [He straightens from all that huffing and puffing, finally getting a good look at Lorenz.]

You're... looking foxy today. Animal magic? [Or maybe a stray potion gone wrong, who knows.]

I assume so... It simply happened as I was fixing tea this morning.

[Which is also why he's in his dancer gear again, unwilling to put a hole in his regular pants but needing some way to adapt to the size of this floofy tail of his.]

Maybe Marianne can help with that? Whenever you're done tearing me a new one here.

...Well, if that's even what you planned to do. Looks like you have a little project going here instead. [He gestures to the roses. Someone's been busy.]

I was being productive while I was waiting on you.

[Ugh why are you so annoying?!]

I'm afraid I may have overreacted a bit. I've had... more than one person tell me as much.

To be honest, you've been overreacting to practically everything since you got here.

[He always thought Lorenz showing up in Avalon would be funny just for that fish out of water aspect, but he didn't quite expect... all of this. He moves to join Lorenz in sitting on the steps, careful not to disturb any of the flowers.]

Although the fact you freaked out so much makes me think you really have been writing poetry here. Is that true?

[Look if he overreacts to the silly shallow surface things that he can maybe do something about then he doesn't have to deal with anyone poking their noses into the deeper things he doesn't know how to face yet. Still. Maybe ever.]

Of course not and it wouldn't matter even if I had been. [Never mind that Claude watched him pull that journal out of the ahem box.]

I think I've upset- mmm she's requested I address her as Byleth, strange as that feels. I've no idea how to interact with her. She and the Emperor are both angry with me because even in their world they never told Ferdinand the truth.... and now there's the threat of war and this Calamity and things I can hardly wrap my mind around and-

[He shakes his head a little, letting out a shaky breath.]

Forgive me if it is far easier to address something as small as the freedom with which people use vulgarities here rather than- [He cuts himself off, gestures vaguely to the side to indicate the past, everything just mentioned, this entire disaster of a world.] A waste of my time I suppose but... Byleth isn't the only one I've no idea how to interact with.

[Claude nods, and decides, for once, to be upfront with his thoughts.] Honestly, I find Teach hard to talk to here, too. She's madly in love with Edelgard, and that's great for them, but it also means she won't consider there are different ways of doing things that aren't Edelgard's way. And she hates Rhea with a venom I've never seen in her before.

[Claude has never been Rhea's biggest fan either, but this is really on another level. He looks away from Lorenz, running a hand through his hair.]

It makes it difficult to have a reasonable discussion with her, at least about that. When I can steer conversation away from Fódlan, though, we can get along just fine. I just get the feeling...

[He leaves that sentence unfinished, trailing off.] Never mind. Anyway, long story short, I understand how you feel. It's only natural to feel out of your depth, given the circumstances here.

I can not blame her for harboring ill-will towards the former Archbishop. I think, to some extent, we all do. Her reasons are a great deal more personal, of course, but... she's angry with me for... other reasons.

[He shakes his head a little, sighs and coaxes a bloom out of the tangle of roses on the railing to separate it and tuck the fragrant flower into his hair once again.]

I do not regret what I have set in motion but I do not wish to cause her any more emotional turmoil because of it. I fear merely hearing my voice is enough to upset her at this point.

Just give her some space. If she wants to spend time with you, she will, just like she does with me. For now, I suppose you've given her enough to think about.

[The Ferdinand situation sounds like a complicated and delicate one, really, and it's one thing Claude won't stick his nose in.]

How about Ferdinand? Have the two of you had another chance to talk, yet?

I agreed to give Byleth and Edelgard time to explain things to him so I have been attempting to give them all some space, no matter how much it pains me to do so.

[The Ferdinand Situation is absolutely a delicate, cautious thing that Lorenz is absolutely terrified will drive a deeper wedge between he and his friend. It's an outcome that doesn't bear thinking about. One that makes his heart break every time he allows the thought to surface.]

It has been difficult but Ferdinand deserves to hear it from them.

Right. I'm sure if you were in Ferdinand's shoes, you'd feel the same way.

[Then he scratches the back of his neck, adding sheepishly:] Well, I suppose you kind of are, given the things I kept from you. Point being, if Ferdinand knew things that you didn't, you wouldn't want him sticking his nose in your business before you've had a chance to discuss it for yourself.

The things you kept from me were never going to get me killed.

[Sharp and stern and he looks at Claude (he really should stop thinking of him as Claude, shouldn't he?) hard and unyielding for a moment. He would never compare Claude to Edelgard, never compare the lies he told for his own protection (misplaced as those fears were) to the absolute betrayal of Edelgard refusing to tell anyone else about what they were truly fighting for.

It may have been similar reasons, he's beginning to realize. Both of them felt it was necessary for their own livelihood but with Claude the worst result was some bruised feelings, not the death of all of their classmates. It's an important distinction and one he needs Claude to acknowledge. If anyone were endangered by those secrets it was Claude himself, no one else.]

But your point stands... it's something that they need to discuss without my interference. If I'd had any idea he didn't know I would never have spoken of it as I did. [Not that he'd admit that to Edelgard or Byleth.]

Well, you were certainly convinced I'd be the ruin of the Alliance for the longest time.

[He laughs. Still not as extreme as Edelgard's decision, of course, but he's nothing if not in the habit of trying to lighten the mood when they're talking about something so serious. Lorenz's heart was in the right place, so there's no need to dwell on it too long when things will hopefully smooth themselves out in the end.

Speaking of lightening the mood... He reaches up to tweak one of Lorenz's fox ears.]

We should deal with this if it doesn't wear off soon, I think.

[Lorenz jerks when Claude touches his ear, the tall silky ear flicking back away from his hand only to bolt upright once more... It's still angled slight to that side, making it clear Claude has his attention no matter how much he huffs and looks away. The immediate knee jerk reaction also has his tail flicking, half swatting Claude as it uncurls from around his legs.]

No, Father was... I just.... didn't know any better.

[Huff. Huff. Sulk.]

I'll have to speak to Marianne about it before long, yes. I'm not the only one affected though. I've seen others.

[No he does not know that miqo'te are a thing]

It looks harmless for now, so I don't think it's urgent. [Claude's amused at such an animated reaction, but he gets to his feet before Lorenz can swat at him any further, offering a hand to help him up.]

Since I've already made you come all this way, do you want to come inside for a bit?

[He takes Claude's offered hand, climbing to his feet immediately turning to dust off his clothes. Somehow the offer to come in surprises him but he smiles, genuinely pleased by the surprise.]

I think that would be lovely..... providing, of course, you've a decent selection of tea.

[But there's a little smirk on his lips, for once teasing Claude back.]

Well, there's a decent selection of teas I like, but whether that will impress you is another matter.

[Unlikely, especially if Lorenz is fussy that all these Avalon teas are unlike anything he likes to drink back home. He leads him up the stairs and into the treehouse proper, which is more spacious than one might expect for a residence literally built into a tree.

At the same time, since he's the only one living there now, it's about as messy as his room back at the monastery. Books litter every surface, unfinished maps of uncharted territory to the northeast of the island are lying around, and the table is taken up by potions, empty vials, and a mixture of various ingredients. The only sign that anyone might've lived there at all is a dagger hanging from one of the walls, which is big enough in human hands to be more like the full length of a sword.]

Uh... Welcome to my humble abode! Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.

[He realises he's about to get a dreaded Lorenz lecture at the sight of his brand of organised chaos, so he hastily gathers up the potion-making equipment from the table so Lorenz at least has somewhere to sit.]

[It's actually been sort of fun, trying these new teas, seeing how they compare to the ones he knows and which are different. Learning the composition of various blends. It's fascinating when he's always had the same teas over and over. So he's actually pleased by Claude's excuses.

Lorenz raises a brow at the other man scooping up his science lab but just shakes his head. It's exasperating but he has to admit Claude's chaos works for him and though he has a lot of clutter his spaces are never dirty. This part is one thing he's sort of resigned himself to over the years. Claude is a hurricane in everything he does, really.]

I do hope you don't usually invite people here with it in this state.

[Not a lecture, just a single little snipe.... for now.]

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