[Open] The Daring, Dashing, And Dating

[ziedrich_bearer]

WHO: Gladiolus, Noctis, Any Starduck Crew (or visitors), Open
WHERE: Starduck, Ul'Dah, Limsa Lominsa, Gold Saucer, Costa del Sol Dungeon
WHAT: Shipboard Times, Questions, Gladitorial Work, Dungeon Crawl, and Dating
WHEN: During Event, from June 17th - August 10th
WARNINGS: Violence/Injuries Possible in the Dungeon Crawl
NOTES: Unless otherwise noted, assume Gladio is dressed Like This on the planet

1A - A New Star | Starduck | [Crewmates Only]

Turned out that flying a ship in atmo and in space were not quite the same. Gladio may have had some practice at the former, but fuck, the latter wasn't easy. He grit his teeth as he focused on the whole thing. After a thought he flips a switch and speaks, hoping the PA system really does work.

"This is your Captain. Feel free to come on up to get a fucking view of a glowing hole in space. And some planet with it I guess. Anyone got any Ifrit-Damned clue what's going on here? Come up to the cockpit and explain shit."

1B - Captain With The Ship | Starduck | [OTA, visitors from other ships welcome to fly over]

No one could be on the planet all of the time. Okay, maybe they could, and go and spend their money on nice restaurants or plush inns, but not Gladio. No, he had other things he should be doing, and honestly, he felt safer bunking down on the Starduck. So in the evenings it was always a touch to a crystal and being whisked back onto his ship. Once there Gladio groaned and started to shed his gear right there in the hold. Simple enough to tuck it all back into his chest and then dress in his normal gear.

"Nice place, like to visit. Fuck I wouldn't wanna stay."

He wasn't used to people being that much larger and stronger than him. The Hrothgar were getting to him.

"Time to chill.

2 - King of the Ring | Ul'Dah Coliseum | [OTA]

They had him at 'battle monsters for a purse of money'. Gladio was a monster hunting machine back home, and he was more than happy to prove it here. Granted he wouldn't be able to change his weapons on the fly in the battle, but he still didn't mind. He's doing great.

It's easy to run into him here. Gladio's often in the back prep areas, stretching and doing warm up exercises, eyes sparkling with excitement. Any might approach him then as he warmed up for a nice round of monster fighting. Of course there was always the chance that someone might want to set up a nice little spot of one on one competition, may the winner take the spoils. All it would take is someone approaching him to start a conversation for that.

But a guy couldn't be fighting all the time. And after fights even Gladio found himself up in the stands, stretched out and catching his breath as he watched the action. Maybe he might not linger as long, but hey, it was nice to see who all was a good fighter, right?

3 - Stocking Up For Later | Limsa Lominsa Markets | [OTA]

It felt it had been so damn long since Gladio had been in a bustling port down, since he could see the sun on the water and in the sky and on the beach and not see ruins along with it all. It was... Fuck, it was one of the most beautiful things ever. And so he didn't mind coming back here time and time again. First he kept stopping in to check up on Noctis (fishing, predictably). Then he moved on to gather quests for the day, intending to head out to do what he could to build up gold, earn rumors, and go seeking the secrets the Agrii needed.

He spent a lot of time moving between shops to pick up potions and other supplies, and of course he popped in and out of other ones to look over weapons and armor. But in the end the thing that gave him the most pause was any time he caught sight of someone he recognized from Temba.

"Hey! Over here!" he shouted, waving. Better to let them know he was around, and swap intel. Had to know what was going on, right? They were all in this together.

4 - Old Hand At Dungeons | Costa del Sol Dungeon | [One Thread Tony & Jon, OTA one on one otherwise]

Seek Rats, huh? Well, if Gladio knew anything, rats and all that sorta shit were in underground caves. Sure, they were other places too, but who was he to judge? Besides, they probably meant secrets, and from Gladio's experience, some of the deepest and most important secrets of his own world were in fucking caves. Sure there were daemons there too, but they'd found answers to stop the will of Bahamut in caves like this.

So, once he'd heard the cave was a thing, that it was new, well, it seemed like a place to go searching. Gladio's earlier meeting with Tony had brought him to the decision of working with others for this, and once he was pretty sure they were sufficiently geared up, he'd boarded a boat, and gone with Tony to find the entrance to the cave.

"Alright," he said, eyes casting about to make sure there was no one around before using Tony and Jon as cover to summon his sword to his hand. Better safe than sorry. "Time to go in. Your job is to stay back and be my eyes, and solve any puzzles. Keep a mental map of where we're going. And if you feel confident fighting, join in. Just make sure you get back if I order you to, okay?"

He was the experienced on in this after all.

Of course Tony and Jon weren't the only ones he went in with either. Gladio was always happy to go through places extra times, because honestly it was easier to do a thing multiple times. And hey, he was making good money from hunting these monster parts. So he didn't mind clearing the beach while he waited for additional partners to go dungeoning with. In fact, he thought he had caught sight of someone right now. Gladio stood a little taller, leaning his giant sword against his shoulder, and he nodded.

"Yo. You looking to head in? Could use another set of hands."

5 - Charm Goes Arm In Arm | Gold Saucer | [Closed to Noctis]

It had taken a week and a half before Gladio had finished the plan. He'd told Noctis he had an idea, that he'd let the guy know when it was ready. Seeing as they shared a ship, he could keep Noctis appraised at night if Noctis came back to the ship to sleep. Six knew that Gladio sure slept on the ship, liking how safe and secure it felt. And the night before Gladio had asked Noctis to make sure to reserve the day for him.

All the time had been investing in building up the Gil for this. With a heavy pouch filled with the money he'd need for the planned evening, he had awoken, dressed in an outfit he'd gotten expressly for the day, and then he had awoken Noctis. Once he had his King up and moving he guided Noctis to the crystal, and then through it, dropping them in the entrance of the Gold Saucer.

"Alright," he said, smiling as he held his hand to Noctis, "today is for us. I've got a lot of ideas, and some set plans. But you're welcome to overrule stuff."

Comments

3

[quark_assassin]

Dustin's face pales as his eyes catch Gladio's from the opposite side of Hawkers' Alley. He tries to brush off the brief connection as a mistake, promptly looking away to resume his transaction with the merchant trying to buy from him a recently-crafted bronze cuirass. Unfortunately, it sounds like the simple act of meeting Gladio's gaze was enough.

Maybe I can ignore him? This doesn't work, either; the merchant gives Dustin his coin and points out that he should go see what his friend wants. His shoulders slump in exasperation. Goddammit.

Thoroughly annoyed now, Dustin snatches up the pouch of silver and stalks his way over to the waving Gladio, a scowl plastered on his face as he slides up--

--and keeps going down the path. "Walk with me," he instructs as he passes, voice quiet and curt. "Too many listeners here."

[ziedrich_bearer]

Dude, don't make eye contact with him if you don't want to talk to him. Your own damn fault, Dustin. Could have just ignored the wave and acted like they didn't know each other. Still, it's not something he's turning away.

"You sound a bit paranoid kid."

[quark_assassin]

Understatement of the year, Gladio.

"Not like we're supposed to stay hidden and not draw attention to ourselves or anything," Dustin hisses, ducking his head. His path would take them out of the narrow, merchant-filled alley and into the plaza surrounding Limsa Lominsa's central crystal, skirting the edge to avoid the majority of the crowd. "Honestly. You people could stand to be a little more paranoid sometimes."

[ziedrich_bearer]

Sometimes those sorts of statements are what people need, or so he's always thought.

"And you think knowing other people draws attention?" Gladio asks. "You decided that being an introverted dude that flinches at being recognized is more 'normal'?"

Gladio had seen this place as very social and excitable.

"I was raised for degrees of paranoia. You have exceeded them, kid."

[quark_assassin]

Dustin's face grows a bit hot. Gladio...has a point. Not that Dustin would ever concede said point, but he recognizes that maybe his lack of social graces as done more harm than good here.

"...The merchant I was selling to called me out on it," he pouts. Then - equal parts because he's found an adequately secluded corner and because he wants to change the subject - Dustin parks and swivels on Gladio, arms folded tightly. "The hell were you flagging me down for, anyway?"

4-Dungeon!

[in_extremis]

There wasn't such a thing as a 'Dungeon' on Earth, as far as Tony knew--not the way everyone here kept seeming to use it, not to refer to the basement at the Hellfire Club or Sunset's house, but similar; a dangerous place with treasure in it. There probably were dungeons, just not how Gladio seemed to recognize what it meant, that he would need armor, that this was where they would find what the Agrii were looking for. So, Tony had to concede, a little, tiny bit, that Gladio was the authority here, and he was willing to do that as long as he was making what he thought it would take to keep them safe, but less so when he was being told to 'stay back' and listen to 'orders'.

"Sure, let me know how that goes," he dismissed, sauntering on ahead immediately. He could handle surprises, he had his armor. Not the Iron Man, but there were whole institutions in this place dedicated to the craft, who knew exactly what he was talking about--up until autonomous functions were involved, at least. He looked more ready for a joust than the sleek, aerodynamic lines of the Iron Man, sharp edges and warning spikes along the plates of the gloves and pauldrons that covered his arms and were leather-strapped around his chest. There was still a distinctive glow in his palms, and winking at his heels as he walked, that created a cool blue bloom around them as they entered the dark of the cave. He had to push his goggles up to see better there, squinting through the tinted lenses meant to face the fire and not a muggy cavern. This was eerie. And made him feel overdressed. He had been in this passage, and hadn't yet needed a giant sword to survive it.

[beholding_archivist]

Having entered the dungeon before by himself, Jon feels more inclined to listen and stay back, as Gladio has requested. The creatures within this cave have proven to be more dangerous than he liked and he is still nursing a few bruises under these layers of clothes the Agrii have picked for him.

Though this time he doesn't come unarmed, at least. He has been able to learn about the type of weapon his attire makes the regular inhabitants of this planet expect him to carry and it hasn't been too hard to acquire as well. Though of course that doesn't mean Jon knows how to use the scarlet rapier he now carries by his side. Or that peculiar contraption of crystal and metal that somehow is lighter than it looks. Does he know it's meant to cast spells with? He assumes. But also he isn't able to cast any of these spells.

"Right." He simply confirms even as he watches Tony march ahead. "They may be attacking us in small groups. That's what happened to me."

[ziedrich_bearer]

Gladio sighed as Tony basically ignored him and started forward. Because that's apparently what the guy does. Seriously, it's almost frustrating.

"No one respects the dude literally raised to know how to protect others," he grumbled as he strode next to Jon. He'd maybe let Tony take a punch or two as a lesson before throwing himself in the way.

"Sounds about standard for pack hunting creatures. What sorts of things did you run into? Wanna figure out best attack tactics. Better to think about that stuff earlier rather than later when you're dealing with a combat group not used to working together."

[in_extremis]

While he still definitely was not listening to them, Tony took the time to glance back and make sure they were keeping up because he also didn't have the patience to explain what they had missed while they were dawdling, only to freeze there and consider maybe he didn't have to get too far ahead. His gaze darted between the other two, trying to calculate just how much of a threat Gladio's huge shoulders were, and if Jon maybe also wondered how easily Gladio could lift him while still hauling that sword.

Tony's voice was loud, and echoed as he suddenly cut in, "Are you sure we should all be in here?" It might have been a little bit of an excuse to interrupt their...conspiring...but Tony's concerned gaze did settle on Jon for a beat then, with an inquisitive tilt of his head. The last time they were in a cave that looked just like this, Tony had carried him out of it. It was Gladio that he asked, "Have you been to the caves, on Agra 10? They mess with your systems."

Date

[fatedsacrifice]

Days were filled with fishing and that meant a shower right after. He was fighting one on one too just to test his skills though why he'd been driven to do so he couldn't say. But Noctis was more than ready for this date (if not a little nervous) that they'd spoken of more than a few times and it was nice to be able to see those plans in motion now.

It made him feel like a little kid again and this place was just bursting with entertainment and things to do. In a way, it reminded him of the Chocobo Festival and all the fun that had been had. The fireworks had been beautiful and the whole thing had gone pretty damn well.

Here he had Gladio with him and while he might wish the other guys were here, dating the shield would take no small amount of explaining and Prompto would no doubt endlessly tease them.

The king just smiled up at the shield and wished he had a nicer set of clothes. A suit would've been nice, but he hadn't been able to find one as of yet. He had no plans to veto anything, but he'd have to wait and see. "Well Captain, let's just get going on this date and see what you have in mind."

[ziedrich_bearer]

Hey, Gladio could deal with Prompto teasing him if it meant Noctis on his arm for any second he could steal it for. This was a dream he was never meant to live, and while it wasn't the Noctis he'd known exactly, he still wanted to take what he could get. Every last moment.

For now he was smiling as he offered his arm out to Noctis. Dude was getting properly romanced.

"I have so many things. First is we're going to go try some chocobo races. Bet I win this time."

[fatedsacrifice]

Noct's eyes got big as he saw the arm come out for him. He was totally impressed that his shield would even consider doing something like that for even a split second. But he couldn't resist a boyish smile as he took the offered arm.

And then he laughed. "You're still mad I kicked your ass back home at racing."

[ziedrich_bearer]

Why wouldn't he? He is like that for all of his dates, and this was definitely a date. One he wanted to treat properly.

"You didn't kick my ass. You narrowly won," he insisted, because yes, he's got pride.

[buildingitsir]

If Antonio had ever given York an official middle name, it might be 'Trouble'. (Though really it would probably be the human's own middle name of 'Edwin'.) Why? Because he's good at finding it causing it. Sure, he had been on decent enough behavior while in the port of Limsa Lominsa.

But that decent behavior with good intentions backfired. Greatly. After picking a job of trying to keep bothersome gulls away, York had allowed himself to get frustrated and started to throw rocks at the birds. And then broke a window. Possibly hit a patron inside the restaurant. The very establishment he was trying to keep the gulls away from. When the man came out all red face and yelling, the android turned heel and ran to put distance between himself and the keeper.

Every now and then he'd look behind himself to see if the man was still giving chase or not. Which meant he wasn't paying attention to where he was going sometimes.

Until he ran right into something almost as solid as a wall.

[ziedrich_bearer]

Well, this was unexpected. There was Gladio, just minding his business, and there was a kid. A really dense kid with how fucking hard he bowled into Gladio, almost making him stumble backward.

But hey, things were what they were, so he caught the kid by the scruff to try and keep him standing.

"What's going on?" he asked, frowning.

[buildingitsir]

Balances thrown off by the unexpected wall - no wait, that was just a guy, not a wall- York almost topples over from the sudden halt to his kinetic energy. Instead, the wide collar of his new outfit is nabbed to keep him upright.

Immediately the android struggles, not even recognizing who this guy even was. Was he someone from Temba? Or another native to this new place? "Fucking-- Let go of me!" He hisses, cool hands going to Gladio's as though he'd be able to break the man's hold on him. Dark brows scowl over bright eyes as he struggles. "I've got shit to go do," people and windows to accidentally throw rocks through, "and this isn't it, fucker!"

[ziedrich_bearer]

Well, seems like he's got a catch here, and he frowned. Still, when he sees others approaching, he moves to put the kid behind him.

"Hold on," he warns the kid. "Let me deal with this. What were they chasing you for?"

3

[the_tailor]

Limsa Lominsa is an amazing city. Sure, he might have to be a little guarded with his coinpurse in parts of town, and sure, he's got to do his best not to stick out like a sore thumb, but adventurers seem plenty common around here. So as long as he doesn't give away that he's not from this world, and stays on his toes, he'll be fine.

(Maybe he spends a little too much gil convincing the host at the Bismarck to let him make a dinner reservation later this week, but apparently the food there is second to none, and he and Keith are due for a nice date.)

It's not long after replenishing a supply of potions and getting a few pieces of his armor repaired that he spots a familiar figure, and grins as he jogs over.

"Yooooo, Gladio!" he greets him. "Lookin' good," he follows up as he looks over the older man's armor.

[ziedrich_bearer]

Gladio smirks at the approval from the younger man, offering a nod.

"Pretty used to it too. Had a set for a while back home. Actually did some chocobo racing in it."

This world? It really wasn't all that different from the one that Gladio was from, save for being more populous, and less technologically advanced in some ways. Oh, and a lo more magic here.

Oop sorry for the delay

[the_tailor]

"Whoa, really? That's so cool!" he exclaims. There's a pause, however, as he thinks it over.

"Chocobos, uh... Those are those...ostrich thingies I saw at the city gates, yeah? The big horse birds."

[ziedrich_bearer]

"Don't know what an ostrich is, or a horse for that matter. But a chocobo is a chocobo is a chocobo," Gladio noted with a shrug.

4

[renoreactor]

To be honest, Reno at first felt really overdressed when arriving in Costa del Sol. There's a beach! A beach house! Everyone's in swimwear! This would be perfect for Secret Bikini Agent Reno! But that's not what they were here for.

She remembered Long Island once talking about 'dungeons' and 'guilds' and it went right over her silver-haired head. Weren't dungeons where queens put their prisoners? Apparently not, as this dungeon was a hole in the ground filled with all manner of evil beasties. Beasties that were between the he rows and whatever secrets this 'dungeon' held. Blasting bad guys was the perfect job for Super Secret Agent Reno! Except...

Her first priority had been to find a manner of defense. Her outfit was fit for Annie Oakley herself: A fancy frilly dress with a gun belt, with a classic western style hat. This was a perfect setup for a riflewoman! Only there were bows, and swords, and were those masts those armored snobs were bouncing around on? What backwards world had she been dropped on, she's Eagle Union not the Spanish Armada! Eventually, having scrounged up some coin using her crafting skills, she found a 'gunblade'. Alright fine. Just don't ask her to stab anyone with it.

Now she was at said hole, starter GNB weapon on her back as she waved a greeting to Gladio. There's a bright smile as she recognized a face from the datapad. He was one of the big ones too, which would help. Without her rigging, she had all the sturdiness befitting a teenage girl. "It'll be a pleasure to help! I'm..."

A pause as violet eyes glanced about suspiciously. Was anyone close? She leaned up on her tippy toes to whisper, "I'm Reno. But if anyone sees us, I'm Reno Oakland, Riflewoman Of The Desert!"

[ziedrich_bearer]

That's... a name. Gladio raised an eyebrow at that.

"A lot of name. Maybe you should just be Oakland," he suggests as he considers the kid. "Or, you know, Reno."

Because if it was her name, why not use it?

[renoreactor]

"But that's-" Realizing her voice was rising, Reno glanced around awkwardly again, and whispered in close, "That's my real name! Reno Oakland is completely not Reno the-" Another pause as this is probably not the place to explain just who and what she actually was. "Completely not boring old Reno." That brings a confident nod of decision. "Though you can call me Reno!"

"So, what are we expecting inside? How tough is it?"

[ziedrich_bearer]

"Not sure we need fake names, but okay," Gladio says with a shrug. But he stands and stretches.

"Big insects. Something people here call goblins. Not bad if you know how to fight."