And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow - Session 19 - We finally have a Yuri sword duel
My fellow Americans, habemus toxic yuri.
As to my thoughts on the session, it went great, no notes. I love this new procedure we have of going week by week and tallying stress, it's extremely fun and gives me so much to work with. I can also leverage my crazy prep of having prepared a list of ~84 students when I was anxiously stressing a while back.
Also we had two bikini-clad young women fight a sword duel at a tropical beach and somehow it was still sapphic as fuck. Let's get to the recap, GENTLEMEN: START. YOUR. ENGINEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!
March comes in like a lion
Week 1, Easter - For the hazing of the new students, they go along with a scary aristocrat's suggestion that they should be thrown in the ocean to swim. They add that they should be wearing floating vests and a girl nevertheless almost drowns, but Fiorello and Giovanna save her. Cora gets two boys away from the hazing and guides them to a dark cave and ends up making them too upset.
That weekend, Fiorello studies aviation. Cora and Giovanna play beach volleyball with Cora's younger sister and fairy changeling, Corina, and Giovanna's rival and frenemy, Claudia. Giovanna fucks it up ROYALLY - by spiking a volleyball directly into Corina's face to impress Claudia - and Corina challenges her to a duel then and there. They clash swords (got a tie on the dice and I'm not going to waste an opportunity like that) and face off angrily, yelling insults, but right after that Giovanna bats Corina's sword away, beats her in the face, and towers over her, sword down.
Corina runs away crying and humiliating herself.
Week 2 - Everyone studies to get their grades up.
Week 3 - Cora and Giovanna study. Fiorello successfully plays peacemaker with Corina, bringing her a gift of sorry from Giovanna and mollifying her.
Week 4 (Annunciation of Mary) - There's a parade through town over the holiday and the three attend it, along with Cora's girlfriend Belina, and the two first-years they met: Sylph and Hokuao. Everyone has a great time watching the procession and praying, except for Sylph.
That weekend, Cora takes Giovanna to meet the Mourning Dove, a sort of folkloric, mysterious bishonen student which is hot as hell, and they go out drinking in the night. Fiorello hits the books.
April of our discontent
Week 1 (Antor's Garden Party) - A 2nd year student, their junior, throws a garden party and a lot of the knightlier student body attends. Cora and Giovanna hang out together and tell people of their adventures in the Jungle. Cora makes a fool of herself while Giovanna hops in to humblebrag about her own role, and knights appreciate some vainglory.
Meanwhile, Fiorello takes Sylph to meet the big and scary student Carno Carsi, who tells him he intends on starting a mercenary company after he graduates. They get into a debate regarding whether a knight must follow his ambition or his judgement of a war being just or not, with Carno arguing that any war that is won is just, because God would not allow an army to win the day if they did not deserve it; Fiorello disagrees slightly, saying one must strive to perceive the justness of war before hopping into it to seek glory. Hopelessly outmatched, Carno settles the debate and moves on, but they have a pleasant time.
Week 2 (Ruggantius' Sojourn) - Cora and Giovanna decide to study. Fiorello goes on a sojourn in the Sierra organized by a 6th year student, and meets a few of his upperclassmen. They do not seem to like his placid demeanour, encouraging him to be more fiery and passionate, but he gets to hang out with the Mourning Dove a bit more.
And that's where we left off. Next week, they will be acting as WAITERS for the faculty meeting, we'll see what kind of shenanigans they'll get into.
