[ when quentin wakes, he feels seasick. unusual because he has excellent sea legs, but the soft bed at his back and the sudden shift in scenery has done something to his stomach, at the very least. he half expects for there to be a body in the bed beside him - one he has to delicate extricate himself from on the daily, but it's empty.

he fumbles through items left for him - devices he doesn't recognize and clothes that aren't his own. a plain dusty gray t-shirt and black trousers, but that's only to make himself decent before he wanders out in the house. his dagger is gone, and when he closes his eyes to try and map the place out in his mind - it comes up a little funny - things moving and shifting, stairs and doors shifting and turning.

it makes him dizzy, which may well be why he stumbles, looking half drunk, into the dining room. he's forgotten shoes - who needs them! - and he grips the back of one chair, staring at the decor and food around him, at the people sitting at the table. he looks a mess he's sure - covered in little bruises and bites that are hardly from battle. no, from someone's lips. ]

I don't think I'm supposed to be at this party. Where the hell am I? It smells.

[ he doesn't ask for alonso - the regent - doesn't bother to mention names. it's better if he's far, far away from them behind enemy lines, anyway. ]

[ a funny thing happens when he enters the revelry outside, dressed as simply as the house would allow. he's used to having his day catered to him, outfits and food and orders handed to him. it's no different now. he half expects to slip into the shadows, allow himself to stay hidden and watch and learn from the people.

instead, the moment a few patrons see his face? they gasp, shoving little trinkets and drinks and food his way. one woman in particular, older and very wealthy, grabs at his cheek and sighs - please give me luck, i know i'll find someone this year. ]

I really don't - lady, I don't think anything's gonna help you.

[ it earns him a slap. one that makes him grin a little bit, shrug a shoulder until she's gone. there are a myriad of names thrown at him, but this one specifically? john. he doesn't know a john, doesn't care to know a john considering whoever the asshole is, he has people who are heavily devoted to him. maybe he's the regent of this place? he throws most of the offerings to this guy away, but saves one - a red carnation, and instead finds his way to the nearest empty bar. ]

This was meant for you - I can tell. [ said to whoever he's shouldered up to at the bar, leaning heavy against it, and he produces the flower like it has appeared from behind the person's ear, spinning it between nimble fingers. he needs information - needs a way out - and needs a drink. ] I couldn't leave without giving it to you.

[ find quentin lounging in one of the baths, in a far corner on his own, soaking naked. he doesn't get luxuries like this often, and something about the heat eases so much of the tension in his shoulders. he must look absolutely lewd - what with the hickeys and little marks all over his skin. there's a particular mark just under his left pec that suspiciously looks like a fading bite mark made from blunt, crooked teeth, just off center from a pierced nipple.

he's made eyes with someone across the way - maybe a pretty thing with a heavy chest and fair face, maybe a man cut from the very same stone as the bath. either way, when they pass by idly to find a place in the bath, he'll tip his head back, long line of his neck exposed and a playful grin cutting his face near in half. ]

Watch your step - would be a real shame if you slipped.

cw: mentions of past slavery/kidnapping, possible nsfw

[ he's enjoyed his freedom up until the moment a staff member hooked him by the arm and dragged him over to a busier, crowded area. a palm frond is stuck into his hands and he's pushed to the nearest royal who isn't being tended to. he bumps into them first, front to their back, and he already knows this play, this song and dance. no different than he was thrown at the solastran regent's feet the night he was taken. a flush rises into his cheeks, down his throat.

he presses a hand to the chest of whomever he's meant to serve, a defiant little tilt to his jaw, fire behind his eyes. ]

You really want me to fan you or do you want me to put my hands to better use? Might both enjoy it better that way.

cw: blood, violence

[ his saucy mouth always gets him in trouble, and it's smart mouthing with one of the supposed royals that gets him sent to the fights. a challenge - that he couldn't stand up to anyone, that he was all hot air and talk. he likes getting a rise out of people - it means he can find weaknesses, finds passages in and out of places he might not otherwise be able to. it means escape.

which is why, when on the battle field, he's stripped to just his trousers, chest sweaty and bloody, a split lip spilling blood down his chin. but he's just landed the final strike on his opponent, a hulking over-confident guy who he was thankfully able to use speed against. he's not all too good a fighter himself, but the alcohol makes him nimble and pliable enough.

just enough that, when he stumbles out of the dirt ring, he blearily wipes blood from his mouth. it's the eyes on him - those watching the fights and others just spectating in horror - that make his hackles rise, his eyes lift. he has to look like a mess, hair and face and body sticky and battered. but he fights dirty - it's what he gets. he's breathing hard, laughing a little when he speaks - it's easy to forget about the horrors he's seen if he just leans into it a little more. ]

You want a go?

one more dev patel face for the chaos! please find him or do to him whatever ur heart desires.

quentin is a fantasy oc who has the ability to sort of "wayfind" his way through things. need a fast out? need to find an object you're missing? need to find someone you've been missing? he might be your go-to guy.

open to any and all genders for smut or other things. if you want to write out combat, go for it - i can roll with whatever!

you can find some rough info on him here on his journal. questions? yell at me over at cyclical!