with the disclaimer that I will be slow to answer bc weekend

15, 16, 20 for both your guys w clarisse!

18 for Bene and Bastien, 13 for Fifi and Bastien, 17 for Barrow and Bastien, and 11 for Teren and Alistair

11 and 13 for abbene and 16 and 18 for gela barrow. also can i have 17 for benedict and vega

i would put fifi and gela numbers but i feel like the cr isnt enough yet

doing this meow

15. How do these two characters influence each other? Do they bring out the best in each other or the worst?
I think the answer is kind of just Yes with Clarisse and Benedict, I think they push each other's comfort zones a bit in the name of Friendship but they're also both kind of vain fucks so they feed off each other with that

I would still angle more towards Best though because on account of being vain fucks it can be nice to have someone who understands them

and they're reasonably nice to one another, which is good for both of them

Barrow's relationship to her is less advanced but she and Abby both bring out the Uncle in him. he wants them to be ok, he will make sure this is the case. I think their relationship is a net positive

16. What was your character's first impression of the other? Was that impression accurate, or did their mind change over time?
Benedict: SCARY
Barrow: aw that little feral cat is so violent

both impressions were accurate and also changed to 'but she's my pal'

20. What surprised your character about the other? What small things came as unexpected discoveries as they grew closer?
It tracks that Benedict was surprised by her vulnerability and also, in a way, her willingness to be nice to him after he tried to fuck her over. I think he's always surprised by people who give him grace, but her in particular

Barrow is like please calm down, please don't die (again), these Rifter girls need to be nicer to themselves. he's slightly surprised she's forgiven him for the door thing but only because he's so embarrassed about it

errorchord for u

dfgh clarisse probably like "not the worst time i've been hit with a door" meanwhile

18. What doubts does one character have about their relationship, or about the other? Are there any insecurities that still nag at them?
Oh one hundo percent he's still afraid of Bastien bc he has proven that little slights can make him mean and Benedict is notoriously bad at reading people. Bastien is Reading People nightmare mode

if he's mad why is he smiling. oh no,

Benedict recognizes that they have attained a truce and are on reasonably good terms rn but what if that changes. what if it has been changed for months and he doesn't notice until bastien nukes him from orbit

13. Describe the way your character sees the other character in the relationship. What's their favourite thing about them? What immediately stands out?
Fifi sees him as a sort of safe harbor. literally the opposite of Benedict, lmao
she Gets him and he Gets her and he has a calming presence and will never microaggress her even on accident

she sees that he's genuinely compassionate and cares about people, and his life has made that difficult to do, and those are the types she gets along with best

17. Would these characters still have been friends if they'd met at a different time, or under different circumstances?
god I'm not even sure. I think on some level they would be because their personalities mesh, but I think they're closer in this scenario than they would be elsewhere.

like if Barrow were still an active Templar he'd toe the line a lot more, would be way less inclined to get into or tolerate Hijinks even if 'not tolerating' just meant like. turning a blind eye

now he's like fuck it. whatever

11. Has anything in this relationship changed your character's perspective or philosophy on anything? What was it?
yoooou biiiiitch
ALISTAIR TAUGHT HER TO CARE ABOUT PEOPLE AGAIN IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR BECAUSE

having an emotional support alcoholic who sucked as much as she did was transformative and she probably would not have returned to any kind of social or moral equilibrium without having him to bully in those early days

circuitry so there

11. Has anything in this relationship changed your character's perspective or philosophy on anything? What was it?
It feels like a copout but I think knowing Abby has helped Benedict get out of his head quite a bit and like. Take himself/his perceived shortcomings a bit less seriously. she is a calming presence

that is what I want to hear

you're a monster

Abby is like when people put a dog in a cheetah's enclosure. they are completely different species but somehow the cheetah feels reassured by them. he values her a lot

13. Describe the way your character sees the other character in the relationship. What's their favourite thing about them? What immediately stands out?
I feel like I already answered this by accident oops, but he likes that she's so practical and doesn't lose her head easily, and also that she's very principled. But not a dick about it.

she's never been a dick to him, tends to give him the benefit of the doubt, and that goes a long way

16. What was your character's first impression of the other? Was that impression accurate, or did their mind change over time?
She is little and small and kind of shy. I think that's still more or less the impression he has of her, but you can tack on 'friendly and nice to talk to'

18. What doubts does one character have about their relationship, or about the other? Are there any insecurities that still nag at them?
I think he worries she doesn't like him, lmao, or that she's afraid of/doesn't trust him. you bring fleas into the baths ONE time

17. Would these characters still have been friends if they'd met at a different time, or under different circumstances?
I think if they lived in more modern times and hung out at a party and weren't required to get married they could be mean girls together and it would be glorious. like they're both Out and active socialites

they sit on the cafe patio and judge everyone

blisters for u

bene stephen 16
barrow astrid 14

and rubs my hands together for when we're far enough i can ask cassian cr questions >)

"Abby is like when people put a dog in a cheetah's enclosure." im crying hes her cheetah

shit I just realized I never finished doing this

16. What was your character's first impression of the other? Was that impression accurate, or did their mind change over time? I think Bene's impression of Strange was generally that he was a nerd/boring/serious, but pleasant enough since they chatted in the kitchen in Marvel NYC

he's come to expand on that to think he's a pretty cool guy actually, like they have a fair amount in common in unexpected ways

he's good to have around

and funny, always a bonus

14. How do the characters spend their downtime together? Do you have any headcanons for what they do when it's just the two of them and there's no big activity or big conflict to deal with?
Am I wrong to think Astrid would gladly take part in the 'shooting stuff at people with the model siege engines' when he's bored in the training yard

otherwise probably just playing cards and bullshitting

in the modern AU they play some manner of violent video game and talk lots of shit

quadrille finally sorry