compassion ;

✧ lucius fe7 ✧ faith professor (golden deer) affiliated with toa

[alluxerim]

dream unspoken

⤷  ethereal ball 2025: continued from here

[unslake]

Arvis hums, thoughtful—perhaps appreciative, or perhaps merely an observer of the other's remarks. The words make little to no impression upon him, and he allows them to linger in his mind for a fleeting moment, like the shadows of swirling leaves, before his attention turns elsewhere.

To the endless waters, dark, impenetrable, and insouciant toward the glittering lanterns—those frivolous things of human desires, unable to illuminate the depths with more than just innate selfishness. Is he himself any different? Of course.

Unlike those who wrote their wishes into the lanterns, he has seized his dream. He has enacted his wish, made real the beginnings of something once thought impossible.

Why waste the time to write it down, when one can simply will it into being?

“Something small...” Arvis echoes, delayed by apparent rumination. The inscrutable smile on his face shifts along with the moving shadows, their movement softening the edges of his face. “If I may ask, what is it that you pray for?”

[alluxerim]

"Peace," Lucius says, "Not just for the world, but within each person's heart. There are many people who are suffering, even without a war or open conflict."

The waves lapping against the sand have grown in their intensity, and the string of lights against the water flicker as well, a few overturned by the tumultuous waters. I hope that means they have been received already. He lets that thought soothe over the instinctual pang at the sight of those wishes, sinking into the depths.

"...We're powerless to do things by ourselves, sometimes," he says, after a slight pause, "In that way, I suppose it's reassuring to believe there could be someone watching over us, who'll hear wishes and will give an answer in time."

Trusting in something bigger than oneself takes a particular kind of faith, though, and Lucius doesn't expect everyone he meets to want to rely on something like that. Still, people wish, no matter where they place their beliefs.

"Is there something like that for you? Something that's simple, but that you still hope for every day?"

[peerlessscowl]

let me apologize, to begin with

[peerlessscowl]

"But you should have." It wasn't quite a snap, but the irritation wasn't masked. 

The pieces came together, and for a moment Raven felt a pang of shame that he had not been able to send word that things were all right - there was a part of him, as well, that thought that perhaps if Lucius heard that anything was amiss, regardless of its being righted that he would have made the journey anyway - but the emotion that kindled and sparked first was his frustration that at the first sign of danger, Lucius had leapt headfirst in. 

Raven drew in a breath through his nose sharply, holding it for a second longer than usual in an attempt to keep the bite from coming out - he had been getting better at it - and the frown in his brow creased upward, pained, incredulous. 

"The war had passed, and I'm fine, as you can see – but what if it hadn't? What if had expanded outward to the sea? You see the destruction here now, and I cannot even describe the way things occurred – it was light, Lucius, everywhere. What if you had gotten yourself caught up in it?" 

There was the unspoken statement, as there always was, that tug-of-war between the two of them, and while his perspective had worn down to something softer, the instinct still occasionally raised its head - that Lucius had something to live for, and that he did not. 

Another sigh, but gentler this time. "You look terrible. Come inside, there should be some bad tea about. I believe that's all there is, but it's better than ship water." 

[alluxerim]

Expression unchanged, Lucius remains quiet amid Raven’s frustration, though he lets each word sink into his mind, mulling over them like fingers folding over rough cloth.

‘I was scared to lose the last of my family,’ Raven had once said to him, and Lucius understands that worry, understands the risks he’d taken to come here in the midst of an uncertain war, he does. But the same goes for him too, doesn’t it? Lord Raymond is the only person he could call family, for now.

He won't leave family alone to suffer harm, not anymore, not now that he could extend what strength he had to protect those who are dear to him. If he had to be hurt in the process, then so be it.

(Even if he had to die, then so be it. He still won't leave, because—)

You are more important to me than that. He doesn’t speak it aloud in such words, trusting Raven to already know. (For why else would he have come?) Instead, Lucius gives a tired, grateful smile, inclining his head at the softening tone, the kind offer.

“My place is always by your side,” he says serenely, explanation, retort and compliance all in one, and follows his friend within.

[alluxerim]

june activity check

status - passed total points - 8 → 9

skill point allocation: monthly: faith (B → B ½)

[alluxerim]

with starlight upon you

⤷  ethereal ball 2025: continued from here

[serraic]

Why? Well, that’s an easy question — the simplest there is, with an answer right on the tip of her tongue. “Because I’m beautiful, of course! What other reason is there?” There’s no stronger reason in the world for a boy to love a girl, after all! “So in a way, sort of! But he confessed to me a while ago. Before the dance.” Actually, she remembers looking pretty bad on that day, by pure happenstance. But it was bad by her standards. Not bad overall. Right. She has to keep that in mind. Bad by her standards is still overwhelmingly gorgeous to him.

She sighs. “I’m surprised you don’t have someone with you tonight, Lucius. If I were as pretty as you, it wouldn’t’ve taken Erk so long to be by my side. And I wouldn’t have to be so scared of him leaving me.”

But Lucius is much more demure than she is... he’s probably had far worse luck forging friendships. ... Not that she’s lousy with people wanting to be her friend, either. Even if she’s nice to people, they usually only get mad, or overwhelmed with her, for some reason.

Not Lucius. He’s always been nice to her.

“You know, Lucius... I knew from the moment I met Erk that I loved him. I’ve been waiting all this time for him to confess to me. So my plan — it has to work. Or...”

Or, what? She doesn’t seem to know. Amethyst eyes flutter around, unsure, and nervous.

[alluxerim]

"Please... please don't..." But Lucius falters before he could express exactly what he didn't want Serra to voice, ultimately falling silent with an uneasy look. Fewer comments he gets these days are fully disparaging, it's true, and he knows Serra doesn't mean ill by it, but he would never truly be used to comments about his appearance.

He brushes over it like he always has, instead continuing to focus on Serra's supposed 'plan'. Her fears are understandable, but in the end, he could only hope to guide her away from something like this.

"You didn't think worse of me when you found out I wasn't just not a noble, but grew up in an orphanage, right?" He remembers her tears, remembers being touched by her kindness and grateful for the chance at a true connection, instead of one built upon false admiration of a beauty that didn't hold meaning in his heart.

"Maybe he doesn't share the same background as you or I, but I think he'll be able to understand that that's an important aspect of your life," he continues gently. For all her exuberance, there's a sensitive and bright soul shining within her, and all of it, all of her, deserves to be embraced as it is. And besides...

"Even if he never found out, would you really be happy with someone if you have to live the rest of your life hiding part of who you are?"

[peerlessscowl]

let me apologize, to begin with

[peerlessscowl]

The town was shaping up nicely, if one asked him. Which they did, frequently enough that he noticed - part of him wanted to rationalize it as simply understanding that when he lent his hand at rebuilding, those affected would look to those nearby for reassurance, but as time went on Raven began to understand that it was more due to the familiarity of him, of seeing him about the town, the understanding that he was one of them.

It wasn't a sensation that sat comfortably with him, but was not one that he shook off or dismissed, either. Burnt roots did not creep downward to find purchase, and he did not think that he would make his home here - but others had, and he would help them pick up for their loss, if he could.

His relationship with the innkeeper was perhaps the greatest surprise, borne of nothing but his quiet demeanor and paying his bill on time, which he supposed would have been good enough to earn the trust of those who needed that most. The man was insistent on hosting Raven again, if possible, and even though it was lean-to and skeleton structures, Raven was happy to allow it, for now.

After that…

The name that called out over the busy space almost slipped past him entirely, if not for the gooseflesh it dragged across his back. Raven stiffened, knowing that there remained some that referred to him by that name here, but that most had adjusted to the change - it did not feel like a threat, but his fingers flexed regardless, blade distressingly far away as he turned -

"Lucius?"

He blinked. Then again.

Brow furrowed, half a step forward.

"Lucius? What - "

Then his steps lengthened, eating up the space between them as his friend hurried closer, and Raven saw the lines on his face, the fatigue, the worry - he would not have made the trip unless something was direly wrong -

"What is it, what's happened?" Hands came up to rest steadily on Lucius' shoulders, gripping firmly as though he himself needed the reassurance.

[alluxerim]

"Wh— I was going to ask you the same!" Though his voice rises in surprise, Lucius doesn't move out of Raven's grasp, drawing comfort from the warm weight settling on his shoulders even as he stands steady as a calming presence. He looks back towards the direction he'd come from briefly.

"Godwin mentioned there had been trouble with some of the letters, so I went to the harbor to ask, and they said there was trouble in Fódlan," he explains, mirroring Raven's expression as the rubble and other debris he'd passed by earlier came to mind. "My letters couldn't get through, and I was worried that you'd run into something dangerous, so I asked whether there was a ship that still came here..."

Just the one, at the end, and the atmosphere of the ship had been filled with a strained apprehension as its passengers head into an uncertain situation, many for similar reasons as Lucius himself. He'd tried to provide whatever reassurance he could, but his own, clear worry over the state of the distant continent had rendered his comfort rather limited.

"The villagers offered to help look after the house," he adds hastily, aware that his explanation of his journey is likely to cause at least some amount of exasperation. The villagers have been so kind in their support, ready to welcome the addition of an orphanage in their midst with open hearts, something Lucius has been thankful for day after day. Still, he would put all that on pause if it meant heading to his friend's side.

"I couldn't just sit there when you could've been caught up in another war so far away from home."

[moriddyn]

s-ice-ghtseeing

[moriddyn]

A sudden cold front has frozen the pond solid. Faculty try their best to keep students away out of concern for safety, but there’s so much to do and simply not enough staff to go around that before long, the ice surface goes unmanned. An industrious shopkeep has been selling blades on the sly, claiming you attach them to your boots, that you might glide over smooth surfaces with all the grace of a swan… Just remember, there’s no shame in falling so long as you get back up to try again! starter for @alluxerim

It’s a terrible idea.

Even stepping one foot on the ice causes him to slip slightly, never mind attempting to do so while wearing the bladed shoes that everyone else was wearing. How would he even get around? What would he do if his sight fails in the middle of the activity?

Perhaps it fate, then, that he cannot get more than one foot onto the ice anyway, and hardly for long. That wasn’t just a lack of dexterity on his part, it was hesitation. He can reason away that it is not so dangerous to simply step on the edge of the ice, that he could return to the side in mere seconds, but no matter if he does, he cannot seem to take just one more step.

Elffin does not mean to get frustrated, but on yet another failed attempt to move- to lift the leg that held him steady on the ground and place it onto the ice, finding it stuck in place as he never could truly shift his balance onto the pond’s surface itself- he finds a rising irritation. Standing there awkwardly does him no favors as well, and in just moments, his other leg moves back instinctively to solid ground.

In the end it is caution, that slight fear that he can’t quite get over, that wins; so he settles for sitting at the edge of the ice, watching other students glide instead.

[alluxerim]

After about a half hour of valiant attempts, Lucius has learned one very important fact about students and young people in general: if they are curious enough to try something, no amount of verbal fussing and (admittedly gentle) obstruction is going to stop them.

Now, this is useful knowledge for his future in caring for children, but for now... he settles on pacing fretfully along the edge of the giant ice pond, staff in hand, keeping an eye out for any hint of danger. If he couldn't keep everyone from doing the dangerous thing, then at least he could help out the moment anyone runs into real risk of harm, right?

His flickering gaze soon lands on a young man, at the repeated, aborted efforts that finally end in a retreat into a seated position at the side of the pond.

Something inside Lucius' heart tugs, not uncomfortably but still insistent. For some reason, seeing a student give up on their efforts to head into danger doesn't quite bring forth the relief he'd imagined. He walks along the edge of the ice until he reaches the other's side.

"It does feel rather scary, doesn't it, to head onto the ice?" he asks lightly, "But they seem to be having fun too..."

[prettythought]

kiss roulette

inspired by the infamous "i want the k" meme by deactivated tumblr user tastcful. send 🎲 to generate a kiss! potential suggestive/nsf.w themes may appear

A kiss on the cheek

A kiss on the nose

A kiss on the forehead

A kiss to the top of the head

A firm kiss

A gentle peck

A romantic kiss

A platonic kiss

A kiss to the eyelid

A kiss along the jawline

A kiss to the neck

A kiss along the collar bone

A kiss on the chest

A kiss to the stomach

A kiss along the hips

A kiss in the rain

An upside-down "Spider-Man" kiss

A kiss while laughing

A kiss underwater

A rough kiss

WILDCARD! Dealer's choice :)

A french kiss/kiss with tongue

A kiss influenced by alcohol/other substances

A sleepy kiss

A kiss that's an accident

A kiss while one or both parties are crying

A kiss in greeting

A kiss in parting

A kiss to the back of the hand

A kiss to the palm of the hand

A kiss to the inner thigh

A kiss while someone watches

A kiss to a scar, birthmark, injury, or other marking

A kiss after a bite

A kiss against a wall

A kiss to the shoulder

A kiss to the back of the neck

A kiss while one party is carried

A tentative kiss

An impulsive kiss

A kiss out of spite

A clumsy kiss

A bloody kiss

[alluxerim]

may activity check

status - passed total points - 7 → 8

skill point allocation: monthly: faith (C+ ½ → B)

acquired (faith b): aura

[alluxerim]

with starlight upon you

⤷  ethereal ball 2025: continued from here

[alluxerim]

The words are spoken so easily, so full with her usual vivaciousness, that the whiplash hits all the harder.

"Serra..." It's hard to hide the stricken expression on his face as she speaks of her plan, an ache nestling its way into his chest at the casual cruelty Serra lashes upon herself in speaking of her past.

(He understands it, the deep despair of a past filled with loneliness and suffering. The feeling of being forever tainted by it, forever undeserving of kindness that could be freely given by others. He too had lived it.

...Even so, especially so, he would reach out and take her hand, so that neither of them would drown within it.)

"Why do you think Erk said he loves you?" Lucius asks, the pain in his expression softening into something gentler, "It isn't just because you dressed up tonight, right?" It doesn't even sound like it happened tonight, really. And while he doesn't know Erk enough to claim knowledge of his heart with any kind of confidence, he doesn't think the younger mage is the type to take such words lightly or to say them on a whim.

@serraic

[alluxerim]

dream unspoken

⤷  ethereal ball 2025: continued from here

[alluxerim]

"It can be hard to put your wishes down into writing." The scrap of paper soars away, buffeted by the wind, and Lucius glances at it before turning his attention back on the stranger.

"What I wrote on my own slip is the same thing I already pray for each day," he admits with a soft laugh, "Maybe it's nothing too special for the occasion, but I'm happy with that."

Peace, for all who suffer. Joy, for those who are yet in need of it. It's not an easy wish, by any means — for how close is it, really, to being fully attained? — but it is a simple one. One that he could work towards, bit by bit, even with his own paltry efforts.

"You can start with something small," Lucius prompts, tilting his head up towards the other, attempting to see through the shadows to the man beneath, "I don't think it needs to be your grandest dream put out there on the water. Just one thing, anything, that you'd be glad to know the heavens have heard."

@unslake

[alluxerim]

gives this mouse a cookie. gives that mouse a cookie. gives that m

⤷  mission board: excavation — authority +1

[alluxerim]

It is a quiet society, you’ve come to learn. People keep to themselves unless they need something. This isn’t to say they aren’t wont to help one another out, mind you - many of the denizens here operate under the ‘scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ philosophy. So you decide to help with an errand, right? Great. Easy. Or so you thought... [Grants Authority +1]

"So we’ll need to find red and yellow dye for the candlemaker before he can give us the wax…" Lucius summarizes as they head out of the little storefront. And that’s for the scribe, who has something for the apothecary, who has something for the carpenter, who has something for… The list goes on and on.

He turns to Raven with a wondering expression. "I didn’t think an underground village like this would be so big," he says, "It has almost every kind of job you’d expect from a normal town."

And it seems like half its inhabitants had some request or other for the first willing helper to walk through their doors. Truth be told, when Lucius easily accepted the baker’s request for a ‘little favor’, hours ago in the early morning, he hadn’t expected the chain of errands that followed. And while he wouldn’t mind walking through the town all day if it meant fulfilling all the villagers’ needs…

His gaze flitters away from Raven, hesitantly landing in the distance, towards the direction the candlemaker had pointed them. "If you have something else important to take care of, Lord Raymond, I’m fine on my own for this," he says, voice soft with unspoken apology, "I wouldn’t want to hold you up longer than I already have, if you’re busy."

@peerlessscowl

[alluxerim]

your best foot forward

⤷  ethereal ball 2025: continued from here

[bladeunbound]

Ah- he knew there was something he forgot to say.

But it's already started now! Lucius holds the sword and with how the music swells behind him, colors the moment in triumph, he imagines this is how it must feel when knights reign victorious for their kings or something like that.

Truly, Shez doesn't know if he can be that sort. Eyes in awe, he watched so intently he was sure he could get it and yet-

He looks at the sword and his eyes can only be described as complicated.

"Actually- I think I'd like to try being 'lady'...if it's alright!" His reasons for it were entirely selfish. "I...really want to dance with someone tonight but I don't have much experience...I don't wanna trouble you to teach me the whole thing over and over but if I can feel where I'm supposed to be maybe I can lead her well..."

[alluxerim]

There’s a relief that comes from hearing those words, and even though the student is unlikely to understand the reason behind it, Lucius’ expression relaxes a fraction, shoulders squaring in a semblance of the confidence he’d seen in the swordsmen he’d fought alongside. Some students learned best by example, and he is glad for this chance to teach.

"I’ll keep leading, then," he agrees easily, holding out a hand towards the other, "Please follow me and keep watching for the steps."

The music begins a new verse, and Lucius repeats his earlier steps, the lightweight sword dancing through the air but never too close to his partner. Instead, he tugs softly at the other’s hand, guiding him into the appropriate positions with each of their steps.

[alluxerim]

Leif feels the gaze of someone on him. In a place like a ball, it's a given that someone will be looking at you at one point or another; it's difficult for that to never be the case with this many people in attendance. But this one felt more purposeful yet not as familiar. If it was someone who knew him well or had the clear intent to wish to talk to him, they would have already approached him, wouldn't they have? And it hardly felt discomforting enough to be someone more nefarious...

But it doesn't leave his mind, his attention equally held captive by it as much as he must have captured the attention of whomever this was. He casts glances around, trying to find them, until his eyes finally lock with the culprit.

“ You!! ”  He dashes then to catch the blond-haired man, wanting to get to the bottom of it. But as he grows nearer, the slight foggy feeling of recognition begins to set in. This man...

“ You were looking at me, right? ”  Leif accuses him, no judgment evident in his tone but instead genuine intrigue.  “ It's because... we've met before, right? Years ago... ”

The puzzle pieces snap into place, Leif grasping onto stray memories and forging them together.

“ Yeah! You were in that book with me. The... The... ”  Damn it. The name of the volume escapes him ever since the title and all the text had disappeared from his personal copy. But he knew his time there. He knew those trees.  “ We battled together against the tree. That was you, wasn't it? ”

It seems that meeting old friends is not a rare occurrence during this ball, or maybe just in Fódlan in general. He’d met a number of people who had traveled with Lyn and Hector back in Elibe, so when Lucius next lays eyes on a figure stirring a sense of familiarity within him, he’s initially unsurprised.

It’s only upon attempting to recall the other’s name, or at least the circumstances of their meeting, that Lucius draws a murky blank, gaze lingering on the other’s face with an increasing sense of confusion. He remembers most of the people he’d fought alongside, by face if not by name, and the number of people he’d interacted with after that had been few and consistent.

He’s spared any additional puzzlement by the young man’s quick approach, a supposedly similar familiarity followed by…

Years ago, in a book, fighting… a tree? Lucius racks his mind for any incident that might fit that description, either from the war or afterwards. It really doesn’t sound like something easily forgettable, but nothing even close to that comes immediately to mind. He can’t even make sense of what possible scenario that might be. Maybe he’d been wrong?

"I’m sorry for staring," he says, ducking his head in a light, apologetic bow, "I thought you looked familiar too, but… maybe we’ve both mistaken one another for someone else." Up close, the young man doesn’t look any more familiar than he did from a distance, though the same, odd feeling of déjà vu doesn’t quite leave the back of his mind. As though to assuage it, Lucius reaches for his wrist, taking a pearl and holding it out to the other.

"It’s nice meeting you, nonetheless. My name is Lucius, and I’ll be a professor of the Golden Deer." Maybe given an unfamiliar name, that weird feeling would finally dissipate.

[alluxerim]

“Lucius?!”

Surprise strikes at the center of her chest as she lays on the hay-haired priest, eyes lit like the lanterns flickering around them and on the surface of the ocean. This is one shrill name-calling that Erk, who has stepped away to get her drinks, could perhaps forgive her for. For who would have thought that Lucius would appear so suddenly, in the midst of a party, of all things?

“Lucius, is that really you?” She picks up the edge of her dress as she pounces towards him, and clasps her hands with his. In her part, Serra is transformed — pink hair in a bun, long, flowing dress, marks of light make-up. She looks like a totally different girl than the one that had fought aside him years ago.

“I can’t believe it! You’re really here! You look...” Exactly the same! He hadn’t even dressed up. “... Well!” Not even the storm of flat fashion can rattle the battlements of this girl’s castle. “And we both have pearls! Here, let’s trade! Lucius, you won’t believe who I’m here with, as my date. Guess. It’s a boy. You know him. Go on, guess.”

"Oh— Serra!" Lucius' voice is considerably quieter than hers, but no less warm, regarding the younger cleric with a fond look as he grips her hands back, "What a blessing of St. Elimine's that has brought us all here again. You look quite beautiful."

In the years since he's last seen her, Serra had clearly grown and matured, especially dressed up as she is tonight, though it seems her personality is as excitable as before. Smiling indulgently, he hands over his own pearl in exchange, though he pauses a little at Serra's next insistence. There hadn't exactly been time to keep up with the love lives of their younger allies during the chaos of battles and the marching in between. He does make an honest effort to recall whom Serra tended to spend time with.

"Ah... Is it Matthew?" he guesses, a little helplessly. They both served House Ostia, last he knew. Maybe that was enough for them to decide to travel together even after the conflict?

[alluxerim]

storm's eye

⤷  ethereal ball 2025: continued from here

[alluxerim]

"That's everything." Lucius lets Karel draw in closer, remembering the swordsman's words from years ago, about how he could feel calm around him. Lucius would gladly be that soothing presence again. He also lowers his voice as he next speaks.

"There's something that ails all of us," he says, "I also suffer from a weakness of the soul, and I don't think I'll ever be able to be free of it completely. There may be good days and bad days, but I think... it gets better over time."

He hadn't been able to speak so much, so freely with Karel when they were on the battlefield, not just for the surrounding dangers but also with the other man's condition being as it was before. Now, though... it feels like there's a better connection. Lucius smiles.

"You're strong to be able to keep those urges under control as much as you do," he says earnestly, gentle eyes seeking out the other's gaze, "But it's not a burden you have to take on alone."

He reaches for his bracelet, unclasping one of his own pearls and holding it out to Karel, like an unspoken promise. I'll be here, if you should need me.

@otgolokh

[alluxerim]

your best foot forward

⤷  ethereal ball 2025: continued from here

[alluxerim]

Any nerves Lucius might feel over asking a stranger to dance bleeds away at the clear enthusiasm from the younger man, and he smiles warmly.

"Alright," he agrees, and he takes one of the false swords — wood, much lighter than even a training sword, but painted over with a glossy sheen to emulate metal — offered to the dancers, before turning back and returning the bow. "My name is Lucius," he says, "I'm very glad to share this dance with you."

He raises the sword, and as the music next swells, feet begin to move solemnly in time with the beat, following the memories of the dancers he'd seen in the past. A swing of the sword, an outstretched hand, a quick step and a stab. It makes him think of his friends and allies in the past, how brave and heroic their deeds are, and the memory fills him with that strength as well. For a moment, Lucius feels like he could embody that knight, if only within the context of this song.

Overall, it is a dance with simple footwork, at least in its most basic form, with much freedom in the flourishes of the knight's sword. There's a pause as one segment of the music ends, intended for the dancers to switch partners if they so wish, and Lucius stops, holding the sword out hilt-first for the other to take.

"Would you like to try? I can do the other half of the dance meanwhile." Not that he relished the idea of playing the 'lady' in the dance, but given the other's eagerness, it might be more fun than embarrassing.

@bladeunbound

[alluxerim]

For a moment, Karel's breath gets caught in his throat.

He's past the point where he'd let his gaze wander at much of anyone with blond hair, out of some faint desire to see him again, but he still longs, somewhere. For that little shard of peace he thought he could never have, and the man who gave it to him.

It isn't at this party where Karel thought he would ever see a familiar face besides his sister, but, lo; his eyes shimmer in the lanturn-light, of such gentleness that they could be oceans in of themselves—

"Lucius?"

...Karel's gaze wanders a little, unsteadily, before settling back on the man before him.

"It is... Good. To see you again, I mean."

Lucius hadn't gotten far into the crowd when he hears his name called, a voice so close by that he only had to turn before being met with a familiar face.

"Karel!" The surprise takes only a moment to fade, and something a little like relief takes its place. "You look well," he says. Better, for sure, than when they had last seen one another on the battlefield, and maybe that's where the relief stems from. That the other is still alive, and here, instead of being consumed by the bloodshed that had seemed to light his very being aflame.

"What a blessing it is that we're able to meet again," he says, smiling. Lucius had kept the swordsman in his prayers, as he promised, though he hadn't exactly expected to ever see the other man again. He reaches out, places a hand on Karel's arm and looks into his eyes. "Have you... been able to find your peace?" he asks gently.