BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

aff. leif ( fe4 / 5 ) blog // golden deer student

[diadic]

#DIADIC. — private rp blog for leif from fire emblem: genealogy of the holy war and fire emblem: thracia 776, written by n ( he/him or she/her, 26 ), established nov 2021. golden deer student. affiliated with the officers academy.

portrayal notes

leif is written post-FE4, specifically having left for the officers academy in grann year 780. as a result, this places him approximately two years after the end of genealogy. in the time since, as per his ending cards, leif spent time helping fight in the emancipation wars across jugdral before stopping back in the munster district to handle some affairs there. for my portrayal, i hc his journey to have taken him through agustria first before going to help out in verdane and then silesse.

currently, leif entrusts the munster district to a variety of people while he’s away at garreg mach. he’s assigned government roles to various characters from FE5 as per their own ending cards, but as for who’s running house leonster, in toaverse, that is his tactician august. leif is also not crowned king yet, still being a prince title-wise. he plans to become king once he is done his tutelage in fódlan.

whenever FE4 and FE5 contradict one another text-wise, i almost always favor FE5′s depiction of the events over FE4. examples of this are how this results in him meeting ced earlier than in FE4 and how he fought along diarmuid without seliph’s army first. there’s certain exceptions to this rule like how i don’t default ced to being the wielder of forseti given that FE4 parentages can vary.

following FE5′s events over FE4′s, leif had been engaged to nanna post-fe5 and post-ch8 of fe4, but due to developments during toa itself, the two have annulled their engagement and chosen to start over their romantic relationship. leif’s publicity on his engagement during the events of game canon is no secret if someone sought the information out but was also not something he deeply advertised either, so castmates may choose whether they knew or not.

given that FE5 follows a route split, currently i have it so leif canonically went down Route B in toa’s timeline of events, but i am still open to having all of the route A characters be relevant / recruited in some sense even if plot beats from route B are favored. this can be treated on a case-by-case basis.

i’ve also elected to default to all bosses in FE5 are to be treated as if they were captured and released by leif rather than killed, assuming they have a low enough build stat for this to be possible. this includes the likes of rumei and reinhardt. i can change this on a case-by-case basis as well, but for now, leif’s run was very mercy-based and capture-heavy.

i use and prefer the FireLizard translation for FE5 and the Reparations translation of FE4 for my metas and interpretations, though i use CYL names by default for locations and characters (assuming i remember them). i am willing to bend on names in case someone has an alternative preference though except for leif’s own name.

my interpretation is primarily from the FE4 and FE5 game texts and events (with a bias towards FE5) but i do also treat the FE5 novella “Fall of Leonster” as canon to my portrayal as well. i do not take any of the manga or light novel adaptations of either FE4 or FE5 as canon however. i take slight cues from FE13′s dlc.

although leif and emblem leif are separate people, i don’t mind muses from elyos recognizing him or referring to things that emblem leif has said. if an elyosian muse wants to have spent any time engaged with emblem leif and take parts of that for interactions, feel free! even if this leif won’t recognize your muse back, he’s kinda familiar with the concept of his other self by this point.

quick blog links && miscellaneous:   dossier & mun info  /  stats  /  supports log  /  thread tracker  /  previous pinned post  /  under the cut is my tag dump  /  pinned post graphic by lina !

tag dump

⚜ › interactions.  ( ic posts tag, excludes event posts )

⚜ › ooc.

⚜ › inbox. ( answered asks )

⚜ › saved.  ( when i rb a post/interaction without adding anything to it for archival purposes, excludes thread closers )

⚜ › drabbles.

⚜ › hcs & metas.

⚜ › gallery.

⚜ › mun’s art.

⚜ › mien.

⚜ › shitposts.

⚜ › housekeeping.

⚜ › queue.

⚜ › prompts.

⚜ › dash games.

all of these tags came into effect starting around the full implementation of the beta editor. for older posts, please reference my old tags navigation page.

[diadic]

new month, new prompts! these are the prompts i have ideas for:

LEIF ( @diadic aka here! )

[Axe +1] i primarily wish to take this with the premise of leif giving context to a muse that's never been to a lore event (or at least a more serious one, so if your only experience is happyland you still apply here too LMAO) of why other people might be on edge. this is all to say that while leif might give information to your muse, he still wants you to make your own decision on the matter and is just as willing to argue for reasons not to be deterred by the past as he is to argue for reasons to be cautious because of it. the greatest tool is knowledge, but you are your own person too. he's primarily testing to see where another muse's values lie. ( requires unaffiliated muse )

[Any Skill +1] wait viapi cooking with the desire to write emblem versions. i hadn't even considered this given emblem leif is the one base-game emblem not yet in feh (CRYING). this'll be my exception as a result to not writing his actual alts: i'd like the chance to write emblem leif meeting someone in toa! this can be an elyos muse OR someone who already knows toa leif, but i'd want it to be one of the two just so there's at least something to compare it to.

[Any Skill +1... again!] my alternative is i'd like to take this to write leif in one of his actual versions from feh. so this can be base, legendary, scion, or attuned. the main thing i want to explore with this is that i'll be writing a leif who memory-wise isn't post-game, so he still hasn't experienced much of the world and might even be mid-journey. this is a more childish, more ignorant, and obviously still going through growing pains leif. this works best with someone who's already met him whether in-game OR in toa.

LAPIS ( @lazulienne — is an unaffiliated muse! )

[Bow +1] in the wake of those who are adamant of subsisting off of meat (could be your muse as well! or just npcs), lapis will be thinking of suggesting supplementing their diet in a way that rations any meat they have and supplementing the rest with other protein options or otherwise things to bulk things out with. she'll be nervous about how it'll be received, so she's going to be asking your muse to taste test an example dish in private and give their honest opinion on how they think the monastery will take it. i'm thinking some discussion on culture about diets in general, but i'm open to if the conversation skews elsewhere.

[Any Skill +1] maybe i just want an excuse to write her in her bridal outfit because of my june bride loving heart. i think it'll be fun to revert her to the mindset she has in this alt, which is to say she's not yet in a relationship and currently of the belief she has unrequited feelings. my thought process is to use her bridal alt as an excuse to bring out your own muse's thoughts on love, marriage, unrequited feelings, etc. with the knowledge on their end that since this is a summoned version, lapis won't remember anything they talk about, and so their secret/confession is safe and that might be why they're more willing to talk. i would love to be a conduit for any character development your muse might want on the subject.

JOACHIM ( @licehn )

[Bow +1] your muse is the one who fudged the numbers. instead of getting caught, joachim who had been on the same mission as them is accused of being the culprit and takes the fall for your muse, unable to convince anyone of his innocence despite his attempts. he eventually gives up, recognizing he's cornered, and argues to accept his guilty sentence with the caveat he must now hunt even more than the deficit. the monastery begrudgingly agrees, but with the threat that if he fails to meet these numbers, a punishment awaits him. i want the thread then to be that while he's on his next hunt OR while he's preparing to set out, your muse approaches him and asks him about how things played out. whether your muse comes clean about being the true culprit or they choose to try and take that secret to the grave is up to you, idm either way! ( requires unaffiliated muse )

ANY MUSE OF MINE, YOUR CHOICE

for the landslide prompt, i'd like to use it as an opportunity for my muse and someone else's muse to get to know one another since they're stuck for a while until someone saves them. ideally want this then to be with someone my muse doesn't know super well yet! whether strangers or brief acquaintances (perhaps they met at the ball briefly? or somewhere else?), this is our icebreaker landslide. ( this will require an unaffiliated muse for leif or joachim but can be done with anyone for lapis )

there's a rumor surrounding the new cat cafe: if you trauma dump to one of the cats at the establishment, it'll release all your worries/burdens and make you feel better. people start to go to the cat cafe for this instead of seeking therapy or help from others, and this includes your muse. unfortunately for your muse, my muse is within earshot of yours and is now going to absolutely question you about your trauma dumping/awkward confession you just did. this can be as heavy or as light as your muse is willing to divulge to a cat on a whim, and my muse will react appropriately based on however you wish to set the scene LMAO, though no matter what, i'll at least be trying to make sure we get a decent length convo thread out of this, so my muse won't just walk out on yours for being a freak or whatever. NOTE THOUGH: it is extremely likely that i will want you to write the starter for this to set up what your muse is saying, BUT if you absolutely can't, i can pull some fluff for a starter if need be; just tell me this is what you want.

if you have any interest in any of these prompts, feel free to reply to this post, dm me on discord, or ping me in the #plotting channel in the group server. if you have an idea unrelated to anything i said in this post, feel free to approach me using those same methods; i'm probably open to it, i just didn't have an idea for the prompt myself. happy threading!

[diadic]

with the conclusion of the ethereal ball, we'll be going back to normal drafts! i've had a thread tracker up for a while on my pinned posts, but i'll be going in to remove threads that i've either noticed a) the other person's dropped, b) is a group thread with at least one muse that was dropped that hasn't received any communication/reply in months, or c) is a thread that exceeds 12+ months with zero communication. pre-ball, i'd culled according to these guidelines, but i'll catch up with my thread tracker and do this again soon, hoping to keep to this standard for the foreseeable future. as for ball-related interactions, i'm going to be going to anything that hasn't already been moved to a mini/full thread and likely popping on one reply to close out the interaction narratively in some manner. for those that were moved to a mini/thread, i'll hit up the replies for those, and i'll assume they'll continue as normal. however, i'll put in the tags the option for you to ignore it if you so wish, in case the interaction doesn't interest you. given these are event threads, i'll treat them all to a "if i don't get any ooc communication nor an ic reply on this after my own response by the time of august, i'll treat it as dropped." i don't necessarily need event threads finished by august (i recognize i myself am not this fast), just confirmed to still be going. i'll be posting my wanted plots for this mission board soon. otherwise, hoping to get back into writing on a normal schedule with you all! thanks everyone for your patience and understanding as per usual, and i hope you had a good may!

[diadic]

MAY ACTIVITY CHECK

Status: Passed‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Skill Points Gained: 2 ‎ ‎

In the End, Leif Must Leave Last ( Randal ) - 1,142 words ➜ Mission Prompt: Lance +1 Activity Check - Any +1 ➜ allocated to Reason +1‎‎ ‎ ‎

Skill Changes:‎ ‎

Lance - A ➜ A ( 1⁄3 ) ‎ ‎‎ ‎ Reason - A ( 1⁄3 ) ➜ A ( 2⁄3 ) ‎ ‎‎ ‎

Learned/Obtained:‎ ‎

Completed Bouquet Playbill of a Farce

[rigainrokkr]

"Ah! Leif?!"

The familiar (if unexpected) partner for the unfamiliar dance immediately sets her on the back foot, stumbling slightly as the music settles into a rousing gallop.

The sharp, stuttering steps of the dance were as chaotic as the fiercest battles she had experienced, and yet the wild, insistent rhythm behind it all could not be ignored. It pounded like a heartbeat as the intensity of the dance stepped up, and any words she could muster had to be forgotten to keep up.

The tempo increases again, and she is hard-pressed to keep up with his footwork, winding through each position over and around his arms, trusting in him to lead. Quickly she is forced to discard any thought of composure, relying on instinct to guide her own steps as she spins apart, then whirls back towards him just as quickly, almost crashing against his chest before stopping. Each required movement seemed to be more difficult than the last, contracting and elongating in ways that felt unnaturally freeing, as if her being was coming apart.

The number ends with her in a low dip, and Celica hangs for a moment in the silence, hair askew and breathing heavily.

"Goodness...", she pants. "That was... exhausting... But also strangely... thrilling. I could barely keep up."

Straightening herself, she makes to smooth out her dress. "What an addition...", she muses. "Thank you for leading the dance. Doubtless it would have been much harder to follow without a capable partner."

[diadic]

    “If you think so. But you kept up rather well, too, Celica,” he pays the compliment back. Partly because he knows with any less competent a partner, they might've spilled themselves over the floor. Whilst it is not the act of trust that the Dance of Light might be, the Dance of Shadow still has many parts where, in its pursuit of competition, it still does require cooperation and in that way, some level of faith.

Faith backed up by competence, backed up by a willingness to go along with Leif's calls and not to go against him.

“If you want to train your stamina, you might find the dance even more fun with the next person you do it with.” Somewhat indelicate but earnest all the same, this is what Leif tells her as he pulls one of his lilies to offer to her as is customary for these dances once they've concluded. “My flower for yours. Are you still good to walk, or do you want some help getting out of here?”

He's exhausted others before, and if she herself says she's fatigued, he supposes he ought to take responsibility.

“Here, there's glasses of water they're offering over there,” he suggests, ushering her to take a breather.

[stealstaff]

"Ha! Yes!" She pumps a victory fist into the air. "I knew you weren't a narc! You're not gonna regret it!"

Well now she's gotta do it. Leif is watching and is going to be directly affected by the results. She totally needs him to think she's cool. It's kind of nerve wracking but she can do it.

She holds her hand out again but this time it works! The glass from the very top of the tower disappears and then reappears right there in her hand! Nailed it!

"Yesss! Did you see it! Did you see it! I totally did it!" The glass is offered to Leif with a cocky grin. "Here, you can have the first one.

But she is not yet satisfied. No, there's no way she's going to leave Leif to drink his champagne alone! Hand extends once more and another glass appears. She's definitely gotten the hang of it.

This time, however, the top few tiers of the tower start to wobble. There is the sound of falling glass. The structural integrity of the tower has been compromised and staff guarding it quickly leap into action trying to determine the cause of collapse.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Tina swears and grabs Leif by the arm to pull him away "We gotta get out of here quick before they realize we did it."

[diadic]

    The setting may be different, the methods in which she uses also not quite the same as they had been in the war, but in the end, Tina works her magic like a charm, and in the end, it unravels an impressed look from Leif. Eyes wide, come to life with a new light.

But the light that was there is swiftly dimmed, cut down with the sound of the chaos with the collapse of the tower on her second attempt.

“Right...!!”

Though she grabs him by the arm first, he figures things shall go much faster if he's the one who does the running at his own pace, so he wordlessly picks her up in the next beat, practically tossing her over his shoulder as he sprints from the scene. The voices of everyone behind them are loud, but they eventually recede with his fast steps— pace set by a history of escaping by just a hair.

When they're out in the courtyard, he lets her down at last, casting one glance behind his shoulder.

“...It doesn't look like they followed us.” In his other hand is still the champagne glass she had pilfered for him, miraculously safe. He takes one of his flowers and offers it with the glass to her. “Here, for you. Since you're the one who grabbed the drink, you should have it,” he insists.

But even if they hadn't had to bust an escape, this had been his plan all along.

“You did a good job, Tina. The first cast was perfect!! I could hardly believe it...”

[shadoll]

He confesses to questions unspoken, piling fragile, heartfelt pleas upon her so they do not have to be counted alone. This desire to be heard, to be seen, is an articulation of personhood. In all their time together, she has long been aware he thinks himself into circles and eventually corners when he cannot arive at a satisfying answer to his worries, pretending that listening to advice is the same as hearing it.

"Ask her then," Sara deadpanned. "And if you care how she feels, you must accept it."

Her hand smoothly tucks the flower she took earlier into her bouquet for safekeeping at last, a drop of white adrift in a loud sea of red.

"Being misunderstood won't be the end of the world." Painful to endure depending on the person, but not always possible to prevent. There was no shortage of them to be had when two unique souls converge.

She wanders over to him to claim his hand in hers, threading her fingers between the spaces in his and showing him the end result, unflinching attention in her gaze.

"People betray expectations, they change in an instant. You cannot define yourself through others, but people will still come hold your hand. The weight of your mind, the emotions pressing in on you, Leif, you do not feel these things alone. Just as you wish to know and understand others, we are interested in the true you."

[diadic]

    “The true me?” Leif parrots. “Is that the voice you hear when you listen to me, Sara??” To an outside observer, the question might seem asinine or redundant, but he trusts Sara knows what he means even if he struggles to fully articulate it clearly. Though he's been seduced by the girl's gift for perceiving others' souls, their very hearts, he hardly understood it enough to relay it to another.

He'd asked her about it once, asked for it in more detail, but the topic remains somewhat elusive even after all that.

“If you ask me, I don't really know the 'true' me...” Leif frowns as he falls into deep thought. “But I at least have an idea of what people want of me. Though it's easier to know when someone's mad...”

Asbel had wanted a Leif who had thought of him every day and walked the same roads as him. Princess Miranda had wanted a Leif who had never come to her home, a Leif who atoned for all she had lost to let him stand. Finn wanted a man who carried the dreams of Prince Quan.

And Nanna...

“...though I never found out what you want from me, Sara. Is the 'true' me it?”

[verseandrhyme]

It is only after Leif makes a strange jerking motion with his arms that it occurs to Mitama that she may not have taken the smartest approach. Ah well. She had not received an elbow to the face for her mistake, and therefore she considers it a success. Regrets can be saved for when they are worth having.

For example, when her words inspire him to leave the device despite that not being her intent, it does spark a bit of regret in her heart. She had not intended for her teasing to ruin his fun, but it seemed that reminding him of his self-imposed goal had resulted in exactly that.

Her eyes drop to the flower her offers her. The conclusion is obvious; she will take it, and he will move on to find the next of his targets. Her answer then, in turn, should be obvious too.

Mitama smiles and turns away from Leif without taking the flower. "Is that so? In that case, I could understand the device being a touch more interesting than it had grown in years past..."

She makes her way around the device until she stands in front of the part she remembers the previous attendees angling their way. She ponders it in silence for a moment, as though squinting into the lens will reveal some hidden secrets to her. When it does not, she turns then to the next best thing. She smiles at Leif and gestures towards it. "Go on, then. If it has captured your attention so, then it only makes sense to indulge in the moment. I am curious to see how it works."

[diadic]

    “...? Mitama?” Had the shrine maiden rejected him?? When she doesn't take his flower, Leif's eyes widen, not sure what to make of it. But it's not as if she wasn't still willing to talk to him, so he doesn't think he messed that up?? Surely, she's not mad at him already, is she??

Was she telling him he needed to work for it maybe???

Umber eyes practically glue themselves to Mitama's smile in absolute bewilderment, trying to glean any further meaning from it, reaffirming to himself that is indeed a grin he sees.

“Alright,” he proceeds nevertheless with the demonstration. He points the device straight at Mitama. “Say whatever's on your mind. Or do something with your hands— move around. I'll capture what you do, Mitama.”

[sacrificialspear]

I might need it later. Finn feels his face twitch a little. The narrowing of his brows will surely address it.

"...Thank you. I..." His expression? Ah...His bites down one the urge to curse. Foolish to think he might slip anything past Leif, he seems so insistent on keeping an unnecessary watch.

Rather than answer right away, Finn occupies himself with taking the flower he has been offered and slipping it away into his own bouquet. For someone who did not want this, it has certainly populated quickly...Still, he has plenty of orchids left to return in exchange for the flower. When he hands it back, he looks at the flower rather than Leif.

"It is nothing." Or it should be nothing. It is not his place to comment on what his lord does. And yet, as her father, is that not his place too. Finn stands silently for a moment, chasing after his words, before heaving a great sigh.

"Your evening with Nanna." He glares harder at the petals. "...does not include the Goddess Tower, does it?"

[diadic]

    “The Goddess Tower??” Leif repeats after Finn. At least he gets some answer out of the man now, but the response he gains only gives birth to more mystery.

The Goddess Tower: a tower where if a man and a woman meet and make a wish, it'll come true. At least, that's the legend Leif's been told about it. He vaguely has heard it might've started with the story of a real duo from the Adrestian Empire, but his mind's fuzzy on those details, and whether or not the legend led the duo to the tower or if it worked the other way around.

“I've never taken her to it before. The Tower is usually off-limits, isn't it??” he counters. Especially tonight, he knows there's been a lot of scrutiny around the building in question. “...Finn, do you want us to go??”

[cloudyknightskies]

A matter of guidance, hm…? Though Clair was rather outspoken in nature, she knew when it was best to lend a listening ear. Not that she held much choice in this situation—they couldn’t exactly leave their spot without being revealed. A good thing, then, that Clair enjoyed conversation so very much.

She glanced over, almost mistaking the knight to have moved towards them. So loud… did such a racket not warrant his voice to go hoarse? How unwise. Still, it did veil them quite well (another strike against him).

“Pardon me if I am mistaken, however, it sounds as if the problem lies in miscommunication.”

She wasn’t quite sure who specifically he has hurt through his words. Still, she couldn’t quite leave him in this state—if she could bring him any sort of aid, would it not be dishonourable to simply leave it as it were?

“In what manner do you harm their hearts? As a lady, if any of your concerns have to with another lady, I may be able to shed some light as to why it continues to occur.”

She was no deity but perhaps she would do for the time being.

[diadic]

    Though Leif might've looked out for the girl, he can't say he expected her to volunteer to lend an ear. “As a lady...” he repeats after her, a mumble as he considers it. Was that what he was missing? A woman's perspective?

...He supposes it's possible? Most of the people he's upset at balls HAVE been women...

“OK. If you're willing to try and help me, I'll try and think. A flower as my thanks.” He offers one of his lilies to the blonde then as he tries to sort his thoughts.

“...Well, one time I tried to figure out what the relationship was between a rough friend of mine and this lady he spent a lot of time with, but she got upset when I described him as I saw him... but she took the blame for it and apologized to me, so I didn't really know what to do... Then another time, a girl I knew bumped into me, but when I tried to tell her it was fine, she didn't seem to believe me...”

He'd been speaking more nebulously when he'd first admitted his reason for coming here, but now that he started going down all these memories, he starts to cringe speaking them back. His words start spacing out farther apart as he ponders each moment of the past.

“...Even when I try to compliment a girl, she takes it as me not really noticing things about her. I get my mistakes sometimes but not others... but it's not like I can stop talking if it's a social event...”

[ulirblood]

edain looks over to leif in surprise when he kneels down next to her, having expected him to book it the moment he got the chance.

ah, she shouldn't be surprised at all— he is ethlyn and quan’s son isn't he?

her attention returns to the girl. the fact that she worries about being killed in war despite things seeming relatively peaceful in fodlan isn't exactly the greatest thing to hear...

"now now, let's try to calm down a little bit?" edain smiles softly towards her despite the worry she feels, because panic on her end will only induce more panic on the confessing party. "let's get some fresh air first, and then we can talk about what's worrying you."

thank the crusaders, the girl nods after sniffling a little. and yet, she doesn't move.

"w-what do i dooooo...?" she sobs after a few seconds of silence, not exactly exhibiting the most beautiful crying face while she does. "i d-don't think i can get up... sniffle..!!"

[diadic]

    “......” Leif barely suppresses the urge to sigh before he musters his thoughts and energy, holding out his hand for the girl to take. “Come on. I'll help you.”

She looks at Leif with some measure of disbelief at first. When he arches a brow, she seems to make up her mind, grasping onto his proffered hand and holding on tight. Leif encourages the girl to sling her arm around his shoulder, silently asking her to lean on him for support.

“Let's go to the courtyard. Lady Edain, you're following, right??”

And with that and a hup!, the prince is off. The fresh air of the cool winter night hits, a pleasant breeze enough to be felt but not to completely frost coming through. Leif lets the young noblewoman off at one of the chairs intended for small one-on-one teatimes before he pulls a chair for Edain opposite of the gloomy girl, silently slipping one of his lilies on the seat for Edain to take.

He himself stays standing on the perimeter of the table.

“I should introduce myself... I'm Sofie, daughter of Baron Baltzine,” the girl tries to compose herself, but the tears are still streaming down her cheeks. “I'm going to be married off once I graduate the Officers Academy, and when war comes, my husband will force me to fight snff... and th-then I'll die for nothing!!”

“War?” Leif cocks his head, arms folded across his chest. “But what if war doesn't happen??”

“Th-that's what I'm going to the Goddess Tower for! To pray it doesn't!!”

[diadic]

@reddragonprincess sent: [ SPILL ] - Whoops! Maybe you trip over something unseen underfoot, or maybe something fantastic catches your eye and has you looking anywhere but where you’re going. Either way, your drink is now half in your glass and half where it ought not be.

While it’s been a while since she accustomed with her dress, the heady experience she just lived with Altena definitely put the red-haired woman in a very excited and on cloud nine mood and as she casually walked towards the first table she saw just to put something to ease her thirst and lust, as she grabbed the glass filled with a purplish liquid, she turned and she couldn’t help but bump into another person, causing the inevitable.

“Oh my, it totally was my fault!” she blurted, but soon after, she couldn’t help but widely smile, “Leif, I’m so glad to see you, ehh… of course not for the mess I’ve just made” she scratched the back of her head with an apologetic glance, then she reminded that she could at least make herself forgiven.

“Here.. This flower is the first excuse I can make for you” she offered it to him, “But of course I can repay you with whatever you want” and she bowed her head in the hope to look apologetic enough and with a bittersweet sensation, this situation kind of reminded her of someone else… ( ethereal ball — second half. )

    Wearing white came with it certain dangers. The shade is loved for its ability to represent purity, pristine as it is. The moment that color is touched however, it is difficult to hide the way it's been marred.

“Minerva! It's fine...”

He tells himself he should have definitely been able to dodge that, but alas, the violet hue stains quite prominently on his jacket. He slips out of it, slinging it over his arm as he thinks about how in the world he's going to get the stain out. Despite his words, his expression is clearly disgruntled as he ruminates on this, each second he thinks about the consequences, the more severe his face gets...

...but he still knows it's not good to blow up in Minerva's face about it. Tonight he plays a prince, and with it, the attitude expected of one. It's not like this is the first time he's gotten white attire ruined anyway, and it will hardly be the last.

“If you have something that can help me get it out, I'll take that. Otherwise, your flower's enough for me,” he gives his terms, trying to reassure in his own way. A hyacinth trades for his lily. Just like in war, victory is not won without getting messy, and he supposes the same shall be true for his conquest to collect this abundance of blossoms. “It's not like you to be so clumsy though. Did something happen, Minerva??”

[diadic]

@encantresse sent: [ SNEAK ] - The Goddess Tower was a no-go before, but with flashy distractions at a high and visibility at a low, now is a better opportunity than you will get the rest of the night. The monastery staff have promised a very unforgiving punishment for those caught in forbidden grounds, but that only goes for those caught, right? / /

"we've got to stop running into each other like this," she greets teasingly. "first the grotto, now sneaking around a guarded area... people might get the wrong idea. and those illusionary shows won't help us either, knowing how they might've filled people's heads with all sorts of stories."

for once, dorothea doesn't look the least bit concerned—if anything, she seems far more interested in seeing just how much she can make him squirm.

"kidding! it's nice to see you again, leif. having fun?" grinning, she holds out a tulip to him. "hopefully your love life's improved since we last spoke. if there's ever a night to smooth things over with a lover, it's the ethereal ball." ( ethereal ball — second half. )

    Dorothea's right. Leif's actions would look suspicious, but when hasn't he been in this life? But unfortunate for her whims, her implications go right over his head. The romance of the area, despite the fact he's been here for as long as he has, is completely lost on him. Perhaps if she had blushed or flustered, he might have been led to that conclusion.

But to be left to his own devices? A boy looks for answers always, but he often fails to recognize the clues.

“Is that how people see the Ethereal Ball?? I'd always seen them as networking events...” he admits, trading his lily for her offered tulip. “That's why the Goddess Tower's legend is what it is, isn't it?? It asks for one man and one woman to make a wish come true... so you can't make the wish on your own. You have to find someone for it.”

Now that he thinks of it, did any of the illusory shows he watch tonight make mention of the legend or feel fitting to it?

In a way, he concedes to her after some more thought though, but by the contorted look on his face, it's clear he's still piecing things together. “...I guess a lover would make that wish easier to get though.”

A beat before he asks, “Were you not coming here for a wish yourself, Dorothea??”

[diadic]

@hermidetta sent: “leif! i found you!”  and this time not even from underneath a table. bernadetta still has to bide her time, waiting until there are just few enough people in the open for her to stride out less apologetically, cloak of flowers fluttering right behind her.

but speaking of. before her confidence runs out, bernadetta draws a stem of orchids from her bunch and offers it to him. despite being a wallflower herself, there's a vibrance in the way she's merrily carrying her bouquet. “do you want to trade? you know, i used to take care of a lot of these back home. i don't know how they're doing now, but if the church ever sends us back, maybe i can show you! um... if you'd still go with me, that is.” ( ethereal ball. )

    “Bernie! Were you looking for me??” Leif stops and turns at her call, instinctively looking low only to be surprised at the way she carries herself upright, tall and out in the open. It's a transformation, like a seed that's at last grown into a flower opening its petals to the spring sunlight.

But the way she speaks is still holding hints of her, enough to still feel familiar enough.

“If it's what you wish to show me, I'll come with you, Bernie,” he swears to her. “I'm curious what your project will look like... do your flowers back home look different compared to these ones?? I don't know much about flowers...”

Such little blossoms seemed far removed from Leif's childhood. When he was cooped up in hidden rooms, the flowers that once decorated lavish royal hallways everywhere he looked, precariously placed on end tables begging to be bumped into and spilled onto the floor with cracked vases in his boyish sprints became nothing more than memories. What once was everywhere turned to something out of reach.

Flowers for those who could live boldly in the light, free of scrutiny. Those with power, those with status. Those who had the money, the freedom—

Those who held vestiges of the past when it'd been robbed from him.

And then, eventually one day, he moved far away from it all. He met sand and dry mountainscapes that struggled to grow anything at all. He'd said he could relate to Bernie in some ways, but when she claims she used to take care of a lot of these flowers, stowed away girl that she was...

He blinks, staring at the Varley noble with a newfound wonder.

“...but I can give you mine for now!” A lily exits his bouquet and enters hers, traded for her proffered orchid. “There you go.”

[diadic]

@fellsparks sent: “Leif.”

A gentle call so as not to startle him, but just loud enough to carry over the cacophony of various voices— in her hand is a singular rose as an offering, fond smile settled on her face. “You look exceptionally handsome tonight. I am glad to see you are in good spirits. As a token of my wish for you to have a wonderful night, please take this.”

Gently, as if she’s afraid she may damage the small flower she’s giving him, Nel maneuvers it to pin it to the front of his jacket. The red stands out against his ensemble; a reflection of the crimson in her own eyes. A reminder that whatever should happen over the course of the evening, he will have a friend in her.

“Have fun, enjoy the celebrations. Perhaps I will stop by to share a dance, if you are amenable to the idea.” ( ethereal ball. )

    “Nel!” Leif turns at the sound of his name on her tongue. Next to one another, they make up two halves of a chess board color-scheme wise: one near all black, the other near all white. The two make a striking duo with their contrast, but despite it, Nel pays her compliments for her opposite.

A compliment paid with a bloom she treats as gently as if it were a human life.

“If it's a dance you want, I'll meet you where you are for it. I know all of them now, so I'll be ready for whichever you seek me out for!!” he puffs his chest out a bit with his pride, getting ahead of himself. But with her timing, right after he'd finally figured out all the steps for the three new songs, how could he not feel eager to prove himself?

But no matter that zealotry, he puts similar care to delicately remove one of his lilies from his bouquet, affixing it to be behind one of her ears. The white stands out against sleek ebon hair.

“Take that as my promise to you too, Nel. You won't forget, will you?”

[diadic]

to kill / coax / wait for the bird

            ⤷     ethereal ball 2026:   cont. from here.   ( first half )

[diadic]

    Contrary to his expectations, he's turned out not to be warning a friend but instead lecturing a guard. He'd expected she might know, vaguely aware she wasn't a student but instead staying at the monastery in some other capacity, but...

Not that she was going to be an enforcer herself! If it'd just been left at that, maybe he would've just apologized for his awkward moment and be done with it, but instead—

“Is it wrong of me to want to protect you??” Leif bites back, coming off as more indignant than he'd necessarily planned. In the face of her taking a sudden rough tone though, the petulant part of him can't help but meet bark with more bark.

She may be an unexpected source to find fault in his actions, but she is far from the first to spin a question at him as a clear weapon rather than a curiosity in his eyes.

“I'd protect any ally of mine from a bad spot if I'm in the right place with the right means to do it,” he asserts, frowning. “Or am I to just leave people to their fates??”

@misericordel !!

[diadic]

@shadoll sent: [ CORN ] - "You will never guess who I saw among the contestants for the White Heron Cup," she giggles, hand drawn to her mouth as though a failure to stiffle her laughter could ruin the surprise, "Come on, you can't miss this."

( ethereal ball — first half prompts / white heron cup. )

    A bag of popped corn in his hand, Leif's about to throw one of the kernels up into the air and into his mouth when the sound of Sara's giggle throws him off. He catches it not with his maw but instead his bag, thinking fast before he blinks dumbly at the healer.

“The White Heron Cup?? Oh, right, they brought that back this year...” Something he'd passed on, feeling nauseous at just the memory. Regardless of his past experiences, he humors his companion. “I hadn't realized you cared for things like that, Sara. But if it's interested you... Alright. Let's go.”

He allows himself to be led to the venue of the competition, quick as can be, only driven more curious by Sara's clear investment...

And when they get to the crowd, midway through the first round, it's clear immediately what she has dragged him here for.

“Finn?!?”