★ the ethereal ball 2026, @argentiia — erma & estel.
The dark does not bother Erma.
Not in the sense that she lacks fear of what lurks inside it—for with Shadow, there is always something to be afraid of. For it was the den of monsters, criminals, murderers; those who hide their vile intentions, only to unleash them on the unsuspecting later.
But it does not stop her. The dark does not impede Erma's sight greatly, and thus she moves forward, no matter the obstacle. She follows whatever faint light she can latch onto, so that she might...
(The crowd is thick in the dim ballroom, and her shoulder brushes against another. An apology is uttered, gaze shifts towards the shadow, and rabbit ears are the first thing to enter her sight.)
...be a light for others to follow.
"You are..." Erma tenses, her hand inching towards her waist, only to remember—she hadn't brought her spear with her. "...Estel..."
children are warned to be careful of the dark. the shadows are where the monsters lurk, after all.
but even as a child, estel had never been afraid of it. no, she would face the darkness with her head held high and her bow at the ready, to protect all those who could not protect themselves from what lurked there. as all good heroes should.
she may be no hero now, but as it was then, as it is now. the rabbit weaves through the crowds with ease even in the dim lighting. her eyes may not be as good in the dark as joachim, but she can still see better than most fódlan folks if the numerous people who have almost or already tripped into her is any indication.
“coming through! ‘scuse me!” when her shoulder brushes another, the apology comes automatically—“oh, sorry!”—before she even turns to see who she’s bumped into.
and when she does, she jerks back immediately like she’s been burned.
frankly, estel hadn’t really thought that yuni would cause a scene in front of such a large crowd. like naga’s retainer had said: they were on a different continent, with different rules, and even a different goddess. she doubts her status would have done much to save her here if she chose to strike her down.
but her knight? in the darkness? doesn’t it seem like the perfect cover? the heel of her boot scuffs against the ballroom floor as she takes a half-step back, eyeing erma warily. she doesn’t appear to have her spear, though that doesn’t mean she can’t be concealing other weapons. how quickly could estel defend herself if the other tried to attack?
“you...” a frown curls on her lips. “...what do you want? i already said if you leave me alone, i won’t do anything.”