For the first time since her arrival, Eir steals away outside of the Abyss, stepping into a world of white. Snow blanketed the grounds completely. The sky overhead was clear of clouds, sunlight scattered by icy fractals. Life had grown quiet beneath winterโs heaviness, though it still hummed, low and lethargic. A handful of birds still flitted about, but it was evident most animals were already well into hibernation.
It makes her think, briefly, of Ymir, lounging about and curled up in the cold. Eir nearly smiles at the thought.
That is, until the dream-like tranquility is shattered by shouting. Eir whips around, only to be met by a stern-faced clergyman making a beeline for her. She isnโt afforded even a moment to reactโ he immediately jumps into a lecture, berating her for loitering around the grounds and looking air-headed when she should be helping out in the halls. Eir could only stare.
A broom is shoved into her hands. Her acceptance is frictionless.
โOne fit for kings,โ Eir muses half-heartedly. The hall is wide and discouragingly empty; a stark contrast, she imagines, to the night that had put it in its current state. She is no stranger to this manner of grandeur, of course, though she is wont to stand by more often than not. The image of Askr surfaces in her mindโs eye. She sees it clearly: raucous heroes and how they basked in merriment, adorned halls and glamorous lights. The scene before her was likely the aftermath of an occasion not so unalike.
The princess gracefully sidesteps the remains of what she can only assume was once a cake. The scene spoke for itself. โAnd a royal messโฆโ
She shakes her head as she meets Lucinaโs gaze. โNoโฆ though I suspect I would have looked out of place, besides.โ It wasnโt an absence worth lamenting. Mingling with others had never been Eirโs forteโ to say nothing of dressing the part and dancing. On the contrary, only being made to clean up after the fact agreed more with her disposition. Eir leans down to pick at a stubborn mound of dirt.
They were both fresh faces at the academy, then. A shame; Eir can imagine Lucina having enjoyed herself. โWould you have liked to go?โ
