restoration king

affiliated ephraim blue lions student at the officers academy

[heliacalrisings]

Heliacal risings occur after a star has been behind the sun for a season and it is just returning to visibility. There is one morning, just before dawn, when the star suddenly reappears after its absence. On that day it "blinks" on for a moment just before the sunrise and just before it is then obliterated by the sun's presence. That one special morning is called the star's heliacal rising.

—mobile nav: thread tracker, biography, stats, mun —notes:

Ephraim is a student of the Blue Lions house

Ephraim is in a planned ship with Lyon.

Ephraim is king of Renais and jointly rules with his sister. Ephraim does not hide this fact, so anyone, especially muses with spy networks, is allowed to know this

General RP etiquette applies. Minor godmodding, in the form of moving characters along if they've agreed to go somewhere, is fine. If you have any questions, please feel free to DM me!

I kindly ask for no text that's colored or text that's formatted differently, like cursive. small text is fine!

I'm happy to assume A Rank was reached with all supports, but I am open to discussion.

Other muses: @azurelunae, @of-pherae

[heliacalrisings]

bros with bows

epidemic || any +1

[renaisguy]

Forde copies Ephraim’s stance as best as he can, standing side on in case he has any comments. Left hand on the one part of the bow he could actually get a good grip on, right on the string. He takes an arrow and-

“I could have taken arrows shaped like bread to go with this.” He says. “But I thought that might be a bit much.” He pulls the string back until it reaches a comfortable tension, and aims for the wall- 

And completely misses! The arrow instead buries itself in the ground a few metres short of its target. At least it went further than six feet? 

He tests pulling the string again, taking it back to that comfortable tension, then draws it back further, and further, and- wow, he’d barely brought it anywhere the first time. The bow’s more flexible than he was expecting, he was sure he was going to break it. 

“Goes back further than I thought.” He says, releasing the string without an arrow, grinning. “And it’s still intact, don’t think you can find any more excuses not to fight me now.”

[heliacalrisings]

Ephraim stands back and watches with a small amount of amusement masked by the straight line of his mouth. If Forde were close enough, he would at least be able to identify the sparkling mirth in his aquamarine eyes.

Forde's arrow (thankfully not shaped like bread) goes flying, or rather, arcs in the air before embedding itself into the soft ground.

"Let me demonstrate."

Though Ephraim hasn't touched a bow in years, and this one is heavy, the grip is as familiar to him as it ever was. He holds his bow up and takes aim.

Ephraim 5/5 HP hits Forde 5/5 HP with Superior Bow (Roll: 17-4+4=17, -2HP, Forde 3/5 HP).

The blunted arrow finds its mark rather easily. He's a bit surprised it turned out so well, but Ephraim only leans back with an easy smile.

"Come on then, show me everything you've got."

[verseandrhyme]

mycosis

Epidemic | Faith +1

[verseandrhyme]

Ah, how unfortunate. He is the noble type. Mitama's sigh is lost under the sounds of a groan. Another undead foe lurches at her from the dark before falling back from the light of her spell with a shriek. She hears it hit the ground somewhere unseen and turns her attention elsewhere.

"Are you stupid? Facing these things alone is reckless beyond belief, even if you are confident." What was it with soldiers and the need to prove themselves? She would never get the mercy of rest…

The temple it is then, much as it feels like walking into the gaping maw of a waiting beast. They will just have to hope that whatever happens to them, word of it at least reaches back to the Monastery should they fall. "Lead the charge, then."

So she says, but glancing his way to see him dislodging his lance from a corpse's skull tells her that advancing is not such a simple thing to do. So, it falls to her then, does it? Spell in hand, she begins to move in the direction of the temple. The light she casts follows, and while some enemies fall back to the darkness, others are revealed. She is quick to cast a spell into the face of one that stands between them and the temple, and does not linger when she rushes past its fallen form. "What of the priest?"

[heliacalrisings]

He does not appreciate her snide remark, least of all when he has offered to see her to safety. "I will not force you but I will not leave this rot to fester. Make your choice but do not insult me. I have fought their ilk before and they all fall to my lance." Confidence blazes in his eyes, lighting even this darkness.

Ephraim remains steadfast by her side as they make their way into the temple, keeping the shambling corpses at the edge of her light and striking them down as he's able.

"We can deal with him later, if he's still alive." He is not the concern right now.

The temple's shadows catch on corners and wind down dark hallways. Rot seeps from every crack of the temple. As they enter, Ephraim turns and barricades the door to give them some breathing room.

"There, that will stall them. They're hardy, but not strong. No doubt there are more further in. Be on your guard."

[heliacalrisings]

this time will be different

[sacretic]

When had he? "It must have been back when I was studying plants and their medicinal properties, if you still remember." Such knowledge on its own mattered little if Lyon didn't understand how it worked in practice. Naturally, learning how to make a salve turned into the basics of wound care.

Lyon sits down across from Ephraim after helping himself to a bowl of soup. His legs, aching in places after their escape, are glad for the reprieve. "I could say the same to you." He raises an eyebrow. Between the two of them, Ephraim needs more rest. "I plan on boiling some water later while you sit there. A healer's orders."

A pointed look at the other man before he takes a careful sip.

The soup could be warmer, but at least it is more lukewarm than cold.

"But you are right about those invaders... I am not saying we should stay here for long, but it won't be easy to take care of your wound on the road." Lyon wants to keep an eye on it, change the bandages, and clean it properly. "How far is the nearest village again?"

They cannot take too much with them, so distance should be taken into account.

[heliacalrisings]

Now that he thinks about it with a clearer head, he does remember somewhat. Eirika always took a stronger interest in it than himself, but he remembers enough to know Lyon is interested in such things. Natural, then, that he should be ready to handle this situation.

Now that Lyon is finished, he fixes his belt and pants but opts to remove his tunic entirely in order to let the newly dressed wound breathe a little. Lyon might want to do something with it again anyway.

A healer's orders. Ephraim grins at him. "I wouldn't dare bring a healer's ire down on myself."

He's glad that they can still banter like this. As if no time has passed at all. As if nothing has happened.

"I believe the nearest town is a few miles from here, but I'm not as familiar with this land as I am Magvel."

Ephraim takes a pause to sip at the soup in front of him. It feels as if he hasn't eaten in hours. Maybe he hasn't. He lifts the bowl and downs what remains before lowering it. He nods toward Lyon.

"It's already getting cold, it won't be wise to let it sit much longer."

[heliacalrisings]

what's an epidemic without a little whimsy

mission board: epidemic — quarantine delivery

[lazulienne]

    “Right!” It really was Eirika's brother. Lapis is convinced, hearing his name. Hopefully she can maintain her cool better with him than she did with his twin sister. In the meantime though...

“Yeah, let me just check the glue then. I can sand anything last-minute if we really need to, but the glue's the one thing that's gotta be set before we go.”

Lapis stops what she's doing, silently giving permission for Ephraim to pick up all her other pieces as she goes to check the dollhouse. A gentle finger puts in extra effort to be cautious as she squints and pokes at the wood. When it doesn't shift, and she repeats this check elsewhere until the whole dollhouse has been inspected, she hauls it up in her arms.

“Alright, this is good to go! I can help us put everything in the cart. If it helps save space, we can put some of the smaller toys in the little rooms of the dollhouse to save space in the cart too,” she suggests. Though she says that, when they actually get to loading things, the dollhouse put in first and the two making trips back and forth to carry the rest of her prepared toys, Lapis can't help but think, staring at Ephraim all the while...

“Y'know, looking at you, I didn't really think you'd be the type to grow up with toys,” she admits. After all, as an Emblem, he was quite literally the strong and silent type. All fight, no room for anything else. “But DID you grow up playing with them? Seeing you with a wooden horse in your hand now, it looks more natural than I'd've guessed!”

[heliacalrisings]

He's careful as he moves the toys into the wagon, setting them down in an orderly and secure manner with hopes that their imminent trip does not jostle them loose. These toys are perhaps just as precious as the foodstuff they will deliver.

When she finishes her inspection of the dollhouse, Lapis joins him in loading up the cart. Between the two of them it won't take much time and then they can be on their way.

But her question catches him off guard.

"Does it?" He looks at the wooden horse in his hands, unsure if he's carrying it in any way that's different to how he would carry anything else. Of course he's mindful of being gentle but... is that it?

"As the crown prince. there was little time for such activities, but I played with my sister and our friend often enough." He says little beyond that as he steps up to the cart and gently sets the wooden horse down.

"How many more pieces do we have left to load?" The one in her hands might be the last, unless she has more hiding elsewhere or they were overlooked.

[somnolentpenumbra]

tell me more!

herald | heavy armour+1

[somnolentpenumbra]

By now, she should really be used to the fact that people can see her ogling at them. It wasn't as if she ever was very discreet about it. But now, even as the stranger clearly moved his attention onto her, Nina was entirely lost in thought.

'I can already see that other guy is looking at his muscles! The way he picks up those boxes is so--'

It's his words that finally break through the fog of imagination she's placed herself in, leaning over the handle of the mop. In her panic, trying to straighten herself, she tumbles forward, a halfhearted attempt to catch herself as she falls to the floor.

"W-what? I wasn't staring at you! I was just-- admiring your technique! I mean, I've seen a lot of people throw out their backs just by lifting something the wrong way!" Her eyes scan over the room, trying to find a somewhat fitting example-- another man in the corner, lifting a few leftover chairs. Honestly, he was doing pretty poorly. So much so, this other guy could probably go over there, wrap his arms around him and--

'Snap out of it, Nina!'

"Anyway-- we should go back to cleaning, shouldn't we? Sorry for distracting you, won't happen again!"

...Was that enough to get him off her back for now?

[heliacalrisings]

Ephraim stares at her, not quite believing her explanation but willing to accept it. At least for now.

"If you need something heavy lifted just tell me. Or I can instruct you on the proper technique for it."

He follows her eyes to another student who's struggling to move some chairs and shakes his head. "I'll return in a moment."

It takes only a few, purposeful strides to bring him to the other man. After a moment of discussion, he lifts two sets of chairs and moves them across the hall with ease. The other man follows with a lighter load but together they get the last of them put away.

At this point, surely that girl has gone back to working. He looks to where he left her.

[classybrawler]

Get that Bread, Gain that Grain, and Cruise through that Coursework!

Mission Board - Epidemic || Axe +1

[classybrawler]

Oh goodness damn sake. In hindsight, she should have expected this’d go like this based off of Ephraim’s emblem. Just a complete brick wall of a conversationalist.

Maybe she should have let this be and tried to meet him at the training grounds or something similar. One can say many things about themselves by how they fight.

Of course, there’s not going to be any fighting in the dining area, so Panette shall try and coax a conversation out, even if it’s kicking and screaming.

“We both seem to have done quite the marvelous job so far! I myself do not usually tend to crops, but I can most certainly handle a bit of hard work.” She smirks. The plan has been set, now it is time to strike.

“I am Panette, a sentinel of the Queendom of Solm, located in the land of Elyos, and personal retainer to the royal family. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She bows gracefully during the introduction. 

“As Sentinel, I help protect the Queendom from any threats. It is quite rewarding work! Mayhaps it is not as back-breaking as tending to crops may be, but it has toughened me up sufficiently.” She smiles. It is a fair bit to share during this introduction, but if she wants to get Ephraim talking, she’s gotta talk herself.

“How about yourself? With how well you have done, I can only assume you must either be a professional farmer, or in a similar position to mine.” Not necessarily accurate, but, again, it should hopefully get him talking.

And besides, it is nice to converse like this after some gruelling work.

She decides to try some of her food while she waits for Ephraim to respond, taking out some of her spices in order to give it a properly refreshing kick.

[heliacalrisings]

It turns out, Panette has a lot to say. Elyos...he has heard of that place before, but he can't quite remember just yet. As Panette continues, he turns the word over in his head, searching for the missing piece...

We, the people of Elyos, prayed for a miracle to aid us in our hour of need... one of them was the Ring of the Azure Twins... you were also there. Emblem Ephraim.

The Emblems and the rings. He had put the whole conversation out of his mind, not understanding it and unsure if he wanted to. It reeked of magic. Versions of himself and his sister trapped inside a ring? How? And to what end? The thought made him uneasy.

If Panette was from Elyos, then she surely knew of his Emblem self. Is that why she was so adamant to speak with him? Was she like Alcryst and saw them as two different people, or was she assuming them to be one and the same?

As his thoughts conclude, so does Panette. He answers her with a distant yet affable tone. "I am Ephraim, king of Renais, but while I am here I am a student of the Blue Lions. I learned something of field work once long ago in service to my people. Any skill I have I attribute to their gracious teaching. The people of Solm must be proud to have you as a Sentinel."

He will wait and see how she acts. No need to bring up unnecessary topics.

[heliacalrisings]

a king shouldn't berserk staff himself

[anniversary 2024] faith +1

[fluxrspar]

Selena had been expecting the request, quietly, ever since Ephraim approached her; but it is still a shock to hear it spoken aloud; and to have her suspicions confirmed.

(King Ephraim wished to have such malice cast upon himself; and he wished to do so because of Prince Lyon.)

She accepts the staff, and she feels the weight of it in her hands. (There is a trust being placed in it also: a trust she does not deserve but would do her best to uphold.) If something went awry, she would have to subdue the winner of Magvel’s war; but for trust in herself, she would exchange trust in him, and she would believe in his determination to win against its magic.

“I understand,” Selena says, and she lets his words seep into her bones. (This was for Lyon; to understand what had possessed him and what pushed Grado two steps too far; and this was for Ephraim, who sought, also, that understanding—and if the Fluorspar wasn’t imagining things, it feels like the first stones on a new path between nations.)

“Prepare yourself, King Ephraim,” is her warning, the mage general tapping into the staff and getting a sense for the flow of its magic. (It is new to her, she recognizes, and she is not one with a talent for spells; but she has worked hard to get a sense of understanding for that which is foreign, and step by step, the arcane is unwound.) The gem at its focus lights itself, and Fluorspar continues, “I hope you win.”

(And then the light sparks, and the frenzy is cast.)

[heliacalrisings]

Most think that Ephraim holds an overestimation of his abilities. He's confident enough to give the impression and bold enough to back it up, but he wields his confidence the way he does any weapon. It's no more than a tool to distract and harry, to make his enemies bend to him rather than the other way around.

But magic cannot be taunted or distracted and certainly does not falter at his paltry defense, arms up as if he's warding off a physical assault.

Outwardly, it appears as if nothing changes about him. He stands still, eyes closed, and not a single muscle moving. Then his eyes open. It is not the bright aquamarine of the king of Renais that greets the former general. It is a searing orange that lights his irises in flames.

He can't...he won't! ...but he can no longer direct his body. He's trapped within, struggling against unseen chains, nothing more than a prisoner to the magic.

Arms raise to attack and Ephraim closes the distance between them to swing at Selena, all power and no finesse. It's lucky that he's bereft of his lance.

[heliacalrisings]

the way forward is sometimes the way back

↳ anniversary 2025 | flying +1

[hresvelged]

"Thank you. I only did what I thought was best." She’d have never once thought herself someone able to care for the light and tender. Edelgard follows close behind Ephraim, nodding her head in gratitude as she enters back into the space. She walks towards where the gloves rested and put them back on her hands. She can’t imagine they will have to wait very long.

It's quieter. If she were anyone else, she may have even found it uncomfortable. She isn't one of those people.

"The caretakers would certainly applaud our efforts if we were to restock their water while we wait. All that flying is bound to make them parched, don't you think?" Even if her assumption is correct, she doesn't doubt the pigeons themselves would call in appreciation on their own accord.

[heliacalrisings]

"Birds are not so different from humans in this regard I suppose. Rather than try to tackle everything by ourselves, you will give your best effort in a team." Seeing the birds take flight together had made him realize that. Maybe that was even why they had been assigned in pairs to this assignment.

They ascend to the rookery, its strong scent hitting him as they enter.

"The birds will be appreciative, if nothing else." There's a water jug nearby too, no doubt for easy refilling.

He hoists the jug up effortlessly, as if it weighed nothing, and just as he does one of the other birds lands on his head. Ephraim pauses and looks up. Even if he can't see it himself he can feel the pigeon's claws.

[heliacalrisings]

getting a good grade in conversations is something that is both normal to want and is possible to achieve

[far-from-common]

The library. A place full of knowledge. A silent sanctuary, full of ancient wisdoms, of fantastical tales, of students doing their homework, of faculty doing research. Of human history, contained in such a relatively small, quaint space.

And a place full of disappointment, so far. Browsing miscellaneous tomes whilst she waited for copies of Rausten lore to be delivered proved to yield no results, which was to be expected.

Rausten’s lore so far has similarly yielded nothing of note, which whilst also expected, is quite a bit more disheartening.

Still, she perseveres, reading yet another increasingly dull page; one which would have brought her joy before yet now brings mere irritation.

She gets to the end of the page, realizes she absorbed none of the information, and is just about to re-read it when she realizes she is being spoken to.

And that the person speaking is Ephraim.

“Yes, of course you may.” She gives him a gentle smile, before closing the book and shoving it to the side. She considers moving it away enough that its title, “A history of Magvel’s monsters” is not visible, but she decides against it. If they are all to move on, hiding even more things shall do naught but harm.

Still, it does leave her feeling a bit awkward. She talked it out with Eirika, sure, but what about Ephraim? How much does he even know of what transpired at the ball? Eirika is well within her right to have mentioned everything, of course, but this feeling of uncertainty has L’Arachel uncharacteristically anxious.

“How have you been faring recently, Ephraim?” She asks with a smile; an easy question that shall hopefully get some manner of conversation going.

[heliacalrisings]

Ephraim takes the chair, feeling as out of place as he always does amid stacks of books. The feeling is only compounded by the fact of why he's here.

The title of her book does not escape him either, not that she is attempting to hide it.

"I have been a bit preoccupied but with nothing overly concerning." He was never good at small talk. Best to just cut to the matter of why he's here. "Eirika told me that you met Lyon at the ball. He didn't mention it to me, but I heard that it did not go well."

Despite his admittance, he does not look guilty or repentant, it is as if he is merely stating the fact of the matter at hand. His seat is occupied more by the king than the man but he has often had trouble separating the two.

"Are you cross with me as well? I would clear the air between us before anything is left to fester."

[heliacalrisings]

no cause for concern

[crimson-flash]

He must understand that he is hiring one mercenary to protect an already capable fighter to go to a spring festival. No matter. This is essentially a win, even if it didn’t feel like it. More gold is more gold. She let out a small sigh. 

“Understood.” She said, nodding her head. “I’ll be back when the job is done. She will be safe with me.” 

She turned around and began to walk off. She wondered how Princess Eirika would react to having an escort. She didn’t know enough about her to even begin to create a picture in her head.

She didn’t know what exactly was in store for this seemingly simple festival. She did 'trick-or-treat’ here before and outside of the game being tiring, nothing went wrong. She had though these things were for recreation but with the King’s warnings about the church's activities…

She stopped and looked up at the sky, placing a hand above her eyes.

Hopefully it’s just a normal spring festival.

End.

[heliacalrisings]

Status: Passed! Skill Points: +2 // Total: 42

Classes Accessed: myrmidon

Classes Mastered: —

Current Threads: thread tracker

Skill Points

Skill Up (dropped thread, 1315 wc): Sword D Rank. Acquired Iron Sword and Biting Blade.

Skill Up (Activity Check): Authority A+ Rank (1/3).

[heliacalrisings]

no cause for concern

[crimson-flash]

Oh thank the Stones. She’s going to know, she thought. She imagined the awkward conversation the twin nobles would have in her head while responding.

“I do not need any weapons. I always have my trusted blade near. And if I wasn't prepared already, I wouldn’t have survived this long.” She replied, the gravitas of what she said being lost to her.

An invasion. The forces that must’ve invaded such a place as this must’ve been massive. The school seemed pretty secure. She made sure it was before lying her head down in such a place. 

“Dangerous places… inside mirrors?” It honestly didn’t make full sense to her - how such a world exists in the first place is beyond her imagination - but it surprised her that the school would send students on such a dangerous mission. Her father never put her in life or death scenarios when she was learning from him. Otherwise, there is no point in learning if it could be cut short. “The church sending students to such a place… the ones who gave those orders should be ashamed. I understand your concerns now.” She commented, grimacing thinking about it.

She continued on to matters of business instead to distract herself.

“My price is…” She then went on about how much it would cost. Even though she can be sure the King of Renais had a fortune, she didn’t particularly need gold right now. She had saved up enough gold before leaving for Fódlan to last for a while. She gave him a moderate, but low enough number, one that wouldn’t be extreme for a slightly fancy weapon.

“...I think this is a fair price… your... Majesty.” she summarized. She was still unfamiliar with using such a formal title, but she'll get used to it.

[heliacalrisings]

"...I expected higher." He shakes his head as if to dismiss it altogether. "There is little point in deciding the full price when you do not have the full scope of your work. I will give you this amount as your advance and when you return we can settle the full payment." His tone is firm, as if the matter is already settled.

He's glad she feels the same as him regarding the church. If that is what they are willing to do publicly he wonders at what they do privately.

"If you've no more questions, then I'll take my leave. I wish you the best on your journey. It is my hope that the festival proceeds smoothly and that my concerns are unfounded."

[heliacalrisings]

getting a good grade in conversations is something that is both normal to want and is possible to achieve

[heliacalrisings]

"Brother, you need to speak with L'Arachel."

Ephraim leans back in his chair, looks at his sister, and tilts his head. "About what?"

She cannot fault him for not realizing, not when she hadn't either. Eirika takes a short breath and then answers, "Lyon. She met him at the ball."

At least his expression sobers. The chair beneath him scrapes the floor as he stands. "How did that go?"

"They're both fine." The unspoken question. "But L'Arachel is not happy that we did not tell her that we've known Lyon is alive. She was upset with me until we talked, and I know she will be cross with you until you two speak. As she is right to be."

Silence settles between the twins, neither looking at the other but a thousand thoughts and feelings passing between them.

This peace is fragile. It's no peace at all at the expense of others. Did we not fight for a better future? We do Lyon no favors by hiding him away from the consequences.

"Lyon is our friend." It's a statement that Ephraim has made a thousand times.

Eirika places her hand on her brother's arm. "And so is L'Arachel."

We only want to protect him, but that doesn't absolve him of what happened. We cannot pretend that everything is right again simply because the Demon King is gone.

He exhales softly and then nods. "I'll go see her."

"You might try the library. She mentioned she would go there once her books from Rausten arrive."

And there she is, as Eirika said she would be, pouring over tomes in a fashion similar to Lyon. He hesitates and then approaches her table.

"May I sit with you?"

—@far-from-common !!

[heliacalrisings]

no cause for concern

[crimson-flash]

Something is wrong here. Marisa’s brow slightly furrowed for a second and confusion washed over her face. To be requested to protect someone who was currently going to a school meant to make you more capable at fighting, and has fought in a war herself right alongside him.

Does he not respect her strength? Disappointing, she thought, but then she wondered if this is a sibling thing instead. She can remember Tethys bickering with Ewan because it was not safe to prance about sometimes. Was it a thing that never went away as siblings got older?

Nevertheless, she is a mercenary. She does what she is needed for. She will make this work. She breathed in, focusing herself and her thoughts. Forget about everything else, this is a job.

“I accept. I will make sure she is safe and return her unharmed. We can discuss payment after the festival.” She answered, speaking with the utmost certainty that she will be able to do it.

A thought occurred to her right after she said that. Normally the people she is supposed to protect are the ones who come to her. She has never once been asked to protect someone who was seemingly unaware of the danger. What is she going to do? Just ominously stand around her at all times? Like an obsessive stalker?

Too late, you’ve accepted it.

She almost sighed, but held it in. If she can make ‘friends’ with one Princess. Why not another?

[heliacalrisings]

To hear her accept brings him a small amount of relief. "You can name your price. And if you need money now, to prepare, weapons, anything, you have it. I'll let Eirika know before she leaves."

How his sister will take this will be for him to handle but he knows that she will see the wisdom in this decision.

"I have gone on a past excursion. A church sanctioned mission to bring in people deemed as criminals by the church. Our orders were to kill them, but we were given no proof of their deeds, and the prisons they were kept in were worlds beyond mirrors. It is hard to describe but they were dangerous places. And before that, the monastery fell to an invasion. I cannot say that this will be as dangerous as those times, but as her brother I worry about her going where I cannot follow when it concerns Fódlan."

[lyricsxmusings]

Send ♡ to see what my muse thinks of yours

○○○○○ | ATTRACTION ○○○○○ | AFFECTION ○○○○○ | INTEREST ○○○○○ | LOYALTY ○○○○○ | TRUST

LOW | ●●●●● | HIGH

[heliacalrisings]

no cause for concern

[crimson-flash]

An offer to whet her blade against a king. The thought excited her a bit. Someone worthy to test her swordsmanship against. A slight smile appeared on her face. “Thank you for the offer. I will consider it.” Perhaps after she comes back from this she can offer him a duel. That would be nice.

The words of caution piqued her interest though, she immediately became more alert - the smile vanishing - as if there was trouble already. She takes back the invite, pocketing it once again. “I see. I should come prepared for trouble. I will keep this in mind. Thank you.” she stated.

She wanted to ask a question about why the church isn't meant to be trusted. Before she she can ask that the Restoration King brought up a job. It was something she didn't expect. Her fuchsia eyes lit up in response.

Often she got jobs from minor nobles needing a bodyguard, other mercenary groups having to navigate the wastes, or perhaps a merchant who needed someone to guard a caravan. Having a task from someone so prestigious… this was a once in a while job.

“What do you need me to do?” She asked, though truthfully she was unsure what she could be needed for. He didn't seem like the type to need a soldier. One only needs to see him on the battlefield for a second to know he can take care of himself.

[heliacalrisings]

"My sister Eirika will also be attending this event. I was not able to secure an invitation myself. It may be that nothing happens on this trip, but regardless, I want to hire you to protect her. Do you accept?"

Eirika has never not accused him of being overprotective but in this case he doesn't feel she can blame him. He's told her about the fall of the monastery and the church sanctioned missions into the mirrors. He has no doubt that there's more they keep hidden. This is supposed to just be a festival but when is anything here only what it seems?

He would rather have the peace of mind than risk his sister's life.