MIGHTY FLOWER

aff. lapis ( fe17 ) rp blog // knight of seiros

[lazulienne]

#LAZULIENNE. — private rp blog for lapis from fire emblem: engage, written by n ( he/him or she/her, 26 ), established feb 2024. knight of seiros. affiliated with the officers academy.

portrayal notes

lapis is taken one year post-FE17! for those still playing the game, i'll still tag things with #engage spoilers if any plot spoilers come up in any of my posts. support chain information however usually won't be.

my lapis has not gone through the events of the fell xenologue and thus will not recognize events or the alternate versions of the base game cast. however, i will have her able to recognize the playable dlc units and their bracelets with the idea that they've been recruited unless a dlc character goes a different direction for their portrayal.

i have zero preferences / headcanons on who she did or didn't engage with during the course of the game, but i will still be writing her as if she has spoken with the emblems regardless and being familiar with the sensations of engaging.

not that she has a lot of ending choices or anything, but i am writing lapis from her unpaired ending.

if your muse has a canonical support chain with lapis, you are free to act as if the chain has reached up to A-rank; just please let me know before writing with me so i can keep that in mind! conversely, if you would prefer us to write the dynamic as if they did not reach that rank or even any ranks at all during the course of the game, i am also fine with that. just as before, just let me know first!

as for everyone else, please do not assume your muse knows lapis's economic situation nor her home life. it is important to lapis's character that she attempts her best to maintain her secrecy about this, and i would like it to be discussed with me first before any muse (who does not already canonically discover it via a support chain in fe17) picks up on her circumstances. she obviously has let people know, but i still prefer to keep a mental note of who does and doesn't know in-character at any given time.

quick blog links && miscellaneous:   dossier & mun info  /  stats  /  supports log  /  thread tracker / under the cut is my tag dump   !

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.

⚜ › end posts. ( thread closers, whether they are written by me or reblogged from my thread partner for archival purposes )

[lazulienne]

proteinmaxxer's dilemma

         ⤷     mission task:   herald   ( bow +1 )

[lazulienne]

    “Thanks for agreeing! It means a bunch to me,” Lapis announces as she rounds the corner and finds fellow-knight Sin waiting where she'd asked of him: the knights quarters. They're a relatively emptier place than usual, with a good number of their peers out trying to hunt. This has been the routine for the past few days, so she'd figured it might be safe to meet up here rather than the mess hall...

“This is what I've prepared today. Potato stew with seasoned chickpeas,” she sets the tray down with the piping hot pot onto the table nearby. She ladles some of the stew, making sure to get a hearty helping of said chickpeas, into the two bowls she'd brought along with the pot onto the tray, serving to Sin immediately.

“And don't hold back! Even if you don't like it, I'll make sure the food doesn't go to waste. The important part is whether or not OTHER people will like it,” the Brodian reminds, not that she actually knows whether or not Sin would be the type to try and spare her feelings. After all, she'd chosen him for his taciturn demeanor. Someone who has no biases to her but also someone she thinks wouldn't yap about this in case it turned out atrocious...

Of all the knights she didn't know very well, she thought he was the perfect candidate. But maybe that, too, was a hasty decision. She wouldn't know until after this meeting was over. So with her heart in her throat, feeling the stakes of her plans crash in on her, she tries to hide it all under some cheer as she takes a seat and invites him to do the same.

“Time to dig in!”

@chryssaetos !!

[lazulienne]

here comes the bride

         ⤷     non-mission task:   herald   ( any skill +1 )

[lazulienne]

    “W-what the!” In a plume of smoke, the scarlet-colored orb that had been on the ground in the monastery summons instead a girl in its place. The orb that had been touched by Lianna's hands is completely gone from sight, and when the light that had been released from it fades, she's greeted by a sight of layers of white adorned with expensive lace. For many continents, this is a fairly quintessential wedding dress design, only unique in the way it's cut short. To Lianna, the sight might even pull a certain memory or two. But for the girl that's actually been summoned? The sight of this new location is anything but quintessential.

“I thought I was here for a bridal festival... But you're not dressed for it, are you?” she tries to gather her bearings as she looks the princess over. Her head then whips back and forth, looking around them. As time elapses, it's clear even to a stranger that the would-be bride is teeming with nerves, making her look even more delicate than her small frame already makes her seem in spite of the rose-adorned blade she carries in one hand. “Er, where are we right now anyway?”

@liaytolisia !!

[lazulienne]

MAY ACTIVITY CHECK

Status: Passed‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Skill Points Gained: 1 ‎ ‎

Activity Check - Any +1 ➜ allocated to Lance +1‎‎ ‎ ‎

Skill Changes:‎ ‎

Lance - C ( 1⁄2 ) ➜ C+ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎

Learned/Obtained:‎ ‎

Completed Bouquet ‎ ‎ ‎ Playbill of a Romance ‎ ‎ ‎ Heron's Brooch ‎ ‎

[lazulienne]

pride and prejudice

         ⤷   mission task:   infamous   ( authority +1 )

[lazulienne]

    The Golden Deer host their own small roundtable meeting in the wake of House Gloucester's missive. It's unprecedented, having a mission where the Church of Seiros is being turned out after having been reached out to, and there's utter pandemonium. What to do from there is uncertain, the group split. The fact money factors into it, some of the people accompanying the students unable to go without, only makes everything even messier. It's hard to cut one's losses when there is so much more to lose by doing so.

Lapis, one of the knights accompanying the mission, can sorely understand. However, not being one of the Golden Deer faculty directly makes her hesitant to speak, this mission hardly being her own thing to call the shots on. So she keeps quiet the whole meeting, and when it breaks with no real headway, asked to reconvene the next day, she releases the sigh she'd been holding in the whole time.

But as she goes to leave the camp they'd all set up, she notices one soul off by himself, fervently looking over notes of some kind. Whilst his canine features jump out to Lapis, it's his furrowed brow that draw her feet forward.

“Hey, you. You look busy even after the meeting,” Lapis warns of her entrance to his vicinity with that. She takes the soup she'd grabbed for her own midday meal and instead sets the bowl to the side of the prince. “But don't forget to eat, OK? Gotta keep up your stamina for your plans.”

Though what his plans were, Lapis wasn't sure. Looking over the notes with him, she thinks she recognizes a couple Leicester noble names if nothing else.

“...Say, are you thinking of reaching out to all of them?”

@lobeiro !!

[lazulienne]

@shadoll sent: "Your dancing was rather bold," she remarks to the girl she finally has a name for now sometime after the match. It is an observation, no more or less, and certainly not voiced to mock her or her efforts. "Especially during that last round you were in. It left quite the impression." ( post-white heron cup. )

    Heron's Brooch obtained, Lapis thinks any and all attention will be fixated on the actual winning duo of the White Heron Cup, so color her surprised when she gets a visit after the tournament. When she registers who it is, though, it makes a bit of sense, considering the fact the girl had been watching her practice just before.

What's still a surprise though is...

“Aaaaah! Don't tease me over that please...” she grows sullen, embarrassed anew just thinking about it even if the lilac-haired girl's expression and tone are utterly placid. “I didn't know that dance was gonna be the music they were gonna play that final round. If I could've danced something different, I would've, y'know?”

But since she recognized it, she felt like she had to meet that expectation. What was the point of knowing and learning everything she did to ignore it all? Without that knowledge, she was just going to flail.

But then again, she was flailing that round anyway, wasn't she?

“It's like the middle of battle. You don't think. You just... do.

[lazulienne]

@selkitsune sent: [ CORN ] - A new strain of corn has been bred in Bergliez with a curious trait—it pops when exposed to heat, becoming light and fluffy! Help yourself to a bag; it’s a little bland on its own, but you get the feeling you could find something to spice it up. ( ethereal ball — first half. )

    The popped corn is still a source of grand curiosity for Lapis. She's been slowly eating away at the bag she'd grabbed earlier when she suddenly hears a loud, sonorous voice above the din of the crowd.

“Apologies, but there's no more popcorn left! You'll have to choose another option from our tables,” the waitstaff announces. Seeing this, Lapis excuses herself through the crowd, weaving between people to get to the table in question.

To her surprise, the person the waiter was talking to is a young girl with... fox ears and tail? Maybe a bit like Merrin then...?? Nonetheless, Lapis presses on, bag in hand.

“You wanted the popped corn, right? Well, if you don't mind me eating part of it already, I can give you mine,” she offers the girl, holding it up. With it, she presses an orchid with it to gift. “The flower's to make up for all the corn I already ate, heh.”

[sacretic]

What gives you the confidence if the very idea of it mortifies you? What gives you the confidence I don't have? Lyon wonders it again when he realizes they are more similar than he first thought. Lapis empathizes with him; she understands the fear of not measuring up. No, it isn't just that: she knows she doesn't. This conversation may be about dancing and the White Heron Cup, but it echoes his own thoughts from what feels like years and years ago.

(Wouldn't his father—no, everyone—be happier if Lyon weren't the prince?)

Her answer? Love. Protection. Happiness. It's just as simple as that.

I'm sure you have something you want to protect.

Lyon sucks in his breath. "..." Lips part, releasing it. He resists the urge to close his eyes when her words strike a chord. They cut him far deeper than she will ever know. If she knew he tried to protect what he loved—Grado, his people—by bringing the world to the brink of ruin, would she ever look at him the same way?

"Yes... I think I understand what you mean, Lapis. I have something like that too."

His smile softens, now less forced and more wistful and a little haunted.

"You know, I thought about skipping the ball this year too, but my friends convinced me to come." He doesn't know if Lapis was at the first ball he ever attended, but being there at all had been a coincidence. Tonight, it is intentional. "I dreaded it before I came in. However, I can't say I regret it."

He doesn't know if he will be here the whole night—or even long enough to spectate the performances. That is why he plucks out a tulip for her. "Here. Know that I will be rooting for you. And if you want, I can give you a pointer or two...?"

[lazulienne]

    What were Lyon's friends like, Lapis wonders? It's a question with endless possible speculation should it never be given voice, but...

“Your friends sound like they really look out for you,” she posits despite believing she's never met them. “I'm sure they're glad you're looking on the ball a bit better now! This is the first ball I've felt mostly good about too.”

It might be a bit premature to declare that, but in hearing someone continue to echo sentiments she's harbored each year, she feels compelled to bask in that sense of solidarity. Indeed, solidarity is her anchor often.

She wonders if it could be his too.

(Though she imagines she is no replacement to whatever it is that he finds his resolve to protect, herself oblivious to what lurks behind that smile of his...)

In response to his offered tulip, she similarly plucks one of her orchids and exchanges it with his bloom. “Oh boy, if you're sure! I'd love some advice. Anything to make myself look a little less silly when the time comes.

“Whenever you're ready, I'll all ears, Teacher!”

— the end.

[lazulienne]

@fluxrspar sent: With so many gathered in one spot for one night, it is difficult for the professor to locate who precisely it is she is searching for. (Nevermind that she had never taken the moment to think it all the way through—or that she wasn’t entirely certain how she would begin the interaction either way. Upon her arrival at the ball, Selena had sought to find one particular knight of Seiros, and so long as this task remained unfinished—and so long as the ball gave her time to continue—she would set her mind to the deed; and she would see it through.)

Which brings her to now: a moment in low-light, half-imagined, half-uncertain of the visage she’d just caught a glimpse of; but drifting through the crowd, she is able to meander—until she finds, indeed, Lapis before her, just as she had hoped.

“Hello.” (Simple; plain; Selena is not even certain that she has been heard or that the source of the voice might be recognized over the swell of the band.) Speaking louder now: “Hello, Miss Lapis. How are you doing tonight?”

“I have the ribbon,” she goes on, gesturing to the accessory tying her hair back. “It’s not exactly the same as the one I used to have, but… you wished to see it, and so I obliged.” ( ethereal ball. )

    Before Lapis can give her greeting back, Selena's words kick an excitement up in the Brodian as everything clicks quite quickly even in spite of the length of time since the initial request had been made. Said excitement brings a light to Lapis's expression, unfurling like petals in fresh bloom.

“You do? Let's see it!” she exclaims, the next second maneuvering around the professor's person to look at the back of her head. Indeed, there it was! Adorning a half updo, a white ribbon hangs, matching one of the dominant colors of the teacher's ensemble.

“I knew it. You really do look cute with one,” Lapis beams, admiring the picture the accessory paints. Indeed, though the professor seems quite taciturn, and this little bit of flair might be seen as elegant to many to complete that image, to Lapis with the extra sentiment the ribbon carries, it provides a much softer story.

“I hope it makes you feel all tingly inside to wear one again, hehe. And hey, did you notice? Your ribbon today matches the one I'm wearing too!”

To this end, she turns around too, inviting Selena to spot the way Lapis has braided her hair, tying the end of it at the back with a similar white ribbon, pinned to its position with a simple clasp.

When Lapis turns back around to face Selena properly, the demonstration done, she's pulled out one of her orchids from her bouquet, now holding it out for the other.

“It's not much, but consider this thanks for listening to my wish, mmhm.”

[crested-flames]

to blossom in tempo

ethereal ball - white heron cup match 3 || lene & byleth v. alcryst & lapis

[crested-flames]

The song makes its grand exit and the judges seem to contemplate for a moment. That they even need to do that much is somewhat reassuring. Could he go another round if need be?

Once more, a gloved hand raises to wipe sweat away from his chin. Even in this kind of weather, such an intense dance isn't for a weary heart.

With the deliberation ended, the winning pair is donned in a brilliant blue spotlight that's reminiscent of the heavens shining down upon someone. "Lapis and Alcryst will move on to the next round!"

Ah- so those are their names. The spectators erupt into cheers and whoops and it is no wonder. From the beginning the two of them held the kind of trust that extended far past just the steps they were making on this dance floor. Byleth bows his head to Lene. "I hadn't trained as much as I could, I apologize. Thank you for the wonderful dance."

And to the winning pair he turns with a soft smile. "Congratulations, I don't think I've had such a good time dancing before."

[dancersnewme]

Oh? A shame, It seems the other pair won. Maybe her style of dance was to unconventional for this kind of event. So while she was disappointed (mainly at herself.) Lene still kept a smile on her face. "Ah well.... I think we did pretty good!" She smiles at Byleth. "Don't worry about it to much! Hey, maybe next time I can help you out. I really don't mind."

Then, Lene turned to the winning pair, breaking away from her partner and rushing towards the two. "Despite your nervous attitude, I believe the two of you did wonderful!" She noticed it earlier, but its clear that they had some sort of deeper connection. She knows a couple when she saw one, that made her chuckle to herself.

She takes one of their hands, giving them a light shake "Congratulations! I hope you two do well in the next round! Ill be cheering you two on!" She might as well pick a pair and cheer them on! Who knows how far they may go? And even if they didn't win, she had a feeling that they wouldn't be too upset. After all, dancing should be for ones own enjoyment! Winning is just a... secondary goal.

[ END OF THREAD ]

[starrook]

pas de deux

ethereal ball - white heron cup match 10 // alcryst & lapis vs flayn

[cotharach]

The pressure mounts. Flayn can feel it in her body, how it is tense and warm in all the wrong spots. She breathes, but the inhale gets caught in her throat.

She continues her dance, the same twists and turns and rhythmic steps. Though there is something about it that seems wildly different. Her determination from before melts into something dreary. There is weight in the way she carries herself, melancholy scribed in the roundness of her shoulders. She glances over to Lapis and Alcryst and realizes—

Oh, goddess, she wishes she could dance with someone!

Not just anyone, though. A distinct figure comes to mind, and Flayn feels the heat in her body travel all the way up to her face.

"3... 2... 1... Alright contestants, that's enough!"

The music fades out, and Flayn nervously turns to the judges' table. Her score does not make the cut: she is out.

They are ushered off stage to give the staff time to prepare for the next round. Flayn recognizes her feelings of disappointment, but finds something else beyond that—relief. Or hope. Or whatever this sudden airiness is. Either way, it rises above the mire of her regrets and lends a bright smile to her face.

"Thank you for the round. It was a wonderful dance to bear witness to." Flayn beams at Lapis and Alcryst, "You two make such a lovely pair. Why, I found myself wishing I had a partner of my own!"

SCORE: 2, 10, 2 = 14!

[lazulienne]

    “We... won? We won again, Alcryst!” Lapis remarks in partial disbelief, partial pride once the scores have been finalized. The time to celebrate is short-lived, at least where they currently stand, however as they're pulled off stage.

And now off stage, Lapis at last gets to meet their opponent more properly face to face. She'd been fierce and powerful in her dance, but in conversation, she is as darling as they come. Her smile goes straight to Lapis's heart, encouraging a similarly friendly mien from her too in return.

“No, thank YOU! It was actually seeing you get back up midway that made me feel good about this all. I wanted to try my hardest knowing you were too,” she confesses. “Between how cool and tough you were back there and how much Alcryst here supported me... nothing could intimidate me anymore!”

She lets out a light chuckle. One of her hands still grasping Alcryst's own at her side, she squeezes it to convey her gratitude to him too.

Plus... Them being described as a pair so lovely as to make a solo performer want a dynamic like theirs? How could she not feel all warm and tingly after hearing that? If Flayn really thought that...

Oh, maybe nothing really would intimidate Lapis anymore!

— the end.

[ninisdance]

the power of love.

White Heron Cup / Semifinals, Match 13

[ninisdance]

After the failure of her dance medley in the second round... Ah, but calling it a failure is too harsh when they have nonetheless reached the semifinals, isn’t it...? But then again, it was a failure in that it showcased the gap in skill between herself and Silque far more than it did the latter’s talent.

Because Ninian did not assure her she has talent merely for the sake of it, or as some paltry (and needless) comfort. No, being a dancer, she would never lie about such a thing. Silque may be unrefined due to lack of practice, yet she is a natural performer still... and all the more impressive for it.

One must hone one’s technique, if not to perfection then near enough to that; learn each and every step by heart, searing the choreography into one’s mind well enough to dance it backwards or from the middle; to then, and only then, perform while one dances. Surrendering oneself seems to be no effort at all — but the effortlessness is performance, too.

Silque, though, Silque begins from the end without even realizing she’s doing it. For a beginner to receive perfect scores twice is a feat already, let alone perfect scores for style, that most challenging of aspects to many a dancer. Ninian does not think she could properly express her admiration for the cleric if she tried.

Not in words, anyway. Yet much of style is in fact emotion, and so she returns to the first round’s ballad in spirit with the waltz from Ylisse. It may be fast-paced, but the cleric has shown she can keep up and the steps are easy... ... Ah.

Perhaps Silque’s confidence has suffered a blow after all, even if she herself does not realize it. The fault for that is Ninian’s and only Ninian’s, never mind that this dear girl has said otherwise. Even if the fault were Silque’s, it would not matter when she has only ever looked on a beast with kindness.

And so the dancer grips her hands more tightly still, pulls her in closer and makes it so her missteps are incorporated into the dance even in defiance of choreography, for knowing it means she can mold it.

She earns another perfect score for style, having surrendered herself to much more than the dance without trying; her second nine for technique, for if they are going to be harsh on her partner then she is going to leave no room for criticism; and eight for choreography, because she’s pinned her hopes on the right piece at last.

Not that she would have minded if they’d given her waltz a three, seeing as —

“ I do not care what scores they give you, ” she whispers, something unyielding as ice in her voice for the first time. “ No matter what, you were radiant to me, Silque. ”

Dance your hearts out, @milafaithful, @lazulienne, @starrook!

[milafaithful]

… But is there something she is missing?

So pondered the cleric as they stand behind the curtain, waiting for their cue. She shifts from foot to foot for last-minute practice, replaying Ninian's instructions over and over in her head. The words of a teacher, a partner, a friend; and so were those of Sister Greta, all those years ago in the priory, when she had rapped a ruler disapprovingly against Silque's knuckles and said:

You cannot heal from the heart. Temper the cast with form, and then infuse form with Mila's blessing.

So for this dance, when the lilting notes of the waltz begins, Silque pays attention, notices: the velvet of Ninian's golden shawl catches the overhead lights. The extension of their joined hands echoes the sweeping waterfall of Ninian's hair. The turns with the two of them pressed together masks Silque's characteristic stumbles; the alternating twirls sets Ninian's brocade gown and her own cotton skirt in contrast.

Yet all this seeing is still no trouble at all, because to notice Ninian is still to know that she is beautiful. You are radiant to me, too, the cleric doesn't get to reply, steady and sure, before her scores are revealed:

One in technique... okay, there's really no fixing that, Eight in choreography — but she'd finally gotten the steps right, this time! And a meager four in style, the announcer's voice sounding almost disappointed — still, the cleric merely nods, eyes brightening.

"It's a tradeoff…!" she whispers as they exit the stage, finally understanding. "I must lose myself in the dance, yes? But my movements must not be lost. That's… that's so difficult!" She wraps an arm around Ninian's elbow, leaning in with a laugh. "Is that what you've been trying to do all this time?"

Her own scores are no better or worse off than before, but if it's Ninian who finally receives her due flowers, Silque could not be more pleased. Mila willing, won't they get to try one more time?

[lazulienne]

    “Oh, that's...!” Lapis gasps softly in recognition of one of their next opponents. Ninian, the woman who'd seemed so demure and uncertain when they'd first met so many moons ago, needing to be led to find a way to illuminate a road for skills like hers. “Our next foe's tough, Alcryst,” she whispers to him. “She's a dancer I've worked with before for the Church. Her moves are no joke.”

Invigorating and special just like Seadall's— truly remarkable and as such daunting to be facing off against. It's no surprise that her and her chosen companion then have made it this many rounds in. If anything, Lapis is happy and proud to know she's found a way to be recognized like this.

What Lapis is less happy and proud to discover is that she recognizes the song playing. It's the exact same one that she'd been thrust into unexpectedly earlier tonight.

The fiery and almost excited expression Lapis had adopted, inspired to give things her all after seeing the commendable rival Flayn had been in attitude last round, completely dissipates. Lapis rushes to starting position with Alcryst, roughly pulling their bodies intimately close— closer than they've done in any round prior.

“Er, don't mind me...! Ahaha...”

(Gosh, does she even remember any of the moves in the Ylissean waltz?!?? When she wasn't too busy just being EMBARRASSED during it?!?!)

Before she knows it, she has to will them to move though in time with the music, whether or not she's ready. But the thought that she looks like she's practically coming onto Alcryst in PUBLIC, ready to pounce on him and feel him up in front of EVERYONE (at least with that stranger before, she was hidden in a CROWD!) makes her steps more unsteady than she wants. With each passing second, her face only blooms a deeper flush, fetching enough to make some judges watching bashful from the heated look she unknowingly keeps focused solely on her partner.

A six for style, conjuring up a mood of a heart-thumping love at odds with the scandalous edge to the dance. A three for choreography, hard to recognize as what it's meant to be at times, made worse when their opponents perform it practically flawlessly on the other end of the floor. A five for technique, nothing particularly noteworthy about how she executes what moves are performed...

“There's a part, um, where you're supposed to lift me coming up soon,” Lapis warns.

NEXT: @starrook !!

[sacretic]

"I'd say I am decent at it—I... I had lessons when I was younger."

Lyon's eyes dart away, the opposite of cheering up. A guilty conscience admonishes him for the secretiveness. Even with a history of battles and short but positive exchanges behind them, he cannot bring himself to be completely open with her.

"I've never had the stamina to keep going for too long, though," he quickly adds before she asks about those lessons. He words it as a joke, an exaggeration, all the while forcing a smile on his lips. As though to emphasize the point, he spreads his arms—there, do you see the slender build of a mage?—before letting them drop back to his sides.

"You say you are not good at dancing, Lapis, but you are still going to compete? Why's that?" Lyon moves on to another question her words sparked, mostly because it stood out to him, and he is genuinely curious to hear her answer. "It's just that... I don't really have the confidence or desire to put myself at the center of attention. It'd be rather embarrassing if I tripped..."

[lazulienne]

    Lapis notes Lyon's physique; it's a bit harder to discern with his flowing clothes that cover most of him tonight, but she remembers enough of what he looks like when they've met together prior, can intuit it through the slender shape of his hands and the dainty form to his ankles peeking out.

But for as burly as the toughest people can be, even someone as dainty looking as Lapis could keep up. If Lyon really wanted to...

Her thoughts are cut off there as Lyon's deliberate shift to a question of his own.

“No, I get how weird it sounds. If I were you, I'd be thinking the same thing,” she admits. “To be honest, I am embarrassed at the idea. I don't like being the center of attention either, and I don't think I'll measure up.”

The words are merely repeated from Lyon's, but from the moment he uttered them, she felt them as keenly as if they were her own thoughts first. “But... I was asked to by someone I love. When I see how happy this idea makes him, I want to protect his happiness. And when I think of it as protection, I'm willing to do anything.”

Lapis may not know Lyon fully well, so her next statement might seem like it's founded on baseless confidence, but...

“I'm sure you have something you want to protect that would make you feel that same way, right? Even if whatever it is maybe isn't asking you to dance!”

[ruinedskys]

This is the part of the dance that Sylvain doesn’t know. Mostly because he’s never doing the dance to dance. 

When she kicks out, he stumbles, readjusting to balance her weight in a way that isn’t going to result in the both of the sprawled on the floor. “Haha,” He can’t help but laugh at her. At the both of them. At the numerous others that are showing their hand by keeping up with such a dance. Some of them are married! 

Where are their spouses? No wait, he doesn’t care. 

Instead, he refocuses. “What? Come on, don’t sell yourself short.” Who is this girl, anyway? With more foreigners flocking to Garreg Mach, he admits that he can’t instantly put a face to a status or region anymore. It makes the game more fun…sometimes. “Your hair reminds me of the first bit of dawn that washes over fresh snow back home. Beautiful.” Sylvain honestly can’t tell if there’s some underlying motive living behind her dreamy, frosted pink gaze. It makes him want to needle her more, careful of her dress when he uses his strength to twist her around his waist before setting her back on her feet. “Stick with me for a while and you’ll learn all kinds of dances. What do you say?”

[lazulienne]

    To be likened to the morning in a snowy landscape strikes Lapis in an odd way. Her home gets cold sometimes, that's for sure, but the actual sight of snow itself? That was rare. Snowfall, to Lapis, was a phenomena a border away in enemy territory; it was the part that made the faraway Wintertide Village seem so fantastical when Lapis first heard of it.

To compare Lapis to the scene of a snowy dawn was then, to her, no different than to compare her to a fairytale. It feels all too dreamy, all too unreal, to be truly her. That's to say nothing of the compliment this stranger speaks as easy as breathing, so much so she's convinced he can't really mean it.

People never really mean it. Save for a select few.

For all she couldn't believe the winter-side comparison, she's ignorant to the way her heart frosts in reaction by sheer instinct.

“I'd like to learn, to truly get better at dancing but... if there's gonna be a lot more dances like this, I dunno how long I can take it,” she answers. “The longer I stay in these touchy-feely moves, the more I'm gonna wanna run off in embarrassment. If anything, I'm kinda jealous how confident everyone else around us is with this!”

Not just confident, but to her, seemingly unaffected. It's the kind of behavior that makes her feel like she sticks out like a sore thumb. As she finds her balance again with his help, she tries to chase away her bashfulness by redoubling her efforts to copying the steps of the couple beside them, making up for where Sylvain's own knowledge of the choreography stops. But Lapis doesn't know that's what she's doing; to her, she's still thinking of how he's helped her at every turn leading up to now.

“That includes you too. You don't need to flatter me,” she downplays his praise. Her smile is an awkward one, less practiced than his. It speaks honestly, too honestly, of how the word 'beautiful' doesn't quite feel like it fits her like a glove, of a girl who knows little of what to do with men like him and his honeyed words. “But I refuse to back out and make you look bad by running off mid-dance. So no matter how embarrassed I get, I'm sticking with you until the end of this song and putting my all into it. It's the least I can do.”

[thracianblood]

Their initial meeting had been so fleeting that it takes Travant until the word 'sauna' to realize who's talking to him — and referring to him at that, not some other person who happens to be nearby. "It has, hasn't it? Unfortunately, I couldn't make time for the sauna. It doesn't bode well with my current routine." The truth is that he doesn't care about that sort of thing to actually commit, and from the tone of her voice, she doesn't expect any real confirmation of him either. And so, he simply joins Lapis in examining this new type of snack presented in front of them... Though maybe not exactly new to her, with that small anecdote she shared.

Throughout his years, he'd only seen magic as a means of destruction. A weapon for war. A wyvern's worst enemy, and the Thracian army's as a whole. Could it really be used for such mundane things?

Somehow, he finds himself stiffening a little at the idea of a thunder mage blissfully cooking up corn after ravaging the battlefield with the same sort of magic. Travant would be inclined to choke a soldier of Friege to death with his bare hands if he witnessed such a thing firsthand. The mockery of it all...

Still... Lapis' ponderings did leave him curious. It even leaves him, a passionate hater of magic, trying to answer the same question for himself without any existing biases. The tidbits of her past that she offers doesn't sound too far off from what he and his people had to go through, if he were to take it as truth.

"You might have... but hypotheticals won't bring more food to the table, nor change the past. You worked with what you already had, didn't you?" He looks at her, speaking not in judgment but a layer of understanding one could only achieve if they experienced it themself. "An average mage without their tome or staff would be left a floundering pile of robes. A warrior is far more likely to know what to do with their hands when put in a sticky situation...

"... That is to say that perhaps it is a matter of... perspective. There's probably a mage somewhere who also wonders whether they would have better means of survival, if they were to have the strength of a fighter."

[lazulienne]

    “Huh. I wasn't thinking of it that way,” Lapis concedes her own close-mindedness on the matter as she mulls over Travant's words. “It's just hard to think of our enemies y'know... being jealous of us. But I guess they've always felt so far-removed before we worked together that I couldn't imagine them feeling anything really.”

It takes her a moment, but she realizes she comes off pretty cold in her description. She jolts in place, rushing to amend her own commentary.

“Not that they don't feel! Nothing like that... just... When you only see people on the battlefield, it's hard to really think they might feel such normal things like wanting something just like you or me might. Being hungry on your own makes it hard to think at all.”

She tries to laugh it off. Given the subject, she does feel her appetite eat at her a bit, so she pops one of the corn kernels into her mouth.

“This stuff's so light, it doesn't really feel filling at all. I guess maybe you're right; strength really worked better for me if this is what magic cooks you. It's not bad though. Here, if you want some...” She rustles the bag of popped corn a bit, continuing to hold it invitingly to the man. “Or are you more hungry for flowers? I got an orchid with your name on it if you want that instead.”

[lazulienne]

    Ferried away from the silver-haired stranger, Lapis shoots a look back behind them as they walk away, a part of her worrying maybe she'd committed some ball-specific faux paus. But in looking back, she sees the scout merely tut and then shrug their shoulders, twirling their cane before they, too, blend into the crowd and disappear amidst the sea of people.

Lapis is brought back to her senses, broken from that brief period of captive thought, when Minerva stops and speaks again, commanding the Brodian's full attention.

“Minerva...” She's not sure if Minerva actually fully means that compliment; her, perfect? But the more the Dragoon speaks, the more it continues past those uncertain praises and towards something easier to believe.

Your choices are always what matter the most.

It gives food for thought, and she lets that strike its chord with her to mull over. The flower transfers bouquets, and for it, Lapis at last breaks out into a smile.

“Thanks. I should've pulled myself out of there first, but these balls still make me nervous, it looks,” she admits with some degree of shame. Nevertheless, she tries to stand a bit taller, a bit more radiant. “That's the second time you've pulled me from a weird situation, huh? One of these days, I'll back you up with my full strength too! On my pride as a tourney winner.”

But before that, Lapis pulls one of her orchids from her bouquet and finishes the trade, planting it in Minerva's own.

“And that orchid will be a sign of my promise, OK? Hehe.”

[reddragonprincess]

Seeing her radiant smile made Minerva feel less worried and even prouder of how much that tiny girl was proving herself to be a worthy woman and a worthy fighter: despite the situations, despite the difficulties, she was glad that the pink-haired girl did not let those thought bring her mood down, especially by the mischievous comments explicated by that strange guy that finally disappeared in the crowd.

“I am truly glad to be able to protect you twice” she answered, a gentle smirk tugged her lips as Lapis always reminded Minerva of her little sister Maria; that was probably why she felt so attached to her and she felt the urge to protect her from any danger, even though she proved herself strong enough to take care of herself.

To complete her trust, a special gift given by the petite girl, a kind token she happily added to her bouquet, a proud present from her adoptive sister, even though she perfectly knew it wasn’t the case –but perhaps Maria wouldn’t mind about it, huh?

“A promise we ought to keep. Together” and she made a small bow with her head, as to honour their growing relationship and to respect the audacious spirit of a warrior – a kin spirit which she was utterly happy to have found in her.

[lazulienne]

— the end.

[lazulienne]

@lobeiro sent: [ SLIP-UP ]

"Carina, can you..."

Kurt is halfway through his sentence when he realizes that this pink haired girl also lacks the distinctive ears and horns of his faithful knight. That makes twice this night that he has almost mistaken people for Carina. One would think that his vision had somehow gotten worse with both eyes visible instead of better.

"My apologies, you look a bit like someone I know in the dark..." If she had cut her hair, changed her eye color, and gotten rid of her horns, that is. He winces a little at how silly it feels to approach the wrong person based on hair color alone. "My name is Kurt. Would you accept one of my roses as my apology for mistaking you for someone else?" ( ethereal ball — second half. )

    It's odd being called the name of a different person. If the person hadn't drawn closer, reaching for her, she might've never even realized the mistake was made at all; it's in the silver-haired prince's attempt to carry through with his perceived responsibility, atoning for such a slip-up, that the pieces fit together. It may be dark, but a light of realization fills Lapis's eyes all the same at last by the time he finishes his apology.

“Oh, it's really no big deal! I mean, it IS pretty dark in here now, isn't it?” the knight says good-naturedly. She can't help but wonder what this Carina must look like; it's only in coming to Fódlan's shores that Lapis has glimpsed more who share her hair color; back in the Divine One's army, the only one who shared that rosy hue was Princess Hortensia herself, and well... there was no situation where the Elusian princess would ever be mistaken for a humble soldier like Lapis.

(Or maybe it wasn't the hair color at all but instead her silhouette, somewhat generic when drained of all her color?)

“Instead of an apology, let's make it a trade! The start to a friendship sounds so much better than bowing our heads over an honest mistake, right?” If only she knew Kurt's status, then she'd be mortified at her own audacity to be correcting him like this...! But since she plays the fool, she can smile away at him without a care. She pulls one of her orchids from her bouquet and exchanges it for one of his roses, carrying with it the other end of their introductions. “My name is Lapis! It's nice to meet you, Kurt!”

If the lights were up, she might also have realized what she mistakes for clumps of hair are in fact dog ears, but alas, the dark holds many errors ready to be made, doesn't it?