By this point in her tenure as summoner of Askr, Rosamaria had dealt with her fair share of prickly heroes; men and women allike. And for the most part, that suited her just fine. Sharena was the one who was most disappointed with outcomes like that, even if it didn’t deter her from befriending them. The fact still remained that Rosamaria just didn’t have that same determination or ease for making friends in her. Beyond her sweet words that really only served to stroke egos and get her one step closer to what she needed from others, she simply didn’t click with people. That was true even before she arrived here.
So, she had to wonder why she was drawn to him. What could have possibly possessed her to leave her perfectly good perch from her balcony upon seeing him with that horse of his and make the effort of walking all the way out to the grounds, trudging through the grass in her very nice and new heels? Sure wasn’t his sparkling personality. Her gaze boldly lingered upon his scars, and she instinctively knew it wasn’t that either. Curious as she was about them, she didn’t make it a habit to really track people down like this. They came to her, not the other way around.
… And then there was the horse. No one could deny the practicality of such a creature on the battlefield, but that didn’t mean she was comfortable with them. It noticed her before he did, breathing loudly in her direction and sending tension coiling tightly through her neck and shoulders. Pressing her ruby lips together, she folded her arms beneath her chest, as if that could protect her from this creature should it suddenly decide that it hated her and it expressed that however horses did…. With a kick? Donkeys did that but she thought she heard—.
❝ … Right. ❞ How easily that tidbit escaped her. Her eyes lingered upon where only what she imagined must be… glass, looking out at her, completely unseeing. Blind. He’s blind, Rosa.
Alright, well, he had every right to be annoyed with her. ❝ How do you want me to do that, exactly? Going around around saying ‘It is I, Rosamaria, your great and beautiful summoner’ every time I approach you not only feels like it’ll be troublesome, but pretentious too. —Not that any of that isn’t true. ❞ She grinned at him, her hand reaching up to card through some dark curls. That comment about using his blade against her? Completely brushed off. ❝ I’m tempted to suggest that maybe I could wear a bell, you know, like one of those cute necklaces? But I’m not sure if any of the cats around here are already running around with one of those. Also, that leans a little bit into the kinky, and I don’t think we’re there quite yet. ❞ After a long and lingering gaze, she decided that, no, she wouldn’t be particularly opposed to it. Rosamaria bit down on her lower lip. Would make him a less grumpy, that’s for sure.
If only he’d stop acting like she was an annoying piece of gum attached to the heel of his boot, then they’d get somewhere. She’s far too pretty for that kind of treatment too, and she knew it.
❝ Anyway, I only wanted to see what it was you were doing out here. It’s not the first time I’ve noticed you doing something similar, actually. The longer you’re here, you’ll come to realize that this is a running theme. I have a need to know things. ❞ Actually, she just needed to get this ( whatever this is ) out of her system, and she hoped that whatever mundane answer he gives her will get the job done.
Her comments were, as always, easy enough to brush aside, though he didn’t actively ignore her, it was the next best thing. Given how little interest he had in this world, its people, and the other heroes that had been summoned here and forced to fight, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he chose to keep to himself, often ignoring the attempts of the more outspoken members of the army to speak with him. He was willing to defend those he had to fight beside when assigned to a mission, but, otherwise, he had no interest in anyone or anything related to this world. Selfish, or even cruel, perhaps? But he had spent every waking hour of his entire existence protecting, defending, and serving Daein, and Daein alone. The world was vast, of course, both this one and the one he had been dragged here from, but his world had always been, and always would only be, the country he had been born in and fought for in multiple, bloody wars - the land where his Lord was dead and buried.
“Do what you wish.” It was simply a polite way to say ‘I don’t care’ given only out of habit having been a knight for so long. As it stood, she was his master at the moment, and his conduct wouldn’t allow him to be outright rude towards her, but his unwillingness was made apparent in nearly every aspect of his speech and mannerisms, even down to how Suntaria reacted to the people of this world. Her muscles tense; nostrils flaring, and her deep, ebony irises glaring down anyone who drew close to her, even as Ira’s fingers idly stroked her neck, both for her sake as well as his own.
Frankly, he didn’t actually know what type of necklace she was referring to and didn’t care enough to ask - whatever she told him would have been largely uselessly anyway, but he’d like to spare his own ears, as well as those of the animals residing here, from such a fate. “A bell is unnecessary.” Almost as unnecessary as buttering herself up every single time she comes near him is, but he’ll leave that comment to himself, after all, he doesn’t know what she looks like and will never know what she looks like. For all he knew, she could have been quite beautiful or downright hideous. “I will memorize the sound of your footsteps soon enough so there is no need for such drastic measures.”
Given that she was his commander, it would only be natural. But with the sheer number of people here, it was impossible for him to memorize the tiny details of everyone residing within the palace and he no intention of putting in that much work towards something so useless. No, he would only bother to memorize the habits and sounds of those most important and relevant to their cause and though she was a bit difficult, no one could argue against how vital she was for the sake of Askr’s growing army.
“Nothing that need be of concern to you.” Is he mildly concerned that her need to know everything that is unfolding around her might backfire on her one day? Yes, of course, but he won’t give voice to it. And though his words aren’t intended to be rude, he could have very well come off as cold in the process. After all, he truly believed what he was doing at the moment to be something mundane and useless for her to know the details of, though he wasn’t unwilling to tell her in order to, hopefully, stop her incoming series of questions.
“I am simply having her memorize the land.” He had a vague idea of the layout of the palace himself, but for anything more than trying not to get lost, it wasn’t terribly helpful when things were constantly changing and people were always being added into the equation. It was easier for him to have Suntaria memorize the various paths, where they lead, and avoid any obstacles in the process. She had always been quick to learn and nearly memorized every path to and from the palace, as well as where the stables, garden, and the palace itself was located. Since he had lost his vision, she had always been the one to guide him when he needed her.