I, II, IV for apprentice Li asks
Thanks Eren! This is really long because I did it for each and am incapable of writing one sentence answers.
EDIT: Good god, I wrote this out in the middle of the night and somehow mistook IV for V soooo IV will be tackled in a future ask!
Sayelle
I.) How did your MC and their LI first meet?
She and Nadia met at a masquerade, years before she died. In fact, ever since she came to Vesuvia, she had attended every single one of them until the plague outbreak - Vesuvia might not be Bizatena but when at the masquerade she would sometimes pretend she was back home. She was introduced to the Countess as a close friend of Asra.
II.) What was your MC’s first impression of their LI? What about their LI’s first impression of them? Was it accurate or did them getting to know one another change how they saw each other?
Sayelle thought Nadia was kind, impressive to the point of it being a bit intimidating but also distant... a common first impression but one that is swept aside very quickly after one gets to know Nadia for a bit and one experiences her warmth and how considerate she is of people’s feelings. Nadia recognized Sayelle as someone who’s very grounded and is at ease with other people, a trait she admires a lot.
V.) What would your MC do for their LI after they come home from a long/bad/hard day? What would their LI do for them?
Oh, Sayelle would hear Nadia complain about having too much work on her hands atm and spontaneously take her out on a dinner date at one of their favorite places (which isn’t necessarily the fanciest one but it defo has its own charme to it) where they buy a huge plate of spiced swordfish with baclava for dessert and do the thing where one puts the food on their fork and gives it to the other person. When Nadia sees Sayelle stressed out, she takes whichever book she’s reading to get her head clear out of her hand and reads it out loud for her.
Ximena
I.) How did your MC and their LI first meet?
Xime and Lucio actually didn’t meet before their respective deaths due to plague and spontaneously bursting into flames so it’s basically what happens in the route, unless you are counting the dreams Ximena has of being in his wing. There’s some more skepticism and initial dislike tho because we are not gonna start this out rose-colored.
II.) What was your MC’s first impression of their LI? What about their LI’s first impression of them? Was it accurate or did them getting to know one another change how they saw each other?
Ximena thought Lucio felt entitled to her help (which he did), brash, selfish and uncaring and originally wanted to drop him as soon as she was done helping him in turn for basically solving the entire murder mystery with his confession. Lucio thought Xime was cynical, stuck-up, proud and boring. Being tethered to each other certainly gave them a better understanding of each other as well as seeing the other face their respective demons/fears.
V.) What would your MC do for their LI after they come home from a long/bad/hard day? What would their LI do for them?
Xime is never one to decline a warm (shared) bath while sipping some of the good vintage or being on the receiving end of a really nice massage and Lucio is all too happy to give them when she’s stressed... or really, whenever. As for the other way around, Xime will sit on the couch with her legs crossed, Lucio puts his head in her lap and she runs her fingers through his hair and feeding him honeyed meat or pomegranate seeds - it’s a little gesture but puts him at great comfort and for good measure Mercedes and Melchior try to get some
Deirdra
I.) How did your MC and their LI first meet?
Deirdra and Portia would see each other at the market the entire time, so often that at some point they basically knew what each other’s grocery list was. Before that... Portia could swear that one evening at a pub in Nevivon where she used to job as a bartender, she saw someone that looked a lot like Deirdra with the sole exception that their hair was dark blonde and they were speaking in another language to another group of travellers... but when she asks Deirdra if they’d ever been to Nevivon, the answer she gets is a confused no.
II.) What was your MC’s first impression of their LI? What about their LI’s first impression of them? Was it accurate or did them getting to know one another change how they saw each other?
Oh, Deirdra was fascinated by Portia and took an instant liking to her, her openness even though by all means Deirdra is a stranger to her at first. Still, she never tells Deirdra at any point that she has a relatively high position in the Palace, nevermind that she’s basically head servant, so that surprises them - but it’s not something they hold against her because they ultimately know that Portia’s kindness has always been genuine - even though they do push her to tell the truth afterwards. Portia is also drawn to them, she notices herself blush everytime Deirdra laughs at her jokes and when their eyes glitter with joy as they listen with true interest to Portia’s stories from the Palace. She finds their sense of humor quite charming and genuine.
V.) What would your MC do for their LI after they come home from a long/bad/hard day? What would their LI do for them?
They both go out for a fun night to take their mind off things if it was a tough one for Deirdra but if it was a really tough one they settle for a nice night in where they lie in bed in each other’s arms and talk about whatever comes to their minds. When it was a long day for Portia, they sometimes do a karaoke-for-two night where they pretend they’re on a stage with an audience (it’s always just the other person and their respective familiars) and belt out some bangers - Deirdra with some Oriolian songs they would sing at night back home and Portia with folk songs from Nevivon.