Leo is actually technically a guardian of the forest
Or well
Actually he is not but he's supposed to be
Scones: LMAO only if laura counts as a forest
no its becuase hes a faunus
and faunus are nature spirits that are born to protect habitats and ecosystems that are being destroyed
but instead of being created by tal or summoned by nature, leo was created by laura
but people still associate him with all the regular faunus things which he has absolutely nothing to do with
for the longest time sonia thought he was a wolf and then when he clarified his species she was like "....that makes no sense? dogs are domesticated. what the fuck are you"
first one’s the first time ive drawn gae in like 5 years, alongside her beloved grandson (or, well, great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandson). its no wonder where leon gets his size, the poor bastard. but knowing how short he is, who can even IMAGINE how miniscule gae is herself???
then we have laura, age 6, and leo, age 0. his disney princess hair is the fairest in the land.
last we have Chill the snow sprite, and Samari the fire sprite. theyre friends. neither of them know it, but theyre definitely friends.
1. Heart of Life
2. With a Bouquet in Their Hands
3. Anything and everything
4. Space Travel Through the Picture Frame
5. Fiesta
6. The Sunbeams
7. Paradise
8. E18
9. Off to Sleep
10. Sweden Orchestra
The feeling of frustration that seemed to follow every training session rose like bile in the back of Leo’s throat, threatening to choke him to death or turn into a fit of screams. Dion did not show mercy or kindness when he held a blade - not that he ever expected it in the first place - but even with so much determination to learn and improve, one could only take so many beatings before they grew to loathe always being on the losing side. Today had yet to break that streak. And as their session drew to a close, it started to look like he would never match his mentor.
“You’re getting worse.” The observation was met with a cutting glare, but Leo could not deny the truth of it. “You’re getting desperate,” Dion corrected, his sword still pressed against the neck of the defeated. “Reckless. Thoughtless. You fight as hard as you can, but you fight mindlessly… And in the end, you don’t learn a thing.” His blade brushed against the boy’s cheek, drawing a few drops of blood, before the cut healed before his very eyes. Finally, he asked, “What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing!” Leo snarled. “I am immortal, aren’t I? So long as I live, I won’t stop fighting!”
“You can fight to the end of eternity, but your enemies don’t care about your stubborn stupidity,” the demon coldly reminded him. “You can get back up again and again, but no one cares about putting you down in the first place. They care about taking what you have, destroying what you want to protect. You won’t die, but when you’re not strong enough to win, what will become of that immortal burden?”
Leo tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. Even in his anger, he remembered and respected the demon’s experience. Dion worried for the hubris in Leo’s sentiment, and knew he had to remind the boy that immortality was no guarantee of victory. In one swift motion, he made the killing blow, slashing Leo’s throat in the most bloody and brutal way. “Just because you can’t die doesn’t mean you can’t lose,” Dion spoke unflinchingly as his student fell before him, blood gushing from his wound and choking his words. “If you can’t understand that much, we’re wasting our time. I don’t deal with wild animals. Come to me again when you’re ready to finally pay attention. There’s too much at stake for you to continue down this fool’s path.”
And as Leo lay dying on the ground, Dion turned away and left him behind. He sputtered and gasped with his last painful breaths, reaching for the fleeting shadow of his mentor, but his vision blurred and faded and that was the end of it.
And then, life. Leo bolted upright as soon as he came to, not knowing how long he’d been out. Dion was long gone, leaving Leo alone to scream out his frustrations and curse the deafened stars. What kept him from the strength to protect the ones he loved? Was this truly the limit of his power? He had already given his best. He just needed to give a little more…
A scent reached his nose. His ears twitched at the sound of a gentle breath. His soul resonated with a familiar sensation, and all at once, he realized he was not alone.
Someone stood not far behind him. He didn’t know how long he had company, but he knew who it was by the ache in his chest that always came around when Laura Lucarhest approached him. An ache like a magnet, or a force of gravity, pulling him towards the bearer of his soul, and it took all his power to resist. In an instant of regretful realization, he was filled with shame at the thought that she must have seen his tantrum. ‘At least she didn’t see the blood,’ he told himself meekly, and put on a smile before turning to greet her. “Master! Good evening!“ His voice was chipper and cheery, betraying none of his anguish and frustration. She didn’t need to be burdened by his troubles. "I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were…”
His words trailed off as he noticed her shimmering eyes and her quivering lip. Leo had known Laura all his life. He knew when she was trying not to cry. “…You’re having a hard time too?” she finally spoke. As his expression softened into sympathy, she averted her gaze.
“Is… something the matter?” he ventured, carefully approaching the girl and lowering himself to one knee so that she stood taller than him. He tried to meet her gaze again, but she stubbornly kept her eyes fixed on her feet. “Did something happen with Miss Sonia today?” While Dion and Leo busied themselves with bleeding and bruising one another, Sonia had elected to teach Laura the arcane arts - something Leo appreciated for the fact that it distracted his master from walking in on his own brutally violent sessions, and it kept her too busy to feel lonely without him. “You always have so much fun with her…” he thought aloud. “Were you maybe injured? Let me know, and I’ll scold her for not being more careful with you!”
Laura shook her head and chewed at her lip, still too nervous to look into his eyes. “…I’m sorry, Leo…” she whispered softly, voice cracking as her emotions tried to push their way through. “All this time, I… I’ve been lying to you!”
It was really rather devastating to hear. “Lying?” he echoed, still too shocked to believe it. “Why? About what?”
Toying with the hem of her skirt, she took a deep breath and gathered her courage before coming clean, at long last. “The truth is…I don’t have any fun at all when Auntie Sonia teaches me!” she blurted, finally looking him in the eye as she bared her true feelings. “She does her best, and I do my best, but really… I don’t understand anything she’s saying! A-and, every day, after lessons… I just feel like I’m too stupid to learn anything at all! I just… I just feel like all I do is disappoint her! No, it’s not a feeling - I know I’m disappointing her!”
Now that was an accusation that deeply upset him. Leo had trusted his friend with the well-being of his most precious treasure. Hearing that she hadn’t served his expectations was troubling, to say the least. He was going to protest, hoping to reassure her that no one thought she was a disappointment, but Laura was one step ahead of him. "She said it!” she sniffed, covering her eyes with her hands. “She told Uncle Dion that I wasn’t learning! She said I was disappointing, so I know it’s true! I don’t even know what I’m doing wrong, Leo!” It was growing more difficult for her to hold back her tears, as her voice cracked and her shoulders shuddered with each trembling breath. “I’m trying so hard…” she told him, so desperate and sad. “But I’m still… just as stupid… as I’ve ever been…!”
The revelation came as a complete shock to Leo, and for a long moment, he had no idea what to even say. He wanted to scream. He wanted to find Sonia and fight her for his master’s honor. He wanted to hold Laura close in his tightest hug, kiss her head and say over and over that she wasn’t disappointing, that she wasn’t stupid, that she was strong and brave and he was proud of her for trying. He wanted to know everything there was to know about magic, all in an instant, just so he could teach her himself if he had to! But instead, he fell into the silence of a thoughtful pause, and finally posed the most pressing question her confession presented.
“…Why did you think you needed to lie to me about that?” He asked the question quietly, as if speaking too loudly might bruise her skin. “Every day, I’d see you and… You always looked so happy! You always told me you’d been learning so much, and I… I had no idea you were so miserable!” And he’d always known, until now. Perhaps that’s what hurt him the most.
Laura fidgeted uncomfortably before continuing her confession. “…I didn’t want you… to be disappointed with me, too…” she admitted, still fighting back the urge to cry. “I wanted you to be proud of me! Even though I’ve never been very smart, and I make you worry all the time, I… wanted you to think I was finally good at something. But the truth… The truth is…!” She didn’t finish her thought. It had become too difficult to speak for the burning in her eyes, in her cheeks, at the back of her throat.
There was plenty about this situation to make Leo angry. Plenty, even, to make him so sad he could cry. In fact, there was plenty of anger and sadness inside him already! But despite how upsetting it all was… Instead, Leo laughed.
Laura didn’t quite know how to react to it. She certainly didn’t expect that kind of response. He laughed and laughed and tried not to laugh, but it was quite a while before he got his giggle fits under control. In that moment, her tears gave way to a childish indignation. “What’s so funny about that?” she demanded to know, and at the grumpy pout on her face, he could only laugh a little more.
“I’m sorry, Master,” he snickered at last. “It’s just… Funny! Because, to be honest… I’ve been having a terrible time too!”
A twist that Laura never saw coming. “With Uncle Dion?” she gasped. “But you spend so much time with him! And whenever I saw you after our lessons were over, you’d always say how much you’d learned!”
“It was the exact same lie that you told me, wasn’t it?” he reminded her, pointing out the irony of their parallel with a smile. “The truth is…” He paused with a grimace, realizing he couldn’t get too explicit with the details. “…He is a tough teacher, who… pushes me around a lot. And I’m not strong enough to keep up with him. At first it was exciting to see the gap in our abilities, because I was so determined to close it and match him as an equal! But, now… I am starting to feel the weight of my failures.”
“But you can’t give up!”
Leo looked up at his master, whose sorrows seemed to have lifted at hearing his own struggles. “I believe in you!” she told him, eyes shining, not with tears, but with the same strength he felt welling up within him. “You’re stronger than anyone, Leo! I know you can do anything if you try! And I know you won’t stop trying until you win!”
His smile broadened, and he immediately turned her encouragement back around at her. “And I believe in you, Master!” he told her, quickly rising to his feet. “You say you aren’t smart, but that isn’t true! You’ve always been smarter than I am, even if you haven’t realized it! I’ll bet the only reason Miss Sonia is disappointed is because she knows she’s looking at the girl who’s going to be even smarter and stronger than she is some day - and she’s disappointed because she doesn’t know how to take you there! But just because you learn differently doesn’t mean you’ll never learn!”
“You think so?”
“I know so!” he cheered, scooping her up into his arms and lifting her high into the air. “You don’t need to earn my pride, Master,” he assured her over her squeals of delight. “I’m already proud of you! I’ve always, always been proud of you…”
They shared an affectionate gaze, falling silent for the moment, as they basked in their unconditional love. Leo feared that his praises put tears back in her eyes, but he figured he should be proud to give her tears of joy. She wrapped her arms around him then and hugged him tightly, and he just held her there, sighing in her embrace. “I love you, Leo,” she told him then, and in that moment, his mind felt clear and free of the frustrations that had plagued him until now. This is what he was fighting for. This is who he was willing to lay down his life for. He would endure any amount of pain to see his master happy and safe.
Dion had told Leo that his love for his master was his greatest weakness - but also that it could just as easily become his greatest strength. He thought he knew what that meant. Now he knew he did.
‘What are you afraid of?’
He set her down and kneeled once more, giving her a faltering smile. “…Gods and magic… Demons and angels… It is difficult to find the strength to fight against enemies I don’t quite understand. I have tried being brave in the face of the unknown… But I don’t know if bravery has helped me more than it’s hurt me.” At seeing the worried expression she wore, he forced a grin and reassured her, “But when I feel most desperate, I look to you for guidance, Master. And you always… know exactly what to do.” He gave her hand a squeeze and quietly told her, “I would do anything to protect you. Wherever this path leads… I promise you that we will walk together.”
Laura nodded and smiled with his words. “Together,” she agreed, “to the very end.”
He took her hand then, offering another smile, and his heart fluttered when she earnestly, honestly returned it. It came with a measure of fear, he now realized - but that wasn’t something to suppress or deny. Not if he wanted the strength he was so desperate to attain…
-
“Sir!”
Dion winced at the voice calling for him, and didn’t turn to make his reply. “I’m done for today, Leo,” he sighed. “I thought I told you to come back when you were–”
“Just one more match!” The demon was given pause at the desperation in his plea, frowning slightly at the sound of it. “I just need to try one more time, sir! Please, just today!”
“Yeah! And he’ll win this time, too!”
Now he turned to face his challengers, surprised to see the Lucarhests both standing before him, hand-in-hand. Leo had always gone to great lengths to make sure his master stayed far away from their training. Why would he pull her in now? “…Are you sure?” he asked, looking between the two. It was at his suggestion that Laura be kept away. Even he didn’t want her exposed to that kind of bloodshed…
But Leo nodded confidently and repeated his challenge. “I only need one more try,” he told him. “Please! I won’t disappoint you again.”
Dion sat in silence with a deep frown and a furrowed brow… But when he’s dealing with two pairs of puppy-dog eyes instead of just one, how could he ever refuse? He didn’t have the heart to make these poor kids cry. “…One match,” he sighed, summoning his sword. “And I won’t go easy. So if there’s somewhere she needs to be…”
Leo nodded and looked to his master with some concern, but in the end he just gave her a pat on the head and sent her to sit away from them and watch. But not before pulling off one of the ribbons in her hair, and tying it tightly around his eyes. Dion stopped when it happened, at first confused as to what it might mean… before he slowly took on a satisfied smile. He had a feeling Leo had an answer to his question now.
“What are you afraid of, Leo?”
“I am afraid of losing,” he declared, with humility and confidence, rather than the stubborn arrogance that until now held him back.
He couldn’t have given a better answer. Dion took his stance, merciless and unfaltering in the face of a challenge, but the pride he felt for his student showed in the warmth of the smile on his face. “So fight like a man who is afraid to die,” he commanded plainly.
