As everyone shuffled around and found their new tables, Ike found himself sitting across from a kind-looking woman. Something in her eyes reminded him of something melancholy, that he couldn't even really place. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ike."
He smiled at her and glanced at the question on the slip of paper at their table.
topic: what does the word love mean to you?
What was with all these heavy ones? These topics were big. Last round he'd heard a group talking about beverages. Could he get something like that?
But fine he'd engage in good faith. Offering a sheepish smile he set the card down.
"Love's kind of a... complicated topic isn't it? I love my sister a lot. Oh but this probably means the kind of love couples have. I don't have a lot of experience with that. Always too busy. But what about you? You're a beautiful woman, I bet you know a lot about this."
"Deirdre," she offers her name and her hand should he wish to shake it. He smiles at her and it is comforting, a much kinder smile than her partner's for the last round though she feels terrible for thinking such a thing.
The topic they are given makes her own smile grow even bigger. Love. It is perhaps her favorite subject to speak on even if Ike does not quite seem to share her enthusiasm at first.
"I do not think it needs to be so complicated. And I think the love you have for your sister is just as important and wonderful as the love between a husband and wife." She reaches across the table for his hand, confident in her assessment. "There are many people that I love but I would not consider the love for my husband to be worth more than the love for my children or my friends."
She shakes her head and lets go of his hand, bringing hers back to her side of the table. "Will you tell me about your sister? I have only ever known my grandfather and not for very long at all. I enjoy hearing stories about my friends' families."
peony : what would a ‘ happy life ’ look like in your muse’s eyes ?
BOTANICAL HEADCANONS ・ accepting! ( warning for discussion or mentions of pregnancies, childbirth, child neglect / abuse, religious trauma, and bad parenting overall )
there are two answers to this depending on pre-death and post-death Zephia, so i'll answer this question twice, elaborate on both, and compare the expectation between the two, as slight as it might be. the order will be PRE-DEATH → POST-DEATH → COMPARISON. warning for rambling and long paragraphs, too 💕
first off, a "happy life" in PRE-DEATH Zephia's eyes would be pretty basic and concise. she would bear a child by Lord Sombron and heal her loneliness. but that's where it ends. she hadn't thought of anything after gracing a womb with a child, thus, after her child would be born, what then? what would she want after? though this "happy life" would consist of Sombron giving in to her wish, would he not expect her child to become a pawn if she taught them the ways of the Fell Dragon? but if she didn't, if she tried to be a mother like her mother once was, would her child not snap their jaws at the world like it was theirs?
no matter how many children she has, there is no place for the Four Hounds in this happy life. they were temporary in her real conquest and, thus, would be discarded once she was deemed pregnant. after all, her only reason to be Sombron's follower in the first place was for him to realize how good of a mother he could make her, right? there's a question of where she and her child go but for that, she has no answer. whatever it be, it would be nowhere close to a Fell Church. that much was for certain. she saw the treatment they gave children—took part in it, even. but she would be damned if anyone besides herself hurt her child. this, likely, extends to Sombron. she chose him as a father simply because of how absent he is in the lives of his own children so it should be the same for hers. he won't care and her child's entire world will revolve around her.
but, a "happy life" in POST-DEATH Zephia's eyes is more thought-out but less sensical. her conquest of bearing a Lord Sombron's child is still a priority, but she does not know where it stands among the others. because, now, she realizes that she does have other people she cares for. whether she has one child or plenty, the Four Hounds deserve a place at her side, however, she doesn't know where or how that is. would she take them far from the Fell Church? even after its damages have already been done? would she name Griss as the godfather of her child? Mauvier? would she forgive Marni and, in some twisted form of fate, pronounce her the dead godmother? either way, she will have a child ( because, to her, she needs to start over. a clean new slate. a clean new family. ) but where would she go to raise them?
after her death, Zephia doesn't really understand her goals or desires. she's realized that the Four Hounds were the family she wanted, yes, but would they be enough? especially after she had such an influence in all of their fates? what's to say that Griss would even be a good godfather? and if he isn't, what would she do? it isn't his fault that he's the way he is as much as it's her fault for encouraging his desires. would she discard him from the new life or would she see her child as the problem?
now for the COMPARISON. let it be known that imagining Xephia with a child is a dangerous game, as her own traumas are only repressed, not healed, and putting a child under her care would only prove how inept she is at motherhood. she wasn't made or taught how to properly love someone and her definition of parenthood is a transaction of obligation from the child for being born so... yeah.
pre-death Zephia is selfish whereas post-death Zephia is not as blind to her prior desires. this has nothing to do with Sombron, unfortunately, as she still wants to have his child. that will not change. for over a thousand years, that was her goal and, likely, will not change until a thousand more years of self-introspection occur. however, post-death Zephia does now see the Four Hounds as a family, though her understanding of this doesn't reflect that. she doesn't fully recognize the impact Griss, Mauvier, and Marni had on her conscious. so while she definitely imagines them being a part of a "happy life", in comparison to pre-death Zephia who will not think of them as anything beyond what they are, i don't think she knows what or where they'll be. because, after all, Marni's death was by her hands and Mauvier is nowhere to be found.
it's simple to assume that a "happy life" in Zephia's eyes would be something cruel and purposefully full of malice ( ex. founding a Fell Church of her own, or another faction of followers, or reviving Sombron completely ) but the only goal in life that she can remember having is to bear a child and live a life of fullness with them. the specifics aren't and were never thought out fully.
The Radiant Hero had reached out to ruffle her hair, like she was a child and not an Empress (and at one point, his employer). Like he didn’t understand that despite her status as a student, once they stepped off the monastery grounds, she would return to being an Empress. She whirls around, fiery eyes locking on Ike’s face to glare directly into his eyes.
“What was that for?” Her voice is sharp, like she’s practiced, but maybe too shrill for her liking. Her hands reach up to settle her hair back over her headband, struggling their way around baggy sleeves. “I don’t see how it’s relevant to the task ahead of us.” She shakes her head a final time to settle her hair back down, and crosses her arms. “Don’t do that again.”
[ Marriage, as shown in an earlier post, is a topic that has certainly popped into Faye's mind ever since she was young. And it's doubly obvious who she planned to ever marry if she did do so, but that ship has clearly sailed now.
Although, if she ever found herself loving again, in a happy relationship? She would still want to be married, yeah. It would have to be with the perfect partner, but there is still a latent part of Faye that has a devoted heart. Peaceful days are what she remembers and cherishes the most in her life, so sharing them with someone else is never entirely out of the question. As with how open she is of the idea at the moment, it would likely take a while to be honest with herself. ]
chouquette - does your muse believe they deserve to be loved? why or why not?
also asked by @philialdevotion.
// not inherently, no. as they are right now? hard no.
// children deserve love, maybe. but chad insists they're not a child, in that twilight nightmare known as adolescence. they're a thief and a murderer and failed to keep father safe and the children are back alone in elibe right now too. he was also insane enough to go on a revenge crusade that would've probably ended up with him dead if he hadn't met roy and left the kids with one pair of hands less even than before, and despite now being aware of the fact this was insane he can't say with certainty he wouldn't do it again. in what world would someone like him deserve love? how do you make up for all of that?
// long and short of it — they don't believe they're a good person. even before, they've always had a sharp tongue if left unchecked, a mean temper when left as is, so they had to take extra care to find what is good and kind. now, it's just. well. they're not good. other people deserve that love far, far more. there are people deserving of love out there and its not them.
Upon awakening after the fight Ike is exhausted but he still goes out of his way to check on the kid. Too young for serious battle he'd argue but he knows that isn't always a choice people get. He himself started mercenary work pretty young and battle around this kid's age. Things happen.
It's not hard to find him. They seem unable to leave between fights, able just to mend their wounds and prepare for whatever comes next.
"Hey," he says as he approaches the kid. "I'm Ike, by the way. We didn't really get proper introductions. I'm sorry I wasn't able to do more to protect you. I gave it my best but that's not an excuse."
"... Erk." This guy is tall. Really tall. Something that Erk hadn't gotten to notice until they were both on solid ground, and he found himself craning his neck to look up at him.
"... It's not your fault..." He starts, fingers nervously twining together with the absence of the tome he usually held in his hands. "I mean, I don't think there was anything you could have done."
They had both failed to protect someone, hadn't they? Innocent violet eyes blink up at Ike, before quickly darkening again as a frown settled on Erk's face.
"You can always try... again... I mean, there's going to be another round. I would like it if you... you tried again..."
what an interesting game, reyson thinks, sizing up the mercenary before him. ike is bold in many things, but this has never been one of them and, therefore, it surprises reyson little that he has to come up with a pretense for a kiss.
the goal, then, is simple: fluster him.
reyson's eyelids lower slightly as he steps closer. a delicate hand grasps ike's collar, gently tugging him in closer. there's not much of a height disparity between them, but reyson plays it up anyway, leaning against him as he bites one end of the treat and makes his way toward ike's lips.
the kiss is chaste, really, but hopefully it does its job along with the proximity. when reyson withdraws, he brushes his thumb across ike's lower lip, playful.
He'd heard it was Reyson's birthday and had immediately gone to get him something. Reyson asked for little during his time with Ike's people, didn't seem to want people to think he needed more than others. Ike wanted to get him something anyway though. So he had left him a few items he'd bought in town: some almond cookies, a hair clip that a merchant had assured him would look good on blond hair, and a good sturdy pair of practical gloves. With it was a little note: Happy birthday, Reyson. You didn't ask but I hope you like these.
- Ike
reyson was slow to accept gifts. often they were accompanied by assumptions that he was in some way lacking something, that he was weak and needed creature comforts to get by, unlike others who were oh so much stronger than he.
he knows this line of thought is sometimes irrational. that there are people who care for him and friends that he has made, and that sometimes a gesture is just that: a gesture from a friend.
he inspects the gifts. thoughtful and genuinely things he'd like. food with nuts, something to hold his hair back, practical gloves. he can't help but let it show on his face how pleased he is. it's a good thing the gift was left, not hand-delivered. he'd need to pen a thank you note...
