“If I made time for this, it’s because I wanted to.”
{ You're already at Day 1! / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / Day 6 / Day 7 / Day 8 }
Prompts credited to @/takuyakistall!
I-It's not like I like you or anything!
“… Fancy seein’ you here, canary.”
Raven glances up from her book. She’d just been in the midst of skimming a story—one about a girl in a red cloak, hungrily pursued by a cunning beast to her grandmother’s house.
There’s no mistaking the owner of that deep, lazy timbre: Leona Kingscholar, in all of his glory.
He has shed his school uniform in favor of a more casual look, but it is nothing short of extravagant. He wears a baggy shirt with peasant sleeves, the right half a solid sepia and the left half a colorful mangle of various animal hides. Its V-neck is cut so low that it reveals a glimpse of his abdominals. His quilted mocha trousers are high-waisted, the shirt tucked into them and secured with a belt.
He hasn’t skimped on the accessories. Several bracelets jangle on his wrists, a multitude of necklaces decorating his exposed collarbone. A pair of sunglasses crowns his head of chocolate tresses. The very image of a wealthy man vacationing in the southern isles.
Only marginally more tasteful than her Uncle Crowley during winter break.
“Leona-san. I didn’t realize we were patrons of the same book shop.”
Foothill Town is a small community servicing several hundred students from both ends of Sage’s Island. To run into a peer—or worse, a student from the rival school—is not uncommon. Knowing this, Leona scoffs.
“Go figure.”
His eyes sweep over her.
On campus, he’s used to a raven in black feathers. Out in the wild, Raven is bundled up in a beret and an oversized knitted sweater the color of butter. Pastel pink ribbons race up the sleeves and through her long, loose hair. Her pale blue pleated skirt is paired with that same butter-yellow leg warmers which ride up to below her kneecaps.
Cozy, neat, and sweet. Like a little golden songbird.
His gaze falls to the open book in her grasp. “Let me guess. Another one of those sappy romance novels?”
Blush instantly erupts onto Raven’s cheeks. “N-No…! And even if it was, there’s nothing wrong with reading romance!”
He smirks, and her stomach does somersaults. Never a good sign. “I didn’t insult the genre, now did I? Just makin’ an educated guess based on your usual literary picks.”
She gasps (although it’s more of a squeak), only realizing her mistake after he has corrected her. “Wh-What about you? On the prowl for some hefty new history tome, I assume.”
“They ever tell ya that assumin’ makes an ass outta you and me?” (Her brows furrow as she tries to wrap her mind around the statement.) Leona yawns, and she catches a glimpse of his long, knife-life incisors, the tear droplets forming in the corners of his lashes. “But yeah. You got any recommendations?”
The sarcasm in his tone makes her bristle. Challenge stirs.
“Well… How about you try something new then?” Raven suggests, indicating a title on the shelf in front of them. A Sigh in the Summertime.
He raises a brow. "Why's it got that name?"
"Well, it's technically a love story between two men of different races, neither of whom believe themselves to be capable of expressing their feelings. The sigh in the title is a metaphor for how euphoric it feels when they are finally able to confess what they've been bottling up."
His nose crinkles. "Pass."
She presses the book into his hands anyway.
“It's also a historical piece set before the time of the mermaid princess. A merman finds an orphaned human infant set adrift in a basket and chooses to raise it as his daughter. But knowing that a human cannot be raised in the sea, he sacrifices his tailfin for a pair of legs and moves to a quaint little seaside village. There, he is able to learn more about humanity through the locals and by watching his daughter grow up.
"At its core, it is a tale about how love shapes history and acts as an incentive to create a better future for others. I'm sure you'll find it interesting."
His sour expression remains, but he allows his fingers to close around the book's spine. "... This had better be good."
"Oh, it will be," Raven chirps, flashing a cheeky grin. "You can let me know all about how right I was when you've finished."
"Hah. Don't get cocky on me, canary."
"Why not? Leona-san is cocky all of the time. I'm allowed a moment of acting like you."
His eyes narrow. The blood in her veins thrums, the same way any bird's would when they've been pinned by its natural predator. Still, she stands her ground and puffs up in a poor attempt to intimidate him back.
Leona ignores her and extends an arm overhead, effortlessly retrieving a book from higher up.
“Here," he says, slipping it to her.
"What's this?"
"Returning the favor." He taps the cover--a deep crimson, with the title emblazoned in glittering gold. The Empress of the East. "Give that a read and get back to me.”
Raven flips to the back. “… This is about how a common born woman lied, cheated, manipulated, and murdered her way to the throne.”
“What can I say?” Leona shrugs. “I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.”
“How feminist of you." Sarcasm coats her every word. "And what makes you think I’d enjoy this?”
“Because the queen-to-be becomes a consort in the imperial palace and wins the heart of a prince.” He teasingly inclines his head to one side, smug. “Ain’t that your thing? Fiction often finds its roots in real life history.”
Sniffing, she concedes. "... Point taken. Alright, I'll give this a shot. We can reconvene at a later date to trade thoughts.”
Leona smirks—as if he has won some imaginary game of chess. “Then it’s a date.”
The conversation should have ended then and there.
It doesn't.
The two continue to bicker as they make their way to the checkout. They speak in hushed tones, a sort of fierce whisper-yell only reserved for the library or for keeping secrets. When they place their books down to cash out, they're still wrapped up in their chatter.
The cashier--a pale, mopey boy Raven vaguely recognizes from Ignihyde--stares blankly at the duo. "Um, are you two together, or...?"
"Oh no, we're paying separately," Raven replies, fishing out her coin purse. She counts out the exact amount and slides the bills and coins over.
"We're not together," Leona insists simultaneously, producing a jet-black card and setting it on the table. (Raven bets that Ruggie would kill to own that card.) "Not like that."
“Could’ve sworn… some kinda date… flirting the entire time while browsing…” the cashier mutters as he rings the two up.
"Oi," Leona snaps, ears twitching. The cashier automatically stiffens, a raspy yelp of fear escaping him. "Is it any of your business to investigate the private lives of your paying customers? No? Then it'd be wise to keep your mouth shut."
"Leona-san!" Raven smacks him on the arm--a light reprimand. Then, addressing the terrified Ignihyde mob, "I'm sorry! Please disregard him. Sometimes he can be irritable..."
This is why I hate couples. They’re too lost in their own world and too busy making goo-goo eyes at each other to pay attention to anything going on around them. Total lack of self-awareness for how they make us singles feel when they're hovering.
The cashier nods, hurriedly bagging the purchases and practically shoving them at the two. Almost as if to say, "Transaction's over. Now get the hell out." (Leona and Raven are now caught up in a disagreement about manners. "That guy's buttin' into MY business." / "You didn't have to phrase it like the way you did!")
He warily watches the two retreat. Still bickering. It's like bliss when the bell suspended over the door rings, signaling their official exit.
The cashier sighs deeply.
"Man... I should NOT be working during the week of Valentine's."
Farnese and Serpico do their best Lenector cosplay
Meanwhile the series is turned into the Griffith show because "every villain is the hero of their own show"
Comparing Farnese and Serpico (Farpico? Serpese? lmao) to Lenector is hilarious to me because 1) Serpico was meant to look like a bumbling sidekick until he revealed that he's actually cunning like a fox, which is what N!Hector was intended to be before Peak Writing striked; 2)
Farnese acts more like a kinky vampire than Lenore does. It's just funny to me. Wow, it's almost like your dommy mommy has to do more than just sexually molesting her pet! This scene is short but unironically hotter than any "good boy" Lenore can throw at me, even with Serpico not exactly being enthusiastic about being treated like a doll, and I'd be delighted to explain why :)
oh but i bet antis would shit themselves because oh noooooo they're half-siblings, quick, let's pretend they're not, that will make everything acceptable! at least it wouldn't look massively racist unlike with the japanese not-twins
anyway the rest is too real and I can only imagine the massive amout of whitewashing Griffith would receive because #HeDidNothingWrong and he's actually a tragic anti-hero with noble intentions :^) how much do we bet that the Eclipse wouldn't even happen?
the armorer is such an interesting character to me. she is an enigmatic religious cult leader, dogmatic and superstitious with her beliefs but she is also the quest giver to din. twice now she has given din a quest. first with returning grogu to his own kind and now telling him to go to the mines of mandalore to find the living waters.
the visual cue from her helmet having horns seems to also point to her having been a follower of maul’s during the siege of mandalore. otherwise why? while for ornamentation they must serve some of purpose to tell people something about herself. it makes sense if she was apart of death watch and than even that splintered further in the aftermath of the siege only becoming even more reclusive and dogmatic after the purge.
the armorer is the clear leader of the covert and it seems to be their spiritual guide in a way as well as the keeper of their stories.
while i find it easy to believe that din wasn’t aware of jedi or that they are the traditional enemy of the mandalorians i don’t really buy that he wasn’t aware of the great purge and pillaging of the empire. we know he’s not the most aware of current events but these things are important to his culture and definitely to his sect. he was determined to get the beskar from the client and tells bo-katan that mandalore is haunted so he seems to be aware of some of it. i think it’s more the importance of simply telling of the story. that by telling themselves these stories they are telling themselves that their way is the way. that they survived because their devout ways saved them.
i think she has suspicions and ideas about din djarin. after all he is the one who finds and successfully returns a force sensitive child to the jedi and he returned from that quest with the darksaber defeating the pillager gideon in combat even. if she is superstitious enough to believe that her people were cursed by bo-katan’s “illegitimate” rule than i think she is just as devout and superstitious to believe that fate/the force is guiding din to possible glory.
it would be a boon to the covert if the new mandalore happens to come from their traditional sect thereby proving them correct in their beliefs.
she likes din maybe even feels a bit maternal towards him. i think she wants him to succeed in ushering in a new era for mandalore even if it’s for her own enigmatic reasons. she seems to understand that there is something larger at play and even as she excommunicates him from the covert she tells him how he can repent for removing his helmet. she even forged grogu something from beskar after telling din that jedi forgo all attachments.
she is not entirely right of course as she is biased and rigid in her views and definitely withholds information until she sees fit or it benefits her/the covert in someway. like all cult leaders there is manipulation and it’s the ignorance of her followers that gives leaders like her power but i think it’s important that she let din walk away rather than let paz kill him and claim the saber.
we and din will see her again.
also the armorer’s words to din “persistence without insight will lead to the same outcome” is essentially his character arc for season 3. he has to find the balance within himself to properly wield the darksaber. mandalore the reluctant.
