#support: lapis

[aliberation]

“Happy winter festival, Divine One! And a good morning to you too, heh!”  Lapis greets her friend with a pep in her step.  “You betcha I got a gift for you for the big day! Ta-da~”

Fished out of her bag, Lapis offers up a small gift box to Alear, two differently colored ribbons matching her hair and eye colors to make an eye-catching bow holding it all together. When it's opened, what turns out to be inside is a wooden comb painted with various flowers.

“Taking my turns to wake you up, I noticed you get some bedhead sometimes,”  she tries to explain, hoping she's not hitting a sore spot or embarrassing Alear in any way.  “Doing your hair must take a long time... so I wanted you to have something that could make you smile a bit while you do it! Each of those flowers I painted to be one of the national flowers of each of the major countries on Elyos, see? So each time you wake up and do your hair, you can be reminded of all the friends and allies you made through the war. Even if we're not going to always be together every day, this way, you can feel us with you, right?”

Oh, she'd been so caught up in delivering her own gifts that she totally forgot the possibility that Alear would procure some herself-- and Lapis being the first to do so has her grinning from ear to ear, one hand coming up to cover her mouth. Already, the thought and effort put into the packaging alone brings warmth to her heart, unable to stop the giggle from bursting forth. "Lapis! Oh, you didn't have to do all of this... it's so pretty, I almost feel bad opening it." That's true, and Alear does her best to gingerly unravel everything in her attempt to keep it from being absolutely destroyed. Popping the top, though, her eyes widen and a gasp escapes despite her best attempts to keep it quiet. Her fingers run over the beautifully ornate flowers used as decoration, and long before Lapis says it... Alear would recognize those colors anywhere. Tracing over Firene, Elusia, Solm... and they stop on Brodia's as she raises her gaze to settle on her friend's face. How blessed she's been to have met the people that she has on her journeys. How blessed she's been to be surrounded by so much love and joy. She carefully tucks the box under an arm before shuffling forward to pull her into the biggest bear hug that she can manage, swaying them both from side to side in sheer happiness. "I love it! I love it so much! Hehe, I know this'll work perfectly for the bed head... and Lapis?" Alear pulls away just far enough to glance down at her gift once again, gaze softening. "Thank you. With or without this comb, you're always in my heart-- I hope you know that. The physical reminder is welcome, of course, though! Maybe it'll make it easier to deal with the tangles..."

Oh, right! "Come with me for a bit? The best gift I can have is you with me! Though I think this is a very, very close second."

[doyouevenliftbrooo]

“ Etie?! ”  What a hell of a way to find out someone's on a whole different continent than you expected them to be! Lapis is rushing over to her the moment she recognizes the noblewoman in the medical tent.  “ Wow, gosh, that's really you! And it looks like you must've been fighting your all in the battle, huh. ”

Looking at those wounds... yeah, that sure told a story all on its own of the fight she must've been put through.

“ ...I'm glad to be seeing you again after the war, even if you're a bit roughed up. I missed training with you a lot. ”

Another voice she hadn't quite expected to hear rings out among the quiet murmurs of fellow contenders who had been knocked out, and Etie's head swivels in desperate search for its source. Her eyes immediately settle on an oh-so-familiar mop of pink hair, and her expression remains bewildered for only a heartbeat before shifting into a huge grin. "Lapis?!" The archer quickly moves to push herself to her feet, only to wince; yep, she's going to be feeling that hit for more than a week, she thinks-- Edelgard deserved every amount of praise she received as an Emblem of Elyos. "Turns out I can't beat an Emblem after all. Kagetsu tried his hardest, too." She settles back into her spot, though the excitement pulsing through her veins makes her want to get out of here more than anything. "I didn't think I'd run into you here! It's a pleasant surprise, to say the least." "As for training... well, we can fix that now, can't we? As soon as I'm back on my feet, it's back to my routine. I have to get ready for next year's battle, after all!"

[laslow]

“ Guess I owe you an apology. We tried as hard as we could but still ended up here, huh? ”  Lapis tries to keep things light, but she knows that at the end of the day, it was still a matter of fact that the two of them had been eliminated together. She'd been counting on him to support her, it's true, but he was counting on her just as much, wasn't she?

And yet still, here they are, separated from the few remaining Snakes left.  “ I wanted us to win, but... we still got some points for our buddies, and I had a crazy but fun time working with you. Let's do it again sometime! Er... with less sneaking around, OK? ”

It didn't seem like either of their fortes after all.

Lapis, apologizing to him? That should be his line--he let her take all the risks while he hardly did anything!

"While I accept, you have nothing to apologize for, Lapis. You were amazing in those old ruins! I'm the one that owes you an apology. I hardly did anything beyond sneaking past a wolf or two." One corner of his mouth tilts up. "By the by, thank you for all your hard work."

He understands where she's coming from, though. All that effort amounting to nothing stings. It's normal, to place that blame on yourself. "Heh, I was sure we'd emerge on top! At least we left everyone with something to remember us by."

Now he smiles in earnest. "The pleasure was all mine, my darling! I'm fairly light on my feet, just not for sneaking. I'd love to spar with you sometime--or perhaps you'll join me for some tea this afternoon?"

[onigirisamurai]

“ Kagetsu! ”‎ ‎ Lapis cries out the moment she finally catches a glimpse of his visage. She charges his way, purposeful and frantic strides quickening her pace. From far away, she might have looked like she was looking for a fight, but the closer she gets, the more apparent from her concerned expression that she was in actuality quite frazzled.‎ ‎ “ Boy, am I glad to see you! I need your advice on something really quick. You wouldn't happen to know what kinds of foods Queen Ivy likes, do you? ”

She tries to play it off casually, but her face is downright pleading at this point.

“ I've got to prepare some food for her, but I have no idea where to even start! I can't even imagine what an Elusian queen might like… ”

“Lapis? Is something wrong?” Kagetsu meets her with an equally concerned and slightly confused expression as she approaches, immediately pausing any and all prior activity to give her his full attention. Though as she explains the situation and he begins to understand, the concern gives way to lighthearted laughter at the situation. “Ah, I see.”

He hardly even has to think about the question at this point, having served as the Queen’s retainer long enough to answer near instantly: “She seems to find sweets most enjoyable. And foods that contain potatoes as well, if I recall.” It was a little difficult for him to learn this information, but it’s information he will never forget (even if it was never officially discussed between them). “Though I do not doubt she would be appreciative of anything you may give her.”

He nods, confident in his words content to leave it at that… until he remembers something that is probably important to mention. For Ivy’s sake. “Or— anything as long as it is not pickled or… excessively spiced.” Just as he remembers the way her expression shifted to slightly more positive when he predicted the former foods were to be served, he also remembers the displeasure ever so slightly on her face, even if it wasn’t too often voiced to him. “Perhaps do not give her anything like that.“

“Other than that, I stand by my prior sentiment! I have faith you will not poison her.” Kagetsu laughs again, though with how stressed Lapis seemed over the whole ordeal, he does realize it may not be the right opportunity to joke. Especially considering how much he relates to worrying about whether or not Ivy will like something. Sure, that ‘something’ was him, but... It can’t be that different. He can still offer an encouraging smile in these trying times. “Though should you need any more suggestions, do not hesitate to ask! My time is always free if it is for Queen Ivy.”