#user. luminousrider

[thracianblood]

♡ dad...

○○○○○ | ATTRACTION

●●●●○ | AFFECTION

●●●●○ | INTEREST

●●○○○ | LOYALTY

●●●○○ | TRUST

—

"Things will never be the same as they were back then. I can only hope that she will become the ruler Thracia deserves... No matter how many years pass, I'll still see her as that little girl."

[thracianblood]

She sees him from behind first. Tall, broad shouldered, long dark green hair. A resemblance that leaves an ache inside her. She knows better than to think, even for a moment, that it was possible for her father to be here but seeing this stranger that looks like him is enough to bring the feelings of missing him to the surface.

It is when she hears him speak that she realizes that the impossible could actually come true. She knows that voice. Has argued with it countless times. Has sought it out an equal number of times as a source of comfort.

"Father?" Her voice is a whisper.

Her strides quicken to close the distance between them. The only way to be absolutely certain is to see his face and look into his eyes. Her hand reaches out for his arm to encourage him to turn toward her. She looks up into his eyes and her normal hardened features soften.

"Father!" She can't remember the last time she's smiled this wide.

Wandering about on the surface has become a luxury, as Travant came to know it. Much of his time spent outdoors had been solely for mercenary work so far, with little opportunity to properly appreciate the scenery laid before him. Trees properly rooted, a forest full of life — these are what he wished he could’ve seen when he made his siege upon the Munster District. At least his people will have that chance to see that thriving land for themselves.

“Hmm… If only,” he muses aloud to himself. It is only this moment when his guard is let down that he doesn’t heed the approaching figure. Their boldened touch brings him to nearly snap his head towards their direction, ready to jerk away and scold them for such behavior.

Now, just who in their right mind dares to—!

Travant supposes he is lucky this time for holding back on his reflexes, because the person standing before him is none other than the girl he once raised. Older by a smidge, yet still clearly holding resemblance. He doesn’t know which is more surprising: the fact that she, too, is alive, or that she looks up to him with the same gleam in her eyes as when she rode a dragon for the first time. 

“… Altena…?”

She already knew the truth of her origins, scorned him for it, yet still… Altena smiles at him as if the war did not happen. As if everything he did, did not happen. Surely, she cannot be that talented at deception. Mind, if this wasn't her at all but some doppelganger or a specter, he would've immediately noticed. Such foolish tricks wouldn't work on him.

But the normally composed, uncaring image he had so carefully and painstakingly crafted starts to slip away. He cannot bring himself to wipe off that long forgotten smile off her face, for whatever reason, and the man is left lost, for lack of a better word. “What could have possibly happened while I was gone...?”

[thracianblood]

"Father..."

When they had reunited, he spoke of wanting to go on an outing with her just as they had done before things were turned upsidedown. She promised to show him just how strong she's become. Now might seem like the perfect opportunity for both of those things if she's able to lay down a few ground rules first.

"I will be watching you, you know. This is your chance to prove that you can be a better man than you once were. I don't expect you to change completely but I don't want you to jeopardize everything we are working toward."

She had warned Leif about his resurrection and thinks perhaps it might be better if he knew before running into him on his own as well. With a deep breath, she adds, "I would ask you also to let my little brother be. He's here, too, and will be assigned with us. Try to give him a chance, alright? He's a good man and he understands as best he can what it's like for our people. I trust him."

To think that Travant would be travelling back to Jugdral this soon… Altena had encouraged him, and Arion as well from the looks of it, to make the decision, despite everything that could go wrong on this trip. It’s not as if there’d be anyone left at home to welcome him back with open arms.

But, with her intent in mind, this was supposedly his opportunity to prove himself. How funny. He might as well entertain the idea, since they would be working together for the first time in a while.

“What do I have to gain by ‘jeopardizing’ anything? Who would be on my side if I did such a thing? I assure you, Altena, even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be so foolish.” Not even his own children can fully trust him. At least back then, he had rule over Thracia and its wyvern knights. He smiles at her, though it's not a particularly happy one. “Heh… If anything, you should be careful of the ones targeting me out of spite. Their anger outweighs my urges by a far margin.” 

And it wasn’t just that. Her brother by blood is also here. Had Altena intentionally brought him over, or is it yet again one of those miraculous coincidences that he’s been running into so often lately? “What are the odds that the three of us are part of the same group… Fine. It’s not as if I have much of a choice, anyway.” 

[thracianblood]

[ MOVIE - TRAGEDY ] - A techno-magical reproduction of a moving tragedy following a young prince seeking revenge against his uncle for the murder of his father.

The technology used to make performances replayable fascinates Altena. She finds it rather hard to imagine just from the excited word of mouth floating about the ballroom. It seems like it is something that must be seen to be truly understood.

She sits with her father in the first room that had been available to them, unsure of what exactly they are about to view but excited to see the spectacle. As the show plays, the plot becomes obvious. The color drains from her face and she tries to steal inconspicuous glances over at her father to gauge if he is as uncomfortable as she is.

"I didn't know," she whispers apologetically as the hero speaks to his father's ghost. "We don't have to stay..."

It is merely a work of fiction, a tale told by performers reciting lines and swinging fake weapons. It does not claim to be based on real events like those ridiculous plays in Grannvale. Real or fake, fiction, or non-fiction, all these stories aim to evoke emotion in those who watch them.

Eyes bore into the screen as a familiar memories resurface in vivid detail. These characters bear no physical resemblance to anyone he knows, yet the story seems very, very familiar to him the longer it plays out...

He doesn't shift the entire time they're watching — a stoic face, arms folded, with one leg over the other. His hair covers whatever emotion manages to spill onto his face, if any of it could.

At Altena's comment, he replies matter-of-factly:

"You can leave if you want."

I want to see if this story ends differently.

[thracianblood]

Her wyvern approaches him first, bounding excitedly until she is close enough to sniff curiously. It's been a long time since she's seen him. Altena has to wonder if the wyvern, too, is unsure just how real he is.

"She remembers you," Altena remarks simply, running a hand down the scales of Peaches's neck. "Leif seemed to think you might try to steal her to try to get away." Her eyes narrow just slightly. "I told him you weren't so stupid."

There is a pause. "Have you decided what I should call you?"

Upon being approached by Peaches, he watches her circle him and places a hand atop her snout to offer a brief pet. She did not share any resemblance with Amalia, not in appearance nor in mannerisms, although just the mere presence of another wyvern brings him back to her. Vicious in battle, yet calm and well-mannered when grounded. It had felt like she was the only one to understand him without the need for words, when he had closed his heart off from anyone else.

It is what Altena tells him next that brings him back from reminiscing on what's already lost. He doesn't stop himself from breaking into a chortle.

"Ohoho! Did he, now?" Travant knows his reputation was that of a king who'd resort to backhanded tactics to get what he wants, but that is a new one. "I'm more offended that he'd think Peaches is that gullible to abandon her own master. Nobody should ever underestimate a wyvern's intelligence."

Now, moving on from that little bit of comedy... Right. She doesn't know about his alias yet.

"I've been getting by as Gutierre. Nobody seems to have any qualms with it so far, not even Leif. I hope you're exercising just as much caution."

[thracianblood]

Garden mishaps...‎ ‎ 

"Have you seen the green house here yet?" Altena's eyes widen and twinkle as she mentions the one place here at the monastery that continues to marvel her. "I've never seen anything like it. They grow fresh produce all year round, Father! Can you imagine?"

It's hard to believe that she would even have the opportunity to experience something like this for her brother. Even this hoity toity tea party is so unlike the meals they've shared together before.

"I've tried to help with the care of it before but I'm not good at it. Everything I've tried to plant keeps dying but, someday, I promise you I'll make something grow."

TEA TIME ASK MEME / not accepting

Altena still lays oblivious to the fact that her father is a wanted man. A wanted man who does not have the luxury of exploring a monastery he’s not meant to be in. However, there is little he does to curb her enthusiasm; in fact, he keenly listens to her findings to have a semblance of some secondhand experience. Travant would rather have her curious and expressive than not.

“I haven’t,” he answers before taking a sip of his tea. “I can tell that the seasons here are temperate enough to grow just about anything.”

This was the sort of simpler time that he’d always envisioned, even if the circumstances are more complex than imagined. There may never come a day where he can walk so freely alongside her. There may come a day where she will grow to hate him again. But for now, he will indulge in this moment.

“Surely, there are resources here that will help you improve faster than plain experimentation. Books, word of mouth advice and whatnot. Have you given those a try?”