Dancer of Dahna

schwanensee

yearningdancer:

“Am I? We’ll see by the end, won’t we?~” Lene giggled, a bit amused at how he took her off-hand comment at the start. Even if he tried not to show it, she could tell that he took at least a brief moment to think about it. In any case, she could use that slight uncertainty to her advantage.

While she was no wielder of a holy weapon, she knew at least a thing or two about swinging a sword, having inherited a Safeguard from her mother and all. She didn’t exactly practice much with it, as her dancing was a priority. At the very least, she learned enough to defend herself decently enough for what was needed back then. Regardless of all that, the umbrella in hand was about as close to the sword as one could get, given current circumstances, with the only real difference being the lighter weight of it by contrast.

Thus, when Febail went to swing again, much like last time, the dancer would swiftly dodge out of the way, this time by doing a graceful spin and ending up at his left side.

“That’s true! But evasion is just as strong an offense as defense, yeah?”

Following this, with a confident grin on her face, she would finish the spin by swinging from below, her umbrella landing a hit at his upper back.

“ Ack! ” It takes too long for him to pull back from his swing, and so he’s left himself open for that hit. It obviously doesn’t hurt really anything, the surprise more, but her deciding to play — even if sneakily — has him motivated to try something more speed-reliant as well.

The moment after he’s hit, he swiftly turns on his heel and ends up hitting her in her nondominant arm in the process, trying to bat her away to create some distance at the same time as evening out the score.

“ Alright, point taken, ” he flashes a grin back, umbrella pointed back at her at the ready, stance strong and tall even after the minor loss a few seconds prior. “ But if you’re gonna take a hit anyway, might as well strike ‘em back on the way out. Might even be a good lure. ”

In an unexpected move, Lene would not anticipate it when Febail went for the immediate counterattack. They were too close to one another that his swing connected with her arm, causing her to jump back to retreat a moment.

“Ahh! Ha, fair point there. I’ll have to remember that one for later, hehe.” She would grin a little in return.

Truth be told, they’d only just gotten started, yet Lene felt as if she was learning quite a bit already from the exchanges thus far. Again, it helped that she had experience with the blade to begin with, but this was not a duel in the traditional sense. And back then, she was not fighting on the frontlines, or at least intended to do so, not with Ares there to protect her.

But here and now? That would not be the case. The dancer was standing alone, and holding her own fairly well all things considered.

“May have got me that time, but I’ll be keeping my eyes open next time!”

They were still going after all, so Lene would leap in and approach once more. She was by no means an expert, but her survival instinct had carried her this far, and would not let her down now. Not wanting to leave herself open, she’d go in like she did the last time, leaning forward as if to roll again, only to pull back, back flip, and swing over head at his right shoulder.

schwanensee

yearningdancer:

“I wouldn’t expect ya to hold anything back, I sure won’t!” Lene readied herself, now that things were getting started for real. “Only thing you need to worry about is if you can handle me without that holy bow of yours!”

Immediately, the dancer would be quick to avoid Febail’s swing, likely due to both her agile legs, as well as the weather conditions working against him. When he missed, she would go to swing at him in retaliation. And while she could certainly move around a bit better than him, she could see why he missed in the way that he did. She too would be just out of reach when Febail dodged her attack.

“Ha, see what I mean? Kiiind of hard to fight with the rain weighing ya down. Much easier to move my legs than swing around a weapon, I gotta say!”

Thus, it would seem Lene would be relying quite heavily on evasion, rather than offense for this ‘duel’, if one could even call it that. Regardless, she would use her dancing skills to her advantage by leaping backwards off the front foot, spinning to a neutral position once more to prepare for Febail’s counterattack.

Though just a quip, Lene brings up a soul-searching point: was Febail at all competent without his holy bow? He’s had it for as long as he could remember, wielded it for almost all his fights, and it was that bow that had gotten him his jobs as a hitman.

Was he, in truth, any good without it? “ Cocky, aren’t ya?! ” He wants to believe he is, because he’s the son of the great Brigid, but… admitting that wasn’t any different than saying he relied on his bow, was it?

He doesn’t want to think about it.

He puts all his force behind his next swing of his umbrella, but it’s too easy to predict and Lene swiftly dodges, making it look like she really was dancing away from him. He sweeps the bangs out of his eyes again, equal parts disgruntled as he was impressed.

“ Sure. But if you wanna get stronger, you can’t keep dodging forever! ”

“Am I? We’ll see by the end, won’t we?~” Lene giggled, a bit amused at how he took her off-hand comment at the start. Even if he tried not to show it, she could tell that he took at least a brief moment to think about it. In any case, she could use that slight uncertainty to her advantage.

While she was no wielder of a holy weapon, she knew at least a thing or two about swinging a sword, having inherited a Safeguard from her mother and all. She didn’t exactly practice much with it, as her dancing was a priority. At the very least, she learned enough to defend herself decently enough for what was needed back then. Regardless of all that, the umbrella in hand was about as close to the sword as one could get, given current circumstances, with the only real difference being the lighter weight of it by contrast.

Thus, when Febail went to swing again, much like last time, the dancer would swiftly dodge out of the way, this time by doing a graceful spin and ending up at his left side.

“That’s true! But evasion is just as strong an offense as defense, yeah?”

Following this, with a confident grin on her face, she would finish the spin by swinging from below, her umbrella landing a hit at his upper back.

schwanensee

yearningdancer:

While the rain was annoying, Lene didn’t mind it all that much. Even if her clothes had gotten utterly drenched, she could manage just fine. For one that worked as a dancer as long as she did, and having worn such little clothing in such a profession, it could be a lot worse than water dampening her attire. Regardless, a little bit of water wasn’t going to dampen her mood, and simply shrugged in how little time she had to prepare her umbrella, which she had on hand due to how iffy the weather had been as of late. Seeing how there was little point now, she decided to not even bother bringing it out. Besides, given where she grew up, rain was quite rare, so it was an interesting change of pace, to say the least. In fact, it felt quite nice, so much so that to embrace it more, Lene undid the ribbon in her hair to let it flow down. There was no real need to look pretty when it was pouring like this, after all. But then someone caught her eye, another familiar face. “Huh? I wonder if everyone back home is here. That’d be kind of odd, but amusing!” In this case it was Febail, and while he was among those she didn’t interact with too much, outside of a refreshing dance or two to support him on the battlefield, it wasn’t as if they were on bad terms by any means. She could see that he was having his own issues with the rain, and that he was less than amused by the downpour. “I could go and say hi, buuut, maybe this would be a bit more fun.” The dancer looked at her umbrella, thinking about a different way it could be used.

“Oh gosh, that sounds like something I feel like mother might say! Oh, what’s the harm? It’s no holy weapon after all. Then again, I’ve only ever seen him use a bow, buuut maybe he’s branched out while here. After all, I want to learn-…” She giggled at the thought of what she wished to study, hoping to branch out of simply being a dancer.

Suddenly, she’d be moving through the rain, her steps coming off quite gracefully, even against the wet floor. She would start to swing the umbrella around like a sword, and was coming up closer to the inheritor of the Yewfelle. Once close enough, and making sure she was in his view at least, would aim one of her swings at his direction. It was then that their umbrellas would clash like blades when he parried her ‘attack’.

“Long time no see, yeah?~” Lene would back off a moment, smiling a little at him. “Was just passing through. Guess the rain got us both, huh? Doesn’t bother me much though, and you could probably guess why. Figured the umbrella here was now kind of pointless, so I thought, ‘maybe I outta practice my swordsmanship’, y’know? Back then I was always in the back, needin’ to be protected cause all I ever did was dance. After I got here, I decided I wanted to try learning to better protect myself. So, how about it? Care to spar a bit? I know it’s rainin’, but, ya never know when you’ll find yourself in such a predicament?”

“ You’re right, these things are useless to us now. ” Febail heaves a sigh, releasing some of his aggravation along with it. Though he didn’t know Lene well, he’d heard she had a good head on her shoulders, able to call situations as she saw them, and her perspective was right: an umbrella can’t undo the rain.

But her surprise attack still was odd. Perhaps it’s this type of mischief that keeps her light on her toes in dancing ( or would it be the other way around? ) and perhaps she was a tougher thing than he had first expected from her.

He supposes he should’ve expected anybody hanging out so much with an infamous mercenary like the Black Knight would probably be at least a little into sparring, even if their current weapons were completely ridiculous.

“ Well, if that’s your reason, I’ll take you up on it. But I’m not goin’ easy on ya. If you wanna protect yourself, you gotta be strong no matter what! ”

And so he starts their duel after clasping his umbrella closed again, taking a swing at her. The heavy rain proves still a hindrance to him however, his aim off as he misses her form entirely.

“I wouldn’t expect ya to hold anything back, I sure won’t!” Lene readied herself, now that things were getting started for real. “Only thing you need to worry about is if you can handle me without that holy bow of yours!”

Immediately, the dancer would be quick to avoid Febail’s swing, likely due to both her agile legs, as well as the weather conditions working against him. When he missed, she would go to swing at him in retaliation. And while she could certainly move around a bit better than him, she could see why he missed in the way that he did. She too would be just out of reach when Febail dodged her attack.

“Ha, see what I mean? Kiiind of hard to fight with the rain weighing ya down. Much easier to move my legs than swing around a weapon, I gotta say!”

Thus, it would seem Lene would be relying quite heavily on evasion, rather than offense for this ‘duel’, if one could even call it that. Regardless, she would use her dancing skills to her advantage by leaping backwards off the front foot, spinning to a neutral position once more to prepare for Febail’s counterattack.

schwanensee

Mission Task Board: The rain came down so suddenly that none of you manage to get your umbrellas open in time… But since your gear is drenched and your clothing unsalvageable, you decide to have a little ‘sparring’ in the rain. You smack the other umbrella with yours and grin. En garde! [Grants Sword +1] // @yearningdancer

One moment Febail’s dry, the next he’s chilled to the bone and his hair runs flat against his face, his clothes sticking to him in every way to mildly annoy him. He fetches an umbrella from a nearby couple willing to lend him one so that they might have the excuse to cuddle up to one another under their only other one, and for that he’s grateful even if it now means he has to memorize at least one of their faces to be able to give it back to them later. They part ways with him, and he’s walking through the rain, trying to unhook the strap binding the umbrella into its collapsed form, but his moppy bangs are getting more in the way than he’d like.

His feet rushing forward like a man possessed, head kept down to try and grant him some vision against the rain getting both in his locks and his eyes, making that one tiny strip of fabric blend a lot more than he’d like to admit. He’s ready to curse it as his thumb wrestles it loose, but in the next moment, he hears a footstep startlingly close to him, unable to hear it earlier against such heavy downpour, and it’s his instincts that bring the still collapsed umbrella upward like a blade.

There’s a clack as his umbrella parries that of the person in front of him, and for a moment, the world feels like it’s gone still for the intensity of that impromptu bout of “swords.”

“ Lene? The hell?! ” he cries out in recognition, unaware that the dancer had even made it over towards Fódlan’s shores, but it’s less that which surprises him and more the circumstances of their reunion. “ Why’re you waving that umbrella like that instead of just opening it? ”

While the rain was annoying, Lene didn’t mind it all that much. Even if her clothes had gotten utterly drenched, she could manage just fine. For one that worked as a dancer as long as she did, and having worn such little clothing in such a profession, it could be a lot worse than water dampening her attire. Regardless, a little bit of water wasn’t going to dampen her mood, and simply shrugged in how little time she had to prepare her umbrella, which she had on hand due to how iffy the weather had been as of late. Seeing how there was little point now, she decided to not even bother bringing it out. Besides, given where she grew up, rain was quite rare, so it was an interesting change of pace, to say the least. In fact, it felt quite nice, so much so that to embrace it more, Lene undid the ribbon in her hair to let it flow down. There was no real need to look pretty when it was pouring like this, after all. But then someone caught her eye, another familiar face. “Huh? I wonder if everyone back home is here. That’d be kind of odd, but amusing!” In this case it was Febail, and while he was among those she didn’t interact with too much, outside of a refreshing dance or two to support him on the battlefield, it wasn’t as if they were on bad terms by any means. She could see that he was having his own issues with the rain, and that he was less than amused by the downpour. “I could go and say hi, buuut, maybe this would be a bit more fun.” The dancer looked at her umbrella, thinking about a different way it could be used.

“Oh gosh, that sounds like something I feel like mother might say! Oh, what’s the harm? It’s no holy weapon after all. Then again, I’ve only ever seen him use a bow, buuut maybe he’s branched out while here. After all, I want to learn-...” She giggled at the thought of what she wished to study, hoping to branch out of simply being a dancer.

Suddenly, she’d be moving through the rain, her steps coming off quite gracefully, even against the wet floor. She would start to swing the umbrella around like a sword, and was coming up closer to the inheritor of the Yewfelle. Once close enough, and making sure she was in his view at least, would aim one of her swings at his direction. It was then that their umbrellas would clash like blades when he parried her ‘attack’.

“Long time no see, yeah?~” Lene would back off a moment, smiling a little at him. “Was just passing through. Guess the rain got us both, huh? Doesn’t bother me much though, and you could probably guess why. Figured the umbrella here was now kind of pointless, so I thought, ‘maybe I outta practice my swordsmanship’, y’know? Back then I was always in the back, needin’ to be protected cause all I ever did was dance. After I got here, I decided I wanted to try learning to better protect myself. So, how about it? Care to spar a bit? I know it’s rainin’, but, ya never know when you’ll find yourself in such a predicament?”

Tying a ribbon on it

yearningdancer:

Lene would simply roll her eyes as Ares tried to mess with her, though for a brief moment was convinced of the act before eventually coming clean with it. “Well, I wish that you made better jokes, if I’m being honest, buuut-… No, I’m kidding, of course, hehe!” She was quite proud of herself for that one, but was pleased when he accepted the ribbon out of her hands regardless.

“Weeell, what would be the fun in saying it now, hm?” She said as she would smirk back at him. “Besides, I thought maybe there’s something that you would want more. There… Isn’t really anything that I want to wish for, truth be told.”

[After all, my mother is here, and meeting her is all I ever wanted before. What else could I ask for?]

“Anyways, yeah, of course! It’s this way!” Lene said with enthusiasm as she quickly got a head start, not quite hearing it when Ares fumbled his words at the end, not quite noticing his moment of uncertainty.

But she would notice after a few seconds that she wasn’t hearing his footsteps, and turned to see what happened.

“Hey, what’s-Uh… You okay?”

She took a few steps back, noticing as he looked at the ground with his face bright red. “Hello? Ares? What happened?” Thanks to her smaller height by comparison, she casually walked into his view, only slightly crouching down beneath where his eyes were fixated, and looked up with a tilted head and a look of concern on her face.

He followed behind her, dampened by his own thoughts as they walked through the monastery grounds and beyond. It wasn’t that he hated the idea - he might not match her enthusiasm but he was a willing participant. The idea of choosing what to wish for however troubled him. Years ago, he would have wished for Seliph’s head - the same man he now considers his closed friend. When he arrived at the monastery it would have been Sigurd’s but now even they have come to an understanding. A mutual respect, if not quite friendship. He would have wished to see his father again but he now saw him at every meal, was doted upon.

“I was just going to wish for whatever you wanted,” Ares admitted. He realised how it might sound half-hearted despite the sincerity behind his words. “Don’t laugh, I’m serious. I just… if it makes you happy, I’ll be happy too?” His face, already scarlet felt even hotter. Why were words so damnably difficult to come by when he needed them? He was a man of action, of war, but he doubted he could bring her true joy with his blade alone.

“A-anyway, you said something about destined–” oh great, he’d started stuttering too. Wonderful. She could see right through to all his weak points and to his surprise, Ares was only slightly annoyed by that thought. “Destined love, was it? Is that what we’re supposed to wish for?”

“Just… just tell me what you want, I’ll wish for it too.” Ares buried his hands in his the pockets of his uniform trouser and refused to lift his gaze. “That way it’s twice as likely to come true, right?”

“O-Oh...” She would pause as well after that, and bit her lip. She could feel her face heat up as well, though it wasn’t just because of what he said, but also realizing that her choice of words might have made him feel a tad jealous. Though she wasn’t going to straight up ask him about that, not looking to make things more uncomfortable than they already were.

“Uhh...” Again with her big mouth in mentioning the ‘destined love’ part, again proving her thoughts correct that he took it personally. “That is... What they said, yup!” Lene could only hope that he wasn’t listening to how fast her heart was beating at this moment.

[Gosh, what I want? I... Probably should have considered this before asking. I guess when all you want is to kill some guys, who you settled things with, you don’t really plan ahead, huh?]

“Weeeell... Gosh, throwing out such a loaded question on a girl, huh?” But at the same time, Ares was being kind of adorable at how out of his element he really was at the moment. Rather than turn this into a more awkward scene for the both of them, she would do what she did best in taking the lead on this.

“What I want? I guess you’ve got a point! If we both make a wish, it should be more likely to happen. Aaand, I guess you caught me, hehe... When they said something about destined love... I felt something burning inside, and couldn’t help myself, y’know? Sooo... Let’s just say that... You were the first one who came to mind, how’s that?”

While she didn’t outright answer his question, she thought she’d given him enough to work with and consider.

“Right, we’re still not even there yet! C’mon!~” Lene would then wink at him before turning her attention to lead them forward, as they had yet to reach their destination just outside the monastery gates.

yearningdancer:

“Well-… I mean yeah, I’ve danced for tons of guys, some pretty horrible ones at that, ugh!-… But I kept my distance as best I could. At least… Not to let anything bad happen, side from a few times where they tried to grab me… So I bit back at them when they did…” It was then that Lene realized she was again rambling on a bit, and stopped herself from going further.

“Aaah, sorry about that, mother… That wasn’t what you wanted to hear. But I can assure you that I learned early on how to survive in such conditions. There was only really one time where things got… Rough. I may have badmouthed a noble or two, and they tossed me in the castle’s dungeon. Thankfully, Ares and Seliph came to save me before anything really bad were to happen to me.

Following the awkward silence, where a barmaid would thankfully pass by to break up the tension, Lene would then get a bit of insight as to how her mother was getting by while here. Needless to say, it sounded a whole lot better than how things were in Dahna.

“Oh, I see…” Given the context clues from earlier, she had assumed as much, as far as her mother continuing to work as a dancer. She could only assume that the regulars here were kind enough to deal with on a daily basis, if Silvia truly was dancing here as often as she said. “I suppose I can’t argue with that logic. Free is free, at the end of the day.”

However, despite how things seemed to be relatively okay at the moment, she was having the same thoughts as her mother towards the end.

[… This’ll take some getting used to, if I’m being honest. The flow of time here is so strange. Can we really make this work out?]

For all intents and purposes, Lene was an adult at this point in her life. While she had a bit of help in the past two or three years working with her allies from the Liberation Army, Ares included, she was able to take care of herself for the most part. Given how Jugdral was in a state of unrest, with everyone busy to restore the kingdom to its former glory, she never really got the time to step back a moment and wonder if she truly needed what she sought out to do.

[Now that I’m here… What now? What kind of a mother/daughter relationship can we have when we’re practically the same age as one another?]

There was a lot on her mind, and because of that, Lene was now spacing out, having slumped down to rest her head against her arms. With that bit of time she had to be lost in her thoughts, another thing from earlier came to mind.

[… And you mean to tell me that Coirpre is my brother? That boy that’s supposed to be Hannibal’s kid? So… We were both left in that orphanage together, and I was just… Left alone?]

Lene’s thoughts were taking a downward spiral. Try as she had to push it all back for the sake of not making a scene in front of her mother, her cheerful exterior was starting to crumble before Silvia’s eyes.

Silvia slumps in her chair as she listens to her daughter’s tale. This isn’t at all how it was supposed to happen. She left her and her brother behind to protect them from a life like this but here Lene was running willingly toward it all on her own. Lene was supposed to be adopted by someone kind or raised in the church. Anything would be better!

She wonders if she should leave right now and return to Jugdral to pull a still young Lene and Coirpre out of the orphanage and try harder to make things work. If that bastard Arvis is here perhaps it would be easier to live as a traitor.

The awkwardness between the two women is almost unbearable and Silvia is grateful for the mug of ale that she very quickly downs as an excuse for not saying anything. She might not know her daughter anymore but she knows how to read people and it is clear that her little Lene is quite troubled.

After a few minutes that felt more like hours, something clicks. “Hang on, you said Seliph. You can’t mean that Seliph, right? Sigurd’s kid Seliph?”

At the moment, Lene was looking away, so she wasn’t totally aware of how her mother might be reacting to all of this, nor did she really seem to care too much with where her own thoughts were. She seemed to get a bit lost in her thoughts as a result, paying no attention at all to anything going on around her.

But when her mother did eventually break the silence some few minutes later, Lene seemed to somewhat hear that and snap out of her conflicted state of mind.

“Hmm...- Huh? O-oh...” She had already forgotten the fact that she did indeed mention Seliph’s name in her earlier ramblings.

[Wait, what? How would she know anything about him? Actually... I guess he is a few years older, right? In times of war, I guess that Sigurd guy brought his kid along. Mother was part of the army, so... Yeah, that would make the most sense. She likely just remembers him there. He... Can’t be here, right? Why would he be? He’s busy restoring Grannvale, last I remember. Aah, this is all so confusing...!]

She would then remember that her mother was waiting for a response, and again snapped out of her thoughts.

“Well, yeah. Unless Seliph was just too common a name or something, but he was the leader of the Liberation Army. Last I remember, he became the new ruler of the country, I think. Haven’t seen him since the end of the war, so I’m not really sure how he’s been. Why do you ask?”

yearningdancer:

Lene was oddly at ease when her mother brought her into the tavern, seeing as how she’d danced a handful of times back in Darna. Though she was unlikely to be sharing that detail just yet, unless asked, of course. But even then, Lene was sure she could talk her way out of it if need be. She was mostly quiet when Silvia was doing a bit of socializing along the way to the table in the back.

Right off the bat, however, Lene was quickly starting to learn more and more of her mother’s personality through the brief interactions she was watching unfold.

[So, mother’s something of a flirt, huh? I guess… That would explain some things…]

But Lene mentally shrugged that thought aside, locking it up to dwell on later. She really didn’t want to be dealing with any anxiety inducing thoughts at this time, and especially not when she was finally about to sit down and have a talk with her mother for the first time.

Speaking of which, they’d soon find themselves at the small table, and would shift back instinctively as Silvia leaned in while on her elbows. But Lene eased up a bit, relaxing just as quickly and letting her shoulders slump down.

“Ah, well…” At least the first question was easy enough. “Ares. His name is Ares. And… Y-yeah, I would say so!” She couldn’t help but blush, smiling and looking down at the table upon answering the second question.

“A good kisser?” Lene would blink a few times, taking a second to think on how she could possibly answer that one. “Truth be told, I-… Really haven’t spent all that much time around too many guys, nor have I gotten that… Close with any but him, really. So, can’t really compare, y’know?”

However, in her efforts to dodge the question, she realized she fumbled her words at the end, basically implying something she didn’t mean to.

“Aah but-… That doesn’t mean I kissed him or anything! Things were really complicated, what with the war and all…” At this point she was just rambling on, and, after realizing it, let out a sigh as she looked to calm herself down.

“Sorry… It’s… It’s been a while since I last saw him, and I… I didn’t even leave a note before I left. So it’s… It’s complicated.”

“Wait, you’ve never? But I thought you said you were a dancer? That’s…good, though. It’s good.” Silvia is glad to know things haven’t been so bad for Lene that she’s had to resort to the worst to survive. She feels better knowing that Lene wasn’t so desperate for food or affection that she have herself away. It’s why she left her and Coirpre in the first place. They deserved a better life than what she had to offer.

There’s an awkward silence and a thick tension hangs in the air between the two women. What is she even supposed to say after that? Fortunately, a barmaid approaches with a pitcher of ale and two mugs to break through the silence. She explains that a group of men sent it over for the two of them.

“I dance here a lot,” Silvia explains to her daughter before she waves over to the group of them. “Play my cards right and I don’t ever have to worry about buying drinks!”

She stares down at the mug of ale and rubs a finger along the rim. As much as she is overjoyed that her little Lene is back in her life, it’s awkward. She doesn’t know how to be a mom, much less to an adult daughter.

“Well-... I mean yeah, I’ve danced for tons of guys, some pretty horrible ones at that, ugh!-... But I kept my distance as best I could. At least... Not to let anything bad happen, side from a few times where they tried to grab me... So I bit back at them when they did...” It was then that Lene realized she was again rambling on a bit, and stopped herself from going further.

“Aaah, sorry about that, mother... That wasn’t what you wanted to hear. But I can assure you that I learned early on how to survive in such conditions. There was only really one time where things got... Rough. I may have badmouthed a noble or two, and they tossed me in the castle’s dungeon. Thankfully, Ares and Seliph came to save me before anything really bad were to happen to me.

Following the awkward silence, where a barmaid would thankfully pass by to break up the tension, Lene would then get a bit of insight as to how her mother was getting by while here. Needless to say, it sounded a whole lot better than how things were in Dahna.

“Oh, I see...” Given the context clues from earlier, she had assumed as much, as far as her mother continuing to work as a dancer. She could only assume that the regulars here were kind enough to deal with on a daily basis, if Silvia truly was dancing here as often as she said. “I suppose I can’t argue with that logic. Free is free, at the end of the day.”

However, despite how things seemed to be relatively okay at the moment, she was having the same thoughts as her mother towards the end.

[... This’ll take some getting used to, if I’m being honest. The flow of time here is so strange. Can we really make this work out?]

For all intents and purposes, Lene was an adult at this point in her life. While she had a bit of help in the past two or three years working with her allies from the Liberation Army, Ares included, she was able to take care of herself for the most part. Given how Jugdral was in a state of unrest, with everyone busy to restore the kingdom to its former glory, she never really got the time to step back a moment and wonder if she truly needed what she sought out to do.

[Now that I’m here... What now? What kind of a mother/daughter relationship can we have when we’re practically the same age as one another?]

There was a lot on her mind, and because of that, Lene was now spacing out, having slumped down to rest her head against her arms. With that bit of time she had to be lost in her thoughts, another thing from earlier came to mind.

[... And you mean to tell me that Coirpre is my brother? That boy that’s supposed to be Hannibal’s kid? So... We were both left in that orphanage together, and I was just... Left alone?]

Lene’s thoughts were taking a downward spiral. Try as she had to push it all back for the sake of not making a scene in front of her mother, her cheerful exterior was starting to crumble before Silvia’s eyes.

yearningdancer:

Even if Silvia hadn’t made any comment after Lene had said what she needed to, she recalled the comment made before that implied her mother wished to avoid seeing her become a dancer as well. That would be something else they’d likely need to discuss later.

“W-well-… Oh!”

Later, as Silvia seemed quite enthusiastic on the implication that her daughter had met someone of interest. Before Lene could even say anything else, she’d feel her mother take her hand to lead her to Abyss. Her eyes would glance carefully around in silence along the way, just to take in the sights to remember for later, for the sake of familiarizing herself with everything in this place that was still rather foreign to her.

“Home, huh?” That was certainly a term that could be used to describe the place. Given what her mother told her, Lene couldn’t deny that a place like this seemed to be fitting for a runaway dancer like Silvia.

“Ah, so you do still perform? Right, I already forgot. It’s only been a few months since you last saw me…”

But it was enough of talking about that, for now that is. It was pretty clear to Lene that her mother was eager to know what she was talking about before. After all, Silvia went through the trouble of taking her daughter to a more private place to talk further on the matter.

“R-right, well… What do you wanna know?” The blush returned to her face, as Lene closed her eyes and shrugged a little, seemingly a bit nervous on discussing such a topic with her mother.

Silvia giggles as she pulls Lene into the tavern. It’s an off hour so there are only a few others sitting at the tables enjoying a few afternoon drinks. They’re all regulars, folks Silvia recognizes immediately. As soon as the girls enter the building, a man comes up and drapes his arm over Silvia’s shoulders. “Hey Silvie, who’s your friend? She’s cute.”

Silvia laughs and dances out of the man’s reach. “Aw c’mon! I thought I was your favorite girl! You’re coming to see me dance tonight, aren’t ya?” With a flutter of her eyelashes and a wink, she has him swooning.

“You know I’d never miss it!”

She drags her daughter over to a small table in the back corner and leans in on her elbows. “Sooooo, tell me everything! What’s his name? Is he cute? Is he a good kisser?” It’s weird thinking of Lene as her daughter now that she’s all grown up. Sure, she knows she is, but she’s just so big. And seeing a guy. And a dancer. It’s hard to know how to act.

Lene was oddly at ease when her mother brought her into the tavern, seeing as how she’d danced a handful of times back in Darna. Though she was unlikely to be sharing that detail just yet, unless asked, of course. But even then, Lene was sure she could talk her way out of it if need be. She was mostly quiet when Silvia was doing a bit of socializing along the way to the table in the back.

Right off the bat, however, Lene was quickly starting to learn more and more of her mother’s personality through the brief interactions she was watching unfold.

[So, mother’s something of a flirt, huh? I guess... That would explain some things...]

But Lene mentally shrugged that thought aside, locking it up to dwell on later. She really didn’t want to be dealing with any anxiety inducing thoughts at this time, and especially not when she was finally about to sit down and have a talk with her mother for the first time.

Speaking of which, they’d soon find themselves at the small table, and would shift back instinctively as Silvia leaned in while on her elbows. But Lene eased up a bit, relaxing just as quickly and letting her shoulders slump down.

“Ah, well...” At least the first question was easy enough. “Ares. His name is Ares. And... Y-yeah, I would say so!” She couldn’t help but blush, smiling and looking down at the table upon answering the second question.

“A good kisser?” Lene would blink a few times, taking a second to think on how she could possibly answer that one. “Truth be told, I-... Really haven’t spent all that much time around too many guys, nor have I gotten that... Close with any but him, really. So, can’t really compare, y’know?”

However, in her efforts to dodge the question, she realized she fumbled her words at the end, basically implying something she didn’t mean to.

“Aah but-... That doesn’t mean I kissed him or anything! Things were really complicated, what with the war and all...” At this point she was just rambling on, and, after realizing it, let out a sigh as she looked to calm herself down.

“Sorry... It’s... It’s been a while since I last saw him, and I... I didn’t even leave a note before I left. So it’s... It’s complicated.”

Tying a ribbon on it

yearningdancer:

Despite it taking a bit of time for Ares to arrive, Lene was patient enough to wait. Given how involved he was, and the fact he’d been here longer, that he had his share of priorities going on that he needed to attend to. So when he did show up, she didn’t seem at all annoyed or put off. After all, she was still more curious as to how he’d feel about what she was going to ask him.

Already, Lene would feel some anxiety, noting the hint of fear in his voice after he eyed the ribbon in her hands.

“Sooo… I was taking a walk earlier and… I passed by a merchant, who told me something.”

From there, she would hold out the ribbon towards him, extending both her hands forward.

“Said something about the pink ribbons that have been hanging off those trees lately. How… They represent peoples’ hopes and wishes. Also said something about ‘fate and destined love’, but… I don’t know much about that, really.”

Her tone towards the end was a bit nonchalant, playing it off more just to push through that little detail than anything else, though did glance over his face once just to see if he reacted at all to that, or even lingered on it. He wasn’t always the sharpest, so it would at least be kind of amusing if he just didn’t think about it at all.

“I thought it was… Kind of interesting, really! Sounded kind of cute, and maybe it would be fun to do. So, I was wondering… Would you like to give it a try?” She tilted her head the other way, with a look of anticipation. While it was a bit of a dirty move, she even flashed a charming little smile and winked at him to further convince him.

Ares’s shoulders released as he visibly relaxed. Whilst he thought the idea strange and frivolous, it was well within his skill set and apparently harmless. If it was what Lene wanted to do, he could see little reason to say no. Well, maybe one - she was obviously trying to play there with that coy smile and cheeky wink. He stuffed his hand in his pockets and leaned back against the wall, doing his best to look completely unmoved by her appeals.

“I dunno Lene, sounds pretty boring if you ask me,” Ares yawned for good measure, hoping to seem as apathetic as possible. He turned away from her to gaze back at the monastery. “We should probably be spending our time training and studying for exams.”

His feigned nonchalance didn’t last long though. Childishly, he stuck his tongue out at her but his posture returned to normal. A slight smirk crossed his face for a moment.

“I’m only joking, Lene,” he said with his hands held up, an olive branch of sorts. “If you want to go make a wish and tie ribbons, I’ll come with. Is there something you wanted to wish for?” He accepted the ribbon somewhat gingerly, as though it was precious. For all he knew, it was. “Lead the way, then.” he encouraged her, ruminating on what she had said. Hopes and wishes - he was uncertain if he even believed something so simple could have that power but if it did, what would it even ask for.

“Hey, wait a minute! Didn’t you say something about destined lo–” Ares didn’t finish that sentence. Instead he turned cherry red and refused to look anywhere but at the ground, boring a hole into the greenery with his glaring. “Isthatwhatwe’resupposedtowishfor?” he spoke so quickly as to be almost unintelligible. Destined love… for some reason his mood had changed in an instant. No longer was he at ease but instead felt a gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach in which he could feel waves of irritation growing more and more tempestuous.

Wait… was he jealous?

#slowly figuring this all out #ooc

Lene would simply roll her eyes as Ares tried to mess with her, though for a brief moment was convinced of the act before eventually coming clean with it. “Well, I wish that you made better jokes, if I’m being honest, buuut-... No, I’m kidding, of course, hehe!” She was quite proud of herself for that one, but was pleased when he accepted the ribbon out of her hands regardless.

“Weeell, what would be the fun in saying it now, hm?” She said as she would smirk back at him. “Besides, I thought maybe there’s something that you would want more. There... Isn’t really anything that I want to wish for, truth be told.”

[After all, my mother is here, and meeting her is all I ever wanted before. What else could I ask for?]

“Anyways, yeah, of course! It’s this way!” Lene said with enthusiasm as she quickly got a head start, not quite hearing it when Ares fumbled his words at the end, not quite noticing his moment of uncertainty.

But she would notice after a few seconds that she wasn’t hearing his footsteps, and turned to see what happened.

“Hey, what’s-Uh... You okay?”

She took a few steps back, noticing as he looked at the ground with his face bright red. “Hello? Ares? What happened?” Thanks to her smaller height by comparison, she casually walked into his view, only slightly crouching down beneath where his eyes were fixated, and looked up with a tilted head and a look of concern on her face.

Wanted Plots: September Missions

Looking to get a bit more involved with things, though, still gonna be taking things a tad slow as I go, so only got a select few missions that are of interest currently.

Sword - Primarily for the skill point. Also seems like fun to dance-I mean 'spar', in the rain. That and the use of umbrellas seems kind of fitting? Also, primarily for the skill point.

Bow - More for the prompt alone than the skill point, really. Just seems like it could be rather fun to write and not stress too much over.

Authority - Gonna be honest, really just for the skill point. Not really sure how I'd go about this one, so if interested, I'd love to hear some ideas!

Tying a ribbon on it

The leaves of the trees turning pink was sure a sight to behold, though perhaps there was a hint of bias in how Lene was often seen dressed in that color. At the very least, she always seemed to wear a pink bow in her hair.

Thus, it came as a bit of a surprise when she saw some pink ribbons brushed against the ground by trees outside of the monastery. Since her bow looked quite similar, she had thought it had fallen off, and let out a sigh of relief to see that had not been the case.

It was then that she passed by a merchant, who seemed to know something about these ribbons, and proceeded to mention something about tying them to trees and other curious things that then caught her interest.

… And so she now found herself back within the monastery, having been handed a ribbon from the merchant before heading back, likely to give it a try herself when she had the time to do so. But for now, she was planning to meet up with her closest companion here in Ares to try seeing if he would be interested as well. It was still early in the day, and he was out training it seemed, so she left a note by his dorm to meet her by the gate sometime after classes concluded for the day.

The day went by rather quickly, as Lene now found herself waiting at the spot she mentioned in the note. She hummed quietly as she rocked back and forth, arms resting behind her back.

[I hope he doesn’t think it’s too silly by any means…]

There was little doubt in her head that he would show up, but there was some as far as how he’d react, in any case. @hezulion

He found the note after his morning training session and had spent most of the day wanting to ask her about it. Intending to but always getting sidetracked by something. Work, classmates, the professor’s lecture, having to stay behind after lunch to clear up because whoever was supposed to be on kitchen duty had decided to play truant. It was frustrating and he might have been a touch snappier with people as a result.

At the end of the day, he finally makes his way to the monastery gates. She stands there, radiant as ever. The vision of her was enough to rid him of most of his irritation. He just hoped there was nothing serious weighing on her mind.

“Hey,” Ares tried to sound casual as he made his way over to greet her. He spots something in her hands and thinks he’s seeing double. The pink bow she always wore was still in her hair, as usual. Did… did it have something to do with why he was called here? “What’s up, Lene?” he asked her, almost scared to hear the answer.

He prayed to whoever was listening out there that she wouldn’t ask him to do her hair. That was way, way out of his depth. There were few things he’d deny her but… he imagined clumps of verdant hair in his hands from pulling too tight and shivered.

#tying a ribbon on it (missions - faith)#when the ribbon is pink like the bow in her hair #s:ares

Despite it taking a bit of time for Ares to arrive, Lene was patient enough to wait. Given how involved he was, and the fact he’d been here longer, that he had his share of priorities going on that he needed to attend to. So when he did show up, she didn’t seem at all annoyed or put off. After all, she was still more curious as to how he’d feel about what she was going to ask him.

Already, Lene would feel some anxiety, noting the hint of fear in his voice after he eyed the ribbon in her hands.

“Sooo... I was taking a walk earlier and... I passed by a merchant, who told me something.”

From there, she would hold out the ribbon towards him, extending both her hands forward.

“Said something about the pink ribbons that have been hanging off those trees lately. How... They represent peoples’ hopes and wishes. Also said something about ‘fate and destined love’, but... I don’t know much about that, really.”

Her tone towards the end was a bit nonchalant, playing it off more just to push through that little detail than anything else, though did glance over his face once just to see if he reacted at all to that, or even lingered on it. He wasn’t always the sharpest, so it would at least be kind of amusing if he just didn’t think about it at all.

“I thought it was... Kind of interesting, really! Sounded kind of cute, and maybe it would be fun to do. So, I was wondering... Would you like to give it a try?” She tilted her head the other way, with a look of anticipation. While it was a bit of a dirty move, she even flashed a charming little smile and winked at him to further convince him.

Tying a ribbon on it

The leaves of the trees turning pink was sure a sight to behold, though perhaps there was a hint of bias in how Lene was often seen dressed in that color. At the very least, she always seemed to wear a pink bow in her hair.

Thus, it came as a bit of a surprise when she saw some pink ribbons brushed against the ground by trees outside of the monastery. Since her bow looked quite similar, she had thought it had fallen off, and let out a sigh of relief to see that had not been the case.

It was then that she passed by a merchant, who seemed to know something about these ribbons, and proceeded to mention something about tying them to trees and other curious things that then caught her interest.

... And so she now found herself back within the monastery, having been handed a ribbon from the merchant before heading back, likely to give it a try herself when she had the time to do so. But for now, she was planning to meet up with her closest companion here in Ares to try seeing if he would be interested as well. It was still early in the day, and he was out training it seemed, so she left a note by his dorm to meet her by the gate sometime after classes concluded for the day.

The day went by rather quickly, as Lene now found herself waiting at the spot she mentioned in the note. She hummed quietly as she rocked back and forth, arms resting behind her back.

[I hope he doesn’t think it’s too silly by any means...]

There was little doubt in her head that he would show up, but there was some as far as how he’d react, in any case. @hezulion

by morning light

yearningdancer:

After blinking a few times at that response, Lene couldn’t help but be amused at the silly response. There would be a brief pause before a slight giggle escaped her lips, which soon turned to a bit of laughter as the words rung through her head.

“Hehehe-… Sorry, couldn’t help it! But, it makes me happy to hear that! It’s good to know that you haven’t changed since we last saw each other.”

With that, the two would start to walk together through the monastery. Lene would keep her eyes open to make sure she didn’t miss anything on her second look around of the place. While she felt pretty okay as is, it didn’t hurt to do a double take, perhaps a philosophy she remembered when she picked up dancing back in the day.

“Oh, right! Truth be told, I’ve never really been to a place like this before, so I’m not sure what to expect. I don’t know the specifics just yet, but I was told I was assigned to the Blue Lions house. Do you know anything about that?”

Lene tilted her head as she looked up at him, having stopped to face him prior to answering his question. She figured it would be best to pause before proceeding further, just so she wouldn’t be distracted in case Ares had anything important to say while walking.

He wasn’t the only one who hadn’t changed. Lene was still swift as the wind and bright as the sun. A warm ray of light on an otherwise conventional morning. Her laughter, light and lively is melodic and puts an uncharacteristic spring in his step. He’s flooded with relief at her answer - not for her sake, Lene could probably befriend the saint statues in the chapel. It was himself, surly and over-serious who was in need of good friends nearby.

“Yeah. Yeah I do, actually.” he replied, pausing as she had done. “I’m in that class. Seliph and Julia are too. Plenty of people you’ll recognise. Not that it’ll matter too much, everyone will like you.”

She’d never been to a place like this and honestly, neither had he. He assumed of course, she meant in the sense of a military academy but there were far stranger things happening at Garreg Mach monastery. Things he couldn’t explain and held to dear to question.

“I… I met my father here,” he mumbled, hands deep in his pockets, “Sigurd too - and no, I didn’t kill him! Maybe I have changed a little.”

“Oh!” Lene hadn’t expected to hear that. It seemed today would be full of tons of surprises left and right. She would then look down, the smile wide on her face and her cheeks a tad red from his continued attempts at praise. “Ahh, Ares please, I would really rather not walking in with my face looking like a tomato as a first impression. Or, well... I guess that won’t entirely be the case, but still!”

Despite that, she couldn’t deny that she was quite pleased with what she was hearing. It all sounded quite nice, and relieved her in a way that she wasn’t quite used to, given her long years of constant anxiety deep inside. Though it did really make her wonder for a moment.

[Could they all really be here? I find that hard to believe, but... I suppose it’s not impossible at this rate. After all, I did finally get to see her...]

Fortunately, that thought only lasted about a second or two, and would not be late to hearing what else Ares had to say. In fact, hearing it had only added to her currently bright mood. It would remind her of the past day, already indicating as such with how little she seemed surprised by such a meeting being possible.

“Really now? And that too is surprising to hear, sort of, anyways. I always knew you couldn’t have taken that much stock in those stories about him. Didn’t buy them myself, honestly.” It was clear from her tone that said ‘surprise’ wasn’t entirely genuine.

“Alright, I guess it isn’t too surprising. Believe it or not, I... Found who I was looking for, after all this time...” Now she was the one looking a bit flustered, looking away a bit as she finally went and said it. “Kind of ironic, huh...? You met your dad, I met my mom, hehe..” The giggle at the end was clearly forced, as she tried to keep the mood somewhat light.

After her mother pulled out of the embrace, yet kept holding onto her elbows, Lene would start to feel a bit nervous as to what the truth of it all was, and braced for what was to come. It was a very unusual situation now, given what she saw, as well as very concerning, as she wasn’t expecting a very good answer.

As unconditionally as she loved her mother, she was basically cast off to the side and left to wonder why. Thus, Lene had a look of concern on her face, as if to say you better have a good explanation as to why you left me, and are the reason as to why I have such insecurities of abandonment.

At first, Lene felt justified in being skeptical of whatever it was her mother had to say. The timing simply didn’t make sense, especially since time had otherwise seemed to play out perfectly normal for herself.

“Nineteen…? But… I don’t understand… Mother, I am eighteen years old now…” She also caught that slip-up, seeing as how she felt a fire slowly light up inside before the words were changed midway, as if to make it sound less worse than it was. It was hard for Lene to say anything else in response.

[So, you really did leave me…]

But then, Silvia kept going and continued to elaborate further. Needless to say, Lene did not expect this. Well, perhaps she anticipated a similar response, though the last two statements came as a surprise. It had been a while since she last saw Coirpre, and while it was a bit odd to find out in this way, a part of her seemed to have come to terms with there being some kind of connection between them. But this wasn’t about him right now, so she would leave that bit of information to discuss at a later point.

[I didn’t think about that… It’s… It’s true. By all accounts, she would be branded a traitor, and me by extension…]

Her eyes widened as it all began to sink in. Whether or not Silvia was talking herself out by any means she could didn’t matter. Even if there was a different intent, it was entirely possible that it was all true regardless.

“Mother… When you left… I became a dancer as well… I learned what I could, all on my own. I had hoped… I believed that… If I got good enough, famous all throughout Jugdral… That you would hear all about it and come back. I wanted to follow in your footsteps, thinking it would lead me down the path you chose, in a literal sense, I will admit.” Lene couldn’t help but smile a bit at realizing the slight silliness of that last part she added.

“But, it hasn’t been all bad, really. While I was in Darna, I…” Now Lene wished she had shut her mouth before talking again, blushing a little at what she was going to say. But stopping now would likely only prompt her mother to force it out of her anyways.

“… Met a guy…”

Silvia’s heart sinks when she learns about Lene’s career as a dancer. She tried to hard to protect her from that life only for her to stumble into it on her own. As much as she genuinely loves dancing, Silvia knows all too well the the hardships that come along with that life.

She knows the way others look at people like her. She knows what it’s like to be seen as an object for entertainment rather than a person with feelings. She knows the things she’s had to resort to to make ends meet when just dancing wasn’t enough to feed herself or find a place to sleep for the night.

Lene wasn’t supposed to end up like this. Lene was supposed to live a better life.

“A guy, huh? Oo! C'mon, tell me all about him!” At least Lene offered a subject Silvia knew about. She could talk about guys all day!

“Actually, let’s go somewhere where we can talk better. I know a place.” Without waiting for an answer, Silvia grabs her daughter’s hand and pulls her off toward the entrance to the Abyss. She leads her down the stairs and through the tunnels until they’ve reached the underground city. “Well, here’s home! There’s a tavern over there where I dance. I’ve got a room upstairs.”

Even if Silvia hadn’t made any comment after Lene had said what she needed to, she recalled the comment made before that implied her mother wished to avoid seeing her become a dancer as well. That would be something else they’d likely need to discuss later.

“W-well-... Oh!”

Later, as Silvia seemed quite enthusiastic on the implication that her daughter had met someone of interest. Before Lene could even say anything else, she’d feel her mother take her hand to lead her to Abyss. Her eyes would glance carefully around in silence along the way, just to take in the sights to remember for later, for the sake of familiarizing herself with everything in this place that was still rather foreign to her.

“Home, huh?” That was certainly a term that could be used to describe the place. Given what her mother told her, Lene couldn’t deny that a place like this seemed to be fitting for a runaway dancer like Silvia.

“Ah, so you do still perform? Right, I already forgot. It’s only been a few months since you last saw me...”

But it was enough of talking about that, for now that is. It was pretty clear to Lene that her mother was eager to know what she was talking about before. After all, Silvia went through the trouble of taking her daughter to a more private place to talk further on the matter.

“R-right, well... What do you wanna know?” The blush returned to her face, as Lene closed her eyes and shrugged a little, seemingly a bit nervous on discussing such a topic with her mother.

by morning light

yearningdancer:

In a similar vein of sorts, Lene hadn’t been seeking out Ares at this moment either. She had already mentally prepared herself in the assumption that he was still back in Jugdral, attending to some important matters in the efforts of restoring the continent after what the war had done to it. It was still somewhat early, so the young dancer was once more taking a look around to better familiarize herself with where everything was.

Hence it was rather ironic when Lene was not paying attention for a moment and nearly got knocked over by someone passing by. Luckily, her training as a dancer was good for her balance, so she managed to turn things around with a few graceful steps to save herself. Upon turning to face the individual in particular, her eyes widened in surprise at who she saw.

At hearing her name in his voice, Lene got all the confirmation she needed to know that is was none other than Ares himself. “Oh, Ares… Uh, I didn’t expect to see you here either!” There was a slight bit of worry in her voice, but soon turned it to more cautious cheerfulness by the end.

[So… This is where he went? How very odd, but…] All in all, it didn’t matter to her what his reasons were, as she had her own. If he asked, she would be transparent in explaining herself. She had somewhat recalled seeing some training equipment around, and would come to her own conclusion that whatever he was doing, it likely had something to do with training.

[Must be a guy thing, I guess.]

It would somewhat amuse her to see that, even with the new setting and the time that passed since last seeing him, nothing seemed to change between the two of them. It was clear on his face, after all, and it made her smile in return.

“It’s nice to see you again as well! And… Yeah, I had a little bit to eat already, just enough so I’m good for now.” She knew there was still a bit of time left before the day truly started, and she didn’t know how his schedule was. Even so, she agreed to the second thing he asked.

“I was just taking another walk around, to better know where things are since I just got here, rather recently, actually. So… Yeah, you can come along if you’d like. Besides… Remember what I asked, back in Darna?” She certainly didn’t forget.

[And I swear I’ll try to keep my big mouth to myself from now on! Don’t ever leave me again, Ares…]

“Anyways… Shall we?” After a moment, she would have her hands rest together behind her back, shifting side to side and tilting her head at him with a curious grin and a quick wink, before starting back from where she left off on her walk.

His hands were stuffed awkardly in his pockets and his face was tinged a pink at least as bright as the clothes she usually wears. The grin on his face though could not be held back. No matter how much time had passed, she was the same as ever. They were the same as ever. He chuckled and turned to catch her eye.

She always did have a way of disarming him. Her bright smile and playful wink made his voice catch in his throat for just a second.

“I remember,” he responded solemnly. Darna wasn’t something he could easily forget about, even if he tried. Never again would he allow himself to fail her when she needed him. “Just one thing, don’t keep that big mouth of yours shut. I… like it.”

Wow, that was eloquent. Regardless, Ares hoped she understood what he was trying to say, no matter how clumsily it had been delivered. He wanted to know everything, all her joys and struggles alike. Even if it meant getting a stern telling off from time to time. He followed along with her as they walked across the monastery grounds.

“Do you know which class you’re in? I’d like to walk you to class, if it’s okay with you.”