#lightfallsword ● 05

[fairyknight]

● There was little point in denying the silence that lingered between the two once Baobhan had sat on the bed. Was it awkward? It certainly seemed that way. Few words were exchanged between the two women and on the Servant's part it was because she couldn't quite figure out what to say after revealing a moment of weakness to the human. To think she was even acting this way with a human... It would have been impossible for her old self.

"It's me, huh...?" She couldn't deny the possibility that this was true but Archer pouted about it nonetheless. The fairy admittedly was surprised Eula hadn't moved away from her once she'd pressed their backs together.

What she hadn't expected above all else was for their hands to touch without warning. Baobhan's heart beat quickly from the very brief touch they had shared. Even with their hands back to back already, hand holding was seen as a much more intimate gesture. It hadn't happened that way but it was still enough to leave her breathless momentarily.

And then came Eula's warning.

"That should be my line and yet you're still here even knowing what I am. Even if you were cursed... I would never spite that kindness." The rest of the night was very quiet.

"What reason would I have to make fun of you, Baobhan? It's just an observation." It's clear that Baobhan's trauma runs deep, so much that it seems to encompass her entirely. She is who she is because of the things she experienced and that was something Eula could relate to. Life hadn't been kind to either of them and they often found their personalities clashing with one another. But for once, there was a comfortable calm. A mutual understanding only achieved by Eula conceding earlier.

Somehow, laying here sharing a bed with Baobhan and listening to the sound of the waves, followed by the quiet chirping of crickets felt like something she could get used to. It felt…oddly peaceful. Different from when she camped by herself out in the Mondstadt wilds and when she sat around a campfire with her soldiers. The slight cold chill she felt as the fairy slid into bed next to her, their arms touching for a brief moment as she made herself comfortable against Eula's back. She's shared a bed with Amber before plenty of times and thought nothing of it, but this somehow felt a little more intimate than that.

Eula wonders why it is that she can feel her heart begin to beat just a little faster, excited for a reason she couldn't quite discern. "If anyone's reading too much into anything, it's definitely you." Another jab, but it was only to protect her own feelings this time, whatever they were. Eula moves her hand back, searching for Baobhan's and once she finds it, it's like electricity. But she doesn't hold it or anything, just pretends that it's an accident before moving it back to lay against her side. "…Getting too comfortable around me is a mistake. You need to be careful."

[fairyknight]

● It didn't matter if she was a Servant or not, it had taken a lot of energy to put together what she had on Nommin Island. Using her raw strength she had managed to break down tree after tree, creating a shelter with palm leaves overtop of what looked like sleeping quarters as well as a storage shed nearby.

A campfire was arranged nearby, logs around it for sitting. She'd even found an old barrel and set up a bath. It had taken hours, but in the end it was worth it. Baobhan felt like she had done something useful. Even if it meant braving the hot sun all day. She was so exhausted and hot.

"So? What do you think? Not too shabby, right?" She just wasn't sure why Eula was the one she'd found herself on the island with. What a stroke of mean luck, really. The knight was probably bored after Baobhan had insisted she'd get it all together by herself, but she had asked the Spindrift Knight to gather food. "Don't worry about the single bed. I ran out of nearby trees, and I don't really need to sleep anyways. At least not when you'll - YAWN - need to."

@lightfallsword

[fairyknight]

● Eula certainly had a way with words. Not in a particular good way, but it was certainly a way. She was defiant to a fault, and even when she decided to accept generosity she always spoke of her intentions in a roundabout way. It was something that Baobhan had found really grating about her before. But after their conversation earlier that day she'd begun to see those words differently. Was she just too prideful to speak her true feelings? That wasn't exactly something that the Archer couldn't relate to.

Still, the knight not giving the princess a word in edgewise after finally agreeing to take that bath had left her a touch flabbergasted. "You didn't even let me explain how to use it!" It was fine! Surely she'd call out to her for help any second now, right? Right?

...That moment never came.

Time passed again, and Baobhan had allowed Eula the privacy she surely would have demanded while she was off sulking about essentially getting the cold shoulder again. It took her a while to finally return to where the bed was and honestly? She'd been expecting Eula to already be passed out.

"What? Are you making fun of me!? I lived in a world that hated me, I'll have you know... Whether I was doing good or bad, I was hated. I didn't exactly have a lot of experiences like this." Whether she was hated for her nature as a kind fairy or loathed for being evil, what had been the difference in the end? Fairy Britain had just been that sort of place.

Eventually she slid onto the bed too, pushing her back against Eula's without applying too much weight. "I may not need to sleep, but that doesn't mean I don't. A-And don't read too much into this! But whenever you're around I feel more relaxed. So maybe... I'll be able to sleep well."

Baobhan's awkward avoidance doesn't go unnoticed, but Eula makes no attempts to alleviate the clear tension between them. Instead, she focuses her time and attention on taking care that no stray animals or ne'er-do-wells stumble into their camp. Baobhan created it for them after all. She created it for her. And Eula has never been one to be unappreciative of how far people were willing to go for her even if she was horrible at showing it.

As the sun began to set behind the trees, finally, the silence between them was broken again. Though Eula hadn't dwelled much on their earlier conversation, it's clear that it struck a chord with the servant seeing as she seems less haughty than usual. Her usual uppity tone is now replaced with one more modest. At Baobhan's peace offering of soap, and her not-so-subtle way of asking her to bath, the knight relents. If nothing else, it'd be nice to soak in a proper tub. "Fine. But I'm not doing it because of you. I just think it would be a waste of your hard effort if I didn't make full use of everything you've prepared." She heads off in the direction of the bath in a huff after saying so.

It doesn't take her long to draw a bath and begin her soak in the tub. All things considered, it's nice and Baobhan's soap adds to the experience. It's clear that she's no novice when it comes to self-care, but what else could she expect from someone with equally high-class tastes like she does? After soaking for a while, she finally returns, though it's in her small clothes rather than her usual that she's left out to dry beforehand.

By now, the sun has completely set and it's by the light of the moon and stars, along with what light their large campfire provided as well. Eula sits on the edge of her bed now, still drying her hair as she waits for the other to join her. Finally, she does, only to be met with a somewhat sarcastic observation. "Servants don't need sleep, as you so constantly remind me. Yet you seem eager to share a bed with me. You're like a child, excited over the small things." It must be like a sleepover to her, is Eula's conclusion.

[fairyknight]

● The way the sunlight hit the fairy's eyes reflected the fact that even hearing the affirmation that she wasn't a fool had almost pushed her to cry. She was too prideful to let any tears fall of course, but it was enough to force her mouth shut until Eula had finished saying her piece on the subject. Which in itself was odd to her. She was used to people storming off when she lashed out. No one ever tried to understand her aside from her mother.

And she knew she deserved that treatment because of how she acted, but that loneliness was so deeply ingrained in her very soul by this point.

For Eula to say something so considerate had taken her completely off guard. She felt guilty for yelling and looked off to the side. "I... think I've changed. But it's hard to see change in yourself." The Servant wasn't exactly wrong but she'd never said it aloud. Before she could say more though, the knight had run off.

The rest of the afternoon had been spent with awkward avoidance. Baobhan was grappling with the aftermath of the discussion, namely how it left her feeling.

"Hey! Did you use the bath I set up!? You said it was unnecessary, but..." In the evening she finally worked up the courage to approach Eula again. There was a lot she wanted to say, but she had to get to that point. She produced a bar in the palm of her hand. "...I made soap. If we're going to share the same bed tonight wouldn't it be better if you weren't all sweaty?"

It's true that Eula also has issues with honesty, not so much about telling the truth but in the sense of saying nothing at all and letting people come to their own conclusions. When paired with someone such as Baobhan, who was similar in many ways, it was frustrating for her. The fairy's penchant for sass along with her haughty attitude could be a bit of a problem, if only because Eula saw herself--albeit to a much more heightened level--in her in some ways.

Maybe that's part of the reason why she didn't find her completely disagreeable, nor did she push her away so readily. She was also trying in her own way to get along better with those around her. Even if it fell flat and she found herself unable to properly convey her feelings, just like Baobhan, she was trying. "No, it doesn't make you a fool."

"To want to change is admirable," Without noticing it herself, Eula softens and lowers her tone, opting to speak more casually. "In the brief time we've spent together, don't you think that you've changed even just a little bit?" Her consideration for Eula's well-being in the form of providing shelter was something the knight didn't scoff at. Despite her own outwardly cold attitude toward it being built, she was actually grateful. "Just…" Eula pauses before she continues, wondering if it's really the right thing to say, but in an effort to prove what she says is true about wanting to change, she opts to say it. "So long as you keep going, the ones who want to understand you will meet you where you are."

Why does she feel so…strange after saying something so heartfelt? "…I'll take the first watch." Saving herself from what she thinks would be further embarrassment, she's quick to turn away from the other. "If you want to complain about not needing sleep, then join me for all I care." As the sun slowly began to set and disappear behind the trees, Eula makes herself comfortable on one of the chairs Baobhan had made for either of them around the campfire.

[fairyknight]

● The fairy was at an odd point in her "life" now, if she could even call it that considering she had already died. Her existence now was only a borrowed one because she was a Servant. Thanks to various experiences she was torn between the cruel fairy she had become at her mother's urging (not that Morgan was wholly to blame, she did not deny her own personal responsibility made up most of it) and the kind fairy she had once been. But she couldn't just go back to who she was before Morgan had adopted her.

That was painful for different reasons.

But she still wanted to change. She wanted to be better. Slowly she felt that maybe she was getting there, but in conversations like these it was clear that living the way she had ultimately had done damage to her social skills. Eula wasn't helping either though. Baobhan had been on the verge of lashing out at her over her reply only to rethink the idea as the knight continued on.

A complicated expression arose upon the woman's facial features at what she had just heard. "It's not like you're particularly honest either..." The first reply came out as a murmur like she was scared of being scolded for pointing it out. Had this been anyone else she might not have even hesitated to call out their behaviour, and yet... "I... don't hate yours either. Short of a few, there aren't many people that would tolerate someone like me."

She knew she was usually unpleasant and arrogant but it wasn't so easy to admit that. That might have been too much vulnerability to show. "I'm trying to get better, okay!? But I can't just snap my fingers and change... and it makes me frustrated that I can't! And then I don't know what to do or say! Does that make me a fool?"

Baobhan's admittance of having made the haven for Eula does give her pause, albeit briefly. Of course, she was thankful to have someone so dependable, there weren't many who were willing to weather her cold personality, let alone be in her general vicinity. In truth, Eula's simply not used to opening up to people. Try as she may, she hardly feels comfortable enough to feel safe with anyone even in the platonic sense. Despite her family name holding no bearing on her status or how she's treated here, she can't help but occasionally think about it and she's always sure to mention it in passing to most people that she meets.

"How you interpret my words is hardly my problem. I only point out the obvious." Even if it is in a bit of a harsh way. She's so used to Amber and Lumine understanding her, but she realizes that if she wants to keep any semblance of a friendship with Baobhan that she's going to have to teach herself to be less critical and perhaps say exactly what it is that she feels rather than keeping her thoughts close to her chest.

After a long pause, followed by a deep sigh from Eula, she resolves to at least try to amend the situation. It wouldn't do if she went stomping off on her own after all of Baobhan's hard work. And it wasn't as if she wasn't grateful, she was, but Baobhan's fickle nature made it hard to not jab back when the opportunity presented itself. A defense tactic that Eula's had for years, no doubt. A hard habit to break. "…You're right. I don't understand. I hardly know what you're thinking and the few times you've been honest, I've wondered about the why behind it."

"Undoubtedly, you are unpleasant at times and I find you hard to deal with. But I don't…hate your companionship."

[fairyknight]

● "You can repay the favour by using the ample cover I made for you!" Being whiny and stubborn at the same time definitely wasn't an attractive combination, but those traits weren't exactly the sort that people typically vied for in companions in the first place. Having gotten so worked up though, she had unintentionally blurted out a truth she had meant to keep hidden. That she had more or less done this for Eula's benefit alone.

The Archer was something of a brat, that was something even she recognized but had a hard time controlling. She had been brought up essentially as a princess, given great power and told she would only be happy if she used it to trample others. While she knew now that living that way had been wrong, doing a complete 180 had been impossible. She was slowly trying to improve but she could do it instantaneously.

"Why you..." The Spindrift Knight's retort immediately prompted the fairy to go quiet, her expression complicated. Was she mad, embarrassed, or a secret third emotion? "What is with you? You say something reassuring but then still insult me in the same breath! You humans are always preaching about how they need to share their burdens, but I guess not? My problems "have little to do with you"? Fine, whatever. Sorry for thinking you might understand."

The fact that these two were bad at communicating in their own ways was on full display in this conversation, with the both of them missing the mark of what the other had been trying to say or do.

Baobhan's not-so-subtle whining serves to make Eula soften, but only a little bit. Maybe she was being a bit too cynical and stand-offish considering the trouble the other had gone through to make sure she'd be comfortable. But she's not going to retract what she said, that'd be far too easy, and plus it'd give into what Baobhan wants. "I want you to rest because you've given us ample cover and I would like to repay the favor."

In other words, it's Eula offering a small reprieve in thanks which puts them again on equal footing. It wouldn't do to be in debt to a woman like Baobhan, and Eula didn't want to owe any favors. While true that the fairy is much stronger out of the two of them, Eula could absolutely pull her own weight. And she wasn't about to start lazing about just because she had a protector. If anything, they'd be protecting each other.

But Baobhan's prattling on and ridiculous accusations about Eula's supposed prejudices against her are becoming a bit too much. "Enough," she says, settling down by the fire. "Your own insecurities about your being a fairy and the need to consume blood have little to do with me. I could care less about what you are. As someone who has been judged for their larger familial background, I see no need to be biased toward you and yet you continuously bring it up as if you have something to prove." And she turns her gaze toward her again, she doesn't voice her next question, but instead waits for the other to give an answer before she decides if pressing forward is worth it.

[fairyknight]

● Praise. She had been expecting praise for all of the work she had done! "Hah!? Have you ever bathed in the ocean before? It's all salty and gritty, it's no way to properly take a bath! Plus a hot bath would be way nicer, wouldn't it? I thought you'd like it..." That last whine came under her breath, but it was likely Eula would be able to hear it. While she wouldn't admit it outright, Baobhan hadn't needed to go to this much trouble for herself alone. It was all for this human's comfort.

Eyes narrowed at the comment about her yawn. These two agreed on so very little, so it was natural that she would get up in arms about it. "A yawn doesn't mean I need to sleep. I'm just tired from using so much mana putting this camp together, that's all! I'm not as fragile as you, human!"

"You just want me to go sleep so you can stand guard and take all of the glory if you repel an enemy, don't you? Even though I'm the strongest knight of the two of us!" A fact she often brought up. But she felt like Eula did not see her as a knight, nor did she like to acknowledge Baobhan's strength.

The fact that this had come up more than once spoke plenty to how often they had been bumping into each other lately though. "Why do you keep looking down on me!? Is it because I'm a fairy!? Is it because I have to drink blood!?"

When Baobhan offered to build a shelter for the both of them, Eula hadn't been expecting something this grandiose to be put together in a matter of hours. "It's…" More luxurious than what anyone else could hope to achieve in such a short amount of time. For once, it leaves Eula speechless as she sets down the fruits and fish she'd gathered earlier to bring back to camp. While aware that she'd gathered more than enough for the two of them, there really was no telling how long they'd be here and so having a surplus seemed only natural. "Did we really need a bath when the ocean could have served the exact same purpose?" Well, other than privacy, that is.

Maybe she's trying too hard to find something to complain about. In truth, she's grateful for how resourceful of a person Baobhan is. All in all, being together proved to be more than a boon than a hindrance and they could both carry their own weight, one more than the other even. "Keep the bed for yourself. I'm accustomed to sleeping on unsteady ground." As she says so, she begins breaking a few sticks in half and propping them up in front of the fire to spear a few fish through them. "Sleep isn't something you should deprive yourself of, even in this sort of situation." Of course, she's one to talk, seeing as she plans to stand guard while her partner sleeps.

"You seem tired already if that yawn is anything to go by. Instead of arguing with me, do something about it."