for-when-i-have-an-idea - Tumblr blog

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Sylvain: When I was younger, I left a trail of broken hearts like a rockstar. I’m not proud of it.

Dimitri: You are proud of it. You bring it up in every conversation.

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Dimitri: My therapist started crying mid-session.

Claude: I think that means you win.

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At 40, Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who never married and had no children, walked through the park in Berlin when he met a girl who was crying because she had lost her favourite doll. She and Kafka searched for the doll unsuccessfully. Kafka told her to meet him there the next day and they would come back to look for her.

The next day, when they had not yet found the doll, Kafka gave the girl a letter "written" by the doll saying "please don't cry. I took a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures."

Thus began a story which continued until the end of Kafka's life.

During their meetings, Kafka read the letters of the doll carefully written with adventures and conversations that the girl found adorable.

Finally, Kafka brought back the doll (he bought one) that had returned. “It doesn't look like my doll at all," said the girl.

Kafka handed her another letter in which the doll wrote: "my travels have changed me." the little girl hugged the new doll and brought her happy home.

A year later Kafka died. Many years later, the now-adult girl found a letter inside the doll. In the tiny letter signed by Kafka it was written:

"Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way."

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when i was younger i had a really bad fear of seto kaiba when i was going to sleep so my older brother gave me a watch that he set to like 8 hours ahead so that it was always daytime on the watch when i was asleep and he told me it would confuse seto kaiba and he would think it was daytime and get scared of the sun and leave me alon

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when ur reading fanfic and one character was cooking and the other comes up to them and they start making out and everyones like starting to take their shirts off and the author STILL hasnt mentioned anyone turning off the stove

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“Why are you in a suit? Not that I hate the sight.”

“Contrary to popular believe, I have work, Yugi.”

“No, you don’t~”

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Then Yugi just yanks him down for a kiss :”)

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If Yugi said you’re having a day off today, then a day off you get xD

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‘Cuz I still believe in miracles

It had all started with a link. A link that came with no preview. Seto really regretted allowing for that feature in the latest update of this phone model’s inbuilt messaging app, but Mokuba had insisted that it was very important – for purposes undisclosed – so Seto hadn’t cared to protest it too strongly. Note to self, however: when Mokuba says something is important in that tone of voice, never allow for the thing to happen.

Yugi had been doing this for a while now, sending him links to things he didn’t always understand the reason behind. When prompted, the shorter man usually responded with either: 1.) it was something he had thought Seto would enjoy; or 2.) it had made him think of Seto in one capacity or another. No, the sending of the link was not so strange, in and of itself. It was the fact that, this time, Seto would have no chance to brace himself for whatever ridiculous thing Mutou had sent his way. How did he even know about the feature, the update had only just rolled out. Unruly black hair and a lopsided, too-cheeky smile flashed in front of his mind’s eye, and Seto resolved to interrogate his brother about this all later.

For now, it seemed he had a… YouTube video to watch. At least this was not one of the worst varieties of internet content Yugi could have sent his way. Not usually.

The absolutely first thing Seto noticed was that, whatever this was, lasted for nearly five and a half minutes – five minutes and twenty-two seconds exactly, but who was counting – and for a hot second he found it rather bold of Mutou to send him something so lengthy. Then again, the shrimp had always been more daring when it came to these slightly unconventional methods. Well, always and always. Certainly for as long as it had been relevant.

Next to register was the piano – well, keyboard, really – and the unmistakably cheerful tune it played. Seto purposefully vaguely remembered a music tutor saying something about major key, and he supposed that fit here. The rest of the song’s instrumentation followed soon after, keeping the same tone, though he would admit that the electric guitar surprised him to a certain extent. Alright, this was by no means the most obnoxious thing Yugi had ever sent him. Far too cheerful for Seto’s own tastes, but nobody had screamed irritating one-liners at him yet, so he would take it.

Until the singing began, at least.

I believe the morning sun always gonna shine again, and,

Well, that sounded very much like Yugi, he supposed. Eternal optimist.

I believe a pot of gold waits at every rainbow’s end, oh.

He would, wouldn’t he? Bastard was lucky enough that if he went looking for one he’d probably find it, too.

I believe in roses kissed with dew,

Why was that a thing to believe in? That was real enough, or was this something to do with a romanticised image of something? Seto didn’t bother to think about that any further.

Why shouldn’t I believe the same in you?

Finally, the pin dropped and so did Seto’s head onto the surface of his desk. He should have seen this coming, why hadn’t he? Of course that was what this was! Yugi had been doing this same sort of thing for months, if not a whole year, now. Why was he like this? Just why? And why was he receiving help now? Seto felt twice as old as he was right in this moment and he couldn’t stop the sigh that forced itself out of his system.

You may say I’m a fool, feeling this way about you.

Yes, Seto would say that. Why did this actually feel like he was having a one-sided conversation with Mutou, it made no sense! How could Yugi seem to stuff his entire being into a single song?

There’s not much I can do,

I’m gonna be this way my life through!

This, Seto was slowly coming to terms with, however reluctantly. He was stuck here now, it seemed. Mutou would never leave him alone, not after… everything. Yugi had all but said so himself.

And so Seto swore at both himself and Yugi internally, face buried in both of his hands in some mixture of mortification and exasperation. But did he stop the song as it neared what the little red bar would have told him was the end, and the young women began to sing once more? Well…

‘Cuz I still believe in miracles, I swear I’ve seen a few,

And the time will surely come when you can see my point of view.

I believe in second chances, and that’s why I believe in you!

No.

When, later that evening, Mokuba took himself a remote gander at the browser history on his brother’s phone – hey, Seto wasn’t the only one good with tech! – he found something… unexpected. A five-minute, twenty-two-second long video, watched all the way through. A lopsided, far too-cheeky grin slowly spread across the 16-year-old’s face as he sank further into the couch cushions.

Yep, Yugi Mutou was definitely the best partner-in-crime that a concerned little brother could ask for.

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come on, we know exactly who this is...

you wanna fight huh? okay let's take this outside! the stars are so bright tonight. the moon looks so nice. hold my hand

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FELIX NAVIDAD  🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

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Black Eagles as Virtual Assistants

The collective braincell of the server strikes once again

Edelgard

Very strict, single-minded, makes sure to keep you on track with a tough love approach. Not above threatening you with sending the Hubert Extension after you who somehow just came in the same package, you’re not quite sure.

“I need you to do your work or there will be consequences. Got it? Good, so long as we’re clear on that matter.”

Hubert

Can be installed separately, but always comes bundled with Edelgard is he a virus? He mainly steps in when the others get a bit... much, though, oddly enough, he’ll never stop the Ferdinand Extension from getting off track...

“Do your work or I will be forced to eliminate you... that said, if you encounter any problems, inform me of them and I will handle it in the most efficient way possible... which is any way I see fit.”

Ferdinand

Really good at what he does: syncs your phone and computer regularly, schedules appointments for you, all that. But he does also have a tendency to dredge up old contacts at 3 am because he thinks he’s being helpful.

“Alright, let’s get started! After all, it is my duty as a VA to help the common human with their work! It would be insulting to my status as the finest piece of programming on your device if I did not assist you in your hour of need! O-oh, right, we should get started now. Pardon my ranting.”

Linhardt

Closes down all of your work after 45 minutes of work for a 15 minute break/nap, whatever you fancy. Unless he himself has gotten distracted by something interesting, in which case he’ll just show you that as motivation.

“Just do it, alright? ...I’m sacrificing my... afternoon nap for you, so you... better... get it done.”

Caspar

Opens 40 tabs at once, all of which he thinks might be helpful, your mileage may vary. Very eager to help you in any way, and even comes with a built in reference package, but somehow manages to use it wrong.

“Hey look at this! Watch how many tabs I can open in a minute! Oh- ah, my bad... the computer crashed. But hey, better luck next time..? Alright, alright, I’m sorry... let’s get working!

Bernadetta

Always has 20 different fanfic tabs open, but switches between them so fast that you can’t even finish reading a single one. She then has a nervous breakdown and crashes the computer. Has a built in prompt generator.

“Ahh! We’re never going to finish! C’mon, we need to work faster! O-oh, there’s a problem you can’t solve?! What are we going to do?! We’re going to be crushed by the deadline! Aaahhh!”

Dorothea

Just opens up your Spotify account and starts playing music, maybe a playlist with workout montage music to keep you motivated. Gives a lot of verbal encouragement, she’s all about lifting you up, never putting you down.

“Oh, don’t be such a party pooper, let’s listen to this song! Aw, c’mon... I guess we should begin working, but a girl needs some fun in her life, right? Life is short, so let’s enjoy it! Oh, wait-! The deadline’s in two hours? My bad, never mind!”

Petra

Somehow always manages to have the wrong version of English set for grammar/spellchecking. Luckily, you can customise her, help her learn how to be a better spellchecker. She’s very much still in her beta phase on that front.

“We shall be doing the starting now! If anything appears difficult, do not hesitate to be calling upon me! If we are working fast, then we will be being done in short amounts of time! Do not be worrying, we will finish!”

Jeritza

Doesn’t do much of anything unless you also have the Byleth Extension, and even then he doesn’t do much to help you out. Forcefully shuts everything down on occasion without really communicating why.

“Why won’t you spar with me? Hm? Oh, there’s work to do? Very well then, let’s begin. I’ll have you know, however, that I won’t tolerate distractions. So, we’ll get to work now.”

Worth noting: after the first time you force quit him, or you install the Mercedes Extension, he mellows out dramatically. Turns from kinda menacing to more gently encouraging, sharing good recipes either for baking or ice creams when you’ve been doing good work. This has been affectionately called Emile Mode

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would u be willing to do other houses as extensions as well? :)

I actually already have a few of the others already done, though some of them are a bit more joke-y in nature like the Gilbert one. I’ll see if I can get the server to brainstorm with me again on the rest of them. Thank you for asking :)

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Blue Lions as Virtual Assistants

This is what happens when I find a server full of people as silly as I am and are willing to contribute to that silliness

Dimitri

Constantly reminds you to take breaks when you’re doing work for long periods of time and to take care of yourself, make sure you’re doing okay and get up and stretch a bit every so often. Always encourages you to do your best.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything? Please remember to eat properly and get the right amount of sleep, it’s good for your health. Oh! It’s not a problem at all. Of course I can help you with that, it would be my pleasure.”

Dedue

Always running quietly in the background, doing tasks he deems necessary for your productivity, gently guiding you to do all the things that need to get done. You’ll be done with work before you even realise it with how helpful he is.

“Pick this and do that, here’s why. Alright, I’m going to explain. Okay, we’ve finished. How was it?”

Felix

Mainly leaves you to your own devices, but always steps in right before things are about to go wrong. Not the nicest, but good at reminding you to step away and do a bit of exercise now and again.

“Stop watching YouTube and do your work already. Have you done your stretches yet? No? Get up and do them now. I’m not going to save you when you finally realise how dumb you’ve been for procrastinating.”

Ashe

Very eager to help, but can get a bit distracted. Can and will pull up pictures of cute animals he finds to encourage you, but will always enthusiastically remind you that the work needs to be done and that you’re doing great!

“Look at this picture of a cat! Isn’t it cute? O-Oh, right! Yeah, we should get started now. If anything seems difficult, ask me and I’ll help straight away! Let’s boost your motivation with another picture!”

Sylvain

Very good at distracting both you and himself. Ends up leading you down all sorts of rabbit holes, but right when things are about to go wrong he pulls everything together so you don’t mess it all up.

“Check this out! It’s really cool, you won’t regret it! Hey, that lady in the ad is pretty hot... oh! Oh yeah, sorry for rambling. Wait, it’s about time we get started! Need some help?”

Mercedes

Takes the whole “don’t overdo it” thing very seriously, has a built in 20 minute timer to make sure you take those important 5 minute breaks when working for long periods of time. Always makes sure to ask if you’re comfortable.

“Hey, let’s begin our work, okay? Try not to get distracted or we’ll end up sitting here the whole day! That wouldn’t be much fun, would it? Tell me if you need help or if anything’s confusing, alright? I’m here for you!”

Annette

Pops up quite often, asking if you need help, you’re sure you don’t need help, she’s right here if you need help, just say the word! Has the unfortunate habit of singing to herself at inopportune times. She’s always very sorry.

“Today’s dinner is a steak and a cake that’s yummy yum~” Oh shit, you wrote that down on your test! That’s not how you solve equations! “Ah, no! I’m so sorry, I’ll shut up now!”

Ingrid

Ultimate taskmaster. Everything is neatly ordered and she knows exactly what needs to happen next. Always willing to help you find answers to any questions you might have. Encourages the best work ethic.

“Here, let’s focus on this first. Don’t eat before you begin working or you’ll be distracted. If you need help just tell me, okay? Now that the hard part is out of the way, let’s begin working on this...”

Gilbert

The Gilbert Extension doesn’t actually do anything unless you also have the Dimitri Extension, at which point the former will help the latter with helping you. Might also sometimes help the Ashe Extension a bit, but mainly Dimitri.

BONUS: Byleth

11/10 extension, best one to have. Runs quietly in the background and guides you to do the right things. You learn a lot with this one. Always willing to help with a bibliography or how to reference properly, and corrects all spelling and grammatical errors in red so you can see what went wrong; you will never need an external proofreader again.

They also make all of the other extensions you might have really happy. Makes sure all the others receive their updates on time, especially after that one incident where the Dimitri Extension received a horrible, glitchy mess. Byleth kept an extra eye out for the patch to fix that problem. All in all, just a good extension to have.

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Felix x Fem!Byleth: I Miss You

So I’ve just had this sitting in my drafts so I tried to tweak it some so I could put something out that’s at least sorta decent 😂 Not my greatest work, but it’s Felix content and I know of you are equally as thirsty as I am so 👀 I’m just doing some honest work

Warning: very very mild spice

“Ugh, all this damn work never ends.”

Felix huffed out a hot breath as he rested his head on his free hand. He was currently skimming over documents regarding Fraldarius territory and the lords that inhabited it. After the passing of his father and the ending of the war, Dimitri had oh-so-kindly decided to make Felix the next Duke Fraldarius. Maybe it was a good thing he no longer had a job as a swordsman. He was already so preoccupied with mountains of monotonous paperwork that just never seemed to get any smaller. How did people survive sitting at a desk all day working out all the legal decisions that needed to be made?

He must have been nearly asleep when a hand lightly touched his shoulder, causing him to jolt upright at the sensation. He turned his head to see the sight of his wife, Byleth, smiling down at him, tiredness evident in her eyes. “Get some rest, Felix,” she urged him. “You’re over here half-asleep.”

Felix’s cheeks just barely pinkened at her concern, but he couldn’t hold back his soft sigh. “You have no idea how much I want to go to sleep right now, but unfortunately this stuff can’t wait.” He ran a hand through his mussed up hair, another wave of drowsiness hitting him. “Gotta get it done.”

Keep reading

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A Lonely Figure

Dimitri/Reader

It was on a particularly cold night for the season that Dimitri found himself wandering the grounds of the old Officers Academy. It was not uncommon for him to do this when he found sleep particularly difficult, and tonight finding respite was impossible. Too many thoughts were running through his head: some simply about tasks he would need to accomplish once the sun rose and the others awoke; others were more… troubling, but he’d sworn never to let the voices control him again.

The warm glimmer of candlelight stopped both thoughts and footsteps, and Dimitri found himself undeniably drawn to the warm flickering glow. It came from the classroom that once belonged to the Blue Lions, the once bold banners now faded and tattered. Five years of neglect took its toll on all things, it seemed. A figure stood silhouetted in the room and the blond prince knew exactly who it was – even if their outline had changed somewhat – though part of him still scarcely believed it. They… had been dead, their body disappeared, but a moon ago, yet here they stood, hale and hearty though isolated from the rest of their group.

Seeing (Y/n) again in the streets of Derdriu had been such a jarring moment that Dimitri had originally thought himself hallucinating once more. But when he saw the rest of the former Lions reacting to their presence he knew that what he was seeing was not a ghost, but more a miracle. They had been dead, another voice in his mind. But they had not been of the vengeful kind; they had spoken gentle reassurances, hummed melodies of their people that he had not heard since he was a child. Yet, in some ways, these things had made their ghost the worst of them all.

It had been their and Rodrigue’s deaths combined that had finally broken down what little of him that remained. The two of them were what had allowed for a warm hand to reach out to him in a cold rainstorm, and help him take the last step on one long road and the first onto a new one: the road to redemption. (Y/n)’s plans for the recapturing of both Fhirdiad and Arianrhod – hidden away in the desk of their old room – had been the final push he needed in his decision to return to his people, to save them from Imperial tyranny. He… owed them so much, more than they were willing to take credit for.

Dimitri approached as quietly as he could manage, not wanting to startle (Y/n) from their no doubt contemplative state. They had been far quieter since returning, more solemn. They did not speak as often as he remembered, nor with the same strength or confidence that had always been their hallmarks. But he knew why, he could recognise that look in their eyes anywhere: a deep rooted feeling of unworthiness. Dimitri could, in fact, recall one other time where his former classmate had been driven to a similar silence, and he suppressed a shudder at the memory of watching the Death Knight’s scythe tear into the flesh of their shoulder with far too much ease. Back then it had not been him to bring them out of their melancholy, but this time he would do all he could to help. Just as they had done for him.

As his steps continued to take him ever closer to the former classroom his ears picked up on a sound that he had not heard in years, perhaps even in a decade. The quiet tune was familiar to him, one of the gentle songs that the elders among (Y/n)’s people had sung to children they wished to lay to sleep. Back then, he had not understood a word of what they were saying, seeing as they spoke a language separate from that of Fódlan, but the melody had lulled him and his friends to sleep many nights, regardless. Tonight, however, he heard everything, felt every syllable in his soul. This had always been one of (Y/n)’s talents: when they spoke, people listened and felt.

“You shouldn’t be awake at these late hours, Dimitri,” their spoken word cut through the silence left by what they had sung, and the prince’s attention turned very poignantly back to them, though they remained facing away from him, hands clasped together at the small of their back. “You have too much you need to accomplish tomorrow for such late nights.”

His heart stung a little at hearing them call him by his name. Though he wished so dearly that all of his comrades would call him by it, he was not used to hearing it from (Y/n). He couldn’t remember a time where he hadn’t simply been ‘Mitya’ to them, except for these last several moons. He supposed he deserved far worse for the way he had been acting, so though his heart was heavy at the distance between them, he would take the mercy they were willing to give him.

“I find it difficult to fall asleep this night,” Dimitri replied, finally setting foot into the gently lit room, still attempting to stay as quiet as possible, not wanting to break this spell. “And besides, I could say the same to you.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that there will be much for me to do.” And there it was, that veiled tone of bitterness that had been plaguing (Y/n)’s words since they returned. “Perhaps lay a few plans for the army’s future movements, though I do not think that they will be taken into much consideration.”

“Why would you say such a thing?” Dimitri found himself exclaiming, unable to hold back his own thoughts in the face of their dejectedness. “You have always been one of our greatest tactical minds. Together, you and the professor have devised strategy upon strategy that have not only assured our victories but have kept us alive. Kept me alive, even when I wished that I was not.”

They did not respond to him, simply remained stoically facing towards the old teacher’s desk, shoulders rising and falling with their steady breaths. He could see nothing of their face and it bothered him endlessly in this moment.

“We all owe you so many thanks. I most of all.”

“You owe me nothing, Dimitri,” (Y/n) responded with a speed that caught the prince entirely off guard, their head finally turning to allow him to see the corner of one of their eyes; still, they would not look at him. “I have done nothing that warrants your thanks.”

“That is not the truth, my friend.” A tentative step forward and thankfully they did not move to shy away from him. “You helped me return from the abyss that I had fallen into over the last five years. Your words as you laid there… dying still linger in my mind, and each day you were gone I did my utmost to recall what you and Rodrigue said in your final moments and live by your words.”

“I should have been here!” Finally the nomad spun around to face the prince, face hardened and (e/c) eyes glassy. “I should have been here to support you in your state, not throwing myself into death at your feet! What I did was no more than the actions of a coward that could not stand to see their friends continue down the path they were on! So I took action in the only way I could think. A calculated risk that I had no way of guaranteeing whether would work as I intended or would simply drive you further away from reality. Such actions are not worthy of thanks! They are cowardice…”

And then they broke, the sheen in their eyes spilling over into fat tears that rolled down their cheeks as steadily as the rain had poured down following the battle at Gronder. Dimitri felt his own heart break at the sight before him and before he could stop himself he crossed what distance that remained between the two of them and enveloped his old friend in as gentle a hug as he could manage. His form hid them completely, cloak obscuring them both from any unwanted eyes that might find them. (Y/n) heaved a heavy, broken breath into their lungs and their own arms found their place around his middle. Dimitri said nothing as they stood together in the classroom, the world around them just as silent. 

For a long while all that existed between them were the sounds of sorrow – sobs and shuddered breaths – but eventually (Y/n) calmed enough to speak but three words: “I’m sorry, Mishka.”

Dimitri’s own breathing broke at the nickname and for but a moment he was once again ten years old, sitting outside the tent of one of the nomadic families with Ingrid, Sylvain, Felix and (Y/n) by his side, listening to an older woman as she vividly recounted a tale that he had never heard before. The woman – Tanja, he thought he remembered – had called him Mishka for the first time that day. ‘Someday you will be as big and fierce as one, but also just as warm and gentle. I can tell.’ He had never learned what the word meant.

Instead of responding to (Y/n)’s words with ones of his own, Dimitri felt tears gently trace their way down his own face and after allowing himself a single, hiccuped breath, let his face fall onto their shoulder.

And the two of them stayed like that, though neither knew for how long, until exhaustion both mental and physical, came to claim them both. Finally, they slept well for the remainder of that night.

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Just a quick Felileth sketch for fun because I love them. Let Felix carry his strong wife (since usually, she’s carrying everyone else).

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Dream Oath Opera

Dorothea/Reader

So, since this phenomenal woman and I share a birthday, I thought it only fitting to write a fic to celebrate the special day. This is also, in essence, my birthday present to myself, so I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors, I’m not totally sober while proofreading this piece.

Once again, the end of the Horsebow Moon drew near, and the chill of autumn had reached even the streets of Enbarr. This meant many things for many people, but for the Mittelfrank Opera Company it meant it was time for the final show of the season, and it would have to be their biggest one yet. It had been but a year ago that the Fódlan Unification War came to an end, and the people were slowly settling into normal lives once more. One way to aid with this, the powers that be had decided, was to bring back all the amenities and luxuries from before the arduous 5 years, bring back all the frivolous things that made the people happy. Thus, the opera had been in full swing since peace was reestablished.

It was a grand time, though busy to the point of exhaustion for many of the performers and crew. And in this moment, Dorothea felt all of that burden. She was once again the star of the troupe’s newest production, and while she loved her work no less than before, it was wearing her down. On top of it all, today was her birthday, and while all of her colleagues had congratulated her, and her sweet partner had gotten her flowers, a bejewelled ornament for her hair that she would wear proudly during this night’s performance and prepared a luxurious breakfast for the both of them, the fact that she would have to work on this day still had her sighing. Just this once, a day off would be nice.

A knock sounded at her dressing room door and the brunette turned from her vanity with a soft ‘come in’, ready to greet any guest that might have approached. Upon seeing well groomed (h/c) hair, shining (e/c) eyes and a smile all too familiar to her, Dorothea felt her own lips curl upward. She rose from her seat with all the grace she had learned – though perhaps a bit more hastily than usual – and in no more than four strides stood before her lover to plant a gentle kiss on their lips. She had not thought it possible, but that gaze she loved so much seemed to soften even more at that action alone.

“To what do I owe this sudden visit, darling?” Dorothea asked playfully as a pair of arms snaked their way around her waist. Whether technically an appropriate display of affection in public or not, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Today was her birthday, she was allowed to enjoy such an action on this day, she decided.

“Well, dear siren, I have come to whisk you away from this place, in fact,” (Y/n) spoke, the teasing lilt to their voice oh so familiar, a staple of their relationship. “I have quite the night planned for us.”

Dorothea felt herself pull back from the comfortable embrace, her mind simultaneously racing and at a total standstill at the declaration.

“You know that that is not possible,” she said, an edge now having entered her voice that was not there previously. “I have a performance tonight. Or did you somehow forget?” A little bit of her heart cracked at the thought that they might have. (Y/n) was usually so attentive to both of their schedules and needs, how could the events of this day have slipped them by?

But the continued smile on their face told the songstress that this was not the case.

“Fear not, my fair lady!” An overly dramatic tone tinged (Y/n)’s words and Dorothea’s heart calmed from its nervous beating. “I have spoken with your director and she, in all her graciousness, has granted me permission to steal you away for the whole rest of the day. And before you protest; they have a fitting replacement lined up for tonight’s performance, you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

Attentive to the last, as they always were. Dorothea felt herself let out a heavy breath, a hand coming to rest gently against her chest. As much as her partner’s theatrics amused and reassured her in their own way, it was the calming, gentle tone used in the last half of their little speech that had her the most at ease. The crack in her heart caused by her own thoughts mended itself delicately and as forest green eyes met (e/c) softly, Dorothea once again felt the urge to kiss her lover. So she did. It was, after all, her birthday.

“Alright then, you silly romantic,” Dorothea conceded after a tender moment of silence, “take me away to wherever it is that you have planned.”

Another gentle smile crossed (Y/n)’s face as they gently took Dorothea’s arm: “With pleasure, beloved.”

The night turned out to be quite the affair, though thankfully not in the sense that it was hectic. A quick return to their shared home in order to freshen up – allowing for (Y/n) to gently reassure Dorothea that, even though she would not be performing tonight, she should still wear the gifted ornament in her hair – was followed by an evening spent at one of Enbarr’s finest restaurants. When Dorothea had tried to ask how in the world (Y/n) had been able to afford such a thing, and nearly insisted that not even her birthday was worth such extravagant spending, all the reply she got was that friends in higher places were always good to call upon for occasions like this. The songstress could only sigh, again, but followed her partner into the restaurant, arms locked, without any further protest.

The meal was delicious, naturally, and their seating private enough to allow Dorothea to feel comfortable. Normally, going out into the public in such a way would have her overrun with admirers of all kinds seeking her attention. But tonight, there were no such interruptions; merely two people in love, enjoying a meal in each other’s company.

Having finished their dinner, and redressed themselves in their outerwear, the couple took to the darkening city, watching as the lights along the streets were lit, one by one. The soft flicker of the streetlamps’ candlelight gave Enbarr a completely different glow, a warmth that sunlight did not allow for. Walking side-by-side through the city, not even the biting cold breeze that characterised the later days of the Horsebow Moon dissuaded the lovers in their gentle stroll, soft, meaningless chatter filling the air between them.

Only too late did Dorothea recognise exactly where it was that her partner had led them, and a gasp left her lips very suddenly as (Y/n) handed over a pair of tickets to the member of the opera house’s staff on duty that night. When the youth began giving instructions on exactly how to reach the balcony reserved for them – one of the prime seats in the house – Dorothea felt herself having to physically restrain her jaw from dropping.

“Enjoy the show!” the youngster called after the couple as they moved through the building, (Y/n) calling a quick ‘thank you’ over their shoulder, a grin that was far too pleased spread across their face. Dorothea continued to feel stunned, though she had managed to compose herself since the initial shock, and did not fully return to her senses until the light in the theatre dimmed and she heard the orchestra finish their tuning.

As the opera began to play out before the audience, Dorothea felt a hand gently hold onto her own and her eyes left the stage in front of her to gaze into eyes of (e/c) that somehow managed to shine even in the darkness.

“I thought that it might be nice for you to watch an opera performance for once, instead of simply participating in one,” (Y/n) spoke so that only the two of them could hear, lifting their intertwined hands to place a gentle peck on Dorothea’s. The songstress’s breath hitched gently, but her eyes quickly returned to the performance in progress.

Despite knowing exactly how the opera was going to play out, Dorothea still found herself mesmerised by the display, enthralled by the characters and music. And as she watched the lead role walk onto stage, the role that had been hers up until now, she could not help the tears that welled up in her eyes at seeing Manuela dressed in a fashion so resplendent that Dorothea herself suddenly felt ten years younger.

The soft squeezing of her hand returned Dorothea to the present moment, and as Manuela began to sing her first bombastic few lines, the younger songstress’s eyes fell back on her lover smiling with all the love in the world.

“Happy birthday, beloved.”