#//of course I have already decided what card corresponds to each emblem

[renaisguy]

“Hello there,” the archbishop greets Forde warmly, shaking his hand, “I come on behalf of your winter envoy. Please if you will wait but one moment.” She pulls his gift out from a bag before leaving it with him - it is a thick deck of Elyosian playing cards. Each face card depicts one of the storied Emblems. One tender-hearted queen might look a little familiar…

“Thank you!” Forde salutes the archbishop before she leaves (saluting isn’t right, he knows, but leaving her without some formal gesture would be wrong).

Once alone, he looks through the cards. They’re an incredible gift, he thinks as he looks through them. Playing cards are just nice, aren’t they? A great way to spend an afternoon with friends, free from worry. And the art is simply incredible, with such a confident style Forde could only dream of.

He sorts through the cards to see all the art, but hesitates when he sees the queen of diamonds. A lady who looks just like Eirika… no, she was Eirika. Forde smiles as he continues looking through, what a lovely surprise. Reaching the king of spades, he recognises the man as a knight he’s fought with.

So the gifter was someone at this academy, who drew the face cards based on the people they’d met here? That explanation didn’t feel right to him, but what else could it be? He’d have to ask around…