#//toca u know i do love u right this was a delightful submit

[atypicalsenerio]

【 You find yourself the recipient of a letter that could never be unassuming if it tried.

The royal purple envelope is a backdrop to gilded lettering, lovingly rendered with a steady hand. It shines when you hold it up to the light; to say nothing of the wax seal that sits heavy in a contrasting deep red. Burned into your memory is the Gloucester rose, the summertime fancy and the lovers’ flower, the signature of one noble son.

Should you choose to open this envelope, there is crisp parchment awaiting you. A practiced hand has sent you a missive, and then some. All the words legible, cursive immaculate, but aside from the flourishes, it is, as some say, a lot to unpack.

At the very top, lettering bigger than the rest, begins this invitation—ah, yes, you see now, it is an invitation—with the setting of intentions: 】

❝I, LORENZ HELLMAN GLOUCESTER, am sending you a formal invitation, extending you the distinct honor of attending the Ethereal Moon Ball as my esteemed guest…❞

【 … 】

【 You quickly realize that the letter goes on. And on. Was there ever an end in sight, or was that the twinkle of your golden name?

You will be here all night, should you read the whole spiel, so you skip to the end: 】

❝SOREN: whisperings of what a shrewd tactician you are have reached even my noble ears, and it would be a grievous error on my part if I did not give you your dues. Should you accept my invitation, I would love to spend a good deal of the evening picking such a tactical mind! I, too, find myself with an interest in strategy, and no doubt your rather unique background offers a perspective unseen within Alliance borders.

YOURS, ❞

This was... unexpected. Generally, it was Soren putting on airs and flattering to get something he wanted out of someone else. To find a similar tactic used on himself (since he didn’t think for a moment that any noble, much less one like Lorenz, had some genuine fondness for him enough to warrant a scented invitation to a dance), stunned him for a moment.

That, and the fact that he already was going with Ike.

Soren stared at the letter, open on his desk, unable to believe it’s purple existence in his dorm, and again, that he was actually spoken for in regards to the night in question.

He wouldn’t be outdone in a little game of prose, however. Not if he could help it.

Already, he was dipping his quill in ink and pulling out a fresh parchment to deliver to Lorenz Hellman Gloucester himself.

It was, quite literally, dripping with sarcasm in the cursive swirls across the page.

He delivered it that night, slipped under the door.

Dearest Lorenz, my lover to never be </3,

I must ask you to sit down as you read my correspondence, as I fear for your noble’s heart if there is no fainting couch near. Tragically, you have waited too late to ask for my hand. Observe- someone who didn’t see me as a last minute resort has already made the proper arrangements to have my company on the night of the Heron Ball.

However, to soothe the indescribable pain you must be in, I will give you a short tactics lesson.

When you are unobservant and late, and take for granted that you will win the heart of your beloved or the head of an enemy, your chance of suffering a most grievous injury goes up by quite a bit. Do keep this in mind in all your extracurricular excursions.

Please do refrain from throwing yourself sobbing at my feet the next time we pass each other in public. Tempting as it may be, you will not win me over. Nor will flattery. Even half decent flattery that praises my intellect is not enough. You are clearly not captivated by my every aspect of being, and that is unacceptable.

I feel as though you have not successfully won over many women, but I do not care to teach you that.

Regards, Soren

P. S.

I’ve been to your estate.

Wasn’t impressed. :(