#thread: made of light and paperthin

[pheraemarquess]

He laughed slightly as she gave him the faux punch, feigning that she hit him harder than she actually did. There was the Lyn he knew. "I can't wait to see everyone again. Especially in happier times." He nods, letting the waves lap harmlessly against his feet. "It is a peace worth preserving, for everyone's sake."

It made him hopeful for better times on the horizon, that the tragedy of the past would haunt them no longer. It could begin to fade into nothing more than bad memories and the occasional but fading nightmare.

Eliwood found himself in shock at the next statement. "All of this for a birthday party? I had figured it was a wedding with how opulent everything is." He laughs unbidden at the thought of a literal mountain of presents. "I couldn't imagine accepting so many presents, not to mention the Thank You cards to everyone."

He pondered over the next statement. "If I had to guess, our host is either trying to show how wealthy he is for clout, perhaps even marriage offers for the heir as this shows the house is stable and will provide well, or our host is trying to show generosity to perhaps gain allies. For what? I don't know. My knowledge of the history of this place is as good as yours. It's just merely an educated guess based on my own experiences with the other Lycian Lords." It was a fact he should rectify with haste. Surely there were libraries he could avail himself of when he got back to Garreg Mach. He should have read up on his way here, but he had been so focused on other things it had never even crossed his mind.

He smiled with Lyn as she asked. "Nothing so opulent. But perhaps a small banquet could be nice. And of course, you and Hector would always be at the top of any guest list of mine." He felt the wind pick up then. It was cold, and he found himself shivering despite himself. Looking behind him, he saw quite the angry looking storm clouds approaching rapidly. Such storm clouds on the ocean were an ill omen.

Watching them approach and the wind pick up he turned to Lyn. "We should head inside. I'd hate for our reunion to be marred with either of us getting sick." The previously pleasant chill was now turning bitingly cold. His shivers got more pronounced, even as he tried to quell them so as not to worry Lyn.

made of light, and paperthin

[pheraemarquess]

May Activity Check

Status: Passed!!

Points Gained: Any Skill +1

Allocation: Sword 2 -> 3 Rank D+ Acquired!

Claims:

Classes: Pending! Inventory: Wind chime bracelet, Pending! Mastery: None!

Threads:

Completed: made of light; paperthin final WC: 1,427 Dropped: None! In progress: those are his hooves, you bitch "We Got Torture Labyrinth Tomorrow" cheers! When Does a Ripple Become a Tidal Wave? These Sidequests Never Seem to End

[sunncutter]

She trusted him. The wind rushing in followed by a blanket of clouds like that on the plains meant something ferocious, and the people of the Sacae were equipped to understand Father Sky's moods, and to endure until they passed - but being near the sea was a different beast than the roll of the hills and the sweep of grass. It was a natural fury unmatched, that she had scantly experienced on the voyage going to Valor - they had all made it through safely then, and surely would now, but it was a different experience altogether to watch the wroth of the waves from an outsider's perspective.

"Of course. And…I cannot take up all of your time, there are surely others that you need attend to. It is a party, after all." She wasn't being sarcastic when she said so, although it would certainly have made her more at ease to have his presence nearby - but the fact that he was here was more than enough.

Lyn followed his sure steps with those of her own, the sand dissolving in the foam of waves beneath their feet as they picked their way back to firmer ground, where everyone else awaited, seemingly unaware of how much darker the sky churned.

"I will dance with you however many times you'd like, Eliwood. Don't think that you can tire me out so easily - whatever pace you set, I will match it, and beat it!"

- fin.

made of light, and paperthin

[sunncutter]

Lyn blinked briefly, then had to shake her head with a laugh. "See? There you are! You've just arrived on the scene, and you can navigate dozens of reasons why these nobles may behave in the most extravagant of ways - and in a way that makes it seem almost sensible!"

It was not unheard of, even on the plains, to host enormous festivals as a display of strength, of hospitality, of diplomatic ties or the wish for them - and yet it had not occurred to her that those cut of another cloth might do so as well. Their games, their dances, the vibrant decoration from every post - it all suddenly reframed itself in her mind, and for that moment, she found herself feeling…rather less out of place.

Just a woman, at the side of her friend.

Her smile widened, warmed. This was simply how it felt, to be near Eliwood, even just in his proximity.

Another gentle blow of the wind at the fore dragged a delicate shiver out of her, and she rubbed her hands along her biceps. "Yes, you're right. It isn't so bad at the moment, but if you're cold here - "

With deft hands, she unclipped the shawl about her shoulders - thin and gauzy, and utterly useless for something practical like warmth - and swirled it about Eliwood's, tucking the edges firmly beneath his arms, before nudging him gently with a shoulder. The cold would bother him more than it would her, she knew. "Perhaps if it gets too much, you'll just have to come find me for a dance, won't you? That should warm you right up."

made of light, and paperthin

[sunncutter]

@pheraemarquess, cont from here

It was him, it was really - !

The sentiment seemed shared, and Lyn could not help but laugh, pushing the weight of her sopping wet braid over one shoulder. "I suppose it is more of a surprise to find someone like me in a place like this, after everything, isn't it?"

If anything, this was the sort of place that Eliwood belonged - a noble in pursuit of knightly ideals, learning leadership and the granular functions of tactics and politics from those in the same position as he. Future kings, queens, and those for whom the weight of rule was not quite so burdensome…

Her nose scrunched slightly as she stood, extending a hand to tug him up alongside her before wringing out the portions of her skirt which had seen the most of the ocean's waves in their tumble down. "But here we are. I…don't think that Caelin would thrive under me, as I am now. Or if they would want to - or if I would choose to remain there. Better that Hector deal with all that - Ostia's better suited to provide for the territory, and it'll do him good, don't you think?"

And, she did not add, there was none other she could trust with something so precious as the home of her mother, her grandfather.

"But, oh, Eliwood, I'm so happy to see you! There are others here - Mark, you would delight to see our little tactician. Come," she added, slipping a star from her charm bracelet and clipping it to his own, fingers drifting to the anchor on his and thinking for a moment that there was not a charm better suited to him before plucking it and grinning widely, eyes flashing, before attaching it to her bracelet, relishing in the jingle it made. "We'll see how this compares with those fancy banquets so loved in Lycia."

made of light, and paperthin

[sunncutter]

She was thankful, briefly, for the chill of the water and the gentle breeze that blew by, the delicate shiver that trailed up her back masking the burn in her cheeks at such effusive praise. This was simply his nature, and from another it might have seemed insincere, slathered on by any other noble looking for advantage, but when from his lips it merely felt like the truth, and it warmed her chest in a manner impossibly fond.

Gently she tapped a knuckle on his shoulder, a faux punch, before she continued forward. "I'm sure the others will come to find you, when they know of your arrival. And quite the event for such a reunion - it is as though nothing bad has ever happened, isn't it?"

It was easy to forget the many battles that had lain along the path they'd trod, the lives taken, ended, ruined - even saved. It was, somehow, simultaneously the most frivolous thing she had ever witnessed, and also the most important, the warm smiles and gentle laughter of young souls at peace.

"It is quite a bit more extravagant than any of these events I've seen - even those that I attended on behalf of my grandfather. I have heard that this is, in part, a birthday party for a student of the Academy, though I've yet so see the boy himself - the table that houses his gifts, however, is a mountain large enough it could just as easily be the Bernese border." She jerked a thumb in its direction, and laughed. "I believe there are other motives for the event, but I must admit I haven't learned the history of this place yet."

It had not occurred to her until that point, this gap in her knowledge of the land that she had come to - Lyn remembered, with a stark ambivalence, the attempts to learn as much of Lycian history and culture as she could upon her arrival to Caelin, those years ago under Reissman's guidance, and it struck her for a moment that perhaps Eliwood, even as fresh as he was, would likely know more than she.

She brushed the thought off with a smile. "Thinking of hosting one of these for your next birthday, are you? I shall have to make the journey, if you send word."

made of light, and paperthin

[pheraemarquess]

He looked away, face turning red like his hair at her praise. "I wouldn't go that far." His hand began rubbing the back of his head, a habit of his from his youth that he never seemed to shake.

He watched her carefully and softened at her smile widening, loosened by the levity of being with his friend. He couldn't understand her heart, never fully, but her joy brought him joy.

When Lyn shivered, he almost went to give her his cape, his hand only hesitating upon the realization of how wet it was, the fabric soaked through. It would be worse to give her something that might make her even colder. Feeling helpless to help, but still feeling obligated, he instead began leading the way inside, hoping Lyn would follow. "If I know anything of coastal storms, it will only get worse. We should make haste especially from the surf. If the winds get any worse, we're at risk of getting swept away."

Before he could even take a step, she put her shawl around him, probably thinking the same way he was. He held it close, before allowing himself to speak. "Thank you. I'll be sure to return it by night's end." Nodding and smiling at her, he began to walk towards the estate, before turning around to address her again. "I'll be sure to take you up on that offer. Be sure to save at least one dance for me."

He begins the walk up the shore, looking back out of the corner of his eye, making sure she was okay.

made of light, and paperthin

[pheraemarquess]

Eliwood looked to Lyn, fond smile playing at his lips. "I really shouldn't be surprised to find someone such as you here. You've always been one of the strongest, most capable people I've ever met." Every word was said with earnestness, every word felt from the core of his being. Lyn inspired a certain confidence with her very being, one he couldn't help but echo. "Someone I'm proud to call my friend."

Taking the offered hand, he finds himself stumbling forward from the force. Lyn had definitely not slacked since he last saw her, he could tell from the way she carried herself. Had he done the same?

He sighs, and looks down as he wrings out the pieces that he can, his back taking the brunt of the surf, but he was still soaked. "I understand completely. I feel much the same about Pherae. That's part of why I came here, to learn to be the best I can be. Be the leader Pherae needs me to be." Be the man my father hoped I would become is a sentiment best left unsaid.

He laughs brightly at the mention of Hector. "He definitely needs more of a challenge!" But then he softens. "But he'll do right by the people. Even should you choose not to return, you can rest easy knowing Caelin will be well taken care of. And whichever path you do choose, know that you will always have a friend in Pherae." It was the least he could offer her as Marquess, as a friend more importantly. He hoped the words conveyed his sentiments well enough. That no matter how far the winds took her away, she would always be a dear friend to his heart.

Eliwood's smile only grew as he heard others were here as well. Namely one figure who had also slipped out of his life. "Mark is here as well? I cannot wait to see her then! It should be just like old times!"

He lets out a quiet "ah" when Lyn slips a star onto his bracelet before taking an anchor. "I had almost forgotten about this in my excitement to see you again. Thanks for reminding me."

As for enjoying the rest of the party, he gestured for her to lead the way, with him following. "I will at least say this is the most unique ball I've ever been to. I don't know why we never considered having one on the beach when Pherae was host. It's certainly an idea to bring back home."

made of light, and paperthin