Words, words, words

sunsinger​:

∘₊✧── talking with him doesn’t ease things, not really. if anything it only serves to make her think harder, to make her dwell for longer. tailtiu frowns, dragging her finger lazily in the dirt. 

azelle’s kindness had never been a blessing that she shared in, nor his optimism. teeth sink into the skin of her cheek. he had always been the better of the two of them – never cruel, never jealous. not like her.

she doesn’t know who to expect at the sound of footsteps and doesn’t bother looking up to find out. knees draw up closer to her chest and she wills herself to go unnoticed by the passerby, making herself smaller as though it will help her any to blend in to the greenery around her.

it doesn’t, of course. they approach regardless. tailtiu looks up finally, easing her face into a smile. she’s surprised to see azelle, but her features are careful not to show it.

“to you too!” she chirps, lowering her knees and dusting off her hands. she doesn’t miss a beat. “i’d say so, yeah. thanks again, it means a lot ‘nd all.”

lavender head tilts just so as she peers up at him. “need me for something? or just lookin’ for company? you’re welcome to sit, y’know, if you wanna.”

He doesn’t miss the way she tries to make herself smaller. How her knees draw up to her chest, how her head dips. He feel guilty, suddenly, for interrupting her solitude. 

Then again, if she really wanted him gone, she’d have no problem telling him.  Azelle hesitates another moment before taking her invitation and sitting down with his legs crossed, uncaring of the dirt stains forming on his white pants. “Of course. I’m always happy to listen to you.” 

He shakes his head. “Just company. I’ve been staring at maps all day. My eyes need a break.” They fall shut just then, Azelle taking a moment to simply breathe. 

Slowly, they reopen, crimson gaze landing on her. “Do you remember how we’d play soldiers, as kids? I think we underestimated how much walking such a life entails.” Recounting childhood memories straddles the line between bittersweet and outright painful. Their make believe games offered a reprieve from shouldering burdens they shouldn’t have had to carry so young. 

Days after their conversation, he still runs through it in his head. 

It seems they both began this journey for different reasons—he was motivated by love, infatuation as his brother would no doubt call it—and she simply went where the winds called her. There’s more to it than that, he now knows, and what a strange thing to reconcile the boisterous, gentle girl of his childhood with the concerned woman before him. 

Azelle sighs and rubs at his eyes. The words on the page are beginning to swim; he takes it as a warning not to overwork himself. Proving his worth as a soldier in Sigurd’s army isn’t measured in how quickly he can read a book, even if he acts that way. Young mage stands and emerges from his tent. Eyes squint as they adjust to the sudden sunlight Just how long had he been buried in his books? 

He keeps his head down while wandering among the camp. Not a soul has so much as blinked cruelly in his direction. Either they know the truth about his parentage and don’t care, or they have no idea and still decide to treat him kindly. Regardless, old wounds make him hesitant to engage in unprovoked conversation. 

Except with her. 

He finds her, eventually, and she’s mercifully alone. “Afternoon, Taliltiu,” he says softly. “Are you feeling better today?” 

sunsinger​:

∘₊✧── shoulders rise and fall to the rhythm of her breathing, cheek nestled comfortably in the down of her pillow as azura sleeps. she had known to expect her partner to rise soon after the hazy nohr sun, and the gentle brush of lips to her skin wakes her enough to confirm such suspicions.

citrine eyes flutter open, greeting laslow’s excitement through thick lashes and still heavy lids. an exhale of quiet laughter through her nose. “good morning.”

of course azura knows the date without even a moment’s thought, and she still would have even without the constant enthusiastic reminders in the days prior. she herself has known birthdays celebrated in elaborate balls and then in old opera house dressing rooms with no company but her late mother.

she has known birthdays under these same skies, forgotten by all but herself.

so it is something of importance to her, to see that those she loves do not have to endure that same fate. it is why she has had laslow’s set to memory since they had first grown close, slotted neatly alongside corrin’s and her siblings’.

lithe fingers unearth from the blanket that they are both wrapped up in, reaching across her lover’s own arm and for the smooth skin of his cheek. a quiet hum, careful not to shatter this precious morning quiet. “an occasion, truly,” she teases softly, “to see you awake before me.”

Grin only blooms wider once she wakes. Selfishly, he’s too excited to feel guilty about disrupting her dreams. “Good morning, my love,” he whispers back, scooting an inch closer. 

These precious mornings are ones he cherishes most. Warm brown eyes never leave her face, memorizing every single detail, as if he’ll never get the chance again. 

He leans into her cool touch, own hand softly stroking her hair. A breath of a laugh escapes. Early mornings do not agree with him; Laslow has always preferred the quiet hush of the world when the moon reaches its peak. The gentle light of stars overhead is far more soothing than watching a sunrise. 

Azura hardly seems to mind that he usually sleeps in late. “A good occasion, I hope?” It’s a rhetorical question, one he follows up with another gentle kiss. “I am sorry I woke you.” 

sunsinger​:

∘₊✧── “would you?” eyes glitter hopefully at her brother’s offer. of course, technically, there was nothing stopping her from asking forrest herself. unless of course you counted his snippy little retainer as something, and that’s a handful that soleil is an adamant avoider of.

gingerly, perhaps with far more delicacy than the garment even demands, soleil folds her jacket proper. it is set at the end of shigure’s cot to be dealt with later. it’s in good hands.

only when she turns back does she see the way a frown draws across his face. her own expression mirrors it, eyes widening as he explains its cause. her hand reaches for her shoulder, settling upon it with a weight that she hopes to be comforting.

“lian will forgive you, i’m sure.” a gentle squeeze, head tilting to the side in concern. “and she’ll be fine. good as new, i bet!” but her usual cheer is just a little strained, worry for her brother overpowering it just enough to break that warm surface,

her head shakes, determined in her reassurance. “we can, yeah, but i’m sure they’re fine for now. something to ease your mind instead, maybe? we could go for a walk! i’ll be quiet, too, so i don’t scare off any little friends.” soleil’s smile turns hopeful. “sound good?”

The pressure on his shoulder isn’t unfamiliar, but neither is it commonplace. He does not seek out physical touch all that often--and only recently has his relationship with his sister progressed to the point such gestures are unconscious. 

He can see through her false cheer. Heart warms at her concern, the reassurance. He ought to sing to Lian tonight, once the stars begin winking into existence. Anything to ease both their spirits. 

Despite himself, a tiny smile graces the corners of his lips. Never let it be said Soleil doesn’t look out for her brother. Once this passes, he’ll take her out for tea in the nearby town as her wingman. It’s the least he can do. 

“That sounds lovely,” he replies. Stands from the cot in one fluid motion, offering out his hand. “I found a peaceful clearing yesterday. Plenty of little friends seem to make their home there.” 

“Just a few more days until my birthday, you know!” He’d teased, brown eyes glittering as he nudged her. “Care to give me any hints as to my present?” 

Even during his less than ideal upbringing, the days leading up to his special one never ceases to make him giddy. They were something to look forward to in the ash-shrouded remains of home. Any stray piece of happiness was something to grab onto, to cherish for as long as possible. 

Now, mostly grown up and far removed from adolescence, Laslow still acts like the child he once was. 

His birthday dawns with clear skies--well, as clear as it ever get in Nohr. Rolling over, a dazzling grin overtakes his features. It’s far too early for this nonsense, honestly, and he’s only up a couple hours after sunrise because of the special occasion. 

Gentle fingertips brush locks of light blue hair off her face. Gods, how did he get so lucky? Digits dance along her skin, touch light so as not to wake her prematurely. She deserves to rest, no matter his excitement. 

Cotton Candy Siblings

∘₊✧── it is only with a loud huff that soleil relaxes, shoulders slumped and uninjured arm resting its weight upon her knee. the other has been resigned to its fate of her brother’s gentle hold.

“yeah, yeah,” she frowns down at the fabric of her overshirt, draped lazily over her knee and with its newest tear on proud display. her cheek presses further into the palm of her hand, face turning pointedly away from the offending fabric.

hands fall away, and soleil flexes against the bandage once and then twice, opening her eyes enough to peek at shigure’s handiwork and then at the boy himself.

a smile turns a corner of her lips upward. “it feels fine,” her posture straightens and, after a little stretch, she bumps her shoulder against his, “you’re the best, y’know?”

she can tell he would rather be elsewhere – has long since grown to recognize that far-off look in her favorite songbird’s eyes as longing. it’s a sacrifice he makes, to be here with her stubborn self, patching a wound she would have never sought a healer for on her own time. soleil knows that. 

and she knows he’s teasing, too, so her little half smile only blooms into a fuller one.

“before and after, in fact!” her grin is triumphant, chest puffed out with pride. “and it was very successful, i will have you know! dazzled the guy right into his grave! just not until after he got a swing at me too, of course.” a sheepish little laugh.

her head shakes once. “but i’m fine otherwise. not a scrape on me, i promise! only casualty was my shirt.” which she pats once with a little grimace, eyes turning back towards her brother.

“how about you?” not that she’s an awful lot of help in any sort of healing department, but – “all in one piece?”

Shigure sways in response to her shoulder bump, an answering smile making its way across his lips before he even registers the motion. “Hardly, but thank you, anyway.” 

Her excitement cuts through the air, whatever momentary peace they’d had evaporating as she proudly recounts her tale. Of course she’d be proud of herself. One visible amber eye rolls, the longing in his gaze replaced with resigned exasperation at her antics. 

“Prince Forrest can mend that for you,” he suggests softly. “Would you like me to ask?” The rent in the fabric isn’t too awful; a nice clean cut, all things considered. They have gone to Forrest with clothes in far worse states of disrepair. 

“All in one piece.” Worry clouds his features. “It’s Lian who suffered an injury. I wasn’t fast enough to block an attack.” Eyes close, heart twisting as he again hears her little cry of pain. In fact, the healers should have finished attending to the shallow yet uncomfortable cut along her left flank. 

A battle’s aftermath always hurts worse than the actual fighting. 

Pained groans of those injured claw against his ears, fracturing his concentration. He’s grateful they are somewhat muted against the cloth walls of his tent, though immediately feels heartless for such a thought. 

“You little show off,” Shigure murmurs in an attempt to distract himself. “Just like papa.” Gentle fingers wrap the bandage around Soleil’s arm. He’d missed what lead up to her injury--too busy holding off an enemy Sky Knight. Only once the whirl of feathers and flashing steel faded did he see her falling back, an angry tear in her jacket sleeve she’ll no doubt pout over until it’s fixed. 

He ties off the bandage, slicing through excess material with a small cutting knife. “How does that feel? Not too tight?” Voice soft as he re-winds the roll of cloth, arranging everything neatly for the healing staff. 

His own muscles ache. Spending the rest of the waning daylight hours in the nearby forest to decompress sounds incredibly enticing--yet his duty to his sister comes first. “What did you even do, to earn such a wound? Try spinning around before you attacked?” 

Anyone else may find his particular brand of teasing too rough around the edges, harsh words foreign in his mouth. Soleil, however, has endured his sarcasm for years. “Are you injured anywhere else?”