SUNLIGHT. //

     There was a strangeness that hung over them, their interaction, and it was near-palpable. Olivia had never expected to see a fully grown son when she had… and even with that shock, at her age now she still had never expected she might also meet a grand-daughter. She was left with these feelings of confusion and concern, yet pride and complete adoration. Her son had found love, and with that love had a beautiful daughter been born, who so strangely yet rightly reflected her lineage. While Olivia could feel the awkwardness, she offered only a warm smile that curved against the rose flush of her cheeks, as she brushed an errant lock of Soleil’s hair back behind her ear.

     “Tell more more of what Nohr was like. Inigo has told me some, but I’d like to know how you felt about it.” Olivia knew it was Soleil’s home, that it always would be in some rights, but she also hoped that Soleil could find Regna Ferox a home to her as well. Being Feroxi was a matter of pride for her, one she’d once instilled in her son as their homeland meant strength and perseverance, a firm will and sense of self. “I know it must be different here… I’d love to hear about what made home what it was to you.” 

     She could tell there was some sort of soreness there, something perhaps less pleasant, but she’d not ask, and simply allow Soleil to tell her.

       the storm within her churns, threatening to rage ( threatening to overtake her ). soleil does not fault her grandmother — she and her father both remain so very tight lipped when it comes to the circumstances on which they left. the anger brewing isn’t directed at her, oh heavens no. it’s the memories. it’s the betrayal. it’s the hurt, the sadness, the pain that makes such a child of warmth so unbearably angry. and still, soleil says nothing. she doesn’t say i don’t want to talk about it, knows olivia meant no harm. the moment her kind grandmother had tucked sweaty locks behind her ear, soleil knew she couldn’t say no. after all, it was the sort of small, affectionate gesture she longed for ( from the woman whom dissolved, traded away for the masses ). 

    she licks her lips again, an awkward smile spread across her visage. ❝ it’s different, but i like it here, ❞ she assures, and while she keeps pains to herself, the glimmer in dark irises are a tell-tale sign of truth. ❝ nohr... well, it’s not really home anymore... it’s more about where my family is, so here’s home. ❞ again she speaks with honesty, but there’s that strange sadness to her that seems to follow both herself and inigo alike. the awkward grin turns wistful, but she shakes her head soon enough, shoulders shrugging. 

       ❝ well... things are definitely going ! ❞ an awkward laugh escapes the forced grin the teen offers her grandmother, an arm raising to wipe the sweat off her brow. the hilt of her practice sword is gripped tighter, her body turning away as if to mask the turmoil she still feels inside ( it bubbles within her, ebbing and flowing for seconds at a time before they rage like a storm, the brightness to soleil’s mauve irises dimming ever so slightly ). ❝ it’s... a lot easier to breathe here than it was back h — ❞ she falters on the word ‘home,’ words cutting abruptly before she shakes her head, knowing they can’t return, knowing she doesn’t want to return ( not ever ? not yet ? ). 

aegislash

oricorio ( sensu style )

dragonair

polteageist ( shiny + authentic )

kingdra

delcatty + sunflora ( often interchangeable )

reasoning under cut !

soleil, though a mercenary, dislikes unnecessary violence. which is why she’s partially against the war... partially being important. she’s incredibly aware that people live in difficult times for a reason. such can be said for nohr’s circumstances. she knows people don’t become bandits for no reason. she’s seen poverty, has taken job after job (meaning she’s interacted with several bandits), and in her time traveling, soleil has come to understand a lot. that’s why she kinda gets where edelgard is coming from. sometimes change is needed for the better, but she just doesn’t agree with how edelgard is attempting to do it.

i also have her initially as a “member” of the blue lion house (bc they’re the house of knights and soleil’s always curious how other royalty acts in comparison to siegbert). but then dimitri snaps and she finds herself drifting away from them... well, really because dimitri’s change in personality is worrying (and, as cold as it sounds, soleil isn’t from fodlan, so it’s also not her responsibility to assist in controlling the prince... basically, she knows how to distance herself from anything that can link her homeland to fodlan). soleil is kinda royalty herself but more than that, she’s still siegbert’s retainer, despite the distance. she isn’t sure she’s in the same world as him, but ya know. don’t wanna do too much that can reflect negatively on him.

post-time skip, she’s a mercenary through and through. you find her? you can hire her and her group. upon her recruitment, the battalion you get access to would be soleil’s mercenaries. i kinda let her go with the flow post-time skip in a whoever finds her first sorta way. this really signifies her attempt at detachment from the war (but she’s kindhearted and willingly helps out lmao)

which is to say... what did she do during those 5 years? at one point she tried to go home. lmao. i like to think that when she separated from siegbert, she literally went hey, i’m gonna go through the dragon gate and idk where i’ll end up, but it’ll be fun and i promise i’ll be back! but before she even did go home, she kinda. stopped herself. bc she thought about her dad and how he was worried he couldn’t return to nohr upon going back home to ylisse so... yeah, she kinda stuck around.

marianne can’t help the tilt of her head,   not quite curious but rather completely astounded.   such suggestions are not commonplace within her land,   lest one speaks of towers   —   but she tends to avoid those locations,   if only to keep her unsteady head on solid ground.   she isn’t a dreamer like the others,   heart in the skies and eyes set on the horizon.   ❝   i’ve been in towers before,   but   …   aren’t you afraid of falling   ?   ❞

       a pleasant hum sings past soleil’s lips — it’s short and sweet, keeping her lack of talent for melodies hidden. marianne’s question brings a sense of amusement to her visage. soleil is always so eager to jump into situations, troublesome or not. it’s nice to know someone out there wonders past that fearless exterior. 

a deep sigh flees violca,  sculpted brows knit as left meets with the puzzle she had been trying to figure out;  knocking the tower over.  ( an awful frown contorts seraphic features )  crap.   ❝   WELL,  YOU DON’T REALLY EVER QUIT THE MERCENARY LIFE.  IT STICKS WITH YOU..  ❞   wet muscle pushes against inner-cheek / mournful glance,  at last,  acknowledging the other. 

❝   I… I SUPPOSE I AM NOT BUSY ANYMORE. WHAT IS IT YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW?  ❞    to talk about everything truly overwhelmed the elder. shoulders slinking to a low slouch,  ivories gripping lower tier.  it wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk,  it was just moments like this were sacred.  and yet,  Violca musters a hearty smile.  letting the melancholy flee momentarily from brittle bones.

       the words bring a knowing smile to soleil’s lips, the expression she wears one of rare occurrence. a sorrow shines in purple hues, quiet and soft ( so unlike the bright girl they reside within ). the mercenary life never leaves; it breathes in one’s bones, cracks mind and memory, always present in invisible red. knuckles crack absentmindedly, toes wiggle in their boots, and catching the elder’s eye, soleil wipes emotions that mar her features clear from view.

❝   —   up   ?   ❞   marianne repeats the words,   but nostalgia is replaced with anxiety and dread fills her tone.   ❝   n   —   no,   i don’t think i could fly.   ❞   she could barely stand on the ground,   let alone see from above.   perhaps pegasi were better suited for those more accustomed to heights:   ingrid,   for example,   or even flayn or hilda.

      ❛ — soleil? is that you? ❜  joy easily rises within them when their eyes captured the gentle blue hair, reminiscent of a dear old friend of his. with yato at their side, they wave at the maiden standing across the field from him. 

@azurlia· | starter call.

       ever bound by roles and obligations, soleil welcomes responsibility but can grow just as restless by it. princess or not, she is a free spirit, of which her liege understands and of which she is glad. taking in fresh air is a favorite past time and— soleil ? a voice calls her. it’s one she knows. to intake their world of peace and to be near the comrades of whom made it to be. yes, this was how it meant to be, and it shows so easily in the smile she wears. 

       words float from soleil’s lips akin to a fairytale. there is a look of disbelief that lingers within edelgard’s features – she is suspicious of the authenticity of those words but soleil’s vivacious features is more than enough to captivate her. yet, terrains akin to the valley of torment exists, places that harbour an ancient civilization within the red canyon exists — there are edges of this world that she had not been exposed to & secrets that she had not unravelled yet. her mind lingers on her words, the descriptions of this seemingly bottomless canyon — where would one even discover such places? 

      her cheeks, still dusted by rosy tones despite her attempt to regain her composure. an inquisitive look hangs upon her countenance: a lofted brow, widened lilac irises – she elicits a soft hum in response.  ❛  it… it does sound rather inconceivable. yet, there is so much of this world that we don’t know about …  ❜    she trails off; she wonders what the vastness of the sky & ocean would be like – would it consume her? would she drown? she wonders.   ❛  though, i must admit it sounds … it sounds like a fairytale. maybe even ephemeral. ❜

       brightened gaze softens, warmth sparkling in irises of purples and flecks of gold. soleil isn’t sure what she had been expecting of the princess, but the genuine interest is one she takes gladly. the sellsword is known for her theatrics; there are times she spews the strangest of things in hopes to elicit a laugh, her time spent with two blessed by holy blood playing obvious part in such acts. however, having step foot onto lands that could only ever be fabricated by imagination, a wonder always bubbles in the depths of her heart: to what extent could tall tales be true ? she could travel so far and wide as long as the constraints of retainer don’t hold her down ( but duty remains in the back of her mind, and though she enjoys her time, soleil knows she’d have to someday return ).

    ❝ it would be really bad if i said i was joking, huh ? ❞ though a laugh follows her words, soleil is never one for such ill-spirited jests, especially should the topic relate to her family. an arm rests atop the hilt of her sword, gaze trailing to the vast sky above them. ‘ it really felt like a dream... there were illusions and magic... ’ a pause in her speech allows another laugh to leave her grinning lips, this time to say well, that’s silly to say. ‘ of course, there’s magic all around us, but... i dunno, maybe it’s just different depending on where you’re from ? ’ different dimensions, different flow of times... the power of gods were rather interesting spectacles. 

     her sudden meltdown takes linhardt by surprise. what should he do? he hasn’t the slightest idea. he doesn’t fare well with this sort of thing. ( is she crying? he hopes not. ) but her revelation is… kind of impressive. somehow. “so you were the source of those sounds, soleil?” he supposes that explains why she was acting so oddly. it makes more logical sense than the whole cat explanation, at least. “i suppose i’m glad to hear that a cat isn’t trapped in the bushes…” he trails off. “…but those sounds were entirely… nonhuman.” taking a step back, he examines her. her obvious distress aside, she seems normal. “uh…” this is an awkward turn of events. “you should really yowl more quietly. i was trying to nap.” a tilt of his head. “did you hurt yourself or something? also — why did you blame the cats?” he shakes his head. “or, rather… attempt to blame them?” 

       she groans into her hands as he speaks, the redness of her cheeks extending to even her ears. against the lightness of her hair, it’s quite visible ( and something almost amusing to see considering how shameless she tends to be ). ❝ oh, c’mon ! don’t make me say it, ❞ soleil begs, muffled by the fabric of her gloves. suddenly, her hands are pulled away form her features, tears of mortification prickling at the corners of her eyes, dark irises having an almost crazed took to them. ‘ if i knew you were here, i would’ve been quiet ! in fact, i would’ve left completely... ! ’ oh, it’s definitely one thing to have friends from home hear her abysmal, er, singing, but one whom she knows little aside from friendly interactions ? dusk dragon, strike her down !