No Bad Deed Unpunished

// let me heal you (⋈◍＞◡＜◍)。✧♡

cw: blood mention; minor injury

Say’ri does her best not to let others rile her up. She has endured her fair share of that during the war with her brother–and even before then with her brother too, as siblings usually pestered one another. Now that she is older and posed to lead Chon’sin, she must adhere to the decorum required of a leader, a ruler. Unfortunately, even a poised young woman such as Say’ri is bound to fall victim to her anger and frustration. 

@heriteur

As soon as the princess caught word that a new foreign leader was now in attendance at the academy—and as a professor in her house no less—Say’ri knew that she must meet with him immediately. The entire purpose of her being at Garreg Mach had everything to do with establishing her home country as a potential trade country, so she made it a point to do everything she could to meet more royalty and leaders.

A brief written correspondence ought to do the trick. Doing her very best to remember how to write properly in English (her verbal conversation was far better than her writing) she wrote to Diamant:

At your earliest convenience, please meet with me, the Princess of Chon’sin, at the training grounds. This is not a declaration of battle, but rather a diplomatic attempt to introduce ourselves as representatives of our countries. Should you choose to accept my invitation, I would be pleased to meet you prior to dinner service this evening. Should you choose to deny the invitation for any reason, I shall not take any offense but would still like to introduce myself at some point, at the very least as your student. —Princess Say’ri of Chon’sin

Passed

"Will not you indulge me in some holiday tradition, my friend?" Tiki asks. A faux innocence laces her honey-sweet request as she pointedly looks at the mistletoe hanging above them. "Or is the thought of presenting me with such blatant affection so adverse to you?"

She laughs, the sound bright and trembling like yuletide bells. In one swift motion, a hand comes to rest upon Say'ri's cheek, so gentle so as to be a brush of wind. Tiki uses this to leverage her face ever closer, enough that their noses may graze each other, but not so much that they truly meet.

Her voice lowers into a whisper. "Shall I do it for you? I'll have you know I am more than willing to do so, should you allow me..." the thought of how Say'ri might react to such a thing causes her to giggle once more, "Oh, for the sake of tradition, of course!"

Normally, drawing out a reaction from the young princess was difficult to do. She keeps her composure when faced with a variety of circumstances, ranging from battles to betrayal, and even then her emotions are controlled save for anger and the occasional hurt.

Tiki found it as easy as breathing air, it seems.

Say’ri’s face bloomed into shades of red not yet before painted on her skin at her friend’s request. To even think of doing something as scandalous as showing such a daring and bold display of physical affection—platonically or not, that was not for Say’ri to decipher until she has once more collected herself—was practically unbearable to Say’ri. And yet…

Tiki is close enough for Say’ri to feel her breath against her lips and it sends the princess’s heart into a thrumming sprint against her rib cage. The hand on her cheek feels akin to a white-hot flame, and Say’ri threatens to melt into its warmth.

“For the sake of tradition,” she whispers, lips nearly brushing Tiki’s own. “And if it pleases my lady…”

She closes the minuscule space between them and presses her lips to Tiki’s. They are soft and warm and everything and more that Say’ri could have possibly expected for a kiss shared with The Voice of the Divine Dragon. The first kiss is brief, but Say’ri only pulls back a moment to mutter a short and amazed, “Fie,” before pressing another kiss to Tiki’s lips.

Reason and Faith band together to put on this month’s special seminar: the history of tasseomancy! You will be learning the “magic” behind divination and how the old masters used the remains of tea leaves and coffee grounds to predict future events. Just in time for the moon of love, you will all be divining your romantic futures from a delicious cup of white rose tea. [Grants Reason or Faith +1]

Say'ri is more than familiar with the sacred process of brewing, serving, and enjoying tea in the ceremonial context. She is also familiar (though admittedly less so) with the more casual context of enjoying a break with a comrade, a cup of tea, and some idle chatter. She is, however, completely confused by the concept of tasseomancy. The study of... used ground and leaves from coffee and tea... as a means to read the future?

It was bizarre, but Say'ri has the unfortunate experience of having dealt with weirder things. She has spoken with and witnessed oracles and their deities perform acts that cannot be explained by common logic as she would have understood prior to the war. So, reading the loose images left behind in her teacup should not be so difficult to grasp as a lesson.

"Good eve, Professor," Sayri greets with a polite smile. Above said professor hung a small bundle of greenery--mistletoe to be exact. As the tradition would have it (and who was Say'ri to not abide by customs and traditions? Surely not a diplomatic princess when interacting with other royalty, that much was for certain) Say'ri chuckled slightly before approaching the green-haired queen and placing a quick peck to her cheek.

nagavoice​:

          MANY A REUNION TIKI HAD WITHIN THE ANCIENT WALLS of Garreg Mach had been with specters of the past; of joys and sorrows from bygone days, attached to faces that had been washed away by the relentless tide of memory. It had been both a delight and a painful reminiscence, meeting once more with the people she so loved and cherished in her youth— the very same that had, for centuries, been naught but remembrances shining as stars in the night sky.

          Today, however, she reunites not with the past: but with her present and future. Today, she hears the rare spring laughter of a friend that, though hailed from a new age, was not any less cherished than those from the past. Say'ri, her dear Say'ri! Tiki quickly turns to meet her, and matches the widely-unfurling smile on her Say'ri’s face.

          “Say'ri!” she cries, “Please, no longer am I your lady; call me Tiki. Call me friend!”

          Her arms spread open, and swiftly does the dragon sweep Say'ri in an embrace; an ocean crest hugging the steadfast, rocky shore. Tiki lets the moment linger for a spell, keeping her friend in her arms for just a breath longer. Then, she pulls away, and allows herself the time to fully bask in Say'ri’s presence.

          “Oh, but you are as sweet and fretful as ever; have I worried you so terribly?” she says with a laugh. Then, noticing the pinprick tears that dance along the corners of Say'ri’s eyes, she adds, “Or… have I left you in a painful solitude?”

          Tiki frowns. Though the disappointment is directed only at herself. She places a hand on Say'ri’s shoulder, squeezing tight.

          “Pray forgive me, Say'ri. It was never my intention to leave you in your lonesome. I thought you might have enjoyed your individuality, free from eternally fussing over Naga’s Voice!” she rubs her nape with a hand, “I… hadn’t considered how you might feel as my friend when I departed Valm for this new world.” she sighs, but just as quickly lets a small smile appear on her face, “But what is important is that we are here now. Both of us, reunited, as equals and friends!”

          Her hand moves from Say'ri’s shoulder to her wrist, and she begins gently tugging the princess along. “Come. You must have only just arrived, yes? I have been here for a number of moons already. You must allow me to show you around. There is much to see, and many to meet.”

The moment’s respite in the arms of her beloved friend nearly causes Say’ri to fall to her knees, relief threatening to crumble her willpower to keep her wits about her. How she longed for this moment—to see Tiki’s face, to hold her in her arms once again. They had been apart for such a short time, and yet it felt as though their souls were torn apart for an eternity. To think that they had only met in this lifetime… It was unfathomable, given how swiftly Say’ri feels the aching pangs of loneliness fade as soon as she hears Tiki’s sweet voice. 

The crestfallen expression on her beloved companion’s face is unsuitable for such a beautiful being as The Voice herself, and Say’ri smiles softly in reassurance. “Calm yourself, and do not fret over it a moment longer. It is in the past, and I am here beside you now. That is all that matters now, is it not?” 

The library was something akin to a sanctuary for Say'ri, as well as many others on the Garreg Mach campus, it seemed. While the bustling world outside was intriguing to witness and watch, it grew overwhelming with its noise and chaos. The interior book-lined walls of the library offered nothing short of a quiet paradise where literary fans could seek out peace for once, just with the turn of a page.

@nagavoice

It was like a sailor to the siren's song, the way Say'ri made her way to the looming academy of Garreg Mach, for the sole reason being that somewhere on that campus was Tiki.

It took everything in her power for Say'ri to keep from riding her horse through the entire blueprint of the academy and monastery looking for her friend. Yet, she still withheld and departed from her steed with care at the stables, making sure that her travel companion was well fed before she went through the processes of getting settled in.

As soon as she was shown her dorm room in the nobles quarters and her welcome guide left her alone, Say'ri discarded her bag haphazardly in the confines of her new bedroom and hurried to spot a familiar head of green hair. She had managed to speed-walk her way through not just the marketplace and dining hall, but also the greenhouse, the other dorm halls, and even the library before she finally made her way to the courtyard nearby the classrooms and saw what she had been longing to.

With the last of her bag packed tightly shut with the few belongings that she deemed necessary for her journey to and residency at Garreg Mach, the princess of Chon’sin heaved a sigh as she surveyed her handiwork. The satchel was tightly wound, likely to never come undone on its own accord, and Say’ri was pleased that her recent studies on knot-tying were applicable to life away from the shoreline. Chon’sin’s few sailors were happy to teach the princess their handy tricks, and she felt thrilled to have spent some time with the hardworking people of her homeland. 

A soft breeze carried with it the scent of freshly-bloomed cherry blossoms, a common sighting this time of year around Chon’sin. Spring brought with it warmer weather–which was much more suitable for traveling than the harsher winter–and the agonizing reminder of the loss and betrayal that Chon’sin faced not so long ago. 

A deep sadness ached within Say’ri’s chest, and she sighed again, her normally-squared shoulders sagging as grief weighed them down. With her parents long since buried in the ground, and her brother soon following them to an eternal rest–nevermind the other Yen’fay; she still had difficulty with that concept–and with Tiki gone too, Say’ri was burdened by a terrible and aching loneliness that threatened to break her with every waking breath she took. Training and sleep were her only solace, as her conversations with advisors and whatnot never seemed to suffice her need for someone to talk with like she would with someone like her brother or Tiki. 

It was for that reason–that aching, gut-wrenching loneliness–that Say’ri decided to follow her friend to the academy she was at. The Voice called to her, and Say’ri would rather die than refuse to heed it. With the alibi of going to the Western academy to study politics and war strategy, Say’ri was permitted to leave Chon’sin in the care of her many trustworthy advisors. Before long, she would be reunited with a friend–someone to help ease her of the pain she had been enduring alone.