oracle

Roy approached Ninian armed with a few little things, anxious to do this right. "Mother, happy birthday." He held out a small vase of pale blue flowers first, smiling as he presented them. "These felt like your favorite color to me. And on the vase, that's an aquamarine necklace. It isn't much, just on a cord, but I thought you'd like it."

Then...

The final thing he offered to her was a small baked good that was probably like a cake in its intended nature. The object had a messy, uneven layer of frosting on it, some blue and some white with no discernible pattern, and a single candle stuck crookedly in the middle. "Um... this was. Well. The frosting is very difficult to control. I will train myself to do better next time," he solemnly promised.

Mother. The word is so unfamiliar still to hear ears but Ninian is filled with such warmth each time she hears her son call her it. Just looking at him and seeing the features he shares with Eliwood and the features he shares with her come together is enough to fill her with an undescribable sense of joy. This really is her son. Living, breathing proof that dragons and humans can set aside their pain and differences and come together.

He hands her a gift and her face lights up. She's never celebrated her birthday with anyone other than Nils. Not that she's able to remember anyway. The flowers are beautiful and she puts the necklace on right away. She wonders if Eliwood tells him in their future about her preference for icy blue. Is that how he knows what color flowers to give her?

But it isn't the flowers or the necklace that really catch her eye. No, it's the cake. It certainly isn't the most expertly decorated but that doesn't matter. He made it special just for her. She can see the love he put into it in each glob of icing and each stroke trying to even it out.

"Nils..."

She hadn't realized how close to her birthday it had been when she first reunited with him here. Now it feels almost as though he had this planned the whole time. Her whole little family is here now. Her brother, her fiance, the son she will one day give birth to. She hopes Nils will see Eliwood and Roy as family too.

Not once has Ninian regretted her choice to remain behind with Lord Eliwood and humanity. Even with the knowledge that this choice will cut her life short, she knows her place is here. But it hasn't stopped her from missing her brother every day and wondering what things would be like had she gone with Nils back through the Dragon's Gate.

It's lonely without him.

She wishes he could be here to see how happy she is with Eliwood and all of their friends. She wishes he could meet Roy.

Ninian's eyes widen when she hears that familiar voice call out her name. But it can't be. Still, she turns and there he is. A smile breaks out across her face and she runs to him, pulling him into an embrace and confirming that he is really here.

When you break the news about the imposter lords to one of the villages, they naturally react in horror and shame for being deceived. However, something goes awry when the message is passed along to the village elders. A miscommunication down the line leads these leaders, half-blind and three-quarters-deaf, to believe that you are the “real Lyndis”. Whether you are or not, there is little you can do to convince them otherwise, and so they demand you make things right. [Grants +1 Authority]

It had taken all of the courage Ninian could muster to stand before the village elders and explain that whoever was causing trouble in their village surely could not be the real and true Lady Lyn. Lady Lyn is noble and kind and would never hurt anyone! That is why Ninian stands up for her. She knows Lyn would do the same for her. Lyn has done the same for her. Ninian will never forget the way she rushed to retrieve her stolen ring even though doing so put herself at risk. Even if she is afraid, she will do whatever she can to help her friend!

It goes well at first. Ninian is believed and given an audience with the elders. But somehow, her message is misheard or misunderstood and now Ninian is being accused of being the imposter Lyn. The anciently oldest leader of the elders grabs her by the wrist with surprising strength and begins to drag her about the village demanding reparations for the various acts of mischief its people have suffered.

"B-but...I'm not..."

"Nonsense!" The elder hollers over Ninian's timid attempts to explain. "Ya look just like that Lyndis from earlier! Who else could you be!"

As the poor dragon girl is dragged to the location of the first of her supposed crimes, luck is kind enough to allow her to catch a glimpse of a familiar face. She manages a smile for it seems it does not matter what sort of trouble she manages to get herself into, her Eliwood will always be there to get her out of it again.

"Lord Eliwood!" She cries out, crimson eyes pleading up at him as she struggles against the grip around her wrist. "Please...help me..."

Points Earned: 1

Check: Reason + 1

Skill Changes

Reason E+ -> D (Blizzard)

Classes Accessed

“…I do not, nor did I want to before. That does not change the fact that I still tried to against my better judgment. You are kind despite what you’ve been through, but I would caution you to not be so…quick to trust if you see anyone else from the Fang in these lands,” Lloyd warned, some of his anxiety quelled by her words. She spoke slowly and carefully, and none of what she said or how she said it felt dishonest.

He could vouch for his brother, but if anyone else had survived, he couldn’t be so sure. Jaffar had been at Nergal’s side from the start, and Ursula had taken to Sonia with a startling swiftness.

Confusion leaked into Lloyd’s guarded expression as the girl almost began to plead.

“You? Hurt someone? I have to say, this would be news to me…We may not have crossed paths much, but you always seemed…unwell when I caught sight of you.” When they were not on the run from the Black Fang’s agents, they had been locked up. They were just children, weak and under duress, how could she think herself a danger to others?

“It’s not you directly that I’m concerned about, lass. I don’t know why you were so valuable to Nergal, but I know that some of his…followers survived. I worry about who might have followed you across the water.”

Ninian tenses again and her eyes widen.  She had seen someone here in the monastery that, if she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn was one of Nergal’s morphs.  No, even then, she knew they had to be one of them.  As much as she tried to reason with herself that they had all died, she could still sense the strange inhumaness about them.

Their strange golden eyes were unmistakable.  There is something so unsettling yet almost comfortingly familiar about the eyes of the morphs.

“I...” She wonders a moment if she should tell Lloyd about what she saw but firmly decided that, yes, he should know.  It wouldn’t be right to hide it from him just because she was scared.  Lloyd could be an ally now.  “I..saw one of them.  The one called...Ephidel.  They were...here.  I...don’t know if he saw me...I ran away.”

She doubts that a morph would need to see her to know of her presence.  It’s not a comforting thought.

There is some trepidation in her reaction to coming face to face with him here, but not nearly what he would have expected considering their limited but poor history. She does not move to make any distance between them, and though Lloyd doesn’t intend to cause her any harm, he thinks it isn’t the response she should be giving him.

“You think it wise to engage me like this?” Lloyd asked instead, remaining utterly still as he regarded the girl. For all that there was a clear distrust in the air between them, she had not run, had not called for help– she was talking with him. For all the hardship and trouble she’d suffered at the hands of the Black Fang on Nergal’s orders, he was not expecting her to be willing to speak or be around him. Part of him wanted to call her foolish, and the other part wondered if this was some sort of elaborate scheme. 

He was suddenly very, very aware now of all the people around. The voices, the noise, the movement. 

Forcing out a slow breath, Lloyd willed himself to back down from the mounting sensation that something was going to go wrong here. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re more…bothered by my presence than I am by yours – and rightfully so – it is…difficult to trust that you are here for unrelated reasons.” But, then again, he’d run into too many familiar faces from the other side of the conflict here, and so far, it had all been unrelated. But he knew about them, could dig into family histories and routines and all manner of things to give himself a mental safety net. As bizarre as it was, it still made sense for lords to come to a school designed for shaping future leaders.

This girl, however…he knew so little about, and yet, she and her brother had been such a focus in the Black Fang’s fatal motivations. But he didn’t know why, and not knowing why Nergal and his minions had been so keen on the siblings made him wary and downright paranoid.

“…I came here to try and right some wrongs. Avoiding a drawn out death in Bern was also high on the priority list,” Lloyd eventually admitted, shifting in such a way as to put his back to the stall they were nearest to, allowing himself a better field of vision. 

Just in case.

“I am not here for you, or any of your companions, if that is your worry. I would assume we are both…trying to move on from what happened.”

He’s nervous.  She makes him nervous.  Of course she does.  With his connections to Nergal, he must know what she is, what she’s capable of, what she’s done.  

“I’m not...bothered.”  She isn’t afraid either.  “You don’t want...to hurt us.  You were...kind...to Lord Eliwood.”  He wouldn’t stand around here talking to her if he had a darker intent.  And Nergal is gone.  

Wary is perhaps a better word.  But that is only because of the strange, unsettling person she almost ran into in the hallways.  The one she would have sworn was one of Nergal’s morphs if she hadn’t known they all died.

But she died too, hadn’t she?

Ninian doesn’t like knowing that he doesn’t trust her.  He has every reason not to but that’s not who she wants to be.  She doesn’t want to be the feared beast.  She just wants to settle into a normal life as a normal person.

“I am here...with Lord Eliwood.  And our friends.  I don’t want to hurt anyone...not again.  Please...believe me...”

“ Ah, Lady Ninian! Are you still searching for your Winter Envoy? I've been allowed to give a hint to those still seeking their own out, so allow me to lend you some assistance. Your Winter Envoy is someone that looks after others on the battlefield, holding a tender heart for others to try and rescue or help save them whatever way they can.

“ I wish the best of luck to the rest of your search, Lady Ninian, and a happy holiday to you as well! ”

It seems her envoy shares values with her. Ninian isn't sure how helpful the hint will be though. She's only stood beside a handful of people here on the battlefield. But she doesn't want to disappoint Sir Kent. Perhaps she can feel it out based on vibes?

Wide eyes blink at him as her head tilts. "Thank you...Sir Kent. I will do...my best."

@gentlenekomata

Ninian approaches Sakura timidly. She seems quiet and gentle. Someone who might share a desire to save others.

Points Earned: 1

Check: Reason+ 1

Skill Changes

It takes Ninian a moment to fully process what Soren asks her. There is something about him that she can't quite place. Something she's felt in the presence of quite a few people now and she can't decide if it's comforting or unsettling.

“ Ninian! ” Kent performs a bow before standing tall again and giving a rigid salute. “ I have been tasked with telling you of your recipient for the Winter Festival event. You shall find your recipient is a face you know very well: Lord Hector.

“ I… will not pretend to speak as if I know him any better than you do, but it is my sincerest wish to aid you in preparing an appropriate gift for the man. ” He looks regretful for a moment but quickly continues on, “ Of course, the usual expectations of military interests are there as is his great fondness for Lord Eliwood, but I could not help but notice that Lord Hector scratched out one of his interests and quite heavily at that… it might be that there is something he enjoys that he is afraid to let me know. Perhaps Lord Eliwood would know better on the subject? I imagine it is something we would not expect, in any case. What a boon it would be, to discover it and be able to give him something like that…

“ Ah! But I digress. Beyond that, he voiced a desire to relax in a more… ” He pauses, trying to find a way to articulate it, clearly. “ … humble way, so to speak. I am not sure if it would be of any aid to you, but he was willing to let us know that his favorite color was red, as well. Beyond that, he was not very willing to speak much more. Still, know that I am rooting for your success, Ninian. If there is somehow anything I can do to assist… ah, well, in the limitations of the event, of course. ”

Ninian can't hold back her smile when she learns exactly who it is she must find a gift for. She is quite glad that it is someone she knows. Finding something meaningful for a stranger would be difficult.

But more importantly, she is glad for the chance to show Hector that she cares about him. She still remembers his boisterous laughter as he scooped her brother up onto his shoulders in the Nabata Desert. He didn't have to be as kind to the siblings as he was.

"Thank you...Sir Kent. I will see...what Lord Eliwood suggests. I want Lord Hector to be happy."

Ninian tenses a moment as Hilda speaks up again, calling her back from retreating but she quickly relaxes as the other girl explains herself. Her envoy still remains a mystery as well. She had thought the difficulty was due to her being a new student but perhaps it is hard for everyone.