le serpent

secretforestlady​:

Deirdre sets her hands on her daughter’s shoulders and smiles encouragingly as she approaches the horse.  She had hoped that Julia would gain some confidence as she got closer to Celice and saw how sweet he is but the way her hand shakes as she holds the apple breaks her mother’s heart.  Perhaps this had been the wrong activity to share together.

“Julia, I hate to see you so uncomfortable.”  Her mother softly strokes her hand through her hair and hums a soothing tune.  Truly it does not matter what the two end up doing, Deirdre simply wishes to be in the presence of her beloved daughter.  “We do not need to do this.  I could braid ribbons through your own hair instead.  Would you like that, my darling?”

Deirdre, of course, understands the implications of the bizarre and complex nature of her relationship here with Julia but it still saddens her to know that there are things like this fear of horses that she doesn’t know about her own daughter.  Julia may be from her future, but she means the absolute world to Deirdre.

Her heart sinks at her mother’s words, slowly lowering her hand (much to Celice’s dismay) and staring at the ground below her as if it would open up and swallow her whole any moment now. “No-- I’m...I’m alright, I promise...I want to do this-- with you.” She does her best to steady her voice, attempting to hand the horse the apple once again.

Celice leans down and takes a final bite, eating the apple core and all-- and she manages to do so without flinching. “...I would like that-- but I...I’d like to do this with you first.” The hand in her hair does manage to calm her nerves, leaning into her mother’s touch. “You were kind enough to invite me to spend time with you-- and it’s...not like you...knew.”

Status: Passed!

Points Gained:

Activity Check - Any+1

Allocation: +1 in reason

Spring Break (Dropped, 437 words) - +1 in lance

Changes:

ulircursed​:

     He gave a considering hum at her words, using the pause to scrutinize the girl’s demeanor properly. The existence of the time-displaced next generation put too many more pieces onto the table than he initially expected; as much as Andrei had, however briefly, thought himself finally free of political fetters when he had arrived in Fódlan, he had long since come to realize the lie he had deluded himself into believing, if only for a while.

     With someone as powerful as Lord Arvis here, one could never be too careful in their conduct, and this daughter was both a danger and a potential boon, if he could play his cards right.

     Withdrawing a coin from his pouch, Andrei placed it in the eager hands of the booth attendant, who in turn slid the bow towards the two. “There is no harm in making an attempt,” he said, tone carefully light, “Perhaps this will be easier than you imagined.” He motioned to the bow before taking a step back. Even if nothing came of the exchange, this was at least an opportunity to see the skills of the Imperial Princess of their future.

“Oh-- you really don’t have to!” But it was already too late. Andrei had given the man the money, and now there was a rickety toy bow in her hands. She couldn’t remember a single time in her life where she had wielded a bow, Julia had always been more proficient with magic and faith than any sort of physical weapon. “I’m not so certain, but I’ll do my best-- thank you, sir...”

Her hands shake as she raises the bow, doing her best to aim it steady at the target. It couldn’t be much different than aiming a spell! Slowly she pulls back the string, fingers tensing before finally letting go--

amicitium​:

“Please, just call me Elincia,” she said with a laugh, before noticing the young woman’s smile had swiftly faded. She frowned herself, unsure as to whether she’d said something needlessly cruel or hurtful. Shuffling some papers out of the way, she faced her companion with eyebrows knit together.

“Julia?” she asked, voice especially quiet and tentative. “Did I say something wron–” Elincia cut herself off. There were stacks and stacks of paper, scribbled and scrawled upon. None of it made a lick of sense. The vast majority was completely unintelligible. She’d seen a couple scraps with words like ‘healing’ and ‘saints’ on but nothing so much as a full sentence. Elincia could feel a headache of her own washing over her. Suddenly, her earlier thoughts of leaving the professor to sort out her own mess left her feeling awfully guilty. Leaving Julia to handle this mess on it’s own would have been heartless.

“Or is this just exactly as frustrating as I think it is?” she added a sharp laugh, searching for a clean piece of paper. “I’ve seen something about healing so maybe we should start at the basics and hope for the best? It can’t be any worse than what we have so far? Elincia was smiling but let out a deep sigh as her shoulders dropped. It was obvious their professor needed all the help she could get.

“Oh?” Elincia’s ears perked up at the metion of Julia’s own faith. It was something she personally held very dear, had helped her overcome adversity many times in the past. With a soft smile on her face, she inquired further, “It is? I’d love to hear more, Julia.”

The request was so casual, and yet Julia could do nothing more than nod with a smile. “Right...Elincia.” It made no sense to waste time on formalities. Back home they were nobility, but here they were students and nothing more. Julia was in no way above anyone here at the monastery, and she could respect how the young Queen seemed to think the same.

“...Frustrating is...surely one word for it.” She didn’t want to admit it, but she wished that she hadn’t agreed to this in the first place. How on Earth was this woman even a professor with conduct like this? It was a wonder that she even knew how to dress herself in the morning.

“Oh-- it’s nothing too interesting, I promise...” She did her best to make sense of the papers, she really did, but it was hard to concentrate on the work ahead of her when it was so poorly done. “We have Twelve Crusaders, and those who descend from them have their respective Holy Blood...I find it similar to the crests they have here-- we also have those of major and minor holy blood.”  

Status: Passed!

Points Gained:

Activity Check - Any+1

Allocation: +1 in reason

Changes:

yewfallen​:

    “ I— Th-That’s good, yeah. ”  Every word that comes out of him feels dumb. It’s not as if he was the smoothest when it comes to these kinds of things to begin with, but Julia’s own awkwardness is contagious, spreading to him until he’s tongue-tied too.

The moment is over, but there’s still a bit of the fire stoked within him— something he hadn’t expected. The first time he had kissed her upon her forehead, it hadn’t been anything at all. It was just a whim, encouraged by drink.

The second time he kissed her, it had been out of some kind of concern. It was the first real kiss by all means, but it wasn’t the one that had started this chain of events. It was supposed to be just a peck and nothing more, but then it became more.

Second turns to third, and it wasn’t just a whim; it was a want. She had invited him in, and now he wonders if he has gotten himself ensnared in something deeper than he had bargained for.

The beat of his heart resounds in his ears as he stammers,  “ I-I should go. ”  The moment he’s said it, it sounds incredibly dumb. It’s his room they’re in. But still, he works with it.  “ I’ve got somewhere to go in a little bit, so… ”

One thing was certain: a kiss on the forehead was not comparable to a kiss on the lips— or whatever it was that they had done. Stories filled with romance never mentioned anything to do with the tongue! …At least not the ones she’s read.

What was she supposed to say now? Could she ask if he enjoyed it as well? No— that would be weird, wouldn’t it? He had only done this so she could get used to it…so that when she was kissed by another man she wouldn’t panic.

The thought made her stomach sink. It was best to not think about it.

“Oh.” She forgets for a moment that they’re in his room, nodding dumbly before finally realizing what he was saying. He was asking her to leave— or maybe he really did have somewhere to go. “R-right— I’ll leave you, then…”

Julia is on her feet in a matter of seconds, scurrying towards the door and turning back to the archer. “I— thank you— I’ll…um…I’ll see you around?” It’s awkward and it feels as if there’s a hand on her throat, squeezing the breath out of her as she speaks. Her mouth opens one more time, intending to say more, but quickly decides against it, rushing out of the door and closing it behind her.

‘We should do this again sometime,’ is what she wanted to say— but no, she couldn’t. It was selfish of her to want more. It was a one time thing, something he did just to help her— it didn’t mean anything.

Right…nothing at all.

yewfallen​:

    What seemed like nothing at the time dawns to him as more and more significant with each reaction Julia gives, and he knows he’s probably blushing right now too. How was she able to make him react like this to something he had done so nonchalantly?!

He takes a deep exhale, crossing the room until he was right in front of her. Then, he kneeled down, trying to get in Julia’s line of sight.

“ I— Listen. You don’t have to apologize to me for liking something. I was only saying sorry cause I thought I might’ve freaked you out by the way you were actin’… ”

A pause.

“ And… uh… look. If you want to get it over with so you don’t have to flip out about it in the future, I’m fine with being your first kiss. You’re probably gonna get people chasin’ after you, and you shouldn’t be getting all riled up over things like that every time it happens. ”

This way, it could at least be with someone she didn’t hate.

“No-- I just...wasn’t expecting it...” She didn’t think Febail of all people would kiss her, admittedly. Though unexpected as it was, it made her happy. Happier than the idea of kissing the other men in her life. “I just...want to apologize if...it makes you uncomfortable, is all.” His words don’t completely register at first, slowly nodding before realizing what he was suggesting.

“...Huh!?” Her hands fly to her mouth, hiding her shocked expression. “I...I don’t want to make you do that, Febail! I’d...I’d feel bad...if it wasn’t something you really wanted...”

yewfallen​:

    He had done it without thinking anything odd of it. It had been the most natural seeming thing in the world to him, so much so that its peculiarity only hits him when Julia asks him his motive, clearly having let the topic eat away at her as she recounts it.

Oh. Oh gods.

Fumbling to think of a rational answer, he realizes there really isn’t any, but he can’t get away with just saying nothing, can he? She sits there on his bed, looking across the room at him expectantly, and after a few moments of agonizing silence, Febail at last answers,  “ …I don’t know. I just felt like doing it at the time. ”  

Should he be apologizing? Or would that make her feel worse? In the end, he decides,  “ Look. Sorry if you didn’t like it. ”

It...is far from a satisfying answer, but it was an answer at least. “N-no! No, that’s not it! I...I liked it...” As embarrassing as it was to admit, Julia really did enjoy it. Even if it was just a kiss on the forehead...it made her heart race.

yewfallen​:

    “ Oh… right. ”  Between work, classes, and reuniting with his mother, there had been little time to really dwell on the events surrounding the Void Heart. It had been so much, but it had been over with, and the reprecussions had been taken care of if the sight of the deceased now walking amongst them one more was anything to gauge. He had stored all that away, focusing on the mountain of overwhelming topics in the here and now that it takes Julia’s questioning to remind him.

And now that she had, embarrassment floods him too.

“ Even if I had been, it’s all in the past now, yeah? ”  he says, trying to evade the truth. It’s still not one of his proudest moments, being inebriated whilst on the job, and though he knows Julia only worries for him sincerely, he’s in no mood to confess his shortcomings to her.  “ Look at me now. I’m right as rain. There’s nothing to worry about. ”

She feels bad after the words leave her mouth, wondering if perhaps it would’ve been better to just not bring it up at all. It was slowly driving her mad, but was that a worthy enough reason to force him to remember it all?

“I...I suppose so-- and I’m happy to see that you’re well! I am...” It felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest at this rate. She was slowly losing the nerve to ask the question she had on her mind-- the entire purpose of this conversation.

elegiac-boar​:

Dimitri was no stranger to superstition. The word alone was like walking on eggs in Faerghus- as deeply religious as it was, if used wrongly it could easily cost one their head. The Western Church was surviving proof of it- eagerly trying to rupture from the Central Church, claiming that it was a disgustingly heretical cult and that the Archbishop was an apostate who bit more than she could chew. It was troublesome, and Dimitri has still fresh memories of rows of sympathizers of the Western Church lining up to receive divine punishment in the form of a blade.

Some called the Goddess the ‘Mother’. The thought of a mother so eagerly killing her children the moment they turned their backs against her made his blood run cold. No, this was getting all wrong.

He wasn’t too sure of who to run to. The Goddess no longer heard his pleas, and those who claimed to act on her behalf just made her look like a twisted, cold deity.

If his thoughts were to be voiced out, Dimitri would’ve been killed long ago. For sure. For the Crown Prince to have such beliefs and doubts about the Goddess? A scandal.

A gentle voice snapped him out of his grim thoughts- surprisingly, one that called out his name, rather than his title. It warmed his heart slightly. “Oh…Julia. It is lovely to see you.” Memories flash before his eyes- Julia wounded, trying to heal those around her as the titanus crushed more of their teammates. The choking silence that followed their enemies’ defeat. “…I say the same.” I am glad that you lived. “Although it has been…difficult, admittedly.” I still see them when I close my eyes.

He shook his head slightly. “Ah yes, the trees are truly beautiful…I needed to clear my head just a bit, so I figured appreciating nature’s craft would be of help. What about you?”

Blue eyes caught on a small detail- in some of the trees, amidst the pink leaves and petals, were tied pink ribbons. A seasonal tradition, perhaps?

@lafilledenaga​​

While it was under very different circumstances, Julia truly did understand how Dimitri felt. The loss of a loved one happening in front of your face, being unable to stop it...she knew that feeling all too well. The sight of her mother dying to protect her still haunted her, even more so now that she was here, and watching her newfound friends fall was no different.

Just as her mother did, they walked among the living yet again.

“...I understand-- I would like to think so, anyway...” Her smile is a sad one, eyes cast off to the side. “I...haven’t been able to relax since, so I thought I would take some time to myself.” Deep down she knew that being alone would be even worse for her mind, but it felt so hard to approach others. She didn’t want to make them remember.

Before Julia is able to comment on the ribbons further, a young woman walks up to the duo-- where had she come from?-- ribbons in hand. “Hello, you two! Would you like to make a wish?” She gestures to the tree, smiling proudly. “Those who tie their ribbons to the tree have their wishes come true-- fate, fortune...perhaps love, for the lovely couple?” Julia’s cheeks heat up at the comment, staring in silence as both Dimitri and herself are given ribbons of their own.

crestbound​:

…Yeah; no matter how he looks at it, it’s a fishing vessel. It’s a nice one, sure, but still: fishing vessel. It’s never going to be his first choice for a beautiful, ocean-cruising date. 

Still, they’re not left with much choice. The actual boat he’d anticipated—or remembered, really—being here is gone, supposedly because the captain had fallen ill and allowed his nephew to use it for whatever purposes he wished. He and Julia had already arrived by the time the announcement letter arrived at the Academy.

“It’s going to be a little fishy,” Sylvain laughs, “but yeah; I guess we don’t really have any other choice. I meant it when I said I wanted to show you the ocean, and the view out there’s different than from the shore.”

He steps onto the boat first. In truth, Sylvain’s never really liked the way it rocks; he likes it better when the ground is steadier beneath his feet. But a promise is a promise, and it isn’t as if they’re going to be out there for any longer than two or three hours… if the fishermen are to be believed.

“C’mon,” he urges, and holds out a hand to help her on. “You can hold onto me if it helps you feel steadier on your feet.”

To Julia this was all a new experience, regardless of whether it was a sailing or fishing vessel. She wasn’t exactly excited to be surrounded by dead fish (how sad...), but it would still be a fun trip! They would just have to make the most of it. 

“It’s alright...I’m just happy to be with you, Sylvain.” She meant it completely platonically-- it didn’t hurt to lean into the whole ‘date’ thing, though. This was a chance to let loose, something she’s never had the chance of doing before. She didn’t have to be the bearer of the brand of Naga all the time-- she could just be Julia for now. 

The boat rocks as he boards, and Julia can’t help but feel a little nervous. The vessel to Fódlan was much larger, meaning it was much sturdier in comparison to the fishing boat. “Oh-- I’d...yes, please. I’m a bit nervous...”