WOLF BROTHER.

...and instead, today, Joachim's memories of them shall be tarnished with the anxiety of thinking of them as more so a cold, locked interrogation room. When he'd been called away from his class, there had been whispers left in his wake. The hours he spent there, gone to the world, only left him unaware how much word had traveled from the more gossipy knights and faculty members who'd been assigned to the mission that'd started this all.

“They say a wolf boy's been caught lying about the Baile orders.”

“You think he did it to keep the meat to himself?”

“Well, they say wolves can eat more, but y'know what they are. Hunters. Wouldn't be surprised if that's why he signed up.”

“If only he shared with us! Maybe his secret would've been kept, eh?”

“Tell me about it. This spring's gonna be rough...”

The wolf returns to the outdoor sections of the monastery at last, weary and with a messy look to him, his uniform shirt damp from spending the last while sweating from anxiety. But there's no rest for the wicked, and heedless of the stares he gets from any knights, he's pulling himself back to his dorm room, emerging from it in short order with a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a lantern. He's already setting foot out of the monastery again, the time being midday, but he doesn't get very far when he hears and senses someone approaching.

“...Oh, you were on the mission for the Baile hunting party, weren't you?” A beat passes after he's stopped, thinking it over more. “Er, sorry if you weren't. My mind's a bit jumbled right now.”

More like exhausted, but he tries to not let it show too much.

What a… unique appearance, this one has. As do many of the students lately, now that she thinks about it. Perhaps it is some sort of new fashion trend…? Or…??

…No. No, it would be rude to ask. Curious though she may be, self-expression through fashion no matter how odd is a very personal thing. Far be it from her to make a student feel bad about themselves simply because she doesn’t understand their choice in headgear.

Or how said headgear is…. Moving….???? Hm. Must be enchanted, for some reason. Another oddity.

“Oh my, well you have quite the colorful collection in your possession, don’t you? A veritable rainbow of flowers. You must be quite cherished.” Sothis offers a smile as she leans over the other’s shoulder, hopefully lessening any potential discomfort that follows as she reaches an arm into his space to run a hand across the petals.

“Hmm… but wouldn’t they look far more striking if you were to position them like this?” Grabbing the stem of a flower in the bouquets center, she positions it instead to the edge of the gathering — then the one once in its place, she shifts again to another side, brows furrowed in concentration the further along the chain she gets. “Perhaps if we move this one here… these two up here… and…”

Finally leaning back, Sothis pulls an orchid from her own bouquet, securing it firmly in the final remaining space between flowers needed to make it symmetrical. Or, as close to symmetrical as one can get with flowers, anyway. Loose and crumbling in nature as they are (especially cut as they are), it would be unreasonable to expect it to last more than the few moments of stillness the conversation gives them. But for now, it is nice. And that is what matters.

Was she... a dragon? Another retainer to Naga? She certainly flies now, though her wings can't quite be seen by him if she does (neither could her horns for that matter, when Yuni's own were quite big!)... were they still too small to be seen?

Could... this be a younger dragon then?

He stares in silence, eagerly watching as she rearranges his bouquet as she sees fit. Her animated commentary, facial expression so vividly honest as she does so, before she finishes it with her own touch and seemingly brimming with pride all make an absolutely adorable picture.

(Far from the intimidating one fellow dragon Yuni did upon first meeting!)

At last, Joachim breaks out into a smile as he responds, “Yes, it is. Thanks for caring for it like you did. Your orchid really pulls it all together. It wouldn't have been complete without it.”

He truthfully doesn't think himself that grand a florist, so his eye might not be discerning, but he does speak some measure of sincere in his reply. It is in looking at that final orchid added that his heart feels warm, but whether that's partly the balance or it's all this stranger's efforts being endearing is another thing.

“Oh, Tournu, rather north, isn’t it? Even luckier then, are we, to meet when we were once so far from each other.”

The clumsy curtsy was met with only a brightened smile. Clumsy, sure, but kind nonetheless. Here, in the Academy, he did not have such an obligation to her. Yet still he tried to do as she might have expected. 

“As am I! So there is no need to worry about formalities, Joachim. I promise.”

She was near certain that was why he straightened up so suddenly. Still, a part of her was not so naive. His lupine ears were easy to see and his familiarity with Holtz only further meant he knew of the Shadow Fenris well. However! They were still students and if he did not show any will to harm, why should she?

In a way, it reminds him of Micaela when she was the first warm — truly warm — hand to guide him. Another thought enters his mind, of storybooks that tell tales of heroes and kings and princesses. In those, he never gave much thought to the princesses, rarely focused on like the heroes.

But from what he can remember, they were as gracious and pleasant as this. He'd thought it nothing more than fiction but... meeting a princess now... could there really be one like the figures depicted in pages? Could they too be flesh, feather, fur, etcetera? Not just ink and parchment?

At her direction, he tries to slump a bit, but he's not entirely able to fully relax, too bewildered to. To her question, he shakes his head.

“Oh, no, they put me in the Blue Lions. When I'm not studying in class, I go out to study under a man who lives and works in the town, so that might be why we've never run into each other before,” he explains. “But if you want to meet more of us from home... I came across another bird man with the knights. And I'm with a retainer to Naga. She's here tonight too.”

“Long time no see, Jakob,” Joachim greets the man, all smiles. “Have you tried this before? I've never smelt any drink like it, but I was told it's good with sweets.”

"Why, if it isn't Joachim."

Ever the bright-eyed chap, this one. One might call it a welcome change to see the boy unscathed and intact rather than a defeated mess of himself across the field of the Eagle and the Lion. Jakob, all to blame for that once and former state, would certainly call it so. The butler turns on his heel to receive him, offering a prim smile of his own. Despite what is to come, that is.

"—I haven't," he responds quickly, plainly, bluntly, and then some, "to be completely and utterly frank with you, I am the kind of person who has difficulty enjoying food and drink that is not mine."

Arrogance? No, pride. Sipping of liquid ambrosia with each and every cup brewed by his own hand, Jakob would cite it as insanity to imbibe anything lesser. And all things, comparative to what he has made, is lesser. So; without indulging himself, without a single unneeded try, he ignores the mocha and instead retrieves a flower from his bouquet to place in the young wolf's breast pocket. A mute hue of lavender-purple and nigh evocative of Jakob himself.

Now, what is the meaning of this gesture?

The answer: nothing less than a call card.

"Well, that's enough chitchat. Unfortunately, I have places to be." Corrins to serve! Ever the busy man Jakob is. "Enjoy as many cups as you please, Joachim, and if you should tire of mediocrity, do come to me for a proper one."

“It must make getting sick even more difficult for you... Your days are probably really long, taking everything on yourself.”

—from the perspective of someone looking after another. A child in the orphanage who wouldn't rely on Joachim to cook for them would be one caught in the lurch if the worst were to happen to them, and Joachim's own days when he both looked after his fields of crops and then still pushed himself to cook and clean that same afternoon were grueling. It's back-breaking work, day-in and day-out.

Perhaps Jakob's sharp tongue comes from that.

Joachim's theories are merely that: theories, mumbled under his breath as he learns how to piece the puzzle, part by part, working from the outside inwards. Indeed, to this point, Jakob's farewell seems to only support his thought: the butler was a busy man. The wolf looks at the lightly colored hyacinth he receives, feels it as keenly as the warmth as what the cup of coffee in his hand serves.

“Alright! I'd love to try something you make one day, Jakob,” he agrees with a nod, “But before you go, have one of my flowers too.”

With his free hand, he pulls one of his own hyacinths, matching the color of the sky, and sneaks it into Jakob's bouquet.

"That entire night was quite bizarre, to tell you the truth. It was at the beach instead of the academy, there had been a rough thunderstorm so we all crowded inside a posh noble's house, hence the hot springs, I had went ghost hunting inside some caves..." When she recalls it like that, it sounds quite a lot more awesome than what it actually ended up being.

"Ah, but I digress. I hope all these new experiences are not too much! I know first hand just how overwhelming all of this can be." She thinks to the first few proper parties she had participated in after becoming Timerra's retainer, and just how stressful they were.

That being said...

“By comparison, I feel kind of silly getting overwhelmed by tonight.” It's a lighthearted self-derision, not truly holding any inner storm behind it. It's not worth such heartache. “But I'll take your advice. I'll try to keep in mind to take a step back if it ever gets too much.”

He keeps in mind the paths to the outdoors as his potential escape routes. It's chilly tonight, owed to the start of the winter season in this continent, so it was likely to be more sparse compared to any indoor areas. But Joachim didn't mind the cold.

For him, it made him feel a bit closer to home.

“But you do so too then, alright? If you ever get bothered by someone and think of punching them out again,” —at least, that's what it sounded like she'd been tempted to do?— “Then take a deep breath and step outside. If I'm out there, I'll keep you company and distract you from that feeling.”

For the sake of lightening her night and to avoid disrupting the peace, he makes that promise. He may not go to balls, but he understands that parties are generally to make merry, and if it's for something like that...

...well, he wants everyone to be merry too.

If only…if only. But in her eyes all she saw was a pretty beetle flailing its little arms around after getting turned on its back. It wasn’t out of feeling superior, not at all- but the sight was just funny. Struggle and a little bit of harmless panic after being caught off guard by something, even if no trick was involved, was just too funny.

Her tail swished, the motion slow almost like a fluid and never once touching the floor. “Hehe, is that so? I don’t mind lending an ear to your troubles. I fancy myself a good listener.” Weight was shifted from one hip to the other, the movement causing red gems from her staff to sway slightly. “I would be…pretty upset if all of that happened to me. I don’t like dirt getting on my fur, no…not at all.” Her already breathy, quiet tone became lower at the tail end of her sentence, almost as if indicating a pout.

One ear perked up, and she chuckled. What a kind guy, that wolf. “Hmm…if it doesn’t terribly bother you, a glass of water would be nice…quite nice, yes.” 

Maybe she could try something.

'I don't like dirt getting on my fur, no... not at all,' she says. It's a simple line, but it produces a smile out of him briefly.

“Haha... well, I see the dark might make people spill things onto your tail,” he chuckles, breathy and quiet as he imagines it as part of the reason she scurried her way into this room. It's nice. He took these conversations for granted, knew some of the children back home to be fussy when they spoke things like this and saw it merely as something to help them grow out of if pit against messy peers in the orphanage but...

...here in Fódlan, where tails and fur aren't even a guarantee with most, the ability to talk so naturally about such topics pulls a burden from Joachim's shoulders. Without realizing, he'd spoken less about such things here; even if he might have gained the freedom to not have to be so vocally avoidant of talking about his lupine ears, he'd lost the ability to talk about these parts of him altogether that once were shared.

The sensation of minding one's tail. The cut of clothes accounting for them. To say, 'my fur' at all, indeed...

He doesn't see the other's pout, but he imagines it, and his heart is lighter for it— lighter for this reobtained normalcy indeed. There'd been a winged man he could talk a little with, but winged humans weren't exactly the same.

This was though.

“A glass of water? Got it. I'll be right back! Before I go, you can help yourself to one of my hyacinths,” he tells her, making sure to leave one of his blossoms with her. Afterwards, he rushes out of the room, and when he comes back in short order later, it's with two glasses of water in his hands.

"Thank-you," she hummed, looking at him. "And I agree, it helps the tea smell... sweeter. I didn't really notice before, but now that you mentioned it..."

Her life had been too focused on fight to explore the niceties of peace. As Queen she was too focused on trying to learn things she abandoned, too focused to notice something so small like how a flower smelled. This place... this ball, matched with a conversation partner who seemed easier to talk to than others...

It allowed Hinoka to relax.

He doesn't recognize that having this kind of thing might potentially be embarrassing for someone else, nor does he realize the transgression of pointing out a flaw in a royal in particular. Even if he had known her status as a queen, that still wouldn't have registered to him.

The distance between a commoner and a monarch is as wide as an ocean, but in this moment, sitting at a table and sharing flowers over tea, it felt close enough.

They weren’t from her homeland either, though. Like any fox she was curious- cautious, but never distancing herself from opportunities. The more she had to work and play with, the better. 

And that’s when canine features caught her eye in the crowd. That boy could very well be from somewhere else, too. Probably he didn’t know about the goddesses of Light and Shadow- she did meet a fox that wasn’t one of Kyubi’s after all, and she had never been too acquainted with the disciples of the other goddesses either. There was no need to, at least until her own goddess decided otherwise.

But that soft face of his was already an indication that he’d be fun to poke around.

“I’ve always been here. It’s noisy outside, I don’t like it.” She lied effortlessly, a single hand gently fixing the kanzashi on her hair- unmoving from where she stood near a handful of candles, of which only a few were lit up through magic, casting the empty room in an uneven flickering glow leaving corners pitch dark. “It’s rude to undress in front of someone you don’t know, though.” She gave him a pointed look.

A quiet chuckle. “Hehe. Rough night?”

The Ethereal Ball, more than any other day he's spent on this continent so far, proves to be the one to make him feel the most a stranger he's ever felt before.

But his awkwardness doesn't compel him to action soon enough; she has to give him a pointed look and a teasing question before he remembers himself again.

“Aaagh! S-sorry.” He abandons his plan to air our his shirt and rushes to fix himself, slipping his arms back fully through the sleeves and rebuttoning the front. “There.”

A sigh of relief escapes him after he gives himself one more quick look to make sure he's properly dressed again before he raises his head back up, trying to make out the visage of the fox he's sharing the room with at present. Foreign in her attire, for sure, but with more familiar seeming features than most in this monastery. The fact he can tell she's a fox at all...

“To answer you... a bit. But I don't mean to make anyone get caught up in my messes,” he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “If you're trying to avoid the noise, I can peek outside for you? Though it's gotten a lot messier after the lights were dimmed.”

An idea strikes him then.

Win or loss, she's a child at heart. No fancy steps or clothes he's never seen on her before could quite change that, could it?

Such ruminations opens his heart to speak a bit more at ease even as the proverbial elephant in the room remains with them.

“I feel the same,” he tells her, the polite smile he'd been wearing falling. “I couldn't have imagined either of us anywhere but at the orphanage with Teacher our whole lives. So this has all felt strange to me too.”

Joachim tugs on the loose knot of his tie, tied for him by someone else earlier tonight. He stares at it, knowing if he were to fully undo it, he's unlikely to be able to redo it. So his hands let go before he can unravel it, looking instead back to the rabbit.

“...Estel, do you want to have a race?” He gauges her reaction as he continues on, “It'll be like old times. We can get away from this ballroom and find somewhere with a lot of open space. We'll be under real stars, not just the ones we used to put up.”

Their shared wish remained just that, a wish. A fanciful dream. Even so, she hadn’t regretted it. Perhaps in the same way these characters hadn’t regretted their romance even if it led them to their demise. Destinies intertwined… ah, her handkerchief was needed once more. She glanced over at her new companion only seconds after he had done the same.

Putting her handkerchief away, she smiled at him. A flower, hm? Ah, he was kind and kindness should always be rewarded! Without hesitation, she offered one of her tulips in turn. “Thank you, for the flowers and for wishing with me. These performances are always so enjoyable with company.” 

Still, she tilted her head slightly. Of course, there was choice in the matter as there was in everything but… to be thanked for something that felt as natural as smiling… Odd. Enough so that it took a few seconds for her to reply in kind. “Oh, of course, my wings make the task too easy not to do.”

Fortunately, she found her footing soon enough once more. Or perhaps she should say she found her balance? Curtseying, she introduced herself.

But any fanciful thoughts he has on the topic die in his head, completely buried by Rose's introduction and the way it makes his eyes practically bulge from his skull.

Suddenly, the handkerchief in his hand seems all the more delicate.

“A princess... Holtz is a kingdom to the south, isn't it?” Realizing he's mumbling to himself, speaking without proper context, he flusters to rush to remedy this. “I'm Joachim. I used to live in a village in the mountains of Tournu.”

He awkwardly tries to curtsy in return, not sure what else to do but belatedly mirror her action. How does one interact with a princess? He can't say he'd ever expected to have to.

“But... well, I'm a student here for now.”

Another thought enters his head: if she's from Holtz, then there's no way she doesn't know about the Demon Wolf Fenris. A pinprick of tension enters his spine, straightening it as he finds himself reflecting on all that she's done for him this meeting.

She did all that... and treats him to such warmth of saying this is a pleasure to meet him... despite his lupine features?

At the mention of pestering, she hums, glancing around. "Oh, yes. I have heard of these... 'talent scouts'? I suppose it is natural none have approached me—I cannot possibly see what I could offer in the way of entertainment."

He idly wonders if all holy knights might be quite like her or if it's just a her thing.

“Lady Yuni's doing that? R-really?” Joachim voices his slight surprise. Not that she wasn't allowed to but... Well, despite his disbelief, he still goes ahead and says, “I'll have to find her and give her one of my flowers too.”

A pause as he stares at Erma, clearly contemplative.

He turns back to the young man. "You did well in standing your ground there, though. Honestly, I'd rather not have to intimidate people into listening."

A hyacinth is held out then, differently colored from Diamant's, and the Brodian finds himself recalling Ivy's words from earlier in the night. Yellow. No, gold—for jealousy... resentment...

"...you’d best be wary if you ever receive a hyacinth of the golden variety."

He chuckles, almost sheepishly, as his spine is struck with a slight chill. Surely this was just coincidence...

Well, that he finds easier to accept, enough that it manifests into a nod of understanding from Joachim's end.

“If I could help you...” Joachim mumbles that wish but it fades to nothing more. What could Joachim do for him?

The exchange of flowers feels as if it's the full extent of how far he can reach in his current state, humble as it is. He is the sprouts gently swaying, not the sickle that cuts them. But even a sprout can grow into something that stands taller and gives more, can't it?

One day...

Taking Diamant's hyacinth, Joachim adds it to his bouquet. “You too, Diamant. Thank you again!”

When the winter ends and spring comes, perhaps they'll both have grown into something different.

Panette is very close to breaking that promise.

The moment this obnoxious gnat of a person (with apologies to gnats) had approached her, trying to neg her about her makeup. How very well dare! Her makeup is immaculate and intricate; this asshole wouldn’t know proper elegance if it hit them in the face! Which is very close to happening!

Still, no, deep, subtle breaths. She needs to remain polite, and calm, and pleasant, and not make a scene. Even if it means enduring this torture for heavens knows how long.

Or, at least, she thought she’d be trapped in this neverending conversation, until they suddenly decide to leave, spurred on by words from a familiar sounding person.

Letting out one last bout of niceties (she shall certainly think of them; next time she is at the training grounds), she turns towards Joachim, weakly giving him a thumbs up as her pleasant facade crumbles, making way for exhaustion and annoyance.

“You have my sincerest gratitude for trying to deal with them. I do not know in what world is criticizing the make-up I currently have on a sound business strategy. Eventually they shall find someone less composed than me, and they will find themselves receiving a knuckle sandwich for their troubles.” She lets out an annoyed grunt, as she rips their card in twain.

“No more on them, though, I care not to have them occupy my thoughts for longer. It has been quite some time! I have been doing quite well, thank you.” She gives him a relaxed smile, happy to simply be having a normal conversation.

Taking the hyacinth, she happily puts it in her bouquet and takes out an orchid in exchange; the least she can offer as gratitude.

“It has been quite a pleasant ball, I must say. Last time I had just barely arrived in Fódlan, so I was absolutely petrified; this year has been far more enjoyable. Better refreshments too.” She chuckles.

“Though I must say, I miss the man-made hot springs that were available last time, they were quite relaxing.” Not much of anywhere to hide in the academy; last year she would have simply retreated to the caves had she been faced with these awful talent scouts.

But at the same time, as intimidating as it all is, it's been nice to be included. The orchid he's been given, indeed all the flowers he's been given in this bouquet of his, are a kindness that his child self wouldn't have been able to fathom.

When he thinks of it like that, it's all too easy to let his smile grow ever so slightly past the confines of politeness to something more genuine.

“Though you've piqued my curiosity. Man-made hot springs...?” he repeats after her. “I'd heard about hot springs in some villages, but how does man make those? Wait, aren't you supposed to bathe in hot springs?”