LUMINOUS RIDER

"I don't mind working with the knights but I could never join them officially." As a mercenary under her own employ, Altena is able to choose jobs that mean something to her. As naive as it might sound, she enjoys being able to follow her heart. And besides, it's what she's always grown up around.

"Grab their attention and attack from above. I can dismount and take care of any archers that attempt to shoot you down." Hardly an easy task on both parts, but he believes in her strength if nothing else. Mercenaries aren't the sort to be played with.

"I'm counting on you then, Darios. Don't let them hit me."

She approaches the bandit camp, taking advantage of the placement of the sun in the sky. Her wyvern flies higher and casts a shadow over the encampment before letting out a ferocious screech. The men below scatter to gather their weapons and, sure enough, there are several she sees that clamber towards makeshift lookout towers, bows in hand. Best to deal with them quickly.

Altena offers a huff of a laugh and shakes her head. "You're so much better at this than I am..." Whether she means dancing or socializing in general, Altena isn't sure but she's glad Minerva was willing to put herself out there.

Maybe she should try being a little bolder.

“I’d love that!” she said as she gently accompanied her at the seats, choosing a position where they could enjoy those projection screens with ease; as far as she understood, they were panels where images were shown, magically or not, that was her doubt, but it didn’t mind, as long as she was with Altena. The very first panels showed a landscape, a mountain landscape that vaguely reminded her of her homeland. It felt quite nostalgic, especially since it has been a while since she’s been there last time.

"They remind me of Macedon..." she simply said as she turned to stare at the brunette, admiring the fine silhouette of her face, rosy lips protruded from the face delicately, like two rosebuds. She found herself staring at them with a soft smile, but she immediately turned her gaze at hers, hoping that her companion didn’t feel too embarrassed for that.

"I'd love to show you the mountains of Thracia someday, too." It hasn't been very long at all since she last went home to visit. The monastery sponsored expedition to Jugdral gave her the opportunity to ease some of her homesickness. It still had not been easy to return home, though. "Perhaps someday when things grow a little more peaceful."

The two women chat about their homelands and Altena forgets to consider that they aren't the only people in this theater. "SHHHHHH!" a rather irritated voice shushes her from the row behind them and she sinks a little into her seat.

She doesn't.

She notices the way he focuses on his breaths. He's trying. She thinks. He doesn't explicitly blame her for what happened either. Not that he needed to. She was able to place that burden on her shoulders without anyone else's influence.

"It was a knight from Leonster who made sure it was possible that we apprehend them. Without his help, I'm not sure we could have done it. Even after I was forced to retreat, he and Maria still respected my wishes to take as many alive as we could."

Altena turns from the window to face her father. "They're being held here in the dungeons. I was able to talk to one of them earlier. He was just a kid, father. Younger than I was when you first let me enter a real battle and still ready to kill me." She offers a weak smile. "He didn't. But he was the reason I had to retreat. I'd like to think we might have gotten through to him even if only a little. We were able to bring in their commander too. I don't know how much he'd listen to me but with you there, too..."

"A kid entering the ranks? Hmph..." Did they really think they would be able to make a difference with their numbers? It is hard for him to be biased against his own men even when he's of the opposing side, but the lack of proper tactics worries him. Some people are difficult to change...

But maybe it's because he wants them to have a better future for themselves, that he feels the need to try at the very least. He cannot let his death go in vain.

"That won't be an issue. Worst case scenario, I snatch one of the cloths off a cot and hide myself that way."

It feels strange walking in this castle again, stripped of any royal authority – or any authority, actually. To every Leonster and Thracian soldier, he's just an ordinary man with no stakes. Even stranger to be walking besides Altena, who has all the power to not let Travant get as involved in this as he is now.

"Do you remember the first time you trusted me with my own battalion? Coulter treated my orders as if they were a joke."

She stops walking and the corridor grows silent. She turns to face him, lifting her chin and forcing her eyes to meet his. "Arion, my own brother, was not convinced by my words. If there was anyone that might listen to me and understand what I was trying to do, what I'm still trying to do...I would have hoped it would have been him. He did eventually pledge his land to my cause but it took far too long." She can't forget the sleepless nights. The fear that threatened to take over all of her thoughts. The way she had to harden her heart and her resolve as she knew that one of them would likely fall to the other's lance.

"I think they had molds for making different shapes of chocolate at the front of the room. I wonder if they'd have a wyvern..." She's seen cute shapes of chocolate before. There's no way she's the only person who thinks wyverns are absolutely adorable. But would Leif like that? Would wyvern shaped chocolates just be projecting her own interests on him? And her father...would he think it was too childish? Altena frowns. "They probably would only have the Fódlan breeds anyway..."

Altena listens as Maria talks fondly of her older sister and their clearly close relationship. She wonders if she could be the kind of big sister who talks to her little sibling about her friendships someday. She can't claim to have many of them and she doesn't know if Leif would care at all about something so mundane as that. But she does think she'd like it if she knew that Leif spoke fondly of her.

“Then we just have to make it ourselves! Hee hee… right?” The staple of many creative endeavors is a good set of letters, and the little princess looks quite pleased with herself when she holds up a mold of the letters ‘S’ and ‘V’ in a script halfway between elegant and practical. “We’ll have to be really careful with it, but if we can pour the chocolates in here and cut them just right, I think we could make them into the neck, tail, and arms! Oh, and maybe even their wings!”

Her excitement grows as she holds up the letter ‘A’, eyes sparkling with inspiration.

“And look at this one! If we fill in the holes after, don’t you think we can make this look like a head? Hee hee… one of the feet of the ‘A’ could even be its horns! What do you think?

“It’ll be a lot more fragile,” she continues, expanding her quest for molds in search of one that might make a good body, “But I’m sure they’ll like it! I mean, when you put so much work into making something just for them… isn’t that another way of saying ‘I love you’?”

Pausing to turn toward Altena again, she holds up an index finger triumphantly, mischief set in a grinning flash of teeth.

“And I’m really curious now! A fire spell would be too hot, but what if we use faith instead? Melt the edges just a little bit and stick them together, and…!”

Oh, that’s the shock of someone who definitely knows who Minerva is. Mischief morphs at once into a glimmer of whole-hearted excitement, and, molds still in hand, Maria nods fervently.

Still, it sounds far easier than saying something as momentous as I love you. She doesn't know if she's ever even spoken those words to Leif. Thankfully Maria's excitement lets her flit easily from topic to topic and Altena doesn't have to dwell too long on things that are far less comfortable for her than for the other girl.

"We?" Altena forces a laugh. "If you want to try magic, you're on your own. I have no talent for it at all." She can't imagine their chocolates turning out so well if they go off in their own direction like this, ignoring the written instructions to come up with a unique design. If Maria was not here Altena certainly wouldn't have even had the thought to get a little creative with it. But, somehow, she doesn't entirely mind.

And Altena is blown away that Maria happens to be Minerva's sister. Sure, they both have red hair and they both enjoy wyverns. But the two sisters are so different from each other. Just thinking about Minerva eases the hardened features of Altena's face into something just a little softer.

"She does have pretty eyes..." Did she really just say that? She's gotta recover quickly. "Pretty sharp! I mean I should get us more chocolate!" Quickly, she rises to go track down more chocolate to melt that they really didn't need but it give her a moment or two to let the flush begin to fade from her cheeks before she sits back down with Maria.

She barely has a moment to consider reacting to Leif's admission about his own experience with the Finn Mints when he abruptly turns the spotlight right back onto her. A brutal tactic that heats color into her cheeks.

"NO!" She answers too loud and too quickly. "It was just one dance. That's it."

Their uncle had called her out on it, too. Had that been before or after Finn approached her. Had she even danced with Minerva at that point? The events of the evening blur in her memory as she tries to piece everything together to figure out Finn's motivations. Had he seen it? Had Sigurd told him about it? Both options are equally horrifying.

(Better not to embarrass her if she's this insistent now.)

So he lets her be, letting her control the pace of the conversation as she pleases, silent until she poses her own question. It's not an unreasonable line of inquiry; a man as serious and unfun as Finn hardly seemed the type to play matchmaker. Selphina would complain to anybody who would listen (and those who won't) about how indelicate Finn was when it comes to matters of the heart after all.

But that's not to say Leif thinks there's NO fathomable reason Finn would put himself in that position...

"I don't want you to feel pressure to choose one of my children as your heir over your own someday. I don't want that to cause a rift between our children. We might not have grown up together but...maybe they could." There is a pause and a shrug of her shoulders before she adds, "if either of us even have any, right?"

She takes a deep breath and lets it out through her nose before leaning in a little closer. This is Leif. She can trust him, right? He's always been the most honest and upfront with her out of anyone she's ever known. And this isn't the first time they've had a conversation about their love lives. "If what you're saying is correct, Finn would prefer to give me a mint if he saw me dancing with a man, right? If he saw me dancing with a woman, he probably wouldn't?"

She really, really hopes Finn didn't witness the moment she shared with Minerva. It had been embarrassing enough when Sigurd made it into a whole big deal. Something about Finn knowing feels even worse.

"You did this!" a young woman that Altena recognizes as a student from the Academy waves an accusing finger at her. "My whole pack is ruined! Ruined!" The pack is tossed at Altena's feet and it is very clearly as ruined as she claims.

Altena has no idea, however what could have possibly happened to it. She's never spoken to this woman. She is pretty certain she flies a pegasus but she isn't even sure which house she's part of. Why she so aggressively thinks the Thracian is the one to have messed with her things is completely beyond Altena.

"What are you talking about?" Altena's scowl deepens. She doesn't like being accused like this. Going behind someone's back is dishonest and cowardly. She's better than that.

"Don't play innocent!" the other woman hisses. "You wyvern riders are all the same!"

The pegasus knight doesn't seem entirely convinced. She narrows her eyes at him. For a split second, Seliph worries that his interjection will only escalate the situation. "Well, clearly someone did." She huffs and storms off without an apology.

"Are you all right?" Seliph turns towards his cousin. If the circumstances were different, he would have offered a different greeting. "She shouldn't have accused you like—"

"Hey, who took my rations?!"

A loud bellow not only interrupts him but also turns many heads. This time, it's a young man from the cavalry unit.

"It was obviously one of those wyvern riders," a pegasus knight — a different one, as her hair is styled into a high ponytail — grumbles. She levies a pointed look at the wyvern rider unit. "They are assholes."

"You keep pointing your finger at us," one of the wyvern riders in question steps forward with a scowl. "Isn't that what the guilty would say?"

From there, the conversation devolves into bickering, and Seliph may only watch it happen in abject disbelief. There is no sense of camaraderie between cavaliers, pegasus knights, and wyvern riders as they are too busy suspecting each other.

"I'm fine," she snaps at her cousin before taking a breath and trying again. He does not deserve her anger. "Sorry, I'll be fine." This time her voice is calmer and she allows her shoulders to relax just a little.

She's glad that Seliph is here. He's someone who understands and respects others. And he's someone that others tend to listen to. If they're going to get to the bottom of this like he suggests, she's happy to have someone like him to help her with it. Hopefully those snotty pegasus knights will believe her cousin when they find the truth that it is not the wyvern riders at fault.

It's a simple phrase to say and yet it gives Altena pause. This isn't a life and death situation. Whether or not a pair of colleagues working on a lesson plan together fully trust each other shouldn't need to be the most important thing. But this is Minerva. This is someone who continues to become more and more important to Altena.

"I can trust you," Altena repeats and hopes that it's true not just in this situation but in any. She values trust and she values the truth.

Altena takes the hand Minerva offers. Had it been anyone else, she might have argued she can balance just fine on her own. But, with Minerva, there is an eagerness to not only please her but to hold her hand as well.

“I won’t, I would never” she simply said, but her serious tone was a way for the woman to show the brunette that she could actually trust her for real, even during a simple exercise of balance like that; soon after their hands met, Minerva lifted her gaze upon hers and for few moments, she actually became speechless –perhaps it was the surrealistic moment, perhaps it was the vicinity, perhaps it was the chemistry she felt towards that woman, but Minerva couldn’t help but feel attracted to her, a magnetic connection that locked in her gaze, as she felt a bit of tension rising in her chest.

“This is too easy for you” she chuckled as she observed the perfect stability of the young woman, possibly easing up the tension as she break that magical and intimate moment, “Why don’t we try the same exercise but with your eyes closed?” and she exchanged a soft smile, a reassurance, proving that she didn’t only trust her, but she recognised her abilities too, letting her try a further, more difficult step, but always with her by her side, with her full support and care.

“Testing balance blinded is something that mix together the trust of the person you fight with, your partner and companion, and the unpredictability of fighting contexts, where you can find yourself in a unclear and risky situation” she explained, trying her best to help her out with a possible explanation to give at the students, “Sight is a great weapon and we must learn how to be fully prepared even in the occasion when it’s not available” and she shifted her gaze on her hand, still lingering in hers; then, she shifted back at the her eyes.

She's thinking about Minerva.

"We've known each other for a long time now, haven't we?" She still remembers their first meeting sitting by that fire and commenting on each other's headbands. She had been as intrigued by Minerva back then as she is now.

But she can't ignore Sigurd's ramblings completely. Not when the fondness with which he speaks of his sister mirrors her own feelings of her brother so well. Infuriating. She feels infuriated again when she realizes this similarity between the two of them.

“I admit I have not been the shining pinnacle of elder brother, but when I have been given so much that she lacks, it would be unkind to do anything less but to give her a point to reach forward. We of Baldrs blood are naturally competitive - should I instead have extinguished her fire, and demanded that she find her place beneath me? Unthinkable, frankly.”

And she would not have let him. If he had been even half the rude and boorish brute that she accused him of, then there would have been no such love lost between them that would have the advantage of saying so - she called him brute in exapseration, but not of hatred.

He could not have stood it if his sister had hated him.

Sigurd looked curiously at the girl, thoughtfully and uncommonly quiet for a moment.

If she sparred with Leif now, how would she act? Admittedly, she doesn't know how to answer that question. She knows Leif is strong and capable and can take on anything that comes his way. Baldr's blood is competitive indeed. Thinking about it has her wanting to issue a challenge to her younger brother just to see how it would go.

She doesn't like the quiet that falls over her uncle. It should be a relief for him to finally have shut up but it's unnatural. It should have served as a warning for the question that he was about to pose.

"No." Altena answers far too quickly and far too sharply. She turns looking for anything to focus on other than those blue eyes attempting to peer past the walls she's tried to build up. The pigeons. She tries to focus on the pigeons.

It isn't easy.

She can defend herself. She knows she's far more than capable. She doesn't need anyone to step in, especially not Raven. But she does not want to cause a scene either. She doesn't like the anger that bubbles beneath the surface. She doesn't like the feeling of losing control and exploding.

But this guy just won't shut up. Every word out of his mouth is grating. It seeps under her skin and spreads until she can't take it anymore.

“Gettin’ some real mixed messages here, but maybe I’m just old fashioned.”

Or maybe he was beginning to notice that he was outnumbered, as his flickering gaze certainly seemed to indicate as he glanced over the heads of the rest of the gathered patrons, many of whom had begun to look in their direction. Raven wouldn’t have been terribly concerned if more arrived, from any direction, but he felt the skin on his back prickle with tension at the thought of something long or drawn out.

“But if you want someone to make you yell pretty, then c’mere.”

The man circled around the table, a kiting motion that Raven was well-familiari with - the instinct to put not just distance, but an obstacle between himself and a threat, and to draw his opponent into a position more advantageous for himself.

His boot lifted, kicked the edge of a chair out from beneath the table into the direction of the other man to block off his path, but mostly just resulted in the chair bumping up against him.

It's not enough to bring her to retreat. This man is a nuisance and hardly worth her time but he is also clearly violent. If he isn't bothering her and now Raven, he could be picking a fight with someone else who might not be able to hold their own against him. And if he truly isn't going to back down, she definitely does not want to appear to be a coward.

And against both herself and Raven? This poor bastard doesn't stand a chance.

"This is your last warning," Altena's eyes demand that his meet them. "Stand down now."

She gets to work on her half of the chocolate, keeping her cuts as even as she can. "Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both get to see our brothers again in time to give them this chocolate." It's wishful thinking and thinking she doesn't actually think will happen, at least on her end. But there is something about Maria, too, that inspires a little bit of hope.

"You could come with me, if you wanted, when I give these to Leif. It's only fair that you get to take credit for knowing what he might like." She wonders what it would be like to spend time with Leif if Maria was there, too. If the young girl's sunny warmth might be able to cut through the awkwardness that still lingers between the two siblings.

And she laughs again, well aware that she's babbling, the smile flashed toward Altena packed with a mischief that all but admits it. Wishful thinking it may be, but it puts dreams in her heart and a sparkle in her eyes, and she fails to see anything wrong with that.

"If you need help making anything for your brother, let me know, okay? After all, we're kind of like partners now, aren't we? --partners in having sillyhead brothers!" Whether or not that's the case for Altena's other brother, she isn't sure, but Michalis is at times certainly, incurably silly, and he'll have a hard time convincing her otherwise. Then: "Oh! Are you sure? I like both of you, so of course it sounds fun! But if you're making chocolates for the Day of Devotion, too..." Her smile turns gentler now, half hidden behind the thoughtful reach of her fingertips, the corners of her eyes made soft. "...hee hee. I'd be just as happy to cheer you on instead!"

Sorting through the bowls until she finds the designated 'right one', Maria's expression shifts again. This time her smile is pressed into a wide line, quietly, utterly pleased.

"I think they had molds for making different shapes of chocolate at the front of the room. I wonder if they'd have a wyvern..." She's seen cute shapes of chocolate before. There's no way she's the only person who thinks wyverns are absolutely adorable. But would Leif like that? Would wyvern shaped chocolates just be projecting her own interests on him? And her father...would he think it was too childish? Altena frowns. "They probably would only have the Fódlan breeds anyway..."

Altena listens as Maria talks fondly of her older sister and their clearly close relationship. She wonders if she could be the kind of big sister who talks to her little sibling about her friendships someday. She can't claim to have many of them and she doesn't know if Leif would care at all about something so mundane as that. But she does think she'd like it if she knew that Leif spoke fondly of her.

While they have been growing closer, it still feels like an almost impossible dream that they might form a bond as strong as some of the other sibling sets that they know.

"I'll have to use almonds for his then," she nods, corners of her lips pricking back up the slightest bit. It really is hard to remain dour around Maria, especially when she gives the opportunity to talk about family.

A short series of claps cuts through the air, and the little cleric looks up as her fingers still sift through the goodies. She takes precisely four almonds and only that, leaving the lion's share of them to Altena. There are plenty of other goodies, besides, and she has just placed a spoon next to a small jar of jam when their instructor begins speaking.

"Given your disparate goals," he begins, hands pressed together, "We won't be going through the steps together as a class. Instead, you'll find the instructions at your tables. You may work at your own pace and, if you need any help, do raise a hand and fetch the attention of myself or one of my aides."

"Yes!" Maria answers alongside the rest of the class, reaching for their written instructions and holding it slightly higher for Altena to look as well. "Hmm... Cut the chocolates into small, uniform-size pieces...

"Silly brothers, huh?" But she smiles so gently as she places blocks of chocolate in front of both Altena and herself. "Hee hee... well, I'll still make him some when he comes home, so it's okay." At least she still gets to spend time with Minerva, and for once Minerva gets to just be Minerva. Her world has grown beyond the Whitewings, a traitorous brother, and an imprisoned sister -- now she has Leif, who Maria's lucky enough to know now, and that girl who makes her smile--

She gets to work on her half of the chocolate, keeping her cuts as even as she can. "Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both get to see our brothers again in time to give them this chocolate." It's wishful thinking and thinking she doesn't actually think will happen, at least on her end. But there is something about Maria, too, that inspires a little bit of hope.

"You could come with me, if you wanted, when I give these to Leif. It's only fair that you get to take credit for knowing what he might like." She wonders what it would be like to spend time with Leif if Maria was there, too. If the young girl's sunny warmth might be able to cut through the awkwardness that still lingers between the two siblings.

"You did this!" a young woman that Altena recognizes as a student from the Academy waves an accusing finger at her. "My whole pack is ruined! Ruined!" The pack is tossed at Altena's feet and it is very clearly as ruined as she claims.

Altena has no idea, however what could have possibly happened to it. She's never spoken to this woman. She is pretty certain she flies a pegasus but she isn't even sure which house she's part of. Why she so aggressively thinks the Thracian is the one to have messed with her things is completely beyond Altena.

"What are you talking about?" Altena's scowl deepens. She doesn't like being accused like this. Going behind someone's back is dishonest and cowardly. She's better than that.

"Don't play innocent!" the other woman hisses. "You wyvern riders are all the same!"

She pauses for a moment to consider it. It also seems odd that Leif would ask this. What would Finn need to be suspicious about? But it dawns on her and her eyes widen.

"Wait, you don't think..." Altena leans a little closer so she can keep her voice hushed. "You don't really think he was trying to prank me do you?"

She'll be the first to admit that she doesn't really know Finn all that well outside of being an extension of Quan. Leif would know far better than she ever would if the knight was even capable of something fun like this. It's pretty hard to believe but she supposes it's possible.

Especially not as the daughter who carried Prince Quan's blood most strongly of all the people in the world. Leif imagines it'd be so great a sin on Finn's conscience that he would immediately prostrate himself before her for a flogging.

“But he did seem like he was trying to trap me,” Leif adds, not recognizing the potential overlap between what constitutes as 'trapping' and 'pranking.' “When I took them, he started taking it as a declaration that I was going to get some.”

A pause as he realizes what he just let himself say in front of his sister. Every nerve in his body flares to life, rendering him stiff and awkward.

She barely has a moment to consider reacting to Leif's admission about his own experience with the Finn Mints when he abruptly turns the spotlight right back onto her. A brutal tactic that heats color into her cheeks.

"NO!" She answers too loud and too quickly. "It was just one dance. That's it."

Their uncle had called her out on it, too. Had that been before or after Finn approached her. Had she even danced with Minerva at that point? The events of the evening blur in her memory as she tries to piece everything together to figure out Finn's motivations. Had he seen it? Had Sigurd told him about it? Both options are equally horrifying.

Not that she's complaining or anything...

But she's definitely staring. And oh shit he's noticed. Where is she supposed to put her eyes when his abs are fully out and glorious like that?

"You..."

She's got to say something or else she's going to seem like a total freak.

"You...must train a lot."

Oh! Balthus pulls his punch halfway through a swing, the badly-beaten training dummy in front of him shuddering almost as if it were sentient and had been expecting to be pummeled. All it takes is a hop to adjust his stance, wiping rivulets of sweat off of her cheek with a quick rub of his sleeve-- and the girl that had approached him? Damn, she's cute. Looks like she can hold her own in a fight, too; but he thinks he'd rather hold her. (Hah. Smooth. Yeah, baby!) It's a rare moment of victory that he's approached first, and following her sight... At least SOMEONE at the Monastery has good taste. Casually lifting up one side of his coat, he winks before flexing enough to show off the dip of his abs and the slant of his hip-- maybe talking to someone down in Abyss would make it to where he can make this coat sleeveless or something, too. She's missing out on the guns! The pythons! How he's jacked! "Hah, you've got a good eye, lady!" Balthus runs his hands through his hair before shaking his head, damp locks making him look like nothing short of a model seductively coming out of a swimming pool. (Or so he thinks it does.) "It takes a lotta liftin' to become the undefeated King of Grappling. Can't slack off for even a day." Low chuckle and a tilt of his head has him flashing his most dashing smile, and for those close enough, maybe they'd even think they saw a little twinkle from it. "Name's Balthus. You interested in throwin' some blows, too? I'd be a fool to say no to sparrin' with a girl as pretty as you. Whaddya say?"

Now she has to do whatever she can to keep her eyes on his. And that certainly isn't easy considering how tall he is. He's taller than both Arion and Father. He might even be taller than General Hannibal. And it's difficult to keep her head lifted up but if she doesn't, her eyes are directly at chest level.

But he's impressive! It takes dedication and hard work to achieve muscle like that! It can't be so terrible to admire the time and effort he's put in, can it?

"No, you can't slack off," she agrees with a nod. It's why she's here at the training hall, too. There's always more work to put in. "I'm Altena. I've been wanting to improve my skill with gauntlets." Did he just call her pretty? "It would be foolish to pass up an opportunity to learn from someone so expert."

And he wants to go to dinner. Altena remembers the last time she indulged a little with someone else. How her uncle made a point to insert himself right into the middle of it. She would hate a repeat of something like that but she can't just say no either. She'll look like a coward.

She's not entirely sure what she should do with her own hands but, thankfully, there are enough other couples dancing that she's able to look around and figure it out from their example. Shoulders then. That's doable. Her hands hover awkwardly a moment over Minerva's before she commits to it.

And she's not entirely sure where she should look either. When she looks around to see what others are doing for that, the inspiration is less helpful. That person has their head leaning against their partner's shoulder. And over there is someone looking deep into the other's eyes. Both options feel way too bold. Awkwardly over the shoulder it is then.

“Don’t worry… we don’t need words” she simple said as she delicately felt the head of the young woman placing over her shoulders, a soft touch that Minerva enjoyed with guilty pleasure. In all response, she simply twiirled around with her, moving along the ballroom with slow pace, but steady, until the music eventually finished –dancing, enjoying each other company, feeling each other bodies, hearts, feelings. As most couples bowed in gratitude to their partners, the two of them were still there, together.

“We can do another round, if you wish” and she let go of her sumptuous body, her hand handed her one of his flowers, a hyacinth. “For you and for your boldness in dancing with me”

Altena offers a huff of a laugh and shakes her head. "You're so much better at this than I am..." Whether she means dancing or socializing in general, Altena isn't sure but she's glad Minerva was willing to put herself out there.

Maybe she should try being a little bolder.

"Me? I came here originally to study." That's an easy answer and a truthful one. There was more to it, of course, but ultimately, she did come here to try to learn.

"I suppose if you're wondering why I stay, well, there is good money to be made as a mercenary." That answer is more complicated. She's created connections here and, as much as she aches to return to the home she loves, she doesn't want to just sever them. Not yet.

When the topic switches to him, he thinks back. "I'm from abroad." Not worlds apart like he once thought considering Rowan and Lianna made their way here, but certainly far considering all he'd gone through before winding up here.

"It's quite the blur honestly, but I owe my life to some people who live in Adrestia and took me in... being a knight-" Is his way to atone. "It was something they suggested to me. I somewhat understand why now."

It's a bit stiff but he smiles. "We're coming up closer on their camp," he says looking forward. In spite of that, he continues speaking.

"Mercenaries definitely have it easier." A particular one who's torn a hole in his pocket comes to mind. "But I kind of like the monotony of the knights, some days you feel like your mind really will just run whilst you stand guard and watch nothing happen."

"I don't mind working with the knights but I could never join them officially." As a mercenary under her own employ, Altena is able to choose jobs that mean something to her. As naive as it might sound, she enjoys being able to follow her heart. And besides, it's what she's always grown up around.