VALENTIAN HERO.

❛ I had no idea you were royalty.

Most of those who are above those in class tend to flaunt their power. Though I do get the sense that you aren’t the same as other royals, there’s also no weight in your title or anyone else’s here. And there’s no need to thank me, really. As I said before, I care more about the ability of others than their titles. ❜

❝Believe me, I’m on the same boat about the whole royalty thing. It’s so unreal! One moment, I’m leading a rag-tag band of soldiers and the next I’m Rigelian royalty. Kind of outta the blue, to be honest. I mean, it’s not all that bad - it’s just weird.❞

✦ — ♛ @onethunderthrow​ said: “i really think you need to see a doctor.”

caring for stubborn muses.

The prince wasn’t... feeling all too well. Alm felt... feverish. Ill? Possibly. Either that or he was really banged up. He hadn’t the faintest clue why, he was fine earlier. A grunt was heard, before the concerned voice of someone caught his attention. Alm cast a open eye upon the boy, the other closed in a grimace. He’s trying to play if off. The prince flaps his left hand, trying to dismiss the worries for him. He’s been through worse than this. A wound, a cold, allergies, it didn’t matter. No matter what was afflicting Alm, he was a Rigelian prince, and Rigelians were known for their strength. He had to solider through it.  He had a country to lead, after all. 

A weak smile was given. He chuckles, although it’s not at all convincing. He’s stubborn.  He wants to help, not to be helped.

❝N-No, I-I’m good. I’ve been through... worse. Thanks for worrying for me, though!❞ He was lying, he wasn’t fine. 

He’s never been a good liar. Celica could see right through him, and likely, the blonde could too. Why was he lying about he terrible he’s feeling when he was usually an open book? He couldn’t say. It would hurt his pride, he supposes, for Valentia’s hero to be this afflicted by possibly a mere cold. Despite that, he reconsiders his words.

…yeah, he was feeling terrible. He couldn’t deny it anymore.

IT ISN’T GOOD SIGN LANGUAGE,  but Chell’s own isn’t honestly that much better. She’s been working at it a little though (being around people means slowly but surely getting better at communicating with them), and it isn’t difficult to understand. She shrugs a little in response to his apology– she isn’t easily offended, well, unless it’s meant to be offensive, and she’s probably one of the worst people she knows (and she knows a surprising few at this point) for conversation. 

A nod at the query, and the pair begins to make their way through the busy marketplace. Though, fortunately not too busy right now. Chell’s gotten somewhat of an idea of when the busiest times are and tends to avoid them. Harder to move around. Easier to bump into people. Just generally less pleasant. But right now, it’s quite alright. It’s just a little while after midday, when people tend to gather in larger groups for some reason. 

Chell still hasn’t gotten used to the concept of mealtimes. In fact, she probably hasn’t actually eaten in about a day. Though she’s not particularly going to go seeking out food either. 

Which is why it’s fortunate that, a little ways into their search, they come across a food stand selling street food that smells quite good. 

Chell pauses, turning towards it, the smell making her realise that she actually could go for getting a bite to eat. She points toward the stand, tilting her head a little in question– seeing if he’s interested.

Ah, good. Alm was able to get his point across to her. Honestly, that was a mission success for him. It was a good thing he hasn’t found Celica yet, would she have laughed at him? She DID have a playful side that she showed to very few, but would show to him. 

Alm realized, he was glad he had someone he could chat with, even if they couldn’t chat back. He was a extraverted person by nature who liked to chat it up with people, as open as a book. Unlike his partner, he was more willing to express himself. Having someone who was in this similar situation was...

comforting.

Chell’s movement catches corner of his eye, and he turns his gaze. She had gone up to a nearby stand and started pointing at something. Curious, Alm slowly approaches, trying to get through the crowd of people without bumping into anyone. ❝Oops, pardon, excuse me!❞ Luckily, Alm was nimble and Alm was able to avoid hurried, awkward apologies.

After scooting his way to his new acquaintance, he looks at her.

 ❝Oh, you found something, Chell? What’s up?❞

He then glances down to the display. What... was that? Some type of food product. Alm didn’t recognize it ( at least, he thought he didn’t ), yet as Alm lifted his line of sight back up to her, Chell had tilted her head. W-Was she asking if he was interested?    ❝...Um, sure! Thank you! Say, I believe I’ve got some of the currency of this town, so I can pay for the both of us!❞

The King.

TO: Albein “Alm” Rudolf

FROM: Frostnova

[ txt ]: not to be like

[ txt ]: that one guy but

[ txt ]: if you sent this text to everyone

[ txt ]: …

[ txt ]: won’t she read this too?

TO: Frostnova

FROM:  Albein “Alm” Rudolf

[ txt ]: ah.

[ txt ]: oH MY GODS! OH MY GODS! OH MY gODS-

[ Alm is typing... ]

[ txt ]: i’m super embarrassed all i wanted to do was make my girlfriend happy! :((

[ txt ]: texting is so complicated... well, i guess it’s not a secret anymore. 

INCOMING TEXT.

TO: All

FROM: Albein “Alm” Rudolf

[ txt ]: If you were a princess, what would you ask for gift-wise?

[ txt ]: I wanna get Celica a gift because she means so much to me and like, if we get outta here, we’re gonna get married and it’s gonna be great.

IT TAKES A FEW SECONDS   but he gets what she was trying to say– that’s good. Chell’s realised how hard it is to get people to understand you without talking. A few times she’s even tried to do it, just to make things less tedious, only for the words to get caught in her throat, strangled before even leaving her lips– and she realised that she’d rather not communicate at all than force herself to speak. 

It’s nice when people get that. 

She nods emphatically to confirm his interpretation as correct, just a little bit surprised by the sudden shift in demeanour but– she doesn’t care that much. People are just weird like that. Different. Hard to predict. AI are easier. 

She’s never much cared about names. She has one, of course, but it’s been so rarely used that for all intents and purposes she might as well not. So it takes a little bit of mental re-calibration to adjust to making an introduction. She wonders if he’ll be as perceptive of sign as he was of gesture, and then points to herself and signs her name–   ‘ c-h-e-l-l ’   –followed by a tilt of her head, testing his understanding. Otherwise, she can just do like one of her friends (perhaps, she’s not really sure yet) and write it down. 

Speaking of, it would be nice to pick up a notebook like Stella’s while she’s out here. Would make things easier.

Alm watches Chell’s hand motions with a tilt of the head to the left. She had pointed to herself started... err.. Alm couldn’t honestly tell. Was she... signing letters? Oh! Was she trying to spell her name with her hands? Alm couldn’t say he had ever seen someone communicate like this before. He watches, trying to copy the movements so he won’t forget and he can say her name if needs to. Aha...

The young prince nods. Alright, he thinks he has it. Chell, was it?

❝Oh, I see! It’s a pleasure to meet you all the same. Uh, I’m...❞ He pauses here. He wanted to sign his name like Chell had did, but he didn’t know a wink of sign language. Celica was the type who probably did, but not himself.  He was just... used to speech. He figures he has to improve his communication skills for when he becomes king.  He tries anyway, making feeble attempts at spelling ❝ A - l - m ❞ out with his hands. He was unsure if Chell could understand or not.  ❝Alm, that’s my name! Sorry if my attempts at conversation are weak, at best.❞

At least he could say he made a good effort.

❝Shall we begin?❞ He asks after a moment. Alm kind of wants to find a snack sooner rather than later ( he hadn’t eaten yet today ), but he didn’t want to be pushy. It would be funny if Valentian oranges were in plenty here. That would imply that whoever brought him here was aware of his home, as if....