Marth

Marth opted not to disturb it albeit when he noticed the stranger, he seemed to be quite startled. How long was he even asleep for and who was this stranger that had woken him up? Gods, he had so many questions but there really wasn’t enough time in a day to ask all of them. However, first, he felt as if he had to apologize for falling asleep in the middle of the cat cafe.

If Innes were a business owner, he'd hardly go for a business so... Furry. A cat circled his legs, and he watched tufts of fur gather on his dark uniform pants. He was regretting wearing the academy uniform in this moment. He tried to shoo it away, but it only made a short trill, before looping even quicker.

Right. Okay.

Instead, tea was a common drink among nobles and royals alike back home and with so many different blends, it was hard to choose just one that may help someone stay awake. However, this was not what he asked for. He was curious about this… coffee that Innes mentioned and as a result, he seemed to tilt his head to the side before noticing both the cat in his lap and the cat that had decided that Innes was now its new friend.

Seeing this, he laughed softly, watching the cat blatantly ignore the attempts to shoo it away as a cat does. It certainly was refreshing and was enough to keep him awake for the time being until he could possibly learn more about coffee. There was still the matter of the one cat that was in his lap, however, causing him to carefully scoop the fuzzy creature up before setting it aside on the seat next to him.

In fact, when one of her professors had outlined her punishment, she'd laughed. Oh, ha ha. Seriously, though, when is my detention?

She'd refused to believe it until the spell was completed, and, after an experimental tug, she found her right hand well and truly sealed to that of another.

"Really?" she called after the mage, who was already scurrying away. "All of this for lying to get out of ball clean-up?"

She was not graced with a response.

Heaving a sigh, she turned back to her "role model", as they'd called it. Truth be told, if she was going to be forced to hold hands with anyone for a week, she could think of worse faces to have to look at. The blue-haired student that faced her had handsome features and kind eyes. Having her hand in his gave her a strange sense of security; she had the immediate impression that he was the protector type.

"Well, nice to meet you. I'm Hilda. I'd offer you my hand, but, well..."

The person he was forced to hold hands with was someone with pink hair who was slightly shorter than him. Gods, just what has he done to deserve this other than being a model student… Regardless of the answer, he was now stuck in this situation much to his apparent confusion.

All he could really do in this situation was introduce himself at the very least…

Deep breath. She shall remain the epitome of calm. She shan't cause any scenes today.

Which might be easier to do than expected. As much as being transported somewhere unfamiliar is... nicer words fail her, it is infuriating.

But as infuriating as it may be, it is quite a pleasant place they have found themselves in. A lovely seaside location, refreshing breeze, the orb even gave her an outfit for the occasion! A lovely black one-piece swimming costume with frills just as colourful and jagged as the edges of her usual dress, snazzy shades like the ones Pinet had back at the Somniel, and a lovely lace parasol to boot!

Briefly, she considers testing how efficient of a weapon the parasol would make, but surely there shall be no need for that.

Something she finds herself certain of as the smell of meat and sound of revelry hits her ears; why, it is not a mere seaside location they find themselves in, it feels almost like Solm itself! She can picture herself alongside the Boss and Merrin now, dancing all their worries away around the campfire.

How's she supposed to stay mad at the big lug now?

She gives the others a smile, most excited now to make the most of the time they've been granted here.

"I am Panette, a sentinel of Solm. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, everyone." She bows, before locking her gaze with the big guy's, a grin forming on her face.

"I ought to warn you; I am not one to lose a game of chicken, if we are to play seriously." At the very least, not to a guy like him. Losing to the lady Lachesis (who had the common courtesy to introduce herself, unlike the others) would be tolerable.

Lachesis’ gaze alighted on the table of treats as they made their way along the sand of the beach, soft and white underfoot, to take them to the breathtaking expanse of every blue imaginable - sun and sky became one, recursive reflections of one another, crashing waves and fluffy clouds, and along one side, as though a perimeter, was a table laden with such a weight of indulgence.

“Drinks, as well?” she said curiously, drifting fingers over the curve of a glass, plucking on from the table and handing it to Panette before taking a sip of her own.

“What, I wonder, could be the meaning of this festival? Hhgn…” Gently, her head throbbed, visions of cobblestones and a stately academic institution in the dead of winter flickering through her mind, before she cocked her head, and turned to gaze out to the surf.

“If you need to take your fill, gentlemen, before losing your pride to competition, then by all means. Panette, when they are quite ready, shall we take them down together?”

Gods, this truly was not an ideal day for him with being dragged into a competition as well as being called scrawny. After all that, all he ever wanted to do was to just return to the monastery and his magic practice. Unfortunately, it seemed like neither option was possible at this point in time, causing the Altean prince to sigh and resign himself to his fate.

That was when he heard Lachesis mention a sort of festival as well as Balthus mention that there was music possibly coming from further down the beach. He was curious about this to say the least, eventually causing him to ask a question.

“If I may ask, wouldn’t it be wise to investigate the source of the music before we relax? I am unsure if it may possibly be an enemy or not although it would be wise to ensure we are not in mortal danger.”

However, when he saw Byleth put out the flames that threatened to consume his cape, the young man’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly worried that the professor had hurt himself. That fear was soon alleviated, however, when the other held his hand up and there was no injury aside from a slight redness.

“I-I understand but… will you be alright? You smothered a flame with your bare hands after all.”

The edges of his own cape and the slightly mismatches greys that fill the holes tells the story of a man who's more than familiar with the wait times and process.

From the back of his throat, Byleth lets out a small hum, and as if to prove it is completely fine his hand raises to his chin. "Instead of putting out the fires by choking them out with another... there's likely another spell that can act as a barrier between the grass fuel and the flames."

Back to the topic of the flames, Marth seemed to be contemplating on how to get rid of them without hurting anyone. It was likely water would not work to provide a barrier between the grass and flames due to the nature of the flames but… it was worth a try, right? He couldn’t just leave those flames out there where they could potentially hurt someone.

In fact, that was the last thing he wanted to happen. Now becoming lost in thought, he tried to think of a way to either inform others about the flames or put them out. A sign? No, that’d probably burn along with the flames and provide fuel for the fire? Water magic? Possibly but he only knew fire magic and he already saw how choking out the flames went.

After several more moments of mulling it over, he eventually thought of something albeit it was more of a question rather than a definitive solution.

“I must ask, is there anyone at the monastery that might know how to deal with this issue or knows anything other than fire magic? If these flames continue to rampage, I worry that someone else may possibly get hurt.”

Those words were enough to cause Marth to look up at Selena, his face somewhat stained with his own blood. Really, he hadn’t expected to have been caught off guard, captured, and held for ransom in the first place and yet, here he was.

While he didn’t know exactly about the ransom part, the sight of the automaton shuffling in between him and Selena was enough to cause him to slightly shiver in fear. He had never been this afraid… not since he lost Falchion. What was he even supposed to do? His hands were quite literally tied, a measure to prevent him from casting magic and to make matters worse, his voice had been weakened through slight blood loss, making casting spells with a verbal component quite difficult.

“Please… hurry… They’ll… likely come back soon…” He stated in a harsh whisper. Gods, it was more of an effort to speak than usual and he disliked it so.

It’s a cry for help she has heard far too many times—as a soldier; as a mage general; as a professor acting on behalf of the Academy. (No matter where she travels and what she does, she cannot help but answer the call of those who needed her; who needed anyone, only for Selena to be the voice to answer: the only voice that can.) Her gaze narrows against the automaton; her ears close out the roar of the distant crowd; and her mind focuses on the task before her.

“Don’t worry.” I’ll protect you. “You’re safe with me.”

She doesn’t know how quickly she can disarm the thing—hardly knows what it is, but if it was anything like the machine she had faced with her prince years ago, meandering the underground of the monastery’s vast, sprawling catacombs, it was clearly a fallible thing; and she had practice fighting it.

Ah, but there is little time afforded for her to simply think about it all, isn’t there? As soon as the acknowledgement settles in, the monster moves, shuffling its form about and raising one great arm to destroy her. Quick on her heels, the once-knight darts away, concentrating on her magic to spark and ignite—

“Avert your eyes.”

—and foster lightning, crackling and ecstatic; the echoes of a storm to pierce through the guard. It stutters, if only briefly, but the opening is an allowance; she doesn’t know how long she has; doesn’t know what exactly they’re facing; but if she can free the student before anything else occurs, then the worst case scenario becomes her death and his survival.

Which, in Selena’s opinion, isn’t too poor of an outcome.

Quickly, she arrives at his side, and in kinder situations, she would’ve taken her time; would’ve used a proper blade to aid in her precision. This is not a circumstance that grants such liberties, so even as their audience rages against her intentions, her fingertips spark with the warm flickers of Bolganone, and they are controlled, carefully, methodically, to burn.

(The automaton rears again.)

—and it is made clearly evident that Selena does not have the time to finish his escape. The flames vanish in an instant, careful to ensure that he is not injured, and then Selena:

“I’m sorry.”

The ropes binding his wrists were now loosened and as a result, he had just barely managed to get one hand free and with that, small sparks of a Bolganone spell had flickered in the air near the automaton, an attempt at possibly charring it but… he was hoping for more than just a few measly embers of flame that rammed into his target.

No good… he was still too weak to create anything with a fire spell aside from a few small embers but… so long as that automaton stood and the cold remarks of the crowd remained, it seemed like getting out of here would be far from simple.

“You… do not need to apologize… What is important is… getting out of… our current situation.”

While thinking of a question to ask, he found it somewhat helpful to answer the question he had been asked first. After doing so, he fell silent for a moment, being somewhat lost in thought about what question to ask.

Gods, there were so many options when it came to questions and only so much time in a day. In addition, he didn’t want to seem like a nuisance to Alear… in fact, that was the last thing he wanted. Eventually, he settled on one question he wanted to ask after what seemed like several minutes of mulling it over.

“If you do not mind me asking, how do you see those of us who are Emblems? That question has… been on my mind for a while.”

While he waits for Marth to speak up again, Alear notes a creature slowly waddling over to them. It's that peculiar little animal - Sommie? Lumera had named it a guardian spirit, and tried to introduce it to Alear before, but it only gave an unhappy mumble and walked off. He didn't take this too personally, since he has similar effects on most people he meets.

It's one reason the Somniel was chosen, to stage this conversation. No chance of interruption, from anyone who might resent a Fell Dragon's presence in the holy land. Lumera has instructed her followers in tolerance, but she can't control everything they do behind her back, or ease the rightful resentment in their hearts.

Feeling braver now, Sommie approaches Alear, snuffling around his shoes. He doesn't react, in case a sudden movement startles it. It's doing no harm, so it can carry on.

"You are the spirits of legendary warriors, from other worlds. You hold great power, and when gathered, that power is undefeatable. Under a Divine Dragon's control, you choose who receives it. With a Fell Dragon, you have no choice."

All facts Alear was educated on, years ago. Is that the type of answer Marth wants to hear? Possibly not.

"You are named the Hero-King. I wonder why that is. I know nothing of who you truly are, nor the others." And therefore, he understands that any image he holds is flawed. How he saw Marth before, is open to correction.

It was a little odd to say the least and yet, welcoming at the same time. In fact, he ended up slightly laughing at the events that were happening, finding them quite amusing albeit when he heard Alear’s answer to his question, that laughter soon faded into silence.

That answer was one he did not wish to hear, that was for certain but it was something he could live with for now. However, that still didn’t mean that it wasn’t a lot to take in. As a result, he remained silent as if trying to figure out what to say until eventually, he spoke once more.

“I see… Despite what you have said, I am no legend. I also do not know why people refer to me by that title… If anything, what is a title if it is not a good way to describe how someone may be.”

Even while speaking, it seemed to be somewhat clear that Marth was in fact somewhat distracted by Sommie’s shenanigans. He found the little guardian spirit quite charming already and it seemed that feeling might not change anytime soon. However, after a few moments, he soon turned his attention back to Alear.

“We had to fight… for everything. Altea was nearly burnt to the ground twice and yet, every time, we have had to rise from the ashes. It was never a pleasant experience and… we lost people. Gods, seeing someone die is…”

The thought of Gaius being in the midst of either wanting to get angry or being halfway to a panicked meltdown was amusing to him to say the least. Every time he had encountered literally anyone from the Garlean empire during his imprisonment, they usually brought him right back to his room unless he was to attend some formal event.

He was used to it by then, it being his usual routine until the day he escaped and boarded a ship to Limsa Lominsa. It was from there that he was able to begin his journey which now felt like it was so long ago.

Choosing not to dwell on this fact, he merely tried to hold back his laughter until eventually, a small bout of said laughter managed to slip through which he seemed to be somewhat embarrassed by, Sapphire now pawing at his hand.

Eyes dancing with amusement, the Viera woman realised she felt much better having spoken so freely. Better than things such as alcohol might have made her feel. She leaned back in her seat and smirked at her friend and his mischievous familiar. Perhaps she hadn't entirely failed as a Warrior of Light from Carteneau...

"Well, why don't we go see if we can't reserve ourselves a spot on the next voyage then?" she asked. "If we ask far enough in advance, then surely they will let us. And fishing with a friend sounds like fun."

He had paid his tab before he left, Sapphire following him out of the Drowning Wench before perching on his shoulder like always. However, before he left, he couldn’t help but laugh at the remark of standing in the rain causing trouble for parents.

If he were being honest, it reminded him of life before everything happened… before the Garleans had taken him prisoner and it also reminded him that he was not fighting for just himself anymore but rather, a larger fate was now resting on the shoulders of him and the other Warriors of Light.

He chose not to think about it for the time being, instead focusing more on the upcoming fishing voyage.

“Yes?”

That word started as naught but a whisper at first as a result of having been unable to speak for so long but that didn’t matter much to him. He was instead curious… curious about Alear and as a result, soon decided to say something else.

“It is a pleasure to be able to speak with you at last. I have… some questions I would like to ask.”

As he said that, his head tilted to the side out of curiosity. There was so much he wanted to know and yet, there was so little time. He wasn’t angry at Alear and held no ill will towards him.

In the conversations he'd sometimes imagined, to combat the loneliness of Gradlon, his idea of Marth would always speak kindly (in a different, more sincere way than the fawning Fell Dragon cultists, who sought favour of Sombron's strongest child). He'd been less sure that would carry into reality, though. Surprising how there's no tone of accusation or resentment, none of the condemnation one might expect from a former captive.

Maybe the Hero-King doesn't remember anything, from before? In that case…well, Alear will explain, if he has to. An unpleasant prospect, but there's no alternative, if he wants to show contrition. And he does.

"Of course. Ask what you wish." A brief pause. "You may not like the answers, and I am sorry for that. But I won't lie."

He wants to return the smile, to show he means no harm - but the expression doesn't come naturally, and he's aware that forced smiles only seem unnerving. Better to remain in neutrality, as usual. Hopefully Marth will not take that badly.

Still, he's grateful to have that expression turned towards him, even just once. To know how it looks. What a difference it makes, being wreathed in Lumera's liberating magic rather than Alear's invocation of iron control.

If only there was a way to cleanse Gradlon's evil from Alear, too. Physically, visibly. But no, he's fated to remain this way forever; he knows that.

"Were you aware of much, before this?"

While thinking of a question to ask, he found it somewhat helpful to answer the question he had been asked first. After doing so, he fell silent for a moment, being somewhat lost in thought about what question to ask.

Gods, there were so many options when it came to questions and only so much time in a day. In addition, he didn’t want to seem like a nuisance to Alear… in fact, that was the last thing he wanted. Eventually, he settled on one question he wanted to ask after what seemed like several minutes of mulling it over.

“If you do not mind me asking, how do you see those of us who are Emblems? That question has… been on my mind for a while.”

As for how he intended to help those who were still out there, it took him a moment to think of a response. Blue eyes looked up at the professor as Marth slowly began to speak.

“I was hoping to help them evacuate and make sure nobody was injured. I cannot use healing magic myself but it would still be important to get them to safety despite one’s capabilities of healing injuries.” He answered. Of course, he also seemed to be rather relieved when Byleth reassured him that the monastery staff would make sure that the other participants were safe.

That was one of his biggest concerns making the burning cape literally a nonexistent issue. It was like he hasn’t even noticed the damn thing at all as the occasional ember fell from the burning fabric.

Still, there are other things to worry about. Byleth gives little regard to station unless it's one of those nobles who are particularly fussy about it. In this situation... he doesn't much have a choice though.

He steps closer to his student and kneels down. One hand grabs the edge of the cape that is smoldering and attempting to burn freely while the other prepares to smother it. "You have to be careful of yourself too. If this caught on the tent, there would be no safe space left to transport people."

Really, this was a bad habit of his and one that would not be easily broken. If he were being honest, he didn’t mind it although it was also somewhat troubling at times. With a sigh, he allowed for Byleth to grab the edge of the burning cape, realizing that the other was only trying to help.

Blue eyes looked up at the professor in a mix of concern and slight fear as he blinked once and noticed that Byleth was trying to grab the burning cape with his bare hands.

First, he bunches the cape up and with a splash of water on his hand, covers and drains the flame of its fuel. The edges are still singed but with an academy like this, someone could probably mend it.

"I didn't want to step on it," he says blankly as he looks up. "It would have been faster, but sometimes that's not the answer."

His hand is held up, palm splayed out to show that, aside from a bit of redness, there is no injury.

"You don't always save the most people by rushing in. You might save some of them quicker, but there will always be those you miss regardless of how quickly you arrive anywhere to start." Maybe it's not his place to talk about it. Often times, he is simply the final blow given to an already weakened force. His time of action is planned to prevent a second wind and allow their own mercenaries a chance to recuperate while their targets have to continue dealing with an onslaught.

However, when he saw Byleth put out the flames that threatened to consume his cape, the young man’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly worried that the professor had hurt himself. That fear was soon alleviated, however, when the other held his hand up and there was no injury aside from a slight redness.

“I-I understand but… will you be alright? You smothered a flame with your bare hands after all.”

Why exactly did they call the location a cat cafe? Why exactly were people talking about it? That was what he wanted to know and eventually, that curiosity had led him to actually visit the cafe as a customer.

At first, he wasn’t expecting much but when he saw the multitude of cats running around, he was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Never had he seen such a large gathering of cats but eventually, he had ordered only a single cup of tea and sat down alongside the multitude of felines. One even jumped onto his lap and curled up, causing him to gently pet the creature until eventually, he fell asleep.

It seemed like the calm atmosphere, in addition to the now content cat on his lap had caused him to fall asleep without a second warning.

It would be nice to do some studying with a cat, he supposed. They were supposed to be friendly little things, especially once they warmed up to a person. That sounded familiar, though Innes had to think who he had warmed up to in his two years at the academy.

Well, regardless, he had arrived at the café. Comfortable cats curled up on soft beds, on patrons' laps, and perched on a windowsill. The warmth of the sun must feel wonderful, especially this time of year.

A lot of the tables were full, it seemed. There was one person who seemed very relaxed - no, not only relaxed, asleep. Innes was a good, neighbourly person. He approached the stranger.

Marth opted not to disturb it albeit when he noticed the stranger, he seemed to be quite startled. How long was he even asleep for and who was this stranger that had woken him up? Gods, he had so many questions but there really wasn’t enough time in a day to ask all of them. However, first, he felt as if he had to apologize for falling asleep in the middle of the cat cafe.

Astonishing kindness offered, by the last Divine Dragon, a woman who should have been his bitter enemy. An invitation to join her, granted sanctuary from Sombron in Lythos Castle. Such a warm welcome, that he already feels more at home here than in Gradlon Temple, where he was born and raised.

Of course, when he fled from his father, he brought the Ring of the Hero-King along. On a practical level, it would be unwise to leave a powerful weapon behind. On a personal level, the Emblem gave him a sense of security. In dark and dangerous times, it was a power he could rely on. A familiar face which made him feel less alone - even if that face was just as blank and expressionless as Alear had trained his own to be. Silent, puppeted by Fell magic, chained to the ring Alear wore.

Still the closest thing he ever had, to a friend. But deep down, he knew that wasn't true. A friend was someone who stayed beside you, by their own free choice.

Lumera's next suggestion took him by surprise. Of course, she had the power to infuse the Ring of the Hero-King with her own magic. She could grant Marth the ability to speak, offer him greater freedoms, just as she had for Alear. Wouldn't that be nice?

Was it awful, that Alear had hesitated? Afraid that Marth's true self would hate him. Would blame him, for all those horrible battles fought in Sombron's name. Would never agree to stand by his side again.

And yet, he forced himself to say yes. To make the unselfish choice, even if it might hurt.

Now, here they stand: a red dragon, a blue Emblem.

Alear stares, and then realises he's staring, and doesn't know where to look. He's reticent to speak first, aware how poor he can be with words. Has the process truly worked? Can they really talk to each other?

“Yes?”

That word started as naught but a whisper at first as a result of having been unable to speak for so long but that didn’t matter much to him. He was instead curious… curious about Alear and as a result, soon decided to say something else.

“It is a pleasure to be able to speak with you at last. I have… some questions I would like to ask.”

As he said that, his head tilted to the side out of curiosity. There was so much he wanted to know and yet, there was so little time. He wasn’t angry at Alear and held no ill will towards him.

Why exactly did they call the location a cat cafe? Why exactly were people talking about it? That was what he wanted to know and eventually, that curiosity had led him to actually visit the cafe as a customer.

At first, he wasn’t expecting much but when he saw the multitude of cats running around, he was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Never had he seen such a large gathering of cats but eventually, he had ordered only a single cup of tea and sat down alongside the multitude of felines. One even jumped onto his lap and curled up, causing him to gently pet the creature until eventually, he fell asleep.

It seemed like the calm atmosphere, in addition to the now content cat on his lap had caused him to fall asleep without a second warning.

He was in the vicinity when Balthus had touched the orb, sending him and two others gods-know-where. Even worse, he found himself in a swimsuit with an open shirt… Oh how embarrassing it was to him and how quick he was to tie the shirt closed. He did not wish to show off that much skin, especially not here…

Once he had finished doing so, he merely sighed before staring out at the seaside.

He hadn’t been on one since… gods, he had lost count of how many days it had been since he was usually a little late to sign up compared to some of the other Warriors of Light. It wasn’t that he minded it but… being slow really didn’t help when there was only a voyage once every few hours.

Not that it mattered, anyway. However, Veronica’s story about standing in the rain and later, the snow did end up causing him to laugh.

“I wish I could have seen the look on the Emperor’s face although, is standing in the snow really the same experience as standing in the rain?” Marth asked, clearly curious about if standing in the snow was in fact the same as standing in torrential rain which he had done before, especially after fighting a Primal. And of course, Sapphire was in the background, lapping up a cup of water that it had knocked over, causing Marth to panic and quickly scoop up the pesky summon.

Her expression softened as she registered Marth's excitement. She relaxed further. Despite everything.... he still had this energy. Perhaps she hadn't failed so badly after all. Well, her friend could certainly take her on whatever fun adventure he deemed fit. Veronica laughed softly.

As he focused on her small little sharing of her childhood, the Viera woman's smile became more nostalgic as she recalled growing up in the Empire... the snow, the siblings she gained...

"Some mix between wanting to get angry and halfway to a panicked meltdown," Veronica replied with a small giggle. "He scooped me out of the snow and wrapped me in his coat."

Like she was something precious that he couldn't loose. She snorted softly. So much for that, she guessed. She had run away after all... and he had started to loose his sanity... Veronica sighed and then leaned back. Her eyes flickered to the mischievous carbuncle, amusement glittering in her gaze.

The thought of Gaius being in the midst of either wanting to get angry or being halfway to a panicked meltdown was amusing to him to say the least. Every time he had encountered literally anyone from the Garlean empire during his imprisonment, they usually brought him right back to his room unless he was to attend some formal event.

He was used to it by then, it being his usual routine until the day he escaped and boarded a ship to Limsa Lominsa. It was from there that he was able to begin his journey which now felt like it was so long ago.

Choosing not to dwell on this fact, he merely tried to hold back his laughter until eventually, a small bout of said laughter managed to slip through which he seemed to be somewhat embarrassed by, Sapphire now pawing at his hand.