the picture of nobility.

unable to tear his eyes away, the details unravelled from his nearby tutor all the while sephiroth became lost in the painful yet beautiful portrayal of one fallen deity. an angel, the stranger had said, and yes in that face sephiroth could witness beauty; honest yet full of fury, full of that raw understanding of what it meant to ache. one of his long, thin fingers reached out and he almost sought to caress that marble face, but he did not touch it directly. his hand merely ghosted the motion, the picture captivating him entirely.

“ i see… so it is a story of punishment. of reaching beyond what you should. “ it was uncanny how that expression seemed so familiar, as if his own facial muscles recognised their lines and creases. how the mouth was agape in some silent shout, the eyes burning despite the alabaster of the entire piece. for sephiroth, unknown to him now, this was a mirrored reflection; a shard of the truth he could not yet grasp. for in that fallen angel, he was akin. he too had defied existence itself, the laws and gods of that world to become stronger. smarter. 

finally, sephiroth turned to face the other. “ are there any other pieces like this? the story of this fallen angel has piqued my curiosity. you said it is a story; that means it’s purely fictional? i’ve heard stories of gods and their disciples, but of an angel who defied god… i did not know. “

lorenz kept a careful eye trained on sephiroth’s hand. he’s always happy to explain, as it’s always vital to keep the commonfolk well-informed. but art is something to be appreciated, not tarnished by touch. he holds his breath as he watches them, this close to speaking up but silently feeling fortunate that they keep a safe distance away from the finely cut marble. the observation prompts a simple nod.

“ it’s unfortunate, really. prometheus was punished for a similar crime, as they both aspired to simply give man the gift of knowledge... ” speaking of even being aware of such false idols would likely be considered treason in fodlan. really, it’s a miracle that lorenz chanced on this information at all. such realizations catch him pondering about the legitimacy of his own deity... if only for a moment. those thoughts are unfitting of such a highly placed man, after all.

whew! if i were outside for another moment, i’m not sure i would’ve made it inside!

“You shall be happy to know that I have not been here long. Yesterday, in fact, was when I arrived in this conundrum. Believe me, it has not been easy to adjust to everything around here in the interim.”

Happy to see familiarity in their eyes, it almost seemed like the young duke’s face shone like a light, instantly sweeping away at any uncertainty the young man held.

“But that is neither here no there. Ah–I could embrace you, I am so filled with glee! If you have no prior engagements, nothing would make me happier than to catch up with you.”

The war, at least for now, was not mentioned to the other noble. As he sided with the young emperor, it was impossible to meet with any of the other students at Garreg Mach without conflict. But no war existed here… Nobody cried in the streets, and there was no blood staining these new stones and roads. So, perhaps… Just maybe, the two did not have to speak of it for too long.

“ can you believe these people have personal theaters in their homes? this city is so ahead of our time, i’ve been spending so much time playing catch up. ”

such inventions are just divine. they’ve been indulging in far too many movies and tv shows to count, keeping that much to themselves.

instead, they take ferdinand’s not-so-subtle request and offers their open arms. lorenz is slow to bring him into a hug, not wanting to impose too much or so openly break the silent rules of nobility.

Ah. So that’s what it was.

“I don’t see why this is of concern to you…” He doesn’t particularly want to get into his past with the other, if he wanted to know, he could always just ask any others for the rumors flitting about. That was enough. “My choice to aid the emperor was one made long before I became a teacher at the academy. I don’t see it as a pressing issue…”

“You have your own reasons to have aided the side you chose, and I don’t particularly care to hear them, nor do they matter much in this situation we are in. Don’t you think?”

yes, rumors could lend to ideas and concepts that would suggest the truth. but lorenz would find more comfort in confirming if they were more than simply rumors. words from the source would prove to offer a stronger vision in their head.

“ it’s not a matter of sides or if it matters, i’d just like some closure so i can properly... move on. i’m sure you had your reasons to support her cause, i simply don’t understand the choice in method you went about doing so... ”

but after that subtle comment, they ultimately sigh and concede that it simply wouldn’t be right to press him so mercilessly on such a point. their voice doesn’t brighten just yet, more clearly guarded than they normally are.

Surprisingly, she could find better acoustics in the bathroom back in her housing… There were many times she would carry a tune in the shower, but it would be odd to invite someone into a bathroom just to serenade them, or ask for any critiques they have.

Dorothea smiles, genuinely and wholeheartedly. Seeing a familiar face always did brighten her spirits, especially if it was unexpected. She folds her arms and hands in front of her, awaiting feedback.

❝ A cold? I don’t believe I do.. But it wasn’t as clear, you say? I do believe that I’ve been a little out of practice since.. Well, being brought here. But, I’m rather surprised you could hear it. Hopefully, it’ll go away with more use. ❞

She hadn’t even begun to consider that she was losing her voice – other than the small amount of straining, Dorothea felt capable of hitting multiple octaves.

“ a sharp eye is nothing without equally meticulous hearing. i’d rather appreciate music as much as i can, knowing everything there is to know about the craft. ”

their relief that their words are seen for what they are is hidden under a nod after dorothea explains the likelihood of simply needing to ‘grease the wheels’ as it were.

“ what’s been keeping you? have you been experiencing any problems here? it’d be a shame for such a lovely voice to be distracted by stress. ”