olivié

exaltbound​:

          It never took much to fluster Olivia. All Chrom had to do was show up, spout a few ill-chosen words, and there—head shaking, hands failing, voice pleading as she rambled through her thoughts. It was the sort of thing that he may of taken to heart coming from anyone else, but with her it just made it easier to smile. An anxious smile, sure, but not one weighed down by guilt. He just wanted to hang his head, and laugh, and… fix up four walls and roof with her, apparently.

          Chrom took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to speak again. Each passing word felt less stilted in his mouth than the last, and that was good—now all he needed to do was not mess up again.

          “I did! It reminded me a bit of home, actually.”

          As much as a few pillars of sand could, at any rate. Olivia had done a fine job of it to be sure, but he suspected that reaching that conclusion from a dozen meters out said more about him than it did about the structure.

          Ylisse was a nation of waterways. You never had to go far to find a beach, or a river, not even in the frigid north. For him though, it had been a lake, and its sands had been far coarser then the grains here. From the moment he touched it, he could tell that it was more conducive to constructing memories, and, true to his word, Chrom didn’t waste long before starting.

          His eyes however were less assured, and they did an odd dance as he worked. Chrom wasn’t sure of if he should be glancing at his excavation, or staring up at Olivia. Part of him was still worried that she might run off again if he took his eyes off her, while still another part was very certain that the very act of observing was largely responsible for her past vanishings. The result was some odd mix of each instinct, and Chrom’s only saving grace was that he himself seemed unaware of just how frantic it looked.

          “It’s okay,” he laughed. She really hadn’t done anything wrong, and rationally, he knew that he hadn’t either. At least not now, in this moment—but there must have been some reason why she was so skittish around him. One day he’d it out, and then it’d be his turn to apologize. “So… were you just having fun, or is something on your mind?”

Olivia could feel the blood rush to her cheeks at his words of praise. An explicit explanation of what she was building hadn’t been said; and yet for him to have felt some sense of nostalgia by looking at, essentially pillars of sand, struck a sense of pride. Perhaps she had more skill than she had originally thought.

Or maybe he just had a good eye.

She stood a few paces away, eyes following, watching, his figure as he began to work on the torn castle. To see his crouched figure, hunched over a castle that she had stepped on, work to rebuild it without a word of complaint, there was no doubt in her mind that Chrom was a kind man.

A kind man that she had disrespected more often than not.

This wasn’t new news. The prince—king—had always shown kindness and compassion towards those he met. Never had he shown any disdain or contempt to those around him without fair reason. Truth be told there was nothing about him to fear—a truth she had come to realize quickly since the day they met.

Tucking loose fabric beneath her Olivia squatted next to Chrom, eyes still trained on his hands as they worked. She wanted to treat him properly, to treat him as she did everybody else. There was a moment during the war when she felt their relationship had reached that point or had at least come close. But their time apart had set their relation backwards, the jittery feelings she felt the first time once again returning without warning. It was a feeling, a companionship she wished to mend; to be able to greet him without yelping and looking for a nook to hide in. Yet her eyes continued to avoid his as she reached out and scooped together some sand of her own. 

“Oh, well, uh...” There was a pause before she spoke. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed—though you probably did since you’re pretty clever, heheh—but this was my attempt at making the Ylissean castle.”

Her brows unconsciously furrowed as she worked on a spire. Despite her attempts the spire stood for a mere second before crumbling once again into a pile of sand.

fortuitousflowers​:

          Her words were all Sumia needed to hear. She jumped into action, using a combination of her stick and hands to form a pit around the castle and collect the ocean water. Luckily, they weren’t too near the waves. With the two of them working in tandem, they managed to dig deep enough so Olivia’s Castle wasn’t washed away. Oh, thank goodness! 

          “Hah… hah…” Sumia’s chest rose and fell with puffy breaths. “I think… I think we did it!” She turned to Olivia and offered a big, bright smile. “Good teamwork, your majesty! As long as I’m here, not a single drop of treacherous seawater would ever dare threaten the sanctity of your beautiful… um…” Um. Gosh. Was she going too far? The flush that was on her face from physical exertion darkened, and Sumia let out an awkward laugh. 

          “Sorry, when you called me your knight, I kinda… Well, I started thinking about this knight from a book I read! She was very intense, but that was part of her charm!” Sumia gripped her stick tighter. “What I meant to say was, I’m glad… I could…” 

          A squint. Wait a minute. That rock there. It moved! And it kept moving. Right toward… 

          GASP. 

          No. No way. Not on her watch! 

          “Watch out!” 

          Sumia made a dart for the crab, using her body to shield Olivia. The stick she held wasn’t her usual spear, but it would do. In a single swift motion, Sumia would swat the beast away. Hah! No one got between Knight Sumia and– 

          Clamp. 

          The crab caught the tip of Sumia’s stick right between its pinchers. Sumia froze. Time slowed down. She stared. The crab stared. And for a brief moment… She saw those beady black eyes glimmer.

          “O-Olivia…” Sumia craned her neck back to look at her. “It used its wits to corner me…”  

“Hah...”

Olivia looked down at her hands, now dirtier and sandier than before, then looked to Sumia. Upon seeing the bright smile flashed at her she found she couldn’t suppress the giggle that bubbled out. A smile of hers was offered back in return, face flushed from their recent exertion. The actions they took to protect a small mound of sand were... a bit ridiculous she had to admit. But that didn’t mean they were for naught.

The dancer found herself unable to find her own words, her colour now mirroring the knight before her as she attempted to speak.

“O-oh, no! You don’t need to apologize... I thought it was very fitting for your character- that isn’t to say your intensity was bad! Not that you were intense- or are intense- but...”

Her eyes averted Sumia’s, her sentence trailing off as she realized the more she spoke the deeper the hole she had just dug would become. 

“A-Anyways I... Sumia? Are your eyes okay?”

Just as the last word left her lips the knight suddenly took action. The pinkette took a step back in surprise, trying to find a cause to the sudden leap.

Taking a peek over the knight’s shoulder her eyes came face to face with a small crab, its black eyes seemingly boring into her soul.

A second passed. Then ten. 

A resounding cry rang through the air as Olivia jumped in front of Sumia and grabbed the stick from her hands, violently shaking it to get rid of the crab.

“Eeeeek! G-get away from Sumia!”

As she shook the stick the crab’s grip loosened causing it to fly in the air. Her eyes followed its trajectory up and up and up and-

Plop!

There was a small poof as Olivia felt something drop to her head. She froze, still, unmoving, allowing nothing but time to pass slowly as she assessed her situation. Her head turned mechanically to face behind her, teardrops stinging the corners of her eyes, voice wobbling as the word caught in her throat.

@agneas

Hastened steps echoed off the cobblestone walls of the classroom, kicked up particles of dust sparkling in the sun’s beams like glitter in the sky. Short huffs followed long pink tresses as they fluttered around the room, the screeching sound of chairs grinding across the floor a juxtaposition of the otherwise quiet area.

New year, new start. The words continuously rotated in her head as Olivia tidied the classroom. Despite the grandiose of Garreg Mach and the various facilities they offered, none of them provided the requirements needed for a class on performance. This didn’t mean dance halls were nonexistent; it was simply that they were to be used for formal events only. The lack of appropriate rooms wasn’t unexpected especially considering the overall goal of Garreg Mach graduates—Garreg Mach wasn’t the kind of institution a child would be sent to to become a world renowned performer after all. The dance classes held were moreso for social etiquette and proper ballroom forms rather than actual performance.

That said, Olivia was still determined to provide an opportunity for students to have free expression—to offer them a glimpse of a world they are unaccustomed to. Once graduated and integrated into society she was doubtful any of her students would ever get a chance to experience moments like this, particularly in the cutthroat world of politics. Despite her nerves threatening to have her meltdown, her determination powered through as she set up the rest of her pseudo stage. Even if it was for a small slot of time she was set on offering the students a lesson they could at least fondly look back on.

A small knock rang above the sounds of her pushing the last table aside. She quickly turned to see a young woman standing in the doorway, as if waiting for an invitation to come inside.

“O-oh, hello! Are you a student? I was just setting up, give me one second!”

With one last grunt she shoved the table in place and wiped the bead of sweat forming on her brow. Offering the young lady a smile, as confident as she could make it, she invited her into the classroom.

@fortuitousflowers | cont.

         Long walks on the beach had become common, though Sumia enjoyed them anyway. It was peaceful listening to the waves and feeling the sand curl between her toes when she was bold enough to remove her sandals. Today was one of those days. Sumia shut her eyes and inhaled the salty air, focusing her attention to her ears as she waited for the light rustle of feathers.

         She heard a hum instead.

         Sumia paused, lashes fluttering open. She saw a familiar woman just down the way. The pink hair and lithe form were unmistakable; the amount of times Olivia captivated the Shepherds and inspired them to greatness couldn’t be measured in something as explicit as numbers. All Sumia knew was that they were here today because of her, and the joy she brought them. Olivia reminded them all of the good and beautiful things that deserved protecting.

         Approaching slowly, Sumia hardly had time to say hello before a hand took her, pulling her down. Well. Olivia wasn’t one to mince words. Lowering herself and hugging her knees, Sumia examined Olivia’s Castle.

         “I didn’t know you had a castle, Olivia~ Does this make you a queen?” Sumia beamed at her. For some reason, the title seemed to suit her. It was easy to imagine Olivia in expensive silks and a band of gold around her head. But Sumia had no time to ponder the thought. Suddenly, the waves sounded closer. Sumia glanced to the left and saw, to her horror, water creeping onto the sand.

         “Your majesty, trouble on the northern side!”

         Sumia hopped to her feet, even grabbing a long stick that had washed up near her.

         “As your knight, I suggest defensive measures be taken! Permission to build a moat?”

Olivia gave the pegasus knight a shy nod, timidly noting how long she had spent making her small castle. A hand came up to push light strands of hair out of her face, tucking the longer strands behind her ear as she did so. Her lips pulled into a small grin, beaming back at her companion as a light pink began to creep across the bridge of her nose. 

Queen, huh? Knitted brows followed by the lack of eye contact expressed her embarrassment at the newfound title but the smile on her face suggested it wasn’t a bad one. Who would have thought that a simple dancer would become a queen of her own castle one day? She couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled forth.

“Hee hee, I guess so! But every queen needs a knight, no?”

Her head tilts slightly to the left, an action in suggestion though she’s pretty sure she already knows the answer. 

Eyes grow wider in surprise when Sumia suddenly leaps up and points towards the ocean. Olivia turns to see the creeping waves crawling dangerously closer to her castle and the dancer leaps up as well, ready to take defensive measures against the oncoming attack.

She looks to Sumia, eyes intense with newfound flame, and gives her a firm nod.

“Permission granted! Do not allow a single attacker in!”

exaltbound​:

           In the span of a few seconds, Chrom’s hands flew between a series of indecisive actions. His first instinct was to catch his comrade, but Olivia’s nimble feet rendered the intent quite useless. Then, in an involuntary flash the next obvious place for his arms to rest was up in the air. Chrom surrendered as if he’d been the one to break her own personal palace, and in a way, he supposed he had been.

          He gave her a nervous smile, the sort that hid a sigh and could’ve just as easily been a grimace had his brow furrowed the right way. Of all the people in all the world… why was this always so hard?

          “Ha… and, what if I said you were?”

          Chrom laughed weakly, trying his best dislodge whatever stone had crawled into his stomach. After a moment’s pause though, it seemed like maybe that sort of jest hadn’t been the best call. He opened his mouth to say as much, assuring her that he’d been kidding, and finally returning his hands to his side for good measure.

          Really, things hadn’t gone particular well since he walked over—but that was fine. Chrom cleared his throat, and prepared to start again.

          “I wouldn’t want that to happen, but, I also caught a glimpse or two down the beach already. It looks nice—that’s what I came over to tell you…” Chrom dared a peep over her shoulder, long enough to discern that looked might’ve been the more appropriate term. The craftsmanship was still there, just hidden behind a light dusting of rubble as the central tower crashed onto what remained. It was unfortunate, but… not unsalvageable.

           “You know, I know a thing or two about rebuilding kingdoms. I could lend you a hand?” he offered. “Consider it my penance for startling you—and, you really don’t need to be so worried around me, Olivia.”

               "Ha... and, what if I said you were?”

Olivia backed up a bit in response, immediately shooting into a flurry of waving hands and shaking head, her hair flailing wildly behind her as a waterfall of words began to spill from her mouth.

“No, no, no.. N-no! That wasn’t my intention! I mean, i-it kind of was, but I didn’t mean to offend-! C-Chrom, I just... Ooohhh, Olivia you’ve really done it this time! Why did you say that, you know we talked about this!”

Perhaps she had been too friendly to the king, maybe all the interactions they had while in the Shepherds was simply an illusion, a sliver of hope that they might be friends. She might as well have considered herself a goner; outcast, banished. To think she had the audacity to raise her voice against the heir of Ylisse—she had a good life.

As she began to tear up thinking of how she should continue her life of exile, thinking of how she should tell Inigo, Chrom’s voice cuts through her excessive thoughts snapping her out of her hysterics.

“You... Just wanted to say my castle was nice?”

She turned around to look at her, what was once a decent looking, Ylissean castle, now crushed and turned to sand save for a couple towers and walls that remained standing. Her arms dropped to her side allowing room for Chrom to step forward and approach the ruined castle.

Guilt sat in the pit of her stomach, both embarrassment and remorse taking hold of her emotions, her face flushed red as her hands were brought up to cover her face. Peeking through a window between her fingers a meek voice piped up.

making-dough​:

♠  ~  In many ways, Olivia’s gentle demeanor and mannerisms had reminded her of Florina. Thinking of her baby sister never failed to place a soft, fond smile on Farina’s face. She had missed her baby sister greatly. Wonder how she was doing now. Was she still so scared of men? Was she still serving that lady of hers? That Lady Lyndis?

She turned her gaze slightly away from Olivia to give herself space to shake off that train of thought. They were mercenaries knights now. Her, Florina and Fiora. Not even family mattered when it came to loyalty to their employer and…to coin.

It took her all of half a moment before she was ready to turn back to Olivia, her fond smile spreading wide to form an eager, carefree grin, rubbing away any sign of her previous tensions. She spread her arms wide in welcome and began to laugh heartily. “Hey, feel free to come along! I haven’t found a whole lot yet.”, she admitted, tucking her arms closer to her body in contemplation. “You’re the first actual person I’ve found so far.”, she murmured. “That’s weird. A place like this should have a whole ton of folks, just to keep the place tidy.”

She gave herself a shrug of the shoulders. It’s nothing important right now. If anything, it’s just a new mystery to explore. Like where they were and where Garreg Mach was from here, for instance.

“C'mon, Olivia!”, she laughed in agreement, taking the other girl by the hand and bouncing excitedly. “We’d have better luck if we both start searching together. There’s got to be somebody running this place. We’d be cute and capable. Who’d be able to resist when we come a-knocking?”

The other girl’s energy seemed to be bright and energetic despite not knowing what seemed to be happening right now. Sunshine seemed to radiate from her as she spoke; Olivia felt almost like she had to turn away lest she be blinded by the sight. 

Farina reminded her a lot of some of her friends back at home - she began to recount the members of the Shepherds and the days she spent with them. The pit of her stomach began to sink as a longing for home started to take hold. The dancer never imagined she could be homesick; after all, being part of a traveling troupe she had no one place she called home. Home was wherever there were paying customers, where folks from all over would gather round to watch their performances.

Ever since leaving the continent however Olivia noticed a longing to go back hit harder than ever. She would often find herself thinking back to her friends and weeping under the dark cloak of twilight. It made her think that perhaps her home was in fact the whole continent.

“Yeah... I guess it is a little strange, isn’t it?”

She hadn’t realised until Farina mentioned it herself, but it was strange that there was no one else in the house. Especially considering this was her own dream - one would think her brain would at least put a couple of familiar faces in the house along with her, would it not?

Maybe... She wasn’t actually in a dream after all?

“Huh- Oh!”

Before she had a chance to question, the violette had already grabbed her by the hand and began to bounce. 

fenrena​:

Wood creaks under her weight as Sharena takes to the stage, barefooted and dressed in shorts and her swimsuit top—it’s way too hot, and she plans on going swimming after this, might as well be prepared! When she reaches the middle of the makeshift stage, her back straightens, and she clears her throat with a fist pressed to her mouth politely as if she were announcing the most important thing in the world. When the crowd finally goes quiet, she speaks, a smile on her face.

“Crab-hunters and beach-goers, we have seen many amazing talents tonight, but I present to you my talent.” Hand waves as if to dismiss unspoken words. “No, no. I will not show you how I light up a room. Or my fighting style. Or triple back flip back handspring. Tonight, I will show you my ultimate skill.” She points up, in the direction of the roof of their resort building. 

“I will climb that without anyone or any tool to help me.” 

A pause for dramatic effect, accented with her proud and excited smile, before she continues. Fingers pull her hair back into a ponytail. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s not safe, but I could climb before I could walk.” A clear exaggeration, but it might as well be true.

Sharena turns to face the wall behind her, the balls of her feet pushing into the wood. One beat, two beats, and after three, she runs up the wall a few feet before grabbing the top of a window. Feet push into the wall as she begins to climb, joints bending only to release with each inch she moves up. Occasionally, she’ll shift, twisting her body until she finds a solid ledge to grasp, although, to the untrained eye, it looks like she’s grabbing next to nothing.

When she’s more than halfway up, she slips and she falls only a foot before catching herself on a ledge. Feet braced against the wall, Sharena beams at the ground. “Ha ha! Just kidding! Don’t worry, I’m totally okay! That was planned.” Which was true, she did plan to fall, just didn’t plan on how she would catch herself.

A few more seconds, and then she’s perched on the roof, one leg crossed over in a lax but bold stand. “Tada!” Comes the final chirp. “That was my talent!”

After standing for the applause—she throws in a bow or two towards the crowd—Sharena descends dropping a foot or two only to catch herself until she is close enough to the ground to drop completely, roll upon impact, and stand up to give another bow to the crowd.

Despite her stage fright, as a seasoned performer it doesn’t take Olivia long to gather her nerves and take her turn up on the stage. Her eyes scan the audience as she takes her place, both familiar and unfamiliar faces scattered about the crowd. She wasn’t sure what was more nerve-wracking—performing in front of a group of strangers of performing in front of people she knew. 

Her hands began to move nervously, thumbs twiddling together as she stood on center stage in front of the group, light pink sprinkled across her cheeks. Were she presenting a dance her show of nerves wouldn’t be as obvious as they were here, but tonight she decided to show something a little different. Her act tonight would be a little out of character for the otherwise shy dancer, but she was determined to follow and see this through.

A small wave is given to the crowd as a soft voice pipes up from her throat.

“H-Hello... Um...” She takes a small breath. “T-tonight I’ll be doing a magic trick. I’ll be needing a volunteer.”

Before anyone can raise a hand she points in the direction of a pastel pink haired mercenary, already scouted as she was making her way to the stage.

“You! You will do! P-please come up to the stage!”

She waits and watches as her son makes his way to her side, a confused smile on his face as he does so. She grabs the side of his arms, pushing him a little forwards and centering him on the stage. 

“Tonight, with a special technique, I will be turning this man into a completely different colour!”

With a hop she begins to perform a routine around him, spinning and twirling to draw the audiences’ attention towards her. All hint of nerves now dissipated, an intense fire burning in her eyes as she worked to enrapture the audience. In her hands she held two long blades, a swords dance—her particular specialty—to build up to the finale. As she ended her final twirl she held the blades up before her, pausing for dramatic effect, the light in her eyes flickering intensely as everything seemed to fall silent. Placing the blades down on the ground before her she walks up to Inigo’s side.

Then with a loud ‘MWAH!’ she places a fat kiss on his cheek, holding his head in her hands as she reaches and repeats on the other side. 

She pulls away from her kisses and yells as loud as her voice can go,

            “Mommy loves you, little dancer!”

Olivia was careful when opening the box in her hand; she didn’t consider herself the strongest person in the world but the way it fit so perfectly in her hand, she couldn’t help but feel the present may break if she even looked at it funny. As soon as it opened a tiny dancer sprung forth posed in perfect form, a soft melody filling the air around her. Olivia picked up the key that lay just by her feet and read the piece of parchment attached to it.

Happy Birthday, Olivia.

Delicate features softened as she held the key in her hands, taking a moment while perched on her bed to listen to the tune coming from the music box. Eyes start to grow heavy, a yawn escaping her body as she slips in and out of consciousness. Her birthday had been a long, but good, day. She lays the key on her nightstand beside the music box accompanied by the bouquet of flowers and the flower crown she received earlier before laying her own head down upon the feathery soft pillow. 

She wonders for a moment where Chrom acquired such a contraption but her tired mind suggests that question be saved for the morrow. Her eyes begin to close, the lull of crashing waves and the twinkling star-like melody serving as her lullaby as she drifts into a deep sleep.

“Ah! C-coming!”

She hears the light tap against her door and quickly jumps out of bed and makes her way towards the door. The pinkette has a near heart attack as she passes the mirror in her room, her disheveled appearance making her look as if she was a completely different person. Her bedhead was wild, strands of hair sticking out everywhere here and there as if she had been left to fend for herself in the wilds for weeks. She was sure if a child had seen her appearance now they may have wet themselves out of fear she might be a rabid beast. Combing her fingers quickly through her hair she made herself somewhat presentable, sighing as stubborn strand refused to stay put. 

After a couple minutes she finally makes her way to the door and opens it. Immediately she’s greeted by a wide-smiling Inigo, a small bouquet in his hands as he stands by the doorway.

“Oh Inigo!”

Though seeing his face first thing in the morning is welcomed she wonders for a brief second why he was here so early. His greeting answers her question as she begins to realize what day it was. She takes the bouquet from his hands and lifts them to her face, taking a moment to let the scent of fresh flowers fill her senses, a smile drawing on her face as she does so. 

Her cheeks puff into a pout, unsure of what to make of Gaius’ statement. It was both half a compliment and half an insult; a compliment to her still youthful appearance but something about the last part of the sentence seemed to pop a vessel in her temple. 

“I- O-oh!”

Before she could say anything in retaliation the pinkette gets stopped by the sudden appearance of a lollipop. The candy was about as pink as her hair and shaped like a sweet teddy bear. She took the sweet in hand, looking back and forth between both the candy and Gaius, doubly making sure it was ok for her to take it from him. She knew of the thief’s sweet addiction and it wasn’t often that he would willingly give out one of his candies to another person. Even if it was just a random treat from his already ginormous stash Olivia appreciated the gesture.

“Aw... Gaius...”

Her voice began to waver and the dancer sniffled a little, touched by her comrade’s actions. Bringing a hand up to rub her eyes she gave him a small smile and popped the lollipop in her mouth.

“Hm? Oh, what’s this?”

Pink flowers, neatly woven and strung together into a hollow ring, hangs on the knob of her door, a small note poking out from in between a few of the stems and petals. Olivia pulled back some of the flowers, gentle so as not to undo the intricate braid - she felt her heart might shatter if she did - and pulled out the note.

Pink traced the words written across the paper, her curious expression switching to one of gratitude as she reached the end of the message. She had temporarily forgotten it was her own birthday (after all, what was a sense of time when traveling worlds) and couldn’t hold back the growing warmth in her chest. To think that someone would go through the trouble of sending her a gift; the thought made tears start to prick at the corner of her eyes. After reading it over a couple more times she tucked the memo into one of the bands around her arm and placed the flower crown on her head. 

A light shade of pink dusted across her face, slightly embarrassed by the attention she might draw from wearing flowers on her head, but determined to wear them in appreciation of the sender. Though no name was written at the end of the note the dancer had her own speculations as to who the sender might be. Note tucked and crown carefully placed, Olivia turned and headed in the direction of the beach.

making-dough​:

♠  ~ To be quite honest, Farina wasn’t entirely sure how she got here herself. She’d made camp somewhere inland. Least as far as she could tell. Certainly nowhere near the ocean.

But the soft, grainy feel of sand beneath her boots. The tangy taste of sea salt at her lips. The cries of the sea gulls up above. Her senses were all telling her that she was at the beach. The sea. Even if she couldn’t be. There was no way she should be that off-course. Nope. Ilia’s finest couldn’t possibly make that big of a slip-up.

The mercenary gave herself a little pinch. Nope. Not a dream. This was real. Somehow. The bright, dazzling sunlight shining up above. The crashing of the waves upon the sandy shore. The…uh…huge beachside resort - wow, how did she miss that? She should check it out. She might be able to find out something about where on earth she’d ended up.

She shouldn’t have tried. Wandering the hallways just raised even more questions. The clear lack of staff, for instance. A place like this normally needed an army of staff just to keep things running and yet there’s nobody? That was weird.

Farina gave herself a small, confused scratch on the head and continued wandering the hallways of the resort. With any luck, she might be able to find who could tell her where she was and how far it was to Garreg Mach.

A light wooden creak alerts her to the presence of another. An observer. She turns and smiles widely at the approaching pinkette. At last. Somebody in this damned empty place.

“Oh, hey there!”, she greeted with a friendly smile. “I’m Farina. I just-uh-” She couldn’t just say she had just woken up here. That had sounded dumb even in her head. Though, she had to admit that the pinkette looked like she’d just woken up herself. “I just found myself here. You, uh, you wouldn’t happen to know where we are, by any chance?”, Farina asked, scratching her head with a carefree grin.

“Farina, that’s a lovely name.” She shoots the other a shy grin before giving her own. “I’m Olivia. I-It’s nice to meet you.”

It was strange. Thought this should all be a dream the person standing before her looked too detailed—too real—to be a figment of her imagination. She had once heard somewhere that the people one meets in their dreams are actually faces they have come across while they were awake. The dancer wondered if there was anyone who looked like her in the audience at any of her performances. They must have made a great impression on her while she was awake if they turned up this detailed in her dream.

“Oh, uh-”

She paused, deciding it best not to say it was most likely a figment of her imagination. Besides, she couldn’t imagine the devastation she would feel if someone had come and told her she was also part of someone’s imagination. 

“I don’t know where we are no...” Her hands began to run through her hair, undoing knotted curls and brushing out the ends as she looked behind her to the room she woke up in. “I just fell asleep and woke up in this room. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on.”

She brought her hands together and pulled them to her chest—a gesture she had done to keep her nerves down since she was a child—and posed the other girl a question.

🏰 to build a sandcastle with my muse (or just play in the sand) beach asks: accepting

"And I think that went there...”

Soft mumbles filled the air as her hands worked meticulously for her newest sand creation. Feeling just a little homesick she thought it’d be a good idea to recreate a piece from home, one that particularly stuck in her mind even as she traveled across the continent, hopping from town to town. 

Adding a pretty shell to the top of the multitude of white hills as its final touch Olivia took a step back to admire her work, promptly bumping into someone behind her as she did so.

“Eeeek!”

A high pitched squeal escaped her body as she turned to face her new company.

“S-S-Sir Chrom! Milord! C-Chrom!”

She took a step back in shocked surprise, barely catching herself before she stepped on her new sandcastle. The dancer was now a jitter of stutters and mumbles, standing meekly before the Ylissean heir with her head slightly bowed before him. She knew there was nothing to be afraid of—she had spoken with Chrom plenty times before during their time in the Shepherds—but force of habit caused her to switch to her shyer demeanor.

Before he can take a step forward Olivia puts up her hands in front of him, face flushed pink and eyes squeezed shut as she does so. 

“N-No! You can’t look at that! T-This may be presumptuous of me, Chrom, but y-you’re not allowed to look at it! O-O-O-Or else I might...”

She takes a moment to pause, taking a deep breath in before blurting out her next sentence.