harmony

there’s a brief war across his brow: of want, of wish, of duty. claude has always been kind, if not playful, and dimitri has always been somewhat enraptured with it– in his easy smiles and carefree friendship. it has never been something dimitri has particularly deserved, nor something he’d worked hard to earn, yet it existed no less and puzzled him so. he was glad for it, certainly, but would not betray himself by ignoring the expectation of a catch– of some kind of battle needing to be won, some inevitable wound to dodge.

(  he could count on one hand the amount of people who still called him merely by name. the amount of people who would readily offer their hand, so. no tricks, no lies, no riddles.  )

❛ Well– alright.   I suppose there is no harm in it. ❜

decision made, he braces himself against the trees rough bark, practiced fingers undoing latches, removing greaves, and lastly his boots. just the boots, uniform remaining impeccably intact despite further temptation. not entirely what his companion had asked for, but a compromise. bare feet seek joy upon blades of grass, footsteps drawing him closer to waters edge– and quietly, he sits upon its bank. breeches rolled up to pale knees, toes delicately dip then trace the surface of the water: attention downwards and curious. 

❛ It is rather nice. ❜ 

so it wasn’t quite what he had been after, but once pale toes hit the water he found himself feeling satisfied. despite his egging on, he wouldn’t go so far as the force dimitri to do something that he didn’t want to do. the point was to take a break, and this seemed to be quite enough to have his point be made. ❝ there we go! ❞

        he rested back, floating atop the water’s surface as he closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling of the sun against his skin. where they were hadn’t been too arid or dry, and it wasn’t cold either. it was as if the goddess had blessed them with perfect weather, but claude wasn’t the type to go thanking her for it any time soon.

❝   a vacation,   you say  … ?   hmm.   well,   in the empire,   most nobles have country or seaside villas,   where they retreat to when the government recesses in the summer,   to escape the gruesome heat.   ❞   he draws a gloved index along his jaw as he explains   —–   then it drops to fold across his chest,   nose ticked in the center with annoyance. 

❝   however,   i am of the opinion that  too many idle nobles retreat far too often.   when i am prime minister,   i will never take a vacation.   there can be no rest when it comes to leading the empire’s people.   ❞

❝ is that so? ❞ claude watches ferdinand carefully, finding his ranting to be much more than just that. it’s admirable to see someone so young find that nobles were being too idle, and want to make things right. sometimes he couldn’t help but think that all of the other students here really were so amazing in their own rights. this was surely ferdinand von aegir’s.

 ❛ One of us must. ❜ 

He plays at a chide, despite the smile wonky and lopsided upon his face.

 ❛ Edelgard might return soon. ❜ 

An excuse.

 ❛ Ah– It would be best for me to stand guard. ❜ 

And another– a little wobbly this time, already running out of simple reasoning. As a boy, Dimitri would have been first in line to play; eager for the thrill of it, for the grins and laughter and joy. A splash of frozen water would prompt a child’s yell, a friends retaliation, an easier time, riddled an old nostalgia– and the innocence that lives no more.

Still, he longs. Waffles further, and longs more. Oh to be carefree again. Oh to not feel guilt for it.

❝ dimitri. ❞ his tone is a little bit more firm, but it still has a jovial edge to it. he knew the other house leader is just trying to come up with excuses, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be long until he’s out of them.

           ❝ what do we need guarding from? just hurry up already! ❞ he then dunks himself under the water to swim around a bit, popping back up soon after. he laughs, obviously enjoying himself. he pushes his hair back from his face, then looks back to the blonde before reaching his hand out to him. 

Frown turns to scowl, confusion to distaste.

❛Useless.❜ 

The word leaves his tongue like an unpleasant morsel, mouth angled down in displeasure, brows marred with– resignation, maybe. Disappointment, certainly. Perhaps it had been foolish of him to expect more from mere appearances, but for each blow, for each fracture, his back grew stronger: sturdier in kind.

❛As useless as it may be, that is who I am.❜ 

What he says is this: I am of Duscur. There is hassle in this. It would be best to stay away.

What he means is this: I am of Duscur. I am proud of my heritage. It will not be taken from me.

❛My warnings are not just for show.❜

a grimace fills his features as he sees how the other reacts, and he knows that the words he chose were not the right ones. ❝ forgive me -- that was in poor taste. ❞ he puts his hands up defensively and quickly shakes his head. this was going the exact opposite of how he had intended it to go.

        ❝ useless was the wrong word. you’re from duscur and you are proud of that. as you should be. ❞ he told him with a firm nod. now he had to consider how he was going to fix this exactly. how honest could he truly be without giving away his true lineage as well? ❝ what i meant was that i don’t care where you’re from because i want to create a fodlan where such things don’t matter. i want people to be judged based on their merits and their actions, not the blood that runs in their veins or the color of their skin, or anything else that are matters beyond their control. ❞

— @stagcrested· !

  ❛ Claude–! ❜  

There’s laughter in his tone despite how readily he frets: steel plated boots stubborn against the rivers bank, unwilling to shed the outerwear that the other house leader had so swiftly removed in cheer. They are in private, here. Forest leaves and tree branches shielding them from view from the road mere paces back, packs laid to rest against the grass, weapons tilted carefully upon old bark– although Dimitri hesitates to leave them as such. 

For as much as the splash of water threatens to invite him in, well– Someone had to keep them on track, surely.

  ❛ Aren’t we a little old for this? ❜  

❝ i dunno, your princeliness -- ❞

             claude busies himself with neatly folding the clothes he had so easily shed. it was an odd juxtaposition given how quickly he’d decided to take off the garments once he’d confirmed that this little location against the riverbed was private enough for them both. ❝ aren’t you a little young to be worrying about everything all the time? ❞

once his clothes are situated, he jogs down to the water, dipping his toe in to test it out, then wades right in. he sighs in sweet relief, the water being inviting and refreshing after a long day on his feet.

His frown deepens, riddled with the strain of it. Again, he must go through this motion. Again, he must warn someone of ramifications outside of his control, that hurt him more than it would ever hurt another. To speak this way felt like a betrayal, each and every time– yet it was a motion well practiced, one required out of necessity than desire. 

❛Then you must not know that I am a man of Duscur.❜   

A pause, and then a stern glance. 

❛And what that might mean for your reputation.❜  

Whatever it was that Claude bothered himself with hardly mattered– there were plenty other students available for small talk and other such socializing. His options were hardly limited, and Dedue would rather those options remain that which carried less in the way of risk.

❝ what? oh -- i know all about that. i don’t really care about that. ❞ he can tell there’s conviction in the other’s tone, and while his own background is and shall remain a mystery to his fellow students, he knew deep down that he could not bring himself to act against what he truly believed in. refusing to befriend dedue because he was of duscur would be hypocritical of him.

❛❛   don’t talk to me!   ❜❜   half a growl, half a shout & yet he did not move. for there was something in claude’s words that resonated within him, that stroke him as the truth. oh, if only his mind wasn’t a tangle of thoughts where it was impossible to ascertain truth among too many lies. dimitri was not quite there yet. it was a shame claude was the one to pay the prize, at the wrong time at the wrong place.

❛❛   you know nothing about this, stop pretending!   ❜❜   it hurt to say it, maybe hurt to hear it. dimitri did not understand why.   ❛❛   fall back or i will have to kill you.   ❜❜

claude still did not falter. ❝ i will not! ❞ he had no interest in ruling dimitri’s kingdom, or the empire, or any of fodlan -- all of this was part of a grander scheme to break down walls and live in peace and harmony someday. though, he’d already killed so many from his academy days. he didn’t want to add dimitri to that list. so here they stood at an empasse on gronder field.

❝   hello,   claude.   i would be happy to help !   ❞   a friendly smile wicks his lips,   and he tosses a hand outward as if to interrupt himself.   ❝   and if i may,   i am the superior choice.   lorenz is indeed a fine noble   —–   and my dear friend !   —–   however,   when it comes to matters of the nobility,   i am more knowledgeable by far.   it was prudent of you to come to me.   ❞

Please repost, do not reblog Bold what applies to your muse!

DEFENSIVENESS

arms crossed on chest // crossing legs // fist-like gestures // pointing index finger // karate chops // stiffening of shoulders // tense posture // curling of lip // baring of teeth

REFLECTIVE

hand-to-face gestures // head tilted // stroking chin // peering over glasses // pipe smoker gestures // putting hand to the bridge of the nose // pursed lips // knitted brows

SUSPICION

arms crossed // sideways glance // touching or rubbing nose // rubbing eyes // hands resting on weapon // brows raising // lips pressing into a thin line // strict, unwavering eye contact // wrinkling of nose

OPENNESS & COOPERATION

open hands // upper body in sprinters position // sitting on the edge of a chair // hand-to-face gestures // tilted head // slacked shoulders // droopy posture // feet pointed outward // palms flat and facing outward

CONFIDENCE

hands behind back // steepled hands // baring teeth in a grin // rolling shoulders // tipping head back but maintaining eye contact // chest puffed up/shoulders back // arms folded over abdomen

INSECURITY & ANXIETY:

chewing pen or pencil // rubbing thumb over opposite thumb // biting fingernails // elbow bent/closed gestures // clearing throat // “whew” sound // fidgeting in chair // hand covering mouth whilst speaking // poor eye contact // tugging at ear // rubbing the back of their head // swaying // playing with pointer/marker // smacking lips //sighing // rocking on balls of feet // flexing fingers sporadically

FRUSTRATION

short breaths // “tsk” sounds // tightly-clenched hands // fist-like gestures // pointing index finger // rubbing back of neck // snarling // revealing teeth/grimacing //sharp-eyed glowers with notable tension in the brows // shoulders back, head up - defensive posturing // clenching of jaw/grinding teeth // heavy exhale

Tagged by: @slvrbnd​ ( thank you! )

❝ ah, what a curse it is to be blessed with a handsome face. ❞