In Naga's Name, Amen

so, as i’m sure many of you have noticed. i haven’t really, been around lately.

this is entirely due to my job’s insane hours, and the subsequent lack of free time.

however, despite my best efforts, i’ve really had trouble having fun recently, and balancing two characters i’d picked up back when i had easily quadruple the free time. in addition to this, my headspace hasn’t really been conducive to “fun” anyhow

so, in an attempt to remedy this, I will be dropping Vanessa and Libra, and picking up someone new.

in fact, i’ll probably pick them up by the end of the week. 

i have had, a really great time, playing these characters with you all, and maybe in the future i can pick them back up. but it’s time for a change, i think.

The sound of a sharp breath draws Cordelia’s eyes to Libra instantly, and she can see all the little ways that guilt settles itself into his features. Before she can even think, she finds herself shaking her head; something about the monk just draws out her gentler side, and she thinks it might just be telling of what kind of person he is. 

“Don’t be,” she reassures him. “I was the one who assumed you needed the paint, after all.” 

The pegasus knight is silent for a moment after that. Her words sound so… dry, somehow, and even more so when she remembers who she is talking to. From their few interactions thus far, she has sensed a sort of… tenderness, perhaps? in Libra’s demeanor, and it feels almost criminal to leave him with words that are so purely factual. She adds, more quietly, then: “Besides… It’s nice, spending time with you.” 

Feeling slightly silly, Libra nods. Acquiescence. As she says, it...must be. Nice, to spend time with him? She is too kind to him. So he verbalizes, “Oh, okay.” A lame response to her kind words, as he busies himself with tidying the paints under his hand. Kind colors, the ones Cordelia had pointed out to him, and others. All good.

“Oh, no…she lives in Nohr, I believe.” Unless he was talking about someone other than the Nohrian retainer.

Setsuna looked over the trap to see what kind it was. Not a particularly good one, she concluded. Shame, he deserved a good experience.

“My name is Setsuna.” She reminded him. “I know my singing was great, but I didn’t think it was good enough to make you forget my name.”

He’ll have to ask.

She had always been too inept with the people she had cared for, she knew. Being too used to conducting herself sharply, she felt at loss: with Libra’s apology, she shook her head, reaching over to hook her fingers into the fabric of his sleeve gently.

Libra was a dear friend. There was a guilt, in not knowing whether to hold him or to treat him like glass. So she settled for the middle ground, averting her eyes. (If he were smiling, then she would fail to believe it- and she was frightened to be lied to). She had spent far too long in the comfort of Libra’s company. It was only proper to try and return the favor. Her voice rounds out, to something softer.

“… You’re a capable fighter… a wonderful confidant, an invaluable friend-… I…” She paused, tugging at the hem of her sleeve. “I regard you highly, Libra, though I’m unsure how much that’s worth. I care for you deeply. Please don’t apologize, unless you feel that you must.”  

“It’s necessary.” Libra says firmly. His voice is...pained, though he doesn’t slip again, he doesn’t cry, or laugh. “I have much to apologize for.” For lying, for- Oh, Robyn...There is so much he regrets. So much he would undo if he were able.

He might tell her, if she asked, but his shame...might kill the words before they leave his throat. He’s...now matter her conclusions, they’re not truly made - he’d let her think, and now every compliment stung even as it was kindly meant. There’s so little...

Robin had noticed the blood on their coat only a few minutes before Libra had pointed it out. It was a rather occassion where they pair of them were fighting together. Both had started out with different partners, but the way things went that had changed. 

Robin isn’t too concerned about if the stave doesn’t heal them for much health. Anything at the moment would be good. Besides they trust in Libra’s abilities to get something worthwhile from the heal. Just enough to continue on. That was all that they needed truly. So Robin moved closer to Libra, giving him an encouraging smile. 

“Just take the time you need. You don’t need to rush right now.” They were relatively safe for the time being. Robin would prefer that Libra just focus on healing more than any prospect danger or urgency.

The familiar warmth of healing magic washes over them. Not as strongly as if someone like Lissa was performing magic or anything, but it is there regardless. They can feel their wounds start mending, although it’s not enough to fully heal them. It’s fine. Robin isn’t in as much pain and the small headache growing starts to already ebb away. “I think that’s enough.”

(“Channel the energy, the magic, Calum’s boy, a cycle, a circle. Back to yourself, that’s right, and again. Again, Calum’s boy, healing can be soothing to both parties, if it hurts you’re recycling the energy wrong. Again, boy, once more, you’re doing well. Almost right. One more time-”) Enough. Libra startles, fingers numb from gripping the stave so hard.

“How is it different?”

Nothing should have distinguished her parents from any other corpse. Did blood make them family? And her foster father, who gave her no more love than the ones who abandoned her–was he family because she grew up under his roof?

“I…find it hard to accept things ‘just happening.’ There has to be a backup plan to account for everything.” 

Feeling exhausted, Libra sighed. “There aren’t plans for everything. There can’t be.” Even when he wanted to blame himself the most, he knows there was no way he could have planned for being...for being the last. Or for his inability to correct assumptions. How could he have planned for that? 

How could anyone have planned for that?

“Lots of things in life are hard,” Libra says finally, an edge to his voice in his exhausted frustration. “You cannot plan for all of them, and this is one reason why people turn to the divine.” It would have been satisfying, here, to throw up his hands and snarl, but inappropriate.

Setsuna looked up at the sound of his voice. He was closer than she expected and she paused her answer, watching him curiously. She did her best not to lean into him too much, tilting her head as she watched him reach for her.

She blinked as she felt something slide into place and reached up once his hand was cleared. Her fingers gently ran against the petals and she smiled, letting out a quiet laugh.

stainedglassmonk:

Oh.

Feeling warm, he exercises his still giddily newfound comfort with brief contact (with Setsuna at least), to wrap his fingers around the hand gripping his sleeve. 

“Of course I accept, Setsuna.” 

Flowers forgotten, he squeezes her hand.

Setsuna’s face split into a wide grin as she lifted her head once more. “Oh…okay! Good!” The hand on her face fell away. He actually wanted her.

She let go of his sleeve and moved her hand until she managed to link her fingers with his. “I’m glad…I’m really glad.” She brought their hands over towards her and pressed her lips against their linked fingers.

Laughing softly, he echoes her. “Good,” and rubs his thumb across the back of her knuckles. Her kiss tingles along his skin, and he wants to never pull away. He does though (reluctantly), and slides the flower merchant the coin required.

Setsuna looked up at the sound of his voice. He was closer than she expected and she paused her answer, watching him curiously. She did her best not to lean into him too much, tilting her head as she watched him reach for her.

She blinked as she felt something slide into place and reached up once his hand was cleared. Her fingers gently ran against the petals and she smiled, letting out a quiet laugh.

He ducks his head, embarrassed a little, “Well, that’s the idea. Enough flowers to make the trade worth it? Though It might not…it’s not going to be enough, Setsuna, there aren’t enough flowers in the world.” 

A garden could be nice though, if he didn’t have such a hard time keeping plants alive. He’d blame the desert and his childhood, but he’d spent more time in Ylisse’s plains than he’d ever had in Plegia’s sands.

He was trying to kill her. All this was just an elaborate murder attempt because she felt like she was burning and he was so beautiful and perfect it was unfair, how was she supposed to be able to respond to something like that? “That…that might be too many flowers.” She said sheepishly. “Not enough for the rest of the world if you take them all…”

Feeling warm, he exercises his still giddily newfound comfort with brief contact (with Setsuna at least), to wrap his fingers around the hand gripping his sleeve. 

“Of course I accept, Setsuna.” 

Setsuna looked up at the sound of his voice. He was closer than she expected and she paused her answer, watching him curiously. She did her best not to lean into him too much, tilting her head as she watched him reach for her.

She blinked as she felt something slide into place and reached up once his hand was cleared. Her fingers gently ran against the petals and she smiled, letting out a quiet laugh.

Setsuna looked up at the sound of his voice. He was closer than she expected and she paused her answer, watching him curiously. She did her best not to lean into him too much, tilting her head as she watched him reach for her.

She blinked as she felt something slide into place and reached up once his hand was cleared. Her fingers gently ran against the petals and she smiled, letting out a quiet laugh.

Here’s some examples to start you off-

Confess! Are you turned on by [insert kink here]?

Confess! Do you like [insert name here]?

Confess! Is it true that you once [insert odd/silly activity here]?

Confess! Are you scared of [insert fear here]?

Confess! Did you cry during [insert movie here]

Libra kicked his shoes off into the closet before falling over the armrest of his ratty couch, getting comfortable even as Setsuna perused his meagre selection of rented movies. “I wasn’t sure what to get, so I got a little of everything,” he admits.

Gosh he was tired. But it was worth it, to hang out with one of the more tolerable archery club members. (He frowned at the thought, but even to himself he couldn’t hold the pretense that Setsuna isn’t his friend. Well, not very well, at least.)

“Alive and kicking.” She mumbled in agreement. Whoever the killer was in this movie, they seemed to enjoy toying with victims as long as he could. If she was honest, the movie was starting to unnerve her somewhat. It wasn’t necessarily unnerving in the way certain horror movies are, but something about it was starting to get to her. How anyone could stand this much killing on a day to day basis…

She felt Libra’s head get closer to her leg and looked down at him (thankfully, missing the next victim to get grabbed). Libra seemed to be falling asleep next to her. With a snort, she stopped playing with his hair and gave a light tug. “Falling asleep on me, Grandpa?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to continue this film on her own.

“No...” Libra denied, eyes sliding closed until the Setsuna pulled his hair gently. That woke him up, an electric shock down his spine in a shivery way. “Well, maybe.” He admitted, rubbing at one eye.