step by step

However, sword practice required a sparring partner, and he didn’t feel like finding one. Javelin practice on the other hand? It was easy enough to throw a lance around, long as he didn’t hit anyone. 

That being said, when someone called him over for a chat, he wasn’t complaining about the break. 

“Oh, Tethys?” Though he hadn’t seen her since the war ended, she was unmistakable. “It’s great to see you again, I didn’t know you were at the academy.” He also didn’t know that she knew his name (but he was pleased about it). And she’d been looking for him? And watching him train? He was pleased about that too. 

“I do my best.” He says, casually twirling his lance in his hand. Somehow, he doesn’t drop it. “According to the academy, I’m a master lance fighter.” He chuckles, the way this place did classes was fun.

"Yes, it's so great to see you. How impressive that you train so much! I really admire a man with diligence." "Yes, I've arrived not too long ago myself. This place really is nice."

If he was here, she wondered how many others were here at the academy. Well, not that it mattered much. What was the best way to ease into this....

"I'm sure you've practiced quite hard with your lance, Forde," Tethys tells him. "Very admirable." A little fluttering of her eyelashes and she waits.

"I haven't seen any sign of an enemy. This place is off, but it does not feel malicious. Have you seen something?" Usually Ephraim would focus on gaining his bearings and then plan from there, but this landscape shifted constantly that doing so would be a difficult task.

He did not make a comment on her use of his title. As much as part of him wished to be more personable, it was not something he could afford in his station.

"That's good," Tethys said. After all, if there had been an enemy of some sort.....

But then, where were they? What was this? King Ephraim seemed unusually calm. Maybe she was the only one going mad. The landscape continued to shift with variations in light and color. It was difficult to tell what was real and illusion.

The forest continued for multiple leagues. One could easily get swept away in the foliage. She was lucky, then, to have found him. 

"Huh?" A staircase? Tethys moved her head around to see a glittering staircase descending from the trees, seemingly made up of a mosaic of gemstones.

And then she volunteered him to work here.

“I said no such thing,” Innes said, appalled. It wasn’t that he didn’t care; if he didn’t, he would have freed himself from Tethys and walked away. She didn’t seem particularly strong, and the right move could knock most people off balance. Still, he wasn’t exactly dressed for it. Dressed how he was, was it not an insult to the poor? A subtle brag that he was better than them? In a sense, he was, but even to him, this was tacky.

Her arm tightened. She had to play stupid. "Oh but Prince, don't you know these people have been asking about you? They've been waiting all day to be in your very magnificent presence. Now, come on! We can't keep these lovely people waiting. 

A finger wagged in his face. "Now, now. Sometimes you've got to attack these things head on! Think back to when you were stranded in Carcino with me and the Chief. Did your command ever falter?"

A lord? 

Nasir lets out a soft sigh. What was she doing thinking about Lynet in a place like this? Now wasn't the time for reminiscing about a long gone past, now was it?

"It is not that I do not like entertaining others, I simply do not enjoy the customers that are finding their way to this place," Though she was preferring to stick to the wall in this place, getting paid simply to observe the room, Nasir was still an experienced actor. Well, in a way, that was.

"Yes, I couldn't agree more," Tethys mouthed with a grin. While this was an easy job on paper, it always tended to attract the less-than-savory types. The ones who looked at you for too long, whose hands grabbed out and needed just that extra little discipline. Tethys' lips thinned. How could she ever forget? It was hard not to. She didn't sign up not knowing, but only with the pay in mind.

"Only important people say that. Or so I've learned in my line of work," she twiddled with the straw of her beverage, placing the cup down. "I won't press you for details, but you seem way too dignified to be nothing."

"Oh, sure," she started off. "I'll play along. Sounds fun." The orb was...less interesting, glistening creepily, but a girl's gotta do what she can to have fun. "I'll find someone who has those answers for you. We'll meet back here."

Well, scratch that. Now she's gotta find some hulky guy who she can charm into giving her the answers. Where's a good place to start... The dancer changed directions and started prancing to the training hall. Was there not a better place to cherry-pick men? 

Despite the later hour, there were many still working at their technique at the hall. Crimson eyes watched carefully. Oh wasn't that..... They didn't really know each other per se, but it couldn't hurt.

He couldn’t say what he was busy with - some important task or another. Of course, he did notice the line of people heading towards the soup kitchen. Innes wasn’t blind to the plight of the poor, far from it. No matter where one went, there was always a less fortunate side, a part of the country that its rulers could not protect. Innes hoped, when his time came, that he would have none of these blind spots. A king was only as good as his people; and who would he rule if they all died?

He didn’t realise that he had lost himself in thought until an arm looped into his. No one would have the audacity. No one, of course, except- “Tethys? What are you doing here?” It wasn’t exactly a short walk from Magvel to Fódlan, after all. “Unhand me at once.” He didn’t try particularly hard to slide his arm free. Perhaps, in a sense, he did enjoy Tethys’ physical affection.

Would he admit that? No.

“And why, exactly, am I following you?” he asked. He could tell her no. If they were not old friends(? The title was debatable, though it said a lot about him that Tethys was one of the closest things he had to a friend), he could not entertain the notion. He would wrench his arm free and storm away. But Tethys did have a certain charm to her; not even Innes remained unaffected by her charms. He supposed that was the skill of a dancer.

Her arm pulled him closer. "Don't you see all those hungry folk?" Her voice came out calm and soothing. "They've likely had nothing to eat for days. They waste away in this territory with nothing and no one to help them. Only this lone kitchen comes to their aid."

"That's why you're gonna help me, Prince. You're all here alone in these beautiful clothes with likely more coin than you can manage. I'm sure you have some plan in that terrific head of yours. But it's time to actually use your hands for once to help the needy."

"Now that we're done with that ----" Tethys skipped off to the kitchen, pulling Innes along.

Green faded to shades of cerulean and azure that streaked through the foliage and canopy. Baubles of light floated just above the ground, stirring only as he passed before settling back into place amid the mist that had risen. When he turned, the greenery from moments before had faded, even though he had only walked a few paces.

And the longer he looked, the more surreal the landscape grew. The night sky floated in the waters of a nearby river, planets and stars swirling in the currents, and he watched as owls and other fauna peeled themselves out of bark and greenery alike to take flight.

He almost couldn't believe it when he saw Tethys of all people step out amid the mists but she looked more real than anything else.

But now the king stands in front of her. Tethys had heard tales of his exploits, no doubt. Someone like her did not casually talk to the likes of him. It was a bit uncomfortable, but that didn't mean there wasn't room for mischief. 

But first.....where were they? All Tethys remembered was being sucked into the portal, and now this. There were no signs of any towns. Strange beasts moved slowly in shimmering lights and then disappeared.

The strange man told her she’ll find someone to teach her. She didn’t expect that person to be Tethys. Ewan’s older sister, and a close friend of hers. The beautiful scarlet dancer was everything she wasn’t, despite that they get along well. Marisa thought, We are alike in a way, both dedicated to an art that suits us.

Being pulled into a hug before she can even process anything was surprising, at first she was embarrassed and stiff, muttering out a weak, nervous, “...T-Tethys. It’s been too long.” But after a brief moment she relaxes, and returns the embrace while responding to her question, “I’ve been fine. It’s strange here.” She left it at that, there were so many things she had experienced at the monastery so far that she had never experienced before, this included.

"It's nothing to be nervous about," Tethys says with a laugh. "I just want you to be in some clothes that are easier to move around in. You can be as covered up as need be."

But she couldn't deny she was excited at the proposal. Marisa was always elegant and precise with the blade. This seemed like such a fun way to test the waters. Too bad they couldn't spend more time discussing this new land. Tethys had so many questions to ask Marisa - there were so many things she wanted to know, especially since Marisa likely arrived there first.

"First, we'll just look through what we have on hand," Tethys started, digging through piles and piles of clothing. "Really, just anything that makes your movement easier.

"Relax, you don't have to dress like me," she adds with a giggle. "But I'm sure with our final dance we should wear something flashy."

She did not order Cheese. There is a Cheeseburger on the menu, and she could have had it if she so desired. She need only have the eyes to read it. Alas, even that is beyond these mortals. The question in turn, then, should be more similar to:

Such a basic order, and you cannot even communicate it properly?

All these thoughts, but little ability to put it to speech. Pale throat bobs, struggling to find the words to begin making clear to this woman that this is clearly noones fault but her own and that she brings nothing but disruption and a lack of gratefulness to this establishment for feeding her, but the woman only takes his involuntary silence as invitation to begin shouting at the morph again. Empty threats.

So Denning continues to stare blankly, at somewhat of a loss. Not being rewarded is all the same to him, but to criticise him for a job perfectly done is new. In this case, the interruption is nearly welcome. His feet smoothly slide a few steps back as his coworker steps in, words coming to her far more readily. Golden eyes slide to the red-haired woman, then back to the dissatisfied Customer.

"You're kicking me out." The Customer says, dumbfounded, before her voice rises: "You're kicking me out?! The audacity—" And has the audacity herself to push back, fair frothing at the mouth. "I'm not done yet, don't you dare placate me! You there, let me see your name tag, I'm reporting you to your manager— Both of you— This is unacceptable!!!"

"Yes, yes. it's so very unacceptable. But we simply can't have you treating our staff that way. Cry about it later and think about your actions, alright?"

This didn't seem good enough for the woman. 

"How dare you. Do you - Do you even know who I am?" Her hand faced towards her chest. "A dirty peasant like you better kiss my shoes and beg for forgiveness!!"

Tethys glanced from Denning to the woman and back. Dirty peasants, huh? Well, she hoped the woman had enough spark to go against her. They had done nothing wrong in the first place. Hardly. This restaurant was no place for her lordly attitude!

"Boy, show the woman the way out. We'll make it so this woman can nevercome back. I don't care what upper management says."

back, sender gives receiver a back hug.

beckon, sender beckons receiver closer with a finger.

blood, sender cleans blood off of receiver.

book, sender helps receiver get a book from a higher part of the shelf.

care, sender takes care of receiver when they're sick.

catch, sender catches receiver by the waist after they bump into each other.

choke, sender saves receiver from choking by giving them the heimlich.

cold, sender places their jacket over receiver's shoulders.

cry, sender wipes tears off receiver's face with their thumbs.

dance, sender sticks a hand out to receiver and invites them to dance.

dip, sender skinny dips in front of receiver and invites them to join.

dog, sender's dog pulls them in receiver's direction.

drive, sender drives receiver somewhere in their car.

drag, sender drags receiver into a room and closes the door behind them.

draw, sender draws receiver like one of their french girls.

face, sender turns receiver's face towards them.

flower, sender gives receiver a flower.

footsie, sender initiates footsie with receiver under the table.

forehead, sender presses their forehead against receiver's.

grab, sender grabs receiver's wrist to stop them from leaving.

jump, sender jumps onto receiver's back.

kiss, sender kisses receiver.

link, sender links arms with receiver while walking.

massage, sender offers receiver a massage.

patch, sender patches up receiver's wounds.

piano, sender teaches receiver how to play the piano.

pin, sender pins receiver's hands behind their back.

pluck, sender plucks something out of receiver's hair.

press, sender presses receiver against a wall.

propose, sender proposes to receiver.

quiet, sender gestures for receiver to be quiet.

rest, sender rests their head on receiver's shoulder.

serenade, sender serenades receiver with a song.

sign, sender walks into a sign and receiver sees.

size, sender measures the size of their hand against receiver's.

shoes, sender removes receiver's shoes for them.

sun, sender rubs sunblock onto receiver's back.

tattoo, sender gives receiver a tattoo.

tie, sender helps tie receiver's tie.

tuck, sender tucks receiver's hair behind their ear.

umbrella, sender lets receiver under their umbrella.

warning, sender presses a knife against receiver's neck as a warning.

So she'd help out. It's the least she could do. Checking with the soup kitchen staff, it seemed they were already lacking. It worked out just fine! First off, she would do a walk around the building and see who was needing. Yes, she was ready to help out. She could feel it. Any chance to give back was an honor.

As she walked around the unit, Tethys saw more grim and needy faces than she'd like to. Perhaps this land didn't treat its people any better. But that man seemed rather nicely dressed for the occasion. 

Wait. Huh? Prince Innes of Frelia? Oh by the Gods. 

Leaping, spinning, twirling, to his side, she looped an arm through his and held him for a moment. "Well if it isn't the darling Prince Innes! Think you can help me out for a sec?" Her smile glistened as the warm sun up above, but she was not taking no for an answer. "Princey," she chided, "I'm afraid you'll have to come back with me to the main building for questioning." A nefarious grin smelt her features. Yes, he was rather well dressed to the coin.

She lay wait at night for the last watch to leave, drunken in their stupor, and examined the gate. It seemed pretty normal at first glance. Yet when she pushed it open even a smidge, a strange, glowing light emanated from the crack. That was no normal closet or shed! Well, she just had to investigate a bit more. As she pushed the door farther, Tethys felt her body being grabbed forcefully, unable to move. Before she knew it, she was pulled through the green light.

When she opened her eyes again, Tethys saw a different sight. An enormous forest with overgrown trees surrounded her. Was this really Fodlan? Strange floating objects began to surround her. Were they alive? They looked like animals of some kind. As she reached out to touch one of the beastly things, her hand passed right through it. I need to get out of here.

Tethys walked. She didn't know where she was going but she needed an out. After 20 minutes or so, another human came into view. She had to see them whoever it was. Her pace increased just so she could see their face. Teal hair outlined his visage. 

No. The king? 

I must remain calm.

"You wouldn't happen to know the way out of here, would you?" she asked, pulling on her million-dollar smile.