#aedsunderstudy

Laylea offers up what at first seems to ‘just’ be quite a nice picture of a part of Judgral, one that would already have Panette fairly interested. But the tale she shares afterwards? It may be a mere story, but at the same time…

“That seems like the best course of action! Though, he says she just emerged from the lake you say? Perhaps it is random as to how she chooses to appear, but…” Panette starts muttering, her heart racing at the prospect of a way to encounter a proper spirit for once.

The mention of Jugdral is enough to set Andrei on edge after the meetings with Ethlyn and Beowolf, and even more so when the possibility of recognition is brought up. His gaze darts quickly over her face before turning away, brows furrowed.

"And pray tell, how am I meant to know?" he asks, voice tight, "Your name is not familiar to me." It's not even a lie — it does not seem like she hails from the heart of Grannvale, and Andrei would've had little reason to be acquainted with foreign women.

“Like Silesse - it’s always felt so inconvenient to get to if you aren’t flying. I hear the mountains get so steep most horses can’t get through… I’d love to see the snow but I’d need a better outfit to survive the cold…” 

She turns to Rhys and grins. “Unless you’re still taking sewing requests?”

"Laylea! It's good to see you again." He moves closer and angles his parasol so that they both may be covered from the sun's harsh glare.

"You're from Jugdral? That's wonderful, it must be nice to be going home. I'm traveling along to see the sights. Seeing new places has always been my dreams."

Hmm. “Well, I’ve seen how well you can defend yourself, so it looks like I won’t have to worry.”

“Laylea!” Maria matches every inch of shine in her smile and then some, more than happy to hoist up her shield and show it off. “Hee hee… yeah! This shield belonged to my great great grandfather — it was made to help dracoknights ward away arrows,” said while rotating her arm and letting the metal glide cleanly through the air, until her voice drops into a conspiratorial hush: “But I think there’s something special about it. Keep it secret, okay?” (And then she laughs to signal that it isn’t a secret at all.)

“My armor?” Fingers dot her chin. “The big red suit? —did they come from somewhere cold?” It’s an honest curiosity, silly though it might sound. Both her armor and the general’s must have stood out from the standard of a heavy metal shell, but to think hers had genuinely mirrored something from the waking world! Her fingertips slide up a little bit more, obscuring the curve of her smile but doing little to mask her laughter. “Maybe he looked more like my sister, then! She wears this pretty red plate armor — they call her the Crimson Dragoon!”

Then, leaning in again, she adds: “She’s a lot taller than me, too. She’s actually really nice, but she’s way better than me at looking all big and imposing… heeheehee!”

Though Laylea’s declaration of no worry puts a different smile on her face, oddly reassured. The corners of her eyes soften, though her voice bursts with energy.

She raises her hand to her silver hoop earrings. Most of her jewelry was gold, or at least gold-coloured. She needed something to match these. “If you were at a market that sold anything your heart desired, what would you be looking for?”

expedition: holy war / embarking!

shiro rests his elbows on the guardrails, brows furrowed as he commits what she says to memory. while he still can’t place it on a map, every new detail he learns about the continent is a help, sparing him from going in blindly.

MILETOS: full of marketplaces. a trading hub? …cheaters love it there.

“sounds like a cool place,” he agrees. “who knows? it’s probably expanded, too. that’s what normally happens after wars. places get rebuilt, people move back, that sort of thing.”

what he doesn’t expect is to be asked a question in turn. surprised, shiro’s elbow drops from its perch and nearly sends his chin smacking into the railing. it’s embarrassing in general, but even more so now that he’s taken a longer look at the lady and realizes she’s actually quite pretty. “uhm.”

ahem. he clears his throat quickly. “anything my heart desired…? uhhh. i dunno if i’ve given that any thought before.”

“Just as he finished his speech, the heavens parted. The sun shone so bright they were blinded, and when they regained their vision 12 radiant figures stood among them. Their leader was a child named Naga, who offered her blood to Saint Heim, and gifted him a tome with the power to vanquish Loptyr.” 

“Each of the twelve crusaders received their holy weapons the same way, and… that’s how humans first received holy blood!” She finishes her story with a flourish.

“At least, that’s how I’ve always heard it. I was raised in Darna’s orphanage, the city where this happened. Sometimes we’d put on performances about it, if there weren’t any Lopt cultists in the crowd.”

“so that story is true?” linhardt replies.  the whole time laylea speaks, he's taking notes, scribbling down her words exactly as she says them to the best of his ability.  he may be missing a word here or there, but once he finishes the story as she says it, his pen pauses.

“for obvious reasons, i found it a little dubious.  at best, embellished for certain.  i suppose it was a much more recent event than the one establishing the system in fodlan…  i wonder if that's why their bloodlines show no signs of dilution?”

they jot that down.  it could be relevant.

Disappointed in her lack of success this yuletide season, Fee drags her feet glumly down the hall. First, being rejected by Altena, then tripping on a student sleeping on the floors, and then to top it all off, getting questioned like some sort of creature by that pink-haired girl! It's not the end of the world, but it really is a big bummer. And so, hearing a familiar voice after all that was her morning comes as a huge relief.

"Laylea! Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes!"

Energy renewed, she bounds toward her, her face setting back into its usual smile. Getting a kiss from Laylea would be a huge honor, sure, but at the very least, Fee is hoping to get some comfort for her woes.

“Oh! You’re Anna, aren’t you?” Laylea clasps her hands together and beams at her teatime partner. “Never thought I’d see you in a place like this. I’ve treasured that sword you gifted me - it’s been so useful, I always wanted to thank you!”

“Oh, and how is Jake doing?”

Teatime - No longer accepting

Anna lightly frowns, eyes looking beyond her guest. She sounds so happy to see her again, but this was the first time they had met. And hearing her go on about a stranger, who should be familiar to her, did hurt. Not in the way that she wanted this "Jake", but rather the longing for someone who maybe understands her situation.

Still, she cannot beat around the bush. One day the truth will come out, and she'd rather it today than later on. "Yes, I'm Anna. No, not your Anna, and I don't know anybody called Jake. There's a lot of us Annas and Jakes out there though, so hopefully you'll be able to yours again."