#aliberation

[TXT]: when will my wife return from the war [ TXT ] : guess i'll just sit in bed. alone. by myself. [TXT] : cold, abandoned, unloved [TXT]: with only the night to keep me company and the memories of our love. [TXT] : yearning for days past. thinking of the last kiss that happened decades ago [TXT] : RAFAL.

𝐀 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄 — accepting

└ 𝟲:𝟮𝟵𝗣𝗠 𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗟-> 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗟𝗜𝗡: Relax. I just checked my messages right now. Six hours later, yeah, but what of it?

└ 𝟲:𝟯𝟭𝗣𝗠 𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗟 -> 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗟𝗜𝗡: You're acting like a starving cat that hasn't seen its owner in five minutes. Or one that tasted fine caviar for the first time in its life and can't get enough. That caviar being me.

└ 𝟲:𝟯𝟮𝗣𝗠 𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗟 -> 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗟𝗜𝗡: I'm flattered that I've got you head-over-heels crazy for me, but reversely I've got my phone notifs going crazy because of you.

└ 𝟲:𝟯𝟮𝗣𝗠 𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗟 -> 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗟𝗜𝗡: AND I'm looking for a peaceful evening tonight.

└ 𝟲:𝟯𝟯𝗣𝗠 𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗟 -> 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗟𝗜𝗡: So...

└ 𝟲:𝟯𝟯𝗣𝗠 𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗟 -> 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗟𝗜𝗡: I'm blocking you for the next few hours. Bye.

Kind-hearted folk attend the academy in overflowing abundance. On land and off it, Rinea has given up on keeping track of how many have veiled her with urgency and concern — even when she is perfectly out of harm's way, according to her quite prolific and accurate anxiety-fueled calculations.

No, the venomous snakes were not going to sink their fangs into her. No, the experimental spells would not blow back at her. No, the man with volatile mood swings would not —

Thus, when she is ripped away from the hypnosis of swirling waves, Rinea cannot fault the lostcounth hand to jerk her backwards.

Ah. Unique eyes, bold hair, deified countenance, an aura that bequeaths worship of the highest fervor; no alliance, border, creed, birth and death holds any meaning in the vicinity of such a lady. Rinea would not mind it were her arm to be ripped off by those fingers.

Has he always been here? Or did he just show up more recently as well? It's impossible to tell, and her eyes give him a quick inspection from head to toe. "I never thought I'd see you again, Griss."

"Wha--" His teeth snap shut on a prickly "what is it?" when he whirls around on his heel and catches sight of a face unfortunately familiar. He's confused first - why is she so surprised? - and then indignantly amused. A sneer pulls his lips back from his teeth as he helps her close the distance down the hall, one leisurely step after the other.

He'd kept his distance from the Divine Dragon for the past year or so, not exactly out of a willingness to maintain the peace so much as the fact that their paths rarely crossed. And also Lord Rafal seemed rather fond of them - in his own way, of course, but that made the Divine One off limits for any of the Hound's games. But to "never" see him again?

"Kinda extreme, yeah?" He chuckles as he prowls closer like a wild dog. They'd just seen each other not too long ago, after all - at the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, although the Divine Dragon's hair had been shorter then. By a lot, now that Griss thinks about it, but what did he know about the growth speed of a dragon's hair.

Slowly, he starts to circle around behind her, forcing her to turn if she wants to keep an eye on him. A smirk stretches lazily across his face.

“Hey! I’ve got your necklace. I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name… I’m Alear. You really saved my life out there…. Thank you.”

Maybe she’s talking a little quickly, but her head hurts and her body is weak.

“You had my back, and we didn’t even know each other. That kind of kindness is great in my book.”

Does it surprise Matthew to see her hobbling across the field toward him instead of toward the castle?

Not really.

"Hey, hey, take it easy..." She'd caught him in the middle of finding himself a seat - no illustrious endeavour, to be sure. Exhausted as he was, the ground had quickly been deemed as good a place as any. Buuut... Now that she was here, putting in all that effort to shamble her way over to him, it didn't feel appropriate to take a knee just yet. It'd not do to come across too lackadaisical, right?

"Matthew. Nice to meetcha. Rather - nice to see you still in one piece, more like." It's a lighthearted admonishment doled out with an easy grin. It's a bit easier to breathe, a bit easier to relax now that the thick of battle has been seen through. Sheepishly, thief rubs at the nape of his neck. "And, ehhh... Well. It's in everyone's best interests to have each other's backs in that kinda situation, no? Being ambushed in the night like that... Ever a rude awakening, ain't it."

He chuckles, shakes his head, and decides that you know what? Maybe he will sit after all. He's bloody tired, okay? Never you mind that his shiny stunner did most of the work for him. He settles on the ground, draping arms over his knees. It's just a quick breather, okay?

Anyway, the point is: Matthew isn't sure he'd call it kindness, per se.

But much like he'd not convinced her to stick to a casual retreat, he doubts if he'll change her mind here and now.

Sometimes it's just easier to go with the flow.

Out of one fire… and right into another. Do these students have nothing better to do than wander about the corridors? Andrei comes to a halt a few steps from the girl with an oddly familiar hair color, turning and looking past her to ensure the other man hadn’t decided to keep following him, before finally focusing his attention on her.

She moves to produce yet another bag of meat, except this one is labelled and named for what it is. Andrei can’t quite suppress his flinch, taking a step back from the offending food item.

“I am a rider,” he says curtly, “It would necessitate a grave emergency indeed before I would ever partake in such a food.”

That’s... really disturbing, actually. Was the other man holding horse jerky as well? Is this what the monastery feeds its students and staff?

There's not a lot of attention paid to the tea itself, Alear's gaze flickering between the sweets on the table and Alcryst's face. She's happy, truly, to have a chance to sit across from him again, and she can do nothing but pick up one of the cookies from their shared plate... turning it slightly as a light laugh breaks out. "Did I ever tell you that I almost burned the Somniel kitchen down one day?" She muses before popping the cookie into her mouth, letting out a hum of satisfaction at the taste. Just sweet enough, and the jam was delicious. "It was shortly after I woke up. I just really wanted to bake some cookies, and I didn't want to ask anybody else! Turns out that was a bad idea..." ... She reaches for another cookie. "These are definitely way better than the lumps of coal I made. And no lectures and scoldings involved either!"

"What about you, Alcryst? Surely you've had a slip-up once or twice. I think everyone has."

Alcryst gasps. "N-No you have not! I can't imagine how you managed that..."

Well, now that he thinks about it, he's seen his brother make some spectacular messes in that same kitchen. "...I'm sorry. I can see how it might have happened..." Lumps of coal, huh? Alcryst smiles at the mental image of the Divine One scraping off charred cookies from the baking sheet. Vander must have been livid.

"Oh... My slip-ups are far more numerous than just once or twice..." Where does Alcryst start? He could keep the Divine One here all day recounting every failure in his life. And that would get too depressing…

“…Well, there was this one time…” Alcryst trails off, he casts his gaze downward in embarrassment. Still, he presses on, “I was twelve or so. I read in a book that watercress was edible—it’s a plant that grows in abundance where my family likes to fish. So when we all went fishing together, I found a bunch and made a ‘salad’ with it to go with our dinner…”