#ferpxforgingbonds

Send an icon to send the muse a gift. Exchange gifts with your old friends and new friends alike! Your family, your lovers, or even a stranger!

Consumable Gifts:

🍫 - Chocolates!

🍷  - Wine!

🍰 - Cake! 

🥄 - A Treat! (Asker’s Choice of food)

Non-consumable Tangible Gifts:

💮 - Flowers!

💝 - A handmade gift! (Asker’s choice)

🐸 - A frog!

🗡️ - A new weapon!

💸 - Money!

💍 - Jewelry!

👕 - Clothing! (Asker’s choice)

🐶 - A Surprise Pet! (Asker’s choice of the animal)

Non-consumable Intangible Gifts:

🗨️ - “Maybe the real gifts were the friends we made along the way...” 

🤗 - A hug!

🖕 - The finger!

Continued from here.

strategematicusrex

“Worry not, Marquess. It didn’t trouble me at all; that is abundant in my land of Frelia,” Innes chuckled. And silently regretted his choice of wording–AGAIN–because of the implication it might cause.

Clearing his throat, he bowed at Eliwood. “I’m Innes of Frelia. Now that I’m a guest in your presence, I suppose my status doesn’t matter before yours.”

“Innes...of Frelia?” Eliwood repeated thoughtfully, his eyebrows slowly drawing together as he searched his memories for the odd sense of familiarity that had come over him. Ah...that name! Could he be Prince Innes? I believe Ephraim has spoke of him in passing once before. Yes...by blessed Elimine, I am certain of it. The way in which he has styled his hair...it is quite reflective of the description Ephraim had once given. With those thoughts, he found himself a bit confused. He hadn’t introduced himself with his title. Did he perhaps wish for him not to know? 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Innes. Now that you have introduced yourself, I am quite certain I heard of you from an...acquaintance of yours? Prince Ephraim has spoke of you once...we are friends.” He explained with a warm smile, hoping to coax some sort of confirmation from the other man.

Eirika sticks out her tongue playfully. “I wasn’t trying to scare you! There is a performer here, and I’m not sure how he did it, but he made a coin appear behind someone’s ear. Of course, he refused to tell anyone how he developed that talent, but I thought I’d try something for my brother.”

She stares at him thoughtfully. “Have you met anyone interesting here? I’ve introduced myself to a few people…” Admittedly, her brother himself will admit that he is not the most socially graceful person, but it does him good to get away from their duties for a while.

“Oh, a street magician?” Ephraim taps his chin thoughtfully. Sleight of hand requires subtlety, which is not something he himself excels at, but he can admire the parlor tricks of others. “Actually, that sounds a bit like Joshua, does it not? Be careful you don’t get scammed.” The line between a con artist and a magician is rather hazy, after all.

@devotedscarletknight continued from here [x]

The stark display of fear and confusion was met by Limstella’s unwavering impassivity, arm still extended in offering. They recognized the expression though - they had seen it on the young lord’s face many a time during the war. And on countless others in the moments before Limstella had pulled the life out of them. But they carried no weapon now, and even if they desired to, could not take Eliwood’s quintessence while he stood at full strength. The fear was irrational.

But then again, that was the nature of emotion.

Limstella returned the ring to their finger. A gift would not work here, it seemed.

“Do you wonder how I stand before you now?” A pause, during which Limstella did not break eye contact, searching for some sort of answer in the man’s eyes, in his face, but all they could find was pain. “I fear that I cannot provide an answer for you. Lord Nergal informed me that I would either be destroyed by your blade, or by his great magic, and yet I continue to exist. It is the first I have ever known my master to be wrong…”

Then they found it, something they recognized, albeit faint and distorted.

It was hard not to feel amused by the way the princess–alright, alright, Queen Eirika now–responded to him. There was something endearing in the way she said how she was his interrogator, and while half of him felt the adrenaline rush because of the challenge, another half wanted to smirk and beg her to just do it.

He scanned people. He interrogated people. He was always the initiator, and not on the receiving end. Eirika had grown to be a formidable sovereign as well as she was a warrior, and her strong personality shone although in the end she was still the Eirika he knew from childhood–the Eirika who would take up challenge as likely as he would.

Right–he shouldn’t forget that she was, after all, sharing Ephraim’s blood.

“I’ll be honored to be interviewed by such regal interrogator,” he said, hoping she did could see that no, he did not at all mean it to be sarcastic. For saving her? Utmost loyalty? There was honesty in wine, they said; so perhaps he could return the courtesy. She seemed to be really, really unreserved at this point.

“I see! So, saving each other grants said person loyalty, is that it, Eirika?” he chuckled, taking her to rise. Why did she even curtsy to him again? It was still endearing, amusing–yet at the same time seeing her drop on her knees before him like that was rather… unsettling. Was it strange that he had no taste of… say, subduing her?

Clearing his throat, he dropped his voice lower. “… Eirika, I never, never forget Carcino–even in my sleep,” he poured himself some water. “I miscalculated everything which nearly cost lives of those who trusted me to command them. When you were there, I learned more than just tactical flaw, Eirika–I never thought I would pray, and yet you came before me; unscathed… no, you rescued me. Despite everything I’ve said and promised you.”

Would she even remember this the following day? Perhaps not. Would he even say this under normal circumstance? Perhaps not. Then hell, why wouldn’t he try his luck with this one? Even if she forgot, he had no regret.

“Eirika, I’m the heir to my throne and a strategist. But I’m also your ally–and friend,” he lifted his glass. “And I do not use princesses and despair as currency. You better forego this idea that I’ll be charging you rent like that.”

… Oh, how the war had made her aware. He wished he could cancel it, but—

“And no. If I seized your lands it would only benefit me in a short, short term, Eirika. Your prosperity grants better stability and growth rather than subjugating you under my rule like that. You curtsied to me, yet you suggest I overlord you?”

Recruiting citizens of Renais–for his army?

He needed the water. Suddenly he wished he could just–perhaps, retrieve her innocence back. Somehow he understood Ephraim’s protectiveness now; as he wondered if Tana ever harbored similar… thoughts and opened up this way to another person.

Suddenly he wished they were children again. Safe and sound, away from cruelty.

Were Eirika thinking more logically, she would have given greater thought to how she approached her questions. As it were, they were rather varied in tone. “All right, Innes. First, is it possible for a pegasus to be afraid of heights? Some people fear them, after all. Second, were you surprised when you heard that I was traveling to Grado in search of my brother? And third... What is your goal in being his rival? At what point is one of you declared the victor?” She imagined Ephraim and Innes urging their grandchildren to wrestle each other for a moment, but quickly dispelled the thought. While she couldn’t speak for Innes, she knew that an heir was far from her brother’s mind.

“Friendship grants loyalty, too.” Why was Innes loyal to her? Was it because she had aided him in Carcino? She looked away from him. No, friendship didn’t mean unconditional loyalty. She sipped from her glass of water.

She nodded in response to his memories of Carcino. “I doubt we’ll ever forget those memories from the war. It’s awful. I know some people use alcohol to escape their troubles, but I’m feeling all the more wretched about everything tonight.”

“I doubt you want to hear this, but in the grand scheme of things, at least you didn’t lose anyone. And I put you in that position anyway. It’s my fault we ended up with this war.” Another sip of water. 

She tilted her head, considering his words. “I trust you, Innes, which probably makes me a fool. But I wouldn’t let you take advantage of my country’s troubles.” She missed the significance of what he said; namely, that he would never attempt to exploit Renais in the first place. “And I do not want you to overlord me?” Where had he gotten that idea?

Silas can’t help but stare at the woman in front of him.

She’s short, to Silas at least, but everything about her makes his heart stop. Her golden gaze is arresting, to the point that he barely realizes that she asked him a question. Silas forces himself to look away from her and clears his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Uh,” he begins, tongue-tied and foolish, “well, that’s one way to look at it. I don’t think it is. When it comes to celebrations, it’s reasonable to go all out with them.

“Where I’m from, celebrations as grand as this are impossible to hold. Food and resources are too scarce. A feast like this could feed our capital twice over.” Dinnertime has come and gone but food still remains at the long tables, each dish arranged carefully as if they were a work of art. And if each dish was a work of art, then the entire feast was a prince’s gallery.

Continued from here.

An odd refusal met the boy. The woman could’ve just said she wasn’t hungry. Though, Dwyer wasn’t one to scrutinize someone’s dialect. It was not in his place to question it. Heaving a sigh through his nose, he set the plate down next to him as he settled beside the party’s other spectator. Really, it was here where the crowd was just the right distance away to observe without being dragged into the heart of the festivities.

His eyes met her briefly before they began to tail a young couple, strolling with their hands intertwined.

“It’s too loud... I’m merely here to be a servant, making sure everyone has their fill of food or whatever.”