#lilailes

If she had learned anything from growing up, it was the importance of survival.

Being one of the only girls in her dorm, Florina naturally attaches herself to the other girl. Marni, she thinks is her name. After setting her bag down and realizing how ill prepared she is for this trip, she supposes she must buy something to make the weather a little more tolerable.

She approaches the girl, prepping and muttering to herself beforehand hoping that she would accept. Otherwise, Florina would be staying in the dorm room.

"Um... excuse me..." Florina wait until she's sure she has her attention. Phew. You've got this.

"Would you like to um... go shopping with me?" A beat passes. "M-My name is Florina, by the way. Um... I... I'll pay if you want! I saved some coin from my old job..."

It's easy enough to tell someone "just pack for a vacation", but when the person in question has no concept of what exactly a "vacation" entails, what you end up with is a suitcase packed nearly to bursting with armor, shields, weapons, and seasonally inappropriate blouses. It hadn't been a problem before during her short stints into the heat, but just thinking about how much she'd be sweating day in and day out...

But the heat isn't the only thing smothering here.

It's also in the way the other girl assigned to her room hovers, looking like she wants to say something. Whatever it is, just hurry up and say it already!! Don't just stand there and stare like a little baby deer!!

Marni pointedly ignores the other girl, waiting to see if she'll give up and go away on her own. To her surprise, though, the girl manages to find her nerve when they lock eyes.

Oh?

Ohhhhhh?

"Hmmm..." She says, pretending to think about it even though her mind is already made up. "Alright, Florina! I'll let you take me clothes shopping since you so kindly offered to pay!"

Marni swings her arms, tucking them behind her back. Her old job didn't pay well in anything other than blood.

“Marni!” Florina called to the girl, former roommate, uncharacteristically loud from her usual demeanor. Now having landed back on Fódlan she was a bit harder to pick out among everyone who landed. She clasped her hands together in front of her and rocked on her heels. “Um… Lapis told me you lasted until the end so I just wanted to say you did great! E-Even if our team didn’t win in the end… You did your best and that’s all that matters. Oh and… um…

“We… We can go shopping now! I… I think I owe you a trip, if you’re still not… opposed?”

Team Snakes hadn't won in the end, even after Marni had spent so much time busting her ass in the games. It had been Veyle's team that won, so she couldn't be too mad, but she still wanted to win, dang it! Perhaps even worse than the loss itself is that the fact that the loss overshadowed the fact that Marni had won her last game. She beat a Fell Dragon (ignoring that her half dead fiends had beat his half dead fiends and they hadn't even touched each other) and no one even congratulated her on it! What's the point in trying so hard if no one is even going to praise her for it?

Her savior comes to her in the form of a meek girl who had been eliminated early on. Marni had wondered what had become of her roommate after she had disappeared from their shared room, but she didn't appear to be any worse for the wear if she could raise her voice like that.

"I did do great, didn't I?" Marni brags. "I won every week except for the first! I was pretty much the team's biggest asset and no one even thanked me!"

She holds out a hand to Florina.

"You're the only one who came to tell me I did a good job, so I'll go shopping with you! We can call it my prize for winning the last week."

Florina patrols campus grounds searching high and low for the giant creature. Some flying instructor (to be) she was. No wonder they didn't give her the job, can't even keep track of her own.

It isn't until she rounds the corner does she finally find him. With her hands on her hips, she clicks her teeth teasingly but relieved to have found him.

"There you are, Huey! I had thought you might have gone and found yourself a pretty mare to," she approaches him with a smile before she sees just what might have truly grabbed his attention. She knows him, and she's certain that her pegasus knows him as well.

"L-Lord Hector...! Um..." She glances between her pegasus and the man before delivering a delayed bow. "W-What are you doing here?"

This bloody guy again.

Hector’s had just about enough of him.

“Today,” he growls, lowering himself, tense and ready to pounce, fingers wriggling in anticipation of the wrestling to be had, “it’s you or me, buddy.”

Of course, he’d recognize this particular pegasus anywhere - even by hoofprint, if need be. But as Hector readies to spring forward, he comes to a jarring halt, stopped in his tracks by a voice equally as familiar.

He straightens at once. Scratches sheepishly at the nape of his neck.

“Um. Nothing untoward. I swear it.”

…

But that doesn’t mean Huey is getting away with his many offenses scott-free, either. No. Hector’s going to…

Tattle.

Florina timidly approaches with the intent of introducing herself, but instead a different string of words tumbles out of her mouth. 

“Um… excuse me… Is that your wyvern? She’s really cute… If I had brought my pegasus with me then they could have been friends... maybe.” Though she knows he prefers colder climates, so perhaps she made the right call.

"I KNOW, I KNOW. JUST TRY TO PUT UP WITH IT, OKAY? it's just thirty days." the rumbling of the pink-purple reptile tells him she's not too happy, but at least she's not fighting him like before. guess those magically-chilled head ornaments he got sent from elusia really did help.

grateful rubs to the crown of her head right on a flat bridge of scales win him a few more points ; bright eyes close.

then snap open again, head turning with a hot breath through her nostrils to look over his shoulder. rosado turns too, not even realizing he'd been spoken to until eyes lock with those of the most adorable pastel-lilac-haired girl he's ever seen. but why does she look so nervous?

oh——has she never been around a wyvern before, maybe? opal eyes dart to his partner in question, then he nods. "yeah. her name's carmilla. sorry, i didn't hear you coming."

but the red flash of cloth fastened to hold back her hair marks her as a teammate, so——he offers his best, most dazzling smile, hands on hips with a swoosh of soft-toned curls. "do you want to pet her? you're a girl, so she'll probably like you. promise she's not scary."

"Sister! Farina!" Her legs couldn't carry her fast enough, running after her sister as she has always done. Only this time, it is with a smile brighter than the sun's rays. Despite years of teasing and bickering, Florina can only carry her whole heart with her for her sisters as they are all she has.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Not only is it a familiar face that sets her at ease, but one she is more than comfortable with and who maybe won't mind if she clings to during lunch breaks. Which speaking of... "Why don't we catch up over a meal? I... I've heard the meals here are free, so you won't have to pull out a single coin."

♠ - One shout of her name was all that was needed to catch the mercenary's attention. Farina turned around, just in time to catch her little sister by the waist and spin her around in a large circle. "And I missed you too, Flo!", she exclaimed, finally setting her little sister down onto the ground. "Have you grown? How's things-"