#owain support

The catacombs are dark. It is an unsurprising thought. They are underground. But it had not occurred to Mitama exactly how dark they would be until the light was stricken away from them. The sudden plunge, along with Mitama’s mark growing more and more irate under her sock similarly plummeted her own mood.

The sight of a golem at the other end of the hall certainly does not help either.

Mitama sighs to herself, examining the walls as she grumbles and wonders why the religious heads of the institution did not think to deactivate their defenses before their arrival, when her eyes fall onto a mural that decorates the passage.

The shrine maiden hums curiously. It is religious in origin, clearly, but not anything the shrine maiden can recall hearing of in the preaching. Not that that was unusual either.

Her eyes drift to their newfound mystery guide. Mitama could easily use this as an opportunity to question Rhea and Seteth further, but it would not do well to leave any loose ends. "Might it be possible to receive an explanation of what we are seeing for those of us who are less informed in such matters?"

"Ah, of course!" Faolán steps in front of the group to get a better look at the wall.

Water and time have faded the mural's original colors, and there are parts where you see the bare rock rather than paint. However, you can still make out a large female figure daintly stepping onto a blue floor (tile? water?). Where her foot touches the blue erupts light, clouds and snow and magic, trees and flowers and the animals that leap after them.

"The Creation of Fódlan," Faolán whispers in wonder. "When the Goddess alighted on our world, when it was but a cloudless ocean... even when worn by time, its glory is arresting."

Mitama hums, thoughtful, turning her attention to the mural once more. She cannot deny that it is a gorgeous piece of work. “Why would such a piece be commissioned in a part of the monastery where none would see it?” She wonders out loud, crossing her arms before her. “Surely it would fair better to be displayed openly, for all to gawk at.”

@exaltedxincantations

“Ah...” Valter took the boys hand in his firm grasp and shook it. “I think I remember you... You’re the lad who is always running about in that banana-colored jumpsuit, are you not? With your chest on full display? To what do I deserve this honor?”

          "Oho? Familiar, am I?”

Owain’s head turns at the sudden call, hands going to his hips as he hums, musing.

“You’re not the first to regard me as such; it seems a great many people find me to be something of a recurring figure.”

Most of which seem to be from Hoshido or Nohr, he’s tempted to add, but decides not to give voice to the thought. Instead he takes a moment to size the student up for he, too, regarded her with vague recognition. Aside from the obvious fact that they were housemates, where could he have seen her before? A second comes to pass before realization brightens his mind.

“…However, our fates have entwined once before. Does the tale of the ethereal ball and an offered mint perhaps ring a bell in your memory’s ears?”

He lets out a soft chuckle before patting her shoulder, a show of reassurance.

“If not, pay it no mind, o cata-comrade, for an encounter so brief is sure not to last one’s recollections—— even with one as unforgettable as Owain Dark. Perhaps we ought to make good of this opportunity and make a more memorable encounter!”

“Ah, I remember now.” The man who kept prattling on during the ball. It does explain some of the feeling Mitama has, but she is certain there is something else to her familiarity with the man than a simple interaction.

His manner of speech...it reminds her of Ophelia.

The train of thought is interrupted by...gods be damned, not a pun...Mitama grimaces openly. “I ask kindly that you refrain from such wordplay while we work together. For a wordsmith such as myself, the art of puns is the lowest of literary pursuits, and I would spare myself the burden of hearing them.”

A memorable encounter. She would far rather this be an uneventful divergence from their regular school life. However...recent events have shown that Mitama would perhaps not be...ill-advised to be more friendly with others beyond her realm. She sighs.

“Feel free to pursue such heroic feats. I will remain in the back of the group where I am safe and supportive from afar.” Though in remembering her conversations with the “younger Laslow”, her suspicions still remained. Mitama cleared her throat.