#tera;

She's exhausted and he could tell, but he still managed to call out to her from across the battlefield, to not yield under and circumstances. They had to win. She knew it too. With a heavy heart, she knocked another mana arrow, letting it fly and as it did, multiples into a multitude more, raining down upon what enemies remained. Falling to her knees, the last bit of her energy expended, a exasperated chuckled left her barely parted lips. The enemy was in full retreat. They'd won, for now. * A fresh bouquet of flowers rested in her lap, gaze withdrawn to the sky, thoughts of the 'good old days' stuck in her mind. How long had it been since his passing. She'd clearly lost track. His significant had all but dropped off the radar, closing himself off to the world in his dismay. There was no contact between them since his passing and she wondered even know if he was still alive. She would make that long trudge up that hill again, to his grave and read the tombstone, trying and failing to hold back tears. Even for her, the sorrow was too much to bear and yet, here she was, still holding on. Holding on to hope, even if it was a tarnished ideal. She had something to hold on to. He was one of the greatest men she had ever known and she wished he were still here. "Why did they have to take you away from us?" She questioned in a flat tone. Couldn't it have been someone else? "Why couldn't it have been...me."

Blood stained her hands as she pulled them away from her face, trailing the same bitterness away, splotches left on her arms, and the ground beneath her, even going as far as to leave mars upon her armor. She thought all was well, but her health had been diminishing as of late. She needed help, but unfortunately had no one to turn to. Reaching for a cloth, she attempted to rid herself of the sight, hands shaking as she wiped at her mouth and held the cloth there for a moment in thought. Her ears twitched, and gingerly, she made her way to her desk. Her heart raced, but her memory fixated on one person and one person alone. “I have to find him.” At Least one more time. * * “Will you ever find yourself a home?” He remembered her asking once, and he could not recall giving her an answer. He was probably too hard headed at the time to give one. He frowned at the thought. “You’re beautiful, you know that?” He questioned, unable to remove his gaze from her own, which cause her to laugh and shake her head against his gloved hand. “Stop it you,” She mocked, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out at him. He ran his thumb over her cheek and smiled. She smiled in return. They were happy. Truly. He did not know her personal plight, other than the very miniscule information that she had decided to share with him about her sister all those years ago. They shared what time they could together, before they parted ways, and in truth, he wished that he could have spent one more night with her. That probably would have made him change his mind about leaving in the first place. He told himself not to get too attached and yet here he was.

He’s careful with its transport, and as carefully as he can clutch the small, lightweight box within his grasp, he does so. There can be no fuck-ups, because he’s sure that anyone he tells about this, will laugh in his face. It’s the glint of her violet-tones, silver hair that catches his eye that nearly makes him drop it. The anxiety; the anticipation. He’s quick to hide the box behind his back as he approaches, a wary, but weary smile creasing his features. It had been weeks since she’d made him lunch. This was the only way he thought he could repay her, and in a similar fashion. "Endari." Bae said finally and rather firmly, his head tilting ever so slightly to the left as he gazed upon her. She blinked, alerted immediately by his presence. He could tell that her thoughts had remained elsewhere up until that moment, because up until that point, there was not a hint of a smile upon her face. But she seemed to beam upon the sight of him. "Bae!" She exclaimed, trotting up to him, lance weighing heavily upon her back, in lieu of her seemingly fragile features; he knew full well that she could hold her own. "So good to see you! How are you? I hope you’ve been taking better care of yourself since our last encounter!" She placed her hands upon her hips, leaning forward ever so slightly in a rather intimidating manner, though it was not meant to be as such, even as she pouted at him.  She sounded like his mother. "I—," He blurted out, averting his gaze from her own, before looking to ehr from his peripheral. "..Y-yes." He had remembered to eat lunch, but hadn;t eaten since then, and despite the fact that his stomach was crying at him in quiet protest for the time being, he’d spent his last few gold coins on this gift for her. He’d scrounge something together if he needed to. Living off the land had its advantages. "I have something for you." She looked confused, but he could see the faint blush forming upon her cheeks by the unexpected notion. "You do?" She’d question, eyeing him carefully. He would nod, averting his gaze once more from hers and tugging out the perfectly square box, holding it out to her with the use of both of his hands. “H-here. It…isn’t much, but I felt the need to repay you, for seeking to care for me — I…make me lunch — when I needed it the most.” "Bae…you didn’t…" Endari stared at the box for what seemed to him an eternity, before carefully plucking it from his grasp. "You didn’t have to do that." He knew he didn’t have to, but he felt the need to. A small smile replaced the pout, prior to this. Opening the box, she huffed out a laugh at the elaborate pink frosting, and the carefully crafted flower laid in a precise manner on the top, made entirely out of chocolate.  "I’ve never had sweets before." There was excitement to her tone as she looked up at him. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she looked back to him and passing him, she quickly took his hand in hers and lead him towards the Strategic Command Center, away from the hustle and bustle of the more populated areas of Velika. There, they sat themselves just outside the Command Center on a bench. He watched her with keen eyes as she took the cupcake from the box and looked it over. “I don’t want to ruin it. It’s so beautifully made.” Bae laughed, shaking his head at her. But he knew she couldn’t resist the temptation of that first bite. Peeling away at the thin paper, she took her first bite, and he watched as her eyes lit up at the taste. She brought a hand up, to cover her mouth as she chewed away at the pastry, and also to stifle a laugh. “It’s…so good!” She murmured, looking over to him, and offered him the chance to try it. "No, no. Thank you but I must decline. I purchased it for you to enjoy…so, enjoy it." "Thank you…" She replied, voice wavering. And emotional moment. She cooked her first meal for him, and he gave her the gift of her first pastry. Dabbing a few crumbs from her face, she turned back to him, as he gazed away, and leaned over, planting a sincere kiss upon his cheek, and rested her head upon his shoulder, looking down at the pastry. "Thank you…"