there, their, and theyâre
kirablikâ:
Kiranâs room is organized. Never messy, never perfectly clean, simply organized. Everything has its place, except when theyâre in the middle of a study session or research. If they get distracted during moments where theyâre super focused, theyâll forget what they were even doing in the first place. Luckily, there isnât as much pressure to always have a battle plan ready to go at this happy-go-lucky-but-kinda-weird-academy.Â
And luckily, Niles is the last person in this entire world who could annoy them. Sure, his innuendos could, you know, not exist, but theyâve heard worse. Way worse. Besides, heâs freak, but at least heâs a loyal, weirdly compassionate freak.
Kiran bites into another jerky as she watches him. All the people with eye-patches act like they got big terrible secrets. She moves her cup of jerky to the desk and sits back, just as Niles reaches out to take a piece for himself. She watches, unbothered. Yeah, he could have just said yes earlier, but she might as well just let him be him. He ainât in her house; she doesnât have to worry about him.
âBoldâŚ?â They repeat the word quietly as they chew slowly. Was it that bold to let someone into your room? Theyâve napped on him; theyâre practically almost-friends.
âOkayyy,â they say, after swallowing their jerky. âA favor? I donât really need your expertise in anything, and Iâm already a few weeks ahead in classwork, so whatever⌠Sure, why not?â
They laugh, taking another piece of jerky from their cup. âI know youâre used to shady deals or whatever, but weâre both students here, so if you want something just say it.âÂ
Jerky placed down on the desk, they clap their hands together in the form of a prayer when they (mockingly) say, âWe are at a monastery, dear Niles.â They flutter their eyelashes, voice becomes more high-pitch and smile turns sweet and innocent. âBehave yourself~âÂ
Then they relax and take a bite from their jerky.
Niles scoffs. âAre we? Everyone had me fooled, then, when I saw how often and how willingly they got down on their knees. How disappointing.â
No one can say that Garreg Mach is in sore need of devout followers of their Goddess, at least.
âIn any case, itâs not a shady deal. Iâd just prefer to get the terms ironed out now so it doesnât come to bite me in the ass laterâand not in the way I normally wouldnât mind,â he says, finishing off the jerky and folding his arms over his chest. âEveryone has something they want; you included. Hereâs what I want.â
...Gods. This is going to be embarrassing, isnât it?
â...I need you to teach me to read and write,â Niles says, voice clipped. âI never had the need nor the opportunity to learn, but itâs growing into a thorn in my side now that I have to take written exams. Thereâs someone I need to stay here for, and I canât do that if I fail every test.â
And thatâs not even to mention the humiliation that would undoubtedly come. Niles doesnât care of any that he might suffer, but it would reflect very, very poorly on Leoâs reputation. And while his lord is impeccable on his own, Niles acts as both one of his greatest assets and his worst weaknessesâan effective tool and a source of endless headache.
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empty thoughts | niles & setsuna
heartstringboundâ:
Oh, thatâs surprising. Setsuna pauses long enough to stare at Niles for a moment. Carefully. Considering. Most stopped at confusion. And then dismissed it as Setsuna being Setsuna and not putting any further thought into it. Niles was right, of course, but that would mean talking and explaining. Setsuna didnât like doing that.
Instead, she shrugged, and kept walking back towards the dinning hall.
âNot really.â She admits. âMost people just ask why me.â She says it matter of factly, without any hesitation or emotion underlying it. Because they did. How she felt about it didnât matter. That wasnât what he was was asking.
âI didnât ask them. I didnât think it was any of their business. We wouldâve been fine either way.â Her parents had been happy enough with her becoming Lady Hinokaâs retainer. The subject of marriage hadnât really been brought up again since that happened. Setsuna didnât blame them. Even she knew she was a hard sell. âWho knows what they wouldâve planned otherwise.â She didnât care to find out either.
Getting back to the dinning hall is quicker than wandering around to find birds, it turns out. Setsuna pauses before they approach, turning to look at Niles again before any students can wander too close to accidentally overhear. âI wonât tell you what the sex is like, before you ask.â Factual, again. And a little bit of amusement back in her eye. âIâll start asking about Nina if you try it.â
âAs if that would ever stop me,â Niles scoffs. The amusement in his is sharper to match his smile. âBut fine; I have my guesses, anyway. Iâll let you keep that big, throbbing secret all to yourself. Try not to get too excited thinking about it.â
Sheâs one of the few people here who know that Nina is his, and if heâs honest, heâd like to keep it that wayânot because heâs ashamed of her, but because itâs for the best. Niles is proud of her, truly; sheâs grown into a fine young woman, and he knows her mother would be happy to know sheâs healthy and well. But he hasnât built a sparkling reputation for himself here, and he doesnât want to risk that bleeding into how people perceive his daughter.
So, the less people who know, the better.
The dining hall isnât terribly crowded anymore by the time they arrive, but there are still enough people to warrant an end to that topicâwhich means, of course, he feels no guilt at all in circling back to his original question at hand.
âDo you wonder?â Niles asks once theyâre in the kitchens. He supposes heâd have to start by... plucking. What a hassle. âWhy you were made queen, I mean. I imagine it isnât much of a question for him; a match like that was clearly made because he loves you. Or he thinks youâre phenomenal in bed.â
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one, two, skip a few
musing-fantasiesâ:
It all happened so fast. One minute Niles was holding her hand and the next minute he was holding the toy bow. She wasnât that surprised that Niles made the shot but she was extremely happy- of course she hid it slightly but the twitch of her body gave it away.Â
âThank you father.â She took the teddy bear from the man and laughed at his shocked expression. An idea came to her as she grinned at Niles. âDad can I get you something now?â Nina didnât let him answer as she grabbed his hand again and pulled him towards another station.Â
So maybe she didnât understand that she was supposed to use the toy bow and not a real one but that wasnât the point. Before the attendant got a chance to speak, Nina handed him a coin before looking at Niles. âHold this.â She mumbled as she handed him her teddy bear. Taking a deep breath, Nina pulled out her bow knocking the toy one out her way and onto the floor.
She notched her arrow and pulled the drawstring back, ignoring the whispers from people around her. She closed one of her eyes and took another deep breath before releasing the arrow from her fingertips.
The only noises she heard was a thud, a crack, and a gasp- well a couple gasp but she didnât care. The arrow nearly hit the attendant but that was his fault for standing so close to the target- or was it her fault for using the wrong bow?Â
Looking at the target, Nina realized that she not only hit the target but her arrow went through the board the target was on. The only thing she could do was laugh as she bounced up and down before turning her whole body to face Niles.Â
âPick your prize old man- pick the biggest one there.â She ignored the look of fear on the attendants face as she put her bow back. Her body twitched as she bounced slightly. âDid I do good?â She still didnât realize that she wasnât supposed to use her own bow-Â
âWhat the hell dâyou think youâre doinâ?!â the stall attendant snaps, and indeed, Niles wonders the very same. âYouâre not allowed to use real weapons here, lady! You tryna kill someone? Youâve even ruined my target!â
Understandably and predictably, thereâs quite a scene; the shopkeeper yells louder and louder, drawing a crowd. And while Niles certainly couldnât care less of any negative attention and attitude towards him, itâs another entirely if itâs directed at his daughter.
...Never mind the fact that she is the one at fault, here.
âNina...â he sighs, deciding he ought to first deal with the stall attendant. Niles has never considered himself to be very prideful; itâd be laughable if he were, with how long heâd gone with almost nothing for nearly his entire life. The difficult part, then, comes with doing whatâs right. He has to set an example for his daughter to follow. He has to teach her what he should do and what she shouldnât; what she can do, and what she canât.Â
Heâs failed already at being a parent the moment he left her in the Deeprealms. He canât fail twice.
With his lips pressed thin, Niles turns to the shopkeep. It takes the kind of self-control he didnât really think heâd have, as heartfelt of an apology as he could manage, and a hefty bag of gold that he knows is more than enough to replace a shoddy target, but finally, they are allowed to go. Niles takes Ninaâs hand to pull her away, easily pushing his way through the crowd thatâs gathered.Â
Itâs only once theyâre a fair distance away that he turns to her. â...You know,â he begins, âAs amusing as it was to see how quickly his face turned red, you were supposed to use the toy bow, not your real one. You shouldnât even be pulling that out unless youâre in a fight, Nina.â
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â  đđ  đđ°đ¨đŤđ𬠠đđ§đ  đđ˘đđĽđđŹ  â  â  Marth  &  Niles.
arcstralâ:
        Be it the timelessly offensive âRoyal Baby Catapultâ, or the indomitably misplaced Heroic Lance of Child-Making, to Marth these euphemisms are the first of their kind. Just as Niles of Nohr is the first of his. In his imagination, and perhaps even in all plausible likelihood, the man could very well make a living for his remarksâif given but a dime for every time they struck a creative, never-before-heard chord in the ministers and nobles who endured them.
        â  Er, y-yes⌠I believe youâve made your point abundantly clear,  â  the king punctuates with haste, making a flustered face somewhere between crucified and moderately strangled. He straightens gratefully at the question for its opportunity to feel otherwise.  â Oh, indeedâŚ! This saying I have heard. Caeda is my treasure. If circumstances did not demand it, we would be together, and even long wed by now as we initially intended. But, the reality is that my presence here is also necessary.  â
     There are no end to the things he can say; most strategically, that a good leader assumes the unending responsibility of his schooling, as much a dedicated scholar of his lifetime as any historian or archivist. There is always something he can learn, always a lesson he can use. Garreg Mach with its colony of professors will teach him more than the childhood tutors he has either surpassed or outlived.Â
       âŚ.Or he could admit freely that his decision to unify his continent follows the will of his former suzerain, and even his own, but he cannot do it effectively as he is. Make the seven lands and the seven people whole when he has only ever ruled one meager slice of an island kingdom. And so he is here, while his betrothed is there.
        On the point, Marth decides upon a thoughtful hum then a smiling train of words:  â My queen monitors our kingdom while I am here to resume my studies, because I am still lacking for many things. And a king cannot afford to lack. Now, Niles, I believe it is my turn. â  A mild tilt of the Hero-Kingâs spangled head predates his curiosity, smoldering in the friendly blue fire behind his eyes. It would take a blind man, or an obsessively uninterested one, not to wonder of the bridges between this raunchy one-eyed sneak and the brilliant professional that sat prim behind a desk.
        â âŚIf you donât mind me saying so, I would wonder what it is that brought you to a life of service to Professor Leo? I am acquainted with your master, truth be told, and the two of you areâŚÂ Well. As vastly different from one another as east is far from west. â
        And perhaps even those terms would be underselling it by far.
âHm.â
When put like that, how can Niles not be made curious? It feels almost like a trap, except Marth is far too genuine for his own good. Not naive, not fully, anyway, but honest. Isnât that just as bad?
âA good lady so adored,â he says, starting up his slow walk around the king again, âyet not already wed. And though she is not your wife, youâve still made her queen and left your country in her naughty little hands. The order seems to be a little skewed, donât you think? Typically, it is a fair woman adored, wed, and then made queen... but for all your excitement and adoration of the bountiful treasures to be found with a turn of your key in her lock, you seem to have found something far better here. At least, better enough to delay claiming what you say you want.â
Heâs never understood it, and Niles doesnât think he ever wants to. Men like Marth whose legends have become too great for them, who are too good to be true because to be anything else would mean to be honest, and somewhere along his journey to kinghood, he has lost sight of where the seam between âmanâ and âkingâ isâthey always chase so desperately after some measure of sacrifice. And for what? To be lauded even further for their bleeding, selfish hearts?
Ugh. Please.
â...Well, not to worry, of course; Iâm very good at keeping my mouth pre-occupied with better things than fun bits of gossip... with the right people,â Niles grins. âThough, I canât say the same for some others. There used to be quite a colorful array of guesses for how I ended up in my lordâs service, but one of my favorites so far has to be that I spent so many days and nights begging for scraps outside Castle Krakenburgâs walls that he took pity on me and hired me to serve him. Though, I will say, Iâm usually far better at getting people to beg than being the one to beg myself...â
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Prince-ipalâs Office
princepsumbraâ:
continued from here. @filthtouched
He knows people view Niles asâŚdifferent. Other. Some crueler reports describe him as nothing more than Leoâs faithful dog, doing whatever dark deed the prince demands. Funny, how they never bring up Nilesâ loyalty. Determination. They donât know the circumstances that led him to serving the youngest prince.Â
It explains the complaints heâd found stacked outside his door.Â
Some claims heâs sure are trueâincredibly thinned innuendos in nearly every conversation, using expletives like commas. Othersâlike purposely killing a teammate or outright despising everyone around himârequire a bit more explanation.Â
For every harsh word said or written against Niles, Leo can reconcile the reasoning behind both the archerâs actions and the offended party. Frankly, Leo himself would make the same assumption about Edelgard. She appears a driven woman, goals defined in her head with little room for deviation.Â
He would, however, think of every possible consequence for potentially murdering an Imperial Princess.Â
âMost outsiders assume I am the stricter brother. Requiring everything aspect of my life to be perfect, which includes the behavior of my retainers. Yet I have never seen fit to place either of you under house arrest the way Xander punishes his own retainer.â For as much as he values Odinâs insights, the man might never cease shouting about unjust spirits. Leo would never get any work done then. And for NilesâŚthe mage privately worries it might crush his spirit.Â
âI have defended you before, and I will continue to do so. You must remember the position weâre in here. As a foreign royal from a country few here seem to know, my influence is tenuous as best. Should her Imperial Highness demand action, there is little I can do to stop her.âÂ
Leo pushes aside the stack of papers. âPolitical talk aside, I am relieved to see you well, Niles.âÂ
He thinks he wouldâve preferred it if Leo flogged him, but his lord has never been one for physical violence. Losing a limb would be apt punishment, but it would affect the quality of the work he can offer to his lord, so unfortunately, that isnât much of a choice, either. Something else, then. Something to blister or burn, something to cut and scar. Something more than a simple verbal admonishment, as if the return of an ill-behaved tool is really worth any relief.
As silly as it sounds, it jars him every time, even when he knows that it shouldnât. His life is Leoâs; of course his lord would want something he owns to be returned to him. But such a strange thing purpose is, isnât it? It creates such a disconnect between what he feels and what he knows that he feels like a fool for it.Â
â...My humblest apologies, milord,â he says, entirely for the trouble heâs brought. (But if given the chance to shove Edelgard again; if given the chance to open his mouth during a fight to distract Innes again; if he could do all of that without a word of it sneaking back to slip between Leoâs ribs like a knife, oh, wouldnât he?)
âI offer no excuse; Iâve brought you undue trouble, and I can only ask that you inflict whatever punishment you deem fit.â He raises his gaze to meet Leoâs. He waits for a blow that will never come. Camilla had been like that, tooâso easy to forgive him, despite the wrongs heâd leveled against her. Itâs difficult to digest the siblingsâ forgiveness when they are so often merciless in all other dealings.
âThough you hesitate to, even now. Have I made myself difficult to punish?â
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empty thoughts | niles & setsuna
heartstringboundâ:
Oh. Setsuna pauses, smile still in place. That was more sharp than Niles usually was with her.
She blinks at him curiously. Had she done something wrong? She didnât think sheâd done much of anything at all. Niles had gotten the first shot, after all, she just helpedâŚ
âYouâre stepping on my foot.â She says, even though he isnât Azama and doesnât know what that means and wouldnât understand. Itâs fine. Sheâs used to it.
âI donât usually get stuck in traps on my knees, no.â And Ryoma definitely isnât there when she does. He always tries to stop her from falling.Â
Setsuna turns and starts making her way back to the monastery, sliding her bow back into place. âThey should have herbs in the kitchenâŚI donât think weâll find anything they donât already have. They would be very bad at living here if that was the case.â
Sheâs quiet as she walks. And then sheâs not. âYou can stay and look around more if you want to though. People donât see your knees either, so it should be fine.â
Sometimes, he really does have to wonder how the Hoshidan king had managed to get his intentions across. That Shiro is aliveâthat Shiro existsâis a little mind-boggling, at times like these.
...Then again, he supposes the venerable King Ryoma would have been more direct and obvious. Few people use innuendo as Niles do, after all, even when he doesnât mean to be malicious. If anything, it ought to be a bigger surprise that Nina exists... but, he supposes everyone has their tastes. Some just have worse ones than others.
âThat isnât what I meant,â Niles sighs, tracking after her. âAnd I wasnât anywhere near your foot, so thatâs not what you meant, either.â
But itâs easy enough to guess, isnât it? Heâs gone too far, and now, sheâs quite annoyed. Thatâs new; it seems the married life has taught her a thing or two, and while Niles normally would delight in the knowledge and do what he can to take advantage of it, Setsuna is, again, one of the very few people that he can stand.
âI suppose enough people have asked you what itâs like,â he says, falling into step beside her. âWhat itâs like being married to a king. Didnât sweet mother and father hope that you would? All nobility dream of it at least once in their lifetimes, Iâm sure.â
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one, two, skip a few
musing-fantasiesâ:
Her smile widened at his response. It calmed her nerves to know he liked it. âCool- I would love to show you more later.â Nina leaned closer to Niles so she could hear him speak.
She takes a quick glance around. A couple men here and there- it was wonderful. She nodded her head along to what he was saying as her grip on his hand tightened slightly.
She pulls him towards one of the stations that was filled with stuffed animals and other things- she only cared about the stuffed animals. The man at the station was kinda cute. She pulled Niles a bit closer. Her eyes went from the man to Niles. Then back at the man. They looked cute together.
âHeyâŚh-how does this g-game work?â Nina mentally died as she stuttered. She knew how it worked and she also knew how rigged these type of games were. It made her hand twitch. She could just steal the bear and move on.
âSo all you have to do is get the bow and shoot the target to win the prize. Though you only get two chances.â
Her hand twitched again. All she would have to do is make a small distraction and the bear would be hers. She tightened her grip on Niles hand again before looking at him. âYou wanna try?â If he missed his shot then she would have no problem twisting the rules.
Itâs easy to see that the chances of actually landing a shot anywhere near the center were slim. In fact, a cursory glance at the toy bow and arrow that the stall attendant is holding tells him that theyâre more likely to send the arrow flying anywhere but at the target. The stringâs drooping, for fuckâs sake. How can anyone even look at that and think thereâs a fair chance?
âTwo chances, huh.â
...But Nina looks excited; sheâs been eyeing one of the dolls here ever since they came close enough for her to see. How can Niles ever refuse her?
Besidesâhe knows all about playing a little dirty.
âI only need one,â he says, and hands the required coin over. The bowâs lighter than it looks; the arrow is pathetic.Â
He remembers, now, that heâs shot with worse.
With a slow breath, Niles takes aim. An appropriately-trained archerâperhaps someone like Setsuna, or that Prince Takumiâmight be able to figure out the boring details. This is how you shoot a bow. This is how you adjust for the wind, for the distance, for the tension and thickness of the string. Look at the arrowâs fletching; youâll how how itâll cut through the distance between you and the target.
But Niles isnât a properly-trained archer. He was taught by members of his crew, and by mistakes, and by experience. He might not know why a certain method is right or wrong, but he can feel it. It makes him more flexible.Â
Thwap!
...It also lets him fire a shot, and see the arrow land dead center for a bullseye.
Niles grins in the face of the attendantâs disbelief. His hand finds Ninaâs again, and for once, he feels a little proud. âThat was easy. Choose your doll, Nina; one of the big ones.â
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featherlight | niles & kana
dragon-kiddosâ:
It didnât matter if it was a pegasus or a roly-poly, Kana valued its life all the same. Were it not for the fact that he loved meat so much, heâd probably be a vegetarian. (But chickie nuggies were too good to give up.)Â
Arms crossed, one foot stomping against the ground, and a pout on his lips, Kana makes his best Iâm-so-totally-mad-at-you face. If students were getting hurt, it was because they were agitating the poor pegasiâ!
Just like he was doing.Â
Little dragon bristles and calms down. A frown paints his features; the shaking timbre in the air was stronger than before, no doubt to his yelling and gesticulating. Kana casts an apologetic glance towards the flock before looking back up at Niles.Â
âHow was I gonna grab a feather?â he echoes. Little dragon hadnât really thought that far ahead.Â
âI guess I was just gonna approach and ask nicely for one.â Like he was talking to some street vendor instead of a wild animal. âTheyâd listen to me, right? âCause Iâm not human.â No.
âTheyâd trample your little body before you could say âhelloâ, Iâm afraid,â Niles replies, because as gruesome as it is, itâs the truthâand heâs never found much point in shielding Kana from the awful realities of life. If he doesnât learn now, when heâs allowed to grieve and stumble and make mistakes, when will he? Later, when any of those things will cost him his life? The life of a loved one?
âAnd even if they were calmer, I doubt theyâd be very happy if you went up and plucked a feather from their wings. You wouldnât like it very much if someone approached you and pulled out some strands of your hair, would you?â No; that would lead to Kana being trampled, too.
...Really. This is why an arrow to the heart wouldâve been the best option.
âBut I suppose if youâre really that insistent on not killing one... you could try spooking them into flight instead. Thereâs a good chance some feathers will fall out naturally when they beat their wings for flight.âÂ
The problem, then, would be that the other students whoâve yet to try to nab a feather will have only a limited number to take, and plenty of competition for them. But Niles is no saint; whether the other students get one or not is of no matter to him at all. Let them fight. Maybe itâll even end up being hilarious.
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supportingdancerâ:
âPfft, far from it! But even if I was going to tell you about him you wouldnât believe me so why even bother!â She pauses only a split second before continuing. Itâs incredibly clear she never planned on not talking. Maybe if he learns about her late husband, heâll finally recognize her for the woman she is and stop treating her like a little girl! âHe was a duke, you know. I had a proper title and everything!â
But the second she starts going into detail about the life she led before, itâs suddenly difficult to keep the smile plastered to her face. People donât pay to see a pretty girl cry and so she pushes through. She can save the thoughts of Claud and the way he actually made her feel like she was someone who mattered for the next time she falls asleep alone.
From the alleged wife of a duke to a homeless dancer, willing to press herself to the side of any man who might want for her warmth in their beds for a night. When the mighty fall, they certainly tumble less-than-gracefully to the dirt, donât they?
âYou already told me enough,â Niles scoffs. âA duke. Dead, I presume, since youâre here.â Like this goes unsaid. âOr off with a mistress. Which is it? Not that I envy your position, of course; nobles do tend to chew up and spit out anything and everything that strikes their fancy. No point in swallowing when you know thereâs another delicacy waiting for your tongue...â
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n-eye-ce to see you
scionoflegendâ:
Leo wanted his.. other retainer back? If even a slight bit of that is possible, heâd want nothing more.
It hurt knowing the prince thought his retainer had abandoned him. It may be silly of him, but he had begun to see Leo as a.. friend.
Silence struck Owain, but only for a brief moment in time. In this moment⌠heâs finally him. He can do whatever he wants. The choice is his.
The Ylissean was planning on doing something like swearing his allegiance on the sword he carried, butâŚ
That didnât feel genuine. That didnât feel real.
So, heâd speak plainly.
âI promise to you, not as Odin, but as Owain.. I will be a retainer loyal to Leo until the very end.
If he takes me back, that is.
Iâll come clean to him, and maybe heâll forgive me.
âŚI just pray that you can learn to trust me, again, too. If not now, some day.â
Niles scoffs. He turns to leave, though the stall in his step does enough in showing that heâs waiting for Odinâfor Owain to follow.
âThere wouldnât be a point,â he replies. âRegardless of whether or not I trust you, Iâd still be more than happy to stab you in the back if you ever did anything to betray Lord Leoâor if he ordered for me to do it.â
Itâs the kind of sentiment and loyalty that he thinks Owain should have, too. This is the life theyâve chosen for themselves: not one of free men, but of bound men, who tie themselves to their liege and find both meaning and purpose in it. Niles still doesnât know what someone like Owain can get out of it when heâs of royal blood, with a royal family out there somewhere likely looking and waiting for him, but...
(...but for him, this is all he has. This is all he needs. Odin understood that. Would Owain?)
â...Anyway,â he sighs, âHurry up. Itâs fine to leave letters and speak in your weird, dramatic riddles, but if you ever drag me this far out again for something like this, Iâll name every weapon in the monastery before you can even try.â
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dance | niles & sigurd
divinetyrfingâ:
sigurd watches nilesâ face for a moment, and thatâs about the reaction he expected. though⌠ânoble, sparkling characterâ⌠is that what people got when they saw him? because he certainly doesnât feel like that. he feels more like a traitor to his own country, cursing the generation after him to deal with the problems heâd created.
he doesnât linger on that thought for longer than a second. âwell, yes. you do have a rather filthy mouth.â sigurd hums, rather nonchalant for the conversation topic. âand i can imagine the type of things that people have you do, but thatâs not really a concern for me. i personally think there are far worse people in the world that i could befriend than you.â and sigurd reaches his hand out for a shake on it, smile all the same. âthereâs nothing else i want so itâs either that or you live with this on your mind forever.â a little threatening, perhaps, but he is very stubborn about getting niles to be his friend (for whatever reason).
For whatever reason, indeed. Sigurdâs probably going to come to regret this, but itâs not like Niles didnât give him adequate warning. Niles enjoys the terrible reputation heâs built for himself; it leads to people giving him a wide berth, just the way heâs always preferred it. The less that people crowded around him, the better heâd be able to do what he actually came here to do: see to Leoâs every need.Â
...Even if that very need also brought him to take dancing lessons, of all things, from Sigurdâjust in case. Niles wonât go as far as to say heâs even halfway decent, but at least he wonât be tripping over his own two feet (or worse, tripping other people on his feet) if there were an occasion where heâd have to dance, so thatâs.... something.
â...Youâre stupid,â Niles says flatly. âFine. Youâll have my friendship. Iâll come by tomorrow to ask about the weather, or... something.â
Like hell heâs supposed to know whatâs expected of him, now.
Friends, he thinks, shaking his head as he turns to leave. This is why he canât stand little lordsâeven if, in this particular case, the lord in question is anything but little.
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there, their, and theyâre
kirablikâ:
Homework is already done. Now, they sit at their desk, memorizing the terrain of the new three countries theyâve been introduced to. Theyâve had the pleasure of already being to some parts of the continent, but they have yet to become as familiar with it as they are with the other worlds the Order has been too.
Sitting comfortably on the windowsill, Feh hoots. They donât even glance in his direction as they chew slowly on a piece of beef jerky. âLotta mountains âround this place,â they comment quietly to themselves. âNo wonder the pope or whatever chose this place to establish the monastery.â
Feh hoots again. Kiran looks up, hand gesturing vaguely. âNatural defenses,â they say matter-of-factly.
Feh hoots again, this time head jerking in the direction of the door, just as thereâs a knock at their door simultaneously. Kiran looks at the door than to Feh. Feh cocks his head to the side and ruffles his feathers.
âShoulda listened to you the first time. I get it. Sorry,â they mutter as they move to open the door.
Lo and behold, itâs Niles⌠something. For a split second, theyâre worried they forget his surname until they remember he doesnât have one (as far as they know). âHi, Niles. Jerky?â Another bite of their jerky, and they hold out the small cup of jerky to the thief.
He gives them a look, and they give him a look back. âOkaaaaay, message received. No jerky, thenâ
Kiran steps away from the door to let him enter, and once heâs inside, they shut the door with an easy elbow nudge. âSo, whaddya want?â They get straight to the point when they sit down at their desk again, one leg tucked under them and the other pulled onto the chair as they wrap one arm around it.
âKinda late. What if I was asleep, huh?â Bold words. They wouldnât be, even with the special tea blend gifted to them by Niles. Which reminds them that they also had to finish their tea, so, while watching Niles with piercing gold eyes, they take a long sip of their tea.
Niles almost rolls his eye. âYou were talkingâto yourself or to your bird. I could hear it from outside... something about mountains and defenses.â Heâs always had good hearing, though nowadays, itâs a convenient trait instead of a necessary one. For Leoâs sake, Niles doesnât let himself grow complacent.
(...which, at least now, is kind a of a lie. It serves him well, too. For instance: mountains. Defenses. Itâs the kind of thing a strategist would worry about. Is that all Kiran is? For whom? And how did they figure out a secret that Niles hasnât told a soul, guarded so well that not even Leo or Odin surely know of his little disability?)
Niles looks around with a quiet hum as he steps inside. And though heâd rejected at firstâthough he always will, when itâs offered to him so casuallyâhe helps himself to a jerky. He hopes itâll make Kiran huffy; innuendo certainly hasnât been doing the trick.
âKinda bold,â he says, borrowing their phrasing. âTo just let me in like that without even knowing what I came here for.â
Too trusting? Or is he simply not seen as a threat?
(Looking at them, itâs almost impossible to tell.)
âUnless, of course, you regularly enjoy letting unsavory characters into your bedroom at a late hour. Not that Iâm here to judge, of course.â He grins. The jerky, as much as he doesnât want to admit it, is pretty tasty. âI actually came to ask for a favor... or an exchange, I should say. A favor for a favor, your expertise for mine.â
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featherlight | niles & kana
dragon-kiddosâ:
For a few moments, the little dragon is happy to tuck himself up against Nilesâs side.Â
Only a few moments, though, because Niles then proposes murder.Â
âWhat?!â If the pegasi werenât scared already, the shrill screech that escaped Kanaâs lips certainly did the job.Â
âAbsolutely not! Youâre not going to hurt these innocent creatures just for a feather, Niles!â Tears well in wide eyes, bottom lip quivering and pushing out in a pout. Kana canât control the way his voice cracks, just a little, as he continues on.Â
âI canât believe you would even think to do that! Thatâsâ thatâs so mean, Niles!â
And it doesnât stop.Â
âIâm telling uncle.â
And Leo, with his love for his own mount, would never accept such a tragic action for a simple feather.Â
âHeyâ alright, alright, letâs not get too ahead of ourselves.â
Itâs just a pegasus. He doesnât doubt its meat is a delicacy somewhere; in fact, heâs pretty sure heâd stolen a few pounds of it, except itâd been dried and spiced. Not a very legal operation, but by the gods, was it profitable for the brief time his group had spent digging their hands into that particular patch of dirt.
âYouâre going to scare them away and no one is going to get a feather, Kana,â he advises with a sigh. Another glance towards the beasts say theyâre antsier than before... which still isnât saying much, considering they were already on edge by the time they got here. âBesides, you sacrifice one. How many students here do you think would be able to get feathers then, without being sent to the infirmary?â
Plenty, heâs sureâbut he also knows thatâs not quite the point that Kana is making. Life is life, life is precious, yadda-yadda...
(...Just like his mother. Honestly.)
â...but, fine. If you hadnât met me, how were you going to grab a feather?â
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empty thoughts | niles & setsuna
heartstringboundâ:
âEventually.â She answers, following along. She makes a lot less of an effort to walk quietly behind him. She wasnât the one trying to hunt after all. And Hinoka had suggested once that maybe if she was less quiet, she would be easier to find when she disappeared.Â
âItâs been nice here so farâŚbut itâs not like Hoshido.â Which wasnât Fodlanâs fault. Not everywhere could be as nice as Hoshido after all. âBesides, itâs a school, right? Students have to go home eventually, and then they wonât need students anymoreâŚDoesnât Lord Leo plan on going back to Nohr at some point too?â
Maybe she shouldnât ask that. They had no need to tell her the answer anyways. Setsuna didnât mind. She starts humming absently, looking around the trees. A bird pokes out of hiding, looking over her way curiously. Setsuna smiles. She can still do that trick then.
She pulls her bow out and aims a shot at the bird, looking around curiously. âLittle bird at your mercyâŚâ She mumbles to herself. âWhat about mine?â
Her shot flies. It pierces the bird through the chest and it falls with a cry, landing on the ground in front of Niles. She giggles. âI got one!â She sings.
Itâs never very surprising at all to see a noble excel at one thing or another. Theyâve always had access to opportunities and resources that street rats and commoners couldnât even dream of; of course there was bound to be something they were good at, because they had an abundance of time and instruction on their hands.
...Still, itâs difficult to hate Setsuna for it. Heâs tried. And clearly, considering the effort heâs putting into helping her hunt, he wasnât very successful.
At worst, sheâs annoying. At bestâhe can stand her. Itâs a touch of envy, not hatred, that has him roll his eye at her, these days.
âYou did,â he says, bending down to pick up the bird. Itâs... probably the cleanest shot heâs ever seen on an animal.Â
(âbecause thereâs opportunity and resources, sure, but he knows thereâs also hard work. Effort.)
âThis should be enough, if weâre only cooking for two people. All we have to find now are... what, herbs? Youâd probably have better luck finding them, with how likely the Hoshidan king has you on your knees...â
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earthshine
Hopes and wishes, fate and destined love.
It is, quite possibly, one of the dumbest things that Niles has heard upon arriving in FĂłdlanâand after the month heâs had, heâs heard quite a number of really stupid things. This, though? This takes the cake. Not only is there an entire festival of sorts, gathering students and faculty and even the local villagers within the monasteryâs walls, but there is an entire festival full of those people who think, at least in part, that hanging a ribbon from a tree can help them find their true, destined love.
âTheyâd probably find it sooner if they go to the right place with some coin,â he tells the merchant passing around the ribbons, but she only laughs, nonplussed by his suggestion.
âMaybe,â she says, and looks past him to press another ribbon into someone elseâs handsâsomeone slighter than he is, with blue hair carrying a streak of yellow. Alfonse of the Blue Lions... probably. âBut nothing they find with coin will last. Trust me; itâs how I met my second husbandâand the third!â
Second and third. Niles doesnât even have time to ask her about it before sheâs off, preaching the merits of hope and love and destiny to the crowd.
âHm.â The ribbon is soft, and though the material wouldnât last against a bit of good pressure, itâs still a nice shade of pink when held against Alfonseâs skin. He seems like the type to fluster easily; Niles simply canât help himself. âI can think of better things to tie up than a branch on a tree... canât you?â
At least then, itâll be used for something worthwhile. Who the hell could possibly think a tradition like this has any merit?
@alfvangr
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there, their, and they're
As a thief, reading was unnecessary; break in, grab the shiny stuff, and get out. Try not to lose a limb. Hand it over to a fence. Profit.
As Leoâs retainer, he didnât need to know, either. He could find out what his lord wanted to know by making use of his contacts, and no matter how well they hid themselves, he always knew how to find themâand with criminals, steel always spoke louder than any written text.
But here, at the Officer��s Academy, Niles isnât a thief, and while he still certainly is Leoâs retainer, heâs also a student. And being a student means having homework... which, quite unfortunately, means he has to not only read, but write, too. And while Niles doesnât like to think of it as a dilemma, itâs very quickly growing into oneâmostly because thereâs only so much he can do to distract his professors from the fact that he hasnât turned in a single written assignment since he arrived at the monastery.
...All of this to say: itâs why heâs currently standing outside of Kiranâs room, brow furrowed, looking every bit like heâd chewed on bitter roots and still couldnât get the taste of them out of his mouth. He still doesnât know how the hell they even found out about his illiteracy, but once again, itâs frustratingly not whatâs more important; whatâs important is that theyâre the only one at the Academy who knows of his little problem.Â
Kiran isnât just the best person to ask; theyâre the only one that he can.
Thus...
Knock, knock.
âI know youâre in there. Believe me when I say these locks are much easier to open than youâd think.â
@kirablik
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your feelings matter and murder is okay
ephemeraloveâ:
People, Katarina had come to realize, find the strangest things to decry. In her thus far short time in FĂłdlan, she had come to be aware of so many grave injustices⌠and yet, here at the churchâs gates, a crowd had gathered to decry magic of all things. Magic! Not even as youthful here as it was in her homeland, nor so reliant upon enchanted ink and blessed pagesâ it was inherent to their very being, but they denied its existence⌠she couldnât understand it.
And as in uffish thought she stood, a reason professor, with eyes of flame⌠stormed up to her, an appraising glance cast over her before latching onto her armâ she flinched at that, shrinking awayâ and pulling her over to an equally misfortunate student, quick to chide their idleness and turn it into cause forâ ah, busywork, or so it seemed.Â
She slid far and away from the professorâs grasp long after theyâd departed, gentle gray eyes dulled by storm. So the church was as gentle here as it was in Archanea⌠The thought shook her abruptly, a tiny gasp slipping past her lips as she realized it. It was unfair to the church for her to think like that, she amended in silence, shaking her head. And Eremiah had saved her from the streets⌠Her mind unkindly roiled, an eâer repeating procession of guilt anger guilt hurt guilt jadedness guilt guilt guiltâ
âAhâŚâ She blinked. Looked back at him when he looked to her. Niles. She was well aware of him in a similar manner to Kris, though she took less issue so long as her lord was uninjured and amused. Unhappy, perhaps, with his sheer misunderstanding, but no more worried than that. âIt does, doesnât itâŚâÂ
Whether impassive or simply unimpressed, the mage idly rubbed at her arm. Whatever the professor had wanted had little to do with her; though she acknowledged a task was given, it was not her lord who had given it. And these people, while misguided, were innocent; Marth would not want their blood spilled, most especially so needlessly, and she did not wish to hurt them either. There was no reason to hurt them, save for some strangerâs selfishness; it mattered little to her â would matter not at all, if it werenât for the fact that they might punish her king for her inaction.Â
ââŚMy liege wouldnât like that,â she said at last, malcontent gaze settling on the ground. It was as easy as that⌠except it wasnât; she couldnât allow the academy to punish himâ would not let them. So long as they were too cowardly to admit they wished for murder, she could not be considered as shirking her duties so long as she did something. âBut we should, um, get them to be quiet, at least⌠A-as long as we do something, they canât complain.â
âWell, the dead certainly canât talkâor use their mouth for any other fun activities.âÂ
But the fact of the matter is that Leo probably wouldnât be too pleased if he went around killing the naysayers, either. It isnât to say that his lord was averse to Niles using underhanded methods to get the right results, but... there was nothing for Leo to gain, here. Not in blood, anyway, which is unfortunateânot because Niles woke up in the morning, breathed in the fresh air, basked in the warm sun, and thought, yes, today is just a fine day for murder, but because this means quieting the protestors would take effort.
This is what he gets for coming out today to take in the sights. He really shouldâve stayed indoors to terrorize a noble lord or lady; that wouldâve been far more fun. Saying something obscene to see if itâll make Marth blush? Or something offensive, to see Krisâ hackles raise like a catâs? Stepping on Sigurdâs toes. Teaching Leanne a filthy word. Lobbing something at Matthew to see if he really has eyes on the back of his head.
Anything.
Niles turns back to the protestors. Heâs not terribly good with magicâhas tried casting a spell once, only for it to nearly singe the hair right off his headâbut heâs been surrounded by people who would fling a devastating spell with nary a thought. He might not be a fan of it himself, but he knows for a fact that magic is very, very real.
âArenât you a mage yourself?â Niles asks, breathing a grunt of effort as he stands. âYou wouldnât be killing them if you just set a cape or two on fire... probably.â
But considering what theyâve been ranting about, theyâd likely blame it on a hidden match or something equally ridiculous.
âOr you could do it after youâve stripped yourself bareâjust to show them youâve nothing to hide in your sleeves. Iâm sure your gracious king wouldnât mind sharing some of his personal delights.â
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