#s:edward

[delicatevalentine]

@justices-blade (continued from here)

"Huh?" Feet skid to a stop, sand flooding sandals. A heelspin sends it flying back where it belongs as Edwarf turns to look. Even without their reduced numbers, she's unmistakeable: Those twintails, that glam—

"Hilda!" Edward greets, delighted, before holding up the spade he's been dragging around with him whenever he's had occasion to hang out at the shore. "I'm going to dig up clams before the tide comes in to grill at the fire later!"

"Some of them have really pretty shells, so I'm collecting them for my friends at home." His voice then drops into a whisper, a secret divulged: "I even heard that we could find pearls inside, if we're lucky!"

Springing back up, he rocks back on his heels, vibrant, expectant. "You wanna come with? I'd love the company!"

His energy was contagious, and Hilda found herself smiling almost ear-to-ear as he told her about his plans. "Whoa, that sounds cool!" She pondered it for a second longer. "And like a lot of hard work... Are you not exhausted from rushing around all the time? I sure would be!"

She gestured back towards where she'd come from, her smile dropping to a near-frown. "Hmm... I was actually just brewing a pot of tea..."

Turning back towards him, her hands clasped together in an approximation of a begging motion. "I don't suppose you'd consider taking a break and joining me instead? Pleeeease?" Wide eyes blinked beseechingly. "You wouldn't make a lady take tea by herself, would you?"

[amitieos]

babygirl, what’s your name?

As the most successful scammers of the group, “Marth” and “Roy” are your biggest targets. A chance encounter in a large town brings you face to face with the two, but things turn complicated when a crowd forms in support of the imposters. A gaggle of fans proudly support these “down-to-earth princes”, viciously defending them against your supposed slander. Try as you might, just one sensuous “babygirl” from Marth is enough to rally the crowd against you. The puffed-up “Roy” goes as far as to say they are undefeatable in their strength and purity of heart… but can they prove it? [Grants Sword +1]

The two men have evaded the church’s grasp for sometime, imitating two of her students to unscrupulous ends. Finally, they are caught between herself and Edward in the middle of town. Elincia shoots him a pleased smile, proud of their efforts and teamwork. Yet a crowd draws closer with every second, enthralled and enchanted by the pair of scoundrels. Do they not yet realise the danger they pose? How they besmirch the good name of two honourable young gentlemen?

“Leave our princes alone!” shouts a young woman, and Elincia turns her head in confusion.

“But Marth is Archanaea’s king, these men tell you naught but falsehoods.” She pinches her brow, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “Their deception and racketeering has led innocent people to bankruptcy. They must be stopped!”

“Babygirl, must we fight them?” The man who is very much not Marth asks in a voice barely above a whisper. The crowd starts squealing in a bizarre display of delight. She looks to Edward, puzzled by the response as the arrogant, imposter Roy threatens them with his infinite strength. Her hand twitches, the instinct to grasp Amiti’s hilt in defence almost irresistible but something else troubles her deeply.

“Babygirl? No! Absolutely not! How dare you call yourself pure of heart if you’re willing to drag an innocent child into a fight! A baby, too! A defenceless little baby. You should be ashamed!”

@justices-blade

[amitieos]

She cheers along as Edward sings, his voice resonant with joy. The notebook is held out to her and she tentatively takes it in her hands but stops before pulling it to herself and takes a look at the little group they’ve gathered together.

"Would you mind terribly if I have a go?" Elincia asks both Leanne and the man beside her, a nurse at Garreg Mach. Someone she'd decided to stay close to as her stomach's churning returned with much aplomb "Sir Zelkov, isn't it? I'm Elincia, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She hums a light tune as she reads the words already, trying to pick up the natural rhythm of the words. Find the melody inherent and fundamental to the rhymes already shared. The pen rests in her hands, itching to leave her own mark alongside that of her friends and allies. A memento of their journey upon the waves, a token of bonds forged.

"The siren song of sea salt spray, Gentle as the flowers of May,  Belie a raging, tempestuous heart:  Her depths are Hades counterpart,"

Elincia chews on her lips as she writes, pen flowing across the page in time with the crashing waves around them. She's not sure if it's any good, whether she has any technical skill but the moment feels hallowed all the same. Sharing a part of herself with her companions, a vulnerable moment. Her gaze drifts towards the ocean surrounding them, endless on all sides. Holding her in it's embrace like a mother. She sings the words quietly before passing the book to the next person, grateful to share the uncertain warmth in her heart.

"Forgive me, my mother was an accomplished musician but I lack her natural gifts. I'm sure you'll come up with something far grander but... I'm glad to participate in something beautiful with you all."

Well-Versed in Sailing [OPEN for all Valentia Team]

[amitieos]

"Very well, I'll stop with the teasing - if," her lips pull upwards in a smile as she tries not to laugh. After all, she was promising to drop the jokes. It was best to start swiftly. "If you drop the 'your majesty', my name is Elincia and I'd prefer you call me that."

"Elibe though, how strange. Is that not far across the ocean?" There was yet another mystery to be solved, more questions to ask. It was already beyond her understanding as to how they ended up here and their boat was bound for Valentia. She hasn't seen their weapons since arriving either, or her pegasus. Before she can dwell on it too long however, her attention is caught by Edward's voice, carrying over their conversation as he translates for the child with them. She watches carefully as Edward speaks to their young companion, trying to memorise what little she can. She'll need his help to communicate with her clearly but the least she can do for her is make an attempt to sign a little bit here and there. "They won't let you be with them?" she asks incredulous as Edward translates. Her face crumples into a frown, brows furrowed. "That's rather unkind --" catching herself, she taps the girls shoulder gently and attempts to sign, very slowly, "Their loss. You can stay with us!"

Annika frowns. 'But they're my friends! I want to stay with them. I'm sorry. But this is where I live.'

"Oh, I only meant for now. They really ought to be kinder to you though," Elincia gets to her feet, following Annika over to the window. She's greeted by a welcome sight, and old friend, head down munching away on grass peacefully in the village square. "What a relief! Has he been well-behaved whilst I was asleep?"

As for the pegasus, she cheers up a bit. 'Do you know the pegasus? It's been around a lot. He's very nice! I call him Snowball.'

"I do indeed, he's been my companion since I was a little girl. He's usually friendly but he does tend to be rather cantankerous when he's hungry..." giggling, Elincia has a bright idea to try and cheer Annika up. "His name is Chrysaor but Snowball is super cute too. Would you like to meet him? He may even let you ride him for a bit."

Elincia offers Annika her hand as she heads outside, longing for the sun on her skin and wind through her hair. She's confident Chrysaor will get along well with their young companion. Though she doubts he'll be too fond of the new nickname.

-fin.

pogchamp and oated // rigel normal gang :)

[delicatevalentine]

Hilda almost held her breath as she waited for the result of his deliberation; after all, she'd already brewed enough tea for two. She could almost see the conflicting urges to be helpful and to be friendly warring behind his eyes. She might have felt guilty for tempting him away from his duties, but she quickly justified it in her mind. Regardless of her selfish motivations, he did deserve a break! She kept her hands clasped in anticipation.

Once the verdict was dealt, she jumped up and clapped her hands. "Yay! You won't regret this, I promise. I'm very good company." This statement was delivered with the assurance of somebody speaking a well-known fact. "And I would love to help you pick out some shells. Call it a fair trade for giving up your plans to sit with me, huh?"

She led him back to where she'd set up the tea pot alongside a rolled-out picnic blanket, complete with a few cushions she'd taken from the cabins. "Do you like Albinean Berry?"

Edward's energy seems nigh on a bottomless pool at times, so the suggestion is first met with a blink or two— Once the tide comes in, the clams'll also all be nice and safe under the water until it washes out again. But on the other hand, they don't need the extra foodstuff, since staff's already supplying them with plenty good eating, and he could always go back to hunt for clams at the next low tide...

But, ooh, the pleady eyes. Worth considering. He cups his chin, closes his eyes, tilts his head. "Hmm... A break does sound nice..." A beat, two. His head tilts the other way, eyes open again. "And you're right, I wouldn't!"

Righting himself, the boy smiles, dusting off one sandy hand on his shorts. "Sure! Lead the way. And— I've actually collected a bunch of shells already, so I can show them to you while we have tea! You do have an eye for pretty things, so do you want to help me pick some out?"

[amitieos]

The bed she wakes up on is hard and lumpy, so much so that she wonders how she fell asleep on it. Goodness, she must have been absolutely exhausted! The place looks like an infirmary of sorts, a little run down but she wouldn’t complain about that. People have to make do with what they have sometimes. It’s the swords and daggers dangling from the rafters that make her uneasy. They seem awfully out of a place in a room filled with clerics and priestesses tending to the injured and infirm. As she sits up she has to carefully dodge one placed above her bed.

Elincia stays silent for a little while, watching the scene just across from her. Edward, sweet and kind, interacting with a girl. A child come to aid them. He’s as gentle and warm with her as Elincia expected but she notices that the girl does not answer.

"Are you alright? There's no need to be shy," Elincia address the young girl quietly, patting the space next to her on the infirmary cot. Brown eyes watch her carefully, eager for a response. It occurs to her suddenly that perhaps the girl can't speak rather than won't. Regardless, there's no harm in trying to make the child feel at ease around then. "Thank you for bringing us breakfast, that's very kind of you. If I may be so bold, is there anything other than oatmeal on the menu?" Glancing at the bowl Edward seems to happily be munching away at, Elincia tries to picture herself eating it cold and feels a shiver run down her back. No, thank you very much. Perhaps heated with sugar and jam or honey it would be more palatable. Maybe she could ask for some fruit to accompany the meal.

She doesn't react to Elincia's questions. What she does react to are her movements--patting the cot, trying to look at what Edward is eating--the girl sees these from the corner of her eye. She turns to Elincia with surprise on her face, like she wasn't expecting her to be up and awake. She holds up the spoon and bowl and makes some gestures, first bringing the spoon close to her mouth, then extending it over to Elincia. She tilts her head for good measure, trying to punctuate the question.

"Oh, uh--" Despite being flustered Elincia would hate to be rude. It seems as though the girl truly cannot speak, or perhaps even hear them. With a gentle smile, Elincia pats her stomach twice and rubs it, hoping to indicate she's too full to eat. Which isn't entirely true, but she certainly isn't hungry enough to force down cold oatmeal yet. "Thank you." Elincia's mouth moves in exaggerated movements, hoping that perhaps if the girl is deaf she can lip read.

Her gaze raises to Edward, knowing he can sign. "Edward, how do I thank her?"

It takes him a second to respond. He’s really enjoying the oatmeal.

"Oh!" Oh so that's how it is! This, he can say even with his mouth full! Isn't that convenient. Grey meets brown halfway, full of enthusiasm, putting the fingertips of a flat hand to his chin, before letting his hand fall outwards. 'Thank you!'

The sight of Edward trying to speak with a mouthful of food elicits a few giggles from Elincia but she watches him sternly, analysing the gesture he performs in thanks. Tries her best to commit that to memory before doing her best to replicate it to the girl in front of her. To her surprise and delight, the girl’s face breaks into a radiant smile rivalling the sun when she sees both Edward and Elincia sign to her. It seems she’s comfortable around them now, at least. Elincia turns her attention to the rest of the room, attention falling upon a familar face near by.

“Sir Matthew! I did not know you were travelling with us. I’m afraid I have nothing of interest for you to swipe today,” Elincia smiles coyly, voice light and teasing. Her head inclines slightly as she regards him mirthfully. “Would you care to sit with us? I’m sure none of us bite and we’d be grateful for the company.”

pogchamp and oated // rigel normal gang :)