[3:09 PM] LadyDeme: At the last stop where they could send messages, she'd sent her notebooks home. Most of them, anyway. Many of them were just jumbled notes, or sketches, or poems. There was a painting she still had yet to send home -- she'd wanted to show it to Mateus, first. There were personal belongings. There were messages of love, overflowing with 'see you laters.' There was everything she wanted to be sure reached home if she could not, here, before the final battle. Well. Almost everything, she supposed.
Such a fool... Delphine sighed to herself, not sure if she meant her efforts, concerned now for if she died. Or if she meant going forward, like she was invincible. The waters of the sacred lake lapped up against her ankles, washing up over her feet. Compared to the sea shore, the placid lake was a light brush, the water gone silver in the early morning light. It was slightly nippy in the fall air, her toes digging pathways into the golden sand as they curled.
"Brr." Of course, she hadn't exactly sent away all of her notebooks -- she wanted to document what would happen next, and... And there were things she wanted to say. While she had the chance. She'd brought a quill and quill-knife with her; her inkpot sat beneath a small tree near the surface of the lake as she paced, tring to pin things down to the book in her hands.
I know from my shadow the art:
Hours occupied , whiling in its light,
And still unaware until, with fluttering sight,
it glanced up at once and saw its heart;
Shades would die before they start,
stretched thin and dull with fright.
Even as the sun offered that bright
A
C
D
E
C
D
E
[3:09 PM] LadyDeme: She chuckled to herself. She'd probably cornered herself with the rhyme sceme -- which seemed to rather be her problem, on the whole. But if she got to that final line, the rhyme scheme... Wouldn't really matter. Maybe she'd toss it out, for the poetic reasons occuring to her now. Even as she chuckled, looking out at the lake, she felt a nervous twisting, like today's selection of braids, forming into braids, that hung down her back.
[3:22 PM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo looked out across the lake, taking a deep breath and moving out to the water, a fist clenched. He was back in his tunic--his armor needed to keep its polish, and he did not want to hold himself out anymore, anyway. The knight had not stowed away any personal belongings either--should he die, Artemis would take his things home. He tentatively moves forward, giving her a warm smile and calling out to her from a distance behind. "Delphine... enjoying the water, eh?"
[3:34 PM] LadyDeme: Delphine turned her head, then the rest of her -- the wet ink made it harder to close the book immediately, and so she let it hang open across a free hand. Somewhere, a bookbinder winced, and Delphine considered briefly that pain and shrugged it off on the inside.
"I am indeed. It's got the look of melted silver in the mornings; it's a face for only an hour or so, I suppose."
It was not what she was writing about, but it was a fine topic for another day. She smiled just as warmly in return. The feathered ends of her quill pen snapped back into place after her thumb brushed up against them.
"And you? Out for a walk?"
[3:41 PM] AOMLorenzo20: He nods lightly, bringing his hands forward, enclosing his closed fist with the other. Lorenzo shuffles slightly, focusing his gaze to her eyes. No stopping now... and besides, we might just die anyway. "I... was, actually, yes. And it appears I've reached my destination. I should thank you again, Delphine--in spite of the sky darkening with evil, my spirits have all but left me."
[4:27 PM] LadyDeme: Delphine's heart settles in that moment, at least -- if only, for a moment. She realized only then that her heart had, as in her half-baked poem, begun beating more quickly. Hearing him sound, by comparison, untroubled from a soldier's ills, from the reminders of his comrades and from the grief of having seen the rawest face of war.
"That's wonderful. You've got a lot of yourself to thank, as well -- your own heart, and courage. Though I'll accept the thanks all the same. My offers, naturally, still stand, in case you'd prefer a more light sleepover."
She teased him, grinning, but her face eventually grew a bit more quiet in its smile, her eyes darting quietly back towards the lake -- towards what felt like a storm on the horizon. The darkness had felt like a noose, then.
"...And I wanted to thank you, too. For that last battle. I was so glad for your help, and the results were... About as splendid as one might have hoped, from the situation. The world's a little better place -- to spite the darkening sky, as you've put it."(edited)
[4:40 PM] AOMLorenzo20: He nods, grinning as he was reminded of the daring rescue of both Noelle and the entire room of villagers all done on his own. "Yes, I... thank you for planning that, as well. You helped me save many that day. We were a great team, then. In fact..." He opens his hands, showing the two Lovers Rings.
"I thought we might... keep that going, after this. Should we not perish in a desperate battle with a mad god, that is."
[5:44 PM] LadyDeme: Delphine froze for a second or two, whatever she was about to say wiped out of her mouth. She had understood. He had understood. Lacking a sense of what to do with her, her throat bubbled up laughter -- a breathless laugh, first, but then in her heart, she admitted: she was such a foolish, foolish girl, and it became bright and warm. However uncertain she had felt in that moment on the wall (had she just been insecure?), it became whole, and clear as lakewater. She almost doubled over with it, putting her hands on his hands -- on those rings -- to steady herself.
She shook what might have been a little mist in her eyes -- when they'd sprung up, she didn't know. She'd been shocked and happy, and all her breath had gone spindly.
And she stopped laughing. And she kept smiling.
And she did not let go of his hands.
"Yes, yes, I'd love that. I think... I think somewhere along the line, I'd loved you all along. So I'd love to be a team with you."(edited)
[5:51 PM] AOMLorenzo20: He raises an eyebrow, smile growing, giving a nervous laugh along with hers. Her words are offputting--he had lost track, but he was not sure if he had loved her always... if anything, he had thought it would need a process, a development, courting. He closes his hand on one of her gently, face a light red with excitement. For all his preparation--in general, and for this--he's thrown off guard utterly.
"You... you would? Delphine, I... for however long this world will last, I am sure I will be the happiest man in it."
[7:44 PM] LadyDeme: "I would -- I tried to be straightforward about that this time!" she said, gaining a bit more playfullness; she was a hummingbird in flight in that moment. Her blood felt like it bubbled, and the was moving under her. Her book, with its half-written love poem, had fallen by her feet, just an inch from the water's edge.
"Though I have to admit, invoking a time paradox for the rest is, well, not the most smooth," she laughed again, aware that at least one thing she'd said there had been warped. It was what she'd been trying to pin down before, but she supposed she'd have plenty of time for that.
"If it lasts only one battle, and one space before the battle, more... I will be happy from now until the end of the world. But I think I'm a greedy person, so I'm not going to be satisfied with just that. Happiness is a flower that grows if nurtured through time -- something of that nature."
She said it, somewhere between a joke and sincere, just basking in the warmth of his hand, a little sun between the two of them, tilting her head towards it. The rings were warming up under their combined grasps, for that little moment.
"You know, if you hadn't said something, I was planning of writing you a little poem, hiding it somewhere you'd find it... And then I was going to grab you and kiss you, and tell you to come home with me, when you had the chance."(edited)
[7:56 PM] AOMLorenzo20: He took a moment to switch the rings from his right hand to his left, clasping her hand with his open one completely. He reddens slightly as she describes her plan
"Ah... my goodness, that's much more direct than my approach. I almost wish it were so that it happened--ah, but it doesn't matter, it's happened..." He sighs playfully, giving her hand a squeeze.
"And I suppose I shall satisfy all your greedy tendecies, if I must. But I do not believe our happiness is a mere flower--if I can be poetic, which I did not wish to be when I first arrived, I think ours might last as long as an oak, and stable as stone."
[4:51 PM] LadyDeme: "I got ansious pussyfooting around," Delphine admitted, grinning as he squeezed her hand. She would enjoy that red face as long as she could. "But this is quite direct, in its own right. And surprisingly forward... But we could still meet our plans in the middle."
The poem still was unwritten, but the kiss was still rather on the table, delivered with something like a chuckle. And then, slower, more softly.
"That sounds like a fine set of things for happiness to be."
[5:13 PM] AOMLorenzo20: "I... you are right, this is forward, I had something planned..." 'Something' was a bit of a speech that he had planned--present the rings, tell her of some of his feelings. It wasn't even a question of being together, just a promise of courtship in the future, that might blossom. Her proclamation threw him off--but perhaps it was better this way, to talk of themselves and a future without practiced acts, as he had done with the army.
"But this feels much nicer. Not just because it's impromptu, so to speak, but... it is all so much clearer, what would lie in store for... us."
He pauses, a small bout of hesitation, then takes a breath.
"You spoke of meeting in the middle..." Lorenzo leans his head forward, a distance more or less halfway between their faces being closed.
"There, I've done my part, now you."
[5:44 PM] LadyDeme: "Yes, I think so." In some ways, this had more future to it than her plan, which might have laid herself bare, but... Beyond only that he survived, and game to Amarana one day, had asked little expectation of him. Perhaps she'd meant it to offer him an out.
"Yes, I think so. I doubt there will be a lot of time, right away, for...Much of anything. And I think a chance to ease into things will do well. But where we're starting -- where we might want to be -- I'm glad to know. I'm not afraid of what's next."
And so she leaned forward. When she shut her eyes, she kept the image of him there in her heart; she would for a long time. Delphine's lips briefly formed a smile again, just faintly, as she drew in a breath -- her breath trembled in her lungs with excitement. She could smell the faint smell of polish on him, and the evergreen scent of the lake's edge.
And she kissed him.
Her lips lapped at his like the water's edge at their feet -- at first, just a brief touch, and then, more insistantly, until she was wading in the kiss. She entwined her fingers with his, digging deeper as her mouth did, aware of the folds of his lips (surprisingly soft) and the callouses of his hands (expectedly firm) and time seemed to melt into the grip of her mouth on his mouth, her hands on his hand. Her face radiated heat against the chill air -- or perhaps that was his, and more than just the time had ceased to matter.
[5:53 PM] AOMLorenzo20: ========and they all lived happily ever after. If they didnt die.==========
[7:08 PM] LadyDeme: The carvan jostled over a bridge, the wheels turning and bouncing over the layers of stone bricks. It was a small train of wagons and carriages, holding people and baggage, going out of Damona... And into Floribar again. It seemed like a strange circle, but today was the first day of the rest of the world.
There'd already been some goodbyes. Delphine had gotten some glares for telling the queen of Damonia to leave a note next time. Soon, they'd be saying some hellos. The first day was a bright one, cloudlessly blue. The air was crisped and smelled faintly of something, leaves or dead branches, being burned in a distant bonfire. Somewhere, meat was being smoked. Below the caravan, the rivers flowed down from the Sacred Lake, brightly burbling over stones hiding just beneath the bridge.
Delphine leaned out the carriage window, resting her arm on the plush interior. It was an open-topped carriage, really just a fancy wagon: they'd come here in rather plain states, but this time... They were leaving a little differently. She'd been chatting with the driver of this 2-horse arrangement, led by a pair of pretty paint horses, for a little while. He was pleased about being part of a prince's retinue. Delphine had laughed. And then... She'd gotten back to trying to compile her notes. She sighed down at the page, smiling faintly. Her eyes flicked upwards again, towards the sky.
[7:27 PM] AOMLorenzo20: Across from her, there was a grunt as the carriage rolled over a particular bump, her travelling partner slowly leaning up into a half-laying, half-sitting position, journal opened and pressed to his chest.
Lorenzo had said quite little, keeping the goodbyes solemn--a nod, a smile, a pat on the shoulder... and finally when he was given the carriage ride home, he had removed his armor, storing it along with the shining blade that served him so well. It felt odd, he thought, as he smoothed out his tunic and stared out from the window. The war was, more or less, over; he stood, again, in line for the county--which he may or may not have already inherited, depending on his father's health; he was on a ride home with a woman he knew he'd spend his life with... but it all felt empty, the moment. He was no longer himself with that armor, and he did not feel himself, even after all the scribbling in his journal. He leans up toward the sky, having dozed a tad during the ride, and comments--to himself, or perhaps Delphine, he cannot figure.
"...sun is looking brighter than usual. Seems more vibrant."
[7:47 PM] LadyDeme: Delphine glanced up. Her companion had been very quiet this time, and she thought she understood it, a little: he'd given a lot to the war. She was finding it a little hard to convey, herself. She was glad. And she was content. But she felt like the rug was going to get pulled out from under her at any moment.
"A brilliant flame, shining out, suspended singularly in a crystallized and endless blue. Honestly, it doesn't quite look real."
There would be a million fall days like this one, she knew -- on a concious level. Deeper, it was a singular day, in which everything had ended, and nothing had started. It had a freshness to it, even the reds of the trees they drove by a little perkier.
"Perhaps the world's celebrating a little. It might not have expected to be here. Hmph. It rather underestimated us. Rejoice, world, life is short and it will all get complicated again!"
She leaned over the side of the carriage and shouted at nothing in particular. Up ahead was a faint murmur of laughter, carried off somewhere. She leaned back into her seat, one hand on her book, the other idly touching Lorenzo's hair, curling the strands along her fingers.
"I think I'm looking a little forward to it getting complicated again, but first, I really need to make this make a little sense."
[8:01 PM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo nods, slowly, leaning back into her hand. A sigh escaped him--when he tried to think of an iamb, the words just couldn't come to him. He rolls onto his side, facing her, an eyebrow raised.
"When you say it, you mean...?" There were a number of its, at least half of them unpleasant, to him. Though he was happy with the end of the war, he hesitated at taking the new responsibility that faced him.
[6:21 AM] LadyDeme: Delphine paused and considered it, twirling a strand of his hair around her finger looseley, then letting it go. In front of them, the bridge curved gently over the water, and the horses continued their trot.
"Life. When you think about it, for me, this war's been...Simple. Not easy, but straightforward... Where if I could put one foot in front of the other, where if I could just not run away... A single path, no matter how hopeless. And no matter how hard.. And at the end, we'd come to this. Or we'd fail, but I wasn't too worried about that. Because if I didn't, I'd fail anyway... Hm. I think this might be rambling more than making sense, but you understand what I mean, right? This felt... Defined. Everything lives, or everything dies."
Delphine waved her other hand over the caravan, the bridges, the road, the bright sunny day. She'd doubted being strong enough to get here. But not that getting here was her goal, and there was a way to do it.
"Later, there will be a complicated series of tiny choices, all barrelling towards results we'll understand only once they've been piled on with other choices, some of which felt wholly unrelated at the time. Later, we'll have to decide what we want the future to be, and try to get there. Far less simple and heroic than slaying a demon-god. But hey, at least I'll know what I'm up against then; I can work out a strategy, learn what I need to know, face it all. ...I hope so, anyway."
She admitted that in a softer tone, which she might have only used on rare occaisons. Then, she gestured out, pulling her hand briefly from him, out
"But right now... None of that has happened, not yet. Not here. And it's got me in suspense, like...Something's ended, and nothing's begun; an amphibious hanging between worlds. It's a feeling I'm not really used to, like waiting for another shoe to drop. And, possibly, like this whole business isn't really real. Does that make sense?"(edited)
[12:01 PM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo nods, leaning back, taking her hand and giving it a light squeeze before letting it drop.
"I... I suppose it does, yes. All of it. War seems so simple, when you think about it. Don't die, and kill whoever's in your way, or let someone else do it. But... now we have realms to rule. I've a realm that I'm not even sure I can rule, on my own." He takes a moment, glances at her, chuckles slightly.
"...I suppose that's why I've you. That, really, is one of the only ways I can know this is real, though knowing someone like you is so enchanting I have my doubts." He leans back, lips pursed, thinking.
"...it will be very difficult. For the both of us, I'd imagine, piecing all these little choices together."
[6:14 PM] LadyDeme: Delphine smiled fondly, appreciating the pressure of his hand, spreading warmth up her arm the way a message travels. Her shoulder relaxed with a gentle, half-formed sigh, as she leaned properly back into her seat.
"Well, I am rather too amazing for this sinful world..." Her tone was mock-thoughtful, a little too animated and lilting to be anything but a tease, and her gentle expression had gone more sharply curved at the edges of her lips, entertaining the thought. She chuckled at her own response, and continued, still brightly, "Of course you have my support -- I actually have quite a few books devoted to the topic of teaching young rulers. For some reason, people keep giving me the things."
She knew full well the reason, of course. She wasn't sure she'd listen to all of them, but it was worth looking at, anyway.
"And you have other people to support you, as well. Not even the fiercest of autocrats can run a fief by himself -- your father might have some people remaining. It's up to you if you trust them, but they certainly would have an understanding you can use."
Delphine nodded, a little wistfully, thinking of... What else would be needed to fit together, little by little.
"Yeah....All the more reason to try and enjoy this moment while we have it, I suppose."
[6:43 PM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo smiles, slipping a hand up to press against his hip and rest on it, laying down on the other one to ensure he faces her properly--though, perhaps 'properly' was the wrong way to look at it, as the carriage was tipped over in his view--and nodding.
"I'm sure I've those same books, though I've not an idea where to find them. Arty can probably show me to them--she knows much about our library."
He shuffles, resting his head atop the armrest of the carriage. "Though, I think that we might do much better than we think, since we've each other, you know? We've both got books, and supporters, and a county... anyone could, but we have each other. You may say that means nothing, but I believe it does."
Becoming uncomfortable by the feel of his neck on the wood, he shuffles back down.
"...how do you think is the best way to enjoy this moment? You know how to enjoy yourself, I've seen."
[5:01 PM] LadyDeme: His shuffling about draws a giggle out of her, trying to chase after his eyes with her own. From his perspective, lower than hers, she is framed by the blue of the sky. It drew out the blue of her eyes, until she seemed almost like an icon in blues.
"...I don't think it means nothing," she said softly. Not even her mother would have -- though her mother might have questioned the value of the specific people involved, she recognized the value of a partner. "We have each other -- even just knowing that, all on its own, is a strength. Because it's a fact which pumps warmth through my veins, proof against any chill. I think we'll be fine."
Delphine said it a little bit more brightly, even if the future was still a little scary. She began to count possibilities off with flicks of her fingers.
"Well, we could always take a break from the road and try to catch up later; take a nap, or have a picnic, or get out and dance and look around. We could take turns reading things we've been trying to write, or sing as we go along, if stretching your legs doesn't suit. Also, makeouts; we could do that regardless, though if we felt like getting particularly frisky, somewhere where the coachman can't hear us might be better. The world is a kaledescope of wonderful possibilities! Which leaves the important question... What do you feel like doing?"(edited)
[7:55 PM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo smiles softly, his eyes lingering on hers. "I'm... glad you feel the same way. I had my doubts, to be sure."
He blushes a bit, brow raising as she talks about their options. He gasps slightly, in an effort to show his lack of sincerity. "Why... my goodness. So vulgar. Someone ought to give you a spanking, for talking so freely." It was a joke, of course, but he was still surprised--Delphine did often comment in a way that embarassed him, but the suggestion felt casual, quick--as though they'd already been married for years.
"...although I shouldn't be laying, because I might fall asleep... eh?" He glances down, reaching over to grab his journal, which had spilled onto the floor of the carriage as he had rolled onto his side. The book had fallen upon a particular page--a less-than-impressive sketch of a knight, with a bright white blade and dark black armor. He purses his lips, looking over the image before setting the book back down. "...ah. Had forotten about this..."
[10:41 AM] LadyDeme: Been married for years, encountered Delphine's fairly comfortable approach to contact, tomato, to-mah-to. To her, while she thought it might be humorously alarming to him... It wasn't an unusual suggestion. And so, the teasing in return left her blinking a moment, before a look crossed over her face. It was a cat-like grin. Her fingers walked up to his arm, playing up it like a child playing at a scale of piano keys.
"Ooh, so that's what gets you feeling bold? It's not what I would have guessed -- I'd have expected you to want to wait -- but we can play around with that. Do you mind...Switching places, sometimes?"
It wasn't entirely her preference, but love asked compromises. That said, she also knew he was kidding, and laughed, to get the point across. Before one could really get caught up in considering her tastes in some recreational romantics, the book slid onto the page. She hadn't seen Lorenzo sketch much, and the image showed it, but it had an intense line that drew her eye. She watched him carefully as she asked,
"Ah, is this something you did? And particular reason for the choice in subject?"(edited)
[11:18 AM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo took a few seconds to ponder her first question; then, perhaps willfully out of embarrassment or through being distracted by her second question, his mind quickly turned to it.
"I... hrm. Yes. I did it so I could... keep a drawing of it. You've heard of him, haven't you? The Black Knight, from the Radiant tales?" He glances back from her--had what she done earlier drew his eyes to hers?--and returns to the page. The portrait certainly did not do the Knight justice, but it was accurate enough; the shape of the blade and the helmet was well enough.
"Wielding magical Alondite, in a suit of impenetrable armor... the sight, the story of this knight has... well, 'shaken' me would be an understatement."
Even as he looks over the page, he bites his lip, brow furrowed, as though there's something on the paper for him to read; but there's nothing.
[7:21 PM] LadyDeme: She knew those stories, though her focus had always been on other elements, seeing tensions in it that tugged her. But she loved the things around the war stories more than the parts of those cycles that dealt with war.
"Shaken? How so?" She asked. She could see the complexity of it: he was at once a man to be proud of, and to be afraid of being, in a way. Then a thought occured to her. He had spoken of his ghosts always as fallen allies. Warriors of lore, though? It didn't seem impossible, and so she regarded the picture with a moment of concern. She tuned away from the picture, and to him, and tried to divine his heart from his face.
"...Is a vision of him... Something that haunts you?"
Her hand reached out for his shoulder, her fingers forming the light touch of a wing aflight.
[10:31 AM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo pauses, then shakes his head, accepting her touch.
"I... you might say that. Not visions, literally. Something... a tad worse, really." He tenses slightly, glancing up into the sky.
"Recently, I began to recognize the role of the Knight, and how it compared to me. A bit shallow of me, admittedly, but it wasn't hard--powerful knights, great strength, reputation for never being felled in battle..." He slowly returns his gaze to the bottom of the carriage.
"What really... sealed it, for me, I suppose, was the holy regalia and unwavering loyalty." Lorenzo folds his arms, face becoming hard. "When you look at him, at least for me, you see someone of divine power and unwavering loyalty. And eventually, it gets him killed. Eventually, but he does.
It had come to a time--when we were all exploring those regions--when I began to think more on it. What stops him? And I noticed that it was his loyalty. At any point, he could turn against his master, disappear, and almost never be seen again. While it's certainly admirable, he is still killed. Especially after that, I began to have... well, I would say delusions. Asking myself, 'what has Lord Finn done for us?' 'What do I deserve for my service in this army--this militia?' Around that time, you'd recall, I kept quite silent." He leans back, breathing a sigh to collect himself.
[10:55 AM] LadyDeme: "You wondered whether Finn deserved such a loyalty... And what you, in turn, deserved." She recalled the silence of that time -- it had lessened somewhat, here and there, but many things had been weighing... And she long suspected that, when it came to deeply personal matters, Lorenzo tended to bottle himself up. That he'd been silent with others, too, had remained possible.
"I can see the similarities...But I don't think you're that similar, beyond the aesthetic. As you say, it's a little shallow -- but as roles go, it's a complex one."
Delphine eyed the figure on the page. The possible endings to that tale were hard to count... But it struck her that there were a lot of differences, between the two.
"I have my own thoughts, but I'll ask you first, as it's your tale -- did you find a resolution?"(edited)
[11:29 AM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo bites his lip, hesitating before giving an answer. "...I... believe I may have, by the end of this campaign. Lord Finn was capable of acting as a figurehead, at the very least, and roused this group so that our lands could be returned. But... that had mattered very little." He bites his tongue now--odd, he thinks, that after all his meter, his performances, talking seriously becomes troublesome for him.
"Before, though, I had found another resolution. 'No', I had thought. 'Lord Finn lacked the ability to defend us, he's no right to his position. I can, I deserve it.'" He pauses, then scoffs. "...there, I didn't see the problem of one man being capable of defending against a mass as great as Ethysia. And, suppose I had done this--conceived an uprising against Finn, in the middle of Celanthus or wherever. I couldn't fight against my comrades, my sister, you--and I've no real ability in convincing. I put it away, and let it rest... or perhaps fester would be the better term. Either way, it set, and I let my doubts run their course as I ran men through." He looks away, ending the statement with a shrug.
[11:49 AM] LadyDeme: "I see. I admit, I'm curious as to how things with Finn will turn out myself -- I'm no fan of fealty to a man due to his blood, and am not sure it's something any man is owed. However... I'm not sure either of us are any more deserving, oh conqueror of worlds," She pointed it out playfully, but she was a little serious, too. Because the war, to her, had never been about the struggle of war, or about who led what: as long as they arrived at this moment, she couldn't say she cared who was credited for it.
"We all had growing up to do... And right now, what'll be best for us isn't glory, but to do the best we can... Besides, I think he'll be a gentle king, and maybe even one who can help protect people after him..."
Casual treason? Kind of worth considering, but in the end... This was enough. But Delphine turned back to him, and back to the present, and back to this moment, literally turning along with it, back from the outer world of the bridge.
"But what you said is what I see, immediately, as the difference between the two of you. The Black Knight died for loyalty, that's one way to see it. But... I don't think he saw there was something besides that one loyalty to live for, much less, to die for. Except maybe a rivalry. He didn't have real comrades. He didn't have a sister. He didn't have a flighty little bird in his ear. He didn't even have hobbies. Just one kindness, battle, and some magic gear. He was bound by loneliness, and killed by it... That's someplace where you are far the superior man, and far from bound to his concerns...So. Thank you, for telling me this, and using that."(edited)
[5:17 PM] AOMLorenzo20: Lorenzo pauses, stroking his chin for a moment, then smiles and nods. "...yes. Yes, you're right. I am sure battle will become less and less of my... well, 'hobby', to put it lightly, as I work in more stewardly affairs.
"...this is a load off my chest, talking about it. I should really be thanking you." He leans closer to her.
"And I am certainly not lonely. I've almost everything you've listed: Many real comrades, a sister... I may even say that I've got a bird of my own." He reaches up, giving the hand on his shoulder a small squeeze. "...rather annoying thing, it is, but I can't help but enjoy its song." He offers her a small wink, laying back.
[9:03 AM] LadyDeme: "I did mean other things -- Even at your most focused, you have other interests you should try maintaining, for your own good. I suspect I'll have to distract you from time to time, to make sure you're taking care of yourself," Delphine said with a chuckle, stretching out comfortably herself. She looked up into the crisp blue of the autumn sky.
"Naturally, you like it; it's as lovely as it is insistent...And... That bird needs a place to land, sometimes, too. So I'm sure it will rest here. We've got each other."
The carriage bumped as it hit the place where the great bridge hit solid ground once more, and the whole caravan continue, on this, the first day of the rest of the world, to bring them home.
[3:54 PM] LadyDeme: == RP End ==
