[There are precious few people that could make Zelda comfortable with leaving the relative safety of the Bright Wall at night, given how most of her experiences with the Wilde have gone, but fortunately, Edelgard is solidly one of them. And it's not as though they're venturing into the thick of the Wilde, anyway; the farmlands surrounding Aefenglom are dimly lit with torches and the odd gas lamp, as well as the floating fireflies that herald the coming summer. She also has to admit that it's a great deal cooler at night, which makes this whole task quite a bit easier.]
Thank you for coming with me this evening, Edelgard. [She says as they make their way through the fields to where the desired bushes reportedly are, a wicker basket hung over her elbow.] When I saw the business owner was offering double for this specific kind of berry, I have to admit I was curious.
[she has a bit of a sweet tooth she hasn't been able to indulge in for years, sue her--]
[For her part, Edelgard had been forced to adapt to taking comfort in the night. She could go out in daylight, and would with heavy clothing, but it was so much easier to not have to deal with that. Zelda made her feel comfortable, and drew out an instinctual protective side in her. She was hardly a paladin or defender of the princess, but she was ferociously protective of her friends...strangely moreso now that she'd Turned. Protecting beauty had become important to her, for reasons she could not quite fathom.
The strange light of Aymr helped illuminate the path around them, the odd weapon resting in it's leather thong across her shoulders. She hadn't bothered with full armor or battle dress for this, but the axe was not going to be left behind the Bright Wall.]
Of course, Zelda.
[Stepping lightly, the Emperor kept an eye out for trouble, but hovered nearby her friend.]
I'm admittedly curious too. This is an unusual request.
[Given Scathach carries her blood-red spear around just about everywhere she goes, she hardly feels the need to comment on the presence of Aymr this night. If anything, it is comforting, as much as some part of her recognizes that the chance of something jumping out at them this close to the Wall is relatively low. There are some instincts she seems like she just won't be able to shake no matter how long she spends not actively on the run.]
I suppose it is not truly economical to farm the crop in earnest if it only bears fruit for a singular month a year, but still. For demand to be so high...
[There's a brief hesitation, a pause as she resists the urge to hide away the parts of herself that might be considered frivolous, or worse, indulgent, but she's working on being more honest, and so in the next moment she asks:]
If I can receive a discount on one of the bakery's pastries as part of the exchange for this favor, would you like to share it with me?
[Edelgard tilts her head in acknowledgement. Yes that made perfect sense to her, really. It was a bit of a waste to expend all the resources necessary for full scale farming for a single harvest. Yet, some would do it all the same.
Zelda's question nearly has her laughing. Nearly. Instead she slips her arm out and hooks it through the princess's, accompanying it with a warm smile.]
[A slightly crooked smile pulls on her lips in answer to Edelgard's own, still a little bashful and unsure, but hey, she's trying. At least Edelgard isn't the type to tease her about it unlike some people.
She questions her apparent taste in bonded sometimes.]
Hopefully we will have a good harvest, then. [She allows Edelgard's arm to remain hooked in her own, though she does shift a bit to consult a slip of written instructions.] We should be nearing the field they grow next to; animals do not seem to be terribly interested in them, so the bushes have been allowed to grow wild.
[Edelgard? Tease Zelda? No. Tease Hubert, Corrin, and Byleth? Absolutely yes. Zelda's different. She's softer, somehow. Sweeter, without as many edges, and she makes the Emperor feel some kind of way.]
I'll follow your lead to the patch, then. I'm looking forward to being able to taste the results.
[Her smile grows a little more confident with that, and she nods before turning her eyes back to the road. A wave of her free hand creates a small, golden orb of light that she wills forward, further illuminating the path ahead until it casts bulky shadows just beyond the property line of one of Aefenglom's farms.]
Ah, I think that is it. Come!
[Her arm slips out of Edelgard's, but only so that she can take her hand instead as she trots off the beaten path towards their target. A few purple berries peak out from under the thick, leafy shrubbery.]
I suppose someone got to the easy-to-reach ones already. [Unsurprising, given the apparent demand, but she's not one to be afraid of getting her hands a little dirty. Putting her basket to the side, Zelda kneels as she begins to rummage through the bushes.]
[Edelgard makes her way up and over as well, pausing to look into the bushes before shoving her gloved hands inside and beginning to fish around as well.]
What color were they? I am afraid I didn't get a good description, but I trust you did.
[She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders at least.]
Mm, the ripe ones are purple. If they are still red, then they are not ready to be picked yet.
[That thought leads into a quiet chuckle, buoyant in its softness. Edelgard did tell her that she doesn't have to stand on airs with her, so she feels comfortable giving voice to the silly little idea that popped into her head.]
[This... is nice, she thinks as Edelgard smiles. It's quiet and warm, and she feels at ease in a way that she doesn't allow herself often. Maybe she could afford to do this sort of thing more frequently.]
There were not many other children in the castle when I was a child. [She offers, and the pain that so often accompanies talk of her past is noticeably absent now. She drops a few berries into her basket.] So I suppose you could say I did the reverse more often than not - squirreling trinkets and things away where they would not be easily found. It was fun until my attendant found the collection of interesting pebbles and leaves I kept in the back of my closet.
[She wasn't mad, just... lamenting that time had conspired to give her the tomboy princess to take care of, of all things.]
[Edelgard keeps up her smile, gentle, bright, and really at peace. She doesn't experience this kind of thing often, and in more ways than one she feels that time with Zelda is a step towards having a normal life. Not that she'll ever truly have the opportunity, but this is as close as she can get like as not.]
Were you a bit of a troublemaker for your caregivers, Zelda?
I certainly did not have the patience that I do now for studies and etiquette and the like. I much preferred running around the gardens and playing in the fountains. [Normally, she would never admit so much, but there's an odd but pleasant bubbly feeling fluttering in her chest, and Edelgard isn't the type to gossip behind her back, anyway. Still, she leans over a little, index finger held over her lips with an almost playful sparkle to her eyes.] But that is our secret, all right?
[Edelgard laughs and leans closer, putting a hand around Zelda's waist and giving her a quick hug. It just feels...natural...to do that now. They've spent months getting to know one another, and this is just the right kind of moment.]
[Zelda laughs - a quiet, airy sound, but also genuine one - as she leans into Edelgard's casual affection. Goddesses, this is nice, not worrying about the big picture problems for a fleeting moment, the weight of her guilt and perceived inadequacies feeling a little less heavy here in the fields.]
Really? You had me fooled. You are so well spoken, intelligent, and diligent; I imagine most would have pictured you to be the model student, eagerly devouring everything that interests her.
Oh, I was diligent and, I certainly was a model student. But I would also sneak out into the gardens after my lessons, and get into trouble.
[In the time before her trauma, at least. She hasn't, and doesn't, really intend to share that with Zelda right now if ever though. Her memories are spotty at best, anyway.]
If you don't believe me, Byleth, one of my Academy professors, is currently in Aefenglom.
Oh! Yes, I recall briefly meeting Lady Byleth before, though she introduced herself as your general rather than your professor.
[Admittedly, she finds it difficult to picture how an academy professor gets a promotion to army general, but it's not something she bothers with stewing over for the moment.]
While I am glad you have such a close friend from home in the city now, I still think I would prefer to hear of your misadventures directly from the source. [... She likes hanging out with Edelgard, what can she say.]
Oh, she is my general. High Marshall, the leader of my military forces. But before that, she was my professor. At the Garreg Mach Military Academy, she taught strategy and combat.
[And she was very good at it.]
There's not much truly exciting to tell though. I was like any rambunctious child, doubtless not all that different from yourself.
Perhaps they are stories I would find familiar, but they are still stories I would like to hear someday, simply because they are yours.
[And perhaps those words are a bit more honest and affectionate than she'd typically allow for, but she is content, and in this moment her heart feels mostly at ease. She leans over to reach a little deeper into the berry bush.]
We can talk about something else, though, if you like. I will not pry.
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unyieldingmarch) wrote2015-09-30 10:14 pm
action, berryquest;
Thank you for coming with me this evening, Edelgard. [She says as they make their way through the fields to where the desired bushes reportedly are, a wicker basket hung over her elbow.] When I saw the business owner was offering double for this specific kind of berry, I have to admit I was curious.
[she has a bit of a sweet tooth she hasn't been able to indulge in for years, sue her--]
no subject
The strange light of Aymr helped illuminate the path around them, the odd weapon resting in it's leather thong across her shoulders. She hadn't bothered with full armor or battle dress for this, but the axe was not going to be left behind the Bright Wall.]
Of course, Zelda.
[Stepping lightly, the Emperor kept an eye out for trouble, but hovered nearby her friend.]
I'm admittedly curious too. This is an unusual request.
no subject
I suppose it is not truly economical to farm the crop in earnest if it only bears fruit for a singular month a year, but still. For demand to be so high...
[There's a brief hesitation, a pause as she resists the urge to hide away the parts of herself that might be considered frivolous, or worse, indulgent, but she's working on being more honest, and so in the next moment she asks:]
If I can receive a discount on one of the bakery's pastries as part of the exchange for this favor, would you like to share it with me?
no subject
Zelda's question nearly has her laughing. Nearly. Instead she slips her arm out and hooks it through the princess's, accompanying it with a warm smile.]
Of course I would. I'd like nothing more.
[Indulgences are allowed, Zelda.]
no subject
She questions her apparent taste in bonded sometimes.]
Hopefully we will have a good harvest, then. [She allows Edelgard's arm to remain hooked in her own, though she does shift a bit to consult a slip of written instructions.] We should be nearing the field they grow next to; animals do not seem to be terribly interested in them, so the bushes have been allowed to grow wild.
no subject
[Edelgard? Tease Zelda? No. Tease Hubert, Corrin, and Byleth? Absolutely yes. Zelda's different. She's softer, somehow. Sweeter, without as many edges, and she makes the Emperor feel some kind of way.]
I'll follow your lead to the patch, then. I'm looking forward to being able to taste the results.
no subject
Ah, I think that is it. Come!
[Her arm slips out of Edelgard's, but only so that she can take her hand instead as she trots off the beaten path towards their target. A few purple berries peak out from under the thick, leafy shrubbery.]
I suppose someone got to the easy-to-reach ones already. [Unsurprising, given the apparent demand, but she's not one to be afraid of getting her hands a little dirty. Putting her basket to the side, Zelda kneels as she begins to rummage through the bushes.]
no subject
[Edelgard makes her way up and over as well, pausing to look into the bushes before shoving her gloved hands inside and beginning to fish around as well.]
What color were they? I am afraid I didn't get a good description, but I trust you did.
[She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders at least.]
no subject
[That thought leads into a quiet chuckle, buoyant in its softness. Edelgard did tell her that she doesn't have to stand on airs with her, so she feels comfortable giving voice to the silly little idea that popped into her head.]
A bit like a scavenger hunt of sorts, hm?
no subject
[Edelgard flashes a smile and starts holding some branches out of the way, beginning to pick through.]
A scavenger hunt sounds lovely. I haven't done that since I was very young.
[At least, she assumes she hasn't.]
no subject
There were not many other children in the castle when I was a child. [She offers, and the pain that so often accompanies talk of her past is noticeably absent now. She drops a few berries into her basket.] So I suppose you could say I did the reverse more often than not - squirreling trinkets and things away where they would not be easily found. It was fun until my attendant found the collection of interesting pebbles and leaves I kept in the back of my closet.
[She wasn't mad, just... lamenting that time had conspired to give her the tomboy princess to take care of, of all things.]
no subject
[Edelgard keeps up her smile, gentle, bright, and really at peace. She doesn't experience this kind of thing often, and in more ways than one she feels that time with Zelda is a step towards having a normal life. Not that she'll ever truly have the opportunity, but this is as close as she can get like as not.]
Were you a bit of a troublemaker for your caregivers, Zelda?
no subject
I certainly did not have the patience that I do now for studies and etiquette and the like. I much preferred running around the gardens and playing in the fountains. [Normally, she would never admit so much, but there's an odd but pleasant bubbly feeling fluttering in her chest, and Edelgard isn't the type to gossip behind her back, anyway. Still, she leans over a little, index finger held over her lips with an almost playful sparkle to her eyes.] But that is our secret, all right?
no subject
Of course, Zelda.
[She looks over with a smile.]
I was much the same, you know.
no subject
Really? You had me fooled. You are so well spoken, intelligent, and diligent; I imagine most would have pictured you to be the model student, eagerly devouring everything that interests her.
no subject
[In the time before her trauma, at least. She hasn't, and doesn't, really intend to share that with Zelda right now if ever though. Her memories are spotty at best, anyway.]
If you don't believe me, Byleth, one of my Academy professors, is currently in Aefenglom.
... i thought i answered this i am so sorry
[Admittedly, she finds it difficult to picture how an academy professor gets a promotion to army general, but it's not something she bothers with stewing over for the moment.]
While I am glad you have such a close friend from home in the city now, I still think I would prefer to hear of your misadventures directly from the source. [... She likes hanging out with Edelgard, what can she say.]
it's okay
[And she was very good at it.]
There's not much truly exciting to tell though. I was like any rambunctious child, doubtless not all that different from yourself.
no subject
[And perhaps those words are a bit more honest and affectionate than she'd typically allow for, but she is content, and in this moment her heart feels mostly at ease. She leans over to reach a little deeper into the berry bush.]
We can talk about something else, though, if you like. I will not pry.