The Valiant

~Lesalia~

E"I wasn't upset that you were having sex with Sab, I was upset because I thought you were replacing me."
=====================================
~Limberry~

L"Well, I definitely prefer this arrangement to travelling alone. Or with Seraph."

Zac laughed at that, "Glad to know I'm better than nothing."

--

"I... was. I was trying to replace you. I just felt so lonely, and I didn't think it would ever work out between us," Mortal frowned, "I just wanted to know what it felt like to be with someone... to be loved."

~Lesalia~

E"Well, you were going about it the wrong way. You can't just force love. It comes out of nowhere, & is truest when you aren't even thinking about it."
===================================
~Limberry~

L"Well, these are the castle gates. I'll see you bright & early for samurai training."

*They had walked through some half-ruined stone arches covered in moss, with a door & two Dragoon guards just beyond.*

Mortal just kind of sat there, looking like a puppy in need of a hug.

--

"I'm looking forward to it," Zac said, "Good night, Lilith." With that Zac began to make his way back towards the inn.

--

After a while Sab finally calmed down, "I'm sorry for this Noctis..."

"It is okay," Noct said, still holding Sab close to her.

"I just wanted to, but then she..."

"You don't have to explain anything if you don't want to," Noct said, brushing Sab's blond hair out of her face. Noct pushed Sab away for just a second so she could get a closer look at how badly her eye had bruised and let out a small sigh. It wasn't that bad, but, well, she was going to have a black eye for a while. Noct was about to hug Sab close to herself again when Sab closed the already small distance between their faces, lightly kissing Noctis.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have," Sab said, almost crying again, "I just..."

Noct let out another small sigh. It was low, even for her, but she figured the least she could do was give Sab some comfort after Mortal... did whatever the hell Mortal did to her. Noct leaned in and kissed Sab, gently leaning her backwards against the soft bed.

~Lesalia~

*Euryale holds out her arms & also does that parsed lip thing she always does whenever there's an awkward moment. She twitches her fingers in a "come here" sort of gesture.*

Noctab makes sweet, tender love.

--

Mortal grabs her sheets and wraps herself before going over and getting a hug.

~Lesalia~

*Euryale wakes up fully clothed & stretches.*

E"What a weird dream."

*Her arm bumps something. She looks over to find out that it is Mortal.*

E"Oh. I hope that doesn't mean I beat up Sab."
====================================
~Limberry~

*Lilith wakes up early & heads over to the inn to wait. She ate at home because eating out all of the time is expensive & bad for your health.*

*Parker grabs Rhea by the arm and starts running off. Rhea yanks her arm free and shakes her head.*

Rhea: <What are you doing?!>

Parker: <We have to get out of here!>

Rhea: <What about Reiter, and those three?>

Parker: <They tried to kill us! Reiter would've wanted us to stay safe. I promise if he doesn't follow us soon, I'll come back and get him.>

*Rhea reluctantly agrees to flee, and so they do.*

Clyde: <Let's get to it, then.>

*James steps in front of him before he can move.*

James: <Are you sure about this?>

Clyde: <I didn't say you had to keep following me.>

Zac was already up and about, finishing off breakfast at the inn. When he saw her he stood up and walked over, "Good morning, Lilith. Did you sleep well?"

--

Mortal stirred as something bumped into her while she was asleep. Letting out a little moan, Mortal stretched and opened her eyes to find Euryale staring at her causing her to flinch a bit. Then she remembered the events of last night and felt her face flush. "Good morning, Euryale."

Looking around the room, Mortal noticed that her clothes were folded and placed on a chair, with a little note on top of the pile. Sab's clothes were also gone from the room. Mortal stood up, wrapping the sheet she slept in around her, and walked over to read the note.

"I had one of the maids take Sab's clothes during the night. I also had yours cleaned.
-Noctis
PS. We need to seriously talk about your anger issues."

Mortal let out a sigh and put the note back down. Turning back to Euryale she asked, "Do you want breakfast?"

--

Noctis was usually wide awake after laying with a woman, and the night with Sab was no different. What was different was instead of waking her partner and asking her to leave, Noct just watched Sab sleep, gently brushing hair out of her face, and twirling the ends of her hair. Noct wondered if it was because Sab literally had a black eye, but there was something fragile about Sab that wouldn't allow Noctis to just kick her out. Something about her wouldn't allow Noct to, well... be mean ol' Noctis.

Sab woke up when a stray band of sunlight crept through the closed drapes and shined against her eyes. Squinting a bit she noticed Noct was dressed and taking a pile of fabric from a maid. She stayed quiet and watched Noct put the clothes, which Sab now recognized them as her own, down on a chair. Noct was about to put a note on the pile and slip out of the door but she turned to look at Sab at that moment and saw her looking back. Noct crushed the note in her hand, "Good morning. I was going to leave your clothes here, and allow you to get dressed in peace. I've had them washed, and scented. Do you like lavender?"

"I like it well enough, but what do you mean 'in peace'?" Sab asked, sitting up, pulling the covers up with her.

"I've never seen another woman get dressed... well, not all the way dressed. Just enough clothes to look decent as they left my room," Noct admitted, "I guess I associate getting dressed after sex with shame."

Sab let out a small sigh, and looked down, "So, I guess this was just a one time thing to you?"

"It was," Noct admitted again, "But don't think I didn't enjoy it. You're a sweet girl, and--"

"You knew about Euryale and your sister, and you still told me to go after her. Was it your hope that I would find a swift rejection and seek comfort in your arms? Do you really think I'm that weak willed?" Sab asked, she was angry, but her tone was calm.

"Yes, that was my idea from the start," Noct said, leaning against the wall, "Mortal was not supposed to say yes, or beat you."

"But she did, and you didn't even care, you just went right along with it," Sab said.

"No, at that point I just wanted to be there for you. You were hurt, and I wanted to hold you close and tell you everything was going to be okay," Noct said, opening the door, "I'll let you get dressed in peace." With that she shut the door behind her and made way for the kitchen.

~Lesalia~

E"Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you."
--------------------------------------------------
*Rhea & Parker arrive at the Main Gate of Lesalia after they make their escape. Not long after, Reiter follows, complaining about his ass being sore.*
=================================
~Limberry~

L"Quite. What about you?"
=================================
~Warjilis~

*The thieves push past him, heading for the docks.*

*Rhea runs to hug Reiter the moment she sees him, Parker smiling broadly to them.*

Reiter: <I'm all right, I'm all right.>

Parker: <I'm really glad you're okay but... now we're back here.>

Reiter: <Let's head to an inn and figure things out later.>

*And so they do.*

*Clyde runs after them. James kind of shrugs and continues following along.*

"As good as can be had from an inn," Zac said. "So, you ready to head out, 'oh master'?"

--

Noct ordered her meal and sat down at the table.

--

"Great then," Mortal said, getting dressed. "Lets get going."

When Mortal walked into the dining room Noct gave her a look and she felt awkward.

~Limberry~

*She leads them down a path that terminates in a hilly region about a mile out of the city walls. True to her word, the place is covered in short trees with thick trunks. The highest trees are only about 15 feet and don't provide much cover. The younger shoots only have 5-10 leafy twigs to call their own "branches." She tosses him one of her extra katanas, still in its sheath.*

L"All right, let's see what you can do."
======================================
~Lesalia~

*Euryale looks confused. What else is new?*

E"Isn't it a great day, Noct?"
----------------------------------------------
Tavernmaster<What can I do for you three?>
======================================
~Warjilis~

*At sunset, they had turned into the hideout for rest. The next day, Gaffgarion still hadn't come back. After some searching, one of the thieves handed a note to Clyde. It appeared to be an address, with a signature "G."*

Brave & Faith:

Zac unsheaths it and tries to hold it like a long sword.

--

"The day is fine. Last night was less than stellar," Noct said, "Mortal, you do realize that you gave her a black eye, and a large bruise on her neck."

Mortal didn't say anything. "Oh great, so at least you realize what you've done. I just hope that you at least stopped when she asked you to."

*He reads it over again and puts it in his pocket, and then starts to pack up and make way for the mansion. James follows.*

Reiter: <We'd like to rent a room for the night, if that's all right.>

~Lesalia~

E"...Are you sure about all of that? I think I might have hit her with the door."
-------------------------------------
Tavernmaster<I guess, but you are aware that it's morning, right?>
===================================
~Limberry~

*Lilith puts her finger on the tip of the blade, tilting it so that it's about level with his side.*

L"You should also loosen your grip. It makes it easier to change direction while swinging."
===================================
~Warjilis~

*As had already been noted, Gaffgarion purchased a mansion set on a hill. It was only about as wide as two ordinary houses, but looked as though it could easily be 5 stories, plus the basement, whereas even most nobles could only afford 2 or 3 floors total. Gaffgarion emerges from the front door.*

Gaffgarion<What do you think? I had to use all of my pay from Dycedarg and the late Cardinal Delacroix, plus most of the money I 'borrowed' from Ludovich. But I think it's a worthy investment. A wrought iron fence, a few balconies for look-outs, and I think it will be most serviceable.>

2<Uhh...sir? We got protection money from the item shop, as well as some of the merchants at the docks. But I don't think we have enough men to enforce our threats.>

Gaffgarion<Yes, those were my sentiments exactly.>

Reiter: <Nighttime will come eventually. We just really need to rest.>

Zac loosened his grip on the hilt.

--

"Oh, that makes everything entirely better," Noctis said, "Still doesn't account for the bruise on her neck, or expunge the fact that Mortal attacked a girl half her size."

"You're just upset because-- no... I guess you're right. I was at the lowest point in my human life then... I wronged her," Mortal took a seat, feeling bad.

"Yes, you did, but no one is without blame in all of this," Noct replied, "Most of all myself."

Clyde: <Well, what are we going to do about that?>

~Lesalia~

E"...But I didn't beat anyone up? Is that what we're all saying, here?"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tavernmaster<Suit yourselves. Anything else?>
===========================================
~Limberry~

L"Now, try this."

*Lilith takes a few steps back, unsheathing her own weapon. In the same motion, she slices down one of the shoots. She then turns slightly, using her momentum to cut down another. At the height of the arc, she turns the blade & swings downward, cutting both of the falling trunks in half. Finally, she turns the weapon around in her hand & stabs a tree behind her. After a few seconds, it splits at the point of impact & the top falls over, successfully making her a complete show-off.*
========================================
~Warjilis~

Gaff<I'm going to put up some job offers.>

Reiter: <Maybe some food, too? How much would this cost us?>

Clyde: <Sounds like a plan.>