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[PROBABLY AFTER TEAM THORON MORONS... after felix comes back on his 100th day of murdering skeletons,

Marianne is There!! Well, technically, she is at the Temple, feeling anxious and strained and 100% ready for this fight to be over, while also aware that her condition is nothing in comparison to those who've been diligently fighting every night... like... Felix... Felix is... She knows he's a soldier, obviously -- they trained at the same Academy -- but it's one thing to hear about it and then see it in action. It's not that Marianne thinks he's about to drop dead from exhaustion or that he's even particularly reckless. She's just used to seeing her comrades fight and fight and then suddenly lose steam, and it would be terrible if Felix ended up the same way.

He's too fast and strong for her to try and tag along every time he goes out too, she can't be of help if she forces him to take care of her. Which is why, now that she hears him back in his room, she musters up enough courage to run to his door and knock...! Speed is key here, who knows when Felix will leave... AGAIN??]

Um, Felix! It's me, Marianne. I'm coming in...!

[none of that 'may I come in' etiquette that Marianne normally always uses, she's too worried to remember her manners as she PUSHES that door open!!! first aid kit in one hand and... if Felix looks down, Liam at her ankles.]

[ She's not... fond of exercise and strenuous activity, not like Dimitri and Felix, who practically thrived off of it like plants drawing their nourishment from sunlight. But this can't be helped, not when so many people are in danger and Mercedes has so much to care for. Those she knows. Those she doesn't, and while there are more of the latter than the former, she keeps them in her heart and allows herself to make them a focus when she has the time.

Like now. Though part of that has to do with the simple fact that she knows that familiar figure striding past in Kyst, and Mercedes, fresh from an escort, clears her throat. ]

Felix--!

You know, Sylvain's not usually one for solo missions! He doesn't have Dimitri's raw strength to fall back on in a pinch, nor is he so confident in his ability to outmaneuver and outclass his opponents as Felix. Comparably, he's found he's at his best when he has the support of trusted friends and allies at his side--and, perhaps more importantly, when he has someone he wants to protect.

That last part does have a bit of a tendency to outweigh anything else, for better or for worse. Like... well, now, for example. He'd meant for it to be a simple trip! Sure, he'd be the first to admit that the plan had hardly been his most sensible right from the very start, but when he'd inquired about a certain location on the map--Caph, a place left distanced from the majority of the Court's other territories--and was waved off by claims that it wasn't worth checking, what else was he meant to do? There hadn't been time to sway anyone else to come with him by the time he'd decided, and it was meant to be a simple trip anyway... Ride out, check for potential signs of survival around the area (he's used to patrolling borders, after all) and then be back in Acubens by the next nightfall.

Looking back now, he thinks as he steps blindly back and nearly stumbles over one of countless bones littering the ground surrounding, it's a damn good thing Felix had been so stubbornly against the idea that he'd decided to come out as well. Without the light of the moon, Sylvain can only just make out the merciless swing of a Spartae's sword as it clangs uselessly against his shield; it feels too heavy as he lifts it, exhaustion clearly written in the effort it takes to return the blow, but the way the creature finally gives way against the silver-tipped lance Felix oh-so-kindly borrowed for him ~~(thanks for the unknowing donation, Priestess, u da best)~~ provides just enough relief for him to keep going against all odds. He can still hear Felix fighting some distance from him--and that brings a sort of relief with it as well--but how long have they been at this? Hours, surely, as the weariness searing into his muscles and the ache of bruises from blunt blows blossoming beneath his armor seems to suggest they've been at it all night. Too long, he corrects, a laugh caught in his throat like it might be trying to choke him. They've been fighting too long. Even the strongest soldier on the battlefield doesn't stand a chance if he can't bring himself to keep fighting, and if things continue like this...

...In a moment's respite, he tries to pick out his companion's frame against the seamlessly dark horizon. Although... he doesn't have as much trouble as he expects, actually? Or maybe it just... isn't so dark anymore. Sylvain nearly catches a mace to the shoulder as his tired mind tries to work these details into something concrete, something usable, and it's only once he glances back to his newest assailant and has to blink as his eyes fight to adjust to the change that he catches the faint golden glow rising on the horizon.

Even still, it's not until he fells the creature and finds none near enough to replace it that things slowly start to click into place.

"Felix," he shouts, and he aims for relieved but lands somewhere squarely between startled and panicked as he catches one last Spartae as it retreats past him. "Is... is that it?"

Did they actually survive that, because frankly, he's pretty sure he's tired enough to pass for dead.

[ So, Felix has a TRAITOR in his midst...specifically, the cat. The cat is currently curled up in Morgan's lap where he's sitting at his window seat in his room, door thrown wide open to air out the place (and to let him hear what's going on in the hallway).

Liam looks so comfortable like this. SO...SPOILED.

SO CONTENT -

Also Morgan is singing to the cat but like, that's a minor detail that matters less than this utter BETRAYAL. ]

[ In Sylvain's defense, he IS listening carefully, and he DOES have some, ah... concerns?? About the current situation unfolding in the throne room. But Dimitri is keeping his cool as best he can, and that means he can afford to laugh a bit when it begins to sound more like a parent scolding an unruly child than anything else.

And so, naturally--because he's a good friend--Sylvain pulls out his compass. ]

his highness is already in trouble.

[ An alarming message! Especially since there's a moment's pause between it and the next: a sneaky image of Sylvain grinning at the camera like an asshole. Over his shoulder is Dimitri, busy being escorted away from the Emperor's dias by their attendants like a child being led into timeout. It's a rushed shot, but he has the feeling the guards stationed around wouldn't approve of anything more obvious. It's accompanied by one more message though, quickly switched back to text: ]

and you were worried about me being the one to watch out for? ill take that apology anytime, you know.

[ You know? Sylvain never did get to ask about Felix's dumb clock... so naturally, after some hourly chime or another reminds him, he has to take the very next opportunity to pull out his compass.

Which, unfortunately for Felix, means he has absolutely no warning whatsoever before he gets a very simple: ]

so, wait. could you not keep track of time or something?

[ Those too-long training sessions'll getcha!! Nevermind that there's like, no context given here? It isn't important--Felix is smart! He'll figure it out. ]

( These winter festivities are so delightful and Tsurumaru has had so much fun learning about them. Of course, when he learned about gift giving... he wanted to give it a try.

So of course, he arranges for a messenger to give Felix a very, very special gift.

IT'S A CAT. Just kidding but there's a note right between the ears that says, )

F R A G I L E. G L A S S .

( That's all it says. Nothing about a sender or anything. Anyway, whenever Felix figures out how he's going to skin this poor cat alive, he'll find that he went through all of this trouble for... a dumb card. It's literally just a card with an address written on it and a piece of broken glass glued inside. He might recognize it as the address for a certain smith he's fond of. These are good hints, Felix Hugo Fraldarius.

If he goes to the smith, the smith will recognize him and say he has something or him to pick up. It's... a bottle of sword oil, all paid for and free for him to take. Ah, but there's a note attached. Enjoy your gift you feline murderer. Or don't. )

[Things Constantin does not expect, on an ordinary day when he returns to his room at the Temple: a cat slinking right past him into the room as soon as he opens the door. That's fine, he can go about his business with a cat in the room, he supposes? Or rather: he makes something of an effort to pick up the cat, but one daring escape across the room later sees the cat victorious and half of Constantin's brand new Magic Textbooks and papers scattered off his desk onto the floor.

Cool!

The next ten minutes are surely not a great look for Constantin, who spends a lot of it pleading with a cat, losing an invisible cat, trying to shoo a cat off of his new spooky tree, and eventually barely managing to get close enough to read this... very adorable collar... hm! Felix! Well.

Constantin goes back to open his own door, then waits, then when Liam-the-Cat slinks back out of his room, follows him down the hall... aha. He'll let Liam take care of getting Felix's attention, but know that he is right here in the hall, leaning against the wall whenever Felix comes out to retrieve his precious baby. Hello, he's returning this, you owe him a clean desk.]

I found something that belongs to you.

Felix, have you a moment? I have newly-acquired something and I wish to tell you.

[So. The week is long, and in the end there's something to be said for the feeling of simple productivity - the satisfaction of work well done. Not that Constantin has never worked a day in his life, but he's a governor, he sits at a desk and navigates paperwork and people and politics, not— for example, not carrying supplies back and forth around the village for the innkeeper. She smiles very sweetly at him and tells him he's done a good job, and so he supposes that he can skip complaining about how it makes his shoulders ache to help carry, apparently, everything the entire town owns from one end to the other.

It's working and that's what counts. Sure, it's not... impressive, necessarily. Doing what amounts to chores for the locals so they can better focus on getting their lives back isn't glamorous, but it will do.

What makes it worthwhile, honestly, is— well. It's Felix, although if there's a way to express as much without seeming needy at best, Constantin doesn't know it. A long day ending in a quiet evening is more valuable than anything, he decides. The meandering half-conversations they share over those simple meals become the high point of Constantin's days by the end of the second evening, and he isn't really surprised by it. Looks exchanged in passing on the way to their respective tasks, idle grateful pats on the shoulder that linger longer than they need to, private little smiles that aren't private at all and earn him looks from the old lady at the inn— whew. He's really in it now, he knows, but it can't be helped! Probably!

Still, when the Priestess' messenger comes and asks for him, tells him there are children in the orphanage outside of the town's limits that are being menaced by demons, Constantin can't stop himself from going at once. He nearly rushes off the moment he reads the missive— nearly. But Felix...

So! Constantin writes, instead, a quick note:]

Dearest Felix,

[...Hm. Yeah, go for broke.]

Regrettably I am unable to deliver this news in person! A sudden surprise has called me urgently away, and official command (by which I mean, the messenger who glared at me when I told her I would like to pen this note, and is glaring at me still now) hastens my departure such that I cannot stay to tell you as I would like.

Nevertheless! I will return as soon as I am able, and should I linger, please ask after me with the messenger— she says she will wait until I return, to deliver my report with haste.

I will see you soon!

Best,
Constantin

[It's a great note with all the necessary detail, for sure. He leaves it folded and held down on the corner by a teacup on their little meal table; his bag is gone and the note says Felix on the outside, so whenever Felix returns, it should be an Obvious Clue.

...And then Constantin does not return for nearly three full days. The Priestess' messenger, who does hang around, doesn't seem particularly bothered by that length of time, and accepts his report without emotion when he finally returns. She leaves, and Constantin, exhausted, drags himself upstairs to go to bed. It's the middle of the afternoon, but whatever— he puts down his bag and the new little chest he's acquired on the floor, and manages to pull off his boots before he quite simply tips over sideways on the bed to sleep. This is fine.

So, hey. He's back? What's up, sunshine.]

can you believe i got turned down by FOUR different girls today?

[ Don't answer that, Felix. ]

i dont get it! one of them has been into me for weeks, and now she suddenly wants nothing to do with me...

do you think i said something wrong?

[ Actually, maybe he shouldn't answer that one either... ]

[Boy. Is he tired.]

Felix. I have been released from jail today.

[What a greeting.]

But I do not have much time before I take my leave again.

[He sends that, and then-- Ah.]

Not for imprisonment, but for a task altogether different. If there are matters that you and I need to tend to, it is best to get them done now.

[can dima chill for like 5 seconds.]

send me your location. NOW

action, during the oct event... it's here, liam therapy

action; october event

Action; A novel for the October Event

that cat thing

Text; un:Sylvain (Aka Dimitri's Audience Roast 2k19)

Another Text; un:Sylvain

( DELIVERY )

cat action...catction

un: dimitri; voice

like 2/3? afternoon? don't @ me i'm chillin