middaeg | . summer's play

[The watches here are more durable, as far as Sylvain can tell... though Dimitri having one would surely be the true test of it. If one could survive him, it could survive most things.

And he'll truly be looking forward to hearing from him, both for the sparring invitation and just, well, in general.]

Yes, you.

[Honestly - the bond itself is the condition. Opening up to one another like that is... difficult. And setting a ridiculous stipulation to be able to do it crosses a line.]

I've ended up with three, if you can believe it... but my magic is still unpredictable at times, so another won't hurt.

[A bond is an intimate thing - not solely in the physical sense but of the mind, as well. Dimitri has not delved too deeply into the connotations beyond what had been introduced to him.

Even that much had been enough to make him wary of such things.]

Three? [There's a hint of disbelief in Dimitri's smile, but it's the friendly kind. Pleasantly surprised.] I'll keep your offer in mind, but...

Who else have you bonded with? [Felix, he assumes, but he can't begin to guess at the other two.]

[It's a terribly intimate thing - and the physical aspect, the casual touch and affection that is necessary for strengthening and maintaining it is the least intimate part about it. He's well acquainted with the connotations... and would be lying if he said there wasn't some regret in committing, but even that regret is dwarfed by the assurance he has that doing it has kept people safe... relatively.

He'd been wary. There was good reason to be wary. He still hopes Dimitri comes around to the idea sooner, rather than later, for his own sake.]

Mhm. I stumbled into the two others, as well...

[Dimitri is right that Felix was the first, but other than him...]

Bernadetta and Lorenz are the others.

I see.

[It's amusing, imagining Sylvain committing to someone like Lorenz. Their distaste for one another was abundantly mutual so far as Dimitri can remember. Two very different nobles, now kept by one another?

He doesn't suppose he'll ever understand.

Nor is he able to imagine how Sylvain got Bernadetta out of her room long enough to form a bond.] Those suit you, I think.

Or rather, I think you can handle the challenge. [That Felix is a task goes without saying.]

[He hadn't intended to. But one thing led to another after a particularly bad night, and he found himself being asked.

He's... not entirely sure why he assented, but so it goes.

And Bernadetta asked him as well, in a surprise to everyone involved.]

Mm... I hope so. I think I could handle your... challenges, as well, you know.

[Just going to gently remind him of that, gently hint at the idea that he might just already know that something's off. Whether or not Dimitri acknowledges it is up to him, of course, but... the sentiment is there, and he needs to know he knows.]

[Dimitri's brows raise - he hadn't anticipated the conversation would return to him.] I'm not so sure...

Or, rather.

I doubt dealing with me would help you grow like the others will.

[His self depreciation is, of course, beyond the breadth of what politeness demands.

But, truly, he finds no value for his partner in pairing with him.] A sparring match would be far more beneficial.

[Two can play at circling back to the initial request!]

[The conversation, when on such a topic, would always circle back to Dimitri, until Sylvain knows he's safe, so it shouldn't be that much of a surprise...

Apparently it is.]

I wouldn't be so sure of that, Dima.

[He could point out that even if he doesn't grow emotionally, he could grow magically, with how this world works, but... that's not the sort of reassurance Dimitri needs, it feels like, so he refrains, this time.

He'll just have to figure out some other way to express that there is more value in bonding with him than he believes.]

Hey, now, I've already agreed to a sparring match, you know!

[Dimitri chuckles and leans back - into Sylvain's arm. He'd forgotten it was there, but while it forces his posture to hunch slightly, he welcomes the presence.] Yes, I'm aware.

But they're more meaningful if you do them regularly.

[He remembers that Sylvain is studying magic, of course, and reason has its own place in combat. Still, one who can do both physical and magical is far more likely to survive.] We could make one of those deals you're so fond of, if you'd like.

Train with me for... two weeks. And I'll let you take me out for a night. [To schmooze with women, he assumes, which will be terrible - but worth the sparring partner in the long run.]

One of those... ah.

[He'd... honestly nearly forgotten about those. It had been so long, between believing Dimitri to be dead and then how he acted once he came back... well, hearing Dimitri initiate a barter like that for so long actually pulls a laugh from him, bright and open.]

Alright. You've got a deal.

[Whether or not they'll go schmooze with women or Sylvain will show Dimitri things around the city he thinks he might like remains to be seen, really, but. The deal is made all the same.]

[Dimitri nods, turning to offer a stiff handshake to commit to the deal. It's too formal, but that's how he operates.

And he expects Sylvain to maintain his end. Not that he has many doubts, Sylvain truly did shape up his behavior the last time they'd made such an arrangement. It was Dimitri's side that went awry...]

I'll look forward to it. [The sparring matches, mostly.

Then, with a sigh, Dimitri leans forward, elbows propped on his thighs.] It'd be shameful to ignore the night sky...

[He looks up, watching meteors coast through the stars without tracking them - he finds the blackness easier to focus on.] Is this a peaceful place, Sylvain?

[Of course, the city has its problems - as all do - but he now cannot shake the feeling of a war on the horizon.

At home, here - anywhere.]

[The handshake is stiff, formal... Dimitri. He can't mind it, and even chuckles lightly as they seal the deal. He does intend to hold up his end of the bargain, too, even if it is a whole lot more effort than he'd prefer to put in. Whatever to make Dimitri feel somewhat at home, though.

Dimitri's question, though, drains quite a bit of the levity out of the situation.

Is this a peaceful place?

Honestly... he can't be certain. It has its own troubles, ones that the mirrorbound are expected to help with, but... it's hard to quantify if it counts as peaceful. There is one certainty, though.]

This place... isn't at war, at the moment. We are at home.

[He'll let Dimitri take from that what he pleases.]

[At the moment.

Dimitri thinks of Edelgard just as a meteor audibly cuts through the sky - like a gash in a throat - it leaves behind red tinted dust that falls slowly into the darkness. If she attempts anything of the sort, he'll tear her apart.

Sylvain is right: this is home now, and he will defend it as such.

He's grown tense, fingers prying at one another; Dimitri sighs and forces a smile.] We are, that's true.

In a way, it's freeing- [A naive thing to say - Fodlan's problems are merely different from Aefenglom's - but for the moment he takes consolation regardless.] We could become anything here.

[Yet he yearns for Faerghus - not its cold winters or his gilded future, but paying the blood it demands.]

[At the moment.

There are other pockets of civilization beyond the walls. The walls themselves could come crashing down at any time - held up by magic and not much else as they are - and shades could move in. The stirrings of discontent about the mirrorbound could boil over into something gruesome.

Certain individuals in newfound positions of power could make a grab for even more.

There are too many points of tension to guarantee a lasting peace, but for now there's something like it. They'll have to enjoy it while it lasts.]

It is... and we could.

[He leans back again, looking up at the sky, and - like Dimitri - not focusing on any one meteor in particular.]

What do you want to become, here, Dimitri?

[Here, in a land with no expectations on his shoulders, in a land that isn't crying out to him for blood.]

. summer's play

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