Lissa ❧ Cleric of the Halidom of Ylisse (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
didntaxyou) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
synergetic2023-08-23 05:32 am
didntaxyou) wrote in synergetic2023-08-23 05:32 am
Entry tags:
Prince of Fire Emblem: Three-Ring Circus
So, not how she expected to spend her day.
"We have to get this done by mid-afternoon if we're going to have time to eat afterward, and for me to still have tea with Maribelle..."
She's walking, but she stops short at the remembrance of her friend.
"Ooh, someone's gonna have to tell her, huh? She should hear it from me."
She glances back at Bunta, expecting him to be following her as she navigates the castle town. Several people recognize their princess and raise their hands or hats, which she acknowledges with cheerful return waves or personal calls as she goes, but plenty of others see no significance in the presence of a girl in a plain cleric's habit, walking down the street.
"Wait, what should she hear from me?" She gives him an almost pleading look. "Should I... be honest with Maribelle? Or not?"
"We have to get this done by mid-afternoon if we're going to have time to eat afterward, and for me to still have tea with Maribelle..."
She's walking, but she stops short at the remembrance of her friend.
"Ooh, someone's gonna have to tell her, huh? She should hear it from me."
She glances back at Bunta, expecting him to be following her as she navigates the castle town. Several people recognize their princess and raise their hands or hats, which she acknowledges with cheerful return waves or personal calls as she goes, but plenty of others see no significance in the presence of a girl in a plain cleric's habit, walking down the street.
"Wait, what should she hear from me?" She gives him an almost pleading look. "Should I... be honest with Maribelle? Or not?"
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Lissa's hands clap over her mouth in delighted surprise, as Dorothea laughs politely.
She immediately notices the gemstone on Lissa's ring, however. Their princess is usually so adorably modest that it seems incongruous.
"It's just how I earn my living," she said lightly, although she could feel the time slowly ticking away on her ability to do so. "Meanwhile, Princess!" She winked. "What a lovely ring you have there... gift from our most magnanimous sovereign lord?"
Had it been a diamond, she might have thought differently, but...
1/IDK
Well. She does need to know about it, because-- oh.
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But then, so does Lissa.
So none of this tragic little epiphany distorts his own expression save for the flicker of comprehension when it struck him. He realizes now, he's going to have to be all in on this arrangement, and they both need to see that he is.
"Well, you could say that."
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Lissa immediately shoves her hand into her pocket, and Dorothea's suspicions raise. The fact that Bun is the one answering when it was the princess she asked...
But the princess is blushing heavily, and not from delight.
"I'm sorry for drawing attention to it," she said, voice lowering decorously. She very deliberately doesn't look at Bunta. She isn't sure she wants to see just yet.
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Well, she needn't concern herself with it. This was his cue.
"You did nothing wrong," he assures Dorothea with a relaxed smile, hands in his pockets. "Things happened suddenly. It's a big change to adjust to-- for both of us."
He checks Lissa's expression, just monitoring, before continuing with no falter in his confidence. "That reminds me... sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to make your next show."
He trusts she understands the code message.
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"I'm sure I can console myself," she answered, and if he read a double-meaning into that, that was his problem, and not hers. She was tempted to add If someone else doesn't beat me to it, but that would be a double entendre, and unkind-- to the princess, at least. She might not be ready to know about the things her intended intended to do when his nights off aligned with Dorothea's.
It was too early for congratulations, she could tell. The look she had for Bunta was almost pitying. He was doing well for himself, wasn't he? Instead of picking the prince's pocket, he'd made a place for himself in there.
Not all that different from the plans she made for her own future, but don't we all want our friends to be better than us? And the princess could actually afford to marry by her own choice, if her brother hadn't made the choice for her.
Still, it was understandable. The princess wasn't merely wealthy-- she was positively adorable, delicately-made, and fragile-looking. Any overprotective brother could be excused for wanting to hide her away somewhere he knew she would be safe, but she was disappointed in Bunta for wanting to be a part of that.
At least he was taking it seriously.
"There will be bigger and better shows coming up," she answered, no hint of a second meaning. "I hope you'll both come. Our production of The Immaculate One is going to be a big hit, I'm sure."
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In any case, it sounds like she understands, and has graciously both spared Lissa the humiliation of learning about their history together and offered her a natural transition back into the conversation. Bunta jumps on it.
"Oh, that would be nice. What do you think, Lissa? Shall we go together?" He deliberately sidesteps the word date.
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Dorothea's smile makes her hope she got it right.
"The royal box is already the best seats in the house, so I can't do much for you there, but let me know if you wouldn't mind a visit afterward. Or even beforehand, Princess-- I'd love to help you decide what to wear."
Thankfully, she doesn't require an answer from Lissa, but she does wink at Bunta, before heading on her way.
It makes Lissa unusually contemplative, as they head back through the Heart.