Prince of Fire Emblem: The Promise

[volleygenius]

Bunta let Lissa have the rest of their return trip to be as quiet or as talkative as she liked. She had a lot to digest, he imagines, between the arrangement itself and how her interactions with people were about to change with the addition of a ring to her finger. It's simpler for him. He pledged his life to the royal family a long time ago; this is just a new spin on an old loyalty.

For the remainder of the day, the second ring from Ishimitsu's store has stayed hidden in his pocket, out of sight until the sun is nearly set on the horizon, and the moon and stars are beginning to appear. That feels about right.

To call it a plan was an overstatement. He got a whim in the jeweler's and acted on it, and once it was in his pocket he thought of a good use for it, and that was that. He got it for her, at some point was going to give it to her, and he was going to make it count for something when he did.

So, rounding his way through the castle, he finally finds Lissa and gives her a casual salute of greeting.

"Yo. Can I borrow you for a minute? There's something you should see up top of the west tower."

Comments

[didntaxyou]

She can't help equating the sunset with her brother, and shakes her head furiously.

"He's already made it pretty clear I don't have to say good-bye to him," she said, just a little bit wry, and little bit more stubborn. "He won't let you go and he won't let me go, either. Throwing us both in the same pocket was probably real convenient for him!"

It's not a path she wants to go too far down, thinking about how much Seiichi has changed, or worse-- how much he might continue to change.

"A new one isn't necessarily better," she muttered, petulant.

[volleygenius]

Him as a whole, maybe not, but the vision of him that she has in her head may be a different story. It's a little ironic that it's her brother she's assigned a refusal to let go to.

After a moment, he breaks into a grin and shifts around behind her, wrapping both his arms around her middle and squeezing in a playful bear hug.

"Well, I'm not letting you go either! Sounds like you're doubly stuck."

[didntaxyou]

"HEY!"

Her feet kick uselessly in the little bit of air Marui lifts her into, and one half-hearted fist comes down on his shoulder.

"Surprise attacks are cowardly!" she complained, unable (or unwilling) to do more than that.

[volleygenius]

"It's your own fault for being wide open," Bunta cheerfully counters.

[didntaxyou]

"Sorry I don't expect to be kidnapped in my own home," she managed, reaching behind her head to pinch him wherever her hand happened to land.

"Can't a girl just have a moment where she's not on guard??"

[volleygenius]

Bunta winks one eye shut with the pinch to his shoulder, still all grin.

"That's rude! You make it sound like you wouldn't want to come with me." He says, and now it's like a game to just... keep her off her feet. He wobbles a bit, falling back a step.

[didntaxyou]

"It's the principle of the thing!" she hollered, squirming a little and throwing her weight all to one side to make him wobble worse. "Try asking nicely!"

[volleygenius]

"Whoa--!" He resituates his feet to stabilize himself, but no before a small stagger. All the while, he's alert. How he would shift himself, shift her, in the unlikely but nonzero chance he really does lose his balance, so that he would be the one to break her fall and not the other way around.

"Dear Princess... I'm asking you nicely... how could you possibly not want to come with me." It is not at all said like a question.

[didntaxyou]

"No titles!" Take a bop on the head, and anyway:

"Didn't I already?" she asked, gesturing vaguely at the dimming sky. "You used up your get-Lissa-to-follow-you allowance for the day already!"

[volleygenius]

Yeah, he asked for that. Being a pest is part of the job description.

"Whaaaat? Why should I only get one a day? I'm special!"

He does set her down, though, because there was in fact a reason for bringing her up to this rooftop sunset.

"Besides that... you should always listen when I invite you somewhere."

His eyes are practically daring her to challenge him on that.

[didntaxyou]

She'd been looking for something snappy to say when he set her down. It was honestly a quicker end to the game than she expected and derailed her thought process.

Lissa does look directly into his eyes, and smiles with a wink.

"It's better than me sneaking along, I'll give you that much."

[volleygenius]

Bunta allows a small sound of amusement for the joke, but his expression doesn't falter.

"Maybe."

He slides his hand into his pocket, curling his hand around the velveted box resting there. It's unexpectedly a little nerve-wracking. Not from fear of her reaction-- from the meaning of what he's about to do.

He can do it, though. No one is better at taking care of people than him. Yukimura was banking on that fact when he asked him to take this on. There was a reason he wanted him to do it and not Sanada or Yanagi or Niou, all of whom were older friends and, generally speaking, better fighters in a solo situation.

He can do this.

"Do you remember what I wanted for my ring?"

[didntaxyou]

"I remember it basically amounted to a dog collar," she said bluntly.

Her hands twist together behind her back for lack of anything else to do with them. There's something momentous in his voice, but Lissa brushes it off. It's probably just part of the next joke.

[volleygenius]

He... really could have done without it being put that bluntly.

No, that isn't the way to think about this. Yes, on the surface, that ring was profoundly uncool, and had been made that way on purpose. That's exactly why he's gonna wear it and make it into something meaningful. That'll make it his victory.

So he remains unflinching in the face of that response.

"That ring is your spirit. You gave me something bright, spontaneous, and feisty. It's perfect."

[didntaxyou]

She snorts, before looking around to see if anyone heard her make such an unladylike sound.

"You can say it's a little mean, too. I won't get mad... too mad, anyway."

[volleygenius]

Bunta scoffs in amusement.

"That's what makes it interesting, isn't it? It wouldn't be any fun if you didn't have fight in you."

He pulls the box out of his pocket and holds it up by his head, scissored between his index and middle fingers. A silent communication that it's not up for offer yet.

"This is the ring I chose for you. It's my promise."

[didntaxyou]

"You better not have paid for that out of pocket!" she exclaims, reaching for the box in a mix of curiosity and horror. She knows where his wages are supposed to be going!

[volleygenius]

As if he's answering that! He grins and pivots a step back, keeping the box safely out of her reach.

"Don't be hasty. It's not yours yet."

[didntaxyou]

"That was really not fiscally responsible, then, was it?" she asked, pulling out a word Renji-kun used sometimes and hoping she'd done it correctly.

She huffs at 'don't be hasty.' Not being hasty would mean not knowing.

"You don't draw it out like you just want to see me sweat!"

A slight, slight grain of worry is creeping in.

"You're taking this too seriously, for something Seiichi probably only came up with in two minutes 'cause he knew you'd do it without fussing!"

[volleygenius]

There was no way in hell this was a half-baked whim of an idea from Yukimura. No idea from him was. So: no way in hell it gets a half-baked whim of a follow-through!

Maybe Lissa knows that already, and it's her own issues that won't let her admit it. In any case, that answer is exactly why they need to have this conversation first.

"Really? You're telling me you're not important enough for this ring after all? Well, okay. Shame, that. I wonder what I do with it, then..."

[didntaxyou]

"Oh, throw it off the roof, for all I care," she said, but she didn't mean it. She was curious enough that she'd want him to open the stupid box first!

"You get that kind of thing for someone you're actually in love with. Not someone you're told to pretend you love."

[volleygenius]

She's on point. Good.

He lets the ring box drop from between his fingers, only to be snatched back into his full grip mid-fall.

"That's exactly right. This ring belongs to the most important person in the world to me. I'm throwing every piece of myself into the promise I make on it. I can't give this to just anyone."

[didntaxyou]

"You're talking in riddles," Lissa complained. Which... wasn't really true; it just felt true to her. What he said made perfect sense. How it applied to her, on the other hand, THAT was confusing.

Still, she smiled anyway. It was nice to hear that kind of talk. Nice to daydream about people who might say it to her of their own free will.

[volleygenius]

Maybe it is a bit of a riddle. This isn't a confession, after all. The love he feels for her is genuine, but quite platonic. An engagement ring is an awkward prop for his purposes. He can make it work, though.

"Am I? Then, let me put it more plainly."

He takes a couple of steps in towards her, now that the ring box is safely clutched inside his fist.

"I bought this ring for you. When I give it to you, it's not just gonna be a present. I'm putting a lot on the line with it. It sounds like you're ready to accept the ring. But I'm not convinced you're ready to accept everything that's coming with it. This is a package deal."

The words are a bit bullying, but he says them with warmth and challenge in his eyes. They're not meant to tear her down, but to prod her into pushing herself up.

[didntaxyou]

Lissa takes a step back. If anybody else said these things to her, she'd be full-blown alarmed, but with Bunta? It's just a slight trepidation.

"I-I'm not at all sure what you mean, still..."