Lawrence Everett x Lilithe Sarangerel C-support Guinevere stumbled out of the woods, but regained balance soon enough for Lawrence to retain his saddle and his dignity. He looked up to see the woman he had mentally declared his charge. She seemed to be alright, her horse either less bothered by the terrain than Guinevere or having recovered when he hadn't been looking. He sent the mare into a short trot, catching up with the black-haired lady. She'd gone through much just to get here- travelled through a foreign land alone, attacked by undead, and threatened by the retainer of one of Lawrence's fellow nobles. He'd hoped he could offer her some degree of comfort but the truth was that he didn't deal with women well. "The main road is just a few more minutes," he said to her. "I'd like to apologize again for any inconvenience or discomfort my companions or I may have caused." ---- "Not at all, M'lord. If it weren't for you nobles, I may have already fallen in the hand of those raisen." As they were near to part their ways, the dark mistress didn't want to make it difficult for both sides. She also knew that they were in a bit of hurry as well. As long as she doesn't agitate them, they should leave her be without much procedure. "Also, if it is about the threatening, I understand Lord Temple's logic and do not take it personal. Please do not have a quarrel with your companion over this." Lilithe paused a bit to ask herself in mind if she really forgave them. The answer was no, and she knew she was holding a grudge to those people. "Again, Lord Everett, thank you for your kind concern." ---- Something didn't quite seem to click in Lawrence's mind, but he paid it no heed. He would let the subject of the threat rest if Lilithe said it no longer bothered her, but he did have a few other questions for her. He was no more trusting of Plegians in general than Lord Temple was- just, less hostile. "If I may ask though, milady, what brings you to Ylisse? Certainly, if you lived near the border of Ferox and Plegia, then Ferox would be a better country to avoid the war in; closer, and larger." ---- There, more questions were eventually raised, against her will. The lord questioned for the reason she ventured into Ylisse, and not Regna Ferox. She searched for an answer while thinking. I hate lying, please don't force me to. "That's easy, M'lord. The war you've just mentioned, I want to witness with my own eyes." Lilithe answered without hesitation. "With noble people with heavy hatred toward the other side, like your noble friend -I'm sorry- and many others, the war will surely erupt. People will suffer one way or another, there will be many things that I would be interested to learn from it." ---- That was... unexpected. Lilithe had some sort of morbid curiosity towards the war, which struck Lawrence off-balance mentally. He quickly recovered, though. She probably had her reasons; reasons he had no business prying into. Maybe she was a scholar of some sort, although he couldn't think of a field that would benefit from seeing people suffer. "I... see." He could tell it was a bit of an uncomfortable subject for her to talk about, and while part of him wanted to investigate further, he didn't want to upset her further, either. It had been a bit of a trying day for all of them. "Do you have someplace you can stay, then? Surely you do not intend to eat and sleep amidst the warring." ---- "Surely... Very well, M'lord," Lilithe thought a bit, as it seemed that the lord thought she was going to stay near the war zone, which was not what she meant in the lie. "As I do not intend to stay close to the danger zone, I think it wouldn't be so difficult to find a place to stay." In order to not being questioned again, the mistress thought she should slow him down a bit. "What about you?" She asked back. "Do you have anything to report to the Royal family?" ---- "Not so much report," the lord replied. "We've been summoned to the capital for an urgent meeting." He shook his head. "I'm afraid the reason for the summons is confidential, however. Even we do not know the details- Prince Chrom gave the messengers very little information, just that we are to gather in Yllistol as quickly as possible." He deliberately didn't tell her about the prince's defeat in Plegia- if she hadn't heard about it yet, then the Shepherds had done a better job covering it up than he had thought, and he wouldn't ruin that now. "We'll learn when we arrive, I suppose." ---- "I guess." Lilithe pondered inside, Lawrence didn't say whom he was summoned to. She wondered if Prince Chrom had already fallen, as last she heard was that the prince willingly rushed into the trap set by Plegia's rogue king, the country leader that she was not very proud of. She doubted miracle will happen. The dark mistress wished she could follow Lord Everett to the meeting, but that would easily make her suspicious. ---- Lawrence looked over at the dark-haired magic wielder, who had suddenly gone very quiet. He hoped he hadn't said anything to offend her, but he had spoken the truth- the circumstances of his being summoned WERE so confidential even he didn't know the details. He was willing to bet Lord Temple didn't know either. "Not that it's any of your concern, of course," he said, smiling. "You said you'd be on your way soon. If there is anything I can do for you, now would be the best time to request it. If not..." he gestured to the horizon, where the walls of Ylisstol started to grow bigger and bigger. ---- "It will be everyone's concern, M'lord. Even a low born like me know that the war is about to come, the conference that you're heading to will affect myself one way or another." Finally, the capital was in the view, and it meant they were going to part soon. What a relief. Relief? Lilithe rethought. She felt that her fear toward this group of people had gone for a while already. It seems that these nobles were truly nice people. Some of them might be a bit too straight-forward, but they were no vulgar nobles. "I will be okay, Lord Everett." Lilithe shook her head a bit as she answered. "You have a much more important duty to do, so please feel free to go ahead." ---- "Very well. You may not be Naganite, but may the Divine Dragon watch over you on your way regardless." Although hesitant to leave the young woman to her own devices, Lawrence decided that she was right; his obligation to the Exalted Family as well as the halidom was more important than a single foreigner. "In that case... I will be off." With those words, he grabbed Guinevere's reins more tightly and drove his calves into her flanks, making her dash forward and draw the attention of both Leonard and the Temple representatives. Certainly, a mysterious woman. As he rode off, Lawrence wondered if he would meet her again and if yes, under what circumstances... Lawrence and Lilithe have acquired Support Rank C.
