Lawrence/Serena C Of course, technically speaking, he had no reason to be here. His Armourslayer was in great shape, courtesy of Lawrence's careful maintenance on the blade and frequent reworking the handle. And honestly, if his enemy wasn't in heavy armour, then he could break them on his own strength. Still, it never hurt to take a look around foreign armouries and see what they had on offer. And it wasn't an everyday occurrence that he could visit the weapon stores of Yllistol, where the Shepherds and Prince Chrom themselves presumably got their supplies. "Heh." Lawrence chuckled to himself as he drew his hand back from the steel blade he had been eyeing. As if Prince Chrom needed spare weapons. The Falchion was unbreakable and unparalleled in power. Oh, what the young lord of Everett would give to have a chance at wielding that blade. Instead, his eye was drawn to a sword that hung alone in a vitrine, with a red gem in its pommel and a faint red glow over its blade. He walked over to it, curious, but as he did so he was so focused on the unusual weapon that he didn't notice who entered the armoury behind him. Now that his back was turned, she couldn't resist sneaking in. Serena had never quite understood Lawrence's obsession with swords. She did grasp the concept of how a weapon could be forged as a work of art, but he had been perusing the various stocks of weaponry for quite some time now. Silently she stepped into the room, her hands held curtly behind her back. "Do you think your coin purse could sustain that purchase? It looks exceedingly regal." Serena could not suppress the grin that spread across her face as he turned around. He tensed up and turned around, startled. "Serena!" he said, exasperated, "Just because I didn't have a heart attack last time you did that, doesn't mean I never will!" Taking a few seconds to catch his breath, he looked over his shoulder at the blade. "I don't need to purchase this blade. I don't think I'd have the skill and strength necessary to wield it." Turning around, he brushed his hand over the price tag and specifications. "It's certainly an interesting piece though... it reminds me of the Flamebrand." But you scare so easily, it's such a delight! She thought as she moved further into the armoury, inspecting the blade as he did. "For a sword, it is certainly something to look at." Serena remarked, losing interest long before he did. "You do have a remarkable swordarm, though." Retreating from his side to wander the room, she approached a simple glass cabinet, housing several slender blades. "It is peculiar to think over how many variations of one weapon exist." She said, slipping her hand into the cabinet, her fingers curling around the handle of a weapon. "If I had to choose..." With a swish, she drew the Rapier out of the stand, pointing it at the ceiling before pulling it behind her and slicing forwards, the narrow blade hanging horizontally in the air before her outstretched arm. "... I'd choose this!" Lawrence was still inspecting the blade as well as he could with the distance created by the glass when Serena turned around and lost interest. She wasn't like him- she hadn't been raised by a warrior to lead troops into combat should it be needed. More than the dragon in their livery, Everett's most recognisable symbol was the Flamebrand, the broadsword blessed by Naga's own fire. All of its lords were expected to learn the blade- even Ray, who prided himself in his archery skills, was capable of wielding a sword. When he heard steel being drawn behind him though, he spun and out up his hand. "Serena!" he called for the second time in five minutes, "Put that back!" Rapiers were deceivingly sharp, and while she was in no danger of hurting herself immediately, her stance was so inappropriate it hurt his eyes and he certainly didn't want to risk her hurting someone ELSE. "Hm?" She turned, lowering the weapon to her side. "A little practise isn't going to do any harm." She smiled faintly, holding the weapon up so the flat of the blade rested in her open palm. "I am not a handmaiden: I can wield a sword if I have to." Suddenly her thoughts drifted to her escapades as a teenager. The weapon she had taken to the front lines, disguised as a soldier under hers and Lawrence's father's noses, was similar to the one she was holding now. Did she still exude naivety, she wondered? "NO!" Lawrence stepped forward, grabbing the blade with one hand and lifting it from Serena's palm an inch. "Give me that." Seeing her with a sword in hand brought back memories that he didn't want to see. "Certainly, you haven't forgotten what happened last time you took a sword to hand." He glanced over his shoulder to see the shopkeeper looking at them. "Come on, Serena. If either of us cuts their hand on this thing, we're paying for it. Put it back." He shook his head. "There's a general store not far down the road, we can pick up staves for you there." If she was anybody else, Serena would have kicked up a fuss. She was very used to Lawrence's over-protectiveness however, and allowed herself to put the weapon back. At least he wasn't transfixed by that sword any more. With a polite nod of her head to the estranged shopkeeper, Serena led the way out of the Armoury. "You do not need to worry. I said I wasn't going to seek out battles on our mission, and I shall stick by my word." Serena looked at her childhood friend with a neutral gaze: a practised face for concealing the feisty aspirations she had of their forthcoming assignment. With an apologetic and grateful nod to the shopkeeper, Lawrence followed Serena out of the store, resolving to return later to take a better look at some of the more unusual blades it carried. "I'm going to pretend I believe a word of that," he said, strict. "I stand by what I said; I will not be the one to tell Lord and Lady Calderon that their eldest died because I allowed her to put herself into danger. The mission is too important for you to play hero." He knew he was probably being too rude to her, but he also knew that Serena would look past the words he chose and understand their meaning. Holding open the door to the safer establishment, he ran a hand through his hair. "Have you put any thought into how we're going to approach this task, come to think of it? Our troops move at differing speeds, so I don't know if we can effectively move as one group." "That's not..." Serena began, but stilled her tongue. This was not the place to have a noble spat: not out in the open where there were eyes and ears all around them. Instead, she walked through the open door and into the general store. The shop was rife with the scent of freshly cut herbs, which were strung up above a shelf full of vulneries and other medicines. "I suppose tactically, it would make sense for your troops to arrive first. If there is any trouble on the road, our mages can provide reinforcement from a safe distance when they catch up." Part of her knew she was only saying what he wanted to hear, but it did make sense, too. "That would probably be the best way to go about it, yes," Lawrence agreed as he followed her inside. "I'll take Everett's troops to the first checkpoint we decided on as soon as possible. If Calderon leaves Themis two days after our departure, you could make a critical difference in any skirmish that would have held us up for that long." Glancing around the shop and the other customers that could be listening in, he decided not to say too much more. "We can use messengers to debate further course of action to cut down on valuable time." Deciding that he had said enough on the subject, he reached over to grab a few flasks of elixir. The all-purpose medicine was incredibly potent and expensive, and if he grabbed some now he wouldn't have to put up with Plegian shopkeepers doubling the price when they heard his Ylissean accent. "...just promise me you'll be safe. I've already lost too many loved ones in my life." Two days... Her thoughts would be teemed with worry, travelling that far behind. Not for her own safety, but for the fate of his soldiers. If one of his troops fell, Serena doubted they would be in any condition for treatment after two days. She knew that was his way of keeping her from danger. As he saw to the Elixirs, she moved to the staves cabinet nearby. It occurred to her then, that she had the same affinity for them that Lawrence had for swords. She could feel the faint warmth of the gem's latent magic, even through the viewing glass. The intricacies of the metal woven around some of them was captivating. Her attention was reclaimed instantly at Lawrence's next words. "You know war does not always accommodate to a man's wishes. There may... No, there will come a time where I will have to face danger, Lawrence. When the time comes, I might not be able to wait for you to come to my rescue. I will not hide from it, I will fight." It was difficult to lower the furore in her voice so that the entirety of the shop didn't hear her words. "You are not a warrior," Lawrence reminded her. "And even if you were... it didn't save my father from being murdered by those Grimleal bastards either. We are both Ylissean nobles, and therefore much-wanted bargaining tools or simply assassination targets." He could protect himself. Years of practice had made up for his lack of talent with a blade. In addition, he had at least a few mages with him that could protect him from evil magic. "You don't have to rely on me for protection. Rely on whomever you trust, or whoever is closest at the time." Demonstratively, he grabbed another Elixir. "I do not pretend to be strong enough to draw you from Grima's maw. Make sure you do not end up in it to begin with." "Yes. I am a noble," She began, straightening herself up and looking Lawrence straight in the eye. "and I was not brought up to cower from threats to our homeland. Do you expect me to be idle while the ones I care for put themselves in danger? You said it yourself: it is painful to lose those dear to you. Do you not think that I contemplate my last memory of you being one of you marching off to battle? It's torture, Lawrence." Serena swallowed, easing her dried-out throat. She turned back to the staff cabinet, resting her hand on the glass, taking comfort from its cool touch. "I'm... I'm not a child. Not anymore. Not like I once was." She turned her head, Lawrence's figure just visible in the corner of her eyes. "I could save many lives, I could..." "Not if you're dead." He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I understand your sentiments, Serena. I never said that I intend to die either. However, you must keep in mind this: You are a healer. Your place is behind the frontlines, where you are safe and can provide support to the men fighting. Look at me." He took both her shoulders in his hands and looked down into her eyes. "I promise you that I will not die. I am a proud knight of Ylisse, and no cowardly Plegian will put me in the ground without my consent." "..." She toyed with the idea of mentioning that his father would have held the same belief, but she couldn't. She wasn't that kind of person. She lowered her head away from his gaze. "I just... I want to be there with you. I can protect you, too. I have more power than you know." She looked into his eyes again, but she still saw that tell-tale glimmer. "I'm not going with you, am I?" "Calderon's troops need their commander," Lawrence reasoned. "Whether I like it or not, that commander is not me; it's you. They will follow you; perhaps not blindly, but with less hesitation than they would follow a foreign noble. The same is true for Everett's men." He let go of her. "We will travel separately and meet up at the castle, unless either of us receives word from the other that something went wrong." For a few seconds, he thought to leave it at that, but then realised that he'd been hard enough on her. "...is that okay with you? You're the tactician here..." "I will oblige... If you promise to me one thing." Serena paused, waiting for an acknowledgement. "Promise me this: that when it is time, when you are upon the enemy... I want you not to spend yourself worrying for me. Promise me you'll take strength from me, for if there comes a time when you are doubting, I will ride to you. I will surpass the hills and charge to you, like the valkyries of old. Use me as a strength, not as a weakness. I want you to believe that." With this, she gripped his hand briefly: an endearing squeeze, full of concern and care. Her face was set hard with determination. "You always were a poetic one, Serena." Lawrence couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Fine. I'm no poet, but if you promise me to stay safe, then I won't have to worry about you." He pried his hand free from hers and walked over to the counter. "Speaking of the mission though, I should get back. Leonard will want his orders and I have to make sure Guinevere is in good condition." That, and he really wanted to take another look around the armoury. "Will you be alright on your own? Won't squander the family fortune, right?" Serena could feel it already. One day, they would both look back on this period of their lives with fondness. Everything was going to be okay, she was sure of it. She said her next words with a humerous edge. "Of course not; I have to leave some for Phyllis." Serena mimicked his smile before bowing her head at his departure. For a moment, a pulse of dread surfaced in her head as she pictured his back, how it could be the last... But she stemmed it. A promise between an Everett and a Calderon was impossible to break.
