godshattering | abraxas inbox + horizon contact

We would not be the first ones to be creating such a feast, but it would be nice to show others how we feast back home— and I would be happy to show you how things are being done in Brigid.

[She smiles to herself, and it is audible in her voice even with her back turned— she appreciates that Claude has more than once shown interest in her homeland and how life is led there, for while Fodlan has become a second home to her, even now she cannot forget the circumstances under which she first came to the Empire. She had made friends there, true, and had even gone so far as to fight for the Empire by choice rather than force, but Brigid would always hold her heart.]

As for taking advantage, I am tempted... but let us be saving that for another time. Here!

[She has, in fact, only gone a few yards before she comes to a stop in front of the oversized tree she had dropped from only a few minutes earlier, gesturing towards it as she looks back at him over her shoulder and grins.]

I know you were saying there were some good climbing trees on your supply route, but I thought it would be nice to be having one we do not have to travel so far to visit. It is roomier than most! Perfect for napping or sharing fruit.

[ The mention of taking advantage of implied mercy and all gets a slight grin from him, but in the past minute the wider one was definitely for being shown how things are done in Brigid. Something he'd very much like to see - something it seems Petra would be keen on sharing regardless if not for it being all her suggestion but for the smile he can hear in her voice. Something he'll have to think about for himself, as there's probably a way to bring Alliance (or 'Alliance') traditions to life more here than the few he has scattered about.

Maybe even something they could extend to the monastery sometime if that's not getting too far ahead of himself, especially considering Claude's a little too busy thinking about this rather than where they're going when he has to stop abruptly to avoid walking into Petra at her announcement they've arrived. To what he's not quite sure, but only at first. It quickly becomes apparent with the explanation as he looks up at the tree before him with a smile which only grows wider upon realizing what's going unsaid about the past - that she remembered it enough to create it, even after quips in passing - or in the thoughtfulness Petra's put into it by thinking of it all.

Of course, that's not what he's going to say. Not at first. ]

I should start by saying I'm glad you didn't make us travel almost to Solvunn to find a tree, especially if this is a challenge. [ There's an attempt to look serious like this is a 100% real challenge as he turns to look at her, but the amount of mirth he's only just barely holding back certainly undermines any of that. ] To climb it, I mean, since I can only assume that means a race to the top where it's more comfortable.

[ A race he's immediately going to lose, but what's one more competition? ]

[She laughs openly; she has nearly lost track of all the ways they might compete with one another in this place, something that has become assumed between the two of them for how common it is, and she pauses to shake her head as she turns to face him once more with a hand propped against her hip.]

We could be racing, and I cannot resist the challenge if you are issuing it, but this tree is also being a place of respite.

[Much like the tree they'd both come across back home had been, climbing lessons aside.]

I am wanting to see how well you climb, though. The way I am remembering it, you are better than most men of Fodlan, but still not as good as me. I was always enjoying that you were wanting to learn.

[ Petra's laugh wipes that faux serious look away in favor of a smile, since - it's too hard to resist not smiling in the face of her delight even if he absolutely knows what his fate would be in any such race. Respite's a much better idea, especially now that the Horizon seems to be behaving. Hopefully. ]

If I'd have known this invitation came with a test [ "test" ] attached, I would've created some better trees like Derdriu has to practice on first. But they say climbing a tree's something you never forget, so I'm confident in my ability to reclaim my title of better than most.

[ Or something close to that since some of it's just Claude rambling in circles as he often does, but really: this particular title is one he'd be willing to go by. All the more reason to not procrastinate on first sizing up the tree as if he really has any kind of strategy in mind here (he doesn't) before stepping forward to grab onto a lower branch to haul himself up and over it with ease. More like relative ease since the motion's not as fluid as it could be and betrays it's been A While since Claude's last climbed a tree, but he's not letting that stop him in favor of reaching for the next closest branch to climb a bit higher. ]

So far so good. Does this mean I win partial approval?

If you are wanting to impress me, there is nothing stopping you from making those trees once you leave here to practice until your next visit— but you are quite right, it is not something you forget easily.

[She stands back to watch him as he gets started, her gaze intent as she prepares to appraise his progress. Even if it's been awhile, Claude is still a strong and agile combatant, which means he rises to meet the challenge quite well, by Petra's standards. As he asks after his performance, she gives a nod before she starts to climb up after him, taking a firm hold of the lowest branch and hoisting herself upwards.]

You are doing very well! Is it all coming back to you?

[ The mention of impressing someone, fleeting as it is, gets an equally fleeting grin though it's mostly to himself since Claude is focusing very much on not falling out of the tree. It's steady enough so far, but assuming this tree is like the ones he remembers - there's a good chance it'll become increasingly less so the higher they get. For all his bravado (tree-related or otherwise) he'd like to avoid any mishaps.

With any luck, anyway. Though maybe he shouldn't be tempting fate by glancing down to check on Petra's progress now that he's made it to branch number two and is moving on to a third one like this is no trouble at all. ]

I think so. Good to know even after all this time, I can--

[ Here's the part where overconfidence comes in: Claude's got a grasp on that branch, sure, but the combination of not focusing on climbing and being ready to tease Petra means split attention comes back to get him when his hold slips and with a wobble, he falls back only to be caught by one more tree limb off to the side which catches him around the waist. Luckily, nothing's injured here but his ego. Thanks, Horizon! ]

Yeesh. This tree's a little too realistic, turns out.

[A bruised ego can be difficult to nurse, but that doesn't stop Petra from laughing at his little mishap as she comes up behind him, pausing when she's about even with his own progress. She grins broadly, one foot propped against the trunk to keep her stable.]

Hmm, I was doing too good a job of imagining it, I am thinking.

[Realistic is certainly a compliment, isn't it?]

Nothing injured, I hope! I suppose the nature of this place is making that quite difficult.

[She bites at her lower lip to keep her grin from hitching wider.]

I will not tell anyone what I saw.

[ Some part of him should be embarrassed that here and now, all these years later, he has once again fallen out of a tree in front of Petra. This time not entirely out of the tree, so that's an improvement. Kind of. Even if he's feeling mildly betrayed by his (rusty) tree climbing skills, it's hard not to grin himself at the sound of her laughter since that alone feels more than worth it though he swaps it for an expression of deep concern seconds later. ]

The fact that you're grinning brings me no confidence you aren't gonna tell anyone, you know. Should I be expecting a dramatic retelling next time we're all at dinner?

[ Not even a couple words into that Claude gives up on sounding offended - not that he ever truly even was - and it's back to reaching for another tree branch which won't betray him this time with any luck to get to where it is Petra wants them to go. ]

Maybe I should've brought more fruit along as some light bribery to be on the safe side. Then again, maybe my undying devotion to climbing trees will win me some more favor.

A dramatic retelling? Hmm, that is depending on my mood!

[She pauses her own progress to keep an eye on him, make sure that he's able to progress rather than scaling past him, and once he seems to have found a good grip as well as his footing, she begins to head upwards once more. His attempt at sounding offended is, as usual, incredibly short-lived; their banter remains playful and affectionate as she hoists herself up to the next branch.]

If you are intending to bribe me, I will take anything you are willing to offer. You did make the fruits of Derdriu sound very tempting.

[She's not going to say no.]

Though you have plenty of favor already, you know.

In that case, maybe I'd better dial back on the diplomacy. Here I was thinking of conjuring up even more fruit when we reach a good stopping point somewhere above us. [ Bribery was definitely the word he was looking for. ] But if I have plenty of favor already...

[ The trailing off there isn't teasing for a change since Claude's self-aware enough (now) to spend a little extra concentration on the next branch which is further up than the other ones he's grabbed. Repeating sliding back down isn't on his to-do list, and after a bit of reaching he grabs it to pull himself up successfully. ]

This is as realistic as I remembered it, [ with a short laugh added. ] Specifically to climbing and not just falling, that is. You can add me being out of tree shape to your dramatic retelling when it happens since scaling a building's not quite the same when it comes to practice.

[ And, speaking of that: now Claude pauses to peer over at Petra when a different idea occurs to him. ]

Now that I think about it, we should probably check to see if all the old places to climb are there in the monastery if Sylvain was nice enough to add them. If not, we'll have to take care of that since I can only imagine the view from the top in here.

[She pulls herself up to the next large bough, perching there so that she can turn and offer him a hand up, should he need it. She offers him a warm and knowing smile as he pauses, her expression brightening at his suggestion.]

He was very thorough in his recreation of the monastery! Maybe he was not paying as much attention to the trees as I might, but I bet we would be finding something to our liking. As you said, if not, there is nothing stopping us from changing it.

[She rather likes the idea of all of them adding bits and pieces of what they remember, what made the monastery special to them.]

Here— we can be taking a rest on this branch for a few minutes, if you like. It is more than broad enough for the two of us.

[ He'll take that hand since he's proved his limitations here already and Claude's not looking to test them much farther than that. The assistance in being pulled up even as he grabs onto a smaller branch for a different handhold so Petra's not having to attempt pulling up the bulk of his weight makes it that much easier, and - he's certainly not going to turn down the rest either. ]

I suppose we can cut him a break after he created everything else in there on his own, can't we? And he's been rather busy with the greenhouse, so that'll leave the trees with you and me where they belong.

[ Just to properly underline that: Claude hoists himself up the rest of the way to take a seat next to her. While he could conjure up some more fruit to go with the earlier gifted ones, and he might still do that in a second, first it feels right to peer out at what he can see of Petra's domain now that they've got some height to clear the way. ]

Then again, this is a rather nice view all on its own. Is any of this a specific location, such as where you grew up or something else?

[She gives a firm nod of approval— where the trees belong, indeed.]

I can think of none better to be handling such a task than the two of us.

[They are the experts, after all; even with some rust on his climbing skills, Petra still finds him to be far more impressive than most Fodlan nobles in this regard. He is quite different from most in a great many ways, enough that she has developed a private suspicion or two regarding what he might have done before coming to Alliance Territory, but none of it seems terribly polite to ask about, or even pertinent.

She remains all smiles as she reaches into the bag she's been carrying, the strap pulled across her torso, and pulls out a roundish fruit with green and red skin, holding it out to him in offering.]

But yes— the forest here resembles the area just outside my hometown. It has been a long while since I have been seeing it for any length of time, but there are some things that are never forgotten. It is the home of my heart, you could say.

[ There's another smile sent her way at the confirmation the trees are, in fact, under their dominion. Forthright and not tacit, as if there's something waiting for claim to be laid to it here, and now they've done just that.

And he should, maybe, break into the fruit Petra's handed him or recommend one of the Derdriu ones for her to try. Instead Claude does neither and simply rolls the one in his possession between his fingertips under the guise of contemplating it when really: his mind's drifting over the wisps of Almyra he's put into his own domain though they blend in with everything else. Homesickness is something they have in common, perhaps, though Petra's would be of a very different variety to his own.

Claude could make a joke then to change the subject, move onto anything else. He could tease, make some wisecrack and brush it all off, but. That'd be a disservice to them both, wouldn't it? ]

There's fields outside where I grew up, ones that stretch on as far as you can see whether you're on the ground or flying. [ The fruit's forgotten temporarily as he looks off into the distance before them, out at the forest Petra holds dear. ] They aren't much to look at when everything's dry. Just a bunch of what looks like grasses and nothing else. But there's rains that come through and bring it to life, and when that happens there's all kinds of wildflowers to be seen that were hiding in the grasses before. Now that I think about it, I guess that must have been what I was thinking about in adding all those flowers to what I created the first time here, just like you were with the forest.

[Her smile softens as she looks out over the forest that seems to stretch forever, the way they're facing— this tree's placement had been strategically chosen, in that regard, for they both know full well that it's not far at all to either his domain or Sylvain's, where they are all able to come together in a place that means something to all of them. On occasion, she has wondered if perhaps she's being selfish, with her own domain focused on something only she knows so intimately... but the opportunity to share a little bit of Brigid with those she cares about truly means the world to her.]

It sounds beautiful. People are often mistaking simplicity for being dull, but they are wrong.

[Even before the rains come, she's certain that those fields of Claude's are stunning, a landlocked sea for the wind to rustle as it blows through.]

I have found there is much in Fodlan that I have come to hold dear, both among its people and the land itself, despite the circumstances of my being there. It... is being very complicated, sometimes.

[She gives him a sidelong glance before she looks towards the thick canopy of the trees above them, gesturing ahead.]

I am missing Brigid with all of my heart, every day, but sometimes I am not sure I am deserving to say so.

[ Even if he wasn't already watching her from the corner of his eye while looking at the forest before them (allegedly), Claude thinks he would've still felt the weight of that look sent his direction. He doesn't react beyond continuing to fidget with the fruit and moves his gaze properly to the forest, noting the details of one tree after another while he thinks about the truth of what she's said. It applies, even if he'd been preparing to leave for good before the Free Cities decided he needed to be here instead. Fodlan hadn't given him many - if any - reasons to stay by the end of those years when some of his dreams were finally achieved, and he wonders if they have that in common even if her words equally suggest something close to it or the opposite.

Well. No way to ask that without revealing too much at once. It turns out he doesn't have much time to reflect on it in the moment because what Petra says next has him fully abandoning the illusion of surveying her domain to turn to look at her with surprise that isn't all that concealed. That is something he hadn't expected to hear, and Claude sits with the tiniest crease in his brow while he thinks that over. ]

Homes can be complicated, [ is what he finally settles on, letting both hands still in his lap rather than continuing to do anything but eat the fruit in his possession, ] whether that's small or large complications involved, and the same goes for reasons for leaving it behind for somewhere else. But despite whatever those reasons were, you're allowed to miss what you've left and especially when you haven't seen home for years.

[ A few seconds go by where Claude contemplates his own words and mentally runs a fingertip along the edge of that hidden blade called homesickness, and then: ] Are you going to return to Brigid someday soon?

Edited 2023-02-04 16:36 (UTC)

[It makes sense to her that he would be surprised. She has always been so outspoken about her love for her homeland, about Brigid pride, and though she has managed to find a place for herself in Fodlan, the way she had come to be there in the first place...

It had never been ideal.

His question is far more complex than most might think it to be. Where to start? She looks thoughtful a moment, pressing her lips together tightly before letting out a soft exhale of breath and giving a careful nod.]

Yes— I will need to do so. I am next in line for the throne, and I will be having many duties to fulfil. My grandfather will not live forever. Edelgard—

[She cuts herself off to search his face a moment, uncertain, because she knows Edelgard is a sensitive subject among her friends. She understands why, of course, but to her...

Edelgard is a friend. Edelgard is one of the people who made her feel like a person rather than a prisoner, long before coming to Garreg Mach.]

... after the war, Brigid will be having its autonomy restored. The restructuring of the Empire's power means we will no longer be trapped as a vassal state.

[ Petra thinks and he watches, wondering just how loaded of a question he asked. Or is it loaded at all? He can't pretend to understand her relationship with Edelgard, won't even begin to try. Maybe in another life - or maybe there's another time as they've all learned - where rather than facing off against Edelgard in the Imperial palace or Derdriu's streets, there's somewhere they work together and avoid all of this or some of it.

That's a hope which feels pointless since it's not the reality for either of them. Not from what he's lived, and not from what Petra's said she has. When she looks his way he doesn't bother pretending like he wasn't looking. ]

That's good. [ Claude nods slowly after speaking as though to confirm that or give it an additional underline. For all his tangled feelings on Edelgard - if he had to guess, he might be closer to understanding her motivations from an unfair amount of information in comparison. But if Edelgard's not told Petra about that, that isn't his to share. ] And as it should be, really.

[ He's quiet while he thinks about this and while sifting through different things to say next. What he decides on is an explanation of sorts, and one Petra deserves. ]

I never did hate Edelgard, for the record. Change was - is so desperately needed in Fodlan. She chose a different path towards it than I would have, and I would've rather all of us walked that path together. But we all made our choices in the end, and neither of us was willing to yield. Not even if all those ways she wanted Fodlan to improve weren't so far off from ones I wanted myself.

[ And with a wan smile, devoid of any cheer he might normally force into it, ] I told her I would finish the job for her and I meant it.

I am sure she appreciated hearing that— would be glad to know you are intending to see it through. She is very passionate about her cause.

[Petra's response is truly genuine, though her brow remains furrowed.]

And— I am glad to be hearing you do not hate her. Many do, and have the right to. I am understanding that. I used to think that I should be hating her, as well, because of her position... but she is not the one who killed my father, or took Brigid under the Empire's power.

[She is a person, more than the Empire she represents.]

I do not always agree with her methods, either, but... I believe she does not have as much choice as we might think. The Adrestian Empire is as divided within as Fodlan itself is.

[ It's hard to think about this and even more difficult to think of Edelgard without remembering the palace. Who was in it beyond their troops - Dorothea, Petra - and how it all ended in the throne room. The cost of everything in all their choices, with his included as he's no exception.

But what Petra says isn't what he expects; something he should know better about than by now with all the mismatched information they all know and even from what they've compared, let alone what they're each keeping back since Claude doesn't doubt he's the only one who hasn't shared everything. He takes another moment to consider what Petra's said, and there is one more commonality there. ]

Sounds a little bit like the Alliance is. Or... was. I guess it's past tense now. There was always all kinds of infighting but even that was at no level comparable to what the Empire had in it with centuries more of history there.

[ There's no temptation to make that a joke for once since levity doesn't have a place here with what they're discussing. Claude looks back to the fruit in his hands, slowly spinning it again. ]

All of it had to factor into what she wanted to accomplish in bringing about change for what she wanted to happen, including what that would mean for anywhere outside of Fodlan based on giving Brigid its autonomy back. Edelgard also told me I didn't fully understand Fodlan's suffering and she's likely right about that. Much of it includes things you'd have to grow up with to grasp, I suppose.

I am thinking each nation in Fodlan is being divided in its own right. It is something they all have in common, and has made this business of turning blades on one another even more complicated than it was already being otherwise.

[The divided houses of the Alliance, the western lords in Faerghus. These were conflicts she mostly knew of in passing, had not had the opportunity to witness in person, but dealing with scout reports and various rumors often fell to her as a member of the Black Eagle Strike Force. Much of what was brought to her was... informative, but difficult to read.

War was painful for all involved, regardless of which side you fought for.

The tail end of what he says catches her after a moment, and she looks back to him, tentative, curious.]

Are you finally going to share where you were growing up? You are heir to the Alliance, but you are not from Fodlan.

[Edelgard may or may not have known that for certain; Petra cannot say, either way, but she'd developed her own suspicions about Claude shortly after they'd met.]

[ Complicated is a good word for it. He survived the war and accomplished those goals he'd kept his eyes trained on towards the future, brought Fodlan along with him for it, but never planned to see Fodlan's fate through. That's best left for someone else who also watched Dimitri and Edelgard fall to their ideals.

Edelgard - there's something else still occupying his mind like it has been since they spoke of her and before then too. Something he's working on finding a way to tell her, though Claude's in the middle of wondering if it wouldn't just be best to rip the bandage off and get it over with already when Petra asks something he's waiting for this time.

He stills and looks up at her again as she very carefully phrases a fact they both know. Now here it is, something he's chosen to bring up himself even if it's indirectly, and he considers it. Hilda might not know now but she will soon enough when his history aligns with her future. Sylvain probably will eventually, if what Felix told him about the fate of the Alliance is anything to go by and how he's chosen to fill in the blanks of that knowledge for himself.

And as they've talked about before, Petra knows he's left for somewhere else even if the where must be unknown as Claude thinks she would have said it aloud otherwise. Does he trust her with this? Yes, of course he does. That answer is ready in the same second he finishes that thought with no hesitation at all. ]

No, I'm not. My grandfather was my grandfather, and my mother is his daughter. But my father is Almyran, and I grew up there until I left to come to Fodlan. [ That's not everything, but one step at a time. He offers her a slight smile afterwards. ] Which wasn't that long before we enrolled at the academy so I did have some catching up to do, but I'd lived through enough to understand more than Edelgard gave me credit for.

[She nods steadily as he answers, catching that slight smile of his. No doubt he's always known he couldn't keep it a secret from everyone forever, and perhaps he hadn't intended to, but given his land of origin, she understands why he would have wanted to take care. Almyra could be a subject of much debate, especially among the lords of the Alliance.]

If I'd had to guess, I might have been guessing Almyra.

[She sounds at least somewhat pleased with herself.]

You do not carry yourself as a man of Duscur would, and I am thinking that it would have been more difficult to hide— nor do you have the countenance of those from Dagda. It would have had to be Almyra, or somewhere being much further away.

[She shakes her head slightly.]

I do not think it matters where you are from. Even with having to catch up, we have been seeing enough both within and beyond Fodlan's borders to be understanding. I have lived in Fodlan for many years now... some things are being very different from home, but others are universal.

You never know, I might've secretly been from Morfis this whole time.

[ With a grin since he can't resist interjecting just that once, though Claude stays quiet afterwards. What Petra says is true, both in how she'd narrowed down the few handful of countries other than Fodlan it could be, and that it should not matter where he is from. Or where she is, for that matter, but he doesn't think he needs this to be said aloud for it to be true given what she's described of the Empire's actions. Reassuring, in some ways, that maybe despite everything some part of his dream might still become reality yet in what Petra's lived.

Claude just offers a hum in response since there's much he could say there, especially in terms of similarities and differences, but that would be taking the conversation too far away from other topics they've yet to touch upon. Granted, Claude's the only one who knows they're there, but.

One of them is also particularly relevant here. ]

There is one other thing we have in common I should probably mention as part of all of that, what with the talk of some things being universal. [ Claude is, of course, going to finally tackle the fruit he's been holding onto like it'll add any level of casualness to what he's about to reveal and despite his usually cavalier tone. Choosing to go about it this way might be a little too entertaining to him. ] My father's Almyran, it's true. But there's a little more to it than that, considering he's also the king of Almyra.

[She laughs at his initial jest, but as he goes on to explain further, her expression shifts, and it would seem that he has genuinely surprised her at last— not an easy thing for anyone to do, given how well she takes most things in stride, but at this, her brows arch upwards, eyes widening slightly.

That is news, isn't it?]

Making you heir to two significant territories.

[As if being the future head of the Alliance weren't pressure enough.

She exhales, a low chuckle escaping her as she closes her eyes, a smile pulling at one side of her mouth before she shakes her head a second time and proceeds to pull another bit of fruit free from the piece he'd offered her.]

All this time, I had only thought you a noble of Fodlan, but we are having even more in common than I first thought. Does Brigid have a future ally in Almyra, then?

[A teasing question, naturally; her smile turns impish as she steals a sidelong glance at him.]

abraxas inbox + horizon contact

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an eternity later I am here

<3

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