OPEN POST: Claude von Riegan - Fire Emblem: Three Houses

[leicesters]

OPEN POST blah blah you know the drill! Leave me a starter, toss in a meme or picture prompt, or ask for a starter and I'll write you one.

Compliant with all Three Houses routes, plus Golden Wildfire from Three Hopes. Let me know if you have a preference!

Comments

[leicesters]

[Claude can only agree there's something very odd about the professor, but he'll keep those thoughts to himself. He's still sizing Byleth up, and given what it could all mean, the less said about it for now the better.

As for being caught with Dorothea after hours... he just laughs, the implication not lost on him.]

Don't you think you're the one who should worry about getting caught up with me? You might get accused of being my accomplice in some crafty scheme. [He shrugs, carefree as ever.] People are going to gossip about both of us whether we're together or apart, so I honestly don't care. Let the uptight nobles talk.

[Of course, that's easier for him to say with a house and crest to shield him, but less so for her. He'd understand if she did want to avoid him entirely.]

[backstreetbard]

[ In this moment, she thinks she likes Claude easily twice as much as she did even half a minute before. Let the uptight nobles talk, he says, and Dorothea can't help the smile that spreads on her face as she takes a few steps closer. He's right in that it would look worse for her either way: either she's a disreputable girl for having an illicit tryst with a nobleman, or she's a miscreant for getting embroiled in his plans. There's no way to win, there.

Leaning forward, she twists a lock of her hair around one of her fingers, lowering her voice conspiratorially. ]

Do you really mean that? You wouldn't be disturbed if people thought we were involved--just two lovebirds sneaking off together at night to keep their romance a secret...? A nobleman and a common girl struggling under the weight of their feelings for one another?

[ She doesn't wait for him to answer, though, straightening her spine and winking once to show she's playing with him. She doesn't want to see it if his expression shifts in the moonlight to one of disdain or indifference. ]

Just kidding, of course. That kind of thing hardly ever happens outside of storybooks and operas.

[leicesters]

[There's no disdain or indifference in his expression at all, just a playful smile on his face. Even if, as always, it's difficult to tell whether a smile reaches his eyes or not.]

Hardly ever, but it does happen. A storybook romance sounds a lot nicer than plenty of the things people say. [He huffs out a laugh, shaking his head.] Still... We probably shouldn't overstay our welcome here. Just in case.

[He goes to retrieve the arrows he'd been using with his training bow from the target, and returns them along with the bow to the weapons rack. As he does so, he's struck with a thought.]

How about you and I catch up over tea sometime? Engaging in polite society can't be too scandalous, now can it?

[backstreetbard]

Hmm, probably not.

[ Dorothea goes along with him, slotting her wooden sword against the rack as well and dusting her hands off on her leggings. Since her arrival at the academy, no one has seen her less than perfectly put together in her uniform, with her makeup and her accessories. This marks a first for her.

It's a first, too, being invited to tea by a house leader. Sure, she'd shared a few cups with Edelgard, but always at her own invitation. The future emperor was obviously a smart and passionate girl, but as much as she seemed invested in her classmates' futures, she wasn't too keen on letting them get close to her, always holding them at arm's length. Will Claude be more of the same, or is there a chance they could actually become friends? ]

Polite society is where scandals are born, but you are my house leader now, so a shared cup of tea hardly seems like it should generate too much idle chatter. I'm free tomorrow after class. Sweet apple is my favorite blend, by the way.

[leicesters]

Sweet apple? Noted. [He doesn't have any, but a trip to the market can fix that. Or swiping some from the kitchens, if all else fails.]

All right, we'll meet in the courtyard after class. For now, I'll give you a head start back to the dorms and stick around here a little longer.

[Sure, their rooms are on different floors, but seeing them walking back together still might raise eyebrows. Better safe than sorry, and all that.]

[backstreetbard]

[ The following day, Dorothea is back in her usual attire, primped and polished in a very intentional effort to seem as effortlessly lovely as possible. Different fields of battle call for different armor, after all.

Assuming Claude will provide the tea after her hint the previous night, she still brings with her a covered plate filled with finger sandwiches and slices from a dark chocolate tart decorated with strawberries. It’s as important to be a good guest as a good host, she thinks.

To that end, she’s just the slightest bit early, grinning as she sets her plate on the table and takes her own seat across from Claude. ]

I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.