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!

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[bestswordmaster]

[Felix doesn't bother to respond to that, just rolling his eyes and leaving Claude to his boredom. He doesn't even really intend for there to be a next time, necessarily, but...

A few days later, a package arrives for him from Derdriu containing the spices and tea he'd written some merchants there to buy, because the spiciest thing in Faerghus is black pepper and the teas are mostly bland. And he seems to remember seeing Claude there in the dining hall whenever the specials were something with actual flavor, and if he is really from Almyra then maybe he'd like the tea, too.

So when he comes back to see Claude again later that week around lunchtime, he's accompanied by one of the palace staff, who brings in the food he'd asked the kitchens to make and the tea set. Once they've locked the door behind them, Felix sits down at the table without an invitation.]

Eat lunch with me.

[leicesters]

[Claude expected Felix to take weeks, months, if he ever bothered to get back to him at all. Maybe he'd gotten the information he needed out of him, what little he offered, and that was that. Maybe he'd even pushed him a little too far with the teasing, easily provoked as the swordsman is.

So for Felix to show up a few days later both surprises him and catches him off guard.]

Oh -- okay? [Despite how startled he is, the smell of the flavorful food is far too enticing to resist compared to what meagre offerings he's been offered so far. He moves to join him at the table.] What's the special occasion?

[bestswordmaster]

There is no occasion. The spices I ordered from Derdriu's port market arrived, that's all. I recall that you enjoyed the spicier dishes at the monastery and I'm the only one here who will eat anything with a kick to it, so there's plenty. And the tea is Almyran pine.

[Felix picks up his--spoon, no forks or knives here, no one wanted to give Claude anything sharp even if Felix is pretty damn sure he could handle one archer with a piece of silverware--and starts eating without waiting.

Felix has to admit that seeing someone as smooth and smug as Claude so surprised is pretty satisfying.]

[leicesters]

[Huh. At least it's a sign Derdriu is still doing well even without its leader, and though the merchants have struggled in the war and the restricted flow of goods, trade is still happening.

Not that any of that is much of his concern at the minute anyway -- perhaps he should be more concerned with whether Felix has a ulterior motive. Then again, for someone as blunt and straightforward as the swordsman, that idea is almost laughable.]

Thanks. [Is what he finally says, after a few seconds of puzzled silence, before tucking in.] I was beginning to forget what food with actual flavour tasted like.

[bestswordmaster]

[Felix huffs a brief chuckle.]

Now you understand why I sent for the spices from Derdriu. Faerghan cuisine is boring at best, and I've been putting up with it all my life. If I have to stay at the palace for the boar's war council, I'll take the opportunity for trade while I can. Now that we control the Leicester territories, it's easier, and the taxes are lower, too.

[It's not pointed, just factual. He eats for another few seconds in silence, and then,]

What's the food like in Almyra?

[leicesters]

[Lowered taxes, in a war? Claude raises his eyebrows at that, but decides not to ask.]

A lot of meat or vegetable dishes, which are often served with rice, nuts, and lots of different herbs and spices that are very hard to find in Fodlan. Honestly, it's hard to describe without experiencing the flavours yourself, but you'd be hard pressed to find a bland dish. There's lots of fruits that are grown there that are pretty much impossible to track down here, too.

[He pauses, a little wistful as he sips his tea. It's well-prepared, bringing out the sharp and bitter taste of the pine needles.]

Almyra's king has been easing trade restrictions since he took the throne. That's why you're able to find goods that sneak through the border that would have otherwise been impossible to find... like this tea. Bet you didn't know that. [The wistful look is soon gone as he offers Felix another impish grin.]

[bestswordmaster]

Hm. With that description, I'm almost tempted to take you up on that offer to visit.

[It's dry, with a slight smirk. Some distance from their last conversation appears to have improved his receptivity to Claude's nonsense. Either that, or he really is considering it now.

Felix pauses in his eating to study that look on the other man's face, and wonder how much of what he sees from Claude is real and how much is a performance. With Sylvain, he can always tell the difference, but he doesn't know whether that's because Sylvain's not as good at hiding it, or just because Felix has known him so well for so long. And sure, he could go out of his way to distrust literally everything Claude says and does, but frankly Felix doesn't have the time or energy to spare for that kind of paranoia.]

Huh. I didn't. But why would Almyra's king continue raiding the border with Leicester if he wanted to encourage trade? Seems counterproductive.

[leicesters]

Believe me, if they seriously wanted to invade, the little skirmishes at Fodlan's Throat would look like a joke in comparison. Even the forces I summoned to Derdriu would.

[He drains the last of his tea, pouring himself another cup, and a little more for Felix, too.]

I suppose that's part of the reason Rhea and Dimitri keep me around. [Emphasis on Rhea first; he knows who's really calling the shots on these decisions.] Best to stay on friendly terms with the neighbours when a lovely emperor is already knocking on your door.

[bestswordmaster]

Given the skill of those forces, I believe it. So what are those skirmishes for, then? Practice? Keeping their knowledge of the enemy's defenses up to date?

[It wouldn't be a bad reason, he thinks, except who would reach out to trade with people they still perceive as enemies?

He gives Claude a nod in thanks for the refill, then makes a wry sort of grunt.]

I wouldn't exactly call invading the Alliance with no provocation and capturing its leader 'friendly terms.'