smashacademy | [003E - Audio/Video]

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[003E - Audio/Video] - Report #2

[Someone's still not wearing her school uniform. Not as an insult. Likely a need for individuality.

Fingers at the bottom of her chin, she looks thoughtful. And perhaps minutely concerned.]

For as much as I seemed to think these grounds were different and foreign to Magvel, I'm coming to find some... odd similarities. The unease in the town, the oppression of innocent people, and the talks of fanciful social galas.

In some ways, it's almost as if I have not left Renais at all.

[With a slight frown, she continues.]

While I likely shouldn't be concerned, Prince Innes' silence is a little troubling, as well. But I may be thinking too much of it.

I'd like to take the opportunity to view the grounds with less of an investigative gaze and a more appreciative one. What do you all do when you need to distract yourselves?

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[It was easier to say to stop being tense than it was to actually do so. And for whatever reason she had lingering in her head, she found the same familiar heat rising to her cheeks that seemed to come about more often under Connor's watchful eye.

Tipping her chin up, she lowered his bow and slipped a hand over where her heart was and she coaxed a few deeper breaths as she closed her eyes.]

I think it's amusing that you, of all people, are telling me to relax. You hardly strike me as the sort to 'relax,' Connor.

[Connor simply shook his head. That comment he just heard stroke him in an odd way. Like amusing of a sort. Not like Eirika was amusing, just what the context of that comment was.

Connor might not know how to "relax" but.]

Being one with your surroundings and absorbing the atmosphere is key to making sure you navigate well.

Getting to your goal takes dedication. When you are dedicated, your mind and spirit should be able to mend and become one with each other.

A stiff hand cannot do much, even if you believe it is to stay focused.

[She took what he had to say seriously. For when he did speak to her on such things, it resonated with something within her. As if to imply the spirit of the 'soldier' was something that truly did exist, even in the princess guilty of more than a little naivety.

Being one with her surroundings. Absorbing the atmosphere.

It meant trying to listen for every rustle, every natural sound. Taking in each thing around her. The ground beneath her feet. Breeze against her face. A serenity that Eirika didn't truly know. A type of peace that she had thought was lost amongst flames, clanking armour, and clashing weapons. A kind of peace that could have put her to sleep.

And she remained rooted for a good deal of time, hardly moving a bit and simply trying to encompass all Connor had suggested. So when her gaze found the sky again, she felt minutely wistful, and with that nostalgia, came a softening in her features and her frame.

Then belatedly, she nodded to what he had to say.]

[That was a little better, he could see she was trying.

He realized they really went into this right away. No other formalities at all...

...That was rather odd. Well, they could have all the time afterwords. If Eirika could hit the target, even if it wasn't a bullseye, perhaps it would help calm the nerves she had. That was what he got from her post. Nerves.]

Very good. Now.

[He walked on over to her. He took out a few arrows from his pouch and gave her one. Well not right in her hand, instead, he silently and slowly set it up for her as she was holding the bow. He was positioning the arrow between her fingers and aligned it the right way. He was hoping you were watching.]

Edited 2013-05-14 15:40 (UTC)

[She almost turned pink from the praise he gave her. And as much as she wanted to, she refrained from smiling. She was supposed to be taking this seriously. She was, of course, but there was no denying that she enjoyed Connor's company a great deal. There were times for frivolous activity and others meant to garner her immediate attention.

Archery lessons required her to be attentive and a good pupil, even to the man who had become something akin to her instructor.

Eirika admittedly almost froze up when he approached her, even more so when he strung her bow for her. And he did so in such a way that it was fluid and slow, so she'd catch precisely what he was doing. Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, her eyes eventually found his again.]

...Now...?

[Connor let out some air as he turned to one of the targets. He didn't move from her side though. He stayed right there. He pointed to the target that was a considerable distance, but not too far away. Right in front.]

There. That one. It should suffice. Let us try to hit that one.

[Using his arms, he tried to motion an imaginary bow. Or rather, act as if he was about to shoot. He pulled am arm back, he turned to look at her again and see if she would repeat his motions.]

Now breathe, and try to position your arm to pull it back. Carefully, else the arrow might slip.

[Speed didn't matter, this was her first time after all.]

[Her stare followed to where he gestured and she wondered what was required to send an arrow to greater distances. How did Innes do it? Sometimes he'd have to shoot toward the sky in order to catch Grado soldiers by surprise. She wanted to sit down and ask him what it was he thought about when he did just such a thing.

It seemed hard. And she was probably making it harder than it was.]

Okay.

[She watched Connor as he shifted and as best she could, she tried to imitate him. Although holding the arrow in place and the tension along with it was not something she'd anticipated. Completely different from a sword. She was determined, however, and even as she remained still, posed with her arrow as anxious as she was.]

Does that look all right?

Remember...not so tense. Firm, not tense.

[Here...let him help you. You trust him right? Right? Well you better because he is adjusting your arms for you and is trying to move them into position.]

Right. Firm, not-

[She paused rather abruptly when he took it upon himself to adjust her to what was more pertinent to the archery at hand. It was true that she'd put aside much of her title in his company, but there was still the idea of being touched in what she thought was... brazen.

Perhaps because he hadn't asked for her permission to. Or perhaps because she hadn't expected it.

For many moments, she simply stared at him, even turned more than a few shades of pink. But she made no effort to shrug him off and instead finally nodded.]

-not tense. I understand.

[...Pause noted. He let go.

...

Wow, what had he done. It came to him what he did.

For someone who didn't like touching too much, he sure just went along and touched someone right then and there. Without permission.

Wow. Wow, what was the word they use for that? Hypocrite? Yeah.

Ugh. Connor tried to continue and not show a damn sense of uneasiness. Maybe a light downward motion of the eyes and light furrowing of the brow.]

Alright...now.

[Uh.]

Now look to that target. Watch where you point the arrow, and always keep focusing on your arms and where they are positioned. You have a straight shot, so make sure your arms are still so.

[She eyed him for a few moments longer. Well, more than a few. There was the thought to bring it up to him. She probably should have. Not that she was offended. More or less that she had only been surprised.

But before she really got the opportunity to, he drew her attention onto the bow she still held. She was careful to try and view herself objectively. Well, from an outside perspective. The direction in which she pointed her arrow. That seemed common sense, but at the same time, it sounded like it was probably harder than she was giving it credit for being.

Oddly enough when she repeated his words to herself inwardly, she felt minutely confused. Focus on this, that, and everything, it seemed. How did he and Innes do it? And she imagined she was still distracted by what had happened before. That did deserve some attention.]

I attempt once and then explain.

[To the point. Not accusatory, just direct.

And then after some moments of silence on her part, she drew her lower lip between her teeth and carefully loosed the arrow from the back.]

[Not bad for your first try...you did hit the target. The wee edge of the white, but you hit it.

Really not too bad a shot.

He looked like he wanted to say something but he was pretty focused on the tone of her voice.

But he really wanted to say something.]

...

That was a well done shot for someone who just picked up a bow.

[It was after her shot that regardless of how it turned out, she'd had every intent to simply continue along with her train of thought. But his compliment caught her off guard and she had to actually put herself back together.

With that modesty.

Lowering his bow with her left hand, her right settled about her clavicle.]

Flatter me so, and I'll begin believing you when you say things like that.

[But she was giving a small smile, so she must have liked what he said.]

You and Prince Innes make it look effortless. There's much that goes into it, and I am poor at putting myself to some kind of ease. I'm sure you became quite aware of it.

[Yeah. When you shifted her, you bold man.]

Edited 2013-05-15 04:37 (UTC)

[I...]

...

[What was the correct response? He knew he might have stepped out of bounds again. What did you want from him? No really. What did you want from him? You were welcoming one moment and then Connor let you in on his circle of trust. But when he was thinking he was helping, you tensed up and froze like that. Was it a little...frustrating? Maybe just...a little.]

...Perhaps I have been. I assumed it was just nerves.

[She saw how he looked. And she knew how awkward she felt, because she knew he was waiting. Patiently. For her to scold him? For her to simply lay down the rule of not going so near to her? What was it that had caught her so when he did such a thing? Was it the same thing the day she took him by the arm?

It wasn't as if she hadn't imagined what it'd be like to have the kind of friendship where they could playfully swat one another. Was it because she felt like she had to be older around him? That otherwise he'd see her as a child. Eirika wished she knew something more definite.]

I'm sorry.

[It was all she could start with. As her head ducked, she thought it... silly that she, a princess, was apologising to him.]

It surprised me. I wasn't expecting it. I... [As she eyed him, she tried to find the words to say exactly what she thought. Well. Felt.] Not that I didn't like it. [A pause.] I'm not saying that I-

[This whole thing was silly.]

It would be nice, if we could be the kind of people who can do that without hesitance. I'm not accustomed to it, though, so... it... would be nice if we could work on that. Together. [Because she knew he wasn't accustomed to it either.]

[...And that cued to Connor biting his lip. He really didn't expect her to apologize. At all. He actually expected her to get a little angrier? Then she got soft and.

And.

Uh.

Confused.]

What...are you saying? I am not sure I understand. If you are simply one who wants personal space...

[Uh, and...what then.]

[She simply stared at him. Really?

Eirika didn't know what to say. He'd officially stumped her. So lifting her right hand, she scratched at her cheek and looked aside. And tried not to blush.

Which didn't go very well.]

I don't dislike you in my personal space.

[Oddly to the point.]

...

[ghhk]

[Okay to distract himself from looking possibly like an idiot, he went to fetch the arrow. He tried to be slow in his stride. Hooolllly shiiiiit, what to even saaaaaay? He felt pretty flattered? His face looked like he wanted to say something but. Words.]

[She regretted her words. Not because they weren't true. Because if she'd known he would react in such a way, she wouldn't have said anything to begin with.

So she waited for his inevitable return and patiently held up his bow for him to take.

And not surprisingly, she was wordless as well.]

[He brought his hand to the bow, but he didn't take it yet. More or less, it was just so Eirika can pay attention to him and what he was going to say. Because he was thinking hard about it. His face was gentle, as if he was being earnest.]

...Sorry.

We keep telling each other we have a lot to work on.

I am just unsure how. But perhaps we both have to change, if only just a little so we do not be this way.

[And she did listen. Hard not to when he'd deliberately stopped just to keep her attention. To be fair, he usually had it, even when there was something she disagreed with. At first, it may have been because of the connection between him and Seth.

But in the present and not much before then, it was because she truly wanted to.]

It's-

[She blinked and gave a rather sheepish smile as she thought about how to speak.]

I haven't learned how to have a relationship with a man. Aside from... my coronation and following ideals. [Children, she meant.] I don't dislike you. I'm not offended by you. I just... don't know how to act.

I will do my best. [She nodded and she thought about leaning over to touch him and paused about halfway there. Because she didn't know if it was okay.]

You do not have any friends who are men?

[Connor stood there, looking curious now.]

Then I think...perhaps it would help if you do not see me so much as a man? But rather, just a friend who is merely different from you.

[He's...started to really try this. He didn't want her uncomfortable. He had met some good women who became his friends after all.]

[She paused and thought before she spoke.]

Well, no. It's not that. Prince Innes is a friend, I'd say. And there was Lyon, too. Lyon's like... [Eirika tipped her head left and right with some thought.] Lyon is a friend. [Was a friend? She didn't even know and she knew she looked troubled.]

[So she focused elsewhere. On Connor for one. His response did gain from her a smile. Amused, she seemed to be by his words.]

I enjoy seeing you as a man, Connor. I like... not putting you in the same category as Prince Innes or others that I know.

...Heheheh.

[Wow, his heart felt like a feather for a second. He...actually accepted that? How was that so? Maybe it was the way she said it? He had a feeling they might've became close lately. But that close? For Connor be mean so much to a person, well...he knew comrades like that come in a dime a dozen. Homesteaders, the Brotherhood, his village...then Eirika...all people he could feel had a large value in his little native heart.

And yet, Eirika still felt...very different.

And then, when he went down that route...his felt off in his stomach.]

You...have been very kind to me since I arrived.

I can...safely say this place would have not been the same have I not had you as my ally. I value you and your kindness immensely, Eirika.

[Oh, by the Everlasting. She was blushing. She felt it so intensely that she almost covered her face. Not that he would have noticed. At least it always seemed that he overlooked it, which she was typically appreciative of.

For him to respond the way he did, warmed her to her very centre. In a fashion that she was unfamiliar with. Not something she disliked. Something that made her think of him as...]

I believe I mirror the thoughts. You've become very special to me.

[And there it was. Just like that. Connor was special to her. That was why she didn't want to compare him to anyone that. That was why she wanted him to be... simply himself. He could be no Innes. He could be no Seth. He could be no wise Saleh. Connor had to be Connor and that was all she wanted him to be.]

Thank you.

[003E - Audio/Video] - Report #2

whale whale whale

meow meow meow

kitty kitty kitty?

yes, and because of me the subject lines are stupid

No. Actually stupid subject lines started because of me. :>;;; Because I'm too immature for 'vroom.'

I said it in the first place

I have zero complaints.

WELL FINE

YOUR FACE.

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