perfectteatime | Amani Inbox

[is byleth too busy? well TOO BAD here comes obsidian whompwhomp]

Mayhap ill-timed as we get to warmer weather but...

[But ANYWAY, Obsidian is approaching Byleth and draping a minty colored handknitted blanket over the other man's head.]

[ !!! What a surprise! It takes him a moment, examining the blanket to connect the dots, but when he does, he turns around to Obsidian. His eyes practically sparkling. ]

You... you made it for me?

[ LOOK OUT THAT'S A STAGE FIVE HUG INCOMING! ]

[A chuckle escapes him, and he's prepared to catch Byleth in the embrace, giving him a firm squeeze.]

Of course I did. Don't have a lot of skills, but I'm a bloody good weaver.

[He affectionately ruffles Byleth's hair, grinning at him.]

[ Oh it's KISSIN TIME. Obsidian is showered in affectionate kisses, and Byleth cuddles up closer to him. ]

Thank you. I'll cherish it.

[ He means that, despite his somewhat flat tone, his actions speak volumes. ]

[This brand of affection is new to him, but Obsidian's quickly found that he likes it. Something he does wish was a bit more common; the kissing and snuggling are ever fresh and wondrous to him, something he had to adjust to before the day they broke into Doma Palace.

He leans down, kissing Byleth's forehead before finding his lips in return.]

I enjoyed making it, moreso knowing I'd hand it to you, my friend. Thank you for bringing me into your home, even if I'd been a bit stubborn about it.

Think nothing of it. You've been a joy to have around. That aside, you have another skill you had not counted I think.

[ He reaches up to stroke a hand through Obsidian's hair. ]

You're good at making people happy. At least me.

Edited 2023-04-27 04:19 (UTC)

[His ears twitch and he lets out a soft laugh.]

I can't argue with the results. Anyroad, just know you are as appreciated, Byleth.

As are you. Come, sit with me a spell.

[ He drags him over to the sofa where he gets cozy and holds the blanket up for Obsidian to join him. ]

I did have a question for you, actually...

[OH SHIT they snugglin now. Obsidian takes the invite swiftly, settling in next to the other man promptly. Oh damn he actually did a good job making this blanket real snuggly, high five self. ~~Somewhere in his mind Fray is reluctantly giving a high five~~]

Ask away. You have my rapt attention.

Well, not to be too nosy, but I saw your conversation with Rosie, and subsequently, Emet-Selch.

I wanted to make sure you were okay, and if you wanted to talk about it, you had a chance to... uninterrupted by tactless remarks.

[Oh. That.

For a moment, Obsidian is quiet, his ears pressing back against his head. Maybe it's better if he was not being so petty, keeping Emet-Selch blocked like that, but this is one of the few subjects he isn't keen on.

But he won't lie. Not to Byleth. Certainly not to himself.]

I've been better.

This sort of place, Amani... it would be much harder for me if was not for you or Zack, honestly. Without a single friend to have at my side, it would be a nightmare true for me. Honestly, I'm not sure how much Emet-Selch knows about how Vieras conduct their lives in their isolated villages; I suppose he'd have no reason to not know. All the more reason for him to piss off.

[He sighs.] I can tell you, if that's what you really want to hear. ...I trust you, Byleth.

Mmm. Yes I'm sure he was... attempting to express his care, but he tends to do so in the worst ways sometimes. His tone had no place in that conversation.

He owes you an apology.

[ His hand rubs against Obsidian's back comfortingly. ]

But he is not what I am concerned with right now. You are. I thank you for your trust, and only tell me if you want to, I do not want to force you to divulge painful memories for curiosity's sake.

That said, I do want to know you.

[I do want to know you.

How rare a treat that is. How so few bother to know him behind the moniker of Warrior of Light or, sometimes, even under the title of Azem, for better or for worse. But Byleth would have no reason to worry about those things with Obsidian, for it is just him, a man.

So that's how he knows he's placed his trust right.]

...Viera, by nature, live away from most other cultures. Isolationists, territorial, determined to live by the Wood, for the Wood. And so there are traditions they follow, for better or for worse.

If you mature into a man or a woman, your life is chosen for you one way or another. I can't claim to know if it's really any better for women, but for men... well. You have two clear expectations: you protect the village, hunt for the village, but you live in the Wood. Only a few years at a time do we return, and that is to breed. Sex had ever been a loveless, empty thing. A role, a job.

[Even then, he'd been known for his duty. Expected to fulfill. Who he was, it didn't matter to anyone.]

There were many reasons why I left my village, but that was certainly one of them. Aye, it's true, all manner of cultures of mankind have absurd perspectives for it, but for us it isn't ever your choice. You don't decide who, you don't decide if you even want to. Just... expected. Decided for you. Who you are, what you do, what you wear -- well sod that. All of it.

[ He listens quietly, attentively. Curling an arm around Obsidian's waist to pull him closer as he speaks. ]

That sounds uniquely horrid. I am so sorry, Obsidian. I can imagine it must be difficult to be at ease with this place then. To trust.

[ He gives him a tighter hug. ]

Thank you for telling me. It definitely sheds some light on matters, and it will help me know the sorts of things to take care of with you. For what it's worth, I'm glad you got out.

It was sometime ago. Leaving was the first and best choice I'd made for myself, though, I won't lie.

[Well, he won't say no to more hugs. Obsidian settles into Byleth's arms with ease and he nuzzles up to his temple.]

You don't need to treat me any differently. With someone I care about, with someone I trust... I've little to worry about, and I'm glad to share what I can with people like that. Like you.

[ His hands stroke over the man's hair and back soothingly. ]

I will endeavor to never give you reason to question that trust, my friend.

Please also know that I am happy to share the weight of your troubles, so please never hesitate to tell me anything you want off your chest, or simply desire someone to confide in.

It does us little good to hold these thing in, when we have friends who can help.

[There has never been any shortage of troubles in his life, but also more rarely time to really address them. More urgently are his friends, protecting them, saving their star, saving the universe --

So how can he possibly begin with the opportunity presented now?]

Can you promise me that you'll do the same?

It's a promise. We'll both do our best. All right?

[ He says this with such assurance. He hopes that's comforting. He can be unwavering at times, but he's far from perfect. ]

Of course. I... certainly do not know how to begin with this sort of thing. Suppose I'm just used to moving forward with no time to worry about what was, but what I can do to protect those who could yet be saved.

I have no such pressing matters here, and so here I am. Too much time to think. [AND FUCK.]

Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for you to look at some of those things and fully allow yourself to feel them. I know what it is like to be constantly pushed, never having the time to really address your own worries and troubles.

Eventually they add up until something breaks.

A very smart man told me that there is strength in allowing yourself to grieve for what has been lost. I have found this to be starkly true.

[Let himself feel them?

To dwell can bring about some complications. No time to mourn, no time to dwell, move on to the next crisis, serve save slay slave. It could mean overwhelming sadness that's enough to break his heart, or having to actually consider how certain things have hit him. His throat constricts, and ultimately he finds himself... just shrugging.]

I would not know where to begin. It feels like I've been fighting nonstop for years. Maybe I have been.

I think probably the best thing would be to think about how you feel. It will probably take you some time to disentangle your emotions. Sometimes talking about it helps, or creating art of some kind.

You also must rely on the aid of your friends.

[ He gestures to himself, of course. ]

Helping makes me happy, so in allowing me to help, you are helping me. If that makes sense. Of course, not all at once but... it might help also, if you find a way to have a good cry.

I know it doesn't sound dignified but it's better out than in, you know?

Simply saying these things does not make it that much easier to know how to begin with it all. But I suppose I can focus on... I don't know, weaving. Hence the blanket and whatnot.

[He shrugs helplessly. It's not as if he doesn't know to rely on his friends. They are the core of his strength, but at the end of the day it is him who stands. Who must stand.

When has he last cried? Has he ever given himself that moment? Oh, he has felt grief, has gotten close, but the road goes on and on. When was there ever time?]

Mayhap it will come to me. If I need it.

You are right...

Well. What about starting at when you left your village? From there on.

When I left my village... aye, I can do that.

It was almost always snowing in the village and the Wood. Spring was rare, so I had my fill. Felt I ought to go elsewhere completely different. So I set out for Ul'dah, to begin with.

[Discussing most of the war against the Garlean Empire isn't too bad. Aside from Thancred's possession and having to carry the dead bodies of his fellow Scions to be buried, but who's counting? But most of it is positive, at least for him. With the Echo and the blessing of Light, he could face Primals where no other could. He could not be tempered. But then, there was so much reliance on that, wasn't there? Facing so much on his own, serve save slay slave. Walking, doing what others could or would not do. Moenbryda's tearful sacrifice, the betrayal of the Crystal Braves, the Bloody Banquet. On the run, and only able to turn to Haurchefant for safety under House Fortemps with Alphinaud and Tataru at his side.

Ah, Haurchefant. He, too, deserves an explanation. And at length, he does explain the noble knight, so quick to engage and quick to flatter. At first, Obsidian despised how flirtatious he was, but eventually the trust was won with Haurchefant's fervent desire to protect him from Shiva and in turn Obsidian had, too, explained himself to Haurchefant then about his... issues. And then...

The Dragonsong War had personal stakes in it. Not just for the innocents, but because he felt he needed to pay back the friends he'd made. For Haurchefant's home, for Aymeric, for so many. The truth of the dragons unraveled before him, and Haurchefant's sacrifice to save his life.

He'd gone a little mad, maybe. No one really blamed him for it, but since that moment, Obsidian had gone on a personal crusade to slaughter the entirety of the Heaven's Ward. Destroy them, rip out Zephirin's heart, make them pay. At the end of it was the cold truth as ever: the world will not stop turning, even when the ones you love die. Revenge could only put a salve onto that wound so temporarily, but there'd been no succor. True, his vengeance also saved many lives, but there'd also been the loss of Ysayle. At the end of it all, they were able to put Nidhogg to rest -- sort of -- and rescue Estinien.

Yet it would branch off into the tragedy of the Griffin and getting involved in the war between Ala Mhigo and the Empire. The first time he'd unfortunately met Zenos, the massacre of many of the resistance, and the ultimate decision that mayhap fighting for Doma as well would bring success in freeing Ala Mhigo as well. But that too would bring the revelation of how people of their countries were, in some way, let down by their homes and peoples. A feeling he knew too well, especially as Yotsuyu lie dying at his feet. That somehow he would indeed mourn the Witch of Doma.

Then G'raha's master plan to not only save the First, but also his life, the lives of so many in the past and future. Meeting Emet-Selch, fighting sin eaters, and the tragedy of Ardbert and his friends. The bittersweet victories that would follow, and how eventually the truth of their worlds -- how they'd been sundered, and Emet-Selch plotting his own demise, which is an unfortunate running theme. Battling Elidibus, and then eventually...

Fandaniel, tricking Zenos into his own plans and rising the strange towers. The talk of the Final Fays. The Forum at Sharlayan being stubborn about helping. Attempting to offer succor to the post-civil war land of Garlemald, and his meeting with Vrtra and Varshahn in Thavnair. Zenos taking his body and no time left to dwell on it, march forward ever to the moon and back again. Yet, with the aid of so many companions, they would find the source of the Final Days with the Endsinger. That victory, too, was bittersweet, but they would all find reasons to fight on and live, despite it all. They'd been there before, and knew to never give up, and Obsidian will never cave in to despair.

Yet speaking of all this does make him realize just... how much it all is. Remembering Fordola receiving visions of his experiences and asking him in a baffled voice: All that power, all that pain. It's too much for anyone. The things they've done to you, the lies, the betrayal, the endless fighting... yet there you stand, unbroken. How? Why?

What choice is there otherwise?]

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