Corrin Nohr
Although my kindle history would suggest otherwise, I don't believe you can fall in love with someone at first sight, no matter how pretty the prince or princess might be. I do know you can fall in love with someone's hair in just three days.
"Corrin dear, what are you looking at?"
I snap my finger down from the starbucks balcony down to the cafeteria porch below. There's half a dozen students of Valla University of Fine Arts bellow, but I'm pretty sure anyone could tell who I'm pointing at. She's thin, yet curvy, and with muscles like every dancer I've ever met. She moves and laughs in fluid motions like she's the human equivalent of a gentle wave. To call her eyes molten gold is melodramatic, but paints the strongest picture I can fathom. Most eye catching, more than the yellow eyes, more than the way she flows just like her skirt, her hair is what gets me. Blue and straight it flows over her shoulders like a gentle waterfall in lines that look at a distance like seaweed crossed with silk. How does she dye it without damaging such long hair?
"I dare say that borders on rude," Camilla sulks and deflates so dramatically you'd think she was trying to recreate the Pietà. "You've dragged me all the way to your college to sit silently ogling at other women. I'm half way to jealous."
Although I'm adopted, I had hoped being sisters, and Camilla getting a girlfriend, would preclude her flirting with me. Unfortunately for my fragile gay heart. It did not.
"I came here yesterday and sat alone. I figured that bringing you would decrease my creepiness factor," I break off my, frankly disgusting fascination to glance at my sister with as apologetic a frown as I can give. "I am really sorry."
"Awe, you're terribly cute, all is forgiven," Camilla declares before taking the smallest bites from her coffee muffin a human could manage. She chews on it and a thought bubbles up. "You're also not a shy young lady. You've got a nack for charming people. Why are you just watching when you should be flirting. Did you and Azura get into a fight now?"
"I know, it's so-" it clicked, "Wait, you know her name?!"
Camilla did not go here, she went to the air force university thirty minutes out of town. She seems to notice my mouths agape at some point as she lets out a subtle devils giggle.
"Oh you have no idea."
I gulp.
"You two haven't-"
She laughs harder. "Oh heavens no, my love would murder me if I had. Azura is Hinoka's sister you see. She gets envious of you Corrin, could you imagine how well she'd take her very own sister. Parish the thought." Camilla stares over the railing at Azura. She rests her chin in her right palm, tapping her thick lips with her pinky finger thinking. "She is really hot though."
I nearly choke on my own tongue.
"That's not so bad. Maybe we'll meet someday in the future then, like a fated pair, haha, I bet we'll say like four words at your future weddin- Camilla what are you doing."
Hunching over the railing, leather jacket fighting the wind as her hair flutters like a flag, my sister puts her hands up to her mouth, and shouts over the entire outer cafeteria. "Azura! Come say hi!"
She sees. She waves.
"Oh Gods, what have you done."
"Set up all the pieces for the game to begin. Are you ready dear?" Camilla struts, struts, from the railing, her tight jeans popping with pleasure at my displeasure. She grins when the mystery girl, Azura apparently, starts heading away from her friends, and toward the steps.
"No, do I look like a messy?"
"Never," Camilla punctuated of her finger against my cheek and I'm no less worried.
"Thank you that's very sweet, do you have a mirror perchance?"
"Corrin, are you suggesting I might not be telling the truth?"
"I'm saying you're very sweet," I vainly tug at my wavy hair, trying to even out the fraying curls of white. It's not going to work. "But let's be honest Camilla you'd call me beautiful even if I was burned alive by a dragon."
"That's because, sweetie your beauty is inside that big heart of yours," Camilla brushes aside a few strands from my face with motherly affection that means something especially dear to motherless me, "If it helps, your makeup is spot on and you look absolutely delicious, and the wild hair is a powerful additive to your overall aesthetic. Oh Ten o'clock."
My eyes shift to the left and I gulp. Azura's present, she's holding a textbook marked by music notes and a black and white photo of jazz singers. Her other hand brushes her hair away from her face and gave me a much better view of those golden eyes and ever so slightly tanned complexion. I'm staring at her, and she's most certainly staring at me.
"Oh, it's you," I'm in love with her voice now too, after just a few syllables. It's smooth and soft like water, which my knees are turning right into.
"Hi, I'm Corrin, it's a pleasure to meet you!" I on the other hand rush through my words. I've got a natural pep to my voice and it's always helped me make quick friends before, but awkwardly holding my hand up like I'm in for an interview and sputtering out my lines is not my usual best.
She gives it a gentle shake at least.
"Azura are you familiar with my sister Corrin?" Camilla taps my shoulder as a reminder I'm suppose to put my hand back after.
"I remember her, yes. The pianist with beautiful silver hair and the little girl from your stories. It's wonderful to finally put a name to the face and a face to to the name." My cheeks turn as red as my eyes. I'm the beautiful pianist huh? Azura tilts her head with a confused frown, I can tell I got some nerdy grin on. "Are you alright?"
"Corrin is albino so her skin is quite sensitive you see, she turns pink all the time." Camilla embarresses me and saved me in one go.
"Oh I'm sorry. Should we take you inside?" Azura casually strokes my shoulder in concern and my resting heart rate jumps to cardiac arrest.
"It's alright," I say turning redder. "I'm surprised you know I play piano. My majors technically fiction, but with a music minor."
"I watched you perform with Flora, you did the music for her dance project. My major is music, with a specification of vocals. Minor in dance however, so I was there. Also I believe we share a tuesday-thursday class, musical history?" Oh I know we do.
"Oh that was a small thing, really it was Flora's moves that brought it to life." Really it was astounding, I had always heard Flora and Felicia talk about their native peoples dances, but god could Flora paint a picture with her hips.
"There's no need to be Modest, you're quite gifted with a piano." Azura's already adept at making me smile. Now I was going to start daydreaming about playing for her, or better yet playing with her. She could sing, I'd heard her practice. Made my piano sound like chimps plucking wet spaghetti, but man would I play for her, maybe even dress up in a tux and god I bet she could destroy a cocktail dres- "Is Corrin alright?"
Day dreaming already.
"Lets just get her out of the sun," Camila pats me on the back with a knowing smirk. It's Azura that takes my hand and pulls me forward. Her fingers are so thin, just like the rest of her. Reel back Corrin, you're getting creepy.
"You'll feel better with a little A/C, right this way." Like I was going to fight her. I didn't need the view anymore so I was happy to get a flash for fresh air especially with Azura just a few feet from me.
"You guys really don't need to worry. I'm just a little spacey today."
"Darling, you are spacey every day," Camilla tugged me into a hug, one I struggled to get out of. Azura giggling was nice, but being the butt of the joke was not how you win someone's affections. Had to be cool, I've burned through a lifetime of romance novels I know how this works.
"Anyways, while I wouldn't say I'm a greatest pianist, I'm at least good enough to make it in my classes. I can tell you're great at what you do, I've heard you practice outside our class, you're astounding." Azura dropped my hand and my arm went limp with it. She looked controlled, but even she can turn a little pink I guess. "You've got a lot of talent. I never would have guessed you were Hinoka's sister, I didn't even know she had more than one." And only because she spends an outrageous amount of time with Elise.
"I'm closer to Sakura, not that I look like any of my siblings. I was adopted," An awkward smile pulled at my lips. I knew what that was like intimately,
"So was I, if the total lack a familial resemblance didn't do it for you. I bet if I asked Hinoka would gush over her lovely sister." Azura seemed comfortable with touch so I took the time to squeeze her shoulder and remind her of how we both had loving families.
"My apologies," Azura let,out, her eyes drifting to the floor for second, "I had assumed it was simply a factor of being albino." I shook my shoulders not bothered in the least by the assumption. My lack of pigment was never a sensitive subject nor my adoption.
"Two exotic beauties, both adopted and both drawn to music and creative drives. It appears to me like quite the fated pair." I shoved Camila's shoulders earning only,the devil's laugh.
Azura laughed as well, hand over her mouth near silently giggling into her palm, the only real giveaway being her shaking shoulders. "Truly, I think our meeting was over due then Corrin."
"Definitely," I mumbled lost in her words. Today, this was all such a fever dream.
"Well lovelies if you'd excuse me, I need to use the bathroom. Don't wait up if I take too long Corrin." She winked at me and I knew she wasn't coming back. I owed her, and I knew my debt would be paid in all of today's details tonight over tea.
Azura seemed to pick up on that too. She looked at me interested and considered for a second.
"Well Corrin, would you like to take a walk with me?"
And we took a walk, a walk out of the academy down the park blocks down to pioneer square, to the mall, to the bookstore, to wherever our feet could carry us. The awkwardness faded with time, and I slowly found my peppy self again. I even had the courage to dance with Azura barefoot on top of Forecourt Fountain thanks to the encouragement of a particularly gifted street performer.
I learned more about her, how the Hoshidos took her in after her mother vanished. I learned it was that same mother that was the source of her early love of dance and song. On the other hand Azura laughed in my face when I revealed that my writing came out of being a terribly introverted child with only books for company. Not the extrovert she experienced today.
I had learned she was a stoic naturally, where I'm anything but. Where she didn't give me the details I could fill in quite a hard life. I just kept wanting to know more, about all of her. By nightfall I was practically begging for more of her time. We settled on a movie to close up the night. A shitty, B tier, gross out horror flick. The Faceless was god awful, but I dreaded its ending. I dreaded terribly becoming strangers again.
"That was… rather grizzly." The best compliment one could give of that colossal flop. I had fun though. The theater had such small seats, we were shoulder to shoulder all night. She must have thought I was just as disappointed given my frown, slowly walking with her and blowing loose silver strands out of my face.
It's 'cause I'm walking her home, because I can be a little pouty.
"I just don't know why this director needs every single film to end in evil dragon masterminds. It's not a plot twist if it's in every movie."
"Would you have prefered a romance? It could have been market research for your next big book." Azura mocks me with a backhanded compliment and a friendly smile. I should have never told her I'm currently a failed romance novelist.
"Are you going to tell me you've never been moved by a love story? No dreaming of a valiant prince for you?" I feel the spirit of Camilla breathing down my back to make a move, so I start of subtle. "Or Princesses?"
Her gold eyes flash at me as we walk past the Imperial Arms apartments and into the academies student housing. "No, not really," she says, "I prefer scary stories. I suppose I feel a closer kinship with fear than love?" She giggled like it was a joke, seemed kind of sad to be one. "That and I don't think I could get Sakura to jump with a love story."
"I don't think I could scare Elise with anything. Though I'm not sure. Sakura's pretty young, but trust me you can get someone to react pretty powerfully with a good enough love story."
"Well then, I expect to hear one if it's so grand."
"You'll have to ask me some other time when we're not a block away," again I try for the subtle approach. "I'd need to make sure to give it my very best."
"Keep building the story up and I'm not sure even the best could manage to meet expectations," she avoided it again, hard to catch like water through a strainer, she just slides though with a smile. "I look forward to hearing it either way." Mostly avoided and suddenly I'm grinning again.
"You seem cheery," she noted as we walked the last crosswalk and arrived at her apartment building. A lovely place with small open balconies that looked over the river. I feel like I can guess which one is hers by the lovely white and blue flower pattern rug laying over the ledge.
"Of course I am," I not despite how lonely I'm going to feel in just a few minutes. We're here, alone by the lobby doors, a small fountain and street light. "I've made a new friend." I trail off the nd, not quite sure if that's what I made at all.
Azura seemed to notice, her arms cross and body pressed against the lamp post. For support. She's waiting for me to complete the thought, or maybe just say goodbye. This was never the part I was good at with all my exes. What was Xander always teaching me? Fortune favors the bold. Just do it Corrin.
"So to be clear, I'm pansexual." What a charismatic start Corrin...
"That's perfectly fine," Azura cut me off, her eyes shifting in both directions, "however, shouldn't you be a little more careful who you tell that to? I could be a horrible bigot, after all I am a stranger to you." Her arms hug herself tighter then releases, Azura breathes out a sigh and I get the feeling she never meant to sound so...dismissive.
"But I don't think you are," I reply with a smile. After all Camilla was dating her sister and she seemed thrilled to see her. I can tell Azura's way to smart and kind to be hung up on that.
"You never know," she sighs. There's a weight to it. Something that tells me she's had a bad experience or two with just that sort of thing. Was Hinoka ever bullied? Or was this...more personal.
"I rather believe strangers will be kind." Not that they always we're. My father sure didn't like it when I came out, he was almost as mad as when Camilla did. But for every father there was my siblings, my uncle Gunter, my best friends Silas, Jakob, Felicia and Flora that all loved and supported me.
"That's sweet, but naive." Azura give me the saddest smile I've seen on her, a weary smile, nostalgic.
I shake my head no. A lot of people called me naive my whole life, but they confused my decision to trust with lack of experience. "I know it sets me up for getting hurt, but like I always tell my brother Xander, I can live my life betrayed by a few people or afraid of all people. I'd rather live the first." I chose to believe in people. I chose to believe in Azura, that even if we can't ever date, or fall in love, or have our own romantic epic, that she will be a cherished friend. It's been years since I clicked with someone that well, I believe that nothing would keep Azura from returning my friendship.
I keep up my hopeful smile, and she just laughs. Laughs right in my face, the heartiest loudest laugh that ends in a very ungraceful, un-Azura like snort. "I can't decide whether you're unbelievably brave or undeniably foolish Corrin."I just scratch my head and keep up my smile. She's far from the first to call me that. "What I'm sure of is your world view brings out the optimist in me, if kicking and screaming." She reaches out from the lamppost and squeezes my shoulder tight. Here I am blushing all over again. I want to cover my face with my hands, but all I do is keep looking at her gold eyes. They're warming up to me.
"Wow, that's really nice of you to say," I finally say after ten seconds of prolonged staring. Finally, with much lement, Azura lets go of my shoulder and leans back against the pole.
"You're welcome, but I'm afraid I may have derailed your point." She expects more, she wants me to continue. That's good, that's really good.
"Well like I said, I'm pansexual, so I just wanted it to be clear about how I should take tonight, or um, how should I say this, would you prefer to view tonight as our first day hanging out as friends, or possibly our first date?"
By the time my verbal vomit managed to get the point across, Azura's reaction went through a subtle gamut of reactions. I thought I saw intrigue, some thirst, some disappointment, but I definitely think she ended on interest.
"Are you asking me out Corrin?" she asks, side stepping my own question.
I don't give quarter, I step a little closer, slowly entering her space. I want to make it clear I'd be happy with either. I just want her to be part of my life. I lusted for Azura for a while now, but after today, I want more than that. I need her stoic, clever, witty and kind soul in my life more than I need her beauty.
"I'm saying what do you want more, a friend," I don't stutter, though my breath is sharp and my heart pacing. I lift my chin keeping our eyes locked and inviting her simply to kiss me if she wants. "Or would you rather a girlfriend?"
Her eyes shift again, all directions, nervous, but her lips smile weakly and her cheeks blush a light red. I think….I can't believe….holy shit she wants a girlfriend.
"I'd be happy so long as you stay in my life." Dramatic, but it gets me, oh gods does it get me.
"I need to know what you want, if I'm suppose to make you happy."
I don't hear, so much as see her lips say, "you."
I kiss her, because of course I do. It's not a long kiss, not super deep either. I don't even get use to her lips before we part. I was so focused on not screwing it up, I barely remember it, just a white hot flash of panic and suddenly were both blushing, both too deep in each other's personal space, and maybe dating. Her eyes however, are still cautiously scanning the terrain, it's sad, but not without its charms. We're alone and I can't contain my giggle.
"You're a very cautious person aren't you?" I test the waters by massaging her arm. I am a little scared I somehow screwed this up, but I keep positive. I got to trust in me and her right? That's what she likes about me.
"And you're quite the bold one," she whispers between the little grin on her lips. Yeah she didn't hate it.
"The real question is, did you hate it?" She smiles again, this time a little redder, this time shaking her head in mock annoyance.
"That was...memorable."
"To be completely honest, I was a little too focused on not headbutting your nose that I kinda of wan't there."
Now her annoyance is real.
"In some situations you're better off not being honest." She rolls her eyes at me for what I hope is the first of many times.
"I'm 'nieve' remember."
"Truly,." she punctuates with another kiss. This one I remember, though it's comparatively chaste when slapped up to the many first kisses I've written, but I don't think I can forget the texture of her lips on the way she sucks in a breath when she cuts me loose. Damn. "Better?"
I nod and she steps back out of range, subtly walking backwards towards the door. I'm a little star struck and red to try and push for more time. I still got to rush home and tell Camilla a million thank yous and all the little details. I don't need to push for more time when I know we'll be seeing eachother again.
"So, will you text me sometime this week?" I ask, knowing the answer.
"No," she laughs, "I'll just find you after class. I can't keep my, what was it, valiant princess waiting?"
She shuts the door on a struck stupid me. She's sung a good enough song, I'll be dancing my way home.
***Howdy! This is my first fire emblem fic and my entry for Azurrin week day 6. I wanted to write more for the week, but the week landed right when I was going to be out of the country so this little fluffy piece is all I managed. I hope it was fun if kind of simple fluffy piece. I'm also hoping to write a azurrin pirate/siren longer fic me and my friend Savvymeme kind of plotted out so here was my weird modern A.U. test drive. Please forgive any mistakes this was made late at night with just a few hours between Ecuadorian adventures. Lastly don't be shy and leave me a comment or review about how you felt. Love you all and thank you to everyone who participated in Azurrin week and made it awesome!