It was all such a strange occurrence to Lon'qu, finding himself in a new town and new school. Everything was so odd to him, which was to be expected of someone who was a foreigner in a new country. He had been accepted into an important student exchange program with a rather prestigious school in Ylisse, the Ylisstol Academy for the Gifted. His father encouraged him greatly to accept the chance to study aboard, and after careful consideration, he decided to get a change of pace and stay with a host family.
However, he was filled with immediate regret when he exited the plane and found the school's student ambassador and host, introduced themselves to him. He gulped nervously when he saw blonde perky pig-tales bounce toward him, and felt his chest tighten when he looked into bright gleaming green eyes. Not to mention his heart began to beat a mile a minute when he was met with that beautiful sparkling smile.
"Hi! I'm Lissa, your name is Lon'qu right?" She grinned happily. "I'm the school's student ambassador and your hostess. I'll be here to show you around, and if you need anything at all you can come to me ok?"
It was like he swallowed his heart down his throat, tongue tied and flustered he began to speak. "Y-yes I'm L-lon'qu." He nodded, as he cleared his throat slightly, as he tried to rid himself of his sudden dry mouth.
Lissa giggled softly like wind chimes blowing on a gentle spring day, it was refreshing and charming, to say the least. She pulled out her rather soft and delicate looking hand as if to offer a handshake. Lon'qu looked down at her hand as if she just pulled a knife out to him and was a bit at a loss at what to do as his mind began to draw a blank. He wasn't good with girls, not at the least bit. In fact, he could even be considered a bit of a gynophobe. How could he approach this? He didn't want to offend her in the least bit, she seemed nice enough, but there was that voice in the back of his head that was telling him one thing.
Run.
Just as he was turning around to do so, he felt a small tug on the end of his jacket. "Woah, hey! I didn't think that your... condition would be this bad, and I was curious and wanted to see for myself. You really are gynophobic..."
Lon'qu merely shook his head without saying a word. "What's it to you?" He spat with a rather bitter tone.
"Well, uh, I'm sorry for being insensitive..." Lissa apologized. The sorrowful expression on her face was enough to make even someone who was as stone cold as Lon'qu feel a tinge of guilt on his part for making her smile fade away. "I promise I'll respect your boundaries more, and not to put you in situations that make you uncomfortable."
He was silent for a moment, taken off guard by the sudden apology. Most girls would have been tremendously offended by his rough attitude, and avoidance of women, but Lissa... Lissa was different. "It's... It's fine. You didn't know how I would react. You were only trying to be polite." He felt a wave of relief when a the glowing smile reappeared on her face.
"We're gonna have so much fun together! I can tell!" She giggled excitedly. "There are so many different things to do in Ylisse, it's gonna be a blast showing them all to you!" Lissa was practically jumping up with joy, and her eyes had a certain sparkle to them; she was genuinely excited. This helped put Lon'qu at ease a bit, and he couldn't help but think that this may not be so bad after all.
However, it still would be a great challenge, as Lon'qu couldn't even look at the girl without turning an obscene shade of red in the face. How could he possibly live with this girl for a year? It was strange; he felt more anxious than usual around Lissa. His heart would beat out of his chest with even a small glance in her direction, and he could feel himself heat up with nervousness.
"Are you okay? Are you not use to the warmer weather? I know it's cold and snowy all year round in Regna Ferox." Lissa inquired curiously. "Your face is super red..."
"I-I'll be fine. I just need time to... get used to things."
"Fair enough." Lissa nods.
It doesn't take the two long to get back to Lissa's home, or rather what would be home for Lon'qu from now on as well. When they get off the train and begin to walk through a rather quiet suburban area, Lon'qu can't help but get a good look at the sights. It was definitely vastly different from where he lived in Regna Ferox.
"Soooo, what's it like in Renga Ferox?" Lissa asked cheerfully. She walked a bit ahead, as Lon'qu trailed slightly behind. He wanted to make sure that he got the space he needed.
"Cold. Snowy." He answered curtly.
"Oooh snow! That sounds fun. You probably had a lot of snowball fights, and build a lot of snowmen, and oh! There must have been a lot of ice skating and skiing right?"
"For others yes. For me no. I stayed inside a lot to train and study."
"Train? For what?"
He paused for a moment, his mind drawing a slight blank. "Training for... training for... what is the Ylissean word for it? Oh, Kendo. I play a lot of sports."
A grin appeared for a moment on Lissa's face of pure glee. "That was super cute! Awww!"
"E-excuse me?
"The way that you couldn't remember the word, it was cute!"
Lon'qu couldn't help but blush slightly. Him? Cute? There was no way this 6 foot 3-inch guy could ever be 'cute'. A lot of the time Lon'qu would look at a guy funny and send them running for the hills. "I-I uh... Ylissean isn't my first language..."
"That's ok! If you ever need any help with it, I'm here for you." Lissa nods happily.
There was a bit of silence after that. Lon'qu couldn't wrap his head around this situation. Lissa was so happy... and cheerful, and nice. No person could possibly be that upbeat all the time... can they? There had to be a catch.
Suddenly, Lissa stops walking and turns to Lon'qu with a bright smile on her face. "Taaaadaaaa! Welcome home!"
Lon'qu looks up at the rather large house in front of them. It's a quaint and charming house, painted a calming soft blue. A small garden sat in front of the house, filled with various flower, and the property in general looked greatly cared for. "It's nice..."
This comment was met with a bright smile from Lissa, pleased that he liked his new home so far. "I'm glad! Oh, you gotta see inside and meet the rest of my family, well, our family now technically." The blond grins as she scurries to the front door and opens it. Inside is a very spacious and welcoming living room. "Heeeeey! We're hooooome!" She called out.
The first one to appear was a rather peaceful looking woman, she had a soft warming smile and gentle eyes. "Hello, you must be Lon'qu. I am Emmeryn, Lissa's older sister, and guardian. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Even Lon'qu could sense that this woman was easy going, calm, and harmless. However, there was that uneasy voice in his head that warned him not to go near her. So, instead of reaching over to give her a handshake he merely stood behind Lissa, not moving an inch to approach Emmeryn. The older woman, tilted her head slightly when her hand was not met with another's. She looked toward Lissa puzzled.
"It's okay, he's just a bit shy, that's all," Lissa informed.
"Ah, I see. Well, that's very fine Lon'qu. If you are shy I will not pressure you." She smiled graciously. Lon'qu couldn't help but feel a bit eased off of his anxiety. Lissa seemed to be keeping her word on being more considerate of his condition. The next person came down the stairs and Lon'qu began to rest easy to see that it was a male around his age.
"Oh, this is my brother Chrom! He's a bit of a dork, but he's a nice guy I guess." Lissa shrugged.
"H-hey, are you trying to paint me as the bad guy?"
"Maaaybe..." Lissa whistled innocently.
Chrom merely sighed with a slight chuckle and then reached out to give Lon'qu a handshake. "As my sister mentioned, I'm Chrom. I believe we're both juniors right?"
Lon'qu looked down at his hand, and slowly returned his handshake. "Nice to meet you, Chrom."
Chrom merely nodded in agreement. "I'm guessing we're going to probably be in some of the same classes."
"Probably."
"Well, I'll be there to help you out if Lissa isn't there then."
"That is very much appreciated." He then turns to Emmeryn. "Thank you for letting me stay at your home."
"Oh, Lon'qu, it's not just my home, it's our home now." She smiles.
"T-thank you." He nods.
"Dinner will be ready soon. How about Lissa shows you to your room, and you can unpack and wash up until then?" Emmeryn suggested and was met with a nod from Lon'qu.
"Come on Lon Lon, I gotta give you the full tour!" Lissa giggled tugging him along.
"Er- okay..." He nodded, a bit in a daze as Lissa grabbed his arm. In his mind, he was screaming to pull back his arm, but for some reason, he was slightly frozen in fear. "Wait... Lon Lon?"
"That's you silly! I think it's a nice nickname, don't you think?" Lissa giggled softly. Lon'qu merely sighed in response. This girl was certainly a handful. "Anyway! On the first floor is Emm's room! Upstairs..." She started as they began to walk up to the second floor. "The first door on the left is Chrom's room! It probably smells like old sweaty socks, because he's the captain of the football team blah blah blah... Oh, and here's the 2nd-floor bathroom. Over here is my room!" She pointed out and opened the door slightly. Inside was a room painted bright yellow, with windows covered by lacy white curtains. There were also a lot of stuffed animals decorating the room, with a few bookcases. Overall, the room was quite... charming. Suddenly he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
"You... play guitar?" Lon'qu asked, a bit surprised.
"Yeah, for a while now. Emmeryn's actually a music teacher, well, she is part time. It's kinda a hobby of her's."
"I-I see. I play bass..."
"Oh, you do?! That's awesome!" She smiled brightly.
"Y-yeah..." Lon'qu nodded, rubbing the back of his head unsurely. There was something about Lissa... the way she smiled... it was a bit contagious. Lissa then turned, lifting her hands as if to present the door that was directly across from Lissa's room. "Taaaadaaaa! This is your room!"
"Oh, thank you for showing me the house." He thanked awkwardly. He was still trying to get the hang of being near a girl like this. He wanted to be polite and a good house guest, despite his fear.
"It's no problem. Don't be afraid to ask me anything okay?" She nods graciously. "Well, I'll leave you to unpack and stuff. Dinner is still an hour or so away, so maybe you can get in a quick nap!"
"I'll... take you up on that suggestion. Thank you."
Lissa then begins to enter her room. "Okay then, sleep well Lon Lon!" She waves before closing her bedroom door, as Lon'qu merely nods as he closes his.
Lon'qu sighs as he sets his suitcases aside, and lays down on his bed. The room itself was nice, and of course, he would have to unpack and personalize it, but for now, he was a bit tired from his long trek from Regna Ferox to Ylisse. He felt his eyes getting a bit heavy, that nap was sounding more and more appealing by the minute. Waiting for sleep to arrive, he began to think of his new host family. Emmeryn seemed very nice and motherly, and Chrom didn't seem like a bad guy at all. Lissa however, was the one he couldn't get off his mind. He was overcome by a weird feeling as he thought of his interactions with her, a feeling of security. That was the last thought Lon'qu had as he quickly drifted off to sleep.