Agnes shoots her another dirty look. Edea sinks back in her chair, her heart sinking as well. She feels terrible for what she has done, for even being associated with the duchy to begin with. She should've seen it before. She knew that they've done rotten things before, like rob and steal supplies from their enemies. She should've left a long time ago instead of turning a blind eye. How foolish. So damn foolish.
But she didn't want to believe that her father had any evil intentions. To her, he was a hero, a knight that fought for the good of all, not someone capable of murder. Her hands fist in her lap. Tears burn her eyes, but she holds them back. Not in front of Agnes. She lost a dear friend that she hadn't seen since childhood. Faced with that, Edea has no right to cry in front of the girl who her people have been targeting.
Night falls on Florem and still she sits there, watching the orange lights turn on, and pierce through the darkness. She knows that she should be getting rest, but she just can't. She wants to help Agnes, she really, truly does. However, she doesn't want to stay if the vestal isn't welcoming of her, and she knows that after what happened to Olivia, she doesn't deserve to be in Agnes' presence.
Edea sighs. Where does that leave me then? I'm not welcome here. I'm not welcome home. She folds her arms on the round, wooden table and puts her head down.
"Edea?" Tiz's sudden appearance startles her. He saunters out onto the patio and stands beside her. "Are you unwell?" His softly spoken inquiry brings a smile to her face. She shakes her head, not trusting her voice to aid in her façade. He doesn't look convinced though. He slides up a chair and sits next to her. "I can tell that you're not being truthful. Care to tell me what's on your mind?"
Edea leans back and picks at her black gloves, unable to look him in the eye. "I'm wretched." She says, her voice breaking. A tear slithers down her cheek, and she wipes it away with the back of her hand.
Tiz lays a gentle hand on her shoulder. "No, you're not." He insists. "You didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"I could have stopped it. I could have…" Edea sobs. She's cut off.
He squeezes her shoulder, tightly. "Listen to me, Edea, Olivia's demise is in no way any of your doing. You may have been associated with the enemy before, but that couldn't be helped. That's the side that you were raised on. Even so, you saw the truth. You saw that what the sky knights were doing was wrong and you turned traitor to fight for what you think is right. And that's real brave of you, considering the fact that you're fighting against friends and family."
She gives a watery laugh, swiping the wet trails from beneath her eyes. "You're such a nice guy, Tiz." Edea flashes him a smile and gives him a gentle nudge before a frown overtakes her features once more. "I just don't know if Agnes will be as forgiving as you are."
"She'll come around eventually. I just know it." Tiz says, adamantly. "It's going to take her some time to cope with her devastating loss, and it's not right, but she can't help but place the brunt of the blame on you." Sadness tugs his lips downward. "I can't imagine how badly she's hurting right now. To have a dear friend die in her arms like that…."
Edea nods. "It's unthinkable." That's when she makes up her mind. "I'm going to stay and support her and earn her trust back. Until then, she can despise me all she wants."
Tiz's face breaks out in a smile. "She's fortunate to have you as a comrade."
Edea grins and elbows him in the ribs. "And she's fortunate to have a dashing fellow like you by her side."
Tiz blushes and rubs the back of his head, averting his gaze. "Quit teasing me."
Her smirk widens. She can hardly resist launching herself out of her chair and hugging his shoulders. Upon contact, Tiz stiffens, but he makes no move to pull away. A moment later, he relaxes, and pats her arm with some awkwardness. When she separates herself from him, she ruffles his hair. Once she stops, he fixes the messy strands and gives her an indignant look.
"Oh, you know I'm right." Edea chuckles. "Good night, lover boy."
Tiz is right. Agnes is going through a hard time right now. The only thing she can do is be there for her and fight alongside her. It's going to take time for Agnes to forgive her. However, Edea is more than willing to spend that time proving to Agnes that she can trust her. It's going to be difficult, but Edea is more than willing to fight for their friendship.
A/N: After I completed Chapter 2, I really wanted to write this. Tiz is very understanding of Edea's situation and I appreciate the times when he stood up for her. He's such a good friend. So is Edea, and it's really cute when she teases him about Agnes. Please let me know what you thought of this friendship piece and thank you for reading!