It was a cold day in Ylisstol, the kind that would make most people stay inside by the fire and drink tea. By the gods, this is what Maribelle planned on doing, albeit with a more work-intensive plan in mind than simply sitting around.
She made her way through the halls of her family's manor, parasol in hand as usual. The servants paid their respects to the lady as she passed, but they tensed up as another figure passed them about twenty paces back from Maribelle.
The man was Feroxi (nominally, at least), and certainly had the stance of a barbarian. Most of the servants tried paying no mind, but when you have more noble bearings than a warrior stalking through the halls behind your employer, it was hard not to take notice.
Lon'qu felt no more comfortable in this scenario than the servants did, possibly even less so. Maribelle, to her credit, paid no mind to either groups' discomfort of the other as they walked down the hall. Eventually, the two made their way into the tea room, the fire already roaring and giving the room a much needed sense of coziness.
"Please, have a seat," Maribelle said as she handed her parasol off to her butler, taking a seat by the fire.
Lon'qu glanced at the placement of the chairs – they were spaced apart in a comfortable manner for him, though most would claim the distance would hardly be polite. He unbuckled his sword belt and set it next to the chair before sitting in it. "This really isn't necessary…"
"Of course it is, darling," his new hostess said. She waved her hand and her butler quickly brought her tea set, setting it down on a small table next to her and did the same for Lon'qu's. "With that awful business in Plegia taken care of, we appear to have a bit of downtime. I told you that I'd help you out with your little problem, didn't I?"
"Wouldn't call it 'little'." Lon'qu grumbled under his breath as he poured his tea and sipped it. "I can deal with the tea time, but I could just stay in a tavern." Maribelle had arranged for Lon'qu to stay in the guest quarters, something Lon'qu was not happy with.
"Don't start with that again, I won't have it. It'll be easier to meet Chrom's call if we are together, or are you afraid people will talk?" Maribelle gave a sly grin as she glanced towards Lon'qu.
"I feel like I should be saying that to you," the swordsman grumbled again as he drank his tea in silence. To her credit, Maribelle knew his tastes, at least. However, how she had acquired Feroxi tea leaves so quickly is beyond him. "Don't you have… noble things to be doing?"
"Is teaching you to not quiver at the sight of a woman not noble?"
"You know what I meant."
"Hmm…" Maribelle pretended to think for a moment, "Should I go to court where I know most dislike me, but pretend to put on a joyful face at my passing? Or should I remain with the man who puts on a deplorable face, but deep down likes my company?"
Lon'qu couldn't necessarily fault her logic at that. Besides, the two had been fighting together for the better part of a year, nearly, and not even half the nobles were like her or Chrom. Most probably never even held a weapon in their life, let alone taken a life. Well, directly, anyways.
"Luckily, that was a rhetorical question, so you needn't answer. But you should also strive to be a tad more vocal, if only to alleviate peoples' initial reactions of you and your, ahem, demeanor." Maribelle set her tea down and turned her chair towards Lon'qu. "And straighten your back! Heavens know what dreadful manners you Feroxi have, but while you're a guest, I expect something more fitting of a proper gentleman!"
Lon'qu had slowly been sinking into the rather comfy chair, slouching in it like a student in the middle of a particularly boring lecture. He intended to keep this little rebellion until he saw she was getting up. "Gods, fine, alright!" he said, quicker than he intended, and straightened himself properly. She was still standing, however, and he raised an eyebrow at that. "Just what are you doing now?"
"Let us start our first lesson, dear. As fun as it is to sit twenty feet apart, you and I are going to slowly begin moving closer," Lon'qu suppressed a groan, "Now, stand up and take a single step closer to me"
Belatedly, Lon'qu stood up and turned to Maribelle. With great hesitation, he took a step closer to her. "Now what?"
"Now we wait a few minutes. Feel free to move your chair closer to you," Lon'qu dragged the chair across the rug, causing Maribelle to wince. The rug was quite expensive, no doubt dragging a heavy chair, even half a food, ruined part of it. "Good enough…" Maribelle shook her head and sat back in her chair. "Feel free to take your seat and enjoy your tea – and pick the table up when you move it. Your lesson is done for the day."
Lon'qu did just that and sank back into the chair, letting out a somewhat deep breath. He hadn't even realized he was holding it in until that moment, even his hands were shaking as he grabbed his tea cup.
The two drank their tea in silence, watching the fire roar.