"Are you going out again tomorrow?" Byleth asks after her fingers are covered in dirt, "I want to spend as much time with you before I have to go away for a long, long time."
"Hm…" Edelgard answers in response, pondering as well. "You are a mercenary after all...it makes sense that you won't be here in Enbarr forever. But the park sounds like a good idea to me. It's not too far from home, and it's an easy location to go to."
A curt nod was given in a way to affirm the decision. While she knows that Edelgard wouldn't always have time to go out and spend time with her, there was no harm in asking after all. Byleth wonders what the imperial princess does on her spare time aside from going out and exploring with Hubert. Maybe this would be a good way to pass time tomorrow, getting to learn more about her.
"You're my first friend Edelgard," Byleth speaks again, breaking the silence in the air; she's a tad worried about sounding...clingy at worst. "I'm sorry if I sound a bit clingy or...absurd."
Wow. It certainly got overwhelming all of a sudden. Lilac eyes pierce at the mercenary, but instead of admonish or disappointing words, laughter is portrayed. Byleth begins to feel confused. What's so funny?
"Don't worry so much about it Byleth. Sure you're a bit strange, but I find that interesting about you. You're my first friend as well, second if you count Hubert." Edelgard finds Byleth strange, but also very intriguing all the same. Her laughter could be perceived as ill-mannered, but in truth, the imperial princess found the other girl quite adorable in how awkward she was despite being older. It certainly gave her a new perspective to people's flexible nature.
Strange. Byleth agrees that she's a bit strange, but she still believes that it's due to that unbeating heart of hers. She makes sure she doesn't anyone else know. Jeralt had emphasized the importance of not spreading that fact about her. The confusion melts away once she realizes that she did sound a tad odd in how she portrays herself, but she doesn't feel any offense or hurt (for some reason). Edelgard's words were a form of affirmation that her behavior was at least acceptable for someone socially naive such as her.
Thoughts interrupt when Edelgard speaks again. "I'm going to get cleaned up and put everything away. Want to help while you're here? I don't want to put everything into Hubert's hands."
"Yeah, I can help." Byleth forces herself onto her own two feet and she begins to assist the imperial princess and her retainer with putting away supplies and cleaning off the dirt on their hands.
"You're up and early, kid. What's the occasion?" Jeralt quirks his brow as he finds his daughter scrambling up from bed and preparing for her day.
"I made a new friend, and I'm meeting her today." the teal-haired girl responds, packing everything necessary. "I didn't know her for too long...but she's still my first friend."
"Ah." Jeralt mutters out, pausing for a bit. You're growing up fast. "Byleth, try not to get too attached, alright? I'm not telling you to not make friends by any means, but I don't want you to be hurting since we're mercenaries. We aren't going to stay here forever."
Chills electrify downwards against her spine. Byleth feels cold all of a sudden. From such simple, meaningful words, they affected her negatively. Do…I feel sad? No...it's something more. She doesn't know exactly what she feels, but she makes an inference that she has some sort of sorrow attached to the complexity of human emotion. The mere thought of never seeing Edelgard haunts her as it is heartbreaking. Losing a first friend like that wasn't going to be pleasant, but it was inevitable.
Aches continue to gnaw at her beatless heart, Byleth swallows quietly, breathing in and out slowly to allow herself to remain steady. He's right...I might never see her again. She realizes that her inner feelings sparked up a lot more now due to her friendship with the young imperial princess. It was nice to feel something a lot more than numbness and emptiness. It was as if her world became a lot more colorful. Of course she appreciates Hubert as well. His broody-like nature was peculiar, but it added an interesting mix towards her life. It's something new-something she can't just give up so easily now she's had her first taste of reality and friendship.
Still, there is something so inherently selfish of her that wants to allow herself to indulge in this newfound freedom and feeling. As much as she cared, loved and appreciated her father's support and wisdom, it feels like a huge burden upon her shoulders all of a sudden.
There wasn't much of a choice Byleth had when it comes to these decisions. Even then, she wasn't even sure what she truly desired in life, or what she really wanted to do aside from follow the one person who had been there since she was born. The feelings of friendship did seem temporary-like what Jeralt had implied. Being on the move all the time really didn't allow the luxury of friendship to develop further than something short-term. Anything long-term would require her to stay for a much longer duration, even years to reach that tier.
It wasn't a crime to indulge just a little bit.
"Yeah." Byleth responds to Jeralt after she processes everything, "I understand where you're coming from."
"Oh, before I forget, I got something for you."
Sounds of rustling and ruffling around can be heard. Byleth turns to face Jeralt, head tilting ever so slightly to portray her curiosity in what her father had for her. Often it was either weapons, new books or even clothes for her to have. The occasional sweets from foreign places was given as well. Jeralt hands over a neatly folded bundle into her hands, and Byleth can see that it was certainly clothing that he acquired for her. It feels...a lot heavier, most likely a coat to keep her warm when it rained, snowed or even when the weather was overall chilly.
It certainly was a large coat comprised of heavy fabric and dull shades of grays with black shoulders. I was interesting and she notes the embroidered pattern on the upper top back of the coat. It's nice, she contemplates to herself, feeling positive, bubbly sensations in her body as a result. Byleth feels happy, despite wearing a stoic-toned expression on her demeanor.
"Thank you," Byleth answers with as much gratitude she could portray, immediately putting the coat on to try it, "I love it."
"Sadly they didn't have coats that were smaller in size, but you're also still growing so it'll be good to keep that in good condition for you to use when you're older." Jeralt hums to himself, knowing it was too big for his daughter to wear at the moment.
"No, it's okay," she replies, buttoning it up and allowing the sleeves to fall back and pool against her shoulders, "It's nice and I love it even if it's too big for now...I'll still use it when I'm older."
"Glad you like it, kid. Of course I won't keep you now. You have a friend to meet right?"
Perking up, Byleth nods, immediately double checking all of her supplies and leaving the room, coat dragging on the floor, sleeves slouching off of her hands.
"That's certainly a large coat." Edelgard grins at the sight of her companion dragging an oversized, gray coat around over her body, "it's nice no doubt about it, but big."
"It's a gift from my dad," Byleth answers, pulling the sleeves back and allowing it to pool near her shoulders, "I really like it, and it keeps me warm."
A small tea party between her and Hubert was something Byleth didn't expect, but it wasn't unwanted. The mercenary seldom had time to have tea. Most of the time she was chugging water whenever she had the chance to have it during her long days and nights of journeying. Tea was a luxury to her. Yet, the citrusy-scent of bergamot tea was lovely. It reminds her of a very relaxed, "homey" feeling; a feeling she wasn't fully accustomed to either (since she was always on the move after all).
"What kind of tea is this?" A sip. The tea was mildly bitter even in terms of aftertaste, but it had a citrus flavor that smoothed the bitterness away. "It's wonderful."
"Bergamot." Edelgard responds, her lips now forming a smile, "it's my favorite tea."
"Are there other teas you like, Edelgard?" Another sip.
"Mmm...there's a blend called Hresvelg blend, but I tend to just stick with bergamot. I don't mind other teas like chamomile, lavender or even rose petal...something about bergamot sticks with me."
"I don't really have experience with tea," Byleth admits, almost feeling embarrassed by it in comparison to Edelgard's vast knowledge of tea, "but I really like this tea even if it can be a little bitter."
"Is that so?" Edelgard ponders a bit as she hums softly to herself, "I could give you other teas some other time if you're still here in Enbarr. You'd be surprised on the wide range of smell and flavor teas carry. It's unique."
"I...would like that."
It's awkward when the conversation dies. Byleth feels that she should force a conversation going as dabbling in silence for too long could be off-putting and may be perceived as indifferent. It's confusing that she wants to continue to impress Edelgard, being her first friend and while being the best friend she could be for the princess. Though, the mercenary knows she can only go so far before she hits a dead end in her endeavor. It was inevitable fate to endure the temporary friendship. Unless…
"I...know I won't always be here and I may or may not see you again but…"
Edelgard quirks a brow. "But…?" she repeats the word, waiting for the rest of the sentence.
"but...I want to make a promise to you."
"A promise?"
Both Edelgard and Byleth are aware that promises are ever so fragile, and are often broken. Though, a small innocent promise will do no harm. Edelgard does hope that Byleth doesn't make a promise too...large and impossible to fulfill due to both their circumstances. Byleth is aware of the situation, but chose to do a simple one.
"I want to promise you that...if we ever see each other again...I want to do all the same things we've done...just...being around each other, learning about each other...I want us to be really good friends, if the opportunity arises." Byleth casts her eyes and head downward, taking small breaths to keep her nerves down. It's a lot to process.
Edelgard's small, modest laugh responds to the promise. How innocent, she ponders to herself, before reaching her hand forward to Byleth. "Place your hand on top of mine." she says, allowing herself to smile even more.
Blinking and nodding, Byleth abides to the request, placing her hand on top of Edelgard's. She feels the soft, smooth skin under her palm and calloused fingers, it's a contrast compared to her hand's condition. The hand was also smaller than hers as well, and it feels like she has to be careful when handling Edelgard, or else Hubert would come after her with his dark magic. Dark magic was the last thing she wants to see, and certainly she doesn't want Jeralt hunting her friends as an act of revenge either.
Edelgard places her thumb over the dorsal surface of Byleth's hand, gently gripping to hold their hands in place. "Promises like that...are most likely going to be broken as time passes. But...if the opportunity does arise, like you say...I will gladly accept." the brunette notices the faintest of smiles on her companion's complexion, causing her own smile to widen further.
It's comforting.