When an Aionian thinks of royalty, they think of their queen, either with the pointed ears of a beast or with the feathered plumage of a bird. And regardless of whatever nation one was from, they can both agree on a few things, namely their beloved queen's elegance and benevolence, for it is only through her providence that they are all blessed with life, and it is because of this generosity that no one hesitates to pledge service of their Blades in Her name…Well, that's what they were taught before learning the truths of the world, that the queens in their castles were fakes with the real ones concealed elsewhere, that life was never meant to perpetuate for a ceaseless war, was meant to be birthed for a future to be seized by the hands of future generations. Although, after meeting the Agnosi queen, Noah can definitely confirm that true queens were more elegant and beautiful than their mechanical replacements did their best to emulate, despite all of the other lies they represented.
The party stops for the night in the City, to rest and recoup after their battle with D, a hard fought victory won in no small part due to the sacrifice of a long-lost friend. The off-seer is aching all over, and although he'd love nothing more than to sink into those dorm beds, otherworldly soft compared to anything he's ever slept in beforehand, there's always some sort of housekeeping to be done before they break for the night. Taion always checks over their plans for the days ahead, while Eunie usually skips off to run for an early shower and demands everyone hand their clothes off for cleaning. Lanz splits off for extra training, but never before pinching a snack from Manana, as Sena diligently works hard to help the nopon as they prepare for the night's dinner. Meanwhile, Riku is always off to study schematics if he's not busy fixing their power frames or equipment.
Normally, Mio flits about the group as they settle into their evening routine, helping everyone with this or that as was needed so long as she wasn't on first watch. Noah can't help but notice she acts much different ever since they returned from the gaol in Agnus' castle, which shouldn't have been surprising, but still caught him off guard anyways. Maybe it had something to do with her inheritance, the rush of hundreds of years worth of old memories she had gained and shared with him whenever they melted together to fight as one warrior, and he responded in kind with the ones he had gained himself. In any case, he's not adverse to the warmth she shows him, the intimacy of their interlinked emotions having transformed from heavy grief and somber to hope and faith flying free as they push further towards the future. And although he carries his own weight, he can tell that the Agnosian girl can sense his own thoughts, towards her, towards the future. Whether or not it's truly their own, the threads of fate woven by thousands of lifetimes seeking out soulmates, it doesn't matter to either of them. Those feelings are just as real as they are, time and time again.
Today, Mio pulls him into the room the eight of them were given to share, shutting the door behind the pair as she sets out a small medical kit, checking over his body for any new wounds before moving onto his bloodied hands, the healing flesh still ragged from their time in the prison, now cracked from the cold of the Aetian slopes. Noah can't help but admire her as she works to redress, applying salve and wrapping them in fresh gauze while gifting his hands with gentle kisses. She's always been the most agile and graceful of the group, but today he's noticing an elegance he's only first seen in the fake queen, whenever he saw the automaton at Homecomings. Something about the way she carries herself in this private moment, she's tender yet firm in her confidence as she works deftly, silver hair seeming to shimmer in the dim artificial light. "Mio, has anyone ever said you're like the Queen? Like, a Queen in training or something." She looks up at him, eyebrow quirked as an ear flicks in slight confusion.
"Plenty of Agnosians have these sorts of features, surely you've noticed by now?"
"Ah, not like that. I meant more like how…the way you move, I suppose? All graceful and whatnot." The Kevesi murmurs as he reaches out to touch the place where her tattoo used to be, the red and black lines completely gone from her neck, as if it were never there in the first place, the way it should be for everyone. "Like when I first saw you in the valley."
"That's what you were thinking about when we all tried to kill each other?" She asks with amusement as she packs up the kit.
"Back then, I had never seen anyone fight rhythmically before, let alone an off-seer as a defender. It's a bit noble to think about."
Mio laughs as she helps him to his feet, hands intertwining for a brief moment. "Nobility aside, let's go out and see if we can learn a word for what you're thinking about."
i think it's reasonable to assume "princess" is one of the words they never needed to learn as soldiers haha…even though mio can take care of herself, i really like that they want to protect each other, like they're each other's knights