Regardless of the occasion, Laslow always lived up to his mother; he danced. He danced when he was happy. He danced when he was sad. He danced when he was angry. He danced when he was tired. He danced when he was invigorated.

And most of all: he danced when he was scared.

Laslow was not willing to lie about being scared, even if it meant he could cover his anxieties to wear the front of confidence. Confidence looked so much more appealing than fear, he had learned, for it was golden and adorned with pearls and diamonds. However, time taught him that confidence was a heavy piece of jewelry. It would weigh him down and leave him no room, nor energy, to experience moments of true glee. He would much rather deal with the ugliness of weakness than be a phony.

That was why he danced so much slower than usual beneath the moon. Laslow always danced slow when he was anxious, and he practiced in the most secluded place he could uncover. Seldom had any roused such a time of night, much less put forth the effort to find him. That was with the exception of his wife, who probably thought he was off doing other things in the dead of night. That was why he went to lengths to hide himself so he could rehearse in peace and quiet.

The silence was his friend in the dark. It allowed him to hum a slow, steady tune his mother had taught him. He wasn't the best singer, unlike someone such as Shigure, but his tone was soft enough to have his voice pass as soothing. His graceful feet played the part of the somber metronome, for they beat against the grassy earth harmoniously. His arms, like a pair of spineless snakes, flowed along with his melody, just as slow. They curled over his head, caressed either side of his torso as they slid upward, and fanned their proud fingers into wide tongues that licked the air. He was a mesmerizing sight, but no audience could possibly slip into the state of mind in which he slipped. He found peace, even in the face of the most threatening giant.

It was a bad time for him to have a visitor, who he did not imagine to catch him. Laslow was so confident in his hiding place that he had slipped into the realm of oblivion. Little could pull him from his state of mind. The rustles of boots meeting grass could not rouse him, nor the brushing aside of a branch. Said visitor would not be detected for a long while, even as he trudged his way into the clearing, a ballroom in the relaxed eyes of the performer, and crossed his arms. A gentle clear of the throat finally yanked him out of his trance.

"You're not dancing as well as you usually do. Something must be weighing you down." The speaker smiled maniacally when, at last, Laslow halted to have his eyes bolt open. While coloring, he whipped around, trading his graceful fluidity with unwelcoming stiffness. His stance did not retire, even when he soon discovered the identity of his visitor: a tall man decked in dark clothing, skin golden. Over an eye was a menacing patch that hid a costly injury.

"Ah, good to see you, Niles." He sort of lied; there wasn't exactly such a thing as an individual that was enthusiastic to receive Niles. "You've found me in my most secret place, I see..."

"It didn't take much to find it. Next time, try going somewhere a little less expected. The privacy of a washroom would do nicely, but only if you're willing to risk others thinking you're doing something else while you're in there," Niles chuckled as he eased closer. "So, I've been meaning to speak with you, seeing that our daughters have sewed some sort of relation between us."

"Seems quite clear based on your tone." Laslow sighed and attempted to hide his redness by turning his face away from the lantern in the center of the clearing. "How can I help a fellow comrade?"

"It's about those girls of ours," he replied quickly. "Lord Leo told me that I might be able to find peace of mind if I'm given further details on who's responsible for Nina, so I'd like to know more about this daughter of yours."

Laslow's expression, once tense, melted into a prideful smile, which spread across his face until he was chuckling.

"My darling Soleil, eh?" he echoed. "If you want a proper picture of my darling Soleil, look no further than myself; she nearly qualifies as my doppelgänger, that girl. She wants to be just like me, and, since she can be an observant pair of eyes when she deems the prize worth the trouble, she does a fine job at taking after me."

Niles remained still as his mouth sunk into a neutral frown. His single eye stared at his clearing expression thoroughly.

"So she's almost exactly like you..."

"With a handful of quirks of her own, yes."

"Hmph. I guess it could be worse."

"Now, now," Laslow piped defensively. "I assure you: my Soleil is a good, strong girl. She can be impulsive and immature at times, yes, but I can't think of a single girl her age that isn't. I am scared out of my wits for her, having her run off the way she did, but I am still confident she will pull through. She can be smart and proactive when she needs to be. I've seen this enough times to become faithful in her."

Niles nodded.

"Uh-huh... Heard she's got her share of problems too. Rumor has it she harassed a girl to the point of tears."

"E-Erm... Yes, she did, and I had a thorough talk with her afterward..." He sighed again. "As skilled as she may be, she does have her weaknesses, but more than anything, I..." His lips closed as his gaze wandered to the ground. It was a hesitant motion, painful and slow. "More than anything, I believe it's just because she's confused."

Soleil was confused. Not just in Laslow's sense.

A few hours of rejuvenation allowed the two to happily continue on for a few hours into the darkness, guided by the charitable moon. They were persistent in their walking, even when they were tempted to stop a few times. What kept them on their toes was the occasional critter that scampered across their path. Though alarmed at first, they ended up laughing at one another's frightened squeaks. Their faithfulness eventually delivered them to a source of light: the village of Kiso, as fabled by the departed Hayato. Upon catching eye of a distant glow, they became eager, and their pace suddenly quickened. While the two sped closer, Soleil reached out and pat her partner on the shoulder, grinning.

"I'll race you there," she proposed. Without warning, Nina quickly nodded.

"Okay." And she sprinted off, leaving her opponent in her wake. While laughing, Soleil clumsily hurried after her. Whether she ran or not, it was unlikely she was to catch up.

"That's not fair, you cheater!"

"Last one to the entrance has to carry the other's bag!"

"Now that's really not fair!"

As any reasonable person could predict, it was Nina who first trotted up to where the road was lined with cobblestone. As she slowed, she hunched to catch her breath and whip away a bead of sweat that gathered on her forehead. She cracked a conceded smile, then turned to watch her follower breathlessly thump after her. Each of her foot steps were heavy and labored, as was her breath. She hunched upon arrival with a gaping mouth.

"Beat you at your own game," Nina mentioned proudly, which made Soleil's head sink further.

"Yeah, yeah..." She brought herself up to begin relieving Nina's back of her bag. While throwing it on top of her own load, she crept closer. "Can I have a pity reward for at least trying? Pretty please?" The inquiry made Nina scoff, but later offer her hand. Without a moment to spare, Soleil gladly rejoined their fingers to lace them into fabric, just as they had been the majority of the day. "Aw, I always knew you were really sweet deep down. You have a soft spot for things you think are pitiful, don't you?" She brought their joined fist to her lips. On the roof of Nina's palm, she planted a kiss. "Sometimes I think you're too much for me to handle."

"If I'm too much to handle, I guess we should call off this experimentation thing. I'd hate for you to lose control of yourself."

Suddenly, as if she had regained her energy, Soleil's posture straightened as she released a quick laugh.

"Ha! No, no, no, I'm fine. I was just kidding. I can totally handle you." Her grasp on her palm tightened lovingly. "Come on. Let's get to finding that tavern the Wind Tribe kid was talking about. Just you wait 'till I get you alone."

Unknown to either of them, it was Soleil's final statement that added to the tension between them. It wasn't a negative, combative sort of tension, such as that between Nohr and Hoshido. If anything, it was a healthy dose of amorous tension that both were much too afraid to bother voicing to one another, even though they both acknowledged and identified its presence. Even Soleil, who seemed so shameless on such a matter, had to admit that she trembled at the thought.

The two ended up wandering around town. It was a sleepy community, perhaps because it bathed in the light of the moon. The torch posts were the most that they saw as they curiously roamed about, those being besides the few that scampered across streets. The largest party they came across was a woman leading a parade of children while toting bags of groceries. All other signs of life could be found in the windows of buildings, glowing the same color as the golden torches. The majority of the vendors were closed, so told the many empty tents in what seemed to be a commercial district. For such a humble village, it was quite large.

Their aimless searching sooner or later landed them before a modest building, arguably two or three stories tall. Its construction material, wood, corresponded well with the abodes that surrounded it, but what made it stand out the most was the sign standing before its porch. Upon closer examination, old paint on the brink of chipping read the words: "Kiso Public House and Beanery". Not the most creative of names, both could agree, but it didn't drive them away from giving their business.

As if fate itself heard their wonderings, which asked where Kiso's inhabitants were, their questions were answered. Shoving the door ajar would have both surprised to be greeted by the sounds of conversation and the warmth of a crowd. Further investigation showed them that the lobby, seeming to double as a dining hall, was jammed with the rowdiness of what was mostly men. Almost immediately, against anything she wanted, Nina colored. To soften the impact of her struggles, Soleil was reddening too, but that was thanks to the heat circulating throughout the room.

Hand in hand, the two trudged their way cautiously through the room, pacifistically keeping their heads low to avoid any contact with fellow customers. Some, based off their slurred exclamations and nonsensical words, were under the influence of alcohol. The rest, those around the drunk, worked to hold their friends steady. It took doing, but the two eventually emerged from the crowd and appeared at the front desk, where there only worked a flustered woman. She was middle aged, branded by hardships, and unfriendly in appearance. The way she scrutinized the two upon arrival made them pause.

"Hi there." Soleil spoke up first with a smile. "We'd like to rent a room for the night."

The woman narrowed her eyes.

"Two silver marks." Her voice was raspy and burdened.

"Not bad." She turned to Nina before lowering her tone. "Do you want to eat here too?"

"We don't have a choice. All that's in our bags is the cured meat," she replied. Her palm departed from hers to reach into a satchel and retrieve her coin purse. In the meantime, she lifted her head to glance at the clerk. "How much does food cost?"

"Three bronze marks for one serving. You eat whatever we give you."

"Really? I thought people order things at a-"

"You ain't a queen. Everything we serve is edible. Take it or leave it."

It didn't seem as though they had much room to make other decisions, but three bronze marks seemed fair for a meal. Hayato was correct when he said prices were gentler in Kiso, especially in comparison to a place like Izumo. After forking over everything they owed in exchange for a key, the two ended up sitting at a low table (upon exchanging whatever knowledge they had over such a piece, they came to the conclusion that it was one of those "kotatsus" people like Mozu mentioned times in the past) in a dark, somewhat stuffy, corner. The stuffy air lingering in such a corner, if they drew close enough, could be modified into a romantic air. Soleil put changing it at the top of her priority list until they were snugly against one another. To their fortune, they did not have an audience.

"I hope they don't give us anything bad," was the most she could sigh after stretching an arm over Nina's shoulder.

Shrugging, Nina nestled herself inside the concave of the inside of her ribs, and her head pressed softly against the sturdiness, yet mellowness, of her chest.

"Food's food in the end. We'll have to eat whatever we get whether we like it or not unless we want to be hungry." A hand then returned to her satchel to revive the map, which she unfolded. "Where would you say we are now? I'd guess right about here in this countryside. If I'm right, we're close to Fort Jinya. Looks like I'll have to start thinking about our approach."

"I think you're working too hard." With a charming grin, she brushed aside a bang that slipped into Nina's face. "You know, you can always vent any frustrations on me. I can shoulder a few burdens if it makes you feel better."

Before Nina could respond, a group in the midst of the room bust into a fit of thundering laughter. It was loud enough to hinder their conversation to a halt. The moment it died down, however, Nina quickly cleared her throat. She had plenty of time to contemplate her response.

"There's a lot I have to think about. Corrin left all the judging work to me while we're within enemy walls, the bare minimum being that we return with patrol and class details. I am responsible for everything else, so I'm suddenly in charge of deciding if I think something is important enough to write down." She closed her eyes tightly. "We're going to be in for a difficult time in there. We'll have to stay at least a week or so for me to record any patterns, and the longer we stay, the more risk we take at getting caught. It'll be difficult to explain ourselves if some soldiers happen to find us, even with our disguises."

"Hm. That does make sense..." Soleil leaned closer. Her face became sincere all of a sudden. It was a soft, sweet, and gentle sort of sincere, an expression that caught Nina beyond off guard. After a pair of blinks, she willingly stared back, and time made her stare attempt to mimic that of Soleil's. It was so warm and inviting, yet hinting at something far less shallow. A fascinating specimen, especially coming from her. Nina couldn't feel anything but inspired to show her the same in return for the gift of such a comforted emotion.

"What is it?" she finally asked after staring for too long.

"Just looking at you. You have such a cute face." The warmth deepened as she brought her other hand up to run the utmost tips of her fingers across the smooth pale skin of a cheek. "That cute face shouldn't be hardened by business so much."

"I can't help it if that's the way I am."

"Then just this once: leave it somewhere else today. No, give it to me. Let me show you everything I want to show you tonight. It'll be all the better if you have a clear mind."

Sighing, Nina rolled her eyes.

"What do you have planned to show me?"

"The physical nature of my love." The way she answered was the most sincere her voice had become, and it was laced with the thick syrup of sensuality. It was kind. Gentle as it was innocent, if such a thing were possible.

"Really? Hugs and kisses aren't enough for you?"

"It's not that hugs and kisses aren't enough for me, it's that I think hugs and kisses aren't enough for you."

"Oh, turning this on me now?"

"Mmhm." The free hand then began to gently tour her body, avoiding key domains. She did that on purpose, of course, but not out of modesty. It was a tease the tension made a delicacy, a means by which they could grow closer and closer until the swelling skin on their lips was almost brushing against one another. Their nerves plunged into insanity when the stroking, the teasing, the thickness, kept them from instantly locking into another union. When they were about to seal the pact, they were roughly brought out of the sensation when the inn keeper came by and dropped a tray of plates onto the surface of the table.

Almost immediately, the two parted from one another, eyes wide and cheeks red. It was too late, for the woman was already staring at them in the midst of the rowdiness surrounding them. With her hands on her hips, her face narrowed into a scowl. She released a sigh as she threatened to turn away.

"You girls're weird."

Thanks to Soleil's bold claims made hours earlier that day, it made sense for either of them to grow awkward when they settled in their room. While Soleil went to set down her bag, Nina made sure the door behind them was locked. When they both finished either task, which did not consume horribly much of their time, they turned to glance at one another.

Just as the night before, their worlds, and their thoughts, saw the same destination and were making slight movements to get there. Though neither exchanged any sort of plan, they knew what the other was thinking. The thought itself was more than enough to paint both of their faces red and have their eyes dart away. It wasn't because they were mad or scared of one another. No, they were simply over come by the power of anxiety.

For many minutes more, miraculously, they remained perfectly still. Every once in a while, the two, unbeknownst to the other, felt their gaze wander over to the bed that stole the most of the room. Quickly afterward, however, they averted their gaze once again. To say anything would ruin the moment, a moment they didn't know if they wanted to ruin. It was awkward, but most definitely alluring, mysterious, and new. A new world was theirs to explore, a new world to explore while they were on a journey exploring the world. All the tension, the air of inexperience and interest... it softly invited them to urge closer. Soon, that invitation became stronger.

"So... um..." Even Soleil found herself quivering before the force of anxiety. It was a flustering smear of her image. If she had known Nina wasn't paying quite as much attention to her as she thought, she wouldn't have gotten herself so worked up about it. "Did you want to take a bath first or..."

Continuing to flush, Nina's eyes set themselves upon her briefly. They didn't flee again because she was afraid. Instead, it was because she knew that it was time to begin migrating. Like geese, they both did, stiff and frightened, but drawn intensely. Against what her neighbor thought she was to do, Nina immediately plopped down on the mattress, laying across it horizontally. Her legs hung off the side as she rolled onto her hip.

"I'll leave it up to you," she muttered softly as she sunk into the ocean of the blankets. They consumed her, so Soleil went in for the rescue. What she got instead, however, was herself dragged into the bog as well. She too landed on the bed, sideways, swallowed by the warmth. When she got on her side too, her back was turned to her back.

There, while watching the flickering of a candle, the two stayed that way. The goldenness of the room, until one was bound to eventually speak, kept them company in the meantime. Every little detail stood out to them all of a sudden. Why was that? It was because, for them, the world's turning finally slowed to a crawl. Every minute was worth an hour. Every detail became intricate and intimate. Every breath, sight, sound, touch... They tingled their senses amazingly so. It was as if their skin had grown wrinkles, and time was suddenly an abundance for both of them. Their wisdom ran deeper than the ocean's most treacherous of abysses.

It was odd. For someone who was so urgent on making the most of her day, the one day, Soleil found herself succumbing to the paralysis of the deadly combination of both fear and eagerness. Her quaking hands began grappling at the quilt beneath her, just the same as Nina, who remained laying just behind her. A drying tongue departed from the cave of her mouth to briefly dash over the hills of her lips as she grew brave enough to roll over.

"I'm...g-going to start over... in a sense, I guess..." she began while bringing her incompetent palms to her back. There, she took one of Nina's lengthy twin braids and proceeded to gently slide its holder out of place. The amount of time, so intimate, she spent undoing every fold was excruciatingly long. The thought that she applied to it could only be supported by such a diet, and before long, it became costly, for it did not to any other favors, not even soothe their anxieties. "Nina..." she sounded upon completing the final strand. It was then she saw green eyes peeking over her shoulders, hinting at the intention of rolling to face her as well. "I truly do love you. With every ounce of my heart, that is. We make great friends, no matter how much we argue. In fact, I think it's the arguments that bond us. With each one, our friendship grows stronger... and I remember Dad once told me: the most important person in your life, your love, should also be your best friend. I laughed at the time because you were the first person to come to mind. Nina, my best friend, the one who didn't push me away nearly as much as the others, but the rivalrous boy maniac, a lover? I thought it was crazy at the time. I'd trained my mind not to think of you the way it thought about all the other girls I looked at, but with time... With time those thoughts started to become around more and more often. I didn't know what to think. Wouldn't it be betraying the bond we had by giving into those feelings? I thought so, so I tried to push them away. I couldn't write them off as jokes anymore because I realized how real my affections were growing for you. How serious... How precious... It was miserable to want something I couldn't have. I wanted to keep your friendship, and yet I also wanted your affections. I had to only choose one or lose it all. But it looks like things've begun to change, haven't they? I have the opportunity to show you, so I want to give it everything I've got." She eased closer. "Nina... I want to use this time to show you my affections, both emotionally and physically. I want you to at least know. To feel. I want nothing but the best for you, so I'm going to give you my best."

Nina did turn around, visibly impressed through the thickness of her embarrassment and awkwardness. She tried to muster a slight chuckle, only succeeding with the addition of a crack in her voice.

"Well..." she contemplated. "You were right when you said you need time to think these things over. That sounded pretty customized. Good job." Wordlessly then, she drew closer until she was nestled against the fabric covering Soleil's upper chest. With her face darkening into mahogany, Soleil welcomed her with her arms and, with her visitor inside, closed the gates on her back.

"Th-Thanks." She grinned sheepishly.

Their conversation was the well needed cure for their awkwardness. They took unrealistically well to the air that sprouted in the wake of its desolation: affection. It grew thicker by the second, particularly so as Soleil buried her face in the crook of her partner's neck. There, she compacted their embrace until there was almost no space separating them whatsoever. Like pieces of a puzzle, their bodies conformed to the other's until they were perfectly linked in a long, amorous union with their lips. Such a union lasted far longer than any they had shared thus far, and it was by far the most passionate.

One kicked off her shoes when she felt the other do the same. From there, Soleil budged. She rose to roll over and set herself atop her partner. Once settled comfortably, they reunited with one another again. Upon parting, dominance turned timid suddenly, and she became hesitant to further any actions.

"Where were those boundaries you were talking about?" she inquired softly. Her response was the shake of a reddening head.

"Don't worry about them. Do whatever you need and I'll tell you if it's something I don't like." She tried to smile at her. "I think I can trust your judgment."

Her words reddened her face further as she looked a ways away. For the moment, to ease her anxieties, she snickered again.

"You're good at flattering people," she said lightheartedly. The sudden happiness had her butt their heads gently, then reach up to entangle her fingers in her wavy locks. As she dipped her head to nuzzle against her, that same hand began to embark a journey down her body. One hand took Nina's so that they could lace their fingers together. The other finally arrived upon the clothes that covered her stomach, which she worked up to allow the tips of her fingers to creep inside. The skin was as soft as expected under there, spotless as it was smooth. A note of affection would be displayed by giving her partner a brief squeeze of the hand.

Once working her hand away from her stomach, Soleil snaked her arm around her torso slowly. Her hand gently caressed its new roof: the spine running down Nina's back. When that spine arched into the conforming concave of her belly, they pulled into another abundant embrace. From Soleil's nostrils came a warm sigh that traveled down into the crook of Nina's neck. They squirmed slightly until they were both settled comfortably.

But then, out of the blue, Soleil's eyes, in the cover of Nina's blindspot, widened. She began to quiver as though a phantom hushed words of death into her prone ears. She suddenly seemed awful. Not just uncomfortable, but desperate. In attempt to relieve the sudden spike in desperation, she lifted her head to stare down at Nina. She stared back before long, and the two were once more in a heated staring match. It wasn't long before Nina began taking note of the darkness clouding in her partner's eyes.

"You don't look too good. Something wrong?"

Whatever it was, Soleil masked it with a smile.

"Not at all." She set herself down by plopping next to her, though still remaining close. Both hands retreated from their respective positions. The sight clearly left Nina in a state of uneasiness, especially as she watched Soleil attempt to avoid her gaze. "You know? I think we should just talk tonight. Talking's always good, isn't it?"

Nina, bewildered, stared at her a few seconds more before finally narrowing her eyes.

"I don't believe you."

"D-Don't believe what?"

"Are you chickening out? I thought this was something you wanted."

Her eyes darted away nervously.

"Chickening out? Me? No way! I just don't think we're ready for this yet. Our relationship is too premature for stuff like this sort of intimacy. We should take it nice and slow."

Cracking a smile, Nina scoffed.

"So you are chickening out."

"A-Are not!"

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are."

"Not."

"Uh-huh."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Yes."

A crude silence erupted between them, and it was anything but welcoming. Soleil reddened again, as if she hadn't reddened enough, but for reasons more than embarrassment. What Nina couldn't tell, miraculously, was that Soleil fought a bloody battle against the forces of tears.

"Look, Soleil... If you're really having second thoughts about this, you don't have to be ashamed. I'm not going to be mad at you... much, anyway... so there's no need to hide anything."

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Quiet, I know you are. If you want to tell me what it is, I'm all ears. If you don't, then fine. Just don't expect anything good to come out of it."

Heavy words coming from Nina, she acknowledged. They were why Soleil averted her eyes.

"I-I just need some more time to think," she muttered. The statement had Nina reach into one of her satchels and fish out her compass. That obviously wasn't what she wanted, so she stuffed it back in there until she exchanged it for the shiny pocket watch. She opened it at once to observe its tellings, which eventually had her scowl.

"You only have about two hours left until midnight. The day'll be over then."

She figured Soleil would find a way to cram all the content she had in mind in a measly pair of hours. She always managed to pull off feats such as those. She was quick, but intimate and intricate, in her work. For as long as she knew her, she had always been that way, and she most likely wouldn't leave her skill to rust.

Except Soleil failed to respond to Nina. She remained still, gazing blankly at the ceiling while being held captive by deep, dark thoughts.

When half of their remaining time passed them by without any notice, Nina gave up on waiting for her. She shifted slightly so that she could reach the candle on the nightstand neighboring them. There, with a whisper of her breath, she forced the room into darkness.

"Goodnight, Soleil," was the most she could say before departing into the land of dreams. It was a good thing Nina's attention wasn't present, for when enough time passed, Soleil raised a bloody flag. It was once white, so shamefully white, and never considered an option.

She rolled over to silently weep herself into slumber.