The forest is breathing and alive, even as the sun sets. Corrin can smell the freshness of the earth and foliage after the heavy rains. The prince eyed the horizon with bleary eyes. The clouds had cleared away only a little while ago, but the wide expanse of the night sky was fully revealed, shedding silvery moonlight down across the realm. Even in his solitude, he fails to straighten his thoughts out, giving a small sigh as another headache began. His form g goes weak, leaning against the thick tree trunk he behind him. The sound of a twig snapping from behind him causes him to whirl around, ready to fight off any bothersome foe that might have tailed him.
"Forgive me." Azura's soft voice always comforts him him. Instantly, his guard is dropped. The blue-haired princess has proven her loyalty, and that she's trustworthy. "I didn't mean to interrupt you." Her apology causes him to frown slightly, and he shakes his head, attempting to dismiss her concerns. Nothing had been her fault. Still, those analytical of hers always cause him to feel exposed. There is nothing he can hide from her. Though most often solemn, Azura is perceptive. Her cunning is derived from years of fear and being bounced between Hoshido and Nohr as a political tool. Corrin doesn't know her as well as he would like to, but he knows that her past has not been all too pleasant.
"No." His voice comes out weaker than he would have liked it. "You didn't interrupt me. Are you prepared to head to Fort Jinya tomorrow? The sooner we get there, the better. Nohr and Hoshido have already begun to tear each other apart." At the thought, his demeanor falters and weakens. The thought of hurting either family distresses him too much to think about. Kamui is stronger, he thinks to himself quietly. His sister has always been better at dealing with the split between their families. Even though they had only discovered their true heritage recently… Kamui had reacted calmly. During the fateful battle between both families, she had been enraged at both Ryoma and Xander.
An angry Kamui was dangerous.
"Yes. We're prepared." Azura's voice brings him back to reality, back to the scent of the wet earth and the sound of the bubbling river not too far away. Their forces are very small. If there's truthfully any hope of bettering the world, they'd need help from either side. Kamui's hopes hadn't of been too high. Both sides were stubborn, but Corrin held onto the belief that the Hoshidans might assist them. "You're troubled, Corrin. Not that I can blame you. But, the best thing for you would be to get some rest." Corrin's tired eyes slowly close as she speaks, another, much deeper sigh breaking from his lips. A warm hand is placed on his shoulder, and he relents. "Solitude can only do you so much good."
She's right. Corrin thinks to himself wryly. Azura is at home in solitude, but it does not suit him.
Fort Jinya is as busy as ever. Eager eyes look all around the extravagant building, as though she's never been there before. Morgan is an easily excitable young woman. Many have told her that. But optimism and excitement are surely better than pessimism and disappointment. It's not too often that she gets to go to Fort Jinya. She was really busy as Sakura's retainer. Ever since arriving in the new, exciting realm, she had remained very close to Kjelle Yarne, or Chambray, now. The new names were taking awhile to get accustomed to. Luckily, Morgan had only slipped up once. And Sakura had easily disregarded the incident, believing she had misheard Morgan. Nonetheless, Laurent had given her an earful. And her older brother Yarne nearly died of a heart attack on the spot. All had ended well, though.
"It's as though you've never been here before." Tsubaki remarks with a charming smile. He's standing next to her, overseeing soldiers as they store and organize weapons. He's a good guy, Morgan knows. Although he is incredibly arrogant, she knows that she can knock him down a peg, with some help from Kazahana. "Your enthusiasm is incredibly admirable, though. Kazahana should surely be taking notes. Her attitude could use the improvement." His tone is light, airy and teasing as he speaks. Kazahana, who is within earshot, gives a demeaning scoff, crossing her arms and turning to look at him in an unimpressed manner.
"Says Mister Perfect." The samurai jeers. "You're the one who could use an attitude check, Tsubaki. After all, it was you who let all the laundry blow away just last week!" Tsubaki pales considerably at the samurai's words, and as struggles to regain his perfect composure, Morgan gives a loud laugh. Truthfully, the young taguel was delighted to be Sakura's retainer. The other royals had their own issues, but their retainers seemed harsher and more intimidating overall than these two.
"Really? I heard from Saizo that he sneezed in his miso soup the other day." Morgan chimedsin mischievously, crossing her arms. The pegasus knight in question gives a low sigh. He's restraining what aggravation he feels, Morgan notices.
"No one else needs to know about those unfortunate incidents." The redhead spoke sharply, immediately. However, he turned to Kazahana, cutting her off before she could speak up. "Or else I'll tell Lady Sakura about the marmalade jars you tried to take from the pantry! And then, you knocked them all over." Smugness is prominent in Tsubaki's voice, and it's Kazahana's turn to fluster. The two know each other very well, Morgan realizes. Tsubaki was able to cut her off just as she opened her mouth, knowing she would retaliate.
"Oh!" Morgan chirps. "Got any dirt on me?" At that, Tsubaki struggles to come up with a reply. He may be able to keep Kazahana quiet, but he hasn't known her long enough to have any embarrassing secrets to blackmail her with! After a couple of moments, he opens his mouth to speak, but is cut off by another, louder voice.
"You three!" Saizo's voice is loud and forceful. Ever since lord Ryoma's disappearance, he's been deeply disturbed. He hides it very well around most others, but Morgan has a keen eye for detail. He hadn't of been able to hide his distress from her. Not that she had spoken to him. There was little time for her to communicate with anyone besides her fellow retainers, and maybe her brother. Even then, Morgan didn't go out of her way to talk to Saizo. His hot temper and prickly demeanor put her off too much. "Corrin and Kamui are approaching the fortress! Guard the back exits just in case anyone tries to get through!"
"Gotcha!" Kazahana's reaction is immediate, as is the change in her demeanor. In the face of battle, she becomes more steadfast and determined. Saizo charges off to the front of the fortress, with several soldiers scrambling to follow him. "Geez. He's eager." The samurai stated with a soft sigh, before turning around and motioning for Tsubaki and Morgan to follow her. "C'mon! Let's go!"
The darkness of the Nohrian skies makes him homesick. Inigo longs for sunny afternoons in Ylisse, spent frolicking in the gardens of the Ylisstol. Sitting outside of one of the many tents in camp, he lifts his gaze towards the bleak skies, resisting the urge to shut his eyes and take a brief rest. He wonders if Gerome is back yet. He wonders where Owain has scampered off to. The others are off somewhere, too. He's alone. Inigo isn't fond of being on his own, away from the warmth of casual conversations and relationships. Finally, he closes his weary eyes, making sure he remains awake. His brief rest does not last long. The sound of boots scurrying towards him causes him to open his eyes. Dark, red eyes stare at him expectantly, and he registers that Flannel is standing in front of him. The smallest of grins form on his face.
"Flannel. What can I do for you?" Said wolfskin's ears twitch at the sound of his name. Honestly, his more animalistic features are quite endearing, Inigo thinks to himself.
"I was gonna bring ya to see a nice treasure I found, but ya seem pretty out of it." Inigo knows that Flannel usually isn't a very perceptive wolfskin. He manages to make his smile just a bit wider. Not that he wants to see any of Flannel's creepy treasures, but he wants to make sure that the wolfskin knows he's fine. Before he can speak again, Flannel sits next to him, maybe a little too close. "Ya sure that you're fine?" Inigo's smile widens only slightly.
"Yes, Flannel. I'm okay. Thank you for your concern." Inigo's voice is soft, but grateful, and Flannel beams. He's glad that he's made a friend. While maybe a little peculiar, Flannel is loyal and friendly. The wolfskin's expression changes for a brief moment, and before Inigo can inquire, a gloved hand is brushing a stray strand of hair away from his face, gently settling it behind his ear. The mercenary gapes, face flustering only just slightly as Flannel's smile widens.
"There ya go!" The wolfskin states enthusiastically. "Ya look better now. Although… there was something that I was supposed to tell you." Inigo brushes off what just happened, and attempts to slow down the beating of his heart. "Oh! Our forces our moving out in two days. Kamui wanted me to tell ya that. I'm not sure where exactly we're moving to, though." Flannel shrugs. "I gotta go, now! I found a new treasure spot and I need to catch some bugs!"
And with that, the wolfskin is gone, running off into the nearby forest. Inigo swallowed nervously, desperately wondering why and how Flannel could affect him in such a manner.