* 91 * 3/10/13
Casavir would have absolutely murdered Bishop for what he had just done, pressuring Lily to reveal her breasts in front of everyone in the courtyard and holding her body against his as a hostage.
Thankfully for the ranger's healing back muscles, Casavir exited the Keep only after their encounter was finished and did not see them. The paladin was preoccupied anyway, angry with himself for not having left sooner. How could he have let Lily's father leave without even bidding him a proper goodbye?
Luckily for him, however, Daeghun was in no particular rush to get back. Casavir needed only walk to the farmland just outside the courtyard to find the elf ranger silently observing the grazing animals, hands held habitually behind his back.
"Sir!" Casavir didn't know what else to call him.
Daeghun turned, a faraway expression on his face. "Casavir."
"I am sorry I did not say this sooner. I wish to bid you farewell properly."
"There is no need for such proclivities."
So he is not the regal type, Casavir mused. He was so used to calling Lily by an honorable title that her family's rather modest origins of West Harbor had slipped his mind.
"My daughter is privileged to have a knight like you at her side," Daeghun declared.
"Sir?" Casavir asked. He hadn't expected a comment like that so suddenly, and wondered what the elf meant.
Daeghun ignored the title. "She can be a handful, and at times gets herself into trouble because of it. It is advisable for her to have a second mind at such times to help her make decisions. I am glad she has one."
Casavir nodded. Lily was indeed headstrong about some things, yet was still a cunning diplomat. Her decisions in combat were completely sound, though, as were most of her personal decisions, as far as he could tell from experience in living under the same roof.
Perhaps I have not grown close enough to her to see that side of her, he thought with a little dismay. The closest incident he could think of as a prime example of the impulsiveness Daeghun mentioned was...
And as soon as he thought about it, the paladin's face grew hot. He was relieved to then have his thoughts interrupted by the elf ranger in front of him.
"My apologies for the personal question, but has my daughter returned your affections?"
Casavir's eyes shot wide and his whole face caught on fire. He felt lain bare. "H–...How?"
"You're not entirely subtle," Daeghun deadpanned.
"Erh..." Casavir responded faintly, for once, not sounding so eloquent.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
The paladin cleared his throat. "She has..." He tried to keep more heat from building above his neck as he once again thought back to kissing Lily. "...shown me she appreciates me."
"I see." Daeghun considered his words. "She probably doesn't know yet," he thought aloud.
"Forgive me, sir, but she may. If you have figured it out so quickly, I doubt it is a secret to her." This possibility made Casavir feel completely lost, both in how to think and how to act. Lily did probably know. What did that mean for him?
But Daeghun remained firm in regards to his daughter's tendencies. "Lily lives in her own world. There's a good chance she missed picking up on that information."
"As for advice, I cannot offer you much as I don't know much about her emotionally, both because I have never been the type to be that way, and because she does not always tell me what is on her mind." Daeghun sighed. "My own daughter is an enigma to me," he said, shaking his head.
Casavir gave the man a sympathetic look, not knowing what to say in response to this reflective statement, one that was clearly not directed to him. But the elf snapped out of his reverie. He didn't seem to want to be there any longer. "If you ever require any assistance, you know where to find me."
Casavir nodded. "I thank you for the kind offer, sir. Farewell."
"Goodbye," Daeghun returned, continuing down the path to the south. Then, he stopped in his tracks and turned around one more time.
"And please, Casavir, call me Daeghun."