feel good drag [i]

[Inessa]

i hope this is alright!!
lmao look at my awful thread titles dont trust me to make anything

THE VERY WORST PART OF YOU IS ME

Grust was an interesting place for Inessa to be wandering. She was very aware of the dangers involved. It was, after all, unreasonably dangerous for a princess to be out and about in the area where skirmishes intermittently broke out between grimleal and those allied with the crown - especially a princess allied with both grimleal and the crown. However, Inessa both trusted in her plain looks, her skill with the bow, and her practiced way of walking, confident enough for her to look like she belonged there, casual enough to make her uninteresting to slip through Grust, even while there were faint sounds of warring on the horizon. And, of course, she had her trusty bow with her. She kept a hand on it - unremarkable though she was, that didn't mean that she had to be completely unprepared, just in case something happened. What would she do with herself if she got herself killed here, just wandering about? Well, probably nobody would recognize her body. Hell, Beatrice could probably go years without even noticing that Inessa was gone. But maybe Arnold would miss Inessa a little bit - or, at least miss his occasional late night snacks. ...At least she was honest with herself about how much she mattered to other people, depressing as it was. Nonetheless, she still didn't want to die today, so when she heard the sound of flapping wings nearby, she turned towards it, pulling out her bow and pulling out an arrow. She toyed with the idea of calling in that direction, but instead settled for waiting, not giving out her position just yet. "" victorie, code by katya

[victorie]

(( It's totally fine! Just hope my first post is good enough ))

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie cringed, leading her mount into a small depression before she slid right off the saddle and pat the beast on it's neck gently with a sigh. She had been pointed in this direction under the promise of adventure and possible glory, but it seemed someone had been pulling some cruel joke on her, as she had found herself caught in the no man's land of constant battle and skirmishes. She's wearing her silver armor, as one would expect, and looking positively glamorous as the mirror like sheen of the metal glints with each of her moves. Though, her boots are caked in mud and her braids seem loose, her hair a frazzled mess and face creased in a frown as she begins to fish something out of the saddle bags secured to the pegasus' sides.

"We are ok now dear." She'll hum softly to her horse, totally unaware of any spying royals as she hugs the steed's snout gently. It seems she's taking cover here, and it's sheltered enough that they won't be happened upon by total accident, but then, the darndest things tend to happen by happenstance out in places like this. And really, Victorie is not all about dying, as that really tends to put a hamper on one's fabulousity. And this would certainly be a topic on her mind as she ever so slowly shed her breastplate, resting the metal armor along her pegasus' withers by the straps as she grumbles and tries to get her breathing back in order after their little ordeal. Now she's unarmored, behind enemy lines (as far as she knew, they were all enemies) and wasn't exactly the greatest at foraging. She was high borne! People were supposed to do that for her!

But hey, she would at least be the prettiest corpse out on the battlfield, which she takes some small comfort in...

### | @tagged | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Inessa]

THE VERY WORST PART OF YOU IS ME

The fluttering stopped, and Inessa stopped, listening intently. What... what to do now? She could turn away and leave, or, she could check out the sound. She was about to take the first option when muffled speaking sounded out. No... she definitely couldn't quell her curiosity now. Inessa put the arrow back, following the sounds of speech, and came across a depression - one that housed a woman and a pegasus. A beautiful woman, and her pegasus. A very, very beautiful woman and her pegasus. Okay, now this just wasn't fair, where did these women get off being so pretty? She even had a pegasus with her - one of Inessa's dreams had always been to have her own pegasus. Inessa bit her tongue to stop herself from gasping as the woman carefully and delicately took off her breastplate - Okay, you know what? She had a problem here. Her problem was called attraction to her own gender. Inessa put her face in her hands and then peeked out after a reasonable amount of time - and then, shamefully, decided to leave the cover of the trees and approach. Standing there staring at this unarmored lady just seemed so very... okay, it was kind of gross, honestly. Inessa didn't need any more reason to feel gross about herself. "Ah," she began, and then paused. What was there to say? 'Hi, I was travelling by, and I couldn't help but notice your hot butt taking off your armor. What's up?' "Are you alright?" she decided to ask instead, honest concern in her voice - while Inessa did know a few pegasus knight Plegians, the majority of pegasus knights were from Ylisse. This was a dangerous place for a Ylissean to be... "It's rather dangerous here," she stated the obvious, blushing sheepishly and stealing occasional, guilty glances at the woman, trying not to make her own attraction too completely obvious. "" victorie, code by katya

[victorie]

Truth for the Wise

Beauty for the Heart

Victorie would comment that her beauty was the product of years of intense study in the black arts of fashion, makeup and beautification. Indeed, she's dangerously pretty and she knew it, it's a weapon in fact! But that art seems lost at the moment and no one is getting off right now. Well, ok, maybe not Victorie at least.

She'll sigh and turn a bit on the spot, resting her hands up on the back of her head as she takes in several greedy breaths of air and finally puts on a content look as she basks in the silence, but then that's only because she doesn't know about any women staring at her from behind cover, oh what scandal that would be! Especially since she's rather messy, the quite obviously expensive clothes she'd been wearing under her armor soiled by perspiration and dust, and even a small bit of dried blood clings to the black collar as she twists and turns to stretch for a moment. She'll sigh once more, turning her eyes down on her shirt and then groaning, those eyes rolling back up to stare at the sky as she idly plays with one of her silver tinted brown braids. Her hair was a mess, her face was covered in dirt and ash and her shirt was ruined! She was barely even presentable in this state! Though, it wasn't like she was going to be meeting any nobility in some god forsaken field of battle in the middle of a nation so uncultured as Plegia. She's seen those women before!

And then she'll hear the speaking! Of course, the Knight had been turned about so Inessa would have gotten sight of her back (Though one can presume she wasn't too intent on staring there) and a cursoury glance can confirm that the whole outfit has been quite dirtied. From black collared shirt to blue corset and even her poor frilly shorts and laced up boots! Oh the humanity! On the other hand though, this crime against fashion and all good in this world is quite likely not the first thing on Inessa's mind as the knight whirls about, her face locked in a grimace and her lance barred with the point tipped towards the ground and the pole resting against the back of her forearm. "Halt!" She'll shout as if out of simple rote memory, her brow furrowed and eyes narrowed on the other woman...

Well, alright, she might have to take back what she said about Plegian women. Only most of them were as attractive as the realm they called home. "Not another step." She'll remark, her voice flowery and just seeped in a sense of poised high society that betrayed the barked command. And then the question comes, and a perfectly plucked eyebrow will arch in response. "I... Was forced down." She'll remark warily, letting her lance waver a small bit as she straightens her posture some, and even a small smile will be cracked at the mention of the danger. "But then, that begs the question. What are you doing here?" She'll ask, those brown eyes going wide before she laxes a bit and puts her hand on her hip.

"And simply what are you wearing dear?" And that smile grows ever so rueful, even if the voice it belonged to came so very aloof.

### | Inessa | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Inessa]

archers have some weird armor look at this

THE VERY WORST PART OF YOU IS ME

Inessa flinched at the woman's order, and, true to form, she stopped dead in her tracks, blinking at the other like she had been caught in headlights. Oh, had she... startled this woman? It seemed so, and Inessa looked rather contrite for it, too. Her concern only grew when the woman answered her questions - she had been forced down? By the fighting in the area? Goodness, gracious. Then the first thing Inessa had to do was figure out how to slip both herself and this pegasus knight out of the area, and that was a bit of an issue because - The princesses' thoughts were interrupted by the (apparently quite astute) woman's next words, and Inessa blinked - in a way that was very reminiscent of a certain queen. "Ah, what am I doing here...?" she echoed, a transparent attempt just to give her time to think. Did she want to lie, or not? "...I'm just passing through," she decided to say. That wasn't a lie! More like a vague enough answer to not be a nonanswer, but one with enough wiggle room for her to decide if she wanted to tell the the truth later on, when she actually knew this person. Inessa couldn't help but blush sheepishly when the woman pointed out her clothing, smoothing her gloved hands over the front - okay, so it wasn't her usual attire - simply cheap, unremarkable clothing that she had picked up from here or there, and a cloak. It was humble, unremarkable clothing... well, barring the armored right arm that was still gold, and still rather gaudy. She couldn't help that it was almost required for archery, though. "Sorry," she mumbled out. "I usually don't wear this, but, I didn't want to call so much attention to myself..." She trailed off. "Because this area's at war." God, how stupid was she? She couldn't stop stating the obvious. Inessa let out a somewhat nervous, tittering laugh, and then tried to resist the urge to bury herself in her own shame. "You aren't... hurt or anything, are you?" A pause. What did pegasus knights usually do? "Were you trying to carry a message someplace? Or...?" If it was to the castle, or to the Grimleal, Inessa could help, after all. "" victorie, code by katya

[victorie]

(( I figured! Second only to Sniper right? ))

The Lady

Doth Protest Too Much Methinks

Victorie blinked, and then narrowed her eyes sharply as she sized up the other woman, there's even a fair amount of tensing as she frowns and tightens her grip on the lance. She caught those pauses, the awkward flitting of the eyes left and right and that palatable taste in the air that betrayed any and all kind of deception. She'll let her withering look stand for a moment more, her eyes smoldering as she seemingly tries to stare into Inessa's soul, Victorie isn't the most intimidating of women, but she has a mean searching look and she is clearly not afraid of using it whatsoever. And as such, the silence will hang over the two as she stares a little harder...

"Pppff-Dear! Please!" She'll sudden snort, her face coming alight with life as she lets out just the cutest little girlish giggle and shakes her head too and fro. Which naturally, sends her braids bouncing about quite haphazardly. "First, you are an awful liar, but I appreciate the attempt." She'll remark, her voice still quite haughty but positively swimming in the honey that is mirth. "Second, I know that look." She'll add, pointing to her own eyes before making a mock blank expression that is punctuated every few moments with a nervous glance at Inessa, yep, she noticed that as well. "A lady of my bearing knows that look is reserved for those who wish to court me, or rob me, and I assume you would have already done the latter by now." She remarks, voice perfectly punctuated as she grinned all the wider, a nice pink hue coming to her cheeks. "To say nothing of the fact you apologized about your clothing, it may be an affront to fashion but not something an archer would need to apologize for in a field of battle." She'll hum, voice quite warm as she rests her left hand on her hip and surveys the other woman.

"Ah-ah-ah." She'll twitter, the Noblewoman night flicking her finger back and forth in the Princess' direction. "A question for a question and I do believe it is my turn." She'll remark, that haughtiness evident once more. "Did you scavenge that armor?" She'll chirp, hinting at the gilded armor that would protect an archer's front during firing. And the way she sashays her hips when she says that hints that she may well already know the answer.

### | Inessa | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Inessa]

oh god you're right snipers ARE worse *dreads promoting*

THE VERY WORST PART OF YOU IS ME

...A-an awful liar? Inessa reeled a bit over that - just how terrible of a liar was she? Normally she prided herself on being quite convincing! And! She hadn't even lied, unless you count lies-by-omission which really shouldn't count. Or did this woman just not believe that Inessa had plenty upon plenty of other clothes to wear? Did she look so horrible that the idea of her being rather affluent was an unreasonable one? Inessa didn't respond in time before the woman figuratively smacked her across the face with her words once more. Second, I know that look. What look?? As the woman pantomimed Inessa's rather smitten glances, her stomach dropped right to her feet. What a horribly, terribly astute woman... A lady of my bearing knows that look is reserved for those who wish to court me, or rob me, and I assume you would have already done the latter by now. "N-no, I..." she tried to stammer out. "I really wanted to - I'm not just trying to! L-look, you're just..." Oh, but it hardly mattered. Inessa dug her grave and she dug it deep, and she never practiced speaking under pressure from someone like her, much less lying. Abort, abort mission. Inessa closed her mouth, closed her eyes, and looked like the picture of suffering - complete with an ashamed blush. She cracked one eye open at Victorie as she asked a question, and then quietly, shamefully responded, "No, I didn't." Inessa had to bite back the urge to say sorry over nothing, dropping her gaze shamefully to her feet. "I'm sorry. You're a gorgeous woman, but I don't want anything, honest. I just... I was concerned, and I know my way around this place, so if you need help..." What was that about not saying sorry over nothing? God, now Inessa could never admit her plan to squirrel the pegasus knight away in the castle someplace, lest she think it was some giant come-on. Grima have mercy upon her fucking soul. Here she paused again, warring with herself over asking or not, and then just decided to go for it. "Is it my turn to ask now?" Inessa figured she might as well focus on the most alarming question first. "Are you hurt?..." Of course, there was the chance that this woman would shut her down entirely again, but she figured that was worth the risk. "" victorie, code by katya

[victorie]

A case

of Pride and Prejudice

Victorie will cross her arms over her chest, giving Inessa that smile which is a mixture of sadism and honest to goodness enjoyment that she was able to catch someone like that! Though, there is that little thought in the back of her mind that reminds her that, hey! Someone thought she was pretty, and that idea always sends her heart aflutter, even if she is very good at hiding it. Really, everything about Victorie says noble, from fancy clothes to simply extravagant accent and the way she holds herself, it's all par for the course for those that wish to dance the deadliest of dances.

Politics.

And then she blinks at the response, the young noblewoman now fanning herself gently with a hand and letting out another girlish chuckle. "You have no need to look like that." She remarks simply, hands going back down to her hips so she looks just a tad bit less judgmental, but that smile looses much of it's venomous pretext as she drops her voice a bit. "I am quite honestly abashed that I am such a shining beacon of feminine beauty as to strike you dumb so readily." She hums sweetly, it's hard to tell if she's teasing or being entirely genuine as that smile strikes true! Even her stupid pearly white teeth are perfect. "If it helps, you are quite the prize when you blush like that, so please, don't keep looking at your feet as if you need to apologize. I am not so hung up on my own ego as to demand recompense for my presence." She adds smoothly with a toss of her braids.

Aaaaand then it's Victorie's time to blush a small bit, that healthy pink glow flicking across her cheeks somewhat as the little girl inside her squeals happily. She was never complemented like that! Well, not in the presence of her sisters at least, as they were both stupidly gorgeous and damn it all why is she letting them ruin this for her? "I... Thank you then." She remarks, brushing a spare bang of hair from before her eyes as her voice falters somewhat, she's not as stone cold as she's been making it seem! She even opens her mouth to respond to the request for help before she shuts it as the question comes up.

"I am quite fine." She remarks, picking up one arm and then clapping her bicep with her free hand as she shoots Inessa a wink before clicking her tongue. "Now, my turn." She starts, rolling her eyes up as if she's thinking this one through (Hint; she's not!) before she puts on a sly smile. "What caste of nobilty are you then?" She'll question, it was either that or she was some kind elite guard or the like, but they didn't tend to wander around aimlessly. And she can take it on good authority (who's authority is better than one's own?) that noble's did now and then!

### | Inessa | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Inessa]

THE VERY WORST PART OF YOU IS ME

Well, at least Inessa's stuttering and failure to properly enunciate went over... well? Or something? In truth, the girl couldn't stop thinking about how much her father and mother would have been terribly disappointed, had they been around to see her toss out everything they taught her about being poised and having some amount of dignity. But then again, when had they ever expected her to have dignity? Surely they gave up on that dream when she was around 5. Inessa played and fidgeted with her hair, mumbling a soft "Thank you," in response to the woman's compliment, and left it at that. God, how embarrassing. And here, Inessa wasn't even sure if she was being complimented because the pegasus knight was being nice, or because she legitimately thought that the wayward princess was pretty. Probably not the second one, as much as she might wish it. Inessa was a bit surprised at the taken back tone that the other started with - really, wasn't she complimented all of the time? - but then she simply let it go, being smacked in the face with another, huge problem. And the problem was that this girl - lady - Inessa really needed to ask her name - cut right to the heart of the matter with her questions. With a sigh, Inessa mulled over the merits of lying. Lying was safer, of course. Lying would be smart. But it would be an issue later if she wanted to take this woman to the castle, and beyond that... lying to her for no good reason made Inessa a bit uneasy. She'd probably see right through her again, and Inessa wasn't willing to risk a budding friendship(?) for the sake of security. "...I'm a princess. Third born." she said, slowly, as if prying the truth out of her was physically painful - and in a sense, it was. "Please don't tell anyone I was here." she decided to add, for good measure. "May I ask your name...?" she changed the subject quickly, and just a tad bit too formally. "" victorie, code by katya

[victorie]

Blushing?

Victory Lies

Victorie blinks several times, and then pulls her breath in sharply and with nary a thought she'll immediately hit a knee to the ground, lance rested on the ground next to her as she bowed her head. "My lady, I apologize." She'll cry sharply, knee bent and head bowed for a moment before she flicks her head up. Trying to gauge Inessa's response to the sudden 180 turn in attitude. In all honesty, the action came from complete and utter surprise. She hadn't pinned some Countess' daughter or Duchess in waiting with her words, she had been making a princess squirm. A princess! With a P! And all she can do at the moment is blush a cherry red as she tries to contain her breathing. She's impressed at herself and her stomach is full of butterflies at the thought that a Princess would notice her like that! This was so confusing! How was she to respond to that?! AAAAAAH!

"My lady... If it helps I am similarly the third born... To a Duchy, but none the less." She'll finally mumble, gritting her teeth a little bit. Oh dear Naga and Grima, she had called out a Princess' taste in clothing! Admittedly, she would have had someone's head for such treasonous comments. But... She had a Princess calling her gorgeous! She can't get over that line of thought! And And! And! Aaah!

"Lady Victorie, Third Daughter to Duke Superior of Ylisse." She'll remark quickly in response, nodding her head once more as she chews on her lower lip. And then she'll take a deep breath, the blushing knight tilting her head up to survey Inessa, where she had thought she was far too cute and quite beautiful before, now it was that sense of terrifying cute! Intimidating adorableness even! "I..." She'll start, clearing her throat as she pushes herself up, gently digging a foot into the dirt next to her as she awkwardly plays with one of her braids. Look Inessa! Now you're the second most awkward one here, though, the pegasus still has you beat on the calm and collected front. "I swear upon the name of my family I would never divulge your secret." She remarks, putting her hand to her chest in a Knightly salute before she coughs bashfully and pushes a lock of hair from her eyes once more. "From where do you hail then?" She'll finally remark, trying to regain her composure.

She's positive she'll find ten times more enjoyment in teasing a Princess, but that's if she'll ever be able to regain her composure.

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### | Inessa | notes

❖ nox ❖

[/div][/div]

[Inessa]

THE VERY WORST PART OF YOU IS ME

Inessa really wasn't expecting the reaction she got. Disbelief would have been natural, 'what kind of ugly princess are you' also natural. If this woman was nice, perhaps a pitiable 'Oh' would have been her response. Instead, she fell to her knee and bowed her head, exclaiming an apology that Inessa never in her life expected she would get. "Wh-" How - ?? What was going on? Was this woman simply so polite, or was she teasing Inessa again? This was all so confusing!! Just how in the world was she supposed to respond to this?! Something in the way that the pegasus knight looked at her though... it gave Inessa the feeling that maybe she wasn't being teased - maybe the fact that she had such a title gave her weight with this woman, her general unremarkable-ness aside. It was a strange sense of power, and then, once more, a strange sense of... unhappiness. Inessa wasn't quite sure what to think, honestly - as much of a part of her liked the sound of 'my lady', another part liked this woman's teasing attentions more, and the cold reality that she was, after all, a princess seemed to put up some sort of distance between them - a mostly imagined distance on Inessa's end, but distance all the same. It was difficult for her to be close to anyone, after all. To make friends. Even within the grimleal, that had always been difficult. Someone who spent the first 13 years of her life without people she considered friends was understandably sort of bad at it. Her expression turned just a bit sad, and she faltered. Thankfully for her, she didn't need to say anything in response. My lady... If it helps I am similarly the third born... To a Duchy, but none the less. Was she? Was she, really? Inessa actually brightened at this. Could this woman understand what it was like to be the third princess, overshadowed by two, far more gorgeous older sisters? People who were likeable and intelligent and everything that Inessa wasn't?? ...No, that was impossible. Victorie - as Inessa learned her name - was pretty. She was friendly and had a sense of humor, and good taste in clothing. (A little self consciously, Inessa smoothed over the front of her clothes again). She also had a very handsome looking pegasus - in fact, she seemed like everything Inessa wanted to be, barring the fact that she was currently unarmored in warring territory. "Your siblings must be terribly jealous of your radiance," she said with a rueful smile, avoiding Victorie's gaze. The stilted language was a little cheesy, but Inessa took it over stuttering. Suddenly, it was like they switched places - she was the collected one, and Victorie was the bashful one. "Thank you," she said simply in response to Victorie's promise - while Inessa was sure that she could think of some lie if word did reach her family's ears that she was out and about in places affected by civil war, she'd rather not have to. "I'm from Gra. ...A part of Plegia, if you didn't know." Inessa couldn't expect a Ylissean to know who she was or what she looked like, or what each individual part of Plegia was called, after all. "The royal family there..." How much to say? What was there to say? "Well, I'm really not so important." she said, trying to lighten up a bit, trying to shed the storm that was threatening her already delicate mood - she didn't want to think about her family situation too hard. "It's dangerous here, so I was considering asking if you wanted to come with me back to the castle... but I understand if that's strange," She might as well come clean on that front - if Victorie said no, then at least Inessa could see her away from Grust. "" victorie, code by katya

[victorie]

Shalalala

My oh my

Victorie knew all about growing up as the unimpressive third daughter, of course anyone would be willing to tell her she was beautiful and smart and the most fashionable woman in all of Ylisse but she wasn't about ready to believe it! No, she would never be Duchess or an Exalt or some living saint like her sisters, she was average to their glamour and had naught but a list of jousting titles to her name. "Believe me my Lady, there is little to no recognition of the sort." She remarks smoothly, wincing ever so gently. Of course her sisters loved her and treated her better than anyone could ever ask, but that didn't change the fact they were still destined for great things and she was just... Victorie.

And then she'll tilt her head, brow furrowing as she leans a bit into her lance and tilts her head somewhat to the right. "Gra? Er- Did your voice catch there or?" She'll ask, trying to decipher how anyone could possibly call a tract of land such a positively unappealing name. And then suddenly she'll go ram rod straight as she brings up the royal family, her body tensing as she coughs a bit out of surprise. "A-Oooh." She'll hum, tilting a bit to the right and the left, it's not like she was with the Grimleal now, it was just a tryst! But she was quite aware of the civil war, and she was quite intent on keeping that little thing buried for the moment.

And then she'll quite suddenly clear her throat, balling her fist near her mouth as if she were covering a sneeze. "With all due respect my Lady, everyone is important. Yourself included." She'll chime sweetly, her normal bearing coming back as she tries to cover up any potentially friend(?!)ship breaking secrets with being a snappy little Pegasus Knight talking above her station. She'll even crack a smile after the final question, her teeth glinting a bit as she pats the neck of her mount. "My, are you inviting me to your castle already? You have yet to even take me to dinner." She'll jeer, the tip of her tongue poking out between her lips.

Oh man oh boy oh man oh boy she's going to go to a real, legitimate castle without having to worry about dealing with those airheaded songbird nits in the court!

The hot Princess helps too, but she'll keep those teases tucked away. It's a matter of escalation, you don't throw all your cards down at once after all.

### | Inessa | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Inessa]

THE VERY WORST PART OF YOU IS ME

Believe me my Lady, there is little to no recognition of the sort. Victorie responded, with a gentle wince, and Inessa looked at her with no small amount of empathy - if it could be believed that perhaps... they were the same on this small matter, well... there were a few feelings that rose within her - mainly sympathy, empathy, a desire to try to comfort the pegasus knight before her, and then just a tad bit of nasty jealousy. After all, even with all of her insecurities, she was still so... beautiful. And talented. How could she think of herself as lesser? How great were her sisters? Likely not that great. And again, if Inessa came clean... oh, she'd likely find the third princess whiny. Useless. Just as she was. The word 'gra' gave the other some pause, which Inessa simply felt was... strange. The words that Plegians used to describe the different parts of Plegia never seemed odd to her, but then again, this was a woman that grew up in Ylisse somewhere. Maybe it was a little strange to her. The next strange thing was her reaction to Inessa clarifying that she meant the royal family - standing up straight and clearing her throat, as if... almost as if... she suddenly had something to fear? Suddenly, horribly, Inessa wondered if perhaps this woman was allied with the Grimleal - but no, that couldn't be right. Inessa hasn't seen her before... but then again, it wasn't as if the princess knew everyone and could visit all of the time, or like all of the Grimleal sat in one place, so... No... a ylissean noble pegasus knight had little reason to find themselves among the ranks of Grima. Inessa could wish all she wanted for someone she could be open with, but in the end, she was rather alone. She couldn't have her cake and eat it too. Likely, it was just a matter of how powerful her family was, if the sudden shift was one born of fear at all, which she wasn't even sure on that. She just wished, was all. "I'm really, really not that important," she demurred, "There's nothing to fear from me." After all, she was very much taught not to throw stones while in a glass house of her own trappings. However, at the woman's next words, Inessa had to rewind a bit and wrap her head around it - was she teasing her again? Oh, no. A bit of a blush returned to her cheeks, and she tried her best to remain composed - "...if you want dinner, that's alright too, just... we need to get out of Grust, it's really too dangerous," She should have known better than to try to remain serious - had she engaged this woman on her level, Inessa may have been able to survive with some of her dignity intact. "" victorie, code by katya

[victorie]

Mrs. Robinson

You're trying to seduce me aren't you?

Victorie blinks several times, her nose tilting downwards somewhat as a very queen look comes over her expression, wow this was almost too easy. She loved teasing people, but she was acutely aware of the line between good hearted joking and downright awfulness. Well, when she was talking to someone pretty or who she liked, she had a tendency to be a bit thick headed around those a little bit lower than herself. But hey, we're all allowed to have our little bit of awful tendencies!

"All I truly fear is that you will still be blushing when we arrive to your castle." She remarks, putting a hand out between the two, juuuuust close enough as if she's making to touch the Princess but certainly not making the first move. It looks like she's striking for common ground! Even if it is a gloved hand! "That was a joke my Lady, though, one would find it quite scandalous that you did not deny the implication." She'll chirp as sweet as a baby bird with just the most wolfish grin, she's quite good at putting on a face that is equal parts 'you can trust me!' and 'But you might come to regret it in the morning'. "But as a Knight, and noblewoman of Ylisse there could certainly be nothing further from my mind, so yes, let us depart my lady." She'll hum elegantly, there's that court voice, thick and flowery and almost sing song in fashion as she holds her hand out to Inessa.

What could go wrong?

### | Inessa | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Inessa]

THE VERY WORST PART OF YOU IS ME

Was she really blushing that much? The realization just made Inessa even more mortified, and she only managed to choke out an "Oh... right..." when Victorie pointed out that, really, she should have denied the premise of the innuendo. ...Fuck. Well, there went her dignity, not that she even had any to begin with. Inessa closed her eyes and let out a sigh to try to compose herself, and then cracked an eye open - but as a Knight, and noblewoman of Ylisse there could certainly be nothing further from my mind, so yes, let us depart my lady. ...Okay, so that went a little better than expected? Inessa hesitated, and then tentatively took Victorie's outstretched hand, offering something of a small smile. A horrible part of Inessa wished they weren't both wearing gloves - but it was no hard task for her to imagine that this noble's hands were warm. "...I know a way through, but we'll have to be quiet." She began. "Your gorgeous pegasus is alright with travelling on land for a bit, right...?" Without really waiting for further clarification, Inessa set to the task of leading the two out of Grust, and towards the relatively safety of Gra - and the royal castle. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong. "" victorie, code by katya

thread end!