Quiet Reading [Open]

[Isolde]

Nothing like a fine morning would start the day with a little stroll in the Ylissean streets. The town was a bit interesting with the bustling throes of people here and there. It was like paradise only with busy people trying to shop for something new once in a while. Every now and then, she would look for something that interested her whether it be books or the local tavern. Oh wait, she wouldn't actually drink per se, but just have a good time if she needed to. Maybe the local library would be a good time to read some of those old books that the ancient tacticians wrote, an interesting amount could be found there.

Entering through the door, she could hear some whispering amongst the people that happened to gaze upon her. The attention was not necessary though, but those people couldn't help it. She managed to take a book and sit down at a lone table, silently turning the pages. Apparently, the book recounted the tales of the Hero King Marth and it actually looked pretty interesting to read about him.

[Tsan'lo]

She didn't actually know how to read. It was her embarrassing secret that nobody really knew about until now, and she was not about to reveal it to anyone except if someone somehow found out and even then she would deny it as fiercely as she could. It showed that she had an illiterate side, and that would be no good. She would show she had a weak side. She knew numbers, that was good enough. So why the hell had she gotten herself a job of guarding the local library from any potential troublemakers? Who knows, who knows.

She had seated herself against the middle shelf, sharpening her swords as she meanly eyed anyone that came inside. Not that there were that many really, the library was not seemingly that popular. She kept her eyes settled on this one blonde for a long while before returning her attention to the iron and the bronze sword in her lap. They were like extensions of her arms, and she had to keep them in good shape so that she could complete her work. Thankfully this was only for one day, and she would gain some money from this. Some good money, hopefully with no blood on her.

Her eyes turned back to the blonde as she had nothing else to do while sharpening her swords. She looked refined in some ways, perhaps one of those friendly types too. Maybe she could try and... No, she wouldn't. She had for a split thought about trying to interact with her, but that was not a part of her job. If she wanted to talk, she'd do so at any moment. It was a complete possibility her attention would be taken by something else than just a guard anyways. She begun to finish up her sharpening.

Isolde

[Isolde]

Hmm? Another person entered the library and she looked like she was from a foreign nation. And from the looks of this person, she seemed to be sharpening her weapons and guarding the library. It was not like the library needed some guards, but the place looked just about safe with the young woman there. Perhaps, she needed a friend to talk to, but the look on the woman's face suggested that she was a grouchy kind of person. Not that she would mind anyway, but a bit of conversation wouldn't hurt. And besides, the other young woman might need some company for the sake of boredom inside the library.

"Excuse me. May I help you with something?" Not entirely sure if the foreign woman would respond, she turned her attention to the book at hand where the pages recounted how Marth had managed to drive back the evil forces at the capital. Not many people seem to be interested in old tales such as this as it provided an excellent source of reading.

Tsan'lo

[Eric]

"As I have already explained, there's no way I could have possibly said anything like that to you yesterday because I've never seen you before in my life." The young nobleman sighed. Why did the fates play with him so? As soon as he'd arrived in Talys, he'd immediately run into someone who had decided to take advantage of a lone nobleman, claiming there was a hefty unpaid debt unpaid. Why was it everything always came back to money? Aside from the failing economy and the immanent civil war that threatened the war torn land that is. Alright, in the end he could logically understand why this burly, tattered looking man was looking to extort those who looked well off. Still, if he were to give the man money in this position as others perhaps had, he would only be reinforcing bad behavior. The man continued as though he hadn't heard a word Eric had said, his tone becoming more serious. There were several options as Eric could see it-- the man seemed to be implying aggression from his tone of voice and body gestures, if things kept up he was certain it would lead to violence. This was a bad end because it would create a further divide between the classes and only add to the natural hate people would hold toward those born into money. "Very well. I'm afraid I don't have the sum you want, but this should suffice?" He asked, handing the man a small purse of bullion. It wasn't much, but it was all Eric had on him. It seemed to satisfy the conman and he walked away.

Great. He'd been robbed out in the open in front of a good many people. What a lovely start to a perfectly dreadful day. Well, let's see, what was there to do for a person with no money? Well, there was a park, but he'd been outside for long enough. His eyes gravitated toward the library he was passing, his feet carrying him in no direction in particular. Ah, perfect. As he entered, he would immediately feel that coolness that contrasted the warmth of the sun. It was refreshing in its own way. This smell was also calming, the smell of books causing him to remember his youth, spending his days indoors with his nose buried in a book to further his education. He sometimes had envied the servant's children, spending their time playing outside pretending to be knights of Ylisse. Instead, he studied martial tactics, the history of Ylisse, arithmetic, how to read, write, and speak in a manner that was appropriate for his position. His education had been broad spanning to the use of spears and swords for self defense and touching into chivalry and riding a horse. All these things came rushing back to him, nostalgia creeping through him. It had been a long time.

He made his way through the library, searching the shelves for something that would be interesting. A particular book caught his eye, the binding carrying the black ink. A History of Ylisse: Tales of the Hero King. Ah, what a perfect title holding stories he knew only too well recounting the exploits of a true king. He had been about to pluck it from the shelf, but someone got to it first. He blinked, his hand stopping and he looked to the person. It was a girl. Hmm... she was pretty at that, and had a good taste in books. She walked away without a word leaving him alone and bookless. At least, that's what she had perhaps been aiming for. He plucked a random book from the shelf and made his way over to her table. He tilted his head, not quite seeing who she was talking to.

"Do you mind?" He asked out of courtesy, taking the seat next to her. "I'm sorry I don't mean to--" He'd been about to apologize for butting into the middle of a conversation, but it was then he saw her. He gave Tsan'lo a smile and raised a hand in greeting. "Ah, it's been a while. If you aren't careful all your sharpening will grind through your swords and you'll have to get new ones."

---

Tsan'lo Isolde

[Tsan'lo]

She blinked her eyes once as the girl asked if she needed help with something. She was just about to say something like "shove it", but with a bit more tact and subtlety before THAT one lordling showed up. She sneered openly at him for a long, long while before sighing, furrowing her eyebrows. "I'm keeping them sharp in case someone like you tries to get hooky, lordling." She raised one of them, the light flashing off of the iron sword. She felt slightly proud at her achievement of reaching just the perfect edge with her sharpening.

Her eyes then turned to the female as she then returned to thinking about what to say to her for a long while before deciding on a simple "No." Her attention then turned elsewhere. That elsewhere being her swords, since she had nothing else to look at except those same swords she had been sharpening for a long while. She sighed a bit, deciding that the best next course of action would be to warn the girl that was being dangerously close to the lordling. After all, he was a heavy class deviant that any woman should be afraid of truly and decidedly.

"My... Hrm, lady. If I can advise, do avoid the man. I know him personally and he seems to have a bad habit of womanizing and then leaving the target of his affection to pick up a new one on the whim's notice. Same happened to me and I can ensure that the same will happen to you if you keep to this mongrel's company." She nodded sagely. She was doing the girl a true saving favor here by getting rid of this deviant now. Or well, not getting rid of him but telling her of the potential threat.
Isolde Eric

[Isolde]

Once again, another person entered the library and it was a young man who for some reason seemed to know the foreign woman. And of course, he sat next to her while apologizing for his intruding behavior before turning his attention to the foreign woman. The woman did give a blunt answer that resembled a no and then proceeded to give out a warning directed towards the young nobleman sitting next to her. A womanizer, eh? He didn't look like the type to actually fawn over a woman or something. "Oh, but he doesn't look like he's trying to flirt with him. Besides, I'd think he looks rather cute."

Well, oops. There goes that one thought where it should've been kept inside the mind, but there it was. It was out in the open and already it was going to be rather embarrassing. Maybe the young nobleman would have a similar reaction and well, sometimes she did admit mentally that this nobleman looked kind of cute.

Eric Tsan'lo

[Eric]

Well, his lovely day just got about a hundred thousand times worse.  The nobleman was already being attacked viciously and hung out to dry.  He'd been hoping she would have been over the misunderstanding by now, but it certainly didn't seem the case as Tsan'lo undermined his attempt to normally join in whatever it was they'd been discussing before.  Then again, it looked more like they'd just awkwardly met and were having a hard time coming up with anything to talk about on their own.  The girl didn't seem to pay Tsan'lo any mind, thank the divines.  That would have been a very short and awkward first impression to have made.

"Well, I must thank you for not believing such slanderous words.  It was an unfortunate misunderstanding to say the least--"  He suddenly stopped, his face turning thirty two and a half shades of red as he realized what she'd said.  It was true, he hadn't been trying to flirt or do anything other than introduce himself to someone who shared a common interest with him, but... was she flirting with him?!  "I-- ah, I'm not-- if you-- I guess-- thanks?"  He asked while stumbling for words, completely floored by her comment.  It wasn't like he didn't get told he looked handsome all the time... by his mother... but he didn't really get other people telling him anything like that.  Ever.  Either they were too intimidated or they were just uninterested, whatever the case he'd had minimal encounters with this sort of reaction.  "A-as I was saying," he frantically grasped at what he'd been saying before trying to change the subject as smoothly as he could.  "It was a misunderstanding, I never once thought of her as anything."

Wow, wasn't he smooth?  Butchering his thoughts in his embarrassment.

---

Tsan'lo Isolde

[Tsan'lo]

Her eyebrow twitched for a long while as the man simply and cleanly (between the stuttering and the such) that he never thought of her as "anything". Now, she was not being unreasonable in thinking that that was even more insulting than just stating that she had been just a wallflower for him. Was it? Yes, it totally was. Her eyebrow continued twitching for a while as she grit her teeth. She had no reason to attack, sadly. The man had not attacked the other girl nor had he tried to damage the property, and simply insulting the guard of the place would not be enough.

After a while of standing and fuming she closed her eyes, releasing a long breath before sitting back down against the bookshelf. "I am not going to bother myself with such a mongrel." With that she turned her head away with a furrowed brow and a very clear grunt. "If you believe him, it's your trouble, not mine."

(notes: sorry, don't have much to say here.)
Isolde Eric

[Isolde]

The foreigner proceeded to ignore the nobleman while coldly stating that it was not her problem anymore, therefore shifting it to another matter that the woman wouldn't delve into. Perhaps, the woman was still skeptical of the young nobleman and even then, she could tell that the woman was being quite cold to the young man. She realized that she hadn't introduced herself and that it would be a good idea to get to know those two better since they seem to know each other. She turned to the nobleman and smiled. "In any case, my name is Isolde. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She didn't know what the foreign woman's problem was, but it was certain that the woman had disliked him for doing something scandalous. It was possible that the woman might not want to be approached from other people due to her cold demeanor or there was something else going on.

Eric Tsan'lo

[Eric]

Eric looked at Tsan'lo for a good few seconds before turning back to the other girl.  Was it his imagination or did he feel a death aura?  He'd thought saying that he hadn't thought of her as anything like a wallflower or an 'easy catch' would bail him out of the dreadful situation he'd found himself in before-- instead it seemed to make it worse?  He sighed a little deflated, there was just no winning with this girl.  At least she seemed to be intent on leaving them alone..?  For some reason Eric didn't feel comfortable just letting things end like that.  But what on earth could he possibly say to shift her opinion of him even a little?  He had nothing.  Isolde, for that's what he learned her name was, introduced herself breaking the awkward silence that had inevitably followed.

"Oh, no, the pleasure is mine."  Eric gave her a smile.  "I couldn't help but notice your book.  I love the stories you find in there, very interesting.  My favorite is his reclaiming of Akaneia.  Waging war against the Dark Dragon Medeus to reclaim his home and restore the life that had been taken away from him.  It's tales such as those that make me want to do something more..."  He trailed off.  But what?  What more could he possibly do beyond protecting his home to the best of his abilities?  It was in his desire to emulate the heroes of old that he had taken on the duty of managing the Eldrich Private Army in his father's stead, but was he just playing a game?  Using the lives of those under his command like pawns?  No, that wasn't his intent at all.  But as it stood, he was still inexperienced.  "I'm sorry, in my eagerness I forgot to introduce myself.  I am Eric of the Eldrich Duchy.  Do you like the tales of Marth as well?"

[Tsan'lo]

She listened to the little lording speak about stories. Stories? She had heard a few, yes. Mostly from her... Her father. She hated remembering the man that had spawned her. He had been a lean, slightly muscular man with a bushy beard and long dark hair in a ponytail with a surprisingly bellowing and deep voice that always fit right in for a good laugh. The man had told her a lot of stories, ranging from the great Walhart to the first founder of the empire, Alm. She had never heard much of this Marth apparent from that he had founded Ylisse. Of course she needed to educate these people on the true heroes.

"You speak of this Marth. A prince or such, yes? Bha, he was born to someday claim such as a kingdom. The great king and the first emperor of Valm, Alm, was a truer hero. He and her queen, Celica, rose from nothing to eventually fight back against tyranny before forging out their own, continent spanning kingdom. Their heir considered Alm so heavenly he renamed the whole empire after Alm himself." She nodded once. She knew the basics of Alm's story, although she could go on.

"And if we go back further down the lines to only years past, we have Walhart, the great emperor and someone who blotted out the sun with his charm and skill. He was the reincarnation of Alm, and he would have been unstoppable had it not been for his betrayer of an tactician." That's what her father had told her, at the very least.

Eric Isolde

[Isolde]

My, Eric seemed to be quite eager about describing the exploits of the Hero King Marth. It actually had inspired her to do something more for her family as well. "Of course. Marth's stories are always the best for reading. I happen to be the heiress of the Althaus Duchy and the family's fortune." Right after Eric introduced himself did the foreign woman talk about a faraway country and a man known as Walhart. She hadn't heard of the man himself, but she would have to look on that later. Right now, Marth's exploits look like something interesting to read about and possibly his conquests were the most interesting. Either way, the purple-haired nobleman seemed to like the tales of Marth as well. All the more better to get acquainted with learning about Ylisse and the previous exalts as well. Perhaps, the foreign woman might shed some light on what she just said out loud.

Eric Tsan'lo

[Eric]

Althaus? He'd heard the name before. There'd been rumors of a girl who disobeyed her family's wishes and gone off in search of adventure. This same girl was also said to have had her head up in the clouds, appropriately so since she oft rode her pegasus while brandishing a wooden stick. This same girl was also said to have a sister, so it as possible this wasn't her. He didn't want to presume, especially since it might still be a sore subject. Bringing up her family matters was rude to begin with. Then again, she had said she was the heiress. The corner of Eric's mouth turned upward slightly, from what little he knew of her already from rumors, the book choice certainly was fitting.

Tsan'lo, however, wasn't about to give Eric an inch, as though she were waiting for him to start a conversation she immediately disagreed with him. She began dishing out examples of how Valm's heroes were superior to Ylisse's. Eric was a little confused where all this was coming from, but he did know he had to be cautious-- he hadn't seen the girl so excited about talking since he'd first met her.

"Alm's and Marth's quests seem very similar. Both conquered their respective continents to establish their realms, both defeated powerful entities, and both lead a similarly small force against impossible odds. I believe both were great men who managed to claim victory by the love their people had for them." He reasoned. "But Walhart." He didn't have to feign respect, "Ruthless, strong, a tidal wave that swept up nations uniting all of Valentia under the banner of Valm. A man, if ever, worthy of the title 'conqueror'. As many lessons can be learned from him as the warrior kings of old. Perhaps there were some flaws in the way he lead his people, overshadowing those he led with a sense of terror-- as contrasting to our late Exalt as night and day, but still a great man in his own right." He nodded in agreement. He agreed wholeheartedly with several principles the man had: being the driving force in whatever change he saw needed, the ruthless dedication to his principles even to the very end when he stood in defeat. Such lessens had not gone unnoticed and unrespected even among a few Ylisseans who could overlook superficial differences between the two continents.

"I didn't know you were interested in Valm history." He gave a smile to Tsan'lo, perhaps finally finding a common topic they could possibly relate on.

[Tsan'lo]

"But we have one thing here. While your Marth, no matter what big of a hero he is and admittably was, started as royalty who in ways had claims to becoming what he became. Alm begun his life as a peasant as with time conquered or convinced a whole continent to kneel before him and hail him as king, and eventually with the changing of the title by his successor, emperor." She stroked her chin for a moment. Sure, the Hero King was a hero, and a king. But he did pay no mind to the greatness of Alm.

She then raised her eyebrow at the implied flaws of Walhart. "No, Walhart did not lead in some flawed ways such as terror. He led by his eternal charm and vigor to enhance the people and bring them to a better tomorrow, be it by his axe or not. Aye, he conquered Valm completely by himself with force, but he still treated his people well. Would they all have been fighting for him if they hated him or feared him?
Would they not have tried to assassinate him if his rule was so feared? As you can see, the people loved him to not try such tricks."

"And I should know, my... Grngh, father worked for and adored the great conqueror emperor."

Isolde Eric

[Isolde]

Watching as the foreign woman gave her insight on the subject, the woman also added that her father was a supporter of Walhart. It was kind of strange that the other young woman didn't seem to support Walhart as much as her father did. And Marth and Walhart's conquests did seem similar to each other, so much that it actually made her interested in Valm's history as well. "My parents as well as my grandfather are supporters of the late Exalt. Thus, my grandfather seems to base off his decisions from his unwavering loyalty towards the Exalt." Sometimes, she wished that her grandfather wasn't so strict, but that was what makes a person be the way they are due to being in the family and following its customs so long. That and her family probably missed her by now which was quite disheartening, but she did want to travel the world.

Eric Tsan'lo