Hero

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant was surprised. Very surprised. The cursing, the partial nudity, the rudeness...He had expected...actually, he didn't have any expectations. No, that isn't right, he expected a woman with force. She was pretty forceful. Her outburst certainly made it so, anyway. He regained his composure, trying very hard to focus on her lovely eyes and not the rest of her exposed body. "...Your Emperor sent me. Savayna Glacie?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her...lack of garment. Well, this was interesting. He cleared his throat and introduced himself, "I am Prince Grant Hershel of House Roselia. We were to...discuss joining forces." Wow, he didn't realize how uncomfortable he was. She was certainly beautiful, but the only one for him was his Emelia. Although she was impressive. Very much so.

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Emiri rolled her eyes at Jaakuna. He'd do well to get some of her manners, but she kept that thought private. Besides, he should be himself. And she should be herself, her usual, early bird self. She took a cup of tea gladly as Nadeline procured her epic tome of knowledge that she had gotten from the Ifrit. Jaakuna may have been joking, but Nadeline was, as always, one step ahead. She laid the ancient book flat, carefully opening it up and revealing several more figures between two pages. She ran her finger over them, landing on Belias. "There are more of them out there." Nadeline said, pointing to the several figures. "I think we should go about collecting them, what say you?"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Nadeline smiled mischievously, and Emiri swore she saw her wink at her. Obviously the prince was impressed and quite frankly so was Emiri. Nadeline was good. Like, really good. Maybe she should take notes? But she could never be like that. Did nothing ever faze the girl? Seriously, she was like a brick wall! A flirtatious brick wall. As Jaakuna laughed and asked what he did, Emiri shrugged. "Hmm...I seem to be picking up your habits." She said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Hopefully this is a one time thing, I would hate to start mimicking your bad habits." She lightly joked. Yeah, it was just one day of oversleeping. Things would get back to normal tomorrow.

Emiri paused, then looked at the group. "What will be our next move?" She asked.

-------

The prince walked through the streets of Archades, enjoying the sights. It was actually refreshing to walk without a guard of some sort--Michel had offered to accompany him, but as the conversation soon went into a silence, he politely and kindly gave the prince the address he needed. Grant was never too good with directions, but it was fun to see the people and their daily activities. Eventually, he did find his way to her residence.

Grant quickly checked himself. No dirt or dust, his hair was in place, and his clothes properly ironed without a wrinkle in sight. He was sure Vincent had already sent word to her about his arrival (though his tardiness was another thing) so she should have been expecting him. With a slight cough, he knocked on her door, awaiting the lady to answer.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"A little too well, apparently." Emiri murmured, wincing as Nadeline threw her a look.

Said blonde let out an irritated huff as she quickly (and cleanly) slathered some butter onto her toast. It didn't matter if they were at the castle or not, she simply would not have Emiri abandon her etiquette just because they were free from their mothers' eyesight. She eyed the prince as he spoke, taking a neat bite out of her bread. Once finished, she batted her eyelashes at him. "Quite well, Your Highness. I would have much preferred the company of someone, but alas, it was not so. Do join me next time." She spoke quite freely, the flirtatious tones in her voice would make any proper lady blush.

Emiri chocked on her juice, completely flabbergasted at Nadeline's forwardness. How the heck was she able to do that? Nadeline threw her wink, she could read her look as such: Pay attention, this is how men like it. The brunette was completely at a loss. Did guys like forwardness? Even if that were the case, she could never even consider to follow Nadeline's lead.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"Emiri, it simply won't do for you to stay in bed. Get up!"

Emiri let out a sluggish groan, pulling her covers over her head. She was feeling especially groggy that morning; she would normally be the first up, but it seemed as if she was the last person to awaken. Nadeline was having a hard time trying to get her out of bed. The blonde ripped the blankets off the brunette, but she did not stir, instead simply putting her pillow over her head. Nadeline huffed, annoyed, and grabbed the girl by her ankles. Using all her might, she yanked Emiri off the bed. The brunette in turn grabbed the sheets in a desperate attempt to stay in bed, only to meet defeat when she collided with the cold floor. She actually had half a mind to just sleep on the floor.

"Honestly!" Nadeline threw her arms up in the air, exasperated and frustrated. "Look at you! What in the world is wrong with you, Emi? Get up!"

Emiri slowly sat up, shoulders drooping as she looked up at Nadeline. Why did she have to get up now? Not like Jaakuna wasn't still snoring over in his bed. Besides, she always woke up before him, so what was the big deal? She crossed her arms, throwing Nadeline a look. "I thought it was obvious that I desire to sleep more, thank you very much." She stated.

"You are the last to rise, have you no shame?" She snapped back, clearly just about having enough.

This surprised Emiri. That wasn't possible. He himself stated that he never liked to get up on time. Still, she felt so exhausted, but if she even thought about going back to bed, she had a feeling Nadeline would drag her out in her nightwear and all. She stood up and began to get dressed, noting that these particular daily tasks were...they were a lot harder to pull off. Even lifting her arms seemed to be a task, her body felt sluggish and heavy. Did she not get enough sleep? No, that couldn't be it. Perhaps fatigue had finally caught up to her at last. She thought a good night's rest would have cured it, but really, she felt even more tired now. Nonetheless she dressed herself and pulled her hair into her usual ponytail, and followed Nadeline. She had said something about breakfast, but she didn't quite catch her exact words.

The ladies entered the room, with Nadeline grinning from ear to ear. "Good morning!" She called rather happily. Emiri noted that Jaakuna was wide awake: she really did out sleep him!

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The Archadian General? Now that she was mentioned, he did recall her being in Bhujerba. Perhaps then, she had a knack for finding the little group. If it meant not having to go back with Michel, Grant would meet with this Savayna. He nodded, standing up and bowing. "Then by your leave, my lord. I will seek her out, I think it best if we start the search as soon as possible." He told him, standing from his seat. "I will seek out Miss Glacie at my lord's suggestion. Eagerness is a rare quality these days, as is enthusiasm." From what he heard, the general was one who freely used force. It didn't matter much. So long as his precious doll was unharmed, he would let her have a field day with Jaakuna and Nadeline.

Things would get interesting.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Emiri was beyond relieved to hear him say that. And maybe a little more pleased that at least the feeling was mutual. It was a foreign thing, she was used to her own opinions and feelings being brushed aside. She actually felt kind of giddy, really, and she couldn't for the life of her stop smiling. She wanted to tell him more, but as she looked up at him, she was met with another one of his kisses. She did like him. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. She didn't want anyone else to have him, she wanted him all to herself. Not Savayna, not Grant would stop her. She didn't want this moment to stop. Her head felt light, and she made sure to pull him closer to her.

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Grant knew Lorenzo couldn't care less about Nadeline's location. Technically speaking, Archadia had nothing to gain from Nadeline prancing around with some Sky Pirate--especially one that turned out to be of the enemy nation. Still, with what Vincent had said, he was now certain that not only was Emelia with them, but Vincent did not know of her power, either. Actually, it would work in their favor: they would get this Jaakuna fellow, and Grant would get his love (and Reia's weapon) back. The raven haired man nodded, agreeing with the Emperor. "I don't see why a temporary truce would be out of the question." He stated, beckoning to Vincent. "If it pleases my lord, I will personally oversee the retrieval operation on the Rozarrian side. The princess is young and foolish, you see...she's at that age." He chuckled slightly.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant watched Michel leave, noting to request a private cabin back and save himself another awkward trip. He graciously bowed before Vincent, and then took the seat in front of his. "You'll have to forgive the Empress, the meeting was too sudden for her to leave so soon." Grant spoke, bowing his head slightly. "If it pleases His Excellence, I will of course be in her place. Rest assured that our discussion is of the utmost importance." He spoke as he always did. Despite not respecting Reia (which was more of a sibling thing than a genuine dislike for his sister--he and Lorenzo simply couldn't take Reia seriously as an Empress) he was not one to show disrespect to those in a higher authority, so to speak.

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There it was again, her heart beating faster and faster. Maybe she was just over-thinking things. She loved how he awkwardly explained himself, glad that she made him speak first. But as quickly as it came and went, it looked like it was her turn. Now what? What should she say to him? As Emiri pondered his words, she couldn't help but laugh. Yeah, she laughed. It actually wasn't little either, it was more like an accidental thing. "You realize you're taking your words out of a fairytale, yes?" She teased lightly, looking up at him. Damn, it felt good to be the one teasing rather then being on the receiving end. Still, she didn't want him to think she wasn't taking him seriously. She decided to say what was on her mind, too. "I...I don't doubt you. Not at all. It really does feel like forever ago...I really did think you would hand me over to..." She stopped. What did she want to say? Despite not being nervous, she couldn't get the right words to come out. "It's not that I...You see...I think I just want to stay with you." Aha! That last part made sense, right? "I'd very much like to stay by your side as I...figure it out. Until I get as brave as you do and come right out with it." Yes, that sounded right. But she wanted to say more. But what else?

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Emiri watched Jaakuna speak, and she didn't feel so nervous anymore. That wasn't to say it was all gone. She was really afraid of saying the wrong thing, really, as she didn't even know the right thing to say. As he took her hands in his, she made sure to listen carefully. The way he spoke sounded like Nadeline had told him exactly what to say, right out of one of her romance novels. She let out a small smile, though it faded as he spoke about how even if she didn't share the same feeling, he still wanted to talk about it. There was no avoiding it, she supposed. She looked up at him, getting closer to him for some reason. "Well...I'm all ears." She responded softly, looking up at him.

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The trip was a silent one. Not that Grant wasn't one for conversation, but what do you talk about with someone from an enemy Empire? He let the silence stretch out; if Michel wasn't going to bother, neither would he. Well, at the very least he should have complimented the man's ship. Stylish, quick, just how he liked it. Once they arrived, Grant couldn't help but look around. Archades was as great as everyone said it was; as he had never had a reason to visit, this would be his first time. He followed Michel willingly, agreeing that the faster this was over with, the better. He admired the folk and buildings. It was much more modern then he had thought. It would seem as if Archadia on the whole was very modern, whereas Rozarria was more ont he traditional side.

Nonetheless, he followed Michel. Hopefully this little meeting would go well.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"Do send him my regards." She looked at Grant, who rolled his eyes. She shot him a look back as he gave up.

"Let us be on our way, then." Grant murmured, displeased. He really didn't want to go, but he couldn't ignore her in front of guests. It's not that he didn't want to get to the bottom of things, but it was an inconvenience to have to travel. Still, he couldn't ignore the possibility of getting Emelia back. That sole thought was enough of a reason to go, even if it was under Reia's orders. "After you, my good man." He nodded to Michel, ready to follow him.

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Of course it was what she didn't want to talk about. Now she was really screwed. She started messing with her fingers nervously, trying to not look nervous. Well, no, nervous was not the right word. What was the right thing to say? What was the right thing to do? What did he want her to say? Her head was swimming with possibilities, but none of them really seemed right. It really did seem like forever ago when the two met. Everything was just...it was just too fast. But she didn't want to ignore it. She didn't want him to take it back, either. Maybe instead of thinking, she should just act. No thoughts, no hesitations...just doing stuff.

Emiri rubbed her arm, though she did turn to him, only to find him looking at her again. The way Jaakuna looked at her was different from him. She found herself smiling, and she nodded. "It really surprised me...what about it?" She asked him.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Talk about it? Talk about what? For one reason or another, she was drawing a blank. She wasn't sure if it was because she felt so tired (once again it seemed like her usual energy was depleted faster then usual) or her terrible memory, but she didn't have a clue to what Jaakuna was talking about. She racked her head nervously, trying to remember. After a moment it hit her, and suddenly she felt slightly uncomfortable. Emiri blinked at him, then turned back to the sky. He seemed sure of himself, but she couldn't say she was right there with him. No, that wasn't right. She did want to be at the same level, but every time she thought about it she would feel a pit in her stomach. What could she say? 'I think I like you but I'm not sure what I feel' or 'I like you not love you and I'm too scared of my ex-fiance popping up and ripping your head off'? Yeah, that pit was back.

Emiri exhaled slightly,running a hand over her hair. She had to say something. But she was afraid. What if she drove him away? What then? She didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't want to say she didn't feel the same. Every time she would think back on their kiss she felt butterflies and all that good stuff. She finally drove herself to look at him, and regretted it instantly. He was staring so intently at her. "Talk about what?" She asked, slightly hoping it was something else. She highly doubted it, however.

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Were she alone, Reia would have surely broken something. The possibility of said thing being a body part of her little brother would be high. Not only did the sky pirate have the girl who controlled time (no doubt the brunette he spoke of), apparently her dear niece Nadeline was around as well. What in the world was Nadeline thinking? Was she going to bring the girl back? This was becoming more of a headache then anything. Actualy, it was more of an outrage. If that Judge had so much as laid a finger on Nadeline, he would have to answer for it. Though she doubted it...Reia waved the letter away, crossing her arms. She knew she wasn't going to like this one bit.

Reia looked at Lorenzo and Grant, who managed to keep their excellent poker faces, though Lorenzo looked more like an idiot then usual. "Asking me to go to Archades after launching an attack on Rabanastre...a bold move." Reia said, raising an eyebrow at Michel. "Though I won't say that you came all this way for nothing." The Empress beckoned Grant forward, looking once more at Michel. "Due to the current circumstances, I cannot leave Stigma. Instead I will send Prince Grant in my place. I expect your Emperor to hold him in the same regard that he would if I had gone."