Leifr smiled lightly when Lyrisa struck him. He knew that it wasn't what she wanted to hear but it was currently the best he could do. Was it just a noble custom that calling maidens by their names alone was a sign of closeness? Regardless, Leifr didn't see himself calling Lyrisa only by her name for some time to come. His only problem was to get Lyrisa to understand, but that was a problem for another time.
Leifr knew his plan wasn't perfect, but he didn't expect Allereun's to run so deep. The townsfolk... Leifr didn't think about how these night-creatures affected them. How unfitting for a noble. He softly chuckled when he toyed with the idea of Allereun being the noble instead and Leifr just a random traveller, but quickly shook it off and began mental preparation for the battle to come. Allereun's full plan... Leifr's face flushed slightly out of embarrassment for just a moment when he compared his own plan against Allereun's.
Still, and perhaps this was just noble hot air, but Leifr didn't really like the feeling of being wrong- no, he could probably even be a hindrance. Regardless, he knew better than to try and salvage his pride and combat against a clearly superior plan of action. There was also the fact that they had another sword, but Leifr didn't like the idea of immediately pulling a stranger to their troubles... Though, their current troubles were likely more than just their own. He tried to smile and seem friendly towards the newcomer, but their current predicament wasn't the most welcoming situation.
It was then that Fiore suddenly grabbed Leifr's shoulder and spoke of--
Wait, what?
The light blush from Leifr before was nothing compared to the tomato-red flush that extended from ear to ear now. Was he furious? Humiliated? A bit of both, perhaps? Leifr was scowling fiercely at Fiore's words. Using the fastest horse and its rider to draw away an enemy was a logical choice to ensure the survival of a group; Leifr had no intention of gallantly riding off to his death! It's not like Leifr planned on just charging blindly into the enemies to hold them back. However, Leifr thought back on his choice of words and exhaled harshly. I would gladly down my life, Leifr repeated in his head in exasperation. His anger dissipated and he rubbed the back of his head in annoyance. Leifr was indeed taught to give his life to protect others, but he was not keen on actively searching for his own demise. Perhaps they all saw him as a foolish noble who wanted to seek glory and recognition even at the cost of his own life. While definitely a far cry from the other complacent Forbannet nobles, Leifr couldn't imagine himself with the courage to cast aside his well-being simply for the sake of people looking up to him.
That was only half of the reason why his face turned red, however. The other half was how Fiore could so shamelessly call everyone a friend. While Leifr had no qualms with making more friends, there was no way Leifr imagined himself so embarrassingly calling people he just met three days ago friends. He had only just met Allereun for the first time the day before! Leifr was angry before at Fiore's assumptions, but the more he thought about this topic the more his anger was replaced with a nervous embarrassment. Fiore obtained Leifr's respect for being so forward, so much so that Leifr couldn't find any words to respond to Fiore or anyone for that matter. Leifr tried looking towards Allereun and Lyrisa to see their reactions, but couldn't garner enough courage and instead sought to escape the now confining hut.
Leifr quickly left the hut and trotted over to his warhorse to recover his chainmail. He didn't have a chance to put it on when he just awoke so he decided to use whatever little respite they had now to do so. It was a simple manner to put on mail, not unlike slipping into a simple shirt, but he ignored the rest of his noble regalia and made due with his current outfit: the base tunic and now his armor. He also hoped that by doing this he could show the rest of the group that he was onboard with Allereun's plan without having to speak. The cool air of the night felt great as it calmed Leifr. Grabbing his shield and unbuckling the cursed sword Honor, he led his warhorse to the side of the hut away from the door but did not tie the reigns in case his steed needed to make a getaway.
Leifr exhaled a bashful sigh as the thought of Fiore talking to Odysseus crossed his mind. Glancing over his shoulder for a brief moment, he leaned towards his warhorse and whispered softly:
“Erle-”
A dismissive snort.
“Gunnvor-”
A harsh exhale.
“May I just-”
The horse bumped it's head against Leifr's.
Leifr stumbled back and delicately rubbed his head in search of a bump, then headed back towards the hut now fully armed and ready for battle, albeit a little embarrassed and disappointed.
