melodiesoflife | Sad Chrom in the Snow

WHO: Chrom, OPEN
WHAT: Chrom is no longer murdered, hooray! Robin is in crystal though, boo! All he can do is keep his head up and remain fighting.
WHEN: July 10th, 2016
WHERE: Hospital and Aqures Ixen
NOTES: The below prompt is just for the hospital. He'll be moving around Aqures Ixen running errands and checking on the training school, doing lordly things afterward, so feel free to catch him in a scenario of your choosing.

He drew his first breath with a shuddering gasp, stumbling out of the crumbling remnants of crystal that even now were beginning to fade and disappear. It was quiet. The only sound in the room was that of his labored breathing, the light clacks of his boots on the floor, and a distant beep of some sort of...equipment. He wasn't sure. Machines in general were still a great mystery to the Ylissean prince.

It took him several moments to shake off the cloying daze of his slumber. Once he realized where he was, he spun in place. "Robin." He hurried to the spot he'd known her to be, hoping to find an empty space. But she was still there. His hopeful expression faded, and his hands drifted down to his sides as he gazed up into the crystal of her lovely face. Still asleep. He supposed this meant she had not been murdered, and he was glad of that. His own death had been rather gruesome. But it also meant that there was no telling when she'd wake up again, and that he would return home to find her room empty.

He lifted his arm, pressing his gloved fingertips against the crystal case, just where her hand rested...the hand that still bore the ring she was gifted during the winter. He could feel the presence of his own matching ring beneath his glove. Whether she woke or not, he would be true to her.

"Robin, I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I...should have proposed to you sooner. I had thought you would find me too hasty, and advise me not to become distracted with such things so long as this fight needed our focus and attention." He bowed his head. "Forgive me."

He wanted to say so much more, but his voice echoed oddly in the chamber. It mattered little in any case; she couldn't hear him, and neither could anyone else. Slowly he eased himself down to the floor and sat there, head tilted up so he could look at his beloved. The world had surely not stopped for either of their sakes, but he needed a moment just to catch his breath, and to miss her in earnest without fear of interruption.

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"Perhaps." An accompanying flash of a grin followed at Chrom's first comment. Indeed, he and the other man had never taken an opportunity to cross blades as of yet. Sparring had been only been something relatively new on Sephiroth's list of hobbies; such activities he'd enjoyed with his friends, once upon a time and so had been sacred almost, until recently.

He followed Chrom's line of sight back over the training room. The temptation was very much to also pull his arms up into being folded but the fact that he was aware of Chrom doing it made him hold that automatic gesture of his back and away from being expressed.

"Even if it wasn't for the limited time my usual schedule affords me, I'm not one that has the qualities that would be desired in a mentoring role." He cocked his head to the side a little, inclining it towards Chrom.

"That's how I meant."

"Ahh," Chrom inclined his head with a grin. It was a shame, but he wasn't about to pressure him to show up and present a lesson if he was unaccustomed to instructing students. It was a talent, to be sure...one Chrom wasn't often sure that he had. Mostly he just showed his students the way he did it, then encouraged them to imitate him. Simple, really. He could make individual corrections when he observed those imitations. "Understood, then."

He pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against. "Is there anything else you'd like to see while you're here? We've covered the basics, unless you have a longing to explore the water closets."

It was borne from a difference of function, perhaps. In where Sephiroth had been sent in front of mostly over-enthusiastic recruits to SOLDIER to weed out those that could from those that were just dreaming as opposed to actually encouraging skill development. He was almost too sharp in picking out the flaws, and in many ways his own highly trained skills were a burden in that he found it hard to see the potential in flaws.

"I wouldn't say no to an infrequent sortie though-" He smiled again at Chrom and hoped the man took the meaning for what it was. That included potential sparring sessions with Chrom himself, too or perhaps even as a guest in an key-lesson or two. The grin grew wider at the further comment about the other facilities that the training center had; it seemed Chrom had at least something of a similar sense of humor as him, perhaps.

"I'm sure they're all in working order...." Sephiroth almost chuckled, before another thought -one that wasn't ever too far away in these days so soon after Zelda's demise- near enough dropped it from his face.

"...I suppose it's quiet here, at the moment..."

"Yes," Chrom inclined his head. His expression wasn't quite so grim, but there was a touch of regret nonetheless. "I should hope that indicates something positive. They still trust us to protect them." Even so... Chrom shook his head. He still wished he could have done more, but if he started to mope, who would punch him in the face to snap him out of it? Robin wasn't here anymore, nor was anyone else from Ylisse.

He rolled his shoulders and straightened, bearing a calm smile on his face. "But I confess it's been sometime since I've had the pleasure of squaring off against another skilled swordsman. I would be glad to cross blades with you when you can spare the time."

Hope. There was that word again, a word that had worked its way into Sephiroth's vocabulary almost without him noticing. He'd always think of Zelda when he thought back about it, and how she'd always seem able to light up a room with her presence alone. She gave hope to so many...

"If there is one thing I've come to learn, that is never to attempt to understand the logic of the citizens of this World. That said, rightly or wrong, what other option do they have but to trust us? They face annihilation alongside us if we fail, yet we're the only ones that may yet be able to fix everything."

Sephiroth's face turned into something of a grimace as he thought that uncomfortable set of thoughts through once more. It didn't make a lot of sense to him either, even after so long. He was glad that Chrom then changed the subject, making a noticeable effort to collect his mood from the floor.

"I shall keep it in mind-" A firm nod, to enforce the mental note taken. "-I'm not sure of the plan with regards to the upcoming Festival and the security arrangements but as soon as I'm assigned we'll arrange a time."

"I'm pleased to hear it, then." Chrom was actually looking forward to the festival. He hadn't even thought that such a pleasant affair would be interrupted by Palitutu and her Doom Squad, or anyone else with nasty plans and motivations. But that was why Robin was the tactician, and not Chrom. At least Sephiroth was on top of things, and he gave a nod of gratitude.

"Let me know if you need a stand-in during those days," Chrom offered. "You should have a chance to relax and interact with the townsfolk as well, and ah..." Well, there was really no gracious way to put it. "My significant other isn't here at the moment, so my presence would be fairly limited regardless."

He offered his hand to shake Sephiroth's once more before they both decided to call it a night and part ways. "Thanks for coming by."

Sad Chrom in the Snow

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