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A slow day… a quiet one wherein the whole of the very kingdom and her magnificent ruins seemed something on the cusp of what one could describe as-- perhaps almost, at peace. The many beasts that roamed the kingdom had long since gone to a dull murmur of their usual fiery rage toward the living.
The radiant infection within the sprawling kingdom seems to have drawn to slumber if only for that day, and all felt… tranquil.
It felt odd to say but, she felt the day almost called for some semblance of a call to relax-- oh Hornet, what ever are you even thinking. What should happen should someone lunge to attack, should some beast sweep in to strike-- what should you do should you bring an innocent with you and they fall into the path of the beast’s sight.
Ah, but that begged the question, who did she know that she could consider a defenseless innocent.
Let alone someone that she knew closely enough that she could bring them along on an escapade to enjoy the quiet of the kingdom and what she had to offer, let alone what the huntress herself had to offer personally.
But she thought soft and low for a moment, the little Knight had left to explore the kingdom for the day, taking with them the fluttering company of their loyal compatriot; Nymwae-- the Grimmchild rescued from the fate so feared that could have been the end to their story to continue the story of another.
Another… she gave a low hum in deep thought, another she had long since admitted her affections for, and come to know the man as an entity not seeking to outright hunt for the child’s end, but caught in the boundless cycle of rejuvenation and its need of rebirth to continue to enjoy the world and its splendors-- dying as it may be, he would not let the world burn out without himself there to watch over it.
In a sense she supposes she could find the sentiment almost… charming--
She herself, born of Void and Soul, of Wyrm and Spider-- she was one of the rare entities that could last the eternity she had been born to face, without some terrible curse of a ritual to replenish herself.
She supposed she was terribly lucky in that aspect.
But it left her with the opportunity now in, it left her with time to spend with the other, with the fabled dark lord over Nightmares bound to this plane by a mortal form so willingly chosen by his own design.
A man of which she had danced beneath misty grey night skies, sheltered by the grand tent that had towered high overhead and kept away the howling winds of the plains outside, leaving them alone to dance and talk on the kingdom of old that had slowly taken to finding its feet back beneath itself.
A man she could thank for the inspiration toward such a feat, toward the beginning of rebuilding this grand ruin of a kingdom, had it not been for his absence of presence, she would have sat idly by and let it continue through and into ruin. Ah, but no, her need to keep busy and keep distracted by the many acts throughout this slow to be reborn kingdom so that sorrow wouldn’t overtake her--
It hadn’t been her right mind, no, she could admit that much.
But now, as her claws clicked over the stony ground of the stairs leading on high beside the bridge that stood reborn above the humble grounds of Dirtmouth, with the grand pillars striking down their path surrounding the town, and leaving grand amounts of room for a peculiar and familiar tent to stand on high beneath the bridge’s supports-- it was little time passed before she found her pedipalps drawing a path over the earth and toward the towering structure of crimson fabric and scarlet glow, and standing beneath the doorway to gaze far within and spy the many busy bodies of the Grimmkin flitting by in the midst of their day’s work.
But with the handwoven basket laden over her arm, weighted by the goods of a picnic planned for the day, the curious eyes that landed on her would be quick to know she had little intention to idly sit by and amuse them with her company-- no this was a day she had already taken the time to plan the breadth of in another’s company.
Humming softly under breath, she gave little time to search for the Troupe Master, bounding with a single crouch and sailing through the air as though she bore no weight, carried on high into the far end of the tent, soaring overhead of the idly working Troupe members, and catching their attention if only for a brief moment, watching her glide effortlessly through the air, and then land only to bound once more and catch the ledge of the far set wall and cascading down in quick leaps from one wall to the next-- spiraling around until ground once more found its way beneath her feet.
The crackling of the far yonder hearth hums at the far fringe of Hornet’s senses, with the familiar figure of the Troupe’s feared, at least… at one point feared, leader standing before the hearth with what seemed to be a scroll in hand, pouring over the contents of its fragile paper and seeming to stand without fear of an intruder oncoming.
Though she knew herself not to be an intruder, the opportunity itself was simply too perfect--
Hunching low, she ducked back into the shadows, veiled by their dark and pitch sockets the only thing standing superior in pitch tone to the darkness surrounding her. His form turned, head rounding to peer back just as she ducked back within the shadows to find herself barricaded neatly behind the crates carefully lining the foot of the towering pillar overhead that supported the grand tent.
Breath held tight in her chest, and she stifled a giggle, the idea of spooking the man seemed all too glorious an opportunity to pass up on, though she would certainly have to be careful that he didn’t toss his precious scroll of unknown origins into the roaring flames before him.
It was a lingering moment that he remained peering back, as though he could almost sense her presence in the air, but not quite-- something just beyond his reach there but definitely marking that he wasn’t alone.
Or perhaps he was simply imagining it.
A moment clicked by as crimson hues scanned over the room and eventually… he turned attention to the scroll in his hands, briefly glancing back to the room about him for a final scan over its contents and the furniture within, and then turned his back back round to face the yet to be spotted huntress.
She restrained the would have been fleeting giggle, hunkering down lower toward the floor and feeling her claws threaten to dig into the precious wood of the floor, and she darted-- quick as his back turned to her, and found shelter behind the end of the sofa nearest set to him.
She had never been one for safer hiding places in points like this, where she could be found at any moment, not when she would leap to the next nearest location at the next given opportunity--
Darting quick as a flitting Vengefly, her eyes scoured the room for her next nearest vantage point but found none, and she gave a low inward hum of discontent-- it was one hell of a distance to try and surprise the Troupe Master from this point… lest she took to the side… and crept nearer with the risk of being spotted in the corner of his vision while he poured over his scrolls of yet to be found out information.
No, she wouldn’t take that risk, this was just as grand enough of a chance--
At least she thought as much-- treating the opportunity to spook the Troupe’s now beloved leader as though it were some routine hunt in the far yonder wilds of the kingdom.
Oh, but when would she ever get such a chance again--
Hunkering low to the ground and grasping her needle by its handle to ensure it would not clatter as she moved, her opposite hand met with the ground, pressing pedipalps to the floor, and leaving her still for a moment.
Now begged the question, did she rush him and startle him, or sneak up on the man and give him a right spook.
Lunge or sneak… lunge or sneak--?
Creeping around the edge of the sofa’s end, she took a deep breath and exhaled just as slowly, hunkering down once more before nodding to herself. This was not a chance to be wasted and if she spent too much time creeping up on the man, she was certain to be found, so she supposed lunge it was.
And silent, but swift as the breeze, she took to skittering forward, quick as her legs would carry her, and leapt through the air, giving a grand battle cry to surprise the Troupe Master, only to watch in surprise herself as he tossed aside his scroll and spun round as though at the ready for his so said ‘attacker’--
Arms outstretched so as to accept her weight, and she gave her own startled cry instead when the man wound said arms about her and spun round with her as though she bore no weight.
Her face flushed with a nigh pitch hue, unable to restrain the childish giggle that flitted free, her own arms looped about the other Higher Being’s neck, and her legs curled behind her as she spun with the man through the air, gently as it was, she still couldn’t help but admit she felt weightless in his grasp, not simply because he had the strength to lift her, no, it was something deeper down that felt so buoyant as to almost take her to float where she was held in the man’s arms.
So she tittered a giggle, unlacing a single arm as his own tightened to support her weight and carry her near to his own person, “Drat, I had felt perhaps I could have surprised you in some manner, this time at the very least”
He chortled, soft, in that ashen tone that whispered akin to flowing smoke in the winds, “I am afraid one thing I am honed to in the time I have spent in your company is your scent, my lady-- you bring the forests of Greenpath with you no matter where you should go, and I have come to draw a certain comfort from its draw, oh fair princess” Leaning in, his brow pressed gently to hers, and the pitch hue of her shell darkened what she could swear was something exponential, be it by the comment of her being said ‘fair’ alone, or perhaps the gentle nestle of the crest of his brow to her own.
No matter how long she spent in his company, it would seem she would always be found in some new way to be flustered.
The hand that had last clicked its fingers, with the basket still looped over its elbow, she shifted its weight to look back up to the other as they parted back from the affectionate nestling, “is it then a surprise that I had brought with me a basket, perhaps?” She tittered softly in jest, tilting her head and glancing briefly to the basket aforementioned.
His own gaze shifted to the basket slung over her arm, and lingered before drifting back to meet with hers, a subtle hum on his breath, “I will admit it is something I had not expected of your presence, my lady-- tell me, what plans have you for such a frivolous item to be in your possession, oh mighty Daughter of Hallownest--” And his face split with a taunting smile, something rare in how true it rang, but something she still treasured when she had the opportunity to gaze upon it.
Would she ever admit as much… oh, probably-- if he ever asked, ah, but he had yet to ask such a self-directed question. So, she supposed this little secret would stay hers until she had the chance to give up such a treasure so simple and yet so sweet to her.
H umming she let her legs uncurl from their position dangling in the air to hang a bit closer to the floor, beckoning for him to set her back down on the ground, to which he thankfully seemed to catch the very gist of, and lowered the huntress back to the floor with a gentle forward lean so as to let her pedipalps carefully kiss the wooden floor without so much as a hard thump to be heard.
And she slid her arms down from about his neck, following his upper arms through the surface of his cloak-- or should she have called it his wings-- the man guised his wings as his cloak so well, even she found herself fooled sometimes. Resting hands on his own, she met his gaze once more, smiling her own petite little grin--
“I had the rarest of ideas that perhaps we should take a day for ourselves-- perhaps if only to enjoy the mellow state of this day, as it seems the beasts of the kingdom seem to be relaxing themselves as well. In the loosest sense perhaps, but--” A tilt of her head and she tittered a gentle laugh herself, eyes falling shut before lifting back to meet with the man’s, head canted at an angle.
“What say you then, Troupe Master, would you humble me with your presence in companionship this day?”
A chortle again flitted from him, his thumbs running over the backs of the fabled huntress’ palms, And he nodded. “A rarity I believe I shan’t have the opportunity to take up a second time before the cycle’s end, my lady”
Releasing her hands and stepping to the side, he gave a subtle bow, eyes falling shut and sweeping an arm before himself so as to give himself a tremendous air of grandeur. And through it, he succeeded, bringing with it his ever-present air of mystery back with that subtle sweep, something that brought the flush over Hornet’s face to dim, but not quite fully vanish--
“You humble me with such an offer, Lady Hornet--”
And thus, she gave a subtle laugh and a roll of her eyes, swatting a hand through the air as though he were simply jesting her, oh he had to be. Such frivolity was not worthy of her, she was but a simple huntress, though she was born of royal blood, it did not make her worthy of the skies and stars.
Though she had to remind herself that she was different… she was like him… a Higher Being…
The pair, in a sense, had been made for one another.
Of course, he would see the sun and moon in her--
Ah, what are you even thinking, Hornet--!
Be gone such thoughts, be gone! Lest your ego inflates the size of your head threefold, you silly spider. Her flush never seemed to darken terribly much more, but it certainly gained the fuel to remain steady in its place.
“You make me feel as though I am some rarity at times, you realize, Grimm-- I know not how to handle myself in your company when you treat me so” And her hand lifted to press flush to the crest of her helm’s cheek, feeling just how warm the surface of it had grown compared to her usually cool surface temperature.
His grin drew back a bit wider, “Then I should suppose I am doing my job correctly as one that should find themselves one day betrothed to thee, princess--”
And she froze--
“Now then, where did you have in mind to spend the day together, my lady, I certainly do hope there was a location in mind before you came all the way here, lest I be the one to choose--” And he turned, attention falling to his abandoned scroll, striding to its side and scooping it up to roll it back tight and bind it back together with the crimson ribbon that had been neatly wound about the end.
And she floundered-- mind having gone blank at the prospect of what he had just said, of course, she had chosen a location for the two to endeavor off toward, but with the man’s presence she should have grown used to how easily he had learned to throw her off from her standing plans without even meaning to.
She supposed it was a habit retained from his days of ending kingdoms and perhaps even one time before this, perhaps even worlds. Oh, how he’d boast about that if he could.
Come on, Hornet, think already--!
To be… betrothed…?
Why did such a thought send shooting stars to spiral through her belly in bursts and leave behind the curious bliss of excitement for such a grand prospect of a world that could be built together?
Ah, Hornet, get it together--!
“Hornet?”
She shook her head, quick, hoping to knock from it the thoughts building of that could be world that hadn’t so much as begun to spurn its beginning embers. “ O-Of course I had a location in mind, my lord” And she stumbled over herself for a moment, fiery in her determination to right herself.
T he shade of pitch she could feel herself turning may just rival that of a shade at this point--
He crossed arms, canting his head to the side a bit, seeming almost amused for a moment, “You haven’t acted as such since we first met, my lady, and to call me ‘my lord’, is something the matter? Was it perhaps something I might have said, fair lady of mine?”
Oh, he knew exactly what he’d said, she knew he knew--! Just by that tone, he’d known it would throw her off. “N-No, nothing of the sort, n-now, let us head out before the conditions change for the worse out by the location chosen. I do hope you don’t mind the water, I had so figured a watery view would be a peaceful one to match the day, though I see you may be bent on upending the peaceful nature of such a day, my lord ”
And he laughed, truly and deeply this time, nothing hissing about it, but still that airy hum about its sound. There was just something about his nature that rang out that as genuinely chaotic at times, and at others as truly refined, he walked the line so finely it was hard to pick out just when she could find him on one side of that line or the other.
But here, it seemed he was eager to uproot her callous nature for this day, be it this false sense she had decided to try and pull back up to hide this bliss of what could be that danced behind her eyes, of a world where the two combined their worlds-- the troupe and the kingdom, unified as one, the forces made unstoppable and the immortal kingdom renown through what remained of the world for its crimson glow where it had once shimmered in its pale white light.
Perhaps they would call this the Crimson Era of the Kingdom.
You’re getting ahead of yourself, Hornet-- maybe it had been just a comment on what could be, not something he was ready for.
But he never said anything of such grandeur unless he was ready for something so… dare she say divine.
He shook his head, “I had naught the idea that you were so keen on swimming, princess”
To which she gave a subtle scrunch of her face, falling silent, “ I had more been keen on the view alone--”
“And what, waste a warm day where no beast could bother us?”
T o which she once again fell silent, drawing a quirk of the Troupe Master’s head, his arms uncrossing, setting aside the scroll in his grasp on a near set table to stride nearer, shifting a bit, his amusement returning but lilting with the faintest brush of concern, “Hornet… do you… are you not able to swim?”
And she was quick to respond, sealing her fate as to the truth behind just whether she knew or not.
“It is not that I do not know, it is that it was not in my lessons-- and the majority of the waters in the kingdom regressed to acid, the only thing that remains untouched as to be anything remotely swimmable is that in the Resting Grounds and were it not for the little Knight such grounds would still be untouched as of the last century”
She sputtered her last few words and jerked her head away, the flush to her face returning with a vengeance as she tore in a breath and held it taut in her chest,
And she expected him to laugh, she expected him to snort, or perhaps to mock the fact that she had not had the chance to learn, with a schedule so tightly packed, and a birthplace such as Deepnest, and a place of raising such as the White Palace, there was no place for a child to learn to swim.
“Then let us remedy this lack of knowledge, hmm?”
And she blinked, exhaling in a single splutter of breath, eyes turning wide to stare up at him.
Was… he serious?
But as he seemed to right his cloak about himself, and overturn a hand for her to take, she could do little else but stare at it.
By the skies, he was serious.
Cloak exchanged for a closer fitting pair of slacks in a shade of sleek b lack that hugged tight to her form, and a scarlet top that held snug about her waist, Hornet stared at the water’s edge with a level of uncertainty she hadn’t faced since she had first faced the Troupe Master.
The cloak itself lay on the stony surface of the beach, as did the supplies carefully packed away within the basket, all neatly lain out with a set of plush towels chosen for the pair to dry themselves off once they both clambered out of the water once finished with their escapade in the deep blue lake.
And yet she couldn’t help but find herself almost too nervous to approach…
Grimm stood with water to his knees, cloak tips fanning over the surface of the water, a shuffle of the cloak and it was pressed back to bare his arms, marking the wings as what they truly were-- wings, leaving them to drape behind him over the water in a flowing almost cape-like sense of fashion.
“There is no need to fret, my lady, I will be here if you need me to keep you afloat-- the water takes a dip beyond this point so I advise you take my hand if you do wish to learn to swim with me this day”
Stepping forward, she again paused, inhaling deep but exhaling something far shallower and slower, as though readying herself for some sort of plunge she might make into the water.
The water lapped at her legs, pedipalps sinking into the gravel of the beach, and giving way slightly beneath her weight, but she knew she couldn’t avoid this forever. What if she needed to swim the distance of the lake one day, what if she left her needle on the beach, what if she had burned through her silk supply, what if--
Ah, there were so many possibilities, and yet so many that she still had not yet encountered on these grounds. Yes, she had burned through her silk supply before and been stranded, hopping from one location to the next, but the truth was, the kingdom had been opened up thanks to her sibling… and the grounds for her patrols had expanded exponentially because of it.
She couldn’t always swing across these waters, there had to be a day where she swam through them and faced the cold depths before her. As new to her as she had to admit they were… she couldn’t help but say… the prospect of being lost in the chilling waters was… frightening.
Not knowing which way was up, lost in their icy depths--
She drew in another deep breath and pinched her eyes shut, commanding her legs to move forward but damning herself when they made no such motion.
The sound of water splashing the faintest bit caught her attention and her eyes pressed open, lifting her head to spy the scarlet eyed other standing before her, wingtips dripping wet and offering her a hand. “ I will keep you above the water no matter what, Lady Hornet-- there is no need to fear this… it is only water”
So with a shaky outward breath, staring at his hand, her eyes shut, and her right hand extended, pressing its palm to slide across the far warmer surface of the other’s. And as his hand closed about her own, she felt his opposite hand meet with her waist, gently coaxing her toward the water, one step at a time, allowing the water to slosh to the side with each step, rising from her shins to her knees and in the next few steps higher still to rest at her thighs, drawing a sharp gasp from her at how foreign the feeling was, as well as the shocking cold of the water itself.
She alone was ice cold to the touch at times, but this was… frigid--
And yet, the hand on her waist, and the hand holding her own… she didn’t feel the same fear she had but moments before.
But… why was that.
It couldn’t just be his presence, could it?
Or was it his promise-- to keep her afloat?
Stepping further into the water, she could feel the gravel beneath her feet begin to give and fall far steeper as she went, too much further and she would be at her waist, and too much further beyond that and she would be at his mercy and the mercy of the waters of this grand lake.
Hmm, perhaps she should have chosen a more familiar front for her own well being .
I t was a moment then as she thought, exhaling that next shaky breath and taking in the shakier still breath that followed, what was it then about the other’s presence that had her feeling suddenly so much more secure in herself with the water, so much more ready to face it, though even still now she felt as though the water may just swallow her whole at any given moment even just at waist depth.
“Do you trust me--”
“What…?”
She opened her eyes, blinking, looking down to the water, stars it was higher than she had realized it was. Maybe feeling how high it was versus seeing it was really two different things, and didn’t help her anxiety on this matter--
Maybe she should have just kept her eyes shut--
Or maybe she should have just stayed out of the water altogether.
She stamped at the thoughts, no, no--! He had promised her… he would keep her afloat. She had never been let down by him yet. She just had to trust him-- but did she trust him like that, did she trust him enough to keep her afloat in the water while she got her bearings.
“Do you trust me--” He repeated his question with a voice softer than silk, gentle in a sense she wasn’t used to, but something she was coming to be used to if only from him… only from him.
And she nodded.
“Yes...”
“Alright… I’m going to back into the water… and when I count to three, I’m going to let go of you, alright--” His voice remained level and gentle, hand shifting from holding hers to bracing her forearm, opposite hand tugging her closer and wrapping his arm about her waist, the two standing about level with how steep the incline of the sand had grown.
It was strange, being able to look him in the eye like this-- but it was something she could say was rather… enchanting.
To lock eyes with those crimson hues and have them meet back with hers on a level plane, was this what it was like to meet gazes with a god and not know fear? She had met his stare a thousand times before, but with the knowledge she had before, of what his intentions were with her in the future, be it near or be it far, that he intended to stay… to be by her side… forever… it changed that gaze into something secure.
She supposed she could almost call him her anchor at times, (though in this moment he was more of a flotation device) but he was always there to keep her steady when she needed it.
Kicking backward from the beach, he pulled her along with him, and the water gave way with little resistance, the tread it gave graceful by comparison to the way her own breath shot from her chest and tore back in.
Trust him, Hornet… trust him--
Her eyes pinched shut, and her opposite hand not clutching then to his own forearm, wrapped about his shoulders, feeling his wings press at the water and pump in fluttering presses to keep himself afloat. It took a moment but, on feeling him strain the faintest bit to keep afloat, even with the assistance of his wings carrying them both, she noticed the sway of his legs swishing through the deep blue waters beneath them.
And she followed suit, just as the other began to move to speak, not quite kicking her legs frantically, but swishing them enough to try and keep herself afloat, feeling herself almost exerting too much energy and reeled it back though her body demanded she exert all force she could in this state of could be panic to stay afloat.
He would keep her safe…
She knew he would.
She trusted him.
He would one day be her betrothed…
Of course, she trusted him…
And drawing in a breath, Grimm’s words finally began to hit her, sinking in as his grip shifted. “When I let go, you just need to move your arms, Hornet… just follow what you see me doing… I will cease using my wings the moment I let you go so we a re on equal terms as well , but first, you must let go of me, alright--?”
He would one day be her betrothed…
Her arm slackened about the other’s shoulders, and she pulled it back, slowly at first, then quick, but grasped onto the other’s upper arm with a quickness, shifting and loosening her grasp and waiting for those fateful words… that countdown that would leave her to rather literally either sink or swim.
“One…”
She had no reason not to trust him, her grip slackened further, knowing his own would keep her steady… and it did. Her hands slid up his arms, his own hand slowly releasing her own hand-- as though hesitant, before carefully taking to supporting about her waist , her hands then taking to resting on his shoulders, legs still swishing carefully through the water.
The longer she stayed in the water with him, the less this panic had a hold on her, ebbing away bit by bit, and she knew before long it would be nothing more than a bitter facet of an otherwise good memory of what she could recall as something she’d long since needed to learn made a reality.
S he could handle this, she could handle anything.
So long as she had him to keep her afloat…
“Two...”
To keep her going…
H is grip about her waist slackened, but she didn’t quite begin to sink, her own hands shifting and drifting down the man’s arms to rest at his upper arms, holding there but not gripping, ready to slide away the moment he gave the signal to.
She even took the initiative then to take one arm and pull it from grasping at him to wade it through the water, fanning it wide, then quick in, again wide and quick back in-- following some instinct and what she had seen bugs before doing in waters as deep as this.
She gave the other a moment before following suit with it, swishing them wide through the water.
She was certain she could handle perhaps even the end of time with him at her side and face it in stride.
Stars, now that she thought about it, could she even think of a world without him after he’d come into her life? A place without the crimson glow of the scarlet flame that illuminated the path the cosmos had set out for her-- after all the two had gone through to make certain the other stayed… to make it so that he could fulfill his end of a promise made millennia ago to her father to watch over her through everything that should come her way.
C ould she really say she would ever be able to imagine a world without him now--
Perhaps now… what scared her most, was the idea of being alone-- moreso than this water drew any sort of anxiety, the thought of going back to that world of loneliness was… terrifying.
Like falling back into a void where no one could hear her… no… there were many that could hear her cry for companionship, but the masses that heard would simply be gone in the blink of an eye.
He was the only thing that anchored this world and eternity together for her…
The last real thing she had to keep her going if everything else went away.
“Three”
“Grimm, will you--”
But quick as the words began to leave her mouth he had already been in the process of at last releasing his grip about her waist, and she watched as his eyes went wide as she misjudged how quick she needed to swish her arms through the water and she dunked down beneath the surface.
A brief sort of panic flooded over her, but she gave wide branching sways of her arms and kicked legs faster, eyes wide beneath the water’s surface, taking in how crystal clear everything was for but a moment, how… beautiful it all was, before resurfacing with a spluttering cough at not having managed to grab a breath before she dipped beneath.
Spying as she resurfaced, Grimm, in turn, broke the surface as well, having dipped beneath to go after her as he had promised. Something about that truth flooded her with what felt like a billion sparks of warmth to pool in her belly, and skyrocket into her chest to hang and hum so brightly she dared think she may burst with the feeling.
And t he Higher Being seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, own arms waving through the water with keen grace, trained from his many centuries or travel, and how familiar he had grown with the act of swimming itself in his millennia.
Coughing up the little bit of water that had managed to get in her mouth, she sputtered a laugh, seeming to spur on one from the Troupe Master.
“You had me worried for a moment, my dear-- you chose quite a moment to ask me a question-- one you did not complete might I add, if you are quite alright, if you are finding yourself quite able to keep afloat, could you finish your question so that I may answer?” He gave that taunting smile that held so regal, teasing her for such an act made before him, and yet.
It just made those sparks in her belly flare a bit brighter.
It was something she loved about him…
“You--” She paused with a splutter as she righted herself, swishing legs quicker to keep herself afloat, “You mentioned before that you would one day be my betrothed...” To which he blinked with wide eyes, nodding.
“Yes, I did, is there something the matter with my statement from before, Lady Hornet, did it offend you in some manner-- if so, I do say it was not the intention”
And she shook her head, arms curling through the water and kicked through the water, pushing nearer to the man, watching as he followed by kicking back a bit to keep their distance even. “You need not explain yourself, my lord-- I was merely going to ask, was it something you sought to hold for a date far off or was it something you believed yourself to be ready for”
His wings gave a swish through the waters behind him, subconsciously pushing him nearer toward her, “Why is it you ask such a bold question, princess--” And she could swear at this moment his face had come to know a shade of red to dust over the corners of the white of his shell.
“Marry me--”
To which the troupe master’s eyes fell wide, the color that painted his face blooming into fruition, a nigh blessed shade of scarlet that almost matched his eyes but fell a touch too dark to be something so vibrant.
“I-I beg your pardon?”
It was the first time she had ever heard him stutter, and she believed it was her turn to titter a little giggle and dip her head forward with a coy little smile, drawing in a breath with the soft laughter that fluttered free from her, she gave a moment to meet eyes back with his, pitch ringing confident in this moment.
Knowing now that no matter what, he would be there to support her.
“I’m asking for your hand, Troupe Master… marry me”
And he spluttered a moment, seeming so confounded that he was not the one asking such a bold question in that moment.
“You spoke on how one day we would be betrothed… why not this day”
And with that, he chuckled, softly at first, before it built to a warm laugh, “I do suppose I c an see the logic in such a statement … and I do believe you quite caught me off guard with the boldness of your proposal this day, my lady--” He shook his head in motion to right himself , seeming unable to rid himself of the redness that had flooded his shell, and met scarlet hues back with pitch.
“ I believe I will be taking you up on such an offer, my lady”
Her heart felt to leap into her throat, a smile daring to split the huntress’ face, one genuine and full and rare in its sight as to those who saw it-- and quick as the words left him, she gave an elated cry and threw her arms about the other god’s shoulders, to which he seemed to stutter a grunt in surprise and the two both dipped beneath the surface as his arms wound about her waist to catch her.
The little Knight stared on from their vantage point high above the water’s edge of the lake, watching as the two swam beneath the waters and looked on as the pair resurfaced with sputtering laughter from the usually cool and collected huntress.
It was a nudge to the shoulder that caught their attention, and their head turned, looking up to their flying companion beside them whom gave a soft churr and dipped down to land on the ground, supporting themselves with their wings to lock stares with the Knight.
Oh, come on.
There was a roll of their helm, as though to roll their eyes, shoulders slumping.
Again Nymwae churred, more insistent this time, leaning in, and opening their mouth as though waiting for something.
Fishing then a moment, the Knight withdrew 100 geo from the storage purse they carried on their person, and huffed a sigh as they held it out for the other to take. Eager, Nymwae scooper the four pieces of geo into their mouth and simply held onto them.
The Knight glanced back down to the two, watching as Grimm waved arms through the water with a keen grace, carrying himself backward as Hornet struggled to follow after, turning arm over arm in a loosely done breaststroke through the cool blue lake’s depths.
Even they had been surprised that Hornet had been the one to take the leap in asking the Troupe Master for his hand… going so far as to bet with their companion as to who would be the one to finally ask the question, and of course, losing.
But not Nymwae, churring through a mouth full of precious geo, they smiled and fluttered their wings, picking up off the ledge’s floor and turning to head off the way they’d come. A squawl through the mouthful of money, something loosely translating to ‘Let’s go before they spot us’, and a final glance down to the pair as Hornet swam with a keener grace through the waters alongside the crimson eyed Higher Being--
Then the Knight stowed away their purse full of geo and hopped after the Grimmchild, a mild warmth in their chest to know the two had grown so close. Turning to glance down from the next platform, they nodded softly.
Hornet deserved to be happy… and if Grimm was what brought that happiness, then they were willing to welcome Grimm into their little family.
Lifting their helm, the Knight gave a subtle jolt.
H-Hey, Nymwae, wait up!
And with that, they dashed after the geo toting successor to the title of Nightmare King.
Come on since when did they start leading the way!