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Nightfall is approaching, and Ephraim and Eirika's army retire into their tents for the night. They're marching off to another expectedly grueling battle soon, and need to conserve their energy as best they can. Ephraim orders his friends to get a good night's rest so they can be at one hundred percent tomorrow. Naturally when given a task, even one as simple as conserving your energy, Lute is going to exceed expectations and maximize her results.
As soon as she returns to her tent, Lute immediately begins going through her textbooks, the ones she's able to bring with her on the army's travels anyway, to find the right steps for her to be in optimal condition tomorrow. Unfortunately, her research on the topic of relaxation and body rehabilitation is incredibly limited. It wasn't an area of study she previously studied, nor was one she had anticipated studying anytime soon, so she had next to no material to work with.
Lute defaults to one of her favorites, a textbook all about human biology. She quickly flips through the pages, hurrying to the section about how the body regulates itself. She finds a small section explaining the necessity for a good night's rest. Lute rolls her eyes at the inclusion of such common knowledge in this textbook. She continues reading through the section until she finally comes across something noteworthy.
“Well maintained serotonin chemicals can soothe the body and pacify the heartbeat, leading to sleep that can completely reinvigorate the body through the night,” She reads aloud.
Lute strokes her chin for a moment. That much should have been obvious to her, but without any ample ways to increase her serotonin in such a short amount of time, she hadn't considered it. She keeps flipping through the pages, recalling a section about the various chemicals in the body towards the back end of the text. After finally finding it, she runs her index finger down the page looking for the information she seeks.
“Ah, there you are,” She mutters when she finds the section on serotonin. She reads through it, looking for the optimal way to build and maintain one's serotonin levels. Lute scoffs when she sees the suggested use of various tonics or mind altering substances to balance your serotonin. Certainly someone as superior as her wouldn't need some unnatural substance to put her in peak condition. Right?
Lute shakes her head at the thought. Either way, she wouldn't have access to anything like that at such short notice. She keeps reading, looking for something she can do tonight to ensure her condition for tomorrow's battle. Her eyes stop at a rather intriguing sentence in the book. “Physical contact?” She reads aloud. “Physical touch between people who have an intimate relationship with one another can vastly increase serotonin levels, and give people a sense of ease and bliss. This includes listening to their heartbeat, skin to skin contact, a familiar scent, and general close proximity.”
Lute takes a moment to process this information. Is that truly the key to a fully revitalized body and spirit? This calls for an experiment, the fate of tomorrow's battle hinges upon Lute being at one hundred percent, or so she believes anyway. However, there lies the issue. Lute requires someone she has an ‘intimate relationship’ with.
The young mage blankly stares up at the top of her tent. Some members of the army might call her a friend…might. She knows she's an invaluable ally in combat, but having an intimate connection? Lute sighs, getting to peak condition isn't as simple as she expected. She crosses her arms and legs, searching her mind as she tries to figure out who might be close enough to her to give her that serotonin boost she requires.
Meanwhile, Kyle moves his arms and shoulders in a circular motion in his tent, giving his limbs a well-deserved stretch before getting his night's rest. He lifts one arm over his head and leans to stretch his tendons. A proud knight of Renais needs to be as limber and sturdy as possible.
Kyle's body doesn’t have its usual aches and pains tonight. Recently, he and Forde have been ordered mostly to transport some of their allies without horses across the battlefield, or rescuing them away from harm's way. However, Ephraim and Seth let them in on plan for the upcoming battle. Both young paladins are to be right on the front line, so they both need to be well rested and fully energized for the fights to come.
Once his nightly stretches are finished, Kyle squats down and begins laying out his bedding. As the army grew much bigger than anticipated, some of their resources became a tad scarce. One such resource was tents. To compensate, some members of the army volunteered to take smaller tents and give the larger space to others. Being the chivalrous and honorable knight he strives to be, Kyle was one of the first to volunteer. Not wanting to be outdone, Forde reluctantly volunteered right after. The memory of Forde's sighing defeated face still occasionally makes Kyle snicker to himself.
The tent has just enough room for the tall knight to do his stretches and lay down a padded cloth and a pillow. It's no bed, but it is several leagues above sleeping on the ground. Kyle creases the cloth to remove any wrinkles, and turns to reach for a bag at the tent's opening to grab a blanket, only to turn around and see a short purple-haired mage poking her head inside. “Ah!”
Several birds around the camp fly off after hearing Kyle's startled screech.
“Sir Kyle.” Lute opens Kyle's tent and walks in. Asking for permission to enter doesn't even remotely cross her mind. “I need your assistance.”
Once the shock of Lute's surprise night visit wears off and his heart beat stabilizes, Kyle tilts his head curiously at the mage. “You? Asking for help? That's rare.”
Lute sets a small notepad and pencil beside Kyle's makeshift sleep arrangement. “Because I never need it, but it's impossible for me to do this alone I'm afraid.”
Kyle watches as Lute casually makes herself at home in his tent. She's wearing an oversized bright blue nightgown that hangs over her side, leaving one of her shoulders exposed, but for some reason she still has the ends of her hair tied. He makes a mental note to buy her one that actually fits next time they pass through a town. More importantly however, she's clearly dressed to sleep. “What could you possibly need help with at this hour? I figured most of the army had already drifted off to sleep.”
“My sleep is exactly what I need you for.”
“…I'm not sure I follow.”
“I'll explain as we go,” Lute says. “First, I need you to lie down here, as if you were going to sleep.” Lute points down at his sad excuse for furniture.
Kyle rubs his eyes, both out of bewilderment and drowsiness. Knowing her, Lute does have a point to all this, so he does as he's told. Not bothering to grab the blanket yet, Kyle lays face up on the padded cloth. He shuts his eyes and covers his mouth as he releases a wide yawn. “So…” He mutters through his yawn. “…what exactly am I-” He opens his eyes to now see Lute standing directly over him.
“Good, this position should be perfect.” Lute plants herself right onto Kyle's lap.
Kyle grunts again at the sudden invasion of his waist by Lute's backside. He winced slightly, but Lute's short and slender frame didn't slam onto him too forcefully. However, pain is the least of his concerns. “Wha-What are you doing, Lute!?”
“I just need to do a few tests, that is all,” Lute says in her usual brash and brazen tone.
Kyle wore a sleeveless brown top and thin green shorts as his sleepwear. He hadn't expected to have any late night visitors while in the middle of a war, or to be sat upon in this state. Given both their attires, Kyle felt everything. He didn't see what Lute wore underneath her nightgown, but their bare skin may as well be touching. “Tests for what? And why do you need to be on top of me?”
Without even bothering to answer, Lute leans down and presses her ear right to Kyle's chest.
Kyle frantically outstretches his arms. He hasn't the faintest clue why she's in his lap with her head on his chest, and he has even less of a clue on what to do about it. Admittedly, he doesn't dislike it, and doesn't have any strong desire to push her off of him. The two have fought side by side in many a battle now, and Lute has been a key factor in many of Kyle's best tactical maneuvers as of late. Not only that, but off the battlefield he's found himself seeking her out more often than not in his leisure time. Whenever he's not competing with Forde, he's in Lute's company. As this train of thought continues, the panic inside of Kyle only intensifies.
“Hmm.” Lute puts both her hands on Kyle's chest and pushes herself up, her body adding just that little bit more pressure to his. “Your heart rate is-” She stops talking suddenly, and starts moving her hands along Kyle's chest. The training regiment of a knight of Renais tends to sculpt a very toned body, and touching all over Kyle's pecs is bizarrely satisfying to Lute. Although, Lute isn't sure this is exactly the type of contact the book described. She makes a mental note to research this phenomenon another time. She readjusts herself atop her increasingly tense partner, leaning forward and looking down at him as he barely holds himself together. “Ahem, your heart rate is significantly faster than I was expecting. Why is that?”
“Pretty sure it has to do with the girl in my lap.” Kyle looks up at Lute with a scowl. “You do know what that usually does to a man, right?”
“Wait, don't tell me!” Lute waves her hands in front of herself to stop Kyle from talking, feeling her genius being challenged. “If your heart is racing from me sitting in your lap, that is a sign of excitement. The increased heart rate could also imply a change of blood flow. If I had to guess, its because its going to your-”
“Okay, that's enough!” Kyle distraughtly sits up. He puts both his hands on Lute's shoulders and, as gently as possible, moves her off of him. He quickly reaches for a blanket within the bag beside them and covers himself before things can get even more awkward. “Lute, I'd like to know exactly what you're trying to do here.”
Lute rubs her chin and begins thinking. “Odd. I don't feel more relaxed, and he doesn't look more relaxed either. The book couldn't have been wrong, could it?” More puzzled than before, Lute reaches over and grabs her notepad and holds it in front of Kyle's face with both hands.
Kyle takes the notepad and starts to flip through it.
“These are the notes I took from my research earlier,” Lute explains.
“She wrote all this tonight?” Kyle ponders to himself. He leans over beside the tent's entrance, letting the light from the camp's central fire illuminate the dim pavilion room.
Lute leans over Kyle as he skims through her notes, tapping her finger at one specific passage once he reaches the right page.
“The optimal way to wake up fully revitalized…” Kyle reads aloud. “…is physical contact and closeness with someone you share an intimate relationship with before and during sleep.” That line causes quite a few different thoughts to spiral through Kyle's head. The picture is a little clearer now, but one revelation stood out above all others. “You… You really think we're that close, Lute?”
The hesitation in Kyle's voice throws Lute for a loop. “Uh… I…” While it did require a little thought for Lute to discern who in the army she is closest to, it didn't cross her mind that Kyle may not see it the same. “That must be why he wasn't relaxing with my head on his chest,” Lute thinks. Suddenly, her own heart rate began to rapidly increase. “Something is wrong,” Her mind continues. Whatever this feeling is, this panicking anxious feeling, Lute knows she hates it. She grabs her notepad and pencil, clutching it to her chest before returning to her feet. “I-I need to consult my notes back at my tent.” Lute hastily turns around to exit the tent.
“Lute, wait!” Kyle reaches out and grabs the mage's hand before she runs off.
Kyle's warm grasp over Lute's smaller palm sends even more unfamiliar emotions throughout her body. The tight yet gentle grip, the concerning tone of his voice, this whole endeavor is proving to be substantially more complex than Lute anticipated. She remains still, slowly turning her head to catch Kyle's gaze.
“Wait a moment. I didn't make you upset, did I?” Kyle asks.
“Not… particularly…” Admitting to being confused is one thing Lute absolutely loathes, but she can tell Kyle knows something is awry.
“Now, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.” Kyle lets go of Lute's hand, prompting her to turn back around and face him. “But it sounds like you came over here tonight to cuddle with me?”
“Isn't that what animals do to stay warm?”
“I…think so, but people do it for a variety of reasons.”
Lute ponders his words. The books called for physical contact, and cuddling does provide that. If balancing the brain's relaxation chemicals is one of the reasons Kyle speaks of then that is what she's looking for. In Lute's eyes, Kyle does often seem like he's in his peak form, both in combat and in duties around camp. Perhaps he knows more about this than she expected. “Have you ever cuddled with someone before?”
“Not unless you count being forced to share a bunk with Forde back when we were still recruits.”
“Does that count?”
Kyle barely holds in a chuckle from that question. “No. That doesn't count. I've never actually shared my bed with anyone before.”
Once again Lute couldn't explain it, but hearing that gave her a bizarre sense of relief. “Do you know how?”
“I can figure it out.” Now that Kyle knows what Lute is here for, his mind is far more at ease. The question of ‘why’ did still pester his mind just a tad, but if Lute of all people is showing him this level of interest, he can worry about that later. Kyle pats the padded sheet with his hand and lays back down. “How about you try lying with me?”
“Ah, simple.” Lute places her pencil and notepad back on the tent's floor, turns her back to Kyle, and promptly lays her back on his chest, laying her legs in between his and letting her hair tickle his nose. “Hmm, if I feel his heartbeat on my back, maybe that'll give me the desired effect.” She thinks to herself.
“Umm,” Kyle mutters, his voice slightly nasally from having his nose invaded by purple locks of genius mage hair. “This isn't exactly what I meant.”
Lute rolls over in place, chest to chest, and staring at Kyle with unamused eyes, beginning to feel like she's being teased. “This is how some species of Gryphon cuddle, are you actually going to tell me I am wrong?”
Kyle snickers at Lute's annoyed tone. Despite being so caught off guard and flustered previously, now that he has an understanding of the situation, he feels much more comfortable having her on top of him. “May I try instead?”
“You may,” Lute responds, allowing him to take the lead in this experiment.
Kyle, cautiously but tenderly, wraps his arms around Lute's body. Her much smaller frame allowed him to hold her atop of him without making it difficult for him to breathe. He has one arm on her waist, and another crossing her back with a slight grip on her shoulder. He holds her ever so slightly to feel the most minute feeling of pressure between them. “If this is too tight or you want me to stop, don't hesitate to say so.”
Lute doesn't respond. Her mind races as she rests within Kyle's warm embrace. “Is this cuddling? Isn't this just hugging while resting? More importantly…” The rhythm of Kyle's heartbeat along with his breathing almost begins to resemble a melodic tune in Lute's ears. His caress around her body creates this sensation of stillness, as if she's vulnerable, but free of danger. Her muscles and limbs relax, had she been on her feet she certainly would have fallen to her knees. “…why does this feel so nice?”
Lute's lack of a response makes Kyle apprehensive. Perhaps he is going too far, and, even if she usually doesn't have that same consideration, he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable. He begins to pull his arms away.
“Don't let go,” Lute bluntly orders.
“As you wish,” Kyle happily obliges. Lute still didn't say anything, but he listens intently to the sound of her breathing. She sounds steady, and her body felt completely relaxed, like she could fall asleep at any moment. As nice as it feels, he knows he can't get proper sleep with someone's entire body laying directly on his chest. “I think we should adjust.”
Lute lifts her head again, looking at Kyle with annoyed eyes for disturbing her comfortable rest.
Kyle shifts himself to the edge of the padded cloth, gently guiding Lute off of him to lay by his side. He lays on his side, sliding one arm under his pillow, and using his other to press Lute’s back back towards his chest. “Do you prefer to sleep on your side, Lute?”
“Of course,” Lute quickly responds. “Sleeping on your left takes pressure off your heart, as well as improves nasal breathing and spinal alignment. Proper health and posture is just as crucial for a mage as it is a knight.”
“In that case.” Kyle leaves no space left between them, holding Lute close to his body, his heart beating on her back, the scent of the rosemary incense she uses leftover in her hair. Kyle recalls Lute once saying rosemary incense helped her focus while she did her research, which she would quickly follow-up with saying, “Not that I need help.” Kyle exhales as he finds a comfortable position, holding his short mage ‘friend’ tightly as his body relaxes, conforming to her position beside him. “Is this what you were looking for?”
Lute’s confusion only grows. Her heart is beating at record levels, not even fighting hordes of monsters or enemy soldiers elicited this kind of physical response from her. Yet simultaneously, she feels this sensation of safety and relaxation. Is this the optimization she was looking for? She wants to reach over for her notepad and write down her physical responses, if Kyle’s grip on her wasn’t so addicting. Beside him, even this padded cloth in this dingy tent felt heavenly. Undoubtedly, it’s because she chose him for this experiment, figures she would perfect this theory on the first try. Lute unconsciously takes his hand in hers, and firmly presses it onto her chest, almost as if offering to place her heart in his hand. Had she been in her right mind, she might be flustered due to where she’s placing Kyle’s hand, even knowing this knight is anything but a pervert, but her body moved solely on instinct, purely out of the bliss of being beside someone she’s grown to adore, even if she didn’t realize it.
“Lute?” Kyle says.
“Don’t let go,” She orders again.
“I wasn’t planning on it. May I ask… why you chose me to try this with?”
“Why I believe we have an ‘intimate relationship’?” Lute asks.
“Yes, if you don’t mind my asking.”
While it did require some thought back at her tent, Lute already has the answers Kyle is seeking. “Easy. There’s no one in this army that treats me like you do.”
Kyle didn’t expect an answer that quickly, but he is happy to hear that nonetheless. “Care to elaborate?”
“Gladly,” Lute says. “While everyone here respects my genius and battle prowess.” Or so she believes. “I’ve yet to find someone so interested in my well-being. Prince Ephraim often appears a tad irked when I discuss my extensive knowledge on insect conflict resolution rituals. Vanessa and Syrene’s pegasi tend to get rather rowdy whenever I cast any magic in their proximity. Even Artur has asked me to cease my monk-watching duties. You however, you value me not only on the battlefield, but off of it as well.”
Kyle’s own heartbeat begins to quicken as he hangs on to every one of Lute’s words.
“You consistently remind me how crucial I am to your strategies, you choose to seek me out during my very brief time away from my books on our marches, and when we visited that last town, you even bought me curry of dried toad. That was the first time someone outside of my family bought me my favorite meal.”
“Not sure I can blame anyone for that,” Kyle snickers. “That isn’t a meal you see too often.”
“It was a gift I cherished for all nine minutes it took me to eat it.” Lute clutches Kyle’s hand even tighter. Discussing all the ways Kyle had become important to her, forces her to confront a few more thoughts rolling around in her head. Thoughts she couldn’t easily quantify, which made her that much more uncomfortable putting them into words. “Kyle, this isn’t something I’m proud to admit.”
“Hm? What is it, Lute?”
“No matter how much research I do, or how many books I look over cover to cover, I can’t get a grasp on things like ‘love’ and ‘intimacy’. Frankly it’s the one realm of knowledge I’m not a complete expert on. So… pardon me for being presumptuous…”
“We’re way past presumptuous, Lute…” Kyle thinks to himself.
“…but, whenever I do find myself with free time and you’re unavailable, I tend to feel rather lonely, and I miss you.”
Those words make Kyle’s heart skip a beat. Lute had said before she enjoyed his company, but he didn’t actually believe she felt this deeply for him.
Lute awkwardly rolls her body in place, wanting to be able to face him, but not wanting him to loosen his grip on her. “Tell me, Sir Kyle.” Lute lifts her head, her purple eyes locking with the verdant haired knight of Renais, had the room been brighter she’d be able to see the shining redness of his cheeks. “Was I correct… that we have an intimate relationship?”
Kyle gulps. Those beautiful, brilliant eyes, even glowing within the darkness of the night, looking directly into his left him nearly speechless. Kyle knows fairly well how prideful Lute is, as well as how odd her mannerism can be, and knows it can’t have been easy for her to speak from her heart like that. He owes it to her to do the same. “Maybe ‘intimate’ isn’t the right word,” Kyle says. “But I couldn’t be more honored that you came to my tent tonight, Lute. The truth is… I do hear what the others say about you. Even Forde has told me he thinks you’re disturbing, but I always tell them something different.”
“What do you tell them?”
“That I love being around you.”
Lute’s breath gets caught in her throat after hearing the word ‘love’. It hardly even registers what Kyle said about the others. In a very rare instance, Lute is at a loss for words.
“I adore you, Lute. I would happily hold you all throughout the night if you so wish it.”
Lute continues staring up at Kyle, unable to speak, as if the gears in her head completely stopped spinning. Her body felt hot, and her entire face became a fiery crimson. Despite the darkness, Lute still turns to reach for her notepad, holding it in front of her face to hide her blushing cheeks. “Kyle…”
“Yes, Lute?”
“I’ve also read that some species of small mammals cuddle by stroking their partner’s head with one of their limbs. I believe emulating that should help with the test,” She says with the notepad still covering her face.
“Heh, I can do that.”
Kyle lightly tugs on the notepad, and Lute gives in, allowing him to place it back beside his things so he can pull her close once again. Lute leans her cheek against Kyle’s chest, allowing him to gently run his hands down the back of her head, his fingers repeatedly grazing along her purple locks. Never before has Lute felt so cared for, so safe, so loved. Whether or not doing this will lead to her optimal performance in battle tomorrow remains to be seen, but, if not being at one hundred percent meant she can have Kyle make her feel this way, she can allow at least one day of not exuding excellence.
“Can I ask one more thing, Lute?” Kyle asks, once more breaking Lute’s line of thinking.
“What is it?”
“While I am grateful, why is it you chose tonight to decide to try and cuddle with me?”
“Simple. Prince Ephraim said we need to be at one hundred percent for tomorrow’s battle. The best way to guarantee your body will be in its optimal state the next day it turns out is physical touch with someone you share an intimate relationship with, before and during sleep.” Lute answered that question as if she was reading it directly from an encyclopedia.
Kyle takes a moment to process what he just heard, before desperately, and failing, holding back muffled giggles.
Lute leans her head back to stare at Kyle again, now with less romantic whimsy and more of an annoyed grimace. “I don't see what's funny about making sure I'm at my absolute best for the good of the army.”
“It's nothing, Lute. It's nothing,” Kyle mutters once he calms down his laughing fit. “Never a dull moment with you around.” He makes sure to remember to thank Prince Ephraim next time he sees him.
“Hm, I'll let that slide as long as you do as you promised and hold me all throughout the night. It's for the good of the army after all.” A genius like Lute deserves a little self indulgence from time to time.
Kyle pulls her close again. Lute's smaller legs interlock with his, and she rests her open palm on his chest. She can't explain it, but she loves touching his toned chest. “I also have a request. You could use a bigger tent. If this ends up working, I don't think I can return to sleeping without you.”
“Funny,” Kyle smiles. “I was thinking the same thing.”