( cmo ) general rp

[hopes]

play with me! ☆

my character list is here, while my (outdated) rp wishlist is here! go crazy with whatever you wanna throw at me; leave the character you want to thread with in the subject, and i'm cool doing or replying to starters!

body heat / fluff / insomnia / rain / realistic college au / reunion / soulmates / stargazing

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[blackcoats]

[Xion is no stranger to awkward situations. her entire life has been one, after all, with recent happenings not exactly helping. as tensions have been rising between the kingdoms, protecting the crown princess to ensure that she would live to see her rightful ascension to the throne has been the number one priority. higher concerns regarding violence and espionage meant she was no longer safe at the castle; the king's council, his most trusted advisers, had suggested the plan to keep her constantly on the move. she'd have one knight to keep her safe; any more than that would have surely turned heads. the idea was to stay in the shadows, to not draw attention, to keep hidden until the castle had been safe to return to.

she'd admittedly thought it strange that Rion had been chosen as her personal bodyguard when she'd first been introduced to him, but she of all people knew that appearances could be deceiving. surely, there had to have been a reason for him to have been assigned to her; she trusted the council's decisions. (perhaps she was a little too trusting.) maybe it was because he didn't fit the usual image of a knight, instead resembling a page with his lack of muscle and sword. dressed as commoners, they very well could have slipped past enemy lines undetected. in any case, it was a thought that neither needed to dwell on.

she'd attempted to make conversation with her new guard while they were on the road, but quickly relented once she'd noticed his lack of responses. she'd reasoned he was focused on making sure the journey had been safe; it was a fair assumption to make, and she'd given it no further thought. she could only imagine how stressful it must have been to take on the assignment he had, after all. there wasn't exactly room for casual conversation then.

it's only when they're resting for the night that she finally breaks the silence between them. they're as safe as they're going to get in this secluded inn, where no one knows who they are or where they're from. as he undresses, she makes the bed across from him, then removes her shoes as she sits down on it. her eyes linger on him for a second, then she speaks in a small, slightly tired voice:]

Um... Sir Lyon, was it? [she pauses for a bit, giving him a hesitant look before quickly appending:] Since we're going to be together for a while, would it be okay to call you by your first name?

[gratitude]

[the reason given was that he was the most likely to blend in and that he was more competent than he looked. the latter is true in that "sort of okay at combat" is better than how he appears, which is "probably about as effective as she looks". that isn't totally fair considering she is probably reasonable in a fight, but... combat, despite his practice, is definitely not his forte.

the former is presumably true in that, being a relatively new knight from a relatively minor household, nobody is going to recognize him. it probably doesn't help that the height difference between him and the princess is ... not vast, though. honestly, they look more like a romeo and juliet pairing running away from home than a knight and princess; and from a distance it's possible to get them mixed up depending on who is wearing what.

all of her ideas about how stressed out and how focused he was weren't entirely wrong, but any concept, any inkling of the idea that he was some sort of cool serious mysterious figure beneath his (cute?) appearance were about to be shattered. when she asks him if she can call him by his first name, he appears startled for a moment, looking at her.

rion is not good at hiding his emotions; it comes with the inability to talk. there's no faking that blush that is creeping up his cheeks as he nods enthusiastically, realizes he probably looks like a dork (it is because he is), and immediately breaks eye contact, looking away because here he is blushing like an idiot in front of the goddamn crown princess.

notably, he still has not responded with words yet. it is very likely that nobody told her that he can't talk, because that sounds like a good way to make things even more confusing - which is what they want.]

[blackcoats]

[for now, she takes his lack of spoken response as him just having a meek disposition; a bit strange for a knight, yes, but it's not like she can talk. she isn't exactly the poster child for being outgoing, either, to the occasional annoyance of her father when trying to warm her up to dignitaries from other kingdoms. still, there's something about his silence that seems... different from the usual stoicism expected of knights. curiouser and curiouser...

when he blushes, she finds herself a little embarrassed, too; she's not sure if it's in response to his frantic nodding, or if it's something she feels herself. did she offend him or is he just that sheepish? she has so many questions she wants to ask him, but she's not sure if that would be rude of her. she's never felt particularly ladylike, but she's still basically hardwired to at least try.

instead of questioning directly, she chooses to just put on a concerned expression, her brow furrowed and head slightly tilted to the side. still unsure, her voice wavers a little as she says:]

Um—was... that a yes?

[gratitude]

[rion is ... even less outgoing than she is, likely; he spent a lot of time being bullied even in the knights, and moreso before then. he doesn't have a ton of confidence in his own abilities - and while this particular assignment is a boost to his badly wounded self-esteem... well, this particular situation is a little frustrating. shouldn't she know how he responded?

now he's not making eye contact, embarrassed because he must not have been clear. it must be his fault that he didn't get it, and if only he could say something, he would.

he nods his head again. he's not sure how else to say it, so he brings his hands up, vaguely tries to sign at her - hopefully she understands sign language, even though it is not a terribly common thing for people to know and he's doing this expecting her to not. if she can understand though, the gestures and him motioning to his throat translate as--]

I can't talk, Princess.

[blackcoats]

Oh!

[her eyes widen as she kind of gets what he's trying to tell her. she doesn't fully understand sign language, but she knows enough to get the general gist; in addition to her intuition, it's probably something she learned a little bit about in an etiquette or policies class, or something of the sort. she'd have thought that would have been something her advisers told her before the two had set off together... hm. in any case, her expression quickly turns apologetic, perhaps with an extra hint of embarrassment persisting from before the revelation.]

I... I didn't know—I'm sorry.

[she doesn't even question it; the reason, to her, isn't important. frowning a bit, she then looks around the area, as if searching for something. she stands up and walks over to the lone desk on the other side of the room, making a small noise of frustration; it seems that she didn't find what she was looking for. she's lost in thought for a second or two before she turns back to him—she's still visibly worried, but at least she looks like she wants to help. she's always put others' needs before her own, after all. it's not exactly the best trait for an heiress apparent to have, but... well, who cares about that now?]

Should I look for some parchment and a quill for you? If that would help—the innkeeper should have something like that at the front...

[gratitude]

[bits and pieces, at least. enough that ... well, she might not understand the exact things of what he's saying, but a general gist of it. hopefully.

he does seem upset. and it's because she didn't know - but it's not her he's upset with, because it's not her fault that she didn't know; somewhere in between the knights and the council, somebody probably should have informed her of it beforehand, because it's kind of an important thing to know; her sole guardian cannot call for help, cannot communicate with her without his hands free.

it has the potential to be a serious problem. but the fact that her first instinct is to look for something for him to write with is a little naive; a lot of knights are not skilled at reading and writing just because a lot of what knights do (i.e. hitting bad mans) doesn't require it, and that's a skill that is largely relegated not only to nobles - but nobles who need it.

rion isn't even a noble, which is unusual enough for a knight... but he does know. it's pretty understandable given his affliction, and her guess is completely on the mark.

he nods enthusiastically - it's a bit like a puppy or something. he's really excited about somebody being that concerned about him, and even moreso that it is THE PRINCESS. because she's you know, a princess. that's a pretty big deal to him, and she is rewarded with the dorkiest, brightest smile that he can manage - which frankly looks weird on a royal knight.]

[blackcoats]

[she smiles and breathes in relief as he responds positively. she kind of made the assumption in her head that, if he can't talk, he probably knows how to write, and she's glad she wasn't wrong. how horrible it would have been otherwise, to not be able to communicate at all... he's at least lucky in that regard, given his circumstances. she won't ask about it further.]

I'll be right back, then. Hold on a moment.

[without waiting for him to react, she already heads out the door of their meager room. impulsiveness has always been a trait that the other nobles had tried hard to quash out of her, but they've never been successful, apparently. all things considered, she's not exactly the best candidate to succeed the throne on paper... but she's the only one the kingdom has.

which, of course, is why they're on this quest at all. so. there's that.

it doesn't take her long to return with some slightly-crumpled pieces of parchment and a small quill. she moves rather quickly for a noble; it probably has something to do with the increased freedom the peasant clothes she has on in place of her usual royal gowns and petticoats allow her. she's never been the biggest fan of formalwear, but she's never really had the choice to wear otherwise. she'll take the small blessings that she can.

her mission complete, she holds the items out to Rion.]

Here. Sorry if they aren't of the quality you might be used to from the kingdom; the innkeeper just let me borrow her bookkeeping spares.

[gratitude]

[this is the point where, if he could have spoken, he would have, because he doesn't like the idea of her going out there by herself. it's not that he doesn't trust her so much as ... he's nervous. this is his job, his duty, and if he fucks it up there's a non-zero chance he is dead, and even if he isn't, he'll think he deserves it. if something were to happen to her he'd beat himself up about it for the rest of his life.

but he can't actually express that it's not that necessary and so he's just going to watch her go. rion takes in a breath, not realizing that he's holding it; what if something happens?

to the surprise of nobody, nothing happens, but he visibly sighs in relief when she returns. it's okay. she's alright. nothing has happened to her, even if he might be hovering over her like she's a newborn kitten or something (mentally, not... literally.) he's grateful, though, and through the worry another big, goofy smile appears on his face; it's there the whole time as he's writing.]

As long as I can write it doesn't matter. Thank you very much.

[... it occurs to him that maybe he should be a bit more thrifty with the ink, but he doesn't want to look like he doesn't know how to write in front of THE PRINCESS.]