Love and Knights and all that stuff

by BlueDonut

Summary:

Roa needs a break from, well, everything. Immerkind joins her.

Notes:

• For Gelin_cat.

Roa sits on the railing of the bridge, dangling her legs in the air as she watches the sun go down behind the hilly horizon. A breeze sweeps over the river, but her cloak keeps her warm and safe. Even the Stains only squeaked in the distance, leaving her a rare moment alone in this world.

She reaches for the cool bottleneck of her whisky and takes a healthy swig.

Roa doesn't want to think. She doesn't want to be alone or in the quiet, yet the crowds drive her insane. All the talk about love and hate and again love.

"Tch." The glass bottle thumps as she places it back down on the wood. She can feel her body getting warmer as the air grows colder with the passing of time.

"Careful," a kind voice says. "You could fall off."

"I should," Roa laments. She doesn't need to look back to see the knight behind her, polished armor and neat silver hair. Only the little braid seems like a small form of rebellion against customs.

Customs of a land they don't even belong to, that they have to save for some unknown reason. To this, Raora takes another sip of her drink.

Small, delicate hands take her bottle. Raora reaches to grab it back, missing and instead touching the knight's arm.

How can such a thin limb have such strength? Roa traces her fingers over the weird skin-like texture, circling around the elbow joint.

Someone coughs. Right, Immerkind, all pretty and radiant in the dusk.

Roa motions beside her. "Sit, you had a loooooong day no?"

"Well," Immerkind scratches the back of her neck before sighing. "I'm not gonna say no to a drink."

She sits down beside her, hanging her legs over the ledge too and placing the bottle between them. "It all started with the princess."

Ah. Reaching for the whisky, Roa holds it up to Immerkind's lips. "Drinkkkkk."

Hesitantly, Immerkind opens her mouth. She almost coughs when Roa suddenly tilts the bottle way too much, quickly wrapping her hands around Roa's to make her stop.

The little joints between her fingers are truly a piece of art, the jeweller notices. "Pretty..."

"I sang for her," Immerkind confesses. "I sang about all my feelings and I felt like flying. But she doesn't feel the same."

The knight quickly swallows more alcohol. "I'm a knight so I will continue doing all I can but-"

"But you loved her," Roa hums. She looks back towards the sun, now fully gone and leaving behind a purple sky. "Why love?"

"Love?" Immerkind cocks her head.

"Yah, it only hurts," laments Roa. "You got rejected, I got divorced, all this makes my head hurt."

"It might be the alcohol."

"Psh."

If she closes her eyes, Roa can vaguely hear vows and promises still. As if her head floated in an onsen the memory is foggy and distant. Only the wood against her hands, the bottle and the presence next to her feel somewhat real. Breathing is hard as if something obstructs it and Roa sways with the wind.

Then she sneezes. "Urgh."

"Here." Immerkind passes her a handkerchief.

Roa uses it gratefully. "You're kind."

"Thanks," Immerkind hums, eyebrows drawn together and lips pursed. She looks like a doll.

"Are you a doll?", Roa asks and Immerkind flinches.

"Excuse me?" Clicking her tongue, the knight grabs the whisky to drink before continuing. "I'm Cecilia, an automaton!"

"Cecilia," she repeats. A soft, elegant name. For a moment she wonders if she heard the knight actually refer to herself with it at any time. As kind as she is, it's not her only trait. "You're pretty. Cecilia Immerpretty."

Her drinking companion coughs. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!" Accusingly pointing at Cecilia, Roa continues. "Why you only use kind? You're more than that. You're pretty and smart! So what, if the princess doesn't see that you don't owe her anything!"

"You had enough to drink," Cecilia mumbles. "So what? What right do you have to give me relationship advice."

It bubbles up in her throat, a growl raw and clearly stating that the knight touched upon a sore subject. Roa opens her mouth.

Out comes a sob.

"Oh, shit," Cecilia hastily reaches for her handkerchief before realizing it's already dirty and in Roa's hands. She takes off her cloak to use it and dries the panther's tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're wonderful."

"I'm a greedy person," Roa sobs. "I just wanted to make a business. I was so happy when Tam told me we were married."

She begins to babble, about their relationship to the general chaos that is their existence. Cecilia quietly listens, only stopping to dry Roa's tears or pass the bottle between them.

The stars paint figures in the night sky when the panther finally calms down.

"Sorry, love is shit. I'm done with it, basta."

Roa's body is on fire. The alcohol, the stress, she wishes she could rest. She can only see the person next to her. "You look good, and 'm a mess. Rudeh."

When Cecilia laughs it's not pretty like a chime in the wind, or melodic like a ballad. It's a rough and honest sound, and suddenly wishes she could hear it all night.

She knows it's the alcohol speaking. Cecilia knows it's the alcohol speaking.

She still cups Roa's cheek. "Nuh, you're really beautiful right now."

Angling their faces they lean in. As if they were to float in the current sea of darkness, the only light from the moon. Roa lets herself fall into the abyss.

Ice shoots through her nervous system and she gasps, swallowing a heap of water. Someone pulls her up and it's Cecilia, laughing even harder.

"Stop! Your bangs, you can't even see!" Roa manages to get out, trying to wipe away the wet strands falling into Cecilia's eyes. "You jumped after me?!"

"'m drunk," Cecilia takes a few deep breaths to calm herself. "I'm a knight."

"You're not my knight, idiota," protests Roa.

"Why not?" Cecilia mumbles. The river is shallow enough for them to stand. The knight looms just a bit over Roa, but all she can think of is the lonely expression as she talked about the princess.

Cecilia shouldn't have looked sad.

She shouldn't kiss her on an intoxicated whim either.

Roa still loops her tail around the automaton's neck to pull her down, and Cecilia's smile against her lips makes all her care disappear.