isleofavalon | September Catchall

"I know everyone will be busy after the war. Fódlan needs to be rebuilt practically from the ground up. But Almyra can help, and any visits there would be good for warmer relations between the two lands, don't you think?"

He sets his tea down. "Think about it. Right now, people from Leicester and Faerghus know that Almyra was an ally when the Empire was on their doorstep. But they still don't know much beyond their prowess on the battlefield, something that scared them for far too long. If people crossed the border and saw what it was like for themselves, we could start to change people's conceptions of what it's like over there. The sooner, the better."

Lorenz hums his agreement, nodding slightly as he sips his tea. Strange that politics would be the conversation they come to when he is meant to be relaxing but things are finally at the point of fun plans and making strides towards improvements.

"And that the dashing new King Khalid swooped in to rescue Derdriu while we were under a surprise Agarthan attack, of course." Lorenz can't help smirking a little at that and his hand quickly seeks out Claude's again. Now that he has... Permission, so to speak, he finds himself unable to resist the warmth of his touch.

"Once we choose an ambassador and their entourage to travel there it will encourage others to go as well. I've already discussed Ignatz' inclusion in that group with Her Grace. His paintings will doubtlessly inspire more interest in travel within any who see them." The fact that he could also be part of that group, or the ambassador himself, has not even crossed his mind.

"The stories do say he's very handsome," Claude says with a smile, though he's just going by Lorenz's recounting of events of there being a King Khalid at all, having no such memory of it himself. When Lorenz's hand seeks out his own, he laces their fingers together like it's the most casual thing in the world.

"I'd like it if Ignatz did come. Art and culture's just as important as trade, I agree, and I bet he'd get a ton of inspiration. And it'd be great to bring along Teach, too--" He pauses, and 'corrects' himself-- "Er, Her Graceful Teachiness."

Lorenz' face goes a little pinker when Claude teases and even more when he takes his hand so readily. He can't help laughing slightly, even as he rolls his eyes at the abuse of her title.

"I'm sure the professor would love to come but that will definitely take more time before it can happen." His fingers curl a little tighter, conveying the hope and excitement the idea of traveling brings... Or at least he hopes it does. "I want to see it sooner rather than later. For my own curiosity but... For you too. I feel like there's so much I don't know, couldn't know. Maybe... I could learn though. Gradually. About Almyra. About your people."

Another little squeeze, another smile.... And maybe he's a little too hopeful for a moment.

"About you."

Claude's expression is fond, and he brushes a thumb over the back of Lorenz's hand. "Well, you'll learn plenty. There's no better teacher than travel, in my mind. And as for me... I want to be an open book going forwards. No more secrets."

Well, maybe a few secrets, but no more than a king would be expected to have. In personal matters, at the very least, there will be least need for it.

"I really hope you'll like it there. Not everyone there will treat you warmly, but if you can overlook them and keep an open mind just like you have here, you'll be fine."

"An open book? You?" He laughs as he says it though, tilting to the side to bump his shoulder lightly against Claude's. It's a little awkward, he's unused to allowing himself such casual interaction after all, but it's also nice to be able to offer a measure of his affection for the other man alongside the usual criticisms. To soften the sting of his teasing in ways he wouldn't allow before.

"Not everyone will be warm anywhere, I could hardly expect that to change in Almyra. And I've rather gotten the idea that your people's warmth is a great deal closer to Raphael's than mine."

"Hey, it's my greatest ambition yet," Claude says with a slight grin. He knows he's not there yet and he needs to work on it, in other words, but at least Lorenz is taking it in good humour.

As for that comparison to Raphael... "You know, you might be onto something there. When I first got to Garreg Mach, people were always telling me I wasn't very noble -- and not just you. There were so many rules, so much etiquette, so much..." He reaches to indicate his teacup as if to say this, with all the niceties it entailed. He takes a sip, before setting it down again. "Well, Almyra is more easy-going. Whatever your status, people there know how to enjoy life."

He can hardly fault Claude for the secrets he has kept but the fact that he's willing to make an effort now, here... while things are different. It's already so much more than he'd expected. Lorenz sips at his own tea, hiding a bit of a smirk behind his cup.

Only to pause, arching a brow at the implication there. "Is this you trying to say I don't know how to enjoy life? Again?"

He glances over his shoulder a little, towards the new markings down his back, then to the place their fingers are threaded together. "Here I thought I was doing rather well on that front."

"No, no! That wasn't aimed at you this time," Claude says hastily, leaning up against Lorenz and resting his chin on his shoulder with a pout.

"I was talking about Fódlan in general, not just you. For a noble, everything there is about what's proper, or the Church's teachings, or their duty. I sometimes look back on the days at the monastery and think about when people were happiest... and most of it had nothing to do with what we were supposed to be there to learn."

This time, he says. But having Claude leaning against him like that is far too endearing to call him on it. In fact, Lorenz is only half listening, enough to get the meaning of what he's saying but it's a bit distracting having Claude so close.

"Never one for propriety, were you?" A soft murmur, he doesn't need to speak loudly... not really. For a moment he starts to turn his head, to lean in closer, his intentions clear. But he stills before he can, brow furrowing ever so slightly. He's not entirely sure how this works, what this is exactly. Better to ask than assume, though. "May I kiss you?"

Claude sits up a bit straighter, not to pull away from Lorenz but at least to stop leaning his chin on his shoulder. He studies him closely with an intrigued smile. Here he was, rambling away, and he'd managed to distract the other man with such a simple gesture instead.

Not wanting to hold him in suspense too long, however, he nods, speaking quietly. "You don't have to ask. Go right ahead."

Lorenz smiles softly, blushing harder but he nods ever so slightly in return. Then he shifts a little, scooting closer, fingers tightening on Claude's. This is the first time he's initiated anything beyond that first awful, panicked kiss during the game. He's, perhaps, a little too cautious this time. Brushing his lips ever so lightly against Claude's. There's a strange moment when he gasps lightly as though shocked at his own behavior...

Then he presses his lips more firmly to his, savoring the warmth of him. Just a simple press of lips and warm affection and his hand comes up to brush his fingers over Claude's hair. But even if it is soft and simple it's still so much more than he'd ever imagined. He'll linger as long as Claude allow him.

Claude closes his eyes as Lorenz moves to kiss him, though one cracks open in surprise when he gives that little gasp. It's short-lived, though, and he's relieved when Lorenz simply kisses him again. One hand moves to rest on the warmth of Lorenz's chest, his touch gentle, not wanting to do anything that might provoke Lorenz to twinge his back and feel more pain than he already does.

He's happy to let the kiss linger, to let Lorenz take the lead however he likes. It's not a bad distraction, and for Claude's own part, he's happy to see Lorenz getting bolder a little at a time.

Lorenz taking the initiative to be the one to kiss Claude this time is a little nerve-wracking in ways he hadn't expected. It's so easy to question himself, to second guess and assume he's done something incorrectly at the slightest hesitation. But Claude's hand settles against his chest and, though he's certain the other man will be able to feel the way his heart beat picks up beneath his hand, he does relax into the kiss slightly.

He allows it to linger, to hover there for a long moment before he begins to draw back, breath rushing out in a shaky sort of laugh. "I- I'm sorry. You were saying something and I-"

Another huff of self conscious laughter as he shakes his head dismissively. Let himself get all sorts of distracted just by Claude's proximity

"--Wanted to find a way to shut me up? It's as good a scheme as any," Claude rejoins with a laugh, sitting back. He's a little flushed himself, but the teasing smile on his face can't hide that he's happy. About the kiss, of course, but even moreso to see Lorenz gaining in confidence, bit by bit.

"Maybe next time you can even pull it off without getting all nervous about it. What do you think?"

"That... might be asking for a bit much." His gaze skitters away as he says it, embarrassed and flushed and holding tighter to Claude's hand. Some part of him is certain that this is going to become an annoyance, somehow. The way he struggles with casual contact so much.

But Claude knew that. Of course he would have, he's far too smart to expect anything else from him.

"I will do my best to keep my nerves to a minimum, however."

"You'll get used to it. And when you do, it'll seem just as normal as breathing," Claude says, bringing up their joined hands. He presses a kiss to Lorenz's knuckles with a casual little wink as if to say, See?

"Of course, that's assuming you're not sick of my company by then!"

Lorenz slips his hand free so he can follow that playful kiss to his knuckles with a light touch to Claude's face, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. Claude might mean it to be teasing but they both know that teasing is sometimes the best way to cover for insecurities and it feels wrong somehow, to let something like that linger. So he shakes his head, expression becoming more serious for a moment.

"For all my complaints that will never happen." A moment to lean in, take back that space that Claude had given him after the kiss, and this time his lips follow the path of his thumb. A kiss to his cheek, a gentle little nudge of Lorenz' forehead against his temple. "Though I can't imagine you ever not taking my breath away as well."

As normal as breathing Hah!

Claude can't deny the way his heart skips a beat at that kiss, the touch to his temple, and he closes his eyes to lean into him once more. It seems Lorenz is able to get a better read on him than he thought. Certainly more than he used to be able to.

"Never is quite a tall order," he says with a small smile. It's not that he wants to doubt him -- more that in that cautious way of his, he's prone to testing the waters, even now of all times.

"But I know you're serious. I suppose... I'm just surprised, that's all."

He's not great at reading Claude, not yet, but he's spent years getting better at it and this most recent shift in their relationship clarifies a few things he would never have been able to accept before.

"You're surprised?" Lorenz huffs a soft disbelieving laugh, nuzzling against him once more before he finally lets Claude have his space back. "Isn't that my line?"

"Hah! I'd been flirting with you practically since we first met. But because of that thick head of yours," he raps on it lightly with his knuckles, "I'm pretty sure you never noticed. And given our-- ah, family history? I assumed I never stood a chance back then anyway. So..."

He shrugs. What was the point in getting emotionally invested in something that would never happen? When Lorenz spent a good deal of time spying on him and plotting his downfall, at least in those early days?

"It was only when Teach came back to us that we really became close, and so many other things were happening. So I'm surprised, because I never would have guessed that all those years, you felt that way." Maybe he has a few things to work on when it comes to reading Lorenz himself, if he never picked up the true extent of his feelings.

Lorenz just blinks at him for a moment, caught on the first part of that for an inordinately long time. "F-flirting???"

His voice pitches higher and he flinches a little because of it, cheeks coloring and eyes widening just a little. He- He was?? He'd been so caught up in refusing to let any of the nagging thoughts about Claude interfere with his day to day and what he thought he was meant to be doing.

"I... never realized. I just... thought you were making fun of me? And eventually I..." He flashes Claude a guilty sort of look. "I just wanted to be near you, to see your dreams- Goddess, it sounds so childish like that."

Shaking his head he shifts to lean into Claude, rest his cheek on his shoulder. He feels like such a fool, being so eager for his attention like that.

Claude lifts a hand to stroke Lorenz's hair, kisses the top of his head, and says nothing for a moment, simply letting Lorenz enjoy the gesture of comfort. That's what this is ultimately about, after all, isn't it? Being close, intimate, enjoying one another's company. There's no need to make matters of the heart unnecessarily complicated... Even if Claude of all people knows that ideals like that and reality won't always match up.

"I don't think it's childish," he says softly. "Even if it was, I'm probably the most childish person of all. My dreams are something I've held close to my heart ever since I was a little kid... and now they're tangible enough to move nations. Is that such a bad thing?"

He hums softly, warm and content, basking in the affectionate little gestures Claude offers him. For a moment it's almost too much, the way they can fall into each other so easily without the social restraints and petty squabbles to force a defensive sort of barrier between them. Being able to speak openly about something that still feels so foreign to him in some ways.

"That's different." Firm and fond and he lifts his head to smile at Claude once more, shaking his head as though the idea that the two could be comparable is the childish part. "Your dreams are beautiful and what you've achieved is so impressive... awe-inspiring, even. There's nothing childish about what you have managed, Khalid."

His smile becomes a touch mischievous, the only warning Claude gets this time before Lorenz kisses him again, smiling against his lips. "A great deal more worthwhile than pulling pigtails, as it were."

Lorenz will have the satisfaction of seeing Claude surprised by the kiss, but he soon melts into it with an amused smile, the hand that had been stroking Lorenz's hair coming to rest against his neck. "Pigtails? Are you saying I should grow my hair out like Hilda's?"

That's not what he was saying at all and he knows it, but he can't help but tease a little more. It's also a convenient way to dodge addressing the praise, which he still isn't used to hearing, at least not from Lorenz of all people.

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