awashlogs | catch-all for march!

[ As the two speak, she nurses her drink, and then—

O-oh.... She sees his hand go to his chest, hears the tone change in his voice, and all she can do is frown sympathetically in response to it. She knows ~~from seeing him as a goddamn merman~~ that he bears a scar upon both his heart metaphorically and quite literally....

With a glance first at Saber to note her expression, Pyra then turns back to Tristan and steps forward. ]

That is the part of you that is especially lovely, I think.

Those “imperfections”... aren’t they all a remnant and a treasure of what you once had?

[ She has no physical scarring of whatever she went through; only her memories. But, perhaps if she did... would she be shy of showing them? She knows she wouldn’t be ashamed of them, at least. ]

[ Nero nods in agreement. She already knows that Tristan has a scar on his chest, thanks to their Master's initial summoning anyway, and they have little to hide from each other as fellow Servants who can simply just throw around their True Names willy-nilly around Chaldea. ]

...I agree with Pyra. Imperfections can be painful reminders, but they are also what it means to have once lived a mortal life.

[ She is not a fan of the unchanging, the perfect king sitting atop his throne overseeing a world of utter sterility.

If she had a scar of the wound she inflicted upon herself, would she still say that? In all likelihood? Yes. Cover it with a choker or something, maybe, but if asked in a serious context, then she would have little reason to shy away from it. A shameful thing for her, but she does not run away from her past mistakes. ]

I suppose there is little need to hide it… [ It’s not that he’s ashamed of it, per se, since he shows it off at home often enough. It’s only—well, it hardly matters right now, not when they’re both so earnest and kind and patient to him…he can feel something burning up inside of him at their answers. Truly a man cannot ask for better friends…

He sighs, knowing that he’s been defeated, and smiles. ]

But then I have no reason to object, after all. [ Somebody put the 70s sax music on because he’s undressing right now. He’s starting off by shedding his cape before moving on to unfastening his armor, his cheeks flushed as he’s still conscious of their gaze, though he forces himself to focus on the task at hand. ]

[ There's a quick glance towards Saber-- is this really happening?, emperor, plz give her strength! And Pyra will help him with that, taking what armor he has, should he allow her to handle the plates, and set them aside carefully. ] Here...

[ She feels as if...-- no, no, no shame, as Saber has taught her in this exercise-- there should be no shame. This is art! And Tristan is sharing a part of himself that his trusts with the both of them and, and...!

And Pyra cannot help but appreciate both him and Saber. For their poise, for their confidence, for their grace in this quest. Hadn't the Architect himself in her own world fashioned new life in the image of himself; hadn't her form, her emotions, her personality, been made after humanity? So-- so she shouldn't be shy of it.... ]

Ah, Saber.... Do you think you could help unfasten some of his armor with me?

[ That's right. He shouldn't be doing this alone. He should have the both of them ~~strip~~ disarmor him. ]

Of course!

[ With little hesitation, Nero moves to unfasten some of Tristan's armor as well, careful to handle the joints. The human form is nothing shameful to her. Indeed, she seems to think little of it, save for commenting on the armor itself, and less about his body (although she likes that too; being bi is sweating emoji.png) ]

Hm, from what I can tell, this armor is of quite remarkable make! Only finest for knights like you, I suppose.

[ He smiles wryly when Pyra suggests that they both assist in disarming him. ~~Truly this is the best timeline.~~ There’s no room in him to feel ashamed at this point—not when they’re doing this for…the art, was it? It doesn’t matter much to him, anyway, since he only wants to make them both happy.

He slips out of his armor with their help easily enough, until he’s clad only in his tunic and breeches, and as he finally pulls the former off, he replies— ]

Indeed, no expense has been spared for it. [ But there’s a touch of sadness in his voice. The armor, and much of his accoutrements, were provided him by his lord uncle all those years ago, after all. Bright and polished though they may be, they are well-worn and well-loved. ]

Though even these falter in radiance before the majesty of better knights. [ Fight him all you want, Nero, but even he knows that Gawain wears this shit better. ]

[ She'll be careful with his armor as she sets it aside... and wondering if he feels that he must wear it every day, even when things might not be as dangerous here lately. Maybe it's just a matter of old habits dying hard, of always being prepared...

But these thoughts fade when he takes off his shirt and.

That's definitely a pause from Pyra... Yeah, sure, it's not as if she hasn't seen a man's bare chest before, or even Tirstan's ~~as a mermaid and wearing a sea-shell bra~~, but it's one thing to see him covered in blood and poisoned, and another thing to have him model...!! She quickly turns away to finish off her wine. Second round beside her, anyone? Anyone? She'll top you off.

At his remark, however: ]

...Knights nobler than you, Archer? I doubt that, somehow. [ She walks back to where her canvas and set of paints are. The prince she had traveled with had knights, but he preferred to have them remain and defend his lands rather than travel with him. She wonders if they would even come close to Tristan. ]

Saber? [ Back her up! Encourage this man! ]

[ Nero hesitates for but a moment, before Pyra calls on her to respond too. O-Oh yes, she has to say something encouraging about him at least. Truth be told, she didn't quite have knights to rely on in her reign; nobody so named and famed such as the Knights of the Round Table or the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne. ]

I think you a better knight than you yourself do, at the very least. You have an unfortunate habit of holding other knights in a regard too high for you to reach.

[ She thinks of the knights summoned in Chaldea. There was, of course, Tristan. And then there was Gawain, with whom she had a bit of history with in the Moon Cell. Lancelot was...Lancelot. The less said about Mordred, the better. Well, at least there was Bedivere, the only sane man of the Round Table, and an adorably beautiful man, at that. ]

For instance, take the Knight of the Sun. He is normally a gentleman, true, but when he dedicates himself so single-mindedly to a cause or a liege, he is utterly obstinate like no other! [ Pot, meet kettle. Nero, you're the one who provoked him in that Holy Grail War. ] Not to mention that his potato dishes are offenses to the culinary arts themselves! Has his sense of taste taken its leave?

[ He’ll gladly raise his cup for Pyra to top off, because boy, not having his shirt and armor on is making him feel rather chilly! But he does smile gratefully at them nevertheless, though the effect’s probably somewhat dampened by the flush to his cheeks and his somewhat…unstable posture. Standing straight seems to be a bit of a challenge for him lately.

This is really such good sake, though…much better than Wei Wuxian’s crude wine! Yes, he can feel even more warmth swelling up from within him ~~not in that way you pervs!!!~~ at their kind words! How wonderful it is to have friends in the both of them!! ]

Even the Knight of the Sun could not help but be eclipsed by your profound radiance. [ He means the both of you ladies, and he means it so wholeheartedly. Gawain might have his own women issues and Tristan really doesn’t want to be reminded of the man’s awful cooking, but they’re far, far away from the Round Table and Chaldea and all their cares and worries, after all…! ]

Ah, to bask in the warmth of the wine and of both your gazes… can life get any sweeter? [ Yep, he’s definitely drunk. ]

[ And here she's thinking to himself... who is this enigmatic Knight of the Sun? She feels like she's being left out of some sort of inside-- well, not joke, but whatever-kind-of-spirits-they-are reference! (Still is fascinating to hear about, though. Does Saber or Tristan have such fancy titles as "Knight of the Sun"? So many questions!)

But okay, okay, she's just watching the exchange with an amused smile as she picks up a brush.... haha, just kidding, she's going to take another sip of her wine. ] Aaaah-- saying things like that... no, no, this is the sweetest life-- painting with friends.

The both of you are so... [ She laughs. ] I don't know if you've noticed, but both of you are beautiful-- I'm guessing all of your kind are.

[ Nero laughs along, a sly smile playing across her features, drinking in the atmosphere. And it's true what Tristan says about her radiance eclipsing even Gawain's sun; she was the one who prevailed in that Holy Grail War. ]

A great many of us, but not all, Pyra.

[ Not all Heroic Spirits are, well, heroic. Gilles, for one. And oh god, Blackbeard. ]

It matters not, for your beauty can put many of them to shame, Pyra.

[ He’d say as much even while sober. A gentle, sensitive beauty like her…why, even Master would be hard-pressed not to fall for her! But speaking of— ]

Why, I wish—I wish I could sing right now! [ hic ] Even as you both paint a flightless bird upon your canvases, I am blessed with a richer source of inspiration in the both of you. Alas, that my harp would interfere with the work of such lovely hands…

[ She laughs happily when he compliments her, shaking her head. Oh, typical Tristan. ] Your flattery... [ A pause, and then she jokes: ] Will get you everywhere.

[ With that said, she'll finally take a seat in front of her canvas....

Still working on her wine though, as she glances to Saber. ] As for singing... I don't know. [ She makes a show of bringing a hand up to her chin in thought. ] Should he, Saber? [ A teasing hand-flap, as if she's gossiping. ] He's just standing there. I think singing would make this more of a challenge for him.... and I wouldn't mind a little more entertainment~!

[ How hard can being a model be, anyways?? ]

[ but why male models

Nero, surprisingly able to hold most her drink and still, well, Nero enough to go along with these great vibes, nods excitedly. ]

Of course! Your voice is a fine enough instrument!

[ Sometimes it's the only instrument one needs to express their joy through song, she can even speak from experience!!! And Tristan can finally drop that mixtape... ]

[ Look if he had his way he’d be painting a pretty girl in the nude too. Alas, for now he must fight to keep still, the influence of the alcohol making him feel as though he’s constantly teetering on the edge of some precipice.

It’s kind of exciting. ]

It is truly an honor to earn such praise from an exalted singer like yourself, Saber.

[ He’d mean that too, even while sober. Yes, her technique could use a bit of work, but who else can compare to her when it comes to passion and inspiration? Does technique matter when you’re absolutely shitfaced anyway??

He takes another swig of that sake. For strength, or something. ~~Good thing there aren’t any recording equipment around here barring their paints and canvases~~ ]

Now, what shall I sing about? Perhaps two fair flowers, both so different and yet so profoundly arresting, that all who stop to regard them are filled with joy for the rest of their lives…

[ Now if only that were true in his case. ]

[ .... ]

Saber, since the both of you come from the same world-- I have to ask.

[ Finally, she sets down her dish of wine. ] I know already that you are an amazing woman, but how is it that you can listen to his words and not....

[ A look to Tristan. ] Just want to hug him to death! He says such sweet things...

[ Yup. Party be on tilt y'all. ] "Filled with joy for the rest of their lives"-- If you must know, I think that immortalizing your beauty upon a canvas will inspire joy on whoever looks upon your depiction.

[ She's a little tipsy from both praise and sake, but screw it. With Pyra's words, Nero nods wholeheartedly, umu, and takes a pencil and begins to sketch, a little...wobbly-like. That's all right, though. It'll add to the...the beauty of the piece. What's a human work of art without a few human errors? ]

For someone such as myself [ a touchy-feely hedonist with little in the way of shame or reservation ], it is difficult, yes! But I have spent much of my life resisting honeyed words. [ Un...successfully, honestly, considering how easily she actually falls for praise. ] Besides, as an emperor, I cannot dole out my affection so freely and easily, lest it stop being the privilege and honor it is! Fortunately for the two of you, I consider you worthy...

[ Look, Tristan will survive getting turned into a Picasso. What he won’t survive is a three-way embrace while he’s drunk off his ass and half-naked in a house full of remarkably lewd images of his not!king whilst posing in front of two women he happens to like very, very much!!!

Not that he’s sober enough to realize that. Good thing Wei Wuxian isn’t around to poke fun at him for this, because he’s not gonna come out of this whole thing unscathed. ]

Ahahaha, is it permissible to touch the model while he is performing? [ If you can call that performing, anyway. ]

Particularly when such fair hands are better suited to other tasks? [ Wait…is he sounding vaguely responsible? Better fix that— ]

After all, much can be said of the grandeur of your affections, Saber, to say nothing of Pyra’s exquisite womanly graces…

More flattery! Just what are we going to do with you. [ Alright, time to... actually try drawing him. She can do this. T-totally! ]

Speaking of emperors and knights....

[ Here it comes. ]

Are you two, ah, ..... You know. Like that? [ SIRE AND VASSAL SHE MEANS but the wine is making her word it as suggestive as possible. ]

[ Like "that"? Of course, Nero's thoughts flit to the least-appropriate-in-context-of-a-culture-that-is-not-Roman, which means that...is she thinking that they're...colleagues with benefits? ]

What?! Are you insinuating...?!

[ She has a lover of her own that she does not intend to betray at all! Even if she is worlds removed from where they are now. This sort of subject is something she is normally absolutely fine with, but to be asked so suddenly, so brazenly, throws her off her balance for just a tad. ]

[ And Tristan is similarly thrown off, his drunken flush now a shade redder, though he comes to an entirely different conclusion.

But it’s still absurdly inappropriate anyway and it almost manages to sober him up— ]

Oh…Oh, no. Far from it. [ Ah, he feels sad now. There is only one person he’d ever be a vassal for, anyway, although his and Nero’s shared master comes as a close second.

In any case, for a knight like him who’d once turned his back on his king—for Pyra to imply that he might be betraying his king again by submitting to the will of another monarch…aaah, it’s too much!!! ]

I am hardly worthy…

I'm-- oh, I'm sorry. [ She waves a hand, fortunately the one that isn't holding the brush dipped in paint. ]

I was just thinking how nice it would be to... have someone you're bonded to like that, here. [ A wistful sigh.

But she chuckles, moving on! Although that still doesn't clear up either of their assumptions. ] But if that's not the case, forget I said anything! Hehe~ [ Hic ] The two of you coming from the same world must be nice enough.

[ She is bonded to someone like that, even vassal and liege in a sense, somewhere out there in the worlds apart, in the digital sea of SE.RA.PH. One Nero refuses to let herself forget, to etch those memories on her own being. ]

That is so. Having a familiar face in a Singularity such as this is...

[ She thinks to herself for a moment. Comforting? Nice? Pleasant? It's not a very familiar face, not at first at least, but having something, anything to cling to and able to depend on has been nothing if helpful. Yes, that's it. ]

Helpful. Immensely so.

[ Almost a bit absentmindedly (or rather, tipsily), she starts to paint the outline of said knight's familiar face. ]

[ “Bond” is such a strong word though…it’s so volatile and unpredictable when it’s applied between him and someone who’s basically the face of his deep and abiding regret, even if he’s considerably warmed up to Nero by now.

Hence his relief is palpable when Nero volunteers that word—“helpful”—thus cementing them both at an appropriate distance. ]

Yes, how aptly you’ve put it, Saber. [ Is there a twinge of regret in his voice? Nah, you’re both just imagining it!! ]

Though we have had little reason to come together before… [ Her disconcerting likeness to Artoria Pendragon, notwithstanding— ]

There is much to be said about working together toward a common goal.

[ Pyra's painting is going to fare far worse than Saber's...

Whatever, she'll just call it abstract.

Meanwhile, she casually continues asking about them: ]

But the two of you were working together even in your homeworld, weren't you? [ Or, she assumes that they might have been! She actually doesn't know much beyond that they're... spirits. ] Whatwuzzit... Saber, you have-- ah, that "Noble Phantasm" thing, don't you? [ Which is a great big glitzy theater! ] Archer, what is yours?

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