[ Even though it's apparent that he's teasing her (he had said as much), Hilda's cheeks puff up automatically in response, dispelling most, if not all of her embarrassment in one fell swoop. One hand immediately goes to her hip. ]
I think that hinges on that teasing response.
[ But she catches Claude's slight shiver as a gust of wind rolls down from the Throat. Quickly she ushers him inside into the warmth and the bigger on the inside cottage. Slipping behind him she moves to close the door, staring out briefly at the sprawling, snowcapped rooftops of Goneril nestled into the mountainous terrain. Sometimes it's easy for her to forget that they aren't in Fodlan and that she can't just waltz right back into town and her family home only to be greeted with a spine crushing hug from Holst. She had considered making the town proper instead of just a visage that would never get closer no matter how closely you walked towards it - but had ended up shelving the idea for another day. It felt like too much work and she worried about not being able to do it justice.
With the door closed, the cold stays where it belongs and Hilda finally releases Mogwry with a look that clearly warns him he better be on his best behaviour. There's a moment where it looks like Mogwry is about to argue with her but after a moment he lets out a little huff before fluttering off upstairs broom and all. Hilda waits for him to turn the corner before turning back to Claude with an apologetic look on her face. ]
I'm sorry about Mogwry. He likes picking fights but we're working on it.
[ He'd already made an enemy of Rocket, wrongly accused Thancred of bullying him, and was now apparently trying to provoke Claude. But without the small creature in her arms, she suddenly finds herself uncertain about what to do with her hands. ]
Did you want tea? Is that weird in the Horizon? [ She rocks back and forth on her heels, finally settling on clasping her hands behind her back, ready to turn in any given direction based on Claude's answer. ] We can go sit in the living room unless you want a tour, but it'll be a short one.
[ There's nothing but a grin from Claude at her answer verbal and otherwise to that, especially so when it means he still gets to come inside anyway. The warmth inside is much appreciated even if he's still getting the occasional glare from the small being on which he still has many questions even if he thinks he can guess the answers. Or some of them, anyway, when it comes to the varying levels of hostility not merely from being muffled alone.
Hilda gives him one, kind of, by way of mentioning that Mogwry - a name which has him glancing up towards where Mogwry disappeared to the upper level in what Claude's willing to bet is absolutely a form of sulking - likes to pick fights. That summation gets a snort from him that's not quite laughter but is definitely amused. ]
I never would've guessed. [ He is wisely going to keep any other thoughts on that to himself in favor of shrugging now that his hands are no longer jammed in his coat pockets to keep them from becoming (nowhere near) numb. ] And if tea's weird in the Horizon then I suppose I've weirded out plenty of people what with offering it just about every chance I've gotten. Besides, if we're going to be here on a snowy day then it's only fitting, isn't it?
[ All with the sort of breeziness meant to add some calm to the situation considering Claude's not missed the way Hilda's fidgeting, and probably not over Mogwry's behavior. He'd been looking out a nearby window at the mountains outside with more appreciation without any cold wind bothering him, but he turns to shoot a smile her direction. ]
I'll let you choose if you want to do the tour or not. Where's this - [ with a small wave of his hand to encompass the cottage and the outdoors here but also wherever it is in reality - ] at?
[ Thinking that Claude's dismissal of Mogwry's attitude is where it will end would be silly of her to believe. The man before her had a mind as sharp as a trap and remembered everything and he'd definitely remember a comment like Mogwry's with that much attitude laced behind it. He'd bring it up again. She was counting on that.
But in another display of Typical Claude moves, he moves on and she tells herself to do the same. Quietly she curses herself for asking a silly question; she'd offered tea plenty of times before in the Horizon too but she hadn't known what else to say, so taken aback by his appearance at her front door. While she had come here to escape and think, she hadn't planned on thinking about the thing Mogwry had been alluding to and she isn't about to let this surprise appearance by Claude be the reason she starts again. She's tired of the heaviness in her heart and slipping into a melancholy when she found herself alone.
Her lips quirk a little higher, a teasing lilt to her voice. ]
Well if you're talking about here - it's the living room. [ The slight rocking motion stops but her fidgeting continues behind her back, fiddling with the hems of her sleeves. ] But if you're talking about here - [ At this she motions around them. ] it's just some field in Goneril. Holst used to take me when I felt like I was getting restless. You'd like it a lot more in the spring and summer. The wildflowers stretch on for days.
[ She pauses, casting a glance around the cozy interior with its fairy lights strung up along the windows, casting everything in warmth and light. ]
There was nothing like this cottage though. There were some places for hikers to stay if they were going long distances so they could have a place to rest for the night that wasn't outside but [ She pulls a face. It goes without saying that she'd never done it. ] I've never been in one. I thought...it might be nice to have a place like this someday. If I ever go home.
[ Her gaze settles on the large bay window looking out towards Goneril. The word "home" sticks in her throat and there's a moment where she isn't certain if she'll be able to swallow it - but she does in the end. ]
Maybe I can convince Holst to buy me one and fix it up.
[ Her immediate comeback about the location, narrowing down a rather broad question to the specifics of right here, gets laughter from him. Well. That's certainly on him for choosing that way of phrasing it, and it's with a smile Claude looks back out the window to take in what's out there again. This time through the lens of Hilda's explanation and though it's his own imagination filling in everything else between the details she supplies, he thinks he could almost imagine it. Or maybe there's an overlay of something else coming to mind, especially when it comes to the mention of home. ]
Sounds a lot like the prairies in Almyra. Some of them seemed to change almost every day with the different flowers that'd bloom and more so after it rained or the temperatures changed. After I learned to ride wyverns I liked to explore wherever I could, and those fields and the steppes were among my favorites.
[ Hilda says it'd be nice to have if she went home, and here he is thinking as much about taking her to see the places he grew up with. Home is a far way away for both of them at the moment even as they stand here in an approximation of hers, and Claude turns over the idea of changing his own domain. It'd be one way to show her, though he's careful to wipe away any wistfulness before turning a smile back to her. ]
You should do it. Not just because I think Holst would be more than pleased and also right there helping to fix it up every step of the way before you even finished the sentence, but it's good to have a place of your own to go to. I imagine the lake out there is even nicer in summertime, too.
[ Not that it's not a nice sight from here - though he appreciates it more thanks to being inside, truthfully, unless there's something else about it Hilda knows he doesn't. ]
[ The wistful thought comes unbidden before she can stop herself, so caught up in this recounting of a piece of Claude's childhood that she had never been privy to. The heat of embarrassment rises to her cheeks once more when she realizes what she's let that thought slip. Why that is, she can't say. It's not like she was overstepping any boundaries. Not when he had already implied as much given everything they had gone through until this point. Quickly she follows up with - ]
Once you're not busy winning the throne that is. I'm sure that will take some time.
[ Would they ever return back to Fodlan? There have been too many times as of late where she'll drift to sleep wondering if she'll wake up the next morning not here, but back on Gronder Field about to step into the fog to fight old friends and classmates. Or worse. She wakes to find Sylvain and Claude gone, leaving her here alone. The former has plagued her since their kidnapping and it had never left. The thought makes her heart clench but she artfully presses it back down like the thought had never occurred to her in the first place.
Instead she offers him a cheeky smile. ]
That's the plan! I'll lay out the design, buy all the furniture and paint, and Holst can do all the heavy lifting.
[ As for the lake... ]
It's glacier water so it's freezing even in the summer. [ Involuntarily she shivers at the thought of summers past where she had been pulled in by Holst or the times when her feet grazed the cool surface in an attempt to cool herself down without jumping right in. ] You'd hate it. It isn't that bad right now either though. It's thick enough to skate on.
[ Claude catches that wistfulness and it's nearly enough to make him pause. But he's done that so much lately, hasn't he? Is it worth questioning (to himself) whether Hilda means that because they're currently here in Abraxas where home - either of their homes - are so distant, or because this is an invitation he should offer yet again, and one that will be weighted with that throne she mentions?
Hilda doesn't need yet another reminder of home, he decides. Not when they're standing right here in the very vision of hers, and not when they've already looped around the topic in different memories shared. He lets it go, finding it far easier to slip on a matching smile as they'd done so many times over so many other topics, and this one in agreement that there's no doubt Holst will be in charge of... anything requiring labor, if Claude had to guess. As Holst would prefer it just as much as Hilda, he's certain. But in response to that shiver, there's also a matching wrinkle of his nose to glacial temperatures. ]
I remember a trip to the mountains when I was a kid and seeing snow there. There were lots of streams around and they looked sort of like the ones I was used to, so I immediately went to play in one and was, ah, surprised. I can't imagine a whole lake of it feels much better than that did. How difficult is it to skate on?
[ Is there a way to ask this casually where it doesn't immediately betray that he doesn't know what he'd be doing if they attempted such a thing? No, there isn't. But that's not going to stop Claude from asking it anyway even as more snow starts to fall, as if he's asking about something as simple as the weather. He has a feeling there's only one expert in skating here, and definitely knows it's not him. ]
[ Without realizing it, her gaze had moved back towards the large window, watching the snow begin to fall again outside. So rarely had she been engrossed in a sea of homesickness for this long. Is it a dangerous thing, she wonders, to want so deeply for something she had in some ways taken for granted? When Claude speaks, and her gaze skips back towards him, there's a faint answer in her mind that, yes. It could.
But that's neither here nor there because there's something else more important that has arisen. ]
You've never skated?
[ Just as he suspects, Hilda immediately catches onto what he's saying and she can't help but sound amused, her eyebrows lifting slightly. She shouldn't feel so surprised. Claude's distaste of the cold isn't a well kept secret, or a secret at all actually. So maybe the surprise comes because she had thought that if anyone would have taken him skating, it might have been Sylvain. After all, there had been a time where she hadn't been here, and amongst the many things the two enjoyed doing with one another it was daring one another to do any assortment of things ranging from silly to downright stupid.
The thought of time without her should bring about a twinge of bitterness. And maybe it does stir something deep in her belly, adding more weight to her paranoia - but she can't hide the faint lift of her lips. ]
It's not that difficult. [ And that should mean something coming from the woman who shied away from most everything. She tilts her head towards the door. ] We could go try it now. If you want. Maybe get in some practice before Sylvain makes fun of you for not being able to?
[ At her question - Claude opts to neither confirm nor deny it, though his lack of response is likely equally telling as anything else. A faint raise of one eyebrow follows at it not being difficult, since: that's probably true, and especially so since Hilda would've made a point (or several points) to exclaim to the otherwise if it wasn't.
Something he thinks of with only fondness, though after that last question his face immediately shifts into a flat look of what might be rather unimpressed if it wasn't for the amusement he's now not bothering to hide either on his face or in his words. ]
Are you sure that's going to change anything? [ About the being made fun of part, that is, considering Claude's fairly certain that's going to happen no matter what. Hilda's point stands regardless that practice would absolutely be a help rather than a hindrance prior to any future events. And as a further bonus, falling on the ice won't hurt nearly as much in the Horizon as it would while awake. Probably. ] I have a feeling you just predicted my soon to be future should Sylvain ever drag us somewhere frozen to offset... well, all the suffering in the desert he claims he's been doing. Some extended stay in Luna is probably in both of our futures as soon as he remembers how cold it was there last year.
[ All fondly, though, since Claude also remembers the heavy layers they'd been provided with on that visit. He'll just have to locate those and then it'll be fine. Probably. That's a problem for Future Claude though since there's still this, and he tils his head towards the door in a mirror of her own action. ]
Alright, I'm putting my skating future in your capable hands then just as soon as I give myself a better coat than what I have on before we go back out there.
[ As Claude's features arrange themselves into a flat, unamused look that is actually quite the opposite, the corner of Hilda's lips curl that much higher. Ice skating isn't that difficult - but there were still plenty of things that she doesn't enjoy about the experience. Like how her ice skates never failed to pinch her toes or how the pain and bruises lingered for several days on the odd occasion that she did fall on her knees.
Admitting as much is hardly confidence building for someone that already had an aversion to cold though. And for the sake of their dance and the roles they've assigned themselves, she doesn't fully address Claude's plain as day amusement. Where was the fun in that otherwise?
Easier to focus on his agreement and how easy it had been to get him to try it. Not that she thought he'd put up much of a fuss, but there was always the possibility considering how stubborn Hilda knew he could be. It's easier to focus on all of that than how she very nearly makes a comment about how an extended stay in Luna might only be in one of their futures and it wouldn't be hers. But even she knows that there's no amount of joking levity that she can pour into her voice that would hide how a part of her still believes it.
Instead she chases the thought aside with a bright grin, closing the space between them to thread her fingers through his. ]
Oh, stop stalling. We both know that magic will have us dressed appropriately faster than we can actually dress ourselves.
[ And without waiting to hear the protests that she knows are coming, she tugs him towards the door. Her clothes transform into thick winter wear similar to what they'd have at home in Fodlan just as she pulls the door open, the warmth from inside spilling out. Casting a glance over her shoulder towards Claude, the same grin is still affixed on her face as she holds up two pairs of skates that have appeared in her hand. ]
Do we? What if this is the time that magic fails us?
[ That's paired with playfully and half-heartedly digging his heels into the floor as if Hilda's forcing him into something and there's any real resistance here - though the thought does cross his mind that if he stays behind it also means being that much closer to being electrocuted. He has a feeling Mogwry would delight in that. Which is to say: whatever supposed protest Claude's putting on dissolves in an instant with a squeeze to familiar fingers laced through his own to let her lead the way he was always going to follow. He's only partially aware of smiling as they walk to the door, but far more aware of it when Hilda glances back with her own grin and the one on his own face grows to match when it's too infectious to not. ]
As much as I'll ever be if you're going to insist on dragging me out there.
[ It goes without saying, perhaps, that the list of people he would do this for is a very short one. Never mind that this is all in their imaginations or whatever other technicality could be applied about being here - it makes no difference to him in the end when there's no way he would've said no to her asking. There's not any answer but yes which crosses his mind even if he has to be a little difficult about it in the process.
Magic doesn't fail this time as it turns out when in the blink of an eye, Claude's wearing a much thicker coat then before with a scarf to match. Also some sturdier socks since that seems smart what with standing on ice... sort of coming into play, and substantial gloves. Claude's self aware enough to know there's more than one way to come in contact with ice here - especially as a beginner to this - and he's not taking any chances even as he follows that up with a fully dramatic shiver. ]
[ Hilda didn't usually second guess herself. Or if she did, she tried not to let it show. Second guessing her actions when it came to Claude is becoming a habit that she has to unlearn and this moment is no exception. Even if it was playful in nature she hadn't missed the way his heels had dug into the ground and it nags at her insecurities.
She has to wonder if she ever felt this uncertain with him. Had she second guessed herself as much when they had first met? A part of her knows the answer already: she didn't. But how much of that had to do with the fact that her bond with him hadn't been as deep as it was now? How much of that has to do with her feelings for him now? Probably more than she's admitted aloud to him.
But as she watches his clothing magically transform into an outfit that she knows is as much for warmth as it is for cushion, all of those feelings momentarily melt away. Affection for him surges in her chest. Warmth radiates from her smile, her eyes crinkling as she pulls him towards the ice. The edge of the concrete platform is cleared of snow and she drags him down beside her so that they can start the arduous task of putting on their skates. It's the only time she releases his hand.
But as she's about to pull her skates on when she realizes - ]
Do you know how to lace your skates? Do you want me to do them for you, your Highness?
[ It's said teasingly, that same warmth laced through her words. ]
I know we're in the Horizon but I'd rather avoid seeing you fall flat on your face or break your ankles.
[ Is his immediately fired back quip once they're seated and he pulls his gaze away from the skates in question to Hilda with a grin to match. Claude might've even included some ridiculous bow to match the title used on him and purely in hopes of making Hilda laugh. The skates do look rather complicated now that he's eying them with the realization he has to get them on, though Hilda pointing out the potential for accidents - ]
But hey, I don't want to break my ankles either! Speaking from experience I can tell you breaking something in here feels just like the real thing and I'm not eager to repeat it.
[ Thanks, labyrinth! Claude doesn't want to dwell on that either any longer than the follow up questions will take to answer since he knows he can't get away with saying something like that without Hilda (correctly) questioning it. At least if he does crash and burn he'll be ready for that particular disaster - and it doesn't change he'd rather encounter it here than anywhere in person where it's easy enough to fix.
Enough procrastinating; Claude reaches for one set of the skates and peers at them up close before raising an eyebrow. They look somewhat simple, but far be it for him to not think there's a trick to it both in mild suspicion and genuine curiosity about what all goes into this skating adventure. He's also possibly adding a second sweater surreptitiously under his coat for good measure. ]
Maybe you can show me how to do them? If we do get dragged somewhere later it'll save me there with any luck and all credit to your tutelage, of course. Though that does mean I'm counting on you keeping my ankles intact and my roguishly beautiful face unblemished all for your viewing pleasure.
[ After a brief show of thinking about it, Hilda's response is quick and, unsurprisingly, reveals how she'll benefit from this somehow in the future. ]
Only so that you can do them for me once you get the hang of it. It has nothing to do with your face.
[ As quick as she is to quip back however, Claude's allusion to breaking something in the Horizon and having it feel just as real once they left it doesn't escape her. Instead of pursuing that particular line of questioning however she hops onto the ice, reaching for the skate that isn't in Claude's hand.
She has no doubt that Claude will pick it up quickly since it's essentially like tying a boot. And she knew he could do that. In the meantime she makes quick work of unlacing the boot on his feet, tugging the first off with a bit of effort. Miraculously, she manages not to fall flat on her ass as she does. A further examination of his foot has her looking at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. ]
Are you wearing three pairs of socks?
[ Said like she isn't also wearing at least two. ]
I'm not getting blisters from this even if it's just the Horizon!
[ Said with no small amount of being Deeply Scandalized seeping into his tone as if blisters are the worst thing in the world to ever face. They might be in the real world whereas here he could just wish them away - or possibly prevent them from happening - but would that entertain Hilda as much as leaning into this? Of course not.
Claude immediately extends his leg to flex the ankle of the foot she'd just freed from its boot related confines to show off the socks, because - ]
And it's four pairs, actually. It's cold out here if you aren't used to it. [ No, he won't miss a chance to grumble about that even as he turns his attention back to his other boot to yank it off without any ceremony and risk being exposed to the cold air that much more. ] By the way, don't think I'm not hurt you're leaving my face out of this like it's just a second thought. Yours looks rather nice from the cold, though.
[ There's just enough time to shoot a cheeky grin Hilda's direction since he does actually mean that while he picks up the other skate and undoes some of the laces on it to match where she has the other one. All the better to study with in this live demonstration. ]
Okay, so now that we've established the correct number of socks needed to be appropriately ready. What's next?
The only way you'll get blisters is if you don't tie your laces properly.
[ All of his antics combined prompt the reaction he'd been hoping for. Amusement turns into laughter as she makes quick work of loosening the laces on the skate in her hand. The nice thing about Horizon magic is that the laces were far less likely to be stiff from the inevitable dampness that would seep into the fabrics.
Laughter however is quickly stifled, traded for a mildly embarrassed pout about her face. It should be impossible for her cheeks to flush more than they already are from the chill in her domain. But if they were going off the logic that most anything was possible in the Horizon then maybe she would be proven wrong at some point. ]
Stop fishing for compliments. You're just being greedy now. [ Her lower lip juts out just an inch more, a glimmer of exasperated fondness shining through. ] But if you manage not to fall flat on your face you might get a reward for that.
[ Back to business though. With a little bit of elbow grease she manages to wriggle the skate onto Claude's foot no thanks to the four layers of fabric he's put on. Her hands move slowly, speaking as she demonstrates. ]
Start from the bottom here and feed the laces from the outside to the inside. When you reach one eyelet, cross the laces under the sides and back out and...repeat until you make it all the way up! Easy, right?
[ For good measure because he's sticking to this Extreme Sock Layering being worth it, though it's not without a scoff at the idea of being greedy as if he wasn't doing exactly that and has been rightfully called out on it.
He'd be tempted to reply if it wasn't for focusing in on what Hilda's doing moments later considering there's always time to tease another time - and the further pinking of her cheeks feels like a victory in and of itself which requires no further comment. (For now.) As Hilda deftly laces the skate he watches for a second before picking up the laces in his gloved hands, then grimacing and pulling off the gloves when the thick knit prevents dexterity unlike his usual ones then grimacing more at the chill, but: Claude manages to get the skate laced up without too much fuss and then shoots a grin her way. ]
I think having an excellent teacher helped for this, even if it's a little like lacing boots. But most boots don't come with giant blades on the bottom of them that I'm supposed to stand on. On ice on top of that!
[ A pointed look down at the ice goes with that since while Hilda seems right at home - maybe this is a bit of the reality of what he's going to have to do sinking in. Because he is going to have to stand on that slippery surface but beyond that, he's gonna have to move around it. Something else he could probably use a demonstration on as he moves to the edge of his seat to drag this out. ]
And that's enough to keep me from breaking an ankle or two, huh?
[ Hilda knows Claude better than to think that that's the last she's heard of her supposed reward. While she didn't get quite the same gleeful delight that Sylvain and Claude had when it came to picking up dares like they were flowers to be plucked from a field, it would be a lie to say that she didn't partake for similar reasons. What she had offered him isn't so much a dare as it is a silent challenge. Whether she chose to voice it or not, she knew what levers it took to pull in order to coax Claude into doing something that he might not otherwise bother with. She just didn't think that ice skating would be one of them.
A reward for his efforts could be thought of later though. She meant what she said about not wanting to see him fall flat on his face and hurt himself, even if it was in the Horizon and therefore superficial hurt. As she ties the laces into a dainty bow on one skate, she watches him attempt the other. It isn't bad all things considered and it is just like he said. It really is like lacing boots. For that she gives him an affectionate if not jokingly patronizing, pat on the cheek. ]
I knew those hands were good for other things than just pulling bow strings.
[ If Sylvain were here she knows he'd make a comment. And as tempting as it is to make her own joke about it, she doesn't want to give Claude the opportunity to stall anymore than he already has or stroke his ego anymore than she already does. Hopping back up beside him on the platform, Hilda is quick to pull her own skates on with skilled practice. ]
We'll have to see, won't we?
[ In no time at all she's back onto the ice, holding out her hands for him to grasp onto. ]
Now stop stalling. It's called ice skating not ice sitting.
[ It's with a grumble he takes her hands which is a predictable reaction considering 1) in general and that 2) he's been doing it ever since ice skating first came into the picture as an option for what might be done here, though there's no real bite behind it. Plus, having Hilda's hands in his means she (probably) can't escape his own comment to match what was said earlier. ]
I think you've been well apprised of what my hands are capable of in the past, you know.
[ Sylvain would be proud. Is now the smartest time to break out that remark considering he could just be stranded on the ice at any moment if Hilda skates away from him? Definitely not, but that'd probably add to the proudness of the risk factor involved. The shameless grin on Claude's face certainly speaks to that he knows he's potentially (literally) on thin ice and that he's unconcerned about it.
Or was until he decided skating has to be as easy as it looks and with some misguided bravery, takes a step forward on the heels of offering up that cheek only to go sliding a bit too quickly. It's a good thing he's still holding onto Hilda since there's no hiding how his grip on her hands tighten until he finds his balance again a second later. That feels - oddly familiar. ]
I see this is going to be like learning to not fall off a wyvern's back all over again, except now it's the ground betraying me by not remaining still instead.
[ In hindsight, Hildareally should have seen that one coming. And after all these years of both enabling and being on the receiving end of Claude's cheeky nature, she should be better about not reacting so expressively when she only has herself to blame for it. If she's being honest however, most of her reaction has to do with the fact that she can practically hear it in a certain smug red-headed roommate's voice.
Claude isn't wrong, of course. She does know. Which makes it all the more miraculous that the only reaction Claude receives is a flat look thanks to the cold of her domain disguising the added flush to her cheeks. ]
"In the past," being the key phrase. It could be worse now for all I know.
[ While it's punctuated with a nonchalant shrug, it's clear from her body language that her attention is fully on him now. Before he's even taken his first step she can tell it's a mistake. Calmly she skates back several inches to watch him steady himself like a foal on unsteady legs squeezing his hands back in return.
There's a brief snort of disbelieving laughter from her. ]
I know for a fact that the ice isn't going to move in here, Claude. [ Not unless she willed it. ] Me on the other hand -
[ When she's certain he's steady she twists cleverly from his grasp before skating backwards several more inches with a twinkle in her gaze. Is this more payback for that comment earlier? Maybe. ]
Come on. The best way to learn is by doing it. This time push out with your skates instead of trying to take a step.
Are you saying you want to find out if it's still the case? I could keep you in suspense until you do.
[ He might be dangerously close to falling flat on his face, ass, or any other body part that'd undoubtedly be uncomfortable, but will that stop Claude from still finding ways to run his mouth and alarm Hilda even as she skates away from him? Absolutely not. File that under enjoying a little bit of living dangerously since she very well could shift the ice around on him as well she points out.
But now he's standing here on his own with hands held out at his sides, still channeling that bit of learning to balance on a wyvern in there somewhere like it'll really help, and there's nothing keeping him upright but sheer willpower. Claude would like to think that counts for something, but it'll count for more as he silently repeats Hilda's advice to himself and then puts it into action.
It's one extremely slow skate as he starts with his right foot to move at a speed roughly equivalent to glaciers and it propels him forward incrementally. The next hurdle is bringing his left foot in the same motion, and while it's certainly wobbly: he's moving forward. ]
Watch out, Hilda. At this incredibly fast rate I'll manage to get to where you are just about the time the sun sets in here.
[ He's still moving slowly but surely with each movement getting a little more confident, though! ]
[ The banter echoes the banter they'd had back at the Academy. All flirtatious, meant to tease and coax anticipation long before their lips had ever touched and they knew how the other tasted. Long before feelings rooted and made things complicated. Those days had been so much easier. Caught up in her homesick reminiscing, wistfulness worms its way into her heart. But before it takes on a mind of its own she tugs it back, not wanting to give bitterness a chance to taint that too.
She'd rather stay here out in the cold, with warm cheeks and laughter woven in the space between them.
As Claude inches his way towards her, she begins to skate in a lackadaisical figure eight motion. There's approval in her gaze that goes unspoken, staying true to her word about not wanting to blow his ego up too much. ]
Look at you go. You'll be able to fly faster than the wyverns at this rate. [ Suddenly she pushes herself back, several more inches. ] That means you'll be able to make it this far without my help, right?
[ Claude will take the risk to his precarious balancing in order to slap a hand to his chest with a theatric gasp not a split second after Hilda's comeback is said like he's been completely and totally deeply wounded by the very idea. There's no time to dwell on it now as Hilda moves away again, and he stops where he is - not that he was really moving much at all anyway - to watch her loop through her steps. ]
You make that look unfairly easy, for the record. And you might as well be asking me to cross the Great Bridge of Myrddin at this rate!
[ The complaining will truly never stop. Then again, neither will Claude's will to keep trying something even if he's bad at it on the first few goes or else he'd never have learned to climb a tree back at Garreg Mach, or any number of smaller things. And he has been studying Hilda as she moves and started considering that moving slowly might be his mistake here; if it's easier to move around with a little quickness, then shouldn't he try the same?
That's Claude's goal when he pushes off his skate as she'd instructed him earlier, and - rather bravely, in his opinion - follows that up with moving the next one after. It's a marked increased in his speed from before (not that it's saying much) and with that? Comes false confidence.
Because once he's successfully skated a few more steps and nearly made it to Hilda, that's where the fatal flaw comes in: he goes to turn a bit too sharply, his balance tips, and with it one skate flies one direction and the other in another to send him sprawling with a yelp to where he just lays on his back on the ice to stare up at the sky now that it's directly above him. ]
Ugh. Is it any easier to get up from the ice than it is to stand on it?
[ Laughter lights up in her eyes again, threatening to spill over at the dramatics. Is she joking? Probably. It's not like she's been avoiding him or anything, not when they had said they would try. But for some reason her nerves always got the best of her just before things became too heated. It's not something she's spent much time thinking about if she's honest. How she feels about it, the potential why, is all promptly glossed over like so many other things that she doesn't want to think about too long or hard.
Instead she offers him a teasing roll of her eyes, her little figure eights coming to a halt so that it doesn't inadvertently send her further back than she intends. She knew he liked a challenge but she didn't want to make it impossible for him. ]
We both know you're going to be better than me at this in no time.
[ She holds her hands out again, curling her fingers towards him in a playful come hither motion. It doesn't surprise her that there's a little more oomph in the next push of his feet to propel him a further than he had been before. Nor does it surprise her that she spies that look of smug confidence in his eyes when he's onto something. For a split second she thinks he's going to do it - until he suddenly becomes a blur of limbs and fabric and he lands flat on his back.
There's a moment of shocked silence worried that he's somehow hurt himself. But his words betray that he's fine even if he's going to probably add this to his list of complaints shortly. Hilda is by his side in a flash, spraying just the smallest amount of ice onto his legs as she does so. She gazes down at him, all smiles and rosy cheeks. ]
It should be. You skipped ahead a couple of lessons, but maybe I should have started with how to fall gracefully first. There's a dignified way of getting up and a not so dignified way. Which one do you want?
[ Claude's only response to that at first is a groan like he's forever collapsed onto the ice and destined to stay there. Clearly getting up is going to be an impossible task, even as he lifts his gloved hands to tentatively tap around on his body like he's expecting something to be missing.
It isn't, of course, especially since he can feel there's nothing wounded here but maybe a little bit of his pride. But none of that will stop him from putting on (and it is put on) the most pitiful look he can muster as he gazes up at Hilda, possibly borrowing a page out of her book from back when Teach used to insist it was training time. ]
I should've put on at least five more coats. Note to self for me for next time.
[ Or if they ever do this somewhere outside of the Horizon, anyway; there's probably a few sweaters he could dig out of the back of his closet to wear beneath his coat, and that's a note he's absolutely making.
The lamenting only lasts so long since Claude tilts his head back slightly to get a better look at Hilda, or rather to admire her and without making any secret of it. A couple more seconds of that will go by before he reaches out for her hands - assuming that's part of whatever she has in mind. ]
At this point I'm not thinking there's much of a difference between the options when it comes to how I'll do them in reality. Pick one and we'll go with it.
Six coats and at least four pairs of socks. You're not going to be able to move at all like that.
[ The pitiful, doe-eyed look is one she knows well having employed it plenty of times in the past. Shockingly it has the exact same effect on Hilda that it had on Byleth which is to say, it doesn't. Huh. So that's how it feels to be on the receiving end of it.
Her lips twitch in amusement as she tries to put on her best impassive Byleth face. It's a pretty faithful recreation of it (it should be considering how often she had been on the receiving end of it), but it's incredibly short lived in the face of Claude's blatant staring. With how much effort she puts into her appearance, being admired is something she should be used to by now. She has no problem preening - that much should be evident by her fashion choices at any ball or event they've been to. Unfortunately being admired by someone she has feelings for is a little (read: vastly) different.
Thankfully a distraction comes in the form of trying to get him back onto his feet. At least in that she can feign that she hadn't noticed his eyes on her. There's still laughter in her voice as she takes a hold of his hands, propelling them backwards a little bit just for the fun of it. This has nothing to do with getting him back up and everything to do with Hilda amusing herself with the image of Claude being hapless on the ice like a giant yellow turtle. ]
Well, it'll be easier if you aren't on your back for one.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I think that hinges on that teasing response.
[ But she catches Claude's slight shiver as a gust of wind rolls down from the Throat. Quickly she ushers him inside into the warmth and the bigger on the inside cottage. Slipping behind him she moves to close the door, staring out briefly at the sprawling, snowcapped rooftops of Goneril nestled into the mountainous terrain. Sometimes it's easy for her to forget that they aren't in Fodlan and that she can't just waltz right back into town and her family home only to be greeted with a spine crushing hug from Holst. She had considered making the town proper instead of just a visage that would never get closer no matter how closely you walked towards it - but had ended up shelving the idea for another day. It felt like too much work and she worried about not being able to do it justice.
With the door closed, the cold stays where it belongs and Hilda finally releases Mogwry with a look that clearly warns him he better be on his best behaviour. There's a moment where it looks like Mogwry is about to argue with her but after a moment he lets out a little huff before fluttering off upstairs broom and all. Hilda waits for him to turn the corner before turning back to Claude with an apologetic look on her face. ]
I'm sorry about Mogwry. He likes picking fights but we're working on it.
[ He'd already made an enemy of Rocket, wrongly accused Thancred of bullying him, and was now apparently trying to provoke Claude. But without the small creature in her arms, she suddenly finds herself uncertain about what to do with her hands. ]
Did you want tea? Is that weird in the Horizon? [ She rocks back and forth on her heels, finally settling on clasping her hands behind her back, ready to turn in any given direction based on Claude's answer. ] We can go sit in the living room unless you want a tour, but it'll be a short one.
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Hilda gives him one, kind of, by way of mentioning that Mogwry - a name which has him glancing up towards where Mogwry disappeared to the upper level in what Claude's willing to bet is absolutely a form of sulking - likes to pick fights. That summation gets a snort from him that's not quite laughter but is definitely amused. ]
I never would've guessed. [ He is wisely going to keep any other thoughts on that to himself in favor of shrugging now that his hands are no longer jammed in his coat pockets to keep them from becoming (nowhere near) numb. ] And if tea's weird in the Horizon then I suppose I've weirded out plenty of people what with offering it just about every chance I've gotten. Besides, if we're going to be here on a snowy day then it's only fitting, isn't it?
[ All with the sort of breeziness meant to add some calm to the situation considering Claude's not missed the way Hilda's fidgeting, and probably not over Mogwry's behavior. He'd been looking out a nearby window at the mountains outside with more appreciation without any cold wind bothering him, but he turns to shoot a smile her direction. ]
I'll let you choose if you want to do the tour or not. Where's this - [ with a small wave of his hand to encompass the cottage and the outdoors here but also wherever it is in reality - ] at?
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But in another display of Typical Claude moves, he moves on and she tells herself to do the same. Quietly she curses herself for asking a silly question; she'd offered tea plenty of times before in the Horizon too but she hadn't known what else to say, so taken aback by his appearance at her front door. While she had come here to escape and think, she hadn't planned on thinking about the thing Mogwry had been alluding to and she isn't about to let this surprise appearance by Claude be the reason she starts again. She's tired of the heaviness in her heart and slipping into a melancholy when she found herself alone.
Her lips quirk a little higher, a teasing lilt to her voice. ]
Well if you're talking about here - it's the living room. [ The slight rocking motion stops but her fidgeting continues behind her back, fiddling with the hems of her sleeves. ] But if you're talking about here - [ At this she motions around them. ] it's just some field in Goneril. Holst used to take me when I felt like I was getting restless. You'd like it a lot more in the spring and summer. The wildflowers stretch on for days.
[ She pauses, casting a glance around the cozy interior with its fairy lights strung up along the windows, casting everything in warmth and light. ]
There was nothing like this cottage though. There were some places for hikers to stay if they were going long distances so they could have a place to rest for the night that wasn't outside but [ She pulls a face. It goes without saying that she'd never done it. ] I've never been in one. I thought...it might be nice to have a place like this someday. If I ever go home.
[ Her gaze settles on the large bay window looking out towards Goneril. The word "home" sticks in her throat and there's a moment where she isn't certain if she'll be able to swallow it - but she does in the end. ]
Maybe I can convince Holst to buy me one and fix it up.
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Sounds a lot like the prairies in Almyra. Some of them seemed to change almost every day with the different flowers that'd bloom and more so after it rained or the temperatures changed. After I learned to ride wyverns I liked to explore wherever I could, and those fields and the steppes were among my favorites.
[ Hilda says it'd be nice to have if she went home, and here he is thinking as much about taking her to see the places he grew up with. Home is a far way away for both of them at the moment even as they stand here in an approximation of hers, and Claude turns over the idea of changing his own domain. It'd be one way to show her, though he's careful to wipe away any wistfulness before turning a smile back to her. ]
You should do it. Not just because I think Holst would be more than pleased and also right there helping to fix it up every step of the way before you even finished the sentence, but it's good to have a place of your own to go to. I imagine the lake out there is even nicer in summertime, too.
[ Not that it's not a nice sight from here - though he appreciates it more thanks to being inside, truthfully, unless there's something else about it Hilda knows he doesn't. ]
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[ The wistful thought comes unbidden before she can stop herself, so caught up in this recounting of a piece of Claude's childhood that she had never been privy to. The heat of embarrassment rises to her cheeks once more when she realizes what she's let that thought slip. Why that is, she can't say. It's not like she was overstepping any boundaries. Not when he had already implied as much given everything they had gone through until this point. Quickly she follows up with - ]
Once you're not busy winning the throne that is. I'm sure that will take some time.
[ Would they ever return back to Fodlan? There have been too many times as of late where she'll drift to sleep wondering if she'll wake up the next morning not here, but back on Gronder Field about to step into the fog to fight old friends and classmates. Or worse. She wakes to find Sylvain and Claude gone, leaving her here alone. The former has plagued her since their kidnapping and it had never left. The thought makes her heart clench but she artfully presses it back down like the thought had never occurred to her in the first place.
Instead she offers him a cheeky smile. ]
That's the plan! I'll lay out the design, buy all the furniture and paint, and Holst can do all the heavy lifting.
[ As for the lake... ]
It's glacier water so it's freezing even in the summer. [ Involuntarily she shivers at the thought of summers past where she had been pulled in by Holst or the times when her feet grazed the cool surface in an attempt to cool herself down without jumping right in. ] You'd hate it. It isn't that bad right now either though. It's thick enough to skate on.
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Hilda doesn't need yet another reminder of home, he decides. Not when they're standing right here in the very vision of hers, and not when they've already looped around the topic in different memories shared. He lets it go, finding it far easier to slip on a matching smile as they'd done so many times over so many other topics, and this one in agreement that there's no doubt Holst will be in charge of... anything requiring labor, if Claude had to guess. As Holst would prefer it just as much as Hilda, he's certain. But in response to that shiver, there's also a matching wrinkle of his nose to glacial temperatures. ]
I remember a trip to the mountains when I was a kid and seeing snow there. There were lots of streams around and they looked sort of like the ones I was used to, so I immediately went to play in one and was, ah, surprised. I can't imagine a whole lake of it feels much better than that did. How difficult is it to skate on?
[ Is there a way to ask this casually where it doesn't immediately betray that he doesn't know what he'd be doing if they attempted such a thing? No, there isn't. But that's not going to stop Claude from asking it anyway even as more snow starts to fall, as if he's asking about something as simple as the weather. He has a feeling there's only one expert in skating here, and definitely knows it's not him. ]
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But that's neither here nor there because there's something else more important that has arisen. ]
You've never skated?
[ Just as he suspects, Hilda immediately catches onto what he's saying and she can't help but sound amused, her eyebrows lifting slightly. She shouldn't feel so surprised. Claude's distaste of the cold isn't a well kept secret, or a secret at all actually. So maybe the surprise comes because she had thought that if anyone would have taken him skating, it might have been Sylvain. After all, there had been a time where she hadn't been here, and amongst the many things the two enjoyed doing with one another it was daring one another to do any assortment of things ranging from silly to downright stupid.
The thought of time without her should bring about a twinge of bitterness. And maybe it does stir something deep in her belly, adding more weight to her paranoia - but she can't hide the faint lift of her lips. ]
It's not that difficult. [ And that should mean something coming from the woman who shied away from most everything. She tilts her head towards the door. ] We could go try it now. If you want. Maybe get in some practice before Sylvain makes fun of you for not being able to?
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Something he thinks of with only fondness, though after that last question his face immediately shifts into a flat look of what might be rather unimpressed if it wasn't for the amusement he's now not bothering to hide either on his face or in his words. ]
Are you sure that's going to change anything? [ About the being made fun of part, that is, considering Claude's fairly certain that's going to happen no matter what. Hilda's point stands regardless that practice would absolutely be a help rather than a hindrance prior to any future events. And as a further bonus, falling on the ice won't hurt nearly as much in the Horizon as it would while awake. Probably. ] I have a feeling you just predicted my soon to be future should Sylvain ever drag us somewhere frozen to offset... well, all the suffering in the desert he claims he's been doing. Some extended stay in Luna is probably in both of our futures as soon as he remembers how cold it was there last year.
[ All fondly, though, since Claude also remembers the heavy layers they'd been provided with on that visit. He'll just have to locate those and then it'll be fine. Probably. That's a problem for Future Claude though since there's still this, and he tils his head towards the door in a mirror of her own action. ]
Alright, I'm putting my skating future in your capable hands then just as soon as I give myself a better coat than what I have on before we go back out there.
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Admitting as much is hardly confidence building for someone that already had an aversion to cold though. And for the sake of their dance and the roles they've assigned themselves, she doesn't fully address Claude's plain as day amusement. Where was the fun in that otherwise?
Easier to focus on his agreement and how easy it had been to get him to try it. Not that she thought he'd put up much of a fuss, but there was always the possibility considering how stubborn Hilda knew he could be. It's easier to focus on all of that than how she very nearly makes a comment about how an extended stay in Luna might only be in one of their futures and it wouldn't be hers. But even she knows that there's no amount of joking levity that she can pour into her voice that would hide how a part of her still believes it.
Instead she chases the thought aside with a bright grin, closing the space between them to thread her fingers through his. ]
Oh, stop stalling. We both know that magic will have us dressed appropriately faster than we can actually dress ourselves.
[ And without waiting to hear the protests that she knows are coming, she tugs him towards the door. Her clothes transform into thick winter wear similar to what they'd have at home in Fodlan just as she pulls the door open, the warmth from inside spilling out. Casting a glance over her shoulder towards Claude, the same grin is still affixed on her face as she holds up two pairs of skates that have appeared in her hand. ]
Ready?
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[ That's paired with playfully and half-heartedly digging his heels into the floor as if Hilda's forcing him into something and there's any real resistance here - though the thought does cross his mind that if he stays behind it also means being that much closer to being electrocuted. He has a feeling Mogwry would delight in that. Which is to say: whatever supposed protest Claude's putting on dissolves in an instant with a squeeze to familiar fingers laced through his own to let her lead the way he was always going to follow. He's only partially aware of smiling as they walk to the door, but far more aware of it when Hilda glances back with her own grin and the one on his own face grows to match when it's too infectious to not. ]
As much as I'll ever be if you're going to insist on dragging me out there.
[ It goes without saying, perhaps, that the list of people he would do this for is a very short one. Never mind that this is all in their imaginations or whatever other technicality could be applied about being here - it makes no difference to him in the end when there's no way he would've said no to her asking. There's not any answer but yes which crosses his mind even if he has to be a little difficult about it in the process.
Magic doesn't fail this time as it turns out when in the blink of an eye, Claude's wearing a much thicker coat then before with a scarf to match. Also some sturdier socks since that seems smart what with standing on ice... sort of coming into play, and substantial gloves. Claude's self aware enough to know there's more than one way to come in contact with ice here - especially as a beginner to this - and he's not taking any chances even as he follows that up with a fully dramatic shiver. ]
Alright, let's do this.
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She has to wonder if she ever felt this uncertain with him. Had she second guessed herself as much when they had first met? A part of her knows the answer already: she didn't. But how much of that had to do with the fact that her bond with him hadn't been as deep as it was now? How much of that has to do with her feelings for him now? Probably more than she's admitted aloud to him.
But as she watches his clothing magically transform into an outfit that she knows is as much for warmth as it is for cushion, all of those feelings momentarily melt away. Affection for him surges in her chest. Warmth radiates from her smile, her eyes crinkling as she pulls him towards the ice. The edge of the concrete platform is cleared of snow and she drags him down beside her so that they can start the arduous task of putting on their skates. It's the only time she releases his hand.
But as she's about to pull her skates on when she realizes - ]
Do you know how to lace your skates? Do you want me to do them for you, your Highness?
[ It's said teasingly, that same warmth laced through her words. ]
I know we're in the Horizon but I'd rather avoid seeing you fall flat on your face or break your ankles.
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[ Is his immediately fired back quip once they're seated and he pulls his gaze away from the skates in question to Hilda with a grin to match. Claude might've even included some ridiculous bow to match the title used on him and purely in hopes of making Hilda laugh. The skates do look rather complicated now that he's eying them with the realization he has to get them on, though Hilda pointing out the potential for accidents - ]
But hey, I don't want to break my ankles either! Speaking from experience I can tell you breaking something in here feels just like the real thing and I'm not eager to repeat it.
[ Thanks, labyrinth! Claude doesn't want to dwell on that either any longer than the follow up questions will take to answer since he knows he can't get away with saying something like that without Hilda (correctly) questioning it. At least if he does crash and burn he'll be ready for that particular disaster - and it doesn't change he'd rather encounter it here than anywhere in person where it's easy enough to fix.
Enough procrastinating; Claude reaches for one set of the skates and peers at them up close before raising an eyebrow. They look somewhat simple, but far be it for him to not think there's a trick to it both in mild suspicion and genuine curiosity about what all goes into this skating adventure. He's also possibly adding a second sweater surreptitiously under his coat for good measure. ]
Maybe you can show me how to do them? If we do get dragged somewhere later it'll save me there with any luck and all credit to your tutelage, of course. Though that does mean I'm counting on you keeping my ankles intact and my roguishly beautiful face unblemished all for your viewing pleasure.
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Only so that you can do them for me once you get the hang of it. It has nothing to do with your face.
[ As quick as she is to quip back however, Claude's allusion to breaking something in the Horizon and having it feel just as real once they left it doesn't escape her. Instead of pursuing that particular line of questioning however she hops onto the ice, reaching for the skate that isn't in Claude's hand.
She has no doubt that Claude will pick it up quickly since it's essentially like tying a boot. And she knew he could do that. In the meantime she makes quick work of unlacing the boot on his feet, tugging the first off with a bit of effort. Miraculously, she manages not to fall flat on her ass as she does. A further examination of his foot has her looking at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. ]
Are you wearing three pairs of socks?
[ Said like she isn't also wearing at least two. ]
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[ Said with no small amount of being Deeply Scandalized seeping into his tone as if blisters are the worst thing in the world to ever face. They might be in the real world whereas here he could just wish them away - or possibly prevent them from happening - but would that entertain Hilda as much as leaning into this? Of course not.
Claude immediately extends his leg to flex the ankle of the foot she'd just freed from its boot related confines to show off the socks, because - ]
And it's four pairs, actually. It's cold out here if you aren't used to it. [ No, he won't miss a chance to grumble about that even as he turns his attention back to his other boot to yank it off without any ceremony and risk being exposed to the cold air that much more. ] By the way, don't think I'm not hurt you're leaving my face out of this like it's just a second thought. Yours looks rather nice from the cold, though.
[ There's just enough time to shoot a cheeky grin Hilda's direction since he does actually mean that while he picks up the other skate and undoes some of the laces on it to match where she has the other one. All the better to study with in this live demonstration. ]
Okay, so now that we've established the correct number of socks needed to be appropriately ready. What's next?
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[ All of his antics combined prompt the reaction he'd been hoping for. Amusement turns into laughter as she makes quick work of loosening the laces on the skate in her hand. The nice thing about Horizon magic is that the laces were far less likely to be stiff from the inevitable dampness that would seep into the fabrics.
Laughter however is quickly stifled, traded for a mildly embarrassed pout about her face. It should be impossible for her cheeks to flush more than they already are from the chill in her domain. But if they were going off the logic that most anything was possible in the Horizon then maybe she would be proven wrong at some point. ]
Stop fishing for compliments. You're just being greedy now. [ Her lower lip juts out just an inch more, a glimmer of exasperated fondness shining through. ] But if you manage not to fall flat on your face you might get a reward for that.
[ Back to business though. With a little bit of elbow grease she manages to wriggle the skate onto Claude's foot no thanks to the four layers of fabric he's put on. Her hands move slowly, speaking as she demonstrates. ]
Start from the bottom here and feed the laces from the outside to the inside. When you reach one eyelet, cross the laces under the sides and back out and...repeat until you make it all the way up! Easy, right?
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[ For good measure because he's sticking to this Extreme Sock Layering being worth it, though it's not without a scoff at the idea of being greedy as if he wasn't doing exactly that and has been rightfully called out on it.
He'd be tempted to reply if it wasn't for focusing in on what Hilda's doing moments later considering there's always time to tease another time - and the further pinking of her cheeks feels like a victory in and of itself which requires no further comment. (For now.) As Hilda deftly laces the skate he watches for a second before picking up the laces in his gloved hands, then grimacing and pulling off the gloves when the thick knit prevents dexterity unlike his usual ones then grimacing more at the chill, but: Claude manages to get the skate laced up without too much fuss and then shoots a grin her way. ]
I think having an excellent teacher helped for this, even if it's a little like lacing boots. But most boots don't come with giant blades on the bottom of them that I'm supposed to stand on. On ice on top of that!
[ A pointed look down at the ice goes with that since while Hilda seems right at home - maybe this is a bit of the reality of what he's going to have to do sinking in. Because he is going to have to stand on that slippery surface but beyond that, he's gonna have to move around it. Something else he could probably use a demonstration on as he moves to the edge of his seat to drag this out. ]
And that's enough to keep me from breaking an ankle or two, huh?
[ Now he's just stalling. ]
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A reward for his efforts could be thought of later though. She meant what she said about not wanting to see him fall flat on his face and hurt himself, even if it was in the Horizon and therefore superficial hurt. As she ties the laces into a dainty bow on one skate, she watches him attempt the other. It isn't bad all things considered and it is just like he said. It really is like lacing boots. For that she gives him an affectionate if not jokingly patronizing, pat on the cheek. ]
I knew those hands were good for other things than just pulling bow strings.
[ If Sylvain were here she knows he'd make a comment. And as tempting as it is to make her own joke about it, she doesn't want to give Claude the opportunity to stall anymore than he already has or stroke his ego anymore than she already does. Hopping back up beside him on the platform, Hilda is quick to pull her own skates on with skilled practice. ]
We'll have to see, won't we?
[ In no time at all she's back onto the ice, holding out her hands for him to grasp onto. ]
Now stop stalling. It's called ice skating not ice sitting.
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I think you've been well apprised of what my hands are capable of in the past, you know.
[ Sylvain would be proud. Is now the smartest time to break out that remark considering he could just be stranded on the ice at any moment if Hilda skates away from him? Definitely not, but that'd probably add to the proudness of the risk factor involved. The shameless grin on Claude's face certainly speaks to that he knows he's potentially (literally) on thin ice and that he's unconcerned about it.
Or was until he decided skating has to be as easy as it looks and with some misguided bravery, takes a step forward on the heels of offering up that cheek only to go sliding a bit too quickly. It's a good thing he's still holding onto Hilda since there's no hiding how his grip on her hands tighten until he finds his balance again a second later. That feels - oddly familiar. ]
I see this is going to be like learning to not fall off a wyvern's back all over again, except now it's the ground betraying me by not remaining still instead.
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Claude isn't wrong, of course. She does know. Which makes it all the more miraculous that the only reaction Claude receives is a flat look thanks to the cold of her domain disguising the added flush to her cheeks. ]
"In the past," being the key phrase. It could be worse now for all I know.
[ While it's punctuated with a nonchalant shrug, it's clear from her body language that her attention is fully on him now. Before he's even taken his first step she can tell it's a mistake. Calmly she skates back several inches to watch him steady himself like a foal on unsteady legs squeezing his hands back in return.
There's a brief snort of disbelieving laughter from her. ]
I know for a fact that the ice isn't going to move in here, Claude. [ Not unless she willed it. ] Me on the other hand -
[ When she's certain he's steady she twists cleverly from his grasp before skating backwards several more inches with a twinkle in her gaze. Is this more payback for that comment earlier? Maybe. ]
Come on. The best way to learn is by doing it. This time push out with your skates instead of trying to take a step.
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[ He might be dangerously close to falling flat on his face, ass, or any other body part that'd undoubtedly be uncomfortable, but will that stop Claude from still finding ways to run his mouth and alarm Hilda even as she skates away from him? Absolutely not. File that under enjoying a little bit of living dangerously since she very well could shift the ice around on him as well she points out.
But now he's standing here on his own with hands held out at his sides, still channeling that bit of learning to balance on a wyvern in there somewhere like it'll really help, and there's nothing keeping him upright but sheer willpower. Claude would like to think that counts for something, but it'll count for more as he silently repeats Hilda's advice to himself and then puts it into action.
It's one extremely slow skate as he starts with his right foot to move at a speed roughly equivalent to glaciers and it propels him forward incrementally. The next hurdle is bringing his left foot in the same motion, and while it's certainly wobbly: he's moving forward. ]
Watch out, Hilda. At this incredibly fast rate I'll manage to get to where you are just about the time the sun sets in here.
[ He's still moving slowly but surely with each movement getting a little more confident, though! ]
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Who says you'll get the chance?
[ The banter echoes the banter they'd had back at the Academy. All flirtatious, meant to tease and coax anticipation long before their lips had ever touched and they knew how the other tasted. Long before feelings rooted and made things complicated. Those days had been so much easier. Caught up in her homesick reminiscing, wistfulness worms its way into her heart. But before it takes on a mind of its own she tugs it back, not wanting to give bitterness a chance to taint that too.
She'd rather stay here out in the cold, with warm cheeks and laughter woven in the space between them.
As Claude inches his way towards her, she begins to skate in a lackadaisical figure eight motion. There's approval in her gaze that goes unspoken, staying true to her word about not wanting to blow his ego up too much. ]
Look at you go. You'll be able to fly faster than the wyverns at this rate. [ Suddenly she pushes herself back, several more inches. ] That means you'll be able to make it this far without my help, right?
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You make that look unfairly easy, for the record. And you might as well be asking me to cross the Great Bridge of Myrddin at this rate!
[ The complaining will truly never stop. Then again, neither will Claude's will to keep trying something even if he's bad at it on the first few goes or else he'd never have learned to climb a tree back at Garreg Mach, or any number of smaller things. And he has been studying Hilda as she moves and started considering that moving slowly might be his mistake here; if it's easier to move around with a little quickness, then shouldn't he try the same?
That's Claude's goal when he pushes off his skate as she'd instructed him earlier, and - rather bravely, in his opinion - follows that up with moving the next one after. It's a marked increased in his speed from before (not that it's saying much) and with that? Comes false confidence.
Because once he's successfully skated a few more steps and nearly made it to Hilda, that's where the fatal flaw comes in: he goes to turn a bit too sharply, his balance tips, and with it one skate flies one direction and the other in another to send him sprawling with a yelp to where he just lays on his back on the ice to stare up at the sky now that it's directly above him. ]
Ugh. Is it any easier to get up from the ice than it is to stand on it?
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Instead she offers him a teasing roll of her eyes, her little figure eights coming to a halt so that it doesn't inadvertently send her further back than she intends. She knew he liked a challenge but she didn't want to make it impossible for him. ]
We both know you're going to be better than me at this in no time.
[ She holds her hands out again, curling her fingers towards him in a playful come hither motion. It doesn't surprise her that there's a little more oomph in the next push of his feet to propel him a further than he had been before. Nor does it surprise her that she spies that look of smug confidence in his eyes when he's onto something. For a split second she thinks he's going to do it - until he suddenly becomes a blur of limbs and fabric and he lands flat on his back.
There's a moment of shocked silence worried that he's somehow hurt himself. But his words betray that he's fine even if he's going to probably add this to his list of complaints shortly. Hilda is by his side in a flash, spraying just the smallest amount of ice onto his legs as she does so. She gazes down at him, all smiles and rosy cheeks. ]
It should be. You skipped ahead a couple of lessons, but maybe I should have started with how to fall gracefully first. There's a dignified way of getting up and a not so dignified way. Which one do you want?
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It isn't, of course, especially since he can feel there's nothing wounded here but maybe a little bit of his pride. But none of that will stop him from putting on (and it is put on) the most pitiful look he can muster as he gazes up at Hilda, possibly borrowing a page out of her book from back when Teach used to insist it was training time. ]
I should've put on at least five more coats. Note to self for me for next time.
[ Or if they ever do this somewhere outside of the Horizon, anyway; there's probably a few sweaters he could dig out of the back of his closet to wear beneath his coat, and that's a note he's absolutely making.
The lamenting only lasts so long since Claude tilts his head back slightly to get a better look at Hilda, or rather to admire her and without making any secret of it. A couple more seconds of that will go by before he reaches out for her hands - assuming that's part of whatever she has in mind. ]
At this point I'm not thinking there's much of a difference between the options when it comes to how I'll do them in reality. Pick one and we'll go with it.
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[ The pitiful, doe-eyed look is one she knows well having employed it plenty of times in the past. Shockingly it has the exact same effect on Hilda that it had on Byleth which is to say, it doesn't. Huh. So that's how it feels to be on the receiving end of it.
Her lips twitch in amusement as she tries to put on her best impassive Byleth face. It's a pretty faithful recreation of it (it should be considering how often she had been on the receiving end of it), but it's incredibly short lived in the face of Claude's blatant staring. With how much effort she puts into her appearance, being admired is something she should be used to by now. She has no problem preening - that much should be evident by her fashion choices at any ball or event they've been to. Unfortunately being admired by someone she has feelings for is a little (read: vastly) different.
Thankfully a distraction comes in the form of trying to get him back onto his feet. At least in that she can feign that she hadn't noticed his eyes on her. There's still laughter in her voice as she takes a hold of his hands, propelling them backwards a little bit just for the fun of it. This has nothing to do with getting him back up and everything to do with Hilda amusing herself with the image of Claude being hapless on the ice like a giant yellow turtle. ]
Well, it'll be easier if you aren't on your back for one.
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