JULY - AUGUST TEST DRIVE MEME

[indigo_events]

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Comments

[donoteattheweeds]

Dedue has seen a fair bit of this country, albeit briefly, when he walked across it. He never spent much time in any one particular place, not when he was so intent on finding His Highness again, but what he did see was peaceful and kind and almost impossibly welcoming. He was a stranger every place that he went, yet was treated with neither suspicion nor hostility. There is no hatred for him here as a man of Duscur-- it is almost unsettling to be regarded as any other person who might walk through town.

Dimitri has had the time to become more acquainted with this world, and he speaks of it all with such quiet admiration. There is much to be admired, of course, in a country that can take care of its citizens so well, ensuring that even those among them who choose to wander can have full bellies and good health. Fodlan could benefit, perhaps, from lessons learned here; even in the capital of Faerghus, disease ran rampant for many years despite the best efforts of its governance, and regions like the county of Galatea are still plagued by hunger. Magic can do much to aid the suffering of the injured, but it's not something that's widely available to the common man. There is much that could stand to be improved, especially for those who aren't so fortunate as to be born into a powerful noble house.

Doubtless, trying to implement such radical changes in Faerghus would invite backlash from the traditional noble families. But Dimitri is already planning to change so much, what's a few more things added into the mix? The nobles will always wail and gnash their teeth at any slight indication of a disruption to their comfortable lives. But with good friends supporting him, even that will not be so insurmountable an obstacle. What's there to fear from the mewling of discontented old men if Felix is with him, with his tongue sharper than anything the old nobility could ever muster and a spine like steel? And Sylvain, who has enough charm to sway any room and wits enough to know when to use it? And Mercedes and Annette, Ingrid and Ashe-- Dimitri will not be changing the world alone. And Dedue, of course, always, even if he has no power in court. They had all followed Dimitri into war, and surely they would all follow him to a better future.

"That is a dream that I would be proud to help you realize." Even if they can't do it all in their lifetime, if they just plant the seeds for a garden that they will never see-- it will still be an incredible achievement. It's a worthwhile fight, to be able to hand a better world to your children.

"But, Your Highness, if you should have those thoughts again, that you have mentioned," the worrisome ones, thinking that this place is the afterlife, "please remember that I am here for you."

Dedue has never turned him away when he needed him, no matter the time of day or night. It's never an inconvenience when it comes to Dimitri.

He also speaks about his companion creatures with fondness, even as one of them, the odd looking bird-creature, climbs across his stomach with all of the courtesy of a cat that's decided that every one of your organs makes for a good stepping-stone. It has retrieved something from its... sack? tail? and presents it to Dedue. He takes it, of course, with thanks, in part because he wouldn't know quite what else to do when a bird hands him a paper bag. Inside is an appetizing looking pastry, which is a surprisingly appropriate gift considering Dedue's current state. He distracted from any suspiciously fortuitous pastry contemplation, however, when Dimitri sits up to briefly survey their surroundings; he settles back once he's satisfied, but it's an odd action considering the topic of conversation.

He shouldn't be surprised at the explanation. Dimitri has always been kind to children, and that fact remains true even now. It's... sweet, that he would use the word that this child prefers simply because it would make them happy. It's a small thing, really, but to children, even small things can be important.

"I will remember the term," he says, because what's the harm in using it? Though something bothers him-- "This child, however. Are they here alone?"

Because where did Dimitri find a child?

[nastyboy]

"Oh, thank goodness no," Dimitri says immediately, with an absolute flood of relief washing over him as he can contrast the reality of the matter to this much more disastrous hypothetical. He adores Chip, of course he does...

But he has also seen them buy bags full of candy to devour immediately only to curl up in pure suffering. He has been told tales of them climbing into dangerous areas, on unsteady terrain, to challenge dangerous individuals. Chip is still learning to swim.

And that's not even talking about what happened at Prom, the things that pose a danger to a child even in a place that does not know war.

If Dimitri ever finds out who is behind that - or perhaps even so much as speaks to the arrogant man who had insisted that the masks and only those were necessary to a simple masquerade, he's going to pull their intestines out from their nostrils.

...Anyway.

Dimitri lets out a breath, gently petting Nicholas as the bird continues to dig through his bag. "At the same time I first arrived in this place, so too did Chip, and their father, Grant," he explains. "We became traveling companions, when Chip became eager to explain this world to me." Nicholas pulls out an apple, this time, and Dimitri doesn't think twice as he accepts it when it's passed along to him. "And Grant... helped me a great deal, when I first arrived here, even though he did not have to."

Frankly, it would have no doubt been easier for Grant to leave him to his own devices. He had his hands full, just watching after Chip, and adjusting to a land that was very different than his own.

And yet regardless...

"I owe him a great deal," Dimitri says quietly. "I think you will like him. He has a good temperament and kind personality." Or perhaps that is just Dimitri's own desire to have some of his most loved people get along. Felix and Grant's awkward start had been enough of a distant worry, some months ago. He'd like it if that weren't the case here.

...Although, now that he thinks about it, he still might have to deal with Felix and Dedue being a bit - stiff with each other. Sure. That's the phrasing.

[donoteattheweeds]

The child has a father-- good. While he doesn't doubt that Dimitri will-- one day-- be a fine father, that doesn't necessarily mean that that day should be today. And, of course, it's for the better that the child has their father here to look after them; it's a frightening thing to be alone in a strange world with no parents to guide you.

Dimitri speaks more than just fondly of this parent, Grant, who traveled with him when he first arrived. He feels a stab of something in his gut that isn't far from guilt when His Highness speaks of arriving alone, needing aid and only able to rely upon the kindness of strangers. Dedue didn't have a choice in being separated from him, but it pains him nevertheless that he wasn't able to be there when he was needed. He's a poor shield for His Highness if he isn't there to aid him.

Even so, it is encouraging that Dimitri has come so far as to be able to make friends again. This would have been an impossible feat for him before Gronder, when every fiber of his being was dedicated to taking Edelgard's head from her shoulders. When the voices of the dead were louder than those of the living.

"If he is as good of a man as you say, than I am certain that I will." Since Grant is important to Dimitri, Dedue would make all attempts at being decent to him, as well. If he can manage civility towards Felix, he ought to be able to get along with anyone, really. "And I am glad that, in my absence, you have been among friends."

And speaking of friends, stiff is an understatement when it comes to Dedue and Felix's current strained relationship. Dedue can barely walk into a room without Felix, at the very least, becoming irritated, if not outright combative. Back in their proper world, there was an entire monastery for them to be on opposite sides of if necessary; that's not the case in a house, or in a traveling party. They will have to, somehow, through likely titanic efforts, learn to tolerate each other.

[nastyboy]

Among friends... Dimitri drifts into a momentary silence as he considers that, and recalls what he can of his early days in Johto. Some of those days are, admittedly, something of a blur, where they exist at all. Robbed of what he felt was his purpose, believing himself to be a spirit of the dead, he had lost so much of his fire that had carried him through five miserable years, and made him such unfit company when their old class reunited. Those days in Cherrygrove... He had worked, and avoided sleep, and adjusted to such peculiar creatures and technology quietly.

The first step of change, when things first started to become clear regularly...

"I was truly fortunate," he agrees quietly. "Thanks to Grant's efforts, I began to sleep again - first in short bursts, and then for much longer when he managed to meet a creature that agreed to help me. Ah - actually, Nicholas, could you go retrieve Kent's Pokeball?"

The bird looks up at him when he speaks, head tilted to the side, before chirruping and sliding off of him. As the Delibird begins to trot off towards the house again with his short little legs, Dimitri turns his hattention back to Dedue. "The creatures here are truly incredible... and they also have helped me in recovering. I will be glad to introduce you to all of them, and hope you find stalwart companions that suit you as well. Desta will help make such a task easier."

The Roselia in question seems to have finished sniffling for the time being, and seems to have drifted into a state of content... and maybe the kind of drowsy state one gets into after crying too much, considering how she rests against Dedue's body.