It was not often that Esperia strayed from Fia's side, perhaps a sign of how much she cared and loved for her fiance, and ever since the siege on Phantom Lord that had briefly separated them, Esperia Von Eisenberg found herself unwilling to spend more than a few hours away from her lover, even a day was pushing her limits. However, for some mysterious reasons she had decided to send the day by herself, seeking out some of her friends, because she had something to discuss with them.

Although she had made quite a lot of fond memories in Blue Pegasus, for example, meeting Alisa and bonding so strongly with her, reuniting with Liana and even her friendship with Snowflake were all parts of what made her stay so wonderful, but with the recent events she struggled with a certain issue she needed to figure out. Fia was about to tell her colleagues at the Rune Knights that she was about to leave their order, and obviously, that choice was a difficult one to endure. What if her fiance had made friends during her time there? She would basically be telling her to leave them behind, all because of her petty and selfish desires.

But those desires were a part of what made Esperia into the person she was. Indeed, there was no denying that, and with Fia being willing to do this in order for them to be able to live only for each other and those they'd love, it was only natural that she started thinking about the future.

Wouldn't it be a certain sort of hypocrisy to tell her lover to leave the knights, when she herself was a member of Blue Pegasus? In a way, she knew her alignment to the guild could just as easily tear her away from her fiance's side. Of course, she would try her utmost to recruit her lover into their little 'family', but Esperia couldn't help but worry about 'what if that failed'? Fia didn't exactly embody the ideals the guild used to represent, and yet it made the girl think.

What did she desire the most? What was her priority? Obviously, the answer was simple: She desired Fia the most. But then why, why would she struggle with deciding on what to do? Was it because of the attachments she had toward the guild? A frown lingered on her visage as Esperia was seated on a small bench in the festival area of Crocus, trying her utmost to sort out the thoughts that lingered in her mind.

Even Sebastian was there, politely remaining standing at her side and not saying a word so that he wouldn't disrupt the thoughts of his master. "Ugg... I can't make any sense of this..." The girl whined softly, clearly uncertain about what she should do. At times like this, when she needed answers she would often consult with people, but Asmodeus would just give her the same answer as usual: to do whatever her heart desired, and talking to Alisa about this felt a bit awkward. So then what in the world could she do to resolve this matter?

It was at that moment she thought about an idea, musing out loud. "Maybe I'll see if I can find Snow~ Hmm but would she even go to something like a festival?"

Chelvaric was preparing to go back to the festival. He had a great first day with Snow but the event wasn’t over yet as it would go on for a few days. He wondered what would happen to all the flowers when the event was over but he couldn’t really think of a definite awnser. He just hoped they wouldn’t be destroyed for no reason. The poor souls that were hosted inside the plants would have to move to a different one or had to wander around the earth forever as ghosts. That wouldn’t be good and it would be bad for their families too. He should inquire to someone about it. he quickly dressed himself in the kimono he bought yesterday before leaving his apartment to head out for the festival. He didn’t had an appointment with Snow today so he could do his own thing. Not that he had anything planned for the day so he would just wander around a bit and see what would happen.

The streets were a little bit less busy then the first day of the festival which he liked since he could walk a bit more comfortable through the crowds without having to bump into everyone he would walk past. It seemed it was mostly more quite since school had started again and businesses had gone open again to sell their goods to the foreigners that came from out of town to visit the festival.

It seemed the first day was a general day off and now live was super busy for the townsfolk. But they would earn a really nice amount of money from this. He kept walking till he suddenly heard a voice of a girl sounding confused. Maybe they were in need of help and didn’t know the festival too wel. He walked up the girl who was to people of her age probably a point of interest. She had long black hair and a very young face. he walked up to her and coughed a bit to get her attention.

“I couldn’t help but overhear that you were not able to figure something out? Could I perhaps help you with your problem?”, he said to her and had also noticed she had said the name Snow he doesn’t know in how far she knew his paramour but that would be revealed more if they were to talk to each other.

She had been pondering intensely about the thoughts that occupied her mind. At one side she felt that it would be rude to force Fia to leave the Rune Knights, but in the wake of the events in Oak she didn't want to experience such a feeling ever again. To be forced to leave her behind and go fight in a battle elsewhere... They had made a vow that they would be fighting for each other, and for those they loved, and those fights they would experience side by side. However, it was a sudden cough from nearby that quickly drawn her attention, causing the girl to raise her head and gaze at the stranger in bewilderment.

"Umm..." She blinked in confusion, her mismatched eyes looking at him, and a quick cursory glance made her notice something quite familiar to her: a set of pointed ears. It reminded her of Liana after she had undergone her transformation into an elf, an ancient rite that had made her lose her humanity and gain the same bond a pureblooded elf had with nature.

"I don't know..." the girl spoke hesitatingly, but it was at that moment the butler at her side chimed in. "Young Master, maybe it might not be a bad idea to hear the opinion of a neutral party?"

It was a suggestion that made a lot of sense! Perhaps this man was merely a traveler who had come to enjoy the festivities in Oak, and she would be able to get his opinion on her feelings without needing to worry about the fact that they might share the same type of 'connection' she had with her friends.

"Alright~ You're right Sebastian~ I guess that's the wisdom of one who serves Asmodeus~ Very well, I'll follow your advice then."

She rose from her seat to properly greet the man, a playful little wave of her hand following before extending it in an attempt to offer a handshake as she introduced herself properly. "My name is Esperia~ It's a pleasure to meet you sir-?" Seemingly hoping to get his name she continued her explanation after gesturing for him to take a seat beside her.

"You see, I am dealing with a very big problem. It's my Fiance..." She paused for a moment, her cheeks flushing up lightly as she smiled briefly and continued. "We're supposed to get married soon, but recently she was called away to fight in a battle that wasn't hers to fight... She's a Rune Knight you see, so Fia had to go and answer the call to arms when they were ordered to apprehend the members of the Phantom Lord guild upon discovery of their hideout..."

She sighed deeply, leaning her back against the bench and briefly looking up at the sky. "I hated being left behind, obviously I knew she only went because of her work, but it still hurt me a lot, and I was terrified she might not even return, after the war in Crocus I realize such things might happen more often than people might think..."

She explained sorrowfully, as she leaned forward and looked at the elf, her lips curving back into a smile as she clarified further, clearly becoming more cheerful as she revealed the happy news.

"So Fia told me she was going to leave them, once the battle was over we would end up finally being selfish and only fight for ourselves and those we love and care about. Too often do we get dragged into conflicts that aren't our own."

But then came the part that troubled her, her smile wavering as she asked him hesitatingly. "I just want to be with her as much as possible, that's natural when you love your fiance so much, right?"

Still, she shifted her gaze briefly downwards, a hand trailing to her upper-left leg where beneath the kimono the guild tattoo of the Blue Pegasus was located, nicely on the outer side of her leg.

"But... I worry about the future... Making her leave the Rune Knights, knowing she might have made friends there, just to be with me more often... while I remain with my friends in Blue Pegasus? It feels like I'm being a hypocrite then."

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she whispered softly. "Of course, I don't want to simply leave everyone behind. I made so many friends in the guild, and so many fond memories. Like you know, there is this girl called Alisa in our guild who constantly threatens to tie me up! And then you got our leader Snowflake, who gives really nice hugs, but something tells me she is more dangerous than Alisa, like Alisa might tie me up if Asmodeus makes me get perverted thoughts again, but Snow? She might put me six feet under" the girl exclaimed with a soft giggle.

"Not that I have those thoughts mind you! I have been training really hard with Alisa to become a classy lewdling! so now I can control such thoughts, because I want to be loyal to Fia~ Although Asmodeus does make it hard sometimes... Did you know, despite her name Snow is actually really nice? like she makes you feel really warm when she shows concern, like when she visited me in the hospital in Baska!"

A little grin lingered on her lips. "And then there is my childhood friend Liana and--- ah~ I guess I started ranting."

A little giggle followed as she shook her head lightly to clear her mind.

"I'm sorry~ It's just that those thoughts been haunting my mind for so long, and I don't know what to do... I kind of want to try to make her join Blue Pegasus, but what if she doesn't fit in with everyone?"

Chelvaric was waiting for the girls awnser after he had asked how she was. He didn’t had to wait long as she turned around and started to speak too him. She seemed to be confused and the man next to her that looked like a butler butted into the conversation saying something about a neutral party good give a good opinion about the ordeal she was having. He guessed that was a sound advice to give to someone who was in doubt over something. So the girl had to make a choice or was thinking of something and she was doubting herself a lot. He guessed he could give her advice seeing that he had a few years over her and he should be wiser with his experience in live.

He shook the hand firm but gentle as he didn’t want to pain the girl and took the offered seat as she introduced herself as Esperia. Which seemed to be a nice name to listen too. “I am Chelvaric Walderkat it is nice to meet you too”, He said to her and sat down on the chair while listening to her. it seemed the girl had a lot of problems. As she started off with a long explanation of what was happening. He was starting to raise a eyebrow when she said she had forced her fiancé out of the rune knights. The rune knights were a noble cause and they protected everyone. Ofcourse it was dangerous and all but if no one would do it because it was dangerous who would protect the innocent people of Fiore then. It was wrong of her to think it wasn’t their fight to fight. It was the fight of everyone in Fiore to stop evil doers.  But the girl was young and wouldn’t understand what a duty means they would have to find out for themselves he could give her a nudge in the right direction he guessed.

Then it all started to get a bit weird since she apparently was a blue Pegasus member. It pained him a bit to say but he had never seen her before but it seemed she knew Snow and Alisa, albeit he didn’t know that Alisa had a more kinky side that would tie people up. it seemed she knew Snow as well. Snow was the guild master after all. it would probably be from the small amount of time they were separated. It was quite unlucky that this Esperia never had met him when Snow had visited her. But if she was a friend of Snow than she was a friend of his.

“Ah, I didn’t know you were a fellow Blue Pegasus member”, He said and he pulled his shirt a bit down at his left shoulder revealing his Blue Pegasus tattoo on his shoulder bone.

“It seems to be a but unlucky that we have never met before even though you seem to know Snow quite well and you are right underneath the cold hard outer layer there is a soft and warm person. A bit like a chocolate with a soft filling. Quite tasty too. I know Snow quite well she’s my girlfriend after all and I am her bodyguard and protector and part time boyfriend. See I understand your worries, Snow is always in danger since she’s the guild master. She goes on a lot of hard jobs with deadly fiends and the Dark Guilds would always focus on her. But it is her duty since she swore to take care of the guild and to help us out and protect her members and if needed she would lay down her live for that. Although I don’t want her to die. Since I love her a lot and I would be nothing without her. that’s why I swore to die for her before she will ever fall”, he said to the girl and took a small break to let it sink into her. after which he continued his preach. He flinged his hair over his shoulder as it was getting into his eyes.

“I will not stop her from doing her duty as a duty is holy. But I will be there to help her and protect her through thick and thin. Now for you, I can’t say if this would be the solution but you can both stay in your respective guilds but just spend your jobs and time with her. if she is called for her duty to protect the innocent of Fiore then don’t say its not her fight. Because it is her fight. We are all citizens of this great country and if we the ones with power don’t step up to stop the evil even if our lives can be lost than who will. Instead of staying home why don’t you follow her on her duty and protect her their. We of blue Pegasus should assist the rune knights in whatever we can anyway. But that’s my view on the world I don’t know if it would fit you and if you can’t protect her or you both have a hurdle to go over that is too much for you. Then come and ask me snow or any of the other Aces of Blue Pegasus and we will help you to exceed it.”, he said to her and then waited for her on a awnser if she was still confused he would go and get Snow so she could talk some sense in the young girl. She was better at that kind of thing than him anyway. Maybe he had pushed the duty part a bit hard on her but it would be fine he was sure of it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Chel~" the girl replied to the greeting with a sheepish smile, already reverting into her usual cheerful and slightly speech mannerisms. When the man revealed he was a fellow Blue Pegasus member the girl's eyes widened in surprise, clapping her hands together as she exclaimed cheerfully. "Oh~ another member of the Blue Pegasus family~"

She nodded her head briefly in agreement with the man's statement that it was a bit unlucky that they were not able to meet before, but the way he described Snowflake had her giggle softly. "Chocolate with a soft filling~ Does that make Snow a praline?" She inquired in an amused tone, yet hearing him call her tasty caused the girl's hands to rise to her cheeks, a little blush emerging on her cheeks as her vivid imagination started to wander off into the land of perverts once more, a mischievous grin lingering on her lips.

"That's unfair Chel~ We always consider our girlfriends to taste the sweetest. Although, I can imagine that when you get to enjoy a taste of Snow then you might cause her to melt!"

A hearty laugh escaped her lips, but then it seemed the subject shifted to a more sober conversation. Her expression visibly darkened as she averted her gaze.

"They were sent on a suicide mission..." The girl muttered softly as she looked at Chel and nodded her head lightly. "I wanted to protect her, I wanted to support her in her duty, but the Rune Knights didn't even allow me near her! And they only set a tiny squad to attack Phantom Lord! They all could have died!"

But fortunately, they didn't... in fact, she had not been told what had happened that day, although it clearly had infuriated her lover. "I understand that once you make a vow to do something, it is your duty to see it through but... I don't like it Chel... they left those people to die, they were disposable pawns for an objective they don't even know about!"

Her small hands balled up into tiny fists as she shook her head lightly in the hope to erase her frustration. "It's not like with Blue Pegasus Chel. We are a part of this guild, and carry out the duties associated with it because we believe in it, right? Isn't it because you believe in Snow, and love her that you are willing to fight for her even till death itself?"

She raised a hand to her chest, briefly closing her eyes as if she tried to think a bit more calmly, whispering softly. "I can only fight for a duty that I can believe in. Blindly fighting for a cause that I don't know about is the same as being a pawn on someone's chessboard, and I'm not a pawn."

Indeed, even if they had vowed to become more selfish and fight for only themselves and those they cared about, Esperia had to admit that even while Fia would always come on the first place for her, she genuinely doubted she would be able to ignore a cry for help from an innocent person, nor would Fia condone it for her to turn a blind eye to someone else's suffering.

"That's why she left the Rune Knights in the first place... I just hope she won't miss her friends too much, but she might make new ones among us, right? If she works with us she can carry out her duty without needing to leave me behind!"

A childish and perhaps naive realization, but it was one typical for the girl. However, it was in the wake of those words footsteps and a familiar voice resounded through the air, making the girl look up at Snowflake as she hummed playfully. "Nope~ We were just talking about how sweet you might taste~ It's nice to see you again Snow"

But shortly afterward she shook her head lightly and explained, her expression turning softer as she explained in a gentle tone. "I been struggling with certain matters... Although, like I mentioned earlier I don't want to chain Fia to me, but after the events at Oak I truly don't want another case of the Rune Knights forcing us apart and forbidding me from aiding her. Although we talked a bit before, and I truly want her to become a part of the Blue Pegasus family we have going, I realize now that perhaps that choice is for Fia to make..."

She sighed softly before looking at the two of them. "But mhmm~ I been trying to figure out what to do best. At one side I get what Chel is trying to say but..."

She pondered for a moment and looked at Snow, inquiring with a hint of curiosity. "If Chel's duty forced him away from your side, and you know he might be in a life-threatening situation, wouldn't you want to be at his side then? I don't like the idea of when a duty forces you apart from the one you love... Doesn't it worry you? The knowledge your beloved one might not return someday from his duty?"

Chelvaric listened carefully to what Esperia had to say and he chuckled a bit when she compared Snowflake to a candy. Well in one way Snow was indeed a very nice candy. “Yes, she's totally the best candy in the world”,  he said with a wink at Esperia to lighten the mood a bit since it was a heavy topic they were talking about. He wondered if he really could judge what was happening between the two of them since he didn’t know the full story nor did he know what had happened that day between Phantom Lord and the Rune Knights.

“Well sometimes you have to be a pawn and trust your overseers to do the right thing, but then again I find it weird that you weren’t allowed to help them. They should have greatly accepted your aid. Then again I don’t know the details of the operation and there could be things at play that we have no knowledge about. But if she is that against it she should indeed leave the rune knights I think her duty will just bring her more worries and heartaches than anything else. A full committed duty is only for the few selected under us after all.”, he said and knew it took a special kind of person to commit themselves completely to a soldiers duty. They could have families but more often than not they were lone wolves who were alone and didn’t have anyone that would be sad if they died. That was the price you had to pay to be a loyal member of the army after all. He knew that he was trained to give up everything if evil would threaten the world even his life if necessary and although Snow was everything to him, protecting the world was protecting that happiness he had for countless other people.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice from behind and he looked seeing Snow popping up. He didn’t expect her to find him so fast and he smiled at her for the pleasant surprise. “Its good to see you babe”, he said and he kissed her on the cheek. “Well, it seems Esperia has some problems with life, maybe you can share your vast knowledge as a guild master to her. I am sure you can help her better then I was doing.”, he said to Snow, knowing that she was quite the wise person although maybe not on social problems. But she was a girl and this was a girl problem more than anything. He didn’t stop to think about but wasn’t Fiammetta a girl too. “How is Fia doing by the way? If it’s the Fia I think it is I have met her before”, he said to Esperia and awaited her answer.

"Oho~" Hearing how Chelvaric described Snowflake as being the best candy in the world the obsidian-haired trickster was quick to chime in on the comment. "I wouldn't be so sure about that Chel~ While I won't deny that there is no doubt that Snow has a flavor that would make even the sweetest pastries pale in comparison..." She paused for a moment, her gaze lifting up to the lady herself as she smiled playfully at her. "I'm not entirely sure if she'd best Fia in terms of flavor~ Let's call it an even match for now."

Giving the elf a little wink in return for his remark, she had to admit that seeing Snowflake embarrassed was quick endearing, she would even have gone as far as calling it adorable or cute.

"To be honest neither I or Fia want to be pawns, the reason we are able to fight is that we believe in the reason for it. Take the war in Crocus as an example." She paused for a bit, a hand returning to her chest as she thought about it for a moment. "We were able and willing to fight because we believed that we could protect the peace of those who are too weak to fight. We were willing to bleed because if we weren't, then it would affect our loved ones."

She thought back toward Baska and all the people she had met there, and the Barone orphanage, of course, she couldn't simply allow the war to affect them.

"Oh~ You met Fia before Chel? Snow met her also!" The girl exclaimed happily yet it seemed that Snowflake had some advice of her own to give.
"Mhmm~ I'm sure that everyone would like her. Despite the fact she is a bit rough around the edges she really is a sweet girl, it's why I love her so much~" Esperia stated with a little smile but it were the words that followed that caught her by surprise.

Even if she were to leave Blue Pegasus, it wouldn't change how everyone acted toward her... Although they would be sad, they would understand her reason and still consider her that adorable little lewdling that was part of their family. Of course, the end result of those words caused quite an emotional impact on the girl, to the point tears started to gather in her eyes and she pushed her body upwards, trying to hug Snowflake as she cried out.

"Of course I don't want to leave Blue Pegasus! I don't want to leave behind the family I found here! The friends I made here at the guild are irreplaceable!" the girl sobbed softly as she recalled all the fond memories she had built up with them so far, and yet the same fear as before continued to haunt her. "But I'm scared... scared of Fia going somewhere I can't reach, to be in danger when I can't help her..."

Of course, Fia was willing to make the decision, in fact, she had already done so, but what about her? Would she be willing to leave her friends for Fia's sake?

"I can't... I can't simply leave everyone behind..." She simply couldn't, she treasured her bonds too much for that. "Nor would Fia want me to do that..."

Yet, it seemed there was no other option than to leave the choice with Fia, and for the two of them to overcome it together, like they had always done, and would always continue to do so.

"But it's scary... I already hate it when we're apart for more than a few hours... It simply feels terrifying to sleep in a bed without her by my side. I know it's childish, but I have grown so used to that warmth of having her by my side, that I'm scared of losing it..."

Chelvaric smirked at Esperias comment and she was right he didn’t had the right to say snow was the sweetest since that was probably only true for him. So he nodded when she said that they would keep it even right now. “Well we will never know so I’ll take even as a diplomatic settlement.”, he said to Esperia while he saw that Snow was quite blushing from the comments. He felt a bit bad that he embarrassed her a bit maybe and quickly followed the conversation into the new part.

He had to agree with Esperia, Fia was maybe a bit loud and very busy but she was a nice person in all and it would not be a problem if she would join Blue Pegasus. He was sure that everyone would love her and it would all work out fine. Although he loved Snow and her opinion made good sense he rather not have someone leave the guild. But in the end that was not his decision to make so he was not going to say it out loud and just leave it at how Snow had explained things.

It seemed that Esperia didn’t want to leave Blue Pegasus at all and that fia wouldn’t ask her too do it and he understood that. He also understood her feelings of not having her by her side for more then a few hours make you feel like you just lost part of yourself. That was something so horrible to feel although you know they will come back and they are loyal to you but you still worry that something is going to happen and that you will be left alone with the possibility that you will never see them again.

“That Is a normal feeling Esperia, you will just have to put your faith into it that she will be alright and will come back to your side. I know it’s hard to do but that’s just the way it is and it will be agonizing at first and you will feel like she doesn’t understand you that you want to be by her side most of the time but over time she will see that you just want her to be safe. At that moment I am sure she will understand you.”, he said too Esperia and was finding this a rather difficult subject to speak about but on the other side it was like laying part of himself naked since he went through the same feelings at times.