Whereas her sister had spent most of the day wandering Kirkwall, Liliane was less inclined to do so, and instead had kept her investigations cursory. Sheād been a bit curious about this clinic that a friend of Lucienās occupied however, and had chosen to spend at least a couple of hours speaking with the woman who ran it. Her curiosity assuaged, she was now sitting outside of it, on a chair facing the garden, running a whetstone over the length of her longsword. Her shield, the crest of her house stamped into the silverite surface, lay propped against the side of the chair. The scents of the flowers and herbs were fragrant here, and she found something remarkably pleasant about that.
Not as much a people-person as Violette, Liliane spent most of her days rather quiet, even when most of the speaking was done in her mother tongue. Nevertheless, she wasn't the kind to find company an impositionāshe simply didnāt seek it the way her elder sibling did. Regardless, it seemed that it would be finding her rather shortly, at least for a moment. The sound of footsteps caused the tall knight to glance up from what she was doing, only to observe that the slight woman from yesterday was making her way towards the clinic. Perhaps she yet had injuries that needed attention? Thoughā¦ she was dressed more for labor than anything. It struck her that a garden this size would need tendingāperhaps that was the cause.
Not only was Aurora dressed for labor, but Milly as well. The girls walked side-by-side, Milly in a large orange sun hat and Aurora sporting a new bandage spanning the bridge of her nose. It was Milly who stuttered in the small talk between the two when she saw a stranger sitting in front of Nostariel's clinic. Aurora had passed by her a couple of steps before she realized what happened. "Who's... That?" Milly asked, gingerly pointing at Liliane. Aurora followed her point before giving the Chevalier a wave. "That's Lucien's friend. I told you about her, remember? Liliane, the Chevalier," Aurora explained.
Milly hummed her reply, and Aurora shrugged. Maybe it was the sword and shield the woman held that had cause for hesitation, but for her it was an ordinary occurrence. Most of her friends had weapons and they were in use far more often that she cared to admit. For an apostate trying to lie low, she was certainly aware of how much trouble she found herself or her friends in. "Come on now, she won't bite. At least I hope not. I didn't get a good look at her fight," Aurora admitted, tracing the bandage over her nose. Chuckling at Milly's death glare, she approached the clinic and pulled the gardening gloves out of her pocket.
"I didn't expect to see you here," Aurora said to the Chevalier, though not unkindly. "Have you spoken with our resident Warden?" She asked, trying to make small talk.
Violette nodded slightly, pausing in her motions and standing, so as to lean her blade against the same chair and bow before both women. āSo it is,ā she said, speaking a little more slowly than usual to try and minimize the effect. āShe isā¦ very impressive.ā To have healing knowledge that broad was quite something, especially when one considered that the bow hanging on a hook in the clinic seemed to belong to her as well. Most people would struggle to master one of those two things.
But her manners were niggling at her, and so when she finished answering the question, she turned to the woman she did not know. āI have met Miss Aurora,ā the knight said carefully, ābut I do not believe we have been introduced. Liliane Routhier of the Knights Chevalier, at your service.ā
Nodding her agreement, Aurora occupied herself with donning the thick leather gloves she used for gardening, while she let Milly introduce herself. They were close, but she wasn't the girl's mother. Milly first looked at Aurora with a brow raised, wondering why she still hid behind that name before turning more politely to Liliane. "My name is Milian Randrel, but my friends call me Milly. It's a pleasure Serah," She said with a tacked on courtly bow to boot.
"I hope you two ladies aren't worried about getting a little dirt on you," Aurora said, noting the odd courtly manner Milly took upon being introduced to the Chevalier. "They're no bandits, but weeds are just as tenacious," she continued, gloved hands planted on her hips and a bright grin spread across her lips, "Fortunately, they don't fight back."
Lilianeās eyebrow ticked upwards, the stoic cast of her mouth for a moment becoming the faintest hint of a smile. āIf we are to labor together, then you must call me Lili,ā she said simply, sheathing the sword sheād been working on and unbuckling the heaviest pieces of her red armor to leave them in a careful pile upon the chair sheād been occupying. The chain followed, leaving her in a linen shirt and trousers, as well as heavy leather boots. A short cord tied her platinum-blonde hair into a serviceable tail, and after that, she was a willing volunteer, and, as it turned out, a curious questioner. She knew a few things about plants, but not nearly as much as Aurora did, and though her facial expression didnāt seem to change much, she was clearly pleased by the opportunity to learn a little more about them.
āIs this something they teach, in the Circle?ā she asked, though admittedly she was not sure if either of them had ever been part of a Circle or not. She hadnāt missed Auroraās display of magic, and she sort of assumed that the other one was probably a mage, too, given the closeness they seemed to share and the fact that both appeared to be regular volunteers here, at a clinic run by another mage. Perhaps it was a bit of a leap, but it didnāt seem wholly unwarranted, at any rate.
A blush was something rarely found on Aurora's cheeks, but in this instance it was clear as day. She turned a shade that mirrored her hair as her deft hands quit their work and she froze like a fly caught in honey. She needn't look to know that Milly was glaring a hole into her temple. She was refused her chance to answer before Milly spoke for her, a fine line of irriation layering under her voice. "No. No, Rosy learned that all on her own," She said, "Too bad she didn't learn the meaning of subtlety." That comment shrunk Aurora's head down into her shoulders as she began to attack the weeds with a renewed vigor in attempt to work her way out of the hole she found herself in.
"How'd... You find out?" Milly asked Liliane, her eyes having shifted from irritated to pleading between the women. Aurora attempted to open her mouth to answer for her, but whatever words she had in mind were killed in her throat by a swift glance from Milly.
Liliane glanced back and forth from one woman to the other, the reasons for the chilly manner of Milly becoming rather clear from the way the question was asked. āDo not be so āarsh,ā the knight said mildly, āshe used a small amount of magic in service of saving āer own life and anotherās, on an errand for a good man. There are scarcely better times than that to take risks, and withāolding that which might save the life of another is perāaps even more unwise than parting with a secret.ā Even one of that magnitude. āAurora acted with honor; I only noticed because I happened to be facing in that direction anyway.ā
There was a pause for a moment as Liliane worked another week out of the soil, using her hands like a spade to pull free the roots of it as well and cast it into a pile of similar unwanted plants. āFor what it is worth, your secret is safe with me. Iāve no great desire to see the friends of my friend imprisoned for āelping āim. And I donāt think āeād forgive me if I tried.ā Another weed came free, this one with a small dirt shower, most of which managed to find the chevalierās shirt. She frowned slightly, brows knitting together, but otherwise went on as before. āThe two of youā¦ you are not from āere, no? Your trade tongue is better than mine, but I can āear it a little still. Rivain or Antiva?ā
Aurora watched the tension in Milly's face drain due to Lili's answered and mouthed a small thank you in her direction. Maybe it helped save her a lecture when they returned home. "Oh, Tu sei buono. You're good," Milly answered, placated by Lili's answer, and finally Aurora was allowed to speak on her own again. "Antiva, actually. Originally, I was from Bastion," She said, her words colored with a tinge of homesickness. Milly allowed Aurora's answer to clear before she provided her own, "Antiva City proper. I... Didn't get out much," She answered. Unlike Aurora, Milly's first memory was of the Circle.
"How about yourself?" Milly began, "Have you ever been to Val Royeaux?" She asked curiously.
Liliane smiled a little more noticeably at that. āQuite often. My family has land in the countryside, but like all nobles, it is best if we are present at Court at least during the season. If not, one tends to become a topic of conversation, and being talked about is usually only good when one can control what is said.ā She rolled her eyes slightly, as if to indicate a habitual frustration with this sort of thing, then shrugged. āAt least, when one is chevalier, one does not have to worry so much about the fashion. The uniform is always in vogue, as they say. Otherwise, I think Violette would be āopeless.ā Liliane herself would have no such trouble, but the uniform was her preference as well, being a fundamentally practical person at heart.
āIt is commonly said that an Orlesian ladyās choices are armor or a corset.ā She wrinkled her nose. āI do not understand why they are not all knights, if so.ā Her section of the garden appeared to be fully weeded, so she smoothed over the disturbed soil and stood, brushing residual dirt from her clothes. āIt is not so bad, to see people taking the āarder road in life. I do not know of many roads āarder than yours. Should you ever find yourselves in Orlais, you āave at least one friend.ā
"I've always wanted to visit Val Royeaux," Milly said absent-mindedly, imagining the opulent buildings and grand architecture. "And what? Miss out on the Gallows?" Aurora added, though the joke was humorless in nature. However, she continued with something far more warm, "Maybe one day we can visit the city. Though I doubt I'll ever punish myself by slipping into a corset.." The smile on Aurora's face was good natured as she looked up to Lili, her face relaying the thanks she felt.
"But Rosy! Imagine all of the dresses. And the shoes, Rosy. The shoes," Milly said between laughter. Once she'd gotten it out of her system, she finished pulling the last weed out of the ground and then placed her hands on her knees as she looked up to Lili. "Thank you for that," She said, "But really it's not all that hard. Not when you have friends like these," She said with a wide smile.
Not as much a people-person as Violette, Liliane spent most of her days rather quiet, even when most of the speaking was done in her mother tongue. Nevertheless, she wasn't the kind to find company an impositionāshe simply didnāt seek it the way her elder sibling did. Regardless, it seemed that it would be finding her rather shortly, at least for a moment. The sound of footsteps caused the tall knight to glance up from what she was doing, only to observe that the slight woman from yesterday was making her way towards the clinic. Perhaps she yet had injuries that needed attention? Thoughā¦ she was dressed more for labor than anything. It struck her that a garden this size would need tendingāperhaps that was the cause.
Not only was Aurora dressed for labor, but Milly as well. The girls walked side-by-side, Milly in a large orange sun hat and Aurora sporting a new bandage spanning the bridge of her nose. It was Milly who stuttered in the small talk between the two when she saw a stranger sitting in front of Nostariel's clinic. Aurora had passed by her a couple of steps before she realized what happened. "Who's... That?" Milly asked, gingerly pointing at Liliane. Aurora followed her point before giving the Chevalier a wave. "That's Lucien's friend. I told you about her, remember? Liliane, the Chevalier," Aurora explained.
Milly hummed her reply, and Aurora shrugged. Maybe it was the sword and shield the woman held that had cause for hesitation, but for her it was an ordinary occurrence. Most of her friends had weapons and they were in use far more often that she cared to admit. For an apostate trying to lie low, she was certainly aware of how much trouble she found herself or her friends in. "Come on now, she won't bite. At least I hope not. I didn't get a good look at her fight," Aurora admitted, tracing the bandage over her nose. Chuckling at Milly's death glare, she approached the clinic and pulled the gardening gloves out of her pocket.
"I didn't expect to see you here," Aurora said to the Chevalier, though not unkindly. "Have you spoken with our resident Warden?" She asked, trying to make small talk.
Violette nodded slightly, pausing in her motions and standing, so as to lean her blade against the same chair and bow before both women. āSo it is,ā she said, speaking a little more slowly than usual to try and minimize the effect. āShe isā¦ very impressive.ā To have healing knowledge that broad was quite something, especially when one considered that the bow hanging on a hook in the clinic seemed to belong to her as well. Most people would struggle to master one of those two things.
But her manners were niggling at her, and so when she finished answering the question, she turned to the woman she did not know. āI have met Miss Aurora,ā the knight said carefully, ābut I do not believe we have been introduced. Liliane Routhier of the Knights Chevalier, at your service.ā
Nodding her agreement, Aurora occupied herself with donning the thick leather gloves she used for gardening, while she let Milly introduce herself. They were close, but she wasn't the girl's mother. Milly first looked at Aurora with a brow raised, wondering why she still hid behind that name before turning more politely to Liliane. "My name is Milian Randrel, but my friends call me Milly. It's a pleasure Serah," She said with a tacked on courtly bow to boot.
"I hope you two ladies aren't worried about getting a little dirt on you," Aurora said, noting the odd courtly manner Milly took upon being introduced to the Chevalier. "They're no bandits, but weeds are just as tenacious," she continued, gloved hands planted on her hips and a bright grin spread across her lips, "Fortunately, they don't fight back."
Lilianeās eyebrow ticked upwards, the stoic cast of her mouth for a moment becoming the faintest hint of a smile. āIf we are to labor together, then you must call me Lili,ā she said simply, sheathing the sword sheād been working on and unbuckling the heaviest pieces of her red armor to leave them in a careful pile upon the chair sheād been occupying. The chain followed, leaving her in a linen shirt and trousers, as well as heavy leather boots. A short cord tied her platinum-blonde hair into a serviceable tail, and after that, she was a willing volunteer, and, as it turned out, a curious questioner. She knew a few things about plants, but not nearly as much as Aurora did, and though her facial expression didnāt seem to change much, she was clearly pleased by the opportunity to learn a little more about them.
āIs this something they teach, in the Circle?ā she asked, though admittedly she was not sure if either of them had ever been part of a Circle or not. She hadnāt missed Auroraās display of magic, and she sort of assumed that the other one was probably a mage, too, given the closeness they seemed to share and the fact that both appeared to be regular volunteers here, at a clinic run by another mage. Perhaps it was a bit of a leap, but it didnāt seem wholly unwarranted, at any rate.
A blush was something rarely found on Aurora's cheeks, but in this instance it was clear as day. She turned a shade that mirrored her hair as her deft hands quit their work and she froze like a fly caught in honey. She needn't look to know that Milly was glaring a hole into her temple. She was refused her chance to answer before Milly spoke for her, a fine line of irriation layering under her voice. "No. No, Rosy learned that all on her own," She said, "Too bad she didn't learn the meaning of subtlety." That comment shrunk Aurora's head down into her shoulders as she began to attack the weeds with a renewed vigor in attempt to work her way out of the hole she found herself in.
"How'd... You find out?" Milly asked Liliane, her eyes having shifted from irritated to pleading between the women. Aurora attempted to open her mouth to answer for her, but whatever words she had in mind were killed in her throat by a swift glance from Milly.
Liliane glanced back and forth from one woman to the other, the reasons for the chilly manner of Milly becoming rather clear from the way the question was asked. āDo not be so āarsh,ā the knight said mildly, āshe used a small amount of magic in service of saving āer own life and anotherās, on an errand for a good man. There are scarcely better times than that to take risks, and withāolding that which might save the life of another is perāaps even more unwise than parting with a secret.ā Even one of that magnitude. āAurora acted with honor; I only noticed because I happened to be facing in that direction anyway.ā
There was a pause for a moment as Liliane worked another week out of the soil, using her hands like a spade to pull free the roots of it as well and cast it into a pile of similar unwanted plants. āFor what it is worth, your secret is safe with me. Iāve no great desire to see the friends of my friend imprisoned for āelping āim. And I donāt think āeād forgive me if I tried.ā Another weed came free, this one with a small dirt shower, most of which managed to find the chevalierās shirt. She frowned slightly, brows knitting together, but otherwise went on as before. āThe two of youā¦ you are not from āere, no? Your trade tongue is better than mine, but I can āear it a little still. Rivain or Antiva?ā
Aurora watched the tension in Milly's face drain due to Lili's answered and mouthed a small thank you in her direction. Maybe it helped save her a lecture when they returned home. "Oh, Tu sei buono. You're good," Milly answered, placated by Lili's answer, and finally Aurora was allowed to speak on her own again. "Antiva, actually. Originally, I was from Bastion," She said, her words colored with a tinge of homesickness. Milly allowed Aurora's answer to clear before she provided her own, "Antiva City proper. I... Didn't get out much," She answered. Unlike Aurora, Milly's first memory was of the Circle.
"How about yourself?" Milly began, "Have you ever been to Val Royeaux?" She asked curiously.
Liliane smiled a little more noticeably at that. āQuite often. My family has land in the countryside, but like all nobles, it is best if we are present at Court at least during the season. If not, one tends to become a topic of conversation, and being talked about is usually only good when one can control what is said.ā She rolled her eyes slightly, as if to indicate a habitual frustration with this sort of thing, then shrugged. āAt least, when one is chevalier, one does not have to worry so much about the fashion. The uniform is always in vogue, as they say. Otherwise, I think Violette would be āopeless.ā Liliane herself would have no such trouble, but the uniform was her preference as well, being a fundamentally practical person at heart.
āIt is commonly said that an Orlesian ladyās choices are armor or a corset.ā She wrinkled her nose. āI do not understand why they are not all knights, if so.ā Her section of the garden appeared to be fully weeded, so she smoothed over the disturbed soil and stood, brushing residual dirt from her clothes. āIt is not so bad, to see people taking the āarder road in life. I do not know of many roads āarder than yours. Should you ever find yourselves in Orlais, you āave at least one friend.ā
"I've always wanted to visit Val Royeaux," Milly said absent-mindedly, imagining the opulent buildings and grand architecture. "And what? Miss out on the Gallows?" Aurora added, though the joke was humorless in nature. However, she continued with something far more warm, "Maybe one day we can visit the city. Though I doubt I'll ever punish myself by slipping into a corset.." The smile on Aurora's face was good natured as she looked up to Lili, her face relaying the thanks she felt.
"But Rosy! Imagine all of the dresses. And the shoes, Rosy. The shoes," Milly said between laughter. Once she'd gotten it out of her system, she finished pulling the last weed out of the ground and then placed her hands on her knees as she looked up to Lili. "Thank you for that," She said, "But really it's not all that hard. Not when you have friends like these," She said with a wide smile.