[ P ] the daily grind

XANDRIA TIAMAT

The Lieutenant could sense her friend’s reluctance to elaborate further and decided to let the subject drop. Xandria valued her own privacy highly so she respected Sif’s choice to not share. It didn’t bother her that she didn’t know much about her background. The young Tiamat was content with what she had learned about Sif since their first meeting. Her head bobbed in silent acceptance and a brooding expression touched her features. It was never that simple with anything. Politics made everything messy.

Xandria’s features twisted into an expression of distaste when Sif called her ‘my sassy Xanny’. She shot Sif a don’t you dare call me that again glare. “I’ll bite you, old lady,” she warned her, flashing her teeth in a mock snarl. If she wanted sass then that was what Xandria gave her and she didn’t hold back either. She knew Sif wouldn’t want to be treated any differently just because of her injury.

It was gratifying to hear that she wasn’t the only one displeased by the news of the ball. “It’s inappropriate and wasteful. Food is already scarce. One night of bloated bellies isn’t going to bring the herds back to graze is it? And what are we celebrating? Winning the war? It’s insulting,” she grumbled, although she kept her voice low so no one but Sif could hear her rant about the ball. She didn’t admit that the reason why she was mostly against it was because her mother would be there with him and not her father.

She sighed, shaking her head wearily. “Anyway. Let’s carry on,” Xandria added after a moment of silence and continued along the path besides the smaller Captain.

- Fade via patrolling with Sif

“i talk”

art by holly & table by soar

SIF ASGAUT
Bulletproof, Nothing to Lose

As the air seemed to lighten a little, any tension about pasts or whereabouts no longer being pressed upon, she relaxed a lot more than she had been all morning. Why had she been so tense to begin with, Xandria was her friend yet sometimes it felt like she was an alien, failing at basic communication. Then again, she wasn’t the one that snapped first, the earthen woman harbored a phoenix inside her that was hardly tamed but it seemed it softened greatly since the initial greeting. That relieved her even more, not because she couldn’t stand it but because it didn’t turn into a raging fight. Maybe a fight wouldn’t be so bad though, sometimes it was therapy well needed.

Her ears tilted forward a tad at the other’s disdain for the pet name but it was not received with compliance as Sif only gave her a daring grin back that said she very much would but not this second. The threat made her roll her eyes before snapping challengingly back, her tail giving a light sway. This was easier than emotions but it wasn’t very professional. “Oh? I’m the same age as your elder siblings, does that make them old too?” she huffed playfully, though the thought quickly sapped away her more jubilant energy. “Actually I ran into Cairo the other day... she didn’t lift a nail to help with the civil unrest in the market. So very sweet of her,” agitation rising in her just a little bit. Not that she didn’t handle it fine by herself but had it gone poorly, turned violent, would the timber woman have helped at all? At the time it had transpired she hadn’t even thought about it, too stuck on the fact the eldest Tiamat daughter looked so much like Kohl to even realize the woman just let it happen. She didn’t question her gaining the Captain rank at the end of the war but now she did a little, her sense of responsibility seemingly lacking, day off or not.

A sigh escaped her as she listened to the other rant quietly, wanting to disagree but she really couldn’t. Everything she had stated was a valid point and ones she couldn’t help but agree with. She might be loyal to the crown but she couldn’t help but find flaws; not a mindless drone for the parliament to puppet when she already had her strings held by someone else but she would die on her blade for the king if she must. He was far from perfect and she didn’t agree with everything he did but he wasn’t a bad man as far as she could tell; generous enough not to even make this about strictly the wealthy. “The war was pointless but I’d like to think the Ball is to honor those that fell among families more than winning anything else. So many fell, we can only hope their deaths weren’t wholly in vain,” she glanced at Xandria, indirectly meaning her father among other comrades. “As for the food; is it not better to go back to the people than to just be taxed for the rich to use alone, if only for a night? We can be the change though, we both live within noble estates. Help those you can if you have the means and maybe others will follow that kindness,” she offered, knowing she’d give her meal to a starving civilian herself so long as she could feed her daughter as well.

An amused huff escaped as the other seemed to want to drop the subject despite being the heated one on the topic. “Is that an order?” she teased just a little, gently knocking her shoulder into the other’s as they carried on with their daily duties.

-Sif exits with Xandria-

code by claerie