[ chapter 4 - getting to know you, getting to know all about you~ ]

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

Who: Yuri Lowell and Estellise Sidos Heurassein
Where: Chesedonia
When: Shortly after the stowaways are rescued. :]
Author(s): moro_kun and tacos_of_doom
Warnings: Much moe. 8O


Being reunited with her best friend and meeting a whole bunch of new people was just more exciting than anything to Estelle. Though things were understandably a bit awkward, since she'd not only fled the manor, but also freed a prisoner, but it did her soul good to see her nonetheless. There were so many things she had to tell Rita!

... but for the moment, everybody seemed to be outside exploring. Estelle had done her fair share of that earlier, and truth be told, she was rather tired, so she was in the hotel room, resting in one of the beds.

There were so many people to get to know now ... Estelle giggled, rolling onto her side and curling up a little, holding a pillow to her chest while her head rested on the other pillow of the bed.

She was excited. More excited than she had been in some time, despite all of the adventures she had been having.

Comments

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

There was a loud yawn from Yuri as he wandered the hallway outside -- he hadn't realized how much he'd missed being in a city until after they'd been brought to Chesedonia. Finally, they didn't have to worry about being stranded.

Though admittedly, he was also a bit surprised that one of Rita's noble friends had come to look for them, of all people. Part of him did think she was cute, but for the most part he'd also noticed she was rather naive. Especially when she revealed that her companion was an escaped convict.

Oh, well. If all else failed and the authorities found him he could just pass off the blame and escape during the fracas. He was good at that.

Hearing a giggle from inside the room, he snorted and knocked on the door. "You okay in there?"

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Estelle froze up a little bit as she heard the knock and the voice. She pushed herself to a sitting position, holding the pillow to her chest still, and crossed her legs to the side on the bed.

"I'm okay! U-Um, you can come in, the door isn't locked ..."

It was the swordsman. She could tell by his voice. The swordsman ... his name was Yuri, right? Rita had briefly introduced the other people in her little group, and by 'introduce,' meaning she gave them not-so-nice nicknames and the members had to actually say their real names.

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

Yuri shrugged, letting himself in. At least he was kind enough to knock first?

Plopping down into a nearby chair, he glanced at the noble girl -- Estelle, right? -- and sighed as he closed his eyes. "Thanks again for getting us off that island." he responded. "For a moment there I thought we'd end up being stuck there for eternity."

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

Estelle smiled gently at him, shaking her head a little bit.

"I couldn't just sit here and do nothing, knowing that there were people out there like that. I'm just glad Raven and I got to you all in time." She giggled.

"I was surprised that Rita was among you, though!"

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

Yuri shrugged, waving it off as if it were just an imaginary terror to him. "Yeah, well. Glad you did. Better than trying to send that rickety thing we called a raft out into the ocean."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well. Let's just say that our first encounter was explosive. How'd you know her, anyway?" Rita didn't exactly explain it all that much, even with his persistent questioning.

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

"She's my best friend. Back in Belkend, I ... didn't get out much." Or at all.

"My parents were working with Rita on something, and asked her to spend a little time with me. She helped convince them that I would be okay if I went with her to her lab on occasion, under the guise of her studying the seventh fonon. Which wasn't actually much of a guise, there was some semblance of truth to it." Rita did want to research the seventh fonon. And what better test subject than an actual seventh fonist?

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't have guessed." Yuri remarked smartly as he recalled Rita getting ready to tear into Estelle when they'd learned she'd broken out of her manor. Thankfully for her, she didn't yell all that much.

He nodded, listening politely with an expression akin to bored but rapt attention as he turned his head to look at the younger girl. "And I'm guessing that guise was so you could travel in the cases Rita needed you somewhere else for her research?"

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

Estelle just had that effect on Rita. She wasn't sure how, but she was able to calm the storm before it got too bad. Now, their friend Aster, on the other hand, ordinarily got the full brunt of Rita's force.

"Well, in a sense. We only ever went to Rita's lab on those occasions. My parents are really overprotective, so it was hard to convince them of even letting her do that." She sighed.

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

Poor Yuri could relate to Aster, at least -- he'd gotten a few lumps from her himself trying to break up the almost constant bickering between her and Genis.

"Man, your parents must keep strict watch on you, huh." Yuri paused, stretching a little. "How'd you manage? I know I'd be dying to break out of that golden birdcage that's your estate if they were like that."

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"They just worry," Estelle explained. "I'm their 'princess,' so to speak. They just don't want anything to happen to me."

But in doing so, they sheltered her perhaps a bit too much.

"I read books! For a long time, I had my journeys through reading."

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm." Yuri sighed, rolled his eyes. It seemed a bit too typical of the nobility he'd met to shelter and overprotect their family and their children, but really, it wasn't his place to judge.

"Books aren't nearly as satisfying as seeing the real thing, though." he pointed out.

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

"That's true." Estelle would be the first to agree that seeing the real thing was much better than seeing pictures and words on a page.

"I've seen a lot more out here than I could have ever seen in any of my books. Even if I had to sneak out of the manor to do it, I'm glad that I could have this opportunity."

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

"Didn't Rita say that your parents were looking for you?" Yuri noted. "If they want you back, then you might not have much choice."

Still, he had to admit that he could somewhat relate to her -- despite being on the run himself, he had to admit that he enjoyed seeing the world. Plus, it was too much fun playing mind games with the soldiers who were trying to figure out where he'd gone. "Anyway, how's that newfound freedom of yours feel like?"

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

"If I must, then I will return to the manor. As it is right now, I'm lucky to have seen what I have already. I think I could be happy if I returned now." The sad smile on her face said otherwise, though. She was just merely accepting that she had to return.

But the smile lit up a little more as she began thinking about her current freedom. "It's wonderful! I've never seen things as wonderful as I have while out here!"

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

Yuri yawned, stretching a little as he leaned back to look at her from where he was seated. "You don't exactly sound all that convincing, you know." he noted.

He nodded. "Well, it's a big world. Still a lot left to see, isn't there?"

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

"I'd be lying if I said I wanted it to end," She admitted sheepishly, then nodded.

"There is! So much to see, so much to do, so many experiences to be had ... I want to see and experience so much more!"

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

There was a slow shrug as he glanced at Estelle, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Couldn't Rita make up some story about a researchers' conference somewhere that required your attendance or something?" he remarked. "You could travel like that."

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

She shook her head. "No. Rita usually stays in Belkend, and even if she did leave for somewhere else, my parents would never agree to it. No matter how much they trust Rita. The only reason they agreed to me going out of the manor to begin with was because the laboratory was still within the city."

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

"...wow." Yuri had to admit, he was a bit sorry for her -- really, being forced to be cooped up in a town like Belkned all her life, not even getting a glimpse of the world beyond such a city -- Yuri knew that he'd stagnate in that kind of spot. "Geez, that must've sucked, being caged up all your life."

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

"My parents just want the best for me ..." Estelle said. She did love her parents, no matter how overprotective they were. While she wouldn't deny that she didn't enjoy being stuck in one place for such a long time, she also wouldn't ever deny that she knew her parents were just doing what they deemed best for their daughter.

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but they do know that at some point, you have to grow up and leave, right?" he pointed out. "It's not like they can confine you there forever." At least, he hoped they couldn't.

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

She honestly had never really thought about that. She didn't ever think about having a life of her own outside of the manor ... her parents never spoke of it, either.

Estelle was quiet for several moments.

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

Yuri picks up on the quiet, turning around and looking at her. "Well?"

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

"I .. never thought about it," was the only response she could muster.

"I don't know if they have, either."

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

A quiet sigh. So there was something she hadn't considered, after all. There was a quiet snort followed by him stretching is arms as he glanced over to look at Estelle.

"Maybe you can talk to them about that, then? Work something out that'll satisfy you lot."

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

"Maybe ..." And then, after a few moments of silence, she nodded. "Yes, I think I will."

And with that, she smiles.

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

"Good." He sighs, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Leveling a gaze at Estelle, he paused.

"Hopefully they'll let you get out more."

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

"It will take a lot to convince them, but I won't give up!" Estelle certainly seemed determined enough.

"... Um, your name is Yuri, right? How did you meet Rita?"

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

"She was fighting with Genis, a friend of mine. I tried to break it up and got blasted with Lioghtning for my trouble."

[sacredpennance.livejournal.com]

She gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She looked genuinely concerned for him.

"Rita has a temper, I'm so sorry for any trouble that might have caused!"

[baticul-guard.livejournal.com]

"It's fine. I'm still alive, aren't I?"