[He offers her a wry half-smile, quirked to one side, but it falters and doesn't last.]
Though I am loathe to speak in defense of the Archadian Empire, having been born into it, I can attest that not all who hail from such places are meant to be conquerors. There are people who do their best to live good lives there, as I am sure there are in your own Garlean Empire, as well, but what you saw—
[He gestures broadly with an open hand.]
That was the Archades I was most familiar with, for better or for worse.
[Largely, he feels, for worse.]
I left not long after that day. There was nothing worth staying for. I told myself I left in search of answers, but that was a falsehood, an attempt to trick myself into believing my goals had some merit. I ran, though one can never truly run far enough to escape something so persistent as the past.
A country's people are an altogether different thing than the country itself. It's hardly a defense of the Empire to say so.
[It's a good lesson, and one that Lizzie sometimes needs reminding of. The same can be said of herself, in a way--she, unlike her people, believes in a world beyond the Wood. And she's not the only one. No people are a monolith, as convenient as such thinking can be.
As for the rest of it... she doesn't like to think she ran, but it's not exactly an untrue way to describe what she did either. Perhaps the past will catch up to her, as well, despite not actively trying to conquer the world. It has her whole lifetime to.
It's not something she likes much to think about.]
I can hardly blame you for running, regardless of what you told yourself at the time. What was put upon you was nigh impossible to reconcile, especially given how young you were. Prodigy or not, you were a child.
[Sixteen is practically a baby, especially to the likes of her.]
I'll admit I'm curious as to the rest of your story, but it's not my place to ask or know. I only hope that you have, or will, be able to make peace with the past the follows you.
[The smile she gives him is largely mirthless, and filled with understanding.]
[He'd thought that perhaps he had reached an ending, that the Sky Fortress Bahamut would be his own personal epilogue, but he was grateful that had not been the case.]
I hope your path is kind to you, as well. It's not an easy one you've chosen, but having known viera who felt drawn to leave the wood, it would have been far more stifling to remain as they were. I'm sure you need no reassurance, but you chose what was right for you— you chose to honor your heart.
[He'll probably roll his eyes at himself later on when he thinks back on this, but for now, his words are certainly genuine. For all his protests otherwise, he knows a thing or two about sentimentality and being true to oneself.]
[Sometimes being earnest is worth a few eye-roll worthy statements. At the very least, in the moment Lizzie truly appreciates it.]
Not needing reassurance doesn't make it any less nice to hear. Thank you, Balthier.
My path has been difficult but worthwhile since I left. I've gathered a dear group of friends in my travels that are my family now. In the case of one of them, almost literally--his parents have sort of adopted me.
[Nevermind that she towers over both of Jojo's parents because they're lalafell. They love her as a daughter all the same.]
I can't say I'm without regrets, but I'm not unhappy with where I ended up either. If I can dare take a guess, it seems the same is true of you?
Given our respective histories, that's the best we can ask for.
[She's certainly not wrong, and a wry smile pulls at the corner of his lips as he gives a single nod of confirmation.]
Wishing I had done things differently is a waste, and had I done so, I think I might be someone else entirely— though certainly still leading man material, all the same.
[That was never negotiable, in his eyes.]
I think that for better or for worse, things have worked out as they ought. I like things as they are now— or as they were before I came here, more or less. You're right; there is little else we can hope for.
Well, naturally you would. Just of a very different story.
[Lizzie smiles, expression just as wry as his. She gets what he means on a very personal, intrinsic level. It's freeing, in a way, to have someone who understands without having it be explained. Unfortunate that it ended up being forced on his end, but perhaps he might find some solace in this as well. Chances are they'll never discuss this again, instead continuing on the unspoken agreement that each of them Gets It.
That's fine by her.
She holds up her teacup in a toast.]
Cheers to the both of us choosing who we wanted to be, for better and for worse.
[That smile of his becomes something warmer, and he cocks his head to one side as he lifts his own teacup in response, glad to chime in with that particular toast.]
Cheers. I'll drink to that.
[He offers her a wink across the table before drinking deep from his cup, setting it down a moment later to free up his hands to straighten his shirtcuffs.]
You know, I've always made such a fuss about keeping all of that hidden back home. Though this round of sharing may not have been entirely of our choosing, it is quite liberating.
At the very least, it's better to know there's someone who understands, at least a little.
[Lizzie's only told the whole story of her departure to Jojo, and he doesn't really have the sort of experience that leads one to understand what it means. Although he started integrating her into his own family soon thereafter, so maybe she just isn't giving the lalafell enough credit. Konana and Yuyuhan aren't quite her own parents, but they've become awfully close.]
If you ever require an ear, I have plenty to spare. And if you'd rather not speak of this again, that's equally agreeable. In either case, I suppose this has forced some semblance of friendship upon us.
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no subject
[He offers her a wry half-smile, quirked to one side, but it falters and doesn't last.]
Though I am loathe to speak in defense of the Archadian Empire, having been born into it, I can attest that not all who hail from such places are meant to be conquerors. There are people who do their best to live good lives there, as I am sure there are in your own Garlean Empire, as well, but what you saw—
[He gestures broadly with an open hand.]
That was the Archades I was most familiar with, for better or for worse.
[Largely, he feels, for worse.]
I left not long after that day. There was nothing worth staying for. I told myself I left in search of answers, but that was a falsehood, an attempt to trick myself into believing my goals had some merit. I ran, though one can never truly run far enough to escape something so persistent as the past.
no subject
[It's a good lesson, and one that Lizzie sometimes needs reminding of. The same can be said of herself, in a way--she, unlike her people, believes in a world beyond the Wood. And she's not the only one. No people are a monolith, as convenient as such thinking can be.
As for the rest of it... she doesn't like to think she ran, but it's not exactly an untrue way to describe what she did either. Perhaps the past will catch up to her, as well, despite not actively trying to conquer the world. It has her whole lifetime to.
It's not something she likes much to think about.]
I can hardly blame you for running, regardless of what you told yourself at the time. What was put upon you was nigh impossible to reconcile, especially given how young you were. Prodigy or not, you were a child.
[Sixteen is practically a baby, especially to the likes of her.]
I'll admit I'm curious as to the rest of your story, but it's not my place to ask or know. I only hope that you have, or will, be able to make peace with the past the follows you.
[The smile she gives him is largely mirthless, and filled with understanding.]
no subject
[He'd thought that perhaps he had reached an ending, that the Sky Fortress Bahamut would be his own personal epilogue, but he was grateful that had not been the case.]
I hope your path is kind to you, as well. It's not an easy one you've chosen, but having known viera who felt drawn to leave the wood, it would have been far more stifling to remain as they were. I'm sure you need no reassurance, but you chose what was right for you— you chose to honor your heart.
[He'll probably roll his eyes at himself later on when he thinks back on this, but for now, his words are certainly genuine. For all his protests otherwise, he knows a thing or two about sentimentality and being true to oneself.]
no subject
Not needing reassurance doesn't make it any less nice to hear. Thank you, Balthier.
My path has been difficult but worthwhile since I left. I've gathered a dear group of friends in my travels that are my family now. In the case of one of them, almost literally--his parents have sort of adopted me.
[Nevermind that she towers over both of Jojo's parents because they're lalafell. They love her as a daughter all the same.]
I can't say I'm without regrets, but I'm not unhappy with where I ended up either. If I can dare take a guess, it seems the same is true of you?
Given our respective histories, that's the best we can ask for.
no subject
[She's certainly not wrong, and a wry smile pulls at the corner of his lips as he gives a single nod of confirmation.]
Wishing I had done things differently is a waste, and had I done so, I think I might be someone else entirely— though certainly still leading man material, all the same.
[That was never negotiable, in his eyes.]
I think that for better or for worse, things have worked out as they ought. I like things as they are now— or as they were before I came here, more or less. You're right; there is little else we can hope for.
no subject
[Lizzie smiles, expression just as wry as his. She gets what he means on a very personal, intrinsic level. It's freeing, in a way, to have someone who understands without having it be explained. Unfortunate that it ended up being forced on his end, but perhaps he might find some solace in this as well. Chances are they'll never discuss this again, instead continuing on the unspoken agreement that each of them Gets It.
That's fine by her.
She holds up her teacup in a toast.]
Cheers to the both of us choosing who we wanted to be, for better and for worse.
no subject
Cheers. I'll drink to that.
[He offers her a wink across the table before drinking deep from his cup, setting it down a moment later to free up his hands to straighten his shirtcuffs.]
You know, I've always made such a fuss about keeping all of that hidden back home. Though this round of sharing may not have been entirely of our choosing, it is quite liberating.
no subject
[Lizzie's only told the whole story of her departure to Jojo, and he doesn't really have the sort of experience that leads one to understand what it means. Although he started integrating her into his own family soon thereafter, so maybe she just isn't giving the lalafell enough credit. Konana and Yuyuhan aren't quite her own parents, but they've become awfully close.]
If you ever require an ear, I have plenty to spare. And if you'd rather not speak of this again, that's equally agreeable. In either case, I suppose this has forced some semblance of friendship upon us.
We could do worse.