"Morning Eula!" Amber beams as she spots Eula from behind, running down the stairs of the headquarters straight to her side with a bright smile as always. Eula looks down to meet her eyes nonchalantly before responding although she didn't need confirmation as to who the person was. Some would say she always came down the stairs at this specific time with the knowledge Amber would exit her room shortly after. She would never admit it, but she enjoyed having Amber around.
"Good morning, Outrider."
"Aw, c'mon, Eula-- you know my name!" Amber pokes her with her elbow and a pout.
Eula chuckles teasingly, "Good morning, Amber."
"That's better! Oh, also I was wondering if-" As soon as she begins to speak to make her request, she's cut off by another ball of sunshine exiting what's commonly referred to as, 'solitary confinement.'
"Amber, Eula!"
"Klee!" Amber's face lights up as Klee dashes over to her, and the outrider picks her up, spinning her around before setting her down instantly when she spots Jean leaving the library with Lisa.
"Good morning everyone, I trust you all slept well?" Jean inhales deeply and wipes her eyes, teary from doing paperwork all night with the company of Lisa.
"Yep! Something tells me you didn't, though." Amber says with a hint of concern.
"I wonder what gave you that idea," Lisa pokes at Jean with a wink, "I'll take Jean to her room. Your assignments are on Jean's desk. Have fun, cuties. Klee dear, come with me."
"Got it! Well, Good luck today Eula!" Amber pats Eula's shoulder for encouragement and heads out to begin her tasks.
"You as well," Eula smiles and bids her farewell.
Later that day, Eula sinks into her bed, absolutely exhausted. She places her head in her hands and inhales deeply in an attempt to hide whatever emotions she's feeling in the moment from herself. On occasion, Eula does find herself wishing for someone to hold her hand, and comfort her as her mother once did during her childhood. It only happened once, of course-- but she found herself craving more of that affection. Most Mondsdadt folk hadn't taken very kindly to her despite her position as Captain of the Reconnaissance Company in the Knights.
Just today, she'd experienced terrible treatment from every commissioner she'd served today. Not a single, 'thank you,' escaped their lips-- just harsh glares and eyerolls, whispers from passers-by, saying things along the lines of, "She's only doing it for the money," or "She has to, otherwise Master Jean will have her head."
Everyone had been wary of her, and they still are, although she's been in the knights for quite some time now. All except one, that being Amber. She's never seemed to care what Eula's family is like. She only saw Eula for herself, something Eula could only hope the citizens of Mondsdadt could do too. The outrider begins to plague her thoughts.
Her honey-coloured eyes were almost as golden as her as her beaming personality, one that most thought contrasted greatly with Eula's. Amber always looked at Eula with a smile it seemed she reserved for only her-- or maybe that was just the bluenette's wistful thinking. She wasn't sure how a relationship with her would ever work out anyway. The fear of not knowing is what drives her to push her away, leaving their relationship stagnant. With that final though, Eula attempts to clear her head of the outrider and pushes her hair back
Suddenly, she hears a rap on her door and wipes her eyes quickly, hoping there are no tears-- and looks up.
"Come in. I shall have vengeance on whoever dares disrupt me at this hour."
"Vengeance, on me?" Amber giggles, pushing the door open and peeping inside.
"Oh, Outrider Amber. Do you need something?"
"Nope, just wanted to check on you." Amber steps in and closes the door behind her.
"Me? Why?"
"I was out patrolling today as part of my commissions and I saw you. I waved, but you didn't wave back. It took me some time, but I figured out why. Those people...weren't very nice to you, were they, Eula?"
"Oh, The usual. I am used to it after all, you needn't worry."
Amber frowns and begins speaking again.
"Eula, I want you to talk to me if something's bothering you, you know." The sun suddenly peeks through the curtains and makes a long ray of light extend across the room. There's those eyes. The same ones that glow in the light, and secretly sets Eula's heart ablaze everytime they meet hers.
"Amber, I have already informed you-- I am used to it. There is nothing you can do. I do not enjoy relying on you all the time in order to earn the respect of your people." This was true, and something Eula's been meaning to say for a while. People only did respect her once the Outrider is around.
Her masked sadness turns into annoyance, which she quickly begins to project onto Amber.
"Well, I want to help, Eula. If you keep pushing anyone who wants to help you away, you'll be stuck like this forever, y'know."
"And I've stated, I do not require your assistance. Please do not push this matter further." She attempts to keep her voice flat, in order not to yell. She doesn't want to be annoyed, or hurt Amber, but the cap on her bottle of frustration is ready to pop off due to the pressure.
"Please. Just-- if not me, let someone help you. I don't like seeing you like this, and I know that if you just let me, or even Acting Grand Master J-"
"Outrider, I have stated numerous times your help is not necessary! Please, just leave before this becomes any worse than it already is."
"Eula-"
"No. You do not understand. You never will. Do you know what it's like to have to hunt for your own food, because no one would even take your money as a child? What it's like to grow up with no friends because your family drove anyone remotely close to you away? What it feels like to experience nothing but sorrow your entire childhood due to the fact people will do nothing more than link you to the awful people in your life, and treat you as though you are the same? Just, please...Leave, I wish to be alone. Just this once..." Eula snaps, standing and turning around to emphasize her distaste for Amber's persistence.
Amber finds herself hurt by this, and reaches out a hand, which she immediately retracts with a hurt expression Eula cannot see. She inhales shakily. "I understand, I'll leave you alone now. I'll see you for dinner, Eula." There's something in Amber's voice, something Eula's never heard before. It hadn't even occurred to Eula Amber was capable of feeling sadness as any other human being. She'd never seen her sad before, nor heard such a defeated tone from her before. Though, right now she really couldn't bring herself to think twice about what she just did.
Once Eula hears the door click, she throws off her overgarments and places her head to the pillow, putting her troubles to rest temporarily.
Minutes feel like hours as she attempts to fall asleep-- and soon they actually DO become hours when she realizes the sun had set and she hadn't even fallen asleep yet. She knows it's time for dinner, but she's tired. She turns on her side, and the memory of her pushing Amber away again comes to mind.
Regret.
Sorrow.
Loneliness.
As if on queue, a soft knock comes from the other side of the door and it opens without awaiting permission. Eula's jaw drops and she finds her limbs automatically sliding out of bed.
"Amber?"
"Eula."
The darkness makes it hard to see, so Eula thanks the archons for the moonlight spilling into the room right now, because this definitely is not a sight she'd want to miss.
Amber takes a red rose out her suit's breast pocket and clearly wants to do something, but her hands begin to shake. Eula just observes. Through observing, she notices the grin on Amber's face isn't genuine, she looks like she's about to crack as she tries to maintain her composure.
"I...Eula...Well, I was wondering if--No, I should've waited for you to answer before entering, I just- I'm...I-" Amber's eyes start to flood, and tears abruptly rush down her flushed face. Eula must admit, she truly had no idea Amber could be so easily shattered by her words alone.
With a sigh, Eula approaches Amber and cups her face, earning a confused and doe eyed stare from Amber. Her breath is as shaky as her hands and all of a sudden, Eula no longer knows what to do, not that she knew in the first place, because she never actually does.
"I- I just want..wanted to help you, an' you a-always-"
"I'm sorry." Eula's eyes soften and she bends down to press her forehead to Amber's,
"Please. Do not cry." She uses her thumbs to wipe the side of Amber's eyes and dry the tears with soft kisses she plants across her face.
"Eula..."
"Amber, please know I only push you away because I do not wish to subject you to the same treatment I've experienced." Eula sighs.
"Now then, Amber...Why do you show up in my room far past dinnertime in a suit, with a rose, crying and not even being able to formulate a single sentence?" She pulls her hands away and folds them, stepping back to allow Amber further entrance and also so she can shut the door behind her.
"Well, I'm no expert but..." Amber takes the stem of the rose and places it in between her teeth, extending a hand to her companion with a corny smile. "Um- What's that thing you say again...oh um...Right! It takes two to tango!"
Eula tries not to laugh, but she lets out a snort at the sight and wipes a tear from her eye. "So, your plan to get vengeance on me for yelling at you was to show up in my room, clearly skipping dinner, sobbing, with a rose in hand-- a dance in mind, all to make me feel bad, is it, Outrider?"
"What!? No! Of course not, I just-"
"If you're going to ask me to dance, at least execute it properly, your posture is all wrong." Eula comes closer, adjusting Amber's positioning herself. Amber shivers at the contact Eula makes with her body, adjusting and repositioning Amber's limbs like she was some sort of doll. Once she's satisfied, she leans over into her ear, "Now, try again."
Amber gulps, taking a deep breath as Eula steps back.
"M-May I have this dance?"
"Since you asked so politely, of course." Eula presses the start button on a record player next to her bed and takes Amber's hand, Eula teaching Amber to dance along the way until the record player stops playing the track.
"That...was hard," Amber falls back onto Eula's bed and wipes her forehead. Eula follows suit, except she sits next to her with a neutral expression plastered on her face.
"Look, I'm sorry for pushing you so far, Eula. I just...wanted to help. That's all. It's hard looking at the way everyone treats you, and I'm just worried about you."
"Amber, I've told you before that I can handle myself just fine."
"I just want to be there for you, as well. Also, I'm not sure what we are-- but I do know that I want to be there for you." Amber sits up, leaning over slightly to get a better view of Eula's face.
"It's not that I don't want you to be. It's just that I have seen people hurt because of me, and that is the last thing I'd want for you. The Acting Grandmaster and the rest of Knights, including yourself, have been subjected to ill-mannered people's ruthless comments and revolting aggressions due to me becoming a Knight of Favonius."
"Eula..." Amber runs out of words in relation to the topic-- but with nothing but the moonlight illuminating the room occupied by her and Eula, there's something she wants to say. Whatever it is, resides on the tip of her tongue but she fights herself to not say it. Instead she copes, just as she always has. While she can hold her tongue, she can't control the flush on her face; she tries to pass off as the blood rushing to her face from them dancing together earlier. Though, it's hard to ignore the beating of her heart in her chest, the way it flutters when Eula makes a slight movement and they touch. There's silence-- but a comfortable one.
Amber finds herself reaching to tuck a strand of hair behind Eula's ear, and this makes Eula turn to face her. Amber doesn't remove her hand, but instead slides it down to Eula's cheek and shifts closer to her so their sides fully touch.
"Amber?" There's something she wants to say. She knows. No wait, Eula thinks she knows what it is, but she's afraid of being wrong so she says nothing.
"Words can't exactly describe what I'm feeling all the time, and you know that more than anyone else, I'd imagine."
"Yes. I believe you are right in that regard."
Amber's eyes glance down to Eula's lips, and for once she doesn't think, she just acts.
To her surprise, Eula kisses back, and even gently brings her hands up to Amber's face. In this moment, Eula realizes how much she'd craved intimacy, for a friend-- or more. Neither of them want to break apart their lips, but they need to breath. Reluctantly, they pull apart. The moonlight highlights one side of Eula's face, and Amber can't help but stare. Smooth skin, long eyelashes casting shadows on one side of her face, and Archons, lord-- those eyes. A mixture of gold and violet that always captured Amber's attention.
"What does this make us?" Amber questions, flushed as she catches herself staring and glances away.
"Anything you'd like us to be, I suppose."
Eula cups Amber's face, and presses their foreheads together once more. They both exhale, basking in each other's presence.
"Shall we go eat now? I imagine dinner's almost over."
"Let's go then."
Eula's assumption was right, everyone had already wrapped up and left for bed, but both Amber and Eula's plates were still set on the table covered and labelled right next to one another.
"Noelle..." Amber's heart softened at the sight of the table that was so tidy and clean, still fit for dining. Noelle was always so sweet-- and always made sure to set out plates for everyone, even if they weren't on time.
Both women slid into their seats directly opposite one another and dined in, although the food was slightly cold.
"Thank you, Amber." Eula mumbled softly, just enough for Amber to pick up on.
"For what?"
"Being you."
Amber flushes, and looks away, but looks back at Eula immediately,
"I"ll make sure to keep it up then! Anything for my Eula." She chuckles.
"Your Eula!?" Her composure cracks, and it's her turn to blush.
Amber pokes her meatball with a fork and raised it up- pointing it to Eula for emphasis, "Well, after all I did kiss y-"
Eula's face heats up, and she tries not to let herself get any more out of character, so quickly cuts her off. "The message has been delivered, outrider! No need to continue further. I think we are indeed, finished eating!" Eula covers her face with one hand, making a poor attempt at concealing her flushed appearance. This of course in turn, makes Amber laugh.
Once they're finished eating together, they both clean up and walk to their rooms, wishing each other a pleasant night-- and a promise to do commissions together the second the sun takes its place shining over Mondsdadt's cliffs and valleys in the morning.