Days;

[kalisona]

piano ;

She can't play, and no number of books will make it so she suddenly can, but Elliot's hands guiding her fingers on the piano helps anyway, even if the music they make can hardly be called music.

(But she giggles and he laughs and it's kind of musical anyway.)

cheat ;

The accusation that she'd cheated her way to the top of the lists, and that she'd cheated her way into the school stung, even if she knew that she'd earned it, but Elliot faced down the nobles with trembling fingers and a tiny but stern figure, stalwart in his defense of how smart and amazing she really was.

square ;

The battle formation was a little ridiculous, and Elliot and Emma tried their best to understand it as Rean explained it, crouched in the dungeon under the old school house, and finally Elliot just said sheepishly, "Can't I just stand by Emma...? N-not that I don't like your square formation, but wouldn't that be easier?"

mist ;

It must have been something in the air.

That was the only reason she was crying--was misty-eyed--when he took the blow meant for her and staggered, making an agonized noise. It must have been misty in the forest, because she found it was hard to see, everything stark and blurry, even as she lifted her staff to try to heal him, desperate and trembling.

And it must have been bad weather, because it cleared up suddenly when he smiled up at her weakly but definitely okay, and the tears spilled over and she could see again.

--

hypnotise ;

He hated that there was something undeniably hypnotic about watching Jusis talk; he stood tall, shoulders back, chin up, and delivered words that he expected to be obeyed, and everyone always did--like a spell that only he could cast.

bitter ;

"Ugh, disgusting...!" Machias made a choked noise at the beverage that had been forced on them at their new field study; Jusis snorted at him, muttering that it was just like a child, but then Machias got to look smug when he tried it for himself and promptly went green.

moonlight ;

All of Jusis' artes glimmered, much like his hair in the moonlight, silvery, like a precious metal--it was strangely poetic for him, and Machias made a face at himself, but he always watched when Jusis prepared to perform his crafts.

prosecute ;

"Simply because of his blood, I can't allow you to treat my classmate like that," Machias said, tone strong, expression fierce, arm out to block the encroaching, disgruntled townsmen.

What was he doing, though, protecting someone he himself despised?

"He is my classmate and my peer, and together we intend to resolve this issue."

When had Jusis become a classmate, a peer, and not just a caricature of something he hated?

"And I will not allow you to harm someone who is innocent!"

Bastard child, he'd said. Alone, and without family. He didn't know when that had started to matter, but it did.

And when he turned to look over his shoulder, Jusis was still in the dirt; he had yet to get up, and instead started at Machias with eyes that were wide, expression unfeigned shock, and...Machias turned away, unable to look at a Jusis who wasn't in control of his own emotions--he could give him that much, he thought, because this...was all they both deserved.