Tifa & Aerith IV

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aether laughed the moment the girl looked awkward, but he quickly sobered. The same curious look crossed his face as when they'd first met each other's gaze. The expression was concerned at the same time.
"Why so sa-" He began, but he was cut off by Prince Conrad who inadvertently interrupted their conversation.
"Lord Aether... i have a few questions..." The boy said shyly.
Reluctantly Aether turned to the Prince, pausing for a moment and turning his attention back to Delilah, the same curious concern in his expressive eyes. "We shall talk again soon My Lady." He said, dipping into another bit of a bow before turning to follow the Prince.

Once the arc and his son were gone the King turned to Delilah.
"It's strange you know, Lord Aether was rather fascinated by you as a child as well... he used to ask a lot of questions and check up on you whenever the Pantheon were here on business. At least until a year or so ago when matters elsewhere diverted his attention in any case." The king chuckled and shook his head. "Arc's minds work in strange ways."

[The Painted Lady]

Delilah looked up to her Uncle, away from Lord Aether, as he spoke to her. She found herself blushing again at the information provided to her.
"Oh?..."
She looked back to where her cousin and the Angel had disappeared.
"I suppose we won't ever be able to understand them... Perhaps we're not meant to..."

[Tifa Lockhart]

The King nodded, giving his niece a gentle smile.
"It is said that the mind of an arc becomes harder to fathom as they age... Arcs were once human you know, so i suppose as the years go by their mindset changes." The king stroked his grey-frosted beard. "As the youngest, Lord Aether seems the most sensitive to human thought, on numerous occasions when i have been in a meeting with them it is only Lord Aether who understands my logic..." He laughed, as if this were a terribly fascinating thing. He shook his head then and offered the lady his arm.
"How would you like to dance with your uncle, dear?"

[The Painted Lady]

Delilah smiled to her Uncle, the usual sweetness present in her expression.
"I would love to," she said, taking the arm he offered her gently.

[Tifa Lockhart]

The King lead his niece down into the crowd, noting that the guards followed close behind. Soon they were dancing and swaying to the merry music played by the towns finest bards. They'd not been dancing too long when the musicians stopped playing and one of them rang a bell for attention.
The square fell silent and turned their eyes to the bard's dais, spying that beside the minstrel stood Lord Tyrel and Lady Ariel.
"Their Holiness's wish to bless us with a tune of their own!" The bard announced, bowing deeply as he relinquished the stage for the two angels.
The song they began to play upon their instruments was lilting and soft, music more beautiful than many in the square had ever heard before.

The King continued to dance with his niece for a time, until he was unexpectedly interrupted by a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Pardon me highness." The soft voice said as the King whirled around to meet violet eyes. "But may i cut in?"
The King seemed surprised, but there was no way he could refuse the request of an arc. "Of course my Lord." He said, kissing Delilah's hand before offering it over Aether.
"Hello again." The Angel said softly, before carefully beginning the first steps of a new dance.

[The Painted Lady]

Delilah was caught off-guard when her dance was interrupted. Her blush returned furiously to her cheeks as a new hand took hers, both delicate but firm. Quietly taking a deep breath, she worked up the courage to bring her gaze up to find the violet eyes she knew would be seeking hers.
"Hello..." she said meekly. Her tongue felt clumsy around her words.
In her embarrassment, she stumbled slightly over her own feet. It only made her cheeks flush even more.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aether seemed a little surprised when the woman with whom he was dancing seemed to have trouble bringing herself to meet his gaze.
"Why do you mortals do that?" He asked with a friendly chuckle, tilting his head in a fashion that was almost childlike, "Am i scary to look at?" He smiled warmly as he caught her stagger and helped her to stand on her own feet again.

[The Painted Lady]

Delilah glanced up briefly to the angel's face, but found herself looking back down quickly again.
"No..." she said a little weakly, watching her feet carefully.
"I-I... I'm just a little embarrassed..."

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aether gave a hearty laugh as he span her around gently, following the beat of the music, his feet moving as if they were floating.
"I don't understand. What is there to be embarrassed of?" He asked, seeming genuinely confused.

[The Painted Lady]

That just made Delilah blush more.
"I, uh... Oh..."
She swallowed, trying to regain a little dignity.
"I suppose I don't know how one should act in the presence of someone like you. I don't what I'm allowed to say, what I'm allowed to do..."
With a flash of ocean blue, she glanced up shyly and briefly to his violet eyes again.
"And I've never been very good at meeting important people..."

[Tifa Lockhart]

The confused expression on Aether's face eased as she spoke, becoming much softer, filled with a deep understanding.
"My kind were born to protect the people of this kingdom." He began, continuing to guide her along in the dance, the movements of his feet requiring no extra thought. "In that way, we are servants of its people, not their betters." His soft features hardened a tiny bit as they twirled again, "Our services were so valued by the people that they began to revere us but... it is all folly really." He offered her a gentle smile, trying to coax her to look at him again, "Nothing you say is inappropriate, i wish to hear what you think, none of these concealed courtly mannered statements."

[The Painted Lady]

Delilah gave a nervous laugh.
"Maybe I shouldn't be so worried about your opinion on me... but I'm sure many would be horrified at the mere thought of someone like me talking so casually to someone like you."
She managed to hold his gaze a little better when she glanced up again, smiling shyly to him.
"You wish to hear what I'm thinking?..."

[Tifa Lockhart]

"Mmm." Aether admitted, looking a little nervous himself for a change, a weird expression to see on the face of an arc. It was deeply concerned, nervous and lamentful, "Both times i've seen you, you look so sad." He tilted his head, eyes widening as if he'd realised something, "Oh, Pardon me.... not really LOOK sad but... well, its hard to explain."

[The Painted Lady]

Delilah looked a little confused.
"Sad?..."
She blushed again as the song came to a conclusion.
"Wow, I really am terrible at first impressions..."

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aether released Delilah gently as the song finished, rubbing the back of his head in a fluid motion, covering the confused gesture up by reaching out to the tip of his wing to tug at a feather there.
"I'm sorry, i shouldn't put you on the spot like that." He gave a soft smile, "I guess i'm just not...." He dragged off, his eyes flicking into the crowd suddenly.
A dark frown crossed his gentle features then, "Come with me quickly." He whispered, pulling her with him as he worked his way through the crowd of people "Tyrel!" He called when he finally reached the music dais.

The Angel in question turned his attention to Aether as he emerged from the crowd. "What is it brother?" He asked.
"Where is the King?" Aether asked, seeming a little anxious.
"In the crowd... why?" Lady Ariel asked in her lilting voice, stepping forward to stand beside Tyrel.
"I have a ba--" Aether began, but he never got to finish. He wrapped his wings around Delilah protectively.

A scream went up in the crowd, and people began rushing around as chaos broke loose. Three crossbows had been triggered from somewhere in the shadows, having three specific targets. One bolt impacted on Aether's protective wings, falling away harmlessly.
The other two found their marks in the bustling crowd.
"Aether! Get the girl to safety, we will find the king and Prince Conrad!" The two angel's took flight into the bustling panicked crowd.

"Quickly, hold tight." Aether warned firmly, spreading his shielding wings and seizing Delilah around the waist before he took flight.