[Though not expecting the knock at the door, it isn't unsurprising. The others living at the residence were far more social than he. Hubert isn't surprised to find Azura on the other side of the door, either; he was aware of her temporary arrangement with Edelgard.]
[Temporarily Bonded or not, Hubert did not smile in greeting. Or greet her at all by polite standards, really. They might've never interacted, but he knew of her. Corrin's Bonded, and housemate, and one from her world. Edelgard's trust in her only earned Azura a wary benefit of the doubt, not trust from Hubert in turn.]
[ There's a .5 second period of time where Azura looks at him in confusion before processing who he is. Oh. Right. Hubert. Edelgard's retainer. From the description she'd been given and the photo she'd seen, she she knew he was a bit spooky, but like, this is full-on Lurch territory.
...granted, it was Edelgard describing him and probably also Edelgard who took the photo, so biases were likely had. Maybe it would have been different if they'd met on the street, or something, too. ]
Salutations. I came by to see Lady Edelgard. [ producing a package from her coat ] Is she home?
[So, in other words, he looks like he naturally belongs in Nohr?]
[...But Edelgard did tend to talk him up to the point where people expected something different. His eyes flicker down to the package, considering it.]
Her Majesty has gone into the city. I do not know for how long, but I do not expect it to be a long errand. I can hand that to her, or you may wait inside.
[Hubert almost doesn't provide the offer to let her in, but he knows why they've temporarily Bonded, an he will respect that. Despite his wariness of someone he didn't trust being allowed so close to his liege, he did pity her for her suffering.]
[Before anything else, he touches the door frame, muttering under his breath. The other Witch might be able to feel a change in the air as the warding around the threshold falls. Then, Hubert steps aside, holding the door politely.]
[But only politely. There's no pretend warmth in the gesture.]
To your left. I can light the hearth, if you prefer.
[Don't mind the small sigil inscribed somewhere inconspicuously near the door, and the elemental summoning tied to it.]
[Hubert waves his hand as he moves into the room, the fire stoking from its slumber. It is a little chilly in here; Leslie hated fire, so the fireplace burns far less often, now. His eyes flick over to Azura, but it's a quick thing before he gestures to some armchairs facing the fire with a small table between them.]
Mm. Did she now? [It's an idle comment, said almost dryly in a way that suggests he expects something along those lines, and he's acknowledging it to be polite.] And you're Azura, Corrin's housemate.
[It's not a question. Hubert wanders into the kitchen.]
Tea while you wait, I presume? [Everyone always seemed to want it.]
[It's a good thing Azura was making an effort for conversation; Hubert was very comfortable in silence.]
[ Wow, okay, she doesn't like how oddly patronizing that sounded. Is she on this guy's shit list for some reason? ]
Her housemate?
[ It's not an inaccurate description. But. ]
That's one word for me, I suppose, yes.
[ She'll take her seat, but leaves her gift on her lap. At his question, she thinks about it for a moment before shaking her head (even though he can't see it). ]
You needn't go to the trouble, it's quite alright.
[ Death threats won't get to her, but that sure just did. Amazing. He singled out a weakness within ten minutes of meeting her.
Azura's hands tighten on the box and her mouth opens for a moment like she didn't even remotely anticipate a response like that. She can feel her face burning. Oh, that hurts. ]
I...tend to keep to myself most of the time, so that must be why...
[Sadly, he hadn't even intended to harm with that; it was simple statement of fact. Hubert's head tilts the tiniest fraction to the side as he observes her reaction.]
Incorrect. Corrin and I don't exactly spend much time together. Really, you shouldn't put such weight on the matter.
[Who would you rather tell about your girlfriend: a) your sociable new otherworldly friends, b) the Lurch that manages one of your new friend's household and may or may not have stalked you at least once?]
But, you have my apology if such a statement caused you distress.
Azura looks back down at her hands and tries to force her face back into its usual expressionless state. Weird, it's been getting harder to do that, lately. She's been dropping face in front of people she doesn't know well enough. ]
...I-I see. [ .... ] A bit, yes, um--it just caught me off guard, is all. She's quite talkative.
[ now she's trying to picture how, exactly, corrin has been interacting with hubert. has she been annoying him with her persistent extroversion? ]
Perhaps so. In our [purposefully limited] interactions, her focus has either been Lady Edelgard, or seemingly to be a childish bother. Does she ever conduct herself fitting of her station?
[Corrin hasn't been going out her way to annoy him. They're just... like oil and water.]
Oh, yes. I know she's very high-energy, but she can be quite charismatic when she puts her mind to it. [ a little laugh ] She pulled much of our army together through negotiations and verbal persuasion.
[Charismatic. That's a word for it. Ah, right. The army. He's heard about that from Edelgard.]
Is that right? So, you fought alongside her, then. [Please, please assuage his fears, Azura.] If Corrin was the face of your army, who was your chief strategist?
[ How dare you make me write excuses for Fates's slapdash plot.....
Azura's eyebrows raise and she gives him a vaguely amused look. ]
We didn't have one in particular. It often fell to her and I in tandem with one of her retainers.
Apologies if you find that answer concerning, but this war wasn't one we had time to plan for. We assembled most of our troops and plans while we were actively being pursued.
[Hubert is not a man known for his empathy. Still, he was hoping for an answer of "not Corrin," considering his interactions with her so far. An army on the run—that sounds so utterly strange to him, given the raw logistics of managing an army, the sheer numbers to coordinate... unless they were talking something more akin to a rebel or guerrilla group?]
[Either way, he doesn't know what to say for a few beats. Hubert stares for a moment, keeping his face... mostly impassive, but his seemingly stunned silence says enough.]
...Yes. I find that deeply concerning. Surely your nations must have had standing armies, contingencies for attack... Or, are you suggesting you were the subject of a coup?
I suppose the simplest way to put it is that we were a patchwork militia, sourced from different official armies and local soldiers and such, rather than an actual army. I think there's, ah...around fifty of us, I believe.
[Look, this is all very distressing to the tactician in him.]
A patchwork militia. That raises as many questions as it answers. [He shakes his head a little.] Such as what you were on the run from in the first place.
I'm afraid clarifying that makes this a much longer and more personal tale than what I'm willing to share at the moment.
[ she gets the distinct feeling he'd give zero fucks about her dead kingdom and her dragon murder quest and make some flippant remark about it and, given that she still feels a little shaky from CORRIN HASN'T SAID A THING ABOUT YOU, she's not up for dealing with that right now. ]
If we've more chances to speak to one another, though, I wouldn't mind.
[ you gotta be c+ support to unlock her tragic backstory infodump ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
For Azura, Early-Mid Feoveuer
Date: 2020-02-24 01:29 am (UTC)[Temporarily Bonded or not, Hubert did not smile in greeting. Or greet her at all by polite standards, really. They might've never interacted, but he knew of her. Corrin's Bonded, and housemate, and one from her world. Edelgard's trust in her only earned Azura a wary benefit of the doubt, not trust from Hubert in turn.]
Can I help you?
no subject
Date: 2020-02-24 02:08 am (UTC)...granted, it was Edelgard describing him and probably also Edelgard who took the photo, so biases were likely had. Maybe it would have been different if they'd met on the street, or something, too. ]
Salutations. I came by to see Lady Edelgard. [ producing a package from her coat ] Is she home?
no subject
Date: 2020-02-24 03:45 am (UTC)[...But Edelgard did tend to talk him up to the point where people expected something different. His eyes flicker down to the package, considering it.]
Her Majesty has gone into the city. I do not know for how long, but I do not expect it to be a long errand. I can hand that to her, or you may wait inside.
[Hubert almost doesn't provide the offer to let her in, but he knows why they've temporarily Bonded, an he will respect that. Despite his wariness of someone he didn't trust being allowed so close to his liege, he did pity her for her suffering.]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-24 04:07 am (UTC)Er--yes. This is a gift, so I'd like to give it to her myself.
[ Spoiler, it's cookies. For Valentine's Day. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-24 04:24 am (UTC)[Before anything else, he touches the door frame, muttering under his breath. The other Witch might be able to feel a change in the air as the warding around the threshold falls. Then, Hubert steps aside, holding the door politely.]
[But only politely. There's no pretend warmth in the gesture.]
To your left. I can light the hearth, if you prefer.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-24 05:12 am (UTC)Thank you. If that isn't too much trouble, that would be nice.
[ A pause. Hubert's not a chatty one, is he? She feels like this might be an awkward wait time, since...neither is she. ]
...you're Hubert, I assume? Lady Edelgard spoke very fondly of you.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-24 06:20 am (UTC)[Hubert waves his hand as he moves into the room, the fire stoking from its slumber. It is a little chilly in here; Leslie hated fire, so the fireplace burns far less often, now. His eyes flick over to Azura, but it's a quick thing before he gestures to some armchairs facing the fire with a small table between them.]
Mm. Did she now? [It's an idle comment, said almost dryly in a way that suggests he expects something along those lines, and he's acknowledging it to be polite.] And you're Azura, Corrin's housemate.
[It's not a question. Hubert wanders into the kitchen.]
Tea while you wait, I presume? [Everyone always seemed to want it.]
[It's a good thing Azura was making an effort for conversation; Hubert was very comfortable in silence.]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-25 03:27 am (UTC)Her housemate?
[ It's not an inaccurate description. But. ]
That's one word for me, I suppose, yes.
[ She'll take her seat, but leaves her gift on her lap. At his question, she thinks about it for a moment before shaking her head (even though he can't see it). ]
You needn't go to the trouble, it's quite alright.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-25 06:17 am (UTC)And what words would you use?
[Might as well pour coffee for himself while he was in the kitchen.]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-25 06:27 am (UTC)Her--friend. Her comrade in a very tiresome war. Has she said different of me?
[ She stops short of saying "her girlfriend" because no, she's still not comfortable advertising that if someone doesn't ask her first. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-25 07:30 am (UTC)[He says, returning to the room with a cup of his own and taking the remaining seat, as if that was something completely normal to say.]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-25 07:53 am (UTC)Azura's hands tighten on the box and her mouth opens for a moment like she didn't even remotely anticipate a response like that. She can feel her face burning. Oh, that hurts. ]
I...tend to keep to myself most of the time, so that must be why...
no subject
Date: 2020-02-25 02:26 pm (UTC)Incorrect. Corrin and I don't exactly spend much time together. Really, you shouldn't put such weight on the matter.
[Who would you rather tell about your girlfriend: a) your sociable new otherworldly friends, b) the Lurch that manages one of your new friend's household and may or may not have stalked you at least once?]
But, you have my apology if such a statement caused you distress.
[See, he can be nice. Ish.]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-27 12:42 am (UTC)Azura looks back down at her hands and tries to force her face back into its usual expressionless state. Weird, it's been getting harder to do that, lately. She's been dropping face in front of people she doesn't know well enough. ]
...I-I see. [ .... ] A bit, yes, um--it just caught me off guard, is all. She's quite talkative.
[ now she's trying to picture how, exactly, corrin has been interacting with hubert. has she been annoying him with her persistent extroversion? ]
no subject
Date: 2020-02-27 03:41 am (UTC)[So, yes. Hubert doesn't mind a good conversation, but he's classified all his with Corrin as "pointless chatter."]
What were you expecting me to have heard? [It almost sounded like Azura's used to her reputation preceding her by Word of Corrin.]
no subject
Date: 2020-03-07 02:07 am (UTC)I'm not sure, actually. I just expected to have been an offhand mention at some point, at least. Perhaps her priorities were simply elsewhere.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-08 06:11 pm (UTC)[Corrin hasn't been going out her way to annoy him. They're just... like oil and water.]
no subject
Date: 2020-03-11 12:27 am (UTC)[ okay, Azura's a little bit biased ]
no subject
Date: 2020-03-11 04:52 am (UTC)Is that right? So, you fought alongside her, then. [Please, please assuage his fears, Azura.] If Corrin was the face of your army, who was your chief strategist?
no subject
Date: 2020-03-11 05:25 am (UTC)Azura's eyebrows raise and she gives him a vaguely amused look. ]
We didn't have one in particular. It often fell to her and I in tandem with one of her retainers.
Apologies if you find that answer concerning, but this war wasn't one we had time to plan for. We assembled most of our troops and plans while we were actively being pursued.
[ how did they all not die, really? ]
no subject
Date: 2020-03-12 03:30 am (UTC)[Either way, he doesn't know what to say for a few beats. Hubert stares for a moment, keeping his face... mostly impassive, but his seemingly stunned silence says enough.]
...Yes. I find that deeply concerning. Surely your nations must have had standing armies, contingencies for attack... Or, are you suggesting you were the subject of a coup?
[Please say yes. Make this all make sense.]
no subject
Date: 2020-03-12 05:08 am (UTC)I suppose the simplest way to put it is that we were a patchwork militia, sourced from different official armies and local soldiers and such, rather than an actual army. I think there's, ah...around fifty of us, I believe.
The term caught on, is all.
[ So no, not a real army. Calm down, Hubie. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-03-16 02:02 am (UTC)A patchwork militia. That raises as many questions as it answers. [He shakes his head a little.] Such as what you were on the run from in the first place.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-19 12:28 am (UTC)[ she gets the distinct feeling he'd give zero fucks about her dead kingdom and her dragon murder quest and make some flippant remark about it and, given that she still feels a little shaky from CORRIN HASN'T SAID A THING ABOUT YOU, she's not up for dealing with that right now. ]
If we've more chances to speak to one another, though, I wouldn't mind.
[ you gotta be c+ support to unlock her tragic backstory infodump ]
no subject
Date: 2020-03-21 11:42 pm (UTC)[The strategist in him just has... concerns, that's all. He shakes his head.]
Have you had any issues with your recovery?
(no subject)
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