homebound. (earinor & akira)

"You didn't...", Edward mumbled, only shortly looking back to see Logan vanish for now. Edward had ne problem with packing both their tents and ready all three horses. He just wanted to be on his way, if he was completely honest. Just sit on his horse and ride a few steps behind Logan and the prince while the talked. Taking in the scenery and some peace. He didn't mind being around the prince all the time, he was all his life, even though there had been breaks every evening when another knight would take over his duties for a few hours so Edward could sleep himself, in his own bed and his own quarters. Did he have enough of the prince? No, he wasn't even allowed to think something like that. He'd always be there for him and maybe if he backed away a bit, the prince would find someone he could truly and genuinely love, someone that wasn't just there all the time, someone that could return his feelings, if they were any. They couldn't be. Either way, Edward felt bad because he probably kept the prince from finding a connected soul and because he couldn't give him what he yearned for. He shortly looked back at the prince. "G-Good...", he answered.

Edward wanted to continue packing, he wanted to have a reason to not look at the prince and he didn't want to talk. He felt bad for demanding so much, even though it was only happening in his mind. Soon enough he was called over however and he flinched when he heard the prince say his name. He walked over, as a good servant wood, even though he looked like a dog that knew he'd done something wrong. He didn't want to sit down. He ignored the spot designated for him and instead let himself down on one knee, only looking up past some blue strands of hair. He didn't want to lie down and he'd been touched way too much already last night. He ignored the lap that was offered to him on purpose, acting like he didn't understand the wink and he felt bad for lying like this. "N-Nothing...", he answered the prince, shaking his head. Maybe he'd been too lenient and out of line all those years. Maybe he should have stood his ground all along. It was just like that one time when he took the prince to the woods and he almost died because of it. The prince was to marry someone eventually, even if he fled to another country, but not Edward - never him. "I should keep on packing..." Was he allowed to stand up again?

Eddie was a though case of something, maybe a nutcase, but nobody bad. Was he afraid of something? Usually he’d seat himself next to Cecil and just comply with his wishes, but it appeared that the either started to think for himself - or that he was scared of something, or someone. Their conversation was marred with silence and ignorance; he didn’t tire of it, he was simply tired and lost in his own world, where Eddie had never acted like this. Cecil looked at him and smiled, apologetically. “Was I too pushy yesterday? Was that why you wanted me to go to bed and didn’t join me?”, he questioned. What else could it be? Now, he wasn’t touching Eddie, but he was smiling at him and as he kneeled, he realized something - or rather figured he’d destroyed some trust between the two of them. Still, he tried to play it cool and ignore the stinging in his chest - they were knight and prince, not friends, not lovers - and his father would never approve of him falling for someone like Edward, wouldn’t he? Garrett was different, but he also knew how to differentiate between a fling and true love - and Cecil probably did not, and stuck to anyone that would spare him a glance.

“There’s something on your mind. I can see the gears in your head turning, Eddie.”, he mumbled. There was no need to stress themselves over something like this, and there hardly was anything he could do wrong in a situation like this - wasn’t there? Cecil would give up on his feelings if it meant that he could go back a few days, before he’d kissed and clung to Eddie - it was a bit much, wasn’t it? “You look tired and we’re in no hurry, so I was going to ask if you wanted to nap a bit and I’ll read something to you. Or tell you a story.”, he chuckled and liked the idea. It had always worked wonders, especially when he’d snuck into Edwards room at night, when they’d been rather young and careless, and the thunderstorm outside was too scary for Cecil to sleep. They’d built a pillow fort and he read something to his knight with whatever little candlelight they had - and whenever it thundered, he tried to hide. It had been fun, hadn’t it? “If you’d rather not, you’re allowed to get back up and continue packing. Would you like to join Logan in the water instead? You missed out yesterday …”, he reminded his knight who could use some sun as well. “Eddie, I don’t hate you and I’m sorry for yesterday. I should have asked first …” But he hadn’t, and that had been a mistake as it seemed. Cecil offered Eddie his hand, though. Then, he smiled. “May I fix your hair?” There wasn’t much to fix.

Edward kneeled before his prince and only looked up for a split second. He didn't dare look into his face, he didn't dare speak up and tell him, that albeit being honored to receive a kiss from the prince, it felt incredibly wrong to him, but at the same time it felt wrong to deny the prince his wishes. His sense of duty overweighed his obedience in this case, the prince should choose someone else to give his love to and Edward needed to rethink his behavior, because if he gave the prince the wrong impression, that was on him. They weren't children anymore, when a kiss was as innocent as could be and cuddle together in bed was just to comfort a child afraid from thunder. Both of them had grown up and while Edward wanted to comfort the prince if he needed it, if he felt homesick or scared, he also realized that he couldn't hog him for himself and that he was at best an intermediate solution to the lack of touch and closeness the prince seemed to experience right now.

"No, I'm fine...", Edward answered, unable to speak his mind to the person he owed his life. He didn't know how, but he also couldn't continue like this. "Please don't worry about me. I'm not tired." He was used to sleep only a few hours and since their journey begin he more often slept on the floor than in a bed, simply because he didn't want to get too comfortable in an unknown environment. As soon as Edward was allowed to stand up again, he did. "No. I'll keep packing...", he insisted. He wasn't scared of being hated by the prince, as long as he wasn't sent away. Edward didn't know how to tell the prince what he thought about the kisses, especially not how to make him accept it, so he remained quiet. "It's alright, thank you.", he quickly answered about his hair and was soon enough back at their tents. Once that was done he got the now dry clothing Cecil hung up, but it smelled like the sea and Edward intended to wash it properly, before he gave it back to the prince. Instead he searched for some fresh clothes for him and put them next to him to change into once the prince was ready. Meanwhile Edward cared about Logans tent, their horses and the fireplace he put out with some sand.

The short answers didn’t help him - it seemed like Eddie was keeping his distance, intentionally so and Cecil loathed himself for it. Was his knight realizing how much of a monster he was and that doting on him didn’t heal him from all of this? He shook his head and pulled his legs to his body, resting his head on them as his knight got up and started walking around again. This time, he knew better than to stare and he swallowed the bitter pill he gave himself; his gaze drifted and stuck to one of many trees - he felt sick to his stomach now, almost as if the food he’d eaten had been spoiled, but it wasn’t, it was just his imagination and the turmoil in his head overtaking him - he was shortsighted and stupid for all that he did, but he missed those short-lived and senseless days back in the castle, where he’d probably fallen for Eddie without realizing it. He sat there, in silence, and closed his eyes, enjoying the few sunbeams that forced themselves through the many trees that surrounded them. His cheeks slightly hurt, and as he touched them, he realized that he had a sunburn anyway - and his hands were the same, but it was slight and would subside over the next few days, he hoped, at the very least.

As he was handed his new clothing, he undressed and slipped into them, without much of a care in the world - he partially sitting at first, but then got up to change his underwear and pants, before he neatly folded his sleepwear and put it into one of their saddlebags, where Eddie kept the rest of them. As he folded up his pant legs and made sure to tuck his shirt in, he looked at Eddie once more and smiled. “I’ll go see how Logan is doing so we can leave.”, he told Eddie and refused to put on socks or shoes yet, skirting over the heaps and mounds of sands to the salty water that Logan was enjoying by his lonesome. Cecil walked up to the shore and splashed some water his way, giggling. “Come on out … we should leave!” He’d forgotten his cape, not on purpose, he genuinely hadn’t thought about it and was grinning at the blonde that - hopefully - wasn’t completely undressed. Or was he? Who cared. The prince enjoyed the water that hit his feet, even if it was colder than yesterday - or was he just worked up enough? “Logan, can I ask you something? Did I overdo it yesterday?”, he whispered, gazing down onto the sand and picking up a shell - it was glistening black, simple and quite beautiful. He grabbed it and washed it off - it would look great on Eddie.

Once the prince set off to get Logan, Edward continued the packing. He packed up Logans tent and blankets neatly, probably more neat than it had been before. He even shook them out before packing them up to get rid of sand and bugs that might have crawled into the tent. He also prepared a towel for the prince, once he noticed he stepped into the water. Just a small one for his feet and next to it there were fresh socks and the princes shoes, ready to be worn. The cape hung there too. Edward was good at doing chores, he was also not that bad at fighting, but he was bad when it came to human interaction, to being someones friend, or more than that. He didn't know how to tell the prince that of course he liked him, more than anything in this world, but at the same time, he couldn't let any more advances happen. He was his knight, maybe a childhood friend, but nothing more. Being torn between making the prince happy and the duty he had since birth was hard, hurtful even and Edward didn't know what to do. He wished he was only a speck of dust under Cecils shoe, something he wouldn't pay attention to, yet let come along and care for him.

Logan noticed Cecil come towards him. He had swam a bit, just back and forth, but when he was called, he walked out. He wore underwear today, even though it would be wet and he needed to let it dry somehow while being on their way. That was extra work that didn't need to happen, but if everyone got offended by seeing his dick, he'd wear one. He trudged outside and met Cecil at the shore. Once he reached him, Cecil started to whisper. "Hm?", Logan asked waiting for the question. He was not their marriage counselor, but he already knew what was going to be asked. "Shouldn't you know him better than I do?", he retaliated and wringed out his hair to get rid of some water. In his opinion, Edward could use a day away from his prince, but that would probably never happen, not out here. "He seems like a very private person. I think you embarrassed him.", Logan answered after a while. "But I shouldn't make assumptions, I only know you for two days now." Logan looked up, seeing Edward stand there, all three horses ready and bags packed. He just waited for his companions to be ready. Logan didn't even know what to say to that.

Asking Logan for advice might not be the smartest of all moves, and yet, he had helped yesterday, immensely at that, and he seemed to be good at what he did - which mainly consisted of comforting somewhat broken people as it seemed, but then again, why weren’t they able to rely on each other and solve their problems for themselves, much like they had before all of this had even happened and much before they could ask Garrett or Francis for any advice at all. Cecil looked at Logan, forlorn and questioning, not sure if his intentions were and would always be truly “good” as one described them, or if he’d rather enjoy the little things he had, which functionally meant that he wanted to bask in Eddies presence and nothing else. “I do, but he’s acting weird lately. Kind of like … I don’t even know how to describe it, really. Maybe he just needs time for himself and I’m overly sensitive.”, he sighed, wondering if Logan ever had had these kinds of problems when he was younger, though, Cecil doubted that someone as detached and yet glorified and charismatic as Logan would feel the absolute need to feel bad about something he’d done; or anything he would do.

“That’s true. He just seems very detached today, but maybe he’s just in a bad mood? How much did he sleep?”, he asked Logan. Eddie could have at least crawled in the blondes tent and slept there if he loathed him, and yet, he stood his ground and protected him overnight, like the dutiful knight he was. It was a bit much, wasn’t it? Giving him a reward for his duties wasn’t something that Cecil wanted to do either - after all, that would just mean he was comfortable with Eddie acting like a dog and that, in turn, would also mean that he himself was neither good nor affirmatively evil. “He packed all of our stuff up when you dashed off, and when I tried to invite him to rest a bit next to me, he just kneeled there and didn’t seem like he wanted to … I guess it can’t be helped. Are you coming?”, he questioned and motioned his head towards Eddie and the horses, to which he trailed off to, before cleaning himself up and putting both socks and boots on. This time, he’d get on his horse all alone - he just needed a bit of time, but he’d get the hang of it eventually. “Are you ready?”, he asked, shoving the used towel into a saddlebag. Now, into the cape and hood and onto the horse it was … the shell had disappeared into his pockets, he’d keep it for later.

"Well are you acting different than at home?", Logan asked, trying to make Cecil eventually realize something, if that was the case. Something had changed for them, that much was apparent and if it wasn't only the new scenery and the fact that they'd run from home and were searched for by a whole army, then that must be the root of evil, or something like that. Logan could only speculate and he'd never be able to feel himself into something like Edward. When he was much younger, he decided that no, he didn't want to be an obedient little servant, whereas it seemed Edward was nothing more than that. If Logan would have been around the prince his whole life, he'd be out here, questioning if he should ditch him and finally live his life. If he liked him too much for that, he still would treat him differently, as a friend maybe, a travel companion, but never his prince. He'd love the ability to make his own decisions finally, much as he loved his life since he left home. But that was him and not Edward, Edward was different in too many ways.

"Well maybe, I wouldn't know how he looks when he's in a bad mood. To me he looks like he's always in a bad mood.", Logan replied, then looked at the sun and its current position. "A few hours at least, if he slept all the time he had his eyes closed that is. I'd guess around four or five?", Logan took an estimated guess and looked at the prince suddenly. "Thank you very much by the way, I slept well too, about the same amount." He didn't need the princes approval or care, but he just wanted to point out, that the prince maybe paid too much attention to his knight all the time. He seemed fine doing his chores. Eventually Logan nodded and followed Cecil back to their camp. He put on some clothes and got on his own horse soon enough. Cecil seemed to try to get on his on his own as well, but before he could really start trying, Edward was already heaving him up, then got on his own horse, taking a final look back to check if they forgot anything. They didn't and Logan took the lead.

Logan knew where he was going, even though they went off road to get to that beach. The sun guided him and once they found back to the road, they just needed to follow it for a while. The prince was riding ahead towards him, leaving Edward a few steps behind them. "It's fine.", Logan answered to the sudden apology and shook his head. "Somewhere specific? The border is our goal, is it not?", Logan asked laughing, but he figured the prince wanted a more specific answer. "Hm, I guess our little prince didn't pay attention last time. We made a detour to the beach, so now we need to continue north and eventually west to reach a passageway in the mountains that leads to our neighbors country. For today, we'll get back on the road and ride mostly north. There is a fishers village about a days ride from here, that's our goal. Maybe we can even get into the water again, before we leave the coast, but our little sheep will have to hide his hair.", he explained and leaned over to ruffle through Cecils hair, even if the hood was in the way. He ended it with a very soft shove and his horse followed up by pushing Cecils just a little bit.

"The town we're headed for is a bit bigger than the last one we visited. They also have excellent fish there and if you never were on a boat before, that'll be your chance if you find a nice fisherman.", Logan grinned as if he was their tour guide. He looked back towards Edward who quite obviously listened to their conversation too, even though he didn't engage in it. "It'll be fine to get him on a boat, right?", he asked the knight and Edward looked up a bit surprised. "Uh... yeah. That'll be fun, right?", he asked, smiling at the prince rather than Logan. He wasn't a bad guy, just easily embarrassed and way too stuck up. Now that he had some distance, without Cecil being able to just jump over to him, he seemed to relax a bit again and his overall goal would always be to accommodate for the prince. He was happy, when Cecil was happy, wasn't it that? "We could even buy a fishing rod. I bet that would come in handy once we are in unknown territory. You still have enough money, right? It won't be of much use soon anyway."

Treacherous roads led from one place to the other, but quite obviously, Cecil wasn't in it for that - all he wanted was to come to the realization that, without much effort, he'd easily be stranded elsewhere and could kiss his life goodbye. Why was that? Who knew. All he was able to discern for himself was the obvious, yet oblivious realization that, no matter what he did, he was always relying on others. "I- I paid attention! I just wanted to ask if you wanted to make a detour!", he insisted, embarrassed, but he let Logan explain and ruffle through his hair; he felt naked like this, felt as if that hair of his was in the way either way and as if Logan could throw him off of his horse if he wanted to. Normally, he wouldn't engage in nonsense like that, but right now, all of this was far from normalcy and he was lost in the throes of something completely different. "I had a stupid idea yesterday. We could have used the ashes from our fireplace to dye my hair with, but I figured that it might wear off the next time I go for a dip, so ... maybe I should pass on the swimming lessons instead and watch you two have fun.", he offered up, to both Logan and Edward, almost as if both of them not only deserved that, but also had to come to the realization that he wouldn't be able to do all of the things they did.

"A boat? You mean like, a big, giant boat or more like a small one? Oh, you probably mean a small fishermans boat, I'd like to see that!" There were different boats where he came from, but alas, he'd only ever heard of Othidors boats whenever he asked Garrett until there was a definite hole in his stomach - until there was nothing aside from the craving of seeing what was actually going on left in his empty brain. "Yes, being on a boat will be fun! I promise I won't get seasick!", he laughed, and he meant it. How high were the odds? One could only try to figure it out, but it would turn into something horrid with relative ease, if he proved to be seasick in the first place. Whatever the case, he didn't quite want to think about it and instead enjoyed his quite secondary life of bliss, so close to Logan, not having to worry about reigning in his horse, thankfully. "Uh, a fishing rod? Why not! Do you know how to fish?", he wanted to know of Logan. Eddie probably did not, but Cecil could learn and then, he stretched his neck backwards, to look at Eddie for a second, with an upside-down smile. "Do we have enough money? I haven't checked in ... uh, a good long while." Besides, his knight handled their finances, thus, Cecil was only the one that provided the coin but nothing else. But who knew? A few gold coins could go a long way, he thought, and they had plenty of them in the first place.

"No detours, I know most of the places here anyway, you are the one sightseeing.", Logan told the prince. He'd been around, he'd seen a lot of places, only in the north west of Azenad there was an area he never visited, yet knew. All the way to the east however, he knew his way around, and he also did in the south, even past the princes lands, all the way to the next ones which were much more hot and sandy. "That is a stupid idea!", Logan laughed out loud. "Touching your hair once would paint everything black and it would wash out pretty easily. You're better off shaving your head and putting on a wig.", Logan explained, then nodded at Edward. "His hair is the problem. I recognized him first, not you." Edward looked up, then down on his hands. He was embarrassed, because he was the one who was recognized in that inn. He quickly took his hood off and tied together his hair at the back of his head. Then he put the hood back on, deep in his face, hoping no one could see his distinctive blue hair.

"It's a fishers village, it doesn't have a big harbor, but it has a big enough dock.", Logan explained further. He truly knew his way around, didn't he? Was it smart to let him pick where they went? Edward didn't know, but he also didn't say anything about it. "Yeah I fished before. Not very often though, takes too long. Shooting a pheasant is easier." Logan smiled and Edward couldn't say he was very good at fishing either. He did fish with his father, but that had been a long while ago. Even though he remembered that one year with him vividly, he didn't remember fishing very well. Edward still nodded. "We have enough money.", he told the prince. They basically robbed the king and Edward felt bad about it, but Cecil insisted that it was his money too, so it wasn't stealing. The money would be worthless once they crossed the border and left the influence of Ylisse. Buying a fishing rod wouldn't hurt them, they'd still have enough to buy some food for the road just in case. Some medicine too and whatever else they could think of. Logan meanwhile had found back to the road which they followed now.

"Well, unlike you I have never seen them before!", he gawked, knowing damn well that no, he hadn't seen any of this from anywhere else aside from his dreams - Cecil enjoyed it, just the way it was, and basked in the glory of someplace he didn't even know how to describe. How far were they away from home? How long would they need until they crossed Ylisses borders and made their ways into Thrias icy claws? All of that, plus the many things that Cecil failed to account for, haunted him in a way - he was, without a doubt, somebody that had his work cut out for him, even if said work was barely anything and his assumption of how things worked was completely wrong in the first place. "Can't I just wear a wig with my hair out like that? Maybe fabric dye works? I mean, it's white, it should stick.", he huffed. Cecil literally had no pigment anywhere, not even his eyes, which apparently was, why he was looking like some of those weird mice and rabbits that the professors in the castle kept as pets and performed some weird experiments on - he felt like an outcast, mostly because nothing connected him to his siblings, aside from the fact that he proudly wore Azenads crest on festive occasions, but this was none and locks alone weren't proof enough.

"Hm, so Eddie gets a wig?", he chuckled. He'd look good with ginger hair, but raven-black or a soft brown would suit him too - the possibilities were endless, and while he was at it, he mustered Logan; the only figure amidst their little team that wasn't wearing a hood and behaving like an absolutely lost basket case. Maybe he'd look good with black hair? Possibly. "A nice dock and some small boats, huh? I'd like to see it, really.", he insisted and smiled at Logan this time around, wondering how bad it could be if he was trapped on a small, wooden construct, shippering down one of many ylissean rivers that graced the lands and, all things aside, intimidated not only the living, but also the dead. "Hm, then I'll learn how to fish for all of us!" But Eddie was better with needles, and Cecil was sure he'd end up with a hook puncturing his fingers - regardless, it was fun and he'd try it, if only that meant he finally found some use in a group that specifically catered to him, yet, gained nothing from him specifically. Why was he like this? "That's good!" That meant he could go for one last cake with both of them before they left their home behind and crossed over to a new place, so much more different than the ground he rode upon. He gazed, trying to decipher if a bird of prey was looking out for them, or if he could spot the outlines of the town at all if he squinted his eyes; there was nothing yet, despite the fact that they had gotten on the road and spend some time riding further in silence. "I spy with my little eye ... nothing. Absolutely nothing but nature."

"If we get to Thria, none of us will have seen those places before though.", Logan almost complained, as if he was the child here and couldn't wait to get to someplace he didn't know. This was the whole reason he joined them anyway, didn't he? His own money wasn't worth anything over there either. "Why didn't you go there by yourself?", Edward asked with a calm voice, free of any judgement. "Hm? Uh... I guess I never really thought about it until you told me about that idea. Ten years of traveling Ylisse was enough though, I need some fresh air." Logan laughed like he always did and Edward suddenly wondered, why he even butted in their conversation. Was he starting to trust Logan? He shouldn't, at least not until they were in Thria. "Fabric dye? Maybe. But you don't need to hide, especially not in Thria. We'll all look weird there, it doesn't matter. And there is no other reason to, be glad you're different and unique. it's boring to look the same as everybody else." Edward did agree for once. The prince needed to hie now, yes, but not because he was unsightly. he knew the prince worried about that a lot, but there was no reason to. Edward couldn't quite bring that point across though, maybe Logan was able to.

"Or you shave him bald?", Logan chuckled almost mischievous. Their little group looked a bit strange. One small hooded figure, one bigger one and then there was Logan with his long blond hair and his shiny armor, not hiding himself at all. "We'll be there before sundown, don't worry.", Logan smiled and went a little faster, so they'd have more time looking at boats later. Edward wasn't quite sure if he trusted Cecil with a fishing hook, but he probably had babied him enough, maybe it was time to trust him a bit more and not treat him like a child. They travelled for a while, made a short break to eat the rest of their food from yesterday and continued on. They came across some signs pointing them into the right direction and once they could read the towns name, that meant they weren't far anymore. "Nature has a lot to offer too.", Logan told the prince, while Edward raised his head. "It's kind of loud...", he mumbled and Logan almost looked a bit confused, but he tried to listen as well. There indeed were voices and laughter in the distant, it was buzzing, much like the insects around them. "You're right. The town shouldn't be that big actually..."

"That's why I want to go there in the first place.", Logan laughed, looking forward to see new lands and meet new people, even if he was unable to talk to them. He'd learn their language somehow and until then he'd communicate with other means. Logan had the rare gift to find friends everywhere, albeit them being fleeting acquaintances. For some reason Logan never had searched for something lasting, as if he was afraid a relationship, be it a friendly or romantic one, would rob him of parts of his freedom, one he so desperately clung to. He wondered how long he'd travel with the prince and his knight. He had no interest in ratting them out, but maybe he'd leave and travel on his own through Thria at some point. He'd probably be able to go faster and further and didn't need to care about all the dangers that might lurk in unknown lands. It was him alone he needed to worry about. He didn't want to get old anyway, yet falling, breaking his ankle and starve to death would also be an unpreferable death.

"He probably looks funny with short hair.", Logan chuckled imagining Edward bald and then how little blue strands started to grow back. How long has it been since he cut his own hair? Once Cecil asked if Logan was able to see their surroundings clearly, the blonde raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I can see single leaves. Wow, you're almost as blind as a friend I once had. No wonder you shot the wrong bird.", Logan chuckled and heard Edward hesitantly clear his throat. Did he try to tell him, that he should drop that topic? "Carnival? I don't know, but they sure celebrate something.", Logan answered with a smile. "Did you know about that?", Edward asked from the sidelines and Logan shook his head. "No, but it'll sure be fun." "It might be hard to find a room...", Edward pointed out. The mercenary turned around to him. "Stop worrying. Let's see what this is about first!", he laughed and once they were able to see the outskirts of town, they were presented with temporarily set up booths and paths lit by torches. There already was a crowd of people and what seemed to be a big tent in the background. Different smells of food mixed together and lured spectators in. Some of the booths had been erected on the shore and a wooden path of planks had been laid out. Children were running around in the sand and giggled, some of them carrying colorful toys.

No matter how far they went, there were bound to be heaps and loads of people, all of them condensed to a small inn or a crowded space meant for festivals; Cecil couldn’t say he liked it very much, but he also had to agree that no matter what, there was at least some fun to be had if he was out and about with some friends of his - of which he had two now - and wasn’t just by his lonesome. He could make every day count, for the silliest of reasons, but worse than that, that also meant they could unwind and with that many people surrounding them, maybe they would blend right into the crowd. “To get yourself a lover?”, Cecil asked, teasingly at the very least. Then, he laughed. If anyone, Logan would be the one that got himself someone out there - after all, body language was able to transcend boundaries, wasn’t it? And even then, the blonde had the best of chances when it came to that - he was the most attractive of them, possibly, at least to anyone else that didn’t know how to appreciate Eddies beauty. “Funny? He’d look … hm, maybe. Maybe he’d look somewhat fuzzy? It’s hard to imagine, I don’t think Eddie has cut his hair in a while …”, he answered. Cecil wasn’t even sure; had he ever seen Eddie with short hair?

“A friend? You have blind friends?”, he giggled. Someone that shared his sentiments and his burdens? Maybe whoever that was owed Logan a favor and could help Cecil with his predicament - if they figured it out by themselves, that was. Whoever could that be? Being blind was reserved for old people, at least that had been what Cecil had initially thought, but he was proven so very wrong that - no matter what - he’d sound like an idiot if he claimed something like that right now. “If we can’t find one, we could just camp again? I mean, I wouldn’t mind …”, he mumbled, inserting himself in the conversation that the two adults of their group were having. Silence wasn’t what they’d be getting if they spent their time here and Cecil was, oddly, okay with that. It reminded him of home and once they came closer, his eyes widened in anticipation - draped in the finest of colors, filled with heaps and loads of people, and while most of them were local, others looked like travelers that had only recently arrived themselves. “I’d say we should get ourselves a room or two and then join the fun! Also, I think they’re too occupied with their little festival, aren’t they? I call dibs on swimming!”, he joked. This was bound to be fun, but where to first?

Logan laughed looking at the prince. "A lover? No no no, I'm not made for something long term like that.", he answered shaking his head in amusement. He never had a relationship that lasted more than a few days, maybe a few weeks at most, but he also made clear that he wasn't looking for anything like that to begin with. Did he look it? probably no. When a girl or boy let themselves be coaxed into a night by a stranger in a bar, then they knew what that was all about. "I'd like to keep my hair...", Edward finally butted in albeit a bit silently. Logan looked back at the hooded figure who's face he almost couldn't see, much less his hair. Then he looked at the prince and this time he pulled his hood further into his face to hide the white locks. "He's not completely blind and I haven't seen him in years.", Logan explained. In truth he didn't have many friends and most of the people he found nice enough had probably forgotten him by now.

"Let's try and get two rooms first.", Logan decided. Camping with so many people around was probably not a good idea. Yesterday they had been relatively hidden, here they'd have to ride a bit to get away from all those spectators. With a crowd that big, there sure were crooks and thieves around. The prince was excited, that much Logan could tell from his change in posture alone. "You shouldn't go swimming with this many people around...", Edward hampered the princes mood. What if the hood slipped, or someone tried to join him. he'd not be able to undress either - no, swimming was a bad idea. Logan meanwhile rode ahead and once they reached the crowd they couldn't ride next to each other anymore. Cecil was riding in the middle. Logan stopped at the first inn, telling them to wait. He got off his horse and through the crowd to enter the building. Once he came back out he simply shook his head and they moved on. This town was big enough to have more than one inn, but at the second they also didn't have any luck. Only at the third Logan came out waving a key and urging Edward to lean down so he'd be able to talk to him over the noise. "They only had one room left. Take it." "What about you?", Edward asked, but did he really care? The prince would. "I'll find someone who'll share his or her bed with me don't worry!", Logan grinned. "But let's bring our stuff inside, you don't mind, do you?" Edward shook his head. If it was only Logans things stored there, that was fine. "Should we really let those things unattended?" "You rather take it with you and lose it to a pocket thief? Or do you want to guard it while we look around?" Logan grinned again, knowing the answer. "No...", Edward answered anyway and finally got off his horse to then also help the prince off. "Stay close to me.", he urged him, taking their bags and suddenly also getting Logans luggage hung around his shoulder. "Go on ahead, I'll bring the horses to the stable, then I'm gonna join you. Need to get out of that armor..."

The town wasn’t as big as the city back home, sure, but but it was full of people, bustling and living, sightseeing and interested in what happened around them - Cecil was one of many and so were his companions, who did most of the dirty work for him, mainly because he himself was incapable of it. “Nobody to hold you back, then?”, he asked. Cecil figured that Logan liked living in a fastpaced and careless environment, and that the additional emotional baggage, that came with having a lover, just wasn’t for him, for a multitude of reasons. Why wouldn’t it be? The silence that spread between them was all-telling, but it was disrupted by laughter and words, by sentences made of the finest silk by the people screaming and singing the loudest. “I won’t cut your hair off, don’t worry.”, he nodded at Eddie and then looked at Logan, as if he was trying to tell him that he, too, better left it at that and didn’t consider anything like that; he’d like to keep his knight in the same condition as he was currently. “Bummer, I thought maybe he could help me. Well, whatever - do you know any other people like that?” They’d be paid handsomely, and yet, Cecil doubted that there was anybody out there that could help - his father hadn’t found anyone and Garrett always was on the lookout on his travels, too, and yet, even he procured nothing - and he probably had been in this town before.

“No swimming? Oh, you’re right. Sorry. I’ll refrain.” Cecil sighed, almost disappointed, but he still smiled ever so slightly and as Logan pulled his hood deeper into his face, he pouted. Was Eddie seeing anything like this? Cecil sure as hell wasn’t and it was kind of annoying, but he didn’t complain aloud and instead, followed suit as they traversed every corner of this sandy, mesmerizing place - some streets were much more narrow than others, and some cobblestones had moved in favor of some more sand that moved all the way up here from the coastline, which wasn’t far away either. It took quite a while until they found what they wanted, but to no ones surprise, almost everything was fully booked - and Logan argued with Eddie, over the worst of things no less. He got off of his horse and merely nodded at Eddie, whom he glued himself to - and that before he could offer to sleep on the floor, so both of his protectors had a comfortable bed, at least for this very night. As he disappeared into the inn with Eddie, he looked at the colorful decor - at the clams and shells and the fishing nets that hung from the deep brown ceiling ceiling beams, and upon the blueish colored pieces of cloth that hung everywhere, accompanied by a faint strand of green here and there. Then, he discovered a family of teddy bears in the same colors and, while he instinctively wanted to grab them, refrained and let himself be led to their room, where he dashed for the window to draw the curtains shut. Then, he took his hood off and fluffed through his own hair, before putting it back on. “Do you need help, Eddie? Oh! Is there anything you want to do? Carnival is always fun!”

"Something like that.", Logan smiled, then shrugged his shoulders. "I know a lot of people everywhere.", he explained, though he didn't know if they were able to help Cecil with his eyesight or his easily burned skin. Besides, they wouldn't go out of their way finding someone so close to the border, right? Logan wanted to see Thria, not travel Ylisse once more. Either way, he soon left the two oddbirds alone and took all three horses to the stables. He put the saddles down and moved some hay their way. They had enough to drink in reach as well. Shortly after he too went into the inn itself, past the packed dining room and up the stairs to find the door with the number six on it.

"We can swim some other time again.", Edward proposed with a weak smile. Cecil kept close, that was good. Unlike a nosy child, the prince seemed to be scared of huge crowds sometimes and thus he didn't let go of Edward until they reached their room and closed the door behind them. Edward let all the bags fall to the floor, but eventually tried to bring some order into the chaos. "No, I'm fine. Do you want to change clothes?", he asked the prince, after all they had had a long journey. Edward doubted he'd have time to wash any of their clothes today though, the prince and Logan alike both seemed pretty excited to check out the festivities. "Uh... no. I'll just follow your lead.", he answered the prince. Parties and such weren't Edwards favorite things, a huge crowd of people wasn't either, much less when on the run and there were so many people that were able t recognize them and rat them out. After all their was a huge amount of money given for any tips that helped find them.

Soon enough there was a knock on the door and Logan entered as well. "I'm starving.", he announced, opening up the leather bands that held his armor together. "What about you, leaving that on?", he asked Edward, nodding at his own leather armor. "It doesn't bother me.", Edward explained. "Well I'm gonna change!", with those words Logan moved over to his own bags Edward carried upstairs and searched for a fresh shirt and pants. maybe he wanted to impress someone today? He did say he wanted to spend the night with someone. Once he found what he had searched for, he didn't bother going anywhere else, he just got out of his shirt right where he stood. This wasn't anything new, but unlike the wilderness, they had a little corner in this room he could have hidden himself in, but Logan didn't care.

Spending time in this room any longer than he had to wasn’t an option - he wanted to go out and see the festivities for himself, without anyone telling him what to do or where to do it. Eddie was only taking care of him and making sure that he was feeling good, that much was clear, but Cecil himself also knew that he’d have to make some memories while he was here - even with the slightest of sunburns, that didn’t matter. He yawned, though, covering his mouth and then shaking his head - he wasn’t tired yet, but apparently his body had decided that thinking of sleep was the right course of action for both him and Eddie at this point in time. “No, I’m good - they don’t need to be perfect anyway. Do you want to change yours?”, he asked. Eddie was free to do that and if he wanted, Cecil would close his eyes and turn his back towards him, if that meant that he, in turn, would feel safer and more comfortable; even though Cecil felt like oggling his beautiful knight like some sort of desperate, old geezer that wanted to look at something beautiful for a change. That change was Eddie, in this case at the very least, and he’d not shy away from him - he never had. “Don’t worry about the swimming. I should be more worried about you, you didn’t even get the chance to swim yet! And hm, then I’ve got to come up with something.”

Cecil wanted to see it all, but that clashed with their plans if they wanted to move on tomorrow - they’d miss bits and parts of the carnival, but he wasn’t in a bad mood because of it; he’d rather enjoy himself for a short amount of time if that meant he actually got to see and experience something; it all sounded idiotic, but he’d somehow make it work, one way or the other. As Logan finally joined them, Cecil turned to face him and look at him, in a temporary state of undress - why was that so embarrassing all of a sudden? Warmth had already spread thorough his cheeks and he was covering his face with his hands, as best as he could, only to peek out from in between his fingers and eye Logan. “Hm, I doubt candied apples will satisfy your appetite?” Cecil wanted one, but alas, he’d always had a sweettooth and that hadn’t helped him and Eddie before, either. Was that all, though? No, they were bound to have nice food out here and Cecil would be lying if he claimed to not want to try some fish. “Change? Here? I mean, I, uh. Eddie, do you not want to take your armor off? Are you two bringing any weapons? We shouldn’t arouse too much suspicion and just behave like civilians for a night, maybe.”, he suggested.