HOLY MAIDEN GIRLFRIEND TIME

[faithstaynight]

Exactly What it Says On The Tin. Just a place for me 'n' Jamie to dump all our Jeanne and Zelda nonsense. Most of it will probably happen in the aftermath of towerofanimus BUT HEY WHO KNOWS WHAT WE'LL COOK UP, other AUs might happen!

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[sageprincess]

[Yes, she is aware of that little habit of Jeanne's, just as she is aware of much of the daily comings and goings in the castle. But the smell of hay and horses is not a bad one when it's on Jeanne, Zelda thinks, and anyone who might judge Jeanne for that indulgence certainly knows not to do it when she or the Princess is within earshot. So Zelda simply smiles, and lets her suspicions on how Jeanne must have spent a few hours of her day go without comment. The topic of a celebration in town is certainly a more interesting one.]

A celebration? Hmm... [She hums contemplatively as they walk, scouring her mind for what it must be for, until--] Ah! The Sun and Moon Festival is usually around this time of year, that must be it.

[She nods to herself, sure that she's solved the mystery... and then a moment later realizes she should probably explain.]

Oh, the Sun and Moon Festival is a fairly casual affair as far as celebrations go; the royalty is not expected to make an official appearance, usually. Well... unmarried or widowed royalty, anyway. [... A bit of awkwardness enters her tone here as she clears her throat.] It is largely a romantic sort of festival, you see - based around a myth that the sun and moon are lovers ceaselessly chasing after each other. Though outside of that basic framework it is much the same as any other, with food and music and games and so on.

[Thinking about it... it would be nice to go to the festival as part of a pair. As a real pair, like everyone else in the kingdom does, and not one simply made for the sake of wealth or alliances. She's never really allowed herself to consider such before, what with her duties and all, but... yeah, it would be nice.]

The main event will be towards the end of the night, when those in attendance send paper lanterns into the sky, so their love might join that of the sun and moon's among the stars. It is quite a lovely sight, when there are many of them.

[faithstaynight]

R-Romantic?

[... Ah. That... certainly explains how giddy the servant girls had been when she overheard them talking about the festival. It also means that she's in a bit of a precarious position now; should she insist they do something else? It seems like the safest choice, but runs the risk of that rift Jeanne is so afraid of pushing between them... or they could go? Perhaps she can brush aside any hints of the romantic nature of the festival, focus on the food and games and making sure Zelda has a good time...

... But then she lets her mind drift as Zelda speaks, she tries to imagine these floating lanterns, what they mean...

Okay. No. She's getting ahead of herself!! This is... this is supposed to be about Zelda. About helping her relax. Jeanne can't get caught up in these fantasies, no matter how much they make her heart flutter.]

I see... [How to tread around this topic carefully...] Would you like to see it? Um... I'm sure the view from the town will be much different than watching from the castle.

[sageprincess]

[Jeanne's slight alarm does not go unnoticed, but it is mildly misinterpreted. Jeanne is a pure soul, after all - Zelda's never known her eyes to wander anywhere that could be considered untoward, even when the princess momentarily sneaks away from her duties to watch her train with the castle's knights (and kindly hand them their asses every time). Another reason to keep her own feelings tightly under wraps.

She smiles, indulgent.]

It would, but I also would not want you to be uncomfortable. As I said, royalty is not expected to attend, so we do not have to go if you do not wish to.

[As always, putting everyone else's feelings before her own.]

[faithstaynight]

[While it's true that Jeanne's eyes have never wandered - even during the hot, muggy summer days that made training in armor unbearable and most of the soldiers shed it in favor of thin cotton shirts and shorts - she wouldn't exactly consider her thoughts pure. Zelda is her Master, her princess... even if Jeanne was human, she was a peasant. To have romantic thoughts like these about Zelda... it was akin to blasphemy!

At least... she tries to tell herself that. But the feeling of warmth that blooms in her chest whenever those thoughts invade her mind... that can't be some kind of sin, can it?]

... Let's go, then.

[Jeanne is a selfless soul, one who puts the needs of everyone far before her own. She knows that the recent meetings have started adding to that ever-present weight on Zelda's shoulders, and something like this would be the perfect thing to take her mind off such things. So she can push aside her own awkwardness for this night.]

If I'm with you, you won't need any other guards, right? Perhaps if we dressed more... casually, we can blend in and enjoy the festivities better.