The Lily of the Valley[Mikhail, Natasha]

Fate had a mildly humorous way of drawing familiar faces back together in short order. Mikhail, the endearing self-proclaimed Knight of Dance was currently in the City of Lights. From their last meeting, he had already revealed he was a traveler searching far and wide, vanquishing evil whenever it reared its foul head, journeying the realm on behalf of Princess Natalya to find a cure, in hopes that it might wake her from her ceaseless slumber. Thus, it wasn't entirely surprising to imagine his travels would lead him here.

Even so, it would've been a severe understatement to say she expected to see him again so soon. At any rate, sharing contacts came in quite handy for moments like these, allowing Natasha to exchange messages with him long enough to pinpoint his location.

His offer was a simple one. He wished to meet up with her again and see a familiar face. Those terms were quite ideal for her, and it didn't take her incredibly long to prepare herself in an ideal outfit befitting the current season. Properly dressed, cowboy hat neatly positioned atop her head, Natasha expediently made her way to the appointed area, mapping out how she would show him around the town, and impart a fine impression of the city to her friend.

Even if his time here was likely short-lived, there was no crime in leaving lasting memories, right? Of course not. Lifting her hat, revealing a glowing pair of hazel eyes, Natasha flashed a grin in Mikhai's direction, calling out to the young man with upbeat liveliness to her tone.

"Now, there's the familiar face, I remember from my little ol' trip in the mountains. Howdy, Knight of Dance. How would you like me to show you around town and spend a day together? Consider it my repayment for bein' such a sweetheart during our first meetin'."

"Ah, Dame Natasha! How magnificent to see your charming visage yet again!"

Mikhail greeted his compatriot with a cheerful wave, smile bright as he called out perhaps slightly more emphatically than any normal person would have. His attire certainly stood out just as much, ornately-patterned traditional attire which was layered with the ornaments of his station. Some might have considered it gaudy, but such was simply the way of displaying one's rank. He, a knight of standing, would of course wear the appropriate bright attire, trimmed in gold and fur with no shortage of jewels.

"To have you show me this domain would certainly be an honor, and a day in your company a pleasure. But, of course, I could never think of such as repayment! Should any upstanding man demand recompense for the day alongside a fellow honorable knight? Much less would any sensible man require it for the day with a kind and beauteous woman!"

"Singin' my praises already, are ya? Well, I reckon it is pretty nice to see my knightly partner hasn't lost any of that charming zeal I remembered him for since the last time we crossed paths. And he's just as lively, too! Okay, sugar. Let's just call it how it is - treatin' my dashing guest to a fine afternoon in the city of lights. My home away from home."

Voicing those words with a saccharine sweetness to her tone, Natasha tipped her cowboy hat downward with a finger with a playful flamboyance to her movement, hoisting a large bag over her shoulder. Motioning for the man to follow her with a wave of the hand, the hazel-eyed blonde allowed her imagination to freely wonder about Mikhail's time here in the city so far. There were a variety of thoughts that danced through her mind - chief among them was how well he had been received by the civilians of the city.

How many humored him? How many gave him odd stares? His knightly disposition seemed like it would've endeared him to the children, and the handsome face probably won him over with the ladies. Had he met any of her companions? Fellow Sternritter? Ah, there truly was no shortage of curiosity, leading the woman to indulge herself as she inquisitively shot a finger in his direction.

"Now, I know you've probably spent a few days wandering through these parts so far. How''s it been for ya so far? Our lovely civilians have been treatin' ya well so far? I sincerely hope so. First impressions aren't end-all be-alls, of course, but yer' a good friend of mine, so I'm a lil' curious to know what the experience has been like so far."

Mikhail's smile hardly faltered as he took his place at Natasha's side, eyes moving between his company and the city itself. Both undoubtedly marvels to any sensible eye, certainly!

"The people of this land have certainly been a fascinating and kindly folk! I understand well that their hardships might make any knight of a foreign land seem a threat, but the bonds of brotherhood between fellow quincy, and fellow knights, have proven more than sufficient in that respect. I would not have expected any less, of course, of such a place that would house the Knights of the Stars!"

Naturally, few of those musings that Natasha herself had considered really seemed to be addressed by the Knight of the Dance. After all, those weren't the kinds of things any chivalrous knight would notice, were they? He was a man on a quest, here to find kinship.

"Oh? That so? Guess any of little those ol' worries rumblin' in my head were for nothin, then, huh? Glad to hear you've enjoyed your visit here. We're indeed nice folk once we trust newcomers, and although I won't speak for any of them, I'm mightily certain the Knight of Stars would enjoy your illuminatin' presence as well, sugar."

His confirmation elicited a warm smile across her features. It helped that Mikhail seemed self-aware enough to recognize the pulse of the city, recognizing the effect past hardships had on the civilians. She, of course, wasn't entirely opposed to welcoming others into the fold, and with open arms no less, but even Natasha recognized there was a fine line to honor.

The sharpshooter's hazel gaze shifted between her surroundings - to ensure she was following the right path to their destination - and Mikhail's confident countenance as he walked at her side, surveying the bright scenery laid out before them. Their short-lived journey would eventually lead them to her destination of choice, a large sea of water set against a humble boating dock. It was an ideal location for what her first plan of the day ultimately was - an old-fashioned fishing trip! Turning her head to him with a grin, Natasha pointed to a boat five paces away from them.

"Now, I'm no bettin' woman, but somethin' tells me since yer the kind of guy who enjoys a good hunt, yer also one who loves to go fishing, too! I've brought all the gear and I've reserved a boat. What say you, Knight of Dance? Will thou art humor Dame Natasha for a few hours while she navigates these fine blue seas in search of a bountiful feast?"

"Ah, Dame Natasha, you certainly understand we men of Nartia well! For just as we know the wide stretch of the plains and the rugged highlands, so too do we know the sea, where great Batraz was first born and where his blade still rests!"

There was a faint boastful confidence in Mikhail's smile as he effortlessly hopped onto the boat Natasha had gestured to, seeming quite at home with the vessel and with a practiced ease as he studied it carefully. His gaze seemed almost sharp as he took in the vessel, and yet the moment passed just as quickly as he turned back to his blonde companion, smile still wide.

"Know that if you desire a feast, then I will without fail secure such a thing!"

"What can I say? I'm a real pro at guessin' what my friends are into, honey. Glad I guessed right, too. I love a good fishing trip every now and then to unwind."

Natasha's smile brightened at his answer, doubly so at the way he boldly leaped onto the floating vessel she'd procured for today. Following suit with a short leap of her own, Natasha landed beside him with gear bag in hand. His expression was a real joy to behold, honestly.

How long had it been since she'd convinced one of her peers to join her on this endeavor? In truth, fishing was a childhood joy and family tradition all at once for her. Spending solemn hours at sea, reeling in whatever prize came her and her father's way - nothing could quite compare to those idyllic moments.

To share it with a friend who seemed genuinely invested in the hobby? Even better. No, even more than invested, like the dashing gentlemen that he was, he wholly intended to take her up on securing that bountiful feast she mentioned moments prior. Winking back at him, Natasha pulled a fishing road and bait from her bag for the two of them.

"That so? Well, then, sweetheart, let's see ya fulfill that declaration, shall we? Of course, don't go thinkin' I'll go fallin' behind now. I want to make sure yer properly fed as well! I make a mean fish dinner when I put my mind to it, ya know. Now then, let's get this show on the road..."

With a snap of her finger, Natasha employed her reishi like a source of wind, a light breeze to guide the boat forth until the dock slowly but surely faltered out of view. In a few moments, they would truly be at sea without anything to distract them but the endless sea of blue and pleasant conversation shared between companions. Swinging her rod forward, she turned back to Mikhail with a grin.

"So, has there been anything you've wanted to learn about me, Mikhail? Any curious questions you've wanted to ask? I'm wholly prepared to answer any one of them, if so."

Mikhail watched Natasha take control of the vessel with a sharp eye, an awareness that seemed, at least for a moment, remarkably at odds with his jovial delusions. Yet just as quickly it vanished, and he simply watched the sea with wide, optimistic eyes.

"I would of course wish to know whatever a fine lady of standing might wish to offer! How you came to knighthood, the methods of your training or the lineage of your style. Even the oaths that you fight under would be no small fascination. Of course, I would naturally offer any interest in turn! I have learned of countless knightly orders and creeds in my questing on behalf of the princess."

He spoke proudly of that knowledge, even if it was unlikely that any knowledge of such things might have been practical in the modern day. For a man like Mikhail, something like that would hardly matter one iota.

"Anything I wish to offer, eh? Well then... Where do I start?"

Natasha pondered on what she ought to divulge first. There was so much to unpack, but they had plenty of hours until the fish started roaring in and seizing their respective hooks. She supposed talking about her traditions and family stuff would be pretty cool, right? Origin stories were always a fun way of getting to know someone, providing a wealth of insight into how they came to be who they are today. With that in mind, she began speaking once more.

"Well before I came to knighthood, as you so elegantly put it, sugar, I was born and raised in the Lone Star State of Texas. My father was a pretty exceptional fighter in his own right, and so a lot of the methods he learned, he passed onto me after I pestered him to teach me his techniques. When he couldn't do it himself, he enlisted his friends to train me too. After that, I accumulated more knowledge and technique cuttin' my teeth in the army. How bout you, sugar? Where did the great Knight of Dance learn his excitin' arsenal of techniques?"

Mikhail listened carefully, hand on his chin as his gaze stayed by and large on the lovely Texan, only briefly moving aside to take in the sight of the sea. When she'd finished speaking, he nodded in understanding, his voice reverberating out as boisterously as ever.

"I see! A fellow knight of lineage, then! I should certainly have expected such technique to have been passed from generation to generation, and to have been put to the test on campaign! I, too, learned the arts of war from my predecessors. The Grand Marshal of Nartia trained me personally in my youth, and my craft is that which has been passed down my family line from generation to generation."

His voice was proud, assured of his past without being outright boastful. After all, his line was one of no small import, but of course, he would never self-aggrandize so. Modesty was one of the most vital traits to any self-respecting man of Nartia.