[ No matter how small or subtle, that smile is always a sight for sore eyes, his own reforged anew with a boost of confidence and relief. All optimism aside, Shez keeps both feet grounded in reality: there's no easy fix for the guilt between them, for the loss of hope and the dreadful sense of inevitability Kenos insists on forcing upon them. Whatever lies ahead, the path will be more arduous than ever, challenging their willpower and draining their hard work to exhaustion; it will take effort as high as the stakes.
But if they stumble and fall, knowing they can lean on each other to keep going? It makes the long, hard road far more amenable. ]
Hey, now-- that's not very fair! If I tell you I'm not gonna get lost, that's just gonna sound like a lie.
[ The jab this time is meant at himself, and that alone puts more humor in his voice as if to dispel whatever lingering doubt Byleth may still entertain. He knows exactly what his friend means, the reasonable fear that any one of them could turn tail and take the easier way out, but Shez? Perhaps he has never understood the draw of Meridian as well as he does right this instant, with their promised return to Fodlan pushing him closer to the memory of so many faces he misses, so many people he's come to cherish. ]
I may have to take one of my famous detours, you know. [ As he starts, he claims the duplicate whistle from Byleth's hand, twine slipping between his fingers. ] Or... a few. Gotta make sure no one is getting left behind-- not Dimitri, Yuri or Claude, all of us who come from one Fodlan or another. Since I was called last to this fight, that means it's on me to have the strength to spare and support everyone, right?
[ Or, it's the role he's assigned to himself, anyway: to be paramount in his resolve to see his friends safely returned to their homes, to see his promise through and a smile just like Byleth's on their faces. Like this, he's confident Zenith won't sway him with a world not worth living in.
But he's not so overly confident to think he may never stray from his path, that his faith in Meridian will spare him from losing himself in the process. Even still, he carries on without fear, because: ]
But, I can promise I won't get lost beyond your reach. If things get so rough I can't find my way...
[ With the whistle now dangling around his neck, he closes his fist around it and tugs it forth as to show it off, a motion as proud as his grin. ]
I'll call for you, and trust that you can guide me back.
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But if they stumble and fall, knowing they can lean on each other to keep going? It makes the long, hard road far more amenable. ]
Hey, now-- that's not very fair! If I tell you I'm not gonna get lost, that's just gonna sound like a lie.
[ The jab this time is meant at himself, and that alone puts more humor in his voice as if to dispel whatever lingering doubt Byleth may still entertain. He knows exactly what his friend means, the reasonable fear that any one of them could turn tail and take the easier way out, but Shez? Perhaps he has never understood the draw of Meridian as well as he does right this instant, with their promised return to Fodlan pushing him closer to the memory of so many faces he misses, so many people he's come to cherish. ]
I may have to take one of my famous detours, you know. [ As he starts, he claims the duplicate whistle from Byleth's hand, twine slipping between his fingers. ] Or... a few. Gotta make sure no one is getting left behind-- not Dimitri, Yuri or Claude, all of us who come from one Fodlan or another. Since I was called last to this fight, that means it's on me to have the strength to spare and support everyone, right?
[ Or, it's the role he's assigned to himself, anyway: to be paramount in his resolve to see his friends safely returned to their homes, to see his promise through and a smile just like Byleth's on their faces. Like this, he's confident Zenith won't sway him with a world not worth living in.
But he's not so overly confident to think he may never stray from his path, that his faith in Meridian will spare him from losing himself in the process. Even still, he carries on without fear, because: ]
But, I can promise I won't get lost beyond your reach. If things get so rough I can't find my way...
[ With the whistle now dangling around his neck, he closes his fist around it and tugs it forth as to show it off, a motion as proud as his grin. ]
I'll call for you, and trust that you can guide me back.