Tiz Arrior knew he was no poet. Battle and belief could make him an orator, but at times of rest like this, words failed him. He stared at the girl leaning over the railing some distance away, fully aware that a more eloquent man would have words for the exact things that captured his eye and held his heart.

But all he knew was that Agnès Oblige was a lovely person, and that he liked looking at her, and he wanted her to be happy.

"Agnès..." he whispered, chin tucked. He scratched the back of his head bashfully. "I really...I, uh...I li...I'm in...ugh, I can't do this."

"Normally, a guy in love talks to the girl he likes, not her shadow!"

Tiz whirled, nearly upsetting his own balance. Edea grinned down at him, stretched out, catlike, on a banister above his head. Ringabel, who had been standing next to her, leaped down from the platform with a confident ease that Tiz distantly envied. And presently suspected.

"You, my friend, seem to be having a little lady trouble. With your permission, we would like to assist you," the pompadoured man said with a flourish.

"I, ah...I'm not looking for any help."

"But you certainly need it!" Edea joined the two of them, striking a pose herself. "You'll go nowhere with an attitude like that!"

Tiz looked back and forth between the two of them, then sighed. He knew better than to refuse either of them (and especially not both of them at once)...and, what could go wrong, really? "Alright then."

"Yes! Excellent!" the two blondes said, both grinning as they each hooked one of Tiz's arms and led him away.

Disturbed from her thoughts by excited noise, Agnès lifted her head and turned to see what was going on, but Grandship's deck was empty.

"What's wrong?" Airy asked, fluttering near her shoulder.

"I had a feeling," Agnès said, "that something unfortunate was about to happen."

"This doesn't fit," Tiz said, his voice nearly cracking. He felt like an absolute fool.

"Hush. Stop squirming, please," Edea slipped a pin between a fold of fabric and clipped it into place.

"This isn't even mine!"

"I'm glad you realize that. Now, if you could keep still for just one moment," Ringabel said, with patient irritation, "we can fit this without ruining the outfit or your person."

Tiz bit his lip and willed himself into stillness. It was one of the most difficult things he had ever done.

"There! That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"No, it was plenty hard. But it looks good on you!"

Eager hands spun Tiz around so he could look at himself in the mirror. He had to admit the Melodist's Shirt did look very dashing, but...he didn't see why it was a good idea to put it on him. Ringabel could wear it with style - that man could do so with anything - but Tiz felt like a bright orange chicken. A very awkward orange chicken.

"A change of look does wonders, doesn't it?" Ringabel said, nearly preening. "You've nearly set my heart aflutter!"

"Uh...thanks?"

"Now, hold yourself up with confidence! Or at least some dignity!" Edea commanded.

Tiz wasn't really sure he had much of that left. He made an effort to straighten. Edea scrutinized this pose for a while, then crossed her arms.

"That'll do, I suppose. But all of this is no good without practice. Why don't you pretend I'm Agnès?"

"What?" Tiz blinked. Ringabel put a red and white lily in his hands, which he accepted numbly.

"Practice what you're going to say. Go on."

Tiz took a deep breath and tried to picture that the vestal was standing front of him instead of the young Eternian. He twirled the lily in his fingers. He tried very hard.

Edea cleared her throat.

"Edea..."

"I'm Agnès," Edea said firmly.

Tiz swallowed dryly. "...I'm sorry. I can't," he said, ducking his head.

"Why not?" Edea seemed surprised.

"Well...for one, Agnès is...I look at her. With you, Edea, you're a little...? You're a bit smaller than she is, I mean, so I have to...stare at your bow. It's not really the same?"

Edea didn't frown exactly. But her expression chilled Tiz all the same. And the way she turned on her heel (very deliberately, not quickly at all) and left made his stomach feel heavy.

"...And that is an example of what you should not say," Ringabel put in. "Still a valuable lesson. Why don't I take the place of Agnès for now?"

Never had Grandship's deck felt so wide. Tiz could cross deserts, forests, lands cracked by volcanic activity on foot, but this felt impossible. All of the lines and situations that Ringabel had drilled into him seemed to be falling out of his head.

Agnès was waiting by the rail again, speaking to Edea. When Edea saw Tiz, she grinned, made what he assumed was a polite but hasty excuse, and left. The vestal stared after the other girl for a moment, then shook her head and looked over her shoulder.

There, Agnès had seen him, and was approaching steadily. Tiz took heart at this and quickened his pace...until he realized that she was frowning. He nearly turned around and bolted. Instead he slowed nearly to a stop. She came up to him, worry and concern on her features.

"Has Ringabel dragged you into one of his games again?" she said, sighing.

"N-no, he hasn't..."

Agnès brushed off Tiz's shoulder with a frustrated huff. He was not completely sure whether or not that frustration applied to him at all. "Do not make excuses for him. There is no doubt he is at the bottom of this."

Tiz felt his already deflated spirits sink to even greater depths. Ringabel had covered many things, but not this sort of reaction. He cleared his throat weakly.

Agnès shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts. "Are you alright, Tiz? You look pale."

"I'm alright!" he said, perhaps too quickly. "Agnès, I...!"

The vestal's eyes widened slightly.

"I l...I, ah." Tiz tried to salvage his stammers by clearing his throat. Several times. "...I got you this flower."

Agnès' smile was warm and genuine as she accepted the gift. "Thank you."

Tiz tried his best to hold eye contact, but it was difficult. He felt too hot, like he was burning from the neck up. His eyes fell to the lily, as did hers. The pale colors contrasted well against the dark of her gloves. Or perhaps...?

"Can I do something?" he asked in a small voice.

"Hmm? Yes, of course," Agnès said. Tiz took the lily gently from her yielding hands and tucked the flower behind her ear, weaving the stem into her hair so it would stay there.

Tiz's breath caught in his throat when he stepped back. Agnès looked...serene, beautiful, all sorts of things, with her soft smile and the lily in her hair.

"How does it look?" she asked bashfully.

"Yeah," he said.

Her smile broadened, and laughter bubbled in her throat. He realized his mistake, then realized her laughter was not malicious and joined with a laugh of his own.

She swayed from side to side a bit, as if she was hesitating to do...something. "You are very kind," she said finally, so softly he thought he nearly imagined it.

"And you are so bright," he said in a matching tone. He nearly hit himself for messing up again, but her smile stilled him.

The two of them had a seat on a nearby bench, shoulders leaning against the other's. They did not exchange any more words.