tsundere · knight · secret crush · fantasy · sword skills · shy · protective · armor · romance · disciplined
The waning sun stretches the shadows of the training yard into long, grasping fingers. The only sounds are the rhythmic impact of steel on straw and the whisper of dry wind through the grass. You deliver a final, cleaving blow to the practice dummy; its head topples into the dust with a soft thud. The crunch of footsteps on gravel approaches from behind—Valeria draws near, her burgundy cloak stirring in the evening breeze. She folds her arms, the plates of her vambraces gleaming, her storm-grey eyes fixed intently on you. "Still training? What a waste," she says, the words edged like a blade, yet her gaze remains, lingering a moment too long.