The parade was going even better than Katya had hoped. The crowd following them had now reached self-sustaining, exponentially multiplying proportions. The mood was almost as if they had already won the war they hadn't even really started yet, and even she had to work hard to hide her smile, and glare disapprovingly at any of the troops who threatened to break formation whenever one of the local women attempted to attach themselves to them.
They were halfway down a quaint (despite all the rubble) side street when Katya noticed a large man and his handsome friend talking excitedly to each-other outside a ramshackle caf?, before turning to start in awe at the procession.
Wait...
"[SAULTE YOUR COMMANDERS!]" Katya yelled from the top of her float, and in panicked unison the column screeched to a halt, turned towards Florian and Erik's table, and snapped into immediate, identical salutes. A second later, the different players and the brass band halted in a flurry of discordant notes, falling into an embarrassed silence.
Katya held her own salute, trying not to think of what a fool she'd made herself look while waiting for Florian's response. Nobody made a sound, before the Frostfall flag mounted on the float behind Katya keeled over and clattered to then street.
Katya continued to stare straight ahead, but she couldn't do anything about the blushing...
Words failed. What first looked like a distant street party kept getting closer until the details became clearer and Florian could make out that it was... well it was that.
["Sh-should we be in that?"] Florian muttered out the corner of his mouth.
"Nyet!" Erik violently hissed.
And the two of them just looked and stared and just took it all in. Until Florian caved before their collective stares, raised his arm and returned their salute with a grin that looked too pure to have been practiced for diplomacy.
Katya exhaled, the look on Florian's face reassuring her that she wasn't fired (she was glad then that she wasn't technically under Erik's command). However, that knowledge did nothing to dull the redness in her cheeks.
"[Lord Bejic, my apologies.]" she announced, taking an at-ease stance. "[I took the... liberty, of organising this display, for the purpose of winning the hearts and minds of the local population, and for promoting the glory of Frost-]"
The float behind hers chose this moment to collapse, the planks beneath its structure giving way with deafening cracks, dumping several civilians and half the brass band practically at Florian's feet.
"[I apologise for any interruption to our planned schedule, and assure you this action was my own.]" she continued, grimacing. "[My men and General Ablev's lieutenants were only following my orders.]"
["I never doubted it."] He grinned, managing to keep up the same smile as he approached the floats and helped up a floundering horn player.
Some waves to the crowd happened a few smiles and handshakes. All while Erik's shadow loomed long over the sidewalk as he looked on in disapproval, disbelief and... all kinds of skeptical emotions that did not care for what he was seeing.
"I hope no one minds but I'm going to have to reclaim my security chief for a while." All perfectly polite and approachable of course as he ushered Katya away from the ruins of their once proud float. ["Do I even want to know how you pulled this off?"] He whispered in her ear as the band started up again.
"[Honestly, I am not certain myself.]" Katya replied, hanging her head. "[I am always resourceful, but this...]" she looked back towards the procession "[I think hubris got the better of me.]"
Katya noticed the little girl from the crowd who had saluted her before. She was up with the band now, dancing with one of Erik's men.
"[I just wanted to do some good, while we were here.]" she said, turning back to Florian. I am of no use in diplomatic meetings, and we are about to travel to a front where my ability to protect you will be stretched. Before we go, I wanted to lighten some spirits, for them and us. The people of Frostfall know, when you have been beaten as hard as these people have, you lose more than lives and homes, you lose your pride...]"
"When I'm grown up, I want to have a name just like 'Wolfswrath'!" the girl exclaimed "And when I do, I'll do this every day!"
"[... I want to help them get it back.]"
["Just say all the card greetings he likes."] Erik rolled his eyes before getting a quick elbow in the ribs from Florian.
["It's above and beyond, Captain."] He reassured her. Even if he was putting it more than lightly.
Florian just had to take it in for a moment as the three of them watched the crowd gather around and dance along to the music. It was quite the thing, seeing men he'd always known as hardened killers with genuine smiles on their faces. This would certainly give public relations a tough act to follow. He'd spent all this time talking about bringing change to Frostfall and making the world see it as strong again he'd forgotten what it would be like for them to be seen as nice. That was a good feeling.
["I think you brought a lot of pride into town today, for everybody."]
Back when he was just a priest this would have melted his heart. These days... well he could see the workable angles while still enjoying it for what it was.
["You think the local bigwigs will appreciate this?"] Erik interjected.
["I'm building them hospitals and schools. What are they going to do, tell us NOT to throw people a party? Let's see how that goes down."] Barked back his lord, feeling plenty smug about it.
"[Thank you, my Lord.]" Katya said, smiling broadly "[However, while you have called me away from the festivities, may I accompany or assist you with... anything?]"
["That remains to be seen."] Florian checked his watch if only because it seemed like something he should have been doing at that point. ["Unless we run into any of Maribel's people here in the streets then I think we're left sitting on our thumbs."]
