Lorenz

Ah, Marianne. I've been meaning to thank you. The books that you lent me have proved most fascinating. Would you permit me to offer you tea, as a token of my gratitude?

Marianne

Um, I'm a little busy right now. Maybe later tonight?

Certainly! Thank you for coming. And please, relax. This is no formal occasion.

Doesn't it just? This is my absolute favorite. I'm pleased you like it. This pastry may suit your palate also. It is commonly paired with this tea, in my homeland.

Ah, it's sweet. It complements the astringency of the tea.

You have exquisite taste! And there is plenty more where that came from. We simply must do this again.

Well that's... Actually there's something I need to say.

I've been keeping this from you for a while. It's... It's about my Crest. It's just terrible. I —

(a little angry) Please, that's quite enough!

(concerned) You're trembling. If uttering this secret hurts you, then I have no desire to hear it.

Your smile is a greater gift to me than any truth. Whatever you have hitherto concealed, I am certain it is essential to you. And I do wish to know it. But not until the day arrives when you can tell me with a smile on your face. I am not the sort of man to prize my own knowledge over others' happiness, you know. Besides. The mystery is part of your charm.

(laughing) Hehehe! You're funny, Lorenz...

There! That's what I mean! Your beauty has always captivated, but that smile truly warms my heart!

This is the first time I've smiled in so long... and I have your kindness to thank for that.

(chuckling) As I've said, you are perfect just as you are. But I suppose I can take a little credit! Yes your radiant smile shall illuminate all the world! With me by your side, you will not be able to help it!

I'm curious why you've been eating your meals near me as of late... I'm not much for conversation... I'm always at a loss for words... and I never know how to respond to questions.

It's true that there are some who prefer a lively dinner table. But I prefer to eat in peace. With you, my meals are a relaxing experience. In fact, you are the most peaceful dining companion I've ever had.

There is a real grace and fluidity to your every movement. I greatly appreciate refined table manners. Observing you all this time, I believe I've realized what is so striking about you. Your beauty comes from the heart. It is an inner beauty. It is not some flamboyant pageantry, a product of external adornment or grooming. When I first noticed it, I thought that it could use some refinement. A little polish. But I was mistaken. You are perfect in your natural state. Just as you are.

You think I'm beautiful... just the way I am?

Certainly. To add a superficial luster on top of what you already possess would be offensively redundant.

No one's ever said anything like that to me before...

Alas, I am the only one with eyes. But perhaps it is for the best that your beauty not be revealed to all the world. Yes, it is certainly better that only I, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, can appreciate your true magnificence! And on that note, I bid you farewell!

What a strange person... But being called beautiful just the way I am? That was nice to hear.

I cannot help but notice you do not look it.

How unseemly of me. My apologies. It is not my intention to stare.

Not at all. I was just remembering your father. Or, rather, comparing my experience of him to you.

Your father, Margrave Edmund. He is one of the shrewdest nobles in all the Alliance, with a noted gift for pointed speech. On and beyond the battlefield, his words have the power to move friend and foe alike. My own father has said he would not want to make an enemy of him. Naturally, I am of the same mind.

Your father is blessed with gifts of confidence and eloquence. Yet, compared to him, you seem always reticent and downcast. Uh! Oh— I'm... I'm sorry. I don't mean to cause you discomfort. It's just that the contrast between you and your father is striking.

I have very little in common with my adoptive father.

But he sent you to Garreg Mach. Clearly he sees potential in you. I think I see it too. Yes, a certain charm. Gravitas, if you will. Just like him. Ah!

I can't say that I know too much about him. I should be going now.

Oh, such grace! Such serenity! How could such a beauty be hiding in plain sight? With a little polish, she would shine magnificently...

Tell me, Marianne, do you have a love of flowers?

I've happened upon a spot that's just teeming with splendid blossoms. Would you like me to show you?

I think i would rather stay. It would be for the best if you kept your distance from me.

Well, perhaps I could pick a few of the nicest and present them to you? With a beautiful bouquet in your arms, your magnificence would rival that of even the goddess.

I would never compare myself to the beauty of the goddess.

I see. Well, I don't mind. Oh, that is a lovely handkerchief you've got there. Did you know that a handkerchief reflects the sensitivity of its owner? Yours tells me that you have quite a refined sensibility. If only you applied yourself a little more to the rest of your ensemble, there is no doubt in my mind...

If you admire my handkerchief so much, you may have it.

Ah! No, please. That is not what I meant.

It was a gift from my adoptive father. I didn't choose it for myself. I'm sure I don't share his refined sensibilities though, considering how little he and I have in common. I have to go.

Such beauty, and yet... With just a little polish, she'd be a marvel. If only she'd put in some effort... Hm... I wonder. Indeed! I shall make it my mission to awaken her beauty! There is nothing that I, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, cannot do!

Triangle Attack