My previous one-shot had a darker theme to it. This one is not dark and is instead more fluff.
Technically, this should be a two-shot, given how there's two chapters to it, or even a six-shot since there's six 'arcs'. Then again, that just sounds dumb.
Story split in two so that you guys won't read some ~15k words in one chapter. Enjoy.
Cover art: Pigsomedom
Pixiv id: 13707785
. . .
. . .
A content sigh joined the crackles and pops from the fireplace as Cherche sank into her favorite chair. Her book sat unopened on her lap as she closed her eyes, relishing the small moment of silence.
"Mom?"
A soft voice called out to her from across the room. She saw a mess of dark hair peek around the corner as she turned her head.
"Morgan?" Cherche's brow furrowed in concern. "What are you doing up so late?"
The young girl shuffled into the room. "I couldn't sleep."
Cherche set her book aside and motioned for Morgan to sit on her lap. Once Morgan climbed up, Cherche noticed that she was trembling slightly, and wrapped her arms around her daughter.
"Would you like to talk about it?" she asked.
Morgan didn't answer and leaned back, sinking into her mother's warmth.
"Would you like me to tell you a story?" Cherche gently offered, and Morgan nodded. "Which story would you like to hear? The Lost Shepherd? The Four Heroes? The Little Dreamer?"
"…How you and dad met."
Cherche laughed softly. "But you already heard that one a bunch of times!"
"I like it. It's my favorite."
She laughed again and shifted Morgan's weight so that she would be more comfortable in her lap. "Alright then. It was many years ago on a dark and rainy night."
. . .
The first time that Cherche met him, it was during her fourth month as one of Rosanne's Enforcers, a well-renowned peacekeeping group that was known to have absurdly high standards and requirements to join. They weren't called Rosanne's elites for no reason, after all.
Cherche looked down at her Enforcer outfit again for the hundredth time. It was simple enough: a gel-layered black bodysuit worn underneath thin, multi-alloy armor plates. The plates were painted in a black and grey camouflage pattern and covered the vital parts of her body while also leaving enough room for flexibility.
As she was still fairly new into the Enforcers, she was delegated to a more experienced member. Said member was Pheros, a beautiful woman with wavy, golden hair. She was currently conversing with someone through a private communications line in her standard issue Enforcer helmet, which had a tinted visor covering the top half of her face.
"…I see. Understood. We'll get it done." Pheros turned her head to look at Cherche, who immediately stood to attention. Her steel-grey eyes seemed to pierce through the polarized visor. "There's a Code R-07 on 23rd and Fitz St."
With a curt nod, the two Enforcers got into their vehicle. The ride was silent as Pheros navigated the dimly lit streets of Rosanne. The only sources of light were from the bright neon signs and glowing billboards that were hanging on the sides of buildings, with a few more lights coming from the other vehicles on the road.
During the fifteen minute drive, rain started pouring from the skies and Cherche thought about their current task. Codes in the R section was to deal with any gang-related problems in Rosanne, but they were so far and few in between that it was rarely issued. However, only a fool would think that the two warring factions, the White Lotus and Debellators, didn't exist. The two gangs were just smart enough to keep out of public sight.
Code R-07, in particular, was when there was a sign, or a potential sign, of conflict between the two factions. A gang fight, in layman's terms.
When they arrived at the cross streets, Cherche was barely able to see the other Enforcer teams that were already on site. Black and grey camo patterns worked well in the night rain. Each one of them was holding a long, steel cylinder which held a compacted weapon of their personal make. With a click of a button on the case's handle, the case would open and their weapon would spring out of the case and into their hands in a second.
"Ah, Pheros!" A man with teal-colored hair noticed the two of them upon their approach. "It does me well to see you here."
"Likewise, Virion," Pheros smiled. She tapped a button on the side of her helmet and her visor depolarized. "I see that the general isn't taking any risks this time around, sending this many Enforcers."
"Aye. General Kryuger may be many things, but a fool is not one of them," Virion agreed. His eyes then locked with Cherche's. "Cherche, was it? I've seen your file and I must say, I am looking forward to seeing you rise in our ranks, especially since you're under Pheros' tutelage. She is one of our finest."
"Thank you, Commander Virion." Cherche gave the man a smart salute. "I promise to - "
*CRASH*
There was the sound of glass shattering in one of the alleys down the block. Panicked voices were heard as well over the falling rain.
"Enforcers, move! Get to your pairs and advance from all sides! Do not let these upstarts get away!" Virion ordered.
"Come, Cherche!" Pheros said.
The group of Enforcers immediately began moving. Two pairs ran into the alleyway while Pheros and Cherche used their suit's friction-boots to scale the nearest building. Once they got to the building's roof, Cherche fought down the queasiness in her stomach. Running up walls was something that she'd never get used to.
Before she could get a grip on her surroundings, Pheros tackled her to the ground. Not even a second later, heat washed over her back as a fireball flew overhead.
"Tome users, stay on your toes," Pheros informed her as she stood to her feet.
Tomes were a relatively new device that was released to the public a year ago. They looked like a slim, metallic bracelet and glove that allowed the user to wield the destructive power of fire. There were a number of buttons on the wrist interface that performed a variety of actions, such as increasing or decreasing the amount of flames that'd be used per cast, and the largest button near the front of the device would let the user shoot out flames from a crystalline circle in the center of the glove's palm.
There was a metallic click and Pheros' weapon, a two-meter-long bo staff, sprung to life in her hands. Cherche heard that it was a prototype model as it was the only weapon in the Enforcers' inventory that had a tome installed in it. Swiftly tapping a few buttons near the center of the staff, Pheros swung her weapon and released a fireball of her own from its jeweled tip.
"There's a few of them running away! Go after them!" Pheros ordered, pointing at three retreating figures jump off the side of the building. "I'll handle the Tome users and catch up!"
"Understood!"
Cherche quickly ran after the fleeing gang members. Although her back was turned towards the tome users, she had full confidence that her superior would be able to keep her safe and jumped onto the roof of another building.
She chased them for a few blocks, steadily decreasing the distance with each building. The wind whistled in her ears and the rain slightly obscured her vision, but she pressed on. She had one advantage that they didn't, and that was that she didn't have to bother wasting time when climbing a taller building thanks to her friction-boots. The gang members had to find footholds in order to climb while she could just run vertically, saving her a few precious seconds each time.
A few minutes into the chase, the gang members shared a quick look with one another before sharply turning towards the side of the building and jumped off, causing her to lose sight of them instantly.
Cherche followed them off the building without a second thought. When she landed on the ground, she immediately found herself surrounded by a dozen gang members, each of them with some sort of weapon in hand. One of them even had a tome, evident by the burning glow in his hand.
"Persistent one, aren't cha?" one of them sneered. "Well, not that I don't like it."
She didn't bother replying. She clicked the button on her case's handle and her battle axe appeared in her hands. Holding her weapon up in a defensive stance, her eyes darted around as she looked for an escape route.
"Y'know, we honestly didn't wanta bring you Enforcers into this," the man continued, the red wolf's head on his sleeve becoming visible as he took a small step forward. It was the mark of the Debellators. "It was s'pposed to be just us 'n those damned Lotus in a friendly dispute over some territory. No need to bring you Enforcer folks into this, but - "
The man didn't have time to finish talking as Cherche lunged forward and embedded her axe into his chest. The others looked stunned at the sudden action and she used the surprise to her advantage and was able to take down another.
"Damn it! Get her!"
Despite her best efforts, there was only so much that Cherche could do in her situation. In the narrow alley, the size of her weapon worked against her and she was quickly disarmed. She was backed against a wall with a nasty stab wound in her side and leg where her armor didn't cover, but she was at least able to take down three more before being cornered by the remaining eight.
Just as the nearest Debellator raised a sickle-like weapon to finish her off, there was a brief flash of bronze and he crumpled to his knees.
Time seemed to freeze upon his death as all eyes landed on the short sword that was sticking out of the Debellators neck. And then there was movement.
From the shadows of a nearby building, a masked man in a hooded coat walked out, holding onto a chain that was attached to the end of the sword. The chain rattled ominously as he calmly approached them, and his footsteps could be heard clearly, despite the torrential rain.
With a forceful tug, the sword was wrenched out of the Debellator's neck and back into the stranger's.
"Oh…crap…" one of the Debellator's fearfully whispered. "It's him."
Another Debellator cursed under his breath. "Why's he here of all places! What do we do, KG? Run or fight?"
KG looked at him with fear evident in his eyes. "Why are you asking me?!"
"You're the next in line after Sten, and he's got an axe in his chest, courtesy of Miss Enforcer over here!"
KG's eyes narrowed onto Cherche and he grinned. "The Enforcer…we use her."
A third Debellator rolled his eyes. "Now ain't the time to delve into your damn fetishes, KG!"
"Not that, shit-for-brains! I'm saying take her hostage to escape with our lives!"
"Why not just fight?" a fourth sneered. "It's just one guy."
"Newbie, shut your trap," the second Debellator said. "If we fight, we die. If we run, we only might die."
Cherche's eyes widened at that. She didn't know who the stranger was, but he might be her only chance of survival if what the Debellators were saying was true. Unfortunately for her, one of the Debellator grabbed her before she could do anything, causing her wounds to flare in pain, and held a knife to her throat. The rest of them quickly moved behind her to use her as a shield.
"Now now, there's no need for hostilities here, see?" KG said to the masked stranger. "How's a deal? You let us go and we give you the woman. We get to live another day while you get to rescue a damsel in distress. Win-win, no?"
The stranger didn't say anything as he stared at them. Cherche would be lying if she said she wasn't unnerved by the man. His mask was entirely blank without any features, not even nose holes nor eye sockets, but she had this distinct feeling that he was staring directly at her.
"H-Hey, come on… Say something, damn it!"
It was clear that she wasn't the only one that was on edge. The Debellators were wildly looking back and forth between KG and the stranger until one of them snapped.
"Just screw it! I'ma kill him!"
The hotheaded Debellator didn't even make it three steps past Cherche before the stranger's sword embedded itself in his head. With another tug on the chain, the sword started to fly back towards the stranger.
Upon seeing his death, the Debellator holding her never got a chance to move his knife when a second sword from the stranger came in from the side and stabbed his temple. The stranger was in front of her, so for the sword to come in from the side was seemingly impossible.
Then the stranger sprinted towards them, throwing the remaining five into a frantic panic. Three Debellators ran at the stranger while two started to flee. A thrown sword took care of one while the second sword was already back in the stranger's hand. A tug of the chain and two slashes with the second sword later, the three attacking Debellators were down, two from sliced jugulars and the third from the first sword sticking out of his back.
Cherche then watched as the stranger twirled one of his swords by the chain before letting it fly at the fleeing man. The chain that connected the swords seemed to extend forever as the blade lodged itself just below the fleeing Debellator's neck.
"Cherche! Cherche, are you there?!" Pheros' voice blared through her helmet's speakers, startling her.
"Affirmative, ma'am," Cherche replied after catching her breath.
She heard Pheros let out a sigh of relief. "What's the situation?"
"The fleeing Debellators have been taken care of by myself and - " Cherche looked around for the stranger, only to find herself alone in the midst of a dozen bodies.
"Is something wrong?"
"…No…" Cherche slowly answered. "The Debellators, twelve of them, are either dead or incapacitated at my location."
"Come again, Cherche? Did you say 'twelve'?"
"Affirmative. However, I had help from a stranger. He's gone now, though."
"I see." There was a hint of disappointment in Pheros' voice. "Stay where you are. We'll come to you."
"Yes, ma'am."
The line clicked off after that.
With a tired sigh, Cherche reached up and pulled her helmet off her head, wincing as the action caused her wounds to flare in pain once more. She set her helmet down on her lap and let her hand fall to her side. It was then that her fingers brushed against something that was cool to the touch.
She looked down and saw that the 'something' was a small bottle of medicine. And not just any medicine. This was an elixir from Ylisse, a city that was known for their expertise in medical arts. Expensive, potent, and difficult to produce.
As she took a small gulp of the medicine, she had a single thought in her head.
'Who are you, stranger…?'
. . .
Nearly two and a half years passed since that night. Cherche was nearing her third year in the Enforcers, and during that short time, she was able to climb the ranks to Commander, and now only answered to Pheros and General Kryuger himself.
No longer relegated to a senior Enforcer, Cherche was given to option to move around solo unless a Code came up. As there was no Code up at the moment, she walked out of the office building and towards her personal motorbike that she called Minerva, and it had a drawing of a wyvern engraved onto its body. It sported one large wheel in the front and two slightly smaller tires on the back with polished black metal over gilded components
She climbed onto Minerva and put on her helmet. The engine purred to life and she began cruising down the streets of Rosanne, mentally thanking Pheros once more for the wonderful gift.
As she maneuvered her motorbike between lanes of traffic, she kept her eye out for any signs of the turf war between the White Lotus and the Debellators. Though they remained in the shadows, for the most part, they've been getting more aggressive and bold in the past few months. It was subtle at first: a small appearance of Debellators here, the flower marking of the White Lotus painted onto a store's front there, but Cherche had stumbled across a territorial fight between the two factions just last week.
The fight was held in another alley, and Cherche learned from the events of that night. Her weapon was too large to use in tight areas, so she took a page out of the masked stranger's book and had the weaponsmiths modify her axe. Now, instead of just being a large axe, the entire weapon would split into two with a mere twist of the handle. The long handle would fold on itself as it split, giving her two hand axes for ease of use.
With her modified weapon and the help of a few more Enforcer teams, the fight was settled quickly, but there was no sign of the masked man. Not once ever since that first night. After that mission debriefing, General Kryuger gave the masked stranger the alias "White" due to the blank, white mask that Cherche saw him in, and was given the order to not attack upon sight. The general's reasoning was that White could be a valuable asset to the Enforcers should he ally with them, however, he could easily be a dangerous individual to all of Rosanne if he was to be their enemy.
Letting out a tired sigh, Cherche pulled up next to a bakery-cafe and took off her helmet. She opened a hidden compartment by the sides of her front wheel and pulled out her axe in its cylindrical case. After magnetically attaching it to her back, she began walking towards the cafe's doors.
Just as she was about to enter, she bumped into someone that was leaving.
"Oh! My apologies," Cherche cordially said. "I was lost in thought."
The person she bumped into was a man that looked to be around her age, though she was questioning it due to the man's silver-grey hair. Perhaps it was dyed?
"The fault is mine," the man replied politely. "I was not paying attention to where I was going. Are you unharmed?"
"I'm quite alright, thank you very much," Cherche smiled. "Pleasant day to you."
"And to you."
After the man walked down the street, she entered the store and was seated within a minute. The waitress came and left with her order, and Cherche leaned back against the cushioned chair. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander off.
"Cherche? Is that you?"
A soft voice brought her out of her reverie. She looked up and saw a woman with bright green eyes and flowing auburn hair. She was in a white dress that reached her ankles that was complemented by a navy colored jacket.
"Ah, it is you!" the woman smiled. "It's been a while!"
"Springfield," Cherche smiled back.
Springfield pouted as she sat on the seat across the table. "I thought I told you to call me by my first name. Everyone already calls me Springfield, so I want at least you to call me by my given name."
"If you wish, Aria."
"By the way, I saw you as you entered the store. Are you doing okay?" Aria's eyes were furrowed in concern. "You're normally so aware of your surroundings. Are you getting enough sleep?"
"I'm…" A frown settled on Cherche's face. She was about to say that she was fine, but now that she thought about it… "I'm just feeling a little tired. I think the stress from work is getting to me a bit."
"I'm not surprised. We've barely had any time to meet with each other lately because you're always getting Codes and such," Aria huffed, pointing a finger at her and tracing a small circle in her direction. "You're paler than the last time I saw you and you've bags under your eyes."
Cherche rolled her eyes. "Thank you for letting me know that I look terrible. Every girl loves being told that."
"I know," Aria giggled. "Which is why I brought you this to go alongside my compliment to you."
As if on cue, a waitress walked over and placed a small plate of muffins on the table with a cup of coffee.
"Maple pecan muffins!" Aria proudly said. "They've been my best selling pastry for the past two weeks!"
Cherche took a bite out of one and her eyes slightly widened in pleasant surprise. The muffin was fluffy and light while also not being too sweet. The pecans and sugar topping added a delightful, crispy crunch to it.
"I can see why. They're delicious."
"Thank you," Aria softly laughed. "Robin said the same thing about them the other day, which was a bit of a shocker. Did you know that it was the first time that he ever said something was delicious? He said that my other pastries were good, but never delicious. I'm honestly not sure if that's an insult or a compliment. It's really hard to tell with him."
"Robin?" Cherche curiously asked.
"Oh, I thought you already knew him. He's the one that you bumped into while walking in here."
Cherche shook her head. "Today was the first time meeting him."
"My, that's a surprise," Aria said. "He started coming here just around the same time you did and has been a regular ever since. I was positive that the two of you knew each other."
"Mm…" Cherche curled a finger over her lips. "It is possible that we may have passed by one another, but I'm sure that we've never interacted until today."
Aria brought her hands together with a warm smile. "You should try talking to him when you get the chance. Robin doesn't talk much, "no more than necessary", he says, but whenever he does, he's really soft-spoken. I'm sure the two of you will get along swimmingly."
Cherche sighed. This wasn't the first time that Aria tried to introduce her to a man. "I'll take your word for it. The next time that I come across him and I have time to spare, I'll try and have a conversation with Robin."
"That's all I ask. Now eat your muffins before they get cold!"
. . .
A few months later, Cherche received another Code R alert, only this one was a little different than the rest. The Enforcer pair that sent out the alert were only two months into the force and was supposed to be stationed in a relatively safe district of Rosanne. To make things even more confusing, they said that it was might not even be a Code R because they weren't sure if the person they were engaged with was a member of either gang.
Nonetheless, Cherche was driving down the neon-lit streets of Rosanne towards the location of the Enforcers. When she arrived at the site, she was confused at the lack of sound. Most Code R's involved the Enforcers engaging in combat with either the White Lotus or Debellators, maybe even both, so not hearing any sounds of fighting was worrying.
Parking Minerva off to the side of the road, she pulled out her twin axes from the bike's hidden compartments and began walking towards the four blue dots on her visor's heads-up display.
'Why do all of these Code R's take place in alleyways…'
With a tired sigh, Cherche quickly made her way towards the other Enforcers. Two turns later, she saw the familiar outfits of four Enforcers in the midst of a bunch of still bodies of White Lotus and Debellator members. They were standing in a rough semicircle with their backs turned towards her.
One of them noticed her approach and gave her a salute. "Commander!"
"Report," Cherche ordered.
The other three quickly stood at attention in the presence of a superior officer.
"Yes, ma'am. We've cornered someone that we think to be a member of either the Debellators or the White Lotus, but we're not entirely sure," one of the Enforcers said.
Cherche frowned. "Explain."
The Enforcer began fidgeting on the spot. "W-Well…he's not sporting neither their colors nor marking…and he fights…strangely. Like he's only reacting to what we do, which is why we were standing here and waiting for you to arrive. He's…well, he's right here."
The Enforcers stepped aside to give Cherche a view of the person they found. When Cherche saw the man, she froze.
One of the Enforcers noticed this and raised a question. "Is something wrong, Commander?"
Cherche was silent for a brief moment. Then she took in a deep breath, and without taking her eyes off the man in front of her, she spoke to her Enforcers. "Three years ago, General Kryuger added a new order into Section 7 - the only new order that's been added since the founding of the Enforcers. Do you know what that new order is?"
"'Any Enforcer that comes across a War Potential while out in the field is not to engage them in combat, but is to try and recruit them into the Enforcers without the use of aggression'," the Enforcer recited.
"Correct. And do you know how many War Potentials are listed in the database?"
"O-One."
"Correct again." Cherche's voice grew colder with each passing second. "Now, do you remember the description for the only War Potential in our database?"
"Twin swords connected by a chain, a dark coat with a hood, a-and…" The Enforcer's face paled under his visor as did the other three's. "…a blank, white…mask."
Cherche turned her gaze onto the Enforcers and gave them an icy smile. "With all that in mind, would you care to explain as to why you engaged the War Potential in combat?"
The Enforcer nervously took a step back. "I… We didn't think… M-My apologies, Commander. It did not cross our minds at the time."
"…Report back to HQ. I'll take it from here."
The four Enforcers didn't wait to be told twice. They gave her a quick salute and all but ran away from the scene, leaving Cherche alone with White, who hadn't taken a single step since her arrival. His swords were raised in a defensive stance; one was held in a forward grip in front of him while the second was in a reverse grip by his side. There'd be little point in attempting to recruit him in this state.
"We meet again," Cherche said to White. "Do you remember me?"
White said nothing from behind his mask.
"It was three years ago. I was only four months into the Enforcers when you saved me from the Debellators. You left before I knew it, leaving behind nothing but a Ylissean elixir, which saved me from bleeding out before help arrived. I know this is three years late, but I wish to offer you my thanks for what you've done."
Cherche took off her helmet, allowing her hair to flow freely down her back, and bowed deeply towards White. When she looked back up, he was in the same position as before.
A soft laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. "You know, I half expected you to disappear during the brief moment my eyes were off you. Which reminds me, why didn't you run away from the Enforcers? With the skill and dexterity you displayed three years ago, you should've had no problem escaping four Enforcers, new ones at that."
A few seconds of silence passed as White said nothing. Cherche held back a sigh.
"I suppose I'm in no position to ask you for your intentions," she said. "In any case…"
She trailed off when White lowered his arms. In a fluid motion, he hooked both swords by their pommels by his waist and started to walk deeper into the alley. When Cherche remained rooted to her spot, he paused and looked over his shoulder.
"You…want me to follow you?" she guessed.
White nodded.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Cherche followed White as he lead her further into the alleyway. Pheros and Aria would've no doubt reprimanded her for following a stranger alone, in an alley, no less, but she eased that thought out of her mind. If White wanted to harm or assault her, then he would've done it by now. He had the perfect opportunity three years ago. She was wounded and practically defenseless while he was in perfect form.
Though she didn't fully trust him, Cherche trusted him enough to confidently say that White wasn't a vile man. A vile person wouldn't give a Ylissean elixir to a random person.
They walked in silence for a few minutes until White stopped in front of a worn-down wall. It looked no different from the others around her until White pushed on one of the countless bricks. A portion of the wall started to move by itself.
"A hidden door…" Cherche quietly gasped.
She followed White inside through the door, which began closing by itself when she was only a few steps inside, slowly engulfing her in darkness. The very second that the door fully shut, there was a thin beam of light that split the dark ceiling in front of her in half before it slowly started to widen. As the light grew and the darkness receded, Cherche was pleasantly surprised by the room she found herself in.
There was a black and red corner couch in one corner of the room with a glass table in front of it. A wall that ran down the middle of the room which had a TV screen built into it, and on the other side of the wall was a kitchen. There was a set of stairs across the room that led to a second floor.
White took off his shoes and placed them onto a rack beside her before walking into the room. Following his example, Cherche did the same with her boots. It took her about half a minute since her Enforcer suit had multiple buckles and straps. Once her feet were free of her combat boots, she couldn't help wiggle her toes as they expressed their freedom from confinement.
Mostly. Her feet were still covered by her bodysuit.
"This is your house," she said, looking around. It wasn't a question.
White nodded, and Cherche had to admit that she was a little jealous. Even with her pay as an Enforcer Commander, it'd be difficult for her to own a suite like this.
'Curse the upper-east side of Rosanne and their inflated housing prices.'
Keeping that one thought to herself, she asked him, "I get that the Enforcers were near your house, but couldn't you just have led them away before coming back? And the White Lotus and Debellator members… Couldn't you have easily escaped them as well?"
Before White could give her an answer, not that she expected one, there was a series of rapid thuds from above her.
'Footsteps,' Cherche quickly realized. 'From the sounds of it, two people.'
The footsteps made their way over to the direction of the stairs and the owners rapidly descended the steps. She gasped when she saw two children, no older than the age of six, emerge from the stairs. One girl and one boy, twins from the looks of it.
"Daddy!"
The twins cheerfully ran over to White and latched themselves onto his legs.
That caught Cherche completely off-guard. White was a father of two? Granted, she never saw his face, and therefore never got a grasp on his age, but she never expected him to have kids! And how did the kids know that it was their father from behind the mask? Did he wear the mask so often to the point that they'd recognize it on sight?
"Adopted."
…What?
It took Cherche more than a few seconds to realize that White just spoke. It took her another second for the word he said to register in her head. By the time it did, the twins hid behind White's legs and poked their heads out to look at her.
Due to the revelation of finally hearing White speak, the fact that he seemed to read her mind slipped from her thoughts.
"Daddy? Who's the flower lady?" the boy asked White. "Is she bad? Is she going to take us away like the other bad men?"
"What? No, of course not!" Cherche quickly answered, horrified at the thought that someone would force kids away from their parents, adoptive or not. "I'm here to…" She paused. Why was she here exactly?
"Flower Lady is a nice lady," White said. Cherche could've sworn that she heard him stifle a laugh from behind his mask. It also only clicked that she was being called 'Flower Lady' due to the rose that was painted onto her shoulder's armor plating. "She's a good person. She won't take you away."
As White spoke to his adoptive son, something poked at Cherche's mind. His voice sounded familiar. She heard his voice before, but she couldn't remember when or where she heard it, much to her vexation.
The boy looked up at his father. "Promise?"
"I promise." White playfully ruffled the twins' hair. "I need to talk with Flower Lady for a little while, so head on upstairs, alright?"
"Okay!"
With a million-watt smile, the boy ran upstairs. The girl, however, continued to stare at Cherche from behind her father's leg with a small fist covering her mouth. It wasn't until White gently tapped the girl's shoulder and gave her a reassuring nod that she followed her brother, but not before giving Cherche one last glance as she made her way up the stairs.
When the girl was gone, White turned his head and looked at her.
"Coffee?" he asked.
"If it isn't too much trouble," Cherche replied.
"Cream and sugar?
"Please."
He gestured over to the couch for her to sit, a gesture that she accepted. As White walked over to his kitchen and started his brew, she thought about the possible reasons as to why he chose to fight and why he decided to bring her here.
Then it finally clicked as the aroma of brewing coffee filled the room.
"You didn't run because you were worried about them," Cherche quietly said. "While the chance was small, you didn't want either gang to discover your house, so you fought them. By the time you were done, the Enforcers arrived."
As usual, White only gave her a nod.
"But wouldn't that work against you? If either gang realized that you stood your ground instead of running, they might come to the conclusion that you're protecting something, which you are. If they have that idea, then they might send even more members to this area to find whatever it is that you're protecting."
"It doesn't matter," White simply replied, walking over and handing her a cup of coffee. He himself wasn't drinking any.
Cherche's brow furrowed. "…What do you mean?"
"We're leaving Rosanne."
For some odd reason, Cherche felt saddened upon hearing those words. She took a sip of her coffee. It could rival Aria's coffee, and her coffee ranked first among all the ones that she tried over the years.
"When?" she asked after another sip.
"By the end of this week."
"To where?"
"Ylisse."
"…I see. I don't suppose I'll see you again, will I?"
"…" White shrugged. "Who knows."
A small smile tugged the corners of her lips. "You don't talk much, do you?"
"No more than necessary."
There was another tug in her memory: Aria and her maple pecan muffins appeared in her head. She knew that it was a clue, but Cherche couldn't piece it together.
She jumped a little when her helmet started to make a beeping noise. She had completely forgotten that she was still on the clock and hastily stood to her feet.
"It was a pleasure to finally talk to you, and to finally thank you in person for saving my life back then," Cherche smiled. "If I happen to see you again in the future, I'd like it if we could grab lunch, or a cup of coffee, together."
"If we see each other," White promised.
Cherche looked down at her drink. She wasn't even halfway done and it would be a waste to just throw away quality coffee like this.
As if he noticed her inner turmoil, White walked back over to his kitchen, pulled something from one of the cabinets, and walked back over to her. He extended his arm and in his hand was a thermos.
"Take it for your coffee."
"What? No, I couldn't possibly just take something that belongs to you!" Cherche quickly refused his offer.
"I have no need for it," White said. "It's collecting dust at this rate. It'll be of better use to you than me at this point."
Cherche looked at the thermos for a second before staring up at White's mask, right where his eyes would be. Curious; the first time that she saw the blank mask, she was unnerved by it. Now, she felt an odd sense of comfort.
"You're not going to just let this go, are you?" Cherche sighed.
White didn't say anything. Ironically enough, his silence was more than enough to serve as an answer. With another sigh, she relented.
"Very well. Thank you, for both the coffee and the thermos."
After pouring her coffee into the thermos, Cherche walked over to the door and slipped her feet back into her boots. She would never understand why the designers for the Enforcers' suits thought it a good idea to make something that's easy to put on but infuriating to take off.
Just as she wondered how she'd open a door that had no visible handle, White pushed a button on the wall. In the same manner as before, the hidden door started to open. She stepped out into the moonlight and turned around.
"It just occurred to me that we never introduced ourselves," she said. "I am Cherche Fleur, Second Commander of the Enforcers."
As the door started to automatically close, White reached up, pulling down his hood and taking off his mask. When Cherche saw his face, a gasp escaped her throat and that single memory outside the bakery finally returned. Like that missing piece of the puzzle was finally added to form the picture.
"I am Robin Alius, a simple vagabond," Robin said with the barest hints of a smile. "Though, you may know me better as 'White'." He gave her a single wave of his hand just as the door closed between them. "May we meet again, Cherche."
. . .