Notes: Happy birthday, mom! Hope those flowers I ordered arrive on time and all pretty, with the balloon instead of the chocolates because I know.
Noire was trying to be brave, walking around camp during the night alone. Her hands rubbed each other nervously on their own, her knees glued together trying not to tremble, but she moved fine for a few feet when...
"I'm stepping out for a few minutes," she heard Tharja's voice inside her tent, "don't follow me."
Then a chuckle from Gaius, and his reply. "An oddly specific request, but your wish is my command."
And out stepped her mother, though she didn't notice Noire as she hurried to the weapons' tent. Curious, the daughter followed along, her cowardice having made sneaking around undetected practically second... third nature. She knew there were no magic tomes in the weapons' tent, as the rather nerdy magic-capable among the army had decided to move them into a separate location, where they had them organized as a library. Therefore, Tharja's apparent destination was intriguing.
As her mother indeed went into the suspected tent, Noire crept by the entrance to steal a couple or more glances. Tharja walked to the crate with the bows, moving them around until she grasped an empty quiver with both her hands, and, with much effort, pulled it out.
Unknowing to her, her daughter's eyes widened in shock, recognizing her favorite quiver. "Is she going to curse it?" she whispered to the night.
"I very much doubt it," came back an answer.
"Eek!"
Tharja dropped the quiver as Noire fell into the tent, Gaius casually strolling in as if he hadn't made their daughter freak out and stumble. From inside the quiver, out flowed several wrapped candy of so many varieties, the Shepherds' army could retire and open a shop. "I see you found my stash."
"What?" Noire demanded, getting up fast. "How dare you hide your sticky treats inside my stuff?"
Gaius shrugged, his wife mimicking him. She sat down on the ground, leaning against the bows' crate, her hand full with candy. "I got a strong craving for these," she replied to her husband, unwrapping a huge bonbon.
"Don't ignore me, you two!"
"Those are delicious and hard to come by," Gaius said with a trembling voice, kneeling and selecting other candy to present to his wife. "Take these instead!"
Tharja smirked, biting into her bonbon. "No."
"I demand retribution! Give me all your gold so I may buy another quiver!"
"You hurt me, Sunshine, love," Gaius whimpered. "I have toiled incessantly under the weight of the law and justice to earn those as reward."
"You can always earn more..."
"Your suffering has just started! The...!"
"...and I demand you earn more, they're bliss." Tharja finished her candy, and unwrapped another slowly, enjoying her husband's tortured face, knowing he was powerless.
"...fine! In addition to that, you will also...!"
"I didn't expect you to become sadistic when pregnant," Gaius complained, gathering up the rest of his stash to hide in safety. "We are only having Noire, and no more!"
"...wait, what? I'm going to be born in this timeline?"