A/N:
A silly birthday exchange between my namesake avatar and Tharja.
I wish I could've gotten that birthday even in the barracks instead, but the sparkly event never showed up even though everyone was acknowledging my b-day there. :P
Ahem. Anyway, enjoy! Word Count (867)
Emily awoke in the tent she shared with her husband, Chrom. Her eyes still shut, she reached out to find his body, though all she could find was the impression he left behind. Opening her eyes, she noted that he was nowhere in the tent. She smiled to herself, as he was probably already off for morning training as usual. The Shepherd's tactician sat up, ruffling her lavender locks and letting out a great yawn as she stretched out. Getting out of her cot, she took the time to strap on her boots and straighten out her unruly hair as much as possible before grabbing a few documents and snatching her cloak, leaving the tent.
Not more than a few paces later, a chill ran up her spine. Looking around for a few brief moments she found herself face-to-face with the female Plegian dark mage they found over two years ago during the first war she had been through with the Shepherds. "Hello, Emily." The woman commented.
"Er, um, hello Tharja." The tactician replied, feeling unnerved by the presence of the dark mage before her. "What a pleasure to actually er… see you this morning."
"Why yes, a pleasure indeed." She responded with a smile creasing her lips. "What with our fates intertwined so. A true pleasure to share this special occasion with you each year."
Special occasion? "Excuse me?" The tactician stated, unsure of what exactly Tharja was getting on at.
"Why Emily," She responded, starting with her dark chuckle. "Don't tell me you don't know what day it is."
"Wednesday, right?"
"What day?"
The tactician had to think awhile before coming up with the day. After all, memory was most certainly not her strong suit. "The second?"
"Of?" Tharja's eyes were still expectantly gazing into Emily's, further unnerving the tactician.
"The fourth month?" She said, hoping that that was correct.
"And why is that day special for us?" Tharja continued on, clutching a nosferatu tome closer to herself while she waited for the tactician.
It took a few more moments of thought, but then she remembered the Roster. "Oh! Happy Birthday!"
"I could say the same to you." The dark mage said, slowly drawing closer to the tactician, her dark grin growing. "For it is an event we share."
"Ah right." Emily said, running a hand through her hair. She let out a small cough before continuing on. "I'm sure the Shepherds are waiting for us then."
"Well why not spend the day together first?" The dark one stated, grabbing hold of the tactician's arm. "The others can wait."
"B-but! Tharja, wait!" The tactician was then dragged along by the dark mage, afraid of what would happen to her. "Where are you taking me?"
The dark mage stopped, and turned to face the tactician. "Why, this is an occasion to exchange gifts, no?"
"Er. Yes." She admitted. "I-It generally is."
"Well?" Tharja started walking away. The tactician figured there was no harm in following. Emily had to admit, though the dark mage was rather unnerving, she still owed Tharja on several occasions. Though that could be said about many of the other Shepherds watching out for the tactician's health as well.
Their destination ended up being Tharja's tent, of no surprise to Emily at all. "Hold on while I fetch our gifts." The dark mage said before disappearing inside.
Our gifts? The tactician wondered. So she knew I would forget?
The mage stepped out holding a stack of books and approached Emily. "I know you've been searching for these, so here." She said, handing them over, before sliding behind the tactician for who knows what.
The tactician looked at the texts she'd been handed and her eyes widened upon realizing what they were. "Tharja! Where did you find these?"
"Oh, just my usual connections." She said, appearing in Emily's sight once more. "Knowing your thirst for tactical knowledge, and knowing these weren't a part of your collection yet…"
The tactician's grin kept growing. "I… Thank you so much! But… I don't have anything for you."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." The dark mage said, apparently holding something in her hand as she raised it closer to her lips.
"Er, Tharja… what do you have there?"
"This?" She unfolded her hand to reveal the purple locks she had been keeping. "Why, only your present for me."
Emily's eyes widened and one of her hands drifted to her head, still wondering how she didn't notice her own hair being trimmed for this. She was speechless. Still, she knew Tharja could have done worse, and has in the past. "Heh. Um… well, I believe the others will wish to see me soon so… I should get going." She spilt out, desperately wanting to leave.
She quickly set out, her new texts in hand. Though, Tharja did manage to sneak in one more comment. "Oh, Emily, a joyous birthday to you."
The tactician paused in her "escape" from her old friend. "Right," she muttered to herself. It was only proper to acknowledge the mage as well. "You too." She said before continuing to head off for the rest of what would probably be a wild day.
A/N:
Well, that was fun. Kinda interesting to share a birthday with the one stalking your avatar, but that just makes writing them all the more enjoyable. What?
Anyway, don't forget to drop a review!
This is squish bidding everyone a fine day! :D