A life of their own

by SakiKitty

Asbel and Cheria are finally getting married and Pascal comes to bring Hubert to the ceremony! Many unexpected events and feels await them! This is a smut-fiction You've been warned! Please R&R!

1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Little Bro!"

"don't respond..."

"Hey! Little Bro!"

"don't respond... she knows I don't like being called that..."

"Hey! Little Bro! You listening?"

"You must be stern with her... Do not react once so ever-"

"Hey!"

"WHAT?!"

The sound of the young mans shout echoed throughout Yu Liberte.

Sitting there in his office, Hubert pushed up his glasses in aggravation and looked over at the woman. She teeter tottered back n forth with her arms folded behind her head. Narrowing his eyes, he looked her up and down. Did she have no shame once so ever?

"Geez... You didn't have to shout." Pascal pouted at him.

Today was the day his brother and childhood friend would be wedded and Pascal had flown from Fendel to Strahta to pick him up on her shuttle. Only having been there about an hour, Pascal had already managed to get on Hubert's last nerve.

"What is it?" He grit his teeth, trying hard to not sound mad.

"I was just wondering if you were done with your paper work yet so we could get going" Smiling, Pascal spun in a circle to indicate her overflowing excitement. She had never been to a wedding before and couldn't wait for the fun. Unfortunately, her companion wasn't the least bit as excited as she was. "No. If I was, I wouldn't be still sitting her at my desk signing things."

Letting out a groan, the Amarcian sat back down on the sofa adjacent from him. "How long is this gonna take? I wanna go already."

"As long as it takes! Do not rush me." Hubert signed in frustration "I have many things that need to be taken care of before I leave Strahta. This is the first time I have ever taken a leave of absence from my work for leisurely business. I can't very well leave things in complete disarray."

"can't your soldiers just, ya know, do what they normally do while your gone?" Her voice was soft and had a sad tone to it. Clearly she had no idea what his job of Lieutenant implied or she was just acting childish, both completely possible.

"No. As competent as my soldiers are I have orders that need to be written up, papers to be signed and delivered for the necessary actions to be had." He explained, turning away from her to continue writing. "Unlike you, I have responsibilities."

"Yeah yeah, sure sure..." Pascal let out a long winded exhale and laid down on the sofa "This is gonna take forever... What if they start without us?"

Although Hubert had heard his companions words, he felt no need to respond. Now she was just being childish. The wedding would not be able to go on without him, the best man, being there and even so he had no intention on being late. The ceremony itself was not to begin for another 4 hours and the expected travel time only took about 30 minutes with the shuttle. There was no need for such impatience.

After several moments of impatient sighing and fidgeting around on the sofa, and several glances of aggravation, Hubert finally put down the pen and organized his papers. He gathered the necessary belongings that were needed for this trip from his dwelling and neatly packed them into bags. Looking to his left, he could see the woman's wide smile and excitement.

"Are ya ready now?" She chirped, clenching her fists.

"Yes, let is be off." Her happiness was contagious as it was, however the young man really only needed her by his side to feel good.

At his word, Pascal ran forward and lead him to where she parked the shuttle. Stepping out of his house, the hot sun beat down upon them and dusty wind blew all around. Hubert handed over the important documents to one of his officers and with squinted eyes, the two of them left Yu Liberte.

Destination, the town of Lhant.

The trip seemed to take shorter time than first expected. Did it always take that long? Or was it just Pascal's reckless speed driving that got them there so fast? Nonetheless, Pascal carefully landed the shuttle outside of Lhant and the two talked towards the town.

"This is gonna be soooooo awesome!" The girl shouted with both arms stretched in the air as they walked.

Hubert looked over at her, with a small grin. Seeing her smiling and happy had become one of his favorite things.

It had only been just a year since their journey of saving the world had ended. Since the two's parting in Fendel, Hubert had attempted many of times to contact Pascal through the communicator. Most of the times, he ended up getting a response from Fourier considering Pascal tended to leave her communicator laying around the Enclave or at her work site in the Fendel mountain. After eventually giving up hope of wooing her through messages, he found various excuses to leave his home to venture to Fendel. Futile as it was, he still was unable to get his feelings through to her. It all seemed hopeless in the young man's eyes at this point. If him going out of his way to message her, visit her and even on rare occasions, attempt to take her away from her work didn't make her see it then nothing would. With a sad sigh, Hubert hung his head. His vacation was for only 3 days. No more could be added on.

Slowly, they started to see the town ahead. It had been already decorated with purple and white flowers and streamers. Probably Sophie's idea.

With a quick jump, Pascal turned to her friend "Are you ready?!" She squealed.

"Yes, yes. Lets get on with it." Hubert replied, placing a hand to his forehead. He could already tell this was going to be a long 3 days.

Cheering loudly, the Amarcian ran ahead of him and into the town. He could hear her ooing and ahhing from the distance.

"Pascal, would you please refrain from drawing so much attention to yourself?" He scolded, however she could not hear him. The town was beautiful and she wanted to take it all in.

Due to their adventure, Pascal was not able to attend Fermat's wedding and this always brought her down. Amarcian weddings were actually very rare as it was, since most of her people were face first into research. She was not going to miss this one and had every intention on making the absolute most of it!

"Come on, Hu!" She turned around and called out "don't be such a slow poke!"

She could see his exhausted expression however it didn't change how she felt. He always looked tired and annoyed anyway. As soon as he got closer, Pascal unexpectedly grabbed the young mans hand to hurriedly pull him along.

"P-pascal!" He shouted, his face turning red "There is no need for such physical contact! I can walk on my own, thank you!"

Ignoring him, she gripped his hand tighter and turned into the manor. As expected, the ceremony was to be held outside in front. It was to be a small gathering of close family and friends so that way everyone could fit in the area in front of the manor.

The manor itself, the fountains and even areas around were all decorated similarly to the rest of the town. Sopherias and white roses adorned the podium and arch that stood on the lawn.

"Wow!" Pascal gasped, drinking in the scenery.

Hubert was unable to disagree. It was a sight to see. It made him only remember that he too was to be married one day. At this thought, his slight happiness receded back into himself into remembering that the girl in his heart was oblivious to everything. Scowling at the pretty girl, Hubert tugged his hand away. "Yes, it is quite nice. I'm sure it took Sophie hours to do all this."

Upon feeling her hand left alone, Pascal turned to him and gave a small frown. Always so cold to her and she couldn't figure out why. Oh well! Nothing could bring her down today! There was a wedding to be had and fun to partake in!

Pascal ran across the lawn and swung open the door to the manor. Unsurprisingly, Fredrick was standing in front of them.

"My dear lord" The elderly man gasped at them both "You both nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Awwww! I'm sorry, Freddy~ I didn't mean to scare you" Pascal cheered as she gave the man a pat on the back.

Not feeling as amused, Hubert sighed and pushed his glasses back into place "I'm sorry, Fredrick. She will be more careful next time." Turning his gaze from the old familiar face to his joyous companion, he glared "won't you, Pascal?"

"Yeah yeah! Absolutely!" She yelled, running around in circles at the marvelous decorations before her.

Hubert couldn't help but shake his head at her. Would she never learn? With another heavy sigh, he turned back to his former butler "Where is by brother?"

"Oh yes," Fredrick started with a warm smile "He would be in your fathers... or well, his study getting ready for the ceremony."

The Lieutenant nodded. He too would get ready in there while he imagined the girls would most likely get ready in the guest room. "Pascal, go and find Cheria to get ready. I'll be with Asbel." He could see she wasn't paying much attention to him. "Pascal?!"

"Yeah?" She turned her head in attention.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah! I'll go find Cheria and stuff!" She smiled, and saluted him.

Nodding again, Hubert exited into the study leaving Pascal and Frederick alone in the lobby.

"Hmm..." Pascal hummed as she continued to look around "Where is Cheria?"

Fredrick put his arm around the whimsical girl and escorted her up the stairs and to Asbel and Hubert's old room. "In here, my dear."

Patting the man on the back a few times in appreciation, Pascal knocked on the door. "Cheria, you in here?!"

Seconds later, the door was opened to a familiar purple haired pigtailed girl dressed in a marvelous lilac colored dress. "Oh, hello Pascal." She greeted her friend warmly.

"Heya Sophie! Where is Cheria?" Pascal responded, opening her arms wide to anticipate a hug.

Ignoring the signal for the hug, Sophie pointed behind her.

Bringing her arms back down with a sad sigh, Pascal looked around her to see Cheria sitting at Asbel's old desk with maids attending her make-up. With a nod, she ran in.

Cheria had already been dressed in her wedding gown. It was white and fluffy, with lace all around and a bow in the back. Gasping and twirling around, Pascal could not contain her excitement any longer.

"Cheria!" She squealed "You look so pretty!"

The pink haired girl smiled, however was unable to move her face to respond "Thank you, Pascal"

Sophie eyed Pascal and walked around her in a circle "You... aren't dressed up. Why?" She inquired in a low and confused tone.

"Oh! yeah well I don't really have dressy clothes" Pascal said with a giggle "Never really needed to get all fancied up before~"

After the maid made the finishing touches on Cheria's face, she exited the room leaving the girls in private to talk. Cheria turned around to see Pascal in the same old clothes and made a tired sigh. "Pascal... Were you really expecting to attend a wedding in... those?"

The Amarcian looked down at her beige overalls and shorts and tugged on them. Giving an innocent grin she looked back up at her beautiful friend. "Well, what else was I gonna wear?"

Her point was valid, as Cheria feared. Why would she own anything decent? The girl barely bathed as it was. At that thought, the soon to be wed girl slowly stepped towards her. With a slight sniff at her friend, she smiled. "Thank goodness! At least you bathed."

Sophie giggled at the remark and Pascal folded her arms behind her head "Of course! I wouldn't wanna go stinking up the place, ya know."

Cheria smiled and sat down gently on the bed. It had been some time since she had last seen Pascal. She had missed her weirdness. If only there was something she could do about her attire though... the young woman pondered. Several moments of silence passed before Cheria exclaimed an "Ah hah!" which brought the others attention.

"Sophie, go ask the maids if they have any dress suitable for Pascal. I'm sure they have to have something!"

The humanoid nodded "Alright." And with that, left the room as Pascal waved to her.

"So, how have you been?" Cheria started. It unnecessary to wait in silence and catching up was probably a good thing.

Pascal smiled and sat on Hubert's old bed "Oh, same ol' same ol'"

"Have you been having success tending to Forbrannir?"

"Eh..." Pascal started, scratching her arm "Kinda, I guess. I revamped the system with a new formula I thought up and things have slowly started progressing. Heat is coming out a little faster however..."

"However?" Cheria repeated.

"Yeah... with Lambda messing with our Lastalia, it only made extracting eleth even harder from the valkines since eleth just got restored! This sets my plans back a lot further then I had expected" the researcher frowned.

Cheria didn't know much about eleth or valkines however even with that explanation it had made it very clear why she hadn't came to visit them since their separation. "Well... I'm sure things will be fine, right?"

Cheerfully, the Amarcian put up the peace sign "Yup!"

Another few seconds of silence passed while Pascal scaled Cheria with her eyes. With a finger to her lips, taking in again her dress, her hair and her make-up... and slightly making Cheria uncomfortable.

"Pascal... what are you doing?"

"Well you see, I was just wondering why normally people get all gussied up on their big day." Pascal confessed "It's cool n all and, if given the chance, id probably not mind it either but... I dunno. It also seems kinda silly to put on a big complicated dress and have your hair all strung up with a thousand tid bits of string and have make-up painted all over ya. You end up just taking it all off and stuff later anyway."

Blushing, Cheria turned away "Yes, I suppose that's true but you wanna be extra special on your big day. Be the princess you always imagined yourself to be and make it something you'll never forget. Right?"

Pascal closed her eyes and tapped her food while she pondered the young woman's response. It did make some sense but still seemed like over all a big waste of time and money to boot.

"don't you ever think about getting married, Pascal?"

The question startled the white and red haired girl enough to open her eyes and tilt her head. "No. Not really."

"Seriously?!" Chera challenged, widening her eyes.

"Yeah, seriously."

"Not even to a special someone?"

As Cheria continued to inquire, it only made Pascal confused "Special someone?" burrowing her brow, she placed a finger to her forehead. "I don't really have one of them. All of you are special to me!"

Cheria shook her head. As smart as this girl was, she was incredibly dim sometimes. "No, Pascal. I mean, you don't have someone you like? You know... like in a special way?" she continued.

The Amarcian puzzled her faced but continued to think harder "Nope... I don't think so."

"Someone whose been there for you in good times and bad? Has went out of there way to see you, like more than once?"

"Not uh."

"Someone who makes you're heart beat faster just by being around?" Cheria began to feel like this situation was becoming hopeless. Everyone was aware of Huberts feelings for her. Asbel even asked him a few times if his younger sibling had done more to convey them but was sadly ignored. After all this time, she still did not get it.

"Sorry, Cheria. I don't think I can think of anyone." Pascal sighed and crossed her arms.

Giving up, the pink haired girl sighed in defeat "Oh brother."

A few seconds later, and Sophie had opened the door with a yellow dress folded over her arms. "Sorry it took so long." She apologized and walked over to them, handing the dress over to Cheria. "With Pascals measurements, this was what they could find."

Cheria stood up and let the dress fall straight as she held it. Much prettier than she expected, the dress was long and silky, with specks of crystal studding the top hem.

"Oooooo~" Pascal cooed as she looked at it.

"It is rather nice." The bride smiled, as she handed it to Pascal. "Will this be okay?"

Pascal grabbed it from her hands and rubbed the fabric against her face. It soft and cool. " Yeah! And It's my favorite color to boot! Thanks Sophie! and nameless maid!"

Cheria giggled "Sophie, would you help Pascal into the dress? I would however I don't wanna mess up my hair or nails."

Sophie nodded and Pascal quickly kicked off her boots "I hope it doesn't look too bad."

Within moments, Pascal had tossed all of her clothes aside from her undergarments to the side and Sophie helped her put on the dress. It seemed to fit well, however it was a bit longer than expected. Cheria frowned. "We're gonna need to get you heels so it doesn't drag."

With a face of disgust, Pascal shook her head in disagreement "No way, sister! You aren't getting me to wear high heels!"

"But if it drags, you could ruin it!" Cheria insisted. "I have some for you to choose from."

"Yeah Pascal" Sophie chimed in "You would look really pretty! I could even brush your hair and put a sopheria in it."

Knowing further protest would do no good, the young woman gave in. "Fine, but they better not be too high or I'll totally fall flat on my face."

Cheria smiled "Of course!" She turn turned to her adopted daughter "Sophie, could you get me those white heels? You know, the ones with the straps?"

Sophie nodded and hurried over to the closet. She opened up to reveal a wise selection of boots, flats and dress shoes. After rummaging for bit, she held out a pair of white heels with straps in the front. "These?"

"Yes, bring them here and help Pascal into them?"

"Sure." Sophie replied as she hurried over and knelled in front of Pascal.

Giving yet another grimacing face, Pascal lifted her foot up one by one as Sophie strapped them to her feet. Once as a child, Pascal had attempted to wear one of Fourier's shoes. They fit, however they also were cramped and made her waddle as a duck before falling. Vowing never again, they were tossed back into her sisters room.

Pascal stood up. They weren't as tight as she thought however still were not as comfortable as her boots. She frowned "I guess this is okay."

"I'll get the brush!" Sophie smiled as once again ran across the room.

"don't look so unhappy, Pascal. You look great! You might even get compliments from boys~" Cheria attempted to make her friend feel better, despite knowing it probably wouldn't work.

Sophie came back and jumped on the bed behind Pascal, slowly combing her hair and humming as Cheria would do to her.

Folding her arms, Pascal gave a small smile. Sophie may not ever give into her affection, but this was nice also. "So Cheria..." She started as she the bride a smirk "Will you be doing the baby dance after the ceremony is done?"

"Baby Dance?!" Both Cheria and Sophie responded, Cheria sounding much more alarmed while Sophie sounded intrigued.

"Yeah~ You know~" The researcher hummed as she put a finger to her lips and winked at her friend. "The baby dance!"

"PASCAL!" Cheria yelled, clenching her fists "W-why would you even ask that?!"

Sophie quickly stopped brushing Pascals hair and looked over at Cheria "What's the baby dance? Do you dance with babies?"

With such a question, Pascal burst into uncontrollable laughter as Cheria fumed "No, Sophie. don't worry about it."

"But it sounds fun! Can I do the baby dance?" The Humanoid continued to inquire innocently.

"Absolutely not!" Screamed her guardian as Pascal continued to roll in laughter.

Looking concerned and confused, Sophie tilted her head "Why not? Is it bad?"

Cheria's face began to turn red with both embarrassment and anger "O-of course It's not bad, Sophie. You just can't do it. Only brides can do it. W-with their husbands."

"Yeah Sophie, and I don't think you're equipped with certain things to even be able to do the baby dance" Pascal explained, catching her breath "But I mean, I could see if I can help change that for you~"

"Really?!" Sophie gasped excitedly.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! PASCAL, YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE!" Cheria shouted. "Sophie you cannot do such a thing. Please stop asking questions!"

The purple haired girl frowned. "Alright..."

Still fuming, Cheria pointed to the door "Please go see if Asbel needs help."

Still frowning, Sophie handed the brush to Pascal and exited the room. Once the door was shut, Pascal once again began to laugh as Cheria stomped her foot in anger.

"I can't believe you!" She murmured.

"What? I thought it was a pretty good question. I mean, doesn't that sorta go along with the ritual of marriage?" The Amarcian smirked and shrugged "Whats there to be mad about?"

Making a loud noise of annoyance, Cheria threw her arms up in the air "Yeah but this isn't something I should be discussing with you! You can't even tell when a boy likes you!"

Finally catching her breath, Pascal tilted her head sideways "What do you mean?"

Realizing what she said probably wasn't the best thing, Cheria caught herself "No, nothing. Never mind."

"Mmm... Y'okay, if you say so~"

Sophie wandered down the hall sadly, slowly making it to the stairs where Frederick stood. He was old. He might be able to answer her question without getting mad. This thought made her cheer up as she quickly ran down the stairs to the elder "Frederick!"

The old butler turned to the younger looking girl with a smile "Yes, What is it Sophie?"

"What is the baby dance?" She asked concerned "Do you know?"

Fredrick's face started to drain of color. Knowing full well what she was referring and not wanting to over step his boundaries with her, he scratched the back of his white hair and gave a half hearted smile "That is a very good question! However, it is probably best to ask Asbel."

Sophie nodded "Alright. Thanks Fredrick." She said and hurried to the study. Opening the door, for the first time she had seen both Asbel and Hubert dressed finely in black tuxedos. Gasping she ran towards them. "Wow! You guys look amazing!"

"Heh, thanks Sophie" Asbel smiled.

"You look very nice yourself." Hubert chimed in. "What brings you down here? Aren't you helping the girls?"

Without much delay, Sophie revealed her purpose for coming "Cheria told me to help you guys now that her and Pascal are dressed. And also, what is the baby dance?"

"Baby... dance?" They both questioned and looked at each other.

Placing his palm to his forehead, Hubert sighed "Did Pascal say this?"

Sophie nodded "Yes, and they wouldn't tell me. Frederick told me to ask you. Asbel, what is the baby dance? Why can't I do it?"

Still feeling quite stupid, Asbel turned to his younger sibling looking puzzled "Hubert?"

"I think she is referring to intimate relations." Hubert eyed his brother "Do you care to explain it to her?"

"Intimate... Wait what? Intimate relations?! You mean...?!" Asbel stammered, his face turning red. "Why would you want to know about that?"

"Better question would be, why Pascal was even talking about it?" Hubert mused, pushing up his glasses.

Sophie tilted her head, still not understanding "Asbel?"

Asbel sat down at his father's desk and sighed. This was not a talk he wanted to have with her, nor did he even know where to explain. If he did make it clear, what other questions would she have for him? Should she even know? This was making him feel uncomfortable. "The baby dance is when... two people dance to try and make a baby." He exhaled.

"Oh for the love of God, Brother, Was that the best you could do?" The Lieutenant crossed his arms and shook his head in disappointment.

"You can... dance to make babies?" Sophie questioned, not feeling anymore knowledgeable and even further confused.

Hubert placed a hand on top of his nieces head. "Sophie, what Asbel is trying to say is that the 'baby dance' is reproduction between a male and female."

Suddenly, Sophie's eyes widened and sparkled with happiness "You and Cheria are gonna make a baby after the ceremony?!"

"W-what?! Where did you hear something like that?!" Asbel's face turned a darker shade of red.

"Pascal asked Cheria if you two were gonna do the baby dance after the wedding." His adopted daughter promptly replied.

Taking his hand off of Sophie's head, Hubert reapplied it to his forehead "Of course she did." He couldn't help but smile at his brothers dismay. Indeed this was an interesting subject, even if slightly uncomfortable.

The groom groaned in dread, unable to look at either of them with a straight face. He had no idea how to respond. Of course, he would want to consummate their marriage. This had been something he'd been thinking about ever since Cheria moved in and agreed to be with him. He had no idea when it was going to be though or when Cheria would feel comfortable.

Although Hubert still enjoyed seeing his brother in such a predicament, he cleared his throat to help him out once more "Sophie, it is a human tradition to mate after marriage." he could hear his brother sigh in relief.

"Why?" She asked innocently "Why would you need to get married to reproduce?"

"To ensure you're family is stable enough to bring children into this world." He replied smugly.

"Ohhhhh..." Sophie's thoughts wandered. It did make sense to not want to further populate without ensuring the offspring would survive and be kept safe. She smiled at the thought of a possible younger brother or sister "Asbel, I would protect the child!"

Nodding in grief, the young groom stood up from the desk and walked over to her "I know you would, Sophie."

"When you and Cheria have a baby, I will become a sister!" She chirped happily.

"That's right." Her guardian replied, placing his arm on top of his brothers shoulder "And when Hubert has a child, you'll have a cousin!"

Glaring angrily at his brother, Hubert pushed the limb off his shoulder "What?"

"Cousin?! I'll have a cousin?!" Sophies wide eyes turned to Hubert, still glistening in awe.

"Y-yes... well... eventually maybe." His face began to turn red at the thought.

"Come on, Hubert" Asbel laughed, getting back at the younger sibling "When are you gonna do the 'baby dance' with Pascal?"

"Asbel!" Hubert shouted angrily "Why would I do such a thing?"

"With Pascal? Is Pascal gonna be a mommy too?" Sophie began to feel excited. Suddenly the thought of her family broadened. Asbel as her father. Cheria as her mother. A sibling on the way. Hubert as her uncle. Pascal as her aunt and even a possible cousin!

"I said no such thing!" The young Lieutenant stated firmly. "Do not go putting false ideas in Sophie's head, Asbel!"

The young humanoid frowned again "So... no cousin then?"

"No. No cousin."

Smiling at getting even with his brother, Asbel patted Sophie on the head "Maybe someday you'll get a cousin but probably not any time soon."

The sound of his older brothers voice was beginning to annoy Hubert. His statement, however true, was also unwarranted. "Sophie, please find mother and have her start things up. It is nearly time to start the ceremony." He said, looking at his wrist watch.

The girl smiled and left the room, leaving only the two brothers to converse.

"Really, Asbel?" Hubert glared at him again "Not anytime soon? Was that necessary?"

The elder brother laughed again "Well, it is true! She doesn't even know you're in love with her yet!"

"Y-yes, this is true." He confirmed, feeling frustrated. "However, you have no right putting ideas into Sophie's head like that. Who knows what she'll say to her."

"Yeah, sorry.." Asbel apologized, scratching his head "I guess I did go a little over board."

"Indeed." Hubert felt humiliated. He was fully aware of his position that he did not need his brother jabbing at him. His heart sunk into the dept of his chest as he hid his face with his hand.

Asbel noticed his brothers mood turning dim and began to feel concerned. It had been a while since they all separated and yet, she still didn't know..."Have you ever just flat out told her you're in love with her?"

"To a degree, yes." The blue haired man sighed.

"And still nothing?"

"Yes, Asbel. Still nothing." Anger began to rise in his chest again, as Hubert let his hand fall back to his side. "I have sent her countless messages which have never been received because she misplaces her communicator. I have physically went to see her, and even tried to take her out places where we could be alone so I could try again however she never wants to leave her work! Once shes in the middle of something, not even a vicious beast can pry her from it!"

The groom frowned. "So... what are you gonna do now? You giving up?"

Sighing sadly, Hubert looked up at his brother. "I see no reason in trying to insist my feelings upon someone who doesn't want to see them."

"Wow.." was all that came out of the elder brothers mouth.

Shaking his head, clearing his throat once more and regaining composure, Hubert gave a half-hearted smile to his soon to be married brother. "Well, It's time."

Nodding, they both left the room and headed outside where guests and family members awaited them both.

The wedding was a huge success. Everyone was dressed in their best and played their part perfectly. Hubert being the man of honor, Pascal being the maid of honor and Sophie being the prettiest flower girl in history. Even Richard came down to give his blessing and wish them a happy future, along with Captain Malik. As wonderful as the ceremony was, Hubert could not force out the sadness in his heart. It was only right for his older brother to marry before him however... Looking at the woman he loved, dressed so magnificently, it only pained him further.

The wedding reception was to be held in Barona. It was King Richard's wedding gift to them both that the party should be held in his ball room and was already set up so that way they couldn't say no. Richard escorted the lovely bride and groom to their dressed up Turtlez and followed suit back to his palace. Meanwhile, everyone else was to help clean up before departing. As much as the Lhant household had servants, this was a family affair and thus the family should help out, giving the two newly weds further time alone.

It wasn't long before the rest of the group followed, however. Pascal insisted on taking her shuttle but was quickly declined by Hubert.

"It's much too big. Barona isn't even that far away, it takes 20 minutes by ship!"

"But we could be there in like 5!" Pascal protested eagerly.

"My, my, what is all the commotion?" mused Lady Kerri as she approached the two arguing "This is supposed to be a happy day."

"There is no problem, Mother. I am simply trying to make Pascal acknowledge that it makes much more sense to leave the shuttle here where it is secure rather then flying it to Barona where it would get much unneeded attention." Hubert replied, crossing his arms.

"But I could take all of us there sooooo much faster and we could start partying so much soon!" Pascal cried, stomping her feet like a child.

"Oh dear..." The mother placed a hand on her chin "Look at you both, arguing like an old married couple. What shall you do?"

"A-and old married couple?! Mother, I'll have you know-"

"Not another word." Lady Kerri interrupted her son, turning to Pascal "Pascal, you will let Asbel and Cheria have their time alone as is their right. They just got married. Let them enjoy the all they can before everyone else arrives."

The Amarcian lowered her head and pouted "Y'okay..."

"That's a good girl." Lady Kerri smiled, turning back to youngest son. "And Hubert, you be nice to this girl. You'll never get any further in life if you're going to be mean and stubborn~"

He could see his mothers sly grin and what she was entailing. A mother knows best and she was also aware of her sons feelings. It had been some time since he had been scolded by his mother. Uncrossing his arms, he gave her a gentle look "Yes, mother."

"That's a boy." She cooed, "Now go gather you're things. Sophie is waiting for you inside the manor. I'll go get her."

Pascal lifted her head and smiled. Sophie and Malik would ride a Turtlez with them. It would be just like the old times! The group back together, minus two. "Y'okay, mommy dearest~"

It was now afternoon. The sun shone high at It's peak of the day and the wind blew a nice warm gust. The turtlez rode slowly along the road from Lhant to the harbor. Inside the carriage, Hubert sad annoyed with his arms and legs crossed, while Pascal and Sophie spoke fondly of the ceremony. Malik cued in every so often, making comments and jabs at whatever he could.

"Pascal, When will you get married?" Sophie asked, her eyes sparkling with ideas "I could help you with the decorations too!"

The thought made Hubert scoff, which signaled Malik's retort "Oh? Something eating at you Hubert?"

"No. Nothing at all."

"I dunno, Sophie~" Pascal smiled "Maybe some day, maybe not at all!"

The middle aged former Captain eyed the young man, smirking. "Come now, Hubert. You wouldn't be making such a face if you were fine. Tell ol' Malik whats bugging you."

Closing his eyes to keep composure, Hubert forced his body to relax. Getting Malik's attention was not a good thing and would only lead to further questions. He needed to end it and fast.

"I am perfectly fine, Malik. You would do best to keep all questions to yourself."

"Huh. If you say so." The elder man hummed to himself. He wasn't done prying yet and knew and even better way to get answers. "So Pascal, why don't you think you'll ever settle down? Surely you would like to have a family and become a mother some day?"

Hubert opened and eye and scowled at Malik. Malik looking back with a grin.

"Eh? Hmm... I dunno. I guess I'm just not one to sit around and be bored or whatever~" Pascal replied happily "But who knows?!"

"There isn't even a special someone who you'd want to be with forever?" Malik pried further, still glancing at the young Lieutenant for reactions.

"It funny you say that," Pascal started, leaning forward in her seat. "Cheria asked the same thing." Suddenly, she jolted left and hugged Sophie, causing Sophie to try and peel her off "The only special someone id wanna be with forever is definitely Sophie!"

"Pascal! Get off!" Sophie continued to push until the Amarcian gave in and let go.

Malik laughed. Always the same with these guys. Never a dull moment.

The ride continued until they reached the harbor. Most of them happily talking and joking about the future while Hubert still kept to himself and pondered. They exited the Turtlez and hopped on the boat, soon departing for Barona. It was smooth sailing!

Pascal ran around the boat, chasing Sophie as usual while Hubert leaned against the ship. Malik watched him for a moment before interrupting his silence.

"Still on your mind?" He asked, leaning up against the side of a room along with his younger companion.

"That's none of your business." Hubert quickly replied, having nothing more to say on the subject.

With a loud and heavy sigh, the old former Captain jabbed the younger in the arm "You gotta lighten up more, kid. Life can't be all that bad. She'll come around."

"Ha!" Hubert sarcastically laughed. "Right."

"Like I said before, It takes a lot of time to tame a stray cat. Just keep at it and she'll eventually open up and let you in." Malik said, grooming his short beard. "I just know it."

"And how would you know a thing like that?!" Hubert challenged angrily, "It's been almost two years since I've told her my feelings and still she remains oblivious to them! I can't just continue to have my life on hold while I wait for someone as thick headed as her to come around!"

Letting a few moments of silence pass, Malik reminisced. Oh how it was so long ago he was just as young and foolish. Only having himself in mind and completely ignoring his surroundings. If only he could go back with the wisdom he had now and do it all over again, so many things he would change. "Hubert, do you really love her?"

Also letting a few moments of silence pass, Hubert looked around. He could see Pascal and Sophie playing on deck and letting all his frustration and doubts fall away for just that moment, he smiled. "Yes." He responded with all the sureness in his heart. "I do."

Malik looked sternly but warmly at his young friend. "If that's true then you'll wait forever, if you have to. It's not only your life you need to worry about, It's hers too. If she isn't ready to accept your feelings then you need to accept that and wait. For as long as it takes. If you can't, it truly isn't love."

The young man couldn't help but smile and shrug. His words were true, as harsh as they were. This could even mean he would life most of his life alone and unhappy, but if that's what it took until she could finally see his feelings than it was worth it.

Malik smiled in knowing his words got across to the stubborn young fool. He was past his prime and knew his time for love had come and gone. All that was left was to help others not make the same mistakes he did.

Shortly after, the ship docked at Barona port and the 4 exited the ship. Barona was loud, happy and booming with people just like always. They made their way up the street and into the royal palace where guards were waiting for them to check in. Not even needing to say they're names, they were let through. This has not been their first visit to Barona Castle, nor would it probably be their last.

Inside, had already been decorated with the colors of Windor. Green and gold. Servants greeted them at the door and escorted them to the ballroom where everyone who arrived before them was already dancing.

"Wow! This place is unreal!" Pascal shouted in excitement, as she ran ahead of them into the room. Sophie closely behind her.

"I see you guys have finally arrived." Said a familiar voice.

Malik and Hubert turned around to see the King of Windor, standing behind them.

"This place looks great." Malik started, reaching his hand out to shake his former comrades "I couldn't think of a better wedding gift."

"I'm glad you agree." Richard smiled and grasped the elders hand firmly "It was hard to decide on what to give them. Objects would be too cliche and I knew Cheria wouldn't want to accept them. Coming empty handed would be disgraceful, and coming with some big army or band wagon would be just... corny!"

Malik laughed and let go "I have to agree. Corny indeed."

The King looked over at his young friend, concerned. He could see his face was troubled as he watched Pascal dance around with Sophie awkwardly to the music playing. Completely with no rhythm or grace. "Is there something wrong, Hubert?"

Sighing again and pushing up his glasses, not meeting the Kings gaze, Hubert shook his head. "There is nothing wrong. I apologize if I look otherwise."

"Not at all, my friend." Richard replied "You simply look tired. Did the travel exhaust you?"

"Nah, Hubert here is just suffering from young love~" Malik chimed in, patting Hubert on the back.

"Oh? Has nothing still come of them?" Richard whispered into the mans ear, still loudly enough for Hubert to make a loud groan and storm off without them.

The old Captain laughed "Yeah, you could say that."

"Pascal..." Sophie's head began to spin after probably the 20th time her friend spun her around "I'm starting to get dizzy... can we stop dancing?"

"Huh?" With a sudden halt, Pascal stopped Sophie "Oh, hehe~ Sorry Sophie."

The humanoid shook her head. "No, It's okay. I was having fun."

Pascal laughed and looked around "Yeah! Me too! Hey, where is the food? I could totally get some grub!"

Sophie turned and pointed to a table leaning against the wall in the far left, behind many other dancers. "I think It's over there."

"Cool, cool! Wanna get some food with me?" Pascal asked, taking Sophie's hand to lead her regardless of her response.

Quickly taking her hand back, Sophie shook her head again. "No, I ate before the wedding. I wanna find Asbel and Cheria."

The young researcher let out a loud wale in defeat "Awww, alright! I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

Sophie nodded and slowly walked away, leaving Pascal to her own devices.

The banquet table was crammed packed full of delicious food. From meat, to vegetables, to cakes and cookies, there was much to dine on. Grazing a little bit here, and a little bit there, Pascal filled her plate with many scrumptious morsels and sat down at a table of her own. Snacking loudly and happily, she watched the other dancers. Dancing and prancing. Swirling and twirling, Dipping and flipping. This only made the young woman even more eager to partake however her stomach said otherwise. First food and then more fun.

"May I sit here?"

Pascal turned to see Malik standing next to the chair besides her. With her mouth full, she made an inaudible noise which he assumed was yes, and sat down. Without permission, he started snacking off her plate and laughing as she got frustrated.

"This is mine! Go get your own!" She wailed.

"An old man like me? If I ate anymore it would probably all go to my stomach and I'd look like a potbellied pig!" He responded, chuckling as he took a roll off her plate.

Further stuffing her face until she could no longer, Pascal pushed her plate far from her reach and leaned back in the chair, satisfied. "That's what I call good eating!" She sighed happily, patting her stomach.

"Royal eating, if anything!" Malik laughed. "I'm surprised there was more than bananas on your plate."

Pascal winked at her elder and placed her arms behind her head to relax even further "With such a variety, I would be totally stupid to not indulge on something else once in a while. As Hubert always tells me, 'You can't survive on bananas alone' or whatever~"

Hearing her mention his name, sparked interest in the old man. Maybe it was time to inquire further? Maybe... further spread his wisdom in a place that really needed it?

"Say, Pascal?" He started, folding his arms on his lap. He could see from the side that she turned to him and took notice. "What do you think of Hubert?"

"Little Bro? Hmm..." She thought for a moment, tapping a finger on her lip and rocking back in the chair. "I dunno, why?"

"Heh, no real reason. isn't he visiting you often lately?" He inquired further.

"I guess you could say that..." Pascal puzzled her face. People were asking a whole lot of questions lately about her personal life and it was starting to worry her. "Did Fourier says something?" Since them parting ways, Malik had become an envoy to the Chancellor of Fendel and was sent many times to check up on both Pascal and her older sisters work concerning Forbrannir.

"Yes. She said he sends you lots of messages and has visited quite a bit in the last year or so. don't you think It's a bit strange for a Lieutenant of the Strahtan military to be hiking up snowy mountains to visit you?" Malik knew he was going to need to spell it out for her in a way she could grasp on her own without fully letting the cat out of the bag.

Pascal leveled her chair back on the ground and un-slouched herself "Hey, now that you mention it, it is kinda strange." She shot a look at him as if a light bulb finally flickered on in that duel colored head of hers. "But he always said he had business to attend to in Fendel and just decided to check up on me since I was in the area."

"I suppose that could be it... or, maybe not" He lead on, trying to get more of a response now that he had her full attention.

"Maybe not? What do you mean?" Her voice sounded interested, as her eyes widened slightly.

Malik hummed to himself before winking back at her "What if I told you he really didn't have too much business in Fendel and only came to check up on you out of his own interest?"

Cocking an eyebrow, Pascal started to feel doubtful as if he was just messing with her. "That's silly! Why would he do that? Hu hates the cold, let alone big snowy ice mountains full of freezing. He's always complaining about it. Why would he come see me if it was that inconvenient for him?"

Malik shrugged innocently, and stole the last roll off her plate "I dunno. That is a good question though."

Feeling uneasy, Pascal got up from her chair. It didn't make sense and she didn't like things that didn't make sense. Looking to the right, she saw a large clear doorway, that led to a balcony over looking the beauty of Windor. The sun was still pretty high. couldn't be past 4pm so there was plenty of time of finding and asking him herself, no rush.

Sophie wandered around for awhile in the big ballroom before finally spotting Asbel and Cheria's big table. On top, was their own little buffet trays of random assorted foods. Asbel had a blush across his face as he attempted to feed his new wife a grape. Sophie smiled at the sight of how happy they seemed, and ran over to them. Cheria was the first to notice her.

"Oh hey! There you are Sophie. I was worried you we're gonna make it." She smiled, patting the chair next to her.

The girl sat down next to her adopted mother. "Why wouldn't I come? The turtlez was slow but grandma said we needed to take out time so you guys could be alone."

"G-grandma?!" Asbel nearly choked on the cracker he just started eating. This had been the first time she openly called his mother that and it felt awkward.

"Yes. isn't that was I'm supposed to call you're mother?" Sophie tilted her head, unsure of herself.

"Grandma..." Asbel repeated again, feeling overwhelmed. Too much was happening today.

"Sophie you are exactly right." Cheria said, sliding some snacks over to Sophie to eat. "Where are Pascal and the others?"

Sophie shook her head. "I dunno. Pascal said she was going to find food after we stopped dancing and I didn't see where Hubert and Malik went off too."

"Huh, Richard is missing too. How strange." Asbel said, straightening himself in his chair to look around more closely. Although this reception was for their wedding, many nobles from around Ephinea were invited by Richard to ensure Asbel be recognized as the new Lord of Lhant, and his wife the new Lady of Lhant. However, Richard was no where in sight.

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere" Asbel's new bride reassured him "This is his house, after all."

"Yeah. You're right." He smiled and continued to eat.

At that moment, without so much as to let Asbel swallow his food, lights started flickering on around the room and, more specifically, being targeting on them.

"W-what is this?" Cheria asked, standing up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Nobles and common folk. Maids and Butlers. I am very proud to announce, Mr. and Mrs. Asbel and Cheria Lhant" Richards voice echoed through the room.

Suddenly everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards the now very awkward couple. Sophie clapped along with the rest of them, unsure of what else to do.

"Richard, where are you?" Asbel asked loudly, looking around again.

"Why, I'm right here!" Richard voice called back out.

Slowly his figure emerged from the mass of people, holding a rather odd device in his hand.

"Ohhh! Hes using my voice loudener thingie I made!" He could hear Pascal shout from where ever she was.

"And a fine device this is, Pascal! Thank you!" Richard called back, also unsure of where exactly she was.

"No problem!" Her voice echoed again.

Richard, dressed in his finest royal clothing, approached them and placed his hands on the table. "Today is a most wonderful day for a wedding, don't you agree?" He addressed to the people. Everyone clapped in unison with some hooting and hollering, particularly from Pascal.

"Asbel, is there anything you'd like to say to your new wife that you haven't yet?" Richard asked, placing the microphone near his face.

"Umm..." Asbel stumbled upon himself, and looked over at his wife who was redder than usual. "Well, we've made it this far Cheria... I hope I can be the husband you want me to be..."

"Awwww, listen to him. Love in every word. Cheria, do you have anything you'd like to tell Asbel?" Richard charmingly asked, moving the microphone to her face.

"Asbel, You're a dummy!" She shouted, leaving everyone to gasp and whisper "But.." She continued, "You should already know that you're the best man I know and I wouldn't want to be by anyone else's side!"

Recoiling the microphone back to his face, Richard laughed and smiled, opening his arms to his people "There you have it folks! The new happy couple! Lets give them a wonderful cheer for their new future!" He shouted, and the people cheered and clapped.

Hubert stood outside on the balcony for quite sometime. Needing to be alone and sort through his thoughts. What Malik said did lighten the load a small fraction however the rest still lay on him. How would he get her to understand? His words and his actions thus far had not been enough. Looking up at the sky, a small breeze blew past him. It was colder then normal and the sun would start setting soon. How long had he been out there? An hour? Possibly more? Who knows... and who cares? Hubert never liked social gatherings and was only there to support his brother and new sister in law. That, and to make sure Pascal didn't do anything stupid.

He could hear Richard announcing loudly behind him in the ballroom but made no action to join in the festivities. It wasn't his party, let them be loud and obnoxious. Loud and... obnoxious... His thoughts kept trailing back to the idol of his affection. What was she even doing now? Should he look for her? What good would that even do? She would probably pull him to and from everywhere she wanted to go and embarrass him. Why did he even love her in the first place?

These thoughts raced in his mind and began to bring on a headache. Why did he love her? Placing his hand on his head, he inhaled deeply. What did it even matter? The fact was, he most certainly did without a doubt in his mind.

Turning around, his stomach began to growl. He hadn't eaten since breakfast many hours ago. Now would be a good time to nourish his body. After the commotion of the crowd settled down, Hubert walked back inside the ballroom.

It seemed as though more people were there than he had first witnessed and he fought his way through the crowds to get to the banquet table. Taking a selection of hearty and healthy foods, he made his way to a table to eat. Seeing Pascal and Malik chatting in the corner with what looked to be...oh no. Hubert hurried over to the table and set his plate down.

"Is that champagne?" He demanded, pushing up his glasses.

"It sure is!" Malik joyously said, pushing a glass filled over to him. "You missed the toast, Hubert. Where have you been?"

"I was collecting my thoughts in private, thank you." He responded, ignoring the gesture.

"Come on, Little Bro! Have some fun!" Pascal giggled, drinking more of the champagne.

"You should not be drinking! You know how you get!" He yelled at the woman, gritting his teeth to try and hold back his anger.

"Hubert, lighten up. It's a party! You're brothers wedding party! Drink and be merry~" Malik joked, nudging Pascal who was already clearly intoxicated.

"Yeah! don't be such a grump all the time~ You party pooper!" Pascal continued to laugh, pushing the champagne closer to him.

"I can't even bare the sight..." Hubert sat down, unable to control his anger any longer, he decided it be best to eat and maybe try to calm down. He had seen Pascal drunk twice in his life time. The first time, she insisted on taking off her clothes. The second time, she not only insisted on taking off some of clothes but she even managed to get her shirt off. He couldn't handle such a thing, let alone try and control her to keep it on. Here they were, at a gathering full of nobility and very influential people and she was getting drunk. As her escort, or at least he thought of himself as her escort, he would be held responsible for her actions.

Doing his best to ignore them, he took a few bites of food. They're laughing and clumsy actions were intolerable. Deciding maybe it would be best to move tables, Hubert got up from his seat.

"Awww, Where you going, Little Bro?" Pascal asked, holding on to his coat sleeve.

And with that, he snapped.

"My name is Hubert Oswell, and I am NOT your brother. I'm not even remotely related to you! And I am going to tell you for the last time to stop calling me that. You have done nothing but whine, complain, yell, and draw attention to yourself since we have left Strahta and I will not be responsible for whatever you wind up doing tonight!" He hollered in her direction, however not looking her in the eyes. Turning his gaze to the now startled Malik, he continued his speech "And you! You know fully well how she asks when intoxicated however you still allow her to drink!"

"Hubert, Calm down! It's only-" Malik started, however was cut off.

"No! I will not hear it! She is your responsibility now. Whatever ridiculous, unruly, and unsightly thing she does tonight on account of this, is on your hands, sir! Now I am moving seats before you both do something humiliating next to me!" Hubert was finally done. Realizing he had just drawn enough attention to himself from the people that could hear him, he covered his face with one hand and with his plate in the other, moved across the room back to where the balcony was.

Malik was stunned. He had seen the kid mad before but this was on a whole other level. Unsure of what to do or what to say, he turned to Pascal who was now tearing up.

"Pascal..." He said softly, patting her on the head. "don't cry. He didn't mean it."

Pascal turned her face to him, unable to keep the tears from streaming down and drank the last of her glass. "Yes, he did. I know he did, and you know he did." She said quietly.

"Hes just mad. He's had a lot on his mind since coming here. A lot that you don't know about. don't take it to heart." He continued to try and reassure her, however failing and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Come on, pretty girls don't cry."

Grabbing what was supposed to be Hubert's glass, Pascal continued to drink more "I'm not pretty!" She said loudly, and sort of slurred. Malik insisted this be her last glass and she nodded, but continued to speak "Big sis says that no one would ever want to marry me!"

Concerned, the older man brushed the fallen hair in front of her face "Why would she say a thing like that?" He asked, although sounded pretty typical of her hot headed sister.

"Who would ever want to marry a dirty, smelly, loud, obnoxious, whimsical Amarcian like you" Pascal quoted her older sister, "You can't sit still for one moment and are always off getting into trouble! It would be a blessing if someone could take you off my hands however that won't happen with the way you are now" With a few more sniffles, she took another sip, leaving Malik quiet for a moment. Fourier was also aware of Hubert's feelings so he wasn't too sure why she would say that. Probably just angry about something completely unrelated and used it against the younger sibling as a reason to yell. Petting her head slowly, he could do nothing but sigh and shake his head. "You know she didn't mean that. She just cares about you, that's all."

"She didn't mean it. He didn't mean it. No one means anything!" Pascal cried, looking hurt at the mans words.

"They only say it cuz they care. Hubert doesn't want you to do irrational things when you drink. Fourier just wants you to settle down so you can live a happy life. They're just... not good at conveying their feelings." Malik spoke with a smile. "So cheer up. I know all seems bad now but It's not what you think. Let Hubert calm down, finish this last glass of champagne then go dance your heart out! Remember, this is a party! A time for fun! Not tears."

Pascal wiped her runny nose with a napkin and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry, Captain." She said, tears still coming down. Although he had been stripped of his title back in Wallbridge, everyone still called him that.

Malik finished petting her and stood up. "Good girl! I'm gonna go find Asbel and see whats hes up to. You calm yourself and enjoy the rest of the night. I heard there will be a surprise before the night is done!"

The Amarcian woman decided stuffing her face with cake was the next course of action. Sweets were always a good calming food. Stupid Hubert. Stupid Fourier. Stupid everything that sucks right now! Pascal wiped away her last few tears and continued to indulge.

Finishing his food at another table, Hubert damned himself. He made a scene, like he didn't want to and blew up on the woman he was supposed to win the heart of. He wasn't making the night very easy on himself. Pushing the empty plate away and eyeing the glasses of champagne that sat there for any guest to drink, he considered taking it. He was 18 years old and it was his brothers wedding! Although he was completely against drinking, with how he felt, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Reaching for the glass, he looked at the bubbly clear liquid inside. Tipping the glass back and forth, he continued to ponder his decision before finally risking it and taking a sip. It was sweet but with a weird aftertaste. Not bad, but not something he'd ever want to just enjoy drinking all the time. One glass wasn't going to hurt him. He continued to sip it casually, unwinding and letting It's influences take over. His mind started to become fuzzy. He never expected himself to be such a lightweight however this was his very first time so it should be expected. Finishing the glass, he pushed it away. He would not have another. He shouldn't have even had a first! What was he thinking?! This whole day was maddening.

Getting back up, he slowly walked towards the balcony but something caught his eye. Asbel was standing near the door, talking to men he had never seen.

Asbel noticed his brother and waved him over. "Hubert!"

Not wanting to be disrespectful, Hubert came over to his brother and nodded politely to the guest he was speaking to.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you since the ceremony?" Asbel asked, smiling as his guests walked away to give them privacy.

"I've been... around." He answered, turning his head so that way his brother couldn't smell his breath. However, it was too late.

"Have you been... Drinking?!" Asbel gasped, astonished. This wasn't something he'd ever think his younger brother would do.

"Oh come now! It's your wedding and I'm sure you had some too!" Hubert shouted back, his face turning red in embarrassment.

"Of course, but you? Really? What brought that on?"

"If only you knew..." Hubert said quietly, but Asbel did not hear.

Asbel could see his brother was troubled though and he escorted him back out onto the balcony. Just moments ago, he and his wife had just had their first dance there. It was wonderful but she had left him to mingle with some people she met during her journeys healing people. "What's wrong, Hubert? Tell me honestly this time." His voice was stern and comforting.

Hubert felt horrible. The alcohol was probably influencing him however he felt on the verge of tears. This was pathetic. Dreadful. Unforgiving. He would never drink again!

"I yelled at her..."

"You yelled at who?" Asbel wasn't following. Typical.

"I yelled at Pascal!" Hubert stammered, clenching his fists. "She was drinking with Malik and I know how she can be and... and..." He could not continue his sentence. His emotions were getting the best of him and he knew it be better to just breath for now. Asbel should have understood that much.

"So what if she was drinking? Shes a free woman to do so, whats it bother you?" Asbel had never seen her drink before, therefore had no idea what she was capable of.

"Shes a lightweight and incredibly dumb when she drinks. She gets hot and likes to take off her clothes..." Hubert explained more, calmly.

"You've seen her naked?!" Asbel shouted, completely surprised given his talk with Hubert earlier about not getting anywhere with her.

"No! Of course not!" The young Lieutenant corrected. "She just tries to take off her clothes regardless of who's around or what shes doing. The only thing shes ever managed to take off without me stopping her was her shirt and even then, I didn't see much!"

Asbel couldn't help but laugh. The thought of her stumbling around, drunk, trying to remove he clothing was actually not unexpected of her and rather funny.

"It's not a laughing matter, Asbel! She's here! Drinking at your party! Who knows what she will do?!" He yelled in dread.

"Yeah, sorry. I can see where you're coming from but you shouldn't have yelled at her. She's an adult and can make her own decisions. It's not like you're her guardian." Asbel explained, putting his hand on his younger brothers shoulder. "You won't get anywhere controlling her."

His words were true, sadly. Hubert always thought it would be a sour day when his idiot brother corrected his actions and his thoughts weren't far from the truth. Today was a sour day.

"What should I do? How can I apologize to her, Asbel?" The younger sibling asked, his voice cracked and full of sorrow.

"Just apologize. Tell her how you feel and that you're sorry. Shes a very understanding person, you should know that more than anyone." The elder brother comforted.

Hubert understood. This made sense. She would listen, she had to listen and maybe this time, while she was listening, he could fully explain everything he had been trying to since the night before confronting Fodra Queen.

"Right." He nodded, and smiled at his brother "You're right. I'll talk to her. Thanks, Asbel."

Chuckling lightly, Asbel smiled "No problem! I'm gonna go find Cheria and make sure she isn't nagging people to death. I hope everything goes well though."

"Yeah..." Hubert managed to exhale and watched his brother turn and leave.

As Asbel entered back into the ballroom, the first person he happened to see was Malik and ran over to him. "Malik!" He shouted happily. This was also the first time he got to speak with him since the ceremony as well and there was much to discuss.

"Asbel! There you are!" His former Captain responded, waving him over. "How have you been? Have you been enjoyin the party?"

"Yeah, definitely! How could I not after Richard put so much into this for us?" Asbel replied. "How has your night been?"

Malik signed awkwardly and stroked his chin "Other than having to calm down a crying girl, it was pretty good."

"Crying girl? Who was crying?" Asbel asked, feeling courageous to try and help.

"Oh... uh... Nothing. Just a mess your brother made." Malik explained "But the situation has been taken care of now and she happily eating her weight in cake and God knows what else."

"Hubert made Pascal CRY?!" Asbel shouted, attracting some attention then lowering his voice "Really? I mean, he told me he yelled but I didn't know it was that bad."

"He said his choice words and left her there to fester in her own feelings. I won't say what he did was right however it did make her start thinking, at least." The elder spoke, remembering how interested she was at his questions.

"Where is she now?" The groom asked, hoping to find her and take her to his waiting brother outside.

Malik pointed to the far left corner, where she still sat stuffing her face happily.

"Thanks, I'll be right back. I got something I need to handle!" Asbel assured his elder, and ran off in her direction.

Upon approaching Pascal, he knew he had to be careful. With how the alcohol had been effecting his stern and proper brother, and he already being upset, he didn't not want to set her back off. "Heya Pascal!" Asbel said, sitting down next to the girl "You enjoying that cake?"

"It's not banana but It's still good!" She cheerfully shouted back. It was almost unnatural how fast she could jump back from crying to being happy again.

"That's good, that's good!" He smiled "But hey, can you come with me for a second? I wanna show you something."

"Oh?" Pascal put a finger to her lips and leaned close to Asbel, making him feel a little uneasy. "What..?"

"What you gonna show me? Something cool?!" She squealed, hopping up from her chair.

"Sorta. Come this way." He said as he escorted her away from the table. Once they neared closer to the large glass doorway, Hubert was in sight and Pascal stopped dead in her tracks.

"I don't wanna go." She said blandly, looking to the floor.

"Come on, Pascal. You gotta!" Asbel did his best to encourage his normally cheerful friend.

"I don't." It wasn't normal for her to be stubborn, but she wouldn't move an inch from where she halted, even with a few pushes.

"Please? Do it for me? He really wants to talk to you..." Asbel's voice became soft. It was enough to make the girl lookup at him. He could see the sorrow still lingered behind her garnet colored eyes.

"Really?" She pouted, looking like she was on the verge of tears again.

"Yes, really. Go talk to him and everything will feel all better!" He further encouraged.

"Really, really?"

Asbel's face went blank. "Yes, really." He said flatly "Now go!" He spoke once more before pushing her towards the door.

Pascal saw him clearly, leaning with his arms folded against the balconies railing. She looked back once more to see Asbel cheering her own and muscled up her courage and opened the door. The sound was enough for Hubert to take notice and turn his head. She felt scared. She didn't know what to do. Would he yell at her again? She had never seen him this mad at her before and didn't want to make it worse. Swallowing hard, she walked closer to him. "Hey.."

"Hey.." He spoke back, in a low soft tone.

Pascal looked around. It had become dark out and the stars shone brightly. The air was cool but not cold. Just refreshing against the bare skin of her upper body. "It's nice out." She smiled, walking closer to him.

"Yeah, I thought so too. It's been awhile since I've had enough time to look at the stars." Hubert sighed, turning back to the open scenery once she reached him at the railing.

"You look at the stars, Hu?" She questioned, her voice turning a little happier.

Hubert nodded and looked towards her "Yeah. I actually used to do it a lot as a child. The view was fantastic from my bedroom window back in Lhant. In Strahta, it wasn't easy to see the stars on account of so much sand and dust in the air."

The young woman giggled. "I never would have thought big ol' grumpy Hu would enjoy the stars."

Giving a sad sigh, Hubert looked down. "There is a lot you don't know about me, Pascal." He stated. There was a lot he wanted to say but now wasn't a time for old memories and reminiscing. Now was a time to be a man and tell her everything.

Suddenly, the door behind them opened again. Servants of the castle opened both the doors, allowing the cool air to escape inside. The music became much louder and Hubert noticed it was actually a song he had heard before and was fond of. This wasn't the first social gathering of nobles he had been too. Garrett Oswell had taken him to a few when introducing him as his new adopted son. Mustering up all the courage he had, Hubert stood straight up and offered his white gloved hand to the woman before him. "Would you like to dance?"

Pascal stared at him for a moment, then down at his hand. "But, I don't know how to actually dance. I don't wanna, ya know, step on your toes or something." She felt a little nervous, but when she looked up at his calm demeanor, it slowly melted away.

"Let me worry about my limbs, and you worry about cheering up." He spoke softly, out stretching his hand to her further.

Smiling, the Amarcian took his hand. Without hesitation, be brought her into his arms. Unsure if the champagne had given him the strength, or just that he knew the song and felt sure of himself, Hubert felt his doubts wash away.

Slowly, he began to ease her into the waltz he had once been forced to learn by his teachers in Oswell manor. It wasn't the easiest thing to learn, however it seemed like she was catching on. To feel the warm of her body beneath his fingertips was truly a feeling to behind. He only could wish she felt the same.

Pascal no longer felt nervous at all. Being lead by someone she trusted to a rather groovy song, she danced with him. Smiling, she let him twirl her around and bring her back into his arms. "This is actually kinda fun!" She chirped happily.

"I'm glad you think so." He responded, unable to keep himself from smiling. He heard her gasp from below him and he looked down, concerned. "What is it?"

"You smiled!" She squealed happily.

Chuckling a little, he twirled her once more, knowing she liked those the best. "Yes. well, I do have my moments of happiness too."

"Oh?" She inquired, being reeled back into his arms "Whats making ya happy now?"

The music started to slowly fade away into a new song, and they stopped dancing. Smiling up at him, she did not take her eyes off of his. She had never realized how blue they were until that moment.

"You are." He responded, with a serious tone.

Although she heard the words that came out of his mouth, she couldn't help but continue to stare at him, making him unsure if he should be uncomfortable or allured.

"Why?" The words escaped her mouth.

Smiling again, he twirled her around without explanation. "Because you make me happy."

"I make you... happy?" She repeated, slowly stopping the spin and standing before him. Her head was starting to feel fuzzy again and her heart rate began to increase. This not being unusual for when she drank, was confusing on account of she no longer felt intoxicated.

"Indeed you do."

Pascal had just also noticed, he had not let go of her hands or her waist after reeling her back in. The music had changed. The dancing had changed yet they remained stationary in each others arms. Everything in their background started to disappear as she, once again, stared into his crystal blue eyes.

The young man could see the change in her expression. She seemed... dazzled. As if she was taken away from where she was into a different place. Smirking, he felt he finally had her attention and the upper hand here. "Pascal..." He started. "How are you feeling right now?"

Snapping back into reality, she puzzled her face. "Fuzzy, tired and... anxious." She answered truthfully. "Why do I make you happy?" She questioned back, still not moving from his grasp.

He could feel his heart pound at the question. Heat from his body rose into his cheeks as a blush adorned his face. This was exactly the time he had been waiting for. "Being with the person you love should always make you happy." He responded surely.

She mulled over his answer in her head a few times before her heart began to pound more. "Love?"

Hubert nodded. "Yes. Love."

"Me?" Her voice changed from a comfortable low and dreamy tone, to much higher and confused.

"Yes, Pascal. You." He spoke softly but sternly.

"Love as in... friendship love? Or-"

"No, Pascal. Not as in friendship love." He corrected her before she could even go on. They had gotten this far, he was not going to let her escape now. Pascal had opened her mouth to speak again, however he let go of her hand and put a finger to her lips to silence her before she uttered something stupid. "The kind of love you feel for someone you would want to spend every waking moment with. Despite our opposites. Despite anything that opposed us." He continued, feeling his body begin to tremble with the amount of mental pressure that was upon him. "The kind of love that makes you want to spend the rest of your life with that person, and that person only. Do you understand?" He noticed her face turning a brighter pink, and she nodded. Hubert then removed his fingers from her lips, looked down and entwined her fingers with his. He could not make himself anymore clear at this point.

"I..." Pascal started, unsure of what to say. "I see."

The response wasn't something he had hoped for but it was enough to reassure him that she had finally taken his feelings in.

"How... do you feel about me?" He grit and bared it as the words emerged his mouth. The most feared question he had ever asked before. The moment of truth and all he could do was hopelessly stare into the the young woman's eyes.

To his dismay, Pascal frowned "I... don't know."

Everything went completely silent.

"You don't know?" He repeated back. Doubts started to fill up inside his heart and he did his best to keep his face straight. She wasn't to know how she was making him feel. How vulnerable and childish he was feeling.

Pascal shook her head and Hubert let out a sigh. "Being around you does make me happy though."

His face lite up. There was still hope. "I-I do?"

She smiled an nodded, squeezing the hand that was tied to hers. "Yep. You're always the person who's interested in my experiments and theories, no matter how bored they make you or how much I ramble on. You're always the person to ask me how I'm doing and if I'm healthy, aside from Fourier of course. And..." She trailed off.

"And..?"

"And you're always looking out for me. There are times when I feel lonely and all I gotta do is think of you and I feel better, ya know?" Her face brightened up as she explained her feelings, feeling relieved to say it all. "Even when your mad, or frustrated. Even when you're sad, or being dumb, you make me smile."

Chuckling at the mere thought of her laughing at his sadness, was actually comforting. "I see."

"Yeah!" She shouted, happily.

Everything was finally open. His feelings. Her feelings. Although not clear completely of how she felt, this was enough to calm Hubert down and stop trembling.

"Well then..." He started. "Will you do me the honor of always letting me make you smile?"

The woman tilted her head in confusion "What do you mean?"

Exhaling slowly, he let go of her waist and allowed himself to trail his fingers through her feathery white and red hair, not breaking his gaze. "I mean, I want you to be by my side forever. Even when we aren't physically near each other, considering both of us work entirely different jobs in entirely different countries... Even then, will you be with me?"

Her face finally turned the darkest shade of red her body could allow. "Y-y-you mean... Like...-"

"Marry me, Pascal."

His words went clear into her ears, to her brain, and dropped into her heart. Not once did she believe she would ever hear those words from anyone, let alone him. She always thought that she annoyed him. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she was unable to speak. Feeling woosy, she started to lose grip of herself. Hubert quickly noticed this and grabbed her once again to keep her from falling. Slowly, he let her kneel on the ground and he did the same.

"Pascal? Are you okay?" His voice was concerned and it echoed inside her head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." She responded, shaking her head trying to get a grip on herself. "This is all just so sudden, and... I dunno Hu. It's a lot to take in, ya know?"

"Yeah... I know." He admitted. He did come on strong after just finally conveying his feelings. What should he expect? "I'm sorry if this is too much for you. Please, allow yourself plenty of time to think."

"I just... I just..." She stumbled on her words. Her brain was super fuzzy and it definitely wasn't the drinks. She did not drink enough for this to happen. "I just don't know how to answer. I'm unsure of myself. I don't even know how to explain my feelings!" She huffed. "You did it so good! and me? I just, I'm full of no answers, Hu."

Hubert looked around her back at the party. No one had noticed them and all of the people were joyfully dancing and getting along. They were alone. There was nothing to regret here.

"Then... may I suggest something to help you reach an answer?" He asked, beginning to feel nervous again. Despite the fact he was a very forward, serious and blunt person, this situation was unlike he had ever faced.

Pascal nodded "Sure, what did you have in mind?" She voice sounded interested but he could hear her voice shake.

"Just... close your eyes, for a moment." He suggested.

"Alright but what's that gonna do?"

"Just trust me!" He raised his voice a little, wanting her to accept it and not question it further.

Still looking into his face for explanation, Pascal did what she was told and closed her eyes. Unsure of the purpose, she could hear the music again and the quiet ringing of people talking far behind them.

Swallowing hard, Hubert leaned forward and did the one thing he had wanted to do since she first saved him back in Fendel. He placed his lips upon hers. He could feel her body jump at the sudden action but did not break away. Giving it a few seconds to not only make himself happy, but hopefully to give her the answer she needed, he backed away and pushed up his glasses.

Pascal opened her eyes and touched her lips with her free hand. It was so warm. So comforting. It made her body tingle in a weird itchy way, however was not unpleasant. Her heart started to quiet down as she processed the feelings being put into her.

Unable to continue seeing her face so helpless, the Lieutenant turned his head away from her "Did... that help at all?" He managed to say, without hesitating. She gave no response. Second passed that felt like hours and he turned his head back to her. Her expression was puzzling. "Pascal?"

"Do it again." She demanded, looking up into his eyes with a determined look, catching him off guard.

"W-what?" He was unsure of himself. "You want me to-"

"Kiss me again, Hu." She cut him off to explain. "I wanna test something out."

Now, completely bewildered, Hubert could do nothing else but nod and do what was requested of him. Leaning forward once more, he kissed her again. This time, however, she reached up to embrace him. Deepening their kiss, he wrapped his arms around her. His heart pounded in happiness as she returned the gesture. For a brief moment, nothing else mattered. They were the only two that existed in the world.

Slowly, she broke their union and backed away, smiling. Giggling even.

"Whats wrong?" He asked, unable to keep himself from smiling back. He get giddy.

She shook her head, "Nothing!" She laughed. "Nothing is wrong."

"What did you need to test out?" He asked, reaching to trail his fingers through her hair once more. Now, more than ever, she looked the most beautiful he had ever seen.

"I wanted to make sure that those feelings you gave me the first time you kissed me, weren't because I was surprised, but because of how you made me feel... or whatever." She explained, placing her hand on top of his.

"S-so then...?"

"I won't lie, Hu. I am not sure what love feels like." The Amarcian started, with a serious face. "But what I do know is, I enjoyed that." She ended with a nod.

Seeing her serious expression. Hearing her words. Hubert was absolutely baffled and could not help but let out a full blown laugh.

Frustrated at his reaction, Pascal scowled "What?"

"No! Nothing. It's just... You look pretty funny trying to be serious!" He continued to laugh.

"Awww, Hu!" The girl pouted "That's not nice! Even I can be serious about stuff like this too!"

Catching his breath, he slowly stood back up, taking her with him.

They both stood there in the moonlight for a moment or two. He reached up and placed his finger upon her lips where his once met. Tracing the outline, he gave a warm smile of true happiness. "I love you, Pascal"

Hearing those words made her heart jump, giving her yet another feeling she had never felt. It almost tickled. It was enjoyable. She smiled back. "Yeah?"

The young man nodded. "Yes."

With an unexpected swing of her arms, she wrapped them around his neck and kissed him herself for the first time. Returning the embrace, he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her everything he could, holding back his boyish lust that lurked in the back of his mind.

Pulling back, she poked his nose "I think I will accept your offer." She concluded.

"Wait, What? So soon?" He stammered. "Are you sure you don't want to actually think about it for a while? A month or two maybe?"

"Nah, I'm sure." She winked "If you can make me feel this way all the time, there is no way I wouldn't wanna accept the offer." Her heart felt light. Her body felt warm and everything about right then and there felt good too her. She felt very sure of herself to the point where she could scream out loud to let the world know.

Hubert let out another smile and pressed his forehead against his lovers. "Alright then. It's settled. We will be wed as soon as time allows."

The girl let out a sad noise and frowned "Time allows?" She questioned, "When will that be?"

Letting go of her, he pushed his glasses back up the rim of his nose. "I'm not sure. I will have to let my father know. The President know.." He started to explain, placing another serious expression on his face. "You'll have to tell your sister, and get her approval."

"Ack, who needs her approval?" Pascal said folding her arms behind her head and rocking back and forth leisurely.

"I do, Pascal. I'm not going to jump into this with her protesting angrily in every direction."

Letting out another whine, she stopped her rocking. "Yeah, alright."

Hubert continued on. "After informing people, we'll need to make the necessary plans. The date, the time, where it will be, etc. I still have to get us rings-"

"Rings?" She interrupted.

Cocking and eyebrow, he looked at her confused. "Yes, Rings. You can't have a wedding without wedding rings. And, of course, you'll have an engagement ring as well."

Her eyes widened "Wow, Hu. You wanna go like, the whole shabang?"

He nodded in confirmation "Of course."

Pascal let out an excited squeal and spun around. Folding his arms to his chest, Hubert watched her let out all her excitement. He too, was excited even if he didn't appear to be.

"Well, first things first, Lets go tell everyone in there!" She shouted, pointing to the ballroom.

"Absolutely Not!" Hubert scolded. "This is not our time, It's Asbel and Cheria's. We will not be charging in there and taking spotlight."

Pascal frowned again "Aww, why not? I don't think they'd mind sharing the good times a little."

"Even so..." The young man exhaled and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him. "There is a time and place for everything, Pascal. You may not understand it because you..." He looked her up and down and smirked "You are you. I am of two families of nobility and things need to be in order before we go shouting our affairs around."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She sighed, scratching the back of her leg with her foot. "When will we tell them?"

Hubert pondered the question a moment. There was no way she was going to keep it all to herself tonight. Her mouth was far too big for that. "We will tell them tonight, once the party is over and we all head back to Lhant. I cannot imagine we are staying here in the palace."

Squeezing his hand, she swung their arms back and forth. "Alright! Sound good!" Tugging on him, she dragged him across the balcony and to the glass doors. "But before then, we dance some more, Y'okay?!"

Fixing his glasses once more, he agreed and walked with her back into the ballroom.

The night went on as planned. They danced, ate and enjoyed their time. As did everyone else in the party. When the clock struck 9pm, it was time to head back home. Everyone gradually gathered their things and bid farewell to one another.

By the time they all arrived home, Sophie and Pascal were already sleeping inside the Turtlez. They had, had their fill of enjoyment for the evening and were struck by fatigued the moment the Turtlez started moving. Malik carefully picked up Sophie, and carried her inside the manor while Hubert shook his partner awake.

"Pascal, its time to get up." He ordered in a hushed tone, not wanting to startle her.

After a few moments of mumbling to herself and trying to shove him off, Pascal gave in and opened her eyes. Taking his hand and walking out of the carriage, she let him lead her to the manor. Once inside, everything seemed quiet. Everyone must have already retired to their rooms for the evening. Giving a shrug, the two of them figured that they would be sleeping in Hubert's old room. Since the plan of the marriage, Lady Kerri had since moved out and into Cheria's old house as she no longer was Lady of Lhant and had no real need for such a big home while living by herself. Kindly, she gave her room to her eldest son and his bride, leaving his room a new guest room. Walking up the stairs slowly, Pascal held on the the railing, yawning as she made her way up. Hubert following suit close behind. When they reached the room, she peaked inside to see that no one was there.

"Guess you were right, Hu~" She remarked with a smile, "Sophie and Malik are probably in the guest room down stairs."

Hubert nodded and pushed the door open. Turning on the lights, he could see Pascal's clothing still spread out all over floor. With a sigh of aggravation, he pointed to them and looked at her. It was clear what he was indicating.

"Awww, come on! I can totally pick them up tomorrow..." She whined as she walked over to his old bed and sat down.

"Pascal, I will no longer allow you to indulge in such improper habits." He started, picking up her clothing for her and placing them on her lap. "I am aware that you are free to do as you like and, when given the chance, will do just that. However, you will soon be considered a Lady and will need to act as such. I will not have you parading yourself all over Ephinea, tossing your garments wherever you choose."

Letting out a noise of disagreement, Pascal crawled further on the bed and lie herself in the middle. She knew very well that she would not be able to measure herself up to the standards he had and didn't really feel like trying either. 'You are you.' He had said earlier, so why change her now? Although it didn't make sense, the young woman was much too tired to make heads or tails of the situation and began propping the pillows in a comfortable position.

"Are you even listening?" He asked, turning to her.

"Yeah, yeah. Lady and stuff. I get you." She huffed, rolling to her side.

Letting out a tired sigh, he finished cleaning up the room and sat on his elder brothers old bed. Staring at her for a moment, he placed his hand on his forehead. "You aren't going to sleep in that ball gown, are you?"

"Hm?" Sitting back up, Pascal looked down at herself. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" And with that, got back to her feet and began struggling to remove the dress.

"P-pascal!" Hubert shouted, shooting back up to stop her. "What are you doing?!"

"Removing the dress, duh." She responded, allowing him to pull the dress back on her securely.

Groaning at his own actions, he realized that she most likely did not have a spare set of sleeping clothes... if, she even had sleeping clothes. Even if she did, it was likely she intended on getting unclothed in front of him. After all, given their new situation, why shouldn't she?

"Pascal..." He started, in a low calm tone. "You could at least warn me before you start removing your clothing."

"But you just said-"

"Yes, yes! I'm aware what I just said." He continued, interrupting the poor girl. "Do you own sleeping clothes or were you just planning to sleep in your undergarments?"

Pascal let out a giant laugh. "Sleeping clothes? Who needs those! I'm a free spirit, Hu!" She shouted.

Hubert put a finger to her lips once more to shush her. "There are people sleeping!" He scolded. He could only guess what she meant by... free spirit. "Good God... does she sleep... naked?"

The Amarcian giggled and nodded, then began to try and remove her clothing again, assuming he was fine with it.

"N-no! Stop!" He stumbled, stopping her movements once more.

"What?" Pascal was beginning to get very confused. She couldn't sleep in the dress but she also couldn't sleep out of it. What was she supposed to wear?

"Just... Hold on a moment." Hubert demanded. He turned around and began to go through his packed bag of things. After a moment of struggling to find what he was looking for, he pulled out a white formal shirt that he had packed in case the one he wore for the wedding got dirtied. "Put this on" He said, throwing it to her.

As she caught it, Pascal looked at it thoroughly "You sure?"

"Indeed." He nodded "I will turn around while you get changed. Please inform me when it is safe to look."

Raising an eyebrow, She looked at him then the shirt again. "Alright. If you say so" She shrugged while watching him turn around. What was the big deal anyway? Its just a body. Nothing to get all bothered about.

Carefully, the girl reached behind her and unzipped the dress, allowing it to fall to the floor. Remembering what he had just yelled at her about, she knelt down and picked it up. Folding it nicely, she placed it on the desk so that it wouldn't get ruined. Now it was time to put on his shirt. Never having warn a mans shirt before, Pascal giggled and threw it over her head and tugged down; allowing her arms to quickly fly through the sleeves. It was longer then she expected and wasn't uncomfortable. "Y'okay~" She sang, twirling around.

Given his cue to turn around, Hubert noticed she had not climbed in bed which he had hoped she would. Clearly she was unaware of the danger of men seeing her indecent and what actions could come of hit. Having more self control than most, he eyed her up and down. The contrast of his bright white shirt against her slightly tanned skin was easy on the eyes. As was her bright smile that planted on her face. Chuckling to himself, he began to remove his coat as Pascal jumped onto the bed. "Its quite a shame that we were unable to share the news."

"Yeah, Bummer~" The sleepy girl replied, kicking the sheets down to get beneath them. "I wanted to see the look on Cheria's face!"

Hubert removed his shoes and then his vest. Deciding he couldn't trust her at not looking at him as he unclothed further, the young man decided that would be enough. Looking over, he noticed she had gone quiet. With her eyes shut and breathing steady, Pascal was asleep.

The next morning went on as planned. Once reaching the breakfast table with their fellow companions and newlyweds, Pascal blurted out the news nearly causing Cheria to choke on her food. Everyone took it rather well and Sophie went on to ask the most obvious question. When will she have a cousin? Neither of the two could give her an answer nor really wanted to and the subject was dropped. After exchanging hugs, handshakes and farewells, Hubert and Pascal exited Lhant in search for the shuttle.

The ride was smooth and mellow, just as Hubert liked it. Hearing his lover ramble on about the wedding, party and recent breakfast, he could only lean back in his seat comfortably. Everything had worked out. The road was bumpy however he had gotten the result he wanted in the end and he could finally feel himself grow a little happier. Now came a much more... challenging day. Breaking the news to Garrett Oswell would not be pretty and explaining the situation to the President was also going to be rough. Garrett only had money and status in mind when it came to himself and his family, thus constantly encouraging him to take the President up on his offer to wed his eligible daughter. The President of Strahta, although much more understanding, would also be disappointed in hearing this news. "Such is life." He thought to himself. Pascal would have just as rough of a time as he would, he was sure of it. Fourier, although wanting her younger sister to live a happy life, was always envious of her. For all he knew, she would fly off the handle at the thought of Pascal getting married before her. He was also unsure how the Overseer and Poisson would take it as he knew very little about Amarcian traditions.

"So, want me to just drop you off home?" Pascal asked, once done with her rambles.

Hubert nodded. "Yes, although I still have today and tomorrow to relax, I need to take this time to break the news of our engagement to my father."

"Y'okay~" The joyful pilot sang, steering the shuttle to his destination.

Once arrived in Yu Liberte, Pascal landed the shuttle and opened the ramp for Hubert to exit. Both feeling the dread of separating, Pascal new it would be easier if she acted happy either way. "I'll see ya later, Hu~" She called out, waving from the ships doorway.

"Likewise.." The Lieutenant waved back, soon turning and walking away.

With a quick clank and boom, the shuttle door closed back up and flew away. Knowing that looking back would only be painful, Hubert continued into the city.