Robin sighed as she was half dragged, half led to the tailor that Anna had setup to get the heroes into the holiday spirit of Hallows eve.
She didn't understand why he insisted she needed to dress up for this silly holiday. They had more important things to do, like help Askr survive their war with Emblia.
Yes, she understood this holiday was important, and they weren't in the middle of any encounters or missions right now but still. They needed to be ready for anything.
Corrin was just happy he finally got the reclusive female strategist out of her study, with the other versions of herself as they went over different scenarios. How anyone, or in this case group, could be so obsessed with strategy was beyond him. He was excited for the coming Hallows Eve festival. More so for the fun and candy, unlike Anna who wanted to sell pictures of the various heroes in costumes.
"You know, I can walk there on my own, you don't have to hold my arm," Robin said, her arm starting to hurt from Corrin pulling her along.
"And let you run back to that study where the other yous are strategizing? No way," the dragon prince responded.
"I won't run" the strategist replied 'we are talking in circles anyway, also the male me keeps getting distracted by the outfit summer me always wears. Seriously, how is she not felling cold in this weather?"
"She can be…." Corrin started but stopped himself from finishing the thought.
"….." Robin just glared at the prince, she hated it when people sexualized the female heroes in their army, especially when one of those females was the summer her.
"…. I just made this awkward, didn't I?" Corrin asked.
"Yes, yes you did. And now you are going to be paying for my costume" Robin replied.
"Do I at least get to pick the costume?"
"You can make suggestions, but I am picking what I want."
"Just…. just don't break the bank on the costume please?" Corrin pleaded with the tactician.
"What? Can the prince of two kingdoms, king of a third, and one of the biggest pieces of eye candy guy in the army not afford a simple costume?"
"One, technically my royal status means nothing here, two I have to share with the other versions of me and those girls spend more money than I do, and third I am eye candy?"
Robin just face palmed, there was no way he couldn't realize that half the reason the other females, and some of the males, in the army flirted with him was because of his looks, the other half was his status.
"Let's just get to Anna's costume store, Gods know why it took her this long to realize she can make money this way instead of trying to get pictures from her sisters' worlds" Robin said, don with today already.
The odd pair made their way to the costume shop. Inside were other heroes trying on costumes, while a group of male heroes crowding against one of the windows.
"Wonder what that is about?" Corrin asked out loud.
"Knowing men, probably waiting for a cute girl to come out of the changing rooms" Robin replied, happy her summer self was not around.
"Well, let's find you some costumes to try on."
"Fine, but nothing revealing or sexy, I'm not that kind of girl" Robin replied.
"No promises" the prince said as he went off to go find some costumes for the tactician to try on.
Robin sighed to herself as she went down a different aisle to find some costumes for her to try on. Looking around she found several that caught her eye, and there was an Anna attending to her aisle.
"Hello, Robin" the Anna greeted.
"Hello Anna" Robin replied, not wanting to be rude.
"Anything I can help you find today? Maybe something for you to wear for the prince I saw you walking with?" Anna asked, obviously trying to sell something.
"No, I am wearing the costume for me, he is just paying for it."
"Oh, I like seeing a woman wear the pants in the relationship, what do you have in mind?"
"First," the tactician started, "I am not wearing the pants in the relationship because there is no relationship. Second, he is paying because he had some inappropriate words to say about summer me. Third, what do you have that is expensive? Like something that will make royalty balk at the price."
Anna grinned, there was something evil in that wicked smile.
"We have just the thing, however we keep those costumes in the back, behind a locked door." Robin tilted her head questioningly. "We have had the thieves attempt to get them for their significant others, or themselves."
"Oh," was all Robin could reply with as Anna led her to a backroom that was locked with no less than 8 locks, and a vault door behind that with what had to be the most ludicrous combination out there.
Opening the door, Anna ushered robin inside.
Looking inside Robin saw that three of the walls of the medium sized room were covered in costumes, both male and female. Sitting just inside the door reading a book was a red-haired man who looked an awful lot like Anna.
"Ok Andrew, time for you to go out on the floor." Anna ordered the red-haired man, apparently named Andrew.
"Thank the Gold, I was getting so bored in here." Andrew got up and left, closing and relocking the door as he did.
Robin looked at anna with a curious look.
"Like I said we had some thieves try to get in here. One of my sisters decided that one of us needed to be in here at all times." Anna said, guessing what the tactician was thinking.
"No, not that, I can understand the need for security, but…. Andrew?" Robin asked, curious about why Anna trusted him in the back room.
"What? Did you think all my siblings were girls? I do have several brothers."
"…Kind of? I mean all any of us ever see is an Anna, we have never seen one of your brothers before. Now I have to ask…." Robin stated.
"Yes, all the boys in the family are named Andrew" Anna replied, not even waiting for the question to be asked.
"Ok then," Robin replied, and she began to look through the costumes. All the ones in this room were fantastically made, and all of them looked amazing.
Robin walked around the room for several minutes, looking at the costumes, trying to decide what to try first. She pulled down a flowing golden ball gown, a simple and kind of short leather dress, and a light blue glittery gown.
Turning towards the door, Robin stood there waiting for Anna to open it.
"What," Anna asked.
"You going to open the door, so I can go to the changing rooms?" Robin asked.
"Oh honey, no, we don't let these costumes out of this room unless it is to go to the check out."
Robin wishes she could say she was surprised, but these were expensive costumes, and if people did try to steal them before she couldn't blame Anna.
"The wear am I supposed to try them on?"
"Oh, right here," Anna said as she pulled aside a curtain on the wall revealing a mirror.
Robin shrugged, assuming that was why Anna brought her brother to help with the store, so men could change in front of men and women in front of women.
Robin shrugged out of her coat when they both heard fighting coming from the front.
"That can't be good" robin said, motioning for Anna to open the door.
Once the door was opened, the girls saw that a fight was breaking out between Corrin and the group of men who had been standing at the window. Turning her head towards the fitting rooms, Robin saw why. Just exiting the room was Sakura and Nowi.
Nowi was dressed as a wyvern and Sakura for some reason was dressed as Camilla.
Robin quickly ran out, grabbing the small girls by the hands and pulled them into the back room.
Anna shut the door behind the trio after they entered, and Robin turned to the young-looking duo, a stern looks on her face.
"So, whose idea was it for Sakura to dress as Camilla? Especially in an outfit that is too big for her?" Robin asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting her to admit it.
Nowi looked at the ground and replied, "It was my idea, I picked out the costumes…. I thought it would be funny…"
"You thought it would be funny to have Sakura dress in a costume that is too big for her to wear properly?"
Nowi blushed and looked up "I wasn't paying attention to the sizes when I grabbed the costumes, I'm sorry."
Sakura, throughout the conversation was holding the costume up and had an embarrassed look, but spoke up.
"It isn't all her fault, I should have not put it on and walked out when I realized it was too big on me."
Robin sighed and shook her head. They were both old enough to be responsible and avoid situations like this. Especially Nowi, she was several hundred years old for Naga's sake.
Then an idea struck Robin like a Thoron, and she grinned evilly. Turning to Anna, Robin saw she had the same idea.
"Hey girls, I have an idea that will make this situation all better" Anna said putting her arms around the new arrivals.
Nowi and Sakura looked at each other confused.
"Your big brother offered to buy me a costume since he can't think before he speaks," Robin stated, "and if his little sister also wants him to buy costumes for her and her friend, well who is he to refuse?"
Sakura shifted uncomfortably, not too sure she liked abusing Corrin's devotion to his family like this. Nowi just had a giant grin on her face.
Anna turned the pair to the walls of the expensive costumes. "Now girls, don't let the price tags deter you. Go have a look at what we have in stock."
Seeing the bright colors and amazing costumes the girls immediately got excited and started to look at all the costumes.
Robin smiled as she went behind the curtain to change before Nowi through a costume at her.
"Robin, trust me, whatever you picked will not be as good as this one."
Robin was confused but shrugged and decided to put on the costume the little mankete gave her.
Looking in the mirror, Robin realized that the costume must be magic because it turned her eyes blood red and gave her a menacing aura.
"…. I suddenly have the urge to conquer the world, destroy things and sit on a throne of skulls…. I must be hungry." Robin spoke out loud as she exited the changing curtain. Looking around to see the costumes the other two picked and tried on.
Nowi was wearing a witch costume that had a massive hat, broom and revealed her midriff, a lantern hung from her hip. She looked like used the witch class item. Robin was impressed, for some reason it fit Nowi very well.
Sakura was dressed in the color of her name sake, cherry pink. She had a ribbon belt that at the back appeared like two tails with bells on the end, and on her head, was a hair band with pink cat ears. Robin was astounded by how cute she looked.
Sakura shifted around, she liked the costume but the looks on her friends and Anna made her uncomfortable. She was bad at reading people sometimes.
Anna was the first to speak up. "Ok, Nowi and Robin, you two have to pay for your costumes, but there is no way I am making this vision of purity and cuteness pay for her costume."
"…that is fair Anna, no one would expect even your desire for money to corrupt or even touch this kind of cuteness," Nowi said, starting to take off her costume and change into her normal clothes. Her and Sakura's clothes had been delivered by another Anna as they were changing.
The trio, now changed back into their normal clothes and their costumes in bags.
The bags were being carried by an Anna in a center of a group of armed Annas on their way to the front counter.
"Anyone else think this is a bit overkill?" Robin asked, being forced to follow the Annas carrying her bag.
Nowi nodded and Sakura replied, "My household ninjas tried to steal costumes from this store before, it did not end well."
Everyone in the group looked at the pink healer, curious.
"Anna…. Anna had them repay her by posing for pictures…. mostly Kagero…."
The girls proceeded to the front desk, no longer questioning it. Anna could be very extreme when it came to people stealing from her.
Corrin ran up to them, holding several costumes in his arms. "Robin, there you are, I found some costumes for you to try," He held up the first costume and it was a white version of Tharja's outfit.
Robin looked disapprovingly at the costume. Nowi and Sakura leaned around Robin to see the costume and the costume.
Seeing his little sister looking at him and the costume, Corrin tossed the costume down another aisle.
"Big brother, what costume did you want Robin to try on?" Sakura asked.
"Yes Corrin, show us another costume you wanted me to try on." Robin taunted him, guessing that all the costumes he chose for her were equally revealing.
Corrin, not wanting to show his little sister the costumes her picked, handed them to a passing Anna.
"I'm sorry Anna, but I don't think I need these costumes" Corrin said.
"No, Corrin, keep one, you need to have a costume," Robin teased, "Anna, pick one for him."
The Anna holding Corrin's picks for Robin looked confused. "You sure? These are meant for women to wear."
Robin grinned evilly "Yes, yes I am sure."
That Anna shrugged and tossed a random costume to Corrin. Corrin caught it, his face pale of having to wear it.
"This…this isn't fair…I didn't even get to see what costume you picked" Corrin complained, feeling as if he missed out on something important while he was fighting the other heroes that were ogling his little sister.
"Too bad" Robin replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "Now go up to the Anna cashier and pay, also you are buying Nowi's costume."
Corrin walked up to the cashier Anna, when she told him the price he almost fainted.
"That much for two costumes plus my thing?"
"Oh, your costume too?" Anna amended the price.
Nowi ran up and dropped a bad of dragon scales in front of Anna. "I'll be buying my own, no need to make the prince a pauper."
Anna took the bag of scales and told the prince the now lower price.
Corrin pulled out his wallet and held up a magic card another Anna gave him. "Will this work here? The Anna who gave it to me told me it can be used to buy things if I do not have the money on me."
Anna smiled and swiped the card against the register and handed it back to Corrin.
"That seemed really easy…. So, Robin what costume did you get?"
Robin turned to the prince as she, Nowi, and Sakura exited the shop, "You will see at the party tomorrow."
Corrin stood there holding the bag with his costume in it. Peering in he saw that Anna had given him his Summer costume…. his female versions summer costume….
"…. oh, gods what have I gotten myself into."
And that is all I wrote folks. Shout out to my friend Ricky who gave me the idea for this one shot.
The costumes I chose for Sakura and Nowi were their Halloween versions. Robin is dressed up as Fire Emblem Cipher Grima card design.
Will I be writing the Halloween party?
No.
Will I continue my Robin's Lost year story? Maybe.
I have been busy with work and other projects, but I promise I will get around to it again.