Author's Notes
How the tactician and Florina meet in-game is different than the way this story goes, but you know what? Nobody cares. :p
Afraid
"Florina, I'm pleased to meet you, my name is..."
"Ahh!" Florina shrieks, hiding behind her friend, Lyn. This unexpected reaction from Florina causes the tactician to frown in concern and disappointment; the fear in Florina's face... he's never seen someone so afraid of somebody before.
And it's a shame, too; he was really looking forward to getting to know her. She seems like such a nice girl to him.
"Sorry," Lyn apologizes, "but Florina is quite afraid of men. I'd advise you to stay away from her."
Stay away? I don't want to stay away, but...
The tactician again analyzes Florina's fearful eyes.
I don't... want to scare her...
"If that is what she wants..." he says with sadness in his voice, "then I will do what she asks."
As he finishes speaking, the womanizing knight, Sain, approaches the three of them, and it looks like he's about to talk to Florina. The tactician notices Florina's eyes redden in fear, and he forcibly walks up to Sain and leads him elsewhere, warning the knight, "I'm sorry, but Florina doesn't want to talk with you; you know she's afraid of men."
Sain gives the tactician a look of horrid disbelief before replying, "but... perhaps with repeated exposure..."
"No means no."
Florina watches the exchange between the two men, feeling relief at the tactician's actions, and her cheeks blush lightly, much to her surprise. Lyn notices as well, and she raises an eyebrow. "Florina?" she asks, "are you blushing?"
She doesn't respond.
For the next few weeks, the tactician keeps any and all men away from Florina; it literally pains his chest to see her so afraid whenever a man gets near her. In return, he gets to see her smiling face, never wavering because the men are no longer making her uncomfortable. To him, though, he still wishes to speak to her; she is like forbidden fruit, and while he has no ulterior motives for wanting to talk to her, he still must comply with her wishes.
Knowing this, he decides to write a letter, and he gives it to Lyn to give to Florina. Lyn finds Florina and gives her the letter, asking her to read it out loud:
"Dear Florina, this is the tactician. I know you are afraid of me, but I wish to speak with you, if only for a few minutes. If you are comfortable, please meet me at the broken tree near the lake in five minutes."
"...I want to go..."
Florina's words surprise Lyn, and Lyn hesitantly asks, "do you want me to come with you?"
Shaking her head 'no', Florina gets up and makes her way to the designated meeting place. Leaning against the old shattered oak, destroyed by lightning years ago, she waits for the tactician to arrive, but she gasps when she hears slow breathing on the other side of the tree. "It's only me," the tactician reassures her. "I'll stay behind the tree for our entire conversation, if it makes you feel any better. You don't even need to look at me."
Florina sits, waiting for him to continue.
"Florina, when I first met you, I really wanted to get to know you. However, when I saw you were so... scared of me, my heart dropped," he explains, choking somewhat on the words. "I only wanted you to keep smiling, so I kept all the other men, including myself, away so that I wouldn't see you like that again... but I still wish to be near you and to be able to talk, not just as soldiers, but as friends, or more..."
He starts to get up, saying, "that's all I wanted to tell you. I'll leave first so you don't have to see me..."
"Wait!" Florina cries out, and the tactician sits down again in astonishment. "I... you've, been so helpful to me... I wish... to get to know you better, too..."
And without warning, Florina traverses around the tree until she is sitting directly beside the tactician, and to his delight...
...she is smiling warmly at him, unafraid of his presence.
"Mark," he says, offering his hand to shake.
"Florina."
THE END
Author's Notes
NO GUEST REVIEWS PLEASE!
This fic is for Brian303. He asked me a long time ago to write this, and it's finally done. Considering that the tactician (there wasn't much point in giving him a name other than Mark) doesn't actually have a known personality, I'd better not hear any complaining about him being OOC! Anyone else is fair game, though embarrassing on my part. :p
Ugh, more yucky third-person. I can't always write first-person, though, so I think it worked fine here.
Time to write more AGOH. Then, finish with the kissing booth! Then, something new!
Wow, I can't remember the last time I typed this little for author's notes. :D