Author's Note: Hey guys, just a quick little side story caused by an idea that wouldn't leave my head until I wrote it down. This does not mean Endings of Jugdral is finished; in fact the events will probably tie into that story through consistent character development if nothing else. With that said, my friends… enjoy.
Patty lounged out on the open window, one of her legs dangling freely over the side while the other was held loosely against her chest. The sun beat down from above, the heat draining the army of energy as they prepared for the final push into Lenster.
Instead of rushing to challenge the Empire, the Liberation Army was just lying about and praying (to various heroes and Gods) that the sudden heat wave would pass.
"And I thought Yied was hot." Patty thought irritably as she pulled her hat over her eyes to shield them from the sun's glare.
The slight motion drew her attention to two figures outside the castle walls, the tell-tale glint of silver confirming their clash as a decidedly male figure on horseback twisted and spun about in a desperate effort to keep what looked like a bob of black hair from slicing through his back with an equally shiny lump of silver.
Patty pulled her legs inside and smoothly landed with her elbows on the windowsill, her mouth hanging slightly open as she watched the unidentifiable swordsman (or swordswoman) dart, slide and spin out of axe range without a single misstep.
The dance was short lived as the axe-knight swung downwards too enthusiastically, the momentum pulling him forward and leaving him teetering uncomfortably from the reins… and in range of the shorter woman's sword hilt.
Patty winced at the jumping blow and the bulky receiver's spinning fall to the ground, landing face first in what was surely a painful heap.
She assumed he was unconscious… until a faint sound of laughter emanated from below. Realising his boisterous joy was capable of floating so far into the air caused a spark of recognition.
"Johan." Patty muttered to herself with a grin as she watched a silent version of his normal flattering routine, which meant, "The other one must that Isaacian woman… Lakche or Lucha, something like that. Actually, now that I think about it, who else would be bothered to spar in this heat?"
Patty observed the two's interaction bemusedly as she could just make out Lakche turning her back to Johan as his shoulders continued to bounce up and down in his enthused fawning. The two eventually wandered back into the castle this way, Lakche having difficulty looking at Johan (easily guiding his horse behind him) while he pursued her; completely oblivious to her discomfort/ apathy/ anger/ whatever it was that Patty was too far away to see.
Realising her entertainment was gone, Patty considered uncomfortably sunning herself on the window again or she could…
Cackling to herself, Patty headed for the door, passing a curious Shanan on the way.
"If they're the only two people doing anything interesting, I may as well enjoy the show!" she thought mischievously to herself, "Besides it'll be good for them!"
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"Are you certain you would not like to cross steel again? The sight of you in battle is simply too alluring to describe."
Lakche massaged her forehead uncomfortably, a move that had the added benefit of hiding the faint blush on her cheeks… a relatively new problem when it concerned Johan.
She'd been about to turn him down for what felt like the hundredth time that hour when a green and blond blur darted out in front of her. Both Johan and Lakche gave a surprised shout at the sudden movement.
Caught off guard Lakche had attempted to jump sideways while pulling out her sword, only to crash into Johan's bulky chest and she instantly felt his protective arm wrap around her, unintentionally pinning her arms to her sides.
She'd been about to protest (quite violently if she had her way) when she heard the raucous and familiar laughter of a certain thief from in front of her.
Patty was doubled over in glee as the targets of her giggling both stared at her, one in confusion and one in pure irritation.
"What was that about?!" Lakche yelled accusingly before realising she was still in Johan's grip and began squirming to get free, "Let go of me, you idiot!"
Johan complied (with a thinly veiled reluctant pout) and allowed Lakche to land on her feet while Patty only laughed harder.
"You two are great. Seriously, you should quit the army and put on a show together." Patty wiped her eye as her giggles finally subsided, finally noticing the grim expression on Lakche's face, "What?"
The glare only intensified as Patty suddenly realised just how sharp Lakche's blade must have been with all the attention she showered on it. It could probably slice through her like a knife through hot butter.
Suppressing a shiver at the frightening thought, Patty tried to come up with a witticism to save her skin until an unlikely saviour emerged.
"That would never work out." Johan answered seriously, the two women faced him and blinked at his stone faced expression as he continued "For warriors such as us… the battlefield and the courts of royalty are the ultimate calling."
Lakche groaned loudly before turning to him with an exasperated "She wasn't being serious about that."
Johan blinked before his eyes began darting between the two women accompanied by an incredibly fake laugh, "Of course I knew that. I merely assumed we would play along. Honestly!"
"Sure you did." Lakche huffed while Patty took a slightly different approach.
"That's adorable!"
"Huh." Lakche's eyes widened considerably as Johan beamed in grateful approval.
"See, Lady Patty agrees with me." Johan boasted as Lakche tensed subconsciously, concerning Johan, "What's wrong? Has something gone amiss for my fairest rose?"
"No." Lakche gritted out, eyes finally leaving Johan to refocus on Patty.
Patty blinked owlishly at the two before a sly smirk crept onto her face, sending an uncomfortable chill up the Issacian swordswoman's spine.
"Actually, Johan, I overheard what you were saying a little earlier." putting on her best innocent expression and kicking the ground bashfully, Patty feigned shyness as she asked "Could I train with you? My sword work might never be as refined as Lady Lakche's or Prince Shanan's, but I really don't want to be a burden."
Johan leapt at the opportunity, stepping forward to clasp her smaller hand in his own and bending down so their eyes were level.
"That feeling is one which I must shamefully admit I know all too well. Let us rectify it with a haste befitting of our duties." he declared with sincere aplomb.
Patty played along, biting the inside of her cheek to suppress a giggle before planting a light kiss on his cheek (causing Lakche's nails to dig into her own forearms) before saying cheerfully "Thank you so much, Johan! Let's go right now!"
"I like your enthusiasm!" Johan responded with a grin as the two took off sprinting for the stables where Johan's horse was currently tethered.
Lakche followed the two wordlessly; her eyes narrowed darkly the entire time.
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The battle had been decidedly more balanced than Lakche's decimation of her Axe-Knight compatriot, Patty's weapon triangle advantage balanced by Johan's experience and surprising quickness.
Patty was also mildly distracted by the skin crawlingly frightening aura Lakche seemed to be radiating every time the unrecognised Verdane princess so much as glanced in her general direction.
Johan conversely seemed driven to impress his beau, throwing himself into every swing of his axe and every narrow dodge.
The Verdanian Thief was forced to jerk backwards to evade an upswing, her heel catching on a rock as she did so.
Her back hit the dirt rather hard, her sword sliding off to the side while she stared up at the seemingly engorged sun on the roasting day. She could practically hear the smirk on Lakche's face after the embarrassing fall… she blamed the heat personally, it was just so draining.
She might have been slightly more aware if the sweat hadn't gotten severe enough to actually sting her eyes… but really, who cared about a little thing like that.
Dusting herself off, Patty tried to stand only to have to drop onto her back as Johan's horse gave a violent start and dropped him onto his own back. Seeing the opportunity, Patty had rolled on top of her sword to grip it before springing on top of Johan, allowing steel to gently kiss Johan's throat in a threatening position.
"I got you!" Patty shouted exuberantly as a practiced smile appeared on her face to make her appear like the very definition of sweet innocence.
Johan stuttered and choked through a series of failed responses before glaring at his horse which had decided to collapse to the ground in a lazy heap. The derisive snort the creature gave did little to lighten Johan's mood as a childish pout overtook his features.
Before he could make another comment, Patty leant down and delivered a chaste kiss to the same cheek she had earlier smooched before hopping to her feet and running back to the castle with a cheerful wave.
"Thanks for the practice, I really think I improved today!" she shouted back as Johan stared on with a thoughtful (and clearly confused expression).
Lakche meanwhile had begun glaring so fiercely at Patty's back that the young thief feared she might learn far more about Lakche's fighting style than she would like if she stayed a second longer.
She darted around one of the castle archways, pausing in its shade for a moment before subtly sticking her head out to get a better view of the fledgling couple.
Lakche had remained paralysed, glaring into thin air without focus while Johan remained likewise immovable, his eyes rolling skywards in contemplation.
The trance finally broke when Johan said "She's certainly friendly, incredibly so."
At this Lakche groaned and threw her hands into the air, "Are you really that nonchalant about it?"
Johan's eyebrows raised, his blinking orbs reflecting surprise as he responded, "Well, affection is a form of love and there is no greater source of good in our world. Why would one as virtuous as me feel negatively about such a peculiarity?"
"She was flirting with you." Lakche responded flatly, crossing her arms over her chest while paradoxically blushing and glaring at Johan.
Johan placed a hand on his chin as he shifted into a cross-legged sitting position, his face falling at the revelation, "That is not good. Indeed, it may the most troubling news I have heard all week."
Lakche rolled her eyes at this, "You didn't seem to mind much earlier."
"That was before I knew of her intentions' severity." Johan turned onto one knee, gripping her hand in his with surprisingly little resistance, "My heart has already been claimed by your beauty… and I am unable to retrieve it so long as this life should persist. I fear I must decline her implied offer and follow my own passions into other arms."
"Johan…" Lakche hesitated before licking her lips nervously, "Hey, stand up for a second, will ya."
It was an order, not a request despite the slight hesitance and Johan quickly complied, like a loyal pet trying to please its master.
Lakche took a deep breath before swiftly kissing the cheek opposite the one Patty had kissed, Johan's eyes widening and his lips growing into a face splitting grin.
"I hate to lose." Lakche whispered into Johan's ear in a voice far too uncertain to be seductive, "And I get jealous when other women touch my man."
She gripped his shirt suddenly and pulled Johan's lips down across her own somewhat roughly, awkwardly rubbing their lips together in her best attempt at a kiss.
Apparently Johan appreciated the effort as his arms wrapped around Lakche's waist and the two deepened the kiss… leading Patty to fall back behind the wall while desperately trying to squash a fit of giggles.
"They are so adorable together… I am such a good person sometimes."
Patty's private self-congratulation was cut short by a deep, commanding voice to her right.
"Do I even want to know what you think is so funny?"
"Oh, come on Shanan. Just take a look out there." Patty put her hand behind her head to rest, yawning as if she'd been exhausted by her day's efforts, "Your cute little cousin just took a big step forward with her adorably simple lover, what's not to enjoy?"
"I don't know, maybe some people don't want nosy girls manipulating their younger cousins for a cheap laugh." pausing to reflect, Shanan quickly added "And besides Lakche's older than you."
"Details, details." Patty brushed off his complaints with a wave of her hand, "And it wasn't just a 'cheap laugh', I was helping a shy couple make some headway. Honestly, I should be rewarded just for putting in the effort… regardless of whether I enjoyed it or not." she finished cheekily, her wink causing Shanan to scoff at her boldness.
"You really do have a strange way of looking at the world."
"Thanks!"
"It wasn't a compliment." Shanan responded as calmly as he could manage while massaging the bridge of his nose to fight off an incoming migraine.
"Meanie." Patty retorted childishly, sticking out her tongue at him.
The sight left Shanan with little choice… he was going to have to play along to make her see sense. It wouldn't matter how much he enjoyed it, at least Patty couldn't say it would.
Snickering privately at the thought, Shanan crouched down to plant a chaste kiss on Patty's cheek.
Feeling the heat rising through his lips brought a grin to Shanan's face, knowing that her face could probably have been mistaken for a tomato.
Moving to walk away, Shanan turned back to the tongue-tied Patty with a smirk, "You're right. That was fun."
Patty watched him walk away in a daze before a sudden anger overtook her, "Hey, get back here, you jerk!" she shouted, chasing after the Issacian prince haughtily as Lakche's feet fell out from under her and Johan landed atop her to continue enjoying the fruits of Patty's labour.
Author's Notes: Well, that was different. I wanted to write something with a wildly different tone to my other works (all of which have at least some element of angst due to its natural connection with personal conflicts and war). Still couldn't move off Jugdral though.
I actually really liked writing for Patty. She kinda reminds me of Blue/ Green from Pokemon Special here, who I was always a big fan of. Always nice to enjoy something unintentional in the end result of one's work like that but I would appreciate it if someone could point out if I screwed up her character or anything else in a constructive way.
I'm busy with University at the moment (things are finally getting into swing here) but I will try to do some writing on the site to keep from getting rusty, so do check in occasionally if you feel like it. I will try to get a story out at least once a month if the idea well doesn't run dry.