DISCLAIMER!
I, Kusabi Makabe, do not own Fire Emblem or any of the characters related to Fire Emblem. These rights belong to Nintendo…this story is mine, however, so if I see anyone ripping it off I shall send my Teddy Bears of Doom to disassemble their computer.
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Sociopathology
The inn at Badon was bustling with activity. Anna had been thrilled to see Eliwood and his group return to stay there; the only problem was the immense workload that all those guests created. Canas sat on a bench in the dining area, poring over his latest notes on dragonkin.
"Uncle Canas!"
The druid looked up from his notes, smiling at the approaching figure. "Why, hello Nino," he said warmly. "How are you today?"
Nino collapsed on the seat next to him. "I'm okay," she answered. "Jaffar and I have been getting ready to leave. We're probably going to leave Badon in a few days…" She sighed. "I'm gonna miss everyone. We can come visit you, right?"
"Of course! I'd love to introduce you to my family." Canas took a sip of tea from the flagon. "Have you ever been to Ilia? It's quite beautiful during the autumn season, and you can see some rather unique constellations."
"Wow. I'd like to see those sometime!" Nino said as she looked around the bar. "This place seems different than it was before. It's a lot brighter than it used to be."
Canas nodded. "If I remember correctly, Bartre managed to knock out several of the torches. They've probably just replaced them by now."
"Oh." Nino took a sip from her own mug of cider. "I was thinking maybe Jaffar and I could visit once we get a house and settle down," Nino said. "Do you think its okay for us to come that early?"
Canas shook his head. "I'm afraid I still have a few things to do," he said. "There's something I've wanted to pursue recently, and I've decided to take care of it before I return home…"
"I thought you wanted to get back to your son!"
"Well, I do…but this won't take very long and I'll probably end up back in Ilia before long…besides, I'm sure it would fascinate my wife to hear about what I've learned."
Nino stared at him. "Well, what is it?" she asked.
Canas' grin grew considerably. "It's a new field of research that I've come up with," he began. "I call it 'Sociopathology', although for now it may only be known as 'Karelism'. It's a study of the homicidal mind -"
"Wait! You're going to study Karel?" Nino set her mug down. "Don't you think that's a little…"
Canas shook his head. "It's really not all that dangerous. I've hired someone to help me, and I'll be very careful. And, to be perfectly honest, I don't think Karel would mind anyway."
Nino paused. "Um, actually I was going to say that it seems a little mean…but if you really don't think he'll care, I guess it's okay."
Canas shook his head vehemently. "Of course not! One of the main goals of this research is to prove that people like Karel are capable of being kind to others! Er…well, that's my hypothesis, anyway. I don't intend to make him seem soulless, if that's what you mean."
Nino stood up. "Well, okay. Hey, do you want anything else?"
Canas smiled at her. "No, thank you. I need to get some sleep." He collected his papers and began to walk toward his room. "Goodnight, Nino!" he called back.
Nino grinned. "Goodnight, Uncle Canas!"
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Karel, meanwhile, was sitting on the far side of the room by himself. Two of the regular patrons sat near him, talking in hushed voices.
"Did you hear about Anita?"
"Yeah. James told me that she got attacked by bandits last night. Is she all right?"
"She's fine, thanks to Gerald. Heard he came outta nowhere and took all of 'em on."
"Gerald? The one here in town, or…"
"Actually, he told me it was Gerald Saldon."
Karel's ears perked up.
"Gerald Saldon! I can't believe it!"
"It's true. He showed up an' shot all those damnfool bandits up with his magic."
"Who knew a bishop would be able to take on a whole bandit cluster?"
Karel turned and faced the two men. "Who is this bishop you speak of?" he inquired.
The two men looked at him. "Gerald, Saldon, the Blue Scepter!" one of the men responded. "He and his brothers are the most powerful men around!"
Karel eyes narrowed very slightly.
"Where can I find these brothers?" he asked.
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Thus begins Sociopathology. Please leave a review if you have any comments! I'll try to pump out the next chapter within two weeks (hopefully sooner).
Valete!