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Arianna: Wow. I'm actually attempting a romance story.

Latisha: This is gonna be scary.

Arianna: Erk/Serra! The quiet, withdrawn mage and the loud, outgoing cleric.

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DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fire Emblem.

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-: ERK'S POV :-

I woke up and looked out the window. The sun was already high up in the sky which meant, as usual, I was late. Darn. And today I was supposed to meet the girl I might end up escorting to Ostia. 'Might' because there were quite a few other guys that wanted the job.

I quickly got out of bed and rushed around getting dressed. As I ran downstairs and out the door, only stopping to grab my bag from Lady Louise, I reviewed in my head what Lord Pent had said about her. She was supposed to be a frail Lycian priestess, who needed a guard to get to Ostia safely. 'Supposed' to be, as I would soon find out.

I ran down the street and finally made it to the docks, where me and the other young men were going to greet her. I was about three hours late so I shouldn't have even bothered but there was a chance she was choosy and still hadn't picked yet, and I needed the money. I can't bum off of Lord Pent for the rest of my life, after all. But when I looked up at the ships, I saw they were leaving. I stopped in shock. Was I too late? Had the escort already been chosen? I was thinking about what to tell Lord Pent when I heard the most horrible screeching noise I had ever heard in my life.

"Heeeey! Excuse me? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

I turned around and saw it was a pretty girl with pink hair holding a healing staff running toward me. Sweet Elimine, was that noise I heard her voice? I thought someone was scraping two steel swords together. Or a seagull was dying or something.

"Heeey!" She stopped right in front of me. I thought she was a little too close, so I took a step back, but then she took a step forward.

"Can you HEAR me?"

I wished I couldn't.

"Are you a mage?"

I decided there was no harm in talking to her for a few moments. At least it would stall some time before I had to go home and face a disappointed Lord Pent.

"My name is Erk, and yes, I am an anima mage." I said in my clear, if a little soft, voice. "I'm a student of Count Reglay, the Magic General." I was a bit proud of it. How many mages can say they studied under the Magic General himself?

"Then you CAN help me!" She exclaimed in her ear-shattering voice. On further contemplation I realized her voice wasn't really so bad, it was just that she talked too loud. If she lowered her voice to a normal decibel range it would have a chance at sounding, dare I say it, pretty. "I need an escort to Ostia! See, I was supposed to meet candidates today, but one of them never showed up. And for some strange reason, the ones that did ran back on their ships and left as soon as I said 'Hi!"! Isn't that sooo rude? So, anyways, can you help me pleeeeease?"

My head was beginning to hurt so bad that I couldn't think straight. I decided that facing Lord Pent was better than listening to this psychopath any longer.

"Sorry. I already have a person I'm supposed to escort. But I seem to be a little too late." I scanned the crowd around the docks one last time, hoping to spot the priestess. Then I heard a noise that sounded like….laughter. I turned back to the strange girl and saw that she was giggling.

"Heeheehee! You're supposed to escort ME, you silly! You must be the one that never showed up! Aren't you lucky that you came late? You're now the only candidate! Soooo, you get to be my escort! You must be soooooo happy!"

She continued giggling as I stared in horror. It was all snapping into place in my battered mind. She was the so-called priestess!

"Bu-but I'm supposed to escort a frail, beautiful priestess!" Actually, no one said beautiful. I just kind of assumed she would be.

"Teehee! It's ME! I'm actually a cleric, but priestess sounds sooo much more flattering, no? Well, come along now! We better get moving. I know the way!"

She turned around and started walking as I continued to be frozen to the spot. Escort that irritating thing? Spend Elimine knows how many hours talking to someone with that kind of voice? Suddenly, the terror of it all hit me.

-: Outer POV :-

That day, a loud, male scream was heard echoing from the docks and around the town.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT'S NOT FAAAAAIR! WHY MEEEE?"

"Teehee! I can tell you're excited, Erky!" was the answering screech.

'Twas not a good day in the life of Erk.

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Arianna: Ummm..so how was that? First try at a semi-serious story with an actual plot line. Hope it didn't stink too bad and you won't mind me continuing it because I actually had fun writing/typing that.

Erk: I have such a cursed life.

Serra: He loves me and you knoooow it!

Arianna: Not yet he doesn't.But he will. -evil grin-

Latisha: Read & Review if you have the time.

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