Disclaimer: Still don't own any rights to Fire Emblem in any way shape or form, only the story here is mine.

This was a request from Windninja1000 on my last fanfic, A Lady's Man and Laslow. Though I will be getting around to writing the other request on that fic - Odin and Arthur - I'm still struggling for ideas for it and it will be coming a ways in the future due to having another project due to start soon (any Octopath Traveler fans, watch this space). I'll get around to writing it at some point, but it is going to take a while - although, if you have any topics or ideas for it, let me know and I can try getting on it sooner. Oh, and I'm not accepting requests at the moment due to the fact that I'm focusing my attention on this new project - sorry about that.

Anyway, these supports can stand as the typical C-A conversations with a story that essentially ends there, but there is an S support afterwards if people want to read that - if you're not comfortable with that, no worries, you don't need to read it to fully appreciate the story, though it does help. There are no spoilers for any of the Fates games and only minimal for Awakening - none that will ruin the game for you if you've not played it.

So, like, favourite, review, find me on Twitter, whatever, just remember that feedback of any kind can make me improve in the future and, really, just makes me happy as I know people are actually reading this.

Enjoy!


The Seamstress and The Tsundere

C-Support

It just wasn't fair!

Selena dug her fingers into her bunches in frustration as she looked down at the fabric on her desk and the small sewing kit set beside it. No matter how hard she tried, this fabric just would not stay still enough for her to mend it properly. And even if she was able to sew up the tear, the colours of thread she had available wouldn't quite match enough to make it invisible. The red head was this close to throwing the thing on her floor before realising that that would only damage it more. Instead, she unscrunched her fingers in her hair and gently began spreading the fabric out to see the tear better again.

Some days she truly thought the Gods hated her; a messy, ladder-esque tear about the length of her forefinger and twice the width… On her Ylissean yukata no less!

Due to the situation surrounding their arrival in Nohr, they hadn't had any time to say goodbye to their friends of family, and certainly no time to grab mementoes. But, Laslow being Laslow, had managed to buy them enough time to grab just an armful of stuff. Compared to her and Odin's armfuls, she'd thought he'd brought everything he'd ever owned. Nowadays, she often wished she'd brought more with her too, but it wasn't like she could change that now.

Two pictures, her sword and hairbrush, plus the ring on her finger were a must, but deciding on what clothes to bring would have been an impossibility if she didn't have a time limit. Since her mercenary uniform had been converted into a Nohrian one (and most of her clothes were too heavy to carry or simply the product of a mindless shopping spree) there was only one item left with any real significance to her, one she'd grabbed without a second glance in her wardrobe.

And now she'd gone and ripped it in moving it from her quarters in Nohr to those in the Astral Realm.

Selena liked to think that there was nothing too challenging for her to overcome. She'd once beaten her mother – a lance user – in a sparring session with her sword for Gods' sake! But this? Well, it wasn't like her mother was that good of a sewer, and her Aunt Cherche had never taught her how to sew this kind of fabric before...

It was on both of them for not showing her how to do it before, not her for ripping the yukata, or the yukata itself for being made out of a difficult fabric.

Sighing, Selena pushed herself away from her desk and looked out the window into the Astral Courtyard. Everyone had their only little space here in Lord Corrin's Astral Realm, and all of them were within sight of the Prince's treehouse – where a lot of people liked to congregate during down days.

From her window, she could see Kaden napping in the shade of the great tree; Felicia was crossing from the kitchen with Jakob, both of them with a tray of food and drink for their Lord; and, was that Lady Camilla on her way to the hot springs with Charlotte? Selena couldn't be sure on that last one, but if it was, her liege had some nerve walking around without a retainer.

It was safe to say she was feeling peevish. She was halfway turned back to the yukata on her desk, when movement from the arena caught her eye.

Lord Takumi was laughing – a rare sight – as he left the arena, his bow in one hand, the door held open with the other. Laughing as well, a bright blush on her cheeks, Oboro followed after him, her naginata in hand.

Selena wasn't ashamed to admit that she knew very little about either of them; if she was going back to Ylisse after all this was said and done, it was in her interest to get to know as few people as possible to make the goodbyes a little easier. But, she'd heard enough chatter from her liege and Laslow (who was incapable of not trying to get to know everyone) to have a rough idea of what the Hoshidan Prince and his retainer were like.

Just like that, a plan formed in her head and she was out the door before she'd even remembered what Laslow had said about Oboro's hate of Nohrians. Well, she thought, I'm not actually a Nohrian and I'm only asking for a little favour. If I offer to pay, surely she'll have no reason to say no.

She was halfway to them by the time her doubts caught up with her and by that point she'd look more stupid just turning around and going back to her quarters without asking. Selena would risk her life before she'd risk looking stupid.

"Excuse me, Prince Takumi? Lady Oboro?" Selena curtsied, batting her eyelashes. A little flattery couldn't hurt.

Not that it had any effect on the lancer, whose face turned nightmarish immediately as she levelled her naginata at Selena's chest. "What do you want, Nohrian?"

"Easy, Oboro," Takumi put a calming hand on her shoulder, though his eyes were also watching Selena angrily. "I doubt Lady Camilla would like you attacking her retainer."

Oboro sighed and put her naginata behind her back, her angry face not changing. "As you say, Lord Takumi."

"What do you want, Selena?" Takumi asked curtly, standing somewhat protectively between her and Oboro, though whom he was trying to protect with that stance was very questionable.

Already frustrated with how these two were treating her, Selena stood tall and kept her tone polite. "I was wondering if I could have a moment to talk to Oboro?"

"Why would I spare a moment to talk to Nohrian Scum like you?" Oboro's face twisted even more, evidently an attempt to scare her off. Instead, it just made her miss home.

For a moment Takumi looked like he was going to agree with his retainer and yell at Selena for even asking such a thing, however, an almighty crash brought the entire conversation to a standstill. They all turned to see Felicia in a pile of food stuffs meant for her liege, Jakob stood next to her with a face like thunder; a little way around the bottom of Corrin's tree, Kaden stood with his tail bushed up before realising what had happened and curling back up.

"For the love of…" Takumi sighed and rushed off to help Felicia, leaving the two girls alone.

They both hesitated: Selena still wanted to ask Oboro for a favour whilst she simply wanted to leave and help her liege. Swaying slightly, Oboro took a step in the direction of the commotion, only for Selena to grab her arm and stop her.

"Touch me again and I'll rearrange your kneecaps." She snapped as Selena took her hand back and watched the point of her naginata closely.

"Sheesh, okay!" She sighed in return, her arms crossing over her chest. "I just wanted to ask for your help, but if you're going to be like that…"

"Why would I ever want to help Nohrian Scum like you?" Oboro continued to sneer.

Come up with another slur, why don't'cha! "Uh, because I was going to pay you for your services! Quite well!" It's often safe to assume that when Selena gets angry the conversation won't go much further, but she was determined to get what she wanted this time, angrily or otherwise.

"What services of mine could you possibly need?" An aggressive grin bloomed on her features. "Want me to teach you and your Nohrian friends compassion? How not to kill everyone on sight?"

I'M NOT EVEN FROM NOHR! Her thoughts screamed as she gritted her teeth; that last insinuation hitting a little too close to the bone. "No! Actually, I was going to ask you if you'd be willing to look at a tear I have in one of my clothes since I heard you were the best seamstress in the army! Plus, you always dress so good that I thought maybe you'd be able to help! But if you're going to be like that-!"

They both stood glaring at each other for a moment before the words behind Selena's shouting actually registered. Then Oboro blinked and looked at her closely, like a normal human being; meanwhile, the red head started to blush uncontrollably as she realised she'd been angry complimenting.

"Nevermind!" Selena shouted, her voice breaking as she turned back in the direction of her quarters, planning on running away and hiding so well no one would ever see her again.

"Wait, Selena!" Oboro chased after her, making the mercenary stop and look at her again, her face almost as bright as her hair. Taking far less effort than Selena thought it would, the hateful lancer flashed her an adorable little smile, a slight giggle coming with it. "You think I'm stylish?"

Blushing even more, Selena darted off, her bunches flying behind her.

Closing the door behind her with Oboro a few feet away, still giggling and asking for her to stop, Selena sighed in frustration. That had been one massive mistake after another and she hadn't even gotten anything out of it.

"Selena!" Oboro shouted as she knocked on her door. "Come on, I was only teasing!"

Glaring angrily at the world in general, she made her way back to her desk, intending to flop into her chair in frustration. Then she saw the yukata on her desk - its tear all too clear - and growled at it.

"You can go away as well." Muttered she, yanking it off her desk and throwing it into her over-crowded wardrobe. The whole while, Oboro continued to knock on the door.

"Selena, please! I'm curious now! I'll help you for free, to make up for the teasing?"

'Free' was one of Selena's favourite words. Swallowing her pride and anger, she opened the door a crack, giving view to the trying-not-to-giggle lancer.

"We will never speak of what happened earlier again." Said she, no room for argument in her tone.

"Agreed."

A hesitant moment passed before Selena opened her door and let the quizzical Hoshidan in. Aside from her Lady, Beruka and the Ylissean boys, Selena had never let anyone into her quarters, certainly no one from the other side of the army. As such, she saw her room anew: her various knickknacks and impulse buys; the general messy state that the whole room was in, especially the state of her wardrobe.

"I wasn't expecting company…" She mumbled lamely.

Not that the mess even seemed to register on Oboro. Instead, the girl was looking intently at the wardrobe and the various garments within – Nohrian dresses right next to Hoshidan kimonos, even a few pairs of dresses that she'd unsuccessfully altered to look Ylissean. She took all of them in at a glance, her brain desperately trying to process all the conflicting styles and fabrics.

"And I thought Nohrians had no sense of style…" Oboro muttered as she wondered over to get a closer look.

"Don't judge us all based on how the army dresses," Selena replied, her arms once again crossed, still feeling no need to correct the girl on her true home. "If I did that, I'd say that Hoshidans have no sense of style either."

"I suppose you're right. But, Selena, you've got so many different dresses here!" She pulled out one of the dresses that she'd tried to make Ylissean – something much easier said than done when working with the puffy dresses of Nohr – a rather shapeless, straight shift dress that she realised now must have looked exotic to a Hoshidan. "Where did you get this one? What style is it based on?"

"Uh… I made that one myself… It's not that great." She snatched it back and hid it away, pulling the yukata out in substitution. If she thought that was exotic… "This is the one I need sewing up."

Oboro's eyes lit up as she looked at the garment. Taking it gently from the mercenary, she looked at it like it was the rarest metal. Slowly, she looked it over, trying to gather some sort of indication of where it was from, who could have made such an exquisite piece, how such a material could have been stitched so delicately.

Then she came to the tear.

Looking that over closely, she muttered a few things under her breath about the strength and movement of the fabric and what kind of stitch she could use before nodding to herself and looking over at the nervous Selena.

"I've never seen any dress like this before. Where's it from? Does it have a name?"

Hesitating on the truth for a moment, Selena answered, "It was a going away present from a family friend before I joined the royal service. It's called a yukata."

"I see." Oboro said, definitely seeing more than she let on. "Well, it might take some time and it's certainly something I've never worked with before, but I think I can mend it."

"Really?" All her hostility melted away, leaving just gratitude and desire for her yukata to be mended. "You can fix it?"

"I think so…" Oboro frowned as she looked at it again, standing up and making for the door. "It'll take some time, but I'll see what I can do."

Just as she opened the door to leave, yukata over one arm and naginata in the other hand, she turned back and smiled at the Nohrian retainer. "I take back what I said about doing it for free though, this'll cost you."