Chef Ariaeris would like to mention that the Forensic Science course that was applied for was accepted. Ariaeris is a very happy writer right now, and has decided to bless the fanfiction world by updating this fic.
Surprise! It wasn't abandoned after all! No, Ariaeris does not abandon fics; they are just put on small hiatuses so that focus can be put on other things like school, studying, and writing for the much more receptive Harry Potter fandom.
Still, the Chef has promised to see this update until its finale and has already promised six other recipes as well. Two of those requests are in the works right now, but we here at Café Ari are determined to make every one of these crackish pairing requests to be as fleshed out and well-crafted as possible.
So, not only are there the Lloyd/Eliwood main dish and this Hector/Ninian side dish, but a Lyn/Ninian entrée and a Tibarn/Ike/Haar dessert in the works as well. So sit tight faithful epicureans and enjoy our world-class new items!
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Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own anything in conjunction with Fire Emblem. I am most certainly not making a profit off of this work, save that for knowing that somewhere out there, someone might find this fic a little bit enjoyable.
Warnings: Some mature material, a little bit of OOC-ness (explained at least), some sad feelings, but no bashing whatsoever - no one is going to be intentionally bashed in this fic. Also, more café puns are on the way. They're too much fun to stop!
Pairings: Hector/Ninian (main), Lloyd/Eliwood (side), Ninian/Eliwood (one-sided), Hector/Eliwood (one-sided), and some peeks at some others.
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Stand and Walk
Chapter 2: A Crescendo
Almost nobody dances sober, unless they happen to be insane.
- H. P. Lovecraft
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"Fuck!" Hector swore as he grabbed his throbbing chin, glancing around quickly to see where Ninian had run off to. The dancer had a surprisingly strong punch, and his jaw was still throbbing painfully and he was a little dazed as well. He spat, and small droplets of blood landed on the ground; a very strong punch them.
He needed to find Ninian; he had taken his pain out on the innocent dancer, and he felt ashamed of his actions. Ninian was not the cause of his anger; truth be told, neither Eliwood nor…Lloyd (the name still caused him to hesitate; it felt like he was accepting Lloyd into his life every time he said his name) was either. No, his anger and pain was focused inwards, the only target being himself. It was his fault that he had not won over Eliwood's heart (he had been reticent, and unwilling, and far, far too late, and Ninian had identified him right from the start - everything she had said had been true) and now it was his fault that Ninian was in pain, both physically and emotionally.
Needless to say, he felt like a giant bastard.
Hector ambled off in the direction he though he saw Ninian run off in, unknowingly going in the exact opposite way she went.
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Ninian ran as fast as she could, her tears drying in the wind that whipped around her as she sprinted through the army's latest resting ground. A few people called out to her in concern, but she ignored them, continuing her endless running. She didn't even know what she was running from; Hector? Eliwood? The future she had lost?
Her mind was all jumbled and so she ran, hoping to escape whatever incomprehensible darkness lingered behind her, nipping at her heels.
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"What did you think of Ninian?" Eliwood asked suddenly, interrupting one of Lloyd's rare full conversations. He knew the elder man was a little wary of talking, though by no means antisocial, and his sudden question caught both him and his companion by surprise.
"Ninian?" Lloyd asked quietly, his mind all ready running over all of the people he had been introduced to in the last few days.
"The dancer we were just talking to, back in front of the tavern where we were supposed to meet Legault."
"Ah," Lloyd sighed in recognition, his face stony. Her. "She seemed nice enough," he said, his mind supplying more…brusque ways with which to describe her. He knew he was being overly judgmental; Ninian had not done anything wrong to him or crossed him in any way, but she was still a threat. Lloyd was not a man willing to attach himself to many things (growing up with the Black Fang had quickly disabused himself of such a notion, and no matter how much he loved his de facto family, he had learned of loss far too young to ever forgive them), and when he did, he guarded them jealously, unwilling to let them leave with the precious shard of his heart he had dared to give them. Linus, Nino, and now, surprisingly, Eliwood; he would never let them go, not if he had the choice, and most certainly not to a woman who was vying for the heart of the man he wanted for himself.
"She has always been an important member of our army; she and her brother, Nils, have a precognitive sense for danger, which has saved our lives many a time," Eliwood said idly, his mind going over the past weeks they had all spent together. It seemed like so much longer, but in those few weeks he had met friends, people he considered family, and even…
"You said she was a dancer?" Lloyd asked, and Eliwood nodded. "How can she be that much of a use to an army then?" The blond swordsman asked, not maliciously but curiously.
"Her dances are…magical, I suppose. Rejuvenating at the least, supernatural at best. When she dances, sometimes we find the energy that we thought long abandoned us which allows us to move once more, cast one more spell, and take one more swing at the enemy. Other times we can feel her magic, guiding us in ways that enhance us; increase our power, make us luckier, that sort of thing," Eliwood answered, and Lloyd raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his description of her. No wonder why the Black Fang wanted her so badly.
"She always seems so unhappy though," Eliwood frowned, and Lloyd felt a sudden urge to comfort him in some way. The blond swore inwardly at his body, demanding that it not send him anymore new feelings, or at least not until he examined the ones he had already been presented with. Somehow, he knew his body was laughing at him. "I thought she had been doing better recently, she had been smiling more and everything, but today her mood took a spiral downwards. I just…don't understand what I did wrong."
"What you did wrong?" Lloyd asked, stopping. Eliwood continued a few steps more before realizing that his companion had stopped. The redhead turned, watching the dirty-blond haired man curiously. "Why do you think you did anything wrong?"
"Well," Eliwood bit his lip, glancing away from Lloyd nervously. "I noticed that whenever I was around Ninian, she always seemed happier. So I decided to spend more time with her, complimenting her and buying her some trinkets that I saw made her smile. And it was working too! She was looking happier than I had ever seen her!" Eliwood frowned, and Lloyd felt the same pang as before. "But now she seemed so upset when we left; I just hope I haven't done something to ruin our friendship."
Lloyd watched the red-haired lord incredulously before shaking his head. Surely the lord could not be serious. Still, he didn't see why Eliwood lie to him (if Eliwood was capable of lying at all) and so Lloyd kept his mouth shut, letting Eliwood choose the next topic of their conversation.
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Ninian hated running; no, she abhorred it. It was a symbol of cowardice in her eyes. And yet she always found herself running; running from the Black Fang, from Nergal, from the past, the present, the malleable future which she alternatively cherished and hated.
Then again, she was just a coward; running should be second nature to her.
Her blood ran white hot in her veins and she gasped as her body begged her to leave this realm that was slowly killing her, to abandon the friends she had made (they would betray her anyway, in the end, once they found out what she and Nils truly were) and flee back to their mountain. Every breath she released, every step she took, every though that her frantic mind processed was begging, screaming for her to leave; to get away from the never ending pain this group of heroes always brought her.
She cried harder; when had her heart decided to rebel against her mind, when had she willingly decided to accept this pain instead of fight against it? It must have been over a year ago when she had first saw Eliwood, first been carried to safety (an evanescent feeling; soon she was running once more, but for the first time she had wanted to meet someone on her path). When she had first felt the stirrings of a love that seem to eat away at her heart and destroy her spirit.
Eventually the frail human guise she had taken as her own tired and she was forced to stop her running. She panted heavily as she leaned forward, resting her hands on her bent knees. She felt like she had just survived another battle, had given another performance on a blood-soaked lea, her every instinct singing disgustedly at the carnage that humans had brought upon themselves; it was a sort of divine vengeance some sibilant voice whispered in the dark corners of her consciousness.
She wondered if anyone would chase after her. She had so cruelly brushed off those who had hailed her, but she had been unable to face them in the state she had been in. In the state she still was in, she chuckled wetly, wiping furiously at her still-crying eyes. Another weakness; she had never cried as a dragon.
Then again, she had never felt this heart-wrenching sense of love and destruction and overwhelming feeling as a dragon either.
Perhaps Florina, the young girl who had done what none other could and had soothed her restless soul with her friendship, would come find her and regale her with another story about her childhood? The shy Pegasus knight had always entertained her and given her hope for a brighter future. Or maybe Hawkeye, who had known her true nature from the very beginning and treated her as if she was just another normal human being, as someone unique but in a good way? Lyndis, Nils, Eliwood?
…Hector?
No one came though; she had run so far that she had left everything behind.
She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Night was falling and the temperature with it. Her thin dress would not be able to protect her against the elements, and being naturally cold-blooded, she would inevitably…
Not even for a second did the thought of just lying down, just giving up at life, cross her mind. Instead, she threw her head back, her hair flying madly in the wind, and screamed to the heavens. Screamed until her throat was raw, until she stopped crying, until she felt like herself once more, roaring in cadence with her family to the eternal sky they cherished upon the mountaintop that had nearly touched the heavens.
Her tears dried on her face, hardening her skin, as she began her walk back to the army's camp.
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Poor Ninian…torn up, confused, and far too out of her league. We here at Café Ari salute the poor girl for deciding to take a stand against the world, which apparently likes to screw her over in this fic.
In honor of her, we are serving our Piña Middle-Finger-to-the-World-attas; the price for one is only a single review! What a bargain, what a steal! Your own (imaginary) drink for the low, low price of less than two minutes of your time!
We'd also like to remind you that there is a special going on at A Moment of Mercy, where there are three flavors just waiting to be claimed! Read the new chapter, review, and send in a pairing you want written; your request will be taken and whipped up into a delicious feast of an oneshot; who knows, that oneshot promised to you might even evolve into something larger, like this fic!
So read, review, and enjoy!
Ariaeris~