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No, no, no. Wrong. All of it was hopelessly wrong. Diagonal, not across. Jump, don't duck. What was he doing—wait now why was he pressing forward? If it didn't work last time, why would it be different this time around?
Ike gave a cry and raised the iron sword high over his head, quickly bringing it down in a hacking motion. Greil tepidly raised his axe to deflect the blow, then slapped him with the blunt face of his weapon. The collision sent Ike sprawling backwards, landing flat on his back with the wind knocked out of him. What a surprise. At this point, there were several identifiable imprints in the until-recently healthy grass around him. He was quite talented. At falling on his ass.
He certainly was persistent. She gave him credit for that.
For the weeks she had been held captive, she kept close watch over all the mercenaries with her hawk-like eyes. Knew each schedule. Each personality. Their individual skills—or lack thereof. Thus far, she wasn't impressed.
They were weak. She shifted her gaze slightly to the left, where Boyd was faring slightly better against Titania. Well… so maybe they had held their own for this long. Just how pathetic were Daein grunts? And they were absolutely clueless when it came to securing a prisoner. She was allowed near the horses, as she was seated now—Oscar's bay mare nuzzling her arm was proof of that.
"Begone, beast." she hissed, pushing the creature's muzzle away. A second later, the equine was at it again, this time searching her tethered hands for tasty treats. She could easily swing up into the saddle and be gone. And half the time—though not at this particular moment, her hands weren't even bound. And they left weapons just lying around. For crying out loud!
The only one that really watched her was Shinon. Aside from Greil himself, that archer was the one that could cause problems for her. After all, Gatrie was in love with her, and every other woman he laid eyes on. The tykes weren't even worth a thought. The little curs. Boyd was intent on befriending her, Ike was preoccupied with becoming the greatest swordsman in Tellius (Ha! What a laugh.), and Titania was far too busy following Greil around like a puppy. But the mage… what was his name? Ah, yes. Soren. Their little tactician. She still hadn't decided how to dispose of him.
"Did you see that? I had her! I definitely had her. And I wasn't even getting started!" Boyd boasted as he sauntered up to her, shirtless and sweaty from his workout. She gave him the once-over before pointedly turning her attention back to where Greil and Ike sparred. Not bad.
"Well, don't get too excited." He muttered under his breath. That certainly put a damper on his spirits.
"Yes, well has it ever occurred to you that it might be more awe-inspiring if you faced an opponent with actual skill?" She responded coolly, toying with him. Already she knew Boyd as a man too easily irritated. Besides. It kept his interest.
"Hey, I don't get you. I'm trying too—you know, you make it really hard to like you." he griped. Or insulted. It worked for her either way.
"Good. You're not supposed to like me." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "You should be wanting to gut me." At this, Boyd fell silent. The sad thing? This was the highlight of her day. It was nearly sundown. Nearly the end of yet another uneventful day.
Now, back on the field, Greil reached down for Ike. As he hauled the young man to his feet, he clapped him on the shoulder with a bright smile and Raivierra vaguely heard the word "excellent" uttered by the veteran. Excellent? She pulled her head back, subconsciously cocking it like a puzzled puppy. He… praised the boy's incompetency? Curious.
"You're improving, my boy. But brute force doesn't suit you." Father and son approached them, Greil holding Ike's shoulder reassuringly. "And your moves. They're a tad predictable."
Hmmm, you don't say.
"Change it up. You need to keep your enemy guessing. Stay one step ahead at all times." Greil coached. Raivierra scoffed. How could he hope to do that if he was several leaps behind? "But you're bound to be valuable to the team… in due time." He tousled Ike's hair affectionately, ignoring his protests.
Boyd followed her gaze, offering a sad little smile when he recognized the reason for her perplexity. "You… aren't used to sensitivity, are you?"
"What I'm not used to is unwarranted respect." She barked back curtly, narrowing her eyes.
What is this! The feeble are useless. The useless are killed. Those are the words she was raised to live by. And yet, here was Greil, pampering a man. Why? Yes, Ike is his son, but how could he be so fond of him, much less tolerate him? Why? This… she was considerably intelligent, but this was just something beyond her comprehension.
"I don't feel excellent." Ike replied, rubbing his battered and bruised head. He caught her watching him. His brows furrowed slightly, as if her bewildered look had made him curious.
Greil gave a hearty laugh. "We should get Mist to take a look at that." He took note of the look that passed between his son and Raivierra. "Boyd. I hope you're not hassling the poor girl."
She shook her head, clearing it of those thoughts. What did it matter if they were a flock of bleeding hearts? It's not as if she desired that. She didn't need that. Instead, she simply glared defiantly at the man.
She could still feel Boyd's eyes on her. Pitying her. Stop. Just stop. This was sickening.
"Commander! Runts! Meal time!" Shinon called from the entryway to the Fortress. Ike and Greil immediately headed for the barracks. The very one that had served as the reliable base for the Greil mercenaries for so countless years. Shinon's attention fell on Raivierra, who hadn't budged an inch. "Ey, Don't forget the harpy!" Having said that, he vanished behind the door.
Now that was more like it.
"See? He's got the right idea." Raivierra directed Boyd, ignoring his apologetic look.
"Yeah?" He took his time to stand up. "Well, I'll have you know I'm nothing like him." He offered a lopsided smile as he extended his arm to help her to her feet.
She deliberately ignored his offering, struggling to rise on her own. She pulled away when he reached for her arm to steady her. "That's your vice." she snapped. For some reason, she was unhinged. She didn't need it. So why did it bother her so? She needed somewhere else to redirect her exasperation. And Boyd was perfect.
"If you didn't fight me at every turn, things would be a lot easier for both of us." Evidently, her frustration was contagious.
"Oh really? Well, thanks for the warning." She shouldered past him, flashing the slyest of smiles as she headed for the fort. That did it. His goofy grin said it all: he wouldn't give up on her just yet. Oh, Boyd. Such a sweet, naïve man. It was men like him that made these missions all the sweeter.
The door gave way to the sweet smell of plated pork and veggies, still steaming in their dishes. Oscar emerged from the kitchen following a series of loud clangs from miscellaneous pots and pans. That man could cook. She'd save him for last.
Already seated around the table were Titania, Soren, her favorite archer, and a sickly Rhys. How was it that a cleric had absolutely no resistance to illnesses? This had to be, what, the fourth time he'd taken ill since they 'rescued' her. Then there was Gatrie. He hadn't bothered to wait up, and was already halfway through his meal.
The blonde looked up from the delectable food just for a brief moment. Long enough to see Raivierra. Clumsily wiping his mouth with an overused napkin, he lifted his plate, inviting her over. "Where are my manners?" He belched. "The gorgeous lady gets priority!"
Ever the gentleman.
Looking down at the ravaged mess, not to mention Shinon's perpetual glower, Raivierra openly grimaced. "I think not." I'd rather not contract whatever it is you have. She kept that bit to herself. "Why don't you go bring your precious Princess out here? The girl eats, doesn't she?" She asked mockingly, referencing Elincia's wispy figure.
"I… I think so, but see, the Commander says it's better to keep her away from you." Gatrie replied obliviously.
Shinon piped up at this point. It seemed his impertinence grew by the day. "So remind me, Commander. Why it is that we're waiting around—no. Why we backtracked, when it's well-established that we don't have the time." He sneered up at Raivierra. "To wait around for her little friends to jump us?"
Shinon never failed to bring a smile to her face. Maybe… just maybe… he could be a worthy addition to Daein forces. But he did have a point. She had wondered the same thing. It's not as if she had a say in the group's movement. But hey, if they insisted on dying, it sounded good to her.
"We've been over this a thousand times, Shinon." Greil called back. Where was he? Ah, there. In the corner with Ike and Mist. "Crimean loyal retainers have requested a collaborative effort. Who would I be to deny them that?"
Loyal retainers? A ruse? Or the real deal? It had better be the latter. She wouldn't allow some peons to steal her prize.
"And how can we know to trust them? It's wouldn't be too far of a stretch to guess it's a trap." Shinon hissed.
"The missive I received… was from an old friend." Greil glanced at her with the same contemplative look he had when he learned her name. Did it mean something? Or was she imagining it?
"I wouldn't do that were I you." she suddenly warned. But it wasn't to Greil. Taking advantage of their shared confusion, she ambled over to where Mist stood over Ike, tending to his wounds. She snatched the herb Mist's raised hand.
Mist's eyes shone with terror and she gave a squeal. Refreshing. If only everyone reacted to her that way. The girl floundered about in her hurry to get away, forfeiting the plant.
There it was again. That little golden wheel with the star in the middle. Lehran's Medallion. Was it glowing? Yes, it was emitting a pale blue light. How could this little trinket have so much power? It called to her. Each little spoke called to her. It would be so easy to just take it. Take it for herself. This is what she needed.
But no. It belonged to Ashnard. Plus, her trance was broken the second Mist tucked the emblem back in her shirt.
Greil moved to stand between her and Mist. He had seen her practically drooling over the medallion. Craving it. Needing it. His face was an open book; he knew something she didn't.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ike demanded, reaching for her wrist.
"Saving your life. Don't thank me all at once." She replied sharply, avoiding his grasp. "This" she held the sprig in front of his face, "is from the rylan plant. It's a poison by itself." She suppressed a smile at the wide-eyed Ike. "Just a small amount is all it takes to paralyze a victim for hours. If enough enters the bloodstream, or is ingested…" she pointed matter-of-factly at the tendril with her free hand, "consider yourself dead."
"And you would know this how?" Boyd asked skeptically.
"First-hand experience, of course." She answered smartly.
It wasn't like she planted it on Mist. No. Not at all. Why would she do a thing like that? Certainly not to play the hero and gain their trust. That would be low.
"If you doubt me, feel free to try it." She held the herb out to him, only to retract it seconds later when he waved it away.
"She's right." Rhys approached them, looking as though he might collapse at any given moment. "I'm fine, I'm fine." He waved Titania off, who had scurried to support him. "It's easy to confuse it with the zeytin herb. Which is what you want to use, Mist."
"You couldn't just let it happen?" Shinon muttered as he lifted his cups to his lips.
Raivierra turned to the side, searching the pouch Mist had abandoned and discreetly tucking the rylan shoot in her belt. For safe keeping. "Here." she picked out an herb that looked nearly identical to the first, save for the lighter green coloring. She slapped it against the cut on the side of Ike's head, leaving Rhys to take over.
She made a quick exit for her room. She could very easily burst into Elincia's room and kill the woman with her bare hands. It would be over before anyone had a chance to stop her. She continued past Elincia's door, her hand freezing on the knob to her own crowded alcove.
Maybe things were moving a bit slower than expected… but it was going smoothly. She couldn't rush this one. And besides… maybe…. No. There was nothing else. She opened the door to her room, making sure it shut behind her. Now engulfed in total darkness, due to the lack of windows, she crossed the room with the few steps it took to reach her cot. She fell on the cushion, making no attempt to brace herself.
No longer would she be troubled. She folded the rylan sprig into the sheets. It would come in handy. She would see this through.
Note: So if you made it this far, might as well give me your thoughts on it, right? Hate it? It's decent? Typos? Whatever. Thanks yall!