Ylisse Commandos Chapter 3
It has been a few hours since Boss and his new traveling companions have departed from Southtown and in the meantime he has gotten to know his new comrades pretty well. While most others would be put off or upset at Frederick for his constant suspicion of him, Boss views it differently. Boss respects the man for not only doing what he believes to be best, but he does it for the sake of Chrom and Lissa to keep them safe. While he is most certainly a serious person, he has a dry humor to him most wouldn't expect. While they were walking Boss got a closer look at the beast carrying both Frederick and Lissa(who was adamant about 'not risking getting bunions on her feet' or something like that) and he has to say, this is both the most mundane creature he's seen while also being the most majestic in a way. The utter simplicity that was this beast was beautiful in its own way. After overhearing some of the other conversations, he learned that the beast was a part of a species called "Horses" and that this one in particular was male and named 'Epoch'. 'Horse'...what a peculiar name for a beast, but then again, Boss wasn't an expert on these things. Back to Frederick, while Boss didn't actively try to engage in conversation, he did notice him paying attention to him when Boss was telling Robin about his brothers, maybe he was looking for holes in the story or he genuinely cared for Boss's plight. Either way Frederick and Boss didn't share a lot of words.
Lissa was a...pampered sort. Boss could tell that due to her behavior both back at Southtown and her excuse to be on Epoch. She wasn't the sort to stay outside for extended periods of time, and she would much rather spend her day relaxing indoors than travelling across the countryside. This sort of behavior doesn't sit well with Boss. A soldier should be ready for everything imaginable, from traversing deserts to roaming tundras, he was to accept these with no complaints. This was a walk in the countryside on a beautiful summer day, with a few clouds blocking the sun every now and then, yet she still complained. 'It's so hot, I feel like I'm melting', 'Frederiiiiiick, I'm thirsty, give me the canteen please', 'Chrooooom, how much longer is this going to take', 'Hey, Robin, Boss, do you guys have any stories to pass the time, I'm reeeeally bored'. This got onto Boss's nerves as he was reminded of some of the senators his team had to escort and safekeep once in awhile. It doesn't mean Boss dislikes Lissa, for all her complaining she was a welcome distraction from the road and she was certainly smarter than she lead on, but either Lissa toughens up on her own, or Boss will...speed up her 'character building'.
Chrom is an interesting man with many sides. On one side you have a caring older brother who dotes on his sister(maybe a little too much) and a nice walking companion. Another side is the mighty warrior who uses his skill of a blade to dispense justice wherever it's needed. But one more side is that he is painfully optimistic and sort of naive. While Boss appreciates what Chrom did for Southtown and for Boss himself, he can't help but agree with Frederick in that he shouldn't be too quick to trust, it could get him hurt someday, or worse. Yet, the longer Boss spent speaking to him the more he realises that that's just the way Chrom is. He is the type of man who would lay down his life for the greater good, though just his life, as the thought of anyone else dying or getting hurt while he could have done something is too much for him. This plays back to his naivete. While Boss doesn't know how many more Shepherds Chrom has, but if they are anything like him then they are willing to fight and die if the cause is right, and to deny them that is very selfish. Overall Chrom is a good man and an even better fighter, but he is a naive leader who should prepare himself for worst case scenarios.
Finally Robin. Robin is...she...the thing about her is...Robin is a very special case that fascinates Boss. She claims to have amnesia, though whether or not this is true has yet to be proven, yet she still has a charming personality. From her asking him about his brothers, to talking to Chrom about some strategies that she had been thinking of, to a conversation with Lissa about magic that left the men's heads spinning, to even asking Frederick about where he got Epoch and for how long. She wasn't a bubbly person, she was just naturally curious about the people around her. She questioned everything in order to better understand everything. This made her both endearing and… potentially dangerous. As the old adage goes, "Knowledge is power" and if Robin learns more and more, who knows how she'll use such power. Yet for all these fears plaguing Boss's mind there is one thought that silences these fears. She looks familiar somehow and while this wouldn't even be a problem regularly, this thought makes Boss drop his guard around her and open up to her. Even though he knows he should be careful around her, he can't find it in him to. She was just too damn...nice! And this made Boss very confused about her, but time will tell whether or not this is all an act or she really is a good woman.
After a few more hours the sun was starting to set and everyone was getting tired from the march. So they went off the road to look for a nice clearing to make camp. They found one very quickly and even better was that it was near a forest, great for hiding from attackers and hostile wildlife.
Chrom looks around, "This will do nicely for the night, don't you agree, Frederick"
Said knight looks around cautiously while dismounting Epoch, "While being this close to the forest is not ideal, I must agree, milord, that this will do nicely"
Chrom smiles, "Glad to hear it," he then looks to everyone else, "Alright, time to delegate jobs to you. Frederick, if you wouldn't mind getting back on Epoch and look for some game in or around the forest"
Frederick salutes, "at once milord" and proceeds to mount his horse with practiced ease. After waiting for Lissa to get off, which she thankfully said nothing about, he was off to get dinner.
Chrom then looks to Boss, "Boss, take Robin into the forest and gather some firewood, with Frederick's need to go above and beyond I expect some large animal is about to meet its end. So I think it'd be best for two armfuls of wood for the fire needed to cook the beast"
Boss and Robin both nod and head into the woods.
Chrom then looks to the last person around and before he says anything she cuts in, "What do you want me to do? Pitch the tents, secure the perimeter, get some wild berries" while these were things that would have helped, her sarcastic tone said plenty on her resolve to actually complete the tasks.
Chrom shakes his head, "No Lissa, you don't have to do any of that," Lissa threw her hands in the air in celebration, "just get the rocks and dirt needed for a fire pit" then lowered her arms slowly as she looks blankly at her older brother.
"Come again" she says meekly
Chrom's smile widens, "I just think that the exercise will make your character building more complete"
Lissa looks ready to explode, "But you're gonna help me, right" she pleads.
Chrom looks at her like she is crazy, "Why do I need character building"
Lissa sags in defeat, "Chroooom"
Said shepherd starts laughing loudly, "Of course I'll help you little sister, I think I spotted some stones that way" he says and points down the path they came from. Lissa glares at Chrom for a second before punching his arm, causing him to clutch it in pain.
"Jerk! Making me stress like that" she says and marches off in the direction Chrom pointed out.
Chrom rubs his arms while looking at his sister stomps away from him, "She can't take a joke, can she" and follows her down the path.
Boss and Robin return to see the blue haired shepherd and the yellow clad girl just finishing the pit that will contain the flame. Lissa sees that they have returned and waves at them happily.
The firewood duo make their way to the pit and drop their bounty nearby.
While Robin wipes her hands on her coat to get rid of the dirt she chuckles a bit, "Strange how hard it was finding usable wood in a forest" then after a few moments Chrom places the last stone in the perfect place. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and walks to the rest of the group.
He looks at the pile of firewood and smiles, "Wonderful job you two, now we should start the fire quickly, Frederick should be finished getting dinner by now" Boss nods and gets a handful of firewood and places it in the pit and Robin steps up, retrieves a red book from her coat, "Good thing I picked this up from that bandit mage" and aims her hand towards the wood. She closes her eyes in concentration and a moment later a ball of magical fire flies out of her hand and ignites the pile. Robin looks proud of herself as she puts her book away. Boss was certainly impressed, no need for flint or friction, just point and bam, a campfire that should service well.
Lissa starts warming up by the fire, "Oh the warmth feels amazing! Especially after getting all these rocks" she then sits down and waits for Frederick to get back with her dinner. After also warming up, everybody else starts waiting for the great knight's return. Everyone is spread out killing time in their own way. Lissa is sitting by the fire, daydreaming about going back home and spending time with her big sister, it's been forever since she and Em have had some girl time together, maybe she'll give her some tips on how to heal better. Chrom was busy working on Falchion with a whetstone, cause even though the blade is enchanted to never break, that doesn't mean that proper maintenance should be ignored, for even though it won't break doesn't mean it will remain sharp. Robin was writing down the strategic plans that have been running rampant in her mind ever since she woke up in that field. She doesn't know why these thoughts are plaguing her, but she suspects that it has something to do with her previous life, as since she can't remember anything other than her(and Chrom's) name, she considers those moments of her life not hers, but someone else's. Anyways, while the Southtown bandit attack was handled pretty easily, she expects that future battles will only be more difficult, so if she can help out her new friends in anyway, then she'll do it. Boss was sitting away from everyone else and while everyone who glances in his direction would just see him tapping a finger to his temple and mumbling to himself what was really going on was Boss running a diagnostics on his armor. The singularity played holy hell with the white protection so error and warning screens were popping up in his HUD, which thankfully was still operating. The list of functions on his suit that are irreparable, especially considering his situation, are his communication uplinks, so that means that he can't contact the other deltas this way, night vision, and the jet boosters in his boots and the rappel in his belt. While none of these were necessary for his survival, they certainly make things easier. Well, they did rather. Boss then checks the status of his deflector shields, they seem to be offline at the moment, but he could see the self charging mechanism in his armor work as the shield percentage was steadily rising, though not nearly as fast as Boss would have liked. Said percent being 15% and rising a percent per ten minutes. Well, at least they'll be functional soon. His diagnosis complete, Boss unclasps the lightsaber from his boot and gazes at it once more. He wonders who was the maker and true owner of the blade. What were they like? Was it a Jedi master, knight, or padawan? If it was the last, then he hoped Grievous truly suffered in that singularity. As he was turning the hilt over in his hands, inspecting the craftsmanship, he heard the galloping of hooves and he quickly reattached the blade to his boot and stood up. He sees Frederick riding back, carrying a rather large burlap sack. He stops in front of Chrom and dismounts Epoch.
"Apologizes for the delay milord" he says as he drops the sack before Chrom, "This beast was a most worthy prey"
Chrom nods and pats Frederick on the shoulder, "Well done Frederick, I knew I could count on you"
The knight then bows, "Your praise humbles me milord, also I took the liberty of already gathering all the edible meat and preparing them for a fire I will make post haste" Chrom raises an eyebrow and points behind Frederick, said knight turning around to spot an already sizable fire roaring, "That'll do" he nods. He then gets out all the meat and skewers them onto a sharp stick he must have made on the way here.
Lissa steps forward, "Uhh, Frederick" she says.
While the knight did not turn to her, as he was busy preparing the meal, he gave did give a nod as well as a "Yes, milady"
She looks over his shoulder to see her dinner, "What exactly did you get"
Frederick smiles as the meat is now being cooked properly and turns to Lissa, "Bear, milady"
Lissa nods, "Oh, okay I was just wond- DID YOU SAY BEAR" she shrieks.
Frederick smiles a little, "But of course, what other beast has the amount of meat necessary for our current party" he then does a sideways glance, "Also, there were no deer or elk that I could find in a timely manner"
This doesn't calm Lissa at all, "But a BEAR!? Who ever heard of eating a Bear!?"
Chrom rubs his head in an awkward manner, "You have to admit Frederick, it is a little unorthodox"
Robin steps in with a placating gesture, "Now now, Lissa. It shouldn't be that bad. I mean, I understand your hesitation, but Frederick spent his precious time procuring this meal and the least we can do to honor his loyalty is-"
"Still don't trust you"
"I AM TRYING FREDERICK" Robin yells back, more exasperated than upset.
While all this was happening, Boss was sitting by the fire mildly listening, but was more interested in examining the meat that was currently turning a nice shade of brown. How odd, this 'bear meat'. A clone soldier hardly ever ate anything that wasn't in paste form. While the paste was nutritional and kept them going, Boss can't say that it tasted very good, nor was very filling. He was interested by the prospect of eating not only a solid food, but meat! Though the fact that his associates were not as interested in it as him doesn't bode well. After the others decided to just give it a try, not like they can change it now anyways, they descended into mild chatter as they waited for the meat to properly cook all the way through. After the appropriate amount of time, Frederick took the meat from the fire and set it on some plates that he had in a pouch Epoch was carrying. Prepared for anything indeed. After the meat was cooled significantly he handed out the cuts to each person, though Chrom and Lissa's were noticeably larger than Boss and Robin's. As Boss held the morsel in his hand he looks to the others, Chrom was already devouring his, with a notable grimace that he was trying to pass as a grin, his plan being if he ate it fast enough he could ignore the taste. Robin was a little more ladylike in her eating, but by her genuine smile, she seems to actually like the taste. Though if her amnesia story is true, then he supposed she doesn't remember what other foods taste like, if that is indeed how amnesia works, he's not exactly an expert. Lissa on the other hand. Well by the way she is holding her nose closed with two fingers and is forcing it to stay down, Boss thinks she doesn't particularly like it. Boss sighs and proceeds to take a rather sizable bite out of his portion. As he is chewing, he is deciding whether or not he likes it. It is certainly different from the breakfast that he had before he met the Shepherds. After a few more seconds of chewing, then swallowing, Boss just shrugs.
"I've certainly had worse"
Robin chuckles a little, "I don't know if that's a compliment or not. I like it though," She then turns to Frederick and gives him a thumbs up, "Good job, Frederick"
Frederick meanwhile hasn't eaten anything, he didn't even give himself a portion. He gives a flat look at Robin, "You're opinion of the food is both unnecessary and unwanted" He tells her, making Robin grumble as she bit into her food again.
Lissa sees that Frederick doesn't even have a plate for himself, "Frederick, where is your portion" she asks with narrow eyes.
Frederick stiffens and looks away from the girl, "I, uh, I already ate, did you not see"
Robin chimes in, "I didn't see that"
Chrom chuckles to himself as Lissa gets up and stands in front of the knight, "Are you telling me that while you are making us eat this stuff, you don't even have the DECENCY to have a BITE" she yells in his face and he just raises his hands in a placating gesture, "Now now, milady, there is no need to get upset"
Lissa humphs and crosses her arms, "And why not" she asks with a raised eyebrow.
Frederick steels his face once more, "Because, milady, due to the years and years of service to you, I have trained my tastebuds to detect even a hint of poison in either of your and milord's drinks and food. Thanks to this my tastebuds are very...fragile"
Boss looks at the knight as he explains himself to the healer, "So you just don't like the taste"
Frederick glares at Boss for a moment before looking back at Lissa with an apologetic look, "In the most basic form, yes that is why I didn't eat dinner"
Lissa looked like she was going to have more words with her protector when Chrom spoke up, "Come now, little sister, it is Frederick's choice whether or not he eats his dinner, after all who knows how many times his keen taste has saved us from some sort of poison"
"More times than I care to say, milord" Frederick says softly.
Both Lissa and Chrom blanch at this, they certainly didn't need to know that, after all it was their lives on the line. Chrom recovers quickly though and continues, "Umm, my point exactly, thank you for that Frederick"
Frederick bows his head, "It is both a pleasure and an honor to serve milord"
Lissa stands there for a few more minutes before letting out a large sigh that seemed to release most of her anger, "Okay, fine. I guess I shouldn't be mad at you after hearing that. Thank you Frederick, for the food and the poison protection"
Frederick smiles at her, "You humble me, milady" but as Lissa shoves a finger into his forehead his smile turns into a grimace.
Lissa glares at him, "Next time though, would it kill you to get a normal animal" she says then sits back down on her spot.
The great knight seems to sigh in relief that he wasn't getting chewed out anymore, "I will do better next time"
Robin pats him on his shoulder, "And that's all we can ask for, right" she consoles and she keeps patting his shoulder. Frederick looks at her. And keeps looking. The pats slow down. He keeps staring. The pats stop and Robin looks at her lap and mumbles an apology. After a few minutes everyone is done with their meals and are lazing about the fire while the sun set down, though Chrom has an intense look on his face. Boss was about to ask him what was wrong when their protector beat him to it.
"Milord, is something the matter"
Chrom kept his intense gaze as he looked to the knight, "I am going over the bandit attack today"
Frederick's look then matched Chrom's in intensity, "I see. And am I correct in assuming that we are realizing the same thing"
Chrom nods, "Most definitely"
Lissa looks between the two men, "Uhh, what are we talking about"
Chrom looks to his sister, "The bandits had Plegian accents"
Lissa gasps a little, but then looks downcast, "Now that you mention it, they did didn't they"
Boss and Robin both look at each other, both expressing confusion and concern. Robin looks around, "Excuse me, but what is Plegia"
Frederick scoffs at her question, "Someone pay this woman for she is quite the actor"
Robin glares weakly at him, "Hey, I'm serious here"
This doesn't change the knight's mood, "The furrowed brow is really the biggest selling point"
"She's not the only one confused"
Everyone turned to Boss who met the gazes evenly, Lissa raises an eyebrow, "You mean you don't know of Plegia either, Boss"
Boss nods, "That's right" he said evenly. Internally he was questioning why he spoke up. He could have kept silent and piece the puzzle together as they conversed, so why did he speak up? Robin gives him a grateful look and he nods his head in her direction. Oh right, that's why.
Frederick glares harshly at the both of them, "So instead of a solo it is a duet"
Lissa puts her hand to her forehead in exasperation, "You're really running with that analogy, huh"
Chrom however had a different reaction, "Frederick enough of your jeering. They asked a question and it is not right to mock them for it"
Frederick looks to his lord, "Milord, they ask questions even a child should know"
"They still deserve answers"
Frederick looks to be getting more and more angry, "Milord, I-"
Chrom matches his anger, "Enough, Frederick. It will not kill me to answer their questions and it would be helpful if you were not so antagonizing"
Frederick looks like he is going to retort when he just heaves a large sigh and bows his head, "Forgive me, Milord. I did not intend to get angry nor make you upset"
Chrom's hardened look breaks as he smiles at his friend, "No need for forgiveness, my friend. I know you only want the best for me and Lissa" he then turns to the others, "Plegia is a kingdom that borders Ylisse. It is a desert kingdom where it has little in the way of exports, and with a strong presence of a religious group called the Grimleal. They worship the Fell Dragon Grima and hope to resurrect him so that he may rule over the world"
Boss scoffs "And they actually believe this stuff" the only dragons he's heard of were an extinct species on Tatooine and they never ruled the planet while sentient beings were there.
Everyone, including Robin, look at Boss with surprised faces, Lissa softly speaks, "Of course they believe in him, Boss. Because he's real"
Chrom nods, "Yes, just as they worship Grima, we worship his sister, the Holy Dragon, Naga"
Boss looks at him incredulously, "And you know for a fact that these 'dragons' as you call them exist."
Frederick looks angrily at him, "Add blasphemy to the list"
Chrom raises his hand and the knight goes silent once more, "To answer your question, Boss, we do know for a fact and this," he draws his blade, "is proof"
Boss and Robin look confused, "A sword" Boss asks.
Chrom smiles nostalgically, "To call this merely a sword is akin to calling a great fortress a house, or a raging inferno a campfire. This blade was granted to my ancestor hundreds of years ago, the Hero King named Marth, as the only way to stop Grima from enacting his dark plan to enslave mankind and bring the world to its knees. From then on Falchion was passed down generation after generations in the event that the evil that was sealed away returns to continue his vile quest, for the blade was enchanted with holy magic, making it unbreakable and unwavering"
Robin nods her head in understanding, "That's why it looks brand new, even after all that time"
Boss raises an eyebrow, "What does this have to do with those grim people and Plegia"
Chrom sheaths Falchion and looks downcast, "It is because of the Grimleal influence in Plegia that the previous Exalt of our kingdom lead a crusade throughout their lands"
Boss looks confused, "Don't they want to bring back an evil dragon, isn't it a good thing that happened"
Everyone had very different emotions play out after he asked that. Robin was the most neutral, most likely agreeing with him. Lissa has hidden her face in her arms as she curls up into an upward fetal position. Frederick is glaring heavily at him, as if his look will make Boss shut his mouth. But Chrom has the most interesting reaction. He was gripping his blade's pommel so hard that his knuckles were white and he was gritting his teeth so hard Boss could hear them grating though it were his eyes that gave Boss pause. He was glaring even harder than Frederick with a heated look so hot it makes a star look cool, but he wasn't glaring at Boss, no, he was glaring at the ground and flames in front of him. Boss heaves a heavy sigh, "It wasn't that simple was it"
Chrom stiffly shakes his head, "No it was not," he growls, "At first it was as planned, only punishing those who deserved it, those who would kill innocents for their dark lord. But not long after, our leader made the decision that every single Plegian is a threat. The massacres that followed were as terrible as they were ruthless. No one was spared, no man, woman, or child. Elderly or sickly. It was no longer a crusade, but a genocide"
After hearing his tale, Boss could hear Lissa let out small whimpers as she buried her head further into her arms. Frederick lost his glare and is instead closing his eyes, most likely as a way of respecting those who were mercilessly killed. Robin was pale as she looked like she was about to be sick, thinking about all those lives ruined, and the soldiers that follows such heartless orders.
Boss waits a moment to compose himself. Genocide, huh. He's heard it happening on countless planets. It's a terrible thing to happen, the wiping out of an entire people based solely on their race or beliefs. Boss couldn't fathom the thoughts of those who order such a thing, nor the minds of those who follow said orders. All he knows is that while the CIS wouldn't bat an eyelash at the concept of genocide, at least the Republic would never let such things happen in their systems. After another beat, Boss asks, "When did it stop"
Everyone seemed to calm a bit after he asked, though not by much. Chrom takes a breath and looks Boss in the eyes, "The Exalt simply passed from age. It took his death to stop countless more, but by then...so much damage was done to Plegia and their people. They've begun recovering bit by bit, but it will be a while, long after we are gone, until all the wounds are healed and even then there will be scars"
Robin looks less pale after hearing this and starts talking again, "So those Plegian bandits are refugees, or something similar"
Chrom shakes his head, "No, those men were not refugees, not even close. You see, Plegia's king, a man named Gangrel, hates Ylisse with an unyielding passion. Due to this he has sent Plegian soldiers, disguised as mere bandits, to raze villages in the countryside. When accused of this by our current Exalt, Emmeryn, he merely scoffed at the notion and claimed that it was just more falsehoods so that Ylisse could feel justified in another war"
After hearing this Lissa peeks a little over her arms, "They don't even care about the villagers they hurt, or worse" Boss couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to Southtown had they not been there. Marco and Markus would have been...Boss shakes his head. That line of thought doesn't matter, the fact is, he was there and he protected them.
Boss looks to Chrom again, the man was looking more depressed the longer this conversation went on, "So this new Exalt, Emmeryn you said, what kind of leader is she"
It's as if the mood did a 180, Chrom started to beam, same thing with Lissa while Frederick couldn't hide his own smile. Due to this, the somber mood that surrounded the party disappeared.
Chrom looks around to his friend and sister, noting there smiles, before locking eyes with Boss once again, "Emmeryn. She is everything the previous Exalt wasn't. She is kind, compassionate, wise beyond her years, beautiful, and elegant. She loves her kingdom and its people. She also detests war and bloodshed in anyway, thus why she is trying so hard for a diplomatic truce between Plegia and Ylisse"
Boss nods at this while Robin smiles at hearing about this benevolent ruler, though Boss asks, "Quick question, is your Exalt chosen or is it a bloodline"
Chrom grimaces as he answers, "It is a bloodline, so yes, Boss, her father was the man that committed such atrocities"
Boss nods slowly and tries to think of the best way to ask his next question. After a few seconds he just decides to screw it, "If that's the case, then how do you know that she is genuine in her pursuits? She could be putting on an act and in reality she is just as bloodthirsty as her father"
Robin's eyes widened at the question before she adopts a thoughtful look as she realises that his question is a legitimate one, though her reaction was by far the most subdued. Both Frederick and Lissa jump to their feet and shout at the same time, "How dare you?!/It's not like that at all!" However they were silenced as Chrom lifted his hand in a way that said, 'quiete, please'. Though they looked like they wanted to say more, Frederick especially, they both complied , though they didn't sit back down.
Chrom has a neutral look on his face, "You don't ask any easy questions, do you Boss?"
Boss replies, "Easy questions get easy answers"
Chrom chuckles a bit, "Fair enough. To answer your question, I can say with absolute certainty, Exalt Emmeryn is as pure on the inside as she projects on the outside"
Boss is about to speak, but a certain amnesiac beat him to it, "How can you be so certain" she asks hesitantly.
Chrom looks like he is about to speak, but stops himself. He looks to Lissa, who is smiling softly at him, then to Frederick who is giving him a slow shake of his head. Chrom then looks at the inquisitive duo and sighs, "I'm sorry, but that's an answer for another day, for now we should start sleeping as we will set out early tomorrow. Who wants first watch" he asks everyone.
Frederick stands, "I must insist that either of our two tagalongs must take the first watch"
Everyone was shocked at this, especially Robin who began smiling "You trust us that much" she asks hopefully.
Frederick scoffs at this, "Hardly, it's just that the first watch is when everyone is most alert so the chances of you killing us in our sleep is less than if you had watch during the middle of the night"
Everyone(except Boss) sighs at his explanation.
Boss raised from his seat as well, "Well then if you wouldn't mind, I'll be first" he says then he walks to the perimeter of the camp. Chrom smiles at this, "Very well, Boss. Come wake me up next when you feel the need for sleep" Boss looks back and nods before sitting down, puts his helmet back on and then starts tapping away at his temple. Chrom seems satisfied with this and turns to the others, "The rest of you, I bid you goodnight and hope sleep well" he says as he lays down, puts his arms behind his head and closes his eyes. The rest follow his example and make themselves as comfortable as possible. After about 30 minutes everyone is sleeping soundly and Boss is still going through his armor's diagnostics. The information is the same as it was before, if only a slight increase in his shields. He sighs and takes his helmet off quickly, the error messages quickly becoming an annoyance. He sighs again as he stares at the visor of said helmet. He still gets nostalgic when he remembers the first time he received it and they told him that he was special, not unique, no clone was unique(it's in the name) but special. He was made to lead an elite squad of soldiers so amazing that he still hardly believes all the accomplishments under their belts. He puts down the helmet and looks back to his sleeping companions. He is glad to have found decent people to travel with, but he doubts they know anyway to send him home. No, that will have to come later when he meets up with the rest of delta. That will happen, not if. He survived so that means the Scorch, Sev, and Fixer definitely did too. Once he reunites with his brothers then they can figure out a way to go home, after all a clone not fighting clankers is just not a clone he wants to be. He looks back to the woods. He will go along with these shepherds for now, but he mustn't get too attached as that would make the inevitable goodbyes that much harder. He looks quickly to Robin as she sleeps soundly on the ground using her long coat as a pillow and a little drool falling out of her mouth. Boss shakes his head and looks forward again. Mustn't get too attached indeed.
Eventually, after an uneventful watch, Boss felt his eyelids become heavy and he was experienced enough to know that only a fool would push past his limits outside of a war zone. And Boss was no fool. He stood, slipped on his helmet. Shields at 60% he noticed. And went to go wake Chrom. He shook Chrom awake and to the man's credit he didn't even need a couple minutes before he was fully awake and ready to take watch.
"See anything, Boss" The bluette asks.
Boss shakes his head, "Only rodents and leaves"
Chrom nods in acknowledgement, "Well then I hope you have a restful slumber" he then walks to the perimeter with only a pat on the shoulder as a goodbye. He quickly looks for a good spot on the ground and lays down, he didn't take off any of his armor or his weapons. A soldier slept with those on Incase of an ambush. Though if his watch was any indication, tonight was going to be pretty uneventful.
Boss doesn't tempt fate anymore.
Authors note: Hey guys...I'm back. I am sorry for being gone for so long. I could give you my life story, but I know you don't want to read that. long story short, was depressed, now I'm good. Didn't like job, got a new one I do. Was lonely, now have a girlfriend. Was scared to write again, now I'm not. so don't worry I'm here for good now, and with a lot of ideas.
