Robin reclined on the bench in the mid-afternoon sun, allowing their hood to flap back. Their face felt comfortable in the outdoor air, although the half-paved park was perhaps a tad less refreshing than the woods and fields where they had made camp so many times. It felt like yesterday, really. There were many fond memories of those days, of the bond between soldiers, but at the same time it was more than for the best those days were over. . .
While they were lost in thought, a blond haired man sat down beside them, holding out a piece of tupperware.
"Fiora accidentally made too many eggs at breakfast this morning, so she told me to bring some over to someone here. It would almost feel like a waste to give it to Kirby, but you're the only person I know who eats normally who will touch food if it doesn't come from a farm animal."
Robin leaned over the container of tupperware. They were indeed eggs, two large eggs, one seemingly entirely yolk and the other seemingly entirely white.
"Curious. . .what did they come from?" Robin asked.
"They're Flamii eggs. They're pretty well liked locally." He said.
Robin shrugged and pulled out a fork from within their cloak. Casually they stuck it into the egg of yolk and pulled out a bite, nodding as they placed it into their mouth.
"May I finish it here?" Robin asked.
He handed Robin the container, and Robin stuck the fork into the egg of white, eating it with a similar degree of approval.
"Do you always walk around with a fork in your coat?" He asked.
"Not always, no, it's a liability on the battlefield. When you keep bringing me your leftovers, it's rather more convenient." Robin said.
"What all do you have in there, anyway?" He asked.
"There's practical storage space for four tomes, along with some odds and ends. You didn't think I just pulled spellbooks out of thin air, did you?"
He started to raise his index finger, then stopped midway. Robin did rather give the impression of a magician to those of other worlds. The running theory of their current partner was that their books were inked with ether, but that didn't stop some feats from being just a bit mysterious for him to grasp even with that idea.
"So, what are you doing out today? You usually seem rather busy, do you have something special planned?" He asked.
"I'm busier, actually. I'm trying to manage a reconstruction project for one of the other worlds in the organization, but I have to check in periodically on something else, so I can't actually handle it in person." Robin said, leaning back.
"Reconstruction project. . .what do you mean?" He asked.
"Some of their towns are a bit more rubble than town at the moment. I've sent some of the best troops in the Ylissean Guard to deliver supplies and help assist in bringing the region back to a stable state."
Shulk seemed a bit surprised and worried upon hearing this, his brows furrowing into a concerned expression.
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" He asked. "They must be in a pretty rough situation if that much is needed. I have experience helping gather supplies and fix local issues during the reconstruction of Colony 6, I could easily help! Sharla would almost certainly be willing to pitch in as well, I could ask her if she wanted to tag along too."
Robin glanced over at him. They hadn't expected him to react with such interest, but many of the people here had experienced war and disaster before. He likely was indeed quite qualified, and the help would certainly be needed. . .
"I'm expecting Lucina to check in with me shortly, if you truly wish to help, she can make a quick detour to pick up anyone else you need and lead you there. The Outrealms are too dangerous for someone without experience, but Lucina has been trained in the route. Honestly this has all come to my realization at once, so I never had time to seek help beyond the troops I personally keep in contact with before you arrived."
"Alright, that's good to hear. What exactly caused all the damage that you're trying to help them recover from?"
Robin stiffened slightly, trying to hide the reaction from him. The fact that they were trying to keep the research they were doing secret alone was enough to make the topic awkward. With his particular history it was downright out of the question.
"They're recovering from a war. I can't claim to know most of the details." Robin said, hiding behind the technical truth.
"You mean like a war between men, or like a war with Mechon, or. . .? Because there are very differe-"
"Lucina! There you are!" Robin called out abruptly.
Lucina bounded up from the distance like a puppy retrieving a stick. To this day she still happily wore her armor modeled after that of the Hero-King, a quiet idolization left over from the scars of a darker world. Perhaps slightly odd overall, but considering her taste in new clothes one would hardly dare to let her select a new outfit by herself.
"Good afternoon, Robin. And good afternoon to you as well, Shulk." Lucina said.
"Good morning, Lucina. How do things appear to be moving along?" Robin asked.
"Quite well, honestly. I find myself rather relieved. The man who led us over seemed quite knowledgeable on how to best assist. I felt oddly reminded of the Radiant Hero in his presence, although he was less. . ." Lucina trailed off.
"Polite?" Robin offered.
"Perhaps." Lucina said. "Although I was left under the impression that he had lived through far worse than even he as well. One starts to notice it in a man's eyes when they've had everything they've ever cared about ripped from them over and over again. It's something I've seen. . .quite often before. . ." Lucina trailed off again, this time her voice cracking slightly.
". . .I'm sorry, I never meant to remind you of those times." Robin said.
"That's alright, I'm fine." Lucina said, composing herself. "Nothing honors me more than to bring even a little joy to a land that has been through so much. Having been where I have, the sight of children clutching at my clothes and dancing in circles around me was one I never thought I'd see in my life back then. The place has been brought to the brink, but it's recovering, and that's something more than I ever could have hoped for in my time."
"If I may. . .do you think I could come with you when you return?" Shulk cut in.
"You wish to help as well?" Lucina asked. "That would be quite appreciated. You always seem to have such a knack for doing things better than anyone could think of, I'm sure few could help more."
Shulk rubbed the back of his head and grinned in modesty. His misadventures in trying to fix the various utilities in the area were well known, he'd soon developed a habit of taking old wiring and trying to snip out the broken bits and fit it into something else. He'd set his little garage alight more than once in his attempts, but the place was overall indeed much better than anyone could have arranged for without him.
Meanwhile Lucina's attention seemed to drift to something else. Robin made a general habit of paying attention to the expressions of others and had a particular concern about someone they were so close to, so the subtle diversion of the eyes stuck out like a bonfire.
"Do you have something else you wish to bring up, Lucina?" Robin asked.
"Ah. Yes. I was asked to escort someone back to you, actually." Lucina said.
"Escort someone. . .any particular reason why?" Robin asked.
"While I was there, the man seemed rather restless about something. His partner inquired whether the two of them should go investigate something further, but he insisted that they were needed more there. At that point his partner suggested simply going by herself, which was met with a. . .fair bit of tension on his part. He seemed to think that she wouldn't be safe doing something so dangerous alone, 'not after the last time?' She insisted that if under your care it wouldn't be an issue, but he resisted the idea, assuming you wouldn't be able to handle it. At that point I simply couldn't help myself, so I started explaining some of the ways you've managed to protect others, how you managed to save Basilo the way you did. . .he still didn't seem particularly comfortable with the idea, but after hearing all that he reluctantly agreed to let her travel back here along with me." Lucina said.
Robin held their hand to their lips and mulled over the situation. Certainly a fair bit complicated of a situation to be handed, but nonetheless if even a vague awareness of their project was being passed around someone willing and able to help would be invaluable.
"You have your father's way with people, Lucina. It's a trait I admire in him, and I admire it no less in yourself. Though keeping watch over someone so clearly cared for is a heavy responibility to bear, as a tactician I find it an honor to be trusted with someone of such value." Robin said, smiling. "So now then, seeing as they do not seem to be here, where did you send them to wait?"
"I found it difficult to think of a place that would be appropriate, so I directed them over to the library. You seem to spend so much time there, I assumed it would be a reliable place to wait for you. Hopefully I did not overstep my bounds." Lucina said.
"It's. . .fine. . .I can work with that." Robin said, suppressing a cringe.
Almost certainly whoever it was would wait at the entrance, but there was no guarantee and the idea of a stranger stumbling across their desk unattended evoked a number of uncomfortable emotions in Robin. Or depending on the type, simply wandering close to all those precious books at all. The library was their base of operations despite it, though, and so make the best of it indeed Robin could.
"Well, I suppose I shall be off soon. Are you able to come as you are, Shulk?" Lucina asked.
"Yes, I can come right aw-" Shulk started.
Suddenly Shulk quieted down and spaced out a bit. Both Robin and Lucina immediately took notice and quieted down as well. It was well known what these episodes meant at this point, and if it happened anywhere outside of battle it was almost certainly important enough to wait for him to come to. Eventually he pulled himself back into the moment, looking a bit more startled than before he started.
"So. . .what exactly did you see just now?" Robin asked.
"I. . .I don't know. It must be something big, I got quite a number of flashes of different moments so it must be very early to be warned about whatever it is." Shulk said.
"Anything in particular stand out to you?" Robin asked.
"It's. . .I think I saw some people here using their Final Smashes near the end. I'm not sure what all and why, but Super Sonic was bright enough to stand out to me. . .I think he might have gotten knocked out of it. . ." Shulk said.
Robin successfully suppressed their reaction.
"Well, I suppose we'll all figure it out soon enough. Whatever needs to be done to stop whatever is happening, I don't have enough context to know how to go through with it. I suppose I'll just have to keep it in mind until there's more I can do. See you again soon?" Shulk said.
Robin let out a sigh of tension as Lucina and Shulk went on their way. They seemed to be doing that a lot lately. It was becoming increasingly obvious that something was very wrong with the situation, but how to determine what needed to be done. . .?
Ah yes, of course, they still had their visitor to attend to. They'd made a point of not sitting too far from the library, so it would be a short trip. A little grass under one's boots, a little jingling from the door, and back to their home away from home they were.
Leaning against the desk was a woman of clear experience in battle, her pale brunette hair flowing comfortably over her shoulders. Strapped to her waist was a strange blade, a peculiar shade of purple with jagged blood red edges, and rather too short and thick to look any better than a bludgeon for it.
"So you're the famed tactician of Ylisse. Pleasure to meet you, although as is usually the case with these things I wish it was under better circumstances." They said.
"I suppose Lucina's little talk went a bit deeper than I thought. What is your name?" Robin asked.
"I guess we haven't been introduced, have we? My name is G-"
"Hey Robin, I need your advice with something, can you pick up?" Sonic's voice interrupted through the radio.
". . .I guess introductions will have to wait a moment." Robin said, jogging over.