Title: Mao
Summary: Ryoma knew that his men wondered about his decision to hire the crude mercenary. Even he wondered to himself what made him do it. Then he remembered the young woman's eyes as she effortlessly fired spell after spell using a tome, a Nohrian weapon, but her physical appearance and aura spoke of either Izumite or Hoshidan.
Ryoma was wary of this strange woman.
In which Morgan makes it to Shirasagi and people are wary of this strange mercenary. Morgan just wants to find her brother but it seems like she's getting dragged to another dragon fiasco.
Note: Mao is a weirdo and the Hoshido royalty are little weebs. People are suspicious. Morgan did not sign up for this. That is all, thank you.
I hadn't planned on writing anything else but mind was being pissy ya know. Anyway, I couldn't play Revelations which was gonna be my go to route and I'm playing through Conquest at the moment because I love Leo and Elise.
I'm sorry for OOC. I'm still new at this and I'm playing through Conquest. Shit. I should probs play Birthright if I can't play Revelations, huh.
Forgive miao. (๑ↀᆺↀ๑)
Ryoma knew that his men wondered about his decision to hire the crude mercenary. Even he wondered to himself what made him do it. Then he remembered the young woman's eyes as she effortlessly fired spell after spell using a tome, a Nohrian weapon, but her physical appearance and aura spoke of either Izumite or Hoshidan.
Ryoma was wary of this strange woman.
A mercenary named Mao, an Izumo name, who wielded both tomes and swords. A fearful one in battle. He knew two things immediately - this woman is dangerous and he needed to keep a closer eye on her, and he has to make sure Nohr doesn't hire her.
Mercenaries are fickle creatures. They don't do anything unless there's something in return for them. So it took him by surprise when this odd mercenary solo'd a Nohrian army advancing in a village that nearly fell had she not been there to protect it.
But this woman is also a sister. He knew of what she must be feeling - he lost his own little sister too. This strange mercenary who would walk village after village in search of her brother, protecting the weak and innocent without asking for anything in return, and continuing being airy and disrespectful to him despite her knowledge that he was royalty.
That was another thing. Ryoma had encountered various responses to his title and rank: displeasure or reverence. This woman fell into neither. She acknowledged his status as the high prince of the kingdom she now travel but she shrugged it off as if it was nothing. She referred to him by his given name and asked him to give her the same courtesy. She laughed loud and talks to him as if he was an ordinary man, maybe jesting him about his status but nothing else.
When he first met the mercenary Mao, he narrowed his eyes and thought, what a dangerous woman. As he travel with her back to the capitol, all he can think of was that this girl was mad. She often skipped rather than walk. She has the energy to keep smiling and laughing despite the fact that moments before she was panting from fatigue. She would make reference none of them would understand and laugh at her own jokes. Her way of speaking was theatrical as well. She would shout and exclaim or whisper rather than calmly say something.
What an odd woman.
Ryoma hired this woman because she was strong. She caught his attention as she animatedly talk about her lost brother, not losing hope despite the continuous negative report. His attention remained because of her rather odd character.
As Ryoma entered the gates to the capitol, he wondered how his siblings or mother would react to this woman. He looked down at her, looking around in awe, her pink hair a mess on her head. His eyes met her shining eyes and braced himself as she began asking questions about the most trivial things.
("Wow, that's such a pretty pond, do you have any fishies there?" "You really have that many fishes? What are their names? What do you mean you hadn't named them? What the heck, man?" "Whoa! This place is so cool. And wow, this little bridge is amazing. It has such a fascinating curve." "I've never seen anything like this flower, what is it?" "Whoa! You have a huge house, what the he- oh, wait, you're a prince. I forgot." "Oh. My. Gosh. I could roll around this grass for hours.")
"Oh my gosh, she's your sister!" Mao exclaimed, eyes wide as she stared at Hinoka. "How can she be your sister? She's super adorable. Like a cute-y strawberry. You're super prickly porcupine in lobster suit. How?"
Hinoka flared, straightening her back to stare back at the small girl. A scowl was fixed on her face at the woman who disrespected her brother. "Who are you?"
Ryoma didn't get a chance to interject as Mao answered, pointing with her at him. "I'm a mercenary your brother impulsively hired. Nice to meetcha!"
His sister's eyes widened, likely unused with the disrespect directed at her brother. "Excuse me."
"Yeah, you kinda need to work with your brother about stranger danger and also how to accept no for an answer." Mao gave her a bright grin. "He insisted to hire me even though I said no. What a spoiled prince, am I right?"
"I don't-" Hinoka stared harder at the girl. "What?"
Ryoma sighed. "Pardon her, Hinoka." He said. "She is a wandering mercenary who travelled far and wide. Her culture is widely different than ours." He moved to hide the smaller girl. "Which is why no one taught her how to be proper respectful Hoshidan."
A scoff. "Rude." But she didn't speak again.
Hinoka stared between the two for a moment before she cleared her throat. "Ryoma, how was your travel to the village? Were there any survivors?"
A noise from behind him spoke that either Mao was surprised or confused.
"Actually, it was a successful march. There were only few casualties." He said.
"What? But the message of the attack came too late. The village was far. Even - even Mother said that it was too late but you persisted to check for survivors. How can there be only be few casualties? Were the reports we received false?"
"You misunderstood me, sister." Ryoma replied. "There were Nohrian soldiers who attacked the village. We were too late to arrive. But I can count the civilian casualty with my fingers. There were number of injured but they were all saved."
"What?"
"It was thanks to mercenary Mao here." He said, stepping aside to let his sister see her. Mao was cleaning her fiddling with her hood but dropped it as soon as she realized he was out of her line of sight. "She protected the village in our stead as we hurried towards the village."
"What?"
"Pshaw." Mao waved the compliment off. "All I did was fight a couple soldier and told villagers to run. It was hardly something heroic or worthy of praises."
"You protected the village by yourself." Ryoma looked down at her, hardly believing she was actually just waving it off. He wondered if she was playing it off lightly but saw that she truly didn't believe she did anything special. "Any other mercenaries wouldn't have lifted a finger."
She cocked her head and put a hand on her waist. "You're acting all haughty, Mr. 1%. Not all mercenaries are the same, you know. Mama always says, 'help people no matter who they are,' and I ain't about to go against my mama - even if it means saving a 1% like you, highness."
"Maybe you ought to consider you and your family are part of the mercenaries 1% too, mercenary Mao."
"Okay, now you really are messing with me." She complained. "You calling me mercenary Mao all the time. You have an inside joke I'm definitely missing. What's that even mean?"
Hinoka and the palace guards gaped at them. The soldiers he brought with him seemed to be used to her crude behavior. They had been travelling with her for almost a day and a half already and during that time, they had watched the girl banter with him and tease him and he respond in kind. It was a refreshing experience, to not be told that he had to be the dutiful high prince.
Of course that moment was gone. Back in the palace, he had responsibility that he must fulfill. He straightened and wiped the amusement in his face.
He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, I have hired the mercenary Mao after her bravery and show of skill. We have talked about her contract on the way here. At the moment, her contract is a year and with additional benefits and looser control."
"Ryoma, are you sure about this?" Hinoka weakly asked.
Ryoma nodded his head. "Yes."
"I don't think you are." Mao whispered under her breath, either sure he can hear her or the opposite.
He was sure if Hinoka heard her, she would silently agree but not speak it out loud.
Ryoma left Mao to her own place, near the servants quarter and far from the royal house but near the ponds. He was not far gone in his impulsive decision to take her in that he would allow her anywhere near where she can harm his siblings.
Hinoka had apparently told Takumi already. The two of them were at his heels, asking him, "Are sure it is safe for your mercenary to be free? Do you truly trust her?"
"I can't say I trust her but that doesn't mean I don't trust her either." He said.
"What if she's a Nohrian spy?" Takumi hissed.
"She doesn't look like a Nohrian though." Hinoka ceded. "Her hair color can pass for either an Izumite or a Hoshidan but her eyes and facial features don't match either ours or a Nohrians."
"Doesn't mean she can't be a Nohrian spy. Anyone can be a spy!" Takumi insisted.
Hinoka sighed. "Takumi, I understand you're wary nature but I think you're bordering paranoid with this thing."
Takumi glared at their sister, arms crossed and a petulant scowl that looks more like a pout.
"There's no need to worry, Takumi." Ryoma assured. "I made sure to have Saizo follow her around the first few days. I am also wary of her, but I know that she can be trusted."
He didn't tell them of her other mission and part of the reason he hired her. Her quest to find her brother tha to the crown. It reflected their desire to retrieve Kamui from the Nohrians.
Takumi frowned but nodded his assent. There was nothing that anyone could say about Saizo's loyalty to Hoshido and Ryoma. If he found the mercenary bordering dangerous, he would take her out no question.
"Well, that's something at least." Takumi said.
"Yes," Ryoma agreed. "That is something indeed.
"Oh, Takumi," Hinoka interjected, trying to get her little brother in on a joke. "Her name is Mao. She's a mercenary named Mao."
Takumi's brows rose. "Mercenary Mao." He snorted. "Are you certain that's her real name and not a fake one?"
Hinoka laughed. "I had thought so too."
"Not to worry," Ryoma assured. "I had the soldiers verify her identity. There are traces of her identity not just in the village but in various others. She is a wandering mercenary whose skills gave way to a small bout of fame within Hoshidan villages."
"Does she glide in the air as well?" Takumi joked. "Although, to be fair, had it been a fake name it would have been a poorly chosen one. All who read the story knows that the mercenary Tao was an evil one - not one who you would hire."
"I know right." Hinoka said. "But I would like to see if she can actually travel through air on a pillar."
Ryoma shook his head fondly.
"Where is mother, anyway?" He asked. "And Sakura?"
"Sakura is out to town with her retainers." Hinoka answered. "And mother is currently busy with her meeting with Yukimura."
"I heard from the grapevine that both Saizo's brother, Kaze, and the daughter of the Fire tribe chieftain's daughter were captured by Nohr. What will be done to save them?" Takumi asked.
"I don't know." Ryoma shook his head. "But Hoshido will not fail them, I swear on that."
Ryoma finished his meeting with his mother and the council. Saizo returned to his side to report nothing suspicious done by Mao. All she did, he said, was walk around the compound and try to name all the koi fishes in the pond. Kagero was on duty of watching over her.
"Come on, Sakura!" He heard a voice that sounded like Mao call out. "I know you can do it!"
Ryoma steered to the right, opting to see what was going on. His brows furrowed in thought to see his shy little sister throwing pebbles and watching it hop thrice the surface of the pond.
"I did it!" Sakura exclaimed, red in the face but beaming with a smile still. "Did you see, Mao?"
Ryoma was surprised to say the least. His sister was not cold but she did not open up to people easily. She was shy and reserved, almost afraid of people. But here was the odd mercenary he picked up making his sister smile despite obviously never meeting beforehand.
"Sakura." He called.
The two of them paused in whatever they were doing. Sakura's face fell and she looked down, moving a step away from Mao and looking down at her feet. Mao, on the other hand, straightened and cocked an eyebrow at him as if asking him what was wrong.
"Big brother." Sakura acknowledged him.
Mao's brows rose. Her eyes widened and she looked between them.
"Wait, what?" She spluttered out. "Brother? But wouldn't that mean -"
"She is a princess and my youngest sister." Ryoma clarified, seeing the confusion in her eyes.
"Y-you didn't know?" Sakura asked, confused as well.
"How was I supposed to know?" Mao asked, head moving back and forth. "How? How are you sisters adorable little ducklings when you're a -"
"Prickly porcupine." He finished. "I believe that you ought to watch your tongue. You are in our home, you know."
She made a face. "Sorry, milord, I was just shocked."
"So it would seem." He said. "What are you doing here, Sakura? And all alone with a stranger too. Where are your retainers?"
"They're at the training field." Sakura said. "I met miss Mao when I was taking my walk. She was - she was making rocks skip. I, um, I…"
"She wanted to learn how I was doing it." Mao supplied. "And besides, we're not alone. Miss ninja is somewhere around here ready to kill me if I make any wrong move."
Ryoma narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Kagero, Saizo," he called. His two retainers were by his side in an instant. "How did you know that?"
"I-it's not her fault or anything, big brother." Sakura defended.
"It was my fault, milord." Kagero bowed. "Upon seeing her approach the princess Sakura, I was quick to leave the shadows I was hidden in to protect her. I had given a warning to her about her actions. Forgive me, milord."
Ryoma and Mao stared at each other, neither faltering. Not until Mao sighed and lowered her head, surprising him. "Sorry, milord. I didn't mean to trespass upon your sister."
"Y-you didn't." Sakura said but she was ignored for the most part.
"I understand your protectiveness over your sister." She continued. "But do know that no one in your family will be harmed by me. I, after all, signed a contract with a clause that says my loyalty is to you. And your loyalty is to your family, as such, my loyalty is also theirs."
Mao gave another shallow bow to Sakura.
"I apologize for my casual behavior with you, princess." She said. "I had not known of your status but even so I am a guest and a servant under your brother. I ought to learn my place."
Mao gave a nod to him, an open left palm and a closed fist right hand joined together as she addressed him. "I shall return to my quarters and await your instructions, milord."
And she was gone.
He gave a sigh and nodded at his retainer to watch over her. He didn't understand why she suddenly bowed to him. He didn't understand why she didn't snark back at him like he thought she would.
Mao was an oddity. And it was as if all those steps they have taken together, he took two steps back from their former acquaintance.
Note: MAO IS PISSED AND IS BEING PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE. AS SOON AS SHE'S OUT OF SIGHT SHE'S PROBS GONNA LET OUT HER PISSED AURA.
LISTEN, MAO KNOWS COURT LIFE. HER BEST FRIEND ARE CYNTHIA (Chrom's in my last play through) AND OWAIN (I made him Lon'qu's). SHE KNOWS ROYALTY. DO NOT MESS WITH HER ABOUT MANNERS BISH. SHE KNOWS HOW TO BACKSTAB SOMEONE, RYOMA! HER DAD WAS FUCKING ROBIN. SHE HAS LIKE A HANDFUL OF AUNTS AND UNCLES. SOME ROYALTY AND ONE OF THEM IS HENRY. SHE KNOWS HOW TO FIGHT DIRTY