Author Notes: I can't believe it has been over a year since "Tales of Berseria" was released in the West. I remember when I started playing the game immediately upon its release. It was easily the best game I had played in recent years with how much I wanted to play it every day I could. Getting back home after a long day was immediately made fun because I knew I'd be able to play this game. It was a real shame when it came to an end.

Due to how much I played the game, it wasn't surprising to know that this was my second most played game in 2017 followed only by "Persona 5" which was an awesome game as well. I've been doing my best to recommend fellow gamers to play "Tales of Berseria", and everyone who has played the game have become fans along with becoming Veleanor fans as well. That made me doubly happy.

In addition to "Sorrowful Peace" Chapter Three, I produced the third chapter of this story to celebrate the first anniversary for Tales of Berseria's Western release. Based on how things turned out the last time I released both updates on the same day, I decided giving them a little more space would be for the better. I was disappointed by the lack of reviews, but I'm glad a few reviews came up overtime. I'm hoping it will be better this time around.

For the readers who have provided reviews for my work, I'm grateful for that. I'm glad that all of you have enjoyed the character interactions with the various characters. When I write this story, I do my best to channel the characters to keep them in line with their canon counterparts while possibly being somewhat flexible for character development they might get in this, specifically with Velvet and Eleanor. The fact that both of the characters received significant character development in the canon video game certainly helped. In addition to having that flexibility, I enjoy going into territory that I wish was expanded upon in canon. Fanfiction truly is a great method of accomplishing such things.

I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter and leave a review. It would be greatly appreciated. Happy reading.

/

Spoken and Unspoken Words

Chapter Three: Ups and Downs

/

Ups and Downs are life

Nothing can go that smoothly

Life is not like that

/

It had only been a few hours since the crew of the Van Eltia had arrived at their vacation destination, but some members of the crew were already living it up. If anyone else had seen them, they wouldn't believe they were pirates. Nor would they believe the crew suffered a major loss recently. Instead, they would be seeing a bunch of people having the time of their lives.

Rokurou had fun trying to get a stag beetle fight a hermit crab. He managed to get a crowd around him who were getting in on the action. They managed to find some other participants for their contest of strength as well.

Eizen was busy attempting to stay afloat in the water. Even with his Penygon floaties, he was barely able to stay above the water. Benwick remained on the side watching the first mate in his struggles. He had a whistle on him just in case.

Magilou was enjoying her 'Summer of Freedom' by occasionally spying on the trio of Island explorers while wearing her less than appropriate swimsuit. Anyone of the crew members who saw her in that outfit were immediately put into a state of unease. It was certainly not the best sight on this island.

The remaining members of the Van Eltia crew had set up a large camp by ship. They put up tents, so they could sleep on the beach rather than the ship. As comfortable as they made their ship on the open seas, nothing could beat sleeping on solid land. When Benwick was done playing lifeguard, he also made sure to get things ready for their first big cookout for their vacation. They would make it a time to remember for the upcoming final battle. A calm before the storm.

The last three unaccounted members of the group, Velvet, Eleanor, and Laphicet were exploring the island. The sun was beginning to wane as they emerged from the forest area. Upon leaving the forest, they saw a rocky cliff area. The three of them walked towards the edge to see the cliff was not too far from the water. The waves were calm, and there were boulders that could make great seats. It was an ideal fishing spot.

"Hey! Velvet! Eleanor!" Laphicet excitedly said, "I think this'll be a great spot to fish! Can we fish here!? Can we?!"

"Hmph." Velvet grinned as she placed her hand on her waist and remarked, "You really want to try fishing again that much?"

"You bet I do!" Laphicet happily said, "Last time was a lot of fun. I would love to fish again."

Velvet continued to smile as she said, "That's fine with me, but we'll do it tomorrow. We should be heading back to the Van Eltia."

"Aww …" Laphicet lowered his head in disappointment.

"Don't be like that Phi." Velvet stated in a stern tone, "We had fun today, but there's no point in rushing to do everything at once. If you try doing everything in one day, you'll feel disappointed in the end. Best to spread it out. We have some time to do that." Laphicet's face lived up as Velvet then stated, "You'll have plenty of time to fish tomorrow. Trust me. It'll be more fun this way."

Eleanor nodded her head in agreement, "That's a good point."

"Okay, okay. I got it." Laphicet impatiently asked, "You promise we'll come back in the morning?"

"Of course." Velvet answered with a smile. "First thing."

"Yay!" Laphicet excited replied.

Velvet then said, "Now with that settled, let's head back."

"All right." Laphicet grinned as he ran off and said, "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

"…" Both Velvet and Eleanor looked at Laphicet's retreating figure with a smile.

"Heh. Heh. He changed his tune quickly." Velvet lightly chuckled as she shook her head and happily remarked, "He really is a little kid."

"Yeah." Eleanor softly agreed, "He really is."

"…" Velvet glanced over to Eleanor and then looked back to Laphicet's retreating figure.

Eleanor noticed Velvet's glance which caused her to ask, "Is something wrong Velvet?"

"No." Velvet asked while still looking at Laphicet, "Are you still up for tonight?"

"What?" Eleanor was taken aback by the sudden question. "What do you mean?"

"Sparing. Remember?" Velvet stated with a raised eyebrow, "We talked about on the boat before. Are you up for a rematch or not."

"Oh right! Heh … Heh …" Eleanor chuckled as she sheepishly had both her hands behind her back and looked away. "I forgot about that."

"Hmph." Velvet grinned as she inquired, "Had a little too much fun today?"

"Heh. Heh." Eleanor chuckled as she looked to Velvet. "Kinda."

Velvet repeated herself, "Are you up for our little duel or not?" Velvet began to look somewhat disappointed as she then said, "If you aren't, that's fine. There's always another time. We could-"

"No! No!" Eleanor waved her hands as she told Velvet, "I'm up for it!" Eleanor held out her hand and clenched her fingers as she declared, "I would love to spare with you Velvet. I've been wanting to have a rematch with you for a while. I've really been looking forward to it."

There was a sense of relief in Velvet's voice as she said, "I see. Glad to hear it." Velvet grinned as she pointed towards something as she said, "I think I found the perfect stage for it."

"Hmm?" Eleanor turned to where Velvet was pointing which caused her eyes to widen. "Huh?" Eleanor saw behind her a plateau in the middle of the island not far from where they were.

Velvet continued to grin as she remarked, "I'd say that would be the perfect spot for a fight." Velvet cheekily asked, "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah." Eleanor looked around and excitedly said, "It looks like the perfect place for our little rematch. It'd just be us."

"Good to know you are on board." Velvet raised and held up her fist in front of Eleanor as she said, "Then let's have a good match."

"Count on it." Eleanor bumped her fist with Velvet's.

"Hey! Eleanor! Velvet!" The two heard Laphicet calling them from the entrance to the forest area. "What're you doing? Hurry up!"

"We really shouldn't keep him waiting." Velvet then ran before Eleanor had a chance to react. "Gotta get moving!"

"Hey!" Eleanor then rushed behind Velvet, "Wait up!"

"Sorry Eleanor, but I can't be the rotten egg here." Velvet jokingly replied as she left Eleanor behind.

"Oh good grief!" The Exorcist said in a huff as she continued to lag behind the Lord of the Calamity.

/

When the trio returned to the ship, Laphicet arrived first with Velvet in second place and Eleanor in third. Both of them were happy to point out she had indeed become the rotten egg much to her chagrin. However, after taking a moment, Eleanor didn't mind it and laughed it off. That moment was forgotten as the scene before her was beginning to take shape.

Benwick and some of the others were cooking dinner. They had set up a cooking area, so to cook on the beach. While it was a makeshift kitchen, it was able to get the job done. Velvet immediately offered to help. She was far more enthusiastic about cooking again, and she personally cooked a few of the dishes with Laphicet acting as her taste tester.

Eleanor approached the outdoor kitchen, but it was overcrowded as it was. Attempting to force her way in would've caused more trouble than good. She was better off standing on the sidelines while Velvet took care of things. She was able to enjoy watching Velvet cook and even smile.

After some time passed, Velvet motioned for Eleanor to come over. When Eleanor approached them, Velvet gave Eleanor her dish. She told Eleanor to go ahead and eat it. Not only did the food look good on her plate, but the smells penetrated her nostrils and many pleasant sensations triggered in her brain. Not even that could prepare her for how mouthwatering the meal was upon the first bite.

"Mmm!" As Eleanor took a bite, she complimented the chef, "This is really good Velvet!"

Velvet smiled in response before they then heard Benwick call Velvet, "Excuse me! Can you help us out with this?" One of the chefs were starting to cause their food to be a little overcooked as seen from the smoke rising from the barbecue.

"I'm coming!" Velvet then looked to Eleanor and softly told her, "Enjoy." She then turned around to help Benwick with their cooking fiasco.

Eleanor felt the need to sit down somewhere. Luckily for her there was a large protruding rock in the sand that Eleanor decided to make use of as a seat. While Eleanor began taking a few more bites of the mouthwatering meal, she looked to see the various crew members on the beach.

Rokurou and Eizen were sitting across from each other on the sand with some of the other crew members crowded around them. Eleanor could see they were having the stag beetle and hermit crab brawl that Rokurou was hoping to have. They were all excited as they were rooting for their respective sides.

Magilou was lounging about waiting for her dinner to come. Some of the crew members appeared to be actively avoiding getting anywhere near her. While Magilou's behavior in general caused people to be wary of her, her rather inappropriate swimsuit certainly didn't do her any favors. When someone did bring her food, they didn't give it to her directly and simply placed it near her, but she didn't mind. She seemed to enjoy their reactions based on her 'cat grin.'

Seeing these scenes unfold in front of her gave Eleanor a sense of ease. Everyone appeared to be happy. They were happy. Even after the assault the Abbey conducted against them at Titainia and Captain Aifread's death due to the Abbey's actions, they were still pressing forward. They were happy, and they could have a peaceful moment.

When Eleanor looked at Velvet cooking with the other members of Aifread's crew, she could see Velvet smiling. When she first met Velvet, those smiles were non-existent. Even when they had moments that involved Velvet making her feel better for some reason, Velvet's face remained frozen in place, but there wasn't as much coldness as there was before. Laphicet was one of the few who could make Velvet smile, and those smiles were few and far between.

Eleanor still remembered how surprised she was when Velvet smiled so much in the dream Aball. She didn't think it was possible for Velvet to smile that much, but she did. After recent events and thanks to Laphicet, Velvet was now smiling more regularly. The true self that she used to be three years ago had become part of her again. It was no longer buried. It made everyone happier to see that.

When Eleanor thought about those times, she couldn't help but also remember how they were enemies. How she attempted to kill Velvet multiple times and ultimately failed. She could remember what she said to Velvet afterwards and how she refused to believe anything Velvet told her. Eleanor could clearly recall how she still had trouble accepting it despite the mounting evidence against the Abbey. While she was thinking that, she must've been staring into space because Velvet was approaching her unnoticed.

"Is something wrong?" Velvet asked in concern.

Eleanor could feel her ears perk up as she snapped to attention. Her posture straightened. She saw Velvet standing in front of her while holding a plate of food of her own. "Yes?"

"Did I do something wrong with your food?" Velvet asked as she motioned to the plate of food Eleanor was still holding. "You've only had a few bites."

"Oh!" Eleanor's eyes were wide open as she said, "No! There's nothing wrong with my food! I was just thinking about things."

"Is that so?" Velvet asked.

"Yes." Eleanor nodded, "I was thinking about how happy everyone seems to be."

Velvet looked behind her to see what Eleanor had seen. She saw that Laphicet joined Rokurou and Eizen in cheering on either the stag beetle or hermit crab side as she remarked, "Yeah. They do look happy."

"I wish Kamoana was here." Eleanor absentmindedly replied.

"She's safe where she is." Velvet remarked as she took a seat in the sand and placed her plate of food in front of her, "Dyle and Medissa are taking good care of her."

Eleanor sighed, "Yeah. I know."

"Hmph." Velvet remarked, "You know … With the three of them and the dogs, they seem to make a family."

"A family?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes." Velvet stated, "Medissa and Dyle seem to be doing their best to act as Kamoana's new parents, and they seem to get along really well. The dogs seem to like them a lot too."

"…" Eleanor took a moment before agreeing, "You're right. They really do seem like a family. We should do what we can for them."

"Yes …" Velvet softly said as she looked up to the sky, "They've all been through a lot, and we're not far from the end."

Eleanor looked up to the sky as well as she commented, "Yeah … I can't believe we're not far from the end as well. It's really hard to believe how far we've come."

"It really is." Velvet admitted, "Despite how much I wanted to do, I knew it wouldn't be easy to win. Now we know we can."

Eleanor looked at Velvet as she said, "None of this would've been possible without you Velvet."

"Not without Seres either." Velvet stated as she looked at her bandaged arm. "If she hadn't freed me, I wouldn't have been able to do any of this." Velvet curled her bandaged fingers as she then remarked, "And I had to eat her. I still remember that as if it was yesterday."

"…" Eleanor remorsefully said, "I'm sorry Velvet …"

"Don't be." Velvet told Eleanor, "Just eat. Your food is getting cold."

"Right." Eleanor began eating as Velvet remained sitting staring at her food. In-between bites, Eleanor asked, "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I want to, but …" Velvet put her bandaged hand on her lips as she said, "I can't taste anything besides blood. Remember?"

"…" Eleanor swallowed as she mentioned, "… Right … I keep forgetting about that …"

"It really makes it hard to eat." Velvet said as she looked at her plate of food. "I know this food is supposed to taste good. Seeing and smelling it is enough to convince me. Seeing you and Phi enjoy it proves it to. But …" Velvet picked up a piece of meat with her fork and held it up. "… When I try to eat it, there's … nothing … No bitterness. No sweetness. Just nothing …" Velvet sighed as she placed the fork and meat back on the plate. "It's disappointing every time."

"I can't even begin to picture what that must be like for you Velvet." Eleanor attempted to emphasize, "As someone who also likes to cook, I understand how great it is to taste something you cooked yourself."

"…" Velvet didn't say a word as she looked down.

"Is there really nothing we can do? Can Laphicet help?" Eleanor suggested.

"No." Velvet shook her head. "Don't forget." Velvet held out her bandaged hand, "I still need this power. We can't win against Artorius and Innominat without it."

"Hmm … You're right." Eleanor admitted, "That power really has helped turn a lot of situations around. We wouldn't have been able to wake up the Empyreans or free the other Therions without it."

"…" Velvet momentarily remained silent as she listened to Eleanor's words.

"I just wish we didn't need it." Eleanor said, "Then maybe something could be done."

Velvet broke her silence as she said, "Hopefully no one will need it after everything is over."

"…" Eleanor looked at Velvet's bandage before then saying, "Regardless, you really should eat Velvet. It might not give you the taste you want, but it is still good for your body. You won't be able to fight with that power of yours if your body becomes too hungry to fight."

"Can't argue with that logic." Velvet then took a bite out of her food before looking disappointed again, "…" She was expecting it to happen, but she still hated it every time it did. Something she could never get used to it.

"…" Eleanor could see Velvet's disappointment. She wasn't even trying to conceal it. The only thing Eleanor could say to Velvet was, "The food's good Velvet. I know you can't taste it, but I can assure you it is good. Very good."

"Thank you Eleanor …" Velvet said as she took another bite.

"I promise I'll do what I can to help you regain your sense of taste Velvet." Eleanor pointed out, "We've seen a lot of crazy things on this journey of ours, so helping you regain your sense of taste should be nothing compared to that."

"Hmm …" Velvet closed her eyes and reopened them before telling Eleanor, "I do appreciate that Eleanor. I know you are serious about that, but you don't have to waste your time doing something like-"

"It won't be a waste of time!" Eleanor interrupted Velvet as she stood up.

"!" Velvet's eyes widened in surprise and her head jerked back.

"You're my friend Velvet." Eleanor insisted, "Friends help each other out. I'll be more than happy to help you. Even if it is just one thing that I can help you with, I'll help you get it back. I'll do everything I can."

"…" Velvet's mouth was left slightly agape. "I …" Velvet was nearly speechless as she attempted to think of the right thing to say, "I don't know what to say …"

"You don't have to say a thing." Eleanor held up the plate of what was left of her meal as she told Velvet, "I just look forward to the day that you can eat again Velvet. If there isn't a way to help you now, I'll do what I can to find it." She then sat down and took a bite of what was left.

Velvet lightly smiled as she looked at Eleanor. "You really are a piece of work." Velvet softly said, "… Thank you Eleanor." She then proceeded to start eating her food again. Despite the lack of taste, she didn't feel as disappointed this time around.

"You're welcome." Eleanor said in response.

While they continued to eat, they could heard and see the various activities playing around them. Eventually, the two of them would go to check to see the appeal of having a stag beetle and a hermit crab having a brawl. It was actually more fun than they gave it credit for.

/

A few hours passed and the party began to dwindle. Several of the crew members were turning in for the night. Velvet was still awake. She was in her room putting back on her normal outfit, but the flower Eleanor had given her was still in her hair. She was adjusting her armlet that contained her hidden blade on her right wrist when she heard someone knocking.

Velvet kept adjusting her equipment as she casually said, "I'll be right there Eleanor."

"Sorry Velvet dear." Velvet heard the high pitched voice that belonged to none other than their resident witch Magilou. "It's me."

"Ugh …" Velvet groaned as she impatiently asked, "What is it?"

"Oh!" Magilou stood on the other side of door playfully clutching her heart. "Such a harsh attitude towards your dear friend."

"Whatever." Velvet then opened the door to see the witch was still clutching her heart. Velvet was grateful that Magilou was wearing her normal clothing again. Velvet once again impatiently asked, "What do you want?"

"Why do you always have to assume I want something Velvet dear?" Magilou replied with a grin.

"Your face and your behavior in general hasn't done you any favors." Velvet remarked in a deadpan tone.

"Oh. Touché." Magilou casually said with a shrug. "However, my intentions are 'pure' this time." This elicited an eye roll from Velvet, but Magilou paid it no mind as she continued to speak with gravitas, "I really did come here for a 'noble' reason." Magilou had her trademark smile as she said, "All I ever want was to help you in your time of need."

"Time of need? What?" Velvet asked in a dumbfounded tone as her head jerked back. "Wh- What're you talking about?"

"About your little late night session with our dear exorcist Eleanor." Magilou remarked.

"It's a sparring session!" Velvet immediately snapped back.

"Oh!" Magilou grinned as she repeated, "A sparring session eh?"

"Yes. A sparing session." Velvet remarked, "I'm pretty sure I don't need to explain what that is to you."

"Oh don't worry." Magilou grinned as she remarked, "I get the subtext."

"Subtext? What-?" Velvet shook her head and groaned, "Uggh …" Velvet raised her hands in the air in defeat as she stated, "Whatever. I'm not wasting my time with this." Velvet walked past Magilou until something Magilou said caught her attention.

"Just a word of advice. It is best not to leave things 'Unspoken'." Magilou's voice remained playful, but there was a sense of sincerity as she spoke.

Hearing those words caused Velvet to stop in her tracks. She remained facing away from Magilou as she asked, "What … What are you talking about?"

"Nothing in particular," Magilou quickly pointed out, "but I know you and you like to keep things to yourself."

Velvet looked over her shoulder and countered, "So what? You do too."

"Heh. Heh." Magilou giggled as she admitted, "Oh. Touché again." Magilou then looked Velvet in the eyes and told her, "However, my experiences have taught me much, and it could be a disservice not to pass on my wisdom onto others."

"Hmph." Velvet kept looking over her shoulder as she mockingly asked, "What exactly are you going to charge me for this 'wisdom'?"

Magilou shrugged and shook her head as she sarcastically asked, "Now how on Earth would you get an idea like that my little flower? I would never even think about charging the 'Lord of Calamity'." Magilou remained as playful as ever as she jokingly said, "That is unless she doesn't mind, and then I'd be more than happy to oblige."

"Hmph." Velvet turned around with her arms crossed as she remarked in a deadpan tone, "Your lord minds."

"Oh!" Magilou put her hand over her chest as she pretended to be shocked. "What a shock!"

Velvet was losing her patience as she asked one last time, "Are you going to keep playing these games or spill it?"

Magilou waved her hands in a sign of surrender. "Okay. Okay. I'll get to it."

"…" Velvet's arms remained crossed as she listened.

"Ahem." Magilou cleared her throat as she reiterated her original point, "It is best to leave no words unspoken because if they remain that way, you may regret it forever. I'm sure you of all people don't want that."

"…" Velvet lightly bit her lip before she hesitantly asked, "… What're you implying?"

"Implying? I thought I was making it clear to you outright." Magilou scratched her cheek as she coyly stated, "I guess I'll need to work on my execution."

"…" Velvet decided to turn around and leave without sparing another word. She continued to walk leaving behind a still smirking and satisfied Magilou.

/

When Velvet left the Van Eltia, she saw Eleanor dressed in her normal Exorcist uniform waiting for her. Eleanor looked up to see Velvet getting off the ship. At first Eleanor wasn't sure what she was seeing due to the dark. When Velvet was getting closer, Eleanor noticed that Velvet was still wearing the flower from earlier.

"…" Eleanor mouth was slightly agape upon seeing this.

"Something wrong?" Velvet asked when she walked towards Eleanor. "I didn't keep you waiting too long did I?"

"No." Eleanor shook her head and hands as she told Velvet, "I haven't been waiting too long, but did something hold you up?"

Velvet replied with one word, "Magilou."

"Oh." Eleanor nodded her head. "Did Magilou go out of her way to annoy you again?"

"Mmm …" Velvet took a moment to reply, "Not exactly …"

Eleanor replied, "That's surprising. She usually teeters on being 'barely tolerable'."

"She does. Constantly." Velvet put her hand through her hair as she admitted, "But as annoying as she can be, what she says can be sound …" Before Eleanor could speak, Velvet held up her right pointer finger as she quickly added, "… at times. Maybe even helpful."

"Well …" Eleanor reluctantly admitted, "she's definitely been around a lot longer than either of us. I'm pretty sure of that."

Velvet replied, "We can agree on that."

Eleanor asked, "Anyway, what'd she say that was helpful?"

"Hmm …" Velvet wasn't sure how to answer. Her brow began to furrow as she put her hand on her chin. The only thing she could say in response was, "It's kinda hard to say."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Eleanor offered in concern, "Did something she say bother you? You look troubled."

"I …" Velvet hesitantly replied, "… I'm honestly not sure."

Eleanor took a step back as she said, "If you feel that way, I'll just wait. You should probably take a little time to think things through."

"…" Velvet looked toward the sky as she remarked, "We're burning nighttime you know."

"Mmm?" Eleanor titled her head.

"We should get going if we're going to have a good sparing session." Velvet walked ahead as she said, "Let's go."

"…" Eleanor stood still for a moment as Velvet began to walk away. She then followed the Lord of Calamity to their destination.

/

It didn't take long for the duo to arrive at the plateau. It didn't take much effort for the two to climb to the top of it. However, Velvet was able to arrive at the top first. When she did, she turned around and offered Eleanor her hand. Eleanor accepted the gesture as Velvet pulled her up.

When Eleanor's feet were on the rocky surface of the Plateau, she immediately told Velvet, "Thanks."

"No problem." Velvet aloofly said as she looked at the top of the plateau.

The Exorcist and the Lord of Calamity could see for themselves that the plateau was composed of several protruding rocks along with the rough rocky surface. This made it the perfect place for them to carry out their little rematch.

Eleanor excitedly replied, "It's perfect."

"Hmm." Velvet nodded in agreement.

/

The stage had been set for the rematch between the 'Exorcist' and 'The Lord of Calamity'. They stood on opposite sides silently staring down at each other. They were wearing their normal attire and their weapons were drawn.

As they stood, Velvet broke the silence as she remarked, "It has been a while since we last fought." Velvet retracted her wrist blade as she made a last minute adjustment to the gauntlet as she continued to speak, "I've got to admit. Until I made the offer, I never realized how much I was looking forward to this."

"Hmph." Eleanor smiled as she responded, "I feel the same way."

"All right." Velvet declared, "Let's do this!"

/

Omake

Velvet: This is where the chapter ends? Are you serious?! We were just about to fight! The first actual fight scene in this whole story! We're ending it just when it gets started?

Eleanor: Afraid so.

Velvet: This totally sucks.

Eleanor: I know but it was the author's decision. Let's just leave it at that okay.

Velvet: Fine, but the author better not skip our fight scene.

Eleanor: I wouldn't worry about that. The author is actually pretty good at writing fight scenes if you've checked out the other stories. This isn't too different from how the author ended Chapter 18 and began Chapter 19 of "The Kirita Chronicles" between Delano and Kirita.

Velvet: Their fight scene turned out good?

Eleanor: The general reviewer opinion was positive. I'm sure the author will try to do the same with us.

Velvet: Let's hope so.

Eleanor: Just bear in mind, this story isn't really meant to focus on fighting so much. The fight scene probably won't be 'very' long.

Velvet: That's fine. Just as long as we get our fight scene.

Eleanor: Glad to know.

Velvet: Anyway, we should probably do the whole shameless promotion thing shouldn't we.

Eleanor: We really should. We kinda have to.

Velvet & Eleanor: Thank you for reading the newest chapter for "Spoken and Unspoken Words". Please leave a review. We'd greatly appreciate it.

Eleanor: See you next time.

Velvet: (shrugs) Whenever that is.

/

Author Notes: I'm glad I was able to finish this chapter as fast as I was able to. Similar to "Sorrowful Peace", I didn't want the gap between Chapters Two and Three to be that large, especially due to the Tales of Berseria anniversary. It was also ironic that both stories that were the last I updated in 2017 were the first that I updated in 2018. Regardless, it was fun to produce these chapters.

As I mentioned before, I like channeling the canon counterparts of the characters when I write these stories, but I also like having flexibility as well. Basically how their character might develop in these stories based on these circumstances. In that respect, Velvet, Eleanor, and Laphicet are the best targets of that due to how they receive the most significant character development in the canon game. It makes any character development they experience in various fanfiction stories easier to believe.

In the canon video game, they did have Laphicet develop a significant connection with both Velvet and Eleanor due to Velvet giving Laphicet his name and Eleanor becoming his vessel. They both became his 'big sisters' so to speak. While they also had the relationship between Velvet and Eleanor develop significantly as well, I do wish they could've provided more screentime for this potential family dynamic. While we do see Velvet not be as envious of Eleanor and being fine with entrusting Laphicet to her, it would've been fun to have the three of them have significant moments together outside of those Earth Pulse situations and occasional skits. I hope to do a little more with that in this story.

Originally, I did consider having the entire fight scene in this chapter, but I thought it would be better to go with the route I've done in some of my other stories. I prefer ending the chapter with action about to happen and then starting the following chapter with that action taking place. I think both the fight scene and the scene that takes place afterwards would be better off being their own chapter since we already had a significant moment between Velvet and Eleanor in this chapter. I've learned it is not the best idea to condense too much in one chapter.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. Please leave a review because feedback is greatly appreciated. See you next time.