Noire and Severa squealed with surprise as a sudden thumping noise emerged from behind them. There, behind them was the orange-haired girl from before, laying in the sandbox with her limbs extended outwards, her eyes closed and her tongue flopping out of her mouth comically.

Frightened, Noire exchanged a worried glance with Severa who returned with a confused, puzzled expression. Noire watched as Severa wriggled closer towards the collapsed girl but recoiled in surprise when the girl sprung up unexpectedly shaking her pig-tails furiously, sprinkling sand everywhere and before laughing hysterically.

After settling down, it wasn't long before the girl noticed the arrangement of crushed sandcastles beneath her.

"Oh, golly, sorry; I'm such a goof!" She flailed her hands desperately. "Sorry, I didn't mean to smoosh your stuff. Wait, I'll fix it and make it all good again!"

The strange girl urgently retrieved the toy bucket and began feverishly reconstructing the sandcastles, assembling each with inhuman speed. "There – all better!"

After Noire marveled at the creations, the orange-haired girl began to migrated closer towards Severa, their faces inches away from each other.

"Hey" mused the girl, "I 'member you – our Mummies are friends. Ugh, what was your name? Wait, don't tell me – I know this!"She scratched her head comically.

The red-head folded her arms bashfully. "Severa."

"Oh, that's right," exclaimed the other, "I knew that!" She jokingly knocked her forehead with her hand. "Duh, I'm such a dummy."

Noire recoiled in embarrassment when she suddenly approached her. "Hi there" she announced cheerfully, "what's your name?"

With her parents' encouraging words still echoing through her mind, Noire spoke softly as she repeated the same hand gestures from before. "H-hello, my n-name is…N-n-n…"

"Nancy? Nina? Nicole?"

"-Noire."

"Huh, that's a weird name. Well, it's nice to meet 'ya, Noire. I'm Cynthia – it's like Cynth but with an 'ugh' at the end."

"...Okay?"

Cynthia began to gaze intently at Noire's forehead. "Ooh, I like your feather! It's really pretty."

Smiling bashfully, Noire's hands instinctively migrated towards the item. "Oh, th-thank you. F-father got it for me when I turned f-five."

Noire watched as a massive smile spread across Cynthia's face. "Oh my gosh, I'm five too!" She shook her hands excitedly before swiftly bounding towards Severa. "Are you five?"

"...Yeah…but I'm gonna be six soon" answered Severa, folding her arms.

Cynthia stared in astonishment. "Wow" she exclaimed, "we're all five years old! That is so cool!"

"Why were you playing with boys?"

Noire turned her attention to Severa who stared at Cynthia expectantly, visibly interested. Just like the red-head, Noire too was intrigued as to why Cynthia, the only other girl attending the playground, had spent her time playing with the boys.

Rather dramatically, Cynthia placed her hands on her hips and spoke in an exaggerated voice. "We were playing Justice Cabal", she began. "I was the super pretty, super strong Pegasus princess and they were the baddies trying to take over the world, and I had to stop them! We got into a big fight, and I was like 'swoosh' and 'hi-yah' and 'take that!' The young girl imitated the swinging sword gestures while emitting noises and battle-cries.

While Severa continued to watch with confusion, Noire stared intently with astonishment, eager to hear the rest of Cynthia's story.

"But then the mean wizard did a magic spell on me and killed me dead!" Cynthia pretended as if something pierced her torso, emitting a strangled cry as she collapsed backwards into the sand.

As Noire anxiously covered her mouth, she was also surprised to see a genuine expression of excitement on Severa's face.

Cynthia began to giggle as she returned to her knees.

Noire's mind was racing with curiosity. "Did you…d-die?"

"Nah, we were just playing pretend" she reassured. With a courteous smile, Cynthia wriggled herself in between Noire and Severa. "I like you guys! Do you wanna be friends?"

A thrill of excitement raced down young Noire's spine. "R-really?"

"Yep, really really!"

As Cynthia turned her attention to the silent red-head, so did Noire, curious to hear how Severa would react to the proposal. After a flustered exchanged between them, Severa shrugged her shoulders bashfully with a weak nod of her head.

Squealing excitably, Cynthia placed her hands on each of their shoulders. "Ooh, this is amazing" she proclaimed, "I bet we're gonna be besties forever! Ooh, have you guys ever made flower rings before?"

Noire hadn't an idea what she was suggesting.

"Really? Oh my gosh – they're so pretty!" Gesturing excitedly away from the sandbox, Cynthia began to make her way out. "Come on, I'll show you how!"

Noire looked to her side and watched Severa hesitantly followed. A small smile graced Noire's lips as she observed Cynthia take one of Severa's hands, causing the red-head to blink frantically in surprise. Noire slowly stood up to accompany her two new friends, but remembered there was an important principle she had to follow before pursuing an activity.

"Hey, you coming?"

Nodding politely, Noire gestured towards her parents sitting away from the sandbox. "Oh, y-yes...I just…"

Acknowledging, Cynthia nodded understandingly.

Noire slowly made her back to her mother and father, her hands folded over her waist as she stared at the ground. During her walk back, the times Noire did look towards her parents she could clearly observe them exchanging words, her father's jovial smile present as well as her mother's stoic expression.

Swallowing anxiously, Noire slowly approached them with a weak smile. Upon reaching their foot of the bench, her father knelt down.

"My goodness, you look positively enraptured, dear" proclaimed Virion courteously, "I venture you've enjoyed your enjoyed yourself this afternoon."

Noire beamed with delight and nodded excitedly before gesturing towards the sandbox. "M-may I…play with them?"

Virion chucked softly. "Noire, you needn't ask for our permission. You're more than welcome to play with whomever you desire."

"Th-thank you, Father."

Although she had received approval from her father, Noire knew it wouldn't be enough. Hesitantly, she turned her gaze to her mother who, upon Noire's arrival, had returned to being silent. Noire experienced a great deal of fear and uncertainty as she observed her mother absentmindedly drum her fingers across her folded arms, visibly deep in concentration.

Noire continued to watch curiously as her father gently placed one of his hands on her mother's thigh, prompting the dark mage to inspect him. With a comforting smile, Virion gestured towards their daughter before them.

"…Stay safe" announced Tharja, "and if either of those two do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or afraid, you are to come back to us immediately, understand?"

Noire lowered her gaze. "Y-yes, M-mother", she whispered softly.

Tharja nodded weakly, "good", before averting her gaze once more.

Smiling with sympathy, Virion gestured behind Noire. "They're expecting you."

Noire turned around to inspect and was greeted with an overly-excited Cynthia waving her hand frantically. Raising her own hand sheepishly to acknowledge, Noire returned to her father and smiled politely.

After placing a gentle kiss on her cheek, Noire bid her parents farewell; Virion returned the gesture but Tharja remained silent. Although she was still disheartened by her mother, Noire tried not to let the dark mage's reluctance deter from enjoying herself as she anxiously returned to the two expectant young girls, as well as the two older women now accompanying them.

"You don't sound quite as delighted as I expected about this development."

Tharja scoffed with exasperation. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Virion was about to respond but hesitated; for once, the social butterfly was at a loss for words. "I understand your reluctance, I really do – I could never call myself a parent unless I was committed to doing what's right for our child's safety - but I urge to put your troubled conscience to rest." The archer chuckled softly. "They're young; I don't believe they have any untoward or unpleasant intentions in mind."

Tharja lowered her gaze. "I'm not concerned about her new…acquaintances - they're just children."

Virion offered a hand. "Then what, may I ask, has left you so disheartened?"

Slowly, Tharja returned her attention to what she was concentrating on before. There, beside the sandbox stood the respected Pegasus Knights of the Shepherds, Sumia and Cordelia, communicating and interacting with their children.

"Ah, Miss Sumia and Cordelia", he mused, "I thought I recognised some familiar qualities and characteristics in those young girls from somewhere. I say, it seems like eons ago since we fought side by side on the battlefield together with them and the Shepherds."

As Virion reminisced on the past, Tharja observed as her daughter cautiously greeted the two children, prompting their parents to kneel down and interact with her. The young girl reenacted the same gestures she had practiced before turning around and pointing towards the direction of the bench. Tharja felt the heat rise to her cheeks when she witnessed Sumia and Cordelia politely waving towards them, and while her husband returned the gesture, she hastily avoided their gaze.

Virion acknowledged with a nod as the two Pegasus Knights beckoned for him and his wife to join them. As he began to make his way towards them, he hesitated when he realised Tharja wasn't accompanying him..

With a sympathetic expression, Virion offered his hand. "Aren't you going to join me in greeting them?"

Tharja turned to him with an unamsued expression. "They summoned you, not me."

Disheartened to see his wife so despondent and downhearted, Virion was about to object and reassure her but resisted. He knew very well how anti-social the dark mage was, especially around their former allies, and he didn't want impose anything that would make her uncomfortable; her well-being was still his top priority.

Exchanging another glance between the group of females and then to his wife, he smiled weakly. "I shan't be but a moment."


With a beautiful flower ring wrapped around her wrist, Noire returned with Cynthia and Severa. Slowly approaching her father, she observed him still engaged with the Pegasus Knights.

As Cynthia and Severa returned to their mothers, Noire was about to join her father when she observed the absence of her other parent. A great deal of sorrowful and fearful feelings surrounded her when she witnessed her mother sitting by herself; being alone was personal fear she suffered with, and the young girl certainly didn't want to subject her mother to it.

Electing the most helpful action, Noire slowly approached the bench and her reclusive mother, trepidation in every step she took. Upon reaching the bench, Noire placed her hands down and crawled up onto it. Nestling down, the girl folded her hands and clutched her legs tightly.

Noire gazed up to her mother.. "A-are you okay?"

Tharja stirred uncomfortably. "...I'm fine."

Disappointed, Noire returned her attention to what her mother was focusing on: Virion, but more importantly the women he was speaking with.

Noire pointed towards them. "Wh-who are they?"

Tharja drummed her fingers rhythmically. "Just some people your father and I used to know."

A saddening question emerged in Noire's mind. "Why are they not talking to you?"

She watched as her mother tilted her head. "They don't like me very much…"

Almost instinctively, Noire's lips began to quiver over her mother's confession. Desperately, Noire wriggled herself closer and wrapped her arms around the dark mage's thigh. "I like you", protested Noire.

After a moment, Noire felt her mother gently caress the top of her head, causing Noire to smile and nuzzle in closer to her mother's embrace.

"…And that's all that matters to me", whispered Tharja.