Chris: Well, I'm glad you all like it so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Mission 7: Adjustments

Isaac headed back to the politician's camp and was relieved to see that they hadn't left yet. It was late in the evening and most of the people had already fallen asleep. Sneaking inside of his tent, he saw Eliza lying on the cot, sleeping soundly. A small smile graced his face and he spent a couple of moments watching her, thinking about how beautiful she looked.

"Mmm…Mother…No…" Eliza tossed in her cot, her expression turning pained and fearful. Her silver hair flew across her face as she thrashed in the cot, mumbling incomprehensible words. Isaac walked towards her and looked at Eliza concernedly.

"Eliza?" He kneeled and gently took her hand. She calmed slightly, only to continue moaning and tossing in her sleep. "Eliza, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Please…Stop! Stop it!" Eliza shrieked as her eyes snapped open. She flung a fist out and clouted Isaac on the side on the head, knocking him away. Panting and wide-eyed, she took a couple of moments to catch her breath. Wiping away a cold sweat with shaking hands, she looked around her and spotted Isaac.

"Ouch…" Isaac groaned, tenderly feeling the sore spot on his head. "Eliza, you hit hard…" The blond haired mercenary picked himself up and looked down at Eliza, who was looking at him in fright.

"I-I'm sorry, Isaac! I was just having a nightmare and-"

"I know, I know. Don't worry about it, Eliza. Just don't hit me next time." Isaac groaned and sat down on the ground. "Go back to sleep, Eliza. Don't worry about nightmares. I'll be here to protect you."

"You will?" Eliza asked wonderingly. "Oh…Then that's great…" She closed her eyes and went back to sleep. She quickly fell into a peaceful slumber and Isaac sighed in relief. Closing his eyes as well, Isaac crouched near the entrance of the tent, his spear lying against his shoulder.

---

"Isaac isn't back yet?" Sarai asked worriedly, looking around Eliza's house. "It would make sense that his job would take longer than others, since it's a round trip from Daein." She plopped down on one of the sofas and rested her eyes.

"Looks like Sarai has the hots for the leader!" Wesley grinned as he strode in. Looking behind him, he bowed deeply as Anair entered. "Ah, the goddess of beauty herself!"

"Out of my way, pipsqueak." Anair grumbled as she brushed past the thief. "I'm still not forgiving you for that prank you pulled. Peeking at me in the shower…I can't believe you did that."

"It was a mistake! I was just checking for termites and I happened to find a hole that they bore in the wall!" Wesley protested. "Besides, how could I afford to lose the chance to see one of the best bodies in all of Tellius!"

Anair blushed and stalked off, ignoring him. She brushed back her lavender-white hair and straightened out her shirt, muttering threats under her breath. Wesley watched her leave, a small smile on his lips. Then, noticing the other people inside the building, he waved to all of them. "My name is Wesley Vivendi and this is my partner, Zane Thunai."

"Nice to meet you all." Zane walked in, hefted his gun over his shoulder. A small bag at his side jingled with the sound of gold coins. The pay-off for the bandit attack had been very high indeed. Twenty-thousand gold and since he had (mostly) played a major part in the fight, he was given seventy-five hundred gold as his and Wesley's share. Combined with his earlier savings, he had accumulated over ten-thousand gold.

"And this cheery fellow is Aran." Yaleus gestured towards the dark-green haired raven laguz. "If you can't notice, his hair is around the same color as mine. He's joined us on a commission basis. That is, he always gets a percentage of the cut."

"Like I said, you have to pay for the best." Aran replied, his brown eyes staring out at the assembled mercenaries.

"Never let it be said that I, Raele Elkew, never denied any new visitors to our merry band of mercenaries." The bard stood up and nodded to all of them. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Let our friendship never fall."

"Hi…" Laisa murmured as she looked up at him. Her azure eyes were slightly teary and her hands were shaking slightly. She quickly tucked her hands within her robes and looked at the ground, her face expressionless. The crimson haired mage stood up quickly and walked away.

"It's nice to meet you." Mizu stood up and curtseyed to them, her auburn furred ears twitching. She sat back down next to Raele, who kissed her on the cheek. Flushing, she pushed the bard away and tried to calm down herself down. "Oh, there's another person…but he got injured in the last job and can't be here right now."

"Oh, I understand." Wesley grinned. "Wow, I think I'll like it here. Lots of pretty girls. And I must say, Anair is the prettiest of them all."

"Heh, make sure she doesn't hear you." Sarai chuckled. "Don't know her that well, but I don't think she takes kindly to having relationships. She doesn't seem like the romantic type."

"I see…Thanks for the tip." Wesley returned, still smiling. "She's just in denial. I'm certain that she'll soon fall for my roguish charms." He bowed slightly, his blue eyes shining.

"Hey Wesley, we've got to go." Zane said, grabbing hold of the younger thief. "It's nice to meet you all, but I've got some business."

"Oh…Right. If we're not home by evening…Well, let's just say that he's acquainting himself with a beautiful, receptive person of the opposite gender." Wesley smirked, then smiled as he spotted Anair entering the room again.

"…" Anair frowned at the thief, looking at him self-consciously. "No wise-cracks, Wesley. I'm getting tired of them and it's only been a week."

"Fine, fine." The thief heaved a sigh. "Even I have to make sacrifices for my love."

"I said no more wise-cracks! No more jokes!" Anair said heatedly.

"I never cracked a wise before in my life. And who said I was joking?" Wesley winked at the archer and followed after his partner. Anair looked after him, stunned.

'He's joking…Right? He has to be joking. Right?'

---

"Are you sure about this? Why do you care about this girl so much anyway? She's just a girl at the brothel. What? Find out she's your long lost sister?" Wesley asked as he and Zane strode towards a decorative building near the edges of the capital.

"Wesley, shut up just this once." Zane replied, tucking his arquebus under his shoulder. "She means nothing to me. I just want to get her out of a life like that. Remember? I didn't have to rescue you from that orphanage."

"True…" Wesley conceded. He looked solemnly at the ground, picking at his thief's clothes. "Sigh…It's strange traveling with everyone. They seem to trust each other so much. I…feel out of place over there. I never wanted to be a thief." He smiled. "Oh well. You don't always get what you want."

"I'm sure you'll at least get a girl you want." Zane grinned and ruffled the younger boy's hair. "Speaking of which, do you have an eye on one of the girls in camp?"

"Yeah…" Wesley flushed self-consciously. "But she doesn't like me, so that doesn't matter." He smiled again. "Heh, I don't care. Can't let something as petty as that faze me. I'm sure there's someone else."

"…" Zane looked down at his companion, at a loss for words. "I know how you feel, Wesley. You don't have to hide anything."

"Hide anything?" Wesley looked innocently at his partner. "I'm not hiding anything. Stop worrying and get your gal out of there. I'll be waiting outside. Maybe I'll find something interesting out here."

"Okay Wesley…But remember, I'm your friend. You can talk to me." Zane said before entering the brothel. Wesley watched his friend leave and sighed. Running a hand through his tousled brown hair, he looked out in the distance, his eyes becoming unfocused.

'…Sigh…Everything is just fine…I wonder, can I find love too? An abandoned child? A lying thief? Probably not. Anair…I better stop thinking about her. I have business to do.' Wesley took one of the side roads, confident that his partner's task would take a lot more time than his would take. Last he remembered, his old orphanage was around here…

---

"Zane! You're back! You were here just last night. Same girl?" The brothel owner, a portly man with piggy eyes and a wide smile, looked behind a counter at the mercenary.

"No…I've come to purchase here. I have the money." Zane brought out his money pouch and dumped all of his gold out in front of the man. The mercenary waited while the owner counted each of the gold pieces.

"Ah…Ten-thousand gold. Perfect. She's all yours, Zane. Enjoy her." The man smirked. "Although I know you won't enjoy her in the traditional sense. Good luck, my friend, and give her a good life. I'd give her to you free, but I need my money. Sorry, Zane."

"It's no problem, buddy. Thanks for not letting her sell herself to anyone. Still a virgin, right?"

"Yeah, of course. Same room, room 12. Here's the key." The owner tossed a small brass key at Zane. The blond-haired man caught it deftly and strode towards the room and unlocked it. "Aura?"

"Z-Zane?" A young, 16-year old girl with flowing purple hair looked up from her bed. "Is that you?" She stood up, her hands folded across her stomach. "I don't suppose…"

"Yep." Zane smiled roguishly at her and patted her on the head. "You're finally free, Aura. You don't have to stay here anymore."

"Really? Oh, thank you Zane! Thank you so much!" She jumped on the taller man, tears coursing down her face. "I can't ever thank you enough!"

"Whoa! Aura! Don't get all sentimental on me! Besides, I still want you to come from me. I'm working with a mercenary group right now. I'm sure they'd enjoy your singing and dancing." Zane pried the jubilant girl off of him, smiling.

"O-Oh…I don't know." Aura flushed self-consciously. "I don't know if I'm good enough. And what else can I do to help? I can't fight…Although I'm sure you could teach me something."

"I could…but firing a gun isn't the smartest thing to teach a girl. Maybe someone else'll teach you something." Zane took Aura under his arm. "And I've heard you sing and seen you dance. You're good enough for them, Aura. Don't worry about a thing."

"Okay!" Aura nodded enthusiastically. "Zane? Thanks a lot. It really means a lot to me that you gave your own money to free me from here."

"Hey, it's just money. You, however, can't be replaced." Zane ran a hand through her hair and slowly led her outside. Standing outside was Wesley, wearing an enigmatic smile and holding a small bag that jangled as he tossed it in his hand. "Hey, what's that?"

"Just my dues…" Wesley smirked, tucking the bag inside a bigger pocket in his clothes. "It's nothing you should be worried about. I was just…revisiting old places and discovering all that I missed. Come on, let's go. Now that you've got your girl, I bet you'll want to get busy inside your tent." He bowed slightly and walked towards the camp.

Zane watched his friend, confused. Wesley had never acted like that before. As they headed for the camp, however, the blond-haired man spotted his friend sliding a bloodstained dagger within its sheath…

---

"Hey…Wesley was just joking, right?" Anair looked at Sarai, frowning. "He has got to be joking. I mean, he certainly couldn't have been talking about me."

"Oh yeah. He was totally talking about the other Anair. You know, the tall one with the blue hair." Sarai snorted, blowing a wisp of air at a loose strand of hair. "Anair, don't be stupid. There's no other Anair besides you."

"Hmph…Well, fine. It doesn't matter." Anair stood up, her bright emerald eyes flashing. "I…don't care for his words. Not one bit." She stalked off, muttering under her breath. Sarai listened to her friend leave before snorting again and amusing herself by counting the number of wood panels in the floor.

"Sarai?" Laisa walked up to theblue haired girl, looking thoughtful. "Thanas…was very brave, wasn't he?"

"Of course he was! I wasn't there myself, but from what I've heard, he was brave indeed. You're lucky you got such a dedicated guy protecting you." Sarai replied.

"That's just the problem!" Laisa said helplessly. "I don't know if I can trust him! I've never trusted anyone! But…He saved me! I don't know how I've supposed to feel. I...I feel like…like I want to trust him. But another part of me just…just forces the trust away. I feel so helpless, Sarai. I don't know what to do!"

"Laisa, just think about it. Thanas is a cute kid and I'm certain that he likes you or at least feels a deep sense of loyalty towards you. If you like them, then like him. Screw your principles of not trusting anyone. If you want to love someone, you have to trust him first." Sarai grinned. "Good luck, Laisa. I'll be here if you want to talk."

"Thanks, Sarai." Laisa stood up and smiled briefly. "I needed that. If you want me, I'll be checking over Thanas' wounds."

"You go do that." Sarai replied, smiling.

"Sarai!" Anair walked back into the room, still looking troubled. Sarai stifled a groan and looked up at the archer.

"Grrr…Anair, as much as I enjoy your presence, can you please tell me why you've come asking me for help five times in the last thirty minutes?"

Anair looked shameful. "I'm sorry…But I'm just troubled. I've never had these feelings before. Nobody's ever tried so hard to get me to like them."

"I can't imagine why…" Sarai muttered under her breath.

"I'm so confused, Sarai. What should I say to him?"

"Just be yourself, Anair. Decide whether or not you like him by yourself. I can't help you with that. Keep it steady for a while. If he still likes you, then that means he's genuinely in love with you. If not, then it was just a sham and you don't have to do anything." Sarai advised. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and I really, really want to sleep."

"Thanks again, Sarai…I'll try your advice…" Anair said. She sighed in confusion and strode off. Sarai closed her eyes and lay down on the couch. Being a romance counselor was hard, hard work and she was tired.

---

"Hey Wesley. Where'd you get the blood on your dagger?" Zane asked pleasantly as they headed back for the mansion that they would now call home.

The thief faltered in his steps. "What are you talking about? I got it at the fight at the bandit's hideout, remember? I thought you knew these things, man." Wesley spun and smiled at Zane, although his grin slowly faded from his cheerful face.

"You washed your dagger, Wesley. If there's something that you're meticulous about, it's keeping your equipment clean." Zane said. "And no equipment cracks!"

"Wasn't going to say one." Wesley replied, looking at his partner curiously.

"So, tell me. Why is there blood on your dagger?" Zane asked, keeping the conversation on its original track. "You can't hide it from me, Wesley. You did something."

"Hey, perhaps we could discuss this out of earshot of your girlfriend?" Wesley motioned to Aura. "I don't think she'd like what I have to say."

"Okay. Aura, can you wait for a little while?"

Aura nodded and stepped off to the side. Wesley pulled Zane off to the side and withdrew his dagger, which was still coated in blood. "Is this what you were talking about?"

"Yes. What is that?" Zane motioned, running a finger over the crimson fluid. "Blood, obviously…But from where?"

"A thief decided to accost me. I decided to relieve him of his belongings and his life." Wesley replied, smiling. He sheathed the dagger back into its sheath. "Do you believe me now?"

"Actually, no." Zane smiled pleasantly. "Like I said, Wesley, I know you. I can tell when you're lying and you're lying right now. You killed your foster parents, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Wesley protested, frowning. "You're crazy, Zane. Don't be stupid."

"I'm not, Wesley. Own up. I have no more patience for lies at the moment and Aura is waiting. You killed them." Zane said. It was a fact, not an accusation.

Wesley's eyes flared for a moment and he grimaced, his hand tightening around the grip of his dagger. "So what? They deserved it. Those bastards had it coming. Serves them right for treating me the way they did. I didn't have to become a thief. I could have been something else. They forced me to become a thief, Zane!"

"I hated stealing! But how else was I going to live? Huh, Zane? Answer me! I had to become a thief! There was no other path for me." Wesley's eyes shut and tears peeked out of the sides. "I hated them! This was my revenge and they deserved it! You know that bag I had? All the money I ever had to steal…They took it from me and took it for themselves! I had nothing, Zane! And I never will! Nobody cares about a thief!"

"Wesley…"

"Shut up! You don't care either! You don't care! Anair doesn't care! Nobody cares about me!" Wesley screamed in anguish. The brown-haired thief turned to run away, but Zane grasped him by the arm and restrained him.

"Wesley…"

"Let me go!"

"No. You're being stupid, Wesley. I agree. Your foster parents deserved to die and by all rights, I don't look down on you for what you've done. But you're going overboard about this, Wesley." Zane said in a patient voice.

"…Hehehe. I was just lying, you know." He wiped away the tears and grinned at Zane. "Just testing you, Zane. I know people care about me." He let out a short laugh and ran a hand through his scruffy hair. "I know that…"

Zane poked his younger partner in the back. "Hey, Wesley."

"What?"

"I know when you're lying…And when you were talking about Anair, you weren't lying." Zane ruffled the thief's hair and grinned. "Good luck, Wesley. You'll need it with her."

Wesley grinned, his eyes shining. "Thanks a lot, Zane. Don't worry about me. I'm always lucky."

Chris: Well, did you like it? This was more of a character expansion chapter than a storyline chapter. Anyway, leave any comments or tips and review please!

P.S. I'm having so much fun with this that I'm actually imagining this as a game. (Sadly enough.) It's getting so bad that I'm actually making supports for the OCs. Ask if you want the ones that I have. The Sarai/Anair supports are already on the Fire Emblem Writer's Guild boards.