I have to truly thank you for the reviews. I had doubts and fears on this story, but all that's behind me now. I'm doing a good job, and I should be proud of it. Not too proud though. We don't want to get over our heads and be cocky all of a sudden... Anyway, I read most people picked for me to stick with the game influences. I see your reasons, and quite frankly, I'm glad. The anime changed a whole lot of things that make not quite up to the standard the game did. And so many powerful and intense moments and character developments were ruined, or changed dramatically. And I recently watched episode 20. I'm not going to bother watching my language, but that was the most fucked up episode I ever watched (both in good and bad ways). This is just my respective opinion, however. That said, I'm still hooked and can't stop watching the show. Moving things along, I'll be doing the next chapter which will have some small character development (What a shocker). It does pave way for important things in the future of the story however. I kinda like these little scenes with Peter and Squad 7 though. These "slice-of-life" moments that ArtilleryImbecile so aptly named, are fun and interesting to write. What I love about this, is that the more I write, the more I see Peter making the change into the story and game nicely, as if I could see him as an actual character on the show or game. Hmm... I need to shorten these author notes... Okay, I'll shut up now.


"Ring Ring! Ring Ring!"

Peter Rothchild's arm slowly reached out and tapped the button atop the alarm clock. He didn't bother to lift his face off the pillow. All he wanted to do was sleep. Just a few more minutes... However, the loud and annoying ringing sounds persisted. Accepting the fact it was now time to get up, Peter lifted his body off the bed and slienced the clock. He could see more people around the barracks getting up. With a yawn, Peter went to his case of personal belongings and changed into his uniform. The usual wake-up routine. After he was changed, Peter went over for the usual morning role call. Peter prayed that there would be something going on. A mission, something, anything. It would give him something to do, plus Peter didn't really want a repeat of the previous day. Peter's midsection was still bruised up, both by Theold's hard hit, and Alicia's Heimlich routine. At least Edy's handprint faded a bit. Peter rubbed his cheek and sighed, as he followed his fellow Seven's to role call.


The mess hall. Again. Peter shuddered at the awful memories that ensued here yesterday. The ridicule of his friends and himself... the pain and humiliation... and how Peter almost had to stain his father's knife in blood. He walked through the aisles and lines, keeping a grip on his hunting knife, watching for Cezary, Theold or Rosina. Rosie didn't seem like such a threat as she did at first, leaving Peter in relative peace. After collecting his food items and the usual, Peter had to select his seat again. Peter found himself once again lost in the sea of people, lost. He couldn't hear himself think at the moment, and this was one of the other things Peter despised about the mess hall. One of these days, Peter should just take the tray and eat outside... Amongst all the chattering and noise of the mess hall, Peter managed to faintly hear his name being called in the background.

"Peter! Over here!"

Peter kept looking all around him past the crowds of people and saw a hand waving over to him. As Peter pushed through the crowd, he saw it was Noce, along with Susie. Peter let a smile grow on his face, knowing everything would be alright in the company of his Bruhl friends. Quickly checking left and right for anyone who looked like a Darcsen hater or complete jerk in general, Peter gladly took a seat with his fellow townspeople. Upon taking his seat, Peter exchanged the usual hug with Susie. Seeing her face again seemed to take away from the worry of seeing Peter's enemies, if only for a while at least. Peter's attention turned to Noce, who looked somewhat more cheerful and easygoing than he did in Kloden a few days back. At least he was smiling now.

"Peter. It's good to see you," Noce stated rather plainly.

"We kinda left on a rough note though, didn't we?" Peter said, wanting to settle the tension between them. Noce face was distraught between a look of annoyance and shame.

"Look, Peter. It's not your fault or anything. It's just... I'm a soldier. It's just how I am. I do my duty, and do what's best for my country. If my attitude is serious, it's because war is serious." Peter sighed, shaking his head.

"Noce, you might be a soldier, but remember; you're a lot more than that. You're a town watchman. You're a writer. Hell, you're a poet who has a soft spot for romance, and I think there's nothing wrong with that!" Peter exclaimed. However, had it not been Nadine's stories, Peter might still have poked fun at Noce's writings. "Look Noce, just be yourself. Or else I me and Susie here might lose a good friend we once knew, and you don't even need to be injured or wounded..." he continued.

Noce sighed deeply. "Maybe you're right. But we can't all be strong like you, Peter. We can't all be jokesters like Ted or Melville. And we can't all be easygoing and naive like Welkin... This war... this is the real deal, you know? I have to really step it up. To protect Gallia... my friends... the ones I love..." Noce said, trailing off. Peter noticed Noce's eyes, gazing into the distance at the opposite side of the mess hall, where a familiar red head scarf could be seen. Peter was already well aware of Noce's infatuation with Alicia, though he had little luck winning her over in the past. Peter was glad Noce was opening up a bit, but it appears he would remain somewhat of a stuck up guy for now.

"You know, maybe you're in the wrong squad, Noce. My old commander would've loved you..." Peter joked. Despite the slight anoyance on his face, Noce still managed a grin on his face.

"Should we tell Peter about the mission, Noce?" Susie asked, whom remained relatively quiet throughout Noce and Peter's conversation.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Noce said, nodding his head. "We might be getting another mission today, Peter."

Peter gave out an almost immediate sigh of relief. Thank Valkyrur his prayer had been answered. Though, Susie and Noce were a bit confused by Peter's reaction to the news. Quickly focusing back to the topic at hand, Peter asked, "Another mission? Where are we going? What's the objective?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. We might be headed out to the Barious Desert."

Peter's brows furrowed in thought. "Barious... you mean that place with all the ruins and stuff?" Peter asked.

"The very same."

"Then what the hell are we going there for? There's no strategic worth there, is there? Just a bunch of rocks and sand!" Peter said.

Noce shook his head. "I know. I have no idea why Welkin accepted this operation. We should be on more important matters. Then again, if it's important enough for Captain Varrot to send out Squads 1 and 3 across these badlands with us, something big must be up."

"Squads 1 and 3? Huh... I might be able to say hi to Dan, Lizzy, and all the other guys..." Peter said, looking forward to this operation.


Peter regretted ever thinking that good could come out of this operation. Just a few hours after departure from the base, Squads 1, 3, and 7 were traveling in convoys, spreading all across the sandy plains of the Barious Desert. Each squad was assigned to scout out and patrol a certain area of the desert. Peter hasn't even seen any combat, and he already hated every minute of Barious. It was so damn hot... There weren't enough transports for all the active reserves for Squad 7, so some soldiers took turns riding in the trucks and APCs, while the rest walked on foot. The heat... Peter only knew the moderate climate of the northeastern Gallian plains, and this was something Peter was very unaccustomed to. Only about an hour into the trip, Peter had used up all the water in his canteen, and no way in hell he'd drink from his flask while commencing an operation. It was so tiring, walking under the blazing ball of fire that dawned in the sky above everyone's heads. During the initial trip, Peter got a chance to ride in one of the trucks for a little bit, and while it didn't save him from the heat, it did provide a bit of rest for his legs. Plus, the squad took breaks every now and then to eat some watermelons to keep them hydrated, compliments of Largo the farmer. Other than these small breaks and respites, the only mercy Peter got, was the shade from the front bill of his hunting cap. Another thing Peter hadn't counted on was the dust and sand. It was possible that Peter had allergies. Throughout the day, Peter was sneezing and the dust and sand kicked up from the winds often got up in his eyes. Peter had his watchman's shawl wrapped around his head, covering the lower half of his face. That would at least somewhat help in the breathing dust problem. For Peter, Kloden was just a walk in the park. The desert was unbearable.

After hours of traveling, the sun was setting, and there were no signs of any Imperials. Several members of Squad 7, including Peter, were becoming discouraged, believing that this whole operation was just a fluke, and there were no Imps here after all. After some consideration, Welkin decided to call it a night for his squad. They were already tired, and he knew it would be impossible to make much progress in the night. That, plus the extreme conditions of the desert were kicking in, and soon, what was once blazing heat, was now freezing cold. Welkin had his squad unpack and set up tents from some of the cargo trucks for them to sleep in for the night. They managed to find a clearing next to the edge of a cliff, providing a clear view of the expanse of desert before them. Soon, they set up the tents, and their temporary base was set up. And not a moment too soon, as the moon became clearer, the sky darker, and more sparkles of light dotting the night sky.

Throughout the evening, Peter was tired, but ironically was doing even more work than hiking through the desert. He had to help prop and set up tents, build campfires, move crates of supplies and such. Even though it was freezing cold, Peter found it somewhat more bearable to work in, in contrast to the heat. The watchman' shawl that prevented dust from getting in his face, acted as a nice makeshift scarf. Besides, he needed something to do to try to focus his mind on. All the better just to forget the past troubles Peter's been having. But in the middle of transporting cargo out of a truck, Peter noticed Susie sitting by herself next to a campfire on the cliffside. Peter hesitantly put down the crate on the ground. He looked around for anyone nearby. He didn't need anymore people, "insinuating" on their supposed relationship. But most people were snoozing in their tents. There were few people outside. A couple of the guys including Largo, Karl, and a couple of younger twins were playing some card games. Alicia was baking more of her bread. And a few random people Peter hasn't seen before were talking. But everyone seemed focused on their activities, and payed no attention anywhere else. Sighing, Peter strolled over to Susie's location.

"Uh... Hi, Susie..." Peter managed to mumble. Susie gasped jumped up in surprise. Realizing she might not have recognized him, Peter lowered the shawl that was covering his face, and Susie sighed, relieved it was only him.

"Oh! Peter! I wasn't expecting you here. I thought you had went to bed like the others," Susie said. Peter merely smiled and shrugged. He took a seat on a nearby stool. The two sat in a relative silence together. It wasn't exactly an awkward silence, but something of a peaceful silence. The view of the midnight horizon added something of a unique awe of the moment right now. However, even with the nice tranquility of the moment, silence was just a bit something too much to bear.

"So, Susie... what exactly are you doing here?" Peter asked. It was a rather random question, but Peter probably knew the answer. He was doing right now, too.

"I'm just... looking at the stars," Susie said. Peter didn't know why he bothered asking. They were quite a sight tonight. And Susie used to have a fascination with them back at Bruhl. "They look beautiful tonight. The clouds are clear. The moon is bright... It's quite a lovely contrast to the current situation right now..." she continued.

"Heh. Never really thought of it that way..." Peter mumbled absent-mindedly.

"I mean, I find it truly beautiful, that despite the war, and all the evils surrounding the world, some things stay beautiful. Something just as simple and pure as the night sky..."

"Yeah, I guess..." Peter said, never removing his gaze from the horizon as she spoke.

"It's... kind of sad though. I mean, this is possibly the last time we ever see these stars. So every night... I gaze in the at the night sky, somewhat as a distraction from the harsh reality of war... and savor it's precious moments..." Susie finished with a sigh.

"Susie..." Peter whispered. He never really heard her speak passionately about such things. He never thought that a single concept such as a star could be perceived in such a way. There were still some things Peter didn't really get, but it was nice for Susie to speak out like she did. She was normally very shy and timid, even around Peter.

For a while, the two sat in silence once more. Eventually, Susie's hand went and gripped Peter's, and he did the same. Everything seemed so perfect... until a thought ran into his mind that actually scared him a bit.

This scene just so happened to seem very similar to one of Nadine's stories.

Without a second thought, Peter quickly retracted his hand away from Susie's, as if her hand were a hot stove. She gave Peter an odd look, and Peter himself wondered what had gotten into him.

"Peter? What's wrong?" Susie asked with a concerned look.

"Oh... that..." Peter mumbled. He had to come up with a lie. He couldn't just tell her straightly why he had done that. "Oh, I kinda cut and got splinters in my hand when lifting those crates. It's still stings a bit..." Peter wanted to mentally slap himself, thinking he could've come up with a more clever excuse than that. However, much to Peter's relief, she baught it.

"Really? Are you all right?" Susie asked.

"No, no, I'm fine. Really. I'm sure it'll be better by tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay..." she said. She continued her gazing, but Peter had noticed she was shivering a bit. Her arms were wrapped around herself, trying to provide warmth. She has been for a while, but it only took until now for Peter to realize it.

"Are you cold?" Peter asked. There was a lingering chilliness in the air, thanks to the desert, no doubt.

"Kind of..." she said, smiling slightly.

"Here, take this..." Peter said, as he took off his shawl and wrapped it around Susie's neck, somewhat like a scarf. It was no blanket, but it would at least help her keep warm better.

"Won't you be cold?" Susie asked, offering the shawl back.

"Nah, I'm fine," Peter lied. No he wasn't. It was freezing, and he knew it. Thank goodness there was a camp fire nearby. Without the crackling warmth it provided, Peter might have had to take his shawl right back. Smiling, Susie took the shawl back and wrapped it back up on her. Suddenly, Peter needed to mentally slap himself again, just for making the situation weirder for himself. "Hey, Susie... I'm going to hit the hay. I guess I'll see you tommorow, alright?" Peter said, getting up from his seat.

"Oh. Well, okay. Good night, Peter," she said, giving him a hug. Peter returned the hug, trying to repeat the words "we're just friends" over in his head.

Peter bid farewell, and retreated to one of the tents some of the squad members were sleeping in. Peter carefully unrolled a sleeping bag from his backpack of equipment and laid it on the ground, taking care not to wake his fellow squad mates. Not bothering to crawl under the cover, Peter lied down on top of it. He lied there, thinking.

"How the hell could we have been so naive? Now I see why Noce and the others think there is something going on between us... We're just friends, but we subconsciously do all this stuff a couple would do. But why does the stuff we do have to be romantic? Or percieved as romantic? Is Susie aware of any of this? No, she was just as naive as me. Was she? Great Valkyrur above, I need help..."


Hehe... this was fun for me to write. Peter's in denial... or is he? Or is Susie? Or is she? Okay, enough of this crap. I'm kind of experimenting the whole relationship between Peter and Susie. It could be friends bordering on romance and stuff, but their relationship does play a significant role in the story. Once again though, I'm still tossing things around. Still, I won't need your help this time. I can figure it out on my own (no offense). I also apologize if the beginning was rather rushed and and a bit rusty. I know this chapter might have been rather short in comparison to other chapters, but please review. Reviews will be used to add firewood to the stove. And with a bigger fire, I can make my bread/chapters better and more efficiently!