Update ahoy!
Good things come to those who wait.
That was a saying. That was a saying that people said. That was a saying that people said that was true, otherwise people wouldn't be saying it, right? Right. It was a saying that was around for…a great many number of years. That's how it became a saying. And since it became a saying, it was bound to have some truth in it. The truth, of course, being that the longer someone waited for something good, the better it would feel when he received it. That was what it meant, right? Well, regardless of what the saying actually meant, Robin chose to believe in his interpretation. He did so mostly because he would've been infinitely more upset if he didn't.
And Robin was pretty damn upset already! No sooner had the Shepherds arrived from their successful negotiations in Regna Ferox when suddenly there was news about something on the border with Plegia. Something about hostages and the Plegian king being a dick, as usual. Robin really wasn't paying attention. He was just counting the seconds until whatever the news was got delivered so he could rush off into his office and admire his new desk. Alas, it was not to be, because fate was cruel. Immediately after Phila delivered the news, Chrom announced that they would be heading out to "parlay" with the Plegian king. Of course, Robin chose this precise moment to tune in and was greatly disappointed. They'd just got back from Regna Ferox and now they were heading south. They didn't even get a chance to get to their rooms! It was all 'hey, good job with the Feroxi. I bet you're tired and would like to see your new desk and sleep in your bed right about now, right? Well, too bad! Now get your crap (that you didn't even have time to unpack) and go do this thing that suddenly popped up. Good luck!'
So, that severely put a damper on Robin's mood. He also didn't like the scenario they were in the longer he thought about it (after he was mostly done with complaining and grumbling. Mostly). Exalt Emmeryn was going to the southern border to parlay with the Plegian king. To parlay with someone they called "The Mad King". Robin supposed that he should really admire Emmeryn's determination to seek a peaceful solution to this situation, no matter how hopeless it seemed. The Plegian king was obviously looking to start a war and he already did a bunch of crap that wouldn't be tolerated by any other leader. It was a wonder that things didn't kick off sooner. Hell, if Robin was in charge, he wouldn've mobilized his army as soon as the first bandit raids began. He then would've stationed all of his available soldiers on the borders, armed them with the best weaponry available and gave them orders to eliminate any bandits on sight. Then, when the Plegians amassed their army proper (which they would inevitably to), he would order all his battalions to march into Plegia all at once and…and…wait a minute. In order to carry out this hypothetical scenario, he would need an army. A pretty big army, too. But Emmeryn demobilized her army and left a handful of people to guard the entire country. Well, her determination to negotiate suddenly seemed totally justified. After all, one can't do much from a position of relative (or, in this case, total) weakness. Ylisse was at all being peaceful while Plegia militarized for gods know now long. Huh.
Robin couldn't really judge Emmeryn's decisions, given his lack of knowledge of anything before Chrom found him in a field. But, as their current tactician, he was free to assess the situation from that angle as he saw fit. And what he saw was a disaster waiting to happen. How could you just demilitarize your country? You just leave yourself extremely vulnerable to other, more militant nations. Doubly so if those nations were clearly building up their military, were ruled by someone named "The Mad King" and, worst of all, were your neighbors. Frankly, Robin was surprised that Plegia didn't invade Ylisse sooner. At least Regna Ferox was friendly and not as aggressive as Plegia.
So, with these thoughts in mind and the Shepherds at his back, Robin followed Emmeryn to try and negotiate with this "Mad King". It went about as well as expected. Emmeryn tried to reason. Gangrel continued to be crazy (and kind of a dick) and effectively declared war. It was a good thing that Robin liked to plan ahead, otherwise things could've gone real bad. Of course, all the planning in the world cannot account for everything during battle. And today, Robin met what was perhaps the most terrifying thing he'd seen up to date. It was just a good thing that he brought Virion along.
And now Robin was sitting in his tent, looking the archer in the eye.
"Why Robin, you have a most intense look in your eyes. Whatever is the matter?"
"Virion, I have a few things I want to say to you."
"My, my. Such gravity. Should I be worried?"
"No, not at all. I actually called you here to apologize."
"Oh? Whatever for?"
"Remember when I first interviewed you? I was suspicious of your motives for joining us and mocked your claims of wyvern riders and the fact that you claimed you would be able to shoot a bunch of them down."
"Ah, that's right. You mocked my very noble claim that I would shoot down twenty wyvern riders to prove my loyalty. But, after my magnificent performance today, I suppose you are ready to eat your words?"
"Yes, I am."
"You…are?" Virion asked, incredulously.
"Yes," replied Robin. "Why? You sound surprised."
"Well, people generally don't like to admit when they're wrong. That goes double if the person they are admitting their wrongness to is me."
"Well Virion, I may be the in charge of our army tactics, but I am a man of my word. I am also not above recognizing when I was wrong and apologizing to those I have wronged. So, I'm sorry. You are truly as talented as you constantly boast to us and we are lucky to have you."
"High praise from the tactician himself! But it was no matter, I am happy to assist all my comrades-in-arms. I suppose this proves that I am an honest soldier and have no ulterior motives?"
"What? Oh, yeah. Sure. Beyond a doubt. By the way, this brings me to my second point."
"Yes?"
"I wanted to congratulate you on your outstanding performance on the battlefield today."
"Why of course, my battle skills are always-"
"I mean, on a regular day, you're like the average soldier. But today, you were probably the one who did the most out of all of us."
"Well, yes, I always say that-"
"But most importantly," continued Robin, completely oblivious to Virion's attempts to speak, "You totally saved my ass on multiple occasions today. I am truly thankful for that. You know why? Because today, I learned that wyvern riders were a thing. And they are godsdamned terrifying! I mean, normally they would be scary, but at least I would be able fall behind Frederick or something. Get backup, you know? But NOPE! I decided that I would ride in the air with Sumia again. 'It'll give me a great vantage point' I thought. 'I'll be able to pick off more enemies from there' I thought. What I didn't think was how terrifying it would be fighting wyverns who are trying to bite my face off gods know how high up in the sky! And if it wasn't the wyverns, then it was their riders swinging their axes trying to cut me into little, bite sized pieces! Gods, you know what else?"
Sensing that talking would get him nowhere, Virion remained silent.
"Those blasted wyverns are really, really hard to kill! More so when I have little room to maneuver and have to hold on to Sumia to prevent myself from falling to my untimely demise. The most I could do was swing my sword wildly to try to block their axes and teeth. That clearly didn't do much thanks to those blasted wyvern scales. The next logical thing to try was magic, right? Wrong! Turns out, wyvern riders shrug off thunder spells like they're nothing and fire spells just tickle them! The only thing that worked remotely well was wind spells. Yet even then, they just flinched a bit before continuing to try and dismember me. I guess I can see why. Did you know we still use the basic, first level spells on our enemies? Can't take out an entire wyvern with these blasted peashooter wind tomes, that's for sure! Damn merchants and their price inflation. You know what? I think today has put me off flying forever. Now I'll always be worried and freaking out whether the enemy had more wyvern riders just waiting behind the hill just waiting to turn me into a midair snack."
Robin leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I guess the only bright side of this whole adventure was that I was able to keep the wyverns off Sumia. I'm actually positive that they would've made short work of her if I hadn't been up there with her. They almost made short work out of me! So…yeah. Thanks for shooting down those oversized lizards and getting us out alive, Virion."
"…I didn't know you were so frustrated, Robin." The archer said, after waiting a few seconds to see if Robin would continue on with his rant. "Is this frustration because of today's battle or a culmination of the past few weeks?"
"It's more 'minor irritation' rather than 'frustration', really. And mostly due to a lack of funds which prevents us from buying proper weapons that then prevent us from doing any significant damage against enemies such as wyvern riders. Heh, I guess that's why I kept you around, huh?"
"Robin, you wound me!" exclaimed Virion dramatically. "Here I thought you kept me around because of my devilishly good looks, my noble mannerisms and my quick wit. To hear that you need me purely for my – admittedly impressive – archery skills! I feel so hurt and betrayed!"
The tactician stared at Virion quizzically before bursting into laughter. He continued laughing for a few minutes before finally calming down.
"Well, I guess one of those things was true. Thanks, Virion. I needed that."
"It is no problem, for I, Virion, am a master in all things up to and including being the sympathetic ear that listens to your woes and frustrations. So come to me next time you feel the need to vent your anger at the world; I shall be there to hear all that you have to complain about with patience and grace."
Robin sighed, but smiled. "Virion, your ridiculous and flamboyant attitude somehow actually amuses me. But, be careful what you say, because I may actually take you up on your offer and you may have to give up a few hours of your life listening to me and my petty complaints."
"And I shall do with patience and understanding, of this you can be sure!" the archer declared. "So be not afraid of wasting my time, Robin, because I shall always make time for our head tactician."
"Virion, I'm your only tactician. But thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some other matters to take care of."
"Of course. Don't let me take any more of your time. Virion, away!"
With that, the archer swiftly got up and made his way out of Robin's tent. As the tactician was about to make some notes for himself, he heard voices outside.
"Heya Virion!"
"Ah, if it isn't Lissa! Ylisse's princess of greatest elegance and charm, how may I, Virion, help you today?"
Robin chuckled to himself. Virion continuing to be Virion. He wasn't going to deny that the archer's antics were quite amusing, especially when it came to women. Unfortunately, Robin didn't have the pleasure to see when Virion's idle flattery fell flat. That was a shame, really. He would've paid lots of money to see how that would play out. Of course, Robin was a busy man and had a lot to do today. So, he decided to cut the conversation short.
"Virion, I would advise you to immediately stop what you're doing and move on, otherwise I'll be obliged to tell Chrom that you're flirting with his younger sister."
A startled gasp and some giggles.
"Robin, all I was doing was making some polite conversation with the young princess here! However, I see how my noble intentions would be misinterpreted, so I shall now hastily depart. Farewell, dear Lissa. Virion, away!"
"Bye Virion!"
"Now that that's over, Lissa, get in here. I have some good news for you."
The princess immediately appeared in the tent.
"That's my favorite type of news!" she said excitedly. "So, what do you have for me?"
"What I have for you is...a promotion!"
"Really?! A promotion? All right!" exclaimed Lissa, before suddenly pausing and looking at the tactician. "Wait a minute. What do you mean? I'm already the princess of Ylisse. The only ones who are higher than me are Chrom and Emm. What are you promoting me to?"
"A good question!" said Robin. "See, this is more of a field promotion. I've noticed your hard work healing and teleporting and all that. Especially today. Your rescue staffing Sumia and myself right before those wyverns ate us for lunch was truly appreciated. It allowed us to live, but more importantly, it forced the wyvern riders to come within range of Virion's bow. Once that happened, they started dropping like flies. Oh yeah, you got us out from pretty far away, too. I see someone was practicing their magic."
"You bet! I've been practicing and healing and all that other stuff to help me improve my magic skills. But, you know what? I think the Spirit Dust proba-"
"Wha-? Hey! Shhh!" Robin made various frantic movements with his arms before getting up, checking outside his tent to see if anyone heard then sitting back down.
Lissa just stared at him quizzically. "Okay, what was that all about?"
"Lissa, you can't just go around loudly talking about Spirit Dust!" Robin whispered. "Especially when it concerns me giving it to you."
"What? Why? You said the Spirit Dust was safe and legal!"
"I did and it is and will you keep your voice down! Look, Spirit Dust is perfectly safe and…mostly legal."
"Mostly? What do you mean, 'mostly' legal?" Lissa asked before looking suspiciously at Robin. "Did you give me illegal drugs?"
"Spirit Dust is not a drug!" scoffed the tactician. "It's more of a 'performance enhancing controlled substance' in that it enhances your magic potential and has no addictive properties whatsoever."
"I dunno. It sounds like a drug to me, especially how you got all nervous when I started talking about it."
"Lissa, please. If it was a drug, it would have to be addictive, bad for your health, or both. Also, I would not consciously give you illegal materials. I may be a tactician, but I'm definitely not a criminal."
"Okaaay, then how come you said this stuff was 'mostly' legal?"
"It's mostly a technicality. I've been doing some reading on Ylissean law and happened to notice that they don't technically know what to classify this stuff as. It's perfectly harmless when used right, but I gather that the lawmakers are worried about the widespread us of this stuff as a shortcut to enhance magic potential instead of actual practice and whatever. Luckily, they saw enough reason to not straight up ban this stuff. So, there you go. It's a legal thing, but otherwise total legit!"
"What happens when you don't use it right?"
"Nothing too serious. You just get headaches, start tripping balls and seeing weird things. Maybe vomiting too. But don't worry, I told you how use it right so it's all good, right?"
"Well…"
"Really? Fine. How about this: if you suddenly start having weird withdrawal symptoms, tell Chrom what I did so he can decide my punishment. There. Fair enough?"
Lissa pretended to think before laughing. "I'm just kidding, Robin! Of course I trust you. I mean, you did keep us alive all this time and seem like a pretty cool guy. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt us."
Robin glared at the princess before sighing. "You know, I sometimes really hate you. Enough to maybe ever reconsider your promotion."
"Aw, don't be like that! Didn't you say that I did a great job out there today?"
The tactician grumbled before reaching into his coat pocket and throwing something to the princess. Once she caught it, Lissa started at it curiously.
"Hey Robin, why're you giving me a book? Oh! Is it a tome? Am I going to learn offensive magic?!"
"No. That's called a 'Second Seal'. It's basically a user manual telling you all you need to know about fighting and other such things."
"Wow! So I'm going to learn how to become a mage?" Lissa asked excitedly.
"No." Robin repeated. "That Second Seal has all you need to know about Pegasi. How to fly, take care of, mount and fight. Congratulations! You're officially being promoted to a frontline pegasus knight."
"Pegasus knight, huh? That's good too. So, how's this going to work? I just read this thing and I'm ready to ride a pegasus?"
"Not really. Reading does help, but you'll need to wait a bit. You'll still need training and learn how to fight with a spear. Once we get back to the capital, you'll get you your own pegasus so you can fly around and whatever."
"Awesome!" Lissa exclaimed. "I guess I should start now, huh?"
"Yes. Yes you should. Luckily, we have someone who can help you out. She should be arriving any minute now…"
And right on cue, a thud was heard outside the tent, followed by a groan.
"Yep, right on time." Robin said, before calling out. "Sumia, you alright?"
"F-fine." Replied the pegasus knight, before entering the tent. "Hello, Robin. Oh, and Lissa too."
"Hey Sumia."
"Yes, hello Sumia. How're you feeling?
"Much better, thanks to you. If you weren't there to fend off those wyvern riders, I would probably have a lot more than a few scratches and bruises."
"Yeah…those blasted wyverns came out of nowhere. Need to plan better next time…" Robin mumbled before shaking his head and facing the two women. "Anyway, I called you here because I have a very important task for you."
"Whatever it is, I'll do my best to accomplish it." Sumia said confidently. "Just leave it to me!"
Robin smiled. "That's what I like to hear! I like the confidence Sumia, it really suits you. Now, the details are as follows: our dear Lissa is now graduating from cleric to pegasus knight. I need you, as our most accomplished pegasus knight, to show her the ropes and ease her into the role."
"You want me to teach Lissa how to be a pegasus knight? Me?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't we? Wait, is that hesitation is sense?"
"Of course not! I was just-"
"Because Lissa and I have the utmost faith in you, right Lissa?"
"You bet!" chimed in the princess. "You're great out there, Sumia! Flying around and taking out the bad guys from the air. Can you teach me to do that? Please?"
Robin did his best puppy dog face. "Please?"
Sumia looked between Robin and Lissa before chuckling. "When you give me such hopeful looks, how can I refuse?"
Lissa pumped her fist in the air. "Alright! Thanks Sumia, you're the best!"
"The very best," agreed Robin. "Now, go off and the best pegasus knights that you can be!"
"Oh Robin," Sumia giggled before quickly turning around and pulling Lissa behind her. "Let's go, Lissa. Training awaits."
"Yep! Off to the skies with me. Bye Robin!" the princess waved goodbye to the tactician before exiting the tent.
Now that Robin was alone, he decided to look at his list of things left to do for the day. Surprisingly, he was already halfway through. Now he could concentrate on the one thing that was written in big, bold, capital letters, highlighted and underlined: FIND WAYS TO SECURE MORE FUNDS. That was the main thing that needed to be done. Maybe now that they were officially at war with Plegia, he could convince Emmeryn to divert some funds to the war effort. She had to now, no matter how much she believed in peace and diplomacy. Then maybe, Robin could finally buy some decent equipment. Above all, Robin needed new spellbooks. The kiddie spells they had now weren't doing anyone any good. If anything, they would get them all killed.
"Robin? May I have a moment?"
A voice interrupted Robin's chain of thought. He checked his list to see if he had any more meetings. No meetings. Then again, spontaneous visits were fun. The Shepherds came to him with the weirdest problems.
"Yes, come in."
An important looking woman with a unique hairstyle came in.
"Robin?"
"Yes?"
"As our tactician, I am told that you were the one who drafted the plans for the last battle and ensured that everyone, myself included, got out safely."
"That's right."
"Well, I come to offer my sincerest thanks. If it were not for you and the rest of the Shepherds, I would still be in Gangrel's vile clutches."
"Ah, a grateful citizen! I knew this moment would come. In fact, I have a speech for just such an occasion. Let me see…" Robin reached into his sleeve and pulled out a piece of paper. "Right then. Ahem. 'Dear citizen, I thank you for your kind words. The Shepherds do everything in our power to protect those who don't have the means to protect themselves and we ask for nothing in return. However, we would not refuse a donation to help our cause. Furthermore-"
"Wait a minute, are you assuming me to be some sort of common citizen?"
"Of course. Why? Are you someone special?"
"Of course I am!" the woman said irritably. "I am Maribelle, daughter of the Duke of Themis and a Shepherd!"
Robin just stared at her blankly before pulling out his roster. After quickly glancing over it, he simply stated "Are not."
"Excuse me?"
"You're not on the list. That means you're not a Shepherd. I have the names of every Shepherd here on this roster. Your name isn't here, so you're not a Shepherd."
"This is absolutely unbelievable! Of course I am a Shepherd. You even met me in the barracks! Lissa introduced us!"
"She…did?
"Of course she did! How can you not remember something that happened only a few weeks ago?"
"To be fair, remembering stuff really isn't my strong suit. But now that you mention it, you do seem familiar somehow…"
"I would hope so! It would not reflect well on our tactician if he were to forget the people under his command."
"Yeah…I'm starting to remember you."
"Good."
"I'm also starting to remember not really liking you."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You came off as that one stuck-up noble that looks down on everyone beneath her station. Now, Lissa vouched for you and all, but first impressions mean a lot. And the one you gave me wasn't good."
Maribelle huffed. "That is completely untrue. I have a keen interest in the activities of the lowborn masses. However, some of their mannerisms I find most unruly. And it does not matter what first impressions I may have conveyed. I am a Shepherd and that is a fact. I must say, I came here to offer you my thanks yet all I have been is insulted."
"Uh, I'm sorry?" Robin offered. "But you're not making yourself look any better. In fact, I'm actually thinking about letting you go."
Maribelle stared at the tactician disbelievingly. "You're firing me? Surely you cannot do so without authorization?"
"Oh, but I can." Robin replied smugly. "As head tactician, I'm actually second only to Chrom here. And I'm sure that he'll sign off on letting you go if I phrase it correctly. He does trust me with his life, as well as the lives of his family and the Shepherds, after all."
"B-but, how? Frederick certainly-"
"Can't do a thing. If fact, I can also order him around. Did you know that I made him eat bear jerky back at Ylisstol?"
"How can that be? Frederick hates bear meat!"
"I know! I didn't think he'd do it either, but he totally did! He chomped down a handful of jerky all in one go. Was throwing up for five minutes straight, too. It was awesome." Robin laughed before clearing his throat and looking serious. "So, yes. Bottom line is I have basically free reign here to do as I see fit. And now, I probably should fire you. But I won't, despite an increasing urge to do so."
"You won't?"
"No. I pride myself on my professionality and firing someone just because I don't like them would be very unprofessional. So, I need to see what you can contribute to the war effort. What do you do and stuff, on and off the battlefield. Go on, convince me not to fire you."
With that, Robin leaned back and looked at Maribelle expectantly. For her part, the noble was quite surprised at the turn of events, but quickly recovered.
"Very well. I'll have you know that I perform life-saving duties on the field."
"Do tell."
"I am a troubadour. A mounted healer. I specialize in getting to the wounded quickly and healing them so that they don't suffer any life threatening injuries."
"Huh." Robin nodded and made a few notes. "Are you a man?"
"I beg your pardon?" Maribelle almost shrieked. "How did you ever come to such a ridiculous conclusion?!"
"You said you were a troubadour."
"Yes. How exactly does that translate to my being male?"
"Well, the word 'troubadour' is etymologically masculine. You called yourself a troubadour so I naturally assumed you were male. If you wanted to avoid such confusion, you would've called yourself a 'trobairitz'. You know, the female equivalent of troubadour."
"Hmph. Troubadour is the name of my class. I do not know how or why the male equivalent is used for an exclusively female class, but that is not a question that I concern myself with. That is a question for historians."
"Right. Sure. What else you got?"
"Is my being the only healer not reason enough to keep me?"
"It would be, if that were true. But we got Lissa. She's been with us longer and is very good. Why, I think…that…wait a minute." Robin paused to think for a moment. As he did so, voices could be heard outside his tent.
"Now Lissa, let's see if you can get Daisy here into the air. Do you remember what I told you?"
"Yep! Now, let's see if I got this right. And…yah!"
Neighing and a flap of wings.
"Hey, I did it!"
"Great job, Lissa! Now, keep the speed slow and try to steer forward."
"Right, and…ya! WHOA!"
"Too fast! Too fast! Pull up! Pull up!"
"I'm trying! Come on! AH!"
More neighing, wing flapping and screams of terror.
Unfazed by the commotion, Robin suddenly facepalmed. "Right. That's what. I promoted Lissa so she's not a healer anymore. Well," he sighed. "Congratulations Maribelle. You are now our only healer. That exponentially increases your employability. The horse helps too."
The noble didn't seem reassured, instead looking out concernedly. "Robin, are you sure promoting Lissa was a good idea? I know she tries to make a show about doing more to help, but she isn't the strongest Shepherd around. Do you really believe she'll make a difference as a frontline fighter? It's quite dangerous out there and something terrible might happen to her."
"She'll be fine. After a few sessions, she'll be stabbing people with the best of 'em." Robin waved his hand dismissively. "I'd be more concerned about yourself if I were you. While you are an asset as our only healer, I'm going to need a bit more info to truly cement your place among us. What do you do in your free time? Do you interact with others without pissing them off? Not everyone here is of noble blood, you know."
"Urgh, must you use such vulgar language? And if you must know, yes. I make it a point to get to know my fellow Shepherds regardless of station. The more I interact with them, the more I learn about their habits and get accustomed to some of their less refined mannerisms."
Robin sighed. "See? That right there is why I'm hesitating keeping you on. You manage to talk about your fellow comrades in such a condescending manner that it makes me think you just look down on all of us. Now, I'm willing to give you a chance because Lissa vouched for you. So, that means underneath that – very prickly – exterior of yours, lies someone nice and tolerable. But I'm really struggling to see it. And you're not really selling your personality very well, either."
"I…apologize." Maribelle sighed. "I have been told that I am…difficult to get along with. However, I do value and care very deeply for the Shepherds. So, please. Let me prove it. I swear that you shall not regret your decision."
"Hm, that actually sounded sincere and convincing." Robin thought for a moment. "I suppose everyone deserves a chance. And you are our only healer, which works in your favor."
"So, I take it you're not firing me?"
"…Not at this moment, no."
"You have my eternal gratitude, Robin. I swear I shall do everything in my power to prove to you that your decision is justified."
"Yes, you are," agreed Robin. "Because I'm going to give you an assignment."
"Oh?"
"Yes. See, in the name of unit cohesion, I need to make sure everyone works together without any doubts or reservations. That they don't have moments of doubt because they don't necessarily like their battle partner. That the aforementioned doubt doesn't translate to hesitance or reluctance to act in case said partner is in danger. Now, I'm not saying that's going to happen here, but I need to plan for any occasion. So, with this in mind, I'm going to assign you a buddy."
Maribelle blinked in confusion. "I'm not entirely sure that I understand. What is the purpose of assigning me a 'buddy'? What shall they be doing?"
"Nothing serious, I'm just going to pick a random Shepherd with whom you're going to have to spend time off the battlefield. Get to know them a little more, you know? Habits, tastes, likes, dislikes and all that? Think of it as a team building exercise. If you two hit it off, that proves that you're not a snobby noble and increases your chances of surviving on the battlefield. Understand?"
"Yes. I believe I do. Your proposal makes sense. Very well, assign me any Shepherd and we shall be the best of companions in no time!"
"That's the spirit! See? I'm starting to like you more already. Now, who to partner you up with…"
As Robin was thinking, someone burst into his tent.
"Robin? Robin!"
The tactician looked up and sighed. "Hello Vaike. Still not knocking, I see. Haven't we discussed this before?"
"Yeah, you said not to bother you unless it's serious. Well, I've got a pretty serious situation now!"
Robin sighed again. "Fine. What is it? Oh, by the way, Vaike, you know Maribelle. Maribelle, Vaike."
"Oh, hey Maribelle."
"Vaike."
"Anyway, Robin. I gots a problem with my axe."
"Vaike, I swear if you keep losing you axe I'm gonna-"
"That ain't the problem! It's the opposite."
"…What?"
"My axe here?" Vaike pointed to the axe slung on his back.
"Yes?"
"It ain't attached to anything."
"…I'm not following."
"My axe's stickin' to me like a fly to honey! I woke up one mornin' and there it was! I can't get away! It's drawn to me like some kinda ghost or somethin'. I try to put it down or throw it away, but it always comes back like a boomerang and sticks to my body! I mean, Teach loves his axe and all, but this is crazy! It's really freaking me out!"
While Vaike was busy having a mini freak-out, Robin was thinking. Of course, he knew the reason for Vaike's 'situation' (and made a mental note to thank Miriel). At least this would teach the big man to finally keep his damn axe on his person. But another idea came to Robin when he turned around as looked at Maribelle. The woman was looking at Vaike with unconcealed disgust. Of course, that was to be expected. Vaike was basically everything that Maribelle opposed: crude, simple, preferring to smash instead of think, etc. He was really all that and more. And being all that, it made him the ideal candidate for Robin's experiment.
"Oh wow, that certainly is quite the conundrum you have there, Vaike. I'm not sure that I'll be able to figure it out all by my lonesome. Wait, I know! Why don't you take Maribelle to help you?"
"Really?"
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah," continued the tactician slyly. "I bet she's done a lot of reading on stuff. She's bound to know the cause of this thing and help you fix it. Why, with the two of you putting your heads together, spending time to think and consider the options, I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of this in no time! Unless, one of you objects?" Robin then looked pointedly at Maribelle.
The troubadour looked between him and Vaike a few times. Robin was sure she was going to just storm out of the tent. But to his surprise, Maribelle took a deep breath, composed herself and put on a (clearly fake) smile"
"I have no objections. I would like nothing more than to help my fellow Shepherd in his time of need. Vaike, do you have anything to say?"
"Nah. The Vaike guesses Robin knows best. So if he says that we'll need to solve this thing together, Teach defers to his judgment."
"Wonderful!" Robin clapped his hands. "Now, off you go, you two. Storm those brains and see what you come up with. I eagerly await the results."
"Right. Come on, Maribelle! I'm sure that with both of us, we'll figure this thing out in no time!"
"Yes…no time. Vaike? If you don't mind, I have something to ask Robin before I leave."
"Alright. Teach'll be right outside comin' up with solutions. Lemme know if you got anything!"
When Vaike left, Maribelle turned to Robin. "Alright, how long must I tolerate him?"
"As long as it takes. If you make it past a week, I'll think about giving you another partner."
"A-a week?" Maribelle asked weakly. She then took another deep breath. "That's fine. I have been though much worse. I can do this. It just requires patience."
"Good luck with that. And remember: you'll get a better partner if you make it to a week. Maybe."
When Maribelle left, Robin leaned back in his chair. Maybe he was being a bit too hard on her. He didn't regret the decision to partner her up with someone. What he did regret was that someone was The Vaike. Then again, if you start with the hardest challenge, all others become easier by comparison, right? Right. Besides, it was for everyone's own good. Thus, having solved that little dilemma, Robin decided it was time for a walk.
The tactician made a few steps outside his tent when he heard voices coming from…above?
"Lissa! You're going to fast! Slow down and pull up! PULL UP!"
"I-I'm trying! Argh!"
"No, don't do that! LOOK OUT!"
Robin's instincts immediately kicked in and he threw himself to the ground. Just in time, too, as a Pegasus flew past right where his head would've been. When he thought it was safe, Robin slowly got up to see what the hell was happening. What he saw was a pegasus flying around wildly at crazy speeds. Well...that was new. Robin was starting to doubt his decision of promoting Lissa to a pegasus knight.
"Urgh, pulling uuuuuuppp!"
"Too much! TOO MU-WAH!"
"SUMIA!"
In hindsight, Robin really should've stayed back in his tent. Going outside was clearly a mistake. These thoughts occurred to him as he felt someone landing (of falling) on top of him. Both faller and fallee groaned in pain (the fallee moreso than the faller).
"Owwww…ugh. At least that wasn't as painful as I thought it would be."
"Th-that's b-because I…broke…your…fall…"
"Huh? Oh gods, Robin!"
The man in question just groaned. He groaned harder when he was turned on his back.
"Robin? Look at me! Robin!"
The tactician slowly opened his eyes. "S-Sumia? Since when were there…three of you? You're all so spinny…"
"What? Oh no, you're hurt! Please, just…calm down and don't speak. I'll go get a healer and we'll get you all back to normal." The pegasus knight sounded like she was three seconds way from total panic.
"Oh? I'm fiiiiiine. Just a bit dizzy. Gonna close my eyes for a bit. Nighty night..."
"What? No! Stay with me, Robin!" Sumia's voice sounded all echoy and was getting more distant with each passing second. "Robin! Walk away from the light! Rooobiiiiiiinn!"
Robin was sure that he has suffered wounds much worse than now. He was also sure that it took a lot more than someone falling on top of him from an unspecified height to kill him. He was sure of all those things. But what he was most sure of was that he felt really sleepy and just needed a nap...and a pie. Those were his thoughts before he lost consciousness.
