The day had finally arrived: our first date. I was shifting from foot to foot outside of Robin's room, dressed in my new outfit (a blue duster, white shirt and loose-ish brown pants), waiting for her to be ready.

"Come on; we're going to be late!"

"No, we're not!" Her voice was slightly muffled by the wooden door between us. "You are being way too paranoid."

"I just don't like to be late, okay?"

"Is that why we're leaving half an hour earlier than we should?"

"Excuse me, but sarcasm is my thing; don't try and steal it!"

"Sarcasm is everyone's thing."

"Yeah, but I use it more than they do."

"No, you don't." The handle began to turn. "You just think you do. Everyone uses sarcasm about as much as you do. Anyway; I'm ready. Let's go!" I couldn't really say anything at that point because I was staring directly at all my luck poured into one being. Robin was dressed, for the first time ever, in something that didn't even remotely resemble her robe. She had on an elegant red dress that managed to display her deceivingly thin figure, her violet hair was in a small bun instead of its usual ponytail, and she had on midnight black high heels. "Zack?" Her voice snapped me out of it. "Something wrong?"

"Not at all."

"Then why are you waiting? You're the one who thinks we're going to be late."

"No, I just want us to have plenty of time to get there. Better safe than sorry." Robin rolled her eyes. "But yes; if we don't go now, we are going to be late, so," I put an arm out, "shall we?" Her arms snaked around my outstretched one, and we started on our way.

"We're still not going to be late."

"Well, we're going to be late at being early." She sighed.

"You are very troublesome to deal with."

"I prefer 'stubborn'."

"Of course you do."

"Come on; you love it. It's just one of my many charms."

"I admit it does have its… finer moments, but it can also be really annoying."

"Like I said: many charms." I had a feeling that if Robin wasn't holding onto my arm, she would have facepalmed just then.

"You're lucky I like you."

"Funny; Tharja told me the same thing a few days ago."

"Tharja? You went near her?"

"Hey, it wasn't by choice."

"I know the feeling…"

"I'm not sure I want to know, but… why?"

"You don't know? Ever since Tharja joined us, she's been my personal stalker. I don't even know why she does it; it just seems to be part of who she is."

"That's… creepy."

"You don't know the half of it."

"How much farther is it to the theater? Just talking about Tharja's made me feel so much colder."

"We only just left the entrance hall; it's going to be about another ten minutes."

"Great."

"What, you don't want to have a walk with me in the evening?"

"I like that part; I just don't want to have this chill up my spine anymore." Despite how close we already were, Robin managed to move in closer.

"Better?"

"A-a bit." The next minute or two was spent in silence, neither of us really knowing what to change the subject to. It was difficult to tell if it was awkward or not, but it certainly wasn't uncomfortable. "So tell me," I had finally thought of something, "what hobbies have you picked up?"

"Hobbies?"

"Yeah; how have you been keeping yourself busy? I want to know."

"Well… I've found a few books to read, been working on some future strategies, new spells-"

"No, those aren't hobbies. Hobbies are things like knitting or writing or… building with Lego, things like that."

"Lego?"

"I'll explain later."

"Alright. Um…" Her face twisted and turned every which way as she tried to think of something wholly un-work-like that she had done in the past little while. "Oh." Suddenly, her face went bright red. "A-are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes." She sighed.

"I-I've… I've been doing a few rough drawings."

"Really?"

"Th-they're not very good; just a few ideas I had!"

"Why are you so embarrassed about drawing? That's actually a pretty normal hobby."

"I know, but… I don't know, it just doesn't feel like something I should be telling other people, especially with how bad I draw."

"Oh come on; I'm sure you're not any worse than I am. Being worse than me would mean that scribbling on a page is the best you can do."

"But they don't even look real! All my pictures look weird and… not entirely realistic."

"Great!"

"...What?"

"You're creating your own style, and possibly making something that people will appreciate farther down the line. Same thing happened in my world. There was this guy, Picasso, who made really strange and abstract paintings. At the time he made them, nobody wanted them because they thought he was just insane; but by the time I was born, he had become one of the greatest artists in the world."

"...What are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

"I don't really care if I'm good or not; I just care that it's a thing I do."

"Oh. Sorry; I may have over thought that a little."

"That's okay; it was sweet."

"I try." She rolled her eyes again.

"Why do I like you?"

"Because I'm hilarious." She chuckled.

"Maybe."

"Zack; Robin! Over here!" Ahead of us, Lissa, dressed in a minimalistic yet very fancy dress, was bouncing on the spot, Stahl at her side. We waved and moved towards them.

"And you thought it was silly to be so early."

"I still do."

"What are you two doing here so early?" Stahl had decided to join the conversation.

"Probably the same thing as you."

"My brother told you to get here early too? Why'd he do that?" Robin gave me a look.

"I still stand by my timing."

"We're not; he wanted to get here this early."

"Why? There's still another twenty minutes."

"Honestly, Stahl, I don't know why either."

"It's so we could get the best seats-"

"The Shepherds have reserved seating…"

"And see Olivia-"

"We're not allowed backstage before the performance…"

"And to show off to everyone else-"

"None of the Shepherds will really care who got here first…"

"And to bug you."

"...That one's viable."

"Awww, you two are so cute! In a… weird kind of way." Lissa gave a small shiver and moved closer to Stahl, both of them blushing profusely. "Brr, it's cold; can we go in now?" Our small group silently agreed, and we moved inside.

The theater was nothing to write home about; a large enough stage with several rows of semi-comfortable seating with a good view of said stage. It was going for a very 'focus on the actors more than the stage' kind of thing, which was probably a good choice. The Shepherds' seating was quite close to the front; not too close so that we had to crane our necks to see the stage, but not so far away that we couldn't see anything. It's probably worth mentioning that at this point, the theater was empty, which the three I was currently with had no problem reminding me of. Thankfully, though, more people started arriving, and the theater was soon full to bursting. Cordelia and Lon'qu were the first of the other Shepherds to arrive, the two awkwardly walking beside each other. Lissa waved them over, and they sat in their reserved seats.

"Lon'qu! You actually talked to a girl!" When he didn't respond to the princess' comment, she decided to turn her attention to said girl.

"She worth your discomfort, then?" He glanced from me to her, and sighed.

"Yes."

"That's all you can ask for."

"Smiles finally found something worthwhile?" Gaius slumped down in the seat next to me, Maribelle daintily sitting on his other side.

"Shape up, dear; you're slouching."

"Sorry." He readjusted his position to be a bit more presentable. "Better?"

"For now."

"Forget about him; I'm curious about you two. Regretting my advice yet?"

"Laugh it up, Strings; I'm far from regretting this." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maribelle's expression soften.

"Good."

"How 'bout you? You and Bubbles working out?" I looked over to the woman on my left, who was busy talking with Cordelia and Lissa, Stahl and Lon'qu caught between them.

"I believe so."

"Believe?"

"It's just my way of speech; we're fine, Gaius."

"If you say so." He started to lean back, when there was an audible smack as Maribelle stopped him. In an instant, he was sitting almost perfectly straight.

"We're better than you," I chuckled. He gave me a glare, but didn't say anything. I could only assume that all the words running through his head would have gotten him both a scolding and a beating from Maribelle.

"Am I late?" A very familiar voice said, just behind me.

"Ricken! Hey! No, you've still got a few minutes."

"Phew!" The young mage, who looked strangely off without his hat, wiped his brow. "I thought I was going to miss it!"

"Miss it?" Robin had decided to join us. "Ricken, there's still another ten minutes before it's supposed to start."

"Well, I usually like to be as early as possible; usually about half an hour." I gave Robin a smile, which she rolled her eyes at. "...I get the feeling I'm missing something here."

"Don't worry; he's just being cheeky."

"Oh. Okay."

"Hey," I suddenly noticed there was something missing, "I thought you told me you had a date; I don't see one with you."

"S-she's here. She's just… uh… in the show."

"You mean…?" His face went red. "The dancer and the mage. What a story that's going to make."

"I have to admit, I am curious to see it unfold."

"C-can we move on to something else?"

"Like what?"

"How about that?" I followed Ricken's finger to the two figures now entering the theater. The crowd was parting like the Red Sea as Chrom and Sumia, dressed in the most extravagant outfits I had ever seen, strode towards us, hand-in-hand. Were it not for Chrom's embarrassed expression and Sumia's occasional tripping, they would have looked like they actually did belong with the upper class. Those two coming over and taking their seats near the Shepherds seemed to be the cue for the show to start. An announcer ran on stage, paper in hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he called, "I welcome you to our first performance of the year! Tonight we have plenty of routines for you from performers new and old! Before we begin, I would like to welcome the Shepherds," he gestured to us, "and the Exalt and Queen," his hand moved to indicate Chrom and Sumia, who both waved, "to our humble theater. We are delighted that you chose to come here tonight. Now, without further ado, on with the show!" He bowed to a raucous applause and walked offstage. I leaned over to whisper to Robin.

"Excited?"

"A little. It is my first time going to a play."

"I just hope these guys are good." Several people came on stage, signalling the show's start. "Here we go."

The show was a spectacle to behold. There were feats of daring that people back on my world wouldn't even try attempting without safety gear, skits that rivalled that of Saturday Night Live, dramatic performances that would put most movies to shame, and, of course, Olivia's dance. The twists and turns of the thin dancer's performance mesmerized all, her body moving in ways that probably shouldn't be possible, yet she moved so fluidly through those motions that none of it felt unnatural. Olivia's dance was the second-to-last performance of the night, and as she curtsied her way off the stage, the announcer came back.

"Please give a hand for Olivia, Ferox's own star dancer!" There was a roaring applause. "Normally, this would be the end of our show, but we have one final request from a very special audience member. So sit back, and enjoy our miniature play!" He walked off to more applause, and the actors assembled themselves onstage. The costumes they were wearing looked very… familiar. The reason of why soon made itself clear as the first thing that happened was one of the actors fell onto another.

"Hey, that's… that's us!" I could feel Robin shift in her seat next to me. "Did you…?"

"Maybe…"

"Why?"

"You were doubting yourself so much, and I just wanted to show how you aren't a burden on us; you're one of us."

"R… really?"

"Really." I had no words. Nobody, and I mean nobody, had ever done anything to this kind of scale for me before. Because I was feeling a little bit down, Robin had decided to make an entire play just to cheer me up. I was sat, staring at her for the longest time, unable to speak. Figuring that words probably weren't going to do it, I put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She put her head on my shoulder, and we watched the past year plus' events unfold.

I still couldn't speak on our way back to the palace. Although it was well done, the performance itself didn't even seem to matter; the fact that she had gone to such lengths, just for me, was unbelievable.

"You okay?" Robin had a very worried look. "You haven't spoken since the final act started."

"No, I'm… I'm fine. Just… just a lot running through… uh… running through my head."

"I can tell; you don't usually stumble your speech so much."

"Y-yeah…" There was another few-minute-long silence as we entered the palace and started venturing down the halls. "I-I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For making you worry so much. All my talk of being a burden and not really mattering here must have scared you a lot to make you go and dedicate a play to me."

"Hey, I'm allowed to worry; we are a couple, after all."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts; you needed this."

"If you say so."

"I know so." We stopped next to a door. "Well, I guess we part ways here."

"Please don't say it like that; you make it sound like we're never going to see each other again."

"Okay, okay," she chuckled. "Oh, one more thing before you go."

"Hm?"

"It's a surprise; you need to close your eyes."

"Two surprises in one night?" Everything went dark as my eyelids shut. "How… surprising."

"Shut up." There was a small laugh in her voice.

"Why should I?"

"Because of this."

"Because of wh-" I didn't have to shut up, because she cut me off with a liplock; a real, actual, first kiss. Remember when I said that the brief brushing of mouths we once had was one of the best moments of my life? Well, this was ten thousand times better. It was, of course, a bit awkward at first since we had absolutely no clue as to how to do this kind of thing, but it soon turned into something that felt as natural as breathing. After what I really wanted to be an eternity later, but was really only about thirty seconds, Robin drew back.

"Now we're even."

"E… even?"

"You gave me a birthday, I gave you a play; you gave me a kiss, I gave you one."

"...Does that mean you have to owe me a favour before that can happen again?"

"We'll see. Goodnight."

"'Night…" She closed the door between us, and I began to walk off. Before I got too far, though, I heard a small noise from a nearby, should-be-empty room. Curious, I went in and surveyed the dark area. "Hello?" There was a slight rustling from somewhere in the room. A thought crossed my mind. "Tharja? Is that you?" Hold on; if it was Tharja, wouldn't there be a cold sweat running down my back? "Who's there?" Getting no response, I moved farther into the room. "Lissa? If that's you, this prank isn't very good." Out of the darkness, a figure tried to run through me and to the door, but I was ready. It seemed they weren't expecting me to have knowledge of military form and the strength to back it up, causing them to almost bounce back off of me. Before they could try again, I grabbed them by the shoulders to stop them in place.

"Letgoletgoletgoletgo!" It was a girl's voice, but not one I had heard before.

"Who are you?" When she didn't answer, I moved us so that I could see her face. I was a little shocked when I saw her shock of dark blue hair tied into twin ponytails very similar to Lissa's, only smaller. Her blue eyes were locked on me with both intrigue and anger, her silly yet serious expression only emphasizing the conflict. "Who are you?"

"Nobody! Now let me go!"

"I can't do that until you at least tell me what you're doing here."

"Rrrr…"

"Are you growling at me?"

"...I'm not telling." I sighed.

"What if I tell you who I am? Would that help you open your mouth?"

"...Maybe…"

"Well, my name's Zack." Her eyes widened. "I'm a Shepherd. I'm also from another dimension. Now, who are you?"

"You're…"

"Oh. Sorry. I'm from another world. I keep forgetting that people don't know what a dimension is…"

"Right! That's what I was going to say!" Her sweating said otherwise, but I decided to let it slide. "My… my name is Cynthia."

"Good. Now, what are you doing here?"

"...Um…"

"I'm not going to hurt you, just tell me why you're in the palace."

"I was looking for someone…"

"You were? Who?"

"...My mother…" I could see tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"What's her name? If you tell me, maybe I can help you find her."

"NO!" The sudden volume of her voice made me jump. "I-I-I mean, no thanks. I-I've already looked through the castle, and she's not here. Can I go now?"

"Sure. If you change your mind, though, just tell the guards that you know me."

"O-okay. Thanks, mister."

"It's Zack."

"R-right." She sped out the door and down the hall, nearly toppling over a maid in the process.

"What an insane night. First a play, then a kiss, now her? Man, this place is lively." I shook my head, and continued my way through the palace, wondering what could possibly happen next.

A/N: ...Did I do that part right? I hope I did it right. I also hope this chapter satisfied; there were a few things that happened in it. Anyway, as always, be sure to review or PM with any questions, concerns, comments, or criticisms you may have. Until the next chapter!