[][Andrew][]
"I have had enough of this childish behavior!" Maribelle spat shrilly, shooing me away at parasol-point, "Perhaps I set my expectations too highly for you, Andrew, but Lissa, dear!"
Mulling on Tharja's apocryphal words and troubling myself with dreams could only last so long. Dwelling on things just doesn't suit me, really. So I decided to try and make myself useful- helping healers move things, sorting their supplies, that sort of stuff.
Lissa pouted, fluttering along in her yellow and white dress as Maribelle jabbed at my back. "Aww, but you looked so stressed! A little fun never hurt anyone, you know."
I could actually feel Maribelle seething without looking at her. Yes, helping Lissa out did count as making myself useful, but maybe enabling her pranks wasn't the best idea.
"Fun," Maribelle hissed, pushing me out the door with a final shove. As she spoke, her voice grew increasingly shrill, "Does not usually include so many frogs. Fun includes no frogs. No frogs! None at all, dear!"
I had to disagree; frogs were plenty entertaining. On the other hand, I preferred living a long and healthy life, free of parasol-based wounds. Turning around to face Maribelle, I bowed my head and carefully considered my words. "Maribelle, I'm genuinely sorry. We just wanted to lighten the mood, and we didn't really consider your feelings in that."
Lissa stuck her lip out in an adorable pout, clasping her hands together and averting her eyes. "We didn't mean to make you mad."
Maribelle closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to cool her face from a beet red to a light blush. Nodding and forcing a smile, she lowered her parasol. "I know. You're just trying to help. But what I don't think you understand is that I am busy. Please do not disturb my work unless you have something quite important. Oh, and Andrew? Next time one of these awful ideas worms its way into your head, be a dear and ignore it."
I wouldn't call the idea awful, considering the laughs it earned from the troops. Lowering my gaze, I did my best to look apologetic. "Um-"
The door slammed shut with a thud, leaving me alone in the stone hallway with Lissa. We paused, waiting a moment to see if the door would open again.
All at once, the dreary mood of regret burst like a bubble. Lissa broke into a fit of giggling snorts, slouching against the wall and covering her mouth. "That was perfect, Andrew! And the thing with the-"
"I just followed your plan, Lissa," I chuckled, pulling myself up. Letting a grin creep across my features, I continued, "I can't believe I held out that long. I can't believe you held out that long. Where did you even get that many frogs?"
"Gaius gets them to me in exchange for candy," Lissa shrugged, flushing slightly as her giggle fit subsided, "I'm not allowed to ask where he gets them from."
Still smiling, I spread my hands in theatrical shrug to match hers. "You know what, I can live with that." Asking where Gaius got stuff seemed like a bad idea, unless you were Cordelia. Or Maribelle. Or... well, anyone with significant responsibility. "So what next? Anything you should be doing right now?"
Lissa shook her head, but turned on her heel and started wandering down the hall. "Nope!" she said cheerfully, "Completely burned myself out today, so I can't help with healing. What about you?"
That familiar, blackened ache crept back into my thoughts. "I'm not even a Shepherd," I said, hoping I sounded more at ease than I felt, "I have exactly zero responsibilities other than keeping out of danger. So, unless it's creepy? I'll probably just follow you around."
Hesitating for a heartbeat, Lissa nodded enthusiastically, but didn't turn to face me as we walked down the hall. "Oh, right," Lissa said, "Sure! It's way more fun to do stuff with other people, and you're not a stick in the mud. I just want people to have fun. What's so 'dangerous' or 'unprincesslike' about that?"
She waved her arms emphatically, forcing me to weave a zig-zag path as I tried to catch up to her. Sure, her flailing arms didn't look dangerous, but I distinctly remembered one of her promotions being War Cleric (or something of the sort).
It was easy to agree with Lissa, and easier to smile at her antics. Making people laugh, making them happy... It made me happy too. Still, as the adult in the situation, I felt like I had to say the responsible(ish) thing. "They're just being boring," I advised, nodding sagely, "Adults can be like that. We should probably avoid using them as targets for jokes, though."
"Ughhhhh," Lissa groaned, rounding a corner, "Fine. But that's what makes it so funny! They're always so serious, so when something silly happens it gets the biggest laugh!"
"Well, as long as nobody's feelings are hurt," I shrugged, "I agree completely. Wait-"
For the first time, I properly took in my surroundings. The stone halls were empty save for the dull echoes of battle, a strange sight to contrast the hustle and bustle I'd seen earlier. "Where are we?"
"Backside of the fort," Lissa answered, pointing to a door at the end of the hall, "I'm gonna go up to the top of the wall."
"Isn't that, um, unsafe?" I hazarded, hand drifting to my sword, "You know. Wyverns, arrows, magic, stuff like that.
Lissa brought both hands up, counting off on one as she spoke, "I didn't see any Wyverns when I looked outside earlier, magic loses power as it travels, and you have a Wind Tome to blast any arrows."
I didn't expect that level of forethought. Then again, she was a Shepherd, not just Chrom's little sister. Six (nearly seven) years my junior, and twice the person I'd ever managed to be. My chest ached at the thought. "I- huh," I brushed it off, refocusing on the conversation, "Two for three. If I had a tome with me, Lissa, I'd be in much better shape than I am now. Plus, I'm terrible with magic."
I had maybe a week of training overall, and only with basic stuff. If I wanted to actually get good at magic, Miriel said, I'd have to learn the theory behind it. At least I had a leg-up in that: studying things I didn't quite understand yet summarized my college experience.
"Anybody there? Andrew?"
And for the second time in as many minutes, I'd let my thoughts wander. "You can stop waving your hand in my face now," I smirked, trying to collect my thoughts, "Sorry about that. What did you say?"
"I said that we can go get a Wind Tome. Cordelia won't mind. Probably," Lissa said cheerfully, swinging her arms as she walked past me. "Maybe we can grab a few snacks, too. I'm hungry!"
My stomach rumbled in agreement as I turned to follow. "Nothing big, though," I began, recalling distantly something I'd said that morning, "I already promised to have dinner with Tiki tonight."
"Well, duh," Lissa waved it off, her tone laced with impish glee, "Everybody knows that. You always eat together. Plus, candy isn't food. Gaius told me so."
"Gaius is probably the worst person to consult on that," I shot back, "And no, we don't always have dinner together. Sometimes she's asleep and misses dinner." Wait, everybody? For that matter, why would anyone care?
Lissa snorted, stopping herself short. "Of course."
[][][][][][][][]
When we finally reached the top of the wall, Wind Tome in tow, the Sun was making its final, agonizing descent. It felt strange to watch the battle from on high like this, a feeling that found itself settling like a stone in my stomach.
"Battles don't usually go this long, do they?" I said quietly, stepping away from the ramparts. "I'm no expert, but this doesn't seem right."
Lissa sighed, eyes still glued to the battle below. "Nah. It started, what, two hours ago? Three? That happens."
"Huh," I paused, stomach churning. Three hours? Really? The battle must've just started when I woke up. As I watched, six Pegasus Knights descended on the Plegians, lashing out with lances and spears before retreating once again. That drew my eye upwards and southwards- to the growing shadow on the horizon.
"Hopefully it's over soon," I said finally, "That... doesn't look good."
The quiet that followed oozed through my thoughts, grasping at the darker fears that lurked below. Once this battle was over, my time with the Shepherds would end. I'd be sent somewhere 'safe'- away from everything I knew about this world, to blindly await the end of a war. I started pacing, letting the sound of boots on stone fill my mind instead. It almost worked.
"I'm sure it'll be fine!" Lissa assured me loudly, offering a wobbly grin as she spun around to face me. "Robin's the best. She didn't even mind when I stuck a frog down her shirt!"
Now that was a support I remembered- using a massage to stick a frog in someone's shirt wasn't exactly a normal interaction. "I somehow doubt that," I replied dryly, "What's the story there?"
"Welllll," she started, tilting her head and rolling her shoulders, "Okay, maybe she minded a little bit. But I did massage her back first, and she is so. Tense! But I wasn't going to keep the frog in my sleeve any longer, because it was starting to crawl up my arm. So I dumped it in her shirt, and she only shouted at me a teensy tiny bit." As she told her story, she made wild, windmilling gestures to emphasize her points. "She's the best," Lissa reiterated, pausing for a moment with a finger on her chin, "Okay, nevermind. Chrom's the best, then Robin, then Gaius, then Maribelle."
Digesting her words, I looked carefully at her sleeves. If there were frogs in there today, they'd probably have been launched in all sorts of directions. "I'm going to regret asking this, but, why was there a frog in your sleeve?"
Lissa rolled her eyes. "Because I put it there, duh," she grinned, standing up straight and crossing her arms. "Anyways. How'd you end up friends with Tiki?" Lissa mused, eyes flickering across our surroundings, "Manaketes are really rare! And all the stories say they prefer to live and travel alone."
It wasn't that complicated. She fell out of the sky, we talked, and- huh. Complicated, but maybe just because I wasn't good at these sorts of questions. "Um," I provided helpfully, "We made soup once?"
Lissa made a face at that. "Soup is nice and all, but..." she shrugged, eyes gleaming impishly, "Not my favorite."
Finally, a kindred spirit! Sweeping aside my anxieties as best I could, I raised my fists to the sky, pounding them on the air. "Finally!" I cheered, putting on my best dramatic airs, "Someone who agrees with me. See, Tiki believes soup is the superior food, and I can't help but disagree. It's obviously-"
She smiled. "On three?"
"On three."
"One, two..."
"Stir fry," I declared imperiously.
"Pies!" Lissa stated, obviously incorrect.
Like that, hope died. All was lost; the Princess of Ylisse was a heathen. I slumped, arms drooping as I took on a somber expression. "I thought better of a princess, liking pies more than stir fry," I mourned, shaking a fist loosely at the sky. Never mind the fact that pies are actually delicious, and were probably my favorite side dish. I fought to hold my grin back as Lissa slowly lost it completely. It wasn't that funny, was it? "Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace, have no-"
"Rawr!"
And then Nowi was upon me, hugging me from behind and quite nearly knocking me over in the process. My heart skipped- well, it did a whole round of hopscotch before my brain got a hold on the situation. Everything was fine, I was not going to be murdered, that was ridiculous. My hand twitched away from my sword, though I didn't recall going for it in the first place.
"Ohh, that was-" Lissa grinned, hiding her mouth behind a hand. "You were so focused, Andrew. That was great!"
Catching my breath, and levelling a halfhearted glare at Lissa, I ran a hand through my hair. "Well done. I think you just gave me a few grey hairs, but I did not see that coming. Nowi?"
"Mhm?" Nowi mumbled smugly, releasing me and prancing over to Lissa, "Betcha were scared, huh? I'm a master of stealth!"
"I was terrified," I agreed readily, "But dragons aren't supposed to be stealthy, though," I shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "I see you've got more outfits in the collection now! So you've taken a liking?"
For a while, making Nowi actually wear something other than her baffling in-game outfit had been a fight. A fight Tiki won by staring at Nowi ominously, but a fight.
She actually looked a bit taller now, if only in her posture. "Uh-huh!" she nodded, crossing her arms, "I think this one's the best."
The outfit in question was a simple white dress, belted around the middle with a rather nice looking strip of brown fabric. As I watched, Lissa gave Nowi a high-five, giving me terrifying visions of a future full of pranks devised by both of them. I shuddered at the thought. "It's nice," I said, "So why're you up here, Nowi? Doing alright?"
"I'm fine, don't worry," Nowi waved off, "But I can't tell you, nuh-uh. It's a secret, I promised Lissa. Oh right! Here's your candy, Lissa!"
Lissa put a hand to her face as she accepted a small brown bag, sighing. "And nobody else knows?" she confirmed, "You didn't tell Maribelle? Or Cordelia? Or Gaius?"
"Nah," Nowi gave Lissa a thumbs up, sticking out her tongue. With that, she rounded on me, putting on her best serious face. "Now listen here mister. Dragons can be stealthy because dragons can be whatever they want! So I'm a stealthy, sneaky dragon that squishes all the bad guys, okay?"
I blinked, furrowing my brow. What was she- oh. Right, I had said that, hadn't I? I spread my hands apologetically. "You're absolutely right," I agreed, "Stealthy dragon, squish the bad guys."
"And no more getting yourself hurt in silly ways! You still need to teach me more games, okay?"
That warmed my heart, in an odd way. "It'll have to be after the war- um." I stopped speaking, watching as Nowi walked around me and careened back into the fort. "What?"
"After the war?" Lissa broached, opening her bag and inspecting the contents, "Ooh, caramels."
Glancing back over the battle- yeah, the approaching army was much closer now- I pushed all the blackened, aching worries back where they belonged. They'd stay there, at least for now. "I don't really want to talk about it," I admitted, "But I'm leaving the Shepherds after this battle's over. I'm not a Shepherd- you know that- so I'll need to go somewhere safer. Learn how to fight, maybe. Find something I'm good at."
Lissa mulled it over quietly, plucking a caramel out of the bag and sticking it into her mouth. "Mmpfh. I heard, and Phila has a stick up her butt. You could try-" she paused, biting down on the caramel, "Wow, these are tough. You could work on your healing magic. It's pretty obvious that you use it already, so why not just become a healer?"
I was glad I wasn't the only one that thought Phila might be a little grumpier than was reasonable, but more important thoughts overrode that. "I've never used a staff?" I asked back, "I've handed one to- eh, someone I know, but I've never used one." Becoming a healer didn't sound so bad, honestly, but I doubted I'd ever be good enough to earn my keep that way. Or, frankly, in any other way that the Shepherds cared about- I wasn't from a world where this stuff had mattered or even existed in some cases.
"Weird," Lissa frowned, working her jaw furiously, "Ugh. Gonna be so sore after this. It felt like you did, y'know? That buzzy feeling you get when you use magic? Yours feels like a cleric's, kinda. If these caramels weren't so tasty, I'd be really mad that they're so hard to chew."
That made more sense, but a 'buzzy feeling' was not something I was familiar with. The fact that it 'felt' like a cleric's, though... I had a few ideas. "I think I get it, but I don't know the feeling," I answered honestly, hoping to fill in some of the gaps in my new theory, "And I'll consider it. When you say I 'feel' like a cleric, Lissa, does it remind you of any holy places? Mt Prism, maybe? Just curious."
"Yeah, actually!" Lissa nodded along, sticking her hand back into the bag. "Like the priests at Mt Prism! Maybe that means you'll have a knack for it. Caramel?"
The pieces came together pretty easily after that. Eying the caramel dubiously, I accepted the offering. "So where would I learn how to heal people, then? Oh, wow," I agreed, wincing as the delicious caramel actively fought against being chewed. "These are delicious and will destroy my jaw."
"That's why I'm only having three," Lissa said, glancing over at the horizon and wincing, "Anyways, Maribelle might have some pointers to give you after the battle, or maybe Libra. You'll have to stick around until we have reinforcements anyways, or that's what Frederick said when I asked earlier. Maybe you can head to Mt Prism after the war? That's where I learned the important stuff."
Lissa was an impressive talker- she was speaking clearly despite having candy in her mouth. "I'll think about it," I sighed, suddenly quite tired, "I'll think about it."
We lapsed into silence, doing our best to not look at our approaching enemies.
Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long for something else to happen. I'd been keeping a good watch on the door ever since Nowi shaved a few years off my life, and it had paid off. Nowi herself traipsed out of the fort, dragging Gregor along with her. "I'm back!" she announced, "I brought Gregor too!"
"Gregor was brought," Gregor agreed good-naturedly, "Only little scratches from battle, too!"
From the sling his 'free' arm was in- the other was still in Nowi's clutches- it was a bit more than a scratch. "Hey, Gregor," I said, giving him a little wave, "Guess you're out for a few days, then?"
"Two weeks," Lissa mumbled, massaging her jaw, "Three caramels was too many. Should heat them up next time."
"Two weeks," Gregor said sadly, a faint grin forming on his features as Nowi switched to grabbing one of my arms instead. "Is not so bad. Gregor is going with Andrew to western capital! Will be good time. Many games, not so much stabbing. Tonight though, arm cannot stop Gregor from celebrating!"
Looking pointedly at the approaching army, and then down at the army the Shepherds hadn't quite managed to mop up yet, I raised an eyebrow. "Celebrate what?"
Tapping the side of his nose, Gregor chuckled. "Gregor knows thing Andrew does not, eh? Look at soldiers. Is obvious!"
Nowi peered over the wall, harrumphing. "I don't see it. Andrew, can you pick me up? I wanna see it!"
"I don't see it either," I said, kneeling down so Nowi could clamber onto my shoulders, "Lissa?"
"What? No. I just see soldiers," Lissa offered, "Andrew, be careful. I know Nowi isn't very heavy, but you're injured, and Maribelle will be so mad at us if you get hurt again."
Gregor shook his head, tutting. Nowi leaned over, using the extra height of being on my shoulders to give him what sounded like a raspberry. "Pah, is obvious for wise mercenary like Gregor. Look at formation! Little squares and triangles. Gregor knows only one Plegian General who moves soldiers like that."
Realization failed to dawn, even as the last rays of dusk made their exit. "Can I get a hint?"
"Gregor is bad at hints. Is General Mustafa!"
"I'll take your word for it," I said dubiously- why? Gregor didn't really lie. It just didn't sit with me, for some reason.
[][][][][][][][]
Shortly after, it looked like the Plegians at the wall had figured it out as well- and assume Mustafa was on their side. They pushed harder, taking risks I didn't understand (I wasn't a tactician) and gaining ground uncomfortably fast. Step by step, they pushed the Shepherds back- right up to the moment someone broke away from the approaching army and rode over to the ones at the wall.
And then, all at once, they scattered- fading like breath on a mirror.
The battle, and my time with the Shepherds, was at an end.
[][][][][][][][]
Vaike was already drunk by the time I made it down the stairs, clapping me on the shoulder and shouting something about celebrations before wandering off again. I was confused until I found the celebration in question- the lower floors were full to the brim with drunken soldiers, cheering over large chunks of roast food and washing it down with massive tankards of ale.
Victory was theirs.
I didn't feel quite at home with that crowd, so I wandered around until I found where my sort of people were. I didn't like bombastic parties, honestly, unless I was one of the entertainers.
It was a room much like the one I'd nearly died in earlier today, albeit without the bodies and bloodstains to match. Fire crackled merrily in the corner, casting long shadows across the sparsely populated room.
Maribelle was dead asleep in a chair, her face clear of the frustration and stress that'd marred when we last spoke. Libra sat across from her, serenely sipping at his tea, giving me a courteous nod as I stepped inside. Cordelia was making notes on a diagram of some sort, conversing quietly with Miriel from time to time. Over in the corner, another group caught my eye- Lucina, of all people, talking to an older man and a younger woman I didn't recognize. I didn't much feel like talking to any of them, really.
I jerked my chin up in greeting to Lon'qu, though. We'd never actually spoken, but he always returned my greetings. As expected, he nodded in return.
Despite all that, it was quite cozy. People were talking, yes, but it was a dull murmur that filled the room rather than crowded me out of it. I found myself a cozy chair in the corner, far enough away from everyone else that I could hopefully take a nap. At least until Nowi found me again, assuming she hadn't fallen asleep after running off.
The man speaking to Lucina stood up abruptly, stroking his short grey beard. His voice rose above the murmur, stiff and formal: "Very well, madam. If that is not to your liking, as you say, I would ask that you come with me to speak with Tactician Robin."
The third member of their conversation, a woman with shoulder-length orange hair, pulled one leg up to her chest and sighed. I couldn't quite catch what she said, but it clearly irritated Lucina. "Very well then, sir," Lucina replied, "Though I appreciate the resources being devoted to this, I feel we are going about it the wrong way."
And with that, the man left the room, Lucina following close behind. What could that have been about?
No matter. It wasn't my business. I felt myself beginning to doze off...
"Oh, is that you?"
I blinked back into reality, woken by an almost-familiar voice. It was that woman with orange hair- more like an actual ginger than the literal redheads of this world. At some point, she'd crossed the room, inspecting me with grey-blue eyes. Her height, combined with the broad tan cloak she wore, cast a rather striking shadow in the flickering firelight.
"Um?" I provided, thoroughly confused, "Depends on what you mean, I suppose."
Narrowing her eyes, the woman frowned. "Same to you. I swear I've seen you somewhere, but I just can't say where. It's been a busy few weeks."
Her voice really was familiar- a bit deeper than usual for a woman, undercut with a roughness that came with disuse. "Your voice rings a bell," I said, inspecting her more closely, "The outfit doesn't, but it's not like we're bound to a single outfit."
"I don't have a big wardrobe, but I'd like to think mine is memorable," she mused, tapping the corner of her lip. All at once, her expression brightened. "Oh! I know you. You're Andrew! Anna and Tiki's friend, right? Looks like they sprung you out, huh."
My gut twisted a bit. "Tiki's friend," I agreed, "They didn't spring me out, but I did escape. My neighbor was a manakete, and she got her hands on a Dragonstone."
"Oooh," the woman winced, taking a sharp breath through clenched teeth, "Ouch. They had it coming though, from what I've heard. But you're getting me off track. The name's Riley. I'm the cloak merchant, remember?"
She stuck out a hand. Standing up carefully- everything was starting to get quite sore and itchy- I took her hand and shook it. How had I forgotten? The cloak merchant! It was obvious, now that she pointed it out.
Not really. "Nice to re-meet you, Riley. The cloak merchant, huh? How'd you end up here?"
"The cloak merchant," Riley agreed, ending the handshake. She gestured to her face, making a wry smile. "You probably don't recognize me because I have a face this time. If you're here, Anna should be here too, right? No offense, Mister Andrew, but I'm on a bit of a short schedule here and I'd like to use my time efficiently."
I could appreciate someone who got straight to the point. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in. "No, Anna is not here. We parted on, um, bad terms."
Riley's expression warped, the eager gleam in her eyes dimming as she scowled. The firelight cast sharp shadows over her features, giving her a rather ominous glow. "Of course. And here I thought she'd change, but no, she..." she shook her head, dismissing the thought. "I'm sorry about that. I'm a friend of the family, and one of Captain Tark's associates. Might I ask what happened?"
Frankly, she looked how I felt- furious, confused, and... not surprised. But I had to turn her down, it wasn't really her business and I didn't like talking about it. "I'd rather not," I said bluntly, "It was quite painful. Captain Tark- as in Tark's League?"
"I will have words," Riley muttered, frowning. She clasped her hands behind her back, abruptly bending backwards in an uncomfortable looking stretch. By the time she came back up, the anger had faded from her features. "Huh? Yeah. I've helped them from time to time, and I was hoping to make some arrangements with them. Anna's pretty close to one of their higher-ups, so I figured... well, it doesn't matter anymore."
I assumed she meant Boris. "It doesn't," I agreed. "So, how'd you end up here?"
She shrugged, quirking an eyebrow. "Turns out Mt Prism isn't on the border with Plegia. Why I thought that, I'll never know. Got lost and ended up joining General Mustafa, but now I'm helping relay a missive for the Shepherds. All the way to the western capital of Ferox, wouldn't you believe it?"
Someone coughed politely, startling both of us.
"Oh, pegasus poop. I didn't mean to startle you," Sumia sighed- who else could it be?- stepping closer to us. She had to look up- Riley was on the tall side, and I was tall. "I was looking for you, Andrew! Thank you for your kind words this morning. I really appreciated it," Sumia smiled, grabbing me by the hand.
Riley stepped away, nodding at me. "I had a question, but we'll talk later," she said quietly, moving away from us.
I nodded back, then turned my focus back to Sumia. Rubbing the back of my head, I smiled. "It was nothing, Sumia. You've been a good friend, so it's the least I can do."
Sumia's expression morphed into a heart-rending pout before she yanked me into a hug. And I do mean yanked- Sumia is way stronger than she looks. "I'm sorry for my Commander's behavior, Andrew. She just wants the best for everyone, but... well..."
"She's got a stick up her butt?" I queried, quoting Lissa's words from earlier. Hugs are amazing, by the way. Sure, it was awkward, what with Sumia wearing a metal breastplate, but I really needed an actual hug rather than Nowi assaulting me. It was... warm. I returned it, just for a moment. The tension in my frame eased, but refused to release itself entirely.
Pulling away, Sumia covered her mouth and hid a laugh. "How vulgar of you, Andrew! I wouldn't say that. But I'm not here to make you dwell on that, okay?"
I hoped I wasn't blushing too much. Sure, Sumia was gorgeous, strong, and had amazing hair, but I didn't like her in that way. And I knew for a fact she didn't like me in that way either. Still. Hugged by a pretty girl.
"I appreciate it, Sumia. Thank you," I said genuinely, doing my best not to wince as the knot in my gut returned, "Really. Why are you here, then?"
"Oh, pegasus poop, I almost forgot," Sumia cursed, shaking her head. "I'm making soup for tomorrow, and a pie for Chrom, and some snacks for Robin, and..." she smiled thinly. "I'm making a lot of food. Tiki said you were a good cook, so I was maybe hoping you could help?"
Oh my god Sumia is so adorable. That woman could sweet-talk Frederick into a vacation day without even trying. Soup, though... "Sure," I said, "I'm glad to help."
Maybe things would be alright.
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Author's Note:
I called this chapter done at 9pm EST, and then went in for some final edits.
It is now 11pm EST, and I realize I should probably release the chapter on time. I meant to cover a lot more in this chapter, including an expanded scene with Riley, but I figured an extended scene featuring only an OC and an SI would be... eh. Not a great idea.
Whoops. Let me know what you think! I appreciate any and all input.
As always, let me know what you thought! Drop a review, PM me, or come by the discord:
9XG3U7a
Cheers,
Narwhal Lord
