Disclaimer: I don't own Bravely Default or Bravely Second, all rights to the owners.
I wish the wikis for these games weren't so woefully underdeveloped, because I'd love to be able to look up transcripts of party chats or the journal entries of specific monsters. It actually makes writing for these games a lot harder, because I'm used to being able to rely on wikis to supplement my sometimes unreliable memory and make sure I'm getting my characterization right. Edea is pretty easy to write, but everyone else is significantly more difficult, including Tiz.
It feels strangely reassuring to have the wooden training handle of a sword in his hands, even if he never wants to actually have to use a sword again.
His muscles might have atrophied over the years, but fighting Oroborous still feels like it happened less than a year ago, and Tiz hasn't forgotten all the training he's done. His swings are weak, but they're accurate at least.
Tiz is simply happy to be doing something active.
He's currently in the officer's training yard, usually reserved for the higher-ups in the Eternian military, and with heavy stone walls surrounding it to withstand the powerful attacks that their asterisks can summon. Tiz is sure he looks almost childish here, not using any fancy armor or weapons and not throwing any powerful magic, and barely managing to swing a wooden sword at a simple training dummy.
At least it's better than being in the common training yards. Tiz doesn't consider himself prideful, but he'd rather not demonstrate just how incapable he is in front of dozens of soldiers. The only people that would come here are people he knows (or, at least, people who aren't going to roll their eyes at him for what he's doing).
With his warmups mostly done, Tiz tries for a few attack strings. These aren't standard battle maneuvers or anything, just a difficult series of attacks for speed and flexibility training.
Overhead and sidestep, parry, thrust, sidestep, horizontal cut and sidestep, backstep, lunge, spin cut, backstep, fire-
Tiz extends his hand, and nothing happens. He tries a few more times before he remembers that since he never actually learned magical theory he can't cast spells without an asterisk, and the Red Mage asterisk has absolutely worn off after ten years.
No more magic is certainly inconvenient, but not a huge problem. He can live without being able to throw fireballs… though he'll admit, the idea of not being able to use a healing spell in a pinch makes him feel a bit uncomfortable.
"I'll never need a healing spell anyways." He reassures himself. "I can survive cuts and bruises without one."
He still doesn't like it. After so much time spent where healing spells were a fact of daily life, patching up the aftermath of battles with asterisk holders and random monsters alike, not having access to them suddenly makes Tiz aware of just how frail he is. No longer can he take an axe to the chest and return to battle a moment later.
He shouldn't need to. He absolutely shouldn't need to. But he's gone too long with battle around every corner to be able to ignore such an obvious weakness.
"I'll get used to it." Tiz tells himself. He has to. Learning magic is neither cheap nor quick, and it's not like he's going to have access to asterisks anymore. "A shepherd doesn't need healing spells."
(His mind unhelpfully conjures a dozen scenarios in which a shepherd might conceivably need healing spells, usually amounting to some accidental fatal injury, and Tiz tries not to think about it.)
The training yard is largely abandoned as Tiz trains. Everyone is busy at this time of day, he supposes, which is fine for him. A few soldiers and lesser officers poke their heads in looking for Alternis (Tiz isn't surprised. Alternis seems like exactly the sort of person to be a training junkie), but for the most part Tiz is alone.
After a month in Alternis' constant company, it's relaxing to not have the knight's eyes on him. It was hard not to feel that the man was silently judging him. After all, to Alternis, he was Tiz the Hero of Light and not Tiz the Shepherd. The knight's continued insistence on calling him "Sir" is evidence enough of that.
Tiz is pleasantly surprised with himself when he manages an hour of training. That's not particularly long, in fact for a soldier it would be barely anything, but considering he was bedridden less than a month ago he thinks this is solid progress.
He'd be even more content with his progress if he was allowed to do something aside from train, but that's an argument he's yet to win with Edea and Alternis.
"You can do something else for sure." Edea usually says. "But I'm not letting you do servant work Tiz. You're a guest, and you're supposed to be recovering. Stop trying to do our laundry."
"I can chop wood instead." He usually responded.
"You know what I'm going to say Tiz." Edea sighs. "Seriously, if you want something to do, train, or go to Eternia proper and spend a day in the town. I'll pay."
There's no way he was going to the town, of course. He won't waste Edea's money like that. So instead, here he is training. Training and waiting, because Tiz is very aware that the next few months of his life are going to be determined by a certain letter from Agnès. Either she's coming here, or he's getting pushed to Gathelatio. His bet is on the latter. It's much easier for one shepherd to travel to Gathelatio than for the pope to organize a trip to Eternian Central Command.
His sword thuds against the training dummy at an odd angle, and sends a twinge down his arm. Tiz stops swinging and takes a moment to stretch. Maybe it's time he stopped. He's really getting tired, he's going to be sore already, and Agnès is too much of a distraction now that she's crossed his mind.
He really wishes he could stop thinking about Agnès. He's already anxious about her letter and the possibility of seeing her again, and he doesn't want to work himself up anymore about it. He's already half-convinced that their inevitable in-person meeting is going to be a trial of character where everything has to go right, even though logically he knows he could stumble into Gathelatio half-drunk and Agnès would still be overjoyed to see him.
Probably.
Sighing in resignation, Tiz puts away the training supplies and tiredly walks back into the building to go draw himself a bath. Maybe some warm, soothing water will be a sufficient distraction. He'd rather think about anything other than Agnès right now.
###
"Edea is going to be mad at you."
"The Grand Marshal doesn't need to be informed about this." Alternis grumbles back. He tries to swat away Tiz's hands. "I came here because I gave my word we would play tonight, not because I want to be poked and prodded like one of your sheep."
"What did you expect when you came in here with a huge dent in your armor?" Tiz scolds. "Are you injured?"
"I will be fine."
"Will be. As in you aren't right now." Tiz says. "Alternis, did you at least have a potion?"
"For such a minor injury, I need not a potion."
Tiz frowns and crosses his arms. "Alternis Dim, if you don't take a potion or go see a white mage, I'm marching you to Edea and you can explain, to her face, why you are injured and have a massive dent in your armor and aren't seeking medical treatment."
Tiz can feel Alternis glaring through the helmet, even if he can't see the man's eyes. "I am not your concern, Sir Arrior."
"You're important to Edea, and Edea is important to me, so yes, you are my concern." Tiz says firmly. "Edea is finding out one way or another. It can either be through me marching you to her, me telling her after you run off, or her finding out after you get treatment so she won't be mad at you. Your choice."
Alternis growls in annoyance. "Blackmail."
"If it needs to be, but asking you to drink a potion isn't exactly unreasonable." Tiz says. He crosses his arm. "Go on, I'll wait. The longer you take to get that potion, the less time we have to spend on that new game you wanted to try."
Alternis lets out another audible growl, but slinks out of the room to fulfill Tiz's order. Tiz nods to himself, and goes about setting up the new game in the meantime. He spends about ten minutes doing that before Alternis eventually trudges back in, shoulders hunched in annoyance.
"Barras and Holly held me up." He grunts by way of explanation. "Barras spotted my injury and dragged me to her so she could heal me, and she wouldn't stop yelling."
Tiz keeps his face carefully neutral, so as to not smile and annoy the knight. It's good to hear he has other people that keep his stupidity in check aside from Edea. "You're better then?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I've set up, so we can play."
Alternis nods and takes his seat… or tries to. He pauses halfway down, awkwardly twisting as he tries to get comfortable. The dent in his armor is just below his ribcage, so when he sits and his spine compresses a bit, it digs into his skin.
"Alternis, just take off the armor." Tiz says.
"That's-"
"Not my choice, I know." Tiz says patiently. "But neither of us are going to have fun if you're squirming the entire time we play."
Alternis sighs deeply, but again listens to him. He doffs his armor with surprising speed, though pulling off the chestpiece is a bit of a hassle due to the dent.
This also requires he take off his helmet, which he turns around to do. Tiz politely averts his gaze. As intensely curious as Tiz is to see him, he knows Alternis isn't comfortable showing his face and he's not going to take advantage of this.
"I'm done." Alternis says. His voice sounds much less hostile, and lacks the distinct echo.
Tiz turns back around, and is pleasantly surprised to see Alternis has left the helmet off. The man looks intensely uncomfortable about it, especially when Tiz's eyes very obviously scan his face, so the knight firmly looks at the game board rather than Tiz.
Tiz knew Alternis would look like Ringabel, and he does, but there are differences. His eyes are sunken, he has visible stress lines all around his face, and his hair is crew-cut rather than up in a ridiculous pompadour. He also has a number of small scars from cuts and burns alike.
But his eyes are still the same shade of grey, his hair the same light blond (so light it can be mistaken for white without close inspection), and the structure of his face is all the same as Ringabel.
"This." Alternis says quietly, startling Tiz out of his study. The knight's eyes raise to meet him, looking immensely tired. "Is why I seldom take off my helmet."
"I don't understand." Tiz says.
"I look too much like him." Alternis says.
"I wouldn't figure most people care, or would even react that much." Tiz admits.
"They don't, but Edea does." Alternis says. He shuffles one of the card decks, despite the fact Tiz has already done so multiple times, and drops his gaze to the board again. "She won't say it, because she doesn't want me to feel bad, but I know it pains her to see my face. I'm a reminder."
Tiz grimaces. He never considered that. "You know she doesn't do that on purpose. Maybe if you kept your helmet off more, she'd get used to it…?"
"Maybe." Alternis says. "Or, I could keep it on, and it won't ever be an issue."
That seems brutally unfair to Tiz, but then again Alternis seems to be constantly unfair to himself for the sake of others. "Alternis…"
"Don't pity me." The man says. He doesn't snap, he simply sounds tired. "Can we just play the game?"
"Of course, of course." Tiz murmurs.
As they play, Tiz realizes just how much he's been missing by being unable to see Alternis' face. The man is very expressive, and has an awful poker face, though he can keep his voice remarkably steady regardless of what expression he's wearing.
Tiz can see why the helmet is so useful other than the "it hurts Edea to show my face" excuse. Alternis has a terribly hard time appearing stoic if you can actually see his face. It's a good thing they're not playing Poker right now, or else Tiz has no doubt he'd win eighty percent of the hands.
That said, with the helmet off, Tiz can also tell just how much Alternis actually enjoys the game. The man is quite thoughtful as he stares at the game board most of the time, but always smirks when he thinks he's made a clever move, and is clearly quite invested in the game as a whole.
To be honest, Tiz always assumed that Alternis played board and card games with him out of duty or the goodness of his heart, and perhaps because of that intense competitive streak that pops out from time to time. He's quite happy to see the man actually enjoys the games, though that brings up the question…
"Did you ever tell Edea that you liked these?" Tiz asks, moving one of his tokens a few steps away from one of Alternis'.
"Pardon?" The man's eyes narrow instantly in wariness and suspicion.
"It's pretty clear you like board games." Tiz continues. Again, he makes sure to sound as neutral as possible. He doesn't want to sound judgemental. "And considering board games were your idea in the first place, I'm right to think you've always liked them, aren't I?"
Alternis sighs deeply. "Edea told me you were dense. Apparently not so."
Tiz frowns for just a moment. Why would Edea say that? He's not as perceptive as Ringabel, but he's hardly an idiot.
Granted, Edea would probably also disagree with that statement.
"I learned to read my little brother, and you hide your expressions just as well as he did." Tiz explains. "Which is to say: really poorly."
"Are you comparing me to an actual child?" Alternis asks dryly.
"Yes." Tiz says, utterly without malice. "It's not a bad thing to be easy to read, at least in good company. I don't constantly have to worry about what you're thinking now. With the helmet on I always had to worry."
Alternis' jaw clenches and unclenches, and he visibly struggles to figure out what to say. Tiz doesn't push him, and silently keeps playing while Alternis sorts himself out. Eventually, the dark knight does speak again. "You're a hypocrite."
"So I've been told." Tiz says, because that's absolutely true. He's aware he's not considered very expressive. Edea and Ringabel made that clear to him during their travels. "You're avoiding the question, by the way. Have you ever told Edea you like board games?"
"No."
"Hmm…" Tiz isn't surprised, but he is disappointed. "You should consider it then. I know it's a few decades too late, but she'd probably like to know."
"Are you going to blackmail me into doing that too?" Alternis asks sarcastically.
Tiz shakes his head. "It's not up to me to make your decisions for you. Only when you're being foolish about your health."
Alternis takes a long, careful, scrutinizing look at Tiz. Then he sits up straight, and fixes him with a serious look while setting his shoulders. "Sir Arrior, I have a request."
"Yes?"
"Once you are sufficiently recovered, I would duel you."
Tiz blinks rapidly. Where did this come from?
"Not to the death, of course." Alternis clarifies. "But a duel nonetheless."
"...but why?"
"I would test something." Alternis says solemnly. "For my own sake. You are not at fault."
Tiz is even more confused. If he'd done something wrong, maybe been too nosy, he could understand the request for a duel even if he thinks it's an overreaction, but if he's not even at fault then he doesn't see the point at all. "Are you sure?"
"Quite."
Well, who is Tiz to turn Alternis down if he needs help? "Alright. If you really need help to test something, I'll duel you."
"Good." The knight nods. "Now, I believe it is my move?"
The rest of the evening passes very normally, as if one of the occupants of the room didn't just challenge the other to a fight.
###
"I want to train with an asterisk."
Edea pauses, her fork halfway to her mouth. "Tiz…"
"Yes?"
"I swear to the crystals, if this is another way to try and convince me to let you go on a mission, I'm going to punch you."
"I promise it's not." Tiz swears. "But I am out of practice. I've been training, but without an asterisk I really don't feel like I'm making any sort of progress."
"You don't need to make progress. There's no more world-ending gods for you to fight." Edea points out.
"Still, I'd rather know I'm still capable in case something does happen." Tiz says. In truth, of course, he's preparing for the duel with Alternis. If he's going to have to fight, he needs an asterisk. He doesn't have much actual combat training beyond what little he learned from Edea while travelling, and that's simply not going to cut it. Alternis is relying on him to help test something, and he won't let the man down.
Yet, at the same time, he has a feeling that Alternis doesn't want Edea to know, and Edea probably wouldn't react positively to hearing Alternis challenged him to a duel, hence the excuse about needing to know his capabilities.
"We can't know for sure another crisis won't happen, after all." Tiz says, because that's also true. A small part of him wants to be ready, and is tired of feeling so weak.
Edea rolls her eyes, but doesn't dismiss the possibility. "You really want to be ready to fight? It's not your responsibility to protect the world Tiz. That's my job."
"Your job is to protect Eternia."
"Details, details." Edea waves it off.
"But yes, I do. I'd rather know I'm still capable and never have to fight than not know I'm capable and maybe need to."
Edea mulls it over, then nods. "Alright, fine. You can use Templar if you want. If you want a different asterisk you'll have to ask the owner. I'm not ordering them to share, seeing as this is just a personal thing for you."
"That's fine." Tiz says. He was expecting Edea to put up more of a fight than this. "Thank you, Edea."
"Yeah, no problem." Edea says. "I'm worried though Tiz. You're acting like you expect something to happen. The world is at peace, I swear, and we've got task forces for ba'als and the like."
"I know." Tiz placates, and logically he does know Edea is right, but that doesn't mean he's any less comfortable not being able to fight. He doesn't like the idea that a troll, once a trivial nuisance, would be a lethal threat to him right now. He almost can't imagine how he could have even been calm not being able to fight more than a goblin by himself. "But… I'm not comfortable being as weak as I am, or as I used to be before our adventure."
"Normal doesn't feel normal anymore?" Edea offers. Tiz blinks, and nods. She took the words right out of his mouth. "Don't look so surprised. We were in the middle of a war and we fought a god. It's hard to go back to being just an average military noble, or in your case just a shepherd, after something like that. After the Second Crisis it was hard not to feel like I was constantly missing something. I was used to having a concrete mission at all times and to have the fate of the world riding on my ability to stab things, not my biggest issue being drills and equipment inspections."
Tiz nods in understanding. Even those six months he was in Caldisla after Ouroborous' defeat felt strange to him. He wasn't constantly on the move, he didn't have to be ready to kill another crystal-spawned monster every few weeks and a million more minor things in between, and he didn't have the others beside him for company.
"I couldn't shake the feeling that I was doing something wrong, like there was something I was missing and would come back to bite me." Edea continues. Tiz nods emphatically in agreement. During his whole time in Caldisla, that was a thought which constantly hovered in the back of his head. "It felt wrong not to have Valkyrie equipped. I spent so much time in that job that I felt naked without it."
"I miss Red Mage." Tiz admits. "I feel vulnerable without being able to heal, and weak without black magic."
"Ah, right, you don't actually know theory, do you?" Edea says. "But I get it. I had to deal with not needing to be that strong anymore. I had to deal with not needing to be on the move. I had to accept that I didn't need to be ready to kill a deity anymore. I could just be a ruler, after the Second Crisis that is."
Tiz raises an eyebrow. "Just be a ruler?"
Edea flushes a bit. "Okay, maybe that sounds a bit egotistical, but you know what I mean. It was hard to slip out of those habits I developed while travelling with you guys. I couldn't quite go back to being the old Edea. It felt wrong. It took me forever to calm down after the Second Crisis. I was jumping at the chance to fight ba'als for the first few years because I was convinced that something was wrong and I wasn't seeing it and I wanted to fight ba'als to try and find something."
"And there wasn't anything."
"Nothing at all." Edea nods. She pokes at her food a bit while staring off out the window. "Just leftovers from the Second Crisis. No fairy mastermind. No evil gods. Only stragglers. I was searching for something that didn't exist because I couldn't imagine anything else."
Tiz considers his words before speaking. "We're a bit scarred, aren't we?"
"A bit." Edea agrees. "No one should have to literally save the world, much less a bunch of barely-not-kids who already had varying degrees of trauma and personal issues coming into the mission."
Recently dead family and community, total amnesia, wanted fugitive, traitor. All of their backgrounds coming into the mission make it a bit of a miracle the group was as functional as it was. "But we did it."
"Yeah. And now we just have to ignore that year of running around, jumping dimensions, constant life-and-death battles, and frantic training and go back to noble bullshit or herding sheep." Edea says dryly. "Where half the things we learned are entirely useless, and we're expected to go back to being 'normal' like we have any idea what that means anymore."
"You haven't fully gotten over this either, have you?"
"I fucking wish." Edea confirms with a grumble. "You think seven years would be enough to not be looking for hidden masterminds that aren't there or getting nightmares about the end of the world and Ringabel never coming back."
The two chew thoughtfully on their food. Each absorbed in their own somber musings. Edea eventually breaks the quiet.
"So, anyhow, you can use Templar. Just… don't obsess over being ready to fight. I already tried that, and all it did was wear me out."
"I promise." Tiz says quietly. "I'll learn from your mistakes."
"Good." She nods. "Now pass me those cookies. That was way too serious and I need sugar."
Tiz dutifully passes along the plate of cookies, and Edea demolishes them in two minutes flat.
###
Templar is not a job Tiz used back during his travelling days. It was a late get in their adventures and didn't much fit his preferred style of flexibility, so he never used it.
In order to properly make use of this job, Tiz has to learn how to use heavy armor, which is something he's never used before now. He debates learning how to use greatswords as well, as that is what the job is supposed to use, but for simplicity's sake he puts that aside and opts for sword and shield. The less he needs to learn, the faster he can be ready to fight.
The biggest problem really is just moving in the armor. He's not used to having this sort of weight on him, and his range of his limbs is somewhat restricted by the armor. It's not actually as bad as he expected, he's not slowed to a crawl, but it certainly takes a bit of getting used to. The knowledge from the asterisk certainly makes it easier, what with nudging him into certain ways of moving to deal with his added weight and momentum.
Swordplay is where he mostly ignores the asterisk's whispers. He learned defensive swordplay from Edea as well as what he remembers from Red Mage, and he doesn't have enough time to learn an entirely different style along with regaining his strength, learning Templar's main combat techniques, and adapting to heavy armor.
His training is ever so slightly hampered by not having the actual asterisk on him. Tiz is attuned to the asterisk, and as long as he does so weekly he'll retain the job's affinities, but Edea keeps hold of the actual asterisk for obvious reasons. However, holding the actual asterisk makes the process of learning it's skills a lot easier, as the asterisk can directly guide your movements rather than relying on the sort of secondary muscle-memory that the asterisk implants when you're attuned to it.
That said, it's much easier to practice his old defensive Red Mage swordplay without the asterisk trying to correct him to the Templar style.
Perhaps the best benefit to using Templar is (mostly) non-combat related, in that Edea comes to train with him. It's not that she feels she has to so much as she realizes she can, and any excuse to spend time with a friend is a good excuse in her eyes.
"Still using your old style?" Edea asks. Rather than a greatsword, she's opted for katana and shield in her own practice, perhaps to match him. Though they're facing each other, it would be wrong to call this a spar. Tiz simply doesn't have the strength nor energy to make it remotely a fair fight. Instead she's taken on the role of a trainer, pointing out his mistakes where she sees them. Point in case, she taps his feet with her katana. "Keep your feet further apart. With armor you're more top-heavy than you're used to, and you gotta make sure you don't fall when something hits you. I know you're used to dodging and deflecting, but you've got to sacrifice a bit of maneuverability for the armor."
"Right." Tiz says. He awkwardly adjusts his stance. "This feels so unstable."
"That might just be your muscles." Edea hums. "But also, upper body armor is more heavy than lower body armor. It's always going to be a bit unbalanced. Just something you've got to get used to. The shield probably doesn't help with that either. Templar are just top-heavy. For someone more lithe like us, it's a bit awkward for sure."
Tiz nods his understanding.
"Alright. Have you attempted any of the combat techniques yet?" Edea asks. "Giant Slayer? Heart Strike? Radiant Blast? Maybe Rampart?"
Tiz shakes his head. "I've been more worried about my general strength, so for the most part I've been doing standard training in the armor."
"Mmm, probably a good idea." Edea mutters. "But Radiant Blast should be manageable at least. You don't need good strength or physical accuracy for it. It's different than your usual white and black magic, more based on your physical energy than mana, but you should be able to pull it off."
Edea walks him through a cast of Radiant Blast. It's not a particularly difficult spell, as fitting for a job that really isn't suited for spells, and as soon as Tiz manages to twirl the tip of his sword and channel the spell, he understands why Edea said it was based on energy more than mana.
The spell seems to tap into his body rather than his mana reserves for the power of the spell. It's not using his magical ability to deal damage, only to get the spell out. The spell's power is based on his physical strength, and so pulls from energy.
That also means the spell is pathetically weak at the moment and barely rocks the training dummy he shoots it at, but it's not nothing. He successfully cast the spell on his first try without any mishaps.
It's also exhausting to cast, and Tiz drops down to one knee a moment after he channels the spell to completion. He feels like he got leached by a giant bat.
"And that's why I don't use the spell all that much." Edea chuckles, and helps him back to his feet. "But it's your only ranged option unless you're bringing a bow or gun, and it can hit pretty hard. Incidentally, it's also weaker because you're using a one-handed sword. The weapon used to channel the spell is also a factor, hence why me and dad tend to use a greatsword with the job."
Interesting, but… "I think I'll stick to one-handers."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. You might have passed out if you tried to use Radiant Blast with a greatsword." Edea hums. "Anyhow, good job I guess. I couldn't use Radiant Blast on my first try."
"That's because you suck at magic."
"I mean, you're not wrong, but fuck you." Edea huffs. "Also, that's probably enough for today. Radiant blast might have been going a bit too far in hindsight…"
Considering Tiz's legs feel like jelly, he's inclined to agree. He struggles out of his armor, and has to have Edea help him up the stairs when going back to his room. He collapses into his bed, and is out like a light not long after.
###
The next few weeks are a nebulous stretch of time that consists of waking up, exercising and training, maybe dining with Edea, maybe playing a game with Alternis in the evening, then going back to sleep. It's mundane, it's routine, and honestly Tiz doesn't hate it all that much. Yes, perhaps it's a bit dull even by the standards of a Shepherd (the lack of variety in his daily activities really is boring), but training gives him something to work towards, and both Alternis and Edea make for good company at the end of a long day.
It's almost enough for Tiz to forget he's technically waiting for a letter that may or may not decide what the next few months of his life will look like. He gets a reminder of that fact about three weeks after he started training, when Edea walks into his room for dinner with a big grin on her face and brandishes two sealed envelopes, each with one of their names written on it in elegant cursive letters.
Tiz can't help but notice his envelope is much thicker than Edea's. It looks like it can barely contain its contents.
"You know, I think Agnès has a favourite." Edea says. She slaps the envelope into his suddenly nervous, cold hands and drops unceremoniously into her seat. Tiz's hands curl around the letter, stopping short of actually gripping it. He's afraid that he'll damage the contents if he grips it too hard. "I don't think I've ever gotten an envelope that stuffed from her."
Tiz smiles and manages a weak chuckle. He hopes he doesn't sound as nervous as he feels. He can hear his own heartbeat from how hard it's pounding. "Just fall into a coma. I'm sure she'll send you a nice big envelope then."
"Why didn't I think of that!" Edea gasps sarcastically, and puts a hand to her chest. "Brilliant Tiz! That was your plot, wasn't it? You wanted a big letter!"
"That's right. I'm a genius." Tiz replies with equal sarcasm. He's not looking up at her, and instead stares at his name written on the envelope.
"You're scared shitless, aren't you?" Edea asks without missing a beat.
"No." Tiz replies, realizes how much of a flagrant lie that is, and sighs. "How could you tell?"
"As soon as I showed you the letter you went as pale as a sheet." Edea says. She leans over and pats his cheek teasingly. "Seriously. You look like Yew after someone tells a ghost story."
Tiz guesses this 'Yew' must not like ghost stories then. He grimaces and fiddles with the envelope, not sure if he should break the seal now or wait.
Edea makes that decision easy. "You might as well open it. It's not like you're going to be able to enjoy dinner while stressing about the letter."
Tiz only half hears her beyond "you might as well open it". His numb hands fumble through breaking the wax seal, and Tiz consciously reminds himself to calm down before actually opening the envelope.
It's just Agnès. She's a friend. Edea isn't scary, Agnès won't be either.
Tiz takes a deep breath, and opens the envelope.
As it turns out the envelope does not house one big letter and nothing else, though there is indeed a very large letter that takes up most of the space. Accompanying it are a small pouch which, upon inspection, reveals a dozen gold pg (which is a staggering amount of money, worth 1200 pg to be exact, to someone who's family occasionally lived off less than 20 pg per month) and a small card in someone else's handwriting that has directions written on it. The card also has a small note, which reads "Don't worry about dressing fancy Sir. It's really quite a casual place. The Crystalguard and Magnolia say hello by the way. We all look forward to meeting you! And me too, of course! I can't wait to meet you too! - Yew G."
The last two sentences are smaller and scribbled between the signature and "we look forward to meeting you", clearly added after the fact in case it wasn't clear to Tiz that Yew also looked forward to meeting him. It makes Tiz imagine a certain level of childish excitement from Yew as he writes the letter, and that makes Tiz smile.
"What does Yew look like?" He asks aloud.
"Yew? Short, skinny, neat brown hair, brown eyes, clothes always look a bit too big for him. Still looks like a kid even though he's about your age by now." Edea says without looking up from her own letter. "Cute little guy. Haven't I told you about him before?"
"No."
Edea pauses, and looks up from her letter. "Wait, did I never actually tell you about what I did during the Second Crisis?"
"You mentioned you travelled and fought a god." Tiz offers.
"So no then." Edea huffs. "Well, Yew was one of the people I travelled with. He's captain of Agnès' Crystalguard. You might hear Magnolia mentioned if Yew was brought up. She was part of our group too. About your height, pale as snow, long silver hair, red eyes, usually walks around in a revealing dress. Real looker. Perfectly nice though. I thought she was going to be haughty or egotistical when I first met her. I was dead wrong."
Tiz clicks his tongue at Edea, and she rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, don't judge by appearance." Edea says. "But come on, what was I supposed to think about a hot moon girl strutting out of a spaceship in the dead of winter in an outfit like hers?"
"Sorry, moon girl?"
"Oh, right, she's from the moon." Edea says, and waves vaguely up at the ceiling. "Fort Lune specifically. I think she's working as an ambassador now? I know I told you about Fort Lune before."
Yeah, but he didn't realize people could actually travel between Luxendarc and the Moon! He thought they were communicating through light signals or magic or something.
"Either way. Yew and Magnolia. Never be alone in a room with them. They're nauseatingly sweet." Edea advises.
"Uh… okay."
With that odd piece of advice given and Tiz's understanding of the world upended, he finally picks up the huge, bulky letter written in Agnès' hand. He counts the pages and comes up with ten, each double-sided and written in small letters so as to cram as many words onto them as possible.
Compared to the tiny one page letter he sent, it's a behemoth, and it makes Tiz feel like he really didn't write enough. He'll have to try and write more next time… if there is a next time before Edea kicks him to Gathelatio.
He hopes the food doesn't arrive anytime soon, because it's going to take a while to read this.
Dearest Tiz,
It's so good to hear from you again. I was worried you would never wake up again. I'll admit, when Edea told me that you'd started to move in the pod I didn't want to get my hopes up. To think such a miracle would be ten years in the making seemed unreasonable to me, yet your letter and Edea's sit on my desk, confirming that you are in fact alive.
You don't know how many times I've reread your letter, and how desperately I want to hear more. I look forward to your next letter, and more so to eventually seeing you in person. Please tell me all about your recovery and everything since then, if you don't mind of course.
Also, please do not ever apologize for what you have missed or for not writing. Do not ever apologize for your condition. It was out of your control.
That said, I cannot understate my anger at your not warning the rest of us beforehand. You clearly knew what was coming, deliberate as your resting place was, and did not see fit to warn the rest of us. We will have words about this at a later date, though I don't wish to dwell on it now.
On a similar note, please do not omit your recovery as if it is irrelevant. If it is too painful to write about I understand and don't wish to cause you grief, but otherwise I would much rather you not hide your struggles. I know we all learned to be honest with each other back during our travels, and that should be fresher in your mind than for the rest of us, so for now I shall assume it simply didn't cross your mind to mention it rather than intentional obfuscation.
If you are intentionally not telling me anything for the sake of not worrying me or some other misguided altruism, then I am furious, and we will also speak about it at a later date.
Apparently Edea wasn't wrong about Agnès being mad at him not talking about his recovery, albeit conditionally. In some ways Agnès' anger is relieving because he can see her expression so clearly in his mind; he can imagine she hasn't changed.
He really has to stop hoping that his friends haven't changed. It's selfish. For once, he thinks Edea would actually agree with him on this rather than telling him he's allowed to be selfish.
As for my own life in the last ten years, there is so much I have to share that I could not possibly fit it into one letter, no matter how long, and I haven't the time to write an autobiography. I will give you the shortened version, which, admittedly, will be rather long in its own right if my full page of points to write about has any say in the matter.
With that in mind, I implore you to visit Gathelatio as soon as you are able so we may talk in person. I would travel to Eternia if I were able, but with the Day of Bright Light approaching I must remain present to perform the relevant ceremonies when the day arrives. It wouldn't do for Crystalism's foremost figurehead to leave their seat of power during its most significant holy day, after all.
It takes a moment for Tiz to understand what the Day of Bright Light is, and he eventually realizes that it's the day that was called Rainshine back in Norende. It's a holiday at the beginning of spring dedicated to being thankful for nature's gifts that was associated with rainbows for a reason Tiz never thought to ask about, and was absolutely the biggest celebration of the year.
Also, Agnès just invited him to Gathelatio, so he's probably going to Gathelatio soon.
When you are to visit, please send word ahead. I know you've never visited before, so I shall find someone to show you around. I know I find the roads a maze, and I've heard that the most holy woman in Gathelatio also has trouble finding her way about, so I am not the only one for once.
Tiz can't help but crack a smile. Of course she wouldn't understand what that means.
Two more things before I start answering the questions you asked in your letter. Firstly, within this envelope I have enclosed a pouch of money. You should find a dozen golden pg. Edea has told me, and knowing you I expect it hasn't changed, that you have barely left Central Command for nearly two months upon reading this and have spared no mind to your own entertainment or self-care beyond physical rehabilitation. To that end, I insist you make use of the money I've sent you, be it for clothes, to see a play, or some other end that is for your benefit. You do not have to use all of it, and if you wish to return the remaining money to me I won't decline, but if you attempt to return all twelve gold pg to me without using any I will be extremely disappointed.
Second, and much to the same end, I have had Yew write down directions to a restaurant called "The Iced Fish". It's a seafood restaurant I discovered during one of my visits to Eternia that I think you will enjoy. Please tell me if I am correct during your next letter, or when we next meet.
Tiz glances at the coin pouch and the card now resting on the table, embarrassed that Agnès feels the need to both give him money and insist he use it. Is he really that bad at taking care of himself? He was only trying to be considerate of Edea's wallet by not leaving Central Command, seeing as none of his money is here… if he even has any money of his own anymore. Finding his coin pouch was probably a secondary concern to everyone when they were rushing him to Eternia.
It's not like he ever had much money of his own to begin with anyways, and the money the group made during its travels was donated to rebuild Norende and repair the damage the Duchy inflicted to various cities during its persecutions.
The next several pages of the letter are filled with information rather than personally addressing him, and answer in far more detail than he expected all the small questions Tiz asked in his own letter when he was scrambling to think of anything to write.
At some point during the sixth page someone comes by to drop off dinner, and Edea sets it up, having long since finished her own letter. Tiz barely acknowledges that the food has arrived, being too engrossed in reading.
Tiz marvels at just how much Agnès has to say, and smiles at a lengthy account of her getting lost in the basement of the Sanctum, forcing the entire Crystalguard to spend an hour looking for her, and how this all happened not long before a particularly important political meeting she had to attend, driving everyone into a panic.
He can picture the event in his head: Agnès walking through four large rooms in a circle, not immediately realizing that each connects back to the others, then likely turning around and walking the circuit in reverse, still not fully grasping the basement's layout in her mind and how the rooms link together.
It makes him smile. In fact, most of the letter makes him smile. He can practically feel Agnès' eagerness to share and talk through her writing and choice of words. More than once she mentions offhand that she needs to show him something or introduce him to someone when he visits.
Agnès' joy is particularly evident when she writes about her Crystalguard, and it seems like every other paragraph has some anecdote about something ridiculous they've done or some quirk a member possesses.
For a supposedly professional guard unit they don't sound the part to Tiz, but then again many of Eternia's highest officers are quite a colorful bunch as well.
For all the lengthy explanations in Agnès' letter, it ends quite simply.
I hope to see you as soon as possible. The last ten years haven't been the same without you.
Love,
Agnès Oblige.
"Love Agnès, huh?" Edea says. Tiz startles so badly that he nearly falls out of his seat. He hadn't noticed when Edea began to read over his shoulder. "Lucky you."
"It's just a farewell!" Tiz insists "You're reading too much into it."
"Oh you're absolutely right, she gives me the same farewell, I just wanted to make you blush." Edea says cheerfully. "It's way too easy to work you up when it comes to Agnès."
Tiz lets out a long, disappointed breath, then immediately catches himself. He has no right to be dissapointed. He's been gone for ten years. He has no right to pine after Agnès, no matter how much Edea might be egging him on.
"Anyhow, you should eat. Your food is going to get cold." Edea prods. "And then you're telling me all about what Agnès wrote."
Tiz can barely taste the food. His mind is filled with everything Agnès wrote. He already wants to pick the letter back up and reread it. He wonders how long Agnès spent writing it. He can't imagine something as lengthy as this was written in a single sitting, and she mentioned she had actual notes on what she should be writing, which means this letter was planned out to some extent. Certainly more effort was put into hers than his.
And Agnès gave him a gift. That fact alone, without need for context, makes butterflies sprout in Tiz's stomach. The context of her giving him a gift because she thinks he's being stupidly stubborn puts a bit of a damper on that feeling, but only a little.
"I have to think of something to send her back." Tiz thinks as he absently forks some sort of meat into his mouth. "What's appropriate to send to the Pope? I can't buy something for her using her own money. Can I make something? What would I make? What would she want? Maybe I should bring something when I go to Gathelatio rather than sending it through mail?"
That still doesn't solve what he should be getting her. She's not going to need new weapons or armor, and those would be terrible peacetime gifts anyways. But it has to be something practical. He has no idea what he'd gift if not something practical. It would be far too presumptuous to give her a necklace or something of the like, and Agnès is hardly vain so he's not sure she'd even use jewelry (beyond her pendant, of course).
He needs to look back through her letter. Maybe he can figure out something she needs. Though he fears something she needs and something he can make won't coincide. In fact, it's very likely they won't coincide. She's the pope. Anything she might need is almost certainly provided to her.
So practical gifts are off the table, which means he has no idea what to get her. Maybe he can ask Edea.
"Edea, what do you think Agnès would like as a gift?" Tiz asks while cutting the next slice of his steak.
"A ring."
Even though he was half expecting it, fire still erupts on Tiz's cheeks. "A serious suggestion please."
"Flowers too."
Tiz sighs in exasperation. "Edea…"
Edea rolls her eyes in exaggerated disappointment before giving a serious answer. "Honestly? No idea. It's impossible to get her gifts for her birthday because she never seems to want anything. Stupid vestal upbrining and the whole 'no material desires' thing probably. I usually just send her candy or something. I think I sent her a headband once, but really I've got just about as much of an idea as you do."
Well fuck.
"Why the sudden desire to send a gift though? Have you finally realized the depths of your feelings? Flowers really might not be a bad-"
"That's not it." Tiz insists. He tries not to sound too defensive, if only so Edea doesn't get the satisfaction of knowing how embarrassed she's actually making him. Besides, he realized 'the depths of his feelings' well before they fought Ouroboros. "Agnès sent me money as a gift, because she thinks I'm not taking care of myself."
"Oh really?" Edea says. A familiar grin crosses her face, and she leans on the table and props her head up on her fist. "Agnès is taking care of you even from Gathelatio, hmm?"
Tiz scratches the back of his head and averts his eyes. Edea's not exactly wrong. He decides it's best if he just doesn't answer Edea and keeps talking. "So I thought I should get her something in return."
"Ahh…" Edea hums. "Well, good luck. I have a hard enough time thinking of something that's not sweets. As much as it might have been a joke before, seriously consider flowers. More than one, if you don't want Magnolia to potentially take things out of context when she inevitably hears about it, but flowers."
Tiz has no idea what Magnolia and singular flowers have to do with each other, aside from her name being a flower, but that's a question for another time. "Edea, that's way too romantic."
"So? Aren't you in love with her?" Edea asks, as if it's that simple of a decision. "I don't see the problem."
"Ten years, Edea."
Edea scoffs. "Ten years she spent pining. You're fine. Just get her flowers."
There's no way he's getting Agnès flowers.
You have no idea how hard it is not to lean into the Tiz/Agnès (sub?)plot more than I already am. I'm a shipper at heart, so I have to actively remind myself not to make the entire story about it and lose track of what this story was (mostly) supposed to be focused on in the first place.
Also, I promise Tiz will get out of Eternia Central Command soon. I'm well aware it's somewhat hampering how much I can do with him and how much of the "ten years have passed in this world" idea I can explore. That's part of why I had Agnès give Tiz money, so he actually has to go out and see the world outside of Central Command. Beyond that, I just need to wrap up the Alternis subplot and we can leave Central Command behind.