Disclaimer: I don't own the Bravely Series, all rights to the owners.

I've actually grown rather fond of Alternis, both through writing him myself and because several other great fanfictions write him really well. His status as Edea's sort-of adopted sibling, his absolute loyalty and love for Edea, and the whole Ringabel thing are just ripe for drama and angst.

It's almost a shame he won't show up again after this chapter. It's probably for the best though. As much as I like Alternis, I really don't know how to write him in any depth and the story won't have a need for him after this.

I mean, probably. I only have so much of this story planned out after all.

Tiz has a deadline. He has one month, after which Edea 'heavily suggests' he leave to Gathelatio.

"You can even get there in time for the Day of Bright Light." Edea had said. "Supposedly the city holds a celebration for it and not just a boring religious ceremony. I mean, they also do that, but leave the religious stuff to Agnès. I certainly don't want to sit in a church for a few hours on a holiday."

So Tiz throws himself into training with redoubled effort. He has less than a month to prepare for a duel with Alternis, and while that's not nearly enough time he's determined to give Alternis a challenge.

He puts heavy focus on training with Radiant Blast. It's not nearly as strong an attack as it could be since he's using a one-handed weapon, but it's familiar. He's used to fighting with magic. There's no way he can go offensive against Alternis with sheer swordplay so Radiant Blast is the next best thing, even if it's weak.

"You do know Templar isn't supposed to work this way, right?" Edea asks as she watches Tiz go through a modified practice routine he developed for Red Mage, but substituting his offensive spells for Radiant Blast. "Radiant Blast is supposed to be a backup skill for situations where you can't smack someone with your sword, not the main offensive technique. Heart Strike and Giant Slayer are the usual go-to."

"I'm playing to my strengths, Edea."

"I'm sure you are, but that doesn't mean it isn't weird." Edea shrugs. "I'd be like if I went into Red Mage and decided that murdering people with a short sword was how the class was supposed to be used and the healing and offensive magic were secondary. I mean, it can be used like that, but it's clearly not supposed to be."

"Oh good, you learned your lesson."

"Hey. Ten years. I've learned a thing or two about proper asterisk use since we travelled together." Edea huffs. "I promise, I don't try to stab people as Black Mage anymore."

Thank the crystals. Edea was always rather awful at using the magically-inclined jobs, and trying to stab people with her katana while using Black Mage was just one in a list of weird things Edea did when given magic jobs. "It's not like you can use Black Mage now anyways, I suppose."

"I mean, I could." Edea says. "I could demand Ominas give me the asterisk, I'm the Grand Marshal after all. I wouldn't, but I could."

"Oh, right." Tiz thinks. Despite knowing she's Grand Marshal, the full implications of Edea's title constantly go over his head. She's in charge of all of Eternia. There's more to that than her going to meetings and doing a lot of paperwork. She would be able to demand an asterisk, wouldn't she?

"Anyhow. If you're going fully defensive with your swordplay, you might want to use a Defender sword." Edea suggests. "If you actually end up seeing combat somehow, that is."

"That will be useful." Tiz nods. Any extra defence he can eke out against Alternis is going to be appreciated. "Where could I find the Defender?"

Edea raises an eyebrow, and Tiz realises he might have accidentally shown his hand. "Tiz… what do you mean it 'will' be useful? Don't tell me you actually have plans to go into combat."

Tiz hates lying, so he doesn't. "Not… exactly."

"Tiz." Edea says firmly. She straightens her back and crosses her arms, for once looking the part of the ruler she's supposed to be. Her grey-blue eyes bore into him. "What's going on?"

"I'm not planning on going on a mission." Tiz says honestly. He raises the hand not holding his practice blade in a show of innocence. "I won't even leave Central Command with the Defender."

"So something is happening inside Central Command?" Edea asks. "Tiz, if you've heard about something wrong, you really need to tell me."

"Nothing is wrong." Tiz insists. "There is absolutely nothing wrong. This is different."

"Stop being vague and just tell me what's going on Tiz." Edea demands.

"Well…" Tiz hesitates. How does he phrase this so it won't make Alternis look bad? "I…"

"Tiz." Edea says, her voice sharp and loud. "I've let you use Templar in good faith. For training and for your peace of mind. Did you seriously plan to use it for something you know I wouldn't approve of?"

When she phrases it that way, Tiz can see how this looks like a breach of trust… and he's not exactly sure that it isn't a breach of trust. He did deceive Edea, albeit for a slightly different reason than she's thinking, and it's only occurring to him now how much of an ass that makes him. She's his friend, and he's been intentionally dishonest with her for selfish reasons. "I… maybe?"

Edea sighs, and the stern set of her shoulders fades a bit. "So what is it then?"

"I was… challenged." Tiz admits. "To a duel."

"A duel!?" Edea suddenly straightens again. Anger flashes across her face and her hands tighten into fists. "I'm sorry, what? More importantly, who? If it's one of the soldiers-"

"Not to the death!" Tiz hastens to clarify. "It was phrased as a test. To them, not to me. They wanted my help to test something."

"Through a duel."

"Yes." Tiz says. Edea still doesn't look very happy, so he adds "It was a request, not a demand. I could have refused."

Edea lets out a long breath, and her shoulders drop again. "And you didn't."

"Yes."

"Tiz…" Edea groans. She brings up a hand to massage her head, realizes she has a metal gauntlet on, and wisely decides not to do that. "Why are you agreeing to duels?"

"They said they needed help." Tiz says simply. "And I really wanted to do something aside from training and sitting in my room."

"Is this because I wouldn't let you do the laundry?" Edea asks.

"...partially."

"Of course it is." Edea grumbles. "Ugh. Tiz! Why can't you just be nice and lazy?! This would be so much easier if you were lazy!"

"Sorry." Tiz mumbles.

"I suppose it's sort of my fault. I really haven't given you the opportunity to do anything useful." Edea says. "But seriously. You're supposed to be recovering and getting your footing, not preparing for a duel! Besides, if you wanted something to do you could have gone to town! Agnès gave you money, and I offered to give you some before!"

"I'm not wasting your money, Edea."

Edea throws up her hands. "I have more money than I know what to do with! I'm already throwing half my net income at charities and the art scene and a million other causes, and I still have more than I could ever find time to use! You couldn't waste my money if you tried, because all it's doing right now is collecting dust."

"Actually, it could be collecting interest-"

"Shut up Tiz. I don't need more money." Edea says while jabbing a finger at his face. "Point is, you should be using my money and doing fun things or just… buying new clothes or something. Not preparing for a duel."

"Sorry." Tiz says again, feeling rather embarrassed. "But he said he needed help, and I really want to help."

"He, huh?" Edea says. "Do I know this person?"

Tiz closes his mouth, determined not to expose Alternis.

"Tiz…" Edea says in exasperation. "I promise I won't punish them. There. Is that better?"

He still doesn't speak.

"I won't let you use Templar anymore if you don't tell me." Edea threatens. "It's my asterisk."

"So you'll let me use it if I do tell you?" Tiz asks cautiously.

It's Edea's turn to hesitate. She visibly debates what she should answer, and tilts her upper body back and forth as she thinks. Eventually she rolls her eyes and says. "Yes, fine. I guess you already agreed to the duel, and it'll only go worse if I say no at this point."

"Alternis." Tiz provides.

Edea stops and stares. Then growls and stares up at the sky. "Of course it's Alternis. That fucker."

"You promised you wouldn't be mad."

"I promised I wouldn't punish him. I never said anything about not being mad." Edea corrects, and she looks quite mad. "And he should know better. He was responsible for watching over you!"

"He didn't necessarily know the duel would end up being so soon. He said we should duel 'once I was sufficiently recovered'." Tiz says, trying to protect Alternis. It really isn't the Dark Knight's fault. "He might have thought we had several months."

"Bullshit." Edea grumbles. "Gah, fine. Whatever. I'm still going to talk with him later about this."

"I tried Alternis. Sorry."

"Now." Edea says, fixing him with a firm look. "If you're going to be dueling a Dark Knight, there's a few things you're going to need to work on."

Tiz blinks. "You're still helping me?"

"Of course I'm still helping you. You're an idiot who'd rather get stabbed than go have fun in town, and you sort-of lied to me out of frustration, but you're my friend." Edea says. "Now, sword up. Dark Knights are a nasty piece of work. I'll find that Defender by tomorrow, but for now, let's focus on how you're going to deal with Minus Strike, because that's the main threat of a Dark Knight."

The more focused training is a welcome change, and though Edea don't give him favourable odds, Tiz feels better about at least posing more of a challenge than a road bump to Alternis when the time comes.

###

"..."

"..."

"I'm sorry, if that helps."

"You did nothing wrong."

"You're still annoyed."

"I am not."

"Alternis, I can see you frowning. You don't have your helmet on."

"This is my normal expression."

"Did Edea chew you out that much?"

"No…"

"She did, didn't she?"

"She was very vocal in her displeasure, but also in saying I was 'not in trouble because Tiz would be mad with me if you were'."

"Ah."

"She also demanded to act as referee for our duel."

"I suppose I should have expected that."

"Also, she told me to pass on the message that you 'are taking her holiness' money and going to town tomorrow or else'."

"Ah…"

"And that you better bring her back some candy."

"That sounds more like Edea."

"Mmm."

"Checkmate by the way."

Alternis stares at the board and what he thought was a winning position, then slowly lowers his head into his hands.

###

The coat delivered to Tiz's room in the morning is heavy, as to be expected of Eternian attire meant for winter. Judging by the size (just a bit too big) and the color (straight black) Tiz suspects it must belong to Alternis. He could be wrong, of course, but he doubts it.

The coat has just a hint of style to it, sporting a fluffy collar that reminds Tiz of Ringabel's usual attire. Other than that it's a sturdy and functional coat with many, many pockets. Many pockets to store his coin pouch, the directions written by Yew, and a sword for self-defence (which doesn't even go in a pocket) and a few bags in case he's going to buy anything (which, at the moment, he can in fact keep in some of the pockets).

He'll have to remember to thank Alternis later. While it might have been on Edea's orders at first, he's been incredibly accommodating for Tiz's entire stay.

If Tiz was hoping to be inconspicuous as he left, however, then wearing Alternis' coat was not the way to do it. The soldiers all wear red and white and have their signature red helmets, so there's no blending in with them, and any servants around the fortress wear subdued greys and blues. Visiting peasants and nobles sometimes wear different clothes, but none of them wear straight black, so Tiz stands out like a sore thumb.

Mercifully, no one interrupts him leaving. No one says hello or goodbye Sir Arrior, and Tiz is all the more grateful for it. He hopes that once he gets into town the chance of anyone recognizing him will go down to zero.

The road to Eternia Town (for Eternia was once a single town, which then became a country, and the original town never changed its name) isn't long, and to most the scenery would be nothing of note, but for someone who lived in sleepy Norende for most of his life the high hills and needled trees laden with brilliant white snow are a wondrous and welcome sight after a month and a half of nothing but stone around him.

Tiz intentionally walks along the very edge of the road so none of the other travellers will obstruct his view. That's not all he appreciates either. The air feels crisper and smells fresher outside of Central Command.

There are differences too. Tiz's memory of Central Command and Eternia Town aren't perfect, but he recalls the road leading between them being a bit worn, whereas the cobblestones underfoot look relatively new and not at all uneven. There are fewer trees in the surrounding area, but the path is now lined with lamps and small, hardy shrubs.

Tiz knows from prior experience in Eternia that these shrubs flower in the spring. If he were to stay for a few more months, he might be able to see their delightful light blue and purple flowers, each of which would be barely the size of a man's thumb, but will be packed so tightly you can barely see the dark green leaves underneath.

The other major difference is Eternia Town itself. It can hardly be called a town anymore, as Tiz was fairly sure it was half its current size when he last saw it. There's a very noticeable divide between the older and newer sections of the city, with the new sections sporting sleeker architecture and more wood and metal in the buildings rather than the heavy stone usage and geometric shapes that characterized most Eternian homes when Tiz last came to the country.

"Eternia Town has fared well." Tiz thinks. It's gotten so big, but he can still recognize some landmarks like the Central Healing Tower and… well mostly just the Central Healing Tower. Even against the snow, the blocky white structure is hard to miss thanks to the yellow light pouring out of its windows at all times. "I wonder how long ago Yew wrote these instructions. I hope they're still reliable."

Granted, he won't be following the instructions for a while. He's saving the restaurant for dinner, and it's not even lunch time yet.

That leaves Tiz with several hours to do… something. He isn't quite sure what he's going to do, but it's going to be something. It has to be something, or else Edea and Agnès will get annoyed with him.

He could get Edea's candy now, but he doesn't want it to melt in his pockets while he carries it around all day. So instead Tiz wanders into Eternia Town with a fair amount of money, no plan, and a coat that makes him stick out like a sore thumb considering everyone he can see is dressed in a more subdued manner. That means mostly light browns, greys, and pale blues and greens, and even when other colors show up they tend to be muted rather than pronounced, so Alternis' dark-as-pitch coat is as noticeable as a black sheep in an otherwise white flock.

The people in Eternia Town might not know who Tiz is, but that doesn't mean he has any fewer eyes on him. Tiz immediately pops the fluffy collar up so it shields his neck and the bottom of his face, just to feel less exposed to all the curious eyes directed at him.

Tiz's own eyes can hardly focus on the plethora of stores and other options around him. Even if he knows it's not all that significant, and that they'll lose interest soon enough, he can feel the curious gazes of people walking down the street piercing him from every angle.

He's never liked having a lot of attention directed at him, and that makes Tiz's next decision very easy. He chooses the first clothing shop he can find, and steps inside.

Immediately Tiz worries that he's made a mistake. The two outfits he sees on display are quite ostentatious. They look like something Ringabel would wear if he was attending a fancy party, which is to say the shirts have quite a bit of fluff and nice silver thread along with some very nice light blues, and some even have coattails.

They're not at all what Tiz would want to wear. He'd actually prefer Alternis' excessively dark coat to something so flamboyant.

Unfortunately, a small bell attached to the door rang when Tiz stepped through the doorway, and so while Tiz can't see anyone at the counter, the store owners are going to be well aware he's here and he'd hate to leave unexplained. It would be rude.

"Hello?" A young, boyish voice says from somewhere in the back of the store. "Mary, is that you?"

Tiz debates his answer for a few seconds, still wondering if he should leave. He decides he can't and resigns himself to answering the voice instead. "Erm, no, it's not."

"Oh!" Quick, light footsteps follow the exclamation, and suddenly a small figure appears from behind the counter. Tiz didn't even see them exit the back room. "Hi there!"

"Hi…" Tiz says slowly, staring in not an insignificant amount of confusion at the cheerful child standing in front of him. They're blue eyed with short brown hair and only barely come to Tiz's thigh, but they're clearly a tailor judging by the pair of scissor handles sticking out of one pocket and a ruler out of another.

"Did you have an order, or are you new? I think you're new because I don't remember you, but maybe I'm wrong!" The boy chirps. He sticks both hands up in the air and waves. "I'm Ronan! Hi! Also, before you ask, because everyone does, it's a condition, I'm older than I look."

"Good to know, uh, I'm Tiz." Tiz says, and waves one hand back awkwardly. "Erm, I presume you make clothes here?"

"Yes! I'mma tailor!" Ronan says gleefully. He waves one hand in the direction of the two outfits in the front display. "I made that stuff, and these things too!" He gestures to several other outfits lining the side of the room, half of them dresses and half of them suits. "I'm good! Promise! Do you want to browse, or are we going straight for a custom order?"

"Uh…" Tiz hesitates. He didn't exactly have a plan as to what he was going to do or say or look for when he walked in. "I… sorry, I was just looking for something less conspicuous than what I currently have on and not necessarily something special. I might be in the wrong place."

"Probably!" Ronan agrees, much to Tiz's surprise. He was expecting the boy to try and convince him that no, surely he wasn't in the wrong place and Ronan could absolutely help him with what he wanted. "It depends on exactly what you want though. If by 'less conspicuous' you mean something that isn't entirely black, I can do that no problem!"

Of that, Tiz has little doubt, but he still isn't sure he should be here.

"Look, how about you tell me what you want. If it's not something I do, I can point you to another place. I know a few of the other tailors in the area." Ronan chirps.

Tiz can do that. "I need… actually I need a lot of things. I'm in strange circumstances and have almost no clothes."

"Ooh." Ronan blinks. "Wow."

"So I need a lot of things now, but I've never been very fancy." Tiz says. "So maybe not your style…"

"I get it." Ronan nods. "What's your price range? I'm guessing by your coat that you're not exactly poor, but it really depends on what you're willing to pay."

"I- nothing extreme." Tiz says. He knows that if he gets the most basic clothes possible though, Edea is going to be exasperated with him.

"Okay…" Ronan says. His eyes flick to the left as he thinks. "Miss Ous, Valar Ous, can help you with that. She makes good, sturdy, high-quality stuff. Her shop is a few roads away. I can write down directions for you."

"Please."

"Anything else?" Ronan says while brandishing a card out of some pocket. "Do you just need simple stuff, or are you looking for a few outfits for special occasions as well? Those I can certainly do, by the way."

Tiz instinctively wants to say no, he doesn't need anything fancy, but a thought crosses his mind. He's going to be visiting Gathelatio during a holiday, and he doesn't know how nice he needs to look to keep company with the pope. It might do to have something nice. "Well… I might have use for a suit."

"Okay!" Ronan says, perking up eagerly.

"I'm going to travel to Gathelatio at the month's end, and I'm going to be meeting the pope-"

"The pope!?" Ronan gasps. "Woah…"

"-and I don't know how nice I need to look for that, so maybe I need a suit."

"You absolutely do!" Ronan says. "Well, okay, probably not. Supposedly she's very nice and probably won't care, but you should because it never hurts to make a good impression!"

"And because it means I'm buying from you?"

"Yes! That too!" Ronan says unabashedly. "Also, now that I think about it… you said your name was Tiz, right?"

"Yes." He has a bad feeling about this.

"Your last name wouldn't happen to be Arrior, would it?"

Tiz sighs in defeat. "Yes…"

"Wow!" Ronan cheers, and waves his hands around excitedly. "I heard you'd woken up! I didn't think you'd actually visit our shop, even by accident!"

Tiz averts his eyes in embarrassment at the attention. There's really nothing special about him.

"But I can see why you'd want a suit for the pope then." Ronan nods sagely. "You absolutely need one! I'll make you a good suit so you can look handsome when you meet her! Promise!"

"Handsome?" Tiz asks, blushing at the implication. What on Luxendarc gave him the impression that Tiz needed to look handsome? "That's really not necessary. I only need it on the off chance I need formal wear."

"Oh! Sorry, I thought you especially would want to look nice for the pope."

"Why would you think that?" Tiz asks.

"Well, the grand marshal mentioned in her book about the First Crisis that you that you were hot for the pope-"

Tiz chokes on air, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. Edea did what!?

"-so I assumed you'd want to look handsome when you see her!" Ronan chirps. "Am I wrong?"

"I- uh-" Tiz sputters. "I-I mean-"

"So that's a no! I'm right!" Ronan says cheerfully, and claps his hands. "Okay! What colors do you like? I think I can manage something not too obviously flamboyant for you, because that doesn't sound like your style."

"I… like white?"

"White, okay." Ronan mutters. He pulls a drawing pad out of his pocket and a pencil out of another and starts making notes. "And you're a shepherd. Hmm… so no coattails, no fancy collars, no gold or silver accents… simple shapes probably. Do you do buttons? Were buttons ever a part of your old outfits?"

Tiz is a bit lost. "Yes."

"Buttons then." Ronan nods. "Ooh, gloves too. Definitely gloves."

"How much is this going to cost?" Tiz interrupts cautiously.

"Well, it'll be cheaper than what I usually make, so… fifteen silver pg? That's a gold and a half." Ronan says absently. "Usually Mary does the pricing, I just make the clothes. Speaking of, Mary should be back soon. She can give you a proper price. In the meantime, do you mind if I take your measurements? I can't make a custom outfit without measurements."

"Sure?" Tiz feels like he's been swept up by the boy's enthusiasm. He hopes he's not making a mistake.

Ronan drags a stool over to Tiz, hops up, and pulls out a measuring string. It doesn't take long to get measured, but Tiz feels remarkably like a piece of meat while it happens. He has to take off Alternis' coat and hold his arms up so Ronan can measure his chest, and he feels horribly exposed without the shield of the coat and with the string pressing against his clothes and skin.

"You're a lot skinnier than I expected." Ronan notes while measuring Tiz's waist. "And more than is normal. Are you okay?"

"I've been in a vivipod for ten years. Even with good food and exercise, it's taking a while to get into shape." Tiz mumbles in embarrassment. "I… I'm not that bad, am I?"

"You're fine." Ronan assures. "I didn't consider the vivipod. That does bring up a good point though. Do you want me to account for some small changes when I make the suit? I doubt you're going to stay this scrawny."

"That's probably a good idea." Tiz nods. He'd rather wear a slightly baggy suit than one that's too small. Besides, all his old clothes were always baggy. He might even say he prefers it that way. "I'd rather not run the risk of ruining it."

Just as Ronan is finishing the measurements, the bell attached to the door rings, signaling someone else has entered. Tiz turns his head to see who it is, and is met by the sight of a tall woman (a head taller than Tiz to be exact) dressed in form-hugging green clothes with heavy boots. She's decidedly not Eternian, or at least her ancestry isn't, as she has very smooth facial features, a small nose, squinty eyes (Tiz knows there's a term for that but can't remember what it is for the life of him), and tanned skin, all of which are not features you'd see in most Eternians. She's carrying a heavy bag that Tiz can see has some rolls of cloth in it.

"Hi honey!" Ronan chirps, and takes a hand off the measuring string to wave at her. "We have a customer!"

"I can see that." Mary hums. Her voice is soft, but low, and has a very slight accent that Tiz can't place. "He's a handsome one, isn't he?"

"I know!" Ronan agrees. Tiz's face heats up and he averts his eyes to the ground, realizes that Ronan is directly below him, and then stares at the ceiling instead. "His name is Tiz! You know, the miracle man!"

"Oh? Tiz Arrior?" Mary smiles. "Nice catch dear."

"I'm gonna make a suit for him!"

"Well I'd expect as much, seeing as you're measuring him." Mary chuckles. "Did you give him a price yet?"

"I said maybe fifteen silver pg, but that we should wait for you."

"Good call, because that sounds like too little."

"Well, I'll be using less of the expensive stuff than usual."

"Still too cheap. Twenty at the least." Mary says, and places her bag down on the counter. "Labour costs count too, dear."

"And this is why she mans the counter." Ronan says matter-of-factly to Tiz. "I don't do the whole money thing very well."

Tiz nods mutely, feeling like he really shouldn't be a part of this conversation.

"I'm done measuring by the way." Ronan says, and hops off his stool. Mary is the one to grab it and put it behind the counter again. "If you can come back in a few days, I'll have a couple sketches I can show you. Alternatively, if you're not too picky, you can come back in a few weeks when it's done."

"I'll trust your judgement." Tiz says. He reaches into his pocket, remembers his coin pouch is in his coat, and fishes it out of the black garment. "So, uh, how much do I need to pay?"

"Five silver now, fifteen on pickup." Mary says. She leans on the counter, watching as Ronan scribbles on his pad of paper. "Assuming my husband is right about the low cost of the materials anyways."

"I am!" Ronan insists. "I just need a bunch of whites and light colours! We don't even need much silver or gold or purple."

"So twenty silver pg total, probably." Mary says again. "Five silver now."

Tiz open the coin pouch, and then pauses. He… only has gold pieces. Oops. Maybe he should have gotten change for some of them before he left. "I… only have gold."

Mary snorts and a wide grin spreads across her lips. "I thought you were a shepherd. You're the richest shepherd I've ever seen"

Tiz smiles sheepishly. "The money is a gift."

"Grand marshal?"

"...the pope, actually." Tiz mumbles.

Ronan's eyes immediately turn to fixate on him again, and Tiz pointedly doesn't meet Ronan's gaze. He knows Ronan wants to make a comment about how there's no way he can deny wanting to impress Agnès now, and he doesn't want the embarrassment such a comment will bring, especially because he isn't sure Ronan would be wrong.

"How sweet." Mary says. Her smile is knowing, and Tiz wants to meet her gaze even less than Ronan's. "That's quite a significant gift."

Tiz continues to avert his gaze and refrains from comment.

"Maybe we shouldn't tease honey." Ronan says after a second of silence.

"Hmm, maybe." Mary agrees. Her eyes still dance with amused expectations and implications, but she doesn't push further and finally addresses the question of the gold. "Well, we can certainly make change. That, or you can give me two gold now and not worry about paying later."

Tiz decides to make change, if only so he'll have something less than gold to make other purchases with. He also realizes he just committed to spending a sixth of his gift from Agnès on a suit. A very nice suit, but a mere suit.

The frugal, tight-walleted shepherd in Tiz balks at such a gross waste of money. Two gold is as much money as his family would make in a year, and he's spending it on a single suit. Granted, back when they travelled the world the group regularly bought weapons and armor that cost tens of gold pg, over 1000pg per item, but to someone who still thinks every pg is valuable this feels like blasphemy of some sort.

Edea will almost certainly approve of this hideous waste of money. Speaking of Edea, Tiz will have to remember to shake her for writing his infatuation for Agnès into a book for everyone to read.

After thanking the pair and fleeing the shop as quickly as he can without being rude, Tiz pulls out the directions Ronan wrote to direct him to the other clothing shop.

Mercifully this time, he doesn't even need to spend a single silver on any individual item.

###

It looks like an entirely different town.

Tiz knows Eternia is a land of technology and progress, and while he'd expect some changes in ten years he didn't expect that the center of Eternia Town would look so incredibly different than it used to.

The cobblestone paths around the Central Healing Tower have been replaced. Instead, Tiz finds interlocking hexagons of stone underfoot, all with small bumps and rivets so as to provide more grip for shoes and boots. Some buildings, like the Central Healing Tower, even have lights (currently off, as it is midday) built into the pathway itself, and the Healing Tower in specific seems to have some sort of heating system for it's pathways, as they are conspicuously absent of snow or even water unlike the rest of the town which tends to have piles of snow here and there.

It looks different. The buildings look mostly the same, but the roads are built in a different fashion, the lamps have a different shape to them, and if Tiz's eyes don't deceive him he thinks these holes on the side of the roads are drains of some sort. Water trickles into them and goes underground, carried off to… somewhere.

Drains for a road. It's something so simple, and such an obviously good idea, but Tiz never considered it before. Not in this fashion. He's seen ditches on the sides of roads for drainage of course, but constructed tunnels underneath the roads is a fantastic idea.

"It can't be cheap." Tiz thinks. He taps one of the drain entrances with his foot, watching as a small trickle of snow-melted water flows into it. "To have tunnels underneath all the roads. Eternia Town must have a lot of money."

Tiz knows for a fact Eternia Town didn't have tunnel drains when he was last here, or the Healing Tower 's fascinating heated pathways for that matter.

Tiz doesn't know if it's possible to feel old when he's technically only twenty one, but Tiz feels old. He slept for ten years, and whole new styles of architecture and feats of public engineering have come about in that time.

This is Eternia though. The land of progress and immortality. If any place was going to change in ten years, it was going to be Eternia.

That's what Tiz tells himself at least. He doesn't want to consider how different Caldisla might be from what he remembers, or a rebuilt Norende from his life before the First Fairy Crisis.

"How much has Norende been rebuilt?" Tiz wonders. Norende's reconstruction was just barely underway when Tiz released the celestial and fell into his coma. "How big is it? Does it look anything like the old Norende? Who has moved in?"

He'll barely know anyone in Norende except those first few settlers he met before his coma. He doesn't even know if his house (barely a house, it was more of a temporary shack as he built a proper house) is still standing, or if he'd have the land around it to start a farm any more.

Does he even still own that plot of land? As far as Caldisla (which was overseeing the reconstruction of Norende with Tiz funding the effort) is probably concerned, he's been basically dead for ten years and has no next of kin. There's no reason for the king not to give the land to someone else or take it for crown use, and Tiz wouldn't blame him.

"Am I even going to belong in Norende?" Tiz asks himself. "Different people, different houses, different culture probably… will it even feel like home anymore?"

He already knows the answer to that. He had six months in new Norende before he returned to Caldisla and released the celestial, and all he remembers is feeling profoundly alone and seeing Til's ghost hovering at the corner of his vision.

Tiz squeezes his eyes shut for three seconds and lets out a breath. He's supposed to be enjoying himself today, not dwelling on old wounds.

Hefting his bag of purchases (mostly just clothes, he's been wandering after visiting those first two clothing shops) Tiz pointedly strides away from the town center towards the outskirts. He doesn't stop walking until the tightly-built shops start to split into standalone buildings, and trees and shrubs and nature can be seen along the sides of the paths rather than lamps and lights and drains, and the road is packed dirt rather than cobblestone.

The people in these buildings, proper homes rather than shops, give Tiz a side-eye as he walks by. He hasn't changed out of Alternis' bulky coat, if only because it won't fit in the bag he has, so Tiz still sticks out like an ink blot on fresh paper.

He finds he doesn't care as much. There are fewer people here, and the trees and bushes now around him are calming. Sure, the entire place is covered in a thin layer of snow, and the trees are a different species, but this feels familiar. Tiz understands trees and dirt and shrubs. He just needs some sheep and farms and he'd feel more or less at home.

Maybe. That might be wistful thinking. Even now he's quietly picking apart all the differences in these houses from the ones he's used to in Norende, and this section of the town is starting to feel just as foreign and different as the section he just left.

Tightening his grip on his bag, Tiz looks to the sun. It's nowhere close to dinner time, he doesn't want to go to the restaurant yet, but he can't stand wandering around aimlessly. He needs something to do.

"I still need a gift for Agnès." Tiz reminds himself. "Maybe I can look for that?"

As if he has any idea what to look for. Still, it's better than what he's currently doing.

(He doesn't end up finding anything that seems fitting, despite two hours of searching.)

###

"So…?" Edea asks eagerly. "How was it?"

"It was fine." Tiz says.

"Just fine? Agnès' recommendation wasn't all that great?" Edea prods.

"No, the restaurant was good." Tiz admits. "Really good, actually. I was referring to the rest of the day. It was fine, but nothing special."

"Boo." Edea huffs. "Don't tell me you didn't do anything."

"I bought clothes."

"Wow. Don't go too crazy there." Edea says with a roll of her eyes. "Clothes? Geeze, and I thought Ringabel was a party animal."

Tiz decides to ignore her. "I also got you sweets."

"Ooh, gimmie!" Edea's eyes light up, and snatches the box out of Tiz's hand faster than a viper striking a mouse. She pops the top open and licks her lips at the wrapped candies within. "Yes~ You're an angel Tiz."

"You're welcome, oh esteemed mature leader." Tiz smirks.

Edea sticks her tongue out at him. She unwraps one of the candies and pops it in her mouth, then hums in delight. "Ooh… these are sooo good. What's in these?"

"Caramel."

"I need fifty more boxes of these!" Edea proclaims. "Please tell me you remember where you got them."

"I do." Tiz assures. "They're quite affordable too."

"You mean they're cheap, you copper-pincher." Edea says through a mouthful of candy. "I can't believe you got me something cheap!"

"Affordable." Tiz repeats firmly. "You only think it's cheap because you have too much money."

"Guilty." Edea says, though it's barely comprehensible with all the food in her mouth.

"Also…" Tiz says slowly. He leans forward with furrowed brows. "I heard from a shop keeper that you wrote a book"

"I did!" Edea nods. She gets up from her seat for a moment and plucks a large book off her bookshelf. "This one. All about our adventures. Actually, I've written two. I've also written one about the Second Crisis as well."

"Right." Tiz says. He takes the book, but doesn't open it. "I heard specifically that you have an entire page dedicated to talking about me and Agnès."

"Oh." Edea blinks, then smiles like a cat and plants her elbows on the table and holds her chin in her hands. "I do indeed. I'm surprised someone brought that up."

"The shopkeeper mentioned it." Tiz says, settling into a disapproving scowl. "Edea, you publicly aired my feelings for Agnès for everyone to read about."

"So?" Edea says while raising an eyebrow. "It's not like it was a secret to begin with. More than half the people we met figured it out almost immediately."

They did? Oh crystals. "That's aside from the point Edea. It's rude to both me and Agnès to do that without our permission."

"Agnès didn't care." Edea shrugs. "She read the final draft of the book before I had copies made and approved all of it."

That's not what Tiz expected to hear, and part of him wants to stop and analyze that little tidbit of information, but he pushes on anyway. "It's still unfair to me, Edea."

"Come on." Edea says, and rolls her eyes. "Tiz, literally anyone who has seen you and Agnès in the same room can tell you like her. I wasn't 'airing' anything in that book, I was stating the obvious and recording what was an important part of our adventures for historical documentation."

Tiz snorts in frank disbelief. "Historical documentation?"

"It's true!" Edea huffs. "Tiz, you can't tell me it wasn't a major part of our adventures. We've already been over that you latched onto Agnès the moment you met her and went on to fight a god for her sake."

"I had other motives." Tiz grumbles.

"Yeah, but still." Edea says. She pokes him in the head. "Don't try to pretend Agnès wasn't a huge motivator."

Well yes, she was, if only because he had literally nothing else to latch onto with his family dead and no hope of the holy pillar's damage being reversed. Agnès, as well as Edea and Ringabel, were the only things he had left. Edea is making that sound much more romantic than it actually was. "Well yes, but-"

"No buts." Edea interrupts. "It was a defining part of your motivation, and not mentioning it would be like not mentioning that I always fought with a katana."

Tiz hates that Edea has actually somewhat legitimate reasons for documenting his infatuation. "I still don't like it."

"You don't have to like it, you just have to put up with it." Edea says. She flicks a candy at him, and Tiz sullenly unwarps it and puts it in his mouth. "Besides, most people who've read the book said that part was cute."

Tiz glares at her, his cheeks slightly red.

"Either that, or they said some variation of 'I knew it'." Edea adds cheerfully.

Tiz silently considers strangling her.

"Don't grip the book too tightly, you might damage it."

###

Tiz adjusts his grip on the Defender for the fifth time in as many seconds. Across the dirt training yard, Alternis hops in place and makes a few practice swings with Darkbringer. The sun is directly overhead so as to get in neither of their eyes, and a light cloud cover intermittently covers the training yard in shadow.

"I should have guessed Edea would lend you Templar." Alternis says, breaking the silence that had stretched over them as they both finalized their preparations. "I was a fool for expecting you to fight without an asterisk."

"I wouldn't be much of a challenge without one." Tiz admits humbley. "All my combat skills came from using what asterisks gave me."

"Eh-hem." The third person on the training grounds coughs.

"And Edea's teachings." Tiz amends. "But mostly the asterisks."

"Is a month enough to learn an entire job?" Alternis asks.

Tiz shakes his head. "Not even close. I've had to make concessions. I promise I'll give you the best I've got though."

"Don't give too much." A fourth voice says. That voice belongs to a certain Holly Whyte. She's not dressed in her usual white mage outfit, instead clad in much more subdued and casual clothes. Her fingers drum her staff impatiently. "This is my day off. I don't want to spend it bent over because I had to reattach your arms or stuff your intestines back in."

"That won't happen." Alternis promises. "Edea will surely call the match before Tiz is too injured."

"Or you." Edea shoots back. "Don't get cocky Alternis. Tiz is out of shape, not incompetant."

"I think you're giving me a bit too much credit." Tiz mumbles.

"If you'd give yourself any credit at all, I wouldn't have to say anything." Edea says.

"Talk, talk, talk. Can we get this moving?" Holly groans.

"I am ready if Sir Arrior is." Alternis says.

Tiz exhales. Adrenaline starts to buzz in his veins. This is it, actual combat. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright then." Edea says. She stomps forward in her armor and holds up her hand. "Swords here."

Tiz and Alternis raise their swords and step forward so the points stop just shy of Edea's gauntlet. Alternis' blade is steady, while Tiz's sword noticeably wavers in place ever so slightly as his muscles strain to keep it held so high.

"The duel is to first blood, stepping off the dirt, surrender, or my call. Don't you two kill each other." Edea takes a step back so her hand isn't in the way. "Ready…"

Tiz tightens his grip on the Defender and shifts his shield more up front, and Alternis leans forward slightly. Tiz can't see through the helmet, but he locks his gaze on where he figures the man's eyes are.

Edea chops her hand down. "Duel!"

Edea barely has enough time to get out of the way before Alternis lunges. Tiz immediately twists to bring his sword back and his shield in front of him, not trusting his swordplay to protect him from the Dark Knight's initial rush.

It's a good call too. Darkbringer bangs off Tiz's shield with significant force, and the flurry of stabs Alternis follows up with to try and go around it are blocked only by quick movements of Tiz's shield and precise footwork. The Defender stays close to Tiz's body, held so the flat part of it faces Alternis and provides more surface to block with.

Alternis rapidly switches through various sword strikes, trying his luck with stabs, overhands, underhands, side cuts, and a few complicated attack strings. Tiz keeps his eyes firmly on the knight himself, trusting his peripheral vision to keep track of the sword, and slowly steps back as attacks continue to rain on his shield. Conscious of his limited space to retreat (for stepping off the dirt and onto the cobblestone path around the edge of the grounds is a loss), Tiz also moves sideways as he steps back, making it so he and Alternis move in a wide circle rather than a straight line.

"This is a duel, Arrior!" Alternis shouts through his helmet. His voice sounds distorted and more intense for it. "You can't defend forever!"

"I'm more than happy to let you wear yourself out." Tiz replies, keeping his voice even. "It takes a lot less effort to hold a shield than swing a sword a dozen times."

"Then let's see what you can do when your shield isn't enough." Alternis abruptly leaps back, visibly clenches his fist around Darkbringer, and then points the weapon at Tiz.

A Dark Bane leaps from the tip of Darkbringer, and Tiz quickly sidesteps the beam. It clips his pauldron, but the metal armor is more than enough to prevent any real damage. More importantly than that, however, is that Alternis has finally given Tiz space. With a quick twist of his sword to make a circle with the tip, Tiz then shoves his sword forward to send a Radiant Blast flying at Alternis' chest. Alternis effortlessly avoids it, having spotted the cast and already started moving.

"Radiant Blast? You've focused your efforts in the wrong area, Arrior." Alternis taunts. "Templar's strengths lie elsewhere."

"I've made perfectly fine use of my training." Tiz says. "I know my strengths, and the limits of what I can attain in a short amount of time."

"Mph." Alternis grunts. "Or so you say…"

Alternis closes the distance before Tiz can respond, again laying in with his sword. This time, Tiz chances bringing his own sword into the equation and flicks away any attempted strikes to his right side.

Feeling just a bit confident, Tiz waits for the briefest lull in Alternis' attacks then quickly whips his sword around to cut at the man's side. Alternis parries the attack and shoves Tiz's heavy blade away, and Tiz retracts it against his body like a turtle pulling its head back into its shell.

"Why so timid, Arrior?" Alternis continues to taunt. He feints towards Tiz's head, then quickly switches into a side cut. Tiz manages a hasty parry, but it jarrs his arm uncomfortably. "Aren't you a famous warrior? A god killer?"

Alternis must be feeling very antagonistic today, Tiz decides. Competition does strange things to people. "Well, I don't know about being famous, but I mostly played support when we fought Ouroboros. I was almost always support, actually." He was usually Red Mage to be able to shore up the groups weaknesses in any situation, and his secondary job tended to be Time Mage or Performer. "Really, it was the others who did the flashy fighting."

"If that were true, you would have lost this duel in ten seconds!" Alternis barks.

"I mean, I wasn't incompetant." Tiz says placatingly. Tiz really doesn't understand why he has to reassure Alternis that he, as in Tiz, isn't bad at fighting. It seems a bit backwards. "Just not as good as the others."

Alternis growls. Again, he disengages, and this time Tiz fully expects the Dark Bane the man channels and cuts Alternis off with a quick Radiant Blast.

Rather than let the knight get close again, Tiz keeps his sword up and continues shooting. His blasts aren't strong, but they don't have to be. Taking one to the chest will still be painful. As long as he can keep his aim true, he can prevent Alternis from closing back into melee.

Granted, Tiz is also burning through mana at a much quicker rate than he's comfortable with, and can only keep this up for maybe two minutes, but he never really believed he was going to win this fight in the first place. He just wants it to be long enough that it doesn't look one-sided, which he hopes is enough for whatever Alternis wanted to test.

He still doesn't know what that test is. Alternis never specified.

Also, apparently repeated Radiant Blasts is a bad plan, because Alternis eventually gets tired of dodging and meets one blast head-on. He ploughs through it with his shoulder, leaving a nasty scorch mark on his pauldron, and whips Darkbringer around with a black afterimage following its path.

Tiz immediately recognizes the Minus Strike and doesn't even bother to block. He frantically dives to the ground and rolls, the metal of his armor digging painfully into his waist and arms. He gets back to his feet and throws his shield aside. It won't be of any use if Alternis' Minus Strike has sufficient power, and Minus Strike doesn't have the channel time of Dark Bane. Tiz has to dodge and deflect. Straight blocking won't work anymore.

"Abandoning your shield now? When you need it most?" Alternis asks. With his head low and the sun reflecting off the golden crown built into his helmet, also casting a shadow across the front of the helmet, Alternis makes for an intimidating figure. The black afterimage when he moves his sword certainly doesn't hurt either, nor does the growl his voice has become. "Maybe you aren't the warrior Edea professed you to be."

"Why- ack!" Tiz can't say more, because Alternis rushes in again. The knight's calculated attack strings have devolved in brutal hacks with his sword as he relies on the overwhelming power of Minus Strike to finish the fight.

It's either a miracle or a testament to his training that Tiz doesn't immediately crumple. Alternis's brutal strikes are powerful, but slower than before, and Tiz has just enough time to get the Defender in their path and knock them away each time. Still, Tiz is forced on the backfoot, and he simply doesn't have the space created by his shield to lead Alternis in circles this time.

"Stop. Mocking. Me!" Alternis hisses with every strike he makes. "Fight, Arrior! My victory means nothing if my opponent doesn't try!"

Tiz is even more bewildered than before. What in the crystals' name is Alternis talking about? Mocking him? He's doing anything but that! Tiz can barely keep up!

Alternis' hissing does give Tiz an opening though. See, while Radiant Blast is supposed to be cast with a sword, just like any other spell you don't technically need a casting implement to use it. The spell is going to lack a lot of power, even more so than normal spells because it's a force amplifier and has no base power, but Tiz can, in fact, cast the spell with just his hand.

So he does. When Alternis makes another wild swing, Tiz deflects with one hand while casting in the other (something he mastered back in the day as a Red Mage, actually), and smacks Alternis in the throat with a fist-powered Radiant Blast.

It's not a crippling hit by any means, but being smacked in the throat by the equivalent of a haymaker, even through armor, is going to distract a person. Alternis abruptly chokes on his words and bends forward when hit, his free hand going to his throat, and Tiz doesn't hesitate to follow up with a smack from the flat of his blade to the man's head and take a hop back and to the side for distance.

"You-" Alternis gaps. He straightens, but his shoulders remain hunched in unmistakable anger. "You can't even be bothered to hit me properly? You're using the flat of your weapon?"

"I had to ensure a clean hit, and I didn't have enough power to justify-"

"Excuses!" Alternis snaps. "I am not a joke, Arrior! I didn't think I'd have to prove myself to you as well!"

"As well? Prove?" Tiz blinks. "Alternis-"

"Enough! I won't be replaced again!" Alternis snaps. He brandishes his sword wildly. "Fight me, Arrior! Stop-!"

"Alternis Dim!" Edea's voice rings out, causing both men to freeze in place. Tiz had almost totally forgotten that Edea and Holly were here. "You asshole!"

"E-Edea-" Alternis says, turning to look at her. The girl stomps up to him and grabs the crown of his helmet to pull his head down to her level.

"You actually challenged Tiz to a duel just because of your stupid inferiority complex?" Edea snarls. "You colossal dick!"

"I swear I didn't mean to get this impassioned!" Alternis protests. He's dropped his sword entirely, and is holding up his hands in a desperate show of innocence.

"And you did it when Tiz was still recovering too! It's not even a fair fight!" Edea continues. Her voice steadily rises into a yell. "What sort of contest was this supposed to be!? Even ignoring how stupid this fight is, how was beating up on someone who couldn't walk up a flight of stairs on his own a month ago going to prove anything!?"

Alternis tries to speak. "Edea, listen-"

"No, you listen you bastard! You don't get to duel someone because you've deluded yourself into thinking you're being replaced!" Edea shouts. "What in the crystals' name convinced you of that!? What would he even replace you for!? I can understand why you took issue with Ringabel, but Tiz!? He's totally focused on Agnès! You knew this right from the start! This makes even less sense than the time you took issue with Yew!"

"I don't mean romance!" Alternis protests. "I-

"Is the duel over?" Holly interrupts, clearly giving zero fucks about the current argument. "Can I go now?"

"Heal this moronic asshole first. He used Dark Bane and that throat shot wasn't nothing." Edea says, and practically drags Alternis by the crown to stand in front of Holly. "Helmet off."

"Edea-"

Her voice brokers no argument. "Off, Alternis."

Visibly cringing, Alternis frees his helmet from the rest of his armor, and Tiz can see the toll of the battle on him. His throat is already sporting a large bruise, and his skin has gone paler than usual and his veins stand out starkly as well as his eyes being quite bloodshot from using the health-sapping Dark Bane.

Holly fixes him up with one spell, and then jabs him in the armored stomach with her staff. "Don't waste my time like this Alternis. I have better things to do than watch a glorified tantrum." With that, she turns on her heel and stalks back into the fort.

"Sorry Tiz. I've got to have a long talk with this paranoid idiot." Edea says, finally addressing Tiz who has been watching this unfold in total confusion. "I don't think I'll have the energy to eat dinner together today."

"That's fine." Tiz says. He looks to Alternis, who is currently refusing to meet his eye. "I hope you're okay, Alternis."

"...I really hate that I can't hate you, Arrior." The knight replies after a second, sounding defeated.

Tiz figures that's as good a note as any to leave on. He quietly moves to the side to strip out of his armor, and then retreats to his room.

###

The month seems like it passed by so quickly. The duel with Alternis felt like it was only days after Tiz's outing into Eternia Town, but in reality it was two weeks after the fact. Training had blurred that time together, and after the duel Tiz finds he has half a week to pick up his suit, fail to find a gift for Agnès again, write a letter to Agnès to tell her he's coming, and spend a day on the town with Edea (who finally managed to get time off), and before he knows it he's standing out front of Central Command with his few belongings being loaded into a carriage while Edea and Alternis see him off.

"You remembered to send a letter ahead, didn't you?" Edea asks.

"Of course I did." Tiz says, deciding not to mention he only sent it a few days ago. The mail service should be faster than his carriage anyhow. "I still think a carriage is unnecessary."

"There's no way I'm risking you collapsing halfway to Gathelatio or being killed by goblins Tiz; and besides, despite your protests otherwise, you're sort of a really important person." Edea huffs. "You're taking a carriage and an escort. Deal with it. Be happy I didn't choose something more fancy, because I have a real fancy carriage I could have brought out."

Tiz is surprised she has any carriages. Though in hindsight the Lee family is a noble family, so of course they'd have at least one carriage. At least, Tiz assumes that's a good reason. That seems like something nobles would do.

(It's weird to think of Edea as a noble, even if she has literally always been one.)

"Your guards have been handpicked." Alternis says. It's the first time he's spoken to Tiz since the duel, and the knight keeps it strictly professional. "Your safety is assured, Sir Arrior."

Tiz nods mutely. He doesn't know if he should say something to Alternis, so he doesn't.

"I've also sent my own letter ahead with your path and the expected timeline." Edea adds. "So I imagine someone will greet you when you get to Gathelatio."

Tiz tries not to roll his eyes in exasperation. "Edea, I don't need to be babied. I'm sure I can find my way around Gathelatio on my own."

"I'm taking no chances." Edea insists. "I'm sure either one of the Crystalguard or Magnolia will come get you."

Tiz shakes his head but makes no further protests.

"On a slightly different note, I have something to give you now that you're leaving. Two things actually." Edea says. She waves over a servant who was standing just out of Tiz's sight and who is holding two items, one familiar and the other in a box. "It would be irresponsible of me to send you off without a weapon even if I hope you never have to use it, so here."

Tiz accepts the Defender with a certain level of reverence. "Are you sure? This isn't a cheap weapon."

"Might as well put it to good use. It's been doing nothing but collecting dust for the last seven years." Edea shrugs. "I can always find another if I really care. Defenders aren't that rare, and you should know cost really isn't a problem for me."

"Alright." Tiz murmurs. He holds the sheath of the weapon under the cross hilt, and eyes the box. It's a very small box, just barely bigger than his hand. "And what's this?"

He doesn't like the grin that crosses Edea's face. "Oh nothing, just some reading material for the road. Don't open it until you're inside the carriage by yourself."

Tiz is very worried.

"Here." Alternis says suddenly. He shoves something at Tiz, and then turns around and walks away. "Keep in practice."

Tiz blinks and holds up the deck of cards Alternis just handed to him. They're nothing particularly special, being standard fare that Tiz has seen many soldiers own.

"I think he's going to miss having a gaming buddy." Edea says after a moment, while staring at Alternis' back. "Thanks for that, by the way. I never would have known he liked board games if you didn't pry it out of him."

"Right." Tiz says. After a second's hesitation, he asks, "Did… did you two ever sort out…?"

"Sort of." Edea grumbles. "It's been an issue for years, this is just the latest occurrence. Don't worry about it. It's not your problem to deal with."

"Okay…"

"Now, I think that's it." Edea says. "Sword, gift, luggage… I suppose you're ready."

"I guess I am." Tiz nods.

The whole situation suddenly feels very… somber. Tiz suddenly grasps the fact that Edea is going to be gone from his life for a long time after today. They're not travelling together. This isn't like old times. Edea is staying, and he's going. He's had the luxury of her companionship every few days, and he won't have that anymore. One of his only friends is going to be out of his reach, except for the occasional letter.

"Don't go looking anxious now." Edea says, and pats him on the shoulder. Though she too looks a bit somber. "Save that for Gathelatio when you're going to be meeting a dozen new people and seeing Agnès again."

"Right." Tiz croaks.

"...ah fuck, fine, come here." Edea grumbles, and pulls Tiz into a hug which he eagerly reciprocates. "I'll miss you. I know I couldn't spend a lot of time with you over the last couple months. Sorry about that."

"It's alright." Tiz says. He hopes his eyes aren't red. "You're busy. You've got responsibilities."

"Doesn't make it suck any less." Edea says quietly. "I promise to be more free the next time I see you."

Tiz doubts she'll actually be able to do that, but he appreciates the thought.

"Give Agnès a kiss for me."

"No."

"I'll make free time for your wedding in a few months."

"Edea…"

The girl chuckles, and Tiz cracks a weak smile. They separate from each other, both slightly red around the eyes. "You killjoy. I just want to see you happy. At least give her a hug for me and tell her I say hi."

"I think I can manage that. Don't work yourself into the ground."

"Way too late for that." Edea says with a roll of her eyes. "Now get on that carriage, or we'll stand here exchanging goodbyes forever."

"Alright." Tiz says. He reluctantly steps up into the open cabin and looks over his shoulder at Edea.

The sunlight does her justice. The low morning sun bounces off her gold hair and frames her just like the Templar she is.

It's a nice final image, before he leaves.

The door slides shut, and Tiz settles into the seat. He rests the Defender on the seat next to him, finds a pocket in his new coat (not the suit, just a simply coat) for his new deck of cards, and turns his attention to the box of 'reading material' Edea gave to him.

With no small amount of apprehension, Tiz opens the box.

A pink book greets him, small enough to fit into a pocket, but quite heavy for its size. The cover is decorated with a few small red hearts and the title is written in elegant, bubbly letters.

"How to Spit It Out: A Guide to Dating For Dummies"

Tiz immediately sticks his head out the window and yells behind the carriage. "I hate you Edea!"

"Love you too!" She shouts from her spot halfway back up the fort's entrance pathway. "Don't disappoint me Tiz!"

Tiz growls and slumps back into his seat. Of course it would be a joke gift. He was actually hoping he'd have something to do on the way to Gathelatio, but apparently not.

…

With great reluctance, Tiz cracks open the book. It's not like he has anything better to do.

I think we can expect to be in Gathelatio next chapter. I can't imagine a travel chapter would be very entertaining, but I might throw in a few scenes if I can come up with something.

I'm going to miss Edea. She's so much fun, and she's by far the easiest character to write. Alas, I will have to content myself with Agnès and some of the Bravely Second cast.