You ever get into a rut where you can't motivate yourself to do anything except lay around, go to work and play games?

That's basically what happened to me, unfortunately.

I'm deeply sorry to everyone I kept waiting for an update to this story, my urge to write lately has been almost nothing, and I just couldn't force myself to get up and do something to change that.

Give me time, but hopefully updates will be coming more frequently.

I appreciate all my reviewers that gave me help to motivate myself to keep going, I'm really glad that this story has been received so well so far. I honestly didn't expect more than ten follows at most!

I won't keep you here much longer, I know you probably want to read! So, without further ado, please enjoy...

Chapter 7

Preparations / On the Road

"Got everything you need, Chrom?" Robin's voice trailed through the paper thin walls, seeing the shadow of her husband hunched over the floor.

Said Exalt huffed as he finished tying up a small pack that contained a couple canteens of water, enough pieces of tofu jerky that he had found in a shop during one of his off days, and a small rolled up bedroll. Shifu had said that the mission might take a couple days, after all. "Just about!" He glanced at the fabric of the pouch as he dusted off his paws. "Hopefully it will be enough…"

The door slid open behind him and in stepped Robin, who had a similar pack slung over her slim shoulder. It was bulging a bit with what looked like the outline of a tome or two, along with the slight bit of a bedroll that peaked out of the top slightly. "I'm sure we'll be fine. I might've overpacked a tad, but it never hurts to be prepared, eh?" She gave the wolf a little nudge on his side, prompting a chuckle from him and a nod of agreement.

Today was a big day for the unlikely pair. Just yesterday Master Shifu informed the palace that Po, Chrom, and Robin would be able to go on their first mission with the Five, meaning that this was their chance to truly impress not only their Master, but their fellow students as well. Of course, Robin didn't get much sleep last night, electing to stay up and plan for every possible obstacle, but she was used to pulling all-nighters the day before a big march or battle.

Another reason she had been up so late was that she had begun to take lessons in the local dialect under Crane's tutelage, finally learning that it was called Chinese and that it was a bit more complicated than the regular Ylissean language she knew already. While forming whatever plan she could think of, she would continue to practice the symbols (or "Hanzi", as Crane had called them) that were supposed to be her name. She was initially a little nervous to ask someone she had only met just a week ago for such a big favor, but was pleasantly surprised at how helpful he had been.

~ Last night… ~

Robin hummed softly to herself as she entered the personal quarters, her brow furrowed a bit as she thought. 'I can't believe I forgot about such an important detail… how am I going to deal with this?' She inwardly sighed, unsure as to how she completely forgot that she and her husband were unable to read the local dialect. Ever since Shifu had shown them that scroll that had the details to their mission tomorrow, another seed of worry had sprouted right next to the many others in her mind. If she was going to be expected to read through scrolls and messages and whatnot, she would need to find someone to teach her the language and fast… but how? She didn't know of anyone that could help as a tutor, and even then she didn't know how long learning an entirely new language from scratch would take.

She groaned softly and held a wing to her forehead to try and prevent a headache before it popped up, not exactly in the mood for one at the moment. "You're fine, Robin… You've learned the language of Spellcraft, just gotta do what you do best and think…" She muttered, idly rubbing the smooth feathers on her head. What she wouldn't give for some of that pain medication that Lissa kept in her tent right now… it was always immensely helpful whenever she didn't get enough sleep or when one of the shepherds took part in Frederick's Fitness Hour.

While she was in deep thought, the door behind her slid open. Crane's long neck poked out as he glanced around slightly before he looked down on her from inside his room. "Oh, hey Robin… I thought I heard you out here." He said, stepping forward a tad.

Robin jumped with surprise and quickly turned, her eyes wide before she blushed from embarrassment. "Oh, Master Crane! S-Sorry, I must've been too caught up in my thoughts… apologies if I disturbed you." She bowed slightly, inwardly noting just how much different the bird master looked without his signature conical-hat.

Crane chuckled a bit at her surprised reaction, shaking his head a bit. "Just Crane is fine, Robin, and you're fine, just thought I'd say hi. Something bothering you?" He asked.

"Well, er…" Robin began, her eyes shifting nervously. How do you tell someone you don't know how to read? "It's… kind of embarrassing, if I'm being honest."

"Embarrassing… how?" Crane asked with a tilt of his head, looking a tad confused. "I'm not the type of bird to judge others, just letting you know…"

Robin shuffled her talons, inwardly debating whether or not she should tell one of the Five about her dilemma. 'Well, I'm not going to get anywhere by not telling anyone about my issue, that's for sure…' She thought, seeing no harm in telling Crane. He was one of the more down-to-earth Masters, ironically.

"You see… As much as it pains me to admit, I… don't know how to read the local language at all. It just looks like a bunch of random lines to me." She admitted with a soft frown, her small crest of feathers drooping a tad on top of her head. The dialect was so wildly different from the standard Ylissean, Plegian, or even Feroxian she had grown accustomed to.

Crane's eyebrows rose above the rim of his hat from surprise. "Wait, really? Then… how have you been speaking to us this entire time? From my understanding, you've been using fluent Chinese since we've met…" the master asked with a very confused look on his face.

Now that was something that Robin didn't expect. 'I've been speaking Chinese… this whole time?' She didn't understand how that was even possible. From her perspective, she and everyone else had been using perfectly legible Ylissean tongue… had the Outrealm gate altered her mind a bit so she spoke and understood the local language perfectly? If so, why did she still not understand the written part of the language? Her mind was swimming with all sorts of unanswered questions, making her brow furrow as she was lost in thought. She would have to look further into the subject of the Outrealm if they got home.

'When,' she inwardly corrected herself. 'When we get back… this isn't a manner of if.'

"-Robin? Earth to Robin…" Crane called in front of her, suddenly pulling her out of her thoughts. She had been so surprised by this revelation that she had completely forgotten why she had come in here in the first place.

"A-Ah, apologies, Crane… I was just a little surprised by what you just said," She said sheepishly, before shaking her head. "But… I had no idea I was speaking Chinese. I thought I was still talking the same way I did back home."

Crane's eyebrows rose at her words. "Well, in any case…" He began, looking even more confused. "If you need help learning Chinese, then I'd be happy to. I'm the only one here that practices calligraphy, so I'm probably your best bet," the master offered, opening his door a tad so Robin could look inside. Indeed, there was a scroll rolled out onto the wooden paneling and a brush alongside an ink pot beside it.

Robin's eyes widened considerably. "Wait… really? You're offering to teach me an entirely new language?"

"I mean, what kind of friend would I be if I let my teammate run around not knowing how to read? It'd be cruel!" He said with a chuckle, opening the door some more so Robin could come inside. "I'll teach you the basics so you have a good starting point."

"Wow… thank you so much, Crane! How can I repay you?" She asked in earnest as she slowly stepped inside, taken aback from his offer. They had only known each other for a week, and he was already willing to teach her Chinese? Robin wasn't sure how to thank him.

Crane, however, did have some inkling as to how she could. "Well, there is one thing you could do…" He said as he slid the door shut behind the two, walking over to his scroll that had a couple hanzi on it.

"What is it? I'm sure I'd have no trouble doing something for you," Robin replied, sidling up next to her new teacher and looking down at the symbols on the parchment with interest. This 'Chinese' as Crane had called it, seemed so much more complex and unique than her own language, although that may be because she's spoken and written it for so long. Each symbol seemed like it's own intricate design or painting, with weaving lines going in and out.

"I remember how Chrom mentioned that you were one of the best mages he's ever met when you two talked to Shifu, so… I was wondering if you could teach me a thing or two about magic in exchange?" Crane asked as his eyes gleamed with interest.

Robin immediately perked up and swiveled her head over to look at him with shock. If there was one thing that he expected him to ask of her, it most certainly wasn't magic lessons. Hell, she had completely forgotten that Chrom had said that about her! "Magic lessons…? Are you certain? I'm not exactly the greatest teacher in the world, and the art of casting can be a little hard to understand…"

Crane responded with a light shrug. "It couldn't hurt to try it out, right? And besides, it would give us an advantage if we ever have to fight a magic user, since we would know how it works."

Robin's brow furrowed a bit at his reasoning. She couldn't deny the pros of teaching Crane the basics of magic, and no matter how low the chance of them fighting another magic user is, the possibility was still there. That was one thing that she learned over the months with the Shepherds, no matter how little the possibility of something going wrong was, you had to take that into account and plan around it. There's no way of knowing how much that possibility will derail your plans.

"... Alright, you've got a point there. I suppose teaching you the basics wouldn't hurt, so once we get back from tomorrow's mission I'll be your teacher," Robin conceded with a sigh, already wondering just how she was going to explain how magic works to someone who knows nothing about the subject.

Although, she supposed it was a fair trade since he was offering to teach her an entirely new language.

Crane's smile widened before he bowed a bit in thanks, letting his conical hat tip over his vision for a brief moment. "That's fine by me, Robin. Now, let's get to what we're really here for…"

~ End flashback ~

The rest of that night had been very informative to her, with Crane going over how to understand some of the more basic hanzi, such as "enter" or "exit", and even going over how to write his name and her name in Chinese. After the lesson, Crane had been kind enough to lend her some spare parchment and one of his backup calligraphy sets so she could continue practicing without needing to seek him out everytime. She had thanked him graciously and immediately put it to use in her own room, continuing to practice her writing while making sure she had everything prepared for today's excursion.

She may feel a little tired later on, but the knowledge of being able to understand Chinese was well worth it. Unfortunately, she still had no clue as to how she's been speaking said language this entire time, though she suspected she wasn't going to solve that mystery until they got back home.

Her attention was brought back to the other occupant of the room when he slowly stood back up with the pack slung over his shoulder, easily carrying it along with Falchion strapped to his hip. "Let's get going then, shall we? I wouldn't want to keep them waiting." Chrom said with a smile.

Robin smiled back and nodded, idly adjusting the straps of the backpack she was so graciously provided with. "No, we don't. Lead the way, O' dearest Exalt!" She said in a joking tone, bowing deeply to the floor with a smirk.

She wasn't looking at him, but she knew that he was throwing her a massive eye roll. "You know how much I hate formalities…" He muttered with a light chuckle as he walked past her.

"And that's exactly why I do it!" Robin replied with a self-satisfied smile. She loved messing with her husband, and no matter how much he loathed to admit it, she was sure he found it amusing too.

Their playful bickering resumed until they came upon the entrance to the Jade Palace, where Master Shifu, Po, and the rest of the five were waiting. Po had his own personal backpack sling over his shoulders, bulging with what was probably enough snacks to feed a family of four and whatever other essentials he decided to bring. Surprisingly, the rest of the five weren't carrying much, if anything at all. 'This excursion should take a couple days at least… Maybe Po was carrying their supplies as well?' Knowing how optimistic and ready-to-please he was, that was the most logical conclusion.

"Good morning!" She called to the group, causing them all to turn their heads to them with varying reactions. Po waved excitedly at them, making her chuckle a bit, while all of the Five said good morning back with a friendly smile. Tigress, however, was content with leveling a glare at them, obviously not happy at being held up.

Shifu's left ear twitched slightly as the duo walked up to them, turning to them with a stern look. "Ah, so you've finally decided to join us? I was wondering what was holding you two up."

Chrom rubbed the back of his furry neck apologetically, at least having the decency to look sorry. "Apologies, Master Shifu… Robin and I were just making sure we had everything ready to go." He gave the pack he was carrying a little pat for emphasis.

The old master frowned. "While I appreciate the thoroughness, I would appreciate it even more if you were on time like the rest of your peers. And, I can't believe I'm saying this…" Shifu sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But you should follow Po's example. He was here much earlier than any of us… somehow."

"I was just so excited last night, I could barely get any sleep! My first real mission with the Five!" Po suddenly burst with excitement, nearly cutting his teacher off as he bounced giddily on his feet. "I can't wait to show off my awesome Kung Fu skills in action!"

Robin chuckled at Po's antics, before she bowed deeply to her teacher. "We'll be more punctual from now on. Apologies for making you wait."

Shifu was silent for a brief moment, before nodding curtly. "See to it that you keep your word. Now then…" He began, turning to face the eight warriors who had gathered there. "This mission should not prove too difficult for the eight of you. You are simply going to keep watch over Huā Village for a couple days until the Emperor's Guard arrives. Should it prove to be uneventful, then it will be a chance to train in another environment. However, I'm counting on you all to be alert and ready should something happen. Understood?"

The surrounding warriors gave varying levels of confirmation, with Po being the loudest and most energetic, of course. Their Master looked over them all for a second before nodding, a tiny smirk visible on his face. "Good. I shall see all you back here in a couple days then." And with that, he turned on his heel and let the gates shut behind him, leaving the eight alone to begin their short journey.

Po was the first to say anything, as was expected. "Alright, let's do this! Evil's gotta be shaking in its evil boots from how much justice is gonna be served today!" The panda said triumphantly, holding a fist into the air.

The rest of them chuckled at his antics, while Tigress rolled her eyes with a slight smile on her muzzle. "As much as I appreciate the enthusiasm, Po, try to save your "justice-serving" for tomorrow."

"Yeah, all we're gonna be doin today is walking, big guy." Mantis agreed, hopping up to the bear's shoulder. "I don't think Tigress is gonna let you take a snack break either…"

Po gasped dramatically at that piece of news, quickly whipping around to face the one holding him back from delicious snacks with dread in his eyes. "No… you wouldn't!"

Tigress couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, I would."

"No… NOOOOO!" The panda yelled out dramatically as he fell to his knees in despair. The Furious Five laughed heartily at this, even Tigress letting her stone cold visage drop for a moment so she could chuckle at Po's expense.

All the while, Chrom and Robin looked upon the friendly scene with nostalgic smiles on their faces. "It's almost like we never left, eh?" The tactician said in a knowing tone, looking over to her lover.

For a while, Chrom thought that he was going to be very homesick during this forced journey of theirs. Sure, he had been away from Ylisstol for most of the time he had been a Shepherd, but he had always had Frederick, or Vaike… Hell, he even missed Miriel a bit. He was extremely grateful to have the love of his life right here next to him during these incredibly strange times, but it still wasn't home. However, the more he interacted with the Five and watched how they playfully teased one another… maybe China was more like home than he initially realized.

~ Many, many miles away ~

The sun was shining through the scarce clouds, bathing the earth in its benevolent light as Lucina slowly trudged her way forward on the dirt path she had discovered not too far away from the bandit camp she landed in. While her injuries were minimal, it was plainly obvious to anyone who looked at her that she had gotten into a scuffle lately. Her cape was a tad ripped along the edges, flowing in the wind behind her with each step, and her armored tunic was cut up just a tad where the bandits weapons had penetrated her defenses. 'I've gotten sloppy…' She thought to herself, scowling a bit at how she even got hit in the first place. Normally she'd be able to take on that base without suffering a single scratch, but it seems that she's been far too idle in her kung fu training as of late. 'What would Master Tigress say if she saw that fight…?'

In any case, she still was able to incapacitate all the criminals residing there with ease. The only real reason they were able to harm her in any way was because of their numbers, but with how inexperienced and uncoordinated they were, numbers could only get them so far. It was at least thirty to one, but they didn't stand a chance the moment she got into her usual fighting stance. However, while she inwardly appreciated being able to shake off some rust almost immediately after using the Gate, the current predicament she found herself in was much more concerning.

She had absolutely zero idea where she was.

After she dealt with that small bandit problem, she quickly began to realize that wherever she landed from the teleportation, it was nowhere she had ever been to. The criminals had no recognizable gang markings or symbols on their clothing, and there were no landmarks nearby that she could use as a point of reference. Her best bet was to find civilization nearby so she could get a lay of the land, which was easier said than done when you don't have any clue where to look.

Which is why she thanked Naga profusely in her head when she managed to luckily stumble upon a well-trodden dirt road after breaking through the tree line, leading off in both directions. 'Thank goodness… At least Lady Luck granted me something today,' She thought with a sigh of relief. It wasn't much, but at the very least it was a start. If she followed this path, she would eventually happen upon some sort of village, who would hopefully have directions to where she needed to go, the Valley of Peace. If her memory served correctly, her parents were currently residing there.

And so that's how she got here, walking along the dirt road as her mind wandered to wherever it pleased. It was a good way to pass the time while on long trips, just letting her thoughts take over as her body ran on autopilot. That's not to say that she wasn't completely unaware, however. If she was, she wouldn't have survived this long. Walking through the forest when Risen ran rampant required your utmost attention at all times so you don't get blindsided by some random archer or dark mage.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed something that wasn't part of the tree line or the deep blue sky about half a mile ahead. Just now coming into her line of sight was what looked like an Inn of sorts, with a few houses further down the road to form a small, quaint village. It was not unlike the many other towns she had been to during her stay at the Jade Palace when she was younger. To a regular person, it was just another unknown village on the list of many, but to Lucina it may as well have been a gift from Naga herself. 'Oh, thank the Gods, I finally have a chance to eat a hot meal…'

With the chance to actually have a full stomach for the first time in what seemed like a month, Lucina's pace quickened along the dirt road. Since she had been putting every single coin she had into saving up enough for buying an Outrealm Gate, she was once again forced to live off of the land and hunt for whatever edible plants or game she could find. She was used to such a thing after years of doing so in her future, but she greatly missed having a full belly after a long day of training.

It wasn't long before she was finally near the entrance to the Inn, her eyes wandering to the sign that had some hanzi written onto it. "Dragonscale Inn… I'll never understand everyone's fascination with dragons…" Lucina muttered to herself, though she was a bit biased considering that a dragon had put her through hell on earth.

The door swung open easily enough, letting the light filter through and illuminate the wooden flooring beneath her paws. She didn't know whether she should be pleased or disappointed that the inn was empty at the moment, stepping inside as her sharp blue eyes scanned around the room. It was a rather homey establishment, a few tables here and there with some open window sills that allowed the natural light and air to flow through the building.

Her gaze shifted to the left where she saw a pig idly scrubbing off the wooden countertops with a wet rag, bringing a deep, shiny luster to the planks which could only mean that he's been cleaning for a good part of the day now. 'Must be a slow day today…' she mused. The wolf-princess slowly walked up to the counter, her claws scraping softly against the wooden floor with each step. This place was obviously not built for someone of her size, the low ceiling and small chairs were evidence of that.

She stared at the pig for a moment, hoping to get some sort of reaction, before she sighed and cleared her throat. It was almost funny how the innkeeper jumped up from fright and flung the wet rag he was using onto one of the tables in the dining area, his eyes looking around wildly before they settled on her.

The pig's eyes widened and he took a subconscious step back when he finally noticed the wolf who was towering over him. He's had his fair share of encounters with wolves before, and none of them had ended on good terms. He had never seen a wolf look this intimidating, however, her gaze cold and calculating and her posture as straight as it could be under the smaller roof. "I-I, uh, d-don't got much to take, m-miss…" He stuttered nervously, glancing over to the kitchen knife that was under the counter just in case he needed to make a mad dash for it.

Lucina, however, simply rolled her eyes and sighed again, pulling out one of the stools and sitting down in front of the innkeeper. "I'm not here to take anything of yours, all I'm looking for is some directions and a hot meal if you have one." The warrior-princess said, half deadpan and half frustrated. She knew people were sometimes fearful of her due to her species, but this was a little ridiculous.

Still, the pig eyed her nervously, though he looked just a tad more relaxed at her words. "... W-Wait, you're… not here to steal anything or hurt me?"

Lucina's eyebrow raised slightly. "If I had wanted to steal from you, why would I want to catch your attention? I could have easily knocked you out and have been on my way already."

He blinked in response. "... Oh." The innkeeper said with embarrassment, coughing into his fist sheepishly. "Sorry about that, miss… I've encountered wolves a few times before, and all of them ended pretty badly. I-I'm sure you understand." He said, looking over to his newest customer for confirmation.

Instead, he was once again reminded why he shouldn't stereotype an entire species in front of said species, as Lucina's hardened glare leveled into his own fearful eyes. "No. I'm sure I do not, actually. Care to enlighten me?"

The innkeeper was frozen in place for a moment before he could squeak out a reply. "Wh-What I-I meant to say was, th-that n-not every encounter has been bad, p-probably just… misunderstandings! H-haha…" He chuckled very nervously, trying not to cower in fear from the intensity of the glare he was receiving.

"... Right. Anyways, about that meal?" Lucina said with a roll of her eyes at how quickly he was backpedalling. She had almost forgotten about the harmful stereotypes placed on most of the more intimidating species of China. Wolves were brutes and thieves, Tigers were scary and destructive… things that only served to divide the populace.

"O-Oh, uh, right…" The pig stammered, already forgetting what she was here for in the first place. Hell, he looked like he half expected her to ask if pork was on the menu. "Wh-What can I get for you, miss?"

Lucina reached into the small satchel where she kept her yuan strapped to her side, grabbing a handful of the small gold coins and letting them drop onto the wooden counter with some loud thuds and clinks. "Whatever you've got that this will pay for. I'm not exactly picky."

The innkeeper's eyes widened considerably at the amount of yuan Lucina casually threw onto his counter, glancing down at the small pile of what looked like 8 pieces and back up to her. "Woah… you sure lady? This is twice the amount of my most expensive food here!" He said with surprise, losing his fearful stammer now that he knew she actually was going to pay for food.

The wolf princess simply waved him off, leaning back a bit in her seat. "Don't worry about it, I have more than enough to keep me going for a while." She said nonchalantly, which was true. She had always carried a stash of yuan she had saved up before Grima was reawakened just in case, which meant money here wasn't much of an issue for her.

"Well then, uh… I'll get it out in a bit. Thanks, miss." The pig said with embarrassment, inwardly wondering why she wasn't more upset with how he acted before as he waddled his way into the kitchen area so he could get started.

Lucina nodded in confirmation before leaning onto the wooden counter with a sigh, resting her elbows as her long blue hair fell limply onto the polished surface. She wasn't one to show weakness in front of other people, especially strangers, but these past couple days have really taken a toll on her. Throughout the war with Plegia she had done well on her own, but she was really starting to miss the companionship of her siblings and cousins. Being back in China, the place where she learned what it truly meant to be a warrior… it was bringing back memories that she had long since forgotten or pushed aside in her apocalyptic future.

She wouldn't… she couldn't allow such a tragedy to befall her world again. She refused to call herself a disciple of the Jade Palace, or one of the youngest Masters to be given the name. Her heart stung a bit and she grimaced as she reminded herself that she couldn't interact with anyone she knew here, but she would have to power through for the sake of her mission. She couldn't interfere more than was absolutely necessary.

She was brought out of her deep thoughts by the small door to the kitchen swinging open, quickly sitting back up as the innkeeper waddled in with a steaming bowl. "Alright, here you go, miss, thanks for the business." He said as he placed the food in front of her carefully.

The wolf's eyes lit up at the sight of the large bowl filled with steaming rice and some nice, plump looking dumplings. She looked up at the pig with a soft smile, nodding in thanks. "This looks delicious, mister. You have my thanks." She said as she took the pair of chopsticks leaning against the rim of the bowl.

She dug into the bowl of rice, picking out a large goon of the sticky food with a steaming bun on top. She eyed it for a moment before eating it all in one bite, chewing with a very content look on her face before swallowing. If there was one thing that rubbed off on her from training with Po for quite some time, it was his voracious appetite for good food.

'Ah, I missed this…' She thought as she took another large bite, already a quarter of the way through. She hadn't had any of China's cuisine in quite some time.

The pig's eyebrow quirked up a bit with surprise at how quickly she ate through the dish. "So, uh, what's your name? I've never seen you around these parts," He asked, wanting to make it up to her a bit for treating her so poorly earlier.

Lucina swallowed her latest mouthful of dumpling, looking down in thought for a moment before answering. "You may call me Marth."

"Marth, eh?" The pig repeated, pronouncing it a little funny. "Interesting name… you a foreigner?"

"You could say that." Lucina replied. She was already nearly finished with her meal.

The pig nodded, though he was a little curious as to why she answered his question like that. "Hmm, where are you from if you don't mind me ask-WAAAAH!" The pig suddenly screamed out in shock when the door to the establishment was suddenly flung open loudly.

Lucina shot up and her head swiveled over to face the sudden intrusion of her meal, watching as a group of three wolves nearly kicked down the door. "You know the drill, boys! Lang wants all the metal we can find! Let's get to it!" The leader called to his two lackeys, making them nod and turn to the front counter. The princess frowned deeply and turned back to her meal, grabbing the last bite and finishing it off with a gulp. 'This is not how I wanted this day to go…'

The innkeeper quailed with fright and huddled behind the bar, looking scared for his life as the three goons made their way over. "Alright you two, you can either get out of here while we take what's ours, or we can make you leave!" The leader said as he slowly pulled out a rather well-crafted sword, the steel glinting in the light sunlight. The other two were flashing their weapons menacingly as well, a heavy looking war hammer and an axe that was worn from battle.

"P-Please, I gave you everything I could the last time! I won't h-have anything left to cook with!" The pig cowering behind the counter said, stuttering and shaking like a leaf in the wind. Meanwhile, Lucina just sat there with a neutral expression on her face, not looking at anything in particular.

While the lead wolf was giving his small 'bad guy' speech to his newest victim, the wolf holding the axe looked over at the stranger who was not paying attention to them at all. "Hey, you heard him, didn't you? Get moving!"

The leader narrowed his eyes when Lucina made no attempt to get up and leave, his curiosity piqued as he walked up to the strange wolf-lady and took note of the ornate sword strapped to her waist. His eyes lit up with greed at how it looked to be made with gold at the hilt. "Well, hello there, pretty lady! That sword of yours is looking mighty valuable! Now this could go two ways…" he said as he sat in the seat next to her. She continued to ignore him, making him frown a bit. "You could give us all your possessions, or we could knock your ass flat on the floor and take it from you!"

Lucina stared blankly at the wall for a moment before slowly turning to look at the leader of the wolves with a piercing gaze. "... Excuse me, sir, how attached are you to the furniture in here?" She asked, choosing to not pay attention to the thugs threatening her right now.

"... U-Uh, I-I don't have replacements!" He called out after a small pause, not realizing his newest customer was referring to him for a moment.

The wolves glanced at each other at how indifferent the strange wolf was being, a little apprehensive now. "Hey, I'm talking to you, lady! Now give us that damn sword!" The leader said angrily when he realized he was being completely ignored by this mysterious stranger. Deciding to take matter into his own paws, he reached down for the hilt of Falchion.

This was where Lucina drew the line.

"That's enough." She said, quickly turning and smacking him upside the head with a flying hammer fist before spinning off of the stool she was sitting on in one fluid motion, dropping into her practiced fighting stance effortlessly. The leader was sent flying onto the ground from the impact of her fist, crying out in pain while his sword clattered on the wooden floor.

"Y-You bitch, you'll pay for that! Get 'er!" The wolf ordered his two subordinates, prompting them to scowl and quickly charge at her recklessly. They were obviously more coordinated than your regular gang of thieves, making Lucina wonder if they worked for someone more powerful…

She had no time to dwell on that, however. The twin wolves came swinging right at her, trying to surround her and force her to get hit by at least one. Lucina had other plans, however. She quickly jumped over both of the weapons, making them collide with each other with a loud and metallic clang. While they were disoriented, Lucina quickly delivered a heavy blow to the wolf with the axe's snout, causing him to collide with the floor, unconscious. She followed this up with a spinning kick to the head which sent the hammer-wielding lackey crashing headfirst into the side of the wooden counter, joining his comrade in snooze-land.

Lucina glanced between the two that had attacked her vigilantly, making sure they were knocked out before turning towards the leader of them, who was most certainly looking a lot more fearful now than a few minutes ago. "Are you done?"

The wolf nodded quickly as he leaned away from her, his heart pounding out of his chest. "Th-This was supposed to be an easy mission…" he muttered, half frustrated and half terrified. "Who even are you?!"

The warrior's eyes narrowed, her deep azure eyes sharpening like knives as they bored into the bandit's own. "That's none of your concern. How many more of you are there? Who are you working for?" Her words cut through the air like a hot knife through butter, making the bandit flinch beneath her.

"Wh-What's it to you, huh?!" The wolf countered after recovering from the intensity of her words. He would've sounded intimidating, if it weren't for how small he was shrinking in on himself. "I-It was just me and my boys, that's all, I swear! A-And we're just a couple of thieves, nothing more!"

Lucina glanced over at the other hooligans she had swiftly knocked out with a huff. "I'll take your word for it. If you're lying… the guards are going to be the least of your issues." She threatened coldly, none-to-subtly inching Falchion a bit out of its sheath with a small click.

The wolf rapidly nodded fearfully. "Y-You got it, miss…!"

Lucina smirked down at her prey. "Good. Have a nice night." She said, before stomping down on the thief's muzzle, effectively knocking him out with one strike.

She sighed as she dusted herself off and looked around, smiling to herself at her quick handiwork. Nothing was damaged, and the small threat was taken care of. Just like she was trained.

"H-Holy…" Lucina blinked and glanced back over to the innkeeper, nearly forgetting that the pig was even there. He was bent over his counter with an awed expression on his snout, glancing between each of the unconscious hooligans splayed across his wooden floor. "... Just who are you, miss?"

The young master sighed as she stepped over the axe-wielding thief and sat down heavily onto the stool, intent on finishing her meal while it was still hot. Her chopsticks clinked against the bowl for a second before grabbing her last dumpling. "I'm just a traveler looking to get back home."

A bit on the shorter side, but this is more of a prelude to Chrom and Robin's first mission, and Lucina starting on her own quest to get home.

Not much else to say except I hope that you enjoyed and give me a follow if you want more! Any and all reviews are appreciated (except for flames), and I do read all of them.