Ch. 3 - The Sane One
"Yay she did it she did it, go Florina!" Raquel howled as she gleefully twirled down the stairs of the inn she was on top of. "Whoo!" she yelled as she tripped over her feet.
"Whoa," the guy from the arena grunted as he suddenly found himself catching the blond-haired lady from earlier and then falling back himself.
Oof
Unh
Ow!
People yowled as they got crashed into at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hi!" the lady said with an embarrassed smile. "Uhh my name is Raquel." She then got up and gave everyone a hand up.
"Jonas," he said with a smile. "Nice to meet you and thanks!" Raquel smiled as she ran out of the inn to solve another potentially fatal situation.
This was getting out of hand, Eliwood figured as he managed to finally get a moment to himself. It was never this bad when they were at the encampment, though a few people never failed to give him the creeps.
As useful as they were, Jaffar and Karel somehow seemed to put him on edge though he never expressed it. Karel seemed to mutter death threats to those who got in his way. And Jaffar. The only people that weren't frightened of him were the members of the group who were former Black Fang and Matthew. Then there was Raven but he wasn't gonna go there.
Eliwood sighed deeply as he sat down in the bushes he was supposed to be relieving himself in. Most of them were even protesting about allowing him his privacy doing that. But finally the most reasonable woman of the group stepped in and allowed him to have his privacy, as long as she could talk to him.
"You didn't know about the results if you won did you?" she asked softly with a light accent.
"Not really."
"Then I really must apologize for them," she sighed and then continued. "They aren't normally like that, it was just today the arena . . . "
"What happens?"
"The girls tend to be called 'Arena Groupies' and I had to hold the youngest ones back to prevent them from chasing after any of the cavaliers or the blue haired sir that did very well."
"I'm sure Hector would have loved that," Eliwood said laughing, just imagining Hector's reaction to that.
"Somehow I doubt that," she said lightly. "What is your name, might I ask?"
"Eliwood," he answered calmly.
"Oh my name is Lennia, pleasure to meet you," she responded.
"If this sounds rude I apologize but you don't seem -- " he wondered hesitantly.
"Like a groupie?" she added.
"Yes," he answered softly.
"I'm not, but my sister was before she ran away," Lennia added seemingly lost in memory.
"Elder?" Eliwood guessed."
"Younger. So when she left I looked for her but I came back to get the husband," she answered.
"What did he do?" he asked having a bad feeling about where it was going.
"He started beating them and I learned later that he beat Daneesha up but good the night she left," she recalled coldly.
"...What did you do?"
"I killed him, in an arena battle."
"Then what?"
"I met Drew, he was smitten with me but he wasn't for me, he kept trying though and all the time in the first few weeks of knowing him I had to slay the various men who after marrying the girls started abusing them and after some convincing I had him marry the girls and then they were all okay."
"He never hurt them."
"And he loved them all. But, I must ask this, are you already betrothed?"
"No..." he answered hesitantly. Though he wasn't committed he couldn't help but picture Lyn.
"But . . . " Lennia added wryly.
"Hm?"
"That doesn't account for any lady or ladies you may have an interest in."
"Are you some kind of Magic-user?" Eliwood asked wondering if she cast any spell to read his mind.
"No, if suggest that again I'll cut you down. It is just a gut feeling," she said calmly.
"Hm, so then what are you going to do about me?" Eliwood asked wondering about the questions.
"It's not a question of me persay. The ladies are the ones who decide ultimately, though personally I'd rather they find their own individual men."
"You mean it's not a religion?"
"Just their decision."
A sudden mischievious Raquel-like idea sprang into his mind. "What if me and a few friends get some guys together and prehaps pair them -- "
"Where exactly are you going to find that man eligible bachelors! There are nowhere near that many in this town!" Lennia gaped as she turned to look at Eliwood.
"How many women are there anyways?"
"Fifty last Arena battle."
"You make it sound like there are more . . . "
"There are more, like, say about 10 more, one is the cleric that you would have heal you if you didn't know one of your own. The others have various jobs."
"60?" Eliwood blanched as he said it. There weren't that many people at the encampment let alone men. Even less ones that were single, that left out Dorcas as well as Pent.
"That sounds about right."
"I think I need to speak to Lady Raquel."
"The tactician?"
"Why, yes, you know her?"
"She helped us out a while ago so, I think I owe her enough to help you and your troupe get on your wayt with minimal groupies.
"Thank you."
"Hey, are you -- " one of the ladies yelled.
" -- done back there?" Merlinus scowled at the rock Lady Lyndis was changing clothes behind. He had been having a perfectly normal day until Lyndis materialized landing in the pudding bowl. Now he had to not only make more pudding, but he was also going to lose his assistant for the afternoon as she did laundry.
"Almost!" Daneesha yelled and then went back to talking to Lady Lyndis.
"A mob of . . . did they look hurt?"
"No . . . they were fine enough to cart Eliwood off," Lyndis answered spitefully as she fixed her red cloak.
"Did one of them have black hair and really light blue eyes?" Daneesha asked urgently.
"I don't know. Why are you asking this?" Lyn asked as she walked out.
"Nothing really, I'll go get laundry then."
"Hm . . ." Lyndis muttered suspiciously.
"Ahem." Merlinus cleared his throat as Lady Lyndis was about to run off. "Since you are the one who made a mess of my pudding, you milady are to be the one to help me make another batch."
Marcus stepped out of the armory to find Lady Raquel covered in garbage, Serra cowering on a balcony shouting about how invaluable she was as a dripping Lord Hector was shouting about how he was going to kill her as he was shaking the support beam. And Lady Florina was staring at the lake as if in shock.
All the while the leader of the troop of bridigands was snoring in the middle of the road.
"Sir Marcus, since we have had a change in battle plans, could you please take care of the boss," Raquel shouted from where she stood getting ready to reason with Hector. Which compared to Raquel trying to reason with a wyvern with a ballista bolt in its side.
"Yes, milady," Marcus said as he charged toward the boss. Lowen joined in and they promptly took care of him. Lowen landed the finishing blow amid much lecturing from Sir Marcus.
Everyone stopped to watch the fight giving Serra enough time to get off the balcony and start running away. Hector stopped trying to break the support beam when he saw her bolt around the corner, pink pigtails flying.
Hector charged around the corner after Serra, and Raquel sighed as she watched them go. Hopefully they will tire out before they get to the encampment, Raquel prayed. Or Lord Hector will have some help in his cause.
Florina sat on her pegasus and rode back to the encampment. She tried to remain calm when Heath joined her in the air. Heath then slowed down. And Florina sped around looking for Lyn.
Lyn had finally finished making the pudding and was just outting the fresh batch out when Florina barreled out of the sky, landed then tackled Lyn with a loud "Lady Lyndis!" sending the bowl flying to the ground.
Plop
Florina looked up to find Raven standing before them scowling with the pudding bowl on his head. His face was entirely covered along with the upper half of his body in chocolate pudding.
"Lyn . . ." Florina whimpered, hugging Lyndis.
