"Ah, geez," Ananias muttered as he looked at the small box sitting in his hand. "I spent so much time wondering how I was going to get this that I didn't think about how I was going to present it to her in the first place." Ananias let out an exasperated sigh. "I really am a ditz, aren't I? Now I've got to figure out how I'm going to hide something like this before someone finds it and starts making things more complicated than they already are."

"Um, Ananias?" a familiar, squeaky voice asked from behind him. "What exactly are you muttering about?"

"Gah!" Ananias cried, before quickly turning around, sneakily throwing the box to the side, and giving Noire the best innocent smile he could muster. "H-Hey, Noire," he said, his voice unintentionally cracking as it did. He crossed his arms as nonchalantly as he could. "A-And as for the muttering," he let out an awkward laugh, "y-you know me! I'm just… muttering about some random stuff. Y-You know, the usual."

"Ananias, what's wrong?" Noire asked, placing a concerned hand over Ananias' forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

Ananias let out another awkward laugh as he gently took Noire's hand off of his forehead. "Of course I am!" he answered loudly. "W-Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're not acting like yourself!" Noire cried. She indicated towards him. "Your face is all warm and red, you look like you're in pain right now -"

Ananias frowned. "Really?"

"Your voice is fluctuating abnormally, you're fidgeting like you ate something that wasn't cooked very well -"

"R-Really?"

"And you're just sporadically throwing things for no good reason!" Noire said, walking up to the box that Ananias had thrown to the side just moments before.

"Ah!" Ananias cried, running up and grabbing it before Noire could and quickly stuffing it into his pocket. "Thanks! I… I don't know what came over me! I mean, I guess you sort of caught me by surprise, but that's still no excuse to go throwing things all willy-nilly like that!"

Noire let out a terrified gasp. "'Willy-nilly'?! Ananias, what's gotten into you?!" She then happened to set her eyes on the box that was sticking out of Ananias' pocket, pointed at it, and asked, "Is it whatever's inside that box? Is it the reason why you're acting so strangely?!" She then held out her hand. "Let me see it! For all we know, there could be a hex on it!"

"I'm pretty sure there isn't a hex on it," Ananias argued.

"Still, we have to make sure!" Noire insisted, resolving to grab the box herself.

Ananias quickly dodged her attempt and covered the box with his hands. "I'm pretty sure that I'm pretty sure!"

"GAH!" Noire cried, making Ananias jump up in surprise. "GIVE IT TO ME NOW, YOU MISERABLE SWINE, OR I WILL RAIN LIGHTNING UNTO YOU UNTIL YOU ARE BURNT INTO A CRISP LYING ON THE GROUND!"

Ananias simply crossed his arms and gave Noire a blank stare. "You know as well as I do that that doesn't work on me," he replied dully.

Much to Ananias' surprise, Noire had a backup plan specially made for these kinds of situations. Noire went back to her original persona, and cried, "I… I'm so sorry! It's just," she began to tremble as unshed tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, "I'm just so worried about you! If something went wrong, then I have to know, or else… or else…." Noire let out a few audible sniffles.

Ananias gulped nervously and was uncomfortably silent for a few moments before letting out an exasperated sigh and showing the box to her. "Okay, look. See? Nothing to worry abou-"

Noire quickly snatched it away from him with a smug giggle. "I'll be the judge of that!" She then began inspecting the box as closely as she could on the outside.

Ananias became mildly slack jawed. "That's not right."

"Hmm… it doesn't seem to have any protective curses on it," Noire mused. "Now to check on whatever's inside." She then opened in the box and gasped. "W-W-W-What is this?" she asked as she stared at the ring inside in disbelief.

Ananias ran his hands down as his face upon realizing that his surprise had been ruined. "It's… it's a ring. An…," he placed his hands onto his sides and averted his gaze, "an engagement ring." When Noire didn't immediately say anything back, Ananias let out a sigh and explained, "I was going to propose to you, but… I guess you kind of beat me to it, huh?" Nothing. "Noire?"

"BLOOD AND THUNDER!" Noire cried, nearly throwing the box to the ground in her outburst, though Ananias managed to save it at the last minute. "YOU MISERABLE FOOL! BECAUSE OF YOUR INCOMPETANCE, YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!"

Ananias cupped the box protectively in his hands before asking, "Um… how have I 'ruined everything', exactly?"

"IF YOU HAD HAD THE GUTS TO PROPOSE EARLIER, THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE MADE ME RUIN YOUR SURPRISE, YOU FOOL!"

"But… I couldn't propose to you earlier," Ananias calmly explained. "I just got the ring today."

Noire blinked in confusion. "W-What?"

Ananias nodded. "I just got the ring today," he repeated. "One of my aunts sells these for a living, so I was able to place an order in for one of them." He then let out an exasperated sigh. "Granted, I could only afford to give her an IOU, but sometimes you've got to do what you got to do, you know?"

Realizing that it had been a freak accident that had ruined the proposal and nothing more, tears ran down Noire's face as she covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my gosh!" she sobbed. "Ananias, I'm so sorry! I've ruined everything!"

"What? No! Don't say that!" Ananias whispered as he went up and wiped away a few tears. "If anything, you've saved me the trouble of figuring out the perfect way to propose to you!"

Noire sniffled a bit before attempting to clean herself up and ask, "R-Really?"

Ananias nodded and gave Noire a small, reassuring smile. "Really really." He then opened the box. "Noire… will you be my best friend, for the rest of my life?"

Noire let out muffled squeal as she covered her mouth with her hands and nodded her head. "Yes! Yes!" She then enveloped Ananias in a great, big hug, surprising the redheaded stoic a bit. "Let's be friends and more… forever and ever," she whispered.

Ananias slowly hugged her back. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ending: Ananias and Noire

Ananias became the official messenger between the multitudes of Annas. Noire was happily accepted into the family, especially after teaching them how to make hexed charms themselves.

Author's Note: Well, there goes Noire's supports. I hoped you enjoyed all of them! Noire is definitely a fun character to write for! Next will be Kjelle, followed by Zephyra, Lumaria, Yarne, Laurent, and then Brady. See you next time!