"Ah, Ananias! Your timing is impeccable. You were just the man that I wanted to see!"

"Lord Xander," Ananias respectfully bowed. "How may I be of service?"

Xander chuckled. "You are as dutiful as always, but this time it is I who wishes to be of some help to you."

Ananias raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Help to me? With what?"

"Your battle prowess," Xander answered, frowning solemnly as he did.

Ananias cringed. "Ah..."

Xander nodded. "Judging by your reaction, your lack of progress on the battlefield has not gone unnoticed. That is good. That means that this will go along much smoother than if you hadn't and thought that you weren't in any need of it."

"Yeah, well," Ananias let out an embarrassed cough, "it's sort of been an ongoing lifelong problem of mine."

Xander raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Is that so?" He held his chin inquisitively. "And you still feel as if your abilities haven't improved at all?"

Ananias shrugged. "If they have, then they've been improving too slowly or I've barely noticed."

"I see," Xander said. "Thank you for sharing this with me. It has been quite informative."

"So... you know what's wrong with me?" Ananias asked.

Xander nodded. "I have a hunch." He took a moment to mentally reevaluate his theory before placing his hands behind his back and explaining, "You see, what plagues you is not a physical problem, but rather a mental one."

Ananias' eyes widened in surprise. "A mental one?" he repeated.

Xander nodded. "Yes. For you see, you attend all of the daily training sessions, you never seem to fall too far behind, and your physique implies that you are in a reasonable physical condition. For all intents and purposes, you should be far better in combat than your actual showings on the battlefield suggests, so if it not a physical problem, then it is only reasonable to conclude that it is instead a mental one."

Ananias nodded. "Right. Gotcha."

"Now comes the hard part: to determine just what mental barriers are inhibiting you from reaching your true potential and to help you overcome them."

"And how do we do that?" Ananias asked.

"Hmm...," Xander pondered for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Ah! Why don't I give you a little quiz?"

"A quiz? About what?"

"Why, about anything, though I suppose if we are focusing on your combat prowess, then we can center the questions around actual combat scenarios. After all, I am much more interested in how you mentally approach the questions than anything else."

"Oh," Ananias nodded, "right. Got it."

"Good. Now, shall we begin?"

"Sure."

"Very well then." Xander took a second to come up with a question before clearing his throat, straightening his back, and asking, "Let's say that you and your group are surrounded by the enemy ranks. Your group is tired and malnourished, and there is very little chance of escape. What would you do in that type of situation?"

Ananias paused and blinked in confusion for a moment before asking, "W-Wait, am I the leader of the group here?"

Xander eyed Ananias with solemn curiosity. "Does it truly matter to you if you are?" he asked pointedly.

"Well, no, it's just," Ananias awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm usually the one who follows the orders, you know?"

Xander nodded. "Hmm, I see. Well, I hope that in this case, you can make an exception."

Ananias noticeably and inadvertently winced upon hearing this. "R-Right. Just give me a second to think, alright?" He paused for a moment to think the question over before asking, "Am I... also malnourished?"

Xander frowned. "Well, technically, yes. But this scenario clearly presumes that you have enough energy to spare."

"Spare... for fighting?"

Xander eyed Ananias oddly. "If that is the course of action you wish to take."

Ananias hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are they... merciful enemy ranks?"

Xander furrowed his brow in confusion. "Merciful?" he repeated incredulously.

Ananias nodded. "Yeah, like, are they merciful enough to beg towards?"

"... Would that be your first instinct?"

"Kind of?" Ananias said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I mean, I can't fight them by myself, right? And if everyone is too tired to fight alongside me, then we would be as good as dead if I tried."

Xander nodded understandingly. "Ah, now we're getting somewhere! And what were to happen if they weren't merciful? How would you respond then?"

"Um," Ananias folded his arms and thought for a moment, "I would... strip down and act like a crazy person?"

Xander blinked a bit in confusion before shaking his head, recomposing himself, and asking, "Pardon?"

Ananias sighed as lightly blushed and repeated, under his breath, "I would strip down and act like a crazy person."

Xander took a moment to process the strange and unorthodox answer before once again getting his bearings. "You would... strip yourself down and...," his eyes narrowed, "are you jesting?"

"No!" Ananias insisted. "That... doing that really works!"

"And how, pray tell, would you know? Why, it's one thing to suggest such a strange and absurd plan, but to insist that it would work? It's simply preposterous unless you've actually done it before!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Gods, you actually have done it before, haven't you?"

"Once! And it worked! For the most part. Turns out bandits don't want to deal with a stark naked crazy person, no matter how much they want to rob him."

"And what if the enemy were not to care? What if they were to move in for the kill despite that?"

"Well then, I'd make a pretty good distraction, wouldn't I? I mean, if everyone else is too tired to move, then surely the enemy will be more inclined to chase after me than finish the rest of the group off!"

"You're leaving the fate and safety of your allies up to chance?" Xander incredulously asked.

Ananias shamefully winced back at the prince's utterly dumbfounded and baffled reaction and weakly murmured, "I prefer the term, 'calculated risk'."

Xander let out an exasperated sigh. "And here I thought you were one of the more grounded ones."

"I mean, my strategy IS grounded, it's just, you know, a little embarrassing."

Xander rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, of course," he said dryly. "Well, that will be all for today, Ananias. I believe that I have learned... quite enough about you today, but I suppose that every detail helps."

Ananias blushed. "Y-Yeah. Glad I could... help."

Author's Note #1: And here begins Ananias' supports with Xander. The next supports after Xander, will be Azura, followed by Flora, Odin, Laslow, Rinkah, Arthur, Silas, Leo, Keaton, and Subaki. Kanna's supports will be like Ophelia's and Soleil's, with Kanna being Odin, Laslow, or Selena's kid and Ananias being an honorary uncle to them. The supports will also be written as if Kanna is a boy, but will be generic enough to fit both genders. Got someone else you want to support with Ananias that isn't on this list yet? Request it. Remember, all Nohr first generation characters, Soliel, Ophelia, Anna, Kanna, Rinkah, Subaki, and Setsuna are allowed to support with him as well and it is a first come, first serve system.

Author's Note #2: The Fire Emblem Warriors poll is now officially up on my profile! Vote for which five characters you want for Ananias to support with from that game the most and, in the end, ten characters will be selected for Ananias to support with, so make your voices heard. Happy voting!