Chapter 2: Tinnitus Tuesday

There was a crispness in the Askrian dawn. The soft calls of doves and other morning birds gave an unseen life to the slightly misty morning, as wisps of sunlight grasped at the remaining shadows of night. Cordelia sat in a chair, facing a large window that overlooked a large courtyard. The room itself was a rather large room, which had been filled with a variety of instruments.

"Cordelia, dear, you've been quiet," A sharp voice cut through the silence, "Is something the matter?"

The redhead shook her head. "It's nothing," She reassured Lachesis, who was lightly stirring a spoon in her teacup. "The tea and this morning make for reminiscing, that's all."

"I hope you don't reminisce too much," Lachesis said coyly, "I would hate to have to lead this all by my lonesome."

Cordelia rolled her eyes, facing her new partner. Lachesis reminded her of a lot of familiar faces, most of all Maribelle. And while Maribelle and Cordelia seemed to always be at odds, there was a strange bond there. That was what she felt with Lachesis. "You don't have to worry about me," she insisted, "I'm only a little nervous."

The healer smirked. "Nerves? From you?" She laughed lightly, but stopped when she saw Cordelia nod. "Oh, you need not worry," Lachesis said, "All of us are in the same situation, and both of us will work together."

"But we didn't have an overall goal!" Cordelia pointed out. "If we don't have a goal, what's the point?"

"The point is art, my dear." Lachesis replied bluntly, "To create something beyond our individual measure." She turned to the doors. "It's time to open the doors. I'm sure you and I can think of something after this meeting." Cordelia nodded tentatively, as she walked across the room and opened the door.

There was a small crowd gathered around the room, and Cordelia felt someone run into her stomach. She looked down upon the small form of Nowi, who spoke a muffled greeting.

"Good morning to you as well, Nowi," Cordelia ruffled the manakete's hair affectionately, "Is this everyone for this morning?" There were murmured confirmations and some enthusiastic responses among the crowd. "Come on in and take a seat, then!" The group slowly shuffled in, talking amongst themselves. Cordelia noted the varied members of the group that had entered. There was the two young princesses, who had immediately grabbed two different string instruments and were enthusiastically speaking to each other. There was a small girl, garbed in pink, who gave stern glares to anyone who dared get too close. There was Olivia, one of several familiar faces, who had taken a spot in the back with some percussion instruments. She gave Cordelia a reassuring thumbs up. There was Stahl, seated next to the girl in pink, talking to a green-haired girl in a golden dress. There was Robin, who kept trying to sneak glances in while also talking to Cherche, Lachesis, and a man with similarly golden hair. Cordelia gave him a wink, which got a blush in return. It was only fair. There were 7 more people seated in various areas, but Cordelia figured she could learn more about them in future meetings. Just focus on the faces you know. She kept repeating.

The door burst open, causing the group to turn.

"GREETINGS, MY MUSICAL BRETHREN! IT IS TIME TO ENGAGE IN THE GLORIOUS ACT OF LEARNING FROM THE CRIMSON MISTRESS OF SONG ITSELF. WE SHALL EXPERIENCE THE DARK POWER OF MUSIC …"

Oh good. Owain's here.

Odin was immediately smacked in the back of the head. "Idiot, don't talk about m- her like that." said an all too-familiar voice. Cordelia smiled warmly. Even if it was supposed to be a secret, it was always nice to see her daughter. "Sorry we're late." Selena said sheepishly. There were 6 people in this small group. Odin, Selena, Laslow were followed in by two quiet people with light blue hair, and one woman with lavender hair. The princess with the long twin-tails squealed in delight.

"Camilla! I didn't know you wanted to do music club!" She shouted with glee. The purple haired woman giggled, somewhat unnervingly.

"Dear sister, I couldn't just let you and Selena have all the fun." She replied, approaching Cordelia. "You must be Lady Cordelia, I assume?"

Cordelia attempted to just look at this Camilla's face. She could just feel slight pangs of jealously strike at her gut. "Please," she replied, "It's just Cordelia."

"Mmmm, alright, Cordelia." Camilla said, her smile almost predatory in nature. "I think we'll get along swimmingly. You have an air of … familiarity about you." She headed over to the percussion, lightly grabbing some mallets. Selena walked up to her mother.

"Sorry mom," she whispered sheepishly, "Lady Camilla is rather protective of me."

"It's a good trait for a lord to have, I suppose." Cordelia responded quietly. "Now, what would you like to play, Severa?"

Severa looked over at the piano, which was occupied by Robin. With a gentle nod of understanding, he made his way over to Stahl, picking up a small lute instead. Selena smirked, seating herself at the piano.

Cordelia sighed, before feeling a light hand on her shoulder. Lachesis smiled reassuringly at her. The redhead cleared her throat.

"Welcome, everyone, to the first meeting of Music Club!" She began with vigor. "My name is Cordelia, and this is my … assistant?" She looked at Lachesis, who nodded again. "Assistant, Lachesis. I would like to get to know all of you, and what musical background you each have, if that's alright?" She pointed at Olivia. "I'm sorry, Olivia, but I know you, so could you please go first?"

It had taken almost all the time allotted, but everyone had given little introductions. Well, as little as Odin could make his. Cordelia and Lachesis looked at each other. There was a good amount of people with little to no experience, but several had years worth of practice behind them.

"I could take the new players, and you could work with the more experienced ones?" Cordelia suggested.

"Yes, I feel like that would be a good use of our skills and time." Lachesis confirmed.

"I don't mean to pry, my lady," the green haired woman known as Elincia spoke up, "But in this club, will we have a performance or something of that nature?" There were murmurs of excitement.

Lachesis spoke up. "I think doing a performance of some variety would be very fun, but we would have to determine what kind of -"

"We should do an opera!" Elise shouted.

"Oh, I do love opera!" Elincia agreed. There were louder voices of agreement in the room. Cordelia waved a hand, silencing the room. The two teachers looked at each other, both engaged in a silent discussion. After a few moments, Cordelia continued.

"If the group want to do an opera," she said, hesitating slightly, " … than I have no objection to it." There was an uproar of excitement. As large bells tolled across the castle, both teachers looked at each other.

"We shall meet in two separate rooms next week!" Lachesis announced. "Experienced players will work with me in the grand theatre, and the rest will meet here with Cordelia." As the crowd shuffled out, there were a few who stayed behind to talk to the duo.

"An opera?" Selena scolded. "That seems a bit ambitious, don't you think?"

Laslow grimaced. "Selena, I don't think you should be talking to your … teacher that way?" Selena shot him a glare, before looking back at her mother.

"That's alright, Inigo." Cordelia replied, grimacing, "I do feel like we may have bitten off a bit more than we can chew." Lachesis could only nod in agreement.

1 PM: Equestrian Club

"C'mon, Fir."

"I said no."

"Then why are you still following me?"

"I'm not following you! You grabbed my arm and starting dragging me around!"

"Huh, I guess you're right."

Nino turned down another hallway, dragging behind a struggling Fir. Fir had been around longer than Nino, but never seemed to have any friends. She would train constantly, stopping only to nab some food, before training again.

It's a shame, Nino thought, Fir should spend time with more people. She seems nice.

"I just wanted to grab some lunch!" Fir cried out in vain.

"Mhm," Nino replied, "And then we wouldn't see you for the rest of the day!"

"I can't follow my own path if I'm always following other people!" Fir insisted, but Nino ignored her, finally reaching the entrance of the castle. Nearby stood the stables, where a familiar shock of red hair greeted them.

"Nino, you're right on time," Titania commented, "And I see you've brought a friend!" Fir stood rigidly, her face a mixture of restraint and resignation.

"Hello, Lady Titania." Fir said, unenthused, "I suppose I'm here to learn how to ride." Titania gave her a quizzical smile, before turning her attention to Nino.

"Seth has already taken Eirika and several others up to the fields, if you wish to join them."

"Yes!" Nino shouted excitedly, before grabbing Fir's hand and running up the path. "Let's go meet some horses!" Fir made a noncommittal noise, staring at the path leading up to the sparring grounds before being dragged off. Titania snickered to herself, before turning her attention to her own steed.

"That Fir trains too much for her own good." She said to herself, earning a snort from her horse. "If I'm saying that, it means something."

There was only one horse on the field, much to Nino's disappointment. Seth was explaining to a small group about proper horse care. Fir and Nino silently joined the group, listening to his lecture.

"Horses are more than just beasts of burden and steeds for war," he carefully explained, "Every ride, whether for business or leisure, should begin with a proper brushing."

Seth began to explain how to properly place a saddle onto the horse, followed by various other rules and precautions. Nino was still bouncing uncontrollably. Nobody would let her near horses back home, and when she was near, it was usually too dangerous to just focus on the horse. She looked over to Fir, who was starting to fidget, reaching for the place where her sword would be.

"Ah, Lady Fir! Could you come up?"

Both Nino and Fir jumped a little bit, before Fir reluctantly spoke up.

"F-for what, Sir?" She responded.

"I was hoping you could demonstrate how someone of a … smaller stature could mount a horse." he explained, "You're Sacaean, correct? Like Lady Lyn?"

Fir grimaced. "I never was taught how to ride a horse, Sir." She admitted. "I didn't exactly live with a group of Sacaeans." Seth grew red with embarrassment.

"My apologies, Lady Fir! I should never have assumed!" He frantically said. "Let's move on, then."

Fir's eyes focused on the horse. "Hold on," She said, "That doesn't mean I can't do it." She slowly approached the horse, making sure they maintained eye contact. "My mother learned, and my mother's mother learned …" she muttered to herself. She managed to get her left foot on the stirrup, and slowly got herself into position. As she sat in the saddle, Nino started clapping enthusiastically. The rest of the group began to join in. Fir smiled a little bit, as Seth approached her.

"That was very good for a first try, Lady Fir." He said, offering his arm to her. She took it, quickly dismounting.

"If I didn't know better, I'd consider you a natural." The praise came from Titania, who had now made her way up the hill to join the group. "Why don't we head down to the stables, and set the schedule for the remaining weeks?"

"Nino."

"Yes, Fir?"

"Please don't drag me anywhere again."

"Yes, Fir."

The two were seated in the mess hall, along with several others that had attended Equestrian Club. While the prospect of riding horses was exciting, Titania and Seth also insisted on learning proper horse care as well. After an hour of cleaning stables, the whole group was sweaty, grimy, and exhausted. Well …

"Hmm. I must say, I'm rather excited to learn how to ride such a creature." Lute said, her face somehow free of grime. The others looked at her, mostly with surprise.

"Lute, I didn't think you of all people would enjoy menial tasks." Eirika remarked.

"Why, thank you!" Lute replied, smiling widely. Eirika groaned. "Gaining knowledge from other sources is always important for a genius of my caliber!"

As Lute continued, Fir looked back at Nino. "Look, I had fun." Fir told her, "Just … ask next time?"

Nino's eyes lit up. "You mean it? Would you come to a club tomorrow?"

Fir sighed, but smiled. "Yes, I will if you ask." She responded.

"... speaking of, all of you are positively filthy! How did you manage to do that?" Lute asked.

Mess Hall: 6 PM

Stahl was frozen in shock. In front of him stood some twenty to thirty people, all eager to learn how to cook.

"Oscar, do we even have enough ingredients for today?" He asked his counterpart nervously. Oscar looked around at the crowd.

"I think so, thank goodness Donnel volunteered to help us out." Oscar began pulling out carrots and onions, divvying up the vegetables equally among the groups. "We'll need to put everyone in pairs, just to make sure." He noted. Stahl nodded, turning to the group.

"Alright, we would like everyone to pair up, if that's possible." He announced to the crowd. "Once you find a partner, go ahead and group up at a stove." He turned to Oscar. "Do we have enough stoves?" He hissed.

"We better!" Oscar hissed back.

Nino looked around for anyone she recognized. Leo was already in the process of arguing with Takumi, and Robin was with Cordelia. Nowi was dragging around a large armored man. It was then she caught a flash of aqua. Eirika! She thought to herself, moving around people. She reached the shock of aqua hair, only to find it wasn't Eirika.

The girl was slightly taller than Eirika, and had different colored hair, one pigtail pink and the other that familiar shade of blue. She looked down at Nino, and grinned eerily.

"Oh! Do you want to pair up with Peri?!" She said with a childish tone. Nino relaxed. Someone with that voice couldn't possibly be scary.

"Sure! Let's do our best!" Nino responded. Peri pulled out a knife, then another knife, then another knife. Nino paused for a moment as knife after knife was pulled out from Peri's belt.

"Yes! Let's make a yummy yummy dish!"

"Y-yeah..."

Leo looked around, slightly annoyed. He was fairly sure he had asked Lady Hinoka to meet him here, he was very cordial about it as well. And she had said she would come. But all he could see was that infuriating little brother of her's, who had begun to make a beeline towards him. He noticed two others with him, which he identified as one of his retainers and one of Lord Ryoma's. Oboro and Kagero, he remembered.

"What are you doing here, Nohrian?" Takumi asked pointedly.

"Waiting for my partner to come join me." Leo replied nonchalantly, even smirking a little. Anything to set Takumi on edge.

"Who would want to join you to do anything?" scoffed Takumi. Leo didn't answer, but smiled coyly. Takumi's eye twitched in repressed rage. Leo was enjoying this, but he quickly turned his attention elsewhere. Everyone else had partners at this point, and it seemed like Hinoka wasn't going to show.

"Well, we have 3 people, and I have an idea." The retainer known as Kagero spoke up. "How about you two partner up? You two should learn to get along if Nohr and Hoshido are to ever truly become friendly with each other." She began dragging Oboro away, who kept looking back and forth, stuck in a mental debate between her friend and liege. "Try to avoid starting an incident." Kagero said coolly. Leo and Takumi turned to each other, and Leo decided to get another barb in.

"I suppose you're joining me for dinner." He said mockingly. Takumi grabbed two aprons, throwing one onto Leo's head.

"Just keep your hands on your side of the pot."

"Hey, Stahl." There was a whisper as Stahl moved around station to station, passing out ingredients. At one station stood Gaius and Cherche, and the thief was beckoning his friend.

"No nickname for me, Gaius? What is it?"

"So, I know this is cooking club an' all..."

"Oh boy."

"But you know what would really make this a fun group?"

"If you say 'sweets' or 'sugar', I'm not sure how I'll handle it." Stahl deadpanned.

"Hey! You said it, not me!" Gaius replied, "So how about it? Give us some sugar to make some … candied carrots? Or some caramel saucccce?" At this suggestion, Cherche slowly turned around, taking the time to chop the remaining carrot a little more violently than the other two.

"Gaius? Why don't we make this lovely dinner Stahl has planned out? If you eat sweets too early, you would lose." chop "your." chop "appetite, right?"

Gaius gulped. "R-r-right as always!" He began roughly cutting the onions, as Cherche wore her trademark smile.

Stahl moved onto the next pair, Lady Elincia and Nephenee. Nephenee was a quiet but workmanlike woman, Stahl noted, chopping vegetables up with precision. Elincia was attempting to make conversation, but all the responses were either short, or seemed to be forced.

"Wow, I've never seen diced onions this small before!" Elincia cried out. "You're always full of surprises!"

" … Um … Thank you, milady." Came the cautious reply. "I... am glad you approve." Elincia pouted slightly.

"And how are you two doing?" said Oscar as he walked by. Oh thank goodness, Oscar knows them well enough Stahl thought.

"Oh, we're doing very well, Oscar!" Elincia replied, "Thank you so much for hosting this!"

Oscar nodded, beginning to walk off. Nephenee seemed to be looking for something, and was now out of reach of Oscar.

"Wait, Oscar!" Nephenee cried out, "Don't we need some chicken stock? We ain't got any." She almost immediately clapped her hand over her mouth as her face went beet red.

"Huh. I'm sorry, Nephenee, I suppose I forgot that." Oscar said, handing Elincia another bottle. "Thanks for telling me about that!" As both Stahl and Oscar walked away, Stahl swore he saw Elincia hide away something that looked like a bottle of the chicken stock they had made earlier.

"Lady Elise, we need that carrot!" Came another voice closeby. A tall woman in pink armor was attempting to grab a carrot from the pouting princess.

"I don't think one carrot is going to matter, Effieeee!" Elise whined. Across the table, Princess Sakura and her retainer Hana were laughing at the scene.

Stahl decided to intervene, "Um, Princess Elise …" He began, "I happen to have a couple extra carrots, if you need them. Elise was in front of Stahl in a flash.

"Do we ever!" She cried out. "I would think …" she counted on her fingers, "... 3 more carrots will suffice!"

Stahl handed them over. As he heard Elise bite into one of the carrots, his stomach began to growl. Great, now he was hungry.

"I said keep your hands on your side!"

"I need the knife to chop up the onions, and I certainly don't trust you to hand it to me."

"Are you saying I can't handle a knife properly?"

"If that makes you upset, then yes I am!"

Leo finally grabbed the knife, and began to chop the onion. The carrots were already sauteing in the pot, and time was of the essence. As he began to chop, there was silence from his acquaintance beside him. Leo smiled in triumph, celebrating a momentary victory.

"Hey, Leo."

So much for that. "What is it?" Leo said sharpishly.

"Who were you waiting for, anyway?"

"That is my business, and my business alone." He replied gruffly, throwing the chopped onion into the pot. He purposely placed the knife between the two of them. Takumi continued to speak.

"Earlier today, my sister mentioned this class, said she was going and that it might be something I enjoy." He looked pointedly at Leo, who was beginning to feel heat under his collar. "She had to take over for Subaki on flight patrol tonight, but I still wanted to come by." He leaned towards Leo. "Are you trying to woo my sister?" He snarled.

"A-and what business would that be of yours?!" Leo replied stiffly. "I can talk to whomever I please!"

Takumi scoffed. "Well, don't get your hopes up. She's way out of your league."

"... Just put the chicken stock in the pot."

"Okay, so we've cut up the onions …"

"Onions chopped up!" Peri confirmed. "Carrots have been stabby stabbed as well!"

"Good!" Nino nodded. "Now we just need to make the soup as smooth as possible!"

Peri pulled out a large fork. "Peri knows this!" She exclaimed, "We just smash smash smash!"

Nino smiled. Peri was eccentric and a little too violent, but she reminded Nino of the Black Fang. It was a little piece of home; cooking with a touch of violence.

"Okay, Nino! We need to add in some curry paste, give this soup a little bite!"

"Right away, Peri!" Nino quickly added in the paste. For a brief moment, there was silence, before Peri spoke up.

"Usually people don't like cooking with Peri," she remarked, "They think I'm strange, and they call me names behind my back."

"Oh, Peri..."

"I guess I'm wondering if you feel that way too."

Nino paused a moment. "I guess not!" She finally confirmed. "You remind me of my old family. We always did things our own way, and some people found us strange. It was family, though." Peri smiled.

"Can we be cooking partners more?" Peri asked. "I really reeeeally enjoy cooking with you!"

Nino nodded. "Yeah! We'll cook the best dishes together!"

After another hour, it was time to eat the food they had created. Stahl's stomach grumbled in anticipation, as he looked over the groups, ready to eat their own food creations. As people began to eat, he could hear their sounds of happiness. As he ate, he felt at home.

"Wow, Stahl, this is especially good!" Oscar commented. "Where did you get such a recipe?"

"Trial and error, my friend." Stahl responded. "I had an especially picky duo of eaters to cook for back home."

As they finished up, they looked at the satisfied faces around them. The two horsemen looked at each and nodded.

Mission. Accomplished.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read the first chapter! I was honestly surprised by the positive reaction! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, any feedback is appreciated!

I've never really liked Peri, but if anyone could get along well with her, it would be Nino. Also, I know Takumi/Leo is a really popular pairing (that I occasionally ship), but I really enjoyed the idea of Leo calling Takumi 'little brother' and how much that would kill him inside. Figuratively.

The Next Chapter is Weirding Wednesday, featuring Botany Club with Nephenee and Tana, Fir Sparring Sesh #1, and Magic and Science Club with Lute and Tharja!