Weirding Wednesday
Botany Club: 11:00 AM
Soil. It's earthy smell filled a large hallway of Askr Castle. A group gathered near the back gate, watching the morning sun and conversing amongst themselves.
"Where are our two teachers?" One noticeably irritated voice muttered. "I'll curse them if they waste my time."
"Relax, Tharja," Another voice replied tepidly, "I'm certain that they're just getting supplies."
"Oh, I'm so excited! I've never grown a plant before!"
"Golly, ya think they need help or somethin'?"
Hidden behind a nearby staircase, Nephenee peered out, observing the crowd. She attempted counting them all.
"Dangit all, I bet there's twenty or so." She mumbled nervously, looking down at the collection of pots beside her. She had more than enough pots, and soil and a varied collection of plants, but...
"Nephenee, it'll be alright." Tana said, attempting to reassure the country girl, "Everyone over there wants to learn from you." She gave Nephenee a warm smile, to which she covered her face with her helmet.
"Tana, y'know how hard it was for me to open up to ya and Elin'" Nephenee replied, "And you two have been right angels to me."
"That is so true."
"But lookit' all those fancy folk!" She insisted, "Ahm liable to embarrass myself!" Nephenee felt Tana grab her hands.
"Hey, hey." Tana repeated, "You can do this, and I can take the lead for a little bit if you need me to." There was gentle smile from Nephenee. "Are you on board, then?" Another nod. Tana grabbed a couple bags of soil. "Then let's get to it!" Tana walked around the staircase casually, gaining the attention of the group at the doorway.
"My apologies!" She called out. "I needed Nephenee's help with these bags of soil!"
"Ya'll need any help now?" asked Donnel, already moving to grab the bags of soil. Tana obliged, letting Donnel do the heavy lifting. She took this moment to look at the group in front of her. Tharja stood next to Kagero, her eyes flitting about while attempting to maintain a facade of relaxation. Donnel, alongside the maid Felicia, stood nearby a large contingent of princesses. Tana noticed Eirika and Elincia, as well Elise and Sakura. Nino was eagerly talking to - was that Fir, of all people? - and Shanna, who was still proudly wearing that gold badge that signified her victory over Takumi in the last few months. There was little Julia, who was engaged in conversation with the newest pegasus knight to join them, Clair.
Tana did a quick double take. There was a small group of 4 trying to keep slightly separated from the rest of the group. Soren was attempting to look like a stone, or perhaps a very perturbed tree, with the Empress of Begnion looking down upon him with humor and concern. There was Cordelia, who was intently focused on her conversation with …
"Princess Hinoka?!" Tana cried out in spite of herself. Hinoka jumped, and immediately looked like she wanted to be anywhere else.
"Oh! Hello Princess Tana," She replied quickly. "I should've realized that you were the Tana that was running this class."
"Only assisting," Tana replied, ignoring the strange remark, "I'm surprised to see you here. I had no idea you were fond of botany."
"Well, you know," Hinoka replied, "I'm just … trying something outside of my comfort zone!" She smiled awkwardly. Tana raised an eyebrow, turning to Cordelia. She just gave a halfhearted shrug as Nephenee joined the group, handing out pots individually.
Nephenee herded everyone towards the back garden, where several large crates and tables were set around the paths. The spearwoman cleared her throat and faced her class.
"Alright, y'a- you all, Welcome to …" Nephenee paused for a moment, "Botany class! Each of you have a pot, which will be used to house a plant of your choice. We'll take care of our plants each week and … ya know … make some beautiful plants?" Her voice raised two octaves at the end of her sentence. There was a moment of silence, before Hinoka got up.
"Let's pot some plants!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, speed walking with a pot in her hand. As the rest of the group moved over to the tables of plants, Nephenee gave a quick look to Tana, who smiled sweetly in response.
Nino looked from plant to plant. There were so many different types of plants, and so many different smells. "So what are you gonna plant, Tharja?" she asked, face deep into the face of a carnation.
Tharja tried to hide a bemused look. She pulled out a small, round cactus. "I'm planting this cactus," she explained, "It's needles and nectar are useful in hex work, and it's something I'm used to planting."
"That's no fair!" Nino pouted. "You should plant something you're not used to, so you can be with everyone else!"
"Mhm." Tharja responded, not paying too much attention, "Maybe next week. This plant is rare here, so that's what I'll stick with." Nino frowned as Tharja moved towards Tana and Nephenee, and turned to Fir.
"What are you thinking of planting?" She asked the swordswoman. Fir was holding a small white orchid, almost enchanted by it. "That's a beautiful flower, Fir!"
Fir was brought back to the present. She looked at Nino, then back to the flower. "It kind of looks like my mother." Fir murmured.
"Well, I think it looks beautiful, and you should absolutely plant that one!" Nino said emphatically. Fir smiled, before turning to the mage.
"You should pick something as well, don't you think?" She asked. Nino looked around. It was a little overwhelming, if she had to be honest. She liked, well, almost every plant there. She sighed.
"Yeah, I'll have to pick something."
"So … Tharja?"
"That is my name." came the grumpy reply.
"Just so ya know," Nephenee explained, "I hadta ask that Henry fellow to place a drying hex on the cacti. It's too wet out here is Askr."
"No wonder the cacti all had his aura about them." Tharja looked back at Nephenee. "Next time you need a drying hex, or any hex for that matter, I would ask you to consider me over him." She walked over to a small bench and sat down, mumbling to her plant. Nephenee rolled her shoulders, attempting to shake off the chills she had just received. She was talking to her plants, at least …
"How many plants are we allowed to pick?"
Nephenee turned around, facing a stoic Kagero. "Hmm?" she asked, "Didn't catch that."
"Are we allowed to pick multiple plants?"
Nephenee stroked her chin. "Well … I did nab a lotta plants, I guess you could take three or four." Kagero immediately bowed deeply, which only made Nephenee more rattled.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lady Nephenee." Kagero said, before walking off, a slight bounce in her step.
"Jeez, I'm not used ta people bein' so cordial to me." Nephenee remarked.
"Making friends without me?" Came the teasing voice of Tana. Nephenee looked to see several people with the princess. Apparently all the Pegasus Knights were hanging out.
"Just doin' my job, Princess Tana." She grimaced as some country talk spilled out.
"Well, Elincia and I are impressed." Tana replied, "You're making a lot of progress with sociability as a whole! You should be proud." A blush lit up Nephenee's face.
"Ah, I appreciate the compliment, Princess Tana."
Tana waved her off. "You're the one doing all the work," she leaned in towards Nephenee, "And I hate to do this, but maybe you could talk to Princess Hinoka? She just will not tell us what she's looking to plant, and I know for a fact she knows nothing about Botany."
"Oh, alrigh'. I can do that." Nephenee quickly got up, and Tana sat down at the table, continuing her chat with the other pegasus knights.
It took Nephenee a minute to find the Princess, who was sitting near a table of bright red flowers.
"Ugh, I'm not good at this. Pretty stuff like flowers is Leo's gig..." Hinoka hadn't seen her yet, looking down at her feet. "Ohhhh what am I going to do..."
"Um, 'scuse me, Princess Hinoka."
Hinoka jumped and shouted in surprise. "Stop doing that!" She shouted at Nephenee, "... Oh. You're not Princess Tana. Nephenee, right?"
"Mmm, yes'm. I heard you were hav … ing trouble?" Hinoka squinted.
"... Why are you talking like that?"
"Huh? Talking like what, milady?"
"Like that. Like you're forcing yourself to talk."
"I would never do that, milady! I'm just … trying to sound proper."
Hinoka crossed her arms. "You keep doing that pause thing. Just talk to me like you would anybody else, okay?"
"O-okay." Nephenee shifted from foot to foot, awkwardly. "What d'ya need help with, milady?"
"Please call me Hinoka. Just. Hinoka." She paused for a second, before whispering, "Alright, this gets out to nobody, got it?" Nephenee nodded. "Good. I … want to grow something for Prince Leo."
"Don't recall who that is, t'be honest."
"Um, blonde hair, dark armor, on a horse?"
"With that big red sword?"
"NO!" Hinoka cleared her throat, "No. That's Xander. Ummm … Really bookish and nerdy, has a big cape with that huge collar?"
"Aw yeah! He's a real peach!" Nephenee recalled. "Ah helped him make a little tomato patch out here." She began to whisper. "So ya have a lil … crush on this Leo fella?" Hinoka didn't respond. "Well, do ya know what he likes?"
"Besides tomatoes? Not much that will help in the plant department." Hinoka admitted. "I want to find something that's … him."
"And what's that?"
"Um … well … he's really into having this harsh exterior, but he's really nice underneath all that bluster. He gets passionate about some of the most ridiculous things, but it's kinda cute."
"Hmmm... well, maybe a cactus then?" Nephenee offered. "We can keep looking through the tables, if you'd like."
"Yeah, that's probably for the best."
It took them almost a half-hour, with Nephenee explaining various plants and ways to take care of them. They were passing by one table for what felt like the fifteenth time when Hinoka noticed a rather small yellow and red flower, hidden on the lower shelf of the table. Nephenee noticed where her eyes were wandering.
"The Hibiscus, huh?" she remarked, "It's a real pretty flower, but kinda hard to take care of." Hinoka looked at it, then back at Nephenee, then back at the flower.
"If I was Kagero, maybe I could think of something poetic..."
"It has an unmatched grace about it," came a voice from behind a hedge, "The red is deep crimson, deep regret, sacrifice that cuts deeply." Kagero was peeking over the hedge. "The yellow, a boy who will never know his father. Frail limbs seeking to be useful in their own unique way."
"Umm … hello, Kagero."
"Hello, milady."
"That poetry was a bit different from your usual fare, wasn't it?"
"Kiran showed me." Kagero replied, "It's free-form, with no true form or scheme."
"Truly innovative, Lady Kagero." Hinoka replied. She turned to Nephenee. "I'd like to try to grow this little guy."
Nephenee nodded. "We'll have to keep it in the greenhouse with some of the other plants for the time bein', though. It's a hardy plant, but it needs warmth."
Hinoka looked at the Hibiscus. "I think it's the right fit."
Nephenee smiled. "Glad ta hear it."
2:00 PM: Training Grounds
"HYAH!"
A training dummy fell to the ground, cleaved perfectly in two. Fir stood, surrounded by straw figures. Armor had been slapped on them haphazardly. Fir slashed again, another dummy fell to the wind.
"Fir, don't push yourself too hard." Nino said. "You ate your lunch way too fast!"
Fir was panting, her face cold and clammy from perspiration. "Eating is just a gate to get me from road to road in my training, Nino," she explained, "I cannot waste time."
Nino was lying on the grass, her green hair almost disappearing into the ground. She gave Fir a disapproving look.
"And I thought you were going to be fun."
Fir put down her sword. "Nino, why are you watching me if I'm not fun to you?"
"Because you always train alone," she replied, "and that sounds booooooring."
"It's usually peaceful." Fir shot back. She swung again. The metallic clang of sword hitting armor echoed throughout the training grounds. Fir muttered to herself, setting herself up into a fighting stance. "It would be nice to have a sparring partner, though."
"Well, I could always ask for you." Nino said sweetly. She quickly got up. "Don't. Move." Nino ran off, much to Fir's mixed disappointment and relief.
Nino was perfectly fine, if Fir was to be perfectly honest. She just preferred the silence. To be alone with her thoughts. Nino … wasn't a quiet one.
Fir cut apart another scarecrow, sweat getting in her eyes. She followed it up with another strike, her sword cutting through a piece of armor. Fir shouted in triumph as the armored dummy fell apart. She looked at her sword. "Finally," she muttered, "Now I'm getting somewhere."
As she stretched her arms, she could hear Nino approaching, engaged in a conversation with someone. Fir turned to see Lord Ephraim and Lord Chrom, along with two others she wasn't familiar with. One had bright green hair, and carried herself in a similar fashion to some of the princesses in the castle. The other was a woman with pink hair, garbed similarly to Fir. Fir looked down at her sword. It was of a similar design to her own.
"I found Ephraim and Chrom!" Nino said, smiling abnormally widely. Fir quickly bowed to them.
"M-my apologies!" Fir stated quickly, "I can see you two are guiding others around, Nino and I didn't mean to intrude-"
"Nonsense, Fir." Chrom interrupted, "We were coming by to show these two our training area anyways, so no intrusion." He nudged Ephraim. "Why don't we introduce our new friends ?"
"Ah! Yes!" Ephraim turned to Fir. "Lady Fir, I present to you Princess L'Arachel of Rausten." The green-haired woman curtsied, which Fir clumsily attempted to imitate. There was a small giggle from L'Arachel, who immediately attempted to stifle it.
"How do you do, Princess L'Arachel?" Fir asked, garnering another giggle from the noblewoman.
"Oh, I do like her, Lord Ephraim," She attempted to whisper, "The image of a gallant knight!"
Fir was unsure if she was mocking her of not, but Ephraim continued on. "And this," motioning to the pink haired woman, "is Lady Marisa." Marisa bowed instead of curtsying, much simpler for Fir.
"It's just Marisa," she added, "My name is … unimportant." She looked Fir over. "Lord Ephraim, if I may make a request?"
"Marisa," Ephraim replied, "The Askrian royalty are the leaders here, you need not swear fealty to me."
"May I spar with her?"
Fir's eyes lit up. "Yes! We must spar together!" Ephraim and Chrom looked at each other nervously.
"I'm not sure abou-"
"It'll be perfectly fine!" Fir insisted, pulling Marisa towards the training arena.
"Okay, so I usually bow to my sparring partner," Fir explained, "But I don't know how it is in your country."
Marisa looked nervous. "T-that is customary..."
"Alright, let's bow then." Fir immediately bowed deeply, shaking with excitement.
She felt a sharp crack on the back of her head, and there was darkness.
Fir woke up to intense pain in her head. She looked around. She was lying on a cot, ice applied to the back of her head, which was bandaged. She could vaguely hear a effeminate male voice talking from the other side of the room.
"... concussion … days to weeks … take it day by day …"
Fir groaned. She should've expected this from a trained swordswoman like Marisa. She probably couldn't remember the fight because she was beaten so badly. How embarrassing...
"Oh gods, you're okay."
Marisa was sitting next to her, her own head bandaged up. She was holding back tears.
"I am so sorry," she began, "I accidentally headbutted you when we were sparring!" She frowned. "This always happens, I just can't figure out how to not be clumsy."
"Umm..." Fir looked at Marisa. So she didn't even get to spar her. "It's okay. Could we possibly spar some other time?"
Marisa smiled broadly. Her reddish eyes becoming two giant globes. "I. Would. Love to." She said, barely containing her excitement. She got up from her chair. "We'll have to wait until you get better, but yes!"
As she stood up, Fir could feel her cot beginning to tip. Ah, she's like Felicia. Was what she thought as she crashed into the ground.
"Ah! Sorry!"
Magic and Science Club: 4 PM
The lower floors of Castle Askr were mostly well maintained and brightly lit. However, as Nino got closer to the room of the Magic and Science club, she noticed the lights getting noticeably dimmer. Finally, she reached the doors to the Magic Labs, the large oak doors menacingly keeping watch over the small stone hallway. She carefully opened the door.
"Hiya, Nino! Nyahahah!"
Nino was covered in three different ravens, all cawing incessantly. Nino began to giggle.
"It's good to see you, Henry!"
The white haired mage called back his ever-present birds, his constant grin framing his face.
"Likewise, Lil' Nino!" He ruffled her hair. "What's our little rapscallion up to today?"
Nino frowned. "Henry, you know I don't know that rapsally means, right?"
Henry laughed. "My mistake!"
"Are you greeting everyone?"
"Nyahaha yeah!" he responded, "You know how Tharja's all 'I'll hex you', and Lute's all 'the square root of 4 is I'm better than you'? I figure people need to see a friendly face. And who's more friendly than me?" Henry asked.
"Don't you also hex people?" Nino asked.
"Well … yeah, but I'm more fun about it!"
"Still glad to see you, Henry!" Nino gave the mage a quick hug, before sitting down at a large lab table. Henry turned back to face the door. After a minute or two, the door opened again.
"Hiya, Robin!"
"GAH! HENRY!"
Nino felt awkward. Everyone else had come with somebody. That dragon girl, Julia, was being incessantly badgered by a man with long red hair. Robin had sat with Henry, and that new girl L'Arachel had already made friends with that other princess, Tailtiu. Mae and Sonya, Elise and Sakura, Sanaki and Micaiah; and there was Nino, all alone.
"Excuse me, Lady Nino, may I sit here?"
Oh no, not him. She turned slowly, filled with dread. Standing over her, black armor shining, was Leo.
"I'm not offended if you say no." He continued.
Nino looked around. At least Leo was someone she knew. "Sure, go ahead," she said, trying to act nonchalant. Leo bowed slightly, before sitting down.
"Many thanks, Nino."
"Lady Nino to you."
"My apologies, Lady Nino."
She smiled triumphantly, as the candles in the room began to dim. From out of a darkened corner entered the cloaked Tharja.
"Eehheehee," she cackled, "Welcome to the first day of our cluuub." She turned to Robin, waving shyly.
"Tharja," an emotionless voice interrupted, "Can we move on to introductions? We both have a lot to cover."
Tharja scowled and muttered under her breath. "I'm Tharja. That's all you really need to know."
Lute popped out from under the front table, wearing a mortarboard over her purple hair. "And I'm Lute! Mage extraordinaire, soon-to-be-published monster researcher, and all around superior person!" Sparks flew out of her hands, as she attempted to pose with Tharja, who gave a half-baked attempt.
"We're the leaders of the Magic and Science club!" They both said, Lute with passion and Tharja with apathy. The club looked at each other, stark expressions on their faces.
Lute placed her tome on her table. "So, today I thought we could have an invigorating discussion about magic elements." Henry raised his hand. Tharja rolled her eyes as Lute pointed to him. "Yes, Henry?"
"Well, I know I'm pretty biased here, but I'm a real proponent of dark magic! You feel all tingly inside, then the thing you don't like anymore is gone!"
"I wish that were true." responded Tharja, earning a loud cough of reproach from Robin.
L'Arachel spoke up. "If we are to begin this discussion in earnest, should we not start with a list of the elemental types?"
"That is a good idea. A better one would be to make a list of the elemental types to facilitate our discussion." Lute responded. L'Arachel's face drooped with annoyance.
"Your intelligence knows no bounds, Lute." She said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Thanks," Lute said in earnest, "It's really hard to be this great all the time." She began to write on a chalkboard located in the back of the room, ignorant of L'Arachel steaming in her seat. "So we have thunder magic, fire magic, wind magic …"
"Light magic?" Micaiah offered. Lute nodded, proceeding to write it down.
"And it's opposite, dark magic." Lute postulated.
"Nyahaha I already mentioned that!" Henry protested.
Julia meekly spoke. "Dragon magic?"
"Hmmm?" Tharja asked. "I didn't catch that."
"My daughter offered dragon magic, you fool!" The redheaded man spoke up. Tharja glowered at the man.
"Oh ho? What a rude man. Maybe a little hex will-"
"No hexing, Tharja." Lute interrupted, "I'm on a roll and that distracts me." She scribbled some more on the chalkboard. "So thunder, fire, wind, light, dark, dragon …"
"Bird magic." Henry offered.
"Henry," Robin said, "Bird magic isn't real."
Henry gave Robin a subtle nod. "Preeeeety sure it is, Robin! Both of our tomes have ravens on it!"
"Henry, don't be an imbecile." Tharja reprimanded. "Those are part of the dark magic and thunder magic trees, respectively."
"Wait, I think he has a point," Robin said, "Lots of bird tomes running about."
"Right?" Henry was grinning widely.
"You two can't be serious." Leo said, rolling his eyes.
"Dead serious."
Lute was paused at the board. "I'll put that down as a maybe." She finally reasoned.
"Maybe we should share a little about our magical … experiences." Tharja suggested. Her eyes flitting to Robin. "Anyone willing to volunteer?"
Henry raised his hand extremely quickly. Tharja rolled her eyes.
"Anyone else?"
Leo raised his hand. "Sure, I'll start." He pulled out his tome. "This is Brynhildr. With it, I can control gravity." He flicked his wrist, and one of Henry's ravens began to float on their own. Several people gasped in awe.
"Very intriguing, Prince Leo." Lute observed. "What other effects does Brynhildr have?"
"W-well, I can summon a large tree of darkness that swallows up enemies?"
Henry leaned over to Robin. "Tree magic." He whispered. Tharja rolled her eyes. Lute merely wrote down 'Tree Magic' with a question mark.
"Ooh! Ooh! I too wish to share!" L'Arachel was leaning over the table, pointing to her tome. Lute motioned for her to continue. "This tome is Ivaldi, one of the two Sacred Twins of Rausten! It is the scourge of all dark magic, enveloping monsters with it's holy light!"
Henry frowned, again whispering to Robin. "Doubt it could beat the Fell Dragon, eh Robin?"
"I'd rather not test that, thank you Henry." he replied. L'Arachel shot them both a withering glare, which shut them up.
"I see." Lute said. "Anyone with a natural element tome wish to speak?" She looked around, eventually pointing to Sanaki. "Empress Snacky, if you so please?"
"It's Empress Sanaki of Begnion, you -"
"That's what I said, Empress Snake-y of Begnion. Could you please tell us about your fire tome?"
Sanaki was shaking with fury, but relented. "Very well," She said in a huff. "This is Cymbeline, the royal fire tome of Begnion. My wonderful sister, Micaiah-"
"Oh, please! I'm not wonderful!" Micaiah interrupted, blushing furiously. Sanaki cleared her throat and continued.
"She has Thani, the strongest light tome in Begnion. Our story is long and tragic, but that is where we must-"
"What does Cymbeline do?" Tharja asked, nonplussed.
"I beg your pardon?"
"What does it do?"
"Well, it summons several pillars of fire that incinerate everything."
"Ah, then we should head outside for a demonstration."
As Lute and Tharja started escorting everyone outside, Nino and Leo walked up to a visibly angry Sanaki.
"I want to know about your story!" Nino proclaimed. Sanaki looked at Nino, confused at first. "Leo and I will listen whenever!"
Sanaki stuck her nose up in the air. "Hmph!" She grumbled. "Sanaki does not need your pity!" There was a pause. "But you two are … truly interested?"
Leo smirked. "Palace intrigue always interests me, so maybe after this club meeting, we can all have a cup of tea together."
"Yeah! We can invite others as well!"
"Nino..."
"I … I would not mind such a thing ..." Sanaki admitted. Micaiah smiled.
"Then it's settled! We shall have a gathering after the club meeting!" She said, lightly pulling up Sanaki. As they left the room, the doors seemed to shut on their own.
The rest of class was relatively uneventful. There were some demonstrations of magic from various people, including a hex-off with Henry and Tharja.
"Nyahaha! That 3rd level death hex somehow got through my counter-curse!" Henry said, "My whole body feels all tingly!"
Tharja's face darkened slightly. "Ugh, I just can't get the better of you, hmm?"
"Well, I prefer not to leave Olivia alone, so my counter-curse should've been enough!" Henry postulated, "But all my limbs are falling asleep, so I guess you got me!" Henry shrugged.
"Shouldn't we take him to the hospital wing?" Micaiah asked, concerned.
"I wouldn't worry about it." Robin replied. "Tharja's already removing the hex."
As if on cue, there was an "aww" from Henry as he got back up. "And it was just getting interesting..." He lamented. Lute began clapping very loudly.
"What a breathtaking performance from you two!" She said breathlessly. "Bravo!"
"Um, thanks, Lute." Tharja replied. "I think we're done for this week."
"Right. So next week, we'll be investigating the world of Physics! A brave new world for all of us!" Lute announced. The group dispersed, most of them heading in for dinner. Nino turned to Leo.
"Hey, you wanna know something, Leo?"
"Hmm?"
"You're not a complete jerk."
There you have it, Chapter 3! All of your comments have been extremely helpful to me. Thank you to everyone who's read this story! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
I am so pumped to have Marisa and L'Arachel in this story. I probably played up too much of Marisa's undercurrent of anxiety, but it is her most interesting feature. Also, I need to play Radiant Dawn again to get a feel for Sanaki and Micaiah.
As always, any questions, comments, reviews would be really appreciated! I'm not the best at answering stuff in messages, but I will answer reviews at the end of Chapter 4.
Chapter 4 will be titled: Thursday Enters With a Bang and Leaves With a Roar