Author's Note: Hey there, everybody! Here's another fun idea that popped into my mind a while back. And in case any of you might be wondering: yes, yes I am proud of the title of this story (I had a LOT of Beanie Babies when I was younger)! I hope you all enjoy, and that you have an awesome day!
"Hm hm hm hmmm~"
Bernadetta hummed cheerfully to herself as she focused on her hands, carefully weaving her threading needle in and out of the object held in her grasp. Deciding for a change of scenery (and to escape the constant knocks on her door from various people urging her to leave her room), the skittish girl had holed herself up in one of Askr's empty meeting rooms, somewhere she was confident no person would even think to look for her. After taking in the newfound peace and quiet, Bernadetta had sat down at the large meeting table and immediately resumed working on a small pet project that she had started a few days prior, one that was finally nearing completion.
"Aaaand, there!" Setting down her sewing needle, Bernadetta held up her finished work with a proud smile. Staring back at her was a handmade doll, but it wasn't just any doll. It was a miniature replica of Bernadetta herself, identical down to even the timid archer's unruly violet hair and her favorite blue hooded undershirt (which Kiran continually refers to as a 'sweatshirt', though Bernadetta swears she doesn't sweat in it…too often). The miniature Bernadetta smiled back at her with a tiny smile, causing Bernadetta herself to giggle with pride. "Hi, little Bernie! It's so nice to meet you!" Holding the little doll by its stubby arms in her fingers, Bernadetta made her mini-me stand on the table facing her. "'It's nice to meet you too, Bernie! Lovely day to spend holed up inside with no interruptions, isn't it?'" Bernadetta nodded in agreement. "It sure is! I'm so glad you understand the joys of staying inside all day!"
"Hi, Bernadetta. Who are you talking to?"
"Eeek!" Bernadetta shrieked at the sudden interruption, springing to her feet and inadvertently dropping her Bernie doll to the floor. "I-I'm sorry! So sorry! I d-d-didn't mean to hog this conference room all to myself! I'll leave immediately, so please don't hurt meeee!" "H-hey, Bernadetta! Wait!" Anna tried to placate the frightened girl, but the damage had already been done as Bernadetta bolted out of the room, haphazardly carrying all her sewing materials in her arms as she fled. Anna sighed as she watched the girl flee in terror. "Yeah, I probably should have expected that reaction." The commander's eyes then focused on the doll that Bernadetta dropped in her haste to escape. "Hm? What have we here?" Scooping up the doll in her hands, Anna's eyes widened as she appraised the mini-Bernadetta. Whipping her head towards the exit door of the meeting room, a wide smile stretched across the red-head's face, deciding it would be in her best…interest to return the lost item in her hand.
"Bernadetta? Are you in there?"
Bernadetta jumped as she gazed fearfully at the door to her room. "Oh no. This is it. This…is how it all ends." Closing her eyes in acceptance, Bernadetta clasped her hands in a silent prayer. "This…is how Bernie meets her end." "What?" Anna's muffled came from the other side of the door. "Bernadetta, please open the door. I just came to return something you dropped earlier." That got the timid archer's attention, her eyes opening warily. "H-huh? S-something I dropped…?" Cautiously, Bernadetta approached her door and unlocked it, allowing Anna to step inside. "Thanks!" Anna said with a cheery smile. "Anyways, I just wanted to return this!" Removing her hand from behind her back, Bernadetta gasped as she saw the item held in the commander's grasp.
"M-my doll! I-I didn't realize I dropped it! Thank you so much, Commander Anna!" However, as Bernadetta reached for her doll, Anna suddenly pulled it out of the girl's reach. "But you know…" Anna began with a playful grin as she carefully inspected the doll. "This is a really well-made doll. Did you make it yourself?" Confused at the sudden direction the conversation was taking, Bernadetta slowly nodded. "U-um, yeah, I did." Bernadetta yelped as Anna suddenly entered her personal space, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Amazing! This is excellent work, Bernadetta!" Backing up, Anna once again held up the Bernadetta doll in her hands, appraising it from every angle. "Seriously, this is some professional-level craftsmanship! It's like I'm holding a little baby Bernie! Or…or…" A look of inspiration flashed in Anna's eyes as she snapped her fingers. "A 'Bernie Baby'! Yeah, that rolls off the tongue, don't you think?" "Uh, I g-guess…?" Bernadetta hesitantly agreed. "Um, may I have my doll back now, please?"
"Hm? Oh, right. Here you go." Anna handed the doll to Bernadetta, who proceeded to hug it tightly to herself with a pleased smile on her face. "Say, Bernadetta." The purple-haired girl gazed back at Anna and immediately felt a chill down her spine at the way the commander was grinning at her. "Would you be able to…make more of these?" "Huh…?" Bernadetta wondered aloud as she looked at her doll. "W-well, if I h-have all of the right materials, sure." "Uh huh, uh huh…" Anna nodded along, her grin stretching wider. "Also, do you think you could…make different dolls? Like say, for instance, of other people?"
Bernadetta considered the request before slowly nodding. "Um, I th-think so? Maybe? I-I don't really know…" Anna leaned forward, her eyes never leaving Bernadetta. "What if you…had some help?" "H-help?" Bernadetta asked in confusion. "Sure!" Anna nodded as she straightened up. "I happen to know a few Heroes who know their way around a sewing needle. So, what do you think?" Bernadetta contemplated Anna's strange line of questioning. She never really thought about sharing her hobby with other people. But then again, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to share her interest with other people. After all, Kiran and Sharena had been encouraging her to step out of her comfort zone while in Askr, and Bernadetta was somewhat confident she could trust their advice.
With some trepidation, Bernadetta nodded her head. "I…guess I…wouldn't mind meeting some of those Heroes." "Great good to know thanks for your cooperation bye!" With lightning speed, Anna sped out of Bernadetta's room before she even had a chance to respond, leaving the poor girl to wonder what it is she had just gotten herself into. Groaning anxiously, Bernadetta hugged her…Bernie Baby…to her chest as she closed the door to her room and laid down on her bed, hoping that a quick nap would solve all of her problems.
It didn't take long for Bernadetta to discover just what Anna had in store for her. As she and her doll were heading to the dining hall to grab a quick post-nap snack, she was immediately snatched up by the red-headed commander and whisked off through the castle's hallways before she even had a chance to scream. Eventually, the pair found themselves standing in front of a door to a meeting room, allowing Bernadetta to finally catch her breath. "Wh-wh-what's happening?! Wh-why are w-we here?!" Bernadetta stuttered frantically. Grinning, Anna laid a hand on the door dramatically. "Bernadetta, allow me to introduce you to your new sewing partners!" With that declaration, Anna threw open the door to the meeting room, revealing four individuals waiting inside. Three of them Bernadetta wasn't acquainted with at all, but the fourth individual she recognized from her own world.
"M-Mercedes?"
"Oh, hello Bernie!" Mercedes greeted cheerfully as she stood to up to greet her classmate. "How wonderful to see you stepping out of your comfort zone and making new friends! I'm so proud of you!" "H-huh?" Bernadetta mumbled as Mercedes enveloped the younger girl in a cozy greeting hug. The three other individuals approached the pair, the first to speak being a woman with long rose-colored hair and wearing a unique head ornament with stylized wyvern wings on the sides. "It's nice to meet you, Bernadetta. I'm Cherche, a wyvern-rider from Valm. It's certainly exciting to meet other Heroes who enjoy sewing as a hobby!"
Beside Cherche, a girl with cobalt hair done in a ponytail and wearing a unique style of clothing nodded with a large smile. "I know, right? Oh, my name is Oboro, by the way. I'm a tailor from the kingdom of Hoshido. Nice to meet you!" Finally, the final occupant of the room stepped forward to introduce themselves to the reeling archer. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Bernadetta. My name is Forrest, and I hail from the kingdom of Nohr. I hope we can get along!" "Y-yeah, n-nice to meet you…" Bernadetta managed to stutter out before immediately turning to Anna. "W-wait, you still haven't told me why you brought me here all of a sudden!"
Sidling up to the violet-haired girl, Anna gestured to the Bernie doll nestled tightly in Bernadetta's grasp. "This is the reason I brought you here!" With a more encouraging smile, Anna laid a hand on Bernadetta's slightly trembling shoulder. "Go ahead, Bernadetta. Show them what you made." "Oh my!" Mercedes exclaimed as her eyes fixed on the doll for the first time. "What an adorable doll! May I have a closer look, Bernie?" "Umm…" Bernadetta nervously fidgeted in place before hesitantly holding up the doll for everyone to see. "My, that is adorable!" Forrest gushed in awe. "Did you make this all by yourself, Bernadetta?" The timid girl nervously nodded. Oboro's eyes sparkled as she gently ran a finger over the doll. "This is incredible! You can really tell the amount of care that went into every stitch." Mercedes beamed proudly at Bernadetta. "I never realized you were so talented, Bernie!" Bernadetta could hardly believe her ears at the amount of praise she was receiving. "Y-you…you really like it?" Cherche nodded encouragingly. "Of course, Bernadetta. You truly have a gift."
"Speaking of gifts…" All eyes turned to Anna as she approached the group with an eager grin. "Now that you've all seen Bernadetta's sewing skills firsthand, I'd like to present the reason I've brought you all here." Pointing at the Bernie doll, Anna declared, "This, right here, is the key!" "The key…?" Bernadetta asked in confusion. "The key to what, may I ask?" Cherche added, the other young women nodding their heads in agreement. Anna's grin broadened, as if she were waiting for someone to ask that specific question.
"Why, the key to saving the Order of Heroes!"
Kiran hummed idly to himself as he made his back to Askr's castle. Taking advantage of the nice weather and rare lack of paperwork or his usual obligations, the summoner had decided to visit Askr's castle town and relax by visiting the various shops and purchasing some confections to snack on later. As he approached the castle, Kiran noticed a familiar pair of Heroes chatting animatedly in the courtyard. "Hello Morgan and Morgan. What's got you two in such a cheery mood today?" The twin tacticians turned toward the summoner and gave a cheerful wave. "Hey there, Kiran! You've got to see this!" The female version of Morgan exclaimed. "Yeah, check this out!" The male Morgan agreed with equal excitement. As one, the duo showed what they were holding in their hands, and to say Kiran was dumbfounded by what he saw would have been an understatement.
"What…is that?"
Staring back at him were two doll versions of himself, complete with his signature hooded coat semi-obscuring his face so that only his eyes and mouth were visible. "It's you, Kiran! Isn't it cute?!" Morgan said as she hugged the mini summoner tightly in delight. Recovering from his initial surprise, Kiran pointed to the toy version of himself. "I…see. Um, where did you get those?" Male Morgan pointed to the entrance hall of the castle. "There's a stall inside that's selling a bunch of these. But if you want one, you better hurry!" "Uh huh…" Kiran nodded in thanks, waving goodbye to the twins as he made his way to the entrance hall, wondering just what in the world he was about to witness.
Once inside, Kiran's eyes widened comically as he took in the sight of a throng of Heroes – and even some castle staff – crowding around a lone stall situated next to the notifications board. And standing at the head of the stall…
"Step right up, everyone!" Anna announced with a winning smile. "Get your very own Bernie Baby right here! All proceeds go towards supporting the Order of Heroes! Get them while supplies last! Oh, we also take orders!" Kiran weaved his way carefully through the crowd as he reached the stall and gaped at what he saw. Sitting on the table were rows of dolls modeled after the Order of Heroes, with miniature versions of himself, Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, and even Feh being visible.
"O-oh! Um, h-hi Kiran."
"Huh? Bernie?" Surprised to see the Order's resident recluse at the head of a stall, Kiran scooted his way over to Bernadetta. "What is all of this is?" "This!" Anna butted in, causing both Bernadetta and Kiran to jump in surprise. "This is the Order of Heroes' new source of revenue!" Kiran sighed in exasperation. "Anna, what did you do this time?" Anna gave the summoner a cheeky grin as she placed her hands on Bernadetta's shoulders. "Why don't you ask Bernadetta? After all, it's all thanks to her we're able to do this. Oh, excuse me for a minute!"
As Anna slipped away to close another round of deals, Kiran gazed at Bernadetta in astonishment. "Bernie, is that true? Did you…make all of these?" Bernadetta swallowed nervously as she squirmed under the summoner's gaze. "W-well, I m-mean, not a-all of them. I h-had some help from M-Mercedes and some o-other Heroes, a-and well…" Whimpering, Bernadetta hugged her personal Bernie doll to herself as she shut her eyes tightly. "I-I'm so sorry! It was all Commander Anna's idea! I didn't m-mean to go behind your back w-with all of this!" "Whoa, whoa! Take it easy, Bernie. I'm not upset." Bernadetta opened one eye cautiously. "Y-you aren't?"
Kiran chuckled as he shook his head. "Nope. In fact, I'm proud of you for stepping out like this! Look at you, making friends and starting up your own business venture! Not to mention…" Kiran selected an Alfonse doll and held it in one hand. "These are really well-made. I can tell you put a lot of thought and effort into these." Kiran beamed at the timid archer as he set the doll down. "I'm proud of you, Bernadetta. Amazed and proud." Bernadetta sniffled as she buried her face in her doll's messy hair. "Ohhh, K-Kiran! I'm s-so *hic* happy!" Kiran chuckled as he patted the girl's head. "Also, 'Bernie Babies'? I like it. Has a…familiar ring to it." "Oh, that was my idea!" Once again, Anna popped back in as she fixed Kiran with a serious look. "Now, are you just going to stand there or are you going to buy something, mister?"
"O-oh! Um…" Kiran scanned the rows of dolls before facing Anna again. "Do you…have any more Kiran dolls?" Anna shook her head with a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, but I'm afraid you're too late. Our Kiran dolls turned out to be our best sellers. If you'd like, I can put you on the waitlist at…number one-hundred thirteen!" "One-hundred thirteen?!" Kiran exclaimed. Anna nodded as Kiran sighed before picking up a Feh doll. "Alright, put me on the waitlist. I'll take one of these too." Anna giggled as she motioned for Kiran to follow her before turning to Bernadetta. "I've got things covered here, Bernadetta. Why don't you head over to the merchandise room to see how everyone is doing?" Bernadetta nodded quickly, all too eager to get away from the bustling crowd. As she made her way to the conference-turned-merchandise room, she couldn't help but notice Feh snuggling up against her very own Feh doll in her nest.
"Welcome back, Bernie!" Mercedes greeted cheerfully as Bernadetta entered the room. Around the table, Bernadetta's newfound friends were laboring away with various dolls in various stages of completion, a small table of tea and snacks resting nearby, courtesy of Mercedes. Sighing in relief, Bernadetta plopped herself down in an empty chair while Mercedes fetched her a cup of tea. Next to her, Forrest smiled brightly. "This is so much fun! Thank you again for sharing your hobby with us, Bernadetta!"
Bernadetta fidgeted from the sudden praise. "Oh, i-it's nothing, really." "Now, Bernie," Mercedes chided gently as she sat next to her fellow classmate. "Be proud of yourself! After all, you chose to try something new and made new friends to share your interests with. That's a far cry from the Bernie I knew who always confined herself to her room back at the monastery." Oboro nodded where she sat. "I agree; give yourself more credit, Bernadetta. You really are an amazing person, not to mention talented." "Indeed." Cherche added. "I know that I count myself very fortunate to have befriended you, Bernadetta." Bernadetta could feel fresh tears begin to well at the corner of her vision. "Th-thank you, all o-of you…" She murmured as Mercedes gently pat the girl's back in support. "I…I really enjoy spending time with all of you, and I would really like to continue doing all of this. In fact," Bernadetta smiled as she wiped away her unshed tears with her sleeve. "I wish this would never end!"
"Stop everything!" Anna cried as she suddenly burst into the room, startling everyone in the process. "Gyah! Oh, now you've done it, Bernie! I knew this was all too good to be true!" Bernadetta whined as her previous smile flipped into a discouraged frown. "What seems to be the trouble, Commander Anna?" Cherche asked calmly. Anna strode forward with a bright smile as she held up a piece of parchment in her hand. "No trouble at all, Cherche! In fact, quite the opposite. What I have here is our first custom order!" Immediately everyone's attention was glued to the excited redhead. "Wow, that is amazing to hear!" Forrest said with a grin. "What's the order?" Anna peered at the parchment as she read out loud. "'Special request for one life-sized Kiran doll. Payment will be given in-person upon completion.'"
Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing the request. "H-huh?! L-L-Life sized?!" Bernadetta exclaimed in shock. "Oh dear," Mercedes commented as she placed a hand on her cheek in concern. "I wonder if we have enough supplies to complete such a request." "Well, I sure hope so," Anna replied. "Because I assured this particular customer that we would have their request prepared by tomorrow." "Tomorrow?!" Oboro shouted, dropping everything she was holding. "Even if we do have all of the necessary materials, that's not nearly enough time to fulfill a request like this! Whoever this person is, you have to tell them we can't meet their request!"
"N-no."
All eyes fell on Bernadetta, who wore an uncharacteristic look of determination. "I…I want to do this." She looked around the room at everyone with a small smile. "I believe…we can do this! I d-don't want to disappoint this person, a-and with you all helping me, I think we could do it…maybe?" A moment passed as everyone stared at the usually timid girl speak so boldly before Mercedes spoke up with a smile of her own. "You can count on me to help, Bernie. Together, I'm sure we can do this!" One by one, the others nod their heads in agreement, inspired by Bernadetta's declaration.
"That's the spirit, everyone!" Anna said. "I'll help too! I may not look like it, but I know a little something of sewing myself." "Oh, you do, Commander?" Forrest said, surprise evident in his tone. Anna nodded with a wry grin. "You betcha! After all, why waste money on commissioning custom uniforms for the Order of Heroes, as well as ordering repairs, when you can make and repair them yourself? Now, let's get to work!"
The following day, Bernadetta fidgeted nervously beside Anna as they sat behind their sales stand waiting for the special customer to appear. Everyone had spent the remainder of yesterday working hard to complete the special order, even working together well into the night. Once the product was complete, Anna told everyone to get some well-deserved rest while also requesting Bernadetta to accompany her to the stand to meet with the client. Which is where Bernadetta found herself now, waiting with bated breath to meet said client.
"U-um, so where are they? Actually, now that I think about it, Anna, who is this person?" To the girl's surprise, Anna shrugged nonchalantly. "No idea. When they approached me yesterday, they were wearing this hooded brown cloak that obscured their face. They didn't speak, either; they just handed me the parchment I shared with you all yesterday and left immediately once I confirmed their order." Noticing Bernadetta's apprehension, Anna flashed a reassuring smile. "Hey, no need to be nervous. I'm sure they'll love the finished product. And if they don't, too bad; no refunds on special orders!" Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, Anna looked up with anticipation. "Ah, there they are!"
Following the commander's gaze, Bernadetta took in the sight of their mystery client. Just as Anna described, the figure wore a large brown cloak with the hood pulled up, making it near impossible to identify any distinguishing features. Coming to a stop in front of the stall's counter, the figure silently regarded the two women with an air of expectation. "Welcome!" Anna greeted cheerfully. "Here's your special-order Bernie Baby: one life-sized Kiran doll!" At that, Bernadetta reached behind her and retrieved the item in question.
While not quite life-sized, the finished product was quite large, nearly as tall as Bernadetta herself. No attention to detail was spared either, making it seem as if the summoner himself was standing before the trio, albeit a bit shorter. A quiet gasp escaped the hooded figure before they composed themselves and retrieved a satchel of coins from within their cloak, holding it out to the pair. Anna wasted no time accepting the payment, emptying its contents while nodding to Bernadetta to hand over the doll. "Thanks for the business! We hope to see you again soon!" The figure nodded in thanks as they accepted the doll from Bernadetta, taking their leave with their prize without another word.
"You see, Bernadetta? Another satisfied customer!" Anna declared as she counted the coins in her hand. Bernadetta nodded, a smile creeping onto her face. This…felt nice, to be appreciated for her skills outside of the battlefield, and to be able to bring happiness to others with her hobby. Yeah, she definitely could get used to this…just as long as she didn't have to interact with people too much.
"Oh dear!"
"Huh? Is s-something wrong?" Bernadetta asked upon hearing Anna's distressed exclamation. "Our mystery customer accidentally paid more than the agreed upon price we discussed." Turning to Bernadetta, Anna held out a few gold coins in her palm. "Bernadetta, could you please return this to them? They couldn't have gotten far." "M-Me?!" Bernadetta squeaked, looking at the commander's outstretched hand anxiously before nodding in resignation. "Ohhh, alright." Taking the coins, Bernadetta began jogging after the hooded figure, eager to get this exchange over with.
Fortunately, it was just as Anna had said. Bernadetta didn't have to travel far to catch up with the mysterious customer, finding them in a hallway leading toward the Order of Heroes' barracks, seemingly admiring the Kiran doll. "U-um, excuse me!" Bernadetta called out, catching the figure's attention. "I-I'm s-sorry, but I j-just wanted to return- wh-whoa!" In her haste, Bernadetta tripped over herself as she approached the figure, causing her to pitch forward. In her panic, the violet-haired girl reached out a hand to grab something to stop her fall, with the nearest item just so happening to be the hem of the hooded figure's cloak.
"Ah!"
Bernadetta crashed into the ground, her yelp of pain and the sound of coins clattering beside her drowning out the sound of the figure's surprised gasp. Groaning, Bernadetta rubbed her sore chin with her now empty hand, the other still clutching the figure's cloak tightly. "Owww, that really…" Her words came to an abrupt halt upon realizing that, in her futile attempt to break her fall, Bernadetta had unwittingly yanked the cloak off the individual before her. Gazing up to look at the mystery client for the first time, Bernadetta's eyes widened in shock at the individual's identity.
"P-Princess Fjorm…?"
"U-um…" The princess of Nifl could barely meet Bernadetta's gaze, her eyes darting nervously about as a noticeable blush began to bloom across her face. "A-are…are you alright, Bernadetta?" Fjorm finally managed to say as she extended a hand to the fallen archer. "Uh, y-yeah…" Bernadetta stuttered in response, accepting the outstretched hand.
Once she was back on her feet, an awkward silence fell upon the two young women. "W-well, p-please excuse me! A-and thank you!" With that hasty goodbye, Fjorm dashed down the hallway, burying her face in the back of the Kiran doll she held as she went. Stunned, Bernadetta could only stare at the retreating princess' back until she was left alone in the hallway.
"…h-huh." Bernadetta murmured to herself, wondering if this is how her fellow classmates felt whenever she ran from them. Still, it was flattering to know that someone as important as Princess Fjorm was one of her customers. However, her stunned expression then gave way to panic as she remembered the reason why she was here.
"O-Oh no! I forgot to return her money! A-and now I've gone and m-made things awkward with my s-stupid mistake! Ohhh, Bernie, now what are you going to do?!"
