"And here we are, once again on a train ride to Ymir." Fie grumped out as she rested her head on his lap. Sure enough, they were sitting through yet another long train ride to Rean's hometown.

"Ahaha..." Rean could only chuckle sheepishly. "We knew it was inevitable, right?"

His partner continued to sulk. "Can't they just move the Schwarzer Barony somewhere... closer?"

"You can't just move an entire Barony, you know."

"You can't just move an entire Barony, you know." She repeated his words back to him in a mocking tone. "You can't just stop a world-ending curse. You're just kids, you can't end the Civil War. You can't just hook up with a totally hot and awesome girl. Haven't you spent the last few years doing stuff that everyone says is impossible?"

That might have been the weirdest encouragement he had ever heard. Also one of those didn't seem to fit in with the rest. "...You can't just move an entire Barony."

Unsurprisingly, he earned himself a stink-eye for that. "Hmph. Not with that attitude, you won't."

"How about this? Next time, we'll invite them to come see us in Trista instead." It wasn't easy, but they had finally gotten their house furnished to the point where he felt comfortable inviting others over. It might make for a nice change of pace.

"Mmm... That works. A shame we couldn't do it this time."

"Well, this is a bit of a short notice..." Very short. They were lucky that his sister was free this day and had promised to meet them there. A part of him wished she wasn't free and so they would have had to reschedule a day or two later..

From her resting place his partner gazed up at him. "...Why are you so tense?"

"Why do you think?"

"Dunno. You did alright telling Altina, didn't you?"

He shook his head. "That was different. Spur of the moment. This is my family. Every time I think I've rehearsed what I want to say my brain finds something wrong with it. Can't blame me for being a little nervous for this upcoming visit..."

"I guess so. Think of it this way..." Was she about to say something encouraging to lift his spirits? Was she about to reassure him that family was family and he couldn't actually screw this up? "...At least this is good practice for when you get to tell my family."

"Urk!" His expression must have been pretty bad indeed given how much Fie was laughing at him. But who could blame him? He could already imagine what was going to happen when he told Xeno and Leo that he put a baby in their little princess! He was doomed and there was no escape from that grim fate.

She didn't seem to share his nihilistic view. "They won't hurt you..." She paused and considered her words. "...much. I'll make sure they keep the scarring to a minimum."

"That's... not very reassuring."

She shrugged. "Whatever, I tried." Her definition of tried wasn't very impressive.

After a while Fie closed her eyes and appeared to drift off into a pleasant nap. Not really surprising, but as he didn't feel like taking one himself it meant he had to kill time on his own. Good thing he still had his ARCUS III on hand and had taken the time to move all his favorite apps and contact info over to the new orbment.

Since they still had a couple hours before changing trains in Roer he decided to spend the time with Pom! Pom! Party! He needed to keep his skills sharp as others seemed to love challenging him. Apparently beating Tio once in a dozen attempts during the lull before the Great Twilight was enough to paint a major target on his back.

Given that it was early in the evening he didn't expect to see that many of his friends available, but eventually he spotted one that was online who suffered from the same grim fate that he did. A quick message and a challenge later and the battle began.

Playing video games was a surprisingly good way to pass the time and the next thing he knew the announcer on the train was announcing that they would soon be in Roer. He sent his opponent a message letting him know that this final game would be the end. Once that final round concluded he looked at the game stats.

Seven wins and five losses. He chuckled darkly. "Looks like victory goes to me today, Detective Bannings." Beating him in Pom made up for his loss in the Geofront all those years back. Totally.

"You are such a dork." He didn't realize that Fie had awoken until she made that comment. The exasperated look she sent his way didn't help matters any.

And yet despite her accusation she didn't hesitate to return his feelings at all when he leaned down and gave her a kiss. "And yet you love me for it, don't you?"

"Meh." She muttered as she rose up from his lap. "Could be worse, I suppose."

High praise from Fie indeed. The two made their exit from the train and to the much smaller one that would take them the final leg of the trip to Ymir. With this ride being much shorter there was no time for Pom or naps. Instead they both silently prepped themselves up for the meeting to come.

It was already getting dark by the time they finally made it up the mountain to Rean's old home. The late season meant that temperatures were getting colder and it wouldn't be long before the people of Ymir experienced the first snowfall of the year. Not that either of them were all that bothered by the cold, of course.

Unsurprisingly his family was there to greet him once he arrived at their house, Elise included. His mother had insisted that they take the rare opportunity to eat as a family, which none of the younger generation refused. It was clear that mom had spent most of the day preparing as the spread of food was both large and appetizing, but Rean couldn't really taste any of it as his mind was desperately trying to figure out how to bring up the main topic. He shot a quick glance in Fie's direction for help, but she just shrugged in return. Absolutely useless!

Their actions did not go unnoticed. "Ah... So that's what this is all about." Lucia muttered with a rapidly widening smile. "Congratulations, you two."

The other four people at the table all looked at her oddly. "But we didn't say anything yet?" Fie was the one to speak up, confusion visible on her face.

"Dear, every mother instinctively knows that their children are thinking. It's our secret power. One that you are soon to discover for yourself, it seems." She dropped that bombshell with such a serene smile.

She knew! Somehow, without saying a single word, his mother had already pieced together everything they intended to announce. He could only gape in bewilderment. Beside him his partner was no better off.

"Mom?"

"Honey?"

The other two members of the Schwarzer family were still in the dark, so it appeared he still needed to make the announcement. Something which his mom seemed to understand. "Oh, sorry Rean. I didn't mean to get in your way. So why don't you go ahead and announce the imminent arrival of our first grandchild."

She was messing with them! On one hand Rean was glad that he no longer needed to struggle through an awkward announcement, but now he was caught completely flat-footed. He shared another look with Fie, but she just shrugged again, but this time with an equally bewildered expression.

"I-Is that true, Rean?" Elise asked with wide-eyes as she turned to her brother.

"Uh..." He struggled to find the words for a simple answer. "Y-Yeah. Somehow mom got it right. Fie's pregnant."

The baron laughed merrily. "Congratulations my son, Fie! I'm sure the two of you will make find parents and I can't wait to meet our grandchild!"

"Thanks, dad. We only found out ourselves a couple days ago so we wanted to make sure you guys were the first ones we told."

"...But you weren't the first ones to find out." His silver-haired lover must have finally regained her senses as she cheekily added that comment in.

Now with three pairs of curious eyes on him Rean was forced to retell the story of the past couple days, omitting the more colorful details of course.

"Well I'm not surprised that other people are interested in your lives. You are Erebonia's darling couple, after all." His mother's teasing earned her matching groans from the darling couple in question, causing her to giggle at their reaction. "Still, I'm glad we aren't finding out from the Imperial Chronicle again. Your father almost had a heart attack when he saw that headline..."

"Lucia!" Teo looked rather embarrassed by that revelation being made known. "Still, your mother's right. We're glad you decided to come tell us and will respect your wish to keep quiet on it for now. Right, Elise?"

"H-Huh?" The youngest Schwarzer barely seemed to hear her father. "O-Oh, right. Of course. I'm just a bit surprised. I wasn't expecting to be an aunt so soon. But isn't this a bit... sudden? You guys aren't even married yet!"

Oof. That was the one question Rean was hoping that nobody would ask. He did not want to admit that it all happened because they drank too much one night. "W-Well..."

"Ah... So it's one of those situations." Once again his mom read him like an open book. "Don't feel bad, dear. Adios works in mysterious ways sometimes. Elise was our happy little accident, after all."

"M-M-MOTHER!" Either Elise didn't know about it or just didn't want it revealed like that, but the youngest member of the group closely resembled a tomato in that moment.

The rest of the group looked at Lucia blankly. "And what has gotten into you, today? You're not usually so... lively." The baron asked his wife.

"Sorry, I can't help myself. I'm just so excited that we're going to have a grandchild to spoil! It's been far too long since I held a child in my arms."

The two bracers shared a look. Was Fie going to develop maternal instincts like that? "Well, uh, so that was our announcement..." Rean awkwardly stated.

"Don't suppose you guys have any advice for us?" His lover asked the two parents. "We're pretty clueless as to what we should be doing."

"Well, that's only natural." Teo replied. He let out a deep chuckle. "Ah, that brings back memories. We were always so worried when we found out Elise was coming. All the things we did to prepare and yet it never felt like it was enough. Thought my hair was going to fall out those last few months."

His mom giggled as she too remembered those distant days. "There's really not much advice we can give. Just make sure the two of you are making constant visits to a doctor and following their medical advice. The rest should fall into place."

"Oh!" The baron exclaimed as a thought came to mind. "This is something you will hear about constantly, but won't realize the severity of until after the fact – How good are you at taking quick naps?"

Of course Fie took that as an opportunity to puff out her chest proudly. "I am the master of taking naps." She answered in a haughty tone, causing Rean to roll her eyes.

"She's right." Lucia added with a giggle. "Remember all those letters from Rean where he talked about his classmates? I think his earliest descriptions of Fie were that of a quiet girl who he would find napping in the weirdest places."

He didn't need to look to feel Fie's amused stare. "That's true." His father agreed, inadvertently saving him. "Well, that will be a good skill to have as you won't be getting a good night of sleep for quite some time after the birth. Make sure to teach Rean your secrets."

"Roger! By the time I'm through with him he will be able to sleep in the weirdest spots possible too!"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Oh, joy..." The worst part was deep down he knew that she was going to take this suggestion very seriously. His near future was going to be filled with naps in strange places. Still, as long as Fie was there napping alongside him there were worse things in life. "I will be in your care, Instructor Fie."

He couldn't help but flush slightly when his family started to laugh at their little byplay. Sometimes he forgot that there were other people present when he was dealing with his mischievous lover. "Aww, you two are so cute together. Elise, when are you going to start being cute with your boyfriend?"

Said girl did not appreciate being put on the spot, especially with this as the topic of conversation."M-Mom! It's not like that! We've just started dating and we don't want to rush ourselves!"

"Aww, how disappointing. So I shouldn't expect any grand kids from you anytime soon, should I?"

By this point Elise was positively steaming. "No! Of course not! We're going slow! We haven't even discussed if we even want k-k-kids!"

Rean let out an inaudible sigh of relief that was unnoticed by his family. Of course such a gesture wasn't unnoticed by Fie, who poked him in the side and sent a knowing smirk at his reaction. He couldn't help himself though! It was far far too early for Elise to be thinking of things like that. Patrick needed to be commended for his actions. And given a reminder to keep at it. Or else.

Conversation with his family continued for a little longer after that, but as they said earlier, there wasn't much concrete advice they could give the two expecting parents. Still, even if they didn't get much real info they were left feeling reassured that their inexperience shouldn't hinder them significantly. That being said, it wasn't much help for that all-important report Altina was waiting on.

Although the two were staying in the guest room that used to be his bedroom, that didn't mean they needed to sit around in the Schwarzer mansion the entire evening. So instead, at his suggestion, the pair decided to go into town so he could greet some of his old childhood friends. This late at night most people who were still up would be found at the Valley's Echo tavern, so that was where they went. It was nice reuniting with the people in town, but a little problem did present itself. Something that went unsaid until the two finally had a little peace and quiet at a table of their own.

"You don't have to hold back on my account, you know?"

"Huh?" He knew what Fie was talking about, but decided to play dumb anyways.

Something which she obviously noticed. "Your drink, dummy." She shot a finger toward the cup of water in front of him. "Just 'cause I can't drink doesn't mean you shouldn't. I won't get mad."

"I know that." He muttered.

"So...?" She asked, waiting for his answer.

"So what?" Was his answer as he let out a small shrug. "Just because I don't need to doesn't mean I won't. We're a team, so if that means you can't drink for the next seven months than I don't want to drink for the next seven months. Not because I need to, but because I want to."

She stared at him for a good three seconds before shaking her head in exasperation. "You're such an idiot, you know that?" Despite the words, she couldn't quite hide the brilliant smile from her face. "Just so you know I have no intention of doing the same if our roles are ever reversed."

His return look was rather blank. "...You do know that can't happen, right? I'm a guy. Guys don't end up pregnant."

"Actually..." Fie looked rather smug. "It is possible, at least according to Dorothee's books. Why in her most recent book-" She was unable to finish that statement as Rean hastily clamped a hand over her face. Both hands, in fact. Luckily it didn't seem like anyone was listening in on their conversation, but his actions did earn them a few confused looks from the other occupants of the tavern.

Not wanting to make a big scene he reluctantly removed his hands. "...The character that resembles Jusis ends up-" And regretted that decision immediately as the increasingly smug looking Fie continued her story until he once again reapplied his hands to her mouth.

Making a scene be damned there was no way he was going to hear the end of that story. Something which she seemed to understand as she decided to up her game by licking his hand. It took considerable willpower, but he was able to ignore the sensation of her tongue on his hand and fingers. Eventually she would give up and-

Deep down he knew better. The more you try to get Fie to stop the more inclined she will be to continue. Thus he wasn't at all surprised when she escalated further and bit his finger. "Yowch!" Didn't mean it didn't hurt, though, and the pain was enough for him to recoil his hands.

"...Pregnant with Machias's child and together the two-" He gave up trying to stop the devilish girl and instead slumped his head onto the table in an attempt to block out as much of her book retelling as possible. Was she intentionally trying to get him to crack and get enough drinks to forget this night even happened?

After a horrendous night where he was forced to listen to a painfully detailed recap of the entire Dorothee Novelized Universe the two made their return to his family estate for the evening with one in a far happier mood than the other. At least he got a perk up the next morning when after finishing the cleaning task he was originally invited up there for the two visited the Phoenix Wings for a nice relaxing soak before biding his family farewell and beginning the long ride back to home, with a brief detour in Roer to visit Linde once again.


Once back in the capital they made a beeline for the Bracer Guild as all the recent trips had somewhat affected their mission completion rate. It wasn't the biggest deal as bracers were generally free to take requests at their own rate, but there was an unspoken agreement between the two of them that refused to ever allow their performance to slip beneath that of Sara. That was especially true with Fie waiting for that promotion to A-Rank and Rean wanting to join her at the top eventually.

With it being the afternoon most of the good missions were already taken, but simple requests were fine for the two of them. Especially since one of the available tasks was one that Fie had a high affinity for: Finding a missing cat. Normally a simple request for the two of them, but it led to their current situation.

"So we meet again... Mr. Tiddles."

Yes, that was right. Somehow the two of them had ended up back in the Ost District, faced with a familiar old foe. One that remained just as fierce and intimidating as any Ouroboros agent. The legendary Mr. Tiddles.

"How is this thing even still alive...?" Rean muttered in shock as he watched the old cat and his lover stare each other down unblinking. The tension in the air was thick as both combatants remained motionless as they appraised the other. While they didn't know for certain, all evidence pointed to the fact that the cat they were searching for was in the area.

Fie took a single step forward, causing the fierce monster to raise its hackles as it started hissing at her. She didn't seem at all distressed by such an action as she continued in her action.

While she was unaffected, it did remind Rean of how their first encounter turned out. "If you claw her you will be very very sorry." Perhaps it was a bit overprotective, but he wasn't letting anyone do harm to Fie, even if it was just a cat.

Surprisingly, that combination of Fie's fearlessness and his deadly warning appeared to have won the day, as Mr. Tiddles reluctantly backed down and conceded the battle. Fie nodded her head, acting far more gracious in her victory against the cat than she ever had against any human opponent she fought as the two passed it and began searching the abandoned alley for their target.

Finding it pretty easily the two humans plus one rescued cat made the return trip to the client, who was clearly thrilled to have their family pet returned to them. They did their best to ignore the gushing praise at the fact that it was the Ashen Chevalier and Sylphid who saved their feline friend before finding an opening to make an escape from that awkward scene. Still, as trivial as it was, it always felt good completing missions like that.

As they made their way back to the guild Fie turned to her partner. "...I want a cat."

Rean wasn't at all surprised by that request, still... "Not so sure that's a good idea. We're often away from home for long periods of time..." Having someone stop by to occasionally water Fie's garden was one thing, but expecting someone to take care of a pet was something else entirely.

She didn't seem at all discouraged by the idea. "With the proper training cats can take care of themselves. Just need to teach it to be able to hunt and roam for a few days at a time when we aren't around. Easy."

"Still, when are we going to have time to train it?" Fie narrowed her eyes dangerously at him, as if expecting him to refuse. But that wasn't true. He wasn't against the idea at all. Fortunately, survival instincts provided him with the much needed answer. "Oh! I got it! You're going to have to go on leave in a few months anyways, right? Training a kitten sounds like the perfect way for you to pass that time."

Survival instincts saved the day yet again as she smiled brilliantly. "Sounds good." She looked down at her belly. "Hurry up and grow so mommy can get herself a nice kitten."

"Your priorities are... unique." He replied in the nicest way possible as he gazed upon the silly girl.

Luckily she didn't seem offended, instead shrugging in response. "You gotta take the good with the bad. I have accepted that I am gonna be fat and useless in a few months, so at least this gives me something to look forward to."

"You'll never be fat and useless in my eyes." He wasn't just saying that either. He knew that Fie was cunning enough to take down a soldat even while giving birth. Not that he would ever allow something like that, of course.

Soon enough they arrived back at the guild. They tried to do their best to ignore the ever-present Sara as they turned in their mission requests, but the grin on the older woman's face put them ill at ease.

A concern that proved true when she opened her mouth. "By the way, you two are going on vacation with me in two days."

"Huh?" The pair glanced at each other, silently wondering if they had heard that correctly. Seeing the same confusion etched on their partner's faces appeared to confirm it. "What are you babbling on about, Sara?" Fie asked in concern.

"Oh, nothing much. Just cashing in on a promise your man made to me a couple years back..."

He blinked in confusion. Curse him and his big mouth. Desperately he tried to wrack his brain for whatever promise he could have made that would lead to this situation, but the answer eluded him. With Fie's wary gaze and Sara's amused one directed towards him he coughed quickly. "Uh... yeah. And which promise was that, exactly?"

At least their instructor didn't seem upset that he had forgotten whatever it was he said. "Oh, nothing much. Just a promise to visit Haliask with me once the place had returned to normal. Or did you forget what anniversary is coming up soon?"

His eyes widened in realization. Of course! The end of the Northern War! Given everything that had happened the past few days it had completely slipped his mind.

"You told Sara you would visit North Ambria with her?" Fie questioned with interest. It was an apparent ploy by their senior to observe them and try to discern their secrets, but damnit it was a good one. She couldn't help but be curious about the place of Sara's birth and one of the lowest points of the Ashen Chevalier. Despite her burning curiosity... "It's your call."

He gulped nervously. He still had demons from his time in that province, but he had heard that the place had been going through something of a renaissance and wanted to see it with his own eyes. "...Sure. I don't see any problems with that."

"Great. I already cleared it with HQ so the two of you were coming with me even if you didn't want to!" The grin on Sara's face was so obnoxious that Fie had to physically stop herself from punching her. "I figure we can spend a couple days in and around the capital taking in the sights. Should be fun times for all involved!"

"Well..." Fie appeared conflicted. "We did say we wanted to go somewhere different for a change. This certainly qualifies." She wondered if it would be alright for her to sneak into the restricted church controlled area to see the location of the Salt Pale disaster in person, or if that would be too disrespectful to the thousands who died in that tragedy.

"Haha... I guess so." His thoughts were less ambitious in scope. Altina wasn't going to be pleased when she finds out that they weren't going to be around to give their report, but he had a feeling she would understand. She had been there during that time, and even though she didn't understand his inner conflict at the time she certainly did now. He might get a few unpleasant words from the girl, but not much else.

Sara appeared unimpressed by their lack of enthusiasm. "C'mon you two, this will be fun!" I'll show you all the sights and the best places to drink!"

The two exchanged wary glances, the unspoken message clear as day. This... was not going to be easy at all. They had a feeling that Sara was going to go out of her way to put them in all kinds of weird situations to see if they reacted oddly. Drinking especially was going to be hard to get out from, as that was her favorite pastime. Still, if nothing else their stubbornness worked in their favor. The more their instructor pushed, the harder they would resist. They just needed plans.


Sara watched as the two little hellions she adored so made their exit from the guild with a victorious smirk on her face. With their commitment to accompanying her on her return the way was open for her. She already had her suspicions as to what it was they were hiding and she planned to narrow it down even further during the trip.

She was just about to make her own exit after securing the building when her ARCUS III started to ring. Since guild business would go to the building phone first she knew it wasn't anything work related and chose not to ignore the call. "Yo. This is Sara."

"Hi Sara. This is Alfin." It never ceased to amaze the former jaeger that she was on first name basis with the princess of Erebonia, especially now that she was in line to be the next Empress thanks to Cedric's moody teen angst phase. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course. What can I do for you?"

The princess was silent for a second. "Well... This might sound a bit weird, but do you know of anything different with Rean or Fie?"

Sara blinked in surprise. "Oh? You've heard about it too?"

"Not exactly. But yesterday Elise returned home to Ymir for some sort of family gathering, but ever since she returned today she has been acting weird. She is being tight-lipped, but I know her well enough to know that she's hiding something from me. Something that's clearly affecting her. And judging by the way you replied I can only assume I was right on the mira that it had something to do with Rean."

So Elise and presumably the rest of his family were in on it too? Curious. "Well, I don't know exactly what's going on, but it's true that those two have been acting strangely the past couple days." She proceeded to explain what little she knew of their activities to the princess. "...And so I asked Altina to investigate, but that backfired splendidly as now she's in on their little plot and I can't even get her to spill anything on accident as she's with Juna in Crossbell right now!"

"Oh my. So we have a real mystery on our hands, do we? How interesting..." Alfin let out a sigh. "A shame my duties won't let me investigate myself. Maybe I could slip away for a while like brother is so fond of...?"

Sara couldn't help but sweatdrop at that comment. "...I'm not sure that would be a good idea." There would be absolute chaos if the next ruler of Erebonia were to go missing for a period of time. Personally she thought it would be entertaining, but as a bracer she knew just how much work that would make for her.

"Sadly, you're right." Sara exhaled seeing that that bomb had been diffused. "Hmm... Oh, I know! If I can't look into it myself I am sure others can do so in my stead. Musse would love to know for certain, and maybe Juna and her detective friends could get Altina to let something slip... Who else?" It was clear the princess was pondering aloud to herself in that moment so Sara allowed her that luxury.

"I'm taking the two of them up to North Ambria with me to see the anniversary of the Northern War. I should be able to notice something there."

Alfin hummed thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. Even if you can't solve the riddle that should at least be good for Rean."

After a few more minutes of conversation the youngest member of the Arnor family hung up the call, leaving Sara alone to her thoughts. So Alfin was getting more people in on this little mystery? That sounded reasonable to her as more eyes and brains could only help in figuring it out.

Poor Sara. If only she knew what horrors had been unleashed. The web was now expanding uncontrollably and would soon ensnare those that nobody had expected. Chaos was now inevitable and all consuming. And yet she remained completely oblivious.


So they're going to be getting themselves a furball eventually. Not the most surprising thing, I suppose, but it is what it is. It's something I came up with as a spur of the moment decision.

Which means I haven't planned for it at all. So instead I will leave it up to you guys! I would love to hear any name suggestions for a cat from you readers. If I see one that really catches my eye it might end up in this story! Given that it is mostly a Fie decision it can be either a serious or somewhat silly name.

Of course there's still a loooooong way to go before the story reaches that point. So this offer will probably last for a few months.