The next evening found the two bracers in their home as they prepared for the short trip to North Ambria. Well, Rean was. Fie busied herself with another task.
"Ugh... This is awful. Is it too late to change my mind?" She complained miserably as she flipped the page on the textbook she was reading.
Rean snorted out loud. "I know it's a lot of work, but we'll get through this..."
"Nah, it's not that at all." He wasn't exactly wrong, as the book, along with all the other materials that Linde had given them, was quite exhausting in its detail. Things like nutritional plans and exercises. Those, however, was a burden that she was willing to shoulder, especially with him there to support her. "I just wish it wasn't all so gross!"
On one hand it was nice that the stuff that Linde gave them wasn't watered down and went into great details with most everything involved with each step on the long journey she was stuck on. The problem was that it went into too much detail. Very graphic details.
Something which Rean didn't seem to appreciate. The moron. "Didn't you used to be a jaeger? I thought you'd have a tolerance for that kind of stuff..."
She narrowed her eyes, annoyed that he was dismissing her so out of hand. Thankfully she knew exactly what to do. Flipping the book back a few pages she founded a particularly gruesome image of the birthing process. Rising from her seat she approached her lover before turning the book and shoving the page right in his face. Normally she was against Rean seeing pictures of naked girls, or at least naked girls that weren't her, but she knew she made the right decision when his eyes widened in abject horror. She could tell that he desperately wanted to look away, but his eyes were betraying him.
Once she was sure her victory was assured she removed the book from his face, causing him to blink as he finally regained control of his face. Despite that, he still looked rather pale. "I think, uh... maybe you should take a break from that for a while?"
She smirked victoriously at his reaction. "Yeah, thought so."
"I must admit, I didn't think you would stuff that stuff so much. If I recall correctly, there wasn't a single textbook you didn't avoid like the plague when we were students..."
"Rude." She took offense to the insinuation that she was a bad student! "But who would want to read about all that junk? Math? Politics? History?"
She realized her mistake one second too late as Rean's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'll have you know that history is-"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" She didn't actually think she was wrong, but if apologizing let her avoid having to listen to him lecture her about the War of the Lions then it was something she would do without hesitation. "But this stuff is more important for me to know right now. Don't want to screw myself over cause I was eating the wrong things, you know? Plus it's not like we can bring these with us on our trip..."
That final statement caused him to grimace. "True... Perhaps you should find a place to hide all those books. I don't want to believe that any of our friends would break into our house, but..."
"Crow definitely would." She countered easily. "Ash too, if Sara somehow convinced him to care enough. And while the girls may act all prim and proper, they are all terrible gossips. Wouldn't put it past 'em either." Needless to say she moved to comply with his suggestion. Fortunately she had a few little hiding spots where she usually stored most of her more dangerous tools and explosives. She never expected to use them for books, but it wasn't like she expected any of this.
Given that they needed to leave early in the morning for the trip to North Ambria the two decided to go to bed early that night. Fie hated that they were constantly acting like an old married couple, but unfortunately she was starting to understand that that was exactly what they were becoming. Normally she could count on at least a small nap during the flight, but she had a feeling that Sara wasn't going to allow it, as that woman knew just how to get under her skin.
They had left the travel arrangements to their former instructor since this was her idea, although Rean – the bleeding hearts that he is – offered up some of their mira to cover expenses. She didn't complain too much at his generosity as she knew that left to her own budget Sara would pick out the cheapest train ride and the lowest quality hotels. At least this way they could have a little enjoyment on the trip, even if they were still dreading the events of the three days to come...
Bright and early the next morning the two were out and on the early train to the capital. Once there they made their way to the airport to meet up with Sara. At least they could take some joy in the fact that their mentor clearly lacked the restraint needed to not drink the night before an early morning and was instead nursing a painful looking hangover.
Of course Sara being Sara wouldn't let something so trivial interfere with her fun. If nothing else they could at least respect her indomitable resilience and ability to be annoying under the harshest of conditions. Thus neither of them were surprised when despite the obvious pain the A-Rank bracer greeted them boisterously, causing some of the other early commuters to glance in their direction.
"Why are you always like this, Sara?" She complained. It was far too early in the morning to be dealing with Sara Valestein. In fairness there really wasn't any good time to be dealing with Sara Valestein.
Unfortunately, said woman knew just how to push their buttons. "Don't be like that, Fie. I'm just so excited to be spending the next three days with my favorite Chevalier and Sylphid!" She made sure to say that last sentence rather loudly, causing everyone near them to hear.
Which of course caused the curious looks to redouble and mutterings to start as their identities were made clear to all. While it wasn't like they were traveling incognito, they had gotten into a habit of keeping a low profile so usually not many people would identify them at a glance. Sara had just gone and ruined all that for them.
The smug look she sent Fie just screamed 'don't mess with the master.' Said silver-haired girl sighed irritably before turning to her partner. "C'mon Rean, let's go back home and to bed. We can do this some other time."
For his part Rean looked conflicted. Clearly part of him wanted nothing more than to do what she said, but sadly she knew his sense of honor wouldn't allow him to back out of this commitment, as much as he was sorely tempted. "Sorry Fie, but we're stuck with her... At least until we get there."
"I was afraid you were gonna say that. Still, you're right. Let's ditch her once we land."
"Hey!"
Once it was time the trio boarded the airship that would take them directly to Haliask. It wasn't until the craft they were riding was high in the sky before Rean turned back to their former instructor. "Are you sure this is alright? I feel kinda bad leaving Toval all alone for three days..."
Despite the question being directed towards Sara, Fie stole the chance to answer in her place. "Nah, it's fine. The guild is almost back to full strength at this point. Still a major shortage of experienced bracers, but there's enough to cover for the two of us. And Sara's useless so the loss of her is actually a gain." She shrugged when he looked at her with surprise. "Pick up on things when those jerks keep making me do the paperwork."
An indignant Sara looked ready to protest her words,but Fie was quick to cut her off. "Don't even start. We all know that you sit around drinking all day. Half of your mission completions are when you tag along with me or Rean and make us do most of the work."
"I-I'm supervising!"
"Nope." She was quick to refute. "You're supposed to supervise the juniors and new recruits. You're just lazy."
Rean was next to chime in. "Also your method of supervising is flawed. Let them make the decisions, sure, but be there to help them through the process. Supporting them in battle is a good way of building trust, after all."
Their instructor scowled petulantly after being told off by her students in succession. "You criticize my methods, but look at how you all turned out. Class VII are famous heroes and it's all thanks to me. A little tough love goes a long ways!"
"Sure." Fie agreed without hesitation. "It worked for us, but it very easily could have turned out the other way. There were so many times when we almost died during our field studies. You got lucky that we were all so good. Imagine being the one having to explain to all the big-wigs why their kids all died because they picked a fight with terrorists."
"Or archaisms." Rean supplied helpfully. "Or giant dogs. Or-"
"Alright! I get it already! I liked you better when you were as talkative as a brick wall and you were a bleeding heart who did all my work without complaint. Stop rubbing off on each other! Next time I'm bringing Emma and Elliot instead."
The two former students shared matching grins. Tormenting Sara never got old. Really though, the woman brought it upon herself. She had been completely insufferable once things settled down after the Twilight and she was able to tease Fie relentlessly about her relationship with Rean for weeks on end. She reaped what she sowed, after all.
"So..." Rean muttered after they let Sara stew in impotent anger for a few minutes. "Do you have any specific plans for our trip?"
"Hmm..." Sara thought about the question for a second. "I do want to check out the new North Ambrian provincial army at some point." While many of the former Northern Jaegers had moved onto other corps, a large handful decided to settle down after the war and go back to their roots as an actual military force to protect their home. "Maybe see the countryside at some point."
Rean blinked in realization. "Ah, right. That sounds interesting. I had read about the desalination efforts that had been going on. It sounds like that while they haven't been entirely successful, they've done enough to allow at least a little farming now."
The two women stared at him weirdly. "You are such a dork." Fie muttered with half-lidded eyes. "Why would you even read about something like that?"
"Would you rather I spent my time reading the articles about Erebonia's favorite bracer couple?" He replied with no hesitation.
Damnit all, she hated how he was actually getting better at countering her. She liked him better when he was still all shy and innocent. "Damn that Vivi..."
"Oh. I love those stories!" Sara was quick to grasp that low hanging fruit. "Most of the stuff they write about you two are either lies or gross exaggerations, but it makes for some great reading."
"Shut up, Sara." While she did miss the Rean that could be easily teased, it did come with the upside that he was less willing to put up with Sara's shenanigans.
Eventually the A-Rank bracer got bored messing with them and went off in search of the airship's bar, despite it still being early in the morning. With that great distraction out of the way Fie was free to resume her favorite travel activity. Something which her favorite pillow accepted with naught but a gentle smile. Slowly the gentle hum of the airship's engines and chatter from the other passengers faded away and her eyes closed...
"C'mon you two, rise and shine! We're gonna be landing soon." And was forced to open them back up as her regrettable big sister figure killed the tranquility with her obnoxious voice. Above her Rean too stirred back to life after having apparently followed her into dreamland.
Although the method she used was obnoxiously Sara, she was correct in waking them up as the airship was indeed beginning it's descent towards land. With a loud yawn the girl grudgingly lifted herself from the warmth of Rean's lap and stretched a bit as she did her best to return to alertness. "What time is it?"
"It's a little after noon." Sara didn't actually need to answer that as grumbling from Fie's stomach did a pretty good job of letting her know that it was lunchtime. She did her best to avoid Sara's gaze as she knew the older woman found that embarrassing moment entertaining. It wasn't her fault she found herself eating for two now! "C'mon, let's get ready so we can go find a place to eat once we land."
A surprisingly agreeable suggestion from the difficult woman. As she had never been to this region before Fie found herself gazing out the window with interest. The city of Haliask certainly looked peaceful enough, which was probably a nice change of pace for the residents after all the wars and disasters the region had gone through.
After a quick but much needed lunch the three decided to take an aimless walk around the city. From ground level she could tell that the city wasn't nearly as prosperous as Heimdallr or any of the other major cities in Erebonia.
That being said, her sharp gaze was able to pick up on signs that life in the city had been improving and would seemingly continue to do so. Recently constructed buildings littered the area and the roads appeared well maintained. The place was also quite colorful as many gardens were visible. With a trained eye she could tell that the plants were all hardy species. Considering the ground was supposedly incapable of sustaining in life just a few short years ago that was great progress and she could appreciate their commitment to growing new life in this land.
And the people seemed quite happy, too. The laughter of children. The calls of a merchant selling her goods. The sounds of a distant traveling musician. All sounds of a place living in peace and relative prosperity.
And best of all, nobody knew who they were! Sure, those jerks Vivi and Rex liked to plaster their pictures in the Imperial Chronicle on occasion, but seeing those images a couple times a year wasn't usually enough for the average person to identify them at a glance walking down a street. As Fie had never been to Haliask before and the other two had last been here during the war the odds of them being identified by someone was...
"Instructor Rean?"
...One hundred percent, of course. With a sigh Fie turned to the sound of the voice. She blinked when she realized she knew this girl. One of the former Branch Campus students, which was obvious given how she addressed her lover. Her name was... uh...
"Valerie!" Right, Valerie. She knew that. Unsurprisingly, Rean seemed quite pleased to see one of his students.
"What are you doing here?" She asked the trio curiously.
He pointed a finger at Sara, who waved happily. "We decided to take a little vacation here. It was her idea, actually. Given that I haven't been here since the war I thought it would be nice to see how this place has been doing."
"Ah..." Fie didn't know much of the Class IX student, but she knew that she was a woman of few words. Something which she could appreciate. "That's good."
From Rean's stories she also knew that Valerie was one of the students with the coldest receptions to him when he first started teaching. Not the open hostility that Juna initially displayed, but given his role in the occupation of her homeland it was understandable. Managing to successfully befriend the North Ambrian was definitely a big deal in his eyes.
"I am currently free, so if you would like I would be glad to show you around."
"Nah, it's fine." Sara butt in. "I'm already handling it." She challenged with narrowed eyes.
Sara or Valerie. That was an easy decision to make. While she didn't know much about Rean's student she did know everything there was to know about Sara. "Sure, if you're offering we'll gladly take you up on that. Would be nice following someone who has been here recently It's been like sixty years since you lived here, right Sara?"
"Grr..." That dig at her age wasn't very subtle, so it wasn't at all surprising to hear her react so negatively. "We were gonna have so much fun together! You sure you want to give it all up for some generic tour?"
Privately Fie sorta agreed with her mentor as she was the kind of person who liked to check out the less explored places and see the things normally kept hidden from tourists, but on the other hand giving Sara free reign was a a terrible terrible idea, especially as the older woman was watching them like hawks for anything out of the norm.
"Haha..." Rean watched their byplay with obvious amusement before turning back to his former student. "Well there you have it. Like Fie said, if you're willing to show us we will gladly follow along." Although he boringly skipped the chance to take a shot at Sara, Fie could still tell he was clearly relieved to not be following the Purple Lightning to every bar in the city.
Valerie gave a tiny victorious smirk towards her instructor's instructor. "It would be my pleasure. Now, if you would follow me..."
Thus the group of one native turned tour guide, her very interested former instructor, his much less interested partner, and a pouting Sara began their trip around the city. She took them to all kinds of places, including seats of government, water treatment plants, public works, and other related buildings. If nothing else it gave them a more accurate picture of the reconstruction work that had been going on in the city.
The Branch Campus member also spent time telling them about her work in the half year since graduation. Apparently she had been using her connections to St. Ursula and the other students to help establish trade routes for medical supplies and other essentials. She even admitted to Rean that she still kept touch with her fellow members of the modern music club, and they had even gotten together a couple times to put on a few little concerts in parks. Elliot Craig they may not be, but the reception to their music was positive nonetheless.
Of greater interest to the three females in the group were the moments when Rean would briefly take over as tour guide. Locations of significance to the Ashen Chevalier were talked about in great detail as the swordsman relived those events in his mind.
On one hand none of it was new information, as they were stories that Fie had heard plenty of times, Valerie had lived through, and Sara had fought alongside, but these stories weren't for them. They could tell that by going through those memories and discussing them at length that he was exercising those last few lingering ghosts that haunted him. Thus they were more than willing to let him take charge of the group.
This proved especially true when they came across a group of recently rebuilt houses. "And this is where it all came to a head. They had been keeping their largest and most powerful archaisms in reserve – maybe a hundred or so – and unleashed them here. Individually they were no match for Valimar and I, but they just kept coming and they were causing so much damage to the surrounding buildings." He paused and smiled as he looked at the area which was now freed from the scars of war. "That's when I fully unleashed my powers. I remember fighting off the archaisms for some time, but after that it's all a blank to me."
The three generations of Thors shared a glance, unsure of how to respond to that. Eventually Fie decided to step up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, despite how crappy everything was at the time, at least it all worked out in the end, right?"
"Indeed. The people of North Ambria owe their lives to you and know that you're a true hero." Valerie paused and let out a sigh. "Although it wasn't easy to admit." She conceded at last.
"Haha, thanks you two, but I'm fine. Really."
The silver-haired bracer scrutinized her partner's face after that statement. Rean always had a bad habit of saying things like that without actually meaning it. Still, he had gotten better at it these last couple years and as far as she could tell he was being genuine in that instance. So with that in mind she decided to leave the topic be.
Their little tour continued for a couple more hours. Although Haliask wasn't as big as the great metropolises of Erebonia, it was still a sizable city and dusk was approaching by the time Valerie ran out of places to show them. The former branch member made her exit, leaving the three bracers alone in the city.
"Well that was... enlightening." Sara still appeared miffed, presumably because she had some alternate plans for the three of them. Knowing her they were designed to put them in weird situations in order to provoke any telling reactions. "Wanna go hit up the local bars?" She asked hopefully.
Naturally that would be her first suggestion. Luckily, she had spent time the previous day planning their anti-Sara counters and this was one they had practiced the most. "Sorry." Fie muttered before letting out a yawn. "Still pretty tired from the flight. Let's go settle into our rooms for the night." And the best part, she didn't even need to lie for this excuse!
Sara looked distinctly unimpressed by her reaction, but could do little but scowl in protest. "Fine, but tomorrow we are doing something fun." Her two former students shared a glance. Unfortunately the tired Fie excuse could only work once and it was the best one they had. Avoiding Sara's shenanigans the next day wouldn't be so easy.
"That's fine." Rean betrayed nothing as he replied with an even tone and a kind smile. "In that case we should check out the provincial army base early."
"Huh? You still want to do it?" The North Ambrian native seemed surprised.
Fie let out a shrug. "You're a pain in the ass at the best of times, but checking it out is important to you, right? Of course we still want to go."
"And it's not like we weren't already interested." Her Chevalier added. "Seems like we've been fighting the Northern Jaegers forever, so it will be nice to see them under friendly circumstances for a change."
The older woman just chuckled slightly. "You two are such brats, you know it?" Despite the unkind words her smile was genuine.
The hotel they were staying at wasn't anything fancy, but it certainly wasn't the worst place any of them had stayed at during their bracer careers, not by a long shot. Fie had worried that leaving Sara in charge of the travel plans would come back and bite them later on, but surprisingly the Purple Lightning didn't use the chance to mess with them, instead doing the sane thing and reserving two rooms next to each other for the next two nights. Of course Sara not taking the chance to mess with them didn't mean she wouldn't do the same in return. The walls between the two rooms looked awfully thin... Rean might not approve of the idea that came to mind, but he could never resist her for long so she wasn't worried about what he thought.
"This food's kinda bland." She complained to her partner and mentor as the three sat down together for dinner at the hotel.
"Haha, yeah." Sara agreed with an easy grin. "North Ambrian food isn't the tastiest is it? I kinda missed this. At least the dessert selection looks good." She had to agree with Sara on that one. Little pastries filled with lingonberry jam? Yes please.
Fortunately for Fie, Rean was there to actually provide an explanation. "Ever since the disaster, North Ambrians have sworn off salt in most dishes. Unsurprisingly there has been an affect on the quality of their food."
"I guess that makes sense." She muttered in thought. "I probably wouldn't want any if there was a possibility it could have come from something... or someone I once knew." She blinked as she realized just how insensitive her words could have been. "Er... Sorry, Sara."
The older woman waved her off with casual ease. "Nah, it's cool. The disaster was thirty years ago, just before I was born. Might want to keep those thoughts to yourself when you're around anyone older than me, though, as pretty much everyone alive during that time lost someone close to them. "
"That's good advice, thanks." Rean really didn't need to shoot her a look like she was a misbehaving child. She knew how to keep her mouth shut, especially when around strangers.
"Still..." Sara muttered out loud. "This place is certainly doing a lot better than I expected. Kinda sucks we fought so long for a pittance when all when needed to do was submit to Erebonia and let the mira flow freely."
Rean shook his head. "I've learned it's never that easy. North Ambria might have gained a lot from the annexation, but it also lost stuff too. In this case the gains might have outweighed the losses, but there's nothing wrong with fighting for your home, even if the cost is high."
"Mmm... I think dad would be pleased." Sara looked up in realization before turning her eyes towards Fie. "I never took you to meet him, did I? I should do that at some point. Wouldn't want you to feel left out when I already took Rean for a visit."
The silver-haired girl raised an eyebrow in interest as she turned to her boyfriend. "And when did this happen?"
"Ahah..." He chuckled sheepishly. "It was during the lead-up to the Twilight. Don't worry, nothing happened."
"Nothing except Rean being possessed by a bunch of evil spirits and nearly murdering me." Sara added helpfully.
Alright, so there was clearly a story worth hearing there. But that was for a later time. "Figures. Even the dead can't rest easy when you're around, Sara. You're just that annoying." It was such an easy target that she couldn't resist. Ignoring the indignant cry she turned to the one man in the group. "Don't worry. If you ever do murder Sara I'll forgive you. I know some good ways to hide the body and erase evidence."
"Umm... Thanks?" He appeared unsure how to respond, but eventually accepted it as the offer of help it was. He didn't seem very grateful by her gesture, though.
Getting back on topic she turned her attention back to the still pouting Sara. "But sure, I'll go with you next time. It's only fair after you visited the Boss, I guess."
"Great. Next time I see a request up near Aragon I will drag you along with me. Sorry Rean, but it's gonna be a girl's day only."
He didn't seem at all bothered about it. Instead he just shot her an apologetic look. With a start Fie realized that she had all but volunteered herself to partner with Sara for a day. Given the older woman's habit of doing the bare minimum on missions... Yeah, she was going to regret that. "...Joy."
"Alright, you two. I'm gonna spend the next few hours perusing this fine establishment's assortment of North Ambrian liquors. So if you really want to be boring and lame you can go away now. Or you can be cool and join me. I'll even pay for the first drink. How 'bout it?"
This was the mentor figure that shaped the two into the people they are today. Truly remarkable how they both somehow ended up mostly free of any weird issues. It was clear that she was trying to goad them into staying and it did rankle her to be called boring and lame, but Fie just had to accept that this was her life now. Not deigning to give Sara a response the two young heroes rose from their seat and made a quick exit before the older woman could press them further on their decision. She was already suspicious enough of them as is.
"...And so that's what Alfin told me. Schera hasn't been in the capital for a while so she wouldn't know anything."
"Instead you are turning to me for help. Oho, how delightfully unexpected."
The blonde-haired man nodded unhappily. "I know, it terrifies me too. But I figured if anyone can solve this mystery it would be you."
"And I would be most ecstatic to assist you, my dearest rival. The Grandmaster has no need of my services at the moment and I was in search of a new endeavor suitable for one such as myself. Is there anything you can provide me to make this mission more successful?"
Aidios forgive him for this. "They're currently in North Ambria alongside Sara for the next two days. I know with the way you guys travel it should be no issue for you to get there in time."
"Marvelous! And while your army and the main campus were quite thorough in their work in shutting down our factories up there, there are plenty of other things they missed that can assist me in this task. I know just the archaisms to use for this..."
Yes, he was certainly going to Gehenna for this, but he couldn't help himself. He already had his suspicions as to what this mysterious news was and it would be such a cause for celebration if it turned out to be true. Between Schera and Mueller there was no way they would let him again don the guise of the mysterious but oh-so-talented bard Olivier Lenheim and investigate himself. Especially as Rean and Fie were capable of seeing through that elaborate disguise. If that meant turning to Ouroboros and his rival for assistance, so be it.
Still, he was a bit concerned what chaos he had just unleashed upon the finally recovered territory of North Ambria. At least he knew that Bleublanc wasn't the type of person to involve innocent people in his machinations. Him getting archaisms involved was somewhat concerning, though...
He let out a sigh, already starting to regret his actions. "Just... Try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, alright?" By this point the cat was already out of the bag so he could do little but roll with it.
"But of course! I will be the ghost that stalks the streets of Haliask! They don't call me Phantom Thief B for nothing, you know? But do not worry, my dear rival in love. I shall discover what secrets our friends are keeping and return to you posthaste. But for now, ta-ta!"
The ARCUS call went dead, leaving Prince Olivert Reise Arnor alone to his thoughts. He had no doubt that Bleublanc would succeed, as he was annoyingly skilled at things like that. What he was worried about, however, was the realization that the man would absolutely let the world know it was he who put him up to it as the chaos it would generate was right up his alley.
He paled considerably at the thought, already imagining the earful he would get from his dear sister and bosom buddy Mueller. Not to mention Schera. He loved his wife dearly, but he wasn't sure he was kinky enough to want to experience her whip first-hand...
