Author note: I don't own Bravely Default/Second.
This oneshot is a gift for harblkun for the Bravely Secret Santa 2020 event on Tumblr. They requested basically anything involving the main party of both Default and Second for their gift, as well as bothering the asterisk holders, so I tried to write a combination of those prompts. Merry Christmas, harblkun, and I hope you enjoy reading this gift! As for everyone else reading, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and happy winter holidays!
A Seven-Step Surprise Party
Summary: Post-Bravely Second. Ringabel comes to Tiz, asking for a little help about Edea's Christmas present. Chaos ensues.
Tiz Arrior, husband to one former Crystalist Pope Agnes Oblige, woke up one night to hear a knocking at his door.
"Tiz? Tiz? Agnes? Anyone?"
Tiz looked down at his still-sleeping wife, then swallowed.
That voice…was it Ringabel? The last he saw of him, Ringabel was a Planeswarden on a mission, and couldn't stay for long while they navigated the castle that once belonged to DeRosso (and then Yoko took over it), leaving Edea in tears.
Tiz figured he might as well check out the front door. Besides, even if it wasn't Ringael, he really didn't want to stay awake and hear someone rap at his door all night. Throwing on a decent nightrobe and slippers, Tiz carefully made his way out of the bedroom, down the hall and stairs, and then to the front door.
Opening the front door, Tiz blearily stared at one Ringabel, unmistakably him, as Ringabel himself offered Tiz a sheepish grin.
"Er…hi, Tiz."
"Ringabel?" Tiz almost wanted to curse how tired he sounded, but he couldn't help but yawn. "What are you…doing here?"
"I need your help." Ringabel takes a deep breath. "It's about Edea."
"What?" Tiz froze. Was Edea in danger? Was something happening? Had something already happened? "What's wrong? Is she okay!?"
"I'm sure she's fine. It's just…" He swallowed, before managing, "I…don't know what to get her for Christmas."
"What?"
What Tiz had done in reaction to this was the following:
Let Ringabel into the house and let him sleep on the couch. Tiz was WAY too tired to deal with this if it wasn't an emergency, and he needed more sleep.
The next morning, after Tiz got some sleep and later woke up, letting Agnes know that Ringabel came by in the middle of the night, the two (plus Ringabel) had breakfast together.
Now was good timing for Ringabel to explain himself.
"You came here in the middle of the night to ask Edea about what to get her for Christmas?" Agnes Oblige stared at Ringabel from across the table.
"Of course I did." Ringabel swallowed a few gulps of coffee before continuing to explain. "I finished up with my Planeswarden duties for now, so I figured I'd come back here and surprise Edea for Christmas. And also apologize to her for straight-up abandoning her after everything that happened with Yoko."
"Ah. That…makes sense." Tiz offered Ringabel a sheepish grin. "Have you let her know that you're back yet?"
"That's the thing. I haven't." Ringabel swallowed. "I just got back to this Luxendarc two days ago. I was staying at the inn temporarily, and then I went to find you and Agnes when I realized Christmas was coming up."
"So, you have no idea what to give to Edea?" Agnes asked. "She's still fond of sweets, if you're looking to get her a gift. Why don't you just take her out on a date?"
"Does she even still miss me?" Ringabel seemed to instantly droop at that, head bowed. "What if she just chases me out with "Mrgrgrs" galore regardless of the food? No. This gift has to be special."
"Uh…special?" Tiz stared at Ringabel. "How exactly?"
"It has to be so special that it means a lot to her and she'll also forgive me."
Agnes couldn't help but sigh. "I don't know if she needs a huge gift, Ringabel. Wouldn't it just be easier if you just went up to her privately and apologized?"
"I feel like it would be more festive for her if it was fun." Ringabel argued, sighing. "I want this to be a grand gesture of my affections for her!"
"Well," Tiz noted, "She has been kind-of lonely since everything involving Providence and the Grantz Empire ended. And we haven't gotten together as a group for a long while, now. Maybe you could organize a small surprise party for her, for Christmas Eve?"
Ringabel's gaze snapped up at Tiz. "Did you say…a party?" His eyes lit with fiery delight, and Tiz wasn't sure whether he should regret this or not. "That's perfect! Where do we start?"
Organizing a surprise party for Edea was broken up into several steps.
The first one? Inviting all the people who would be in on it.
Braev Lee stared at the letter in his hand. "And this is all for Edea?" He asked.
Ringabel nodded, Tiz at his side (Ringabel dragged Tiz along to help him deliver letters, since Agnes was busy getting in contact with Yew and Magnolia for assistance). "Of course it is! I'm sure she'd love to see her father and mother there, right?" He beamed. The party would be held at Central Command, and an airship could easily be taken from the Yulyana Woods to Eternia. Easy peasy, right?
"We'd love to attend the party." Mahzer smiled at Ringabel. "And by the way, welcome back, Ringabel."
Braev Lee gave him a stern look. "I hope you don't have plans to ditch my daughter in the middle of the party like you did back at that manor."
Ringabel swallowed, shuddering at seeing the other man's stern look. Even if Braev Lee was now retired, it didn't make him any less intimidating. "Yes, sir. I promise I won't."
The second part: Getting Edea a gift.
"Have you thought about getting a gift for her?" Agnes asked, after meeting up with Tiz and Ringabel in Gathelatio.
"A gift?" Ringabel stared at her. "Is the party we're organizing for her not a gift in itself?"
"Well, that's true, but I assume that since we're holding a Christmas party for Edea, everyone might bring gifts." Agnes noted. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to find something she might like."
"Hmm. That's not a bad point." The Planeswarden warrior looked around. "The question is, is there anything I could buy for her…?"
"They have souvenirs based off all of us at Grandship." Tiz pointed out, before wincing. "Then again, those are…very expensive."
"They have souvenirs?" Ringabel stared at Tiz. "Based off us?"
"Yeah. The trend started after Yew, Magnolia, Edea and I stayed over at Grandship in the first place." Tiz rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It's a strategy to pay down the entirety of Grandship's debt...expensive, but at least it works."
"Huh. Interesting." Ringabel decided that he should take a trip to Grandship sometime, and see it all for himself. "Do you have any other suggestions?"
"You could get her a cake." Tiz managed. "Aimee and Angelo have a shop now. You could order a cake from them for Edea."
"That is a good idea." Ringabel noted. He could imagine his beloved Edea now, her mouth watering at the sight of the most delicious cake one had ever seen in their lives. "You said just now that Aimee and Angelo have a shop?"
"Yeah! In Gathelatio." Tiz smiled. "They're best known for their pancakes, but I'm pretty sure Angelo can make more than that with his Patissier Asterisk."
"Maybe I should just have them in charge of catering for the whole party." Ringabel mused. "That way we can get our cake, and more, too." It would make organizing all the food-related parts of the party easier to handle if they could just place it in two peoples' hands than too many, after all.
"We just have to make sure Kamiizumi doesn't eat all the pancakes like he did last time we battled those two." Tiz mused, thinking back to when he and the others fought Aimee and Angelo together while the Swordmaster snuck a taste (and more) of the remaining pancakes.
Ringabel stared at him. "Wait, he did what?"
The third part: Go ask the people closest to Edea what kind of gift would be good for her.
Kamiizumi looked down at the invitation in his hand, and then up at Ringabel and Tiz.
"Is it true that you ate all those pancakes?" Ringabel asked.
"It is." The Swordmaster chuckled a bit at the question. "My pupil isn't the only one who has a sweet tooth."
"I see." It dawned on Ringabel that he might get some inspiration for what to get for Edea as a gift, by asking the man who'd trained her in the ways of swordsmanship. After all, they did have a close bond as mentor and pupil, despite all the conflicts they had. "What would you recommend getting as a gift for her, Master Kamiizumi?"
"You're asking me about this?" He raised a brow. "Why not ask Edea yourself?"
"I'm trying to surprise her. Hence the surprise party, surprise invitations, and surprising her with the fact that I'm even in this Luxendarc in the first place." Ringabel stressed. "If I ask Edea myself, how am I supposed to keep my presence a surprise?"
"Wait." Kamiizumi stared at him. "So you kept your presence secret from Edea, organizing a surprise party and cake for her in the process?"
Ringabel nodded, smiling. "Yes. She's going to love it!"
The Swordmaster looked unamused, much to the younger man's surprise. "No. She'll kill you first, then enjoy the party afterwards."
"Wh-at?" Ringabel stared at him. "Why?"
"Last I heard of you from Edea, you literally left her after finishing off the first evil god, with little explanation of where you were before you even briefly reunited with her." The Swordmaster pointed out. Ringabel had a hard time telling if Kamiizumi was glaring at him or not. "And even after you reunited with her, according to her, you suddenly left her afterwards with little-to-no explanation. Again."
Ringabel tried not to sigh. How was he supposed to tell Kamiizumi that he had little choice in that matter? "It was Planeswarden business! I had to keep it confidential!"
The older man shook his head. "It doesn't change the fact that you left her with no idea where you went or what you were up to. If you really want to keep the party a surprise, at least send her a letter letting her know that you're alive. And apologize to her for leaving her in the first place so suddenly." The way Kamiizumi described it made Ringabel wonder if this sort of situation struck a chord with him in some way. He knew that Edea had been upset when she realized that Kamiizumi previously assisted in the Eisen Civil War, after all, and the fallout didn't end well that time. "It's not fair to her, that you have to keep holding secrets like that from her. If you want to reconcile with Edea and continuing romancing her, I think it's best to come clean to her. Apologize for the hurt you've caused her. And, if she forgives you, stop holding so many secrets from her."
Huh. Now that Kamiizumi put it that way, Ringabel had a feeling that he had a point. What was the point of this party if not to apologize to her and hopefully mend things prior to him leaving her, last time? He thanked the Swordmaster, before going off to go see Tiz, intent on making things right…
Fourth part: Write the apology letter.
"Tiz, I need your help."
Tiz looked up at him, staring. "What?"
Ringabel was already reading with a pen and paper in his hands. "I need to write a letter to Edea and explain everything. Excluding the surprise party we have planned for her, of course. The question is, how should I word this?"
"How to write an apology? Well…I think you can start by saying that you're sorry. And also say what you're sorry for, too." Tiz managed. "It's not that hard, is it?"
"I just want to make it perfect." Ringabel stressed. "I don't want her to take this the wrong way and have her even more mad at me."
Tiz shook his head, looking up at him. "No one is perfect, Ringabel. I'm sure Edea will appreciate what you have to say in your apology if you're sincere and clear about it."
"That's fair." Ringabel sat down at the closest desk or table he could find, thinking, before starting to write…
Fifth part: Send the apology letter.
Edea Lee, in the midst of her work as the Grand Marshal of Eternia, received a letter. After Alternis handed it to her, saying it was from Ringabel, she was too intrigued to not read it. She found, in its contents, the following:
My angel of fate, Edea,
I apologize for all the heartbreak I gave you with leaving you so suddenly, back at the castle. I also apologize for not being able to explain. Since I still owe you an explanation, let me make It up to you in this letter right now:
I had much work as a Planeswarden to accomplish. I had to find an entity called the Sword of the Brave, and though I failed in finding it, I did find a few leads. The other Planeswardens have been kind to give me a break to come back to this Luxendarc and spend some time with you, if you still want me in your life.
Please, meet me at Central Command's main hall on Christmas Eve, at 7 p.m. I promise to do what I can to make up for the hurt I've caused you.
Sincerely,
Ringabel
Sixth: Finish all the preparations.
The letter was made and sent. Ringabel continued to prepare for the party for Edea in the meantime, with the hope that she would enjoy it when the time came. The invitations for all the other guests (most being Asterisk holders from both the Grantz Empire and the Duchy of Eternia) were already sent, so he didn't have to worry about that at that point.
Ringabel had commissioned Angelo and Aimee to make the best Christmas cake ever for the party, and to also provide catering for the entire rest of the party. He had plenty of PG from fighting monsters and other baddies during his work as a PLaneswarden, and he even threw in a small bonus on top of all he had to pay, to make it worth it for the two to achieve such a large feat.
He also (reluctantly) asked Praline to provide the music. He wasn't sure if he should regret that, but he figured he'd find out later.
With food and music arranged, the guests invited, and the Eternia Central Command's main hall/ballroom now booked for Christmas Eve, Ringabel was confident that this party would go well.
"Ringabel?" Agnes asked, as he went through the party plans with her one last time to double-check they haven't missed a thing.
Ringabel blinked, turning to face her. "What is it?"
"What about the decorations for the party?" Agnes asked, looking up at him. "I don't see anything here about bringing decorations in."
"I forgot decorations!?" A horrified gasp left him. "The horror! I must resolve this at once!"
Cue Ringabel rushing to go get decorations arranged. It wouldn't exactly be a Christmas party without decorations, after all!
Seventh: Party time!
The Christmas tree was set in the middle of the main hall. Said hall was also decked with boughs of holly, some strategically-placed mistletoe, and even some nice multi-coloured fairy lights lining the walls and the columns. Ringabel couldn't help but smile up at seeing all the decorations. He didn't want it to overwhelm all the guests, so he was sure this amount of decorations would be suitable enough.
Of course, what was a party without food? The buffet table was already laid out with tons of food, including roasted turkey and cranberry sauce, and, of course, the Christmas cake. The cake itself was multiple layers. Twelve, if Ringabel counted correctly. He wondered what type of cake it was, but as long as it didn't accidentally poison the guests (he knew about Angelo's cakes being "to die for"), he was fine with it.
The guests were also already here, dressed in formal gowns and other outfits. Ringabel already spotted Alternis dressed in a nice suit, and he even had his helmet off for once. Braev and Mahzer were talking with Nobutsuna happily, and Ringabel even noticed a small cat girl by Kamiizumi's side (Ringabel guessed it was Minette, Kamiizumi's adopted daughter). Praline already had some music started from one corner, starting the party by singing a few well-known Christmas tunes, and everyone was gathered in the hall, chatting with each other and making merry.
All they had to do was wait for Edea Lee to show up.
Thankfully, just as the clock turned to 7 p.m. in the evening, Ringabel saw none other than Edea walk in. She'd dressed up nice, in a gorgeous red and white gown, probably because he'd written in his letter that he wanted to see her and treat her well (and he guessed that she assumed it might be a date, maybe), but then everyone called out to her.
"Surprise!"
"What the!?" Edea's jaw dropped, and Ringabel approached her, taking a deep breath as he looked her in the eye, smiling.
"Merry Christmas, Edea." He breathed.
"Ringabel!" Edea tried not to huff, but he could see it too well in her expression. "Of all the times you had to show up, it had to be now?"
"Of course! I wanted to make it a surprise." Ringabel insisted, swallowing. "And I hope you like the surprise."
"You could have come to see me earlier. I already knew you were here." Edea half-huffed, raising a brow. "Alternis told me after I saw his surprise invitation!"
"Alternis?" Ringabel's gaze snapped towards his 'twin,' who tried to hide his own face in his drink. "That was supposed to stay a secret!"
"Edea forced me to tell her. I had no choice." Alternis' stilted protest came out. "My apologies."
"Well…" Ringabel sighed, looking towards Edea. "I hope you received my letter before the party, at least?"
"I did." A sigh left Edea, before looking around. "Though I think we should continue this conversation privately, first."
Ringabel let Edea lead him to one of the more isolated balconies attached to the Central Command's main ballroom/hall, where they would have privacy. It was snowing outside, lightly, and he could already see the moonlight shining outside, despite the flakes obscuring the view partially.
"So." Edea took a deep breath, facing him. It was hard to tell whether she was angry, or frustrated, or maybe just tired. "I got your letter."
"I know I have a lot more to explain to you." Ringabel swallowed, looking towards her. "And I know my absence hurt you…especially with how I left. Your former master was nice enough to inform me about it."
"I figured someone would tell you." A faint chuckle left her, but then she sighed. "I really did miss you, you know. And don't get me wrong. I do appreciate the apology you gave in your letter, too. I want to make this work, but we need to set some ground rules."
"Like what?" Ringabel asked.
She half-glared at him. "How about no running off randomly for years and/or months at a time and barely giving any notice?"
"Yeah." He couldn't help but offer her a sheepish grin. "That…seems like a start."
"And," She managed, "No more secrets if we don't need to."
"You're right." A sigh left him at that. She had a point. "It's not going to help us moving forward if we can't be honest with each other, is it?"
"It won't. But…I think we're on a better start, now that we have that pointed out." He saw her smile. "And I really do appreciate the whole party you organized for me. It's nice, being around friends and family."
He raised a brow. "What about me?"
"You, too!" Her cheeks flushed, and he couldn't help but smile back at her.
"If that's the case, how about we rejoin the others? Dance the night away."
She smiled. "That would be…"
That was when Praline's "Love In The Crossfire" could be heard from inside the hall. Edea winced, before looking Ringabel in the eye.
"Actually," She managed, "Maybe we should wait out here until the music changes to something more suitable. No offense to Praline, but…"
"That's fair." Soft laughter left him at that. "Maybe I should have requested more Christmas music and less of her own typical pop tunes tonight."
The two would watch the snow fall outside, together, hand-in-hand, before eventually heading back into the hall to join the rest of the party. Ringabel knew it wouldn't be easy, starting things over with Edea, but at least this was a start. There was a lot they had to fix (like reforming the Orthodoxy and the Duchy, their own relationship and the rocky road it once took), but at least both of them were in this together.
And at least, Ringabel knew, they were together. That, he was grateful for. And this time, he wasn't leaving Edea's side.