o.0.o.0.o
"Miss Lissa, this doesn't seem quite safe."
Lissa let out a sigh as she opened the back door and stepped out. Taking a few short steps to the front, Frederick dutifully rolled the window down, brows furrowed as he opened his mouth to continue.
"Even if I detest crowds of people hoarding themselves around you, I would prefer I didn't drop you off in such a vacant place."
"And I would prefer to not have to show up in an expensive luxury car in the back seat like I'm a toddler."
"Well, Lissa," Frederick spoke with pride as he shut his eyes to begin his lecture. "This car happens to be the safest on the market, and if the back seat is safe enough for children to be put back there, then it is just as safe for you."
"Oh, my god." Lissa ran a hand down her face, leaning into the window. "Frederick, this is supposed to be covert. Secret, remember? I'm Alissa Juno here, not Lissa Iris, you know this."
"I do, which is why I would prefer to not drop you off at the vacant part of the school. I can only imagine the types that would lurk here…"
"And now you sound like Maribelle…" Lissa trailed off with a sigh. "New rule, Frederick. I get to ride in the front seat, and I want to ride in a normal car. Then I'll take being dropped off at school by you."
"But-"
"If not, I'll have to resort to Emmeryn driving me." Lissa placed a hand over her heart as she smiled. "I mean, Em and I don't get much time to bond, what with her queenly duties and my blooming high school career. I'm sure she'd love to take such little time to bond with me, don't you?"
She opened her eyes and saw that Frederick's fists were clenched around the steering wheel, his jaw clenched so hard that she swore she could hear his teeth grinding to dust. A vein throbbed on his temple, before he suddenly smiled a smile that sent a shiver down her spine.
"Your wish is my command, milady." he spoke simply. "Have a wonderful day."
Then, he drove off. Lissa swallowed the nervous lump forming in her throat, somehow unable to shake the feeling that she made a terrible mistake by threatening him with Emmeryn's driving capabilities. Shaking her head and smacking her cheeks in order to regain her composure, she pushed Frederick's possible threat out of her mind and took a step forward, only for a dirty red pickup truck to come screeching to a halt next to her.
"Ella, come on, ya really need ta-"
Lissa let out a yelp as Donnel was suddenly shoved out of the passenger side door, somersaulting over himself until he landed in a heap next to Lissa. Lissa glanced back up as a brown paper bag and a bookbag was tossed out the door, and it slammed shut with Ella smiling happily, waving goodbye.
Then, as quickly as she came, she sped off. Lissa glanced down at Donny, then slowly knelt beside him.
"Why did you get dropped off back here?"
"Easier than going through the front doors with them jerks trying to steal my cap." Donnel muttered. Lissa felt a pang of sympathy for him. Due to Maribelle's protection, she has yet to experience any bullying or hazing at school...
"So, um, are you and your sister fighting, Donny?"
"Not at all." Donnel sighed. "Ella has this thing in her craw that I ain't makin' no friends here 'cause of status differences. Plus she, um…"
His cheeks lit up bright red and he turned away from her.
"She what?"
"Um, it's kinda embarrassin', but she like to tease me 'bout this stupid childhood presentation 'bout what I wanted to do when I grew up. … Where I announced I wanted to marry my childhood sweetheart, then promptly got on the knee to propose to Susie Copper."
It took every bit of restraint in Lissa to not burst out laughing.
"Go on an' laugh, I was the butt of spin the bottle jokes for years after it." Donnel muttered. "Ella just gets all excited when I start makin' female friends. She went and almost gave me a concussion to invite Nowi for a ride 'cause I gave Nowi my number…"
"Nowi? You mean that girl with the greenish ponytail?"
"Yeah." Donnel sighed. "It's a long story involving a couple 'o jerks who shoved her in a locker. I gave 'er my number 'case she ever needed my help again."
"Oh gosh, that's awful!" Lissa gasped. "Poor girl…"
"Yep." Donnel sighed. "My sis is just lookin' out for me is all. I just wish she wasn't so rough 'bout it!"
"Well, it sounds like she just wants to make sure you're alright."
"Tell me about it." Donnel sighed. "I straight think that no blood relative could love me as much as that girl does outside of my own Ma. She's got so many of 'er own problems, yet she always makin' sure I'm alright."
A brief expression of pure, unaltered worry crossed Donnel's face. Lissa's brow furrowed in worry.
"Is everything alright with her?" Lissa asked. "... Do you need me to call someone?"
"Yeah, if ya know the number to get me in the royal vault." Donnel let out a weak chuckle as Lissa subdued the urge to cringe. She knew exactly how to get in there, if she needed to… "See, my sis got my Pa's truck when he passed away. Ella took all the money she saved an' moved out to make more money for us back home. So she bought that Feroxi Theatre and hoped the rich folks would go and see her plays. 'Cept…"
"Except?"
"Well, I ain't gonna say that it was ever easy for Ella. And ya can't say anything 'bout this, okay?"
"You can trust me, I promise!"
"Ella don't know I know this, but when she first got the theatre, the previous owners left it's reputation in shreds. Was really bad. So she hired some agent to advertise the theatre. Reputation went up an' all seemed well for a while… Then the scumbag stole from my sis."
Lissa was taken aback by the bitter tone in his voice, like he desperately despised the man who destroyed his sisters chance.
"Stole a ton of money. For every cent she took in, he stole a dollar. And Ella never complained 'bout it once. I never would've known she was having troubles unless Cherche, uh, she's our lead costume designer, filled me in on everyone's role in the theatre."
"So how did this subject pop up?"
"One of our gals, Anna, is working as our advertiser right now. She promised results, but I dunno… I just dunno about this." Donnel sighed, pushing his hat off his head in frustration. "My sis specifically told everyone to not tell me 'bout this but Cherche thought it was important I knew the truth so I wouldn't be upset when I found out."
"... Is Ella going to close the theatre?"
"If this next show doesn't do well, yeah." Donnel sighed. "This director she hired is apparently pretty big in the industry. I have no clue how or why she knows him, but she does and called in a favor. She's hopeful, but that's how Ella is. She's always been… optimistic."
"Well… If it's any consolation, I don't think I've ever met someone who has a high likelihood to bounce back from a bad situation like your sister. She might be just as dedicated to her job as my sister is, maybe more!"
"Ya got an older sis too?"
"Yeah! I never mentioned her, Donny?"
"Nope, I reckon you haven't."
"Well, I'm the baby of the family. I've got an older sister and an older brother whom you've already had the misfortune of meeting."
"Brother? … Ya mean the fellow who almost plowed me down the first day, huh?"
"Yep." Lissa sighed. "I'm still really sorry about that. He's so horrible at driving, I don't know why he insists on doing it."
Donnel cracked a smile, and Lissa was glad that she was able to get that out of him, but his worry was practically palpable. He was doing a really good job of hiding it… If the theatre closed down, Lissa was pretty sure that Donnel would have to leave with Ella. It seemed like he felt so out of place here, even as the scholarship student, and he was steadfastly loyal to Ella. What was keeping him from following after his sister?
Even though they don't know about her status, they've always treated her like a person and not a princess… Even if this place was filled with affluent people, Donnel never assumed that she was of higher or lower value. He never assumed that about anyone.
"Well, Lissa, was really great talkin' to ya, but I reckon we should be gettin' to class." Donnel let out a sigh, then smiled as he stood. "Thanks for listenin', Lissa. Felt good to get that all off my chest."
"Anytime! I'm always here to lend an ear."
They both began to make their way to the front doors, thoughts plaguing Lissa's head on how to save the theatre. She was the princess of Ylisse, she must be able to do something…
o.0.o.0.o
Nowi was practically skipping down the hallway as she darted between students to get to her next class. Though she wasn't one to get down about being bullied, not even her ripped stockings or scratched up knees could bring her down from the happiness high she was currently running.
Her favorite class was about to start one of her favorite types of units; historical mythology. She wasn't sure what fantastical myths they were going to be covering quite yet, but she knew that she loved the idea of history intertwining so heavily around the myths of the time. Though the heroes they would no doubt discuss weren't nearly as prevelant as Gods, like Naga or Grima, Nowi knew that their existence in stories had to be important, and therefore important to her.
Not to mention that her teacher very kind and even-headed in a school that favored the rich.
"Good morning, Mr. Tanaka!" Nowi chirped as she plopped her bag in the front row. She always tried to get here a couple of minutes early to talk to Mr. Tanaka before she was ultimately forced to the back of the room by her peers.
"Ah, um, good morning, Miss De- Nowi." Mr. Tanaka fiddled with his glasses as he awkwardly stumbled through his greeting. He offered her a gentle smile. "Would you mind just looking over my presentation briefly, to make sure I didn't make any mistakes with my Ylissean?"
"Sure!" she smiled brightly as Mr. Tanaka opened his presentation.
Nowi couldn't really remember the exact name of the country he was from, but apparently, formality was extremely important. Mr. Tanaka, being young and having recently been recommended to teach here, is still going through the culture shock of adjusting his speech patterns to be more informal than formal.
Additionally, he always had her check over his presentations. She was certain that he did it just so she had a good reason to get out of her previous class a little early in order to come and help him. Now, she was no wizz in Ylissean, and his powerpoints were usually always pristine and perfect. This made her wonder why he chose this excuse to get her here early, but whatever. If she didn't have to deal with bullies for one section of her day, she was fine.
By the time she had confirmed what they both already knew, that the presentation was perfect, other classmates were starting to file in, and she had to move her bag to the back.
"Now then, class, today we are going to start discussing the mythology surrounding Ylisse's history." Mr. Tanaka stood, using his electronic whiteboard to begin his presentation.
There, the class had laid eyes upon an mural of an ethereal woman emerging from the back of a dragon, while a man with white hair and ominous red eyes kneeled cackling below a monster of a dragon.
"As we have already learned, this world was created long ago and suffered in darkness and calamity until King Marth of Archaea rose up and brought peace to the land with his Queen, Ceada. Ultimately, we know that even today's royalty of Ylisse were descended from the Hero-King Marth. However, popular mythology likes to detail that Naga, the Divine Leader of the Divine Dragons, heavily aided Marth in his journey by blessing him with the mythical Fire Emblem. Additionally, if we look through history of many countries, the Fire Emblem is often mentioned."
"So is the Fire Emblem the same in all of these countries?" the question came from Donnel, which immediately brought a chorus of chuckles from the class. Nowi clenched her fists. It wasn't a stupid question… After all, with so many parts of history sharing a similarly named object, there was bound to be confusion.
"No. Throughout history, it takes the form of a different object and originated from different tales. For instance, in my home country, Hoshido, our Fire Emblem supposedly took on the form of a sword, whereas here in Ylisse, the Fire Emblem took on the form of a shield. The Fire Emblem is now nothing more than a title for an object that supposedly helped to combat great evil in mythology."
Moving to his next slide, he continued.
"Adversely, we have Grima, whom is a dragon of darkness and destruction, supposedly created by man made means by a mad alchemist named Forneus in a country formerly known as Valentia, now known as Valm. This was not long after Marth supposedly worked with Naga. However, it was rumored that in order to survive, Grima took Forneus as it's host, forcing the alchemist into being nothing more than a puppet to host Grima's heart so that it would not be overwhelmed by the maddening destruction. Throughout history, Grima has made several comebacks, only to be sealed away by the first Exalt of Ylisse, again with the help of Naga. Now, then,"
Mr. Tanaka turned and smiled.
"This was all simply a premise to what we will actually be talking about in the upcoming week. Because what our topic is, after all, is history of Ylisse, not Valm or Archenea."
Ricken rose his hand, sitting studiously in the front of the classroom.
"Yes, Ricken?"
"Mr. Tanaka, we are supposed to assume that these dragons are not real, correct?"
"Yes."
"If I recall correctly, the myths of Ylisse revolve heavily around a story of betrayal, possession, and even time-travel. How and by what means would that be explained away?"
"All something that will be covered in due time, I assure you." Mr. Tanaka promised. "After all, there are many possibilities behind those myths, and we can certainly account that they may or may not be historically accurate."
"Isn't it said that one or two of the soldiers in these myths could transform into dragons?" one girl cut in snidely.
"You would be talking about the mythical race of manaketes, yes."
"Then we know for a fact that this is false, if dragons didn't exist."
"... Or it was embellished upon. Remember, class, these are myths surrounding our history, not actual history." Mr. Tanaka briefly shut the remarks down then turned to the board. "Now then, we'll officially begin this week by discussing the Shepherds, also known as Krom's Vigilantes. As the name suggests, the group was comprised of soldiers and heroes that worked exclusively under the direction of Prince Krom of Iris. Now, there are some minor records that may prove that some of these soldiers existed, but in the end, it's hard to decipher what was real, fabricated, or simply embellished upon. We will spend the next few days talking about each soldier individually, which will eventually compile into a final project. Today, however, we will be taking each story one at a time, starting with the one fellow that no one seems to ever remember!"
With a simple flourish of his hand, Mr. Tanaka presented the class with a picture of a knight whom they learned was named Callum. The rest of the lesson proceeded with Mr. Tanaka discussing Callum's basic almost non-existence in mythology and how the only thing he was really remembered for was marrying a headstrong and money-loving merchant. In fact, the marriage certificate of the day was the only thing that ever proved he existed to begin with.
o.0.o.0.o
"Achoo!"
Kellam's sneeze echoed throughout the theatre, rubbing his nose as he heard a startled yelp. With a dull expression on his face, Kellam watched as Demyan tumbled from the rafters, clearly having just woken up.
"Dammit, ow…" Demyan slowly stood, arching his back to stretch and popping a few muscles and joints. "Kellam, you need to say something if you're gonna be lurking around! Next time I won't be so lucky."
"You shouldn't be sleeping on the job, then." Kellam muttered, a little irked that Demyan had failed to notice his presence again. "And by the way, Demyan, you're supposed to be helping me set up for this. Ella's going to be upset."
"Yeah, well, I fell asleep waiting for you." Demyan yawned again as Kellam let out a sigh. He wasn't going to bother mentioning that he had been here since Demyan had. "Besides, I've finished my job hours ago."
Proudly, Demyan unveiled a blood spattered tarp. The point of it, according to Henry, was to have lights start flashing wildly with intense music playing. Between the flashes, stagehands would be moving around the set in order to switch the scene into a bloodstained one. Somehow, however, Kellam wasn't surprised Demyan got such a simple job as throwing fake blood at a tarp.
Demyan let out a low whistle as he looked around the set.
"Man, we did a good job, didn't we?"
"You mean I did. You were sleeping in the rafters the whole time."
"Same difference, so long as it's do-" Demyan was cut off halfway through as a notebook hurled across the theatre like a frisbee and smacked into his temple. His entire body was thrown to the floor as the notebook bounced back, leaving him sprawled on his back.
Finally, he spasmed to life and leapt up.
"What the hell, Ella?! Did you not see me fall from the rafters?! Are you trying to give me a concussion?!"
Ella stomped up the steps to the stage, angrily signing to Demyan, whom was still on the ground. Now, Kellam didn't understand much sign, but between Demyan translating for the crew, his own personal experience, and Donnel often giving a helping hand, Kellam could easily tell that Demyan was being scolded. If he was a cat, Kellam was certain his ears would be folded back in guilt.
Then, he started recognizing his name getting thrown into the mix, along with Ella wildly looking around, the ire clear on her face.
"I'm over here, Ella." Kellam announced. Ella jumped, glanced at him, then smiled, signing again.
"Did you do all this, Kellam? Good job!" Demyan purposely spoke with a higher pitch, as if to mock Ella. Switching his voice back to normal, he stood. "Damn… Between you and Cherche, it's wonder I'm still alive."
"Well, perhaps if you didn't sleep in places that could harm you, you wouldn't be in risk of getting harmed."
Cherche's smile was chilling as she came from the left wing, causing Demyan and Kellam to freeze in place. Even though Kellam wasn't necessarily in the wrong, it didn't make Cherche's threat just hanging there any less terrifying. In truth, Kellam wasn't sure who was scarier, Cherche or Henry… Perhaps Cherche, since Henry likes to joke so much that Kellam was certain he wouldn't actually act on his jokes. But if Cherche makes a threat… Then oh boy, did she mean that threat.
"Besides, I'm sure my dear Minerva would love to have a word with you! She does so enjoy new guests." Cherche folded her hands to her chest as doom seemed to seep over Demyan's form. Her tone was icy, but her smile never dropped. "I think she'd convince you to not sleep much better than Ella or I… After all, it would be terribly difficult to sleep if she's chasing you in your nightmares."
"Yes, yes, I agree!" Ella signed and, for once, Kellam hated that he understood what she had said. He swallowed a lump in his throat as Demyan's eye twitched at Ella's agreement. Certainly, Kellam knew simply by her suppressed giggles, that Ella was joking with Demyan, yanking him by the tail. But Cherche… Cherche wasn't partial to jokes.
"I'm good!" Demyan blurted out quickly. "Fine! Peachy! Say, Ella is there anything else you need me to do to get away from this mad woman?"
Ella beamed and Cherche turned, her smile warm and motherly again.
"I'm so happy we could come to an agreement. And Demyan, volunteering to do work? This might call for a round of cookies!"
Yes, Kellam decided, Cherche was much creepier than Henry, simply because she could switch so fast between threatening and motherly.
Just at the thought drifted through his mind, the doors to the foyer slammed open. There, with a beaming smile on her face and hair in it's signature pony, was Anna, though she looked excessively happy right now. Kellam wondered if she found some good coupons or got a bargain. She always liked to talk to him about her coupon system and even helped him and some of the crew save a little money by teaching them about deals and such.
Anna, though a little eccentric and money hungry, was a good person at heart who tried her hardest to forge success. Especially considering what the previous marketing manager had done to Ella. When that was revealed… Well, Kellam shuddered to think what would've happened had Demyan or Cherche actually managed to get their hands on him.
"Guys, guys, guys!" Anna didn't even bother to go for the steps, instead vaulting herself up on the stage. Kellam reached out a hand to fully yank her up, and she smiled at him appreciatively. Another thing he liked about Anna; she always seemed to recognize that he was there without him having to announce it. "You won't believe it, I've just gotten us a huge, and I mean HUGE, opportunity!"
"Is everything okay?" Demyan translated for Ella. "What's going on? What opportunity?"
"So you know how this town is filled with successful, rich people, right? And those successful, rich people have kids who need to go to school, right?"
"Yeah, so?" Demyan asked.
"Well, I did some digging," Anna closed her eyes with a victorious look on her face, finger to her cheek as if she had just one-upped everyone. "And I found out that Shield of Flames University is having a career festival to teach their students about possible internships. So I, being the best marketing manager in the world, went and secured us a spot. Oh, and by the way, there's gonna be students from the Iris Academy there as well. Just some food for thought."
A pin could've dropped in the room as they all processed this. Kellam knew about Shield of Flames and Iris Academy. Both are extremely prestigious and well-known schools known for pumping out successful students from very influential families. In simple terms, the students slogan could be Our parents are super rich and we're destined to be as well.
"It was a long shot, considering this place's reputation, but I went in and I told them everything about everyone. I told them about our actors, about our directors, our stage hands, I even mentioned that Cherche could take on some apprentices in the costume design department. They were even interested in you, Ella. They said that a lot of their education students don't actually have a lot of experience working with people who are simply mute. They threw some statistic at me, did you know you're a part of less than one percent of the population, Ella?"
Anna shrugged her shoulders as if her actions were really no big deal at all, speaking smugly as she continued.
"They said something along the lines of us being at the festival a "considerable and interesting opportunity for young workers across multiple departments". From an advertiser standpoint, this is perfect. Us getting involved in the community and getting people excited will entice people to want to support us. In other terms, Ella, I hit the nail on the head!"
Kellam glanced back at Ella, who had tears forming around the corner of her eyes, though her big, goofy smile hadn't faded at all. Demyan let out a chuckle.
"Not like you to be so quiet, Ella."
Ella ignored him, running across the stage and tackling Anna into a huge hug. Giving her a huge kiss on the cheek, Ella practically was throttling the woman with her hug.
"Okay, okay, I get it, you're welcome!" Anna exclaimed, pushing Ella back with a small grin. "So we know Ella's on board, but what about everyone else? Are you ready to get this place filled to the brim every night?!"
The roar of cheers from the small group was answer enough. Ella looked like she was about to cry again, but quickly scrubbed the tears away and took charge.
"I'm going to go get Donny. Everyone sit here and discuss then fill us in on what's going on later. Oh, Demyan!"
Demyan faltered slightly in his translation when Ella signed his name. She continued to sign then leapt off the stage, practically sprinting with her keys in hand.
"What did she want?" Kellam asked, causing everyone on stage to flinch but Anna.
"She wanted me to get Olivia, Henry, and Virion here ASAP so we can go to the diner to celebrate and discuss. She wants them in on this as well."
"Well of course!" Anna exclaimed as if it were obvious. "They're our stars, and Henry will definitely attract attention!"
"Hopefully the right kind of attention." Demyan sighed, pulling out his phone. "I'm gonna head to the office to get their contact info."
"You do that, I'll go get a table at Gregor's." Cherche offered, going down the steps of the stage and striding across the theatre.
"This is going to be great, Kellam." Anna whispered under her breath, her voice renewed with hope. "I'm going to save this place if it kills me."
Anna caught his eye and smiled brightly at him. Kellam's heart warmed at the idea of this place being saved.
"I know that you will." Kellam responded. "Tell me what to do to help."
o.0.o.0.o
"Order up!" Gaius yelled, slamming his hand onto the bell in order to grab the attention of the waitresses. Immediately, Cordelia came to grab the order, taking it away with the grace and balance that she was practically known for here.
Truth be told, the pre-dinner rush was a little slow tonight. Even though it was barely three thirty, Gaius was used to all the afternoon college kids getting out of classes and coming in for a meal. It was pretty slow right now, but even still, it didn't mean that it wasn't going to heat up later.
Unwrapping a piece of chocolate, he stuck it between his teeth. If things were slow, then it meant he could get more candy in before they were slammed and he was going into diabetic shock from lack of sugar by the end of it all.
Gregor strode past the window, practically skipping, humming to himself.
"Oh, hell…" Gaius cursed under his breath. Gregor humming was never a good thing when the restaurant was almost empty. After all, Gregor liked to make money and liked to be surrounded by people. When neither were happening and he was still humming, it meant that he was in trouble.
Because the last time that Gregor hummed like that, Gaius had to make a birthday cake for Nowi. A five tier, four layered, dragon themed birthday cake to celebrate her officially becoming a teenager when she turned thirteen. Of course, Gaius had gotten a five month supply of his favorite lollipops out of it, so he didn't complain...much. It only took him many sleepless nights to get that crystalized sugar dragon just right.
"Alright, fess up," Gaius said, resting his head on his hands as Gregor passed again. "What are you about to spring on me?"
"What?" Gregor asked, looking affronted, though his gleeful smile gave away his true emotions. "Gregor cannot be happy just cause?"
"You can be happy, old man, you always are, but you aren't usually humming like that." Gaius stated, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What is it? Fess up."
"Gregor give, Gaius got good eye." Gregor sighed, though his smile didn't diminish one bit. "Gregor happy cause Gregor's Diner got spot at Shield of Flames Career Festival."
"Really?!" Nowi cried as she ran towards her foster father, excitedly grabbing his hand in her own. "You'll be there?!"
"Yes, wee Nowi will be there too, yes?" Gregor smiled, ruffling her hair.
"Yes, yes! At first it was only to get out of school, but now I know my family is going to be there!"
"Oi, Nowi!" Gregor's tone took on a scolding tone as Nowi spun in a circle. "No shirking on your studies!"
"I'm not shirking!" Nowi laughed as she spun in a big circle, hands going up in a cheer. "But now I can't wait!
"Can't wait for what?" Cherche asked as she walked in the diner and made her way to where they stood.
"The old man got us a spot at that uni's career fair." Gaius answered her question with a sigh. "And, let me guess, I have to make a bunch of food to show off and to give away as free samples. Should I prepare a speech about how wonderful it is to work here?"
"Would be helpful." Gregor smiled pleadingly. "Big opportunity to bring in customers and more workers. Hopefully give Sumia break."
"As if expressing how much you like it here is difficult," Nowi rolled her eyes, reaching over the divide between the kitchen and the dining room and poking his nose. "You love this place and everyone knows it."
"You better sweeten the deal real good this time, old man." Gaius shook his head with a sigh before he muttered to himself. "The things I do for you…"
"You're family too, Gaius, that's why Gregor's always asking you to help." Nowi insisted, turning to her foster father for support. "He knows he can rely on you to do a good job. Right, Gregor?"
"Very right!" Gregor affirmed. "Gaius is like son to Gregor and always does best when Gregor needs him most. Very reliable boy!"
"Yeah, okay." Gaius snorted. He shook his head and crossed his arms, but couldn't get the smile off his face. If 'fondly exasperated' was an emotion, Gaius was certain he was feeling it right now. "But don't think you're getting outta compensation, old man. I don't do work for free."
"Yes, only work for money or sweet treat, Gregor understands."
"The theatre is going to be there to." Cherche cut in, a calm smile on her face. "I don't know how, but Anna got us a position there."
Gregor immediately walked around the counter and lifted Cherche into a bear hug.
"This great news for Ella!" Gregor exclaimed, practically swinging Cherche around. "Great, wonderful news! Ella happy, yes?"
"Yes, she was, she almost cried." Cherche laughed. "Put me down, please? I came over to give you fair warning; we've got nine people coming for dinner, we're going to discuss how to take this opportunity and make it work for the best of the theatre."
"Oh, but we must celebrate, yes?" Gregor asked, placing Cherche back on her feet with a big grin. "Very big opportunity and chance! Gregor will celebrate with you, dinner on Gregor!"
"You're too generous." Cherche laughed, patting his arm. "But don't worry, as long as you don't tell Ella. I'll slip the money back to Donny and he'll get it back to his sister."
"Yaaaaay, a party!" Nowi cheered. "This is so great! I'll come and visit and drag my classmates along! Also, also, I'll get our frequent college customers to come and pay you a visit! Your booth will be hopping in no time!"
"Oi, who do you work for, Nowi?"
"I'm not getting paid so it doesn't matter!" Nowi sang out as she threw her hands in the air to excitedly greet some customers coming in.
"Geez, I think maple syrup might be less sappy than you." Gaius sighed, shooing them away. "Gregor, take your date and move it, I can't serve food if you're in the way of my counter!"
"Pay Gaius no mind, Cherche, Gaius simply jealous of Gregor's pretty lady friend while he all alone."
"Haha, very funny." Gaius rolled his eyes as the printer printed another receipt for him to cook.
A smiled played at his lips as he began to make a batch of pancakes. There was never a boring day here, at least, and he'd take it over the life he'd previously been living any day. Besides, he owed Gregor a lot and, no matter how much of a fight he'd put up, he'd help the old man out any way he could...as long as he was compensated, of course.
"Gaius!" he heard Gregor's voice boom over the sound of excited chattering. Gaius already knew that it was the theatre crew, celebrating and "discussing" their new opportunity. "Gregor want milkshakes for all Cherche's friends, yes?"
"Gotcha covered, old man!"
o.0.o.0.o
"The Taguel, eh?"
Emmeryn's hands were folded neatly as she nodded resolutely to Gangrel. He stroked his chin in thought, leaning back in his chair as he contemplated her question.
"Information brokers and blackmailers they may be, they've always been loyal to the crown and have been extremely helpful in uniting our nations, what with all their abundant knowledge." Emmeryn spoke. "They always kept in frequent touch with me, but I haven't heard from them in over two weeks, President Saxe. Have you heard anything from them?"
"No." Gangrel shook his head, causing Emmeryn's heart to sink.
Though there was currently peace between Plegia and Ylisse, Emmeryn did not typically reach out to Gangrel in order to ask about the Taguel specifically. The spies were often unspoken heroes that no one ever openly discussed, less it jeopardize their information gathering. Their system was so intricately complex that Emmeryn honestly didn't and couldn't tell who was or wasn't a taguel. They've managed to integrate themselves into society when needed, only to gather back together in order to discuss what they've learned.
"Although…" Gangrel trailed off thoughtfully. "I will say that, on our borders, there was a massive explosion. I would know, because the fires that came from that explosion nearly destroyed any crops we did manage to grow over there. It could've ruined Plegia. We still lost a significant amount, but anything that was there was completely obliterated. We don't know what was blown up, but I still have fire marshal's investigating."
"Ga-" Emmeryn swallowed her near slipup and continued. "Elected Leader Saxe, you don't believe that the Taguel…?"
"Like I said, I'm not sure." Gangrel drummed his hands on the counter. "I got a message roughly three weeks ago saying that they were going to have one of their meetings "soon" and not to contact them within the next week."
"I also received that message." Emmeryn spoke.
"Then, by the end of that week, there was the explosion."
"You don't think…"
"I'm not sure, but the timing sure is convenient." Gangrel let out another sigh, rubbing his temple. "Not having them sure has been a pain. Once the investigation is complete, I'll forward the information to you. Is that fair?"
"Extremely. Thank you." Emmeryn nodded once, bidding farewell to the elected leader before hanging up the video call.
"It seems not even Plegia knows what became of the taguel." Frederick muttered under his breath as he stood guard at the door. Phila stood just as strongly beside him, brow furrowed in worry.
"You don't think someone found out about that flashdrive, do you?" Phila asked.
"It can be the only case, I fear." Emmeryn's tone was somber as she bowed her head. "The Taguel may be dead… And the information they had is either lost or in the wrong hands completely."
"When did you last get an update on the flashdrive?"
"Shortly before that bombing, if it did take place later in the week." Emmeryn spoke. "Thursday, I believe. It was near completed and they were going to send me the location where it was to be delivered to, specifically to the two of you."
Emmeryn's gaze trailed out the window, nervously wringing her hands.
"I was hoping beyond hope that Elected Leader Saxe would have heard from them. Given my father's papers when I took the throne, this threat is nothing more than a rumor, but it is still there…"
"With all due respect, milady, we don't even know if the Taguel's base was bombed." Frederick tried to establish the benefit of doubt. "If there was such a terrible bombing so close to our border, why haven't we heard about it?"
"Because the threat the Taguel was gathering information on is trying to cover their tracks." Emmeryn spoke grimly. "They're trying to hide it from us."
"But make it obvious to Plegia? Possibly the rest of the world?" Phila shook her head. "I don't understand."
"Neither do I." Emmeryn whispered under her breath. "If what Gangrel and my father mentioned is true, then I grow more and more worried of this threat, Frederick, Phila. And I fear that it will be too much for us to handle, for Ylisse to handle, alone."
Emmeryn rubbed her temple in silent contemplation. In truth, when she took the crown at the ripe age of eighteen, she knew that she had to mend bonds with Plegia. Their countries always had a tumultuous relationship, riddled with wars, hate crimes on either side, and even religious persecution and public beatings at one point. Her father had not been one to help, purposely vilifying Plegians to such an extent that the stories still scarred many young people today. At that point in time, there was an unsteady "peace" among them where neither would dare to bother the other. But something in her heart, like a yearning, aching, screaming pain, begged her to mend ties, or something terrible was bound to happen.
Perhaps it was simply anxiety because of how militarized their country was? She wasn't sure. But regardless, she started to desperately get in contact with the leaders there in order to make peace. However, the then advisors running the country as a new leader was elected would only laugh at her attempts, wanting nothing to do with a 'Prom Queen'. They had underestimated her due to her age, unfortunately. It took a long two years before she finally managed to actually contact Gangrel, whom was surprisingly open to peace.
In truth, she had later found out, he was open to anything that would help lost and wayward Plegians.
But to get this truth… The truth on that very special flashdrive, Emmeryn fought for that peace. Gangrel, to an extent, understood the importance of that flashdrive as well. Especially considering that this threat was rampant in his country and he was trying desperately, and discreetly, to stamp it out without alarming his citizens.
"Emm?" the muffled voice of her sister came with a resounding knock to her office door. Phila and Frederick glanced at each other as Emmeryn hurriedly turned off her computer monitor detailing what was going on. She glanced at Frederick and Phila, both silently asking if they should send her away. "Emm, is this a bad time?"
"No, not at all!" she called out as Phila opened the door. Lissa smiled at her.
"Dr. Shore!" Lissa grinned. "Man, it feels like it's been forever! Catching up with my sister?"
"Yes, Miss Lissa. How is school? Are you coping with the stress all right?"
"Oh, fine. My biggest stressors so far have been Chrom's driving and Frederick's smothering. I'm thinking about riding the bus there at this point!"
"Absolutely not, that is entirely unbefitting." Frederick openly lectured.
"You said the same thing about going to school and look where I am now!" Lissa grinned victoriously.
"You had something you wanted to ask me, Lissa?" Emmeryn cut in, smiling gently.
"Oh yeah! So you remember Donnel Tinhead, right?"
"The charity student I chose, yes." Emmeryn smiled fondly, recalling his letter. "He's a remarkable young man, and his love for his family and home was astounding in his letter. How is he?"
"Well… Not as great as he could be." Lissa's expression took on a flash of hurt. "See, there's this old theatre, Feroxi Theatre, that his sister owns and it's… Well, both her and the theatre fell on rough times. And he told me about this and then I thought, hey, I'm a princess! So I can totally find a way to fund this place because it's doing really, really badly right now. Like, if the next show doesn't succeed then they'll have to close and move away badly. So can we help support them? Please?"
"Miss Lissa…" Phila trailed off, shocked as the princess's request.
"Miss, did this young man put you up to such a stunt?" Frederick's voice was dangerously low. "Did he find out about your status and is blackmailing you?"
"No way!"
"Absolutely not!"
The expressions came from the sisters at the same time, Lissa's gaze filled with fury while Emmeryn was giving Frederick a stern look.
"Donny is great! He never asked for help or ever told me any of his problems until I stuck my nose in and he just unloaded this all on me! I feel bad for him, Frederick! His sister works her butt off every single day and it may just shut her down in the end! Not to mention she's always smiling and doing her best to hide it from her brother because she doesn't want to worry him!"
"Even still, Miss," Phila cut in, taking on a gentler tone than Frederick, hoping to ease Lissa's emotions. "As nobility, you can't just hand out money because you feel bad for someone."
"But why not?! If citizens need help, then we should be able to help them, shouldn't we?"
"Lissa, I understand your frustration." Emmeryn cut in gently. "But by doing what you are suggesting… It's not fair to the other citizens. They would also want me to save their failing businesses when, at its core, there's fault in the owner for why the business if failing."
"That's not true! Are you blaming Ella?!"
"I'm not, Lissa, please try to understand, you're putting me in a difficult situation right now." Emmeryn pleaded with her younger sister. "Donnel is already a charity student on my behalf, and many people were not happy about that, Lissa."
"So you're refusing to help because of what a bunch of people might say?"
"Lissa," Frederick's voice boomed. "Have you perhaps considered your friend in all of this? What about your sister? Your brother? I'm not a fool, I've seen how people have been treating him for his status in the Academy. What do you think they will do to his sister if they find out that the same Queen who funded his schooling is funding her theatre? They'll think they have something over her, that she rigged the contest in their favor. It will call to question the very image of your sister, Miss Lissa, whom was assumed irresponsible and irrational due to how young she was when she was given the title of Exalted Queen. If enough shame and distrust is mounted against Lady Emmeryn, then it opens a leeway of problems that we will somehow have to figure out how to deal with. And God forbid something happened to your sister that forced her to step down or worse. Her presence is the only thing keeping us in good standing with Plegia. Chrom, of course, would be next in line. Any dreams he may or may not have would be turned to dust. And as we all know, he is much to impulsive to delicately handle this alliance. Would you be so willing to risk that? Risk Chrom's youth and force him to give it all up for the sake of this charity student's sister?"
There was dead silence when Frederick finished. Lissa was staring at her shoes before slowly meeting Emmeryn's eyes with a watery gaze. Emmeryn bit her lip, then turned her head away, wringing her hands under the desk.
There was a loud sniffle, then Lissa ran out of the room. However, her leaving did not lift the tension in the air.
"That was too harsh, Frederick." Emmeryn muttered to herself. "You didn't have to make it out like her asking for help was going to completely destroy her siblings lives."
"Was what I said untrue?"
"It would be the worst possible scenario, true, but you may have exaggerated a bit." Phila chimed in. "But even still… I agree with Frederick, Your Majesty. If the business is failing, Miss Lissa shouldn't expect us to bail them out over and over again. It would look bad on our part."
"I know." Emmeryn murmured under her breath. "Just… Give me a moment, will you? I need to collect myself, then I'll go and speak to Lissa. We will continue our discussion about the Taguel's tomorrow."
"As you wish, milady." Frederick bowed politely, then left the room. Phila lingered, gaze worried as she hovered.
"Are you alright, Emmeryn?" she asked, dropping the formalities.
"I'm fine. Just tired and a little sad." Emmeryn met Phila's gaze with a weak smile. "I always did hate seeing them cry."
"If you're certain…" Phila trailed off with a sigh. "Just call me if you're not feeling well."
With that, she shut the door, closing it softly behind her. Emmeryn waited for a few moments for her footsteps to fade, then began to research this Feroxi Theatre. Surprisingly, it was on all manners of social media, accompanied with pictures of the cast, crew, and the owner. On the theatre website was information about the upcoming theatrical release, directed by Henry Crowe.
"Henry Crowe…" Emmeryn murmured, wracking her brain for where she had heard the name before, glancing over the brief description of him on the website. "A Plegian playwright and director, known for his mystery and horror-themed productions…"
Leaning back in her chair for a moment, she contemplated, listening for movement outside her door. Then, she opened another tab.
"Exalted Queen Emm-"
"It's okay, Frederick and Phila are gone. I'm alone."
"Ah, your Excellency," Gangrel's tone was sarcastic, teasing, not at all as formal as it was earlier when the spoke. "Calling back so soon? How honored am I!"
He barked out a laugh, clearly more relaxed.
"Gangrel, I have a question." Emmeryn spoke once he was finished.
"Well, shoot. But make it quick, I don't have all day."
"Have you ever heard of the director 'Henry Crowe'?"
o.0.o.0.o
Donnel heard the sounds of a mellow, resonant of some form of flute began to echo throughout his hometown like they did every evening, interrupting his revere about his wishes and hopes for his life. He knew it was a wind instrument of some sort, but was unsure what it was, exactly. His grandmother, whom was very interested in music before old age caught up to her, stated the instrument was a 'wind-vessel' instrument called the ocarina.
"Oc-a-ri-na." he muttered the syllables under his breath, frowning slightly. He liked the word 'flute' better. It rolled easily off his tongue.
"Deni!" his mother yelled from the house. "Go fetch Elsa! The girl's gotta learn to stop staying out so late. Dire times, these are, especially for pretty young women."
"Yeah, Ma!" he exclaimed, standing up, the tin pot on his head falling over his eyes slightly before he adjusted it slightly. He grabbed his hastily made spear, simply a long stick with a bronze spearhead tied to the tip and gauze wrapped around some parts to avoid splinters, and jogged to the forest that surrounded his island town, looking for the girl.
"Heya! Elsa! Ma wants us to be gittin' home!" he exclaimed. There was a slight rustling, and he grinned. Elsa must've been climbing up in the trees again…
"Found ya, ya whelp!" a rather large man exclaimed as he ran out of the bushes, axe raised. Donnel stood shellshocked for a moment before he swiftly dodged out of the way of the axe out of sheer terror. Something slammed down on the head of the ruffian, causing him to lose his bearings for a moment to deal with pain resonating throughout his skull.
"E-Elsa!" Donnel exclaimed as the young woman who looked to be around seventeen years old hopped out from behind the bandit. "Elsa, what're ya doin'?!"
The girl turned back to the bandit, who was slowly regaining his bearings. Quickly, she grabbed his hand, turning it palm up and scribbling out some words on it with her finger. He took a breath, trying to focus on the words she was writing, silently wishing his friend was not mute.
"We're being attacked by bandits! I'll explain the clothes later, but we need to get your mother and escape!" with that, the young woman gripped his hand tighter, and bolted towards the town. At this, the acrid smell of smoke hit his senses like a wave. His eyes watered and his lungs burned, but horror dropped into his stomach like an iron ball.
His town was on fire. His friends, his comrades, his mother was screaming and running in terror. He saw bandits trying to corral them into a single area, one bandit ordering the others around.
"Haul all of 'em off to the slave camp! Every good man and woman is worth a pretty bit of gold! The man who finds the traitor and brings her to me gets a quarter of all the earnings!" a loud cheer erupted, and Donnel cast a glance at Ella as she edged them towards the open doors and lowered bridge.
"Elsa, are you-?!" he asked in a panic as he saw the girl's eyes flicker from determination to fear.
"There she is!" someone yelled. Ella snapped her head up, seeing a group of bandits jump to chase them. An angry hum echoed at the back of Ella's throat and she bolted towards the bridge.
"Someone raise the bridge!" someone shouted when they were halfway across.
"We ain't gonna make it!" Donnel exclaimed as Ella got to the edge, it practically halfway off the ground. Ella took a deep breath, wrapped an arm around Denis' waist, then taking a flying leap off the edge. Much to the surprise to Donnel, they landed safely on the sandy beaches that connected to the land. Donnel let out a sigh of relief, clutching his silly little lance tightly.
"Think you can escape from me, ya little whelps?" a deep, gravelly voice asked. Donnel turned as Ella glanced at the bandit she smacked over the head with a branch. He rose from the water, holding his axe up menacingly. "Now then, you stupid kid, I'll chop you up and we'll feed ya to the fish!"
At this, Ella stood, glaring menacingly. Donnel wasn't sure whether or not be entranced or terrified as she raised her arms, bow now in hand, and shot.
o.0.o.0.o
Donnel shot up in bed with a gasp, a cold sweat clinging to his entire body as the dream flooded back to his memory. He glanced around his room, eyes barely adjusting to the dark as he struggled to figure out what happened. When did he fall asleep?
"Was only a dream…" he muttered to himself, staring at his still shivering hands. "Was only a dream…"
He fell back on his pillow with a low groan. He was never one for having very lucid, vivid dreams, but good god that felt real. He almost had half a mind to call his Ma and creep up to his sister's room to make sure both were okay. However, he wasn't willing to face the tongue lashing from his mother or the actual lashing from Demyan if he got caught.
Maybe his head was all jumbled because of stress and he was dreaming of bandits and such because of the history lesson today? He had no clue. Why the heck was Ella called Elsa? And himself… Ella called him Denis.
"Stupid dreamin'..." Donnel muttered, rolling over and trying to get comfortable. It was a little past midnight and he still had to get his butt in gear so he could go to school tomorrow. As his eyes drifted shut, slowly easing back to sleep, his cell phone on his nightstand vibrated, shocking him.
Floundering in his sheets and blankets, he rolled over and made a blind grab for the noisy contraception, finally managing answer the phone.
"'ello?!" he nearly shouted, so wound up that he nearly missed the call.
"Whoa, you sound awake!"
Donnel's brain misfired for a moment as he tried to connect two and two together.
"Lissa?" he asked. "Lissa… What are ya...? How'd ya even get my number?"
"Your sister! She was so open about it to, I'm really glad I asked."
Donnel internally groaned as he laid back down. He knew Ella would've recognized Lissa since Lissa literally made it evident that she considered them friends, but he didn't expect Ella to get all slap-happy with giving his number away. He'd have to discuss that with her at some point, though he's certain she'll just play innocent…
"Donny?" Lissa's voice held some concern. "Oh good grief, I did wake you up, didn't I? I'm so sorry, I was just thinking about how I could help you and your sis all day and night and then I waited to late to call you…! This was all such a dumb idea and I just wanted to help-"
"Naw, ya didn't wake me." Donnel shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "I was jes' thinkin' is all. Yer call surprised the heck outta me. Is everything alright? Do ya need something?"
"Nope! I just came up with a genius idea to save your sister's theatre."
That got Donnel at full attention. He bolted upright, listening intently.
"Donny, have you ever considered looking for work?"
"Well, 'course!" Donnel exclaimed. "Thing is, I've tried before and ain't no one hirin' unless you've got a good reputation. And all the fast food joints are lookin' for workers in the day so I can't go to school."
"Well, my brothers university is having a career day, you know? It's a big festival, and they're inviting Iris Academy to come and look around. I know it's meant to get you thinking about your future, but-"
"I might be able to get a job there." Donnel whispered.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"My sister, the theatre got a spot there!" Donnel whisper shouted into the phone. "They… They plannin' on gettin' help from the students an'- an' advertisin' and such!"
"Exactly my train of thought!" Lissa grinned. "I know this is a change of pace for you, but not everyone is bad here. I'm sure someone will want to hire you. You're honest and hardworking and passionate and you've got a good heart! My sister always told me that fortune favors the good, and I know you and your sis are in for some good luck!"
"Um, uh… Y-Yeah…" Donnel felt his cheeks go red from the sudden rush of compliments. "Ya really think so, Lissa?"
"I know so!" Lissa encouraged him.
"Alright, then! But, one condition though."
"Yeah?"
"Let's bring Nowi with us."
"Nowi?"
"Yeah. Her Pop's got a place there to so she'll definitely be there." Donnel explained. "She's a barrel 'o laughs, as long as I've known 'er, so maybe she can help too."
"Sure!" Lissa agreed easily. "The more the merrier! Ooooh, this is so exciting! I can't wait!"
"Hey, if ya keep chattering 'bout being excited, you ain't never gonna get ta sleep." Donnel laughed, suddenly feeling quite a bit more optimistic. "I'll see ya tomorrow, 'kay?"
"Gotcha!" Donnel could practically see her smile. "This is going to work out for you, Donny, I promise!"
"Thank ya kindly, Lissa." he smiled warmly. "G'night."
"Night, night! Sweet dreams!"
Donnel hung up the phone, then eased back down onto his pillows. In truth, he was actually glad that Lissa had called when she did. Her upbeat and straightforward personality was a nice change to the nightmare he just had. Thinking about the idea to help the theatre with Lissa lulled him into a comfortable sense of security.
He didn't have anymore dreams that night.
o.0.o.0.o
Everyone! It has been way, way, WAY too long since we've updated, but we did it! We updated! And cranked it all out in four days to boot, a new record! And VAU is now over a year old too! And, hey, this chapter is long then last, right? Right?
In any case, sorry about the long wait everyone! We actually planned this chapter out back in February (and what we originally planned is only partially here cause certain characters wanted to get the spotlight) and then we cranked it all out in, that's right, four days. I'm ridiculously proud of us, especially Amy cause she revised and perfected the outline I gave her at a remarkable speed!
Now, onto other things! No new reviews, but thanks to all 12 followers, 8 favorites and 1,050 readers! I hope you guys enjoyed this beast of a chapter, it has a LOT of plot point I enjoy popping up (can you guess? Plenty of hints to be found...)
Oh! Before I forget, just like most characters in this story, Mr. Tanaka is also a FE character (and probably a bit easier to guess than the previous ones), so have fun with that!
I won't say any more, cause I want to keep the surprise this story holds a little longer, so I hope you all enjoyed! Leave a review to let us know what you think and we'll see you (hopefully) soon! Bye for now!