"I thought it was heroic."
"A disaster!"
"Admirable."
"An embarrassment to the entire company!"
"Quite a feat."
"Pathetic."
Taking the pegasus knight's hand in his, Robin gently patted the top of her hand. "There are worse things you can do than decimate a line of Risen."
"I tripped over my own two feet and crashed into them." Frowning, Sumia was on the verge of tears, half from frustration and half from embarrassment.
"You also managed to run several through with your spear." But seeing the look on her face, the tactician realized that he wasn't helping the situation.
"It was an accident. I wasn't even aiming for it, I oh." Her face crumbled, and a few hot tears trailed from her eyes, her lips pursing to try to keep from crying.
Running a thumb over her face, Robin swiped the tears from her cheeks. "You're doing an incredible job, no matter what you think. It was one slip up, and no one got hurt."
"But what if they did! Because of me, it could have been anyone that got hurt if I-" She rubbed her palms on her eyes, stemming the flow of tears but leaving behind blotchy red cheeks in their wake.
"It's my job to worry about that, so just keep doing what you're doing. It's rare that it happens on the field, so you don't need to focus so much on that. You're always incredible. Calm, collected, on top of things." He rubbed the back of his head as he spoke. "But maybe we should keep you on your pegasus next time. I just thought that we might try having you on the ground for once. But obviously, we need you where you're at your best. It was my mistake for switching you out without much notice."
Searching the tactician's face for a hint of a lie, Sumia could see that he was being sincere, and the thought that he trusted her enough to try expanding her role on the field was enough to draw the slightest smile. But she had to agree, she belonged on a pegasus, soaring above the field. She gave a nod at what he had to say and sighed in relief.
With that settled, Robin gave a curt nod of his own. But he felt odd leaving her as is, and gave her arm a final reassuring pat before clearing his throat. "I. You fight good." Biting his cheek, he decided it was high time to leave, and promptly turned tail.
Sumia watched the tactician retreat, a mild look of amusement playing over her face. At times it was difficult to tell who really was the clumsier of the two.
AN: warrior of six blades: I'm always in need of themes! Usually I sit down and grind out a chapter on the spot, so suggestions are always gratefully received!
ajani's apprentice: I'll definitely take it into consideration! Interactions between the Awakening and Fates characters would be interesting to do.