Chapter 4

Remnant

Robin had wiped away the last of the tears when there was a knock on the door. She called out a quick, "Come in," revealing Chamomile wheeling in a cart with food.

"I trust that Ferrum didn't go too hard on you?" the doctor asked as she pushed the cart to Robin's side.

Robin shook her head. "No, he was quite reasonable really." As Chamomile moved over to Robin's left, Robin asked, "So I assume you weren't just talking about 'pills' with Ferrum."

For her part Chamomile had the courtesy to look sheepish as washed her hands with some sort of tissue cloth. "Heh, sorry about that. I hope you don't hold it against us, we're usually quite accomodating."

"No no, it's fine. I can understand the suspicion; I'd do the same in your position." Only Chrom would trust a stranger he found on the ground implicitly. It was one of the traits that Robin admired about him, and one of the traits that allowed the Shepherds to be as great as they were.

"Hold on, I'm removing your IV." Chamomile pulled out the tube connected to Robin's arm, quickly applying a bandage. The doctor then pressed a button on the device, and with a click the beeping stopped and the lights shut off. She pushed the stand with the blood bag away and grabbed another of the cloths, removing the clip on Robin's finger as she did so.. "Here, wipe your hand with this. It's a disinfectant."

Robin wasn't quite sure what a "disinfectant" was, but she obliged. The cloth was wet with something that didn't seem like water; it was more…would sticky be the correct term? In addition it dried quickly, leaving her skin feeling dry. Chamomile took the cloth back and tossed it into a trash bin, making Robin raise an eyebrow. A bit wasteful if you ask me.

As she lifted the tray of food, Chamomile said, "Well as an apology, here's some a delicious three-course meal prepared by yours truly. Eat up, your body's going to need it."

Indeed it seemed like a meal fit for kings, impressive considering she traveled with six members of the Ylissean royal family, the two khans of Regna Ferox, the princess of Chon'sin, and the Voice of Naga herself.

The appetizer consisted of a circular arrangement of fifteen toothpicks skewering a tiny tomato, some basil leaves, and a cube of cheese each. Next to it was the main entree: a plate full of the most delicious-looking lasagna that Robin had ever seen. Golden-white layers of pasta and cheese sandwiched delectable-looking ground meat coated with savory red tomato sauce. On top, the perfectly-baked cheese covering was sprinkled with assorted dark green seasonings that combined to create a scrumptious-looking feast. A small pile of plump garlic-covered breadsticks laid in a bowl to the side accompanied by a pitcher full of refreshing iced water.

Wow she was hungry.

"I…thank you Chamomile, but when you said you were cooking lunch I didn't expect anything like this." Robin reluctantly tore her eyes away from the mouth-watering sight to look at Chamomile, who wore a knowing smile as she poured water into two cups.

"It's nothing, really. Really I just wanted an excuse to go all out with cooking." She pulled up one of the chairs to sit in. "Trust me, I know how it is after getting badly hurt." Robin noted Chamomile's hand absently rubbing her side. "Now dig in before I force feed you."

Robin complied happily, stripping the appetizers down to their toothpicks in seconds. Grabbing the fork, she tore into the defenseless lasagna, making great headway despite only having use of one arm. She was pretty sure Maribelle would faint if she saw her now.

Glancing up, Robin noticed Chamomile's bemused expression as she pulled out a book from her coat. With a full mouth, she said, "Oh! That remindsh me."

Gulping down her food, Robin continued. "You promised you'd continue your tale about Endurance."

Chamomile placed the book in her lap, a playful glint in her eye. "Did I? I only recall saying we'd continue at a later time."

"Now's a later time." Robin retorted as she shoved a breadstick into her mouth.

"Now's 'eatin' time', as Ferrum would say."

Oh she's playing that game is she? "Well then, how about I propose a deal." Robin popped another bite of lasagna into her mouth. "I tell you about myself, and you tell me about whatever I want." Man this lasagna's good.

"Really now? That seems a tad unfair don't you think?"

"It totally is fair!" Robin punctuated her declaration by jabbing her fork at the doctor. "How often do you get to learn about someone from another world?"

Chamomile's eyebrows rose. "You…you aren't serious are you?"

Robin paused while biting a breadstick. "Wait, you mean Ferrum didn't tell you? I'd have thought he'd inform you that I'm not of this world if nothing else."

Chamomile shook her head. "No, no. When I asked all he said was that 'it was a good story' and that you'd tell us on your own time. I had my guesses but I admit 'traveler from another world' was pretty down there."

Robin finished off her breadstick. "Sho yu' jusht akshept tha' a' fashe value?"

The doctor sighed. "Well I do have some doubts. Still, it does explain some of your ignorance, and if Ferrum believes you, then I don't see any harm in a little bit of faith."

"You must trust Ferrum a lot then," Robin noted.

Chamomile chuckled. "Heh, yeah I do. Everyone here does."

"So it's a deal?"

"I don't see why not. I've nothing else to do anyway." Chamomile eyed the battered meal on Robin's lap. "I guess I should go first. Wouldn't do well to have lasagna fly everywhere."

"Wha' ah yu' talkin' 'bout," Robin said with a mouth full of pasta.

The two shared a chuckle at that.

"Well then," Chamomile started. "Where do you want me to begin?"

"Well since they're apparently so prevalent in this world, perhaps you could explain Aura and the Grimm?"

"Hoo boy, delving into the deep topics are we? I'm afraid I'm the last one you could ask about those things. Still, I'll try to answer the best I can.

"I've told you the basics of Aura, how it can protect, heal, and boost one's physical strength. This is all well and good, but against the Grimm simply swinging a sword harder isn't going to get you far, not against the bigger ones. There's one more important aspect of Aura. Semblances.

"From what I've heard, Semblances are more direct applications of one's Aura. Each and every Semblance is unique, just like the person who wields them. I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but Ferrum says that everyone's Semblance reflects upon their character in some way."

That certainly explained a lot about the capabilities of her rescuers. Perhaps it wasn't the weapons that were magical but their wielders instead. And if everyone had a unique ability, then that meant that planning for fighting human opponents was going to be a lot harder.

Robin wasn't naive enough to think that she wouldn't eventually fight other people. Chamomile's throwaway line about "downtown Vale" was more than enough proof of that. Hell, her first real experience of Ylisse, a peaceful country, was a band of brigands ransacking a town.

With how varied Semblances were implied to be, this meant that every new foe fought brought something new. In her world, for the most part you could tell what you were going up against whether or not they were a swordsman, pegasus knight, archer, or mage. Even with the Shepherds, made of some of the most unique people Robin had ever met, were exemplary only because of their great skill and Robin's tactical guidance, not some special power.

In this world, however, each person had their own potentially game-changing abilities. A tactical plan could be thrown out the moment someone enters the fray. With how varied Semblances were implied to be, planning based on what the enemy's forces consisted of was much, much more difficult.

A challenge Robin accepted with gusto.

"Not everyone who has an Aura has found what their Semblance is, and apparently it's rather rare to have one. But it allows some pretty extraordinary things."

"So is that the reason why Ferrum was able to stop a tree thrown at him?" Robin asked.

"Ah-" Chamomile started. "Yes it is. You'll have to ask the man himself, but I believe his Semblance boosts the armor of the things he wears. Something like that.

"Now, this brings me to the second reason we are able to push back the Grimm. Dust."

Despite the innocuous name, Robin could tell this was an important topic. She could practically hear the capitalization in the way Chamomile said it. Sitting up, Robin took another bite of the lasagna. So good.

"Despite our Aura and our Semblances, humanity has always been on the backfoot. Even in the Four Kingdoms, the four places where people have been able to form lasting civilizations, it was a tenuous thing.

"Then mankind discovered Dust. Nature's Wrath taken physical form, if you believe that sort of thing." Chamomile waved a hand. "Seeing their effects, it isn't hard to believe that."

"Dust comes in many varieties, and their effects are as varied as their colors. Fire, Water, and Lightning Dust are just some of the ones I can name off the top of my head. Unless you work in the mines, you'll see Dust in two forms: either as a powder or as a crystal. Both are very volatile—the former more than the latter—but while they make a nice 'boom', Dust's true power lies with how it interacts with Aura."

Robin finished off another bite of lasagna. "How does that work?"

"Well I'm not entirely sure seeing as I've never really handled Dust, but from what I could gleam off of Ferrum's lectures, when you infuse Aura into Dust it allows you to wield it in a myriad of ways. For example with just Fire Dust I've seen people throw fireballs, create walls of fire, or even turn the ground into lava." Chamomile made vague hand gestures Robin assumed to be poorly-formed fireballs. "And this isn't even getting into how Dust changes how Semblances work. Say if someone makes clones of themselves, Fire Dust would change it into a fire clone, and so on."

Dust certainly sounded like an extremely versatile and powerful resource, and Robin was interested in how it would combine with her own magic. What would happen if a fire spell interacted with Water Dust? Miriel and Laurent would have certainly appreciated having some samples.

"Alright, so how would one get her hands on Dust?" Robin asked.

Chamomile took a sip of water. "Thinking ahead are we? Well most of the Dust mined is shipped to the Kingdoms, so Endurance only has enough for powering our stuff and emergencies. I'm sure Ferrum would let you have a couple crystals though, the man's generous if nothing else."

"I'll be sure to ask him then. Now, what about the Grimm?"

Chamomile's brow furrowed. "Yes, the Grimm. I'm afraid to say that even though we have fought the beasts for millennia, we still don't know much about their nature. I admit that I'm rather ignorant of the Grimm, and if I never have to fight one then I'll die a happy woman."

The doctor rubbed her side—the same side as before, Robin noted. "I suppose the most notable characteristic of the Grimm is that they're soulless. Every single one."

"Soulless?" Robin didn't like the sound of that. Yet another parallel to the Risen.

"Every living thing has an Aura we can measure, from the wolves around here to the tiniest seedling. We can find a soul. But the Grimm? We find nothing."

After a brief silence, Chamomile spoke once more. "Another important thing you should know is that Grimm are attracted to negative emotions. Stuff like anger, sadness, jealousy; the Grimm are drawn like moths to a lamp."

"Is the opposite true? Are they repulsed by positive emotions?" Robin asked, though she suspected the answer already.

The doctor shook her head. "If they were it would have made our lives much easier. No, they'll attack anyone they see even if they're having the happiest time of their life.

"You'd have to ask Jette for a more in-depth explanation, Jette Celeste that is. She's a professor at Beacon; right now she's on a vacation her niece forced her into. The woman's a bit of a workaholic."

Jette Celeste huh? Another name to keep track of. "Is Beacon some sort of school?"

Chamomile waggled her hand. "Of sorts. Beacon is the most prestigious Hunter academy in all of Remnant."

"I assume a hunter here does more than sell animal pelts."

Chamomile chuckled. "Yes they do. Hunters and Huntresses are the guardians of humanity, the beacons of light we follow to protect us from the darkness." She paused. "Well, that's what Ferrum tells Kai and the children. You can think of Huntsmen as the elite forces of humanity. All of them are masters of their Aura and chosen weapons, and they're often at the spearhead of every foray into Grimm territory."

A clack drew Robin's attention to the tray, revealing a bare plate long since devoid of pasta-based nourishment. Chamomile caught her forlorn stare and smiled.

"Well," the woman said as she got up. "I think I've rambled on long enough. You'll have more opportunities to get caught up later, I do believe it's time for your part of the bargain."

Robin leaned back as Chamomile picked up the tray to place it back on the cart. She did get some good information about the basics of the world she was in, however Robin was painfully aware there was a great deal she was ignorant of. She still had no idea what the devices besides her bed did, nor did she know what allowed her rescuers' weapons to spit fire and fell beasts at range. Nevertheless, Chamomile was right that there would be more chances for her to learn about this "Remnant".

"Alright, alright," Robin acquiesced, taking a nice big gulp of water. "I might as well start at the beginning. My first memory was waking up in a field…"

"…the next thing I know, I wake up in a forest, and the rest is history."

As she finished her tale, Robin glanced at her sole audience member. Unlike Ferrum, who had asked a few questions every now and then for clarification, Chamomile had sat in rapt attention throughout Robin's story. Even now, she had a look of intense thought. Finally the woman spoke up.

"You know what you should do? You should write a book about that."

Robin raised her eyebrows. Of all the things she expected in response, that wasn't one of them. "I- I'm sorry what?"

"I mean, I think that's a great story, your past that is. It had everything: romance, large-scale wars, intrigue, prophesies, time travel, dragons… If you put that to print, I guarantee you'd get at least several hundred fans."

Robin wasn't sure what to say to that. On one hand, it was rather flattering that someone thought her life was interesting enough to be published for the world to read. On the other, it rubbed her the wrong way to think of all the hardships, challenges, and drama Robin and her companions, friends, family faced as mere entertainment.

Chamomile must have caught the look on Robin's face as she hastily waved her hands. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean any offense. I don't want to sound like I was demeaning you or the hardships you went through. I just…thought it was a really engaging tale. I've never had that exciting of a life so I like to listen to others' stories and read books and…"

She winced. "Sorry, I'm really putting my foot in my mouth aren't I?"

Robin shook her head with a smile. "No, it's fine. Looking back, it really is quite an exciting story isn't it?" If Robin was honest with herself, she had to admit that more than a few parts of her life seemed to be even more outlandish than of the adventure-romance novels she…that Sumia and Cordelia enjoyed reading.

"Though," the doctor started. "I am a bit serious about writing it down. Quite honestly it sounds like you might be here, on Remnant, for…" Chamomile paused. "…For quite some time. You might get homesick, and I've heard writing or talking about home might help."

Robin sighed. She didn't want to think about her friends, her family she had involuntarily left behind. But Chamomile did have a point. "Thank you Chamomile, but it's a topic I'd rather not talk about for now."

The woman in question nodded. "Alright." She glanced at the clock. "Hm, as much as I'd like to chat some more, I've got to do some errands around the village. Is there anything I can get you before I go?"

Robin took a moment to think. Well, she did say she liked books… "Do you have any novels I could read?"

The sun was setting when Robin heard voices outside her room. She recognized Chamomile's relaxed diction and Kai's frenetic speech as well as two others. Robin marked her place in the book she was reading, a rather thrilling tragic romance titled Ninjas of Love.

Chamomile's voice called out from behind the door, accompanied by a knock. "Robin, you've got some guests."

"Come in," Robin answered as she set the book aside.

Chamomile had barely pushed the door open when Kai zoomed through, exclaiming a quick, "Hey Robin!" The other two followed through at a more sedate pace, and Robin recognized them as the other two who helped rescue her. That they were wearing the same clothes as they did that day helped quite a bit.

Green was the first to enter, his scruffy green hair bouncing with his gait. With the shorter distance, Robin could plainly see the floppy dog ears prominently on display on the sides of his head. He waved his hands to her and dropped himself into a chair, his canine ears flopping as he did so.

White was next, her waist-length locks swaying as she strode gracefully into the room. Upon closer inspection, Robin could see Chon'sin-like features on White's face, and her skin had the slight yellowish tinge that Lon'qu and Say'ri possessed. She nodded to Robin and took a standing place beside Green.

Chamomile cleared her throat. "Well I'll be off. Robin, if you need anything, just press the button on this." She handed Robin a small rectangular thing with red and yellow buttons. "Yellow for something non-urgent, red for emergencies."

Robin nodded. "Thank you Chamomile."

"Alright," the doctor made for the door. "Robin, kids, take care of yourselves."

"Goodbye Chamomile." "Bye Chamy!" "See ya doc." "Goodbye."

As the door closed, Kai clapped her hands together, exclaiming, "So! I thought since we rescued you and all it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves to you!" She grandly gestured to herself. "I'm Kai Rubidigo but, um, you already knew that. Eheh." She scratched the back of her head with a nervous smile.

Robin couldn't help but smile in return. It seems she wasn't wrong about Kai's resemblance to Morgan. So much enthusiasm that they forget the little details. "Well it's nice to meet you again, Kai."

"Hehe, alright so," Kai gestured to Green. "This here is Lincoln Verdant—I call him Linc for short. Say hi Linc!"

The green-haired boy raised a lazy hand. "Yo."

"And that one over here…" Kai zoomed over to White, thrusting her hands out in a manner that reminded Robin of one of the many Annas showing off a brand new product. "…is Ivory Celeste."

Ivory gracefully bowed her head. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Robin."

Robin nodded in return. "The feeling is mutual." And it was. It was nice to finally be able to put a name to her rescuers other than an admittedly unimaginative color.

After that the conversation just…died. The four of them just stood (or sat, or lied down) in awkward silence.

…

Lincoln coughed.

…

"Okay!" Kai suddenly yelled out with so much force that everyone recoiled from the outburst, Kai included. "Eheh, um…" Scratching the back of her head, Kai rushed over to Robin's side. "Come on guys! Don't you have anything to say to her? She's a new person we haven't seen before! People don't come around here often, isn't it exciting?"

Lincoln shrugged. "Eh."

"Mmmmph." Kai folded her arms and scrunched up her face in a pout, air escaping her nostrils in response to her friend's apathy. Robin took the opportunity to study the familiarly strange features on the blue-haired teenager.

Robin noticed the differences between Kai and Morgan immediately. How could she not, when she had spent so much time with Morgan, had doted and fussed and cared for her beloved son ever since he revealed himself?

The most obvious divergence was the color of the hair; whereas Morgan's was a deep royal blue, Kai's was a much brighter hue, azure locks dangling to her shoulder. The features on her face provided another point of contrast. Morgan possessed the pointed nose of his parents, while Kai's was much rounder. Morgan had a longer face, a trait he shared with the royal family. Kai's eyes were rounder, and of course she lacked a Brand of the Exalt emblazoned in the right eye.

And somehow, those differences made the similarities all the more apparent.

Her hair was styled almost exactly the same as Morgan's, though curlier and longer, with even the same clump of hair going down her forehead. Her blue eyes shone with the same bright enthusiasm Robin always saw in Morgan's brown ones, twinkling with the boundless energy that often left others in the dust.

It was a nice sense of familiarity in an unfamiliar world.

"Oh fine," she heard Lincoln relent. "Well it's good to see you're not de-OW!"

Robin turned her head to find Lincoln rubbing the back of his head while Ivory stood with her arms crossed behind her back, an air of artificial innocence surrounding her.

"The hell was that for?" the green-haired boy asked.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." The girl's slight smirk betrayed the true identity of the culprit.

Kai giggled, and it was clear this wasn't the first time this sort of exchange has happened.

Lincoln furrowed his brow. "Hitting someone on the head's not nice you know."

"Making jokes about one's mortality usually doesn't go over well, Lincoln." Ivory elaborated.

Lincoln opened his mouth to reply before closing it. "If I tried to rebuke that I'd sound like an asshole wouldn't I?"

"Yes you would."

Kai's giggles intensified when Lincoln made a weird groaning noise as he slumped into the chair.

Robin couldn't help but join in with her own little chuckle. "Well Lincoln, I'm pretty happy with my not-dead status too."

Lincoln threw up his hands at Robin. "See! She gets it!"

"A stopped clock is right twice a day," Ivory said.

"Wait, what the fuck does that mean in this situation?"

"GUYS!" Kai had apparently grown tired of her friends' quarreling. "Come on!" With sagged shoulders she turned to Robin. "Sorry Robin, I thought we could get to know each other and be friends but apparently we can't even do that!" The last words were directed to her companions, who had the courtesy of looking sheepish.

"My apologies Kai." "Sorry."

Robin smiled. "Don't worry about it, Kai. Actually, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they interact with their friends."

Kai looked at Robin curiously. "Oh? Really?"

Robin nodded. "You have to have experience in reading people, but already I can tell that those two…" Robin pointed at the duo in the corner. "…despite their differences and their bickering, care for each other and are good friends."

Lincoln opened his mouth to reply. "Well-"

Ivory beat him to the punch, "Don't deny it."

Lincoln sighed. "Yeah I guess you're right." His canine ears drooped as he crossed his arms and pouted. Robin had to admit it was rather adorable. "Yeesh I can't do anything around you guys."

"Aw don't worry Linc," Kai said. "At least you can't embarrass yourself."

"Yeah, not when I have you two dunces."

"You know you love us!"

As the three teens devolved into petty banter, Robin lied back in the bed, a smile creeping on her face. It was, familiar, nostalgic. The Shepherds have always been a band of disparate personalities, from the outgoing and vulgar Vaike, the prim and proper Maribelle, the methodical and calculating Miriel, the flirtatious and noble Virion, to the paranoid and stalwart Frederick. And as they continued through their journeys, the sheer diversity of characters only grew; Gaius's sweet tooth, Henry's rather disturbing hemophilia, Gregor's strange but charming way of speaking, and Tharja's obsessive yet oddly not unwelcome stalking of Robin herself. And things only got more complicated with the Future Children.

Had there not been the specific circumstances that led to the Shepherd's formation and rise to prominence, Robin doubted most of the group's members would have ever met, let alone become close companions and in some cases lovers. Yet it was through the flames of war and strife were the bonds of camaraderie were shaped, forged, and galvanized, invisible lifelong ties that would never, could never be diminished. Even now, stuck on another world, Robin could feel those bonds tugging on her heart, reminding her of times good and bad, of experiences cherished and embarrassing.

With the constant threat of the Grimm, it would only make sense that was how these three dissimilar children grew to so close.

Robin knew she'd probably never get another group like the Shepherds in this world. Little could match the raucous mess hall during dinner time. But perhaps she could regain just a bit of that wonderful time with these three.

While Robin was busy reflecting, Lincoln had managed to get Kai into a headlock, the dog-eared boy rubbing his fist in the laughing taller girl's hair. Ivory stood to the side as always, though Robin could hear her chuckling at her friends' antics.

"Ack! Come on Linc, lemme go!"

"Never!"

Giggling, Kai noticed Robin's bemused gaze. "Oh! Robin!" She tapped Lincoln's arm twice, the boy letting her go and stepping back. "Um, sorry, we got carried away."

"It's fine, don't worry." Robin gave the girl a reassuring smile. "It was quite amusing to watch. Actually, you three reminded me of some of my friends where I was from."

Kai perked up at this. "Really?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah. Truth is, I come from another world."

Before the last word escaped Robin's lips, Kai rounded on Lincoln, exclaiming a triumphant, "HA! Told you so!"

"Oh come on!" Lincoln threw up his hands. "You can't expect me to just believe something like that with no evidence at all!"

"It does seem rather farfetched," Ivory affirmed.

"Mnn." Kai stuck her tongue out at the two. Lincoln returned the gesture, while Ivory simply shook her head with a smile.

"I can assure you it is true." Robin interjected, drawing the trio's attention back onto her. "In fact, you can ask Chamomile and Ferrum what they think, they've put their trust into my word. Although…" Kai's victorious look stalled when Robin stared directly at the girl, an accusatory glint in the woman's eyes. "Kai, how did you know this?"

The girl recoiled as if she was struck, pure guilt flashing through her blue eyes. "O-oh I um…" Kai scratched the back of her head nervously. "I…don't know what you're talking about?" She glanced at her friends with a pleading expression."

Unfortunately she found no aid forthcoming. Ivory plainly stated, "Kai was forty minutes late in joining us on our weekly patrol."

Lincoln whistled as Kai withered under Robin's firm stare. Finally the poor girl relented. "FINE! I sort'a stayed a bit longer 'cause I wanted t'know what dad was talkin' with you 'bout. I couldn't hear much but I heard the bit 'bout you being from 'nother world. There I said it!" The girl crossed her arms and pouted, a small blush creeping on her cheeks.

Robin couldn't stop the laughter. It was just too amusing not to. She only stopped when Kai's pout turned into an expression of worry that was echoed by the others.

"Um," the girl began. "You're not…mad are you?"

Robin was sorely tempted to resume her bout of laughter, but she restrained herself. "No no, I'm far from mad. Though I wouldn't make eavesdropping a habit if I were you."

Kai's expression fell for a brief moment, and Robin felt a slight pang of guilt at teasing the girl. "Well, I suppose you brought your friends here so I could tell you my story, am I correct?"

Kai instantly bounced back, nodding enthusiastically.

Robin nodded in return. "Well, you should get comfortable and pull up a chair. It's a long one."

Kai looked down inquisitively at Lincoln, a hopeful look in her eyes. After a moment, the boy shrugged. "Eh fine, why not. Not like I had anything else to do."

Letting a small fist pump, Kai and Lincoln flopped down onto the chairs. Ivory returned to her spot standing beside Lincoln, to which Robin raised an eyebrow. Catching her expression, Ivory simply shook her head. "I am alright, Robin. Please start."

"Alrigh then. So it all started in a random field…"

And so for the third time that day, Robin told her tale.

"…and here I am, talking with you three." With a short exhale of breath, Robin reached for a well-deserved glass of water.

She hadn't even gotten to the first war with Plegia before she had them enraptured. Even Lincoln, who had feigned disinterest soon found himself sitting leaning forward in his seat. Perhaps she should take up Chamomile's suggestion of becoming a writer.

"Woah…" Kai said, her eyes wide and sparkling. "Your life is so much more interesting than mine."

"Now don't say that."

"But it's true! You've like, fought wars and a giant evil dragon! All I've done's swing my sword atta buncha Grimm." Kai crossed her arms in pout.

"Well, I for one think your sword swinging is impressive," Robin said with a smile.

The girl perked up. "Really?"

"Really."

Kai beamed a bright smile. "Thank you, Robin." Once again Robin was struck by how uncannily Kai resembled Morgan.

Lincoln cleared his throat. "Not that I don't like happy feels time, but can I get some clarification on something?"

"Of course, Lincoln."

The boy held up a finger. "So, you're like, the soul of Grima or whatever that dragon-thing was called, right?"

Robin held back a wince. It still disgusted her to be so intimately connected to such a vile monster. Despite repeated reassurances from her friends and family, she still felt at least in part responsible for everything that had happened.

But that was in the past. "Yes."

"So when you killed that Grima dragon god-thing, you…" Lincoln's brows furrowed. "…died, right? Because you have the same soul?"

"I-yes, you're right."

"So…how are you still alive?"

Robin leaned back into the bed. Now that was a question for the ages.

"To tell the truth, I'm as ignorant about it as you are. When I sacrificed myself, I did so with the knowledge that I'd never see my love and my son and my friends again." She turned to him. "Right now I'd rather focus on the fact that I'm alive, and not how I returned from the dead."

Lincoln leaned back into his chair, and after a while he conceded, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

A blanket of not-quite-awkward silence fell over them. There really wasn't much they could say after that.

Robin decided to speak up. "Well, I'm still open for any questions you might have."

"Bye Robin!" "See ya." "Have a good evening, Robin."

"Take care you three."

The door closed, leaving the room silent once more. Robin laid back down on her bed, letting out a sigh as she closed her eyes.

Lincoln's first question lingered in her mind like the metallic stench of cast magic. She knew it was useless to think about it, that it would only invite doubt and frustration when she needed determination and a clear mind. But it was a mental rash, an itch on the brain that kept gnawing at her, demanding her attention. Who brought me back? Or perhaps, what brought me back? Why here, in Remnant, rather than my own world? And what does this mean for Grima?

Robin checked the back of her hand again, staring at it, daring the Mark to appear and invalidate all the sacrifice and hardship her friends, her family went through.

Minutes pass. Aside from a tiny mole she just found, her hand is spotless.

The tactician sighed again. "I need to get my mind off of this stupid topic."

She reached over to the side table and opened Ninjas of Love.

Five minutes later, Ninjas of Love was back on the side table, firmly closed, upside down, spine away from the door, and buried under three other books. For her part, Robin's cheeks, no, face was burning hotter than a Bolganone on lava.

I didn't expect that at all. Oh gods. Robin had read some steamy romance novels herself—not that she'd admit to anyone—but this…this was bordering on obscene! I-I'm pretty sure half of that was physically impossible.

Eventually Robin was able to get her blush under control. I wonder if… Of course, it was now that she imagined recreating some of those "activities" with her spouse. OH GODS!

After about five more minutes of intense and somewhat-not-unwilling fantasizing, Robin brought her free hand to her forehead, a grin breaking out. She shook her head as she let out a chuckle, which turned into full-blown laughter. She wasn't sure why, possibly from the scandalous thought of reenacting Ninjas of Love, maybe from the whiplash of pondering the relationship between her life and Grima's to freaking out about overly-sexual romance novels, or it could be the whole ridiculousness of her situation.

Here she was, somehow alive after sacrificing herself, and what does she do? Pledge herself wholeheartedly to fighting endless hellbeasts that could take an Arcthunder to the chest and only be winded. Perhaps the funniest part was that Chrom and Lucina and everyone else would only encourage her decision. A Shepherd through and through.

Finally calming herself down, Robin noticed something about the room. Specifically, what the room was made of.

The walls were made out of material with which Robin was unfamiliar with. It couldn't be wood, for the texture was too uneven. It couldn't have been made from brick or stone, as the surface was too uniform, no evenly scored lines denoting the seams of the bricks or blocks. And she sincerely doubted it was clay, as by all indications the village was in a forested region.

The next thing was the floor. It was wooden boards, which was familiar. However, the craftsmanship was much more than what she expected of a village. Hell, it rivaled what she saw in the castles and palaces of royalty. Each board was seamless, and Robin couldn't find where the nails have been hammered in. And the cabinets to the side of her were, despite their plainness and utilitarian look, of similar workmanship.

The quality of a noble's house in a village clinic. And a not-particularly famous village either, if Chamomile's thoughts and comments were any indication.

The floodgates were open at this point. All the little things she saw but paid no attention to were examined in excruciating detail. From the casual disposal of the cleaning paper to the unnatural brightness of the lights, to even the quality of the clothing her hosts wore.

What did it say about the state of civilization that a simple village clinic was so much more advanced than some cities she visited?

For the first time, Robin felt like a little fish in an unfamiliar pond. It wasn't the demonic mockeries of animals that were the Grimm. It wasn't the fantastical abilities and weapons her rescuers displayed. No, it was the simple clinic room that truly showed just how, how alien this world was to her.

Robin lied back and brought a hand to her head and asked, "Where the hell am I?"

No one answered.

A/N: A bit of a much lower-key chapter with some info-dump for the FE:A people, don't worry, things will get more exciting. Sorry for the delay, RL stuff got in the way a fair bit and I published a new story in the meantime. Check it out under the title, Glynda's Week Off.

For those of you who have read it, you may recognize a certain Professor Celeste. I've decided that Glynda's Week Off will be pseudo-canon to Azure Bonds. That means that characters that appear in Glynda's Week Off will appear in Azure Bonds in some capacity, whether as a cameo or in a larger role. In addition, I've modified certain events in canon (primarily the very awkward explanation of Aura to Jaune) so they make slightly more sense (Jaune knows about Aura but has never been able to activate it; Pyrrha explains it anyway cause she's like that). They aren't any drastic plot-changing deviances, just little nudges to dialog to make the world make a bit more sense for the context of my story.

In any case, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for next chapter, where Robin finally gets out of the goddamned bed holy fuck.