A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait for this! The girl I was writing this with never sent me the next chapter, and I haven't been able to get in touch with her, so I decided to just continue writing it by myself. Anyway, hope this chapter is okay for you guys!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tales characters.
The manor was fairly big, and while Lissa was still pouty about not being able to meet Luke yet, she couldn't help but look around in curiosity as they walked the halls. It seemed like everything here was different than in Malkuth, and it was interesting to her to see the differences in the countries.
"So, how long will you be here?" Susanne asked as they walked, glancing at Jade politely.
The Necromancer returned her smile. "We shouldn't be intruding for any more than a day at the most. If all goes well, the king will be ready to speak with us first thing in the morning."
"Well, if you ever come back to the castle feel free to stay here. We love visitors, and Luke really does get bored seeing all the same people." The woman replied with a welcoming smile.
This caused Lissa to glance at the other three in curiosity, but before she could ask her question, Armina answered. "Luke is confined to the manor for his own protection." The look the younger girl received clearly showed how much the captain hated that idea. "Don't mention it too often at dinner." She then turned to the Lady. "Ma'am...maybe we shouldn't be-"
"Oh Armina, there's no harm in telling them a little bit about ourselves." Susanne waved her off. "I'm sure you haven't been this closed with your own information."
A smirk formed on Jade's lips, his eyes shifting to the girl next to him with amusement. "Nearly. We learned she lived with her uncle, and his name, which is more than I would have dreamed to hear from her before Vasilisa's charming."
Armina gave him a bemused look, before turning her attention to the younger girl next to her. "Speaking of my uncle, you seem quite taken to him, Lissa."
Lissa grinned, knowing this wasn't meant in any sort of weird, romantic way. "Well its not often you get to meet adults who are like him! The only people I'm normally around are stuck up soldiers, the emperor, and Jade. And well, lets just say they get kind of old after a while."
Susanne smiled, hearing this. "Well I'm guessing by your personality you'll continue getting along well with Jason."
"Don't give her any more encouragement, Madame Fabre." Jade sighed, imagining how his niece could become even more annoying.
The Major stuck her tongue out at him, before turning a grin on Armina. "But your uncle's awesome Ari!" She leaned closer to stage whisper. "I'll trade you if you want!"
The older blonde smiled, finding the younger girl amusing. "For who? Jade?" She glanced at him, pretending to appraise him. "Hm...he is less trouble than Jason, but I think I'll have to pass." She sobered up a bit, though still smiled a little. "I should have expected as much, he usually gets along with everybody."
Susanne nodded. "Even Luke likes him. And he knows such interesting things, I've even seen him showing Van a few battle tips."
This caused Armina to pause in her tracks slightly, though it was barely noticeable. Her smile was gone now, replaced with a frown. "He was showing Van? I told him not to do that..."
Jade glanced at her curiously. "Not a fan of the Commandant?"
"He's a good man and an excellent soldier, but I do not trust him."
"Well that's not saying much." Jade smirked, causing a sigh to escape the captain's lips.
"I trust him less than I trust most people. Better?"
"Yes, thank you." There was clear amusement in his voice, and Lissa couldn't help but watch them curiously as Armina sighed once again.
The younger girl took this as an opportunity to tease her so called uncle. "You see why I want to get rid of him, right?" She said to Madame Fabre.
Jade put on a sarcastically upset look. "How could you be so mean to the man who took care of you for almost half your life?"
Lissa shrugged. "Easy. I do it all the time. Besides, you can't call me living in the same house as you taking care of me. I did everything for myself."
"I was merely teaching you independence."
"Sure." The blonde replied in a tone that clearly stated she didn't believe that one bit.
Susanne giggled, apparently finding the three soldiers amusing, before stopping in front of a door. "Here is your room Colonel Curtiss. I hope its all right for you. If you need anything just let one of the maids know."
Jade nodded with a small bow. "It will be more than fine, thank you."
Armina glanced at him, not about to leave him alone in the manor. "Come with us. You heard what the Duke said, you're not to be alone. When you choose to retire for the night Jason will accompany you."
Jade shrugged in that weird way he always does, causing the captain to become more annoyed for some reason. "All right. I would like to see the manor for myself, actually, it seems very nice so far."
"Armina, try not to be so rude to our guests." Susanne said, though not in any kind of commanding way.
"Sorry, ma'am, but those are orders from the Duke." The captain replied, glancing at the two Malkuth soldiers. Besides, it wasn't like she actually liked the idea of them staying here anyway.
Lissa, deciding to ignore the adults and their bickering, was busy glancing around the hall. "So where's my room? Is it near Luke's?" A grin formed on her lips at the thought.
Susanne smiled, obviously finding the young girl amusing, and not at all a threat. "No, I'm afraid not. You'll be sharing with Armina, if that's all right with you."
A thoughtful look formed on the girl's face, before she turned to Armina smiling. "Of course it is! That'll give us more time to get to know each other! We can stay up late and talk, doing each others hair! Ooh and we can do our nails too! It'll be so much fun!" It was obvious the Major didn't get a lot of time to spend with friends.
Jade chuckled, clearly amused at the slightly annoyed expression on the captain's face. "I'm sure the captain will find that very entertaining. You should do as much as you can."
Armina shot him a glare, before giving Lissa a dry smile. "I'm afraid I won't be much company, Lissa. I have a fairly strict early to bed early to rise policy. As soon as I'm done with my duties I tend to fall asleep."
This caused Susanne to smile. "I don't know, I think you could be very pretty if you let the major play with you for a little while."
It seemed Jade was finding this whole conversation more amusing than he should, if the look in his eyes was any indication. "Oh yes, I would love to see you after a makeover, Captain. Besides, Lissa's rather determined-I'm afraid you won't have much say in the matter."
The Captain shot him another glare, before an idea occurred to her. "Really? Then let's make a deal. I'll agree to a girl's night with Lissa if you agree to take whatever suggestions Jason throws at you."
Jade shrugged, not seeming bothered by this. "I don't see why not."
Armina took his hand to shake it, her smile widening. "Oh, I'll have you know Jason loves embarrassing questions, silly pranks, and will tell me exactly what transpires tonight."
Lissa, not really caring much for the other parts of this deal, grinned happily. "YES! This will be so much fun! Just you wait!"
Susanne laughed lightly, watching the three amused. However after glancing outside, she smiled at the other three. "Oh dinner will probably be ready soon. Would you like to head into the dining room? I'm sure the others will be headed there shortly as well."
Hearing this, Lissa turned to the older woman hopefully. "Luke too?"
"Well considering he'll be joining us for dinner, I'd say yes." Jade replied, adjusting his glasses.
"Sweet! Lets go!" She exclaimed, before heading off back the way they came. Honestly she didn't know where she was going, but was just deciding to back track.
Jade sighed, following with the others. "You shouldn't have mentioned dinner again Madame Fabre. Now she's going to be even more annoying."
Armina smiled when Lissa turned back around to stick her tongue out at him, before whispering. "Like I said before, Luke won't exactly live up to her standards."
"I have a feeling that won't daunt her." Jade replied, whispering as well.
"No, probably not." The captain chuckled.
"Well, it seems everyone's rather eager." Susanne mused. It was apparently rare for her to have people like Lissa in the manor.
Armina glanced at her curiously. "Is Guy still here or is he out working, ma'am?"
"I believe he will still be here after our meal, yes." Susanne turned to Lissa. "He's only a servant, but Guy is a very nice boy. He's a few years older than you, you should talk with him if you get the chance."
An interested look crossed the younger girl's face, but before she could respond, Jade spoke up, seeming amused. "So many men in the city, Vasilisa's bound to have a heart attack."
She turned to him with a glare. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
"How should I know?" He shrugged.
Lissa pointed a finger at him angrily. "Because you're the one who said it!"
"Oh I did?" Jade mused, causing an annoyed glare to be turned his way.
Susanne couldn't help but laugh at their bickering. "You two will be quite the entertainment tonight if you keep this up." She opened the doors to the dining hall, allowing the other three to follow her in.
It seemed like everyone else was already convened there, ready for dinner. Lissa glanced around the room at everyone, noting the Duke and Jason. The Commandant was there also. She'd met him a few times when she was in Daath. He was always kind to her, so she didn't understand why Armina didn't trust him. Then her eyes landed on the other two, both young, around her and Armina's age probably. It was clear which one was which.
Not wasting a moment, Lissa hurried over to them grinning. "Hiya! I'm Lissa!" She looked at Luke, a quick, barely noticeable look of confusing passing through her eyes. However it was gone before anyone could notice. "You must be Luke, right? Wow you're even cuter than I thought!"
"What the hell?!" Luke leaned back, clearly taken aback by this abrupt behavior. "Who is this chick? Back off!"
"Luke, don't be rude." The commandant told his student, turning to the girl with a polite smile. "Hello, Major. It's a pleasure to see you again."
"Yeah you too, Commandant!" she gave him a quick smile, before turning her attention back to a freaked out Luke.
"Not a pleasure for long." Armina whispered to Jade, watching Van closely.
This caused a small chuckle from the colonel. "You really dislike him, don't you?"
The Captain nodded, before walking over to take a seat. It was time to get this strange dinner under way.
A/N: Hope you guys liked it! I hope to work on this more, so if you like the story, let me know so I can keep writing!