Title: Reprieve

Fandom: Fire Emblem 7

Genre: Gen, Family 
Characters/Summary: The Greil Mercenaries settle down for the night.

The fire crackled and blazed as Mist and Oscar prepared dinner, a few rabbits that Shinon had shot hunting outside that day. Soren had already retreated to his room to map out the Mercenaries' plan for the next day. Ike simply needed a nap from fighting, and had also retired early. For the time being, fighting was hardly on the minds of most of the mercenaries.

"Oh, you have got to be cheating, Rolf." Boyd growled, and slapped down a card on the crate that they had been using for a table.

"What makes you say that? It can't be because you're losing, can it?" The youngest of the three brothers grinned, and peered at his own cards to figure out his next strategy.

"We'll see who's losing next turn. My luck hasn't failed me yet." Putting on his best inexpressive face (Imitating Soren had its benefits), Boyd drew a card from the deck.

To Boyd, it seemed that Rolf was beginning to develop a sarcastic streak. The middle brother wondered from time to time where the archer had gotten it from.

Meanwhile, next to the fire, where he was supposedly asleep, a trace of a smirk could be seen on Shinon's face.

Mist poked her head out of the dining hall, looking tentative and holding a steaming ladle of something fragrant-smelling. "I'll need a taster for this new soup Oscar and I have been working on. Any volunteers?"

"I'm starving," Boyd groaned, setting down his cards.

While he walked over to take a sip of the soup, Rolf sneaked a look at his brother's hand. Just as he had assumed, the fighter was bluffing and his cards were terrible.

Moments later, Rolf was running to fetch Rhys from the infirmary. The fighter had started coughing loudly, his face scarlet red from a too-spicy soup. Mist noted that changes needed to be made to the recipe, and ran back to the kitchen to tell Oscar, as well as fetch a cup of water for Boyd.

"I think you and Oscar have developed something that we can bottle and throw at our enemies, Mist," Ike jokes later at dinner.

Shinon remembered yet another reason that he had decided to come home.

Some things were just too good to miss.