AN: I'm back with a chapter. Finally. I had no access to my computer for a week and also no internet. I have been working on saved documents on Google Docs on mobile, so future things have been gotten done. Updates may gradually go back to their initial rate. Hopefully, anyway.
I've also changed up Aquarius's and the other zodiac's telepathic communication.
Zodiac: "(optional symbol to determine which sign is speaking) Speech." Action, or tone.
Host: "(symbol) Speech." Tone, mental action.
Now that that is settled, let's begin!
Chapter 18: Can We Ever Catch A Break?!
There has to be better ways to fuel my boredom. Read? Boring. Draw? …Nope, let's not dwell on that. Write? I'm afraid that'll be absolute crack and anyone who reads it would doubt my sanity. Well, if they hadn't already. Having Aquarius in your head can be quite taxing.
"SO BORED. ENTERTAIN ME."
"…Rainbow unicorns on fluffy clouds singing 'Everything is Awesome,'" Aquarius deadpanned.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, AQUARIUS?!" I shouted in my head. "Now that song is stuck in my head again!"
"You're welcome."
Mentally flipping her off, I stood and walked over to my desk deciding to write in my journal. Pulling out the chair, I opened the leather-bound book and grabbed a quill, filling in the heading.
"May 2nd, 2611
"It's been that long? This war has been going on for almost two years? If I recall, I started this journal on November 14, 2609, so more like one and a half. It's really hard to believe…As is the idea that the exalt hasn't been captured yet. To our knowledge anyway, which I suppose is a good thing, but there has to be a reason why her letters have stopped coming. Chrom didn't seem to notice how dire the situation was, or he just hid it well. He tends to pretend he's an idiot, I've discovered, and it's no fun anymore …But that's beside the point. Honestly, someone should've said something by now. Well, they all seem to be busy having fun with their Significant Others. I, on the other hand, have been lazing around, doing nothing. Actually, scratch that, I've been keeping up with my training, but other than that nothing notable has happened…for me to share, that is. Sigh. You know, I always have this feeling in my gut; a thing that makes me feel like I'm forgetting something. It's probably nothing, or Aquarius poking fun to screw with me, as she normally does on a daily basis.
"Perhaps, it may happen today or tomorrow. I sure hope we make our way to Plegia soon. We've really only been here to train for the past month, otherwise we'd have been executing Gangrel for all to see. Chrom would be anyway, I don't think I could kill the monster if I tried. Destroying Risen is one thing, but killing a man is another and…I'm not strong enough to do something like that. I may be or seem heartless, but I absolutely DO NOT have the gall nor courage to kill a man intentionally. We all know what happened to that poor Feroxi soldier a while back. The one I accidentally beheaded with a 'skillful strike.' It seems that I don't have the stomach either… I'm a soldier, a Shepherd, a ZODIAC for Naga's sake! I should have the ability to kill without remorse or regret…Right?
"I've tried saying that anyway. I've seeked Robin's counsel—no one needs to know I went to him for help—but that hasn't helped. He doesn't understand. Possibly because he's Robin, a tactician on which our victory hinges. He can't be afraid and needs to assure us all that we will be safe and nothing else.
"I would have voiced these thoughts to Chrom, but he has more to worry about than my mental state. Like…The state of the army or both of his sisters' wellbeing. I'm not worth that amount of thought, hence the secrecy.
"I haven't even told Rei, one of my best friends, about this. All I knew was that she'd tease me endlessly about it. I haven't told Lucas, mostly because he's been so occupied with Olivia. Brandon would've been incessant in his smart remarks. I felt that I shouldn't bother Dylan; I trust the guy, but I don't know him very well and did not want to confide in him. The same went for Miyaji and Violeta, despite the fact that she reminds me so much of my older sister, even though she's younger than me. I would've said something to Noah, but he'd probably either say something, uh, dark, vague, deep or slightly feels inducing. Dusty would've lectured me on the values of happiness and being an optimist, or she would've shown her darker side and said something philosophical. Aquarius is out of the question, mostly because she knows what goes on in my mind. I don't like conversing with the other deities, because they piss me off. Except for Scorpio (at times), he can be pretty deep.
"I guess I'll never understand, I'll always be too naïve. Wisdom may come from experience, but so does fear and regret. And there's a whole lot of that in my heart. At least, I think so…Long talks with Scorpio tend to go to your head, and you find yourself seeing things that are there, but also gives you delusions of what may be there. I believe that to be Dusty's power from Scorpio, now that I think about it.
"I am not, and never will be, wise or grow accustomed to this. I know I'll lose everyone, not physically, they'll be alive, but I'll be abandoned. It's happened so many times that…I've come to be able to predict it. That's why I grow attached. That is why I hide my feelings. I need to be prepared for that final blow. The blow that can end everything. And I'll be alone again."
I would've written more, but a knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. Straightening my shirt and letting out a sigh, I stood, dragging my feet across the floor and opening the door, casually leaning on it. On the other side of it was prince himself in all his glory. Gone was his cape and royal garbs, and in their place were nice street clothes: a simple dark blue tunic wrapped in a black belt and beige trousers which were stuffed into boots. The question was: Why? I didn't recall…
"Oh…What is it, love?" I looked him up and down, trying to figure out why he was here. "Do you need help with paperwork or something…?" That had been one of the few reasons we'd commune in the past month. There were others, but this was the most common one.
"Nope, not paperwork," he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out into the hall. "We're going out for our day off."
"How bold of you." I laughed at that. "As you wish, milord." We proceeded down the hall, until I stopped abruptly. "Are you sure Robin will allow this?" It was a time of war. Surely, we were allowed some forms of reprieve, but…Is it really necessary?
"Since when do we listen to Robin?"
"…No wonder you almost die on a daily basis…" I muttered.
"What was that?" Chrom raised a brow.
"Heh, nothing…So, where to for our amazing day off adventure?"
Chrom pulled a parchment from his pocket and unrolled it. It extended towards the ground and rolled across the floor. Oh, gods…I'm a bit scared now. "Well, Gaius gave me this list." He scanned it, going through the whole list before I could read the first two options—they were a candy and a brothel—surprising me, to say the least. I thought reading a page in fifteen seconds and absorbing every detail was fast, but this…Wow. "You wanna burn it?" I'm pretty sure I heard Maribelle yell "Want to! Nobles do not say otherwise!" at that very moment.
I nodded. "A brothel is not fun. Especially not those strip clubs…And sweets sound nice, but no." I grabbed the list, turned on my heel and threw it down the hall. Rei jumped from the darkness, conveniently, and set fire to it. And hopefully not the rest of the castle. Their blood would be on my hands. "Then what else is there besides those things?"
"Well, there's a carnival in town…That sounds fun and it'll be leaving soon." A carnival? I heard Sumia saying something about that. A flower thing, right? Yeah, I believe so.
"That May Flower Carnival that Sumia was going on and on about?"
"Yeah, that one," he said bluntly. "Do you think anyone else will be there?"
I shrugged. "Whoever they are, I hope they don't interrupt. It's our day off after all, and I rather like not dealing with so many idiots." We continued down the hall, heading towards the Khan's palace's entrance. "Like, Robin can pop out of nowhere and be all like 'Uh, herp, derp. Take this paperwork and do it' and then I'll kill him. I swear, if he really does end up stalking us…I just have this tiny gut feeling that he will—and I'll shut up now lest I jinx it."
"Robin bothering us wouldn't be so bad—minus the paperwork part."
"Yes, yes, we all love our smug bastard." I rolled my eyes, lifting my hands up in a hallelujah gesture. "All hail the mighty Shipping Lord." Moving my hands back to their original position, I sighed. "Still, I have a feeling there will be stalking done."
Chrom shook his head. "He hired Kellam to follow his…OTP's? Is that what those are called?" I grunted in affirmation. "Well, whatever that acronym means. And it's just Kellam, we'll be fine."
"Just Kellam. Just. Kellam." I tutted, thinking over the many things he can do with that power while stalking people. "The day that man isn't dangerous is the day Cordelia marries her crush."
"Brandon?"
"Sure."
Eventually, we made our way out of the palace and into the square of the surrounding city. It was odd to see so many flowers in Ferox, since it had such a cold climate. Perhaps they're like those Moon Flowers from Titan's Curse? They just needed moonlight, correct? Anyway, wooden poles held up various stalls in the town square. Vendors sold items relevant to the carnival and owners of carnival games ripped people off. Heh, just like when I was home with everyone and we'd got to the spring fair…Right. We're here now in Ylisse and that's all that matters; that and saving the world. Don't think of what's lost, it's your day off. Enjoy it.
"What's with the face?" I jumped out of my thoughts as Chrom spoke. Geez, now he's perceptive. Has the universe turned on its head? Everything is being proven wrong in a matter of seconds. Robin's making stupid jokes every half hour—what is this, Asleep?
I plastered on a fake smile. "Nothing. This is just a bit nostalgic. I went to many fairs and carnivals as a child."
"What are they like where you're from?" he asked innocently, genuinely curious about how it was for me.
…You just had to ask that question, didn't you?
"…The same as anywhere. Nothing different really." I murmured blandly. "Maybe more modern, but at its core, people still got ripped off at carnival games and ate pricey food."
Needless to say, it was an average day at any carnival you can ever imagine. Great imagery there, I know.
Well, that was until I saw the retards that were trying to swallow swords and breathe fire like Natsu. Certainly no one buys this, right? It's just…A ploy. I saw it on America's Got Talent. They use these types of "swords" that are blunt and shrink when they hit the side of your throat. The only skill you need is an unresponsive—possibly nonexistent—gag reflex. Fire, on the other hand, I can't really explain it. So if I were to explain the setting in a sentence, it'd be: Your everyday carnival with people who rip you off, but add a medieval twist to the normal idiots who try to eat or do freaky things with inanimate objects.
"Look." I pointed to said idiots. "People pretending to swallow swords."
"And fire," Chrom added.
Waving my arms in their general direction, I said, "They do realize that no one buys the act, right?"
Chrom simply shrugged, watching as Lissa walked up to the performers with her bodyguard. She watched them in awe, unable to take her eyes away. She does realize this is fake, right? Gods, I thought Ylisse, the continent, had enough idiots.
"Wow!" Lissa gasped, eyes sparkling. "How do you think they do that? Do you know, Noah?"
The bodyguard in question stood behind Lissa, looking awfully bored, and deadpanned. "…Magic."
"Wow! You are so smart, Noah!" Lissa cheered, believing that the response meant literal magic and not the figurative one.
Noah looked to Chrom pleadingly, saying, "Kill me."
And that probably would have been the outcome, if I hadn't already speed-walk-dragged the prince away from the area before things got bloody and nasty. As we all know, Chrom hates the guy's guts, despite their first interaction on Christmas when Chrom willingly let him into the Shepherds. Gee. I wonder what went wrong. Maybe it was the various times he's done something stupid. And became Lissa's bodyguard. Probably that last one.
"Ah…" He made a grab for where Falchion's hilt would be if it were there, but for some reason, he decided to not carry a weapon today. I guess he has a lot of faith in my 'karate'—which basically means we're fucked if put in some form of danger, as I did not have a weapon either. "I must resist the temptation…"
"Just keep walking," I said in that way that lets the beau know that shit goes down if they disobey.
For the most part he listened, occasionally glancing back until we rounded a corner and they were no longer visible. After that it just a nice quiet and comfortable stroll through the carnival grounds. All was peaceful and there was nothing to worry about. Just the idea of being in one another's comp—
"Hey, look!" Chrom interrupted my inner monologue and point at a stand. "Carnival games!" At the stand he singled out hung a giant yellow rabbit. Something drastically changed in his eyes as he looked at it. Gone was the calmness and stubbornness, in its place was the look of a kid in a candy store. "I want it."
I sighed, looking from the stand, to him and back. "I'm sure Lissa would love it."
"…Not for Lissa."
I pursed my lips, beginning to pull him along again. "Moving along." Chrom didn't budge, so I tried again with more force. No dice. "Come on. The rabbit is unnecessary."
"You don't want it?" he asked.
"Well, I just don't think I'd need it. I mean, I love stuffed animals, but…No." I shrugged and then realized the obvious. "Unless you want it…" From the way his eyes widened and sparkled sadly, I can only assume that was a yes. Damn him and his knowledge of my weakness. I WILL NOT FALTER.
I glared, trying to force my resolve onto him, but his puppy dog eyes were too strong. He said, "It is the only way I can bring it back without anyone questioning it…"
Gods damn him.
"Don't you have that other…?" Knowing any further argument was useless, due to his stubbornness that apparently outmatched mine, I sighed in defeat. "Fine."
And so Chrom handed the nice man money and began to play the games while I watched from my emo corner. The game proved to be too much for him, as I was right about the fact that he wouldn't get anything out of it and ultimately fail. I was expecting some form of epicness, but I'm evidently biased, so that was disappointing. This went on for about ten minutes until he looked like he would purposely break something, rather than accidentally. And that…That's scary.
"This game is rigged!" Chrom said indignantly, slamming his hand on the booth's wooden tabletop.
"Let me try," I volunteered, sort of wanting to beat him at something.
The stand man—I didn't have anything else to call him—gave one of those fake smiles and explained the rules for the umpteenth time. "Hook a ringer on the bottles! Five gold gets you three tries!"
I handed the man the gold and took three rings. Leveling it with the bottles, I tossed the first ring. It bounced off the top of the bottle and rolled towards the back of the stand.
"Are you really that daft?" Aquarius mocked. "The bottles are wider than the rings."
"I don't think that's the case," I replied. "Normally, it works at carnivals, but just barely. I've won this game before. I can do it again."
"Let's try this again…" I grabbed the second ring and missed. The third one landed right on the rim, giving me some hope that it would hang on it, but it slid off, joining the others in the mess Chrom had made with his rings on the floor. I could've sworn that there were a few broken ones.
"Good try!" the stand man chirped creepily.
Chrom wouldn't have any of that, and began arguing with the stand man. "Give us the bunny, you cheat!"
"No cheat!"
I shook my head, grabbing one of the floored rings, "Then explain why, if I do this," and reached over the bottles to try and fit it on one, "it doesn't fit?"
"Um…"
"Just what I thought," I said triumphantly. "Now hand over the prize, or we tell everyone about your little scam."
The stand man then smiled evilly, gesturing towards Chrom. "I don't think so." At his neck was a blade, its owner standing behind him and holding the prince's hands behind his back with his free hand. The man had Grimleal markings on his face and an attire to further prove his affiliation.
Chrom strained his neck as far away from the blade as he could, muttering, "…This is embarrassing…"
No wonder Robin doesn't let him out on his own….Gods…
"You thought this was really a stand game?" The stand man pointed at the bright as day Mark of Grima on his sleeve. This was very, very facepalm worthy, but I wouldn't because if I closed my eyes for a second, things could go terribad. "Gangrel wants this one alive—" Oh, good, nothing to really worry about then. We could always save him if need be. "—sadly, the same can't be said for you." What.
I took a breath, trying not to yell at the endearing idiot. "You took us. To. A. Grimleal. Carnival?!"
Stand Man shook his head. "Just this stand sadly... We knew of the lord prince's fascination with Yellow Rabbits from many...many interesting interrogations with the Exalt." He smiled creepily at this, implying very, very bad things had happened to Emmeryn. And I'm not talking about whipping.
"Emm?" Chrom asked, gritting his teeth as the Grimleal applied more pressure to the blade.
"Don't worry," Stand Man leaned towards Chrom all creepy like, close enough that I was certain he could taste the fiend's breath, "we will take you to her soon."
"…You think you can take us? Just like that?" I tried all the cliché hero lines that came to mind, this being the least retarded thing I said.
Stand Man shook his head again. "No. Just him." He apparently thought I was referring to the kidnapping and not taking him down. Idiots will be idiots I guess.
And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, everyone's favorite Russian-not-Russian mercenary appeared out of nowhere and drew a sword. "Sorry pretty lady," Gregor said. "Gregor is supposed to kill you now."
Gregor…What…No, there must be a reason…He's a mercenary, yes, but…What's his reasoning here?
"Hmph. You think someone like you can kill me?" I bluffed. I was unarmed, weaponless, and only had my talking to keep me alive. Well, there were also my special powers, but they were pretty unstable, especially in this climate. I've come to notice that the climate affects my powers. And I can only assume that the desert won't be any better than mini Iceland. Wait, Greenland.
"Gregor has made with the killing of many worse people." Gee. If you only knew. And if I only could. Damn climate. It was a lot colder than that last time, when we stopped that avalanche. Or Deus decided to be a bitch today and disable my powers.
"Deus…? You mean my secretary?" Aquarius laughed. "The only thing he's good at is making coffee miraculously appear at my desk."
"…Your input is not needed now, Aquarius!"
"How about this?" I continued as if Aquarius had not intervened telepathically. "If you help me get this guy, I'll make sure you get a fair bit of gold, got it?"
Gregor shook his head. "Not about gold. They pay Gregor in gold, yes, but they also threaten little girl." Nowi. There's his reason.
Gregor swung his iron blade in a wide arc, aiming towards my feet. I easily jumped out of the way, kicking his feet out from under him; a move my uncle taught me when I was younger. "I don't want to hurt you." I tried my best to press my ideals onto him, just to get him to run back to Nowi. "You aren't one of them."
The mercenary caught himself with one hand, and easily pushed himself back up. "Just because Gregor is old, does not mean Gregor isn't spry."
"I never said you were." I looked up at him this time, no longer caring about our fight. Gregor apparently did not either, since he was holding his sword point down; a universal sign of ceasefire. "I just do not wish for us to be enemies. I know your friend's life is at stake, but surely, if we get rid of these guys, the others won't know. You can say that we proved too much for the simpletons."
"Too late!" Gregor said. "Employers already gone. Gregor's job is done."
I looked around, just realizing now that they had escaped with Chrom. "Fuck," I muttered under my breath. Gods, Erin, you fucked up big time. You had one job. Well, to be fair, this nice mercenary was distracting me the entire time. So, yeah. You can't really blame me. I lose things often. Normally humans, as far as Rei is concerned.
"Do not worry, pretty lady!" the mercenary remarked, probably trying to make me feel better about my fuck up. "I saw assassin with green cloak and the princess following behind them." Gregor began to leave the area. "Gregor is done here."
Assassin with a green cloak and the princess? He must mean Noah and Lissa…
"Thank you, for not killing me." I smiled at the older mercenary before turning and running in the other direction. "I'll remember this! Naga bless you!"
I picked a random direction and stuck with it, hoping they had gone that way. The crowd had cleared up in the area so I had apparently chosen correctly. Two figures appeared up ahead, both in green, leading me to believe that they were indeed the princess and her bodyguard. With them was who I saw were Olivia and Lucas as I caught up. On the ground near them was the Stand Man, his Grimleal buddy gone—probably escaped when Stand Man had been caught—and an unconscious Chrom.
"HEY!~" Lissa turned called when she noticed my presence.
Noah turned as well, gesturing towards the two on the ground. "Came a little late to the party, didn't you?"
I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. "I would've if I weren't preoccupied. Sort of had to defend myself from death like powerless, normal human without a weapon."
"We saw this coming a mile away…" Lucas paused. "Well, not 'we' really…Just Olivia."
Olivia blushed, hugging herself, as she was put on the spot. "Um…That obviously wasn't a carnival worker…I have worked plenty enough to know…"
"I had suspicions when they had that rather large rabbit that Chr—" I caught myself, remembering how much embarrassment it would cause him. "Well, when they had that one I wanted. Meh. Wanted to catch an Erin, I guess." They all seemed to buy that BS reasoning.
"Chrom is still out cold," Noah remarked.
"Awe…" Lissa cooed, leaning over her brother. Even though she looked worried and thought it looked cute, I could see the mischievous glint in her eyes. She would be using this later.
"And this was supposed to be a day for him to relax in all this war." I frowned. "All other days have been filled with paperwork and replying to Emm's letters that…mysteriously stopped…Crap." I had forgotten about that fact, which obviously meant that she had been captured.
"Umm…" Olivia started. "Basilio wanted me to tell you that Emmeryn has been captured." Bingo. "…But this was more important."
"Mhm…" I nodded in affirmation. "We'd best get him up." I knelt down on one knee and placed a hand on the unconscious dork's shoulder.
Stand Man took that moment to yell, "Grima, take you all!"
"Shut up," Lissa's bodyguard said. "We are only keeping you alive for information."
That's the only reason he'll live? No. Death…There's been enough of it. I do not wish to see another needlessly die. "After we're done with him, I want to let him go." This received odd stares, but it was what I believed, so I paid it no mind. "I don't think he deserves to die for being forced by his king to fight. The one who tried to kill me was in a similar situation. They used blackmail, and that is probably the case with this man. I bet his loved ones were threatened."
"Grima, take you, bitch!" Stand Man spat.
I looked at him pitifully. "I'm giving you a chance for mercy, yet you keep on fighting." Emmeryn may die for her ideals, and they might not exactly be the best at times (like, jumping off a cliff), but I still respect and support some of them. No man deserves death, no matter what they've done. Where they were to go, would be more than they deserved if they were truly evil.
"All of you will be food for Grima!" He pointed at me. "Except you…" Is it because of Aquarius? "We need all the females we can get for a constant supply of food—" Lissa wacked him real hard on the back of the head with her staff, knocking him out.
Cows? That will be the purpose we serve? I'd rather die. Forced to bring children into this world to face death almost immediately? Grima will be stopped, along with this new threat. I swear it.
"That's the spirit…" Aquarius muttered her input.
"It's what I here for, after all. And if it weren't my purpose…I'd still try. There's too much evil here…How could I have been so naïve to it?"
"It seems as if they're all crazed and heartless…" I muttered, gazing forwards at nothing in particular. "I still do not wish to kill him though."
"That isn't for you to decide," Noah said.
"You think I don't know that?! I'd—" Chrom stirring awake and leaning forwards interrupted the fight I had been subconsciously picking.
"I believe that is my job," he said as I helped him to his feet.
I took a breath, calming myself. "Not now, I hope. There's no honor in killing a defenseless man."
Chrom shook his head. "I am not killing him…Robin would have my head."
Smiling slightly at that, I said, "Since when did Robin call the shots? Is he really that terrifying?" This reminded me of Tamaki and Kyoya's situation in OHSHC. We've got the dorky prince/king figure and Robin's the best friend/smart one/totally pulling everyone's strings.
Despite my attempts to lighten the mood, it appeared to go right over his head. "This is a military matter now. This man has important information. This is my decision too."
"But what about after you get all the intel you can?"
"My decision. It will depend on how much he tells us."
This is so damn frustrating!
"He is right though. This is not your job." Aquarius chided. "You should not be making decisions, or trying to, anyway."
"Right, of course…" I still wasn't satisfied, and I'm sure he noticed my dissatisfaction, but I understood and accepted that fact.
"You don't sound satisfied."
Of course I'm not.
"I just need to accept that…um…" I paused, huffing in annoyance. "Never mind. I don't need to sound satisfied, since it is not my decision."
Chrom apparently realized his mistake. "…That doesn't mean I don't value your opinion."
"I…I just can't believe that that man is doing this on his own will." I murmured, prompting Noah's input.
"I believe it," he said. "There are some horrific things in Plegia… Or at least there were in my world…"
"All right then…" So there is a possibility that this will follow the same path. Except this time…We'll stop it. "…Guess I'm just too damn naïve." It's true though. I'm blinded by the goodness I wish to see, unable to see the darkness. I realize this now, and I just feel so stupid for it.
"There has to be a reason they have been raiding us other than to provoke war… Entire villages abandoned without a single corpse…" Chrom continued, possibly referring to the report he got from the border that Robin had to use forensics on.
"Abandoned villages…Hey doesn't that sound like Hitler?" If people were disappearing without a trace, other than wrecked villages, then that could mean they are being carted off to concentration camps.
Noah shook his head. "It isn't quite the same. They aren't working them to death... They are fattening up the boys for Grima's consumption, and the girls are being bred into a reliable food supply."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Lissa tilted her head in confusion.
"It is a fancy way of saying that they are Grimleal rape fodder."
Lissa pouted. "...You didn't have to be so direct..."
"Subtlety is lost on you."
"Fascination conversation." I interrupted to prevent any more bickering as Lissa looked like she was about to retort. "But I think it is best that we head back to the others. Or at least meet with Fredders and Robin."
"I got them!" Dusty and Iris landed next to us, very conveniently might I add. "Why did you want me to bring the Shepherds, Noah?"
"You organized this, Greenie?" Chrom asked, surprised, I guess. His thickhead doesn't allow a lot of Noah tolerance.
The assassin shrugged. "I figured you would have something to say."
"Right…" Chrom nodded his thanks and turned to the assembled Shepherds. "Shepherds! I am sure that you probably heard that Emmeryn has been captured."
Miriel smirked, very slightly, and pushed up her glasses up her nose. "According to my calculations, this had a seventy-five percent chance of occurring. Now hand over the gold, Robin."
Robin reluctantly handed Miriel the gold, receiving glares from the others. "Damn, Miriel…"
"Ahem." Chrom cleared his throat to return everyone's attention to him. "All done? Good. They probably outnumber us ten to one in Plegia, but we have to rescue her. Not only will we go into Plegia, but we will win because we have better troops, better equipment, and the best damned tactician that the world has ever seen."
Robin, who had been sheepish from being reprimanded before, now raised a hand in a 'No, stop it!~' gesture. "Awe, it's no—"
Rei interrupted, yelling, "And you know what else we have?!"
Our captain ignored that and continued. "We will win because we have t—"
"We have magical powers, you know!" She was stating fact… "That makes us helping you an even bigger advantage!" They have a better chance because of us.
"…" He ignored her again and continued. "We will win because we have to! They just poked a sleeping dragon. People who do that..."
…
…
…
…
"Get burned."
AN: Wow. That's all I have to say for how this turned out.
As for other things, for you Maze Runner fans, what Chrom calls Noah is actually a reference. Meh. Probably noticed, but I felt like pointing it out.
Well, now for some BTS.
Chapter 18 BTS
Just Some Carnival Games:
Erin: *sigh* Well, that was one helluva carnival.
Chrom: *holding the giant rabbit* Mhm.
Robin: Awe, that's so cute. You won her a rabbit!
Chrom: Y-yep…
Erin: Nope. I won the rabbit.
Robin: For yourself?
Erin: For him.
Serious
Erin: Rei is having a serious day. So much that she feels the need to sit in a big person chair, like a person, and stare off into the distan—
Rei: Hey! Don't compare me to Meredith the cat!
Erin: You are barely a human th—
Rei: I'LL SHOW YOU! *punches*
Erin: *barely flinches* Ow. That hurt so much.
Rei: *grabs fire tome*
Erin: Fuck.
(From Ilongwayfromhome on Tumblr)
What if We Were Wizards?
Gryffindor: Courage, chivalry, determination, bravery, nerve, daring, strong of will. Colors are Crimson/Scarlet and Gold. Element is fire. Animal is a lion.
Slytherin: Cunning, resourcefulness, ambition, leaders, self-preservation, determination, cleverness, fraternity, power. Colors are Green and Silver. Element is water. Animal is a snake.
Ravenclaw: Intelligence, wit, wisdom, creativity, originality, individuality, acceptance. Element is air. Colors are blue and bronze. Animal is an eagle.
Hufflepuff: Dedication, hard work, fair play, patience, kindness, tolerance, unafraid of toil. Element is earth. Colors are yellow and black. Animals is a badger.
Erin: I think I'd be in Gryffindor. I like to believe I am determined, strong-willed and chivalrous, but not courageous. Certainly not. But then there's Slytherin…I dunno now.
Rei: Hufflepuff! I like cute things!
Lucas: I'd say Gryffindor, but then that'd sound egotistical…I guess Ravenclaw.
Brandon: Naturally, a genius and good-looking man just as I should be in Gryffindor!
Violetta: Um…Totally Ravenclaw.
Erin: I think Dusty would be either Hufflepuff because of her patience and loyalty or Ravenclaw because of her wisdom. And Noah would either be Gryffindor or Slytherin. While I believe he is determined and courageous, he also strikes me as cunning, resourceful and ambitious, which truly defines the house and not evil, despite those who come out of it.
Rei: Yeah, yeah! Agreed! I think…Dylan would be Ravenclaw and Miyaji would be Hufflepuff.
Erin: What of the other Shepherds?
Robin: Step aside. I've constructed a very complicated list according to those movies you made me watch and the output of these houses as well as the traits that members exhibit. *holds list up* It reads:
Chrom: Gryffindor
Lissa: Gryffindor
Frederick: Gryffindor (Robin: It would have been Hufflepuff, but we all know Frederick's separation anxiety, and families tend to stay in the same houses.)
Sully: Gryffindor
Virion: Ravenclaw
Stahl: Hufflepuff
Sumia: Hufflepuff
Miriel: Ravenclaw
Kellam: Hufflepuff
Vaike: Hufflepuff
Ricken: Gryffindor
Maribelle: Slytherin *crossed out* Gryffindor
Donnel: Hufflepuff
Anna: Ravenclaw
Cordelia: Gryffindor
Libra: Hufflepuff
Tharja: Slytherin
Erin: *snickers* Even you think your girlfriend is evil, huh Robin?
Robin: …She has her moments.
