"And that's another one." With an unhurried motion, Severa sheathed the sword and made a mark in the convoy log before checking the rest of the items on the inventory. "Let's see, what else…" She flipped the page. On her shoulder, Nebula peered down at the list and made an impatient chirp and she absently reached up to pet him with a finger.

"I know, I know, it's boring but someone's gotta do it. Just a little more and then we'll be done, okay?" she cooed and smiled when the crow cawed in agreement. "Good. Now let's see… wyrmslayers, check. Beast killers, check. Killing Edges…" Severa took a cursory glance at the single sword hanging forlornly in the weapon's rack.

"Good enough." She made another check and eyed the medicinal shelf. "Gonna need more vulneraries soon. Oh and arrows."

Actually, they were overstocked on arrows but Robin didn't need to know that. With Noire though, she felt it was better to be prepared, just in case. And besides, the timid girl's prowess with the bow was worth ten of any other archer's in the army.

…Now that she thought about it, the only other dedicated archer in the army was Virion.

"Make that twenty." Severa made another mark in the log. Nebula cawed in agreement.

The tent flap shifted and in walked Gerome, balancing a heavy stack of lances underneath his arm as Nah trailing behind him.

Severa barely looked up from the log. "Put them over there." She gestured in a random direction with her pencil. "I'll count 'em out after I'm done with this."

"Actually, we're here to help."

Severa's eyes flicked up for a second. Then she shrugged. "Sure, whatever. I thought you guys were on break though."

The husband and wife duo exchanged not so subtle glances. "We were," said Gerome, a touch dourly.

"But then we decided to help out with chores instead!" Nah smiled cheerfully. Much too cheerfully.

Gerome muttered something under his breath and Nah elbowed him in the ribs without breaking the smile. "Where do you want us to start?" she asked.

If they were trying to be subtle, they were failing spectacularly. Well, Nah was; Gerome wasn't even trying. But then again, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and if they chose today of all days to be altruistic then by all means.

"Well, put the lances down over there. Then you guys can help me take stock of the rest of the swords."

Gerome gave her a sour nod and plodded off deeper into the tent. Once he was out of sight, Nah sidled up to her and began speaking in an absolutely horrible faux casual tone as she perused the swords. "Oh, by the way. Noire said she needed some help with a big problem later. Like, way big. Manakete big."

"Uh huh." Severa nodded absently and put back the sword she had been inspecting. "How big?"

"Life changing."

"Riiiiiight."

Either Nah didn't notice the sarcasm or she chose to ignore it. "She said to meet up with her by the old cedar later to help out with her big problem. She said you'd know which one she was talking about." Nah picked up a lance and tried twirling it. "Did I mention that it was big?"

Severa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay, seriously, just stop with the whole subtle hinting thing. It's honestly getting a little painful to watch."

Nah sputtered and then drew herself to her full height. Which, by her current human/manakete standards, was still pretty diminutive as she barely reached Severa's chin. "What! This is the thanks I get for passing along a message and for spending my break with you? Not to mention my husband's! This is harassment! Harassment!" She turned around and cupped her hand to her mouth. "Honey, tell Severa to stop harassing me!"

"Stop harassing my wife, Severa." Gerome's completely uninterested voice came from somewhere deeper in the tent.

This time, Severa didn't bother resisting and rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay whatever, sheesh," she said, letting the matter go. She'd find out later what the two were hiding when she went to see Noire. She turned to Nebula. "Nebula, tell Daddy that we'll have lunch together another time, okay? I know I promised but apparently," she gave Nah a pointed look. "There's a BIG problem." The crow on her shoulder cawed once and then flew out.

"Now that's settled." Nah turned around and picked up another lance. "Let's hurry and get this sorted with. Chop chop!"

Severa snatched the lance out of the manakete's hand. "Or we can go nice and steady so that nobody loses an eye."

Nah frowned, or tried to but it came out more as a plaintive pout on her face. "But what about Noooooire?" she whined. "You just can't keep her waiting."

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! None of my business at all, nope!"

Before Severa could respond, there was a resounding crash from deeper inside the tent.

A pause. And then she heard Gerome say, "I didn't do it."

"Slow and steady it is," Nah conceded as Severa glared daggers at her.

If she was being entirely honest with herself, Tharja could probably count on one hand alone the number of times she had hesitated in her life. Reluctance just wasn't in her nature. In conversation, hesitance implied discomfort, a feeling she knew many felt about her. But she wasn't here to hold anybody's hand so they could either deal with their uneasiness or scurry off. Funnily enough, she never really had to worry about that problem with her husband after the breaking in period. She supposed it was because both of them were truthful to the point of bluntness, social niceties be damned.

Which was why she was tearing her hair out (figuratively), trying to think of a way to bring up the issue of Noire in the most tactful way possible that wouldn't result in an aneurysm on her husband's part. The man had a surprisingly strong protective streak when it came to their daughter.

"Do you remember our courtship?" she finally said. Perhaps a point of comparison would help ease him into the situation.

If Lon'qu was puzzled by the suddenness of the question, he didn't show it in his expression and simply continued spooning his breakfast porridge into his mouth. "You mean our attempts to overcome my fear of women through your curses, my tyranny of will and the ensuing horror that followed?"

Tharja huffed quietly. "Flatterer."

He gave her a small smirk. "I remember. What of it?"

What of it indeed. She pursed her lips as she carefully considered her next words. "I was thinking… How comfortable… are you with going through it a second time?"

He gave her a strange look and warily put down his spoon. "I'd prefer… not to?" he said slowly, as if making sure that was the correct answer. "I mean, one courtship is enough for me."

Tharja grit her teeth. Gods, this tact business was frustrating. "No, not like that you –" She stopped and tried a different approach. "What about Noire, then?"

Her husband blinked quizzically. "What would Noire think of our courtship?" he asked, lifting his mug to his lips.

Well, she tried. Time for her trademark bluntness.

"I think Noire is in love with her friend."

Somehow, Lon'qu managed to spew his drink away from her general area. He shot her an incredulous look and wiped his mouth "I'm…I'm sorry?!"

"Noire. Our daughter. Is in. Love."

His face contorted. "I-I think I'm mishearing you. But it sounded like you said Noire was-is in… lo-lo-lo…"

"She's in love."

His whole hand spasmed and it looked like he was reaching for his sword before he stopped himself. "I-I see… SHE'S WHAT?!"

"I'm not repeating myself a third time," Tharja stated flatly, ignoring the wary stares the other people in the mess tent were sending their way at the outburst.

He sunk further into his seat. "This is just a bad dream," he muttered, more to himself as he picked up his mug again with a shaky hand. "A very bad dream that I will be waking up from anytime now." He took a steadying gulp of his tea.

"I heard that she's confessing today as well."

Yet again, he somehow managed to aim his tea to the side of her. "STOP DOING THAT!"

"Calm down."

He looked like he wanted to do the exact opposite of keeping quiet, but at that moment, a black blur streaked by his face. He yelped and swiped viciously at it and the blur squawked before flitting to the table over. "Damn it, Highmoon, keep your blasted bird under control!"

The dark mage in question chuckled deprecatingly as the crow alighted on his shoulder. "Aww, Nebula didn't mean it! Didn't you, Nebula?"

"Caw!"

Lon'qu growled and made towards the dark mage but she grabbed his coat sleeves before he could do anything further. "Sit down before you make any more of a scene."

He glared furiously at her. "Do not tell me what to do!"

A bolt of dark energy struck at his feet and he quickly sat back down. The people watching hastily followed his example and turned away, minding their own business.

"Sorry."

She shrugged and picked the biscuit off his plate. "You get a freebie because one, you're upset, and two, you're a father. But only this once."

He nodded and then his expression fell. He put a hand over his brow. "Gods, you're actually serious."

Tharja bit down on the biscuit and regarded him as she chewed. He looked so lost and forlorn. Maybe a little comfort wouldn't be a bad idea. She swallowed and reached over to pat him on the arm. Once. Twice. Good enough. "It was bound to happen, sooner or later."

"Or never," he growled, lifting his head and suddenly, the fire was back in his eyes. "Who?" he demanded. "Who's the blasted little maggot that his sights on OUR daughter?"

Ooh, name calling. Her husband was feeling extra protective today it seemed. "What are you planning?"

"I haven't decided between Chon'sin water torture or castration by rusty spoon."

Tharja silently shivered. Her husband the tease. Unfortunately though, someone had to be the rational one.

"You might want to reconsider the second option."

He eyed her suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

As if on cue, Henry suddenly piped up from the table behind them, his cheerful voice carrying over the entire mess tent.

"Awww, so Severa's having lunch with someone else? Who?"

"Caw, caw!"

"Noire? Aww,well. Guess I can't fault her too much then."

"There's always tomorrow, dear," came Cordelia's voice. "Besides, it's a good thing that Severa's spending time with her friends."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Ooh! Maybe we should invite Noire over for lunch sometime as well!"

A mix of emotions flew across her husband's face: confusion, understanding, and shock before it finally settled on a worryingly blank expression. "Excuse me." He got up from the table and walked away from her line of sight.

Tharja sighed and stole the second biscuit off his plate, not bothering to turn around for the inevitable storm. Well, she had tried. Admittedly she could have tried maybe a smidge harder, but well…

"Oh, hey, Lon'qu buddy!" came the dark mage's pepper voice. "Noire not eating with you guys as well?" She heard him laugh. "Guess they've got better things to do than hang out with us old fossils, huh?"

There was a brief silence and then Henry spoke up again, this time sounding a bit worried. "Hey, you alright, buddy? You're eye's twitching something fierce!"

There was another brief pause. And then she heard a fearsome bellow followed by a yelp and the sound of bodies hitting the floor. Then a surprised shout from Cordelia, coupled with the indignant shrieks from the crow.

Tharja sighed heavily through her nose and kept on chewing morosely. A mug flew past her head, followed by a chair and then an entire table, worryingly enough. Oh and now there was a crowd forming. Wonderful.

She sighed again. She tried. She really did.

It was nearly an hour later when Severa finally marched out of the supply convoy. "Gods, that was a chore," she muttered darkly before remembering that Nebula had gone. "And now I'm talking to myself. Great."

Her two 'helpers' had been more hindrance than actual help. Nah had rushed about, knocking things over in her haste to get things done and Gerome had been his usual dour, unhelping self. And the two kept giving her knowing glances when they thought she wasn't looking. Well, Gerome did. Nah gave her more star struck eyes that were honestly a bit freaky.

Just what were the two hiding? Well, whatever. Severa shook her head and let the issue go. "Should probably see what Noire needs," she said, her feet taking her off the beaten path to the old cedar. Hopefully, it was nothing serious, though you could never really tell with her.

It could be her anemia acting up again. Hopefully not. Or maybe she was in trouble with her parents and hiding away from them? Possible, but unlikely; Noire had a pretty good relationship with her folks. Oh, maybe she had lost her talisman again? Or maybe she was…

Severa stopped dead in her tracks and blinked. "Having a picnic?"

Laid out in front of the old cedar was a red checkered blanket with a small wicker hamper on top. A very pleasant aroma was wafting from it and she found herself unconsciously beginning to salivate. Not quite the big problem she had been expecting

"Noire?" Severa glanced around. "Hey, Noire, you there?"

There was a squeak from behind the tree followed by a surprised thump. "S-Severa?" came Noire's startled voice. "You got here faster than I expected."

Well, that explained Nah and Gerome's so called 'help.' Honestly, she knew there was no way Gerome could have been clumsy enough to knock over three stacks of assorted weapons.

"Well, I could've gotten here sooner but your little henchmen stalled me."

Severa heard nervous laughter and she could almost imagine the archer sheepishly scratching her head. "That transparent, huh?"

"Well, with Gerome, not so much, but Nah," she shrugged before realizing Noire wouldn't be able to see the gesture. "She's half a flying ton of flaming destruction; she doesn't exactly do subtle."

"I suppose no- ow!" Noire inhaled sharply and uttered a curse. "Blasted thing!"

Severa quickly strode closer to the tree. "Noire, hey, are you alright?" she asked, trying to peer around the trunk. "I mean, what the heck is going on? Do you need help?"

"N-no!" came the quick reply and Severa ground to a halt. Noire might've realized how odd she sounded because she quickly added, "I-I mean, I'm okay. Just…stay where you are, please."

The please was said more entreating than urgent so she reluctantly took a step back. "Are you sure?"

"Really! I just need a few minutes longer. Feel free to help yourself while you wait."

Severa looked back at the basket and the smell was tempting enough to do so. But no, her parents had raised a proper lady with proper etiquette and patience was a virtue. "Shouldn't we wait for everyone else to come?"

There was a pause. "Well, I-I was just hoping for the two of us. B-but if you invited some friends then…"

Severa stopped. Just the two of them? "Wait a second." Something wasn't adding up. "This… this is just for us?"

There was some more rustling. "Sorta? Kinda?" she said, sounding slightly distracted. "Actually, it's more for you than me but I made enough for us to share."

Severa glanced at the basket again and then it clicked. "You mean… this is all…for me?"

"Well, of course!" came Noire's reply, sounding so perplexed that it practically bordered on affronted. "Who else?"

What? Why? Severa was baffled. It definitely wasn't her birthday or any other sort of special occasion that would merit any sort of celebration so...

"Not to sound ungrateful but, er… why the surprise picnic just for me?"

The rustling stopped and there was a moment of silence. Then she heard Noire sigh. "No offense, Severa, but you can be a tiny bit slow sometimes."

"H-hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

She heard Noire chuckle. "It means you'd do the same for me. Actually, you've already done it."

"Uhhhh, I'm pretty sure I'd remember if I spontaneously decided to make a picnic lunch for you."

"Not this specific, sure," admitted Noire. "But there were other times, like the time when you made me hot chocolate while I was on guard duty."

"Well, I could hardly just let you freeze-"

"Or the time you made me that broth after I nearly poisoned myself making that herb stew."

"It wasn't that bad…"

"Or the time when we were younger and you would always play with me first to make sure I wouldn't feel left out."

Severa pointed at the tree. "Okay, that doesn't even have to do with making food so that one doesn't count."

"Oh, I've got a lot more examples if that's you wanted."

She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, though the embarrassed smile working its way onto her lips mitigated the gesture. "Okay, okay, you've made your point! You did it because you wanted to, I get it. Jeez." She tossed her head back. "Kill me with kindness, why don't ya?"

She heard Noire giggle. "Only because you did it first. So go ahead and start already! I think the cinnamon rolls should still be warm."

"Wait, cinnamon rolls?" Severa instantly dropped down to her knees and flipped open the lid. True to her word, there was a pile of pure heaven staring back at her. Her one weakness in the entire world.

"Noire, you are seriously the best thing to ever exist. Period." She picked one up and ohhhhh the sweet, sweet scent of cinnamony oblivion washed over her. She took a bite. Gawd, it practically melted in your mouth. A deep moan of satisfaction, the kind you could only get from the consumption of pure sin, escaped her lips.

There was an embarrassed squeak from behind the tree. "S-Severa!" said Noire sounding scandalized.

She felt herself flush. "S-sorry. But c'mon! It's not like anybody heard that."

"Blast it all, Highmoon, stop moving! I can't hear worth a damn with all the racket you're making!"

"Aw, but I can't see anything with all these leaves in the way, Lon'qu!"

Lon'qu sneered and shoved the dark mage's head out of the way. "That's what you get for suggesting a bush as a hiding spot," he seethed. "Should've climbed the damn tree like I said."

To the side, Cordelia ducked and bobbed her head, trying to find a crack in the foliage to peer through. "What are they doing now? Can anyone see?"

Tharja shifted a branch. Somehow, she was the only one who managed to find a good spot and still remain standing. "It's just Severa right now. I think she's eating something." She squinted. "Cinnamon rolls?"

Henry perked up. "Cinnamon rolls? So that's why Noire was asking me for the recipe yesterday! Who da thunk?"

From his spot on the ground, Inigo peered upwards to stare disbelievingly at the dark mage. "You have a recipe for cinnamon rolls?" he asked, the bemusement evident in his tone. "That's… surprisingly normal."

"I am a man of many talents, baked sweet treats being one of them." Henry stroked his chin as if he had a flowing beard. "I'll let you know next time I'm making them. They're totally to die for."

"He's not kidding," said Cordelia in all seriousness.

Lon'qu growled and slammed his fist into the ground. "Enough about your thrice blasted rolls!" He pointed at all of them in an accusing manner, eyes flashing. "You two wouldn't even be here if we hadn't told you what was going to happen in the first place!"

Cordelia shared a bemused glance with Tharja. "Was this before or after he assaulted my husband in the middle of brunch?"

"I think it was after Henry gave him the black eye."

The swordsmaster clutched at his hair in frustration and glowered at Henry. "I knew I should have just stabbed you."

The threat went unnoticed as the attention was drawn back to the couple they were spying on. "Maybe we could move closer?" Cordelia moved a branch out of her face, wincing as it snapped back at her. "It is rather uncomfortable for all five of us to be in such a small space."

"We shouldn't even be here in the first place," Tharja groused. "The only reason we are is because the men in our lives are idiots."

"It's a father's duty to make sure his daughter is in capable hands," said Lon'qu, sounding absolutely insufferable. "Who knows what intentions she has in store for Noire."

Cordelia visibly frowned at the callous remark, but her husband was the one who laughed dangerously. "Nyaha, that's pretty funny, Lon'qu buddy!" He slung an arm around the swordmaster, who stiffened in response. "But it looks to me like Noire's the one who set up this whole shindig for our daughter. Maybe I should be questioning you about Noire's intentions, hmmm?"

Lon'qu's placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Remove your arm," he said lowly, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he spoke.

Henry's smile just grew wider. "Or what?"

"Or I'll remove it for you. Permanently."

"Oooh, scary!" He cackled, placing a hand on his own dark tome. "I dare you. Did I ever tell you about the time I killed a Risen with its own arm?"

"I'd like to see you repeat that with both of your limbs missing."

"Only one way to find out."

Before they could come to blows, however, a sudden bolt of dark energy struck the ground between Lon'qu's feet. He gave a surprised shout and scrambled back as far as the branches let him.

Tharja lowered her hands, jaw set in an annoyed frown. "For the love of…" she fixed her husband with a glare that could freeze lava. "The only reason why the two of you can actually be so loud is because I put up a muffling hex just before. But I swear, if you insist on bickering like children and giving me a headache, I may just consider lifting it and let you deal with Noire. How well do you think she'd react to you spying on her confession, hm?"

Lon'qu went pale and Henry began laughing at his expression but stopped with a pained yelp when Cordelia bopped him on the head. "Ouchies!" her turned to her, betrayed. "Honey!"

She fixed him with a stern stare. "Don't you dare ruin this, Henry. This is a very special moment for Severa!"

"But honey!"

"And if you think Noire would be bad, just imagine how Severa would react."

This time, Henry was the one who went white. He let out a nervous chuckle. "Ahaha… Good point."

Inigo looked between the two of them and shook his head. "Well, since this actually has nothing to do with me," he started, getting up as naturally as possible. "I'm just going to go now and-!"

Lon'qu grabbed his arm and forced him down again. "Nice try."

"Oh c'mon!" Inigo protested. "Look, I told you before, I didn't know Noire was going to be here! We just happened to be in the same place at the same time. I wasn't spying on them!"

"Oh really. Then what is it you were doing out here all alone?"

"Err…"

Earlier

"Twist and stop. Pirouette and spin! And here comes the finale aaaaaaand… Ta da! Perfect!"

Wooo! Encore, encore!

We love you Inigo!

You're the best!

"Ladies, ladies, no more! Please! You'll make me blush!

Swooooooon!

He's sooooo dreamy…

Marry me, Inigo!

"Walking. Just walking."

"Practicing you're walking. Right." Lon'qu shoved Inigo's head down, ignoring the protests coming from the would-be dancer. "And that's why you're staying. Now shut up. I think they're saying something…"

Noire still wasn't finished with whatever she was doing behind the tree and she'd eaten about half of the cinnamon rolls. Severa felt she could go on but even her roll loving stomach was starting to protest. Traitor.

"Noooooire, come on already! You've been hiding behind the tree forever!"

There was more rustling followed by a snap. "J-just a minute," came the anxious reply.

Severa sprawled out on the blanket and puffed her cheeks. "That's what you said five minutes ago. Seriously, if you take any longer, I'm going to end up eating all the cinnamon rolls by myself and getting fat and regretting it all tomorrow!"

She said it, but Severa still found herself eyeing longingly at the basket that housed the little balls of sin. There were still a bunch left… one more couldn't hurt, right?

Severa sighed again. "Nooooooire."

There were some scrabbling noises. "I-I'm nearly done! Really! I-I just…, urgh! H-how does t-this thing even…?" There was a low whine followed by a thump. "DAMNATION! Curse these ridiculous frills to the Demon's Ingle and back!"

Severa stared back at the tree. Unless she was mistaken, it sounded a lot like Noire had just punched a tree. "Uhhh…Noire? You sure you're… all right, there?"

Several deep breaths could be heard. "I'm… fine. But, um… would you mind turning around?"

Well, that seemed a little redundant considering that she couldn't even see her in the first place. "Ooookay. But, I can't even see you now so what's the point?"

Noire whimpered. "P-please! It'd…I'd feel more comfortable if you did."

Man, was it hard to argue with her. But still, Severa was curious as to what the archer was hiding. "Alright, alright, I'm turning round," she said, staying completely still. No way was she missing out on what had her so flustered.

Noire's head popped out from the side of the tree but when she saw Severa staring straight at her, she yelped and ducked back.

"Severa! D-don't look!"

"Oh, come on! I was curious."

Noire whimpered again and she relented. "Okay, okay, turning now, jeez." Severa turned to face the opposite direction. The things she did for the girl…

There was a rustling noise and then a soft sigh, followed by a reluctant voice saying, "Y-you can turn around now."

Severa rolled her eyes. "Finally. Just what in the world took you so loooooooohhh my gods, what are you wearing."

Noire flushed red and looked down at the dress. A dress in the loosest sense of the word, showing off more… skin than Severa thought was possible.

And leg. Wow. Looooots of leg. Lots.

Where in the world had Noire been hiding so much leg?!

"U-um," Noire fidgeted in her spot. "H-hi? H-how does it l-look?"

Severa stared dumbly back. "Uhhhhhh…"

"I see." Noire looked mortified beyond belief and turned away. "I'm just going to change out of this and hide forever now."

"Uhhhhh… wait, what? No!" Severa leapt forward and latched onto her arm before she could scamper off. Knowing Noire, the timid girl would be halfway to the continent of Valm before her embarrassment ran its course.

"Sorry, you just caught me way off guard with your…" Severa coughed into her hand and gestured, a bit redundantly. "Y-you know… and… wow."

The last part left her lips before she realized what she was saying. Inwardly, she grimaced. Wow. Really?! Way to sound like a child.

Noire however, didn't seem to notice and looked up warily. "I-is that a…a good wow or a bad wow?"

"Uhhhh…" And suddenly, the ground was very interesting to her. Which turned out to be a mistake on her part because there were those legs again in all of their distracting glory. Severa snapped her head back up. "W-wow, as in wow that's a pretty dress."

It was a weak excuse for a question that didn't really need an excuse but thankfully, Noire seemed to have bought it. She straightened up, looking oddly pleased with comment. "Oh, good. That's a relief to hear."

Severa coughed again and tried to focus her attention elsewhere. Anywhere, really that wasn't Noire or her legs. Maybe it'd help if she didn't even think about them… Nope, nope that wasn't working. Blast.

"W-where did you get that dress anyway?"

"Oh, Inigo lent it to me."

The thought that the consummate flirter had dancing dresses just hanging around actually wasn't that surprising. Inigo's secret love of dancing was the best-worst kept secret around camp.

"Couldn't he have given you something a bit…" How to put this tactfully? "Warmer?"

Noire glanced down sheepishly. "He, ah… he said that this one was of the more conservative dancer dresses he had."

Severa risked taking a quick look up and down at the garb, noting the amount of skin that was covered. And the sheer amount that wasn't. She frowned. "Oh is that what he said?"

Noire shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "Is…something wrong?" she asked, scratching her (exposed!) collar bone self-consciously.

"He is so dead," Severa muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing!"

Inigo groaned. "What did I do?" he grumbled.

Suddenly, he felt his shoulder being crushed underneath an iron grip and he let out a pained squeak. Lon'qu leaned forward and tightened his grip. "You know what you did," he growled.

Inigo gulped and made a mental note to never lend his dancing dresses to daughters with crazy fathers ever again. Just in case if barely restrained homicidal tendencies ran in the family.

"I'll just… be shutting up now."

"That's what I thought."

"So, I was wondering…" Noire twirled a lock of her hair and swallowed nervously. Now came the mortifying part. Well, more mortifying than putting on the silly dress and showing Severa. "If you'd like to see me, um, d-dance?"

The pig-tailed girl stopped glaring at the dress long enough to look at her incredulously, as if she had suddenly grown a second head.

"D-d-dance?" she repeated, voice coming out as a squeak.

The incredulous tone did was doing nothing for Noire's confidence but she nodded hesitantly anyways. "Y-yeah. Inigo taught me how to do a simple one yesterday and he said it was a good way of showing…" she trailed off and felt her cheeks warm as she remembered his words from yesterday.

Eyes only for you! I guarantee it!

"S-show me what?" asked Severa, and Noire noticed how oddly flushed the pig-tailed girl's cheeks were.

"Show… um," quick, say something. "I-I'd really like to show you, is all."

Severa looked unconvinced. "Well, sure but…" she scratched at her head. "W-why dance? I mean, I get the picnic and all but… dance?"

She had a fair point. Why dance?

"It's like…" she began, then stopped. " I guess it's my way how I feel… because the words aren't enough." She scratched at her cheek. Honestly that didn't sound much better. She looked down at the ground. "I-if that makes any sense?"

There was a pause. Then she heard Severa sigh. "Sort of? Kind of?"

Noire looked up. "Really?"

"No," Severa admitted. But then she shrugged. "But, heck, I can tell this means a lot to you. So that's good enough for me."

"Then?"

Severa waved her hand and gave her a wry sort of smile. "Break a leg, Noire. Let's see those moves!"

Her cheer was infectious and she couldn't help returning the smile. "Great! I'm still kinda clumsy… so um…" She gave a little twirl followed by a bow, not hearing the sudden hitch in Severa's breathing.

"Here goes!"

Lon'qu frowned as the rest of the group quietly commented on Noire's dance off to the side. Cordelia and Henry were subtly impressed and the boy (What was his name again? Ingo? Ingio?) looked oddly pleased with himself for some reason, counting the pacing under his breath.

Even his wife seemed to be enjoying it, a small smile playing on her lips that she probably wasn't even aware of.

"Oh my!" Cordelia inhaled softly as the timid archer performed a difficult looking twirl. "Your daughter is a natural at this it seems."

The dark mage sniffed and shrugged. "I suppose," she said, fooling nobody with her faux indifference.

Lon'qu ignored the prattling behind him and turned back to watch. From an objective point of view, he noted with some small pride that Noire's footwork was excellent; apparently, their training sessions had been paying off. But…

Something was off… Not with the dance. But…

His frown deepened. This dance… Hadn't he seen it before? But where?

He scowled. Think! Where had he seen this dance before and why was it filling him with such a sense of foreboding?

Suddenly, it hit him and Lon'qu felt his stomach drop to his knees. "By the Gods!" He shot up, startling everyone around him. "You, boy!" he pointed at him, startling the boy. "Did you teach her this dance?"

The boy spluttered. "Well, I wouldn't ah, necessarily say it was me. I mean, my mother could have shown her or someone else with fancy footwork and…"

"Yes or no." He drew his sword, not all the way but enough that it made a threatening sching sound that made the boy, (Inigo that was it! Olivia's son. Good gods, this was worse than he feared) instantly turned white.

"Yespleasedon'tstabmeIlikemyinsidesunstabbed."

His worst fears were confirmed. He swore and hastily stood up. "Damn it! This needs to end, now."

Unfortunately, Highmoon had other ideas. Before he could even take a step, the blasted mage leapt up and latched onto his back. "Hey now! Where do you think you're about to run off to, buddy?"

"Agh! Get off me, you fool! Before it's too late!"

Henry cackled. "Yeap, I don't think so! Honey?"

Cordelia took a step forward. "Right! Hold still, Lon'qu, and this will be relatively painless."

"W-what are you— no, unhand me, woman, I— Gyah!"

His wife didn't even bat an eye as he went sailing head over heels, landing with a heavy thump on his stomach. Before he could regain his bearings, Henry cheerfully plopped himself onto his back.

"Oof! Gahh, get off me you imbecile!"

Cordelia dusted off her hands, having the decency to at least look a bit contrite. "Sorry about that, Lon'qu. Can't have you ruining the moment."

He glared at her with all the venom he could muster as Henry settled in more comfortably. "I'll show you sorry." He breathed in deep, gathering all the air he could into his lungs. If he shouted loud enough, maybe he could break the muffling hex. "Noire! Nooooir- bawk!" He stopped, a look of shock crossing his face. What the-?

"Bawk! Bawk bawk?!"

His wife lowered her hands and turned to regard him with an amused expression. "I said I'd do it, didn't I? Now, hush dear, and try not to ruin the fun."

"Bawk bawkawk!" he clucked with righteous fury. Of all the hexes she knew, she had to go and choose the one that rendered his speech useless. Damnation! "Bakawk!"

"Oh, don't fuss. It wears off… eventually."

"Or never," added Henry. "It's kind of a fifty-fifty with the mother hen hex."

"BAWK!"

Oh this was a bad idea.

A very, very bad idea.

The worst idea to be ever conceived by man, woman and Risen alike.

"I'm an idiot," Severa muttered hoarsely, unable to take her eyes off her friend.

Noire didn't hear her, too focused on her dancing. In the light, there was an almost ephemeral quality to the archer's lithe form as she twisted and swayed to the imaginary rhythm. Severa swallowed dryly.

Breathing really shouldn't be this hard.

Severa shook her head. Just what was she thinking? This was Noire, for Naga's sake! Her childhood friend, her best friend! Timid, shy, sweet, (occasionally bipolar), Noire!

At that moment, Noire swept by, catching Severa's eye for the briefest of seconds. Severa inhaled sharply as something in her chest went up and down.

Add sensual to that list, she thought before she could stop herself.

Thankfully for her, Noire seemed to be winding down, judging by the tempo of her steps. With a flourish, the archer pirouetted once and then slid down on one knee right in front of her, panting slightly.

Severa blinked. Why wasn't Noire getting up? She was done, wasn't she?

…

Wait… Wasn't this position…?

Oh.

Something clicked. Severa's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

OH.

The parental duo plus one were having similar melt downs.

"I thought you said Noire was only confessing!" Inigo looked to Tharja for confirmation, stunned with what was playing out before him. "This looks like three steps above a simple love confession!"

Tharja however, looked equally caught off guard, not even bothering to hide the naked surprise in her eyes. "I thought she was…"

Cordelia looked about ready to explode, practically vibrating with barely contained excitement. "Oh goodness! Is… is this really about to happen?"

"Am I about to become a father-in-law?" Henry eyed Lon'qu excitedly. "Are we gonna be in-laws?!"

"BAWK! BAAWWWKKKK!"

"Hush!"

Good Naga, her feet were killing her. Apparently, one night's rest wasn't enough for the abuse she showed them yesterday. And Noire was pretty sure she had pulled something on the last pirouette there. Ooh, she was going to pay for that tomorrow.

But I did it! She thought with surprise and a bit of pride. I actually did it! And I only stepped on my own toes twice!

In front of her, Severa was furiously red for some reason, her mouth working up and down.

"W-w-w-what are y-y-you-?" she stammered.

"Er, co-could you," Noire interrupted before Severa could get too far. There was still one part left. The most important part. "Could you close your eyes?"

Maybe it was the uncharacteristically soft but firm tone she used. Severa instantly complied, squeezing her eyes shut.

She took a deep breath and uttered a quick prayer to Naga.

Here goes nothing.

"No. Way."

"Nyahahahah!"

"Hee heehee…"

"Oh my!"

"BAWK!"

Holy Naga.

Is this actually happening?

This is actually happening.

Holy Naga, this is actually happening.

A thousand thoughts rushed through Severa's head at once. Wasn't she too young to get married?! But hadn't her parents gotten hitched at her age? Shouldn't her parent's know? Gods, the anticipation was killing her.

She wished Noire would say something right now. Anything. All she could really hear was the blood pounding in her own ears, a deafening thud, thud, thud.

"N-Noire?"

She heard the rustle of fabric and she nearly jumped when she heard Noire's voice so close to her ear, close enough that she could feel the breath tickling her skin.

"Hold still, please."

Gawds, she was close. So. Close. Why was she so close?!

Something brushed against her hair and then she heard Noire say, "You can open your eyes now."

Her eyes shot open and her right hand went instantly to her head. "What did you—?"

"Ah, careful!" Noire quickly grabbed her hand. "I don't want you to accidentally dislodge it."

Severa reached into her hair again, gently this time, and felt the mysterious object that had been placed there. Her eyes widened in recognition

Oh.

A flower. A peony. Her favorite. But how…?

Noire took a deep breath and her attention focused back onto the archer. She began to speak, slowly at first, before gaining momentum.

"Remember when we first met when we were little? To be honest, I-I thought you were kind of mean and selfish and other… things. But it turns out, I was wrong and you're so much kinder than you let on. I know, because you were the one to take the first step and become my friend. My best friend. So this, this is my way of saying thank you. For taking the first step and all the steps that came after. So…thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for being brave for me. Thank you for showing me that I can be brave too. Thank you for being there when things got hard. Thank you for being by my side through it all. Thank you for your smile. Thank you for everything. But most importantly…"

Noire took a step forward and gently took one of Severa's hands into her own. Severa felt her breathing stop.

"Thank you for being you."

With that, she leaned down to place a feather light kiss on her forehead.

Severa blinked once. And then blinked. And again. She could feel her eyes starting to prickle and Noire must have noticed as well because her expression turned anxious and she quickly dropped her hand.

"Oh, p-please don't cry."

She sniffled violently and finally, she found her voice. "W-who's crying?! I'm not crying! You're crying!"

Noire paused warily. "I… okay?"

Severa sniffed again. To Grima with it. She grabbed the taller girl's arm and drew her close, drawing a surprised squeak from the archer and wrapped her in a hug.

"Definitely not crying," she insisted, hiding her face in Noire's shoulder.

There was a pause, and then she felt Noire's arms rise and encircle her.

"I know," she said simply, as if she actually believed her. "I know."

Stupid, lying tears. They gave away everything.

"It's the same for me, you know," she admitted quietly into her shirt.

"Really?" she heard Noire ask.

She nodded. "Thank you for being you, Noire."

"I think I might cry." Cordelia's eyes were glistening.

"Don't you dare," Tharja hissed, looking suspiciously watery-eyed herself. "I swear, I will hex all of you into oblivion if anybody even thinks of starting the waterworks."

"Too late." Inigo nodded over at Henry, who was blubbering, albeit silently.

"Sorry," he wiped at his nose with his sleeve. "I'm just so… so happy. Nyahahwahhahaaaaah…"

Tharja gave him an absolutely withering look and wiped furiously at her eyes. "I hate you all," she seethed.

Aside, Inigo awkwardly patted Lon'qu on the shoulder. "Well, I guess things ended up okay in the end, right? Turns out this confession business was all just a misunderstanding on our part. That's a relief, huh?" He chuckled, a bit nervously. "Crisis averted. No need for people to be stabbed."

Lon'qu glared vehemently at him for a second before tossing the thing he had been keeping hidden in his hand.

It landed on his shoulder and Inigo blinked dumbly for a second before realizing the thing was scurrying towards his face.

"AGHHHH SPIDER!" He leapt up, accidentally unseating Henry from his perch. Lon'qu was instantly on his feet.

"BAAWWKKKKK!" he cried, making a mad dash out of the bush.

"Oh, crap!"

"After him!"

At the sound of high pitched screaming, Noire and Severa instantly jumped apart. A brief second later, somebody ran out into the clearing.

Noire blinked, slightly stunned for a second before her eyes widened incredulously. "F-Father?"

"BAWK BAWK!" went Lon'qu, flapping his arms furiously. "BAAAAWWWWK!"

"Heads up!" A white blur suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tackled the swordsmaster to the ground.

This time, Severa was the one staring in disbelief. "Daddy?!"

"Don't hurt him, Henry!" Cordelia rushed into view and Severa did a double take.

"Mom?!"

Tharja trailed behind her, panting slightly and looking very disgruntled. "You have my permission to hurt him a little."

"Mother?!"

"I swear, none of this is my fault." Inigo said, looking apologetic.

"Wha- You as well?!"

"BAWK!"

"Inigo?! What are you doing here?"

"Ahahah, well, um… funny story about that. You see- YEOWCH!"

"BLASTED MEDDLER! How much did you witness?! Answer me or prepare to find out what it's like to be ripped LIMB FROM LIMB!"

"As opposed to asphyxia- hurk! Noire, Noire, c-can't breathe, c-can't… hurk!

"Henry! Off!"

"Bawk bawkakwk!"

"Yeouch! Watch the fingers!"

Severa put a hand to her forehead, a vein visibly pulsing. "Will everyone please SHUT UP!"

Instantly, all chaos ceased in mid-motion. Severa began pointing at each one of them.

"Noire, as much as I hate to say it, let go of Inigo. The oxygen deprivation is only going to make him dumber than he already is. Daddy, stop punching Noire's father. Mom, why is Noire's father squawking like a chicken and before you answer that will someone please tell me, what are all of you ?!"

Everyone had the grace to look a bit sheepish under Severa's irate glare, save for Lon'qu who was still struggling to get up and Tharja, who now looked bored.

"Err, well, you see..." Cordelia started.

"The answer is because the men in our lives are also idiot overprotective fathers," supplied Tharja.

The answer had Severa rounding on her own father, eyes flashing. "That's the reason?! You don't think I can handle myself?"

Henry laughed nervously, placing a hand to the back of his head. "Ahaha, well, that's not entirely true! Actually, we first thought that Noire was going to confess her undying love for you—"

"I'm sorry, WHAT?!" Noire started as Severa went beet red.

"And like heck we were going to miss our baby girls first love confession and then things got really juicy there with that dance number, especially at the end." He laughed. "You really had us going there, Noire! I thought Lon'qu buddy and I were going to become family there for a second!"

Noire glanced confusedly at Severa, who had begun tugging on her pigtails in vexation. "I'm… I'm sorry but… what is he talking about?"

She stopped pulling on her pigtails long enough to give her an incredulous look. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Um…" Noire scratched at her head. "No?"

Thankfully, Tharja decided to answer for her. With a roll of her eyes, she tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention and then lifted up her hand and tapped her wedding ring.

Noire looked at the ring. Then at Severa, who was now avoiding eye contact. She looked back at the ring.

Then it clicked.

"O-o-oh!" Noire pointed at her, her face now sporting a similar shade to Severa's. "Y-you thought I was asking you to marry me?!"

"Oh my gawds," Severa glared at her, though the action lacked any sort of heat. "You seriously can't be figuring this out just now."

"N-no!" babbled Noire, waving her hands. "I-it was just a dance! I-I mean, I-I'd never-!"

Henry inhaled sharply. "Oooh, bad word choice."

Severa straightened up to her full height and frowned imperiously. "Whadya mean you'd never? Are you saying I'm not marriage material?"

"Wha- no! Of course not! I just meant-!"

"Oh, so you mean anyone but me is alright then?" She put her hands on her hips and took a step forward. "That it, huh?"

Noire took panicked step back. "N-no! I didn't mean…I just m-meant…"

Thankfully for the cornered archer, Lon'qu decided at that moment to remind everyone of his presence. "Bawwwk!" he squawked piercingly. He made a gesture to his throat and glared meaningfully at Tharja, who rolled her eyes.

"Oh, fine, I suppose you've been good enough. Hold still."

She snapped her fingers. Lon'qu grimaced and placed a hand on his throat and coughed. After he was sure that he wasn't going to squawk again, he suddenly whirled around, zeroing in on Inigo.

"You!" Lon'qu advanced onto the dancer, a murderous glint in his eyes. "By the gods, you are dead, boy!"

Inigo jumped and scrabbled back. "Wha-! W-wait just a second! That's a little unfair, don't you think? Severa's the one who nearly snatched your daughter!"

"Hey!"

Lon'qu ignored him and drew his sword in a vicious motion. Inigo yelped and scurried behind Noire.

"What you've done is far, far worse, boy," growled Lon'qu. "Now hold still so I can… stab you!"

"Gyah!" Inigo ducked. "What did I do? All I did was teach Noire a few measly steps!"

"Oh, a few steps? A few steps, he says!" Lon'qu snorted and aggressively stabbed his blade into the ground. "Tell me, boy, how familiar are you with traditional Feroxi courtship rituals?"

Inigo paused at the sudden question. "Uhh… not…very?"

"Oh, really now?" Lon'qu said through gritted teeth. "Then I suppose it's a total coincidence that the few steps you showed my daughter just so happened to also be exactly one of those traditional courtship rituals!"

Inigo actually stopped ducking. "Wait, really?" A bewildered expression crossed his face and he straightened up, puzzlement temporarily overtaking his fear. "You mean… like, a dance for lovers?"

"More than that," said Lon'qu.

Inigo looked to Noire and then Severa. "Then… doesn't that mean…" His brows slowly rose as he came to a conclusion.

Lon'qu pointed at Severa, the motion almost threatening in its intensity.

"You didn't just show my daughter some simple dance. You damn near got her MARRIED as well! TO HIGHMOON'S DAUGHTER!"

There was a pause as the statement slowly sank into everyone's mind. Gradually, looks of comprehension began to dawn on their faces. And then…

"You… WHAT?!" Severa was the first to react and she whipped around in a flurry, rounding on Inigo, fury palpably radiating off her frame. "You did WHAT?!"

Inigo looked dumbfounded. "I-I did?" A sudden look of clarity crossed his face. "Ohhh. That explains why I saw mother do that dance only once for father! I knew something was fishy about that."

Noire shoved her face into her hands, the blood having seeped straight from her face. "Oh my gods." She looked about ready to faint, out of embarrassment or shock it was unclear. Maybe both. "Oh my gods. Inigo, I am going to STRANGLE YOU WITH YOUR OWN INTESTINES, I SWEAR TO GRIMA!"

"GYAH!"

Before she could make good on her promise, however, Tharja put a hand on her shoulder and held her back. "Wait, you said nearly married," she said, addressing her husband. "What did you mean by that?"

Lon'qu sighed. "Exactly that. According to Feroxi tradition, there are three requirements that need to be met before a union is recognized by Feroxi law. The two of them aren't married," he admitted. "But they're just a hair's breadth away. As of right now, they are simply betrothed to each other."

Severa stopped glaring at Inigo and warily snapped her head up. "Three requirements?"

Lon'qu nodded. "The dance Noire performed was simply the first part," he explained. "The second part requires the suitor to present a gift or offering to their partner. If the partner accepts the gift then they become betrothed."

Noire frowned in confusion. "A gift… But I didn't…?" She trailed off as her father pointed dourly at the flower in Severa's hair. Her jaw dropped. "Wha-, that counts?!"

"Unfortunately."

"B-but I had no idea!" she turned to Severa. Her expression was blank and she had gone deathly silent, a very, very worrisome sign. "Honestly! I just thought it would look nice!"

Severa remained quiet. Lon'qu continued.

"Thankfully for us, the third part requires a priest to witness the whole affair in order for you two to advance from being betrothed to becoming married." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I suppose we can count our blessings that Libra wasn't here; otherwise it would have been much harder to reverse all this."

For some odd reason, Henry suddenly stiffened and gave an uncharacteristically nervous chuckle. "Oh, yeah! Good thing he wasn't here, yep! Gooooood thing."

Lon'qu glanced at him dryly. "Something you want to add?"

"Me? Oh no, no, no! It's just…" he sheepishly scratched at the back of his head. "When you said priests, you only meant Feroxi one's, right?"

The swordsmaster's eyes narrowed. "Any priest would do," he said, slowly and the temperature slowly dipped in the clearing. "What are you getting at?"

Henry let out a high pitched, slightly desperate sounding giggle. "Yeah so, uhm, wow! This probably wouldn't be the best time to tell you guys that I'm a certified priest of the Plegian church, huh?"

The atmosphere instantly dropped to frozen. For the second time that day, all noise died down as everyone parsed what the dark mage had admitted. Not even the birds chirped.

Then, chaos.

Lon'qu let out a terrifying roar, startling the birds out of the trees. He grabbed the dark mage by the collar and astoundingly lifted him up off the ground with just one hand. "Highmoon!"

"Gurk!"

"Oh gods." Severa's blank expression had turned white. She put her hands on her knees and looked ready to keel over. "I need a minute," she said shakily. "Or ten. Or an eternity. Whichever comes first again. Oh gods."

Lon'qu continued to shake Henry, even as the dark mage slowly turned blue. "Do not joke with me, Highmoon! I will end you, I swear it!"

Cordelia snapped out of her shock and rushed over and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist to support him. "Lon'qu, I know you're angry but you need to let go of my husband!"

"I will! After I stab him a little. A lot. I haven't decided!"

"Lon'qu!"

Surprisingly, it was Tharja who came to the dark mage's aid. "Let him go," she said calmly, surprising everyone present.

Lon'qu shot her an affronted look. "You're on their side?!"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in a manner that suggested that her own patience was running thin. "Don't be moronic. Think of it this way. He dies and you've essentially committed fratricide."

"What?! How?"

Tharja smirked darkly and everyone had to suppress the shudder that ran down their spines at the sight. "You said it yourself. Noire and Severa are basically married now. So then, oh!" She put a hand to her mouth as if something had just occurred to her. "Wouldn't that make you two essentially…?"

Lon'qu turned ashen as he arrived to the same conclusion. "Don't say it."

"Family?"

Lon'qu let out an agonized groan and let Henry fall from his grasp, leaving the dark mage to gasp weakly for air. "You said it." He fell back onto his haunches. An almost petulant note entered his tone. "Why did you have to say it?"

"Someone has to be the sane one," Tharja stated flatly, though the edge was taken out of her words by the hand she placed on his arm.

Lon'qu let out another soul rending groan. "Please tell me this is some sort of fever induced hallucination brought on by... food poisoning, or… something, I don't know!" He sighed again. "I'm too young for my own daughter to have in-laws." His face twisted as a horrible thought occurred to him. "Gods, I'm too young to be a grandfather."

Noire snapped out of her shock. "T-that's n-not-!" she stammered before coughing embarrassedly into her hand. "J-just, no, father."

Lon'qu turned to Henry, his expression turning disbelieving. "On another note, how in the hell are you an actual certified priest?"

"It's more of a title," Cordelia answered, propping her husband up into a sitting position as he tried to regain his breath. "But rest assured, he has the certification. Henry actually conducted our own wedding in traditional Plegian while Libra simultaneously did it in Ylissean. A double religious blessing."

Henry coughed. "Also, it makes a great party gag slash icebreaker! Stop me if you've heard this one but a priest, a dark mage and a Risen walk into a bar…"

Lon'qu let out high pitched keening noise and Henry stopped. "Cheer up, Lon'qu buddy. It's not as bad as you think! Look on the bright side!" he said, unheeding the venomous glare Lon'qu aimed his way. "I mean, you were thiiiis close to getting Inigo as a son-in-law instead!"

Inigo started. "Wha- hey! I take offense to that! For your information, I think I would've made an excellent son-in-law!"

"Nyahaha, but not as good as my Severa!"

"You take that back! I am a treasure!"

Henry stuck out his tongue. "Then that makes my Severa a national treasure!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

Severa dropped her face into her hands, mortified. "I swear, I am going to kill you both."

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

Lon'qu suddenly stood up and the two of them instantly quit their bickering, expressions slowly shifting to unease as he slowly advanced on them.

"Uh, hey, Lon'qu buddy? Why the face?"

The swordsmaster ignored him and picked up his sword. He lifted it up and speculated it with a distracted air, letting the light glint off of it at an angle.

"The people of Chon'sin are said to value patience as a virtue," he began in an idle tone, as if he made small talk with a sharp sword in his hands on a daily basis. "I was never fully able to appreciate the sentiment since I'm only half Chon'sin. Too much Feroxi blood in me."

"Er, sir?" Inigo nervously shifted his weight.

He suddenly sheathed his sword and the two flinched at the sound. "But, I'm thinking, now would be as good as any time to start. Better late than never, as they say. So in the spirit of Chon'sin virtue, I'm going to give both of you a ten second head start."

Inigo gulped. "And uh, what happens if you catch us?"

He smiled genially at him and all the color left the dancer's face at the unnatural sight. "That depends. How fond are you of your limbs?"

The two of them gulped audibly and exchanged nervous glances. For a second, no one moved. Then without warning, Henry kicked Inigo's legs from out under him.

"Surprise attack!"

"Gwah!" Inigo stumbled but didn't trip. He looked at the dark mage, betrayed. "Cheater! I thought we were in this together!"

"All's fair in love in war!"

"That expression doesn't even make any sense in this context!"

"Seven seconds," Lon'qu said calmly.

The two were gone before he even finished his sentence, leaving only dust trails in their wake. Cordelia coughed a bit and glanced worriedly over at the swordsmaster who hadn't moved an inch. "You are joking… right?"

He snorted. "They don't need to know that," he said, curtly shoving his sword back into the sheath "There are more important matters at hand."

Cordelia looked relieved that her husband would live but quickly turned serious. "Right. Noire and Severa. What do you suggest?"

He blew out an aggravated breath between his lips. "I don't know. What's done is done, thanks to that meddling boy and your husband. In the loosest sense, the two of them are wife and wife. But at the same time, there was no actual ceremony of the sort, which is a stain on both their honors in the eyes of Feroxi law."

Severa raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, unfairly harsh much?" she said sarcastically. Noire nodded in agreement.

Lon'qu nodded wearily. "Believe me, I know. Our traditions are about as flexible as stone. Khan Basilio and Flavia have been trying to change it for some time now but…" he trailed off and gave a sardonic shrug.

Cordelia nodded slowly, digesting the information. "Then, if that's the case, instead of going against tradition, why not go with it?"

Tharja tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Your husband said it himself. What's done is done. Severa and Noire are married now, for better or worse." Cordelia spread out her arms, as if showing all the other options that they could choose. "So instead of trying to rectify the mistake, why not make the best of it and simply make it official?"

Noire was the first to understand what the Pegasus knight was saying. "You mean… actually get married?" she said, a touch incredulously.

Her father's eyes narrowed as he considered it. "That would require… documents, a certificate of marriage, papers of witness…"

"An actual wedding," Tharja added dryly. When nobody reacted, she huffed quietly. "I'm kidding."

Lon'qu paused. He put a hand to his chin. "Actually…"

"That's brilliant!" Cordelia clapped her hands, her face lit up with excitement. "That's what we need, an actual wedding ceremony!"

To her side, Noire gaped at her as if she had grown a second head. Severa voiced her concerns out loud. "Um, I'm sorry, but what?!" She rounded incredulously on her mother. "Have you lost your mind?! How is a wedding going to make this any better?!"

"No, your mother's right," interrupted Lon'qu, rolling his eyes at the look of disbelief Severa sent his way. "It's not a complete solution," he admitted. "But it's a start. With a wedding, we can turn your union into an official one and keep both of your honors intact."

Severa spluttered. "Well, what if I don't give a hoot about the stupid honor system, huh?" she glared. "You think about that, you stick in the mud?"

Lon'qu's right eye twitched, a sure sign that he was quickly running out of patience. "You're upset, so I'm willing to forgive the ignorance of your statement," he said in a deceptively calm tone. "But you have to understand, Feroxi tradition is not kind to a married woman without a ring. Noire would be branded a harlot, or worse." He fixed Severa with a level gaze. "And I'll be damned if I'd let that happen to my own daughter."

"That goes double for me as well." Tharja took a place next to him and crossed her arms, aiming a deadpan look at Severa. "Of course, if you'd like to continue being obstinate, I know a good curse or two that could… change your mind."

"N-no!" Noire moved quickly to put herself between Severa and her parents. "Mother, Father,I'm touched by your concern. Really. B-but you're not being fair." The fixed her with matching incredulous looks and she wilted slightly under their gazes but stood firm nonetheless.

"Y-you're forgetting that S-Severa has a choice too. A-And if she doesn't want to, then I- it- we won't."

"What? No, Noire!" Severa tugged the archer's arm to face her. Noire kept her gaze to the side. "Noire, you- you can't just be okay with it!" Severa's own face mimicked the tone of her voice, surprise mixed with disbelief. "Look, it's not fair to you either! You're not some- some, hussy and you can't let other people call you that!"

"So get wed then," Lon'qu growled, his patience visibly worn thin. "It's as simple as that and your problems will be solved long enough to think of a more permanent solution. Trust me, the hardest thing afterwards will be choosing the decorations for the arrangement."

"Oh!" Cordelia raised her hand. "Could I pick the decorations?"

Lon'qu opened his mouth. And then paused. His eyes narrowed craftily. "Let's make a deal. I will let you do any sort of wedding planning, decorations, food, whatever, so long as you go right now and get your idiot husband and all the required paperwork to make this official."

Severa looked outraged. "Wha- That's bribery!"

"Can the decorations be pink?" Cordelia asked seriously.

Severa turned red. "MOM!"

"The colors can be as many shades of pink as you wish," Lon'qu replied smoothly.

Tharja shuddered. "Oh gods, please no."

"So long as you get those documents. Now."

"Mom, don't you dare…"

"Deal."

"MOM!" Severa gestured furiously, redundantly. "Oh my gawds, did you just seriously marry me off like-like…!" She spluttered, words failing her at the moment. "Like a-a sack of potatoes?!"

Lon'qu snorted. "Don't be daft; potatoes can't get married."

"I KNOW THAT!"

Cordelia at least looked a bit contrite. "Well, to be fair, you're already married, so it's not that far of a stretch. But I have this dress that I think you'd look lovely in!" she offered. "And I'm sure your father would agree!"

Severa looked murderous and Cordelia probably realized this for she rushed over and wrapped her in a hug before she could react. "Mother just wants what's best for you, love you," she said, the words coming out in a rush. Then she turned to Noire and surprised her by giving her a quick one armed hug as well. "Welcome to the family, Noire!"

And with that, she sped off, leaving only her after image for Severa to gape dumbly at.

"F-father let's not be hasty- eh?" Noire stopped when she saw her father was standing right in front of her. "Father?"

He placed his hands on her shoulder, a rare gesture. "Noire, listen to me. There comes a time in life when a father must give his daughter away. Which, I honestly thought would never happen because I was prepared to castrate any little fool that even looked at you odd. But fate would see all my carefully laid plans to waste, so in the end, I have but no choice but to accept fate's hand."

He paused and glanced at Severa. A small smirk appeared on his face. "Though, I have to admit, seeing that it's Highmoon's daughter you chose, I feel like I can rest a bit easier."

Severa started and coughed, looking away in embarrassment. "Ah, thanks?" said Noire.

Lon'qu drew in Noire for a quick hug, eliciting a surprised squeak from her. "Just… promise me this. No grandchildren until your mother and I are ready."

"F-Father!"

"I'll take that as a yes." He released her and gave her a solid pat on the shoulder. "Good talk," he said, and began jogging away, leaving only Tharja left.

The dark mage let out a resigned sigh. "I married a fool. Though he does have his heart in the right place, I suppose. Anyway, you two stay here. I'll try and talk some sort of sense in them."

"You will?" asked Severa, looking surprised and a tad hopeful.

"Of course," she said, before continuing seriously, "Pink is such a horribly gauche color for any sort of occasion."

Severa groaned and hid her face in her hands. Noire turned to her mother, betrayed. "M-mother!"

"Black is so much more satisfying," Her mother went on, as if she hadn't heard her. She sighed, more to herself before shrugging. "In any case, I suppose I should welcome you to the family as well."

Severa's eye peeked warily from out beneath her hands. "You're not going to hug me too, are you?"

Tharja scoffed. "Perish the thought." She began walking away and Severa relaxed, but she tensed up again when Tharja called out behind her.

"That being said, you should know that I know about a thousand and one curses that can forcibly relocate your insides to your outsides," she promised, the amusement in her voice clear only to those accustomed to her threats. This time, it was Noire hiding her face in embarrassment as Severa turned pale. "Just something to remember should you ever break my daughter's heart."

"Welcome to the family." And with that, Tharja disappeared from view, leaving only a stunned, mortified silence in her wake.

What I wouldn't give to be a hole in the ground right now, was Noire's first thought when they were finally alone.

…Actually, I could probably start digging one right now, was her second thought. Pretty sure I could convince Severa to help.

A quick glance at her friend, however, showed the contrary. In fact, it was a bit worrisome just how far her jaw had dropped. It actually might fall off if it went any wider.

Noire coughed. "Mother seems to like you."

Severa's jaw snapped shut and she looked to her with a resoundingly disbelieving expression.

"She only makes bodily threats to people she likes," she said, before realizing just how sinister that made it sound. "I-I mean, she threatens father on a daily basis and, uh wait, I meant…um… are you… okay?" Noire trailed off as Severa began laughing.

"Snfrk… Pft…. Pfahahahhahah! A-are you serious? Your mother threatens to turn me inside out and you tell me that just means she likes me?"

"Umm…" Was that a trick question? "Yessss?"

The answer just set Severa off on a new round of laughter. "Pfthah! Oh gawds, and I thought my parents were crazy!" She giggled again and soon, Noire found herself giggling as well, unsure at first. But Severa's laughter was infectious and before long, the two of them were doubled over in fits of hysteric laughter.

It was as if the absurdity of the situation of the entire day was finally catching up for her and honestly, maybe the only thing she really could do was just laugh at it all. That or try to rationalize it. Yeah, right. That'd make defeating the fel dragon look like a walk in the park.

Finally, their laughter slowly subsided until both of them were just chuckling weakly. Severa had let herself fall on her back, facing the sky. Noire slowly lowered herself so that she was kneeling beside her. A silence passed between them, though it was a silence that Noire was comfortable with. A chance to catch her breath.

A cool breeze blew past them, rustling the leaves on the old cedar. The shh, shh they made was familiar. Comforting.

Severa exhaled, breaking the silence. "Gawds, what just happened?" she asked, sounding a bit breathless. "I'm feel like-like somebody whacked me over the head and then pushed me off a cliff. And then told me that for today, left was right and up was down."

Noire chuckled. "That sounds about right."

"Well, if you agree, then I guess I wasn't hallucinating the entire day."

"Fraid not."

Severa hesitated a bit. "So… I guess, that means we really are…" She stopped and cleared her throat. "M-married now."

Ah. Time to deal with the manakete in the room. Noire nodded, slowly and ducked her head a bit. "S-Seems like it," was all she could say. Because really, what else could she say?

Thankfully, Severa seemed to be talkative enough for both of them. She sighed, sounding a bit wistful. "What happened? I mean, I was just doing the convoy logs an hour ago. How did I end up getting married an hour later?" She stretched her arms out to the sky, as if to say 'what gives?' "This has got to be the craziest day ever, I swear."

The embarrassment came rushing back to her. "Yeah… I'm sorry about that. I didn't… plan for it to end up like this." She hugged her knees to her chest, a classic defensive gesture. So much for that earlier confidence during her dance. "I just…wanted you to have a nice day."

Severa made a clucking sound with her tongue. She reached up and flicked her on the forehead and she started.

"Don't be silly, Noire. I said that today was crazy, not that it sucked." Severa looked her straight in the eye. "What you did was… It was sweet of you and I loved it, alright? I loved every second, so don't go putting yourself down because I'm not gonna let you, you hear?"

Something warmed inside of her at Severa's reassurance and she had to break eye contact or else… well, she wasn't quite sure what she would do. "Y-you're just saying that because of the cinnamon rolls I made you," she lightly teased.

"Nooooooo, okay, maybe a little," admitted Severa, and she smiled when Noire giggled in response. "Geez, my one weakness and you exploit it, gawds. You asked Daddy for his recipe, didn't you? I keep asking him how he makes it but all he does is laugh and say you're better off not knowing."

She shook her head with a knowing smile. "Sorry, but he made me promise to keep it a trade secret, otherwise, he'd take my thumbs as collateral."

Severa huffed dramatically. "Psh, Daddy wouldn't do that. He likes you too much to take them, plus, Mother would never let him."

"The same mother who wanted to turn all the wedding decorations pink?"

"Okay, fair point." Severa sighed and sat up. "Which reminds me, I need to talk to her and Daddy later." She groaned. "They're going to be so disappointed."

Noire felt her smile slowly slide off her face. "Um, w-why would they be disappointed?"

Severa gave a little, what-can-you do shrug. "Well, mother because she won't be getting her pink reception and daddy, well, he just likes weddings and the pranks he can pull on the people there."

"Wait." Noire unfolded her legs as the statement parsed its way through her brain. "You're going to… talk them out of the wedding?"

Severa looked at her strangely. "Well, yeah," she said as if it were obvious, though it sounded like there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "I mean, this whole marriage thing was just a huge misunderstanding in the first place. And our parents blew it waaaay out of proportion and overreacted and…" she trailed off, the uncertainty prevalent now.

"Well, yes, but…" Noire stopped.

Severa tilted her head. "But what?"

What indeed. What was she going to even say? For all intents and purposes, Severa's reasons were sound and her logic was flawless. So why… was she feeling so reluctant?

"N-never mind."

Severa looked unconvinced, but thankfully, she didn't push it. "Well, if you say so. And besides, getting married just like that isn't… It's not fair to you."

"How?"

"Well, you know…" Severa made a vague gesture with her hand that looked as lost as Noire felt. "Marriage is a big deal and all. I mean, you know…" She trailed off and coughed awkwardly. "When you get married, it should be with someone you…." Severa ducked her head. "Someone you love. Not me. That's… that's how marriage works."

That was what she said, yet Severa looked so unsure of her own words. But Noire nodded anyway, feeling oddly disappointed, if the pang in her chest was anything to go by. "Y-yeah, you're right. Of course." She cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the sudden lump that had materialized. "And I wouldn't want to force you into something you hated as well."

"I wouldn't hate it."

Noire looked up, surprised. Across from her, Severa looked just as surprised at the words that had just come out of her mouth. "Y-you wouldn't?"

Severa hesitated. "I mean, if I WAS getting m-married, I'd… I'd want it to be you." Her voice hitched on the last part and she quickly added. "B-because you're my best friend and all!"

Noire gulped and the lump in her throat lessened. "Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say.

Severa nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah…" she said and this time, Noire could hear the disappointment.

And suddenly, she found her mouth moving. "I-it's the same for me."

Severa quickly looked up. "R-really?"

"Yeah." Noire hesitated. Slowly, carefully, she reached out and placed her hand on Severa's, lacing their fingers together. "I'd choose you in a heartbeat."

She wasn't sure why she was saying this yet, she realized with a start, what she was saying was all true. She'd choose Severa. Over and over and over again.

Severa stared at her. Slowly, her cheeks flushed pink "Noire, you… " She turned away, her voice trembling slightly. "Thank you, Noire. That's sweet of you to say so… I...thanks."

It was the image of Severa, rare, shy, sweet smile that made Noire's mouth move before she realized what she was saying.

"Let's go ahead and get married."

Her idea was greeted with a slight widening of her eyes and silence.

Oh gods, had she really just said that? OUT LOUD? OH GODS.

She began to babble nervously. "I-I mean, not really married, you know. But married because it'll be like a… a… practice! Like a practice marriage, yes! It'll be good for both of us! Prepare us for our future partners and uh, t-think of the morale boost it'll give the army and… and…"

Severa still hadn't said anything. Noire stood up, panicked, afraid. Why had she said it? She should've just kept her mouth shut. Oh gods. She was such an idiot! An idiot with ruined friendship.

"I-I'm sorry! Forget I said anything." She turned around. "J-just forget I said a-anything a-and…"

A hand suddenly latched onto her arm and she stopped, surprised. Slowly, she turned around fearing the worst.

Severa had stood up as well, her face angled to the ground. But even so, the little skin Noire could see was bright red.

"You always assume the worst, you dummy."

"B-but I thought…"

"Yes."

"-you wouldn't want- wait." She stopped. "What?"

"Yes," she said again.

She wasn't quite sure if she was breathing at the moment. "Y-yes, as in… yes, let's get…?"

"Noire…" Severa gently cut her off. Slowly, she lifted her head. The small smile was back on her face, the same smile that was uncharacteristically shy and all Severa.

"I-I'd love to."

It took a second for her to understand what Severa had said. But when she did, she felt her knees go weak.

"Really?"

Severa nodded. "Yeah. I-I mean, it's like you said. Practice. A-and, who knows." She paused and turned even redder. "M-Maybe it could t-turn into the r-real thing."

Noire nodded dumbly. And then she did a second double take as the meaning of the sentence set in. Wait. "D-do you mean…?"

Severa coughed hurriedly. "A-anyway, don't you have something more important to do?"

Noire paused. With all the reversals she had just experienced, she wasn't sure what Severa was referring to. What was she miss-! Oh! "R-right! Of course!" Quickly, she reached into her shirt and pulled out the necklace she kept around her neck. Attached to the end was her mother's ring.

Severa glanced at it and then did a double take. "W-w-what are you doing?!"

Noire paused. "Uhh, isn't this what you meant?"

"I-I meant telling our parents!"

"Oh." That made much more sense, in hindsight. She thought about it for a second. And then she shrugged. "We can do that after this." She took the ring off its chain.

Severa looked stricken. "Wait, Noire. I-I can't- take it. It's yours. Your mother gave you that ring."

"Which I'm giving to you," Noire gently interrupted. She understood Severa's concern. The single memento that her mother gave her, her real mother.

She took up Severa's hand. With the utmost care, she with slipped the ring onto Severa's finger. "But I think, she wouldn't mind too much if I used it like this."

Severa stared at the simple band on her finger before starting, as if realizing just what was on her finger. "W-well, if that's the case then…!" Severa reached into her shirt and pulled out her own necklace. "Here. My mother w-would have said the same s-so…!"

She grabbed Noire's hand and with trembling fingers, slipped the ring onto her finger after a few tries.

"There!"

Now it was her turn to stare dumbly at the ring. Oh. How had Severa made it look so easy? Her own knees felt weak and… oh, wow, they really were weak. She felt herself falling forward.

"Whoa!" Thankfully, Severa caught her in time and she gently lowered her to ground so that they were both kneeling. "Noire, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Nothing, she wanted to say. But then her voice caught in her throat when she looked at Severa, her brows furrowed with concern and all she wanted to do was wrap her in a hug and never let go. So she did just that and laughed a little when Severa squeaked in surprise.

"Thank you."

Severa looked at her bemusedly. "Wh-what are you thanking me for?"

Why was she? She had no idea except… "I'm s-sorry, I'm just…" She laughed again. "I don't know why. I'm just really, really, really happy right now." She sniffled a bit and oh gods, don't cry. Not now. Not until you've said what needs to be said.

"I-I know this is just a practice and all but…" She took a steadying breath. "I w-want… I p-promise to make you the happiest bride to be in the entire world. Promise"

Severa stared at her, eyes wide and face flushed an adorable pink. She mouthed silently for a few seconds and then she buried her face into Noire's shoulder. She felt something wet and the smile through the fabric of her shirt.

"You dummy," came the muffled reply. "I already am."