So, Chrom's pissed and Panne wants to talk to me now. Ricken and Maribelle are going to join us shortly, people are a tad OCC and... Hrm... I dunno what else to say actually. So, on with the chapter!

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about Panne?"

"You seem different than the other man-spawn. You seem out of place. Where are you from?"

"Oh, around and such. Nowhere and everywhere..."

"I see. Tell me, how did you find yourself with Chrom and this band of Shepherds?"

"I just woke up in a field, and Chrom found me."

Panne rubbed the back of her hands as we continued to speak. Her interest seemed to die in where I was from and we ended up talking about things such as our interests and what we do in our spare time. Panne avoided my questions as to her personal time, or what it was like being a Taguel, but I assumed she'd tell me when she was ready. I found it strange that she was as interested in me as she was however. My entire life I had been a relatively unremarkable person. The only remotely interesting thing about me was possibly the fact that my brother was an ordained minister. But it was nice to talk to someone who was interested in me.

'Shoot, maybe I should stop complaining about being so bland.'

"So this brother of yours, why is it so strange he is a man of faith?"

"Because he isn't. He's just a man of faith on paper."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He doesn't preach, and he doesn't spread the word of any God. He's just a minister for laughs basically. A joke."

"Faith is a joke where you're from?"

"Well, to some, yes."

"Do you have faith?"

I thought for a bit.

"I suppose, yeah. Not the same faith as others maybe, but I have a faith that gives me strength. Isn't that the important thing?"

Panne didn't answer, but her face told me she was in thought.

"Do you have faith Panne?"

"Yes."

We were silent for a time.

"Would you tell me about it?"

"Not now."

"Some other time then?"

"Perhaps."

Panne eventually phased and bounded off. I decided to go find someone else to talk to. I eventually bumped into Maribelle talking with Stahl.

"Sane, hello. Glad to see you're up and about." She said cheerily as I approached her.

Stahl said a goodbye to Maribelle and left. Maribelle turned to me and smiled.

"Have you heard the news Sane?"

I shook my head.

"What news?"

"Ricken and I are joining the Shepherds. Temporarily of course."

'Not surprising, but I thought you guys joined under different circumstances.'

"Really? That's great. I hadn't pictured you as a fighter though. Are you going to be alright?"

"My dear Sane, fighting is for those of more... Rugged natures. I'm a Troubadour you see."

'I know this.'

"Ah, a healer then. Excellent! I feel safer already knowing you'll be joining us then."

She smiled.

"Anything I can do to help. Short of fighting that is, I absolutely abhor violence."

'I don't know, I've seen people have you as a pretty badass War Cleric. Get you a bolt axe...'

"I'll make sure to keep you away from the front lines then."

Maribelle was dressed as regally as always. Frilly outfit, neat and styled hair. I felt almost sloppy in comparison.

"Lissa tells me you've been training her to be a Mage."

"Well, I wouldn't say I've been training her... But there have been a couple of times when I've given her a tome, but I haven't' done anything. It's all her."

"I've been told I have Mage potential myself. But I find the healer route to be more noble."

'Can you be any more conceited?'

"The desire to heal others is a noble one indeed."

"I'm glad you understand."

She smiled and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Now tell me, what are you going to do once we make way for Plegia?" I ask her. "The road is going to be rough."

"I'll be fine dear, I can fend for myself after all."

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me."

Maribelle seemed slightly put off by my comment.

"I'm sure I'll be fine."

I shrugged.

"Just trying to be a good person."

"You needn't worry so much."

I didn't speak to Maribelle much after that. She was pretty boring to converse with and I couldn't get the image of a stuck up noble out of my head.

Talking to Ricken wasn't much more amusing. He projected such a childlike aura that within five minutes of talking to him I wanted to shoot myself.

'God, it's like talking to Chris's daughter!'

It's not that he was really annoying or anything, but he just seemed so young and naïve. He was so eager to prove himself, and to be some sort of badass.

'I mean, I wanna be a badass too, but I'm not a child about it.'

Ricken tried his hardest to be all mature, but the more he tried the harder he failed. Naive youth aside he seemed like he was a good person and with time I was sure I would be able to enjoy talking to him more. But until that time came I quickly learned I was going to have to avoid him. Ricken however, was skilled in the art of trapping you in conversation and I found it nearly impossible to get away from him.

'Oh, Gods, he's weird and annoying. He must have a crush on me.'

After talking to Ricken for what seemed like hours, I was finally able to slip away from him. The grumble in my stomach told me that it was certainly past lunchtime and I decided it was about time for me to see about finding food. I was a little scared at getting something to eat at the castle so I decided to pay another visit to the local pub. I didn't bring my sword, but I made sure I had a tome concealed within my robes.

'Worse comes to worse, we can have a bonfire.'

The pub wasn't as crowded as yesterday, which I suppose was a good thing. I briefly glanced around to see if perchance I recognized somebody. I did recognize a few people. Chrom and Frederick were sitting at a table, most likely with some drinks. Lon'qu was sitting at the bar with what certainly was a drink and a sour look on his face.

'He looks lonely... Let's go bother him.'

I didn't wait for anyone to seat me and instead walked over to the bar and sat one stool away from Lon'qu.

'Bar pick-up simulator, don't fail me now.'

I was careful not to say anything to Lon'qu until I had given him enough time to talk to me first. The bartender came over to me and asked if I wanted any food or drink. I ordered some dumplings that reminded me of Gyoza and the apple ale I had been drinking yesterday with Vaike, Sully and Stahl. When my drink was brought to me I closed my eyes for a brief moment and raised a toast to Vaike.

'Keep teachin' Teach.'

I took the 'First Drink' and started to eat my dumplings. Every now and then I would look out of the corner of my eye at Lon'qu. He was slowly drinking his drink, not bothering to look at anything other than the counter in front of him. Or so I thought.

"Sane, I'd like to drink without you leering at me thank you."

He was cold, as usual.

"I wasn't leering at you. I hardly would call looking at someone leering."

"You've glanced my way at least ten times since you've been here. Stop it."

I took another drink of my ale.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"I'd rather enjoy my drink in peace."

I ate another dumpling.

"And talking to a friend isn't peaceful?"

"You're not my friend. Don't think for one second you are."

"Can you say 'hostile'?"

He fixed me with a piercing glare. I suppose I should've been scared, but for some reason I actually found it quite funny.

'He should really get over his hostilities towards women. I mean, I hadn't realized having such a horrible thing happen to him in the past would make him act like he does towards women. Be afraid of becoming emotionally attached to them yeah, but just having them as friends? Sheesh...'

"Relax Lon'qu, you act like I'm about to spit in your drink or something..."

He glared at me again and returned to his drink.

'Mmm... Bad boys...'

"If you're trying to repel people you know, you're going about it the wrong way."

He raised an eyebrow.

"How do you figure?"

I smiled.

"Ladies love bad boys."

He rolled his eyes at me.

"If you're not going to leave, can you at least stop talking?"

I moved a seat closer to him and continued to eat my dumplings and drink. I could see him tense and barely resisted the urge to smirk.

'I really need help, don't I?'

I casually finished my dumplings and drink. The bartender refilled my drink and asked if I wanted anything else to eat. I thought for a minute and turned to Lon'qu.

"Do you think they serve anything good here? Desert wise?"

He pretended not to hear me and take a long drink. I turned back to the bartender.

"Slice of pie, apple please."

I didn't say anything to Lon'qu the rest of the time I was at the bar. I could tell he was glaring at me the entire time I ate my pie and I tried to ignore him, but somehow I could practically feel his eyes boring holes into my skull.

'What, Gods I stopped talking didn't I?'

"You should really buy a girl a drink before you check her out you know."

He stuck out his middle finger briefly and waved the bartender over for another drink.

"Is that a threat or an offer?"

"I swear if you say one more word..."

"Ooohh... I'm scared, what's gonna happen?"

He got up and left the bar, throwing coins on the counter top.

"Have your damn drink then!" He barked.

I ate my pie alone and took one swig of Lon'qus' drink before deciding he had no taste in alcohol either.

'I'm never going to understand what adults drink this stuff so much.'

I glanced around the pub before finishing my pie. Chrom and Frederick were still sitting at their table. I was tempted to go over and talk to them, but my tendency to avoid people when I think they're angry with me prevented it.

'There'll be plenty of time to talk to them later anyway.'

I finished my pie and second ale, paid the barkeeper and left the pub. The air outside was hot and dry. I tried looking at the sky to see the position of the sun. I nearly blinded myself in the process of course, but I determined that it was about mid-afternoon. I went on another walk through the town to pass the time. I stopped and looked at some pottery shops, art shops, a couple of bakeries, even checked out another pub. Nothing really seemed to spur my interest, so I was basically wandering around bored.

'Bwah... I'd rather have Lissa jump out and violate me than wander around bored.'

I found myself suddenly back in front of the strange black tent from the day before.

'I'm so bored... Let's do this.'

Almost as soon as I stepped into the tent Madame Bev was beside me.

"I'm glad to see you've decided to return... Have you thought about what you'd like to buy?"

I looked nervously around the tent.

"Urm... Smallclothes I guess?"

She smiled.

"Excellent choice."

She brought me to the back of the tent.

"Now, in order for me to get the best fit, I'll have to take some measurements. In order for me to do that, you'll have to take off your robes. Don't worry, I have a private area we can do this in."

My parents would certainly not approve of what I was doing. I tried to look at anything other than Bev as she took my measurements. When she was done, she had a frown on her face.

"Sorry dear, I don't carry anything in your size."

'Oh Gods... I'm fat aren't I?'

"Usually I have smallclothes in bigger sizes for bigger women. Having certain things really helps a woman's self esteem you see. You might be able to fit some of them if you put on... Oh I don't know, fifteen or twenty pounds?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Of course, there's nothing wrong with being as thin as you are either."

"Uh... Thanks... I always thought I was a bigger woman... I guess not."

She sized me up.

"Well, your hips are a little wider than most, but unless you'd like to have them broken and reset there's not much you're going to be able to do about them."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Anything else you'd like? Candles, oils?"

"Hm... Do you carry Dragonsblood candles?"

I spent a good hour at least looking through the candles Madame Bev sold. I must admit, the selection was quite nice and I should've looked more at her shop last time instead of rushing out of the tent. She still gave off a creepy vibe, but at least since Virion wasn't floating around it wasn't as awkward. I ended up getting enough candles to keep a Yankee fan happy for a good thousand years and left the tent.

'Where to next?'

The day seemed to drag by almost too slow for my tastes. Not that I wasn't grateful for a chance to relax, especially after last nights events, I just wasn't accustomed to having nothing to do for long periods of time. I decided to see if there was a place nearby I could go for a swim. Bev telling me that I was a thinner woman made me feel strangely confident.

'Maybe I could get some of the other women to join me?'

I put the candles with my stuff back at the castle and decided to ask Lissa if she knew any good spots for swimming.

"Sure Sane, there's a lake not far from here."

She gave me directions which I did my best to remember, as she wouldn't be able to join me because she was going to train with Miriel.

"I've decided I want to become a Mage." She told me, acting all secretive about it.

I chuckled and headed off to the lake. Surprisingly, I was able to find it without too much trouble. The water was crystal clear and seemed to be inviting me in. I carefully scanned the area, making sure no one was around. Satisfied that I was alone, I began to take off my robes. I was standing in a light under shirt and my pants at the edge of the lake. Before completely stripping and diving in I sat on the bank, rolled up my pants and stuck my legs in.

"Oh my gosh that's cold!"

I shivered as I sat along the bank with my legs in the water. I couldn't quite reach the bottom with my toes, but I could see it from where I was sitting. A couple of fish swam idly by and paused to examine my feet. One of the fish, who I assume was more brave than the others, actually nibbled on my big toe. The sounds of the lake were soft in the background. The surface of the water rippling as a gentle wind blew, birds and insects flying overhead, cattails dancing in the breeze. I sighed.

'I think I just might take a nap.'

"Excuse me Sane, mind if I join you?"

"Oh, Kellam. I thought you'd be practicing or something."

I patted the ground beside me and smiled.

"Yeah, have a seat."

He sat on the ground beside me and mimicked my position.

"Ah, cold water..!" He said as he initially put his feet into the lake.

His feet were closer to the bottom of the lake than mine, but not even Kellam with his long legs could reach the lake bed.

"Having a boring day too?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"Not really. How are you feeling?"

I looked down at my feet. The fish were gone, scared off by Kellam no doubt.

"I don't know... How about you?"

I don't know what Kellam was looking at, if anything in particular, but he paused before answering me as well.

"Not that great..."

"How well did you know Vaike?"

"Not as well as Chrom, but I'd still go drinking with him every now and then."

I plucked a cattail and idly picked at it.

"I went drinking with him yesterday. It was kind of fun."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Him, Stahl and Sully were teasing me about being slightly durnk."

"Durnk? Drunk?"

"No... Durnk. I was slurring my words a bit."

He chuckled.

"You got durnk huh? How much did you drink?"

"Um... An apple ale and a half."

I saw him turn his head towards me.

"You have no alcohol tolerance, do you?"

"Nope. But I had another ale at the pub earlier and wasn't durnk."

He chuckled.

"Durnk... Oh my gosh..."

"Oh, that's not even the best of what was said."

"Oh? What else was said?"

"Well, apparently Stahl thinks Frederick can give birth."

Kellam covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

"Why?" He asked, almost tearing up.

"Well, I thought Frederick was old enough to be my dad."

"Oh Gods, he's not that old!"

"I know, he's twenty-two."

Kellam shook his head.

"No, he's four years older than Chrom. He's twenty-six."

"Really? I could've swore Stahl said he was twenty-two... Oh, he must've been talking about Chrom then."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

He whistled.

"And you cast magic? Nice."

"Heh, I had Vaike convinced I was twelve last night."

"Ha ha, you could pull it off if you wanted."

I slowly kicked my feet back and forth in the water.

'I was really wanting to swim, but no way I'm stripping in front of Kellam, even if it's just to my underwear.'

"It's a nice day to go swimming." He said.

I nodded.

'Is that Kellam speak for 'You're preventing me from enjoying myself'?'

"Um... Would you like to swim with me?"

I looked at Kellam then quickly looked away so he wouldn't see me blush.

'Oh my Gods...'

"Ah... I'm... Uh... No, that's... Er, thanks for offering but um..."

I ran a hand through my hair nervously. Kellam was mimicking me almost perfectly, although I think his face might've been redder than mine.

"Sorry... I just thought with the weather and everything, and you were here..."

I absent-mindedly picked at more of the cattails on the bank of the lake.

'Well... I guess it would be no different than going to the Big Splash or something, right?'

"I gu-Aah!"

The bank I was sitting on decided to crumble suddenly, and I was dumped into the water. The sudden chill rendered me almost immobile and I curled into a fetal position under the water. I heard a splash beside me and something lifting me above the water. I inhaled deeply, managing to sound like a wounded animal in the process. Kellam hefted me onto the part of the bank that wasn't collapsed and pulled himself up beside me.

"... Um... Thanks for swimming with me?" He said quietly.

His hair was plastered to his head and face, and his clothes looked like a drowned cat.

'I suppose I don't look any better yeah?'

"Yeah... We should do that again sometime."

He looked over at me with a goofy grin. I didn't want to, but I eventually I returned the grin with one of my own. Soon we were chuckling. Then the two of us were full on laughing like it was the last day on Earth. When we finally calmed down I was gazing at the water. It had calmed down from my tumble earlier. My damp clothes were cold, and I was shivering despite the sun.

'Screw it! I'm going swimming!'

"Kellam, you still wanna swim?"

He looked over at me and flashed a shy smile.

"Yeah."

"So let's swim then!"

Because everybody wants to swim with Kellam right? Anyway, thanks all for your continued support. Next chapter is gonna be a Ylissean night out on the town! Well, at least half the chapter is oging to be a night out on the town, the other half might be a Risen skirmish or some random bandits. What do you guys think? Oh, and Chrom's going to be mad at Sane at least until our fight at Plegia Castle.