It was worth mentioning that Nina had issues with authority. Now, she was reasonable when it came to people she didn't know, for whom she would try to muster the most respect she could offer. Other people, such as her father, were completely out of the question. Why was this many would wonder? Nina wasn't exactly sure why she was repulsed at the sound or sight of Niles, but she had many suspicions that stemmed from, once again, her younger days in the Deeprealms.
The child Nina from the Deeprealms adored her father and gobbled up any time he came to visit; when it was time for him to leave, she would beg and cry him into staying at least a minute more. However, as years passed her by, visits from Niles grew less and less frequent, which already wasn't frequent to begin with.
Soon, weekly visits became monthly. Monthly visits became every-other-monthly. Every-other-monthly visits became three-times-a-yearly. Soon, there came a point where Nina hardly saw any of her father at all, sometimes forgetting the sight of his face. This, of course was not a good thing; other children, more fortunate than her, had their families, fathers included; those kids were those she called the 'little devils'.
The 'little devils' poked fun at her and her orphan-like complex; often, they would ask where her father was, trying to sway her into believing she was abandoned. Hence, Nina grew up lonely, seeking comfort in the daydreams she would have when her mind started to wander. The woman Niles had left her with many years ago, a caretaker, was a woman who could not fulfill the role of a father-figure in her life, instead doing to most she could to brighten Nina's day. Needless to say, that woman did not do much to be any sort of influence in Nina, whether it be good or bad.
So, of course, Nina's loneliness drove her to the bad side, where she stole and stalked.
Nina didn't think either of what she did as something 'bad', seeing that she never really harmed anybody; she stole from the corrupt rich who cheated money out of the poor with intents to return it to whom it belonged, and those she stalked... Well, she never hurt anyone, so they were fine.
Her father, who was not well informed of the places Nina's interest strayed, thought nothing of needing to teach her right and wrong, assuming she was growing into a fine young lady; all it took was one abrupt crash for him to truly see her real attitude, especially towards him. All the years upon years worth anger and loneliness, all pent up inside her, was soon to rain down upon him.
Well, that was her plan anyways. But as of late, nothing much had really been going according to plan for Nina.
The day following an eventful dinner and a strange Shura, Nina was in high spirits, wandering around camp in search of something interesting to come up. Perhaps, if she were lucky, she would come across her boyfriend and spend the day with him, or, if that wasn't the case, she would find a pair of dashing fellows in the middle of a heated sparring match; oh, she could see it now. Shirtless bodies, both glistening in the sunlight, ripping muscles hard at work as they swung their blades; exhausted breaths being drawn in and drawn out by a quivering, and open, mouth...
Ooh, and if they abandoned their blades to turn their session into a wrestling match... Their hands would be all over each other, sweat mixing with sweat, their mouths breathlessly gasping for air as their tight chests collided, rubbing against one another...
The thought drew Nina in so far she didn't notice the wall in front of her- that is until she ran into it. She groaned, nursing her nose as it stated to ooze a pinch of blood. Embarrassed, she stood alone for a while, hunched over, her eyes shut as tight as can be; in the meantime, she began to pray that no pair of eyes ever saw a sight which was that.
If someone did see... Something had to be done about them. Something awful. Something that would never have them see anything ever again.
"Wow. That looked like it really hurt." commented a tone, a familiar tone; the sound of it brought chills down her spine. Enter Niles, who approached her with his steed and Corrin at his side. The sight horrified Nina, causing her to take a step back, her face souring.
"W-What do you think hurt?"
"Don't pretend you didn't just run into that wall, Nina." Niles chuckled. "Stand still; Corrin and I need to talk to you."
Hmm. Niles was getting smart; had Corrin not been there, Nina would have left by now. Surely he foresaw such a thing and planned against it. It was time Nina upped her game as well... Just as soon as she squirmed out of this sticky situation.
"Oh, that's too bad; I can't stand and talk, I think I broke my nose or something. I need to get to the medical tent the soonest I can."
"I'm sorry, but we can't let you go." Corrin announced, his face grim. Slowly, he approached her. "Yesterday, the lot of my army couldn't help but notice some of their missing things conveniently reappeared in their tent after the incident in the mess hall..." he raised a brow as he closed in on her. "Would you happen to know anything about this strange phenomenon? Perhaps it was the work of man... Or a young woman I should say?"
Immediately, Nina flushed, moving her hand away from her nose as she eased backwards a pinch.
"Th-That's ridiculous." she scoffed. "Are you assuming it was me just because I had your sister's pearl necklace yesterday? Come on, now, it's rude to assume! I found that necklace on the ground one day; finders keepers, right?"
"Nina. Stop." Niles grimaced as he too approached her, his arms crossed. "I know you have this thing for stealing; trust me, I honestly believe you got it from me. In my younger days, when I was living on the streets, I couldn't get enough of that high I got when I took home something fancy without having to drop a dime. We've talked about this haven't we? Stop playing innocent and confess already; did you steal all of that stuff?"
Nina stood still, her face souring more with each and every second which passed; she turned her head away stubbornly, huffing.
"Maybe a little bit of it."
"And you tried to hide it by returning everything while we were away? You thought you could avoid suffering the consequences?"
"How rude of you to assume that of me, I'd never-"
"Shura watched you and Soleil do the whole thing, Nina." Corrin grumbled. "He told me about it this morning; he was in a tree when he happened to notice the two of you scrambling around camp. He saw and heard everything."
Again, Nina's face grew worse, heat shooting up her body. She saw the look on the expression of her father... It wasn't a good look. Seldom had she seen it, but she remembered it from youth; it was a face preserved for when she was in the biggest of trouble. "You saw this punishment coming from a long way, Nina." he said with a sigh, uncrossing his arms. "Be cooperative and this won't sting as much."
She gasped as she backed away.
"N-No way. Sting? You're not going to spank me, are you? I'm too old to get a whipping and you know that!"
"Nope." Niles reached into his back pocket, where he pulled out a pair of metal cuffs, both open and ready to latch onto a pair of hands. "Thieves belong in prison; Corrin and I both agreed this would be the proper punishment for you."
Quickly, at the sight of those cuffs, she hid her hands behind her back.
"Prison?" she echoed. "But that's where war prisoners are kept! You know! Where we keep them until we've persuaded them to join us?"
"Prison's still a prison. Maybe you'll think really hard about what you've done during your stay."
And thus, the countdown began; the moment it set off, Niles and Corrin were more than happy the horse was brought along.
3...
2...
1...
And Nina was off, sprinting away the fastest the tips of her toes could take her, her eyes wide with fear, her braids flying in the air behind her. Her boots beat against the grass as she rushed down the field, her lips releasing a slight shriek.
In the wake of her dash, Niles and Corrin stood side by side, sighing in disapproval. Slowly, Niles shook his head.
"Told you she would run." he muttered before leaping onto the back of his steed. In just a moment's worth after, he beckoned the beast to rush forth, leaving Corrin behind to watch. It didn't take long to gain in Nina's tail; she was an excellent runner, but she was nowhere near as fast as a conditioned steed. Upon noticing her father catch up to her, she grit her teeth as she changed the direction of her sprint, heading straight for camp.
She rushed through the maze of tents, slowing her pursuer behind her with the traffic and obstacles of the crowded camp; pleased with herself, she cackled beneath her tiring breath, continuing to distance herself from her hindered father.
Where was she going? She wasn't sure, but she knew wherever it was, she would have to get far from the camp... Perhaps even leave the army. It would be dangerous to put herself out there where she was left to the mercy of the wilderness without a second pair of eyes to watch her six... But heck was it better than going to prison.
Soon, she ran out of camp and was back in the terrain that offered her no advantages; she had to be fast or else her father was easily going to catch back up to her. Her feet quickened, costing her much more breath; so much adrenaline pumped through her veins for her to possibly notice the change in exhaustion.
The adrenaline made it to where she didn't notice a lot of things, especially the weighted net her father loaded into his bow behind her. Amongst the galloping of hooves on bare ground, he aimed his weapon to the sky, tugged back, then released, watching as the net flew. It soared across the field, opening, its weights spreading wide as it plummeted to the ground.
It was a hole in one, for when it hit the ground, a tangled daughter lay in its clutches, struggling to break free. She wrestled, taking some of the rope in her mouth in hopes of chewing her way out. When she noticed the sound of hooves growing closer, she snarled.
"Hey! Get back!" she said, squirming furiously. "You lousy son of a-"
"Lookey what we have here." Niles grinned maniacally as he retired his bow. He slid off the back of his horse, his boots thumping against the ground; there, he squatted next to her, watching as she continued to struggle. "Seems I've caught myself some sticky fingers. Better luck next time."
And that's how Nina ended up behind the metal bars of a prison cell, all alone, her eyes wide with shock. On the opposite side, Niles stood next to Corrin, his arms crossed as he observed their newly-obtained prisoner. With a sigh, he allowed his shoulders to sink.
"Geez, Nina." he said lowly, looking away. "Haven't I told you? I've never wanted this for you, not in a million years; this is where the choices you've made have landed your sorry rump."
Inside, hiding in the shadow of the corner, Nina snapped her head away with a grimace.
"Easy coming from you, the one who never got caught his youth." she grumbled. "Why don't you come sit in here with me so we can both know how it feels." Niles shook his head slowly.
"I've had my days of transformation. It's time you had yours." with that he turned to Corrin, shrugged, then began to walk away. "Thanks for sparing another cell for her; I'll decide when's a good time to let her out later."
Side by side, the two men abandoned the cell, prowling down the empty hall of cobblestone before they heard a banging behind them; it sent a metallic ring echoing into the darkness, begging them to stop. Complying, they turned around curiously, opening their ears to listen to an angered shout which followed.
"Yeah, go on, father! Stick me someplace and leave! That sounds just like you!" the voice roared; her hands, gripping the bars of her cell, began to shake rapidly. "I bet you won't visit me here either! Leave me to rot like you did in the Deeprealms!"
The shouts were obviously bait, and Niles was smart enough to see it as such; funny enough, he almost couldn't resist taking it. However, Corrin was surprised to see his integrity as he continued to walk on, his shoulders stiff; something in his blood red eyes seemed to want to ask him if he should reconsider leaving so soon. In the end, however, his lips remained sealed as they departed from the prison.
