If it wasn't at least slightly evident by now, Nina's soul was a charitable one, even though she often came off to others as rude and pushy. This, as one would have guessed far before it was revealed, was also something she had the Deeprealms to thank for.
Nina had seen poverty, and definitely not a mild case. Just a town over from where she was raised, there was a slum, a slum that couldn't even qualify as a village. Five people families lived in single room shacks, small shirts looked baggy on full grown men, and she nearly tripped over a bunch of kids because she couldn't see them; they were just as dirty as the ground, blending in like a chameleon.
She just so happened to wander there one day, exploring outside of her boundaries because of a rebellion stage. The things she saw drowned her heart, so cheery before setting foot inside. Afterwards, as if a switch had been flicked, Nina felt passion ignite for those people, and worked to help any who reminded her of them.
Oh, but of course, if Nina stole, she was the villain! Always the villain, that girl, and terribly misunderstood! All those people, she tries to explain her just motives, but they just won't listen! Those people! They're all the true villains... At least that's how she wanted to portray herself.
Tonight was the first night Nina was free from her dank prison, and boy did she soak in the air with a smile. At last, sweet freedom was hers once again to embrace; she could go hit the bath-house, she could head out to town, she could talk to people, she could sharpen her archery prowess...
...And she could also go watch some cute guys. Yeah. She could do that too...
But, of course, things have yet to go Nina's way.
Just as she was about to go off and do her Nina-business, which led her to a suspiciously dark corner of the castle, the tip of a finger played a little dance on the back of her neck.
Now, Nina was a calm, cool, and collected girl; that was probably the biggest factor that let her get away with all that she could get away with. In the battlefield, even when surrounded by a barrage of foes, she would simply flick her braids out of the way and reach into her quiver to fish out an arrow like a champ.
The element of surprise, though, was one of her weaknesses.
She whirled around, flailing her arms protectively.
"What! What do you want! Can't you see I'm busy for the love of-" she froze when her eyes lay upon her visitor. It was familiar; tan skin, snow white hair, an intimidating patch over an eye, a smug expression plastered on the face.
Yep. It was Niles again.
"Hello, beloved daughter of mine." he greeted, a crooked smirk pulling at the end of his lips. She returned his words by rolling her eyes and planting her fists atop her hips roughly.
"Oh, it's you, father. What do you want?"
"Whoa, that's no way to say hello to the man that got your mother-"
"I don't want to hear the rest of that." her frown arched. "Do you need something?"
That crooked smirk became a full fledged smile, wicked just as it was smooth. His only good eye narrowed.
"How about we try this again?" he proposed. Without her word of approval- or disapproval- he crossed his arms. "Hello, beloved daughter of mine."
Nina, in response, rolled her eyes again.
"I don't have the time for this."
"No, no, Nina; this is where you say, 'hello yourself, beloved father.'"
She stood still for a moment, staring the man down before squinting and releasing a huff.
"Hello yourself, father."
"You forgot the-"
"I know what I forgot. Can you tell me what you want now?"
The wicked smile disappeared, slithering back into its hole; in its place was a subtle frown, a pinch more serious than its former.
"Well, I came to tell you that dinner's going to be in about an hour. So, since we need to work on our father-daughter time, I'd like for you to come sit and eat with me."
Almost immediately, red burst onto her face, painting her into a tomato. Her expression wasn't quite so angry anymore; as a matter of fact, it was far from it. Not the opposite... But it wasn't close either. She took a step back, throwing her hands over her chest as if she wished to rip out her heart and force it to hush, and allowed her eyes to widen.
"Eat? With you?"
He laughed darkly.
"You heard me right."
"W-Where'll you be sitting?"
"Where I always do."
"But father! You sit where all the men are!"
"I'm a man, Nina."
"I can't sit where all the men are! Do you have any idea what might happen if I sit where all the men are? I'll be surrounded by them! I-I can't be surrounded by men! My mind'll start wandering to places it really shouldn't go, like..." she slowed her speech, her face deepening its blush. "Like if... If Silas and Corrin, two childhood friends, are talking to one another... Oh, I can see it now... They're sitting side by side, their shoulders nearly brushing against one another as their forks dance around their plates..."
Niles frowned then, watching her eyes wander other places, places besides him. He let her ramble on for a little while before bringing his fingers to her face; a few snaps did the trick, pulling her back into reality.
"Still going through that boy phase, aren't you?"
Awakened from her bout, Nina's expression returned to grimness, and her eyes stared him down bitterly.
"If that's what you want to call it, I guess so. Maybe if you had spent more time with me, you'd be able to answer that for yourself."
"Ah, ah, ah." Niles held up a finger, silencing her. "You can't be mad at me for that forever, Nina. I'm trying to get you to spend time with me right now. If you decline my offer, you'll have no one to be blame but yourself. So, what'll it be?"
"Who said I was going to be mad at you for that forever? I think I can still be angry about it now if I wanted; I'm completely justified. Again, maybe if you had spent more time with me, you'd have a good idea as to how I would answer that and why."
Niles raised a brow, almost taken back.
"Oh? It's almost starting to sound like you're telling me no..."
"Of course I'm saying no!" she replied. "I'd die if I sat over there with you; aren't you aware that I can't talk to a single one of those guys? What'll I do if one of them asks me a question? Or even worse- tries to start a conversation?"
"I don't know; you seemed to get along with Azura's son awfully well last time I checked, so it does sound like you can speak to at least one of them..."
She was petrified all of a sudden, her face frozen in a mixture between fear and grief; her mouth gaped just a little bit in hesitation.
"Shigure? You can't pay me enough to talk to Shigure! He's the last person I'd want to look at over there!"
Niles was still for a little while before unwinding his arms. In the meantime, he released a heavy sigh, then commenced to strut away. He peered over his shoulder, looking at her, noticing that she was watching back.
"Fine then. Do what you want." he muttered apathetically. "You were the one who always got mad at me for not spending time with you. Can't say I didn't try now." and with that said, he was off, making his way to the mess hall. Even when his gaze was taken off of her, Nina watched him all the way through, her frown deepening with each passing moment.
However, though, a few minutes into dinner, Niles would be surprised to have a plate plop next to his seat at the table. After scooting a chair back, she sat down, her shoulders stiff.
She knew his eyes were on her the whole time, but never did she dare to return his gaze; instead, she just kept her eyes on her plate, staring at the boiled cabbage she probably wasn't going to enjoy. It was probably a good thing Nina didn't look at him, for the sight of his condescending smirk may have driven her into a state of fury.
"Don't get the wrong idea." she muttered. "There weren't any chairs left on the other side of the hall."
"Fine by me." he purred. "Guess that means you have to spend time with your kinky old man."
She shivered.
"You're disgusting."
With her saying such, the attention of their neighbors was evoked; one of a certain blonde haired boy that looked up from his supper. He set his fork down, giving them a slight smile before clearing his throat.
"Now, now; your father may be crude, but by no means is he not honorable. He's saved my hide on several accounts being the faithful retainer that he is. He deserves a little more respect than that, don't you think?"
Nina flushed; it was, of course, Leo that sat across from them. He was a rather delicate looking boy, one who shies from handling fights physically. After all, he mostly used tomes instead of weapons; it made sense for him to fight in such a style with a physique such as his... So small in frame, comparable to a woman's.
Uh oh. Here comes the thoughts. The thoughts that would make drool ooze from the corner of her lips and paint her face crimson. No, no, no. Not here. Not at the dinner table. Not about the one that her father worked for- she'd never hear the end of it if she lost control of herself!
She needed a distraction. She needed to swat those thoughts away as though they were flies swirling around the only food she's had in weeks. Talking ought to do the trick. Yeah.
Except the moment she opened her mouth, she was far too set on being distracted than remembering how bad she was at talking to men.
"You don't know anything about my father and I." she huffed. "When you're not looking, he probably makes you look awful."
Though Niles' skin was golden, a flush became evident.
"Nina!" he scolded. "That's not how you talk to Lord Leo!" quickly, he turned back to the boy, frowning. "My Lord... Don't mind her. She doesn't know what she's saying."
Oops. Sounds like she was being rude again. This might be something else she had to crawl out of, hopefully retaining every body part. Maybe it was best she kept quiet henceforth; after all, whenever she bothered to open that mouth of hers, something bad was bound to spill out on accident.
Oh, Nina, always the victim...
A good while had passed, and the mess hall was still full of chatter. The kitchen staff had begun going around picking up plates, but through out the whole time, Nina kept her head down, doing what she did best; aimlessly pushing her cabbage around with her fork as she listened to everything around her.
There was so much good stuff around here. So much inspiration. So much material to whet her imagination. She couldn't help but feel her face stay fiery hot through the entire meal. Surprisingly, even though Niles invited her to sit with him so that he could spend time with her, there wasn't much exchanged the two of them; he was too busy talking to his partner, Odin, and Leo. What was it about? Nina wasn't sure; she tuned out a long time ago when the conversation failed to grasp her interest.
Now, what did capture her interest was the dialogue behind her between two boys; when she occasionally peeked over her shoulder, she would discover the two to be Laslow and Kaze. Ah, yes, those two went nicely together. Laslow's voice was mighty attractive with that thick, smooth accent of his, she had to admit, and Kaze wasn't popular with women for no reason. They sure were acting all buddy-buddy too...
Her mind was about to plunge elsewhere, but something of interest caught her eye, causing her to lift her head just a little higher than before. It was a little kid walking by the table, passing Odin and Leo's backs; his face was decorated by a silly looking mask, his shoulders adorned with a cape... But the most eye catching of all was his expression. It was real down, tears building in his eyes as he hung his face low and kept his back hunched. He passed quickly, scurrying his way to the corner of the hall.
Nina, being the omniscient of people's business, knew the boy's name to be Percy. They'd talked a few times; once, he returned her notebook when she had lost it, but unfortunately, her attempts to thank him came out rather rudely. She hadn't spoke to him much ever since; she assumed she scared him away. If she had to be honest, she couldn't find any will within her to be angry at him for that.
So, having nothing better to do, Nina set her fork down over her abandoned cabbage and pushed her seat back as she stood. This attracted the attention of Niles, who looked up at her.
"Going somewhere?"
"I'll be back." she answered promptly before walking away. Carefully, she weaved through the crowd of men and tables, where she felt small; once, when she passed by one table in particular, her eyes met with Shigure's. Needless to say, that contact didn't remain for long, seeing that she quickly yanked her face away as though she wore reigns.
She followed Percy to the corner of the room, where he sat alone, his face buried in his knees and buried behind the crowd standing around him. When she arrived, her ears caught the steady sniffles of weeping, even in the loudness of all the chatter surrounding them. For just a moment, she stood still, looking down at him, unsure of what to do. Chances were, if she butt in, she would most likely end up making matters worse, seeing what happened the last time they spoke.
Even so, with those unfavorable odds, Nina couldn't bring herself to leave the poor kid alone; such was the reason why she brought the tip of her boot to his shin, tapping it lightly.
"Hey." she called down to him, drawing his face up. It was soaked with tears, his bottom lip quivering. "What's got you all worked up?"
"Oh... Hi, Nina." she was surprised he remembered her name. "I'm not doing so well right now... Pop's been sick for about a week and I haven't been able to go see him. Geez, I'm so worried for ol' pop; the last time I saw him, he was down with a really bad fever and could hardly stay awake."
Percy's dad... Arthur. He was sick? After being in a stupid prison cell for so long, Nina really felt out of the loop. Tomorrow she had to get up and at 'em with her spying so she could know what was happening again.
"Mmm. Sorry to hear that, Percy." wow. That actually sounded pretty nice of her for a change. Figuring she was on a role, she squat down, meeting him eye-level. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Not really, Nina. Thanks for being concerned and all..." his face returned to his knees. "I just can't imagine losing pop... I don't know what I'd do without him."
She felt her eyes dull, wandering to the side. From her nose came a heave.
But then, suddenly, into her brilliant mind popped a potential solution. Yes! It was fantastic! Fool-proof! Impossible to screw up! In just a few seconds, her gaze brightened, then darted back over to the boy as she rose back to her feet.
"Percy. Wait here for me; I'll be right back."
Instead of looking her, he simply nodded.
With that said and done, Nina raised her head high and confidently as she walked away from him, strutting her way back into the rowdiness which was the men's side of the mess hall. All she had to do was search for a suit of black armor, for wherever that black suit of armor was, there was Benny... And where there was Benny, there were sugar cubes.
Nina and her 'people watching' prowess just so happened to know that Benny was an animal-lover, and because he was an animal-lover, he made constant visits to the stables to see the horses. With him, he always brought them a treat, which were the sugar cubes he kept in the satchel at his hip... And Nina, being Nina, knew that he almost always kept that satchel on his person.
It didn't take long for him to be found, seeing that he and his hulking frame stood out like a sore thumb, and she quickly prowled her way over to him. Even though she was a girl in the men's side, Nina blended in perfectly with that casual air about her; she went completely unnoticed as she passed Benny by. Likewise, the satchel that wasn't in her grasp beforehand didn't snatch the suspicion of any either. Perhaps no one was paying attention to her? Yeah, that may have been the case... That's right, don't pay her any mind; don't pay her any mind at all...
She plopped next to Percy when she returned to the corner of the room, and, without hesitation, she flipped the satchel's top and dug around inside. She was not disappointed, for several gritty cubes, brown as dirt, were there to greet her, piled on top of each other like the mother-load. Of course, the sight made her smile, narrowing her eyes deviously.
"Here. These'll cheer you up." she said, holding one out to him. Slowly, and curiously, Percy's head peeked out of its hiding place, looking at her strangely. For just a moment, he stared at the article in her fingers before gently taking it into his own; there, he studied it carefully.
"Is... Is this a sugar cube?"
"Yep." she popped one into her mouth. "All yours if it helps you feel better about your dad."
"G-Gee, Nina; you're the best!" his face became excited, throwing one in his mouth as well. "These things are the greatest; they taste just like candy!"
So, that's how Nina and Percy wound up sitting in the corner of the mess hall, digging into a bag full of sugar cubes, laughing it up like they were the best of friends. Those who passed them by thought nothing of them, rather smiling at their cuteness; Camilla made the most interesting comment when she walked by, sliding her index down her chin.
"Oh my, Percy; I never thought you to be the type to go for older women." she giggled before continuing on.
Yep. It was a grand old time they were having, acting as though all was right with the world...
Yes.
There wasn't anything wrong at all.
That is, until there was the clinking of metal on metal that drew closer and closer. Nina didn't even have to look up to know who was coming, and almost immediately, blood left her face, leaving her paler than a ghost. This appeared to capture the concern of Percy, who stopped his finger from tossing another cube into his mouth; he gazed at her strangely.
"Something wrong, Nina? You don't look so well..."
"Hey." a deep voice rumbled, causing the two to look up. There, of course, stood Benny, who towered over them, his shadow casting down upon their trembling bodies. A frown was on his lips, and his eyes narrowed. "What are you two doing with my satchel? And why are you eating those sugar cubes? I was saving them for my horse friends at the stables."
Many who passed by began to stop what they were doing; it wasn't because the hall was congested; it was because the subject had caught their ear... And to Nina's misfortune, one of the first few to stop just so happened to be her father.
Percy, confused, looked around.
"These're yours, Mister Benny?" he asked. "I had no idea! Nina just walked up to me with them and said I could have some."
And then all eyes went to Nina. Again. As though she was some sort of criminal or something.
All the attention made the blood return to her face, but in too large of quantities. Before long, she started to laugh nervously, fanning her hand out to the crowd.
"Let's not jump to conclusions here. Why would I take a satchel from a big guy like you, Benny? If you caught me, you could snap me in two like a twig. It'd be a death wish to get on your bad side."
"Then how did you get my bag?"
"Who said this bag was yours? It could just be one that looks similar."
"I keep sugar cubes in mine, though."
"Whaddya know, so do I! We sure do share a lot more in common than we would think at first glance; we should totally hang out some time."
"But there's my name monogramed on it... My mother did that for me when I was nine."
The room fell silence, save for a few chitter-chatter in the distance. And, of course, leave it to Soleil to break that era of solace with a snort.
"Ooh, busted."
That was her cue; the quickest she could, Nina dropped the bag and scooped little Percy into her arms. Leaving no time to spare, she scrambled away on her knees, diving between the legs of unsuspecting bystanders. Some of them lost their balance, others shouted. Hands reached out to her, trying to grapple some of her clothing, but simply weren't fast enough; she crawled under tables, knocking over some chairs, before bursting out of the doors of the mess hall.
This time was different from the last, however; instead of staying inside, the people spilled out after her, chasing her in the form of an angry mob. She grit her teeth, her eyes widening, as she pushed her legs harder.
Percy, still in her clutches, watched over her shoulder as the people gained on them; his eyes widened when they came uncomfortably close.
"Quick, Nina! I'm slowing you; put me down!" after some doing, she complied by throwing him next to her, where he landed square on his feet. From there, he continued next to her, picking up on speed. "I have an idea; if we can get to the stables, we can take Ace! They won't be able to catch us once we're in the skies. Even if they tried to go after us with flyers of their own, they'll never be any match for Ace's speed!"
"I don't have any better plans!" she replied, losing her breath. "Lead the way!
And that was exactly what Percy did. The two kept on the tops of their toes, angry shouts following after them. They rushed down an ally of doors, all with a beastly head peeking out; they watched as the two passed by with curiosity, some even stirred from the excitement. Percy knew precisely where Ace, his wyvern, was kept, and didn't leave a moment to spare before he threw open the gate. Behind them, the mob, which had fallen behind in the confusion, was gradually catching up.
Urgency clouded in Percy's eyes as he leapt on Ace's back without hassle, situating himself on the saddle before offering Nina his palm. Even though she was sure he wouldn't be much help due to his smallness, she took it anyways, receiving what little assistance was available.
She was somewhat aboard by the time Ace released an excited roar; he spread his wings before taking to the skies, leaving those on the ground in his wake to shake their fists. However, even though everything seemed all dandy now, things were not all dandy; Nina, having not been completely on Ace's back, hung on a strap dangling from the saddle. She clung for dear life, reaching up in hopes of scrambling to safety. Her goals would not have been met had Percy's hand not been there to assist.
Finally on Ace's back, Nina watched the ground below, seeing how pursuers took to the skies after them on winged beasts of their own; one of them she recognized to be Shigure's pegasus, the other Beruka's armored dragon. Quickly, she paled, catching her breath.
"Well then! Looks like they take the challenge!" observed Percy, handling Ace's reigns steady. "Like I said; they won't won't even touch us!"
She could barely hear him over the sound of wind rushing by her ears. Thankfully, she pieced it together just in time to release a groan.
"If only I had my bow with me; I could knock those things out of the sky without hurting them too badly. They'd be off our backs then."
"There's some axes in the compartment you're sitting on. Feel free to use one if you're confident enough."
Curious, Nina looked down, spreading her legs slightly; sure enough, right beneath her sat a box ripe for opening, which she humbly obliged. The task ended up being a bit more difficult than she anticipated with Ace maneuvering in all sorts of wonky ways and her bangs continuing to get in her eyes. However, though, she emerged successful when she pulled what was advertised; a hand axe begging to be thrown.
She only had to hold and look at it for a second before promptly putting it back where it belonged. The motion, noticed by Percy sitting front of her, seemed to puzzle him.
"Not getting that lucky vibe today?"
"Nope." she replied quickly, dull as a butter knife. "Knowing my luck, I'd end up killing someone with that."
Percy shrugged.
"Fine by me. I'm starting to think we won't be need that anyhoo. See? It looks like we're in the green."
Steady, with her braids flying behind her, Nina lifted her head to direct her attentive gaze to the side. They had flown beyond the castle walls, and their pursuers did not dare chase after them; instead, they lingered on the inside, watching them grow further and further away before finally heading towards the ground.
It was then, over a dense forest, Percy had Ace stop, treading the sky with his mighty wings. The castle could be seen in the distance, mingling on the horizon which hosted a setting sun. There was only a moment's worth of silence before Percy burst out in laughter, falling back into her.
"Wowza, Nina! That was a blast!" he brought himself up and, with the swing of the legs, turned himself around to face her. No longer were his eyes teary and somber as they were before; they were cheery, ignited with a flame.
The excitement didn't quiet rub off on Nina as one might think it would; she was far more focused on steadying her breaths, a hand pressing her chest as she huffed a sigh.
"I'm just happy they get their filthy hands on us..."
Steady, Percy leaned in closer.
"Speaking of which..." he began. "Thanks a bunch for saving my skin back there; I would have been taken as an accomplice, so I don't know what would have happened had you not snatched me up the way you did. You had me so surprised!"
Nina's attention shifted onto him, her hand sliding off her chest and onto her lap.
"Surprised?" she echoed. "Meaning... You didn't think I would help you?"
"Exactly!" he replied, enthusiastic. "Pop's said a lot about you and how you have an issue with sticky-fingers. And if you've got sticky-fingers, that makes you a thief. If pop's told me one thing, it's that thieves are no-good, lying, stealing, cheating, back-stabbing, traitorous, murderous, unjust criminals." he breathed for a moment. "But the fact that you took the time to get me outta there, even when it slowed you down... You're not so bad after all, Nina."
She frowned suddenly, her face starting to grow hot, almost fuming.
"Of course I'm not bad!" she hissed. "What part of me made you think I-"
"Nina, can I kiss you?"
All of a sudden, her face grew hotter; not with anger, of course, but with embarrassment.
"E-Excuse me?"
Percy looked up at her, eagerness in his eyes.
"I think you're an admirable person; honestly, I do! I'd be honored if you let me kiss you."
Her response was delayed.
"P-Percy... I think I might be a little too old for you..."
"No you're not!" he eased closer. "I may be small, but I'm only small because I'm thin boned!" he balled his hand into a fist, then beat his left breast. "Deep down in here, I'm a man!"
Her frown steepened, and slowly, her eyes wandered elsewhere; they watched the sun, starting to hide itself behind a never ending line of mountains. Lights from the castle could be seen now, small as they could be.
"Fine, Percy... I'll let you at a kiss. Just one though! And it has to be on the-"
Before she could finish, Percy's head collided with hers, their lips smashing against one another's. She sat there, tranquillized; she couldn't pull her head back even if she wanted to. They remained in contact for what felt like forever... Even though it was only about five seconds, innocent as a child.
Percy pulled back, his eyes wide with excitement; he observed her stunned face before bestowing a bright grin.
"Thanks a bunch, Nina! I owe you a whole lot after tonight now, don't I?" he chuckled slightly. "I bet pop'll be real surprised when I tell him how you're not such a bad girl after all."
Despite the happiness in his gaze and the comfort of the moment, she had to contain herself. Heck, she wanted more than anything to knock that kid upside the head; if he had let her finish what she was going to say, he would have known that she would have only allowed a peck on the check, not a full-scale smooch on the lips! That boy, both spotless and dirty as a hound...
And so, in the silence, Percy flew Ace about, all without saying so much of a word; even so, a smile was on his lips, his head was held high, and his chest puffed out like a penguin. In the meantime, though, with the sound of wind passing her ear gently by, Nina sat with her head hung low.
"Hey, Percy..." she started deeply. This grasped his attention.
"Yeah?"
"I don't want you to look too far into that, okay?"
"What, are you talking about the kiss? It was just a gesture of appreciation for helping me cheer up tonight. If anything, it sounds like you're the one who's looking too far into it."
She pursed her lips.
"I meant what I said about you being too young for me..."
"I gotcha." Percy looked over his shoulder, showing her his smile and... Was that a wink? "I guess I'll have to try again when I've grown up a bit, won't I?"
She huffed, feeling a smirk tug at her lip.
"Maybe we should just be friends until then."
"You're saying that like we weren't friends before." he replied. "Don't worry Nina; I know you're not a mean person. You're just awkward. I was never mad at you for yelling at me a while ago, got that?"
Her shoulders sunk, her head rolling around loosely.
"You have no idea how nice it is to hear that..." she reached out, where she pat his shoulder thoroughly. "You know what, Percy? You're not too bad yourself."
And so, as the moon began to rise, Ace flew about aimlessly, flapping his wings time after time. Nothing more was exchanged between the two of them, even when several minutes had passed them by; well, that was the case before Ace suddenly came to a stop again. Percy looked out, gazing at the castle before turning to Nina.
"So... Now what do we do?"
