AN: Sorry for the long delay! I have Fire Emblem, Youtube, Death Parade (The absolute best 12 episode anime ever), Smash Bros, and girlfriend. :) Yeah, my best friend and I recently crossed the barrier of 'bestfriendhood' into 'relationship goals af' according to another friend. So I've been busy, and while I update this during a final, I have to say what's school? Studying? Ah, who needs those? When I have great readers like you guys who needs it? Well, it's super easy to maintain a high GPA anyways. :P Anyway, onto the review responses!

GPuzzle: I have to disagree. While he's far from bad, he's far from good. His level ups have only given me like 2 6+ stats, and everything else is done by better Assassins that I have. As he claims, not the best, not the worst. But his high strength makes him a good Assassin for me with Speed/avoid boosts from his wife Panne. However, I think Gaius does it better, as the only other candidate I have right now is MU and Lon'qu, and I have Lon'qu as a Swordmaster. Next playthrough I'm gonna try Sniper Stahl (to finish) with a fast/strong strength boosts waifu. Cherche, maybe? Or Olivia? But thanks for reviewing, and I figured that it'd be better if I had him study how to read faces. (Ever play LA Noire? And no it's not a play off of Tharja's kin.)

Smileplease: We're not done yet!

~Chrom 2013, 14, and 15

Anyway, it's not done for another chapter after this one. :) Well, I figured that Gaius is the subtle flirt who... got busy in high school. So I figured why not give him an upright knight and call it good? :P There should be a tiny mention of Ricken and Lissa, but not much more than that, since next chapter will deal with the feels. *Puts on goggles*

EchoMoonHuntress: I love Stahl and Sumia, too, so it's nice to read my own story. :3 Actually, it's not... thanks for reading!

Triple: The former two questions will answer themselves. However, I feel that Anna wouldn't own the restaurant, but rather work as a do-all manager. I can see why you'd think that the strategian wouldn't fight, I mean there's a few examples in movies+other games, but this one's different. He/She's a do-all badass who is everything. :P One reason the MU is a favorite of mine is because he/she produces Morgan. In seriousness, I like how the MU can have a unique blend of skills for any playstyle. For example, I'm going to arrange a Astra/Lethality/Galeforce/Lifetaker/Aether Sniper/Assassin Morgan. (Assuming I have M!MU and Lucina as mom.) Due to Morgan's skill inheritance from MU and Lucina, and the high caps of the Assassin and Sniper, I think it'll be an interesting build. And MU currently isn't anywhere my most powerful unit. I've been grinding my team so much I haven't even finished the game yet xD I have her as a Swordmaster right now. Sumia's a Great Knight and Stahl's an Assassin. :)
I tried to fit characters into jobs that they'd be natural in. And don;t worry, in due time Sumia's background will be revealed. The dream just is a subtle reference to the game they hail from. In essence, it's what they do in Awakening. xD So the dream is just a little easter egg. Stahl's friends come and go, and I explain one in this chapter. So don't worry. You just have to spot where I mention him. ;)

Whew! With that out of the way, here's chapter 3. :)

Three weeks had passed since she last heard from Stahl. Sumia, being the anxious person she always was, turned to flower fortunes to help her satiate her nerves. She truly found comfort in the act, but Cordelia found it ridiculous. The redhead had stated that 'we carve our own fate, destiny, and future, not some piddly flora that anyone could stumble across!' Then, Cordelia quickly apologized for possibly misusing Sumia's nickname.

In this timespan, however, she managed to snag a job working at a ranch of all places. She tended to the livestock, be it horses, chickens, or even donkeys. Either way, she loved the job, and the owner, Panne, was all too grateful to let Sumia work for her. Panne seemed to have a natural connection with animals, along with Sumia.

Sumia liked animals. They didn't judge her for what had happened to her, didn't talk back, and always listened when you needed to talk. At some point, animals had replaced her friends entirely, leaving her to her own devices to communicate with illiterate beasts instead. However, she had been happy, and that was all that mattered to her. Thankfully, she'd met her best friend Cordelia shortly afterward, letting her vent to the unjudging redhead with unabashed freedom, helping to ease her soul quite a bit.

However, her soul was already torn from the bullying she'd endured in high school. Then it had to get worse when... it happened. And for some reason, the memories came rushing back today of all days. This didn't go unnoticed by Panne, who was working with her at the time. The older woman inquired what was wrong; however, she was met with a practiced and calculated response.

"Oh, Panne, thanks for asking, but I'm totally fine. I just didn't have enough coffee this morning," Sumia forcibly chuckled, eliciting a deeper frown from Panne.

"Sumia. I can tell when you're distressed. Now, tell me, what is troubling you so? You know me," Panne dryly laughed, "you can trust me to keep a secret."

"Panne... can I just say it's personal?" Sumia asked quietly, looking down at her fingers and clasping them together as she spoke. All of a sudden she felt very small in comparison to the more intimidating woman she gazed at Sumia.

Panne nodded. "Of course, Sumia. I apologize for asking." She turned back to tending to a cage of rabbits, who were scrambling to eat their fill of the food Panne had deposited into their dishes. For some odd reason, Panne took better care of the rabbits than any other animals. This was not to say that she neglected the needs of the other animals; she just seemed to take better care of the animals in Sumia's eyes.

"It's okay, Panne. You were only worried," Sumia hastily replied, hoping she didn't hurt her boss's feelings.

"Still, I am rather curious. If you ever feel the need to talk, you know where to find me. Please don't hesitate if you feel like you need to talk about it."

The clumsy brunette nodded. "Of course, Panne. I'll do that."

Panne smiled in response, a sight Sumia rarely got to see. Her day just got a little better.

"Hey there, my name's Stahl and I'll be your wai- er, oh, hi, Chrom and Olivia! What can I get for you?"

The blue-haired daycare leader smiled in response. "I didn't know you worked here, Stahl. It's good to see you."

"How fare you, Stahl?" Olivia asked. Ever since she married Chrom, she liked to dodge around her comfort zone in how she spoke. This time, it was how her ancestors used to speak.

"I fare quite well, milady, quite," Stahl replied with a smirk. "And Lord Chrom, it is always a pleasure to be graced by your presence as well," Stahl smirked, humoring the couple in their little royalty-speech game. "Would milady and milord care for a drink whilst the food is being prepared?"

"Red wine for me," Chrom stated, watching Stahl as he scribbled.

"Specific preference?"

"Surprise me."

"Will do, Chrom! Anything for you, Olivia?"

"Water's fine for now, I guess. Thanks."

"I'll be right back with your drinks. I'll take your order then," the messy-haired-man replied, walking away to pop the cork on his favorite red wine. After snatching a water glass for Olivia, and a wine glass for Chrom, he made his way back to the table where his part-time superiors sat. He set the tray of wine and water on the portable tray that all waiters carried around and gently poured the wine into the glass. With a spinning flourish, he handed the glass to Chrom. With his other hand, he gently set Olivia's water glass onto the table beside her arm.

"Thanks, Stahl."

"No problem. Can I get your guys' orders?" Stahl asked, retrieving his notebook. He flashed another smile at Chrom and Olivia. His smile alone and messy hair were enough to earn ample tips from the females that were around his age. If Olivia hadn't fallen for Chrom, she would have surely pursued Stahl anonymous letters and hints, for she was too shy to approach anyone with coherent sentences... that were verbal.

After their order, Stahl went back to relay the order to the chef on duty, Frederick, who always loved to cook on open-fire stoves, open-fire ovens, and open-fire anything. Stahl had actually learned many of the culinary tips from his mentor, Frederick, who taught him everything he knew. Sully had also tried to learn, but she ended up being able to burn water and not much else. Instead, she was more physically able than he was. Stahl considered it a fair trade, though the both of them found themselves wishing they had the other's talents once in a while. Nevertheless, they made a great team.

Stahl let his thoughts wander as he made his way back to Chrom and Olivia's table.

Man, it's been a while since I last played Smash Bros. Kellam and I need to have a one-on-one. Kellam was Stahl's long-time friend, although he'd never been noticed by nearly anyone. As such, he dedicated his time to playing video games, using the Internet, and working out. The two made an interesting pair, but Stahl stood out the most throughout the years they'd been friends. After all, Kellam liked to joke that he'd be a one-man-army if he joined the military, since no one seemed to be able to spot him except for Stahl and his good friend, Cherche.

Since when did Chrom get a haircut? The man's bangs were slightly shorter and neater. Good thing, too, Stahl thought, envisioning another guy with hair like his. He shuddered.

I wonder where Sumia is now in life?

Sumia?

In truth, it had been a while since he last saw her. His schedule was so busy, and Sumia was frantically searching a for a job. With a smile, he silently hoped that she hadn't locked her keys inside her car recently. With a sudden realization, the idea that he missed her- a lot- fell upon him. After a few seconds of contemplation, he shook the thoughts out of his head and tuned his mind back into the game of work. Though, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he needed to meet with her- and soon.

After the couple had their food delivered by Stahl, and exchanging a few more words of lighthearted conversation, Stahl was assigned to a lone table; the one where there was only one chair. To his surprise, he saw a familiar patch of brunette hair with swirled pigtails at the end. His eyes lit up as he realized who it was. However, they quickly darkened once they saw the expression plastered on Sumia's face.

One of distressed emotion and sadness.

"Sumia! Hey, Sumia!" Stahl called out, worry beginning to make itself evident upon his own face.

She slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. Without any warning, she abruptly stood from her chair and stood before him, quivering with an unknown emotion to Stahl. Thankfully, the restaurant was nearly empty, save for Chrom and Olivia, and a few other regulars that he'd familiarized himself with. If it was crowded, he'd break out into a blush, for this kind of thing embarrassed him quite a bit. Something he never learned was how to handle an emotional woman.

And now he was presented with one.

Here goes nothing... He thought. He hoped he wasn't making the wrong move. He smiled. It was a genuine smile. "Hey, Sumia. Look at me." Even though the both of them already knew she was staring right into his eyes, he decided that it would be best to repeat himself for emphasis.

"What's wrong?"

Sumia swallowed loudly. It was an audible suppression of emotions, one in which she succeeded in putting down. Eyes shaking and lip quivering, she took in a shaky breath and let it all out. With her eyes closed, she calmed herself until she showed no signs of emotion. Eventually, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Stahl once again, this time with a small smile.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

Stah just looked at her with the are you frickin' kidding me face.

"It's really nothing you need to be concerned about."

Stahl sighed and placed his notebook down. He looked at Sumia again before pacing back and forth. "Y'know, it's easy to tell when there's something distressing you. And it's not lack of caffeine," he chuckled, pointing to himself. "I never have enough caffeine. Believe me, I know what that looks like; I see it in the mirror every single day."

Sumia giggled softly. There was sad undertone flowing through it, which made Stahl even more curious. "Stahl... I want to tell you. But... it's weird, you know? I feel like I just met you, but we've known each other for a while. We've only met twice- er, three times now. So it just kinda feels weird to be telling you an emotional problem, you know? Can we... wait a bit longer?"

"So long as you eventually tell me," Stahl smiled, picking up his notebook once again. "Now that I can see that you're feeling a bit better..."

Sumia blushed.

"... er, are you okay? You sick?"

"N-no, just a bit w-warm. Could I just get a Sprite? It helps calm my nerves." Sumia scratched at the nape of her neck as she looked away from the lopsided, confused face staring back at her. Hopefully this handsome piece of work would leave her vision for a bit, letting the bubbles calm her blush.

Gods, he was so oblivious! He claimed he could read people's emotions... however, he was severely lacking in one department; attraction! He was about as observant as a sniper without his vision to aid him! She found it cute, but that just added to the attraction she felt for him. So long as she was sure it was attraction, she had no qualms. After all, attraction fades after a while. She just didn't want to deal with... love. Love led to... other things that usually ended in heartbreak, along with other things. Maybe her view of love was skewered. But as one subjected to horrible experiences, no one could rightfully judge her unless they endured the same hardship that she endured earlier in life.

"One Sprite, coming right up."

"Th-thanks, Stahl."

She placed a tentative hand over her chest and tried to will her heart to slow down. After a few second of her practiced technique, it worked, and she found herself breathing normally, thinking normally, and acting normally. Even her face had calmed down.

But... he'd gotten a job here? Where she was recently fired? Funny how life worked. Hopefully Applebee's was working out for him better than it did for her. Considering how smooth he usually moved and acted, she doubted he had any issues with clumsiness. Sumia sighed. With all her heart, she wished she was quick and nimble on her feet. Oh, sure, if the moment came down to it (namely adrenaline) she was nimble. But it's not like she'd ever have the opportunity to fight eldritch monsters and trigger her adrenaline rush.

"One Sprite, on me."

"Hunh? Oh! Thanks so much, Stahl! That's real nice of you!" Sumia gushed, touched by his sweet little action that saved her a dollar forty-nine. She sipped at the fizzy liquid, relishing the taste.

"So, I get to bug you. My manager, Anna, told me to take the rest of the day off. So how have you been?" Stahl asked, never breaking eye contact while pulling the chair out with his foot and stylishly sliding into it. He flicked his hair out of his eyes; it was getting long, with his bangs drooping into his face. He flashed her one of his killer smiles, making her heart do unfair things to her.

And the worst part?

He wasn't even the slightest bit aware.

"Well, I found a job working at 'The Warren.' It's essentially a ranch where animals are raised for food or profit. I just tend to the animals and make sure they're happy, but I especially love the horses. Other than that... not much is new. But hey! I see you got my position!" Sumia laughed, giving him a wink and a thumbs-up. "Trip yet?"

He burst out laughing. "No, no, not yet. But working on a ranch?! That's just up your alley!"

"I guess it is. The one thing I'm good at," Sumia mumbled, shrugging her shoulders and taking another sip of Sprite.

"Hey, now, take your own advice with a grain of salt. Remember?" Stahl commanded. She tilted her head, unsure of what to make of this statement. Then it hit her.

"My.. own advice?"

"Yeah. You told me to stop degrading myself and hold a bit more confidence. I've tried doing that for your sake, and it's worked out decently as of late. So, do your friend Stahl a favor and take your own advice." Stahl simply sat back in his chair and looked at her with a 'please' look in his eyes.

"But... unlike you, I don't really have anything to hold confidence in."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh... what I said?"

He sighed; placing his head in his hands. "Are you truly not seeing what I see?"

"Um... no?" Sumia shifted in her seat. His mysterious aspect to the way he was speaking made her nervous. "What's he trying to accomplish?" she thought.

"You're kind. You refuse to let someone walk by who's hurting. You have a good heart. You're friendly. You've got a gift for animals. These are just a few that are blatantly obvious. I know there's more inside you, you and I just haven't discovered them yet."

"I haven't discovered what's inside me?"

"Yeah. You know, the best advice is sometimes your own advice. Same thing can apply here, I guess, like sometimes you can only see the bad in yourself, when others can see the blatant good."

"That... makes a lot of sense," Sumia replied, scratching her head and playing with her brunette locks. She shyly glanced down towards the table, as meeting the handsome young man's eyes would cause a furious blush to creep across her pale features.

"So put it to use, and see what good you can see in yourself- alongside others," Stahl replied with a grin. "Also..." The brunette man scratched his neck as it started to heat up, showing a trace of redness.

"Yes, Stahl? What is it?"

"I've... been meaning to ask you something for a while, I just haven't had the chance to. Er, more like haven't. Period."

"Hm?"

"Sumia..." Stahl stammered, tripping over his own words. This was not something Stahl often did, unless nervous or flustered. "I know it may seem wrong to some, and even though it may not be destiny, would you go out with me?"

Sumia couldn't speak for a moment. Stahl asked her out... finally. She'd been waiting for this day for the longest time; she silently prayed that he'd ask one day. Now, her prayers had been answered. All she had to do was say yes. Or even merely nod. However, her body refused to move or make a sound, so she just sat there awkwardly, staring at him. Despite her raging conscience to say no, the desirable response- for herself and Stahl- was fluttering around the tip of her tongue.

"..."

Finally, Sumia got a grip of her tongue and managed to speak. "Of course I would, Stahl! I'd been hoping you'd ask for the longest time!"

Stah let out a huge sigh of relief. "Whew... I kinda thought you'd say no."

"Why's that?"

"Well, it seems like you had a bad experience with guys in the past and I wasn't sure if you'd go out with me."

"Stahl... about that. Can we talk about that on our date? I want to tell you now; this might be what I need to help heal my scars."

"Sumia, scars are just a mark of battle. It means you've survived a test; triumphed over tribulation. In my eyes, it's a sign of strength. So don't try to erase the scars, instead, embrace them. I mean, most scars are unique and tell a different story, even if they're physical rather than emotional."

"That's an interesting outlook, Stahl. How'd you develop it?"

"Well, after I fell off my bike one day, I nearly lost all control over my body. I was threatened to be a quadriplegic my entire life. But I survived it! And even though I have a scar on my neck, it shows that I survived the crisis and lived to tell the tale to people like you. So it's a sign of strength and iron-will. At least, it is to me."

"I think I may have to adopt this logic of yours," Sumia jokingly stated, winking at Stahl, who blushed. "Stahl...?"

"That's... really cute," Stahl whispered, looking out the window and pretending to count cars that passed by.

"Cute...!" Sumia gasped, blushing in response as well. Eventually, the both of them sat there like an awkward couple who didn't know what to say or when to say it. Sumia was the one to break the silence, as she shook her head and smiled with thanksgiving.

"Well, you stopped me in my tracks the very first time I saw you. Then, when I waved for you, I'd locked my keys inside my car." Sumia chuckled as she reminisced to the moment where she made the blunder in front of the then-stranger Stahl. The lyrics to a song came rushing to her brain as she spoke. They seemed oddly familiar... but Sumia simply couldn't place it.

"It was rather fantastic, that's all I can say," Stahl laughed, the blush disappearing from his cheeks.

"No, it wasn't! Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?"

"Nope."

"Exactly!"

"But I do know how hilarious it was to watch."

"STAHL!"

Sumia rested her elbows on the table and stared Stahl down. "Fine, then. When can we meet for this date you promised me?"

"I'm free this weekend, if that's cool with you?" Stahl responded, throwing a thumbs-up towards his to-be-girlfriend.

"I'll check my schedule and get back to you. Right now, I gotta go pick Cynthia up from day care," Sumia said, glancing at her phone as she stuffed it into her purse. Once again, she smiled at her future date as she stood. "Thanks again for everything, Stahl."

Stahl dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "No problem! Just doing what a good- er, you didn't like that the last time I said something like that. So I'll just say 'You're welcome' and call it quits from there." He paused. "Actually, I want to come get Cynthia with you. She absolutely adores me," he claimed, shrugging his shoulders. "Okay if I come?"

She laughed, and the sound was music to his ears.

His grin in response to her laugh was candy to her eyes.

Even though this blossoming love had started off as friends, and may have been unforseen by the gods, in their names Stahl and Sumia would try their damnedest to make this relationship work out.

No longer as friends, but definitely more.

AN: Hope you enjoyed it! Leave a favorite, review, and follow! It helps a lot!

~The Slain Executioner