jamesb497: That's what I'd hoped it would be, interesting.
8Swords: No, he isn't. He might have been, and quite frankly, I think you're right. A fist fight probably broke out between the two. Who knows? I do. You will all too, soon enough.
Alright, if you think so.
Ah, Crow. You just had to say that didn't you? Hold back until Heimdallr huh? That could work. I mean, I have a...perhaps not quite a twist, but something new and different for each field study planned, with the exception of this one, but even with it in place, they would still play out, for the most part, the same. But sticking to the script until Heimdallr, or after Heimdallr, which is more likely, is a rather plausible plan. Hmm...perhaps. We shall see. Also, thank you for your input. :)
ZealousSiren: Okay, if you say so. Yeah, I understand that, it's just kind of...well, irritating, is all. Ah, so you're planning a similar AU? That could be good. I might end up reading it, considering it's bound to be Rean X Fie. I can sympathize with that, you don't want to make your story too much like the original or someone else's, I've been caught in between like that before. My advice? Write it how you want to, if it's similar in some places to someone else's, that's fine, just make sure you don't copy them word for word. And, if you take anything directly from their story, credit them for it. It's what I'd do. Considering you're worried about making your story too much like mine, I really don't think you have any cause for concern. I trust you to make the AU your own. Though, if you have any questions, or just want someone to bounce ideas off of, message me. I'd be happy to help a fellow Rean X Fie fan. Especially one who's one of my readers.
Yeah, I have some good ones planned. Several interactions of which I simply just can't wait to write, like a certain one I have planned with Sharon, another one I have planned with Millium, one with Crow once he joins the class, and so on and so forth. I'm ecstatic for when those come about! You would huh? I appreciate that, I'll take it under advisement. I too love the childhood flashbacks. And there are still several more to come! Thank you for the input and the luck wishing, I appreciate it. :)
Apex85: Yeah, well, Fie didn't hold back when fighting Rean, or at least mostly anyway. She held back some physically, but not a whole bunch. She also, of course, refrained from using any of her special techniques, as well as her flash grenades and explosives, of course. When it comes to simple physical prowess, she came at him at about roughly eighty percent or so. And she was bothered by Rean holding back against her, not holding back in general.
Yeah, I had thought about that. But then Machias would have to come too, which means Elliot and Gaius would have went with Emma and Alisa, and that dynamic, for this field study in particular at least, wouldn't have worked, in my opinion. So...yeah, that's why I didn't go through with it.
Heero De Fanel: Well good, I'm glad. Yeah, that's why I'm thinking about it...but I don't know yet. Oh yeah, that was gonna happen no matter what. Machias and Jusis just have to butt heads, to the extreme. Poor Alisa and Emma indeed. Thank you! :)
Jose19: Yeah, I got it, you don't dislike the pairing, but you stand by Rean and Laura over it. I understand that. Yes, Rean will have to deal with Xeno and Leo regarding his relationship with Fie, eventually. That's something I'm quite looking forward to writing, in fact. Overprotective? Sure. But can you really blame them? I know I can't. Besides, I think it adds to their characters.
RedBurningDragon: I looked them up awhile ago, at least Guy's and Yuri's. I didn't care for them all that much to be honest, with the exception of Savage Wolf Fury. Now that I can work with. I most definitely intend to give Rean a new move based off of it. So, yeah, thank you very much for your assistance! :)
Yep, and yes, the groups will be different every field study, by at least a single member. But most likely, it'll be by two members. I'm glad you're enjoying them. Go Fie indeed. Also, regarding your corrections of one of Machias's and Elliot's sentences, I've fixed them. I appreciate you pointing them out to me.
Tsyne-Oblivion: Yeah, no worries my friend, none once so ever, you're entirely good. I mean, I know for a fact that when Cold Steel 3 comes out, in the States, no matter where we are in the story, it'll be put on hold for awhile while I do nothing but literally enjoy the hell out of that game. Anyway, you're certainly not wrong. Hmm...we'll see how it goes, but toss the script is sounding more and more appealing...but keeping it as a guideline doesn't seem too bad either. We'll just have to see where things go, I guess. I have several ideas I want to bring to fruition, and depending on how they play out, they will heavily influence which route I take with the story. As it goes along though, it is inevitable that the script will, eventually, be rendered useless, as I'll be so far off the original mark, it would be pointless to keep it around. But I'm about to start rambling, so I'll stop myself here.
DarkMegaSF: Thank you. Here's more. :P
KingofTrails25: Thank you! I would have PM'ed you with what you wanted to know dude, but...well, I don't really have any advice for you. Not really. I've only completed one story so far in my Fanfiction career, if you could call it that, if we're not counting one-shots anyway. And I took it down to rewrite it, and all my stuff got deleted somehow, so...yeah, it's on Hiatus until I can come up with a new plot I want to use. In other words, I'm not really sure. My longest running story right now is kinda long, standing at about three hundred and eighty two thousand words, and is only just getting started truly. So you'd figure I could help, but really, I can't. I don't have any real tips or tricks to give out, I wouldn't mind if I did, because I know I could've used the help when I first started out.
Anyway, all I can really tell you is how I do it. And the way I do it is simple, I write stories I myself would like to read. Now, that doesn't mean I make everything a fulfillment of all my fantasies regarding the fandom, but I do think to myself, would I find this interesting enough to read? Don't be afraid to ask for help, of course, and really consider taking suggestions your readers give you. That said, don't let them dictate what happens in your story either. Some readers will be very helpful and give you advice, and just genuinely want to help you make your story better. Others though...well, they just want every little thing they want incorporated in the story, no matter how ridiculous or just stupid it might be. Trust me, I've had to deal with some regarding that longest running story I was talking about. Not a single one of those bothersome people have come near this story though, which is cool. But, I digress.
If you feel like discussing this topic further, you can PM me. As to why I didn't send this to you in a message...well, it's not what you asked for. That's why. If I had the advice you wanted, I would have done as you bid and sent you it in a message. Unfortunately, I do not. I hope this will suffice. If not, then you have my apologies.
Thank you once again, I appreciate your kind words. :)
Godzilla12343: Thanks.
Blue Bragon: Thank you, I appreciate that. Hope you continue to enjoy it.
Once more, thanks to all those who reviewed, and allow me to thank those who have added this story to their favorites and alerts since the last update. Gravenimage. General D23, androsjr198, HeavensGovernor, knightblazer85, trlocke, RoyalZel, zeroblackdragon15, Godzilla12343, Sor-Rin, duke drake, Blue Bragon, runewizarddd, Grubsy3D, and Storm Hawk 21, thank you!
UPDATE
This one got some touch-ups, and was even gutted a little, but is still kind of rough. Letting you guys know up front.
This is part three of chapter one. Please read, review and enjoy.
ACT I - CHAPTER I - PART III
...
Septian Calendar 1204
4/25 - Sunday
A bespectacled man, appearing to be in his early thirties, with light skin, violet colored eyes, and neck length blue-grey hair, stood atop a building. He sported a long grey-turquoise military-jacket with light brown and white lining, a short brown shoulder cloth attached with a gold pin and similarly colored accents, as well as a blue belt secured around his waist. Additional, he wore a dark brown arm band, nondescript tan pants, and brown boots with protective cloth garb.
Hidden by the darkness of night, he watched as, below, two teenagers thrashed four grown men.
"They've botched such a simple task. How woefully inadequate they've turned out to be..."
The man adjusted his glasses.
"No matter." He disregarded the failure dispassionately, turning away.
"There's more than one way to go about this."
"Hmm? What's going on?" Elliot asked with a yawn, wiping the sleep from his bleary eyes, sitting up in his bed.
"Something's happening outside. We're going to check it out." Gaius filled him in.
The orange-haired boy took note of the fact that his friend had already changed into his school uniform.
Looking over to his right, he saw Laura was much the same.
Yawning once more, the violinist proceeded to question, "Where are Rean and Fie?"
"I'm afraid we don't know. That's one of the reasons we're going out to see what all the commotion is about." Laura informed him.
"Got it." Elliot acknowledged.
Climbing out of bed, he tried to fight off another yawn. "I'll get changed. You guys go ahead."
"All right, we'll wait for you downstairs." The soft-spoken nord replied.
...
'Hope Rean and Fie are alright...' Elliot thought to himself, still half asleep.
Halfway through getting changed, the sleep addled state of his mind dissipated, leaving him thinking clearly.
Two seconds later, he was throwing the door open and stumbling down the stairs, worried for his two classmates, who were more than likely the cause of the disturbance.
It was the wee hours of morning, the sun barely visible beyond the horizon, only just providing enough light to discern a person's surroundings, as the citizens of Celdic gathered around the entrance to the Grand Market. Some were early risers and had come to get their stalls set up, others were awoken by the noise of the little skirmish outside, and still others were drawn by the presence of their fellow denizens.
Regardless of why they were all gathered, they stopped at the Grand Market's entrance and watched as two teens finished tying up four grown men.
The gathering of people were, understandably, rather curious as to what was going on; too crowded for everyone to see what was happening, they peeked over one and other to try and get a glimpse.
...
"That should do it." Rean remarked, standing from his crouched position.
"They're not going anywhere." Fie said.
Behind them, a man made his way through the crowd and down into the market, "What's going on over here?"
Turning to face the man, who was of average height and build, had fair skin, short, grey hair and a matching mustache, the two quickly recognized him as the Market Manager, Otto.
Before they could explain the situation, three more people pressed past the crowd and down into the market. They were Rean and Fie's classmates, of course.
"Rean, Fie, what are you two doing out here?" Elliot inquired.
"Something seems to have happened." Gaius observed, taking notice of the four men tied up behind the two.
"Who are these men?" Laura queried, also.
Rather than answer their questions one by one, Rean and Fie simply informed them of what had occurred.
...
"I see. I can't thank you two enough for stepping in like you did." The older man vocalized his gratitude.
"Hey, what's going on over he-my stall!" Came a shout from the crowd, drawing everyone's attention.
"What happened to my stall!?" He yelled, as he rushed into the marketplace.
Group A recognized the man, who stood at about average height with fair skin and dark hair, as one of the two merchants who had been bickering the day before. Heinz was his name.
"What's with everyone, what are you all gawking at-" Another voice began. "What the...what happened here?" A second man, also of average build and fair skin, with brown hair, questioned. This was the other merchant involved in the squabble: Marco.
"It's you! You did this, didn't you!?" Heinz whirled around and accused, nostrils flaring, as his fellow merchant came to a stop an arge from him.
"Huh!? I didn't do th-wait, what the hell!?" Marco exclaimed, his voice rising a few octaves; he'd noticed his stall, located near the back of the market, was in a similar state to Heinz'.
As the brown-haired merchant rushed back to his stall, he began freaking out just as bad as Heinz. Heinz followed after him, still pissed.
"How dare you destroy my stall you damned coward! I knew you country folk weren't to be trusted!"
"Who are you calling coward, you Heimdallrian snob?!" Marco quickly rounded on him "You're the one who wanted my spot all to yourself! You're trying to paint me as the bad guy here, because you're the one who really did it, aren't you!?"
"Calm down, gentlemen, please!" Otto implored, as he moved toward the two to try and break it up before things got ugly. It was to no avail, however.
"Me!? I would never!" Heinz insisted, clearly offended.
"Like I believe that!" Marco spat. "What do you say we settle this right here and now?!" He proposed, ire flaring.
"Hmph! Bring it on!" Heinz responded, balling his fists up, clearly ready to tussle.
"It's like they don't even see the guys tied up over here." Fie commented.
"HOLD IT!" Rean shouted at the two, preventing things from escalating, as he and the rest of Group A moved in and prevented the two from coming to blows.
With their help, Otto apprised the two angry merchants of exactly what had happened here.
...
Knowing who the real culprits were, and especially knowing that their goods were safe and sound, brought the two back down, leaving them embarrassed, relieved, and, more than anything, thankful.
"Thank you kids so much!" The two merchants voiced their gratitude.
"If it wasn't for you, I'd probably have gone belly up! I couldn't've afforded to lose my merchandise, especially not if that tax increase comes to pass." Marco elucidated.
"Yeah, we really owe you guys one. The theft of your entire stock is a merchant's worst nightmare. You really saved our asses." Heinz affirmed.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just sorry that we weren't able to stop them before they did so much damage to your stalls." Rean replied.
"Don't be, you guys have done more than enough for us." Heinz stated.
"What he said. With our goods undamaged and accounted for, we can overcome this." Marco assured.
"Glad to hear it." Rean said with a smile.
The two merchants went about their business in cleaning up the messes that were their stalls.
"They sure were mad." Elliot remarked.
"A merchant's products are their lifeblood, so it makes sense that they were so angry." Gaius pointed out.
"Indeed. It was fortuitous you two were there to prevent the thieves from making off with their goods." Laura added.
"Right place, right time, I guess." Rean supposed.
"Come to think of it, why were you guys out here so early in the first place?" Elliot questioned, curious.
At that, Rean proceeded to flush red.
The others grew very curious, of course. Before they could press the matter though...
"What is the meaning of all this ruckus!?" Demanded a new voice, drawing everyone's eyes to the entrance of the Grand Market.
Several members of the Provincial Army were forcing their way through the crowd toward the students.
There were five of them in total, the commanding officer at the forefront, allowing the teens to recognize these men as the same group they'd run into the day prior.
"I believe you're the one in charge?" Queried the highest ranking of the soldiers, shifting his gaze toward Otto as he did. "It's not even six in the morning and already there's a disturbance?" He continued without waiting for an answer. "I demand an explanation as to what has transpired."
"W-Well, you see..."
Otto started to recount the events.
As the Provincial Army Officer listened, he noticed the four men, beaten, bruised, and tied up behind the students. His eyes visibly narrowed at the sight.
...
"Hmm...I see. Well then, it seems we arrived just in time, didn't we?" The Provincial Army Officer supposed, sounding a tad irritated. "Men, take them away!" He ordered his subordinates.
Doing as they were commanded, the four men dressed in blue and white with gold accents, moved past the students and proceeded to force the bandits to their feet. Said bandits grumbled curses and the like.
Escorting the four criminals, the soldiers led them from the market and through the crowd, heading for the guardhouse.
"And you five..." The officer began, addressing Class VII as he did. "I suppose you were just trying to do what you thought was right. However, it will do you no good to go sticking your noses into other people's business. Do as I said before, keep your noses clean. And more importantly, keep them out of Provincial Army business! You have no place meddling in our affairs." He lectured them with authority, before turning and following after his fellow soldiers.
A few moments of silence ensued, as the man left the market, pushed past the crowd and went on to the guardhouse.
...
"I think he might've been a little upset that you guys did their job for them." Elliot commented.
"That's the way it looks." Rean agreed.
"I'm sure I'll lose sleep over it tonight." Fie remarked sarcastically.
"The Provincial Army here certainly doesn't conduct themselves with the most tact." Laura opined.
"They could have been a little more subtle in their annoyance with us, at least." Gaius put forth.
What was unsaid between the five, was just how...off that had all seemed.
Why had the Provincial Army showed up only after everything had been settled? And why did they seem so agitated over the fact someone had apprehended the culprits? Was it really just a matter of pride on their part? Or something else? Moreover, how had those bandits gotten past them in the first place? Surely they had guards stationed outside their guardhouse at all hours of the night, so...how?
None of them were given time to really ponder it though, as Otto spoke once more. "Once again, I'd like to thank you kids. You've been a great help to us since you got here. I truly can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am."
"There's no need for that. We didn't even do anything." The timid violinist put forth.
"Correct. It's Rean and Fie who deserve your thanks." The swordswoman added.
"Right. We're just glad no one got hurt." The soft-spoken nord said.
"No, we didn't do all that much really. We saw them wrecking the stalls and just acted." The raven-haired youth explained.
"Regardless, you five have really helped us out. First by taking some troublesome tasks off my hands, and now this. I really appreciate it." Otto told them with a kind smile. "That said, since you're already up, I figure you might as well take this." With that said, he handed them an envelope.
"These are our tasks for the day?" The sword maiden questioned.
"Indeed they are. I thought since you were already here, why not cut out the middleman and give them to you myself." Otto told them.
"I would assume that means you're the one who picked these tasks for us?" Gaius queried.
"Yes, as well as the ones from yesterday. Vandyck asked me if there was anything I could use a hand with, and I should delegate such things to you. With everything as it is now, I didn't see any harm in it, and it certainly helped me." The greying man expounded.
"Wait, Principal Vandyck?" The orange-haired teen questioned.
"Yes. He's an old friend of mine, so I took him up on his offer. Little did I know he'd send such dependable young folk." The old man remarked with a light-hearted chuckle.
"Thank you for saying so." Laura replied with a small smile.
"Let's see what we've got today." Fie said, prompting Rean to open the envelope.
The list contained three tasks, just as the day before. The first and second were both from the Market Manager Otto himself, who was requesting their assistance in slaying a monster on the stone bridge leading to Heimdallr, located on the West Celdic Highway. As well as getting rid of another monster, this one on the East Celdic Highway, located near the entrance to the Lunaria Nature Park. And the third task was from a merchant woman known as Lizzie, who needed someone to help her find the owner of the wallet she had found dropped in front of her stall.
"Two monster extermination requests this time, huh?" Elliot said, more stating a fact then asking.
"So it seems. Both on opposite sides of our defined field study area." Laura noted.
"There's also that request about a lost wallet. That one will probably have us running around town." Gaius reckoned.
"You kids just focus on completing your assigned tasks for today." Otto told them, getting their eyes on him once again. "Let me deal with the market and the bandits. After all, you have a deadline of nine P.M. today if you want to catch the last train back to Trista." He reminded them.
Beyond that, he gave them no time to respond, as he turned to the crowd, who had begun to trickle into the market, and spoke, "We can't open the Grand Market for business until we've cleaned up these busted stalls. Would anyone mind giving me a hand?"
As several people volunteered, Group A decided to do as they were told and begin working on their tasks. Not before insisting they helped with the cleanup as well, courtesy of Rean, Gaius and Laura.
Group A decided to start off with the simplest of the tasks present: the lost wallet. After talking with the merchant woman Lizzie, they went about trying to ascertain just who the wallet belonged to, as she had requested.
They started with the train ticket they found in the wallet, using that as their first lead, they went to the station and inquired if anyone had been asking about it. They learned that a woman had indeed been inquiring as to the whereabouts of a lost wallet, if not the same one they had in their possession. However, the woman was no longer there and had apparently went to the Weathercock Inn to ask if anyone there had found it.
Following in her footsteps, they did the same. Turns out she had been there alright, but she had left shortly before they had arrived. This woman had neglected to tell anyone of her next destination, but her parting words gave the group of students the hint they needed: No one left to turn to but Aidios.
Along those lines, they went to the local chapel, and lo and behold, there she was. Or at least, they found that out after asking her if the wallet was hers. She was a noblewoman with pink hair and light skin, who went by the name Annabelle. She didn't make the best first impression, seeing as she automatically assumed they were going to rob her. But after they had explained the situation, she changed her tune. So much so, that she generously offered them half the mira in her wallet, which was quite the ample sum in of itself, to them as a reward.
They couldn't accept such a large sum, of course, so they declined. While she didn't seem too pleased with being unable to reward them, she accepted it nonetheless and thanked them once more.
Task complete, they returned to Lizzie to inform her they had taken care of it. She thanked them as well, and they went on their way to complete the next task.
...
The monster they had been tasked to eliminate was a rather large bird-like creature, which proved a bit of trouble due to its mobility, but was overall nothing to worry about. The matter of dispatching it was of little difficulty, as such, they were soon backtracking across the West Celdic Highway, on their way back to the town.
"Hey, Rean, you know Fie pretty well, right?" Elliot questioned.
"Yeah, Why?" He queried, looking over to his classmate as they continued to tread along.
"Has she always been..." The timid violinist hesitated for a moment, unsure how to put it. "...like this?" Were the words he settled on.
"I'm not sure what you mean. Like what, exactly?" The Schwarzer heir requested clarification.
"You know..."
Elliot's eyes shifted to the girl in question, who was currently walking several paces ahead of them along with Laura. "...all closed off and quiet. Not to mention scary. And bored. Also morbid, definitely morbid." He specified the last point especially.
Rean chuckled at this. "Well, she's always been kind of lackadaisical. Quiet's a fair word, she doesn't talk as much as most people. Closed off though, not really. I mean, at least not compared to before. You think she's closed off now? When we were kids, it took her almost two months to even speak to someone outside of my family. Scary? No. As for morbid, uh, well, to be frank, I think you might be confusing that for brutal honesty."
"I guess." Elliot conceded with a shrug of his shoulders, not seeming too convinced regardless. "So, she hasn't changed then?"
"Oh, I didn't say that." Rean replied with a shake of his head. "She's definitely changed. She used to be pretty shy. More playful. Less scary, as you put it. She was just a normal girl, if a bit closed off. She still is, of course, she's just...different now."
"People change. No one remains the same forever." Gaius interjected, finally joining the conversation from his position on the other side of Rean.
"Exactly." Rean affirmed. "So don't worry about it. And don't feel so intimidated. She doesn't mean any harm by those comments of hers, she's trying to make an effort to socialize with you." He explained. "She's...kind of like a cat, in some ways. She's not the most open and friendly person, but with those she's close to she's really sweet and loving. That part of her hasn't changed in the slightest." He explicated.
"Wait, a cat?" Elliot repeated with a quirked brow, doing a double-take as he did, sure he had heard wrong.
Gaius looked a tad confused by the comparison.
"Yeah, a cat. What?" The Schwarzer heir said, noticing their looks.
"I've never heard a person compared to a cat before." Elliot simply stated.
"I can't say that I have either." Gaius said.
"I mean, it's not a perfect comparison. But I think it's pretty accurate." The black-haired swordsman opined.
"You know her better than I do, so I can't really argue." The soft-spoken nord responded.
"I'll take your word for it." The timid violinist replied.
...
"You know, it could just be she's that way with you." Gaius said then.
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" The swordsman queried, nearly missing a step and tripping as he did.
"Well, people sometimes have those close to them that they're considerably different around-" Gaius began to elucidate, only to be interrupted.
"What are you guys talking about?" Fie inquired, having noticed them talking out the corner of her eye.
"Nothing really, just passing the time." Gaius answered cooly.
"Nothing?" The silver-haired girl repeated, slowing to their pace; she was not entirely convinced.
"Y-yeah, you know, just trivial stuff. Like our studies, combat practice, the windmills here, nothing in particular." Elliot went along with it.
"Yes, I do find the windmills quite fascinating. The way this town harnesses the power of the wind, I admire it." Gaius added.
...
"Alright then." She replied after a few moments, before picking up her pace so that she was walking alongside Laura once more.
Needless to say, the conversation ended there.
...
After returning to town, Group A reported the successful monster extermination to Market Manager Otto. They'd intended to go straight out to the East Highway to slay the second monster next, but ended up sidetracked.
They ran into a merchant named Lymon, who turned out to be Becky's father; they were just going to chat with him for a minute and be on their way. However, he offered them each the unique opportunity to run his stall for a short while, saying it would serve as good experience for them in regards to their negotiation skills.
Not seeing any real reason to turn him down, they took him up on his offer. One by one, they tried their hands at being a merchant.
...
Currently, it was Elliot's turn, the last of the group to have a go. Just as with every turn before his, the others not on duty observed him as he did his best to be a good salesman, Well, almost everyone.
Noticing Fie's absence, Rean took a step away from Laura, Gaius and Lymon, and let his gaze wander, searching for the young silver-haired girl.
It didn't take him long to spot her, finding her about three arge away, examining the goods at another stall. She appeared to pay particular attention to one item in particular though: a peculiar cat plushy.
"Fie, hey, Fie, where are you?" Rean called, as he climbed the steps to the second floor of the Schwarzer homestead.
He had been looking for his friend for almost five minutes now, just where was she?
Once he reached the top, he looked around for a moment, before walking over to his door, opening it and taking a peek into his room.
"Fie?"
Only she wasn't there either.
Closing his door, he took a step back, turned around and looked over the guardrail, thinking he might manage to catch a glimpse of her downstairs. He didn't see hide nor hare of her, or anyone else for that matter, though.
His father was out hunting, his mother was talking with some of the villagers, and Elise was playing with Luke. That only left Fie unaccounted for.
Turning toward his sister's room, Rean was over to her door in a few quick strides.
"Fie?" He spoke her name once more, opening the door.
Lo and behold, there she was. Sitting on the floor, a stuffed animal, some kind of fox, in her hands. "There you are, Fie."
"Hmm?" She finally seemed to register the fact that he'd been calling her, turning her head to look back at him.
"What's that you got?" The young boy asked her, walking over to get a better look.
"Just a fox." Was her simple answer, returning her gaze to said stuffed animal as she did.
"That's Elise's favorite." He stated, before he really took a look at the way she was staring at the stuffed toy. "Have you never seen one before?"
"I have." She contended, without any real vehemence, just being honest. "I just never got to hold one."
"Never?" Rean repeated, almost baffled by that statement. "You mean you've never had a stuffed animal before?" He questioned.
She shook her head at that.
"Why not?" He inquired, incapable of thinking of a reason why a girl her age would never have owned one.
"No real use for them in the corp." She answered bluntly, standing as she did, before placing the stuffed fox back where she had first gotten it from.
Rean, not even a decade old, wouldn't understand why for a few years to come, but that statement instilled a sense of sadness within him.
"Caught your eye, did it?" The merchant manning the stall asked Fie, getting her eyes off the doll and on him. "The little thing's called Mishy. Real popular over in Crossbell. I'm sure you can understand why, it's certainly cute. They're not the easiest thing to come by over here though."
It was a sales pitch, and they both knew it. However, she did seem genuinely interested in the item, and the man was far from unkind. "I don't have many of'em in stock, but I can sell you one at the low price of five hundred mira. What do you say?"
Quiet at first, the salesman was completely unable to read the girl. That mattered little in the end, however.
"Sure, why not, I'll buy it."
"What are you doing?" Fie queried with a quirked brow, glancing at Rean.
"Pleasure doing business with you." The merchant said with a satisfied smirk, taking the mira and handing one of the Mishy plushies over in exchange.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Rean asked his childhood friend, as he took the plushy and put his wallet back in his jacket pocket.
The two moved away from the stall to the surprisingly empty rest area.
"Wasting your mira on some toy." The ex-jaeger criticized with half lidded eyes and a bored inflection.
"Heh, I don't know about that, Fie." He began with the faintest of chuckles. "I don't think I could ever consider buying something for you a waste of my mira." He finished with a smile, holding the plushy out to her as he did.
She had no retort for that, eyes widening as she took the proffered item from him, blinking more than once in surprise. "For me?"
"Of course for you. Who else would I buy it for?" He asked her. "You once told me that you had never owned a stuffed animal, or doll, or anything of the like. Everything considered, I was under the assumption that hadn't changed over the years. So, I thought I'd fix that." He told her, raising his right hand and placing it atop her head, beginning to stroke her hair.
Fighting back the light blush now playing at her cheeks, Fie locked eyes with him.
She decided to tell him.
"You... You've changed too."
"Oh yeah?" Pulling his hand away, he brought it back and began rubbing the back of his in a somewhat sheepish manner. "Can't say you're wrong."
"You're still the gentle and kind boy I knew, you still have that big, bleeding heart of yours... But something's missing." She spoke softly, voice gentle and solicitous.
"What?" Eyes widening, his arm dropped to his side; the swordsman felt a wave of apprehension crash over him.
"I've been watching you for awhile, and you always seem like you're...not...entirely there."
Rean struggled to stifle his gasp, taken off guard.
"That has something to do with your power, doesn't it?" She inquired, though she clearly already knew the answer. "As well as what you said to the others at the inn...about trying to find yourself." She concluded without need for confirmation. "Could it be...that you're lost?" She questioned him, searching fuchsia colored orbs for an answer.
...
Unable to find it even after several long moments of searching, she simply stepped forward and embraced her best friend. Dumbfounded, he failed to return the hug.
She didn't linger long, pulling away after a few short seconds, before turning around and walking away. "I'm going to put this up in the room."
'She saw right through me...' The swordsman was flabbergasted. He couldn't believe it.
"How did she...?" He wondered aloud to himself, visibly struggling to come to grips with it.
'You're not all here. Until you have come to grips with what you're missing, you will never be capable of progressing further.'
Master Ka-Fai's words echoed in his head, stirring the emotions within.
Fists clenching, Rean fought the urge to bite down, lest he fill his mouth with blood. 'Why can't I...!?'
"Hey Rean, everything okay?"
"What're you doing over here?"
"Where's Fie?"
The sound of these voices snapped him out of his trance like state then, getting him to turn to face the rest of the group.
After Fie returned, Lymon generously offered to buy the group lunch. They would have refused, however, they had not gotten the chance to eat breakfast this morning because of the debacle with the bandits, and their grumbling stomachs were very persuasive. So, they took him up on his offer.
The fact that Rean and Fie didn't say a single word to one and other throughout the whole meal, didn't even make eye contact, stuck out to the others as odd. They didn't say anything on the subject, however.
...
By the time they had finished their meal and were ready to move out, it was past noon. That still left them with a several hours before their departure, even accounting for the time it would take to fulfill the one request they had left. As such, they were in no rush as they made heir way toward the east exit.
As they were leaving, Rean overheard the words of a drunkard who sat near the town's east exit.
"Those damn youngshters... They dunno what real work is...! Heh... The ruler of the foresht's gonna gobble them right up..."
'The ruler of the forest...?' Rean wasn't sure what to make of that, as they could simply be nothing more than drunken ramblings.
Putting it out of his mind, he continued onto the East Highway with the others.
...
"Rean?"
"Huh?" Rean raised his head and met Laura's gaze. Noticing, as he did, that Fie, Gaius, and Elliot were all several paces ahead.
Laura had evidently lagged behind to match his stride.
"Is everything alright?" She inquired, a little concerned. "You and Fie have been acting differently since we returned to the Grand Market."
"Uh, yeah, yeah, don't worry, everything's fine." Rean tried to assure her. "Just...just a misunderstanding is all." He decided to go with the vague approach, rather than flat-out lying.
"A misunderstanding?" She repeated. "It wouldn't perhaps be the same sort of misunderstanding you two were involved in back in the old schoolhouse, would it?" She queried, her tone even.
"Haha, yeah, no, it's not anything like that." He told her, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner, as he gave a few half-hearted chuckles.
"I see. If that's not the problem, then would you mind telling me what is?" She pressed the issue.
Rean hesitated to answer, not sure if he wanted to say any more on the matter. He didn't feel comfortable sharing their exchange, especially considering it pertained to his power, even if indirectly. But he also didn't want to lie. Honestly, he just wanted to be alone at that moment, but that wasn't currently possible.
Sensing this hesitancy, Laura spoke once more, "I don't mean to push you, especially not after last night. However, if I can help, I'd like to. We are classmates, we should help each other, correct?"
"Like I said, don't sweat it. It's no big deal, really." He insisted without any real vehemence, smiling as he tried to wave her off.
She still wasn't buying it. But, she went quiet for several moments, perhaps searching for the right words to say. "If you don't wish to share, then I will not force you to do so. However, know that I am willing to listen when you are ready to talk." She advised, before picking her pace back up and rejoining the others.
'Rean Schwarzer and Fie Claussell... I'll admit, they've caught my interest.' The sword maiden thought to herself.
...
'She's trying to help, I appreciate that, I really do. But...I'd rather not talk about this.'
Gaze wandering to Fie, Rean watched her as they continued their trek. 'We haven't back together for even a month, and already things have become complicated.' He thought to himself.
'How did she even figure something like that out? And from a small interaction like that? She must be able to read me like a book...' He conjectured. 'This doesn't change anything though. Just because she can see it too, doesn't mean I'm any closer to resolving this.'
Eyes falling away from his childhood companion and back onto his feet, Rean let out a deep sigh, and cursed beneath his breath. "Shit."
...
"Where is it?" Elliot questioned.
"The Market Manager said it would be around here somewhere." Laura mentioned.
"Yeah, but there aren't many places to hide near this gate. So why haven't we spotted it yet?" The orange-haired boy queried.
"I don't sense any monsters in the immediate vicinity." Gaius informed them, taking a quick look around for good measure.
After giving the area a once over, Fie notified the others, "A battle took place here."
"Huh? How can you tell?" Elliot inquired.
"Just can." Was the younger girl's vague and unhelpful answer, giving a shrug. "I'd say it's a safe bet that someone took down the monster we were supposed to kill."
"Hey guys, is it just me...or is something off here?" Rean interjected, taking a couple of steps forward, scrutinizing the area as he did. 'Something's wrong here. But I just can't tell what it is...'
"Actually, you may be right." The well-spoken swordswoman agreed.
"Hmm...I can't really say what it is, but yeah, I feel it too." The soft-spoken nord concurred.
"Yeah, seems that way." The stoic maiden affirmed.
"I have no idea what you guys are talking about. What seems weird? How can you even tell in the first place when we've never been here?" Posed the timid violinist.
"It's hard to explain." Rean started. "It's...just a feeling. Kind of like when we sense someone's presence, but different at the same time. The fact that someone up and slayed the monster we were tasked with exterminating is fishy in of itself, considering the Provincial Army wanted nothing to do with helping the citizens of Celdic and all. But when taken into account alongside this feeling..."
"It's difficult to not assume something's up." Fie finished for him.
"Yeah, pretty much. Speaking of which..." Rean continued, turning toward the entrance of the park as he did. "You guys sense them too, right?"
"Mmm. Ten people" Fie replied. "They're most likely the ones who took out the monster."
"All of them are pretty deep in the park, from what I can tell." Gaius apprised.
"Seeing as the Provincial Army are the only ones around here with the strength to handle monsters, there's a good chance those presences we feel are an unrelated group. And if that's the case, and they are the ones who dealt with the beast, it would be wise to make sure they have no hostile intentions. At the very least, it would be prudent to thank them for their assistance, on behalf of the citizens." Laura expounded.
"Uh, are guys sure about this? It doesn't sound like the best idea..." Elliot voiced his doubts on the matter.
"Eh, might as well check it out. We've got time." The silver-haired girl said.
"It would probably be for the better if we did." The soft-spoken nord concurred, nodding his head.
"You guys are gonna outnumber me on this, aren't you?"
Sighing in defeat, the timid violinist took the best course of action, and simply gave in. "Alright, fine."
"Let's investigate then." Rean said, moving toward the gate.
They found that it was unlocked.
Suspicions strengthened, Group A proceeded to enter the Lunaria Nature Park.