Author's Note: So, I picked up Triangle Strategy again after the extra scenes were added and did another playthrough, which inspired me to do something I've had floating around in my head for a while now. That is, making fics based on side story interactions that I wish had happened between pairs of characters who really should've had them. I have a couple more ideas for these, but first up: Corentin and Geela.

Chapter One: The Request

The encampment was—for once—quiet. Though maybe that wasn't surprising; it was late in the evening now. The time had gone unnoticed to its remaining occupants, however. Some of the few sounds came from a table in the back corner. Corentin was muttering to himself, glancing between some open tomes and a stack of parchment as he took notes and scratched things out.

"…Corentin? Shouldn't you be heading off to bed?"

He jumped and glanced up. Geela was looking at him with a bit of wry amusement; she had one eyebrow raised as she glanced over the state of his table. She herself had a few books tucked neatly under her arm. Clearly, she was finished with whatever she'd been doing.

"I suppose," he admitted. "But I think I've made some good progress, and I don't want to lose track of what I'm doing."

"What are you doing, if you don't mind me asking?"

Geela set her books down and curiously looked at a few of the books he'd set out. Were they all on healing magic? Corentin obligingly moved some of his notes over so she could see them more easily.

"I'm curious about healing magic like yours," he explained. "I find it more fascinating than traditional medicine—not that I think it's unimportant, of course, because it isn't—but it's something I've always wanted to learn. Besides, I find different fields of magic overlap more than you may expect, and learning more about one can often deepen your understanding of your primary field—"

Corentin cut himself off and grinned sheepishly. "But you'd know that well, wouldn't you?"

Geela made an amused noise in response. The rambling was understandable; she could get absorbed in her own studies easily enough. Besides, Corentin did have a point.

"Of course; I doubt you'd be surprised to learn how interesting I find Lady Frederica's magic," she agreed. "And I do think it's worth practicing other types of magic, too. May I see what you've done so far?"

He nodded eagerly, and Geela paused to pull up an extra chair. Then, she curiously glanced through Corentin's notes, pausing every now and then to double-check things with the nearest tomes. His handwriting was messier than she'd expected, Geela noted with some entertainment. Still, he'd clearly been at this for a while, marking down various details that were clearly from different books, and he'd circled things for emphasis and added annotations in the margins for details he wanted to reference later.

"Mm-hm…" Geela finally said. "Not bad for beginning work; some of these tomes are more advanced than I'd usually suggest starting off with. You're clearly invested in this. Still, you probably don't need me to tell you that you're best off with actual practice."

"Of course—which makes your timing impeccable! If you wouldn't mind—that is, I know you're busy with your own work, but—"

"We'll see what I can do…in the morning," she interrupted gently. "I'm sure you'll be a good student, but I only take those who work on adequate amounts of sleep."

"Naturally," Corentin said wryly. "Still, I appreciate the help, Geela. Right to work tomorrow, then?"

"First thing in the morning, if you're ready for it," she agreed.

"My thanks."

He nodded and gathered up his things. Geela yawned as she collected her own books. Then, she nodded to Corentin in return and she headed for the encampment's main entrance.

This would be…interesting, she thought to herself. Corentin was a little overly-dedicated, but she was certain he'd pick things up quickly. Besides, she hadn't had many opportunities to train Frederica in healing magic, so this would be a new challenge for her, too. And if she was especially lucky, she might get to learn some ice magic in return.

So as she prepared to turn in for the night, Geela decided she was very much looking forward to this.