"Lady Barielle...!? Did you just throw a pillow at me!? A-and why are you dressed like that...?" Crusch takes the pillow with a flinch, clearly still in pain. "W-what!? Is this some sort of dream!?" Please stop screaming, or I might throw a pillow at you too.
Shaula basically jumps out of the bed in excitement. "Yay! Weaky is back in the game!" She nods to herself. "I always knew you were going to make it, wealings like you are made to be sacrificed at important moments!" Crusch just stares at the scorpion, completely lost.
Sadly Shaula's maneuver threw Felt out of the bed, who falls with a moan of pain. "Fuck...! Again Scorpion Big Sis!?" Ah, of course Shaula woke her up multiple times already. But it isn't long before Felt gets up and sees an awake Crusch. "Oh, you're up. You're a useful girl, you know that?" Why the snide comment!? Well, it's true that we could have used her help back then...
Crusch's right eye twitches. "A... lie?" I'm so sorry! But if you wake us up after such a stressful day, while making a racket at that... We are obviously going to be very stressed. Still, Crusch's words have reminded me of something... We have a lie detector in the party now! That has to be useful someway or another!
With a groan Priscilla raises her hand, with a bright, albeit quick shine of light, her sword is back on her hand. I must say, it's a comforting sight. "Ugh, fine. The sun has already risen anyways..." And then that sword quickly disappears from her hand, dismissed by it's master.
While Priscilla complains, a silent Crusch analyzes the room, though panick is clear on her face. "You...!?" She gets stuck the most on my face, I imagine she's already putting the clues together inside of her mind.
While I awkwardly wave at her, Anastasia complains to her pillow. "And to think everythin' started when I was tryin' to take a nap... And now I can't even sleep right..." I'm sorry for your tragic life, please forgive the cute and clueless Crusch.
Crusch glares at me for some reason. "Please explain what you did already!" She then looks at Priscilla. "Seriously, you are all acting like this is a normal situation, as if we aren't in a strange place, and as if you aren't... Let's just say you are not dressed appropriately." Shut jobber, don't ruin my dreams.
Shaula cringes, a look of pity on her face. "Oh no... Weaky got brain damage, yep. Now she can join Nerdytwo in the crazy department, yep! None of you are alone!" Please don't start with your trademark Shaula logic...
Crusch tries to get up, flinching the whole way through. "And who are you...!?" Eventually she manages to sit down. Emilia is probably gonna have to give her another check now that she's awake...
Shaula crosses her arms and laughs. "Be glad Weaky! While you were passed out and being useless, your little team managed to scrape by and reach the Pleiades Watchtower! And I am Shaula, the guardian of this place!" Thankfully Crusch hasn't given the game out yet, but...!
Her eyes widen. "The Pleiades Watchtower...!? What are we d-" I need to cut her off before she does so. Shaula discovering we got teleported here means a Shaula who goes down to check on the tunnels, a Shaula who checks on the tunnel means a dead Iori and friends.
So I casually talk over her words. "Nice legs Crusch." It's the first thing that came to mind. Emilia made her wear a very long camisole, so her legs are free to the world. Well, normally I wouldn't comment on it, but I'm stressed.
One would expect a supposed Duchess like Crusch to either react with anger or with pride at my comment, or maybe both. She does neither however. "W-what...?" Instead she embarassingly tries to hide her legs, a red blush immediately present on her face.
Gap moe...! This is the legendary woman knight getting embarrassed about her lewd body scene! To think I would ever have the opportunity to see something so glorious! Well, I don't have much time to contemplate it.
Right now I need to find some way to explain the situation to Crusch in some way that Shaula won't notice. I have no idea on how though, so my mind immediately thinks about my two resident smart teammates, but since Anastasia is currently groaning into a pillow, I send Priscilla a look asking for help.
The Baroness gives me a annoyed smile that screams can't be helped, and gets up from bed. "How does that girl sleep through this?" For one second I wonder who she's talking about, but she quickly walks to Emilia and shakes her awake. "Up! Now!" For someone who was complaining five seconds ago, you sure are... special.
Emilia gets up in a flash, relieving my heart attack experience. "W-what...? I don't wanna get up Puck..." She's scratching her eye, slowly opening them even as she complains. I'm guessed she's used to her father waking her up...?
Priscilla snorts. "I am not that overly proud cat!" You are an overly proud cat though, in every way that matters. "So get up, and help me with my hair, we have no time to waste!" Priscilla is screaming even more than usual... But I'm guessing she's doing this to keep Crusch's attention on her.
Crusch looks at the pair, her face cannot seem to escape it's red blush. "You too Lady Emilia...!?" Right, Emilia also went to sleep dressed in her underwear only. A fact that I appreciate from the bottom of my heart.
Emilia slowly turns to look at the source of the voice. "L-Lady Karsten...?" And then she finally smiles. "You're up! You're finally up!" I guess there must no greater feeling for a medic than seeing they're patient is okay. Emilia succeeded, Crusch is alive.
Priscilla lightly hits the top of the elf's head. "And you are supposed to be up too! Now follow me, let's go the bathroom. First I'll do your hair. Watch it, learn it, repeat it." She then points at Shaula. "And you will lead us there! We will also bring food for the sleeping ugly over there!" Geez, this Priscilla is scarier than usual.
Shaula stutters out denials. "B-but... I wanna make fun of Weaky for existing..." Please don't.
Emilia also stutters out denials. "B-but... I wanna make sure she's okay Priscilla..." Please continue being a angel.
Priscilla snarls out her answer. "We are going now!" And basically drags them out of them room, like she's a vengeful ghost taking them to hell. I understand and appreciate what she's doing though.
She's using an eash excuse to take Shaula out of the room, and now we can finally give this clueless Crusch a clue. As usual, Priscilla proves herself to be a problem solver... She definitely carries the title and skill of a legendary heroine.
Now that the room is clear I send a apologetic look towards Crusch. "Sorry about the legs comment, I wasn't trying to creep you out or anything." It was a tense moment! If you put me under pressure, I will naturally go with the first thing that comes to mind.
She blushes. "I would rather you not bring it up at all! Now tell me what happened...! Why everyone is apparently on the Pleiades Watchtower...!" Now that the shock of waking up here is starting to wear off her face is becoming more and more pale.
Anastasia finally accepts she's not gonna get any more sleep. "We got teleported... somehow. As ya can undoubtedly see, it's definitely related to the prophecy, since all six of us appeared here..." She sighs. "We are still tryin' to piece together why exactly, but it's probably Iori's fault..." Y-yeah...
She glares at me. "I do not know what you did, but send me back immediately...!" She clenches her fists. "This can't be happening...! Not right now of all times!" Oh boy, I feel like we are missing a lot of context right now. No, it's not us that are missing that context, it's her.
And Felt quickly reminds her of that fact. "Sorry, but... it's a bit too late to scream at Big Bro now. We all got teleported into a tunnel, and it took us like... a whole day to get here. You should be grateful we even dragged your passed out ass along." There probably is a dark timeline where we just left Crusch to die...
She looks like she's seen a ghost, and that's not all, she might start to hyperventilate considering how she's breathing so quickly. "That's...! Damn it...! No, for now I simply must trust Felix to command them." She then starts muttering. "Why did I leave Felix as second-in-command anyways...? He's a healer..." That's her knight cat girl, right? Why call she a he? I won't judge of course. "No, I didn't... I left, I left the Sword Demon in charge." Who's that? Spooky name.
Nonetheless, this proves she was in some big fight. It was fairly obvious considering her bloody armor and all that, but it's nice to have some confirmation... She probably had a sword too, but it most likely got destroyed in the fight. It would have been nice to have a extra weapon against Reid.
She points at me. "You, I don't know exactly what you did, but teleport me back! I shall come back to the prophecy once I have handled a important urgent matter!" I sure wish it was that easy...
I sigh. "Look, you have a Divine Protection that detects lies, don't you?" She nods, a confused look on her face. "Then please just listen for now, we are on limited time. Due to... some reason I will explain soon, we can't let Shaula know how we got here, and... I promise I can't take you back, I would if I could." For a moment, I'm met with silence.
Eventually she sighs, but nods. "Very well, I can tell you didn't just now, it's just that..." The Duchess bites her lip in frustration. "I wasn't in a position where I could just leave..." I think you were in a great position, considering how you appeared.
Felt raises an eyebrow. "You're lucky you got pulled with us. You were seriously about to die, big si-, Emilia saved your life with spirit magic, and it was a close one." I don't want to even remember those tense moments of silence...
Crusch grits her teeth. "I understand. I'm glad my life was saved, but... I'll thank Lady Emilia later." I wonder if this means they're little alliance is now back in the table. Subaru certainly would be happy about it.
Still, I don't think too much about that, and start explaining what happened, Crusch's face is constantly stuck in a default state of pale and shock. Specially at the Reid's parts... and I can only thank Priscilla for buying so much time.
I finish. "And that's pretty much what happened... As you can see, contrary to Shaula's behavior, she's not exactly our ally. Watch what you say around her, unless you want to experience dying too." Well, she technically did it already, she just doesn't remember.
She nods, her whole body is trembling. "I see. My apologies, I despise lying due to my Divine Protection, but I will do my best to not get us killed..." Even though I told her a bunch of shocking stuff, she doesn't seem... into it? Her mind is definitely elsewhere.
Anastasia sends her a curious look. "So what were ya doin' before the teleportation? Ya weren't exactly hidin' that a lot of supplies were bein' taken to your territory." She frowns. "I almost thought ya were gonna try takin' the throne with the sword, and not the pen." So Crusch was basically preparing for war?
She looks down, her lips are trembling. "I wasn't, I was actually... my apologies, my mind is still scrambled." I don't think that's the case, I think she's just trying to change the subject. Was she really trying to conquer the kingdom? Maybe we interrupted her coup?
Still, I understand she needs sometime, so I change the subject, taking advantage of the fact that Shaula isn't here. "Anyways, about that food and water from yesterday... It came packaged like stuff from my world." Later on Anastasia can whisper this information to Emilia and Priscilla or whatever.
We really need to find a good method of discrete communication. It would be handy if this mark gave us something like... telepathy between the party. Seriously were are our perks? Surely we are going to get something?
Felt looks completely shocked. "For real...!? You guys can keep food safe for four hundred years!?" Maybe? I'm not exactly sure what food could last so long, if it even exists. But we sure can make food that lasts for a while.
I shake my head. "No, but... we can keep it going rotten using a bunch of chemicals and due to the way that container is built. We don't have magic though, so the food here probably lasts longer than anything we can make." They know what chemicals are right? I don't when that became a popular term...
Felt gaps. "That's...! Super nuts!" She looks at Crusch and Anastasia, who don't seem that surprised. "Why are you guys not reacting to this at all!? We ate food from another world yesterday! And it was kind of bad!" H-hey...! We don't actually know if the food was from another world, just the containers.
Crusch seems lost in shock, her face is still as pale as ever. "I... Sorry, yes, it's insane indeed." And then she goes back to looking at nothing. Just what happened to her before she was teleported? She's acting like a war veteran... Well, she was definitely in a combat situation.
Anastasia however just shrugs. "Eh, I figured the sage would probably have stuff from Iori's world. I mean, she summoned him, might as well summon more useful things." Are you in a bad mood because you got waken up early? Is that from where this Iori bullying is coming from?
She continues. "I was actually hopin' to eventually poke you over ideas about your world, but then... you know." She motions to the rest of the room. "Hey, but once we get out of here, and if ya are feelin' like makin' some money..." I have a feeling I'm definitely getting scammed in whatever you're planning.
Felt glares at her. "You are definitely planning to scam him, I can see in your greedy foxy eyes." I see we slum rats share senses and instincts. Well, anyone can see that Anastasia isn't the type of person who we should trust when it comes to this. A self admitted greedy gal indeed.
Anastasia grins. "Eh, It won't be too bad, gotta learn somehow, and makin' mistakes is the best way!" Please don't admit it...
The merchant then looks at Crusch. "Anyways, you're gonna tell us what happened or not? You'd better by the way, because to be honest... Ya don't really have a lot of goodwill here, considerin' ya were a sleepin' beauty for the entire journey." She clenches her fists. "If ya were plannin' on a rebellion then... It ain't gonna end well for ya." Ah, conflict between party members.
Crusch hesitantly nods. "Of course, I owe you all at least that..." She then bows. "First of all, thanks for saving my life, I... there's a lot I must do, both for people I care about and for my country." Like saying fuck you to the dragon? I kinda vibe with that.
She continues. "The truth is... I was planning to hunt down the White Whale." And I'm immediately confused, I don't think I ever heard that name before. It definitely sound like boss mate- Oh, she lost. I hope not too many people were hurt.
Felt and Anastasia's face immediately shift into pure shock, I however, simply raise a hand. "Um... Who's that?" Or maybe what's that would be a better thing to say...
Crusch looks down. "Remnants of a... darker time. They are known as the Great Demon Beasts, and with the exception of Vollachia they attack all kingdoms during random times." Why not Vollachia...? I guess I need to do more studying. "The White Whale for example, is known for hunting down merchants..." Ah, they're super world bosses-! Actually, maybe I shouldn't joke around when Crusch looks so defeated.
Crusch continues. "I... sought to prove myself, to show the kingdom that we could stand tall without the help of the Divine Dragon, that even when Reinhard Van Astrea is taken by old age, we could still be a competent and mighty country." I'm guessing that with the way you're speaking, things didn't go well.
She clenches her fists. "I found and recruited many of the men who desired revenge against that monster, including even the Sword Demon." For a moment, Felt and Emilia seem confuse, but suddenly their eyes open wide. Thankfully Crusch realizes that I'm completely lost. "The Sword Demon is Sir Reinhard's grandfather... Though he is no Astrea by blood, he's a true symbol of the common man, that's why I...!" Ah, I get it.
If this guy is such a big deal as to stand side by side with people like Reinhard, while being completely normal... Yeah, having in your camp that wishes to get rid of the Divine Dragon sends a strong message.
Crusch sighs. "I... have experience dealing with the Great Demon Beasts, the Karsten manor was once attacked by the Great Rabbit, and I managed to drive the beast back, so... Once I got lucky and found information about the beast, I didn't hesitate to seek it, but..." You clearly lost.
A shaky smile appears on her. "No, it's fine. I still remember Sir Wilhelm, in fact... I remember every single one of my soldiers. That's why...! That's why surely it was a success even when I wasn't there!" Even I can see the denial in her voice.
Felt sighs. "Hey, noble lady. You don't really deserve this, since you basically said fuck you to Big Sis Subaru, but let me give you some advice..." The thief doesn't seem angry at all, just sad...
Crusch sends her an apologetic smile. "I... I know I messed up with Miss Natsuki. I let the fact that she was releasing so much bloodlust blind me and... I'll apologize eventually." Ah, well I know Subaru said some uncouth stuff, so I understand...
Besides, your blessing shouldn't work on crazy people, and Subaru probably came off as crazy. And she most likely refused to give any source to her information... Combine that with the fact you're Emilia's political enemy... I can see why you rejected her.
Felt shakes her head. "It's fine. I disagree with you, but I get that you were probably busy with this White Whale stuff anyways. Which is why I'm going to tell you now, before that cow Priscilla says it in a much worse way... Don't delude yourself, you're gonna insult the dead." Ah...
Crusch is silent for a moment, but nothing lasts forever. "My apologies, I know I have already been a burden, but could you all leave me alone for a moment?" We can only nod to that, leaving the room. It should be fine as long as we don't go into the bland doors.
Still, I can't help, but curse myself. Until now I had only realized I had enhanced sight, but now I realize I can hear things really well too... That's why, I'm the only one of us...
Who hears Crusch crying inside the room.
AN: Crusch jobs to depression!