As most of you have probably noticed, FFN has been struggling a bit of late. I'm grateful to all you guys for sticking through with my stories, but I figure I should mention that I crosspost all my work to AO3 with the same names, so even if this site gets worse my work will remain readily available.

Sandy couldn't contain the giggle in her throat as she observed the sight before her. Someone might think that after the ordeals of the previous week her friend would have started acting a little differently. But anyone who thought that probably didn't know Fie Claussell like she did.

The girl was sound asleep under her favorite tree in the school's courtyard.

The Alster native found the sight to be quite adorable. Still, she was here with a goal and not even the snoozing girl would deter her from it. Pausing, she glanced down at the myriad tools in her hands.

...Fie's presence wouldn't stop her, but she could at least make sure her work was done a little quieter than usual.

Silently, the girl got to work. First she identified a plot of land suitable for her purposes. This was easy as she had already set aside a couple rows for her other seeds, so it was a simple matter of cordoning off a section of one of those rows for her current use.

After that came the tilling. The ground was nice and soft now so this step ended up being a lot easier than it had previously. Despite the need for quiet Sandy couldn't help but hum a cheerful little tune as she worked.

A few other students stared curiously as they walked past. She responded with a smile and a wave. Fortunately none of them were curious enough to investigate closer. While she was always more than happy to chat with her friends right now she was hoping to get this done quickly lest she disturb-

"What are you doing?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Fie. Did I wake you?"

The girl shook her head before standing and stretching, "Nah. You're good." Once finished stretching the lithe girl approached with bleary eyes, "Planting something new?"

"Yup! Instructor Rean found some strawberry seeds last week during our trip and was kind enough to give them to me."

"When did he do that?" Sandy heard her friend mutter to herself quietly with eyes narrowed in thought. The silver-haired girl eventually shook her head, probably deciding it wasn't important, "Strawberries, huh? Sounds good."

The redhead bobbed her head excitedly, "Yeah! Strawberries are at their best when they're still completely fresh! They lose so much flavor when they start to dry out, and..." Realizing she was starting to ramble the girl blushed a little before recomposing herself, "Are you going back to sleep...? I don't mind waking you when I'm finished."

"Nah. I'm all napped out for now." The silver-haired girl looked around for a bit before letting her gaze settle on the bag of seeds, "Want some help with that? Dunno much about gardening, but..."

Sandy grinned happily. She might have been a scary jaeger in the past, but the only Fie she knew was an extremely kind girl that tried to hide her warmth under a mask of indifference. She was someone that the Class IX girl was proud to call a friend, "Sure! It's actually really easy. First you-"

Juna was confused.

Even if it had only been a couple minutes since Jessica and Louise had gone to the supply shed to gather their equipment, the fact that neither girl had returned was weird. They used the place practically every day! There was no reason why it should take them that long to get their rackets and other stuff, right?

With a sigh the Crossbellian elected to follow after them. That they were even having tennis club activities that day was a miracle in itself as it had been raining pretty heavily that morning, causing them to decide that practice would be canceled, a decision that was only reversed at the final minute once the sun made a miraculous return.

Reaching the shed she saw her two friends standing at the door staring at something inside. Whatever it was she couldn't see through their bodies, "Um, guys?"

"Oh, Juna!" Louise yelled in a loud whisper, "Thank Aidios you're here! You should be able to solve this, right?"

"...Huh?" She could only watch in confusion as her bespectacled friend stepped aside, revealing the cause of their issues, "Oh..."

Why was Fie sound asleep atop a pile of equipment?

"I think she's been there the entire time?" Jessica chimed in with confusion present on her face. It made sense considering her club mates didn't know about the quiet girl's penchant for napping like Juna did. Hell, even with that knowledge she still found the situation quite weird! "Given that she is your classmate we think it would be best if you were to resolve this." With a shared look both she and Louise retreated from the shed.

...Geez. Why was she getting the feeling that her friends were using her association with Fie as a convenient excuse to put this responsibility on her shoulders alone?

With a heavy sigh the pinkette approached the sleeping girl. She had no idea what to do in this situation, but she was a firm believer in acting first and thinking later. Right now the most important thing was waking Fie up.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

Her attempted fourth poke was put on hold when her hand was grabbed by the now awake student. Now awake lime eyes glared up at her, "Stop that!" Fie grumbled bitterly.

"Stop sleeping on my racket!" She countered hotly, "What are you even doing in here anyways?"

"...What are you doing here?"" Fie retorted, "Decided to check this place out once I heard your club was canceled today."

Juna groaned tiredly. How could she possibly have ever considered this girl to be dangerous? Maybe her sanity was in danger? "Well our club was uncanceled. So go away and let us play in peace!"

Fie let out a shrug, "Or you could just grab your stuff and let me sleep in-"

"Shoo!" Not wanting the lazy girl to get any funny ideas Juna began shoving her towards the door. Fie glared back her way, but didn't protest the action, leading to her successfully evicting the silver-haired pain in the ass from the building.

With her success she called her club mates back – They were already delayed enough thanks to Fie, best if all of them worked together to grab everything they needed. But even after they finished working and began to practice a question asked by Louise stuck in her mind:

"I don't get it. I know we lock the door every night, so how could she get in there?"

Altina Orion would readily admit that she had experienced many strange and unique things since she was tasked with becoming a student at Thors Military Academy. Some of it the intelligence agent felt she was beginning to understand, but there were other concepts that still eluded the girl entirely. Things that seemed completely illogical and nonsensical that defied what little understanding she possessed.

Coming across her classmate sound asleep on the roof of the school was one such occurrence.

As one of Fie's roommates she was quite aware of the fact that her classmate liked to sleep. But she was also well aware of the fact that the girl got plenty of it most nights, with the previous one being no exception. And most importantly, Altina was acutely aware at how comfortable their beds were, at least in comparison to sleeping on a hard surface like the roof.

So why was doing it?

Altina was torn. On one hand she understood that waking up her classmate would be considered inappropriate, especially considering how soundly Fie appeared to be sleeping. She recalled Juna once mentioning a similar action as being a 'jerk move'. She did not consider herself to be a jerk.

But at the same time she sought understanding as to why the scene in front of her was happening.

"You gonna keep staring or what?"

The agent known as Black Rabbit blinked, "I was unaware that you were awake."

"Hard not to be when someone is staring at me so intently." Although Fie didn't rise from her spot the girl did stretch her body in a movement that was oddly reminiscent of a cat.

"My apologies." Although she didn't let it show in her expression, Altina truly was sorry for what had happened, "I had no intention of interrupting your rest, but I was curious as to why you were sleeping on the roof of all places."

Her classmate let out a shrug, which appeared odd as she was still lying down, "It's comfy?"

"It is... comfortable? But wouldn't your bed in the dorms be more comfortable?"

"Hmm..." Fie pondered her words for a second, "It's different. Yeah the bed is nice too, but this is different. You can't really enjoy the sun in our room."

"The sun?" Altina turned her gaze to the warm ball in the sky. She then proceeded to blink after gazing directly into the light. Not her most intelligent move.

Fie giggled, causing Altina to heat up in a way she failed to understand, "Yup. The sun. Now that it's getting warmer out the feel of the sun on your body while snoozing is really nice."

Altina remained skeptical. Fie must have noticed as she scooted to the side slightly before patting her previous location, "Why not try it out for yourself?"

She gazed disinterestedly at the spot offered, but after practicing hard at swimming yesterday Leonora had told her to rest up for today...

Although still skeptical it seemed her body was moving of its own volition. Before she realized what she was doing she found herself laying alongside Fie. Her classmate only grinned before snuggling close and almost immediately drifting back into sleep. This was entirely too awkward for the girl, but she could at least humor her companion for a minute or two before leaving...

That was her last thought before unconsciousness claimed her.

Towa hadn't actually expected to find much when she did her evening patrol of the school before returning back to the dorms in the evening, but the sight she discovered on the roof was enough to give the diminutive instructor pause. She thought she had been prepared for all the different scenarios that being a teacher would present her with, but the one in front of her had her at a loss.

As a responsible adult it was her responsibility to wake the two students peacefully sleeping together. This much she knew without a shadow of a doubt. And yet despite that the teacher found herself hesitating. There was one major reason for that:

Fie and Altina sleeping together like that was just too cute!

Perhaps her time spent with Angie had affected her more than she cared to admit, but right now it was taking every curim of restraint she possessed to not squeal at the sight before her. They were just so adorable together! A-At the very least there was little harm in snapping a picture with her ARCUS to remember the moment by... right?

...The only reason she hadn't yet done so was because the voice in her head telling her to do it sounded oddly like Rex, someone that had caused her no amount of headaches during her time as a student.

Either way, she was at an impasse. Should she do the responsible thing and wake the two, or should she allow them their moment together? Both options had their merits, but both had considerable downsides as well. Maybe she should do another patrol of the school and come back later? Or maybe she should inform Rean and let him take care of-

"You gonna keep staring or what?"

"O-Oh. I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Kinda hard to keep sleeping when someone is staring at me so intently." Fie paused before glancing down at the still slumbering Altina and smiling, "Huh. Deja vu, I guess."

Towa wasn't sure what to make of that last part, so she chose to ignore it, "It's getting late. You two should probably get going."

Fie glanced up at the sky before frowning, "Yeah. Guess so." The younger girl gently shook her companion, causing Altina to begin to stir, "You're welcome to join us next time if you want."

"Bwuh?!" Not the most elegant word out of Towa's mouth, but she was too confused to care, "I can't do that! I'm far too busy to be taking naps during the day! Plus, I'm a teacher and you're students!"

"Yeah, exactly. You're always running around doing stuff all day long. Just watching you is enough to wear me out. I bet a nap would do you lots of good. I bet Rean and Randy say the same thing."

They had, but Towa wasn't going to admit that to a student, "Yes, well. I still don't believe it would be appropriate. And why were you taking a nap on the roof in the first place?"

"It was comfortable." Altina answered as she slowly got to her feet, with her classmate following suit after, "The feeling of the sun on your body while you sleep is quite enjoyable." Towa noticed Fie give a victory sign with her fingers, but didn't understand why.

"I... see?" Towa wasn't sure she did, but they definitely looked peaceful while sleeping together. Maybe they had a point. Perhaps she should try it out some day?

The way Fie grinned widely made the young teacher think the student was reading her thoughts. Still, it didn't matter how comfy they looked because there was absolutely no way she would be taking a nap with them!

Tita held her breath as she worked to connect the interior wiring. The hardest part of being an engineer was the most delicate internal bits because they required a steady hand and the utmost concentration. But those were things that she had spent many years practicing at, and with practiced ease she made the connection, finishing her current project.

Most people would consider a massive cannon that could fire off healing arts to be a weird invention, but not her. She saw her Orbal Gear as something more than just a weapon. Having the massive exoskeleton be capable of doing other things like being able to go into a disaster area to treat the wounded with her now christened Vital Cannon was something she strove for with this newest model.

The sound of tools crashing to the ground caused the young engineer to wince. It was really good that that hadn't happened a minute prior when she was deep in concentration. After making sure her newest armament was secure the girl began her investigation of the noise, even if deep down she already knew what it was.

"Owie. That really hurt..." Yup. Just as she thought. She hurried over to help Mint out of the mess.

"Are you alright?" Tita hadn't been expecting to gain a new assistant when they returned from Sutherland, but that was exactly what had happened. And despite her natural clumsiness the older girl was actually pretty good at what she could do. And she was quite fun to hang out with, too!

...So long as Tita remained a fair distance away from the Thors alumni when she was around anything hazardous, of course.

"Hehe! Something like that can't keep me down for long!" Tita chose to ignore the fact the now exuberant girl had been making pained noises just a second prior.

"I'm glad to hear it. Were you able to finish all the soldat maintenance?"

"Yup! Err..." Mint trailed off awkwardly for a moment, "All except for Drakky, that is."

Tita blinked. "Huh? Why not?" That didn't stop her from giggling a little at hearing one of the nicknames the girl had come up with for the soldats.

"One of Rean's students is using it to take a nap!"

"...What?" She had to have misheard that, right? She couldn't possibly imagine any of her fellow students would be crazy enough to go inside a soldat just to take a nap-

Oh. Of course. The blonde engineer slapped her head as realization dawned. With a tired sigh she approached the machine in question before rapping the leg with a nearby wrench, "Fie! Wake up!"

"Zzz..." The fake sleeping sound was bad enough, but that it was coming from the machine made it almost comical.

"...Are you seriously using the soldat's external speaker to project the sound of your sleeping?"

"Is it working?" Came the voice from inside.

Tita giggled, "Sure. Let's pretend it's working. Since you're still asleep I'm here to tell you that you need to wake up and get out of there."

There was a long silence from the soldat. Finally... "I'll get out on one condition: Tell me about Agate."

"Fwuh!?" Despite herself she couldn't help but flaring red. "W-Why would you want to know that!?"

"You guys seem close. I'm kinda interested. And I know Sandy and Musse would pay good mira for some tasty gossip."

"I-I..." Why were all of her friends so cruel! Tita took a deep breath to calm herself, but it did little for the burning blush staining her cheeks, "If you come down I'll tell you a little about my adventures in Liberl with Agate and my other friends." That was as far as she was willing to go!

Once again silence filled the room, but it ended when the Drakkhen popped open and out popped the Class VII girl, "Not quite what I was looking for, but sure. You got yourself a deal."

There was a time before the Erebonians came knocking. It was even before the Crois family. Actually, he was pretty sure it happened even before the cult reared its ugly head. Either way, it was a simpler time for Randy Orlando, back when he was merely just a cop with the Special Support Section.

It had been a lazy day in Crossbell, which meant he and the others could kick back and relax. Lloyd didn't like it, but he was the one who insisted they be on standby in case any emergency support requests arrived so he didn't have much of a leg to stand on. Instead they all chilled out at the SSS building doing their own things.

It was then that he made an amusing discovery: Coppe, sleeping peacefully on the floor near the stairs. The cat was stretched across the ground completely dead to the world and for a brief terrified moment Randy thought he might actually have been dead for real. It was only the faintest hint of breathing that convinced him otherwise.

Of course he wasn't one to pass up on a moment like that, opting to play a prank on the furball. Seeing the cat leap up in an absolute panic after he pelted it (gently) with one of his grenades (safety still attached, of naturally) was absolutely hilarious. The cat glared and hissed before promptly running off in a huff.

Why was he remembering such an event?

'Cause when he came across Sylphid snoozing in the kitchen he couldn't help but repeat the action, except with the apple he had been planning to munch on instead of a grenade. Except unlike with Coppe the girl managed to instinctively wake and roll out of the way at the last second.

Also unlike Coppe she didn't immediately run to Tio Tot. He almost got Ether Buster'd that first time!

"What the hell, Randy?!" And unlike Coppe she didn't hiss at him. She was definitely glaring, though.

"Woah!" He held up his hands in mock surrender, "No need to be so angry, Selfie! Was just making sure you weren't slacking on your training, that's all. We might not be jaegers anymore but we gotta keep those instincts going, yeah? You got a passing grade, by the way." And since he was a teacher now so that actually meant something!

Her glare didn't relent in the slightest, "...You really suck, you know that? And that stupid name again..." That it annoyed her so much ensured he was gonna keep calling her it forever.

He let out a laugh, "Meh. I've been told a lot worse. If you wanna keep sleeping in weird places you better be ready for the Red Reaper to come getcha!"

"Maybe we should start calling you the Red Creeper if you keep going after girls when they're sleeping." That was a good one, he couldn't deny. "Whatever. I'm outta here."

He couldn't help but grin madly as she left in a huff. Just like Coppe indeed.

Still, while he wasn't one for all the mushy crap he couldn't help but reflect upon what had just happened fondly. He was happy enough that it seemed like she wasn't gonna turn into his cousin, but watching her lounge about like a lazy cat made him think she was really starting to settle in at the school. Even if her outward attitude didn't change much he was pretty confident that the girl was a lot more comfortable at this school.

And honestly? So was he. Being shipped off to teach a bunch of brats in the country that occupied his home wasn't his idea of a good time, but it wasn't like the brats were the ones responsible for the messed up situation Crossbell was in. Nah. These were good kids.

He let out a chuckle as he began the trek back the classroom. Sylphid wasn't the only one changing, it seemed.

"I know the girls mentioned it, but even still..." Kurt found himself staring in exasperation at the sight before him, "I guess Juna was correct – You truly are the Sleeping Menace."

As expected, Fie gave no reply as she was seemingly sound asleep. Kurt had a suspicion that even if she herself was actually asleep the depths of her unconsciousness were a ruse. Despite her seemingly defenseless nature this was not a girl to trifle with easily.

And yet, even if she was more than capable of protecting herself he found himself loath to leave her on her lonesome. He had been on his way to the training room in the school for a little swordplay when he came across the girl on a bench just outside the building. Not the most ideal place for such an activity, but since the area was currently vacant save for the sleeping occupant... "I guess a little outdoor training should be alright?"

As the young Vander took his stance he couldn't help but think back to the advice Fie had given them that first night back. At first he hadn't been sure on how to interpret it, but over a week later and he felt like he was just starting to grasp the true meaning of her words. And it was all thanks to a spar they had had two nights prior.

Understanding that he was thinking things through too much during battle and actually finding a solution to rectify it were two completely different things. One cannot simply change how they work and fight with ease. Instead Kurt had opted to study his opponent's movements as they clashed against each other. Before he had simply allowed himself to be intimidated and jealous of her sheer speed, but as he examined her more closely he could spot the flaws in her actions. Some of her dodges were awkwardly executed, occasionally she attacked without maintaining proper footwork, and her obsession with acrobatic displays could have been exploited by a more skilled opponent.

And yet against Kurt it simply meant she was always a step ahead of him. Any awkwardness in her dodges were offset by the fact that she was already out of range even as he began to strike. Her flimsy attacks came before he was properly set to defend himself, and any openings she left while airborne went unexploited as he simply could not adjust in time.

And yet at the end of the fight – another resounding defeat – she had simply grinned before praising his improvements. At first he thought she had been patronizing him, but he found that reflecting upon his performance was more difficult than in any fight before. It didn't take long for him to discover the reason why:

He had been so focused on her movements that he had barely thought about his own.

Acting without thinking. In most situations that would be seen as a fault, but after that bout he finally began to understand the implications of it. Letting his instincts guide his body meant he could focus more on his opponent, creating a synergy that had seemingly enhanced his performance without his realization.

Of course even if he was beginning to grasp the concept he still had a long ways to go before he could reach the level of his brother or parents. Still, after having been in a rut for so long it felt good to make actual noticeable improvements. So long as he maintained this course...

Maybe one day soon he could reach the level of confidence and conviction in his abilities that Instructor Rean wanted to see from him.

"You just gonna stand there holding your swords like an idiot or you gonna do something?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "I didn't want to disturb your beauty rest."

"Appreciate it," She didn't miss a beat in her response, "but I'm awake now, so go do something."

"Fine. Want to join me?"

Fie tilted her head in consideration, "Sure, why not?" Great. Sparring with a friend beat practicing by oneself any day. Things were looking up.

"Since you're getting better I'm gonna stop holding back now. Time to introduce you to the 'gun' part of 'gunblades'."

...Perhaps things weren't looking quite so up as he had believed. While he was a big fan of getting stronger, he couldn't help but be concerned that he was in for a lot of pain. The dangerous glint in Fie's eyes didn't help matters any.

"Wake up, Fie."

Unsurprisingly the girl gave no reaction that she had heard him, but he wasn't fooled. The shallow, rhythmic breathing of a person at rest had given way to a more stilled rate. It was as if she was holding her breath in an effort to fool him.

"You aren't fooling anyone. I know you're awake."

"Fine." The grumbling girl gave up the charade before sitting up and giving him the most threatening deadpan glare possible, "Happy?"

Sadly for her, Rean had spent much of the past year working alongside Altina, and thus had developed something of a resistance to that kind of look, "I'm more confused than anything. The other instructors have already approached me about your weird sleeping habits and I bet some of the other students have noticed." For some reason the tiny smirk Fie gave at that last bit worried him, "So why do you keep doing this?"

The girl let out a dramatic yawn and a stretch as she rose to her feet, "It's cause I can't get much sleep when you keep forcing me into your room every night."

Rean's eyes widened as the swordsman nearly choked on air, "W-Wha?!" W-Why did she have to phrase it like that!? Frantically the teacher looked around in a panic. He had found her in the library and right now he was praising the Goddess that the room was completely vacant, "Don't say it like that!"

Mirth danced in her eyes as she tilted her head curiously, "Dunno what you're talking about?" He was almost impressed at how confused the girl made herself look.

"I think I liked you better when you were completely closed off." That was a lie and they both knew it. That the girl was now comfortable enough with her current situation to spend time with friends and tell jokes was a great feeling, even if those jokes were coming at his expense.

"So is this the part where you tell me I shouldn't be sleeping around school anymore?"

He let out a tired sigh, "Would you listen if I tried?"

"Nope!" In comparison her grin was only growing in its intensity.

"Didn't think so. In that case I won't try and tell you what to do, but instead allow me to leave you with a simple warning."

"...Huh?"

He bit his lip as he considered his next words carefully, "There are consequences for every action. You can sleep wherever you want, but you might not like what happens after."

She tilted her head in confused interest, "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Not at all. Like I said, it's just a warning. Make of it what you will. Now if you excuse me, I still have some work to do today."

Rean sincerely hoped for her sake that she would heed his advice because the alternative would be very dire indeed. He would make sure of it.

Fie fought back a grin as she felt the vibration of incoming footsteps, lest she give away the fact that she wasn't actually asleep. What had been a simple desire to take a nap outside had long since turned into a fun game she was playing around campus as she messed with her friends. Thus she found herself listening to the approaching figure with baited breath.

Who would it be this time? She was currently 'napping' just off the path towards Einhel Keep. Maybe it was Tita doing some maintenance? Rean or Randy doing some training? Was one of her other friends hunting her down? With growing interest the former jaeger subtly opened her eyes a tiny bit to see the person who was now standing above her.

All excitement died when she found herself staring into the purple eyes of the Golden Rakshasa.

"Heh. Wasn't expecting to find you here, Claussell."

"P-Principal Le Guin..."

"Many aspiring warriors neglect rest in lieu of training, not understanding just how important their body truly is. I am glad that you haven't fallen into that trap."

Fie nodded emphatically, "Y-Yeah. Just catching up on my-"

"That being said," Aurelia cut her off without hesitation, "I heard about your defeat at the hands of the Sanguine Ogre. I would have thought you would be spending these days with a little more urgency."

"I do train! Every night! It's just-"

"You are in need of a partner on the level of an enforcer? Very well. Schwarzer's suggestion that I come here and train at the Keep had some merit, but I have been interested in fighting someone with your skill-set ever since you arrived at Thors..."

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

"You shall accompany me back to the training room!"

"I-I'm sure someone of your level would gain more from clearing out a Keep level or two-"

"Nonsense. I am as much a teacher at this school as the other instructors. Helping my students is the least I can do. I am sure this will be a very enlightening experience for the both of us."

A horrified Fie did her best to find an escape from this hellish situation, but words were failing her, and while she was good at running she had a sinking suspicion that trying to flee now would simply end with her meeting her end while exhausted. With no escape possible the former jaeger and soon-to-be punching bag lowered her head miserable and accepted her fate.

Never again would she sleep out in the open at this stupid school.