Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem Awakening, all rights to the owners.
This is version two, expanding on the first to make it slightly better. It's still a clumsy chapter with unresolved plot threads and a human vs dragon nature that doesn't quite get across as well as I planned, but it better delivers the idea than the first version and doesn't make Chrom look like a complete moron.
I also realize now that this is an idea that needs more than one chapter to do well, but this is what you get. One chapter per idea, that's the rule here.
This is the much-requested Grima Robin. Taking inspiration from Vanderspiegel, ScorinVoidseeker, Rotciv557, and Guest.
Doing first person rather than third here, it seems fitting. This is actually how I usually write, I changed to third person for The Robin Variable just to get experience.
Robin… such a well made mask. A poor amnesiac girl found in a field, she looks like child with large red eyes and curled blonde hair… how innocent. But she has secret talents: tactics, magic, swordplay! Not only that, but she's taken in by a sympathetic prince!
The story is outlandish, romantic, dramatic! It's too intricate to be easily dismissed. Oh, how I love refuge in audacity!
I am not some innocent brat though, even if I play the part. I am Grima the Fell Dragon, she who is destined to end the world as these mortals know it!
...and I should not be forced to cook dinner like some common peasant!
"Wow Robin, you're good at this." Sully says, impressed.
"Anything is good compared to the pig slop you make and call food!" I think. On the surface though, I smile and say "oh no, I'm fairly average. You should see Maribelle cook."
"Yeah, when she isn't griping about doing chores in the first place." The cavalier chuckles. I internally agree, that woman does nothing but bitch and scoff when you try and talk to her, but I know Robin would say something different.
"She's just not used to this." Ugh… I really wish I chose a different personality than a warm-hearted lover-of-all. Robin even annoys me. "Besides, she does her chores despite the complaints. I think she just needs to vent."
"Maybe, but couldn't she do that around Lissa and not us?"
Yes! I totally agree! That insect deserves death for her incessant complaints!
###
"Robin, are you in here?" The Prince's voice rings out in the strategy tent.
Chrom. The one mortal I can actually stand. I could even say that I might like him. Proposterous, I know, me enjoying the company of a mere human… but it's true. I find the man's scenserity and blind trust amusing, and he's the only other besides Viron (an insufferable man, what gives him the right to flirt with the Fell Dragon herself!?) who will actually play strategy games with me. He's not good, but completely crushing him is fun enough.
"Yes I am! What can I do for you Chrom?" I chirp, spinning around to face the entrance. The blue-haired boy steps in, grinning sheepishly.
"I sorta need a refresher on tomorrow's plan." The Prince admits sheepishly. "I sorta got lost halfway through…"
"I'd be happy to help!" I say with an innocent smile, beckoning him over. I quickly rearrange everything on the table, making it so everything I need to explain is close by. Chrom moves to stand by my side, an arm's length away, so I close the gap by sliding up next to him. "Now, here's the goal…"
I must strive to keep the Prince's trust. Should someone ever learn of my true nature I can survive if only I can keep Chrom convinced that I am Robin, for the Prince will never give on on someone he considers a friend…
How easy he is to predict.
###
Dangerous? These Risen are a paltry shade of what I could make with a snap of my fingers… yet I must feign fear nonetheless for the sake of my facade. I must also hold back my magic, and stick to pathetic thunder spells so as to not arouse suspicion.
I have my Expiration tome hidden in my robes right now, it would be so easy to annihilate these creatures in an instant. Even in weakened human form I could use that tome to call on my dragon breath… but I must resist the urge. Similarly I have Mercurius hidden in my tent which could make short work of these weaklings.
No though. Instead I stand behind Chrom with yellow tome in hand, giving commands to the incompetent novices around me. I sorely miss the elite Risen I had before, and having Morgan by my side would render me living with the Shepherds totally unnecessary.
Perhaps I was foolish to rush after the children. At this point I am likely just as weak as the Grima of this world…
Hmm. I just realized something. Shouldn't the Grima of this world be in my place right now? Perhaps they are unafflicted at the moment. I only realized my potential as Grima after Validar bonded my mind with the fell spirit of a dead dragon. I am not that dragon despite taking their name, but I can control their corpse like a giant dragon puppet.
Or should I say I could control their corpse. I had to leave it behind to travel to the past, it requires far more power to transport a giant dragon zombie through time than one human vessel.
If only I had arrived in Plegia rather than Ylisse… even with all my power my aim was unfortunately off. Now I hide with these fools until the time comes that I can kill this world's version of me and take the power of this world's Grima as my own. I will have a new dragon puppet, the return of my former powers, and a new world to take over…
...and I'll finally finish what I started in the last: executing those who opposed me.
First through, I must keep up this facade. Keep my mind on the battle, try not to let slip my true power, and try not to get annoyed at how pathetic this so-called 'elite squad' is.
###
"Halt girl!" A voice calls out from behind me.
I am walking alone down the hallways of the Ylissian royal castle. It's a few hours past dinner time: the shadows are already long, and the light slowly fades from the world around me. It's nearly time to sleep, so why does the Duke of Albenion bother me now of all times? I don't recall having any interaction with him before save perhaps both of us appearing at council.
The fat man runs up, huffing and puffing. I hold back the desire to sneer at the obvious food stain on his cravat that he tried to hide by shoving it into his collar. Instead I put on a look of curiosity and say: "Oh, Duke Albenion. How can I help you?"
"Do not mock me fiend!" The man barks, pointing a fat finger at me. "I know a grimleal when I see one! You may have gained the Prince's trust, but you do not fool me!"
Oh ho… how audacious of him to think he can confront a grimleal on his own, especially one that is known to be combat capable. What sort of power does he think he has? "Understands good sir, I am an amnesiac, I wear the close that happened to be on my person the day I was found. Perhaps my past self was Grimleal, but I am not so."
"You think I would be fooled by such an outlandish story?!" The man scoffs.
"I didn't consider you at all." I say. "For it is no story sir."
"Grimleal trickery!" The man shouts. His breath washes over me, reeking of alcohol. I wonder if he would have risked this confrontation if he'd been right of mind. This also explains his lack of a weapon. "For someone who claims amnesia, you lack any sort of curiosity! I have seen you in the town, you ask no questions and move with purpose! For one who has been here all of three months you are far too comfortable!"
Well now, that's surprising. I had assumed he was accusing me purely out of racism or religious intolerance, but it would seem he actually has a legitimate point. This man isn't as stupid as he looks.
It's dangerous for someone to have evidence against me, I should kill him.
"Grimleal…" I say, dropping my polite neutral expression. I allow a smirk to cross my face. "You offend me. A mere Grimleal? I am far more significant than any Grimleal."
"So you admit to your evil nature!" The man says, a triumphant grin on his face. "I'll have you locked up and executed!"
"Really?" I sneer. My hand sneaks into my robes, gripping my bronze sword. "And how do you plan on doing that? There are no guards around, and you are unarmed."
"Well-"
My free hand snaps forwards, grabbing his collar. I pull his head down until we're nose to nose. "What stops me killing you right now fat man?"
The man's pupils shrink in fear as suddenly realizes his situation. "M-My family will order an investigation-"
"Bodies can be hidden… or burned." I whisper, allowing my eyes to glow with their usual red light. "Investigators can be bribed, and you forget I have the Prince's faith…"
"W-W-Well-"
At this point I pull out my sword, and the man's knees start to shake. "You really should have thought harder about this. Maybe brought a guard or three, or even just a weapon of your own."
"Th-The Prince!" Duke Albenion shouts. "The Prince and the Exalt will order investigations n-not so easily bought out! They will act to defend their court! W-Would you dare act against them to hide my death and risk losing the Prince's favour!?"
Damn this man and his partially intelligent worlds. Chrom would do something like that. I'd have to lug this man's body out of the hallway, which is a challenge. Not only that, but eventually someone would realize that I suspiciously hadn't returned to the barracks until late on the very same night this man was killed.
"Your cleverness just saved your life." I hiss, shoving the man backwards. He scrambles away, tripping over his own robes and clumsy weight. "Watch yourself Duke, if I ever see a chance to dispose of you with no risk to myself, I won't hesitate to take it."
###
A knock on my door, early in the morning. "Robin!"
"Hi Chrom!" I chirp, recognizing the voice. I won't deny his presence is consistently enjoyable to me. I think I'll be genuinely sad if he doesn't agree to join me when I take over the world. I move quickly over to the door and swing it open. "What is it? You look worried."
"I was concerned about you." The Prince says, breathing heavy. Clearly he ran over here. "Duke Albenion has publicly accused you of being Grimleal and threatening his life!"
Took him a few days. I should have threatened him into silence rather than letting him go unscathed. "That's horrible! I've done nothing of the sort!"
"I was worried that you may have left your room already." He pants. "You might want to avoid being alone in public for a little while until we can get to the bottom of this accusation."
"I guess I'll just stick with you then." I hum and smile innocently.
"You seem rather unphased by all this." Chrom notes, finally recovering from his run. He looks and sounds confused.
"Of course not, why would I be scared of some duke?" I giggle girlishly. My real thoughts aren't so far from what I'm saying, albeit with less girlish laughter. "I have you to protect me! And it's not like he's strong enough to hurt me anyways."
The Prince raises an eyebrow. "You think he's going to attack you?"
"Maybe." I shrug. "Or he might send personal soldiers after me. I don't want to kill them, but if I had to fight for my life…"
Chrom seems perturbed. "Robin, you do know if he attacked you he'd be sent to prison, right? If you were to be found dead by the hand of his soldiers or without cause suspicion would instantly be cast on him as well. He can't try to kill you with no good evidence of you being guilty and expect to get away with it."
"Oh, really?" I giggle, trying to recover from my gaffe. "My bad. I'm just worried."
The boy purses his lips. "Right… well you're more than welcome to stay by my side for now if you still want to come to council. Otherwise I'd advise you remain at the barracks today with the other Shepherds."
"I'll come with you." I say, eager to see the reaction of the court. It will be hilarious to see their reaction to me after such a claim. This will be great fun...
###
Chrom is becoming wary of me. That blasted Duke is ruining everything, and I think the 'infallible optimism' charade is starting to wear thin.
Damn this… I need the prince's protection. I can't have him suspicious of me. When he's suspicious he doesn't talk to me as much, and starts refusing my offers to play chess and war of worlds. I'll admit I've started to miss those afternoons spent playing and chatting.
Bah, I've become attached. How foolish of me.
All of this goes through my head as I wade further into battle. My body is on autopilot, these fights are still too easy to warrant my full attention. I shoot lightning and slice with my sword with cold precision as the Risen try to overrun the village we've tasked ourselves to protect.
"Robin!" Stahl's voice calls out from behind me. "We have a new teammate! An Anna! Where do you-"
"West side!" I snap, not looking back. "They lack a healer! Escort her there and continue relaying reports!"
"Right!"
"So cold Milady! You lack your usual radiance today!" Virion notes, shooting down an approaching mage.
I don't respond. I'm in no mood to feign innocence and I don't want to risk slipping up by speaking.
An Entombed stumbles out of the forest, moaning and lurching. That's an advanced Risen, a far cry from the other pathetic zombies around us. I should act worried now, that's what the others will be expecting, but I just really don't care.
I fix my eyes on the Entombed, mouth forming into a snarl, and launch a powerful strike of lightning at the monster. It's far from the strongest spell I've ever used, but it's more than a mage of my supposed strength should be able to pull from a mere thunder tome. The monster's slimy form ripples under the strike, it's body lighting up with electricity for a moment, but it continues to lumber forwards with only minimal injury.
"I don't have time for you!" I snarl, pulling my bronze sword off my belt. I stomp forwards, ignoring the cries of the Shepherds behind me. Two Risen barbarians try to lash out from either side, but I remove their heads in one large slash without even turning my head. "I can't be bothered with this fodder, you are a paltry offering. Begone!"
I take a running jump, and viciously slam my sword downwards on the Entombed's head. The weak metal of my weapon shudders under the strain of my strike, and snaps as I wrench it out of the creature's body. The Entombed gives a final moan, not even having the chance to attack before it dissolves into purple mist.
Someone is shouting behind me, but I ignore it. With my broken sword in hand, I set about murdering my way through the Risen hoard. I need some cathartic mass killing…
###
"Robin, we need to talk."
I knew this would come eventually. "What is it Chrom?" I ask, blinking innocently. I know it's not going to fool him, but it can't hurt to try my facade one last time. The two of us are in the strategy room, having just finished a meeting.
The Prince swallows thickly, and gestures towards a pair of chairs. "Can we sit?" He asks, sounding nervous.
"Of course." I chirp, taking a seat at the table. "What do we need to talk about?"
The Prince grimaces. "Look, can you drop that whole act? I know it's not the real you."
My face falls from a cheery smile to a cold stare. "I guess it was bound to get old eventually. Now talk Prince, what do you really want?"
Chrom looks intensely nervous. "It has come to my attention that you may be hiding things from us-"
"No shit?" I sneer. "What gave it away? My fake personality?"
The Prince pushes on despite my attitude. "-and I have my suspicion that you did have a confrontation with Duke Albenion that you are denying for the sake of appearances."
Blast. That was the one thing I was hoping wouldn't come up. "And if I did?"
"He said you threatened to kill him."
"After he threatened to imprison and execute me." I scoff. "So I returned the threat in kind."
Chrom expressions grows dark. "You shouldn't have threatened him, you could have just come to me or Emm."
"An what would you have done if I came to you with such a story?" I accuse. "Nothing! You would have confronted the man, he would have denied it, and you would have done nothing. Emmeryn would be even worse, she'd try to foster 'peace' between us." I spit out the word 'peace' with a venom I didn't know I had. "That's even more useless! The only way I could ensure my safety was if he acted first, therefore making him the attacker. Therefore putting the suspicion on him for making an accusation!"
The Prince stares at me owlishly. "That's very political thinking. It's also very dishonest to put off your accusation just to make him look bad."
"It's to my benefit." I snarl, standing up. "He accused me, so I am perfectly justifies in ensuring he looks like the attacker here because he is! That's not dishonest, it's strategic justice!"
"But you didn't mention the confrontation at all!" Chrom shouts, getting heated at matching my stand.
"I didn't need to! He already outed himself as an intolerant asshole!" I snap back.
Both of us are nose-to-nose at this point, and we're breathing heavy. I sit back down and push back my chair, glowering at the Prince. He sits as well, slumping down and rubbing his forehead.
We both sit in silence for a minute, mulling our thoughts over. Eventually Chrom breaks the quiet. "Gods… I didn't come here to accuse you Robin. I'm sorry. I just wanted to get you to take off your mask."
Why must you be so likable Chrom? I'm should be killing you right now and escaping, but instead I'm worried about keeping your trust. A god should not want for companionship but here I am…
"Well it's off. I hope you're happy." I growl. "Just what you wanted to see right? A girl feigning amnesia for protection."
"Feigning?"
"I'm not an amnesiac." I growl. "The Duke wasn't exactly wrong, I am Grimleal. I come from another world Chrom."
"Plegia?"
"No, another world. An outrealm!" I say. "I am Grima, the fell dragon! I have destroyed one world already, and came to this world in pursuit of those who escaped me!"
"You destroyed a world?" Chrom says, narrowing his eyes. "You've killed people."
"Thousands." I hiss. "All but a few escaped me."
"Why shouldn't I kill you right now?" The Prince asks bluntly, putting one hand on Falchion.
"Because you wouldn't stand a chance." I scoff. "I could kill you in an instant, and even a sword through my chest won't stop me."
"So why don't you?"
"What?"
"Why haven't you killed us all already?"
"Well at first I was too weak." I say. "And I enjoyed the protection you and your Shepherds provided."
"And later?"
"I… was loath to kill you." I admit. "Ruling a world of undead and fearful worshippers is rather dull. Spending time with you was the most entertainment I've had in a long time."
Chrom lapses into silence, and I wait patiently. I don't know what to expect from him, I just admitted to destroying a world.
"I just… I…" The Prince says, looking rattled. "Gods above, what am I supposed to say to all this?"
"Screaming in terror is usually an appropriate reaction." I offer dryly. "Though I appreciate your attempt not to."
"You've killed millions…"
"Thousands and millions are two different things Chrom." I scoff. "A good number of people survive in that world, living as my worshippers. I've killed hundreds of thousands, but not millions."
"I'm not sure it matters when the numbers are that high." The Prince mutters. He takes a shuddering breath and leans back in his seat. "You're a god…"
"I've inherited the power of an artificial dragon." I shrug. "Then again if Naga counts as a god I suppose I do too."
"How can I trust you not to kill us all?"
"You really can't." I say bluntly. "Except from what I've already told you."
"Who are the people you're after?" Chrom asks.
"Lucina, or 'Marth' as you'd know her, and her little band of mistits." I sneer. "They escaped here trying to flee from my world, and I followed to finish the job."
"Why?"
"I hate losing."
"You're chasing down a small group of refugees out of spite?" Chrom asks in disbelief.
"They tried to kill me…" I pout. "I want to make sure they're gone."
The blue-haired boy stands up shakily, supporting himself with a hand on his chair. "I…"
"Take time Chrom." I offer, also standing. "I just told you something horrifying, and I'm grateful you're even thinking it through."
"R-Right…" The boy mumbles. He doesn't bother to say goodbye, and stumbles out of the tent.
###
I was expecting some change. Anything. I expected Frederick to have been told, and for the man to shoot glares at me. I expected Lissa to know, and to avoid me… but nothing of the sort happened. Life continues as normal, with only Chrom changing his actions.
He talks to me, a lot. I'm not sure if he's trying to understand or trying to rationalize something. A lot of his questions are nonsensical too, like: "how old were you when you received Grima's power?"
"Ten," I tell him.
He also asks other strange questions. "What drove you to take over the world?"
"Father said it was my birthright, and the rush of power made it feel so easy, so right." I respond, remembering the moment. "Killing came easy after the first time. It was some fanatic Ylissian soldier, spouting drivel about Plegians being a blight on the world. Taking his head off was a pleasure, not a burden."
"Why did you go to war?"
"Ylisse was a threat to us. Word spread that someone had inherited Grima's power, and the church of Naga was rallying men for a crusade. Father pushed for war, and Gangrel didn't have enough authority to refuse. I, as a master tactician, was put in charge of the war effort."
"Your first war wasn't your own."
"But it was fought for my safety, and leading the conquest of Ferox came naturally after the fall of Ylisse." I murmur. "I started to see everything as a threat to my life. Ylisse tried to make an army, why wouldn't Ferox on learning of Ylisse's fall? Valm will surely try to kill me before I get stronger, I better kill them first."
"Paranoia…" Chrom murmurs. "The hallmark of a dragon."
"I didn't realize it for a long, long time." I say, agreeing. "But that doesn't make me innocent. I still chose to kill those people, fear does not justify the slaughter."
A few more weeks, and I get the question: "When did you start acting like an ancient dragon, and not a young, scared, girl with too much power?"
"Around the point where I started focusing solely on the wars."
###
I have to use my personal tome for this, or they're going to get killed. The Shepherds will get surrounded at this rate if something extreme doesn't happen. It's absurd that such weak Risen are causing them such a hassle.
A part of my mind wonders if it would really be so bad as to let them die. This is a chance to get rid of them at no cost. It would be so easy to just let them die, I don't even have to kill them myself. They'll eventually become strong enough to threaten me, really this would be doing myself a favour…
...but I don't want to let them perish. I've actually become attached to these insects. Where did I go wrong?
With a resigned sigh I pull out my personal tome, ignoring the shouts of people around me. The familiar tingle of fell magic rushes from my fingers to my head: beckoning, calling, promising power. On impulse, I call out the spell's name as I unleash it:
"Expiration!" I roar.
Needles of fell energy erupt from the floor, impaling Risen with extreme force. This is the power I've been holding out on to maintain my charade, and it feels intoxicating to use again. The strength of a dragon at my fingertips!
I start laughing as I slaughter my way through the throng. "This fodder isn't even a challenge! Die, die die!"
In the back of my mind I'm aware of the Shepherds rallying behind me, and starting to push back the hoard now that I'm decimating the majority of it. I also notice Chrom and Frederick pushing up to fight beside me, a dangerous idea seeing as I'm throwing magic almost indiscriminately at this point, but I refrain from murdering them even if it detracts from my fun a bit.
"You see Prince?!" I cackle, annihilating a revenant with a single massive spike. "This is dragon magic! This is what makes me who I am!"
"We're- gah- talking about this later!" Chrom shouts, ducking as an axe flies over his head. "For now focus on staying alive!
"These things can't even scratch me!" I brag. To prove my point I charge up to random Risen, a cavalier, and allow it to swing its lance at me. The metal point smacks my shoulder, doing nothing, and I reach out and snap the wooden shaft. I turn and grin at the shocked Prince. "They're pathetic! You just stay out of the way, I'll kill all of them!"
###
"So…" Chrom coughs, sitting down with a jug of water. I pounce upon the drink and quickly pour myself a glass. All that slaughtering makes a girl thirsty. "Needless to say the Shepherds want an explanation."
"Of course they do." I snort. "Already screaming for my head on a pike?"
"No actually." The Prince mutters. "It's not like they know who you are. They just think their friend suddenly pulled out powerful dark magic."
"Friend huh, I wonder how long that feeling will stick around?" I sneer.
"Do you not consider them friends?" Chrom asks quietly.
"Not really." I say bluntly. "I can't relate to them."
The boy grimaces, but doesn't push the issue. "Anyways, we can deal with that in a minute. First I want to talk to you about that power of yours. I'm worried about the effect is has on you."
"Prince Chrom of Ylisse, worried about the Fell Dragon?" I chuckle.
"I'm worried less about the dragon and more the girl affected by the dragon's power."
"A girl who's killed thousands."
"And yet, despite professing to want to take over the world, you've contentedly sat in our ranks for months, not even bothering to search for Marth like you claimed you wanted to." Chrom mutters. "You could have let us all die a few hours ago, but you didn't, despite it probably being to your benefit to do so."
"What are you getting at Chrom?"
"I don't know." The Prince sighs. "I don't get you Robin."
"Grima."
"Robin." The boy repeats firmly. "Maybe I'm foolish to assume that someone with such a reputation can change, but given what you've done so far; helped us, saved us… I can't bring myself to just kill you or treat you as a villain."
I blink, surprised. I figured Chrom was going to let me stay free a while ago, when he didn't immediately throw me in the dungeon I figured he was either scared of pissing off a dragon god or didn't believe me. I never expected this though. He's either a moron, or sees something in me that I don't. Maybe both.
"You know I can't fix what I've done." I say softly. "My world will never be repaired, and I don't feel particularly guilty about it."
"Not yet." Chrom says, staring me right in the eye. "You can clearly empathize, you care about us even if you don't want to admit it. We're going to talk more, you're going to tell me everything, and I'm going to make you human again."
"You're insane."
"No, you are… but I think there's a chance you can be fixed."
So, I sorta have a headcanon on how Awakening works because it's never explained properly. Robin is his world's Grima, and the other version of yourself you fight is Lucina's world's Grima. However, the actual dragon body belongs to this world's Grima, AKA Robin. So Other!Grima is puppetting This!Grima's body in the endgame.
I also have a headcanon that time travel doesn't actually exist. It's sorta implied by Days of the Future Past, but I think Lucina's "future" is just a universe very similar to the one you play that's about a dozen years ahead. They're not fixing the past so much as they're escaping a dead world and saving another one that's technically not related to them at all.
The whole "Grima's chosen vessel" thing is also strange. Acting under the assumption that reincarnation isn't a thing, that means Robin "becoming Grima" is probably more like them getting possessed because they're particularly receptive to Grima's spirit or having special access to the power of the dead dragon. I chose the second interpretation for this chapter.
Darkbeast42: I have, but no one would trust them and they wouldn't be tactician if that were the case. And if Robin isn't tactician, they might as well not be there. It wouldn't make for the kind of story I want to tell.
Mr. Martin: Vampire Robin has already been suggested by the way, and it's probably going to be given to Male Robin. I do like your suggestion on how they sleep though.
Maxis the Mercenary: Alright, I'll mull that over.
IcyAltheon: Have to say no to that. That would basically just end up being another version of Supermagic Robin, and it relies on me having a level of knowledge of the series that I don't have. Also, having prior experience in other campaigns doesn't add much to their character here unless I want to throw out references to old games just for the sake of it.
Laughing Dog: Sorry, I won't do that. From what I see there, all that enables is random references to older games (which is not the point of this collection) or just boosts Robin's combat capabilities (basically Supermagic Robin). It doesn't really work for this collection, sorry.
IsThisWorking: Ah, alright. Most references will go over my head due to my very shallow pool of games played and shows watched.
Isquared: Maybe, but I dislike the sorting system of AO3 and not having standard tags. It's too much effort for too little reward. I'll stick to this website.
SirHaloFan: The tactician of Say'ri means the tactician of the rebellion… there might be potential there, but it'll be difficult to make a story out of it. I'll note it down, but don't expect anything unless I get some amazing idea on how to tackle it.
Lunas-paradox: It's not about the idea being cliched, it's just that being a dancer isn't something I have a way to make interesting. All my ideas just end up being "Robin, but they're basically Olivia" because if they aren't then the dancer aspect is totally irrelevant. Besides, if they're basically Olivia, than the story really isn't about Robin is it?
The suggestion is fine (even if it's been suggested before), I just don't have way to make it work as of now.
Slctexcen: It'll be hard coming up with an explanation for that and even then there's not much a reason why I don't just keep Robin young. It also seems like it would turn out rather like Exalted Robin with only minor differences. I do applaud your creativity, but I must say no to the idea.
Guest: So… Really Helpful Servant Robin…? That shoves Robin out of the spotlight and makes it so he inherently has very little interaction with the other members beyond randomly giving out great advice. I don't think this trope will work, sorry.