"Hey, Subaki. We need to talk."

"Ah, Ananias. How are you this fine morning?"

Ananias shrugged. "I don't know. Could be better, could be worse. So… fine, I guess?"

Subaki awkwardly forced a polite smile at Ananias' nonchalantly lifeless answer. "Ah, yes, one of those days it seems."

"You can relate?"

"Well, no, not personally. I make it a point to maximize my sleep so that I can feel perfectly refreshed and invigorated each and every morning. I merely say that because I've come to understand that everybody else has such days."

"Yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," Ananias said, averting his eyes and scratching the back of his head as he prepared himself for Subaki's potential reaction. "You see, I don't think Lady Sakura actually believes that."

Subaki's eyes widened in surprise. "W-what? Lady Sakura doubts my ability to sleep?"

"Yeah, I don't think it's specifically your ability to sleep, but your ability to rest," Ananias clarified.

"Is that not the same thing?!"

"I mean, technically you can rest without sleeping. Like, rest mentally and emotionally, you know? Stuff like that."

"Well, I suppose, but… even then, why does milady doubt my ability to do such things?

Ananias sighed and raised his hands up in an attempt to both calm Subaki down and to absolve himself from being a target to his hysteria. "Look, I don't really know all of the details, but Lady Sakura told me that she's worried that you may be spreading yourself a bit too thin."

"Well, yes, admittedly I have been doing a great deal more around the castle than usual, but what of it? Am I not performing everything to the utmost standards?"

Ananias simply shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I don't really pay much attention to what you do."

"You what?!"

"I don't really pay much attention to what you do," Ananias repeated.

Subaki rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I heard that part! What I'm asking is WHY you don't pay much attention to me!"

Ananias gave him a questionable look. "What are you, some sort of egotist or something? Why do you care whether I pay attention to everything you do or not?"

"Er, well, I, um…," Subaki shook himself out of his incessant stammering, "why don't we get back to the topic at hand, hmm? You said that Lady Sakura is worried about me doing too much, yes?"

Ananias. "Yeah. And wearing yourself out because of it."

Subaki sighed. "And wearing myself out because of it. And why, pray tell, did she send you to tell me when Lady Sakura is perfectly capable to telling me herself?"

"Probably because she wants me to help you do something about it."

Subaki's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. "You?! She wants you of all people to help me?!"

"Yeah, that's what I just said."

"I know you did!" Subaki cried. "What I fail to understand is why Lady Sakura would ask you to help me!"

"You mean other than the fact that I was the one she was opening up to about all of this?"

Subaki jaw dropped. "What?! Lady Sakura had a problem and she divulged it to you first?"

"…are you hard of hearing or something?"

"You know that I'm not hard of hearing!" Subaki roared. "I… I don't understand! Why would she come to you about this problem and not me?!"

"Well, if I had to guess, it could be because she was afraid of how you'd react if she told you."

"Afraid? Whatever for? Lady Sakura should know that she has nothing to fear of me!"

"Well, yeah, we can all agree that you're not scary, but you have to admit, you can be pretty stubborn and defensive when you want to be."

"'Stubborn and defensive'?! Is that what she thinks of me?"

"Well, not specifically. But if I were to sum it all up -"

Subaki glared at him. "So this isn't her opinion of me?"

"I'm paraphrasing."

"I see. And how accurate is your paraphrasing to her original words?"

Ananias sighed. "Are you really this sensitive when someone doubts your abilities? Or is this just a you and Lady Sakura thing?"

"If you are asking if I hold Lady Sakura's words in extremely high regard, then yes, I do. I am her retainer, after all. Her opinion of me is a reflection of how others truly see me, and how others truly see me is a reflection of how others see her. If I were to act in a particular way that would bring shame upon her, then I must correct this behavior at once. It is not befitting for a man of my station to ignore such a thing."

Ananias folded his arms in wonder at what he was hearing. "Man, you really are an egotist, aren't you?"

"I am not at egotist!"

Ananias shook his head. "Spoken like a true egotist."

"That kind of accusation could literally work with anything!"

"Maybe, but that doesn't exactly make what I'm saying wrong, now does it?"

"Gah!" After this little outburst, Subaki took a deep breath before evenly saying, "You know what? I think I'll just talk to Lady Sakura herself. Get the truth from her, instead of through some messenger."

Ananias shrugged. "If that's what you want to do, then suit yourself. As long as you don't kill me for finding out I was telling you the truth the whole time."

"No, I wouldn't dream of it," Subaki replied. "It is never appropriate to kill the messenger for doing his job, regardless of how questionable he is at it."

"Yeah. Especially when I'm an actual messenger."

Subaki sighed. "Of course, because that's what we should be focusing on," he scoffed.


Author's Note #1: Mozu's support will follow after Subaki's. Then, I'll finally be able to get to the Warriors supports.

Author's Note #2: The Fire Emblem Warriors poll is up on my profile. Vote for which five characters you want for Ananias to support with from that game the most and, in the end, ten characters will be selected for Ananias to support with, so make your voices heard. Happy voting!

Author's Note #3: I've been asked about Three Houses supports a lot, and recently I was asked about potential Heroes supports, so I might as well address future plans for the story after I've completed the Warriors supports. Basically, I plan to do ten short stories/chapters with Ananias as the focus after the Warriors supports as a way to send off the character and this particular story, since this story has been around for quite a while now. These short stories can range from actual backstory stuff to just plain fun, but I will definitely only limit myself to ten, regardless of what types of stories they end up being. As many have asked for Three Houses and Heroes, I will definitely devote one chapter/story to each, but obviously they won't be full on supports with specific characters like the rest of this story has been. That means that'll leave eight stories left for me to do with this character besides those two, which will then officially close the book on his (and this) story. I hope that that works for all of you.