Author's note: Hello everyone! Welcome to another intermission chapter. Things are a bit different this time, as the chapter is comprised of three different short stories, all of them taking place on the same day but in different locations. This is mostly filler, but there are still some noteworthy things to look out for. Enjoy!
Wheel of Fortune
"Thank you very much for having me."
"The pleasure is all ours! Yes, we should be the ones thanking you for coming here on short notice!"
The month of June was officially over, which meant that Holly's contract with Tom had likewise expired. The tent that Holly had occupied for the past month had been taken down, and all that was left was an empty storage area.
"Where will you be heading to next?" Brittany asked.
"The Heimdallr Summer Festival will be taking place next month, so I will make that my next destination. In the meantime, I plan on visiting some of the other towns in the Lamarre Province."
"That's quite the traveling that you will be doing, hm? Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?"
"I was born into a family of wandering seers," Holly replied. "I'm used to it."
"Well, if you insist…" Tom relented. "But if you want my two mira, I would recommend skipping Raquel and moving straight to Milsante. The former is home to a host of criminal activities that a young woman like yourself should steer far away from. Milsante is farther along the railroad, yes, but it is considerably safer and you can get some good business from locals and tourists alike."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you for your advice, Manager Tom."
The last call for the ferry boat sounded. Holly bowed one last time before taking the cart that carried her belongings and rolling it up the ramp leading to the boat. She waved good-bye to Tom and Brittany as the ship moved away from Bryonia Island.
Holly walked over to the passenger area of the ferry boat and picked an empty seat to sit down on. Most of the other passengers were either standing around or looking at the view of the ocean, so she didn't stand out too terribly in her outfit, but she did lower her hood, letting her red hair be exposed to the air.
Holly then looked over to the cart that carried her belongings and reached inside it to grab a deck of tarot cards that she used for card fortunes. She had little use for them these days, as most of her fortune-telling was used with her crystal orb, but tarot cards were still useful when providing a casual reading or practicing her interpretation skills. Holly had used her future sight many times over the past month, and today she felt that a change in pace was in order.
After opening the deck, she separated the Major Arcana from the Minor Arcana and shuffled the remaining cards. Then, with the deck face down, she turned over the card at the top of the deck.
"A Reversed Hermit…" she muttered. When drawn upright, the Hermit represents self-reflection, or the seeking of inner knowledge. However, when it is drawn facing away from the person who drew it, it takes on a different meaning, gaining traits such as loneliness or isolation.
Immediately, Holly was reminded of one of the many fortunes she had given back on Bryonia Island. A few days ago, prior to the animist ritual, she had told the fortunes of two individuals, one right after the other. The traits that could be interpreted from a Reversed Hermit adequately described the characteristics of one of those people.
Fie Claussell. A silver-haired girl who possessed a major element of Wind and a minor element of Time. From the look in her eyes, Holly could tell that she had seen much despite appearing so young, and those experiences seemed to have taken a toll on her ability to connect with others. Miss Claussell had appeared so guarded when it was her turn for her fortune to be read, but when it came time to hear her desired fortune, she chose to ask about her compatibility with her classmates. Despite her isolationist tendencies, she still desired companionship. It was fortunate, then, that Holly's readings ended up being positive all the way, even going as far as to see close companionship in the near future. Perhaps that companionship had already arrived by now.
She put the card at the bottom of the deck. Feeling compelled to draw another card, she took the card at the top and flipped it over.
"The Chariot…" Holly recognized. "It represents willpower, determination, and the strength to push forward when making decisions."
Holly smiled. This card corresponded to the desires of the other girl that was with Miss Claussell: Laura S. Arseid. She possessed a major element of Water and a minor element of Fire. Two normally opposing elements, yet in Miss Arseid's case, they proved harmonious. The way she poised herself, looked at people in the eyes, and spoke in a direct manner gave her an air of confidence, but not once did that confidence stretch into hubris. Miss Arseid knew who she was and wore that image proudly for all to see. Even her desired fortune was simple and to the point: she had asked if she would ever achieve her goal. Holly, likewise, responded in kind with a straightforward answer. If she continued to hold her head high amidst the many trials that would come her way, it would become a matter of not if, but when she could achieve her goal. However, that was still no excuse to be lax in one's efforts to better themselves.
Like with the first card, she placed the Chariot at the bottom of her deck. She continued drawing the top card to see what she would find. The next card was the Star, which represents hope, inspiration, and finding the strength to carry on in life. Holly was reminded of Elliot Craig, a timid red-haired boy who had Space and Water as his elements. He asked her for some advice regarding his future career, namely how he desired to be a musician despite currently being enrolled at a military academy. To answer his fortune, Holly found herself recalling how she had felt when she first became a wandering fortune-teller. It had been difficult making a name for herself at first, but the more confidence she had in her craft, the more comfortable she felt approaching and interacting with her customers. She had suggested that he take this time to evaluate his place at the academy so he can truly figure out what was most important to him. From the looks of things, he seemed content with her answer.
The card following that was the Justice card, which symbolized truth, fairness, and, well, the pursuit of justice. Her mind flashed back to one Machias Regnitz, a skeptical green-haired boy with an elemental affinity for Earth and Mirage. While Holly had not directly told his fortune, as he was used as a demonstration for the rest of his classmates, his persistent skepticism and the critical lens through which he viewed her made it apparent that he was an individual grounded in logic. Holly suspected that something must have happened to give him those narrow eyes, but she knew better than to involve herself with baseless conjecture.
She turned over one more card and was surprised by what she saw.
"The Wheel of Fortune?" It was a card that foretold great change and unexpected events. It wasn't the card she was expecting to represent the last student she had told a fortune to.
"Ah, my favorite tarot card! Today must be my lucky day!"
Holly nearly jumped out of her seat. Apparently, she had been so absorbed in reading her cards that she failed to notice that a man was now sitting in the seat that was next to her.
No, he wasn't just any ordinary man, was he?
"You are a fortune-teller, yes?" the man asked. "Would it be possible for you to read my fortune before we arrive at Ordis? Ah, I should probably introduce myself first, shouldn't I? My name is Allistair, and I am-"
"Spare me the pleasantries." She cut him off with a stoic glare. "You were the person who took on my likeness, weren't you? Would you care to explain yourself...Bleublanc?"
"..." The man who had called himself Allistair blinked. Then, the corners of his mouth slowly crept upwards until he was grinning. "Haha! You've gotten better at seeing through my disguise. You're certainly not the same girl that you were before you left for the Empire. Dare I say, you have blossomed as beautifully as your namesake!"
"You weren't being very subtle," Holly retorted. "But I thought you didn't like disguising yourself as a woman."
"Ah, but therein lies the difference between not liking and not being able to! It is simply a matter of trying and failing to recreate the intricacies of the female form that I don't assume that disguise more often. However, your robed garments allowed me to hide most of the imperfections, and I can mimic your speech to an extent, thanks to our shared history."
"Please don't talk as if we are friends. The only relation that we share is through my master."
"Oh, but that relation is sufficient enough," Bleublanc argued. "And does it not yet strike your curiosity as to how your master and I came to know each other?"
Holly remained silent. The thought had admittedly crossed her mind on more than one occasion. However…
"It is not my place to decide," she said. "Nor is it yours to divulge. I will leave it to my master to decide; I owe her at least that much for saving me."
The disguised phantom thief chuckled. "Haha. Your loyalty is commendable. But alas, I am not here to commend you. Rather, I am here to pass along a message."
Holly let her surprise show on her face. "A message?"
He nodded. "There's no need for you to echo. I'm sure you are aware that your master hasn't contacted you for a few months now. Well, that is because she is currently preoccupied in the province of Crossbell."
"Crossbell?"
"There's that echo again! There are events going on over there that require her attention. Since I happened to be in the area, she told me to inform you that you should stay away from there until the end of this year."
Today was July 1st, which meant that she had to wait at least five months before setting foot into Crossbell again. That immediately aroused feelings of suspicion and concern from within her.
"There must be something serious if she has to stay there for that long," Holly wondered aloud. "Surely I can help…!"
"There are forces in this world that you have yet to comprehend because of the path your master laid out for you. You yourself said it nicely: it is not our place to decide without her input. And besides…" Bleublanc inched his face closer to hers. "Do you not have a goal of your own?"
"Th-That's…" Holly's voice trailed off.
Bleublanc smiled coyly. "Ah, yes. I must offer my condolences. You have wandered Erebonia for a little over two years now, yet it seems you are still no closer to achieving your goal. You are struggling to find a needle in a haystack."
"..."
"But do not fret, young maiden!" he proclaimed suddenly. "Your hour will come eventually, I am sure! For I, too, once thought my quest for beauty had entered a stagnation. But then, out of the blue, I found another inspiration! An exotic flower, blooming in an environment far from its natural habitat! Truly, volunteering to come to Erebonia was one of my best decisions!"
"An exotic flower…?"
A voice over the intercom interrupted their conversation. "The ferry boat will be docking at Ordis shortly. Please make sure you have all your belongings secured before you leave…"
"And that will be that, I'm afraid." The disguised Bleublanc stood up. "The next time we may cross paths will be in Heimdallr for the Summer Festival. Until then, I bid you farewell!"
He bowed at the waist before walking the other direction.
"I can never tell if he's toying with me or trying to look out for me," Holly remarked to herself. "I suppose I should expect nothing less from the legendary phantom thief…"
Even still, Bleublanc had a point. Her master was a very capable individual, so if there was something going on in Crossbell that required her attention for five whole months, then there was clearly very little she could do to assist her. Holly was aware that there was still plenty left for her to learn, so the only thing she could do was pray to the Goddess and hope that her master will be safe.
And she still had a goal she had to achieve.
From under her garments, Holly brought out a locket that was attached to her neck and opened it. Inside the locket was a picture of a younger version of herself, except she had red eyes. Standing alongside her were three other individuals: her parents and her younger sister.
She had been born into a family of fortune-tellers in Remiferia. They didn't have one set place to call home, as they were nomads, but so long as they had each other, they were content with traveling anywhere. However, everything changed one night in the year 1196, when her family's caravan was suddenly attacked in the middle of the night. Holly had escaped with her younger sister as her parents tried to fend off the pursuers, but as they tried to cross a river, they were separated. Holly desperately tried to search for her missing sister, but she was caught by the pursuers and abducted for her troubles.
She would remain in their clutches for an entire year until her master came along and rescued her, but her time while she was abducted had changed her. Her red eyes turned gold as a result of the experiments performed on her, and she gained the ability to see true glimpses of the future. Her master was merciful and offered to help control and hone her newfound abilities. She would often be gone for reasons that were never disclosed to Holly, but she would always return when Holly needed her guidance. In the year 1200, Holly completed her training and set out on a personal quest to investigate the people that changed her life forever under the guise of a wandering fortune-teller, only to find that, to her dismay, the cult that had abducted her had already been scattered and destroyed.
Left without a purpose, her master reached out to her once more. She gifted Holly her crystal orb, and just like before, she gave her some guiding words.
"Head to Erebonia. There, you will find something that you thought you lost forever."
And now here she was: touring across the Erebonian Empire, still searching for the thing she thought she had lost. For Holly, there was only one thing that could fit that description.
"Mother...Father...Zinnia…" she muttered softly as she clenched her locket. "I miss you so much…"
Imperial Discussions
"...Negotiations with the Republican government are complete. The possibility of an armed conflict in the Nord Highlands has been successfully averted. However, they did demand that we hand over the mercenaries responsible for the attack as part of their terms."
Claire Rieveldt of the Railway Military Police was currently at the Valflame Palace in Heimdallr, reporting the results of her activities from the past few days. Standing in front of her with his back towards her was her superior, a dark-haired man wearing a decorated overcoat with a red sash flowing down his right side.
The dark-haired man hummed to himself and turned to face her. "I suppose that's acceptable. After all, it was a shortcoming on our side that allowed that incident to occur. We should consider this a chance to place Rocksmith in our debt, especially with the trade conference on the horizon."
Claire nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir."
"And what of the incident that occured in the west?"
"We're finishing our investigation as we speak. Unfortunately, we failed to locate the perpetrators responsible for the incidents in Nord and at Bryonia Island. There's not a doubt in my mind that they're at least connected, given how closely they seemed to occur within each other…"
The dark-haired man raised an eyebrow. "And yet your voice trailing off suggests that you harbor a hint of hesitation."
Claire gave an honest smile. "With all due respect, sir, while I don't doubt the possibility of a connection between the two events, the presence of Phantom Thief B at Bryonia Island is an extraneous variable I cannot overlook. It's possible that they are all working together, but I lack conclusive evidence."
"Your worries are understandable." He cupped his chin with his fist. "Regardless, it seems we'll need to exercise greater caution from now on, if this is what our enemies are capable of."
"Of course," Claire agreed. "There is one last thing that I'd like to discuss with you. Regarding the Class VII project that the prince has initiated…"
"Lechter and Millium have made me well aware," the man responded. "One group was sent to Nord while the other was sent to Bryonia Island. Both groups were conveniently at the right place at the right time."
"They were also instrumental in the peaceful resolution of their respective incidents," Claire added. "Capable they may be, I can't help but fear that this may cause Prince Olivert's influence to rise by the time the trade conference arrives."
Her superior let out a small chuckle. "Your concerns are appreciated. However, the prince has no say in how the academy is run, and his pet project is no different. Let them run freely and cultivate their skills for now; it is unlikely they will hold much sway until after they graduate. You might even ask some of them to join the police."
"Funny you mention that, sir…" Claire said. "I have encountered them on multiple occasions, and I found two students that seemed like they could be worth scouting before they graduate."
That caught the dark-haired man's attention. "Oh?"
"Both of them were sent to different locations last month, but if my intuition is correct, they are the two most central members of Class VII. There were other students that were up for consideration, but these two in particular don't appear to have any set career paths based on their backgrounds."
"Well, don't keep me in suspense, then." The dark-haired man chuckled again. "Any person that is worthy of your attention is sure to pique my own. Do you have their names?"
Claire relayed the names of the students to her superior. He showed no reaction to the first name, but upon hearing the second, the corners of his mouth crept upwards.
"Rean Schwarzer…"
…
In another area of the palace, a girl with long blonde hair flowing down her back and a red dress was escorted on either side by imperial guards as she entered the reception hall, where a middle-aged woman in a maid uniform was expecting her. Their duty finished, the guards saluted and went back the way they came.
"Welcome back, Princess Alfin," the maid said, bowing respectfully.
The blonde girl smiled sweetly. "I'm back, Fauna. Tell me, is Olivert busy at the moment? I need to discuss something with him."
"He is currently in the piano room with Cedric," the maid responded. "I believe they were talking about the upcoming trade conference."
"Politics? Really? It's not even noon."
The maid allowed her stoic expression to ease a bit as she followed the princess through the hallway. "Well, we both know how invested Prince Cedric has been in politics since the beginning of the year. He has taken her to words to heart."
"Perhaps I shall give him a wake-up call of my own," Alfin replied. "We have more pressing matters at the moment."
The pair eventually reached their destination, where two men were talking amongst themselves on a sofa. Both of them shared the same colored hair as Alfin, but one was older and had his hair tied into a ponytail while the other was younger with facial features that were nearly identical to Alfin herself. To the Erebonian masses, they were Olivert and Cedric Reise Arnor, the two princes of the royal family. To Alfin, they were simply her older and younger twin brother, respectively.
"...I wouldn't disagree that was a fine piece of policymaking," the older of the two said. "The campaign he launched with the help of City Hall was exceptionally well-executed. But on the other hand…"
"Hooonestly!" Alfin interrupted. "Don't you think it's a little early in the day to be having a stuffy political discussion?"
Both brothers looked up, startled.
"Alfin…?"
Olivert raised his hand in greeting. "And a pleasure to see you as well, Fauna. Have lessons already finished for the day?"
"Indeed. They gave us the afternoon off to prepare for the Summer Festival." Alfin directed her gaze towards the younger brother. "But come on, Cedric. You need to stop taking everything so seriously. We're fifteen! It's far too early for us to be worrying about politics."
"B-But it's better to be overprepared and underwhelmed than it is to be underprepared and overwhelmed," Cedric countered. "If I ever want to be as competent a leader as Father or even Chancellor Osborne, I need to start as early as possible."
"Well, that time can wait." She put her hands on her hips. "What you SHOULD be concerned about is being more of a MAN at official parties. Need I remind you about that time when you stood there blushing head to toe just from a lady asking you to dance?"
Cedric covered his face in shame at the thought of the memory. "Why do you have to bring that up again?"
"Because it's shameful. With the Summer Festival on the horizon, we need to get your shyness around other women sorted out. You're going to be the center of attention at the cathedral, and neither me nor Olivert will be there to cover for you."
"She does have a point, I'm afraid," Olivert conceded. "Having all the political knowledge in the world will do you little if you can't convey it comfortably to others."
Cedric sighed. "That's just something that I lack. I don't have the natural charisma that either of you have. That is why I wish to focus on playing to whatever strengths I do have."
"Just because you lack something doesn't mean that you can't try to learn," Alfin disputed. "I'm sure if she were here, she'd want you to thrive in any area you set foot in."
That caused Cedric to look up from his hands. "You truly think so?"
"I think I know so." Alfin tapped a finger to her chin. "But you know, that does bring up an interesting point. Could it be that the reason you act so shy around other girls is because you only have eyes for-"
"Your Highness," the maid said in a stern tone. "With all due respect, I believe you're getting sidetracked."
The princess realized that she had forgotten the main reason she had sought out her brothers in the first place. "Ah! My apologies. Olivert, I have a proposal I'd like to discuss with you."
"A proposal?"
"Do you remember a few nights ago when you said you wanted an opportunity to talk with Class VII? Well, I was wondering…"
As Alfin explained her proposal, Olivert's smile grew bigger and bigger.
"That sounds like an excellent idea!" he said once his little sister was finished. "We'll need to start preparations immediately if we want things to coincide with the Summer Festival. Would you like me to get our mutual friend in on the planning?"
"A tempting offer…" Alfin mused. "But I also know that I would love to see the look on her face once she pieces everything together. We can even consider this a belated birthday surprise from the person who has yet to give her anything."
Olivert let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Guilty as charged."
She looked at the other two individuals in the room. "You two will help out, won't you?"
"I-I'll do my best!"
"Your wish is my command, my lady."
Rush
Sara cleared her throat. "For today's class, we'll be doing something a little bit different. We're going to start advancing to the next step of combat links."
The students of Class VII all started murmuring amongst themselves, curious as to what she was talking about.
"As you all know…" the violet-haired instructor began to explain. "It's been three months since Class VII has been formally established, and during that time, you've all gotten a feel for what each of your fellow classmates can do. Using the combat link feature of the ARCUS, you've learned how to be aware of each other's movements, follow up on critical openings left by your party members, and support each other from afar with arts. It took a while, but everyone in Class VII can now form a combat link with each other in the heat of battle. With that out of the way, we can finally move on to the next step.
"And what is that next step, you might ask?" Sara didn't wait for anyone to answer her question. "Well, as I'm sure you're well aware, each of you have your own unique techniques, skills, crafts, or whatever. So far, the extent of your linked offense is to follow up on an attack left by your partner with an attack of your own. The objective of the next level will be to take each of your individual fighting styles and combine your respective techniques into a singular attack. Think of it like a...combination attack of sorts. Do that enough times, and suddenly there's an entire world of possibilities just waiting for you to explore it.
"Under normal circumstances, this is where I'd ask one of you to link with me so I can demonstrate, but as it so happens…" Her gaze directed itself to two students who were standing next to each other. "We have a pair of overachievers who already unlocked the next level all by themselves. So with that being said...Fie? Laura? Can you come give us a practical demonstration?"
"...Kay." "Yes, Instructor."
Both students walked to where their instructor was standing. Sara then snapped her fingers, causing her scarecrow to phase into existence.
"I've set it to use slow, telegraphed attacks," Sara noted. "First, find a way to stagger it. Then, go to town on it with your new attack."
"Of course, Instructor." Laura drew her sword. "Shall we, Fie?"
"Stand by, ready."
The other students watched expectantly as Laura and Fie formed a combat link. The members of the group that was sent to Nord were surprised to see just how effortlessly they were able to make one, especially considering the state in which they last saw them before they left for their respective field studies. Those who had accompanied Laura and Fie to Bryonia Island, meanwhile, knew what to expect.
The scarecrow opened by launching several blue spheres into the air. Fie expertly shot at them before they could land, clearing the way for Laura to move in and stab the scarecrow. The mechanism then prepared to retaliate by opening its arm and creating a laser blade. Seeing the attack coming, Laura entered a defensive stance and easily parried the attack, causing the scarecrow to stagger momentarily.
At last, Laura and Fie launched their counterattack. Their ARCUS orbments glowing, Laura opened with her three-hit sequence, followed by Fie delivering a decisive 'X' cut.
"Star Sign!" both of them yelled.
The force of that last attack was enough to send the scarecrow reeling to the ground, where it deactivated shortly after.
There were plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" from the other students. If there were any lingering doubts that the two girls hadn't made up, those thoughts were surely put to rest now.
"Perfectly executed!" Sara gave a round of applause. "You can go back to the group now, you two. Keep up the good work."
Laura and Fie gave each other a nod and a high five before returning to their place in the crowd.
"The official term for the technique you just witnessed is called a 'Rush' attack," Instructor Sara explained. "By combining your respective techniques into a single attack, you can take control of the battle in one fell swoop. The catch? It requires perfect coordination with your partner. If you're even the slightest step off, the entire thing can fall apart. That's why it's important for you to really get to know your partner and how they fight. Laura and Fie definitely set the bar high in terms of what you can accomplish in a short amount of time, but I'm sure the rest of you will catch up to them in no time.
"On that note, for the remainder of the period, get with a partner and start coming up with a Rush attack of your own. You're only limited by your imagination with this, so get creative! Just be sure you don't try anything that'll get you sent to the nurse's office, or else Instructor Beatrix won't let me hear the end of it. Good? Good! Now show me what you guys can do!"
…
"You know, I've been wondering…" Alisa pondered. "Where exactly did the name 'Star Sign' come from?"
She and the other girls of Class VII were all chatting over lunch in the cafeteria. It had been a long time since they all sat around at a table by themselves, as Fie and Laura's month-long feud had prevented them from talking together peacefully. Now that that obstacle was out of the way, they were able to go back to how they used to.
"Morgan said it looked like a star sign," Fie responded.
Alisa blinked. "...That's it?"
"If you were to watch closely, the motions that Fie and I did for our combined attack created the outline of a star," Laura elaborated. "So yes. That is, indeed, it."
"Didn't think you'd actually start calling it that, though!" Morgan quipped. "If you were looking for a name, I could've totally given you guys something cooler!"
"What kind of person thinks about giving all their moves names?"
"Believe it or not, Fie, most sword masters name their techniques so that they are more easily passed on to their students. Of course, I am speaking from experience, but Rean's school has names given to each of the different forms as well."
"It's not limited to just martial techniques, either," Emma added. "Words are very powerful things, and associating a few of them with even the simplest action instantly gives that action more meaning. It's why our orbments respond to us when we call out 'ARCUS, activate,' for example."
"So, what? We should give all our attacks names now? That's, like…" Alisa took a moment to do the math in her head. "Forty-five different Rush attacks for our entire class!"
"Well, maybe we don't have to go that far," said Morgan. "Gaius and I were trying to see if we could do a double stab with our respective polearms. Then, I look over at Laura and Rean, and they're pretty much doing the same exact thing except with swords. There's already a lot of overlap with the execution on some of these moves, and we haven't even mastered them yet!"
Emma giggled. "Considering that this was our first lesson, I think Instructor Sara will forgive us if each of our first attempts end up resembling someone else's. As we keep growing stronger and we learn new techniques, we'll have more opportunities to come up with more unique Rush attacks."
"This just gives us more of an incentive to try out different team combinations." Morgan crossed her arms and nodded her head. "Mhm! I'm getting excited just thinking about it!"
The discussion continued to pick up from there. Morgan smiled at the sight of her classmates talking freely amongst themselves.
'This is how things should be. It feels just like…'
"Morgan?"
Emma's voice from the seat next to her snapped Morgan out of her reverie. "It looked like you were spacing out."
Morgan smiled apologetically and shook her head. "Mm, it's nothing. I was feeling homesick is all. At least, I think that's what it was."
Emma's eyes grew concerned behind her glasses. "Do you mean your home in Heimdallr? Or do you mean…"
Morgan looked down and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe one, maybe none."
In the time since their return from their field studies, she had confided to the other members of Class VII about the gaps in her memory. She hadn't told them everything about her background like she did with Laura and Fie, as they were mindful of her privacy, but there were some students, namely Rean, Alisa, and Emma, who approached her afterwards to offer her words of reassurance.
Emma nodded understandingly. "Memories or no memories, we're here for you. We can promise you that much."
Morgan smiled at her bespectacled classmate. "Thanks. It's a promise, then."
It's a promise!
Morgan blinked and held her head. 'Huh?'
…
"I can see it now! The three of us flying together on our own pegasi, just like the Whitewings!"
"The new Whitewings. I gotta admit, I like the sound of that."
"If there's three of us, do you think we can do the Triangle Attack?"
"First things first! Let's apply for those trainee positions! Then, we can take the certification exams together!"
"Let's aim for the top!"
"Pass it flawlessly in one go!"
"Yeah! It's a promise!"
…
"...Morgan?"
Morgan looked up to see her female compatriots looking at her with worried expressions on their faces. For a split second, she thought she had remembered something…
"I-It's nothing," she lied. "It must be the heat getting to me."
"If you insist…" said Alisa. "But speaking of the heat, we'll be able to change to our summer uniforms soon, right?"
"Starting next Monday, to be precise," Emma stated. "Not to mention, we'll be starting our seasonal summer lessons as well."
"Seasonal summer lessons?" asked Fie. "We have those?"
"We do indeed," Laura affirmed. "I can't wait to see how well you'll all do."
Alisa's eyes widened with realization. "Wait, you don't mean-!"
Morgan chuckled. "Looks like we're going to be on her home turf. Go easy on us, okay?"
The first story provides a brief look at Holly, one of my original side characters, with the goal being to briefly summarize the kinds of fortunes she read for the rest of Group A off-screen. I also decided to take the opportunity to address a particular plot hole pointed out by bobking01 regarding Phantom Thief B's disguises. Apparently, it is revealed in Cold Steel IV that Bleublanc can't impersonate women, but since I haven't played that game as of this writing (I'm holding out for the international release), I was not aware of this fact. So, I modified that little tidbit. Hopefully, this will be the last time a mistake like this occurs. Lastly, I shed some light on Holly's backstory, and longtime Kiseki fans will likely be able to piece together the gist of her background.
The second story is an adaptation of a cutscene from the game, namely the beginning of Chapter 4. Not much to say about this one except that I changed a few parts so it could better fit into my story while also dropping hints at what's to come.
Finally, the last story is mostly an explanation of how I will be adapting the "Rush" mechanic. In the game, it was simply a more powerful link attack that cost more resources to use. That doesn't really translate well over to a written format, so I instead opted to change its execution to make it akin to a powerful combination attack, similar to the Bands from Final Fantasy IV: The After Years or the Linked Artes from the Tales of Xillia games (and yes, expect a lot of calling out attack names in the future). After all, if a basic linked attack involves following up with a simple slash, then the next logical step would be to follow up with a special technique. At least, that was my thought process. Plus, as Morgan pointed out, it gives me more of an incentive to try out different combinations of students to see what they can do together.
Hope you enjoyed this intermission chapter! As always, stay safe out there!