At this point, I thought I was just going to be surrounded by papers for the rest of my life. The number of documents I had to manually write down was just getting ridiculous. Each box inside the supply room had at least three sheets of paper, detailing what was inside and its conditions.

The worst offenders were the weapons, to nobody's surprise, but it had to be dealt with either way. I knew I was extremely slow, but there was a lot of room for improvement even if the writing was incredibly taxing.

Through my stubbornness and determination, the supplies were successfully calculated. All sheets were tied together by a string to keep the stack together, and ready to be taken to Robin. After all, it was finally time to prepare for the march towards the Farfort.

I stood up from my seat before stretching all my limbs and was rewarded with a few satisfying pops from my bones. A relieved sigh escaped my lips, after which I took the bound stack and aimed for Robin's office.

I didn't meet anyone on my way there, and soon enough, I stood in front of the doors leading inside his own hole. After knocking twice on the wooden surface, I heard, "Come in."

Giving myself a small nod, I took the doorknob and gently opened my way in. Robin sat in front of the only table with one hand touching his chin while the other held a feather pen dripping with ink.

He lifted his head, a flash of recognition flowed through his eyes and he put his pen down inside an ink bottle. "Well, I guess I should have expected you here sooner or later."

I hummed. "Hope I didn't come at a bad time."

Robin shook his head. "No, your timing couldn't have been better. I was about to finish the marching plans and now I just have to see how our supplies are holding up."

"Right," I exclaimed before reaching the table and putting down the binder in front of him. "Everything should be accounted for, or at least the stuff that was inside the cellar."

He wordlessly took the binder and unceremoniously opened it. Glancing from page to page made a frown appear on his face. He leaned his elbows on the table and crossed his fingers. "This is a little less than I would have liked."

I gave an incredulous look. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, with how long it will take us to get to Farfort, I'd argue this will only last the trip to the harbour," he explained. "Just barely, might I add."

"How…" I trailed off, trying to find the words I was looking for. "You're telling me all that stuff down there isn't enough?"

A small chuckle escaped Robin's lips. "If you're talking about weaponry and such, then yes. There's plenty there. Food is the issue."

I touched my chin in thought. "Oh yeah, there really wasn't much there other than dried meat and such."

"And that isn't going to keep us from starving," Robin said with a huff. "We'll probably have to make a stop at Southtown to get our rations for the entire mission."

He switched his attention to one of the bookshelves occupying his office with a forlorn look. "I just don't know if we have the time to afford it."

I brought an extra chair, pulled it next to the table, and sat down. "That really isn't an issue though, is it? We can just buy the ingredients we need here in Ylisstol. I'll just make a list and go grab it."

Robin hummed. "I already thought of that, but the thing is, most of the supplies we can buy are just some preserved food and fruits. I don't know about you, but the Shepherds don't look like the kind that can cook for a large group, or without a functional kitchen."

"I can cook," I chimed in, and Robin whipped his head in my direction. "It isn't anything special, but I can make a dish when it needs to be done."

He kept staring at me for a moment before a chuckle escaped his lips. "Even without a kitchen? That seems too good to be true."

"I had practise. Just don't make me do a full-course meal and we should be fine," I remarked before leaning on the table. "Anyway, how long do you think the mission will take?"

He gave me a nod before standing up. He unfolded a map, revealing a state that was probably Ylisse. I wasn't sure, but I guess Robin wouldn't be pulling out a map that had nothing to do with where we were going.

He pointed to a harbour. "Here is where we're going, east of Southtown. As you can see, if we had to visit Southtown itself, that would be one, maybe two days' worth of extra travel."

Brushing his finger across the map, he made a direct path between the harbour and Ylisstol. "But if you're willing to make a meal for each night, no more, then not only will we have a direct path towards the harbour, we'll be mostly off the road where we can hunt for game as well. It alleviates the need for stocking up on meat, especially when it rots so quickly anyway."

He looked up from the map. "How does that sound?"

"Yeah, that seems about right," I said with a shrug before giving Robin a flat look. "But you haven't answered my question at all. A simple number would have sufficed."

His breath hitched and sat down on his chair with a plop. A sheepish chuckle escaped his lips. "I… sorry for that. The whole mission shouldn't take more than three weeks, but add a day or two just in case."

I nodded with an amused huff. "Good, now I just need to know how many people are going. Do you have a list?"

"I, in fact, do."

Robin reached out for a document of his own under the table and gave it to me. Once I opened it and peeked through the pages, I couldn't help but groan.

"Of course, there are going to be living food dumps in the Shepherds," I said and Robin amusingly crossed his arms.

"Better stock up then," he said, lifting his head toward the ceiling. "Gods know it'll probably be more than one large pot a night."

"Hardy har har," I let out before switching my attention back to the book. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "By the way, how did you find out all of this? These are surprisingly detailed descriptions and traits."

My eyes narrowed and started to browse through the pages. "Where am I here?"

Robin jolted in place before yanking the book from my arms. I flailed my hands around to get it back with a measly attempt. "Hey!"

"I think that's enough. Those are my notes for my line of work. Not everybody needs to know everything about everyone," he stated and hid the book away.

I crossed my arms. "I showed you all the stocks. I think it's a fair trade."

"No," he said flatly and I huffed.

"Fine, I'll go. Frederick will throw a hissy fit if I'm not doing anything productive anyway."

I stood up from my seat, eventually reaching the doors. I turned my head back at Robin, saying, "anything you need in the marketplace in particular?"

"Not really, no," he automatically answered before his eyebrows knitted together. "Wait, why would you even ask that when it's for the Shepherds as a whole?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My shoulders slumped and I turned my back to him. "Sorry, force of habit."

His eyes widened. "Theresa?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "I'll be fine. Nothing to worry about."

I quickly closed the doors behind me and walked down the hall far enough so nobody was nearby. I suddenly stopped before weakly punching the wall with a dull thud. Even after taking a deep breath through my nose, it just made me want to hiss instead.

"For fuck's sake. Not now, I have work to do."

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

Getting the list done wasn't as hard as I initially thought. Despite the fact I had to plan out what was going to be on the menu for three weeks, it all came down to choosing what was most comfortable and efficient. Which meant cooking a big old pot of soup for everyone. Not the fanciest of dishes, but it would get the job done.

The problem?

The sheer quantity of ingredients I had to get was… It was just too much for one set of hands to handle.

So now I was walking around the barracks, asking people if they had the time to help me with my enormous list, but sadly, the preparations for the march were heavily underway. Everyone was packing everything they needed for the journey, so it wasn't a question of who would go with me, but rather who had already finished all their prep work.

Which wasn't anybody I asked so far.

Sully, Vaike, Virion, heck, even Frederick had a tough time getting all things done. I wasn't even going to try the royal siblings because of the commotion they would cause in the market, and bothering Miriel was the last thing on my list. She'd probably try to haggle her way into making me her test subject.

I needed strong arms anyway.

Out of desperation, I went to the last place I hadn't visited yet, and that was the stables. It was a little out of the way from the barracks themselves, but still within its rudimentary borders. Once the smell of wet hay invaded my nose, I knew I was getting closer.

A set of neighs reached my ears and I couldn't help but shudder. I was never good with animals, and the idea of a horse chewing on my hair was certainly concerning. Granted, I watched too many shows where it happened and it became a lingering fear for almost no reason whatsoever.

Taking a deep breath, I opened a big wooden gate and peeked through a small opening. Luckily enough, I saw a feint glimmer of green and silver armour seeping through the stained ground, wooden planks, and pillars. My eyes shot up, and I took a step inside, and the smell became even stronger.

The combination of feces and horse sweat was almost potent enough for me to gag. Thankfully, it wasn't as strong as what I had to endure back in Southtown.

Carefully inching my way through all the poking necks of the curious horses, I eventually reached Stahl, who was oblivious to my presence and rightfully so. He was sitting on a small stool, cleaning a horse's hoof.

"Hi, Stahl," I said with a slight wave, making him curiously raise his head. His lips eventually formed a smile once he spotted me.

"Hey, Theresa. I'm surprised to see you here." He let go of the hoof before clicking his tongue twice. The horse eased its hind leg and vigorously shook its head with a snort. "There, that should do it."

He stood up and stretched his limbs as much as he could through the creaking armour before putting his hands on his hips. "Glad that's over with. This one is particularly impatient."

"Did I come at a bad time?" I asked, holding onto my small notebook with the shopping list tightly.

He shook his head. "Quite the opposite, I'm actually done with my work. Sumia is finishing up as well."

"Sumia?" I said, and Stahl casually hummed. I touched my chin in thought, hiding my lips with a finger. "Do you have time to spare?"

His eyebrows shot up. "And what for? I mean, yeah we do. We already packed up and the only thing left to do is to tend to Sumia's pegasus."

"Right, right, then can I ask you for—" I stopped mid-sentence. My eyes blinked twice before going wide as saucers. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"Uhm… what do you mean?"

"You said 'pegasus', right?" I stated, pointing at him with my notebook and he confusingly nodded his head.

"Yeah? What's wrong with that?" Stahl asked, but his words just couldn't sink in for me.

Was he screwing with me right now? I honestly had no clue, because, for the life of me, I couldn't remember anyone mentioning pegasi being real. Or did I hear somebody talk about it once already?

"Theresa?" I jolted in place before whipping my head towards Stahl. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm… managing my thoughts," I let out a cough. "I just wasn't expecting pegasi to be a thing here."

"Seriously?" Stahl confusingly asked. "I know they aren't a common sight, but still, everyone knows they do exist."

A sigh escaped my lips. "Trust me when I say it's a lot more complicated than it should be with me."

His eyes widened for a second before a sheepish smile adorned his lips. "And I guess you don't have the time to explain that now, do you?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I don't. Which is why I came here. I need a set of helping hands."

Stahl perked up. "And what for?"

"I made a list of things we need for the march before we head out, and I don't want to be late to the market only to find out half of what we need is already sold out," I explained. "Basically, it's a shopping list and a large one at that."

"So you just need some people to do the heavy lifting," he said.

"Exactly." I absentmindedly glanced at the horse behind a set of wooden bars. "Although, I guess pulling you out for more work after you just finished something else doesn't sit well with me."

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's alright. I'm pretty sure somebody would lend a hand eventually. I guess we were lucky enough to be the first."

A smile adorned my face. "Thanks, Stahl."

"No worries," he said before tilting his head. He shot a glance at the back of the stables before pointing in said direction. "Let's check up on Sumia. She should be done herself."

His lips formed a lop-sided grin. "Care to see a pegasus for the first time?"

My breath hitched. "I… I'm not sure if it's the right time. I don't even know how I should act without scaring it away."

Stahl chuckled. "Don't worry. These are battle-hardened steeds. It would take a lot to scare them. You being a woman makes things even simpler."

My eyebrows knitted together immediately, as I stared at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"You'll see."

He headed deeper into the stables and encouraged me to follow with a hand motion, but my feet didn't move immediately. It took me some solid convincing to finally take the first step, hay crunching under my steps. It was like a set of mines constantly blowing up that alerted all the animals inside. Even if they were just that, animals, I could still feel their curious gazes.

Never did I think horses would make me feel anxious.

We eventually passed through another big gate, and Stahl opened the way through before a flash of light assaulted my eyes. A quick blink got rid of it, but all I saw was a bunch of feathers that littered the ground.

Stahl suddenly stopped and fully turned to me. "I'm going to stay here, just in case something happens."

"Wait, all the way over here!?" I shouted, but Stahl quickly moved a finger to his lips.

"Don't be that loud, and you should be fine," he said barely above a whisper. "Pegasi don't like the presence of men. Don't ask me why, they're just probably picky."

"Huh?" I let out before quickly shaking my head. "But then why do I have to go?"

"Because the pegasus Sumia is tending to is still injured," he explained. "I think you get the picture of what would happen if I came near."

"No, I don't know what you me—" I paused before a drawn-out 'oh' escaped my lips. "Alright, never mind. I get it."

I eventually let out a sigh and took a step forward to see what was inside this secluded part of the stables. Soon enough, there was a faint glimmer of white fur at the corner of my eyes and once I turned around, I couldn't help but gasp.

Laying down on a bundle of hay was a real pegasus. A pale white horse, with giant folded feathery wings and a congealed red gash running across its belly. While bandaged, I could still tell it was a heavy blow, since blood was able to find its way through the soft confine.

Despite the wound, the pegasus was oddly at peace, with its breathing stable and no sign it was antsy. However, I was sure most of it had to do with the fact that Sumia was sitting next to it. She was caressing its head in a careful manner with a smile, even if it was admittedly a sad one.

I took a careful step forward, trying not to let out a single sound, but the hay covering the ground did little help. Just that one step alone already made the pegasus take notice, and it gently lifted its head before its eyes bore into mine.

Its gaze honestly made me flinch. It felt like the pegasus was trying to tell me something by just staring at me. Eventually, though, Sumia raised her head as well, perking up before she eyed the pegasus.

"It's alright, you don't have to worry," she said and the pegasus let out a snort before leaning its head back on the overabundance of hay.

Sumia let out a sigh and fully stood up, cleaning herself off of any stray straws hanging on her light armour and hair. She stretched her limbs ever-so-slightly and gave me a small wave. "Hello, Theresa."

It took me a moment before I wordlessly offered a wave back, but I still had a hard time switching my attention to her. Despite the pegasus in front of me being just a shallow form of their probable glory, I was too tantalized by the real thing to care.

I tore my eyes away from the steed before clicking my tongue. The same question always had the time to pop up, and I started to think I was really far away from home.

Too far, in fact.

"Um, Theresa?" I jerked in place, snapping my eyes towards Sumia with a concerned expression. "Are you alright?"

I immediately shook my head. "Yeah, I was just lost in thought. I've never seen a pegasus before and didn't expect them to be so… majestic. And big. And very feathery. "

"Wait, really?" she asked, putting a hand in front of her lips. She eyed the pegasus for a second before offering me a smile. "Do you want to pet it?"

"W-what!? No! I mean—" A snort from the pegasus broke through my rambling and it forced me to take a deep breath. "I don't know if it would even allow me. I'm not that good with animals."

A chuckle escaped her lips. "Oh don't worry, she doesn't bite. If anything, I think she is quite curious about you."

I snapped my head towards her. "Curious? And that death stare she gave me a second ago was what then?"

"That's just her being protective," she argued. "But if you don't want to, that's fine."

"No, it's just," I grabbed my elbow. "You're kind of putting me on the spot right now. I came here to ask if you have the time to help me, not caress an animal that I only knew about from fiction."

Sumia's eyes widened for a second before shaking her head. "No, I don't blame you. But you're telling me you haven't seen a pegasus before?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and I don't have the time to explain at the moment. It's getting annoying just how many people are surprised and keep asking similar questions."

A sigh escaped my lips before I lifted my head, my gaze fixated on the steed just a meter or two away from me. "But I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted."

Sumia turned to the pegasus for a moment before the only thing keeping me away from the steed was opened. She took hold of the wooden gate and with a single hand motion beckoned me inside.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked her, and she gave me a sudden sly smile.

"It'll be quick. Come on," she said and took hold of my hand before gently guiding me inside the pegasus' stall. I was surprised that I didn't mind it, although I wasn't sure about the steed.

As soon as I took the first step, the pegasus started to stare at me intensely, and I couldn't help but shudder. However, once Sumia gave me a small nudge, I was suddenly an arm's length away from touching the pegasus' head and my body turned stiff.

The single eye that poked through the hay still gazed at me carefully, but she eventually let out a snort, blowing away most of the hay stuck on her snout and face. The pegasus slowly lifted her head, and beat me to it before she began sniffing my legs.

My eyes went wide, but I didn't dare to utter any sound. I even bit my tongue to be sure while I let the steed do… whatever it was doing. The hot breath made me shiver, but she eventually stopped and bopped her head down, as if telling me to get closer.

Sumia suddenly put a hand on my shoulder, making me whip my head to her. "Kneel down, nice and slow. You're doing great."

I did as she asked, and my knees bent before I was eye to eye with the pegasus. As we both stared at each other, my arm reached out on its own out of sheer curiosity. The pegasus leaned its head further, and once I just barely brushed past the steed's soft fur…

She went past my arm and took a bite out of my journal.

I snapped my head before quickly grasping the book. "Hey! That's mine! Shoo!"

I eventually wrestled it out of her mouth, much to my surprise. The pegasus tilted its head in confusion before her beady eyes jolted in place. The steed leaned its head forward and let out a low chortle, as if apologizing.

I ignored her sad expression and gave her a mean glare. "Those are my notes! I don't need them to be—"

A warm droplet of spit rolled between my fingers and I raised my hand only to see the papers already getting soggy. I shuddered before opening the book and couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Thank god, I can still see what I wrote down… and the bite marks."

I glanced back at the pegasus, only to see its head was still down. My frown eventually disappeared and I automatically knelt down and patted her nuzzle. "Look, I know it looked tasty for you, but I need this, okay?"

The pegasus shook its head, compliantly letting me caress her, and I was stunned by how soft her fur was. Sure, there was an idle feather stuck in my clothes, but at that moment, I didn't care.

A giggle escaped Sumia's lips. "See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

I rewarded her with a flat look. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

She shook her head. "No, I just had a feeling you'd handle her somehow."

I absentmindedly glanced at the pegasus before my eyes widened ever so slightly. I tentatively pulled my hand back, completely forgetting how abnormal the animal in front of me was.

Sumia gave me a smile. "Like I said, she won't hurt you."

My lips pursed before I showed Sumia my bitten notebook. "And this is what then?"

Her smile immediately grew sheepish. "Well… she just likes the smell of ink. She drank a bottle once when we were on a mission when nobody was looking."

"Oh," I let out before tilting my head at the pegasus, who held her head away and huffed. I couldn't help but snort. "Prideful, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that and then some," she admitted. "She can be a handful sometimes, but she is extremely sweet. The way she refused to have her snout cleaned was adorable."

The pegasus did the closest thing to a sigh and fully laid her head back on the stacks of hay, now fully done with our antics. A smile adorned my lips. "Well, I guess we're done for now."

Sumia nodded with a hum.

"Anyway," I said as I held my journal with both hands, ignorant of how wet it was, "would you be willing to help me with some shopping?"

She arched a brow. "Shopping? Now?"

"Yes, I need some extra hands to help me with all the food supplies I have to buy. And trust me when I say it's a lot," I gave her a small bow. "Can you help me?"

"Of course, I'm done with my packing so I'll try to help as best as I can."

"Any help is appreciated, trust me."

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

So. Many. Crates.

I knew we were going to buy a lot of food, but my god, just the amount we had to lug from the lower part of the city to the caravan in the barracks gave me some mean cardio. To say I sweated a river would be an understatement. Sure, I could have asked for a cart or something, but I wasn't that perceptive enough to ask.

At least I had learned my lesson… hopefully.

Anyway, the preparations for the march were nothing to write home about. It took a whole day, but there wasn't some sort of a ceremony or anything of the sort. Once everyone had everything they needed with them, Chrom gave a single command and the march began.

My naive self thought it wouldn't be anything special, and I was partially right, but I hadn't realized we'd be going on foot. Because of course that didn't click with me, I was too used to the fast form of travel like a train or a car, but the only thing that was faster than us were the horses—all of which were only reserved for the single caravan and Shepherds who were trained in mounted combat.

That added five in total… and there were eleven of us.

Yeah, there was no way those horses would be able to pull our weight, especially when the caravan was so packed.

All of that would have probably been fine if I was just a little more in shape than I currently was, but the kicker was the fact that I wore that damn hoopskirt. That added extra weight was taxing on my shoulders.

Thankfully, when my legs were morphing into jelly, the sun was down and Chrom decided to camp inside a forest which looked exactly the same as the one near Southtown.

Granted, that could be said about any place you knew nothing about. For all I knew, someone would be able to spot a branch that was out of place the last time they were here.

To my surprise, once people got assigned their tents, I had one completely for myself, alongside a small portable wooden table, a candle, and a set of writing equipment. While the exclusivity was appreciated, it soured my mood.

Of course, I wouldn't escape them any time soon, no matter where I was.

A sigh escaped my lips before I was finally able to unfasten my hoopskirt, and the feeling was heavenly, a literal weight off my shoulders. I knew we had to be prepared for any kind of attack, but still, I found the hoopskirt extremely unnecessary.

Too bad now I was on cooking duty, so I had other things to worry about.

I took out my journal before finding a page filled with several boxes and crossed one out. It was a way for me to keep track of all the small crates I prepared for each night before I started cooking. It made things simpler.

Now, it was only a matter of time before—

"Theresa!" Lissa called out outside of the tent, making me jolt in place. I opened the flap and I was met with a cheery smile. "Virion already found some game for us to eat!"

My eyes widened. "Already?"

"Yeah! And thankfully, it isn't a bear!" she proclaimed, but once I took a peek through the tent, there wasn't a campfire ready. Although it wouldn't be out of place if I started the prep work for the soup.

"Alright, I guess we can start. Do you want to help me prepare the rest of the ingredients?" I offered.

She pumped her fists. "Sure!"

A smile adorned my lips before I set up a small table with two knives at the ready outside. I asked Frederick if he could prepare a fire, and I had to say, that small smirk he had almost made me scared, but I decided not to look into it much. Maybe he just liked doing it for some reason.

Once I brought one of the crates filled to the brim with all the necessary ingredients, Lissa's eyes bulged out. "Wait, we're going to prepare all of that!?"

I wiped my hands clean. "Yeah, and trust me when I say that it still might not be enough, depending on how much meat we will get out of the game Virion caught."

A sigh escaped her lips. "Alright, let's just get to it."

A chuckle escaped my lips before I brought a bucket filled with water to wash all the vegetables and handed Lissa a carrot. She gingerly took it before putting it down on the table while I took one myself.

"Now, first we wash away the dirt," I said and dunked the carrot in and gave it a good scrub. Lissa—with a determined look—unfurled her sleeves and followed my instructions, even though she was splashing water everywhere.

I took the carrot out and grabbed my knife. "Then, we cut off the top and root end. Those are never good."

With two quick, practiced slices, both ends fell away and I was impressed by how sharp the knives were. I wished I had those when I studied in college. I gazed back at Lissa and saw she was done as well, waiting somewhat impatiently for my instructions while holding the carrot almost for dear life.

"And then hold the carrot with your knuckles, not your fingertips, and just…" I cut down the carrot into small bite-sized pieces. The bits were big enough to not fall apart in the pot but small enough so they would cook through with a little difficulty. To be honest, with how long I intended to cook the soup, it probably wouldn't matter how the bits turned out.

"And that's all there is to it, now we just—"

"How did you do it so fast!?" Lissa shouted, making me reel back.

"Uh, what?"

"There was a whole carrot in front of you and now it's just a small bunch of thin circles in, like, three seconds!" She glanced at her knife before jolting her head towards me with a comedic wary stare. "You've done this before, haven't you?"

I darted with my eyes away. "Maybe? To be honest, these carrots are kind of small."

Lissa let out a groan before she turned back to her carrot, still holding it like she was ready to throw it away. Only a small bit of the carrot poked through her arm, and she leaned the blade on the orange flesh before the knife sliced through with a snap.

She jolted in place as the blade embedded itself on the wooden surface and the distance between her skin and the knife was… alarming.

And here I thought a sharp blade was supposed to be safer than a dull one.

I put my knife down and moved behind Lissa before grabbing both of her arms.

"H-hey, what are you doing?" she asked, tilting her head from one side to another.

"Let me help you. I don't want you to cut yourself," I said before I gently pried her hand off the carrot. Tucking her fingers in with my own, I levelled the blade above the carrot and had it lean against her knuckles. "Now, just gently let the knife fall. It's sharp enough to do the work for you."

I suddenly let go of her arm with the knife and, once I gave it just a small push, we had another good piece for the soup. Lissa stared at her hand for a moment before turning her head back to me.

"Wow," she exclaimed. "That was… easier than I thought."

"See? Just do that and you will be fine. Speed will come naturally with repetition," I said before moving back to my spot and picking up another carrot. "If you ever feel like you're falling behind on the count, don't worry about it. I just simply want to have this done as quickly as possible, and any set of extra hands is always appreciated."

Lissa stared at me for a moment before giving a firm nod. "Right."

I mirrored her nod with a smile and we both resumed.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting that much of an improvement since the way Lissa was struggling with each carrot she handled didn't leave me with much hope. I knew this was a little different to what she was used to, but who was I to dissuade her?

Even though a cut was sort of inevitable, that wasn't something a quick bandage couldn't fix. I just didn't like how Frederick always came by and gave me a cruel death stare before resuming his fire-keeping duties. While I didn't know what he was trying to tell me, he could at least be happy about the fact dinner was going to come sooner rather than later.

Even if the princess he was supposed to be guarding was the one helping.

Eventually, we finished all the prep work necessary to begin cooking and once a deer of all things was gutted and prepared, all of it went into a giant pot alongside a lot of water. Now it was just a matter of time before everything was all done and cooked.

However, waiting was a virtue some people in the Shepherds lacked.

"Is it done yet?" Vaike said while sitting down on a log, staring at the boiling pot over the fire like he was waiting for the metal to melt.

"No," I stated with crossed arms.

Vaike harrumphed and started to tap his foot. He raised his upper lip before leaning his head on both of his arms and lazily tilted his head towards my direction.

"Is it done yet?"

Never did I think a vein would pop on my head. "For the love of god, when I say it's done, it's done."

"But we've been staring at it for who knows how long!" he argued.

"I've put all the things in there for not even twenty minutes. Unless you want some diluted meat juice then, by all means, go ahead."

"Oh," Vaike exclaimed before he rose from his spot triumphantly. "Wait, that's what I need right now!"

I couldn't help but massage the bridge of my nose, but I just didn't have it in me to reply to that.

"Vaike, sit your arse down on the damn log," Sully intervened, her arms crossed. "If Theresa says it isn't done, then it's not."

"But I'm hungry! I can't wait for so long," he whined, making Sully nudge her head at the forest.

"Then go eat some grass, that's everywhere and easy to get."

A snort escaped my lips and Vaike gave me a slight glare before he crossed his arms. "Whatever, how long will it take?"

"I would say more than an hour. You have enough time to do some rounds or something," I said before moving closer to the pot to remove the scum at the top. "I'll call everybody once it is ready."

Vaike hummed. He stood up from his spot and took his axe. "Fine, I'll go ask Chrom then."

A sigh escaped my lips once Vaike was far enough, before I tilted my head in Sully's direction. "Thanks, I needed that."

She waved it off. "It's fine. Impatient might as well be his middle name. Try to keep him in one place for too long, and he will start shouting at you to fight him."

"Uhhhh," I exclaimed. "Speaking from experience?"

"Yes," she stated. "Anyway, is it really going to take that long? The soup I mean."

"I mean, it usually does, yeah. It takes time for the meat to get tender and the vegetables to cook," I admitted. "And I wasn't kidding, it would taste bad if I didn't let it take its time."

She hummed and started to stare at the pot intensely. "So you know your way around a kitchen, right?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? I wouldn't be volunteering for cooking duty if I didn't."

She shrugged. "Fair. Whenever I cook, a lot of people tend to not eat that day. Or we leave more waste than usual. Don't know why."

"I…"

Wait, no, no no. I know exactly why I shouldn't burst that bubble. This isn't something I want to deal with now.

"Yeah, I have no idea," I said instead before I gazed down at the pot. I took a careful sip, and it still needed some time and some salt. I had to be careful with it though, I had a feeling I hadn't brought enough of it already.

"So?" Sully asked and the grip on my spoon went rigid.

"I thought you were the one with all the patience," I remarked and she put her hands up defensively.

"That's Frederick, not me. I got my own limits."

"I'll repeat myself. It's. Not. Done. Yet."

AN: Hey, long time no see!

I'm happy to bring you another chapter of Extra Branch, even if it took a little while. Anyway, I hope I can bring some reprieve from all the Engage stuff that is going on at the moment. As for me, I played it, and it's really fun. So fun in fact that I might write a fanfiction on it. Or have I already started writing it? Who knows.

I like teasing people if you haven't noticed. Heh.

Here's also the link to the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server: u89gs745fn

Hope to see you there!

God's speed.

(Almost forgot to thank Cavik for proofreading this chapter. Sorry for that.)