A/N: Jesus I haven't written Ristelle in a while. I've been pre-writing this one while on my hiatus so hopefully I'll be able to keep a decent upload schedule for once. There's a reason I focus more on one-shots than chaptered fics... I just made an account on SquidgeWorld, so this will also be posted there as well. Special thanks to for helping me with the Vesperia timeline. There is art that accompanies this. It is on my AO3 and Squidgeworld uploads!

Estelle was frustrated.

It was not very often she would get stuck in a negative emotional loop, but it almost felt constant with the new party member seemingly fighting her at every single chance over every little thing. Yuri at least would try to humor her when she fretted over his safety. But Rita? Rita was on a whole new level of stubborn. She did not think she was doing anything wrong when talking to the younger mage. She always used her best manners, as she was brought up to. It didn't matter how politely she said or did anything, she was brushed off rather briskly every time. With an annoyed hum, Estelle pulled her knees up to her chest as she stared into the campfire. She was never one to give up easily, especially now that she was making more and more friends.

"That's a scary look,"

Estelle looked up to see Yuri had joined her. He sat down next to her, holding his hands out to the fire.

"Oh, Yuri, hi. You startled me," Estelle said, relaxing her posture a bit. She turned her eyes back to the flames. "I'm just thinking."

"What about?"

"Rita."

"Oh."

Estelle glanced at him just in time to see him scowl at the fire. Rita had cleared her name just earlier that afternoon and Yuri was still getting over the fact he was misled about the Blastia core thief. Estelle was not too worried about it. She knew he would get over it sooner than later. He had gotten over things before. After a moment, Yuri continued. "...What about her?"

"I'm trying to be polite, but…" Estelle sighed, "She's all the way over there. It must be so cold away from the fire… and what if a monster comes by?"

Yuri shrugged. "She's tough, I'm sure she can handle herself,"

The princess knew he was right, but she didn't have to like it. She groaned and turned her gaze down to the ground, where she picked at a stray pebble. "I know… but still. I'm worried about her. We just became friends."

Whatever Yuri was about to say to her was cut off by the noisy march of Karol approaching them. He stood by Yuri and put his hands on his hips triumphantly.

"Patrol complete! No signs of danger around here! We're totally safe for the night." he grinned.

"Good job, Captain!" Yuri replied, "You're so brave keeping us poor, vulnerable souls safe."

Karol waved one hand, trying to act modest. Yuri's heavy sarcasm flew right over the young boy's head. "Nah, it was nothing. Way too easy for a Hunting Blade member like me! Heh!"

"Oh yeah? Then you should be able to take out that huge monster over there, no problem," Yuri pointed into the distance as he spoke.

With a startled shout, Karol spun around, putting a hand on the hilt of his weapon. "Wh-wh…Where is it!?"

"Always so alert, Captain, good job. I'll sleep easier knowing you can react so quickly."

Estelle shook her head slowly with a sigh. It was easy to pick up on Yuri's teasing smiles. They were always crooked and different from his genuine ones. While she wished he would tease the poor kid less, it was reassuring to know Karol could move quickly in case of an emergency. Despite his panicky nature he had proven to be a valuable asset in battles.

Her gaze once again turned across the campsite back to Rita. The mage was sitting with her back to the group on the fringe of the perimeter, a light glow from a candle illuminating her side. Estelle frowned. She could have so much more light if she was closer! Alright, that was it. She stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress.

"Where are you going?" Karol asked.

"I'm going to talk to Rita. She has to be cold and lonely all the way over there,"

She picked up on Karols grumble of "Yeah good luck with that" as she strode purposefully toward Rita. She chose to ignore it. She did not need luck, all she needed was her determination. She had already seen glimpses of the kind and sweet person Rita was beyond that cold facade she always had up, after all. It wasn't long before she had made it to her goal of close, but not too close, to the young mage. She could see the ends of a book open on her lap and heard the familiar scratchy sound of pen on paper.

"Umm, excuse me…!" Estelle started. She was ignored. She tried again. "Excuse me. Rita?"

The pen scratching stopped. Rita turned her head very slightly in Estelle's direction. "What?" she asked curtly.

"Why don't you come in closer to the fire? The light would be much better,"

Rita shifted in her spot. "No. The kid is annoying. I like being by myself."

"But it's so cold over here."

"I'm fine."

"What if a monster gets close?"

"Then I'll blast it to smithereens."

Estelle frowned. This was not going in the direction she wanted it to go, even if it was expected. Estelle was about out of ammunition. With a small sigh, she tried asking simply. Extreme politeness had yet to fail her.

"...Please? It'll make me feel better."

Silence. It had to only have been a few seconds but it felt like forever to the princess. Just as she was feeling the hope start to leave her body, Rita waved her hand dismissively. "...I'll think about it."

Estelle could not help but burst into a wide grin. It was small but she had gotten through to her! Any small victory was a victory all the same, after all. She bowed slightly to the younger girls back. "Thank you, Rita. I'll be sure to keep a spot open for you."

"Yeah…sure," Rita mumbled as she resumed her writing.

That was all Estelle was going to get out of her for the night. She turned around and walked back across the camp, humming a small tune. She made her way back to their belongings and took out the new sleeping bag for Rita they had picked up from Aspio earlier that morning. She set it up next to the fire not far from where she planned to sleep. Good friends should stick together after all! She was still humming as she walked back to where she was previously sitting, stopping a few feet from Yuri.

"Mission accomplished?" he asked.

Estelle nodded happily. "Yes. I'm glad it worked. I was really starting to get worried about her. She's just so far away from the rest of us."

Yuri shrugged. "Eh, I've seen her fight. She'd be fine. Besides, Repede sleeps around the perimeter too."

"It's better to be safe than sorry, Yuri. I've fixed you up enough times to know that," Estelle said sternly, "and I worry about Repede too, you know. But every time I try to talk to him he just ignores me."

"Okay, okay, don't pout," The swordsman got up and stretched. "I'm gonna make a snack, you want anything?"

Estelle shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm going to sleep soon. It's late and we've still got a way to go to Halure."

Yuri bid her a good night before heading off to make food. Estelle watched him for a moment before turning to her own camping setup. She hoped he would get over everything soon. The discord that had settled in the party was less than ideal. Everyone needed to work together, and she believed Rita was excellent company.

The princess got herself as comfortable as possible in her sleeping bag and only then did she realize how tired she was. All the traveling, walking, and battling was something she was still getting accustomed to. Not that she regretted any of it. Being able to explore outside the castle was a blessing. Being able to make so many new friends was also a blessing. Especially Rita.

She valued her friendship with Yuri and Karol, but making friends with a girl close in age was the most exciting. Estelle couldn't help but think about all the fun things they could do together once their mission of finding Flynn and the Aque Blastia was over. She giggled and rolled over to her side, her mind filled with shopping trips, manicures, and cake shops with just the two of them. It warmed her from the inside out as she fantasized about it all.

The sound of footsteps and shuffling fabric broke the princess from her imagination. She looked over to find Rita had moved her sleeping bag from its original nearby spot. The mage was not too much further away, just by a foot or so, curled up with her back to the fire and Estelle. Even though she was farther away, she was still close enough to keep Estelle happy. Still facing the younger, she closed her eyes to sleep.