A/N: Any more notable Supports before Yasei moves out? Of course, but just one more, and who 'better' to do than Yasei's two (out of three) retainers? Jakob and Kaze. It should be noted that this one actually occurs the night of the First Contact Battle, which means Yasei and the army has moved towards their next destination, somewhat.
Consort: Agreed and… oof. Yeah, the worst case of that is no doubt in the Conquest path… "Hey, you are in Nohr, but would you mind traveling over to Hoshido to save and recruit Mozu?"
Is that so? That's a good point you brought up… and when combined with Hinoka's word that a Pegasus will rarely want a new rider if their first one dies… hrm.
Antex: Here's to more!
Guest (Ch. 16, 7/5/20 9:38 AM EST): Lilith… is an Astral Dragon, well half-Astral Dragon and half-First Dragon, mother and father, respectively. I haven't changed that in this fic. However, we will be seeing her mother later on in the fic.
Jakob, who is more than happy to have finally been reunited with his liege, Lady Corrin, is currently set out to do some catching up on chores left undone, or perhaps more accurately, poorly done by whatever knave had been handling Lady Corrin's laundry, tea sets, tea cups, sheets, armor, weapon, and gods… what kind of tea have these Hoshidan heathens been serving her?! He could smell the herbs from two tents down, not to mention the asinine taste! Jakob has plenty of work to fix, as well as Lady Corrin's most recently appointed retainer to set straight. Kaze, as he understands is a Ninja who had 'supposedly' been training for years to become Lady Corrin's retainer. Bah, as if! He clearly needs more work.
Even Felicia, for all of her trips and stumbles, can do a better job than him! Hmph!
So, here he stands, preparing Lady Corrin's night-blend of tea, a fragrant yet relaxing combination of Lavender, which actually is a key ingredient to any of Lady Corrin's teas, Chamomile, and a single leaf of Passion Flower, which is there more for 'Sweet Dreams', or at least, that's what Lady Camilla claims, but it seems to do the trick. Of course, during this time, the other retainer happens to cross Jakob's earshot.
Kaze came into the kitchen, after polishing his liege's custom armor and Naginata… gods bless Lady Hinoka for picking such superb pieces, to whip up a classic herbal remedy that his clan taught him how to make, a discreet combination of some special herbs, the slightest quarter-pinch of a sedative, and the aromatic boost of some orange peels, which also guises the taste from the sedative.
Their silence was never meant to last, and it's Jakob who throws the first 'stone'.
"By the gods, what is that smell? Are you making tea or are you prepping a swine's trough?!" He scoffs, while still managing to stir and blend the tea without any issue… he's been doing it every night for over twelve years, after all.
"Herbal remedies tend to hold bitter smells and tastes, Jakob, which you should be well aware of. That is why orange peels are added." Kaze calmly replies.
"Ah, so you Hoshidans lack the captivating herbs that Nohr does. I have a supply of herbs that is used exclusively for my liege's bed-time tea." The Butler boasts.
"You stand in Hoshido, it would do you well to learn our techniques for blending tea, lest you run out of your precious supply and are left naught with words to soothe our liege's sleep." Kaze still remains calm… mostly. There's the slightest tinge of irritation. Though, to be fair, Lady Corrin did warn Kaze about how 'blunt' Jakob can be
"That brew you are making is an affront to tea! There is nothing in there to even mark it as such. Or perhaps, this is the filth that you are so accustomed to? Compare my blend to yours, a crystal clear liquid with purple swirls, adorned with a faint yet calming aroma, served hot."
Kaze's eyebrow twitches, "A switch on the incredibly popular green tea, but to where the bitterness is negated by the sweetness within the tea leaves, a dosage of a moderate and common sedative to promote sleep and…"
"You are drugging Lady Corrin?! Blasphemy!" Jakob shouts. "And you call yourself a 'retainer'."
"Is that not what all 'calming herbs' do? You fill the body with a dosage of a calming agent to allow the user to achieve sleep easier, the difference is that the sedative used in mine is far more effective, and it also avoids the well-known side effect of causing the drinker to be groggy in the morning, thus preventing the need for coffee."
"We are not discussing 'coffee' we are discussing 'tea'. Such powerful drugs do not belong in tea! A cup of tea should be a purely natural source."
"The sedative is extracted from plants, boiled up, broken down, and then concentrated into a batch. Your tea may help at night, but it causes problems in the morning. A Royal should be ready to tackle any challenge at any point in time, and it is the Retainer's duty to make sure that the Royal can do so."
"Don't you dare speak to me as if I lack Retainer experience! I have been Lady Corrin's Retainer and Personal Butler for over fifteen years! And you have, what? A week?"
"Five days, twenty-two hours, thirty-five minutes, fifteen seconds and counting." Kaze cooly states.
Jakobs harrumphs, "You should stick with your combat training, Ninja, I will handle Lady Corrin's needs and daily routines, as well as defending her in battle."
Kaze looks down onto his tea cup, and then over to Jakob's, and for the first time since learning to mask his emotions, a flicker of anger shows on his face, "I did not watch my liege's family fall into disarray, nor did I spend all of that time training to be talked down by some second-grade Butler that thinks he's a Retainer. If you wish to believe yourself to be better, then stay within your dream world, but I will serve my liege to my dying breath, with everything that I have, I would walk through the hells and leap into areas unknown if there's but a chance to assure her well-being." However, as quickly as he lost his facial control, he regained it, showing off his stoic Ninja face.
Jakob, on the other hand, is showing nothing less than seething anger, "Second-grade Butler?! You best watch your tongue, lest you burn it in those 'hells' you claim you will walk through! I have never heard such insolent rabbles from a man in my life! Even those in the slums of Nohr speak better sense than what I had the displeasure of hearing!"
"Then let us test each other, Jakob… we will both bring our teas to our liege, and she will decide which she drinks, we will both do her laundry and fold her clothes, and she'll decide what she chooses to wear, we will aid her in battle, and we'll hear who she calls to first."
"Ha! Tis but a simple challenge, I will run circles around you as she always chooses me over you! I suspect you'll be wishing you hadn't uttered such a challenge to me, Kaze. You. Are. On." Jakob smears, and with their teas finished, proceeds to go to Lady Corrin...
A/N: Alright, that covers the Supports I wanted to do now. Also, because it's been quite a while since I mentioned it, I'm only re-writing the Supports that are getting re-works, or of course, Supports that simply aren't canon in the first place. 'Earning' Support ranks is also not limited to the battlefield, I mean… characters are completely able to talk and bond between battles, right? So, even if some of these units are on complete opposite sides of the battlefield, you might see some of them bond, anyway.
I'll catch ya for the next 'real' chapter! Time to head to Fort Jinya!