"Thanks a lot for agreeing to help me out!"

"No problem, but you do know this is me we're talking about, right?" Fie pointed out blandly, "Not sure how good I'm gonna be at this whole finding gifts thing."

Tita waved off her friend's concerns with a laugh, "Just having you around is a big help. Plus, I think you'll do better at this than you do. The people I'm looking to find gifts for aren't exactly the most normal."

"You saying I'm a weirdo?"

"Wh-What!? N-No that's-" Tita trailed off upon seeing the teasing smirk on her friend's face, "...You're starting to sound like Musse."

"Wow. That was uncalled for." Both girls laughed a little at the expense of their mutual friend, "Tell me about the people you want to find gifts for?"

She put a finger to her lip in thought, "Well two of them are bracers..."

"Bracers? You do know I was a jaeger, right? My only real experience with bracers is an older woman who loves to drink-"

"I didn't know you've met Schera before?"

"Schera? Nope. The one I know is named Sara. Rean's old teacher, actually. Kinda depressing to think there's someone just like her in Liberl. Is she just as annoying with a bad habit of complaining about her nonexistent love-life?"

Tita blinked at the pained expression on her friend's face. Just what kind of experience did the girl have with this Sara? Still... "Not at all! Schera has been like a big sister to me and the others. Plus I think she has a thing going on with Olivier- Prince Olivert."

"Huh. Interesting. But I think I've gotten us off track, sorry."

The young engineer blinked at the realization, "Oh, you're right... The first one is for a woman just a couple years older than us. She's very active, energetic, optimistic, and loves to help people. She's helped me out of so much trouble in the past and I want to find something to show her how much I appreciate her..."

"Huh. Sounds kinda like Rean, but... brighter."

Tita giggled. Fie didn't know just how on the nose she was with that assessment.

"The other bracer is her partner. In a way he's kinda her opposite. But even though he's a lot quieter he can be just as supportive as her. And his fighting style is a lot like yours, focusing on speed and stealth with his twin blades!"

"Interesting..." Her friend drawled out thoughtfully, "When you say they're partners, do you mean they're just partners or are they partner partners?"

Even though the question made no sense on paper Tita couldn't help but blush slightly and look away, "...The latter." She whispered out as she thought about her two older friends and the cute couple they made.

"Nice." Fie teased with a knowing grin, "I bet you're jealous, aren't you? Bet there's a certain someone you wish would-"

"Fie!" Now her blush took up her entire face, "Stop teasing me! You're just as bad as Musse and Renne!"

"Renne... Is that the last one you wanna get something for?"

Tita calmed herself with a nod, "Yeah! She's my best friend. She can be a little awkward at times because she was alone for so long, but now she has the rest of us and will do everything she can to protect her new family."

"Protect her new family, huh..." Fie adopted a surprisingly warm smile, "I think I'd like to meet your friends some day."

"Me too. You'll love them."

"While we're doing this I'm gonna be looking for something to send to Boss and the other in Zephyr. Dunno if we'll find anything good, but it can't hurt to keep an eye out." Fie paused and tilted her head, "They aren't as creative as your friends. Just imagine three old guys with a love of violence, gambling, and drinking."

Tita couldn't help but sweatdrop a little at that description, "U-Um... Alright."

"Hehe... Let's get going."

Together the two students made their way into town. There were plenty of shops to check out and for a moment Tita was plagued with a bout of indecisiveness. Luckily she had a friend to bail her out, "How about we check out Carnegie's first?"

The book store? The engineer considered it for a moment. Maybe Estelle would like something from there? "Alright. Let's go."

Upon entering the shop she made a beeline for the nearest shelf and began browsing the shelves. Nothing was immediately jumping out at her, but there were a lot of books and she was sure something would catch her eye-

"This one would be a pretty good gift."

Tita blinked. She wasn't expecting Fie to shove a book into her hands. The title didn't really tell her much about it, but she didn't think it was the kind of story Estelle would like. "What is it?"

"It's a book from an up and coming author I met in Heimdallr named Dorothee."

"Dorothee? I feel like I've heard that name before..."

"She's a Thors graduate from Rean's class. Go ahead and check it out."

Tita – trusting girl that she was – saw no reason to refuse Fie's request and so opened the book to read the beginning of the book.

Had she only looked up at that moment she would've noticed the devilish grin on her friend's face and realized the peril she was in.

Curious eyes rove back and forth across the page. The first few pages detailed the adventures of two young men. It didn't seem like a bad story, but she couldn't imagine someone like Estelle wanting to read it, especially as the two heroes-

Wait.

What were they doing!?

W-W-What is this!?

"Haha. I bet we could grill meat on your face with how much you're steaming."

The glowing engineer tore her gaze from the accursed book, "Y-Y-You! Why did you give this to me!?"

"Hot, right? I heard she's already hard at work with the sequel that'll add a third character. Can't wait to see what happens when-"

"Stop! Stooooop!" Tita knew her reaction was playing into her friend's teasing hands, but she couldn't help herself, "T-This is... I can't give this away as a gift!"

"Aww. That's too bad. Only idea I had, too." The Liberlian watched with great focus as Fie took the nasty book and placed it back on the shelf, making sure to keep tabs of which shelf it was on.

...That was so she'd know where not to look the next time she came into this store, of course!

With that terrible idea a bust the two girls separated to peruse the selection in the shop. Tita knew that Estelle wasn't much of a reader, so maybe she should be looking into something with more pictures? But it also needed to be about something more suited to her tastes...

One book in the non-fiction section caught her eyes. 'Scenery of Erebonia'. Opening it she was grateful to not be bombarded with smut this time. Instead it was just like the cover stated – pictures of natural places in Erebonia. Given how much of a bad reputation the Empire had in Liberl she couldn't help but think it would be a good gift to show Estelle the softer side of this country she'd grown to care about.

"Oh, that's not a bad idea."

"Fie!?" Sure Tita knew her club mate was stealthy, but to have the silver-haired girl peering over her shoulder without her noticing was insane!

"If she's anything like me than this book's probably the best one you can find. Little actual reading, but lots of cool pictures. I kinda like it. Wouldn't mind taking a nap in some of these places."

Tita blinked. That wasn't exactly glowing praise in her eyes, but at the same time Fie did give the same kind of vibe as Estelle. Two people who would rather be actively doing things instead of studying. So if the book was interesting to Fie than it should work for Estelle, right?

That theory sounded good enough for her to decide upon the book.

As she went to check out she noticed her friend was carrying something in her hand... "Are those Vantage Master cards?"

The silver-haired girl glanced down at the objects in her hand, "Yup. They have some nice high-level Natials on sale."

"That's not your gift, is it?"

"Nah. These are just for me."

Tita laughed nervously, "R-Right. That makes sense. I can't imagine any jaegers would want playing cards as a gift."

"Actually..." Fie's interjection caused Tita to freeze, "...I bet the guys at Zephyr all have top tier decks of their own. VM feels like it'd be right up a jaeger's alley."

"R-Really!?" The engineer tried to picture it. It didn't help that the only jaeger she really knew was the Enhanced Jaeger she spent time with in Phantasma.

What was his name again? Godbert?

Either way, despite the jaeger being the most forgettable person she had ever met Tita couldn't ever imagine him being capable of playing something complex like Vantage Masters. It was completely unfathomable.

But then again from what she knew he was a very far cry from most other jaegers. If the others were more like Fie than it would make perfect sense for them to sit around and play games when they were off the battlefield...

"S-So...!" She exclaimed, mostly to shake herself from those weird thoughts, "No luck finding a gift here?"

"Nah. But I'm not worried about it. I actually have a few ideas that I wanna check out in some of the other shops."

Well, at least she sounded confident. That was enough for Tita. Quickly the two girls paid for their goods before exiting the shop. Since Fie seemed to have a destination in mind she allowed the other girl to take the lead, which was done with little hesitation.

The trip was a short one and soon enough the two were standing in front of the next shop, "The boutique?"

"Yep. I think Xeno and Leo could do with something ugly for leaving me on my own without a word for two years."

"Ahaha..." On one hand that sounded cruel to Tita, but it wasn't like she could hope to imagine the pain her friend must've gone through from that abandonment. The fact she was willing to send them a gift at all was a good sign!

...At least she hoped it was.

As the two girls entered the store the Liberlian considered her own needs. She couldn't imagine someone as stylish and connected as Renne wanting something from a small shop like this, but maybe she could find something for Joshua...?

"Hmm..." Fie meanwhile was a font of energy as she sped from one table to the next as she looked at anything and everything she could. Tita couldn't help but stare as her friend picked up a Mishy-themed hat, "Think they'd like something like this?"

"Uh..." A part of her wanted to be supportive of her friend's choice, but that part was small compared to the rest of her that saw the hat for the gaudy mess it was, "No...?"

"Good." The silver-haired girl bobbed her head happily, but after a second her movement faded and grinned died on her face, "...But the thought of a rival jaeger shooting Mishy while aiming at them isn't a good one. Maybe I should try something else...?"

Once again Tita found herself goggling at her friend. Whatever was going through her head in that moment was completely alien to the engineer from Liberl. Jaeger families were something else entirely.

Although maybe she should get something like that Mishy hat for her dad? It was ugly, but it was the kind of thing he'd find funny. And it wasn't like he was getting shot at anymore...

She shook that thought out of her head... for now. This was a trip to find things for her friends. Dad, Mom, and Grandpa could wait a little while longer.

Joshua. She was focusing on Joshua right now. She needed to find something for Joshua.

With that mantra in mind she began to search. There were a lot of things that looked like they might be interesting, but she wasn't sure she should commit to any of those purchases. There was one major doubt holding her back...

"What kind of clothes do guys like to wear?"

Fie tilted her head. She placed a finger to her lips. She hummed thoughtfully. "Dunno." She answered at last.

That wasn't at all what she was hoping to hear.

Her friend must've noticed her despair as she gave a shrug, "...But even if I have no clue what a guy I've never met would like to wear I think we can narrow it down a lot. He's a bracer, which means he probably travels a lot, yeah?"

"Yeah he... Oh!" Tita gasped as realization set in, "You think I should get him something good for traveling, right?"

That was sage advice, and one the blonde-girl took to heart. The store wasn't all that big, but there were plenty of things she saw that were both practical for traveling and for fighting. Joshua was always pretty tight-lipped about the kind of things he liked, but given how long she's known him she was hopeful she could find something he'd like enough to wear.

Her eyes were drawn to a collection of hats. Maybe something like that knit cap on display would work?

"How about these?" She was shaken from her musings as Fie held up an object for her to examine, "Stregas. The best kind of sneakers. Can go hundreds of selge in one of these babies without them wearing down, and they're pretty good in a fight too."

It was a tempting suggestion, undoubtedly, but there was one massive flaw with the idea keeping Tita from accepting, "I don't think that'd work. Estelle's a massive Strega fan. She'd probably keep them for herself if I tried giving them to him..."

"Smart girl." Fie didn't seem at all phased by her refusal, "Well how about we go a level higher? It's a bit pricey, but these combat boots over here are just as good. Durable enough to last, but surprisingly light despite their appearances. A favorite for a lot of jaegers and other paramilitary groups."

Combat boots...? Tita inspected the offered ware. They certainly looked like comfortable boots, not that she was even remotely an expert in the field. Price was no real issue for her either. It sounded pretty good to her and she was fairly sure she could guesstimate his shoe sized based on how tall he was when she left Liberl...

In the end she decided to place her faith in her friend, turning away from the knit hats for good in favor of grabbing the boots Fie had selected and paying for them. With that mission finished Fie began humming a cheery little tune as she went back to searching for something else, presumably for her jaeger friends.

"Why hello there..."

Her friend's outburst drew Tita's attention back to her even as she was in the middle of paying for her gift, "Check this out!" Fie exclaimed as she held up her prize, "Tacky, right?"

Tacky was indeed the best way to describe the funny looking hat in her hands, "That's a... bucket hat, right?" It was a fairly large thing, black with a full rim around it.

"I think so. But that's not the important thing..." Fie held up her other hand, showing she was holding an identical hat there too, "I can go twins on them! One for Xeno and one for Leo. They're ugly as hell but it's the kind of ugly I could totally see those guys wearing!"

Yet again Tita couldn't help but laugh nervously. Zephyr had retreated from Hamel by the time she and the other students had arrived, so she had no idea what the two in question looked like, so she could only draw a vague picture in her head at how strange the two veteran jaegers would look in it.

On the plus side in the unlikely event she ever came across two scary looking people wearing those hats she'd instantly know who they were. That'd give her plenty of time to run away before things get dangerous. Or maybe she'd chew their ears out for what they did to her friend. Either way.

Regardless, despite some of the choices being a little questionable in her mind they had both successfully managed to find gifts for two of the three people they were looking for. Just one final push and their goals would be complete!

"I'd say our best bets are the imports shop or the illegal black market. Which one do you wanna try out?"

There was a part in her mind that was adamant Renne would definitely be more at home in the black market. Despite leaving Ouroboros and adopting a Bright outlook on life there was no denying her friend still had a vicious streak to her that would likely never go away. So rationally speaking that would be the more correct choice...

"Let's try the import shop first." Too bad for Renne she was the one picking out gifts! She was going to get her friend something nice and she'd simply have to accept that!

"So you're getting something for your... dad?" She asked once the two girls arrived at Nyo-Sui-An and began scouring the shelves for inspiration.

"He pretty much was." Fie agreed without hesitation, "He's a gruff guy, and the scariest man you'd ever meet if he was your enemy, but to me he was the guy always looking out for me, teaching me how to live and fight, and just being a fun person to be around." This time the silver-haired former jaeger did pause in her speech, "...And I guess I owe him for setting things up for me to end up at a place like this."

Tita couldn't help but smile at her friend's uncharacteristically soft expression, "He sounds like a great man. I wish I could say I'd love to meet him myself, but considering you just said he's the scariest man to meet as an enemy..."

"Oh yeah, for sure. If you ever see him on a battlefield just run. He's never been one to kill unless necessary, so if you're lucky he'll be feeling merciful and just break your weapons, break your leg, and leave you stranded there, especially if he finds out you're my friend."

T-That was merciful? Just another ugly reminder that the jaegers she and the others fought in Liberl weren't the real deal at all. "T-Thanks for the advice...?"

With those words of terrifying wisdom Tita decided to refocus her efforts on finding a gift for Renne. Outside of the plethora of fishing gear – which in hindsight might've made a better gift for Estelle – the place was stocked with all sorts of oddities from Eastern Zemuria. Assorted foodstuffs, curious knickknacks, and other items of note from distant lands that she'd love to one day visit.

But which of them would suit Renne best? Sure her friend would probably appreciate any novelty or food item she sent her, but given her ugly past in Ouroboros it was likely she'd already experienced a lot of what this shop had to offer. Whatever Tita found would need to be something the brilliant girl would appreciate, both in her current life as a student at Jenis and her alternative life as a former assassin fighting alongside Estelle and the others.

"Hey, check this out."

Fie's voice drew her from her reverie. Curiously the girl sought out her friend, finding her staring at a display filled with eastern tea, "Oh, does your dad like tea?" Come to think of it, wouldn't tea be a good gift for Renne...?

"Huh? Nah. I'm looking at this booze over here."

...Renne did like her tea parties, after all. While she was sure the girl had far more connections than she did and probably had all the tea she could ever need, it wasn't exactly something one could carry around with them wherever they went. A fancy eastern tea like this might be hard for her friend to acquire in the middle of Ruan-

...Wait, what?

Tita focused her attention onto her friend, and sure enough Fie was staring wistfully at a bottle of some dangerous looking drink, "Y-You can't buy that!"

"Huh? Why not?" Fie asked in genuine curiosity.

"Because you're a minor?"

"But I'm not getting it for me! It's for the Boss!"

This time it was the shop-owner who interjected, "Sorry, but she's right. Doesn't matter if it isn't for you, there's no way I'm gonna sell booze to a minor."

"But... but..." Her friend flailed about for a moment before perking up, "What if I get someone else to buy it! Can even have them bring a box ready to be shipped out immediately so I never need to touch it!"

Tita almost scoffed. There was no way the elderly shop owner would go for something like that- "Well... Normally I'd refuse..." He paused and hummed thoughtfully, "If the one placing the order seems reputable enough I'll bite, how 'bout that?"

Fie grinned before pulling out her ARCUS and dialing a number. Tita could only stare in shock and confusion. Just who could she possibly be calling? There was no way Instructors Rean or Towa would ever agree to something like this. Randolph, perhaps? Maybe the principal?

Either way while Fie chatted it up with an unknown person out of earshot Tita selected her teas and made her purchase. That meant she was fully done with her goal! And all of the gifts felt right to her. Hopefully her friends would love them!

A few minutes later and there was an unknown scratching sound at the door. With a smile on her face Fie went and opened it. "And here's my deliverer."

Tita wasn't sure who to expect to see walking into the shop. But never in her wildest imaginations could she have imagined that Fie's helper...

Was a little puppy?!

Blinking twice did little to dispel the illusion she was witnessing. Not only was it a small dog, but crudely strapped to its back was an empty shipping container as large as it was. And yet the puppy didn't seem to mind at all as it trotted up to Fie before giving a happy bark.

"Good boy, Cerberus." Fie praised before turning to the two gobsmacked humans, "His owner has the connections needed to get this stuff sent to Boss and the others. Gonna cost me a small fortune, but at least I know it'll get done right."

"U-Um..." It took a moment for the stunned engineer to regain her voice, "I'm not sure that's gonna work."

"Why not?" Fie looked genuinely confused.

Tita rolled her eyes, her usual patience and composure fading slightly at the absurd sight in front of her, "Because selling alcohol to a dog is the dumbest idea I've ever heard?!"

"Aww. Don't be like that." After waving her off the former jaeger turned her attention back to the old man who was still staring in shock at the excitable little puppy, "How 'bout it? I can guarantee that Cerberus here is as reliable as they come."

Tita joined her insane friend in staring at the shop-owner, waiting for him to shoot down the crazy idea, "W-Well. Your friend is right. Even if the law doesn't specify dogs I'm pretty sure it's still against the law-"

Hah. Take that, Fie!

"...Buuuut, thanks to your help the fishing business has been booming this last month. So I suppose I might be willing to look the other way just this once, so long as you put the drink into the box and seal it before leaving the shop."

What the hell!? He was going along with this crazy idea!?

"Great!" As if adding insult to the injury the entire scene was Tita was forced to watch as the silver-haired girl placed all three gifts she had purchased into the box. It had to have been as heavy as the puppy itself and yet Cerberus didn't flinch at all. As much as Tita had come to love this place and the people in it, there was an undeniable truth that she hadn't wanted to admit until this moment.

Erebonia was weird.

"Hey guys, check this out!"

Xeno's exuberant cry drew Rutger Claussell from his maintenance of his weapon, "What's up? Get the supplies alright?"

"Of course, Boss, but that wasn't the only thing I got." The lanky jaeger held up a nondescript box for him and Leo to spy, "A package was delivered for us. No name on the box, but the dealer said it came from Neinvalli". He paused for dramatic effect, "The Leeves Neinvalli, to be exact."

Oh? That was interesting. They hadn't ordered anything from Neinvalli lately, and that shop wouldn't send it like a normal parcel anyways. There was only one explanation that came to his mind.

"I suppose it's from Fie, then." Seemed Leo was of the same mind as him.

"Heh. So our wayward fairy sent something to her family, huh? Well, what are you waiting for? Open it up!"

His order spurred his two subordinates into action. While Leonidas merely shifted closer for a better look, Xeno was hard at work opening the box. Despite the nonchalance in his actions Rutger knew his Trap-master was keeping a careful eye in the unlikely case of a booby trap.

Wouldn't have been the first time someone tried to get them with the old bomb in a box trick. Probably wouldn't be the last time, either.

Unsurprisingly nothing exploded in their faces once he finally cracked the box open. Despite his own curiosity Rutger hung back and watched as the contents of the box were revealed, "Heeeey! I think she sent us gifts!"

"Matching hats, huh?" Leo mused as he and Xeno pulled out the presents that could only be for them. With all the reverence possible the massive man placed the funny looking hat on his head, "I like it."

"Yeah! Me too! I'll wear this for a long time!" Frankly Rutger thought his two subordinates looked silly wearing those bucket hats together like that, but if it made them happy who was he to complain?

"This one must be for you, Boss!" With growing interest he took the offered bottle from Xeno. Huh. He knew the brand. Some of the finest booze to enter his stomach wore this label. Given everything that's been happening in the east the reincarnated jaeger wasn't sure he'd get to taste it again. Good on Fie for recognizing quality like that.

On the other hand...

"I can't believe my little girl is buying alcohol like this..." He shook his head in dismay, "And that teacher of hers is supposed to be there to prevent something like this!"

Had he been wrong in entrusting Fie to someone else?

"Perhaps you should have stern words for them the next time we meet?"

The Jaeger King nodded to Leo's suggestion, "I think I will."

He glanced at his two most trusted commanders. Despite saying nothing both Xeno and Leo gave matching nods at his unspoken question, confirming they were ready for what was to come next. "Alright, let's pack it up. We gotta be in Lamare by tomorrow."

Rutger had a feeling his next meeting with Fie and her classmates wouldn't be that far away.