Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[AngryDesu]

Ah... my first fictional contribution~

This is (sort of) a bit of crack inspired by a pic of Dieci in lingerie from the Nanoha pics thread. It's also sort-of part of a MGLN/B-Gata mixup involving perverted humor from... damn near everyone.

But the joke of this kind of stands alone.



* * * *


Admiral Chrono Harlaown was not really meant to be out here facing one of the terrorist cyborgs himself. He was meant to be sitting on the command deck of a dimensional vessel, not dodging cannonfire from a brown-haired girl that looked so damn familiar.

From the moment he had first seen her on intelligence recordings Chrono had been struck by the vague sense of familiarity this particular cyborg had. The problem was that he just couldn't work out why she seemed so familiar. At first he thought that, being a clone, she may have been related in some way to Amy. She had the right sort of build, if a bit taller, and she did indeed bear a passing resemblance to his wife.

Except that didn't feel right. She felt more familiar than that, as if he'd seen her before somewhere... but not in person. No. Now he thought about it he was sure he had seen her before. But where could it have...

No.

No way.

"Page one-oh-seven!" He yelled, pointing at the girl in shock. "The Royce Collection!"

The girl flinched back as if struck, her face turning red in an instant as she did.

"Chrono?" Hayate's confused voice echoed slightly in his mind as she, no doubt watching from her command position, sent him a telepathic communication. "You know this girl?" There was a pause. "And what does a lingerie line have to do with it?"

The admiral merely smirked slightly. "S2U, load and display stored data - Mercede's mail-order catalog, spring seventy-five. Page one-oh-seven."

As soon as the command was given a holographic screen opened up a little way in front of where Chrono stood. Upon it was a page from a catalog... specifically it was a page covered in women modeling a variety of lingerie that was on sale. Smirking the smug admiral simply pointed at one of the models - a model that was immediately recognizable as being the girl he was technically fighting.

Said girl was looking on in embarrassed horror.

"A... A lingerie model? One of our terrorists spends her time posing in underwear for a living?" Hayate's mental voice sounded incredulous before it immediately shifted into a suspicious tone. "And why exactly do you have a lingerie catalog loaded onto your device?"

"Are you kidding?" Chrono replied, both mentally and verbally. "These catalogs are the closest thing to porn I've been allowed to own ever since I got married! I have the girls in these practically memorized!"

Across the way the cyborg girl simply squeaked in horror.


* * * * * * * *


Poor Chrono. No porn for you.
And also - the idea of Numbers doing odd jobs to fund Jail's plans is amusing to me.

Hm... Now i'm imagining Cinque and Sein doing a magic act. Deep Diver would so make some impossible tricks possible...

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by AngryDesu

Ah... my first fictional contribution~

This is (sort of) a bit of crack inspired by a pic of Dieci in lingerie from the Nanoha pics thread. It's also sort-of part of a MGLN/B-Gata mixup involving perverted humor from... damn near everyone.

But the joke of this kind of stands alone.



* * * *


Admiral Chrono Harlaown was not really meant to be out here facing one of the terrorist cyborgs himself. He was meant to be sitting on the command deck of a dimensional vessel, not dodging cannonfire from a brown-haired girl that looked so damn familiar.

From the moment he had first seen her on intelligence recordings Chrono had been struck by the vague sense of familiarity this particular cyborg had. The problem was that he just couldn't work out why she seemed so familiar. At first he thought that, being a clone, she may have been related in some way to Amy. She had the right sort of build, if a bit taller, and she did indeed bear a passing resemblance to his wife.

Except that didn't feel right. She felt more familiar than that, as if he'd seen her before somewhere... but not in person. No. Now he thought about it he was sure he had seen her before. But where could it have...

No.

No way.

"Page one-oh-seven!" He yelled, pointing at the girl in shock. "The Royce Collection!"

The girl flinched back as if struck, her face turning red in an instant as she did.

"Chrono?" Hayate's confused voice echoed slightly in his mind as she, no doubt watching from her command position, sent him a telepathic communication. "You know this girl?" There was a pause. "And what does a lingerie line have to do with it?"

The admiral merely smirked slightly. "S2U, load and display stored data - Mercede's mail-order catalog, spring seventy-five. Page one-oh-seven."

As soon as the command was given a holographic screen opened up a little way in front of where Chrono stood. Upon it was a page from a catalog... specifically it was a page covered in women modeling a variety of lingerie that was on sale. Smirking the smug admiral simply pointed at one of the models - a model that was immediately recognizable as being the girl he was technically fighting.

Said girl was looking on in embarrassed horror.

"A... A lingerie model? One of our terrorists spends her time posing in underwear for a living?" Hayate's mental voice sounded incredulous before it immediately shifted into a suspicious tone. "And why exactly do you have a lingerie catalog loaded onto your device?"

"Are you kidding?" Chrono replied, both mentally and verbally. "These catalogs are the closest thing to porn I've been allowed to own ever since I got married! I have the girls in these practically memorized!"

Across the way the cyborg girl simply squeaked in horror.


* * * * * * * *


Poor Chrono. No porn for you.
And also - the idea of Numbers doing odd jobs to fund Jail's plans is amusing to me.

Hm... Now i'm imagining Cinque and Sein doing a magic act. Deep Diver would so make some impossible tricks possible...

the only thing missing is Tre and Sette works as a comedian in a comedy bar....

[AngryDesu]

Originally Posted by mega1987

the only thing missing is Tre and Sette works as a comedian in a comedy bar....

I was thinking Sette in a Maid Cafe actually. Acting all emotionless and telling people the blunt (and painful) truth.

For some reason the customers would love her for it. (Ayanami Rei style moe effect basically).

That said it could work with Otto and Deed instead... Otto as a butler, Deed as a maid.

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by AngryDesu

I was thinking Sette in a Maid Cafe actually. Acting all emotionless and telling people the blunt (and painful) truth.

Now I'm imagining Sette being a maid in a desert cafe...

[Nanya01]

Let's just hope she's wearing a sensible outfit...

...

Then again, with how tall Sette it, it wouldn't take much to get an upskirt shot of her.

[mega1987]

I'm sure nobody's complaining about it.... XD

[Nagumo]

Originally Posted by mega1987

the only thing missing is Tre and Sette works as a comedian in a comedy bar....

I was thinking Tre is working as a bartender or various part time jobs in the world of Durarara, but Shizuo's temper keeps on getting her fired from all of them because he often ends up working with her and causing problems which gets her involved, or at least partially blamed for them.

[AngryDesu]

Ah, and this snip stands pretty alone as well so I'll inflict it on share it with you too.

In the far future of a far pervier Nanoha world...

B-gata style shenanigans ahoy!

Spoiler for DE-NIED:

* * * * * * * *


Nanoha stared down at the floor and tried not to cry. In all honesty she wasn't doing that great a job as her face was already stained with more than a few tracks of tears. Right now she was sitting in a ward belonging to one of Cranagan's many military hospitals - the kind used by members of the TSAB and those few individuals considered too vital to be left in a hospital that didn't have a full military guard at the doors.

Yuuno, as head of the Infinite Library, was one such person.

It didn't help that she had been the one to put him here... not intentionally, but still...

She sniffled, then jumped ever so slightly as a hand holding a tissue was gently thrust in front of her face. Looking up she found herself staring into the gently reassuring face of knight, medic and long time friend - Shamal. Nanoha nodded slightly in thanks as she took the offered tissue and used it to wipe at her face until it looked a little more presentable. Shamal, for her part, simply moved to sit next down to her on the hallway bench she had been waiting on.

"I have good news." The blond woman murmured, "Yuuno should make a full recovery within a day or two, though he should really stay resting for at least a week after."

Nanoha sniffled. "That's... that's good."

"Now," continued the older woman, "perhaps you would like to tell me how it came to be that he was injured in such a way?" Shamal rather delicately did not add the accusatory 'in your home' to the end of that question, regardless of how much she wanted to.

"I... I don't think..."

Shamal sighed as Nanoha fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. "You need to tell someone." She pointed out, "Yuuno is important enough that there will be an official inquiry into his hospitalization. Either you can tell me how he was injured or you'll have to tell either an enforcer or internal investigations agent instead."

The ace slumped forward and pressed her tissue against her face. She mumbled something unintelligible amidst a few loud sniffles before she pulled herself back up and stared at the floor.

"It's my fault." She said at last, her voice quiet. "I... we... we were..." Her face went tomato red as she tried to stammer out an explanation - an explanation which soon proved too much for her as she quickly slumped forward again. "We... were going to... to... do it." she mumbled, her voice low enough that it forced Shamal to lean forwards herself in order to hear.

"It?" The medic asked before her mind made the connection between Nanoha's actions and her words. "Oh! Ohhh... It. Right. I see." She frowned. "That doesn't really explain how Yuuno ended up injured though..."

"I... I panicked. It... it was my... my first... and... and I wanted it to be... special." Nanoha shifted uncomfortably and, in an effort to reassure the girl Shama began to gently stroke her back with one hand. "So... I read that... that dressing up can help... a-and Yuuno al... always liked how I looked in..."

"In your barrier jacket?" Shamal finished for her, "That's not entirely unusual among mages - many have rather elaborate custom jackets and more than a few people find them arousing."

Nanoha nodded slightly. "I... I had it modified. To be sexier, you know? It... it started well..." she began, before pausing to wipe at her face with her tissue, "he liked it and then we were kissing and... and stuff."

Shamal mentally translated that as the usual fumbled groping that tended to signify the first time between two prior virgins. Nanoha had just admitted to being one, which seemed odd given some of Vita's stories about the young woman, and she was pretty sure that Yuuno had never slept with anyone before. He'd never slept with Hayate at least - she'd made damn sure of that - but he never came across to Shamal as comfortable enough around women to have slept with anyone before.

"- ended up on my bed." The knight blinked, then frowned as she realized that she'd missed some of Nanoha's explanation due to tuning it out. Thankfully it didn't sound like she'd missed anything particularly important. Nanoha, for her part, simply kept talking. "My jacket was open... he'd pulled my skirt up some and he'd taken off my... and... and we were kissing and I felt, um, 'him', press against me... I - I just paniced."

"Second thoughts?" Shamal asked, patting the girl on her shoulder in a reassuring way. "Again not all that unusual the first time someone has intercourse."

"No!" Nanoha hissed. "Yes! ... maybe! I - I don't know! I... I just... I..."

"You weren't ready?" Still, that didn't really explain how or why Nanoha had apparently put her friend and intended lover in the hospital unless... "Did you tell him to stop?"

"No..." The girl replied and Shamal could see the wince she tried to hide when she did so. "... didn't have time."

"He forced hims-"

"No!" Nanoha sat bolt upright, glaring at Shamal with a look that would have made an angry bear seem tame by comparison. "Yuuno would never-!"

Shamal made a few placating gestures, "I'm sorry for implying..." she murmured, immediately grateful that the white devil beside her calmed down at her apology, "but if not that then... what happened?"

The other girl suddenly looked away. "R-Raising Heart felt me panic."

It took a few moments for the medic to realize what Nanoha was implying. Most of her experience, after all, was with Belkan-style armed devices. Even among Mid-childan mages a fully intelligent device was uncommon and one as self-aware as Raising Heart even more so.

"So... you're saying...?"

Nanoha nodded, then fell forwards again. "Raising Heart thought I was under attack and pinned down." The girl sniffled. "So it autocast," she whispered, "Reactor Purge."

Shamal frowned slightly at the name for a moment before her eyes widened as she realized which spell that was.

"My sexy dress blew Yuuno away!" Nanoha half-wailed.

There was little that the knight could say in response to that.


* * * * * * * *

[Nanya01]

StrikerS 1-70

StrikerS 71

StrikerS 72

StrikerS 73

StrikerS 74

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 75:

Nanoha grimaced as she pulled herself out of another crater in the wall. 'Okay, so she's faster than I am and hits like a mach truck.' A trickle of blood escaped her mouth and she nearly chuckled at the girl. 'Mom and dad would be so proud of their granddaughter.' "Vivio, please," Nanoha tried to reason with the girl again, "tell me, what's going on?"

Narrowing her eyes, Vivio slid into a stance. "You're working for him, aren't you?" A flash of memory came to her, as her eyes unfocused for a moment. "That evil man..."

Nanoha blinked several times as Vivio shivered, before focusing on her again. "Vivio, I..."

"Tell your master to leave!" Vivio screamed as she rushed forward, missing as Nanoha used a Flash Move to get behind Vivio. Turning her head, the blonde's eyes widened at the open palm pointed right at her.

"Strike Smasher!" A quick burst of magic snapped out from her wrist, slamming into Vivio and sending her into the wall, deepening the crater. "Now, what did you mean about that evil man?"

Nanoha's eyes widened as Vivio put her hands against the wall and pushed out, lashing out at her stomach with a kick. Grabbing Vivio's ankle, Nanoha spun, causing the younger girl to scream in surprise as Nanoha threw her to the ground. She watched as Vivio righted herself in mid-air and nodded as she pointed Raising Heart at Vivio. "She's tough."

Looking up at Nanoha, Vivio twitched as she saw the smile grace Nanoha's features. Shuddering, she grabbed her head as it throbbed and several memories came to her at once. 'There was a man standing over me, wasn't there? No, it wasn't a man, it was, something else, so powerful...' The image in her head was replaced by a woman with the same grin as the man gave her, and the same dark power. "NNNNGAAAAHHHH!" Screaming, a Belkan triangle formed under Vivio's feet as she looked at Nanoha, tears falling out of her eyes. "NO!"

Nanoha stared as Vivio shot straight up into the air and held her hand out as a ball of energy formed in front of her. When fire spiraled around the sphere, Nanoha started to sweat-drop as Vivio punched forward, a gout of white-hot fire shot straight at Nanoha, who held up a barrier to block the attack. At least now she knew why Fate had complained every time she shot her sister with this spell, the thing was not fun to be on the receiving end of. 'Why is it that my spells keep getting stolen?' When the attack ended, Nanoha lowered her hand and took a deep breath, before looking down and staring. "Raising Heart..." When her device flashed and her dress was repaired, Nanoha nodded and looked at Vivio, who was in a defensive stance.

'Well, that did suck.' Nanoha muttered as she ran through her spells mentally. "Thank you, Raising Heart, I didn't like the thought of fighting in my underwear."

"Let Fate do that."

Nanoha looked up as Vivio held her hand up and small orbs formed at the tips of her fingers, shooting at Nanoha who countered with a barrage of Divine Shooters. "Vivio, please, I'm trying to help you." When Vivio clutched her head again, Nanoha frowned, wondering what was going on with Vivio. It was the reason she hadn't tried to unleash any real spells against the girl yet.

"Mama... Where is... Vivio's... Mama?" Vivio groaned and shook her head rapidly side to side. "No! Stay away! No! Mama! HELP!"

Vivio threw her arms back and screamed as her Belkan triangle formed under her feet again, but this time, it was pitch black in color.

"What the?" Nanoha gasped as metal flew out from various points around the room and started to latch onto Vivio, becoming metal boots, armor around her hips and over her crotch, a square metal bikini top, metal gauntlets over her hands and arms up to her elbows, along with a metal helmet that revealed her mouth, but nothing else, especially with that thick visor over her eyes. Nanoha was about to say something about how stupid it looked, when more metal flew out and covered her abdomen and legs, leaving her joints unarmored. "What is this?"

An image of Levi appeared in the room, grinning. "Ah, so you forced the Kaiser Armor to activate."

"Alicia!" Nanoha growled at the image. "What are you..?"

"It's quite an interesting device, the Saint's Armor, increase the effects about thirty fold and cut off all sensory information to the person, other than where their enemies are." Levi went on, as if she didn't hear Nanoha. "Then again, I have to thank Jail, if not for his research on the Knight Valkyrie Armor, my own work on the Megah and, of course, the Relics, I couldn't have created this weapon. Oh, and I almost forgot, it was also done due to research into your Assault and Neo Assault Modes, I'm sure that you can appreciate what a power armor can do for a person." Levi closed her eyes and waved. "Well, it's time for me to keep killing your friends. If I wasn't busy with that, I wouldn't have bothered with this message."

"...troy..." Vivio said softly, seemingly calmed down. "...stroy..." Nanoha gulped as the armored Vivio looked at her. "DESTROY!!"

The next thing Nanoha knew, Vivio's fist was buried deep into her stomach, causing Nanoha's tongue to hang out of her mouth as her Barrier Jacket's defenses seemed to fail. "Vi...vi...o..." Nanoha gasped out, her eyes widening as a ball of energy formed around Vivio's fist.

"Divine... Buster!" Vivio screamed as a multi-colored ball of energy blasted Nanoha away from her.

"Neo Assault Mode Drive Ignition."

Vivio looked at Nanoha, seemingly startled as Nanoha was now sporting a new armor on her body, a visor over her eyes, a blade on her right arm and a thin cannon with Raising Heart's Spear head over her left hand, Raising Heart was nestled between her breasts in a metal plate and the wings on her back were pointed downwards.

"If I was honest, Vivio..." Nanoha held her left hand up, extending her blade out fully as she looked at her armored opponent, "there are times that I wish that I was normal, or less powerful. Not for myself, I like how my life has been. But it seems that my power has drawn powerful enemies towards me and my friends. The stronger I get, the worse it seems to get, but if I didn't get strong, then I know that I and my friends, we would all die if I didn't get stronger."

Nanoha pointed her blade at Vivio. "I will never ask you to do anything you don't want to, Vivio. But..." A pink circle formed under her feet as her blade glowed softly. "I can't let you go, Vivio." When Vivio rushed in, Nanoha grabbed her armored fist and planted her foot into Vivio's stomach, forcing her back. "Tell me what you see! Let me help you!"

Vivio didn't answer her as energy crackled around her body. In her mind, she could see that horrifying image, that man, that evil man and what he could do. It was all she could see anymore.

When Vivio punched forward, a torrent of magic erupting from her fists, Nanoha narrowed her eyes and slashed upwards, cutting through the magic stream and disrupting it easily. Holding up her left arm, she fired a pink magic blast at Vivio, who was merely pushed back by the energy before letting out a grunt and flexing her body to disrupt the magic.

"This... Could take awhile." Nanoha grumbled to herself.

(---)

Sein pulled herself to her knees and crawled over to Tre. "You okay?" She touched Tre's shoulder and stared as Tre suddenly cried out in pain. "Tre?!"

"I'm alive, dammit, it hurts." Tre shuddered from her broken bones. "I think my back's broken too." Sein's eyes widened as she touched Tre's back gently. "GAH! Fuck! That hurts!" Tre looked at Sein and growled. "Dammit, don't worry about me, get Lutecia and get the hell out of here!"

"But, Tre..." Sein whimpered as Tre rolled over. "Stop, you'll hurt yourself!"

Tre ignored the pain and grabbed Sein by her collar, pulled her down and kissed her on the lips, much to the petite girl's surprise. "Forget about me," Tre said as she broke the kiss, "my life's done. You said it yourself, your mission was to get Lutecia and talk to Quattro. Don't let Lutecia suffer anymore."

"But..." Sein whimpered as Tre glared at her.

"Get Lutecia out of here, if there's still a chance, come back for me, but get her to safety first." Tre was fighting a real urge to scream in pain, she really shouldn't have moved from her position, the pain was so intense that it was taking all her effort to avoid screaming or fainting, or anything like that.

Sein looked almost ready to cry, but nodded and stood up. Grabbing her cannon on the ground, she willed it to a small knife as she limped over to Lutecia and cut the shackles on her wrists and ankles. "Okay, Lutecia, this won't hurt..." Sein grabbed the helmet and pulled it off, pulling the electrodes off of her forehead in the process.

Or tried to as a sudden surge of electricity caused Sein to let go with a painful yelp while Lutecia spasmed and let out a scream of pain. "Dammit!" Sein cursed, grabbed Lutecia and used her Deep Diver to jump through the chair, the walls and back into the room. "I got you, Lutecia." The girl was spasming and twitching in her arms. "Come on, Lu..." She could only look on helplessly as Lutecia moaned out painfully while spasming. "Lu!"

There was a crackle of energy and Sein turned and paled as she saw Levi reform in the room. Even if the Mazoku was twitching and looking like someone who suffered a chemical burn across her whole body from piping hot acid, the fact that she was still alive scared Sein tremendously.

"I..." Levi panted heavily and twitched as she looked up at Sein. "Can't believe... That he... Held back something like that against me!!" She screamed, her magic lashing out at the air around her. "This is inconceivable!!" Levi took a deep breath and took stock of her surroundings, before noticing a twitching and spasming Lutecia in Sein's arms. "Oh ho?" Levi threw her head back and laughed at Sein. "You're a stupid idiot, aren't you? You actually removed her from the system without shutting it down properly?"

"What?" Sein asked, looking as Lutecia twitched and spasmed. "What are you saying?"

Levi tapped her head and grinned, though her grin looked horrible with how burned Levi's face was. "Her brain was connected to a network, kiddo... If you didn't shut off the network properly and disconnect her mind, she's going to suffer some brain damage, even I don't know the extent of what's going to happen to her. She might just be in a coma for awhile, she might lose all her memories, or she might be completely brain dead. But then again, you would have had to have been in the control room to do that, and that's way on the other side of the Cradle." Seeing Sein glare at her, Levi held out her arm. "But enough of that. I owe you some pain for that Divine Buster to the face, you worthless cyborg." Levi's left eye was wide open as her right eye twitched while a demented grin came to her face. "First you, then I think I'll go back and kill off Kuma, and finally..."

Levi's speech was interrupted as her arm suddenly dropped off of her body and fell to the floor. "...GRAAAAHHHH!" Levi screamed as unholy pain shot through her body. Clutching her arm and turning, she glared at who she saw. "HOW?! I put you in a spacial trap!"

"You did." Fate said as she looked at the Mazoku with narrowed eyes, Bardiche Zambar was held out in front of her while pointing at Levi. "You made two mistakes. First, even if you messed with my sense of time, you didn't do anything to Bardiche. And secondly," the Zambar Blade turned from yellow to almost clear, "you made me mad, Alicia..."

"My name is LEVI!" The Mazoku screamed at Fate. "You stupid... Stupid... GRAAAAHHHH!" A dark aura surrounded Levi as large red, bone-like wings ripped out of her back and her face seemingly dissolved into a skull while her arms and legs were covered in a red haze. "I've never shown my monster form to anyone, DIE!" Levi held her hand out and her bone wings changed into spikes that rushed at Fate.

Fate casually sliced through the both of them, causing Levi to scream as marks appeared on her face, going from her cheeks up to the bridge of her nose and causing Levi to scream as she fell back, clutching at her face. "Mother's dimension magic really is quite effective, isn't it, sister?"

"Stop..." Levi growled as she glared at Fate while panting. "Stop calling me your sister! I NEVER HAD A SISTER!!"

Fate sighed and pointed her weapon at Levi. "Just give up, Levi. You've lost. Even now, Hayate likely has Reinforce back and Nanoha's secured Vivio, you're all that's left."

Levi screamed as her black tentacles shot out from her aura at Fate, who held out her hand, a white ball of energy forming in front of her. "Dimension... Smasher!"

Levi stared in shock as the white lightning smashed through her attack and slammed into her, sending her flying backwards, where she crashed onto the floor painfully, twitching. "...I see..." Levi sat up and growled at Fate. "If I have to, I'll cheat!" Levi stood up and threw her arm to the side, a large screen forming behind her. "Do you recognize this, you stupid clone?!" Levi grinned savagely as Fate slowly started to pale. "The most powerful mass weapon ever created, from that primitive Earth... Just one could decimate a city like Cranagan with ease. Now imagine what several thousand of these radioactive bombs can do at once!!"

Fate was still staring with wide eyes as Levi disappeared. "I'll be nice and let you escape instead of detonating them inside the cradle. Of course, even if you escape the ship, the whole planet is going to die!"

Fate stumbled as the ship seemed to lurch. "What... What did you do? Alicia!"

"Boy, you just don't learn, do you?" Levi said as she appeared on a new screen. "My name is Levi now. But, if you must know... I'm over-clocking the engines and forcing this ship to rise to the stars faster." She smirked as Fate gave her a wary look. "Did you know, dear clone, that this ship reaches its full power when the two moons are in a special orbit?" Levi pointed up a the sky. "Once this ship gets between them, it'll have all the power it needs to wipe out Cranagan on its own... But, imagine what will happen when it's power is added to the force of the nuclear bombs that are stored within!"

Levi threw her head back and started laughing sinisterly. "You're all going to have to die! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Fate could only stare in repressed anger as she finally realized something that she knew deep down, but didn't want to accept.

Her sister really was dead to her now.

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

StrikerS 1-70

StrikerS 71

StrikerS 72

StrikerS 73

StrikerS 74

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 75:

Nanoha grimaced as she pulled herself out of another crater in the wall. 'Okay, so she's faster than I am and hits like a mach truck.' A trickle of blood escaped her mouth and she nearly chuckled at the girl. 'Mom and dad would be so proud of their granddaughter.' "Vivio, please," Nanoha tried to reason with the girl again, "tell me, what's going on?"

Narrowing her eyes, Vivio slid into a stance. "You're working for him, aren't you?" A flash of memory came to her, as her eyes unfocused for a moment. "That evil man..."

Nanoha blinked several times as Vivio shivered, before focusing on her again. "Vivio, I..."

"Tell your master to leave!" Vivio screamed as she rushed forward, missing as Nanoha used a Flash Move to get behind Vivio. Turning her head, the blonde's eyes widened at the open palm pointed right at her.

"Strike Smasher!" A quick burst of magic snapped out from her wrist, slamming into Vivio and sending her into the wall, deepening the crater. "Now, what did you mean about that evil man?"

Nanoha's eyes widened as Vivio put her hands against the wall and pushed out, lashing out at her stomach with a kick. Grabbing Vivio's ankle, Nanoha spun, causing the younger girl to scream in surprise as Nanoha threw her to the ground. She watched as Vivio righted herself in mid-air and nodded as she pointed Raising Heart at Vivio. "She's tough."

Looking up at Nanoha, Vivio twitched as she saw the smile grace Nanoha's features. Shuddering, she grabbed her head as it throbbed and several memories came to her at once. 'There was a man standing over me, wasn't there? No, it wasn't a man, it was, something else, so powerful...' The image in her head was replaced by a woman with the same grin as the man gave her, and the same dark power. "NNNNGAAAAHHHH!" Screaming, a Belkan triangle formed under Vivio's feet as she looked at Nanoha, tears falling out of her eyes. "NO!"

Nanoha stared as Vivio shot straight up into the air and held her hand out as a ball of energy formed in front of her. When fire spiraled around the sphere, Nanoha started to sweat-drop as Vivio punched forward, a gout of white-hot fire shot straight at Nanoha, who held up a barrier to block the attack. At least now she knew why Fate had complained every time she shot her sister with this spell, the thing was not fun to be on the receiving end of. 'Why is it that my spells keep getting stolen?' When the attack ended, Nanoha lowered her hand and took a deep breath, before looking down and staring. "Raising Heart..." When her device flashed and her dress was repaired, Nanoha nodded and looked at Vivio, who was in a defensive stance.

'Well, that did suck.' Nanoha muttered as she ran through her spells mentally. "Thank you, Raising Heart, I didn't like the thought of fighting in my underwear."

"Let Fate do that."

Nanoha looked up as Vivio held her hand up and small orbs formed at the tips of her fingers, shooting at Nanoha who countered with a barrage of Divine Shooters. "Vivio, please, I'm trying to help you." When Vivio clutched her head again, Nanoha frowned, wondering what was going on with Vivio. It was the reason she hadn't tried to unleash any real spells against the girl yet.

"Mama... Where is... Vivio's... Mama?" Vivio groaned and shook her head rapidly side to side. "No! Stay away! No! Mama! HELP!"

Vivio threw her arms back and screamed as her Belkan triangle formed under her feet again, but this time, it was pitch black in color.

"What the?" Nanoha gasped as metal flew out from various points around the room and started to latch onto Vivio, becoming metal boots, armor around her hips and over her crotch, a square metal bikini top, metal gauntlets over her hands and arms up to her elbows, along with a metal helmet that revealed her mouth, but nothing else, especially with that thick visor over her eyes. Nanoha was about to say something about how stupid it looked, when more metal flew out and covered her abdomen and legs, leaving her joints unarmored. "What is this?"

An image of Levi appeared in the room, grinning. "Ah, so you forced the Kaiser Armor to activate."

"Alicia!" Nanoha growled at the image. "What are you..?"

"It's quite an interesting device, the Saint's Armor, increase the effects about thirty fold and cut off all sensory information to the person, other than where their enemies are." Levi went on, as if she didn't hear Nanoha. "Then again, I have to thank Jail, if not for his research on the Knight Valkyrie Armor, my own work on the Megah and, of course, the Relics, I couldn't have created this weapon. Oh, and I almost forgot, it was also done due to research into your Assault and Neo Assault Modes, I'm sure that you can appreciate what a power armor can do for a person." Levi closed her eyes and waved. "Well, it's time for me to keep killing your friends. If I wasn't busy with that, I wouldn't have bothered with this message."

"...troy..." Vivio said softly, seemingly calmed down. "...stroy..." Nanoha gulped as the armored Vivio looked at her. "DESTROY!!"

The next thing Nanoha knew, Vivio's fist was buried deep into her stomach, causing Nanoha's tongue to hang out of her mouth as her Barrier Jacket's defenses seemed to fail. "Vi...vi...o..." Nanoha gasped out, her eyes widening as a ball of energy formed around Vivio's fist.

"Divine... Buster!" Vivio screamed as a multi-colored ball of energy blasted Nanoha away from her.

"Neo Assault Mode Drive Ignition."

Vivio looked at Nanoha, seemingly startled as Nanoha was now sporting a new armor on her body, a visor over her eyes, a blade on her right arm and a thin cannon with Raising Heart's Spear head over her left hand, Raising Heart was nestled between her breasts in a metal plate and the wings on her back were pointed downwards.

"If I was honest, Vivio..." Nanoha held her left hand up, extending her blade out fully as she looked at her armored opponent, "there are times that I wish that I was normal, or less powerful. Not for myself, I like how my life has been. But it seems that my power has drawn powerful enemies towards me and my friends. The stronger I get, the worse it seems to get, but if I didn't get strong, then I know that I and my friends, we would all die if I didn't get stronger."

Nanoha pointed her blade at Vivio. "I will never ask you to do anything you don't want to, Vivio. But..." A pink circle formed under her feet as her blade glowed softly. "I can't let you go, Vivio." When Vivio rushed in, Nanoha grabbed her armored fist and planted her foot into Vivio's stomach, forcing her back. "Tell me what you see! Let me help you!"

Vivio didn't answer her as energy crackled around her body. In her mind, she could see that horrifying image, that man, that evil man and what he could do. It was all she could see anymore.

When Vivio punched forward, a torrent of magic erupting from her fists, Nanoha narrowed her eyes and slashed upwards, cutting through the magic stream and disrupting it easily. Holding up her left arm, she fired a pink magic blast at Vivio, who was merely pushed back by the energy before letting out a grunt and flexing her body to disrupt the magic.

"This... Could take awhile." Nanoha grumbled to herself.

(---)

Sein pulled herself to her knees and crawled over to Tre. "You okay?" She touched Tre's shoulder and stared as Tre suddenly cried out in pain. "Tre?!"

"I'm alive, dammit, it hurts." Tre shuddered from her broken bones. "I think my back's broken too." Sein's eyes widened as she touched Tre's back gently. "GAH! Fuck! That hurts!" Tre looked at Sein and growled. "Dammit, don't worry about me, get Lutecia and get the hell out of here!"

"But, Tre..." Sein whimpered as Tre rolled over. "Stop, you'll hurt yourself!"

Tre ignored the pain and grabbed Sein by her collar, pulled her down and kissed her on the lips, much to the petite girl's surprise. "Forget about me," Tre said as she broke the kiss, "my life's done. You said it yourself, your mission was to get Lutecia and talk to Quattro. Don't let Lutecia suffer anymore."

"But..." Sein whimpered as Tre glared at her.

"Get Lutecia out of here, if there's still a chance, come back for me, but get her to safety first." Tre was fighting a real urge to scream in pain, she really shouldn't have moved from her position, the pain was so intense that it was taking all her effort to avoid screaming or fainting, or anything like that.

Sein looked almost ready to cry, but nodded and stood up. Grabbing her cannon on the ground, she willed it to a small knife as she limped over to Lutecia and cut the shackles on her wrists and ankles. "Okay, Lutecia, this won't hurt..." Sein grabbed the helmet and pulled it off, pulling the electrodes off of her forehead in the process.

Or tried to as a sudden surge of electricity caused Sein to let go with a painful yelp while Lutecia spasmed and let out a scream of pain. "Dammit!" Sein cursed, grabbed Lutecia and used her Deep Diver to jump through the chair, the walls and back into the room. "I got you, Lutecia." The girl was spasming and twitching in her arms. "Come on, Lu..." She could only look on helplessly as Lutecia moaned out painfully while spasming. "Lu!"

There was a crackle of energy and Sein turned and paled as she saw Levi reform in the room. Even if the Mazoku was twitching and looking like someone who suffered a chemical burn across her whole body from piping hot acid, the fact that she was still alive scared Sein tremendously.

"I..." Levi panted heavily and twitched as she looked up at Sein. "Can't believe... That he... Held back something like that against me!!" She screamed, her magic lashing out at the air around her. "This is inconceivable!!" Levi took a deep breath and took stock of her surroundings, before noticing a twitching and spasming Lutecia in Sein's arms. "Oh ho?" Levi threw her head back and laughed at Sein. "You're a stupid idiot, aren't you? You actually removed her from the system without shutting it down properly?"

"What?" Sein asked, looking as Lutecia twitched and spasmed. "What are you saying?"

Levi tapped her head and grinned, though her grin looked horrible with how burned Levi's face was. "Her brain was connected to a network, kiddo... If you didn't shut off the network properly and disconnect her mind, she's going to suffer some brain damage, even I don't know the extent of what's going to happen to her. She might just be in a coma for awhile, she might lose all her memories, or she might be completely brain dead. But then again, you would have had to have been in the control room to do that, and that's way on the other side of the Cradle." Seeing Sein glare at her, Levi held out her arm. "But enough of that. I owe you some pain for that Divine Buster to the face, you worthless cyborg." Levi's left eye was wide open as her right eye twitched while a demented grin came to her face. "First you, then I think I'll go back and kill off Kuma, and finally..."

Levi's speech was interrupted as her arm suddenly dropped off of her body and fell to the floor. "...GRAAAAHHHH!" Levi screamed as unholy pain shot through her body. Clutching her arm and turning, she glared at who she saw. "HOW?! I put you in a spacial trap!"

"You did." Fate said as she looked at the Mazoku with narrowed eyes, Bardiche Zambar was held out in front of her while pointing at Levi. "You made two mistakes. First, even if you messed with my sense of time, you didn't do anything to Bardiche. And secondly," the Zambar Blade turned from yellow to almost clear, "you made me mad, Alicia..."

"My name is LEVI!" The Mazoku screamed at Fate. "You stupid... Stupid... GRAAAAHHHH!" A dark aura surrounded Levi as large red, bone-like wings ripped out of her back and her face seemingly dissolved into a skull while her arms and legs were covered in a red haze. "I've never shown my monster form to anyone, DIE!" Levi held her hand out and her bone wings changed into spikes that rushed at Fate.

Fate casually sliced through the both of them, causing Levi to scream as marks appeared on her face, going from her cheeks up to the bridge of her nose and causing Levi to scream as she fell back, clutching at her face. "Mother's dimension magic really is quite effective, isn't it, sister?"

"Stop..." Levi growled as she glared at Fate while panting. "Stop calling me your sister! I NEVER HAD A SISTER!!"

Fate sighed and pointed her weapon at Levi. "Just give up, Levi. You've lost. Even now, Hayate likely has Reinforce back and Nanoha's secured Vivio, you're all that's left."

Levi screamed as her black tentacles shot out from her aura at Fate, who held out her hand, a white ball of energy forming in front of her. "Dimension... Smasher!"

Levi stared in shock as the white lightning smashed through her attack and slammed into her, sending her flying backwards, where she crashed onto the floor painfully, twitching. "...I see..." Levi sat up and growled at Fate. "If I have to, I'll cheat!" Levi stood up and threw her arm to the side, a large screen forming behind her. "Do you recognize this, you stupid clone?!" Levi grinned savagely as Fate slowly started to pale. "The most powerful mass weapon ever created, from that primitive Earth... Just one could decimate a city like Cranagan with ease. Now imagine what several thousand of these radioactive bombs can do at once!!"

Fate was still staring with wide eyes as Levi disappeared. "I'll be nice and let you escape instead of detonating them inside the cradle. Of course, even if you escape the ship, the whole planet is going to die!"

Fate stumbled as the ship seemed to lurch. "What... What did you do? Alicia!"

"Boy, you just don't learn, do you?" Levi said as she appeared on a new screen. "My name is Levi now. But, if you must know... I'm over-clocking the engines and forcing this ship to rise to the stars faster." She smirked as Fate gave her a wary look. "Did you know, dear clone, that this ship reaches its full power when the two moons are in a special orbit?" Levi pointed up a the sky. "Once this ship gets between them, it'll have all the power it needs to wipe out Cranagan on its own... But, imagine what will happen when it's power is added to the force of the nuclear bombs that are stored within!"

Levi threw her head back and started laughing sinisterly. "You're all going to have to die! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Fate could only stare in repressed anger as she finally realized something that she knew deep down, but didn't want to accept.

Her sister really was dead to her now.

Me: Now it's the perfect time to have those neutron jammers develop....

Odin: I wonder if there's anything else will go wrong with BOTH sides.

Val: I dunno... But Nanya... THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING US ALL!!!

[Yasanagi]

Originally Posted by AngryDesu

Ah, and this snip stands pretty alone as well so I'll inflict it on share it with you too.

In the far future of a far pervier Nanoha world...

B-gata style shenanigans ahoy!

Spoiler for DE-NIED:

* * * * * * * *


Nanoha stared down at the floor and tried not to cry. In all honesty she wasn't doing that great a job as her face was already stained with more than a few tracks of tears. Right now she was sitting in a ward belonging to one of Cranagan's many military hospitals - the kind used by members of the TSAB and those few individuals considered too vital to be left in a hospital that didn't have a full military guard at the doors.

Yuuno, as head of the Infinite Library, was one such person.

It didn't help that she had been the one to put him here... not intentionally, but still...

She sniffled, then jumped ever so slightly as a hand holding a tissue was gently thrust in front of her face. Looking up she found herself staring into the gently reassuring face of knight, medic and long time friend - Shamal. Nanoha nodded slightly in thanks as she took the offered tissue and used it to wipe at her face until it looked a little more presentable. Shamal, for her part, simply moved to sit next down to her on the hallway bench she had been waiting on.

"I have good news." The blond woman murmured, "Yuuno should make a full recovery within a day or two, though he should really stay resting for at least a week after."

Nanoha sniffled. "That's... that's good."

"Now," continued the older woman, "perhaps you would like to tell me how it came to be that he was injured in such a way?" Shamal rather delicately did not add the accusatory 'in your home' to the end of that question, regardless of how much she wanted to.

"I... I don't think..."

Shamal sighed as Nanoha fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. "You need to tell someone." She pointed out, "Yuuno is important enough that there will be an official inquiry into his hospitalization. Either you can tell me how he was injured or you'll have to tell either an enforcer or internal investigations agent instead."

The ace slumped forward and pressed her tissue against her face. She mumbled something unintelligible amidst a few loud sniffles before she pulled herself back up and stared at the floor.

"It's my fault." She said at last, her voice quiet. "I... we... we were..." Her face went tomato red as she tried to stammer out an explanation - an explanation which soon proved too much for her as she quickly slumped forward again. "We... were going to... to... do it." she mumbled, her voice low enough that it forced Shamal to lean forwards herself in order to hear.

"It?" The medic asked before her mind made the connection between Nanoha's actions and her words. "Oh! Ohhh... It. Right. I see." She frowned. "That doesn't really explain how Yuuno ended up injured though..."

"I... I panicked. It... it was my... my first... and... and I wanted it to be... special." Nanoha shifted uncomfortably and, in an effort to reassure the girl Shama began to gently stroke her back with one hand. "So... I read that... that dressing up can help... a-and Yuuno al... always liked how I looked in..."

"In your barrier jacket?" Shamal finished for her, "That's not entirely unusual among mages - many have rather elaborate custom jackets and more than a few people find them arousing."

Nanoha nodded slightly. "I... I had it modified. To be sexier, you know? It... it started well..." she began, before pausing to wipe at her face with her tissue, "he liked it and then we were kissing and... and stuff."

Shamal mentally translated that as the usual fumbled groping that tended to signify the first time between two prior virgins. Nanoha had just admitted to being one, which seemed odd given some of Vita's stories about the young woman, and she was pretty sure that Yuuno had never slept with anyone before. He'd never slept with Hayate at least - she'd made damn sure of that - but he never came across to Shamal as comfortable enough around women to have slept with anyone before.

"- ended up on my bed." The knight blinked, then frowned as she realized that she'd missed some of Nanoha's explanation due to tuning it out. Thankfully it didn't sound like she'd missed anything particularly important. Nanoha, for her part, simply kept talking. "My jacket was open... he'd pulled my skirt up some and he'd taken off my... and... and we were kissing and I felt, um, 'him', press against me... I - I just paniced."

"Second thoughts?" Shamal asked, patting the girl on her shoulder in a reassuring way. "Again not all that unusual the first time someone has intercourse."

"No!" Nanoha hissed. "Yes! ... maybe! I - I don't know! I... I just... I..."

"You weren't ready?" Still, that didn't really explain how or why Nanoha had apparently put her friend and intended lover in the hospital unless... "Did you tell him to stop?"

"No..." The girl replied and Shamal could see the wince she tried to hide when she did so. "... didn't have time."

"He forced hims-"

"No!" Nanoha sat bolt upright, glaring at Shamal with a look that would have made an angry bear seem tame by comparison. "Yuuno would never-!"

Shamal made a few placating gestures, "I'm sorry for implying..." she murmured, immediately grateful that the white devil beside her calmed down at her apology, "but if not that then... what happened?"

The other girl suddenly looked away. "R-Raising Heart felt me panic."

It took a few moments for the medic to realize what Nanoha was implying. Most of her experience, after all, was with Belkan-style armed devices. Even among Mid-childan mages a fully intelligent device was uncommon and one as self-aware as Raising Heart even more so.

"So... you're saying...?"

Nanoha nodded, then fell forwards again. "Raising Heart thought I was under attack and pinned down." The girl sniffled. "So it autocast," she whispered, "Reactor Purge."

Shamal frowned slightly at the name for a moment before her eyes widened as she realized which spell that was.

"My sexy dress blew Yuuno away!" Nanoha half-wailed.

There was little that the knight could say in response to that.


* * * * * * * *

Looks like Yuuno's Eros Deity has some work to do to help the guy recover. GO FORTH, HOLY FERRET!

[Lycodrake]

Originally Posted by AngryDesu

Ah, and this snip stands pretty alone as well so I'll inflict it on share it with you too.

In the far future of a far pervier Nanoha world...

B-gata style shenanigans ahoy!

Spoiler for DE-NIED:

*snip*

Interesting, at least. Kind of funny.

[bhl88]

Yeah it was.... Yuuno was injured by Reactor Purge XD

[Old_Iron]

Those were particularly enjoyable, AngryDesu. I really liked the latter of the two. Poor Nanoha, getting blocked by RH being overprotective and Yuuno suffering the consequences. I'd like to see more like this. =3

Alrighty people, its time. I promised a few days ago that I'd have an update for you and here it is.

Medieval Belka has gone through some rehashing and much needed revision all across the board. Major thanks to Kuroi Hadou. Who, through being generally very mean to me, has not only beta'd this, but also provided many ideas and helped immensely with the world building. I can say that without him, this would be a very poor piece of writing and I'd be dead in a literary ditch.

Spoiler for Medieval Belka Chapter 1: Meetings and Beginnings:

-Story Start-
The hearth at the center of the inn's main hall blazed brightly, filling the building with heat and warming the bodies of those gathered around it. The building was filled with noise and motion. Farmers done with a hard days work in the frigid fields traded bawdy tales with off duty soldiers over tankards of strong mead. A bard with some skill with the lute raised the spirits of all with his ballads of love, war, and adventure. More than a few of the barmaids seemed to be charmed by his roguish demeanor if the blush on their cheeks was of any accurate indication.

One barmaid in particular had to dance out of the path of grabby hands as she made her way to one of the tables. Expertly balancing two large tankards filled to the brim with honey wine and a massive plate of steaming meat, she missed not one step along her path. In one swift motion, the food and drink was deposited before the two seated individuals at the table in the corner of the hall.

"'Ere ye go. Fresh off the spit, that is. Can I get you two anythin' else?" inquired the woman with an ease which spoke of years asking such a question. She placed her hands on her hips and gave a broad smile.

The taller of the two, a woman, shook her head while pulling down the thick fur hood of the cloak she wore. "We shall be fine. However if you would keep an eye out for this man, we would greatly appreciate it." From the depth of her cloak, the woman withdrew a small parchment and two gold coins.

The barmaid chose not to raise an eyebrow in question at the words of her client. Their accent and word choice was too refined for her to paint the two as being from the region. Most likely they were from further south, they got a few visitors from down there every so often. Still, they were customers and they brought money regardless of where they came from.

While the shorter of the two tore into a drumstick, the barmaid took the offered coin while taking a good look at the person portrayed on the parchment. "Sure thing, miss. If I see him, I'll point him your way. Who should I say is lookin' for him?"

"You may tell him that his escorts from the capital await him," answered the woman with a nod. The barmaid gave a confirmation and bade the two of them a good evening before returning to her duties.

"Signum, you really think he'll be able to make it here in one piece? The guy is a supposed to be a scholar after all," questioned the shorter of the two, a younger girl with a head of long, fire red hair pulled into a pair of long braids which disappeared into the thick cloak she wore.

Signum gave no immediate response, choosing instead to take a healthy bite of the succulent roast chicken before her. The meat was well seasoned and had been seared over the fire to lock away the juices. It was certainly some of the best food she'd had on the journey thus far. Swallowing the mouthful of fowl, she finally replied," This was the location he requested to meet his escorts at. It is doubtful he would choose a path he would be unable to manage himself. Do not worry yourself, Vita."

Vita gave a very unladylike grunt in response. "Still don't know why I had to tag along. I'm not even an official Knight. I'm supposed to work the forge, not babysit bookworms," she grumbled while tearing another chunk of meat off the bone.

"It was Lady Hayate's request and you know neither of us would ever consider turning her down," explained the pink haired woman as though it were a fact of the world. In a way, to them it was. Close friendships aside, one did not take the words of the succeeding Imperial Arch-Mage lightly.

The redhead took a long draw from her mead before fixing Signum with a bland look. "I know that. I just..."

"...Do not feel conformable leaving her be for such a long time. I am well aware. Do you not trust in father's ability to protect her?" queried Signum.

"Why the hell wouldn't I trust the old man, sis? I'd just feel better if I were the one doing it," retorted Vita hotly. It was no small secret Vita took Lady Hayate's safety quite seriously. They were thick as thieves, raised together by Hayate's mother and their aunt, Shamal Osterschild.

The elder of the two sisters nodded in understanding before draining some of her own tankard. "If it will make you feel better, then feel free to take out your frustrations on our charge when he arrives. i would request you leave him relatively intact so that it does not impede the journey, however."

The remark managed to get a laugh out of Vita. Her elder sister's sense of humor was certainly unusual and often fell flat, but occasionally Signum managed something that was genuinely funny. At the very least it managed to return some cheer to the redhead's demeanor.

Still, both knew Lady Hayate would be in good hands with their father watching out for her. Chief Marshal of Belkastern: Zafira von Belka. He had risen up through the ranks at great speed. From a lowly foot-soldier, he had captured the eye of the former Sankt Kaiser, the current Sankt Kaiser Olivie Segbrech's mother, for his skill and honor and been elevated to the peerage before his sixteenth summer. By his eighteenth, he was preparing to take up the duties of a Captain and was leading the first Wolkenritter division. It was also the same year he wed the woman who would become Signum and later Vita's mother.

Erika Wolkenstein would never have the chance to see her husband be promoted to the rank of Chief Marshal of Belkastern as she passed away not even a day after giving birth to Vita. Zafira had been twenty-nine at the time and Signum a lass of only six. He would finally be granted the title upon reaching his third decade, replacing his family name with 'von Belka'. It was an honorary title bestowed only upon the active Chief Marshals and he would surrender it to the Kaiser when his time came to abdicate the position.

"Your food is gonna get cold," commented Vita, effectively breaking Signum from her musing about their father's past.

The evening wore on and after a time, only the truly drunken rabble remained in the inn with the two. They would likely wind up asleep on the benches as a snowstorm had blown in. While not profitable, the innkeeper was not so heartless as to let the fools freeze to death by forcing the addled men onto the street in such harsh weather.
There had been no sight of the scholar Signum and Vita were to meet with and the latter had by now fallen into a light sleep with her head on the wooden table. Their first servings of mead had long since run dry and the second was on its way out.

A loud roar of wind and the following banging of a heavy wooden door garnered the attention of the still conscious and awoke many of those who had dozed off in the hall. The figure who had just entered was covered in snow and it seemed not even his heavy cloak had done a good enough job of keeping out the cold as it rushed over to the hearth, seeking warmth. Long blonde hair spilled out of the hood of the cloak as it was pulled back. While many of the patrons returned to their own business, the barmaid approached the new arrival.

"Can I get ye anythin'?" she asked, trying to get a better look at the man as she did so.

"S-something warm to eat and a b-bed, if you don't mind," he replied with a bit of a stutter. Ignored were the close looks given to him by the barmaid.
She didn't respond for a few moments. "Alright then. By the by, two misses asked me to tell ya that 'your escorts from the capital await you'." The official sounding words seemed off when coming from a barmaid, but the oddity was paid no heed. She gestured to the table where Signum and Vita sat, eliciting a look of gratitude from the man.

"Thank you ma'am. I appreciate it," he replied before standing and making his way to the ladies' table while hauling a large cloth satchel.

Signum stood to greet him as he approached, having been watching him since his arrival. It was always good practice to be aware of one's surroundings, and this individual's entrance was too obvious not to keep track of. She was certain this was the man they were waiting for.

"Dame Signum Wolkenstein, I presume?" inquired the blonde man while removing a medallion from the folds of his robes. Upon it was the seal of the Akasha Lexicanum, more commonly known as the Infinity Library. The four black gems in the medallion glowed green for a moment, a sign of authenticity and that the person holding the item was indeed the proper owner.

Having seen the glow of the jewels, Signum shifted her cloak to display the Belkan seal embossed upon the breast of her armor. "You presume correctly, Sir Yuuno Scrya." Signum's answer was accentuated with a formal bow which he returned, a few bits of unmelted snow falling to the ground as he did so. She then gestured for him to take a seat next to her.

He did so after returning the medallion to its hiding place. Yuuno slumped in the seat and nearly let his head fall upon the wooden surface. A mug of mead and a plate of warm food appeared in front of him courtesy of the helpful barmaid. He gave a nod of thanks before speaking to Signum. "Sorry about arriving late, I ran into some trouble on the road."

The pinkette gave a questioning look to the young man. "Go on."

"I ran into some bandits." He paused to take a bite of the roasted rabbit on the plate given to him. "I was lucky that it was the Black Wind, or I'd be dead. They let me go after taking most of my coin."

"Lucky indeed..." Scrya's good fortune had let him be mugged by one of the more reputable bandit gangs in the province. The Black Wind was small, but well known as being merciful when possible and being led by a youth of considerable beauty. Still, the fact he had been assaulted was of concern. "You are unharmed, correct?"

Yuuno nodded. "I'm fine. Their leader wouldn't let them put a scratch on me so long as I cooperated. Very surreal, if I may say so." As if noticing for the first time, he gestured to the still dozing Vita. "Your partner, I'm guessing."

Signum nodded. "Vita Wolkenstein, my younger sister." She shook the redhead's shoulder enough to wake her.

"Hnnng?" came the unintelligible reply as Vita sat up. She sounded more tired than she looked, though it likely had something to do with the two empty tankards nearby.

"Vita, Sir Yuuno Scrya has arrived," informed the pinkette.

Yuuno extended his hand to Vita, who stared at it blearily for a moment before shooting a tired glare at the young man. "What the hell took you so long?" The blonde took on a sheepish look and pulled his hand back wordlessly.

Noting that nothing of value would likely be contributed by any parties at this late hour, Signum broke the silence," Perhaps it would be best if we retired to our quarters for the evening. We shall set out in the morning for Belkastern." Then turning to Yuuno, she asked," Were you able to secure lodgings, Sir Scrya?"

He shook his head. "I asked the barmaid for a bed, but she never got back to me about it. Considering how late it is, I'm not too hopeful." He pushed aside the now empty plate and finished off the mug of mead. "...If you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer it if you would address me as Yuuno. I'd rather not draw attention."

"Very well, ...Yuuno," replied Signum with a slight pause, as though trying out the name. She was one who referred to only her family by their first name. However upon recalling the unfortunate weight of the Scrya name, she was willing to make an exception. Vita simply raised an eyebrow at the scene. The pinkette was about to speak, when the barmaid returned to take away the collection of plates and empty drink containers.

"Pardon me, miss?" started Yuuno before being abruptly cut off by the woman.
"If its about yer room, we've got one left. Its right next to yer friends' room too. Ya lucked out there, sir! " she proclaimed with a smile before holding out both hands, one open and one closed. Realizing she wanted payment for the room and board, the blonde reached for his already thin moneybag. "It'll be ten sovereigns, sir. That's including your food and drink."

Yuuno paled slightly as he began digging through the leather pouch. He eventually secured ten of the golden coins and placed them in the woman's waiting hand. Her hand shut around the pile of gold and the other opened to reveal a key with a wooden block tied to it with a number burned onto it. As she left with the now collected dinnerware, the blonde upturned the pouch and only a few stray pebbles fell from it onto the table. "I think they took more than I thought..."

"You think?" commented Vita with a sarcastic tone as she stood. "This going to be an issue?" Money for supplies was not something one wanted to be short on.

"Shouldn't be... The Black Wind left me with most of my supplies when I said where I was going." That got a blank look from the redhead as Yuuno patted the satchel at his feet.

"...Oh. Er, sorry," she admitted after a few moments, not having been awake for his explanation to Signum. An embarrassed look adorned her features as she spoke.
Yuuno waved it off. "Don't worry, at least I'm alive, right?"

"All is well then," interjected Signum as she stood, her armor clanking slightly as she did so. "We shall see you at first light then, Yuuno."

"First light then. Good night you two, and it was a pleasure to meet you both. I entrust myself to your care," he spoke formally.

From there they dispersed to their respective rooms. Yuuno surrendered to sleep almost immediately while Vita helped Signum remove her armor. The metal plates were not the most comfortable items to sleep in. Not minutes after finishing their task, the redhead was curled up under the thick furs atop her bed and sound asleep.

Signum remained awake for some time, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the inn. Her thoughts mired on the mission assigned to Vita and herself. It was a simple escort task of standard, low security fare. They were to travel north and rendezvous with the their escort target at the Frozen Pine Inn located in a nondescript mountain village. It was their escort target which had given both of them pause.

A Scrya.

Scrya were not only rare, but also looked upon with very little favor by many in the Empire. The still poorly understood, but aptly named, Scrya Incident had rendered an entire province uninhabitable wasteland. It had led to food shortages, lack of raw materials, and killed everyone in the immediate area. This included nearly every known member of the Scrya clan. Once a prominent clan in numerous magical and academic fields, the events of four years ago had left only a precious few alive. Many who were not caught in the events were hunted down in fear of a repeat incident.

It was an illogical fear, and one which took intervention from the Sankt Kaiser to prevent genocide. There were now fewer than a few hundred known members of the clan still alive and nearly all were recluses. It was information Signum had recalled when Yuuno requested she not use his last name.

Signum would have dwelled on the matter further, but sleep crept into her mind and claimed her not moments later.

-Scene Break-

For Vita, the dawn came far too early. It was more a matter of her dislike of mornings in general rather than any kind of desire to remain asleep. Still, the crow of the cock was not to be ignored and she forced herself up. The biting cold which had seeped into the room made the redhead pull the warm furs around her more tightly with a curse.

She turned her head to the side and saw Signum strapping on her armor. Vita idly noticed a few dents in the greaves that she'd have to hammer out when she next had the chance. Her elder sister had likely been awake and getting ready for a while before that damnable bird began making its awful racket. The immense self discipline Signum carried herself with in nearly everything she did was something Vita admired and would admit to no one else beyond her father.

Finally removing herself from the warmth of the bed, Vita slipped on her cold, armor-clad leather boots and greeted Signum," Mornin', sis." A yawn escaped her lips after speaking.

"Good morning, Vita. Did you sleep well?" inquired Signum as she tightened the last of the leather straps which held her breastplate in place. It was more time consuming to armor oneself, impossible with certain types of platemail, but the pinkette had opted to not force her sister to rise in the dark as she had.

"Better than that patch of dirt from yesterday," she replied grumpily. A logging accident had forced the two to take a detour which had led to their sleeping outside the night before last. Signum was more accustomed to it, but the redhead had not been fond of the experience.

"I will agree to that." Signum kneeled down to inspect the arrows stored within her quiver and to make certain the fletching and shaft of each projectile was still in proper condition. The cold had a tendency to warp wood and feather to nearly the same degree as the heat of summer. "What do you think of our charge?" she inquired after examining a few of the arrows.

Vita had been in the process of donning the harness she carried Graf Eisen in when the question came. "What do I think?" she paused to think. Beyond the knowledge of what the Scrya name carried, she hadn't really gotten a good measure of the man from what little interaction she'd had with him last night. That she was already half asleep during said interaction probably hadn't helped. "Eh, so long as he's useful and keeps his mitts to himself, I don't have a problem with him. Though if he steps outta line, I'm gonna make sure he knows it."

"You are not going to vent your frustrations on him for being late, then?" queried the pinkette with a small grin.

"Nah, not after he said he was mugged. That's a valid excuse in my book for being late." With nary a grunt of effort, Vita placed her weapon in its harness. Graf Eisen was a warhammer of considerable mass which the average soldier would be hard pressed to use effectively. She had crafted the weapon specifically for her own use and then had it enchanted to increase its durability. The chain of broken weapons Vita had left in the path to forging Graf Eisen was a long one. "How about you? Any thoughts on the Bookworm?"

"He seems to be a decent man thus far, if rather unfortunate," Signum admitted while drawing her blade. Laevatein was a rather unique piece of work Vita had crafted for her some summers ago as a gift. Favoring one edge over the other and adorned with runes along the entire length of the blade, it was a slashing sword which called up flames to match the searing heat in which it had been forged. Finding all well with her preferred weapon, Signum sheathed it and fixed the sheath to her side.

"That's it?" questioned Vita. She would have asked for more of a response, but a knock at the door interrupted her.

"It's Yuuno, may I come in?" called the man from beyond the wooden door.

The sisters nodded to each other before Vita responded. "Come on in and shut the door behind ya."

Yuuno did so and both parties were finally able to get a good look at one another. To the sisters, Yuuno did not exactly fit their image of the stereotypical scholar. Thick, dark woolen pants and shirt beneath a nondescript tabard dyed tan with a dark green border. From a leather belt hung a noticeably empty coin purse along with a few other pouches. His boots and gloves were well worn and it looked as though the metal plate on one of the gloves was ready to snap in twain. The appearance was completed by the hooded fur cloak fastened about his shoulders.

In one hand was a hempen rope leading over the shoulder to the large satchel which carried the remainder of his supplies and other accoutrements. It too, looked like it had seen better days.

Most obvious about Signum's state of dress was the armor she wore. A full breastplate with gorget which seemed to have been custom-made, if Yuuno's limited knowledge of armor was any indication. Though she lacked spaulders or pauldrons, her forearms and hands were clad in matching metal. Fixed to a belt on her hip was a modified cuirass which seemed to be arranged for greater mobility. From what he could tell, Signum wore no chainmail beneath the plate, but rather a combination of leather and wool cloth. Greaves led to metal plated boots to complete the armor.

She cut quite an imposing figure which was further enhanced by the long blade at her side and the daggers strapped across her chest and inner thigh. At the moment, she was in the process of stringing a longbow crafted from a dark wood. The ease of which she went about the task spoke of a great deal of expertise with the weapon.

The leather brigandine Vita was clad in had been dyed a red color that was a few shades darker than her hair. It was rather form-fitting and did a poor job of hiding her curves in comparison to Signum's concealing metal armor. Beyond that, she wore cloth with fur lining. The only parts of her body bearing any kind of metalwork defense were her forearms, hands, and feet. Said armor was forged in a nearly identical style as Signum's own.

Strapped to the young woman's back was a warhammer which looked far too large and heavy to be wielded by someone of Vita's stature. However she seemed to have no trouble moving about as normal with the weapon on her person. Much like Signum, the redhead wore a pair of daggers in the same manner as her sister.

"May I assume that they took your blade as well, or do you not carry one?" inquired Signum after a time, taking note of the lack of weaponry on Yuuno's person.

"They took my staff and my sword," He replied with a dismayed look," Not much I could do about it at the time. They got the drop on me before I could cast anything." The sword was of little concern, considering how rarely it was ever used, but the staff was not something he could easily replace.

Vita sighed irritably and removed the dagger and sheath which rested across her chest. She tossed it to the scholar, who caught it with a bit of fumbling. "I'll loan you that one. Lose it or damage it and I'm taking it out of your hide."

"Thank you, Dame Vita," spoke Yuuno with a slight awkwardness.

"Call me Vita. I'm a blacksmith, not a Knight. And besides, it'll be weird if you call us formally and we don't do the same to you." Vita stated plainly nearly the moment the title left Yuuno's lips.

Signum voiced her request as well," Likewise, I would have you refer to me as Signum while we travel. While this mission is not secretive, it would appear unusual to many." Finding her bow to be optimally strung, the pinkette placed it on her bed and then latched the quiver of arrows to her side opposite Laevatein.

"Geez, Signum, you look ready for war," commented Vita blandly.

"I intend to hunt while we travel. A rabbit or two will make for decent rations." Signum stated this while donning her own cloak. It would force her to carry the bow in hand, but the weapon would be far more easily readied for action.

By now, Vita had put on her own cloak and slung a bag over he shoulders. "You just don't want to forage again." There was a teasing grin on her face.

Signum did not respond to the tease, but the tinge of pink on her cheeks indicated Vita had indeed spoken the truth. She was rather skilled at foraging, but she much preferred to hunt something than dig around for edible mushrooms, herbs, and berries. "In any event, are you ready to set out Yuuno? If all goes well, we should reach the village of Dawnleaf by nightfall."

Yuuno blinked at being brought back into the conversation, Vita's dagger now affixed to his side. "Er, yes. Yeah, I'm ready," he replied somewhat dumbly.

"Then let's get going," declared the redhead, to which Yuuno and Signum nodded in agreement.

- Chapter End -

[Old_Iron]

Medieval Belka
Chapter 1

Spoiler for Medieval Belka Chapter 2: First Blood:

-Chapter Start-
The snowstorm from the previous night had left the landscape painted a frigid white which the village farmers were forced to dig through so they could tend to their sturdy winter crops.

Having left the village behind some time ago, the trio trudged along the snow covered trail down the mountain. The cold powder gave way beneath their footsteps with soft crunching sounds. Signum had taken point with her bow in hand and hawk-like eyes keeping watch for any movement. Vita guarded the rear while chewing on a sliver of jerky. Yuuno was stuck between the two females. Every so often he would pick up an errant stone, twig, or other object which was exposed or had been kicked up by animal tracks or Signum's footsteps. Each object would be examined as they walked and either stowed away or tossed aside.

It didn't take long for Vita to bring up the unusual actions. "Yuuno, what the hell are you doing?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, breaking the silence which had settled on the group.

"Gathering some reagents," was the simple reply as he examined a small pine cone.

"Reagents? You planning on brewing up something when we stop or going through some kind of ritual?" queried Vita with some confusion. She didn't see the need for any rituals, nor did she think they would have the time. The same went for potions and salves. There was also the fact that, even with her limited knowledge of the subject, Vita was fairly certain medicines did not consist of random rocks picked up on the roadside.

Tossing the pine cone to the side, Yuuno replied," Some of my magic requires reagents to work properly. I didn't have the money or time to properly restock back there. If I had, then I wouldn't have been able to pay my tab or let us leave on time."

"I've never heard of non-ritual magic that takes reagents before. Besides, if you can use junk you find on the ground, why waste money?" Vita wasn't really much into the realm of magecraft, but it was better than letting the silence drag on.

"Its a matter of quality, actually," he stated while looking back over his free shoulder at Vita," Higher quality components are needed for stronger spells or more favorable results. Its that or use an absurd amount of low quality components for the same effect. You can make a better sword with better metal, right? Same idea. I'd rather have low quality spells than none at all."

"Huh... Makes sense, when you put it that way." Not exactly eager for the conversation to die out, Vita pressed on. "So... What kind of magic is that anyway? The kind that needs reagents and stuff." As she asked, the redhead moved closer to the scholar so he wouldn't have to speak as loudly.

Signum remained silent and vigilant, but was curious as well. A sliver of her attention went to the conversation behind her.

Yuuno's expression took on a look which would have been odd to any who saw it, but since he had turned to face forward again, none did. "Its Scrya magic. I would be very surprised if you knew much, if anything, about how it works," he admitted. The magic of the Scrya clan was not widely practiced or taught outside of the clan. It had practically vanished four years ago and in the events which followed.

Vita gave a huff in response," I'm a blacksmith, Bookworm. Magic isn't something I'm exactly well versed in." She resisted the urge to start chewing on another sliver of dried meat before continuing. "So? What can it do? Rain fire from the sky? Command the undead? Or turn lead into gold?"

Her examples came across as a little sarcastic, but Yuuno paid it no heed. "You're not too far off with the last one, actually." Vita blinked but said nothing as the scholar continued. "Interacting with and manipulating the physical world is what it does. Alterations, transmutations, even transformations. I could turn you into a bear or a bobcat if I wanted. At least give you the ears and tail."

Vita seemed suitably disturbed by his explanation as she brought a hand to her ear, making certain they were just as fleshy and hairless as when she'd woken up. Finding nothing had changed, she glared at the scholar. A biting remark was on the tip of her tongue.

"Please refrain from doing so, Yuuno. My sister is rather fond of her current set," interjected Signum before Vita could say anything. Her tone was amused, but still caused the scholar to shrink back somewhat.

As he was about apologize, the Knight drew an arrow and notched it in one swift motion. Her posture straightened and the string was pulled back in a full draw. A sharp twang preceded the release of the deadly shaft. Not a moment later there was the meaty sound of the arrow striking flesh. Signum wordlessly marched into the snow covered bushes, causing much of what remained to fall with her motions.

"What'd ya hit?" called out Vita as she motioned Yuuno to follow quickly.

Signum emerged holding the impaled form of a rabbit by the ears, its snow white fur staining red around the entrance and exit wounds of the arrow. Unfortunately the shaft seemed to have snapped at some point after striking its victim and was unsalvageable. The arrowhead was saved however, and Signum stowed it away in a small pouch. "An early lunch," was the simple reply. "We may eat as we walk."

Yuuno looked a little green at the idea of eating the raw meat. Vita took notice and elbowed him good naturally," What? You've never eaten a fresh kill before? C'mon, Bookworm, be a man! Show some spirit. Don't tell me that you're a milk-drinker."

"I think you've been drinking too much of it," he finally shot back blandly while pointing at her chest. Signum ignored their banter as she drained the blood from the unfortunate rabbit, creating a trail of red snow as they got moving again. The bow was now strung across her chest, with the wood upon her back.

Vita's eyes widened slightly at his return barb before smacking him on the shoulder. "See, ya do have some brass, Bookworm," she sated somewhat crudely while continuing to use the nickname, grinning the entire time.

Yuuno winced and rubbed the arm she'd struck. He would have attempted some form of retort, but Signum intervened," If you wish to continue, that is your decision. It shall simply mean more food for myself."

The scholar and the blacksmith ceased their interaction and turned to Signum, who held out a few bloody strips of meat without ever turning to them or pausing in her step. Both finally noticed the trail of fur and cast off parts which were inedible that had been rapidly added to the blood on the snow. The blonde blinked as he tried to process just how quickly Signum had prepared their meal.

"...You should see her when she's really hungry," whispered Vita to Yuuno before approaching her elder sister to secure rations, lest they be devoured by the pinkette.

Rank was broken as Yuuno began walking alongside Signum as well, staring at the bloody cut of meat in his hand. He'd never eaten something like this before at the Infinity Library, but seeing Vita and Signum readily devouring the rabbit made him decide to just go with it. Taking a hefty bite, the scholar found it to be an interesting taste. It was cold, wet, and rather gamy, but good all the same. "This is pretty good, I'll admit," he stated after finishing his portion. He wiped his face with the palm of his glove, leaving a bloody smear behind.

Signum only nodded as she continued slicing away at the small corpse in her hand, occasionally pausing to hand an edible strip to one of two two individuals walking alongside her or to pop one into her own mouth.

Soon there was only the bones left of the animal and three satisfied bellies. Yuuno took the bones which could be rendered into soup and stored them away safely in his pack. If the weather went afoul and they needed to make camp, they would be most valuable. All three had made use of the snow to remove what blood they could from their hands and Signum to clean the dagger she'd used to butcher the rabbit.

"That was pretty amazing, Signum," commented the man after a bit.

"Pardon?" A quizzical look graced her features, not quite certain what she'd done which was so impressive to her charge.

"The rabbit. I've never seen anyone prepare food so efficiently like that before." The few times he'd visited the kitchens of the library, there was hardly anyone there or it had been a scene of barely contained chaos. Not to mention the cooks all had space to work on. He recalled nearly being trampled once when he was just a small boy.

"Ah. The preparation of food on the move is something taught to all Knights." She remained stoic, but scratched at her cheek with her now clean gauntlet in what could have been a sign of slight embarrassment. "I am simply... more proficient than most," she admitted.

"That you hate waiting to eat has nothing to do with it?" quipped the younger sister, eyeing Signum out of the corner of her vision.

The tallest of the trio did not dignify the playful barb with a response, choosing to ignore the redhead instead. Vita smirked in victory as Signum posed a question to the only male present," Yuuno, might I inquire to what exactly you will be instructing Lady Hayate?" She knew he was summoned to teach, likely involving magic, but had not been given any further detail.

Yuuno scratched his chin thoughtfully before replying. "I'll be teaching her mostly magical theory and how to properly identify and deal with Lost Logia. If I feel she's up to it, then I'll teach her some actual spells."

Signum arched an eyebrow. "I do not intend to belittle your intelligence, Yuuno. But you seem rather young to be a candidate for instructing the future Arch-Mage on the subject of Lost Logia." Managing and often sealing acquired Lost Logia were one of the primary duties of the Arch-Mage and a great deal of care went into the job. It was not something which could be taken lightly. In all honesty, she had been expecting Yuuno to be an older man and not the youth in the picture she had been given after receiving her orders.

He shook his head as they continued to trudge down the path. "Its alright... I've been involved with the subject since I could properly read, so that gives me enough qualification to warrant some of the Kaiser's attention. I'm certain you can figure out the rest of the reason." The last part was stated in such a way Signum felt pursuing it would not be the wisest course of action.

"May I ask you then, exactly how many years that would be?" inquired the Knight. It was the safer question of the two she could ask, and Vita agreed silently.

"Thirteen of study and research. I'll be seeing my eighteenth before the end of this coming Spring," Yuuno answered honestly.

Vita turned an appraising eye upon the man while Signum responded," That is quite a long time. I would have hoped you to have more experience, but this is acceptable."
The blonde scratched the back of his head, not entirely certain how to respond. "Well, I'll do everything I can to make sure she learns what I have to teach her." To which Signum gave a nod of approval.

The conversation seemed to die off after that and the three walked in relative silence. The only sounds of the frozen surroundings being the crunch of snow beneath their boots and the occasional scampering of winder wildlife. Trees were still plentiful as they made their way down the mountain trail, and would be until they started coming closer to Dawnleaf. High above, the winter sun continued its efforts to warm the frigid lands.

-Scene Break-

Small signs of civilization began to appear after a few more hours of marching. The occasional road marker or cast off wagon wheel buried in snow let the party know they were making good time. They'd only had to make a few stops in their travel thus far to refill their empty water skins at a brook which ran close to the trail and also to answer nature's call. An action Yuuno found exceptionally embarrassing.

However things began to take a turn for the worse when Signum suddenly stopped advancing and held her arm out, forcing Yuuno and Vita to halt. A gentle breeze had begun to blow. The silence was broken only by the sound of the Knight sniffing the air. It brought a look of confusion to Yuuno's face and understanding to Vita's, who immediately maneuvered herself to face the rear and sandwich the scholar between herself and Signum.

Her hand began moving towards the shaft of Graf Eisen which jutted out from beneath her cloak. "What do you think?" Vita whispered loud enough only for her sister and Yuuno to hear.

"Rot. Death. Bandits or trolls. I am unable to get a good sense of their positioning," she answered in a hard voice while reaching for Laevatein's leather wrapped handle with her right hand. "Yuuno, stay between us and do not attempt anything foolhardy." Her tone became harder, laced strongly with the power of a commander's order.

Yuuno wanted to protest, but the Knight's tone mixed with the sound of weapons being drawn quashed such a desire. All he could do was draw the dagger Vita had given him while dropping his satchel. The weapon felt unusual in his hands, clumsy and unfamiliar.

All went silent for a few moments more, only to be broken by the harsh cracking sound of a crossbow unleashing its payload. The bolt's deadly trajectory carried it towards Signum's head. It was only her reflexes which saved her from being slain at the onset of battle. She twisted her head sharply to the side, saving herself from a lethal blow but suffering a long jagged gash running the length of her left cheekbone and just below it. The momentum behind the projectile forced Signum's body to turn with her head, and sent a spray of blood across the snow in the process.

Signum swore in pain while her attacker did the same in frustration. However the Knight did not falter from her position and immediately turned to face forward once more. Her charge and her sister would have voiced concern for her safety, but distraction could prove lethal here.

The unknown assailants seemed to have abandoned the element of surprise as they left their concealment and made their presence known. There were eight of them, all clad in patchwork leather and metal armor and covered in dried blood, dirt, and all manner of filth. The scent of dead bodies and unwashed flesh began to reach the less sensitive noses of Vita and Yuuno, whose faces scrunched up in disgust.

"Well now..." started one of the assailants, brandishing a longsword in Signum's direction which had seen better days. His voice was rough and oily. "Get a closer look and yer a broad. Good thing Roid didn't kill ya. Cold is fine, but I prefer 'em warm..." he trailed off with a vile leer directed at the Knight.

Another of the unclean, a woman by the looks of her and wielding a blade in far better condition than the one belonging to the man who had just taunted Signum. "We'll let you choose. Pleasure before death or death before pleasure." As she spoke, the group began tightening their circle around the trio.

"Not much of a choice there, bitch," retorted Vita, tightening her grip on the warhammer she held. "How about option three? The one where I see how far I can send your heads flying."

"Too bad then, girly. The lads'll be enjoying you for a looong time," sneered a third brigand. "Me, I want the boy. He looks mighty fine and virile." Yuuno's face paled as the horribly warped expression landed on him.

"Sorry, he's ours," the redhead shot back before the tension reached its breaking point. From there, the marauders made their move with a maddened battle cry.

Two of the eight charged the wounded Signum with axes drawn and the desire to see blood which was not their own was reflected in their eyes. The Knight met them violently as she body checked the first before he could even begin bringing down his weapon. There was a flash of steel and a bloody red arc was drawn through the air, trailing viscera and entrails. With that, the first death of many more to come had been written by Laveatein's razor edge. The blade had carved a fatal path through the second assailant's belly as he tried to capitalize on Signum's movements. He dropped the the ground screaming in pain while trying to pile his intestines back into the gaping cavity before perishing moments later.

The body checked brigand had been staggered by the fierce blow and fell to the ground, landing on his back. Before he could stand, the screaming of his ally filled his ears and the whirling form of Signum's body filled his eyes. There was no mercy in the Knight's movements as she brought her blade around full circle. No scream of terror left the man's throat as it was no longer receiving air. The second body collapsed bonelessly into the snow as the severed head landed next to it.

Signum made to move back to Yuuno's side, but the vile man who had spoken first was on her more quickly than she could retreat. A flash of sparks erupted as Laevatein met the blackened blade. "You've got spunk, lady. I like that," he taunted, not seeming to care she had just dispatched two of his allies.

While the Knight exchanged blows with her assailant, Vita was keeping three of the four remaining marauders at bay. The fifth had met a very messy and painful end when Graf Eisen had impacted with her midsection. When the blow had connected, it crushed the already abused armor into the woman's body and pulped her internal organs, violently forcing blood and tissue to erupt from the mouth and nose.

No one had dared chance getting caught in the redhead's sphere of death after seeing such a death. Having two of their number cut down with such brutal efficiency and a third turned into a bloody mess, the brigands' had started playing it more safe than before. They had shifted to a strategy which involved darting in and out of the blacksmith's range, trying for a wound rather than a kill. Unfortunately, this had the effect of pulling Vita's attention more towards her immediate threats than Yuuno's protection.

This left one target not being checked and it decided to go after the weakest link of the three. Yuuno made a delicious looking target for the brigand, looking around almost helplessly with a fumbling grip on the dagger in hand. He hadn't even realized Vita had been pulled further away from his back as Signum fought on in front of his eyes.

It wasn't that the scholar lacked combat experience. He'd learned enough to defend himself along the road and had successfully done so more than a few times. But he'd never dealt with a situation like this before, where killing your assailant was the only option available. In previous encounters, he'd been able to subdue his attackers without slaying them. Yuuno was out of his element here, and it showed plainly on his face.

A guttural battle cry came from the blonde's left as the brigand charged him into the opening which had been made available to him. The dagger Vita had loaned to Yuuno was hastily brought up to defend its wielder against the mace being brought down with incredible force. Mass and momentum tore the short blade from the scholar's hands as he shouted in surprise and fear. It landed some distance away, far out of reach.

Fight and flight are responses of which every living being has the option of choosing when their life is in mortal peril. Fear clouded Yuuno's mind and he turned to flee in terror with the grinning and crazed brigand hot on his trail, spouting taunts and expletives.

"Yuuno, wait!" hollered Vita when she realized what was happening, to no avail. She would have given chase, but her own attackers made it nearly impossible. Graf Eisen's metal shaft blocked an axe blow aimed to remove an arm with a harsh clanging sound. The man's leering face was far too close to hers as he tried to keep the warhammer pinned so his allies could attempt a crippling strike.

It would fail miserably against the redhead's titanic strength. She pushed him back sharply, enough to allow her to smash her forehead into his own. The dazed and foolish foe never saw his end coming as Vita's mighty hammer descended like a meteor onto his head and crushed it like a grape, splattering blood, bone, and brain matter everywhere. Now her enemies numbered two and they seemed torn between taking revenge and fleeing for their miserable lives.

Yuuno ran. He ran like never before. Thoughts of attack never crossing his mind. He didn't want to kill anyone, but he didn't want to be killed either. Adrenaline made the conflict raging within him all the worse.

Eventually, the scenery began to blur in the scholar's terrified eyes and he missed a step. He came crashing down into the snow and gouged a short trail as his body slid through the frigid powder. Yuuno coughed violently as he tried to lift himself up with shaky limbs.

"Caught ya~" came sickening voice from behind. Yuuno turned his head to see his attacker's boot become larger and larger in his vision. The kick tossed the blonde onto his back and made his world spin. "Now what should I do with you... Yer kinda pretty for a dude. What a waste."

"G-get back," demanded Yuuno feebly, eliciting a laugh from the brigand. With panicked movements, the scholar tried to shuffle backwards. His heart constricted in terror when his back connected with a tree.

The foul man ignored Yuuno's pleas and leered at him," Now why would I do that, blondie?" With that, he lunged.

It was a move of desperation which saved Yuuno's life. His perception of time seemed to slow down as the adrenaline in his veins peaked. The cold air felt even more frigid. The ground was so very hard, even with the snow acting as a cushion. Snow? Snow was water, wasn't it? Water could protect him. Water had protected him before. He would die without its aid.

As the brigand came ever closer, Yuuno gasped a handful of the cold winter snow and hurled it at his attacker. Power gathered in his belly and flowed through his body. His lips parted and from his throat came words of an ancient dialect, shouted in desperation," NEN ECHANT AMATH!" Power flowed through his voice and into the reagent he had hurled.

There was no problem with the magic fueling the spell Yuuno had cast, rather his skills with defensive spellwork were quite impressive. The problem lay with the reagent. Had it been pure water, a large shield of the clear fluid would have come to life and the blonde's attacker would have likely rendered himself unconscious from impacting an immovable object at high speed. But snow is frozen water, ice, and such a material did not react properly with the magic he had called up.

The snow's crystalline flakes exploded outward, creating not a solid barrier of water, but a deadly latticework shield of razor edged blades which jutted out in all directions. They grew outwards to impale the brigand upon their frigid edges as he advanced to his doom, unable to stop his momentum. That same momentum carried him through the blade wall, his body filled with bloody lances.

His perforated form collapsed next Yuuno's body, some of the ice propping him up and leaving the pain-stricken and horrified face of the brigand turned in the scholar's direction. Shock and horror was written upon the face of the living. Blood pooled as it flowed from the corpse and stained both the snow and Yuuno's clothing deep red. The realization of what he had just done began to sink in and the scholar's pupils shrank in terror.

A scream ripped through the trees and reached the ears of the combatants. Signum's opponent merely grinned," Looks like one o' my men is having a good time with yer boy."

Signum let a growl pass her lips as Laevatein crashed against the nameless blade her opponent wielded. She'd no idea why such a worn and tarnished sword had not shattered after a few exchanges against her own. The foe who brandished it was also far beyond the level of skill one would expect. Though the blood loss from the wound upon her face was not helping matters.

Sparks flew from another meeting of steel and the Knight's frustration grew. She needed to end this now. Needed to slay this fiend. Needed to complete her duty to Lady Hayate. If Yuuno was dead, then Signum had failed in her mission and it was not something she would tolerate.

Her chance to turn this bout away from the stalemate it had become and into her favor finally came when the battle came closer to the corpses of the first two slain brigands. After Laevatein separated from the opposing longsword, Signum kicked backwards, propelling herself away from the man. Her path carried her within reach of the second foe she'd slain. A sharp kick sent a spray of snow and the severed head flying at the opponent who had been giving her such difficulty.

Whatever trick the brigand had been expecting, it was not the flying severed head of his ally. It came quickly enough he was forced to cut it away with his sword. That gave Signum the opening she needed. The pink haired Knight lunged and the sickening sound of flesh parting beneath Laevatein's razor rang out.

"You... bitch..." spoke the man in obvious pain as blood dribbled from his mouth. Signum's sword had pierced through the leather holding two metal plates together and secured her victory. It did not secure the man's death, however, as he struggled to raise his weapon in an effort to take the Knight with him to the afterlife.

She said nothing, flooding her sword with magic instead. The runes inscribed upon Laevatein flared to life and glowed a deadly red. A pained scream was cut off violently as the brigand's throat was filled with searing flame. Fire erupted from multiple orifices and wounds as Signum's blade poured blazing death into his body. Not more than a few moments later, she withdrew her sword from the now smoldering corpse and turned her attention to the remaining assailants.

The brutal display had taken the remaining fight out of the last two who had been continuing their attempts on Vita's life. As one leapt back to avoid being crushed beneath the redhead's hammer, the other took the opportunity to do what would have been wise after seeing what their targets were capable of. She turned and ran for her life only to be rewarded with a dagger in the back courtesy of Signum's extended arm. Her death rattle lasted only moments.

Vita ensured there would be no survivors amongst those who had assailed her as she charged the last enemy before her. The man had nowhere to run and put up his sword in an effort to defend himself. The blade proved to be useless against the mass and speed of Graf Eisen. There was a meaty crunch and a tearing sound preceding the messy decapitation of the last target. His crushed head bounced off of a nearby tree and landed amongst the winter bushes.

Wasting no time to watch the body fall to the ground, Vita made great haste in the direction Yuuno had been chased. Signum was close behind.

The scene they came upon did not immediately fill them with relief. Yuuno was propped against a tree, staring blankly ahead and not moving. Blood surrounded both him and the perforated body at his side. It was only the lack of any visible wounds which gave them hope.

Signum was on one knee next to Yuuno in a flash, checking him for signs of life and injury while Vita hauled the corpse out of the way. The Knight sighed in relief as her charge showed no signs of significant injury and was very much alive. She patted his cheek lightly whilst calling his name," Yuuno. Yuuno, the battle is over. You are safe now." As she spoke Laevatein was returned to its sheath.

Yuuno's face slowly turned towards Signum and then to Vita, who had taken a knee on his other side. "C'mon, wake up, Bookworm. No one's gonna hurt you."

Both sisters had to move back when the scholar sat up suddenly, horror written all over his face. "...I killed him," he finally said in a haunted voice," I killed someone." The blonde's lungs started drawing in air with short, rapid breaths which brought a look of alarm to Vita's countenance.

"I think he's gonna blow!" warned the redhead as Yuuno staggered forward on hands and knees before emptying the contents of his stomach a violent heave. Signum approached his hunched form and placed a steel clad hand on the man's back, causing him to flinch before another wave of nausea hit. She then grasped his hair so it would not fall into the mess which was forming in the snow.

"You have never taken a life before, have you, Yuuno?" asked Signum, receiving a shake of the head which confirmed her suspicion.

Vita kept her distance, knowing Signum was better suited for this kind of thing. For her sister, being a Knight had meant seeing and dealing a lot of death on the battlefield. It was an uncommon sight for a new recruit to start losing their senses after their first kill, but hardly rare. However those recruits were Knights, trained for battle and all it entailed. Yuuno was no such person.

Whenever a recruit fell to this state, it was often shouting at and physically striking the recruit until they returned to their senses, explaining the reality of their situation in the process. It worked for a soldier, at the very least. Signum herself had nearly suffered the same means of returning to reality after her first kill, but held her reaction in check. It was quite a feat in the Knight's opinion. When she had returned home, Zafira had explained things to her plainly and without sugar.

She would do the same fore her charge. When the heaving finally stopped, Signum grasped Yuuno's shoulders and forced him to face her. His eyes were bleary and red while thin trails of bile ran from the corners of his mouth. "Listen to me Yuuno," she commanded, looking him straight in the eyes," You have killed a man. However, he would have killed you had you not done so. He made his choices in his life and you should not regret having defended your own."

Vita recalled what Signum was saying, having heard it from her as well. Zafira had not been present to speak with her after the first time she had taken a life and if fell into Signum's hands to explain things. She had done so, conveying the same blunt words of her father. Though the redhead had at least managed to keep her food down in her situation.

"Life is not cheap, but do not devalue your own or those of your companions in the face of death. Do you understand what I am saying?" she finished bluntly. Signum did not expect him to suddenly spring up, stating everything was fine, but it should at least give her charge a frame of reference in dealing with what he had done.

It took a while for Yuuno to eventually nod," I... understand, Signum..." His reply was slow and gravelly.

"Are you able to stand?" she asked while standing up herself, extending a hand to Yuuno. He took it and Signum pulled him to his feet. The blonde wobbled a bit on weak knees, but did not collapse. Signum nodded in approval and released the man's hand.

Vita chose that moment enter the scene and gave Yuuno a rough pat on the back," So, you ready to ge- Kaiser!" she exclaimed suddenly upon fully seeing Signum's visage," Signum, your face! The bags. We've got some bandages and stuff." They'd known Signum had been hit by something, but not what, nor how severe it had been. In Vita's haste to ensure the safety of the man they were both charged with guarding, she hadn't fully processed her sister's wound, nor gotten a really good look at the side of her face.

Signum seemed to realize this as well as she touched the side of her face. It was a jagged gash a few inches long and had bled profusely, as any head wound was wont to do. The cold and adrenaline reduced what was likely a great deal of pain to a dull throb. She would have said something in agreement, but Yuuno stepped in.

Though still feeling shaky, Yuuno wouldn't let Signum's condition remain. They had saved his life, even though it was their duty to do so, and he would do what he could. Unless treated properly, deep wounds could become easily infected and lead to far worse problems. "I'll... I'll take care of that," he spoke, trying his best to sound strong," It will hurt though..."

He removed one of his gloves before reaching over to Signum's face and running a finger over the clotting wound, forcing it to remain open. She hissed in response to the sudden increase in pain. "What're you doing?" exclaimed Vita, ready to deck the man for his action.

"Healing her," stated Yuuno evenly, preventing the redhead from interrupting him. Signum only gave the man a sharp look. With her blood on his hand, the blonde concentrated on it and let the magic within him flow. The Knight's red life fluid pulled away from his hand and coalesced into a small sphere which turned darker and darker shades of crimson as the power flowed into it. Yuuno then placed the orb against Signum's wound and spoke," Iâr Echant Rhaw."

The sphere seemed to turn completely black before melting into Signum's cheek. She felt a sharp, burning pain, but was unable to give in to her body's natural reaction to pull away. Then, just like that, it was over. The pain was gone and when Yuuno pulled his hand away from her face, she felt only the cold mountain air.

"...It will still leave a scar, but it won't be as bad." Yuuno stepped back as he spoke, letting Vita examine her sister's face.

"Wow... He really fixed you up good," Vita stated with a bit of wonder. The blood remained, but the once severe looking tear in her sister's face had been closed up and only a jagged line of healthy pink flesh remained.

Signum touched the now closed wound with a gauntlet encased hand and felt the cool smoothness of metal. It was no healing magic she'd ever come across before. Perhaps this was the magic of the Scrya then? Still, it was effective, if not painful. "...My thanks, Yuuno," she said before the lightheadedness of blood loss returned, causing her armored body to sway slightly.

Vita held her sister up by placing Signum's arm over he shoulder and forcing the Knight to lean on the redhead. "I don't think we'll be getting to Dawnleaf before nightfall. We'd better make camp somewhere and rest up," she stated while looking at the state of the party. She was the best off out of the three and could probably make it to the village in time, but Signum had lost a lost of blood and Yuuno wasn't in any decent emotional condition.

"I apologize..." murmured Signum, feeling quite vexed with her situation.
They made tracks back to the sight of the ambush and collected their belongings. Yuuno ended up carrying both his and the Wolkenstein sisters' satchels as Vita had her hands full with Signum. He came across the dagger the redhead had loaned him. It was dented slightly, but in overall good condition and not damaged enough to prevent it from fitting back into the sheath. The scholar said nothing of its condition and quietly sheathed the weapon.

From there the three began making headway towards Dawnleaf once more, keeping their eyes peeled for a decent area to stop and rest. Up above, the sky began to darken, hearkening the arrival of another storm of snow.
-Chapter End-

[Old_Iron]

Medieval Belka
Chapter 1
Chapter 2

Spoiler for Medieval Belka Chapter 3: Shelter:

-Chapter Start-

It didn’t take long for the dark, encroaching clouds to bring yet more of winter's fury. The frigid air, which had begun to blow down the mountain at the end of the battle, now carried thick billows of snow which threatened to obscure the vision of the three who dared walk through it. The howling winds came upon them with the same fury as the pelting snow.

Yuuno had taken Signum's side opposite Vita so he could help her through the snow and not lose sight of one another. No shelter had been found yet, and from the looks of things they would not find any before the storm became fatal.

Vita called out to him, frustration in her voice, "Bookworm! You see anything?" She was far more concerned for Signum’s life than she was her own at the moment. The adrenaline had long since faded from her system, and the disorientation brought about by blood loss had set in.

"Nothing," Yuuno called back, the weight of their supplies and the armored Knight beginning to take its toll on him. He lacked the stamina someone like Vita or Signum held. Days on end of research did not grant the strength of body hammering away at a forge or practicing warfare did.

The redhead bit out a curse the scholar didn’t quite catch. "If this gets any worse..." she trailed off, some hint of desperation creeping into her voice as she glanced to the dazed and weary Signum. "Can any of your fancy-ass magic help us now?" Vita snapped after a minute or two of thought.

The scholar dug through the pouches hanging from his waist, removing some of Signum’s support as he did so. There was nothing he'd gathered that would be of any use, not in such small quantities anyway. But, if he could find...

"Let’s get off the road. I'll need a bit of time, but I might be able to manage something," he told Vita with a determined voice as he turned to the forest.

"Time is something we don't have, Bookworm," Vita replied, but did she not offer any further opposition. She lightly slapped Signum's pale cheeks when it looked as though she may doze off. "No way, sis. No falling asleep on us yet." The Knight merely cast a bleary, confused gaze upon her sister as the two moved off the road to follow Yuuno.

Yuuno had gone ahead to an area where the trees were not so closely grouped. The wind had picked up tempo and hurled yet more frigid snow through the air. He hastily gathered the ingredients he needed to hopefully grant their party shelter. Cold seeped through his gloves as he dug through the snow, gathering the largest rocks and stone he could find. When Vita and Signum reached him, his fingers had long since gone numb. Still, he pressed on.

Upon determining he had collected enough materials, the rocks were arranged in a square-like formation of roughly seven feet by seven feet. As he had done when he healed Signum’s face, Yuuno drew on the power deep within him. It started within his core and flowed outwards, commanded by his voice to work the prepared materials as he willed. When all was ready, the spell was spoken, "Cefen Sarn Bar."

A thread of crackling mana shot through the perimeter of the stones, and then for a moment silence reined.

The sisters, one far more alert than the other, watched in poorly concealed amazement as the stones began to react. From the rocks erupted pillars of flat stone, which interwove with one another until only a single, uneven panel remained. Two of the panels opposite one another leaned in on themselves and melted together where they met, forming a triangular structure. A third stone plane arose to form a final, enclosing wall, while a fourth stretched out along the ground to create a smooth floor.

At last, they had shelter. Hewn from rock, the only opening in the tent-like structure faced away from the raging storm. "It’s safe to go in..." Yuuno informed Vita with a weary voice, just loud enough to be heard over the wind.

She answered with a nod, and helped her sister into the shelter. Idly, she noticed the ceiling angled upwards in the direction of the opening. They would need a fire to keep warm and prepare food, and such an angle would allow the smoke to escape. Vita gave a mental nod of approval at Yuuno's foresight.

As Yuuno silently began a new task, Vita helped her sister prop herself up against the flat back wall of the stone tent, and began stripping Signum of her armor. The snow-frosted metal would be of no help keeping warm. Until Signum recovered the blood she had lost, the winter chill was her greatest enemy. Removing the belt holding the dagger over Signum’s chest, Vita began undoing the leather straps of the breastplate.

"How you holding up?"

"I have been better," Signum admitted with a vexed expression. Not one to let herself be taken care of she attempted to undo the clasps of her gauntlets, but fingers numbed from cold and wrapped in icy metal were poor tools with which to do so. She frowned in irritation at her clumsy movements.

"Yeah, you have. Now are you going to let me strip you or am I going to have to fight for it?" questioned Vita with a glare. The pink haired woman, for all her discipline and Knightly virtue, was most difficult to deal with when it came to doing things for her. It was a sentiment their father and Aunt Shamal agreed with, though Vita herself wasn't much better.

Signum fumbled with her equipment for a moment longer before letting out a sigh, knowing her actions would only hinder Vita's aid. She raised her arms to allow easier access to the remaining clasps on her breastplate. After Vita pulled away the front of the engraved metal armor, Signum stated what was on her mind, "This has become far more involved a task than I thought it would be."

"Ya think?" the redhead replied somewhat sarcastically while moving to remove the second half of the breastplate, "I blame the bookworm. He's got the worst luck I've ever seen since Field Marshal Harlaown." After a bit of effort, the remainder of Signum's chest armor was added to the growing pile in the corner of the shelter.

"I have to agree; however, in the Field Marshal's defense much of his 'ill fortune' stems from his mother's machinations." Signum recalled Lindy von Belka's penchant for scheming whenever given the opportunity. Her plots ranged from tactically brilliant, to morally questionable. Even a few which others would simply consider to be unusual. At the very least, none could deny her ability to turn unfavorable situations to her benefit in one way or another.

Even Signum was baffled at Chief Marshal Lindy von Belka's ability to escape her displays of impropriety relatively untouched. The existence of the Chief Marshal's illegitimate child had lost the woman a great deal of respect in the eyes of many, including herself. To say nothing of the rather insistent rumors surrounding her son's supposed father, the late honorable Chief Marshal Clyde von Belka, who had been her superior at the time of her pregnancy. Each rumor and indiscretion garnered little good will for Lindy and Chrono, the latter of whom received no favors through his mother's bargaining to be appointed as her Field Marshal.

A bargain which was rumored to have included the 'Darling Marshal of the East', the scion of the noble house of Testarossa, being named as Chrono Harlaown's Field Marshal once he became Chief Marshal of the East. Fate Testarossa was well known to be a woman of considerable military skill and fiercely loyal to the Kaiser. The Marshal's business-like attitude had served her well in keeping Lindy in check, and was rumored to be the only reason the Chief Marshal had not found herself in a den of ill repute countless times in the past.

Even as an unconfirmed rumor, Marshal Testatrossa’s involvement was likely the only silver lining surrounding the two Harlaown's situation. Should the young woman find herself in the role of Chrono's Field Marshal when he took command from his mother, it was likely they would be capable of repairing many of the damages caused by Lindy's indiscretions. It was a favorable outcome which led many to place hope in the rumors. Still, rumors were only that, rumors.

"I’m amazed she’s still in command, after everything she’s pulled," stated Vita with an amused look while placing Signum's gauntlets atop the growing pile of armor. Removing the sheathed Laevatein from her sister's person, Vita carefully set the treasured weapon aside.

"You are not the only one," the Knight stated somewhat evenly before changing the topic. "How is he faring? It would not do for the recent events to impact his ability to instruct Lady Hayate."

Vita shrugged, the conversation not interrupting her task. "Bookworm hasn't had a breakdown again, if that's what you’re asking. Other than that? Hell if I know. Though I will floor him if he starts freaking out on us again."

Signum was about to reply when the subject of their discussion entered the shelter, snow coating his fur cloak and his teeth audibly clicking together from the cold. "I-I got some w-wood for a-a f-fire," he stated, his arms full of splintered timber. He set his stockpile down in the center of the stone floor as Vita stood, presumably to give him a hand after setting down the last piece of metal Signum wore.

His hands shook continuously as near-frostbitten fingers reached into a pouch tied to his belt. A collection of small stones he had gathered while obtaining firewood was withdrawn and he repeated the same spell used to craft the shelter they had taken refuge in. The rocks flew to the edges of the stone tent's single opening and melted into them. A small crackling sound preceded the liquid rock lancing out and a lattice-work door took shape. It would keep out anything trying to get in, while still allowing the smoke and fumes from the fire to exit safely.

"D-done..." Yuuno stated before his legs started to give out. Vita caught him before he fell flat and eased him down onto the stone floor, shaking loose much of the snow piled up on his person.

She could feel the lack of heat coming from his body, "Kaiser, Bookworm, you're practically an ice sculpture!" Without waiting for a response she hauled him over to where Signum was and propped him up next to her, shucking off his soaked gloves after doing so. "Damn it all, when the hell did I turn into everyone’s mom?" Vita griped to herself as she tore off her own fur cloak and draped it over her charge and sister. It would keep them warm until she got the fire going and their own body heat would help as well.

Stone was never the best place to try starting a fire, and the condition of the wood certainly didn't help, but Vita persevered. Using the flint and steel from her and Signum's bag of supplies she eventually got a decent flame going, which rapidly began to heat their sanctuary.

While Vita was tending to the new-born flame, Yuuno extricated himself from beneath the furs and went to his own satchel. He withdrew the rabbit bones he had collected earlier that day before approaching the redhead with them. "Got a b-bowl we can use?" he asked her, his voice sounding more steady than before, even if his hands still shook as he spoke.

"Yeah, I'll grab it. You get your hands in the fire," the small woman ordered as she stood. Retrieving the cast-iron pot stowed away amongst their supplies, she also grabbed a pair of wooden bowls, utensils, and other items which would assist in cooking their meal for the day.

Signum watched the two set about preparing a meal, the only sound being the fire and the bubbling of the broth. The silence continued until she and Yuuno held bowls of steaming hot stew in their hands, a thick brew with bits of potato and carrot in it. Vita's shoddy cutting was obvious by the irregular shape of the vegetables, but it did not make the meal any less flavorful.

"Not bad, Bookworm. You'll make someone a good wife someday," Vita sniped in good humor, a grin on her face. Her male companion had done the majority of the work, and Vita was never one to pass up a good opportunity to tease someone. Not using a bowl herself, the redhead took a spoonful of stew straight from the pot.

Yuuno groaned. "I do have a name you know. Why do you keep calling me 'Bookworm' anyway?" he didn’t bother addressing the 'wife' comment.

Vita kept her grin as she shot back, "It’s what you are, isn't it? Nothing wrong with nicknames, Bookworm." Signum refrained from intervening as her sister baited Yuuno, knowing she had her own way of trying to bring cheer to a situation. It did not always work, but she could not be faulted for trying.

"Would you prefer it if I started calling you by a nickname then?" the blonde started before turning to the blacksmith with a flat stare, "... Hot Iron."

The redhead froze, and Yuuno began to worry he'd said something he shouldn't have. All was silent, and then a strange sound finally broke through the quiet. What began as a low rumble became a deep, rolling laughter that sounded more like a chuckle to anyone who did not know the source. To Vita, Signum's soft laughter was the same as a full belly laugh.

The redhead turned to face her sister and snapped, "I-It’s not funny!" Turning back to Yuuno, she continued her ireful tirade, "And you! 'Hot Iron' was the best you could come up with? I refuse to be called something so lame."

Yuuno flinched at the force of Vita's words. "... sorry," he grumbled out when his wits recovered, "I'm not used to this sort of thing." The blonde's gaze turned down to the bowl of stew in his hands, not wanting to do or say anything else to aggravate the fiery redhead.

Vita snorted, "Look, if you're going to give someone a nickname, even as a joke or an insult, you gotta make it fit and its gotta roll off the tongue. 'Hot Iron' doesn't work at all. It’s clumsy and takes too much thinking to get. Got it?"

The blonde nodded silently, taking a spoonful of the stew and blowing on it. It seemed it wasn't really the name which had set off Vita, but the low grade of name he'd tried to give her. He couldn't really help it though; he'd only known her for a day at most.

"Hey, Bookworm, you got it?" Vita leaned over to tap him on the head with the, now clean, wooden ladle, grabbing his attention. "If you're going to give me a nickname, think of a better one. I refuse to acknowledge anything so lame or half-assed."

"I got it, I got it. I'll think of something better, okay? Just don't expect it too soon," Yuuno replied, more to stave off anymore of Vita's irritation than anything. He then noticed Signum was still shaking with the aftershocks of her laughter. "Was it really so bad?" he asked in a small voice.

Signum managed to compose herself and reply with a wry grin upon her face. "To be honest, I have heard far less thought-out names amongst the troops. I recall one recruit being labeled as 'Green Toe' for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom." The poor lad had not been able to shake the name either, even after proving himself in combat. "I will admit your attempt was rather amusing, at the very least."

"I don't think I'll ever understand your sense of humor," Vita stated blandly before looking into the pot. "Either of you want anymore? If not, I'm finishing it." Yuuno waved his hand in a negative gesture while Signum put forth her empty bowl for seconds.

Her request was fulfilled and she set to diligently finishing off her portion of the meal. Yuuno watched with poorly concealed shock as Vita upended the iron container to drink down the remaining broth. It was perhaps the most unladylike thing he'd ever seen any woman do.

"What? The ladle's not going to cut it and I'm not wasting anything," she stated after seeing the scholar's look. There was an accusatory glint in her blue eyes, challenging him to speak up.

Yuuno was about to babble something in his defense, but it was Signum who spoke first. "At your current rate, finding you a husband will be nothing more than a fleeting dream. Father will be most disappointed."

The redhead's razor tongue turned away from the unfortunate scholar and towards her pink-haired sister, "You're one to talk, old maid." The words turned Signum's teasing against her and it seemed as though sparks were flying between the two women.

The scholar sighed and stood. Not wanting to become involved in the siblings' conflict, he made his way towards the entryway of the stone shelter. The crisscrossing bars of rock did a remarkable job of keeping the snow out, even if the cold was allowed in with welcome arms. He was surprised as how well the sound of the howling winds had been muffled. Through the already dark clouds, he could tell the sun was setting and soon the world would be painted pitch black outside.

Yuuno stared out at the rapidly darkening world, letting his mind wander as the winter frost tried to grab hold of him once again. This day and the last had been perhaps some of the more eventful ones in his life thus far. Robbed by noble thieves, being toyed with by one of his escorts, a life and death struggle, his first kill, taking shelter with the wounded, all of it was more than he had expected upon being summoned to the Imperial capital.

His first kill... The thought brought a chill to his bones not caused by winter's touch and threatened to empty his stomach. Even if it had been an accident that did not change the fact that it had still occurred. Even worse, he knew deep down had the man not been slain, it would have been his own blood painting the snow red.

A small gust of wind managed to make its way through the opening and stoke the fire in the shelter's center, carrying with it dancing embers and flying sparks, a few of which circled around and found themselves near the blonde man. With a half-lidded gaze, Yuuno reached out and took hold of those few marks of heat. They seared the flesh of his hand before he whispered to them, making them erupt into balls of flame the size of cherries and dance about above his palm.

Yuuno let the orbs circle about one another, bringing warmth and light to him alone in their display. It was a simple spell, designed with the purpose of control in mind and less for any real manner of practical application. He'd used it many times over the years to light his study at the Infinity Library. It was far easier to snare a few embers from the hearth in the main hall than to go begging for candles from the other students and librarians.

He wasn't sure how long he'd stared at the spiraling spheres before a voice interrupted his concentration, causing the flames to flicker and nearly die. "If you can make fire, why didn't you whip something up after the shelter?" Yuuno turned to the voice with a slightly startled expression. It was Vita, holding his fur cloak in one hand and a questioning look in her eyes.

"I-I need a catalyst for my magic, remember?" he stated before turning back to the fiery orbs. "I'd need a fire in the first place to make the embers I used to do this. Magic... can't do everything."

Vita merely raised an eyebrow before holding out his cloak for him to take. "Whatever. It’s getting dark and we need to rest up. Signum's already asleep and we've got to keep her warm."

Was it really so late already? How long had be been sitting here and what did she mean by keeping warm? "Excuse me?" Yuuno asked as he clamped his hand shut over the fires, snuffing them out. He stood upright and took the offered cloak from the redhead.

"You heard me. It’s too cold for her to sleep alone and that fire won't stay lit all night. Even if she says she's feeling better, I don't want to run that risk." Vita narrowed her eyes at Yuuno with a harsh glare before continuing. "You seem like a decent guy, but remember this: If you so much as think of taking advantage of this, Kaiser's orders be damned, I'll make you suffer and die a thousand times before I hand you over for a state execution."

Yuuno nodded slowly after the shock wore off. He honestly hadn't even considered such a situation when they'd made camp. "You don't have to worry about it. I'll keep my back turned and my hands tied."

"Tied with what, exactly?" Vita demanded, not willing to let his words be so easily taken at face value.

"Rope or even a length of metal if you want to go so far...," offered Yuuno without humor.

The blacksmith kept her gaze on the scholar for a while longer before relaxing a slight and nodding. "I'll trust you with some rope around those hands, Bookworm." Not rising to the nickname again, Yuuno let Vita tie his hands off with the length of rope which had been tying his satchel shut. It was tight, but not enough to cut off the flow of blood to his hands.

It took some effort, but eventually he and Vita were laying next to Signum's sleeping form. Signum and Vita's cloaks had been used as a makeshift bed to offer some measure of comfort while they lay upon the cold, stone floor. Yuuno's was to be their blanket as they huddled together, though he made sure to keep his back turned as he pressed against Signum's side.

As Vita's words bounced around in Yuuno's mind, he couldn't help but notice just how warm Signum felt. Those thoughts began to fade as sleep took hold of the scholar and he passed into the world of Nod.

-Scene Break-

Signum's eyes slowly flitted open. As was her habit, she awoke early. Strength flooded her veins and any feeling of sluggishness or weakness present in her body the day prior was now a relic of the past. It was quite amazing just how much a proper night's rest could do for someone.

It was only when the remaining cobwebs began to clear did she realize she was not alone beneath the improvised fur bedding. The weight on her belly, just beneath her ample bust, was revealed to be Vita. She had curled up against Signum's side during the night and was now using her stomach as a pillow. The soft snoring of her younger sister reminded Signum of the times when the redhead would crawl into bed with her, usually after a large storm or when she was feeling down.

Such occurrences became rarer the older they grew, but they still came about on occasion.

There was a slight shift reminding Signum of the unfamiliar weight pressing on her other side and shoulder. Turning her head to the side, her blue eyes widened in surprise and more than a little shock. Mere inches from her face lay the sleeping visage of Yuuno Scrya, his blonde hair strewn about after falling out if its bindings.

The objective part of Signum's mind realized Vita had likely set up this arrangement to keep them all, mostly her, warm throughout the frigid night. It was the proper course of action in their situation. Another part of her mind, however, had come to a most abrupt halt upon processing the fact she was effectively sharing a bed with someone other than her younger sister. It did not sit well with Signum.

Fortunately for her charge, objectivity won over and Signum began to relax, though she would most certainly impress upon Yuuno there would not be a repeat of these events, the cause notwithstanding. It was improper at best, scandalous at worst. Signum saw herself to be a proper Belkan woman and heir apparent to the Wolkenstein household. Such a woman did not share her bed with any man other than her husband.

Turning her head to stare up at the stone ceiling of the shelter, Signum hoped both would awaken soon. She was feeling rather stiff at the moment and being used as a pillow did not ease such a condition. At the very least, her sister was not hugging her as she slept. The girl was strong as a giant and Signum had awoken on occasion with a small bruise or two about her midsection.

When it appeared neither of her captors would awaken anytime soon, Signum took matters into her own hands. She extracted one arm and gently shook her sleeping sister. "Vita, it is time to wake up," Signum stated loud enough to awaken the redhead.

A grumble and a moan preceded the cracking open of one eye. Vita sat up slowly from her comfortable position, the furs falling down as she did so. Ignoring the frigid air, she gave a mighty yawn and stretched, eliciting a series of cracks and pops from her back. "Mmm... morning…" she greeted Signum while blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"Did you sleep well?" inquired Signum while attempting to remove her other arm from beneath Yuuno's still-sleeping form. It appeared the young man slept like the death, as none of her motions roused him.

"Better than I thought I would... Having a good pillow helped," replied Vita, proving even half asleep, she still was more than adept at employing her wit.

Signum gave her a bland look. "I am glad to have been of such assistance. Now, would you assist me?" she requested while gesturing to the still sleeping form of Yuuno with her free hand.

The gesture woke Vita up far more quickly than if had she been doused with water. "Why that...!" She reached over and gave the scholar a sharp shove to remove him from Signum's side. It was apparently enough to wake the blonde as he was rolled over, sputtering in confusion.

"W-What? Is something wrong?" he asked while trying to sit up and regain his senses. The former was made more difficult by the fact his hands were still tied.

Signum raised an eyebrow as she herself sat up fully, taking note of Yuuno's bound hands. Vita noticed the detail as well and gave a resigned sigh. She couldn't really fault him for rolling over in his sleep, even if she wanted to. "No, nothing's wrong. You rolled over, that's all," Vita said with a small huff, leaving Yuuno to try and figure out the details on his own.

"May I ask why exactly your hands are bound?" inquired Signum as she bade Yuuno to come closer so she could untie him.

Yuuno approached Signum on his knees and held his hands out for her to untie. "I didn't want any accidents or misunderstandings so I had Vita tie me up," he admitted while she undid the knots Vita had tied. It was a short-lived task and the blonde soon found himself rubbing his now free wrists to ease away the discomfort.

Signum did not press the issue further, accepting Yuuno's explanation and deciding to not take advantage of the opportunity to tease either of them. It would have been too easy regardless.

"Well, now that's out the way... how're you feeling, Sis?" queried Vita as she stood.

"I am well. A proper night's rest does wonders," answered Signum while she did the same. A long stretch removed any remaining stiffness or kinks in her joints. Exhaling a deep breath and letting the softness of the furs sink through the feet of her leggings, she finally felt alive again.

"Good to hear," was the simple reply from Vita as she looked about the shelter. She was rather impressed: there was not a single crack or sign of wear in the stone structure from the night's storm. After a short pause, she continued, "Should we get back on the road to Dawnleaf or grab some grub first?"

Both Yuuno and Signum perked up at the mention of food, the former in the process of putting her armor back on and the latter re-stringing the rope through his bag. It was Yuuno who answered. "How far are we from there?"

"Based upon our position from yesterday, it is perhaps only a few hours more at the most," answered Signum as hoisted up her breastplate. "While I would not recommend moving on an empty stomach, reaching Dawnleaf does take priority. I can hunt something as yesterday if needed."

"You're hungry and just don't want to admit it," retorted Vita with good humor before moving to assist Signum with her armor. It was not needed, but helping her would speed up their departure. "That good with you, Bookworm?"

Yuuno looked up from fastening his cloak. "It’s fine. Are we going to be stopping in Dawnleaf or heading back out after resupplying?"

"We'll only be in Dawnleaf only for however long it takes us to secure mounts. After which, we shall be riding for the capital without delay," stated Signum. While Vita tied off her breastplate, the pinkette had begun donning her gauntlets.

"Are we really in so much of a hurry?" asked the scholar as he picked up a piece of Signum's armor to hand over.

Vita shook her head, "Not really, but we're better off getting you to Lady Hayate sooner rather than later. Besides," she took on an amused grin, "it’s rude to keep a lady waiting."

"I'll keep that in mind," replied Yuuno with a small smile.

There was little conversation after the exchange, and after re-arming Signum, it did not take long to gather their belongings and set out again. At Signum's suggestion, Yuuno destroyed the stone shelter. Useful as it could be to a wanderer, it was also a potential hideout for a roaming bandit. Better for it to be returned to the earth from whence it came.

Much like the day prior, it was raw rabbit meat on the menu as Signum was unable to wait until they reached Dawnleaf to eat. Vita had a good time ribbing her sister about being a glutton and gave an approving look to Yuuno, who was far less reserved about the uncooked meal than he'd been the day before. Signum took her younger sister's jests rather well, but a look in her eyes told she would be visiting retribution upon the redhead for her transgressions.

For Yuuno, it was a new experience, being around people who did not seem to mind his heritage. For the most part, people ignored or looked down upon him for what his people had done to the Empire. It was one of the reasons he often traveled alone whenever he had to venture beyond the library's massive walls.

It was however rather embarrassing for the blonde when Signum stated, in no uncertain terms, his presence in her bed would not be tolerated again. Vita had backed up the statement, but could not resist a jab about her elder sister being an old maid. It had set off another round of taunting and teasing between the two. Yuuno found the scene to be rather amusing, but made a note to never utter the nickname in Signum's presence.

He rather liked living.

-Chapter End-

[Old_Iron]

And the last chapter for the evening.

Medieval Belka
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Spoiler for Medieval Belka Chapter 4: Dawnleaf:

-Chapter Start-

It took the three only a few hours to reach Dawnleaf. They had been closer than expected and the absence of bandit attacks had certainly helped.

Dawnleaf itself was a rather sizable town, primarily due to its location as the last place to acquire supplies before trekking up through the mountains. It was a most valuable location and one of the lifelines between the Empire proper and the myriad small villages dotting the massive Schildkrote mountain range. Trade was of great importance here and it had made a name for itself in various goods.

Still, it paled in comparison to the Belkan capital city. A fact Vita took a fair measure of pride in when informing Yuuno.

They had made their way to the stables soon after passing through the large gate leading into town. The large man in charge of the facilities greeted them as they approached, though he seemed far more interested in the sisters than in horses, Signum in particular.

"Mornin' miss, what can I do for ye?" he asked as Signum approached, his eyes lingering a little too long for her liking.

"We require three horses for travel to Belkastern. I would prefer at least two of them be comfortable with carrying armored riders." Signum got straight to point with the man, not wanting to waste time nor wishing to remain in his sight longer than needed.

The stable master raised an eyebrow. "Three, huh? That'll be pretty pricey. Especially if you're wantin' them to be comfortable with armor..." He stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Not even sure I've got any right now, actually."

Signum's eyes narrowed. "How 'pricey'?" she questioned, not liking the tone of the man's voice.

"Well...," he began, thinking the fur-cloaked women likely lacked the funds for the price was going to name. He would have gone through with his pan had Signum not shifted her stance, causing her cloak to part slightly. It revealed enough of the Belkan seal on her armor to let him know this was not a woman to be trifled with.

"Is there a problem?" asked the pink haired knight with a slight edge to her voice after the man had gone silent.

"No, no problem, ma'am. It'll just take me a bit longer te get what ye need. Not many are needin' mounts like that outside the army," he replied somewhat hastily, dropping the less formal form of address.

"How long and how much?" demanded Signum cooly.

Now with the situation having been turned on him, the stable master began to sweat. "T-Tomorrow mornin' at the latest. A couple of hours at the earliest. Probably won't be more than twenty sovereigns a head."

Signum kept her steely blue gaze on the man for a little while longer. "That will be acceptable. One of us three will be return within a few hours to confirm the arrangement." She paused to make a gesture towards Yuuno and Vita, who had remained silent the entire time. "I take it payment upon our departure will be satisfactory?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll do my best and await your return." He then beat a hasty retreat to the stables proper to go about his duties, both requested and standard.

"That was really impressive, Signum," commented Yuuno a moment after the exchange had finished, eliciting an amused snort from Vita. "What?"

"That's nothing, Bookworm. She eats scum like him for breakfast. The last time someone tried to get in her trousers, she sent 'em running off with just a glare," commented the redhead with a grin.

"I am glad you find my ability to attract and terrify lowlifes so amusing." Signum's unamused and sarcastic tone indicated she would rather not deal with such individuals in the first place. Vita simply shrugged, not exactly denying the accusation.

"Perhaps we should find lodging in case we have to stay the night? Or even just look around town?" offered Yuuno as a way to move things along. "There are a few things I'd like to look for if you don't mind."

"It would be a sound plan," agreed Signum before recalling something, "Though unless you have acquired funds out of thin air, you have nothing on you to barter with."

Yuuno shook his head in a disarming fashion. "I'm not going to steal anything if that's what you're thinking. I just want to get an idea on what's available at the market and if I can arrange for payment later if I really need something. I doubt I will, but it won't hurt to look." The blonde's green eyes were honest to Signum and she accepted with a nod.

"Well, unless you two are going to make doe eyes at each other all day, why don't we actually look for a place to stay. We can at least get something to eat," stated Vita, earning a glare from her sister and an embarrassed flush from the scholar. Really, he was far too easy. It almost took some of the fun out of teasing him.

Signum began walking, needing no gesture for Vita or Yuuno to follow. "If I recall correctly, there is an inn on the northern side of the town. I hope it will be better equipped than the one we stayed at on our first visit."

Vita needed no reminder of the place they'd stayed in when first arriving in Dawnleaf at the beginning of their quest. They had not known about the second inn and ended up staying in a dingy place in the southern quarter. After a cold night under worn blankets, a very unusual and unpleasant smell which permeated the building, and the occasional scampering rodent, the blacksmith had been rather irate upon discovering the existence of a second place to stay.

"I don't want to know, do I?" asked Yuuno when he saw Vita shudder in disgust. Both sisters merely shook their heads.

After obtaining directions to the inn, it was actually only a short jaunt to find it. It looked reputable at the very least and no one had said anything openly bad about the place while they sought the location. The inn itself was rather large and was constructed from a combination of stone and wood. The large double-doors at the front were nondescript save for a parchment nailed to one of them. A wooden sign hung from one of the support pillars for the snow-covered overhang above the walkway.

"'The Wild Horse Inn'?" asked Vita skeptically, making certain she was reading the hanging sign correctly, "That doesn't exactly inspire thoughts of a good night's sleep."

"Much less anything relaxing," commented Yuuno. "At the very least we should check it out. It can't be as bad as the other place you mentioned." The sisters nodded in agreement and the three entered the establishment.

The sisters’ first impressions of the inn were comparatively favorable. The structure inside appeared to be closer in design to the inns in the capital. Namely there being a large central meeting room which branched off to a mead hall in one direction and rooms in another. The crackle of blazing hearths was pleasant sound to their ears.

A tall man with black hair was talking behind a counter to a shorter brunette, who seemed to be amused about something. After she left in the direction of the mead hall, the man called out to the three. "Greetings, travelers, and welcome to the Wild Horse. Ye gonna be stayin' the night or just here for some eats?"

"Dunno if we're staying the night, but it wouldn't hurt to get a room anyway," stated Vita to Signum and Yuuno. They nodded and the redhead turned back to the innkeeper. "We'll take a room if you've got one."

He nodded with a friendly grin. "Sure thing miss. You lot got lucky, I've only got one left. I'll still have ta charge ye for a full night's stay though, even if ye leave early. That'll be..." He looked at the three and began counting on his fingers.

A voice shouted out from the hall, "Ten from each!"

"Thanks dear!" he hollered back. "Yeah, it'll be ten sovereigns from each a' ye. That's my wife, by the by. I'd probably have gone under by now if it weren't for her." He sent a fond look in the direction the voice came from.

Signum raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, reaching for the coin purse containing the travel funds provided by Lady Hayate. She withdrew the coins and handed them over to the man. "What room will we be staying in?” she asked after the exchange.

"The one with a rabbit above the door. It'll be down the hall, near the end. I'll show ye." he stated before waving the trio to follow him. They did so and were led to their room without fuss. When they arrived, he unlocked the door with their room key and handed it to Signum. "Will ye be needin’ anythin' else? An extra key, just ‘n case?"

The pinkette nodded, "It would be appreciated." She handed one key to Yuuno while pocketing the second provided to her. "Yuuno, If you intend to look about the town, I would request Vita accompany you. Given your... proclivity to attract trouble, I prefer you not be alone."

Yuuno looked rather embarrassed at the statement, but could not deny it. Vita looked a little put out, however. "You sure we can't just let him wander around? He's not completely helpless, you know." The scholar winced at her words.

"I would appreciate it if you would grant me this request," stated Signum, an odd tone slipping into her voice.

"If this is going to be a problem, I can just stay here," Yuuno offered in the hopes of staving off another conflict like earlier. To facilitate his point, he set down the bags he had been carrying.

Vita sighed and grabbed his wrist, dragging him towards the exit, "No, it’s no problem, Bookworm. Besides, we've got to let the stable master know where we're staying." She turned her head back to glance at Signum, "I'll watch out for him. You just take a load off, sis."

As the amusing sight of her sister dragging the taller, older man out the door vanished, Signum turned back to face the inn's proprietor. He favored her with a curious look, likely wondering just what exactly the issue was. "I am curious. Do you happen to supply baths for tenants? I am aware that it is currently the dead of winter..." she asked. It had been days since her last one and she did not enjoy the feeling if she could avoid it. She supposed the luxuries of home had spoilt her.

A look of realization crossed the inkeeper's face. "Wanted some time alone ta get the grime off, eh? Even in this weather, some people just want ta get clean. Well, we certainly do, miss. It won't even cost ye anythin', if ye can provide your own safe heat, that is" he stated jovially with a stress on the 'safe'. He certainly didn't want her burning down his inn.

"I will be able to do so, thank you. But something to eat would be appreciated," Signum replied.

"Right then. It'll take a little while for the bath water to be brought in, gotta melt some snow and all, but I can have your food delivered sooner if ye prefer. We've got fresh pork... chicken... oh, and some lamb too. It’s a bit more pricey though. Imported and whatnot."

Signum shook her head as she picked up the satchels, "I shall wait, thank you. And the pork, if you do not mind. Also, if you simply bring in the snow and tub, I will be capable of handling it from there." With her request complete, the woman made her way into the room to get off her feet for a time while the innkeeper left to go about his duties.

- Scene Break -

Vita and Yuuno walked in relative silence until after they had met with the stable master. The meeting was rather quick and without incident. Apparently Signum's mannerisms had taught him better than to make improper advances, at least so far as she and Vita were concerned. Fortunately, there were horses available for them to take. The only catch was the time it would take before they were ready.

"'Come back in a few hours' he says," grumbled Vita as she and Yuuno left the stables. "He's just pissed off that sis is made of better stuff than the local tramps."

"At least we've got mounts. We should be able to make it to Belkastern if we don't mind riding through the night," offered Yuuno as a means of placating the irate redhead. When no response was forthcoming, he changed tactics, "Maybe we should get something to eat?"

Vita did not respond for a few moments. "Yeah, let’s get some grub..." She began trudging off towards the town square where there were likely to be food vendors and whatever stores and stalls the scribe by her side was likely to visit. Even the harsh Belkan winter could not stand up to the power of commerce.

"Is something wrong? Well, I can see something is wrong. But is there anything I can do to help?" asked the blonde. Vita seemed more volatile when Signum wasn't around and she hadn't appeared all to happy when she had been assigned his escort by her sister.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just don't like it when Sis treats me like I'm a child. I'm fifteen for Kaiser's sake. I've tasted battle. I'm an established craftswoman. I could get married if I wanted to!" Vita stated hotly as they approached the square's entrance.

Yuuno wasn't sure what to think, he didn't have any siblings and the other students and scholars certainly didn't fit the bill. "I'm... not sure what to tell you. Maybe you should be glad she watches out for you so much?"

Vita turned her gaze to Yuuno, giving him an appraising look. "You don't have any siblings, do you?" she immediately regretted asking when he flinched. "... sorry. The thing with siblings is no matter how much you love each other, there's always something the other does that'll piss you off."

"And for you it’s being treated like a child?" clarified the green eyed scholar, receiving an affirmative nod in response. "I... don't know what it feels like to be honest, but I don't think she was treating you like one."

"You've only known her for two days, Bookworm. I don't think you have enough authority on the subject of my sister to make that judgment," Vita quipped with a slight grin, Yuuno's attempts at diffusing her foul mood having borne some fruit.

They approached a street vendor and acquired some food to eat while they looked around. A loaf of bread and some imported fruit was split unevenly between them, costing them a few sovereigns. Yuuno found the cold fruit to be rather delicious, while Vita preferred the fresh bread.

After taking a hefty bite of her bread and swallowing it, Vita posed a query to her companion, "So, what exactly are you looking for anyway? Reagents, or something?"

"Something similar. I mentioned my staff was stolen, correct?" the redhead nodded. "Well, a proper mage's staff isn't something which can be replaced. Each one is hand crafted by the mage who will use it. You could say it’s priceless to the mage it belongs to."

Vita took another bite as she watched Yuuno examine a small violet hued crystal. "But why do you need it? I've seen what you can do with reagents and stuff. Seems a lot more effective than the wand-waving I usually see." She ignored the slightly offended look the shopkeeper shot at her.

Setting down the crystal, Yuuno bade Vita to follow him to a new stall. "Keeping my heritage low-key for one. The other reason being unless I have a staff, I can't cast any of the spells I know not belonging to my people's school of magic. And if I can't cast those-"

"You can't teach Lady Hayate," interrupted Vita somewhat grimly. A feeling of dread settled over her as the thought of this entire mission being for naught. Not only would their time and effort have been wasted, but Lady Hayate would be quite disappointed. She hated letting her childhood friend down.

"... no, not quite. But it does limit what I can teach her in terms of actual spells and how far I can take her education in other areas," clarified Yuuno while examining a rather peculiar looking feather, alleviating Vita's dread for the most part. It was one thing he never really liked about the magic outside of his clan. It was far too reliant on things which could be lost, destroyed, or stolen. At least with reagents, anything would do if you had some decent skill in the art.

"Why don't you teach her some of your magic then? I mean, it looks pretty handy." She popped the last morsel of bread into her mouth while awaiting a response.

Yuuno shook his head and spoke in a softer tone. "Tradition dictates clan magic be taught only to members of the clan. Even if they're all but dead, I want to hold onto what little I can. I... couldn't stop her if she somehow managed to get her hands on a clan tome, but she'd likely hurt or even kill herself in trying to learn unsupervised."

"Well, why don't you make her a member of your clan? Something official enough so you can teach her if she does find one of your old books. I don't want her getting hurt because of your pride," growled Vita while sending a glare at the scholar. If he was exaggerating, she did not appreciate it.

"I'd have to wed her, and I doubt you or anyone else would want such a thing." Those words stopped Vita's retort cold as she realized what she had been demanding. Yuuno had returned her glare with one of his own. Though his voice lacked the vitriol hers had.

The blacksmith averted her gaze with an abashed expression and gritted teeth. "... sorry. It’s just... I care a lot for Lady Hayate. She's my best friend and we grew up together. Thick as thieves, and whatnot. We're like family."

Dropping his glare, Yuuno's expression softened. "I... sort of understand what you mean." He turned back to the square, where things were still bustling and lively. "I don't think I'll find anything useful enough here. Shall we head back? We can at least put our feet up until it’s time to depart."

"If you say so. But don't be sitting on your ass or I'll bust it," replied Vita with some good humor, the tense atmosphere easing away.

"I'll make certain not to." With that, the pair began making their way back to the Wild Horse, finishing off any of the remaining morsels of food on their person. Vita found it particularly amusing when Yuuno bit into the seeds of his apple, causing him to swear at the unexpected and slightly painful resistance.

The path now familiar to them, returning to the inn took relatively little time. The main entryway was empty, but the sound of laughter and merriment from the mead hall indicated the innkeeper was likely taking a break. Vita merely shrugged when Yuuno gave her a questioning look. It was no business of theirs.

Vita was close behind when Yuuno reached into the pouch where he'd stowed away the room key Signum had handed him. "She's probably asleep, so don't make a lot of noise," cautioned the redhead.

Yuuno unlocked the door as silently as he could and opened it, feeling a wave of warmth billow out of the room. He promptly froze in place, drawing a confused look from Vita until she looked past him. The scholar immediately found himself bodily thrown backwards. Vita's shout of "Don't look!" fell on deaf ears as he landed on the ground, a bewildered look upon his reddened face.

Behind the once more shut and locked door, Signum Wolkenstein was feeling far more mortified than she'd ever felt in her life. She did not know whether to curse whatever deity had deemed her a subject for its amusement or Yuuno Scrya himself. Said mortification and her state of undress were likely the only reasons she had not attempted to seal Yuuno's mouth with Laevatein. Regardless, she sat back down in the large wooden tub and stared at the doorway where her sister stood.

"... in his defense, you probably should have said you were going to take a bath before we left," Vita slowly commented as she approached her red-faced sibling. The words caused Signum to sink further into the lightly steaming water.

The redhead took a glance towards the blazing Laevatein, resting with the blade atop the sheath on the floor, which had been heating the room and likely had been what heated Signum's bath. The magic flames of the sword were quite impressive, being able to incinerate whatever their master wished and however they so desired so long as they were close by. By commanding her blade to blaze, but not burn, she had warmed what would normally be a frozen room to something far more hospitable.

"... I am ruined," stated Signum after Vita knelt down next to the large barrel serving as a bathtub. "I have shared a bed with a man to whom I am not wed, and now he has seen me unclothed... I am unfit for marriage." She conveniently ignored the facts of the former infraction having been for her own well-being and the latter being due, in part, to her own errors.

Vita decided to cut her despairing elder sister some slack and not make a comment about how she was already unfit due to her age. Twenty-one years of age and not a single suitable suitor. There had been offers, certainly, but none seemed to fit Signum's standards, nor their father's. The blacksmith supposed she'd had a hand in the issue as well, having driven off a few of Signum's admirers she had found to be lacking.

"Look, why don't you finish up, get dressed, and we can all talk about this like sensible human beings. Besides, it was an accident and it’s not like you lost anything." Vita raised her hands in a disarming motion when Signum turned a fierce glare upon her, not finding the candor amusing or refreshing in the slightest.

"Nothing save my dignity and honor," stated the pink-haired knight evenly as her shock faded into a justifiable anger. "I will not allow this infraction to pass unchecked."

Vita sighed in resignation, not used to being the voice of reason for her sister; particularly when it was often the other way around. "Just don't kill him. Lady Hayate does need him, you know," she requested while removing her gauntlets and rolling up the sleeves of her tunic.

"I... will endeavor to do so," Signum acquiesced as her sister began washing her back with a cloth rag. Silence pervaded the room, interrupted only by the sounds of scrubbing and splashing water. Eventually, the knight broke the quiet completely. "Were you successful at the market?"

The blacksmith snorted. "Hardly. Aside from learning a few things about Bookworm's magic and that our rides'll be ready in a few hours, it was a complete bust. Says he couldn't find anything useful for a new wand… staff… magic-thing."

Signum arched an eyebrow. "He did not need such a thing before. I take it such a device does not apply to his own brand of spellcraft?" She ran a finger over the scar upon her cheek as she spoke, recalling the unusual magics Yuuno had woven to stitch together her wound.

"Yeah... about that. Turns out he can't do anything beyond the basics of our magic without it. I don't get it, but I'm not a mage." Vita wrung out the rag she'd been using thus far and clapped her sister's shoulder before the pinkette could respond. "Well, time to get dressed and face the music."

"You seem rather... amused by this, Sister," commented Signum as she exited the bath and began to dry herself with another cloth provided. Considering Vita's temperament and protective streak, particularly taking into account what had been done to seal away the scholar over the course of the night, the redhead's actions seemed off.

Vita simply shrugged, taking a more pragmatic point of view. "He saw you in the buff by accident; he didn't attack you. He's not gonna get away without paying for it, but think of it like one of the maids walked in on you back home." Even though her comment sounded like proper advice, the redhead idly wondered if she'd be able to keep her own words were she in Signum's place.

The knight gave no response other than a nod as she dressed herself, choosing to forego the armor until it was closer to their time of departure. After taking a breath, she looked to Vita and spoke, "Let him enter." Her sister approached the door and opened it.

Yuuno stood there, back turned to the doorway and not making a movement to face the one who had opened it. "Is it safe?" he asked a few moments after hearing the door open.

"Yeah, it’s safe," replied Vita before donning a smirk, "Well, safe to look at least. Dunno about your health." She grabbed the back of his cloak and pulled the man into the room, eliciting a squawk of surprise from him.

He looked about cautiously to make sure it was indeed safe. The sight of the wooden bathtub brought a flush to his face, a flush which darkened further as he laid eyes on the now clothed Signum. Yuuno's mouth worked furiously to form coherent words until he finally managed to spit something intelligible out, "I'm terribly sorry, Dame Wolkentsein! I-It was an accident and I meant no ill will."

Signum cast a critical eye over the scholar as she stood straight backed, with arms crossed and projecting an aura of displeasure. "Regardless of whether or not it was an accident and also regardless of your intent, this does not change the fact of the matter, Yuuno Scrya"

Yuuno swallowed nervously as he bowed his head. "I... am aware..." He could not believe his misfortune ran so deeply. And things had been looking up for once.

In the background, Vita was torn between joining in her sister's berating of the man or simply watching the exchange with amusement. She'd probably still deck him as punishment though. He had seen her sister improperly after all.

"For your slight against my dignity and my honor, I shall have you take proper responsibility. Know your actions carry a heavy price." Signum's hard words struck Yuuno like a warhammer as he contemplated all manner of horrific punishments which could easily be inflicted upon him. Even if he was chosen to be the instructor of the Arch Mage's successor, his position was not a shield. Particularly if the infraction was against Signum's honor.

If she truly viewed the situation as such, Signum could easily demand any number of things as a means for him to take responsibility for his actions. From a simple task to even his life, her position as heir apparent to the Wolkenstein household gave her a great deal of power over him even in the face of what many would consider a relatively minor offense. The flint in the woman's eyes told him she viewed this as anything but minor.

"I... am prepared to pay the proper price," Yuuno managed somewhat weakly, sweat forming on his brow.

Signum nodded. "Good. For now, know I hold your life in my hands and I shall expect you to remain utterly silent about what you have done. So far anyone else is concerned, these events never took place. Am I clear?" she finished rhetorically while placing a hand on the now sheathed Laevatein's pommel.

"Absolutely." When it appeared Signum would say nothing more, Yuuno sagged bonelessly where he stood. At the very least it appeared as though he was safe for the moment.

Vita decided after seeing the scholar's reaction, she would hold off on her own punishment for the time being. There was a limit to such things. With the confrontation over, she broke into the void left behind, "Well... Now that's over and done with, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when it’s time to go."

The tense mood was shattered and Signum felt a twitch beginning to develop in the corner of her mouth. "...Very well," was all she said as her younger sister flopped down on one of the available beds, the other being covered in pieces of armor. The knight turned to Yuuno, "And what will you do?"

Yuuno shook his head, "I'm not sure. Meditate, most likely." It would be the best way to clear his mind to avoid making a fool of himself around Signum and further worsening his situation. It would be in his best interests to not recall her graceful frame, the water dripping from sensuous flesh and sinfully generous curves, a washboard stomach and faint outline of detailed musculature. The faint chill not slain by Laevatein's fire had raised goosebumps along her skin and brought to attention other aspects of her beautiful frame. As the image painted itself in his mind, the scholar shook his head violently. "... yeah, I'm going to sit over there and clear my head."

Signum shot him a look clearly indicating clearing his head had better be the only thing he does. As Yuuno sat down to meditate, she drew Laevatein and began polishing the enchanted blade.

They passed the remaining hours in such a fashion until Signum broke Yuuno from his trance and raised Vita from her slumber. From there, they gathered their things and departed, returning their keys to the innkeeper and reminding him the bath would need to be taken care of.

Within the hour, the trio was well onto the path to their final destination, the capital of the Belkan Empire.

Belkastern.

-Chapter End-

[Sunder the Gold]

And this is why women generally didn't travel save with family or their own husbands.

But then, women also didn't tend to warriors.


So, the Black Wind isn't Fate, eh? Red herring. Perhaps it's actually...

Wait. Took his magical staff?

Yeah, that clinches it. The leader of the Black Wind is Nanoha.

[Craxuan]

On deathcurse's latest chapter, I really could not think anything else other than 'Final chapter final chapter final chapter', so I'll refrain from reviewing in detail, unless someone thinks a full page of 'final chapter' is good...

As for Old_Iron's, I'd much rather you have the first three chapters as a single one because the content and detail are mostly the same and can be summed up as 'trio's one journey to Hayate'. Not to mention that it looks to be a very, very long story...

Ugh, I have to rid myself of this laziness somehow and write, write...

[yuiseppe]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Split into two parts because of length:

Prerogative of the Brave

Spoiler for Prerogative of the Brave, Chapter 6 (part B):

“Ready to go?” Vivio asked, watching Hayate finish off their sashimi dish. She looked up and raised her hand for the bill, checking her watch at the same time. They weren’t exactly pressed for time yet, but they should be off soon to get to the concert hall for when the doors opened.

Hayate let out a happy hum as she chewed on the last tuna piece, turning her attention to the bill the waiter placed on the table beside her.

“I got it—” Vivio stole the bill out from under Hayate’s hand, smiling as she carefully counted out enough yen to cover their meal plus tip. She took a second to double-check her bill denominations, then closed the bill and handed it back to the waiter. “I couldn’t possibly ask you to pay.”

Hayate held up two hands in surrender. “I’m flattered, but…”

“I insist,” Vivio said in her best Takamachi-stubborn voice, grinning as she happily took Hayate’s hand and placed it in the crook of her near arm as they walked out. “Besides, it’s thanks to you that I even have a job to be able to pay.” Even though as a student intern, Vivio only made two-thirds the salary of any other GFDC officer, it was still more of an income than she could use as a teenager who still lived at home and was fed by her mothers.

“Not really.” Hayate stumbled a bit on the sidewalk, and Vivio consciously slowed her pace, remembering their height difference. It was hard, learning how to walk in close proximity with someone else. Military marching drills weren’t quite applicable in date situations. The brunette glanced up at Vivio, her blue eyes sparkling with open mirth. God, Vivio’s stomach just back-flipped right there. “I wasn’t on the selection panel.”

“What?”

Hayate nodded, laughing. “I wasn’t. I had no say at all in who the Ground Forces chose to fill the single internship spot for the Strike Team.”

“You…really?” Vivio gaped.

“Is it that hard for you to believe? Your school record speaks for itself, Vivio.”

She blushed, feeling a strange giddiness in her stomach. Oh, Vivio knew that her grades were good, but…wow. She had written the hell out of that application, and Nanoha had very patiently looked it over for her after every nervous correction or rephrased sentence. There had been 200 applications from various schools, and Vivio had been given the only placement by a panel of people who didn’t know her at all.

Hayate chuckled, patting Vivio on the arm as they stopped by the curb to hail a cab. “I told you then, didn’t I? You did a fantastic job, and you deserve the position, ‘Wolf-1’,” Hayate winked.

Hearing Hayate’s voice say her call-sign always made Vivio twitch while in the field, but this time she shivered, going red when she realized that Hayate would have felt that through their joined arms. Could she be any more embarrassingly obvious? “Um,” she stuttered, “A cab? I mean, sorry, how do we—”

“Right,” Hayate said, shivering a little as the wind picked up. She dropped her grip on Vivio’s arm to button up her jacket, and Vivio felt the cold keenly. She covertly stood behind Hayate, letting her taller frame act as a wind-block—that is, if Hayate was actually cold and hadn’t just used it as an excuse to let go of Vivio. Calmly, Hayate lifted a hand, facing the on-coming traffic and leaning into the road. It looked like madness, and Vivio restrained the urge to grab Hayate’s collar to keep her from falling onto the street.

Like magic, a black taxicab appeared and halted aggressively in front of them. Hayate opened the door, took one look at Vivio’s borrowed, straitjacket-like hundred-thousand yen dress, and decided to get in first, sliding across the leather seat for Vivio to clamber in after.

“Crystela Concert Hall,” Hayate told the cab driver, and they were on their way.

“It’s strange how—” Vivio shut her mouth, flushing as she realized that she had nearly blurted out how the cab system was different on Mid-Childa compared to Earth. That would have been an incredibly stupid breach of TSAB security on an Un-Administered planet! “—how drivers can so easily memorize maps of whole cities.”

“It’s a little weird,” Hayate conceded. “I haven’t ridden many cabs before, but I’m always surprised by that too.” She explained further, “I either didn’t go out much, or Nanoha-chan’s family or Suzuka-chan’s family would drive us around. Or we bused, you know, like normal teenagers.”

“I can’t wait to get my licence,” Vivio said passionately, daydreaming about one day being able to drive Fate-mama’s sleek car. She and Nanoha both admired Fate’s car, even if they weren’t as obsessed with it as Fate was. Immediately, Vivio wanted to kick herself. Hayate had blinked and bit her lip, and Vivio could practically read the unease as the older woman suddenly remembered just how old Vivio was—since Vivio had stupidly reminded her of it.

“Um,” stammered Vivio, “I think we’re almost there?” The streets were getting busier and busier as this district tended towards more personal vehicles and richer clientele, meaning that the curbside was loaded with limousines and luxury cars. Somehow, the cab squeezed up between two shiny cars, and Vivio held her breath as the car came to a halt without causing an insurance nightmare.

“Here,” Hayate said before Vivio could act, handing the cab driver a bill through the partition.

“Fine,” Vivio sighed playfully. “Thanks.” She hopped out, stumbling a bit as she landed on the road instead of the curb. Although if the cab had turned in any closer, its front wheels would be on top of a very expensive-looking car, so Vivio forgave the driver for that. Vivio stepped back, then held out a hand to help Hayate out.

Smiling gratefully, Hayate put her fingers into Vivio’s palm, jumping out considerably more gracefully than Vivio did, clutching onto Vivio’s hand to help her balance after the awkward jump. Vivio pulled Hayate forward onto the curb as the cab engine growled as it drove off.

She didn't think about it; she couldn't help herself. Vivio's thumb slid downward, stroking the delicate bones of Hayate's hand.

Her skin was so soft.

Vivio felt Hayate's hand jerk an inch away, and she let go, letting their hands fall limply apart.

Hayate's breath quickened; she seemed about to say something, and her hand twitched. The crowd by the concert hall entrance were facing the other way, but other latecomers were approaching from both sides of the street. Vivio waited.

Then she said, "Here, your ticket."

“Thank you,” Hayate said quietly. She took the ticket and reached forward, but Vivio had already walked over to the door, holding it open for Hayate and the other patrons. They were mostly silent as they walked into the glass and white stone concert hall, collecting programmes from the door attendant and passing their tickets over. All of Suzuka’s complementary tickets were in the front section of the theatre, but Vivio had specifically requested for tickets that were to the side and behind her parents’ seats. She adored her mamas, but sitting beside them while on a date was just a bit too uncomfortable of a thought.

Vivio swallowed, then touched Hayate’s arm gently, guiding them down the stairs. “This way, Hayate-san.”

The hall was nearly full; the concert would begin in just a few minutes. Most of the patrons looked to be about Hayate’s age or older—understandable, since most youngsters like Vivio either weren’t interested in classical music or couldn’t afford the high price of tickets to a Kaioh Michiru concert. As a result, Vivio was getting a lot of curious looks from the people they passed by, making her a little uneasy. Would they make assumptions about how Vivio was holding onto Hayate’s arm?

Or worse…would they think nothing of it, thinking that it wasn’t anything unusual between a teenager and an older guardian?

She scanned the row and smiled when she saw the backs of Nanoha and Fate’s heads—with that unnerving mother’s instinct, Nanoha turned around just as Vivio and Hayate reached their seats. The Ace of Aces beamed and gave them a small, friendly wave. Hayate grinned and lifted a hand in greeting back, while Vivio bit her lip and tried to subtly drop her grip on Hayate’s arm without seeming too rude or too obvious, blushing.

Fate smiled warmly, and Vivio felt her ears burn as her red-eyed mama gave her a little wink, barely visible in the dimming auditorium. Damn, she could never hide anything from her Fate-mama. Vivio tensed, looking down at her shoes as Hayate stepped into their row and sat down next to a tall blonde woman in a white tuxedo. Would it be too childish to wave back? She definitely wouldn’t shout a happy hello across the row, like she would if attending a pop concert with her friends.

Too late—the lights swiftly dimmed and refocused on the stage. Vivio hastily dropped into her seat as the curtains drew back, clapping along with the audience as the two violinists walked onto the stage, both of them in similar elegant gowns and bowing to their appreciative audience.

Michiru and Suzuka began playing, and the twin violins sounded different to Vivio’s ears although the music blended to form something nice. The entire concert hall was as silent as a midnight stake-out, and Vivio could practically feel the sound waves filling the air with energy like magic. At the end of the first song the audience was frozen as the last note faded, before clapping a thunderstorm of appreciation.

Hayate leaned over, half-yelling into Vivio’s ear to be heard over the din. “What did you think?” She looked just as excited as if she were about to close an important negociation.

“It was…nice!” Vivio shouted back, unable to think of a more descriptive word. She fumbled for something more intelligible to say. “Um…they sounded good…”

Of all the times for Vivio to feel like a six-year old child, awkward and ignorant and anxious, it had to be now?

“Did you hear that counterpoint?” The tall blonde on Hayate’s other side remarked, still clapping along with the crowd. “I haven’t heard something like that since the Bach concert in Kyoto.”

“It’s an original piece!” Hayate replied enthusiastically.

Vivio opened her mouth, but right then Michiru started playing again, and so she shut up as the audience stilled again to listen, now with an excited tension. Vivio swallowed, straining to try and pick up anything special in the music.

It sounded good, but Vivio didn’t listen to enough classical music to know much about what Suzuka and Michiru were doing to make their pieces spectacular.

When the second piece finished, Vivio said quickly, “I liked the middle part. It sounded kind of different.”

“You mean when the meter changed?”

“…Yeah?” answered Vivio, slumping a little lower in her seat.

“I liked that part too,” Hayate said, although there was a hesitance in her voice. It was hard to tell if that oddity was from a polite lie or from some other reason. Vivio had a hard time reading Hayate’s face then, under the dimmed lights of the auditorium.

“Both Kaioh-san and Suzuka-chan did a great job alternating rhythms.”

“Yeah, they did.”

Hayate didn’t answer. The violinists started playing again.

“…That one was quite different—is it more modern, or something?”

“I think it was more Romantic.”

“…Oh.”

“Um, Romantic, as in, the Romantic Era. There are more…well, more expressive parts compared to Classical pieces.”

“Oh, I see. You can tell?”

“The first two were more traditional, but I think Suzuka-chan told me that most of their songs are Romantic ones.”

“Ah, okay. Yeah, I liked this one better.”

“You did?”

“The earlier ones were nice too, but this one just felt more emotional.”

“You like the more emotional ones?”

“Um, yeah, I guess I do. I think that might be why, um, I usually like songs with lyrics better. The good ones, I mean. I empathize with them more.”

“I see.”

“…um, do you like classical music?”

…

“Sorry, what did you ask before?”

“What? I can’t remember…oh, wait. I asked you if you liked classical music.”

“I—”

“I mean, if you like classical music—sorry, I, uh, interrupted you there.”

“It’s okay. Yes, I do. I used to listen to it when I stayed at home a lot. It was relaxing, and I never got tired of it.”

“Oh?”

“That was when I was alone, before I met my knights and your mothers.”

“Ah, okay.”

…

“Suzuka-chan did a great job on that last one.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She…well, that solo part is really difficult, and she performed it flawlessly. That’s…pretty great.”

“I thought that she nailed it, yeah. I liked it.”

…

“Michiru-san is really good.”

“She is. That was amazing.”

“Yeah, it really was.”

“Her style is…well, it’s different. Than what most people do.”

“I see…in what way?”

“She’s quite famous for…well, her technique. Um, how she plays.”

“Oh?”

“Yes…”

“…okay.”

“Okay.”

…

“Wow, that was…Suzuka-chan and Kaioh-san really played something amazing! I wonder which of them wrote that piece?”

“…”

“…Vivio?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, I, uh…um, could you repeat that?”

“I…it’s nothing.”

“…”

“…I just thought they did a good job on that last piece.”

“Really? That’s…that’s great.”

“Hm.”

“Yeah! They must have played really well, if you think so. I mean, since you know a lot about it and all, so you have a proper critic’s judgment.”

“I guess so.”

“…yeah.”

…

“…”

“…”

“…So, how many more songs until the intermission?”

“What? Oh, I wasn’t looking at the program for…I’m not…um…after the next one.”

“I see.”

“I was, uh…did you know that this would be Michiru-san’s seventh album?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Um, do you like her songs?”

“Um…yes. I bought all her other albums before.”

“Oh…how? I mean, here…”

“Suzuka-chan would ship them to me.”

“Oh.”

“…Yeah.”

“Um, that’s great. Good.”

“…”

…

Intermission.

The curtain pulled shut. People started getting up. The aisle filled as guests moved towards the exits.

“…um, Hayate-san…do you want to go out and get drinks? Everyone else is…”

“No thanks. Um, drinks here are alcoholic, and I think I’ll pass for today.”

Vivio blushed, realizing her stupid mistake. Even worse, Hayate knew it too, and had deftly provided an out for Vivio to save her pride. If she weren’t wearing a fancy dress, Vivio would have hunched down in her seat in dejection.

“Good choice—I never understood the need for people to be drunk when listening to great music,” their neighbour remarked.

Hayate turned to her left, politely curious. “Do you attend concerts often, miss…?”

“Tenoh Haruka,” introduced the stranger, smiling charmingly as she held out a white-gloved hand to Hayate. She was handsome, but still looked undeniably feminine to Vivio’s eyes. Her wavy blonde hair seemed constantly wind-swept, and the hand that she was extending was fine-boned like an artist’s but strong like a fighter’s.

She unnerved Vivio in a strange way.

Vivio wasn’t sure she liked that.

Hayate put her hand into Haruka’s, but instead of shaking Haruka bent and kissed Hayate’s knuckles in a utterly proper knightly fashion. Vivio breathed in and out, watching the white-suited woman’s lips pressed briefly against Hayate’s fingers.

“I’m Yagami Hayate; nice to meet you.” Hayate pulled her hand free from the tall blonde, her cheeks lightly pink, and half-turned to include Vivio in the conversation. “This is my—”

“I’m Takamachi Vivio,” Vivio said quietly instead. She’d rather not have another moment like the restaurant. She held out a hand, her wrist angled, and Haruka shook it firmly.

“Pleasure, little kitten,” she said charmingly, winking. Vivio nodded back, unimpressed. Haruka raised an eyebrow, then her expression turned thoughtful. “Takamachi…are you related to Nanoha-san?”

Vivio smiled a little. “My mother.”

“She’s Suzuka-san’s friend,” Haruka nodded, smiling as she was able to place them. “Michiru is quite impressed with your friend’s talent.”

“Oh?” Hayate perked up, her eyes assessing. “It sounds like you and Kaioh-san are close, Tenoh-san.”

“Haruka,” came the husky correction, complete with a smile that made Vivio’s heart jump involuntarily even as she bit her lip, tense.

“I can’t possibly call you that, Tenoh-san,” Hayate laughed, tilting her head with equal charm. “How could I talk with such a famous pianist so familiarly?”

“Ouch,” Haruka winced playfully, “You recognized me.”

“Any fan of Kaioh-san knows of you too, Tenoh Haruka-san.”

“I suppose there are worse ways to be recognized,” Haruka laughed again, but the mirth couldn’t disguise her undercurrent affection. “And I suppose there are worse ways for a pretty woman to address me than ‘Tenoh-san’?”

“It could depend on how Vivio addresses you, Tenoh-san,” replied Hayate, reclaiming Vivio’s attention when she heard her name.

Vivio shrugged a little. She hoped they didn’t think she was being rude. “‘Tenoh-san,’ of course. I would hate to embarrass my parents by being discourteous.” She went silent again.

There was a moment of awkward silence from Vivio’s heavy comment dropped into the levity. Then Haruka said, “Well said—the new generation still has some polite young people, yes, Hayate-san?”

“Our generation isn’t that much older, Haruka-san,” Hayate returned easily. “An artist is always young, aren’t they?”

“If Michiru asks, my answer to that is always yes,” Haruka faux-whispered, and they laughed.

Vivio glanced at the stage. The curtain was fluttering. They may be ready to resume. But while the lights stayed on, Haruka and Hayate kept talking, a teasing conversation mixed with learned commentary. They were relaxed and intrigued by each other. The casual wit hid cunning minds.

This was the kind of conversation Hayate excelled at.

Vivio stayed silent.

Hayate’s Lieutenant-General and Commander nature really shone through. Especially when Hayate was dressed so beautifully. Shining with expensive jewelry and revealing her quiet sophistication.

It wasn’t a mask.

All part of the amazing Yagami Hayate.

Vivio laid her hands in a fold of her borrowed dress.

**O**

"Vivio-san," Haruka said, halting the younger blonde's movement with a single hand on her wrist. Vivio waited, watching Hayate move away through the crowd as they stood in the emptying aisle. Even the last of the most enthusiastic applauders had stopped and were finally exiting alongside excited murmurs.

"Look," the tall woman said quietly, "I didn't meant to tread in on your girl—"

"It's alright."

Haruka raised her brows, her handsome features clearly dubious.

Vivio sighed. "I'm not jealous, Tenoh-san. It's really alright. I'm glad that Hayate-san could talk with someone who's interested in the same things and can speak at the same level." She dropped her gaze. "Is that all?"

Slowly withdrawing her hand, Haruka stayed in front of Vivio for a moment. "...Okay. I just wanted to apologize for my inconsideration."

Vivio shrugged it off, smiling politely.

Haruka's teal-blue gaze didn't waver. "Have a little faith in yourself, little kitten."

"What?"

Haruka chuckled, her carefree teasing tone back in place, but the hand that she laid on Vivio's shoulder was affectionate like an elder sister's. "She likes you. It doesn't matter that this isn't something you're interested in." She gave Vivio a final smiling nod before heading towards the stage, disappearing behind the curtain looking for her partner.

Hayate liked her? Vivio bit her lip, feeling her heart rate jump as she hurried up the steps towards the lobby. Even after seeing clearly how far apart they really were? Of course Hayate liked her—Vivio knew that Hayate loved her. But it seems like that gap in ages and standing couldn't be jumped, not truly, and especially not in Hayate's eyes, for Hayate to love her in the way Vivio wanted.

This wonderful day would become just another tick in Hayate's list of awful first dates, Vivio knew, her head hanging as she glanced around for Hayate and her parents. She found them standing together by the entrance, chatting as they waited for her.

Nanoha-mama's hands were wrapped around Fate-mama's arm, the two of them blissfully oblivious to the odd looks from the other theatre patrons. They looked so comfortable with each other, and even with Hayate, who was turned towards them with a long-standing ease that spoke to their old friendship. What Vivio wouldn't give to one day be able to stand next to Hayate like that.

But it wasn't just up to her.

And there was no point in dreaming when they all had to go back home, to the real world. At least Vivio had tried. That was something, right?

Right then though, Vivio wished that she could go back to a week before, when she at least had the hope of what might be. Anything but the cold facts that she now had to admit to.

Time to grow up, Vivio.

**O**

The limo was unnaturally silent. Even though Suzuka had to stay longer at the concert hall for interviews (and Arisa had stayed behind to wait for her), their friend had generously asked Falin to pick them up in the Tsukimura limo, saving them all a trip back to the mansion. Vivio scuffed her shoe sole silently against the floor mat, engrossed with the motion. Maybe her parents and Hayate had picked up the atmosphere, since they were also oddly quiet—or simply communicating telepathically. No doubt her parents were talking that way; they had been remarkably sensitive and restrained so far, the only indication of their curiosity in their alternating gazes between Hayate and Vivio, which Vivio avoided deftly.

Seated next to Vivio, Hayate was staring out the window, also pointedly avoiding eye contact with Nanoha and Fate. Vivio just had to look over and see the gorgeous fall of Hayate’s hair over the curve of her neck to be cowed into looking away again.

She felt bad for bringing the mood down. The adults probably wanted to talk about the concert or gossip about their friends, but Vivio was keeping them from feeling comfortable.

The limo seats were wide, but Hayate was sitting a little closer to Vivio’s side than to the limo panel, so through the thin material of her dress Vivio could feel the agonizing warmth of Hayate’s thigh radiating to her skin, making her muscles quiver as she tried to ignore the sensation. Unsuccessfully ignore the sensation.

The vehicle slowed, then rolled to a gentle stop. Falin opened the door, cheerfully announcing, “We are back at the mansion. If it is alright, we’ll have a late dinner today so that Miss Suzuka and Miss Arisa can join us before the evening performance.”

“That sounds fine,” Nanoha answered for all of them, climbing out and gallantly giving Fate a hand out. Vivio sighed, dejectedly envious. She started to rise but was stopped a second time that day by the weight of a hand on her wrist.

“Vivio,” Hayate said quickly, as if she had to blurt out words she had been rehearsing over and over in her head. “If you don’t have anything you want to do while we wait, um, there’s somewhere I’d like to take you to. If you like.”

“Oh?” Vivio tilted her head curiously, a smile tugging at her lips. “Where?”

Hayate smiled at Vivio’s intrigued excitement, a playful glint shining through her composed expression. “You’ll see. Let’s get changed to some comfortable civvies, and meet in front in, say, ten minutes?”

“Sure.” Vivio tried to keep her expression calm. What was Hayate up to? She practically skipped up to her room, dropping her dress on her bed and yanking open her closet to grab a pair of jeans and a Strike Team polo shirt. Where were they going? Hayate had said civvies, but should Vivio still wear something nice? But Hayate had said comfortable…

“I guess I’m going with comfortable then,” Vivio decided, pulling on her jeans. She grabbed a sweater, then winced at seeing the wrinkles in the sleeves. Replacing that one with one that Falin-san had ironed, Vivio yanked it on and quickly ran a brush through her hair, checking her appearance in the mirror.

She looked like she was about to go run ten laps around the training field. Or about to lounge around at home on the couch. Then again, Hayate had seen her in worse before, right?

…Maybe she should change?

No time. Vivio bounded down the stairs, taking the last few ones in a jump as she slid towards the foyer. She turned the corner and nearly ran into Hayate.

“Oof!” Hayate didn’t even have a chance to stumble before Vivio had caught her, nearly lifting the lighter woman up in her arms.

“Sorry!” Vivio reluctantly let go after she set Hayate back on her feet. It was a little weird how she was bolder with her hands when wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Or maybe it was just the situation that had her doing less “thinking” and more “doing,” which seemed to work best for Vivio.

But that wasn’t how adults had relationships.

Vivio dropped her hands, stuffing them into her sweater pockets to keep them out of trouble.

“Let’s go,” Hayate said, seemingly unfazed by the previous situation. She was a little underdressed for the weather, only wearing a long-sleeved shirt over top of a blouse and dark pants. But then again, Hayate handled the cold differently than most people—she would either be quite affected as slight people were, or utterly oblivious to temperatures that would cause other people to shiver. It never ceased to remind Vivio that her crush was the master of an ancient ice-based magic that held enough raw power to blow up spaceships and chunks of planets, and that she controlled that power effortlessly every day.

“Where are we going?” Vivio asked.

A wide, honest grin was her only answer, and Vivio swallowed a few times to wet her dry mouth as she followed Hayate out the door. They walked down the street, and Vivio noticed the number of pedestrians thinning as they walked on, heading towards a quieter district along the main roads.

“There,” Hayate tugged on Vivio’s sleeve to stop her, keeping hold of a fold of Vivio’s sweater as she happily pulled them over to the glass doors of an open air, quaint little teahouse. The warm-coloured wood and wide, comfortable space immediately made Vivio’s tension ease, as the tranquility of the place seeped into her muscles.

“Welcome to the Amber Teahouse!” The young server greeted from behind the counter. “Please, sit anywhere you like, I’ll be right with you.”

Vivio let Hayate guide them to a seat by the open wall, her eyes still transfixed on the careful attention the teahouse girl was spending measuring out tea leaves. She had never thought of tea as such a precise art, from the focus that the other girl was spending on the dried leaves! No wonder Nanoha always winced whenever Vivio and Fate made their tea instant or from store-bought teabags.

“Did you use to do that?” Vivio asked in an undertone, finally turning from the sight to sit down across from Hayate at a small round table. The table was shielded from drafts by a wall, but still situated nicely to be warmed by the sunlight slanting in from the open store-front.

“Not like that,” Hayate replied, amused at Vivio’s fascination. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands, watching Vivio with a gentle scrutiny. “I couldn’t drink much tea when I was younger—Dr. Ishida wanted to avoid any adverse effects from the herbal components and my medication, so I never learned about tea-making.”

“That sounded like a lonely time.”

The empathic statement made Hayate tilt her head thougtfully. “I suppose it was, even though I hadn’t noticed how much so until after my knights came to me. But it’s not just me—you had some lonely times too.”

“It’s weird,” Vivio frowned thoughtfully. “I can barely remember. I’m not even sure how much of that was real, then.” She gave a weak smile. “Fate-mama understands, but we don’t talk about it much.”

“I’m sorry,” Hayate said, contrite. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

Embarrassed, Vivio coughed. “It’s okay—I kind of started it, didn’t I?” Still, she thought that they were both relieved when the long-haired teenaged server stopped by their table with two menus, placing it before them perfunctorily.

“Good afternoon—I’m Sarasa, your server for today. Do you have any questions about anything?” The server asked, smiling warmly. This was a girl who really liked her job, Vivio thought. She couldn’t imagine working such a sedate job and enjoying it, but then again, the older teenage girl probably hadn’t grown up in a military life like Vivio had.

“Vivio?”

“Um, I’m alright,” Vivio said. “I don’t really know about this stuff—I’ll have whatever you recommend.”

“My recommendation? Hm,” Sarasa looked between Hayate and Vivio carefully. “I think…a nice silk dragon jasmine blend for you, miss.” She pointed to the picture in the menu in front of Vivio. “It’s a mixture of traditional green tea and jasmine flowers—light but flavourful. And for you, ma’am, I would suggest the golden pu’erh. It has a nice earthy taste from being aged for 5 years in China’s mountain caves, and has a taste that is unlike anything here in Japan.”

“Done,” Hayate said, handing the menus back to Sarasa. “Thank you.”

“Would either of you like to order from the desserts menu?”

“No thanks,” Vivio laughed. “My mama’s family owns a bakery in the neighbourhood, so I have to work off all those sweets first.”

“A bakery?” Sarasa furrowed her brows, thinking. “Ah, St. Germaine’s or Midori-ya?”

“Midori-ya,” said Vivio, taken aback at the other girl’s reply.

“Ah, you’re a Takamachi! They make amazing cakes—we’re lucky that they are on the other side of the neighbourhood,” Sarasa grinned, “or else Seriho-san and I would be out of business. Anyway, I’ll be back with your orders, please relax and enjoy yourselves.”

“Wow,” Vivio remarked to Hayate, pushing up her sleeves and leaning back in her chair to balance with the front two chair legs slightly off the floor. “I didn’t realize that Nanoha-mama’s family is so well known around here! That’s twice today I’ve been recognized, and I’ve never even visited Earth before.”

“A skewed sample,” Hayate chuckled, resting a cheek on her fist. “Besides, shouldn’t you be used to it? Both your mamas are quite famous back home.”

Home. Yes, Vivio remembered. They were on vacation right now.

She stifled a sad sigh, instead letting her chair legs drop back to the floor. When Hayate’s expression shifted into curious concern, Vivio gave her a smile, not quite successfully screening the wistfulness from it.

“It’s nothing. I’m just…thinking about how we’ll have to go home soon.” Vivio shrugged, looking away before forcing herself to meet Hayate’s gaze again. “Did…did you have fun on our date today?”

An un-encouraging blend of emotions swirled on Hayate’s face, and this time it was Vivio’s turn to observe her quietly, noting all the little changes in the older woman’s countenance. In a different place and time, Vivio probably wouldn’t have been able to see past Hayate’s polite politician’s mask, but here they were both in casual home clothes and on a planet far away from anyone who matters in their daily lives. So Vivio saw a lot more than Hayate probably realized she was showing. Hesitance, confusion, reluctance, guilt…and underneath it all, a hint of fear.

Well.

That fear was a hopeful sign, in a twisted way. After all, if Hayate didn’t care, then she wouldn’t be afraid, would she?

But Vivio couldn’t see the one emotion she was hoping to see.

So that was that, she supposed.

“Never mind,” Vivio said quietly, exhaling slowly to still her quivering chest. “Don’t worry about it. I think…maybe we should be going back now.” She pushed her chair back, reaching into her sweater pocket for her wallet. “Besides, it’s almost tim—”

Hayate caught onto Vivio’s hand, her fingers curling tightly around Vivio’s.

Vivio stopped.

Hayate closed her eyes for a second, then opened them, looking directly into Vivio’s red-green eyes with her deep, unfathomable gaze. Vivio was bespelled—even if the world exploded around them, Vivio would not have been able to look away from those blue, blue eyes.

“Sit,” Hayate murmured, somehow making the word an order without a semblance of command. “Sit with me for a while.”

Vivio breathed in, then out. Slowly, she sunk back into her seat, still unable to look away. “Okay.”

They sat there silently, even after Sarasa came back with their tea. The tall teenager took one look at them and quietly placed their teapots and cups down and swiftly left again, leaving Hayate and Vivio to sit in the yellow-orange light from the skyward sunset.

Hayate was the first to break their eye contact, although by then something had changed so that it wasn’t so intense, so breathless, as before. Yet Vivio didn’t miss the sensation, because whatever had happened didn’t disappear, it just changed into something she couldn’t quite name.

It was a nice day, Vivio decided, watching the play of golden light burning across the pale bark of the bordering trees. From where they sat they could see the sunset through the empty arms of the tall pines, and where the sun met the horizon starbursts of red, pinks and purples ribboned out across the blue sky. It was glorious yet cold, and distant yet warm. Her forearms, bare below the scrunched up fabric above her elbows, prickled with goosebumps from the chill wind, but that didn’t bother Vivio.

From the corner of her vision Vivio could see Sarasa and another woman step out from behind the counter to rearrange the porch furniture for the evening customers, both of them working with the silence of familiarity. Vivio watched them, seeing their relaxed postures and unguarded smiles when they brushed up to each other in their work. The older woman was surely the master of the teahouse, but she and Sarasa were evidently more than just coworkers. Even when working, they weren’t really working, but enjoying their time spent with each other.

Surprising, how easily Vivio could forget that. Forget that enjoying time didn’t always have to be the same as doing things.

She had done a lot of things during this week of vacation. She had actually enjoyed doing most of it, even if her emotions had been sent up and down like a flight test.

They were all going home tomorrow, and then things will go back to the way they always had been, because that’s what people did when they returned to work and routine life. Right now, Vivio didn’t even worry about that—she was content. The worry was something in her mind, not in her heart, and since she knew that it couldn’t last Vivio was going to bask in the sensation while it was present.

Like a good dream, Vivio didn’t have to forget this past week once they all woke up from the lassitude of vacation time. And she wouldn’t forget.

She couldn’t.

Unfortunately for her.

Maybe one day, it’ll all make sense, and she would have been glad over the risks she had taken, and the bravery she had tried for.

Vivio looked at Hayate, and saw the brunette commander staring far, far away, her expression blank with the same dreamy mood that had settled in over them both. So Vivio turned her gaze away too, breathing in the crisp evening air and watching the tree shadows dance across the pavement.

They had to go back to the mansion for dinner soon.

And right then, Vivio realized that Hayate was still holding onto her hand.

Spoiler for Author's Note:

OMG, this chapter was insanely hard to write. I literally came up with 6 to 7 variants of a chapter outline, only to throw out the last version entirely and just went with it to finish this chapter on sheer gut instinct ^^;;.

Morgan Link is an OC, and Hayate’s ex, from an earlier Hayate x Vivio Files story of mine called “Gut Feeling.”

“The Honour Roll” is the name of an actual sushi place, and “St. Germaine’s” is an actual bakery. Names were taken just for fun, no real life connections to the story!

Cameos! Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Tenoh are, of course, from Sailor Moon. And Sarasa and Seriho are from Fujieda Miyabi’s Chatting at the Amber Teahouse, a delightful manga about a teahouse that seems to attract a lot of lesbians XD. And there was a partially sneaky name-drop cameo, for the sharp-eyed readers! ^_-

Many thanks to DezoPenguin, Shigan, and Extrinsical for helping me out with this chapter! Also, a huge thanks to all the wonderful readers who reviewed with such nice things—I went back and re-read them all while I was struggling to write this chapter and despairing that it would never be done. Nothing inspires like knowing people really want to see what happens next XD. Really, this is for all of you ^_^.

One more chapter to go!

Wooooo!!! Have been waiting for this.

I thought the best part was how you played the tone of conversation during the concert. It was just dialogue but the succinctness reflects the lack of time to converse in an actual concert. I was also cringing for Vivio ;D Can totally empathize with her feeling miles and miles out of her league with the whole affair.

Shizuka and Arisa's talk really set the theme for this chapter, huh. I am glad there was some shock in there, which made Hayate ask what anyone should be asking themselves in that situation. Nice to see that she's more clued in by the end of the chapter

Also very glad you kept the line about getting pedophile points XD LOL!!

Oh, oh, one curious point: how on earth does one mistake Vivio for Hayate's daughter? :O :O