Feeling a bit excited that Lon’qu had advertently shared his water yesterday, I pop inside his tent. “Guess what! This is going to be the first time you’ll make friends with a girl and it’s going to be Robin!” “Since she’s like the other Robin, this shouldn’t be too much right?” I pull out the list and tap her name on it, she’s number 4 in this adventure. I give him a big cheery smile.
He sighs audibly. “I’m not sure why you’re so adamant about this…”
Laura: “Because we are both learning!” (More like I’m learning so much about you. And this is what keeps me going.)
He sighs again, louder than the first.
I laugh. (Even his sighs are cute.) “Anyways! Let’s go!” I put my hands on his back and practically shove him out of his own tent.
Lon’qu: “Remember…. This is all because of you.
Laura: “Uh huh!” I give him a thumbs up and head back to my tent to listen. Once again, I am sitting on my bed.
Robin: “Well, Lon'qu. It looks like we're partners for today's training session. You'll go easy on me, won't you?”
I flinched, my heart racing… (I wasn’t aware that they had private training sessions together…? Since when…)
Lon'qu: “Hmph.”
Laura: “A noncommittal answer…”
Robin: “...Was that a yes or a no? In any case, let's get on with it.”
(Oh… maybe it wasn’t planned… maybe she just went up to him…) This eases me slightly.
Lon'qu: “What in blazes are you doing, woman? Why are you...throwing...figs?!”
Laura: “What is she doing… though maybe in another some other time and space I may have done the same..?”
Robin: “If you can't get close to a foe, you must engage him at long range. Basic tactics, really! I'm surprised you'd be unfamiliar with them.”
Lon'qu: “Well, no matter. It's not as if you'll ever hit me with one...”
I know for a fact, if he said this to me, I would do everything to try to hit him…
Laura: “Don’t edge me on…”
Robin: “We have to... HIYA!...get close, too... HIYA!...train properly... HIYA!... Just a bit father…”
Laura: “See what I mean…”
Lon'qu: “ARGH! I won't stand here to be pelted with fruit by a madwoman! I'm leaving!”
Not soon after, he’s at my tent door.
Lon’qu: “You left me with a madwoman…”
I was shocked… (We weren’t supposed to talk about any of these events…?)
I take off the earpiece, scramble out of my bed and open my tent flaps. “I… I thought we didn’t talk about this…?”
His eyes pierced through me like “but you did this to me.”
Laura: “I- I didn’t expect her to be like that… give her a try?”
Lon’qu: “Throwing figs though…?” He crosses his arms.
Laura: “But, you dodged them all! You did well!” I clap my hands together applauding him.
Lon’qu: “You owe me a training session...” He turns away and heads to the training grounds. I follow quickly… like I got scolded…
He was holding a bow and I actually get excited. “A-are you actually training with a bow today?!”
Lon’qu: “To be versatile.” A smile forms on my lips as that’s what I said about it.
“Hehe.” Escapes my lips before I even realized it. Then, I coughed to hide it. (But why do I feel like I need to even hide it?) Laura: “Well, *cough* great!”
Lon’qu: “Heh.” (Did he— Is he smiling?!!) I blinked, and his face was stoic and stern as always. (M-maybe I imagined it…)
Lon’qu: “I shoot. You parry.”
Laura: “W-what?!?” He releases a bow and it hits the ground right to my right boot. Thud! (That… if he was serious he would have hit me on purpose! Just getting this close means he also planned to aim there…!)
Lon’qu: “Ready…?”
Laura: (No not really?!) But, I hold my axe ready to swing it… “…!”
He releases and the arrow hits the top of my axe. I haven’t swung at all… CLANK!! The sound of the metal of the arrow hitting the metal of my axe.
My heart is pounding in my chest. (I know he would never purposely hurt me… right…?) I take a deep breath and get ready for the next attack. But… it never comes.
Instead he walks over and hands me the bow…
Lon’qu: “…You shoot and I’ll parry.” He takes out his sword and stands in his ready stance.
“Huh…” Confusion seeps in, I’m not exactly sure how to take all of this in. (Did he do this because he was aimed at by Robin?!) I shake my head. “I… I never really used a bow and arrow before but f-fine I’ll do my best!” I fire an arrow, and he hits it… to the ground.
I shoot off another arrow. Swish! Thwack!
Swishhhhh! Thwack…!
I smiled to myself, recalling the old days when I watched him train. How I had watched him hit arrows on the ground. (And now, here I am…) Actually training with him. My heart quickens. (Surely, it’s from this workout?) I fire off more arrows the best I could.
The training session kept on going until we parted ways for the night.
The next morning I arrived outside his tent and there’s a sign. The sign reads, “Out.”
(For him to actually use it…) I recall a prior memory.
*Flashback*
Laura: “You know Lon’qu, you could have mentioned to me that you were on a mission! Or at least wrote it on your door that you were gone.”
Lon’qu: “Why?” “…Were you waiting out here the whole time?”
Laura: “Maybe… but I also noticed some people were gone well like both Robins and their crew, so I figured they had taken you along with them too. So, I wasn’t out here the whole time.”
Lon’qu: “It was an urgent call, and you… were still sleeping.”
Laura: “You could have woken me up…!”
Lon’qu: “For you to fight in that condition? No. It’s taken care of anyways.”
Laura: “Well! My point still stands! Let’s just write little signs and hang them up when you’re out and about.”
Lon’qu: “…No.”
Laura: “I’ll write them for you, but you have to use it!!!”
Lon’qu: “You’re not backing down are you…”
Laura: “Nope! Or I’m going to stalk when you leave and come back!”
He sighs. “Only one...if you must.”
I hand him a piece of paper. “There, my masterpiece. One word.”
The sign reads “Out.”
Laura: “It’s so you huh?” I laugh as he takes it in his hand.
Lon’qu: “It’s straightforward.”
Laura: “Good I’m glad you like it.” I tease. “But seriously! Please just hang it up when you’re out and I’ll do the same!” I quickly add, “Only when we’re not together!”
Lon’qu: “…I’ll think about it.”
*End of Flashback*
Laura: “I guess he’s out again huh…” I look at the sign again, and notice that he’s written the word “mic” on the bottom very small too.
(Wow... I could have missed that.)
I raced back to my tent and put on the earpiece on.
Not too long after… her voice comes on…
Robin: “Hello, Lon'qu. Hey, where'd you get that nasty bruise on your chin?”
I tense up. (A bruise..?)
Lon'qu: “......”
Laura: “…?”
Robin: “Ah, right. Fig wound. Sorry about that. ...Gracious, it looks rather swollen.”
Lon'qu: “I never imagined you'd continue your fruity assault while I slept!”
My heart drops. “W-while he slept!? Last night?!?”
Robin: “But it was the only way I was ever going to hit you...”
Laura: “She was really determined huh…” A part of me wants to go up to her and ask her why she did that and how could she do that when I had explicitly told her that I wanted to PAIR up with him…!! (Is this betrayal?!) I looked down at my hands that I subconsciously held my pillow and squished it…
Lon'qu: “And how reckless of you to be sneaking into my tent at night. What if you'd been seen? Imagine what people would've thought!”
My heart drops even further. (What would I have thought…?) “…”
Robin: “Oh, it's all right. I know exactly when and where everyone sleeps. I made sure I wouldn't be spotted.”
Laura: “…”
Robin: “...Er, yes. I think I was trying to be clever and disproved my own point...”
Lon'qu: (Heh.)
Laura: (He laughed….) My heart is in knots.
Robin: “Wait...did you just laugh?!”
Lon'qu: “No.”
Robin: “Right! The game's afoot! I shall make you laugh one more time, no matter what!”
Lon'qu: “How do I get myself into these things...”
I sigheddddd.
Lon'qu: “Enough, Robin!”
Lon'qu: “You've been mocking both me and your training. Don't deny it.”
Lon'qu: “When we spar, you adopt a curious expression and poke me in the ribs.”
Laura: (So… they have been training together…) (Though, I shouldn’t be surprised. He does go on with missions with the other shepherds from time to time. And he’s probably trained with them too on the missions… Like he’s spent time with Robin, Vaike, Gregor, and now her…)
Robin: “And haven't you noticed how much more relaxed you've been?”
Laura: “…”
Lon'qu: “What are you talking about?”
Robin: “I'm talking about how I stand close, and you don't even break a sweat.”
I heaved out a small breath. “…”
Lon'qu: “...Gods above... It's true... How could I not notice? What witchcraft is this?!”
Laura: “…”
Robin: “No magic, I swear. Just two comrades-in-arms who've grown accustomed to fighting side by side. I'm sorry if my behavior seemed strange, but I was only trying to help. I know all about your phobia of women, so I came up with a plan. I thought if I acted strangely enough, you'd be so distracted, you'd forget all about it!”
Laura: “…Why do I feel wounded…?” I wanted to curled up into a ball and just lay there. Then I remembered the sign! I ran to grab one of my signs to hang on my front door…!
Laura: “…!” (I got caught!!!)
Lon’qu: “…You’re leaving, where…?
Lon’qu: “T-to go on a mission with R-Robin.”
He looks at my face… (Can he read how I am feeling….?)
Laura: “T-The other Robin…! So… y-yeah. B-Bye!” The heart hammered in my chest. I ran to Robin’s tent without looking back once.
“R-Robin!!” I panted out of breath from running. “S-Scouting mission...”
Robin (male): “Let’s go then. I’ll invite some of the other Shepherds too.”
Robin (male): “Oh, Lon’qu! Perfect timing. Care to join today’s scout?”
(I ran here…! And he’s already here?! Why?!)
I cursed inwardly. (Say you got other things to do! Say no!!!)
I couldn’t help myself but look to where he was after Robin called out his name. The bruise under his chin… (He didn’t even bother to bandage it or anything.) (I want to reach out and heal it…) My finger twitches at my side.
Robin (female): “Of course he’ll go!”
Laura & Lon’qu: “!”
She came out of nowhere. I’m on an edge.
(Great… the last person I wanted to see today…) “Umm actually I’m not feeling too great so…” I peeped out quietly.
Laura: “I-I’ll just head home and rest. Yeah…”
Robin (female): “Oh! Please do take it easy, Laura! Lon’qu and I can handle it.”
Even from all the way over here, I can see that he tenses up. I flinch.
Laura: “R-right… h-have fun then.” (I feel like crying, but why do I want to cry…?) I waved bye quickly and I turn on my heels to run home.
In my tent, I plop on my bed and hug my pillow. (He goes on missions with everyone. I know this.) “This is nothing new…”
“He’s not always paired with me… even though I asked for it to be so…” (This is not the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last…)
“Is it because they are close now?” My stomach drops.
“She’s the tactician she strategizes. Different missions call for different tactics.”
(Maybe it was my fault for thinking training and missions were special… celebrating our victories… spending time together…)
“When, all it is just a mission…”
“He’s taken on missions because of his expertise, his skills, his swordsmanship.”
“I’m taken on missions for my healing and to pick off straggling enemies.”
“We are all called for when it’s necessary to complete the mission.”
I sigh. A sigh that seems to stretch out into nothingness.
I pull out the book from under my pillow. More like loose pages combined than a real book though.
I flip through the pages and see countless of doodles of what should be Lon’qu… every major battle we faced. Important missions, memories that I wanted to try to draw and recreate… (Ugh. This is so…)
“I should just rip this out and throw it away…”
(But… I can’t…)
I laugh at my awful drawings.
“I’m… a mess…” I get up and pick up a pencil, and flip to an empty blank spot.
“I want him to make comrades with the Shepherds… right?
(So… why do I hurt so much…)
I sketch his face with that bruise of his…
“Bruised by a fig… unthinkable…”
(By the time I finish this doodle, the pain will go away… won’t it?)
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