With that said, it was nice to see Renne and Sherryl again. It looks like those two have even managed to find their next placement in the facet of life. They're studying at St. Astraia now, alongside Princess Alfin and her girl's group. And from the looks of it, the two have already become friends with one another. How nice.
From there, Emperor Eugent III concluded the banquet. He dismissed himself together with Empress Priscilla first to go and greet the Nobles who have arrived to partake in the ball tonight. Chancellor Osborne retreated back into his study, and he will likely make his own appearance when the time comes. He's good at doing that. As to where the dance will be held, it's in a popular gathering spot inside Valflame Palace. The very same room that you get to use and see an actual dance when Princess Alfin officially debuts in high society later on. Esmelas Garden! By then, it would be with Class VII.
But now, it's only the end of S1199. It's like getting a sneak peek as to what will happen down the line. That includes Fie and Emma so I am quite curious as to how that will develop. Only time will tell~
With the groups now split, we all headed inside our respective changing rooms. On the girls' side, there were a total of seven girls. Princess Alfin, Musse, Elise, Fie, Emma, Renne, and Sherryl. It would have been eight, but Captain Claire returned to her duties to guide all the Nobles inside. A shame. I would have loved to see her in a dress. It's quite rare, but it does happen in the games, and let me tell you, she is breathtakingly beautiful during that.
But that's enough about Claire. The girls could now be seen in their fitting room. Several fancy dresses sporting different colors could be seen on racks scattered around. They weren't alone either. Princess Alfin brought along a few maids to help them fit into these dresses once the girls picked out ones they liked.
And during all of that, Fie actually tried to flee the scene, but with Emma's Jaeger training, her reaction time was quick. I saw Fie reaching her hands out to me with a struggle, but all that did was make her fall onto her butt. Emma simply smiled, assuring me that the situation was handled. Emma quite literally dragged Fie into the dressing room before the door tightly shut.
"You really had to make this difficult, didn't you, Fie?", Emma said, and sighed. Her eyes squinted at the white-haired girl before her.
"I mostly wanted to see how you would react, Emma. Besides, you're one to talk. Are you sure your boobies will fit into one of these dresses?", Fie shot back, keeping a deadpan look in her eyes.
It took a moment to realize what Fie had just said. Emma blushed in embarrassment.
"F-Fie!", Emma exclaimed, and did a quick glance at her own chest.
And yet, that seemed to earn a giggle from Musse.
"Teehee. You two seem as close as Elise and I are with Her Highness. You two even came along with His Royal Highness stating that you're friends of his. Is that really the case~?", Musse teased.
"Oh come on Musse. It's clear to me that these two are Naoto's friends. Besides, I met one of you while I was in Grancel. It is Emma, right?", Princess Alfin said, smiling at Emma. It's been a good while since she last saw her, but hopefully this time, the two can become friends.
"Yes. That's right. I am honored for Your Highness to remember my name.", Emma said, smiling at Princess Alfin. "And this girl beside me is Fie."
"'Sup.", Fie said, keeping a deadpan look on her face. Just that alone was enough for Emma wanting to smack Fie on the head.
As for Elise, she placed her finger on her lips. The name Emma sounded familiar to her. "Emma...", Elise uttered. It was then a streak of light crossed her eyes, as if she had recalled something. "Now I know why your name was starting to sound familiar. You're that plum-haired girl I met back when His Royal Highness visited Ymir not too long ago! You've changed a bit since then, so it was hard to recognize you at first."
"In more ways than---!?", Fie tried to say. This time, Emma's eyes curved upward into two crescent moons, and did a swift motion of her hand. SMACK!
"Just ignore Fie. She doesn't...exactly have a filter on her mouth, so I do apologize if what she said just now came out as rude. Likewise, it is lovely to see you again, Lady Elise. For the time being, I am spending time with Naoto, and so is Fie.", Emma said, explaining their situation to Princess Alfin's group.
"You're even calling him by first name just like Her Highness is. It would seem the relationship you two share with His Royal Highness isn't a normal one, at least. But you're already acquainted with Elise here? I feel left out somehow.", Musse responded.
"Hmm. How should we put it?", Fie said, regaining her composure. "We're kinda like Naoto's friends slash bodyguards?"
"Bodyguards?", Princess Alfin mused, not expecting to hear that.
"Yeah.", Fie said, rummaging around her person for a bit. Right now, she feels a little uncomfortable. Not the fact that she would be putting on a dress later, but the lack of what she normally had equipped at all times.
Fie's dual gunblades. With the lack thereof, she was feeling somewhat uneasy. After all, they were inside Valflame Palace where security was super strict. Fie wondered where that placed her in the grand picture of things, and wondered what exactly her role was, outside of performing Jaeger duties. It was very possible Fie didn't even know what a "friend" even meant. She rarely interacted with girls her age. Emma didn't respond immediately to this. She had questioned Fie's upbringing at times, but she knew who the Jaeger King was.
Perhaps it would do Fie well to teach some form of common sense into her, seeing as she was still two years younger than Emma was. Fie was far from being normal, considering the life she knows is one that belongs to the battlefield. As for Emma, she too, was placed in a similar light. Living in a secluded village solely housed by the Hexen Clan. Even now, it is only with Roselia's permission that she is out and about in the first place. She isn't even classified as a Wandering Witch yet like Vita is. Emma wondered if those teachings she had received inside the village were normal to another person's perspective.
For the time being, Emma could only shake those thoughts aside. What has come to happen has happened, and she is happy to mingle around with girls her age. It's very possible she could become friends with everyone here. In fact, alongside Fie, she's already friends with Renne and Sherryl, so it was equally as surprising to Emma to see these two here!
Thankfully, Naoto was one step ahead in regards to Fie's position in all of this. Captain Claire would have confiscated any weapons on the spot, regardless of who it was. Because of that, everyone's weapons, including Emma's gigantic orbal sniper rifle, all were placed into Naoto's Inventory. It basically has unlimited space, so it turned out quite handy here!
Fie normally likes having her weapons within hand's reach in case anything went wrong, but right now, she doesn't have that luxury. As for where Celine and Tamamo are, they are scoping out not only Valflame Palace right now, but all of Heimdallr to their heart's content. AI KeA is also currently tagging along with them, staying hidden from sight.
And yet, just hearing that alone managed to cause Musse to nod her head.
"True, you've been pretty on guard ever since we met each other back in the reception hall. What exactly is it that you do? Being a bodyguard isn't your everyday profession.", Musse asked, causing the girls to look at her.
"Do we seriously gotta explain this everywhere we go, Emma? It's getting tiresome at this point.", Fie said, and sighed. She took this time to stand back up on her feet.
"Hehe, well, it isn't normal for a girl like you to be wandering out and about, professing yourself as someone's bodyguard you know. Rest assured, the two of us truly are Naoto's friends. That much is certain. We just so happen to be hired mercenaries at the same time. Personally, I've put that work aside for the moment."
Once Emma explained that, the girls' eyes shot up in surprise. As for Renne, she stayed silent, but her eyes remained on Emma. She knew Emma well, unlike Fie, even though she had gotten acquainted with the two during the events of Nemeth Island. Both Emma and Fie were with her, but Renne spent more time with Emma, as she remained on the Glorious.
'So that's what you've been up to since you departed from the Glorious. I hear you even spent time with the Stahlritter under their guidance. Color me impressed.', Renne thought to herself. Unlike Emma, Renne stayed on board the Glorious, so she didn't know what had come of Emma since then. That is until she met up with Naoto again. And apart from Renne and Sherryl, not even Fie likely knows that Emma is a Witch. Instead, Emma and Fie are going around, telling the girls that they're mercenaries.
"To think you two would be in such a line of work at this age...", Elise uttered, still surprised. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"I would have pegged you to be normal girls like us, ignoring our status as Nobles, of course. I can sort of see why you are now beside His Royal Highness now, at least, regardless of you stating you're his friends. You're protecting him from unwanted trouble, aren't you?", Musse guessed, figuring out what was going on.
"Sure, let's go with that.", Fie said, shrugging her shoulders. The two were still in the midst of training, but the rest didn't need to know that.
"Hehe.", Musse giggled. "Still, such work is commendable. But at the end of the day, you two are girls, just like us. I do not think you would be against girly things like dresses. Why don't we all get fitted?"
"Please. Dresses are too stuffy. Do I really have to wear one?", Fie retorted. Even though Fie frowned when she said that, the rest of the girls giggled. That eased the slight tension in the room. All interest soon wandered toward the fancy dresses that were currently on the rocks. They wondered which one would suit them best.
As for Fie, she could only come to terms with putting a dress on, accepting her fate.
At least Emma was here to help!
It was then Sherryl, who was standing beside Musse, remained mostly quiet. She even twiddled her fingers a bit, appearing nervous. It did not take Musse long to catch onto this. Thanks to that, she looked at Sherryl and Renne.
"Speaking of dances, have the two of you danced before, or attended a Noble's ball? There's more than enough dresses to go around for all of us. Don't hesitate to pick one that you like.", Musse said, trying to appease Sherryl's nervousness. But it wasn't about the dresses to Sherryl. It was something else.
"It is true this is my first time attending one of these events. But I'm not exactly referring to that...", Sherryl tried to say.
"Oh?", Musse responded. "Is something else bothering you, Sherryl? You're not shy and need your own space, do you?"
"It isn't that either...", Sherryl said, and sighed. "Umm, would it be alright if you let Renne and I use the changing screen when we fit into ours?"
The moment Sherryl asked that, the girls shifted their eyes, only to fall onto Sherryl. Renne could tell what was going on. It was then the atmosphere turned weird. Not in a bad way, but it was enough where even Fie could see the sudden change around them. She tilted her head in confusion. It was apparent this change caused Musse, Elise, and Princess Alfin to become confused as well, as were the maids.
"Is something the matter, Sherryl?", Princess Alfin asked with a hint of worry. Sherryl didn't immediately answer. Instead she turned toward Renne.
"You know as much as I do, Renne. You aren't ready to tell others, are you?", Sherryl asked.
"Oh Sherryl, when have I ever said that?", Renne said, smiling at her. "I've been resolved for quite some time, I'll have you know. The moment Naoto accepted who I am and allowed me to stay at his side ever since my own training had finished, I was able to move on. This doesn't mean I have forgotten the past, but I do not mind much now with how my body looks, if it happens to be seen by another person. But if you really want to use a changing screen, then be my guest."
"...You really did come to terms with the past we shared? Your wounds were more severe than mine were.", Sherryl replied, becoming shocked to hear that. And yet, once that was said, even more surprise moved across the entire room. Most of the girls frowned. Princess Alfin seemed genuinely shocked.
"Wounds? What wounds?", Princess Alfin asked, appearing worried...