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A declaration of war, quite the interesting twist in the day-to-day life of newly promoted Watch Captain Arashe. Why, it seemed almost fitting that the moment he be given a chance to show his true worth, a war breaks out! Rather unlike his ancestors, who rose from pirating or poverty to take their place among the legends, Arashe was already rather powerful and influential. But, he couldn't help but wonder, maybe the modest beginnings were what made true greatness. But maybe not. The Ranger honestly thought that a taste of true battle, of flatout war, just like his ancestors, would tell him if he could truly aspire to reach their level.

The trip in Arajudia was simply a blur. Between being awoken in the middle of the night, the shock of impending war, and the rush to his assigned town, things were just going a bit too fast for him to keep track of it all. Sure, he was able to round up his own forces to take to the port town, but anyone who saw him would clearly see that he was at least a little bit dazed. It was almost a miracle that he was able to order together a group that would pass as useful. It was four cavaliers, multiple swordsmen (myrmidons and mercenaries), three different healers, each of which had slight skill with Light magic, and a good pile of archers. Arashe couldn't be an accomplished archer and not bring a few along with him, after all.

The trek was really quite short. The group was extremely mobile, after all, so they made it to Arajudia with more than enough time to spare. Lo and behold, there was already a good amount of soldiers waiting for the Guard! They were preparing themselves and preparing ships just as quickly. The haste that even the simple, rank-and-file soldiers and their assistance had in preparations only ended up making Arashe that little bit more anxious. Even a new set of clothes to come with his promotion wasn't enough to stave away the tension, even when it normally made him feel like a whole new person. The impending peril was surprisingly... real.

"Alright, soldiers, let's go! We don't have time to waste, get on the boats as fast as you can!" As most of the soldiers began to file up the boat ramps, Arashe spied a few attempting to help the other soldiers with their preparations. They didn't have time for that! "And don't worry about what these other soldiers are doing. We're here to fight, not to load things onto the ships!" Sure, they had good intentions, but if his soldiers were too busy making preparations, he'd be the only one with the energy to fight! And as confident as he was both in his own skills (wasn't too much, now that a war was starting) and in the strength of the Ichival, the Ranger doubted he was anywhere near capable enough to handle an entire enemy army.

Just before he'd left...

"Harder."

Jin shot another fireball directly at Rhys. The flame hit him squarely in the chest, but the Bishop, in spite of his class' weakness to Anima magic, just shook his head.

"Harder, Jin. Much harder. You're not going to light any ships on fire with magic like THAT."

"HYEAH!"
Jin shot both arms forward, putting forth more effort this time. Another fireball came at Rhys, but the Bishop didn't even blink as it struck him right in the face.

...Not so much as a singed hair on his head.

"...Better, but still lacking. Are you sure you want to go to war, Jin? You're a good healer, really."

The moment had come. "Rhys... I'm grateful you took me in when I needed it most. I really am. My life seemed over back in Elibe, but then I came here, and you gave me my life back. I'll never forget that.

...Which is why I'm gonna repay the favor by doing what I can out there."

"..." In between having a baby and a wife at home, Rhys knew full well what Jin meant by "repay the favor".

"...Okay then. Just... you're a shy, lone-wolf type, Jin, but you're also a good man. Please don't die out there--I know I'm not the only one who'd mourn."

"..."

"Now, again! You want to set ships ablaze, you'll need a strong Elfire and a strong will!"

--------

...Would that were true, Jin thought sadly as he approached the docks of Arajudia. But my friends all died in Elibe. I have nobody now...

The trip had been uneventful, at least. Good. Unnerving, but they didn't need anything to go wrong BEFORE the war started.

Nothing was wrong for him, really, just his mood. And a bad mood didn't sit well with combat. What could possibly bring him out of his funk, though? Sure, it was nice outside, but with the usual black robes and the sun beating down, everything just made Jin start to feel too warm. But then he heard voices, one of which sounded pretty familiar and was talking about a "Hostess Club".

Jin perked up a bit. There was only one person he knew with that sort of background. Peering toward the voice... yup, he was right! Blossom. Good, somebody who he knew. Maybe things were looking up a bit... at least in the "I feel higher self-esteem" sense.

"Excuse me... pardon me... Oy! Blossom!" Jin called out, and waved as he approached, swerving this way and that through the small crowd separating them. Popping through the last of the NPCs, he asked, "How are you?"

♥ Super Awesome Ostian Noble Lady ♥

Boat, boat, boat, she was going on a boat. It was certainly better than going around on horseback everywhere- after all, horses didn't break wind or do their business in the middle of the road, which the hairy, smelly beasts seemed to do at their whim. Granted, she hadn't been on a boat in quite some time, but what did that matter? Big boat or little boat, she'd show it who was boss.

She liked that word- boat. Good and simple, not beating around the bush like other pretentious things, like... like ocean liner or anything of the sort. It didn't pretend to be anything that it wasn't, and that certainly was nice. Especially since all the guys she had been even remotely looking at for service opportunities had turned her down, listing all these reasons why they had to be somewhere else! What could be more important than waiting on the noble Serra hand and foot, she wondered? No matter- it was their choice.

Boy, would they regret it when they realized she was going for a cruise!

However, as she approached the boat, she found that it wasn't all that luxurious. Kind of like the time with Lyn, Hector, and the others, come to think of it- nothing more than the bare bones, it seemed. Halfway fuming that she wasn't told sooner that she wasn't going to be spending the next month in complete and total relaxation (the war be damned, she needed her beauty sleep!), she stormed onto the boat, took in a deep breath, and announced her presence.

Loudly. As usual.

"Helloooo! The noble Serra, descended of the counts of Etruria, here for all your healing needs!"

She didn't seem to notice that she was getting in everyone's way. After all, it was all right- it was a privilege for them to walk around her.

It was so strange. He hadn't been in command since he was the Moonstone of Grado's eight generals, and he never expected the opportunity to arise again. But here he was once more, preparing to lead his units into battle. He was not, however accustomed to leading such a small group. This was an entirely different kind of warfare. He no longer needed to direct and orchestrate an entire army. Instead, he had to focus on how best to win individual battles like these.

Alright, Valter thought to himself, his mind snapping back to the upcoming battle. Everything's ready. He had arrived hours earlier, setting out as soon as the battle plan had been made. The trip itself hardly took any time at all, as all of his units were either mounted on wyverns or being carried. His units were all in position, readying their equipment and waiting for their commander's mark. The captain himself had just finished surveying the field for the fourth time, and was headed back to confirm that everything was set up appropriately.

The main objectives of Valter and his units in this battle were to:
1- Serve as a first line of offense, thinning out the enemy ranks for the main assault force,
2- Provide Arashe's units with an opportunity to board the enemy boats, and ultimately,
3- Secure or destroy the enemy ships and prevent the city of Arajuda from falling into enemy hands.

To accomplish these goals, Valter had divided his force into two units. His wyvern unit was to attack the enemy from the air before and during the main force's assault on the enemy ships, and to insert ground-based units behind the enemy ranks after the main force had boarded. The second unit was composed of mainly sword- and lance-wielding personnel who were to launch a surprise assault from behind enemy lines. The captain himself would lead the first unit, while Lennox, one of his lieutenants, led the ground forces.

Touching down in the allied camp, Valter decided to find Arashe and confirm that everything was prepared. He didn't have much trouble, seeing as the other commander was the only person yelling at people to get aboard the ships. He had only met the man a few hours earlier, but the other captain seemed respectable enough. This was the first assignment for both of them, so things were bound to get interesting. He walked up next to his comrade and said in a calm voice "Hey, Arashe. My units are all set up and in position. Everything ready on your end?"

People were moving, they were moving, they were all making their way towards the boat. Things were going as smoothly as they could. Well, at least until the double whammy of some screechy pink girl and Dietrich. He chose to not even acknowledge the drunkard's existence, instead gesturing for a few of his subordinates to move the Fighter on up to the ship's deck. A drunken man wouldn't be very safe in a town that war could strike, and maybe he'd be impossibly disoriented by being on a ship's deck. There wasn't anything to lose by dragging the man up there.

And of course, the pink idiot was still in the way. Arashe, more than annoyed, stormed over to her side, grabbing her by the arm and walking up the boat ramp. Any shrieking or complaining she'd likely attempt was hopefully stifled by the nobleman's air Arashe absolutely drenched himself in. Honestly, he felt silly. "Look Serra, or whatever you said your name is, nobody cares about you. If you're here to heal, be quiet and wait for that chance." He pulled her all the way up the ramp, finally letting her go as she was on the ship's deck.

"And so you know, Serra of Etruria, I am Arashe Nyilas, and I am the direct descendant of the Holy Ulir Bloodline of Jugdral. I can manifest the heavens with my arrows and my ancestors have single-handedly turned the tides of entire wars." He only glared at the Bishop, despite the fact that her hair was quite the eyesore. Arashe didn't quite like people who flaunted their position or status. He did it when the time called for it, but he didn't go around shouting 'I'm a noble, worship me!' or anything. "On top of that, I am in charge of these forces. I am a Prince, an Heir, and a Commander, so stop trying to compare. It makes you look bad. If you want to get noticed, keep our troops alive, don't shout to the heavens." Arashe didn't even give Serra a chance to shout anything at him in the shrill voice she'd surely use. If she'd try, he'd have half a mind to order her to be silent. Or maybe, she'd have something even worse, and run into the drunken Dietrich as he probably bumbled about the deck.

As Arashe walked back down the ramp, he was greeted by his associate Captain, Valter. He'd never actually gotten to know the man, but the fact that he had gotten his units set up and prepared without even a bit of commotion was enough to give him a boost in the Ranger's eyes. "Barring a few unexpected, annoying arrivals, things seem to be close to complete on my end. Hopefully, the fact that we're on the water won't do too much to hinder my forces. If you can take out any siege weapons the enemies have before they can use them, we'll be in good shape. And I'll try my hardest to take out any capable-looking archers." Arashe was already really, really enjoying working with Valter. What the Ranger lacked in military prowess due to inexperience, the Wyvern Knight had in spades. They were like... they were probably going to be an awesome duo, simple as that.

On his end, Jin felt awfully warm. He generally didn't remove his clothes, but he could at least take a few tomes off his chest--namely, Wind, Thunder, and Elfire. He could at least make himself slightly more comfortable until pirates or some s**t showed up.

"Wait... Elibe? YOU'RE from Elibe?" Jin's eyes widened in surprise. "That's where I'm from! ...At least, I used to be. Except in my case, I thought I was going to die... these horrible golden-eyed women on one side, and this unstoppable force on the other. But then... I guess Elimine thought it wasn't my time, and I wound up here."

Jin sighed, and looked down at his knees. He looked kinda sad now.

"Except... I still miss my friends, before the dark times. I just... I have a life again, yes, but I still feel lonely sometimes."

Jin shook his head. He needed to change the subject, and Blossom offered one anyway.

"Just like I might as well be a doctor--I mostly help out at the hospital, but now between Estarcia and here, I'm getting away at least part-time," he said, trying to grin (although again, Blossom couldn't see it).