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Ilyana comes into Mia’s tent late at night, clutching a knife and grimacing; this could easily be interpreted as an attack on Mia’s life and generally, like, if this were Rhys, Mia would pretend to not understand what’s really going on and use it as an opportunity to duel, but with Ilyana?
Well.
They’re smackin’ lips! They’re holdin’ hands! They’re like dating and stuff.
So.
“Mia,” Ilyana whines. “I just got my Sage promotion—”
Mia claps her hands together eagerly.
“—thank you,” Ilyana bows politely. “But you know how I was training to use Staves like Rhys and Mist?”
Mia nods.
Ilyana folds herself into the floor, sitting cross-legged across Mia. “Commander Ike gave me this — ” she holds the knife by the tip of two fingers. “ — and said You got this.”
Mia scratches her chin. “Hm. So you’re a knife Mage?”
“I suppose, what do I do with this?”
Mia shrugs. “Shank mages that your magic is no good on.”
Ilyana sets the knife down and grabs her ankles. “I don’t want to shank anyone, I don’t even want to fight anyone.”
Mia folds her forehead up against Ilyana’s. For a while, she was kinda embarrassed about being with Ilyana. Like she’s the great and powerful Mia! Surely, she’d be swooned by someone as bold as her, but nay, she fell for the most shy person she’s ever met in her life.
Some of it might be because they’re both trans, they, err, were both raised differently but now they’re girls now! Mia started a little earlier than Ilyana so she’s been showing Ilyana the ropes, but they’re both on the same page: absolutely broke and in desperate need of coin — and food. It makes buying the medicine you’re supposed to take to develop differently very hard to find.
So instead Ilyana is devising a way for them to use magic to grow differently, and staves were going to play a big role in that and instead, Ike gave Ilyana a honkin’ knife.
Mia picks up the knife and holds it between her eyes, examining the rough cut of the blade. “Needs sharpening,” she mutters. “‘Yana, what if we just tell Ike you’re using Staves and that’s that? It’s like — our master plan, you know?”
“I do,” Ilyana whispers. “But what if me using knives is essential to Ike’s strategy?”
“Oh, huh, I didn’t think of that.”
“Yeah, let me see,” Ilyana takes the knife greedily and gets very serious looking. She stabs at the air. “Hoy! Black Knight, take this! ” She breaks character, “I’m, um, stabbing him in the hole in his helmet.”
“Oooooh, clever,” Mia nods. “But his hole is like — triangular, you’d have to like come in at a weird angle.”
“Oh,” Ilyana twists the knife back in front of her eyes. “You’re right. Hm. Mia, I’m confused.”
“We should talk to Ike,” Mia clucks her tongue, patting down her hips. “Come on, up and at ‘em.” She holds her hand out for Ilyana to take, and pulls her up. Pulling Ilyana up is easy, since she’s so light and everything. “I bet that’s why he gave you the knife, to more easily kill the Black Knight. Ike hates that guy, but he’s not even considering the triangle hole!”
“Wooow,” Ilyana sighs. “You’re so smart, Mia.” She smooshes against Mia’s side, taking one of Mia’s hands with both of hers.
Ugh, it makes Mia all fuzzy. “Not in front of Ike, Ilyana! We gotta be serious.”
“Right,” Ilyana furrows her brow. “Serious.”
“Yeah,” Mia echoes, pushing through the tent and walking over to the fire where Ike is hanging out with a bunch of bozos. Freakin’ Ike.
“Yo!” Mia calls out.
Ike flinches and turns around, he’s always flinchin’ around Mia since she’s always got something smart to say to him, and he’s so dumb. Dumb as bricks.
“Why are you making Ilyana use knives, you dummy!” Mia yells.
Ilyana squeezes Mia’s arm. “Mia, not so rough.”
“Well,” Mia shakes her head. “Look at this guy, he doesn’t even know! ‘Yana and me are developing magic that’ll make our bodies develop differently, but she’s gotta be using staves for it to work. And you gave her a knife?! What are you, stupid ?”
Ike narrows his eyes.
Mia narrows her eyes more — um, narrower than his. “That’s right, Ike! You goofed up.”
Ike shakes his head. “You should have told me about the magic stuff, I could use that. For like, making me into more of a dude. Gatrie too, he’d be super down I bet. Oh, and Boyd too. And Rolf. And Marcia? Yeah, Marica a-and… Callill. Hm. Who else?” He scratches his chin. “Hey, Makalov, isn’t Astrid— actually, I don’t want to talk to you, Makalov, get outta here.” He pats Haar on the shoulder. “Isn’t Astrid trans too?”
Haar nods and gives a thumbs up. “Pretty much everyone here is trans except Makalov. You can tell because he’s super boring.”
“Super boring,” Ike echoes with crossed arms. “Yeah, you’re right. We’re all trans, and you guys didn’t notice because you were too busy smackin’ lips.”
Mia is too slack-jawed to respond.
Ilyana comes in with the save, “Well — you know, it’s not the easiest thing to talk about.”
“Yeah, I know,” Ike grunts. “But you still goofed. Anyways, you can totally use staves, Ilyana, that’s fine.”
Mia raises an eyebrow and leans in, all red-faced. “Why’d you give her a knife then!?!?!”
“Whoa, whoa,” Ike steps back with his hands in the air. “I gave Ilyana a knife because she needs to cut her food more.”
“Oh yeah, that’s fair,” Mia murmurs in agreement, eying Ilyana suspiciously. “You gotta cut your steak or you’re going to choke on it.”
“Damn,” Ilyana frowns. “Okay, fine, I’ll cut my food.”
Mia groans and slaps a hand onto Ilyana’s shoulder, shaking her head sardonically. “Woo, let’s get out of here, Ilyana. We really over thought that one, huh?”
Ilyana nods. “I don’t know, I still think this knife is too much of a thinker.”
Mia nods along, thinking about the knife again, and ultimately? “No, Ike’s right. You eat your food in big pieces.”
“Dammit,” Ilyana growls.