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At first, Olivia was delighted that Marcy and Yunan were becoming friends. Yunan had seemed indifferent, maybe even slightly annoyed by Marcy at first, despite the teen’s admiration for her. But when they had gotten back from their first boat trip, something had changed. Marcy was riding on Yunan’s shoulders, Yunan had proudly taken on the title of mentor, and the two were talking and laughing like old friends. It was absolutely fucking adorable, to say the least. But over time Olivia was starting to have some… regrets for bringing them together. Yunan and Marcy’s personalities were both delightful on their own, of course, but together they were…kind of a lot. And Olivia couldn’t help but wonder if Yunan was the best influence.
The first of many, many incidents occurred when Olivia was just trying to get some legal work done.
“Hey kid, wanna see me do the athletic test?”
Hearing Yunan’s voice from her office, Olivia’s dumbass police instincts kicked in. She dropped her pen and peeked out her door into the hall, where Marcy and Yunan were both looking at a beam a few feet above their heads.
“What’s the athletic test?” Marcy asked.
Yunan ran down to the end of the hall. Then she crouched down like a track kid at the beginning of an important race, cracked her knuckles, and ran even faster back down the hallway, eventually leaping with all her might to grab the beam, swinging and hanging from it. She looked back at Marcy with a big, toothy grin.
“THAT’S the athletic test!”
Marcy gasped, her eyes big and sparkly with wonder.
“O-M-GOSH, LET ME TRY!”
By then Olivia was already hurrying over to stop this, but Yunan didn’t notice or care, dropping down from the beam and landing gracefully on her feet.
“Sure thing! Give it all you got!”
Marcy giggled and ran down to the end of the hall, then turned and ran back as fast as she could, which was… not quite as fast as Yunan.
“Master Marcy, please be careful-“
But Olivia’s words were too late, and Marcy was already jumping. Shockingly she was able to touch the beam, but the ancient, fragile stone crumbled in her hands and she fell, splat on her back, more stone dust drifting down on her.
Yunan and Olivia both hurried over as Marcy sat up, coughing and rubbing her head.
“Sweet mother of olms, are you alright?!” Olivia panicked, looking Marcy over for injuries and holding an ice pack on Marcy’s head, which she seemingly conjured out of nowhere (she had a habit of doing that).
“I’m okay!” Marcy chirped, though she seemed out of breath. “Just got the wind knocked out of me for a sec.”
Yunan laughed, playfully slapping Marcy on the back.
“Nice try, kiddo! I’ll give you a… B- on the athletic test. Pretty close but still needs some improvement.”
“Aw man, that’s the first B- I’ve gotten in my life… guess I’ll have to practice real hard to get an A.”
“Excuse me, you are NOT doing that again! You broke the beam! Do you know how old that beam is?!” Olivia scolded.
Marcy sulked in shame.
“Yeah, this castle is over a thousand years old… it’s historic. I’m sorry.”
“Ehhhhh, it’s probably not your fault,” Yunan said, seemingly unconcerned. “I’ve worn that thing down over the years. I’ve been doing the athletic test ever since I was like sixteen or something, however old I was when I first became General Yunan! Scourge of the sand wars, defeater of Ragnar the Wretched, and THE YOUNGEST newt to ever achieve the rank of general in the great Newtopian army!!!” Marcy looked at Yunan with stars in her eyes, and Olivia looked at her with a deadpan glare. “And mentor of Master Marcy, aaaand eye candy to the noble, beautiful, hardworking Lady Olivia!” She added, batting her eyelashes innocently at Olivia. Olivia didn’t buy it.
“Tacking that on at the end is not going to make that speech any less obnoxious.”
“Aww, I think it’s sweet!” Marcy said. Olivia sighed the sigh of a woman who hasn’t known peace in over a decade.
“Whatever, just don’t do it again! I forbid this… athletic test in all of its forms!”
“Aw, what?! Come on Liv, it was one accident!”
“And Master Marcy nearly split her head open! You really must be more responsible.”
Yunan blew a raspberry.
“Pshh, whatever! You just hate fun. Now come, Master Marcy! Let’s go rollerblade near the stairs or something.”
Marcy, not realizing the suggestion was just a jab at Olivia, ran off to get hers. As soon as she was gone, Olivia sighed again.
“Seriously Yunan, I mean it. Marcy is going to want to copy everything you do, you have to be a better role model.”
Yunan rolled her eyes.
“You’re soooo overprotective. Marcy is thirteen, she has fine judgement.”
“No she doesn’t, and neither do you at the ripe old age of 30. I’m fine with you being a dumbass, it’s almost endearing at times. But don’t let it rub off on Marcy.”
“Wait, you find it endearing?”
“THAT WAS NOT THE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO FIXATE ON.”
Then there was the countless pranks Yunan roped Marcy into. The night after the Blue Moon Shut-In, Olivia, exhausted and very, very annoyed, found Yunan and Marcy in the games room. They were in the middle of an intense round of some human card game that Marcy just so happened to have in her backpack.
“YOU WIPE THAT INNOCENT LITTLE SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE, HUMAN! IF YOU PULL ANOTHER DRAW FOUR CARD OUT OF YOUR ASS I WILL BEAT YOU INTO A PULP!”
“Aww, don’t get so frustrated, General Yunan! It’s just a game!”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if YOU were the one to lose SEVENTEEN MATCHES IN A ROW!!!”
Yunan slapped another card down with a grumble, and Olivia cleared her throat obnoxiously to get their attention.
“Oh, hey Lady Olivia! Wanna watch me win another round of Uno? Oh, and uno, by the way,” Marcy said, placing down another card.
“SHIT! NOT MY GIRLFRIEND HERE TO WITNESS MY HUMILIATING DEFEAT!!!”
“I’m not here to watch your ridiculous game.”
Yunan’s eyebrows shot up at the shift in tone.
“Oh, she’s angry.” Olivia shot Yunan a death glare. Yunan grimaced. “She’s real angry, kid. Mind going and grabbing my will for me?”
“No, I want you both here. I want you both to explain why there is a massive pink STAIN on the big rock in the front garden.”
Yunan and Marcy shared a glance.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yunan said, but Marcy’s face was a dead giveaway that they knew what was going on.
“ Marcy seems to have an idea.”
“Well, uh, General Yunan told me specifically not to tell you-“
Olivia’s eyes narrowed. Yunan sighed in defeat.
“Well, the jig is up I guess.”
“It most certainly is.”
“Well… when I was a kid, every Blue Moon I did this thing where I mixed up this pink liquid in the blender, poured it all in a plastic baggie, and threw it at this huge rock in my neighbor’s front yard… it left a stain like, forever, and I thought it would be funny if I passed the tradition down… and the neighbors moved and the rock isn’t there anymore, soooo…”
“So you decided to desecrate the palace gardens instead.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Olivia sighed, rubbing her temples.
“We’re so so sorry Lady Olivia!” Marcy said.
“I’m not,” Yunan quipped.
Olivia just sighed again.
“At this point I just want to know what you put in there… I was out there scrubbing that rock with bleach for FOUR HOURS!”
“Sorry Liv, but that’s my super secret recipe. Can’t tell anyone.”
“You told Marcy!”
“Yeah, but that’s only because she’s my partner in crime! Right, kiddo?”
Yunan ruffled Marcy’s hair, and Marcy giggled. Olivia couldn’t help but find it a little sweet, and pushed her own annoyance to the side for now.
“Fine. But I better not catch you vandalizing anything else!”
“Of course!”
“We won’t!”
But of course, Olivia found Yunan and Marcy’s names signed on the throne a few days later. Andrias, of course, didn’t mind, but Olivia did.
And who could forget the time Marcy dislocated her shoulder…
One night after a long day of meetings, Olivia was scared half to death when she heard Marcy scream bloody murder. She immediately dumped all the important documents she was carrying all over the floor and dashed to the kitchen, where the scream had come from. She was expecting to see some horrible gruesome scene, but she just found Yunan trying to comfort a crying Marcy, who was sat on the counter covered in bandages.
“There ya go, bud. Now that didn’t hurt so bad, did it?”
Marcy sniffled and nodded, and Yunan grinned and placed a band-aid over the bridge of her nose. “That’s the Marcy I know. Tough as nails! You’re my mentee for a reason.”
It was then that Olivia decided to make her presence known.
“Excuse me, what in the world were you doing?! I heard her scream from across the castle!”
Yunan stiffened like a deer in the headlights, then nervously turned to face Olivia.
“Oh, uh, yeah! I know, that sounded pretty bad, huh? But I wasn’t hurting her, I was helping her, I swear!”
Olivia scowled and raised an eyebrow.
“And how exactly were you helping her?”
“Just… popping her shoulder back into its socket…”
“What.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal!” Marcy insisted. “General Yunan and I were just doing some target practice! We climbed up into that big tree at the center of the mall and we were shooting suction cup arrows at people’s carts…”
Olivia shot Yunan a disapproving look.
“I wanted her to work on hitting moving targets,” Yunan explained. “It was safe, I swear! But then Marcy fell out of the tree…”
“I got a little scuffed up and dislocated my shoulder, but Yunan fixed it, see?” Marcy demonstrated by swiveling her arm around a bit. “Everything’s all good, no need to be angry!”
Yunan leaned back a little on the counter, prideful.
“Yep, that’s just me. If anyone needs a shoulder , I’m there for ‘em.”
She smirked, clearly proud of her joke, and Marcy laughed. Olivia did not.
“That is not funny! She got seriously hurt! I’m starting to wonder if this whole mentorship thing is a good idea.”
Yunan scoffed. She was tired of this conversation. She loved Olivia, but she was so sick of her getting up in her business like a bossy Facebook mom.
“Come on, it was one accident.”
“In a sea of dozens!”
“Marcy’s just accident prone.”
Marcy nodded in agreement, and Olivia sighed and grabbed a bottle of wine out of the fridge.
“You’re such a bad influence. I can’t believe I let you take her out to sea when you get up to so much trouble on land.”
Yunan groaned, rolling her eyes.
“Christ Liv, relax! You say that all the time but me and Master Marcy are just having a little fun! I mean seriously, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“HOLD ON MASTER MARCY! THE STORM STOPS FOR NO ONE!”
Yunan hoped Marcy could hear her over the biting wind, the creaking wood, and the churning and crashing waves of the sea. This storm was truly something special, Yunan had only seen one like it a couple of times. But it wasn’t special in a /pos way, as Marcy would say. When the waves got like this, the ocean was pretty much hell with wind and water instead of fire. Luckily newts were built to be in water, so that was really no biggie. The real problem was controlling the ship.
“Quick, lower the sails! One big gust of wind and we’re fucked!”
Yunan ran to one rope and Marcy got the other, but not before slipping on the flooded deck a few times. Even when she did manage to grab the rope, she was still sliding around, more hanging from it than controlling it.
“The rope is hurting my hands!” Marcy shouted, faltering a little.
“Yup, there’s this thing called rope burn. Ya just gotta grin and bear it kid!”
“And I’m getting kinda seasick…”
“Since when do you get seasick?!”
“I dunno, since the boat started rising and dropping several feet every few seconds or so…”
Yunan let out a frustrated scoff and finished lowering her sail so she could help Marcy with hers. Suddenly, Marcy started staggering towards the railing of the ship, but Yunan swiftly grabbed her by the scruff of her jacket, pulled her in, and held her tight.
“DON’T YOU DARE GO TOWARDS THE EDGE. You’ll get swept in, then you’re basically a goner. Puke all over me if you have to, just don’t let go!”
She nodded and clung to Yunan’s shirt. She would never disobey direct orders from her beloved mentor, ever . The ship dropped another several feet, and Marcy let out a sob, clearly scared. It was the first time she had shown fear in front of Yunan, but Yunan was too busy with the ship to really notice or comfort her. She was able to gain control of the second sail, but then they had a new problem on their hands. A wave was about to come crashing down on the ship.
“A wave is coming, remember what I said, okay? Hold on!”
The wave crashed down, and Yunan held Marcy as tight as she could, but eventually Marcy couldn’t hang on anymore and she got swept away. Luckily, it was only into the open cabin door, and not out into the raging sea.
Knowing Marcy was relatively safe, Yunan decided to try and get the ship to shore rather than wait it out in the cabin with her. It was risky, but the reward (namely, the rush of pride) was definitely worth it. She hoisted the sails and headed for the Newtopian shore, posing like a badass pirate all the way.
“You hear that ocean?! You’ll never take me! For I am General Yunan! Scourge of the sand wars, defeater of Ragnar the Wretched, and the youngest newt to ever achieve the rank of general in the great Newtopian army! The greatest captain who ever lived, overlord of the seas! QUIVER BEFORE ME!!!” She let out a hearty laugh. “Damn, storms are fun.”
When the ship finally thudded into the sand at the shore, Yunan hopped down off the ship onto the beach, proud of her work. She inspected the hull, checking for any cracks or wear.
“Hmm… eh, she’s seen worse. Hear that, Marcy? The S.S. Pussy Destroyer lives to see another day!”
She looked back up at the ship, waiting for Marcy to reappear. But she didn’t.
“…Marcy?”
Yunan climbed back aboard the ship, and entered the cabin. Marcy was lying soaking wet in a puddle, shivering and coughing up water.
“Ey kiddo, forget to close your nostrils before the wave came down?” Yunan laughed, squatting down to pat her back.
“Humans can’t close their nostrils underwater like amphibians,” she said weakly, her voice sounding nasally and wet. “It’s so salty…” she groaned, “and cold. How are you not c-c-cold?” she asked, teeth chattering.
“Cold? It’s just water, kid. It’s not like it’s snowing or anything.”
“The w-water is cold, how are you not- ACHOO!” Marcy violently sneezed, then sat up and pulled her soaking wet jacket tighter around herself, as if that could warm her up. Yunan furrowed her brow, confused.
“You can’t handle cold water?”
Marcy shook her head.
“Mm-mm. It’s the w- worst . I w-w-wanna- ACHOO! -g-go home.” she sniffled, and wiped her runny nose on her drenched sleeve. Yunan felt a little bad she didn’t have a dry handkerchief to give her, but she was still a bit confused about the sneezing in the first place.
“Alright then, I guess we can head back. We should probably get the boat to the docks, but I can get servants to do it if you’re really that uncomfortable.”
Marcy nodded, hugging herself and violently shivering.
“S-s-sorry, C-Captian Yunan.”
Yunan smiled a little, then wrapped her arm around Marcy. She rubbed her arm a little, trying to generate heat.
“It’s all good. You’re lucky the ship crashed on the Newtopian beach, or we woulda had a long, wet walk home!” Marcy let out a weak laugh, before sneezing three more times. “Geez, what’re you allergic to? The ocean?”
“C-c-cold,” she said weakly, pressing herself as close to Yunan as possible. She logically knew a cold blooded creature couldn’t warm her up, but she was too disoriented and too desperate to care. Yunan laughed at what she assumed to be a joke and rubbed Marcy’s arm again.
“If ya say so, bud. Now let’s go get you warmed up. We’re about an hour away from home. Do you have any injuries?”
“D-don’t think so.”
“Good. Because if I brought you back in anything but perfect health, Olivia might actually slaughter me.”
“WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?!” Olivia borderline shrieked the second they walked into the throne room.
“The ocean,” Yunan said wryly, grinning. “We’re pretty wet and the S.S. Pussy Destroyer might need a little work, but we’re otherwise victorious!”
Olivia, being Olivia, still seemed concerned, but Andrias was pleased.
“So you took care of that nasty toad gang that was terrorizing Lillyvale?”
Marcy nodded, still shivering.
“Y-yeah, they even g-gave us a m-medal and- ACHOO! S-six hundred coppers.”
“Bless you, Master Marcy,” Andrias said, raising an eyebrow. “Are you feeling alright?”
Olivia shot a questioning look at Yunan, who just shrugged.
“I’m okay, j-just a little wet. There was a storm and- ACHOO! A lotta water…”
Olivia gave Marcy her handkerchief, and Andrias looked to Yunan.
“How long has she been like this?”
“Well she’s been sneezing and shivering ever since we got to shore…”
“And how long ago was that?”
“Like, an hour…”
“AN HOUR?! You made her WALK all the way back here for an HOUR?!” Olivia shouted.
“I still don’t get why you guys are so freaked out about this,” Yunan said, starting to get a little frustrated. “Marcy’s a tough kid, she can handle a walk and some allergies.”
Andrias shook his head.
“This isn’t allergies, Yunan. I think little Marcy here has caught a pretty nasty cold.”
“A wuh ?”
“It’s a human sickness,” Olivia explained, wrapping a blanket around Marcy’s shoulders. Yunan never knew how Olivia could just conjure whatever Marcy needed at the drop of a hat. “They can get it from each other, or from being cold or wet for too long. It gives them chills, fatigue, a runny nose, and sometimes a fever, it really depends.”
Yunan looked at Marcy, then back at the other two newts.
“And you know this how? ”
“Marcy and I have discussed human biology at length, and Olivia has been taking care of her for nearly a month. We know all we need to know about common human illnesses.”
Yunan couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. Sure they knew about dumb human stuff like that, but Yunan knew Marcy too! She took care of her too! She was a resilient creature and never gave up, even if she wasn’t as physically strong as someone like Yunan. She would be fine, she was sure of it.
“Uh, Cool. So when can we get the ship fixed up by? We need to get back out there by tomorrow afternoon preferably, Bittyburg is having trouble again and-”
Olivia barked out a laugh.
“You’re seriously thinking you’re gonna take her back out there TOMORROW?!”
“Yeah, why not? She can handle it, right kid?”
Before Marcy could even respond, Olivia jumped back in.
“ NO! You’re lucky if I let you take her back out there AFTER she’s better, let alone TOMORROW! She needs to rest!”
“D-don’t fight you guys, i-it’s j-just a little cold!” Marcy sniffled, wiping her nose with Olivia’s handkerchief. “I-I’m okay, I can go out if Captain Yunan- ACHOO! needs me…”
Olivia glared at Yunan.
“What? You heard her, she said she’s fine,” Yunan said.
“She is clearly not fine! She just doesn’t want to disappoint you, she looks up to you!”
Marcy sulked a little, embarrassed, and Yunan felt a bit guilty. She looked to Andrias for validation, he usually sided with her when Olivia was getting overprotective.
“C’mon Andrias, what do you think, big guy?”
Andrias sighed.
“For once, Olivia’s right. I’m sorry Yunan, I think we might need to rethink this whole assignment.”
“WHAT?!” Marcy and Yunan both shouted in unison.
“I’m sorry you two, really I am. But there’s a clear difference in strength between you, and if Yunan isn’t being responsible then I don’t think I can let this warship situation continue in good conscience.”
Marcy looked at Yunan desperately, then ran forward and grabbed her arm.
“No, please! This isn’t Captain Yunan’s fault! Don’t get mad at her, it was just a storm! I-It was my fault for getting sick, please don’t- ACHOO!” Marcy whimpered, but quickly corrected herself. “I-I know that sounded b-b-bad, but I’m fine! I swear I’m fine! I just gotta- ACHOO!”
Olivia sighed and grabbed Marcy’s shoulders, gently leading her away.
“Come on dear, let’s get you to bed.”
Marcy still wouldn’t let go of Yunan’s arm.
“But-”
Marcy looked desperately up at Yunan, hoping she would do something to make this right. But she couldn’t make it right. Yunan had fucked up for the millionth time in a row, and this time a band-aid or an apology to Olivia couldn’t make it better. As much as she hated to do it, she just sighed and removed Marcy’s hand from her arm.
“I’m sorry, kid. Feel better, alright?”
Marcy looked heartbroken, adding yet another rock to the crushing pile of guilt on Yunan’s shoulders. And with that Marcy and Olivia were gone, leaving only her and Andrias.
Yunan growled and stomped her foot. As bad as this was, she couldn’t help but think her punishment was a bit severe.
“What the fuck was that for?! One fumbled trip and we’re not allowed to work together anymore?!”
“It’s not the mission that’s the problem, it’s the fact that these situations can get very perilous and I’m worried you aren’t keeping a good enough eye on Marcy.”
“I keep a FINE eye on Marcy-”
“She caught a cold and you didn’t even realize!”
“It’s not my fault I didn’t know about the weird human stuff! And she walked back just fine! Sorta… she didn’t complain!”
Andrias sighed, shaking his head.
“Of course she didn’t complain, she didn’t want to inconvenience you.”
“It wouldn’t have been that much of an inconvenience-”
“That’s not the way she thinks, Yunan. She’s terrified of being annoying, it took her ages to even ask me and Olivia for things, and with you? She thinks so highly of you, she was probably scared you’d think she’s weak in comparison.”
“Well everyone’s weak compared to me-”
“ YUNAN.”
“Fiiiine, fine, I get it. I did a bad. Now what do I have to do to make it better?”
“I’d ask Olivia about that.”
After Olivia had gotten Marcy dry and into some warm pajamas, she tucked her in with extra blankets and a cup of tea. But that didn’t seem to make her feel any better. She was still hung up on Yunan.
“It’s really not General Yunan’s fault! She doesn’t control the weather!”
“Yes, but she does control the situations she involves you in. Don’t worry about her, she’s not in trouble. Just worry about yourself, alright?”
Marcy wasn’t convinced. Sure, Maybe Yunan wasn’t technically in trouble, but she was sure Lady Olivia would give her quite the talking to later.
“I just wish I didn’t embarrass myself in front of her. I bet she hates having a dorky middle schooler as her first mate. She’s probably relieved I’m not gonna be coming with her on missions anymore anyway.”
Marcy sniffled, and Olivia couldn’t tell if it was because she had a cold or because she was about to cry. Either way, Olivia handed her a tissue and rubbed her shoulder.
“Oh sweetie, that’s not true. Yunan loves going on missions with you. If she didn’t, she would be the first to let you know.”
Marcy blew her nose and threw the balled up tissue across the room.
“Well I guess it doesn’t matter, because I’m not allowed to go anymore. And I was getting so good at steering the ship too! And making star maps…”
Olivia sighed.
“I really am sorry, Master Marcy. Maybe we can rethink things after some time has passed. But for now, I need to take your temperature. Your forehead feels warm.”
Marcy sighed sadly and let Olivia take her temperature, shutting up for a bit as she held the thermometer under her tongue. Eventually Olivia took it out and read it.
“Yep, you have a fever, just as I suspected. You’re definitely going to need to stay in bed for a day or two.” Marcy didn’t react, still frowning and looking off to the side, where her pirate getup, crossbow and sword were neatly hung to dry. Olivia stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. “Don’t be sad, You’ll be right back to work after you’re better.”
“But not with General Yunan…”
“I know. But it’s for the best, you know that. You’ll still see her around the castle…”
“I know, but-“
Marcy was about to start crying, but sneezed instead. Olivia sighed and pulled the blankets higher over her shoulders.
“You really need your rest, sweetie. Can you try and go to sleep? I can sing to you if you want.”
Marcy desperately wanted to stay awake, hoping Yunan would visit. She would make everything out like it was no big deal, laughing it off and maybe even telling one of her famous stories to pass the time. But Marcy knew that wouldn’t happen. She let her down, after all, and Yunan didn’t owe her anything. So she just sighed and sunk deeper under the covers.
“…okay.”
After getting into dry clothes, Yunan didn’t know what to do with herself. She desperately wanted to see Marcy, but she couldn’t possibly face her, not after what she did. Olivia probably had it covered anyway. Olivia always knew what to do, armed with her common sense and gentle nurturing and an endless supply of lacy handkerchiefs for if anyone was sick or sad… And then there was Andrias, kind and wise and always willing to give good advice or be a massive shoulder to cry on. Yunan was nothing like them, she was more of the cool aunt that always got the kid in trouble. She figured she shouldn’t feel so down about it. After all, that’s what she was suited for. She was built to fight people, not take care of them. She couldn’t change that.
So Yunan just paced up and down the hallway near Marcy’s room, hoping that Olivia would come out soon and she could get an update.
Eventually she did, and Yunan immediately ran over.
“How is she doing?” she asked, and Olivia sighed. She was clearly too worried about Marcy to be that angry at her.
“Bad. She has a fever and can’t stop sneezing… but worst of all, she’s so heartbroken about not being able to go out on that stupid old boat with you… It took me forever to get her to stop ranting so she could go to sleep.”
Yunan grimaced.
“Geez, that’s awful. Poor kid.”
“Well, if you had been a little more careful out there, she would be planning a mission with you rather than shivering in her bed.”
Yunan sighed.
“I know, I pushed her too hard. Andrias gave me a whole lecture about it. God Liv, I just don’t know what I’m doing. I’m a soldier, not a responsible motherly type like you are.”
Olivia couldn’t help but laugh.
“I know, I know. But you have a heart, and that’s what matters. You just need a little nudging in the right direction sometimes.”
“Care to give me that nudge, mi’lady?”
Olivia laughed again, and physically nudged her.
“Oh, you goof. But seriously, you need to be more attentive. I know you’re her mentor as in you take her on missions and teach her how to hit people with swords, but you have to be there for her personally as well.”
“Oh god damn it, I SUCK at that!”
“Are you sure? Last time she got sick I remember you being very sweet and helpful.”
“That was one time ,” Yunan grumbled, “and I’m not sweet .”
“I’d beg to differ,” Olivia teased, standing on her tiptoes and pulling Yunan’s face down to give her a kiss. Yunan blushed, and her tail started to wag in spite of the irritated persona she was putting on.
“ Oliviaaaaaaaa!”
“You’re my sweet girl~”
“ STOOOOOOP!”
Olivia giggled and let her go, having left Yunan a flustered mess.
“You suck, you know that?”
“Aww, you love me.”
“Fine, I do. Let’s just go to bed already before you embarrass me any more.”
“If you say so. Just…”
“You wanna check on Marcy again, don’t you.”
Olivia sighed.
“You know me too well.”
Yunan forced a smile.
“Alright then, just don’t worry yourself sick. I’d hate to be responsible for two bedridden workaholics.”
Olivia punched Yunan’s shoulder lightly.
“Oh shut it, I worry a healthy amount.”
Yunan wanted to argue, but decided not to. She didn’t need Olivia to be annoyed with her for something entirely new.
Olivia quietly entered Marcy’s room, and Yunan leaned against the wall beside her door, sighing. Why did she have to be like this? Why couldn’t she just be more like Olivia, always in tune to other people’s needs? Hell, she was barely even in tune to her own needs! Maybe she should just stay away from people in general, that way she wouldn’t hurt them.
After a long while Olivia returned, not looking more relieved than when she’d left.
“She’s sleeping, but not well. She sounds awful, like she can barely breathe.” Olivia sighed and shook her head. “Poor dear.”
Yunan dug her nails into her arms so tightly it hurt.
“You and Andrias were right, this whole mentorship thing was a bad idea. I’m clearly awful at it, I should just stay away from her.”
Olivia gasped in horror, and grabbed Yunan’s arm.
“Yunan, no! You couldn’t, you’re her hero! If you just ditched her out of the blue she’d be heartbroken!”
“I know, but I feel like I don’t have a choice.” Yunan sighed. “I love Marcy as much as you do, but you and I both know I’m terrible with people. I’m only good at being a general and a captain. If she can’t come on missions with me, what am I supposed to do?”
Olivia held Yunan’s hand.
“Be there for her, like I said. Marcy’s been so sad, she needs some cheering up. I can’t think of anyone who she’d be happier to see than you.”
“Are you sure?” Yunan asked, hesitant. “Like you said, I’m the one who got us in this situation in the first place. I don’t know why you all the sudden want me around your precious kid.”
Olivia hesitated for a moment.
“Listen. I know I’m hard on you when these things happen, but it’s just because Marcy is young and you don’t always make the best decisions. But for all the times you fuck up, you also make her so, so happy. I didn’t want to take that away from either of you, I love you both so much, I just want you to stay safe.”
“I know, I know. You always have good intentions. I love you too, and Marcy.”
“I know you do. So go visit her tomorrow, ease her worry, maybe bring a gift if you wanna get really fancy.” Olivia put her hand on Yunan’s cheek. “I know you can do it, love. Just try.”
Yunan hesitated for a second before letting out a sigh.
“God, fineee. But only because it’ll make Marcy happy.”
Olivia facepalmed.
“That’s literally the point.”
Marcy woke up just as miserable as she had fallen asleep. Her nose was stuffy, her head felt like it was underwater, and no matter how many blankets Olivia piled on top of her she had the chills. Things got even worse when Olivia had to leave to work, it was so hellishly boring and lonely to be stuck in bed with no one to talk to. Not to mention she was quickly running out of tissues…
But then there was a knock at her door.
Marcy figured it was just Olivia, or maybe a servant she had sent to make sure she hadn’t succumbed to her illness in the single hour she was gone. But to her surprise, it was none other than Yunan, carrying a box of tissues, a plate of cookies, and a stuffed animal.
Yunan had been nervous about Marcy’s reaction to seeing her. What if she was angry? But despite the rest of her face looking obviously ill, Marcy’s eyes lit up.
“General Yunan? What’re you doing here?”
Though she was glad Marcy seemed happy, Yunan couldn’t help but feel disappointed that she called her General instead of Captain . Of course, Marcy only really called her that on the ship, proper titles and all, but the lack of it now just felt… sad. Still, she smiled, and headed over, brushing some of the wadded up tissues off of Marcy’s bed so she could sit.
“I’m here to check on my first mate, and maybe cheer you up a little. Olivia said you’ve been pretty down since last night.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty boring being stuck in here. Lady Olivia won’t let me get out of bed, and I’m sad that I have to miss the Bittyburg mission.”
“Actually, that mission had to be postponed.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah, turns out the ol’ Pussy Destroyer has some structural issues that shoulda been fixed years ago. Who knew? She’s stuck on dry land until they can get her back up to code, and that means I am too. Olivia keeps telling me it would be cheaper to get a new ship, but I think she’s just saying that because she hates the name.” Marcy giggled, then sneezed. Yunan frowned. “Still sneezing, hm?”
“Yeah, it sucks. I feel a little better than I did yesterday, but still not great. And Lady Olivia says I have a fever.”
“That does suck… I’m really sorry, by the way.”
“It wasn’t you-
“Yes it was. I’m the adult, and I should’ve known better. I should’ve known more about humans, I should’ve had you stay in the cabin when things were getting stormy, and I should’ve called someone to pick us up after instead of making you walk. You pushed yourself too hard, and I didn’t notice until it was too late.”
Marcy frowned, and sunk a little deeper into her pillows.
“It’s not your fault I’m just some dumb kid who can’t handle a little cold water...”
Yunan sighed, and put a hand on Marcy’s shoulder.
“You’re not dumb, Master Marcy. Especially not because you’re a kid. You’re the strongest kid I’ve met in my life, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to be taken care of. I should’ve looked out for you more, that’s on me.”
“But you’re so cool , I just wanted to be like you.”
Yunan grinned.
“I know, but it took me a loooooong time to get where I am today. You can’t just expect to be on the same level as a fully grown warrior as a thirteen year old! I don’t think any less of you because of this whole incident, I promise.”
Marcy smiled.
“Thanks General Yunan. You’re a really good mentor.”
“Nah, I’m kinda shit. But I’m glad you think that!”
Marcy giggled.
“No! You are! Really, I was kinda worried that after King Andrias canceled our missions you wouldn’t care about me anymore.”
Yunan felt like she had been stabbed in the heart hearing that, and quickly reassured her.
“Oh kiddo… of course I still care about you! Even though Andrias and Olivia took away my Marcy privileges, I’m always gonna be around. You can’t get rid of me that easy!” Marcy laughed, and Yunan ruffled her hair before handing her the stuffed animal. “Here, I got this little guy for you too.”
Marcy gasped in delight.
“Oh my gosh, is that an anomalocaris?!!”
“Sure is! You rambled about them enough on the ship that I recognized it immediately in the store.”
Marcy squealed and hugged it.
“I love him so much! I can’t believe they make plushies of them here! Back home prehistoric arthropods were pretty obscure, kids cared more about dinosaurs. But this guy was one of the very first apex predators, come on! That’s GOTTA be worth some appreciation!”
Yunan didn’t know what half of the words Marcy said meant, but she couldn’t help but smile.
“I agree. Now what do you say we dig into these cookies to pass the time? I can’t bake for shit, but Olivia told me your favorite bakery.”
Marcy eagerly nodded.
“Can you tell me a story too?”
Yunan grinned.
“I thought you’d never ask! Now this is a good one, it’s from all the way back in military school…”
When Olivia’s break finally rolled around, she dashed down the hall to check on Marcy. She felt like shit for leaving her alone for so long, it has been hours! What if she was hungry, or worse, lonely? But as she approached Marcy’s room she could hear talking and laughing, and when she opened the door she found the most adorable scene.
The fearsome General Yunan, still in full armor, was sitting on Marcy’s bed, telling some crazy story with her mouth full of cookie. Marcy was sitting up, much more animated and cheerful than she had been before, but she was still propped up with dozens of pillows (some even looked to be theirs) and wrapped up in blankets, Yunan had clearly wanted to keep her cozy and warm. Both of them looked so happy, Olivia almost didn’t want to interrupt.
“I was going to ask Marcy if she wanted a snack, but I see that’s been taken care of already.”
Both Marcy and Yunan were clearly unbothered by the interruption, happy to see her.
“Lady Olivia!”
“Oh, hey Liv! Want a cookie?”
“They’re really good!”
Olivia smiled and sat down next to Yunan.
“Sure, why not? I’ve got fifteen minutes to kill.” Yunan handed her a cookie, and she suddenly noticed the plushie Marcy was holding, some terrifying looking creature with a bow tied around its neck. “Where did you get that?”
“General Yunan gave him to me! Isn’t it cute?”
Olivia couldn’t say she agreed, but she absolutely found the situation cute.
“Absolutely adorable,” Olivia said, making direct eye contact with Yunan rather than the plushie. Yunan blushed and irritatedly looked away.
“Yeah, yeah, very cute, now can I continue my story or what?!”
“She’s telling me about how these two guys at her school hated each other their entire senior year, which ended in one of them stomping on the other’s tail and making it fall off during graduation!” Marcy said excitedly.
“Oh, I remember this story. Didn’t one of the guys fight with him as a joke and the other one thought it was serious?”
“Hey! Don’t spoil it!” Yunan whined. "But yeah, it was ridiculous. And don't even get me STARTED on the fact that one of them tried to get into Newtopia University..."
When Olivia stopped by again after work, Marcy was fast asleep, snoring and cuddling her anomalocaris. But Yunan was still there was well, sitting in Marcy’s armchair reading some boat catalogue. When she saw Olivia she held it up for her to see.
“Whaddaya think of this sexy golden anchor? Ol’ girl needs a new one, the anchor I have now is rustier than Andrias is at kissing. Not that I would know or anything.”
Olivia snorted and quickly covered her mouth to stop from laughing.
“I can’t laugh that loud, I’ll wake Marcy up!”
“Nah, she’s out like a light. I tried to wake her up to see if she wanted the cooks to make her some soup, but she immediately went back to sleep.”
Olivia smiled and sat down next to her.
“That’s good to hear. She needs her rest. Speaking of your boat, I heard from the repair team and it's almost seaworthy.”
“Oh my god, really?! That’s awesome!”
“Yeah, she’s looking pretty great so far. They’re even repainting the name on the side, which is… upsetting.”
Yunan snorted.
“You’re such a prude, you of all people would know that’s the perfect name for my ship.”
Olivia’s face turned bright red and she shoved Yunan out of the chair.
“You’re disgusting .”
“I know!” Yunan said proudly. Olivia rolled her eyes.
“Why in the world did I fall in love with you?”
“I dunno, maybe it was my dashing good looks, or impressive resume, or charming personality… I have a lot going for me.”
Olivia sighed, smiling.
“You sure do, sweetheart.”
“Aww!”
Just as they were about to kiss, Marcy yawned and rolled over, finally waking up. Olivia was going to get up to check on her, but Yunan beat her to it, kneeling down at Marcy’s bedside.
“Hey kid, have a nice nap?”
Marcy nodded.
“Yeah, I feel a lot better.”
Yunan felt Marcy’s forehead.
“You sound a lot better too, and your fever’s definitely gone down a ton. Looks like you’re on the mend.”
“Where did you learn to check for a fever?” Olivia asked, clearly pleased.
“Asked Andrias when he came by a few hours ago to eat all our cookies. Figured if I’m gonna be hanging out with Marcy I should know more about human biology, right?”
Olivia beamed. She couldn’t be prouder of her girlfriend.
“Of course.”
“What time even is it?” Marcy asked. “I’m kinda hungry.”
“That’s cause it’s nearly dinnertime and all you’ve eaten is cookies. I’ll go get you some food.”
Yunan turned to leave, but Marcy grabbed her wrist.
“No, don’t go!”
Olivia smiled and went to the door herself.
“I’ll take care of it. You two just sit tight, alright?”
“Thanks Liv,” Yunan said.
“No, thank you , Yunan.” She paused for a second before adding on, “You know what? If you’re both really good this week, I might talk to Andrias about letting you take Marcy on the Bittyburg mission.”
Both Yunan and Marcy gasped excitedly.
“Really?! Don’t worry, I’ll be super good! I swear!” Marcy said.
“Can’t make any promises,” Yunan smirked, but when she saw Marcy’s face fall, she added on, “but I’ll try.”
Olivia smiled and nodded.
“I have no doubt you can do it, you’ve been very good as of late.”
It was then that the floor started to vibrate with huge footsteps, and Andrias poked his head through the door.
“Which one of you wrote “eat shit Andrias” on the wall in the bathroom?
Yunan groaned.
"I WAS MAD, OKAY?!"