Work Text:
“Brrr… it sure is cold out today. You sure didn’t dress for it, huh? Here.”
Alisa shook her head, the chill biting into her face. She turned to see her companion, one Crow Armbrust, handing her his long brown jacket.
“...Thanks…” she muttered, wrapping the jacket around her shoulders. It was true her current outfit probably didn’t quite fit the current Crossbell winter, but still, did he have to point it out!? Regardless, she was grateful for the warmth.
“Ha! No problem.” He flashed his usual goofy smile. Alisa looked over, noticing his simple outfit, a black turtleneck with pants, yet he seemed unbothered by the cold. He gazed across the shopping district they were in, “Man, this city just never stops growing, huh?”
“It’s incredible, really. Ever since the war ended, it feels like the city just burst forth.”
He nodded, “Makes you feel like it was all worth it, hm?” Crow looked down at her, a small smile on his lips. She nodded, returning the smile. “Now then, that coffee shop Elie mentioned should be around here, no? Do you want to come in?”
Alisa shook her head, “No, that’s alright! Just get me a hot chocolate, please?”
“Got it.” He took a few steps before disappearing into a nearby building while Alisa sat down on a bench, wrapping herself in his coat.
She took a deep breath, thinking about what he said earlier. “It was worth it…”
Crow held a very…special place in Alisa’s heart, forged by the events over the past three years, for both Erebonia and Crossbell. As light snow began to fall, Alisa’s eyes closed… and her memories began to wash over her.
.
She recalled their first meeting, early on in her time at Thors. Crow was carefree to a fault, his attitude often infuriated his blonde younger. Yet he wore down those in Class 7 through his dependency in Heimdallr, when Elise went missing, Jurai, and Roer. All that lead up to the pair finding themselves walking around the school festival, with Alisa considering him a dear friend.
“Hey Lisa, walking around by yourself? I’m surprised I don’t see you with Rean or Emma.”
Alisa lifted her head, noticing her senpai/classmate approaching, using that casual nickname that always got under her skin. “Hmph.” She said with a pout, “Am I not allowed to walk around by myself? Besides, they were both busy.”
“Oh? So you did try to find them, huh?” He said with a wink.
She closed her eyes, feeling her anger building.
“W-Whoa, hold on there! No need to yell. Look, why don’t we check out one of the attractions together!”
She turned her head, pausing and then muttering, “...Fine.” In her head, relief set in. She had been building the courage to spend time with him. Ever since Roer, it seemed as if he had been avoiding her… But when she turned her head, she saw the same dopey smile.
“Great! Let’s check out the horse riding, I’ve been wanting to do that since I heard about your trip to Nord!” To her surprise, he slipped his arm through hers, leading her toward the practice field, eliciting a yelp from the girl.
After a resigned look from Jusis, the pair set out along the track, Crow leading the horse with Alisa’s arms wrapped around his waist. The warmth from his back spread throughout her body as they trotted down the path, getting further from the crowd. Those thoughts Alisa had earlier crept back into her mind.
“...Hey, Crow?”
“...hm?” His voice seemed slow.
“Is everything okay? I feel like…” Her mouth clamped shut, “Sorry, I shouldn’t be bringing this stuff up now.”
He shook his head, “Nah, don’t worry about it.” His carefree voice was back. “Just a bit bummed about being held back, ya know? But, at least I’ll be able to hang with you and Class 7 more.”
Alisa didn’t respond. Crow had never complained about being held back or ever expressed any remorse. But she decided to let it go, tightening her grip on his waist. The rest of the ride fell into a silent but comfortable rhythm, with some small talk along the way.
Alisa’s cheeks reddened as she noticed Jusis eying them, but he didn’t say anything. As they dismounted, she saw Emma waving at the top of the stairs. Before moving to join her, she turned to Crow.
“Will I see you at the bonfire?” Her eyes rose to meet his.
His smile was wide, even if it didn’t reach his eyes. “Man, you just can’t get enough of me, can you?” He gave her a wink, “Sure, I’ll see you there.”
Crow wasn’t lying about that.
.
After a lovely dance around the bonfire, complete with looks from Fie and Emma, Alisa’s memories became hazy. From the news about Garrelia Fortress, to Osborne’s assassination, the attack on Trista, Rean summoning Valimar, and then Class 7 staring down Crow and his azure knight. Alisa heard what sounded like his voice, but…
Her memories continued, escaping to Nord with Gaius and Millium, reuniting with Class 7, and boarding the Pantagruel to save Rean, where her eyes met his once again. They were cold, piercing her heart. After escaping, Alisa’s next encounter with him would come from a solo mission to recruit Beryl.
(Author’s Note: For that tale, check that out here ;) https://archiveofourown.org/works/16775470
On this surprise meetup in the Erebonian countryside, Alisa would learn the story of Crow’s past with Jurai and Osborne from the man himself. This filled in the gaps from what Rean told them.
Alisa’s memories accelerated again, this time to the moment where her heart fell into it’s deepest void. The members of Class 7 stood inside the Infernal Castle, around the pierced body of their classmate. Crow was cradled in Rean’s arms, a bloody hole through his chest. Alisa knelt down, her hand on Rean’s shoulder. Tears fell off her cheeks.
With his last moments, Crow spoke to everyone. When he got to Alisa, his eyes were full of warmth, genuine warmth.
“A…Alisa…” He reached his hand out. She clasped it with both of hers. “There was… a lot I never got to tell you.”
“C-Crow…” Her eyes welled up even more. “I understand, save your strength…!”
He shook his head, “I wanted to… thank you, for everything. At one point… I really had hope… for a different future…” He looked up, as everyone watched. “I can’t go any farther now…But you all can… so keep going forward… relentlessly, without looking back… don’t leave regrets… like I did. If you do that, I’m sure…”
.
Her memories swirled once again, coalescing around the Stargazer’s Tower in Crossbell. The year and a half since the end of the civil war, along with the conflicts in North Ambria and Crossbell took its toll on the parties involved, including Class 7.
Alisa remembered their conversations, their bonds persisting through the distance and challenging times, and the support everyone offered at Crow’s funeral. And yet… atop this tower, after new and old Class 7 combined their strength to stop Ouroboros, a man clad in a blue skintight suit stood atop another tower. Alisa couldn’t pull her eyes away. His hair, his voice, they were all slightly different. But when she turned to face Machias and Emma, their stunned expressions confirmed her thoughts.
The desperation in Rean’s voice from inside Valimar when “Azure Siegfried” fled confirmed it in her mind too.
“There’s… no way,” Rean said as he excited Valimar’s cockpit.
Machias merely shook his head, while Emma was still looking off towards where Vita disappeared from. Alisa turned her head in a similar fashion, the hole in her heart growing to where it was when he died. But at the depths of it… was there… hope?
.
That hope would light a fire in her soul, pushing her to continue fighting alongside Class 7. This time, she found herself descending into the depths of the Earth Guardian’s lair. The long spiral staircase was wearing down the group, as member after member stayed behind to face off against their plethora of enemies.
Alisa’s own thoughts were scrambled by the events of the Great Twilight, but what stood out and hurt the most was the betrayal of the Reinford family maid, essentially her older sister, Sharon. Alisa could feel that hole in her heart only grow larger as her friends squared off against Sharon, Rutger, Shirley, and … Azure Siegfried.
She let out a sigh, “You really do intend to do this, huh…”
Sharon—no, Kreuger stared back at her, her weapons outstretched.
Alisa continued, “It feels like every ghost from my past has come back to haunt me…”
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Rean’s purple eyes meeting hers. “Heh, you’re not alone, Alisa. This truly feels like a nightmare… But I’m not giving up, we’re going to bring them back!”
Alisa put her hand on Rean’s, then gave him a nod, “You’re exactly right.” She wasn’t alone, she had Rean, who could truly understand her situation. Turning to their opponents, “I will get my family back!”
After an initial skirmish, the two jaegers broke the battle up, with Fie and Sara stepping up to face them. Alisa knew what they were thinking, it was the same with Gaius, Laura, and Emma on the previous level. They needed to buy time for Rean and Valimar to get to the base of the spiral, and stop whatever Osborne… and her father were up to.
“Leave them to me!” Alisa yelled out, her arm reaching up into the sky.
“What?! Alisa, are you su—” Rean’s voice was cut by the sound of a gold and white Orbal Gear slamming into the ground behind her, which she quickly jumped into.
The look of genuine surprise on Sharon’s face was something Alisa had only seen sparsely. It gave her the confidence she needed.
Siegfried reacted, “Is that an Archaism?”
Machias’ voice next, “W-Whoa, that is impressive…”
Alisa from the seat of the Orbal Gear towered over everyone else on the field of battle, “Tio, Tita and I worked hard to get this mech up and running. Its test runs are complete and now it’s ready for deployment!”
“I-I was not even aware such a thing was in development…” Sharon stuttered out.
“It was originally supposed to be a surprise for you, Sharon… I never could have expected to have to use it here. But, do you see now! You too, Crow! I’m no longer some child, some brat who needs to be sheltered. I’ll make both of you see me as an equal, as someone to trust and respect!”
A sly smile crossed Siegfried’s face, “Heh… quite the speech.”
Whereas Sharon looked like she could cry, “My lady…”
Alisa turned her head to her compatriots, “Go! Sara, Fie, and I will handle things here.”
Jusis protested, “Can you handle the two if them by yourself?! We should stay back and—”
“No! Jusis, Rufus is down there somewhere, and I know you have words for him. Also, Millium is as well. You need to be the one to face them.”
“Tch…” He turned his sword to Siegfriend, “If you harm her—”
Now it was Rean’s turn to cut him off, “She’ll be fine, Jusis. Crow could never.”
Jusis relented, “...Fine.”
“Thank you!” Alisa turned back to face her opponents, but still spoke to her friends, “If you see my fath—if you see that man down there, please get some answers for me!”
“Got it, leave it to me!” Rean said.
“I have full faith that you’ll meet us down there!” Jusis followed, as the rest of Class 7 sprinted down the stairs.
Alisa narrowed her eyes, focusing on the two targets in front of her. She deployed the shoulder guns to begin her battle.
.
Her memories shifted again. Through the murkiness she could see them arrive in Eryn Village, get a kick in the butt from Juna, begin the hunt for the black workshop, then their attack to rescue Rean. With the added bonus of Crow joining their side. Until her heart was almost shattered again when, after his defeat in Rean’s rivalry. Almost.
Rean’s victory and subsequent effort to convince Crow to join them finally allowed Alisa to face him, in a somewhat normal conversation. It was near the middle of Class 7’s operation into Ordis, to rescue Towa. They were camped out outside the city, when Alisa found a quiet moment with him. He was on top of a rock outcrop, gazing north over the ocean. Alisa knew where his gaze was targeted.
Jurai.
As she walked up to him, his turned, meeting her. A small smile sat on his lips, “Hey, Lisa.”
That nickname sent shivers down her spin. She gave a small smile back, “It’s been some time since you’ve called me that.”
“Heh, I suppose so.” He turned back towards the ocean, as she stood next to him.
“Are you thinking about home?”
“Something like that. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what to think anymore. After I heard I failed to bring down Osborne, well…”
“It felt like everything came crashing down, huh?”
He turned toward her in surprise, “...Yeah. And all of you in Class 7 are really something special, you know that? Still pushing forward… While me? I’m just a dead man walking.”
“It was you told us to do that.” SHe playfully pushed his arm.
“Right again, Madame Reinford… Man, Rean, you, Jusis, Fie, everyone, they’ve all grown so much.”
She crossed her arms, “That’s because we didn’t have time stolen from us. And, for the record, I don’t believe what you said earlier, about being a ‘dead man walking’.”
“Heh, doesn’t make it any less true.”
Alisa shook her head, “After you died, after Rean was forced to help Osborne, I… I felt like a dead woman walking. But I had friends, a support network, to keep me going. Then, once we saw you in Crossbell, I… I didn’t know what to think. But for the first time, I had a spark of hope in my heart… That you might be alive, that this could all be fixed.”
His face was intent, listening to her every word. He didn’t say anything, beckoning her to continue.
“And that hope bore fruit. Even after Sharon betrayed me, even after my mom sided with the Erebonian government, even after my dad…” She shook her head once more. “And I’ll hold on to that hope till the end.”
“That’s…”
She turned her head towards him, “And first and foremost, you’re going to help me get Sharon back, you’re going to help Rean win his rivalries, and then we’re going to figure out how to ensure you have a future.”
His eyes widened, “You really think I have a future…?”
“I know you do.” She closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest, “With me.”
Silence stretched out for some seconds until Crow burst out laughing, “Wha…ha..haha..hahaha! Oh man, Lisa, you are too much…!”
Alisa put on a pout, “I’m being serious!”
“Hahaha… I, I know, I’m sorry about that.” He reached up and placed his hand on her head, deepening her pout even further. “Its just… you’ve grown so much from when we were at Thors. I’m the one who’s been stagnant.”
He let his arm drop down, taking her hand. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
.
Her memories shifted again, this time, to Mishelam. Alisa sat on the bench near the central area, her gaze toward the starry night sky. The whole night was an extravagant party full of mingling with friends, but now most had retired to their rooms. The goal to help to get everyone focused on tomorrow, with no regrets…
“No regrets, huh…” She muttered to herself.
“Why, you got some?” A voice came from her right.
“Wha!?” She jumped up, the voice starling her off the bench. Turning her head, with a shit-eating grin, was Crow. “D-Don’t scare me like that!” Alisa walked up, punching him in the ribs.
“O-Ow, heheh… Sorry, my bad. I didn’t mean to, honestly! I’m surprised so see you still out and about. Seems like most people went to bed after the fireworks went off.”
“I could say the same to you, couldn’t I? Where’d Towa, Angelica, and George go?”
“Bleh, they’re no fun. Angelica is still piss drunk from that contest, so they headed out early. Towa is, well, I think she went to go meet someone else. I’m not sure, she didn’t mention much.”
Alisa leaned back, a small smile on her face. “Well that explains you, I guess. For me, well…” She turned to look across the lake, in the direction of Erebonia.
“Worried about tomorrow?”
“How can I not be? Tomorrow… we put a stop to the monster who’s taken over my father.”
He mulled with his thoughts, “Yeah… I certainly hope to finally achieve my goal.”
“Of taking down Osborne?”
He nodded, “I’m sure Rean has his own complicated feelings, but mine haven’t changed.”
“I can understand that.” She let out a sigh as silence settled between them, complimented by a cold breeze.
“...Are you cold?” He began to take off his jacket.
“W-Well—” Before she could answer, his coat was around her shoulders. “I-I… suppose that’s nice…”
“C’mon, let’s get out of the middle.” He turned his head, and started walking towards the bridge leading to the Castle of Mirrors.
She followed, joining him leaning on the railing over the water.
He flipped over, now his back against the railing, “So, you didn’t answer my question.”
“Hm?”
“Do you still have regrets?”
A smile crossed her face, “...I suppose I do. Do you?”
He smiled back, “Well, of course. But some more than others.”
Alisa looked over the water, “One thing stood out to me, back at the Infernal Castle. You said ‘At one point I had hope for a different future…’ Those words have always stuck with me. What… what future did you imagine?”
His eyes went back to the sky, “Heh… You really have grown. After our chat near Ordis, and now this, I could never imagine the spoiled brat I first met back in Thors bearing her heart so openly.” He closed his eyes, “Why… why do you stick around me so much? Why do you see a future with me in it?”
Alisa’s heart began to beat. It’s a question she always considered at her time in Thors and during the civil war. Was this… finally her chance?
“Why, huh… I, I don’t know if I can say when exactly. Your attitude was infuriating when we were students, but… it seemed like you had so much freedom. From my perspective, anyway. But when you helped Rean save Elise, I think I began to realize you weren’t just carefree, that you could truly care for others.”
She turned to face him, “Our time at Class 7, our trip to Jurai, they all… endeared me to you. And then, when we learned the full story, it broke my heart. Seeing someone so gentle like you pushed to that extreme. But still, you carried on with what you thought was right… How could I not fall in love with someone like that?” Tears began to form in her eyes. Everything she had wanted to say after the civil war was coming out now.
His eyes met hers, with a softness in them she couldn’t describe. “When I was at Thors, every time I was around you, I could feel myself being pulled out of that world. Being drawn to you, that fire and passion you always walk around with. Plus, you are one of the cutest girls I’ve ever met!”
She blushed fiercely at that part. “Is this really happening?”
“How could I not find myself drawn to you?” He continued. “And… never telling you all this, that was my biggest regret before I died.”
“Crow…”
“I didn’t know if I could bring myself to tell you that, because I… I’m not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow. But, hearing you say all that…”
She pushed herself into his arms, “I… I know, I understand, that’s enough, Crow…”
“No, let me finish.” He pulled her back slightly, looking in her eyes. “Just like how that spark of hope kept you going, I want that as well. If I make it through tomorrow… I promise myself to you, Lisa.”
Now the tears were truly flowing. “Crow… I… couldn’t be happier right now…”
His head moved closer, as they both met for a kiss beneath the starlit sky.
It will forever remain one of Alisa’s most precious memories.
.
Alisa’s eyes finally opened, brushing off a light amount of snow. The sound of a door opening caught her attention as she stirred from her resting spot. Taking in the sight of Crossbell once again, now she heard footsteps approaching. She turned, seeing Crow with two cups in his hand.
“Sorry if it took so long!” A bright smile was on his face.
“No, it’s fine! Should we start heading back?” She got up and walked over, accepting her cup from him.
“Yeah, let’s start walking back. I don’t think this snow is gonna let up.”
Alisa, still wearing Crow’s coat, slipped her free hand into his as the couple walked along the streets. She squeezed his hand, thinking, “Yeah… it was all worth it.”