Work Text:
"Hmm…"
Ethyl quietly sighed as she pored over her tomes, narrowing her eyes. As she stood up, the surface of the table began to glow, and a picture of a ravine appeared as if constructing everything from its base to its peaks. With it, dots like darts sunk themselves in different positions until the entirety of a battleground could be seen.
She folded her arms, rolling her fingers slowly as she paced around the table. They were the same positions she had seen for the past hour or two -- she hadn't been keeping track of the time -- and yet, she couldn't find a way to break through. Red dots lined the top of the ravine, armed with bows; meanwhile, her own blue dots stood clumped together, a prime target and completely trapped.
"Still looking at that same map?"
The woman glanced up as a man entered, pushing his long ponytail over his shoulder before it fell nearly to his ankles. His red tunic was accented with gold and white with the sleeves tied up with white cord, with tall black work boots that clacked as he walked. It was an honest miracle that she hadn't heard him. Had she been that immersed?
"Kanesan?" She asked, finally clocking the plate and glass in his hand. "What's all that?"
"Your dinner?" He chuckled, setting both down on the edge of the table. "Oh, and the kitchen had some strawberry green tea today. Don't know how it is, but I figured you'd like some."
"Thanks." She smiled and nodded before sighing, rubbing her face. "How long have I been up here?"
"Let's see… three hours? Or so?" He rubbed his neck and cleared his throat. "We didn't want to interrupt—"
"Three hours?!" Ethyl slammed her hands on the table in shock.
Kanesan blinked before he chuckled again. "Yeah, well, this isn't the first time you've gotten super focused. Last time I tried to interrupt you, I got yelled at."
Ethyl sighed, rubbing her face. "Sorry, sorry. Just… When it comes to these kinds of things, I like to get at least some sort of progress before I stop."
"Makes sense to me. Just… I'd appreciate it if I didn't have a shoe thrown at me next time."
"No promises." She took a sip, inspecting the swirl of pink in her glass. "Hmm. Not bad."
"So what're you stuck on now?" He rubbed his chin as he leaned against the table, the light from the screen illuminating his face. "At least you've made some progress backwards in the ravine. Though, this is a pretty tight situation, isn't it?"
"Yeah," she pushed her hair over her shoulder as she focused. "The archers coming in above make it difficult to take shelter."
"I've thought about taking our own archers and hugging this back wall, so that it's hard for the enemies on this side of the ravine to shoot down, while at the same time being able to take out the other archers on the bluff across from them."
"Then it becomes figuring out how to get everyone out…" Kanesan mused.
"I've thought about maybe just rotating archers, or keeping them aimed up and doing a sort of, like, leap frog situation? But then that'd be putting the archers at risk of being shot from behind…"
"Yeah, good instincts there." He rubbed his chin again. "I think your blades as they stand are pretty well positioned, though -- probably as best as they can be."
"Then what should I do?" Ethyl sighed, resting her head on her hands.
"Hmm…" Kanesan thought for a moment. "Got anything that they don't?"
"What do you mean?"
"Any hidden trump cards, or aces, or anyone in particular that they don't know about?"
"I don't think so…" Ethyl peered down at the soldiers. "Archers, musketeers, regular troops, horses… Horses? Wait, they have horses?"
"I don't know, do they?" Kanesan chuckled.
"How the heck did I miss this? This changes everything!" She zoomed in. "The horses will be more likely to dodge the arrows, allowing them to slip up the ravine and out to hit the archers from the sides. That means all that the soldiers in the ravine need to do is focus on the soldiers up across from them, and they don't have to worry about arrows from above them. Plus, the ones they need to focus on will also be distracted by the noise on the other side of the ravine, but they'll be firing into their own ranks. It's pure chaos! That means they'll be able to escape and drive off the enemy on the other side as well."
"And that's the scenario." Kanesan tapped the table twice.
"Three hours… Three whole hours… All because I didn't check the dots' stupid equipment… Who the heck designed this program, anyways?"
"You did."
"Shut up!" She fired back, causing them both to laugh. Sighing, she fell back into her seat and rested her head in her arms, watching as the scenario faded and the screen returned to glass. "Man… Why didn't I think of that?"
"Because sometimes you get so wrapped up in the little things that you forget to take a step back." He chuckled, ruffling her reddish-blue hair. "When things get overwhelming, you've gotta cut some things out to make it simpler. If you can't see the whole picture when you zoom in, think about if you've zoomed in too far. Now, eat your food before it goes cold, or I'm gonna eat it for you."
"Thanks, Kanesan." Ethyl turned and grinned brightly.
"Yup. Now, gonna go back down and relax. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?" He waved a hand over his shoulder as he stepped away.
"Hey, can you make sure that the expedition parties leave?" She called out.
"Yup, already on it." He gave a thumbs up, not even glancing back.
Ethyl sighed, giggling to herself before taking another sip of her tea. "Big picture, huh…?
Once she finished up her dinner, she decided that a bit of fresh air might help clear her head.
As she strolled about the citadel, quietly lining up her feet with every step, she slipped her hands into the pockets of her dress and hummed quietly to herself. Her eyes saw the tall grass of the field ahead, sprinkled with white snow; traced the treeline of the forest speckled with sparkles beneath the sun's gentle rays. Now that she looked at it, it was actually quite bright out, wasn't it? It was as if the sun were melting away the winter chill.
"Pardon me, Saniwa!"
She glanced up just in time to narrowly avoid bumping into another man, an apologetic smile on his face. His spiky brown hair was tied in the back, and he wore a gray-white haori with a wave motif at its hem.
"Sorry, Mutsunokami!" Ethyl sighed. "I need to look where I'm going a bit better…"
"Nah, don't worry about it. Easy to get caught up in the scenery, ain't it?" He chuckled, slipping his thumbs into his obi. "The way the snow all glitters'n stuff at the tips of the trees; the way the mountains all jut up like glistenin' teeth… Heck, I almost ran into a few people durin' fieldwork today just lookin' at everything!" His shark-like grin shifted to confusion. "Why're you lookin' at me like that?"
Ethyl giggled softly. "Sorry, nothing. Just… I keep forgetting you've got a little bit of poetry in you."
"'Course I do! Can't go days out on the sea if all you see is ocean." His grin returned as he tightened the knot on his seigaiha-patterned headband. "You've gotta see the shape of the clouds, the shine of the waves on the sea. And not just see, either! You've gotta smell the salt on the wind, feel the rocking of the ship… all of that." He wiped his nose on the back of his hand. "If you're not gettin' everything, maybe you're just not usin' everything you've got."
"'Not using everything…?'" Ethyl mused.
"… Shoot, look at me!" He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Now I'm gettin' you all sidetracked and stuff. You've probably got a bunch of stuff to do, don'tcha?"
"Not really, actually," Ethyl shrugged. "Just decided to come out here and take in some fresh air, I guess. But… you know? You've got a point."
"I do?" He furrowed his brow, pointing at himself.
"Yeah -- about looking around and seeing what I have. Seeing the big picture and stuff like that." She giggled, covering her mouth. "I guess I kinda get stuck focusing on one thing that I forget to see everything."
"Well, shoot, I didn't mean to be teachin' any lessons or anything," Mutsunokami chuckled. "Just runnin' my mouth a bit I guess. Well, Kanesan told me you were slavin' away on your tactics drills while he was grabbin' you your dinner -- you get those done alright?"
"Yeah, actually." She grinned. "Figured out a way to get everyone home as safe as possible."
"There you are -- never doubted ya." Mutsunokami ruffled her hair.
"H-hey!" She frowned, quickly fixing it. "The heck is-- Hey!"
Mutsunokami laughed loudly as he flipped her hair over her face and stepped away. "Sorry, Saniwa! It's just too easy, y'know?"
"Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki!" She cried, flipping her hair back just in time to see his goofy jaunt around the corner. "Get back here!" She called, but he was long gone, only his laughter echoing in the hall. Sighing, she folded her arms. "Dork."