“C’mon, Ingrid! You got it!” Nico yelled out.

Staring down at Nico from the high climb, Ingrid quivered in fear. “I-I can’t!” she squealed before completely letting go of the ropes and letting her harness guide her to the ground, landing softly in the sandpit below. 

“Pffft, pay up, guys. I told you she wouldn’t make it,” a boy said, nudging his friend. It’s Class C anyway, and it's always safer to bet that they’ll fail.”

“Hey now, that’s not…” Nico started.

“Oh, now another one wants to speak up. Get lost, Class C. Nobody cares.” Another boy said.

Before Nico could utter another word, a weight suddenly appeared on each boy’s shoulders, causing them to jump in shock. Aisha appeared out of thin air, resting her elbows heavily on their shoulders, wearing a smug grin.

“Heeeyyy,” Aisha crooned. Her tone was so casual that the boys instantly stiffened, “Say, you guys are from Class D, ain’t’cha?”

The boys' necks snapped to lock onto Aisha. Their faces instantly lost any remaining color they had.

“Hey, hey, no need to be scared,” Aisha whispered as she wrapped her arms over each of the boys’ shoulders, “We’re all friends here, right?”

“R-Right!” One of the boys piped up, “We’re friends!”

“Right…” Aisha smirked, “And as friends, we can all be honest with each other with no hard feelings, yeah?”

“Y-Yeah… Completely honest!”

“So then…” Aisha leaned in close to one boy, “Why in the Seven Heavens do you think you can make fun of my friends and get away with it?”

The two boys were silent for almost an eternity. Aisha kept her arms around the boys while they thought of an excuse.

One of the boys eventually started to speak up but was immediately silenced by Aisha, “Hey, hey, no need for excuses. I get it. Things happen,” Aisha said, giving both of them a harsh slap on the back, “If something like this happens again, you know… I won’t be so nice and cordial, you got it?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!” The two boys yelped before scurrying off and almost tripping one another on the way out.

Aisha cackled to the point of tears, “Ahhhh, I hope they didn’t get on your nerves too much, guys.”

Aisha motioned for Ingrid and Nico to come nearer, “C’mon, c’mon, gather round the campfire!” Aisha grinned, wrapping her arms around them.

Ingrid shuffled her feet and stared at the ground, “Thank you for doing that Aisha… I’m very grateful…” She murmured.

“Yeah! That was really cool of you, Aisha!” Nico exclaimed, “They came in all tough and grrr!! And you were all like, ‘pew pew, get outta here!”

Aisha cackled and ruffled Nico’s hair, “Yeah, I guess I was pretty cool. Anytime someone makes you guys frown, just call for me, then the great Aisha Evans will come swooping in to save you!”

“Oh! There you guys are,” Claude approached, wearing a casual smile, “We were looking for you.”

Edward and Sylvain stood right behind Claude. Sylvain's arms rested on his head while Edward crossed his across his chest.

“Oh! Hey Claudey-Claude!” Aisha sang, a mischievous grin appearing on her face, “I was just showing some of those Class D bullies who’s boss!”

“You havin’ some trouble with ‘em? We can show them what’s what, can’t we, Cap?” Edward chimed in.

“Awww,” Aisha ruffled Edward's hair, “Edie’s all worked up over us!” She giggled.

Edward's face reddened as he pulled away from Aisha, “I just don’t like bullies is all! Nothing else!”

“In any case, I’ll bring up that Class D is giving you guys trouble promptly. I’m about to head off to a leadership brief, so Edward, Elaine, and I will be out the rest of the day. If you’ve got any questions… I’m sure some of the other Lieutenants can help you out, Aisha.”

“And you’ll really bring it up, the problems with Class D, right? Not just let them brush it off?” Aisha stared Claude down.

“Of course, it’s not appropriate for those here to be doing things like that.” Claude stared right back at Aisha, “One of my duties to all of you is to ensure that you’re well cared for. If I have to step in between you and bullies, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

“Alright,” Aisha shrugged, “I believe you, Claude, other than that, all I’m hearing is that today’s gonna be a day off, yeah?”

“I’m not saying that, but there’s nothing else on the agenda for the day. So… Do what you will, I guess.” Claude chuckled.

“The only other thing on my agenda is to kick some ass!” Edward rolled his sleeves, “Teach some bullies a lesson!”

Claude grabbed Edward by the collar, “Nope. We’ve got a brief to attend, and then I’m going to revoke your weekend pass. Don’t beat up other students.”

“Nooooooo!” Edward cried as he was dragged away, “Sylvain! Aisha! Kick their asses for me!”

The group chuckled. “Alright, ladies,” Sylvain started, “As much as I’d love to stick around and chat, I’ve got a date to get ready for!”

“Ohh, you, a date?” Aisha crossed her arms, “You better not be in the market of breaking any more hearts, I’ve consoled enough women here for one lifetime.”

Nico stifled a laugh, “Prince Charming’s gonna try his luck again,” She whispered to Ingrid. 

Ingrid nodded in response, “I just hope he doesn’t hurt anyone else this time…”

“Relaaaaaax, girls, I’m a changed man!” Sylvain grinned, “This time, I’m serious!”

“You better be,” Aisha grabbed Sylvain’s collar and made a fist, “Otherwise, it’s not them you’ll answer to anymore.”

Sylvain flinched, “Threat acknowledged! I won’t break her heart!”

Aisha let go of Sylvain and dusted off his uniform, “Good then, make sure to look good, put on some nice cologne, get a lint roller, and… Pull out her chair for her, why don’t’cha?”

“Uhm… Yes, ma’am…?” Sylvain blinked in confusion, “Sorry, that was a really drastic change in tone for me…”

“I could keep being mean if you want!” Aisha smiled.

“No, no! Nice Aisha is good! It’s perfect!” Sylvain flinched, “And at the risk of my essence being sapped by the glorious Aisha, I will go get ready for the night…”

“Very well!” Aisha clapped, then shooed Sylvain away, “Go, go! Fill us in on all the details tomorrow!”

Sylvain walked off, though he had a bit more of a pep in his step. Almost like a surge of pride flowed through him.

Ingrid sighed in relief as Sylvain departed, “Thank goodness…”

“Mm? Not a fan of Sylvain?” Nico asked as she patted Ingrid’s head.

“Oh no, it’s not that! I think he’s a fantastic person! I just hope I never get put in his sights… I don’t think I could handle him trying to flirt with me…” Ingrid said.

“Relaaax, he’d never!” Aisha cupped Ingrid’s chin in her hand, “Sylvain knows you’re mine,” She teased.

Ingrid’s face instantly reddened. She gave a loud squeal before instinctively running off into nowhere.

Nico giggled, “I think you came off too strong to her, Aisha, you’d best go chase her and explain! And no, I’m not just saying that so I can excuse myself and let you two have a little one-on-one bonding… But if that were to happen, I wouldn’t complain!” 

“It’s so easy to get a reaction from her… But…” Aisha rubbed her temples, “I’m going to be dealing with a lot today, aren’t I?”

Nico snapped her fingers, “You know it! This is the price of giving your heart to those which you love!” Nico put her arm over her forehead and pretended to faint in an overly dramatic fashion, “Now, you must go where I cannot follow!”

Aisha chuckled, “Leave it to Squeakers to make things as dramatic as humanly possible. Well, if it’s alright with you, I’ll go run and find Ingrid. I’ll see you later!”

Nico waved and watched as Aisha trotted off. She pulled a small talisman from her breast pocket and rubbed it with her thumb a few times, “Be well, Aisha."