Blue sea beneath the North star (FE3H)

Chapter 3: The gremlin's arrival

Elias and Edmon are all looking at her, waiting for her response. Lynden sits straight up in embarrassment.

"Erm..." Lynden coughs, rubbing her eyes, "I'm fine...a little sleepy, I guess?"

"You sure?" Alika purses her lips, "You space out a lot, like, for weeks now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Elias nods, a smirk draws on his face, "And looks like a dork."

"Oh."

Lynden shakes her head.

"It's nothing," She denies, swatting her hand, but everyone can see her flustered face as she keeps on denying it. They snicker, confirming their assumption is right.

"...Why would you guys make that face?" Seeing the smug grin on Elias, she squeaks while her face flushed red like a tomato.

"Yeah sure, sure! It's nothing at all." Elias retorts in a mocking tone. Alika meanwhile tries to hold back her grin, eyes filling with amusement as Lynden shifts awkwardly.

Even Edmon perks up at the subject. The man closes his book, carefully places it down on the table. He stares at Lynden, almost as if he urges her to confirm the theory, perhaps waiting for the story behind too.

"Well?" Edmon asks after a long, long silence.

Lynden sighs.

"Yes..." Lynden stops for a sec, looking down, "I...am crushing on someone, I guess?"

"GODDESS!" Alika excitedly gasps, making Lynden's heart almost jumps out of her body. The other woman then stops herself, looking quite ashamed, lowering her voice down. She breathes, "Who is it? What does she look like?"

"Well, she is beautiful, has quite a voice, and uh..." Lynden pauses, and raises an eyebrow, "old. A little old."

"...Pardon?" Edmon's eyes widen a little at her bluntness. His face flashes with confusion.

"Older than me- t-t-than us!" She stutters, trying to correct the sentence whilst her hand covering her mouth, "That's what I meant! She's older than us! Not the other way around!"

"...Never knew you have a thing for older women," Edmon adds in a monotone voice, as he's examining Lynden.

"I do." Elias curtly nods, his smug grin growing bigger and bigger on his face. Lynden quickly shot her eyes up to look at him.

"Please no." Lynden scowls, clenching her hand around her coffee cup, "It's embarrassing."

"Oh please, it happened long, long ago." Elias chuckles, "Most already forgot it. Especially her, I hope."

"But you still remember it." The tall knight retorts.

"It's a funny story though." Lynden groans in frustration, whilst Elias chuckles, stirring his cup, "Seeing your lovestruck ass buying flowers" The blonde man stops for a second to stop himself from laughing so loud "...for a florist. That made my day."

Lynden embarrassingly looks at the other two, who trade a glance with each other, silently snickering. Then Alika speaks, trying hard to suppress herself from a fit of laughter that may escape from her. After biting back the string of snickers, she manages to change the subject, for Lynden's sake.

"Oh! How about your sister?" The woman curiously cocks her head, "Any news from her?"

"...No." Lynden lightly shakes her head, tapping her fingers on the hot cup of coffee she had ordered, "And her class is starting soon, I just hope she won't miss her first day to class."