A Devil's Grace 1930

| Chapter Three |

"IPSG..." Tanya vaguely recalled people wearing blue armbands with those four letters actively moving about foreign battlefields collecting scraps, medals, and weapons from the fallen. 

"It was quite a surprise to find you were fighting on the battlefield, Teetasse." The young boy chuckled as he called her a Teacup in German.

Blankly, she stared up at him when he had called her Teacup, a nickname she hadn't heard since she was eight years old. She couldn't quite remember who it was, or where it had come from. It had been hidden in the back of her mind, and never had she really thought on it.

"Weren't you the one who kept giving me your bread?" Her lips parted as she too scooted off the booth and onto her feet after closing the chocolate box and stuffing it away into her bag.

"Ah, so you still remember that little bit," Valen chuckled as he knew of her memory problems. She hardly remembered the beginning of her military career, but she could recall a great many other things. "Tickle me pickled."

"You going to dope yourself?" Tanya quipped nonchalantly as she crossed her arms, now knowing exactly who he was, or at least partially. He was a person from nearly six years ago.

"Right, the Prohibition..." Valen pinched the bridge of his nose before shrugging to himself.

"You have three more years until it's overridden," Tanya waved a hand in dismissal, before pausing at the words she shared and took in a deep breath. Prepared to try and explain it, only for him to simply be smiling at her as if he already knew what she was going to say.

"Valen are you..."

"Am I what?"

"Nevermind," Tanya ran her fingers through her hair, lightly scratching her scalp before walking towards the exit, not really wanting to know exactly what she thought. "Let's get going."

Rolling his eyes, Valen followed behind her with his hands pocketed, only his thumb and pink sticking out of his pockets as he did so.

Once they stepped outside, there were a number of police cars in front of and behind the orphanage, visible the restaurant's parking lot. A couple of them being part of the government UMID agency.

As Tanya watched from the distance, Valen pulled himself into the driver's seat of the jeep she had looked at prior to entering the establishment. "Yo, Tatiana, time to get going."

"Hm?" Turning her head to look at him as she heard the Jeep start, she blinked a few times watching as he placed the flat cap on his head. "That was yours!?"

Pursing his lips at her, he cocked his head to the side, "Yeah?" 

Tanya grinned at this and waddled on over to the Jeep and climbed into the passenger side seat. There were no seatbelts as they weren't legally required, but she was sure she'd be safe. She not only had an operation orb, but she was adept at using magic. 

As he started to drive, her eyes drifted back to the orphanage she called home for three years. For a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of a hysterical Madam, a faint smile across her lips.

As they were passing by, however, she noticed someone else amongst the building crowd, a man in a suit eying everyone else. For a few seconds, it was as if they made eye contact before Valen turned a corner.

This was likely going to be the beginning of the red scare if it hadn't already started. Tanya knew what was to come, neighbors were going to begin turning on one another with accusations. 

A whole new kind of war was brewing.

As they were reaching the border of the town, she let herself relax in the seat. The road, for now, was empty of traffic, not many people owned cars nowadays unless you were rich. The middle class has hardly reared its head.

"I may be too curious, but where did you find Visha?" She was curious about what her former adjutant had been doing following the end of the war and the reparations towards the late Empire.

"After the Mage Division was dismissed from Military service altogether in the Empire," Valen yawned lightly not really taken in by the subject, "She and the rest of your division founded a cafe in order to stay together and support one another. They named it the Degurechaff in your honor, by the way."

Though she had been a strict and stern commanding officer who always followed regulation, she was never really sure how they truly felt about her. Tanya's heart was warmed by the fact her former subordinates had actually taken a liking to her, even as far as to make an establishment towards her.

"The Tanya Brand Coffee was interesting nonetheless," Valen suddenly snickered.

"Wha, really? You've got to be kidding me!" Tanya snorted at the very notion of a coffee brand being named after her. Though at the same time, she couldn't stop smiling, even as her cheeks began to hurt. "Is that why you commented on Visha's coffee earlier?"

"Obviously," Valen blatantly dismissed the subject.

Her mind had gone back to the moment when she had ordered the retreat, forbidding her officers from rescuing her, their only job being survival. Her vision became rather foggy, she was sure they had returned for her when she was gone, her chest felt heavy in a good way.

There had been no way they would've survived an attack from Mary Sue if he hadn't saved her.

A little while later, the paved road they were on was surrounded in forest alone, the mountains were to their back as they were heading directly south on the federal highway.

"How many agents do you think the commies have in the Unified States?" Tanya was given enough time to calm down and nestle herself in the beltless passenger seat of the jeep.

"Hundreds probably," Valen shrugged unsure as he kept his hands on the wheel and not taking his eyes off of the road, "But I'm sure we'll run into more on our way down to Florida..." 

"Is that so..." Tanya had no idea where it would be safe from communist spies, or their secret police. There had been entire documentaries and movies based around how the Soviet Union's Secret Police hunted down and assassinated defectors, and ordinary citizens, that had left Russia back during the Cold War.

"They're not going to get you," Valen assured as he finally looked to her, placing a hand on her head as to further the sentiment. "Whatever means necessary, I'll kneecap the lot of them, and stomp their heads on the curb if I have to." He closed one eye before turning his attention back to the road, resting his hand back on the wheel.

Tanya wore a deadpan expression again, just watching him after he had touched her head. What allowed this boy to speak so valiantly? Was he the type to be motivated simply by having something to protect? All he had done up until this point is to benefit her rather than himself. 

As she laid her back against the seat, comfortably, her eyes watched the treetops as they flew on by, her hair whipping about in the wind.

"The weather's rather nice today..." Tanya quietly uttered under her breath, taking the box of chocolates out of her bag and opening it. Without hesitation, the teen youth plucked a heart-shaped piece of chocolate from the box and slipped between her lips, before slowly chewing it.

"I suppose," Valen gave a dry tone in response.

The valiant tone he had used earlier was gone, this confused Tanya. Perhaps he was thinking about something else now? Her azure hues moved forward ahead of them, knowing they had hours of traveling to go through.

She wondered how many places they would stop, the kinds of foods they would eat. Her eyes drifted down to her hands, flexing them slightly before taking a piece of chocolate from the box.