(I have a little theory based on the quest, just a little hunch that the trailblazer is gonna get stabbed *or rather cut* again)
Caelus had committed a grave sin.
He didn't regret it, of course.
Still, deceiving his fellow Miss Himeko and Mr. Yang worshipper by deciding no not to tell her about Himeko's surprise pop in and admiring someone else's 🍑 was unforgivable.
March was the only other person who knew of his transgressions, and frankly, she didn't really care. She did give him weird little side eyes for it, but she had very little concern about it.
"I'm gonna stick with y/n and make sure she gets some rest before Captain Gepard takes us out to the Snow Plains." March 7th had told Caelus as she clung to the h/c haired woman's arm, "You go help handle Topaz and those IPC guys."
Caelus wasn't complaining, this meant he could see that fine woman with the glorious assets again.
Ahem. Anyways.
It took a little while, business stuff that Caelus couldn't be bothered with, but the trailblazing duo and their tired friend gathered back at Grand Goethe Hotel to rest up after the action packed events which y/n would NEVER get to know about.
What? Caelus told himself that he wasn't going to let y/n worry, and he accomplished that! Gepard was busy with Captain stuff in the aftermath of the IPC drama, so March and Caelus decided to enjoy the festivities with y/n!
They weren't familiar with Solwarm, but Clara and Hook were there to help! After Hook ran away from y/n screaming, claiming that she was a ghost only to come running right back and cling to the woman's leg while crying, the little girl was very eager to show the trio the best parts of Solwarm!
Rivet Town was hosting an exciting and upbeat celebration, with lots to drink and eat! While y/n didn't seem to have much of an appetite, she didn't protest when Clara and Hook kept bringing her different foods and drinks to try.
"Demon Lord, try this!"
"Miss Y/n, this is really good, have some!"
Caelus was stuffing his face while March snapped pictures of y/n as she tried every food the two little girls offered to her, mustering a small smile and a quiet, "It's tasty" whenever they eagerly awaited her opinion.
"Aww... how cute!" March exclaimed with a little grin as she glanced at Caelus, "Hey, do you want to go try some of that..." her smile fell when she laid eyes on her gray haired companion who had seven different sausages stuffed in his mouth.
He blinked owlishly at her while she immediately turned away, walking over to y/n, Hook and Clara, "...nevermind."
Families in River and Boulder Town set up little booths with all kinds of fun activities, all of which March 7th was eager to try.
She dragged y/n and the two little girls to one where you could win home made plushies. The game was simple. There were lots of cups with a range of different point values. Players were given little balls that they could toss into the cups, and had to accumulate a total of 250 points to win a plushie.
Y/n didn't need anymore plushies, Mimi was all she needed, but her companions seemed to be interested.
As March 7th was fawning over a little rabbit one which held a striking resemblance to her, y/n was gazing at the other stuffed animals available.
Come to think of it...
'That raccoon one looks like Caelus, and that little cat one reminds me a lot of Clara.' y/n thought with a little tilt of her head before glancing at Hook and Clara with a curious little look.
Clara had been gazing at the little cat one, Hook trying her best to get those 250 points but always falling short. Y/n watched in silence as Hook went for the cups with higher point values, the ones that were harder to actually land.
"It's okay, Hook, I don't really need it."
"No! No! Don't worry! Pitch Dark Hook the Great will get you the plush whether you need it or not!"
"We can't spend all our money here—"
Hook crossed her arms before glancing up at y/n, "Hey! Demon Lord! You try!"
"Hm?" y/n didn't get to protest as Hook shoved the little balls into her hands, "Oh, okay I guess."
Y/n turned her attention back to the cups, then glanced at the balls in her hand. Okay, this shouldn't be too hard. Her hand was a little shaky, but...
She missed every single one.
"Oh wow, was your aim always this awful?" Caelus mumbled as y/n stared blankly at the measly ten points she'd obtained and March gave him a sharp glare.
"I'd like to see you do better!" she snapped.
Caelus took that challenge and crushed it, obtaining a whopping 500 points on his first try. Clara and Hook were absolutely flabbergasted when he gifted them with the cat plush and a little badger plush he claimed to look like the little blonde girl.
Telling from her expression and her angry tone, she clearly didn't know how to feel about that comment.
"You were saying?" Caelus hummed with a sly look while March 7th let out a groan. "Shut up, you just got lucky!"
"Lucky, eh?"
"Please no..."
He won the rabbit plush March wanted next, and it took a lot of convincing to get her to just accept it. The two had started going back and forth with one another, only pausing when Hook announced that she had to return to her Dad and Svarog arrived to retrieve Clara, thanking them all for looking after her.
Svarog and Clara departed, but not after inviting y/n and her friends over to come over and hang out before they left Belobog again.
After that, Caelus and March were back to bickering.
As March and Caelus were fussing , y/n stared at the plushies still on display. She wanted to get that raccoon one, and there was another that had caught her attention. A devious looking tiger... it was cute.
'I think he'd like it.' she thought, fidgeting a little as she glanced back down at her hands. 'But I don't know if I could score 500 points like Caelus did. My hands feel all shaky... I'd be lucky to get just one.'
"Is there one that you want?" a voice inquired, closer than anticipated, and y/n glanced over her shoulder. Oh, Gepard was there. Literally right there, by her shoulder, peering at the plushies on display.
She'd heard someone approaching, but hadn't realized he'd actually approached. The blond man was standing right beside her. He wasn't in his uniform anymore, in casual clothing instead. ...he looked nice in a turtleneck.
"Mhm, but I can't really toss right. My hands are shaking a ton." y/n murmured as she frowned down at her hand again, Gepard's gaze following hers.
"Hand tremors. Are your hands cold?"
"Nope."
"Figured. Here, I know a trick."
Caelus watched out the corner of his eye as Gepard paid for another try at the game, holding the spare balls while instructing y/n as she prepared to toss one.
He couldn't hear what the two were saying despite straining to listen, but March 7th took notice and ushered him away while he quietly protested.
"Just focus on breathing. If you can't get your hand to relax, try flexing your hand a couple of times." Gepard advised while y/n did as she was told, brows slightly furrowed, "I've found that tensing and relaxing my muscles a couple of times helps, so you can try that too."
The tremors were persistent, but in between the deep breaths and attempts at getting her muscles to chill the 🚚 out, it was actually working.
"Hey, it works. How come you know all this?" y/n inquired, glancing back at the blond man curiously.
He oooked thoughtful for a moment, as if carefully choosing his words, "It's... a trick I learned while on the front lines. When I first joined the Silvermane Guard, I wasn't as used to the battlefield or the constant bombardment of fragmentum monsters."
Y/n paused, her brows raising slightly.
"At first I figured it was just the cold, or nerves from constant encounters with creatures of the fragmentum, but it never went away. Even as I got used to the cold and the danger, the hand tremors would persist." Gepard continued, "It may be nerve damage, or just lingering anxiety, but I've gotten used to it and learned to live with it."
"I see." y/n murmured, "If you don't mind me asking... do you get scared when you're on the battlefield?"
"Well, yes, that's one thing that will probably never change. But when I think of the people I want to protect, the fear sort of just melts away." Gepard replied, his gaze warmed as something — or rather someone — he was fond of came to mind.
It was a moment before he cleared his throat, "Ahem, you're a soldier too, aren't you, y/n?" she hesitated.
"Used to be. Not anymore." she mumbled before giving the man beside her a curious look, "How could you tell?"
Gepard chuckled before tapping his head, "You were ranting about how one's duty is to the people they're protecting and not to someone in command the day you gave me a concussion. I remember it because you punched me in the face right afterwards."
Y/n grimaced, "Ah, so thats why. I'm sorry."
"It's no problem, I ought to be apologizing to you. You and your companions were only trying to help."
"And you gave me a concussion."
Gepard winced, before laughing awkwardly, "Yes, and I also gave you a concussion. That makes two of us, huh?"
Y/n gave him a sidelong smile before turning her attention back to the game, tossing one of the balls which landed in a cup worth 50 points, "Ah, it works. Thanks for the help, Gepard."
"Glad it helped out," the man hummed with a warm smile, "How many points are you going for?"
"750."
"...huh."
"I wanted two plushies, the raccoon and the tiger, but now I want the cheetah too." y/n announced with a determined look, "So I'm going to get 750 points and get all three."
"Oh— well, okay." Gepard mumbled as he nodded, perking up a bit as he offered the woman a small smile, "Do you really like plushies that much?"
"Yeah, but none of them are for me."
"Pardon?"
Just as she claimed, y/n easily snatched those 750 points she wanted and proudly acquired the three plushies she wanted. She looked proud of herself as her and Gepard sought out March and Caelus.
When they finally found the pair, Caelus turned to look at her only to get a raccoon plush to the face.
"What the-?!"
"I got 750 points, eat that!"
"You what?! You're lying!"
Y/n showed off all of her plushies with a little smug grin, to which Caelus scrunched up his nose at her.
"Ugh... I've gotta go back! I'll get more than you!"
"No you don't." March 7th hummed, grabbing Caelus by the back of his hoodie as he let out a choked noise.
The h/c haired woman glanced back at Gepard, pursing her lips as if second guessing what she was about to do before offering the cheetah plush to him.
"Huh? This is..." Gepard took the plush, staring down at it with a little look of surprise as y/n smiled at him.
"You say you still get scared sometimes, and I know you already have a method of dispelling that fear, but I think it'd help to always have someone close to embrace." y/n remarked as she gestured to the plush, "So... I figured I'd give that to you. Also because it resembles you."
Gepard stared down at the plush held in his hands, the little cheetah's head slightly cocked to the side before he glanced back at y/n with a puzzled look and tilted his head, "I... don't quite see the resemblance."
"Pfft-!" y/n covered her mouth, "I sure do."
"Hey! Stop being lovey dovey so we can grab more food to eat!" March 7th called from a distance away while Caelus was dumpster diving beside her.
"They're still hungry after all that?" y/n mumbled.
"Of they're hungry, I know a nice restaurant where we can all eat." Gepard offered, "My treat, of course."
"Are you sure?"
"Very."
"Mm... don't regret your decision. Caelus is going to wreck your wallet if you let him know you're paying."
"Then I won't tell him."
The two exchanged a look. Y/n nodded in approval.
"Smart choice, Captain."
(POV: Caelus's broke 🍑 realizing Gepard is paying)