Drinking Game

by Bat the Wood Elf

Ringabel glanced again at Grandship's console and sighed. They were sailing over the ocean, and there wasn't much for him to do. Besides making sure that they didn't loose altitude, and checking the power gauges from time to time, the ship could pretty much fly itself.

He normally enjoyed sailing at night and admiring the stars, but tonight he was restless. He had already tried to distract himself by writing in his journal, by drawing (Edea in the Bravo Bikini. On a separate piece of paper which he decided to keep tucked in his jacket... he was a deadman if Edea ever got her hands on it), and gone over possible attack combinations. Nothing seemed to help ease his boredom.

He leaned back into his seat and looked up at the stars. The soft glow of those millions of tiny lights made him sigh. How many worlds were left? They were so close to finishing their quest. Airy's unmasked glee at every new crystal they awakened was getting harder for him to bear. It took all his self-control to keep himself from wringing her tiny little cryst-fairy neck. He sometimes daydreamed of crushing her under his boot, or imagined how satisfying it would be to launch a fire spell at her. Thankfully, his hatred was mutual, and she mostly stayed out of his way. A pity.

But there was no point in being angry. Hope and laughter were far stronger weapons.

Sometimes, in his more selfish moments, he wished that he had never regained his memories, or that he could fully immerse himself in Ringabel's carefree persona once again. It would be so wonderful to be able to once again chase after girls and enjoy Edea's jealous glares. To make lewd jokes have his friends groan and roll their eyes. He tried his best to keep up with his role as comic relief within the group, but it was difficult.

Recently, when Tiz would guilelessly say something that could be a double-entendre, Edea would glance at him expectantly. For a split second, he would wonder what she wanted until his brain supplied the Ringabel thing to say. Often be just a beat too late. He could tell by the half-hearted smiles his friends gave him that they appreciated his efforts though, the dears.

With Alternis Dim's dark thoughts beginning to occupy more space in his mind it was getting harder to be truly carefree, but at the same time he had never felt more hopeful. For once, he wasn't alone under the crushing weight of duty and expectation. He had friends, real friends who cared about him and who shared his burden. As long as they were alive, there was hope. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to atone for his mistakes...

"You look deep in thought," a feminine voice drifted up from the foot of the stairs. "Don't hurt yourself by working that empty head of yours too hard."

Ringabel started and glanced down to see Edea holding two mugs in her hands. He smiled sheepishly. Where Alternis would have resented any digs at his intelligence, Edea's putdowns slid off Ringabel like water off a duck's back. After all, any attention from Edea was good attention. It was part of their dynamic as friends, and being insulted seemed like such a little thing. What importance did his ego have, really? Occasional digs at his intelligence and personality seemed like such a small price to pay to have Edea alive, and laughing at him with that smirk on her face...

"You are up quite late... or perhaps it is that you are up early? Whatever the circumstances, the bridge has instantly been brightened by your presence." Ringabel jumped to his feet and performed a little mock bow. Edea rolled her eyes.

"Can it Ringabel. I know I look like a mess." She her words were dry and biting, but Ringabel noticed her shift her weight awkwardly. He smiled softly.

"Not at all. You are always perfect." Words that he had once kept deeply hidden within his heart rolled off his lips so easily now. Edea must have heard the sincerity in his voice, because she blushed prettily and climbed up the stairs to avoid answering his statement. After checking the console one last time, and being satisfied that it wouldn't need his attention again for a while, he sat back down. She dropped onto the seat next to him and put the two mugs on the table.

Ringabel peered into them. It looked like coffee. One was black, the way he liked it. The other one was milky, and probably contained heaps of sugar. With a grateful smile he took the mug meant for him and let it warm his hands.

"So what brings you here at this hour of the night my dear? Not that I don't appreciate your presence. And the coffee, of course. But if you wanted a date away from our companion's prying eyes, I wish you had given me time to prepare."

He was rewarded with an eye-roll from Edea. "Oh shut up," she grumbled. She frowned and looked down into her coffee. "I couldn't sleep."

Ringabel took a sip from his cup and peered at her from over it. "Ah. Is there any way I can be of service?"

He briefly considered giving her a lecherous little smirk, but decided against it. She looked worn and weighed down. Clearly their journey was beginning to take its toll on her too, and he didn't want to scare her away. He relished the thought that there was finally enough trust and acceptance between them for her to come to him with her troubles. A part of him, the one that was mostly Alternis, thrived on being useful. There was nothing that Alternis wanted more than to serve the Lee family. His time as Ringabel had taught him that he could be a useless bum and still have people who loved him, but Edea potentially sharing what was burdening her mind gratified him to the core.

"I was thinking about what would happen after we're done. What will happen to us." Edea admitted.

"When we win." Ringabel clarified.

Edea hesitated for only a brief second. Then her eyes glowed with that determination that was uniquely hers. With the fire that he loved. "Yes. When we win."

Ringabel smiled and put down the coffee mug. A silence fell over them, but it was a comfortable one. There were so many uncertainties, but he wanted to ease her mind. He shifted himself so that his body was facing her and assumed a relaxed pose. "Shall we play a game? To pass the time."

Edea frowned and looked at him suspiciously, but the competitive part of her was clearly intrigued. "A game? What kind of game?" Then she frowned and added, "Nothing perverted."

He clasped a hand to his heart. "You wound me, my love. I would never suggest something like that." Her disbelieving snort made a warm feeling spread through his chest. Just being in her presence made him happy. So genuinely happy. "I was thinking about a truth game."

"A truth game?" She raised an eyebrow and settled back into the cushions. "You mean like those truth games Eternian soldiers like to play? We don't have any alcohol, and I just told you nothing perverted."

Ringabel flushed a deep shade of red. He hadn't been thinking of those games at all. Alternis had done his best to avoid them. Occasionally he would be dragged in, but he always refused to remove his helmet, no matter how much his men drunkenly pleaded. Of course she would know about those games, she had been raised in Eternia Central Command.

"No no! Nothing quite like that. I was merely thinking that we could ask each other questions to pass the time."

Edea pondered this for a moment and worried her bottom lip. She was looking down at the coffee table and avoiding his eyes. Perhaps it was a little forward of him to suggest such a thing. She probably didn't want to share her thoughts with him. He wouldn't be upset if she turned him down...

Finally, she looked up and nodded. "Ok, but there's no limit on what kind of questions we can ask. And we can't lie, or give half-answers. It has to be the whole truth."

Ringabel nodded slowly. That seemed a little more intense than his suggestion, but he didn't have anything to hide. He hoped. Then Edea continued. "That means that when we ask each other questions about the past, we have to be completely honest. Even if it might hurt the other person's feelings." She gave him a meaningful look.

He sighed inwardly. He would much rather avoid revisiting the past. He wanted to keep the questions light and positive, to learn more about his friend. The past, now that he remembered it, was a convoluted thing. He'd rather not touch it. But if Edea wanted to know about it... about him... he would try his best to be truthful. He gave her a curt nod. "Alright. So that means no taking offence at whatever the other person might say."

"Of course. We're friends now, and no matter how much of an idiot you are, that wont change." She smiled kindly, and any worry he might have felt completely disappeared.

He nodded and settled back to wait for her first question. But Edea was quiet again, and thinking. Such things never boded well for him.

"If we don't want to answer, or try to avoid the question, then we have to take a drink from each other's coffee." Edea finally declared with a smirk, sliding her milky coffee towards him and taking the black one for herself. "So it'll be kind of like those drinking games, but without the alcohol."

Ringabel made a face. "But I barely got to taste mine. And you know I hate sugar."

"That's the point, idiot." She shot back with a laugh.

He looked at the black coffee longingly and pouted. Of course this only made Edea smirk evilly. The glint in her eyes was starting to make him nervous. What had he gotten himself into?

"First question," she paused. He could tell by her serious expression that it wouldn't be an easy one. "Which name do you prefer? Ringabel or Alternis?"

Ringabel blinked. Of course Edea would go straight for the kill, no beating around the bush. Until now she seemed to have been content to ignore the fact that he had once been Alternis Dim. He wasn't much better. He liked to keep Alternis and Ringabel separate in his mind, even if the two personalities were now beginning to blend together. These days, he wasn't sure anymore where one ended and the other one began. "I'm not very attached to either." He finally said.

Edea waved him on expectantly. Clearly she wouldn't accept only that as an answer. With a sigh, he continued. "I suppose that when the quest is over I will go back to being Alternis Dim. I couldn't care less about the name itself, but as Alternis I have a purpose." He paused and gave her a small bittersweet smile. "But I must admit that I have a small preference for Ringabel."

Judging by her satisfied expression, this answer was good enough for her. "My turn then," he exclaimed, and rubbed his gloved hands together. "What kind of man would be your type?"

Edea rolled her eyes. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

He waved to the drinks on the table. "If you do not wish to answer, you are free to take a sip of my coffee."

"No thanks, I think I'd rather answer... which is saying something." She wrinkled her nose. "I don't have a type."

"Surely there must be a particular kind of man that you are attracted to? Maybe someone like your father?" Ringabel supplied, dreading the answer. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, he could never compare to the Grand Marshal's unwavering light.

"My father? No way!" she exclaimed, waving her hands for emphasis. "I love him dearly, but I couldn't imagine being married to someone like him." Her eyes inexplicably became sad, and he regretted making the suggestion. To him, the Grand Marshal seemed like the perfect father and husband. Nothing at all like his own worthless father, who had abandoned his mother even before he was born. He filed Edea's reaction away for now.

"What kind of person could you imagine being married to then?" He asked quietly. Edea looked deep in thought.

"Someone kind. Who shared my ideals. Maybe... maybe someone a little like my Master." Her eyes grew distant, and she shook her head with a bittersweet smile. "I've never really thought about it." She paused. "Actually, that's not true. I did think about it after Alternis..." she trailed off, and she knew she was referring to Alternis' ill-fated proposal.

She glanced at him to gauge his expression, and Ringabel just shrugged and urged her to continue. He felt oddly detached from that proposal. Her rejection didn't hurt him, not in the way it had hurt Alternis. Her rejections would never hurt Ringabel, because as long as they were both alive, there was hope that she would eventually change her mind.

"Before then, I'd never considered him that way. Although I guess I did have a crush on him when I was a kid, but that doesn't count."

Ringabel grinned at this tidbit of information. "Oh really? Do tell." Twelve years ago, when the Grand Marshal had brought him home from Florem, he had been a mess. Hungry, dirty and angry, he had avoided women as much as possible. He initially shied away from even Mahzer's gentle kindness. But then he had met his tiny, bossy, talkative, incredibly annoying six year old adoptive little sister.

He hadn't stood a chance.

"I'm volunteering way more information than you did, this hardly seems fair." Edea grumbled.

"How's this: you keep talking, and I'll answer two of your questions for my turn."

"Three," she countered, "I've already answered two of your questions, and you're still asking me some."

He made a whiny sound in the back of his throat but nodded and urged her on impatiently.

"Don't act so thrilled. I was eight. Kids like any idiot who is handsome enough." Edea thought his scrawny, cripplingly shy thirteen year old self had been handsome? This news was enough to make his week, no, his year!

"I liked him well enough until he began training." Edea added. "After that I tried to avoid thinking about him as much as possible."

He frowned. "Wait, what?" He remembered how eager he had been to start training, and how happy Edea had been for him. He had promised to teach her all that he knew, and for a while he had done so. But the Dark Knight asterisk was a double-edged sword, and not something he could bring himself to teach to his bright, happy angel. And soon duty began to monopolize all of his time.

He tried to come back and visit her as often as he could. Those brief days at Central Command were always the highlight of his month. He brought back gifts for her, and meticulously planned to 'coincidentally' be roaming the halls when he knew she would be coming back from her lessons. Rather than dim his affection for her, the distance only made it grow stronger until he was absolutely certain that he wanted to be at her side for the rest of his life.

But Edea had been a vivacious and beautiful girl. She made friends easily, and all too soon she had left to undertake her own training with Master Kamiizumi. She had been the sunshine of his life, but he wasn't naive enough to think that he had been hers. He had hoped though, that she thought fondly of him from time to time. And that, given the chance, she could grow to love him. "Why? Had Alternis done something to offend you?"

"That's another question. Do you want to add that to your tally?" She waved four fingers in front of his face, which he half-heartedly batted away.

"Yes, of course."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're a bit of a masochist, aren't you?" She asked with a smirk. He didn't try to argue otherwise. But then her expression grew serious. "I was jealous and resented him, simple as that."

Ringabel stilled, and his brows drew together in confusion. "Why on earth would you have been jealous of him?"

"That's five."

"Your answer for the fourth question wasn't anywhere near satisfactory!" Ringabel whined. She scoffed and crossed her arms, but his pathetic expression was almost impossible to say 'no' to.

"Fine. I'll elaborate, but your questions are going to be extra embarrassing." Her lips drew together in a tight line. "I was jealous because my father paid more attention to Alternis than to me."

"That's..." Ringabel wanted to say that it wasn't true, but it was. While Alternis had undergone training with the Lord Marshal, Edea had been sent to Master Kamiizumi. And once his training was over, he had been determined to rise through the ranks of the Eternian military as quickly as possible. He had wanted to make himself indispensable to the Duchy, and by extension the Lord Marshal. And somehow he had succeeded. So instead he said, "Your father loves you dearly. He didn't want to put you in harm's way."

Edea smiled bitterly. "Yeah, I suppose. But I don't want to be a doll that's put on a shelf to be admired. I wanted to prove to him that could be just as tough as any boy. So you see, my reason for resenting Alternis was childish and petty. He was always very kind... it wasn't his fault my father wanted a son rather than a daughter."

Ringabel started. "That's not true. Alternis could never come anywhere close to you in the Lord Marshal's eyes. You are... irreplaceable." Edea was shaking her head, and she didn't seem to believe him. So he continued, "He was just older than you were. I know for a fact that the Lord Marshal wants you to succeed him... he was always so proud of you. But he wanted to avoid any accusations of favouritism. You would have been Alternis' superior officer in no time at all."

This earned him a small smile. "It's nice of you to say that. I told you the reason was petty."

"Not at all. It's normal that you should feel that way... I'm glad you told me. It has given me quite a bit to consider." He was silent for a moment, and then said, "May I ask you one more question?"

"Sure, but this brings your count up to five."

"If this," he gestured around them, "had never happened... did he have a chance?"

"Probably not," Edea admitted and gave him an apologetic look. He smiled wryly to let her know he wasn't the least bit offended by her answer, "At least not for a long, long time. Besides the resentment, I barely knew him. I didn't even recognize your stupid face! And that diary... I never would have guessed those thoughts came from him."

"It's a journal." Ringabel replied primly, "And those are all very good reasons. I can hardly fault you for them."

"You're taking this really well," Edea eyed him suspiciously, "You're not going to cry yourself to sleep while my back is turned, are you?"

Ringabel let out a laugh and grinned, "My beloved, it is no surprise to me that Alternis Dim had terrible people skills, and often made a mess of things."

"You say that as if your personality is any better," she grumbled, but instantly brightened. "My turn now! I have five questions, and you better answer them properly."

"I will try my best!"

"First question: What are you going to do after the quest is over?" Edea leaned forward expectantly. "I told you that there was a place for you in my world, and I meant it."

Ringabel was quiet while he thought of the best answer. "And I thank you for that. Truly. I would like nothing better than to stay with you all. You are... my most precious friends."

"Then stay with us. There's no reason for you to be alone. You should come back with us to our world." She took his gloved hands into her own and looked straight into his eyes. "I want you to stay with me. Forever."

Ringabel's heart skipped a beat, and his mouth had gone dry. That sounded almost like a proposal, didn't it? In all his fantasies, it had always been him doing the asking, but somehow this was even better. "I want to stay with you too," he breathed out. "Forever."

Edea gave him a sad smile. "But there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

He mirrored her sad smile and kissed her knuckles.

"Yes. If there's even the smallest chance that I can fix things in my own world, then I have to take it."

Edea's jaw clenched and she glared at the floor, but she didn't withdraw her hands. He took that as a good sign.

Finally, she sighed. "I don't like it, but I guess I understand. If I could save Einheria and my Master... fix all my mistakes... I would do it. Who knows if you can go back in time."

"Who knows indeed?" Ringabel echoed. They were both silent as they pondered that question. Finally, Edea gripped his hand tightly and continued.

"But if there's no chance of saving your Edea... if what's done is done... then promise you'll stay with me."

"I promise." Ringabel smiled. His heart felt like it would burst out of his chest. He hadn't known being this happy would be so painful. "I will follow you anywhere."

Edea nodded, and pulled her hands back. "Good. Next question then."

He laughed and nodded. "Go ahead."

"How many women have you been with?"

Ringabel nearly fell out of his chair. "WHAT?!"

"You heard me Loverboy. How many women have you been with." The smirk she gave him was positively evil. She was enjoying this way too much. He made a lunge for the sugary sweet milk coffee, but she slapped his hand away. "Don't you dare. This is nothing compared to the questions I will ask you if you drink that."

Ringabel whined and held his abused hand to his chest. "You mean how many women have I dated? Or kissed?"

Edea snickered gleefully. "You know very well that's not what I meant. But you can add those to my list of questions."

Ringabel groaned.

"So? What's your answer?" Edea urged, leaning forward. "Nothing you could say would shock me you know. I've heard soldiers speak."

"Tell me names and I'll make sure they suffer," he muttered under his breath. "Better yet, I'll tell the Lord Marshal. Any punishment I could come up with would be merciful compared to his."

Edea rolled her eyes, but her smile was bright. "Oh come on. It can't be that bad. Ten? Twenty?"

"No." Ringabel muttered, and looked at the sugary coffee longingly. "Are you sure I can't pass on this question?"

"Are you telling me it's more than that?" Edea was starting to look a little worried by his sullen silence. "If you don't tell me I'm just going to assume the worst you know."

He looked away and took a deep breath, steeling himself. "None."

"What?"

"I said 'none'." He stated simply. "That's how many women I have 'been with'. None whatsoever."

Edea looked confused. "Are you sure? Maybe there's still gaps in your memory?"

"I am very certain."

"But that's... you're twenty-three, right?"

"That's right."

"But... I don't understand."

"What's there to understand? I've been in love with you since we met as children. There never was anyone else for me." Ringabel's voice was achingly sincere. The effect was only slightly ruined by how red his face was.

Edea's mouth opened and closed several times as she thought of things to say and immediately discarded them. Finally, she settled on, "I was six when we met, you weirdo."

This seemed to be the right thing to say because he laughed. "Nonetheless, I fell instantly under your charm. Who wouldn't love a girl that makes a boy walk around with pink bows in his hair for a week?"

"Oh my crystals, you remember that?" Edea gasped and flushed.

When Alternis had first arrived at Central Command, he had been completely silent, shell-shocked by his experience in Florem's slums. He had followed her everywhere like a puppy, and submitted to all of her games. For little Edea, who never had a playmate before then, he had been a dream come true. She wasn't bothered at all by his silence and unresponsiveness. More then once, the soldiers charged with babysitting them could only watch helplessly as she painted his nails with ink, or forced him into a frilly dress. Or made him wear pink bows in his hair.

She had been so proud of those bows. They were a particularly complicated knot, and she wanted to show her father. Unfortunately, he had been away at the time. Off to either Ancheim, or Florem again. She couldn't remember the details. What she did remember was that she had a tantrum whenever anyone tried to touch Alternis' hair. She insisted that they wait until her father came back.

"Of course I remember that." Ringabel smiled softly. "It's a good memory."

Edea ran a hand down her face and resisted the urge to crawl into a hole. "You really are a masochist."

He chuckled. "Maybe. But that's how it was for me. You were the bright light in a very unpleasant childhood. I never knew my father, and my mother reminded me daily that she had no need for a son... until she threw me out. So I decided very early on that I would be nothing like them."

"That makes sense," She said, a little startled by his openness. "Alright then. So you're serious, you've never slept with anyone?"

"Why do you keep asking me that? It's embarrassing for me to have to repeat it," he moaned, "Alternis was waiting for you to be his bride. There never was, and never would be anyone else for him. And Ringabel... well, this answer is counting as your third question. Because it pains me to admit that with regards to women, he is more like a dog chasing its own tail. He wouldn't know what to do if he ever caught it."

He gave her a self deprecating smirk and shrugged. "And for dating... and kissing... I'd rather not say. Can I drink the coffee now?"

"Sure, why not. I don't see why you wouldn't answer those, but go ahead."

Ringabel took two big sips of the coffee and made a face at each.

"You're ridiculous," Edea laughed. "It's not a big deal."

"Yes, well. It's embarrassing enough that you know, please don't tell the others. I have a reputation to maintain. I don't think I could live it down if everyone knew."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about," she said firmly. "To tell you the truth, I'm kind of happy."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow and put the cup down, sliding it as far away as he could. "Why is that?"

"You... well, Alternis always seemed so far ahead of me. He was always the bar with which I'd measure my successes, and I felt like I would never catch up to him. I'm glad that we will be at the same level for this."

Ringabel nodded, and then the implication of her statement dawned on him. "Are you saying that you... that we—with me—we might..."

Edea raised an eyebrow. "Don't get any weird ideas. We'll talk about this again once the quest is over." She gave him a pointed look, "And don't look so shocked. You know I give you a hard time because I like you."

His brain seemed to shut down. The blush on his face had spread all the way to his ears. He didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed silent. Edea seemed to appreciate this, because she smirked and leaned forward.

Without any warning, she touched her lips to his. It took a moment for his brain to understand what was going on. By that time Edea was starting to pull back, probably disappointed by his lack of reaction. So he reached out and brought her back to his lips. At first the kiss was gentle, but soon he clung to her like a desperate man. He cradled the back of her head, pulled her onto his lap, and held her tightly.

Edea smiled into the kiss. She had always worried that Alternis would be treat her as if she were made of glass. A little like her father did. She had worried that his love would be gentle, but never passionate. That he would treat her like a little girl, or something that could easily be broken.

She should have known that she had nothing to worry about with Ringabel. In their relationship, she was the strong one.

Eventually, they separated. But Edea didn't leave his lap, and Ringabel only loosed his grip on her a little.

"Are you sure the ship doesn't need to be attended to?" she asked as he buried his face in her shoulder.

"We can probably do a few more question before I go to prepare for landing." She could hear him mumble against her neck.

"Ok. Go ahead and ask me your question then."

He waited until his face wasn't quite so hot, then looked up to meet her eyes. "I should ask you the same questions. The ones about dating, I mean." His words were punctuated by a little smirk.

"Ha. Well there's no way you'll be getting the answers," she reached out and took a sip of the black coffee. He pouted, but didn't protest. He knew she probably didn't have much experience with dating. After all, she had been more interested in training than boys. And Alternis had done his best to scare off potential suitors.

"Shall I ask you about the names of our future children then?" Ringabel asked, smirk firmly pasted back on. "Or perhaps I will ask you what kind of flowers you would like for our wedding? I was thinking chrysanthemums."

Edea punched his upper arm. "It's my turn to ask a question, you jerk."

They continued to bicker about who would ask the next question until finally Ringabel had to get up and adjust the controls. He reluctantly untangled himself from Edea's arms and began the landing procedures. Unwilling to end their game, Edea also left her perch and kept asking him questions as he steered Grandship to the coast. Once he was done, they made their way back to their seats. It was only when the horizon started to glow pink that they agreed that they should end their game and go to sleep.

Tiz and Agnes found them the next morning on the couch. Edea was sprawled out, and Ringabel was curled up half on top of her. On the table there were two cups of coffee that looked untouched. Tiz sent a questioning glance Agnes' way, but she shrugged. "We can allow them this rest. Let us walk to town for supplies by ourselves."

She didn't notice how he glanced at the sleeping couple a little enviously. "They really should go back to the inn. They'll wake up sore if they sleep like that."

Agnes nodded, but neither moved to wake them. They shared another glance.

Finally, Tiz just shrugged. "They'll be embarrassed if we wake them. We should just go."

They both walked off, leaving their friends to rest.

AN: Hi all! Thank you very much for reading. Although I have other fics much in need of attention, I couldn't stop myself from writing for this fandom. I don't have a beta, so I'm sure there's a ton of typos or mistakes, sorry! If anyone wants to help me out, I'd be very grateful.

As you probably noticed I owe a big creative debt to Kabukimono, Urby, and TheStockholmEffect. I've referenced quite a few of their ideas. I hope that's ok. Also, I haven't finished the game yet, even though I have thoroughly spoiled myself. So if there are any mistakes or inconsistencies, please tell me.

I have a few Rindea ideas bouncing around in my head. If this oneshot is well received, I'll try to find time to write them down. So please review and let me know what you think!