#how uniting in Serenes would *actually* work out for the bird tribes.

[queenlua]

When Tibarn calls for the bird tribes to unite as one nation in Serenes, Reyson is skeptical, and Naesala refuses outright. But when rising ocean levels threaten to devour the islands of both Phoenicis and Kilvas, none of them have much of a choice in the matter.

This fic is now finished at ~138k words!

If any of these pithy/snarky summaries sound good to you...

"the bird tribes should've had a Hague, probably"

"Naesala has a bad time & then Reyson has a bad time & then they make each other worse <3"

"Leanne gets a fucking gun knife"

...there's a decent chance you'll enjoy this story; take a peek :)

(Also: peep the latest chapters for some beautiful new @gloamvonhrym art <3333 THANK YOU FOR ALL THE BIRDPEOPLE VISUAL SPLENDOR)

[sauvechouris]

FUCK NAESALA

You say that like it's bad news. *gives Astrid one more bow*

Obviously, he's no match for our king, but... Anyway, you should move carefully.

*gives Astrid the laguz bow*

HI

YOU STILL EXIST

I LOVE YOU

Warm feelings all around, as expected :p

Is there any way to get the ravens to withdraw? That would be a tremendous help.

Money.

It's been brought up every time they were on screen. It's money. They work for gold. Pay them.

Okay, not surprising that the king's retainers can't influence him, but mayyybe Reyson-

...so much for that.

But I can't blame him, seeing how the last time he did turned out. And since Naesala didn't care enough to not sell him to Oliver, maybe it wouldn't change anything anyway.

I love you, and you get a “you're trying' sticker for interrupting a conversation between Ike and laguz without causing a diplomatic accident this time.

Homasa does the typical one-off forgettable boss bragging, bla bla bla. If we had 100 BEXP every time someone said Ike's group would die here, I could have promoted both of Rolf's brothers.

EVEN NAESALA KNOWS ABOUT THE SPY

I FEEL LIKE THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE ENTIRE FUCKING DAEIN ARMY

And in the event that Soren is right about who that is (PLEASE NO), he can't warn Ike now that he thinks Nasir knows something that would get him in trouble.

(Which I'm absolutely certain he doesn't, because what could get him in trouble with Ike ? Short of just plain betrayal ? And I'm not buying that could happen.)

Ah, I suppose they're just unlucky.

Oh shut it and get your bird butt out of here, or we'll see who is unlucky. (Edit after actually playing : me. It was me. He was right.)

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL

...”the front” is only the ground for you. The crows can fly. I know simple up-front attacks can work, but if this wasn't a video game chess match where everyone is locked to moving in two dimensions anyway, you would be so screwed.

Nasir. Nasir you were there in Serenes and after. I know you know better than that.

(...right ? Wait no, I don't think Naesala was ever brought up in front of Ike and the others before this...)

Yes. He said no. I'm going to make him anyway.

Oh that's rich, coming from someone who hides from members of his own tribe.

So... With all these questions about things we've just discussed, it seems Nasir wasn't simply off-screen and not taking part in that discussion, he wasn't there at all. For what looked like a strategy meeting. Kind of strange, since he's been giving Ike advice for several chapters now and you'd think he would want to know these things. (I mean he does, that's why he's asking.)

What did you do that you want to avoid not only dragons, but also bird laguz ?

(Did we ever see him with Lethe and Mordecai ? Only once in Serenes, I think ?)

Dude. You know him by now. If the birds don't want to touch Naesala with a ten-feet pole, Ike will respect that.

I won't, but y'know. It's the principle of the thing.

Don't go “reluctantly proud team dad” on me, mister, you're still suspicious and I'm watching you. u.u

(I was going “SEE HE'S A GOOD KID” before Nasir answered, so I have no room to talk, but still.)

You are treading on Soren's turf and you're going to stop this now.

A GOOD KID.

(This was after closing the battle preparation menu, but I had to come back to it because I messed up with my choice of units. (“Okay I'm gonna train the ones I couldn't take last time- wait no shit my supports abort abort”)

(Stefan is basically a background ornament (for a given value of “ornament”) so I. forgot for a minute. that he actually counted as one of my fighters. orz)

They can both talk to him, but I can only bring 13 people, this is unfairrr. I'm going to go with only Janaff because he will most likely talk more than Ulki to say more or less the same thing, but that still means I have to make Mia, Ilyana and Nephenee sit this one out. (“I have to” is a big lie, nothing is forcing me to take units who will just sit there instead, but let me complain about the price of getting my ships support points.)

Nothing for Reyson, though ! Sorry for having planned to force you, Reyson.

(Do you want to punch him. I'll let you. We have healers.))

NAESALA MOVES

He transformed right away so I didn't notice it was him coming to attack my units until he started chatting with Lethe ^^''''

Did I mention I love Lethe this month, because I do

BUT THEN, this feathered jerk pulls out the “you can't actually justify picking your side” card like he's freaking Satsuki from X.

And yeah, that seems like the obvious answer. We're following Elincia, after all, and her ideals are very much pro-laguz, pro-interspecies cooperation, and all that.

But we have Soren, we have Shinon, Crimea has the entire fucking town of Toha. He's not wrong.

YES, WE KNEW ABOUT BEGNION, THANK YOU

...and then he didn't actually kill her, because he was too far away for a direct attack, but I suppose that still left her kinda shaken.

I'm glad we're not forgetting this, though. It's not the moral grayness in Daein that I asked for, but it's sort of related.

BUT ALSO FUCK NAESALA.

He can talk to Ike too !

Called it. xD

The nerve of this guy, seriously. Okay he's currently a pain but I can't not love that he's cheeky enough to just fly over to Ike, casually attacking whoever's in the way, and ask “hey wanna hire us ?”, all chill. Fucking Naesala.

He might have had a chance if he'd asked someone else (Soren, maybe, though since they have limited funds I don't think he would take the chance even if he were willing to work with laguz, in case Daein buys them back), but I don't think Ike is super receptive to his philosophy. ^^''

Predictable and logical answer. We have principles here in the Greil Mercenaries, okay.

(I'm not buying that he didn't enjoy annoying Petrine, but that probably doesn't count as pleasant conversation. xD)

Which he, uh. Kind of did. Easily. ^^''''

(And ELINCIA REACTS to Ike's death, aaaah ;^;)

(WHO ALLOWED THIS)

Also, since Lethe has dialogue with him, so does Mordecai. As I unfortunately found out the hard way. I'M SORRY FOR UNDERESTIMATING YOU, IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN, stop killing all my units :'D

I already know talking it out will not work, he's the wrong person for this, but god I love him for trying.

Was it ever said why they need to become more ? I only remember Naesala mocking Caineghis for turning down the opportunity to gain more land, not what specific problem he has with Kilvas being a small island. Is it about food, other resources, power/influence ?

(Someone introduce him to the antagonistic mercenary king of FE4, who also wanted more land and eventually decided to get it by murdering the hell out of said land's ruling family, I feel like they could get along.)

Is that advice ? It's wasted on Mordecai, talk to Shinon about it instead. xD

Compared to the reality check he gave Lethe, this is harmless, practically civil. I wouldn't be surprised if both Mordecai and Rhys have something about them that makes people go “no, I can't be that mean to him”. Kill them, sure, but not shatter their illusions about the goodness of people before, no, there are limits. (I mean Shinon tried, but he didn't enjoy it.)

That first line bothers me because it rings a bell, but I have no idea what it reminds me of.

Gotta love how he deliberately pushed Mordecai's buttons to cut the discussion short, though. Whatever it is about ravens that other people can't understand, he's not interested in explaining it.

DAMNIT.

After resetting more than ever since the stealth mission chapter, i FINALLY got Janaff to talk to the flying death machine :

Egg-stealing snake. Yes. Drag him, Janaff. >:3

(If they don't hatch from eggs anymore, it makes this insult one of those sayings that stick around way longer than the thing they refer to, and that's a fun little detail. I love seeing how writers handle these things when writing nonhuman characters, like Lethe saying “look who the cat dragged in” when she is a cat herself.)

The NERVE

I don't even have a coherent answer to this I'm just

“you little shit” doesn't even begin to cover Naesala

you absolute fucker

OH MY GOD

YOU DON'T GET TO REACT LIKE THAT WHEN YOU SOLD HIM TO HUMANS, YOU FUCKING TRAITOR

Unless he's alarmed because Reyson has some heron trick up his sleeve that could tip the scales in our favor, but I don't think so ? He sounds honestly shocked, his dialogue here even came out one line at a time like he's not processing this all at once. But if he is WORRIED (and rightly so) that Mr I-broke-my-hand-on-some-beorc's-nose is on a battlefield, then maybe YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE STARTED THIS BY PUTTING HIM IN AN EVEN WORSE SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE

HA !

See, Lethe, here's something you could have said. (Just joking, I know why she didn't.)

But if this is what makes Naesala switch to our side (or at least stop fighting Reyson's side), I'm going to laugh until october.

Why are you asking

Is she another heron kid that you used to babysit and can now disappoint

Because if you want to be allowed anywhere near her you're gonna have to FIGHT ME

And Reyson. And Tibarn. Potentially Sanaki if somebody tells her.

So he assumed that since the forest got better, Reyson must have been saved, by the only people who could have had a reason to do it, and he was content with that. Didn't check up on him, maybe even thought this was in some way thanks to him since he showed Reyson the forest.

If I wasn't already angry with him and extremely entertained at the same time, well now I would be.

WHAT TO DO

HE SAYS

Put your money where your mouth is and not continue something that's putting Reyson in danger ? Not risk Tibarn actually declaring war on you because having the money to make Kilvas great for the first time won't matter if there's no Kilvas left ? APOLOGIZE TO REYSON FOR SELLING HIM TO THE MOST DISGUSTING OF BEORC ? I DON'T KNOW YOU TELL ME

Apparently his answer is to stop attacking and go talk to Reyson. It's not even that he's willing to listen to him (which would be useless since Reyson doesn't want to talk, I don't have the option to make him), no, he drops everything, flies directly to him and initiates the conversation, and I am howling with laughter because really ? REALLY ? What, is it okay if you do it but not if it's other people ?

For real tho, it worked way better than Janaff and Ulki seemed to think it would. I guess they (and I) hadn't considered Naesala might actually care about Reyson’s safety, since, well, KIDNAPPING.

Did you really expect anything better than the silent treatment ?

(I expected shouting, personally, but you know what I'll take this)

Update : I am still howling

This is a conversation between a king and a prince and so far the level of maturity displayed is approaching the average for elementary school.

YES

THIS IS WHAT I WANTED, THANK YOU REYSON

SHAMELESS

REALLY

I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY

Lol

No.

I FUCKIGN

THAT WAS NOT FRIENDLY BEHAVIOR AND YOU KNOW IT

THANK YOU

If he can feel shame, you're probably the only person right now who can make him. Don't hold back. Accept nothing less than an apology.

Oh, you planned to rescue him, that absolutely makes up for making it so that he needed to be rescued ! And you led him there, left him alone knowing he would be captured, and got money for it, how else do you call that ?

ARE YOU SERIOUSLY FUCKING DOING THIS

ARE YOU REALLY MAKING ME READ THIS FLIMSY EXCUSE FOR VICTIM BLAMING WITH MY OWN TWO EYES

fucking

punch him Reyson

Getting somewhere. Slowly.

(“maybe”. Ugh.)

PUNCH HIM REYSON

Oh wait no he can't, he broke his hand. I'm sorry, you were saying no one was hurt ?

Look at him all friendly and chatty, like if he acts like they're on good terms again it will magically happen. Please.

Reyson. Reyson no. It's technically true but come on.

Oookay I like this much better.

Perfect.

Not smiling now, are you ? >:3 Someone forgot Reyson isn't a kid anymore. He's letting him know “if you continue this, you will have to fight me” and he means it 100%.

(I'm surprised to hear he considers himself in service to the army, not indebted to Ike, but maybe it's just a way of speaking ?)

I guess they thought it would be boring to not risk having this guy betray us. u.û

But hey, it means he can easily show up again, and we don't know for sure it will be on our side. xD

Y EN A UN QUI POUSSE LE BOUCHON UN PEU LOIN LA

...but Reyson is ? Okay with it ? So okay. Sure. Let's go with that. At least Nealuch did (almost) nothing wrong in this whole kidnapping mess.

Don't push your luck. u.u

You're ridiculous. Both of you. Do you want some tea while you're making nice and going “I'll speak with him” and “watch yourself” like everything is all fine and dandy, or what ?

(I say that but I'm still laughing, it's clear enough that Reyson agrees to be on friendly terms again but isn't back to fully trusting Naesala, and Tibarn probably won't either so I'm satisfied. And tbh, as far as recruitment conversations (well, recruitment to neutrality here) go, this is one of the best.)