#or at least her hesitation to strike her and Alois down

[randomnameless]

Ooh!

I really found that reading of the card to perfectly represent Shamir in the various routes where she leaves Garreg Mach and the Knights of Seiros -

As you pointed out, from her supports with Alois and obviously, Catherine, despite being the "goth badass #nostringsattached" mercenary archetype... Shamir became pretty much involved with Garreg Mach and its people, and enjoys her life there with those new companions of hers.

She became "partners" with Catherine, was impressed and grew a soft spot for Cyril and is also one who always supports Alois, even if it's in her own tsundere way, citing him as one of the reasons why she felt so "welcomed" and at ease in Garreg Mach, away from her land and alone in a country that basically wants her dead. Heck, if you don't recruit her in CF, when she dies, she is upset because she "let her emotions get in the way" aka dropped the "emotioneless merc" act because retaking Garreg Mach was something that really mattered to her, and if he dies before her, she mourns Alois' death.

Add to that the pause she has in the JP version of this line "Don't worry, I won't hold back. I owe an old ally the courtesy."

I also found it interesting how, even if in this battle dialogue, Alois (if Shamir joined CF) mentions how the knights are ranting about her - Shamir is always the first one to bring how she didn't betray Rhea because she repaid her debt :

In Nopes :

I owe you a lot, but the debt's been paid. If you expected more, that's on you. Yes, your debts with me are settled, Shamir. Your actions now, however, are another story.

The datamine doesn't have the JP audio so I can't check, but imo, the fact Shamir is the one talk about her debt being repaid first, without even letting Rhea suggest that Shamir betrayed her, is imo telling, just like this in House :

The idea of defeating Rhea is beginning to feel more like a reality. Some may say that I'm returning her goodwill with betrayal, but I believe I've worked off my debt.

Why is it so important, to Shamir, to make sure that no, she's not betraying anyone but repaid her debt? Is it auto-persuasion? Maybe, maybe not.

(Another Pat moment for those lines : いよいよ現実味を帯びてきたか。 レアさんを討つ……のが - even without hearing the audio, with the "..." we can see that she was supposed to have doubts/pause/apprehension at the idea of killing Rhea. Coupling this hesitation to her need to spell out for... totes no one in particular! that she already repaid her debt so it's not a treason, imo, paints Shamir as someone who is much more conflicted about her allegeance in CF than her role as a "stoic merc" would suggest).

And then we have her "partnership" with Catherine : in Nopes, Cat is furious because Shamir left "without saying goodbye" - is it because Shamir too, didn't want to have to say goodbye? Coupled with the, uh, very peculiar way she's recruited in SB - but completely forgotten in the following chapters because what is even a plot - Shamir values Cat's life and presence in her life a lot, and regrets having to fight her in CF, in her own way.

Her supports with Hapi in Nopes reveals she apparently didn't like all the rules and regulations the KoS had to comply with, when Dagda was "freer" than Fodlan, even if it meant "freer" to have more conflicts too - and yet, maybe Shamir at least willingly left Garreg Mach to seek something else, something that she couldn't get/obtain with the Knights because, on a surface level, she could say it wasn't "fulfilling" for her...

And yet, with all those things I pointed out - it's ultimately a dud, Shamir walks away from Garreg Mach and its people, and misses them.

Eight of Cups & FE3H

Eight of Cups represents disappointment, emotional setbacks, betrayal, and injury. It is also a card of paradoxes. In the sky the sun and the moon stand side-by-side, suggesting that our conscious mind and subconscious mind are both wrestling for control over decisions and narratives. Additionally, there are an extraordinary amount of cups, all stacked together. But all of them stand empty, and their arrangement highlights the lack of cups as opposed to their abundance. 

The Eight of Cups can represent misplaced trust and how unguarded vulnerability can lead to drastic consequences if others are cruel. It can also represent a disappointment of expectations, and the importance of walking away from something that is just not fulfilling you. 

I choose Shamir Nevrand choosing to remain in Fòdlan as the connection to this card. She had lost her long-time partner and was forced to work in a strange land for nobles who did not care for her. All of these circumstances underline a lack in her life, despite her various skills and accolades as a sniper and warrior. Shamir herself is also guarded against emotional connections after the losses in her life. 

However, on most routes, she finds emotional fulfilment and connections at Garreg Mach, showing that her walking away from her position as a warrior of Dagda paid off. On the other hand, if recruited on Crimson Flower, Shamir becomes the betrayer and empties her own cups, walking away and destroying all that she cared about. 

Either way, Shamir shows the difficulties and the rewards that can come about from walking away from the known into the unknown.

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