I Know What I'm Doing

"Another round," Catherine raised her hand, wincing slightly, as she said this to catch the bartender's attention, "same as before."

Alois sat beside her with his own drink, practically hammered. He was going on and on about his family without even pausing as he slurred his words and laughed heartily. He continued to make even more puns than before, something Catherine was praying that her own drinks would block out. It had been a few days since she had returned from her mission with Gilbert and the other knights. The nurse had ordered that Catherine not do her next mission for at least a weak since the monsters badly hurt her. The injuries weren't really what bothered Catherine. It was more of the aching muscles leftover from being knocked around by a couple of those damned beasts.

Luckily, a night out at the bar with some of her friends was what she needed to forget the soreness of her muscles. She has a few drinks in and it made most of the pain seem to fade. Although it didn't seem like the pain of being around a drunken Alois would ever go away.

A chime of a bell rang through the tavern. Catherine ignored it as she downed another mug of beer. A slender figure moved and sat down in the empty stool next to her.

"I see you and Alois have been enjoying yourselves." Catherine set down the mug and wiped some of the drink from her lip as she looked and saw Shamir sitting there.

"Oh hey, you're back from your mission," noted Catherine. "Yeah, Alois managed to save a kingdom village from some thieves and he was rewarded handsomely for it so he offered to take us drinking. Most of the knights left once he got really hammered. Don't blame em."

"And yet you stayed."

"Hey, if he's paying, I'll take it. Besides, I'm sore as hell after my last quest." She downed more of her drink and stretched a bit, wincing suddenly at the sharp stabbing pain that came with it. Although it was dulled, it still wasn't pleasant in the slightest.

"I could say the same, but I'm used to work like that from when I was a mercenary." Shamir ordered herself a drink as she spoke. "I ended up seeing some of the old students. Byleth wasn't with them, neither was Hubert or Edelgard. We managed to defeat that wave and sent them running, but our troops still suffered."

"Have you let Lady Rhea know?"

"Of course. It's the first thing I did. I wrote the report as always and gave it to her and Seteth," Shamir paused for a drink the continued on, "most of the students seemed hesitant to fight, but they got over that pretty quickly."

Catherine looked inside her mug at the liquid left in the cup. She sloshed it around then responded, "I feel like they don't deserve to be given too much crap for choosing that. But...I also remember that by now, they're all adults and not the same kids we knew back then. It's just hard knowing that we used to all be allies and now...well, it's kill or be killed."

"Especially since Caspar especially used to look up to you. Yet he sided with the Black Eagles all the same." Shamir leaned against the wooden counter and quietly had some of her drink.

"Right." Catherine sighed and scratched at her scalp. "I never liked that he looked up to me like I was a hero. I mean, I'm definitely not someone who should be a role model." She chugged the last of her mug and ordered another while thinking over her next words.

"Caspar? Aw man, he was always the best! He cared so much for others and wouldn't hesitate to do what was right! I almost wanted to take him in as an apprentice!" Alois interjected himself into the conversation. "Ah man, maybe I shoulda done that!" He laughed heartily and went to order another drink but was denied by the bartender who instead offered him water. "Ah damn it, they always cut me off so short."

Catherine looked at her newly refilled mug and gently tapped her finger against the wooden counter. Seeing her own reflection, she stared into her mirrored eyes.

"You don't like being the kid's hero?" Questioned Shamir. "He isn't the only one that looks up to you. It was always cute seeing him freak out over you like an excited puppy." Shamir chuckled softly and had another sip.

"I'm not someone to be looked up to. I know that well enough. I even tried to tell Caspar that, but he never took it well." Catherine sighed and set her mug down, letting go of it and holding her head in her hands. "I know what I'm doing, I know what I've done. I'm not someone who's some hero with perfect and just morals."

Shamir looked at Catherine with the same neutral expression, watching her every move. Catherine remained quiet as Alois talked to some unlucky patron that had sat down next to him.

"But I've chosen to do this. I've chosen this path and there isn't another one I can go down. Especially not now. So I'll stick by it and support Lady Rhea even if it costs me my own life."

"So you'd willingly sacrifice yourself for her?" Shamir inquired.

"Well, no," Catherine started then looked up as she thought about it. Her eyes gazed over the many bottles of alcohol shelved before her. "It's not that I'd sacrifice myself for her. But it comes with the territory of fighting. So if I did die in battle, I'd accept it. As long as I'm fighting for Lady Rhea, I'd accept it." She felt the smile creep onto her lips.

"Still the same Catherine after all these years. Shamir commented finishing off her first mug of alcohol.

The three continued chatting late into the night as the bartender attempted to sober up Alois and as Catherine and Shamir grew more drunk by the time the bar would close.

...

Sunlight poured in through the windows of the room. Catherine yawned as she opened her eyes then immediately covered them due to the brightness. She groaned softly and went to hug the warm pillow next to her, laying her head against the elevated part. So soft, so squishy, and so warm. It even has a heartbeat. Catherine thought, envisioning the heartbeat of her mother back when she was young. Mmmm, a perfect pillow.

"Mmmm, a perfect pillow."

A shift came from the pillows. Pillows don't...move on their own?" Catherine uncovered her eyes, opening them and saw a soft stomach and a sort of small boob slightly covered by a shirt that had been hiked up during their sleep. Wait, they don't have heartbeats either so this is... She glanced up and saw the face of a sleeping Shamir, messy hair and all. Catherine blinked as her face reddened. Shamir slept here? Hold on, what happened after we got drunk last night? She shut her eyes as she tried to envision. Small shreds of memories flickered into her mind, but the night remained largely forgotten with a blazing headache.

She reached up and held her head, pushing her hair out of her way. Blocking the sun pouring in from the window, Catherine looked around her room. Except it wasn't her room. Wait, wait, what? This is...I slept in Shamir's room?! Catherine's face grew even redder. She sat up instantly and looked around. Their clothes were mostly thrown about the floor as well as Shamir's sword and bow. Catherine looked down at what she was wearing to thankfully find herself in just her underwear and undershirt that she wore the day before. Glancing back over at Shamir's sleeping form, she could see she had fully changed into a different outfit. She wore a pale shirt that was baggy and hung over her body when it wasn't pulled up to reveal her stomach and half of her breasts. Then on her bottom half, she wore loose gray pants that surely kept her warm through the night. Catherine let out a sigh of relief before leaning over and holding her head, trying to shut out the light.

"Ugh, I've got to do something about this." She mumbled to herself as she suffered through the worst pounding headache she had ever had.

"Do something about what?" Catherine jumped slightly and looked over to see Shamir's eyes still closed as she stretched out her arms and arched her back. Her skin glistened in the sunlight and her hair was messy but it wasn't even tangled. Her eyelids opened and she looked at the ceiling before looking over at Catherine.

"Just a headache from all that drinking. I don't feel too sick though." She leaned back, her golden hair falling back as she held her head. This time, Shamir stared at her, eyes slightly widened although no red formed on her cheeks as it often did for Catherine. "Don't you have a headache too?"

"Mm-mm." Shamir yawned again and rolled onto her side, propping up her head and relaxing a bit. "I made sure not to drink too much. You, however," a smirk danced upon Shamir's lips as she watched Catherine and spoke, "you might be as bad as Alois when you're drunk."

"Ah!" Catherine gasped offended and grabbed a pillow to lightly smack Shamir. "That can't be true, don't say thaaaat!"

Shamir chuckled as she took the hit from the dreadful.............ly soft pillow. Catherine stared as she listened to the soft yet beautiful and strong laugh that came from Shamir. Her cheeks turned red once more.

"You're blushing, by the way Catherine." Shamir stated. "You seem to do that a lot around me."

"Wh-What?" Catherine quickly realized then looked away and covered her face. "It isn't blushing! It's just that your laugh is so nice..."

"Nice? It's just a laugh though." Shamir sat up and stretches again, making sure to twist around as she did so. "It's not like it's anything special."

"Well, it's just that I don't hear it very often. So your laugh feels more special."

Shamir thought for a moment, trying to think about how often she laughed. It truly wasn't often. "I suppose you're right there."

Catherine averted her eyes for a moment before,

"Hey Shamir."

"Hm?" Shamir climbed off the bed and began sliding her shirt off.

Catherine stared for a moment before panicking and turning away. "I just was wondering if you remember when we were just starting to get to know each other."

"Of course I do. Why do you ask?" Shamir continued to change, not a care in the world as she did so.

"I remember what I thought about you at first. You seemed so difficult to get to know. Distant, closed off, kind of mean too."

Shamir finished getting her shirt and pants on then looked over at Catherine who was still facing away from her. "Yes," Shamir started, "I can see that. I didn't think much of you at the time and thought you'd be someone that I'd hate to be around. So I never cared to be 'nice' to you." Shamir grabbed her jacket and slipped it on then finished off with, "To me, you were just another knight that I wouldn't even bother to remember in the end."

Catherine let the words sink in. As she turned to look at Shamir and reply, she saw that Shamir was fully dressed and prepared for another day while Catherine still sat there in her undergarments and looking like a complete mess.

"I have to get ready for a patrol mission today. I'll see you later then." Shamir nodded as she spoke. "By the way, don't worry, we didn't do anything last night." Shamir turned and went over to the door then stopped, "By the way, make sure you take all your clothes back to your room, alright? I don't want to accidentally mix them up with mine." Then she disappeared out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Catherine leaned back on her hands and let out a deep breath. She just pictured Shamir as she slept in, as she woke up, as she got changed. It was all so different from the Shamir Catherine often knew all the time. Even the one that had just left. She was gentle, relaxed, and almost...vulnerable like that. All those years ago, Catherine never imagined she would end up waking up next to Shamir like this. Exposed in their underwear, seeing plenty of her in-shape body, and even watching her get ready. Then it hit her.

"I didn't even ask her what did happen last night!" Letting out a groan, Catherine flopped back onto the bed. Feeling the warmth of her good friend still lingering on the bed, Catherine curled up and nuzzled her face into the pillows left on there. Closing her eyes and choosing to take a day off after all of that. I wouldn't mind waking up like that every day to be honest. But I know, Shamir would never want that. Catherine let out a relaxed sigh and dozed back off to sleep.