The Vice Captain of the Crimson Lions

Requests

It was getting late in Zenko's bar, but all of the captains were still there to celebrate, except Rill and Kaiser. Kaiser was no longer welcomed by most of the Captains after he went after Mynx in court and every time Fuegoleon sees him outside in public, he has to be reminded that hurting a fellow Captain is against the law.

Yami sat close to William at the bar, the two leaning in conspiratorially as they exchanged whispers about an incident at the Star Festival involving a certain friend. William's rare smirk betrayed the amusement he shared with Yami, though he tried to appear composed. Charlotte, sipping delicately from her glass, kept glancing at Yami out of the corner of her eye, her cheeks faintly tinged with red. She would quickly avert her gaze whenever he shifted in her direction, determined not to give away her lingering feelings.

In a quieter corner, Nozel nursed his drink, his posture rigid as ever. He surveyed the room with an air of detached observation but seemed unusually relaxed in the dim, convivial setting. Fuegoleon, on the other hand, sat across from Mereoleona, trying to dissuade her from taking their squad to the Ultime-Volcano Mountain for training.

"Mereo, the squad needs recovery time, not more burns,"

Mereoleona rolled her eyes,

"They will recover on the trail. They need to toughen up. Our squad should not be in fifth place."

Their banter drew amused glances from the others until a loud squawk interrupted the conversation. All eyes turned to the door, where Nero flew in, her black wings stark against the soft glow of the lanterns. She swooped low before landing gracefully on William's shoulder.

"Oh, hello, Nero,"

Yami narrowed his eyes at the bird, setting his drink down,

"Oi, Asta tried looking for you earlier, where did you go?"

Nero cocked her head and dropped a letter into William's hand, then flew around the room, delivering similar letters to Yami, Charlotte, Fuegoleon, Mereoleona, Nozel, and even Mr. Zenko, who paused mid-pour with a raised eyebrow. Each recipient stared at their envelope in confusion, the air thick with curiosity.

"Hey, this isn't Celeste's hand-writing,"

Charlotte frowned in confusion,

"Why is mine different?"

Yami leaned over and peered at the letter,

"That's from Celeste,"

"Celeste?"

William sighed,

"He meant Mynx. That letter is from Mynx. These letters...are from someone else,"

Fuegoleon, already unfolding his letter, furrowed his brow as he began to read. The room grew quiet as the captains delved into their letters, their expressions shifting with each passing sentence.

Dear Captain William Vangeance

My name is Aphi. I am very sure that you know of me from Mynx, and possibly Yami if he told you that he met me earlier during the festival. I am writing this letter to ask for your permission to ask Mynx Vermillion to be my girlfriend.

I know I do not have that much to offer, as I grew up in the Diamond Kingdom and ran away after freeing Mynx from their hold. I have only my first name and no yul to it, but I hope to change that very soon. I am sure you are aware that I have been living with her and her foster family and have been watching over the kids and doing as much as I can for that family. I did not know that I was falling for her, but I did and I did it fast. I am in love with Mynx. I wanted to do this right and ask for permission before I go to her. But, I did confess to her that I liked her and she did say she liked me back...if that is any consolation and gives me a point in your book. She is the kindest person I have ever met and I owe her my life. She saved me from the Diamond Kingdom, she brought a light to my life when I thought I would never see the stars as I do now.