Caspar x Bernadetta

Cute Things and Training

(Takes place pre-time skip, during their school days)

"Bernadetta......Bernadetta!"

"Oh no," Bernie hears the voice calling her name. It's easy to tell who it is, no one else in their class can shout that loud. "He's coming, he's coming here! Soon my sweet sanctuary will be invaded by a fearsome creature from the outside world. Not even a locked door can stop his oblivious rampage. I have to hide, that's my only chance!"

The social recluse quickly puts her writing quill away and dives under the bed, an easy task for a person as small as herself. She hears the determined footsteps getting closer. A couple of strong knocks pound against her door.

"Bernadetta!" Caspar's friendly voice doesn't fool her, he's here with some scheme to pull her away from her secluded paradise. "Hey, you in there? Everyone's working on their training right now, you should join us!" Bernadetta cringes at the thought. If I just stay quiet, he'll leave, right?

Nope. Caspar knocks again "Hey, Bernadetta!" A grim thought crosses his mind. She's always in her room. If she's not here, something bad must have happened! Caspar pushes the door open, barging in. Warm sunlight flows through the open doorway into the empty room. Bernadetta manages to keep herself quiet while Caspar searches for clues related to her disappearance. Something catches his eye, an armored teddy bear sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. Caspar leans down suspiciously in front of the bear. I don't suppose you saw what happened to her, did you?

"Leave Sir Hugs alone!" Bernadetta tackles Caspar, knocking her small classmate to the ground. Caspar instinctively wrestles around and sees his attackers face. "Bernadetta! There you are! Are we having a fight?"

"Fight?!" She backs away in a panic. "No, don't hurt me! I'm sorry!"

"Cmon, you started it!" he laughs.

"No, I didn't!" Her expression goes from fear to annoyance. "You were gonna hurt Sir Hugs!"

"Sir who?" Caspar looks back at the stuffed bear. "Oh, you mean this little guy?" He playfully pats the bear's head. "I gotta say, I'm digging the armor he's wearing."

Bernie stares in shock. "You...like him? I didn't expect a tough, scary guy like you to like cute things."

"He heh, you think I'm tough?" The fighter flexes an arm up confidently, then pauses. "Well, don't get the wrong idea! I don't own anything like that myself. I'm no sissy, but I can admit when something is cute." He smirks. "Ha! You should have seen this one time Ashe and I caught a cat stealing from the pantry."

"A cat?" Bernie's face lights up.

"Yeah, a big FAT one!" Caspar stretches out his hands. "This little dude must have eaten so much he could have been a fortress knight in disguise!"

Bernadetta laughs a little bit at Caspar's story, making him feel proud. "But yeah, I can like cats, and I can like stuffed bears wearing cool armor."

"Sir Hugs is a pretty cool bear," Bernie describes. "The professor gave him to me. I like to keep him sitting there for company."

"Weeeelllll, if you want company you should come train with us! That's what I came here to ask you, anyways."

"Uh..I....no thanks." Bernie frowns. "I would rather stay in here."

Now it was Caspar's turn to pout. "You know, Bernadetta, you really do spend too much time in here. You should get out more, come hang out with the group outside of class."

"I'm perfectly fine in here, thank you very much! Sir Hugs is all the company I need."

"Ugh, I can never change your mind, can I?" Caspar turns to leave, then hesitates. "Er... you know... I'm good company too, at least I think so. Just...in case you ever change your mind." He steps outside, shutting the door behind him.

When he's finally gone Bernadetta sits down on the bed. She reaches over to Sir Hugs and squeezes him in her arms. "Oh, you think I hurt his feeling? I probably did. I'm such a worthless person, I can't even be nice to my friends when they invite me." She sighs, hugging the bear her professor gave her.

A loud knock scares a squeal out of her. She quickly stands up to open the door, still clutching the bear in her arms.

"Hey Bernadetta!" Caspar greets again. "How about this. If I see another cat and come tell you where it is, will that get you out of your room?"

"Um.....maybe?....I do like seeing cats." She admits.

"Great! I'll keep an eye out for any while I'm at the training grounds!" Caspar grins and turns to leave again. Bernie watches him leave, then shuts the door. The introvert flumps back onto the bed, glad that's over with.

"You know," she talks to Sir Hugs. "That wasn't so bad. I got through it." She thinks to herself for a few moments. "And...I guess..... Caspar is a pretty nice guy...."