Raven helped (y/n) back to her feet after she succesfully knocked the both of them down during their sparring match. He was too heavy to flip without using his own weight against him, and (y/n) hadn't been given many opportunities to try it. To quickly end the match, she had used all her strength as well as her own weight to bring Raven right off the ground and onto his back. He had gotten up first while she sat in the dirt to catch her breath.

        They were the only two outside in the dirt clearing. Most of the people using the training grounds were fighting indoors. The few that were outside with them kept their distance and minded their own business. There were still others who watched both areas from the sidelines, but they kept their thoughts to themselves as well. The weather was just right, and (y/n) felt rather comfortable feeling the breeze. The critical stare that Raven was giving her was a little unnerving though.

        "You can go ahead and say it, whatever it is. I know you won't mean any harm."

        "You're making sound decisions even while your mind is distracted. I can't tell whether I should compliment or criticize you." Raven tilted his head. "There isn't really much I can teach you. You were not taught by a mercenary, so the best I can do is experience your shortcomings for myself and try to correct them."

        "Sounds like criticism to me. You aren't too bad yourself, as always. You fight with the goal to survive, and I fight with the goal to kill." The differences in their styles of fighting made them natural enemies. (Y/n) took Raven's outstretched hand and got to her feet. "Wait, how would you know if I'm distracted or not if I did everything right?"

        "You usually shy away from taking quick match ending options. You probably didn't notice, but you drag out your fights. Today was much faster paced than your normal." Raven pointed out. They had fought many times before, so he had gotten used to her patterns. "That's unusual for..." he stopped himself from calling her an assassin. They were not alone in the training grounds, so he didn't want to be overheard. "I didn't expect it," he added to cover up his nearly made mistake.

        "I guess that makes sense." (Y/n) herself wasn't really sure if she agreed with that. It was his fault their fights took so long afterall. She didn't dare to use her special stones in public, and they were no use in friendly sparring matches. Of the three, two didn't kill, but (y/n) would rather not risk anything. It was nothing for Raven to keep up with her quick attacks. He was highly underestimating himself.

        The sound of someone's approaching steps caught (y/n)'s attention over the sounds of fighting. She had been specifically listening out for that noise. Her expression immediately betrayed her delight when she saw that it was Add making his way towards them.

        "Either you actually have nice timing, or you were nearby waiting," Raven said when Add was close enough to hear.

        Add bore a mocking smirk. "Why do you want to know? Are you worried about being flipped into the dirt in my presence?"

        "You're on the training grounds right now. No one would bat an eye if I hit you right here and now. You could event attempt to back up those useless words of yours," Raven noted. It was actually more of a threat.

        "No thank you," Add immediately declined. "I don't enjoy physical fights. They're a waste of energy, and I'd rather not ruin my clothes. Not really in the mood for any of that." He shrugged and crossed his arms. "I only came here to keep my word." He turned his attention to (y/n). "Are you done here for the day? If not, I'll wait until you decide to go home."

        The training grounds was probably the very last place Add wanted to be. (Y/n) liked the thought of Add being willing to stay in a place he didn't like for her sake, but she wasn't about to take advantage of that at the moment. "I'm ready to go now. I think I've gotten enough practice in for today."

        "I'll be back before sundown. If I don't come back today, then I took a job," Raven informed. Add floated his dynamos to block his path before he walked away. "What?"

        "You need to come back today. There's an important discussion about an urgent matter that you need to be present for." The expression on Add's face held no hints of the conversation topic, but if (y/n) had to guess, it was probably something about her.

        Raven gave a curt nod. "If the situation escalates, come back here and get me." He left them there to attend to his own personal matters. (Y/n) followed after Add who led them home in silence. It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything to her. (Y/n) caught sight of the way he stared off at nothing. Yet again, he was thinking his next words over carefully before he spoke them.

        "Welcome back Master (Y/n) and Master Add!" Dynamo greeted them with closed digital eyes, indicating that the nasod was in a particularly good mood. "The task I was given has been completed."

        "Good," Add absent-mindedly spoke. "Go on and get some rest."

        Dynamo retreated into the far reaches of the home, but Add stayed standing near the door. He was likely still deep within the depths of his mind, but (y/n) decided to check on him anyway.

        "Add?" He provided a hum of acknowledgement, but it was clear that his attention was still elsewhere. "Are you alright? Was the meeting that concerning?"

        He finally appeared to return to reality when he looked over at her with widened eyes. "I'm okay. Don't worry about me. However, we do need to talk about that meeting. I will fill Raven in on the details when he returns." (Y/n) followed Add to his work room where he placed a pair of holograms up to display to her. "These are just notes that I took during the meeting, but none of this can directly explain the problem." He started to tell her everything that occurred when he spoke to the elves. The concerns he had regarding her health made sense as well. The disease could very well spread across Elrios if it wasn't stopped. As he explained, Add's dynamos began to spin behind him. Just as he finished speaking, he looked back and caught the devices giving away his frustration and powered them off.

        "Wow. That's...very sudden. And they want you to go with them..." (Y/n) felt a bit sick from the news. "How long will you be gone?" Her head lowered at the thought of him not being around. Not being able to see him everyday would take some getting used to.

        "I'm not going." (Y/n) met his gaze with confusion. "Not without you, I refuse." His sharp stare was close to being a glare, but the emotion fueling such an expression was not directed at her. "If you don't want to go, I'm staying right here in Velder. I can't ignore the history you have with that place and those people."

        "It's alright. You don't have to worry about that, but I'm glad you considered it. I forgave Night Saver, I told you that already."

        "You may have forgiven them, but I haven't." Add reached out his hands to take hold of her shoulders. "Don't forget that my only priorities are my power and my family. Past or not, they still hurt you. It's the same as if I were to suddenly have to deal with Nasod Ruler again after they took my mother's life." (Y/n) reached up to lightly pull at his wrists. He had held on to her shoulders too tightly, but he let her go and flashed an apologetic stare when he noticed. With a softer look in his eyes, Add continued on. "You're far kinder than me. I just wanted to ensure that no one ever hurts you again." He began to look anywhere else but directly at her. "Perhaps I was just projecting my own feelings onto you in the end. I'm irritating myself at this point."

        (Y/n) was very familiar with his lingering trauma, and could find no fault in his desire to protect her. "You are just as kind as I am, Add. You're just very selective," she said with a smile. He merely blinked at her. "I'll go to Eldemyr with you. I just wonder how you're going to keep everything in order here in Velder while we're gone."

        "I've already thought ahead to that. Dynamo will remain here to keep everything organized. Raven is going to keep watch until we get back. The details can be sorted through later. Are you sure you don't need to think this over?"

        "I'm sure." (Y/n) had always truly wanted to visit Eldemyr, the one place she was forbidden to venture to. This would be her first time trying to reach the land of elves. "I just hope they actually let me in..." It had never occurred to her that she would ever get the chance to see the place that she only heard of in stories. There were plenty of dangers involved, and the way the opportunity had appeared out of nowhere was still rather concerning. Yet, (y/n) felt some of her anxious thoughts disappearing. She and Add were going to be just fine.
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I remember rewriting this chapter twice when I first did it. In the original draft, I re-explained the whole meeting again and took it out because it felt too repetitive and wordy. Well, until next time you wonderful readers!