The Admiral (Final Effect)
Claire looked over at the mini who was mopping the floor. “You’re not one of my minis.” Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
The mini - who she had initially thought was a Mini-Jahne due to the dark hair and scruffy but adorable appearance - gave her a jaunty salute and then reached behind her back... for an admiral’s hat.
“Oh.” Claire found herself grinning. “I think I know who you are. You’re the legendary Admiral Mini-Diana of Averia Yun-Farron.”
The Mini-Diana gave her a thumb’s up and went back to mopping the floor with a cheerful whistle.
“So... you started off in maintenance, huh?” Claire asked as she sat down on the steps near the Mini-Diana.
The Mini-Diana nodded and continued to whistle the Gary theme song. “Hmm... hm... hmmm.”
“So you sometimes just show up when you think you’re needed? I’d ask how that works but we still don’t know how Saviour does what it does.” Claire chuckled. “But what makes you think I need you?”
The Mini-Diana stopped mopping for a moment and struck a pose. “Hmm... hm... hm... hmmm!”
“You think I need to reconsider my options more?” Claire chuckled. “I’m kind of in the middle of something, you know.”
“Hmm... hmm... hm!”
“Work is no reason to abandon romance? Well, I suppose you should know.” Claire considered something for a moment and then shrugged. Why not? This particular mini had a long and glorious history of getting things right. She was, some had argued, one of the original Averia’s greatest gifts to her descendants: a mini with a knack for fixing things and pointing out things other people had missed. “How about this... I’ll let you collaborate with some of the other minis I’ve got. If you find anyone you think might be suitable, let me know.”
The Mini-Diana gave her another jaunty salute and nodded as several Mini-Jahne’s arrived.
X X X
Claire opened her eyes to find Aerith staring at her. The Cetra had an impish smile on her face, and she was holding a stick.
“Were you about to poke me with a stick?” Claire asked.
Aerith did her best to look innocent. “In my defence, one of the Dia-Farron suggested it.” She tilted her head to one side. “You have a very thoughtful look on your face. It’s not because of what’s happening today, is it?”
Claire shook her head. “It’s not that. Today might be your first trip down to one of the planets, but we’ve already secured the area, and I’ll be escorting you down there personally. It’ll be fine. It’s just... I met someone interesting while I was meditating.”
“Oh?”
“A relic from one of my ancestors, a very helpful relic.”
X X X
Author’s Notes
Admiral Mini-Diana continues to prove that she really did deserve that promotion. Claire might be better at dealing with emotions than almost any other bearer of Saviour in the past, but she, Averia, and Jahne have all been friends for so long that she hasn’t really given the thought of romance with them as much consideration as she might ordinarily have.
Luckily, there’s a Mini-Diana for that. There’s no switch to flip here, but some of her suggestions are bound to get some of the other minis in there talking, which will make its way back to Claire.
As for how Mini-Diana is there, she’s an echo, much like the echo of the original Averia that Claire once met. However, since she’s just a Mini-Diana, it’s a lot easier for her echo to pop up, and she’s appeared here and there throughout history, always to good effect.