Ingrid sat at the dining hall table with her book open, underlining text with one hand and balancing a roll in the other.
"Hey..." Sylvain greeted her as he slid into the chair across the table while watching the room.
"Hey. Why weren't you at drill yesterday? Alois was asking." Ingrid asked.
"About that..." Sylvain began. He was still watching the activity in the dining hall. He tapped his fingers on the table and leaned in toward Ingrid. "...I need a huge favor from you."
Ingrid raised her eyebrows and looked up from the sentence she was underlining. "Go on…"
"Okay...see that girl up there? The pretty one going through the line right now?" Sylvain pointed, grabbing Ingrid's arm, pulling her in closer to him and shifting her focus to the front of the dining hall.
"Yeah..." Ingrid said, shaking her head.
"I need you to give her a place to stay tonight. She's here at the monastery visiting her sister...her sister that I was fucking yesterday when I was supposed to be at drill." Sylvain confessed.
"You cannot be serious...I don't even know that girl!" Ingrid complained.
"Ingrid...her sister is smokin' hot and she's fine with me pulling out. You are doing this for me. That girl's name is Daniella. You two might hit it off, I don't know." Sylvain said, squeezing the base of Ingrid's neck and scratching her back. She looked at him with the most contorted and confused expression.
"Your timing with a javelin sucks...And you think you're going to be better with that!?" She asked, pointing to Sylvain's crotch.
"Whoooooa, whoa….waaaait a minute. You're right...about the javelin thing. But let me tell ya', you underestimate my talent. I have never had a close call." Sylvain said winking at her.
"Oh Goddess…" Ingrid rolled her eyes. "Okay…what exactly do I need to do for your good time?"
"Aahhh, you are the best, Ingrid!" Sylvain said, shaking her shoulder and giving her his best, victorious smile. "The sooner she can get into your dorm, the better. That girl literally has no place to go while she's visiting. Her sister doesn't live here full time. She stays with a friend down in town normally."
"When exactly are you going to be…. occupied…because I'm going to need some of Felix's whiskey for this favor." Ingrid bargained. Sylvain laughed cautiously.
"I have stable duty with Ferdinand then she and I are having dinner. After dinner…dessert. Go into Felix's room. He won't be there today, nor will he care that you're there. There's a cabinet on the back wall…bottom drawer... there's four bottles. Take what you want." Sylvain instructed. Ingrid nodded.
"So, I'm basically babysitting all day and all night." She said.
"Aaaaaand until about nine tomorrow morning because I have a feeling that…" Sylvain looked around and lowered his voice, "…she gives great morning head and I need to find out if she swallows."
Ingrid shook her head as Sylvain scratched her back. "Alright, as much as I would love to sit here and make you scratch my back for another ten minutes, I'm going to make my whiskey run and clean up a little before my visitor arrives. You go tell her where my dorm is. Send her up in a half hour." Ingrid said before standing up and organizing her things in her bag.
"I'll take you into town for this. We'll have steak. Promise! You pick the day." Sylvain promised Ingrid as she packed up her things to leave.
"Sure…whatever…" she said absently, leaving the dining hall and heading to the 2nd floor. She hurried up the steps and to the top platform before re-adjusting her bag and starting down the hallway toward Felix's room. She knocked on the door twice, waiting for a response. When it wasn't immediately answered, she tried the handle, letting herself in. One thing Ingrid adored was the way Felix smelled and it hung in this room. It was hard to describe…clean…and soft with an edge of something masculine. Ingrid put her bag down at the door and walked to the back cabinet, opening the bottom drawer. She grabbed a bottle, closed the drawer and walked back to her bag. She opened the top to shuffle things around and jam bottle inside. As she slung it on her shoulder, her attention was diverted to Felix's unmade bed. His bed was never unmade. Ingrid's eyes widened at what else she saw. She gasped and reflexively put her hand over her mouth.
Back on the 1st floor, Hubert, Lysithea, Dorothea, and Linhardt had met at the training grounds to practice casting spells together. It wasn't unusual that the four of them trained together. Bouncing techniques and ideas off one another was never a bad thing. As the four of them warmed up, Lysithea kept glancing in Dorothea's direction. She tried to focus her attention to the opposite wall but her gaze wandered back to Dorothea. She scowled and moved close enough to Dorothea to wipe two fingers across Dorothea's face. Lysithea looked at her fingertips as if to find something.
"What was that about?" Dorothea asked, continuing her warmup.
"Your skin looks wet." Lysithea said, rubbing her fingers together still hoping something would appear.
"Moisturizer." Dorothea said, shaking her head.
"Oh…Hey, guess what? I'm probably going to get recruited out of my house." Lysithea said.
"Yeah? Black Eagles?" Dorothea questioned.
"Blue Lions. The Professor has been talking to me about recruitment." Lysithea beamed.
"Well, you're not the only one. She's talked to me about recruitment too." Dorothea said. Lysithea looked as if she had just been hit by an onslaught.
"What are you talking about? Why would she talk to you about recruitment?" Lysithea asked, trying to wrap her mind around the fact.
"Oh, excuse me. I didn't realize you were the only one who could be recruited." Dorothea said sarcastically. "She's talking to Ferdinand also. He told me about it."
"But…that's…that's not right. It needs to be me. She approached me!" Lysithea said, getting herself worked up. "…I've worked my ass off to impress the professor. If anyone is getting recruited, it's me!"
"Okay…relax. She can recruit whoever she wants. It's not a big deal." Dorothea said calmly.
"It is a big deal! I didn't put all this time and work in for nothing!" Lysithea insisted. Dorothea looked at her rather confused.
"O….kay? Why are you so hell bent on getting recruited to the Blue Lions?" she asked.
"Annette." Lysithea answered. "She's such an amazing mage. I could learn a lot from her. I want to train and battle alongside her. She's so dedicated. I mean, yeah she can be aloof but…I've been studying her style. I almost have Excalibur mastered. I don't know if she can cast that one." Lysithea laughed. "Why would the professor be talking to you when she has Annette and she could have me? I can throw Dark Spikes. You can't even throw a critical hit. You never have." Lysithea reminded her.
Dorothea raised her eyebrows. "Yeah…sure. But, Lysithea…you can't do anything else except cast spells."
"What are you saying?" Lysithea asked defensively.
"I'm just…I'm saying that both of the mages in the Blue Lions House do more than just cast spells. Mercedes can use Recover spells and use a bow. Annette can cast, heal and ride." Dorothea said. Suddenly, Lysithea was at a loss for words. Her mind whirred wondering that she may have missed something.
"Alright mages! Let's take turns casting." Hubert instructed. They all took their places along the wall, allowing each plenty of room to cast spells. Hubert cast an impressive Banshee spell, receiving applause from his fellow mages. Next, Linhardt went through his ritual yawn and head roll before casting, landing a beautiful Excalibur cloud of dust across the training room floor. He too received much approval from Lysithea, Dorothea and Hubert.
"Nice job, Linhardt!" Hubert praised. Lysithea smiled because she was confident, she could throw the best spell today. She went through her ritual as well, casting her best Luna spell. She too received positive praise.
"Good hands." Dorothea complimented her.
"Thank you." Lysithea said, backing up against the wall. Dorothea rubbed each foot in the dirt before peering down at her hands and taking her stance. She took a deep breath and focused her attention to the other wall. Once she had the spell live, she rotated her entire body into it, her footwork changing the opposite of everyone else who had already cast spells. She let out a huff and cast her critical hit Thoron. She smiled all over, looking at the scorch mark in the dirt.
"Wow, Dorothea! That footwork was something!" Hubert complimented.
"That's a great hit." Linhardt said rather absently. Lysithea glanced between Dorothea and the scorch mark in the floor.
"Yes…" Dorothea said to herself, pumping her fist discreetly. She was thrilled with this progress. Lysithea shook her head in frustration.
"Where the fuck did you learn to do that!?" she asked. Dorothea smiled, still looking at the scorched dirt.
The training grounds was active today to say the least. Two hours later, after all the smoke and remnants of casted spells had been cleaned, Catherine found herself engrossed in her prize student.
"Face the mirror. Now, extend your right arm up like you're using a Levin Sword. Bend the elbow. There. See that? See this line?" Catherine explained to Felix, running her palm from his elbow to his ribs. Felix nodded. "The idea is squat low and pop up. Let this arm create a natural arc. The tip of the sword and natural motion this arm wants to take will do the work for you. Now, put this left hand back. It's going to help with that momentum. Reach for my hand. Feel that rotation? You'll pop out of that stance. I know it feels overextended but that will force the rotation."
"Yeah…that's…really rotated. I'll get used to it. I'll practice" Felix assured her. Catherine laughed.
"I know you'll practice. Okay, get lower. It's like an assassin's stance but a little lower. Sit into it." Catherine instructed, pushing down on Felix's shoulders. Right there. There it is, left hand back, right arm straight, bent at the elbow and down low. When you pop out of this, you want both feet off the ground. It's not a full rotation, just a half. So, when you make that arc, you'll land with the left foot forward for the follow up forward lunge."
"Ooooh, it's a follow up attack." Felix stated rather than asked.
"Yes! You catch them off guard and then follow it up. This rotation helps create that forward momentum. Turn to the right." Catherine instructed again. "Okay, left arm goes back and push… push forward…straight. Feel it? Your entire upper body is moving forward but your feet are planted." Catherine said running her hands up Felix's back. Felix shook his head.
"I'll work on it. Can I have a week?" he asked.
"Of course." Catherine said, picking up her bottle of water near the mirror.
"Do you have any time to work on speed drills with me tomorrow?"
"Any time after 1:00. But…" Catherine paused. "…there is a chance I will be hung over as hell tomorrow so if I bail on you, I apologize in advance." Felix laughed. He laughed. Catherine was…charmed.
"Dare I ask why that is?" Felix wondered.
"You know…I swear…I think that's the first time in two years you've laughed during a training session." Catherine remarked. That only made Felix laugh again.
"I'm sorry…it's just…what are you doing tonight that's going to end up in that bad of a hangover…oooooh wait. Birthday, right?" he asked.
"You got it. Oh, honey. You have no idea the wild life I lead outside of these training grounds." Catherine said with a wink. Felix laughed at her again. "I like it." Catherine started. "I like that laugh…I like it a lot. Don't stop. Go break some hearts with it. By the way, what did you do for your birthday? I realize I never asked you last month." And that question, made Felix smile more sincerely than ever. He shook his head.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"
In the back room of where the wyverns stayed, smoke escaped into the air. "Ha! Flush, baby." Petra said, sliding all the coins from the middle of the table and ashing her cigarette. Claude shook his head.
"Damn. You're cleaning me out." He scooped up the cards, shuffled them and dealt another hand. "You need to stop smoking."
"Mmm…" Petra began, lighting another cigarette. "You need to start winning…" she said, taking a long drag before exhaling a cloud of smoke in front of Claude. He examined his cards and threw some more coins into the middle of the table. He began to change them around as Petra did the same.
"That I do." Claude said, drawing two more cards.
"Is there ever anyone else down here besides you?" Petra asked, seeing as she and Claude were alone with the Wyverns.
"Just Seteth, but he's usually never here this late." Claude said, drawing another card.
"So, if I asked you…if I could…bring someone…here…" Petra asked tentatively but it was enough to get Claude's attention.
"I would be lying to you if I told you I hadn't thought the same." He began. "No one comes to the wyvern grounds. You bring anyone you want under one condition…you hear a hungry wyvern, you feed him…or her." Claude warned. Petra laughed.
"Of course!" Petra said, taking another drag.
"Is it…who I think it is?" Claude asked. Petra didn't immediately answer. He studied her as Petra rearranged her cards.
"Please…I wish…" Petra said, drawing another card. Claude nodded. There was silence between them again. "What about you? I know who you're ambitiously after." Claude shook his head.
"What do you mean ambitiously?" Claude asked, smiling at Petra over his cards.
"Well…I mean…she's not exactly attainable right now." Petra said.
"Is that so?" Claude asked. "She may be…I won't know until I try, am I right?" Petra puffed on her cigarette again.
"Like I said…ambitious but you go for it." Petra said, drawing another card.
"You've never answered who it is you're wanting to bring back here." Claude said once again.
"If I tell you, you can't say a word about it because it's not…anything serious. It's just…two girls having a good time." Petra explained.
"My lips are sealed." Claude assured her.
"Edelgard." Petra said without hesitation. Claude was in the middle of drawing a card but stopped. This was the last name he expected to leave Petra's mouth.
"What!? Edel….what!? She's…isn't she…" Claude said stupidly, not finishing his thought.
"It's just…it's nothing. She just wants to…test the waters." Petra said. "I'm more excited than I care to admit."
"You know she's been testing the waters with Hubert for several months now…if that's what the kids are calling it." Claude reminded her.
"I am well aware of that fact." Petra said, nearly finishing her cigarette.
"I don't know, Petra…that shit's all up in your House. You better be very careful." Claude advised her.
"You want to talk to me about being careful? Hello!? You drool like a hungry dog when you're around her. Don't worry. I've got it under control." Petra promised him. There was silence between them again. "Besides…I haven't been with anyone since…well, you know."
"That's who I thought you were talking about bringing here. I thought…just maybe…you know, the two of you reconciled or something." Claude said. Petra shook her head and sighed.
"Today is her birthday. I guarantee you she's had several shots and is underneath Catherine right about now moaning and writhing." Petra said, defeatedly. Claude furrowed his brow.
"Hold up. Underneath Catherine?" He asked, his tone perplexing.
"It's her birthday! Goddess! Give her a break! She's not that aggressive all the time. She can be sweet and submissive when she wants." Petra smiled and lit another cigarette.
"I love how you have such fondness in your tone when you talk about 'er." Claude said sincerely. Petra got her cigarette going.
"Listen, what happened between us was entirely my fault. She deserves everything that I couldn't deliver." Petra said honestly.
"Sounds like you're moving on then." Claude said, laying down his head.
"Yeah…I'm moving on but…I don't know that I'll ever get over Shamir." Petra confessed, laying her cards down. She laughed.
"HA! You are so my bitch tonight." She said, taking Claude's money again.
It was after hours at the infirmary but Byleth wanted it that way. She was grateful that Mercedes agreed to meet with her. Dimitri's signature on the paperwork Mercedes was reviewing was enough to give Byleth all the power to make all decisions as they related to his medical needs. It was a grand responsibility. Here she was tonight with Mercie to discuss his current status.
"He's so unmotivated. His attitude is terrible. There are days I can reach him and other days where he seems unreachable. Some days he...is ready to snap me in two and then there are days when he just weeps in my arms." Byleth paused and dried her eyes. She shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry. I'm complaining. I shouldn't be complaining. I should be supportive. I should be...giving more than what I am." Her body language was completely rattled.
Mercedes looked at her beloved professor with kind, tender eyes. She reached out and took Byleth's hands in hers. "It's okay to talk about it. It's okay to feel whatever it is you're feeling in the moment. You can talk to me about whatever it is you're going through. I'm not going to judge. Anytime. We can talk anytime." Byleth shook her head, watching her own hands intertwined with Mercie's. They sat in silence for a moment before Mercedes pulled her hands away to retrieve Dimitri's chart. "Do you notice his behavior changing when he takes the anxiety pill? We could probably cut that one in half and see if there's a difference."
"I am...exhausted most days." Byleth shared, not answering Mercedes' question. "Completely exhausted. Mentally...physically...emotionally...just exhausted." Mercedes put the clipboard aside and focused her attention on Byleth. "He hasn't even said thank you! In nearly seven months I haven't heard any inclination of thanks!" Byleth shook her head quickly. "And I'm not...I'm not even saying I need thanks I just...I need…I need someone who...who..." Byleth fought her tears. "...who doesn't look the other way." She wiped her eyes. "I….think I'm starting to hit my limits. I learned a long time ago how to deal with the night terrors. That's easy. What I can't deal with is his constant negativity and how…how hurtful he can be. I can only be a cheerleader so much." Byleth and Mercedes sat in silence again, Mercedes' soft eyes studying Byleth's troubled expression. "I'm starting to question my ability to lead the House. Dimitri and I have always been a team…that's long gone. Ugh…I'm sorry. You asked me about the anxiety meds. Yes. He sleeps after he takes the anxiety pill. It seems to knock him out within an hour. He stays asleep for maybe five hours?" Byleth said.
Mercedes shook her head and grabbed the clipboard again to take some notes. "What about the anti-depressant?"
"That's fine. He doesn't have a lot of side effects with that one. Just decreased appetite." Byleth shared. Mercedes looked up from her clipboard and sighed through pursed lips.
"I…have to ask you something very uncomfortable. The anti-psychotic…for the post-traumatic symptoms…it has some considerable side effects. Muscle aches, dry cough, dry mouth, blurry vision, nausea, restlessness…um…decreased…libido?" Byleth put her fingers on her forehead.
"Yes…yes to all. All those symptoms are present." She said.
"When was the last time you were…intimate with him?" Mercedes asked, dreading the answer she was about to get because in her heart, she already knew. Byleth rolled her eyes to the ceiling and thought.
"Oh my…um…hmmm…" she thought. "Uuhhh…like…maybe…eight? Nine months ago? No….ten months? Yeah…probably more like ten months." Mercie nodded again.
"Alright. I don't want to pull him off anything immediately but let's start with adjusting the anxiety medication to a lower dose and see how he responds. Also, the anti-psychotic…cut all those pills in half. Let's try them at one half a day and see if that helps any. And…" Mercedes paused and took Byleth's hands again. "I want you to talk to someone once a week. It can be me, Seteth, Manuela... It doesn't have to be lengthy. You just…you need to touch base with someone. Are you willing?" Mercedes asked. Byleth nodded emphatically.
"Yes…yes, I'm willing…I would like that very much." She said before giving Mercedes a desperately needed hug.