'Are you seriously just going to eat cake for breakfast, Bernie?' Regardless of his incredulous tone, Claude was actually quite impressed as Bernadetta took a massive bite of the buttered sponge that she'd asked the cook for especially.

'Mhmm.' Bernadetta was unable to speak around her chewing.

'Interesting...' Claude looked down at his own bowl of some sort of watery grain. 'How did you manage to get the staff to do that for you?'

'Dedue...' Bernadetta swallowed and smiled. 'He bullied the kitchen staff until they agreed to provide me with cake whenever I want it!'

'He did?' Claude looked surprised.

'Yeah, he helps out a load in the kitchen, along with Ashe, so the staff will pretty much do anything he asks them.'

'Isn't that interesting to know...' Claude murmured. 'I am hoping to get together a feast for my birthday next week. Perhaps Dedue is just the person I need on my side.' He indicated his thin gruel. 'Sadly, I am not a favourite of the cook's as you can see...'

Bernadetta giggled at his pathetic breakfast. 'I will ask Dedue to put in a good word for you.' She promised, holding out a chunk of her cake to him shyly.

'Thanks.' Claude nibbled on the sweetbread with a happy sigh. 'So then...' He continued after a few moments. 'What do you suggest as a plan of attack? We'll stay here for the as long as we can of course... our target will need to eat sometime.'

Bernadetta nodded. 'We need to think like a villainous clergyman.' She mused with a serious frown. 'Claude...If YOU were a plant-murdering lowlife priest... where would you go to hang out?'

Claude swallowed his inclination to laugh, Bernadetta's face was entirely sincere in her query.

'Hmm...' He tapped his fingers against the table in a staccato tattoo as he thought about it. 'I've never actually committed herbicide personally, so that's a tough question...'

'Well, of course you haven't.' Bernadetta patted his hand affectionately. 'You are way to nice to even dream of committing such a despicable act...'

Claude gawped at her. He found himself reflectively wondering how he was going to manage an entire day biting back his usual sarcasm and cynicism in her company. It was bad enough that Byleth had handed him the responsibility of training Bernie in bow skills - she definitely deserved a better companion to help her get through this days challenge unscathed. Claude frowned to himself. This was all Byleth's fault, actually. The woman seemed hellbent on continually throwing people his way that whose characters were either attractive to his inquiring mind or who were innocently capable of chipping away at his mistrustful nature. It was almost like she had it in for him and was doing it on purpose.

'Claude?' Bernadetta was staring at him in concern, and he realised he had actually groaned aloud. 'A..are you okay?'

'I got carried away in a random line of thought.' He admitted. 'It led to me realising just how bloody sneaky Teach actually is.' He sighed resignedly, then summoned up a reassuring smile. 'She's got me pegged good and proper!' He admitted.

'The Professor isn't sneaky!' Bernadetta insisted hotly.

Claude thought about it. 'No, okay...' He finally agreed. 'I just didn't see that she had read me quite so well and it's a bit disconcerting. I'm sure she is actually trying to help me out in her own unique manner.' He shook his head.

Bernadetta was silent for a moment, looking like she was building up the courage to say something.

'Speak.' Claude noticed her struggle. 'You can say what you like Bernie, you won't offend me.'

'It's not that...' Bernadetta blushed. 'My words can come out funny and all wrong if I don't seriously think about them first.' She hung her head. 'I'm better at writing them down.' She muttered to herself.

'Huh. I'd not really noticed.' Claude replied. 'You are just you, I guess!' His smile at her was genuine.

Bernadetta nodded quickly. 'That illustrates what I want to say.' She told him quietly. 'You and the Professor... you are very alike in a way.' She looked up at him and swallowed nervously. 'You are both kind, even though you don't see it yourself and encouraging without making an issue of it.' She sighed a sad little sigh. 'You are also both accepting of people whom others might not be so inclined to tolerate...'

'That's how you see me?' Claude was stunned.

'Mhmm.' Bernadetta nodded earnestly. 'I know the face of cruelty and hurtful intention, Claude, and you do not have it.'

'Who hurt you, Bernie?' Claude's focus sharpened, and his question was hard.

Bernadetta's gaze became shrewd. 'Who hurt you, Claude?' She returned his question to him with a gentleness that left him reeling. It seemed that here was yet another person he might need to re-evaluate.

'Touche...' He murmured.

Bernadetta grinned delightedly at him. 'It seems we have meandered far from our purpose here...' She scolded lightly and with more confidence than he had ever seen her muster. 'Where should we start looking for our dastardly shrub-slayer?'

'Right.' Claude gave himself a mental shrug and pulled his mind back to their current dilemma. 'Where do the clergy congregate?' He muttered to himself. 'I guess the Cathedral would be the obvious place to start.'

'Hmm. Ashe spends a lot of time in the Cathedral.' Bernadetta was picking at the crumbs on her plate. 'We could ask someone who spends time there what all these incomers are doing...'

'Brilliant!' Claude swept a look around the dining hall. 'Hey! Marianne!' He called.

Marianne looked up at him from where she was seated with Raphael. She shuffled over when he beckoned her.

'Good morning Claude, Bernadetta...' She said quietly, her eyes firmly fixed on her hands which were joined in front of her and wringing nervously.

Claude leaned back in his chair. 'You spend a fair amount of time up at the Cathedral, right?' He asked.

'Y..yes. I do.' Marianne's eyes flickered to Claude's quizzically for a second.

'It's just Bernadetta here think's she spotted someone she knew a few days ago. One of the clergies who has come for the Rites. We were just speculating how we might get hold of him since she can't remember his actual name.'

'Oh... I see.' Marianne still looked confused. 'How can I help? I don't really speak to anyone while I am there...'

'We were just wondering if you happened to notice specific times that all these visitors get together for services and the like.' Claude prompted. 'Neither of us really have any clue what the priests are likely to be getting up to while they are here.'

'There is a morning service at ten.' Marianne supplied. 'The Archbishop added that one specifically.'

'Great!' Claude nodded.

'You could also ask one of the staff up there.' Marianne added. 'Activities and events are being organised daily. They have probably posted a list somewhere.'

Claude shot a look at Bernadetta. 'That sounds exactly what we need!' Claude noted. 'Thank's Marianne!' The girl nodded and scooted quickly back to her seat.

'I guess we should stay here until ten and then head on up to the church.' Claude decided.

'I'm going to need more cake to tide me over.' Bernie stated firmly.

'You'll have to get that yourself. There's no way the kitchen is going to hand any over to me.' Claude replied. 'You could get me some too, though!' He added hopefully.

~0~

Byleth's early morning call to see her father led her straight to Seteth's office where they were taking breakfast together.

'Had a bit of a problem late last night.' Jeralt grunted once Byleth was seated and had a cup of tea in her hand. Seteth had also insisted on sharing his breakfast with her which had done nothing to settle the butterflies that were rampant in her belly or the heat that had crept over her as soon as their eyes had met when she'd entered.

'Oh?'

'Our patrol received a report that this so-called Death Knight was stalking one of the villages not far from here.' Jeralt grimaced. 'There's been quite a bit of talk about this individual in the last week, but to be honest, I'd put it down to superstitious nonsense. Our own Knight's actually caught sight of him this time though. Evil looking bastard wearing a skull-shaped horned helm and riding an enormous black horse.' Jeralt sighed. 'Obviously just what we need... another suspicious individual in the locality just before the bloody Rite of Rebirth!'

'You really aren't going to like what I have come to tell you then.' Byleth commiserated.

She was right. Once Byleth had filled her father and Seteth in on what Bernadetta had witnessed, Jeralt coloured the air blue in a rant that lasted a full minute.

'We should just pull out all the churchmen that are lodged here and parade them in front of the lass.' He insisted.

'Do we really want to show our hand?' Seteth asked mildly, sipping his tea. 'Not to mention the fact that this individual may simply have chosen to disguise himself as a priest...' He added.

'Aww crap... I never even considered that.' Byleth admitted as her father began swearing again.

Seteth slumped in his chair, his deep level of fatigue entirely evident. 'Even if it is a priest, it doesn't mean that he is actually staying at the Monastery. The vast majority have secured their own lodgings locally... although the time of night at which Bernadetta encountered this person would suggest that they are inside. The gates are shut at dusk, and only residents are permitted entry afterwards unless it's for a specific reason.'

'I'll catch Claude and Bernadetta and suggest they don't just look at the clergy.' Byleth stood to go. 'I'm heading down to the Abyss this evening.' She added. 'We will check out the residents there too if nothing been forthcoming before then.'

'I have to go and talk to the villagers about this bloody Death Knight situation.' Jeralt grumbled miserably.

'I have the head representative of the Western Church arriving later.' Seteth moaned. 'A genuinely repugnant and difficult man...'

Jeralt let out a sudden snort of laughter. 'Ain't we a merry bunch today...' He chuckled.

'I know that it is probably completely irresponsible to take time off right now, what with everything that is going on...' Seteth's eyes sought Byleth's, and he smiled warmly at her. 'I have to admit though I am counting the seconds till our fishing trip on Saturday. It literally cannot come soon enough.'

'Yeah... me too...' Byleth flushed. 'I'd better go and update Claude...' She added quickly and was out of the room before either of the others could even say goodbye.

'Huh... what's got into her?' Jeralt muttered as the door closed behind her.

'This is a testing time for all of us right now...' Seteth murmured quietly in response.

.

Byleth's level of fluster did not abate as the day moved on. Her morning class with the Black Eagles was led in its entirety by Hubert while she was distracted both by her own tumultuous feelings and by the Goddess in her head who had woken up in an exuberant mood, wanting to talk about anything and everything... as enthusiastically and as loudly as possible.

The afternoon saw the first session of the week with the Deer's in combat training at the training grounds. During the majority of the lesson, Byleth was able to maintain a her equilibrium, not sparring herself and instead setting the students up in paired challenges. Jeritza was noticeable in his absence, although given her current struggle, Byleth was a little relieved. When he finally did show up, towards the very end of the lesson, he simply observed as she led the class through a series of mini-tournaments.

The Deer filed out when the bell tolled to end the lesson, and Byleth made her way over to Jeritza to fill him in on the likely change of plans for the evening's trip to the Abyss.

'I guess since the others will be there, you don't need to come along if you would prefer not to...'

Jeritza shrugged. 'I'll come.' He stated simply. He stared at her for a long moment and a frown shaped on his lips. 'You are tense, Byleth.' He observed, stepping closer towards her and filling the space that she had carefully set between them. His hands came up to grip onto her shoulders and test out the muscle. She shuddered under his touch.

'I'm okay... a little worried naturally...' She tried to keep her voice level as his fingers massaged the spots where they rested.

'You seemed distant from your class today, what I saw of it anyway.' Jeritza added as one hand lightly traced up her neck and onto her chin so that he could tip her face upwards to look at him.

'You are going to explode if he keeps this up' Sothis commented cheerily. 'Should be interesting...'

'You smell different too... not like your usual self...' Jeritza's voice seemed to her ears that it was miles away. She was vaguely aware that she was trembling.

Jeritza's head cocked to one side as he studied her intently, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. His thumb brushed lightly over her cheek before he suddenly poked her hard on the forehead, almost toppling her in her weakened state.

'Go get some food Byleth.' He ordered firmly. 'The sooner you gather your ducklings, and we go down to the Abyss, the sooner you can return and get some decent sleep.'

He turned his back on her and walked over to take up a practice sword before moving to a target dummy.

'Why are you still here?' He asked, when he saw she hadn't left.

'I'll return in about an hour...' She managed to say, slowly tracking her way to the door.

'I'll be here.' He gave her another appraising look and then turned to the dummy and started hitting out at it hard.