Chapter 11

A Moonlit Birthday

Following the quelling of Lonato's rebellion, the air around the monastery continued to be tense. The students of the Blue Pyraors were in a melancholy state following their return. N noticed how particularly distraught some of them were. When N found out what had happened from Byleth, he felt both immense sadness and anger. Learning that Lonato's forces were just a militia of people from his land was something he was not expecting. He was saddened because the students had to engage them in battle, and angry because the Church had deemed them enemies for simply disagreeing with something that went against doctrine. N did not have to guess how distraught Ashe was. Their conversation had given N enough to understand their relationship, however, he learned a few new things from Byleth and better understood the whole situation.

Along with the fallout of Lonato's rebellion, there was now whispers of a plot to assassinate Lady Rhea on the day of the Goddess's Rite of Rebirth. From what N understood, the plot was discovered from an anonymous note found on Lonato's person. While N was angry at the Church, and to a certain extent Rhea, finding out about the plot caused for him to grow concerned. He knew people were unhappy with the Church of Seiros. When he traveled with the mercenary band, there were people they encountered who were similar to Lonato. However, they kept their opinions to themselves. He was concerned as to what would be the fallout if something like that occurred. The only thing that came to his mind would be some form of chaos, and that was something he did not want.

Despite all of that, he still had classes to teach. A new month meant a new end of the month mission for the students, and a new lesson topic for N. At the same time, now it was the peak of summer. The previous month still had hints of spring, but the heat was beginning to intensify. Even with the monastery being on a mountain, the rising temperature could still be felt. That also meant a change in the students uniform. They went form their usual black and gold-lined jackets and pants, to more light and loose shirts and pants. N had become so used to the black uniform, that seeing the white summer uniform caused a bit of whiplash.

When it came to his lessons on stats, he had anticipated the reaction he got from most of the students; a disappointed sigh. He was still surprised when a few students had shown a bit of interest in it, but the majority were not. Having to switch to the classrooms to teach was also a factor. He noted they enjoyed the battlefield as it was change of pace.

On the current day, N was teaching the Golden Stantlers. He had found that they were the group with least amount of interest in the lesson topic, with the exception of Ignatz and Lysithea, who took a keen interest in it. He decided on starting with the overview of what stats were before getting into the intricacies of them.

"To recap: stats are certain values that each creature has. Every creature has some stat they are proficient in. For example, what is my Zorua proficient in?"

Only a few students raised their hands, but Ingatz's hand shot straight up. He scanned the room for a moment, and saw that, despite hiding it, Marianne had her hand raised as well. N knew she was shy, but she was also one of the more interested students when it came to the creatures.

"Marianne."

She slowly brought her hand down and look a bit surprised at being called. She looked up to meet N's gaze and felt a bit of confidence form inside her at the sight of his kind smile.

"Um, ranged attacks and speed," she said meekly.

N nodded. He was happy she spoke with a bit more confidence compared to the last few times he has asked her to answer questions. "Yes, very good."

He turned to face the class and continued with his explanation. "Stats will affect how a battle flows. Your partner will either deal more damage, or be able to take more hits. However, it can be difficult to figure out which stats they're proficient in. That comes from the bond you share with your partner and how they preform in battles."

Just as he finished his statement, the church bells began to ring, signaling then end of his lesson. N sighed in relief that he managed to finish his lecture just before the bell. He had been getting better at timing when his class would end. One would assume he would have had that figured out by now, but N was still getting used to having so much rigidity in his life.

"That'll do it for today. For your next class, we'll be meeting on the battlefield."

Happy cheers rang out in the classroom. N had expected this news to make them happier, but to see so much excitement caught him by surprise. N could not help but chuckle.

"I understand your frustration with being the classroom for my lessons, but this will be one of the few times we do it. We'll be putting what we learned today into practice so be ready for battling."

They all said some form of understanding before standing and collecting their things. His class was usually the last one of the day, so not the students were free from any more lessons. As they began to exit the classroom, he saw that Claude was taking a bit longer than usual. He took advantage of that moment to have him stay behind as he wanted to talk to him.

"Claude, could so stay behind for a bit," N said.

The house leader turned to his professor and nodded. "Sure thing, Teach." He then knelt down next to Deerling, whose coat had changed to green fur signaling the summer season. "What do you think he needs, partner?"

Deerling let out a high pitched grunt in response, which Claude took as answer.

"You're right, I don't know either."

He stood back up and saw that N was erasing what he had written on the chalkboard.

"So, what do you need, Teach?" Claude asked walking up to the front of the classroom.

N sighed and set down the eraser. He had been nervous to ask him what he wanted, as it made him seem like just another teenager. Technically he was, but he was also his teacher, which was their professional relationship. He rationalized that now since the school day had ended, there was no need for formalities.

"Whenever we're not in class, you can call me N," he said as he turned to the house leader. "I've never been one for formalities."

Claude chuckled and clasped his hands behind his head. "Neither have I. Looks like we have that in common." He accented his words with a wink.

N was not sure how to interpret that, but he felt a warmth rising in his face and it was not the summer heat. He pushed that thought aside and focused. Though, the heat returned as what he wanted to ask was embarrassing.

"Can I ask you something? You seem like the right person to ask this to," N said.

Claude rose and eyebrow and brought his arms to his sides. "You know you're just trying to beat around the bush. Just ask already."

N groaned. Being a teenager could suck sometimes. "I know, it's just a bit embarrassing."

"Keeping it to yourself isn't going to help make it feel less so," Claude said with a shrug.

N took in a breath and released it in order to calm his nerves. He just had to ask it and get it out of the way. "I missed someone's birthday and I want to give them a gift. I try to give something they'd value, but this one is especially difficult."

Claude put a hand on his chin and rose an eyebrow slyly. Despite his wording, he had managed to figure out what N was alluding to. N inwardly cringed. He knew Claude was sharp, but the fact he picked up on it so fast meant he was sharper than N anticipated.

"So, who's the lucky lady?"

N could feel his face heat up. He wanted to turn away, but that meant confirming Claude's suspicions. He tried to control himself before figuring out his answer.

"I'll have you know that I get all of my students something for their birthday. It's just that for this person, I missed it when it came. I had too much to do at the time," N said defensively.

Claude chuckled, amused by how flustered N was becoming. "Well, it's good to know I got something coming for my birthday."

N groaned. He was beginning to think asking Claude was a bad idea. Though the only other person that came to his mind was Sylvain, and he knew that would have been an even worse idea. There was always Byleth, but he knew that she had next to no experience in helping with the problem he was having.

When Claude's laughter died down, the two continued their conversation. "Whoever it is, they're special to you. Is it Byleth? You two do seem pretty close."

"It isn't her," N said. However, Claude's question did make him curious as to when Byleth's birthday was. He had figured out that she was older than him, but by how much is what he did not know. "I don't know when he birthday is, actually. I've never been told." N shook his head, they were getting off topic. "Not the point."

"Right, sorry. I just assumed it was her. Though, if it was her, I'd doubt you'd be so flustered," Claude mused. "I'm assuming what you want to give is something special and memorable, right?"

N nodded in response.

"Then how about something that helped the two of you connect in some way. It fits both categories."

N wondered what could fit that criteria. He put a hand on his chin and began to think. When they had first connected was during their first moonlit meeting two months back. Since then, they had had only one more, but it felt easier to talk during those times compared to the times they have spoken in public.

Perhaps something relating to the moon would work best, N thought.

He then smiled and looked up. When Claude saw his expression, he gave an understanding nod.

"I can tell you figured something out," Claude said as he put a hand on his hip.

"Yeah, I think I do," N replied.

"So, are you going to tell me who's the lucky girl?" Claude asked.

N rose a sly eyebrow, copying the on Claude had done before. "Who said it was a girl?"

Claude was momentarily stumped. His surprised expression almost made N laugh, but the house leader's change to a smile stopped him. There was something about his smile that made N become the one who was stumped. It was not the usual sly, somewhat cocky smile, but a different one. One that N could not describe. He then shook his head to regain his focus.

"Thanks for the help, Claude," N said taking a few steps back. "C'mon, Zorua!"

The black fox yipped in response, jumped off the teacher's podium and onto his partner's shoulder. N then quickly exited the classroom, before the moment got anymore awkward than it was already getting.

Claude, meanwhile, was left to his thoughts. The way N had said what he did, had thrown him off. Then there was the look N gave him. He was sure that it was similar to his own, but it felt different in a way.

Claude was broken from his thoughts when Deerling began to rub his head on his leg. Claude chuckled and knelt down next to his partner.

"What do you think he meant when he said that?"

Deerling tilted his head to side, unsure of what his partner was talking about. Claude chuckled again. It seemed that this was a situation that his Deerling did not fully understand. However, he took that reaction as a response.

"Yeah, I was a bit confused as well. Though, I'm pretty sure it's a girl he's getting a gift for."

Deerling responded with a high-pitched grunt. He jumped a bit, but kept his hind legs on the ground.

"Though, it'll be interesting to know who it is," Claude said a sly smile crept onto his face. "Teach is just a year older than me, or maybe even less, so he's still a bit of a kid. This'll be interesting to watch."

"Claude, are you talking to Deerling?"

Claude looked up to see Hilda standing by the door to the Golden Stantler classroom, her Stufful clutched in her arms. She had a confused eyebrow raised, but her eyes were more of a concerned expression.

"Well, yeah. He's the only one with me," Claude said.

"It's kinda creepy," Hilda replied.

Claude rolled his eyes but still managed a laugh. He slowly stood up and motioned for Deerling to follow him. However, he kept his eyes on his partner.

"Let's keep what we talked about between us, okay?"

Deerling responded with happy grunt and followed his partner closely. When he met up with Hilda, the two exited the classroom together.

"So, what did you and the professor talk about?" Hilda asked.

"Oh, nothing much," Claude said as he clasped his hands behind his head. "Though, I think this new professor of ours is a bit more of a kid than we thought."

—

N found that the market at the town at the base of the mountain had a lot more to offer than he anticipated. The market at the monastery had mostly just essentials, so he had never found a reason to descend the mountain. Now that he was looking for something in specific, he found a reason to descend.

The last time he had visited the two, the day was ending, so not that many people were around. Now that it was just past midday, there was still a good amount of hustle and bustle. He passed by all sorts of stalls. Some held produce cultivated form farms, others had more specialized items, while a few had items mostly reserved for the creatures. One stall was very adamant that the milk they got from their farm of Miltank was the best in all of Fodlan. N fought the urge to buy some, but in the end he relented and did. He rationalized it by saying he could use it for healing creatures.

One stall that had caught his attention was one that did not have a particular speciality. He made sure to give everything at least a glance, as something could possibly stick out. The stall had berries for the creatures, weapons for people, materials for forging, and all sorts of other things. The stall was operated by a red-haired woman, who seemed to be more than happy selling her wares for a bit more than most other stalls. A top one of the barrels was a Meowth. The coin on its head shined brightly as it kept its eyes on N and Zorua.

"Anything peek your interest?"

N look up to see the woman smiling at him. He shrugged and returned to perusing. He then noticed something in between two boxes of metals. He rose and eyebrow and pushed one of the boxes aside and grabbed what it was. What he had grabbed was odd looking. It appeared to be a hat of some kind, but one he had never seen before. It was colored black with the part by the rim being white. What made it strange was the single rim it had. He knew Dorothea's hat was similar in that regard, but this one just felt strange.

"Of all things, that's got you curious?"

N looked up to see the woman eyes him with curiosity and arms crossed. He shrugged again and returned his gaze to the hat.

"I was just curious about it. I've never seen a hat like this. At least, I think it's a hat," N replied.

The woman sighed and let her arms fall to her sides. "To be honest, I can't remember where I got that from. I forget I have it from time to time."

"Can I try it on?" N asked.

"Be my guest."

N dusted the hat off before putting it on. He first put the rim facing backwards, but when he did it felt odd. He adjusted the rim to face forwards and that felt just right.

"How does it look?" N asked, turning to Zorua.

Zorua looked at him for a moment. His blue eyes carefully studying the strange item on his partner's head. He then grabbed with his mouth and too it off.

"Guess you don't like it, huh?" N asked as he grabbed the hat from Zorua's mouth.

"I thought you looked fine. Almost like it looked normal," the woman said.

"You think?"

The woman nodded. "Tell you what, buy anything and I'll throw the hat in for free. I don't normally do this, so count yourself lucky."

N brought his hands up defensively as a nervous sweat began to form on his forehead. Why did that last part sound like a threat?

"Okay, just give me a minute to find something," N replied. "Though, I'm not sure what to get." His last sentence came out as a murmur. He was thankful she was attending another customer just as he began to say that.

He began to browse again, trying to find something that caught his attention. However, nothing seemed to interest him. He could also not find something that could work as a gift. He was about to admit defeat and leave the hat behind, when he caught sight of a blue cloth. He grabbed it and gave it a quick study. It was soft to the touch, but he could feel a strange energy being emitted from it.

"Excuse me," he called out look up from the cloth, "what's this?"

The woman walked over to him and looked at what he was holding. She put closed her eyes and put her hand on her chin to remember what it was. When she did, she opened her eyes and snapped her fingers.

"It's some type of scarf, but it isn't meant for people, it's for the creatures. It's supposed to grant some sort of effect, but I couldn't tell you what it is," the woman explained.

"An item that gives off an effect for the creatures," N mused aloud. "This could work as a lesson for the students. I've heard of this, but never actually seen it."

"So, are you going to buy it?" the woman asked, a smile coming to her face.

N nodded enthusiastically. "I'll take it, and the hat."

"The scarf's 500."

N took in a sharp breath. That was expensive. However, he reasoned that it would help with his lessons, so he had to pay it. Plus, he was not great at bargaining, so he had no hope of being able to lower it. He fished for the coins in his bad and carefully counted that he gave the right amount.

The woman smiled as he put the money in hand. He recoiled a bit at how quickly she drew her hand back.

"Thanks, and come again to Anna's stall," the woman, now called Anna, said merrily.

N nodded and slowly turned to walk away. "Thank you," he called out.

When he was far enough away, he put the scarf in his bag and held onto the hat. He stared at it for a moment. It still looked odd, but he felt like he made the right choice in getting it.

It's not often I buy something for myself.

He put the hat on again and felt that same sense of comfort as he did before. The hat was strange, but so was he. He chuckled at that thought.

However, Zorua was still not a fan of it and took it off his head. N's chuckled turned into happy laughter.

"I guess you really aren't a fan," N said to the fox.

Zorua growled in response, with the had still in his mouth. N grabbed the hat and put it in his bag, deciding to wear it some other time.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it," N said. He then turned to the sky, letting his thoughts consume him for a moment. "Though it does feel weird to have something on head."

Zorua yipped in response and climbed up N's shoulder and rested itself atop his partner's head. N smiled and tried to pet the fox, but he pushed his hand away. N chuckled and settled for just grabbing his paw instead.

"C'mon, buddy. We still gotta find that gift."

Zorua yipped in response, but did note move from N's head. N laughed softly.

"Fine, you can stay up there for a bit longer."

N continued to walk around the market. Vendors called out to him to check their wares, while others seemed too busy trying to get a crowd. N had to admire their tenacity to get customers. In such a busy market, it had to be difficult to get customers.

N stopped walking when he saw that one stall seemed to be devoid of people. Some just quickly looked at it before shuffling off somewhere else, others outright avoided it. N walked up to the stall and found an assortment of different colored stones. He looked behind the stall to see a young man asleep in his chair. N could only guess how his items had not been stolen due to him not paying attention.

N thought about leaving, but something about the stones had caught his attention. He remembered seeing them in a book not too long ago. He leaned in to get a better look and one of the stones was the shape of a leaf. Next to it was a yellow stone with a flame seemingly stuck inside it.

"I know what these are! They're the stones that make creatures transform," N mused aloud.

"Huh?"

N looked up to see that the young man had awoken. He guessed that his exclamation had woken him up.

"Sorry. It wasn't my intention to wake you," N said as he straitened himself.

The young man yawned and scratched the back of his head. "Well, you did. Though, I guess I'm supposed to be selling these things."

"Are all of these stones to make a creature transform?" N asked.

The young man gave a sleepy nod in response. "Yup. Or so my old man tells me. He's usually the one selling 'em."

"I see," N said.

"Looking for one in particular? I know a thing or two about them," the young man asked.

N responded with a shrug and returned his gaze to the stones. The young man really did have what looked like to be all of the ones he had seen in the book. There was one that was a deep blue, another shaped like a star, one that was light green, another with a light-blue color, one with a lightning bolt encased in it, one that was cold to the touch, and one that was a dark purple. N was amazed that here were so many. He wanted to buy one of each and use them for his lessons as well. He was planning on going over the creature's transformations and these stones were the key to some of them.

"You look pretty into them. Only my old man and some other guy look like you do," the young man said.

"Sorry, it's just that I teach about the creatures at the monastery. These stones would be perfect for one of my lessons, so I might stop by here again another day," N explained.

"Is that so. Well, not that many people buy stuff from here, so I doubt we'll ever be sold out," the young man replied. "Look forward to your business then."

N nodded in response. "I'll be sure to remember."

As N turned to leave, he caught sight of a stone that he had missed. Compared to the others, this one seemed to be a lot rarer as the stall only had a few. It had a strange, faint glow to it and its shape was rather jagged compared to the other stones. It also had lines of different colors circling around it, but its most prominent color was a pale black.

The young man seemed to understand N's curiosity and cleared his through to gain his attention. N blinked rapidly and his focus came away from the stone and towards the young man.

"Most people tend to look at that one because it's so different."

"Do you know what kind of stone it is?" N asked.

The young man pointed to the sky. N was unsure what to make of that and just rose an eyebrow.

"My old man says it's a piece of the moon. He found a few of those in cave where Clefairy are frequently found," the young man answered.

"From the moon? Clefairy? Those are supposed to be super rarer," N said with a hint of surprise.

The young man nodded. "Even rarer than your Zorua."

"I've never seen a Clefairy, so I'm inclined to believe you," N said.

N's eyes then widened in realization. If this was a stone that really came from the moon, then it would be a good gift. At least in his mind it was.

"I'll buy one," N said.

The young man shrugged. "Grab the one you want then. Regardless of size, it'll be 300. Though, I'll lower it a bit to 250. Just this once."

N nodded and sifted through the stones. He wanted to find one that was relatively small. If it was too big, then what he had in mind would not work. Despite the stones looking chipped, there were few pebbles at the bottom of the basket. He was about to give up and grab one that was small in size, but not small enough, when he saw what he was looking for. He grabbed it studied it close. It was still a bit big, but it would work for the idea he had.

When he showed it to the young man, he rose an eyebrow. "You want one that small?"

N nodded in response.

The young man shrugged. "In the end, you're the one buying it."

N gave the young man what he was owed and put the stone in his bag as well.

"See you again soon," the young man said as he sat down.

N was about to respond, when he saw that the young man had gone to sleep again. N was surprised he could even fall asleep that fast. N shrugged and turned away from the stall. He could only guess how they managed to stay in business, but maybe the young man's father was a better salesman than he was.

Zorua yipped as he moved from N's head back to his shoulder. N had forgotten that fox was there and almost tripped as the weight of the fox shifted.

"Be a bit more careful, buddy."

Zorua yipped in response.

"Yeah, we're going back. There's somethings I need to get done before the day is over."

Zorua yipped again, but added in a growl. N turned to the fox to see it looking at his bag. He sighed, no doubt the fox was growling at the hat.

"You really don't like that hat, do you?"

—-

The walk back up to the monastery took a bit longer than N had anticipated. The trek down was easy, but going back up felt like an eternity. It could have been its own form of training. When he got back to his room, he collapsed onto the bed, rejoicing in its softness. The commotion he made entering surprised Byleth, who would not get startled often. She turned to her friend and rose an eyebrow.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

All N could muster was a thumbs up as a response.

"You never look this tired. Even after a day of teaching," Byleth said.

"Well," N's voice came out muffled as his face was still covered by the sheet, "I trekked up and down the mountain today. It's quite the workout."

Byleth rose an eyebrow again. She had ventured up and down the mountain a few times, but never returned that winded. The walk was tiring, but nothing anyone could not handle.

"It's not that tiring."

"Some of us aren't inhuman like you tend to be," N argued.

Byleth pondered his statement for a moment. There was times people would call her that, and she never took offense to it. She knew N was not the most athletic of people, but despite his skinny frame, he was still relatively strong. Byleth simply shrugged at the statement.

"Maybe."

"The fact that comment doesn't phase you impresses me," N said, sitting up.

"I'm assuming you went to the market in town," Byleth said.

N nodded and unslung his bag from his shoulder. "Went looking for something and found some pretty cool stuff."

Byleth watched as N took out the things had had bought. Most of what he bought did not surprise her. He pulled out an assortment of berries and herbs that he used for treating creatures, as well as other trinkets that he used for a similar purpose. What did surprise her was the blue cloth and the odd looking rock.

"What're those two things?"

"Oh, there?" N asked holding up the rock and the cloth. "The cloth, I'm not too sure. The vendor called it a scarf. It's for the creatures and it gives them some kind of enhancement for battles. As for the rock, it's a transformation stone that comes supposedly comes from the moon."

Byleth could buy that the cloth was a scarf for the creatures, but the rock was another matter. Something from the moon seemed way too outlandish. Though, she did have a voice in her head and N could hear the voices of the creatures, so she could not entirely rule it out.

"From the moon?" she asked skeptically.

N nodded. "Honestly, I have trouble believing it myself. But there's so much we don't know about the creatures that it almost makes sense."

Byleth could see the smile beginning to form on N's face. Whenever N began to ramble about the creatures, he always look happy. She had always known he felt more comfortable around creatures than people, with a few exceptions. Seeing talk about what he cared deeply about was what she liked most about him.

"You look invested," Byleth said.

"I'm just curious now," N replied, "I want to learn everything I can about the creatures. It's part of my dream after all."

N smiled and cocked his head to the side. While Byelth's eyes widened in a bit of surprise. It had been many years since N had spoken about his dream to her. He had mentioned it once when they were little, but had not brought it up since. It was also one of the first conversations they had. It helped the two of them break out of their shell and begin to talk to one another. For N it was to trust in mercenary band after whatever it was he escaped from. For her it was more about being able to talk. She was a quiet child, but N helped her find her voice. Something she is eternally grateful for.

"Hey, Byleth," N called out as he waved a hand in front of her face.

Byleth blinked rapidly as she focused her attention on her friend.

"You looked lost in thought there. You expression was more blank than normal. Didn't know that was possible," N said with a chuckle.

Byleth rolled her eyes at his jab. "It's been some time since you last talked about your dream."

N sighed and threw back his head. He had not realized that it had been that long. "I guess that's true. I'm always thinking about it, so it feels like it was just yesterday that I told you and not twelve years ago."

Twelve years ago. It had been that long since the two first met.

"Twelve years, huh? You're right, it does feel like yesterday," Byleth said.

N nodded and looked towards his bag. All that was left in it was the hat he had gotten. It was the only item he had yet to show Byleth. He glanced over to Zorua, who had fallen asleep on the bed. He chuckled and grabbed the hat.

"I got one more thing actually," N said. "Though, Zorua doesn't like it."

Byleth watched as N took out a strange looking hat. She had never seen a design like it before. It was simple though, which is what likely made N buy it. She watched as he put it on and when he did she expected to dislike it. However, it felt strangely normal. He then took it off and set his gaze on it.

"I can see why Zorua might dislike it. You've never worn something on your head so seeing you with it must've been strange," Byleth said.

"That's what I thought too. I can't see myself wearing it often, though," N replied.

"Then why buy it?" Byleth asked raising an eyebrow.

N shrugged, his eyes still on the hat. "Not sure. I liked it, plus it was free."

"That's surprising."

N nodded in agreement. "I thought so too."

He then put the hat back in his bag and set it aside. He still had to put away the berries and herbs, along with the cloth. He decided to keep the cloth in the room, and put the berries in the storage area of the battlefield. It was where he kept most of the materials he needed for lessons, so it made sense in his brain.

"I'm heading to the battlefield. Want to make sure everything is in order for my next lessons. Plus, leaving the berries and herbs there," N said.

Byleth nodded. "You'll be back late then?"

"Yeah. You don't have to wait for me," N replied.

Byleth nodded again and returned to looking over the papers she had. She had not realized that her conversation with N had gone on for so long. She was also surprised by that as well. Their conversations were never very long. Maybe she was getting better at talking to people.

"See you later tonight," N said as he opened the door.

Byleth sent him a small smile, which he returned with his own. He then exited the room, leaving only her, Eevee, and Zorua. She turned back to what she had on the desk, but her mind was elsewhere. Her mind kept replaying what N had said about his dream. She remembered that she had decided on making his dream hers as well.

"Dreams, huh?" she mused aloud.

She half expected the voice in her head to respond, but was surprised that Sothis had said nothing.

—-

"That should be everything," N said as he set up the last target.

He wiped the sweat from his brow. Setting up the battlefield was always a tiring task, but he had done it so often that it no longer felt as tiring as it used to. He groaned at that thought, wishing the climb back up the monastery was similar.

He pushed that thought aside as he walked over to the storage room. He made sure everything was in the right place before closing it. His lessons would be returning to the battlefield soon, so he wanted everything to be ready. When he was satisfied, he let out a breath and walked out of the battlefield.

When he exited, he looked towards the sky. Night had long since fallen, but it looked to be a bit earlier than he anticipated. The moon was not that high in the sky, so it was not midnight yet. However, the moon was full, which meant it was brighter than usual. The light accentuated the own emitted from the lanterns.

He took out the stone from his pocket and it seemed to glow in a similar light. It made him only think more that it did come from the moon. He then took out a thick piece of string and carefully tied it around the rock. Despite how amateurish it looked, he thought it was fine. At least, he hoped it was fine.

N walked towards the pond that was in front of the dining hall. It was the place where one could look at the moon the best and it was one of the few places that he felt like he could think. Nothing could affect him as he simply stared at the moon. However, his mind would always drift to a place he did want to go; the past.

I wonder if Anthea and Concordia are seeing the same moon.

One of his few regrets in leaving is that Anthea and Concordia did not go with him. Despite how distant they had grown, he still cared about them and them him. They had helped him escape and he had no doubt that the punishment was severe. He could only imagine what their father did. He imagined Hydreigon being what he used. The thought of the dragon caused for a chill to go down his spine.

Once again that feeling returned. The feeling he was close by. That N would turn the corner and he would be there, hidden by the shadows. It took several deep breaths for him to get his nerves under control. He ran a hand along his face, wiping away the sweat that was beginning to form.

"It's only getting worse," N mused aloud.

He wished Zorua was with him, as he relied on the fox's presence to keep himself grounded. He was truly happy to call the fox his partner.

When he felt a familiar weight place itself on his shoulder, he thought that Zorua had left and room and found him. However, to his surprise when he turned, he saw Rufflet perched on it.

"It seems Rufflet likes you," a voice said.

N looked up to see Edelgard, hand on her hip and head cocked to the side. A small smile adorned on her face. N chuckled and turned back to Rufflet. He pet the feather's beneath his beak, which led to satisfied coos.

"It seems he does," N replied.

"'He'?" Edelgard asked.

N nodded in response. "Most creatures have a gender. In this case Rufflet is male."

"How can you tell?" she asked, stepping a bit closer to N.

"Some creatures have a distinct visual appearance between genders. In this case, Rufflet told me," N answered, with a knowing smirk on his face.

Edelgard rolled her eyes, but could not stifle her laugh. "You know I still don't entirely believe you can do that."

N shrugged. "I'm used to people saying that."

His words were followed by a period of silence between the two. It had been some time since the two had spoken alone together. Usually when they spoke there were people around. One of them was always Hubert and N could swear that his glare cloud kill. N turned to Edelgard, who looked up to the moon with a somewhat curious gaze.

"Curious about the moon as well?" N asked.

"I wouldn't say that. It's more that it makes the world seem peaceful when I look at it," Edelgard answered.

"I get what you mean. It's easier for me to think when it's just me and the moon. Like I can tell it anything and it'll keep it a secret. Now that I say that out loud, it sounds like I'm crazy," N said as he put a hand behind his head.

"I don't think so. Not everyone can say things to other people. Sometimes venting to something that can't say something in response helps," Edelgard replied.

"Is that why you were out here alone last time?"

Edelgard turned to the teenaged professor and found him still looking towards the sky. She had not thought about that. She had told herself that night that it was just to get fresh air and forget the nightmare she had. Maybe if N had not appeared, she would have just spoken to the moon.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make this a morbid night."

"It's fine. I think you may have been right," Edelgard replied.

"What about tonight? It's still relatively early," N asked.

"Tonight?" She mused aloud as she turned to look at the moon again. "A feeling, I guess."

N did not say anything in response and kept his gaze towards the sky.

Edelgard wondered what that feeling was. She had trouble falling asleep and thought going outside would help calm her down. Part of her wondered if she would run into N again, but knew that the first time was just a coincidence. This time, she found him. She could see the distressed look in his face. It likely meant he was remembering something from his past. He had told her that remembering the past was always difficult and would lead to him beginning to panic. Part of her hoped that him seeing her would help calm him down.

"I learned something interesting about the moon today," N said, breaking the silence.

Edelgard turned to him and saw that he was holding something in his hand. It was closed, so she could not see what ti was, but it emitted a faint glow that escaped between his fingers. He then opened his hand, revealing a small rock. It glowed with a similar color as the moon and had different colored stripes circling it.

"This stone is from the moon."

Edelgard rose an eyebrow. First it was N being able to speak to the creatures, now moon rocks. The professor for the creatures was becoming stranger everyday.

"You don't believe me, right?" N asked.

"Can't say I do," Edelgard replied.

N chuckled. "I didn't at first as well. I was told it was found in cave where Clefair gather. I'm inclined to believe that because of how rare Clefairy is. I've never seen one, have you?"

Edelgard shook her head. "Can't say that I have. What's so important about the stone?"

"It's a transformation stone."

"Transformation stone?"

"Some creatures change into a stronger form under certain conditions. One of those is through stones. This is one of them," N explained. "I won't explain everything now. I'm saving the more important stuff for a lesson."

"Wow, wasn't expecting you to be thinking that ahead," Edelgard said.

N chuckled nervously. "Honestly, came up with the idea today."

Edelgard blinked in surprise. N always seemed very organized in the way he planned out lessons. Always thinking about how the previous lesson can build towards the next one. The fact that he can come up with new lessons on the fly surprised her.

"It's also to satisfy my own curiosity," N said.

Edelgard brought he attention back to the green haired teen. She saw him shift his gaze from the stone to the ground.

"This world is full of creatures that we don't know about. I want to learn as much as I can about them. Learning the ways that they transform is a step towards that goal," N added.

"Is that your dream? The goal you strive for?" Edelgard asked.

N turned to her and smiled. It was not his usual smile, the one he wore in front of most people. It was more genuine than even those. His smile was wide, almost going from ear to ear. She wondered if anyone had seen this smile from him. She wanted to assume no, but could not convince herself of it. The smile made her heart skip a beat. She could feel the warmth rushing from her ears to her face. She had to turn away before N saw her turn red.

"What about you, what's your dream?" N asked.

She turned back towards him. His smile was not the usual one he wore, the one she was used to it. However, the one he had shown her before kept replaying in her mind. She did not want to forget it.

In regard to his question she did have answer. Though, it was not going to be a dream for long, as she was making an effort on making it real.

"I just want this world to peaceful."

N nodded in response. "I can get behind that." He turned back to the moon and smiled. "The moon sure is beautiful tonight."

Edelgard followed his gaze and nodded.

The spent a while longer in silence. Simply enjoying each others company. Rufflet had since returned to his partner's shoulder, which had left N a bit bummed. Knowing Zorua, the fox would get jealous at the sent of another creature on his shoulder.

When the moon was close to reaching its apex, the two had decided to part ways. However, N still had one last thing to say. Though, building the courage to do it.

"Wait. I want you to take this," N said holding out the stone.

"The stone?" Edelgard asked.

N nodded.

Edelagrd was hesitant for a moment. She was not expecting for him to suddenly decide to give it to her. However, it felt rude to turn it down, so she grabbed it out of his hand. She looked between the stone and him, and saw how nervous he seemed to be getting. She rose an eyebrow, curious as to why he was so nervous.

"Thanks." She added a bow of her head to emphasize her gratitude.

She looked at the stone and noticed a cord attached to it, making it a type of necklace. She rose an eyebrow again, wondering why N was giving her the stone.

"Happy Birthday," N said.

Edelgard's eyes widened as she slowly looked up to face him. When she did, she saw a tender smile on his face. His previous nervousness was gone.

"I know your birthday was a few weeks ago, but I was so busy with lesson planning that I missed it. I wanted to make it up to and wanted to get something special. I thought that something relating to when he first spoke would be a good idea," N explained.

Edelgard did not know what to say. Her birthday, like most, passed without much event. Those in her class would simply congratulate her and that was it. Even back home her birthday was not a big event. The fact that N got her a present was something that she was not anticipating.

She closed her hand around the stone and brought it close to her chest. She knew N was waiting for a response, but she could barely say anything. All she could mumble was a 'thank you.' She quickly turned and ran away. So many emotions were coming at her at once that she could barely handle it.

As for N, he was not sure how to react. He reached out as she ran away and called out to her, but she did not stop. Part of him thought he did something wrong. Had it been wrong to get her a gift? Or was it something else. He had no idea.

At the same time, he felt a knot in his chest. It was feeling that he had not really felt before. It did not bring pain, but it made him feel something. He looked towards where Edelgard had run off to one more time. He hoped what he had done was not wrong.

—-

When Edelgard reached her room she quickly closed the door. She rested against it for moment to catch her breath. So many things had happened so quickly that she barely had time to think. She still had the stone clutched against her chest. The weight of it growing every second. She slowly slid down the door and sat against.

She removed her hand from his chest and slowly opened her hand. The stone from the moon continued to glow. Seeing it made her only think about N. The smiles he had shown her, the dream he shared with her, everything replayed in a loop. She felt her face heat up again, this time she did not have to hide it. She closed her hand and brought it to her chest again. What was the emotion she was feeling? It couldn't be what she thought it was.

"N, you dumbass. This wasn't how it was supposed to go."

AN: Finally a new chapter! Sorry for making you guys wait so long, I wasn't my intention. This is a chapter I had been planning for a while so finally being able to write it was pretty relieving. With this chapter we get a bit of relationship building. You can also see which direction I'll be taking certain relationships as well. However, will it remain that? You'll find that out later.

Besides that, I don't have much to say about this chapter. The next one is another I've been planning from the get go and it'll make this story a bit more interesting on the Pokemon side of it. Hope you all look forward to it!

With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoied this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review! Also, follow me on Twitter. I post story updates and other stuff there.