Sylvain enters the rather trendy building and walks over to the counter, smiling charmingly at the older woman who manned the reception.
"Hi, I'm Sylvain Gautier, I believe we spoke on the phone?" He greets with an easy smile, which he is known for. "I'm here to finish the on enrollment process."
The older woman, Sitri, according to her name tag, opens a notebook, scrolling for his name.
"Let's see… Ah, here we are, Gautier." She pulls out his file, opening it. "I read you are interested in joining our gym? You must have spoken with my daughter, she's the one who handles our income students. Have you toured our installations yet?"
The man shook his head. "No, ma'am, but don't worry about it. You come highly recommended."
"May I ask who recommended you?" She asks, as she fetches some papers for him to sign off.
"It was a childhood friend of mine." He responds. "Ingrid. Ingrid Galatea."
The woman's face brightens when he mentions the name. "Oh, Inga! How lovely. You are a Faerghus man too, I suppose."
He nods. "Yeah, I'm from Béthune, just off Sreng."
"Goddess! Were you sick of that dreary Gautier weather?" Sitri teases, handing him some forms to sign.
"What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment. Bring on those miserable Garreg Mach winters." Sylvain quips, and Sitri chuckles, enjoying speaking to an incoming student who is actually charming.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll like it. It's a lovely city. My husband moved here from Conand almost thirty-five years ago and never looked back." Her eyes turn wistful, remembering her olden days. "Though, fair warning, summer is mosquito season. Be sure to invest in some nets."
Sylvain hands back the form with his current address and direct deposit information. "I'll be sure to do it, thank you, ma'am."
Sitri looks it over to make sure it is filled out correctly. "You're commuting all the way from Remire?"
"It's a little more affordable down there. Didn't want a roommate." Sylvain explains. "Besides, I like the modern look down there. Whenever I go to the Upper City, I feel a little stuffy."
"But that commute must be awful." She presses.
The redhead shrugs. "It's not that bad. Plus, I met my soulmate on the metro this morning. But I didn't get her name, or number, or speak to her at all actually."
"We call it the subway around here." Sitri corrects.
Sylvain nods, taking that in. "I met my soulmate on the subway, then."
The secretary chuckles. "How do you know it's your soulmate if you didn't speak? Is she pretty?"
"She's stunningly beautiful." The man corrects, lovesick grin appearing on his handsome face. "But that's not how I know she is my soulmate. She was reading The Long Journey and listening to Mittelfrank Rejects' new album. A lot of people have turned on the Rejects, it takes a certain type to look past all the nonsense for the music. Thus, my soulmate."
"You don't come across as shy to me. Why didn't you talk to her?" Sitri wonders.
He shrugged, having plagued himself with the question ever since he emerged from the underground. "What was I going to do? Get up from my seat, cross over to her side of the train, pull out one of her earbuds, and introduce myself? That wouldn't have gone over very well."
"In general, earbuds do mean 'don't talk to me', but looking like you?" The woman smiled encouragingly. "She might not have minded."
Sylvain smiles merrily at that, handing her another stack of signed papers. "Well, if it's meant to be, it will be. She got off a little bit before I did. Maybe she works or lives around here."
"Maybe, or maybe she's not your soulmate and you'll meet someone else. Charming, handsome, an entrepreneur, as I read from your forms, if I wasn't married and much too old for you, I might try to scoop you up myself." Sitri offers, instead.
He laughs, smiling at the secretary fondly. "I like you. I think I'll be stopping by as much as my schedule allows."
Sitri smiles. "You're welcome anytime. Now, let's get your picture taken for your ID so you can start burning those pesky calories."
Minutes later, Sylvain admires his new ID as he makes his way towards the locker room. He sure had an uncanny ability to look good in pictures.
"Are you really that enamored with your own image, Sylvain?" Ingrid, who had agreed to meet him before going out to train, teases lightly.
Sylvain gives her his trademark grin as he finally looks up from his badge.
"When you look like this, you just can't help it." He fires back.
Ingrid rolls her eyes, peeling off her clothes to change. Sylvain does the same at his own locker.
"Oh, I apologize." A new voice says suddenly. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
"How did you make it through all these years without ever seeing a woman on a bra before?" Ingrid teases the new arrival.
Sylvain looks up, and his heart skips a beat. It is his soulmate from the metro!
"I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting..." His soulmate turns, coming face to face with him.
Sylvain has a feeling exclaiming, 'It's you! My soulmate!' might ruin any chance he has with this girl, so he decides to play it cool.
"Go easy on her, Ingrid. It just might be her first day, just like me. This thing with unisex dressing rooms of yours is a little unorthodox, really." Although he is talking to Ingrid, his eyes never leave the beautiful green ones that caught his eye on the train this morning. "You're awful quiet. Hope Ingrid isn't scaring you off already."
"If she's scared by me, a career in teaching probably wasn't the best choice for Byleth." Ingrid fires back.
"I don't scare easy." His soulmate informs him. "And I'm not new. I teach here."
Sylvain smiles, stepping a little closer to her and watching her face flush at his state of undress.
"Good. Neither do I." The redhead extends his hand and adds a friendly wink. "Sylvain Gautier, a.k.a, your new favorite student. Pleasure's all mine."
"Ignore the meathead, Professor. He's a good-for-nothing skirt chaser, but he means no harm." Ingrid retorts, but Sylvain ignores her, attention focused on this girl he is pretty sure he is going to marry one day.
"I am Byleth Eisner." She introduces, shaking his hand firmly. "We're happy to have you here."
Suddenly, Sylvain has another good reason to come over to the gym every day.