Hello again, dear friends. I hope you are all doing well.

I don't have much to say here this time. There will be a healthy dose of dialogue, a fair bit of exposition, a pinch of humor, and another day in the life of our heroes.

With that, please enjoy the second chapter of Case Study: Fodlan.

Ken considered himself a patient man. Of course, no one could be as patient as Valentine, and so he was all the more thankful for her presence. She was standing beside him with a calm, solemn stare that bolstered his endurance toward Bottlecap's tirade of complaints.

"That's so stupid, Mr. Oddman! Mr. Rook already got two consecutive deployments and now he gets to stay for a third after we get a lead on cool stuff!" Bottlecap paced back and forth in front of Ken's desk, flailing her arms in exasperation. "I haven't gotten a deployment since Ylisse! Even Warden got to chill in Faerghus!"

"That was briefly, darling, and only to retrieve a drone that was downed by a storm." Valentine smiled kindly.

Bottlecap flopped dramatically onto the floor. "He still got to go! I'm so bored Miss Valentine! All I do is drone this, drone that, scan here, scan there…"

Ken gave an exasperated look to Valentine who merely shook her head. Before either could say something, Bottlecap was back on her feet. "What about the split between the Eisners and Garreg Mach, huh? Rook can't be in two places at once!"

"The reason Rook is down there and not you is because he's the only one that has extensive experience with Fodlan's culture." Ken said, "Besides, even if we were going to deploy another it would be Warden, because he actually looks at the data Rook sends back."

Bottlecap pouted and folded her arms. "That's only 'cause he's got nothing better to do!"

"Because managing drones is 'nothing better'?"

"I didn't say it wasn't better, I said it was boring."

"Mr. Oddman, if I may?" Valentine interjected.

"Speak freely, Val."

"Thank you, sir." Valentine smiled sweetly to the two of them. "I would like to suggest a compromise. Our worries for you are valid Bottlecap, but we also understand that you're a bit antsy from being cooped up for so long."

"Antsy doesn't even begin to describe-"

"Therefore," Valentine continued, "If you study up on all the data Mr. Rook has sent back, then when the Eisners change their heading away from Garreg Mach we'll deploy you with Mr. Rook."

Bottlecap's face instantly brightened up. "Yes! Awesome! I'm gonna know those documents inside out and upside down!"

"I'll be quizzing you before you go!" Valentine called out as the young girl sprinted from the office. Once her retreating form disappeared and the door slid shut, Valentine turned to Ken. "Does that rest well with you, sir?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Ken sighed as he fiddled with a pen on his desk. "We really need more agents."

"You don't believe in Bottlecap?"

"I believe in her just fine. You made the right move, she would have definitely gone crazy if she had to spend another week managing the drones. It's just… I dunno, I don't like the fact that two of our three agents will be in the field. Even if we had just one more, I'd feel a lot more comfortable."

Valentine nodded solemnly as Ken continued. "With Ylisse, the drones were able to do a lot of leg work until the real stuff started happening, y'know? Fodlan is just so unstable… we've had Rook running ragged because the drones give us spotty data at best."

"It is what it is, sir. When you study anomalies, you get anomalous things."

"I suppose you're right." Ken leaned over his desk and pulled out a tablet. "It just reminds me that I really need to do something about our agent shortage and drone updates one of these days. Anyway, I assume you don't mind taking over Bottlecap's drone management if she's deployed?"

"Not at all, sir."

"Cool, cool." Ken tapped sporadically on the tablet. "I'm gonna give Warden a call about the new situation."

Valentine waved briefly as she made way to exit the office. "Don't forget to inform Rook too."

"Naturally. Keep busy, Val."

Three days had passed since Jeralt's mercenaries had set out for Remire. Jeralt leaned over the small, round table of his tent. He was studying a map of central Adrestria and noted that they were moving at a quick pace. Judging by some notable landmarks they had passed, Jeralt reckoned they had shaved off a day or two from his estimate of a week. Satisfied with their progress, he rolled up the map and tossed it in a bag filled with similarly inked and yellowed papers.

It had been a while since he last came to Remire. They had visited the location on their way south and so he thought it was only appropriate they made the same rest stop when heading back up north to Faerghus. The quaint village always held a special place in his heart, but Jeralt was particularly fond of Byleth's experience there. The lifestyle of a mercenary and her difficulty expressing emotion resulted in her having very few acquaintances, if any at all. Remire was a small exception to that; Jeralt and his daughter had visited enough times that the townsfolk were familiar with their ways. Even with her stone face and daunting moniker, there were many who waved and gave simple greetings as she passed. Jeralt did not know if it meant anything to Byleth, but it was certainly significant to him.

"Father?"

Speak of the devil, Jeralt thought. He looked up and saw Byleth peering through the crack of the tent's flaps.

"What's up, kid?"

"Camp is almost finished being broken and we'll be ready to continue soon."

"Sounds good, I'll be ready in a second. I was just checkin' the maps." Jeralt said. He took apart the small table and started packing it away as he thought about the day's journey.

Both Jeralt and Byleth were comfortable with silence. For most of their travelling, the two would ride by each other without speaking a word, simply taking in the surroundings. That was until a certain giant, armored man had joined three days ago. Jeralt did miss the silence, but he was not displeased by that uncanny man's company. Even if by questions alone, Rook had an innate ability to keep the conversation moving. Hours would pass and day would turn to dusk yet he would still have something to say. Jeralt could speak in only one word responses and Rook would continue asking him questions and telling him about all the things he had learned about Fodlan. Rook might as well have the ability to dialogue with a rock.

Actually…

"Hey, kid! C'mere for a sec!" Jeralt called out. Sure enough, Byleth had not strayed far. A less stern man would have found it amusing how his stone-faced daughter poked her head into the tent. Jeralt merely cracked a grin.

"Yes, father?"

"Help me break up this tent."

"Of course."

The two moved around the canvas and tent poles with practiced efficiency. Jeralt would unlock a pole and Byleth would be there to catch the cloth. She would wrap it tightly as Jeralt would pull out a stake and the process would repeat. Knowing it would not take very long for the tent to soon disappear into its bag, Jeralt initiated the conversation again.

"I'm going to be mingling with the company for most of this day's trip."

Byleth nodded as her hands weaved a tangle of cloth into a neat bundle. "Sounds good. That's not too unusual."

"Yup." Jeralt said simply. Byleth tossed the bundle to him and he tucked it away. "Would you mind riding with Rook? I know he probably wouldn't think so, but I don't want to give the impression that I'm avoiding him."

"Is that a bad thing?"

Jeralt scratched his chin. She always had weird questions. "Err… it's not that it's a bad thing… he just has a lot of questions and he clearly hasn't gotten them out in a while."

Byleth blinked. "You want me to answer him?"

"Yup. Don't worry, he doesn't pry. If he starts going off about his studies, then you can even zone out for a bit." Jeralt grinned. Byleth's face was as blank as ever. Nonetheless, she nodded and tossed him another bundle.

"I can do that."

"Thanks, kid."

Jeralt tucked the bundles away into a spacious leather bag and hooked it onto his horse. With a silent affirmation, the two made their way to the rest of the company, ready to begin another day's journey.

"No offense Mr. Oddman, but that's a terrible idea."

"What do you mean? It's simple and quick!"

It was moments like these that reasserted the fact Ken would make a terrible field agent. Rook dog-eared the page of the book he was reading and let his attention rest on the smooth voice of Ken coming from his helmet's commlink. "Mr. Oddman, I agree wholeheartedly that it is simple and quick, but I cannot just ride up to Jeralt and ask 'Can I spend time with your daughter?'"

"Why not? That's what we need, isn't it? We need some scans and your armor doesn't have that big of a range. Spending time gets you close!"

"That insinuates weird things, sir!"

"What? Spending time with the Eisner girl insinuates weird things?"

"No, like-" Rook sighed. This would get him nowhere. "Listen, I don't have to formally request to be in her presence. I'll just tell Jeralt that I would like to ask around and get a variety of answers to my questions. That'll give me more than enough time to get down a rudimentary scan or two."

"Whatever you say, just get those scans, yeah?"

There was a short buzz and the commlink fell silent. Rook rolled his eyes and turned off his helmet's soundproofing before sweeping his gaze over the crowd. Just as Jeralt had told Rook earlier, he was mingling with the various mercenaries of his company. It appeared they were all familiar with him, greeting him on a degree from warm to respectful.

But where is that Eisner girl? Rook thought. He failed to see the head of dull blue hair belonging to Jeralt's daughter as he looked around.

"You are Rook?"

A less seasoned agent would have jumped out of their skin with how silently Byleth sneaked up on him. Rook was anything but, and so he calmly turned his head to see the young woman a few steps behind him.

"Yes, and you are Byleth, correct?."

Byleth nodded and looked him up and down. Her eyes seemed to hang on every corner of his coat and armor, drifting slowly from the tip of his helmet to the bottom of his boots.

Rook cleared his throat and her eyes snapped back to the glossy black lines where his eyes would lie. "So, Miss Eisner, what can I do for you?"

Byleth blinked, her eyes not leaving his helmet. "My father said you had questions. He wants me to answer them."

"How considerate." Rook said airily, "I'd be delighted to have your company, but please don't feel like you are forced to answer my questions. You are no teacher and I am no student."

"I don't mind."

Rook nodded as Ken's voice snaked out of the commlink. "Well isn't this convenient. Start the scan, doofus."

Oh, duh, that's the whole reason for this, Rook thought to himself. With a twitch, a display sprung up in his helmet. Rook began asking questions to Byleth. They were the same ones that he had asked Jeralt, but he was not interested in getting a second opinion. As Byleth was taking time to explain an answer, Rook fine tuned the scan toward her. Sure enough, it went haywire and rolled out undefined errors. That was an excellent sign of dimensional instability and so he switched to a more robust setting. He could only perform one more scan before noticing Byleth had fallen silent, waiting for his next inquiry.

"So, I was wondering-"

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Byleth interrupted.

Rook paused. He was not expecting that. He turned to see Byleth staring up at him. Her face was emotionless, as usual, but Rook could see the slightest sparkle of curiosity in her eyes.

"Of course." Rook said. He twitched in his helmet and the scanning device shut down with a soft beep. Byleth blinked twice before looking him up and down once again.

"How are you so tall?"

That was not the type of question he was expecting. It was the type of question that Bottlecap bombarded him with when they first met. He remembered Valentine called it "charming", but he always thought of it as childish.

It was an honest question, though. He was head, shoulders, and waist above everybody he was walking beside.

"I can't say for certain." Rook rubbed a finger along the bottom of his helmet thoughtfully, "I've been this big for as long as I can remember."

"Even when you were a child?"

"Ah, well, I wasn't this big when I was younger, but I was definitely a lot bigger than the other kids."

Byleth nodded and tilted her head at him. "Magic?"

"Pardon?"

"Do you think it has to do with magic?"

"I… uh, no, I don't think so."

"Okay. Where's your helmet from?"

In an unexpected turn of events, Rook found himself as the recipient of an endless stream of questions. Byleth was as relentless with him as he was with Jeralt, moving from one topic to another as quickly as Rook could respond. They were all related to something about his combat ability, job, or appearance. Just like Jeralt, she did not believe he was simply a historian.

"You don't see a weapon on me, do you?" Rook gestured to his waist and back. "Why would a fighter be without their weapon?"

Byleth's eyes narrowed, but only just so. "Maybe you don't need a weapon. You're probably a brawler of some kind."

"I said it before Byleth, I'm a historian."

"Historians don't wear armor."

Rook shook his head. This was not the first time such a thing was said to him during his stay in Fodlan and he knew it was going to be far from the last. "Well, this one does. I'll have you know that this armor serves a greater purpose than just protection."

"Like what? Armor is to protect the body, isn't it?"

A fair distance behind the two rode Jeralt, a satisfied expression resting on his features as he eavesdropped on their conversation. He had finished talking to all the people he wanted to a while ago. Having spotted Byleth and Rook on the left side of the company, Jeralt tuned in with an apt ear, curious about how his daughter and the uncanny man were getting along. It seemed Rook was either smooth-tongued or off-beat enough to keep Byleth's attention.

I guess she just needed someone other than a mercenary to talk to. Jeralt thought. He rode up to the duo and their heads spun around at the soft clopping of his horse. "How are you two holding up?"

"Apparently an academic isn't allowed to wear proper protection these days." Rook huffed. Jeralt chuckled lightly and he swore he could see the faintest tug at the edge of Byleth's lips too.

"You're in the company of mercs, Rook. In our line of work if you're geared to fight, you fight."

"Fair enough. How does it go with said company?"

"They're doing well, a walk is light work for the lads I bring on." Jeralt said, before redirecting his attention to his daughter. "Hey kid, hop on behind me. We're going to scout out a place to camp for tonight."

Byleth nodded and swung herself up onto the horse. Jeralt tilted his head to Rook. "Sorry for stealing your partner."

"No apologies needed if you find a place with some nice shade."

Jeralt smirked. With a light tap, his horse obediently sped him and Byleth into the distance. Rook did not have a moment of silence as his commlink sparked to life once again.

"You look cute with the Eisner girl, big guy. Got the scans? Or were you too distracted with all that small talk?"

"Professionals have standards, Mr. Oddman." With a blink of the eye, he sent off the scans of Byleth.

Ken hummed with satisfaction. "Perfect! I'll pass these to Val when she's done with the drones. Good work as usual."

"There was something else I wanted to tell you." Ken continued, "For the life of me I can't remember…"

"That's what you have Miss Valentine for, sir."

"Oh, shut up... ah! That was it! Bottlecap is gonna get deployed with you soon."

"... please tell me you're kidding."

Ken chuckled. "Jeez, Rook, I've never heard someone so upset about splitting work."

"Don't beat around the bush, Mr. Oddman. You know that she has the least experience in Fodlan. She's going to be a liability." Rook said flatly.

"She's a full-fledged agent, Rook. Besides, it was Val's idea, so go argue it with her."

"What about Mr. Warden?"

"Oh yes, that's brilliant." Ken said sarcastically, "Let's send the tin can with a wheel into a densely populated monastery. He'll blend right in."

"Give him a guise alternator like in Ylisse."

"I would if I knew the guise alternator worked here." Ken said, "But until we figure out more about the nature of this dimensional anomaly, I'm not sending any equipment up close. That stuff is expensive, y'know."

Rook rolled his eyes. "But sending live agents to the instability is a moot point?"

"Precisely!" Rook could hear the sly grin in Ken's words. "You're a tough guy, Rook, you'll be fine."

"Yeah, yeah." Rook said dismissively, "Just give me a heads up when she's on her way."

"Of course. Oddman out."

"Hm, I guess my apology to Rook still stands." Jeralt said. He and Byleth found a good clearing among softly undulating hills, but there was no forest cover in sight. "I would prefer some trees too, but I don't want to make the gang walk too much further into the night. This'll have to do."

Jeralt spun around the horse and they set back towards the company. He kept the pace slower to give him time to talk to his daughter. "What do you think of Rook, kid?"

There was a notable pause from Byleth. Jeralt couldn't tell whether she was pondering or did not wish to speak. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her staring blankly into the distance, her brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"... he's weird."

"What makes you say that?"

"Everyone we've met makes sense, father. If they have a sword and armor, they're a swordsman. If they have robes and wands, they're a mage." She paused again. "I don't know what he is."

"He's a historian, isn't he?"

"It just… doesn't match up."

Jeralt turned and ruffled Byleth's hair. "You got a sharp noggin', kid. I will tell you though, people like Rook are more common than the folk we're used to hanging around."

Byleth blinked, paying rapt attention to his words.

"Mercs are simple. Money, kill, rinse and repeat. But most people aren't that simple. They do unexpected things, have unusual motivations, and can't be trusted to act predictably."

"So you think Rook is dangerous?"

It was the same question she asked on the first day they had met the giant man. Jeralt shook his head. "I don't think so. He seems like an oddity, but I think he is truthful."

Jeralt was not being completely honest. He still had his doubts about Rook, but deep down he hoped the man was truly trustworthy. Byleth's conversation with him was the most he had seen her talk to somebody other than himself. Jeralt was well aware of the poor development of Byleth's social skills and hoped that this man might be a turning point.

"If you trust him, I will too." Byleth said firmly.

Jeralt looked over his shoulder and gave her an uncharacteristically earnest smile. It took her off guard as her eyes ever so slightly widened. "Love ya, kid."

A pause.

"I love you too, father."

That's all for today, ladies and gentlemen. Just as our intrepid adventurers did a few lines above, make sure to express your love to those you care about. Whether in a game, story, or real life, the world could always use more love.

In terms of a posting schedule, expect a new chapter every week. I may be able to release more if my fingers really start flying, but I will prioritize quality over quantity to ensure you are reading the best I can put out.

Reviews are welcomed and encouraged. Tell me what you like and don't like; I will take it into account.

And of course, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

Go in peace,

Louproxy