5/5

"There was probably a better way to break the news to her, merc."

"I did the best I could. Unless by better, you mean concealing the truth from her."

"Unless you plan on leaving for your mission tonight, it probably would have been better to tell her later, so she wouldn't have to dread what's to come."

"That would be betraying her trust. What's being demanded of her is already horrible; it would be even worse if we lied to her about it."

Petra wasted no time immediately lodging a complaint to Rhea herself. She knew rebellions had to be put down, and she had made peace with the potential of Brigid rebellions long ago. But to be pitted against her own people on the behalf of the Empire and the Church? It was a betrayal of everything she knew. She wouldn't be the one to cut down her own people in another country's name. She wouldn't be the tool the Empire used to make slaughtering her countrymen easier. She wouldn't rest until Rhea realized just what she was asking of the Brigid princess.

The complaint had to be reviewed by all three professors and some other faculty, as it was coming from a student. But although they had no objections about Petra's complaint and sent it through unanimously, an argument between Orpheus and Forneus quickly broke out the moment the meeting ended.

"She's a 15-year-old girl! She shouldn't have to deal with this at all! A proper response would be to address the rest of us regarding the problem first, so we could vote on it, discuss our options with Lady Rhea, and work from there! Not just dumping all this on someone who's not even old enough to drink to numb the pain! What good are you outside of your blade if you cannot discern even that?!"

"...I did my job as best I could, Keyair." Forneus' exasperated stoicism broke as he snarled a retort and glared at the count. Rather than backing away, though, the professor gave a smug, barely suppressed scoff, seemingly proud at being able to punch a hole in the mercenary's usual unfeeling facade, aggravating him further. "If you care so much, then go comfort her instead of wasting your precious time on a measly soldier of fortune who contributes nothing of value besides his sword, your mighty excellency."

Orpheus smirked and turned his back, leaving the room. But as he left, he addressed the ticked mercenary one final time with mockingly friendly smile on his face.

"I don't hate you because you're a commoner mercenary. I hate you because you're you."

And with that, the door was slammed shut, met shortly after by a thrown chalk eraser.


5/10

"...Now, with the wound disinfected, it's time to suture it shut. ...And there we go. With proper rest, I'd estimate the stitches could be removed in 6 days."

The poor unconscious merchant lying on Manuela's table had been in quite a bad fight, resulting in all manner of injuries. But whilst many opted to leave him be, Forneus and Manuela decided it was an opportunity to teach.

Bernadetta wasn't able to handle it very well. Although some discomfort was to be expected, Hubert and Edelgard had to lock her arms around them so she wouldn't run off. Ariadne and Linhardt weren't very enthusiastic either, with the former making uncomfortable guttural noises and the later passing out when he noticed the large bleeding gash on the merchant's leg.

But aside from Bernie and Lin, the lesson appeared to sink in. (Not that many of the students were very interested in further elaboration.) The merchant's condition was stabilized, and the students learned valuable first-aid. Manuela dismissed the impromptu "seminar," but Forneus prompted Edelgard and Petra to stay behind.

Petra was holding up decently well, at least on the outside. But she had received no word back from Rhea or Seteth regarding her complaint. With everything else going on outside of the walls of Garreg Mach, she knew her mission remained the same, and she had lost a considerable amount of sleep. And whenever she was around Caspar, for some reason, her mood soured even further.

"First of all, Miss Macneary, the professor has informed me of your class assignment this month, and the effects its having on you. In the meantime, I'd like you to have these." Manuela took a small pouch of leaves off the nearby table, the leaves having a bluish tint near the edges. "This is an herb that combats stress. If you have trouble sleeping, or you feel overwhelmed, take one leaf, crush it into a powder, and sprinkle it on your food or in your drink. Don't eat it alone on an empty stomach, however."

Petra cautiously took the leaves as Forneus placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Petra, I've been... conversing with Edelgard and my father about what to do. And I believe I have a plan to ensure the worst doesn't come to pass. But there's one problem I need to discuss with you two first."

Forneus beckoned for Edelgard to come closer, and he whispered under his breath to the two girls. A hushed conversation began.

"...Excuse me, but may I be made privy to this?"

"Apologies, Manuela, but this is something that is on a very strict "need to know" basis."

"A... "Knead the dough" basis?"

"Need to know, Petra. It means we cannot tell anyone else for any reason."

"Ah, I am understanding. Professor, what do you mean, by..."


"...2,000 gold?"

"You get around fifty times that amount every week from daddy, right? Ante up, tightwad."

"It's not me I'm worried about, it's you. Isn't that more than your weekly pay?" Orpheus took a seat at the tavern table and pulled out a stamped sheet of paper. "...I have some stocks in the Bartels Mining Industry. Sell it before the market cycles, and it should be worth around that much, give or take 50 in either direction."

"...There's still some daylight left. Sure, why not. Let's start dealing, then."

A poker table wasn't usually a spot most people came up with of when they thought about a place to discuss, but the same couldn't be said for Byleth. Every time her shift ended, she'd go to the faculty room with Jeralt, Forneus, or both if they were available, share a drink with them, grab dinner at the mess hall, and then head to the pub in town with Shamir and gamble their money away with whoever else was there.

It was a bit of a bigger crowd that night. 6 people sat at the table as Shamir pulled out her cards and chips. Byleth, Shamir, and Orpheus were accompanied this night by an orchid-haired young man who wore way too much eye shadow, a rather uninterested redhead with tanned skin, and a large muscular man who Byleth guessed didn't have any clean shirts. She saw them around the bar every now and then, especially the musclehead, but never had she interacted with them.

"Care to start us off, Eisner?"


"...Aw, dammit! Are you guys looking at my hand?! Conspiring against the Sublime King of Grappling?! When I have a great hand, everyone folds! And when I bluff, you all push me into a corner!"

"It's because we can read what your hand is like through your face. You grin like an idiot with a good hand, and you get nervous with a bad one."

Balthus went all-in with a pair of threes and was promptly met with three tens from Shamir and two pairs from Yuri. He got up and left the table, muttering about debt collectors whilst he walked to the bar.

"Do you usually play poker in random pubs, Keyair?" Yuri spoke, passing the buck to the professor. "I thought Icarus was the gambler of your family."

"He is, believe me." Orpheus dealt out the next hand as the next round started. "Icarus used to be infamous among the Empire's nobility for organizing gambling events, and even more so for inviting commoners to observe the tournaments. He even tried to get King Lambert of the Empire to play a game of poker with him."

"Sounds difficult, living with someone like that."

Orpheus folded his cards before continuing. "It wasn't that bad. He's a good guy, he's just quite... how do I put this politely... spontaneous."

"Couldn't keep his gambling in check, huh, Airhead?" The redhead's comment irked Orpheus a tiny bit, but he just grunted before continuing.

"Not in the slightest. But it didn't matter; he kept winning more than he was losing. He even went on a year-long winning streak once."

"Then what's the problem?" Shamir asked as she dealt out the next hand.

"He gambled away his old estate to House Varley around 12 years ago. Now he's living with Daedelus again..."

"He's still alive? Sheesh. When was he born again? 1108?"

"1098. He turned 82 three weeks ago."

"Wow. And I thought that geezer Tomas was old."


5000 chips worth of gold sat in the center of the table, ready to be claimed by one of three gamblers. Byleth, Hapi, and Orpheus sat with their parts of the table devoid of any money. Orpheus, a bit newer to the game, had his hand forced by Hapi's bet. He barely had 800 gold left to his name, and Hapi bet all 2900 of her gold. Byleth swiftly followed with her 1300, with Yuri and Shamir folding. Balthus watched on from behind Yuri, finding humor in the situation, and likely his drink as well.

"Ooh, this is not going to end well!"

Four cards sat on the table. The Ace of Spades, Queen of Hearts, Queen of Spades, and 10 of Spades sat ready to deliver their verdict, the cards in the hands of the remaining players holding the key to a hefty sum.

"Let's see which of you guys just lost their dinner privileges."

Orpheus set out his cards first. The 8 and Jack of spades. Hapi revealed her 10s of Clubs and Diamonds, and Byleth flipped her cards to reveal the Queen of Diamonds and Ace of Hearts. Orpheus had a flush, and both Hapi and Byleth had full houses.

"...Okay, three hands that good? That doesn't look legitimate. Did one of you swap your cards?" Shamir glanced around accusingly. "...Hapi, did you stack the deck?"

An exasperated look washed over her face. "You watched me shuffle the deck, Shammy. Did it look like I cheated?" Yuri also swiftly came to her defense, an oddly concerned look on his face. "For the love of all that is good and holy, please don't irritate her. You do not want to know what happens when she sighs."

Shamir stared at the redhead for a few more seconds before relenting and dealing the final card. And the card that sealed the round was the 9 of spades.

"Hapi has a full house, Byleth has a bigger house, and... Huh. Keyair wins with a straight flush."

"I really thought I had that one. Good game, I guess."

"...I... don't think I should have won that, but I guess I'll take it."

Hapi and Byleth got up as Orpheus dragged the pile of chips to his side of the table. But as Hapi left to head wherever her home was, Byleth chugged her whiskey and left the room without saying a word.

She walked back in a few seconds after multiple loud crunches and snaps.


"...There's something going on with my brother, you know."

The game kept going on as Byleth opened her mouth for someone other than Shamir for the first time the entire night. Yuri and Shamir were both still going strong, and Orpheus was floundering. Only 300 gold remained: barely enough for blinds at that point. Knowing he would likely lose, he turned to Byleth and addressed her.

"In what way?" "It's difficult to describe, but his wound suddenly got better with no explanation, he hasn't informed his students of his class assignment yet, he's been much more emotional than he usually is, and he's being quite secretive."

"I see. We don't really talk often, so I guess I haven't noticed."

Blinds came, and Orpheus set everything he had left on the table. He flipped over his cards before Yuri or Shamir could respond, with nothing but a 2 of clubs and an 8 of diamonds. Yuri and Shamir continued betting as Orpheus turned in his seat, giving his full attention to the mercenary.

"Oh, I thought you might. Every now and then, I hear him mutter your name. And you two stayed to talk after the staff meeting on Monday, correct?"

"...Yes... but I certainly wouldn't call us friends. We're... acquaintances. And we have different views on a very many things, so we just try to stay out of each other's way if we can help it."

"I got three sevens; I win."

Yuri grabbed the chips and dragged them away. Orpheus really didn't care at that point.

"...Care for a drink while we talk?"

"I would appreciate that yes."