Beta'd by Old man of the mountain

Sorry I took so long. Work and IRL stuff I'm sure you all hear enough about. But I'm now happy to say that I managed to get it out finally.


Imperial Year 1180, 21th of the Great Tree Moon

Jack

An alarm was going off next to her. Thanks to the stone walls, hopefully no one else could hear it. She reached for her wrist watch on the desk and clicked on a button. Despite having the alarm set, she really wanted to go back to sleep and let her mind rest from revelation after revelation she kept getting. Her mind decided to shut down and reboot itself hours later the moment she landed on the bed. But she would rather be doing something, then letting her mind wander back to those thoughts. She looked at the narrow windows where the sun had yet to shine through. It was early dawn and most likely the majority of the student body had yet to get up.

'Might as well get ready'

While she didn't swap her clothes to her sleepwear last night, she did at least remove her equipment and sidearm and hung it near the chair. When she reached for her cloth she realized that since she's going to be in a school, the covering basically screamed suspicious. So instead she went to her pack and pulled out a fedora hat she had. She preferred the shemagh for covering her head since it covered a lot more but sometimes what she likes doesn't coincide with what she needs. She would rather have a tradeoff with this instead of being accused of being suspicious…which would lead to a brawl since she refuses to go quietly. She tied her hair into one neat little bun and placed the hat over it. From there she put on her noise cancellers with the headband of it lowered towards her neckline and her visor. Once that was done her belt and assorted pouches were attached and all was done.

'What should I do now?'

Normally she would get in a routine for exercise but since she was on unknown ground, it was best to wait a bit and explore. She couldn't go back to sleep but she didn't want to really wander either. Might as well call up Uncle JT. She wrapped her scarf around her and let the mouthpiece she had laced into it come to life.

"Uncle, can you hear me?" a few moments of static then a ding to let her know the line was picked up.

"He's a bit busy right now kiddo." A different voice answered her. It wasn't the robotic voice that she was used to but a familiar dead voice that somehow was also sincere.

!?

"Daddy?" she couldn't hold back her surprise. She wasn't expecting her father to answer her call so early.

"Yeah Jackie. Guten Morgen (good morning). I asked JT to let me know when you were awake. Heard about what happened and wanted to talk to you last night but…" he trailed off but she understood.

No more words needed to be spoken there. Even if she was in the mood to talk, she probably couldn't have handled the conversation anyway.

"Yeah. Guten Morgen. It's good to hear from you again. Hehe. What happened yesterday. Ditch me for a date?" She rested herself against the bed to take a more relaxed position.

"Not the kind you're thinking of." Oh? Must've been one hell of an outing then.

"Well you can tell me all about it later. I could use some news that isn't a mind shattering revelation." She joked.

She needed this. Just one moment of happiness could help her forget about everything yesterday. It was a great turnaround from yesterday's talks.

"Will do kiddo. So how are you doing? Talking with the Archbishop sounded like it took a lot outta you."

That was an understatement about the situation. She wanted to just leave but the consequences of that seemed pretty high. She was lucky that Rhea saw her as one of these 'children of the Goddess' but there is definitely more to it.

"Ich werds überleben (I'll survive), I think. To be honest I have no idea how I'm going to get through 3 days here."

"I think you'll find a way. It's an academy right? Learn something new. Maybe try attending a lesson or two before abandoning it like you did your lessons here." She could hear the teasing in his voice despite the same tone he always used.

"Look I now am starting to regret that, but I don't regret being able to see the world now. I swear when I get back I will finish my lessons but only after everything has settled down." She froze as she registered the words that exited her mouth.

'wait… Scheisse I didn't mean to say it like th–' but it was too late as her father answered back.

"You said it. I've got your word once our deal is done you are sitting down until you are done." He was quick to take the opportunity in. Welp, that's what she gets for carelessly speaking.

'Damn it, I walked into that one' One deep breath later. "Fine fine, I won't back out of it. But can you help me with a few things? That woman Rhea really freaked me out. She especially didn't want me to leave and got me at the gate before I could leave."

"..." there was only silence "Tell me everything."

She recounted the events that happened. How she was stopped at the gate. What they talked about. How Rhea seemed like really didn't like the fact that she was adopted by a foreigner. But she put special emphasis on how Rhea grabbed her hand and what she did with it.

"Why would she do that? Doesn't really make sense with what we got. Even if we are going off what she claimed you are."

"Yeah, I already know what I am and I hate it." she said wistfully.

"Hey… don't ever say that" his voice became quiet after the declaration.

"But I'm-" only to be interrupted

"Jacklyn Hoffman. My daughter. Nothing less." Was the resolute affirmation she got. " And don't ever assume otherwise. Now let's move on from this depressing topic. Do you know what she was thinking when she did that?"

"Whatever it was, I really don't want a repeat of it." she sighed, "Hopefully I can avoid her in the meantime." she dared to dream.

"Bad idea. She's already set her sights on you, so she won't give up. Doubly so since her position lets her get away with a lot of things if need be."

That's a scary thought. A stalker with large religious power…joy.

"So what do I do?" This is an uphill battle for her in many ways.

"One choice. Stay near this Byleth you talked about before with JT. She seems pretty reliable if she was willing to stick up for you."

"I think that's because of her being your fan more than anything." she countered, but she did take comfort in her actions in protecting her.

"Then I'll get her an autograph to send her later."

"Like the one you promised to get me from the mystical songstress?" sarcasm laced her voice.

"Well the problem with that request was she wanted to be alone at the time and I was willing to respect that. Not my fault a few of her more obsessed fans felt entitled to her." Her father deadpanned.

She winced at the response. Ok, she admits that her comment was a bit insensitive about that. While it came from no small amount of resentment from her father failing his promise, she had no right to be so petty about that.

"Sorry." she replied in a small voice.

"You don't pull punches, figuratively and literally. But that's more on me than it is on you while I was raising you. However, please try to take in other people's thoughts about things like that in the future. I know it's been hard for you due to the isolation, but you need to watch what you say when speaking to others. Most people actually care about what you say to them." He cautioned.

She rolled her eyes at that last statement, but she couldn't complain. She would be a hypocrite if she said any differently about that.

"Ugh. This was so much easier when I was alone. How did you deal with it?" She laid herself out on the bed.

"I had the option to shoot them." There was a good natured chuckle at the end of the line. "But we've gotten off topic. Byleth is one option that's the safest. Stick with her and you get some protection. "

"What else?" she didn't want to rely solely on her. Besides, she thought it would be wrong to make her only friend a shield against the Archbishop.

"Option two to try and get outta the monastery to check on Remire. It's temporary at best but it should buy you some time and give you an escape route if needed."

The idea had merit but too many unknown factors to it. Rhea still held a lot of power and she could definitely abuse it.

"Then there's option 3, which is something you're not going to like."

"*sigh* just hit me with it. It really can't get any worse right now." she gently places her palm over her face and drags it down.

"Use her curiosity of you to your advantage and see if she lets anything slip."

Of all the options she thought of, she knew it had to be one from her top 5. Why was it in her top 5? Because she knew that in order for her to find out the truth of the Archbishop's words, she would've had to get close to her eventually…she just didn't expect that to be so soon.

"So you want me near the woman who I don't want to touch with a ten foot pole."

"I said it was an option, not the choice for you. I found out that the way you get people to move at your pace is to give them what they want sometimes. Hell, feel free to tell her about the lands in the Frontier. The good, the bad, hell, even bits and pieces of the war if it helps get her off your back about our private life. Just not about the tech or anything. She can't confirm anything due to Fòdlan's stance on other countries. And how is she going to check? She will have no choice but to take your word for it. "

Another sigh escaped her. The options she had could be better, but they could also be worse. She's willingly staying at the monastery so escape is not the issue for her, but she doesn't like the fact her lawful options were slim compared to her more…colorful ideas.

"I'll think about it. Oh, by the way, what are we going to do about Byleth?" Concern filled her voice as she talked with her father about this.

"You mean her condition?"

"Yeah. Is there something we can do for her?" finding out she didn't have a heartbeat was something she was never expecting and it frightened her a little how something like that could affect her.

A sigh was heard from the other line, "To be honest, I don't think there is anything JT and I can do for her. She's what… your age, maybe a bit older, and walking about like nothing is wrong. For that, what we can say right now is if nothing's broken, then there's nothing to fix. So unless we get her to come in for an in depth examination, I don't see how we could help."

"You're not worried at all about this?" She raises a brow at this disinterest.

"Half and half. Remember, after everything I've told you about my life, a woman with no heartbeat seems minor in comparison. Besides, if we wanna help her, we would have to do a lot to keep her in the dark and we can't afford her learning about our little war. She's already curious enough as it is, and if she learns why we are so secretive… her life will be in danger."

"Can't we get more portable scanners for her? She's proven herself to be trustworthy at least to me." And there was the fact that Jack considered Byleth her first friend.

"Maybe but Rhea's got both an eye on you and her. I'm not against this, but if we are gonna do this, we need to wait a bit longer to know exactly how we can do this without the church knowing. Taking her to a safehouse is an idea, but you two would definitely be followed."

Her shoulder's slump at the answer she received. She knew it would make some sense, but there were lingering doubts in her mind that this could be negatively affecting her.

"I guess I have to wait no matter what huh?"

A short laughter was her answer, "something funny?"

"Of course. I've never heard you act like this. Not even towards the brats you saw with a while back."

"She's my first friend." was her reply

"I know. And I'm happy for you. Stay close to her. When the walls close in on you, it's always nice to have someone to talk to about this." There was a beeping noise in the background. Sounds like an alert.

"Ok kiddo, I gotta take this. Talk to you later. Sich amüsieren (have fun)." he calmly finished.

"Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye) papa." she stated in a cheery voice. At that the call ended.

The energy she had from the wake up was gone again, but this time she couldn't allow sleep to help her get it back. What could she do to pass the time? Oh right, she needed to clean her gun. Best way to kill time for now…best make a deterrent or two as well.


Sometime later, in the dining hall

Students were staring at the lone woman at the corner of the table. With enough food to feed a small band, as she goes through them like nothing. The blank stare she had while inhaling the food seemed to increase the eerie factor from the image they pictured of her. All the while, Byleth seems to ignore them as she continues to eat. Sothis seemed to take in the scene with irritation.

"If you did not wish for her to leave then, then you should've convinced her to stay. Why become upset at losing that girl only one day after you met?" Her hands raised in exasperation. She was floating behind her as her host was busy with eating.

Her answer was met with silence and Byleth continued to stuff her face with food. Despite the fact that a second voice now filled her head, she elected to ignore it. She didn't know the answer herself, but when Jack said she was going to leave, she was very reluctant to let her go. She didn't know whether it was due to the smile she had on her face when Jack wrapped her arms around her, her father being the Skywalker and wanting to know more, or the fact that her face looked exactly like Sothis'. In the end it didn't matter. So she just started to eat her fill and hopefully be prepared for her first day.

"Whoa, Teach. Seems like someones got quite the stomach." A cheery voice spoke from behind her. She momentarily stopped her eating to at least take a glance. Claude carried his signature smile as held his own small tray of food. Some sort of meat pie…it didn't hold a candle to her favorite pie.

"Claude." was the only acknowledgement he received before continuing her small crusade. Claude, on the other hand, took this as his queue to take a seat across from her.

"Come on Teach, don't be like that. Now that you are the one leading the Golden Deer, we have to stick together. So you can tell your dear student what's wrong." She knew he was leading, but really didn't care at the moment.

While the decision was more or less made for her, she ultimately became the professor of the Golden Deer. Today would be the first day she meets with the new students and introduces herself to them. Good or bad, it is sure to be quite the experience.

"Claude, I'm sure the professor doesn't need you pestering her." Dimitri and Edelgard approached to join in on the 'conversation' that was occurring.

"One thing is for certain. She can hold quite the appetite. I've never seen anyone eat that much." Edelgard could only look on with astonishment at the banquet before her.

"Truly? Hmm. I suppose I'm eating a bit more than usual." Byleth finally takes a moment to look at the feast before her. That statement seemed to stew with the three of them as they took in the detail that something like that was almost normal for her. Shaking out of their stupor, Dimitri and Edelgard joined the table with Dimitri sitting next to Claude and Edelgard seating herself next to Byleth.

"So how are you adjusting to the Monastery professor?" Dimitri attempted small talk. He was enjoying some onion soup as he made his statement.

In response, Byleth paused her binge eating and assumed a thinking pose to ponder the question. It was only her second day here technically, but during that time she witnessed so much. It was one of the better places she had seen, though on the other hand, she didn't know exactly how to react to being in such a place. One could say the experience was jarring. She was used to tents and the occasional bed from an inn, but to have a bed for herself and not need to be constantly on the move was a first time for her. Since she was taking so long to answer, the prolonged thought gave the students the answer they needed.

"Don't worry Teach" Claude relayed in understanding, "give it a few days before you answer that. A place like this takes time to get used to." He attempted to cheer her up with the other two nodding in agreement.

"Quite. A place like this has many mysteries about it, so it's best to keep calm and observe carefully. I can tell you it has more than what meets the eye." Edelgard added but her words implied something else. She took a bite out of some fish sandwich as she closed her eyes.

"Now now Edelgard, there is no need to be dour about this. In order for peace to continue, we must not see the negatives of our allies so easily." Dimitri attempted to assuage her doubts.

"Only the naïve believe that only goodness exists within one Dimitri. To prepare, one must always look underneath in order to see how to proceed." She countered as her challenging eyes met his.

"She's got you there Dim. Everyone's got a side they don't want others to see. Some harmless. Some no so much. Best look at things from a different point of view if you wanna get through things ok. Personally I wouldn't mind others duking it out while I sit back and watch. Maybe get some food to enjoy while it happens." Claude's off handed comment drew ire from the other two but he wasn't affected too much.

"Yes, you would take the distant approach. But please know that my words were not meant to convey such doubts. All I'm trying to say is, if you see only the negatives in people so quickly, how can you trust them?"

"Jack said the same thing about not easily trusting." Byleth had finally decided to partake in their conversation with her first sentence stunning them. The trio of heirs looked to her.

"Jack?" Edelgard put down her food as she seemed to garner interest. Byleth gave a nod.

"Her father is a foreigner." That sentence attracted Claude's attention from the small wiggle in his ear. He seems to become much more interested than before judging by his eyes right now. Dimitri seemed surprised at the news and his eyebrows raised. " They saw things differently and told me about how her father wasn't well liked due to his status. When trying to get her to stay, she spoke about how the clergy aren't too fond of them." She tried to find the right words to say, "Due to that, she doesn't seem to have the best opinion of most people."

"Where is she now? I haven't seen her since the two of you entered Rhea's office chambers" Dimitri looked around the dining hall to find her only to fail in his attempt.

It was at that moment Byleth let her head down a little and stared at the table. Maybe it was a trick of their eyes but they could've sworn they saw a dark cloud over her head.

"She's gone." The same monotone voice conveyed the message, however, they felt it was anything but. "She left the monastery yesterday after the meeting with Archbishop Rhea."

"Hehe." Only for a certain yellow clad student to chuckle in response. "Hooo? She left, did she? Well that's strange, because I could've sworn I saw a certain Holy Chamberlain escort her to a room last night." His professor snapped her head up and a glint in her eyes appeared. He seemed to ignore it for the moment to bask in the attention.

"Claude…How do you know this?" Edelgard narrowed her eyes.

"Well you see. I just so happened to be taking a stroll at the moment and saw our mysterious bounty hunter at the gates ready to leave only to be stopped by the Archbishop of all people."

The Archbishop? For her to personally intervene meant that something important was going on behind the scenes. Edelgard focused on that detail and filed it away for later. But first…

"You mean you were spying. The only question is on who?"

"My dear Edelgard. I would never resort to such tactics and do something as brash as spying." He replied in mock hurt, complete with a hand over his chest as if the words physically struck him. "I will have you know that I truly was out for a walk and it was purely coincidence that I saw them. Archbishop Rhea walked up to Jack and held some intent on getting her to stay." The casual look he held as his gossip was being heard gave much doubt about his credibility of the act

"What could Jack have that the Archbishop herself deemed necessary to keep her here?" Dimitri cupped his chin in a thoughtful expression. He knew from the only interaction he had from that girl was that she held herself much different from most people she had met. However he didn't see what required personal intervention of the Archbishop.

"Her equipment maybe. That weapon she wielded against Kostas was devastating for such a small device. No, if it was just that, she would've simply confiscated it." His white haired companion began running the theories through her head. Her thoughts went back to their fateful battle as she remembered how easily Kostas went down from that weapon. If the Church were to get ahold of such a weapon… the best case scenario would be having it destroyed.

"Instead of wondering… why don't we ask the one person who was with her the whole time?" While the other 2 directed their gazes to the subject in question, the professor held her own towards glint in her eyes shined a bit brighter. The statement would only fly through her as she focused intently on him.

"Which room is she in now?" she ignored the question as her priorities seemed to shift. Edelgard noticed something different but couldn't grasp what it was. Dimitri was oblivious to the changes and Claude was unknowingly walking towards a dangerous road.

"Oh, worried about her? Well I'm sure she's just fi-" He didn't get to finish before two hands wrapped around his collar and was dragged over the table for a face to face with his teal haired teacher.

"Which. Room?" she repeated. For their part, Dimitri seemed to sigh as Claude's antics seemed to have gotten him his consequences. Edelgard became stupefied at the sudden action. As far as she could tell, they were much closer than her initial assumptions believed if such an action was warranted.

"First floor, furthest room of the dormitory area." He blurted out with sweat accumulating at his brow. Evidently he didn't think his new professor would be this aggressive in wanting that information. A grave miscalculation on his part. His eyes moved towards the door only to widen.

"I sincerely hope you're planning to finish all of this food, otherwise we gotta define our friendship here." a voice rang out behind her.

As she turned. The subject in question appeared before them. Dressed in her usual garb, with the exception of her head cloth being replaced with some gray hat and she didn't have that weapon she used before.

"Jack."

"Hey Byleth." She tips her hat and turns towards the heirs and greets them "Prince. Princess." when it was Claude's turn " Pretty boy."

"Hey, why do they get their proper titles? While the nickname is dandy and certainly true, I would've thought I deserved that much." Despite his words, Claude never lost his smile nor the joking tone. Byleth let go and he seemed to be straightening himself out.

"When there is something for me to respect from you, I'll think about calling you your proper title" blunt and to the point was her response.

"Well, I guess I'll show you I'm worthy" he cocked an eyebrow and accepted the challenge.

"I'll be patient and wait for when that time comes." Behind her visor, she rolled her eyes.

In the meantime, Dimitri and Edelgard returned their greetings.

"Good morning. And please, call me Dimitri, at this academy, let there be no distinction between nobility and commoner."

"Agreed." Edelgard nodded alongside him. " We are here in a place of learning. As such, it would be better to strengthen the ties we make by disregarding titles for this moment. So feel free to refer to me by name as well. "

"Hmmm, Okay." At her quick reply, they seemed to be taken aback.

"That was… rather easy. " Dimitri was still trying to process her answer. It seems that despite the order it was still a surprise to them.

"How so?" Jack quizzically asked as she tilted her head. In her mind, she didn't know what was so difficult about calling them by name.

"Normally, despite my insistence, many still refer to me as their prince. You truly are a rarity if you could accept it so quickly." The blond prince explained. He looked down and strangely held a smile as he took another spoonful of his soup. Jack didn't know what to make of it as she didn't understand how such a small request had an impact on him. Her attention was turned to Edelgard as she understood what she wanted.

"Like me, as a ruler, there is always a barrier between the blood of nobles and of commoners. We try to take down those barriers so that people may express themselves better with mixed results." Edelgard led with the explanation as she finished what was left of her sandwich and is currently wiping her mouth with a napkin. "While I am the heir to the Adrestian Empire, I would like to connect with the people who entrust their faith in me. It helps to know what is happening from a different point of view."

"I see…huh, seems weird but then again I have about zero experience in small talk with nobles besides a few business talks, so I guess that's just me." she shrugged her shoulders. "But I get what you're saying. Best get another perspective into the mix if you want a better picture of how things work."

She gave a single nod of acknowledgement before her tone took an upbeat turn. "So what's good on the menu today? Sure could grab a good bite." she patted her stomach to emphasize the need for food. Byleth stood up and escorted her to the line leaving the students to themselves. Once out of sight, Claude collapsed onto the table nearly colliding with his half eaten pie.

"Well… thank the Goddess for that save I suppose." As he let out one deep breath as he placed his arounds around his head.

"Claude. Maybe take this as a lesson and not tease the new professor." Dimitri admonished. While he believed that he received his karma, it was an unexpected outcome.

"Hey. In my defense, if I had known she would react like that I would've been more careful about it." Claude attempted to defend himself. He then lifted his head with his hand cupping his chin. "Wonder what their relationship is? From what I got, they must've met recently. Guess I was off."

"Quite. Her reaction appeared to be intense for a supposed recent meeting. Perhaps they are closer than any of us assumed." the Adrestian princess speculated.

"Hope so, if that's the case then the Golden Deer doesn't just gain a spectacular professor but a proficient bounty hunter to boot." a cheshire smile formed on Claude. If he got the chance, he is totally going to uncover the literal and figurative mask she had going on.

"Don't place your hopes up Claude, the professor was assigned to your class only due to a vacancy. Don't assume that the Leicester Alliance will claim her so easily." Edelgard asserted.

"Thanks to that bandit attack, the vacancy was made in the first place." Claude had countered. They had a new professor in the works but he ran away during the bandit attack. " But thanks to that vacancy, we got the whole year to change her mind. The child of the Blade Breaker of all people. It will be exciting to learn from her." He couldn't help but gloat at the luck he had, while Edelgard narrowed her eyes at him. Dimitri was stifling a laugh from the conversation between the two. While he too wished for the professor to become an ally of the Holy Kingdom. He would prefer to do it directly and after getting to know the professor for a bit.

"As Claude said Edelgard. We have the whole year ahead of us." Dimitri looked to Claude at this, then turned to Edelgard.. "So we have the time to convince her that the Leicester Alliance is not in her best interests." A mischievous smile dawned on the Kingdom's prince. Meanwhile another held a look of mock horror with the other was stifling back a laugh.

"Seems like you guys are having an interesting conversation. I just hope you remember that along those lines, you treat Byleth as a person and not a commodity." The two had come back with a small tray of meat skewers along with a jug of water and sat down next to each other.

"Nonsense. Allow me to amend the misunderstanding and tell you that she would be seen not as an asset but rather a valued member of the Empire should she choose to accept it." Edelgard didn't hesitate to answer.

"I concur. As of now, we can all see the potential she has and simply wish to show her what the Kingdom has to offer." Dimitri calmly asserted.

"Besides, now that you're here, maybe you can tell us why Teach got so touchy at wanting to see you so quickly." Claude was ready for an answer for why he was almost strangled. He knew he got some comeuppance every now and then but this was too quick. He didn't even prank her yet.

"Wait, what?" Jack turned to Byleth with a brow raised. "Was that why you were throttling Claude?" she lowered her scarf and popped one of the pieces of meat from the skewer into her mouth.

"He took too long in telling me." The blank look she held as she answered made a small laugh escape Jack's mouth before she could contain it.

"Too long? I was barely in my second sentence before I thought I was going to see that bright light in the tunnel." Claude sat there dumbfounded at the reply.

"See? Too long." she reaffirmed.

"Steering us back to the original conversation." Edelgard interrupted, " We were actually just talking about you before the Professor's… actions." she coughed into her hands as if she wished to strike that image from her mind.

"Oh? About what?" As she swallowed her food. Hopefully it wasn't something important.

"About your meeting with the Archbishop." And of course that would be the gossip. "Judging from the information that Byleth and Claude shared, you were leaving before the Archbishop asked you to stay. Would you be willing to shed light on this matter?" Edelgard had no problem throwing Claude under the carriage so to speak about his part in revealing this information. For his troubles, he received a slow turn of Jack's head as she stared at him…with the creepiness factor turning up a notch due to the fact he can't see her eyes through the darkened spectacles.

"Ah…righhhttt." The resident mystery girl dragged out. She started scratching the back of her head as she tried to explain. "Best I'll tell you about that is when the Archbishop asks you for something, you don't exactly have the luxury of saying no to her…in any way." She tried to word it delicately but it didn't go well. "Before you guys ask. I'm staying of my own free will…sorta," that got a varied reaction out of them but she ignored them, "but only for a few days. The body is being verified and a message will be sent to the nearest office for confirmation. After that I'm gone."

"You said you were going to meet with your father after that?" Byleth remembered.

"Yeah probably. Don't exactly have too much of a plan except by simply playing it by the ear for the moment."

"Speaking of which, Teach here told us about your father being a foreigner." Claude steered the topic towards one they had all become interested in. Jack groaned in irritation about how people suddenly found her father interesting now.

"Yeah, he is. What about it?" her elbows rested on the table and she laid her head in her hands.

"Hey hey. I was just curious." He raised his hands in a bid to ease the tension. "We don't get any foreigners around here. So I was just wondering about the story behind him. From what we can gather about you, it doesn't seem like he comes from any place that I know about." Claude was trying to diffuse the situation, but the others seemed like they weren't having it.

"Claude, what you said may be true, but this is also personal for her. Let's not be so invasive about this." Edelgard came to her defense.

"Yes Claude, if she does not wish to reveal more about her family, we have no reason to force her." Dimitri joined in.

"Come on guys, don't tell me you're not interested in this as well. We usually never get visitors from other lands. Teach, you think this is interesting too right?" Claude was being unusually insistent on this matter. Edelgard bit her lip while Dimitri was willing to stand firm. Jack looked from the corner of her eye through her visor and hoped that Byleth would bail her outta this.

"Are foreigners really that strange around here?" Jack didn't know whether she was being serious or she was helping to deflect the question, but either way she was grateful.

"Regretfully yes." Dimitri lamented "Due to wars within the last century, rarely do we ever get visitors from outside the lands. As such, Jacklyn's father would be considered one of the few exceptions to the rule and even then, we only just started getting visitors from Brigid and very few from Dagda."

"That's why I'm interested. It's because we get so few visitors that it's a rare opportunity to learn more about life outside Fòdlan." Both of Claude's arms rested on the table as he leaned forward. "Is that really so bad in wanting to learn something from another land's people?"

Jack guessed she couldn't fault that type of logic. Even if the church cautioned against the outside world so to speak, that doesn't mean that every now and then people will get curious. Well, she did get permission from her father to talk about home, but she doesn't really want to give out too much without blowing his cover. It would also be better to give away something, otherwise people will never stop asking questions. The basics should mollify their curiosity…at least until she leaves.

"Ugh Fine. I'll answer a few questions," Claude wore a triumphant smile like he won some great duel, "But nothing too deep. Daddy was willing to come clean about his past to me but that was for him to tell not me. And no questions about where he lives. Last thing I need when I get back home is you at the front door. " One last warning was given.

"Fair enough." He seemed to be willing to take what he could get.

After that Jack explained what little she could of the Frontier, but worded it so that they would be a chain of lands instead of planets. How it was their land's attempt at exploring the unknown and settling down on lands far away from their original home. For Claude, he noticed the similarities between the lands of the frontier and the Leicester alliance. He hid something behind that smile of his when he learned that most of the lands allowed for cultural exchanges and freedom of their ideals. Dimitri became intrigued how the people that settled onto the lands were soldiers who fought for their country and were rewarded the lands that they lived in. He must've enjoyed the ideas of chivalry and how people who worked for it got their rewards. Byleth looked pretty content with listening to the story without needing to ask any questions. Jack assumed it was due to the fact that she could ask a bit more in depth than the others. Edelgard was interested in the fact that Crests were non-existent in their lands. While crests were native to Fòdlan, at least they were known to the surrounding lands. To learn that there was a land where the concept of a crest didn't expect was a surprise to all of them but she held the greatest reaction to it. After that, She wanted to know more about the hierarchy and religion but when she received a laugh in return she wondered how it was funny. While Jack told them that one of the conditions for her stay was to not talk about the 'heathen' teachings of her home, she did tell them that monarchies and nobles were things of the past. Needless to say they were all astonished to learn about that small fact among other things. It wasn't really that much of a surprise for Jack to see the looks on their faces. Nobility was something that was deeply ingrained into the lives of Fòdlan and to hear that there was a land that no longer had any was a culture shock to them. Before they could ask more about it the bell had rung signaling the end of their conversation.

"Well, looks like we're outta time for more questions."

"Damn, time flew by really quick." Claude cursed due to being absorbed in the conversation. Then again, it seemed like all were interested in learning about her father's home. What was left of his pie had gotten cold but he finished it quickly enough before having it picked up.

As they were getting ready to leave, Edelgard had one last question on her mind before they separated.

"That weapon you wielded that day." Jack eyed her cautiously when that question turned up. "Did you properly secure it?" After that, she let out a silent sigh of relief. She was surprised that the heiress thought about that. But to be fair, as a future ruler, of course it would make sense for her to make sure that the gun didn't fall into an enemy's hands…or the hands of anyone that had a grudge against her or the empire.

"Yup. Made sure before I left that it was tucked away somewhere people can't find quickly so that no one would be able to get to it easily."

"Why would you need to hide it? While I understand that such a weapon could be devastating in the wrong hands, you need not fear theft in the monastery. The knights and the clergy would stop those that would commit such a deed." Dimitri had to wonder why she wouldn't trust the knights in the monastery.

"Welp that's for a couple reasons to be honest. First of all, it's more a force of habit than any malicious intent. No offense to the knights here, but I would feel better if I had it hidden from anyone than trust it to someone else. It's not a toy and something that dangerous can be lethal even to its wielder if you don't know how to use it right. Like you said, it's a deadly weapon you wouldn't want anyone to get their hands on, so better to be safe than sorry." Dimitri nodded his head to concede that point. "Second is that no matter how safe you say this place is, one thing I've learned from daddy is that there is no place that is perfectly secure. For me personally, a rule of thumb that I was taught was to always look for things to exploit and always plan for when you need to escape from a hostile environment. Doesn't have to be a battlefield, it can be as simple as a bar fight or a house." She lifts her head and looks around the courtyard. Just at a glance i can see a few ways of someone getting in here without too much of a fuss."

Byleth looked interested in this piece of information. "This place is a veritable fortress. How would someone break in here without anyone knowing?" This wasn't an accusation. It seems as though her tactical mind was taking point in this conversation.

"For one…through the front door." as she pointed towards the direction of the entranceway.

They all stopped at the entrance of the door to hear this explanation. While classes were soon to begin, the walk towards the classrooms was not too far away, so they believed they could afford a few minutes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"For a monastery with built fortresses and walls this place sucks with actual security." she gave her blunt assessment. "One problem for being neutral territory is that multiple paths can be used for exits. Someone could simply be posing as a traveler to see the monastery and most wouldn't bother questioning it if they said they wanted to learn more about the goddess and this temple." Jack then justifies it with a passing mercenary carrying a sword on their back. "You got people like that guy walking all over the place and don't even think to place a few restrictions. Hell, you don't even need a weapon, you could just buy one over there at the marketplace and no one would be suspicious."

Jack questioned why there was a store with weapons for sale in a place like the church. For a place that preached for peace, it sure as hell seemed to focus a lot more on combat than preaching. Secondly, she hated the fact that no one seemed bothered by the fact there could be a killing using the very weapon bought not even 100 feet from the potential murder scene.

"It's for travelers on the road. The knights can't be everywhere at once, so a place to purchase a weapon or two would be ideal for traveling the distances with the chance of bandits and demons on the loose. And keep in mind, not everyone is a simple traveler. Sometimes mercenaries and other knights from the 3 kingdoms meet here for events and meetings that the church allows for the sake of safety. Less commonly, students are expected to fight as well during their monthly missions, so having a place to maintain and exotic weapons and armor from around the lands can be purchased if it will help reduce the chances of losing their life " Dimitri explained. Hearing that part did make some sort of sense and she will admit it's hypocritical that she believed that such a place should take away certain people while wanting to keep her own. But still…

"Personally, I would've done something a bit different like having a checkpoint where they would temporarily turn in their weapons or something unless authorized by someone otherwise. Having a weapon in a supposed place of spiritual enlightenment is not something I would want to see unless in wartime. Like you said, the knights are here, so why would any traveler need a weapon on their person inside the monastery?" Jack threw in her two cents at the thought as she threw back his words with a cheeky smile.

"Yes, to each their own, I can only say of this matter." Dimitri smiled as he was forced to accept the point or be hypocritical about the matter. If he is willing to think about it, that would be enough for her. She has no intention of really changing the status quo of this land, but she still wants it to be a safer place to live in.

"I guess you really gotta make sure that's tucked away then. It would be a shame if someone made off with it." Claude tried to lighten the mood with a jesting threat as they were about to split up.

"Oh don't worry Pretty Boy, I'll know if someone is trying to steal my stuff." The confidant voice she held when stating that made Claude a bit curious.

"How would you know?" Jack turned around and made her exit but not before speaking her last piece.

"Oh, the explosive I rigged to the door would be a pretty good alarm if someone does try to open it." Of the four, only Byleth didn't stiffen when the sentence was delivered.

"Ehehehe…" Claude nervously laughed "That's a joke right?" When Jack didn't answer as she continued her path "Wait, that was a joke right?! Why do you even have something like tha-urk" a hand grabbed him by the back of the collar as he was being dragged away.

"Come Claude, we have class to attend to." Byleth motioned towards her new classroom with her student in tow while ignoring his struggles.

"Wait! Teach, how are you not freaking out about this?" The prankster was trying to wiggle out of her grasp futilely to no avail. And it continued to the bewilderment of the other students in sight.

All the while, Dimitri and Edelgard stood there stupefied at what they had heard.

Dimitri was unsure about how to proceed in this matter. On one hand, it could be a lie simply to scare them. On the other hand, if she was telling the truth…"Uhhh, should we warn someone about this matter?"

"You need not fear theft in the monastery. The knights and the clergy would stop those who would commit such a deed." Edelgard parroted the words he spoke to Jack mere moments ago. However instead of the playful nature that Jack had when throwing his words back at him, Edelgard's tone sounded like the new professor's. "If you believe that is true, then there is obviously nothing to worry about."

Saying her piece, she walked towards where her class would be, leaving him to his own thoughts as he held a conflicted expression. One that unfortunately did not leave him anytime soon.


Rhea's chambers

Seteth had immediately noticed Rhea had been out of sorts ever since her private meeting with that young bounty hunter when entering her chambers. She keeps holding her hand over her cheek, and her laughter worries him. He was initially shocked at her display. He had never seen her smile like that in a very long time… not since before the war. There was no doubt it was due to her interaction with that bounty hunter. A small part of him was glad there was possibly another Nabatean out there, but the cynical part of his mind believed that it was too convenient that another which bore the face of their progenitor had shown up. He and Rhea searched, dear goddess they had searched, for any survivors and dared to hope but to no avail besides a very select few that were remembered as 2 of the saints. But now one had appeared and not only that, she bore the face of their progenitor. Something felt wrong about this in his eyes. Where did she come from? Where was she all this time? The only answers they can find can only come from the subject in question herself right now but she has no wish to share. And in doing so risked revealing themselves. His only solace he can take in trusting her is the girl herself did not wish to be here ironically. If this was a ploy and she knew of them, then there would've been better ways to go about revealing herself. And there is also taking in account that her adopted father was a foreigner to their lands. There was the probability that he knew nothing of her true origins and in fearing for her life, had her conceal herself. Rhea had done everything in her power to wipe out the Nabateans from history, so there was no way for him to know. Despite these possibilities, he would withhold his judgment of what to do with her until after they had obtained sufficient knowledge of her background. If this truly was all a coincidence and she was one of their kin, then she deserved to be offered a place in the monastery. He would like to believe so after the display he saw, but since his daughter was here now, he could only prioritize her safety overall and take this matter slowly.

Unaware of the concerns that Seteth was currently facing, Rhea was deep within her own world. She still holds the place where she took Jack's hand and placed it on her cheek. The memory of her wiping away her tears spread such jubilation through her. She knows logically that Jack isn't her mother, she holds her newest addition to the academy that role, but she could sense a connection somehow. She felt it the moment their hands touched. It was impulsive of her to reach for her hand and she paid for it. But in the end it was well worth it. Now that she knows of her existence, she has the time to figure it out. It was as if her mothers spirit was leading them to her on this day. This was going through her mind as Seteth's words failed to register to her ears.

Said Holy Chamberlain cleared his throat in an attempt to grasp her attention, but it was ignored with the childish glee still adorned upon her features.

"Lady Rhea" Next, he attempted to call out to her, only to be rebuffed yet again. This was becoming bothersome. If anyone were to step into the room right now and saw her in such a state, it could lead to unsavory rumors he didn't feel like dealing with.

"Lady Rhea" He tried again and still no response. He couldn't allow this to continue. "We must talk about Byleth's future here at the monastery. If we do not, we risk losing her as well as young Jacklyn."

When the words left his mouth, Rhea snapped out of her trance as she recomposed herself into the stoic woman he had always known her to be during her tenure. She placed her hands one on top of another on the desk and allowed herself to resume a controlled nature. He did not enjoy the fact that using the names of those two got her attention more than her duties. But nevertheless, now it was possible to get to business.

"There is no need to worry Seteth, I have faith that our newest professor will exceed your expectations. If she holds even a sliver of her father's talents, then I believe that she will guide the students into a brighter future." Her voice remained calm as she conveyed her thoughts.

"Forgive me if I still have some skepticism over the matter, but the truth of the matter will be made known soon enough at the mock battle. Speaking of which, we must discuss how the newest professor will proceed on this matter. Given that she is new and the fact that she will hold little more than a week to get to know her students, I propose we give her the forest area of the mock battle for fairness of the matter." While Manuela and Hanneman weren't warriors in their own right, they had gotten to know their students for the past few months. As the new professor and a complete stranger to the monastery, she would need time to acclimate towards-

"Give her the plains." Rhea ordered, interrupting his thoughts.

"P-pardon? The plains would be the most exposed and the most disadvantageous area amongst the entire mock battlefield." Seteth's eyes widened at the deliberate high bar she had set for the daughter of the captain.

"I know Seteth. It's precisely why I wish for her to have it. To borrow the term young Jack had spoken before from your report, think of this as the professor's 'trial by fire'. This should also assuage your doubts about the professor's ability." The serenity in her voice never changed. She delivered her sentence as though this matter was as trivial as talking about the weather and not as though she was possibly setting someone up for failure.

"And if she should fail?" He didn't know where the unwavering confidence she held in the professor came from, but he had to consider all potential options and the fallout should she be wrong. He did not hold her to a high regard but only due to being unknown to him. As such, committing her to this handicap does not make any sense.

"She will not fail." A smile slowly formed, though it didn't reach her eyes. Her tone did not change.

"I wish I could share your expectations, but I feel as though this is beyond the pale of what she could accomplish. Of what she should accomplish."

"Seteth, the matter is final. All I can ask of you is to still hold your faith in me until the battle to show you." Any attempts of arguments ceased as she ordered it.

"...Very well." He was forced to concede the matter. Once she made up her mind, changing it was a battlefield in and of itself. "I shall inform the professors of the decision at a later date."

"Though needless to be said, inform Jeralt that he is forbidden from helping. This is her trial and she should use her own methods in resolving this matter."

"Yes, Lady Rhea." He let out in a small tired voice. At this point, it was no further use in debating. He pulled out a few scrolls from under his arm and a small container. "Now onto the next matter concerning our other guest."

Rhea tented her hands as she leaned forward. That smile she wore before re-emerged and Seteth grew uncomfortable about it, but marched on.

"We are currently examining the body of the bandit Kostas. While autopsies are forbidden per your instructions, we took the liberty of extracting this."

Seteth stepped forward and produced a small clear container from his pocket. Within it were small clumps of metal. Two clumps to be exact. Rhea reached for the glass and shook it a bit to hear it ring against the glass.

"What have you been able to discern from this?" She didn't take her eyes off them as she inspected them. The small metal looked as though it was compressed.

"Not too much, I fear. What the coroner was able to discern was the bits of metal you currently possess held enough power that it pierced deep into the body. One of those found pierced through his ribs. What concerned them was that he couldn't find the other two projectiles despite the wounds present. In order to do so would be taboo. However, without the weapon in question all we have are the testimonies of the Captain's mercenaries about the characteristics." Seteth reported as he pulled some parchment containing the statements and the reports.

"What did they have to say about this?" She placed the container down and extended her hands to receive the reports. When they reached her hands she had noticed that Seteth's forehead had ceased, presumably due to the talks he had with the knights who gathered the information. "Seteth?"

"This is something unprecedented. Something like this should've been noticed by us, yet we lack any sort of information about this. Young Hoffman's appearance is one thing, but something like this isn't built within a day. It had to have been created somewhere and we should've known about it. The fact that we haven't worries me about our ability to gather information." His face filled with concern over this.

"Do you believe that this was brought with her father when he arrived here?" She looked over the reports. Testimonies of the mercenaries and their recollection and thoughts about the bounty hunter. Most thought she was strange but the accounts of the weapon confirms that the weapon was devastating to a human body, not to mention that those who were close by had to cover their ears in order to drown out the noise. One mentions that despite hours passing, the ringing in his ears did not was indeed troublesome. If there was technology that originated outside of Fòdlan, they held no eyes and ears. What frightens her to think about is if he appeared from a place where they do not know about, who's to say more will not come eventually.

"We can only assume that is the case. If so, then I must insist that we confiscate her belongings in order to get to the bottom of this. After that we must locate this man." However, that objective is basically looking for a needle in a haystack. There was no description, and if he was a traveler, no permanent place of residence.

"That matter will be difficult in and of itself. She will not part with it so easily and…when we struck the bargain of her temporary residence I…" she bit her lip now thinking about her hasty decision but finished with, " I swore that I would not have her belongings taken away during this time as long as she obeyed the rules of the Church."

Seteth took umbrage at her dealings without his input on this matter. His face scrunched up as he processed this. "Rhea. how could you possibly–"

"She is of our kin Seteth." she let out a small amount of her power to enforce this, "For the price of ignorance for a few days, I felt it was well worth the risks." This conversation took a turn she did not wish to venture down. Now she is being forced to think of this as a ploy despite evidence of the contrary. When intercepting the young girl, she wished to leave…she did not know what a Child of the Goddess was until she told her. If, and that was a big if, the Agarthans had somehow survived, they would not let her roam the world, especially alone. Something on the back of her mind was telling her that she was being manipulated, but she forced such thoughts back down. He was not privy to that conversation so he does not know of what transpired.

"I know this is terrible to even think of but how can we be sure she is?" Rhea snapped her head towards Seteth with a dangerous glint but he did not shy away from this path. "I want to believe she is." he spoke in a tired voice. But gathered conviction for his next words " But I have to become the devil's advocate for this and ask where she was all this time." He begins to list off the facts they learned, "She doesn't know her parents and if they were Nabateans they would've never left her alone. She holds in her possession possible technology that could potentially rival the Agarthans. And she just happens to have the face of the Goddess? As such, I cannot accept this so easily, not with Flayn walking about now." He took a deep breath to steady his mind. "If I am wrong about this I will beg for forgiveness, however until then I will hold my suspicions until this mystery is solved." His shoulders slacked, revealing how much this has been affecting him, "If only for the sake of everything we care about."

Her eyes softened at the admittance. She stood up and walked to the window with her feelings in the matter in turmoil. Perhaps she had been rash when trying to convince her to stay but she doesn't regret it. Her feelings possibly blinded her to not properly thinking through this. However, she agreed to the deal and to go back on her word was something she did not want to do. To drive away that child was something she couldn't afford. Although Seteth's words had somewhat convinced her, she was at a loss on what to do.

"Thank you Seteth." His body jolted at the sudden compliment instead of a rebuttal. She did not face him. "I know it isn't easy to do what I ask like this, and all I can do is ask that you continue to place your faith in me like you always have. If my words are not enough, then you may keep an eye on her" She turned to face him. "However I am confident that she is one of us. As an Archbishop…no, as a Nabatean, I know she deserves to be with her people. To know she isn't alone in this world anymore."

Seteth didn't speak for a time. It looked as though he was still processing this. It was ok though, she would allow him the time to let this information sink in.

After a time, he spoke in a quiet voice, "Do you think her father will allow it? If he learns of what she is…" His features took an uncertain look to them when he stopped. She supposed it was due to his role as a father himself that he was worried. She walked towards him before stopping before him and sought to offer him some comforting words.

"If he truly loves her, then we may convince him it's in Jack's best interest's lie with those who know of her true self."

Her kin looked as away as he wasn't sure how she would react to his next words.

"Captain Jeralt revealed that she didn't wish to come to the Monastery. In fact, we have reason to speculate her father would have told her to avoid the church as much as possible. Would it not be difficult otherwise?"

To his surprise, when he looked up at her, her features did not change in the slightest. It seems she took the information well enough. "As much as I would like to use that as leverage against him in forcing him in for questioning, so did Jeralt for the past 2 decades. And this time I will make an exception as it can also be due to her nature that he would believe we would wish her harm otherwise." She couldn't help but allow herself to laugh. "While suspicious and convenient to have him unknown, a foreigner would be quite a terrible cover with making even the common folk eye his every moment. Especially with what she has on her person." but then again, it wouldn't hurt to be sure of these facts. "The next time one of us speaks with her, we can attempt to slowly ease her into learning more about herself. But as of now, you may shadow her for this time if it puts you to ease. Even if she isn't willing to talk to us, we can learn how she interacts with others in order to feel more relaxed. Perhaps information she wasn't willing to share with us could be slipped into talks with others her age."

"Very well, I will uncover what I can about her." One last piece of parchment appeared in his hands. "Now for our last matter," Seteth's face took a serious turn on this particular matter. "Knight Catherine has been following the lead that was discovered in Faerghus."

"And how has it proceeded?"

"Unfortunately, we are being stonewalled in this endeavor." He sighed knowing that it wouldn't end well if this wasn't revealed at the right time. " Due to the recent unrest with the Western Church, I'm afraid we cannot afford much leeway into this. And the Royal family has been oddly disruptive of this investigation."

"If the information we were told holds truth to it, then of course it will be impeded. Send another message. It matters not, it will be dealt with soon enough but have Shamir join her, while Catherine is making her presence known, few will notice another acting behind the scenes."

His business finished, he bowed and left for the preparations. When he exited, Rhea went back to the window, she looked out to the Monastery and all that she strived for

"Soon, everything will be back to once it were so long ago." she stifled a laugh, "Oh dear, the end is so close that I cannot contain my excitement."


"Hot damn, this place definitely takes some getting used to."

Looking around her and finally taking the time to explore, she ended up enjoying the small pond they kept for fishing after her trek around the dormitories. She is currently wondering whether or not she should attempt to fish. However, she regretfully didn't know how to use the rod. But since this was a school, no better place to learn. She walked up to the small pier and took out a rod. She was about to throw the line out before a voice called out to her.

"Excuse me. A moment please."

Jack turned around to see a girl with bright green drill hair make her way towards her. By her looks she must be related to the archbishop or that other guy. She was wearing …she would guess some version of the academy uniform or vestments… wait… shouldn't everyone be in classes right about now?

She stops before me and gives me a small bow.

"Forgive me for interrupting but may I ask what you were attempting?" She seemed confused at my actions.

Did she do something wrong? From the way the rod was made it seemed pretty straight forward.

"Trying my hand out at fishing. I've never done it before so I thought about giving it a try."

"Without any bait?" she tilted her head as she looked at the hook of the rod.

"Bait?"

The student raised her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. "Yes, in order to attract the fish, you need to entice them with something for you to catch them." She then let out a small gasp. "My apologies, in my haste I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Flayn, the sister of Seteth." She greeted Jack with her hand over her chest. The girl was very polite in her speech but… felt weird to her.

"Heya, I'm Jacklyn Hoffman. I prefer being called Jack." she tipped her hat. "So what were you saying about bait?" Since she didn't know about how to do this properly, might as well listen.

"Ah yes. One moment please." she went into the wooden shack next to the pier and rustling could be heard. When she returned later with something in her hands.

"Here" she takes the hook and stabs the tiny creature, a dried up grasshopper, into it. "Use this and it will attract the fish. Throw the line out and let patience become your ally."

"Thanks. Will do." Gripping the rod with both hands she raised the rod over her head and let the line fly into the pond.

"So is there anything else I have to do to make it easier or do I just wait for the right moment?"

"Yes" she lowered her voice to a whisper. "You need not worry about your grip, it is satisfactory. A warning if I may; you must not allow your voice to be heard. Calm minds and silence are key to gaining the greatest of prizes."

When she finished her words, all that was left was stillness between the two of them. Jack was curious about how things would play out while the newly acquainted Flayn watched from the sides. But luck was not on their side. Minutes had continued to pass in the silence, but there was nothing biting. Jack looked around at the dark shadows beneath the water and saw none of them nearing her line. She knew of patience as her father taught one such thing was key in her training, so she was willing to wait for a while before she would give up, but since there was an opportunity…

"So Flayn, are you a fisher?" She tried to make small talk. This was a small moment of relaxation for her so it wasn't too big a deal if she caught a fish or not. This was just something she wanted to give a try for once.

Her acquaintance brightened as she nodded her head. "Yes, fishing is one of my favorite hobbies. The wonders of fish and the life they live in the vastness of the water has always gotten my curiosity. Fishing was something that mother and father enjoyed and I took to heart."She let out a small mirthful laugh. " One thing that I must keep in mind is not to catch too many fish or else the staff might be cross with me."

"Well can't have all the fun yourself can you? Gotta let other people enjoy their turn as well." She spoke in a joking tone.

"Yes, it is with great hope that I wish to impart to others one day."

"With the other students here, I think you'll do a great job at it." Flayn brightened at the compliment. Speaking of…

"Are you a student here?" it was something on her mind as everyone else was in classes or the sermons. She couldn't tell if what she's wearing is a vestment or a uniform. She didn't receive a verbal answer and taking her eyes off the line, she looked to see Flayn puffing her cheeks.

"No I am not. My brother does not wish for me to enroll just yet." she crossed her arms in annoyance, "I am old enough to make my own decisions and he insists on coddling me." So the Holy Chamberlain doesn't want her to attend classes. Overprotective family is something she knows a little about. But what about her parents?

"Can't your parents talk to him about it?" As soon as she saw the girl stiffen at the question she knew she stepped on a landmine there. Flayn became nervous and was attempting to look anywhere but at Jack right now.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to, you know." Everyone's got circumstances they don't want to talk about. This is definitely one of those times. She coughed in her hand before she spoke again, "So uh, you say you're old enough to attend the academy. How old are you?" Best to try and change the topic as quickly as possible.

"Is it not rude to ask a lady of her age?" Flayn deflected. Geez, never thought that wouldn't work.

"Is it? Never heard of that before." That was a surprise to learn. Her answer bewildered the other girl.

"Yes, it is commonly considered rude to ask a lady her age. Something about age not coinciding with beauty. Did you not learn of this from your family?" She answered in puzzlement.

"Didn't have any until a few years back." While she was looking back at the line, she failed to notice Flayn stiffening at her casual answer as she continued on, "Spent most of my life just trying to survive. And even then all I had was my daddy and uncle to teach me and…" she really didn't want to go into detail about that.

"My apologies." At her answer she looked at her reflection in the water, sparing Jack the need to elaborate. "It is always a shame not knowing your parents and the warmth that they give."

The way she phrased it, it ruled out parental abandonment for Flayn's circumstances. But to the would-be student's surprise, her concerns were waved off.

"It's fine. I made peace with that fact a long time ago. Besides, I'm happy with what I have now. Got a daddy that raised me up with the freedom to explore the world," although with many conditions to that agreement "and an uncle that's always made sure I was prepared for anything in the world."

"I see." The conversation seemed to die down after that. Unknownst to the other, they were trying to spark it back up but didn't know how to make it any less awkward. Luckily, neither of them had to as after so long, the line was finally tugging.

"Op, got a bite." The struggle between the girl and fish had begun.

"Do not fight against the fish. Wherever it goes, move the line alongside the fish so it does not break the line." Flayn was quick to relay instructions and Jack did not ignore them. The fish turned to the left as Jack followed it and pulled it to the left. When it attempted to move to the right, so too did the rod. After every movement, Jack pulled slightly back until the final moments where she decided to give one final tug.

"Ah, wait." but before she could finish Jack pulled back, but a little too strongly. As a result, the fish was forced from the safety of its habitat and straight into the face of its assailant. The colliding fish forced her on her back with a yelp while the offending creature flopped uselessly on the surface with Jack's fedora flying off her head. Flayn was quick to Jack's side and attempted to offer a hand.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" She tried to grab her arm before a palm was shown to signal her to stop her actions. As Jack got up, she was quick to correct her visor and pick her hat from the wooden floor. She didn't notice that Falyn had locked on to her hair for a moment before refocusing on their talk.

"I'm fine, what about the fish?" They looked to see the fish and it was still flopping. She walked over and grabbed the line to see her prize.

"Welp, for a little guy, he sure packed a wallop" She held it up high to inspect it. Though small might be a little humble in wording. The fish itself was up to the middle of her bicep in length.

"Yes, and despite that one mistake, congratulations are in order for this moment. Well done." Her fish enthusiast companion complimented.

"So what do I do with this? Head to the dining hall and ask the chefs to cook it up?" She looked to her as she asked. Her companion nodded with enthusiasm.

"Yes, that would be most ideal. Come, I'll ask if it can be prepared?"

At that the two walked away with the prize rightfully earned. As they were walking…

"Was that truly the first time you went fishing?" Flayn's curiosity got the better of her.

"Using a rod, yeah. I normally got my fish another way in the past."

"Truly? What method was that?" She was beaming with excitement to learn about other techniques of acquiring fish.

"Uhhhhh" wondering exactly how to tell her of her unique method.


"FRAG OUT" *Explosion* "Awesome, three for one."


"It's uhhh *Cough* one of those ways that would normally be frowned upon…especially if I did it here…and I would totally get in a lot of trouble with the staff… and the knights."

"Oh…I see." She scrunched her face a moment before psyching herself up for a question "Well, if I may be so bold to ask…may you tell me of your adventures outside the Monastery?"

Jack's eyebrow raised at hearing the odd request. It felt odd that she was receiving such attention now…and to be honest it felt nice. Most tried keeping their distance and she was fine with that . But now…ah what the hell, it's one of the few times people actually want to talk to her and are genuinely interested in her.

"Sure but I've got a question first before I ask for something in return?" Flayn tilted her head at the question, cautiously nodding. "Have you been here long enough to know the monastery and the grounds?" Another nod. That was great news to her. "Well I'm new here, so I don't know my way around here too well." She caught on to what the question was going to be. "After this, mind giving me a walk through of this place. It'd be nice to have someone show me the sights as well as a friendly face to talk to. Think you're up to the task?"

She was nodding her head so quickly, it looked like she might accidentally shake it off. It made Jack give a cheerful laugh at the display. The two enjoyed the small walk they had as they continued their journey towards the kitchen. And thus another small friendship was made.

Guten Morgen (good morning)

Ich werds überleben (I'll survive)

Sich amüsieren (have fun)

Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye)


OK I completely forgot to add in this announcement portion. Thank you guys for reading as always and hope you guys leave a review about things. What's good? Whats bad? what do you like about it and what you feel could be improved.

I know pacing might seem a bit slow but I wanna give the classes their introductions for the moment before i start to move forward with timeskipping and all that.