Hey everyone! Sorry for the long time between updates. I was working on my pieces for Yuridetta week (all of which you can find on my profile), but now I can finally get back to this fic. I hope you enjoy!
Yuri weaved his way through servants and stewards as he walked down the vast halls of House Varley. He was deep in the inner corridors, reserved for the noble family and trusted servants, and was flanked by long tapestries that had been sown by generations of Varleys. Every corner was decorated with a glimmering vase, the stone floors were free of dust, and the simple elegance of it all was enough to make Yuri feel extremely out of place.
With all the time Yuri had spent with Bernadetta in Garreg Mach and on the battlefield, he sometimes nearly forgot that her family was extraordinarily wealthy, even among other nobles. This was a girl who rarely attended any celebration feasts, preferring to spend her free time inside her room or war tent. She was also a girl who lived inside a five story fortress in the middle of one of Fódlan's most prosperous cities.
Most of the servants dutifully got out of his way, not even grazing his usual cape, but one woman stood in the middle of a carpeted hallway, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.
"You know why I'm here," Yuri drawled. "Do you want any more proof that I'm Yuri LeClerc, or is your lady's approval not good enough for you?"
"You may have my lady's approval," Stewardess Jeanne said. Her hair was in a matronly bun, and her dress was simple but well cared for, with a modest neckline that had been embroidered with blue thread. "But that does not mean you have my approval."
Yuri sighed. "Sorry, but I really don't have time for this. Bernadetta and I need to be off, so I'd appreciate it if you let me pick her up without having to sneak past you."
"You'll protect her," Jeanne said, "won't you, Germain?"
Yuri released a heavy breath through his nose. "How much did she tell you?"
"Enough," Jeanne said in a clipped tone. "She's waiting for you. I'm sure you remember where her room is."
Yuri stalked past her without another word. He took the quick turns that led him deeper into the house, finally arriving at a large wooden door. It was so tall it nearly reached the ceiling, and the wood had been expertly carved, with swirling floral design engraved into the wood. And just as Yuri arrived, he saw a tiny purple silhouette begin to ease the door open.
"Hey, Berna—"
"Aah!" She screeched. She hid behind the door, and just as Yuri had wormed his fingers between the crack, Bernadetta slammed the wooden door as hard as she could.
Normally, Yuri wouldn't have screamed. He had a high pain tolerance, of course. But this was a heavy wooden door, and Bernadetta was an experienced archer, so just this once, he screamed, "Aah!"
"Yuri!" Bernadetta launched open the door and Yuri pulled his hand back.
"I'm faster than your stewardess, you know. You didn't think of that?" He stretched out the aching fingers, relieved that none of them seemed to be hanging at unnatural angles.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Bernadetta babbled, holding her hands out toward him, but without touching. "Did I hurt you? Oh, of course I hurt you. Is it bleeding? Is it broken? Are you thinking of killing me again?"
"What? No!" Yuri forced himself to take a deep breath. "Bernadetta, it's alright. Calm down. I'm not that hurt, and I'm not going to kill you."
"Oh," Bernadetta said, but her eyes still darted between his hand and her face.
To be fair, Yuri's hand still hurt, so he took out a near-empty vulnerary and downed the last of its contents. His hand instantly loosened up, and the pain faded away in seconds.
"See," Yuri said as he wiggled his fingers in front of her face, "it's all better now. No need to panic."
Bernadetta finally lowered her hands, and she sighed in relief. "Ok. That's reassuring."
Part of Yuri was relieved at the fact that Bernadetta took his word, but another part of him was angry at the fact that she thought he'd kill her at all. But Yuri wasn't angry at Bernadetta. That would be too easy.
How have you forgiven me so easily? He wondered. You should be terrified of me. You should be terrified of what I almost did to you.
"You ready to head out?" Yuri asked.
"Um, yeah. I think." Bernadetta exited her room and closed the door behind her with a resounding thump, but not before making sure that her floor-length linen cloak wouldn't get caught in the door frame.
Yuri raised an eyebrow at her. "In that?"
"What's wrong with it?" Bernadetta asked, running her hands over a pattern of falling leaves that had been sown using shining golden thread. "Oh no. Does the embroidery look bad? But I worked so hard on it!"
"The embroidery looks great," Yuri said honestly. The falling leaves were simple but well executed in the design, and they complemented the golden embroidered vines that adorned the cape and hoods' edges. The cloak itself was a shade of dark purple, and though Bernadetta was fairly short, the cloak wasn't so long that it trailed on the floor beneath her. "I'm just saying, it's not the best for going incognito. They're gonna peg you as a noble right away."
Bernadetta mumbled something under her breath.
"Excuse me? I didn't quite catch that," Yuri teased.
"It's the only cloak I have!" She shrieked, balling her hands into fists and stretching them out to the side, just like she always did when she was annoyed.
Yuri raised his own hands in mock surrender. "Ok. Lead the way, my lady."
"Yuri, I told you not to call me that!" Bernadetta said, though she did take the lead down the House's long corridors.
"When we were kids. You're a count now."
"I don't feel like one," Bernadetta muttered as she pulled up her hood, effectively blocking out anyone who wished to get a look at her face.
"Hm?"
"Ah! Nothing! L-Let's go!"
And so they went. Bernadetta led him out through the main gate, though to be fair, it was the only gate. It did provide a decent amount of security for the House, however. It was always manned and had two irons gates you needed to pass through, and there were a few more guards on the inside of the House who were ready to capture anyone who tried to sneak in. Once Bernadetta and Yuri passed by, everyone stood to attention, and Yuri was sure that if he could see Bernadetta's face, he would've caught her blushing.
They quickly made their way into the side streets, away from the larger crowds. Bernadetta walked ahead, knowing the route they were taking by heart, and Yuri kept up with light feet. The tall buildings cast shadows on every street corner they passed, but it wasn't any good for hiding in. The streets were too clean, missing conveniently placed boxes and crates, which would make it difficult for any thief to hide. Soon enough, the two of them turned onto a cobblestone road, where prominent buildings were packed close to one another on the long street.
This was the business district, and the one that accrued the most money for all of Varley territory. Everyone here was dressed in practical but well-kept clothing, meant as much for business as it was for exuding professionalism. Long shirts, ankle-length skirts, and heavy satchels were the norm here. Yuri remembered a time when he had to force himself to avoid pilfering every pedestrian he saw. He was young and desperate, but he was also undercover, so he had to force his instincts down and shuffle his way to Varley Estate amid armfuls of potted plants.
This district was particularly cramped, but Yuri was used to it. The old buildings had been here for centuries, so even as the streets grew more and more crowded with new institutions, the people adapted. Even Bernadetta managed to slide in between the milling crowds, likely aided by her small frame—at least until a large crowd spewed out from a building that was nearly as tall as House Varley itself.
To Yuri's left was the Vallais Legal Academy, a brick building with flourishing greenery that covered its walls. Anyone and everyone involved in the former Adrestian judiciary system had passed through Vallais, and that fact hadn't changed, even after the War. Students shuffled in and out of polished oak doors, their heads stuffed in books, papers, and long scrolls detailing Faerghian laws from the academy's library. Bernadetta stood back as the students exited their class, hunching in on herself as rowdy groups of friends rushed out as the gossiped about professors and assignments.
Vallais kept up with the times, and as an entire continent was restructuring itself under the Faerghus banner, the Academy was now at the forefront of extending King Dimitri's laws and policies to southern Fódlan. One student, her nose deep into a book of Faerghian history, nearly crashed into Yuri, and the Mockingbird had to restrain himself from snatching the coin purse that was sliding out of the student's robe.
Not in front of Bernadetta, he reminded himself. But Bernadetta wasn't even looking at him. She kept her hood up the whole time, darting her way between the students as the crowd began to thin out, running with feet fast enough to be a dancer's. It looked like all that time being a scout in the war was paying off.
Yuri followed just behind, and hey, he may have used a smile or two to get some of the girls to let him through. Just further down the road were grey stone buildings that housed everything from legal offices to courthouses, and nearly everyone who came in and out of them was dressed in neat tunics. The only ones who stood out were the soldiers who walked with hard steps, patrolling the streets while constantly keeping an eye on every courthouse.
The two of them approached the entrance to the nearest courthouse, a three-story building made out of onyx. The guard manning the door stood to attention the moment his eyes landed on the purple hood, straightening himself up even more when Bernadetta pulled it back just enough for him to see her face. "My lady! You're out!" He exclaimed with as much force as Garreg Mach's gatekeeper.
"Shhh!" Bernadetta hissed from underneath her hood. "Not so loud."
"Oh, apologies, my lady." The guard inclined his head. "I assume you'll be taking the usual route? I'll send for the usual guards to follow you."
"Yes." Bernadetta pulled the hood back up. "But I won't be needing any guards today."
"You won't?" The guard shuffled his feet. "My lady, I understand you've experienced a war, but you are the only heir to Varley. If anything were to happen to you—"
"Then they'll have to deal with me." Yuri took a very deliberate step forward to face the guard and cocked his head. "Now, unless you'd like to defy the count in full view, I suggest you let us through."
The guard glanced between Yuri and Bernadetta, and Yuri saw Bernadetta's hood nod up and down out of the corner of his eye. "As you say, my lady." The guard bowed deeply. Without another word, he opened the doors to the courthouse. Bernadetta slipped in immediately. Yuri took the time to give the guard a polite glare.
The courthouse greeted Yuri with a cramped foyer, but he didn't take the time to admire the detailed banners and stairwells. It wasn't like they were going to stay for very long. He followed Bernadetta further in until they encountered a guard standing in a suspiciously empty hallway. Just like the others, he stood at attention when Bernadetta lifted her hood. He tapped the wall behind him with five quick taps, and with a quiet whoosh, the courthouse wall slid open before them.
Because just as there are courthouses and lawyers and laws, there is a place to put those who break the law.
It was a well-known secret that there is an underground dungeon that connected all the courthouses of Vallais, allowing for defendants to be held and transported without endangering the general public. And as Yuri stepped into them, he was surprised by how… orderly they were. The walls were made out of similar stone that made up the Abyss underneath Garreg Mach, and bright torches lit the way down every corridor. Guards marched dutifully, though Yuri did catch one of them taking a bite out of a peach currant when he thought no one was looking.
The corridor they walked down was separate from the holding cells, but after a few minutes of walking, they did walk past a detainee that was being escorted to a courthouse. His hands were chained and two guards were flanking him, but Yuri still picked up the pace until he could walk right beside Bernadetta, just in case the man recognized her and decided to take a hostage. The man did nothing, but Yuri still walked beside Bernadetta. Just in case, he thought to himself.
As they kept walking, Yuri's mind began to wander. He remembered the last time he was in Vallais, when he wondered why his employer didn't just send him through the underground. What better way to send in an assassin undetected than through hidden tunnels? Thank the Goddess he didn't wonder out loud, because he quickly realized that if it was that simple, they would have hired an actual assassin to do so instead of finding a kid desperate enough to go kill a noble heir.
"Is there anyway someone could be hiding in these tunnels? They're fairly…" Yuri paused as he took in his echoing footsteps. "Extensive."
"No way." Bernadetta shook her head from underneath the cloak. "They're pretty long, but there's no room. You can't even hide at the exits. The small exits are through the courthouses, and the only big exit is the road that leads straight to Enbarr Prison, and that one has three doors and over a dozen guards protecting it! The only places to hide are the cells and these corridors, and I made sure that there's no way to hide! I even stationed some of the guards from my old war battalion here!"
"You always were thorough when it came to security."
"I'm not good with sneak attacks, ok!"
"Alright, alright." Yuri relented. "What about the guards' barracks? They have to stay somewhere."
"Nuh uh. I had the guards check them last night after you left! Everyone who lives in the barracks has been here for at least three months, and you said that the people who were in the north couldn't have been here for more than two weeks. There's no way they're in there."
"I can appreciate the thoroughness." Yuri felt his mouth turn into a frown. "Unfortunately, it doesn't give us much of a lead."
"But at least I feel better sleeping knowing there's no way those evil people are in my tunnels!" Bernadetta stated happily, straightening her spine as she said so.
"… You sent the guards to check because you couldn't sleep last night. At least, not without making sure they weren't in here."
She whirled around to look up at him, and it pushed the hood back just enough for him to see her eyes. "How did you know!"
Instead of answering, Yuri just laughed. "I'm glad to see some things haven't changed."
"What do you mean by that? Oh! We're here!"
Bernadetta skipped her way up a small spiral stairwell that looked exactly like every other small stairwell they had walked past, but Yuri wasn't in a position to question how she knew this was the place. They exited through a smaller courthouse, walking onto a street that dazzled beneath the sunlight.
"Great…" Yuri moaned.
The sunlight was so bright that even Yuri had to squint his eyes. He suddenly wished for a hood like Bernadetta's, since at least that could give him some protection. This is the kind of weather all of the Ashen Wolves typically shied away from, and Yuri could just imagine Constance's reaction to the sudden change in brightness.
Still, Yuri wished Constance was here. He was tempted to contact her and the other Ashen Wolves to help with the case, but they were off doing their own things. Constance, for one, was in the former Hyrm territory preparing herself for her war inheritance. Hyrm had no successors, and as a show of gratitude for her help in the war, Shady Lady had been given authority of the area. And to help House Nuvelle regain its infamous 'former glory', Hapi had decided to tag along. As far as Yuri could tell, there was no mind-tricking involved. There was only the promise of decent food and a sorceress capable of shooting a goddamn lightning bolt at any monster that Hapi might inadvertently summon.
As for Balthus, he was off who knows where for some not-so-secret 'training'. Balthus may have thought himself subtle, but Yuri had a pretty good idea of what he was really preparing himself for.
Yuri forced himself out of his head and took in the new scenery. This was definitely a different district, as evidence by the shorter buildings, all of which were only two-stories high. People bustled around by carrying packs and milling about on horses, going in and out of the many shops along the street, mixed in amid the residential buildings. There was so much to buy that even some vendors sold their wares on the sidewalks, having set up little stalls among the midday crowds.
"This is gorgeous!" Bernadetta cried out. "Yuri, come look!"
Yuri turned at the voice to see Bernadetta looking over a stall a few paces away. Yuri walked over to see Bernadetta running her hands over a handful of colorful fabrics, some embroidered, some woven into other fabrics, and others just presented as plain, but well constructed, clothing. Bernadetta was completely enthralled, not even lifting her head when Yuri came to stand beside her.
"I'm Corinne," said the woman behind the stall. She was roughly middle-aged, and was wearing a green dress decorated with a complex embroidery pattern. "Nice to see new faces around here."
"Likewise," Yuri greeted. But as he turned to Bernadetta, he saw her stubbornly looking down at the fabrics, either not hearing the woman or being too shy to respond.
Yuri sighed. They needed to talk to people, and if this was how Bernadetta would interact with others, this was going to take hours.
But as Yuri watched Bernadetta's fingers flitter over an embroidered bluebird on the back of a jacket, an idea popped in his head. He looked over Corinne's dress, appraising the details until the woman noticed him looking.
"That's a wonderful design on your dress," Yuri said. "Did you do it yourself?"
"That I did," Corinne replied. "Took me nearly a month, but it's the finest dress I own."
Yuri nodded. "I see. My friend here is actually an expert in needlework. Aren't you?" He patted Bernadetta's shoulder.
"Ah!" Bernadetta jumped, but miraculously managed to keep the hood over her face. "Oh. Yes. I mean—I like it. I do it in my spare time."
Corinne smiled, taking Bernadetta's shyness in stride. "It's good to meet another embroiderer. I can see from your cloak that you have a good eye for detail."
"You this so?" One of Bernadetta's hands came up to rub the edge of her cloak. "Thank you! I did it myself. Well, not the cloak. Just the embroidery. Speaking of, I love the bodice on your dress! Where did you get the pattern for that?"
"Designed it myself." Corinne set her hands on her hips, letting Bernadetta get a full view of the bodice. Yuri didn't know much about embroidery, but even he could admit it looked complicated. The entire section was covered in a mix of vine-like twists, morphing into a dozen different shades of green, blue, orange, and yellow. At first, it just seemed like a pretty pattern, but the closer Yuri looked at it, the more he could see the true image: a green dragon within a sphere of its own flames.
"Took some trial an error, but I managed it," Corinne continued as Bernadetta gasped in awe. "I wondered if I should put it for sale, but what better way to advertize your wares than to wear them yourself. Besides, if we're being honest with each other…" Corinne leaned in closer to Bernadetta, covering the side of her mouth with a hand and whispering in a conspiratorial tone. "I like it too much to let it go."
Bernadetta giggled before nodding. "I can understand that. How much for these pieces?" She pulled out two fabrics that Yuri had merely glanced over. They seemed a bit plain to him, but he could say that the colors seemed nice. One was a dark red dress, while the other was a grey coat with a long coattail. "I want to embroider them myself and give them to someone."
Corinne nodded in approval at Bernadetta's choices. "This one came directly from an Almyran trader I do business with, and the other was dyed in Enbarr by an expert dye master."
Yuri's mouth dropped open. She must've already known where they came from! He told himself.
"Really?" Bernadetta asked, but from the edge of her hood, Yuri could see a smile on her face. "No way! I just picked them out because they seemed like they were good quality."
… So she didn't know where they came from, Yuri thought, holding back a scowl. He was usually right with his assumptions, and it was annoying when he wasn't.
"These'll be great gifts!" Bernadetta said, jumping up a little as she spoke.
Corinne nodded and took the cloths from Bernadetta in order to wrap them. "For your mother, I assume. She must be lucky to have a daughter with such a good sense for cloth."
"Oh, um." Yuri looked at Bernadetta, and he saw her bite her lip as she struggled not to stutter. Her hands were clasped in front of her, so tight that they crinkled the thick leather her gloves were made out of. "It—it's…"
"It's not for her mother," Yuri finished for her.
Bernadetta gasped. For a moment, Yuri wondered if that was the right thing to say. But then Bernadetta's hand relaxed, and from under the hood, she gave him a tiny smile.
"Oh, my child," Corinne said softly. "Forgive me. I did not know."
"It's ok." Bernadetta licked her lips and straightened her back. "She died a few weeks ago, but it's getting better! This is actually for someone who's helped me through it. She's my—um, my—"
"Stewardess or lady's maid?" Corinne asked, her tone light and a single eyebrow raised.
Now it was Bernadetta's mouth that hung open as she struggled to form a word. Corinne merely chuckled to herself and began packing the garments in a brown packing paper.
"I told you the cloak would give you away," Yuri said. And yeah, he was pretty proud of keeping the 'I told you so' to himself.
"Yuri!" Bernadetta yelled.
"It really is a stand-out piece," Corinne said, eyeing the cloak's golden leaves as she packed the fabrics with practiced movements. "I've seen plenty of people with cloaks pulled up in the wee hours of the morning, and I can assure you that none of them are as well-kept as yours. Nor as beautiful."
"Ack!"
"It's alright, child," Corinne said, and Yuri could tell by the slight trembles in her shoulders that she was holding down her laughter at Bernadetta's yelp. Even her embroidered dragon shook beneath the stifled laughs. "I harbor no grudges against nobles. I just wish all of them were as keen for the fine arts as you are. And as generous. I know your…"
"Stewardess," Bernadetta admitted in a small voice, more embarrassed at being found out as a noble than anything else.
Corinne hummed in approval. "I know your stewardess will be glad to receive such a gift. It is not uncommon for nobles to see their staff as nothing but a means to an end, and I know that they appreciate it when they know their lord or lady appreciates them."
"She's done a lot for me," Bernadetta said, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "Before Yuri came, she was the only one who talked to me like a person. Everyone else just treats me like I'm useless. Oh, but maybe I am useless."
"I suggest you start listening more to that stewardess of yours." Corinne had finished with the packing paper and was now trying packages together with string. As she did so, she shot a quick glance at Yuri. "You Yuri?"
Yuri shrugged. "When the situation calls for it."
"Well, it calls for it now." Corinne snipped the end of the unused string with a pair of particularly sharp scissors. "You take care of this girl, you hear me?"
Yuri scoffed in amusement. "You sound like my mother."
Corinne gave him a look and pointed the scissors' very pointy tip at Yuri's face. "And is that a bad thing?" She asked, and even the fiery dragon on her dress seemed to stare at him accusingly.
"Not at all." Yuri smiled to himself. "If you'd believe it, my mother is one of the few people I listen to."
"Thank the Goddess for that." Corinne put away the scissors and turned to Bernadetta. "It'll be two thousand gold."
Yuri grimaced at the price. "That's a bit steep, don't you—"
"Wow! That's a great deal!" Bernadetta yelled, already fishing out her coin purse from underneath her cloak. "I've never seen Almyran cloth get sold for so cheap!"
Corinne gave him an enormous smirk, and Yuri sighed, an action that was as good as admitting defeat. Even if defeat came at the hands of a Varley seamstress.
"Um, can I ask a question?" Bernadetta asked as Corinne counted the gold in her hands. "I-if you don't mind. If you mind I can just—just go."
"Ask any question you like," Corinne said.
"Thanks. Um." Bernadetta took in a deep breath, and she managed to ask the question in a clear and understandable voice. "You mentioned that there were people in cloaks in the morning?"
"Yes, that's right. It is odd, now that I think about it." Corinne's fingers stopped flicking through the coins as the woman furrowed her eyebrows. "Cloaks aren't really the fashion here in Vallais. Maybe that's why I picked them out."
"You wouldn't have happened to see what they were doing, did you?" Yuri asked, his interest piqued.
"I assumed they were leaving for work or business." Corinne shrugged. "But thinking on it, that doesn't make sense either."
"Why not?" Bernadetta asked. She was leaning towards Corinne, hanging onto the words of a complete stranger.
"Well," Corinne whispered, "they were exiting residences around here."
"And we're still in the inner districts." Yuri pressed a hand to his chin in thought. "You said their cloaks weren't well-kept, but that's hardly something you'd see on a socially-conscious noble."
"And I think I'm the only noble in Vallais who even owns a cloak." Bernadetta bit the corner of her lips as her own mind parsed through the new information. "Um, do you remember what houses they came out of?"
"Just one, child." Corinne put away the gold and passed the packages over to Bernadetta. "But isn't this something that the count better handle?"
"Uh, yeah…" Bernadetta hummed.
"Well," Yuri said, "if you give me the information, I can pass the message along to the count. How about that?"
Corinne gave Yuri another once over, but hummed in a skeptically reluctant manner. "That house over there. I remember because I saw someone go in just this morning." She pointed over at a house on the other side of the street. It was fairly similar to other houses on the street, being made out of stone and squashed between a store and another house, but it also had a flag of the Church of Seiros hanging proudly next to the front door.
"Thank you very much," Yuri said, turning to Bernadetta. "We may as well go check it out."
"What?" She exclaimed, pressing the packages against her chest.
Yuri shrugged. "Why not? It's right here."
"But we don't know what's in there!" Bernadetta said. She started swaying side to side, causing her hood to sway with her. "It could be a burglar, an assassin, a—"
Corinne gasped. "My lady!" She exclaimed.
… Aaaand it turned out that Bernadetta's panicking had caused her hood to fall back just enough to uncover the startled, mortified, bright-red face of the Count of Varley.
"Forgive me. I did not recognize you." Corinne hastily pressed her hand to her chest and bowed to Bernadetta.
"Ack! Oh no! Please! It's ok!" Bernadetta assured, but her high-pitched tone and frantic hand waving didn't do much to assure Corinne, who kept bowing.
A few murmurs spread around them, and Yuri turned to see some members of the crowd turn their heads to see what the commotion was. Yuri muttered a curse under his breath.
"How 'bout you move along!" He yelled, stepping in front of Bernadetta she that she'd be hidden behind his cape. "It's rude to stare, don't you know?"
One passerby spoke up. "But what's—"
"I said," Yuri hissed back. "Move. Along."
This was the moment where being the leader of a gang paid off, because due to Yuri's tone or the look on his face, everyone who had been staring quickly went about getting as far away from the stall as possible.
"I promise, you don't need to bow!" Bernadetta was still saying.
"How about we all calm down?" Yuri said, spinning around to face the two women. "Bernadetta, take a deep breath. No need to get all worked up. Corinne, I assure you, Bernadetta doesn't mind if you forget to bow. Honestly, I think she'd prefer it if you didn't."
Bernadetta lowered her hand, and it now only shook slightly. Corinne also stood up from the bow and straightened out her dress. "Thank you for your purchase, my lady," she said, and thank the Goddess the picked up on the whole 'incognito' thing. "I hope everything goes well."
"Um, thank you," Bernadetta mumbled, still clutching the brown packages close to her chest. "I hope things go well with your stall, too! Your clothes are beautiful! Bye!"
And with that, Bernadetta dashed into the crowds, leaving Corinne blinking in shock as she processed what happened.
"Forgive my friend," Yuri said to Corinne. "She gets a bit shy around new people, but I think she like you." Yuri winked at the woman, adding a little smile in there for extra charm.
Corinne simply nodded, still in a slight daze. "O-Of course. Come again!"
Yuri walked into the crowd, quickly finding the purple cloak leaning against a house on the opposite side of the small street.
"That was a disaster!" Bernadetta moaned as Yuri sidled up next to her against the wall.
Yuri crossed his arms in front of him. "Really? I think it was a success."
"How?" Bernadetta demanded, and based on how her shoulders hunched, Yuri wondered if she wanted to turn into a rock again. It would be a purple rock, but at least it'd be a rock.
"You actually maintained a conversation with someone you barely met," Yuri explained. "For you, I count that as a high achievement."
"Is that a compliment?"
"If you want it to be."
Bernadetta swatted his arm, and Yuri laughed. Bernadetta had pulled down her hood again, but Yuri could still she the lower half of her face, which meant he could see the small smile on her lips.
Yuri cocked his head, and the two of them walked down the street towards the house Corinne had directed them towards. The crowds had thinned somewhat, so as they walked towards the flag of the Church of Seiros, Yuri also spotted one of Vallais' guards doing a patrol up and down the thin street.
"Hey! Guard!" Yuri yelled, gaining his attention.
"What business do you have here?" The guard asked as he marched up to them.
"Sheesh. That was a pretty harsh greeting." Yuri shook his head. "We're here on business for the count."
To Yuri's surprise, Bernadetta pulled her hood back just enough for only the guard to look at her face.
The guard stood at attention and began to bow. "My la—"
"The count who wants to remain incognito," Yuri hissed.
"R-Right," the guard stuttered, pulling himself up and readjusting his grip on his spear.
"Did you see anyone go into this house this morning?" Yuri asked.
"It was probably at the crack of dawn," Bernadetta said in a determined voice similar to Yuri's. But because this was Bernadetta saying it, it sounded more cute than serious. "The person probably looked really suspicious and up to no good."
"I'm sorry, my la—I mean, no." The guard cut himself off and forced himself to restart the sentence. "I'm sorry, I didn't. My shift starts an hour after dawn. But I promise, I haven't seen anyone come out!"
"T-Thank you," Bernadetta said. "Um, go on!"
Yuri leaned down and whispered, "It's 'carry' on."
"Carry on!" Bernadetta said, her voice only squeaking slightly.
The guard marched away, his steps a bit louder than necessary. Yuri and Bernadetta then went to the house. It really did seem fairly ordinary, if you ignored the giant flag. Yuri twisted the door knob, but alas, the door was locked.
So Yuri did the next best thing and took out his lock picking tools. He crouched down and placed the delicate instruments into the keyhole, again thanking his cape for blocking the view of any passersby.
"Yuri, is this legal?" Bernadetta asked. Because she was not a passerby and was actually standing right next to Yuri, peering over his crouched shoulder as she gripped her packages close to herself.
"Only in Vallais. Provided I have permission from either the courts or the count." And with the most innocent smile a guy like him could pull off, he stared Bernadetta straight in the eyes.
It only took three seconds for Bernadetta to huff out, "Fine! Do it!"
Yuri smirked and went back to work. It was a fairly simple mechanism, and it only took a few movements before Yuri managed to twist the lock open.
The two of them entered the house silently, closing the door behind them. Without the noise from the street outside, the inside was quiet, and the only noises were their steps on the creaking floorboards. The house was fairly plain, with only a single painting of a tall man in white robes, but those objects were of good quality.
"Whoever lives here hasn't been here long," Yuri said, his eyes still looking around. "They've only just started making this place a home. No one buys a painting of St Cichol that nice unless they have money."
"Still, doesn't it feel too empty?" Bernadetta wondered. She had pulled back the hood completely and was looking around with the same fascination as Yuri. "There aren't even any books in the bookcase over there."
Yuri followed her gaze and saw said bookcase. It was small, with only two shelves, however… "You'd think," he said, "that someone who's religious enough to fly the church's flag would have more texts on said church's religion."
Bernadetta only nodded.
"Stay close to me," Yuri said.
"Don't need to tell me twice."
Bernadetta set down her packages on the empty bookcase so she could have her hands free, and the two of them stalked around the house. Once again, there was almost nothing in the next room, save for a few chairs that served as a meager living room. The kitchen was also empty, but the pantry was fully stocked with bright fresh produce.
Yuri and Bernadetta traded a look. Someone was living here, but they still had the question of where that someone was.
They slowly crept up the short flight of stairs that led to the upper floor, passing by another painting. This time it was of St Macuil. It showed the saint standing amid a warring battlefield, with his strange crest glowing in the painted foreground. No person in Fódlan actually possessed that crest, and Yuri only recognized it because of the amount of times his mother had dragged him to church as a child.
They walked into the first room they saw. This room was, again, fairly empty. It was a bedroom with a double bed, and the sheets had been perfectly tucked around it. There were more bookcases, ones that were so tall they brushed the ceiling, but again, they were devoid of books.
"Maybe there's something under the bed?" Bernadetta asked.
"Maybe. How about you take a look?"
"Wha—" Bernadetta yelped. She looked at the bed, back at Yuri, then back at the bed. "Oh, fine! But if a monster starts eating my face, it's your fault!"
As Bernadetta crawled down under the bed, Yuri looked around the room. There was nothing on the desk that sat against a wall, but there was a closet in the corner.
Yuri pulled out a dagger as he approached the large closet. As he got closer, a familiar smell filtered through his nose, and his body tensed.
With his other hand, Yuri launched the door open. He pointed his dagger at the inside of the closet, but to his surprise, no one jumped out to attack him.
Well, no one living came out.
"Damn," he hissed.
"What?" Bernadetta asked from beside the bed.
"After you agreed to help out with the investigation," Yuri said as the stench of putrid flesh and blood poured out from the closet. "I told you about this stuck-up prick I met at the tavern yesterday. Remember that?"
"Yeah?"
"Well," he said, staring down at the corpse of a man who had tucked his long hair into a bun. "Looks like I won't have to worry about running into him again."
The corpse's eyes had been left open, frozen on the terrified image of a man who, in his final moments, realized he was going to die.
Great, Yuri thought. This day is just getting better and better.