Author's Note: Hello everyone. This chapter has been edited and re-written for better reading.
All-Natural; eastern floral scented; prevents tears.
These were the promises guaranteed on the shampoo label or your money back.
Was it possible for Delthea to sue for false advertising?
She remembered overhearing stories of people from guests at the inn having pressed charges for much less. She was sure that this "floral" scent did very little to mask the gross feeling emanating from every pore of her skin. Additionally, the soap did not prevent tears.
Delthea still very much felt like crying.
It had been less than an hour since the… incident… but everything about was still fresh—too fresh—in her mind.
She honestly couldn't believe her luck. Meeting a handsomely mysterious stranger on a ship and then pairing it with projectile vomiting. If there was a list of worst first impressions, that would rank among the top, no contest. There was little else you could do to salvage yourself after that other than simply peacing out from existence. The person whose day you had just completely ruined would have every right to hate your guts. Literally.
But that's also where Delthea couldn't believe her luck. Instead of shunning her or tossing her overboard like any sensible person would after receiving a gastrinal onslaught like he had, Byleth wasted no time in helping her.
The shower she was currently in, washing away the stains of her sin, was proof of that. It wasn't anything fancy, but Delthea wasn't in any position to say no. She'd also have been more hesitant to not only barge into a complete stranger's room but also use their shower, however, time was of the essence.
The lurch of the ship that caused this entire ordeal earlier, according to Byleth, was a sign that they were getting close to shore. That meant getting off the ship, collecting luggage, and going on your merry way to the academy. Supposedly, there was a schedule to follow and missing it or messing it up would cause some headaches. Delthea hadn't the slightest clue what the schedule was but any chance she had to get off this damn boat was one she was going to take.
There's only one problem, Delthea thought to herself as she shut off the shower faucet, muting the din of the bathroom to now reverberate her racing thoughts.
"I have no clothes."
Though neither she nor Byleth came out of the incident earlier unscathed, Byleth had the benefit of wearing his coveralls. Though thoroughly unpleasant the experience was, his clothes (as well as most of his sanctity) remained intact.
Delthea wasn't so lucky.
Her outfit, the cute one she had prepared for the academy outing, was utterly ruined for obvious reasons better left unstated. Byleth informed her to drop off her clothes in the chute by the bathroom, saying it led to the ship's cleaners. That was great and all but that also meant she had nothing else to change into. Her only other clothes were neatly packed in her duffel bag with the rest of the ship occupants' luggage in the cargo hold.
Byleth recognized the problem immediately and excused himself from his room. From outside the bathroom door, while she was getting ready to exorcise herself, he told the girl that he would go visit one of the ship's shops to see if they had any clothes to spare. Delthea didn't disagree that she needed clothes but secretly hoped Byleth wouldn't pick something in poor taste. She had caught a glimpse of some of the t-shirts on sale at the gift shop. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the prospect of donning a shirt screaming "I 3 Port City" in that tacky font tourist shirts all had. Who in the world would unironically wear those anyway? As if she needed anything else to show off just how out of place she was.
She may have been from the middle of nowhere but she'd like to believe she was more sensible than most would give people from the countryside credit for.
After she stepped out of the shower and finished drying herself off, Delthea took one long look in the fogged up bathroom mirror while continuing to wring out the water still clinging to her hair. She wiped away at the steam-soaked glass with her free hand, coming face to face with a pleasant looking seventeen year old wearing the most disgruntled look anyone could find.
Yep, no lasting visible damage from the incident.
Her skin had mostly regained its rosy color and she could more or less stand up straight without any lingering discomfort. That wasn't to say she felt as great as she looked (which, in her opinion, she looked pretty good. Good decision on getting that shoulder length haircut before coming here!). She felt like a disaster inside.
Had it been anyone less patient and understanding than Byleth, she would've ended up losing her mind. Her prayers had been answered and were continuing to be answered by that very boy. Why was he so intent on helping her?
Those questions bounced around inside her brain as she wrapped herself with a long towel before stepping out of the steamy bathroom.
The cooler temperature of Byleth's room hit her like a wall of cold air. After a hot shower, it was refreshing. Delthea thought it was very much like the boy, from her short time with him, to have a cold room. With that thought in mind, she continued to look around the room.
It was rather threadbare. There was a sleeping cot in the middle of the room with a small desk at its side for paperwork. Aside from the porthole on the wall resting adjacent to the desk, the room was void of any personal decorations. Nothing in the room gave away anything regarding Byleth's likes, dislikes, or deeper personality cues. Perhaps he didn't spend enough time in here or aboard the ship to really get around to making this room his own.
Then again, that was assuming this wasn't what his personality was like: Cold, frigid, solitary. Delthea was still trying to figure the boy out, which wasn't exactly all that easy from their brief, yet tumultuous interaction. She would put those pieces together later though, for something had caught her attention.
From this small inspection, Delthea found something she hadn't before she got into the shower. On the bed was a small paper bag and a folded piece of paper sitting next to it. Upon looking closer, she saw that both the note and bag were addressed to her. She picked up the note which adorned her name.
For Delthea. Bag contains a fresh change of clothes. I'll be waiting for you at the deck.
Byleth must've come back before she finished and left this for her. The boy also had the forethought to stay away from the room to avoid any potential awkward interactions that could arise. How considerate of him.
Setting the note aside, Delthea reached into the paper bag to pull out the clothes Byleth purchased for her. The first thing she grabbed felt... like a shirt.
...
There was no way… Right?
Pulling the clothes out of the bag, she stretched it out in front of her to get a better look.
…
Just my luck.
"You're here. I'm glad the clothes fit… Though I have to ask, why is your shirt inside out?"
"So I don't stand out."
"But you're wearing your shirt-"
"It's a statement of fashion, okay?"
Here Delthea was, a girl in an inside out t-shirt tucked into her cutoffs with beat up old boots lecturing a boy in a tailormade outfit of slacks, a turtleneck sweater (which was very form-fitting, she might add), and expensive leather shoes on the finer points of fashion. Byleth caught on very early to not press the matter any further, to which she was thankful.
On the way here, she had run out of fingers to count the strange looks she encountered before meeting up with Byleth. Upon exiting Byleth's room and heading to the ship's main lobby, she got quite a handful. There was a movie playing in the background for passengers to watch (one that Delthea recognized and loved) but that wasn't enough to distract them from the "fashion statement" she was, marching through the lobby. As she was leaving to the deck, she swore she could hear the whispers of onlookers as she passed. Not like she could blame them. She'd do the same if she was herself.
She knew she really had no right to be ungrateful. Byleth had basically bought all the clothes for her out of pocket and mostly got her size right. Though certain areas were a bit looser than she would've liked, she wasn't going to complain. And as disagreeable as the tourist shirt was, she'd just confidently grin and bear it in the best way she could. Even if people were looking at her weird.
"So," Delthea began, trying to shift away from discomfiting thoughts, "what's the plan? I mean, what's your plan from now?"
"Once the boat reaches shore?" The boy turned towards her. "As prospective academy students, getting to school grounds should be imperative."
Delthea barely contained her disamusement. "That's it? You don't plan on doing anything more interesting before you get to the academy? Something fun?"
"Something… fun?" Byleth inquired. It was as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "What do you suggest?"
Delthea didn't expect the question to be spun back to her. It wasn't like she had an answer ready. This was her first time away, REALLY away, from home. She didn't know what to do with the newfound freedom she currently had nor had she really given it much thought. She had more pressing matters to deal with earlier after all…
"I… don't know. I've never been to Port City before. That's why I was asking you."
"I see." Byleth responded, folding his arms. He was quiet for a moment, organizing his thoughts. He looked up towards the girl.
"The docks where we will be arriving are renowned for their shops and goods they sell. They might be worth checking, if you're interested, that is."
Delthea looked at him inquisitively. "You've been here before?"
He nodded. "Enough times to know the area."
That gave her an idea. Not her proudest, but an idea.
"If that's the case," Delthea began, clasping her hands together, trying to come off as convincing as possible, "Perfect! You can be my guide! I've never been here before. I don't want to get lost."
You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take... Not exactly the most reassuring sentiment but-
"Sure. Is there anywhere you'd like to go first?"
A breath she didn't know she had been holding burst from her lungs, causing her to noticeably heave. For someone who had just asked so confidently, she was certainly nervous, but that feeling was quickly overridden by her growing excitement.
Her eyes widened as an uncontainable smile crept across her face. It had been that easy. Delthea couldn't wait to get off of this damn boat. Her luck was truly turning up for the better. If only the world could see her now-
"Look, Lukas. What on earth is that girl doing, wearing her clothes like that?"
"Anna, you know it's not polite to stare at the unfortunate."
…
"... A clothing store, perhaps?"
Chapter End
