A/N: Me after finishing the last chapter: "The next chapter should be short and easy since I only have two scenes I really need to write about."
This chapter: "Hold my beer!"
Blue Sea Moon 1180:
Twenty-eight of the Blue Sea Moon:
When Byleth was given the go ahead that she could leave she didn't waste any time in getting out of the infirmary, much to Professor Manuela's amusement. Sitting still was something Byleth was ever going to like and being stuck in the infirmary was just torture. Not being able to move around was already bad enough but they didn't even let her catch up on some of her grading. Though she hated her time there she did develop a new respect for Professor Manuela. She had saw the healer as kind but weak, and that changed when Byleth had tried to leave early and was face with a terrifying lecture from the older woman.
Once freed from the infirmary, Byleth immediately headed for the Audience Chamber, where the archbishop usually resided at that hour. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Sword of the Creator and she was going to make sure the archbishop understood that. As she stormed her way over, she made her disgust well known but no one seemed to notice or care.
Having to carry the damn sword was already irritating enough but having to constantly stop because of people wanting to see it was further aggravating. It also didn't help that everyone she passed were looking at her with awe and she just wanted to yell at everyone. To let them know it was all just one big, horrible mistake, but she was sure that none of them would listen.
The Audience Chamber was just down the hall from the infirmary, but it took Byleth forever to get there, thanks to the unusually large number of people that were crowding the hallway. She wanted to believe it had just been a coincidence because exams were coming up so the many students that were there were actually there for the library, but she wasn't that strong of a believer in that idea. She knew that they were there for a chance to get a glimpse of her and that just made it all the more annoying. She wondered how irritating it must have been for Professor Manuela to keep everyone out of the infirmary and she decided that she would make it up to the older woman somehow.
Right when she reached the end of the hallway, right before the Audience Chamber, a flood of people rushed from the stairs and swarmed her. She hadn't been hiding her annoyance but at that point she was struggling to not lash out and had to bite her tongue hard to do so. At all the demands for her attention and to see the Sword of the Creator she had been tempted to just give it to someone and leave. It would save her from having to see the archbishop as well as teach that woman that Byleth wasn't going to be subservient, but when she remembered how concerned Sothis had been for the sword she couldn't do it.
It took far to long for someone to finally come in and disperse the crowd, though if it had been anyone but Seteth she wondered if they would have been as successful. Disappointed groans and complaints filled the air and it sounded like music to Byleth's ears. When the area was mostly clear she turned to Seteth to give her thanks, but he just gave her a weird look instead. She didn't bother hiding her frown when his gaze dropped to the Hero Relic for a moment. She had expected him to say something, to comment on how she wasn't worthy or some other nonsense, but he never did and quietly returned to his office.
She stared at his door for a moment before turning away with a small shake of her head. She wasn't sure want to make of his actions. She wished he had said something about questioning her worth, so that she could agree but his silence was unnerving. Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her face into her normal emotionless look before walking over to the guards that stood before the chamber's doors.
After the commotion that Seteth had suppressed, she had hoped that would be enough of that but one of the knights didn't seem to get the memo. He was an overly excited young man that sang her praise and she struggled to keep her face blank. The only thing she appreciated about the knight was that it didn't take him long to request to see the Sword of the Creator and she limply held it out, and the knight didn't seem that bothered at her lack of enthusiasm as he gushed about the sword without a care in the world.
Finally, the other knight took pity on her and opened the chamber's doors allowing her the opportunity to escape. She barely managed to choke out a "thank you" instead of the "took you long enough" that she really wanted to say. The excited knight expressed his disappointment, but she didn't spare him any glances as she rushed in. A small sigh of relief escaped her when the doors closed behind her but soon a sour taste filled her mouth when she laid eyes on the archbishop.
She wanted to throw the sword at the holy woman and be done with it, but despite her fingers itching to do so, she walked ahead with all the poise that Dimitri's etiquette teacher had drilled into her when she was a child. Just like on her walk over, everyone stopped what they were doing to gawk at her. Biting back a sigh she continued to walk forward, though she found it difficult to do so with each step she took. The archbishop smiled, her usual smile, when Byleth finally stood before her.
"How wonderful it is to see you up and about again, my child," the archbishop said, and Byleth really wanted to interrupt her in order to speed up the unwanted interaction but she kept her mouth shut. The archbishop's gaze drifted over to the Sword of the Creator and her smile grew. "I knew giving you the sword was the right decision. It shines brightly in your hands because that it is where it belongs."
The former mercenary dug her nails into the palm, of her free hand, in order to prevent herself from rolling her eyes. Without saying anything, she held out the sword towards the leader of the church, and though she didn't allow herself to show off her pleasure, she did take in great delight at seeing the smile leave the archbishop's face. She wanted to be very direct with her rejection, to drop the sword at the holy woman's feet and just walk away, but her father told her to be gentle with her return of the sword and so she reluctantly did.
"I do not believe that I am worthy of the honor of wielding such a great relic," Byleth said with the practice grace, befitting the noble training she had received. She smiled sweetly to just add fuel to the fire. She was sure if Sylvain and Claude saw her then and knew of her intentions, they would be proud of her.
"Nonsense," the archbishop was quick to say but Byleth didn't allow her to say anymore.
"This is such a great Holy Relic. It deserves to be treated as such and not wasted on a lowly mercenary like me."
A silence settled over the Audience Chamber as the two women stared at each other. With the archbishop still refusing to take the sword, Byleth motioned for a nearby aid to come, who was very hesitant to do so. Not taking her eyes off the archbishop she dropped the sword into the poor aid's hands.
The holy woman scowled, and it became harder for Byleth to hide her joy. With a grand bow that she copied from Dimitri, the former mercenary momentarily broke eye contact so that she could hide her smirk. When she had her fill, she returned to her blank expression and stood straight. "I do hope that you understand that I only refused because I do not wish to hurt the church's reputation." She did another bow so she could hide her tiny chuckle.
Having said her peace and being free of the sword she quickly left so that she wouldn't have to be there any longer. She left the chambers with her head held high and a smirk dancing on her lips. The comments the knights made didn't bother her as she focused on the sound of the doors closing behind her, though she wondered if the sound of them closing was unnaturally loud because she was so focused on them.
Byleth's smugness didn't last for very long. Everywhere she went, she was assaulted with questions about her crest, the Sword of the Creator, or other similar nonsense. And those that didn't approach her, talked incredibly loudly in her presence but they were pretending that they were whispering, which she couldn't understand why. In fact, everyone was incredibly loud and were practically shouting at her even though they were right in front of her. Even the more soft-spoken people, like Linhardt, were unnecessarily loud.
It wasn't just the sheer volume of everyone that was bothering her, it was also smells. She knew that some of the students wore too much perfume or cologne, but it seemed like all of them had planned to wear too much that day. It was enough to give her a headache or at least it should have but it seemed like her crest was prevent her from getting one. She fled to the gardens to avoid everyone and the flowers must have been on the joke as well because even their scents were obnoxiously strong.
The gardens were normally a quiet place that Byleth liked to sit in but that day it was just as incredibly loud as everywhere else. She was starting to wonder if she had missed something, because she just couldn't understand why the need for such high volumes. As much as she hated to admit it, she understood that her crest and the discovery of the Sword of Creator was an exciting thing but there was still no need for the constant loudness.
The thought to hide away in her room had occurred to her but that meant she would have to leave her little secluded area and be possibly discovered and swarmed. Just picturing the possible annoying event had her remaining in her spot. The strong scent of flowers was still bad, but it was growing on her or at least she was trying to trick herself into believing that, so she didn't have to venture out.
Unfortunately, her little peace didn't last for too long as her hidden corner was soon invaded by two students. A female one, she didn't recognize, and a male one, she was all too familiar with. Neither of them took notice of her as they continued with their little indecent acts right in front of her, something she had no desire to see.
Clearing her throat loudly, she watched in amusement as they both jumped. The girl shrieked as she went about trying to straighten her uniform while the man just flashed Byleth his usual smile, as if she just didn't catch him doing something inappropriate. With a sigh, she simply shook her head and he laughed at that.
"Hey By," Sylvain said in his usual casual tone and she just gave him a deadpan look that didn't seem to bother him. "If you were free you should have told us. We could have had lunch together or at the very least we could have gone to escort you out of the infirmary."
"Sylvain," the girl said in an overly cutely tone as she latched onto his arm. "Let's go somewhere more private." Byleth stared at the girl, who refused to look at her. Did neither of them take her position as professor seriously? She was in every right to punish them; in fact, Seteth would be encouraging her to do so.
"Sorry Jannette, I have to pass for now. Maybe later?" He winked at the girl, who glared daggers back at him.
With no warning the girl slapped him across the face. "My name is Amelia!" And with that she stormed off.
Sylvain grumbled under his breath as he rubbed his injury check, but Byleth had no intension of consoling him over his injury. While she didn't want to think ill of any of her friends, she could not justify Sylvain's flirting and tendency to throw away girls when he was done with them. The girl's actions were completely justifiable and Byleth hoped that Sylvain understood that, but despite her feelings, she was unable to ignore an injury to a friend.
Reluctantly, she made her way over to him and he smiled at her, which she simply shook her head at. "I am much better at remembering their names, but you distracted me." She gave him a pointed stare and he said nothing else, but he did lean forward a little so that she could heal his cheek.
He had always been a flirt for almost as long as she knew him but after reuniting, she discovered that his flirting had spiraled into a destructive habit. It was clear to her that the habit extended deeper than the trauma his father or his brother created; and she knew he wasn't going to talk about it no matter how nicely she asked. She needed to put a stop to it not just for Sylvain's sake but Ingrid's as well, as she knew that the younger woman was cleaning up after Sylvain's messes; but Byleth had no idea where to start.
"Should I put a leash on you?" she mumbled out loud as she finished healing his cheek.
"Sorry, but I am not into that kind of stuff." She gave him a clueless stare and slowly his playful smile turned into a frown. "You have no idea what I am talk about, do you?" She tilted her head to the side, and he sighed. "How are you this damn innocent?" She gave him a warning glare, but he brushed it off with a laugh.
A comfortable silence settled over them and she couldn't help but stare at him, though he didn't seem to mind. She always knew that he was handsome, he didn't need to flatter women with pretty words to grab their attention, his looks were enough, but this was the first time she was really noticing his attractiveness. Despite all his trauma he did an excellent job at hiding it away and his brown eyes shined with a warmth that she very much enjoyed. He was very pleasing on the eyes.
His interaction with the female student flashed before her eyes. She had heard many things about Sylvain, things that once meant little to her were now suddenly pipping her interest. They say he was a good kisser, knew exactly how to please a woman, and such and she found herself wondering if those things were true and what it would be like to be on the receiving end. A blush spread across her face and she vigorously shook her head to dislodge those thoughts but that didn't stop the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, and she jumped. She looked into his eyes and the strange feeling grew. He gave her a little smile and her stomach started to twist into itself. She wasn't liking the feeling, but she didn't hate it either; though she wished it didn't come with a desire, a desire she didn't really know what for.
"Nothing is wrong," she said and looked away. When she wasn't looking into his eyes, she felt like she had a bit more control over herself. Gently she placed a hand on her check, and she felt very warm, but it didn't feel like a side effect of her crest, after all she hadn't received any injuries that needed healing. She stole a sideways glance at him, and she felt the feeling surge and she frowned.
"So, why did you not come see us as soon as you could?" His playful tone was replaced with an unusual serious one. The unexpected tone and question pulled her gaze to him and the strange feeling became an after thought as she gave him her undivided attention. His strong gaze drifted away, and she did not like seeing him like that. "Did we upset you yesterday? We really just want you to talk to us. We want to help you."
"I'm not mad at you." His gaze returned and there was a hopeful glint in his eyes. She liked that look much more, even if she couldn't continue to look him in the eye. "I had to return the Sword of the Creator to the archbishop."
"You are not going to keep it?" Her fingers dug into her palms as she scowled at the floor, before quickly schooling her features into her normal expression.
"No, I don't want it." Despite her best efforts, animosity still managed to seep into her voice. Deciding that it was too much effort to hold herself back she decided to vent, or at least try to; after all that was what her friends wanted, right? "I don't want that sword! And I don't want this damn crest!"
She was barely able to admit that before she remembered that Sylvain was in a worse situation. With a sigh she locked her feelings away. She tried to look back at him, but she couldn't maintain her gaze for long and it quickly dropped to the floor.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "Your situation is worse than mine. At least I don't have to worry about having to produce a child with a crest."
"I would not be so sure about that." The somberness of his tone pulled her attention back to him and he was giving her a look of pity that didn't sit well with her. "Thanks to that crest of yours, I am almost positive that you have become the most eligible bachelorette in all of Fodlan, after Her Highness, Edelgard, of course."
She stared at him for the longest time before her gaze drifted back towards the ground. She recalled the minor noble that wanted to marry her, during the Faerghus Founding Day tournament. He wanted to marry her only for her crest and nothing else, and she feared how much worse it would be, now that it was known that she possessed a lost crest not tied to any house. With a dry laugh, she wanted to rip off the skin that her crest covered, as if it that was all she needed to do to free herself from that burden.
"Look on the bright side!" Reluctantly, she looked at him and his large smile did bring her a small comfort. "His Highness' lov- I mean infatuation with you is so well known in Garreg Mach that I am sure it will scare off many would be suitors!"
She gave him a blank stare for a moment before walking away. "Infatuation, you say? Ha!" she laughed bitterly. "In case you haven't noticed he has been avoiding me. I'm sure he wants nothing to do with me anymore. He probably hates that I'm his professor."
"There is no way in the Eternal Flame that he feels that way!" he said once he got in front of her and forced her to stop. She gave him a small glare, but he didn't pay it any attention. "I assure you that that could not be farther from the truth!"
Without saying anything she stared at him. Looking at him reminded her of his handsome looks and the strange feeling returned, but her annoyance was suppressing it greatly. It wasn't long before he faltered and looked away, just like she expected. He could never last long under her stare, but strangely he had no problem earlier. She wondered if she was looking at him differently then and if it was because of that odd feeling. With a shake of her head, she pushed those thoughts aside to continue on her way.
"I am serious!" He once again stood in her way. "His Highness truly does lov-care for you!" She gave him her same little glare, but he quickly looked towards the right, before turning his gaze back to her and he was suddenly smirking.
She didn't say anything and continued to stare at him, and it wasn't long until he started to squirm. With a sigh she spared him from more of her direct gaze to look at the dorms behind him. Actions had always spoke louder than words to her and Dimitri's actions were a strong contradiction to Sylvain's words, even if it seemed like he had changed recently. She wanted to believe Sylvain's words, but if they were lies than that meant she would just get hurt again.
Sighing she tried to walk past him, but he didn't allow it. She frowned at him, but he just smiled at her as he leaned towards her. His face was so close to hers that she forgot how to breath and felt trapped under his gaze. The strange feeling returned and was overwhelming her as all she could do was focus on him and his good looks. The desire for him to do something to her stirred deep within her but she didn't know what it was or how to go about fulfilling it.
She wasn't given much time to be absorbed in her thoughts and desires before she was jerked back. It took her a moment to realize that it had been Dimitri that pulled her back and was now standing between her and Sylvain. Smiling widely, the taller man threw up his arms in defense and took a giant step back.
Sylvain said his goodbyes and was about to leave before he stopped and turned towards them. Dimitri positioned himself in a way that blocked much of Byleth from Sylvain's view but the philander didn't seem to mind as he was sporting his usual smile. "By," Sylvain called her name the same way he always did but for some reason that caused Dimitri to grip her hand tightly. "I just want you to know that it is okay to talk about your problems." Dimitri's grip on her loosened slightly and he allowed her to peak around him to look at the other man. "Just because someone might have problems worse than yours does not make your problems any less valid." Her eyes widen and his smile grew. With that said he finally left.
Dimitri watched Sylvain walk away while she looked at the hand, he held. When it was clear that Sylvain wasn't going to return Dimitri turned his attention onto her, who looked at him with a blank stare. He offered her a smile, but her expression didn't change. His eyes had returned to that familiar look that she liked, but she still wasn't going to give into them, or at least she was trying not to.
"I do apologize for pulling you back so suddenly," he said while offering her a small bow. "I will admit I was not really thinking and just acted." He still held her hand and her gaze drifted back up to their hands. She wasn't sure what happened to cause him to react like that and she didn't bother asking.
Her gaze remained on their hands as she continued to remain silent. She should pull away first, to spare her possible heartache, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her fingers twitched with the desire to interlock their fingers together, but she fought against it; she was pleased to know that she had at least that much control over herself. But she couldn't help herself from wishing that he wasn't wearing his gauntlets. It would have been nice to feel his bare hand. She shook her head to dislodge those thoughts.
"By?" She jumped slightly and looked up to see that he was looking at her with great concern. "Are you okay? Do you still have a fever?"
"No…I'm fine," she said after a moment of collecting her thoughts. He didn't say anything, he didn't have too, his frown was enough. "Honest." His frown didn't change. "Professor Manuela said I was healthy enough to leave." His frown didn't leave but he did give her a small nod.
Her gaze returned to their hands. She wondered if he was even aware that he was still holding her hand, and as if answering her unspoken question, he gave her hand a small squeeze. The urge to intertwine their fingers together was stronger than before so she looked at his face for a distraction and she almost wished she didn't.
He leaned forward a little and her eyes widen at just how close he got. She sucked in a deep breath without realizing it and wonderful scent of cedar filled her nose along with a new scent that she couldn't quite describe but desired more of it. Without realizing it she was held captive by his clear gaze, and she was willing to remain a slave to it. She greatly enjoyed how she was reflected in his eyes because he was finally looking at her and only her; and it pleased her to see that he seemed to have no intentions to look away.
While she was staring into his eyes, she still managed to take notice of the rest of his face. He had a nice sheen of sweat, and in the furthest reaches of her mind she had the fore thought that he had to have come from the training grounds. Her gaze settled on a bead of sweat the slowly slide down his face and onto his neck and she found herself with the strongest desire to suc- "By?" His voice interrupted her thoughts, and she was grateful for that as she wasn't sure where that thought was going.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a soft whisper, but his question never really registered. When she didn't answer he leaned even closer until he was resting his head against hers. She felt incredibly hot and it felt like a jolt of thunder magic was coursing through her veins. She could tell that he was saying something to her, but it wasn't registering at all as she was far too distracted by the strong feeling of her stomach twisting into itself and the delectable scent that was engulfing her.
Desperately, she tried to focus on what he was saying. "Are you afraid?" She was able to hear the words, but the question still wasn't registering, as the warmth of his breath against her heated skin was a strong diversion for her attention. "If you need someone to talk too, please talk to me. I know I have not been the greatest friend-"
"I'm fine," she blurted out when the haze of her mind cleared enough to register what he had asked. She didn't realize she had interrupted him, until she noticed his pained expression. "I'm…sorry." Was all she could say as she didn't know what he had been saying before hand that caused him to make that expression. Unable to look at him anymore, she tore her gaze away and tried to focus on a dog that was walking by, less she falls under the strange trance again.
"I feel…funny?" She added after a few seconds of silence as she realized that Dimitri was probably hoping for an explanation. She just wished she had a better way to describe how she was feeling.
"Funny?" He backed up and she sighed in relief. With some distance the enticing scent wasn't so strong, and she could breathe somewhat more easily. "Funny how? Should I escort you back to the infirmary?"
She vigorously shook her head. She didn't know what she was feeling but she got the distinct feeling that if she told Professor Manuela about it, she would just get teased for it. The thought of it annoyed her. She couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not that Sothis was asleep during this time.
To help ease Dimitri's fears she looked back up at him and frowned. He looked the exact same since they reunited but now, he looked more handsome, for some reason; or at least he was now stirring something within her, something that no one else had really managed to do before. Sylvain had managed to have a similar effect on her earlier, but it was too a much lesser extent and she had no idea why. What was wrong with her?
"I believe you should check in with Professor Manuela, just to be safe." At the sound of his voice, she gave him her complete focus or at least the best she could do when the strange feeling seemed to pulse with a new strength every time she looked into his eyes. "We do not know what affect your crest could possibly have on you." Was it her crest that was making her feel this way? That didn't seem right to her, but the timing made sense.
A frown danced on her lips at the lack of answers she had while she piled on more questions. With a sigh she looked away from him. The only thing she knew at that moment was the longer she looked at him the stronger the feeling became. She needed to keep her gaze away from him, but she found it to be difficult. When they were children she had always wanted to look into Dimitri's eyes because they were pretty; it was for an innocent reason but now that feeling felt corrupted and she had no idea as to why.
He called out to her and somewhat reluctantly she looked at him but before she could focus on him something collided against her and nearly knocked her forward into Dimitri. As she struggled to comprehend what just happened, she felt arms wrapping around her stomach and the person, they belonged to, rested his head on her shoulder. Whatever little trance Dimitri had managed to place on her was broken and she was ready to glare at her "attacker".
"Found you," Claude sang into her ear. His hot breath tickled her ear and sent her stomach into overdrive and her blood rushing. Blushing, she quickly covered her ear and the glare she was going to give him never formed and instead she gave him a flustered look.
He stared at her for a brief moment before a shrewd smirk overtook his features and she felt her pulse quickening at that look. "Oh?" A jolt ran through her body at the tone he used. "Are your ears sensitive?" She felt like she was at his mercy and she was completely okay with that.
Before either one of them could explore further what that meant she was roughly pulled forward and collided against Dimitri's chest. Her forehead smacked painfully on the buckle of his sword's strap and her little complaint went ignored. She didn't complain much as she felt like she had control over herself again. But when she tried to back up, he pushed her further into him and little gratefulness wore off.
Dimitri's strong grip only increased when she heard the boys arguing. With more effort than she would have liked she managed to break free. She glared at him and he in return sheepishly looked away. Her little freedom was short lived as Claude was quick to return to his position and blew on her ear. Her flustered glare morphed into a wince because Dimitri was squeezing the hand, he still held, too hard.
"Aster that hurts!" she said. Jumping slightly Dimitri weakened his grip considerably but he did not let go of her. "And you," she growled as she turned to glare at Claude, but her breath got caught in her throat when they made eye contact.
He was so close and yet she wanted him even closer. Her skin felt like it was on fire. Instinctively she licked her lips, and she was acutely aware of how Claude had keenly watched her little action. She found it difficult to swallow as the desire to do something, something she wasn't really sure of, burned within her.
The strange spell was broken by the pain in her hand from Dimitri once again squeezing it too tightly. Instead of voicing her pain, she focused on it as it allowed her to break away from Claude's gaze and focus on Dimitri's chest, as she didn't trust herself to look at his face. Desperately she wanted to calm down to be in complete control over herself, but she didn't think that was possible with both of them there, or even if it was just one of them.
"You're heavy." Her voice was more strained than she would have liked. She pretended to not notice and hoped that neither of the boys would ask about it. "Don't lean on me," she added in hopes of distracting them as well as hopefully getting her the space she desperately needed.
Claude didn't move and she was at a loss as to what to do. If she tried to push him off, she was sure he wouldn't fight her, but the problem was that she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to do that and not just pull him closer. Fiercely she tried to focus on her breathing but that turned out to be a bad idea when Dimitri's scent and a new one that she assumed to be Claude's assaulted her and she felt herself slowly surrounding herself to it. In a hopeless attempt to not lose herself she held her breath, but it quickly ended in failure as Claude's arms began to shift and she let out a little gasp.
Determined to focus on anything but the handsome man leaning on her, she looked up at Dimitri and instantly regrated it. He was glaring darkly at Claude and while she was fully aware that she should hate that look, it still managed to stir something deep within her. With great frustration she struggled to not call out to him and have him look at her with such an intense gaze. A little whimper escaped her as she dropped her head. What was wrong with her?
Finally mustering up the strength to get some control over herself, she stood straight, forcing Claude to get off her; but not before he whispered, "a shame" into her ear and sent a jolt throughout her body. She nearly cursed out loud when she found her conviction waning once again. She might have succeeded in getting him off, but he didn't let her go as he wrapped an arm around her waist and she nearly cried out. With a heavy sigh she nearly accepted her fate to be trapped between the two men.
"Um, Professor?" a new voice called out to her and she nearly shouted with joy. At the sound of the new voice both Dimitri and Claude increased their grip on her, and she quietly groaned.
As best as she could, she ignored their touch to focus on the stranger and her smile nearly fell off her face when she looked at him. It was a male student she wasn't familiar with, but that normally wasn't a problem as she was often approached by students, who she didn't know, the problem came with the bouquet of flowers he was holding. At the sight of the flowers, she was reminded of what Sylvain told her and she felt her stomach sink.
"M-may I please trouble you for a moment?" Once again both Dimitri and Claude increased their hold on her, and her hand was starting to hurt as a result.
Before she could respond, Claude spoke up, "well you are certainly bold." The unknown student flinched, and she frowned. Focusing on the student gave her the resolve to finally break away from her friends' grip.
Both Dimitri and Claude tried to grab her, but she easily slipped out of their grasps. The strange desires she was having and the weird feelings that accompanying them were still there, but they weren't as strong as her new desire to help the boy. None of them had any proof that the boy was there to ask for hand in marriage and so she decided to believe in him. He could have been there seeking romantic advice as she had been approached by many, when she first arrived, for such advice; and she latched onto that idea, wanting to believe the boy as well escape the weird feelings that Dimitri and Claude were stirring within her.
Claude scowled while Dimitri just sighed as she turned her backs on them. Now free from their grasps and not looking at them she no longer felt like she was under some strange spell, though she was still overly aware of their presence. The boy straightened as soon as her gaze landed on him. She gave him a small smile and he returned it, but it was clear that his heart wasn't in it.
He wasn't extremely handsome nor was he ugly, she would describe him as average with a boyish charm that reminded her of Ashe. A frown formed on her lips and he squirmed a little. Looks had never been an important feature to her, in fact, unless a person had some kind of standout feature, like Dimitri's eyes, she never took notice of anyone's looks before. And yet she was suddenly very observant of her friends' appearances and was judging the boy's. This was a change, about her, that she wasn't liking and she hoped it wasn't permanent one.
"I will be here if you need me," Dimitri whispered into her ear, instantly pulling her out of her thoughts. Quickly her hand flew to cover her hear and she gave him an embarrassed glare. "Sorry," he was quick to say and gave her some space, and she hated at how disappointed she felt for him doing so.
Even though he gave her some space, she still felt her pulse racing. He leaned forward and he held her gaze, and once again the desire to close the distance grew with great vengeance. She gripped her long sleeves, less she gave into her desires and pull him towards her and do…do something.
He brought his hand up and she watched it with keen interest. Swallowing dryly an immense disappointment nearly overwhelmed her when he didn't touch her and instead gestured towards his ear. The disappointment quickly spiraled into a strong bitterness that she barely registered what he said, "do not let anyone near your ears, please."
"Of course!" she said much louder than she meant too as she swiftly stormed off with little warning.
Too lost in her thoughts she rushed on ahead, unaware of the boy's frequent requests for her to stop or at least slow down. She was no stranger to Dimitri's touch and yet she wanted more of his touch and Claude's as well. She wanted it so bad. She wished Sothis was awake so she could talk to someone about it.
"Professor please!" The boy's shout finally reached her, and she came to a sudden stop. When she turned her sights onto him, she discovered that he was hunched over and breathing heavily. Looking around she realized that she had rushed over to the knight's barracks, without realizing it. Sheepishly, she offered him a small apologetic smile, but she wasn't sure if he noticed.
Patiently, she stood there waiting for the boy to recover. As she waited the smell of the stables wafted over to her and she wrinkled her nose. The smell was stronger than it should have been, unless the students were neglecting their stable duties, but she doubted that. For the Blue Lions she had assigned Ingrid and Sylvain and she knew that Ingrid would never allow for Sylvain to slack off. As for the Golden Deer she at least knew that Marianne had been assigned and Byleth knew that the girl was diligent with her stable duties. Byleth didn't know about the Black Eagles but even if that class was being neglectful the smell still shouldn't be as bad as it was.
"Uh, Professor?" the student called, and she tore her gaze away from the stables to look at him. His face was still red, and she wondered if she should get him some water, but he acted before she could make the suggestion, by thrusting the flowers towards her and bowing.
"T-these are for you!" she didn't move to take the flowers but when he peaked at her from his bow, she reluctantly took them. Once she was holding the flowers the strong scent of them had engulfed her and she struggled with not scrunching her nose in disgust. She normally liked the scent of flowers but those were just too strong. It took her a second, but she managed to say a thank you that was devoid of her annoyance.
"P-professor!" the boy suddenly yelled, and she jumped. His face was bright red, and he was struggling to look her in the eye. "I-I-I would like the honor too… I mean if you would allow me the opportunity…I would l-like to c-court you!" His face was completely red at the end and it looked like he dunked his face in red paint and she was starting to worry a little.
Byleth said nothing and dropped her gaze onto the flowers. Their scent was already offensive but now it was just down right insulting. Her gaze slowly returned to the boy, but he was looking away.
"Why?" she finally asked after a few second of silence and he flinched. She didn't want to be rude, but the timing had been too convenient to believe that he was genuine. He didn't even make sure if she knew his name. She might have chalked it up to nerves, but she was finding it hard to believe in the boy. "Why would you like to court me?"
"Uh…" He stared at her for the longest time, and a frown grew on her face. "You are beautiful! And uh…" Her frown didn't change. He wasn't the first to ask to court her for such reasons, but usually all would-be suitors would give up on her real quick when her expression never changed. She hoped that it would be the same for the boy but given everything she had some severe doubts.
"When…when did you start taking an interest in me?"
"Uh…Um…"
As he struggled to come up with a convincing answer two new voices joined their mix. Her discomfort was forgotten when she saw that it was her father and Wil joining them. They provided her with the perfect excuse to separate herself from the boy, who seemed to understand his position without having to be told. He gave her a bow before excusing himself and while she doubted his feelings, she still felt bad for turning him down in such a way.
"By, I am so glad to see you up again!" Wil said after the student left. His cheer was soothing as she was able to forget her worries for the moment. "Captain Jeralt was a mess the entire time!" Her father looked away from the boy, that was walking away, to glare at Wil, who just laughed.
"But in all seriousness, By you are just so incredible!" She titled her head and he happily went on. "I mean you were already awesome and powerful, but you just became even more incredible now that you possess the Crest of Flames!" The smile left her face. "And on top of that you also can wield the legendary Sword of the Creator!" She struggled to hide her displeasure. "You are just so incredible!" Her father tried to interrupt Wil, but he was unaware of his captain's actions and continued on singing words of praise.
"Hey By," she perked up at her name, "do you have the sword on you by any chance?" She bit her lip. "How many people get to see a Hero Relic? Let alone the lost Sword of the Creator! Can I please see it?" Her father finally got Wil's attention but Byleth took over just to put an end to it quickly.
"Sorry Wil, I don't have it on me." He made a small noise of disappointment but said nothing else. "I'm not allowed to walk around the monastery with a weapon on me. I can barely get away with my dagger."
"That's understandable, I guess. Can you show me later?" She didn't say anything and just made eye contact with her father, who gave her a small apologetic smile.
Since they were all free, they just stood around talking. It had been along while since the three of them were free to talk and it helped to distract her from her troubles. She didn't know if Wil had his fill of talking about the Crest of Flames or the Sword of the Creator, but he didn't mention them again and she was perfectly okay with that.
The cheerful mood didn't last long because a group of students had spotted them. The students had been nice enough not to approach the small group, but they were loud enough for her to hear their whispers, or their supposed whispers. Since she was the topic of their gossip, she didn't know if they had wanted her to hear them or not. To only add to her confusion, it seemed like her father and Wil were completely oblivious to the loud students.
"I need a drink," she accidently blurted out after the students' talking became too much. Both her father and Wil stared at her, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't just one drink she wanted, she wanted to get drunk enough to be blissfully ignorant to all the talk. She had vow to never get drunk again but at that moment that vow seemed ridiculous and with her father there she knew she would be fine if she lowered her inhibitions a bit.
Wil was quick to agree with a loud cheer that startled the students. Her father was hesitant to agree but between her and Wil he began to falter. He gave them a small warning glare but that didn't deter Wil in the slightest as he continued to push for a night of drinking.
"I have no problems with drinking," Jeralt said, and it was clear that he said that only to silence Wil. "But Kid, don't you have class to teach tomorrow?"
"That is okay," she said, and he arched an eyebrow. "I already have experience teaching with a hangover. I will be fine." He stared at her horrified and she instantly regretted saying that.
Dimitri had hoped that Byleth would quickly return but she didn't, and he wasn't surprised. Letting her go was incredibly difficult but he recognized that look in her eye and he knew he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it. He just hoped that student wouldn't take advantage of her kindness and naivety.
Once her crest was exposed, he had expected for Byleth to receive many marriage or courtship request that he would have foolishly allowed thanks to his idiotic actions. He was delighted that no one had taken the opportunity to take advantage of his separation to approach her with such ill intent, but he knew that it was only because of her terrible mood and busyness that kept the would-be suitors away. He knew he wouldn't be so lucky again. It infuriated him that so many would try to court her just for her crest when she was so much more.
The only solace that Dimitri had in the moment was that Claude was equally upset and that he wasn't the one alone with Byleth. Even though jealously had clouded his judgment a lot, Dimitri got the felt that the Alliance's heir wasn't trying to win Byleth's affection. Claude never looked at her the same way as so many other deplorable men did, but now Dimitri was wondering if his earlier concerns were valid.
The prince wanted to ask what Claude's intensions were, but he was unable to work up the nerve and he was sure Claude would never tell him anyway. He, instead, watched Claude as he stared in the direction Byleth left in. If the Golden Deer leader made the move to chase after her than Dimitri would be sure to follow but they never did.
Dimitri wasn't sure for how long they had stayed there waiting for her, or how much longer they were willing to wait. They didn't have to wait much longer before they were given word about Byleth from a passing Ingrid. Hearing that Byleth was with her father was a load off Dimitri's shoulders and he let out a sigh of relief. Claude quickly left after the information was shared and Dimitri wondered if he should follow, just to make sure that Claude didn't interrupt the father-daughter, but he remained rooted in place.
The thought of running into Jeralt wracked him with guilt. He was terrified of what the father would think of him for putting his precious daughter in grave danger, all because of ludicrous reasons. He was truly terrible.
Not feeling in the mood to do anything Dimitri quietly retired to his room. Even when he was in his room, he still didn't have the motivation to really do anything, nor was he sure what he should be doing. All he could do was just sit at his desk and try and fail to focus on his homework. Occasionally he would glance out of his window, hoping to spy Byleth, but when night fell and he still didn't see her, he decided that it was for the best.
He couldn't pretend like nothing had happened and just go back to the way he used to act. Byleth deserved an apology but it was an apology he didn't know how to go about giving nor did he know how much he should explain. He remembered her being concerned about the voices and he didn't want to upset her that they were still haunting him, and so he was at a lost and that was unfair to her. And with all the new things happening to her, he knew he couldn't take his time on the apology; especially not when Claude's intensions were so unclear and Sylvain's declaration.
With a heavy sigh, he moved to sit on his windowsill. He rested his head against the window and the cool glass felt nice. With everything that had been going on he had completely forgotten about Sylvain's declaration. He didn't want to hurt his friend but after witnessing Byleth's fight with the Death Knight, he finally realized he couldn't give her up. He knew he was being incredibly selfish but Byleth meant too much to him.
He stared out the window in hopes of catching a glimpse of her, to know that she was safe and to satisfy his longing. Seconds ticked by and there was still no sign of her. Despite knowing that she was most likely still with her father, he couldn't help but worry. Her enemies were so much greater than he realized, and he had done so little to protect her. Why should she even give him another chance?
Groaning loudly, he laid down on his windowsill and stared up at the roof. There were so many things he needed to do but he didn't even know where to start. No ideas came to him as he continued to stare up at the roof as if it held all the answers. With another groan he turned on his side to look out the window but all he could see was his reflection.
A chill ran down his spine and he tensed up. Shutting his eyes, he prepared himself for the voices to torment him. The sounds of shuffling outside his door, disrupted the voices and he focused on that distraction as if it was a lifeline. From what he could make out it sounded like Sylvain was returning to his room.
It was a long moment where Dimitri just stared at his door before he finally found the motivation to get up. The motivation didn't last long as he froze at Sylvain's door. This was a conversation he knew he needed to have but he had no idea how to go about starting it, let alone what to say. Sighing, he stared at the door trying to run possible conversations in his head, but when all conversations ended in a fight, he found himself losing confidence.
Grumbling, Dimitri finally decided to bite the arrow and knocked. Sylvain was obviously not expecting to be disturbed based on the fumbling that could be heard from the other side. The prince's face grew hot when he realized he might have disturbed Sylvain when he was with someone, and a sigh escaped him. If he had to separate Sylvain from a "lady friend", Dimitri just knew that the conversation was going to end in failure. A scowl quickly overtook his faces when he thought about how Sylvain could be possibly flirting with other women despite his claim that he would be going after Byleth. Byleth deserved better!
It took Sylvain some time before he answered the door, and he was all disheveled. Dimitri glared as he spied several inappropriate markings that adored Sylvain's neck and apart of his exposed chest. With a slight shake of his head, the prince decided to not chastise his friend; after all he was in no position to be questioning someone over their terrible decisions. And yet it still bothered him greatly that Sylvain would still do that, despite wanting Byleth.
The prince was ready to yell at the older man, demanding to know how Sylvain could do that to Byleth but his fire quickly subsided. He didn't want to think about it but when he recalled how close Sylvain had gotten to her earlier, the fear that Byleth might have caused those marks started to take hold. His stomach began to twist into itself as the possibility that they were caused by her grew in his mind.
"Your Highness?" Sylvain asked, and he managed to brake Dimitri out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?"
Coughing lightly into his hand, Dimitri cleared his mind. "If it is not a bother, could you please spare me some of your time?" Without warning Sylvain burst out laughing; and though he was slightly embarrassed by it, it did help Dimitri to relax some.
"There is no need to be so formal." The older man pushed open his door to allow Dimitri in. A lot of tension left Dimitri when he discovered that Sylvain had been alone. The room was beyond messy, but Dimitri managed to swallow the sigh that nearly escaped him. Despite the mess being a disappointment, it was also a small comfort; Sylvain was the still same and the prince knew Byleth wouldn't have allowed for such a mess if she had visited.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" At the sound of the door closing, Dimitri became acutely aware of everything. He opened and closed his hands several times in hopes of relieving some of the nervous energy that suddenly threatened to overwhelm him, but it did very little. Taking a deep breath, he worked up the courage to face Sylvain.
Sylvain was sporting his usual smile and Dimitri couldn't help but feel jealous at how calm the older man was. Dimitri fiddled with his hands for a moment before quickly dropping them to his side, when he remembered that it was a habit he wasn't allowed to have. A silence settled over them as Dimitri struggled to coordinate his thoughts, but Sylvain didn't seem all that bothered about it.
"Your Highness, would you like to sit?" Sylvain gestured to his desk that had been surprisingly kept neat and tidy. Dimitri stared at the chair for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, I should be standing for this," he finally managed to say something. Sylvain said nothing but he did slightly cock his head to the side.
After taking a deep breath Dimitri finally found a good starting position to work with. "I am sorry," he said with a small bow. He wanted to give Sylvain a larger bow but at the last moment he remembered that his position wouldn't allow it and he hated it; his friend deserved a better apology than what a crown prince was allowed to give. He was at least grateful he forgot about his title and limitations when he was with Byleth.
"For what?" Sylvain seemed genuinely confused and Dimitri wasn't sure what to make of that.
"I…" Dimitri's voice was weaker than he would have liked so he stopped himself to take another deep breath. Bawling his fists tightly, he looked Sylvain in the eye. "I will not let you have By!" Sylvain's unflinching smiling nearly threw Dimitri off, but he continued. "I finally realized that I cannot give her up! I want By! I do not want her to be with anyone else!"
"Finally!" Sylvain shouted as he drew out the one word. Not expecting that Dimitri was speechless and stared at his friends with his mouth slightly agape. "You sure took your time to realize that."
"Ex-excuse me?"
Smiling, Sylvain walked over to Dimitri and patted the royal's shoulder. "If you need tips, I am willing to share." Dimitri was still speechless. "Who am I kidding? Of course, you need tips!" Sylvain wrapped an arm around the smaller man's shoulders. "Between you and By, your relationship will go nowhere without some outside help. Just leave it to me! I will help you win her heart in no time!"
Dimitri finally found enough brain power to push Sylvain away and create some space but not enough power to do anything else but stare. It took a few more seconds before he could finally think to voice his questions. "What about you?" Though his smile remained Sylvain hummed his question. "Were you not pursuing By?"
Sylvain stared at the prince for a moment before realization seemed to have dawned on him. Laughing he gave Dimitri a strong pat on the back. "I have no intention of chasing after By." Dimitri gave him an accusatory glare.
"I love By." Dimitri flinched. "But I do not love her the same way you do." The accusatory glare returned. "I love her like a sister." Momentarily the smile left Sylvain's face to be replaced with a small frown. He looked away for a moment before shaking his head. "Okay," he started as he looked back at Dimitri, "maybe not like a sister." The glare didn't leave Dimitri. "I will not lie. I find By to be incredibly attractive. But who does not?" Dimitri's glare turned into a scowl because he couldn't be angry at a statement he agreed with.
"Then why did you tell me that you would be pursuing her?"
"Obviously to light a fire under you and help you realize that your actions could cause you to lose her." A light shade of pink dusted Dimitri's cheeks and he looked away.
"You know," Sylvain started, and waited until Dimitri was looking at him before he continued. "I always talked about soul mates to pick up girls." Dimitri gave him a small glare that he simply chuckled at. "I never really believed in soul mates. To be honest I thought it was just pure nonsense that girls just loved. But when I saw you with By, right after you were reunited, I started to believe that maybe soul mates were real and that you and By were definitely meant to be together." Dimitri's blush returned.
"I do not know what your goals are or why you are so secretive about them." The prince dropped his gaze. "While I wish you would ask us for help or at least talk to us, I will not force you to do so." Dimitri started to bite his lip. "I just ask that you do not push us away, especially not By. We just want to help."
Dimitri couldn't bring himself to lift his gaze, but he did give Sylvain a small nod. While he still had no intension of telling anyone anything, the fact that Sylvain cared was still a nice feeling. He heard Sylvain sigh, but he still kept his gaze locked on the floor. He hoped the day would come soon that he could finally talk to his friends about everything but until then he would at least strive to not push them away.
"Thanks Sylvain." He couldn't muster up the will to do a large smile but a small one seemed to be enough for Sylvain, who returned it.
A comfortable silence descended over them and Dimitri was pleased. He was so grateful that everything had ended peacefully and easily. Just as he was about to wish Sylvain a good night, a loud bang came from the room below and it silenced him.
Still trying to make sense of the sound, he watched as Sylvain rushed to his door. "That came from By's room!" That was enough to get him in gear and he was following Sylvain out the door. He was pleased to see that the noise had also alarmed Felix and Claude. Small glances were shared before everyone started running down the hall.
Byleth couldn't believe that she couldn't get drunk. She had lost count of how many glasses of ale she had before the bartender had to cut her off. She didn't even feel the slightest bit drunk; she might as well have been drinking water for all the good the ale did. She wanted to get drunk and bask in ignorance for a bit and yet the day just had to add to her annoyance.
The situation was made all the more frustrating with just how loud the tavern was. Loud places were never a bother for her, but the tavern had been so ridiculously noisy that she could barely hear her own thoughts. She was sure that if Sothis had been awake she would have absolutely hated it. What made the situation even more annoying was that neither her father nor Wil seemed to notice just how ludicrously loud it was. Noisy places were never a bother for them but the fact that neither of them made even a tiny passing comment on the sheer volume of the place bothered her.
Having to return to Garreg Mach sober was already upsetting but having to return while helping a drunken Wil and father was absurdly aggravating. Even though she knew they didn't mean too, it still felt like they were mocking her. At least half-way back, her father managed to sober up enough to walk back on his own.
With her patience at its limit, Byleth returned to her room, ready to just call it a night but she wasn't so lucky. Lying across her bed was the wretched Sword of the Creator. She stared at it for the longest time almost not believing what she was seeing, but when it finally sank in, she began to laugh like a mad woman.
The laughter quickly came to an end, leaving a burning rage behind. Snarling she grabbed the accursed sword and unequivocally hated how it came to life in her hand. The bright, red glow illuminated her dark room as if to taunt her, to laugh at her pathetic attempts to escape from the sword. Cursing, she swiftly left her room.
She didn't make it very far before the high moon reminded her of how late into the night it was. Despite her intense anger she knew it would be pointless to confront the archbishop at that hour; even though she wanted nothing more than to throw the wretched sword at that vile woman. Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, she swallowed the scream that she desperately wanted to release.
Even with her strong will, she wasn't able to completely suppress the deep growl that ripped through her when she threw the Sword of the Creator into her room. With a force she had never possessed before, she managed to throw the sword hard enough for it to destroy a shelf and imbedded itself into the wall behind it.
Starring at the damage she created a new wave of maniacal laughter erupted from her. She never wanted power, whether it be political or physical. But despite her lack of desire people still suspected her of being a social climber and fate was mocking her with a strength she wanted nothing to do with. Her throat burned and she found it hard to breathe as she glared at the sword.
She jumped when she felt someone grab her arm. With her fists balled tightly, she was ready to strike until she realized it was Ashe. She stared at him for a moment before she registered his concern and she looked away.
"Professor! Are you alright?" he asked as he gripped her arm slightly tighter. With a sigh she looked towards her room and discovered that Dedue also came and was doing a quick inspection of her room. Her anger melted away as guilt began to eat away at her.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Ashe increased his grip on her. She gave one of his hands a small pat but didn't say anything else.
She knew there was no way they were just going to go quietly back to their rooms, but that didn't stop her from hoping that they would do so. With his little inspection done, Dedue swiftly made his way over to her. Before he spoke, he did a quick look around. She gave him a small smile, in hopes of satisfying him without the need for questions but he wasn't so easy.
"What happened here?" he asked. Her little smile fell with a sigh. She looked away from everyone and wanted to prolonged having to give an explanation as long as possible.
Gripping her arm painfully, Ashe successfully pulled her gaze back to him. "Were you attacked?!" The alarm in his voice was a stab to her heart.
She patted his hand again and gave him a small smile as well, and this got him to loosen his grip some. Before she could answer his question, shouts of her name filled the night's air. Her remaining male students along with Claude were rushing towards her and another sigh escaped her. She was at least grateful to see that they hadn't disturbed any of the female students on their way over.
Once again, she wasn't given a chance to respond before Dimitri and Claude were upon her. She gave up on smiling and just sighed as they bombarded her with questions. Between Ashe holding her and the two lords that surrounded her, she knew she wouldn't be able to get out of that situation without an explanation, but that didn't stop her from trying.
"I'm fine," she simply said, and all the frowns she received had her sighing again.
"You are fine?" Sylvain asked sarcastically as he nudged his head in the direction of her room. She scowled at him but quickly dropped it.
"I'm fine in the sense that I wasn't attacked." The looks of doubts she received caused her throat to burn and she looked away. "I did that. All on my own," she said as she took a sudden interest in the stars above.
"You did that?" Claude asked and the genuine curiosity in his voice pulled her attention to him. He was staring at the Sword of the Creator, and something about the look in his eyes bothered her. "I did not know that the Crest of Flames granted strength similar to the Crest of Blaiddyd..." She felt sick at his tone. It was like he wasn't talking about her as a friend but as something more akin to a tool, she hoped that she was just imagining that.
"…No," she found it difficult to say just that, and she didn't want to say anymore. He turned his gaze to her, and his eyes sparkled with curiosity, but she felt like he wasn't actually looking at her. She pressed her lips together in a small attempt to silence herself, but his gaze became too much. She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, and she wanted to reach out and hold it, but since it came from Dimitri, she wasn't sure what to make of it.
"…I think the Sword…," she didn't want to say the relic's name, "gave me enough boost to strength to do that."
"Interesting," Claude mumbled as he looked away, clearly lost in thought. The look didn't settle well with her and she looked away from him.
"By, are you alright?" Dimitri asked. His eyes shined with such genuine concern and she scoffed at him. When did he start caring about her again? She was not going to be swayed by him. She wasn't going to let him hurt her again!
"I'm fine," She answered as she broke free from Ashe's grip and pushed past Dimitri to head towards her room. When Ashe called out to her, she gave him a small nod. "There is no need to worry about me."
"We are going to worry about you," Sylvain said as he stood in her way. She scowled at him but that didn't bother him. Why couldn't they let her be? She knew the answer but in her unclear state of mind that didn't stop her from wondering. "By, talk to us. If something is wrong, maybe we can help?"
She said nothing and looked away. Bawling her fists, she tried to ignore the presences of the others that joined them. With a growl her gaze returned to Sylvain and he flinched a little but stood his ground.
"Talk!" Felix demanded from her side and she scoffed without even looking at him.
"No." Felix cursed but said nothing else.
"By, we just want to help," Sylvain said in a gentle tone and she just wanted to shout.
"We are your friends!" Felix growled out. "Talk to us, dammit!"
"There is nothing to talk about!" she yelled.
The gentle call of her name enraged her more. What was the point of talking? None of them would understand what she was going through! How could any of them possibly help, when even she didn't really understand anything! They were just as useless as she was! But free from all the problems!
Gritting her teeth, she pushed past Sylvain. When he tried to stand in her away again, she gave him a glare that halted him in his tracks. No one said anything as she reached her door. Once she was holding her door, she felt a bit of her anger dissipate.
"It's late," she said but never turned to look at them. "You all should go to bed." With that said she began to close the door only for someone to grab it and stop her. Whirling around she glared at the person, who just wouldn't leave her alone, Dimitri.
He looked down at her with such pure concern that on any other night she would have given in and sought his comfort, but that night she wanted none of it. "What do you want?" He recoiled at her sharp tone, but she didn't care. "You have been avoiding me for weeks and now you want to comfort me, why?" His gaze wavered and she increased her grip on the door handle. He opened his mouth to speak but she didn't want to hear it. "Just like you didn't want my comfort, I don't want yours!" A little gasp escaped him, and he let go of the door. "Please leave!" She slammed the door in his face. She wanted such an action to make her feel better, but it didn't.
A/N: Head cannon notes:
Both the Crest of Flames and a Major Crest of Riegan can make it impossible for their owners to get drunk thanks to their great healing abilities. (And yes, I stole the idea from Captain America).
Will we ever leave the Blue Sea Moon? Hopefully soon, I'm running out of days for that month.