Claude made good use of the morning. When Hilda finally rolled off his couch (after at least three alarms and four alerts on her phone) and padded through to see where he was, he'd finished the review and several other little pieces that had been kicking about his work list longer than they should have.

She murmured a "Good morning," as she worked through her notifications, pausing on one or two of them "Balthus says my 'Guest' got away okay… and I have an offer for a commission."

"A good one?" Claude asked, leaning back in his chair to look at her

"An expensive one," she answered, "big time cosplayer, look at these reference shots" she added, practically shoving her phone in his face.

Claude whistled "That looks pretty intricate… you gonna take it?"

Hilda's eyes scanned over the pictures again and again; Claude could almost see the calculations running through her mind as she considered time and materials and effort. But at last, when she looked up again, there was some of that spark back in her eyes.

"Fuck it. I will." She announced, and turned back to her phone to start pulling up lists of materials and making notes.

Claude was very careful not to let his grin escape until he was fully facing his own work again.

~o~*~o~

He didn't even have to wake her up the next morning. In a strange reversal of the usual dynamic, Hilda was practically hounding him out of the door.

But, considering they were going to see Lorenz and Marianne, it might not be that strange. The first stop was Hilda's place to check all was as it should be, pick up her gift and let her take a shower with her own supplies and use her own cleanser. This, apparently, was of paramount importance and non-negotiable.

While she did that, Claude made tea and, riding high on his success from the past few days, attempted to clean up the dishes that had been left in her sink for goodness knew how long, rinsed, but not really cleaned.

His competent streak did not last.

Just as Hilda emerged from the back, Claude fumbled a plate and, in his attempt to catch it, knocked over their mugs and sent a wave of tea-and-suds along her counter. Hilda jumped to, in order to save her mail and other things that had been left at the counter's edge, but not before the wave had partially washed over one sheet of paper she held up, still dripping, for scrutiny, as Claude grabbed a paper towel to mop up beneath.

"Oh! That's nice," she said "A thank-you note."

"From your guest?" Claude asked, trying to set everything back upright without further incident.

"Mmhm," Hilda confirmed, focused on the wet part of the paper "You've managed to ruin the signature though, and I guess that was mean to be a phone number… B- Blinda? Blair? Is that an "E"? No, an "F"? B-something F-something?"

"Balthus's Friend?" Claude suggested, standing back to dry his hands

"Probably." Hilda agreed, setting the note carefully aside so it would dry properly, then looked over the counter with a sigh "Shall we just pick up drinks and snacks on the way to the train?"

Claude, just finishing putting everything back in order, nodded "Probably the safest bet."

~o~*~o~

Lorenz and Marianne had chosen to make their home up in the forested, mountainous, region of Leicester -close to Marianne's family and about as far from Lorenz's as they could get without leaving the country.

When they had, Lorenz's overall demeanour had improved drastically overnight. He smiled much more freely -and simpered far less. Since Marianne had announced her pregnancy he'd been downright pleasant. Claude wondered if that would last beyond the birth, but he was reasonably optimistic about it.

The house was bustling with Marianne's colleagues and friends of the couple, with the expectant mother enthroned on a comfortable chaise while her husband fluttered around their guests. Marianne stood to greet them, even though Hilda tried to wave her down, but Marianne was not to be deterred, and drew first Hilda then Claude into a brief one-armed hug (as much as presents and baby bump could allow) before they were pulled into the general mingling and hubbub.

~o~*~o~

The party was a flurry of gifts and games, but the swell of it didn't last too long for comfort; people had to get home and didn't want to intrude very much on the couple. Claude was standing near a window watching the few close friends who remained drifting into smaller groups when Lorenz approached him, tea in hand.

"Chess?" his host asked, with a perfectly arched eyebrow and Claude grinned

"Hilda told you? Really, you should be flattered. I figured a child of yours would be a worthy opponent. I just neglected the fact that they wouldn't be capable of holding the pieces right from day one."

Lorenz sighed and shook his head, but he was smiling as he stood alongside Claude, facing back into the room to watch his wife. "Honestly, I don't know what to do with you, Riegan." Claude just grinned, sipping on his own tea.

"And, how was the Rose?" Lorenz queried.

"Stuffy. Formal. Pretentious." Claude listed off immediately "…Although the food was excellent."

Lorenz frowned "I thought we'd hit that semi-formal tone. First dates, and the like?"

Claude snorted "Graduations, where Mum and Dad are still footing the bill, maybe. Anniversaries certainly. But no eighteen year old kid is taking a first date in there. Too much pressure. If you wanted a date spot then you need to lose the extra knives and forks. And the maître 'd."

Lorenz's eyebrows shot up in surprise "That's not what my Father told- He put in a maître 'd? -You're quite sure?"

"I'm excessively sure." Claude answered with a grin, as an excited squeal went up from the chaise where Hilda and Marianne were sitting with another girl, whom Claude vaguely recognised as having been with Lorenz's Best Man, Ferdinand, at their wedding a few years prior; was it Dorothea? She held out her hand and Claude was almost dazzled by the rock adorning her finger. There was immediately a flutter of activity around them, and Claude watched on bemused as Hilda and Marianne let off rapid-fire questions to her.

Suddenly Marianne was on her feet, moving past them and only pausing to give Lorenz a reassuring glance and quick peck on the cheek as she called back something about contacts and florists to the girls.

"I suspect we're about to be overrun with wedding talk." Lorenz commented "Would you rather take a tour of the nursery? Escape Hilda's eye?" He asked, with a teasing lilt to the last.

"You are a true friend, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester." Claude agreed "I don't think Hilda's in a place for matchmaking at the moment, but I'll take the tour anyway, show me what you've done to the place."

"Oh?" Lorenz asked "Has something happened?"

"Tell you later," Claude hedged as they were joined by a beaming Ferdinand and Lorenz led them out to the rest of the house, just as Marianne swept past them back into the room.

"Here!" Marianne exclaimed, as Claude shut the door behind him, making her way back over to the chaise where Hilda and Dorothea were perched elegantly, "I really can't recommend Mrs Eisner enough, she was even able to track down real heritage Gloucester roses for us, but she only advertises locally around Garreg Mach. I couldn't have asked for better; the business is Flowers by Sitri, here's the card."

~o~*~o~

Hilda didn't fall in with him for the last quarter-mile on her usual running day, but Claude had expected that. She was flaky about showing up when it rained, looked like it might possibly rain sometime in the next century or she just hadn't woken up. Whatever magic Marianne might have worked on her, however much support was there, even he wasn't optimistic enough to believe that it'd have been enough to get Hilda back into her exercise routine so quickly.

So it surprised him when she was waiting for him at the coffee stop the day after that with his order already in hand, chatting comfortably with Annette while she waited for him.

She seemed to be okay. She was wearing more make-up than the minimum, and she'd responded to the last five cat-memes he'd sent her with three of her own, which he took as something beginning to approach normality. In public at least.

"How's the commission going?" he asked once they'd started meandering back out of the park, choosing a safe topic to start with.

"Oh, really well." Hilda answered "I'm almost out of silver wire, but it's going to be worth it when it's done."

Claude hummed an acknowledgement and allowed the quiet to fall around them as he started on his coffee. Hilda laced her hands behind her and was swaying them side to side as she paced alongside him.

"Sooooo…" she began, and Claude braced himself as he realised he was about to be asked a favour "are you busy the day after tomorrow?"

"I could be, or I could not be" he hedged, "depends what you have in mind."

"Well, a friend of mine is up for some Military Award Honours thing over at Garreg Mach, and I figured it would be nice to just... get out of town. Y'know?"

On the surface that seemed reasonable. The trouble was that Claude knew nothing made Hilda feel better than meddling with his life, and as much as he'd like to just support her…

"By any chance, does this friend of yours happen to be single?"

"Who, Leonie?" Hilda asked, voice beginning to pitch upwards "Pffffft." She dismissed, waving a hand airily "Although, now that you mention it-"

Claude groaned. "My, would you look at that, it seems my schedule has suddenly filled up."

"Really, are you still doing this?" Hilda snapped, and Claude was taken aback by her tone "This whole single thing is not fun, Claude. It's miserable. People need people! I tried to set you up with so many awesome dates but no. Did this Ex of yours really do such a number on you? How long have we known each other, huh? I never even met her! Did you ever even try to move on?"

"What? Hilda- no, that's not what-"

"Or maybe she has the right idea keeping away from you!"

"...Is that what you think of me?"

Logically, Claude knew it wasn't. Logically he knew Hilda hadn't meant to make any implications against him.

That didn't stop the hurt creeping inward under his skin. That didn't stop the way he could feel his face forming into that reflexive mask he'd thought he'd done away with.

He saw Hilda recognise the line she'd crossed. He saw her working at an explanation.

But he just couldn't.

"I'll see you when you're back." He told her flatly, before she could say anything more, and stormed off, throwing what was left of his coffee in the first bin he passed.

~o~*~o~

By some miracle, Leonie was off duty and able to meet Hilda at the station at the base of Garreg Mach. Despite being in her full dress uniform and Hilda being as dolled up as she could reasonably be after a three-hour ride, Leonie insisted on dragging them into the nearest fish-and-chip shop for "actual grub".

"I've been on company manners all day." Leonie insisted "I need this."

So Hilda found herself picking daintily at a small portion while her friend alternately went to town on her own meal and dispensed unrelentingly blunt life-advice.

"So you made a mistake and said something hurtful. Own it and apologise. I don't see why this is a big deal? Isn't this the guy you said you'd set Marianne up with before she and Lorenz went all lovey?" she concluded after dragging the whole story out of her. From Caspar's sudden urge to travel, to the break-up, to that moment in the park when she'd lashed out at someone who didn't deserve it.

Hilda sighed "When you put it that way I guess it isn't. I just feel really lousy in the meantime."

"Well that's to be expected." Leonie answered, and finally cast a sympathetic eye over her "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Oh," Hilda replied airily, putting on a show of it "this sort of party I can handle in my sleep."

~o~*~o~

General Goneril's daughter, Major Goneril's sister, was certainly capable of sitting serenely through the usual speeches and accolades. Of laughing politely at the military humour, of schmoozing alongside the other notable figures in Garreg Mach's grand reception hall after all the presentations, after seeing Leonie received her commendation.

Hilda waited patiently for her friend to receive all her well-deserved congratulations, and wished again that she had Caspar here with her; or Claude, or Marianne -Lorenz would even be a good companion at this sort of event. She needed company at her side after the last acquaintance of her family had moved off for other conversations. She wasn't made for this wall-flowering business, but she didn't have the heart to throw herself into the socialising.

Eventually Leonie made her way over, and Hilda was better able to enjoy the gossip and atmosphere, especially once Leonie had pulled her into a game of telling each group a different location for where her next deployment was going to be.

"Where are you being deployed to?" She queried in a quiet moment between other well-wishers.

"Classified." Leonie answered with a smug grin

"Wait- really?" Hilda asked in some surprise. "No. You're having me on."

Leonie laughed and began her reply, only to be interrupted by another woman approaching

"Leonie-"

"Oh! Hey!" Leonie cheered "Hilda, have you met-"

"-Leonie, I'm sorry," the woman interrupted, as Hilda scanned her. Her hair was a dark blue, her eyes were a match and she had dressed up in civvies much as Hilda had. Her dress was a pale pink with a pretty sweetheart line and a black lace overdress that added more length at the back in a sweeping tail that emphasised her well toned legs in a way Hilda could only approve of "Mum is really tiring now, and my flight is first thing so I'm going to take her home and get some rest. Dad is staying around though. He says the next round is on him."

"Oh. Oh, of course." Leonie answered, pulling the other woman into a hug "Thank you for coming!"

"I wouldn't have missed it." She assured, smiling "Goodnight, and congratulations again."

Leonie waved as the woman left, catching the eye of another lady, the mother, as the woman adjusted a shawl around her and offered an arm for her to lean on as they made their way out. She sighed, but turned back to Hilda happily enough a moment later.

"Come on then. Let's get a drink, and if you can guess where I'm being deployed I'll admit it. But you wont." She taunted, and Hilda felt the challenge pulling her up.

~o~*~o~

Claude had expected Hilda this time. He said they'd talk when she got back, and here she was, waiting just outside the coffee stop. She reached out to offer his usual order to him, and he took it, but made no move to take a sip or say anything, instead meeting her eyes directly.

"I'm sorry." Hilda said "I said something hurtful and uncalled for. It… really was a lot more about me than it was about you."

Claude let out a long slow breath and nodded before taking a sip "Alright," he agreed and turned so she could fall in beside him on the usual path. "About you, huh?"

"I'm not… good at being alone." She confessed "I don't know how you do it."

"Well," Claude began "my deep-seated trust issues certainly aren't something that ought to be taught as a coping method." He huffed "I don't know Hils, maybe you're just one of those people who always needs to have a person. You're not wrong, exactly… if it works for you. But it does get a bit much when you assume everyone is the same. I really don't need you pushing people at me when I know I'd just be comparing them to Byleth."

Hilda hummed and they walked on in silence a moment more before she spoke again; "You know, you never told me her name before? Byleth, huh? It's not a common name, but I could swear I've heard it somewhere recently…"

The world slowed to a stop around him. The birds overhead silenced, the sun faded, other joggers vanished, the wind stilled. It all shrank down until all that was left was the breath in his lungs and the hammering of his pulse. Suddenly he just knew.

"Where?"