Day 1 of The Ethereal Moon
"Please tell me you aren't making me do the dance competition." Santaniel was walking into class and Byleth had told him about it pretty early on, "I've been dancing maybe once in my life and that was two months ago."He was very explicit in not wanting to do it. "I'd ask Hilda or Claude but they're already on flying patrols this month. Lorenz is too cocky and Lysithea has stage fright, Yuri is also resolute to not participate."
Santaniel groaned and leaned back into the desk behind him, "You better be as good at teaching someone how to dance as you are with combat."
"Ooo! Who needs to be taught how to dance?"
'Great. Now this'll go around.' Santaniel raised his hand and heard the woman squeal in happiness, 'It's Dorothea. Isn't it.' He knew before he tilted his head back farther, "Hey Dori. How's the thing with Ferdinand going?"
The songstress blushed and giggled, "That reaction is all I needed sweetheart." Santaniel grinned at her and she returned it.
"Hey. As a favor, think you can have him teach me about-"
"It is a nobleman's responsibility to teach!" Ferdinand exclaimed, bursting in and surprising Dorothea by wrapping one arm around her shoulders. "Ferdinand you didn't even let me finish my request. I need some help with tea. I know it's pretty simple but you're a bit more approachable for such a request compared to Lorenz."
The orange hair man nodded and smiled, "Of course I can help!"
"Good. Next three days, are you available during one?" He nodded and smiled brightly while Dorothea rolled her eyes, "Better bring your notebook Santaniel, he talks a lot." Santaniel smiled and flipped open his notebook, "Well, I'm sure I can spare a few pages."
He marked a couple of them, much to the amusement of Dorothea. "Hey, I learn best through writing it down and being involved. Professor knows that. It's why he's gonna have to dance with me if he wants to win this competition."
He soon heard the familiar light steps from Lysithea and turned to greet her, "Hey Lys. Professor just chose me for the dance competition, so we're probably going to lose, but you wanna help me learn?"
She visibly looked very done with his, stupid joke, but she still blushed a bit. "We'll win. I'm sure of it." Santaniel slightly smiled and pulled a small lily out of his bag, putting it in her hair, "I know genius."
She rolled her eyes but had a small smile on her lips when she sat down behind him, Felix walked through the door sweating heavily. "How the hell did you train like this for so long?!"
"It's called conditioning for a reason. I'm joining you guys tomorrow, I'll show you." Felix nodded and shrugged, "It's just so damn hot." Santaniel blinked twice, "Wait. That's hot for you? Mate, it's winter for us right now. Usually it's much hotter. Granted it's humid more like it... what was I talking about again?"
That drew a laugh from most people in the room and he smiled, "But yeah. Heat gets worse and you get better, that's just how it is. Maybe one of these months I can join you in Faerghus for a run or spar in the snow?" The pale man smiled and nodded, "It'd be good training."
"Hey Professor? You'd be down for that right? I can drag some other classmates along through the portal." Byleth nodded and spoke for the first time in a while, "Felix actually requested some help with a situation up in Fraldarius territory, you can do it then."
Santaniel tilted his head, "It'll be nothing, I'm sure."
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Day 2 of The Ethereal Moon
Santaniel stretched out his legs, his long grey scars from experiments and battles not even close to faded, were on display.
He was wearing a more revealing outfit than usual, some shorts that went to just the middle of his knees and he didn't bother with a tunic. He picked up his Holy Twins, strapping them to his back with a cross hatched sheath and picked up his hammer. "You ready Felix?"
Xavien had already left on a run to their usual training spot, the pale Faerghus man was struggling in the afternoon heat. "Yeah just... Give me a moment to adjust." Santaniel rolled his eyes, "You forgot your sword in the house anyways. I'll go get it."
————
Santaniel walked through the door and walked into an entourage of people in his house. "Hey guys? Why the hell are you in my home?" Santaniel spied Petra, Raphael, Caspar, Leonie, Byleth, Claude, Flayn, and Lysithea. All but the last dressed in summer wear.
Raphael and Caspar took his lead because they pulled off their tops too, making Claude giggle.
Byleth sighed and explained for him, "Caspar heard from Dorothea you guys were going to be training here yesterday and told Raphael. He then proceeded to tell Claude, Leonie, and Flayn. Petra overheard him shouting that it was a secret and was just wanting to see the island for herself."
Santaniel blinked and then asked another pressing question, "Then why are you and Lysithea here?"
"We're going to get a head start on checking the labs after I'm done supervising. We suspect finding something new will help us with Solon and the people who kidnapped Flayn-"
The short greenette cut in at the mention of her name, "And that's why I want to get stronger!" Santaniel rubbed his temples and groaned, suddenly feeling the need to cover his torso and legs again.
"Go back and grab your weapons. This is a one time thing. I only expect Petra to even make it through the first regiment." He promptly turned around and walked outside. Only suppressing the urge to scream.
—————
When he reached Felix, the man wasn't sweating so heavily anymore and he tossed him his sword. "Yeah. We have a couple new guests so that's fun."
Felix peeked his eyebrow, "What?" Santaniel just pointed at the approaching swarm of people, "It wasn't an invitation but they saw it as such. I haven't closed the portal in a couple days because I need to be able to draw some blood later this month for future travel and to sell to Anna."
He nodded and grimaced, "You sure you want to work out like that? You haven't told anyone about the experiments besides me, Professor, and Lysithea." Santaniel shrugged and lugged his hammer over his shoulder, "I'm lazy and my clothes are already with the cleaning staff at Garreg Mach anyways."
Santaniel waited until everyone was in view, calling out with his 'Leader Voice', "Alright guys. Just a reminder that the heat is killer right now, only Petra and I suspect Claude will be used to it right now. We'll be starting off with a pretty long run around the perimeter of the island, around sixteen kilometers. This'll train endurance and strength, it's also a form of conditioning that can't easily be replicated unless we go to Ailel in the dead of Winter."
He leaned forward on his hammer and spoke again, "Any questions?" Lysithea raised her hand and asked, "How am I going to keep up?"
The draconian kept silent for a moment, contemplating, "Me and Felix will run back with you. You're a fast sprinter but you have little endurance, so just go as far as you can for right now, alright?" The silver haired sorceress resolutely nodded and Santaniel slung his hammer over his shoulder again, "Lets not keep Xavien waiting shall we?"
He waited for everyone but Raphael and his running partners to pass him, "Hey big guy?" The man looked back at them and smiled, "What's up Santaniel?"
"You're going to get horrifically sunburnt. Just wanted to let you know."
The Leicester man blinked and ran back to the cabin to get his and Caspar's tunic and Santaniel snickered, "He'll be the pacer at the back. Let's go guy and gal!" Santaniel took off in a full sprint, the two not remotelt struggling to catch up.
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Two Kilometers In
Santaniel hummed happily as he basked in the sunlight, now at a leisurely jog with Lysithea and Felix keeping pace. "Lys, you ok? You are awfully red in the face." Felix questioned innocently. "Y-yeah I'm fine. Just hot."
Santaniel acted like her stare hadn't burnt into him more than the sun.
"How are you holding up Felix?" Santaniel asked, just trying to keep the pace steady. Lysithea had fallen over pretty early on due to overheating and the others were about half a kilometer in front of them.
"Better than yesterday." He stated quite blatantly, "I still don't understand how you can do this so easily."
"Who said it was easy? I just drive myself up the wall when I fail at something." He explained, "Hephaestus had two things rub off on me. His perfectionism and his habit of drowning out the sounds of the lives you've taken with a nice brew." He made the last one sound like a joke but in reality it was a serious problem he and him had addressed recently.
"But if you guys need some shade..." His Crests flashed brilliantly behind his back, in their place were a pair of duel feathered wings, casting a giant shadow over the trio.
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Four Kilometers In
Santaniel was really starting to feel the heat. 'I got this.' was the only thought coursing through his mind. He swiped away the sweat on his brow and flapped his wings accidentally, sending up a whirlwind of air, much to the pleasure of Felix and Lysithea.
"Let me know if you guys need to stop. I don't need any premature dropouts that I need to fly back to the cottage." Lysithea was sweating but not as heavily as Felix, 'He's tough. That's for sure.'
He knew that these two knew their limits. 'They'll stop when it's needed.'
—————
Five Kilometers In
'Why is it so damn hot today?' Santaniel was grimacing as he pushed himself, 'Should've gone at dawn then.' He heard a small clomp and turned to see Felix on his knees panting heavily, Santaniel started whipping up a wind.
"Told you to tell me when you needed a break..." Lysithea casted a Heal for him, 'She isn't looking good either...' Santaniel gathered some energy and focused it into a Heal, the wind his wings producing infusing it.
They both noticeably perked up, Felix on his feet demanding they start going again, much to the amusement of the half breed.
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Ten Kilometers In
'People ask whooo we are...' Santaniel sang in his head, 'Soooo we tell them...' He hummed the small beat, matching with his footsteps. His body was soaked now, Lysithea was complaining about how they needed longer summer wear and Felix looked at her like she was insane. 'He'll figure it out.'
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Fifteen Kilometers In
They had stopped again and Santaniel was getting impatient, 'Haven't even gotten to Xavien's sparring yet...' They had passed a couple of people like Caspar and Flayn who had overheated, Raphael had actually passed them though and had given Caspar his shirt.
"You guys sure you're ok?" Felix nodded and was panting, "Felix. You know I can read you really well. If you need to break for a bit longer just tell us."
Santaniel used the last Heal he had in him for the day while fanning them off, the wind glowing a bit with the spell's influence. "We're only one Kilometer away, let's push it!"
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The End of the Lap, AKA, The Waterfall Cave
Santaniel backpedalled through the entrance of the cave, "C'mon guys! You finish and I'll treat you to some sweets!"
"Sweets? That's supposed to be my motivation?" Felix asked while Lysithea sprinted past him and crashed into Santaniel, drawing a surprised grunt as he fell backwards, Lysithea falling on top of him.
"Felix! How can you not like sweets?!" Santaniel rolled his eyes and picked the small mage off of him, setting her on her feet and stood up. "I'll go tell Xavien and Professor we're here while you two bicker about sweets."
Santaniel slid down a small slope and waved at Leonie who returned the gesture, "Hey. Professor and Xavien already going at it?" Leonie nodded and pointed toward the center of the cave and Santaniel crouched down, watching intently. Claude and Petra were going at each other in another pit while Raphael caught his breath.
Byleth casted Fire as Xavien let loose a flurry of arrows, his mind in overdrive no doubt. "Xavien relies on speed, precision, and charm to overwhelm his enemies. Byleth has acute awareness, nimble movements, and isn't affected by flirting. So I'm guessing it's been going for the past two hours?"
She nodded as they watched, Byleth getting scratched by a dagger but lashed out with the Sword of the Creator, cutting through Xavien's tunic and ending the duel.
"You are overly reliant on throwing your opponent off with random moves. However precise they may be, they can't be used on someone who's patient."
Xavien nodded and tapped his fingers against his leg, "Thanks for the spar anyway Professor. Santaniel! Ready to show these guys what it looks like when we go at it?" Santaniel grinned, "You mean what it looks like for you to get your ass handed to you?"
Santaniel hopped down into the center, hammer already at striking position, narrowly missing Xavien, the fight was started!
Santaniel watched as Xavien dipped and anticipated the dagger that came flying, striking it out of the air. "Come on! Let's go!" Santaniel rushed forward and slapped another dagger out of the air, throwing his hammer at Xavien, deftly unstrapping his Holy Twins and caught the assassin mid jump, slamming him down.
He put him in an arm lock and rolled him over to his stomach, "That's how you pin an assassin and stay safe." Xavien grumbled through the dirt, something about how he was going to get him back. "Tell me about it later Xav."
Santaniel let up and laughed, "You're getting sloppy, brother," He stretched his arms and with a literal gleam in his eyes, sked, "Who's next?"
—————
Day 4 of the Ethereal Moon
Ferdinand wheeled out a large selection of teas, varying aromas wafting through the air.
"Now! There is tea for every pallet, sweet and bitter. Some for more refined tastes and some for the more general people." Santaniel scratched his head and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
"By finer and more general I'm assuming you mean picky and general eaters. So someone like me would be the 'Finer' pallet compared to the Professor who has a more 'General' pallet."
The orange hair noble man nodded excitedly, apparently he was picking up quickly. "Exactly! Now, are there any teas you don't particularly like?" Santaniel thought back a bit, the few times he had tea it was Arti's Guangxi and Green Tea.
"I don't have an exact taste for anything, but I think I prefer the sweeter side of teas." Ferdinand nodded and turned, checking off a couple plates.
"Mhm. Are you a picky eater?" Santaniel nodded quite easily on that statement, "Always have been. Always will be." Ferdinand picked out three teas, Chamomile, Mint, and Honeyed Fruit Blend.
He flipped open a page to his notebook, writing down the names of the teas. "Alright, mind if I try them?"
—————
Day 7 of the Ethereal Moon
Santaniel whacked through a bandits spine, Lysithea at his back firing off Miasma.
They were deep in the center of town and there were a lot of enemies. "You holding up Lys? I can always just fly us back." She was panting heavily and he knew they'd have to get out soon, he cut a swath of a path back to their forces, picking her up over his shoulder and making a run for it since Flayn wasn't here for whatever reason, and Hephaestus was fighting on the other side of the city.
When they got back Marianne gave them both an energy boost. "Thanks Marianne. Thought there'd be a whole lot less, but guess that isn't the case." He patted Lysithea on the head, "But hey, had Lys watching my back like usual."
The small mage grumbled at him for being reckless and he smiled, "I have trust in you guys. Plus, I always have my trump card,"
He pecked Lysithea on the cheek and smiled brightly, "Now. Let's rain some hell fire!" Santaniel condensed his energy through his right arm and summoned Ragnarok, causing a massive blast through the center of town, easily eviscerating anyone in range.
He let off and let Lysithea and Marianne rain down the death while he pulled up his scry spell and checked in on everyone, "Hey! Y'all doing alright?" Hephaestus responded almost immediately, "Could be better, but me and Mercedes are making do. I'll contact if we need back up- goddess damn it I missed!"
Santaniel mentally shut off contact and waited for Claude and Byleth's response.
The next one he heard was Xavien's voice, "Hey. Me, Claude, and Hilda are doing just fine. We cut off their stronghold and should be able to get to the next soon."
Santaniel gave him the ok and waited on Byleth, "We're alright. Lorenz took a shot into his stomach but he's being attended to right now. Come over if you can."
Santaniel nodded, "Alright. I'll bring you back up. Lysithea, Marianne, Casp- Where's Caspar?" The group looked around and Santaniel was the one to find him. Impaled. His blistered and sun burnt skin now pierced by a thieve's lance, who was looting his body.
Santaniel dropped the man faster than the thief could get out his last breath.
The head hit the ground with a silent thud. "I'm sorry Caspar. I let you down." Marianne offered a silent prayer and Santaniel closed his eyes, looking up resolutely. "This is the time to avenge him. His death won't be in vain." Santaniel's eyes grew purple and green, his wings flashed out again, talons and fangs growing in length and his tail scraped the ground with diamond shaped scales.
He wordlessly picked the mages up and flew over to Byleth, dropping Marianne off and tossing Lysithea onto his back. "Let's get em Lys!" Santaniel dove into a crowd by Hephaestus and Mercedes, screams of pain blooming to life while his lost friend withered in the cold air.
Santaniel sent blistering fire over the crowd while Lysithea drew them into the void with Luna.
"Get to the Professor. We'll take care of the rest." Lysithea sent off Hades on the group behind them, emphasizing his point. Hephaestus grinned and did a two finger salute, Santaniel copying with his talons.
Speaking of his talons, they were now embedded in a man's chest as he scorched his allies, leaving piles of dumbass ashes. They cleared the last stronghold and Santaniel flashed, signifying the end to his transformation.
"I can still fight at least. Stay alert, ok Lys?" He rubbed his head, fighting off a headache.
"Always am." Lysithea promised, Santaniel smiled and pulled up his scry, axes in hand again. "Hey guys. Last strong hold is purged. Need any extra help?"
He waited a couple minutes for an answer, finally getting one from Felix surprisingly, "We're already done. I'm on my way back to the caravan. If you're up to it let's train." Santaniel smiled lightly, "Let's spar tomorrow, I had to transform and I want to explore a bit today since it's my first day in Faerghus. I have a little bit of spare blood left so we can use it to go to Fhirdiad."
Felix took a couple minutes to respond, probably talking to Byleth. "Yeah. I just need to store the Relic I got in the convoy and I'll take you. Do we have enough to grab Dimitri and the rest of the Blue Lions?"
Santaniel grimaced, he wasn't one to hold a grudge, but he knew he was overprotective, "Yeah. If need be I can just draw a bit of my blood and get us back."
"Alright. I'll grab some gold and we'll take a trip to Fhirdiad. Only if you promise to spar this week."
"Alright," He checked his mental space and made sure no one else was listening in, "I also want to find a present for Lysithea. Her birthday is in the next couple months and I want to get something special."
He could audibly hear the man roll his eyes to the sky from across the city, "Alright. Fine. Now meet with me outside the estate's walls."
"Hey Lys. Wanna check out the capital?"
————
Felix sat in silence as he ran his fingers over the Aegis Shield, the bone like material feeling alive. It gave off an orange glow while he held it but winked out like a fire getting its oxygen cut off. It was unnerving.
Pretty soon Santaniel and Lysithea showed up, Santaniel's hand in his pockets and shivering a bit, "Not fun on the other end of the spectrum is it?"
Santaniel rolled his eyes and picked up a chunk of snow, firing it at Felix. He narrowly ducked it and Felix laughed at his attempt. Santaniel shrugged, "Have the mirror?"
The Fraldarius man nodded and motioned over to the steel framed mirror, Santaniel took no time in flicking the last of his tube's blood into the reflective surface and motioned for Felix to go.
"Go ahead, I'll get some more blood for our way there and back."
————
Santaniel winced as Lysithea cut the skin next to his most prominent vein, the one just where the arm bends, "Make sure to hurry. Seeing my own blood makes me squeamish."
Lysithea rolled her eyes and let the blood dribble into the vial, "Why? It's not like you have a problem with spilling other people's blood..." She looked at his face and read it straight from a book.
"Oh yeah. The experiments..." Santaniel shook his head, a small frown forming on his lips. "That. And it... Just brings up lots of bad memories. Let's just leave it at that."
After the vial was filled, Lysithea wrapped his arm and Santaniel pulled his jacket back on, still shivering a bit, "Sorry. Guess I haven't gotten used to this weather yet." Lysithea giggled and got a blanket from the wagon they were sitting on, draping it over them.
"There. Now you should be fine." Santaniel grinned and kissed Lysithea's cheek, "Thanks sweetheart." She slugged Santaniel in the arm and he chuckled, "Sorry." She pouted at him, "You said you were going to break that habit."
"I am shortstack. I've been trying to get Xavien to stop doing it around people when he's not on the job. It's tough. I'm also talking to Hephaestus about drinking more water instead of alcohol so I won't be tempted to anymore as well." The mage nodded and nestled up next to Santaniel, trying to keep the cold at bay due to her own frail stature not exactly being keen for warmth either.
Santaniel returned the action and nestled into her as well, waiting on Felix to come back. "Hey Lys?"
"Yes?" She turned her head and set it on his shoulder, propping herself up to look at him. "This should warm you up." Santaniel kissed her lightly on the lips, just enough to make her face blush and warm up significantly, 'I'm still playful. That isn't a habit, but it's a nice trait.' Lysithea's face reddened as she stared at the ground and Santaniel wrapped his arm around her.
"But to the actual question. I know you learnt how to dance but other than the one I shared with you I haven't done it once in my life. Think you can teach me?" She grumbled out her answer and Santaniel rolled his eyes."I'll take it as a maybe."
Their alone time came to an end when he heard boots hit snowfall and Santaniel reached into the wagon, grabbing some boots, a single glove, and thick wool pants, "Tell them I'll be ready in a couple moments."
Lysithea nodded and she reported to their little group what he was doing and handed Felix the vial of blood to use for their travel.
Santaniel pulled on the thick pants and glove, moving on to his boots that were lined with fur, courtesy of Anna. 'Connections get you places and I have them with the most potent merchant on the continent.'
He hopped out of the wagon and waved, "Let's get going. I want to explore as much as possible and I heard they make a nice selection of weapons up here. If possible I'm getting an Axe of Zoltan." He paused seeing the ruby and emerald speckled blood pooling on the ground and his eyes narrowed, "Who."
Nobody seemed to want to take the blame so Santaniel just growled in frustration, "Fine. This'll take a few minutes so I'll be the one carrying it after you idiots activate the portal."
Santaniel winced as he felt the knife reopen the wound and his blood poured into the vial, getting squeamish again. Lysithea patted his back to try and comfort him. When it was done his eyes were noticeably drooped and his blood was getting greener.
He handed the bottle to Felix and let him activate the portal, immediately handing it back to him. "Thank you. Now, shall we?"
As Santaniel stepped through the portal a notable red haired man snagged the vial, smiling evilly as he returned to the rooms of the woman he remembered most fondly.
—————
Santaniel hummed as he wandered through the long streets of the snowy kingdom, passing through as just a regular person. "Hey Lys, Felix, Annette, want to get something to eat?"
He asked this, nudging the girl by his left side, drawing her attention. "Yes! Let's go get some sweets!" Santaniel scratched his head, "I'm pretty sure they specialize in mainly meat here. If we wanted sweets we'd have to go to Enbarr or get some international ones at Derdriu. They might have some taffy though."
Lysithea nodded so she and the other mage started their resolute peering for sweets much to the amusement of a silent Felix. On the other side of the city was the main group of Blue Lions, consisting of Mercedes, Hephaestus, Dimitri, Dedue, Ingrid, Ashe, and Sylvain who had a couple familiar faces with his arms wrapped around them.
"Hey Sylvain?" Ingrid asked, a question obviously about to ensue. "Yes?" He replied, a small bit of deviancy in his voice. "You took the vial. Didn't you." Hephaestus went silent at the mention of Santaniel's blood, watching the red haired man pull out a vial that was certainly looking greener than any beforehand.
"Of course! What's a little fun without some risk?" Hephaestus spoke rather flatly, pretty bluntly. It shows here. "The risk being that his family sees the fact you believe he's a tool for your entertainment?"
Hephaestus glared straight through him, snatching the vial away from him. A torrid string of words ready to be cracked like a whip dancing on his tongue but he bit it. He pocketed the vial and stood several feet away from the Gautier boy, distrusting now.
Ingrid took care of the verbal lashing, protective of her classmate and he was proud that Santaniel had made such a good impression with them, 'Boy's growing up.' He realized sadly, 'Too little time to know what greatness he'll accomplish. He'll find a way. I know he will.'
————
"Felix, ain't that the forge?" Santaniel asked, pointing towards the brick and mortar building, an illusion of shimmering air from the heat. "Yes. But that's not where they sell them." Santaniel nodded and took a step towards the forge.
"I want to check something. Lys! C'mon. I wanna check this out." The small mage was chewing on a large piece of candy and tried to make a comment, her teeth stuck together from the sheer amount she'd eaten. "Actually. Go find some water to drink. I'll only be a couple minutes."
Santaniel jogged into the building, the heat welcoming him happily.
He waved at the men at the anvil and they raised an eyebrow at him, "What's a kid like you doing here?" Santaniel smiled and flashed his Crest of Macuil, "I want to learn how to forge. Mind teaching me?"
The men went bug eyed, "How do you..." Santaniel winked, "My secret. Now, is there any way I can be an apprentice?"
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Santaniel came back out after fifteen minutes and found Lysithea shoveling the bite sized pieces of sugar into her mouth again. "Just don't choke on the things."
He called, sighing at the end, he met up with Felix again and they both got their respective girls and dragged them to the weapon shop, promising more sweets later. Santaniel discreetly summoned his scry and poked Felix's consciousness, 'I'm looking for the axe and when I find it I'll let you know, I'm going to try and find something for Lysithea soon.'
Felix nodded and he dispelled the scry.
He combed through the various racks of weapons, loads of lances and swords aplenty, but surprisingly not too many axes. He finally reached a small rack and found a couple silver and brave axes... And one axe of Zoltan!
He snatched it up quickly and cheered, startling a woman nearby who he apologized to. He brought it to the man who was selling the wares and bought it for five thousand gold, 'It's worth it's weight in blood.' He confirmed knowingly. He grinned wildly and slotted it on his hip.
Santaniel scried Felix, "Tell the girls I'm going to the bathroom. I'm going to check a couple stalls for ideas."
Felix told him yes mentally and he was off,
"Maybe a dream catcher? Would she like a jewel or something fancy? Maybe she'd like a sword? Well. Sweets are a given and she doesn't seem to like to read for pleasure like I do. She doesn't like bitter things either so that rules out things like coffee... That'd be an awful gift anyways."
He walked through the blue and grey tented stalls, peering through everything to try and string something together. "She likes to study, I mean, she works hard with it at least. Maybe she'd like some extra notebooks and an inkwell? Maybe I should ask Xavien and Hephaestus about this..."
Then the thought of being made fun of for the next three months coursed through his mind and he chucked that into the pile of ideas that wouldn't work. "She trains her endurance, not her muscles..." He said this, eyeing the weights.
"Maybe I'll make something homemade like sweets and a bouquet. She seems to like those at least."
He was about to leave until an idea popped into his head, 'If I can have Petra come hunting with me and I find a Gloucester and Charon Dragon Gem, I could make a dream catcher for her.' He smiled lightly and nodded resolutely. 'I've got this. Confidence is key.'
He walked back to the group and found a grumpy Lysithea waiting for him, out of taffy. "You ate it all didn't you?" She pouted, "Yes. I did." Santaniel rubbed his temples, "You spent the last of your gold you had on it. Didn't you." Now she was sheepish and Santaniel ruffled her hair, "I'll get some more after we meet up with the rest of the Lions. I got the axe by the way."
He tossed the axe into the air and showed off the blade, gllinting in the torch light of the steadily sleepier market. "How much did that cost?" Santaniel shrugged and responded, "It's worth it's weight in gold and blood. That's all I'm concerned about."
Lysithea gave him the, 'Don't bullshit me' look and he just responded nonchalantly, "Five thousand. Why does it matter? Me and Xavien have a massive savings account that only puts a small dent in it. Dude acts more dra- More greedy than a dragon."
Annette blinked at him questioningly, tilting her head to the side and humming a small inquisitive note. It made Felix noticeably melt. "Sorry. Felt a sneeze coming on." She nodded understandably and dragged Felix off towards their group, tripping over a barrel that was quite obviously in her path.
Santaniel snickered at her pulling Felix down and on top of her during the fall, causing the Fraldarius man to blush. "Love birds." Lysithea glanced at him and he smirked, wrapping his left hand around her's.
"I know. You want to go get those sweets now?" The duo, mainly Lysithea, ran off to get more taffy from the vendor.
--
Hephaestus smiled like a father watching his kid finally have someone, no, multiple people in their life to make it easier on them.
He walked up next to Mercedes and bumped into her playfully, causing the woman to laugh and bump back into him. 'Maybe things will be ok from now on.'
—————
Day 9 of the Ethereal Moon
Santaniel deflected Felix's wild strike towards his abdomen, jumping back and sliding in the snow and ice. Felix tried to take advantage and jumped, driving an overhead strike into Santaniel's block.
"N-never leave the ground." Santaniel used the momentum backwards and slid out underneath him, using his axes as ice picks, jumping at him and pinning him in a dog pile. "That was a rough time..."
Santaniel had plenty of nicks all over his body, leaking red blood tinged green.
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Day 12 of the Ethereal Moon
Lysithea placed her hand on Santaniel's right shoulder and joined her left hand with his, "Remember. Eye contact is important during dancing. You'll only be performing a routine, but you must act like you're dancing with someone." Santaniel nodded, keeping his eyes locked with Lysithea as they went over the routine, stepping as light as possible.
Lysithea may have been deft on her feet but Santaniel wasn't so lucky. They stepped in tandem. Santaniel was struggling with something but she couldn't tell what, 'What's there to be nervous about? It's just me, the Professor, and...'
The thought then hit her, 'It's not us he's worried about. It's the people we have to perform in front of. He's just anxious.' She smiled up reassuringly at the boy, trying her best to be supportive. He returned the smile and he took a deep breath, "Want to try the whole routine now?"
She nodded and they stood still, Santaniel let his face become stony and he offered his hand to Lysithea which she accepted. He put his hand on her waist and allowed her to get into position, and they started.
'Forward-left, backwards-right... and...' He let the wind carry him up and they spun in the air, and then, landed deftly. Santaniel extended his right arm and allowed her to go the full extent, bringing her back into his arms and dipping her low, pulling back up from inches off the ground, and ended thel routine.
Byleth had a small grin on his face of satisfaction and Lysithea praised him. "A plan is just a plan until you put it into action. Now let's hope my actions come as smoothly..."
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Day 16 of the Ethereal Moon
Santaniel sighed a heavy breath of relief as he came off the floor, they were just awaiting results now. "What's the prize for this again? Gold?"
Byleth shook his head, "Only the winner's of this competition get a new class. I don't know what it is though." Santaniel cocked his head to the side, "Whatever it is. I'm probably not going to use it. Maybe you could?"
Byleth shrugged, "Maybe."
'That's the end of that conversation.' Santaniel thought, rolling his shoulders in his suit. "I'm getting my own suit after this. Lorenz' taste just... I don't think I need to even finish that sentence really." Byleth cracked a grin and Santaniel smiled.
He heard the clambering of feet and he thought they were doing a drumroll to announce who won, "You hear somet-" Santaniel was wrapped in a large pair of arms and heard people congratulating him and his only thought was, 'Breathe!'
He subconsciously summoned his wings and dispersed them to get a push out of Raphael's hug and he gasped, "Holy hell on a stick, Raph, chill with the bear hugs."
Santaniel helped the guy back to his feet and Claude patted Santaniel on the back, "Nice moves out there." Santaniel rolled his eyes, "You realize that if you weren't on air patrol you would've had to dance right?" Claude cracked a sly smile. "I would've found a way out."
"Oh? And let Hilda take all your glory?" Santaniel retorted, crossing his arms as they bantered. Hilda, Marianne, Leonie, and Lysithea were off to the side discussing something and Lorenz came over to Claude and Santaniel, followed by Xavien. "Hello gentleman. Santaniel, good work out there. It was absolutely splendid."
Xavien rocked up behind him and startled the poor bean sprout, "Yeah. He'd look better if he wasn't wearing your suit however." The Gloucester man grumbled and huffed, drawing a laugh from everyone present in their circle.
A rough voice sounded behind them, the noises somewhat garbled by the walls. "I think that's Alois announcing the votes and winner, I'll be back in a moment."
Santaniel leaped up the steps and stood next to Edelgard, who was in the middle of him and Sylvain. Alois boomed over the crowd to silence them and Santaniel listened intently, he crossed his hands over each other.
"Now! The three judges shall announce our winners! Starting with Manuela!" Santaniel wasn't holding his breath, he was far from traditional during the display by using magic to rise in the air. "My vote goes to..." She paused for unnecessary suspense, shouting out, "The Golden Deer! Your display was plentiful in precise movements and whimsy!"
Santaniel nodded and grinned a bit. Next was Shamir, "My vote goes to the Black Eagles. Your way of moving was graceful and you didn't waste any time or movements." Santaniel was happy Edelgard got a vote. 'That means one of us is going to win... She'd put the class to better use than me...'
Alois was last and the most boisterous, "And the final vote of the White Heron cup goes to... the Golden Deer!" He finally let the dam break of his worries, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"If all our contestants could now take a bow." They did as they were instructed, Santaniel being the first one to leave the stage and this time anticipated Raphael's rush of affection.
He sidestepped and got wrapped up anyways and sighed, patting the guy on the head once he was let go. He took off the suit top and threw on his tunic and jacket, ready to eat. "Let's go join the others ya idiot."
Santaniel walked briskly with Raphael at a more leisurely pace as they joined the others. "Hey guys." Claude was cackling at something and Santaniel immediately shook his head at the outfit, "No. Not a chance, even if the Goddess herself told me to wear it. I wouldn't wear that outfit, if you could call it that. It's way too revealing and I fight brawlers and heavy units. It'd make no sense."
"At least try it on..." Hilda pleaded, followed by a similar one from Dorothea. "You guys won't stop until I try it on will you?" There was a resounding agreement and Santaniel clicked his tongue as he looked at it.
"You're all lucky I feel generous after already agreeing to even participate... I'll make some adjustments to it and you'll see soon..." He took the outfit and walked off towards a changing room. He dug through a pile of clothes and found a tunic that matched the green coloring, a sand-like cream, and he put it on underneath.
Next was the leg bracings, fitting them on snuggly and fit the cape on to his shoulder. "Well. Legs are revealed... it's the best I can do I guess."
He walked out of the room and waved, "Get your fill. I'm never wearing it again." Everyone seemed drawn to his leg's scars and he blushed a bit. He heard some people open their mouths to ask but a single glare from Lysithea or Felix seemed to silence them. He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked back, still feeling eyes on him.
"Never doing that again." He threw the shoulder cape off and slipped back into his tunic, slipping on his jacket again. He put on his slacks and walked out, feeling much more comfortable and even more as he stood next to Lysithea.
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Day 20 of the Ethereal Moon
Lysithea sat up in bed and stretched as high as she could, her arms sore from sword fighting with Felix. 'How can him and Santaniel go at it for hours? Maybe I am just that frail.'
She opened her wardrobe and pulled out her uniform, slipping into it to begin the day. She got her hair brush and ran it through her silky hair about thirty times over on each side, 'I know Dimitri's birthday is today. So I'll wish him one today but I still have to get something for Santaniel's tomorrow...'
She obviously remembered the whetstone, but her gut told her he was going to get something extra for her, so she wanted to return the favor.
"He likes to read and cook, but I doubt Anna has anything he hasn't already found himself. Maybe I could bake his cake? That could work." She patted the bed and her cat hopped up, nuzzling against her elbow as she opened a recipe book, flipping through.
"He says he has a sweet tooth, and he doesn't like sour... aha! Devil's Food Cake. Perfect." She smiled satisfactorily, until she heard the bubbly voice belonging to the class' pinkette forcing its way through the door.
"Who's it perfect for?"
'Shit.'
Lysithea forced a smile and opened the door for the Gonereil woman, who was accompanied by Marianne as usual. "Heh, what are you talking about?" She asked nervously.
"Just tell us. You're an awful lier, right Mari?" Marianne seemed to jump in her skin at the mention of her name, "H-huh? I uh, I suppose so." She ended the sheepish statement by staring at the ground, holding her hands.
Lysithea wasn't getting out of this, was she? Well... unless a miracle happened.
Instead a disaster happened. Claude showed up. "Hello my lovely ladies, what do we have here?" He was wearing a new belt with several slots for daggers, she glazed over it as Hilda answered.
"We heard her thinking aloud about making someone a cake." Claude nodded knowingly, "Well. I'm not surprised to be honest with you. Tomorrow is Santaniel's birthday." Hilda looked at him blankly, the same one Lysithea was giving him. "How do you, of all people, know his birthday?" Hilda interrogated, genuinely confused for once.
"I overheard him telling it to Teach when he had to report it." Hilda facepalmed and Lysithea rolled her eyes, "Oh? What's wrong Lysithea? Grumpy you aren't the only one to know your little crush's birthday?"
The next resulting sound produced due to Lysithea lighting Claude's cape and arse on fire and is so unholy and ear destroying she can not relay it. It sounded as if Ordealian was put through a meat grinder.
"Shall we head to class ladies?" Lysithea asked, dusting off her hands.
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"-So there's a weak spot in the enemies forces here, but it seems intentionally set due to the positioning near the forest and river. If they set up any mages or archers within the forest it'd be a sure fire choke point to kill us off, therefore, it'd be in our best interest to march in against the strongest flank due to element of surprise and the high ground we'd have for our own mages and archers. We'd practically be walking over their strongest section and they'd have to scurry to protect themselves."
Santaniel and Byleth had been going over battle tactics for a good chunk of the morning, "Very good. But what would you do after that?" And it had been quite mentally draining for Santaniel to come out with minuscule casualties.
"Whether they're trying to scurry back to retreat or reform is the real question. If I want to win this fight I have to act like a duelist and play off them, wait to counter or parry." The Professor nodded and smiled, "Very good. You're getting the hang of it."
Santaniel heard a screech and he knew immediately who it was, "I think Claude tried to tease Lysithea again." As if in sync with that statement, the Golden Deer gals minus Leonie walked into class. "Hey Shortstack. Hilda, Marianne."
He greeted them, nodding at both from atop his desk. "How come you never told us about your birthday?!" Hilda yelled, Santaniel lunged forward to cover her mouth. "I'm not a very big celebration person, there's a reason I go home after about an hour at all of them."
He uncovered the Noblewoman's mouth and went back to his seat, sighing, "Birthdays also bring back bad memories."
It was true. Santaniel never really celebrated his birthdays other than his fifteenth, mainly due to Hephaestus and Xavien's insistence on such a thing.
He'd only received two total presents during his birthdays anyways, the jacket, and his parents meeting their deaths. It was always a bitter day. "You guys should focus on Dimitri's birthday today honestly. He's the crown prince. I'm just a commoner."
Lysithea rolled her eyes but spoke up, "We should wish him a happy birthday." Hilda left along with Marianne who was more forcibly dragged out. "Claude's the one who told them I'm guessing?"
Lysithea nodded and Santaniel rolled his eyes, "Hey Professor? Mind if I burn him again?" Byleth shrugged, "I'll have to give you detention but go ahead." Santaniel cracked a smile, "Maybe during graduation."
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Day 21 of the Ethereal Moon
Santaniel hopped out of bed, slipping his jacket on with the Crests glowing brighter than usual. "Let's see if it's the same as the last few..." He broke into a sprint outside, flashing brightly as he jumped and he felt something new transform. 'Did my legs?'
He looked down and saw it was true, 'Guessing by the time I'm twenty I'll be fully there...' He tucked into a dive and landed on the beach, flashing again, sand kicking out in all directions.
"At least that's becoming easier." He picked up his satchel and went to the classroom, waving at Byleth as he walked in. "Hey Professor. Today's a free day but I figured I'd say hello anyways."
He nodded and handed him a bushel of traditional birthday flowers and a ceremonial sword. "Oh thanks." He tossed the sword through the mirror and set the flowers down gently on the other side. "Thanks for the gifts."
Byleth nodded and simply wished him, "Happy Birthday."
Santaniel stretched as he walked outside, "I'll grab Lys and see if she wants to study some more about Crests." He walked over to the dorms and was nearly scared to death by Claude jumping out to surprise him.
"Claude!" He yelled, "You're lucky I didn't transform." He whispered, slapping him on the back of the head. Claude giggled like a little kid and Santaniel rolled his eyes, "Just tell me you didn't tell everyone about my birthday..."
Claude was already looking guilty. "Claude. I don't like unnecessary attention. My-" He was cut off by hearing what he guessed were three people coming up behind him, shouting 'Happy Birthday' and he felt a panic attack coming on.
"I'm going home." Santaniel said. Pulling Claude close, "Don't pull this shit again. Tell Lysithea that if she needs me, the mirror in the classroom is active. If anyone else comes through, I'm burning them." He turned on heel and didn't give him a chance to respond, already done with today.
--
Lysithea saw what transpired and her heart sank, "Claude." The Almyran man heard her and seemed tempted to run for cover. "Yes?" He asked, keeping his cool just enough to hide the nervousness in his voice. "What did you do?"
He swallowed and relayed Santaniel's news before taking off, just praying for once that he wouldn't get burned again.
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Santaniel tossed a dagger between his hands as he listened to Xavien complain about a mission where he had to seduce someone. "That's rough mate."
Xavien rolled his eyes and threw his dagger at Santaniel's knocking his out of the air, "Listen. I know today is rough for you but that isn't an excuse to be a dick." Santaniel gave him a glare worse than a dagger and Xavien rolled his eyes.
"You can at least listen without being an asshole. Normally I would just say, 'That sounds like a personal problem,' but I know you've gone through enough bullshit to suffice." Santaniel reached down and picked the small blade off the ground.
"Besides. It's mainly Claude that pissed me off. Never even told him it was my birthday, but the church needed it for me to enroll. I'm guessing he either listened in on me or dug through a mountain of documents to find out."
"Been through that kind of thing. Much easier to listen, while the kid's not lazy, he's definitely smart." Santaniel nodded and leaned back in his chair.
"I'm just waiting on Lysithea to get here so we can research Crests." Xavien nodded and asked the question that was pressing on his mind, "So what's up with you two anyways?" Santaniel rolled his eyes for what seemed for the eighteenth time today and he responded.
"No point in pursuing anything official if we both have little under a decade to actually enjoy it. Unless we can figure out a way to remove at least one Crest, possibly both, we aren't going to." There was a melancholic air to Santaniel as he spoke, like a damp fog hung over his head when he even thought about it.
"I'm hoping that something will surface." Xavien nodded and asked another question, "Well. Is the feeling at least mutual?"
Santaniel gave him a side eye, "Thats a stupid question and you know it. You know the line I draw with 'Teasing' is kisses to the cheek on people I have no interest in romantically. I don't get overly affectionate with targets. You taught that to me yourself." Xavien nodded, "Fair enough I suppose."
"Well. I guess confirmation from you is as good as it'll get, you're literally the most morally gray man I know. That reminds me, you're going to your job soon?"
"Yeah. I'll be back before the ball, count on that. Just uh, if you hear anything about a noble woman getting killed just say that I was helping you explore the labs."
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Lysithea groaned as she pulled the bag of flour out of the pantry, grunting as she slit the top of the bag and scooped two cups of the ingredient out and into her bowl.
She got the 3/4th teaspoons of salt and baking powder, dumping it in with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda and whisked it, she asked the Professor with help but he was busy today so it was just on her.
She beat the butter until it was smooth and slowly added the sugar, for about four minutes until it was thoroughly mixed. She grabbed the cocoa powder and poured out about 3/4 of a cup, adding the two teaspoons of vanilla and started mixing again for another minute, scraping the batter back down the sides and she took another look at the steps.
She was oblivious to the duo that entered the kitchen behind her.
She added milk and water to a sauce pan and brought it quickly to a boil with help from her magic, she hummed, a habit picked up from Santaniel. She added the liquid and flour mixture to the bowl, mixing it steadily after all was combined.
She took the mixture and poured it into a buttered pan, sliding it into the oven on the center rack.
"Ok. Just need to set the timer and start on the frosting!" Edelgard seemed to manifest behind her and asked, "Who are you baking it for?" Lysithea jumped noticeably and Hubert snickered, much to the embarrassment of the small mage.
"It's for Santaniel." Edelgard eyes widened a bit, "Today is his birthday?" She nodded and returned to the recipe book. She walked to the pantry and grabbed the chocolate she'd need to cut and the heavy cream, setting it on the counter before measuring the cream.
She looked around as the duo from the Black Eagles put on aprons, "Hey Edelgard? Do you know where the knives are?" The princess pointed up at the top of the cabinet, the corners of her lips pulled into a frown.
"Santaniel showed me last time but I'm afraid we're both too short to get one, Hubert?"
"Yes Lady Edelgard." The sinister man reached up to grab the knife, handing it to Lysithea and bowed his head. "I will start preparing the food Lady Edelgard."
She nodded her head and seemingly dismissed him, "If you need any further help let us know." The Ordelia heir nodded and put the chocolate in a saucepan, letting it melt before pouring in the heavy cream slowly.
She put on a pair of oven gloves and pulled the cake out of the oven and set it on the counter near Hubert. She looked at the recipe as the servant to the emperor snuck a substance into the cake, a poison that was designed to kill the half breed.
She let the cake cool for a few moments before setting it on a plate, and decorating the cake with the thick chocolate frosting. "Aaaand..." She plucked a couple cherries and set them on the center, smiling as she admired her own work. "Done!"
She set the utensils she used in the sink to soak and took her leave, thanking Edelgard for helping and Hubert for getting her the knife.
She walked out of the kitchen and found the mirror that Santaniel had told Claude about, stepping through carefully into the portal, careful not to spill the cake. She already had the two tone whetstone and she looked around the kitchen area of the house for the man.
"Santaniel?" She called, peering around the corner, "Give me a moment. Just washed up."
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Santaniel threw on a plain black tunic, stained in a starry sky like pattern and donned a pair of brown slacks. His hair was shorter and was pure white, missing it's signature swirl of brown on top, like a cake missing it's frosting.
He looked around for his jacket in the kitchen and slid it on, "Alright. Normally I'd do something with Hephaestus or Xavien but they're both out right now, so I guess it'll just be the two of us." The sun still hadn't set on the island but it was approaching there. The Orderlian girl smiled and nodded, a small blush on her face due to his new look he presumed.
She presented the same whetstone from a month ago, sarcastically he said, "I wonder what it could be?"
She rolled her eyes, "Hurry up and open it!" He did and revealed the black and white stone, fresh and ready to be used. "I'll make sure to do some maintenance later, have anything you'd need sharpened?"
She shook her head and stated, "My Levin Sword is brand new."
"Now. Want to eat some cake?" She nodded excitedly and he grabbed a knife to cut it open, easily slicing through the spongy surface, the chocolate frosting following the knife into the groove it made.
He cut the other side and gave the piece to Lysithea, taking the next piece for himself. "Oh yeah!" He stood up and took a kettle off the stove, pouring two cups for them, setting them in front of the plates with a small bowl of sugar cubes.
"Help yourself for the sugar." She smiled and put an ungoddessly amount in and he couldn't help but laugh, putting two in his own, "Don't sugar crash alright?"
She stirred the cup and took a sip, satisfied. "Let's eat." They cut into the soft cake and made a 'cheers' motion with their forks, lifting the piece of sugary confection into their mouths, Lysithea squealing at her own job well done, making Santaniel grin ear to ear.
"It's amazing Lys. Thank you." She smiled back at him with crumbs dotting her lips and he spoke again, "You have some crumbs on your lips." She tried to get them all but missed some and Santaniel smiled again, "Here."
He leaned forward and met her lips again, feeling her face warm up considerably, "There." She was blushing so red he thought she was actually fainting, until she returned it this time. "...There's your last present." She whispered.
Santaniel smiled and put his chin on her head, "Thank you Lys. It's been a while since I've actually enjoyed my birthday like this, let's finish the last of the cake eh?"
She nodded and smiled happily, "Of course!"
They sat down for the next hour, just chatting generally about the past couple weeks, sipping tea and enjoying the cake she had made. Santaniel noticed something off about one of the slices but decided not to say anything, 'Tastes kinda weird...'
He pushed the thought out of mind and asked her the question he had on his mind for a while, "Hey Lys?" She looked up at him and cocked her head to the side, "Yes?" Santaniel matched the action in a mocking way, making her pout. "Would you like to go to the ball together? If we don't like it there we can head to the library."
Lysithea smiled happily and nodded, "I'm just happy I don't have to ask you now." He returned the smile and leaned in again, kissing her on the cheek, "Good. I'll get a new suit that won't require Lorenz' awful style."
Xavien laid a kiss on the woman's neck, moving down to her chest and unzipped her dress, laying his hands on her hips. "Ah, yes Xavien..." She groaned his name in pleasure, feeling his hands leave her hips and she anticipated him to penetrate.
He did.
With two ice cold daggers into her shoulders, causing her to spasm horrifically. She collapsed on the bed in death. "Sleep tight." He left the calling card of a dagger in the wall and stepped through the mirror, leaving no other evidence.
"She was nice. Too lustful but she was nice." He sheathed his daggers and walked through the sleepy cottage, Santaniel asleep in his room. "Oh, guess someone got him cake."
He took the last slice and took a bite, humming as he ate the rest, the poison starting to course through his veins.
"Eh. The poison kinda ruins it. Lysithea didn't poison it, but someone's after our boy..."
Four Hundred and Nineteen Weeks Remain
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