Claude kept an eye on Dimitri, if only because Edelgard was more focused on the mages. The king seemed willing to fight, yet had enough reason not to attack everyone in the group. He couldn't exactly understand it. Did he want to kill them or not?
Not that he should really complain. Claude personally preferred for all three of them to make it through the war; it kept the power balance even. If the Kingdom fell, the Alliance couldn't handle taking over—and that was assuming they were offered anything more than the unfavorable ground, which they couldn't make use of and didn't have the resources to care for properly. The Empire would claim all or most of the Kingdom, and Claude didn't entirely know if Edelgard would try to control the Alliance in that case just to make the Empire whole.
He would've tried to talk with Edelgard—ask her what she wanted to do with Dimitri, if they'd tell him anything or if they would announce they found him—but at every given opportunity she was muttering about one thing or another, usually to Hubert or Monica. Apparently, other things were found in that place that Edelgard found interesting but Claude wasn't privy to.
Claude had to be glad she was partially open, at least, but that made the unexplained-to-him changes harder to accept. It begged another question: did Edelgard trust him or not?
Either she didn't, based on how she talked to others, or she did and she just had a wide array of ways to show that. Or a mix of both; she didn't trust him and others, but showed that in different ways depending in the person.
The muttering didn't end when they got to the monastery—instead, Edelgard just mentioned something about putting Dimitri in Abyss and she'll visit him later. Claude took it upon himself to do the honors. Dimitri followed without a word.
Claude assumed he didn't need to put him anywhere special—the prisoners in Abyss was more so they didn't take up room in the monastery itself—so he chatted with one of the people who lived down here to get a good place. They were led to a spare room a bit farther from the other prisoners, where the Abyssians could keep an eye on if Dimitri left.
"It's better than you would have anywhere else," Claude said, looking at Dimitri and gesturing towards the new room in question. "Someone should bring food down every now and then, and until Edelgard says otherwise you'll get to walk around a bit too."
Dimitri frowned, not quite confused but not completely angry either. Claude could guess the reason.
"The other prisoners are the same. Allegedly, it's not technically to make them more likely to say anything; you can refuse to eat if you really want to." It was more so the prisoners thought twice about escaping, if they had the chance.
"…Who else does that woman have down here?" He sounded both mad and curious. He was calmer than when they were walking with Edelgard, at least—Dimitri actually looked like he might be able to hold decent conversation.
"Old students," Claude answered evenly. Personally, he felt like Dimitri knowing exactly who wouldn't be as bad as them knowing Dimitri was there—still, Edelgard probably wouldn't be thrilled. "They're all fine, if that's your next question. They believe in you, at least; I know that much. I haven't had any chances to talk with them personally, though."
Dimitri observed him, like he wanted to try to determine any lies—not unlike Edelgard's stare. After a second, he wordlessly accepted going into the room. Claude stepped up to close the door and lock it when someone else came.
"We can handle this now. Don't lock him in there yet."
Claude nodded some kind of greeting to Edelgard, while Dimitri immediately scowled. Edelgard looked at Claude, specifically.
"I had to confirm something with reports from the Kingdom," she explained.
"Will you let me know what that is?" Claude asked, not expecting an answer but deciding he could try.
Edelgard's answer was…predictable, to say the least. "A bit later. I'd like to talk with Dimitri first."
He accepted what he could get, murmuring partial agreement. Both just stepped into the room—Dimitri wandered to the other edge and glared at them from there—but didn't close the door. Claude assumed Edelgard asked people to stay out of the area for the time being. He couldn't easily see himself actually saying anything in the conversation.
"Let's start with Fhirdiad's capture," Edelgard said. Right to the point, like usual. Not that Dimitri would actually entertain small talk if she tried; he was back to frowning, looking ready to stab someone. "What happened?"
His eyes narrowed, yet he actually gave an honest response. "Cornelia rallied soldiers early in the morning—considering her disappearance at Arianrhod, we did expect her to do something. She got inside with help from some nobles she was closer to, along with mages."
Edelgard's expression changed, slightly and only for a second. Claude cast her a curious look.
"Is that the answer you wanted?" Claude asked.
"Close to it," Edelgard admitted, glancing at him. Her focus shifted back to Dimitri. "Do you know what happened to Areadbhar?"
Dimitri stayed silent, and Edelgard frowned. Claude assumed that wasn't an answer she wanted. At least Dimitri seemed willing to be truthful, when he could say he did and name someone—even if that person would be in trouble as a result.
Edelgard sighed after a moment. "…In that case, when were you moved from Fhirdiad to that underground city?"
"You were the one to order it," Dimitri pointed out stubbornly and coldly.
"Assume I didn't," Edelgard replied similarly.
He wondered how these two's conversations went before Dimitri wanted to stab Edelgard. Whether or not Claude was there didn't seem to really concern them.
Dimitri did comply after another second. "Cornelia said you wanted me out of the way; claimed you wouldn't have let me live otherwise. Would it be wrong to assume we both would have preferred if I stayed?"
"It would've saved some time," Edelgard agreed. No comment on the killing part, unsurprisingly. It didn't give Claude any assurances.
The king paused for a moment, his expression briefly showing something else. Claude couldn't read it, but Edelgard must have—she tensed before he even said anything.
"Cornelia told me she was there."
"Cornelia lied—and if she was, she's since died. I'd have heard or seen anything different if not."
Well, at least they did acknowledge Claude was there, albeit in the frustrating way. Another thing he was out of the loop on, except Dimitri apparently understood it had some secret quality to it.
Apparently that must've concluded Edelgard's current questions, since she looked over at Claude.
"Anything you want to say while we're here?"
"Not before I talk to you first," Claude replied honestly.
She nodded and looked back at Dimitri. She seemed to want to add something, but decided against it and left instead. Claude followed behind her, closing and locking the door.
"What's your concern?" Edelgard asked, glancing at him.
"Back at Derdriu," Claude began, "We talked about Dimitri. Do you still think he can't 'live in a world after the war?'"
She didn't seem to expect it, and answered after some hesitance. "There was some things pointing to Cornelia's location in the underground city," she explained. "Dimitri thinks I'm involved in the Tragedy of Duscur—I plan to take him with me to kill the person most responsible. If killing her helps him move past it, I'll reconsider my stance; otherwise, my observation still stands."
"Here's hoping he doesn't actually want to kill you," Claude said. "Then we can move on from the dagger eyes and hope for productive conversation—another dinner chat, if we're lucky."
Edelgard's expression almost shifted to an almost-wistful, not-quite-smile. "That would be a nice change—even if I can't honestly say I believe it's a real possibility at this point."
"We can hope," Claude replied.
At least in that case, it would mean the war worked out in his favor.
