Chapter 34: A Lot of Song and Dance

15th day of the Guardian Moon 1180, afternoon. Garreg Mach, courtyard of the Academy.

Lysithea found herself in a position she had never thought she'd be in. She was actually looking forward to a physically strenuous activity. Granted, dancing wasn't the same thing as fighting, but it was still exhausting. Normally, that would have been enough to disincentivise her from even participating in the ball that accompanied the White Heron Cup, but there was one thing that kept her from giving the event a pass: Her dance partner.

Ignatz was a considerate boy. He had offered to be her dance partner for the entirety of the ball, mostly for mutual benefit, though he had worded it far more kindly. He felt nervous about dancing in general and he freely admitted that he wasn't very skilled. She was in the same boat in that regard, and compounding the issue was her lack of stamina. In the end, they had agreed to dance with each other and keep it slow so they both could keep up. Lysithea didn't think she would be able to last more than one or two dances otherwise. The only real downside was that she now felt kind of bad about yelling at him during the first few months at the Officers Academy.

Leaving that aside for now, Lysithea turned her attention to the scene unfolding in front of her. The three houses were all holding a practice session for tomorrow's festivities. Everyone was brushing up on their skills. She herself was currently taking a break and observing the others. Some of them were quite nice to look at. Lorenz, for all his personality being unpleasant, was a skilled dancer, and the girl who had reluctantly accepted his request seemed to actually enjoy herself. Others were more entertaining to look at, such as Dedue, who was struggling to not step on Annette's feet, not for lack of skill but because of the size difference and because they looked like they were trying to perform two different dances at once. And then, there were the displays that were painful to watch. Whatever Caspar was trying to do with that poor girl who had agreed to dance with him resembled random flailing more than it did dancing.

There were others she was observing, chief among them Raphael. He was currently trying to dance with Flayn, emphasis on trying. It looked more like the two of them were trying to figure out how it even worked and were having a grand time making gestures, completely ignoring Seteth's stare from a few metres further away. It was honestly kind of adorable. She didn't think she'd be surprised if those two eventually moved beyond friendship with the way they were clicking. The big lump of a young man fit the green-haired girl well with his gentle disposition. Maybe that way he'd bother Lysithea herself a bit less with his big brother act. She had yelled at him for that too, initially.

She grimaced. She'd yelled at a lot of people. In hindsight, she'd noticed that insisting she wasn't a kid while having a temper tantrum about it was not the best way to convince people of her maturity. She had mellowed out somewhat on that front… hopefully. It also helped that some of the pressure had come off. The visit to her deceased family and Ophion's gift had helped a lot, as did her parents' continued presence in a safe place. With ten more years added to her short lifespan, she could afford to indulge in some less mature activities from time to time. She now also had a bit more time for reflection, and she had realised that she had been pretty rude to a lot of people. She would have to apologise soon.

"Lysithea?" came Ignatz's voice from beside her, pulling her attention away from her contemplations.

She looked at him and asked, "What is it?"

He replied, "Are you ready to go again or do you need a bit more rest?"

"I still need a minute," answered Lysithea.

"Alright," said Ignatz. He sat down next to her and remained silent, observing the other students as they practiced. The two of them stayed that way for several minutes. The silence was broken when Ignatz spoke again. "It's hard to believe that there's a war going on when you look at the people here."

Lysithea shook he head and replied, "Not really. Most students don't go on missions like we do. The majority of the people here have never even seen a battle." Her voice lowered a bit as she added, "They don't know what it's like."

Ignatz scratched his chin. "I guess they don't. They'll get a taste of it pretty soon, though. It won't be long until graduation. I doubt the war will be over by then."

The girl paused as she thought that over. "That's true," she replied. "This might be the big breath before the jump for them, then, just as it is a breather for us."

"Yes, I figured as much," said Ignatz. "That it's a month late should also drive home that things aren't as they would be normally."

"It's still plenty traditional. I could do without the dancing," huffed Lysithea. Thinking quickly, she added, "Not that it's your fault. I just don't like it. I'm expected to dance, and you're a good choice since you're pacing yourself according to my limits."

"Th-thank you," he stammered in response at the compliment. "Speaking of tradition, do you think a lot of people will try going to go to the Goddess Tower? The war might dampen the romantic mood."

Lysithea thought about it for a moment before she said, "I think there might be more people than usual. The Professor did say that soldiers often feel the need to… uhm… get 'amorously active' before they go into battle. I mean, only a few people going to the ball are soldiers right now, but a lot of them will be soon enough."

"That does make sense," replied Ignatz.

Supposedly, a promise made in the Goddess Tower would come true if it was one uttered by a couple in love. Not that many people actually believed in it, but superstition had its place among hormonally active teenagers and romantically inclined adults alike. As such, many couples usually made an excursion to the Goddess Tower to promise each other various things, mostly vows of fidelity or promises of marriage. With what Lysithea had said, Ignatz concluded that the number of couples might rise and the nature of the promises might shift slightly to a more physical context.

"Well, enough about stuffy traditions," said Lysithea. "I think I'm rested enough to continue."

Ignatz rose in tandem with her and nodded. "Good. Let's have a look at a dance my father learned from a trader from the Kingdom as a present for my mother's birthday."

18th day of the Guardian Moon 1180. Garreg Mach, Entrance Hall/Ball Room.

The White Heron Cup was in full swing. The traditional dance competition had just entered its first phase. It was all about pairs at this stage. Perfect synchronicity with a randomly chosen partner was expected from the competitors. This year's participants made the for a surprisingly exciting show this time, as they all appeared to be quite close in ability. Dorothea of the Black Eagles, Mercedes of the Blue Lions and Marianne of the Golden Deer were all performing very well. The same held true for the men's bracket, where Ferdinand, Sylvain and Lorenz were competing. It would be difficult to determine the winners.

Contrary to what Byleth and Hyperion had been expecting, there would actually be two winners: one for the women's bracket and one for the men's. In hindsight, it made sense. The dancer class was something contained in the game based on this reality, but not much else. Reality had no need for game balance and stringent class limitations. Instead, the winners would simply attend lessons with Rhea in the art of sword dancing. It had been the prize for over twenty years now. It was comforting to know that such a valuable skill would be imparted on more than one individual.

The dance that was chosen for the pair dancing discipline was fairly standard. It was one of the traditional dances widely known and engaged in across all of Fodlan. Since the dance partners of the competitors were randomly chosen, it made the most sense. Of course, that meant that the competitors had to deal with partners of varying skills, but it did not have much of an impact in the evaluation. What was being evaluated was how well the competitors adapted to their partners, how they dealt with errors and missteps and how well they could keep things fluid.

Naturally, there had been a few incidents in the past. Sabotage had been a problem once upon a time, though a solution had been found. If such an incident was detected, the whole White Heron Cup would be cancelled as well as the ball. Social pressure had fixed the problem in time. There had also been one or two incidents involving a partner or competitor taking the opportunity to cop a feel. The standard response to such cases was to expel the offender from the Officers Academy and banish them from the Monastery for life. As a consequence, everyone had been on their best behaviour ever since the first few incidents.

The one to profit most from that was Sylvain, seeing as the girl he was dancing with didn't have to be concerned about being the target of his advances while the competition was going on.

Before long, the pair discipline came to a close. The competitors took a break to relax and recover their stamina while the judges deliberated on their performance. The break also served the purpose of letting the other attendees of the ball to shake their legs a little. They were quick to take advantage of the opportunity, and soon, there were dozens of people on the dance floor.

Among these people were an excited Petra and a very nervous Bernadetta. "This is not a good idea!" exclaimed the latter of the two as she was dragged onto the dance floor. "I can't dance, especially not with so many people around!"

Petra paused, then cursed herself internally. In her excitement, she had forgotten just how afraid the other girl was of crowds. Scrambling to salvage the situation, she said, "Forget the others. They have no dance with you. I do."

Too late, she realised how those words could be taken.

Bernadetta blushed a bright red. "D-don't say things like that! People will get the wrong idea." She added in a murmur, "Besides, I'll mess up, and then you won't want to anymore."

"I will always want to dance with Bernie," protested Petra.

"But why?" asked the shy girl, "I'm not good at it. There are plenty of good-looking boys to dance with too. I just want to run back to my room instead of stepping on your toes. Why would you choose me?"

The Princess of Brigid smiled softly at Bernadetta. Her heart pounded in her chest and heat rose to her face as she considered how bold her answer should be. Eventually, she settled on a course of action. "I am having no interest in boys tonight; only you. I am wanting to dance with you because I like you."

The blush, which had abated somewhat, returned to the older girl's face with full force. This was quickly becoming too much for her to handle. The way Petra looked at her was unfamiliar with her, but even someone as socially awkward as her could put together clues if they were so blatantly spelled out. She swallowed hard as she remembered the handful of times the two of them had shared body heat. She'd thought it as just a custom of Brigid, but what if there had been more behind it? The reddened cheeks of the foreign girl seemed to reinforce that notion.

She couldn't put off responding for too much longer. "Uhm… alright," she said in a low voice, "But won't I trip too much?"

Petra giggled, "If you are tripping, I will catch you." Feeling emboldened by Bernadetta's agreement, she added, "I won't be letting go until you have balance."

It appeared that the Princess took a lot of joy out of Bernadetta's blushes. The older girl thought of the times she'd had those strong arms wrapped around her, and she decided she quite liked the feeling despite the embarrassment it brought with it. In this new context, however, another question cropped up. Did she like Petra the same way Petra seemed to like her? She had never felt attraction to other girls, though she was perhaps a tiny bit curious.

Bernadetta gulped and said, "F-fine, but… please let me go if I want to leave. I don't know how much of this I can handle."

Petra's face took on a more serious expression as she nodded. "I have understanding." Her smile returned, and she took Bernadetta's hand. "Now, let us dance!"

One hour later. The same location.

Rhea was surprised to find herself enjoying the evening as much as she did. While the start had been rocky – nobody wanted to ask the Archbishop of all people for a dance – the evening had taken a turn for the better when Flayn had dragged Raphael over and asked him to dance with Rhea. The boy had blinked, but had not otherwise questioned the circumstances.

"I mean, sure, if she's up for it," he had said. "So, uhm, I don't know about formality and all that stuff, but if Flayn says you need someone to break the ice, I'd be happy to help."

The boy had been blunt and somewhat clumsy with his words, but he had proven himself to be good company. It was refreshing to see someone who could be so sincere and respectful yet unintimidated without forcing it. She could see why Flayn liked being around him so much. Life seemed simple when confronted with his attitude, and Rhea appreciated that she could forget the worries of day-to-day life. He was comfortable to be around, and for this reason, he was on her list of candidates for another dance if the hall proved itself to be bereft of other acceptable dance partners.

Right now, however, there was a pause in the general activity of the ball. The judges of the White Heron Cup had just now finished their assessment of the competitors.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" opened Alois with his loud voice, "It is time for the announcement of this year's winners of the White Heron Cup. The judges have voted and will now proclaim their decisions."

At that statement, Manuela stepped forward and said, "My vote for the women's bracket goes to Dorothea of the Black Eagles. While both Marianne and Mercedes have shown great skill, they fell behind in certain areas. In Mercedes' case, this was the lack of practice. Her movements were well-executed, but they lacked the grace that comes with experience. Marianne on the other hand moved without the sufficient confidence to elevate her admirable performance to the next level. That said, Dorothea's movements had skill, practice and confidence in spades.

When it comes to the men's bracket, I cast my vote for Sylvain. He showed practice, smoothness and elegance in his movements. His competitors also performed well, but Ferdinand had too much tension in his body to perform on the level of the winner, while Lorenz suffered from the opposite problem. His movements were too lose, leading him to nearly lose control of the flow of movements several times."

After Manuela had stepped back, Shamir took her place at the front and gave her judgement. "While I agree in broad strokes with Professor Manuela's assessment, I have to disagree on one point. Dorothea did show the most practice and ease in her movements, but during the pair dance discipline, she performed worse than the others and often failed to adapt to her dance partner's moves. While her background in the opera gives her an advantage in the solo competition, the lack of experience in non-choreographed pair dances has worked in her detriment. As such, I would say that Mercedes narrowly outperformed her.

There are no protests from my side on Professor Manuela's opinion on the male bracket. Sylvain moved the most naturally out of the three competitors."

"There you have it," began Alois, "The winner of the men's bracket is Sylvain of the Blue Lions!"

There was a round of applause for the redhead who merely grinned and waved at the crowd.

"However," added Alois, "As a judge myself, I would like the give my opinion as well. It will not change the result, but for fairness' sake, I must comment. I too, deem that Sylvain has outperformed his competition. It was very close, though. Both Ferdinand and Lorenz did very well and are only narrowly behind Sylvain in skill. This is likely to change, should Sylvain not keep practicing."

Another round of applause went through the hall. Despite their defeat, Lorenz and Ferdinand had performed well and deserved recognition for the fact.

When the sound had died down again, Alois went on, "Now then, we come to the women's bracket. All three of these lovely young ladies have made an excellent showing of themselves. I agree in my fellow judge's assessment of Marianne, but I must add that if she had shown that confidence she lacks in the moment, but will indubitably gain in the future, she would have outshone her competition. Mercedes, too, has done a great job and displayed higher than average skill, but she still falls just slightly short of the benchmark. Therefore, with the grace and skill she displayed, this year's winner of the White Heron Cup's women's bracket is Dorothea of the Black Eagles! A round of applause for everyone!"

The sound was nearly deafening, no doubt because all three competitors had quite a few admirers among the student body. It explained why the male competitors, thanks to their reputations with the opposite sex, had garnered a less intense response. Still, merriment spread in the crowd, and the ball resumed.

Rhea was getting back in the swing of things as well. The dance with Raphael had been a positive experience, and she hoped to make more of them this evening. It brought back memories of her youth, when she had learnt how to dance from her mother. She almost sank into reverie right there, but she shook her head and focussed back on the present. It remained to be seen whether or not she would find someone worthy of her time.

She could spy more than one student or knight glancing her way. While part of her was pleased at the obvious attention she was receiving, she was mostly annoyed by the blatant ogling. Fortunately for her, however, most were too distracted by the ongoing festivities, and those whose invitations she would reject did not dare approach her. Unfortunately, the same held true for those whom she wouldn't, or so she had thought.

"You look a bit lost there, Lady Rhea," said a voice from behind her. She turned around to see Claude. He added, "Would you mind terribly if I asked you for a dance?"

She contemplated it for a moment before she said, "I do not think I will. Let us see how well you do."

Hours later. The Goddess Tower.

The ball was still going on and would likely last for an hour or two more, but Byleth was uncomfortable staying in that crowd for any longer. It had been fun, but he'd practically been dragged around the whole time by his students. He had barely had time to fulfil his promise to Edelgard, though she had ended up with the most dances out of anyone who had wanted some of his time. Still, he was just about done.

"Already had enough?" asked Sothis from within his mind. "How can my host have so little stamina for dancing? If I were you, I'd sing and dance all night long."

"It's not that my body is tired," he responded, "But I need some relaxation."

"Hmph!"

"There, there, Sothis," piped in Hyperion, "At least Seiros is having fun. In the timelines I observed, she'd be fleeing the ball right now, singing an old lullaby and being all mournful and morose."

"I guess that's true," she said. "In light of that, I'll let you off the hook, Byleth," she proclaimed with a joking laugh.

"My Teacher."

"Oh boy," said Hyperion, "We'd better leave you and the Princess alone now. Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

Byleth repressed the urge to snort as he felt Sothis and Hyperion retreat to from the fore of his mind. Instead, he responded to Edelgard. "Good evening," he said.

Edelgard smiled slightly. "I hoped you would come."

"You did?" asked Byleth.

There was a laugh as she answered, "Of course. This is where my mother and father first met. It was love at first sight, supposedly. It may have turned out differently compared to the vision they both no doubt had, but there is still a bit of magic and mystique to this place for me."

"This is not our first meeting at all," said Byleth.

The Princess laughed again. "No, it certainly is not, my Teacher. A battlefield may not be what most would call romantic, but that you saved my life upon our actual first meeting kind of fits the bill."

Byleth felt a weak smile tug at his lips. "You have a strange idea of romance."

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. "Are you really any better on that account?"

"Not really" he answered.

"Now I'm interested," she began, "What is romantic for you?"

That threw him for a loop. He hadn't ever really thought about that. There were few examples he had. There was little room for romance among the mercenaries. Very few were couples within the company, and those that were usually kept to themselves. Most of the others were more inclined towards one-night-stands, which even one with as warped a perspective as Byleth had wouldn't consider romantic. The only real example he could look at was Sothis and Hyperion's relationship.

"Being happy in my significant other's presence," he finally said after a moment of thinking, "Being at ease and content together."

Edelgard hummed as she contemplated his words. "I can see the appeal. It sounds stress-free. With lives as hectic as ours, it doesn't sound so bad, actually. It's not something many people would give as an answer to that question, though."

"They dream of grand proclamations of love," he said in response, "But being happy together without fanfare is a demonstration of love. The former needs the latter to be complete."

"That is very profound," said Edelgard, slightly surprised. "Didn't you say that you had no affinity for matters of romance?"

"I don't," affirmed Byleth. "Theory is easy, but experience is the true teacher, and I have none."

"I suppose that's true," she said. "I have to admit that I am also lacking in that area. There simply never was an opportunity. However, that has allowed me to be in the current situation."

The topic seemed to head in an all too familiar direction. "Edelgard-" he started.

"My Teacher," interrupted the young woman, "I know. Upon reflection, I even agree. There is the possibility that I will make the same mistake as my mother, so it would be best to wait for a bit longer. That said, I think it is unlikely."

He acknowledged that statement with a nod, "We will see where it goes after your graduation."

"There will be plenty of time for it on the way to Enbarr," said Edelgard.

"The journey to Enbarr?" he asked.

She responded, "Indeed. I have received a missive from my father. He wants me to return to Enbarr after I graduate, if the state of the war allows it."

"Why do you think I would need to come along?" he asked. "The war will likely keep me too busy for a detour."

"There are several reasons, but it is most likely because you will be needed as the high-ranking Church representative for my coronation," answered Edelgard.

Byleth scratched his chin in thought. "What makes you think the Emperor is calling you for that purpose? Did he say so?"

She shook her head. "Not explicitly," she said, "But he implied it. He is old, my Teacher, and sickly too. I fear that he doesn't have much longer left to live. He will want as smooth a transition of power as possible."

"And the other reasons?" asked Byleth.

Edelgard blushed slightly as she said, "He is aware of my interest in you and considers you a possible suitor for me. It is likely that he will want to see for himself if you're the kind of man he can entrust me to."

"I see," said Byleth.

"It is also possible that he wants to debate our options," she added.

That statement confused the Professor slightly. "Explain, please," he said.

She looked somewhat uncomfortable now. She hesitated for a bit before she spoke again. "With what was done to my body, it's unlikely that I will ever have children. The Hresvelg line is as close to extinction as it can get. Its future needs to be discussed."

"That does make sense," said Byleth. "It is still quite some time in the future, though. Let's stay in the present for now."

"You're right," she responded with a smile.

They fell into a companiable silence for a bit, looking at the faded murals in the Goddess Tower. The stories they depicted seemed familiar to only the highest clerics in the Church. Usually, they would capture the attention of any beholder, but neither of the Tower's current occupants really cared about them beyond the distraction they provided for the eyes.

"What did you wish for?" asked Byleth.

"What?" asked Edelgard back.

"When two people meet in the Goddess Tower, their wishes are supposed to come true," explained Byleth with a bit of humour in his voice.

The Princess giggled at that. "It's only supposed to work if you don't tell and if the wish is shared."

"Then how will anyone ever know if it worked?" asked Byleth.

"That is the question right there, isn't it?" responded Edelgard.

The two remained for some time. Eventually, however, the hour caught up to them. With both of them being tired, it was only a question of time before one of them yawned. More used to suppressing his bodily urges, Byleth could hold himself back, but Edelgard had no such advantage.

"We should turn in for the night," said Byleth as he observed the tired young woman stretch.

Edelgard nodded slightly. Then, she blushed a bit and said, "How bold of you to ask me to go to bed with you."

"A good effort, but attempts at teasing work better when you don't blush," said Byleth bemusedly, earning a slight pout from her. "Good night Edelgard."

"Good night, my Teacher," she replied.

Later that night. Byleth's mindscape.

Sothis was feeling a bit miffed at the moment. If only she had a body of her own. She would have danced the evening away at the ball. She'd always loved music, rhythms and dances. She had raised her children with those, and her happiest memories were of doing these activities together with them. A sense of loss pervaded her being at the thought of those times. She wanted to dance and lose herself in it, releasing her sadness into the nothing as she worked it out of her body and mind.

She was broken out of her thoughts when the sounds of song reached her ears. That was strange. She knew that Hyperion liked to sing, but he rarely did so in the presence of others. As the sound grew louder, she noticed him approaching. It dawned on her that he was singing for her. The lyrics of the short round he was singing were familiar. She recognised it from his memories.

"Though my soul may rest in darkness,

it will rise in shining light.

I have loved the stars to fondly

to be fearful of the night,

fearful of the night."

He smiled at her. "Hello there, my star," he said with a light laugh.

She snorted. "Do you have any more corny one-liners?" she asked amusedly.

"I got a few dozen up my sleeve, but I think there's only one that's really fitting right now," he answered with a grin. It shifted back into a smile. He bowed and held out one of his arms. "Would you do me the honour of this dance?" he asked.

"What?" she asked back, startled. "I thought you hated dancing."

She had seen as much when they had gazed into each other's souls. He viewed himself as talentless in the field and had a dislike for the practice itself. It had no benefit to him and brought him no fun either. As such, he deemed it a waste of time.

"I don't particularly like it," he said, "But I know that you love it. You're doing so much for me, and I want to do something for you as well. You're constantly stepping out of your comfort zone for me. You deserve the same courtesy from my side. Besides, who knows? Maybe I'll enjoy dancing if it's with you."

"Wow," she said, somewhat dazed.

That was something she hadn't expected. She'd thought she knew him as well as anyone could. She'd seen his soul. There shouldn't have been anything missing in her knowledge of him… Except it was possible to miss things. He had, and it had caused both of them a bit of grief.

Byleth had been very tight-lipped after he had talked with Hyperion, unwilling to speak about things that had been said in confidence. Her host had, however, told her that it was an issue of misunderstanding. She had gone to Seiros to find out what had caused the problem. Her daughter had been more forthcoming about it, and even a bit regretful, but their conversation had revealed its root cause.

When we looked into each other's souls, we merely saw ourperception of each other's perception; like a copy of a copy. The image is mostly accurate, but not complete. He didn't see the nuances of my feelings, just as I haven't seen all the nuances of his, she realised internally.

Outwardly, she said, "Thank you, but are you sure about it?"

"Of course I am," responded Hyperion immediately, "I even took lessons with Nyx and Ananke, so I won't be stepping on your toes all the time."

Sothis smiled warmly. "Thank you," she said. She stood up on her toes and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "Dancing should be done with music, however. Do you have any prepared?"

He chuckled. "What do you take me for? I've got a selection back in my area of the mindscape."

He took her hand as they left Sothis' throne behind. She leaned into him as they walked. She liked how appreciative he was of physical contact, even if he was hesitant to go beyond hugs at times. He was remarkably shy about initiating kisses or even leaning into her the same way she did to him. She knew that this wasn't because didn't want to. The issue was that he knew that he had poor impulse control. As such, he didn't trust himself to not go too far once she responded positively to his physical displays of affection.

Sothis just found it silly. She had faith in his ability to rein himself in. So, she had taken it upon herself to make him more comfortable with continued contact. Oddly for her, he was most comfortable with touching her head. It was very intimate for dragons like her, but she knew that it made it easier for him to relax that way. That, and she really enjoyed the sensation his fingers combing through her hair. He enjoyed it just as much when she did it to him, though she was sure that part of it was how close his face came to her chest while she did that. It wasn't like she minded it.

With that in mind, she put her free hand on his cheek, making him stop and turn his head towards her. She rose to her toes again and gave him another kiss. "You know you can kiss me at any time, right?" she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "What brought this on?" he asked.

"Don't pretend that you didn't want to kiss me when you took my hand," she admonished him. "I dislike seeing you be so hesitant about expressing your affection, so stop it. If you want to kiss me, just kiss me. You shouldn't-"

She was silenced when his lips descended on her in short order. He grinned slightly. "Is that better?" he asked.

She laughed. "Much better," she answered. "Now, I think we have something planned, don't we?"

"Right you are," replied Hyperion. She saw him pause for half a second before he dipped down again for another kiss. "Let's get back to what we came to do," he said.

Before long, the two of them arrived at their destination. The furniture was a fixed part of the mindscape, so Hyperion hadn't been able to do much in regards of remodelling, but there was a sufficiently large area for dancing behind the couch. The lighting had changed a bit, however. There were warm yellow, red and brown tones that reflected well on the mood he wished to evoke. There was also the addition of screens taken from the workstation which displayed various paintings. It was adorably clumsy in application, but the thought behind it was charming, Sothis thought.

Hyperion went over to one of his many devices and turned it on. Music began to play immediately. It was classical. The rhythm was one she recalled, though she hadn't heard it in thousands of years. "Is that a waltz?" she asked.

"It is," he said. "I thought we should start with something easy. I may have taken lessons, but you won't see me do a tango any time soon."

She laughed in response and held out her hand so she could take his. When he did so, she guided it to her waist. "Let's dance, then."

Despite his best efforts to the contrary, he couldn't quite hide his nervousness as they assumed proper form and began to dance. They had been this close, closer even, more than often enough when they hugged, but this felt more intimate, somehow. It was difficult to maintain his concentration as they moved, but the waltz was easy enough for him to not trip up. He only relaxed when he saw the radiant smile Sothis wore on her face.

Her eyes were closed as she revelled in the well-remembered activity. Her limbs moved almost on their own, her mind busy with enjoying the moment. Her worries were swept away by music and movement, and when the slight trembling in her partner's hands subsided, she immersed herself completely in the dance. She smiled from ear to ear with joy, feeling completely at ease.

Neither of them noticed that their bodies were coming closer over time. Hyperion was far too distracted by her face, and Sothis was too deep in her reverie. Their movements attuned themselves to each other's as if by instinct. There were no missteps, wasted movements or missed timings. They moved as one, and only when the last note hit, did they both emerge from the haze that had enshrouded them. By that time, their faces were mere centimetres apart, and it took them no time at all to come together in a searing kiss.

"That was wonderful," said Sothis. "I don't know when I last had this much fun."

"I'm glad you liked it. It's good that I got plenty of steam left," replied Hyperion.

His statement made her curious. "Oh?" she questioned.

He raised a finger. "Wait for it," he said. After a few seconds, a new melody came forth from Hyperion's device. "Will you dance the night away with me?" he asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. She pulled him down for another kiss. When she pulled back, she said, "Let us begin right away."

And so, they spent the night in their own world. Both of them lost themselves in their bliss. In Sothis' case, it was because she enjoyed dancing to an insane degree, even more so with someone so close to her heart. Hyperion's joy came from seeing her be happy and merry, hypnotised by her smile and the bursts of joyful laughter that escaped her from time to time. They also shared many a loving kiss over the course of the night as they moved in tandem. For hours on end, there was nothing but them, each other and the dance.

Eventually, however, not even their good mood could stave of exhaustion. Several hours of dancing had taken their toll, especially on Hyperion, who had was not as used to dancing as Sothis. They had made good on their promise, though. It was already morning by the time the last step had been taken. As a consequence of all of this, the two of them were just one misstep away from ending up in a heap on the floor.

They tiredly made their way to Hyperion's large bed, on which they proceeded to collapse unceremoniously. With the last of his strength, Hyperion pulled first himself and then Sothis fully onto it and put the covers over them. That done, he laid back and prepared to close his eyes. He was ready to fall asleep at this point, even if he only needed regular rest thanks to his godly physiology.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she responded, "More and more every day."

His eyes snapped open again when he felt her kiss him, her tongue brushing against his lips as she pressed her body against his. Her arms wrapped around him when he responded in kind. She moved again and dragged herself on top of him, almost but not quite straddling his hips. His arms also embraced her body as their tongues wrestled. That changed, however, when Sothis took one of his hands by the wrist and pushed it further down her body until it rested on her butt. After that, she broke the kiss and looked at his wide-eyed expression.

"Hyperion, you gave me a great gift this past night," she said, "You threw yourself into this, even though you disliked dancing. You did that just for me. You do your best to prove yourself worthy of my love all the time. When will you realise that you've been worthy since the beginning?"

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

The smile she gave him was both sad and gentle. She touched his cheek tenderly and said, "Don't ever feel inadequate. I love you. Get it through your thick skull that you're good enough, and that you will always be good enough."

He looked at her with tears at the corners of his eyes. "But I thought-" he began.

"Shh!" she silenced him. "You're not family yet, but you will be soon. As I told you, I love you, more and more every day," she repeated.

He tightened his hold on her. "You're so good to me. I don't deserve you," he said.

"Yes, you do. I'm so grateful that you're in my life. Let me show you just how far that gratitude goes," she insisted and leaned closer. "Now then, I didn't put your hand where it is just for it to be idle. Touch me," she breathed into his ear and kissed him deeply.

When Byleth found them hours later, they looked peaceful. They were locked in a tight embrace and bore happy smiles as they slept in each other's arms. The youngest of the headmates felt a smile creep onto his face as well at the sight. He chose to draw the curtains closed and left silently. He could ask later how their night had gone. For now, he was simply content with the knowledge that his friends seemed to be happy.

19th day of the Guardian Moon 1180. Hyperion's prayer space.

I looked at the small crowd gathered in front of me. They were the five members of my clergy. It had taken some time for me to figure out how to get them all into prayer space at the same time, but I had eventually managed it. It worked in my favour to have them all here right now. It made secret briefings a lot easier to pull off. When one discussed as sensitive a mission as the one I was about to brief them on, secrecy was required.

"Greetings and salutations, my adorable minions!" I said in greeting

Snickers answered me. "You seem chipper today. Had a good night?" asked Kronya

I grinned. "You could say that."

It had been the best night of my life. The dancing had honestly and unexpectedly been fun, much to my surprise. What had happened after had been monumental, though. Sothis had done a lot to diminish my fears of inadequacy when she had told me and showed me that I had her love. The intense snogging session we'd had afterwards had been the cherry on top. Naturally, we had not gone very far with that, both because we had been tired and because it would have been extremely rude to do stuff like that in Byleth's mindscape. It had still been a wonderful experience.

"Ooh," said Kronya. "I need details."

"Hell no," I said in a joking manner. "Get your own good nights."

The woman actually pouted at me for that. "Fine, my Lord. Keep your secrets."

I rolled my eyes in faked annoyance and smiled. "Knock it off," I said. Then, it was time to get serious. "Fun digressions aside, I have a mission for you guys."

"Is this the one we've been training for, my Lord?" asked Anselma.

Suppressing the tired sigh that threatened to escape me at the address, I answered, "Yes. It's very dangerous, and I was unsure whether I should send you at all. I'm still unsure, but I've decided to give you the mission details. You're free to accept or decline, but know that you will only go if everyone chooses to."

"That sounds serious," said Nikola. "What is the mission?"

"It is serious," I agreed. "Your task is to operate behind enemy lines in the Leicester territories occupied by the Nation of Agartha. Your main objective is to disrupt enemy operations as much as possible. Raids on supply lines, assassination of key personnel, fomentation of rebellion and the destruction of vital facilities are all within the operational parameters of the mission. As part of the latter, you are also tasked with shutting down as man 'fun houses' as you can find. Rescue the people in there if you can."

There were serious nods and more than one shudder. Nadja looked especially shaken. Considering her past, which she had finally told me about a few weeks ago, I really couldn't fault her. She'd spent several months in a 'fun house' as a training dummy, suffering the worst sorts of torture one could possibly endure, before she had been forced to perform those very same torture techniques on new victims. This was honestly one of the biggest reasons for my hesitance to send my people on this mission. She didn't deserve to have the horrors of her past slapped in her face.

"Even if they're Agarthans like us?" asked Nikola.

I stared at him. "Did I fucking stutter? You are to rescue the people held captive in the 'fun houses.' I don't give a shit if they're Agarthans, Fodlanese, Almyrans or sapient rocks. If it's a person, you will do your best to get them out of there," I said.

An elated smile made its way on Nikola's face. "I am happy with those orders, my Lord."

"What kind of assets will we have access to?" asked Kronya.

"A good question," I said. "As for the answer, you will have access to Judith von Daphnel's spy network. She will provide you with your targets. You will also use her bases to drop off rescued or captured people. Food and other supplies shall also be provided by her. Furthermore, there is a gift I'd like to give you all, irrespective of whether you accept this mission or not."

"What is it?" asked Philip.

"Come closer," I said in response.

They did so, and I stood up to approach them the rest of the way. "I recently learned how to do this from my teachers in the Underworld, so it might take some time, but bear with me."

I touched Nikola's forehead and concentrated. After about half a minute, a light began emanating from my hand. It was of my typical reddish black colour. There was a slight hiss from the older man as I did my work. Another half-minute later, the process was finished.

"Uhm… What was that, my Lord?" asked Nadja timidly. That woman was still far too shy for my tastes, but she was a good fighter.

"That was my blessing," I answered. "All of you will receive it."

Nikola, who had blinked a few times, asked a question as well. "What does this blessing entail? I feel something deep within me stirring, and I'm wondering what it is."

"The blessing is twofold," I began, "The first part, the one that took a lot of time to develop, is the ability to break Dark Shells. Neither Byleth nor I will be there to do that on your assignment, so you need a way to do that. This is that way. The second part of the blessing is one I hope you will never have to use."

Confused expressions spread across their faces. "Why?" asked Anselma.

I looked at them seriously. "There is a chance that you will be captured by the enemy, either on this mission or another one. I can't say what the enemy will do to you, but I wanted you to have a way out. There is the possibility that they will torture you, and if it becomes too much to bear… The second part of my blessing is a death curse. If you use it, you will instantly die and cast an extremely powerful curse on your target."

My stomach churned at the thought. I didn't wish to entertain that possibility, but I had to. The Agarthan leadership had proven itself to be composed of degenerates with no decency or humanity. They more than likely would do horrible things to my clergy if they were ever captured. Another reason for the uncomfortable feeling was that I had discovered that I had just as great an affinity for curses and Dark Magic as I had for Thaumaturgy while I had constructed the blessing. It made my skin crawl to think that I was gifted in the field of magic that had been used to torture Sothis. I also didn't know how my clergy would respond.

"You are very kind, my Lord," said Nadja. The others nodded in agreement.

There was no way to hide the surprise on my face. "What?" I asked.

"Suffering through a stay at a 'fun house' is not something I could ever endure again," she answered. "You are very kind to give us this blessing. I am free of fear now."

I walked up to her silently and touched her forehead, imparting my blessing. Somewhat stiffly, I said, "Don't ever use that unless it's necessary. You deserve a full and good life. Cherish it, understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," she said.

"Good," I said in response.

I wasted no more time and applied my blessing to the other three as well. Everyone smiled at receiving it, leaving me with mixed feelings. They shouldn't have been so happy about the thought of dying. That kind of thing made me highly uncomfortable. Their easy acceptance of it was a boon, however. Things would have gotten complicated otherwise.

In the end, there was only one last question to answer.

"Alright, then. I can't put it off any further," I began, "Do you accept the mission we've discussed?"

The five members of my clergy looked at each other and nodded in unison. Kronya, who was the team leader and usually spoke for them on official matters, turned towards me and said, "We do."

I sighed sadly. "Very well. You will leave in two days. Make sure to spend time with your friends and loved ones before you leave. Dismissed."

AN: Well, hello there, my dear readers.

I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter. It was once again one with a complete focus on the characters. One or two more like that are to follow, and then it's back into action for Byleth & Co.

The topic of today was primarily that of relationships, and I hope I did well. As I've mentioned many times before, I have no damn clue how romance works. If I did a decent job with it this chapter, that's good enough for me.

Today's recommended story is A System's Reaction by A Tin Can. Like last chapter's recommendation, this is an Overlord fanfic. It's special in the way that a character who isn't a Player ends up in the New World and now is on a tight schedule to prepare for the arrival of Nazarick and its denizens. The story is criminally underrated for how good it is. Give it a look.

Well then, with all that said, I wish you all a good day. Stay happy and healthy, and until next time!