Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated, or at least, I'm sure they probably would have been exaggerated had anyone thought to ask in the first place. Merry belated Christmas and happy New Year, everyone. We were sadly denied a summer male Byleth last year, but boy oh boy, the fellas at IS must have been gliding their sweaty palms across every panic button on the master control panel because they went ahead and dropped Awakening second gen New Heroes, Three Houses Christmas, Legendary Camilla, and OC/Fates New Years on us one after another. If you ask me I think they may be getting just the least bit desperate!
Word count: 1,086 words.
Silver Specter, Ashen Envoy
"Look at you!" Sothis cannot help but tut, dainty hands resting on her hips as she comes to a halt. "What is this foolish posture?! Must everything be a somber march into battle? Your every last footfall a stiff and rigid affair? What will the children think when they see that their envoy this year is but a lifeless statue without cheer? Ah, and where, oh where do we begin with that stony look upon your face? As if a mere smile is too great a demand for someone in my company! Need I go on, or must I remind you of your role which you have so readily forgotten? You are to be merry this evening, not militant!"
It's all Byleth can do not to pat her on the head, tousling her hair and gaudy baubles, snowflakes dancing all the while; that he's able to do so at all, something so simple and sweet, is something of a gift all its own.
"Sorry," he chuckles, breath escaping in cloudy puffs. "This isn't something I'm used to doing."
"Hmph, you've made that abundantly clear..." the goddess quietly chides, easing somewhat under the warmth of his touch, the feeling of his gloved hand as it caresses her festive tresses. "Oafish demon... You would surely be lost if not for my guidance, you know..."
"I'm aware."
"Yes, quite lost, indeed... Terribly so, even... And not just here, but everywhere, I should think..."
"I suppose so."
"How pitiful you would be... Unable to perform even the simplest of tasks..."
"It would be difficult without you by my side, I imagine."
"Every last chore an ordeal through and through..."
"I'm thankful to have you to show me the way."
"Incapable of talking, let alone teaching... Rather than giving lectures, you would be needing them, so very many of them in fact, and all for the most basic of things..."
"I'd surely need your council."
"Unable to gorge on the absolute finest of mortal delicacies..."
"Hm, now that... I don't think so," Byleth says, returning his hand from her head and extending it to her. "You're quite spirited today."
Sothis laces their fingers, her mood brightening in an instant. "But of course!" she grins toothily, and though he's certain she's all but forgotten her demands, Byleth makes sure to hold on to his smile and match her lively pace. "To think that even one such as I could be granted a winter miracle... It's like a dream, is it not? A dream I would so very much not like to awaken from..."
Her words lead Byleth to ponder and his gaze to freely wander. The snow, the lights, the countless heroes and civilians making merry—the castle town of Askr, positively glistening in festal decor, could not be more dreamlike in that moment.
"I feel the same way," the professor confesses as a pair of joyful children scurry past. "Sometimes I wonder if that's true—if this is all a dream that's not meant to be... Will I awaken back in the monastery with you at my side? What of the bonds and memories we've made here? Those we've reconnected with from Fodlan and those hailing from other worlds entirely? It seems unlikely, but you know as well as I that strange dreams aren't so foreign to me."
"Where is this cheek coming from?" Sothis' eyes widen with intrigue. "Not that I dislike it. You are ever so much more amusing, amicable, and yet no less peculiar when you have half a mind to talk back."
"Well, perhaps the Beginning has imparted a piece of her brilliance unto me," the professor answers thoughtfully. "I've been good this year, so it makes sense."
She has every right to scold him for such a daring remark (the nerve!), but the goddess settles for letting it slide as the snow continues to fall. "Ah, yes, well... It is only natural that my wisdom would find a way to rub off on you. Such is the nature of this cycle! You may enjoy your gift, but do so while it lasts, for there may yet be a time where you no longer need to be led around this way and that."
The goddess falls silent, her attention seemingly stolen away by the toys and novelties of a nearby shop, but her expression in the window's reflection tells Byleth otherwise.
"Is that what you believe?" he blinks, and she answers unconsciously by squeezing his hand just a bit tighter. "I see... You know, rather than dwell on things to come—things that may not even come to pass—maybe it would be best if we simply enjoy ourselves today."
His words seem to do the trick, sparking another swell of spirit to come over her. "A difficult endeavor, I should think, given that you are our envoy. You cannot even carry a sack of gifts correctly! It is to be slung with care behind your shoulder, not dragged carelessly along the cobblestone!"
"Oh," Byleth corrects himself, more than a little flustered. "And here I thought moons of showering students in gifts and lost items would have left me with some feeling of familiarity when it came to all of this. I felt more in my element when we were out gathering treats and playing tricks."
Now properly lugging the sack that at one point contained the starchiest of Askran potatoes, the professor returns his focus to Sothis and gets an idea.
"I'm quite fortunate to have such a veteran winter envoy show me around."
"Hmm?" she hums curiously, darting from the knick-knacks on display. "You are fortunate, aren't you... Verily so, in fact... Yes, yes! Of course you are! Why, a novice like you would sooner gift yourself a headache than gift anyone anything without a seasoned expert such as I at the helm! To have accepted my invitation this year, you simply must be overflowing with desperation!"
The goddess clacks her classy, cherry red heels together and laughs, all thoughts of loneliness tossed to the wind. "Oh? What's this?" she raises a playful brow. "Since when do smiles come to you so easily?"
"It must be something in the air," Byleth says as he motions to the shop's display. "You've given me enough gifts this evening. Is there anything you want?"
Sothis is quick to peruse the shop's offerings, proving that her feigned interest earlier may not have been entirely put on.
"That dragon stuffy seems nice."
"I'll see if we can take him home."