IMPORTANT NOTICE: Interlude Chapters are NECESARY to the overall story, either by way of having information within that is called upon by later chapters, or by being a retelling of other scenes from a different perspective. Thanks, I hope you enjoy, and thanks for understanding.
(Authors Note)
Hey guys, it's me!
Also, WOO! 100k Words! We got a big boi on our hands now!
So, while I imagine a lot of you are interested in seeing what's to come next, and trust me, I'm having a lot of fun writing just that, I feel it's as good a time as any to drop in another interlude chapter. I made this in advance before Chapter 10 as a bit of a stopgap in case I was having trouble finishing the chapter or if I was getting stuck. And if I'm being honest about Chapter 10, it's pretty much already done, from a story standpoint anyways. I'm just trying to figure out a way to increase the... actual meat of it, because right now it's length is about half of what I normally try to output, which sucks, because I really want to end the chapter at the point it currently does. Which basically means, it's done, but gimme a little bit more time and I'll have it to you all.
As a bit of bonus news, chapter 11 has also been started. It's a chapter I've been really waiting to get into and I imagine the same will be said for a lot of you once chapter 10 is out.
Also, this interlude is a bit of a sneak peak into what's the main focus of Chapter 10, so have fun with that!
Okay, with all that said and done, Onto Reviews!
To Neb: Days where the thieves infiltrate Mementos or the Metaverse in general are going to be specifically dates where Ren can feesibly be "Missing" from the monastery. So days off where he doesn't have classes to teach or days when Byleth's taking over are days he can probably go into the metaverse without too much trouble. They won't be full day infiltrations, as I figure it'll mainly take up half the day like it did during school hours back in Tokyo.
To Mark the Gamer of Grima: To answer your question, yes, Aeon is the arcana. You don't really need to know of it's significance in P4G to understand that it has it's own importance here in this story seperate to that. The confidant's also already been formed if you look back at the first interlude chapter.
To Idotpart1: Yeah, I figured that The Fool would be an excellent choice to use with the Black Eagle house as a whole. Plus, if I'm correct in my assumption, I believe earlier Persona games had the Fool confidant be based around their respective groups. (I.E: SEES and the Investigation Team)
To AinzNamikazeD: I figured it was a case like that, just felt I'd point out the P4G thing and all that. But yeah. I'd like to say it's gonna be the no one dies route, but I can't promise that because I don't have everything fully figured out yet.
To KeeltheSwift: Yeah... Uh, Oops? If it wasn't for the fact I felt the plan they enacted was entirely justified knowing Ren's character (or at least my interpretation of him), I'd say that I probably should've handled the mock battle better. But that didn't happen and considering a lot of people seemed to like it, I think having Ren and Byleth carry turned out to be a good choice. Not sure yet on the Tea/Coffee thing. For Ren, definitely Coffee, but Tea Times are a thing Byleth is given access to so probably gonna be like that. Doesn't mean they'll end up going one or the other, but yeah. As for Daredevil (The hand crossbow)... Yeah, that's a fair point. I won't go back and change things, but in the future if the ammunition of it's ever brought up, I'll note the change being one that happened post Mock Battle or sometime around then.
To Krumpte: I debated including the All Out Attack, but it didn't really... fit nicely with what I had in mind. We'll have some out of the Metaverse though, just not sure when it'll happen yet.
To Kerrowe: The Café's pretty much gonna be a "Check and see if it's open" deal, yeah. It'll primarily be open when Ren has days off, but that won't be a concrete thing since sometimes he's using that time for Phantom Thief stuff or other things. As for who'll frequent... Not sure yet. I'm debating having the option of Leblanc Nouveau to also act a bit like the confessional box in 3h, or just a pseudo student councilor/therapy session thing as a means of boosting confidants towards rank up or other things. We'll see if I go anywhere with it.
To Frostfire613: I'm not saying you need to agree with Edelgard's ideals, there's a definite extreme she chooses to go to that I'm sure Ren won't be entirely on board with, so while it is the Black Eagle route, it's not gonna be Crimson Flower that's followed.
Alright, that's everyone! Thanks again for leaving reviews, they really do help me out when it comes to productivity and also, some of you have some really good idea that I don't consider sometimes, so yeah. Right, with all that out of the way...
Onto the Story!
Ren Amamiya was an enigma.
It was a simple truth. Simple in that the man was anything but. She could only wonder, did the flow of time bring him as well, or was he unceremoniously dropped into the river?
At first it wasn't an issue, she could ignore it, but there was something about the teen that struck her as off. She wasn't surprised Seteth noticed as well, but likely not to the extent Rhea did.
He arrived at the Monastery with familiar and new faces alike. Jeralt Eisner, a man who was once a knight of her order, once a captain of her knights, was back from his perceived death. Well, perceived would be the accurate term if news of "The Blade Breaker" and the mercenary group this man ran didn't travel across Fódlan as fast as it did.
Byleth was a welcome surprise. "Many years after he left", Jeralt had said. The man had experience, but the lie was flimsy, especially to someone who had known the man for 300 years like she had. It didn't help his story when his daughter looked the spitting image of her mother.
If she could, she'd welcome the girl with open arms. Unfortunately, even if she really wanted to, it would be too soon for such a thing. Especially with Seteth's skepticism about the three.
Alois spoke highly of Byleth and Ren. They had helped save this year's house leaders from a bandit attack, and that news had already spread all across the monastery like wild fire as soon as they returned. Every student of the officers academy were talking about the mercenaries that saved their house leaders, and the sentiment was shared among the knights as well.
Unfortunately, due to the abandoned post left by the previous professor who ran away that fateful night, the officers academy had a spot left unattended. While normally that'd be considering fortunate for Rhea, since she knew Byleth would be a perfect fit for the now empty spot, convincing Seteth to let it happen would likely end up bringing nothing more than a headache before the man relented. That was when Alois had given her a suggestion of having Byleth split the duties with Ren.
The man had praised them both equally in terms of raw combat skills, but highlighted some aspects of teaching that one would excel at more than the other, and that together they'd make an excellent tag team.
Rhea couldn't say she was entirely happy with the arrangement, but then that feeling she had felt from him resurfaced, and she decided that it might be best if she did appoint the two together.
Ren was an unknown, all knowledge about him was second hand. But the old saying of "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer" came to mind when she debated the topic.
So, she decided she'd let the mock battle decide his worth. It was both a way of appeasing Seteth, and satisfying her own curiosity.
Said curiosity which had suddenly grown exponentially when she next saw him.
Byleth was familiar, she was certain that the mercenary had her mother resting within her. There was a feeling that was tangible between the two that only strengthened that idea.
Ren, was not that. There was no possible way he was, for many reasons. He wasn't when they first met, but the problem was that he was NOW. She watched him walk off of the field where he and his house had utterly annihilated the mock battle in a matter of minutes, and felt the same sense of familiarity from him that she had felt from Byleth.
She couldn't explain why. What had changed in those few days? How could he possibly give her the same reaction as Byleth did. And why did he feel like…
She needed to see him. Talk with him and see if she could make heads or tails of all of this.
It was good luck that she had the opportunity to do so when she called the teen in with Byleth to discuss their upcoming mission.
"Lady Rhea, I've brought them." Seteth said, walking into the room with Byleth and Ren.
"Thank you, Seteth." Rhea said with a nod, turning to look at the two. Ren stopped next to Byleth, the two facing opposite the Advisor and Archbishop. "Congratulations on your victory today. You both greatly exceeded any expectations we had for you."
Ren smiled and rubbed his head awkwardly. "We might've gone a bit overboard with it though…"
"While some might think so, I do not. Your work with the students was remarkable. I can see Jeralt trained you well." Rhea began, smiling at the two Professors before her. "I do hope you were able to use the occasion to bond with the students."
"We did." Byleth replied simply.
"I am so happy to hear it." Rhea continued, the light smile on her face growing deeper. "Nothing would please me more than if you used this coming year to grow closer."
"Of course, the mock battle was mere practice. The real fight is the battle of Eagle and Lion, which will take place during the Wyvern Moon." Seteth stated.
"You are expected to properly train your students so as not to humiliate the academy during the long-held tradition that is the upcoming battle." Seteth continued, crossing his arms. "Though considering your performance today, perhaps it would be best if you also allowed the other houses to have a fighting chance when the time comes."
"Putting the battle of Eagle and Lion aside for the time being, I have called you both here today to tell you about your mission for the month ahead." Rhea said.
"Mission?" Ren asked in confusion.
"Ah, I believe we did not have the chance to go over this aspect of your employment." Seteth began. "Those affiliated with Garreg Mach Monastery have a moral obligation to help those in need, regardless of social standing. Students are no exception. Each month, before the newly birthed moon departs, each house must complete their assigned mission."
"You shall work to complete the task at hand alongside your students and report back to the Archbishop before the deadline." Seteth finished, crossing his arms. "Understood?"
Ren nodded slowly. He hid it well, but there was an usease forming in his eyes that Rhea was easily able to spot. "Right… and this month's mission?"
"Your class is to dispose of some bandits causing trouble nearby." Rhea explained, watching as the teen placed his hands behind his back.
His body language wasn't painting a good picture of his thoughts of this. The way his arms tensed lightly, he would likely be cutting into his palms with even just a tiny more force.
"Understood." Byleth nodded, undisturbed by the news in comparison.
An understandable reaction, she's been a mercenary for most of her life, it's to be expected.
"I will soon provide you with the necessary details for your first mission." Seteth began. "If I told you now, I expect you would only forget, and I despise repeating myself."
"I can sense something special within your heart…" Rhea said, eyes locked onto Byleth, before they turned to Ren and every question Rhea had about him roared to life once again. "And I sense the same from you…"
"I have high hopes for the two of you." Rhea finished, turning to walk out of the room, Seteth following close behind after saying a quick word about when classes would be starting up proper.
And even that wasn't enough, she needed to speak with him alone. So, she went to do just that.
Giving Seteth the slip wasn't even a challenge, not when she was as… experienced as she was. Finding an opportunity to meet the teen was a bit tougher. Or it would have been, if the opportunity didn't land cleanly in her lap.
The entirety of the Black Eagle house walked out of the café that the foreigner had called his home here at the monastery, Byleth following close behind her students. They had just returned from their meeting, but left soon after.
Ren, was inside on his own. The perfect time.
And that was where Rhea was now, knocking on the door to the café before slowly pushing the door to the café open to meet the new Professor personally. The bell rang as the door opened, allowing the sound to echo through the café.
"Hm?" The teen blinked, looking up from where he was busy cleaning cups. His eyebrow rose, slightly shocked. "Lady Rhea?"
"Professor Amamiya. I hope my arrival isn't a bother." Rhea said, smiling lightly as she stepped inside, the door closing behind her.
"No… not at all." Ren said, shaking his head as he dried his wet hands on a hand towel. He kept his eyes down at the towel, avoiding eye contact as he cleaned. "Please, take a seat. I was just cleaning up the party I threw for my house."
"I can see that." Rhea said, looking up at the red banners strewn about. "As I said earlier, congratulations on your victory."
"It wouldn't have gone as smoothly if I didn't have the students to bounce ideas off of." Ren said, playing with one of the locks of his bangs. "But nevermind that, can I get you any refreshments? I have Coffee, some assorted teas and a few leftover pastries from the party if you're interested."
Well, Seteth had spoken highly of it when she asked about his brighter mood this morning, and it had been many a time since she had coffee…
"The house blend, please." Rhea said, taking a seat in one of the booths.
"It'll just be a minute." Ren said with a smile, quickly getting to work.
Rhea smiled and let her gaze wander over the cafe. It was cozy, and finely furnished. She vaguely remembered that this had once been a storage room, a very old storage room at that, but unless you knew from before, you were unlikely to have guessed it was ever anything else.
Rhea's gaze turned to the right, pausing as she looked at the painting hung up on the opposite wall. She counted nine individuals portrayed in some capacity within the painting, and the composition and style was almost lifelike.
It was beautiful, but there was something more to it that made it so.
Ren walked over to her booth, placing two cups onto the table as he sat down opposite from her. "That painting…" Rhea began.
"A gift from a friend of mine." Ren said, smiling. "It's a recreation of a celebration we were having near year's end."
"I see." Rhea nodded, picking her cup up and taking a sip. Her eyes widened as she placed the cup down and took a breath in. "Well, I can't say Seteth was lying."
Ren simply smirked, quickly hiding it behind his cup as he took another sip. "So, what brings you here? Besides the coffee."
"How are you feeling?" Rhea asked the teen. "Are you adjusting to the monastery?"
"That's a bit of a loaded question…" Ren said, letting out a low breath. "Well, I assume as well as I could so far. I was, AM, concerned, I guess."
"Why?" Rhea asked.
"Because they're young." Ren said, leaning back into his seat. There was a look in his eye, it made him look older. "I'm 17, some of my student's are older than I am and some are even younger. And I've been asked to prepare them to fight."
Ren took a sip of his coffee, the action loosening his shoulders, likely done to calm him down. "...I took my first life just barely over a week ago. I… came across a bandit attack and tried to help repel them. I met Byleth and Jeralt then and we succeeded, but not without staining my hands."
Rhea took a sip of her drink. "I was under the assumption you were combat trained before this."
"I was. But that was self taught, and never meant to be used to end a human." Ren replied, shaking his head. She'd question how a style so effective against humans had been made for something else later. The teen wasn't done, after all. "A few days later we repelled another attack, saving Claude, Dimitri and Edelgard in the process. I froze mid-fight when it happened again."
A light silence passed over the two before Ren spoke up. "Permission to speak honestly, Archbishop?"
"I believe this is your abode. Feel free to speak your mind." Rhea responded.
"I was fine getting stuck as a Professor of this academy at first because I was of the understanding that I could live a life free of senseless murder." Ren said, crossing his arms. "I'm still… Sorting out how I feel about having the rug ripped out from under me about how wrong that assumption is."
"You have been tasked with disposing of bandits, people who live theirs lives running others'." Rhea responded calmly, before raising an eyebrow. "Why do you believe their deaths to be senseless?"
It was curious, a man trained in such skills that were undoubtedly lethal in almost all applications, and yet here he was distancing himself from that aspect.
"All murder is senseless." Ren responded, eyes hardening. "There's nothing honorable about it, and I believe there are fates much worse than death and those are more often than not better suited compared to letting someone take the easy way out."
"I see." Rhea nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. "You said at first. Has something changed?"
"...I'd like to say that I'm not qualified to help these kids, but I can't. Because I am." Ren said with a sigh, looking at the cup in his hands. "The world is dumb. It's stupid and the fact we end up dragging kids that haven't even reached the height of maturity into battles is morally questionable, morally bankrupt worst."
"That is still the world we live in unfortunately." Rhea said with a nod. "I believe many would wish it wasn't."
"They're the smart ones then. These kids, my students, are my responsibility." Ren finally said, looking up at Rhea. "I can't say I'm perfect, but I will do everything in my power to make sure these kids can live their lives happily when they graduate, and well beyond that point. If that means I have to lead them into a bloody battlefield, so be it."
"...I am glad that you see it that way, and that I was not wrong in placing my trust in you." She replied with a smile. "You are truly an interesting individual, Ren Amamiya. I look forward to seeing how you grow from here."
"Yeah… so do I." Ren said, a slight smile on his face.
Rhea picked her cup up and finished the last of her coffee. She placed it down on the table and blinked at the wide eyed look Ren had gained. "Ren?"
"Hm?" As quickly as it came the look vanished, as the teen glanced over to her.
"It's nothing. Thank you for the coffee. I must be off, I'd rather not have Seteth throwing the monastery into a zoo because I disappeared for too long." Rhea said, getting up from her seat.
"Wait, you didn't let Seteth know you…?" Ren began, before trailing off with a smile. "Come around again when the café's open and I can make you another cup."
"I think I'll do that." Rhea said, walking out the front door.
It would take time, building up trust was always like that, but she was anything if not patient.
It also helped that the teen was who he seemed to be. A kind man to those he trusted, and a determined man willing to fight against those he didn't.
Plus, he did make some amazing coffee.
Ren moved over to the front door and slowly locked it, before collapsing onto the floor by floor by the door.
"Of course… of course that's what she is…" Ren muttered to himself hysterically.
"Hey, what happened?" Morgana asked, walking out from behind the counter.
"She's Judgement." Ren said in a deadpan.
"...Oh."
"Yeah. Oh."