The internal structure of Eden Vital has always been a subject of much confusion and speculation by outsiders, perhaps due to the seemingly idiosyncratic way its members are organized. Officially, Eden Vital is possessed of multiple suborders, that of Orders Hospitaller, Dialogus, Famulous, Sabine, and perhaps the most controversially, Militant. The duties attached to each order is relatively evident in their names, though not always so. Those of Hospitaller are qualified in the provisioning of medical care, from being nurses and doctors to even providing psychiatric counseling. Dialogus are responsible for instruction, teaching at the various schools and vocational colleges that Eden Vital maintains. Famulous are trained administrators, accountants, and advisors, often in the employment of the great peers and other wealthy households, managing the day to day affairs of the Order's various facilities, or in accompaniment of Eden Vital's own senior ecclesiasts. Sabine are responsible for the many scientific endeavors the Order delves into, and are indeed behind some of the most revolutionary medical treatments that have emerged for various neurological conditions. And finally Militant are responsible for the physical security and safety of the Order's leadership and its more crucial facilities.
While this delineation seems sufficiently clear-cut, what many outsiders do not realize is that members of Eden Vital do not technically belong to one specific suborder or another. Rather, what each member receives is a qualification from a particular suborder, indicating that they are qualified to perform the duties and services that suborder oversees. As such it is entirely possible for a lay member to have received qualifications as both a Hospitaller and a Sabine, if they are say engaged in clinical medical research. In this manner membership within a particular suborder is more akin to possessing a degree from an accredited educational institution, which not surprisingly Eden Vital maintains many of themselves.
This is likely not readily apparent because the manner in which outsiders will usually encounter Eden Vital is at one of their schools, clinics, or community service centers, wherein the majority identify as holding qualifications from the relevant suborder but not from others not related to the purpose of the facility in question. This produces the illusion of Eden Vital being organized into different branches, whereas in truth the location where a member is assigned is more relevant to their place in the overall organization than which suborder they earned a qualification from. The sole exception to this lack of delineation would be those who are members of the Order Militant.
-On Humble Origins: The Order of Eden Vital
End Interlude
Yeah, the bit about the inside of the knightmare cockpit was a bit of a brain fart on my end. I originally rushed through that bit and didn't go back to clean it up. It's fixed now. The intent was actually to have the Lancelot's cockpit more akin to that of an EVA, except Suzaku would be leaning back more. Part of that is to accommodate the fact that he is a paraplegic, the other is there's a fair bit of hardware that they had to stuff under his chair for the neuro-link that is connected at the base of his neck.
Next chapter is about halfway done, content wise at least. Timewise it's less clear-cut. I could plow right through eight thousand words in a day or so but then have trouble with the last two thousand and end up needing to take multiple days to hammer it out because the scene is tricky in some way, so we'll see. Ultimately I expect two chapters to wrap up the aftermath of Lake Kawaguchi and set the stage for the next arc. It might be a while before I actually get to that arc though.