Month of Wyvern Moon - Flower vs Cake Part 1
Chapter 28
The next week found me steadfastly avoiding people while attempting to puzzle out the rolling storm of emotions inside me. I made a conscious effort to continue attending classes, but my reluctance was clear to almost all but the densest of my classmates. I found myself growing more and more despondent and restless as the lectures wore on, and by the end of the week I was skipping out on class lectures completely.
However, despite my less than stellar performance in my lectures, my individual training sessions proved to be a haven from my classmates and inner turmoil as the sessions consisted of just me and my professors. Morning sparring sessions were also free of drama since no one in the group was much for words first thing in the morning. Instead the sessions were just the steady clack of weapons as I tested out my new steel battle axe on my hapless sparring partners.
Towards the end of the week, as my behavior relapsed back into my old habits that I happened to look on my calendar. Outside of the normal upcoming dates such as an indication that the new merchant caravans were due into the monastery, a soft due date for a small merchant company contract and the traders guild, a few homework assignments and tea dates, the battle of the Eagle and Lion loomed closer.
Next to the ominous red X marking the upcoming class battle royale, a purple heart was scribbled hastily on an upcoming date like an ominous sore. I stared at the heart intensely wondering who had even had access to my room recently enough to scribble the date in without me noticing. My mind drifted to a small list of students that managed to drift into my room at any given day.
Sylvain was definitely a contender but based on my steadfast avoidance of him this past week I knew it wasn't him. Claude was another I would have suspected under normal circumstances, as some kind of strange forewarning to some kind of scheme but I was also avoiding the Golden Deer with a pretentious amount of caution. Outside of the two I normally might have suspected, I knew Professor Byleth had stopped in earlier this week to see how I was doing and to drop off homework packets, but she did not seem like the type to scribble a random heart on my calendar. Which left me with precious few other suspects.
I mulled the thought around in my brain while trying to think of my more recent visitors. Lysithea had stopped in with some cookies the other day...and then it hit me. Cereza had been stopping in for our study sessions and I vaguely recalled a conversation earlier in the month about her own name day being this month. The soon-to-be 17-year-old was ecstatic at the prospect of having a special tea party with Ferdinand and gushed about it at any given day if I gave her a moment to talk. Coupled with a few questions from Caspar I had been fielding this week about Cereza, I came to the realization that I needed to procure some kind of gift for my friends' birthday.
As I stared at the hastily drawn heart as I attempted to recall Cereza's normal schedule. This month I knew from experience that the young shaman was busy with her own preparations for the upcoming Battle of the Eagle and Lion, and without much difficulty I recalled the normal parts of her schedule as well. It was fairly consistent, despite this month's chaos. Cereza normally spent a lot of her time in the study wing of the library, struggling to finish her classwork on time. When she wasn't studying or in additional battle strategy meetings, she had taken to practicing her battle magic in the mage practice courts in anticipation of the upcoming battle. If those areas were empty, I speculated I could locate her with either Petra and Ferdinand, as she rarely left their sides.
I contemplated going to look for her and inquire if she wanted to go into town this weekend shopping but as I was avoiding people like the plague, I really was not keen on spending too much time in the company of others right now. I ruminated over gift ideas instead as a shallow knock on my door alerted me. My eyes flicked uneasily to the door to make sure it was locked as a soft voice called out.
"Lilianna? I know you're in there. Come on open up, I just want to talk." Sylvain's anguished voice struggled to make itself heard through the wooden door.
Noting the lock was secured I edged toward my windows, heavily considering leaving my room via less traditional methods. Lately my windows had been getting more alternative uses then just letting in the errant night breezes as I found myself utilizing them more and more frequently to escape the confines of my room late at night after curfew.
I listened tensed and ready to make an exit as the knocking stopped and I heard Sylvain sigh. "Look, I know I messed up the other day. Can you please stop avoiding me?"
I ducked down, one hand on the windowsill as I heard the door handle jiggle. My lips pressed into a very firm line as I prayed the redhead had enough common sense to not pick my lock. My heart thundered in my chest as there was another polite round of knocks and an even heavier sigh before a muffled thump alerted me that a philandering blue lion was lurking outside my door.
With a small sigh of my own I grabbed my trusty explorers kit and swung it over my shoulders before crawling out my window and into the gardens that surrounded the Golden Deer dormitories.
My impromptu adventure took me down a familiar path, down the road towards my nightly stomping grounds. It was almost nightly now that I found myself sneaking out to wander around the monastery grounds, exploring every twist and turn on the expansive grounds that caught my interest. The sunlight filtered through the trees as I trotted along, intent on getting underground before I was spotted by a professor or one of my classmates.
My feet took me to the hidden underground entrance next to Professor Byleth's room. I made a beeline for the false wall and pulled it open just far enough to slip down into the darkness, down into the depths.
In my recent explorations into the underground caverns had slowly been revealing more and more of their secrets to me. My restless ramblings took me down deeper into the mazes under the monastery grounds, exploring huge caverns and forgotten arenas en masse. Most of my explorations resulted in dead ends, but sometimes they resulted in me stumbling into a slumbering monster's lair, or, on occasion bumping into said monster as the result of my nosy expeditions. Between the odd fights, sneaking around, and moving the rubble, I habitually collected my own share of bumps and bruises for the trouble.
My feet lead me instinctively towards my newest project, clearing away rubble to make enough room to explore a large theater style room. Slowly, under my hard work the ruins were expanding. I explored them eagerly.
As my hands moved the rubble, I felt a little more at ease doing something. Broken writings and cravings arched over my head in a once great hall filled with grandeur. Skillfully carved columns continued to support the ceiling and I somehow felt more at ease then I had in a long time. The architecture had something familiar about it, but I couldn't place it.
The familiar feeling fueled my interest and delighted me, the ancient writings and pillars reminding me of home, but not quite. I could barely read the faded writing on the walls, making out just enough to know some kind of ritual involving a bejeweled cup had taken place.
Intrigued by my findings, I eventually wound up searching for answers to my explorations among the library stacks the next day, but regardless of my research efforts, next to no information on the underground labyrinth or ritual turned up. The stacks of books I read through day after day only grew as I sought to know the elusive origins of the underground caverns. No answers were forthcoming as I overturned what felt like every book in the library. Yet, despite my searching, nary a sniff or shred of information as to what was the ritual below the monastery grounds had been for surfaced.
Nothing that made a suitable gift turned up during that time frame either.
The day before Cereza's birthday I was still empty handed. At a loss for what to give my friend, outside an annotated pocket dictionary I thought she desperately needed to carry around, I skipped the bottom half of my afternoon classes to run into town. One of the merchant's I was well acquainted with caught me browsing the bazaar with a more critical eye than usual and made a point to strike up a conversation.
In between munching fruit and drinking tea, I explained that I was looking for a gift for a certain friend. He listened with a tentative ear and happily brought out to a new lineup of tea blends he had just received in the new shipment a few days ago that were not yet on market. He winked as I inquired how he had come by them and my merchant contact delighted in informing me the new lineup was courtesy of the new merchant contracts that had been bringing new trade into the city.
Internally pleased to know that my merchants were reaping the benefits of my hard work, I reviewed the new selection of teas. I was amazed by what I saw. The new selection easily tripled the offerings in the area, with new teas trickling in from every area in Fodlan. I giddily reviewed them, hoping to finally lay hands on my ginger teas but was soon utterly disappointed to discover that someone had purchased all the ginger tea that had been in stock the day it got into town.
Disgruntled by the news, my merchant friend offered me a good price on some more exotic tea leaves, a four-spice blend of hot peppers, cinnamon, red peppercorns, and all spice. I was skeptical when smelling it but thought the strange blend might impress Cereza's more exotic pallet of food and drink.
"She is always going on about her tea times with Ferdinand, I might as well get her some tea." The strong scent from the four-spice blend made me crinkle my nose in displeasure and I hurried to put the lid back on the tin. "I hope she likes it."
I completed the trade for the tea a short while later. Skeptically slipping the tea into my worn travel bag, I nodded to my merchant contacts and slipped further into the marketplace. Nothing else really caught my attention as I explored the area a bit more, but on impulse I also picked up a small stuffed black eagle clad in a tatter of crimson red cloth.
The merchant was glad to be rid of the toy, as I soon discovered why. The toy had been ripped on the side and was in danger of losing its cotton filling. I frowned as I stuffed the filling back in and haggled with the merchant until he heaped on a steep discount for broken wares. The final agreement amounted to me paying a little more than a couple of gold.
The merchant smiled as I walked off, skeptically still holding the toy, stuffing its insides back in with a furrow between my brow. "How am I going to fix this…"
I wandered back up the hill to the monastery wondering if my sewing skills were remotely good enough to fix the toy.
I formulated a plan and stuffed the toy into my bag before beginning to jog back up the hill towards the monastery.
I made it back to the monastery just in time. I made liberal use of the secret passages that I had memorized in order to make it back in time just before our extra house meetings started.
The Golden Deer's jaded green eyes followed me when I entered the classroom, throwing my bag under a desk before wiggling my way around the map as he cautiously continued explaining his strategy.
Claude gave no indication of the other night's events having any effect on his leadership, even after Seteth figured out he was behind the entire event. I folded my arms and listened passively as the Golden Deer laid out his plans in detail. Claude casually slid in that because I passed my Wyvern Rider certification, we had more options on the table in terms of long-term strategy. With the wyvern rider's additional maneuverability added to the rosters, devising a strategy proved to be a bit more interesting...and a lot more difficult to find an agreement that satisfied the entire class. The Golden Deer left off and began proposing different scenarios where the extra mobility my new class offered came in handy.
By the end of my house leader's long list of possible strategies, the benefits of having advanced classes began to sparkle in my classmates' eyes. The hushed side bar conversations informed me that several of them were considering applying for their own advanced class certifications.
"We might actually have a chance of winning!" Hilda cheered as we played through yet another battle simulation the Golden Deer speculated about on the fly.
I stared down at the table, contemplating the actions and the scenario on the display in front of me. One hand balanced on my chin as an uneasy feeling caused me to shift back and forth restlessly.
My restless behavior was not lost on my more sensitive teammates. The green haired artist across from me looked up at me with concern in his gentle brown eyes. "Something bothering you Lilianna?"
I continued to stare down at the tabletop simulation uncertainly, flicking my hand dismissively at my classmate as then gestured rudely at the board. "Nothing in particular, I guess. I think it's more of a 'I want to wait and see' type scenario."
"Oh, what's caught your interest?" Ignatz raked his gaze back over the board with a more critical eye whilst adjusting his glasses.
Our small side conversation interrupted the main argument that had erupted between Claude and Lorenz over who was going to stay behind and command the hilltop. Their heated exchange came to a halt as I gestured vaguely to the riverbanks. "I was wondering if the river is fordable by foot units or not. Heavy armor is a death sentence in water, but if mounted units or lightly armed foot soldiers can get over it without too much trouble Professor Byleth might very well choose to have them push the attack from this direction rather than wait for the bridge."
I pointed to the hilltop that I knew Claude was hoping to secure as his primary position. "Equally, having the high ground works alright for our ranged units, but if either house chooses to rush them in a pinch…."
I thumbed my bottom lip contemplating all the variables at play, attempting to foresee all the different scenarios that could be used against us. Professor Byleth was nothing but experienced, so the only option was to try to be prepared and anticipate her movements. On the other hand, Lady Edelgard was not to be underestimated either. With Hubert running intel collection, I had no doubt the Black Eagle's House was also a force to be reckoned with.
My analysis was abruptly interrupted as Lorenz sniffed irately, leaning over to pressure Golden Deer with a leer of accusation. "A perfectly logical complaint. Claude, just how are you going to protect our ranged units from being rushed?"
Claude shook a playful finger at me. "Tut, Tut. You're neglecting the first part of my plan, for Dimitri and Edelgard to duke it out on wide open plains over there. When a majority of their forces are exhausted from battling each other, then we move in and just pick off the winner!"
In response to the Golden Deer's logical strategy, I simply pointed to the single unit in the middle of the board and watched Claude's smile twitch just a little.
My flustered house leader exhaled slowly as he ran a hand through the back of his disheveled hair. "Well, ya that also counts on Teach going along with that my plan..."
"Professor Byleth is probably our greatest opponent on the field." Lysithea cut in, commenting tartly as she crossed her own arms, leaning over the map with a sour expression on her face. "She possesses an in-depth knowledge of all our fighting styles and weaknesses, so going face-to-face with her really is not a good idea. Wouldn't it be more prudent to just rush her and get the professor out of the way?"
Our house leader nodded sagely as he began moving more pieces around. "I thought about that. Teach is very light on her feet too, so I don't think surrounding her is an option for us out in the open. That's precisely why I wanted Lilianna here to take her on first."
"W-What?!" I panicked, immediately starting to protest this new suggestion as Claude calmly discussed making me bait for the most dangerous unit on the field.
The Golden Deer shrugged off my concern by gesturing to a patch of bushes not far off from the center of the hilltop. The sizable cover contained several of our archer units waiting in ambush. "That's your goal Lilianna, to lure Teach back to this thicket here where our range units will be waiting. Teach will have a harder chance of hitting us if we use the terrain to our advantage, and us archers will have an easier time hitting her if you are distracting her from above."
I felt a deep pit in my stomach start to grow, the uneasy feeling grew as I attempted to consider the consequences of Claude's proposal. The first few simulations had to have been Claude's way of demonstrating the new utility of the advanced classes. This new scenario carried a lot more weight, and as I struggled to come to terms with being put in the middle of carnage, I realized it was probably the strategy the Golden Deer was heavily considering. None of the prior simulations had this level of solid logic behind them, but the concept of me going up and even standing a chance against Byleth was slim to none.
Starting to feel a little sick to my stomach I tried to open my mouth. It was difficult to get the words out, and when I finally did, they came out with an airy plea. "Claude...can we just chat about the likelihood of me standing a cold chance in northern Faerghus against Professor Byleth?"
The Golden Deer picked up the Professor's unit and pitched it toe-to-toe with mine. "I trust you can do it. I need someone who is mobile to do this, you are the only one who can fit this bill Petal, so just trust me on this ok? You can do it."
I mumbled something about hopefully being taken out by an enemy archer before having to deal with Byleth as Claude put his hand on my shoulder. "You're critical to my plan here, so don't let me down ok?"
The weight on Claude's words caused me to pull away, shaking my head as I stepped back. The strong sense of foreboding grew as I attempted to smirk. "Why do I feel like I am going to need a medic before this is done?"
Claude chuckled dryly, not denying my morbid sarcasm as he turned to put our game pieces away for the evening.
It wasn't long after we packed up and left the classroom that I found myself sitting half on the edge of the monastery wall taking in the view. The mountainous landscape stretched on into the setting sun as I chewed on the end of a stalk of straw, my mind skimming over the nearly endless possibilities as I watched the clouds blow by in the blue sky.
I wasn't sure what the Golden Deer was scheming, putting one of his prior mage units on the front lines like I was used to frontline combat, but some small part of me had faith that the resourceful deer wouldn't just throw the battle or sacrifice one of his unit's needlessly.
I scrubbed my face, not happy with the scenario that had outlined my fate, but also realizing that as a wyvern rider I had given up my responsibilities as a healer. I needed to step up to the risk at hand. My agitation at not being able to cast spells without wanting to split my head open irritated me to no end and I tried to come up with a better solution to Claude's scenario that didn't involve me going toe-to-toe with the most experienced combat professor in the monastery.
As I mulled over my options, I heard the telltale click of boots on stonework coming up from behind me. I didn't look back, mildly considering that if someone pushed me off the wall top I wouldn't be in any condition to fight in the upcoming Battle of the Eagle and Lion.
My morbid little thought was cheerful, cleaved through as Hilda's chipper voice slid up next to me. "Hey there Lilianna, what are you up to?"
"Hilda? What can I not volunteer for?" I cast an unimpressed glare at the smiling, pink haired second as she leaned on the wall top next to me.
"Oh nothing, I just thought I would come and chat with you. You know, considering you keep disappearing as of late."
My eyes narrowed at Hilda as she beamed brightly up at me. "Uh huh, so you're coming to check up on me?"
The heart of House Goneril returned my pointed glares with unassumingly large eyes and a small gasp of feinted surprise. "Well sure! I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't. You just seem so distracted since the party, like you have been avoiding us. So, I thought I should come over and see what's wrong!"
"..." I went silent as I realized I still had to find a solution to Cereza's birthday present. I scowled darkly as I reached into my bag. My hands fumbled and then pulled out the plushie from my earlier market adventure. "Nope...nothing wrong here."
Hilda teased me as I slowly unwound the red scarf from the plush toy, being cautious as to not to tear the toy further. "Oh, I know! Your dower mood has to do with Sylvain, right? You've been avoiding him."
I continued to inspect the torn toy, pointedly ignoring the gossip's attempts to get a reaction out of me. "Mmm, maybe Mercedes can help me with this, or Ashe…?"
"That's totally it isn't it? I thought I saw you two kissing! So, are you two a thing?" Hilda leaned on me as I threw my legs over the side and slid back down on the ground next to her, leaning against the railing while still looking over the damage and praying it was a quick fix.
"He was drunk and thought it would be a good present. I wouldn't read that much into it." I flicked my hand at Hilda to shoo her away from that dangerous line of thought. "Your digging for gossip in the wrong places. Try someone else Hilda."
The pink haired second began to pout as I waved her off. "Aww, but you always seem to have something interesting going on. The party was a hugeeee hit!"
I shifted, tucking the toy back into my bag to turn my full attention back to the problem next to me. My gaze stared down into the depths of Hilda's sparkling rose pink eyes as I flatly dismissed her. "Then it's all thanks to you and Claude, nothing I did."
"True, I did put in a lot of effort into planning it." Hilda twirled a lock of her hair and continued pouting.
I sensed what she was digging for and refused to glorify the events of last week with any sort of answer the gossip mill could run with. Whatever was going on between me and Sylvain definitely did not need the rumor mill tagging along for the ride. I stopped leaning against the wall and grabbed my bag. "I really need to get this fixed by tonight, if you don't mind?"
"Oh, I don't mind at all." I felt the vice dropping as the pink haired axe warrior smiled sweetly up at me. "It's just, oh the party caused quite a few of us to get into trouble and now we have kitchen duty. I was wondering if…."
I held up a hand to cut her off, already seeing where this was going. "No thank you, my turn is tomorrow, and you really do not want me in the kitchen Hilda."
Hilda held her hands up as she tilted her head coyly to the side. "That's such a shame, a little birdy told me that Mercedes was volunteering there. It would be such a good chance for you to talk with her…"
I tried to swallow, feeling like the resourceful tank was getting the better for me as she beamed up at me. "Oh, and be sure I won't let the little matter with Sylvain rest. You know it's about time you showed a little interest in the men around here. It would be super fun to speak with you about all the fantastic choices for once."
My irritation at being toyed with began to simmer as I growled roughly in her direction. "Ya, I am sure men are just who you want to talk about. You would totally break poor Marianne's heart if she overheard you."
My snide comment caught the tank's attention and she immediately dropped the act as I shifted my pack. "Wait come again?"
I took a few steps towards the dining hall, with Hilda following a few steps behind me. "I said, I doubt you really want to talk about romantic relationships with me."
"Why not? There are so many to choose from! Lorenz is so fashionable, Ferdinand is the ideal picture of a white knight riding on a horse, Dimitri is so strong and gallant…" I stopped and scowled darkly as Hilda's gossiping continued to ramble off eligible bachelors at the academy.
I knew the second was doing it as a distraction, hoping to get a reaction out of me and I sighed as I realized she wouldn't let it go of the topic unless I did something to distract her. I played with the strap on my bag, toying with an idea in my head as Hilda continued rambling on.
We continued walking as I switched sides with Hilda to walk on the outside of the walkway, pinching her closer to the wall as she followed alongside me. "Oh alright, what about Raphael and those bulging muscles then? Or how about Ignatz? He has that whole shy, little brother thing going on and it can be kind of cute. Like just the other day he cleaned the classroom all by himself as to not interrupt a conversation I was having! It was so considerate! I just had to tell him so!"
I cut into her daydreaming as I wedged her a little closer to the wall, the ideal place to execute my revenge came into view with a few more steps. "Hilda, I think you have confused me for someone who's looking to find a partner at this academy. I am sorry to inform you I am neither interested nor looking at this moment."
Hilda just gasped in surprise at my confession. "No way! Just like that? I could have sworn by the way you were kissing Sylvain the other day you were totally into him!"
It was finally my turn to flip the tables on Hilda as we walked past a small alcove. Casually as if I had practiced the motion, I turned and placed my hand up on the wall next to Hilda's bouncing pigtails. At the same time, I snuck my other hand under her chin, tilting it up.
"Do you have the will to say no in a position like this?" I purred softly watching the tank's face turn the most brilliant shade of red.
I lowered my lips toward hers, pressuring Hilda a little more as I stopped just short of kissing her. My words ghosted faintly over her glossy pink lips. "I bet this would be your first kiss. The way you're making such a big deal out of it, I just have to wonder…"
Her perfectly made up eyes shimmered as I pushed myself away with a conniving smirk. "Just teasing, don't think too much into it Hilda dear."
I winked at her as she continued to lean up against the wall looking stunned. I gave the bewildered second a short wave and began walking back towards the kitchens, relieved to finally be alone with my thoughts once more.
"Oh my! You want me to sew your plushie? I would love to, but I am a bit busy right now."
I sighed as I attempted to convince Mercedes to give me a hand in repairing the toy in my hand as she turned to grab ingredients from a nearby cold closet. Mercedes smiled at me as she headed inside, slipping on the icy entryway as she did so.
I watched the scene unfolding with concern as the healer stuttered, lurching forward as she went to faceplant into the shelving. Alarmed, I skated forward on the slick surface, grabbing the healer's flailing arms before she fell topped over. "Hang on, I got you!"
I helped steady the Blue Lion as she stood upright. "Wow! Thank you! That would have been a rather nasty fall."
I nodded sagely as she turned to collect the milk and butter, she had originally entered the room for. The healer slipped again as I adjusted the bag on my shoulder. "If you need a hand…?"
Mercedes waved me off as she collected her ingredients. "Oh, that is very kind of you, but the head chef told me to not let you anywhere near the supply rooms."
I rolled my eyes as she searched for an open block of butter that wasn't industrial sized. "It was one time Merci, I'll be fine."
"Oh no, it was not just one time. The head chef told me that you defiled the stock rooms. You almost destroyed the kitchen, and that didn't even account your cooking skills." Mercedes clicked her tongue at me as she found what she was looking for.
"It was a salad." I grumbled as the healer let out a light airy laugh.
"Of course, you could always try to sew the poor toy back together yourself."
Muttered darkly, I pulled my bag out from behind me and pointedly showed her a roughly engineered patch on my bag that made it look like some Frankenstein creation.
The healer let out a fresh peal of breezy laugher at my hideous patch job. "Oh dear, it looks like we'll also need to fix your bag. Well practice makes perfect they say! I would be happy to look it over when you're done."
I sighed, disheartened at the prospect of trying my hand at sewing. I stared down at the poor toy as half of its stuffing proceeded to creep back out the tear. I ruefully attempted to stuff the cotton back in as we both flinched at a sudden smashing sound from the next room over.
Another shattering sound followed a few seconds later.
"Who's on dishes?" I inquired as I flinched against yet another piece of shattering china.
I looked up at Mercedes as she inspected some of the nearby shelves for fruits and vegetables. "Gosh, I am not sure. They said the student who was supposed to be on dishes today was sick and couldn't come in. I sure hope they found a replacement."
I raised an eyebrow in question. I wasn't sure if I was more concerned that Mercedes did not remember who was washing dishes, or that the student in the room next door actually kept breaking them. The sound of another broken dish rang out along with a yell and my mind shot to Hilda.
I wanted to groan in frustration as I stashed the broken toy back in my bag. "I am going to go lend a hand to whoever is next door."
"That's awfully nice of you. They sound like they need it." Mercedes nodded to me as she motioned for one of the empty supply baskets next to me. "I am sorry I can't be of assistance right now, but maybe if you drop it off to my room later after supper I can see what I can do."
I passed the healer one of the wicker baskets from the shelf next to me. "No it's alright, I am sure you have other things going on. I'll just figure something else out. Sorry for bothering you."
"You're fine, I am just sorry I don't seem to have time right now to help." Mercedes apologized as I waved off her concern.
"It's alright I should have been prepared for this. I bought it on a whim anyway."
The healer looked a bit sad as she set her milk and butter into the basket. "Well, if you change your mind after supper please feel free to come find me."
I smiled as I grabbed the doorway and stepped over the icing rim. "Thanks again for the help Mercedes, oh and watch your step when you leave!"
I wandered over to the other room to find the washroom in complete disarray. Fresh soap suds covered the floor and some of the wall as I poked my head in experimentally to see what the noise was about.
I hurried to hold back a laugh as the next thing I spotted was Claude. My valiant house leader was covered head to toe in even more soap suds as he stood in a soggy puddle while being berated by the head cook. The Golden Deer kept apologizing as an array of broken dishes lay on the floor by his feet.
I stifled a laugh as I slipped into the room, leaning on the doorframe grinning as Claude paused in his apology to look at me. The head cook caught on a second later, and slowly, as if realizing his nightmare was about to get worse, turned around.
The reddish tint on the chef's face faded to an ashen white as I smiled sweetly up at him. "I heard that the student who was supposed to wash dishes called in sick. Thought you might be able to use the help?"
I revealed in watching the internal chaos of the head cook as he looked between Claude and then at me. The chef's face looked exactly like an ongoing horror show as he gasped for air. The turmoil continued for a few seconds before the lead chef just gave up. The chef threw his hands up into the air and pointed gruffly to the spare apron on the rack before walking out and shutting the door firmly behind him.
I cackled with delight at the head chef's reaction to my sudden appearance and walked over to get the apron. As I pulled it off the peg, I felt a renewed fit of laughter bubbling up as Claude stared at me in complete astonishment.
It took the crafty Golden Deer a second to find his words, but when he did the astonished expression turned to an easy-going smile. "Well now Petal, I didn't expect him to stop yelling at me for another hour or so. Your timing couldn't be better."
I suppressed a satisfied giggle as I tied the apron around my waist. "Pff, it had nothing to do with timing. Mercedes and I were in the cold room next door and kept hearing you breaking the dishes. I figured I would come over and lend a hand, since washing the dishes is the only job in the kitchen I am allowed to handle anymore."
Claude's smile twitched as I giggled. "You sure showed him them. The expression on the head chef's face was like a ghost had just walked in."
I pulled off my gloves and stored them away in my bag with a malicious smirk. "Ah, yes that would because I can single handedly destroy his supply closets and give several people food poisoning on the same day."
"Right...I remember that now. He came to me after your first week and begged us to never put you on kitchen duty again." Claude stood thinking as his soggy apron dripped slowly onto the floor. A small puddle collected under his boots as he contemplated his thoughts.
I shrugged as I slipped across the floor towards the sink and a tower of dirty dishes. "Yet somehow I keep ending up with it."
My house leader shrugged and joined me at the sink with a cheerful wink. "If it wasn't for someone, or several someone's skipping their chores all the time I could probably keep you off kitchen duty."
I scrubbed at a suspicious looking stain as Claude pulled a dish from the bottom of the pile. The whole thing tottered as I dropped my plate down into the water, rushing to steady the tower of plates across from me.
We both eyed the tower suspiciously as I gazed out of the corner of my eye at my house leader. "You don't do this often do you?"
The Golden Deer scratched the side of his face as half the water in the basin slushed around, soaking the floor by our feet.
"Can't say I do. I just heard they needed a hand, so I came over and jumped in." Claude admitted as I looked down at the growing puddle of water by my feet. I could already feel the luke-warm liquid seeping in through the seams of my boots and sighed. I took up a scrub brush and turned to start working on a different stack of the plates.
"I'll do this, you can dry and put them away. Not too hard huh?" I handed Claude one of my freshly washed plates and nodded to the drying cloth next to him.
"This isn't that difficult." The Golden Deer moved another plate as he balanced the clean one in one hand and a dirty one in another. I watched the whole stack wobble as he set the dirty one back down on top of the tower instead of handing it off to my outstretched hand.
"That's not convincing considering you're covered in suds and dripping wet."
Claude turned back to me drying the clean plate off before setting it off the side."Oh? Do you have a problem with seeing me dripping wet?"
I rolled my eyes and moved to splashed him. There was a fresh wave of water that soaked my boots as the Golden Deer agilely avoided my attack. "We will be here all night at the pace you're moving. Come on, it could be a lot faster if I wash and you dry."
"You're tactfully ignoring my question I see." My house leader teased as he grabbed another drying cloth and threw it over his shoulder.
I rolled my eyes again and felt around the murky sink waters for dishes. Locating one I started scrubbing. "I'm not ignoring the question; I simply refuse to gratify you with a response. Anything I say can and will be held against me."
"Too true! Opps..." Claude chuckled as I handed him a freshly cleaned plate. He grabbed the slippery plate and promptly dropped the chine down onto the stone floor.
We both stared at the broken plate and as the Golden Deer sighed.
Later that night I flopped down in my bed utterly exhausted and feeling like I had just had someone picking apart my brain. Claude had needled me endlessly with questions, crossing a line somewhere between flirting and teasing to actual questions on my thoughts about his proposed strategy and the new merchants in town.
My brain gave up answering coherently about halfway through the stack of dirty dishes. I really hadn't had my own chance to ask my house leader questions which left me feeling more perplexed. It kind of felt like I had just lost a battle, but was yet unaware of the stakes I was playing for.
The only solid conclusion I had come to on the whole matter was that the Golden Deer had been keeping me occupied by controlling the flow of conversation.
My brain still swirling, I pulled out my sewing kit along with the ripped eagle plushie. I threaded my needle and started attempting to repair it. A low song I had picked up on my travels over the years stumbled over my lips. It was a long ballad about a man who had joined the army only to find that the war to be pointless and to want to return home, only he had numerous trials to overcome before he could return. When the man finally did return home, he found his home in disrepair. His once lovely wife had since wed his best friend's while his son had been sent away to prison.
I didn't realize how focused I was on the song until I pricked my finger. I scowled and moved one finger up and continued the song for another verse, until I stabbed my other finger. I broke the song off and swore violently.
A colorful string of Almyran rang out as I tied off my work. I pulled the needles out and stuffed them back in the small sewing kit I carried before sitting back to survey my completed work.
It looked awful with threads poking out in all directions and crossing over in every which way that completely lacked any sort of pattern. Half the thread wasn't even the right color, fading from a black to a faded brown shade. Whether it was from concentrating too much on things in my head or trying to remember lyrics on an old ballad, my stitch work was clearly lacking.
I sucked on my lanced fingers, thinking about what I could do as I got out a knife and started to single handedly cut the stitches back out. Another round of stitching would take me all night, if I even got it right. I scowled darkly as I strongly considered going to find Mercedes and asking her for help when the idea hit me.
"Cake. I can make her a cake."
Quickly I abandoned the toy, tossing it into a darkened corner of my room as I got up still sucking on my fingers. A small stack of papers dropped off my desk and fluttered to the floor as the toy landed upright on my desk.
I scowled darkly at it as I flung open the front door, heading out into the dark of night.
Author's Corner:
Heyo welcome back for the fun ride that is chapter 28 - and if you havn't read the title or read the last bit - its a 2 part adventure for Lili...featuring her searching around for a gift for Cereza in return for the handmade cake.
Bonus Lore: I honestly didn't plan this out but Lili's birthday is the 9th of the Wyvern Moon with Cereza's is the 13th of the Wyvern Moon. (Honestly Lili's birthday was chosen more or less because I a) choose a month with the least amount of birthdays to even it out and b) Liked the idea of her being a Libra astro sign. I thought it fit - a balancing of weights held a lot of symbolism as an air sign. Some interesting lore pieces that I work to incorporate into Lili's design from a libra standpoint: fixation on balance and harmony and equality. While not showing that well at the present you see hints of this due to her merchant background and her desire for stability (To fit in with her classmates, and to have a place to call home.) Generally easy going - Lili enjoys her sarcasm, but it's not often you see her making waves in the social orders for her own sake. Ever notice that? Normally she's reacting to someone else antagonizing her *cough* Lorenz or in this chapter - Hilda.
Which leads me back to the chapter at hand! So I am returning to weekly releases - and you can look forward to things returning to normal again. (I mean this is week two but if you check out my twitter you'll see that I have the next 6 chapters parsed out and ready for editing!) That being said this was an interesting chapter wasn't it?
Lili's running around again trying to figure out all these emotions, sneaking out to go explore and go shopping rather than deal with her own thoughts. We have a clear source of her trouble - who seems like he is looking to' apologize' (Looking at your Sylvain, camping outside her door are you?) And then we have a pink haired gossip that's looking for information as to what that was about. However Hilda gets a little more than she bargained for pressing Lilianna for answers. To Lili's credit, she keeps telling Hilda to drop it and when she doesn't, Lili has no qualms about demonstrating how things went down. (I bet Hilda won't try that twice!) We also see things are heating up and the houses are cracking down on their strategies for the upcoming Battle of the Eagle and Lion - and you can see a little bit for foreshadowing there.
Lili is not remotely pleased with the Golden Deer's proposed strategy either - but you'll need to wait to see how the battle actually pans out. *Evil laughing* I hope you look forward to it - Lili sure doesn't. Towards the end of the chapter we see Lili trying to help Claude out in the kitchen, brought in by some ironic twist of fate. (Thank you Hilda for skipping out of dishwashing duty because you don't want to chip your nails.) - and retiring to her room to try to sew.
Which is funny - as we see sewing isn't exactly in Lili's repertoire of skills sets, in addition to kitchen work….which might allude to the upcoming trouble she gets into in Part 2 of Flower vs Cake. So plenty to look forward to - and plenty of adventures left for me to share.
Before you go - I would like to encourage you - if you're enjoying the story to hit that Like/Kudo button. And if you wish to encourage me in return or you're feeling a little adventurous, how about leaving me a nice comment on what you thought? And - if you do not want to miss the next chapter release date - hit that follow button! I shall see you soon!
