Chapter 101: Thirsty work.
Sothis was never one to say she was often impatient - despite what others might have claimed - but she considered it to be her patience being acceptable and everyone else dallying for far too long.
That was what it was and it was a hill she would die upon, again if needed.
All of that being aside, as she watched Byleth once again make efforts to avoid Goetia for what had to have been the sixth time in the span of the last week, she considered that it was long past time she make a personal intervention, namely because she no longer knew why Byleth was actually avoiding him that this point.
"Enough is enough."
The declaration should have brought Byleth to a halt, it had done so every other time, and yet in this instance, they just kept on walking without ever giving the indication that they had actually heard her in the first place.
Sothis felt her eye twitch at the blatant show of ignoring her.
Closing her eyes, she took in a short breath and then moved herself further along until she was positioned right in the path of the woman, then fell into place with her arms folded over her chest. This time for sure, she was certain that they would actually stop and notice her.
Any second now.
Her smile froze on her face when they walked right through her.
A slow blink.
The smile slid away from her and dropped down into an irritated scowl, if she had blood it would be boiling.
With a sharp breath, she whipped around and sent a glare right into the back of the woman and then proceeded to shoot forwards as fast as she could do so. This time she was the one who phased through Byleth and turned herself around, the fact that she appeared in their face rather suddenly seemed to throw them for a loop.
Their stony expression dropped down and their eyes slid to the point in their chest where she had passed through, then rose back up to stare at her. Giving only a single blink before their brows pinched together in a clear show of confusion but otherwise saying nothing.
With a sickly sweet smile and her eyes closed, she pulled herself right through the body and then into the air, cracking open her eyelids and giving the woman a few moments of silent interaction between the two of them. If they had any sense at all, they would realise what the problem was and then they would make amends.
Sothis expected a grovelling apology for ignoring her in such a blatantly disrespectful manner, especially after how much priority the child put on making sure one remained aware of their surroundings.
With a stray glance left and right, followed by a sweeping look over the back of their shoulder they eventually turned back around and finally gave her their full attention, as things should have been in the first place. Though, for whatever reason, she could not see an ounce of either shame or guilt, instead it remained one of puzzlement.
At least that was the emotion bouncing around in the head of the child, there were any number of conclusions one could have drawn from if they looked at her face alone. Sothis didn't need to bother with such trivial guessing games.
Silence stretched between them.
Sothis felt her exemplary patience start to wane, her lip twitched and she brought a hand about, gesturing towards the woman with a wave. "Well? I am waiting."
"...Are you waiting for something special?"
"An apology."
"From?"
Sothis felt her face go numb, then it slackened as she stared at the person in front of her.
For one who was remarkably adept at being observant when it came to the battlefield, they were annoyingly ignorant when it came to just about everything else. It truly was like she was dealing with an actual child and not just one based upon the apparently incredible age gap between the two of them.
Closing her eyes, she brought her free hand about and rubbed away at the bridge of her nose before pulling it away. She was certain she now wore a blank expression on her face as she replied to the question in a toneless manner.
"I have been trying to get your attention for a short time now and you have ignored me as though you were one of all others." The response earned another blink from Byleth, but that was a show of how surprised they actually were by the news, "Yes, it seems your mind has been wandering elsewhere when it should have remained right here."
"...Sorry."
"...Thank you." Now that the apology was out of the way, she could actually get onto the important things. "And I have not been the only one whom you have been ignoring and unlike with myself, I know that this has not merely been born of your mind going for long walks away from your own head."
A tiny flinch was all the response she got, the expression of the woman blanked instantly and that was that. They gave no verbal reply.
"I was under the impression that the reason you had spent days trying and then retrying that recipe for biscuits was so that you could present them to Goetia as a method of apology for acting out of turn." She continued onwards, disapproving frown forming upon her lips as she did so.
"However, rather than appearing before him at your earliest convenience with the perfected biscuits, you have instead been darting away from him whenever you see him in your spare hours and have made great pains to ensure you eat at completely separate times."
Her body leaned forwards to match her rising words, her planted themselves upon her hips.
"While it might be uncomfortable, this childish display is beneath you and only serves to widen the gap between the two of you further. Unless you have changed your mind and no longer wish to make amends with him?"
She raised a brow, searching the expression of Byleth for anything that might give her the impression that was the intention of the woman. However, she already knew that was not the case. One did not go through so many failures if they could so easily change their mind upon a whim like the toss of a coin, this was born of something else.
Sure enough, she got a tiny shake of the head as the only answer, but it was definitive proof that she did still want to make amends.
However, that didn't explain her sudden shift away from Goetia, unless she was still bothered by the words he had used and his actions. Yet if that were indeed the case, why would they have gone to one of his lessons and sat in, not that she had said anything or done anything more than listen.
"Are you still bothered by his words, by his inaction with the young girl, is that what stays your hand?"
Byleth paused for a moment, then closed their eyes and turned their head away. She felt a pang of something through the mind of the woman but it was difficult to narrow down, they did keep a strong hold of their emotions and this was particularly buried. Though from what she sensed it was a mixture of frustration and grief.
Sothis figured why they felt frustrated.
"I see. What is it that you wish? For visible changes to be made from him?" Folding her arms, she shook her head from side to side. "We both know that is going to be a gradual process if it happens at all, it is not as though he would be the first obstinate individual to exist but-"
"I…I like to believe he will change." The response came slowly and quietly, Byleth turned on her with a slight strain in their face. "I want to think he will eventually help her but that isn't-"
"Ah, Professor!"
Sothis clicked her tongue and turned her head, while she was not one for disliking children she oftentimes found their timing to be rather unfortunate and this was no exception. However it was mollified slightly when she recognised this one, platinum fluffy hair and a warm smile on their face as they approached.
It was rather amusing to learn that this one was actually older than their own professor.
Still, as much as she was grateful to this young woman for their advice, their arrival came at a rather inopportune time-
"I heard that you spent some time in the kitchen making a batch of cookies over and over again until you were satisfied with it." They paused for a moment, the smile on their face widened ever so slightly as the light in their eyes brightened. "Did the recipient enjoy them?"
Sothis felt her lips pull into a grin in speed that surprised even her, but this was no time for such things. Perhaps this arrival was a matter of fate or destiny or whatever else one considered when they spoke of preordained actions. Her head turned back in the direction of the child and she felt her own amusement rise as she watched them freeze up on the spot.
The deafening silence earned a blink of confusion from Mercedes, then their joyful expression started to falter a little at a time the longer they stared before eventually they tilted their head in confusion, the smile replaced entirely by a slightly apprehensive frown. "You did give them the biscuits, didn't you?"
"...Not yet."
Sothis snorted at the face the woman made at her own Professor, it was as though the roles have been reversed with those two simple words. Suddenly they didn't seem like the diminutive little figure anymore, with their hands placed on their hips they leaned forwards ever so slightly.
"Professor…please tell me that you have not been avoiding them ever since you finished your apology cookies, have you?"
"..."
"Professor…" They sounded as though they had been physically wounded by their actions and the exasperated shake of the head was further proof of their own frustrations. "This isn't something that will get better the longer you ignore it. In fact, time will only worsen these wounds…If you are feeling genuine about it, then you should be quick."
A beat.
"Aren't you the one who said that decisiveness is key when in battle? Just think of this as putting one of your lessons into practice."
Sothis was certain she was grinning ear to ear at this point, a smile that was all teeth.
Not that Byleth spared her a look, they were too busy trying to look as though they were not on the receiving end of a rather severe browbeating.
It was one thing for Byleth to ignore her, but she was certain they would never be able to ignore the combined might of herself and that of this young woman as well. The two of them would almost certainly badger her into an answer sooner or later, this one seemed almost as persistent as she was.
"I…" Byleth opened to speak, then looked away for a moment. "...I don't know how to do that."
Sothis mind came up blank, the expression on Mercedes face similarly froze for a split second and then vanished, replaced first with confusion and then that of understanding.
"I see them and I feel odd. Uncomfortable." Byleth continued to explain, a breath escaped them as they shook their head. "Like my clothes are too tight. So I turn away and walk off to escape the feeling. It works for a bit but then it comes back even worse."
"Ah…" Mercedes made a small noise, bringing a hand up to their chin, a sympathetic smile formed on their lips. "That is rather common, Professor…we just call that feeling guilty. It is only natural to feel something like that. It will get better after an apology is issued."
"...I'm also frustrated, he doesn't seem to feel the same thing."
"He?" Mercedes asked, then caught themselves and shook their head. "No, I will not pry on that part, but how certain are you that they do not feel a similar feeling when they see you? It is possible that they have not made efforts to approach you because they are similarly uncomfortable and if this has gone on for as long as it has…"
Sothis could see it, she could also see Goetia making some manner of similar explanation for his own feelings on the matter. If he could ever find anyone to speak of them with, that was to say.
"So…he might also be uncomfortable with seeing me because he feels bad?"
"I didn't…That might be the case but I feel as though that is proof for the two of you to make up as soon as possible." Mercedes pressed onwards with a light frown. "Especially if you are both hurting on the inside, the sooner you put this behind you the sooner you can remake your friendship even stronger than before. After all, any friendship that survives such strain is all the stronger for it."
Byleth looked as though she wanted to say something but caught herself, thinning her lips and glancing to the right for a moment before their eyes came back to Mercedes and offered a single nod of the head. "I see. I will…try to face him this time. Thank you for your advice."
"Good luck, Professor! I hope to hear about it in the future!" With a smile and a wave of the hand, the young woman saw them off.
Byleth was already moving.
As pleased as she was for this development, Sothis found herself willing to ask them something a little more.
"Do you even know where Goetia is right now?"
Byleth's pace slowed for a moment, then the woman stopped completely and stared off into the distance.
Sothis rolled her eyes.
Of course.
"You're not forcing yourself to come here, right?"
Goetia withheld a sigh at the repeated question posed by the man opposite him, instead he silently shook his head from side to side as he brought his drink up to his lips and took a small sip of it.
Chilled water - benefits of magical knowledge - because there was no way on this, or any other, world that he was going to allow himself to be taking alcohol into his body. Even if he could mitigate the effects and ensure he felt nothing from it, the principle of the matter was what stopped him from carrying it out.
"You keep telling me that but you've only ordered water and you've been staring off into space since you got here…" Harold replied with a light frown on their face, evidently his lack of a reaction had struck them in the heart and they were becoming emotionally concerned over it.
Best to put their worries to rest.
"If I did not wish to come, then I would have rejected you." He replied with a stern tone of voice, turning his eyes onto the knight and frowning as he brought the mug to his lips once more. "Do not be so conceited into believing you can emotionally manipulate me into actions that I would otherwise refrain from doing. I am here of my own volition and regardless of the nature of the…"
He trailed off and sighed, he was explaining far too much with too many words.
"I am not forcing myself to come, so there is little reason for you to be so concerned with my emotional wellbeing. I can leave at any time I so desire, regardless of how you feel on the matter. Just as I am free to remain."
Silence from Harold, he watched them frown for a brief instant before their worry started to bleed away, they moved a hand up and ran it through their hair.
"If you say so…" They muttered. "Just that after you said you've never been somewhere like here before and you made it sound like you were quite proud of that…"
Proud of avoiding a tavern?
…He could see where they had come to the conclusion and it was hardly as though they were incorrect.
"I did indeed pride myself on having avoided such establishments in the past, but recent events have forced me to change my perspective on such matters and…" A pause, his eyes flickered around the room, taking in the many faces and somewhat flushed expressions of some of the more inebriated customers.
"...I decided that, at the very least, it would be beneficial for me to at least visit an establishment such as this. If only for a single time." Setting his mug down, he waved his long arm dismissively. "Your invitation was nothing more than a convenient opportunity for me."
A snort from Harold, they raised their own mug while their lips pulled into a light smile. "I'm glad that I could help. Though still…I can't help but feel like you're only getting part of the experience here-"
"I stepped into a tavern and am in proximity with drunks." The flat response stopped Harold in their tracks, he kept his eyes on the man as he brought his own mug back towards his lips once more and took a long sip. "Do not expect me to join their ranks."
"I wasn't suggesting you to drink yourself stupid." The man hastily waved his free hand, setting his drink back on the table. "Just…have you ever had an ale or a mead before? Even if you're having one. You can get water anywhere else but it's part of the atmosphere…or maybe it's being pressured into it?"
They frowned in thought, then looked visibly stumped as they scratched the side of their head, seemingly mulling over the question in their own head. "...Now I'm a little bit worried about how it appears to other people…"
"You speak of peer pressure? Yes, I can say that it is indeed a common occurrence when one is engaging in a late night outing to a tavern."
He held up his hand before Harold could get another word out, already predicting what it was that they were going to say.
"You could not pressure me into such a thing. If I do, at any point, drink alcohol then it will be because I wish to. Though I doubt such an event will occur…limiting one's senses in such a primitive way." His lips pulled into a dismissive frown, eyes sweeping across the customers for only a moment before returning to Harold. "To say nothing of drunken brawls. I have no desire to bear witness to such rampant displays of foolery and even slimmer interest in partaking."
Harold stared at him, then pinched their brows and scratched above their eye. "I don't think anyone goes out of their way to get into a tavern brawl…at least I hope not. Though if they do, I'll be here to sort them out. People come here to relax, not to get swept up in some pointless fight."
Their declaration was accompanied by a single confident nod of the head.
Goetia believed them as well.
"Then I would advise you to monitor your intake of cheap swill." He flatly responded to them, they blinked and stared at him, prompting the elaboration. "You will hardly serve as a saviour to anyone if you can barely see past the end of your own nose."
A pause, then the man rolled their lips inwards to muffle a laugh, pausing as they moved to bring their mug up for another drink. Eventually it broke into a light wheezing sound and Goetia was more confused as to what he had said that was so mirthful for the man, unless they found the thought of their drunken body splayed out across the street to be particularly amusing.
He certainly hoped that Harold did not derive such feelings from their own misfortune.
That would be unpleasant to consider.
"Y-you're right, my bad." The man finished his chuckle with a shake of the head, clearly dismissing whatever it was that they were thinking of at the time. With an exhale, they leaned back into their chair and then took in another breath. A few moments passed for them before they spoke up again. "Oh, yeah. How have your lessons been going so far? You've done a couple of them now, haven't you?"
His lessons, yes, he had done two at this point.
Though they did not bear mentioning as something to consider noteworthy.
"I repeated information I have already provided to my other students, or my previous ones from before my employment." The explanation was met with a nod of the head. "My current lessons are a matter of bringing the others up to the same level of understanding. Progress has been simple enough and there have been no outstanding complications thus far. The repetition has served to hone the skills of the student body thus far."
Harold looked supportive of his words. "Practice makes perfect, right? They probably go through the same sort of thing in their combat lessons. I know that we do the same drills again and again…" a beat, then the man dropped their shoulders, running a thumb over the handle of the tankard. "Knightess Catherine has us doing that at least…but they keep getting harder."
"How else would you improve?"
A sigh from Harold. "I know but…well, complaining about it seems a bit silly, doesn't it?"
They abruptly paused, then turned and faced him once again with an odd look on their face. "Hang on, nevermind me. What about you? Are you enjoying teaching so far? I figure that it would probably be a bit like me being a sergeant now."
Leaning forwards, the man continued on with a gesture.
"What with all the responsibility and all that. Not that you're…well, you used to be royalty actually, didn't you? So this is probably not as stressful." They muttered, their free hand scratching just behind their ear with an abashed look forming on their face. "Nevermind, forget I said anything."
Goetia raised his hand, keeping silent as he did so and bringing a halt to the words of Harold.
Was he enjoying teaching?
It was a pertinent question, nevermind whether or not it bore any noteworthy resemblance to his role as being a King at any point. It was a matter of delegation but he was left with no confirmation whether his commands or teachings would be carried out. If he would be asked if he enjoyed the matter…
"It is different, the circumstances are less…absolute."
Harold raised their brow but said nothing, prompting him to continue onwards.
"When I would give a command to my subordinates in the past, or distribute information for them to use. I would have complete confidence that they would carry out my order or absorb the information and act accordingly without there being a gap in the process of understanding it. I could rely upon them to learn what I wanted them to learn when I wanted them to learn it."
Harold looked puzzled for a couple of seconds, he waited to see if the man would actually understand what it was that he was talking about in the first place. For a few moments, he assumed he would need to simplify it further. Then it proved unnecessary.
With a snap of their fingers and a crack of a smile, the knight made an abrupt declaration.
"Students don't learn things as quickly, right? Or it takes longer for them to learn it than you'd like?"
Goetia felt himself relax only a little at the understanding. "That is correct. Though I do not find myself as annoyed by the time lapse as I would have expected to me. I knew that I would need to adjust my expectations when I became a lecturer."
He excused himself from any accounts where one would accuse him of being overly naive in what he was going to be doing.
"However, I have found there is something gratifying in watching the process of learning. Understanding the moments in which they grasp a concept. There is just as much value in that for me, than there would be in them instantly grasping the information and making use of it."
Harold smiled at him. "So you are enjoying it!"
He frowned back at them, their smile started to falter just a little bit, however it remained on their face even as the length of time his frown remained continued. Eventually, he just sighed and turned away, moving his mug to his lips. "I am unsure whether that would be what you call enjoyment or not. It is an experience that I will remember and do not consider unpleasant…but it does not bring about the feelings I would associate with enjoyment or gratification."
"I see." Harold took a sip. "Well, as long as you don't hate it, then I guess that's fine enough, right?"
"...You brought Nuvelle to my study room."
Harold paused, their eyes snapped to him and locked onto his own. Then they started to slowly turn away from him and find their attention fixed on the other side of the room. Goetia narrowed his own gaze upon the man and leaned his body forwards, moving closer to the table and causing a creak in the wood as he placed more weight upon it.
"...You said it was open for everyone." They argued, it sounded rather feeble and as though it hid another reason but he found that he could not counter their response. Indeed, if he was to allow the likes of Von Riegan into his lectures then it was hardly as though he could forbid another.
In the end, what concerned him about Nuvelle was her lack of any real solid objective.
She wanted to restore her house's reputation and status.
And that seemed to be it.
Perhaps she had more she wished to contribute to her goal but he would prefer that she had a more concrete plan of what she wanted to do with his teachings, even something more than just the restoration of her old house would be something more worthwhile than adding yet another pointless and forgettable noble family to a litany of others.
Though one thing puzzled him.
"Why do you keep going near her?"
Harold choked on their drink, coughing loud enough to jerk him backwards and spray traces of alcohol from their mouth and nose.
Goetia leaned backwards to avoid the projectiles, curling his lip down as he did so. Keeping silent as the knight appeared to choke on their own drink. With a cursory glance, he sent a look around the entire room and then returned it to Harold once that was over.
They had attracted barely any stares and the ones that had looked over had immediately dismissed their existence a moment later.
"Well?"
"I-I don't know what-" Another wet cough, Harold brought his hand up to cover his mouth as they coughed into it once again. Their eyes watering ever so slightly from the fit which they endured. "Y-you're imagining it!"
He did not know whether or not that was a joke.
At least at first.
Then he raised a single brow at the man in a questioning manner, trying to determine if they were seriously under the impression that he would actually believe anything they said in regards to that matter. He kept eye contact with them as he brought his drink to his lips and took a final sip of his mug before setting it back down.
Harold fidgeted under the stare.
Then they suddenly looked past him, bringing their hand up and waving with a rather excited look on their face.
No, it wasn't excited.
It was desperate.
Like the sort of expression a drowning man might give to a passing fishing boat.
A clear attempt to try and save themselves the trouble of answering his question, but he refused to be dissuaded from such a thing.
"Sir Alois!"
…Really?
Harold truly took the first aid that walked through the door, it seemed. Then again, if they hoped for a distraction then they could have thought of none more suited for the role.
Footsteps approached from behind, a faint gasp of surprise and then followed by a laugh.
"Well, this is indeed a surprise!" The booming voice of the knight was followed by the sound of a chair being scraped across foot, he glanced to the side as the boisterous knight sat themselves down in the chair next to him, smiling widely with a bright look in their eyes. Wearing a rather casual attire as opposed to their usual armour. "I never thought you would have been the sort to come to a tavern, Goetia! But then again, perhaps that just means you're full of surprises! Or are you celebrating something?"
They had a rather pointed look.
"...I was invited and saw no reason to decline."
Alois stared at him, waiting for more to follow, then slumped in their chair when nothing did. "Oh, well, I can think of worse reasons to be in a tavern. Though I'm certain you aren't the type to be a drinker, at least."
"If you refer to alcohol, then no. I am not."
"A Fair answer." A sage nod of the head from the knight, their arms folded over their chest. "Certainly better than some I have received in the past. I tell you…even Captain Jeralt, he would drink so much I thought he might end up drowning one day!"
Another laugh followed that.
"It is probably his blood that keeps him from feeling the effects of alcohol. They could drink barrels and find themselves unable to suffer from the adverse health effects which would doubtless plague any other human after long term exposure."
Alois opened their mouth to reply, then paused and furrowed their brows upon him, jaw hanging low as their eyes flickered up and to the side. A noise of confusion followed which had Goetia exhaled in frustration.
"He will not suffer health problems from excessive alcohol intake. Though he can still get drunk."
"Oh, alright then." Alois recovered quickly, then frowned once again as confusion overtook their acceptance almost immediately. Their eyes trained on him with an intensity which had not been present before. "...What do you mean about the captain's blood?"
Goetia paused.
Was it not common knowledge?
…It would seem he had made something a blunder.
"That would be a matter for him to discuss, not for me to encroach upon. If he has not seen fit to discuss the nature of his unique biology then there is reason for such a thing." Goetia replied slowly, bringing his eyes away from the knight and towards the table once more. "I would advise against forcing the matter to gain an answer. Your imagination will suffice."
He could still feel the stare of Alois upon the side of his head, thus Goetia shifted his focus onto Harold and ensured he locked eyes with them instead.
"But it is fortunate that you happened by, oddly enough." The words surprised even him, despite the fact that he was the one who uttered them in the first place. "There is something that you could provide some clarity on, for the sake of those present."
Not his sake.
But it was easier to force a confession this way.
Shifting focus, he found Alois' earlier intensity replaced only by intrigue before the man smiled rather warmly. "I would be happy to help you with anything…one moment-"
The man turned about and raised a hand, signalling to one of the waiters before bringing his focus back to them. "In the meantime, I would insist that we all get a single drink together. Something light, unless you're adverse to drinking?"
"...If that is the price of your aid, then I can accommodate this one request."
Altering his metabolism to ensure the alcohol had little effect on him was a simple enough feat, after all. If it was only this one time, then he could make this small sacrifice to his personal image. Provided he did not order something akin to a common ale or mead. His eyes switched towards Harold, immediately noting the posture of the knight had shifted entirely.
They were staring at him with an expression of extreme surprise.
"I thought you didn't want to drink?" Harold blurted out with all the subtlety of a hydra in a grain silo.
Goetia nodded his head up and down. "I did indeed make it clear I had little interest in partaking in the drinking of alcohol. However, it would likely appear strange if the two of you became progressively less sober while I remained unaffected. Besides, I can refrain myself to only a single alcoholic beverage…for the sake of appearances."
Harold opened and closed their mouth before leaning back into their seat, their brows shot up their forehead before they nodded once. Then twitched their lips upwards into a smile which was only slightly crooked. "As long as you don't feel like forcing yourself for our sake…but I'm happy to see you're loosening up a little. Just don't drink more than you're comfortable with, alright?"
Sound advice.
Advice that he was already disregarding with the belief he was already going to drink.
His eyes flickered up to the presence that appeared behind the three of them, the man in a simple looking tunic and trousers with a white apron around them looked between the three of them with an expectant expression before it landed on him, a slight hint of exasperation in their eyes before dismissing him.
"Care to place an order, sir?"
"Yes, please." Alois spun around with a smile. "Can I get another ale for myself and my friend over there and…" they turned to Goetia and raised an eyebrow.
Goetia turned to the man. "...Do you have any beer?"
They stared back at him blankly for a moment before they lowered their arms to their side, "...I'll see what we have."
Goetia looked at the other two and raised a brow. "What?"
Finding Goetia was harder than Byleth had initially assumed.
Especially because she had been looking for him for the better part of two hours now and she was starting to become rather vexed by the lack of his appearance. She could see the irony in the situation that she had all the chances of finding Goetia beforehand and had made efforts to avoid him.
Now, when she actually wanted to find him, it appeared as though he had vanished from the face of Fodlan.
What was most surprising was that nobody seemed to have the slightest clue as to where he was supposed to be in the first place.
It seemed as though it was not just her alone that was having difficulty finding Goetia, but that it was everyone else who might have been associated with him as well. Not even Lysithea seemed to have the slightest clue as to where Goetia was, she had been the first person Byleth had asked.
At this rate, it was going to reach a point where she would have to wait until the next day, or that is how it was looking. At least she could be certain that he would be present in the academy to teach his next lecture and she could find him after the class.
Yet that did not sit right with her.
Now that she was certain what she had to say, she did not wish to let the time fester and risk the clarity of mind slipping through her fingers. Or for some other wayward interaction with something distract her from the task at hand. Recent events had proven that the Monastery was something of a gathering point for peculiar situations.
"Ah, professor?"
Her feet slowed to a halt as she passed out through the gate, the voice caught her ears as familiar. Turning her head in the direction of it and raising a lone brow as she found herself staring down at one Constance von Nuvelle, surprisingly on the surface and under direct sunlight.
Sure enough, the blonde flinched the instant they made eye contact with one another.
"Please excuse me for daring to take up some of your most valuable time." The woman broke into a string of apologies, lowering her head down and ensuring they were no longer making eye contact with one another. "But there is something that I must ask you that few others seem to aid me with…but if you have other more important duties to attend to, then I would understand completely."
She kept her eyes trained on the blonde for a few moments.
Then spoke.
"What is it?"
"You are most generous to hear me out." They blurted out rather hastily, though still keeping their head bowed low in clear respect which was bordering on reverence. "It is the matter of the guard who is employed at this gate…I cannot seem to find them, and I did not wish to disrupt the other knights with my selfish request."
The gatekeeper?
"That human…" Her eyes drifted to the side as Sothis materialised with her hand cupping her chin. "Are they not the human who has become something of a friend to Goetia? If they are both missing, then perhaps there is something connecting the two beyond this simple coincidence?"
She was inclined to agree.
It would be odd that both Goetia and the gatekeeper were missing at the same time.
"I have not seen them." Byleth responded to Constance slowly, but raised a hand before they could speak further. "But I can help you look for them. They might be with Goetia, he is also not in the academy."
Constance brought their head up, looking somewhat alarmed and more than a little guilty. "If you are already looking for someone, then I dare not steal you away from your own-"
She wasn't prepared to listen to the rest of this.
"Lets move."
In times such as these, it was decisiveness that was called upon.
A sputtering behind her, was clear evidence of how much her rather blunt command had affected the blonde woman, soon followed by the hurried steps of Constance rushing to catch up with her.
If Goetia wasn't with the gatekeeper, then she wasn't sure where he might be.
Alois brought up a hand, signalling for him to stop speaking.
"Let me see if I understand all of this…" The knight waited for a moment, clenched their raised hand into a fist and then raised a single finger as they continued speaking. "This person you know has recently met a woman, they spend their free time together, work together, are on a first name basis with one another and seem to enjoy one another's company."
Goetia slowly nodded his head once they had finished. "An accurate summation of the situation, yes." pausing as he moved his still untouched beer to his lips and then setting it down on the table, gesturing to the knight with his hand. "What would you say is the relationship between these two individuals?"
Alois put on a thoughtful face for a couple of seconds, then hummed rather loudly before nodding their head and smiling. "It sounds to me as though they are very good workplace friends."
It would seem that he was mistaken from the very beginning.
Alois was indeed useless.
He expected far more useful information from a man who was married and had children, perhaps they had somehow managed to stumble their way into matrimony and from that point they had blundered their way into reproduction. That was the only conclusion that Goetia could come to after hearing this drivel.
"...Workplace friends." He replied slowly, raising a single brow at the man and waiting for them to reveal that they were merely joking. However, he was left disappointed by the lack of a twist. Alois meant what they said. "Would you not say that these two sound more akin to engaging in an early stage of courtship?"
The brows of Alois rapidly climbed up their forehead before a hearty laugh escaped them. "Nonsense!"
"Exactly!"
Goetia spared a glance in the direction of Harold and their suspiciously swift support of the answer the man gave. The fact they had a rather desperate look in their eyes and the rapid shifting of their attention, combined with their general nervous demeanour, made it clear that they were trying to wrap up the topic quickly.
"They're just friends is all, nothing more!"
"See? This good fellow understands." Alois offered a sage nod of the head and went to take a drink, then paused and furrowed their brows. "You know, good sir, I do not believe that I have asked your name yet. Rather rude of me, sorry about that."
"Oh, that's fine. Its Ha-"
He was not prepared to let this slip so easily.
"And you do not believe that either one of them could hold romantic feelings towards the other?"
Alois raised a brow at him and then gave him a look as though he was a child about to be lectured.
He would admit that, for a brief moment, he was sorely tempted to take hold of an immensely violent impulse as he stared at the expression before his logic buried it swiftly.
"Ah, Goetia…this is nothing more than a man and woman working together as friends." Alois explained with a shake of the head, then raised a hand. "I know, I know…it might seem rather impossible to believe but these relationships can exist. It's like me and Catherine, or me and Shamir."
A beat.
"Or even me and Professor Eisner! We're all just friends with one another and we, at times, hang out when we are in our off hours."
He wasn't convinced.
"And if this man should go through every effort to make this woman comfortable regardless of the situation or their own personal reputation?"
A shrug from Alois. "That just sounds like being courteous to me. Sounds as though this man has a good heart."
"And if this woman is one of the few individuals to actually remember the name of this individual in the first place?"
"Then she is a very polite woman and I am glad these two are such close friends."
Goetia frowned deeper, his hand moved onto the table and his fingers drummed up and down upon the wood. He was still far from being convinced and he pretended to ignore the way that Harold had been bobbing their head up and down with every word and argument that Alois spilled forth.
If anything, their enthusiastic agreement only seemed to fuel his own suspicions further.
"Why the obsession with this in the first place?" Alois asked rather suddenly, though he supposed it was not without prompt. His own insistence on the topic had been rather sudden.
"It was a matter that myself and Dorothea had discussed at one point." He replied with a wave of the hand. "The topic of love between one another, I had thought I knew the signs well enough to recognise them with but a glance but your own denial is becoming cause for concern…I assumed, given your marital status, you would support my statements."
Alois made a small sound. "I see. Are you worried that you might have accidentally missed some advances in the past or are you trying to understand whether someone is interested in you without asking them directly?"
"This is not related to me."
"Ah. Yes." Alois nodded their head in understanding. "A 'friend' of yours then, yes?"
"...They are a preferred acquaintance of mine, yes."
Why was Alois looking at him so strangely now.
"Well…after hearing everything you have just told me, it sounds as though if this man is really interested then it is always better to make this clear." A slow nod of the head came next, along with a sigh. "I know it might be daunting to put one's feelings out into the world, but if they remain buried deep down then they will only turn to bitter heartache with the thoughts of what could have been if they'd only asked."
Goetia ensured he kept eye contact with Harold.
"After all, we can't turn back time can we?"
"That depends on who-"
His mind ground to a halt.
Turn back time.
Turn. Back. Time.
His gaze flickered towards the table.
Turning back time.
The reversal of wounds on Miklan was not just high speed regeneration, it was akin to turning back his body to a state where it had not been damaged in the first place. It was something he had seen before, experienced before as well.
The similarity with Sothis was…
His brows pinched tight as a conclusion formed in his mind.
The Golems guarding the Chalice of Beginnings.
He sharply rose from the table. "I must leave."
Harold jerked back at him then looked rather shocked "But your drink-"
Goetia took the tankard into his hands and put it to his lips, turning both it and his head back as he let the liquid slip down his throat. Pausing not even once to allow himself time to recover before pulling the beer away from him and setting the empty mug down on the table, ignoring the baffled looks from the two men and marching towards the door.
He would need to explain himself later to Harold, but right now there was something more pressing that required his full attention.
Reaching the door to the tavern, he threw it open and marched out into the street without even so much as a pause. Making a turn and then moving all of several steps before he paused and found himself staring at two individuals stood right in front of him, he was unsure which of them looked more shocked.
Then a third joined them as Sothis manifested over the shoulder of Byleth, her eyes fixed solely upon his face.
Sothis then smirked at him.
"...Nice moustache."
Goetia's hand shot to his upper lip a second later, then pulled it away as he found himself staring at trace amounts of foam upon the tips of his fingers. He glanced back at the trio in front of him, eyes cycling between all of them before swiftly wiping a hand across his face and flicking the remnants of the foam aside.
Byleth stared first to him, then slowly towards the right.
He followed her gaze and looked at the still swinging door of the tavern he has burst out of mere seconds prior, then he shifted his head back until he was locking eyes with the professor once more.
"...Byleth."
"...Goetia."