Byleth didn't know why, but when she woke up there was a subtle tension in the air. Like a string pulled too tight and close to snapping. A 'something' that wasn't quite right about the world, that sent chills up and down her spine. A wrongness in a story that should be familiar in the way it's told.

This wasn't exactly a unique feeling; she'd felt this way quite a few times during various resets. Particularly whenever something massively deviated from how it was 'supposed' to go from reset to reset. While not completely the same, she got a similar feeling whenever there were Rift Beasts around. The sensation of a Rift Beast's presence was a more subtle kind of wrongness when compared to the tense pulling sensation in the back of her mind whenever something changed. It was the kind of feeling that made her skin practically writhe and forced her to spend hours trying to brush away the crawling sensation of something foreign and unnatural.

There obviously weren't any Rift Beasts running around the monastery. The feeling wasn't quite subtle, more so it was quiet in a manner of speaking. Muted, almost. Despite that, it was a very distinct sense of wrongness that sat at the forefront of her mind, as opposed to the back. Byleth tilted her head under the early morning light seeping through her window and coming into direct contact with her poor eyes and pillow. There was no escape from the morning at this point.

She supposed that was her own fault. The night before she wanted to sleep with the curtains open enough for the moonlight to seep in and chase away some of the darkness.

She tried to crane her neck far enough to see if Sothis was still sleeping. Sothis had been sleeping a lot, ever since the most recent mission. Admittedly, so had Byleth. Stressed, worried, and worn entirely too thin for their own good, both halves of the duo needed some downtime to try and fully recuperate before the next big thing happened. The universe apparently didn't want to give them that time, though. Something changed, and not in a good way, if her instincts were anything to go off of. Something in the air told her that the next big thing was probably coming today.

She tried to press her face back into the scratchy and stiff sack that Seteth had somehow convinced her was a pillow. She did her best to ignore the feeling of wakefulness starting to seep back into her body, as well as the warmth and light of the sun as the dawning rays brushed against her eyelids. There was a cruelty in how gentle those sunbeams felt. Eventually, she gave up and focused on the rosy gold feeling slowly creeping into the rest of her body as the sun started to spread across her bed. It was hard to bring back the feeling of sleep once it was already long gone.

It was almost funny in a pathetic kind of sense, how she could so easily flip flop between sleeping for actual days to crippling insomnia, but it was something she'd gotten used to years before she came to Fodlan. Sothis' light breathing noticeably hitched from where she was pressed into Byleth. Usually, the two slept side by side. After years of doing the same with Morrigan, the ex-mercenary was used to the feeling, not to mention squeezing herself as small as possible to try and share whatever miserable amount of space was allotted to her.

The much smaller girl had wiggled herself a little farther down the bed, so that her head rested at about Byleth's ribs and was almost entirely buried under the sheets. Despite her size, Sothis was taking up about 2/3rds of the overall bed, and it took a good deal of Byleth's self-restraint not to unceremoniously shove her off. Sothis stirred for a moment, moving under the covers in an unpredictable pattern before popping her head out. Using Byleth as a chin rest, Sothis looked up at her in a bleary-eyed manner.

"Good morning," Byleth slurred with a half yawn. She was still trying to make an attempt at forcing herself back to sleep, but she'd accepted the fact it was probably in vain at this point.

Sothis, seemingly not caring that her smaller physique was hogging the vast majority of the bed, gave a very cat-like stretch and a massive yawn. Stealing every scrap of bed she physically could in the process and nearly forcing Byleth onto the floor. "Good morning," she replied in turn, sitting up slowly and rubbing at her eyes while they adjusted. "What an odd feeling," she muttered with a tilt of her head, as though she was picking up on something she hadn't noticed before. "Do you feel that too?" She asked, turning to Byleth.

Byleth gave a curt nod, her lips quirking downwards in the faintest hint of a frown. "It's been gnawing at the back of my mind since I woke up. Something tells me that today is going to be... interesting?" She didn't know what other words to ascribe to it since she didn't want to be overly negative and assume the feeling was a bad thing. At the same time, she couldn't really be overly optimistic about it. It sure felt like a bad thing, but she needed to remain as positive as she could manage.

Her children needed someone with some positive energy, so Byleth was willing to put on her bravest face as long as she could. She could keep pretending she was strong and unflappable.

"You're already plenty strong, you need not pretend," Sothis said, picking up on Byleth's train of thought. It was always moments like these, soft ones in the early morning, where Sothis could peer through Byleth like her soul was the thing being analyzed. It was when Byleth's guard had sunk to its lowest and her own walls were still addled and riddled by holes thanks to the misty layer of fatigue still weighing on her that the goddess saw the most.

She brushed off the comment.

Byleth on a purely physical level was strong, perhaps stronger than most of the people one could easily find in Fodlan. Strong enough to hold her own in a one-on-one battle against the very gods, should the situation call for it. Strong enough to stand against those who wished her and hers ill. Perhaps it was bold, and eventually her hubris would come to nip her in the heels, but she thought herself to be one of the strongest fighters in all of Fodlan given everything she'd been through. Certainly one of the better tacticians if nothing else.

That did little to change her emotional strength. She wasn't that kind of strong. Not like Mercedes and Annette who always kept the group smiling through every reset. Not like Raphael who could somehow brush off the worst with exclamations of joy and a happy ending. Not like Dorothea or Caspar who could be so graceful and graceless at the same time as they played the roles of executioners and somehow still had the time to be everyone else's emotional support.

She was strong, sure, but not in the ways her children were. Not in the ways her children needed . What she needed to be the most, she'd already failed at.

Sothis just sighed heavily in the background, the tone of her sigh alone betraying all the disappointment she couldn't shove into her next phrase. "You shouldn't dawdle on such thoughts, it's time to get up." The command of her other half's tone was enough to spark Byleth out of the thoughts she was starting to tumble down into. They were still there, but at least she wasn't spiraling.

"You're one to talk, still splayed across the bed like some lounging cat," Byleth said as she pushed herself up and quickly out of Sothis's reach. Never had she uttered such an apt comparison as Sothis was quickly hissing with displeasure.

"I'm not the one who has to change out of her nightgown! I'm an ethereal entity lacking in a physical form. I don't need to change my clothes or brush my hair. You, on the other hand, look like a cat in a windstorm, and that's putting it kindly!"

Byleth's retaliation was simply to reach out and attempt to run her fingers through Sothis' hair. Of course, they snagged almost immediately. Her fingers caught against the gnarled tangles that were just barely hidden beneath the surface of her massive mane. "I'd beg to differ, but sure," she said as Sothis gave a sharp yelp, hands reaching back to grab at Byleth's and yank them out of the chaotic mess of tangled strands. Morrigan wasn't allowed to have long hair for a similar reason.

Sothis gave Byleth the most affronted look she possibly could, and Byleth just laughed in turn. "Come on, sit up. If you help me with my hair, I'll try to tackle yours."

Sothis gave a very disgruntled glare accompanied by a rather unladylike snort, but she sat up anyways. While Byleth looked for a decent set of clothes to wear for the day, Sothis looked for a hairbrush. She ended up having to displace a multitude of various objects and projects Byleth had been working on as of late. She picked up one of her attempts at trying to sew, wrinkling up her nose at it. "A precaution, I take it?" She asked as she regarded the mangled and pathetic display of ruined cloth with pity she didn't even try to hide.

The clothing in question was an attempt at a snug-fitting button-down blouse. Simple and white, but made of a flattering enough cloth, one that wouldn't get in the way during a fight. It somewhat reminded Sothis of one of the outfits Byleth used to favor when she was younger.

Byleth sighed, giving a quick nod and finding the hairbrush while Sothis was inspecting the garment. "I got ahold of a tailor the other day and requested a couple of different outfits since you know well enough I won't be getting anything made if a war breaks out," she said with a heavy sigh. "You know well enough that I don't want to be wearing... that into a serious battle," she gave her usual outfit a rather searing look. It was presently draped across the back of a chair, and she regarded it with remarkable disdain. "Revenge almost isn't worth this kind of suffering," she muttered pathetically under her breath.

"I still can't believe you bought the monstrosity in the first place. If I was around instead of just peering through your memories, surely I never would have let you near the end of it!" Sothis said with a dry sneer as she regarded Byleth's typical outfit with nearly as much hatred as Byleth.

"I assure you that Avalon put up so much of a fuss you might as well have been there. How accurately can you even see my memories from before you woke up?" Byleth asked as she started looking for a comb to go with their brush.

"Decently accurate. Sometimes through your eyes, sometimes as though I myself was watching things play out. Not too different from how my world view works now, curiously enough. Regardless, I can hardly believe the events that led up to that atrocity. The hair incident, as you do call it, utterly baffles me. I mean, why would you trust Marc anywhere near your physical person with a fire spell? I understand that you were in Tellius at the time and you needed the backup, but really? I think that was probably the first time you actually asked directly for help, but why would you ask Belial and Marc of all people? Two mages. And then you get close enough to Marc while the three of you were practicing with that glorious mane whipping around, practically asking for it to be burned off," Sothis's tone slowly became more and more chiding the longer she spoke, increasing in both pitch and octave.

"I didn't ask for help, they followed me. The same way everyone followed me when Owain, Severa, and Inigo went missing and I was the only one who could magically pick up the trail. The same way Morrigan wouldn't stop tailing me until Fodlan, and after I met Belial, he refused to leave me alone until he got a court mage position over in Tellius. I never asked for Marc's help, and I certainly never asked him to try and use fire magic!" Byleth snapped, catching Sothis's hair between her fingers and starting to try and separate it.

Sothis gave a sharp yelp, but continued managing to talk back. "Why did you let him help though? And furthermore why in the world would you then go to an Anna and order that monstrosity of an outfit?" The disbelief was plain to hear in Sothis's tone. She tried to give a quick shake of her head, but it was hard to do as Byleth plotted the best way to attack the multitude of tangles.

"Because Marc, or more so the Morgan from Future Past, is far more powerful than anyone ever truly addresses. I mean, he's not from the same future as the other children, you know? We know that now, since Naga used her connections to us, or more specifically you, to send them back in time in the first place and he feels different." Byleth still hadn't fully siphoned through that mess of information. Sothis was the first god with dominion over Time to exist in this realm, and as such she was the undisputed ruler of Time. How Naga had used Sothis' powers, the two hadn't figured that out yet, but Byleth was willing to bet cold hard cash on the fact it was because Naga was a (or perhaps even the first) daughter of Sothis. She looked enough like a Nabatean in most of the scriptures, and the same could be said of Tiki.

"Yes, but why for the love of everything holy and pure did you choose that outfit for revenge!?"

"Marc was the one who taught me how to dress when I was little. He used to babysit us a lot, as well as the kids of the Shepherds. Everything I knew about fashion, I ended up learning from him. Ironically. I broke every single rule he ever taught me when I bought that article of hell cloth, and as such, considered it fitting revenge. At the time I didn't realize I would be getting revenge on myself. Additionally, it wasn't from an Anna, Belial made it." Byleth crossed her arms and made a face that was reminiscent of a petulant child.

She flinched slightly just thinking about Belial. She should have asked him to come with her, but he'd gotten such a good job in Tellius she genuinely didn't want to bother him. She never thought she'd miss another person as much as she did now. His name alone was enough to bring an uneasy and lonely feeling to the pit of her stomach that she hadn't quite been expecting. "He used to make all my clothes for a while there," she said in a voice that started to get closer and closer to a whisper before tapering off.

Sothis sighed, her expression softening. "I know how to sew. If you bring me the materials, I can make you some new outfits while we're waiting for the proper tailor to finish up."

The way Byleth's expression lit up certainly made the effort it would take to stitch something for her unique figure seem rather worth it.

After their conversation tapered into a lull, the morning mostly passed in peace. The two helped one another to get ready by dealing with their equally messy hair and sorting through the last couple pieces of paperwork Byleth had. On top of whatever assignments she had left to grade. Sothis was pretty good about helping Byleth grade assignments most of the time, meaning the task itself was usually completed quickly. Of course, that was offset by the fact that Byleth now had nearly 30 students as opposed to 8. At least those classes weren't daily...

When the two finally emerged from Byleth's room, the sky was beautiful even if the air was thick. Byleth almost flinched at the tension that made it feel hard to breathe and stuffy, even outside. She'd forgotten about her earlier worries in the bliss of pretending she and Sothis were the only two people to exist, and unfortunately that meant she still wasn't certain about the cause of such an uncomfortable wrongness. What if something happened to her students?

Before she could panic, Sothis' voice cut through the stupor. "If something happened, the first person your little ones would have come to get would be you. Especially if it was a poisoning or some kind of fight." Sothis' words were reassuring and Byleth found herself nodding along, even if she wasn't entirely convinced. As she wandered through the late morning, the monastery seemed perfectly normal. At least by monastery standards, anyhow. The noise of students completing their routines was prevalent. The music of morning shifting towards the afternoon and everyone abiding by a peaceful kind of mundane that was supposed to be normal.

It didn't settle Byleth's nerves.

Cool air, the last vestiges of spring, weren't enough to banish the hazy and overbearing feeling. It was barely early Garland Moon, certainly not late enough into the moon for it to be this warm, so it must be Byleth's imagination or something that only she seemed to be picking up on. Well, her and Sothis.

The feeling of some kind of suffocating tension only seemed to get worse and worse the closer she got to the... dining hall?

As she approached the building, she could hear students milling about as they took a late breakfast or an early lunch. She could already see a few carrying out whatever goods they could in order to eat outside in the gardens. It was a rather beautiful morning, so it's not like anyone could blame them. She'd be tempted to do the same if she wasn't so concerned.

It wasn't some kind of magical 6th sense telling her something was off, either. This was entirely pure, raw, mercenary instinct that was screaming at her that something was wrong.

Whatever was going on, Byleth felt like it was her duty to figure it out. The safety of herself and her students could be at stake. She carefully made her way into the dining room. It wasn't the smell of food that met her first, nor was it the heat of the kitchens, instead it was the overpowering stomach-churning sense of anxiety that permeated the general area. Worse yet, she seemed to be the only one affected by it. She swallowed hard for a moment, feeling the uncomfortable restlessness in her own stomach. Like a creature beginning to pace in an enclosure that was too small for it, her breath hissed out from between her teeth because in a situation like this, an agitated screech wouldn't do her much good.

"Ah, professor," she heard a voice say as she progressed deeper into the monster's den. She was greeted by green hair and what could only be described as anxiety made into a gaseous form as to linger in a thick mist around its source. Seteth. Seteth was the source of that outpouring of anxious energy if his posture and constant shifting from foot to foot was any indicator. "I hope I didn't wake you this morning. I was trying to work through a small issue of sorts and didn't even realize I was pacing directly outside of your window till I'd been doing it for an embarrassing amount of time. I hope I wasn't... disruptive," he said with a nervous smile. Tight and closed lip like he was trying to keep all that nervous energy from pouring out of his mouth. As though it wasn't already seeping from every single pore.

Gods and grandeur, the overwhelming sensations of worry and fear were practically palpable. Byleth wasn't even sure if Bernadetta was capable of producing this much en mass, and Byleth hadn't even met a human being able to carry as much nervous energy in such a tiny little body as she was. To see Seteth so quickly outpace her to this degree was worrying.

Sothis' expression shifted between bitter, worried, and confused. "Well, at least now we know what woke us up. As well as what caused us to pick up on this feeling of tension. But whatever issue could he be working through? You should try to prod at him a bit."

Byleth resisted the temptation to nod her head, instead opting to chirp a quick confirmation in her own head. "Don't worry too much about it. Though, admittedly, I am a bit worried about you. What kind of issue has you in such a frazzle? You're usually so composed," she said. If there was one thing Byleth had actually learned from her time among the nobility, it was how to be careful with her words. Neither confirm nor deny he was what woke her up. Express concern and prod at the issue for more explanation. Flatter.

Byleth wasn't as good at this game as some of her childhood peers had been when it came to charming and smithing their words for the best results, but she'd gotten good enough to operate on the same playing field. She had benefits her peers didn't. Hopefully, for now, operating on her own like this, it would do.

Seteth just shook his head with a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, you'll probably be hearing about it soon enough, anyway. Rhea is going to be giving an announcement later. I'm simply concerned regarding the speed with which she made her decision. As well as the implications of such. I can understand the emotions behind her choice, Goddess knows I feel them sharply myself, but I find myself hesitating. Wondering if it's actually the right choice." He pinched the bridge of his nose with another heavy sigh, his forehead wrinkling up. Byleth had to admit a small feeling of pity in her gut. "If you wouldn't mind though, I could use a bit of a distraction. How have your world history classes been coming along, Professor?"

With the situation flipping in such a manner, Byleth felt a small shock of panic run through her system, but she was plenty quick enough to recover before it could register on her features. The true benefit of her natural poker face, she supposed, was that even strong emotions sometimes failed to show up. "Well enough. I've found ways to keep all three houses engaged. Though, I must admit a quick apology. I've mildly changed the curriculum to be a touch more... agreeable?" She wasn't sure what other way to phrase it.

She expected anger or hesitance or frankly something, but Seteth just blinked at her a couple of times. "Oh? What portions?" Couldn't he guess? Before Byleth actually got the chance to try and tiptoe around the issue, Seteth continued. "I'm not actually too familiar with the curriculum assigned to you. I don't know much about the previous content of it. While I might have delivered the syllabus to you, I must admit that Lady Rhea was the one who actually wrote it."

Byleth paused right before attempting to give her explanation, her jaws audibly clicking shut. "Oh. Oh... Oh! That actually makes more sense now. It was almost entirely focused on the religious history of the world, completely ignoring the political and economic histories, not to mention the scientific achievements, of the various global powers who hold the most sway in our modern era. Not to mention it seemed to disregard most accomplishments that have happened in the last thousand or so years."

Seteth brow immediately began to furrow. "That certainly is concerning, and completely disregards the point of why I suggested we have you take that class to begin with. The intention was to have you teach more about the cultural hallmarks of each so that none of our students who ended up becoming diplomats or such would accidentally offend potential allies or spark easily preventable wars. Though it is important to touch on the religion of each region, as to not cause offense."

Byleth nodded enthusiastically, eyes glinting for just a moment. "Exactly! I figured it would be much more vital to teach the students a little more regarding customs and accomplishments of any powers they're likely to come into contact with, such as Magvel or Jugdral. While I'd still like to go over the religious beliefs of each nation, it's for the reasons you just stated. It's more important to teach them the basic history of a region and the ways to act if they ever meet a foreign dignitary, not to mention the prior curriculum completely ignored all the countries that are already adjacent to Fodlan. I thought things like traditional clothing and greetings that are polite would be more useful. Especially when countries like Tellius have such a different standard of what's considered polite just when comparing the Laguz and Beork. It's a shame I don't have the time to really go in-depth, but I felt the basics were much more important than wasting 10 hours of the student's time talking about how the citizens of Ylisse are heretical for believing in Naga instead of Sothis."

Byleth was still salty about that. Apparently it wasn't just her.

Seteth immediately looked to be taken off guard by that comment. His sheer confusion actually started to seep through into his voice, which wavered with uncertainty. "Naga? While not every religion in the world is supported by the Church, we at least try to keep up an approach of tolerance when it comes to certain groups. For example, many Duscur refugees are allowed to use holy areas to pray to their pantheon even if it isn't necessarily supported. But Naga? Naga is a daughter of the Goddess, I don't know why Rhea would ever have a problem with her!" Seteth started to radiate even more nervous energy as his brow furrowed to an impossible degree, and his eyes darted around like he was trying to frantically think.

The certainty in his voice made Byleth think that maybe Seteth was speaking of an actual well-known fact, at least to him. She supposed that made sense. A Nabatean would presumably know Naga's status in Sothis' family.

"I believe I might have to have a short discussion with Rhea later," Seteth muttered, excusing himself from the conversation and wandering off to who knows where.

"I hope you understand that you probably sowed some seeds of discord with that comment," Sothis said, snapping Byleth out of the daze she'd begun to slip into. "We have yet to see whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing. For our sakes, I hope it proves to be the former."

Byleth nodded hesitantly, taking the little Goddess' words into careful account. It really was true, how the smallest actions of the present could radically change the future. Byleth really should have understood that by now, but this reset was making it more than clear. Of course, she wasn't going to give herself all the credit either. Something was going on, she just wasn't entirely sure what. Pushing those thoughts away for the time being, she delved deeper into the dining hall in pursuit of where the food was being prepared and served.

As was to be expected in a place that mostly catered to nobility and merchants, the food in the monastery was of a decent enough quality and outstanding variety. She'd most certainly eaten better in her lifetime, all things about that lifetime considered, but she'd also eaten much worse as well. Nothing would beat Plegia since that was what she considered to be her real home, but it was still better than sitting in the middle of the woods eating overcooked bear because no one ever bothered teaching Morrigan how to cook so much as rat on a stick.

She grabbed a random assortment of side dishes which were on display, things which were light and wouldn't weigh too heavily in her stomach. If things started to go from bad to worse, like she thought today was likely to do, it would be better to have a less than full stomach. She didn't want to be running on empty but food and anxiety very rarely mixed in a way that was pleasant.

As usual, Byleth's intuition was right on the money when she would have preferred to be wrong. A knight on what seemed to be a mission stomped into the dining hall with all the regality of an overweight horse. "Lady Rhea is about to make an announcement, please go find a spot where you'll be able to see and hear it," he said, visibly proud despite the heavy armor which masked his body and appearance. His voice was laced with all the elegance and pride that his stride lacked, and something about that ticked Byleth off. Or maybe it was his words that upset her. It was so very like Rhea to make her announcement from her balcony, her favorite spot to stand and watch the monastery. A distant pedestal where she didn't interact with anyone, far away from humans or otherwise. Very few could ever reach that level. Byleth hated that once upon a time she'd been one of them.

To a degree, Rhea's fear and disdain was understandable. Her grief had never healed. On the other hand, it was outright childish and resulted in awful decisions which in turn had devastating repercussions.

Byleth wouldn't be going out to the courtyard to stand in front of Rhea's little balcony. Instead, she had better ideas. She watched as the dining hall cleared out of people who began whispering to one another. Each one was in a rush to get there the fastest. Either to find a good spot or because they were simply obedient. There were a few who reflected Byleth's own views. They moved slowly, lazily, their cares were obviously elsewhere. Unfortunately, in their cases, it was either a lack of respect or a kind of relaxation that came from a lack of hardships in life. Byleth was a bit different. Byleth had a very special kind of plan. A way to feed her desire for disobedience without being able to get in trouble for it later.

"Oh, I see, we're going to be doing that, are we?" Sothis asked after very curiously prodding around Byleth's thoughts. Byleth didn't particularly mind Sothis' lack of privacy in moments like these. She had no desire to complain when her adopted sister was particularly good at keeping those prying eyes to herself when Byleth had thoughts she genuinely wanted to stay private. This could be shared.

Byleth hummed and nodded, popping a piece of fruit into her mouth while the dining hall cleared out. Sothis glanced around for a moment, making sure the kitchen staff were distracted, before popping a leftover pastry between her own lips. She seemed to relish in the fact the pastry itself hadn't been shoved into a paper towel package and smuggled out, which was Byleth's usual modus operandi when it came to feeding Sothis.

Sothis didn't particularly need to eat, but Byleth had noticed that a fed Sothis was usually a Sothis who could use more divine pulses and go back a little farther. She was sure there was some kind of 'scientific' explanation, but she didn't care. It had never been her job to question the laws of reality, just use them to her advantage.

Byleth took a deep breath and prepared herself for whatever was about to happen while Sothis quickly shoved the remaining fruit into her face. "Enjoy eating off a plate while it lasts," Byleth muttered, glancing around a couple more times since Sothis' gluttony had tempted her into forgetting to check.

"Shut up." The words came out garbled as strawberry bits showed from between her teeth. This was Fodlan's great and powerful Goddess. "I said shut up!" Sothis made a rather indignant sound before swallowing hard enough to visibly wince. Byleth just smiled as she picked up the plate and deposited it where the used plates were usually retrieved. The two were the last to leave the dining area.

The duo made their way through the monastery, Byleth at some point hoisting Sothis up onto her shoulders while conversation could be very loudly heard from the direction of the courtyard. The two weren't in any kind of rush since Rhea usually took her time prior to an announcement. After a little bit of walking, they arrived at the stables and Sothis's weight immediately disappeared from Byleth's shoulders. "Ahh, what's wrong? You don't want a ride?" She asked to the suddenly empty air.

"Absolutely not, and you know exactly why!" Sothis spat from the corner of Byleth's mind she'd backed herself into. The stables were luckily empty thanks to the announcement, so Byleth was free to laugh at Sothis, even if it was only a chuckle. Sothis didn't necessarily trust flying. In her own words, she'd only ride her own wings (apparently she too had a dragon form) or Avalon. Though, neither could necessarily say why she trusted Avalon so. Sure, Sothis had inherited Byleth's memories, but in an odd kind of fashion neither could entirely explain.

Eyes scanning the stalls, Byleth made her way farther and farther into the stables, looking for one familiar creature. No, not Avalon unfortunately. But this would have to do for now. "Hey there," she said in a quiet voice as a sleeping wyvern began stirring inside of its own stall, lifting its head and blinking at Byleth with a bleary gaze. It gave a massive yawn, all pointy teeth and gaping black hole, before its jaws clicked shut and it looked at Byleth with a slightly tilted head.

Minerva II was no Avalon, nor would she ever be an accurate replacement, but the russet wyvern was friendly which made her easy enough for Byleth to use. Which sometimes became a necessity. In certain resets, it became obvious that Byleth's skills were better suited to certain roles. Roles that sometimes didn't get filled by the members of her classes. So sometimes, she just took on those roles herself. Wyvern Lord occasionally became one of those.

The issue with becoming a Wyvern Lord was that Avalon's scent, or perhaps pieces of her very aura, still clung to Byleth even now. This meant that most of the wyverns in the monastery's stables tended to avoid her. Perhaps out of distaste or maybe it was just fear, she wasn't certain, but it made it exponentially harder if she wanted to take up the mantle of Wyvern Lord. Heck, even a lot of the wyverns outside of Fodlan feared her for reasons she really couldn't put together.

Enter Minerva II. Quite obviously named in honor of her teacher's own mount, she was Byleth's go-to wyvern whenever she needed to fly some place. Mostly because she was without fail friendly and brave enough to tolerate Byleth taking a ride on her back. Not to mention, she was a good deal sharper than the average wyvern. Maybe it was just the stupid wyverns who feared Byleth, though that still didn't make much sense to her.

"Mind if I borrow you for a moment?" She asked. Minerva II didn't really answer as much as stare mutely at Byleth, but she didn't start growling and backing herself into a corner of her stall, so Byleth took that as a good sign. She opened up the entrance of the stall and Minerva II trotted out without a second thought, shaking herself slightly as though to limber herself up. She stretched her wings a couple of times before lowering herself to the ground and looking up at Byleth who hauled herself up onto Minerva II's back.

The wyvern gave another grand yawn before straightening up and stretching her wings outwards once more and trotting outside of the stables. While Byleth held onto her horns for the sake of her own stability and balance, she didn't actually pull on them to convince the wyvern to go the directions that Byleth wanted her to. Instead, the movements of Byleth's head would be enough. The shifting in weight was all it took to indicate direction. Just like a horse. With fangs. That could also potentially breathe fire. Did domesticated wyverns in Fodlan lose their ability to breathe fire like the domesticated wyverns in some other regions? She'd never actually taken the time to check.

Minerva II quickly took flight the moment they were outside, the wind whipping at Byleth's hair in a familiar and comforting manner. Ever since she'd been a small child, she'd enjoyed the act of flying. There was something comforting about it.

Byleth directed her attention towards the largest towers in the monastery, typically used for guard duty but thankfully wasn't used often thanks to its sheer height. The tower itself, consequently, sat above even Rhea's little balcony, which seemed to tower above most things.

Byleth's new friend took her there with little difficulty, taking Byleth's cues with ease. The most difficult part was landing against the wall in such a way that Minerva II wouldn't fall, but Byleth herself could still slip in. Even that wasn't too difficult though, and Byleth very easily wiggled into the tower while Minerva II lifted herself a little higher into the sky in order to perch on top of it.

Byleth very carefully stepped over a menagerie of abandoned relics as Sothis reappeared. She then turned her attention back towards Rhea and her balcony as Sothis squinted. "I can hardly see her, let alone hear her from up here," Sothis said with an overly dramatic sigh.

"Oh, little Goddess of little faith, you think I didn't prepare for that inevitability?" Byleth asked with such a deadpan expression it was hard to tell if she was joking or not. Byleth mutely began to draw in the air with her finger, a dull light following her movements until a kind of circle had formed. The center of the circle suddenly burst to life and showed the image of Rhea zoomed in, the sounds around her clear. "I forget where I picked up this spell, but I know that Belial mastered it first and ended up improving on it. The original version wasn't very good, but this one is perfect for spy work."

It was one of the spells she and Belial often kept hidden behind their backs and didn't teach to others all too often.

Byleth watched as Rhea looked upon the faculty and students gathered below her, the din of those below her rather muted from Byleth's perch. Rhea never even bothered to glance up, her eyes cast downwards. Byleth couldn't help smiling at that, even just a little, her presence going entirely unnoticed. That was one of the first things thieves and assassins ever learned. No one looked up. Not past a 45-degree angle, anyhow. As she watched the magical projection of what was going on, she found herself even more grateful for abandoning the long trip up the stairs in favor of Minerva II's help.

The wyvern could technically leave at this point and she wouldn't be stuck since there was still a way up and down. It wouldn't be a pleasant one though, and she'd end up having to bullshit a reason to the guards as to why she was even up there in the first place. So Byleth found herself grateful when Minerva II audibly settled down on the roof.

"Greetings," Rhea began, eyes flitting across the people standing below her. Her expression was hard to make out due to layers upon layers of false calm, but judging from the tone of her voice, Byleth was willing to make a guess at it being pity or regret. This admittedly made her a bit uneasy. The part about all of this that had Byleth worried the most was the fact it was the start of a new month. Usually, that meant Rhea would personally be speaking to her and maybe the other teachers about what her monthly mission was all about. The fact that this step got entirely skipped had Byleth unnerved, worse case scenarios already flicking through her thoughts alongside how she could begin to counter them.

"It is with a heavy heart that I make this announcement. The Gaspard family has officially been ex-communicated from the church, and the territory belonging to it has recently become a war zone." Gasps of shock and panic ran through those assembled as Rhea paused. In all this time, after all these resets, Byleth had never been so aware of the beating of her own heart, nor so strongly reminded of the fact that this reset she had a beating heart, the likes of which threatened to pound its way outside of her chest.

"How curious," the voice of Sothis was the only thing that could really cut through the fog that was starting to form in Byleth's mind. "Usually things are on a much smaller scale than this. Lonato's rebellion is usually confined to just himself and his men. To hear of something as extreme as an ex-communication having occurred, and for Rhea to describe is as a 'war zone', must mean that what's occurring is nothing short of extraordinary." Sothis' voice carried equal parts intrigue and vexation. She pressed her palm into the center of Byleth's back and acted in a manner that grounded Byleth back into the present. Reality.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd started to hold.

Rhea continued to speak, seeing fit to at least explain the situation. "In the early hours of the morning, the people of Gaspard staged a rebellion on a scale that caused great wounds to the Kingdom, as well as all those living within it. Those who are not a part of this rebellion or seek asylum in other territories are to be treated with pity and kindness, including those students here who might be related to those in Gaspard," she paused again and Byleth couldn't force the image of Ashe out of her head. He must have been devastated. Byleth didn't want to think about the softest Lion falling to the ground, stricken as his face changed to the color of his namesake. Confused and desperate for some kind of answer that would never come because the world never deemed it fit to give.

"However," Rhea's eyes hardened for a moment and Byleth remembered the merciless gaze of the Immaculate one. "Siding with Lonato's rebellion will immediately make anyone an enemy of the Goddess herself, and as such, their vile filth must be purged from the lands of Faerghus so that the Kingdom may begin to heal from this untimely betrayal. This month, everyone will be prepared to offer whatever aid they can in quelling this rebellion. All teachers should be prepared to instruct their students to the utmost of their capabilities in response. Thank you all for your time, please continue with your days."

Rhea disappeared from her balcony, retreating to somewhere, and the little magical circle sputtered out, leaving the pair once again gazing into empty sky. Byleth didn't care. She could feel bile building up in the back of her throat as her head swam. The thought of Ashe trying not to cry while the rest of the Blue Lions attempted to console him was enough to make Byleth dizzy.

"Do you think TWS are offering him more aid this time around?" Sothis asked, though her tone was noticeably hesitant. She asked gently, as though she was trying to tiptoe around the topic.

Byleth didn't answer directly, thoughts still reeling at the exact scale of things this time around. "We should prepare for the worst," she said before swinging herself over the ledge of the guard tower and allowing herself to fall onto Minerva II who'd taken flight the moment Rhea stopped speaking.

Her students, her children, she needed to get back to her cubs. Specifically, poor Ashe. Even when all was said and done, in every reset without fail, he cherished the memories of Lonato. She could only imagine how he was feeling right now. Minerva II made a straight shot for the ground, landing somewhere behind the stables, and Byleth immediately got off. She didn't bother taking the wyvern back to the stables, Minerva II would find her way back on her own. Her thoughts were moving in a too fast blur while she was focusing on making sure that the things which were important to her weren't slowly shattering like newly formed ice on the surface of a tumultuous river.

She had a feeling she knew exactly where Ashe was, as well as all of the Lions for that matter, so her body took her there on autopilot while she diverted a portion of her thoughts to working out a solution. She hadn't even processed it when Sothis disappeared once more for the ride down. Nor did she process it when Sothis was already waiting for Byleth outside the door where she knew they'd be.

It was amazing that the Lions had somehow managed to hole themselves up in the library of all places within the same amount of time it took Byleth to actually get there. Which was shocking since she wasn't exactly what you'd call slow. The most shocking detail of all was how they hadn't gotten kicked out, but they seemed to be the only ones in the library at the moment. Were they technically skipping? She doubted any of the main teachers would mind.

"How did they manage to outpace even your deranged sprinting?" Sothis asked as she floated in the air beside Byleth, crossing her arms atop Byleth's head and resting her chin on those crossed arms. The weight was a familiar one, as was the position Sothis presently took. The posture itself was one she typically took when she was trying to puzzle something out that she didn't quite understand, and she didn't think Byleth had any intentions of moving. Unfortunately, for all her calculations, Sothis was terribly awful when it came to math.

Almost immediately Byleth dislodged herself from under the Goddess, causing Sothis to stumble through the air and nearly plummet face-first into the floor. Byleth made her way towards her students, weaving her way around the multiple tables which had been moved to create what essentially amounted to a blanket nest in the middle of the room. Not everyone was positioned inside the actual 'nest'. Felix and Dedue, in particular, were keeping their distance and sitting at some of the actual tables which had been arranged in an awkwardly gappy circle. They still made their presence readily available, though.

Others, like Ingrid or Dimitri, sat on the outskirts of the nest but were still there to offer whatever kind of comfort and support they actually could. Though, admittedly, Byleth wasn't completely sure how helpful either member could be when it came to emotional reassurance and support.

At the center of this nest was Ashe. He was practically smothered between Annette and Mercedes, who were talking about everything except for the obvious. In this kind of situation, Byleth could understand why they'd be avoiding the topic. Ashe himself was visibly shaken up. Usually, the announcement regarding Lonato was something made privately in a small and personal group. It was Byleth who got to break the news after being filled in by Rhea, and it was something she could always break as gently as possible to her students.

Rhea, apparently, was taking no quarter this time around and had gone all out with the announcement. It practically bordered on theatrics, and it filled the back of Byleth's throat with vitriol she had difficulty swallowing. She was sure there was more to it. There was something that had triggered Rhea to take this course of action, but it was still upsetting! If Byleth was a freshly turned 16-year-old, and she heard something like this, she probably would have emotionally flipped, and arguably 16 was when Byleth had turned the coldest. She didn't want to even think about how she'd react if Rhea suddenly came up to her and told her that she needed to kill her own father. No, that wasn't an entirely accurate comparison. Robin would be a bit more accurate considering Ashe's relationship to Lonato.

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach before her stomach leaped up into the back of her throat in a rush of hot and cold emotions that made her want to be sick. Oh, Naga, the sheer thought of having to fight let alone kill Robin was enough to make Byleth's mind glaze over with an awful kind of stomach pain.

"I hope it never comes to that," Sothis whispered quietly, picking up on Byleth's train of thought. "Such wrath is of the breed that even a God would fear, should they not be a fool."

Byleth didn't want to think about it.

Mercie and Annette were honestly trying their best, being as doting and kind as either knew how, but Ashe seemed to be slumped over in a way that wasn't perking up anytime soon. "Hey professor," he said when Byleth made her entrance. The rest of the Blue Lions gave more enthused greetings, but she could tell that it was harder for all of them. Drained and lacking in any kind of joy, for them it probably seemed like one thing after the other. It hadn't even been that long since Byleth's own recovery from the canyon mission gone awful.

Not all hope was lost, though. One member of the lions, in particular, had apparently decided he wasn't going to slump over and be sad.

"Okay, okay, no more of this!" Sylvain said. He'd been standing near the circle of tables for a while now. He'd been chatting with Felix in a hushed voice when Byleth had entered. Suddenly though, his eyes had flashed, and his demeanor seemed to change. He stomped his way right over and into the center of the blanket pile. In his hands was a book. Felix very visibly rolled his eyes, but there was softness at the corner of his mouth that almost belied the hint of a smile he was trying to conceal.

"Felix got the book for Sylvain," Sothis noted, watching with more amusement than anything as Sylvain plopped himself down in front of the trio in the center and began to pull the blankets around him.

Without any kind of hesitation, once he was done making himself plenty comfortable, he popped open the book and flipped to the very first page. After taking a deep breath, he began to read. "The sleet pelted down heavily, showing the wrath that was the spring in this area of Fodlan. Still part of the Empire, but slowly growing restless, the people were used to this kind of treatment by those seasonal storms. For a land that always snowed, the warm seasons only meant icy rains. The Lion himself, grand and powerful Loog, looked to the skies with a fond expression. Despite the disdain of his traveling companions..."

Like the flick of a switch, the moment Sylvain started to read was when Ashe's attention shifted and he seemed to enter something of a trance. His expression almost seemed to soften as he watched Sylvain narrate the story with his typical showmanship. He'd always been a good actor, but it was really something you could only admire when he wasn't weaponizing it as some kind of twisted defense mechanism.

Ingrid and Dimitri both began to visibly relax and slowly extracted themselves from their awkward positions at the corners of the blanket nest, choosing instead to stand and start gravitating outwards towards the tables. Ashe didn't even seem to notice, and if anyone else did, they didn't care. Mercie and Annette were still too consumed with keeping an eye on Ashe while Sylvain continued to read, voice sparking with a kind of energy that was much needed. Even Felix and Dedue seemed to relax slightly.

Ingrid turned to Dimitri as the two moved farther, keeping her voice as quiet as possible while she leaned towards him to speak. Byleth only really caught the words because Sothis was not so discreetly leaning into their whispering.

"Seems even he's got some sense. Ever since the school year started he's been pretty well behaved," she said. It was hard to read her tone. There was something impressed to it, but also suspicious and doubtful, as though Ingrid didn't believe Sylvain could ever be this well behaved in the true sense of the word.

Dimitri laughed awkwardly, giving Ingrid a look . "I'll admit some concern over how much he's been following Felix around like a lost puppy this school year... But he's still the friend we grew up with, Ingrid. He's used to this kind of thing," Dimitri said, glancing in the direction of Sylvain to smile fondly. There was something about the way he spoke which made Byleth think that this was probably something familiar to their childhood, even if Ingrid couldn't quite recognize it.

She snorted in a manner that was entirely disbelieving, but didn't dismiss the comment completely. She continued to give Ashe a worried look, but he was entirely absorbed into Sylvain's retelling of Loog's story. Byleth didn't think it was just because this was Ashe's favorite book either. Sylvain took on a kind of energy as he read, speaking the character to life and putting emotions into each and every scene. Narrating with animation and speaking the lines in made-up voices for each character. Like Byleth said earlier, an actor, and an admirable one when he didn't use it like a shield.

Ingrid settled down at one of the tables, sitting directly next to Felix while Dimitri continued to stand. There was something about the way he looked across that class that reminded Byleth of a King surveying his people. There was a fond possessiveness in his gaze. It was a bit unnerving, especially after everything Byleth had seen him do at his worst, but she'd also seen him at his best. It was only when he was left alone with absolutely no one to help hold together the pieces did he truly fall completely apart. Byleth wasn't planning on leaving any of her students alone, not this time. There would be no five-year gap. She'd solve this before that got a chance to happen.

Byleth moved to stand behind Dimitri, who turned to her slightly. "If you could spare a moment?" She asked quietly, making certain she wasn't trampling over Sylvain as she spoke. Fear flashed in his eyes for a moment, but apparently after taking the time to survey how relaxed her own expression was he too relaxed a bit and nodded, motioning towards the door. Byleth gave a nod of her own and the two quickly made their way outside.

"What are you planning?" Sothis asked as she followed after the pair, her feet making a little pattering noise against the hard floor as she decided to stop floating. She... admittedly struggled to keep up. Byleth didn't answer. All she did was smile. A gentle one, but one that was familiar in such a way Sothis herself couldn't place. It was like she'd seen it before, but the actual source managed to elude her. It was gentle, warm, kind, and most importantly it chilled Sothis down to the bone. Byleth just opened the door to the library, stepped outside, and turned to Dimitri.

The moment the door closed, her smile fell away to a more neutral expression. Well, neutral in the eyes of most people. Perhaps Jeralt was the only person, in Fodlan at least, who would recognize the expression she was currently wearing. It was the expression she usually took when one of those under her command was about to do something stupid and she was turning it into a learning experience, which in short, meant she was probably going to try shattering some world views. "This is quite the situation we've found ourselves in. Yet we seem to also lack the most say. It occurs to me that I'll likely be helping in this little mission to take down Lord Lonato. Before I offer up my thoughts at the next staff meeting, I wanted to know what you thought of this whole situation, so I could bring with me a student perspective."

It was a rather open-ended question, but one formed with the intention of poking and prodding. It wasn't even a lie. She narrowed her eyes slightly, analyzing the Lord and King-to-be in front of her. Though that analyzing gaze wasn't harsh. Dimitri didn't falter for a moment. Instead, he pressed a finger to his chin and thought. "Well, obviously Lonato has committed a crime. He's gone against the Church and to some extent the Kingdom. We need to prevent more people from getting hurt, so as regrettable as it is, what needs to be done must be done."

"Don't you think you might be jumping to an answer a bit too quickly, little prince?" Byleth responded with a speed and strength in her tone that quite literally made Dimitri jump. His eyes widened at her tone, but her gaze still wasn't harsh. Only then did the pieces click together for poor Dimitri. This wasn't just a conversation about the Gaspard incident. It was an evaluation, and presently, he was already failing.

"Well, no, I don't believe so. After receiving word from my own uncle, I can quite clearly see that Lonato is in a stage of rebellion against the Church. It is the orders of Lady Rhea to combat this threat, so we will. If that requires killing Lonato, what must be done is what needs to be done in order to protect the most innocents." While Dimitri carried a tone of conviction, his eyes continued to dart all over the place. Particularly in the direction most people's gazes went when they were trying to lie. It seemed as though he was struggling.

Byleth had to actively fight the urge to smirk. "And yet, you don't know if the actions you're taking are right or just," she said. She kept her tone relaxed even while Dimitri's entire body went rigid and his poor little face twisted up with confusion. "You jump to the assumption that Lonato is the guilty party here, without even trying to verify your own facts, completely disregarding that he might be the one in this situation who's innocent," she said and the words struck the air like shattering glass.

The things she was about to say would probably border on blasphemy, but Dimitri was so thoroughly and visibly confused that he probably wouldn't even take note of it.

"Professor, with all due respect I have obtained my own pr-" Dimitri's eyes had begun to narrow as he spoke, his posture growing more and more defensive, but Byleth didn't give him the chance to continue. Sothis was practically laughing off in her own little corner while Byleth ruled over the conversation. She was treating him like an equal, but an equal with less world experience. Byleth, a mercenary of roughly 6 years and a teacher of who the hell knew how many years at this point, wasn't going to let Dimitri finish that sentence.

"No, Dimitri, you have no proof . You have blind trust. How many reports have you gotten? From who? Have you tried to contact Lonato? Have you contacted any of the neighboring lords? Have you contacted those in the lands he currently rules? Have you so much as made an attempt at figuring out why he's attacking? No, no you have not, and this isn't entirely your fault since you never had anyone to teach you these kinds of things. I promise you, situations like these are something that I'm extremely well versed in and right now you're placing your entire blind trust in Rhea and your uncle. Trust isn't a bad thing, but it also should never be blind. If you're ever to make a good ruler, you need to know how to ask the questions that'll let you make the most just decisions. You don't know why this fight is going on, so figure it out and try to come to your own conclusions. Preferably one that helps as many people as possible," Byleth said. While her tone was stern, her expression was gentle, and she looked at Dimitri with a kind of fondness.

She'd been his teacher for so very long, she wanted him to learn and grow. Sadly, the distress on the poor boy's face was obvious. "But Lady Rhea is the Archbishop," was the only retort he could come up with.

"Exactly. The Archbishop. A person in a position of power, which gives us all the reasons we need to question her more. People don't intentionally do bad things, Dimitri, not all the time, sometimes they do bad things by accident. Especially when no one checks their powers or questions them. That's why we need to ask questions. For the good of ourselves, the group, and Rhea. I'm not saying be unruly, I'm saying look at a situation and find your own answer because automatically believing someone else can be an awful idea. Rhea isn't perfect. Neither are you. This situation is more nuanced than we give it credit for. If we make the wrong decisions, we're going to start doing more harm than actual good." Byleth jerked her head towards the door. It was closed, but it was still easy to hear Sylvain reading. Byleth wasn't sure what part of the story they were at, but she could hear particularly well-timed crying.

Dimitri immediately deflated, looking worn out more than anything. Poor kid wasn't ready for the kind of power and responsibility Byleth was asking him to pick up, but the world had made it necessary. "How do I make the right decision?"

Byleth gave him a quick pat on the top of the head, smiling reassuringly. "There isn't always going to be one true right answer to a situation. That's the burden of those who've taken it upon themselves to rule. They're always going to be making a choice that's morally gray. It's you who has to decide what the 'right' choice is for you and your people, and it's not an easy job."

"Have you ever been in a position like this one?" Dimitri asked. Byleth struggled for a moment to come up with an answer, resisting the urge to bite at her bottom lip.

Ultimately, he was asking a question. Asking for advice, assessing his options and the strength of his resources. Byleth couldn't in good conscience refuse to answer, let alone lie. "Yes, I have. Many times, actually. I've played the role of everything up to a general more than once, and I've been in the position where I've had to make tough moral choices. I don't regret the choices I did end up making. I took the time to make them, to assess their pros and cons, and to make the choices that would result in the most good and the least bad as I personally defined it since I was in charge. No one can teach you how to make that kind of choice though. You just have to figure out who you can trust the most, gather information for yourself, and go from there."

"Professor, if I might be blunt for a moment, it almost sounds as though you don't trust Lady Rhea," Dimitri said, voice hesitant as he glanced to the side.

"I think she has room to grow," Byleth said, her voice and actions carefully measured. Dimitri nodded quietly but didn't seem averse to her response. If anything, he looked introspective.

"Can I trust you?" He asked.

Byleth smiled, her eyes fond but a little sad. "That's a decision you're going to have to make for yourself, little Lion cub. Look at my goals, my actions, everything I've done and said. Tell me for yourself what you think. Take as much time as you need to in order to come up with your answer as well. Sometimes you'll find yourself under the ticking of the clock, but this isn't one of those times."

With that, she pushed open the door and went back into the library. She picked one of the unoccupied tables and made a straight line for it, hefting herself up and perching onto it. Not a chair, but the actual table. Sothis gave her a look of disgust before lounging on the floor. Dimitri hesitated outside the door from a moment, but eventually reentered the library. He made sure the door clicked quietly behind him and moved to sit halfway between Dedue and Felix.

Ashe was still in the center of that blanket pile, presently blubbering like a child. Annette and Mercie weren't any better. Again, Byleth didn't know what part of the story they were on at this point, but apparently, it was a sad part. Was this the first time she'd seen Ashe break down and cry? No, she was sure she'd seen it before. She'd seen each of her little ones hit their breaking points and cry for one reason for another. It was still an unnerving thing to her. Crying. She didn't do it often herself, though it'd ironically become easier for her to cry the older she seemed to get.

Just as things were finally starting to settle down the library door was pushed open once more. Not quite with a bang, but certainly with gusto. Edelgard. Edelgard was at the front of a gaggle of Eagles who suddenly came to an abrupt halt in wide-eyed shock. "Our apologies? We didn't realize you were currently... using the library. We can go find somewhere else to study," Edelgard said, very nervously eyeing Ashe who was rubbing at his eyes while Sylvain sat with his mouth half-open, trapped in the middle of a sentence.

"No, no! Join us," Mercedes said with the cheeriest of smiles despite the fact she'd been crying moments before. As though the Goddess herself had ordered it, half of the Black Eagles quite willingly came into the library with smiles and greetings for the Blue Lions while the other half stood awkwardly at the door. Well, Byleth said half, but it was mostly Edelgard and Hubert who were hesitating.

In some amazing twist of fate, even Bernadetta very nervously made her way through the throng of students. She didn't stop at a table. She didn't cling to one of her own classmates. She didn't suddenly clam up and have to be dragged. Bernadetta willingly walked her way right through the middle of the Lions and sat herself right down next to Sylvain in a way that by Bernadetta's standards was almost 'natural'.

"Hey! Once we're done with this book, you should totally let me read yours out loud," Sylvain said with a grin and a wink. Byleth wasn't entirely sure if it was eerie or welcoming, but the action itself was strangely devoid of any smarm. He wasn't trying to be charming with that wink, quite the opposite as she felt like he was trying to tease Bernadetta.

"Absolutely not!" She shouted, the distress in her voice making it warble pathetically. In spite of that, Sylvain just laughed. While Bernadetta buried her burning cheeks into her hands she didn't seem to shrink in on herself the same way she usually did.

Linhardt and Caspar sat down at one of the unoccupied tables and the former was immediately out like a light while Caspar tried to make himself comfortable. Dorothea, of course, decided to cuddle up next to Ingrid while Ferdinand took a position not too terribly far but for the most part isolated. Ingrid just rolled her eyes and released a very heavy sigh, her gaze giving off the impression she considered this similar to dealing with an overly excited child. Petra was either really excited for story time or she pitied Bernie, because she almost immediately sat down in the cuddle pile of blankets and managed to get herself and Bernie bundled up just as much as the resident Lions. It didn't seem like there was much more to it than Petra trying to be a good friend though.

"It's not very noble like to refuse an invitation," Ferdinand called over to Edelgard and Hubert who suddenly realized the position they were in. Hubert only decided to sit down next to Ferdinand after Edelgard had given him a reassuring nod.

Edelgard herself was the last to sit, positioning herself next to Dimitri of all places. It was obvious that there was still some tension between the two, but it had eased considerably, to the point where they were tolerating each other's presence without looking on edge. The bonding they were currently participating in was obviously shallow and little more than what was expected of the House Leaders. It made sense that they would choose to interact. It still put a small twinge of something ugly in the pit of Byleth's belly, which was followed by a nervous kind of churning pain.

They looked like star-crossed lovers, she quite literally sulked.

"They look like step-siblings. They look like they're disaster bis." Sothis blurted with all the finesse of a wyvern crashing into a tree.

It didn't matter. It shouldn't matter. On a logical level, Sothis (as always) was entirely correct and ever so awful at putting it into words that were marginally reassuring. Sothis shouldn't need to be reassuring though because it shouldn't matter to Byleth. She was their teacher, and if in some distant future she stopped being their teacher and everything worked out fine then it still wouldn't matter since under no conditions was Byleth planning on asking Edelgard out. The back of her mouth suddenly tasted very bitter, and she felt disgusted for her own awful feelings.

They'd gotten so much harder to control, especially as of late. She almost wished she could go back to hiding quietly behind her muted wall of stained glass. Her students had only continued to shatter it till there was nothing left for her to hide herself behind. She was so vulnerable to them, and not a single one fully understood it.

Sylvain continued to read.

Slowly time passed and the group gravitated more and more towards the small pile of blankets. Of course, there were those who absolutely refused (read as: Felix, Dedue, and Hubert), but a lot of other students slowly waded their way into the pile. If anything, it slowly started to become too cramped as they didn't have enough blankets.

Until the door was kicked open.

"Someone told us there was a party going on in here!" Raphael bellowed, arms full of blankets and food he had miraculously not yet eaten. The rest of the Golden Deer were trailing behind him. Some members were wheezing, practically crumbling under the weight of pillows and snacks. Others looked like they were having no trouble at all. Someone was pretending she was having trouble even when she wasn't. No one believed Hilda anymore. Such was the natural order.

There was a cacophony of noise as everyone rearranged themselves, or more so, the Deer forced themselves in. The end result was the entire group almost getting rearranged in a Golden Deer style seating chart. Claude almost seemed as though he was proudly smiling as he pushed his way in between Dimitri and Edelgard, forcing Edelgard towards Byleth who'd finally decided to join the circle.

"Apologies, my teacher," Edelgard squeaked as she was forced to practically lean against Byleth by the sheer amount of students crowding around Sylvain who was apparently the designated reader, though it didn't look like he minded. Byleth certainly didn't mind the current situation. As much as she tried not to have such a thought, it was hard not to.

Sothis frowned slowly, finger phasing through any of the students she tried to touch. Only Byleth remained solid as those little fingers brushed against hair and sleeves. Despite the slightly bitter expression on her face, she turned to Byleth with a smile. "I'm happy for you," she said. Byleth knew that for that moment she wasn't allowed to feel bad for Sothis, so she focused on the feeling of a certain someone's hand accidentally pressing into hers.