EVERYONE: Fifth Path Supports

[BackSet]

Author’s Note: Welcome to Meanwhile, On the Surface. This is a two part series that tells the story of what’s happening on the surface while the Best Friend Squad (and associates) have underground adventures. There’s only two parts because I couldn’t come up with more. Both parts focus on different characters. This part focuses on Hubert and Dedue and the next part will focus on… well… that’s a secret.

In other news, I’ve been watching Marvel’s What If…? recently and it inspired me to come up with some Fire Emblem: Three Houses What Ifs for your consideration:

• What If… Edelgard Won? I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t this just the Crimson Flower route? But it’s not. When I say “Edelgard Won” I mean that straight up villain Edelgard (no, we’re not arguing this right now) from the other three routes wins. She trumps the Kingdom, Alliance, and Church and takes over Fodlan.
• What If… Claude Became the Hegemon? In other words, what if Claude took Edelgard’s place as the main antagonist. Basically, somewhere along the line Claude decides that the best way to End Racism is if he takes control of everything. So we get to see how scarily competent Claude would be as a bad guy. Obviously, he’d have great strategy because, you know, Master Schemer, but also he’d weaken the other sides by outright stealing troops from them. Because evil or not he’s still Claude. He isn’t fighting to defeat one specific group or blaming one specific group for all the oppression. He just thinks that taking over everything is a faster way to change things than working with the system (which is basically Edelgard’s doctrine but she purely blames the Church for all this bull). And a lot of people will think that he makes good points and decide that, yeah, they’ll join this guy.
  
  In fact, the points he makes will be so good that they might even make the audience question who the bad guy is (it’s still him) which I think is something they tried to do with Edelgard (she is right, Crests are an issue) but she also caused way more bloodshed and joined up with Those Who Slither so it’s kind of moot. Claude, obviously, won’t use Demonic Beasts because he’s just as against Those Who Slither as he is as a good guy but he might use Golems he reverse engineered from the Church.
  
  Because of how scarily competent he is this will actually force the other three sides to team up for realsies to fight him and Those Who Slither might join in too as a third party (though nobody will actively help them because, you know, they’re Those Who Slither, and in gameplay terms it would function like the battle of grondor field) because Claude is a way bigger threat to them since he’s not only actively hunting them along with everyone else but their main base is in Alliance territory. Man, I really put a lot of thought into this one. Also, Hegemon doesn’t mean he’ll be turning into Fallen Claude or some such thing, just that he’s the bad guy in this scenario.
• What If… Byleth Never Came to Garreg Mach Monastery? This one’s simple. Something happened that caused Byleth to simply… not come to the Monastery. Or maybe they did and they just kind of left.
• What If… Byleth Woke Up Too Late? Basically, Byleth falls off a cliff as usual but by the time they wake up the war’s over. However, it didn't end in anyone’s favor, possibly due to Those Who Slither or just because Byleth was kind of a lynch pin, so Fodlan is s lawless post-apocalyptic waste land.
• What If… Sitri Survived? This one’s also simple. The method by which Sitri survives could be any number of things. Maybe Baby Byleth dies before they can perform the operation or maybe the birth just goes smoothly. Who knows.
• What If… Sothis Bonded to Edelgard? This one’s an interesting one. Maybe even more interesting than Hegemon Claude. So, somehow Sothis bonds to Edelgard instead of Byleth. Maybe instead of doing blood experiments Those Who Slither just straight up stole Sothis’ crest stone somehow (which unfortunately means neither Byleth nor Sitri can show up in this story) and for reasons that are probably similar to why their main timeline (for a certain sense of the word) experiment worked on her the Crest Stone takes and now she has Sothis in her head. Sothis probably first emerges sometime around when she first emerged for Byleth, maybe during the same confrontation with Kostis. This allows Edelgard time to develop her anti-Church and anti-Crest views. So now she has this being who may or may not be the Goddess in her head (since she’s not ignorant of Fodlan’s religion and politics like Byleth she immediately recognizes the significance of Sothis’ name) who’s also really abrasive towards her and that would obviously affect her character arc in a significant way as at first she probably searches for a way to get rid of Sothis and Sothis isn't all that fond of Edelgard either for obvious reasons but the two slowly warm up to each other and who knows what happens then. Also, since we need a third teacher and Byleth isn't available, I say we use a retired Jeralt who would also have changed quite a bit due to a lack of Sitri (or possibly, even more heartbreaking, Those Who Slither straight up ripping Sitri or Byleth’s hearts from their chests).
• What If… Rhea’s Plan Worked? I don’t have much to say on this one. The results of Rhea’s plan are so painfully ambiguous I don’t know how this would go.

And those are my Three Houses What If ideas. I just wanted to share them with y'all. I shall see you down below.

Spoiler: The Search

Meanwhile, On the Surface
Part One
The Search​

Hubert paced his room anxiously. He didn’t think he’d ever been this anxious. He didn’t think he’d been anxious period. He just didn’t do anxious. Except for this particular moment, apparently.

Now, as to the reason why he was anxious, Edelgard was missing. Sure he couldn’t be around her all the time, but this time he truly couldn’t find her anywhere and, obviously, this worried him. Who knows what could have happened to her. She could have been kidnapped. She could be dead! Sometimes, he forgot that Edelgard was a capable combatant who could handle herself just fine.

He stopped pacing and sighed irritably. “This isn’t getting me anywhere. I need to do something.”

Just then, there was a knock at his door. Irritated, he stomped over to the door and opened it. Who would bother him at this time of day. Who would bother him at all.

“What!” He snarled, before he even looked at who was at the door.

“I need your help.” The person at the door said in a deep and recognizable voice.

It was Dedue, retainer and/or bodyguard of Prince Dimitri. Of all the people to show up at Hubert’s door asking for help, Dedue was the last person Hubert expected.

“Dedue.” Hubert said. “This is a surprise. What brings you to my doorstep.” And how fast can you leave.

“Trust me, I’d much rather be anywhere but here.” Dedue replied. “But you are the only person I could think of who could assist me.”

“And what, might I ask, do you need assistance with?” Hubert asked.

The next words out of Dedue’s mouth hit Hubert like a brick. “His Highness is missing.”

“What?” Hubert asked in surprise. “Prince Dimitri is missing as well?”

Dedue raised an eyebrow. “As well? Do you mean to say someone else has also disappeared?”

“Yes.” Hubert said before he could stop himself. “Lady Edelgard.”

“This is worrying.” Dedue said.

“Thank you for that astute observation.” Hubert snarked.

“There is no time for sarcasm.” Dedue said. “We must search for them at once.”

“We?” Hubert asked incredulously.

“Yes, we.” Dedue said. “As they say, two heads are better than one. Even if one of the heads is untrustworthy.”

Hubert sighed. “Fair enough. Where shall we start?”

They started in the rooms of the Prince and Princess. Though they’d both looked them over thoroughly, Dedue thought that maybe if he looked at Edelgard's room and Hubert looked at Dimitri’s room, they might find something. Hubert, being the hypocrite he was, was reluctant to let anyone in Edelgard’s room when she wasn’t there but he was also desperate.

Unfortunately they found essentially nothing they hadn’t already found. The doors were unlocked but showed no indication of picking, meaning that either someone was very good or that the Royals had simply left the doors unlocked after leaving. There was one uniform missing from their closets each and the only clothing in their laundry baskets was the ones they presumably wore at night. It was “presumably” because as dedicated as they were, even Dedue and Hubert didn't spy on their royal highnesses while they were asleep.

With that failed, they decided to split up and search the rest of the Monastery but their searches turned up pretty much nothing. They couldn’t find a single clue as to where Dimitri and Edelgard had disappeared too, let alone the prince and princess themselves. Ironically, they had both passed by the tunnel that the two of them had entered mere hours ago without even noticing it. Eventually they met back up in the courtyard.

“Nothing. There’s absolutely nothing.” Hubert complained, clutching his head in anger. The bags around his eyes were even more pronounced than usual.

“Perhaps we are missing something.” Dedue suggested.

“We are missing something!” Hubert pointed out. “Lady Edelgard!”

“Calm down.” Dedue said. “Let us try looking at this from a different respective.”

He glanced around the courtyard. Eventually, his gaze settled on the Goddess Tower. Hubert followed his gaze and paled.

“Oh no.” He said. “Oh nonononono. No. Absolutely not.”

“What’s wrong?” Dedue asked.

“Nothing.” Hubert insisted. “Absolutely nothing. But I refuse to go up there.”

“If we go up there we’ll be able to see the whole Monastery.” Dedue said. “Possibly including where His Highness and Princess Edelgard have disappeared too.”

“But we won’t be able to see anything.” Hubert pointed out. “We’ll be so high up that everything will look too small.”

“Hence why we’ll bring spyglasses.” Dedue countered.

“Okay, fair enough, but it’s against the rules to go up there. Should we really do this?” Hubert said out of desperation.

Dedue simply stared at him, deadpan.

“Yes, I just heard myself.” Hubert admitted, actually sounding mildly embarrassed. He sighed. “Very well, I shall ascend the tower but on one condition.”

“And that would be?” Dedue asked.

“We shall only ascend halfway up and we shall not stay for longer than necessary.” Hubert said.

Dedue simply nodded.

“This was a mistake!” Hubert shouted, staring wide eyed at the ground far below. He gripped the railing tight enough to make his hands turn red.

As they had said, Dedue and Hubert had climbed halfway up the Goddess Tower, having very little trouble sneaking in. Unfortunately, even this had turned out to be a bit too much for Hubert who had begun to loose his composure halfway to the halfway point and by the time they reached their destination he was in full on panic mode. It got even worse when he somehow wound up at the edge of the platform. As soon as he had gotten there he had immediately sunken to the floor.

Dedue grabbed Hubert by the back of his uniform and pulled him away from the edge. He walked around so as to be in front of the Black Eagle.

“Calm down.” He said sternly.

“Calm down!?” Hubert shouted, temporarily deranged. “How can I calm down!? One wrong step and I could die!”

“Just breathe.” Dedue said, kneeling to be on eye level with Hubert.

Seeing very few other options, Hubert obliged. He inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled deeply through his mouth. He did this several more times. Surprisingly, it actually seemed to be working. His shoulders relaxed a little, or at least, they returned to their state of standard paranoia as opposed to panicked paranoia.

“Good.” Dedue said. “Now, close your eyes and focus on Princess Edelgard. She could be in trouble right now. You’re no good to her if you’re a nervous wreck.”

“I… you’re… you’re right.” Hubert said slowly, taking another breath. “Lady Edelgard needs me.”

Dedue nodded. “Good. Now, open your eyes and stand up. We have work to do. And if you get scared, just breathe and focus on the Princess.”

Hubert did as Dedue said, slowly opening his eyes and standing up. He took one last deep breath.

“I was not scared.” He insisted, immediately. “Worried, yes. Nervous, yes. But not scared.” He paused. “That said, I’d appreciate it if you not mention this incident to anyone.”

“Understandable.” Dedue said, nodding.

Using the spyglasses, the two scanned the Monastery and yet they still couldn’t see anything. Well, they did see things but not the things they were looking for. Sylvain was making a fool of himself, no big surprise, Lorenz appeared to be leaving letters at certain students’ doors for some reason, and Ferdinand was… also making a fool of himself. Foolishness all around.

After they decided they’d seen all they could see, they descended the tower, much to Hubert’s relief. Still, they were rather tired of this fruitless searching but they also refused to give up. They had to find their charges.

“Maybe if we asked people?” Dedue suggested.

“That’s a terrible idea.” Hubert said. “We can’t let people know Lady Edelgard and Prince Dimitri are missing.”

Unfortunately, Hubert said this just as someone passed by them. Specifically, Caspar.

“Edelgard and Dimitri are missing?” The blue haired boy asked.

“No.” Hubert said.

“Yes.” Dedue said at the same time.

“What are you doing?” Hubert hissed.

“Not blatantly lying.” Dedue replied.

“So… Edelgard and Dimitri are missing.” Caspar replied.

Hubert sighed. “Yes, yes they are.”

“Have you seen them?” Dedue asked.

Caspar shook his head. “No, but I have been looking for Linhardt. Maybe their disappearances are connected.”

“Doubtful.” Hubert scoffed.

Caspar shrugged. “You know, I have heard there are secret passages beneath the fishing pond. But that’s ridiculous, right?” He laughed.

Hubert rubbed his chin. “Do you think..?” He asked Dedue, seeming to be genuinely considering this possibility.

“It’s possible.” Dedue replied. Clearly, they were extremely desperate.

“Uh, guys?” Caspar asked. “I was just kidding.”

“If they are in the fishing pond, we must hurry!” Hubert proclaimed.

Dedue nodded. “I agree.”

“Wait, you’re not seriously considering…” Caspar began but before he could finish, the two had dashed off. Caspar shook his head, confused. “If you see Linhardt, send him my way!” He shouted at the duo, just in case.

Author’s Note: That’s the fun of writing fan fiction, you get to see how characters who wouldn't normally interact with each other, well, interact. In this case, Dedue and Hubert the two fanatical enablers who are part of (but not wholly) the problem.

I’ll be honest, though, I was not expecting to write Dedue coaching Hubert on how to deal with his fear of heights. And I don’t endorse the techniques used here as they may not work in real life (though I’m actually pretty sure they’re real in this case). I am not a therapist.

 

[BackSet]

Author’s Note: I present to you, part two of Meanwhile, On the Surface. A two part series about what's going on on the surface while the Best Friend Squad has underground adventures. This one… I don’t know what this one is. It started off as a funny support about how much Lorenz isn’t respected because I don’t like Lorenz (though even if I liked Lorenz nothing would change here because he’s a Butt-Monkey anyways) but then it became something else. Oh well, I’m keeping the name because I like it. Now for more Fire Emblem: Three Houses What If..?s because I had more ideas!

• What If… Lorenz Ran the Golden Deer House? In the spirit of this Support, let’s wonder what would really happen if Lorenz was in charge of the Golden Deer House.
• What If… There were Two Byleths? This is based off a fanfic idea I had a while back and I'm sure plenty of people have already done this. Basically, instead of one singular Byleths there are two twin Byleths, one female and one male. I’ve named these two Blythe and Theo respectively because why not. Both Byleths would be quiet and reserved like in canon but for different reasons. Blythe would be the brooding, serious one who hides a fiery temper and is fiercely protective of Theo and views herself as his older sister, despite being twins, while Theo would be more nervous and a bit of a shrinking violet, though better with people than Blythe. Each one would also represent a different part of canon Byleth’s skill set, differentiating them from each other more. Blythe takes on Byleth’s combat skills, being terrifying on the battlefield and channeling all that repressed anger into her fighting. Meanwhile, Theo takes on Byleth’s tactical skills, more at home poring over a battle map then on the battlefield himself (though he is by no means incompetent when it comes to battle, just not quite as good as Blythe) and he almost seems a different person when planning, always keeping a level head and giving orders without hesitation. Yeah, I put a lot of thought into this. As a consequence of this, Sitri actually possibly survives since it’s basically impossible for her to have surviving twins if she doesn’t.
• What If… Byleth Met Byleth? This is literally just a Fire Emblem Heroes fanfic. And technically possible in Fifth Path since we know Three Houses Anna met Heroes Anna. Though if I did write that it would be non-canon to the fic.
• What If… Kostas Killed Edelgard? Surprised I didn't think of this before. It’s such an obvious question.
• What If… Edelgard went Feral? It’s common fan speak (or, at least, it’s common BackSet speak) to refer to Post-Timeskip Dimitri as Feral Dimitri. But what if instead of Feral Dimitri we got Feral Edelgard. I don't know how this would happen but it’s a question.
• What If… Fodlan Lost its Rulers? Or, in other words, what if Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard died before Edelgard got a chance to start her war. Probably more war.
• What if… The Old Gods Came Back? Remember all those saints we kept running into who were guarding ancient weapons as monsters and whatnot? What if they decided “screw it, let’s get back into the world” for some reason. Maybe due to the war, maybe due to boredom. Who knows.

These are all free ideas and I’m perfectly okay with anybody using them or being inspired by them. Not that I could stop you in the first place. I don’t own ideas. Though if you decide to use these ideas after reading this fic I’d appreciate it if you shoot a link to it my way so I can see how cool it is and how I’ve inspired people. Anyways, more below.

Spoiler: Lorenz's Hostile Takeover

Meanwhile, On the Surface
Part Two
Lorenz’s Hostile Takeover​

The Golden Deer classroom was full of students, specifically students of the Golden Deer House. This usually was not abnormal since it was a classroom, but today was a weekend and thus not a school day. Therefore, most of the Golden Deer would usually not be in the classroom, except maybe Ignatz.

The reason they were there was that they’d all received a letter telling them to come there and, apparently, they all lacked anything better to do. The only person there who hadn’t received a letter was Lorenz. This was because he was the one to send them.

“You may be wondering why I’ve called you all here!” Lorenz said from behind the teacher’s desk.

There was a moment of awkward silence as it seemed nobody was willing to deign this question with a response. Nobody except for Leonie, who decided to be the one to save everyone from awkwardness.

“Uh… yeah.” She said. “Why did you call us here?”

Lorenz began pacing smugly. “Well, you may have noticed that our “illustrious” House Leader has disappeared.” He stopped pacing and turned to face his audience. “As such, I think it’s time the Golden Deer House was put under new management.” He dramatically slammed his hands down on the desk. “My management!”

There was yet another pause. You could almost see the ellipses in the air. Finally, Raphael broke the silence.

“If Claude is missing we’ve gotta find him!” He said. “He could be in trouble!”

Lorenz flipped his hand dismissively. “I’m sure he’s fine. Probably off pulling some elaborate prank.” Lorenz held his finger up dramatically. “A fatal mistake, for when he returns everything shall be different! I shall be in charge!” He laughed.

Lysithea stood up and let out an annoyed sigh, rubbing her temples as she did so. “Lorenz… no. Just… no. While I, annoyingly, agree with you that we don’t need to look for Claude you are never going to be our leader. Ever.”

“Do we even really need a leader?” Leonie asked. “We’ve been doing just fine without one. I mean, we didn’t even notice Claude was gone until Lorenz pointed it out.”

“Of course we need a leader.” Lorenz said. “To not have one would be anarchy.”

“I’m not sure that word means what you think it means.” Lysithea said.

“Anarchy is a rather vague term that could refer to any of several different political ideologies that believe in the abolishment of rulership.” Ignatz interrupted. Lorenz and Lysithea looked at him and he shrunk under their glare. “You know, in case you’re wondering.” He added.

Lysithea sighed. “Well, this has been a waste of time.”

She headed for the closed door and attempted to turn the handle. It didn’t budge. Figuring it was just stuck, as sometimes happened to door handles, she attempted to turn it again. It still didn’t budge. She grit her teeth and turned again. Still nothing.

“You okay, Lysithea?” Raphael asked.

“Door’s stuck.” She replied.

Raphael stood up and flexed his muscles. “Let me handle this.”

Lysithea stepped out of the way as the muscle bound Golden Deer strode over to the door and grabbed the handle firmly. He gave it a good turn and… nothing. Absolutely nothing.

“Huh.” Raphael said. “That’s odd. Usually that works.”

“Let me get one more look at it.” Lysithea said, approaching the door again. She knelt down, held her hand up too it, and closed her eyes, concentrating. She waved her hand across the door and opened her eyes again.

“We’ve been sealed in by magic.” She said as she stood up. She sounded definitive.

“What?” Leonie asked. “How did that happen?”

“I apologize.” Marianne piped up. “This might be my fault. I got bored and started practicing some magic.”

Lysithea shook her head. “No, this doesn’t feel like your magic at all.”

“If it wasn’t Mari, then who did this?” Leonie asked. She immediately answered her own question by throwing a glare Lorenz’s way. “Lorenz..?”

Lorenz slammed the desk. “I would never do something like this.” He placed a hand on his chest. “I swear on my honor as the eldest son of House Gloucester.”

That was a good enough answer for everyone in the room. In fact, it was an even better confirmation than Lysithea’s magic analysis. Annoying as he tended to be, Lorenz took vows like that very seriously.

“So if it wasn’t Marianne and it wasn’t Lorenz, than who was it?” Raphael asked.

Lysithea reexamined the door. She closed her eyes and focused. After a few seconds she opened them again.

“You’re not going to believe this.” She said. “But this spell is Annette’s.”

“Are you sure?” Leonie asked,

Lysithea put her hands on her hips. “I have put more hours into studying magic than mages twice my age. Of course I’m sure.”

Leonie held her hands up. “Okay, okay. I believe you. It’s just… Annette? Of all people?”

“I know it sounds crazy but it’s true.” Lysithea replied. “Regardless, it doesn’t really matter who set it up. What matters is that I can break the spell.”

“Then do it already.” Leonie said.

“Okay, okay.” Lysithea said. “Just give me a second.”

Lysithea turned once more to the door. She stood up straight, not exactly the most impressive sight considering her short stature but nobody told her that. She raised her hands, Palma forward, and circles of purple and white runes appeared at the end of them. At the same time, circles of blue runes appeared on the door. Suddenly, Lysithea’s eyes widened.

“Oh schist.” She said bluntly before being launched backwards by a blast of blue magic.

“I’ve got you!” Raphael said, catching her before she could fly too far.

“Are you okay?” Ignatz and Marianne asked at the same time.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lysithea replied, extracting herself from Raphael’s grasp. She rubbed her head. “I’m gonna have a bit of a headache for the rest of the day but I’m fine.”

“What happened?” Leonie asked.

“Magic failsafe.” Lysithea explained. “Meant to prevent others from breaking a spell. Me and Annette actually worked on one together but nothing this strong. Guess she upgraded it.”

“Can you crack it?” Leonie asked.

“Yeah, but it’ll take longer than normal.” Lysithea said. “Best case scenario it’ll only take a few hours.”

“And worst case scenario?” Leonie asked.

“Three days.” Lysithea replied bluntly.

“Oh come on!” Leonie shouted, placing her hand on her forehead.

“Don't worry, Leonie. Lysithea can do it.” Raphael said reassuringly.

Lorenz marched over from behind the desk to stand with the rest of the group.

“Raphael is right.” He said definitively. “Everything shall be fine. Especially with me assisting.”

“You?” Leonie asked incredulously.

“Do you forget that I am an accomplished mage in my own right.” Lorenz said, offended. He made a ring of meaningless lavender runes in the air as a demonstration, which then dissipated. “Maybe not as good as Lysithea but I am still competent.” Everyone stared at him in mild disbelief. “What? Even I can acknowledge when I’m hopelessly outclassed. Now, are we breaking this spell or not?”

Lysithea and Lorenz set to work breaking the spell. Though there was a lot of bickering they managed to avoid killing each other long enough to actually do their job. With their efforts combined they managed to cut down the cracking time to only one hour.

“Open sesame!” Lorenz said upon completion of the cracking. He spread his arms wide and added a bit more magic to open the door without touching it.

“Huh.” Lysithea said. “Guess you’re more useful than you look

“That’s right, I am.” Lorenz said proudly. There was a beat and he realized what Lysithea had said. “Hey!” he protested.

“Now, I’m off to find Annette and see what happened.” Lysithea said, beginning to walk off.

“Yeah, I’ve also got somewhere to be.” Leonie said, also walking away. “Got some training to do.”

“I need to go feed the horses.” Marianne added.

“And I heard they’re cooking a brand new dish at the Dining Hall and need someone to test it out.” Raphael said. “You coming too, Ignatz?”

“Um… yes, I don’t see why not.” Ignatz replied.

“Wait, what about me?” Lorenz asked, reaching out ineffectually. “What about my plans for the Golden Deer House?”

Lysithea sighed. “Face it, Lorenz!” She called from far away. “It’s never going to happen!”

Behold! More bullshit Magic rules that have never come up before! I already told you this all runs on Rule of Cool, didn’t I?

You know, now that I think about it, how did Ignatz find out about Anarchism? Seems like the kind of thing the Church would keep a lock on. Can’t have people questioning their authority and considering anti-rulership ideals now, can we?

Yeah, this was a weird support. It kind of got out of hand and I don’t know how we got here. On the bright side, at least the What Ifs were neat, right? Until next time. Poyo.

(God I really hope this isn’t the first one someone reads)

 

[BackSet]

Author’s Note: Hello there, welcome to another two part series. It was supposed to only be one part but I couldn't figure out how to make part one properly flow into part two. I also originally planned to release this later than I am but things are about to get hectic pretty soon so there won’t be a lot of room for it. So, yeah. Onward to the story.

Spoiler: A Casual Walk Pt. 1

A Casual Walk
Part One
The Teacher’s Aide​

Byleth was taking a walk. That’s all it was, a casual walk. She had heard it was good for her mental health so she figured she’d try it out.

Well, there was also another reason for her to be going on a walk. She was headed to Jeralt’s office to pick up his journal. Regardless, she didn’t expect anything interesting to happen on the way.

She passed by a few people out doing things. Caspar was doing laps around the courtyard for some reason, Felix and Sylvain were arguing, and Hapi was casually leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.

Wait, what? Byleth did a double take and backpedaled. Sure enough, Hapi was there, just leaning against a wall. Byleth approached her. Hapi glanced up.

“Hapi?” Byleth asked. “What are you doing here? I thought you went back home.”

“I did.” Hapi said in her usual monotone. “But I got bored so I came back here. I figured if I hang around long enough something interesting is bound to happen.”

Byleth rested her right elbow on her left arm and placed her palm on her left cheek. “I can’t say you’re wrong.”

“Speaking of, how are you doing?” Hapi asked. “Last I saw you, you were a wreck?”

Byleth took a deep breath. “I’m better.” She took another breath. “So, do you plan on just… hanging around here forever?”

“Until I get bored, yeah.” Hapi replied.

Byleth rested her right elbow on her left arm and placed her palm on her left cheek again. “Hmm…” she snapped her fingers. “Tell you what, how about you become my teacher’s aide?”

“Become your… what?” Hapi asked, sounding legitimately confused.

“My teacher's aide.” Byleth said. “You help me with teaching. I’ve really been needing one.”

“Uh… I don't think I’m qualified for that.” Hapi pointed out.

“Neither am I and I'm here.” Byleth rebutted. “Granted, I’m not sure I had a choice but that’s besides the point.”

“What is the point?” Hapi asked, deadpan.

“The point is.” Byleth said. “If you’re going to hang around here you might as well do something productive.”

Hapi looked like she wanted to sigh but didn’t for obvious reasons. “Fine, you’ve made your point and, annoyingly, it’s a good point. Who do I see about signing up for this?”

“I’ll make the arrangements once I'm done with what I'm currently doing.” Byleth said, sounding pleased. She walked off leaving Hapi wondering what she just agreed to.

Author’s Note: How bout that. Bet you didn't expect to see Hapi back so soon. I wasn’t. Like I said, I planned to release this later but couldn’t. On the bright side. Y’all who are following both fics get to act all smug when Hapi shows up in the main fics and people who only follow that are confused (I’ll give a brief summary there but that’s it).

While I was writing this I kind of visualized the beginning as a comic or an animation. Like, in one panel Byleth walks by Hapi leaning against the wall the next panel is a neat panel and the third has Byleth sticking her head back into the frame doing a double take. Honestly, I do that a lot when writing this, imagining it as a comic, I mean. Hit me up, webcomic artists (actually, it’s probably better if you don’t do that. Don’t waste your talent on my half-decent Fanfiction. It'd probably need to be rewritten a lot anyways and I know nothing about comics at all).

 

[BackSet]

Author’s Note: And here’s part two. Released at the same time as part one because nobody likes waiting. There was actually supposed to a support between the two but it got into a lot of weird time and meta stuff that not only do I not feel like dealing with but also would probably cause a lot of people to jump ship. I’m pretty sure Sothis is already pushing it.

Anyways, that’s all I’ve got to say. See you below.

Spoiler: A Casual Walk Pt. 2

A Casual Walk
Part Two
Sisters​

Byleth was pleased with herself for the first time in… a long time. She had finally managed to recruit an aide. She was sure Shamir would be happy about that. No more subbing for her. Probably.

Byleth’s good mood was ended by the sound of crying. That couldn’t be right. How could anybody be crying on such a nice day? Actually, that was a stupid question. She herself had been crying on nice days for the past… goddess knows how long.

Regardless, Byleth immediately decided she had to find who was crying and help them. It seemed her “saving people thing” didn’t just apply to big crises, it also applied to simple (for a certain definition of the word) problems like someone being sad.

Byleth followed the sound of the crying. Predictably, she didn’t have to go far. She just pushed aside a medium sized bush to find… Leonie? While crying on a nice day was usually not right, Leonie crying was definitely not right. Byleth kneeled down.

“Leonie?” She asked. “Are you okay?”

“Go away!” Leonie said, not even bothering to look up.

So she almost certainly wasn’t okay. That was good to know. At least she didn't lie about it.

Byleth knew pretty much immediately what this was about. It was about the same thing that had been on her mind ever since the battle against the Umbral Beast: Jeralt.

She kneeled down next to Leonie. “You know I miss him too.”

Leonie finally looked up. “I know.” She said through tears. “That’s why… that’s why… I shouldn’t be crying!”

“Why not?” Byleth asked.

“Because… because if you won’t stand strong I have too!” Leonie shouted. “For Captain Jeralt’s sake!” She buried her head back into her arms.

“Leonie…” Byleth said softly. “It’s okay to cry. Everyone cries.”

“Captain Jeralt didn't cry.” Leonie protested.

Byleth shook her head. “That’s not true. Once, when I was very young, I walked in on Jeralt crying while holding something. I wasn’t sure what he was holding at the time and he hid it before I could see it but now I’m sure it was a picture of my mother.”

Leonie looked up again, perplexion seemingly showing through her tears. “Wait…”

“Yes, I had a mother.” Byleth interrupted. “Did you think Jeralt magically created me by himself?”

Leonie chuckled weakly. “Honestly, I thought you were adopted.”

Byleth also chuckled. “Okay, that was a good one. Regardless, it’s okay to cry. And, if you want, you can talk to me about it.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Then Leonie broke it.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” She asked. “I’m always so rude to you?”

“Don’t you remember?” Byleth asked, putting her arm around Leonie. “We’re sisters, and sisters support each other, even when one is mean to the other.”

Leonie didn’t have a response to that. Instead, she leaned in closer to Byleth, finally accepting the idea that the two of them just might be technically sisters.

Author’s Note: Meanwhile, somewhere else, Sothis feels a disturbance in the force. As if a single flashback cried out and was suddenly silenced.

…

I don’t have a lot to say down here either. So… bye.

 

[BackSet]

Author’s Note: Happy belated Valentine’s Day, everybody. I have absolutely nothing valentine-y to give you so instead have this. It does have Shamir and Catherine in it, though, and they’re totally a couple in this universe so there’s that.

Well, uh, see you below.

Spoiler: Girl's Night Out

Byleth sat in a bar with a glass of water in her hand. Not something she had ever expected herself to be doing. But she felt obligated to be there. It was Jeralt’s favorite bar, after all, so she had to go there at least once in order to pay respects, in an odd sort of way.

The bartender, employees, and regulars sympathized with her. Jeralt had been a fixture of the bar for quite a while and apparently he really livened things up around there. The bartender had offered her a free drink but she had declined.

“Byleth, fancy seeing you here.” Someone said.

Byleth didn’t even bother to look up. She knew who it was immediately.

“Hey Manuela.” Byleth said glumly.

“I’d ask why the long face but it’s pretty obvious why.” Manuela replied.

Byleth didn’t answer.

“Tell you what.” Manuela said, moving closer and wrapping her arm around Byleth. “Let’s have a girl’s night out.”

Byleth finally looked up and raised an eyebrow. “A what?”

“You know, a night out on the town.” Manuela said cheerily. “Just the two of us. And Catherine and Shamir if I can rope them into it.” She glanced at the water in Byleth’s hand. “But first, we need to get you a drink.”

Byleth removed herself from Manuela’s hold and held up her hands in a stopping motion. “Oh no. Not gonna happen.”

“Why not?” Manuela asked, perplexed.

“I’m a lightweight.” Byleth replied. “Like, an extreme lightweight. One drink and I’m done for. Sometimes not even that.”

“Oh come now, you can’t be that bad.” Manuela said. “I mean, you must have inherited some of Jeralt’s alcohol tolerance.”

“Nope.” Byleth said. “None whatsoever.”

“Well, when was the last time you had a drink?” Manuela asked.

“Manuela, you know I suck at time.” Byleth protested.

“Approximate.” Manuela suggested.

Byleth rested her right elbow on her left arm and placed her palm on her left cheek. She hmm’d.

“Probably… two years ago.” She guessed.

“See, that was a long time ago. Maybe your constitution has improved in that time.” Manuela suggested.

“Two years ago is not a long time.” Byleth said.

Actually, now that she thought about it, it kind of was for her. After all, two years ago was technically… seven years ago(?) for her. She wasn’t entirely sure. Seriously, time was hard when you were a time traveler.

Still, it didn’t matter because she had only traveled back in time mentally. For her body, two years ago was in fact two years ago. Therefore, she assumed that her constitution would barely be any better.

She sighed. “Fine.” She said Ill-advisedly. “But I’ll do it later, when we have Catherine and/or Shamir to make sure I can get home after I pass out.”

“You don’t trust me?” Manuela asked.

“Around alcohol?” Byleth asked rhetorically. “Not a chance.”

Manuela shrugged. “Fair enough. But I do expect you to be here by sundown, understand.”

Byleth nodded. “Yes, I understand.”

As promised, Byleth arrived at the bar at sundown. Manuela, Catherine, and Shamir were already there, sitting in a booth, chatting.

“Byleth.” Manuela said cheerily upon seeing her. “You actually showed up.”

“Don’t act surprised.” Byleth snarked. “I promised, didn’t I?” She glanced at Catherine and Shamir. “Hey Catherine. Hey Shamir.”

“Good to see you!” Catherine said boisterously.

“Hey.” Shamir said simply.

Manuela moved towards the wall and patted the seat next to her. “Well, what are you waiting for? Sit down.”

Byleth obliged, sitting where Manuela had indicated. She tried to lean back and found that doing so resulted in her being at eye level with the table. As she sat back up she cursed her shortness.

“Problems?” Asked the significantly taller Catherine, chuckling.

“Bite me.” Byleth grumbled. She turned to Manuela. “So, are we doing this whole drinking thing or what?”

Manuela shook her head. “Oh no, not yet. First, I’m taking you shopping.”

Byleth gave her a deadpan look. “Shopping?”

“Yes, shopping.” Manuela said. Then she laughed. “Don’t worry, it doesn't have to be “girly shopping” there are plenty of other stores out there.”

“I know some great weapon smiths.” Catherine added.

Byleth nodded in consideration.

“At the very least we can get you a new coat.” Manuela said, looking her up and down. “Your current one is a mess.”

“But I like my coat.” Byleth replied, pouting slightly.

“I’m sure you do.” Manuela replied.

So they went shopping. Byleth bought a new dagger for her pillow, since her old one was getting rather blunt, and something called a “Critical Ring” which according to the shopkeeper, a red haired woman by the name of Anna, would “Increase her critical-hit rate” whatever that meant. Maybe she should ask Sothis later. It sounded like something she might say.

Manuela, meanwhile, brought some perfume and a new pair of heels. Byleth attempted to convince her to buy some shoes that weren’t impractical but she didn’t listen. Meanwhile, Manuela tried to convince Byleth to buy a new coat, presenting her with several, but Byleth would not budge.

Shamir restocked on arrows and Catherine got her armor polished. Byleth also learned they were in a relationship.

An indeterminate amount of time later (again, Byleth was bad at time), they were back in the booth at the bar.

“Alright, let’s get some alcohol in you.” Manuela said, still cheery.

“I really hate the way you said that.” Byleth replied. “But fine.”

Manuela called a server over and asked for a drink for Byleth. It didn’t take long for her to get it for them. Manuela tipped her and gestured to the drink.

“Well, drink up. I got something light for you.”

Byleth sighed. “Alright, here it goes.”

She lifted the bottle and took an apprehensive sip. Immediately, she felt light headed. She placed the bottle down.

“This doesn’t feel so bad, actually.” She said, slurring her words.

“Er… are you sure?” Manuela asked, worried.

Byleth slid down the seat to once again be eye level with the table. “Yeah, everything’s great.”

Catherine looked awkwardly at Manuela. “We may have made a mistake.”

“What did you expect?” Shamir asked rhetorically. “She told you she was a lightweight.”

“I thought she was exaggerating.” Manuela protested. “I mean, how can someone go loopy from just one sip?”

“Yeah, well, from the looks of it she can.” Shamir replied, gesturing to Byleth who was now giggling like a madwoman. “It’s probably a miracle she’s not passed out.”

“So what do we do?” Catherine asked.

“Get her home before she tries to take another sip.” Shamir replied.

“No, no, seriously guys, I’m fine.” Byleth replied, pumping her fist in the air.

“You're really, really not.” Catherine replied.

“But, this is the only way I get happy.” Byleth said. “Otherwise I'm always so serious all the time. I’m such a downer.”

“That’s objectively not true.” Shamir said neutrally.

“I think she’s having memory relapses.” Manuela diagnosed, slipping into doctor mode. “To before she came here.”

“Is it going to be permanent?” Catherine asked.

“Probably not.” Manuela replied. “But she definitely shouldn’t drink anymore.” She was aware of the irony in that statement. “Let's get her to her room.”

The next day Byleth woke up with a splitting headache and almost no memory of what happened last night. She attempted to get up but all she could manage to do was roll out of bed. Onto the floor.

“Ow.” She groaned, deciding to just lie there for a while.

“Oh hey, look who woke up on their own.” A voice said. Sothis suddenly appeared, metaphorically this time, and looked down at her.

“Hah hah.” Byleth fake laughed. “What happened last night?”

“You got drunk.” Sothis said. “Turns out you were right, you are a real lightweight.” She placed her hand on her chin. “You know, you really shouldn’t drink around minors.”

“You’re thousands of years old.” Byleth pointed out. “And I don’t recall you being there.”

“But I look nine and a half.” Sothis countered. “And yes, I was there. You just didn't hear me yelling at you because you were completely out of it.”

“That’s probably a good thing.” Byleth said. She slowly sat up, groaning. “Please tell me it's a weekend.”

“Nope.” Sothis replied, popping the p.

“You know what, screw it.” Byleth said, deciding to simply not care. “Class is canceled. I’m not even going to make Shamir sub for me. Think you can pass that message along?”

“Byleth.” Sothis said deadpan. “Nobody can see me but you.”

“Oh.” Byleth said, rubbing her head in embarrassment. “Right.” She collapsed back to the ground. “Guess I’ll just lay here then. Maybe somebody will come and try to find me.”

And so she lay there for who knows how long. Certainly not her. She really wasn’t good at time.

.

Author’s Note: Please note that I have never been drunk nor have I ever had a hangover not have I ever met anybody who has been drunk or had a hangover so this is probably not very accurate. I did a bit of research on what its like to be drunk but probably not a lot.

I’ve also never had a girl’s night out as I am not a girl so I have no idea what that’s like either.

Anyways, that’s about it. See you in the main story.

 

[BackSet]

Author’s Note: You know, I’m fairly certain I promised myself I’d never do anything like this again on account of how finicky forums are in regards to formatting, not to mention FF Dot Net. But I guess I have to since it's very important to Ingrid’s… I guess you could call it a character arc.





Regardless, welcome to Turnabout Monsters, the sequel to Turnabout Deserts. Much like its inspiration, this support is much more lackluster than the one that came before it. Which is saying something because the previous one wasn’t all that great either. It was fun, though. Hopefully this one will also be fun.





Warning, this support features original characters by necessity.

Spoiler: Turnabout Monsters

Ashe was on the hunt. Well, sort of. Hunt was perhaps too violent a word for what he was doing. A much better term would probably be search. Yeah, that was it. He was on the search. Specifically, the search for Hapi.



She was very difficult to find. She liked her privacy so knew lots of places to hide out. Finally, however, Ashe tracked her down in the least likely place imaginable: the entrance hall.



“Hapi!” Ashe called to her. “I've been looking everywhere for you.”



“What's going on?” Hapi asked. “Something urgent?”



Ashe shook his head. “Oh, no.” He chuckled. “But I promised to tell you the rest of the Luna Knight's Tale, remember?”



Hapi rubbed her chin. “Huh. I'd forgotten all about that.” She shrugged. “Well, if you really want to tell the story that badly, I guess just... go ahead.”



“OK, I will!” Ashe said. “Do you remember where I left off?”



“Hmm…” Hapi hmm’d. “Well, you were telling me something about how the Luna Knight was hard on liars and cheaters.”



Right!” Ashe said, delighted. “So her husband, Duke Riegan, turns out to be a bit of a libertine and-”



“Hey, you!” A man’s voice shouted, rudely interrupting Ashe’s story.



Both Hapi and Ashe turned to see who had shouted. He appeared to be a stablehand.



“Can we help you, sir?” Ashe asked politely.



“You bet you can!” The man shouted, sounding extremely angry. “You can help me by paying me back for destroying my stable!” He pointed forcefully at Hapi.



“What?” Hapi shouted. She immediately slapped her hand over her mouth. She then lowered them and cleared her throat, returning her voice to her usual monotone. “I mean, what? I’m fairly certain I’ve never done that.”



“Yeah, well then how do you explain the monster-sized bite marks!” The man complained. “Or the tooth that was left behind!”



“But I really didn’t do anything.” Hapi protested, allowing her neutral expression to slip into a small frown.



“That’s a lie!” The man said, crossing his arms.



Ashe rubbed his chin. Then he stuck his finger straight in the air. “I know exactly how to solve this!”



Both the man and Hapi looked at him “You do?” They asked at the same time.



“Yep.” Ashe said, cheerily. “ Come with me.”

“Let me get this straight.” Ingrid said, putting both hands together and pointing them at Ashe. “You want me to defend her,” She gestured to Hapi, who was standing behind Ashe. “From him,” She gestured to some guy she’d never met. “In court.”



“Yes.” Ashe said, bouncing on his heels. “Just like you did with Sylvain.”



“Ashe, that was kind of a one-time thing.” Ingrid said, annoyed. “I mean, I’m not even a real lawyer.”



“Please, Ingrid.” Ashe pleaded, giving her puppy dog eyes. “If you don’t, Hapi’s going to have to pay for damages she never did.”



Hapi looked at her with a face that screamed ‘I want to sigh but can’t.’ “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It's not really a big deal.”



“Yeah!” The man said. “It’s pointless! She did it!”



Ingrid sighed. Hapi was right but she just couldn’t turn down Ashe’s puppy dog eyes.



“Fine.” She said, defeated. “I’ll do it. But the puppy dog eyes were a cheap move.”



“Yes!” Ashe shouted, pumping his fist.



Ingrid sighed again. How did she keep getting herself into these situations?

(Investigation - Life at Garreg Mach Monastery)​

“Why am I here, again?” Linhardt asked tiredly as he and Ingrid arrived at the recently destroyed stables.



“Because this is still all your fault.” Ingrid replied, crossing her arms.



“I didn’t even do anything this time.” Linhardt protested.



“The only reason anybody thinks I’m a good lawyer, or any type of lawyer, is because you suggested it.” Ingrid growled.



“How was I supposed to know they’d actually go for it!” Linhardt rebutted.



“You’ve met the Professor, right?” Ingrid asked, deadpan.



“Good point.” Linhardt conceded.



“Now, let's get this over with so I never have to do anything like this again.” Ingrid said as she stepped into the crime scene.



The stable hand, named Han Sable, was right. This part of the stable was completely destroyed. Was there even any evidence left behind?



Careful not to disturb the “crime scene”, Ingrid investigated the ruins of the stable. There were only a few support poles left standing.



“Hmm… I’m not seeing any “monster sized bite marks” here.” Ingrid said, remembering what Ashe had told her.



Ingrid absentmindedly wandered over to inspect one of the poles, not expecting to find much. To her surprise, she was wrong. Crouching down and inspecting the pole showed that something wasn't right with the coloration.



“Hey, Linhardt!” She called to her Legal Council. “Come look at this.”



Linhardt came over and Ingrid pointed to the discolored area of the support. It was black. Almost as if…



“It’s burnt.” Ingrid said, unknowingly completing the narration. She looked at Linhardt. “Are there any fire breathing monsters?”



“Not near Garreg Mach.” Linhardt replied.



“What about Wyverns?” Ingrid asked.



Linhardt shook his head. “Too domesticated. Hapi’s powers only work on wild animals.”



Ingrid raised her eyebrow. “How do you know?”



“She told me.” Linhardt replied.



Ingrid’s eyebrow went higher. “Really.”



Linhardt rubbed the back of his head. “Well… It did take a little convincing. But that’s not important right now.”



He had a point. It wasn’t really her business anyways. “Right. Let's keep investigating. But first, we should write this down or something.”

----​

Burnt Support Beam added to the Court Record



This support beam appears to be burnt. According to Linhardt, there’s no way a monster could be responsible.

----​

Ingrid rubbed her chin. “So, do you think there are any other clues around here?”



“Well, I did find these.” Linhardt said, presenting what appeared to be some pieces of tattered paper.



Ingrid took the paper from his hands and inspected it. It seemed like normal paper, though it looked like several parts of it were cut out. There seemed to be some sticky substance on it.



“Where did you find this?” Ingrid asked.



“Over there.” Linhardt answered, pointing to a nearby bench that would have been next to the stable wall if there still was one.



“Odd.” Ingrid said, rubbing her chin.



She walked over to the bench and kneeled down to inspect it. It seemed like a normal bench. That was until she looked under the bench.



Underneath the bench were two things: a pair of scissors and a broken lamp. That was really odd. Why on earth would either of those items be there.



She passed both of them to Linhardt. “Anything weird about these?”



Linhardt looked them over. “Not really. The scissors seem fairly normal and aside from the glass being shattered there’s nothing out of the ordinary about this lantern.”



Ingrid rubbed her chin for the third time. “Hmmm… well, we better write this down.”

----​

Paper Fragments Added to the Court Record



Some odd pieces of paper were found on a bench. What could they have been doing there?

----​

Scissors Added to the Court Record



Found under the bench where the paper was found. Completely unremarkable.

----​

Broken Lantern Added to the Court Record



Found under the bench where the paper was found. Completely unremarkable besides the glass being shattered.

----​

“I think that’s about all we’re going to find here.” Ingrid said, standing up. “When’s the trial again?”



“Tomorrow.” Linhardt replied.



“Brilliant.” Ingrid muttered. “Just brilliant.”



“I know, that’s barely enough time to get a nap in.” Linhardt said. These days it was hard to tell if he was serious or not.

(Court Begins 2004)​

COURT RECORD

Attorney’s Badge: A piece of cardboard the Professor gave me last time. For some reason I kept it around instead of recycling it.

Burnt Support Beam: This support beam appears to be burnt. According to Linhardt, there’s no way a monster could be responsible.

Paper Fragments: Some odd pieces of paper found in a corner. What could they have been doing there?

Scissors: Found in the wall under the bench where the paper was found. Completely unremarkable.

Broken Lantern: Found under the bench where the paper was found. Completely unremarkable besides the glass being shattered.



Ingrid couldn’t believe her eyes when she strolled into the courtroom that morning. Standing behind the Judge and Prosecution benches were two people she hadn’t expected. At the Judge’s bench was Byleth and at the Prosecution stand was Ferdinand. Both of them were friends with Hapi so…



“Why are you here?” Ingrid asked, once again completing the narration. “Aren’t you friends with Hapi?”



“Ashe asked us to.” Byleth explained.



“Indeed! I, of course, agreed in a heartbeat. If we are to get to the bottom of this we must have the very best for the prosecution!” Ferdinand declared, pointing upwards. “Plus, we must make whoever destroyed the stable pay. That is an unforgivable crime.”



“Ashe gave you puppy dog eyes, didn’t he.” Ingrid stated, deadpan.



“Ashe gave me puppy dog eyes.” Ferdinand conceded.



Ingrid sighed and took her place behind the Defense’s Bench. “Alright, let's do this. Where’s my co-council?”



“Right here.” A perky voice said from next to her.



She jumped sideways in surprise while simultaneously turning to see who had spoken. It was Ashe and standing next to him was Linhardt.



“How did you do that?” Ingrid asked, still a bit caught off guard.



“I’ve been doing stealth training.” Ashe explained. Behind him, Linhardt shot her a bewildered look.



“Well, thanks for bringing Linhardt to me, I guess.” Ingrid said. “You should probably get back to the audience.”



“Actually, I think I’ll stick around.” Ashe replied. “After all, I did get you into this mess. And who knows, maybe I could help.”



Ingrid shrugged. “Fair enough.”



Byleth banged her gavel against her desk. “Court is now in session for the trial of Hapi… do you have a last name?”



“That’s my business.” Hapi replied from behind the Defendant’s stand.



“Okay, then, just Hapi it is.” Byleth said. “Is the Defense ready?”



“Absolutely, Profes- I mean, Your Honor.” Ingrid said, oddly pumped.



“Is the Prosecution ready?” Byleth asked.



“Indeed!” Ferdinand declared. “Know that I, Ferdinand von Aegir, Ace Prosecutor, will-”



“Okay, that’s enough.” Byleth interrupted, rolling her eyes. “Just give your opening statement, please.”



“Very well.” Ferdinand said, sounding and looking mildly disappointed. He put his finger up in the air again, as if he was doing some sort of scripted action. “The defendant, Hapi, stands accused of using a giant monster to destroy part of the stables by the plaintiff, Han Sable. Mr. Sable requests 3000 gold in compensation for this destruction.”



“When you put it like that it sounds kind of absurd.” Ingrid said, rubbing her chin.



“Yeah, how did you get through that with a straight face?” Hapi added monotonously.



“A noble must be able to say anything at any time without breaking their nobley noble demeanor.” Ferdinand said proudly.



Nobley noble? Ingrid echoed to herself.



“Moving on.” Byleth said. “Does the Defense have any opening statements?”



Ingrid crossed her arms. “Only that I plan to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hapi is innocent.”



“Yay, Ingrid!” Ashe cheered.



“Let's get this trial started, then.” Byleth said, banging her gavel again for emphasis. “Prosecution, call your first witness.”



“The prosecution calls the Plaintiff, Han Sable, to the stand.” Ferdinand said.



The stable hand in question approached the witness stand and placed his hands down on it.



“Please state your name and occupation.” Ferdinand said.



Sable pointed to himself proudly. “I’m Han Sable, a stable hand here at Garreg Mach Monastery!”



“Mr. Sable, please explain why you believe the defendant is responsible for the stable’s destruction.” Ferdinand asked.



“Gladly!” Sable said, crossing his arms.

WITNESS TESTIMONY

(The Great Cross-Examination ~ Moderato 2015)

--How I Know it was Her--

1. I returned from a trip to town to find my stable completely destroyed.
2. At first I didn’t know what had happened and there was nobody around to ask.
3. Then, I investigated and found something that proves it was her for sure.
4. It was a tooth that was obviously from a monster.

“Hold on a second!” Ingrid shouted, once she was sure Han was finished. “Nobody said anything about a tooth!”



“Actually, he did.” Hapi said. “He mentioned it while accusing me of destruction.”



“Wait, what?” Ingrid asked. She looked at Ashe. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”



“The part about the bite marks was more memorable.” Ashe said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.



Ingrid sighed. “So… can we see the tooth, then?” She asked.



“Certainly.” Ferdinand said, taking the tooth out from under his desk. It certainly looked like a monster tooth.



Ferdinand placed the tooth on a desk in the center of the room. Ingrid approached and examined it. When she picked it up she was surprised at how light it was. Not to mention it was kind of blunt.

----​

Monster Tooth Added to the Court Record



Found by Han Sable at the scene of the crime. Surprisingly light and oddly blunt.

----​

Ingrid put the tooth down and returned to her seat. Byleth banged her gavel.



“The Defense may now cross-examine the witness.” She said authoritatively.



Ingrid leaned over towards Linhardt. “Anything I should know before the cross-examination?” She whispered.



“Well, you can look at evidence by-” Linhardt began but Ingrid cut him off.



“I don’t need a tutorial on how to look at things, Linhardt.” She whispered irritably.



Byleth cleared her throat, causing Ingrid to jump.



“Oh, right, the Cross-Examination.” Ingrid said sheepishly. “I’ll get right on that.”

CROSS-EXAMINATION

(The Great Cross-Examination ~ Moderato 2015)

--How I Know it was Her--

1. I returned from a trip to town to find my stable completely destroyed.
2. At first I didn’t know what had happened and there was nobody around to ask.
3. Then, I investigated and found something that proves it was her for sure.
4. It was a tooth that was obviously from a monster.

“How did you know this tooth was from a monster?” Ingrid asked.



“Well… look at it.” Han said, gesturing at the tooth. “It’s long and curved and sharp. Where else could it be from?”



Ingrid rubbed her chin and hmm’d. That didn’t seem quite right.



“Your honor.” She said. “The defense requests that the witness add his description of the tooth to his testimony.”



Byleth rubbed her chin and then shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

CROSS-EXAMINATION

(The Great Cross-Examination ~ Moderato 2015)

--How I Know it was Her--
​

1. I returned from a trip to town to find my stable completely destroyed.​
2. At first I didn’t know what had happened and there was nobody around to ask.​
3. Then, I investigated and found something that proves it was her for sure.​
4. It was a tooth that was obviously from a monster.​
5. It’s long and curved and sharp. Where else could it be from?​

“Hold on a second, Mr. Sable.” Ingrid said, pointing aggressively. “That can’t possibly be right!”



“What!” Han shouted, looking like the statement physically hurt them. Great, that was back.



“You claim the tooth is sharp.” Ingrid said, walking over to the tooth. “But that can’t be right because, in fact, it is actually very blunt. Allow me to demonstrate.” Seriously questioning her own sanity, she lifted up the tooth and pushed her finger against it. No injury presented itself. “See? It didn’t cut me at all.”



“But that doesn’t make sense.” Han said, sounding genuinely confused. “It cut me when I grabbed it.” He held up his hand to show that one of his fingers was bandaged.



“That is weird.” Ingrid agreed.

“I know we all want to clear Hapi’s name.” Ferdinand said. “But how exactly is this relevant?”



Ingrid cringed. He had a point. This was kind of pointless. Or was it. Ingrid looked at the tooth. There was something off about it…



“I’ve got it!” She shouted. “I know how this is relevant!”



“And how is that?” Byleth asked curiously.



“This tooth is not real…” Ingrid said, pausing for dramatic effect. “It's paper mache!” She pointed for emphasis.

(Athena Cykes ~ Courtroom Revolutionnaire 2016)​

Byleth, Ferdinand, and Han did a double take.



“It is!?” Ferdinand shouted.



Ingrid crossed her arms. “It's the only explanation as to how a blunt object can still cut somebody!”



“You mean… I got a paper cut!” Han shouted.



“Exactly.” Ingrid said. There was the adrenaline again. Why did she like this so much?



Byleth banged her gavel. “Hold on a second, Ingrid. Do you have any proof of this?”



“You bet!” Ingrid shouted.

“Look closely.” Ingrid said, holding up the tooth and pointing to a specific spot on it. Somehow, everybody could see it despite it being far away from all of them. “You’ll notice that some of the paper is peeling off.”



“You’re right!” Byleth exclaimed.

“Ingrid! Hold for a moment!” Ferdinand shouted, pointing. “This is an interesting development, but what does it prove!”



“It proves…” Ingrid said, pausing for dramatic effect. “That there was another witness at the scene!”



“Whaaaat!” Ferdinand shouted, shocked. He quickly recovered and returned to pointing. “How in Fodlan does this prove there was another witness! It could have been left at the scene any time!”



“Oh that’s not the only piece of evidence!” Ingrid said, mildly smug. “There’s two more pieces of evidence that prove someone else was at the scene at the time of the destruction!”

From seemingly nowhere Ingrid produced the scissors and paper scraps and held them up for the world (or, at least, the court) to see.



“This is the evidence that somebody else was at the scene!” She announced. “Both of these were found at the scene in the same place, and both of them are used in paper mache!”

“That doesn’t prove anything!” Ferdinand countered. “Much like the tooth, those items could have been left there at any time.”



“Not quite.” Ingrid rebutted. “You might recall that it was windy for most of yesterday up until the time of the crime. So, if the paper had been left there at any time other than the time of the crime, it would have been blown away!” Ingrid punctuated this statement by slamming her desk and then pointing, causing Ferdinand to flinch backwards.



The gallery began whispering among themselves, forcing Byleth to bang her gavel.



“Order in the Court!” She shouted. The whispering immediately stopped. “Alright, Ingrid, you've proved there was somebody there at the time of the crime, but who was it?”



(Music Stops)



Ingrid froze. She didn’t actually have an answer for that. Like last time, she had kind of just been improvising.



“I… uh… I don’t know.” Ingrid admitted.



“I do!” Han interjected, pointing upwards.



“You do?” Ingrid, Most of the courtroom chorused.



“Yes, I do.” Han said. “There's only one person I know who regularly does paper mache near the stables: Pap Aer, a Junior stable hand.”



Pap Aer, huh? Ingrid mused to herself. That’s certainly a name.



“Why are you telling us something so potentially damaging to your case?” Linhardt asked.



Han shrugged. “I’m not so much of a jerk that I’d withhold information just to get somebody in trouble. Besides, all I want is compensation. I don’t really care where it comes from.”



Ingrid held up a finger. “Wait… we could have avoided this stupid trial if we had gotten somebody else to pay you.”



Ingrid put her head in her hands and groaned in irritation. “Okay then. Let’s just find somebody with 3000 gold who’s willing to pay and end this whole thing.”

“No, we can not end this whole thing!” Ferdinand shouted, slamming the desk. “We must find the truth behind this matter!”



“No we don’t.” Ingrid replied. “We should leave that to the Knights of Seiros. That’s their job, isn't it.”



Ashe put his hand on her shoulder. “Ingrid, don’t you want to be a Knight of Faerghus?”



“I… well… yes…” Ingrid conceded. “But...”



“No buts.” Ashe said with an unusual sense of authority. “If you want to be a Knight, regardless of where you are or who you work for, you must do a Knight’s duty, which includes discovering the truth. Just like the Luna Knight.”



“Freckles has a point.” Hapi said which, given her general distaste for knights, was really saying something.



Ingrid took a deep breath. “Okay, you’re right.” She turned to Byleth. “Your Honor, the Defense would like to call Pap Aer to the stand.”



Byleth banged her gavel unnecessarily. “Permission granted. Somebody find this Pap Aer.”



“I can tell you where to find him if you want.” Han interjected.



“Please do.” Byleth replied.

Pap Aer was a nervous young man, probably not much older than Ingrid herself. His eyes were darting around the room and he was nervously playing with his hands.



“What’s going on?” He asked, clearly making the connection between the classroom layout and a courtroom. “Have I been arrested?”



“Uh… no.” Byleth said. “I don’t think any of us have the legal authority to do that.”



“You are here to serve as a witness.” Ferdinand explained.



“A witness for what?” Pap asked nervously. “Cause I don't remember seeing any crimes.”



Ferdinand slammed his desk unnecessarily, causing the stable hand to flinch. “According to Mr. Sable,” He pointed at Han. “There is a possibility that you were present when the stable was destroyed yesterday! There’s even evidence to prove it!”



“Uh, Ferdinand, I think I’m supposed to be the one badgering the witness.” Ingrid pointed out.



Byleth slammed her gavel. “No badgering the witness period!”



Pap held his hands up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I wasn’t anywhere near the stable yesterday.”



“Well, I think you were.” Ingrid said, crossing her arms. “That’s why I want you to testify, so I can prove that fact!”



“Well, okay, sure.” Pap said with a shrug.



“In that case.” Byleth said. “The witness may begin his testimony.” She banged her gavel.

WITNESS TESTIMONY

(The Great Cross-Examination ~ Allegro 2015)

--I Have No Idea what You’re Talking About--
​

1. Listen, I have no idea what you’re talking about.​
2. Yesterday was my day off so I didn’t report in for work.​
3. That’s why there’s no way I could have been near the stable during the fire.​

Ingrid froze. “What did he just say?”



“I heard it too.” Ashe said.



“As did I.” Linhardt agreed.



“Well, we know where to press.” Ingrid said, placing her hands down on the table.



Byleth banged her gavel. “The defense may now cross-examine the witness.”

CROSS-EXAMINATION

(The Great Cross-Examination ~ Allegro 2015)

--I Have No Idea what You’re Talking About--
​

1. Listen, I have no idea what you’re talking about.​
2. Yesterday was my day off so I didn’t report in for work.​
3. That’s why there’s no way I could have been near the stable during the fire.​

“Repeat that again.” Ingrid said, slamming her desk.



Pap flinched. “Yesterday was my day off?” He asked apprehensively.



“No, after that.” Ingrid replied.



“There’s no way I could have been near the stable during the fire?” Pap asked.



“Yes, that!” Ingrid shouted, pointer finger extended. “Would anyone like to explain what’s wrong with that sentence!”



“Well that's obvious.” Ferdinand replied. “The stable wasn’t destroyed in a fire.” Ferdinand immediately realized what he said and flinched.



“Exactly!” Ingrid shouted, slamming her desk again. “Except, maybe it's not wrong.”



“I beg your pardon?” Ferdinand asked, eyebrow raised.



“Think about it.” Ingrid said, leaning forward. “We never told Mr. Aer how the stable was destroyed so why would he say something so specific?”



“I-I was just making assumptions.” Pap interrupted, stuttering. “That’s all.”



“I don’t believe you.” Ingrid said. “And I’ll explain why with evidence.”

“While investigating the scene, I found a burnt support beam.” Ingrid explained. “Thus indicating that a fire had happened at some point. Linhardt can corroborate this, by the way.” Besides her, Linhardt nodded. “Now, combine that with Mr. Aer’s statement and that leads us to one conclusion:” Ingrid slammed her hands on the desk. “It was not a monster that destroyed the stable, it was a fire!”

(Pursuit ~ The Great Turnabout)​

The audience chattered among itself. Ferdinand and Pap flinched. Byleth banged her gavel.



“Order! Order!” She shouted.



Ferdinand slammed his desk. “Hold on a second! That burn-”



“Could have happened at any time.” Linhardt finished boredly. “This is starting to get predictable.”



“Let's wrap this up, then.” Ingrid said. “Because I have one more piece of evidence that will reveal everything.”

“I present to you a broken lantern found under the same bench as the paper scraps.” Ingrid said, producing the lantern from seemingly nowhere and displaying it to the court before placing it down on her desk. “As there were no other fire starting objects found around the crime scene,” She slammed the desk. “This is the only possible thing that could have caused a fire!”



Everyone reacted with shock at this information. Though Pap looked shocked for a different reason. For some reason his eyes had not left the lantern.



“Ingrid, look at Pap.” Ashe whispered, pointing at the Junior stable hand in a much less aggressive manner than Ingrid had. “Look at his eyes. He recognizes the lantern.”



“You’re right.” Ingrid replied. She slammed the desk hard. “Something you want to say, Mr. Aer? Do you, perhaps, recognize this lantern?”



Pap jumped out of his skin. Maybe she had overdone it a bit. She'd have to apologize later.



“I don’t know anything.” Pap insisted.



“Are you sure?” Ashe interjected politely. “You haven’t looked away from the lantern since Ingrid pulled it out?”



“That’s because… it's a nice lantern.” Pap said. It was an obvious lie as the lantern could not be called nice in any sense of the word.



“Are you sure?” Linhardt asked, raising an eyebrow.



“Well, I, er…” Pap stuttered. Then he took a very long deep breath in and a very long deep breath out. “Fine, I admit it, that was my lantern.”



The entire courtroom was shocked. Ferdinand was blasted back against the wall. Byleth banged her gavel.



“What!” Han shouted. “Does that mean you're the one who destroyed my stable!”



“I didn't do it on purpose!” Pap protested. “I was making a Paper Mache monster and I accidentally knocked my lantern over!”



“And then you proceeded to not tell anyone?” Ingrid asked.



“I didn’t want to get in trouble.” Pap replied.



“Well, it seems like you not telling anyone caused more trouble than you telling someone ever could.” Byleth said.



Pap looked down remorsefully. “I’m sorry. I’ll figure out a way to make up for it.”



“You better.” Han said angrily.



“So, time for the verdict?” Ingrid asked, ready to be done with this.



“Guess so.” Byleth said. Unless anyone has any objections.” Nobody said anything. “Alright, then. I declare the defendant, Hapi…

NOT GUILTY​

“Court is now adjourned.” Byleth slammed her gavel for the final time that day.



Ashe clapped and cheered, Ingrid wiped her brow in relief, and even Linhardt wore a tired smile.

(We Won the Case! ~ The First Victory)​

Now that the trial was over, all that was left to do was clean up. Thankfully, everyone actually involved in the trial was given a moment to breathe and discuss before pitching in.



“Woohoo!” Ashe cheered. “Go Hapi!”



Hapi made the facial expression equivalent of a sigh and placed a hand on her forehead. “You know this was all really unnecessary.”



“Come on, how about a little thanks.” Ingrid said, trying not to sound annoyed. “I did just save you out there.”



“Yeah!” Ashe cheered.



“Saved me from what?” Hapi asked. “A fine I was willing to pay.”



“With what money?” Linhardt pointed out.



“Uh…” Hapi said, trying to think of a comeback and failing. “Okay, you’ve got me there. Being a teacher's aide doesn’t really pay all that much. I should probably ask Seteth for a raise.”



Ingrid snorted. “Good luck with that.”



“Er, excuse me.” A nervous voice said, interrupting their banter. Everyone turned around to look at who else but Pap Aer.



“Oh, hey Pap.” Ingrid said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Sorry about yelling at you back there. I got a little carried away.”



“It's no problem, really.” Pap said, chuckling nervously. “Not the first time I’ve been yelled at.”



“That’s not a good thing.” Ingrid pointed out somewhat awkwardly.



“Anyways, I just want to say that I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.” Pap said, clasping his hands together. “Especially for you, Miss Hapi. I should never have let anybody take the blame for my own wrongdoings.”



Hapi shrugged. “Eh, it made for an interesting morning. Like I said before, it didn’t really matter to me one way or the other.”



“You actually seemed fairly worked up when Mr. Sable accused you of destroying the stable.” Ashe interjected. Admittedly, when it came to Hapi worked up didn’t look all that different from not worked up but if it was enough to get Hapi to express even the smallest of frowns then you could be fairly certain she wasn't happy (no pun intended).



“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Hapi stated.



“Well, either way I’m glad this is all over.” Ingrid said, stretching. “And I never have to do this again.”



“Are you sure?” Ashe asked. “You’re really good at this. Maybe you should train to be a lawyer instead of a knight.”



Ingrid only had one thing to say to that:

Author’s Note: And thus Hapi was saved from having to pay a fine with money she didn’t have, thus forcing her to borrow from the Mafia. Actually, that probably wouldn’t end all that badly since she’s friends with the guy in charge. On the other hand, tracking him down would be extremely difficult.





Did I have a point to this. Do I ever have a point to this. I feel like I had more to say and completely forgot it. Nothing new here. Oh well.





Next up… nothing, really. Just some main story stuff so head over there if you wanna read more of our lovely protagonists’ (mostly the Best Friend Squad (Byleth and the house leaders)). Things are about to get hectic so there won’t be much more time for supports for a while. So, yeah.

 

[BackSet]

Spoiler: Gatekeeper's Story

Author’s Note: Hey, everyone. Sorry for disappearing… again. I had college stuff going on so I didn’t have a lot of time to write and the stress was killing my creativity drive. But now I’m in college and have time to myself so here we are.

Anyways, I tried a bit of a different style for this one. I didn’t really like it and I probably won’t do it again but I feel like this was the only way to really tell this story. Its set at the very beginning of Fifth Path. And that’s all I really have to say. There’s not even going to be a bottom Author’s Note because I’ve run out of things to say. Until next time.

I am a Gatekeeper. I am proud of what I do. People may not realize it but my job is vitally important. I am Garret Mach Monastery’s first line of defense against any evil-doers that might attempt to breach its walls. As long as I stand guard, nothing suspicious will pass through this gate. So even though most people pass me by without a second glance, I don’t mind because I know that I do a very important job.

Still, it does get kind of lonely sometimes. Nobody stops to talk to me and when I try to talk to them they just ignore me.

Today’s not all that different from any other day. As always I stand by the gate, watching everyone who comes through. It's nobody I recognize with one exception, that new Professor at the Officer’s Academy, I can’t quite remember her name, is coming up the steps.

I’ve never talked to her before and she seems friendly enough so I salute as she approaches. “Greetings Professor, nothing to report.”

To my surprise she actually stops.

“Er… okay.” She says. “That's great. But, you know, you don’t have to call me Professor. I’m not your teacher.”

“That’s true, but I don’t know your name.” I reply.

“Oh.” She says, rubbing the back of her head. “My name's Byleth.”

I stick out my hand. She takes it and we shake. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Byleth.” I salute again. “I am a Gatekeeper.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Your name is Gatekeeper.”

“Well, no.” I say. “But my name isn't really important. What matters is that I’m a Gatekeeper and it's my job to guard this gate.”

“Okay then.” She replies awkwardly. “In that case, why don’t you just call me Professor. We can both be our job titles.”

“I like the sound of that.” I say, lightly pumping my fist. “So, are you settled in yet?”

“Oh yeah, absolutely.” She says. She looks to the side. “Well, actually, not quite. Hard to get used to sleeping in a real bed when you’ve slept on the ground most of your life.”

“Oh yeah, I can totally understand that.” I say. “Most of the time I sleep in the barracks and sometimes I take the night shift out here. I don’t think I’ve slept in a real bed in years.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Years? But you look so young.”

I rub the back of my head. “Aw, thanks Professor.” I lower my hand back at my side. “Anyways, if you ever need directions or tips on attractions to see, you can always ask me. For example, have you seen the Fishing Pond?”

“Yeah, actually.” The Professor replies. “I love fishing. I was just out getting some bait.”

“Cool.” I reply. “What kind of bait?”

The Professor shrugs. “Oh all sorts. Insect Larvae, Blowflies, herring bait, the works.”

“Sounds like you’ll be catching some fine fish, then.” I reply.

“Hopefully.” The Professor says cheerfully. “Anyways, I better head off. Got a lot of things to do and not a lot of time. Talk again later?”

“Uh… yeah, sure.” I say. I’ve never been asked that before. Most people who talk to me rarely do it for more than a few seconds. They definitely don't want to talk again later.

“Cool.” The Professor says, skipping off. As I watch her do this, I smile.

I am a Gatekeeper. I am proud of what I do. It is a very important job. And sure, sometimes it gets lonely, but not always.

 

[BackSet]

Author’s Note: I Don't actually have much to say up here. Not without spoilers. So take a look down below instead. After you read the support, obviously.

Spoiler: Linhardt Wants to Confess

The Garreg Mach Library was usually a quiet place. After all, it was a library, a room that’s defining trait, other than containing books, was being quiet. If it weren’t quiet, it would be doing a very bad job at being a library.

However, ever since Tomas had been outed as an evil mage, the library had been evil quieter than usual. Students seemed to avoid it like the plague. To be fair, the mage formerly known as Tomas had unleashed a hate plague of some sort upon an entire town so it was not unreasonable to believe he could have unleashed a plague in the library too.

There was one person who was not deterred, though. In fact, she enjoyed the quiet. That person was Lysithea, who continued to visit the library on a regular basis to have a quiet place to read. Linhardt respected that.

Oh yeah, Linhardt was there too. So was Hilda. They weren't really in the library, just outside of it. Why? Well, Linhardt was having some anxiety issues.

“Come on, just go in and ask her.” Hilda said, arms crossed. Her tone was that of a long suffering parent or instructor “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“She could say no.” Linhardt pointed out. “Or I could accidentally offend her. Or I could ramble on and on and on and on…”

“Stop!” Hilda said, holding out her hand. “You’ll do fine. Just treat it like a normal conversation, just like I taught you.”

“Hilda, a normal conversation for me is not a normal conversation for everyone else.” Linhardt replied.

“And the fact that you acknowledge that is a good thing.” Hilda said. “But you need to try because otherwise this will go unresolved forever.”

“Well that's a bit dramatic, isn't it?” Linhardt asked.

“Just go!” Hilda ordered.

She didn't give him much choice in the matter, shoving him through the doorway so hard he fell on his face with an audible thud. The good news was, from Hilda’s perspective, it got Lysithea’s attention. The bad news was, from Linhardt's perspective, it got Lysithea’s attention. And also it really hurt.

“Linhardt, you gave me a heart attack.” Lysithea said, approaching him and holding out her hand. “Are you okay?”

Linhardt took her hand and she pulled him up. He didn’t need it but apparently accepting help was polite.

“Yes, I’m fine.” He lied. “Tripped on the carpet.” If he were facing the door he would have given Hilda a dirty look.

“Ah, okay then.” Lysithea said. “Then if you’ll excuse me, I have some reading to get back too.”

“Right, of course.” Linhardt said, nodding. He went to leave but was greeted by the sight of an irritated Hilda making a “go on” gesture at him. Deciding that embarrassing himself was probably better than dealing with an angry Hilda (a sentence never said by anyone ever) he promptly turned back around.

“Uh, actually, there was one thing.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck like a Mass Effect character going through the motions.

Lysithea’ looked back over her shoulder at him. “Hmm?”

With a shaky hand, Linhardt slowly took a bouquet of flowers. It was slightly squished because of his fall but not completely destroyed.

“Well, y-you see…” He stuttered. “I was wondering if…”

“Hold up.” Lysithea said. “Let me analyze the situation.”

“Uh… okay…” Linhardt replied, swaying a bit.

Lysithea stroked her chin. “Let's see… you’re holding a bouquet of flowers, specifically lilies, and stuttering to an absurd degree. Adding onto it, Hilda is hiding just out of sight of the doorframe, occasionally trying to covertly see what’s going on in the room. From this information I conclude that you are attempting to ask me to the upcoming Ball.”

“I, um, yes.” Linhardt said, starting to see double. “That is correct. So… will you?”

“I suppose…” Lysithea said. “I hadn't originally planned on going but since you seem to have had to work up a lot of courage to ask me… sure, why not.”

Linhardt let out a breath he had evidently been holding in. “Oh, thank you. Now if you excuse me, I think I'm going to pass out now.”

He promptly collapsed to the floor. It was unclear if this was from anxiety or just normal Linhardt narcolepsy (it was the former). Regardless, Lysithea dragged him over to the table and sat him in a chair to prevent people from stepping on him. She then turned around and marched towards the door. Hilda was going to have to explain her part in this.

Author’s Note: In which Hilda briefly becomes Chika Fujiwara (speaking of, for those who don’t get it the title is a Kaguya-Sama reference) and Linhardt has a mini-anxiety attack. Honestly, just passing out is probably one of the better options. He’ll wake up a little queasy but no worse for wear.

Lysithea’s not mad at Hilda because of Linhardt asking her to the dance, she’s mad at Hilda because she suspects she might have forced Linhardt into this, which is only partially true.