Allow me to demonstrate

F! Byleth closed RP Blog Affiliated with The Officer's Academy Black Eagles House Professor

[peerlessscowl]

A World So Much Wilder Than You'd Think

[peerlessscowl]

The battle was on now, stealth entirely foregone as both beasts leapt forward to engage with them, baring horrible gnashing maws. Byleth had kept their distance, and taken care of the one looking to trap him - as he knew they would - and he kept the feint of ignorance up until the beast coming for him had crept just close enough to have its throat sliced entirely by a clean strike from his sword. 

The momentum of the spin nearly did it in, but it was hardier than he might have expected, and hacked and spluttered even as it continued to bear down on him. Another stoke of his blade, less precise but with no less power to it, cleaved a chunk of its skull away and left it tumbling backward to stumble into the brush. Raven suspected it was going to find a quiet place to die, but couldn't afford it the privacy it longed for - they were hired for a job, and they needed to complete it. 

At the very least, he could give it the dignity of ending its pain before death. 

His footsteps cleared through the brush, no longer as concerned with being quiet as they were before, since they had their quarry in sight, and he simply followed the trail of blood on the dense jungle green to where it lay panting and whimpering. 

"Sorry about this." It was flat, but soft, and the strike was sure and true. 

A few moments later, he shrugged through the dense greenery to find where Byleth was. "All right over there?" It was hard to see exactly what remained of the beast. "I'm coming!" 

[ashenprofessor]

Byleth was beginning to regret their recent life choices. Their father's words floated to the forefront of their mind. "Take time to assess your foe and don't engage in a battle you're likely to lose" The professor had a feeing that this might be one of those situations where they'd miscalculated. Badly

Out of the corner of their eye they saw Raven putting up a strong fight. Indeed he dealt a damaging blow and the creature ran off into the brush. Spurred on this, Byleth tightened the grip on the hilt of their sword and faced down their own beast.

"You wont get the better of me. And I'm sorry for what's about to occur"

Leaping forward they took the initiative and attacked first. Stabbing at the creature's hind as they turned to attack Byleth again, the blade cut open the flesh, blood beginning to soak into the fur. A howl of pain sounded before dying down to a whimper. The violence previously shown was gone in an instant and it lowered it's head looking up at the professor.

"I'm fine" they called out in response to hearing Raven's voice. "What about the one you were fighting? This one is hurt but could recover"

Taking in the expression and limp, Byleth felt a wave of sympathy. Was it really right to end it's life when they had come in a disturbed it's home.

"I don't suppose we could just let it go. Maybe now we've shown them what we're capable of, they might leave people alone. We could just day we killed them, maybe take back something from the one you finished?"

[ashenprofessor]

Doctor heal thyself, and serve me a drink

[verseandrhyme]

It is likely odd to say that this feels comforting to her, but there is a familiarity in the work that lets her relax more so than the usual deeds the monastery asks of her do. She is by no means delighted by the pain that others find themselves in, nor does she want for there to be more patients, but as she works through mending wounds and fixing breaks, it is almost easy to pretend that life is far less complicated than it currently is.

Almost. Mitama frowns at the call of her name and glances back over her shoulder. The new one, with someone clearly suffering from a break. She lets out a sigh before quickly tying off the bandage she had been wrapping and ordering the patient not to move too much before heading over.

She should not be surprised that they find themselves out of their depth when presented with something like this, but being called away mid-task is still an unpleasant experience. When she arrives, she takes a quiet moment to examine what she has to deal with before sighing again.

"It will need to be reset before I can heal it, or else it will heal incorrectly." The explanation is for the patient and Byleth both, as she soons turns to the professor and nods towards the patient. "Would you please help me with resetting it? This part is difficult for me." She is not the strongest, after all.

[ashenprofessor]

Byleth wasn't squeamish by nature, that wouldn't do for a mercenary to be put off by a bit of blood and gore. The man with the fractured limb clearly was for the professor could see the colour slowly draining from his face as his body trembled. Mitama better get over quick.

"I think he's going into shock" they said by way of greeting to the more experienced healer. There was a bit of guilt at calling her away from her other patient but it was clear this guy needed treatment urgently. Keeping quiet while Mitama examined the injury, Byleth looked around for a blanket or something. They recalled from the basic first aid classes they took at the monastery that for some reason a blanket was good for shock.

They listened carefully to the explanation of what was needed, remembering watching a field medic do that before. It was a painful thing to do and required a strong grip to manoeuvre the bone back into place. Quickly they grabbed a blanket off a nearby chair and draped it over the man's shoulders. He barely registered it but his hand came up to loosely grip its edge.

"This will hurt but it'll be quick" Byleth warned. "Deep breath now.." Knowing there was nothing more to be done, they grabbed the arm and swiftly pushed the bone back down into the flesh till it was aligned with the other part of the joint. An ungodly scream came from the man as they did this before he went limp in the chair. "Ready to bind" they told Mitama, shifting their hands to allow her access to the area. "Think he's passed out. I can get him settled out the way once you're done so you can back to your previous patient."

[ashenprofessor]

Blue and Yellow is making me see Red

[sublimeflowoftime]

“My my, how considerate you’ve come to be.” Sothis allows herself to send one final teasing smile the professor’s way before fully focusing her attention on the pile, rising herself to the top to begin dismantling it from above. 

“I would say it will be appreciated, but I have seen those children’s posture. It’ll be a miracle if their spines ever come near the backing, much less into contact.” Honestly it’s a problem, really, but that is neither here nor there. Poor postures aside, she cannot say it’s a bad idea — far from it! Sothis, for one, does love herself a good chair back to lean upon as she sleeps… though that is perhaps rather counterproductive to the purpose of chairs in a classroom.

Yet still! To be a chair comfortable enough for which students to nap despite their scholarly lives hanging in the balance would be the highest honor one could bestow upon a craftsman, and so she will achieve as such! Even as one chair turns to two, then those two to another ten, her determination never wavers! Even if some of the latter chairs… may or may not have ended up with less legs than the first few iterations once she noticed how deep a dent her attempt of adding armrests had made in her far-more-limited-than-she-realized supply. Nor do they all have exactly consistent backing placement for similar reasons…

…It is fine! It shall simply encourage the students to come to class sooner so that they may get the best seats! As was her plan from the start, of course. 

“And… there! I must say, this ‘glue’ is an invention most useful! Why ever do people not simply use this for everything?” With the final pieces in place, Sothis steps back with a hum to give the final creation space to dry, gazing creations in well-deserved pride. Which is admittedly very boring, so naturally, she has to take to bothering supervising Byleth’s progress by poking her head over their shoulder.

“How goes things on your end? Ready to reunite our tables and table-likes once more?”

[ashenprofessor]

Byleth did sometimes despair over the posture of some their students, hoping they knew a good physio. "As long as students aren't slumped over their desks asleep, I must be doing something right"

As Sothis set about creating chairs, the professor went over to the pile of lumber to find suitable pieces to make more desks. Now they'd created one, making more was a doddle. Soon they had made enough to match the chairs crafted by the goddess. Some of them had mismatched legs but the professor had tried to ensure that the two diagonals were the same length. Beside, a wobble here or there didn't prevent people writing and arguably more similar to field conditions than a safe, warm classroom.

Finishing the final item, Byleth turned to see Sothis watching them. "I'm almost done, no need to start tapping your feet" they joked, referencing things they'd seen others do to make the point that someone is being slow. Casting their eye over the array of chairs, they noticed a few... variations on what a chair was but they all stood up.

"Glue is superior to nails and screws. They should use it more often. Should we wait for it to dry? Or just set the classroom up and call it a day?"

[ashenprofessor]

From me to you to me again

[dancersnewme]

Chocolate huh? She was semi-interested by the idea.

She had plans to give Some To Someone! Yes, Thats how she started this plan. But as she grew closer to the stall she seemed hesitant, pacing around for a while trying to grab any courage she could.

In the end she finally made her way over there, forged courage pushed through the line.

Lene was left alone to her to her thoughts, and that courage dwindled slowly as each second passed. She was about ready to suddenly high-tail out of there but thats when someone spoke to her. Lene stares at the stranger "Me?" Oh- wait, she thinks this is one of the professors and quickly changes the way she speaks "I am, I have some... people I wish to give some too" Her head tilts to the side "Ive never really done this before either! Maybe we can stick together and learn together! Im sure they'll allow it"

[ashenprofessor]

They were worried they'd startled the you lady in front of them and there was that awkward moment where the pair of them just stared at each other. Then the silence was broken by her response.

"Yes, there so many things I'd never done before coming to the monastery" Byleth admitted "But there have been plenty of opportunities to learn"

Despite their years of experience with combat and mercenary jobs, the professor had received a plethora of instruction in some of the gentler arts. The kind one would learn from their mother...

"I was thinking of making some for my father. I've always bought them in the past, usually a last minute rush to the nearest town store. But as we have a permanent residence at the moment, I'd like to put a bit more effort in"

As they'd been talking, Byleth had headed towards the door of the shop advertising the workshop. A smiling woman came out to greet them wearing a white apron.

"Hello. Welcome, welcome. Are you here for the chocolate making class?"

[ashenprofessor]

Do the rescuers need rescuing?

[landsbluod]

If Byleth had not been so infamously competent and well regarded within the monastery, Lachesis would certainly not have gone along with this mission. The sea was not her dominion anymore than the sky was, but it was almost comforting to know that the popular professor was as skilled a rider of pegasus as Lachesis herself had once been of regular horses. 

It did not keep her from keeping a tight hold around the professor's waist with every dip and turn, though, fingers digging into her own forearm as though that might give her the reassurance that nothing could go wrong. 

Until, of course, things went wrong. 

She had seen the terrible composure of Erinys, of the other Heavenly Knights of Silesse as they had been shot at by enemy arrows, and Lachesis attempted to emulate that calm even as the surface of the open ocean came up to greet them. 

The waters had been still that day, so there was no strong current or storm to toss them about in the waves, nothing to keep them underwater for too long except for the shock. Lachesis swirled around beneath the water before she kicked, furiously, against the water and found that the impact had given her a deeply rooted and terribly ache at all corners, biting the edge of her anger off wholecloth. 

"Byleth!!" she called, whipping her head around, forcing the weight of her hair from her face as she sought out her companion, but more importantly, shore, a ship, that beautiful mount they had been on. 

"Byleth!" She should not have let them get separated... 

[ashenprofessor]

As they fell, Byleth thought that this was it. Competent swimmer they might be but many a person had drowned regardless. There was a sting as they broke the water's surface, salty water filling there mouth. Fighting down the initial panic, Byleth tried to relax recalling their father's words about what to do in such a situation.

'just lean back and relax'

Physics kicked in and soon the professor was the correct way up and felt their head reappear above the surf. Looking round to see where they were, nothing stood out against the swell. Immediate crisis over, Byleth recalled that they hadn't been alone on Midnight. Where was Lachesis?!?

'Lachesis" they called out, praying to Sothis that the fair lady would hear them. Looking up, they could see Midnight circling ahead, a soft neigh drifting down. "Can you see Lachesis girl" Byleth shouted at their pegasus. "We need to find her quickly"

It was hard to hear anything over the waves, but Byleth thought they could hear something to the east. "Follow me" they told their mount as they begun swimming in that direction "and watch out for more arrows"

[ashenprofessor]

Where have all the "step"-ladders gone?

[ashenprofessor]

There was a brief moment where Byleth wondered if they'd made a mistake taking off without checking whether Raven was onboard with their plan. What if he had a different idea or missed what they had been pointing out. It was too late to worry about that now, they were coming into the position, hovering above the ladder's location, out of range of the archers.

There was no need to fear for looking back, Byleth saw Raven and his mount loop through the air and dive bomb the thief. It was graceful to watch and it took a moment and snort from their own companion to shake the professor into action. "Ok Midnight. Let's go"

Midnight folded her wings in, taking the pair into a tight corkscrew. In a whirlwind of feathers they approached the ladder's location. Byleth reached out an arm and easily grabbed the steps. Not stopping even with the new awkward load, Midnight pulled out of the dive and began beating her wings to return them to a safe height.

Mission accomplished, Byleth was soon joined by Raven. His mount snorted in greeting. "Oh" they said surprised then looked downwards. "Well done girl, that was very impressive flying. We couldn't have done this without you" Praise given, they looked back to Raven, the unspoken question of whether that was sufficient hanging in the air.

"That's one ladder. We should get it to the others." That would free some of the soldiers trapped on the battlements. "I think we should do something about these bandits. Ever done aerial combat?"

[peerlessscowl]

The smile he gave was a little perplexed, uncertain if it was a joke, but he smiled nonetheless, and hope that it was reassuring. What did they consider aerial combat, if not what they had been doing the entire time? "I think we'll manage." 

He wasn't sure how many more needed to be taken care of, after the gang that he had just taken out, and the thief he had recovered his ladder from, but if there was a persistent problem then he agreed that it would need to be taken care of. Reaching over, he took the second ladder from Byleth's grip, and hooked it to his saddle alongside the other one, nodding at them. 

"We can take the extra weight," he explained, then rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. "If you want to flush out whoever's hiding, whatever's left - " a disdainful snort; "We'll follow your lead." 

The night had stretched on long enough, and the gentle pinks and yellows were starting to appear on the horizon heralding the dawn. Raven knew if they stopped moving forward, the time would start to take its toll – but then, it would affect those thieves, as well. 

Whatever was left of them. 

"Let's go then." 

[ashenprofessor]

The professor saw the brief look of confusion flash across Raven's face. Perhaps they should have been a bit less general in their wording, but they brushed these thoughts aside. There were more pressing matters to attend too.

The intention was for them to take out the ladder thieves from the air rather than landing and hunting them down. It was one thing to dodge projectiles and another to get in close enough to return fire.

"I don't doubt your flying skills" Byleth assured him "I just wished to confirm that you'd be comfortable with the idea of flying and fighting at the same time"

The proposed plan worked for them so they nodded in agreement and spurred Midnight into a sharp dive towards the tree line. The reasoning being that it was a good hiding place while giving a good view of the people trapped on the walls. It's where the professor would hide out if they were in charge of the thieve's plan.

No sooner they'd pierced the trees were the first of the arrows shot towards them. It was child's play for the pair to outmanoeuvre the volley. Narrowing their eyes, Byleth spotted where the shots had come from and aimed towards the foliage sword flashing. Panicked figures burst out and begun making their way towards the open field where Raven was waiting.

Trusting their companion to take care of the escapees, they turned attention to finding the stragglers. The approaching dawn would hinder both sides and the professor was keen to capture the perpetrators before the night came to a close.

[ashenprofessor]

Sea Shanties with a mystery incorporated

[lunaestice]

“I overheard one of them mentioning a tavern being their next meetup spot. Maybe we can talk with them there.” It was worth a shot at least, the boy believed. If there’s any way this conflict could be settled without any more aggression they should try to take that route.

They might’ve committed a crime. But going out of your way to not hurt anyone suggested that they weren’t cruel brigands. At that point they deserved to be heard out at the very least. Plus there was also the matter of the reports they received seeming incredibly biased. That was always suspicious.

“There’s a local tavern nearby that didn’t seem to be affected by the recent thefts. I think that’s where we can find them.”

[ashenprofessor]

"To the tavern we go" Byleth said, leading the way as they headed in the direction Ashe indicated. It wasn't a bad suggestion from the student, Byleth knew many seedy dealing took place in the back room of bars over a drink or three. Besides, it might ease any tension should they find a thief to confront.

They hear the tavern before they see it, loud singing drifting up the street from the open windows. "I think we may have found the place" the professor comments wryly. They push open the door to witness the chaos inside. Most tables were already taken despite the early hour. An upright piano stood in a corner, the keys being hammered by the pianist accompanied by a crowd of drinkers.

It was the perfect place to hide in plain sight.

"Keep an eye out for anyone who stands out, having whispered conversations or glancing round keeping watch"

[ashenprofessor]

Doctor heal thyself, and serve me a drink

[verseandrhyme]

Mitama glances up briefly from the patience she was working on to look at the latest arrival sidelong. Was the situation so dire that they were sending anyone who could be found to assist with the wounded? Was a monastery powerful enough to remain such an important figure in this continent so devoid of actual healers they could not handle this themselves?

Who knows. Certainly not Mitama, because their newest recruit walks away before she has the chance to even respond to their introduction. She watches them walk away and begin to tend to another nearby patient without any instruction.

The sailor she'd been working on shifts and cries out sharply as his unset leg protests the action. Mitama quickly turns back with a click of her tongue and sets about settling them before they can move too much. "If you need assistance with anything, just call." She calls back to the other worker. If they are so confident, she will not coddle them. "And you, stop moving."

[ashenprofessor]

Byleth felt ill equipped to deal with the situation. They had taken an interest in healing and faith magic since joining the academy in an effort to keep their students alive on missions. It wouldn't look good to come back with fewer pupils than one started with. However, there were far more to treat and variety than they'd seen before.

Learning on the job is said to be the best education.

But Byleth would definably be filing a report to the church on the need for a healer recruitment drive. Mitama was handling herself well, dishing out clear instructions to both clerics and patients alike. Byleth paused to watch her to gain some tips.

"You there, stop prodding at your injury. It'll just bleed more" they call out sharply seeing a sailor poking a weeping cut on their arm. Marking the sailor as lower priority, they spin around at a loud moan from behind. It was someone with a clearly broken arm. The lower limb hung limp with the bone practically poking out the upper bicep.

"Mitama" Byleth shouts. "I need some help here!"

[peerlessscowl]

A World So Much Wilder Than You'd Think

[ashenprofessor]

With the plan in agreement, Byleth waited as Raven got in position. The former mercenary moved so as to get better eyes on the camp of creatures. From their new vantage point they could see the reaction to the noise Raven was making.

The creatures barely reacted to the first couple of bangs but by the third a couple had raised their heads. Light chirps escaped them to alert the others as they swivelled to locate the direction of the disturbance.

Once they’d honed in on the direction a couple set off to investigate. ‘Perfect’ Byleth thought. There was a brief moment of panic where it looked like more would follow but the decreased noise level as the sound moved further away was enough to dissuade a large party investigating.

Climbing down from their perch, the Professor began following stealthily so as not to cause the creatures to turn on them instead. They hoped Raven was ready for them.

[peerlessscowl]

It was almost chilling, the way the creatures moved, the speed at which they began to coordinate taking his back – and the fact that he had to force himself to remain staunchly facing forward, not to turn to face them as he normally would, the creeping cold of being followed with killing intent. 

He comforted himself by counting the steps he took, by listening to the crack of branches and estimating the distance behind him as the creatures closed the distance but not quite enough to get within reach. It occurred to him that they might think they were toying with him, and he responded to the thought with another aggressive smack of his scabbard against the tree, and listened to the ensuing chitter. 

Just one, though. It took all his control not to whirl around to seek out the other one - there had been two sets of footsteps behind him, where had - ? 

The shift of light in the lacework of dappled canopy to his left told him enough, and with just enough time – he spun, unsheathed his sword the few inches he needed to catch the claws that descended upon him from his offhand, grunting with the effort to throw the beast off and take a cleaner swipe at its haunches. 

The second was still following at a slower pace, and he hoped for the time being that Byleth was on its tail. 

[ashenprofessor]

Stalking quietly through the brush, Byleth kept pace with the creatures as they moved towards where they knew Raven was waiting. It different to any hunt they had been on before with other mercenaries or hunters. Almost as they were both predator and prey at the same time.

Another rattle of a scabbard striking wood sounded out. The beasts looked up and Byleth saw both heads turn in the direction the noise had come from. The plan was working great.

However, before getting too cocky, one of the beasts peeled off, circling round to where Byleth reckoned Raven was. Concerned, the professor kept following the remaining creature figuring that they were moving in a pincer formation.

Preparing, they unsheathed their sword and crept up to within touching distance of fur. It was just as well that they did, for no sooner were they in position than the beast lurched forwards. Reacting solely on instict, Byleth lunged after them with their sword. It grazed the creature's shoulder but attracted its attention.

A snarling mouth whipped around, teeth flashing towards their face. They struck with the hilt of their sword to bash the jaw away, and quickly had to pivot to block the claws with their blade. Looking for an opening, Byleth spotted Raven engaged with the other creature.

How the turns had tabled ...

[ashenprofessor]

Robbin’ in the neighbourhood

[ashenprofessor]

The woman relaxes in their grip as though giving in to defeat. Byleth doesn't loosen the iron clad grip just in case she takes it as a chance to run, focussing on the answer to their question.

It made complete sense to the former mercenary that living in a dog eats dog world such as the Pearly Shore then one would see robbing as a factor of life. However, they wondered how Rhys would react being a gentler soul from what they could tell. His expression and cry of shock was unsurprising. Byleth is momentarily distracted by the lady trying to escape their grip but it's futile.

"Stealing may be a way of life for you but that doesn't make it right" Byleth says "In some places they'd cut your hand off for stealing to prevent it happening again"

A look of fear briefly flits over the lady's face before she tries to appear nonchalant. "You wouldn't do that. You have no right" She responds calling the Professor's bluff.

"True" Byleth admits "But I could still break your arm. Simple accident due to you trying to escape just now" They tighten the grip slightly to prove the threat is possible. Despite playing the tough guy, Byleth wouldn't really hurt the lady. 1. it wouldn't look good for the church, 2. Byleth has been in the thieves position in the past.

"For starters you can hand over the stolen objects from this morning's 'work'"

[gentleaureole]

Alarm sets in as Byleth speaks. Rhys has only just them and they sound serious. Dead serious, by the way they tighten their grip and the woman squirms with fear in her eyes.

"You can't!"

The woman's gaze latches onto Rhys's with a glimmer of hope, but just as it does he wonders if he's read the situation wrong. It's true he doesn't know this person, but something about the shift in conversation makes Rhys pause. Why ask for the stolen goods if they didn't have good intentions? And they'd been the one wanting to stop these crimes in the first place.

"Ah...that is...let me get my staff first!" Rhys pulls out his staff and holds it at the ready.

He has to believe this person has good intentions. Even if he doesn't approve of this method of getting the stolen goods back, surely they weren't really going to hurt this person.

"If you get hurt, I'll heal you, alright?" He speaks to the woman very seriously, but she only looks at him aghast.

"You're crazy! They're gonna break my arm!"

"I'm sure they won't if you just hand over what you stole." He's pretty sure they don't mean any harm anyway but...

"Alright! Alright!" The woman seems to break under the pressure. "Let me go, I'll lead you to my stash."

Rhys sighs in relief, not thinking that maybe she's lying, that maybe she's using it as an excuse to just run away. And why would she need to lead them somewhere if she had just stolen from that shopkeeper? No, he's just relieved that she's cooperating now.

[ashenprofessor]

The look of panic in Rhys’ eyes was concerning but it would give the game away to reassure him. It had the added benefit of making him appear to be the ‘good investigator’ easier too, especially when he got his staff and promised to heal the woman.

Thankfully, it didn’t come to that and the woman agreed to show them the stash before violence ensued. Byleth loosened their grip on the arm but didn’t let go.

“No funny business ok” they said seriously “lead on then”

Ignoring the dirty look thrown at them by the thief, the odd trio made their way through the streets to a small hole-in-the-wall kind of tavern.

“Our den is upstairs” the lady said “there’s a few of us who operate out of here. Safety in numbers and all that. Given everyone’s a part time thief in this town”

The professor had gathered this much already from the behaviour they’d witnessed. Turning to Rhys they asked “Should we go in and confront them?”

[ashenprofessor]

Blue and Yellow is making me see Red

[ashenprofessor]

“How am I to know?” They respond “the room was pretty empty last time I ‘visited’ apart from your throne!” It was a valid point though given Sothis’ relationship with the monastery and recent activity, it had been callous for Byleth to assume.

The professor wilted slightly as they continued to build the furniture. It wasn’t long till it was complete. Though a bit lopsided, the wooded object did resemble a desk.

“It does” Byleth confirmed “I wouldn’t call myself an expert. If I was I’d know what those were for” they said gesturing towards the pile of screws and dowels sitting ignored to the side. “Now we need an accompanying chair which I believe is your area of expertise. What should I do?. “

[sublimeflowoftime]

Try as she may to maintain her air of frustration, she is as powerless as ever against the look on their face. Ah, well. It was a fair enough assumption. In truth, even she does not know where her knowledge of things outside her ‘realm’ comes from. Were she in their shoes, the odds are she would assume much the same...

…She supposes she can make use of that unending kindness in her heart to let them off the hook this time. Just this once. As she says every time.

“Humble, aren’t you?” The girl chuckles to herself, floating over the remaining scattering of odds and ends, whose organization system remains long forgotten. Though, with parts so similar, what does organization really matter? Close enough is good enough. Surely, the end result won’t mind a bit of accidental swapping between sets.

“Expertise is far more than knowing all that there is to know on a subject. It is the sum of many parts,“ The pile of wooden parts shakes and slides as she digs through its contents, lifting each part for inspection one by one in search of the fabled ‘close enough’ parts. “And it is what you do with those parts that is what makes the expert.”

Almost as if timed, just as her mini-speech concludes, the perfect stack of pieces reveals themselves. Sothis beams, letting out a victorious ‘aha!’ before lifting them into her arms. Though rather than laying them out for construction as she had done before, she pivots this time, transferring them to the arms of arms of the professor instead.

“All that is to say, if you wish to be a table expert, you may be so. And what is a chair if not a smaller table in which to place yourself rather than supplies?”

[ashenprofessor]

With a false confidence from successfully constructing a ‘table’ and not wishing to lose face in front of Sothis, Byleth begun searching for suitable pieces of lumber with which to build a chair.

“Here’s your sum of parts O chair expert” they tease lightly stacking lumps of wood before the goddess. “I grabbed a couple of extra pieces to give our mini tables some backs. Don’t want people falling off”

The professor wandered back over to the wood, trusting Sothis to start on the chairs. Fun as it could be, the banter back and forth between the two of them, one desk wasn’t going to get them very far refurnishing the classroom. Most classes they taught had more than one pupil.

“I’m going to make some more tables” Byleth called over their shoulder. “I think I’ve got a pretty good grasp on how to make one now”

[ashenprofessor]

From me to you to me again

[ashenprofessor]

Closed starter for @dancersnewme

As if overnight, posters have popped up all over Garreg Mach. They're brightly colored, splashed with pink and red hearts, and often depict sketches of pairs of people engaged in friendly gestures. BUY YOUR CHOCOLATE TODAY AT STEFANELLI'S, the tagline reads, alongside a promotion for a new seminar held by the recently-opened chocolatier. Why buy any pre-made chocolate when you can make your own and give your friend or loved one a personal, one-of-a-kind, and, most importantly, delicious gift? There's a catch though, at least according to Stefanelli: anyone who receives a chocolate this month has to come to the seminar next month to make a chocolate gift in return. [Grants Gauntlet +1]

They looked at the poster intrigued by the image and words crudely painted on it. It depicted a series of wrapped confections and one unwrapped reveals the contents to be chocolate. The professor recalled that it was that time of year again. They’d bought small chocolates to gift before but the poster was promising to help one to make their own.

That would be an enterprising way to gift more chocolates without having to spend their limited funds. (Teachers needed higher salaries)

Byleth took note of the location of the workshop and made their way there. Outside the shop they spotted a few other participants. Sidling up to the nearest, a young lady, Byleth greeted her.

“Hello. Are you here to learn to make chocolates too?” They enquired. “I saw the poster and thought it would be a nice gift to give others assuming they’re edible”

[hresvelged]

secrets travel

expedition holy war ; grannvale week 3 ; subteam 3

[hresvelged]

Professor Elincia is resilient in that way— Willing to keep moving despite any setbacks. With the staff's magic pouring over her, Edelgard feels a resurgence coursing within. She becomes lighter on her feet; a foreign feeling for one who is oft weighed down by armor. Was it strange to find a smile curling on her lips? "Thank you, Professor. I won't let this power go to waste. I understand how you feel." To stop her would be akin to stopping herself. She couldn't; wouldn't.

With the sound of her name to her rightmost side, Edelgard shifts focus on the knight pushing its magic against physical force towards Hortensia. She's seen that type of magic before; faith, light filled with dark. She rushes into closer proximity as sweat draws on her brow. "Indeed I did. I'll take care of it."

With a running start, she jabs the axe into his side with enough force to knock him into a nearby wall. When she walks over, she stands above his sunken posture. He groans in pain, then looks up towards her with only what she can suspect to be a tired smile.

"My blade doesn't want you," she states. "If your sights are on the castle, why must you lead the entire city down a trial of unrest?" She points the axe at his head. "Who do you fight for?"

Yellow-green eyes look up towards her in the same strong way her retainer meets her own. Perhaps it is foolish, she's come to realize. These people are so blinded in their plights they never answer her reasonably. She hopes to never walk that path.

She hopes, then, hers won't end like his.

@asperants @ashenprofessor @amitieos

[ashenprofessor]

It was wishful thinking to believe that their lives would be made easier by defeating the enemies. No sooner had they done so than more appeared. "We need to take out the jackals atop the fortress" the professor said stating the obvious.

Byleth cringed as another bow user came forth alongside another devout rider. It was as through the battleground had been reset. Clearly not pleased with the professor's attacks on his forces so far, the rebel leader pointed his hand towards them. A great fire ball shot forwards to where they were all standing. The heat was immense and the tips f their teal hair became singed.

"That the best you got" they taunted not wishing to give the enemy the satisfaction of knocking their confidence. Indeed it was all they had for despite more of them taking a shot, Byleth was able to dodge the attacks. Oh they were going to enjoy getting their own back soon.

[hresvelged]

secrets travel

expedition holy war ; grannvale week 3 ; subteam 3

[hresvelged]

Battle doesn't allot for time— Mercy, too, is at the hands of those who wield weapons above the rest. She recalls Faerghus's former king speaking words along those lines. The princess will assert one thing: She is loyal to her allies. That will never change. Brushing hair out of her face, she turns to Hortensia and says, "I respect your decision. Fight as you will. I'll protect you. If you need me, all you must do is call."

Magical flames are nothing new to a girl encased in its fury many moons ago. Regrouping with her professors, she uses her axe to cast away debris flying from the air and pounds it into the ground. Her eyes squint, then reopen, noting the way the armed individuals are never alone. They walk in duos or trios with scowls plastered on their faces. She can't understand what they're saying. Surely it is gossip, kicking the ground and leaving deep footprints with every step they take.

Edelgard must yet leave healing to others. Its feeling sparkles closer; closer than it ever has before. "Professors," she calls to the two. "I'll leave the healing to Hortensia, but have you noticed something? These people wrecking havoc keep themselves bundled together. That could be used advantageously." A beat. "After tending to any wounds."

[ashenprofessor]

Those bowmen had to go. Byleth felt enraged at the guy with the shiny bow shot an arrow toward their best friend. And their beautifu, sweet Chrysoar. It was frustrating that the main raiders were out of reach behind the fortifications, however the archer who'd shot Lincie were closer.

"Hang in there Lincie" They called "I know you said protecting the town was most important but this can be an exception"

After checking that Edelgard and Hortensia were tending to the Queen, Byleth went in search for the aforementioned archer. They spotted him at the base of the fortifications. Bingo.

The ashen demon roared pummelling him with their cloth bound fists. They may have overdone it with the violence and it took a sharp rebuke from Sothis to stop them. Breathing heavily Byleth wiped their fist across their face then looked up, narrowing their eyes at the raiders above.

"your next"

Returning to the safety of the town, Byleth went to check on their friends. "How are you doing Ellie?" they enquired. "There's one fewer archer for you to be concerned with" It was strange though for Hortensia was looking put out. They recalled the knightly figure cast some spell on her.

"Are you alright Hortensia?"

[hresvelged]

secrets travel

expedition holy war ; grannvale week 3 ; subteam 3

[hresvelged]

Leaving behind the lush forest from an even further snow-dropped terrain, the town Edelgard finds herself in is bustling with gossip. She is interested in none of that— Not the shyer townsfolk pointing at their group and whispering nor those who inch away from the imposing armory stomping through their grounds towards the castle.

An older woman tugs Edelgard by the arm, offering her a smile as she signals for her to follow. "Oh, my. You look like quite the fighter. A strong, young woman," she says warmly. "My husband can help you become even stronger. Please, follow me."

"Help? I don't need—"

She is pulled along towards a small hut adorned with shields and weapons. Over her shoulder, the house leader signals a nod to her peers. It's difficult to tell whether the intent is genuine or to simply obtain monetary goods. The answer will become clear soon enough. The tall smith has his back turned to her, hunched over in front of a broken shield. "What do you want.. Oh!"

The moment he turns around, his eyes sparkle with intrigue: "I've never seen an axe like that before..!" He leans forward to inspect Aymr, hovering his index finger over its self-moving spikes before jetting his hand backwards out of sheer surprise. "I'd be surprised if you did," she states plainly. She'd yet still rather not use it on foreign soil, but she would prefer to keep it in her sight nonetheless. It is an unfortunate truth.

"Oh, I'd just love to get a closer look! You don't mind, do you?"

"I do mind. You're wasting my time. While I'm here, I wanted to ask if you knew anything about what's happening outside."

He smirks; a smile to withhold information. "Heh! Well.. Even if I did, it'll cost ya. Sorry!" Her head shakes; a scoff, turning on her heel.

@asperants @ashenprofessor @amitieos

[asperants]

The city is chaotic, and the rumors they have heard so far only increase that impression; but how far this might go… Hortensia upset to admit they cannot know until they all witness it themselves.

At the very least she is with people she has come to trust on the journey, but still she worries for the civilians.   

So long as they stay together and keep an eye out, she tells herself, everything should be just –

“Lady Edelgard, hold on a sec! Let me come with!”

She waves at Byleth to let them know she plans to be right back, and hurries after Edlegard. While she has no doubt the other princess can handle this kind of thing, Hortensia had always held a high opinion of merchants and their flow of information, and as they said two heads were better than one!

over its self-

“We’ll pay,” Hortensia cuts in, though she had secretly been hoping to hear more about that axe herself. Then again, if it were one of those family relics or whatever Fodlan people got weird about it was probably best to keep out of it.

“Do my tome too. It already is imbued with an ability enhancement so it should be easy peasy for someone like you to add a bit more to it, yeah?

The man grumbled at that but a glance at his wife and a longer one at the bag of coins Hortensia was shaking out had him finally get to work.

“You have such a nice business here,” Hortensia coos, and finding a small buckler shield brings it over to the wife. “I’ll take this too. The craft is just lovely! And if I heard correctly we might be needing it if we go further into the city.”

Seeing Hortensia bring out her coin purse again the woman beams and says, “shall I wrap it for you then? And I wouldn't worry about that. Stay here in the market away from the castle and you’ll all be just fine.”

Hortensia glances Edelgard’s way at that, but only for a moment as she next pays for her purchase and goes to check on the scroll.

[ashenprofessor]

Byleth was ready for a new week in Jugdral to begin. After two weeks on the road it was nice to finally arrive in a city. With some proper defences too. Sadly those defences were now being put to the test.

Ignoring the force as there wasn't much which could be done to some leather wraps. It made more sense for the professor to just punch something. "I'll start on those small fry down there" they said "You focus on the ones up there"

Byleth pointed up to the enemy fortifications which were clearly going to be difficult to attack from the ground. For the battle they put their trust in the orders of Queen Elincia but having Edelgard and Hortensia by their side again was more than welcome.

Byleth had nodded as those two had headed off to the forge. With a small wave to Lincie, Byleth took off running. Once they reached the sword wielder at the base of the wall, they wasted no time in punching him in the face. It was satisfying to jump straight into combat. Two swift hits and they were left sprawled on the ground at the professor's feet.

But the battle had only just begun...

[corvusi]

ᯓ nah, resent and remember

expedition: holy war — week 2: verdane

[ashenprofessor]

The sensible voice in their head (probably Sothis or Jeralt) was warning that they should plan their next moves more and think about it. However, the reckless side was winning especially with the encouragement from Henry. After all, the bandits had ambushed them first.

"Let's take them down, down, down" Byleth agreed emphasising by bashing their gloved fists together.

As they were ready to attack, a cry from the crowd distracted the professor. A small child was crying and the bandit ran over to scoop him up in his arms. The sound caused Byleth to hesitate. The man was a father, their action could rob a child of his dad.

What if someone had taken out Jeralt after one of his ambushes.

The parallel between the bandit and their own father while uncomfortable was hard to deny. The desire to fight fizzled out and the professor dropped their fists.

"I don't think we should..." they said quietly "We don't know whether he wanted to attack us or was simply contracted. What if we kill him for just trying to earn money"

The justification was weak but there was no way Byleth could attack a man in front of his crying child.

"Buuuuuut... we could go and provide a friendly reminder that he may want to find a new profession from now on"

[corvusi]

Hm. Okay! Sounds logical enough to Henry! "Whatever you say!" he chirps. Hands tuck back into his pockets as he rocks back and forth on his heels, humming. He shoots a grin to the professor and adds, "I'm also pretty good at threatening!"

And while the child's wails crawl to mere sniffles, Henry is casting before anyone has the chance to get another word in. He's not here to hurt the dad with the kid in his arms — no, he can save that for the professor! He's here to take a shot at the guy who pointed an arrow in his face now, who stands clear in Henry's view. Magic dances in his palm before it fires, but not before the light catches the sniper's attention.

Eyes widen as the spell hits them in the chest, and suddenly — there are too many eyes on Henry and the professor. The forest falls into silence; panic flickers across their expression as they gasp for breath, struggle evident through the bright red in their face. It isn't long before everything returns to normal except for the staring, and Henry falters as he feels the fear palpable in the air.

"That's for... trying to kill those tourists!" Laughter. "A warning for this time around, nya ha!"

(Try not to massacre this village too, and he had said he wouldn't. It was supposed to juuuust be a threat — an invisible shot, a silent message.)

More staring. The villager closest to him takes a step back. The boy starts crying again, and his dad quickly wraps a palm over the kid's head as reassurance, recognition dawning upon his bruised face as his gaze lands on Byleth.

"Who," he seeths, "let them here?"

[ashenprofessor]

Despite being fearsome with his spell casting in battle, Henry was quite cheerful elsewhere. Byleth was glad he agreed with their proposal as the more they thought about it, the more they didn’t wish for more bloodshed.

A spell was fired before Byleth could suggest a strategy. It sailed over the father and sons head to hit the bloke first pointed out. The crowd was staring at them. The child crying rose in decibels.

“I know I said scare but I think a subtler approach may have been better” they murmured to the mage.

“We have every right to be here” Byleth said in a louder tone “we’re not the ones who attack people just passing through a forest. You’re lucky those bruises are all you have”

It was a low blow. A reminder of the professors capability for violence. Still it wasn’t doing anything to dissipate the crowds fear. Some were backing away from Henry and Byleth.

“How about we all just go about our own businesses and leave each other well alone now. ..

Or else”

[corvusi]

ᯓ nah, resent and remember

expedition: holy war — week 2: verdane

[corvusi]

Henry's eyes gleamed at the suggestion. "Yeah!" It's hard to keep his voice in a low whisper now, but he would try regardless — they had to take them by surprise! "We should!"

Because better safe than sorry, and Henry didn't have enough of a compass to consider formal, proper combat — and if they were about to be ambushed anyway, it wasn't like their enemies had a compass either! He kept his hands tucked close to his chest as a spell collected in his palm, and right when he was about to fire at the bruised man Byleth pointed out—

"Daaaaaad!"

Heads turned around to face the back of the crowd, where a sobbing boy now lay, knees scraped up from a particularly rough tumble; and the spell quickly fizzled into dust as hands returned to his pockets to avoid being caught. The dad — Mister Bruised-Face, it seemed — nearly shoved past the crowd, concern written all over his expression as he scooped his son into his arms.

Quiet scolding reached the group's ears as they started to crowd around the fallen child. ('Why did you follow? You're not old enough to go fishing yet!' 'But I waaaaanted to—') As the villagers doted on the poor kid, wiping wounds down with their own reserves of water and wrapping bleeding knees with strips from their own shirts — and clearly so far disengaged from the possibility of a fight — Henry huddled closer to the professor.

"So," he wiggled his fingers, "as long as you're still down to take them out, we could kill them all right now!"

[ashenprofessor]

The sensible voice in their head (probably Sothis or Jeralt) was warning that they should plan their next moves more and think about it. However, the reckless side was winning especially with the encouragement from Henry. After all, the bandits had ambushed them first.

"Let's take them down, down, down" Byleth agreed emphasising by bashing their gloved fists together.

As they were ready to attack, a cry from the crowd distracted the professor. A small child was crying and the bandit ran over to scoop him up in his arms. The sound caused Byleth to hesitate. The man was a father, their action could rob a child of his dad.

What if someone had taken out Jeralt after one of his ambushes.

The parallel between the bandit and their own father while uncomfortable was hard to deny. The desire to fight fizzled out and the professor dropped their fists.

"I don't think we should..." they said quietly "We don't know whether he wanted to attack us or was simply contracted. What if we kill him for just trying to earn money"

The justification was weak but there was no way Byleth could attack a man in front of his crying child.

"Buuuuuut... we could go and provide a friendly reminder that he may want to find a new profession from now on"