his neighbor had some trouble, he thought.
troubled was what the church had always called them, but even in the softest tones it sounded like it was spat at them, an accusation. troubled people were irredeemable, impossible to reconcile with the goddessâs faith, they were to be avoided at all costs. lingering with those of other faiths wasnât allowed, and so much as looking at someone troubled for too long was harshly rebuked. but byleth was not with the church, at the moment. they could not stop him from lingering as much as he liked.
he had seen her some few times as they crossed paths, a shorter girl but it was impossible to think of her as small, the way she held herself. she was quite impressive in spirit, and when he approached her, he only hoped to look up.
âexcuse me,â he offered as greeting, stopping her outside their doors, and holding out a wrapped loaf of something in offering. âitâs pumpkin bread. there are chocolate chips. my employer gave it to me.. but, i wouldnât finish it in time.â
how to say it without being rude? or qualify it so she knew he meant no harm? âplease, excuse me.â ah, he had already said that. âyou seem.. like you have troubles.â that.. just couldnât have been right.
Sheâd gotten back from her shift in enough time to have a neighbor greet her. Edelgard hadnât really gotten to talk to him, though sheâd certainly seen him around--or did he just have a familiar face? She opened the door to her dorm before taking the bread, only briefly smiling.
Really, it wouldâve been fine if she was just offered the bread, the sweet seasonal flavor was something sheâd eat, though....troubled? what was that supposed to mean?
(She knew full well what it meant. she couldnât even so much as think of dying her hair without having to justify her choices to her parents. One wrong look at a hot topic and theyâd shake their heads, calling her âtroubledâ. And here she was, in all black and red, her hair bleached white, ears riddled with holes put their willingly and decorated accordingly.)
âDo I? Iâm perfectly fine. Iâve been told I have resting bitch-face though, so thatâs probably what youâre seeing,â Frankly, she wanted to tell him off immediately, but that seemed in poor taste considering he was right next to her dorm and she didnât know what kind of trouble that would invite. â....Thank you for the bread, though. Why did you think to give it to me though, are you allergic?â