Byleth was walking through the hallways, munching on one of those sweet little chocolate treats when someone caught his eye. That shade of purple… It looked familiar to him.
He couldn’t quite place it in his mind, but something about her made his chest feel like fire. A simmering of anger not his own, struggling to break the water’s tension as it can only cause ripples. “Oh, you’re….” He fell silent, unable to continue as he suddenly found himself standing in front of her.
Even more so now that he could properly see her, that itch in his chest remained. Why did she dislike this person so much…? Though his posture, eyes and voice remained even, he was trying his hardest to suppress this odd turmoil.
“….Never mind, you just reminded me of someone. Are you a new student here?” Trying to shift the topic instead, rather than approaching her as just Byleth, he should be speaking with her as Byleth, professor and representative of the academy. “I’m a professor here, so.. If there’s anything I can help you with, feel free to talk to me.”
After half a year of trailing Jeralt's Mercenaries in search of the Ashen Demon, Shez never imagined that their next encounter would be here of all places. She stares at the man, dumbfounded. Was Shez chasing phantoms all this time while he was here, as a... a professor?
He doesn't remember her. That's no surprise, though it stings to hear it from his voice. The death of Captain Berling and dissolution of her beloved company, they're just footnotes in a job long since finished. In other words, ancient history.
Shez frowns at the thought. She's used to death and partings, but the Captain and Getz and Lazley, theirs hit different. She really misses that scruffy crew, rough edges and all.
"Yeah, I am. The name's Shez." She tries to keep her voice neutral. Her hand twitches as she thinks of the sword, the one she can summon out of thin air. No, Shez dismisses the thought as soon as it comes to mind. Starting a fight here would be idiotic, maybe even suicidal. Instead she meets his gaze steadily. "If that's the case, d'you have time for a spar? I'm looking to get stronger." Strong enough to beat you.
