riegan | day 0: tea time with hilda

[ With Hikaru out doing whatever it is that peppy protagonists do, it's just the two of them and Freikugel pulsing ominously from its designated corner by her bed. It's a chance to speak freely, as private as any room in this weird place might be.

She fiddles with her tea bag a bit, humming in thought as she dips it in and out of the steaming water. At least they were nice enough to give them tea, whoever 'they' are. ]

Yeah, and I'm no strategist, but I'd say we were losing that fight.

[ The Knights of Seiros were an intimidating bunch, but Edelgard was beyond one step ahead of them. ]

I thought maybe one of Edelgard's goonies might be behind this at first, but that really doesn't line up.

Right. (Meanwhile, Claude is perfectly content to just let his tea steep without being bothered. He's too busy turning things in his mind right now. Propping his elbows on the table, he folds his hands in front of him in thought,) That's good to know.

Really.

(And he turns his attention completely to Hilda. Do you see this? He's frowning,)

That's not the only thing. The army was definitely on the move but Hilda, I don't remember them actually attacking yet.

[ Hm, that's no good. She frowns right back. ]

You must've knocked your head really hard on that pavement.

[ She taps her finger against the teacup, waiting for the punchline to some joke. But Claude seems serious this time, so she marches on. ]

What do you mean you don't remember? You were practically on the frontline! The Professor had us out there in the thick of things, I thought I was going to die for a while...

(There is no punchline, Hilda! That's how you know this is serious.)

I wish but there's not a single scratch on me. Which wouldn't make sense if I was "practically on the frontline."

(He's totally fine.)

The princess-- the emperor-- had just called out the Kingdom and Alliance to choose between the Church or the Empire. The war was just beginning and it was only a matter of time before the Empire attacked... but it hadn't happened yet.

We'd just finished talking to Teach about it. Ring any bells?

[ There's no holes in Claude's story. But she looks troubled as he continues anyway. ]

It does, but... that was weeks ago.

[ Being whisked from home was definitely unsettling enough, but this is the first time she's looked uncomfortable since arriving. ]

I mean, Edelgard's army attacked Garreg Mach. We ended up losing ground at the monastery after her reserves arrived—it was a big, messy fight. Even the Professor and the Archbishop...

[ She fades off for a second, frowning. ]

You really don't remember, huh?

(That makes the two of them. Usually quick to act like everything is fine and push forward, even Claude seems to be taking this seriously, each moment sitting more and more heavily on him.)

Weeks.

(He repeats. It doesn't sound real and yet, even if it doesn't make sense, Hilda's story makes sense logically in the worst way possible. )

It makes sense. Who knows how long she must have been preparing. Caught off guard, we'd have to scramble together whatever we could as quickly as possible.

(It takes times and resources to mobilize whole armies. He can only imagine how negotiations in the Alliance must have gone, too. No doubt, they were split between which side to take making their efforts all the more difficult... That goes without saying though and he doesn't need Hilda to confirm it. Instead--)

What about them?

(Tell him, Hilda.)

[ Knowing Claude as long as she has now, she's aware of how serious he can get—even if maybe they're both more comfortable playing things off. She doesn't do so right now; the sadness in her expression is subtle, but genuine.

Nevermind how weird it is to tell Claude so much he should already know. That's nasty enough business. This is worse—she hates being the bearer of bad news. ]

I hear the archbishop took to the fight herself, but now she's up and vanished—we don't know what happened to her.

[ She sighs, running a neatly manicured finger around the rim of her teacup. ]

The professor disappeared too. I didn't see a body or anything, but... she definitely wasn't there after we fell back. [ A beat. ] Sorry, that's not much of an answer. Wish I had something better to tell you than, well, they might be dead.

(When it comes to his classmates, there are things he can always rely on. Lysithea studying late into the night, Lorenz nagging at him to take his position more seriously, and Hilda keeping everyone's spirits up. Even in moments when he found himself having to step into his role as a leader, he could count on Hilda to take things easily and smile. Of course, he knows her well enough to know when something is on her mind but this is... a lot.

It's one thing to hear about Rhea. To be honest? He isn't really surprised. He's always been under the impression that she wasn't someone who would step aside easily when push comes to shove. If anything, he worried about making an enemy out of her and the Church. He'd never really made plans for what would happen if something happened to her. What does that mean? For the Knights of Seiros? For the Kingdom? What does that mean for Alliance?

But really... it's that last part that gets him. His expression drops almost immediately and with it.... His chest feels tight, like it did the first time they almost lost the professor. They'd just gotten her back. It's a lot to process-- a lot to take in-- and his mind is spinning. Sorting through everything he knows, imagining every scenario...)

(Inhale.

Exhale.)

Alright. (He can't stop running. Not for an instant.) We're getting home.

Everything's a mess. Or going to be a mess depending on your perspective here...

(If Hilda is speaking of things that would happen, could he change the future? Would it make a difference? Is the future set? Is it too late to change anything? One step at a time, Claude.)

We can't stick around. Not here and not at Garreg Mach. (They're going home. To the Alliance.) With Rhea gone, I can already imagine a few houses that will be too eager to join the Empire. We'll have our work cut out for us keeping the Alliance together.

But first... I think your tea is finished brewing. (He inclines his head in her direction. Don't forget! He's removing his own teabag now, setting it aside,) No point letting a good cup go to waste.

(Especially after they went through the trouble of brewing it!!)

And Hilda? Don't worry about Teach. She's fine. I know it.

(He's certain.)

[ She gives him a moment. The tea needs proper time to steep, after all. And she had time to process all this, though not very much—whisked away after a long fight and the start of a war and a lot of bad news, it's been a tiresome day. She wants a nap. Maybe a good cry.

It really is a mess. But she listens to the brewing of Claude's plans, watching her tea turn a pretty amber color as she removes the bag, and manages one of her trademark smiles. ]

If you say so, Claude.

[ They'd all been close to the Professor, but maybe no one moreso than Claude. Truthfully, she expects that she's dead, but she wants to believe him—that certainty, that strange idealism.

Before her first sip though, ]

Don't expect me to mess with all that political stuff, by the way. [ Unraveling the tangle of Alliance loyalties is something she wants no part in. She'll harangue Holst, but the other territories are the bigger issues here. ] Still, I guess if you're going to be this earnest, I'll lend you a hand in getting back home.

[ An offer said breezily, but not made lightly. She never offers to put in any effort for fun. ]

(It doesn't go beyond him how ridiculous he might sound. Here he is, holding out on a belief because of something as small as a promise made one night not too long ago. If this was a few months ago, maybe he'd react to things differently. Maybe he would give up and move on to new plans but... things have changed.)

If you don't believe me, then believe in Teach. We will meet again.

(They all made a promise.

Raising his cup, he takes his first sip. It's best to let Hilda think he's letting things go before--)

Nice try, (Setting his cup back down, he smiles back. It's a no good scheming sort of smile but it's not a bad look,) I'll be counting on you more than ever. On everyone.

We're in this together.

[ That nets him a very dramatic eyeroll, though there's no venom to it. She completely expects to be put to work, even if she really has no interest. None. This is Edelgard's war, not hers.

But she's gotten mixed up in this crazy mess, and she's not about to get off this ride now that it's started. She did make a promise, after all. ]

Ugh, don't say that—I don't want you relying on me for any part of whatever crazy plans you're inevitably cooking up.

[ Even if they'll have to depend on each other. Both here, and at home. She knows that, and it's daunting, but easy enough to joke about before she taps her foot against the ground a bit. ]

...I do believe in you, you know. But don't make me get all sentimental just because we've been kidnapped.

(And for now, it isn't the Alliance's war either. This is between Edelgard and the Church. Inevitably, the Kingdom would be drawn into the conflict given their relationship with the Church but Leicester has never particularly favored any side. It's a good position to have and if they can make the right moves, they can stay out of the thick of it.)

Hah! We'll see how things go. (Which is basically his way of saying yes, she's absolutely right. He's already cooking up a few schemes and figuring out exactly where Hilda can help best... and how much he can really expect, oops. ) I've said it before, even someone like you would give it your all for something you care about.

(A little light teasing to lighten the mood even if it's a her expense, oop.

He doesn't respond right away, taking another drink from his cup. As much as he loves to talk, he understands silence can be just as effective. He'll let the sentiment sit in the air.)

Oh, I wouldn't expect it at all. (He smiles to himself, light but cool,) I know you better than that.

(She's not the type to get all weepy and vulnerable when times get tough. Her heart is stronger than that.)

How about our first task. (He leans in a little closer, lowering his voice to share his most secret plan--) Let's find out more about the people here. Get to know everyone and figure out who can help.

(Literally: Just talk to people.)

Sound easy enough for you?

[ Edelgard's iron will isn't something she expects they'll be able to dart around forever, the first battle of the war still so keen and clear in her mind, but for now it's somehow not their biggest issue. She frowns a little at his assessment—of course she'd try if she cares, but the whole point is to look like she doesn't—but otherwise doesn't argue.

Because if anything will get them out of here in one place, it's Claude's strange, magnificent brain. So she'll let him handle delegating, even if he has the unfortunate habit of putting her to work.

At least he hasn't come up with anything too outrageous yet. She smiles a little over her teacup. ]

Wow. You even manage to make socializing sound like a scheme.

[ It's a fine enough first step, though. And one that's easy enough. Even if her words aren't always sincere, her chattiness is genuine—being a social butterfly may be a tool, but it's also a state of being. ]

But that sounds like a good place to start. Don't forget about me when you go and make lots of friends, okay?

(Wow, he can't even make friends without people thinking he's up to something.)

It's the logical first step in a new place. (Make friends, get to know people, figure out who's who... it's served him well since he came to House Riegan and the Academy.) It's how I met you, after all.

Don't worry, I don't think I could ever forget you even if I tried.

(Which clearly means I need to make him forget Hilda, huh.)

[ It's not her fault you seem sus as fuck sometimes, dear Claude. ]

Good, because I wouldn't let you live it down if you did.

[ She's teasing, now. The tea is helpful for her nerves—she may be tough, but it's the sort of day where a break would be good for everyone, and not just to sate her laziness. She breathes out a long exhale, not quite a sigh. ]

I just hope we can get back home without too much trouble. [ laughtrack.mp3 ] Nevermind that my brother's probably having a hernia—can you imagine how badly our class is going to freak out when we've all gone missing? I'm worried about them.

(Is Claude an imposter?)

Haha, when you put it like that, maybe we lucked out. Could you imagine anyone better than Holst searching for us? Why, I'm positively brimming with hope now.

(It'll be okay. Everything will be okay.

Actually, he has to appreciate the twist here. Maybe if he was a few months younger... plucked from an earlier time than he is now, he might think differently. He hadn't really planned on sticking around forever in Fodlan. Returning home was always a part of the plan. He would leave and when he was ready, he would be the one to come back.

And now, he thinks, he wouldn't mind if he was found.

He sips at his tea, smiling behind the cup. )

You'll give yourself wrinkles worrying like that, Hilda. It's not a good look for you.

(A playful jab, a little teasing to lighten the mood. A subtle reminder to not lose hope. )

day 0: tea time with hilda

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