day 0: tea time with hilda

[riegan]

(Anyway lets say they've figured out how to get into their rooms by now. Claude also knows better than to expect Hilda to do any favors on her own so uh, he'll just carry the tray with the kettle and everything for the two of them.

While the tea is brewing, )

Alright.

(Let's get down to business! Still keeping the mood light because getting all dower isn't his style but,)

Let's compare notes.

Did you say the last thing you remember was the Imperial Army?

(Well, maybe she didn't say that exactly but he's sort of inferring here.)

Comments

[riegan]

(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?

[axecessory]

[ 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?

[riegan]

(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.)

[axecessory]

[ 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.

[riegan]

(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. )