(Author's Note)
Hey Guys! So uh, turns out it did NOT take me long to get the rest of this sorted out, huh?
No real updates or anything to give, it's only been, what, like a week? So we'll just have to wait for next chapter.
Anyways, as much as I'd like to ramble on for a while, let's move onto reviews!
To MasterDarkElf: If it is mentioned somewhere that that is the case, then that's something I'll need to explain more later to fix a possible oops. That said, I personally feel like Edelgard is more a mix of the two. Yes, she doesn't like working with the Agarthans, but either way to her it IS the only real option she has to work with. She may not like it, but she'll do what she has to up to a fault.
To Mark The Gamer Of Grima: Monica's overall placement in the story is still being sorted out on my end. I definitely want to add more thieves to the group sooner than later however.
To Sulphur99: Heh, let's not get too hasty here...
To x-x-TheBurnedMan-x-x: If only things were ever that simple...
Thank you to everyone else who also left a review. I enjoy this back and forth we have here, and your reviews are a great motivator to keep working!
With all that said, let's get on with the story!
(Play No More What Ifs - Instrumental)
Ren winced, a sharp pain buzzing at the base of his skull. The thief raised a hand up and placed it over his eyelids, blocking them from the lights that felt more harsh than they probably were.
For a moment, the thief wondered if he was back in that interrogation room. The headache felt remarkably similar to the one he had back then, but the music around him and the familiar feel of leather beneath him told a different story.
" ...Alright, where is everyone?" Ren said after a moment, letting his arm fall to the side as he sat up and looked around at the familiar visage of Café Leblanc that resided with the Thieves Den.
" I'm afraid they're not here. " Arsene's voice echoed around the thief, his form unseen before he manifested behind the counter in a flash of blue flames.
"Arsene? What do you…" Ren paused, tilting his head to the side as he looked at his Persona. "...What happened to your eyes?"
The gentleman thief let out a low chuckle, emphasized by the flickering azure flames that made up his facial features. " A result of my origins' entry into this world's cognition, perhaps. Or a side effect of your last stunt. Perhaps both? I do not fully know. "
" In any case, it is merely cosmetic. I doubt either of us feel enough of a difference to anoint me with a subtitle, even if Arsene Picaro has a nice ring to it. " Arsene continued with a humm. " But we're getting off topic, and my time is shorter than I'd like, so we need to make this quick. "
" What do you mean?"
" Trickster, I do not fault your choice to attempt that… technique. It was life or death and in that sense, you made the right call." Arsene began, looking off to the side. " But you are not ready, and your actions will no doubt have consequences. "
" ...How long was I out?" Ren asked, placing a hand to his forehead.
" I believe it's been three days. " Arsene noted, earning a tired nod from the Phantom Thief. " You truly have the devil's luck, locked away however deep he is. If it was any other Persona at the front of your subconscious, your stunt would've been catastrophic for you."
"What exactly happened?"
" You were partially successful in creating a pseudo bounded field tied to your physical form. Through this, I was able to take on a physical form, overlapping and overtaking your place in reality." Arsene said, earning a wide eyed look from Ren in response.
" ...Oh."
" Yes… Oh. " Arsene replied mirthfully. " I was not summoned as a Persona, I was merely a silhouette of flames, but I was able to tap into my original power. I was able to drive off the Death Knight, but I'm afraid it is likely people saw the flames, and will have questions."
"Which isn't great for me… but I appreciate the heads up." Ren said, before sighing. " God, this is a mess."
" Agreed, but I'm afraid it gets worse." Arsene said. " Your attempt discarded the other Personas you had equipped. I have no doubt you will be able to reacquire them within the Velvet Room, but until you're able to do so, it is just you and I here. "
" ...Shit." Ren muttered, palming his face. " I hope they're not too mad at me for that, I imagine something like that wouldn't be pleasant…"
" ...In a few minutes, the sun will rise, and I suspect you'll awaken alongside it. I'd recommend getting your story together first before it goes under scrutiny. " Arsene said, nodding to the thief.
" ...Yeah, sounds like a good idea." Ren said, turning to look at the table in front of him. " Alright, in that case…"
(Stop Music)
[Day 19 of the Harpstring Moon]
It's mostly silence the thief awakens to. Only the sound of his breath and the soft breathing of another fills the air. Ren's eyes crack open, his vision blurred.
The thief brought a hand up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. With slow movements to not make too much noise, the thief sat up to observe his surroundings. 'Manuela's infirmary…' Ren thought to himself. 'And that smell… Smells sterilized. At least she's not using dirty tools…'
Ren glanced down at himself and raised an eyebrow. ' I know I shouldn't have expected, like, an IV, but…' The thief thought, looking down at himself. He was wearing a medical gown, but otherwise it appeared he had been left untouched. No needles stuck into his body, not strange magical devices attached to him to monitor his vitals…
It made some sense, but Ren had also been asleep for around three days. He raised his arms and stretched, slowly stopping after a few moments as he realized the action didn't feel wrong.
Actually, on further thought, it was quickly apparent his initial thought was wrong. Judging by the small patch on his left arm, he probably had something done to him. At the very least he didn't feel much from it.
On second thought, he felt kind of numb all over, but that was probably just the sleep fog or whatever still sticking around.
The thief lowered his arms and pulled the front of his gown away from him so he could look at his chest, finding unblemished skin underneath.
" ...I sure hope they did that…" Ren muttered to himself.
"Nn…"
The thief flicked his gaze to his right, eyes widening as he saw the unconscious form of Monica lying down on the bed next to him. The girl looked better than she had when she arrived, but judging by the gown she too wore, the thief assumed she was still recovering herself.
'...Morgana is going to kill me…' Ren thought to himself, internally groaning. The thief let his body relax and lie back down, staring up at the ceiling. ' I think I need some actual sleep while I still have the chance.'
"-ouldn't be here, Claude…!" A muffled voice said through the doors to the office before they creaked open.
' Nevermind, I guess we're doing this.' Ren thought with a mental sigh.
The door closed with a soft click, the only sound left remaining being the slow steps from the two that had walked into the room. "What, we're just two concerned students. What's wrong about that?"
"Do you even understand the meaning of no visiting hours, Claude?" A voice sounding distinctly like Lysithea said.
Ren opened his eyes, locking onto the two students staring at each other. "I don't think he does." Ren said, voice hoarse.
The two turned to look at the thief, eyes wide as he gave a tired wave in reply. "Hi guys…"
Lysithea opened her mouth to say something, but a hand quickly covered it as her muffled words were smothered by Claude. "Hey, quiet!" He hissed, earning a glare from Lysithea.
Claude pulled his hand away and winced as Lysithea stomped her heel down on his foot. "Ow!"
"Guys." Ren said, before breaking out into coughs. "Ugh, my throat…"
"Here." Lysithea said, pulling out a water skin. "You probably need this."
"Thanks…" Ren said, taking the offered lifeline. The teen drank slowly, careful not to aggravate anything lest he choked. "How long have I…?"
"Three days." Claude replied, crossing his arms. "The Monastery hasn't stopped talking about it. A sudden explosion, a roaring flame, some very strange music and then you, being brought here on the edge of death."
"What are people thinking?" Ren asked, handing the water skin back to Lysithea.
"No one really knows what to think. Most agree you were somehow involved." Lysithea said. "The general consensus is that the assailant had a hand in this, but no one can explain what else happened that night."
"...How's Morgana taking this?" Ren asked with a sigh. "I expect he's preparing an I told you so."
"Worried sick, but fine. He's been patrolling and keeping an ear out for anyone… untoward." Claude noted. "I don't think he'll really lay into you for this. Byleth might though."
"...Shit."
"Yeah, good luck there." Claude said with a snort.
"We should go. Manuela should be checking up on these two soon." Lysithea said pointedly at Claude.
Claude shook his head ruefully. "Alright, alright. Good luck, Sensei, you'll need it."
"Hurry up and make yourselves scarce already." Ren said, waving the two out.
The teen let his head fall back against the pillow with a sigh. " What a mess…" He muttered, letting his eyes close as he heard the door shut.
"How is she?"
"Stable. Recovering. She woke up yesterday for a short time, but quickly returned to this state a few minutes later."
Ren forced his body still, resisting the almost unconscious urge to jerk as he slowly regained consciousness. The thief's eyes stayed closed, not wanting to immediately alert whoever was in the room to the fact he was conscious.
"That's good to hear. And… what about him?" One of the two voices asked, sounding more and more like Seteth as he spoke.
"Stable. When Byleth brought him to me his injuries were…well, he's healing. Quite nicely at that, at least." A voice that was distinctly Manuela said, having moved next to his left side. "He hasn't awoken once during his three day stay so far."
"...I don't like it."
"Care to be specific, Seteth?" Manuela asked.
"Where do I even start?" Seteth asked with a sigh. "The fact that there was such a brazen assassination attempt the night the Black Eagles returned? The fact that all we have as evidence that such a thing happened was a cyclone of fire accompanied by some strange kind of music? One of my colleagues almost died, and every time I'm reminded of such a fact… the less safe I believe the Monastery to be."
"...Sorry to have put yourself in that situation." Ren said, voice rough as he cracked his eyes open to look at the ceiling.
"Amamiya, you're… How long have you been awake?" Seteth asked.
"Not as long as I've been asleep, apparently. Which means too long…" Ren said, leaning forward to sit up, only to feel a hand press into his shoulder firmly to keep him lying down. "But clearly, you disagree."
"You should be taking this easy, you were out for three days." Manuela noted with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I wanted to ask about that, what happened?" Ren asked, looking over at Seteth.
"I was hoping you'd be able to answer that for us." Seteth said. Now that Ren could see his face, the stress was evident.
"...Your eyebags looked like they picked a fight with a deity and won." Ren said, earning a sharp laugh hidden by a cough from Manuela. "That was meant to be internal, brain."
"You are on painkillers." Manuela noted with a smirk, earning a blank look from the teen.
"...Oh."
"If we could, I was hoping you might be able to offer some perspective on what happened." Seteth said, shaking his head.
"Right… I…" Ren paused, running through all the events in his head. The planned meeting with Edelgard, the assassination attempt, the talk with Arsene… He had to choose his words carefully.
"I remember leaving Leblanc that night, I was planning on seeing if Anna was open late." Ren said. So far so good. "It was when I walked outside that I realized something was wrong. My… assailant, he called himself the Death Knight."
"The Death Knight?" Seteth asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't look at me, I think it's a stupid name as well." Ren said with a sigh. "He was strong, and I didn't have much in terms of weapons on me. Besides, he had this… scythe. It was unlike anything I've seen before."
"How so?" Seteth asked, eyes narrowed in concern. Whether for the thief or for something else, Ren couldn't tell.
"It was powerful. Or he was and it… It didn't feel like a normal weapon." Ren said, shaking his head. "He had put up some kind of… bounded field? I don't know if that's the right term, but it silenced the area. Couldn't hear anything outside the field, and vice versa."
"Hate to admit it, but I wasn't winning. I… remember being grabbed and then… nothing." Ren said with a sigh.
"So you know nothing of the fire then?" Seteth asked, voice nearing incredulous in tone.
"Sorry. Honestly, I don't know how I made it out of that." Ren said with a sigh.
"...It's more than we had before. There might also be a chance the painkillers are obscuring things." Seteth said with a sigh of his own. "Either way, for as much work as this incident has caused, I am glad you're alright."
Ren smiled. "Thanks, Seteth."
"Manuela, I should go make note of this. Let me know if there's any update with Monica. Until then, Professor Amamiya is in your care. Excuse me." Seteth said, walking out of the room moments later.
"Back to Professor, huh?" Ren muttered with a sigh.
"Well, now that you're up, how are you feeling?" Manuela asked.
"Numb. What did you give me, anyways?"
"Ren, you were not in a great state when you showed up. I gave you the best pain meds I had. They're long lasting, so right now you're just feeling the dregs from the initial dose."
"Seriously? But I've been out for three days!"
"As I said, they're long lasting." Manuela said with a smirk.
"...How long have you been here?" Ren asked after a moment, turning his head to the right, catching sight of Monica's sleeping form. "It sounds… Quieter than I'd expect."
"Roughly 10 minutes ago. We have guards positioned outside at the ends of the hall, but it's been thankfully uneventful." Manuela said with a sigh. "What a mess. I hear the knights have been going through a heavy reorganizing as of late. I'm not privy to all the details, but I hear Alois and Jeralt have been painstakingly interviewing every single one of the knights."
"For real?" Ren said with a wince. "Suppose I'll have to ask when I get a chance then."
"Focus on recovering first. You've been out for three days, and I want to see if you stay conscious for longer than a few minutes before testing your motor functions." Manuela noted, stepping away from his bedside as she moved to a cabinet.
"...How is she?"
Manuela sighed, looking over at Monica. "Better. She awoke yesterday, but she quickly went back to sleep. Her energy just needs to refill at this point."
"I see." Ren said, looking up at the ceiling.
"I'll be heading out for now. I still have classes to teach, after all." Manuela said, walking over to the door. "If you're awake when I get back, we can see about getting you standing."
"Understood." Ren said with a slow nod. "Doctor's orders and all."
"You catch on quick, good." Manuela said with a nod as she left the room, leaving Ren alone with his thoughts once more.
'...Well, on a scale of 1 to 10, how'd we do?'
"Hm… About seven. One wrong line and the lie might fall apart, Trickster." Arsene's voice echoed in the thief's head. "But bonus points for half truths."
'Now all I have to worry about is… Well, a list of people.' Ren thought with an internal groan. 'Morgana, Byleth… the Black Eagle house as a whole…'
'...Edelgard.'
"What do you plan to do, Trickster? I don't believe I need to tell you how her request looks in the current light."
'You don't.'
"And yet, you chose to lie about why you went out. Why was that?"
'You're me. You should know well enough why."
"I suppose I do. In that case, I believe you should start brainstorming a plan to get out of this mess, hm?"
'Don't have to tell me twice.'
(LINE BREAK)
"Well, you don't seem to have any trouble walking." Manuela noted, watching over the teen as he stretched. "I wasn't sure with some of your injuries, but you seem to have made a full recovery."
"What did you give me for that? Vulnerary?" Ren asked, returning to a relaxed pose.
"Something of the sort." Manuela said with a nod. The physician picked up a stack of clothes and passed them over to the teen. "Here, take these and put them on. The numbing agent has cleared your system and you've made a full recovery. I don't have much of a reason to keep you here."
"A student's uniform?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The clothes you were wearing during the attack were taken by Professor Eisner, and I doubt you'd like to walk around in those." Manuela said, looking pointedly at the medical gown the thief was wearing.
"I suppose so." Ren said, taking the clothes from Manuela.
"Curtain for privacy is right there." Manuela said, motioning behind her with a flourish.
Ren nodded and adjusted his hold so he held the uniform with one hand. He pulled the curtain across to conceal himself as he quickly got to work putting the uniform on.
It took four confusing minutes, but Ren eventually got the uniform on and looking somewhat presentable. He was missing a lot of outer layers like the coat or any identifying marks that would denote what house he belonged to, but it was enough to pass by most people without much of a look.
Ren pulled the curtain aside, raising an eyebrow at the evaluating look Manuela was giving him. "Well, I knew you were young but if I didn't know better I'd say you were absolutely a student of the academy."
"I'll take the compliment." Ren said with a chuckle. "So, am I free to go?"
"Well yes, but Hanneman wanted to talk to you about something once you were cleared." Manuela replied, shrugging. "He didn't say why, but it wouldn't hurt to go see him."
"Huh… I suppose I shouldn't go do that." Ren said, nodding slowly as he turned to look at Monica's sleeping form before turning back to Manuela. "Thanks for everything."
"Try not to make this a common occurrence, and that'll be thanks enough." Manuela said with a smirk. "Now hurry along. You're wasting the limelight here."
"Heh." Ren shook his head with a smile. "Alright, I'm going."
"Ah! You're up! Good, come, quickly!"
Ren blinked, barely having a minute to process what was happening as Hanneman grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into his office. The Crest scholar quickly glanced out the hallway before closing the doors and locking them with a nod.
"It's good to see you in good health. Especially after the incident a few days ago." Hanneman said, walking past Ren as he headed for the Crest Analyzer. "Quickly now, I need you to see something."
Ren felt a pit drop in his stomach as he slowly walked over to the machine. Hanneman pulled out a glass slide from a nearby drawer and placed it inside the machine. "I want to start with an apology." Hanneman said, looking over at Ren. "While you were unconscious, I took a sample of your blood. I am well aware this was a breach of confidence, and I apologize for that. Manuela needed to make sure that nothing she would inject you with would cause problems, and she asked me to test your blood."
"You can do that?" Ren asked in surprise, momentarily forgetting the possible situation he was in.
"This machine, while indeed fine tuned to analyze Crests, is also capable of doing rudimentary blood work with proper calibration." Hanneman said, shaking his head. "It's part of the reason I have it here in my office, as using it for multipurpose tasks like this lets me get away without breaking my budget."
"But I'm getting off track. You came back clean, as I expected, and I said as much." Hanneman said, before sighing. "However, as your last sample had long since gone bad, I thought it might be productive to use this sample to do more research on your Crest."
"...Should I be concerned at all? Your tone of voice isn't…" Ren trailed off with a light wince.
"Perhaps it would be best to show you." Hanneman said, turning the machine on, projecting his Crest before the two. "This is your Crest. Notice anything strange about it?"
"Is… that a pattern overlaid underneath it?" Ren asked slowly, looking at the stylized V of his Crest hovering in front of him.
"Indeed. When I first saw this, I thought that I had accidentally scanned two different samples, but that was not the case." Hanneman said, pointing at the pattern underneath the V. "And look, not just one pattern, but two underneath. All of them stacked on top of the other."
"I… Don't understand."
"Tell me, you recently had Lysithea Von Ordelia transfer to your house. Did she ever tell you why her hair was white?"
"...It was because she had two crests, is that right?" Ren looked at Hanneman with a neutral look. When the professor nodded, the thief looked back at the display. "Is that common?"
"Not at all. Lysithea is, or rather was, a mystery in that regard." Hanneman said. "I will not go further into details I don't need to, as that is not my story to tell, but it was thanks to her that I found a new way to calibrate the machine."
Hanneman turned a few dials on the Analyzer, allowing the thief to watch as the hologram shifted, changing to show two outputs.
One was mostly the same as before, the V Crest overlaid on top of an intricate pattern, only this time it was just one. Even cut off, Ren knew what the pattern underneath was supposed to represent.
The Crest of Flames.
The other was of a different Crest, one Ren recognized immediately.
"It appears you have managed to manifest a Minor Crest of Charon." Hanneman noted. "You can see why I asked to see you."
Ren sighed, closing his eyes as he let his brain work through the minefield he had willingly walked into. "I imagine you have questions?"
"So you knew this happened?"
"...I wasn't sure."
"That Crest, how did you gain it?" Hanneman asked, raising an eyebrow. "To my knowledge, there has never been a case of someone stealing a Crest from another." Hanneman said, placing a hand to his chin. "And research on methods to… artificially grant one a Crest are considered Taboo, especially by the church."
Ren winced lightly at the reminder of how much fire he truly was playing with. "...You mentioned stealing a Crest as if that happened."
"Professor, you were the one who said HAD." Hanneman said, smiling lightly at the thief. "I only asked if you knew why Lysithea's hair was white."
"...The Minor Crest of Charon is, or was, one of hers." Ren said with a sigh, closing his eyes. "I… I want to explain myself, but this might take a bit. Could we sit down for now?"
"Of course." Hanneman said, turning the machine off as he walked over to a nearby chair.
"Thanks. You're being… very accommodating." Ren said, a little hint of confusion slipping out as he sat down.
"You're my colleague, and one I hope to call a friend." Hanneman said, nodding at the thief.
"...I think I know what my Crest does." Ren said with a sigh. "I can… absorb the Crest of another. I… It was an accident that led to me figuring it out. But my Crest was also what allowed me to help Lysithea."
"...I've seen her around the past few days. I knew what kind of strain two Crests had on her body, but she looks… lighter, now that the weight was removed." Hanneman said. "But now you have that Crest, and now also hold two within you."
"And you're worried that I'll develop the same problems?" Ren asked.
"I would, if it wasn't for the fact I saw how stable your blood was." Hanneman said with a shake of his head. "It's possible your Crest is acting as a blank space, and the pattern underneath it is meant to represent a net or cage to keep a Crest contained within. It would explain why your Crest changed shape to include the pattern beneath."
"So, if that's the case, where does this leave us?"
"There is a reason I kept this meeting secret between us. If word got out, well… I imagine the church would not take the idea of someone able to steal away their blessings of the goddess away from those chosen." Hanneman said with narrowed eyes. "Their flowery words, but the underlying truth is the same. I however, do not believe that to be wise. You're Crest, this… Void, I suppose. It could do so much good as well. You've shown this by giving Lysithea a chance to live a long life. If you could give Crests as well as take them, you could pass Crests on between parents and their children who did not receive one. You could take Crests from criminals who were using that power to harm others."
"There is so much good you can do, and I want to help you find what the limits of this Crest are." Hanneman said, nodding at the wide eyed teen. "You are a good man, Sensei. I know it, as does your house. But I know I have overstepped my own bounds by the actions it took to learn all of this information. So I will ask you this, will you trust me and allow me to help you with this?"
"If you refuse, I want you to know that on my honor as a professor of the officer's academy and as a scholar of Crests… know that I will take this secret to the grave." Hanneman said, holding out a hand for Ren.
"...I want to trust you Hanneman." Ren said, looking into the scholar's eyes. "...I just hope that trust won't be misplaced. If you want to help me, then I won't turn you away."
The thief clasped his hand with Hanneman's, shaking it firmly once. Hanneman smiled. "Your trust is appreciated, thank you. I will look more into this Crest on my end to see if I can find anything. When I do, I'll let you know."
With a conviction shared between the two Professors, time slowed to a crawl as chains spread out in front of the thief and shattered, allowing the blue card representing the Priest to float down before the thief.
{Rank Up!}
[The Priest Arcana has increased to Rank 2!]
[You will now earn a Stat increase in a randomly chosen stat from Arcana Boost when fusing a Persona of the Priest Arcana!]
Time resumed to its normal speed as the two let go of the other's hand. Hanneman hummed to himself in thought for a moment, before looking at Ren with a raised eyebrow. "It will need a name though. Why not… The Crest of Void?"
"...I like it, let's go with that." Ren said, a smirk breaking out on his face.
It was surprising how little people took notice of him dressed like a student. He was used to being recognizable, both here and back at Shujin Academy.
At the Officers Academy, he was a known entity as the foreign professor. He dressed in a uniform that was not standard for the Officers Academy, and his glasses were a standout detail.
At Shujin, he had first tried to blend into the background like he was right now, but by the second day everyone knew of the transfer student with a record. No fake slouch or false glasses would help him keep a low profile.
But here, wearing a student's uniform without his glasses, it was like he was just another face in the crowd. 'I suppose this is the Clark Kent effect that people talk about…' Ren thought to himself as he passed by a few Blue Lions students, one of which being Dimitri, and continued without one giving him a glance.
Eventually, Ren found himself by the entrance to Leblanc Nouveau, the closed sign fully present on the front door.
Ren walked up to the door and tested the handle. "Locked." He muttered, activating his third eye for a moment as he looked for the stashed emergency key. A flash of gold caught his sight and he quickly and swiftly took the key out of its hiding spot, using it to unlock the front door to his Café.
The thief opened the front door to the accompanying ring of the bell above him. He let the door close behind him before locking it as he heard something shuffle down the stairs in slight panic.
Byleth let out a sharp breath as she landed at the ground floor, Morgana perched on her shoulder as the two looked at Ren in shock.
"Well, suppose the uniform doesn't work on everyone." Ren said aloud with a nervous smile. "Um… I'm ho-"
Ren felt the air leave his lungs as Byleth collided with his front in what might have been called a hug if it had lasted longer than the initial impact. The mercenary pulled back, eyes narrowed at the thief. "You and I are having words."
"She's not the only one!" Morgana yelled, looking up at Ren.
"...Can I at least make us all food first?" Ren asked, raising his arms in surrender. "I'm pretty sure it's about time for lunch break anyways."
"You can talk and cook at the same time." Byleth said, pushing the thief towards the kitchen entrance.
"And that's what happened." Ren said, placing two plates of food down on the table Byleth was sitting at. The thief sat down opposite her and leaned into the booth. "Unfortunately, that's all I know. Seteth asked me earlier when I woke up but I haven't been able to remember what happened after."
"I see." Byleth said, taking a bite of her food. "She wants to speak as well, by the way."
"I should have figured." Ren said, activating his third eye to see the glare Sothis was giving him in its full glory.
"If I could strangle you, I would." Sothis said, earning a wince from the thief. "You tried to use the Divine Pulse again, didn't you?"
"...I tried pulling the chain, yes." Ren said with a sigh. "I really don't know what happened after that, but it's not like I can say I was trying to bend the laws of reality to my will, could I?"
"You were under some heavy medication, I could see you saying it, but no one would believe it." Byleth noted.
"Oh yeah, imagine that." Ren said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"My point is to not try that again. You can do something once it's active but activating it yourself is just asking for death at this point." Sothis said, shaking her head.
"I'll be more careful." Ren said. "I definitely won't be leaving the café without a weapon anymore…"
Ren let his third eye close, turning to look at Byleth's face. "...Sorry for worrying you."
"You lived. You have nothing to apologize for." Byleth replied with a shake of her head before taking another bite of her food.
"There's a lot to unpack there…" Ren muttered quietly. The thief looked down at his own food and got to work eating, doing his best to pace himself as he realized exactly how 3 days of hunger felt like.
"How have classes been? Are the students alright?" Ren asked.
"They are. Some are handling things better than others. But all of them were concerned for your recovery." Byleth said, shaking her head. "I think Edelgard was taking things the hardest."
Ren blinked, sharing a quick glance with Morgana before he looked back at Byleth. "What do you mean?"
"...I think she might blame herself for what happened. I found you after the fight, yes, but she had just arrived when I had. Her and Hubert." Byleth paused, closing her eyes in thought. "She had a look on her face… It was similar to one I've seen some members of the mercenary corps have when a comrade suffered an injury that forced them to retire. I think she blames herself for some reason."
"...I suppose I should talk to her about that then." Ren said, purposefully avoiding the look Morgana was shooting him. "I'll have a chance to do so after class today."
"You plan on teaching today?"
"Can't let them get behind on things. Besides, I was let out on a note of full recovery." Ren said with a shrug. "I should let my students know I'm alright."
"If you insist." Byelth said with a nod. "Might want to hurry along then. I don't think you have a lot of time left before class starts."
"You're right, I don't." Ren said, quickly finishing off the last of his lunch before he stood up. "I'll clean up when I get back, just leave the plates by the counter for now. Morgana, you coming with?"
Morgana jumped onto Ren's shoulder in response, digging his claws in a bit too much as he gained balance. The thief hid the wince under a cough to clear his throat. "Alright, I'll see you when I get back then."
"I will hold you to that." Byleth said as Ren walked outside.
"...Okay, now you can yell at me." Ren said once the two were outside of the café.
"I think I'm all out of anger at this point."
"You say, sighing angrily." Ren noted with a raised eyebrow.
"At this point, what good would it do? Neither of us were prepared for things to go that badly. If we were… maybe I should've pushed more." Morgana shook his head. "My point is, going forward, I'm with you. You need to talk privately with someone, then at least let me make sure you go uninterrupted. You need to fight something tougher than you, I have your back. Etcetera, etcetera. You got it?"
"Yeah. We're partners, after all." Ren said, earning a nod from Morgana.
"Right! Now for real, what happened that night? I heard the music, I saw the fire out the window. That was Arsene, right?" Morgana asked.
"Not fully. I was out of options and pulled the mental chain. Whatever I did partially summoned him, but it also tore all my energy out of me and I lost all the Personas I previously had equipped." Ren said with a sigh. "I'll have to apologize to them once I have the chance to check the compendium."
"Well, better this than dead, right?" Morgana nudged the thief's head with his body. "You're going to be under a lot of scrutiny now."
"Yeah, and that's not our only problem…" Ren replied. "I still need to talk with Edelgard after this."
"I don't like it. She asked you to meet her here that night alone to talk and then on your way there you're fighting for your life." Morgana said, shaking his head. "Something stinks, and there's no chance she's not wrapped up in this somehow."
"Perhaps, but…" Ren trailed off. "...I can't be sure of that. I want to put my faith in her. If she really was behind the attack, why help me with Monica? Besides… I think I remembered something Kronya said during our fight."
"Kronya? The cognition from the jail?"
"Did I not have time to talk about the mission?" Ren blinked. "Her real self was there. We fought. She said… that the Death Knight was coming for me, or something like that."
"And he did."
"Yeah. Which means Edelgard can't be on good terms with whoever Kronya works for." Ren said, walking up to the doors to the Black Eagle classroom. "She'd have to have royally pissed off whoever that is by doing this. By that logic, wouldn't that mean there's a chance the timing of it all really was just a coincidence?"
"...Well, I suppose all we can do is ask her ourselves." Morgana said. "And by us, I mean you."
Ren chuckled, placing a hand up against one of the doors to the classroom. The thief pushed and opened the door, quieting the chatter of the students within. All eyes turned to him, confusion at first for many, before recognition surged forth for a much smaller number.
"Ah, excuse me, but I believe you're in the wrong… class…" Ferdinand began, trailing off at the sight of the wry smirk Ren was giving him. "S-sensei!?"
And like a floodgate opening, Ren was quickly flooded by his concerned and confused students. Questions flew over his head, drowned out by other questions and shouts to the point that all the thief could do was laugh lightly as he held a hand up.
Ren shook his head with a smile as the classroom quieted down. "If everyone could sit in their seats, I have a few class notes to go over."
Ren let out a short breath, having caught his students up the events of today that they needed to know. Admittedly, that was only his wakeup in the clinic and then being told he was free to go, but it was enough.
Ren could see the anxiety wash out of his students, all looking a few points lighter emotionally. "And that's about it. I can't really say more since, well, I don't know past what I just said, but there it is." The thief said. "Now, I technically haven't been told by anyone I'm not supposed to be teaching, so unless I hear otherwise, welcome back to The Box."
Ren turned to the blackboard, hand lightly palming a piece of chalk as he narrowed his eyes. "...Today's topic..." He began slowly, staring at the blank board.
The thief wracked his brain for a topic to talk about. With everything that was happening, he hadn't really had a good opportunity to actually plan the class out.
He could talk about how to use the environment to your advantage? Or maybe how to pick and choose your battles? That one would be ironic, considering his recent track record…
Ren narrowed his eyes as he latched onto that last thought. Recent track record, recent battles… How did he handle himself? What did he do to better his odds of survival?
With a growing smile on his face, the thief began writing on the board. "Today's lesson is simple, but that simplicity is where we get complicated." He said, looking at the board, at the phrase written at the top. The thief turned and looked at his class, catching sight of the confused looks they were giving him. His smile grew as he placed the chalk on the left of the word, his arm stretched and primed. "Misdirection. Or, it would be if we were thinking too broad in scope."
The thief quickly pulled his arm back, drawing a line straight through the word before he quickly went and wrote a full phrase beneath it. "There's an old saying I know, and it's one I've taken to heart and utilized many times. Today, I hope to do the same for you all."
"Today's lesson," Ren began, his grin turning feral. "If you can't blow them away with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit."
"Edelgard, if you could stay behind after class." Ren said as The Box came to an end. The imperial princess' eyes widened, almost like a deer in headlights at his callout. "I've missed a few days and I need to talk to you in regards to your duty as House Leader."
"I understand." Edelgard said, giving a side glance to Hubert that seemed to trade a multitude of words between the two. In that same glance Hubert clearly lost the exchange, as he stood up with the tiniest hint of a scowl as he walked out of the classroom with the others.
"I'll make sure no one interrupts or eavesdrops." Morgana said, hopping off Ren's desk as he walked after the students.
As the doors to the Black Eagle classroom closed once again, all that was left behind was Ren and Edelgard.
"...If this is what I believe it actually is, Sensei," Edelgard began, visibly steeling herself. "Then I wanted to apologize for what happened to you."
Ren let out a breath, the familiar weight of his mask rested on his face only metaphorically, but he knew this feeling.
It was time for a hold up, and Joker knew exactly how to get what he wanted from those.
"The Box": Lesson 2
"If You Can't Blow Them Away With Your Brilliance, Baffle Them With Your Bullshit."
"This is gonna play a bit into our previous lesson on misdirection, but it's a bit more broad of a topic." The teen said, throwing a thumbs up over his left shoulder as he began writing on the board. "It also means this will be more of a lecture than a practical lesson."
"Oh, thank Seiros…" Linhardt muttered to himself in time with the groan that came from Caspar.
"I present to you all the crux of today's lesson." Ren said, writing from one side of the chalkboard to the other. "Controlling the situation."
"There's two ways to look at this lesson. We'll be discussing the applications of this in combat scenarios, as well as its uses out of combat." Ren continued, turning back to face the class. He glanced pointedly over at Edelgard for a moment. "For some of you, I believe you understand that both sides can be just as dangerous as the other."
"To start, there is never a time where you'd want to fight an opponent at their best. Sparring is one thing, but I'm not talking about those. I'm talking about people who are trying to kill you, where one simple slip or misstep is enough to ensure a victory." Ren continued, turning back to the board. "The purpose of this is to throw your enemy off balance mentally. It's all about Morale. As an example, let's think back to our recent mission."
"Bandits are usually not as mentally sound as many of us. Usually being the operative word. To paint a picture, we stormed their stronghold out of seemingly nowhere, with an army of hardened warriors. That on it's own would be enough to shake the resolve of quite a number of them." Ren said, making a few more marks on the board. "Blow them away with your brilliance, or in more simple terms, do something shocking. Something unbelievable. Something that makes them think that they can't hope to match up. As a result, whatever morale they had is gone."
"I feel it's a rather simple question, but why exactly is Morale so important?" Ren asked, turning to the class. "Again, I figure you all know why, but humor me."
Edelgard raised her hand, eyes locked onto Ren's. "Belief is a strong motivator." She began, lowering her hand at the teen's nod. "If someone believes strongly in something, that feeling can help push them past their limits. You take that feeling away and they become conflicted, which leads to more possible mistakes as you said earlier."
"Right. That's the general gist. But as I said earlier, not everyone is so easy to crumble under that kind of pressure." Ren said, turning back to the board. "That's where the latter half of the phrase comes into play."
"I do not know what bulls have to do with this, Sensei." Petra said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"It's a turn of phrase, Petra." Dorothea said with a small giggle.
"A rather crass one at that." Ferdinand noted with a small grimace.
"I didn't come up with the phrase, I'm just borrowing it." Ren said with a shrug. "Think of it like this. If overwhelming them with generally understood tactics doesn't work, then try doing something so confusing, so completely unexpected that it leaves your opponent reeling."
"Baffle is the word in question. Your goal is to throw your enemy off however you can." Ren said, clapping his hands together. "This is going to be different for everyone, and in what way you do so is as well. As an example, anger. Anger is dangerous depending on the circumstances. It can push people past limits they didn't know they had, but it can also cloud their judgment."
"Pushing buttons that lead to that anger can also stop people in their tracks." Ren said, nodding to himself. "Talk on the battlefield can sometimes be considered a sin, but I personally don't see it that way. It's just as much of a weapon as any other. As an example, while on the mission I was completely outmatched during a fight against a stronger opponent. In cases like that, think of something, anything that might throw them off enough to bridge the gap."
"Flirting is usually a good option." Ren said, ignoring the sudden coughs he heard from some of his students in response. "See, like that! Anything intimate or along those lines usually does a good job of throwing them off. That woman, the one I fought during the mission, had an outfit that would make a nun blush. So, saying something along the lines of… Oh, I don't know… Comparing her choice of battle attire to that of a dominatrix's uniform would probably throw just about anyone off."
Ren supposed the surge of pride he felt at the shocked looks many of his class was giving him was not something he should be proud of, but all it did was prove his point further. Edelgard herself looked almost pale, as if she couldn't believe the teen had said such a thing.
"Wow… You're something else, Sensei." Sylvain noted with a hint of what almost sounded like awe in his voice.
"My point is, you have many options at your disposal when it comes to this. You don't need to follow the examples I've listed, again they won't work for everyone. But it's always helpful to have something like that in your back pocket in the worst case." Ren said with a smile. "Now, consider the next third of the class an open study. I want you all to think up a good option to fall back on to baffle an opponent during battle, or outside of battle. Everyone understand? Alright, get to it!"