449(Author's Note)
HEY GUYS! Part one of promises have been kept! Now let's see if I can get another out next month!
Not too much to really report on this time, so I'll keep this bit short and we'll get right into the reviews!
To MasterDarkElf: It was very "Flowery" I guess would be the right way of saying it.
To Mark The Gamer of Grima: Huh, something to keep in mind possibly.
To SuperSonicSmash: Did not remember that's a thing until you brought it up so now I gotta think about how that'll work...
Alright, once again, thanks to everyone who left a review! They really help with keeping my motivated. If you have the time to, please feel free to write one!
Okay, so with all that out of the way, let's get started!
(Play No More What Ifs - Instrumental - P5 Royal)
"Those who slither in the dark?" Claude asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously. "Really? Best you could come up with?"
"It felt like an apt description." Edelgard replied with a glare.
"Easy, guys." Ren said, holding a hand up. "Who exactly are they?"
"In short, they are behind quite a number of events in Fódlan's history." Edelgard said with a sigh. "Do any of you know what the Insurrection of the Seven was?"
"It's been brought up once or twice in my lessons, but I can't say I know it well." Claude said before glancing over to Lysithea. "What about…"
Lysithea's eyes narrowed into a light glare. "I remember little, but what I do remember is that my family was caught up in that mess. Imperial officials took control of our family, and me and my siblings were forced to undergo experimentation." She said. "I don't want to talk about it, so don't ask."
Morgana looked away from Lysithea with a grimace and looked to Edelgard. "For those of us not from Fódlan?"
"I suppose my father is what started it. He had tried to consolidate power to the throne, but instead had all of HIS stripped from him in a coup d'etat. The Insurrection of the Seven refers to the seven noble houses of the Empire." Edelgard explained. "They turned my father into nothing more than a figurehead, while the empire laid in the hands of the Seven houses."
"Aside from your house." Claude noted, earning a nod from Edelgard. "So, how do Those Who Slither play a part in this?"
"The insurrection opened a void for them to slip in. As a result, they had enough resources and political power to perform Crest experiments on people." Edelgard said, looking about as angry as Lysithea was. "Children specifically. I do not know if House Ordelia was the first, or if the experiments they were doing to me and my siblings were happening at the same time, but they were trying to find out if they could surgically graft a Crest onto someone."
"And they unfortunately succeeded." Ren said with a grimace.
"But not without a needless amount of death. I alone survived that hell my siblings and I went through." Edelgard stated.
"So… They're the ones responsible." Lysithea said.
"They are, but they are not the only ones." Edelgard said. "None of what happened to either of us would have happened without the approval of the leaders of the Seven Houses. At minimum, they would have had Duke Aegir's approval."
"Aegir? Isn't that Ferdinand's last name?" Ren asked.
"It is. I highly suspect he's unaware of the darkness his family hides though." Edelgard replied with a shake of her head.
"Why would anyone subject a child to that!?" Morgana asked, involuntarily growling as he did so.
"It's because of Fódlan's caste system, isn't it?" Ren inquired, getting a nod from Edelgard. "Crests are everything to the Nobles of Fódlan, and from what I've researched, having a child with a Crest is not guaranteed. So in that case, I'm not surprised those scumbags decided to go along with it."
"Even in the case the procedure wasn't needed, the knowledge and understanding of how to do it would be huge to many Nobles." Claude noted, shaking his head.
"It sounds like even if we deal with Those Who Slither in the Dark, it wouldn't do much when others would pick up the pieces with the Crest system in place." Morgana said.
Edelgard nodded. "Which is why the Crest system needs to go."
"I think we're getting off topic. Aside from the insurrection, what else have they done?" Ren asked.
"I am unsure just how… But I have reason to believe that they were the instigators behind the Tragedy of Duscur." Edelgard said.
Ren glanced over at Lysithea and Claude, noting the shocked looks on their faces. "I take it this is a big one?" He asked.
"We… Really don't have the time to get into the full details, but yes. It is." Claude said with a grimace. "We'd need, like, a day to explain the mess of an event THAT was…"
Edelgard looked over at Ren and Morgana. "To summarize, the Tragedy of Duscur was actually two events. A massacre of various royals and nobles of the Holy Kingdom, and then the ensuing riot that almost wiped out the people of Duscur, who allegedly were responsible."
Ren stared at Edelgard with wide eyes. "A day is right…" The teen muttered. "The implications of what you're saying aren't pretty either…"
"No, they aren't." Edelgard replied with a nod.
"Many other events were also orchestrated by their hands. All of them done in an effort to weaken us. Be that the Leicester Alliance, the Church, or Fódlan as a whole." Edelgard continued, shaking her head.
"Good to know, but what I don't understand is how you know all this." Claude said, narrowing his eyes.
"When the whole world is your enemy, then the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Edelgard said. She sighed, clenching her fists as she did so. "I hate them, and I want nothing more than their death, but until today… I had no one else that could show me a path to my desire."
"You… you joined them?" Lysithea asked, eyes wide in shock.
"No." Edelgard said, glaring at the table before her. "I want a world without Crests. They were the only ones that I could turn to to make it real."
"But you do now." Ren said, giving a pointed look to Claude and Lysithea. "And now that I'm hearing all this, it's become painfully obvious that whatever plan you had… It would've led to war, wouldn't it?"
"The Church would not, and cannot accept a world without Crests. A war with the Church… that was what I believed was necessary." Edelgard said.
"But that would've thrown all of Fódlan into chaos." Lysithea noted. "The Holy Kingdom… they would have sided with the Church against you."
"And I'd be left in the middle trying to play mediator." Claude said with a sigh.
"Who else knows about this?" Ren asked.
"A scant few. Hubert would follow me to the gallows if needs must." Edelgard noted. "I haven't told him about this though. I trust him, but it's not my secret to share."
"Thank you." Ren said.
"You've put your faith in me. It's only right that I do the same." Edelgard said, sighing after a moment. "Still, even like this, war still seems likely."
"What? Why?" Morgana asked, tilting his head to the side.
"The Church of Seiros is, in its own right, a nation itself. If we start targeting church officials, whatever goodwill we'll have with the masses will be reduced to ash." Edelgard noted. "It may not be war in a literal sense, but the Phantom Thieves would become enemy number one."
Ren nodded. "She's right, however it would be a war unlike any this world has seen before." Ren stated, before raising an eyebrow. "Think about it. Unless you knew how we did what we did, would any of you have realized how a change of heart occurs? Would you have even the faintest idea what a Palace is?"
"He's right. As long as we're careful, the Church won't be able to do anything." Morgana said. "They'd be fighting ghosts."
"Don't you mean Phantoms?" Claude asked with a smirk.
"If the shoe fits." Ren said as Lysithea groaned. "The point is, we have the advantage here. And as long as we can build up trust in the people we save with our change of hearts, it'll make people think."
"What do you think would happen if the thieves that have done nothing but good suddenly targeted, I don't know, Lady Rhea?" Ren continued. "I bet you maybe an eighth would actually consider the implications and side with us."
"Only an eighth?" Lysithea asked.
"It only takes one wrong move to turn public opinion against you." Ren replied, shaking his head. "This would be no different."
"You've thought about this." Edelgard noted, looking at the thief.
"Couldn't stop after our last talk." Ren said with a shrug. "Fódlan is drowning. Something needs to change, and if we can cause that change without bloodshed, I will make that possibility a reality."
"That's our leader for you!" Morgana said with a laugh.
"What I don't understand is why they're doing this." Lysithea said, looking at Edelgard. "Those Who Slither in the Dark have been, by your own words, trying to plunge Fódlan into chaos. But why? For what ends?"
"Hatred, I suppose." Edelgard sighed. "I only understand them scantily. Our… Partnership… is rough at best. I know they hate us, that they view us as vermin, but they have no greater enemy than the Church itself."
"So we have more than just a few problems then." Ren said with a groan. "The Church is on a time limit, with no clear deadline in sight. Either we do something to change them, or their machinations will both destroy the church and drag untold amounts of innocent lives under alongside it."
"A war on two fronts." Morgana noted.
"Lovely. And to think, I thought the bandit attack was going to be the highlight of my year." Claude noted sarcastically.
"Speaking of… I want to apologize for the bandit attack." Edelgard said, getting confused looks from the thieves. "I was the one who ordered the bandit attack. Albeit it was a choice made with input from them."
"Wait, that was you!?" Lysithea exclaimed.
"It was. I can't say I'm proud of it, but it was." Edelgard confirmed.
"...I can't speak for these two, but…" Claude began before shrugging. "I think that actually helped us out in the end."
"I'm sorry?" Edelgard asked, raising an eyebrow at the other house leader.
"I mean, do we want to go down the list?" Claude asked. "If you hadn't done that, we never would have run into Sensei and Teach. They never would have come to the monastery, and they wouldn't have become Professors at the Officers Academy."
"I wouldn't have found Morgana." Ren said, earning a nod from his partner. "I wouldn't have brought Claude or Lysithea on as thieves, Louis would still be making a mess of the marketplace, and I would have never found Monica."
"And it was only because of the bandit attack that led to them being at the fortress in the first place." Lysithea noted.
"Plus, no one died during the attack!" Morgana said. "We won't say you should do it again, because that would be a terrible idea, but if it wasn't for that attack we wouldn't be here talking about this."
"I suppose that's true." Edelgard said, looking slightly bewildered.
"There's one problem I have though." Ren said, getting Edelgard's attention. "If you had hired the bandit's, why were you still being targeted?"
"I wore a mask. In order to complete my goals, I had to act in the shadows." Edelgard said. "The Flame Emporer, that was who I had to be."
"I see…" Ren said, before he glanced to the side. "So, what are you going to do now?"
"I… Don't understand?" Edelgard asked.
"I can't see them letting this go. You're a Phantom Thief now, but you're in too deep to stop being this… Flame Emporer." Ren said, looking at Edelgard in concern. "Those people… I can't believe they'll just accept that."
"You're right, unfortunately." Edelgard said with a sigh.
"...But it may also give us an opportunity." Ren said, earning a look from the other thieves. "If you continue to play your part, you can learn more information. Information we can use against them."
"Ooh! Like a double agent!" Morgana said with a smirk.
"Yes… I suppose that's true. But if I do this, it means I might have to make an actual enemy of the church as the Flame Emperor." Edelgard said.
"If we know about the threat in advance, we can do something about it." Ren said, nodding at Edelgard. "We may be powerful here in the Metaverse, but we aren't helpless in reality."
"...You really trust me, don't you?" Edelgard asked the teen.
"Edelgard, no… Kyokkō. Not once during that entire conversation have you been forced into your thieves garb." Ren said, getting a surprised look from Edelgard. "If that isn't proof enough of my trust, I really don't know what will be."
"...No one should be this trusting." Edelgard stated, as if the thought was alien.
"You're right, but that's part of Sensei's charm, isn't it?" Claude said with a smirk.
Lysithea nodded. "Joker is an outlier. I don't think anything can stop him if he really puts his mind to it."
"Alright, you can stop now." Ren said, glancing away from the other thieves, earning a few laughs from the others.
"So, we have a few big targets, but what about those we can handle now?" Claude asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't think we have anything." Morgana said, earning confused looks from the others. "Remember? Unless we show a target the calling card, none of their desires will manifest as a Treasure. Even if we had names now, we have no way of delivering a calling card to them unless they were on Monastery grounds."
"Which is the last thing we want. It narrows down the area the knights have to search." Ren said with a nod. "We need to make it seem like we can react from anywhere in Fódlan, or else things will only get harder for us."
"How would we even do that?" Edelgard asked, raising an eyebrow.
"...I don't have a concrete plan yet, but I have a possible idea in mind. Only problem with that idea is that it needs me to have already been there once before…" Ren said, before wincing. "I also would need to be allowed to… Bend some rules in order to make it work."
"Unless I can do that, it's not worth bringing up now." Ren said, shaking his head. "For now though, let's focus on what we can do."
"We need to lay low for now, right?" Morgana asked, earning a nod in return.
"At minimum, I'm under heavy scrutiny from the church, due to multiple events that I have somehow gotten myself tied up in." Ren said with a sigh. "And that is absolutely not the kind of attention I want on me when we're trying to take on a new target."
"So with that said, here's the plan." Ren said, looking over at the others. "We're going to lay low for the next week or so. After that, we'll reconvene and discuss possible targets. Assuming we are able to act from anywhere across Fódlan, then we have a point to start from."
"Firstly, we know Edelgard has a lot of possible targets, but if they are as tied up in conspiracy as I expect, then they are likely going to be too much for us as we all are right now." Ren began, getting a nod from Edelgard.
"Which means we need to get stronger by taking down smaller targets." Morgana said.
"But how are we going to find smaller targets like that?" Lysithea asked.
"That's where the second option comes in. I made an information network for us earlier today." Ren said, earning a bewildered look from the others, sans Morgana. "Okay, it's more like I laid the groundwork, but it's one more possible source of information we can draw from."
"How did you even accomplish such a thing?" Edelgard asked.
"To summarize? Merchants." Ren replied, as if that had explained everything.
"...Can we get a longer story for that?" Claude asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Merchants constantly talk with each other. Gossip is good for business, sometimes. All I did was give it more focus." Ren said with a shrug. "So eventually, we'll have targets, assuredly smaller ones, all over Fódlan."
"With it, we can spread both our influence, and make it so that we could theoretically be based anywhere, not just here in Garreg Mach." Ren said with a smirk, one that fell into a more wry one as he continued. "Assuming we CAN be anywhere to deliver the card…"
"In the meantime, I wan't you all to practice using your Persona magic outside of the metaverse. Lysithea has figured it out, and while we should keep it relatively secret, having the option during a fight could be a lifesaver. Remember, outside the box, not in." Ren finished, getting nods from the others. "So either find me or her and we'll try to get you started. Now, any last questions before we head back?"
"There is one last issue." Edelgard said. "What are we going to do with Monica?"
Ren winced, getting confused looks from Claude and Lysithea. "Monica… She should be awake soon, right? If not now?"
"Wait, what's this about Monica?" Lysithea asked.
"She could see his mask." Edelgard said, earning wide eyed looks from the other two. "She even touched it, making it appear for a split second when we rescued her."
"You think she'll see the same for us?" Claude asked.
"We have no real way of knowing, but I would assume not." Ren said, shaking his head. "I was the only one who ever talked to both her Shadow and her real self whenever we were in the Jail. If that's all it was, then we should be fine."
"We should go talk to her though. There's also a chance she overheard me talking as well." Morgana said, earning a nod from Ren.
"The sooner we talk with her and get our stories straight, the better." Ren said. "Once we're back… I'll see if she's awake. But for now… Everyone ready?"
At the nods from everyone else, Ren turned to Morgana and nodded. "Let us know if we have the all clear."
"On it!" Morgana said, slipping back into reality.
(Stop Music)
"Well, moment of truth then." Morgana said, poking his head out if Ren's bag as the two walked down to Manuela's office. "How do we want to do this?"
"If she's awake, we'll try and talk to her with minimal witnesses. I do not want to try and explain to the church anything I don't have to." Ren replied in a low whisper, reaching the door to the office.
"Hey, wait a moment. I hear voices." Morgana said. "Lean up by the door and listen, I'll keep watch."
"Thanks." The thief said, slinking up against the wall beside the door. He inclined his head to the side and focused, activating his third eye for good measure as he began to listen in.
"-ery sorry that you had to go through that." Seteth's voice was unmistakable by this point, with how often the thief had heard the man speak. "On behalf of the Church and the Officers Academy, you have our sincerest apologies."
"...It is unfortunate that you are unable to recall any details about your kidnappers." Seteth continued after a moment of silence.
"I don't understand why I can't…" Monica said, her voice not as rough and tired sounding as it had been during her rescue. "I know it's here, but when I try and think about it, all I get is a massive headache."
"Trauma might be the answer. You went through a lot." Manuela said. "It's not unheard of for memories to be repressed after something harrowing."
"What of the rescue, can you tell us anything about it?" A new voice said. It was familiar, but the thief couldn't place who it belonged to. Most he could guess was that the owner was female. "We have reports from Professor Eisner, and a verbal report from Professor Amamiya, but your perspective would be appreciated."
"They're asking about the mission." Ren muttered to Morgana.
"You're still clear." Morgana whispered back.
"...I remember Lady Edelgard arriving, and then… Sensei? He unlocked my restraints." Monica said, her voice seemed relieved. "He bought us time to escape when that… Monster showed up."
"I see. Was there anything else you remember about him?" Seteth asked.
Ren narrowed his eyes. 'He's pushing for information on me.' The thief thought. 'Not good.'
"He… he was injured during the fight. Is he okay?" Monica asked. "I never got to thank him…"
"He's… Alright." Seteth replied with a sigh.
"Thank the goddess…"
"I think that's all for today." Manuela said pointedly.
"Yes. I suppose so." Seteth said with a sigh.
Ren swiftly slipped away from the door and walked further down the hall, his footsteps silent. "They're finishing up."
"So? Anything to be worried about?"
Ren placed a hand to his chin in thought. "...Laying low is the right call. Seteth is suspicious, but that's to be expected." The thief replied before pausing. "...She didn't say anything about the mask either."
Morgana let out a breath of relief. "Well, at least it's something. Still think we should go talk to her?"
"...Yeah." Ren said with a smile as he turned around and walked back to Manuela's office, not bothering to keep his footsteps silent.
The teen knocked against his knuckles against the door, a smile forming on his face as he heard the small stumble from one of the people within. "Who is it?" Manuela asked.
"It's Ren." The teen replied.
The door was pulled open a moment later, leaving Ren staring face to face with a familiar knight. "Well, so it is." Catherine said, glancing over at Morgana. "And… A cat?"
"Morgana." Ren said, earning a meow from the thief in question.
"...Why?"
"He does that, Catherine." Seteth said, shaking his head. "I've found it simpler to not worry about it."
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Ren asked, looking over at the two.
"No, we were just leaving." Seteth said. "What brings you here?"
"That voice…!"
Ren glanced to the side and finally looked at Monica. She looked healthier, but anything was an improvement to how they had found her. She was still on the bed, but it had been adjusted so she was at least partially sitting upright.
"You're awake." Ren said, smiling. "That's good to hear."
"I see." Seteth said, glancing at Monica before looking back at Ren. "If you'll excuse us."
Ren nodded and moved to the side, allowing Seteth and Catherine to leave the office. The thief stepped further in and glanced over at Manuela, who was looking at Morgana with a raised eyebrow. "Normally we don't allow cats in the infirmary, you know."
"Morgana?" Ren asked as he looked over his shoulder.
"I'll go keep a lookout." Morgana said, before looking at Monica. "Monica, if you can hear me, shake your head."
Monica smiled at Morgana before looking at Ren. "Your cat seems to like me."
"Glad to hear that." Ren said, crouching slightly to give Morgana some assistance as the cat dropped out of the thief's bag. "I wanted to check in and see how you're doing."
Morgana walked out the door and stood outside the office, looking up to find Seteth standing outside. The two looked right at each other, entering a silent staring contest. "...Your move, Advisor."
Ren shook his head as Morgana's voice rang out. "Your cat is certainly vocal." Manuela noted with a raised eyebrow.
"It's a skill of his, I'm sure of it." Ren said, feigning sarcasm. The thief turned and looked back at Monica, positioning himself so his back was fully facing Manuela. "So, I assume you only just woke up?"
"Not exactly…" Monica said, shaking her head.
"She's still being watched, as her condition has been improving since yesterday." Manuela said, walking over to her desk. "Today's the longest she's been conscious for, so Seteth just finished asking her some questions."
"I see." Ren said. "It's good to hear you're recovering alright."
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you and Lady Edelgard…" Monica said with a shake of her head. She winced lightly as she shifted her position. "I wish I could stand so I could properly do this, but… Thank you."
Ren smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "I couldn't just do nothing." He said with a shrug. "I only wish it didn't take so long to help you."
Manuela stood up from her desk, holding a stack of papers in her off hand. "Ren, if you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on her for a few minutes. I need to drop something off."
"Sure." Ren nodded, watching as Manuela walked out of the room, leaving him alone with Monica.
"Alright, you're clear! Seteth left when he heard Manuela was leaving." Morgana's voice echoed from the hallway.
"...You did good, Monica." Ren said, walking over to one of the nearby chairs as he moved it closer to her bed. "You did it."
Monica's eyes watered slightly as she looked at Ren's face. "It was you…" She said, voice almost a whisper.
Ren took in a breath. "Why didn't you mention the mask?"
"...You looked scared." Monica said, earning a blank look from Ren. "When I felt it, back at the dungeon…"
"You saved my life. You gave me hope again." Monica said, eyes hardening with determination. "How could I betray someone like that? Whatever it is, I can tell that it'd be bad if word got out."
"...You wouldn't be wrong." Ren said, shaking his head. "So… Thank you."
"Don't. This… This doesn't make things even." Monica said, shaking her head. "I don't know if anything I could do will repay this feeling of debt I carry."
"You don't owe me anything." Ren said, narrowing his eyes at her.
"We both know what awaited me down there. If not for you… I would be dead." Monica said, glaring back at the thief. "By that logic, I owe you my life."
Ren grimaced. "That was never my intent… I just-"
"Wanted to help." Monica finished with a smile. "I expected nothing less. You are too good for this world, Sensei."
"If that's true, then I have a lot of work to do." Ren said with a sigh.
"Then let me help." Monica said, earning an incredulous look from the thief. "I can't do much now, but… I won't be held down here for long. Whatever you plan on doing… I will follow you."
"...And you say I shouldn't exist?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow. "What would you call this then?"
"...Faith, I suppose." Monica said, holding a hand out. "A world where someone like you isn't an outlier… I'd like to see that someday."
"...I'm not gonna change your mind, am I?" Ren asked.
"Nope!"
"Well, then I suppose all I can do is agree." Ren said, smiling lightly as he grasped her hand with his.
Time slowed to a halt as the thief felt another bond begin to form. Chains rushed out before him, grappling a blue card before it shattered, revealing it's Arcana to the thief.
I am Thou, Thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Faith Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…
{RANK UP!}
Ren stared at the card before him, an uneasy feeling in his gut forming the longer he did. 'That Arcana… But it's not like-'
Time snapped back into place, leaving Ren staring back into the determined eyes of the girl before him.
"...So, what are your plans after this?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow. "From what I understand, you never graduated from the Academy."
"Seteth said something about allowing me to retake the year. With my memory of my last year here hazy, it's not the worst idea." Monica said.
"Any idea what House you'll be put into?" Ren asked.
"Heads up!" Morgana's voice rang out moments before Manuela walked in.
"I'm pretty sure she's still a Black Eagles student, Sensei." Manuela said, a hint of teasing in her voice as she walked over to her desk. "If she does return to classes, I think you'll find yourself with more students to teach."
"In any case, I need you to leave." Manuela continued, turning to look at Ren. "It's late and visiting hours are technically over."
"We have visiting hours here?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
Manuela gave the thief a look. "...Well, I'll take my leave then." Ren said, standing up as he gave one last nod to Monica before walking out into the hallway. The door to the office shut behind him soon after.
"So, how'd it go?" Morgana asked.
"...Something between good and concerning." Ren noted, shifting slightly to help Morgana up into his bag. "And I know what her Arcana is."
"What?"
"It's… Weird. It's Faith, but…" Ren narrowed his eyes. "Faith never felt this… free."
"Isn't Yoshizawa Faith back home?" Morgana asked.
"Yeah, but… Faith was never a full confidant like the others… So why does it feel like it is now?" Ren sighed, shaking his head once more. "No more point thinking about it. Let's head back to Leblanc for now."
Byleth closed the door to the café behind her as she stepped inside. The bell rang out lightly, cutting through the silence.
The mercenary raised an eyebrow as she caught sight of Ren, the teen sitting down on the edge of one of the booth seats. His eyes were staring off into the distance, aimed at the painting in the corner of the room.
Byleth glanced over at the painting, taking in the faces of the others depicted. "...You don't really talk about them."
"Hm?" Ren blinked, tearing his eyes away from the painting on the wall to look at Byleth. "Byleth? When did you get back?"
"Just now." Byleth said, looking at him with her ever present blank expression. "You didn't answer my question."
"I… Might need you to repeat it?"
"The people in the painting you keep staring at." Byleth said, looking over at the painting. "You never talk about them."
"Oh… Well, I just…" Ren shook his head. "It's… Still fresh I guess."
"I see. I'm… sorry for your loss?" The words had come out almost confused, like the phrase was one only recently learned.
Ren jumped slightly. "Oh! Well, they're not dead! Just…" The teen slouched. "They're back there and I'm here… Feels like we're worlds apart."
"...Tell me about them?"
"...Where do I even begin with these guys?" Ren said, smiling lightly. "Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru… Thick as thieves, I think is how the saying goes…"
"Ryuji's the loud one of the group. I swear he can't keep a secret to save his life, but he's the most dependable guy I know." Ren began. "He's the first friend I made, and he's saved my life more times than I can count. We've ventured through the strangest places together, and have done some pretty dumb things all the same. Sometimes both."
Operation Maidwatch was to remain buried, for it was the only secret Ryuji seemed to be able to keep.
"Ann's determined, to a fault at times. She'll get an idea in her head and will put her all into it if she thinks it'll work." Ren said with a smile. "Of course, unless it involves sweets. That girl has a sweet tooth big enough to rival the size of the monastery. I tried getting between her and a crepe once. I think I almost lost my thumb in retaliation…"
"Yusuke's an artist. I suppose it wouldn't be wrong to say he's the one who painted that." Ren noted, motioning to the painting. It wasn't really true, but with how many of the various notes and styles seemed to perfectly match Yusuke's other works, it almost felt like a picture he would paint at some point. "But he's also an ARTIST, which means half the time I run into him I find out he spent his money on art supplies instead of food. One time he even bought two live lobsters to use as inspiration for his art."
"Makoto was our senior. She was studious, and serious, but always seemed to have something to prove." Ren took in a breath. "She was terrifying if you pissed her off, and would absolutely throw hands with someone in defense of one of her friends. She didn't really know how to interact with people socially though. She was like a… Golem or something. Her words, not mine."
"Futaba… She's like the sister I never had. Bernadetta reminds me a lot of her, at least how she was when we first met." Ren continued, blinking a few times as he felt his eyes begin to sting. "Futaba's been through a lot, but nothing's kept her down since. She has enough cursed energy to topple a nation if she really wanted to. A gremlin, that's what she is."
"Haru is one of the sweetest people I know. She's also THE scariest person I know." Ren said, chuckling lightly to himself. "She joined our group the latest, but she's made her presence known. She taught me to garden, and I keep meaning to get into the greenhouse to keep those skills up. She was also the one who came close to matching my enthusiasm for coffee. Even if that involved trying the… weirdest coffee."
"You miss them." Byleth said, looking over at Ren.
"...Every day."
"...I think they'd be… proud?" Byleth said, earning a raised eyebrow from Ren. "They'd be proud of you, Ren."
"...Thanks." Ren said, smiling at Byleth.
"Here. Let me…" Byleth said, raising a hand up to the teen's face before wiping away the tears that had begun to form.
Ren blankly stared at Byleth as she did so. "Uh-" The thief's voice cracked slightly as it came out.
"Hm? What is it?" Byleth asked, raising an eyebrow.
"...Nothing." Ren said, averting his gaze. "Thanks."
Byleth nodded and stood up, walking towards the stairs to the attic as Ren took in a breath, trying his hardest to keep the heat off of his face.
Ren glanced back over at Byleth and activated his third eye, catching sight of Sothis hovering next to her. "See? Told you that's how the line goes. Just don't fumble it next time."
"Also… We gonna talk about that thing at the end? No? Alright then."
Ren turned his third eye off and let himself fall backwards onto the booth cushions. "...Breathe, Joker. Just… Breathe."
"I wonder how everyone else is handling this…"