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[ Following the quite hectic meeting they had attended, Yuri tugged Byleth aside on the way out. He didn't know the man terribly well, but he did know this place, and that was enough to be concerned. ]

...You should be careful of the locals. They may well be in on all this, considering the casual mentions of doing us harm.

[ Ala, frequently, did just this. Byleth had stopped her from going around breaking fingers, but given how some of the others were attached to her despite the things she said, Yuri had concerns.

Did Jeralt have to spot the red flags for him back home? ]

[After the brief interaction on Dextera's post, Claude decides to contact Byleth more privately. He sounds like he needs it, and not somewhere where others can butt in and make things even more overwhelming for him.]

Hey, Te-- uh, Byleth. Everything okay?

[ do... not mind him as soon as he catches sight of eisner doing whatever he is at the moment kaname's coming over with a small bag of chocolates in hand, tied neatly with a blue ribbon. ]

Eisner. I understand you're playing postman for Lark, so ensure these find their way safely to him -- with not a square missing. Understood?

[ lark told him... it's admirable but also this is chump work compared to the piano suou just ordered. ]

[ Dimitri probes very gently. His mind is alert and there's a sense of reserved excitement - or perhaps anticipation. ]

Byleth, there's something I need to speak to you about.

[For all that the night had turned into drinking, party games and general (heh) merriment, Claude isn't terribly drunk, having spent a good deal of the game either feigning taking a drink or just sipping. He's still on high alert given the circumstances, so while he could unwind and have fun a little, he's not about to slacken any hold on his faculties should anything unexpected happen as it did with Aetós and Manon.

That said, he is getting tired, though, so he'll eventually follow Byleth back to the tent where he agreed to spend the evening.]

I know you're worried, but I don't think we need to sleep in shifts, given the circumstances. We'll trust those keeping watch to do their jobs, okay?

[ At some point in late May, Byleth is going to find a not-so-neatly wrapped (though with an obvious attempt!) package in his assigned Guild room. Inside, there's a Book of Bonds, a single leaflet with instructions, and a handwritten message on the first page: ]

I still think it's a bit weird that you know me better than I know you, so I'm hoping this will help us even out that gap. Can't let you have an edge over me, right?

--Shez

[Claude feels... awful, really, and he's still getting his bearings, but one of the first things he does is reach out to Byleth. Not Sothis, but his friend, the one he was -- still is -- concerned he might never speak to again.

Still, he tries to remain calm, even with the urgency pushing through in the Communion.]

Byleth, it's me. Are you okay? You made it back, right?

Byleth. Good afternoon.

[... She means to say more, but. Neither of them are decent at small talk. Perhaps it will be forgiven that she can not muster it now. She has more pressing business.]

Have you seen recently any sign of the war god, Set?

[She knew they were at least vaguely acquainted, for she had seen overheard them on Communion, but... most of the people she knows for sure have deeper bonds with the man (god) she despises, and she will not speak to them, even in a time such as this. Byleth it is.]

( the line of Communion opens with a bloom of static and some odd distortion, as if there's a radio frequency that must be properly dialed in before it's fully established. )

Good afternoon. This is Byleth Eisner, yes?

My apologies for approaching you unprompted. This is Jonathan Sims. Mr Andor and Set indicated to me that you might be of help. I am looking for more information on your journey into the Beyond.

[ Bondrewd does return to Zenith. Not because he lacks belief in Meridian's goal, nor ability to accomplish it, nor because of any slight against his person — no, perhaps because he associates "the dawn" with the future, and intends to bring it to illuminate the dark-obsessed ranks of Zenith, and carry all Shardbearers to a bright future.

It does not detract from his work, although returning to Zenith and re-Harmonizing his Shard appropriately with it means he does not feel as frenetic about what he wishes to accomplish. Such an energized state had been what got him into trouble, after all, in Heliopolis. ]

Mister Eisner.

[ A placid greeting, invoked into the depths of Byleth's mind. ]

Would you like to begin our work together? While I do not have baselines from your companions, I am certain it will not encumber us. We will obtain the answers you seek about your unique body and nature. Should you be willing and ready, you may meet me in my laboratory in Kowloon.

[ He offers Byleth a memory of the route to it, the image of a great, soot-stained and crumbling warehouse laden with the native bright, pink fungi that infest much of the Below. ]

[ — the point where Communion violently begins is born from the sense of intimate connection developed between two individuals.

It is very obviously a burning, bright thing from Set, whose mind scatters into the corners of those he has forged some sort of companionship with — for duty, for responsibility, for fun, for solemn vow. What arrives is the briefest sense of rising disorientation, woven through with a burst of wrath and grief so white-hot that it might char flesh from bone within seconds, shot through with rapture and the whiplash of love. It rises like a dying, murderous sun ( like Meridian ) — stifling and acute and suffocating — only to be tempered within seconds, by the cool, crisp wash of the dark sea ( like Zenith ), tempered and soothed with all edges laid flat once more.

The Communion plunges into quiet and calm, like a great, purring beast, and ends as abruptly as it began. ]

Good afternoon, Byleth. I hope this message is finding you well today.

[ Link's Communion voice sounds distinctly upbeat. He's still in a good mood after the Oracle win, it seems! ]

This may seem strange, but... I am going to Kowloon tomorrow and I felt I should tell someone. The place has a pretty bad reputation, and I'm going there to meet a Zenith, so... well, you never know what could happen. It didn't seem wise to just go without telling anybody.

[ So, here he is, awkwardly telling you and a handful of others about it! Haha. ]

If you don't hear from me in a few days, send the Legionnaires, okay? [ Spoken as a joke, but. It really isn't. ]

[ In the wee hours of the morning, whether Byleth was awake at that time or not, he may hear some unusual noises. Soft clinks and clunks, the settling of something weighted and metallic near at hand, the crinkle of paper. These sounds on their own may amount to nothing in particular.

They're soon joined by the sweet aroma of confection, not very far off. Byleth may well be familiar with the sound of a plate being laid to rest at their one table. Whatever it was, it isn't a light dish. Yuri's footfalls are near silent in the stillness of what passes for night in Springstar, his location only determined by the soft sigh of the couch as he evidently takes a seat there.

With this, silence settles in again.

Yuri knows what Byleth often wakes around this time. Perhaps not always, but he wanted to be ready regardless. Today, if he is correct, is a special occasion. Sure, he made no mention of his own birthday, used to only his mother marking the occasion, but... Byleth had never properly celebrated, because he didn't know it.

Between the few details Byleth had supplied and Yuri's time in the monastery — more importantly, beneath it — he believes this must be the day. So he'd quietly readied for it, looking into options for gifts and the like.

The results were a custom fishing rod of the finest make he could find, tailored in black with a finely etched metallic pink pattern resembling his favorite flowers, with a tackle box to match. While these were purchased, made to his specificactions, the lures in the box were handmade. These, Yuri could safely tailor without drawing much notice, after all. One of them looks rather like his new dragon form, upon inspection.

He couldn't bake a cake himself without Byleth seeing or smelling it, so this too he custom ordered. Since Byleth doesn't express favorites with food, Yuri had taken a guess at a flavor that struck him as indulgent but not overpowering. Naturally, the only appropriate shape was that of a fish. The top is wreathed in berries and edible flowers, pink lettering spelling out Happy Birthday, Byleth.

Whether a party would have been welcomed or not, Yuri found himself uncertain. Not knowing what Byleth would be comfortable with, this seems a safe place to begin, especially since Byleth said he didn't know his birthday.

The paper proves to be a note tucked under the handle of the box, written in Yuri's oddly elegant-for-a-commoner script:

Byleth,

I have reason to believe today would be your birthday. Access to church records and all that. I couldn't be sure of your wishes for such an occasion, and asking would have made surprises impossible.

But I felt it was an occasion we should celebrate. I hope everything suits your tastes. Happy Birthday.

- Yuri

Depending on whether Byleth gets up when Yuri estimates or later, he may be sleeping on the couch by then. ]

[ Dimitri's sense is a little unsure when he reaches out, but it's not about Byleth - it's really about something else. ]

Hello, Byleth! I hope you're well. I was wondering if I could ask your advice about something.

[Claude's dilemma: he knows that sometime around this time of the month, it would be Byleth's birthday in Fódlan. He knows this based on things he shouldn't know, and also knows that Byleth from his own world simply had a birthday he had chosen (or Jeralt had chosen) instead.

With that in mind, what was he supposed to do to mark Byleth's birthday? He wanted to ask him about it, but that invited questions he wasn't prepared to answer, and in any case, it might be nicer to make matters a surprise. So, sometime in the afternoon, Byleth will receive a familiar nudge of communion.]

Say, Byleth... I don't suppose you're at home right now?

Hey you. I remembered it was your birthday. So... I picked out a knife for you.

...I'm sure you probably already have a good knife, but you could carry another one.

[There is something stuck to Byleth's door when he returns one day.

It's a well-loved envelope with Byleth's name on the front in very elegant, neat script. Inside the envelope are a handful of papers with writing from almost the top margin to the bottom, front and back, in the same handwriting.

It's a short story about the romance between a beautiful, vivacious young woman bitten by a vampire and a hardy, diligent young farmer from town. He helps dispel the vampire's curse over her by confronting and defeating the lordling vampire in a castle nearby. It is very vanilla, but endearingly wholesome.]

[ Very suddenly, there’s a sense of Communion touching your character’s mind. However, it’s as if they connect with the mind of a shared Aspect, as they’re not able to block out the brief, but sharp memory that comes to them. ]

A Shard-Bearer races across the battlefield to provide healing to an ally, but they curse this world in screams as they go. Their life had been peaceful before they were stolen here.

[ ooc note — Just to avoid OOC confusion/misinterpretation, the details included in this memory are random and are not necessarily interconnected or plot meaningful beyond a surface level. However, your character is free to interpret this random memory however they’d like! This event will also be touched on somewhat during today’s NPC Communion Post. ]

[ Byleth receives a small parcel; inside are some baked goods and sweets, some fish jerky, and a romance novel. Dimitri honestly isn't sure if Byleth has read this one or not, but it came highly recommended from the store he bought it from, so he hopes it will be worthwhile. There's also a note: ]

Byleth, I hope these tokens of my regard find you well. I know the Oracle event was not easy; please let me know if you need my assistance or company. I wish you all the best. Your shadow was trying. But I hope you've recovered.

-Dimitri Blaiddyd

[This time Felix drops off a gift where he's last seen Byleth lurking around. This one is a wrapped tray arrayed with a variety of tasty smoked fish.]

[ It's late in the month when a certain book finds its way into Byleth's bed-nest. He may not recognize it, unless he occasioned to spot Yuri with it around the house, during which his concentration on it was evident. The cover is plain and unassuming, lacking for the polish of an official publication. It smells vaguely of lilacs and ink.

Inside, there is a simple note on the first page which reads:

A story for Byleth.

Yuri's handwriting is unmistakable, curiously elegant and flowing like a true noble's son, yet lacking the overembellishment that typically comes with the same. Every page is filled with this handwriting, along with the occasional stutter, stop, crossed out revision and welling of ink where his pen lingered too long.

The story itself is about a knight, dispatched by his lord to slay a dragon which had been sighted outside a small farming village. This village also happened to be where the knight hailed from originally, and so he was doubly motivated to protect it. Only upon finding the dragon, he discovers it trapped in a black, tarlike substance.

The knight, rather than take advantage of the creature's vulnerable state, is moved by its apparent suffering and attempts to free the dragon instead. This leads to the black substance spreading to him, but he does free the dragon. Moments later, a great black beast rises from the dark pool around them and attacks.

Together, the knight and the dragon drive off the creature, but are themselves further covered in inky black. The substance has altered them, and while the dragon flies off, the knight returns to his village only to be turned away. He has been afflicted by Malice, a malady little understood and greatly feared. The knight finds his blackened armor has been fused shut and he can no longer speak.

His village elder, recognizing his armor, recounts an old tale about the great scourge which birthed the Malice. The great black beasts which spread it across the land must be dispatched in order to rid the world of it and this is the only means by which the knight might be restored to his former self.

So the knight sets off on his journey, hunting for the Malice Beasts which must be quelled, limited in his task by most peoples' inability to understand him. The knight grows lonely, for try as he might, even those who don't fear him on sight are unable to discern what he tries to tell him. He's forced to loot and poach, lurking on the periphery of camps and villages. Only occasionally does he see a great dark shadow overhead — the dragon he had freed.

One rainy night, his lonesome camp is visited by that same dragon. Neither able to speak to the other, what remains between them is their wariness. The knight's transformation has left him with little appetite and great difficulty eating, but he cooks just the same, and it is the meal that he surmises the dragon to be attracted by. The dragon eats, and the knight finds himself with a companion: one who does not fear his affliction for it bears the same one.

From there, the knight finds himself with a companion more often as he chases rumors of the great black beasts. Though they cannot speak to one another, they find wordless ways to communicate. Gradually, they even develop a habit of passing the nights together, and the knight finds the silence less daunting for it.

At last his journey leads them to the first of the black beasts, and the knight does battle with the monster. With the dragon's timely aid, he defeats the beast... Yet he doesn't strike it down. Much like the dragon, he sees pain in this beast's eyes, so he reaches out to it instead. The tarlike substance sloughs away and dissolves, leaving only a small, frightened rabbit.

It is the knight's mercy which overcomes Malice, he discovers, as some of his own affliction melts away. The rabbit, long feared as a marauding monster, was a nature spirit. With its freedom from the Malice, it imparts a small blessing on the knight, restoring his voice and implores that he save the others before vanishing.

The knight turns to the dragon who has shared this journey with him and sees that his companion, too, has been cured to some degree. He realizes then that if his voice has returned, there are so many things that he wishes to say...

And here, on the last page, ends Part One.

Yuri's reason for asking whether Byleth would be comfortable with something like the shadows from the labyrinth may be a little clearer now. ]

[On the first day of the new year by the Kenosian calendar, Hayame seeks out Byleth. She has a delivery to make for the other man in that home, as well, so... she brings both. There is a certain formality to her visit at first, not just the fact she has come dressed in her one formal dress, the shorn short remains of her hair styled as best she could. There is ritual to the greetings she is attempting to recreate in this world- the ones she had grown up emulating and learning so that one day she might perform them. A low bow, gratitude expressed for the care in which she has been held the past year...

But eventually she softens from the rigid (though sincere) motions, in order to present what she has brought. Somewhat embarrassed, inexperienced in being in any sort of position to give actual gifts to people, she manages to explain that in her world it is customary to present new clothing on the occasion of the new year, so...

She has brought this- a robe-like top that resembles the fashions she is used to from her own world. Close enough, anyway. As she puts it in his hands... She manages to say that she hopes he likes it. That it would honor her if he were to wear it. And that they will be in each other's care for the next year as well.]

[ Here's a little something that just pops up in Byleth's special notebook one day without forewarning or explanation: ]

lion

this is...... the PROTECTION LION!
it'll eat any mean geese that come your way!!!

Do forgive me if this has reached the wrong person, but I believe I'm speaking to Byleth Eisner-san?

[ Somehow, even the name sets him on edge. Thankfully, these notes are far more... convenient than Communion. ]

A is for Austice

K is for Khalid in Kenos sending a Kommunion

austice, 2/26

Kenos, 3/2

kenos, during the meri mingle/alenroux campaign

S is for Sheazons

kenos, post-oracle event

kenos