Chapter Three

If anyone asked, she was only doing this because it was necessary. Not because she was weak. Or stir-crazy.

This, for the record, was nothing but a desperate attempt to cure her ignorance before it became a problem. No, that was no exaggeration, and no, she totally hadn't been wondering how well her memory of Garreg Mach's layout held up after all these years, either, let alone how different the real thing was compared to its video game counterpart.

…

Just kidding. She actually was.

Why else would she, Bianca Eisner, be up and about at an ungodly hour, exploring the monastery and checking out every nook and cranny?

If it could be called an exploration, anyway. She might have taken several wrong turns along the way. And got close to hitting a dead end once. Literally.

But hey! All that stumbling about led to the conclusion that everything within Garreg Mach Monastery was where they should be—including the sauna—so it all worked out in the end.

For example, the training grounds? It was still found north of the student dormitories where Bianca marked her starting point. At this hour, it was as empty as could be, but the torches hanging on the walls ensured that the place was lit enough to show where one could safely move without stumbling into a target dummy. A student could get out of bed and easily waltz right into the place if they felt like doing a bit of morning training.

Speaking of students, right across the dormitories were the three classrooms home to the Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer. Each room had their respective banners of red, blue, and yellow, but unfortunately, none of them were accessible to nosy intruders like hers truly. Those locks meant serious business.

That was probably for the best.

If that wasn't enough, the church far up north could be reached by crossing a stone bridge that would be great to watch the sunrise on, and if she were to double back—moving past the dormitories, the classrooms, and the courtyard—she'd end up in the mess hall. Garreg Mach Monastery's little slice of heaven for the gastronomically inclined.

Be strong, her rumbling stomach.

As a complete aside, she'd also managed to gain the attention of a few guards some time during her little tour. But that, unlike the "dead end" incident, didn't end in a disaster. All it took to shake them off was a cheery smile, a quick chat, and a parting apology for having wasted their time because guard duty was a much more important job than a lot of people think.

"We should talk again sometime, when none of you are busy," she'd said. "I'd be happy to share some stories about the Blade Breaker's exploits."

People skills. Huzzah.

Lastly, the greenhouse, the fishing area, and the stables were all found on the southern part of the monastery, and much like the mess hall, they were all charming places in their own way. There were plenty more areas left to explore, of course, but considering how most of them only allowed access to the ones higher up the Garreg Mach hierarchy, she couldn't exactly break and enter without ruffling a lot of feathers.

At least not yet.

Bianca finally slowed to a stop at the side of the bridge, ending her adventure just in time to watch the rising sun paint the sky a beautiful blend of oranges and blues. A breeze blew gently by, and she leaned into the stone railing with a deep sigh. It was just a matter of time before she found out what the day—and possibly the future—awaited her.

Right. No pressure. Just gotta remember last night's heart-to-heart with Byleth to keep her nerves under control. Now if only the butterflies in her stomach stopped fluttering with reckless abandon…

"I hear that you've been having quite the busy morning."

Mm, yeah, no kidding. Busy was definitely one way to put it. It shouldn't be so surprising that the real life version of Garreg Mach Monastery was practically the size of a town, but it was.

Considering who was chatting her up, though, putting those thoughts into words was akin to tossing herself off a cliff.

Or a bridge.

Bianca straightened herself and turned to the green-haired, stern-faced man whose bearing well reflected his position as the archbishop's second-in-command.

"Good morning, Seteth." She flashed him a cheery smile and gave a two-fingered wave. "I thought I'd stretch my legs a bit, get the lay of the land. If I'm going to be staying here for more than a day, knowing is half the battle, right?"

No response. Just a stare that was a little too intense for comfort. Was he really regarding her like a felon that's ready to corrupt the minds of all that was good and pure?

Come on. If anything, she was more of apuckish rogue, thank you kindly.

(That was a joke.)

Bianca heavily considered making herself scarce when Seteth finally spoke.

"It is all well and good that you have taken initiative in preparing yourself for anything that is to come," he said, "but you must remember that you've yet to become a familiar face within these walls. You would do well to keep such excursions to a minimum—at least for now, and at least as far as unreasonable hours are concerned."

She actually wasn't planning on a repeat performance anytime soon. If she was, it would be for the sole purpose of gaining unlimited (and undisturbed) petting access to all the dogs and cats scattered around the monastery.

"Right. Sorry. Won't happen again." Bianca sheepishly scratched her cheek. "By any chance, did my, ah, antics force you to come here?"

Seteth shook his head.

"Not at all. On the contrary, it is entirely by coincidence that our paths crossed." Oh. Good. She hadn't just dug her own grave just yet. "Given the fact that I've heard in passing how a woman of your description was nearly mistaken as an intruder, however, I thought it best to speak to you now rather than later."

Never mind.

She fought back a grimace; those guards were a lot chattier than she'd thought. Woman of her description, indeed.

On the plus side, she didn't get officially reported as a person of questionable intent, so… yay?

"That's a prudent way of going about it, yeah."

"Then I take it we have an understanding?"

She nodded.

"That is good to hear," Seteth said, clearly satisfied with her answer. "I'll be on my way, then. I suggest you do the same; the day may be young, but there is much to do—and much to accomplish."

Wise words. His reprimand delivered, Seteth turned away and took his leave, making his way across the bridge. Seeing as he was walking in the opposite direction of the church, however, chances were he was heading back to his office where piles of paperwork awaited him.

Or at least, he would be heading back, if Bianca hadn't taken a step forward at the last minute and blurted out, "Wait!"

He didn't seem pleased, but he stopped. Whew. She made her way to him.

"Okay! So. I really, really don't have a better way to ask this, so I'm just going to get right to it." She took a quick breath in and out. "Have you had any breakfast yet?"

Judging from the way his eyebrows raised, and the way he now regarded her (specifically, with incredulity), he clearly wasn't expecting that question.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Breakfast. At the mess hall. Because I was planning on grabbing a quick bite," Bianca elaborated. "And I thought that, if you hadn't eaten anything yet, maybe you'd like to join me?"

Whoa. That was probably the most forward question she'd asked in the history of forever. Her past self would be proud… if she wasn't busy wondering where the hell that came from.

On the other hand, she really was hungry. Downright ravenous, even. And since Seteth was already here, why not take the opportunity to get to know him better? Strictness aside, he did mean well.

The fact that this could make Byleth's life easier in the long run was but a bonus.

Seteth still seemed to be of the impression that she'd grown a second head.

"I know it's a strange request. I'm someone you've barely known for a day, after all. But I promise; it's just one meal." She grinned. "In fact, I'll be more than happy to take on any errands you might want me to do afterward. Being second-in-command means that you're always busy ensuring that everything is running smoothly, right?"

That got him back on track, at least.

"That is all too true," he said. "But errands, you say? I am not saying that I do not appreciate your offer, but for you to volunteer yourself so freely and so suddenly…" He crossed his arms and leveled a piercing stare at her. "I find your intentions rather suspect."

He wasn't wrong. Silver tongue, don't fail her now.

"You have every right to be suspicious. If you'll give me the benefit of the doubt, though, I assure you that all I want to do here is express my gratitude for all the hospitality given to me and my family. And maybe not spend breakfast alone in place like this, while I'm at it." The corners of her lips twitched. "Trust me, you'll be hard-pressed to hear any kind of thanks from my brother or my father. I love them to bits, but they're not exactly upfront about their thoughts and feelings."

Seteth, of course, didn't answer immediately. The way those green eyes of his studied her could only give off the impression that he was gauging how genuine she was. That he was checking for lies. Ulterior motives. That kind of thing.

Bianca was more than happy to prove that there were no red flags here. She uttered not a single word; she merely met his gaze and awaited his response as patiently—and as respectfully—as she could.

And it worked. Or maybe it didn't and Lady Luck decided to take pity on her instead, but still. It was the slightest of shifts, but for a moment there, Seteth regarded her with a little less suspicion. Hopefully, he liked whatever it was he'd found.

"If you insist, then I will admit that all the bulletin boards do need to be updated with new requests and announcements. The person meant to perform that task today has taken ill, or so I've been told," Seteth said, frowning for a moment. He clearly thought that was an excuse more than anything. "As for breakfast… I suppose there is no harm in sharing a meal from time to time."

Bianca visibly brightened. "No worries. I'm less likely to send utensils flying as compared to weapons. Even on a bad day."

He didn't dignify that with a response. Good man.

"That being said, you do not mind answering a few questions all the while, I hope?" he said instead.

In other words, transform an innocent mealtime into an interrogation session where all the deepest, darkest secrets came to light? Well, hell, if it meant bringing him peace of mind, why not.

"Sure. I don't have anything to hide."

"Good." Ending the conversation there, Seteth gestured towards the general direction of the mess hall. "In that case, shall we?"

"Blazes. Yes. I'm starving."

Food, food, glorious food.

Y'know, if taking on bulletin board-related duties meant that she'd be running all over Garreg Mach Monastery without coming off as an intruder, then maybe she should have gone with this idea right at the start. But alas, hindsight was not 20/20 at the time, and all Bianca had to show for it by the time she was done was a sweaty back and a boatload of regrets.

On the plus side, spending breakfast with Seteth hadn't been a disaster, so there was that as a silver lining.

The whole thing was like having a coffee shop interview, in all honesty. Not too formal, not too stressful; just the right amounts of seriousness and oh-goddess-I-hope-I-answered-that-correctly moments.

She probably did. Dealing with people was more of her line of expertise, and it helped that she had some "past life" knowledge to fall back on.

So when Seteth confirmed if she truly was the daughter of Jeralt Eisner, she'd swallowed her food, gave a thumbs up, and said that yes, she was, though he'll have to forgive the lack of resemblance; she and Byleth took after their mother, which Father agreed was for the best.

How long had it been since she became a mercenary? Actually, she wasn't sure. Seven years? Eight? Maybe even ten. She hadn't been keeping count. Sorry.

And age? Sigh. Her guess was around 20 or 21—she didn't really know, just that she and her brother agreed on a birth date so that they had something to celebrate every year. No, Father never said, and no, she tried asking once and all she got was a drunken ramble about her mother. The man had one bottle too many at the time.

(Even as a reincarnated person, she still didn't know. Reliving life as a baby meant having very, very small moments of lucidity. She couldn't even remember how she was born alive when her brother was born dead. There might be an explanation for that, though…)

The rest of Seteth's questions were more or less about what she knew in general and what she didn't, and the next thing she knew, mealtime was over and the two of them went their separate ways.

In friendlier terms, thankfully.

Now, the sun shone brightly in the cloudy sky, and Bianca was climbing a set of stairs two at a time, making her way to the archbishop's audience chamber with extreme haste. The few people she'd rushed past stared at her retreating back in puzzlement, and for a moment, there was even a monk who'd smirked and made an off-hand comment about losing track of time. Jerk.

Finally, she reached her destination—

And collided against a wall.

"Careful there—Bianca?"

Well, when she said "wall," she actually meant someone solid enough to be one.

Someone who managed to grip her shoulder before she could lose her footing and fall into an ungraceful heap.

Heart thudding against her chest, Bianca could only laugh awkwardly as she looked up at the scarred (and surprised) face of Jeralt Eisner. "Hey, Father. Fancy bumping into you!"

He let her go and she took several relieved steps back.

"Way to make an entrance, kid," her father said. And after getting a good look at her disheveled state, "Been busy, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it." Bianca answered, wiping some sweat off her brow. "I've been all over the monastery. Bulletin boards are, apparently, serious business."

"What?"

"I got up too early, decided to do some errands for Seteth, and ended up getting a grand tour of the place. It's a long story."

The man stared at her in incredulity for a good few seconds before shaking his head in defeat. Long since had he learned the valuable lesson of just taking her word for it instead of finding out the finer details.

"Right," Father said. "In any case, Byleth's right ahead. I have no idea how Alois pulled it off, but somehow he got your brother a teaching position at the Officers Academy."

Still a professor. What a relief. Not that there was any room for doubt, but she totally wouldn't have known what to do if she was the one with the professorship instead. What would she even end up teaching, anyway? How lack of communication caused wars on Fódlan?

But wait. If Byleth got the job, then…?

"Sorry, kid," he then said, having read the question in her eyes. "Looks like they're still figuring out where you'd be a good fit. Unless there's something you want to volunteer for, this basically means you're free to do whatever you want. At least for now. Just be sure not to get into any messes you can't get out of."

Huh. Well. It couldn't be helped if they only had room for one new professor. What would this mean for her in the long run, though?

"I'm surprised you're not offering to take me under your wing instead," Bianca decided to say instead, her tone wry.

"Kid, I'm not about to deny you a choice in things just because your brother didn't get the chance to have any." But she was more than welcome to blame Alois for that, was what he left unsaid. His face said it all, really. "Besides, I'm not the captain."

"Just someone here to assist. Right," she said. "But still, thanks. I guess I should go ahead and join Byleth for now, huh?"

"That's not a bad idea, yeah. Since I've got an office of my own again, though, just head on there if either of you need anything. It's just nearby; you can't miss it." Then he smiled and, to her mortification, patted her head not once, but twice. "Be good, you hear?"

It was all she could do to fight off a blush.

"I will. Well, okay, I'll try. And I promise I'll look after Byleth. But you"—she pointed at him—"you have to be careful too, you hear? No dying on the job."

"Count on it. Your old man's still a hell lot more capable than you think."

Content with that answer, she gave her father a quick hug (hah, revenge) and stepped into the audience chamber.

Byleth was, indeed, found right where her father said he'd be. At the moment, he was listening to what sounded like a rundown of the Officers Academy, and judging from the way he hung onto every word—a man and a woman who could only be Professors Hanneman and Manuela were leading the explanation—he was taking his new position as a new professor seriously.

Would she be the same way if she traded places with him, she wondered?

"…I'm sure Lady Rhea will have more information for you tomorrow, but that should get you going. Good luck. You'll—oh, hello there! I don't recall seeing you before."

Manuela, the short-haired woman whose attire was… eye-catching, to say the least, glanced Bianca's way with her lips quirked upwards. The sudden shift of attention was more than enough to send Hanneman, the monocled man with graying hair, looking at her as well.

"You definitely haven't," Bianca said, sending a cheery grin their way. She approached the three and gave Byleth an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. "I'm Bianca, also known as this new professor's twin sister. Sorry for the interruption."

"Not at all, not at all," Hanneman said affably. "We were just about finished. But, hmm, you say you are his sister? A twin, at that? I do wonder if—"

"Oh, no, don't you start with all that Crest talk again," Manuela interjected, frowning at her colleague before returning her attention to Bianca with a much warmer demeanor. "Don't worry; if you have need of your brother, he's all yours. I'm Manuela, and the man who's about to talk you into visiting his office to help with hisCrest research is Hanneman."

"Manuela, must you be so—"

"It's very, very nice to meet the two of you," Bianca said before the two could forget themselves and start bickering like an old couple (now there's an image). "And I just wanted to see how my brother's doing. Seeing as he's in good hands, though, it looks like there's no reason for me to worry. Thank you so much for giving him a warm welcome—I hope I'll be able to return the favor someday."

And that was a bomb defused. Several pleasant exchanges later, both professors returned to their own offices, and Bianca was finally left alone with her brother. Of course, knowing that they couldn't stay long in the audience chamber, either, the two of them had taken to strolling around the academy instead.

Bianca was overly familiar with the area at that point.

Eventually, the rest of the day passed in companionable silence. Byleth soon retreated to his now-permanent room to do some reading ("I still need to prepare for tomorrow. Well, for this job in general, and I already know what you're going to say, Bianca."), and after promising that they'll talk more tomorrow, she…

Well, the sight of her room had never been so welcome. Especially now that her stomach was filled with tonight's dinner, which was the most delicious meal she'd had in a long time. Just thinking of the bed she'll sink into was enough to send her into a state of bliss.

Okay! Today might not have gone exactly how she thought it would, but there was always a tomorrow to deal with. All she needed to do was remember that she didn't carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. No pressure; just focus on what she wanted to achieve, and everything would fall into place soon enough.

Oh hey, life worked like that sometimes, didn't it?

But before Bianca could sigh in contentment, someone called to her.

"Bianca."

Oh, come on. She lifted her hand from the doorknob and turned around. Then she blinked; whatever words were prepared for the bothersome jerk died in her mouth.

"…Seteth?"

Green hair, equally green eyes, and a piercing stare that could see through a person's soul. Yep. That was him.

Why, though?

"My apologies if you were already meaning to turn in for the night. I need only a moment of your time."

She had to discreetly pinch her arm to prove this wasn't a dream. Ouch. Her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not in trouble for something, am I?"

"I hesitate to ask what may have warranted such a—no. Not at the moment. But there is something that I would like to discuss with you," Seteth said. "If you will come with me to my office?"

There was no way she was going to decline. Well, that, and the man would likely skewer her if she tried.

"Alright."

Silently wishing her room farewell, she followed Seteth and discovered something that would change her life forever.

…Sorry. That was a lie.

What he did talk about was still something she hadn't foreseen, though.

Okaaay. This took a bit of time to release. Not too sure what to feel about this one considering it took me quite a while to finish (and I only would have because I put my foot down and set a deadline for myself). Let's just say that a full-time job and being sucked into a playthrough of another game leaves little time for anything else. Hopefully though, this one's decent enough a chapter to warrant all that wait.

Pretty sure the next one involves which house Byleth will choose and what, exactly, was Bianca recruited to do... to put it one way... so yay, there's that to look forward to, at least.

And for those disappointed she wasn't a professor: don't worry, nothing's set in stone. Anything can still happen in the future, especially when you take into account what happens during the White Clouds portion of the game. ;)