【 𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 】

⌜ ✥。.:*: – brodia or fódlan, in his princely heart did alcryst know and instinctively feel that he must do everything within his power to provide aid to those in need - and the citizens just beyond the monastery were no exception. helping people was important to him - not only as a responsibility or duty, but because he cared about their welfare and wished for them to be safe and able to live their own lives. when the opportunity arose for students and faculty alike to travel to the village and support, he rose to the occasion - volunteering as tribute for whatever lie ahead. he initially thought he was traveling alone, but he supposed it made sense to have a partner whose back you watch and your back they watch. she was beautiful, indeed, but nonetheless intimidating by position and power by themselves - he easily lost himself in her shadow of influence.

"councilor camilla!" alcryst straightened his posture and bowed forward politely - holding his bow in one hand with the other across his chest. "i'm sorry that you were assigned to patrol with someone of my low ranking, but i promise that i will not interfere or get in your way. please let me know how i can be of service to you." having already started on his way out of the monastery, he screeched to a halt and swiveled around on his heel to face her once again - awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

⌜ ✥。.:*: – one thing led to another, and before alcryst knew it, the flow of the crowd he was practically drowning in rushed down the mountainside to a secluded area with a roaring bonfire that envied the livelihood of the party. he would have thought that the procession of the ethereal ball would exhaust all attendants, but perhaps it was not as rambunctious as he believed it to be - given that he was not even present to bear witness to it firsthand. the party scene - with the exception of royal balls held in the castle - was not up his alley, so the fact that he was here, to begin with, was bizarre. like a fish out of water, he wandered around the area for anyone that resembled familiarity to him - the last thing he wished for was to be the reason the party dies, and everyone marks him as the one to never invite. or tell. or even acknowledge. again.

"oof, my apologies--" alcryst stammered through an awkward apology to the person he had accidentally bumped into, until the familiarity he was seeking came true - and in the form of lady nordion, no less. "professor nordion! w-what a surprise it is to see you here. were you at the ethereal ball before this? i'm not too certain how i ended up down here, but…" oh, how that could have been left to more interpretation than necessary. "i'm sorry!" he gasped, covering his face from embarrassment. "that's not to imply i'm intoxicated or anything like that! i would never!"

⌜ ✥。.:*: – wintertime in fódlan is not for the weak, though alcryst was able to withstand the icy elements given his experience traversing through elusia back home; nevertheless, he could not relent to that comfort and forget to rely on his instincts - especially when competent collaboration across the task force was necessary for success. by the grace of the goddess, he managed to pull his weight - despite his inferiority complex casting a looming shadow of doubt over himself - and complete the mission with minimal injuries. of those working alongside him, he was getting along well with someone named nel who - had he been on the opposing side - would be a mighty foe to fight against; fortunately, that was not the case - as he admired her strength and teamwork toward their shared goal during their time together. much to his surprise, the two had found themselves traveling to a simple retreat seeking warmth and food to restore their energy - and the invitation was one he appreciated very much, since friends - or, rather, potential allies - were far and few in between for alcryst.

"i am afraid i will not be very entertaining company to have, but i thank you for having me in spite of that, nel." his teeth chattered in the midst of the speech as he craved a the fire illuminated from behind the windows on the outside of the building emerging into view. "if there is anyone else you see here that you would prefer to talk to or sit with, please feel free. my presence is not enlightening as others' are…" the hint of energy he glimpsed from the doorway paled in comparison to that within his possession. a quiet evening may not lie ahead for him, but no matter - especially as the alluring scent of cooked meat was irresistible for the prince to turn away from.

“You’re not imposing at all. I was only practising by myself. If anything you’re doing me a favour by asking to partner with me.” This was true, for all the usefulness of practising with the training dummies could be, it was a poor imitation of a real life opponent who could think for themselves and out smart the prince. “And you can’t judge your performance till you try. For all you know I might be terrible against an amazing archer such as yourself. I’ve heard the stories of your skill and aim on the battlefield, especially when protecting your older brother.”

Having convinced Alcryst to go through with the fight. Dimitri had been expecting the prince to bring out his bow so was surprised when Alcryst grabbed a sword instead. Interesting, one trained in both melee and range combat. Though that made sense for one trained from early years in how to lead others and defend themselves. Dimitri himself had received similar training before setting on the lance as his weapon of choice. Didn’t mean he couldn’t use other ones when in a pinch. 

He readied himself as his opponent attempted to rush him sword drawn. Bringing his lance closer into to his body, he used the shaft of it to block the incoming attack. He winced as the sword bounced back into his attacker, wounding them. He hadn’t meant to block so forcibly. It’s just training, not life or death he reminded himself. This is why no one will fight you 

"prince- oh, i'm sorry, i mean," alcryst winced whilst correcting himself, despite seemingly continuing to fumble over his words into an oblivion of humiliation, "dimitri, you have already been kind enough as to spare me any of your time or attention at all." contrary to his insistence to drop formalities, his presence alone commanded respect - and alcryst acknowledged that with a small bow, albeit not without a trace of pain aching in his chest. "your defense is commendable, but please, i ask that we continue. i may be inferior to you, especially with this sword in hand - but i cannot give up now, or else i will never be able to face you again."

"You can cool it with the honorifics for me, you know," she says, waving a hand. "I know both our elder siblings are professors here so how you want to handle that is up to you, but as far as I'm concerned right now the two of us are just plain ol' classmates. Okay?"

It had been one thing when it had been a cohort of royals and the Divine Dragon touring Elyos together, but being at Garreg Mach was far too reminiscent of the magic academy for Hortensia to want the addition of princess this or princess that. There were plenty of foreign nobles here too, kings and queens even! If Alcryst and she were to prove themselves it should be on their own merit not just some title.

"What," she shoots back, "don't think I can handle all my classes and extracurriculars on top of catching up with an old ally?" And because she's learned at least a little with how Alcryst might react to that question since traveling with him, she answers quickly: "relax, I totally can. It's why I came over here in the first place. To talk. Huh, I thought the Blue Lions seemed like a bunch of strait-laced jocks but they aren't actually putting you through some weird hazing are they?"

She glares at the surrounding students curious enough to stare at Alcryst's theatrics just in case.

"yes, princess -- i mean, yes, hortensia, i understand. my apologies for the formalities, given neither of us is within our respective jurisdictions." falling back on how he addressed prominent guests or others of elite status was a safety net for him, especially when he was nervous or uncertain of how to acknowledge someone - but it would seem that he would have to relent his official demeanor when speaking with hortensia over time. then, as if a switch was turned, her tone shifted toward him, causing him to quickly be on the defense until she spoke up again and clarified her intention. it was just another virtue of hers that not only was she confident but could strategically predict his next move - no wonder fighting her in the past was a tribulation to overcome.

"pardon? for tea? with me?" alcryst squeaked, pointing to himself as if she were speaking to multiple people at the same time. spending time alone with the princess was not a common endeavor of his, especially not for tea - but before he could hesitate and offer an alternative guest more worthy of her time, she proceeded onward with what she was talking about in the first place. whether he liked it or not, he suspected that she would not take 'no' for an answer. not again.

"over by the rose garden? sure, hortensia, but may i say that you are far too kind to offer me tea when accompaniment by me is one wasted on your time." he followed her lead, leaving his argument behind as he transfixed his attention from the bizarreness of their meeting here to her answer to his question in the first place. "it is refreshing to see so much greenery compared to back home, but a part of me misses the barrenness of the landscape in brodia. though, i feel that being here is a spot taken for another student of more strength or higher status that would be more beneficial to the academy. i hardly meet that standard, let alone as the prince back in elyos."

It could honestly be considered a talent in itself, how many ways Alcryst could find to demean himself in the breadth of one sentence. Not one to be proud of, of course, for his younger brother was far more extraordinary than he himself seemed to realize, which begged the question—from where did this stem? For it to be so deeply ingrained, who was it that made him feel this way?

Diamant supposed there was little he could do about that now. He could only continue to encourage his brother going forward, just as Emblem Byleth had once advised. When they do something well, make sure they know it.

"Come now, if you resolve yourself to never believing you'll accomplish something, you'll never have the drive to make it reality." He gives Alcryst a hearty clap on the shoulder as the younger man comes to his side, "Besides, it's not a competition. Unless, of course, you wish for it to be?"

to say that his beliefs were misaligned with diamant's would be misconstrued. it was not that he dared to defy his older brother - much less the future king of brodia - and his convictions; rather, it was important to alcryst that diamant not be led astray with fallacious ideas that the younger of the two would ever amount to anything nearly as significant as him. having concern over him would mean that his focus lies elsewhere than the good of brodia. that was absolutely the last thing that the prince wished for. though he would be lying if he did not admit that he sincerely enjoyed spending uninterrupted time with his brother, despite his pushback otherwise.

"for it to be a competition means that you would be competing against someone with comparable skill or talent, to which i lack both." little contests as such were not lost on him; in fact, some of his fondest memories were vying for first place against his brother. as he reeled back from the hearty clap on his shoulder, a soft smile graced his features - and he relented with, "… maybe after i warm up a little bit, we'll see if i'm worth the challenge."

"It's over this way." Marianne said softly, intending to lead him to the exit. Instead, with a soft gasp she bumped into someone. One of the bishops was standing in their way. Of course, if Marianne heard the noise, there was no doubt someone else did.

"What's this?" The bishop looked at the two students, attempting to flee the fallen statue of Saint Cichol, and came to their own conclusion. "Ah ha! Trying to run after destroying church property are you?"

"get behind me. please." he stepped forward, ushering the unraveling girl behind him - swallowing his fears of repercussions to stand up for what was right - and standing as proudly as humanly possible. "madam bishop, please do not be upset with her. she was merely a bystander in all of this. it was i who was careless and knocked over the statue by mistake." alcryst held it together for quite some time, may he say, but old habits came out and before he knew it - he had fallen onto his knees.