#sylvain support

Bernadetta doesn’t scream when she suddenly hears someone join her. That’s a plus. She does go rigid under the table, face buried firmly in her knees so she can’t see whoever it is until they start to talk. Sylvain.

She hears something scrape across the floor and slowly peeks out from her hiding spot. His card is on the floor, pushed towards her. Bernadetta frowns in confusion, glancing back up at him.

“...how is you sitting with me going to stop people from seeing me? Doesn’t everybody look at you?” 

Which is probably a little mean. She’s sure not everyone looks at him. From what she’s heard, it’s mostly the other women around the school.

Still, she slowly reaches out and takes his card. She holds it up, reading over the names he’s gotten so far. There’s not as many as she expected. She thought for sure someone like Sylvain would have a card over filling with stamps by now. She stares at it a moment longer before adding her own stamp and signature to it. she places it back on the floor and slides it back over to him.

His hand catches Mitama's as she passes, and the smile he flashes her is the same one that has earned him some of his most hard-won dates. Not that it'll work, but he's here to try.

"Good evening--I don't believe we've met. I'm Sylvain, and you are breathtaking."

Oh, absolutely not.

The list of those Mitama enjoys casual contact with is short and specific. Beyond those who she risked life and limb with during the war, there are precious few who find themselves with the fortune to grace that list. Sylvain, whose reputation precedes him, most certainly does not fall within that list.

The moment a hand closes on Mitama's and pulls her to a stop, her temper flares, unpleasant bile rising to her tongue. While she grows hot, the air around her hand grows cold as the blizzard spell is summoned.

She is tempted to freeze his hand where it grabs her, but her memories of Faerghus make that plan sink unpleasantly in her stomach.

From between their fingers, ice shoots down at his feet and spreads across the floor. Mitama turns to face him and pulls on their connected hands to set him off balance. As he leans down, she raises her free hand to his face, also coated in the same chilly atmosphere as the hand he holds.

"Touch me or anyone else again without asking first and I will make sure you understand just how breathtaking I may be."

kiss me beneath the milky twilight]

Something was moving her hair.

The library was its quietest in the early morning hours. That brief time after the hard workers or mischief hunters had gone to bed, and before the professors and go-getters rose to prepare for the day. It was easy enough to enter, Mitama just had to be quiet and ensure no trace of her was left there.

She had often wasted time amongst the books when her sleep schedule shifted enough that she could not rest during the dreaming hours. She usually made an effort to slip back to her room before it was too late (early?).

It seems she'd failed this time.

Her eyes drift open to early morning light filtering into the library. They shift to spot Sylvain sitting next to her. Loose strands of her hair are held in his hand. He leans into her space, hand pressed to lips, hair to-

Ah. She supposes this is flattering, to some women.

She lets out a slow breath through her nose before pushing herself upright. Her hair slips from his hold. She will have to fix it before she goes to class...how annoying. She sighs again as she moves to undo the other one.

"What a timing almost as perfect as your smile," he says, and holds out a small package for her. "I was thinking about it, and I realized that you'd probably be sick of our tea since it's all you can really find. So, here—I think they call it matcha, back where you're from."

Her smile is nowhere in-sight as Sylvain approaches her. "Bygone glory days / Already fading away / Instead, Gautier."

She had been certain she had made her opinion of him clear when last they spoke. She wanted nothing to do with him, and she wanted him to have even less to do with her friends. She did not know whether it was bravery or stupidity that encouraged him to come and visit her once more.

Likely an unfortunate mix of the two. It usually always was.

"What exactly is it that you want, Sylvain? I told you that I was not interested in-" She pauses as a package is held out for her to take. She frowns at it. Is it a trap? An attack in disguise, or some kind of hidden beast?

"I think they call it matcha."

Oh.

Despite herself, she can feel her expression soften.

The scent hits her and it is such an instantaneous reminder of Hoshido, of quiet talks between friends in the late hours, wondering what's to come. Of treats sneaked between her and Asugi, of tea time with Midori, of late nights with Rhajat...Nostalgia and longing sits in her stomach like a heavy weight.

It's Sylvain. But in the face of something that means so much more, she supposes she can close her eyes to the fact.

no Hurt only Soft

Falling asleep around the academy grounds was not, by any means, unheard of or uncommon for Mitama. It was hardly her fault when the warmth of a fireplace or the scenic beauty of the grounds lulled her into comfort and allowed her a moment of respite against the stress of the educational system.

Usually when she falls asleep she wakes where she had fallen. Occasionally to stares of concern, or a friend who had stopped by to wait for her to rise. To find herself in movement is not uncommon either. She had been roused by those who could carrying her back to her room before. She expects Shiro or Sylvain or perhaps even Caeldori when she opens her eyes after realizing she was currently in someone's arms.

She sees Sylvain. It takes her only a moment to process and frown.

Still. She weighs her options. Complaining means being put down. Walking. The end of her comfortable lull.

...ugh.

"Do not get any ideas." She warns him as her eyes drift closed again. The lesser of two evils. She shifts and presses her cheek to his form again. "Walking on thin ice / try not to let yourself drown / sharks in the water."

@gallantgautier | here

Bernadetta hadn’t expected him to just let go. For all her trepidation about Sylvain, she could forget sometimes that he was fairly reasonable. Though it usually came after she freaked out a fair bit...

The sudden freedom had her stumbling in the sand a moment, but she managed to catch herself before she landed face first in it. Thank the goddess, she didn’t think she’d survive the embarrassment if she fell on her face in front of the entire school.

She turned, folded in on herself, and frowns. “A-a creature? Weird? Oh no, what if it’s dangerous! Sylvain you can’t just go up to strange animals they might eat you! Or worse!”