HAUNTED.

Riku wasn’t totally comfortable in the computer lab of the castle. This unease didn’t exclude the rest of the world, either; Radiant Garden as a whole always set him on edge. He tried not to dwell too much on it, and especially not when they had important work to do.

He watched Ienzo at the computer, his arms crossed as he leaned against a nearby wall. Riku admired his work ethic, something his friends were often lacking (and something he often teased them about). The way the apprentice worked reminded Riku of someone else, though he couldn’t put his finger on who.

It took a lot to make Byleth wish she had never begun to feel. The loss of Jeralt had been what felt like the catalyst for many of her stronger, more negative emotions. The event was always fresh in her mind, and she often wondered if she could have done something differently -- the Divine Pulse hadn’t worked then, but did some other action trigger her father’s death in the first place? If she had pinpointed that, could it have been prevented altogether? Or was Jeralt destined to die?

It didn’t help in the slightest that the Summoner had conjured up her father’s killer. Her skin crawled every time she looked upon even the silhouette of Kronya. Those tendrils especially made her uneasy, hand always resting near the hilt of the Sword of the Creator. If she tried anything this time, Byleth had vowed, she’d be ready. Until then, however, the Summoner had seemingly decided to punish Byleth (perhaps they did not know, and Byleth couldn’t fault them for that) by placing the two on duty together. A simple scouting mission, nothing to write home about, and yet Byleth couldn’t shake her unease. She did her best to keep her expression neutral, a gift she thanked the goddess she still had.