[ in battle, everyone's afraid of him; outside of that, the other mercs tend to give him a wide berth. that... probably means his face isn't the best, right? byleth's never cared that much about it one way or another, though...
(the fact he's never been hit on is probably solely because it would be wildly inappropriate to make a move on the captain's son; the women who would've looked at him with interest would've realized it was better to admire him from afar, and any men that dared to make a move would've probably been impassively thrashed by jeralt for the insult. mostly just because they would've been closer to jeralt's age than byleth's.)
but shez says he's pretty... that's a new one. is he pretty? jeralt says he resembles his mother, but byleth always figured he meant more in terms of coloring than looks... ]
Am I...? I've really never thought about it.
It is a little overwhelming, I have to admit. The company that Jeralt and I usually keep... it's always been coarser. Rougher. But there are so many nobles here... with pretty faces and soft hands and sweet perfumes. I don't know how I feel about it yet.
You also have a handsome face, I think. The others must admire you greatly.
Handsome? That's gotta be a first for me, though I've been called a "Babyface" before. Not sure what to make of that...
[ the audacity of some random NPCs, I swear!! but on the other hand, Shez is practically an expert at friendzoning everyone, and it's mostly unintentional, too. too many Earnest Feelings openly professed, and not enough willingness to put down roots anytime soon. he loves the nomadic life of mercenaries too much to settle down.
(that might as well work as his alibi, too, in case Jeralt personally goes over Byleth's messenger owl logs. he's not trying to woo the pants off your son, promise!) ]
But I definitely get you on feeling overwhelmed around all these nobles and their fancy habits. Took me a long time to get used to it, and honestly I still can't say I've figured out all the proper etiquette for their tea parties...
[ oh. oh careful now. this is one of those rare moments the wheels in his brain are spinning, he's gonna do it, gonna produce one (1) whole Idea...!! ]
Hey, I bet you would have a much easier time with that! Why don't you give it a try?
Well, yeah, sort of! I mean, think about it: what are the odds anyone will find you intimidating in the presence of fancy food and expensive tea?
[ ... yeah okay, he can see as some nobles might look even more intimidating in this kind of setting, but unless Byleth is somehow tossed into a position of power like Supreme Ruler of Fodlan (in this timeline) that shouldn't be a problem! ]
Besides, everyone is always thrilled when I take them out on expeditions. Guess fun breaks are always welcome.
Eh, proper etiquette is more annoying than difficult per se. But hey, if I could figure it out, I'm sure you will, too!
[ well. more or less, anyway. he can't keep quiet for very long, he's a meowcenary with a permanent case of zoomies, you see. ]
But besides the usual merc stuff like sparring and going drinking with your buddies, I guess I have fun the most just by hanging out with friends and getting to know them better. Always feels nice to put a smile on their faces, too, even if it's just by chatting them up or giving them a little gift to boost morale. Pretty boring, huh?
[ isn't it just!! almost like these ratatouille rat vessels are two sides of the same coin! but that couldn't possibly be it!! ]
I don't know about kind, but this is the first time I've gotten around to making lasting bonds with friends. You know how it goes with mercs- you're all the best of buds until there's one less head to split your cut of the pay.
Anyway, I think giving Jeralt a gift might be a good place to start! Flowers are mostly popular with everyone... Do you know if he's got any favorites?
It wasn't quite that cutthroat in Jeralt's group. But it could be like that, sometimes, if the wrong people joined.
Growing up, he always told me to forgive people if I could. But a lot of the time, he said, you can't.
I don't know... I'll look around. But that's a good idea. Flowers, I mean.
People tend to think that Jeralt is all about the mercenary life. That all he cares about is alcohol and combat and coin. But he's not really like that, deep down.
Guess you had a bit of an easier time, and it probably helped that your dad had so much experience as a merc. I had to learn it the way most other mercs do, and the closest thing to friends I ever made before joining this army was during my time serving under captain Berling.
[ and... they both know how that turned out, so. best to drop that topic right there! ]
Anyway, I know better than to judge a book by its cover, and Jeralt is no different. It's obvious he cares a whole lot about you. Worries, even, that you don't have a lot of friends your own age. Surprisingly overprotective, right?
[ does Byleth even know Jeralt all but asked Shez to take care of him? he's not old enough to adopt a kid this big! ]
[ oh yeah. berling's group. the tactful thing would definitely be to drop the subject — ]
I'm still sorry for trying to kill you.
[ — TOO LATE, shez is talking to captain tactless and so he will address how he feels head-on. but hey... at least byleth means it? and he did hesitate long enough, before killing shez, that he gave arval the chance to... wake up and stuff... anyway, it worked out...! ]
...Does he really worry that much?
It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that he doesn't really talk to me about things like that.
[ naturally, he wouldn't, given that "my kid has no friends" isn't really a problem that can be fixed by addressing said kid. besides, jeralt always took the position that byleth was fine the way he was and didn't need to change himself. but... ]
And when I was a child, Jeralt knew that I could fend for myself, so he usually didn't have problems leaving me alone or by myself for a few days... or weeks...
[ ... yeah, captain tactful, how is that working out for you? ah well, it's Shez's own fault for bringing it up, so: ]
Hey, don't worry about it-- water under the bridge, okay? That's how it goes between mercenaries.
[ besides, Shez also tried to kill Byleth while they were on the same side, though in his defense, he wasn't really himself, either. ugh. why must everything be so complicated between them... ]
Anyway, I'm sure Jeralt knows better than anyone that you can expertly handle yourself with a sword, yeah, but that's not really what he worries about. He just wants to know you have some friends, make sure you're not, you know, lonely and all.
[ there's a distinct 'when Jeralt is gone' bit that Shez has made the elective decision to omit because, well, he doesn't want to sound any unnecessary alarms. ]
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no subject
(the fact he's never been hit on is probably solely because it would be wildly inappropriate to make a move on the captain's son; the women who would've looked at him with interest would've realized it was better to admire him from afar, and any men that dared to make a move would've probably been impassively thrashed by jeralt for the insult. mostly just because they would've been closer to jeralt's age than byleth's.)
but shez says he's pretty... that's a new one. is he pretty? jeralt says he resembles his mother, but byleth always figured he meant more in terms of coloring than looks... ]
Am I...? I've really never thought about it.
It is a little overwhelming, I have to admit. The company that Jeralt and I usually keep... it's always been coarser. Rougher. But there are so many nobles here... with pretty faces and soft hands and sweet perfumes. I don't know how I feel about it yet.
You also have a handsome face, I think. The others must admire you greatly.
no subject
[ the audacity of some random NPCs, I swear!! but on the other hand, Shez is practically an expert at friendzoning everyone, and it's mostly unintentional, too. too many Earnest Feelings openly professed, and not enough willingness to put down roots anytime soon. he loves the nomadic life of mercenaries too much to settle down.
(that might as well work as his alibi, too, in case Jeralt personally goes over Byleth's messenger owl logs. he's not trying to woo the pants off your son, promise!) ]
But I definitely get you on feeling overwhelmed around all these nobles and their fancy habits. Took me a long time to get used to it, and honestly I still can't say I've figured out all the proper etiquette for their tea parties...
[ oh. oh careful now. this is one of those rare moments the wheels in his brain are spinning, he's gonna do it, gonna produce one (1) whole Idea...!! ]
Hey, I bet you would have a much easier time with that! Why don't you give it a try?
no subject
I don't mind, but...
Ah. Does this have something to do with your... image-softening idea from earlier?
no subject
[ ... yeah okay, he can see as some nobles might look even more intimidating in this kind of setting, but unless Byleth is somehow tossed into a position of power like Supreme Ruler of Fodlan (in this timeline) that shouldn't be a problem! ]
Besides, everyone is always thrilled when I take them out on expeditions. Guess fun breaks are always welcome.
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[ byleth does have... some advantage over shez in the tea parties department. namely, that byleth is a lot better at sitting perfectly still. ]
Having fun... I'll keep that in mind.
What do you do for fun, Shez?
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[ well. more or less, anyway. he can't keep quiet for very long, he's a meowcenary with a permanent case of zoomies, you see. ]
But besides the usual merc stuff like sparring and going drinking with your buddies, I guess I have fun the most just by hanging out with friends and getting to know them better. Always feels nice to put a smile on their faces, too, even if it's just by chatting them up or giving them a little gift to boost morale. Pretty boring, huh?
no subject
You sound like a very kind person.
I should... try harder. Maybe. I don't think I've ever even gotten Jeralt a gift...
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I don't know about kind, but this is the first time I've gotten around to making lasting bonds with friends. You know how it goes with mercs- you're all the best of buds until there's one less head to split your cut of the pay.
Anyway, I think giving Jeralt a gift might be a good place to start! Flowers are mostly popular with everyone... Do you know if he's got any favorites?
no subject
Growing up, he always told me to forgive people if I could. But a lot of the time, he said, you can't.
I don't know... I'll look around. But that's a good idea. Flowers, I mean.
People tend to think that Jeralt is all about the mercenary life. That all he cares about is alcohol and combat and coin. But he's not really like that, deep down.
no subject
[ and... they both know how that turned out, so. best to drop that topic right there! ]
Anyway, I know better than to judge a book by its cover, and Jeralt is no different. It's obvious he cares a whole lot about you. Worries, even, that you don't have a lot of friends your own age. Surprisingly overprotective, right?
[ does Byleth even know Jeralt all but asked Shez to take care of him? he's not old enough to adopt a kid this big! ]
no subject
I'm still sorry for trying to kill you.
[ — TOO LATE, shez is talking to captain tactless and so he will address how he feels head-on. but hey... at least byleth means it? and he did hesitate long enough, before killing shez, that he gave arval the chance to... wake up and stuff... anyway, it worked out...! ]
...Does he really worry that much?
It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that he doesn't really talk to me about things like that.
[ naturally, he wouldn't, given that "my kid has no friends" isn't really a problem that can be fixed by addressing said kid. besides, jeralt always took the position that byleth was fine the way he was and didn't need to change himself. but... ]
And when I was a child, Jeralt knew that I could fend for myself, so he usually didn't have problems leaving me alone or by myself for a few days... or weeks...
no subject
Hey, don't worry about it-- water under the bridge, okay? That's how it goes between mercenaries.
[ besides, Shez also tried to kill Byleth while they were on the same side, though in his defense, he wasn't really himself, either. ugh. why must everything be so complicated between them... ]
Anyway, I'm sure Jeralt knows better than anyone that you can expertly handle yourself with a sword, yeah, but that's not really what he worries about. He just wants to know you have some friends, make sure you're not, you know, lonely and all.
[ there's a distinct 'when Jeralt is gone' bit that Shez has made the elective decision to omit because, well, he doesn't want to sound any unnecessary alarms. ]
no subject
[ and lonely when he's not... maybe. that's implied, maybe. ]
I'm not sure I have other friends.