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What a mess Fódlan has gotten itself into! Chaos everywhere, upheaval in the Holy Kingdom, the Empire marching about everywhere and Leicester is almost bursting at the seams because Count Gloucester is apparently considering defecting, defecting! To the side of the Empire! At least there are some good news for the Golden Deer: Lysithea has returned after everyone thought she died during the battle of Garreg Mach! Though she came back a bit weird to say the least. She wears clothes that are definitely not from Fódlan now, gotten much healthier than before and her accent has changed too.
People were rightfully weirded out and started to suspect things but no, she was apparently the victim of a Warp spell turned awry. Now, Andreas himself was no bishop but it was pretty obvious that this makes Lysithea the only person to have ever returned from such an accident and from what she has said so far, Lys was thrown far away into a city named ‘Lohnd’n’ or something of that sort. Even found a sibling there! Now, Andreas never wanted to pry but he does know that his returned classmate did lose two brothers earlier in life but the exact specifics were never told. Hilda got exceptionally clammy when the topic came up and Lorenz would balk at him for daring to ask with how Andreas and him are getting along nowadays. Besides, Lysithea seems happy now at least, with that Arodos fellow as her new sibling, so Andreas won’t judge.
And if he’s completely honest with himself, he’s going to reserve judgement for quite some time because Hilda and Marianne were not lying at all, Lysithea has gotten miraculously healthy during her absence! She has joined him in the training hall, Andreas has already trounced two dummies already and was ready to ruin number three when Lysithea came along.
“Huh. And here I thought I was the one with the biggest change.”
She extends a hand out towards him for a shake. Andreas takes it but there is barely a sound as their hands clasp together and hold on, what are those patterns patched into her glov-
“You go by Andreas now, I’ve heard? Quite the spiffing name, I gotta say!”
“Why thank you, Lysithea! And you seem to have changed too, if your grip strength and the fact that you willingly went to train your sword-fighting skills is anything to go by! Used to be that you needed to get dragged here to exercise!”
“Long story that one.” Getting ready to pummel some dummies on her own, Lysithea takes off her overcoat, hold on there are knives hidden in there- and she hangs it over a nearby chair. “To make it short though, I couldn’t use magic in London. Rulers there would have dissected me if they found out I could cast spells. Deffo couldn’t be caught using magic… Bloody Masters…”
“So you actually went and had to learn proper sword-fighting, eh?” It makes sense to him, at least. Lysithea was heavily reliant on her magic. Take that away and she only had that burgeoning talent for swords that the Professor has worked very hard to uncover but still. There had to be more that changed about her, there was just this feeling that something was off. Lysithea, for her part finds the question a bit funny, if the dry wheeze that somewhat irritates Andreas is anything to go by.
“Can you really call it sword-fighting if you used all manners of knives and shanks? I sadly didn’t take to my Siblings affection for cane-swords, really didn’t.” The last piece of clothing that Lysithea takes off for comfort is her vest to be able to properly train in just her pale shirt and dark-gray trousers. “Same story as it always was; I can’t take much in the way of a beating but believe you me-” She is flashing a training rapier from a nearby rack. “I can dish out quite the beating in return!”
Oh? Now it is getting interesting for Andreas. He knows that the trails of destruction, that Lysithea could leave in her wake, were awe-inspiring but those were with her immense magical power. Now though she is confined to a world that he is much more familiar with! Eagerly, he gets one of the training dummies and puts it up, before taking a good, wide step to the side. “Well, do show me! I am eager to see just how it looks when you ‘dish out quite the beating!’”
And what a beating it is! Lysithea lunges at that poor training dummy and thrusts her rapier through were the head would be in a proper human with a quite surprising amount of speed! Goddess, that..! Was not a clean or proper way to fight for a noble! It was -eugh- dirty even!
“What?”
Lysithea is giving him a curious glance, partly amused, partly offended in advance for the justification she feels the need to give.
“That was quick, I cannot deny, but it’s not how people of our rank should fight, Lysithea!”
But she is just shaking her head.
“I told you. I can’t take much hits, so I learned the School of the Hard Knocks while I was in London. Fighting style that prioritises quick and debilitating strikes over everything else.”
Already sensing the apprehension from Andreas, Lysithea just scoffs.
“It’s only natural I took on that style of fighting. Best a fight gets done quickly than stretch out, yes?”
“Well, yes but-”
“But what?” Oh, Andreas does not like that smug grin Lysithea’s giving him right now. “Don’t tell me you’ve become a toff in my absence!”
A toff. A toff! The insult echoes around in Andreas’ mind and a shocked, long gasp is heard across the training hall.
“You take that back!”
“The toff part?”
Oh no, that is a mocking smile! Lysithea is mocking him and that after she went missing for five! Five whole years! Five gruelling years where everyone, including Andreas though she was dead! And then she just calls him a toff! This cannot stand!
“Yes! I’ll challenge you to a duel to do so, if I must!”
Lysithea seems unimpressed, if anything, just snorting a laugh into her fist.
“I mean… Is it really slander if it’s the truth? All that growth that Lorenz went through but it seems you just took over his vices for him!”
“OH!”
He might be falling for a provocation but by the Goddess, there is no way Andreas can let that one slip! One foot forward and raising his sword, he prepares for a duel. Lysithea takes position too.
“En garde, you villain!”
And what an opponent Lysithea proves to be! She lunges and lunges, viciously stabbing at whatever part of Andreas’ body is closer to her. That School of Hard Knocks is a properly menacing way to fight, now that he finds himself on the receiving end. It requires most of his attention to deflect, parry or dodge away from Lysithea’s attacks until he finds an opening!
“Take this!”
“Ah shite!”
Aha! A hit! Alas, it is only, hold on- A wig? Well, if anything it seemed to be expertly made given that until now, Andreas did not suspect a thing and oh wow, she is wearing her hair exceptionally short and dyed in such a strong red to boot! Hold on, such short hair?
“Erm… Lysithea?”
His classmate seems only mildly annoyed, more concerned with that wig, carefully setting aside after having inspected it for damages.
“Yes?”
“Do you have a similar deal going on like me? You know with the-”
To make the point in the first place, Andreas is pointing to his hair, cut much shorter now than he used to wear it, back before he transitioned. Lysithea only replies with a shrug and an expression that tells him that she hasn’t really given much thought to the matter.
“Eh, London’s a place where many things are permissible. Am I bit of a Sapphist? Absolutely! Do I have something more than that going on? Not the slightest clue! I had things to do.”
“I see. Well in any case, if you do ‘have something more going on,’ you know who you can talk to about it.”
“Heh.”
Raising her rapier again, Lysithea just raises an eyebrow, smirks and pulls her face.
“I take it after you try and finish this duel to regain your honour, you nob! Bleh!”
By the Goddess does this get his blood pumping again! She seems to be itching for a fight, to see how much he has grown these last years! Well, Andreas is eager to deliver and the fight quickly restarts, steel clashing against steel or swinging into air where a fighter stood just a moment before. Lysithea’s School of Hard Knocks is fast and aggressive but this also means that if Andreas starts to feint more, he should get Lysithea to hesitate, buying him time for an attack of his own. Because that is the one thing Lysithea’s style is entirely lacking in: Defence.
And lo and behold, after quite the hard time parrying and evading, Andreas finds his opportunity to strike: One strong slash and Lysithea has her rapier thrown out of her hand, that she retracts with a hiss.
“Bloody hell! You’ve grown quite good with the sword, huh?”
Triumphantly swirling his blade in his hand, Andreas takes his victory with a short bow.
“Thank you very much! Now, your part for losing the match.”
“Alright, alright. I take calling you a toff back. You’ve won this one, but-”
Lysithea shifts her pose, straightening her back, putting her head forward and glaring at Andreas. The movement is slight but it betrays that there is something much more terrifying waiting beneath her skin, something different than the two crests in her blood. Something monstrous.
“Don’t think this means you can freely trifle with me bruv!”
Now where did that come from? Some advanced magic she learned while away? He knew that Lysithea was prideful so he can understand being a bit miffed at losing the duel but she has changed. Very much so and in a way that Andreas can tell is different from how he changed. Whether it is for the better or the worse, he cannot tell but for now he can infer that Lysithea should be treated with respect, even more so than five years ago, back when it was somewhat humorous to see her flustered.
“Well I certainly don’t plan it! You have proven to be quite the dangerous young woman, Lysithea and I do mean that as a compliment.”
Just as quickly as that hint of something worse appeared, it fades away just as quickly as Lysithea relaxes her stance and grabs her vest, coat and wig.
“Good. Also, please stay hush-hush about me wearing that peruke. I do plan on telling the others in due time, just figured that it would be too shocking if I appear with dyed and shorn hair after missing for quite some time.”
“I do not really blame you. The hair does make you look like a completely different person. But it does look good in it’s own way.”
“Thank you. Care to get brekkers?”
“Brekkers?”
It seems to be that London accent, apparently. Lyisthea just lets out a disappointed sigh as she seems to remember that she is in a place that doesn’t really speak her new dialect.
“Breakfast…”
“Oh, I would love to!”
It was high time anyway, Andreas can feel the hunger now and he could smell that the cooks were throwing good things in the oven when he walked by the mess hall earlier.