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Snippet #2789174

located in Fódlan, a part of Fire Emblem: Apotheosis, one of the many universes on RPG.

Fódlan

A continent divided into three different factions: The Adrestian Empire, The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Leicester Alliance.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Senka Rinaldi Character Portrait: Amalthea von Kreuz Character Portrait: Mercer von Riegan Character Portrait: Sorcha Blaiddyd Character Portrait: Jeralt's Journal
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I.Y. 1181 - Guardian Moon - Saturday the 3rd
Dining Hall - Early Afternoon - Snow
Mercer von Riegan


Mercer didn't understand why his table was being stared at. He could see other students, especially those from Sorcha's house, staring at him and the others. No few of them were staring directly at Senka, though. He couldn't understand why. Sure, she was a beautiful woman, but the way they were staring at her wasn't exactly admirable. It was filled with disgust and malice. If she noticed the stares, though, she did a good job at hiding it. She simply took a bite of her meal, and remained quiet. To Mercer, that wasn't a good sign at all. She was much more open with them now, often taking the initiative to talk with the group, but she didn't. Not today.

He was about to ask her if everything was alright when a student walked up to the table. Dressed in the blue lion colors, he sneered at Senka. “How can you stand to sit with her?" he spoke, causing Mercer to glare at the boy. “She's from Duscur. How can you, of all people, Your Highness, stand to be in her company at all. She's the reason your father is dead!" He continued. Mercer was confused.

“Fuck you, Bricius," Sorcha said, her face hardening at the accusation. She didn't seem surprised to hear it, oddly enough, just angry. “Go tell your lies to someone who cares."

“She's from Almyra, you moron. You better watch the next words that come out of your mouth. They may be your last," Mercer stated, his eyes hardening in the boy's direction. He merely huffed, though, and waved a hand in his face like disbelief.

“She has you fooled, too, huh. Must be that good in bed. She's seduced your Professor, after all," he continued. The statement caused Senka to visibly wince, and Mercer nearly stood to slug the guy, however; someone tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to turn around. Without much warning, a fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling on the ground, holding his cheek where it was already swelling and red.

“Don't you dare talk about my friend like that," Thea huffed, her eyes narrowed into a harsh glare he'd never seen her wear before. The boy stammered to his feet as he glared back at her.

“You are all crazy, wanting to be friends with the Duscur Princess! She'll have you all slaughtered, too, just you wait!" he pointed an accusatory finger at Senka before he hurried off. Thea continued glaring at the boy until Mercer cleared his throat softly, and chanced a glance at Senka. Her eyes were downcast, and she looked like she'd lost all the color in her face. Was it true?

“Senka?" he stated softly, watching as she glanced up with tentative eyes. “You shouldn't listen to him; he's a dumbshit, alright?" he spoke, trying to cheer her up. She merely shook her head, though.

“It... was only a matter of time before it was discovered," she spoke softly, causing Mercer to purse his lips in confusion.

“Wait... so you're telling me that what he said is true? That you're from Duscur? And its princess? What the hell, Sen!?" Sylvi nearly shouted, but kept her voice low as she narrowed her eyes in Senka's direction. Mercer was about to defend Senka, however; Sylvi shook her head. “That hurts, Sen. That you didn't trust us enough to tell us that," she spoke, shaking her head lightly. Senka merely dropped her eyes to her plate.

Devon put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head slightly. “I don't think it was about trust, Syl," he said gently. “Look what's happened now that it's gotten out. Somehow." His brows furrowed at that, and he regarded Senka with genuine sympathy.

Sorcha's jaw tightened. “I've no idea how," she muttered darkly. “The number of people who ever knew is—and what's this nonsense about seducing the Professor? Don't they have anything better to think about than making up outrageous lies like that? I don't think we could punch them all even if we spent all day trying."

“It'd be worth trying, though," Deirdre spoke. She looked angry, but not at Senka. “Seriously, people have nothing better to do than try to amuse themselves on the misery of others. Like Merc said, Sen, don't listen to that idiot. We're still your friends, no matter where you're from. And I'm sure that Sorcha wouldn't be your best friend, either, if it were true of what happened to her family," she continued, sparing Sorcha a glance.

“I suppose you're right. Still, who else knew you were from Duscur, Sen? From the sounds of it, Sorcha seems to be the only one who does," Sylvi spoke, turning her attention towards Senka. She merely kept her head down, chewing the bottom of her lip in a thoughtful process.

“Cyril and Vridel."

“Which makes this even more confusing!" Sorcha said with a grimace, making a frustrated sound as she struggled to open what seemed to be a small screw-top jar of jam. “I've never told anyone—not because I'm ashamed, but because Sen asked me not to—and obviously neither of them would. Professor Cyril's in love with her, and the rumors are going to hurt him, too, and Vivi's Vivi. So—what gives?" She tried the jar again, still to no success, and huffed at it.

Mercer took the jar from Sorcha and opened it before handing it back. “Sor's right; Vi and Teach would never tell anyone because they're not like that. And I'm sure you told them not to tell, either, right?" he spoke, earning a nod from Senka. “And I'm sure you were careful when you told them," he continued, sighing softly. Who else could have known that Senka was from Duscur? He briefly entertained the idea that Rhea knew, because she seemed to know everything, however; that didn't seem to add up, quite right. Rhea only targeted Sen because of how close she was to Cyril. And Sorcha was right about Teach, so if his feelings were the issue, Rhea would have done something different. Found a way to expel Senka, or get her killed somehow.

He shuddered at the thought.

“Don't worry Sen, we'll find out who did this," and make them wish they'd never did. No one hurt Mercer's friends like that. No one. Senka shook her head, though.

“It's fine, Mercer. I'm sorry to have dragged you all into this, though," she spoke softly, and he could hear a soft crack in her voice. “I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have believed that," she continued, causing Mercer to purse his lips and furrow his brows.

“You stop that, Senka. Who here cares? You've been through it all with us, saved our hides more than once on a few occasions, so who cares what they have to say? You're Senka, and our friend. I, for one, am glad you are my friend. To hell with anyone who tries to make me think, otherwise." Deirdre had her eyes narrowed in Senka's direction, but Mercer knew she was speaking honestly. That's just how Deir was, always speaking in a way that seemed harsh, but was in fact, genuine.

“Deirdre's right, even if she's blunt," Sofi added. “I for one value your friendship much more than the regard of anyone who would so willingly smear you."

Devon nodded decisively. “I'm not a prince or anything, I know," he said, “but no one in this group's ever cared that my dad's from Sreng, even though the Kingdom fights them all the time. People used to spit on me, in Fhirdiad. Literally." He scrunched his nose. “I'm sure you have it much worse, but... but I think it helps to have people around who can understand that it hurts without rejecting you, so... don't try to push us away, okay?" He smiled in the tentative way he had, and shrugged his shoulders a little.

“I really don't deserve friends like you," Senka spoke softly, but she was smiling a bit, so Mercer thought that was a good thing. “But I'm glad I have you all," she continued, glancing up at the group. Sylvi nodded her head as if it were obvious, and Deirdre huffed lightly. Thea merely nodded her head as well, as Mercer shook his head.

“That still doesn't answer the who, though. Who knew? Who told?" Mercer spoke, pursing his lips together. He almost wished that Bricius hadn't stormed off. He could have interrogated him for more information, however; he couldn't do that, now.

“We'll just have to keep an ear out and see who could possibly have known," Thea mumbled softly, taking a bite out of her sandwich. Mercer thought that was easier said than done. The entire school already knew that they were always together. Getting information wasn't going to be easy, but he figured he could ask the one person who wasn't quite always around.

As if thinking about him had summoned him somehow, Reynard appeared at the dining hall entrance, then, grabbing nothing but an apple from the food line before making a beeline directly for them. He unwound the scarf around his neck as he walked, tossing it onto the table with a heavy sigh and sitting down in front of it. “Rumor's everywhere," he said in a clipped tone, sounding irritated, but not surprised. “Thought I might be able to nip it in the bud by threatening to cut out a few tongues, but it seems to have started from multiple sources. My guess is, someone's been holding onto this for a while, and made sure to seed it heavily enough that there was no stopping it."

He bit into the apple with a crisp snap, chewing quickly before adding. “Sorry, Sen."

Senka merely shook her head. It's alright, Rey."

“That doesn't really help narrow it down, though. There has to be an originating source. It'd be too much of a coincidence if somehow multiple people knew this one thing that she only told to Cyril and Vi. I'd say we should keep this to ourselves, and try to investigate, but..." a majority of the students would know what they were up to if they mentioned it, even if it was subtlely.

“Do you at least have any leads, Rey? You're a lot better at getting information than we are, after all." He turned his eyes on Reynard.

The other man considered this. “I knew," he said after a moment. “I swear I didn't tell, but I did know. Vridel thought there was a possibility it would get out—he had me keeping an eye on things. What I can tell you is that there was absolutely no hint of the Duscur part until this morning. The other part," he tilted a hand back and forth, taking another bite from the apple. “Well you know how everyone likes to talk about us. We're all fucking each other, more or less. And I did see Lady Lyanna speaking to the Professor just now. They both looked a little... upset. I have a few guesses as to what that might mean, but..."

“Isn't that weird? That she knew so soon?" Sorcha asked, red-faced but seemingly ignoring it. “Stupid rumors like this usually take longer than half a day to filter to the top, right?"

He nodded. “Unless someone brought the concern directly to her. It might be relevant to know who that was."

Mercer supposed Rey had a point. He turned his attention towards Thea who looked like she was contemplating something. “Sister wouldn't talk to Professor Cyril unless the archbishop told her to do it. She... Lyanna tries to keep out of the affairs of the Professors, and only ever really intercedes when Rhea asks her, to." Her lips remained pursed. She opened her mouth to say something else, however; two students walked past their table, muttering beneath their breaths.

“He was right to tell Lady Lyanna. To think that someone like her managed to do those things..." they whispered, however; Mercer wasted no time and stood from his spot, grabbing the nearest one by the collar of their uniform.

“Who told Lady Lyanna?" he asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously at the young man he currently held.

“Hey, man, let me go! I've got nothing to say to you!"

“I'm not going to ask again. Who. Told?" his voice was dangerously low, and he could see the fear seeping behind boys' eyes.

“They said it was His Imperial Highness!" he nearly shouted. Mercer furrowed his brows. Vridel? That didn't add up.

“You're lying."

“I'm not! I swear my life on the goddess I am not lying! We all saw him speaking to Lady Lyanna and Rhea this morning!"

“What? That doesn't make any sense," Sorcha said hotly, a deep line appearing between her brows. “Vivi would never do something like that. There has to be another explanation."

“I hope he hasn't done something stupid," Reynard muttered.

“Well, there's only one way to find out. We ask it straight from the horse's mouth." Mercer knew Vridel would never tell anyone else's secret. Vridel had plenty of his own, after all, so why would he say something that wasn't his own? He shook his head, though, and glanced in Senka's direction. Her brows were knitted together, and she had a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Vridel would never do that," she spoke softly, glancing in Sorcha's direction. “He's... my friend, and he knows how much that means to me," she continued.

“Don't worry, Sen. We'll get this figured out." Even if he had to do it on his own, Mercer would figure out what happened and why they would suggest Vridel, of all people.

“Definitely," Sorcha said. “We can all work on it. There are still some people who have to answer questions I ask them, after all." She narrowed her eyes.

“Best get back to work, then," Reynard said, finishing of his apple and standing. He re-wrapped his scarf, gave them all a nod, and took his leave.