Chapter Text
Bernadetta slipped into the kitchens, ignorant to the empty world around her as the cravings for a beloved snack overtook all other thoughts. Thoughts of her undesirability, thoughts of her being vulnerable outside her room, thoughts of how bad a lashing she was going to get being found in here, nothing mattered until she had her cake. She got on her toes, and gently unlatched the cupboard where the cakes were kept.
“No chocolate again…” Bernadetta sighed, looking for something else. She eventually grabbed a different one, leaving the kitchen disappointed.
“Who’s there?” someone asked. Bernadetta froze, the cake dropping to the ground. Great, now she needed to pinch another cake. She was already probably going to get two hours for all the cakes she stole already, she really didn’t need more…
“Bernadetta, correct?” the other student asked. Bernadetta screamed, running deeper into the kitchen and curling into a ball.
“You… You didn’t see me, OK?” Bernadetta asked. She felt a hand on her back, and scrunched up her face in fear.
“What cake do you like? I’ll get it for you,” the other student said. Bernadetta asked for chocolate under her breath, and the student left her. Bernadetta wanted nothing more than her craving to stop, so she could run and hide with Tonka.
“...They didn’t have it… say, can you bake?” the student asked. Bernadetta’s cheeks flushed red.
“Yeah… but…” Bernadetta whimpered.
“Come on, let’s bake a chocolate cake. It’s not gonna disturb anyone, and if it does, I’ll take the blame,” the student said. Bernadetta squealed, and ran to the cupboards. She grabbed everything she thought went into a cake, and only on her companion reading the recipe he found did she start narrowing things down. By the third time Bernadetta decided to change an amount of an ingredient or choose a new one all together, the other student decided to just stop reading and let her bake. Within the hour, she pulled out a delicious, chocolaty cake, just for her.
“I’ll clean up. You enjoy yourself,” the other student said.
“Thanks, er…” Bernadetta started.
“Ignatz. I’m from the Golden Deer,” he said.
“Right… I remember you. You’re… you’re nice, Ignatz,” Bernadetta said, sitting down at the table rather than retreating to her room, waiting for Ignatz to finish cleaning. She chowed down bite after bite of her chocolate cake, falling in love with her own creation with every bite. When Ignatz returned from the kitchen, it was to see Bernadetta with her face covered in chocolate and only a single slice left on her plate.
“Would you like a slice? As thanks for, um…” Bernadetta stammered. Ignatz chuckled, and accepted it gratefully. He took a bite, and his eyes widened.
“This is great. Puts the cakes the chefs make to shame,” Ignatz remarked.
“Yeah… I thought the same. I’ll never steal again, only baking for Bernie,” Bernadetta said.
“Say, Bernadetta… when did you learn to cook? You seemed… well, you clearly knew what you were doing. That’s not really what I’d expect from someone who hides in their room all day,” Ignatz said. Bernadetta started trembling, but held her ground.
“My mother taught me to cook, and gave me a lot of books about the theory. I spent a lot of time reading when I was younger, so I know all those books by heart,” Bernadetta explained.
“That’s rather thoughtful of her. I wish I knew how to cook. If I’m going to be going my separate way from my family, I need to know how to survive on my own, and my parents didn’t quite think that far ahead when they were busy focusing on my older brother. I’ve got a lot riding on my becoming a knight while I’m here, and my grades are… well, let’s just say I’m looking at my options,” Ignatz said. Bernadetta stood up to go wash her plate, and Ignatz couldn’t help but linger, considering the girl.
“So what house are you from?” Bernadetta asked. Ignatz looked up, baffled.
“Golden Deer,” he said. Bernadetta shook her head.
“I mean like your noble house. I’m not too familiar with the Leicester nobles, just the ones of the flag,” Bernadetta said. Ignatz’s eyes widened in realisation.
“Oh, I’m not a noble. I’m a commoner. My parents are merchants,” Ignatz explained. Bernadetta froze, dropping her plate in the sink. Her legs gave out, and Ignatz vaulted over the bench to grab her before she hit her head on the sink on her way down.
“No… don’t touch me! Leave me, while you still can!” Bernadetta screamed. Ignatz’s hands jumped away, backing up as he looked at Bernadetta’s tear-stricken face. He may not have been social, but he learned a lot about reading a person’s eyes, and he knew the pain on Bernadetta’s face was not the pain of a noble who had to spend time with a commoner against his will- he had seen plenty of those eyes on Lorenz’s face. Bernadetta was scared for Ignatz.
“Do you need help going back to your room?” Ignatz asked.
“GO!” Bernadetta wailed, and Ignatz hastily complied. Bernadetta was a nervous wreck, neither able nor willing to move and return to the safety of her locked door, her comfy bed and her stuffed turtle. Imagining Ignatz, beaten and bruised on the pavement stones of Garreg Mach, his glasses shattered and his fingers broken…
“Why, Professor… of all the students to ask to talk to me, why did it have to be a common boy?” Bernadetta asked. She did not remember ever mustering up the energy to return to her room. All she knew was that, at some point in her fears and memories of both Ignatz and her father, the next time she was fully aware of her surroundings was with herself, in her room with the door locked, snugly put to bed with her sheets tucked in, and her beloved turtle Tonka in her arms. She didn’t leave her room again for a week.