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Crests are pretty much useless in today’s society, and the historical impact of them is often debated, with some believing that all the fantastic stories about all the amazing abilities they could grant, or even the origin of Crests, are all just stories, and nothing to be taken seriously. Others believe that there is some truth to be found in the stories, with others have dedicated their lives to studying Crestology.
Linhardt finds it all very interesting, even if most of his classmates couldn’t care less about their own Crests, least of all the history and cultural impact, and possible effects that they may have. For the most part, he couldn’t care less about much of anything, but that subject in particular fascinates him, and as Saint Cethleann’s Day approaches, he has a particular topic that he wants to explore.
It’s hard to say why Saint Cethleann became the saint whose holiday was associated with romance, but it is the day when, rather than showing their reverence for the saints, people tend to buy gifts for their significant others, go out on special dates, take it as an excuse to confess their feelings, and dread the possibility of being left alone. For Linhardt, this has always been especially strange, because he possesses the Crest of Cethleann, and has spent a fair amount of time studying her, and never found any mention of a husband, or even a lover. Yet she is associated with lovers all the same.
The strangest thing about his Crest, he has decided, is that he is not the only person in his class to possess it, and the odds of two people possessing the same Crest at the same time, while sharing no close relation, are very slim. For them to live in the same town, attend the same private academy, and be in the same grade? That seems impossible, and so, Linhardt has paid special attention to Flayn.
She objects to this, claiming that her Crest is none of his concern, and that it holds no real significance. However, Linhardt isn’t so sure about that, and he has already begun to chart similarities between the two of them.
The only thing that is more valuable to him than his personal studies is the time that he spends napping. He is rarely completely awake, and always ready to drop off at any time. Flayn, on the other hand, seems almost afraid of falling asleep, but definitely sleepy. In class, if he hasn’t fallen asleep first, he notices her struggling to stay awake, sometimes looking like she’s missed a good night’s sleep here or there. Often, he has wondered if their frequent exhaustion has anything to do with their shared Crest.
Often, he is remembered how some of the legends say that Saint Cethleann never died, but simply fell asleep for a very long time. Often, he wonders if she ever woke up.
~X~
It is only natural that he would want to spend the day that their shared saint is responsible for learning as much as he can about their similarities. He warns Flayn well in advanced that he wants to spend time with her on Saint Cethleann’s day, but she misinterprets his meaning, fleeing the scene almost immediately.
Linhardt is persistent, however, reminding her a few times, “I intend to spend Saint Cethleann’s Day with you, I think there’s a lot we could uncover together.”
By about the third or fourth time, she begins actually listening to what he has to say, and understands that he is asking purely from a research standpoint, but she doesn’t take that much better. “I have no interest in your prodding!” she protests. “If that is really all you are after, then you can gladly spend the holiday alone!”
Linhardt doesn’t understand her, or her frustration. If she was unhappy when she thought he was asking her on a date, then why is she more unhappy when she finds out his true intentions? Does she honestly have that little interest in uncovering the secrets and history of her Crest? Well, he has his own theories where that matter is concerned, but he has elected not to mention any of them to her, not wanting to scare her off more than he already has.
Suddenly, the week leading up to Saint Cethleann’s Day is not spent thinking about his research, but rather, Flayn’s differing reactions, and what he could have done differently, or what she may have been trying to tell him. He spends more time puzzling over her than he does anything else, but just in time, he thinks that he arrives at the perfect solution.
~X~
“What on earth are these?” she asks, when she sees the flowers he has left on her desk. Linhardt did not bother to hide his involvement, signing his name on the card, and she soon turns to him to ask him about them.
“You already know what today is,” he replies, watching as her face goes red. Perhaps the classroom isn’t the best place to do this, but he doesn’t mind having an audience for it.
“Can we...can we discuss this elsewhere?” she asks, and he realizes that she minds having an audience, much more than she minds the possibility of being late or missing class altogether. But she leads him to the library nonetheless, carrying her flowers with her as she searches for somewhere that they can talk and not be overheard.
“Is this...is this just more for your research?” she asks, once she feels like she can. “Because I already told you that I have no intention of-”
“It is and it isn’t,” he says, and she falls silent at his strange answer, and his outright honesty. “I have a lot of things I’d like to learn, and you’re the perfect person to help me, but...I figured out the reason you were so put off by the way I asked. If you’re going to spend Saint Cethleann’s Day with somebody, you want to be asked properly, right?”
“I...Linhardt, I never…” She stares at him, shocked, and it takes her a moment before she can properly reply to him. “That was not...that was never what I meant, but I suppose it would be nice to be asked in a different way. After all, your method and your research is hardly what the day is about nowadays. Still, I do not understand what you mean when you say that it is and it is not. It sounds to me like, either way, it is entirely about your research!”
“You may have a point there,” he replies, deciding to leave it at that for now. They can address the rest when the time comes. Besides, her statement has left him with other questions. “What did you mean by ‘nowadays’?”
“I...I…”
“Honestly, I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while, but you’re still of speech is very-”
“Linhardt, that is quite enough!”
“You’re right, we can talk about it after school. We should get back to class,” he says. “Maybe if we were to go out for dinner…”
Despite her misgivings, Flayn still agrees to go to dinner with him.