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It was as uneventful a day in Garreg Mach Monastery as always, which meant it wasn’t uneventful at all. From the panic in the cafeteria as a dish became a little too burned to the lively fishing competitions on the dock, there was no way a student could be bored at the Officer’s Academy. Dimitri Blaiddyd himself had chosen a more leisurely approach to the day. He, along with a few others, had decided to use this free time to better himself. He had done well in their little battle excursions lately, but he could do far better.
He had convinced Dedue to take his business elsewhere—most likely that chaotic cafeteria kitchen—and so he was left alone to his training. Well, the mysterious Jeritza was there but the man hardly counted when he was more of a statue in the training grounds. As much as Dimitri would have loved to spend time with his classmate and develop actual lasting friendships, such a thing felt trivial in the grand scheme of things. Their world was changing, for the worse, and so it felt neglectful to do anything but train when he wasn’t in class. Thus, here he was mostly alone in the training grounds on this particular day.
That only meant when he heard voices making their way into the training grounds, he was a bit taken aback. Unless there were tournaments or specific events, few of his classmates spent most of their time here. What was even more surprising was that he very much recognized the voices. Now Felix, he understood. The man was rather obsessed with swords—not that Dimitri could really judge him for that—so his arrival at the training grounds was explainable. The cheerful voice that came with him, however, was a little more surprising.
“I’m telling you, Felix,” Sylvain practically whined, “it was the best!”
Dimitri’s back was to the pair and he suddenly felt like joining Jeritza in the statue playing game. He hadn’t taken a moment to introduce himself. That meant things were awkward, but he could hear them and hadn’t said anything. Thus, he was an eavesdropper. In the face of this new turmoil, he felt it may be best to just turn into oil and ooze away. Alas, he was stuck here, in the middle of interaction he’d never prepared himself for.
There was no response from Felix, other than the slight sound of a metal sword unsheathing. He likely did not care about what Sylvain spoke.
“Oh come on. I’d give you some grace if you had never done it before, but you and I both know that’s not true.” Sylvain’s tone was almost a bit teasing.
Felix sighed. “I don’t care because I have done it. Ever considered that? It’s not that important of a thing.”
Sylvain gasped as if Felix had cursed the very goddess herself. Just what could they be discussing that has made Felix such a blasphemer.
Having decided the two were so focused on their conversation—and that things would be even more awkward if they discovered his statuesque self—that he could begin to move again. However, his strikes and sweeps of his spear were admittedly slower and quieter than before. It was definitely just an exercise to improve his control and strength. It wasn’t as if he was still trying to eavesdrop. Such a thing would be improper. He could never.
He heard Felix slash at a practice dummy. “Just leave me alone, Sylvain.”
But, Sylvain did not leave him alone. “What a ridiculous idea! Of course it’s important! It’s such a meaningful and tender thing.”
“It’s not really.”
“What will I do with you? I mean, what could possibly create a bigger memory than a passionate kiss?”
Dimitri fumbled his swipe motion, having expected that to be the last thing the two men were so vehemently discussing. His head turned around, craning to see the two men. This discussion was, to Felix’s point, rather ridiculous. Yet, Dimitri could not help but be engrossed in it.
Before either Dimitri or Sylvain could blink, Felix moved. In one swift, powerful motion, he stabbed his sword deep into the chest of the practice dummy. He then immediately stood up straight, leaving his sword where it was, and turned his attention to Sylvain. His voice was calm in the way that Felix usually spoke.
“A stab wound.”
The two other men widened their eyes, in surprise at the whole affair but also the implicit violence behind it. Dimitri couldn’t really argue with Felix on that point, but it was still a rather shocking thing to witness. Sylvain on the other hand, appeared to have taken the man’s words differently. Maybe had Dimitri too seen his classmate’s expression then he would have reacted the same.
Sylvain’s eyes were wide and his mouth was agape with fear. He raised his hands up and began slowly backing away, as if turning his back to Felix meant the other would strike. Felix simply returned his attention to the sword, using both hands to safely pull it from the practice dummy. As Sylvain disappeared, Felix once again began to practice wielding his sword.
Dimitri slowly turned his head back in front of him. He glanced at his spear. He’d never thought he’d be eavesdropping at the training grounds today. He swung his spear. What an odd interaction that had been. Dimitri stabbed the practice dummy with his spear. As he got back into the groove of practicing, only one thing was on his mind:
Was a passionate kiss or a stab wound more memorable?