shellphones | video

Type: Video
Sender ID: Khalid |

deepstar
To: General
Subject: Hatching Time
Warnings: None

[ Initially, only Claude's face appears on the feed, alongside is wyvern. She is resting her chin on his shoulder and that hand of his is giving her a pat pat pat. So much patting. ]

I'm sure you all remember me talking about this several moons ago, but hey! The time finally came. I was starting to get a little worried, considering I have no clue what the incubation time for wyvern eggs are here. Everything went smoothly though, I promise. They actually hatched a few days ago, but I wanted to give them some time.

[ Now the video feed shifts, away from Khalid and Azita, and onto the little baby wyverns. Special guest star Leona is also present, already holding a small lizard in his arms. Seems like it's already attached. There's another one, in Claude's arm. ]

Leona and I are going to be co-parenting these kids for a little while so -

[ Unfortunately, Claude gets cut off. With Leona shoving the man's face, ears folded back. ]

Don't say it like that.

[ Too bad Khalid is unbothered, catching Leona's hand and winking. ]

Sorry, gorgeous. I meant co-parenting the hatchlings. [ Another laugh and moving right along. He's looking at the camera once more, ignoring the grumbling from behind him. ] As you all can probably tell, one little one is spoken for. I don't know about this one, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Ironic that they'd hatch while we're having issues with wild wyverns.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He needs a drink. Or ten. ]

So your stint as the Duke was... what, a ruse? A plot? Are you going to be invading next once Edelgard gets done with all of us?

[ He doesn't actually believe that, but this is a bit more of a shock than he'd anticipated. ]

A near decade-long stint in Fodlan would be one hell of a ruse, Sylvain.

I don't want to invade, you knucklehead. What I want is just the opposite.

And yet. If anyone would have the patience for it, it would be you.

[ Okay. Take a breath. Take a few breaths. Despite this being a shock… he’s not sure it actually changes anything? At least not for him in the here and now.

Other than he doesn’t know this guy at all, apparently. ]

Finally. Some good news. Please tell me that means you intend for us all to live happily ever after together, if we can manage to survive the current war, then?

Hmm. True. Still, that's a very long time just to try to start something with my mother's home nation, you know? She would not be happy with me if that was my goal and you've never seen what a demon she is.

[ And that's not even an exaggeration. Anyway! ]

I can't guarantee anyone's happiness, Gautier. All I can do is create an opportunity for those that want to chase after it.

Claude. You’re best friends with Hilda. I can make an educated guess.

[ A statement that might have gotten him axed, had she heard it. ]

That’s putting a lot of faith into a people who have stubbornly clung to a system and resisting all semblances of change for generations now.

[ Sylvain has definitely felt like the odd one out in that regard, when so many others seemed fine with a system he saw as so terribly broken. ]

Don't be talking about my girl like that. If she ever shows up, I'll be sure to tattle on you.

[ Because for sure that comment would have gotten him in trouble with Hils. Maybe not the axe, but he'd be doing favors and running errands until collapsing. ]

Anyway, it is and I know it. I can honestly say that I didn't have that until about the end of the war.

[ He just shoots the other man a dry look through the little screen ]

Are you actually gonna sit there and try to claim, with a straight face, that Hilda isn't a terror at times? Because I definitely know that's not true. I remember sparring against her on the practice battlefields several times. I can only imagine age and experience has honed it even scarier. And as for off the battlefield...

[ He gives a playful little shudder, recalling all the times she'd wheedled him into doing her chores for her. it hadn't been often, but it'd certainly been often enough to leave an impression. The librarian had never forgiven him, and it hadn't even been his fault! ]

I would ask how the war turned out for you, but I don't think it would matter. My memories of home rarely aligned up with any of the others I met from Fodlan.

Hilda is the sweetest girl that ever existed. She is the loveliest and kindest person that anyone could possibly meet.

[ Someone might have been trained. ]

Anyway, you could still ask if you wanted to. Although I'll respect it if you don't want to know too. It's really your call.

Edited 2025-07-26 02:48 (UTC)

[ That just makes Sylvain snort. ]

I see she's terrified you into obedience, too. I rest my case.

[ He makes a face when Claude invites him to ask, because he doesn't actually know if he wants to know. What little he'd learned back at the resort from others - all of it had been terrible. There had been only once or twice when the outcome had been anything he'd have considered positive - and typically, those had come from other Lions, although not always. Everyone else, though? It had all been a varying degree of death for all of them. ]

Then I guess it depends on how dead we all ended up. Which is kinda why I don't want to know.

I mean, it's not just Hilda that becomes upset. It's her brother too. So pick your poison.

[ Anyway, again, it's just an open invitation. If Sylvain wants to know, he can know. Otherwise they can just pretend like everything outside of their little circle of knowledge doesn't exist. It's fine. Claude's good at keeping secrets. ]

See, I don't know how it worked for you, but we aimed to incapacitate. Not kill.

Luckily I've never had to deal with that particular poison. But I believe you. Protective older brothers are already too big a threat to my life back home.

[ He winces at that, and then again when Claude talks about his intentions back home. Which makes sense from what he knows of the man. It'd been one of the reasons Sylvain had added his voice to send a request for a meeting before Gronder. An alliance. Anything. Granted, someone had seemed pretty damn determined to keep that from happening, so it never had, but... ]

I appreciate that. I really do. I know that's not how that battle turned out in a lot of other ways, but... Gronder was never going to turn out anything but bloody. I'm honestly glad the resort plucked me out of there before I had to step foot on that field. That wasn't a battle I wanted to fight.

I was going to talk a little more, but I just realized that this is a very public conversation and I'm pretty sure neither one of us want to get too into it where others could pick up on it.

Technology. What a fascinating thing.

[ Oh. Right. he always forgets these things can do that. he usually remembers to set things to private, but he can't remember if he'd figured out how to do that.

Oh well. He's pretty sure he didn't say anything too weird. And Claude's the only one who knows him anyway, outside of Basch, who'd learned much of this the same time as he had, back in the resort. And then had to deal with the resulting fallout. Poor guy. ]

Maybe we can meet up for tea or something sometime instead.

[ They are going to have a sit down and Claude is going to go over the shellphones with Sylvain. Sure, there are some features that Claude is a little clumsy with. But over all he knows the basics.

A lot of people here don't know much about him though so... ]

Sure. I know a lot of great places around here.

Well, I know almost nowhere, so pick something you like and surprise me.

If that's the case, I usually frequent Kaveh's place.

I actually do know where that is. I don’t mind meeting at Kaveh’s.

See? Perfect? How about for dinner?

Sure. I'll find you there, then.

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