video; un: eisner

[hegemonwings]

Name: Byleth Eisner
Date: 5/10
Format: video

[ a dark-haired young woman in glasses and dark local fashion sits in front of the camera. she can't be older than 21, surely. anyway, byleth's been here for over a month and she's only posting to the network now. ]

I'm Byleth Eisner. I've met some of you already. I suppose you would call this an... interest check? [ she takes off her glasses, hanging them from the neckline of her shirt. ] Most of my recent work before coming here was in commanding my Emperor's army, but I'm an experienced teacher as well. Armed and unarmed combat, archery, strategy and tactics, riding, magic... rhetoric and composition. [ was that last one a joke? it's impossible to tell. her face gives no hints one way or another. ]

The Coven trains witches in magic, but that only does so much good. I'd like to work towards establishing a school where the Mirrorbound without martial skills can learn them. As it is, the Wilde is too dangerous for too many of us, and ad-hoc lessons aren't enough. [ she waves a hand. ] This is all... hypothetical, right now. But if this sounds something you'd like to either help with or learn from, please, let me know. In the meantime, I'm open to teaching one-on-one.

[ she seems to consider something, briefly, before: ]

... Also, firearms are new to me. I'm familiar with powder explosives, and I've seen cannons, but if anyone might help me to understand the use and maintenance of guns, I would appreciate it.

[ byleth pauses again. ]

That's all. [ and off it goes. nailed it? ]

[ ooc: open to fourth wall people! ]

Comments

[finesseblade]

...I hope you've been practicing your healing magic, then.

[ He... really isn't sure if she is joking. ]

In truth, it's not the worst idea. The Cwyld is an ever-present threat at our doorstep, and we need more people at the outer boundaries who know how to handle themselves.

[hegemonwings]

I was a fair healer before I came here. Now, who knows?

[ probably...joking. probably. ]

I thought you might agree. I don't know how it might be structured, though, but nothing nearly so formal as the Officers Academy. Training irregulars is very different from preparing people for a military career.

[finesseblade]

I suppose you'd know best.

[ Their histories may differ, but Felix knows her background as a mercenary—her unique experience, her devastating approach to a fight—does not. ]

You are... likely more qualified than most of us to teach the necessary skills. It's not a war against soldiers, after all, but against the land itself. They must learn how to fight to survive.

[hegemonwings]

I suppose you have a point there. I'll need to educate myself more on the Shades and Cwyld before I would feel fully comfortable... but much of what I learned on the road should still apply.

[finesseblade]

Mmm. Some of it. There's much to learn about the Cwyld that's new to the likes of you or me.

I've spent a lot of times with the Wilders these last few months. The Coven can tell you some things, but they can tell you more—they're out there fighting it up close every day.

[hegemonwings]

Hm. Hopefully city life this past month hasn't left me rusty.

Contact me the next time you plan to head for the Wilde?

[finesseblade]

Never thought I'd see the day that you'd be asking me to show you the ropes.

I'll be going again in a couple of days. Pack lightly, and be prepared for anything. The Wilders keep the lands close to the city as clear as they can, but the Wilde can be unpredictable...

Which is where we come in.

wails about 2020...hi nugs...

[hegemonwings]

I'm sure I've sat in on one of your seminars before, haven't I?

[ sometimes she almost forgets this isn't quite the felix she knows. it's been so much easier with him in many ways than with the others, even lorenz, despite the rough start. ]

Of course. Does much of what we learned from slaying Crest Beasts apply, or are the old rules useless to us?

[finesseblade]

Watching a seminar isn't the same as learning from it. You were always better with a sword. I could only chase after your prowess.

[ He knows that's still true, no matter their divergent histories, because he's sparred with her. Still a devil with a blade. Still beating him handily at the one thing he's ever been good at. ]

I suppose knowing how to fight a crest beast is as useful here as knowing how to fight anything. But you must not think of these as merely crest beasts. Their touch, their teeth, their claws, they're poison—and even a scratch can poison you, too.

You must be very careful, lest you catch the Cwyld and become mindless and hollow like them.

[hegemonwings]

I'm not the fighter I was... I believe you'll outpace me before long, Felix. And monsters have intended that for me before, but I'll bear that in mind.

[ what could have been the end goal of seiros's efforts, if not that? she considers something else, though. ]

You've been well?

[finesseblade]

I find it hard to believe that you're any less of a fighter than before. You had your hunger long before you had green hair.

[ Still... what an odd question. Is he well? When was the last time it mattered? Years ago, probably. ]

I am... in good health, if that's what you mean.