sranks | we are the cursed we came from fire and ice

[The approaching footsteps get him to pause and he turns to see... uh oh. Linhardt is known among their class for being rather lazy about everything except crests, and Xander has a pretty damn good idea of where this is going even before Linhardt opens his mouth.

Unsurprisingly, it's about his crest, but even assuming that doesn't save him from the blunt force trauma of Linhardt's words. Damn??? Damn. He ends up just sort of staring at first, eyes wide as he attempts to pull himself together.]

I... ah... Well, I was planning on going for a bit longer, so I suppose there's no harm in letting you watch.

[Right, just focus on training. Linhardt is one of their mages, though he prefers to focus on faith rather than reason. Even so, it's a bit unnerving to have someone watch him so closely, especially someone who probably has more talent for this in their little finger than he has in his whole being. Still, Xander doesn't let that deter him, and focuses again.

It takes a few more spells before the crest activates again. His usual spells are pathetically weak, doing little more than jarring the training dummy a bit. But when the crest activates the result is... admittedly still kind of pathetic, it's a damn good thing Xander is not a dedicated mage or this would just be sad. Regardless, it's probably obvious that the crest boosts the power of his spells.]

[!!!]

I most thank you for the opportunity.

[Linhardt's gladly going to just. Park his butt on the ground and watch with rapt attention as Xander continues to cast. His own studies in reason magic have manifested into a preference for wind magic, so Thunder is well outside of his expertise. Even still, Linhardt can see plenty of issues as it stands; Xander's just not all that talented in magic, and the crest...if anything, it makes his magic attacks adequate, rather than boosting his potential...]

...You're not exactly good at this, are you.

[It's an observation, really, as Linhardt watches Xander work.]

That crest certainly boosts your spell's potency, but with so little ability in the first place, it boosts it's effects to simply adequate, rather than anything truly noteworthy.

[lin oh my god]

Try to focus for a little bit longer, before casting your spell. [Linhardt's not a perfect teacher by any means, but he is observing and trying to find a way to make Xander better. Or to activate that crest more often. Either way.] It should allow you to charge a little more power into that spell.

[Xander glances over at the words, not exactly surprised by them. He doesn't agree - though it's obvious. He isn't good at this. It's partially because this is all still very new to him, but he just doesn't have the innate natural talent many of their peers do. He's seen Dorothea cast the same spell numerous times and she always strikes harder and faster.

So while Linhardt's words are... perhaps a little too blunt, he's not wrong. Xander tips his head a bit at the advice, considering. Linhardt doesn't really need to try to coach him through this, but he'd be stupid not to listen to the mage's words.

He focuses, feeling the spell burn in hand, beneath his skin, at his fingertips. If he holds it for too long, it's liable to explode - he knows that much. But he keeps it there for a moment longer than usual, then releases it.

It's still not a strong spell, but the damage output without the crest is certainly much better than before. He releases a breath, surprised.]

Oh, that's... much better.

[Still not anywhere near as strong as his physical strikes, but a marked improvement over the weak spells he was casting before.

He tries again, holding the spell for a bit longer. And again, careful to never let it build up too much. The crest activates on the fourth attempt, and it's enough to set the training dummy wobbling for much longer this time.]

[Linhardt continues to watch as Xander seems to do much better with the second round of spells. His inexperience is clear, but that does seem to do the trick; the lightning comes out more powerful than before, making the training dummy wobble for a much greater length of time than he had before. Linhardt gives a small noise of assent after his crest activates.]

The trick is ensuring that your strikes are powerful, while not burning your hands entirely. That can happen if you let it stay for too long...

[Linhardt looks over to Xander.]

I am surprised that you were not trained in such arts prior to arriving. Why is that? One would imagine that they would want you to play to your crest's strengths.

[Color him at least slightly curious. He's never really cared about the affairs of House Krakenburg, but it does seem strange. If Xander is the heir, then that must mean the crest is associated with the house...]

[Xander hesitates for a moment, the magic fizzling out as his concentration strays.]

My father doesn't use magic, and he opted to keep my training strictly physical.

[While that is true, it sounds a little hesitant. He's only seen his father fight a couple of times; Garon is immensely strong, the sort of person who could probably take on an entire army by himself without any issues. But in truth, just because Xander has never seen him use magic doesn't mean he's incapable of it. Given their shared crest, it would make far more sense for Garon to use magic...]

I had read a bit about reason magic before arriving here, but hadn't had any time to study it.

[That much is a little more settled, a little easier to say. It's true; his free time back home was always very limited and attempting magic on his own seemed like a horrible idea. In the controlled environment here with a skilled teacher, he's much more confident in learning.

But something about that does trouble him. Why didn't his father ever give him any instruction in magic? It would have been simple to hire tutors for that as well, and given the crest it seems like the logical choice. Well, there's no sense dwelling on it, he supposes. He often doesn't understand what Garon is doing, anyway.]

He doesn't? That's curious...do the two of you not share the same crest, then?

[That's. Kind of odd? Isn't Xander supposed to be the heir? If neither of them share the same crest and neither of them use their crest for it's intended purpose, that just. Seems like a waste???]

That seems incredibly wasteful. That crest you have is full of all sorts of untapped potential, and to think that you hadn't even the chance to study it is incredibly odd.

[Xander may not dwell on it, but Linhardt is. It's weird? It's incredibly weird.]

No, we do. This crest is the one passed through House Krakenburg.

[Which just makes it even more weird... Why would his father not want him to utilize his crest to its full potential? Why doesn't father himself use it?

Some part of him pipes up, reminding him that House Krakenburg is in charge of advancements, both in weaponry and magic. It's highly likely that Garon does utilize that crest, just not anywhere Xander can see it or is aware of it. He's asked himself this before, but just what is his father doing in the name of that advancement?

He'll know someday. He just has to be patient until then.]

Regardless of his reasoning, I have the chance to study it now.

So that is where Saint Macuil's bloodline has gone, then...I suppose I couldn't be too sure, given your father's reputation. Your family is rumored to have quite the cornucopia of crests running through it's veins, after all...

[linhardt oh my god?? you can't just say that kind of shit about people, what the fuck]

Not that such a thing is truly bad, at least for research. Ah, if only there was a chance to get within those walls...

[LIN]

But of course, you do have that chance. And you should not let your crest's potential go to waste. With enough time, perhaps you could find all manner of ways to utilize it...

[LINHARDT??? Like damn, his dad probably deserves this but he doesn't???]

Of... course. Yes, I do plan on learning more about my crest and the ways I can better utilize it.

[He's trying really hard not to be thrown off by Linhardt's words, but it's not easy. Of course he knows all about the rumors of House Krakenburg and those concerning his father in particular, but most people don't have the gall to openly talk about them to his face...]

If I may ask, why are you interested in crest research?

[Honestly, he's just throwing a topic out there to try to get Linhardt focused on anything else so he can stop dying, thanks.]

[Linhardt as always sees nothing wrong with this!! It's interesting to him, really! There are so many phenomenons that could be researched in those castle walls, like the possibility of a child inheriting two crests, major crest manifestation, and the like...it's a perfect opportunity! Why is nobody taking it!!

Either way, Linhardt does nod his head at the first portion, but the second gets his attention easily.]

Because there are so many mysteries to be uncovered in regards to crests and their effects on the world at large. To say nothing of their effects in combat, and how they are utilized. Their connection to the saints and the heroes are of interest as well, and--

[let's just fast forward this part, i am so sorry you are getting every benefit of crest research ever]

--At any rate, crests themselves are some of the greatest mysteries, and of interest to me to unravel every aspect of them. I want to become a crest scholar to rival Professor Hanneman, and uncover every secret that I can. It's certainly more interesting than any noblework, or the like.

[It gets something resembling an actual smile out of Linhardt, though it's slight.]

[What makes you think no one has tried??? Please do not try to infiltrate House Krakenburg to study the crests, that will end poorly!!

And there Linhardt goes, thoroughly distracting them both with his detailed love of crests and research. Honestly, Xander's never heard him sound this excited or motivated about anything. It's sort of nice to see, since Linhardt usually seems so disengaged and tired all the time...]

You'll have plenty of opportunities for that here. Quite a few of us have crests, after all, and you can work with Professor Hanneman to learn even more. I'm sure you'll learn plenty.

[Well RIP to them, but he's different!!!]

Work with Professor Hanneman? [Linhardt sounds vaguely aghast.] Xander, you misunderstand. To work with another person on this would be far too much of a bother. I'm doing this solely for my own enjoyment. If I worked with another person, that would be far too much effort...I think I'd lose interest entirely.

[And like? No???]

Then I'd get even more ranting from those two about finding something useful to study...

[His mind goes to Edelgard and Hubert, expression already starting to get annoyed.]

How does one even stand those two? Edelgard and Hubert are some of the most exhausting members of our class...they're entirely too overbearing.

[Oh. Well, it looks like he had entirely too much faith in Linhardt... Well, as long as he's working on something it's probably fine, right??

But then he mentions Edelgard and Hubert and Xander struggles to keep his expression from slipping into a smile. He can certainly see where they'd annoy Linhardt to no end.]

They are a bit... much, aren't they. [It's not a question. They sure are..] They seem to have their sights set on the future, without stopping to take in the present. I admire their dedication and work ethic, but I can't help but wonder if they'll tire themselves out before they get to that future.

[like??? y'all are gonna have heart attacks before you're 25, please chill]

[xander, honey. why did you have any faith in this boy, legit question]

They're entirely too much. [Linhardt is more than happy to bitch about them a bit, holy shit.] Edelgard's as overbearing as a mother hen, and really, the way she hovers over each and every one of us is nothing short of tiring. And Hubert? He's simply an extension of her that tries to do every little thing that she doesn't. They both take on entirely too much work, and they're liable to fall apart entirely before the future they work for arrives...

[...It almost sounds vaguely like worry coming from Linhardt's tone, but it's not? It's totally not. Linhardt really doesn't get it honestly.]

It's exhausting. They're both exhausting to simply watch. And entirely too focused on staying in control...

[listen]

Yes. I get tired from watching them too... It seems as though they're always busy with something, even though we're still so early on in our classes.

[He has no doubt that Edelgard is busy with Empire business, but even so it's almost alarming how much those two do. Do they ever take breaks...? One cannot train nonstop and hope to improve, so surely they know their limits...]

I hope they're able to find some time to rest. I wouldn't be surprised if either of them work themselves to the breaking point...

It's so strange, really. But you would think that they would show some restraint...

[They really can do what they want, and they just need to leave him the hell out of it??? Seriously. But they are leaders, and that seems...]

Working toward their own self destruction doesn't seem like a good quality for a leader. Whether they intend it or not.

[But he's totally not worried. Totally.]

It's possible they aren't aware of just how hard they're pushing themselves. They'll likely realize at some point, though I do hope it isn't after working themselves to exhaustion...

[He frowns at that. Edelgard is a bit overwhelming at times, but he likes her well enough. Hubert is... off-putting at best, but even he doesn't deserve that. Hmm...]

You seem quite fond of them.

[It's just an observation, nothing pointed.]

Knowing them, that's what it'll take for them to realize that...

[--Hey! Linhardt's eyes narrow slightly at that, and he shakes his head, and his tone is just the slightest bit snappish.]

I'm really not. I wish they'd stop making life more difficult for others...and for themselves. It would save everyone a lot of trouble if they simply relaxed every now and again.

[...lin]

[Xander raises his eyebrows, and this time he loses the struggle not to smile.]

I agree, certainly. They are troublesome, aren't they...

[Don't worry, Lin, he thinks it's cute!!]

They are, without a single doubt. It's exhausting...

[Linhardt sees that smile, though, and...more than anything, he looks confused.]

...Why are you smiling?

I think your concern for them is... nice. It's kind of you to care so much.

[ c: ]

[ >:T! ]

I hardly care. They're simply being foolish in their daily lives, and I can't stand it. That hardly means I'm concerned.

[lin oh my god]

Of course. It would be silly to be concerned about their well-being, despite all they're doing, wouldn't it?

[he's onto you, lin!!!!!]

Yes, it would be. It would be incredibly silly. It's their own faults for neglecting themselves in the first place.

[don't act like you know him, asshole!!]

It's not anything I need to concern myself over. If something becomes of them, that's their own problem. Not mine.

Should something happen to them, I'm sure someone will look out for them.

["someone" meaning "linhardt" but shhh.]

With any luck they won't require such a thing, however.

we are the cursed we came from fire and ice

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