[ leslie’s mouth opens, but no sound comes out and, after a couple of seconds, it closes again. she starts to open her mouth again, but quickly closes it again and swallows hard. she’s completely flummoxed.
it might be obvious from an outside perspective that byleth might make an offer like that from the direction of the conversation. she just said she wants to help the ward of her...friend? but leslie is far too unused to receiving help freely given for a couple of months between aefenglom and the few weeks preceding it for her to expect it from someone she has only just met.
(she has some uncertainty around using friend since it occurs to leslie now that byleth chose to not use that word, but they certainly must be that close. she’s using the same nickname for edelgard as she has heard edelgard’s friend corrin use and, besides, nicknames are completely embedded in leslie’s mind as something used by either family or friends. but her understanding of human relationships is entirely under-equipped to imagine anything more complicated than the most basic understanding of friendship, formal noble engagements, or legally recognized family units, so she supposes that byleth must have a tendency to be poetic about her friendship with edelgard when she chose to say she’s an important part of her life.)
eventually, leslie finds her words, her hands tightly clutching the fabric of her dress in her lap. ]
Are you sure? That is — to be taught by someone Lady Edelgard recognizes for her ability as a teacher — by someone who taught Lady Edelgard...there’s no way that anyone wouldn’t want to have an opportunity like that.
[ she looks down into her lap. ]
But...I meant it when I said I wouldn’t be any trouble. I already have so much in Aefenglom; you don’t have to go out of your way to do more work for me. If you want to do something for me as your friend’s ward, it would be enough for me that you being there will make Lady Edelgard happy. Since she’s... [ she still has trouble saying this sort of thing about someone she admires as much as edelgard, but she’s able to push through. ] Since she’s my friend.
no subject
it might be obvious from an outside perspective that byleth might make an offer like that from the direction of the conversation. she just said she wants to help the ward of her...friend? but leslie is far too unused to receiving help freely given for a couple of months between aefenglom and the few weeks preceding it for her to expect it from someone she has only just met.
(she has some uncertainty around using friend since it occurs to leslie now that byleth chose to not use that word, but they certainly must be that close. she’s using the same nickname for edelgard as she has heard edelgard’s friend corrin use and, besides, nicknames are completely embedded in leslie’s mind as something used by either family or friends. but her understanding of human relationships is entirely under-equipped to imagine anything more complicated than the most basic understanding of friendship, formal noble engagements, or legally recognized family units, so she supposes that byleth must have a tendency to be poetic about her friendship with edelgard when she chose to say she’s an important part of her life.)
eventually, leslie finds her words, her hands tightly clutching the fabric of her dress in her lap. ]
Are you sure? That is — to be taught by someone Lady Edelgard recognizes for her ability as a teacher — by someone who taught Lady Edelgard...there’s no way that anyone wouldn’t want to have an opportunity like that.
[ she looks down into her lap. ]
But...I meant it when I said I wouldn’t be any trouble. I already have so much in Aefenglom; you don’t have to go out of your way to do more work for me. If you want to do something for me as your friend’s ward, it would be enough for me that you being there will make Lady Edelgard happy. Since she’s... [ she still has trouble saying this sort of thing about someone she admires as much as edelgard, but she’s able to push through. ] Since she’s my friend.