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Once again, nothing went as planned. For some reason Auberon had still neglected to expect the unexpected from Garreg Mach, foolishly assuming that he'd gotten his strangeness for the day out of the way early when he was named [i]House Leader[/i]. The peasant girl he'd previously written off was apparently sporting a Crest and already well on her way to cementing her position in the nobility, that scatterbrained Deer girl had somehow managed to drag Auberon's opinion of Alliance conduct even lower when the bar was already resting firmly on the floor, the last Leicester girl was even more of a nervous wreck than Kellen - which he wasn't sure whether to take as a sign that he'd been too hard on his housemate or if he should be simply pitying Isolde even moreso, and some Adrestian was [i]challenging a Knight of Seiros to a duel.[/i] Sure, Auberon was flirting with the idea in the back of his mind too now that it was brought up, but he wasn't harboring any delusions that he'd so handedly win on the first day. And he [i]certainly[/i] wouldn't be voicing such a thing in front of an audience. The blond was so busy reeling from Valerian's boast that he hardly even caught Her Future Highness' introduction. He could ask Kayden what she was like later if she came up. Probably. 

The fact that he'd be present for a sermon by the Archbishop himself was so mundane in comparison to the rest of the day's events that Auberon barely registered the gravity of it until Professor Lysander had finished speaking. He knew, logically, that the midday sermons likely happened every day and that he'd be missing nothing that he couldn't hear tomorrow if he didn't attend. He also knew, logically, that Valerian would likely be beaten rather quickly and the entire spectacle would be anticlimactic. But illogically, Auberon wanted to see them fight. He wanted to see what made the Aegir boy so confident in his abilities. He wanted to see how those abilities fell short against Michail. He wanted to learn how to succeed by learning how to fail. He wanted to pick both combatants apart in preparation to crush them into fuel for his own ego in the future.

But he wasn't going to do that. Tempting the Goddess' ire was not something one did when faced with such an unnavigable and unexpected situation as the one Auberon had faced since he arrived at the monastery, and he was sorely in need of direction at the moment. The Archbishop's words may very well be the answer he needed. Pressing on through force of will alone was not an action he was a stranger to, but choosing a path that would work out eventually was not always more prudent than a path of moderation and contemplation.

Auberon let out a deep exhale as he stood from his seat. Lienna had run off again to talk to that standoffish Eagles professor - either she really didn't like socialization or she was an exceedingly busy woman. A shame, since he'd wanted to ask her about her position, but dinner would have plenty of time for that. With little fanfare and a quick glance at the departing Michail, he made his way to the cathedral.

[color=ffd700]"Hey, Kellen,"[/color] Auberon started without looking back. He'd seen the boy hovering behind him as he walked, might as well start a conversation. But how to broach this? 'Hey, are you always crippled with anxiety or just in front of crowds?' 'What the fuck was that back there?' 'Do you need help with that? I know I sound like I'm mocking you with the offer.' Whatever, he could start with something inoffensive and ask later. [color=ffd700]"Have you ev-"[/color] He paused as he glanced backward, Kellen nowhere to be found. Huh. Must've had to use the latrine or something. Another conversation for dinner, then. With luck, nothing outlandishly strange would detract from that.

His thoughts cleared the moment he passed the threshold of the cathedral, replaced only with an intensified version of the reverent wonder he felt in each new area of the monastery he visited. There was no question - the Goddess' eyes were upon this place. Not the vigilant observation that She blesses the rest of Fodlan with, but a piercing, direct gaze; one that looked into the inhabitants' souls and saw all their natures laid bare. The sermon itself shouldn't have been anything remarkable - it was a passage Auberon had read many times - but His Holiness repeated it with such vigor that he couldn't help but view the words in a new light. In the short period after Ioannis had finished and before Auberon stood from the pew, all the jumbled pieces in his mind clicked together seemlessly. He had a role - House Leader of the Blue Lions. He had a task, even if it hadn't been entirely revealed to him yet. The only thing he lacked was patience for the fallibilities of his classmates, and that was easily acquired in the face of the Goddess' serene mercy.

When he rose, Auberon Galatea was the picture of saintly virtue - at least until his mortal sensibilities overpowered the divine perfection he sought to imitate. The Archbishop speaking to Clarissa immediately caught his eye; if he deigned to converse with her than surely any student could approach him for guidance. That was a rare honor, and Auberon didn't want to waste it. He approached cautiously to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything personal or private that Clarissa might have been sharing, then with more gusto as he caught only a token introduction.

[color=ffd700]"Your Holiness,"[/color] Auberon interjected, bowing his head deeply. His instincts told him to fully genuflect, but he hadn't seen anyone else doing so and he didn't want to look like a fool. The fact that he was showing this level of respect to a [i]twelve year old[/i] was completely lost on him. [color=ffd700]"Lady von Edmund,"[/color] He added with a less impressive nod in her direction, [color=ffd700]"Pardon me if I'm intruding. It's truly an honor to meet you both in person and I couldn't resist killing two birds with one stone, as it were."[/color]

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