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The situation was surreal, to say the least. Auberon knew the Archbishop would be present at the monastery, but he figured they would've only interacted in the context of a far off authority speaking to the gathered masses. To see His Holiness descending from the dais to speak with students personally was even more humbling than standing in the cathedral proper. For one instructed his whole life to hold his head high, it was very strange.

[color=ffd700]"Your sermon was just what I needed, Archbishop. I'll admit, I've had quite a few surprises thrown at me today, and any amount of guidance from on high is appreciated,"[/color] He replied a bit sheepishly, though he recovered his confidence quickly. Clarissa paying him a compliment caught him by surprise, if only because his House Leader duties had him internally floundering for the first time in years. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, at least compared to the rest of her countrymen; if she thought he was doing a good job, he couldn't have been performing terribly. She also had a good enough head on her shoulders that he wasn't sure how loaded her question actually was. It could very well have been innocent conversation, but she could also be baiting him into saying something unpleasant about the Deer. Which, in fairness, he had quite a bit to say on that front.

[color=ffd700]"Frankly, I assumed I'd be the least prepared,"[/color] Auberon admitted, [color=ffd700]"But it's good to know I'm not making a fool of myself unintentionally. The Lions seem like good people, though I've only had a chance to speak with Derec so far. Honestly, I can't tell if Lienna is avoiding us or if she's just a very driven person and hasn't had a chance to rest yet."[/color] Better not to bring Kellen up at all. Though loathe to admit it, Auberon didn't really have anything nice to say about the boy yet and his nerves seemed evident enough that the blond figured he shouldn't have to reiterate.

Come to think of it, had Kellen even caught up with him? He hadn't been paying attention during the service, as enraptured by the Archbishop's perfomance as he was. Maybe the Fraldarius was off vomiting, that's what anxious people did, right? What a miserable experience the lack of confidence must be. But he was getting distracted; and worse, might be coming off as rude to Clarissa. 

Auberon made a show of considering his next point before continuing. [color=ffd700]"Working with the Crown Prince is less daunting than I would've assumed; claims he has a 'military mind' and carries himself accordingly, rather than what I'd've expected from royalty. Maybe I just like the competitive aspect he brings to the table."[/color] The blond shrugged nonchalantly. Now, how to address her final question? Tactless denouncement was hardly an appropriate topic in the presence of the Archbishop, nor was it constructive to building a functional relationship with Jorah, should word get back to him about what was said. On the other hand, it wasn't like Auberon could stand there and [i]lie[/i] in the highest cathedral in Fodlan.

[color=ffd700]"Jorah is... [i]Jorah[/i]. He's certainly friendly enough."[/color] And that was about the only merit Auberon could attribute to him so far, even if the irreverence that said 'friendliness' inspired was a bit unfamiliar to his noble sensibilities. [color=ffd700]"Though if I've misjudged him, please do let me know. The Deer conduct themselves a bit differently than I'm used to."[/color] At least, that was the only explanation he could think of as to why Clarissa was the only Leicester noble that acted like an actual noble.

As for the question she posed to the Archbishop, Auberon had to admit he was curious as well. He didn't really [i]need[/i] to know the answer - he trusted in the Goddess and the inspired wisdom She granted to the Archbishop - but a conscious servant of the Goddess must surely be of more use than an unknowing instrument of Her will. Unless... whatever fate She had in store was contingent on them [i]not[/i] knowing. Trying to keep up with the thought process of a deity was exhausting.

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