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- Hey, Teach! Hold on a minute, OK? I'm gonna\nhave this cleared up in no time.
- What are you doing?
- Need some help?
- I came across a fascinating book about poisons,\nand so I wanted to try mixing one up myself.
- Nah, that's OK. I'll be finished soon. I'm just in the\nmiddle of mixing up a new poison.
- Aaand...done!
- What do you think of that, Teach? A colorless,\nodorless poison! Say...care to test it out for me?
- Sure.
- What does it do?
- Whoa, really?! Heh, actually, I was just kidding.\nIf you drink this, in two days' time you'll have\nterrible, um...let's call it stomach trouble.
- In two days' time you'll have a terrible case of...\nlet's call it stomach trouble. It's a peaceful poison,\nso you'll live, but you'll certainly be inconvenienced.
- I hear your silent question, Teach. Why the delay?\nThat's so it can be used even if you don't have access\nto the target when you need the poison to take effect.
- Um, naturally, I have no immediate plans for\nthis stuff! I suppose I just felt like broadening\nthe ol' horizons a bit.
- When devising schemes, it's best to have as many\noptions at your disposal as possible. Expanding those\noptions is kind of a hobby for me.
- Why such a dangerous hobby?
- Well, I grew up in an environment where it was\nnecessary to think that way.
- It's like I told you before, I wasn't born into a life\nof luxury.
- Ever since I was a child, I've always been seen as...\ndifferent from those around me. An outsider of sorts.
- I've been resented and hated. There have even been\nattempts on my life. I don't believe I've earned such\ntreatment, but that's how it goes for people like me.
- I don't think of you as an outsider.
- Thanks, Teach. You know, in many ways I'm just a\nnormal person like everyone else. But in the right\nenvironment, anyone could be seen as an outsider.
- It can become...overwhelming. That's why\nI kept running. Kept fighting.
- As a kid I spent a lot of time licking my wounds and\ncoming up with schemes, trying to keep my nose out\nof trouble while plotting against my enemies.
- My parents always told me I wouldn't grow stronger\nif I didn't learn to fight my own battles.
- And so, in the end, I did. And I grew up to be as\nindependent and self-reliant as my parents always\nwished for me to be. Lucky me, right?
- You've been through a lot.
- You grew up well.
- If anyone knows what I'm talking about, it must\nbe you. Eh, Teach? I get the feeling you know\nwhat it's like to be an outsider.
- The moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew you\nweren't like everyone else. People don't care for\nfolks like that... You'd do well to watch your back.
- On the bright side, that's also part of the reason\nthat I find you so interesting.
- Hey, Teach. Do you believe in gods?
- I don't necessarily mean the goddess of the\nSeiros religion. Just...gods in general.
- Do you believe that incredible beings who control\nthe fates of all really exist?
- I do.
- I do not.
- Huh. That's not the answer I was expecting.\nThough, honestly, I've recently become a bit\nof a believer myself.
- Yeah, I didn't think so. I never used to believe\nin that sort of thing either.
- I've always hated the idea of praying to a god.\nAfter all, you can only really rely on yourself.
- I still believe that. You can't win a war by leaving\nyour fate in the hands of a god.
- Only tangible facts can really decide a war.\nWhich side has the most troops, the best tactics,\nthe better organization and planning.
- Of course, miracles can happen. And by that, I mean\nthings that are completely outside of your control.
- Things that only seem to add up if you believe\nin the concept of fate...
- Things like...well, like meeting you, for example.
- What do you mean?
- You just seem sort of...impossible.\nI think everyone would agree with that.
- You can wield the Sword of the Creator, you're a\ntactical genius, and you have this strange ability to\nearn the trust of anyone you cross paths with.
- Before I met you, I never imagined that it was\npossible for someone like you to exist.
- And yet, now that I know you, your presence in\nmy life has quickly become invaluable.
- In fact, it's hard to imagine making my dreams\ncome true without your help.
- Because of that, I can't believe for a second that our\nmeeting was just a coincidence. That means it must\nhave been fate.
- Maybe it was a miracle. Or maybe some god\nempathized with me and my dreams.
- Some god?
- Again, I don't mean the goddess of Fódlan.\nThough... I suppose it may be hard for you\nto grasp what I'm talking about.
- People all over the world have different ideas about\nwho or what the gods are, right? Even in distant\nlands across the ocean or over the mountains...
- They have gods who see the world as a whole,\nwho don't care about Fódlan's borders...
- Who don't meddle in our affairs. Who don't\ngrant life or take it away.
- And maybe, sometimes, they'll make a miracle\nhappen. A god like that... That's the sort of god\nI think I could believe in.
- I don't understand.
- I think I understand.
- Well, it doesn't really matter. Maybe gods like that\nonly exist in my own head.
- Careful, Teach! You'll anger the followers of Seiros\nif you say things like that.
- I'm just speaking my mind, that's all. I think people\nshould be free to believe in whatever gods they want.
- If a person believes in a god and that god becomes\na support system for them, that's a good thing.\nThat's what a god should be.
- Anyway... Maybe I've overstepped a bit.
- It doesn't matter.
- You have.
- I knew you'd understand.
- Sheesh, no need to take offense!\nI just thought you might understand\nhow I feel.
- In any case, let's keep this conversation between\nthe two of us, yeah?
- Oh, hey there. What are you doing up at this hour?
- I couldn't sleep.
- I could ask you the same question.
- Is that right? I guess the more you have to\nthink about, the harder it is to fall asleep.
- My brain's just...busy. Thoughts keep going around\nand around in there, and meanwhile my eyes are\nwide open.
- At times like this, I like to gaze up at the stars to\nclear my head. I've been that way since I was a kid.
- Looking up at the big, starry sky makes my dreams\nfeel small...which makes it feel like I can actually\nmake them come true.
- I didn't believe in gods when I was a kid.\nMaybe that's because the night sky took\ntheir place for me.
- Hey, Teach... Will you talk with me a while?
- I bet you've figured this out, but I wasn't born\nin Fódlan.
- Where I come from, the people of Fódlan\nare looked down on as cowards.
- Technically, that cowardice runs in my veins.\nOn my mother's side, anyway.
- That's why the people who were around me when\nI was growing up thought of me as an outsider.
- But I don't believe the people of Fódlan are cowards.\nThat kind of perspective is just based on ignorance.
- The person from Fódlan who I know best is\nmy mother.
- She fell in love with a man from the wrong side of\nthe border and had the guts to leave home to pursue\nthat love.
- I always threw that in the faces of anyone who tried\nto make a fool of me. My mother is proof the people\nof Fódlan aren't all cowards.
- Just saying that doesn't achieve anything, though.\nI need to destroy the prejudices that have taken\nroot in my homeland.
- That's why I came here, to see Fódlan with my own\neyes. I thought I might be able to find a new\nperspective that could help me change things.
- And what did I find? That the people here view\nanyone who's an outsider as a beast of sorts.
- I was shocked. Even though our cultures and beliefs\nare completely different, our two lands have that\nmuch in common.
- That's when I realized the only way to change things\nis to bring the whole world together and start anew.
- That's the dream I've been working toward since\nI first entered the Officers Academy five years ago.
- To unify the Alliance, and then all of Fódlan, and to\nbring a new set of values to this new land of mine...
- After that, I'd expand that vision to the rest of\nthe world. Break down the walls and let a new\nperspective come rushing in! Start all over!
- Do you think that's just a crazy pipe dream?\nOr a brilliant ambition?
- Can you make that pipe dream come true?
- Can you rise to the challenge of that ambition?
- Not too long ago, I would have said that it was too\nmuch for me to accomplish on my own.
- But that's not how I feel anymore. And that's because\nI have you on my side now.
- Lately, I've spent a lot of time thinking about how I\nwouldn't have made it this far without you.
- You and me, Teach. We can go anywhere.\nDo anything.
- I hope that you always walk in step with me...
- At least until the day comes when we can look out\nat the peaceful world we've built. Together.
- Oh. Hey, Teach. What brings you to the\nGoddess Tower?
- You know what, never mind. The answer is as clear\nas day. You couldn't bear the ball anymore and\nsimply had to escape.
- I wouldn't say that...
- I just needed a break.
- There's nothing wrong with admitting you're not\ncomfortable in a noisy crowd.
- Really, I get it. I'm the same way.
- I don't believe it.
- Ha! See right through me, do you? But I really do\nmean it. Parties aren't for me.
- Music and fun are all well and good, but those\ndances the nobles do are...something else.
- I was never really taught to do that sort of thing.\nMy upbringing was...lacking in certain ways.
- Even though you're from a noble family?
- Even though you're heir to the Alliance?
- Even so. I may have secured a fancy new title,\nbut who I am on the inside... Well, status alone\ncan't change that.
- That's a bit of an aside, though. Say, Teach...\nhave you heard the legends about this tower?
- They say if a man and a woman pray for the\nsame thing here, on this night, the goddess\nwill grant their wish without fail.
- Why tonight?
- Who knows? Maybe it has something to do\nwith celebrating the anniversary of the\nmonastery's completion.
- Maybe the goddess comes down from above on this\nnight and this night alone to celebrate with us.\nEven goddesses like to party, right?
- The truth is that it's just a legend the students\nhere like to tell. It's not based on any real facts.
- But I suppose it would be a waste to pass up a chance\nof having our wish granted. What do you say, Teach?\nCare to try?
- What would we pray for?
- Hm... Let's see... How about we pray for our\nambitions to come true?
- You don't exactly seem like the selfish type,\nbut even you must have an ambition or two.
- I do.
- I do not.
- More of a hope...
- That's what I thought. It's the same for everyone.
- Even if you're not aware of it, I'm sure there's\nsomething your heart of hearts wishes for.
- No one is ever completely satisfied. Everyone has\nsomething they long for. Otherwise, what's the point\nof it all?
- Of course, same goes for me. Without even realizing\nit, I found myself holding tight to some pretty\nbig ambitions.
- If you would... I would love for you to share in\nthose ambitions with me, Teach.
- But all that aside, let's get started. Let's pray to\nthe goddess before she tuckers out for the evening.\nOK... Here goes.
- Oh, divine Goddess! Hear our prayers! We beseech\nyou and your radiance! Please, grant us that which\nwe seek!
- Huh.
- I think that should do it. The goddess'll make\nour dreams come true now, yeah?
- I wonder.
- At any rate, we've done all we can. Whether we\nactually believe our dreams will come true or not\nis up to us.
- I suppose we should head back soon. I'm sure\neveryone is looking for you.
- Just promise to spare a dance for me. OK, Teach?\nI swear, so long as it's not one of those goofy noble\ndances, I am a treasure on the dance floor!
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