Byleth Eisner's favorite part of the day was seeing her father smile.
It didn't happen very often, which was why she always tried extra hard to make him happy. Jeralt Eisner was a single father, as her mother had died giving birth to Byleth. Admittedly, there wasn't much for Jeralt to smile about, considering how her mother was dead and how Byleth's condition always plagued both of their minds, but it was still nice for Byleth to see him happy.
Unfortunately for the family, Byleth had been born with a heart that never beat. Ever since, they'd both been swarmed with visits to the doctor weekly, and scientists wondering just how Byleth was alive. Obviously, life was difficult for the two of them, and they both wondered when her time would be up. So, seeing him smile was quite an unusual sight indeed.
However, today, he seemed to be in a happier mood than usual. As Byleth ran around the Eisner bar, making sure everything was orderly before opening, Jeralt called her over.
"Hey, Kid," Jeralt shouted, straightening his black shirt down. The attire required to bartend was simple; just wear black. Byleth had that covered, considering how that was all she had in her drawers. "I've got a job for ya."
"Yeah?" Byleth walked over, placing her hands on her hips. While he wasn't quite smiling, he did indeed have a different aura about him. She wondered just what he was so excited about. "What do you need me to do?"
"We got a new recruit coming in to start training today," Jeralt hummed, satisfied that he had found someone that he deemed worthy to serve at his bar. He was very picky about his employees; they had to fit his criteria. "His name is Claude von Riegan. Seemed like a smart guy. I liked his sharp tongue."
"Alright," Byleth shrugged. It had been a long time since Jeralt had hired anyone; the last person had been Leonie Pinelli, and she had begged to become a bartender since she practically worshipped Jeralt. Her father used to train at an armory before he went off on his own to start a bar, and Leonie had been one of his many pupils. "When's he starting?"
"Right now. There he is!"
Byleth turned toward the entrance of their well lit bar to see a darker skinned male opening the door. He had a smile on his face as he waved at the two, his emerald eyes flashing in their direction. Byleth's heart would have stopped if it had ever been beating in the first place.
Sothis, his eyes are stunning...
Wait, what?
"I'm not late, am I?" He asked with a stunning grin, running one hand through his dark hair. He wore a black shirt with golden outlines in the shape of a little deer. "I ran here as fast as I could."
"No, you're right on time," Jeralt said, beginning to straighten out around the bar. He grabbed a broom before gesturing to the boy. "Claude, this is Byleth, my daughter."
"Hey," Byleth replied, her eyes wide, and she was unsure if she could manage another sentence. Claude was...not what she'd been expecting. From the looks of it, he was about her age. Byleth was fresh out of college, and he looked to be about the same as her. His eyes had that sparkling tint of excitement that most students did when coming out of school. "I'll...I'll be instructing you."
"Hey there," Claude winked at her, and Byleth struggled to retain a composed demeanor. For some reason, she found it hard to breath.
She didn't know why; there was just something about him. He barely even knew him and somehow...somehow Byleth just felt her breath taken away.
"Uh, hello? You alright?" Claude asked, tilting his head to the side as his words brought Byleth back to reality and away from her strange, invasive thoughts.
"Huh? Y-Yea," Byleth stumbled over her words, and she glanced at her father in slight confusion. Jeralt looked at the two in amusement as Byleth struggled. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"
"I asked how your day was," Claude said again, adjusting his shirt. Byleth had never really paid much attention to anyone's appearance before, but...Claude's eyes were incredibly striking. "That's all."
"Oh, my day has been fine!" Actually, wonderful. Dad really does find the best employees. Jeralt smiled knowingly, and that alone was enough to make Byleth's chest feel warm. Today was a fine day, wasn't it? Even though Byleth didn't exactly know why he was smiling, just having him perform the action was enough.
"I'll leave you two to it," Jeralt disappeared into the backroom to get the bar further into shape. Byleth cleared her throat, turning toward him and giving him a small smile.
"Alright," Byleth nodded, walking over to the bar itself. She walked to the other side of the counter, gesturing for him to come over. "Let's get started, then, shall we?"
Claude smiled, following her lead. He didn't seem to be nervous for the job whatsoever, and Byleth appreciated that. It was always so much easier to teach people when they weren't afraid to hear criticism.
"Yeah. I'm ready."
YOU ARE READING
Race Against Time
Fanfiction"BYLETH, YOU'RE DYING." Those were the words Byleth Eisner had heard her entire life...but it had never rang true. She had always known that the doctors were wrong, that she was going to keep living, but the fear of death was constant. Born with a h...
