Three Houses Supports/Dimitri Hapi

C Support

Hapi: Hmm...

Dimitri: Hapi, you must know that it's rather uncomfortable to be the subject of such an unflinching gaze.

Hapi: You'll have to put up with it for a little while longer. I feel like I can almost remember...

Dimitri: Apologies, but I'm not sure what you're referring to. Care to elaborate?

Hapi: I have this sense that we met somewhere...before we were students. But you're the prince of Faerghus, so how could I have met you?

Dimitri: I do not recall meeting you previously either. Although... Long ago, I sometimes accompanied my father as he traveled the Kingdom. Perhaps we crossed paths...

Hapi: Unlikely. I lived in an isolated village in the forest. We didn't have contact with outsiders. After I ran away, I was kidnapped, and my kidnapper kept me locked up all day and night. I think I'd remember if the royal family had stopped by for a visit.

Dimitri: Kidnapped? What do you mean by that?

Hapi: A lady found me, a helpless runaway, and offered to take me in. She promised to keep me safe. Instead I became her test subject. She experimented on me with all kinds of spells and rituals. I had a roof over my head and plenty to eat. But otherwise, it was...a pretty bad experience.

Dimitri: ... This may be unwelcome from a stranger like myself, but I want you to know that it's perfectly acceptable to be angry about such unfortunate circumstances. I can't fathom why someone would cause you pain like that. I'm sorry you had to endure such a thing. You have every right to feel aything you need to feel toward the person responsible for your suffering.

Hapi: Oh! That's weird. Hmm, I wonder...

Dimitri: What's the matter? Was it something I said?

Hapi: It's just that I've heard those words before. I think it was someone else who said them, but... I can't remember who. Maybe I'll figure it out some day. In the meantime. see you around.

Dimitri: Yes, of course. If our meeting again can help you in any way, you need only ask and I'll be there.

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B Support

Dimitri: I did not expect to see you here, Hapi. I get the feeling that you didn't come for training.

Hapi: Listen up, Didi. I remembered something.

Dimitri: Remembered? Ah, does this have something to do with why you were staring at me earlier?

Hapi: Not ringing any bells. I stare at people all the time. Anyway, do you know Anselma?

Dimitri: Anselma... Yes, of course. But how do you know that name? That is what my stepmother was called in the Empire. In the Kingdom, she was called Patricia.

Hapi: Oh, so that's what it was. I see now. What a relief. It was really sticking in my craw. Well, now that's all settled, I'm off to bed.

Dimitri: Just one moment. You may understand, but I most certainly do not. How did you know my stepmother?

Hapi: She used to visit all the time. I think she was friends with the lady who kidnapped me.

Dimitri: Friends? Are you sure?

Hapi: I heard the lady helped bring her to the Kingdom, but I don't really know the details. Anyway, when Anselma saw how I was being treated, she got angry, just like you. You remind me a lot of her, actually.

Dimitri: Are we really that much alike?

Hapi: I'd say so. Come to think of it, you greet people in the same way, hold a book in the same way... You even get angry in the same way! It's uncanny.

Dimitri: I share no blood with my stepmother, but to hear you say that... It pleases me greatly. She was the one who raised me. I suppose it makes sense that we would share certain mannerisms. To think that the person you mentioned was my stepmother is...baffling, to say the least.

Hapi: What do you mean?

Dimitri: For all intents and purposes, my stepmother was completely cut off from the outside world. Suffice it to say few knew that my father had taken a second wife.

Hapi: Sounds...complicated. I can keep my mouth shut, if you like.

Dimitri: I would very much appreciate your silence on the matter. But thank you, truly, for all that you said. Truth be told, the union between my father and stepmother has given rise to...much speculation. But for now, what's truly baffling to me is the identity of that lady you mentioned... She welcomed my stepmother into the Kingdom after she fled home due to political strife... Hm. No, I must stop this. It's time to put an end to this discussion. Baseless speculation will get me nowhere.

Hapi: Oh, come on. I finally felt like I understood, and then you go and say something cryptic like that. If I can't sleep tonight, I'm blaming you.

Dimitri: Well, if that happens, come back here and I'll keep you company. I'll be training a while yet. I wonder... Could Hapi's captor truly be her?

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A Support

Dimitri: Hapi, I must speak with you. I've realized the woman who held you captive...was Cornelia herself.

Hapi: Oh. Yeah. Good on you for figuring it out. You're a little late though, considering she's dead. How are you feeling about what she said, by the way? You seemed pretty upset at the time. It couldn't have been easy to hear all that stuff about your stepmother and the Tragedy of Duscur.

Dimitri: Whether Cornelia's words prove true or false, any lead is worth following.

Hapi: Hm. This might not be related, but I remembered something else about your stepmother. She had a daughter. Her daughter was staying in the Kingdom at one point, but Anselma couldn't see her.

Dimitri: Her daughter... Neither my father nor I knew that the Imperial princess was in Fhirdiad at the time.

Hapi: Oh, that's not what I heard. I heard the king wanted to keep the child away from Anselma. So he hid the fact that their daughter was nearby.

Dimitri: She believed that Father hid it from her? What could he have gained from such a thing?

Hapi: No clue. Sorry, but I'm the wrong person to ask.

Dimitri: As she was seeking asylum from the Empire in the Kingdom, Lord Arundel was obligated to hide the Imperial princess's whereabouts. If her location had gone public, the Empire would have demanded her return. She would undoubtedly have become a political pawn in the Kingdom as well. The decision to hide her was not my father's. I did not realize until much later that the girl I'd met under such strange circumstances was my stepsister.

Hapi: So then...why did Anselma think that it was all your father's doing?

Dimitri: I can only speculate, but it seems there was a misunderstanding between her and my father. Although she was the queen consort, in truth, my father and stepmother were not even allowed the dignity of being alone together. And the one who persistently inserted herself between them was their intermediary...your captor. It was Cornelia herself.

Hapi: She hid it from Anselma.

Dimitri: I believe so. Meanwhile, she may have hidden my stepmother's presence from Lord Arundel as well. If Cornelia caused my stepmother to miss out on seeing them, exhorted her, used her, and then also caused the Tragedy... Hmm.

Hapi: I'm surprised she pulled one over on both of them. She was pretty reckless. But in a way, it makes sense. She loved causing pain. That's why she used me and discarded me without a second thought.

Dimitri: I fully agree. Countless people have been subjected to undue suffering as a result of her behavior. That is why I would like your help with something, if that's agreeable to you. You are my only hope.

Hapi: If you put like that, I can't exactly say no, can I?

Dimitri: I wish to learn all that you know about Cornelia. If I follow the traces she left behind, perhaps I can finally learn the truth of the tragedy. And perhaps I'll also be able to find a way to lift the curse she placed upon you...

Hapi: Oh. That would be...nice. The people from the church couldn't figure out a solution, so I won't get my hopes up.

Dimitri: That is perhaps for the best. That said, I am a stubborn man who is not often inclined to give up. I will not allow history to repeat itself. Neither the tragedy, nor your own personal torments.

Hapi: If you're going to be so intense about this, I can't help but get my hopes up. But it's not always easy having me by your side. You always need to be on guard.

Dimitri: You have my word. Should a thousand beasts raise their claws at me, I will happily send them running.

Hapi: Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Didi. Heh. Though it might be kinda fun watching you tears those monsters to shreds. _