[ In all truth, that look on Byleth's face was a far cry from unexpected, and Shez could read it well enough even without their connection-- and sure, Communion and their special bond as Advocates was added help, but that rush of gratitude is something he's confident he could figure out under any other circumstances. Having known the guy for this long, one sort of learns how to pick up on his subtle clues.

In return, the smile he earns in response is as expansive as Shez himself, and it's quick to shift into a laugh at Byleth's idea, light-hearted and never meant as a mockery. ]

Right, that could work! I've seen a whole lot of them casting white magic, so they'd probably be all over the chance to help a guy out. Honestly, if you can pull off your usual pout, that'd be a grand finale!

[ Byleth may argue that he doesn't pout, but he does! It's just got more to do with his eyes than his mouth, and something about his tone that's close to a whine-- and, okay, maybe that's precisely one of those subtleties he's learned to see clear as day, but it could be a Nabatean thing! ]

In the meantime, I'll go ahead and claim the Shard. Communion still works, so we can use that to our favor, maybe send a signal in case of emergency.

[ ...which, in Byleth's case, could only be social panic. Anything else, he'd be more than prepared to deal with. ]

You ready for this?