The Starlit Void
(Chapter Zero)
"Speaking"
'Thought'
'Written'
Disclaimer: Zero no Tsukaima / Familiar of Zero (Light Novel) was written by Noboru Yamaguchi, illustrated by Eiji Usatsuka, and published by Media Factory (Seven Seas Entertainment in the US and Canada.) The first anime was directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki with Studio J, and licensed by Geneon in the US and Canada... but as bluntly as possible in order to save time going through all other installments in the series – these authors are none of these people and have no legitimate claim to the series. Thus this work is strictly non-profit. Any use otherwise is not these authors' doing. Similarly, Mabinogi and all characters, races, concepts, ideas, and other material taken from it is the work and property of Nexon and BGEntertainment. These authors are likewise not affiliated with either group in any way or form and lays no claim to that property.
.XXX.
Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière stirred as the sun filtered in through the thin white curtains. She cracked her sleepy eyes and held up a hand to block out the insistent rays. With only a slight moan of protest she set about her routine, getting dressed, brushing her hair and generally preparing herself for the day. Today was the day wasn't it? She moaned a little louder in misery as she grabbed her school books. She trudged down the stone hallways of the girls' dormitory like a doomed woman marching to her own execution.
.XXX.
Crowded.
That was the first thought that came to Linde's mind as she entered Dunbarton market. There were so many people. Most of them were human, but she still saw a fair number of giants among the crowd - their tall forms stood out easily among the shorter populace. And there were just as many pointed ears about as there were giants, she was sure, though they were harder to spot.
The giantess paused to brush her purple hair out of her eyes to glance across a stand filled with various foods, some fine, some cheap before continuing on her way. Maybe she would make a stop after her business was through, that roasted bear looked tasty.
Not that it was disappointing, how well the elves blended in. Linde didn't feel particularly interested in thinking about their presence any more than she had to. Dunbarton - and Uladh in general - was neutral territory but… the wounds didn't fade, even with a bandage on them. Some hurts never heal. The enmity between the elves and giants was too great for the intervention of the humans to erase. There was progress, of a sort, in that both were here and working with the humans… but it could not truly be said they were working with each other. All said, Linde was content to go about her business without acknowledging the elves in the crowd.
But she was getting distracted. Moving on from the grocer, Linde's gaze drifted off toward the left where a man was slumped on a stool and leaning up against the wall of a store. A line of hanging storage bags and cloths made her recall how surprisingly fast her gold pouch had filled over the course of her travels… and how swiftly the supply within that single pouch vanished as well. This in mind, she made her way through the crowd, bodies parting as she approached in deference to her size. As she examined the bags, the man called out to her in a bland, almost disinterested voice,
"Anything you need?"
His face remained tilted lazily upward, mustache hanging sadly across it almost like a dead fish, but his eyes, tired as the rings around them suggested they were, remained focused - not on her - but on everything around, glancing cautiously about in case someone decided his apparent lack of interest meant his wares were on sale for free.
"Ah... yes," Linde replied, clasping her hands together nervously as she realized she was staring. 'That mustache is so…' "I've been running out of space… Uhm, that is - my gold pouch doesn't quite hold enough, so…"
"So you're looking for more, or a bigger one," The man replied in the same even tone as before, somehow still audible over the noise of the markets. When did he stand up? He was beside the door now, fishing through a lidded basket. Before anything could come of it, however, Linde suddenly felt weightless and, with a startled gasp, fell into a hole that had inexplicably opened up beneath her, tall form taking a second to fade out of sight, hands grasping futilely toward the edge. Just short of touching ground, her hand disappeared into the hole. "Any prefe…" The man turned around, trailing off as the giantess had - somehow - managed to vanish into thin air. He scanned the crowd for a moment or so before shrugging, sighing, and sitting back down - in that order.
.XXX.
"Today is the day of your summoning. This is the first exam of your second year." The balding fire professor announced to the gathered class. Not really paying attention, Louise slouched her shoulders and did her best to remain invisible to her peers around her. Why, oh why did she have to brag so much to Zerbst?
"I can't wait to see your 'magnificent' familiar Louise." Louise shuddered as she felt Kirche slide up behind her and grip her shoulders. "Leave me alone." Louise intoned automatically, Kirche's ribbing adding more fuel to her growing self-doubt.
The number of students slowly ticked down, Louise barely registered Guiche's hamming before Professor Colbert shut him up. She chewed on the tip of her wand as her nerves ran amok. What kind of familiar would she be able to call? Would she even be able to perform the ritual in the first place? If she failed... Louise shook her head violently to dislodge the thought. She would do it! She would summon the greatest familiar in the history of the academy!
"Miss Valliere?"
It would be the best!
"Miss Valliere?"
The strongest!
"Umm, Miss Valliere?"
The most noble creature to ever grace the-!
"Miss Valliere, you're the only one who hasn't already summoned their familiar." Colbert finally managed to shake Louise out of her reverie. The youngest Valliere took one last deep breath and stepped out into the empty grass. She ignored the murmuring from the other students, more cruelties directed at her she was sure, and raised her wand high into the air. She did her best to appear calm and in control despite her trembling hands.
"I beg of you, my slave, who lives somewhere in the universe!"
She ignored the confused stares and hushed conversations.
"Oh sacred, grand, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit! I desire and plead from my heart! Answer to my guidance!"
"Well at least it's unique." Guiche mumbled to Montmorency as they took a step back, bracing for the inevitable explosion.
With a final dramatic slash of her wand she released the mana building within her... and was met with a loud boom and a cloud of billowing black smoke… followed by a high-pitched, feminine scream as… something… impacted the ground, dispelling the smoke and giving Louise her first view of her familiar.
In a word, she was - and, a surveying glance at the figure sprawled ungracefully on the ground determined it was definitely a she - large. In every way. She was currently seated, but even so she remained as tall as Louise herself - maybe a few inches taller. Her shoulders were broad. Her hands were huge. And her figure was still curvaceous despite this size. She was wearing a warm looking woolen coat, oddly bright and course looking despite its material, with… small pants. And stockings. And fur-trimmed boots. A pouch hung off her belt, holding a sizable amount of… something… within its confines, and a massive sword was strapped to her back, angled oddly by its tip's contact with the ground. Everything about her conveyed a sense of strength… except for the nervous, shocked expression on her face as she gazed wildly about the courtyard.
And then the giantess stood.
Several gasps sounded as all the spectating students took a step back, heads tilting upwards to track the summoned beings' face. Louise herself had to nearly lean back to meet her eyes. This was… Louise didn't quite know what to think. If there was anything to those trunk-like limbs, her familiar was certainly strong - at least. And beautiful, as well, the pinkette conceded after another appraising glance at her figure now that she was standing. But sacred? Grand? Certainly, there was a grand something here, if only it was size. Size of the summon… or size of the failure. Louise wasn't sure whether or not this could constitute as a success.
"Mr. Colbert…?" Louise asked uncertainly, hoping for some sort of guidance.
"Fascinating..." The balding fire professor strode confidently up to the huge woman, who tracked him nervously across the courtyard, fidgeting in place. "You certainly have summoned an interesting familiar Miss Valliere." He said while looking the giantess up and down. The large woman squirmed slightly at his wandering eyes and Louise could tell she was resisting the urge to cover herself with her arms.
"Mr. Colbert." Louise tried again, this time less uncertain and more unamused.
"Ah, yes, forgive me, Miss Valliere," The man responded, turning toward her and backing out of the way, hand flexing against his staff, "Please continue the ritual."
"R-right." She answered, stumbling for a moment before steeling herself. Striding purposefully up to the summon, and unhappily noting she barely reached the enormous woman's hip, Louise began reciting the words to the ritual, "My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers, please bless this humble being and make her my fa-" Then… Louise paused, and looked up. And up. She couldn't interject anything now that she had started until she was done, so she couldn't outright ask the woman to kneel down so she could complete the ritual… assuming she could understand… and was willing… and, oh Founder, this could end so terribly and - Shaking her head, Louise tried pointing down while looking her familiar-to-be in the eyes, only to elicit a confused face in return. Louise pointed again, and the woman's head tilted while she said something indecipherable in a nervous, questioning tone. Louise continued staring and, shrugging, the woman brought herself down on one knee… and was still taller than Louise, who only reached up to her shoulder.
The woman's face looked honestly confused but… Louise still had to crane her neck to see that. Resisting the urge to swallow nervously, she continued where she had left off, tapping the woman on the shoulder with her wand, "-miliar." Then Louise blushed, and looked up again at the perplexed woman. Leaning forward onto the tips of her toes, she barely managed to peck the woman's chin. Quickly retreating, and ignoring the complete shock written all of her familiar-to-be, Louise watched. And waited. It didn't take long. The familiar had just opened her mouth to ask another question when her left hand lit up as the familiar runes burned themselves into her skin. Curiously, the enormous woman didn't exhibit anything beyond minor discomfort. Her bewildered face spoke more of suspicion and fright than a reaction to any sort of pain…. which was odd, because the runes tended to be painful for 'softer' creatures. Then again, nothing about the woman - aside from her behavior - suggested any sort of fragility.
"Congratulations, Miss Valliere, it seems you succeeded in 'Contract Familiar' on the first try." Colbert cast a surveying glance around the field before nodding to himself, satisfied, "Now, if you would allow me to record the runes, we can all retire for the day." The scholarly man stepped forward and held out a hand towards the giantess but she was reluctant and held both arms even closer to herself. "Come now, there is nothing to fear." The man said reassuringly, with a kindly smile, and gestured to her freshly inscribed hand. Hesitantly the huge woman allowed the professor to pull her hand towards himself by a single digit and after a moment of examining the runes, Colbert scratched a copy onto a waiting roll of parchment.
"It's just like you to summon a timid giant Louise. The size of it certainly matches the size of your boasts." The voice of Kirche sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Louise. She just had to try and ruin her moment didn't she? Unaware or uncaring of Louise's discomfort, Kirche continued, "One has to wonder if the spirit isn't a little lacking, though... just like your talent Zero."
"You-!" Louise started, but was interrupted by Colbert.
"That was unbecoming of a young noble lady such as yourself, Miss Zerbst." Without further elaboration, his reproachful eyes scanned the rest of the crowd, cowing any other would-be trouble makers before their mischief could even begin, "Now, if there are no other comments," His eyes flickered back over to Kirche, who cringed, "then I believe it is time you return to your dorms." Looking back to Louise, Colbert's stern expression softened, "Miss Valliere, in your case… please do not hesitate to notify the staff if any… unique… difficulties occur. We will do what we can to sort it out." With those words, and a subtle glance at the giantess, Colbert and the rest of the class departed, taking to the air as if gravity had no meaning to them, and prompting a startled gasp from behind Louise.
Sighing, Louise turned to the giantess, who was still staring after the other students, "Now… what am I to do with you?" She asked. Rhetorically, as she doubted that her familiar spoke the same language. Though she certainly spoke something, so she was intelligent, at least. "Well… come along then; let's go to my room." Louise said as she grasped and tugged one of the giantess' fingers. "Classes are done for today and I would like to catch up on my studies." It was the truth. Louise, usually a diligent student, had spent more time focusing on the upcoming ritual than anything else. Her other subjects had suffered for it, as a result.
'Not that my knowledge of theory has done me much good.' She thought, somewhat bitterly.
The giantess stood and Louise had to marvel at her sheer height once again. With an annoyed huff, she noted she had to raise her arm uncomfortably high to keep grasp of the giantess' finger - finger, because the hand itself was too large to get any sort of real grip. Louise 'pulled' the giantess along the grassy field towards the girls' dorm in the distance. There weren't any real problems aside from the dangerous creaking of the wooden stairs that led up to the floor her room was on. Thankfully, the hallways were wide and the ceilings tall enough for the giantess to walk through them without needing to stoop. Arriving at the door, Louise opened it with her free hand…
.XXX.
Linde was confused. Very confused. She had no idea where she was, how she got here, what these people were saying - and, for that matter, what had happened to her hand. And it didn't look like she would be getting any answers any time soon, either. The little girl who had led her to this room had fallen fast asleep after spending an hour or so uselessly trying to speak with her, and then one after that staring at the ceiling in frustration after throwing a wad of worn clothing in her face. So Linde was left to herself in a room that - while large by human standards, she was sure - only just managed to comfortably fit her. Sighing, the giantess carefully strode over to the window on the far side of the room. Checking to see if it had a latch, and noticing one at the bottom of the frame, she thought about opening it before glancing back at the sleeping girl on the bed and deciding to refrain. More than a little frustrated, but with nothing to take those feelings out on, she slid onto the stone floor in discontent, gazing up at the twin moves above.
'Eweca is bright tonight...' She thought, staring at the small, vibrant moon, 'I wonder if it's just as bright, back in Dunbarton? Or back home, in Vales?'
Sprawled lengthwise across the ground, Linde stared at the moons. Questions and concerns passed momentarily from her mind, put to rest until the morning came. She couldn't have said when she fell asleep.
.XXX.
Nao paced back and forth and bit one of her nails in worry. In the stark white confines of The Soul Stream she had felt one of her Milletians, her children, vanish without a trace. She could sense them all connected to her, call them all by name and remember all of their birthdays but she couldn't tell which of her children had vanished or where they had gone and that left her with a cold pit of dread lodged in the bottom of her stomach. She supposed she could try to check every one of them but there were just so many... With a sigh she slumped to the immaculate white floor of the Soul Stream, Milletians couldn't die. If that held true she would find them within a year anyway... so why didn't that make her feel any better? Because she didn't know. They were gone, and she didn't know why or how… and that scared her. The last time one of them went out of her reach, she very nearly didn't come back. And there was nothing Nao could do about it. And now again, one of them was beyond her senses… and there was little she could do but wait.
.XXX.
Louise was not having a good morning. Her familiar couldn't understand her, ergo, it could not follow any directions and - as a result - understand her request to do her laundry last night. Useless but… It could be corrected in time. With patience. Hopefully. Shouting at her familiar hadn't accomplished anything but let out some of the pressure that had been building up and, in hindsight, was probably a bad idea considering the unhappy look on the giantess' face. She would have to figure out a way to tutor her. In the mean time, she had to get ready for class. She had just turned toward her dresser to pull out her clothes for the day when she heard a woman panting behind her. Raising an eyebrow she was about to go back to finding her clothes and leave her familiar to... whatever it was she was doing when she heard a weary voice.
"Linde... happy birthday, why was it so hard to get here?"
Who…?
"Nao!"
And that was, recognizably, her familiar's voice. So… there were…
Louise turned around, to find a strange woman in a black dress had somehow entered the room. She was tall - nowhere near as tall as the giantess, but taller than Kirche - and possessing of a figure that was just as voluptuous as her Germanian rival's. Her hair, oddly enough, was stark white and hanging in two long tails tied up by a pair of black ribbons. She held a simple shepherd's crook in her hands that looked a lot like Tabitha's staff. Was the woman a mage? Did she know her familiar?
"Nao, are you alright?" The giantess questioned, moving over to support the woman who - now that Louise was paying attention - looked out of breath. Then Louise processed that statement. As in, she understood it.
"I can understand you!" Louise couldn't believe it, was her familiar just pretending all this time? Or did this woman have something to do with it? How could that work? There was no such thing as a translation spell - not in any of the books she had read was there any mention of such a thing... and she hadn't heard any kind of incantation, even if there were. Both of the women blinked, and the giantess' face spoke of her confusion.
"Yes… It seems you can," the giantess ventured uncertainly.
"Who is this Linde, a friend?" The newcomer queried from her place in the air, held up as she was by the giantess' arms.
Louise frowned at that, cutting the giantess off before she could respond, "That's my question. Who are you? How did you get in here? How do you know my familiar?"
The woman tilted her head, face frozen for a moment, "Ah… you can see…" She trailed off, processing the entirety of what Louise just said, "Familiar, did you say?"
Louise nodded, "Yes. I summoned and contracted her as my familiar yesterday."
The woman sent a questioning glance at the giantess propping her above the ground, receiving a minute shrug and a baffled expression in return. The pleasant smile on the woman's face became slightly strained as she glanced back to Louise, "I came here because it is my dear friend's birthday but… this place…" She glanced toward the window and back, "I was worried I would have to wait a full year before I found out where my missing Milletian went but… it seems I have my answer."
Her missing… What? Louise's frown deepened, "Regardless of previous affiliations, this woman has been summoned and bound as my familiar in accordance with the sacred rite. She is my familiar, and these are my quarters. How did you get in here undetected?"
The reward for her efforts was a strange expression somewhere between mischief and malice as the woman tilted her head behind her slightly, "There is a door. You must have been too preoccupied to notice me - I apologize for not announcing my arrival, but - you see - I was concerned for my friend." She frowned. Or, rather, her smile thinned into a line. "She's a very dear friend. I protect my friends, and care for them a great deal, so when I find that she has vanished from home… well, I searched. You claimed her? A living, intelligent, thinking, feeling being?"
The woman was still smiling but an odd sort of pressure had descended within the confines of the room, making Louise shift uncomfortably. Somehow, it felt as if she were locked into a cage with her mother's manticore after it had been woken up prematurely and was in a particularly foul mood. There was… something primally frightening about this woman, whose demeanor had been nothing but pleasant so far. But her actions did not match her words. There was agitation hidden beneath that smile. This was the impression Louise received.
"Ah, Nao…" The woman looked to the giantess Louise had summoned, and - like that - her smile became genuine and the oppressive air faded, "uhm, please don't be too hard on her. She's so young… This is a misunderstanding, I'm sure."
The woman's smile thinned ever so slightly, but she nodded anyway, twin streams of hail shifting like a pair of water spouts. "Of course not. She is, as you said, young. Anyone can make a mistake. I was just worried. You disappeared, you know? I couldn't sense you at all. But it seems I've been distracted from the purpose of my visit," She held out her hand, and Louise blanched when a pouch materialized on her palm - seemingly from nowhere. What level of magic was that? "It's your birthday today." The pouch was deposited into the giantess' hands, which carefully opened it and pulled out an intricate trinket on a chain. It was shaped roughly like a clover and made of silver. The entire structure was made of interconnected bars, twisted about to give the impression that it was made of vines. The craftsmanship, Louise considered, was impeccable. "It is, as always, enchanted with a minor warding cantrip to protect you against spells and weapons of war."
This made Louise's head spin. She had just watched this unknown woman conjure an intricate piece of jewelry of high quality (with packaging) that was simultaneously enchanted. Which… she had no idea how that was even possible. Maybe it was summoned, rather than forged on spot? But the only 'summoning' she was aware of was the Springtime Summoning Ritual, which was certainly not something useable as casually as this - let alone for a specific item. This… just how skilled a mage was this woman?
"Thank you," The giantess spoke, sincerely, unravelling a chain around the trinket and hanging it about her neck, "You didn't have to-"
"I wanted to." The woman responded simply, smiling kindly. She turned to Louise, "I will take my leave now… but I will be staying in contact. Linde is neither a pet, nor a position. She is - if she wills it - your partner, companion, and perhaps friend if you would allow it." Before Louise could say another word, the woman spun on her heel and… disappeared in a shower of light.
Louise's jaw dropped… and then managed to snap close just as the woman returned, a small frown on her face.
"Hm. Just how far away did you manage to summon Linde?" She mused aloud. "This is… concerning."
"What do you mean, Nao?" The giantess - Linde - queried.
Nao's frown shifted into a miniscule smile, though her eyes remained tightened in concern, "Well… There is something blocking me. I can't seem to return to Erinn. I can reach the Soul Stream, from here, but it is… different. Not the same."
Louise could take no more at this point, "Who are you?! How did you do that? Where is this 'Erinn?'"
"Nao is Nao," Linde inputted simply.
"That's not an answer!" Louise accused.
The giantess shrugged simply, and Nao continued smiling.
.XXX.
Linde quietly closed the door behind her and turned to walk quickly down the hallway. She needed to get a little air, Nao and her 'master' were having a shouting match, well Louise was the one shouting, and the atmosphere made her a little uncomfortable. Nao was here, she could barely believe it! She was sure there were probably many far reaching consequences for that but she was happy for the company all the same.
Linde quickly made her way down the groaning stairs, making a mental note to ask someone to reinforce them before she fell through, and out into the sunlight. Her gait slowed when she finally made it out of the tower, the green grass and warm sun did a lot to make her feel at ease. The entire situation was like something out of a bad story and finding out that she was supposedly 'owned' by Louise was just icing on the cake. And Nao had a few words to say about that particular situation. The sun and pleasant scenery had almost lulled the Giantess into a trance when she felt something collide with her knee and heard a feminine shriek of pain. Worried that she had hurt someone by running them over she leapt backwards to find a maid sprawled out on the grass with an upturned basket of damp white cloth.
"Oh, I'm sorry are you alright?" Linde fussed over the maid, reaching down and lifting her back onto her feet with gentle hands. What were they feeding the staff? The poor girl barely weighed anything. She was brushing the stray bits of the lawn off of the poor girl when the maid finally managed to come to her senses.
"Oh, no, it was my fault, I should have been watching where I was going." The small black haired girl finished straightening her uniform before turning to the person she had bumped into... and was met with the sight of a torso. Her eyes slowly trailed upwards until she met the eyes of the giantess, a full double her own own height. "You're the Familiar Miss Valliere Summoned, I didn't get a chance to see you very closely," She paused, trailing off, "You're so tall..."
Linde smiled at the young maid. "Being a giant comes with being tall. Here let me help you with that." Reaching around the young maid Linde picked up the fallen basket and replaced the now grass covered cloth. "I'm Linde by the way." She said as she sat the basket next to the girl's feet.
"I'm Siesta; it's nice to meet you Linde. My grandfather used to tell me stories about giants and other things, I never imagined that I would get to meet one." Siesta smiled before looking down at the basket and frowning. "Oh, now I have to wash this table cloth again," Siesta pouted.
"Fami-OW! Watch where your steppi- err I mean, Linde we're going to breakfast!"
Linde turned towards Nao and Louise, who was rubbing her foot like she had accidentally kicked something and standing next to an innocently smiling Nao. "Coming, I'll be there in a moment!" She shouted back to them. "Sorry Siesta, I would help you with that but I need to go."
"Ah, it's ok Miss Linde, I can take care of it." Siesta answered before turning and waving goodbye with a small smile as she left to rewash the soiled fabric. Linde returned the gesture before joining Nao and Louise.
.XXX.
"Normally," Louise explained as she lead Nao and Linde into a grassy courtyard, "we would eat in the dining hall. But today we are meant to be bonding with our familiars, and are thus expected to spend most of our time outside with them - where they would be most comfortable." Anticipating some kind of reaction from Nao, and not wanting to risk the ire of someone that was clearly a skilled mage (particularly before she could find out more about her), Louise quickly continued, "Of course, this was planned with the assumption that the familiar would be an animal or magical beast of some sort. An intelligent familiar is completely unheard of." There was an unoccupied table in the corner of the yard, out of the way of everyone else, and Louise led the pair following her to it. The chairs were well-crafted, but thin and delicate looking. After examining them, Linde nonchalantly moved one aside and seated herself on the grass - still capable of reaching the table itself easily, and not risking expensive furniture in the process. Nao, by contrast, seated herself demurely between the giantess and Louise, hands folded politely in her lap as her eyes trailed about their surroundings.
A few moments of slightly uncomfortable silence passed before one of the servants arrived and placed some tea on the table. Louise took a sip of the pleasant tea and looked across the top of her cup at the mysterious mage who claimed to be a dear friend of her familiar. Linde seemed to know her quite well and there was an obvious deference that the giantess paid to the strange woman. Had she summoned a retainer or favored subordinate? Louise felt a little sweat creep down the back of her neck; if Nao was a member of a foreign noble family and took offense to her snatching Linde away it could be a serious problem.
"Please give the maker of this tea my regards," The woman in question spoke, kindly, as the servant made to depart.
"Ah, of course, I will return with your cake shortly" The servant responded, slightly bewildered, before excusing herself and promising to return shortly.
"Excuse me, Miss Nao... I apologize but I don't believe I ever heard your family name and it is improper of me to just continue referring to you by your given name..." Louise trailed off with a small gesture. Nao's ever present smile shifted slightly as if to say 'I'm onto you' before she returned her teacup to its saucer and placed both of her hands in her lap. "Nao Mariota Pryderi," The woman stated simply before returning to her tea. Louise mulled over the odd name for a moment... was that Gallian? Possibly something from the east... the last one almost sounded like an old Albionian name... which left her, exactly where she had started. Louise let her head hit the table with a thump that had the other two girls trading concerned glances.
"Are you alright Louise?" Linde asked, placing a hand on her back that was heavy to the point of being uncomfortable.
"Here are your cakes." The servant said as she returned, expertly placing the confections around the table alongside silverware and a fresh teapot. "Is there something wrong with Miss Valliere? Should I fetch a healer?" She asked placing the fourth piece of cake she had carried in her arms aside as she felt Louise's forehead with the back of her hand.
"Louise is fine. She's just experiencing a case of debilitating frustration." Nao assured, taking another sip of tea, before placing it onto the platter once more.
"Would you like to take a break and join us for some tea, Siesta?" Linde asked with a broad smile.
"Oh no I couldn't possibly take a break now. I still have to finish delivering cakes to the rest of the students." Siesta's face flushed and she held up her hands defensively. "If I was reported I could get fired." She said in a slightly panicked tone of voice.
Linde's smile faltered, "I'm sure it would be fine if you-"
"Hey, Is my cake here yet?" Came a young man's voice from several tables over.
"Ah! Right away!" Siesta called back, her face suddenly fearful.
"It was a pleasure to meet you Siesta." Nao said as she stood up and handed the maid the plate of cake.
"Oh, you didn't have to do that noble Miss." Siesta said with a bow of thanks.
"Please call me Nao. You had better hurry; that young man looks impatient." Nao returned Siesta's bow and returned to her seat gracefully as the maid rushed off to deliver the cake.
"A proper noble shouldn't be so familiar with the servants, Miss Pryderi." Louise said as she sat up and took her own cup of tea into her hand. This woman just kept adding more and more strangeness on top of the mystery that already surrounded her. Where in the world did the nobility treat commoners like that?
"If one does not address a servant with respect, how is it they can address a peer with respect?" Nao countered easily, gaze tracking the maid as she crossed the yard before turning to meet Louise's eyes, "It does no harm to be a little friendly every now and then." The atmosphere tensed as Louise stared incredulously at Nao, who was smiling serenely. Seated between these two, Linde tracked both individuals somewhat nervously before catching sight of a crowd gathering around a table across the courtyard and frowning. Nao took notice, "Is something wrong, Linde?"
Before Linde could respond, the young man from before spoke over the crowd once more, "Looks like you don't know how to show proper manners to your superiors!"
"I-I-I didn't mean anything by it Sir Gramont, I was only trying to return your property," Came a quiet voice that the three girls at the table could barely hear. As the sound floated over the loud noises of the crowd Linde and Nao Stood to look over at the scene. Louise raised an eyebrow, why were they so interested in Guiche getting caught cheating on Montmorency with a random first year girl.
"Can't you tell when a situation requires tact? When I said it wasn't mine you should have listened." Linde was already moving before Guiche finished speaking.
"W-wait! Where do you think your going!?" Louise jumped to her feet and started after the giant. She turned to ask Miss Pryderi to stop the wayward Giantess but she was nowhere to be seen. As she ran after Linde Louise heard a sudden collective gasp from the crowd and a sudden crack of flesh hitting wood and a masculine yelp of pain. Louise pushed her way through the gathered students. If there was one advantage to having a giant as a familiar it was that she was impossible to miss in a crowd. As she finally made it to the front and caught sight of the scene she couldn't help but stare. Guiche was hunched over and clutching his wrist in pain with a smiling Nao standing over him with her shepherd's crook held at the ready. Linde was standing behind Nao with one hand on the handle of her sword and glaring daggers at the blonde fop.
"Agh! What did you do to my hand?" Guiche whined as he straightened with tears in his eyes. Louise swallowed the cotton in her mouth as the crowd started whispering, asking questions that no one knew the answers to. Some of them had seen them eating together that morning at breakfast and were already pointing towards her. More and more eyes found their way towards her but before they could start asking her questions their attention was drawn back to the scene.
"I merely stopped you from unfairly punishing an innocent girl." Nao said with a smile that looked almost as terrifying as the one she had seen that morning.
Guiche look dumb struck for a moment before he shouted accusingly at the strange woman "You struck me!"
"I struck no one. It was your hand which met my staff." Nao replied with that same serene manner she always seemed to possess.
Taunts rang out from the crowd immediately. Things such as, "Ha! She really got you there Guiche!" or "Thats what you get for two timing!" and even "Guiche the bronze? More like Guiche the wet parchment!" As the boy who called out that last jab finished shouting everyone suddenly took a step away from him and shot him strange looks. "What? It wasnt that bad!"
Louise couldn't help but sprout a vicious grin, finally someone else was the subject of the schools taunts and teasing, it felt pretty good to just be a bystander for once.
Guiche moved subtly and in a flash Linde was in front of Nao with Guiche's wand in hand. Her sword was drawn and a faint light was emiting from the ruins on the hand that held the wand. Linde held her sword in a relaxed position but the threat was obvious.
"Attempt to raise your hand to any of the servants again and you lose a hand." Linde's voice was ice cold and held a danger that Louise hadn't even thought her familiar was capable of. "Attempt to raise your hand against Nao again and you lose something more important." Louise was suddenly aware of the.. strategic placement of Linde's blade as she gently tapped the tip against Guiche's inner thigh. Louise shivered and took note of all the boys in the crowd who suddenly clenched their legs together and were shaking even more than she was.
"There's no need for that, Linde," Nao posited, "I think Guiche here has learned his lesson, right?" Her benign expression turned back to Guiche, who nodded shakingly. Linde removed her sword, but made no motions to return the wand. Her chilled gaze remained fastened on Guiche even as Nao straightened her staff and glanced at his hand, "Now… as it seems you will not be striking any defenseless maidens today, would you like that healed?"
"Y-yes, please." Guiche ground his teeth as he spoke. From the pain of his broken wrist or the pain of his broken ego, Louise wasn't sure.
Nao's eyes slanted, shifting her expression smoothly from veiled malice into genuine kindness. Without a word, she lifted her staff and a quintet of azure lights gathered around it, forming from the air. Tilting it forward, they merged into Guiche's wrist. With an audible crack and several disturbing pops - but, notably, not screams of pain - his broken appendage righted itself. Guiche blinked in shock at the display, absently flexing his newly mended wrist experimentally and at a complete loss for words. Louise didn't blame him. While a square-class water mage could have healed him in potentially the same amount of time, dulling the pain simultaneously while maintaining a near instantaneous recovery speed was no easy feat. Doable, possibly, but only with extreme skill and control - or, perhaps, more than one mage. Nao had just done it by herself, with no visible strain, and nothing more than a wave of her staff.
The gathered students were silent as though they had no breath with which to speak. They stood in their ring with stunned expressions. "What!?" The sound of Montmorency's voice finally broke the silence and the gathered students were clamoring to speak. Louise was buffeted by shifting bodies as students scrambled forward to speak. "How did you do that so easily?" "Did she just appear out of thin air?" "No it must have been a wind spell…" "Wind and water?!" "You're not possessed by a spirit or something are you?" Nao blinked, her face painted with bafflement at the situation she found herself in. It was… odd, to Louise. Did she not expect this kind of reaction? After that display? The only logical conclusion was, no, she didn't. Which meant that, wherever Nao came from, such magic was commonplace. Or, less probably, she was isolated and never had the opportunity to demonstrate it, but what were the odds of that?
However, it seemed Louise wasn't the only one to notice Nao's discomfort as - without warning - Linde had moved forward and collected Nao with one massive arm and deposited the woman on her back. Then she collected the maid under one arm and, without warning, broke through the crowd to collect Louise with her free remaining hand before beating a hasty retreat. By the time Louise could gather her bearings the giantess had deposited her three surprised passengers onto the ground inside of a random, vacant classroom.
When she did, however…
"How dare you handle a noble in such a manner?!" She shouted, flustered.
Sheepishly, the giantess shied away with a nervous smile on her face - notably, blocking the door (which opened inward) with her large frame. Before Louise's volcanic temper could finally erupt in full, Nao interceded on Linde's behalf, "Don't be too harsh. I'm sure she was just trying to help." The woman stated, casting a kind glance to Linde who nodded earnestly, "and I'm grateful she did. To think a simple healing spell would garner such a reaction…"
"What's wrong with all of these kids? Who reacts like that to a simple healing spell?" Linde intoned from her spot blocking the entrance.
"You shouldn't have done that." Siesta said as she sat down on the floor between Linde and Nao. "Now Mr. Gramont will be upset with me."
"Well he's going to have to come to me before he has a chance to do anything!" Linde snickered as she tossed the boy's rose wand up in down in her hand. "If you like I could remind him of my little threat."
"You stole his wand!" Louise shouted. "Thats an enormous insult!"
The giantess tilted her head, "Is it?" She glanced at the rose-wand in her hand, "I don't see a wand, though. This is a flower, isn't it? It's not unheard of but, something like this… it's easily replaceable, right?"
Before Louise could start off on another tirade, Nao intervened once more, "Be that as it may," she stated, "you should still return it and apologize. It's not yours, after all." The white-haired woman turned her gaze to Siesta, who had buried her face in her hands, "And I'm sure Mr. Gramont will not be bothering you again anytime soon. In any case, he has other things on his mind at the moment, I'm sure." Nao rose to her feet and smoothed out her dress. "Perhaps we should return to your room, Louise."
Following Nao's lead Linde opened the door just a crack to peer into the hallway beyond. "I don't see anyone." After a moment of waiting and listening for footsteps or voices the giantess motioned for them to head into the hallway.
"Can't you just teleport us there?" Louise huffed at Nao as Linde helped Siesta to her feet.
Nao placed her hand on Louise's shoulder and guided her out the door and out of the way of Siesta and Linde before her smile morphed into a thoughtful expression. "That wouldn't be a good idea Louise."
"Why not?" Louise asked, more curious of the reason than upset that she would have to walk.
"It would be dangerous." Nao replied as the group hurried down the steps and out into the courtyard. Louise looked around and sighed in relief that the rabble of students had seemingly dispersed. With clipped steps the group made their way back into the girls' dormitories and up the wooden stairs. Louise sped up her steps as they reached the floor that her room was on, she pulled the key from her pocket and was nearly to her door when a busty, red headed germanian stepped out of an open closet right in her path.
"K-Kirche!" Louise skidded to a stop, barely avoiding crashing right into the top heavy girl's chest.
Kirche poked Louise in the forehead with a finger as Nao, Linde, and Siesta came to a stop behind her. "Ok, Valliere spill. Who is this noble lady? She has been here all day and you haven't bothered to introduce her to anyone."
"It's none of your business Zerbst!" Louise hissed, suddenly irate at having to speak with the wench.
"Oh, come now Louise. Surely you were taught at least enough manners to introduce your guest?" Kirche smirked as Louise audibly ground her teeth.
Before Louise could blow up anymore at Kirche, Nao stepped between the two girls with a bright smile. "Hello there Miss. Zerbst was it? I am Nao Mariota Pryderi, Louise's tutor. It is a pleasure to meet a friend of Louise's, she has so few."
Kirche was taken aback by the woman in front of her. She was beautiful, almost as attractive as herself. "Yes a pleasure. I wasn't aware Louise's family had sent her a private tutor."
Louise stared on in horror as the two spoke amicably. After a few moments Louise regained her senses and grabbed Nao's hand and tugged her away towards her door. "Sorry Zerbst, have to study, very important!" Louise pulled Nao through the door, quickly followed by Linde and a still trembling Siesta.
The door slammed shut and Kirche couldn't help but stare. Another smirk crawled onto her lips before she turned around to return to her own room. "Hmm, so very interesting Valliere..."
.X.
Author's Notes
Author (Number-III): And surprise! I'm not dead. Was talking with a friend of mine and we decided to write an FoZ fic. After a brief period of tossing ideas out, we settled on Mabinogi because it's something we're both relatively familiar with. A very slightly AU Mabinogi, but that won't really come into play much. Anyone who has read 'Wind and Water' will probably know what I mean by that (and no, this fic won't spoil anything even though W&W is incomplete.) The both of us are new to co-writing, though, so there will probably be some stumbling and such before we figure it out and reach an equilibrium. To that end, please forgive any awkward moments and - as always - feel free to speak your mind if you notice something odd… as long as you're constructive about it. Anything toxic will simply be ignored.
Co-Author (Radon): Aww, you mean I can't use the flames in my new steam powered printer? Bummer... Well since Numbers didn't leave me much to talk about I'll go ahead and just put the gratuitous begging for reviews in here... Please review I beg you! My life is meaningless without them!