This couldn't be happening.
Louise stood in the middle of the summoning circle, amid a great cloud of smoke in a state of physical disarray and mental strain. The explosion that shook the Academy grounds was greater, grander than any explosion of her making prior to this little stunt. Springtime Summoning Ritual; a spell that was her make-or-break in the Academy. The staff had been incredibly easy on her, but not even they could continue shielding her from the inevitability of reality.
She was a Zero. A failure. Not even the most basic spells, performed by her peers with childish ease, worked for her. It wasn't to say that she had no magic; else these explosions wouldn't keep happening and continuing to subtract money from her monthly allowances. Property damage, hurt honor, the works. And yet, no matter how hard she studied, no matter her accomplishments in theoretical subjects, the fact remained that she was not capable of basic, Brimiric magic.
And now that her summoning of a familiar – a companion for life, a magical creature bound to her will – ended just like every other spell of hers, there were no more excuses to make. For now, she was happy to collapse on her knees and stare blankly ahead, trying to make any sense of the smoke patterns. She couldn't hear the imminent jeering and mockery slung her way, still a little dizzy from the force of the explosion, but it didn't matter. She would savor these last moments of her status as a mage before everything went to hell.
That's when she saw a boot. Blinking, Louise looked up and soon regretted it; the figure in front of her was tall, taller than any man she could think of, singular in its body, with a pair of ominously shining red eyes and strangely shaped head. It stared without a word, or even a single sound. Was that her familiar? This strange, eldritch demon that stood over her like it was she who was being summoned?
The smoke cleared a little, as did Louise's vision, and now she could see more clearly. The singular body with no limbs was simply a greatcoat, covering the entirety of the person. It appeared to be a man, after all, of dark skin and silver hair. The strange shape of head was explained right away; he wore a strangely shaped cap. The eyes were still ominously red and, when all was said and done, knowing the shape of her familiar (?) did not put her at ease.
The onlookers could see it too. Louise the Zero, on her knees and staring up in disbelief at the dark-skinned man in the greatcoat. Something about that figure was eerie, unearthly, and—
"Ha! Zero summoned a commoner!" Someone called out and the air of mystique was dispersed in a flash, replaced with mocking laughter and finger-pointing. The man stared impassively at the motley crew of Francophone students of strangest countenances and hair colors, then looked over towards the selection of beasts gathered between them. Big and small, bizarre and mundane, a blue dragon that regarded him with caution. A smart one, that.
His expression did not change an inch. The chatter was shrill and annoying, but hardly a reason to react. For now he merely picked the pink-haired girl off the ground, dusting her off almost as an afterthought. That only caused the laughter to grow stronger. Many insults flew towards the girl that, presumably, summoned him here.
"ENOUGH!" The commanding voice of the balding professor in spectacles was accompanied by the slam of his staff's butt down the floor. The court became deathly silent. "That is an unacceptable behavior for Nobles to indulge to! What else do you need? Should you not celebrate that your classmate succeeded?" Nobody replied, mostly interested in looking as inconspicuous as possible. The man in a cap shifted his unblinking gaze at the professor. This one was no ordinary educator.
"Now then, Miss Vallière…" Louise, for her part, just wanted this day to be over.
"Y-yes, of course, I'm getting to it…"
"Kindly step away from the circle." The pinkette went still before turning to look at Professor Colbert. He flinched slightly at the look of utter disbelief and betrayal.
"Professor…?"
"I'm afraid I cannot let you bind this man." Louise stared, as did the onlookers. That was an unprecedented situation. Never in a history of Tristain Academy of Magic was a student disallowed to finish the summoning ritual. Did Zero screw up so badly that something was amiss?
"P-professor Colbert, that's only some stupid-looking commoner." A pudgy blond boy objected. "What's the problem?"
"Miss Vallière. Step away." The pinkette did as ordered, eyes blank and movement stiff. Everyone watched her go and take a place at the edge of the crowd. One of her peers, a small girl with blue hair, reached out to offer a reassuring hand squeeze, but the man in the cap was not fooled; the blue eyes behind the red spectacles were on him. She must have been the one who summoned the dragon.
He looked at the professor. "Binding this man would be a threat to your life." Colbert stated simply, tapping the floor with the staff. A wall of fire erupted behind the man in the cap, startling the students. Eerily enough, he reacted not, eyes transfixed on the educator.
Jean Colbert, runic name The Flame Serpent, had to give that man credit; his nerves must have been made of steel. "Now then. Reveal your true form, if you so please."
"…"
"Or shall I spell it out for everyone present?" Colbert furrowed his brows, staff aimed at the man in the cap.
"Professor, what on earth is happening?" Another blond boy, this one a classic image of a heartthrob, asked, tone half-confused and half-frightened.
"This, students… is an elder werewolf."
The man in the cap shifted forward ever so slightly. "Retreat inside the academy and summon other educators. This is not a drill."
"P-professor, but this—"
"RIGHT NOW, Mr. Gramont, or so Brimir help you!" The mass of students huddled back in confusion and panic together with their familiars. Colbert caught Miss Zerbst and Miss Montmorency escorting unresponsive Miss Vallière with utmost urgency in the corner of his eye. The elder werewolf seemed content to let them evacuate, but then again, Colbert noted, he's been unusually well-behaved for his kind. He could have very well killed Louise with a flick of his finger while the cloud of smoke was still in the air. Nobody would be the wiser until it would disperse.
And it seemed both Tabitha and Sylpheed were hanging back at the edge of imminent combat, ready to support him if need to. Of course. Save for them, him and it, the court was deserted. "Now then… while I'm grateful that you did not kill any of my students, I will have to ask you to surrender at once." He said, briefly looking at the metallic shine of the skull and crossbones on top of the werewolf's cap. "I cannot have you be unbridled, let alone become a Familiar."
"…" Not much for conversation, this one. He was still leaning forward ever so slightly, looking ready to break into a sprint at a moment's notice.
The next five seconds must have been the longest five seconds in Tabitha and Sylpheed's lives. Only Louise could possibly summon an elder werewolf. While this meant that she wasn't a Zero, it was a cold comfort when put nearby so much overwhelming power. Tabitha, slightly more sensitive to auras of incredible presences than other mages, clicked her tongue nervously, watching the situation unfold.
And then the werewolf slowly straightened back up and gave a single nod before raising his gloved hands up – carefully, so that Colbert could not misinterpret the gesture – in a universal sign of surrender. Tabitha felt her knees giving out from under her as she let out a sign of relief. Next to her, Sylphid too dropped on her rear with a quiet "Kyuu".
"I see you are full of surprises." Colbert said in a lighter tone, although his staff was still squarely pointed at the man in the cap. An understandable reaction. For all that Francophone knew, the man in the cap was planning a sneak attack. Luckily for him, said werewolf was weary of fighting.
For all The Captain knew, this might have been his very own personal Purgatory.
The silence in the Headmaster's office was deafening.
Educators of Tristain Academy of Magic gathered in Old Osmond's quarters to discuss the fate of the unlikely summon brought here by an unlikely summoner. The elder werewolf in question proved unusually cooperative for his kind, letting himself be bound and encased in stone – a prison of Miss Chevreuse's design – without a peep. Previously, he handed over his armaments – two pistols with enormously long barrels and advanced design that had Colbert gape in amazement, a long-bladed knife that too was made with impeccable craft, and an assortment of medicinal aid hidden in a small white package adorned with a red cross - as well as his greatcoat and cap.
The one thing that bothered Old Osmond the most about this was that throughout the entire ordeal, the werewolf's expression didn't change at all. It was a stern, stoic look. No, not stern. There was something deeply forlorn about it. It surely could not be about the imprisonment. No, if anything, it was the summoning itself that left him looking so disappointed, almost hurt.
"Is everyone here?" Osmond asked, largely rhetorically. It was just a convenient way to begin the proceedings. "Good. Then, let's begin. Jean, can you recount the summoning?"
"Naturally. It began with an explosion." Normally that kind of beginning would get at least one teacher to snicker, but given the situation, the room was still deathly silent. "Miss Vallière is the one behind the summoning. I suspect that the reason the explosion was so large ties both to the summoning spell and the power of the summonee."
"Did Miss Vallière perform the summoning spell incorrectly?" Professor Puidemont, runic name The Stream, asked, arms folded across his chest.
"Yes. The chant had been altered, presumably out of desperation to succeed."
"Oh, she succeeded alright…" Professor Rousseau, runic name The Torch, huffed. "A bloody elder werewolf. Romalia will be here before we can say "familiar"."
"Well, this is to remain a secret until we figure out what to do with him." Osmond replied with a shake of his head. "And, naturally, we will not be giving Miss Vallière over to any Romalian authorities should they appear."
"I do find it rather suspicious however." Professor Villeneuve, runic name The Mistral, said quietly, having a cursory look at her nails. "We all know that Miss Vallière's record with magic is nothing short of embarrassing; yet, not only she manages to perform the summoning despite the botched chant, she gets a creature" Here she looked at the werewolf encased in stone with a look of utter contempt. "that goes against any Brimiric teachings as unnatural and vile, a beast of immeasurable power."
"We know that Familiar candidates are summoned based on the compatibility with the summoner." Rousseau nodded. "That is how Miss Zerbst got a salamander, for example."
"Which is a very harrowing realization if we are to apply it to Miss Vallière."
"What exactly are you implying, Amelia?" Miss Chevreuse, runic name The Red Clay, grumbled. "House Vallière has been nothing if not chivalrous and pious for as long as I can remember. Any accusations of intentional heresy and extreme misconduct are laughable."
"There's a limit to any man's patience, even the daughter of Karin the Heavy Wind. We know she spends a great deal of her time outside of class in the school library, and is an astute student when it comes to magical theory."
"That means nothing if she cannot put these theories into motion." Colbert countered with a frown. "If she is unable to cast spells, it's doubtful she would be able to handle other forms of magecraft. No other Vallière wields different magic either."
"And yet she summoned an elder werewolf." The elder werewolf himself remained silent and stern-looking, exuding a strange menacing aura even from behind his rocky prison. Miss Chevreuse knew her own craft and she was all but certain that it could break out from there whenever it pleased. This encasing wasn't to keep it there, it was to slow it down. That the beast seemed fine to remain in its place spoke volumes of its patience – or its arrogance.
"I have a theory." Osmond spoke up, watching everyone's eyes turn to him. "Although if it proves true, it might be even more trouble for young Miss Vallière."
"Headmaster, it could only get worse if she summoned a demon or an elf." Rousseau shook his head, unconvinced in the old magician's words. "I fail to see how her situation could get even more precarious."
"What I'm about to propose is improbable enough that it's likely you didn't even consider it. However, before I do…" Slowly, he rose from his seat. "I would like to question you, Mr. Werewolf. I trust you understand us?"
The Captain nodded. "Excellent. Then let me ask right away: are you familiar with the name of Helkeginia?" A shake of head. "Do you know any elves?" Shake. "Have you any knowledge of Founder Brimir and his religion?" Shake.
"Are we to understand that you are not from this world?" A moment of hesitation followed by a nod.
"Excuse me, Headmaster, surely you do not think that this werewolf—"
"Is from another world? Exactly what I think. In fact, I have seen these insignia before." That got the werewolf to shift ever so slightly, eyes fixed on Osmond rummaging through his desk as the other educators looked at each other with uncertain gazes. "A long time ago, when I was much younger and bolder, a stranger in a military uniform saved me from a dragon, though at the cost of his life. He wore this eagle on his chest." Here, the headmaster presented a small patch of material decorated with the eagle in question. It was bright white, with its wings blocky and stretched out ninety degrees, head looking to the left.
The same kind of eagle was on the werewolf's greatcoat. The Captain's eyes widened just a little, but the fact that did not go unnoticed by Old Osmond. "The item your colleague used to defeat the dragon with has been classified as The Staff of Destruction, and is currently storaged in the Academy vault. Do you think you would be able to identify it?" A small nod. "Very good. If so—"
"Excuse me, Headmaster, surely you do not think of letting that beast walk free?" Villeneuve scoffed indignantly. "It's a threat to all the good peoples of Brimiric faith, an elder werewolf!"
"I'm sure you realize that we could have been very well battling said werewolf right now. He's being incredibly gracious in not forcing our hand, and so I believe that we can trust him not to lash out now."
"That doesn't mean anything! He could be plotting nefarious intent as we speak!"
"I will have to agree with Amelia, Headmaster." Puidemont nodded in agreement. "I trust your judgment, but this is a beast of incredible power and terrible implications…"
"Wet blankets, all of you!" Miss Chevreuse grumbled. "First you accuse a girl of heresy, then you—"
"Then we what, Red Clay?! You wanna get your throat ripped out, be my guest!"
"Oh, it's runic names time now?! You want to take this outside?!"
"ENOUGH!" Colbert called for attention once more, with a tone of absolute authority. "Is this a loony bin, or a proper respected academy of magic?!" Only silence answered him. Osmond muttered a quiet "thank you", taking a moment to prepare his pipe. "Headmaster, you had a theory regarding Miss Vallière?" The old magician replied with a grunt, adding the prized Al-Khalidian tobacco before inhaling with a pleased sigh.
"Ladies, gentlemen... I think we have a Void Mage on our hands."
"…he said "Void Mage"…" Montmorency's face was pale as she relayed the information to the others. Per Tabitha's request, she sent out her familiar, Robin, to spy on the educators. Normally she wouldn't even think of such underhanded methods and a blatant breach of privacy, but… these weren't normal circumstances.
They were all gathered in Ze-Louise's room right now. Funny how the world worked. An hour ago, Montmorency wouldn't deign the pinkette with a visit and now… they were all gathered around her, trying and failing to offer words of support. It was Kirche's idea, actually. She and Tabitha were flanking the presumed Void Mage, offering reassuring empty nothings.
"That would explain a lot of Little Louise's troubles with magic." The redhead said quietly, gently rubbing the other girl's head. "I'm more surprised nobody took notice of your familiar, Monmon."
"Can you not right now?" Montmorency groaned, rubbing her temple. Robin too had a hard time hiding in such a forbidden place. Among all the racket, their headache was shared.
"Given the panic, it's only understandable. Nobody would bother looking for a familiar in this situation." Guiche nodded sagely, expression grim. "An elder werewolf… my eldest brother once told me that they needed a team of six Triangle mages to subdue one such beast, and that was without accounting the lesser brethren of the wolfman."
"…this one is more dangerous." Tabitha replied quietly. "Soldier. Guns. Automatic response."
"G-guns?" Malicorne stammered. "I didn't see anything. Why would such a beast need guns to begin with?"
"This is incredible, in all the worst ways." Monmon sighed, collapsing on the chair from exertion. "What does it all mean?"
"A lot of trouble." Kirche sighed. Louise was unresponsive, just staring at a spot on the wall and letting the redhead do as she liked. "But right now, the bottom line is that should the teachers decide not to let Louise bind that werewolf, she'll be expelled from the academy."
"She should be able to try once more." Guiche protested. "For Brimir's sake, I didn't think I would ever say it, but she's no longer a Zero, and that fact must be recognized!"
"You can't redo a summoning ritual. That's tradition, Guiche."
"Well, the tradition also says to bind whatever is summoned, be it commoner or demon!" Monmon gasped all of a sudden, alerting everyone present.
"…we've been found." She merely said, face even paler than before as she went stiff in the chair.
"Well… it was nice studying here…" Malicorne stammered. "It was nice living too…"
"Shut it, Malicorne." Kirche groused. "We'll be fine. I hope."
Louise remained unresponsive, save for pressing herself into the redhead's arm ever so slightly more.
"I'm sure all of you are aware of the gravity of the situation."
The students gathered in the Headmaster's office remained silent. Old Osmond was flanked by Professor Villeneuve and Professor Chevreuse, both of them staring at the unlikely group impassively. In the middle stood Louise, still largely numb to her surroundings, with Kirche and Tabitha flanking her. "I cannot begin to explain how vital the knowledge you've gained is, nor can I stress enough its threat to all of you."
"That kind of breach of conduct is unacceptable." The Mistral spoke with a cutting tone, regarding the students coldly. "In any other situation, it would be only natural to have all of you expelled from the Academy, at the very least." Malicorne whimpered a little. "That is, of course, paltry compared to what Romalia and her representatives would do with you."
"That's enough, Amelia." Miss Chevreuse shot her fellow educator a glare. "Look, kids, you shouldn't have done that, is what she's saying."
"...with all due respect, we believe that regardless of who or what Louise's summon is, she should have the right to bind them, as all of us could." Guiche spoke up, trying to keep up a brave face. "That a student of Tristain Academy of Magic is denied a right to a familiar is unprecedented and baffling."
"Is it really?" Old Osmond replied, with a tinge of amusement in his voice. "Has… any of you" Here he gestured at the students with his pipe. "summoned a man or otherwise an intelligent being?" Tabitha tried her best to keep a poker face, even as the Headmaster's pipe lingered on her person for a moment longer. "You know that the binding is for life. Imagine you summon a man, a commoner from Gallia. You pull him away from his family, from his work, from what he knows, largely by chance."
Silence was the only answer Osmond got, but it seemed that the lot of them understood the implications. To bind a fellow man like a slave, even if a commoner, wasn't exactly within noblesse oblige. "That is, of course, disregarding the fact that the summoned being is not a commoner from Gallia, but an elder werewolf from another world. He wields guns that, I'm being told, would make Germanian manufacturers blush with envy. He's not the first man of this uniform to come to Helkeginia either, as you've heard." Here he looked pointedly at Montmorency, who could only sputter a quiet "sorry".
"The five of you must understand that the knowledge of Miss Vallière's affinity is something to be kept secret for an indeterminate time. Until I fully confirm her status as a Void Mage, I'm gonna have to ask you to remain silent on the matter."
"...where… is the werewolf, Headmaster?" Kirche asked with a slight uncertainty to her voice.
"He's currently verifying something with Professors Colbert, Puidemont and Rousseau." Osmond took a puff of his pipe. "Given the unusual circumstances, Miss Vallière will not have to worry about expulsion. After all, the summoning was commenced successfully. However, the Academy staff will have to confirm a couple of things before we can decide if the summonee is compatible with her."
"...I'm not going home?" Tabitha flinched, caught off-guard by Louise's voice, and how small it was despite the hopeful tone, like a flickering candlelight. This little flame was growing however, much to her delight: the pinkette's eyes were shining again.
"No. Even if we deem the werewolf unsuitable for you, the fact that you may lack an elemental affinity is reason enough to not dismiss you as a failure." Osmond shrugged. "Of course, if the theory proves correct, it might be wise for you to return home either way. I fear the Academy has little to offer for a would-be Void Mage."
"B-but if I return home, we can't just… I mean… I can't let Mother know that I might be..." Louise scrambled to speak coherently, eyes flickering from one part of the office to the other. "Oh dear, oh lord…"
"Well, at least you're back to the land of the living." Kirche hummed with a smile, offering a small headpat. The pinkette bristled, fighting off a blush.
"W-what gives, Zerbst?!" And then, much to her fluster, Louise was glomped by Tabitha and Montmorency both. Guiche and Malicorne gave themselves mildly amused looks before they joined in on the endeavor. "H-h-h-hey, what is all this?!"
Osmond couldn't help but smile himself. Thank Brimir for a long beard. Let them smile and enjoy life. If Louise really is a Void Mage, this might be one of their last happy memories before the inevitable comes.
And given her summon, it might have been much faster than planned.
"Here it is, the Staff of Destruction." Colbert handed the metal tube over to The Captain.
The werewolf gave it a pointed stare as he silently examined the weapon. The little shield, the familiar build, the familiar height. The good old Panzerschreck was before him plain as day. The two other educators were behind him, their wands pointed at him the entire time. He didn't feel like testing their nerves, frayed as they already were, and so his moves remained slow and measured.
"Can you tell us anything about it?" Colbert asked, himself more relaxed than his two peers. The Captain looked at him and handed it back over.
"It's a gun." He didn't like talking very much, and it was obvious that he went on for days without actually doing so, and so his voice was gravelly and dry, a resounding bass that seemed like it would belong more to an ancient demon. Professor Puidemont flinched a little at its sound. The bespectacled educator raised an eyebrow as he himself began examining the Staff.
"...now that you say it, yes, I can see it. It's obviously more advanced than our craft, but… but how do you use it? It seems a bit too small to be a field cannon, and it's not quite a mortar either..." Watching him try and make some sense of technology that, to The Captain, was dated was a curious thing. He seemed like the inquisitive sort.
Funny, wasn't that how he first approached that one Prussian back in a day…?
"Shoulder. Fire from trench." He explained succinctly.
"A trench?" Professor Rousseau didn't seem convinced. "So it's a defensive weapon?" Oh, right. It was likely that nobody had ever heard of trench warfare here, nor did they know about bunkers and modern fortifications. If he had to guess, they weren't even familiar with the concept of line infantry of Napoleonic yore.
"Anti-armor."
"That's ridiculous. There must be more efficient ways of dealing with armored regiments. You would have a better success against cavalry with an ordinary field cannon, if for some reason you do not have a Mage in your ranks." Armored regiments, huh? It wasn't hard to resist an urge to smile, but the notion showed up briefly in the werewolf's head.
"I don't think that's what he meant by "armor"." Colbert shook his head. "He comes from a world obviously much more technologically advanced than ours."
"Then what? Armored wagons? These idiotic contraptions that Germanians are insistent on making?"
"I wouldn't rule it out." While it was interesting to take in the sights and the discussion – this world had two moons, apparently, as The Captain just noticed – there was still a matter of the pinkette that summoned him here. The staff was obviously against him becoming her Familiar, a notion well understood, but at the same time the way the old headmaster described these "Void Mages", it sounded like they were in need of proficient bodyguards.
It was one way to repent for his tenure under a Hakenkreuz, he figured: to help this Louise girl with matters obviously way over her head.
Wait, Germanians? Slowly, his head turned towards Professor Rousseau. The educator, less than thrilled at being an object of attention, raised his wand threateningly. "Germanians?"
"The people of Germania. It's the country East from here." Puidemont cut in with a wary tone.
"...I'm from Germany." The three teachers exchanged uncertain looks between each other. "...a map of this world?"
"Shouldn't be a problem to procure one, no." Colbert nodded. "Ah, but what about the Staff?"
"Empty. Useless."
"D-don't think I've forgiven you lot yet!" Although Louise's words were confrontational, the tone was still flustered after the happenings at the Headmaster's office.
They were back in her room minus Guiche and Montmorency, who had to excuse themselves due to undisclosed reasons (Kirche snickered when questioned about it). "Especially you, Common Cold." Here the pinkette shot Malicorne a dirty look. The pudgy blond made a face.
"C-come on, Vallière, I stopped calling you Zero already!" He whined, folding his arms on his chest defensively. "It's "Windward", get it right."
"Oh, you'll have to excuse our little beastmaster." Kirche smiled, catching the hapless pink in a loving, slightly smothering embrace. "She's got a couple of reasons to be upset with us."
"I'm upset that you're choking me with your udders, Zerbst!"
"Gotta think of a runic name." Tabitha cut in, looking unusually thoughtful even for herself. Normally not half-bad at keeping a poker face, today even Malicorne could tell something was amiss about the Gallian bluenette.
"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. There's no telling if I'll be able to bind that werewolf anyway..." Louise sighed, finally settling on resting her head against Kirche's vast baronies. "And, well, this whole Void Mage thing, I… it's still scary when I think about it."
"Rightly so. Lots of responsibility, power… enemies." Tabitha let the last word linger in the air for a bit before shaking her head. The pinkette was, without a doubt, her target. She couldn't think of it, honestly. "...I'll go get some air."
"...please take care, Tabby." Kirche said quietly as the three of them watched her leave.
"I should make myself scarce too." Malicorne shuffled off his seat, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "It's getting a bit close to the curfew… so, uh, Vallière? Congrats. Keep at it."
"...thanks, Malicorne." Then it was just the two of them. Several hours ago, Louise would loathe to find herself one-on-one with Kirche, and in her grasp, no less, but now… well, she was happy to still be around. She could stand being a plushie for an overbearing Germanian for a time. "Zerbst? You're awfully quiet."
"Just thinking about you and Tabby." Why was Kirche's voice so awfully thoughtful, not unlike how Tabitha's was a moment ago? "And that werewolf, too."
"You'd really bed a werewolf?"
"What? Oh, no, not thinking like that. Just… when we were escorting you out of the ritual site, I caught sight of his eyes. I don't think he wanted to be summoned in the first place. Do you know that look of someone who'd rather go back to bed than get out there and do things?"
"More or less."
"But his eyes were wide open the entire time. When he stared at Professor Colbert or when he watched us scurry away, and yet there was that tinge of the look I mentioned just now."
"I don't follow, Zer-" Louise stopped herself for a moment, rubbing her chin. "I don't follow, Kirche."
"Oh, Little Louise… your werewolf had rested far longer than a good night's sleep."
Normally, a flight through the evening was good enough to soothe Tabitha's frayed nerves. No such luck today.
Was it because she actually liked Louise? Yes, she was difficult to get along with, but under that anger and the urge to butt heads with Kirche (and others calling her out as a Zero) there was a kind soul. Not once did the bluenette catch her telling off the commoner staff or laughing at others' misfortunes. The few times they got to study after hours in a library, she was nothing if not a genial young girl.
Sylpheed, sensing her Master's unease, offered a soft "Kyuu" of reassurance as they landed in the courtyard. "I'm sorry. Just tired." She lied smoothly, shuffling off her dragon's back. Fortunately, not tired enough not to sense an approaching presence. Her staff was pointed at the person ahead out of reflex – but it was only the wizened personage of the headmaster.
"Peace, peace. I'm unarmed." The old mage soothed, idly smoking his pipe. Tabitha slowly lowered her staff. "You know that it's long past curfew now, do you?"
"Apologies, Headmaster. I could not sleep."
"That's fine, I meant to talk to you either way." A talk? Just like that, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the courtyard? Tabitha tensed again. "Worry not, you're not in trouble. Well, not anymore than you already are."
"I don't follow, sir." Osmond laughed, shaking his head.
"Come now, young lady, put more faith in this pile of old bones." He didn't continue immediately, taking a moment to puff out an elaborate shape of smoke, formed almost like… like the Gallian palace…? "I'm a Headmaster for many reasons, and one of them is being insightful."
Tabitha didn't reply immediately either, looking as if she was considering the weight of Osmond's words. Her plan of jumping back on Sylpheed and taking off didn't find any purchase however: there was a heavy gloved hand on her shoulder, firm but not harmful. The werewolf was right behind her, standing still like a statue, as if he just materialized out of thin air to seize her. Her dragon bristled, hissing and preparing to attack, but Tabitha calmed her down with a simple gesture.
This fight was lost before it began, and there was no need to make their situation worse. "Do forgive me, young lady, but I had to make sure you do not cut and run, not when there is something I wish to say." Osmond said, nodding briefly at The Captain. The werewolf did not move. "So, let's get this out of the way, Charlotte de Gallia."
"What if we could solve your predicament?"
So, this is a thing. Do not worry, Roadie of Zero remains a main fic of mine still. This is just something that was originally a one-shot that then grown into something bigger, so I figured it deserves its own spot. Here we are: Zero no Tsukaima mixed with Hellsing, where Louise summons The Captain of the Millennium. He's not much for conversation, but with his enormous power and the strange turn this took towards, what's with him not becoming Louise's familiar immediately, perhaps certain things can happen way earlier than they were supposed to...?
Can't say if this will grow very far, but here's hoping I can manage to keep some sort of pace, at the very least. The last chapter of Roadie of Zero admittedly was a bit of a brain fart on my end, and there's also a lot of semester work piling up that may keep me from writing. Nevertheless, Chapter 25 should be coming soon-ish. For now, please contend yourselves with this. :)