"Jean confirmed that she didn't have it before starting the ritual. According to what he saw she ran away from the creature, entered the hall, then immediately came back out with it in hand." Rough hands turned the gun around and around as their owner examined them; seemingly oblivious to the nervous babble from Headmaster Osmond. They examined it from every angle and even pulled the trigger several times; each one producing a satisfying 'click' sound, but nothing else. This caused the woman to frown; which, in turn, made the Headmaster swallow heavily.

The reason for that was the occupant of his office; Duchess Karin Désirée de la Vallière, also known as The Heavy Wind. It wasn't a secret but nor was it a widely known fact. From time to time there were those that laughed at the apparent strangeness of her Runic Name; such folly was quickly accompanied by fierce regret when they were properly admonished by those who just knew better. One did not laugh at the nickname of a woman capable of demolishing entire villages with a single spell.

Currently, the Headmaster was more or less making a mud brick house in his pants over the inciting incident of the visit. Namely, that the daughter of the aforementioned terrifying woman had been almost killed by her own summoned familiar before slaying it with some bizarre method that had seemed to involve shooting herself in the head. Professor Colbert's explanation had been a little bit frantic at the time and so he'd sent the man for a stiff drink and a lie down. He had no idea how word had gotten to the Duchess so quickly but he'd been roused from his bed just before dawn by one of the servants shrilly informing him that a woman had landed in the courtyard on a Manticore and was currently occupying his office.

"This isn't a gun." Straight to the point, was Karin. He'd already sent someone to splash cold water on Jean until he was sober enough to drag over here. Let him be a buffer against the woman's inexorable wrath. "Nowhere to put the powder. It cocks itself as well, although I'm not sure how. Then there's this..." She pointed at something that, to his credit, Osmond had also noticed during his examinations. The wood and metal were flawlessly fused. There were no pins nor screws in the handle anywhere; as if this entire thing had been hewn from a single block of... something. Except for the moving parts. Which were also irremovable.

Of course that was what she'd focus on. Not even a question he could attempt, and fail, to answer. Like what the creature that Louise had summoned was, since it had vanished without a trace; not how she'd destroyed it, an event that had left a five meter wide hemisphere literally burned out of the lawn the summoning had occurred in and that had apparently been visible from the Capital; nor even how she'd gotten the weapon itself, the answer to which was still a resounding 'nobody could tell him'. Even Louise herself had been... well, he'd not felt like it was even appropriate to try and question her at length. The girl had been rather exhausted and more than a little distraught.

With good reason, given... well... "And tell me, Headmaster... what did it say to her?" Yes. Well. Given that. Because he'd gotten precise and detailed transcripts of the things that the creature had said to Louise and they were very, very disturbing. Osmond didn't wish to repeat them out loud. Instead, he silently slid the neatly written parchment across the desk to Karin. Miss Longueville had been shaking as she took the dictation from the witnesses and he didn't blame her. The Duchess' reaction was almost non-extant, however; she read it without so much as a comment or a raised brow. Then she pushed it back at him.

"I am going to speak to my daughter. When I return we will be discussing precisely how the behaviour of your students went uncorrected for so long." At that she waved the pistol; which was then placed inside her waistcoat. Osmond didn't challenge her as she left with it still in her possession. What was there that he could say, really? From her point of view he had failed utterly as an educator and a guardian. Even if she'd accused him of such directly to his face... he wasn't sure he would have anything to refute it.


"I must say, I didn't expect you to return so soon." Louise's eyes opened as she felt a very familiar motion. There was a gentle rocking back and forth, along with the distant sound of creaking wood and water. Once more the bug-eyed, long-nosed, balding man that called himself 'Igor' sat across from her along with the young man he called his 'assistant', Theodore. "You must have a great will indeed to return to the Velvet Room like this so quickly." That name... Theo had called it that as well. It sounded like the name one would give to their sitting room rather than something as mystical as this.

"I've already returned once, though." She sat up straight as she spoke; having been laid out across the soft seats once more upon her awakening. If she was even awake, that is. Part of her felt like perhaps she had just... dreamed it all. Yet this felt strangely real. Opposite her Theo smiled faintly as his master chuckled to himself. There was a deck of cards on the folded out table that Igor picked up and began to shuffle idly.

"This place is more than it seems, Miss Vallière. It exists in many places at once, but also no place at all. Congruent to all time and space, and yet apart from it. The Room that exists within your world is a place I am denied entry; Theodore's ability to travel there was very difficult to arrange." So this wasn't real at all but was also entirely real? Her head hurt. "When you dream your mind and soul are... adrift. I did not bring you here in either occasion; the first time I called, yes, but you were the one to answer. Now you have found me of your accord and I applaud your strength."

Igor dealt a lone card on to the table and then passed the deck to Theodore; who took it and held it with clear reverence. Then he flipped the card over and revealed an infuriatingly familiar number; the zero proudly emblazoned along the bottom. The old man smiled at her clear distaste and shook his head. "Whatever else it may be the Fool must not be underestimated, my dear. In many ways it is the strongest of the Arcana even as much as it is the weakest." His spindly fingers touched the card and shifted it in an arc across the table. Other cards were left behind by its passing and each one seemed to shimmer with a strange power.

He smiled at her then and reversed his motion; leaving nothing but the original card behind. "The Fool represents nothingness; contained within is infinite potential for change and growth. This power ought to have been yours, Miss Vallière, but alas..." Blackened chains flowed onto the image from the right side of the card and Igor flipped it. There was a different yet similar card printed upon the reverse side. Rather than the image of a jovial wanderer this looked to be a true fool; but it grasped the chains that flowed across the edge with its outstretched left hand. "Your fate has been bound by one who could not accept their own."

As the old man reached for the card again and made to turn it over once more the pain in her head became quiet excruciating. Igor sighed; his wide smile fading as he withdrew his hand and shook his head. "It seems our time is at an end once more. Theodore will assist you as best he can. I suspect that this will truly be the last meeting we shall have for some time. I look forward to seeing what comes of you, dear child." And the smile returned as he inclined his head.

"Farewell."


Louise awoke to a splitting headache and blood dripping from her nose. It wasn't a lot; but she quickly got up and moved to clean herself. Her hands trembled as she wiped her face. She could still feel it inside her. Her... was it her familiar? There was a word on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't articulate it. The pink-haired girl sighed and began to change her clothes. After yesterday she'd just came back and collapsed into bed.

Yesterday... what had happened? She frowned as she closed the last buttons on her blouse and made sure that she'd cleaned all of the blood off. There was that place they'd called... what was it... 'The Velvet Room'. The master, Igor, and the attendant, Theo... the strange weapon and the stranger familiar that seemed to be, somehow, living inside of her. She'd never heard of anything like this.

Her hands froze as she heard a faint knock on the door. Like someone who didn't want to be heard. With growing trepidation Louise moved over and gingerly cracked the door open. She rather didn't expect what she saw in her corridor. There was… Kirche, but also Montmorency and Tabitha. The last three people she thought would come to visit her… particularly now.

"Ah… h-hello, Louise. Um. May we come in?" Kirche seemed… nervous. As she spoke she glanced back none-too-subtly at Tabitha; who, for some reason, looked like she was almost glaring at the taller girl. Feeling far too stunned to resist, Louise nodded and stepped back so they could come in.

The four girls stood awkwardly in her room and Louise had a moment to take a close look at all of them. Montmorency looked like she may well be on the verge of tears, Kirche was clearly nervous and Tabitha was… stern. What was going on?

"... you wanted something?" In the end, she had to break the silence. It was just becoming suffocating. The Germanian girl bit her lip and looked down, while the blonde beside her trembled slightly. Kirche swallowed heavily, but managed to force out her words.

"I… that is to say, we, have come to… apologise. Both personally and on behalf of our classmates, our families and their families. We had no idea that our…" Once more she glanced back at Tabitha. "... our thoughtless words were having such a great effect on you. It… it was not our intent to cause any harm to you, or the House of Vallière." Uhhh… what?

Louise stared at them. This wasn't what she expected, but it was suddenly making a weird amount of sense given what had happened… with the… and… yes. That. EspeciallyMontmorency's reaction. She'd never spoken to her family about the behaviour of her peers but it wasn't precisely a secret.

She suspected that the girls, or at least two of them, had realised what may have come to pass if Louise had been killed by the… 'Shadow'. Or, failing that, if she actually had... been more deeply affected… well, it wasn't hard to imagine the repercussions. Something they'd probably never considered before.

"I see." It was difficult to decide what to do about this. Louise didn't really want to accept their apologies given that it was clear they were only doing so out of fear. Yet it seemed so… petty, given everything that had happened. She'd nearly died. What did their childish bullying matter now? "I suppose I can forgive you. Consider the matter settled. Now, please leave."

Montmorency went out first and Kirche soon followed but Tabitha stayed for a moment. She looked Louise in the eyes and frowned slightly. Then she dipped her head and walked out. Somehow, that felt far more like an actually sincere apology. The quiet girl had always been more of a bystander. In fact, Louise couldn't recall a time that she'd ever actually taken part in their teasing.

Well, it was of no matter now. Louise sat back down on her bed and closed her eyes; regarding the hooded figure sitting inside her. As soon as she did so it looked blindly up at her and grasped at the hilt of the sword on its belt; ready to leap forward and strike.

"What are you?" She hadn't meant to voice the question, but it didn't answer. It merely kept its empty hood facing upwards and waited in silence. "Why me? What is all of this? I don't understand any of it." There was a faint sound from her and she looked up. A subtle blue light of familiar hue was shining from the gap beneath the door.

Louise found she was already walking towards it. This was it. Theodore was in there and by the Founder she would have some answers from him! Surely she was owed real explanations rather than crypticness and riddles? Yet, as she reached for the handle, it turned on its own. She stood there, aghast, as the door swung open.

On the far side stood a woman who looked much like herself. Older, sterner, with straighter hair. Her expression was fierce and proud and Louise felt her knees weakening. Mother. Why was… what… how was her mother here? Now? Had she… she must have heard… Louise took a step back and Karin moved through the doorway; closing the portal behind her.

The pink-haired girl could feel her face and eyes burning from shame. Her mother had come all this way because of her display yesterday. All those things that the 'Shadow' had said… what shame she must have brought upon the family. Louise trembled as she tried to speak.

"Mother, I-"

The words died in her throat as her mother embraced her. There had been… there were tears in the older woman's eyes as she did so; practically flinging herself across the room to enfold her daughter in her arms. Louise didn't understand. Her mother wasn't, had never been, the most tactile person… she hadn't been held like this since she was a little girl.

She'd almost forgotten…

"Louise... " Her heart was pounding as her mother pulled away and stared into her eyes; fear and pain and sorrow writ large across her features. This wasn't… this was her mother? She'd never seen her mother cry. Karin de la Vallière was a woman wrought from steel and sustained by duty. She… she didn't cry. So why…?

"I… I am… I cannot say how… how sorry I am that… you felt you could not confide in me. I… you must know that…" Louise had never seen her mother stumble over her words before. The most distraught she'd ever seen her was speaking to one of the apothecaries that had seen Cattelya. Even then, her composure had not cracked.

Karin wiped her face and took a deep breath; pulling Louise back into her embrace again. It was very warm. What a silly thought that was; even so, she still thought it. It was very warm. "You have acted with strength and diligence, my daughter, and have brought honour upon our house with your continued perseverance." Her heart pounded again. Was this real?

Her mother didn't release her for a long time. They say there together in mutual comfort. Gradually, Louise relaxed. Then she began to cry. Between sobbing breaths she managed to explain to her mother how scared she'd been. All of her fears about letting her mother down, of bringing shame to their family, that she would be a failure all her life and do nothing but disappoint her mother. Karin took it all in stoically.

When Louise's emotional tirade finally came to a close her mother let go of her. She took her daughter's hand and held it tightly; gently kissing her child on the forehead and resting her chin on the girl's head. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off both of them. Even so…

"I have never been anything other than proud of you, Louise. You must not doubt that. You are my daughter. I will always be proud of you."

Louise felt a little larger.


A young man with a faintly smug smile balanced a curious silver key on his finger-tip as he languidly reclined upon the soft blue seating of an oceanless ship. On the table a lone card sat; proudly displaying its single zero. He seemed to stare out into the shining void and chuckled to himself after a moment.

"After all that, she figured them out for herself?" He spun the key in the air and caught it deftly on the return. Then he laughed. "Well, I'll just have to give this to her next time." The card on the table shone faintly in the dim light of the room as the young man enjoyed the moment. Beside it sat a second card that had, clearly, always been there. Its presence only seemed to serve to enhance the glimmer of the first card. Its number was inscribed clearly.

III