Author's Note:

Finally I'm getting some writing done.
I apologize for the long wait and I'll take the opportunity to inform you, dear reader, that this story is indeed alive and kicking still.
I'm just shit at updating.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, people. I hope you enjoy the continuation of this story.

A breeze heralded the morning sun, bringing fresh air and birdsong into the room. The pinkette sleeping peacefully stirred from sleep, stretching and yawning as she sat up. After rubbing the morning crust from her eyes she blinked and looked around the room as if expecting to see some new piece of furniture there.
Yet her room was the same as yesterday.
Everything from the nightstand to her left, the screened-off washing area, the vanity and armoire in front of her bed to the small study area complete with a desk, chair and a small table was exactly the same as the day before.

Then, a deep breath followed by a huff coming from someone else in the room made her practically jump in her bed. The pinkette peered over the side of her bed; spying the large form of her sleeping familiar.

"That's right." She said sleepily. "I summoned you yesterday, didn't I?" Another huff and a muffled groan came from the young man but he was clearly still sound asleep. Louise realized that she was seeing more of him now than she ever had before. In truth, more than she'd seen of any man, and despite the heat rising in her cheeks seized to opportunity to study him further.

He was barely covered by the sheets, as he seemed to have partially kicked them off of him in his sleep, so she was granted a full view of everything but his left leg as he lay spayed out on his belly. Well, not everything. He did wear some foreign manner of black tight-fitting underclothing to cover up his privates.

The first thing she reflected upon was the many scars on his back and arms. She counted a dozen of them, wondering what kind of life he would have led to have received such scars. Most of them were situated on his back and were little more than small long healed pale lines. With the exception of one, rounded scar in his lower back that seemed to have healed worse than his other injuries. Thin puckered 'rays' of pinkish scar tissue flaring out from the edges of its little roundel, making it look almost like a sun. A single long scar ran also in a thin line along his right arm from wrist to elbow.

The excitement she'd felt gave way to pity and before she knew it she'd slid out of her own bed and was kneeling beside her familiar on his mattress. Gingerly caressing his scars with the tips of her fingers. You must have been a soldier, as Colbert thought. Part of her wanted to wake him up and ask him all about his scars and how he'd gotten them. She didn't though, because she also didn't want to bother him with such things.

She didn't want to see the peaceful expression on his face go away. The way his hair fell over his shoulders and curled around his face gave him an almost lionlike appearance. Now that the scowl constantly etched on his face was gone, Louise was surprised to find that she found him… pleasing, to look at.
Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliére! Stop ogling your familiar this instant! She chastised herself to no avail however, her eyes still resting on his face despite her embarrassment.

The way he looked now, it reminded her of the way he'd looked at her when he complimented her last night. The memory renewed the heat in her cheeks. But then she also remembered the moment afterward and her fingers stopped their tracing on his skin as a troubled expression settled on her fine features.

"… For calling you a… a monster." Louise said with trepidation. An insistent little voice in the back of her head already protesting at the notion of her familiar being such as she had called him. A voice she could scarcely understand, given how briefly she'd known Andreas. As she looked up into to those piercing green eyes meeting hers with such comforting tenderness, however, she found herself a bit more understanding of it.

As soon as the words left her though, a heavy shadow fell over his face. The haunted look on his face as he turned from her sent a chill running down her spine.

"It's alright. I can hardly fault you for speaking the truth, can I?"

The way his soulful eyes turned dead and cold made her heart feel like it was caught in a vice. Speechless and confused she'd watched as he'd wordlessly undressed and gone to bed. She'd spent the next half an hour staring out into the night, deep in her thoughts, before going to bed herself.

It took her a moment to react to the feeling of muscle moving under her touch. When she did, she found her gaze met somewhat blearily by her enigmatic familiar.
She blinked and hastily removed her fingers from his skin. Her cheeks heating up like a furnace as she stood up stiffly and walked away.

"Good morning to you too." My eyes lingered on the flustered pinkette as she walked away with her chin all stuck up.

A light tickle on my back had roused me from sleep. I'd been surprised to find Louise sitting beside me with a ponderous look on her face.
I'd found myself almost mesmerized by how cute she looked with her brows furrowed and her lips slightly puckered and pressed together in a look of intense concentration.

I shook my head as I reflected on how silly I was acting. It wasn't the first time I'd woken up to a pretty face. Or even the first time I'd woken up to having some girl take an interest in my scars. I'd never been bothered by it before and I damn well shouldn't be now. Though bothered isn't really it. It's… I dunno. My slight frustration escaped me in a huff, as I turned around to check my phone.

It's only 7 am? Give me a break. I flopped back on the mattress with a sigh. Surely my little master would let me sleep in a bit?

"…Hey."

So much for that.

"What is it, my pink little morning hallucination?" I half opened one eye, offering the petite mage a smirk. Said mage, now dressed in what I assumed was her school uniform, was less than pleased. Unless glowering meant something else in this place.

"That would be master, to you!"

Evidently it did not.

"Alright then, master pink morning hallucination. What is it?" I teased. I couldn't help myself really; she just looked so damned cute when she got all flustered and upset.

"Louise!" She yelled through gritted teeth.

"Yes, what about you?" I said in an oblivious tone. The smirk playing at the corner of my mouth belying my voice.

"You annoying…" Louise grumbled. "Just get up already. Or I won't… or you'll miss breakfast."

I chuckled and got up, stretched, and got dressed. Once I'd put my clothes and armor on, except for my helmet, I stood weighing my gun in my hand.

"Louise?"

My master grumbled something about stubborn familiars in the morning and glanced at me with an annoyed pout.

"What is it?"

"Just wondering about today's schedule is all."

"Well…" She put one hand on her hip while the other tapped a steady beat with her wand against her thigh. "All second years have a cleared schedule for today because of the Summon Servant ceremony. We're supposed to spend the day…" Suddenly she avoided eye-contact. "… bonding with our familiars." She finished the sentence mumbling. Seeming to have found a sudden interest in the floor.

There was no way I was passing this up.

"Well, we can always keep going where you left off just now." I winked at her, smoothing my voice a little bit. The reaction was priceless.

"Wha-!? Y-You! A-a-as if I would!"

Louise's face turned beet red as she stumbled over her words, staring at me with wide eyes and a look of utter embarrassment. She'd even taken a step back as if she thought I'd pounce on her.

I chuckled. The chuckle turning into a laugh and the laugh turning into a hearty howl as I clutched my stomach. Eventually I stopped laughing, wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes.

"Easy there, mistress." I said, a little out of breath. "I'm just joking. But assuming you're not intending to spend the day petting me, I suppose we should maybe find somewhere to talk after breakfast? I'm sure we both have a lot of questions. I sure do."

Louise hmpfed and stuck her chin up in her usual dignified, proud demeanor.

"Y-yes. That does sound like what I had in mind. I need to talk to Professor Colbert as well about you; see if he's learned anything new."

"Who's Colbert?" I gave her a quizzical look.

"He's one of the teachers here at this school, as well as a respected scholar. You met him during the summoning."

"That bald guy I…" I trailed off, making a vague gripping gesture in the air.

"Yes."

"Ah… by the way, do you have like a safe or something I can store my gear in?"

"The drawers on my desk can be locked. Why?" Louise arced an eyebrow at me.

"Well, besides the fact that my things are irreplaceable here, there's also the fact that half of my equipment can kill if not handled properly. Besides, I don't need to go equipped for sabotage and assassination today, do I?"

"No, you certainly do not." Louise firmly answered and after some rearrangement offered me an empty drawer. She watched curiously as I stowed my gear.

Two magazines for my suppressed MP5, one empty, as well as the weapon itself. Four grenades; two smoke and two regular. An eight meters length of rope with a small grappling hook attached. One small packet of C4 explosive along with a remote detonation device. A small internally padded armored packet containing two small bottles of which one was filled with a potent poison and the other with a strong sedative. A taser loaded with fresh batteries and lastly; a USB-stick containing a whole host of viruses and a deployment program.

As I unloaded my gear the items felt more and more like treasures. I didn't know how half of them were made and I couldn't reconstruct or repair any of them should they get damaged somehow. I just used them; it hadn't been my job to tinker with them. It struck me that somewhere down the line I'd inevitably have to go local in terms of armor and weapons. Oh joy…

I was surprised to find that the drawer could actually hold all of my gear. I kept my knives though. As well as my phone, wallet and passport. Though I'd admit that the last things didn't make much sense bringing with me, I kind of felt naked without them.

Louise locked the drawer and before she could stow it away, I snatched the key from her hand and pocketed it.

"Hey!" She glared at me, agitation rising again.

"Hear me out. The stuff that's in there is lethal. Some of which could reduce us both to a smear on the wall if you'd gone about tampering with them. I'm not letting anyone else but me have free access to them and that includes you. Not to mention that this kind of technology isn't necessarily something this world should have access to. This is absolutely non-negotiable."

A worried look passed over Louise's features. Her gaze flickering toward the drawer before it burrowed into mine. She was clearly expecting me to conform to a master-servant relationship with her. Let's just say I wasn't too keen on the idea. Especially when there were explosives involved.

The staring contest went on for a while; Louise fuming indignantly and I meeting her glare with steely resolve. Finally, Louise relented.

"Fine! But in return, you'll have to promise to be on your best behavior." She made a sharp turn, somehow managing to send her fragrant hair whipping at my face in the process, and went for the door. "And don't even think about picking any fights. You've embarrassed me more than enough as it is."

I rolled my eyes and after a brief moment of deliberation left my helmet on the desk before following her.

"Whatever you say."

A great many things worried Louise as she descended the familiar stairs toward the main hall of the dormitory wing. She'd walked these stairs with her head full of worries many times before but now her thoughts were unintelligibly many; darting through her mind before she could grab a hold of them.

Firstly there were the social ramifications of having summoned a human familiar. She imagined most would think she'd staged the whole thing and hired some thug to serve her. Glumly, she thought to herself that such a scenario would almost be preferable to this one; Andreas was infuriatingly defiant for a familiar. More so for a mere commoner. Blasted familiar is as prideful as any noble.

Once more she'd be the laughing stock of the school. And Founder knows she was tired of that.

Even though his status as her familiar was verifiable by the mark on his hand she doubted that her family would approve. Once more she'd have to face their anger and disappointment. Or worse; their pity.

Then there was the ceremony. It was clear to her that it had not worked for her the way it had for her peers, despite its success. It could be that the act of binding a human as a familiar spirit had somehow warped the spell, she mused, but she found it unlikely. No, something else was at work here, and she didn't like it one bit.

The familiar itself, or rather; himself, was also a source of her worries. He'd hinted at being from another world than hers entirely and as preposterous as that may be she was finding it more and more likely. Even though he spoke Albionian, culturally he was clearly different from anything she knew. His belongings were of an obviously foreign make and some of the contraptions she'd seen before certainly looked more advanced than anything she'd seen or heard about. Obviously he was a soldier of some sort, she thought. Why else would he be geared for battle? Or have that many scars.

Then there was the issue of his… character. He was intimidating, defiant, stubborn and dangerously proud. But once she'd treated him like an equal instead of a servant he'd been surprisingly, well, charming. She should probably make sure he was prepared to face her peers. Shuddering, she recalled the incident last night with the young Gramont. There were many mages who were like him, though she liked to believe that the vast majority of mages weren't.

She cast a glance over her shoulder. The lumbering form of her familiar was right behind her. How can someone so large move so quietly?

"Just so you know, most mages aren't like Gramont. The mage you… met last night."

"I hope not." He rumbled. Louise sighed.

"Things… are a certain way here. You have to understand this and act accordingly. I can't have you assault everyone who treats you like a commoner when you clearly are a commoner. What you do reflects on me as your master and bad behavior from your side puts me and my family to shame."

She felt a hand fall on her shoulder; stopping her with a firm but gentle grip. She spun about to face the owner of the hand, feeling her ire rise again, only to find that Andreas was not looking the least bit confrontational. In fact, he was smiling.

"I think I understand the basics of your culture; ours was the same once after all. Centuries ago the aristocracy ruled Europe, my home continent, much like they seem to do here. So I'm not going to go about beating people up just because they're a bunch of primitives…" As much as the new information intrigued her, having her peers and by association herself called 'primitive' was no less infuriating now than last time he'd said it. "… so don't worry. Unless they're giving me a legitimate reason to hurt them, I won't be starting any trouble. The only thing that really concerns me right now is you." His voice had softened as he spoke and despite the firmness of his gaze, there was gentleness to it.

"Me?" To her surprise, Louise found her agitation evaporate.

"Yes. We need to figure out who we are in this mess." Andreas pointed back and forth between them. Louise arced an eyebrow at him.

"I'm your master and you're my familiar. That is a fact whether we like it or not. The proof is right there on your hand."

Her towering familiar sighed.

"I know that. Look, as long as you treat me as an equal, we'll be fine. I'm not asking you to think of me as such right away because I know it takes time to change one's views. Especially if they're values you've been born into and never thought to question. Bottom line; don't treat me like a servant and I'll serve you. Happily, even."

Louise contemplated his words. I suspected as much, she sighed inwardly. She'd already begun reevaluating their working relationship after last night and she knew they'd probably have to reach a compromise of sorts. All things considered, his suggestion wasn't unreasonable. The order of rule and servitude that governed Halkeginian society obviously didn't exist where he came from. If a state of equality had reigned for centuries in his world then the way things worked here must be hard to come to terms with. Louise filed away the added question of how his world's government worked for a later opportunity.

"Very well, Andreas. Now come, before we miss breakfast." Louise answered in a polite tone.

Say what you will about the people in it, but the Academy itself was impressive. As I followed my little master to the dining hall I took in the architecture of the place. I'd always been a sucker for old buildings and this was like walking through a late medieval castle as it would have been when people lived in it. I hummed in appreciation at the intricate engravings in the stone and the fine craftsmanship it must have taken to build a place like this.

My mistress was obviously deep in her thoughts, so I was left to my reverie as we made our way to our destination.

As we crossed the lawn and drew up on the steps to the main building I could hear the bustle and noise typical of a crowded cafeteria or as in this case; a dining hall.

The massive, thick wooden doors to the main building were wide open and mages in brown and blue capes and the occasional older mage I assumed were teachers were filtering in, casually chatting amongst themselves. Of course, I was just assuming that everyone who looked wealthy enough was a mage in this place. That and then there was the very magey way some of them dressed. If I see a Hogwarts crest in there then that's it; I'm off the crazy train.

Medieval times and magic aside; this was a school, and it very much had the overall vibe of one.

When we entered the dining hall itself the busy chatter dampened as dozens of heads turned to watch us. The casual noise turned to a loud buzz as the student started talking excitedly to each other.

Rumor must have spread fast of what happened with the Gramont boy. A smirk flickered in the corner of my mouth as the mages hurriedly turned their gazes elsewhere when I looked at them. That's right you uppity little shits.

Louise veered off to the rightmost row of tables where I guessed her classmates sat. I recognized a few of them from the ceremony. Her classmates acted much the same as the rest of the mages, except for a few. A curvaceous red haired girl was regarding me with a disapproving, haughty sneer while the thin, bespectacled blue haired girl beside her was peering at me curiously over her glasses.

Louise stopped beside a chair. It took me a second to make the connection since that kind of gentlemanly behavior wasn't something I was used to performing.

"You're supposed to-"

"I know, I know. Here." I pulled out the chair for her and she seated herself with a practiced ladylike grace. "Sorry." I added in for good measure.
I plopped down on the chair next to her with a tired grunt and started to browse the various foods on the table.

Suddenly every pair of eyes around me was trained at me, my master's rose-madder orbs included.

I read surprise or outright shock in most faces around me. The same expression passed across Louise's delicate features as well, before they adopted the expression of someone who just mentally facepalmed herself. An irritated grumble escaped me in my exasperation.

"Of course. M-maybe we should have breakfast someplace else…" A touch of red blossomed on my master's cheeks.

"Let me guess; no commoner's allowed?"

"N-not at this table, no." Louise made a motion as to get up but I placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Didn't we have this talk already?" I said, offering as diplomatic a smile as I could. Louise leaned in towards me a little.

"This isn't about what I think." She muttered so that only I could hear it.

"Of course it is. That's all anything ever is. Especially when it comes to societal norm and custom. Let's just eat. If anyone objects you can just sic me on 'em, alright?"
I grinned and patted her shoulder before leaning back into my chair, grabbing the glass in front of me and holding it up to study its contents.
Had I been on Earth its amber colour and the context would have me believe it was a juice. Here though, I couldn't be so sure. Well, here goes. I threw back the contents of the glass in one gulp and let it slosh around for a moment before swallowing.

Huh. It was a wine of some sort. Not bad at all. A bit yeasty, and it does have a fruitier flavor to it that's more like a juice than a wine.
The taste was definitely to my liking though. Despite being a previously unknown flavor for me.

"It's been a while since I've had a breakfast like this." I said in appreciation as I snatched up a croissant-like piece of bread.

Louse regarded me with an utterly puzzled expression.

"You truly are foreign." She shook her head and sighed. After taking a sip from her own serving of the amber beverage, she turned to me with more of a curious look. "Why haven't you?"

"Why would a commoner dine like a noble in the first place?" The busty redhead haughtily added.

I finished the piece of bread and lounged back into the chair, licking crusts off my fingers. Play nice, Andreas.

"I was tracking. Going near any hotels or restaurants-erhm-, I suppose your kind would say 'inn' or 'tavern', is a bad idea when you want to stay hidden. They usually have surveillance in or around them back home. By that I mean that I could be tracked. It's a frequently used means of preventing crime in my homeland.

Anyway, because of my target I couldn't risk being discovered or traced back to the battalion, so… I don't suppose that makes any sense to you though, does it?"

"Very little." Louise wasn't the only one paying attention. Most of our neighbors were listening in on our conversation. The blue haired girl with glasses not even trying to feign disinterest. "Professor Colbert mentioned that you might be a soldier at the ceremony, is there any truth to that? Since you're speaking of targets and battalions…"

"Ah… He's a bright one it would seem, that Colbert. In a sense he's right, but it largely depends on who you ask. In the eyes of the Swedish government, myself and my brothers in arms are nothing but rebels and terrorists. I was-am- an operative of the Black Battalion. Which means I am one among the deadliest assassins and saboteurs in Sweden. We're the fist of an organization called Blodgarm; one of four organizations leading the revolt against the current government. Which might just turn to civil war, considering my last assignment…" I trailed off as my thoughts turned to home.

It grated on my conscience to know that I'd left my country and brothers in arms just when they needed me and the battalion the most.
It was very likely that the monarchs' death would be the last straw that forced the government into decisive action, despite how very little the royalty meant to both the swedish people and government these days. And of course, as soon as the government attacked the revolutionaries it would turn into all-out war. There'd even been talk among my compatriots about joining forces with the other revolutionary groups and launch a pre-emptive offensive.

I felt as though I'd abandoned them. As if I'd failed in my duty. You can't factor magical abduction into the equation exactly, though…

"Target?" A quiet voice roused me from my thoughts. I looked up to see that the blue-haired bespectacled girl two seats down across the table had put down her book and was now entirely focused on me.

I glanced to my sides and saw that everyone around us had turned to listen in on our conversation intently.
Louise herself was looking a bit paler, but had that concentrated furrow of her brow of hers on.

"The royal family."

A chorus of gasps erupted 'round the table. My master hurriedly got up from her seat. Her jaw was set and her face downright stony.

"This is evidently not a conversation we should be having here. Come, familiar."

I shrugged, crammed the last bit of bread in my mouth and got up to follow her. She stomped off at a brisk pace. We exited the dining hall and went out into the warm summer sun again. The pinkette headed to one of the five towers set in the outer wall of the academy, her blue mantle billowing out behind her as she went.

I'd no trouble keeping up with her, but I was a bit surprised that she could march at such a pace. She was definitely the shortest person I'd ever met.

"So… Regicide is a sensitive topic around here, I take it?" I asked in a flippant voice.

Louise cast a dark glare my way.

"It is hardly a subject fit for breakfast, no." She replied in a hard tone.

Then she sighed and slowed her pace a little.

"Just what manner of familiar have I summoned?" She muttered to herself while shaking her head.

I just arced an eyebrow at her.

"… Master?"

"When you tell me the rest about who you are and what you do, it's not going to be any more pleasant, is it?"

"Not really, no."

Another sigh.

"Then I don't think we should talk about that among the other students. Maybe not even among the teachers. At least for now."

I shrugged. Couldn't say I cared. Very little of who I was or what I did back home meant anything here as far as I was concerned. Not that I would start blabbing about operational secrets left and right but the only thing of my past that mattered here were my skills, the way I saw it.

"So where are we headed then?"

"To Professor Colbert's office."

"Ah."

Author's Addendum:

Aye, this fic will involve politics and some strong opinions and images so it might get a bit sensitive at times, my fellow countrymen. I do hope you'll find this story worthile all the same.

If you've read my other fic here, A Murder Of Mass, then you may also notice some... interesting things(as soon as I get the next(10th) chapter of AMOM out that is).

Andreas will go into more details about the people he worked with so you'll be learning more about them as the story progressess.
I just didn't feel that it was fair to dump a ton of info on you right away, dear reader.
However if you have questions feel free to ask me in the review or send me a PM and I'll answer to the best of my ability (and without giving away too many spoilers).

Also, again, this is not an SI. This is more like a dimensional-double-gone-fubar-insert. So Andreas is built on the same foundation as me, so to speak. The rest is all him though, so I'm not going to take responsibility for whatever weird shit he does further down the line=P.

Also, if you think Louise is being out of character then it is because she is out of character. It is by design. Mostly, at least.
Andreas isn't the pushover that Saito (or my personal reference, Jason from Inner Legion's fic) is.
Even though he's not some godlike being or superhuman like most Zerofic OC/SI on this site seem to be (at least he won't be superhuman for a while) he's still plenty deadly and you don't really boss around someone like him, mage or no.
And Louise is smart. Not genius level smart but highly intelligent so it's not a far stretch to have her realize that she have to treat him differently than she was raised and taught to do for things to work.
I'm sorry if you think that sucks but... It's what I'm rolling with so, yeah.

Anyways, thanks for stopping by!