Before i start the chapter i just wanted to point to the new cover page. It's a picture i commissioned of Louise wearing a ww2 french tanker uniform.
With that out of the way, here is chapter six.
xXXXx
If there was something that Osmond learned throughout his life, it was how to navigate the political sphere of Halkeginia with ease.
From the lowest of merchants to royalty, he had conversed dealt with all. It was the reason for his eccentric personality, no one ever suspected an old man who acted aloof.
However, there was one person who saw through his act, one person who even when he had the upper hand, scared him, one person who always made sure to know anything and everything about the person she was dealing with.
Lady Valliere.
Even as he gazed down at the carriage that had arrived some time ago, he could feel her hard gaze on his back which wasn't helped by the fact that no matter where she went she was armed and armoured, even if the extravagant pink dress she wore never looked like it had metal plates hidden underneath them.
"It's not often the heavy wind stops by the academy." He turned to face her, pipe in hand. "I do believe the last time was when you brought your third daughter on her first day." Her stare hardened. "So, what can I do for you."
Karin looked him up and down. "As you know, the thief Fouquet has been on the loose in this area for the past few months. As such the court believes that she may be planning a heist on the academy and has asked me to act as both a guard to the young princess and to inspect the academy's vault for any tampering."
The shattering of percaline echoed throughout the room pulling their attention to the young green haired secretary Longueville, hunched over attempting to clean up the spilled tea and broken cup. "I'm terribly sorry." She apologized. "I'll go get more right away."
"Never mind the tea," She stopped the girl with a raised hand. "I'm not particularly thirsty,"
Osmond stood up from his seat. "I'll clean it up Lougueville. Me and lady Valliere need to speak in private." Osmond explained.
The secretary gave a small bow before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
"A new secretary? I do hope you ran the appropriate checks on her." Karin asked turning back around to face him.
The man took a puff of his pipe sitting back down. "I know my staff." He stated setting his pipe on its stand. "I've been taking the appropriate measures in the face of a possible heist. But I do wonder if there isn't another reason for your arrival?" He questioned.
Karin crossed her arms. "I won't deny that the rumours surrounding my daughter's new familiar have piqued my interest. But I must restate that my main reason for being here is to make sure that those items within that vault aren't stolen." She finished.
Osmond stood up with his pipe, taking another puff of it. "Well then, may I show you what we've done in preparation."
"That would be best." Karin agreed.
xXXXx
The tank slowed to a stop within the shed, every member within happy to be back at the academy, all except Louise who sat on commander's seat, hunched over clenching her arms running over her stomach and clenching her sides in an attempt to stop the trembling that had consumed since she had seen the carriage.
'Why? Why was she here.'
It didn't make sense to her. In all her time at the academy, her mother never once visited, so again why?
A hand came into view and rested on her leg, breaking her from her trance. Following the arm, she met Kirche looking at her concerned. "You ok?" She asked.
She wanted to say yes, to tell her just to leave her alone. But she couldn't.
Tightening the grip of herself. "No." She muttered, lowering her gaze back to the floor.
Kirche reached over her and flipped the hatch opened. Kirche gripped her shoulders sending a shiver down her spine. "Alright Louise, let's get you out of here. Guiche already left and I think we should do the same."
Louise shook her head frantically. "No, I... can't leave this tank. I can't face her." She told the redhead, slamming her eyes shut. "She was always against me coming here, if... if... if she doesn't like my familiar, she'll pull me out. I have no doubt."
"Who?"
"Mother," Louise mumbled.
An eyebrow popped up on the redhead's face "The heavy wind?"
Louise bobbed her head up and down. "Yes,"
"Well, I'm sure you're just overblowing it."
"I'm not!" She shouted, sitting back up. "She's determined to pull me out, I just know it!" Her grip tightened.
Kirche leaned back into the gunner's seat. "Do you have any proof of her doing that?"
"No," Louise muttered to herself. "But I summoned a plebian weapon." Her hands left her hips and rested in front of her as tears began to form in her eyes. "Which is just as well. A mage as good at magic as a commoner summons a weapon fit for on" *SLAP*
Louise sat in silence, not even sure what had happened, only that her cheek now burned.
"Louise, you are always going on about how you're smarter than me and that I'm just a Germanian harlot with more breasts then brain, and while you are smarter than me, right now your acting as dumb as a bag of rocks."
Looking up at the redhead with wide eyes, slowly touching her red cheek. "You... Slapped me." She muttered.
"Because you're acting hysterical." She pointed out. "Your familiar may be plebian in nature, but it was able to raze a goblin village by itself. Something that would take a team of triangle mages to do, not to mention the fact that you were able to clear a goblin-infested cave without so much as a thought, something that would take a square level earth or wind mage to pull off with the same amount of effort."
Louise turned away from her in shame.
Grabbing the pinkette's head Kirche forced her to look her in the eyes. "Look if you don't want to face her then don't, this tank is quite quick so why don't we just head to the capital, get some food and drink, and come back after supper?"
"But?"
"But nothing Louise. We have no obligations here until tomorrow." She explained, "We can be gone until it's our turn in the showcase."
Louise thought it over several times, but every single time she could hear her mother shout. "Don't run away from your problems!" causing her to bite her lip.
Standing up she pushed open the hatch. "Look, I'm alright."
Kirche grabbed her by the shoulders and with her superior strength forced her back down to the seat. "No, you're being stubborn." The girl shot her gaze over her shoulder. "Tabitha, take us to the charming fairies inn!"
The engine started once again, and in a moment, they began to move once again. Louise shoved the girl's hands off of her shoulder, but before she could exploit this opening, she was suddenly smothered in a vice-like hug from the fire mage that made any movements in her upper body impossible.
Louise barred her teeth. "Let me go Kirche!" She shouted; her panic replaced with anger.
"Nope. We're going to avoid your mother the right way. And be sure to take the side roads, we want to avoid the royal carriage."
"Got it."
Seeing no alternative, she relaxed, "There, can you let me go?"
"Nope."
Sighing, Louise got herself ready for the hour-long trip.
xXXXx
The inn was packed full of people, most of which collected around the windows to gawk at her familiar that was parked outside. Which was an issue in of itself.
Getting it into the city was fairly tricky as the guards didn't really like the idea of an armoured carriage armed with a cannon trotting around the city. However, it was then Kirche decided to step in, popping out of the loaders hatch and decrying that "This is a Valliere's familiar and that they are impeding on important business of the highest importance." Which caused the guards to step aside, and let us through.
That wasn't the last of the issues as when they first entered the inn, the commoners wanting a better view of the tank began climbing all over it. Kirche left and fixed it, she didn't know how but it didn't matter, so long as the plebeians stayed off her tank that was all that mattered.
The rest of the customers sat around chatting about gods knows what and save for the occasional eruption of laughter from one of the groups of patrons, she couldn't drag her mind away from her mother, what was she doing there?
"Come on Louise eat up. That slice of beef costs quite a bit of money." Kirche told her, dragging her from her thoughts and to the slice of still warm meat in front of her. "So, as I was saying, we can probably get Guiche to make us some golems for me to shoot at in your familiar."
Louise shook her head as if she was clearing her mind. "I'm sorry, but when did you start planning my showcase?"
"Since you needed help?" Kirche pointed out, taking a bite out of her bread. "And besides, we all know that I'm the master at presentation, while you're better at the tearing down aspect." She stated bluntly.
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"
"You're not trembling anymore, so I say that's progress."
Sighing, Louise picked up her fork and knife and began, cutting at the meat. She supposed that Kirche was right in that regard, she had calmed down since they had left the academy.
Stabbing a slice of beef, she brought the fork to her mouth and took a bite of it.
The exotic flavour forced her eyes wide, the blend of sweet tender meat with the spiciness of its spices worked together to make this meal like nothing she ever had before. "I-it's, good?" She sputtered.
"Ooh?" Kirche hummed laying her head on her hand. "Did you expect differently?"
"No, it's just. When I saw the waitresses, I figured that was th-"
"The only reason why this place is open was that it had good looking girls?" Kirche said finishing her sentence turning her gaze to the servers who were all good-looking women and all wore flamboyant maid outfits that seemed to be a few sizes too small. "While they do have their charm, it's only one aspect, that makes this place special," Kirche explained.
"In what way?"
Kirche turned her gaze back to her. "Well wine for one, from the rumours I heard they get their wine from the vineyard their family owns which is rather special in its own right. Speaking of." Kirche stood up. "Scarron, give me a bottle of Tarbes finest!" She hollered.
"Right away." A voice that shattered the calmness that had built up within her.
Looking over her shoulder, her grip on her utensils harden when she saw him. An extremely muscular man who stood at least six foot five, walking over to them wearing nothing but shorts that stopped halfway down the thigh, a half shirt that only covered his pectoral muscles and high heeled boots.
"Here you are Kirche~" He said puckering his already large lips and setting down the bottle, before running off back to work.
Louise shot back to Kirche with a look of horror on her face. "How does he know you?"
"Because this was where I worked when I first arrived in Tristian."
"You worked here?"
Sighing she continued. "My parents wanted to teach me the value of money, so when I was sixteen and was supposed to be enrolled into the academy, they kicked me out with nothing but fifty marks. Around twenty or so ecu's"
Louise could only stare in disbelief, at her rival. "That's hardly enough to live on for a few days."
"Which is why I got a job here. My tips were rather large as I satisfied the more exotic tastes of their customers." She looked out at the customers with a nostalgic smile. "The point is that when they felt I learned the value of a hard day's work they enrolled me into the academy which was why I was so late in joining the school compared to you."
The fire mage let out a sudden laugh.
"We came here for you yet here we are talking about me." She reached out and grabbed the wine bottle and popped off the cork. "Tabitha, pass me the glasses."
Tabitha didn't even look away from the book in her hand and passed two drinking glasses to Kirche.
"Not having any?"
"Bad for horse riding, bad for tank driving."
"Oh, right," Kirche muttered. "Well, that means more for us." The redhead said her smile returning as she poured out the bottle.
"we can't drink all that," Louise stated pointing at the bottle.
Kirche looked at her with a sly smile. "Are you saying that a Valliere is intimidated by a bottle of wine?"
Letting out of huff, she crossed her arms. "Of course not."
"Then drink," Kirche asked setting down the bottle.
She pulled the glass closer as she gazed down into the purple liquid. In the glass, she realized what she had just done. Looking up at her rival, she found her already having finished the drink, and was in the process of filling it up once again.
Was she taking this as a challenge? Was this what that was? What did she expect of her, she wasn't a drinker, at least not like Kirche here. She drank casually, at supper time and in a way that accentuated the meal as was the elegant Valliere way.
'What am I talking about, she was a Zerbst, and I'm a Valliere.'
She clenched her hand into a fist as she gripped the glass with a free hand. The life of a Valliere was dignified, but even they could outperform the Zerbst in undignified acts.
Bringing the glass to her mouth, she slammed it back, the same way she saw kirche did.
And immediately regretted it.
Her gag reflex forced the liquid back up and out all over the table in a massive coughing fit.
"It's not a race Louise." The fire mage told her, getting a stink eye in return. "I'm just saying it's sweet, you're supposed to enjoy this wine."
Gazing back at the glass, she raised it to her mouth, this time only taking a small sit to test the wine. Her eyes widened at the taste. It was sweet, sweeter than any wine that she had had before this.
A smile formed on the redhead's face. "There it is."
Finishing the glass, Louise set it back down on the table gesturing for more. Kirche did as she was asked and filled up her cup.
If there was something that was true, it was that there was nothing better to forget your troubles then wine from Tarbes.
xXXXx
Kirche felt panic creep up her spine as she looked down at the pink-haired girl, passed out on the table next to several bottles of wine.
"Perhaps... I overdid it." She mumbled.
"Your fault," Tabitha muttered, turning a page in her book.
xXXXx
Well, Louise and Kirche seem to be getting on better terms, maybe.
Either way, i hope you enjoyed this chapter and be sure to let me know what you think.
Have a great day.