Over the next several weeks, Louise and Galen continued their schedule.
At dawn, they began their training at the clearing, with Galen coaching the noble through the aspects of the Force he knew, while Louise returned the favor by teaching him about Halkeginia, the Valliere family, and the struggle between humans and Elves.
They would stop for breakfast, then go their separate ways; Louise would begin her classes, while Galen joined Colbert in the library to continue his research. Colbert was enthusiastically curious about what the Jedi was teaching the noble, and would frequently question him about it. Galen kept the information vague and omitted details such as it not requiring a wand to cast. Sometimes, if his investigation was slow or fruitless, the Jedi would drop into Louise's later classes, to hopefully gather more data. While most of these courses were lacking in philosophy, Galen was able to get a better understanding of magic, and how it worked.
After classes, Galen and Louise would return to their clearing, and continue training until late in the evening. These lessons focused on sparring duels with both the Force and sword combat. This was the noble's favorite time of day, as she had a chance to really let loose with her powers. She didn't need to restrain or mask her abilities, and the release was highly cathartic. The two Force users exchanged frequent blows and often drew blood from one another. Thanks to Galen's lessons, Louise was able to prevent any permanent scarring, although it did cause the noble to wonder what kind of weapons could leave such marks as she had seen upon her familiar. Could lightsabers and blaster bolts really burn hot enough to cause such lasting injuries?
In addition to her training, Louise became acquainted with several of the serving staff, such as the head chef Morteau, as well as a maid named Siesta.
Morteau, like the other servants, was wary and skittish around the young noble at first. However, once she expressed her own displeasure at Guiche's behavior, he relaxed and began to speak more openly around her. Louise quickly learned that there were very few rumors that the chef didn't know, including many that not even the nobles had heard. As a result, the noble gained a habit of enjoying Morteau's latest culinary experiment while listening to the latest gossip.
Siesta was a maid only a little older than Louise herself. Her primary occupation was cleaning the rooms and laundry of the students in the girls' dormitory, though she would also assist the kitchen during meal times. Though a commoner, Louise began to enjoy Siesta's company, and the two would frequently talk while Galen was away. Siesta even surprised her by helping change the noble's look to be more flattering to her petite body.
"Are you sure about this?" Louise asked, as she emerged from the dressing screen. The dress she wore was a simple forest green that hugged her slim physique. The garment parted just below her neck, covering her shoulders before tapering off to her forearms. Its back was cut, revealing her porcelain skin. As she looked in the mirror, Louise's eyes glimmered in amazement at how she looked.
"Since you aren't as..." Siesta trailed off, before starting again, "I-I mean, you don't ha-," she stopped again, trying to find the right words. "You're not as..."
"I lack breasts," Louise interrupted, her forthright sentence startling the maid. Despite her annoyed look, the young noble had come to terms with her poor physical presence and was not as perturbed about the subject. Instead, she was bothered by how difficult it was for the commoner to be honest with her. Did the peasants really fear the nobles so much that they would outright lie rather than tell the truth?
Siesta slowly nodded, before quickly continuing.
"Right, you'll need to draw the eye away from your chest to other places. You'll also want to avoid contrasting colors, as they will bring attention to your smaller height," She indicated the back, as well as the material as it followed her small body.
Louise turned, looking at herself at every possible angle. It was a small, simple change in clothing, yet she looked completely different. Her own family may have a hard time recognizing her after this.
"Where did you learn all about this?" she asked the maid, as Siesta nervously smiled.
"Well… my Uncle owns a tavern in town," Siesta began. "I worked there for a time before I was given the honor of being here. Since part of the trade is to offer attractive waitresses, we needed to match the right dress for each waitress."
"Oh. That makes sense," Louise replied, then added, "The next time I'm in town, I'll need to check it out."
As she changed back into her normal uniform, Louise stared at the pile of damaged clothes. While not a problem initially, her training with Galen was taking a serious toll on her wardrobe. At this rate, she would run out of undamaged garments within the week. She would have to scandalously move about the grounds in torn and tattered clothes!
Siesta noticed the clothing, as well. "If you would like, I can send those off for repair. I know a tailor who does really good work. You won't be able to tell they were even torn."
Louise smiled, as she handed the uniforms to the maid. As she handed them over, an idea came to her mind, one that would ensure that she wouldn't need to constantly repair her clothes. Not all of them, at least.
"Does this tailor do custom work?" she asked, as Siesta nodded.
"Do you think they would be willing make a collection of simple garments, like robes, pants, and shirts, for my use? They will be frequently ruined and need mending, so it would be great if they were made out of cheap or durable materials. I don't need to worry about colors, or anything."
The maid paused for a moment, pondering the question. Slowly, she replied, "I'm not sure if he will accept, but I do know that the idea of a noble wearing his original work is quite appealing." She looked over the uniforms, before continuing, "Since I assume this is meant to replace what you have been doing with your school uniforms, I think the repeat business will catch his attention."
Siesta pulled out a small measuring tape.
"If you would like, Ms. Valliere, I can take down your measurements and start your order. I plan on visiting my uncle tomorrow, anyway, and the tailor is on the way."
Louise nodded, as she stood upon the stool in her room. Siesta quickly began moving the tape like an expert, quickly scratching down the measurements onto a piece of parchment. The noble did a double-take.
"You're literate?" she spluttered, amazed that a peasant would take the time out to learn such a normally-useless skill for her class.
Siesta nodded.
"Yes. My grandfather placed a lot of importance on reading and writing. It's why my uncle is able to keep up with his tavern," her face fell. "I… wish I could have met him. He vanished when my father was a child. But… when I heard my grandmother talk about him..." her face brightened, "he sounded like a strong, caring man. My father, however, insists that he was a noble who took my grandmother for a mistress."
Louise frowned in thought. She was quite intrigued by the story. If she was an illegitimate child, even a grandchild, then she would have some kind of magic capability.
"But you doubt your father's belief?" she asked. Siesta nodded.
"Yes. According to my grandmother, my grandfather was a knight who wandered the stars as easily as you or I could travel to Albion or Romalia. He rescued her from a noble's house, and taught her to defend herself. They eventually married and settled down in Tarbes. My uncle and father were born soon after. Then… my grandfather just disappeared. Grandmother says that he returned to the stars to talk with an old friend. I hope that he's well." Siesta looked up. "Oh, Ms. Valliere, could you stand up? I need to finish a few more measurements."
The noble started. She hadn't realized that, during the maid's story, she had leaned forward in awe at the coincidence. Her grandfather had come from beyond, just like Galen. Was he another of these Jedi?
"Can you tell me anything else about your grandfather?" she asked.
Siesta shook her head sadly.
"No, after my grandmother died, there's only one other person who knew my grandfather: Uncle Tau."
Louise raised an eyebrow.
"Uncle… Tau?"
"Yes," the maid replied, "He arrived with my grandfather. He lives as a hermit, away from everyone. He sometimes visits my family, always wearing heavy robes and a mask. His religion demands that he cover himself in public. He can be a little… strange."
Louise puzzled over the strange family member, as Siesta continued her task. As she went to take a measurement of her torso, her hands brushed against Louise's skin.
"Don't do that!" Louise burst out, recoiling as she let out a maniacal laugh. "I'm ticklish there!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Siesta replied, bringing the measuring tape back, "but it is important to get an accurate reading. After all, you want it to fit you perfectly, right?"
"O-of course!" the noble spluttered, as she poured all of her willpower into remaining composed. Again, Siesta's fingers dragged against her bare skin, sending a chill up her spine.
"S… stop it!" Louise stuttered, fighting against the sensation as her body moved involuntarily.
"Ms. Valliere, if you don't stop squirming, I won't be able to read the-" Siesta began, but was interrupted as Louise pitched forward onto Siesta.
Galen roamed the halls of the academy. He had taken today to investigate several more potential leads on forming his own code. The Jedi knew that there had to be something hidden deep within the academy's library he could use to ground Louise, and prevent her from falling to the Dark Side.
All he had learned, so far, was that nobles were affiliated with magic, which he had already established as indicating a level of Force-sensitivity. Yet, their philosophy with that magic was to subdue and rule over the commoners with no magic. That seemed a little too close to Sith philosophy than he would care to teach.
Yet, the driving ideology behind nobles was that they would protect and help commoners during times of need, such as creating water during drought, fertilizing the earth during times of famine, providing life-giving fire during the winter, and defending them from outside invaders. In many ways, these ideals were close to what he wanted to instill into his apprentice, but where could the Force fit into all of this?
Galen reflected upon his duel with Guiche. It was apparent that some nobles would misuse their authority, or claim exclusive privileges due to their status. While other mages were obligated to interfere when needed, the Jedi suspected that this was not always the case: nobody outside of Louise moved against the boy's childish outburst. Instead, they viewed it as entertainment, like pitting someone against a rancor. This time, however, the rancor died.
Clearly, Tristain's nobility were not all good. Commoners were often abused by the very people who were supposed to protect them. There was no way to strike back against the nobility without incurring their wrath against you.
There needed to be something to balance their power…
The Jedi thought about Louise's role in all of this. She had a drive to prove herself, her intense training proved that. Even with the nearly brutal methods Galen was using, Louise kept pace without so much as breaking a sweat. Her persistence both amazed and disturbed the familiar.
"Eep!"
The noise broke Galen out of his trance. He had just opened the door to Louise's dormitory and stared at the most unusual sight.
There was Louise, half-dressed, straddling Siesta, with a strip of fabric tangled in between them. Both were panting quite heavily, their faces burning red.
Neither Vader nor Kota had trained him to deal with this. Instead, he had to rely upon his own intuition.
So, Galen did the first thing that came to mind: he closed the door without saying a word, and bolted down the hall.
As he entered the courtyard and regained his composure, the Jedi pondered about what he had just witnessed.
While aware about the relationship between Siesta and Louise, Galen hadn't thought it could be more than friendship. It was unexpected, but could be useful. After all, if his own care for Juno could give him the strength to defeat the Emperor, perhaps this bond between the two could be just the anchor Louise needs.
As the Jedi contemplated this new possibility, he froze. For the past couple of days, he had the feeling that something was following him, yet every time Galen turned to look, nothing was there to be seen.
Tonight, however, was different. A strange, red creature leaped from the shadows, using its bulk to try to pin him down. Galen quickly parried, knocking back the creature with a Force Push. Thanks to his training with Louise, Galen was able to make the attack look like a strong punch, in case anyone was watching.
The salamander turned to attack again, unfazed by the Jedi's punch, when a blast of Force Push energy threw the lizard into the nearby bushes. Galen turned in surprise as Louise ran forward, lowering her right hand.
"Damn Kirche! She really does need to keep that thing on a leash," the noble grumbled, as she helped her familiar off the ground. "Are you hurt?"
"Just my pride," Galen replied, before adding, "Thank you."
Louise turned away snobbishly. "Of course! A master needs to look after their familiar!"
"As does a master with their apprentice," Galen responded, standing up as Louise turned back. His voice became stern. "While I appreciate the effort to help me, your attack could have exposed us to someone watching. Did you think to check and make sure we were alone before blasting that thing?"
The noble gritted her teeth. "N-naturally I checked before I did that!" she shouted, before muttering, "After all, we don't need anyone knowing about our blasphemous magic..."
"Quit calling it that!" Galen admonished, "It's the Force: not blasphemous magic, or Elven magic, or whatever you're taught!"
After the two forced themselves to calm down from their squabble, Louise was the first to speak.
"Listen, I know what it looked like back there, but that isn't what happened between Siesta and I." She then explained what was going on as Galen nodded in understanding.
"I see," he began, "Getting clothing more suitable for our sessions is a smart move. Leather will be our best bet. It's light and cheap enough to work for our purposes, plus if we can layer it over a cotton shirt, wearing such armor will be more comfortable," he paused, as he considered the possibilities, "I think I'll ask Siesta to put in an order for me, as well."
"NO!" Louise shouted, before calming herself down, "No, things are already awkward enough around Siesta right now. Besides, you're just a familiar, so, even though I give you permission to pick out new clothing, I will do the measuring myself! You should be grateful! Not even peasants get this kind of special treatment!"
Galen smirked. Over the past couple of weeks, he had discovered that she used her role as his master to justify some of her more odd behaviors. Her reasoning was rather amusing to the Jedi. That, and her reddening face plainly told what she was really thinking.
"Special treatment, huh?" he asked, his voice dropping down into a whisper. Only Louise could hear him. "You and me, in a room. Alone. You don't want anyone else to know what you're doing with your familiar."
Louise stiffened, her face turning a deeper shade of crimson. Galen smirked, before continuing.
"Pressing up close against my toned body, to read the tape. Of course, you want as accurate of a measurement as possible. You don't want your familiar to be uncomfortable with ill-fitting clothes."
The noble took a deep breath, her emotions shifting wildly.
"Since you love paying attention to details, and you want the best measurements, You'd command me to remove my outer robes, wouldn't you? After all, nothing should come between a master and her familiar."
Louise was visibly shaking, her breathing shallow and quick, as though she had just gone through one of their brutal training sessions. Her entire body tensed up, as she spoke, her voice ragged and exhausted.
"You…" she began, balling her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Galen frowned as the girl turned towards him. At first, the Jedi didn't notice it, but then he realized that blood had trickled down her face. He hadn't seen it because it was as red as the rest of her face.
Yet, Galen hadn't injured her nose enough to warrant this kind of bleeding. This was bad. Very.
"A-are you alright?" he asked. "Your nose is bl-"
"Y-you DOG!" she shouted, cutting off Galen's question as she threw everything she could into a punch right into his gut. Galen flew across the courtyard like a sack of potatoes, crashing against the ground with an audible thud.
Galen smiled as he began to lose consciousness. He must have hit a rock on the way down.
Louise glared at him, covering her face as blood trickled through her fingers. Luckily, the injury didn't appear to be life-threatening.
Perhaps he went too far with his teasing, but it was worth it!
Louise growled as she stared at her unconscious familiar. How dare he make something as simple as fitting proper clothes for a familiar be so suggestive! Even if he is a human, he's still a familiar! He's merely her servant! No, he was less than a servant! He's merely an animal!
She pulled out a small handkerchief and blotted the blood on her face away, using the Force to seal the wounds in her nose. The noble was grateful that she had learned so much of how to use the Force to perform work that would normally require skilled Water Mages to accomplish. Granted, she wasn't freezing any water, but after she accidentally dislocated Galen's shoulder, she was shocked to see him push it back into place and heal his wounds so effortlessly. She had managed to remain largely unscathed by applying her own power to prevent any major scarring.
Louise stared at her arms. Much like the rest of her body, they retained their silky-smooth skin, yet she could feel her strength lying just below the surface. Their recent training sessions proved that, while she still looked like a frail little Valliere, she had become much more powerful, and not just with the Force, either. She found herself growing less tired with each session, requiring Galen to increase the intensity and duration of their matches. Her physical strength had increased exponentially since they began.
In fact, that was a concern she needed to bring up to Galen. As their training continued, the branches and sticks they were using for sparring practices were more frequently breaking apart. They were forced to use increasingly thicker pieces to compensate, before infusing the Force directly into the wood to extend its lifespan. But now, even with the thickest boughs they could wield, Louise and Galen both were shredding them after two or three blows. Their arena was littered with the wooden remains of their fights. Some trees were completely torn down, either through getting more training sticks or through accident when Louise summoned a single branch.
Louise concluded that she would indeed need to set money aside for a pair of swords for the both of them, though that would also increase their potential for injury. But, if they were to modify scabbards to cover the blades while in use, then the two could utilize the more durable weapons for training.
For now, though, the noble would need to wait for Galen to regain consciousness. She turned back to tend to her master's wound, only to find that he was gone.
And so was the overgrown lizard…
Galen let out a groan as he rubbed his head. Damned rock must have been harder than expected. He checked for blood, and, upon finding none, began to survey his surroundings.
He wasn't in the courtyard anymore, that was a given. Yet, this wasn't Louise's room, either. The décor was wrong. Plus, the room was dimly lit by small candles. Burning incense created a smoky atmosphere.
The Jedi got to his feet, still a little dizzy due to his injury, and tried to place where he had seen such a familiar setting. It was one of his missions… yes! Now he remembered: On Bespin, when he was searching for Kota, he entered one of Cloud City's various bars and found a strange room with this same environment. Juno informed him that it was a brothel that catered to… carnal needs.
Galen frowned. He could sense he was still on the academy's grounds, but why was there that type of room here? Weren't nobles supposed to be above this kind of behavior?
"Welcome," A dark, sultry, yet familiar voice whispered in his ear, "to my suite, Galen Marek."
The Jedi turned slowly, as he came face-to-face with Kirche. The redheaded noble wore a figure-hugging purple negligee that left very little to his imagination. Her generous chest stressed the material like a Herglic sitting in a normal chair. Unlike the aliens, Kirche did not appear self-conscious about the ill-fitting clothing, and in fact, seemed to intentionally do it. The subtle marks on her skin indicated repeated pressure and backed up this idea.
"I am Kirche the Ardent. I tend to burn up in the fires of passion!" the redhead continued, moving towards the stunned Jedi.
Galen assessed the situation. This woman was completely and wholly focused on him. She wasn't well-armed, but he could sense that she still held her wand… somewhere. Probably best not to ask. Her familiar, the red, overgrown lizard—salamander? – was the next threat. If he could remove Kirche's wand and subdue her pet, Galen could easily escape from this room. Something bothered him about the noble's mannerisms, though he couldn't quite place it.
"What do you want?" he gruffly replied, eyeing the salamander, which growled back at him.
"You don't understand, do you?" the noble crooned, "I'm a woman in love. And the one I love," she pointed at Galen, "is you!"
The Jedi looked at Kirche again. She was indeed attracted to him, similarly to how Juno started to fall for him. The same signs were there, yet something was… wrong. The attraction was too physical, rather than based in companionship and gratitude. Although, Galen admitted to himself that he didn't have much experience with love to really criticize the Germanian's approach.
"You looked so handsome when you beat Guiche in your duel!" the woman added, pressing herself against Galen, drawing near his lips.
Galen, feeling the same emotions he had when Juno unexpectedly kissed him before his final mission, leaned in and returned Kirche's embrace.
But, it felt… wrong. Kirche's emotions felt less loving, and more… predatory. Like she was a Corellian slice hound, and he was merely a nuna. There was passion, and plenty of lust in her kiss.
But there was no love.
"Kirche!" a voice called out, prompting the two to turn to the source: at the window.
"Styx!" Kirche gasped, "You startled me! I-"
"I came by here because you didn't show up at the time we set-"
Kirche reached into her cleavage, and, retrieving her wand, sent one of the candles smashing against the student Styx's face, causing the poor boy to plummet to the ground below.
"Three story fall," Galen commented, "poor kid."
"Don't worry," the Germanian replied, "He's just an old friend."
"Right," Galen replied sarcastically. It still bothered him that her kiss was so empty, so blank, like it held no meaning…
At least, no meaning when compared to the two other ones. Louise's was sealing a familiar contract, so it was more akin to a spell or a variant of Sith Alchemy than a genuine, loving kiss.
And Juno's…
Juno. It was the first time he had seriously thought of her since his arrival in this strange world. What was she doing now? She likely joined the Rebels in their cause. But what if she hadn't? Could she still be out there, looking for him? Or had she moved on and found someone else? After all, Galen was as good as dead to the rest of the galaxy.
Her kiss conveyed so many emotions, in such a small action. There was no easy way to describe it. Even Louise's held a small amount of conviction like a duty all nobles must partake.
This kiss… had none of that. It was empty. As empty as the vacuum of space.
"Kirche!" another voice called out.
Galen looked up, seeing another man, as the Germanian waved her wand yet again, casting the man away.
"Yet another old friend, huh?" Galen asked, as Kirche moved towards him, tackling the Jedi to the ground with unexpected strength.
This was bad… Kirche was giving in fully to her passionate desires and posed a danger. But he couldn't fight back without injuring the noble. Subtlety wasn't one of his strengths. Plus, if she witnessed his Force powers, she would likely report both he and Louise to the headmaster. But if she had so many lovers coming to her…
He picked up three more students approaching, as well as one more by the door. This could work.
"Kirche!" The trio at the window called out, as Kirche turned in annoyance.
"You told me you had no lover but me!" they cried in unison, as the lizard moved towards them, unleashing a burst of fire from its mouth and sending the students down to the ground.
In that brief moment of distraction, Galen sprang his plan. Quickly striking her wrist, the Jedi made Kirche drop her wand, which he then threw away from her. As she scrambled to regain control of the wand, Galen used the Force to rock a nearby bookcase, causing the tomes it housed to collapse upon her familiar, incapacitating it.
In one swift movement, Galen leaped from the ground and moved to the door. He grabbed the handle and prepared to turn it.
It was locked.
"Kriff!" Galen swore, jostling the handle in vain to make it open. Guess there was no way around it. The door had to go.
As he prepared to blast the door off its hinges, an unexpectedly strong hand grabbed him from behind and threw the Jedi to the ground.
"That was a pretty clever trick. Using the other boys as cover to remove my wand, then distracting me by throwing it to the other side of the room. You were lucky that old bookcase dropped itself on Flame, otherwise he would have prevented your escape. You see, this is why I love you so much!"
"If you love me so much," Galen calmly replied, "then you will be more than happy to explain that," he pointed to a corner of the bed.
Right next to the headboard, the bed's post had a series of burn marks running along its curve. Galen had seen where pilots would paint enemy ships on their craft to indicate how many they had downed. Though it was discouraged by the Empire, some of the highly elite squadrons were allowed to get away with those marks. There was even one bomber whose ship was almost entirely covered with such marks. There was no doubt in Galen's mind what these burns represented. After all, Kirche was a predator.
"Ah, well..." Kirche began, looking away nervously as a violent knock reverberated the door behind the two.
The final lover had arrived.
"KIRCHE!"
And it was a she… Wait…
Galen's eyes bugged as he called out a familiar name.
"Louise?"
There was a brief pause, before the door exploded off its hinges, splintering against Galen's face.
Louise shot into the room, her anger burning.
"Of all people, why my familiar!" she shouted as Flame, now recovered, pounced at the young noble.
Flame hovered in midair before flying back and shot out the window, crashing on top of the pile of lovers below.
"L-Louise!" Kirche shouted, astonished at the move, "What the Hell? When can you use magic!"
"Answer me!" the young Valliere roared, her anger cracking the plaster walls and twisting the bed from its strength, "Why are you seducing my familiar!"
"Well, it can't be helped..." Kirche began, "Love and fire are-" the Germanian stopped mid-sentence. She gripped at her throat as her body hovered off the ground, as though someone had slipped an invisible noose around her neck. She audibly gagged as Louise stepped forward, her right hand curled into a claw, as though she were gripping something.
"That's no excuse to target my familiar!" she growled, "You specifically did this because I'm a Valliere, didn't you! You know both our houses are mortal enemies! Did you really think that you could fool me with some line about being passionate?"
Louise raised her hand higher, pulling Kirche to the ceiling.
"I ought to let you choke on your own words. Strangle you with your own lies!" she spat. Louise could do this so easily. Just a little more pressure, and her rival would no longer be a threat.
"Louise… ENOUGH!" Galen roared, cutting through the noble's anger like a knife. The unexpected command caused the girl to drop Kirche, who landed with a dull thud, alive.
As Louise cooled down, the weight of what she had nearly done sank into her mind, causing her body to droop in exhaustion.
"Did… Did I..." she stammered, "Did I nearly kill her?"
Galen walked forward, and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Almost. This is why I said you need to keep your temper in check. If you lash out like this all the time, then next time they might not be so lucky. All it takes is one moment of anger to cause serious harm. Remember that."
Louise fell to her knees, as tears formed in her eyes.
"I-I didn't want to k-kill her!" she stuttered, brushing her tears away.
"That's a lie," the Jedi replied.
"No! It's not!" Louise snapped, "I wanted her to stay away from my familiar! Why can't she just leave me alone! Her and her stupid breasts!"
Galen could tell that Louise was jealous, but, instead of addressing it, he chose a different route.
"Would killing her really solve your problems?"
Louise sniffed, wiping away another stream of tears.
"No."
What startled Louise the most was how easily she could have done it. Most mages needed to recite a spell to kill someone, which could take some time, depending on the attack. But all she had to do was imagine it, then impose the Force to carry out her will. It was too easy.
A handkerchief pressed against her face, blotting her tears away. Louise looked up to see Kirche, while shaken from the earlier attack, trying to clean the young noble's face. She tried to resist, but was too emotionally drained to react, so the cloth continued its assault to dry her face.
"Louise… do you really hate me that much?" the Germanian asked quietly. Louise sighed as she tried to come up with an answer.
"No. Not you," she replied tiredly, "I hate the fact you're a Von Zerbst. I hate those monsters on your chest. I hate the fact you treat any boy you can attract like your own playthings, and discard them when you're bored of them. I hate the fact you wanted to treat my familiar like another toy." The tears flowed yet again, pooling on the floor.
Kirche smiled weakly as she blotted the new tears away.
"I see. In that case, I'll stop pursuing your familiar. Getting choked by… whatever magic you used isn't really appealing to me."
Galen smiled as Louise stood, extending her hand to the Germanian.
"I'm… sorry. I didn't want to kill you. Not really. But I now understand what my familiar said about being careful with this type of magic," she shot a glance at Galen, who shrugged.
"Do you think we can trust Kirche with our secret?" she asked.
"I don't know..." the Jedi replied, "If the Von Zerbsts do not like the Vallieres, then who's to say she won't sell us out to the headmaster, or send assassins after us? While the latter may be fun, they do get boring after a while."
"W-what?" Kirche asked, her expression blank.
"Maybe we should kill her outright," Galen added, a tinge of humor in his voice, "If only there was a way to cover our tracks."
Louise caught onto her master's intent. Smiling darkly, she replied.
"Well, with as many lovers as Kirche has, we could frame one of the students in murdering her in a fit of passion!"
"I like the way you think, my apprentice. But how would we show it as a noble's act?" Galen mused.
Louise raised her hand in suggestion.
"If we choked her, it would look like a wind mage. We could torch her body with Force lightning for extra effect."
"H-hey!" Kirche objected, but the two continued, ignoring her.
"No, that wouldn't work. Lightning mages would need to be at least triangle-class to commit such attacks," Louise added.
"Poisoning her could indicate a water mage," Galen suggested.
"And where do you find this poison so late at night?" Louise demanded. She thought for several seconds.
"We could burn the witch. That would implicate a fire mage," the noble proposed.
"Except that, being a fire mage herself, it could be seen as being hit by her own flames. Not a crime of passion," Galen replied.
"Ok, a suicide then! Although, without a note or a reason to kill herself… And she has no guilt about her lovers, so that can't be used..."
Galen smirked as he spoke his next idea.
"Why don't we just throw her out the window? She'll hit the earth below and it can be ruled as a passionate crime or a suicide."
"No," Louise responded, "First, she'd survive the fall. It's only three stories. Second, that's a bit cliché, isn't it? Why don't we bring the earth up here? That way, an earth mage could be implied as the murderer."
Galen nodded in agreement.
"I see, bring a rock up here and hit her with it. Sounds a bit too simple, though."
"Oh, well I was thinking of a golem," Louise said matter-of-factly.
"Hm, maybe Kirche's earth mage lover was trying out something new and secretly had the golem kill her? That could work. Apparent enough to rule as a murder, but also too embarrassing to pursue."
"You pervert!" Louise shouted, "That's… that's… exactly what I was thinking," she muttered, looking away from her master.
"They're really not good for that," Kirche interjected, "It's a bit uncomfortable."
An awkward pause descended the room, before Louise cracked a smile, then began laughing uncontrollably.
"Oh Kirche! I shouldn't be surprised, but somehow, I am!" she replied, as Galen turned to the smiling Germanian.
"When did you figure out we weren't serious?"
"Oh, the moment Louise talked about choking me again. That's a pretty strong emotional swing, even for a Valliere."
Louise shot a glare at Kirche, only to notice her smile was different this time. Her words lacked the usual venom, and instead seemed to be more of a tease than an insult.
"Well, the Von Zerbsts don't have to worry about such swings, since you're only focused on lust," the noble shot back.
"Touche, Louise," Kirche replied, as Louise smiled brightly at the exchange.
"You know, Valliere, I bet more people would approach you if you smiled like that more often," The Germanian added.
"Y-you really think so?" Louise replied, taken aback by the unexpected compliment. She rubbed the back of her head as Kirche nodded.
The smile quickly disappeared, as Louise held her head in pain.
"Ow, I think..." she began, as a flash of light blinded her eyes.
Louise stood on a grassy knoll. Wherever she was, it wasn't Tristain, or Halkeginia for that matter. She surveyed the landscape as the sky cleared, revealing an immense selection of stars. The land below glowed as cities turned on their lights. Soon, the horizon was caught between two fields of stars: one in the sky where it belonged, and one below, where people lived in hives of steel and concrete.
As the young Valliere watched in awe at the floating ships and airspeeders, a feeling of dread crawled up her back, as though something terrible was about to happen.
Suddenly, the hive-city was buzzing with movement, throwing off huge amounts of confusion and fear at something new in the sky.
Louise looked up, and saw a giant moon. It was cold, silver, metallic. It lacked the light that other satellites provided to the world below. This moon was… evil.
But then, the noble realized, it wasn't a moon at all.
It was a battlestation.
A woman Louise had never seen walked up, using what looked like a pair of binoculars to see the station. She spoke into Louise's mind.
"The firing tube you were in is just one of sixty-four, all being directed into a single, massive beam."
There was a pause, before the voice continued, frightened.
"I can't even imagine what the Empire will do with this sort of power."
The fear of the hive-city increased, as Louise looked back up at the station. A green bolt fired out from the largest crater on the surface, and headed… right… here…
Louise turned to warn the strange woman, only to see that she had run into a ship, and began taking off.
The young noble knew this woman would never escape what was coming. And she couldn't help.
All Louise could do was turn around, and witness her oncoming death.
The beam hit the hive-city, vaporizing it instantly.
As the planet cracked from the impact, Louise's mind was filled with the cries of billions of people.
And then, there was nothing. Everything was gone.
A/N: Hey, everyone. I made this a double-sized chapter because there were a lot of events I wanted to clear out before heading into the next chapter. So, a lot has happened in a few weeks. Louise has strengthened her affinity in the Force, and has now struggled a bit with the Dark Side. And what happened at the end?
I probably won't make another larger chapter like this for a while, but I hope it was worth the weight. I tried to integrate a bit of humor to counteract with the more serious tone I've been doing for a while. I will try to keep things a bit more lighthearted from time to time.
Once again, thank you all for keeping up with my story. Things are about to get interesting.
