Saito and Louise surveyed the grounds of his new home. There was forests as far as the eye could see. A friendly passer by told them they were in the right direction however, and finally came upon the De Ornielle Manor. The place was dilapidated, clearly nobody had lived there in years. The grounds were overgrown and in need of serious trimming.
"It looks like a haunted house," said a nervous Louise. "Henrietta's pretty good at jokes, huh?" Saito replied sheepishly. "A little spit and polish, I'm sure it'll look nice!" Derf chimed in. "Easy for you to say," Louise retorted. "You don't even have hands!" "Ah, don't worry about it," said Saito. "This is a free house, and from Henrietta herself. I can't turn down a gift like this!"
"You're going to have to put in a lot of work to make this place look respectable again," Louise commented. "Well I'm not doing it alone. You're gonna help me!" said Saito cheerfully. "I'm what!?" Louise was aghast. "If you wanna stay here with me, then you're gonna have to help me fix it up," Saito smiled, a bit cheekily. Louise sighed, "Oh, very well then. But not a word to anyone about this!" "Yeah yeah," Saito rolled his eyes slightly. "C'mon, let's go inside before it gets dark out." With that, the two lifted their suitcases and entered the manor.
Later that night, Saito prepared for bed. He and Louise had explored part of the huge place and worked into the evening cleaning up what they could. By that point, the kitchen and bathroom were now useable and two of the bedrooms were cleaned out and able to be slept in. "How's the mattress, Partner?" Asked Derf. "They're a bit old and dusty, but still useable," Saito replied. "Louise has some furniture at the Academy she'll have shipped down for her own room. For now, she's stuck with what's available."
Saito chuckled slightly at the thought of Louise dealing with the less than cozy accommodations. But then he remembered that Louise had gotten used to roughing it by that point. Besides, she'd mellowed out over time and teasing her about being petty just wouldn't have the same satisfaction as when he'd first met the mage.
"Hey Partner, I've gotta ask you something," Derf continued. "Lately I noticed you and Louise have been a bit closer. Do you still just see that mage as a friend, or maybe something more?" Saito paused slightly, "Honestly, I hadn't noticed. We've been through a lot recently together, I think that's all it is. Sure, she's changed a lot since I met her, and I know Siesta's been gone for a while, but if I'm not sure I'd wanna start dating again with someone as high strung as Louise."
"Fair enough," Derf commented. "I'm gonna get some sleep. 'Night Partner." "Goodnight, Derf." The sword resheathed itself as Saito opened the sheets. He undid his belt and sat his knife on the nightstand. The boy felt a wave of regret that Siesta couldn't be there to take in the new home. As he slid under the covers, Saito heard a knock on the door. "Saito?" Called a muffled voice. "Yeah, Louise?"
The door creaked open and Louise, dressed in her nightgown and holding a candle. "I... know we have our own rooms now... But it's still so dark and strange in this place..." she said hesitantly. Saito smiled gently, "You wanna stay in here?" "J-just for tonight," Louise clarified, a little embarrassed. "Come on then," Saito scooted over and made room on the mattress. Louise blew out her candle, setting it down on the opposite nightstand. She gingerly slid under the covers, turning to look at Saito.
"Thanks," she said softly. "Don't mention it," the boy replied, laying flat on his back. "Wonder how your family will react to the idea of you living here with me?" "I'd rather not think about it..." Louise shuddered. "I imagine they'd ask about what happened with Julio, and I'd rather not get into that with them just yet." "I can understand that," Saito replied sleepily. "For now, let's just try and get some rest, alright?"
"Ok... Goodnight Saito," said the mage. "Goodnight Louise," he yawned before turning over to sleep. Saito didn't fall asleep right away, so he was still somewhat conscious when he felt Louise's arm around his body and her hand rest on top of his own. He said nothing however, the body heat was warm and comforting, and Saito slowly drifted off to sleep.