When Lina heard the dull thud of the front doors swinging open, followed by a roar of voices, she knew that summer was truly over. She set her quill down and stood up from her desk, and was pleasantly surprised to feel a thrill of excitement at seeing the kids again as the cacophonous sounds of students running through the hallways filtered through her office. She stood up and swiftly made the trip to the foyer to greet them, her eyes widening as she took in how much so many of them had grown!
"Lady Lina!" Several voices cried as they spotted her as she walked down the stairs, and she soon found herself surrounded by students.
"Hey," Lina said, "How was your summer?"
Several kids started talking at once, but then Pippi cut through them all as she exclaimed, "Wow, you got so big!"
"Excuse me!" Lina yelled.
"You're supposed to say she's glowing." Maeve told Pippi.
"Don't you know anything?" Kara added.
"Sorry," Pippi said as she lowered her head and a reddish tint appeared to her cheek.
Lina playfully bopped her on the head, "Hey, live and learn!"
"Right!" Pippi said as she smiled, and several students broke off from the group to greet Zel and Amelia as they came into the foyer.
"Are you ready for the big day?" Ripley asked.
"Huh?" Lina said.
"You know, getting it out?" Ripley continued, "My sister screamed so loud giving birth to my niece I thought that the windows would break!"
"That's nothing." Nerys said, "My mom started bleeding out when she had me and they had to cut her open to get me out! She wouldn't have survived if the midwife had not been a trained sorceress."
"I don't need birth horror stories!" Lina snapped.
"I wouldn't worry." Arnold said, "I'm sure that anyone who took down Shabranigdu twice can easily give birth!"
Maeve looked at him out of the corner of her eye and said, "They're kind of two different things."
Rimmer scoffed as he shrugged, and Maeve and Kara exchanged a glance. "Who are you?" Maeve asked.
"Arnold Rimmer." He said as he held out his hand, "Hero of Hollyred."
"Never heard of you." Kara said as Maeve allowed him a brief handshake.
"Really?" Arnold said, "I'm amazed actually. I took down a dozen low ranking Mazoku and Deep Sea Dolphin's priest all on my own!"
"Thanks for reminding me, Arnold." Lina said, "Off to the sparring fields."
"The what?" Arnold said with a gulp as he turned a bloodless shade of white.
"The sparring fields. Every student here has to prove their worth to me." Lina explained. "Time to show us what the hero of Hollyred is made of."
The established students chatted animatedly amongst each other as Dave, Hyacinth, Betty and Arnold stood at the front of the crowd, looking nervous. Lina was gathered with the rest of the teachers, and heard Han murmur to Leia, "I can't wait to see what Arnold is made of."
Her parents weren't the only ones who were curious. It was obvious the second year students were eager to see what the kids who were supposedly elite enough to join their hallowed ranks were capable of, and their own place at Maninstit secure, were ready to stand back and enjoy the show. Lina smiled and decided that it was time for the wait to end as she stepped into the center of the field. It had been raining during the night, and the grounds were still wet and muddy, and her boots squelched on the grass as she planted her feet firmly on the ground, "Right, Arnold. You're up. Show us what you've got."
He blinked at her in confusion, "But you're…you're…"
Lina raised an eyebrow as he pointed at his stomach and mouthed, "With child."
"That's why you'll be fighting me." Luna said as she stepped into the field, and Arnold looked even more terrified as Lina walked back to the other teachers.
"You don't understand." He said, "I have performance issues."
"They didn't stop you from taking down Deep Sea Dolphin's priest." Luna said.
"But that was life or death!" Arnold countered as his voice rose by several octaves and the other students started whispering amongst themselves.
"If you want to be here, you have to show us that you're good enough." Lina told him, "Every student here has gone through this."
"Right then," he said as he took a deep breath, and then he pointed at Dave, "Why doesn't he go first?"
"What?" Dave asked.
"I just don't like being put on the spot! I need a bit of time to get in the zone?"
"Oh, what the hell?" Dave said, "Let me go first, I just want to get this over with!"
"Fine then." Luna said, and Arnold and Dave swapped places. Lina considered him, and at first glance he seemed so irreverent (he'd not even bothered putting on clean clothes for one thing) that her first instinct was to dismiss him. But then she considered that it could make him an even better warrior if people underestimated him.
"You ready?" Luna asked.
"Ready." Dave echoed, and then he started chanting. "Bomb Sprid!"
Tiny fireballs erupted around Luna, and she cut through them with her sword as Dave charged at her, and Lina barely saw the glint of the knife in his hands before Luna blocked it with her sword. Dave then cried out as he dropped his knife as she channeled her will through it and fell on his butt on the ground. "Damn!"
Luna considered him for a moment, "You weren't going to stab me?"
"Nah," Dave said dismissively, "Was just going to stop within an inch."
"That was rather dirty." Gourry said.
"Where I'm from we fight dirty or end up dead." Dave defended.
Luna held out her hand and helped him up as everyone whispered appraisingly. "So, am I in?" he asked.
Lina panicked and wondered if he was an assassin, but then told herself to relax. If the Mazoku wanted her dead they would have attacked by now. Meanwhile Luna said, "Don't disappoint us."
Dave grinned, and held out his arms as he turned to the other students and let out a whoop, "Right then!" he said as he strutted over to join them and raised his hand to Indy for a high five, and Lina decided that he would have no problem fitting in with the others.
"Dame Inverse," Hyacinth said as she curtsied, and Lina noted that once again she was wearing a nice dress, "I'd like to get this done with. I really don't like being out in the mud."
"You're going to have to get used to it if you want to fight Mazoku." Lina said as she flashed back to Maeve's first few weeks.
"Well, I was hoping for something like a position as a commanding officer." Hyacinth explained.
"A what?" Lina replied.
"Like a captain. I give the orders, someone relays them to the people in the field."
Lina exhaled, "We're not an army, and everyone gets their hands dirty. Or you can go home."
"Well, right then." Hyacinth said. "I guess I'll show you what I've got."
Lina was starting to hope that Hyacinth would embarrass herself as she faced Luna down. Still, she was immediately intrigued as Hyacinth started chanting a spell that Lina did not recognize, and suddenly a giant flower with multiple purple blooms appeared in front of her. "Is that a hyacinth flower?" Sylphiel asked, and then she gasped as the petals flew off and at Luna, who sliced through them as they came at her. Once the flower was barren Luna cut through it and then looked at the girl appraisingly.
"That was very creative." Luna said.
"Thanks." Hyacinth said.
"What would have happened if I'd not cut through them?"
"They would have bound your arms to your sides." Hyacinth explained.
"I've never encountered that spell." Lina said.
"I'm from Daisy Dell, and our town's big export is flowers, so we have developed a lot of spells to help them grow." Hyacinth explained.
"Hm." Lina said, and then she glanced at Betty, and then she did a double take.
"Hey Lina," Gourry said as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Wasn't her hair purple yesterday?"
"Well, that's what I remember." Lina said as she shook her head incredulously at Betty's now bright red locks.
"I didn't know you could change your hair color so fast!"
"I wonder how she does it." Amelia cut in, "I know a lot of noblewomen in Saillune who would love to change hair colors so often! And for it to look so good!"
As they were talking, Betty walked up and said, "I guess it's my turn now?"
"Right." Lina said.
"Well, before I demonstrate my power to you, I was wondering if I might bring my pussy to the dorms with me?"
"What?" Lina said as her students broke out into giggles. For a moment she wondered what sort of game Betty was playing, but Betty looked at her with a hopeful face without a trace of subversion in it.
"You see I didn't think we'd be allowed to bring pets, but Honor has hers with her and I just miss snuggling with him…"
"You mean Nimitz? Honor's cat? You want to bring your cat to the dorms?"
"Yes!" Betty said earnestly, and Lina couldn't help but notice the inflection of her voice. Likely she was from some backwater city and didn't understand the slang. "My pussy misses me terribly, you see…"
"Stop!" Lina said as she held her hand in front of her face. The kids started laughing again, and Lina shot them a severe glare, noting that Zelgadis was red faced as he yelled at Peter and Indy, "Fine, you can bring your cat, just call him your cat from here on out, okay?"
"Why?" Betty asked.
Lina blushed, and wondered if she was really that oblivious or if she was pulling a fast one of her, "I'll explain when you're older."
"Is it alright if I call him by his name, Mr. Tibbles?" Betty asked, still looking genuinely baffled.
"Just get the demonstration over with!" Lina yelled.
"Yes, ma'am." Betty said, and she hurried over to face Luna on the sparring grounds. And the first thing that Lina noted about her was that she could chant, and fast! And while her approach wasn't particularly innovative, it was savage and efficient. Still, Luna managed to subdue her fairly quickly, and with her worth to the school secured, Betty went and joined the established students, leaving Arnold.
"Alright, Arnie, time's up." Lina said, and then she blinked as she scanned the crowd and could find no sign of him. Lina put her hands on her lower back to stretch it out as she asked, "Where did he go?"
"Did he run off?" Amelia asked, "How cowardly!"
"Actually I'm impressed that he managed to do it in front of all these people." Han said.
"Exactly." Arnold said as he appeared behind Luna, "Imagine how I can catch the enemy off guard with my talents of hiding!"
Luna raised an eyebrow, "That's bullshit. You should have attacked."
"I didn't want to scare you." Arnold said. "I was saving you from the humiliation."
"Excuse me?" Luna said.
"Well, now that that's done," Arnold said as he clasped his hands, "I assume I'm in the school now?"
"That was your demonstration?" Lina said.
"Yes." Arnold replied. "Hide, lead the enemy into a false sense of safety, and then strike!"
"But we didn't see you cast one spell."
"Ah, you did, but you didn't realize it. I can make myself invisible."
"Tell me the chant." Lina demanded.
Arnold tutted, "That is a secret!"
"Never do that again." Lina muttered, "And we don't keep secret spells here. If you know how to make yourself invisible then I expect a report on it on my desk by next week."
"Next week?" he replied.
"Next week." Lina said as it suddenly hit her just how badly she wanted to sit down. Her ankles were starting to swell and her back hurt, and after just a few hours with the kids she was already fed up with their shenanigans. Patience had never been a quality she possessed in much abundance, and pregnancy had sapped it dry! She had a feeling they'd gotten the best they could from Arnold, and that whatever was going on with him would be unmasked on another day. "Alright folks, show is over, go get lunch."
As the kids started to head back into the manor, the adults huddled together. "So what do you think?" Leia asked.
"I think I'm going to Hollyred." Luna said, "Something is not adding up with Arnold, and I am going to get to the bottom of it!"
After lunch, Lina pulled Susan away from the others and, once they were in the much quieter hallway, thought, Can you sense him?
No, Susan replied, her voice loud in Lina's mind.
Lina took a deep breath, and said softly, "Follow me."
Susan fell in step beside Lina as she walked up the stairs and to the room she had chosen to give birth in. Once inside, Lina closed the door and asked, "Are we still alone?"
"Yes." Susan said.
Lina wasn't sure how much of her plan Susan had been able to pick up as she reached into her pocket and grabbed the package that the Eternal Queen had sent. Regardless, she was sure that Susan could keep a secret. Lina opened the box and found a note written in the Queen's flamboyant style, and then she smiled as she relaxed a little. Lina had had no idea if it was possible to stop a Mazoku from teleporting in and out of a location, but she figured that the Eternal Queen, with her infinite knowledge, was the best person to ask. And now it had paid off. Not only was there a way, but the Eternal Queen had provided the supplies and instructions on how to use them! Lina read through them and noted the pattern in the circle she would need to draw in chalk, and then she looked at the four sapphire blue crystals within. They were transparent and tear dropped shaped, and in the center was a gold rune.
Lina handed the drawing of the circle they would need to draw to Susan and asked, "Can you help me create this?"
Susan looked it over and shrugged, "It seems straightforward enough."
"Thanks." Lina said as she grabbed some chalk and then sighed as she realized she would have to get on the floor, something that was a lot harder to do now that she was so front heavy with a rather full belly. "Let me know if he returns."
"Right." Susan said as she reached her hand out, "Let me."
"Thanks." Lina said, and then she watched as Susan got down on the floor and started drawing. When she finished they placed the crystals in the needed locations, and then Lina chanted a spell and felt even more relief as she noted how the energy shifted in the room. "This will keep them out. And if they should get in, it will make it harder to escape."
"It looks like you have this all thought out." Susan said.
Lina patted her on the shoulder as she felt lighter than she had in some time. It was strange how you couldn't realize how much anxiety you were carrying until it was gone. Even if she was being overly cautious and there was no attack planned, the peace of mind that came with ensuring that no one could teleport in or out of the room was priceless, "Come on, let's go down to the kitchen and find where Nelly hides the ice cream. You've more than earned it!"
It was the dead of night when Xellos returned Maninstit. He had been suspicious of how the group would often bring Susan into a room to merely sit with her in silence for awhile now, and had wondered if the girl was a telepath who had sensed him and alerted them, so he'd taken more precautions to mask his presence. And now he had finally hit pay dirt. He'd been observing them from the astral plane until they had activated the crystals, which had shut him out of being able to spy into that room from afar.
It was no matter. He'd moved to the hallway, and once they had left he easily picked the lock. It was an essential skill he'd learned during his time tracking down Claire Bible manuscripts. He often had to break into safes and locked boxes, and the lock to a mere guest room was frighteningly simple in comparison to the measures people devised to hide manuscripts in.
He listened for a moment to ensure that no one was there, and then he unlocked the door for the second time that day. He closed it behind him and walked over and picked up one of the crystals. He pulled out a fake he had made and held them side by side for a moment to ensure that they were identical, and then he grinned. Lina would never know the difference.
He pocketed the real crystal and put the fake in its place, and then did the same with the other three. Then he grinned as he thought about how easy it was to lure humans into a false sense of security. And without a second thought, he effortlessly teleported out of the room that Lina had gone to such lengths to secure.
AN: Ya'll know your British comedies! Arnold and Dave are from Red Dwarf, Hyacinth is from Keeping Up Appearances, and Betty, aka Mrs. Slocombe, is from Are You Being Served? I was wanting to introduce some problem students and the characters from Red Dwarf were a good fit. Unfortunately female characters are that show's Achilles Heel, so I had to look at non-sci-fi/fantasy stuff for Hyacinth and Betty.