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The Stray Girl and the Incompetent Mage
Chapter 5: Routine
...
"Ah…" with a long sigh, Sachiko rinses the shirt in her hands. Since the day she dueled with Guiche, a week has passed. Slowly she's been getting into a routine of sorts.
She wakes up early in the morning. Her bed is a worn out mattress Louis got for her. It's thin and smells of dust, but after washing it and laying it on the floor; she finds it's better than nothing. That along with the blanket he gave her the first day make up for her bed, which is placed in a corner of the bedroom, next to the window so she can wake up first as soon as the sun is up.
Her job, once she is awake, is waking up Louis. If she ever oversleeps, Louis would make sure to wake her up in some forceful way, like stepping on her, and deny her breakfast. According to him, a stupid familiar that needs to be woken by her master needs to be punished.
The second thing she does, or rather, the first, if she has the good fortune of waking up before Louis, is going downstairs to the fountain and collect some water. She would then proceed to help him wash his face. When she complained a second time about how ridiculous is making her do this, he denied her breakfast.
The third thing, once Louis' face is clean, is dressing him up. Sachiko is getting better at ignoring any improper thoughts she may have when she does this. Sometimes though, she can't hide her embarrassment, which Louis takes as displeasure, and she's denied breakfast as a result.
Of course, if she complains or tells him to put on his belt himself, she'll be denied breakfast.
After that, she has to accompany Louis to classes. She sits on the floor, since other than Mrs. Chevreuse none of the teachers seem to consider her human. It makes her angry, but she learned to be ok with it, and with her free time she sleeps or plays with the students' familiars.
To this point it's pretty easy getting along with Louis. They don't speak to each other. She does her chores and he barely pays her any mind. Sometimes she even cleans up the room while he's studying, sweeping with a broom, wiping the furniture and windows with a damp cloth and changing the sheets of the bed.
She does try talking to him, despite her initial reluctance, a day after the duel.
"Can you teach me how to read?" she asks. It was one of those days she was cleaning while he studied. Right after wiping the bookshelf she grabbed one of the books and swept through the pages. The book was written in a strange language, curved letters and lines sometimes graced with scattered points. She doesn't know if she should read vertically or horizontally, she doesn't even know if she's holding the book right, but she wants to know. If she knows how to read, then she can investigate. If she can investigate, she might find something to help her go back to her world.
"Why are you interested?" he asks, not lifting his eyes from the parchment he's writing on.
"Maybe I can find a way to go back to my world in one of these books."
"I highly doubt it" he says, putting down his quill and looking at her. "I read all the books in that bookshelf, and I can tell you none of them has anything useful for you."
"What about the library? Maybe I can go there…"
"Commoners are not allowed in, remember? In any case, I'll be the one investigating, so it's not necessary for you to read."
Sachiko frowns, putting the book back in its place. "Two minds work better than one. I can help."
"You won't even know where to begin, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to understand anything in the books."
"Are you implying that I'm too stupid to understand your fancy books?" she raises her voice and crosses her arms with indignation. Louis only rolls his eyes and goes backs to his parchment.
"I'm saying you've been here, what? Four days? Of which you were asleep three. You not only don't know anything about basic magic, but you don't even know the rules of this world or what could apply to you. How can you look for something if you don't know what it looks like?"
"Mm…" she lowers her arms and bites her lips; "but I can learn… I don't want to do nothing while you're the only one investigating" not taking into consideration she doesn't trust him to take some of his time to actually go looking through books searching for a way to send her back. Not that he wouldn't want to, but maybe with time he decides it's too much of a bother and that things are alright the way they are. That thought scares her.
"And you will, but for now just leave this to me, ok?" his tone is soft but final. He won't take no for an answer.
"What about teaching me how to read? Will you do that?"
"Ugh…" he puts down the quill again and this time fully turns towards her, glaring. "Why are you being so annoying? I want to study!"
"I want to read. Will you teach me?" she tilts her head, trying to look cute. Though knowing him, it surely is a wasted effort.
"Do you really want to?" he crosses his arms and examines her. Sachiko resists the small shudder threatening to go through her at the way his gaze sweeps over her so blatantly. With a small gulp, she nods.
"Won't it be more convenient if I knew? That way I will be able to help you more" she says in an attempt to convince him. He bites his lips, thinks about it, before letting out a sigh.
"Alright, but not now. When we go to my house this summer I can ask one of the servants to teach you."
"This summer?" he nods. "How long is until summer?"
"Two months and a half."
"That's an eternity!" she protests; "Why can't you just teach me yourself?"
"I don't have the time to sit down with you and teach you properly, and if you want to know how to read then we'd have to be constant. I'm very busy so it can't be me."
"Busy with what?"
"Studying, of course" he responds as if she's stupid.
"What good is studying if you can't even do magic?" she whispers sourly to herself, but not low enough for Louis not to hear her. He slams the quill on the desk and stands up. Sachiko is already bowing. "Forgive me master, it was not my intention to insult you."
"If it was, you would be dead now" he sits down again and resumes his studies. Sachiko makes a few faces before going back to wiping the bookshelf.
Ever since then, they don't talk to each other unless is strictly necessary. His silence unnerves her, but she doesn't try engaging in conversation with him. Wouldn't know what to say even if she did. The physical closeness does very little to bring emotional intimacy, and thus, their relationship grows strained. Sachiko doesn't know if that's a bad thing or not.
"Ah…" she sighs again; throwing the shirt in the basket of clean ones and grabbing another so she can wash it. "Two months and a half… if he's so busy studying then when is he going to investigate? I thought he wanted me gone so he could summon a cooler familiar…" she sighs once again, scrubbing with a bit more force than necessary.
She washes Louis' clothes in the same fountain where she collects the water to wash his face. The water is cold and bites cruelly at her fingers. She remembers asking Louis if he couldn't give her some warm water, so her hands don't end up opening and cracking, but he snappishly told her to bear with it, that other servants use that same fountain to wash the other students' clothes and to stop complaining.
"Ugh, that guy is so annoying! I bet he's actually happy he has a personal maid and won't let me go anymore! A pervert, he's a pervert! Why else does he want me to stay in his room instead of giving me one of my own in the servants' quarters? He even went as far as to tell the servants to stop cleaning his room and washing his clothes so I could do it for him! And what about washing his face and dressing him up? If this is not sexual harassment then I don't know what it is!"
She knows this because Shiro told her, in one of her many excursions to the kitchens. That and when the head of staff asked Louis if he didn't want to rent a room for Sachiko instead of having her staying with him, he said no, claiming that was an unnecessary waste of money. Shiro is also the one who gave her the washboard she's using now, scrubbing harder and harder in her rage and not noticing it until she hears something tearing. She stops immediately, and fearfully raises the shirt to her eye-level.
"Oh, snap…" as expected, there's a huge rag in the shirt. "He's going to kill me…"
She looks around, before starting to dig in the earth with her hands. She throws the shirt in the hole and covers it again. "There, no evidence left. Let's just hope it doesn't transform into a tsukumogami. With Louis as the owner, it'll probably come haunt me in the afterlife" she presses her hands together and lowers her head in pray.
"What are you doing?" her head snaps up. Shiro is looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She blushes.
"Ah, no, you see…" she fidgets, playing with her fingers. Shiro glances down, and sees the mound of earth next to her feet.
"Do I want to know?"
"I just…" she bites her lips before sighing; "I tear up one of Louis' shirts and buried it…"
"Buried it?"
"Yes, to hide the evidence…"
Shiro looks at her, then at the mound. And then bursts out laughing.
"This is not funny!" Sachiko says with her face red. Shiro shakes his head.
"Of course it is! That's one way of solving your problems, isn't it?"
"What else can I do? If I tell him I tear up one of his shirts he's going to kill me!"
"Anyone else would have tried sewing it" she glances down and Shiro blinks. "Oh, you don't know how to sew?"
"I was learning…" not that she had a lot of time to improve beyond small stitches here and there.
"It's not difficult" he kneels down and unburies the shirt. Sachiko tries to stop him, telling him he's going to get dirty, but he simply shakes his head. "I don't mind a bit of dirt. Wow, this is disgusting…" he says as he extends the now brown shirt for him to see. "We should wash it first, then I can sew it and you'll give it back to your master. He doesn't even need to know."
"Can you do that?"
"Sure, I'm telling you I can, aren't I?" he gives her a bright smile.
"No, what I mean is… won't it be too obvious that it was stitched back together?"
"Don't worry, I assure you no one will be able to tell the difference" he says confidently. Sachiko looks at him with a worried expression. Even if he's very good sewing, there surely must be a limit to his abilities. "Or would you prefer to tell him?" he asks when he sees she's not sure.
"I'd prefer to bury it while I can" Shiro laughs again.
"Depending on how careful he is with his stuff, he might notice he's one shirt the less, and if he does he'll be angrier that you tried to hide this from him. If he notices the stitches, at least you can say you tried."
"Fine…" Sachiko sighs, giving up.
"Good, then I'll have it ready by dinner. Will you come again?" he asks as he folds the shirt. This time Sachiko smiles.
"Of course!"
"Great. Today Marteau has prepared something special for you."
"Oh" she gives a step forward, her eyes shining curiously; "and what is it?"
"You'll know tonight. For now, I'll leave you to your work" he gestures with his head to the basket full of dirty clothes on the ground. Sachiko groans.
"It's amazing how much I have to wash. Do you know he changes clothes at least three times a day?"
"Maybe he likes being clean."
"It's stupid, that's what it is" she crosses her arms and pouts. Shiro smiles tenderly.
"See you tonight, Miss Sachiko" he gives her a nod and leaves. Sachiko watches him go until he disappears inside the academy. Giving a sigh, she continues with her chores.
Although she hasn't spoken with Louis all that much, this week had certainly not go without a few surprises. Besides Shiro, there are two other people who have approached her during the week. All while she was off washing Louis' clothes.
The first one wasn't really that much of a surprise.
"What do you say of a girls' time with me?"
Sachiko turns around. Kirche is behind her, her hands on her hips and a mischievous smile on her lips. She knows she's talking to her, as she's looking directly at her, but she can't help but look around and search for that girl Kirche is talking to.
"I'm talking to you" that's pretty obvious. With a sigh, Sachiko looks at her.
"It would be nice but… why?"
Kirche blinks, apparently surprised she would even ask. "Why? Because we're friends, that's why."
"We're friends?" she doesn't want to be rude, but the statement certainly takes her by surprise. Kirche cocks an eyebrow, before shaking her head.
"Did Louis say something to you? Did he forbid you from talking to me or being my friend?"
"Wait, what? What does Louis have to do with any of this?"
"You're saying he didn't tell you anything?"
"I'm starting to get a bit lost here…"
"It doesn't matter then" she dismisses the matter with a wave of her hand. "So, are you in?"
"Ehm…" she glances down at the basket full of wet clothes she just finished washing. "I have to hang the clothes, so…"
"There's no problem then" she takes out a wand from the cleavage of her breasts, a thin thing the size of a pencil, and recites an incantation. With a spark Sachiko feels a wave of heat emanating from the basket. When she kneels and touches one of the garments, she gasps at finding it dry. "See? Now you don't have to hang them! So, are you coming?"
"Uh, well, I…" she bites her lips in thought. It's not like she has something against Kirche, but she doesn't know her that well, and she's still baffled at the fact she thinks they're friends.
"Oh, come on, I don't bite. Besides" she grins; "I have cookies."
Well, who is she to say no to cookies. With the basket under an arm, she follows Kirche to the girls' dormitories. Kirche's room is in the third floor, the last door to the left. There are three more doors in the hallway, but Kirche tells her the only room occupied is hers.
"Make yourself comfortable" she tells her, letting her enter first. Sachiko does so slowly, leaving the basket on the floor next to the door.
The room looks a lot like Louis' except the arrangement is a little different. The bed is placed right next to the window with the headboard besides it. She has two big wardrobes, separated enough for a body-sized mirror between them. She also has a vanity in front of the bed and an empty desk hidden in a corner. Compared to Louis' room, this one is vastly and luxuriously decorated.
Sachiko slowly walks to the center of the room while glancing around, when something pounces her from under the bed.
"Ah! What is this thing?!" she feels the weight of the animal, a reptile of sorts but enormous, crushing her. Intense heat radiates from it, and she tries to wriggle free.
"Flame, get off her" Kirche commands. The reptile takes another second before doing as told. It sits next to Sachiko, curiously glancing her up and down. "Forgive him. I think he likes you."
"Is that so…" she sits up and looks at the reptile. It looks like a giant salamander with red scales and a long tail, from which point there's a small flame sizzling quietly. "And this is…"
"My familiar. A fire salamander from the Fire Mountains. I named him Flame" Kirche explains proudly.
"You are fantastic giving out names."
"Thank you" Sachiko raises an eyebrow. Well, better if she takes it as a compliment… not like she wanted to insult her or anything. "So…" Kirche sits on her bed, crossing her legs, and pats the place next to her. Sachiko gets up and sits with a bit of apprehensiveness; "tell me about you."
"About… me?"
"Yes. I want to know more about you. I'm sure you're a very interesting person" Kirche says with a big smile. Sachiko glances down in thought.
"Before that… can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing. Go ahead."
"Why do you want to be my friend?" is it bad that she distrusts nobles after her duel with Guiche? She just can't fathom a reason Kirche would want to know about her.
Kirche blinks, for a second time surprised at her question. "Well, first, you completely amazed me at the duel with Guiche. I thought someone with your strength would be worthy getting close to. But even without that I was already planning on talking to you. After all, you're Louis' familiar. Someone has to rescue you from that small demon."
"Rescue me…" she doesn't know why the choice of words bothers her so much. Then, she realizes the first part; "did you watch the duel?"
"Of course! Why else would I be saying this?"
"So you watched…" Sachiko looks at her pensively. She finds it ironic she's talking of rescuing her from Louis, when she didn't raise a finger to help her when Guiche was beating her to death. No one did. The only one who stood up for her was Louis. The very same person she's trying to 'rescue' her from. Suddenly she realizes why she feels so bothered.
"So, do you want to be my friend?" Kirche continues, not noticing Sachiko's heavy stare. She bites her lips. Despite everything, Kirche doesn't look like a bad person, and having a noble friend might prove helpful in her search for home. She finally nods. "Fantastic! So, about you…"
"Why don't you tell me about you instead?" Sachiko interrupts, giving her a kind smile. She wants to avoid talking about herself as much as possible.
"Me?" Sachiko nods. "Oh well, where to start?" she laughs softly. Apparently the question flatters her. Maybe she likes talking about herself. "Um, basic things. My full name is Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst" Sachiko can't help but wince. This has to be the longest name she has heard yet. "I'm from Germania and my specialty is fire magic. I'm a triangle-class" she winks.
"Oh, so you're pretty powerful" Sachiko says with a teasing smile, before frowning; "Germania?"
"Yes, you know, Germania" she repeats, but the name has no meaning for Sachiko. "You do know Germania, don't you?"
"Ehm…"
"Where are you from?" this time Kirche is frowning as well. So much for not talking about herself…
"Far…"
"Oh" Kirche nods. Sachiko blinks. What does she mean by 'oh'? "Does the name Halkeginia ring a bell for you?"
"No…"
At this, Kirche stands up and walks up to the forgotten desk. She opens a drawer and pulls a thin book from it. Louis has bookshelves with many books, but apparently Kirche prefers to stack them away in her desk. She opens the book on her bed, next to Sachiko, and searches through the pages until she stops at one where there's a map drawn. It looks like a continent, with the ocean at the west and south and land extending north, east and a bit south. It's colored in multiple colors depicting forests, mountains, hills and an extensive desert at the east, while at the far north everything is colored white.
"Does any of this look familiar to you?" Kirche asks. Sachiko shakes her head, still looking at the map. The land is divided by lines, probably separating countries, but she has no idea what she's looking at. "This is Halkeginia, our continent, and this" she points at a small country at the northwest, "is Tristain, the country we're in. And this big one here at the north is Germania" her finger points at the big mass of land expanding all the way to the desert and the tundra.
"Oh…" so this is how the place she's in looks like. She looks at Tristain, a small knot forming in her stomach. It's so weird, seeing it in a map where it looks more real and not just knowing in her mind that she's not only in another country, but a different world altogether.
"You're not from Halkeginia, I take" Kirche says when she looks at her expression. Sachiko shakes her head again. "I see…" she narrows her eyes, probably ready to ask her a million questions Sachiko doesn't know how she's going to answer. So instead, she rapidly changes subjects.
"Why did you ask earlier if Louis forbid me from being your friend?" though in all honesty, the question is as much for changing subjects as to satiate her own curiosity. Kirche shrugs, apparently not noticing Sachiko's attempt to divert her attention.
"We don't really get along."
"Oh?"
"You see" she passes the pages, until she reaches one with another map. "These lands here are La Vallière's territory" she points at the place in the left of the pointed line; "and my family's lands are here, on the other side. Long story short, we're neighbors, but you know how families holding territories on the border tend to be."
"Huh…"
"For centuries, La Vallière has been holding out Tristain's borders from Germanian attacks, more specifically, my family's attacks."
"So you're constantly at war with each other?"
"At the moment, no, and it's actually been a long time from the last attack against Tristain. Almost thirty years."
"That's not very long ago though…"
"Maybe it's like that where you're from" Kirche says with a small smile. "But the antagonism of our families does not only stem from this. La Vallières are still very sour over the fact one of their brides was stolen away by my great-great-grandfather."
"Your great-great-grandfather?"
"Yes, but it was not his fault she had needs a Vallière could never hope to satisfy" she laughs loudly at this while Sachiko's face turns bright red. "Though in all honesty, even if our families weren't enemies, I would still dislike that little guy, as I'm sure he would dislike me too."
"Why don't you get along?"
"Our personalities clash" another smile paints her face; "and I'm pretty sure he's still sour that I stole his first kiss. Oh, the satisfaction!"
"Y-You… you stole his f-first…" Sachiko is surprised. Because of his personality, she had thought Louis' first kiss was with her. The thought irritates her a little. At least if she had managed to steal his first kiss then him stealing hers wouldn't have been that big of a deal. "Why? Do you like him?"
Kirche stops laughing. Her face turns completely red. "N-No! H-How could I like a shrimp like him?! I am only interested in strong men, and that small twig is anything but strong! I just kissed him to annoy him, that's all!" she yells, standing up. Sachiko backs away a little.
"Ok, ok, you don't like him…" she says in a conciliatory tone. Kirche pouts and sits again, crossing her arms. "But you used to like him, no?" she glares at her. Sachiko laughs; "sorry."
"I really don't. He's not worthy of my love, that annoying brat…"
"I understand" she just finds it interesting. So even a guy like Louis can get a girl to like him. She glances down, letting out a sigh, when something catches her eye.
On Flame's tail, barely standing out, she can see some letters. She gets closer, careful not to disturb the salamander. Flame only looks at her, slightly raising its head before going back to sleep. She touches its tail and passes her fingers across the inscription. Like her own runes, Flame's feel as if they're part of its skin.
"Kirche the Ardent" Kirche suddenly says. Sachiko looks up to her. "My runic name. That's what the runes say."
"Why your name?" she asks, glancing back at the runes. Kirche shrugs, going to sit next to her.
"Because Flame is my familiar, so naturally the brand runes mark him as mine."
"Is the same with me?" she asks, looking at her left hand. Her runes look different from Flame's. Hers are straight and tall, while Flame's are soft and curvy, like the letters in Louis' books.
Kirche purses her lips. "No, yours are…" she grabs her hand, examining them; "I'm not sure, but I think yours are written in ancient runes. I don't know what they say though. I've never been good with languages."
"Oh…" so they are in a different language. She bites her lips, a sudden thought crossing her mind. "Say, Kirche, why does the familiar need to be branded with runes?"
"Why you say…" she blinks and looks down, as if this is the first time she has ever wondered about this. "Well, first off, the runes mark the familiar as a belonging of the master, but they are like… a connection between the two. Like, what the runes do is more or less bond by magic a master and his familiar. Maybe like a symbiotic relationship…"
"Symbiotic?"
"Yes, you see, the familiar helps its master and makes him company and the master takes care of the familiar. But now that you mention it, I've never really stopped to think what exactly the runes do…"
Sachiko looks at her hand again. A belonging huh. Does that mean she is propriety? The thought doesn't sit well with her. Kirche catches her expression. She quickly pats her on the head and with a soft voice, whispers.
"You don't have to worry about anything. The runes do bind a master and familiar, but isn't the final word always with the familiar? I mean, sure, I marked Flame as mine, but I would also like to think he's with me because he likes me, not only because he has to."
"Does it really work like that?" she asks in a low, somewhat melancholic voice. Kirche sighs.
"I don't know. I told you, I never thought about this deeply, but see" she raises a finger, a mischievous smile pulling at the corners of her lips; "if a master mistreats his familiar, let's say, a dragon, do you think the dragon will just put up with it out of good faith?"
"I don't know…"
"I'll tell you then: it won't. Most familiars stay with their masters because it's usually easier being taken care of than go out in the wild and procure for themselves. It's the symbiotic relationship I told you about. Besides, dragons and other high magical beasts tend to be more intelligent, so that means they should be able to choose if they want to stay with their masters or not. You're a human, so with more reason you should be able to choose what you want."
"Um…" Sachiko thinks a little about what Kirche said. It doesn't convince her, as the way she talks about this sounds like a naive ideal layered over a reality she doesn't see. While it's true she chose for herself to stay with Louis in the meantime, there's something about this whole thing that makes her feel very uncomfortable. As if there's something biting at the rear of her mind.
Kirche looks at her with a sad expression. "If you're not convinced, I can talk to Tabitha so as to have a better idea of how the runes work. She loves to read, so she should know something about this."
"Tabitha?"
"Ah, she's a friend of mine. You should have seen her. She's a small girl with short blue hair and glasses. She always sits on the front."
Sachiko thinks for a second, before remembering the little girl. She caught her attention because of her hair color. She's the only one in class, or maybe even the academy, with blue hair. "It's her hair natural?"
"You mean the blue color?" Sachiko nods; "of course it is. I know it's very rare, but there are some people who have them like that. It's just a bit more common in Gallia though."
"Is she from Gallia?"
"I'm pretty sure she's tristainian. I never asked though" she says in a pensive tone. She shakes her head and smiles at Sachiko. "So, what if we finally eat those cookies I offered you ages ago?"
Sachiko smiles and nods. She decides to leave the thinking for later.
The second person however, is a lot more unexpected than Kirche.
"What is this?" she asks, taking a step back in distrust. Because from all the things she would have expected Guiche to do, this didn't even graced her mind.
He's standing in front of her, a bright blush on his face and a bouquet of flowers in hand. Red roses, to be more precise. He offers them to her while turning his face away in a false act of reluctance. "It's my way of congratulating you for defeating me. I hope you feel honored…"
"I don't want them" she cuts him off before he can say anything else. In a swift motion, she turns around and begins to walk off. But Guiche won't take no for an answer.
"Hey, you should be grateful! I'm actually acknowledging your strength!"
Sachiko stops, turning to look at him with a glare. "Excuse me? I should be grateful? You almost killed me and you think a bouquet will suffice as an apology?"
"I am not apologizing!" he interrupts her, his face getting redder. "There's nothing I should apologize for!"
"So the fact you led me into a three-day coma it's no reason to apologize?"
"It was a duel, and I did what I had to! I won't say sorry because you wanted to meet your end sooner for your stubbornness!"
"Take back your roses, I don't want anything that comes from you" she snaps lowly, this time not looking back. She has more important things to do, like washing the clothes in the basket she has in her hands. Before she can get far, something is thrown at her back. The impact sends her forward and Louis' clothes end up scattered on the floor. She quickly turns, ready to murder him. "You little…"
"See? It's because of this you almost died!" he yells before she can get a word out. Her mouth remains open, not quite believing what she just heard.
"I hope you are not being serious."
"You should just have apologized" he repeats, getting closer. Sachiko doesn't move. Guiche kneels and picks up the bouquet he threw at her, before presenting it to her again. "If you had done that, then you wouldn't have ended up as injured as you did. But your stubbornness almost sent you to your grave. And yet…" he sighs, putting down the bouquet when she doesn't grab it; "you kept standing, you weren't deterred no matter how many times you were kicked around or hit. That in itself is amazing, and for that, I want to show my respect" he looks at her seriously. Again, he raises the bouquet. Sachiko stares at it for a long while.
He's not asking for forgiveness. He's not regretful or ashamed of his actions. But he's still here, supposedly showing her his respect. She bites her lips. Her hands reach for the bouquet, but before she touches it, she stops. "What is it that you want with this?"
"Pardon me?"
"What do you want?" she asks, her eyes looking up to him, narrowing in a silent threat. "Is there a reason you want to show me your 'respect'? What are you planning?"
To her annoyance, Guiche sighs and shakes his head. "There are no hidden intentions behind my actions. What you see is what it is."
"You are pretty smooth with words" she comments sourly, remembering when he so casually flirted with Katie while he was seeing Montmorency. Guiche purses his lips.
"I've been told that… But I'm sincere now. I… I think you're kind of great, for a commoner…"
"Don't call me a commoner."
"And because of that…" he ignores her snappish command. Sachiko is not amused. "I thought that it wouldn't be so bad if we two… can get on better terms…"
Sachiko swallows. She hopes he's not implying what she thinks he's implying. "Do you mean like…?"
"You have won the right of becoming my friend" he declares, puffing out his chest. Sachiko sighs in relief. So he was only talking about that. But then she frowns.
"That's a right I think I can live without."
"Again, this is the kind of attitude that almost got you killed."
"Just what are you talking about? What kind of attitude?"
"Your stubbornness" he repeats, making her growl. She raises a hand, ready to slap him again, but he quickly catches it in midair; "once is enough, thank you."
"Not if you're still talking" she tries to get her hand out of his grip. He lets her go easily.
"You should think things through a little more. When your head cools down, you can think better about my proposal, but in the meantime, you shouldn't reject things simply because you're not in the mood. Emotions are very bad advisers; I think the phrase goes like that…"
"Talks the one who challenged a girl to a duel simply because she slapped him…"
"I was going to let the matter go, until your emotions got the better of you. Of course I couldn't let go of a slight like that without an apology" he responds easily. Sachiko clicks her tongue.
"Whatever, take your stinky roses with you. I'm not accepting them or your supposed 'friendship'."
"Very well, I'm glad you're going to consider it" he shoves the bouquet in her hands and turns away. Sachiko is left momentarily stunned at his presumptuousness, despite her telling him very clearly she wanted nothing to do with him, until she remembers he succeeded in making her accept the bouquet.
"That son of a…!" she raises the bouquet, about to throw it to the ground, but stops midway. "Well, I guess the roses are not at fault…" she says, looking at them. The first time a guy has ever given her a bouquet and it had to be Guiche. But they're nice and smell good and it would be a shame throwing them away just like that. It's not because she's considering forgiving him or even less become his friend.
She lets out a sigh and puts down her arm, before turning around. She almost forgot the clothes are on the floor. The bastard didn't even help her pick them up. He'd absolutely make a fantastic friend she thinks with sarcasm before collecting the clothes in the basket.
Once dinner is over and Louis' finally lets Sachiko free, she goes directly to the kitchens.
"Our sword has arrived!"
The first one to greet her is Marteau. He's the head-chef, a rounded man well in his forties. Serving as a chef, he's naturally a commoner himself, but because of his high position in an academy for mages, he earns as much as a lower class noble. Despite this, he's not the less bit arrogant. He dresses in nice but simple clothes, and surprisingly enough, dislikes both nobles and magic.
He nicknamed her 'our sword' because she defeated Guiche with one, and he's the one who makes sure she gets treated like a queen every time she comes by. Sachiko sits in a chair he pulls out for her, and kisses his cheeks as greeting, like Marteau asked her to do. Even though Sachiko finds it weird, she thinks is the least she can do for this man who always treats her so nicely.
"I think you're really going to like today's dish" Shiro says, depositing a bowl with stew and soft white bread in front of her. Sachiko shyly thanks him, and he smiles. "It's extra special today."
Curious since this afternoon, Sachiko quickly spoons some and lifts it to her mouth. When she tastes it, her eyes open wide. "It's delicious!" she exclaims. Shiro chuckles softly while Marteau is a little louder.
"Well, of course. That stew is the same stuff we serve to the noble kids" the man explains.
Sachiko gasps. "So they really get to eat this every day?" Where is the humble meal, really?
Marteau snorts when he hears her comment. "Bah, sure, they can use magic. Constructing castles from boulders and producing precious gems and whatnot, but you know what I think? I think creating such exquisite dishes like this is a kind of magic itself. Wouldn't you agree Sachiko?"
"Absolutely" she nods her head for emphasis, swallowing down more of the stew.
Marteau heavily passes an arm around her shoulders, which almost makes Sachiko choke on the food. "You're a really nice girl! If my son weren't married, I would make sure you form part of my family right away!"
"Ah, yes, what a pity…"
"Let me place a kiss on your forehead, our sword! Come on! I insist!"
"I-If you want…" her face is glowing red by this point. But she likes the attention; she can't deny that, even if sometimes she feels it's a little overwhelming.
She looks over her shoulder again and finds Shiro looking at her. He smiles softly and Sachiko's pulse accelerates. Well, maybe she's being a bit manipulative by doing everything Marteau says as if that's going to make Shiro think she's a good girl. Every time she comes here, she notices the girls' stares on Shiro, and it's no wonder. He's not only incredibly attractive, he's also very nice and kind and mature. She wishes she could talk to him more, but they're always surrounded by other people, so it's difficult to do so. And even when we're alone, he quickly leaves, like today with the shirt… she thinks with an inner sigh.
"Now then, our sword" Marteau speaks again. Sachiko reluctantly tears her eyes from Shiro and looks at him. "Are you finally going to give in and tell us your secret?"
Sachiko's smile falters a little, but she manages to maintain it in place. Every time she comes here, Marteau always asks the same thing:
"Where did you learn to use a sword? Tell me so I can learn to swing a sword like that too!"
And every time, Sachiko would answer:
"I don't know. I've never held a sword before. My body just moved on its own."
"Did you hear that guys?" he yells, his voice echoing around the kitchen. He is talking to the young cooks and apprentices, who are looking at the scene, or rather at Sachiko, with soft eyes.
"We hear you, boss!" they yell back.
"This is what they call a true master! They never boast about their skill! Look and learn! A true master never boasts!"
The cooks chant happily; "a true master never boasts!"
"You know, our sword" he holds her shoulders again, his face too close for comfort; "I'm starting to like you more and more! What about it?"
"What about what?" Sachiko can't help but feel guilty. Even if he's a little weird, Marteau is a good man, and she feels bad when he thinks she's just being humble when in reality she's saying the truth. She feels like she's taking advantage of the man's trust. She looks down at her runes. Since that time, they had not glow again. I'm certain it's because of them I won, but I don't know how…
"Shiro!" Marteau suddenly calls, surprising her.
"Yes?" he answers with a nice smile. Sachiko wishes he would come closer.
"Bring our hero here some of Albion's finest" he instructs. Shiro obeys immediately, leaving Sachiko wondering what he means by 'Albion's finest'.
She doesn't have to wonder much more when Shiro comes back with a bottle of wine. "Oh, this is…" she begins to say. Shiro takes a glass and begins to pour. "Ah, I don't really drink wine… or alcohol, to be honest…"
"Just a glass will be fine, no?" Shiro hands her the wine glass. Sachiko's still not too sure. Her mother would kill her if she knows she's drinking wine, but Shiro erases any coherent thought from her mind when he leans down, whispering in her ear; "if you don't, Marteau will insist anyway, and you'll end up drinking more than just one glass. I assure you it's tasty" he winks at her as he separates. Now, he could have just ask her to drink one glass, or two, or the whole bottle, Sachiko thinks she would have done anything he told her if he looked at her the way he is now.
With trembling hands, she lifts the glass and brings it to her mouth.
The wine is really tasty, despite being a bit sour. Sachiko likes it a lot, and she drinks more than just one glass. She holds herself back, as she still has to wake up early the next day, but for some reason the bottle is empty before she realizes it.
"Shiro, you should accompany her to her room. She doesn't seem to be used to alcohol" she hears Marteau saying. She would protest, because she's not drunk like he's implying and she can perfectly find her way back on her own, but she doesn't, because that means she can spend some time alone with Shiro and she's been waiting for that chance for ages.
"Ok, Miss Sachiko, let's go" Shiro helps her up, and guides her outside. She leans a little more than she should against him, inhaling the scent from his skin.
"You smell good" she comments shyly. Shiro blinks, before glancing down at her.
"Oh, do I?"
"Yes, it's nice…"
"Well, thanks, I guess."
She takes the opportunity to look him up and down. He's not wearing his long-tailed coat anymore, since the working hours are officially over, neither his gloves nor the tie. He wears a black vest over a white shirt. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. Sachiko thinks he looks really manly like this.
"You look really manly like this, you know."
"Miss Sachiko" he chuckles; and she thinks he might be embarrassed. That's really cute. "You are really drunk now, aren't you?"
She shakes her head. "I'm alright."
"Of course you are" he says it as if she's a little girl and he's only going along with whatever she's saying. She doesn't like that.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Are you interested in me?" he avoids all the awkward talking and just jumps to the subject he thinks Sachiko is interested in. It's difficult to say if her blush is because of his question or the wine.
She pouts, and with a cute little gesture traces a finger on his arm, where she is leaning; "maybe…"
"Don't you want to take some fresh air? It might do you some good" Sachiko puffs her cheeks. He thinks she's saying things she doesn't mean. She's going to protest, but thinks better and decides to follow him outside. After all, like that, they can spend a little more of time together.
When they arrive at the courtyard Sachiko releases Shiro. She walks a little forward, looking up at the sky. The two gigantic moons, bigger than Earth's moon could ever be, shine brightly, illuminating everything in this clear night. It feels strange, watching this alien sky, these moons with pale colors that occupy a big chunk of the firmament, almost swallowing up the stars around them.
She raises one arm and attempts to touch them, as if to make sure they are real. She knows they are, as well as she knows no matter how much she reaches she will never catch them. From all the things in this world, the magic, the magical beasts, the lack of electricity, this is the thing that more often reminds her she is no longer on Earth. It reminds her cruelly that she's not home, and she won't be for who knows how much longer. The thought makes tears come to her eyes.
Shiro approaches her. "It's a nice night, isn't it?" he can't see the tears in her eyes. She quickly dries them and nods. Shiro doesn't need to know about her sadness.
"It is."
"Where I come from" he begins, and Sachiko perks her ears; "you can see more stars than in here. Well, my village, Tarbes is its name; it's in a mountainous area, so we are closer to the sky."
"Is it far from here?"
"About two days on horse" that sounds like a lot. Sachiko tries to convert that in miles, when Shiro asks something she doesn't know how to answer; "and you Miss Sachiko? Where are you from?"
She doesn't answer. She hasn't talk with Louis about it, but she feels she shouldn't tell just anybody she comes from a different world. Nobody would believe her anyway. She has serious doubts Louis believes her in any case.
"Miss Sachiko?"
"It's far from here" she thinks that if she's vague he won't ask many questions, and it'll be easier for her too. After all, she knows next to nothing of this world.
"You mean you're not from Tristain" she nods; "which country?"
She gulps. Well, maybe if she says the truth, but just part of it… "Japan."
"Oh" Shiro nods. Sachiko looks at him with a frown. What is it that he understood by that? "What you mean is that you're not from Halkeginia, right?"
"That's right, I'm not from Halkeginia."
"Wow" his eyes widen. There seems to be amazement in them. "This is the first time I met anyone who's not from here."
You don't begin to make yourself an idea… She turns to look at Shiro. "Can we talk about something else? This is…"
"Oh, sure" he smiles. He understood without her saying that she doesn't want to talk about her home. She smiles back. There's a crisp breeze softly blowing in the courtyard, moving her hair and giving her skin little goose-bumps. Their eyes are locked, and Sachiko feels her pulse getting faster. Maybe… she hesitantly takes a step forward. Shiro notices this. "The shirt…" he begins, but clears his throat when his voice comes out a little bit husky. "I'll have it ready tomorrow. I didn't have time tonight and…"
"It's alright" she smiles, placing a hand over his heart. She's pleased to feel it beating fast; "I just hung the other clothes. Tomorrow they should be dry."
"Just in time then" they smile at each other. Sachiko has never before gotten so close to a guy, and she would be lying if she says she isn't nervous, but there's a small thrill in this, enhanced by the alcohol in her veins, and she thinks she could even… "Are you better now?"
"Um?"
"You look better" he steps back, leaving Sachiko with a hand in the air. She looks at him with a blink of the eyes. "Mr. Vallière will wonder what is taking you so long. We should go."
Who cares about Louis? She wants to say, but somewhere inside she knows she can't. There's the sting of rejection in her chest that prevents her from doing so, and the small courage she drew from somewhere unknown is slowly dimming out like a light. So instead, she looks down and gives him a small nod. Should have known he wouldn't be interested…
"Miss Sachiko" Shiro calls. She blinks, and realizes with embarrassment he's a few meters away, while she stayed behind like an idiot. She quickly runs up to him.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what…"
"It's actually me who should be sorry" he interrupts. Sachiko frowns, stopping in front of him. He smiles. "Do you think you can go back on your own?"
"On my own?" great, it's getting better. Now he doesn't even want to accompany her to Louis' door. She sighs with resignation. "I think I can" if he doesn't want her around she won't force her presence upon him. She isn't looking at him, bummed up as she is, so it takes her by surprise when he leans down and softly kisses her on the forehead. Her head snaps up. He's glancing to the other side, and it's a little dark, but she thinks she can see a little of color on his cheeks.
"Good night then" he says and bolts away, quickly disappearing from her sight. Sachiko is left behind with her mouth open and her heart beating incredibly fast.
A second later she's on her knees, giggling like crazy and so very happy to be alive.
"What happened to you?" Louis asks when Sachiko comes back to the room. She gives him a bright smile, walking up to her mattress.
"I wonder…" she says in a singsong voice. Louis frowns, looking at her until she practically throws herself on the mattress, covering herself with the blanket and rolling from one side to the other.
"You're scary" he says with a disgusted expression. Sachiko doesn't mind. "Well, it was about time you came back. I have something I want to tell you."
"Oh?" she sits up, still hugging the blanket around her body.
"Is that the only set of clothes you have?"
"Em, yes…" she looks down at herself. When she was summoned she was coming back from her part-time work, so she wasn't glamorously dressed or anything; just a simple white shirt, a pair of shorts, black stockings and blue tennis. And of course her white and blue parka, because it was February and the weather was a bit chilly.
"I hope you wash them every day" Louis says, wrinkling up his nose. Sachiko frowns, her good humor disappearing at his words.
"I washed my shirt and stockings two days ago. The shorts, parka and tennis can wait a little longer."
"And you go around like that?" now Louis sounds disgusted. Sachiko huffs.
"Hey, you're the only one who has to change clothes thrice a day! I tell you, that's not healthy!"
"Compared to wearing the same clothes every day without washing them…"
"I do wash them! You don't need to do it every single day."
"Please, tell me you at least wash your underwear" he pleads while backing away a little. Sachiko's face fires up.
"Y-You pervert! You don't need to know that!" she yells, standing up. Louis frowns.
"Who are you calling a pervert? I'm just making sure you don't have a completely unhygienic life!"
"Would you go asking a girl if she washes her underwear?" Louis raises an eyebrow. Sachiko rolls her eyes. "I forgot I'm not a girl for you, my mistake."
"Well, whatever, that's not what I wanted to say" he shakes his head and looks at her again; "tomorrow is the day of void, are you aware of that?"
"No."
"…"
"No master, I did not know that. Actually, what is the day of void?"
"It's a free day, in other words, there are no classes tomorrow" Sachiko nods; so this world also has Sundays; "so I was thinking, since I always see you wearing the same clothes and, like I already said, that's completely unhygienic" Sachiko narrows her eyes, but Louis ignores her; "I decided we'll go shopping tomorrow. You need something else to change to."
One second Sachiko is glaring at him, but the next her jaw is falling open. "Are you serious?"
"Yes" he answers matter-of-factly. "I can't let you continue like this, it makes my eyes hurt. We'll go to the capital tomorrow and buy you new clothes, underwear too, since it seems you need it."
"…"
"Or would you rather I don't buy you any underwear?"
"No, I do need more" she confesses with a small blush. "And I'm surprised you would do this. I thought you were such a miser, since you didn't even want to get a room for me in the servants' quarters."
"Who told you that?" Sachiko purses her lips and shakes her head. "Tch, it doesn't matter. And I'm not stingy. I told you, I can't let a familiar get used to luxuries. I don't see a reason to get a room for you since every other familiar sleep with their masters."
"So getting me a room would be like acknowledging you see me as a girl?" she asks while crossing her arms. Louis huffs.
"Never. Stop changing subjects. Tomorrow we'll go to Tristania to buy you clothes, so we should go to bed early" he stands up and crosses his arms. Sachiko knows that means he wants to get ready for bed, so she goes to the wardrobe and takes out his sleeping robe. As she helps him get off his clothes, a sudden thought occurs to her.
"Hey, Louis…"
"Master, you mean" he corrects in a stern tone. Sachiko rolls her eyes.
"Master, if you're going to buy me clothes… could you also get me a sword?"
"Huh?" he looks at her once she's finished helping him get ready for bed. His expression denotes confusion. "Why do you want a sword?"
"Um, just in case, you know, for protection, when I go out to look for a way home…"
"Don't you have one already?"
"How would I? The one I used during the duel was Guiche's."
"Um, right…" he looks at her, thinking. After a while, he finally nods; "alright, I'll get you a sword too. Since you seem to be quite adept at wielding a sword, maybe you're not so useless after all."
"I'm not useless, haven't I've been doing everything you told me until now?"
"You're a familiar, that's your job" he goes to sit on his bed. Sachiko sighs, deciding not to say anything back just this time. She bites her lips, and remains thinking about what he just said. Looking at her runes she decides to confide in him. After all, he's the one who put them on her.
"Hey, master, there's something I want to tell you."
"What is it?" Sachiko quickly explains what happened during her duel with Guiche, and how the runes helped her win. Louis crosses his arms and looks at her attentively.
"…And I was wondering if it has anything to do with this" she raises her left hand and shows him the runes. Louis bites his lips, humming in thought.
"So, you're saying you've never held a sword before…"
"Never."
"But when you touched Guiche's sword, you suddenly knew how to use it like an expert."
"That's right."
"Strange…" he taps his chin and looks up. Sachiko waits for his opinion. "I heard familiars get special powers when the contract is made."
"Special powers?"
"Yes, like when a black cat becomes a familiar, it can get the ability to speak."
"But I'm human."
"I know" he practically growls. It's so easy to get this guy angry, Sachiko thinks with a sigh. "The thing is, a human as a familiar is completely unheard of, so it's not impossible you can just pick up a sword and use it like a natural."
"So I won this ability because I'm your familiar?" she's surprised. Who thought something good could come out of this whole situation.
Louis puffs out his chest, suddenly taking a haughty disposition. "You won that ability thanks to my power, you mean."
"Your zero power, you mean…" she whispers under her breath.
"Did you say something?"
"Just that it's incredible" she glances at her runes again. I didn't just use it like a natural. My body felt light and fast like a feather. Besides, Guiche's statues were made of bronze. There's no way you can cut into metal that easily, no matter how skilled a swordsman you are.
"Well, in any case, we should keep quiet about this."
"Why?"
"They… would be interested. They'll want to do research."
"They?"
"The Tristain Academia" Sachiko frowns. Louis rolls his eyes. "It's the Royal Court's magic research agency."
"Ah. And what would they do to me for research?"
"Many kinds of experiments… they might begin with an autopsy."
"You're kidding" she reels back on instinct. Louis shrugs.
"If you understand, then don't go around telling people about this."
"I got it, I'll keep quiet."
"Good" he stretches and yaws. Sachiko thinks the gesture is kinda cute. "That's enough talk for one night. Let's go to sleep now. Is two hours in horse to Tristania, so we have to save energy" and with that he buries himself under the blankets and snaps his fingers.
Sachiko remains in place for a few seconds, before crawling to her mattress. Two hours on horseback, that's insane… again, she looks at her runes; so an acquired ability thanks to the contract. Well, that explains it a little, but still…
To think that stingy Louis would actually buy me a sword… and underwear; she blushes. Thanks to this thing, I won against Guiche, got the head of chefs to adore me like a goddess, and got Louis to buy me a sword. What else are they going to do for me?
She's tired, and she doesn't want to keep thinking about this. Maybe tomorrow, for now, she only wants to close her eyes and rest for the remaining of the night.
A/N: This is the first and only time you're going to hear about the runes until much later.
Kirche is not honest. Guiche is doing what he wants. Sachiko is much more homesick than Saito ever was and Louis is a bit of a neat freak. We finally understand why Saito was always washing Louise's underwear. And I'm excited to get Sachiko new clothes. Aren't you excited?
Tsukumogami: any object that has reached their 100th birthday and thus become alive and self-aware; according to wikipedia. In case you have not already looked it up.