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The Stray Girl and the Incompetent Mage
Chapter 16: The Two Sides
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"Sit right here!" Montmorency says with a tilt to her voice as she bounces on her feet, clearly excited. Her hand is grasping Louis' upper arm firmly, and she shoves him right onto a chair before turning around and flipping her hair. Louis complains softly at the treatment, but his protests go unheard. Montmorency is already reaching for a roll of parchment and the Founder's Prayer Book. She sits in front of him and crosses her legs, balancing the book in her lap while holding the parchment high, close to her face so she can read it.
She clears her throat.
"So, I'm already finished, and as you promised you would, you will give me your opinion of my edict. Try to be impartial and most of all, if there's something you don't like, don't be so mean about it" the last part is said as she looks pointedly at him, but there's a layer of plead underneath it. She worked really hard to have the perfect edict for her role as the princess' bridesmaid. She can accept a critic, but if Louis hates what she wrote and tells her so, she's just going to break down and cry, and she doesn't want to do that.
Louis sighs, folding his arms and crossing a leg over the other, his posture relaxing on the chair, understanding what she means with that subtle order. He nods his head and gestures for her to start. Montmorency does so immediately.
"In this beautiful day, I, Montmorency Margarita La Fère de Montmorency; praying for the holy presence of the Founder…" she starts, and just like that, Louis completely stops listening to what she's reading, partly because he knows she's good at these artistic things, and being the princess' wedding she would have put double effort in making everything as flawless as possible, but mostly because he has other, more urgent, things to think about. Namely Sachiko. And that servant.
Today it's the third day since he caught them kissing in his room. Every time the image comes up in his mind's eye he feels the inevitable urge to rip something apart. That servant's face being the one that pops up the most.
What was he thinking, giving her such liberties? Obviously that dimwitted girl had grown too complacent with him, not even caring to show basic respect and just doing as she pleases whenever she pleases. Though honestly, it's not like he should have expected more from her. He doesn't even know with certainty where she comes from. For all he knows she's just making it all up, that thing about coming from a different world. Really, how could he believe such a ridiculous thing? Why is he even trying to help her in the first place? Why is he trying his best to make her feel comfortable when she so obviously doesn't care about his comfort in the first place?
It's because you have a crush on her. He bites his lips and his eyes narrow in displeasure. A crush? Maybe he was being too hasty by drawing that conclusion. He admits, albeit a bit reluctantly, that Sachiko is an interesting girl. She's nothing like anyone he has ever known. Too outspoken and determined to be a commoner, but too shy and humble to be a noble. Her demeanor is, by far, one of the things that intrigue him the most. Sometimes she behaves like a small animal, observing everything with big eyes and a question always popping out of her mouth, others she's too taciturn and looks like she would rather just stay quiet and in her thoughts. He can understand that type of mood, even though coming from her it looks more like detachment than an actual need to be alone.
It's difficult to guess what's going on in her mind, what she thinks of her situation or of other people. What she thinks of him. He's probably been confusing her a lot in these past days, but that's because he, himself, is very confused too. He has heard about romance and love his entire live. Being, for the most part, raised by only women has resulted in him having a bit of a romantic streak and idealistic view of love. Despite this, he has never been really in love with anyone in his life. He could hear about the butterflies flying in your stomach or your cheeks getting hot because of that one person, but he could never imagine it and he was not willing to confuse his feelings for Henrietta, or Kirche, or Montmorency, or anyone really, only because of the desire to experiment that feeling on his own. That's why, when he thinks of Sachiko, he can't help but question if he was doing that unconsciously, confusing curious interest for something else.
After all, isn't she in the perfect position for his mind and heart to wander? Someone new, who behaved nothing like what he's used to from other girls, someone that inevitably couldn't treat him based on prejudices because she knew nothing of him, starting from a fresh page; someone that would have to get to know him to form an opinion of him, and that, despite barely being in contact with each other, saved his life and defended his pride without him having to ask for it.
Maybe it was because of that. He was vulnerable after Wardes' betrayal, and she was there, the new, interesting girl that defended him and saved his life. What else could there be to this sudden attraction other than the novelty of someone that was in the right place at the right moment? He's just letting himself get swapped by the emotion of one moment, by the kindness of a girl that's by all means a stranger, even despite the bond they share. Maybe he just wants to experiment this feeling, if by a fleeting second, and she's the perfect candidate, nothing more.
Regardless of all of this, there is something to be felt there, when he's in Sachiko's presence. If it is a crush or not, he does not know, it's still the first time he's ever experimented something like this, so he doesn't know how to behave. Being nice with her it's one of the things that come first to mind whenever they are together. He wants to make her feel safe. But in the next second he gets tangled in his own emotions and he can't be honest with her. There is something to be said about his rough upbringing, first by his mother and then by Eleonore, and if he learned anything out of it is that being completely honest about how you feel will only result in pain. Wind and whip styled pain.
It doesn't help that he doesn't have a lot of patience, but he tries. It's just, when he tells her she doesn't have to do his laundry or that he doesn't want her looking at him when he changes, why can't she get it at once? It's not so difficult to understand. It's a small thing he thinks he owns her and instead of accepting it she questions him, and he can't tell her his reasons because he'd be exposing himself and that's something he's not willing to let happen.
In any case, Louis is now sure he's the only one with the hellish internal struggle. She doesn't even get ashamed to change in front of him! Darn it, why did he have to give her his shirt? It's difficult to look at her with a straight face especially because it's not like the flimsy material covers everything. And although Louis is not a person of many (if any) sexual urges, he's not made of stone either.
She surely doesn't know what to make of him at this point. He can't judge her. He wishes he could be more consistent too. Maybe it's because of this reason she decided to kiss that servant?
Thinking about that again, Louis closes his hands in tight fists and quietly takes a big inhale of air to calm him down. Yeah sure, she kissed him because she probably likes him. He has seen the two of them together before, and it had bothered him, but never to this extent. And not only did they kiss; they were in his bedroom too. Did they think they wouldn't get caught? Or they chose it on purpose? That last question makes Louis almost unable to keep his anger down.
It's this point what really confuses him. Is he angry because they kissed in his bedroom like two horny teenagers (which Sachiko is, he isn't so sure about the servant) trying to get high by being in someone else's room, or that they kissed at all? Would he be as angry if he caught them somewhere else? Is this because of his supposed crush on Sachiko, or is there more to it?
He doesn't know, and it irritates him to no end. It makes him feel insecure and worthless, and he hates that feeling. He's too used to feeling this way, but not with Sachiko. Somehow, she was always the only person that genuinely made him feel at ease, if only because, unlike everyone else, she didn't have the basics to degrade him like most. And that was broken that day. It's because of that he's angry. It's because of that he can't bring himself to seek her out, or talk to her despite the fact she tried to do just that a few times in the past days.
Maybe Wardes was right after all, and he's no more than a foolish child.
"Hey, you're not listening to me!" Monmon's voice shrills in the small room, banging against Louis' skull with a vengeance. He winces, before slowly looking up at her, with her arms crossed and her lips pursed in barely contained anger.
He can't bring himself to care though. "Of course I did. It was a wonderful speech. If you're finished, can you give me the book back?"
Montmorency's hair billows out, a dark aura surrounding her that doesn't even manage to scratch Louis' stoic expression. She stands up, leaves her stuff on top of the round table of her room, and marches up to Louis.
"You promised you would listen! I bet you don't even know what it was about!"
"I do, you were congratulating the princess in her new marriage and…"
"You're playing it safe! Of course I'm congratulating the princess, you retard!" she has him by the neck of the shirt now, shaking him roughly while Louis frowns, one of his hands going up and positioning on top of hers to stop her.
Time to sweet her up. Good thing he has years of practice with about every female in his life.
"I know you're a very talented person Montmorency, whatever it is you're coming with for the princess' wedding can't be anything less than perfect. Your respect and admiration for her it's something that can be seen radiating from your eyes, and as long as there's that light shining on your very own person, I know your speech will be something worth hearing for the first time in the act itself. I don't want to spoil myself before time."
Montmorency stops shaking him, looking at him with wide, sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks. She smiles coyly, her gaze falling down to the ground.
"You always know the right thing to say…" she concedes in a fluttery, soft voice. "Unfortunately for you…" her attitude changes drastically, her visage becoming darker. She lifts Louis from his seat and roughly drags him to her door, opening it with a powerful kick and swiftly throwing him out in a display of strength you wouldn't guess someone as lithe as her has. "Guiche has already made immune to all kinds of buttering. If you want the book, come back when you're ready to listen!"
And she closes the door with enough force to have the windows in the hallway vibrating a long time after the fact.
"Damn it Guiche, way to ruin everything."
Sachiko watches as Mr. Colbert stirs a small tube with some shiny gold liquid in it. She's resting her chin on her hands, softly kicking her legs back and forth from her position on the table. The man made a small space among all the parchments, books and mysterious equipment just so she could have a decent place to rest. She's grateful for that, but she's also… bored.
This is the third day since Louis 'fired' her. The first one, she tried to be reasonable and gently knock on his door, calmly asking him to let her enter so they could resolve the problem like adults. She's still not sure if that grotesque snarl she heard was indeed produced by some type of dangerous animal or it was only coming from Louis. When that didn't work, she threatened him with sleeping outside his door until he opened, and what a scandal would that be, finding a sleeping girl at his doorstep. Not that she knew a lot about scandals, but something like that ought to be one, right?
He ignored her, so she waited.
And waited.
And waited…
Well, even if he didn't care for a scandal, he would have to leave his room sometime to eat or go to the bathroom or something, right?
She waited seven hours, astonished someone could be trapped in one room for so long without some kind of relapse. She would become restless by being in a single place for only one hour, which she kind of was, standing alone in the hallway, without doing anything except quietly exchanging bad jokes with Derflinger. It didn't occur to her that he has plenty of books and other fun stuff to do in his room while she had nothing, which tilted things against her.
Close to midnight she couldn't take it any longer and she banged on his door loud enough to raise the dead. She was warmly responded by absolute nothing. Becoming impatient, she grabbed Derflinger, channeled eight and a half hours of pure frustration and kicked the door open.
She found the room empty, the bed sheets properly made, and her mattress somehow gone.
What the heck.
When did he leave?
And why wasn't her mattress there anymore?
At this point Sachiko could no longer think straight. Eight and a half hours of doing nothing had muddled her brain and she was starting to ask herself if maybe she didn't fall asleep accidentally during her long wait. Maybe she did, maybe not. She couldn't for the life of her remember.
But she was sure of three things now.
One; she no longer had the willpower to wait for Louis to come back from wherever he ran off to.
Two; the mattress was gone, which meant this 'firing' thing was pretty real.
Three; she was hungry, sleepy, and had nowhere to go.
With these three things in mind, Sachiko felt a rage she had never felt before in her life. She was so angry she couldn't see straight. Louis really got rid of her, just like that, like it was easy, completely forgetting that she had no family or place to stay, and he was pretty much the only person she had in the entire world just because, what? He had never seen two people kissing before? Such a conceited snotty brat.
She was not going to talk to him, everything else be damned. She had her pride too, and she wouldn't let him play with her like this. Oh no, the time for resolving things like adults was gone. If he wanted to act like a conceited little… creep, then so be it. She would leave him alone, and when he was drowning in his own regret and loneliness, then he better seek her out, because she sure as hell wouldn't.
In the end, it was easier said than done. First because, well, she really didn't have a place to stay if it wasn't with Louis. She couldn't go with Shiro because he shared a room with another guy, and even if she could the thought of sleeping in the same room as him made her cheeks flare and her breathing become shallow. Besides the way they left things after Louis kicked her out… definitely awkward. She insisted he go back to his duties so she could think a bit about the development of their relationship, and although he wanted to clear things up immediately, he understood with the recent events it was better to leave things be for now, at least.
She could go with Kirche, and she actually tried doing that, but upon reaching her room she was greeted by a few sounds that clearly indicated she… ehem, had company. And she was not about to foolishly confuse those sounds with anything else. The traumatizing and still, unfortunately, very vivid memory of being seven and entering her parents' room without knocking made sure she could never be as naïve as thinking they were moving furniture or wrestling for the sake of it, ever again.
The only one left after all her candidates were deemed unfitted (and she was not counting Guiche; damn it she was not!) to host her indefinitely, was Mr. Colbert. Of course she didn't mean to stay in his room, she was sure not even students were allowed anywhere near the teachers' quarters, but a small place in the lab would suffice until she could somehow get by on her own. Or Louis apologized, very unlikely, by the way.
She should have known better. The lab was stuffy and smelled bad, she definitely couldn't sleep there. Mr. Colbert offered her his bedroom instead, as he often spent more time in his lab anyway, but she politely declined, because even if he was indeed most of his time experimenting and having fun in the shabby hut between the wind and fire elemental towers, she still had some sense of decorum not to get Mr. Colbert in trouble with the other teachers, who would no doubt chastise him for her presence there.
That meant she had to settle with camping. Yep, camping. In Vestri Court, because she rolls that way. And her kettle was already there too, so…
Still, she didn't really spent much time in the small tent Shiro was able to get for her since there was nothing to do. She mostly practiced with Derflinger or visited Colbert in his lab, or went to the kitchen to spend time with Marteau or this kind maid named Siesta who offered to teach her how to sew. The poor soul had no idea what she got herself into.
Right now, she's in Colbert's laboratory, hoping to talk to him about visiting Tarbes with Shiro. Now that Louis is no longer her master (according to him anyway, the runes are still very present in her skin, regardless of the boy's wishes) she has to take things into her own hands. This is, again, easier said than done.
Why did he get so angry? Sure, maybe he's right and kissing someone in his bedroom while he wasn't there (because if he was there it would have been more acceptable?) isn't the most polite thing to do, but he took it to a whole new level. At some point she thought he would try to ask for an explanation, because it's not like she did it on purpose or to piss him off or anything like that. But it's been three days and honestly, even when it just happened she still thought he blew everything out of proportion.
It makes her sad, because she thought they were getting along better, if not for tiny bits that confused her, but better nonetheless. She's getting to know him, but she still has a long way to go, and for some reason or another, she wants that. To get to know each other and become… friends? Could they do that? Was it reasonable to expect that given the type of bond they share? They are both humans; after all, their relationship can't be exactly like that of any master and familiar.
Besides… she likes Louis. He's an interesting person, and honestly, the first boy she has ever formed any type of relation with. She'd never had male friends, the few she talked to were because she had to for school work or something like that or because they were her friends' boyfriends. Even before Shiro, Louis was the first boy she really talked to and felt some sort of connection with, though that might be because of the familiar bond. Or not, she doesn't understand about these things, after all. But she feels comfortable around him, and that's more than she ever hoped to when he first summoned her, only a month ago.
She sighs, letting her chin fall against her chest.
"You don't have to wait until I finish to talk to me, Sachiko" Colbert tells her gently upon hearing her. She blushes at being caught and quickly shakes her head.
"Oh, no, please don't take it like that. I was thinking about something else. I'm not bored or anything, really."
"Even so, I can tell there's something on your mind. Don't you want to share your thoughts with me?"
She bites her lower lip, glancing down. With a swift movement, she gets off the table and wanders next to him, idly watching as he mixes something that looks like sugar and yellow ponder with milk. The smell it's not very flattering. "I was just wondering… about Tarbes…"
Colbert's smile drops, and he leaves the mix on the counter before sighing. "I'm sorry Sachiko; it seems Old Osmond needs me around, so I won't be able to leave the academy for at least three more weeks, if not a whole month. I should have told you before, I'm sorry."
"Oh" her eyes dull a little, but she quickly composes herself. "It's ok; you can't push back work just because of me. Um, if you don't mind me asking… why does Old Osmond need you in the academy for so long?"
"Well, I don't think I'm allowed to tell you this, but…" he walks over to a shelf, from which he takes a few other ingredients he promptly adds to the mysterious mix; "he's worried about the academy's security. Despite being a lot of teachers and staff members in the academy, Old Osmond has only a few selected he really trusts, and I am among them."
"That's a very good thing, isn't it? It means you're someone important" she says with a little smile, trying to light Colbert's frown. He huffs, taking some purple beans and grinding them in a mortar.
"It's more annoying than anything else, but seeing it from your point of view, it does sound like a good thing. It definitely comes with some benefits. I wouldn't be able to have this laboratory if not because of that."
"So, Old Osmond is worried about the academy's security?"
"Oh, yes, he is. He suspects there's someone inside the academy filtering information to an outer source. He wasn't really sure, but there have been a few incidents that could only have happened if someone had knowledge from the inside. He's not happy with this, but he won't ask for help from the palace. Says it's a problem of the academy, and as such, we must take care of it ourselves."
"What kind of incidents?" Sachiko asks, her curiosity taking over again. Colbert purses his lips, apparently debating with himself whether to tell her or not. Finally, he sighs, pouring the contents of the mortar in the mix.
"For starters, that one of our students is possibly a user of the void."
Sachiko's eyes widen, her mouth hanging open. "W-What?"
"Tristain is in a delicate position. Reconquista has finally conquered Albion, but we all know their real intentions don't end there" there's a bit of dark humor in his tone, as he shrugs his shoulders and hums with a grim smile. "Whispers of war have been spreading for as long as a year now. The tension is rising at an alarming speed. A void user could be the perfect weapon in a war we're not really prepared to have, don't you think?"
Sachiko's eyes harden. She clenches her fists, suddenly feeling anger rising up along her seams. "The princess doesn't know about Louis. He has not told her."
"I wasn't talking about the princess" this silences Sachiko, who is taken aback. Colbert sighs. "That man, the captain of the Griffin Corps…"
"He already knew about Louis having the void. I don't think he would have needed someone telling him that information" Sachiko says, confused.
"And I don't doubt that, besides the fact it was too much of a coincidence in the first place. The princess didn't know and yet she sent Mr. Vallière on that mission, conveniently ordering that griffin knight to accompany him. And yet, upon realizing Mr. Vallière wasn't going to betray his country, the griffin knight tried to kill him. Why do you think he did?"
"Because…" something Mr. Colbert said comes to mind. "Better to have him dead, than working against Reconquista from Tristain's side."
"Exactly my point" Sachiko dwells on this a little. Having someone spying on them in the academy is bad enough, but the thought that this person was indirectly responsible for what happened to Louis in Albion… it makes her mad. Furious, even.
She grits her teeth, unsure of where this sudden rush of adrenaline is coming from. Even if her relationship with Louis is strained at the moment, it's not like she wants something bad to happen to him, especially if it is of these proportions. "Then, wouldn't that mean there are two spies? One in the academy and the other in the palace… maybe that's why Wardes was chosen to accompany us to Albion."
"That's a little farfetched. Although it might be true, I'm inclined to believe the princess chose the griffin knight knowing of the relationship he had with Louis. Though now that you say it, that would make things even worse for us" he taps his foot on the floor, crossing his arms. "When I said they knew of one of our students having the void, I was referring more to the fact this could be, along with that knight's statement, what finally drove them to corner Mr. Vallière in Albion, but we can't be sure, not unless we find the spy within our walls first."
"Yes, you're right" she sighs. She sucks at this. Thinking it's not her forte, not for these types of things. Has that not been what people always told her? She should just sit back and smile. Let others deal with troublesome things, for if she did she would just end up hurting herself.
She hates that. She hates that she never had enough confidence to break out of that character they made up for her, and only now she's realizing maybe she should have showed more irritation towards them. Maybe it would have made a difference. But then again, maybe not.
"Well, that's what's going on" Colbert cuts up her depressing thoughts, going back to his mix and adding what looks like the final touches to that… gooey, fluorescent… green thing. Sachiko does her best to repress a shudder. "Back to our original topic, even though it hurts me to tell you this, we'll have to wait to go to Tarbes."
Sachiko sighs. "Yeah, I figured. Don't worry Mr. Colbert, we have time… it's not like my parents aren't worried sick already…" she mutters in a dark tone. Colbert's shoulders hunch, but he says nothing else, because there's honestly nothing he can say to make her feel better. Turning her attention from the gloomy topic, Sachiko instead concentrates on the mix Colbert has been working on since she arrived at his lab around half an hour ago. "By the way, what is that thing you have there?"
Sachiko has no idea why the air has turned so heavy all of a sudden. With a very fake cough and a small blush on his face, Colbert reluctantly answers. "It's… something that can supposedly make hair grow back… I found the recipe a while back and wanted to try it…"
Sachiko says nothing. She looks momentarily at the bald head of the man in front of her, before returning her eyes to his blushing face.
Yeah… awkward. She better leaves before things get out of hand. Or she puts her other foot in her mouth, just in case only one is not enough.
"I'm back…" Sachiko says, dragging her feet as she enters her boring tent, feeling down after hearing the news from Mr. Colbert.
"Welcome home partner! I take your talk didn't go well…" Derflinger is the first to talk. He's not the only one in the tent. Flame and Verdandi are also there for some reason Sachiko can't fathom. She's not complaining though. They make for good company. The familiar club; or something like that. Besides, it'd be too depressing with only Derflinger around.
She sighs, letting herself fall on her butt next to a foldable table with an unopened bottle of wine in the middle. Besides the table there's a futon, which it's actually only some hay she grabbed from the stables with a blanket on top. Looking around, she sighs again. Her life has become really sad.
"It will take three weeks or even a month before he gets permission to leave the academy" she says as way of explanation, reaching for the wine bottle. God bless Shiro for sneaking it out for her. Although… maybe Marteau just up and gave it to him without hesitation. He has been giving her extra food since he heard about her being fired. Luckily the reason behind it was still a secret.
"Can't you go with that servant boy then? It's not like you're tied to the academy now that Louis doesn't want you, and you told me you suspect he's a descendant of that man that supposedly comes from your world."
"He invited me over for the holidays, and that's still a month away" she uncorks the bottle and unceremoniously drinks directly from it. Derflinger makes a sound of disgust.
"Goodness sake! Can't you use a glass at least? That's no way for a lady to drink!"
"I'm not a lady, I'm a familiar" she responds dryly, but she stops to consider for a second. "Actually, scratch that, I'm not a familiar anymore, just a poor, unlucky girl who was kicked out by her only source of maintenance. Life sucks like that" she takes another gulp. "Anyway, I didn't take you for the type to bitch about something like that."
"Two gulps and already starting with the vulgar language. You disappoint me partner."
"Bits me."
Flame and Verdandi exchange a perplexed glance, before the former carefully approaches her and drops his head on her lap, tugging at her parka affectionately. Verdandi curls up next to her, and Sachiko absently takes turns caressing the two of them. They are good company. She really would have been driven crazy if she had to stay only with Derflinger.
"Do you think Louis will apologize some day?" she asks absently, slowly falling on her back. Derflinger scoffs.
"Do you want to make up with him?"
"Well, this situation is really unfavorable for me… besides, it's not like I hate him… he's sometimes nice to be around…"
"Do you miss him?"
Sachiko gives that a good thought. Does she? She's not sure. She definitely misses the commodities she had when living with him, namely a mattress and being protected from the cold wind of the night the tent can do nothing against, but missing him, as a person, as her master? Well, I do like him as a person, but do I miss him for him or just the relationship he threw away like it was nothing? Maybe…
Then, out of nowhere, Verdandi suddenly stands up and starts to smell the air. He produces a happy sound before running out of the tent. Sachiko sits up immediately, and after exchanging a curious gaze with Flame, she crawls towards the exit. She instantly hears a flamboyant voice that gives her an instant headache.
"Verdandi! Here you are! What are you doing in a place like this?" Guiche hugs his familiar and rubs his cheeks happily. Then, with a start, he notices Sachiko, lying on her stomach on the ground, half of her body out of the tent. "What on heavens are you doing?" he asks, not amused. Sachiko frowns.
"Having a blast. You?" she rests her head on one hand. Guiche raises an eyebrow, before eying the tent she's in. He scoffs.
"Nice place" he says sarcastically, crossing his arms. Sachiko rolls her eyes, before turning around and resting on her back. "I heard Louis kicked you out, so you're living here now? How unsightly."
"Shut up! And what if it's unsightly? I have nowhere else to go!" she says, pouting. Guiche laughs.
"Too bad. When the teachers see you, they will tell you to get out" he comments, unconcerned. Sachiko stares at him blankly, before suddenly and without explanation bursting into tears. "W-wait! Why are you crying?!" Guiche jumps on one leg, and Verdandi rapidly goes to her, caressing her hair with his nose and giving Guiche a reprimanding look. "W-what?" he asks, gazing away embarrassedly. Sachiko shakes her head.
"Why am I so hopeless?" she sits up and crawls back in. Verdandi hesitates for a few seconds, before looking at Guiche and giving him a light hit on the leg with his head.
"Huh? You mean go inside?" his voice sounds dubious. Verdandi nods and Guiche thinks for a moment, making his familiar hit him again, with a little more force this time. "Ah! Alright, I'll do it! But just for you!" he says, breathing deeply and walking inside. Verdandi follows him happily.
He drums his fingers against his desk, a hand on his cheek while he gazes outside the window with a bored expression. His room has a view of Austri Court, the biggest and most spacious in the academy. It's the one that's taken care of the most, with blossoms and flowers decorating the corners and a few benches strew around for students to sit and relax. The court is usually crowded with people, but at this time of the day it's mostly empty, only a few students wandering about.
He was planning to use this time to investigate the Founder's Prayer Book, but after Montmorency kicked him out of her room his plans were completely ruined. He doesn't have classes for the rest of the day, and thus, doesn't really have anything to do until dinner time.
Before summoning Sachiko, Louis used to use any free time he had to study or read, not having any friends to hang out with or reason to leave his room outside classes and meal time. He can't say the solitude never bothered him. Although he does like being alone, he has never been the lone wolf type of guy, but having no one in the academy (and Kirche and Montmorency don't count, they wouldn't want to be with him even if he seek them out, anyway) he was left completely on his own, a fact he grew to accept and deal with.
It's exactly this that makes him feel a mix of longing and frustration. He tried to study, but his mind couldn't seem to concentrate on anything he was reading, so he quitted before any more frustration could build up. He knows the reason for this. In the past month, he grew spoiled by Sachiko's presence. Even if they didn't talk, she was always there, and her presence was soothing, where he never had anyone to share his lonely afternoons with.
He… misses her. The empty space she filled up, in any case. When he looks to the place on the floor below the window, where her mattress was, he feels something constricting on his chest that he doesn't like. Why did he throw away her mattress? The mere sight of it, just minutes after he caught her kissing with that servant set his blood to boiling. He wasn't thinking when he grabbed it and threw it through the window. It actually makes him blush thinking how irrational he became. Hours later, he went down to get it back (completely missing a sleeping Sachiko on the other side due to his hastiness) but the mattress was no longer there. He didn't ask for it again, it would be too embarrassing explaining the reason he got rid of the mattress in the first place, and just went back to his room, only to find the door wide open but the place empty.
So Sachiko literally forced her way in, but wasn't courteous enough to wait for him. Granted, he ignored her when she tried to talk to him earlier that day, but why wasn't she there afterwards?
He didn't go looking for her, waiting for her to come and talk to him, but she didn't, and he couldn't find enough courage within himself to look for her on his own. He was still fuming over the fact she kissed someone in his room, and, deep down, that she did it with someone else.
He huffs, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling. Fine, he admits it, he hates that Sachiko kissed someone other than him. When did she become so close to that servant? Why kissing him? Does she like him? It's not like he can actively meddle in her life. He's her master, but she's still a person and because of that he can't tell her who she can like and not. He can't control her life, and someday, if she never goes back to her home, she will want to marry and have a family and…
And he won't have a say in the matter. Because the whole master-familiar relationship is completely screw up with them simply for the fact Sachiko is a human, and even though by all laws and social conventions he owns her, he actually doesn't.
But that doesn't mean he likes it. He doesn't want to share her with anybody, not even her future husband and children. It makes him mad just thinking about it. And he feels bad for being angry, which makes him frustrated, which makes him confused…
Darn it, where is that girl?! Why isn't she coming back so they can solve things once and for all?! She can't tell him she's having an easy time without his sustenance, even if she (sadly for him) doesn't care about him nor has feelings for him or… anything.
Just as he's burning his head with this, a firm knock is heard from the door. Without losing a single second, he stands up and runs to the door, opening it with such force he could have pulled it out of its hinges if he was stronger.
"Finally! What took you so lo-?"
"Not who you were expecting?" Kirche smiles knowingly, teasingly. Louis scowls and tries to close the door on her face, but she gracefully sidesteps and enters, much to his chagrin. He slams the door shut and turns to her.
"Why are you here?" his tone is cold, but Kirche pays no mind to that. She shrugs.
"Heard you 'fired' your familiar, and was curious about it. What happened?" her smirk is frustrating. Louis grunts, walking to his desk again.
"Not your business."
"Oh, come on, just tell me. It must be something pretty bad considering you never appealed to this kind of thing before. Did she sneak into your bed or what?" Louis blushes involuntarily at the thought, making Kirche laugh loudly.
"Zerbst, get out" he commands, not even looking at her. Instead, the redhead decides to do something different. Slowly, she approaches him, and with a smooth movement, grabs the book he was pretending to read and sits on his desk, crossing her legs seductively. She chuckles at Louis' peeved expression.
"A Comprehensible Study of Trade and Treaty in Halkeginia. Why do you read such boring books?" she flips the pages carelessly. Louis snatches it from her and stands up. With Kirche sitting on the desk, he can now look at her directly in the eye. He growls.
"I told you to get out" his tone is low and dangerous, but that doesn't faze Kirche. She huffs.
"She's camping in Vestri Court, you know?" she says suddenly, folding her arms. Louis raises an eyebrow, surprised at this information but no showing it. He tilts his head, silently asking her to continue. "As soon as the teachers notice her there, they'll kick her out, and then she'll have nowhere to go. Why don't you talk to her before that happens?" she asks seriously. Louis narrows his eyes.
"What do you have to do with this? Mind your own business."
"Sachiko is my friend, and I don't understand what she could have done to get you to kick her out."
"She's not your friend" he snorts. "You just got close to her to get to me, stop pretending otherwise."
Kirche looks at him cross-eyed, unfolding her arms and leaning towards him, her whole face a mask of annoyance. "You can be so irritating when you want."
"Likewise" he shots back, his face hardening just like hers. Kirche clicks her tongue, finally leaning back. She shakes her head, a hand softly caressing her fiery locks.
"Listen, I don't have time for this, and I can see you want me here as much as I want to lose my time with you like this, so let's get straight to the point: talk to Sachiko, mend anything that there is to mend and get this over with. I don't know why the two of you fought, but I'm almost positive you blew things out of proportion, so the very least you can do is listen to her side of the story and be done with it. This is not a good situation for her, and you and I both know that very well."
"That's easy for you to say…" Louis mutters, almost pouting. Kirche rolls her eyes.
"So I'm right, no? It was your fault."
"She was the one to do the blunder. I reacted accordingly to the situation."
"By 'firing' her, yeah, I can see that."
He growls, pushing both hands to his hair and gripping it, almost desperately. "What do you want me to say? I came back from the library, after spending the whole afternoon looking for information for her, and what do I find? She, eating a servant's face, here in my room! I wasn't really thinking, ok?!"
Kirche's mouth falls, actually not having expected Louis to be so honest. She bites her lower lip, her eyebrows rising a small bit. "Oh, so it was that… um… not really nice, I guess."
"Exactly!" he throws his arms down, his pupils dilated. "So, do you get it now? Why I reacted like that?"
"I can see how you could lose control with something like that, but that doesn't mean you made the right decision, you impulsive brat. In fact, why didn't you apologize already? I know you, not even you can be so unreasonable for such a prolonged period of time."
That is not the answer Louis wanted to hear, but it's the one he knew was coming. Shamefully he looks to the side, hating the way his face heats a little under Kirche's scrutiny. After a few moments of this, the redhead sighs, throwing her arms up in the air as if she's given up.
"Stupid question, of course we know why you can't bring yourself to talk to her."
"Shut up."
"Who was the servant she was kissing? The black-haired one?" Louis nods stiffly, and Kirche gives a low whistle. "I have to admit this, that girl has good taste. Way to go too, I'm proud of her."
"I hate you."
"I know darling, I know" she purses her lips, kicking her legs slightly over the edge of the desk. Louis is still trying to tone down his embarrassment, so it gives Kirche time to think of her next words carefully. "Um, this is complicated. It's not like you can just tell her the reason you reacted so badly was because you were jealous…"
"I wasn't jealous" he says fiercely, but it's ignored.
"But she would want to know…" she taps her lower lip, thinking. Louis sighs.
"Zerbst, if this is all you wanted to know, I would appreciate if you leave now. I really want to be alone" Kirche frowns, getting off the desk and crossing her arms.
"It's exactly for this reason you're still here, unable to tell the girl you like you made a mistake. Why don't you leave your pride aside for a while? There are more important things in life, you know?"
"Because you're the right person to be preaching about humbleness, aren't you?" he snorts. "Please Zerbst; I don't need your false encouragement. And make no mistake; I don't like Sachiko, ok?"
"Of course you don't, you were just jealous because that servant probably kisses better than you."
"That is not-!" he closes his mouth, his face becoming red, and tries to calm down. "Don't… say things that are completely unrelated."
"Why? You're worried it might be true?"
"Stop."
"See? You wouldn't feel so insecure about your kissing if you'd never replaced me with the princess as a kissing partner" she purrs with a sultry look, sensually running her hands over his chest. "Why don't we have another go? For old time's sake" she leans down, her hands going to his nape and hair, getting her lips closer to his.
Louis stamps a hand over her mouth and pushes her softly. In her moment of confusion, he grabs her hand and guides her outside the room. Before Kirche can process what happened, the door is already closing on her face.
It takes her a few seconds to get herself together. "Tsk, whatever, it's not like I wanted to kiss you" she says, hiding her hurt, and with her chin up, leaves in the direction of the academy's courtyard.
The redhead goes to Vestri Court, irritated from her conversation with Louis and subsequent rejection. She rapidly finds the lonely tent set in a corner of the courtyard, and approaches it with haste. A… quite interesting scene receives her when she enters.
"I just accepted to escort her during our family vacation at Ragdorian Lake, I've never done anything with her, but Montmorency just keeps insisting about this. She'll never forgive me!" cries a drunken Guiche, who is lying on the floor, resting his head on Sachiko's lap. The young girl has a bottle of wine in one hand and with the other she's drowsily caressing Guiche's head, as one would a dog. She sighs, giving another gulp to the bottle.
"Yeah, yeah, it's your fault no matter what you say. You shouldn't be flirting with other girls if you already have a girlfriend" she says disinterestedly. Guiche sits up and prompts Sachiko for the wine, which she gives up a bit reluctantly. Next to them, Verdandi, Flame and Derflinger are watching the two interact with as much amusement as Kirche. So here's where my familiar went.
She clears her throat, catching their attention. They slowly turn to look at her.
"May I join?" she asks softly, sitting beside them. Guiche's opening his mouth to answer her, but Sachiko beats him to it.
"Another one? What's with all of you trying to steal my wine?" she asks despairingly, snatching the wine bottle from Guiche's grasp and standing up, the young male falling harshly to the ground in the process. "And this was my last bottle, fuck you all…" she throws it away. Kirche can't help but laugh at her display.
"Oh, Sachiko, you're really wasted, aren't you?"
"Not enough, I need more alcohol" she folds her arms, pouting. Guiche, who's still on the ground, seems not to have realized he had been thrown at all, and simply closes his eyes, intending in taking a little nap. Sachiko doesn't hesitate to stomp on his stomach. "Wake up! You still have to keep me company!"
The blond groans, and in a faster motion one would have expected from someone this drunk, grabs her ankle and makes her stumble to the floor, face first. She slowly lifts herself, eyeing him with hatred.
"You just wait you f–"
"Alright, alright" Kirche is laughing wholeheartedly by then, and with a hand gesture, stands up. "As much as I love seeing you two getting along so well, I actually have something really important to say to the both of you. Well, more to Sachiko, but I guess you can hear it too Guiche" she winks. The two idiots rapidly turn to her, their eyes glassy from the wine they drunk. Kirche takes out some papers from her cleavage, and hands them to Sachiko.
The young girl goes through them almost in automatic mode, and after eyeing two or three, she drops them in her lap, sighing.
"What the hell are these things Kirche?" she asks in a monotone. Guiche takes the liberty to examine the papers next, and upon doing it, gasps.
"Treasure maps! But how… where did you get these?" he's astonished, the discovery having sobered him up almost instantly. Kirche shrugs.
"I have my contacts" she takes them away once again and folds them neatly. "So, Sachiko, do you plan on living on this tent for the rest of your life?" she asks, hands on her hips. Sachiko sighs.
"No, only until the teachers drive me out" she stretches, not really paying attention to the redhead. Kirche hums, knowing the next question will have a better impact on her.
"I see. Tell me, do you want to become a noble?" just as she expected it, Sachiko freezes, her eyes opening as big as saucers. Guiche too, is taken aback.
"What are you saying? Commoners can't become nobles! It's against the law!" the only male exclaims. Sachiko tilts her head, surprised at this piece of information.
"In Tristain, that is. However, in Germania, even if you're a commoner you can achieve a high status if you have enough money" she looks at Sachiko, a smile plastered on her face. "You could buy lands and build a castle; then you wouldn't have to depend on Louis anymore."
That certainly sounds appealing, even if Sachiko still has problems grasping what Kirche is talking about. Guiche snorts.
"And that's the reason Germania is such an uncivilized country! Allowing commoners to become nobles, unbelievable!" he huffs, acting disgusted. Kirche rolls her eyes.
"And that's the reason Tristain is such a weak country, because it continues fumbling over useless traditions instead of organizing and thinking about more important matters" she folds her arms, knowing herself the victor after seeing Guiche's frustrated expression. Sachiko, who has been quiet all this time, finally decides to speak up.
"What you're saying is… that I should earn money and become a noble in your country?" she asks with a doubtful expression. Kirche nods.
"Think about it this way: aren't you angry Louis fired you just because he overreacted? I can assure you, there's no better way to tick him off than becoming a noble! He no longer will have any real power over you, and you'll be free to do as you please with your money afterwards."
"If you put it that way…" Sachiko bites her lips, glancing towards her lap. Looking at it from a practical point of view, becoming a noble might not be such a bad idea after all. Not because she really wants to be a noble, but she supposes that with the title comes power, and with power comes even more money, and that's something she (maybe) will need if she wants to find a way back to her world. She doesn't have Louis' support anymore, and she's practically in a blank spot when it comes to this, so maybe this is a good chance for her to approach matters from a different angle. Besides, the thought of bothering Louis is too tempting to pass up.
She sighs.
"You'd better not be seriously thinking about it" Guiche warns upon seeing her expression. She sends him a threatening glare.
"Shut up Guiche. Anyway, though it's cool and all, there's still a little problem" Sachiko scratches her neck, and Kirche prompts her to continue. "Where do I get the money?"
Kirche takes out the maps again, flapping them on Sachiko's face. "We're going treasure hunting!" she chimes. Sachiko beams, but Guiche looks dubious.
"Are you sure they're real? There are many people that sell fakes and hoax others like that" he says worriedly. Kirche shrugs.
"Well, even if they're not, with so many there has to be one authentic. So, what do you say?"
"Sure, I don't see a problem with it" Sachiko says easily.
"Great!" Kirche bursts with excitement, as if she'd say yes to one of her greatest dreams. It confuses Sachiko.
"Why are you helping me Kirche?" she blurts out suddenly, pinching her bubble. The redhead blinks, as if she didn't expect her to ask something like that. "Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate you took effort and time to think about doing this for me, but I don't get it. Why would you want to help me in the first place? It's not like we've known each other for a long time…"
"Because if someone can do it, it's definitely you" she answers, matter-of-factly. Sachiko frowns, not understanding. "I told you once, didn't I? That you impressed me. To me, it doesn't matter if the other person is a noble or a commoner, as long as that person gives everything of them to accomplish a goal, I find them admirable. I guess you can say it makes me want to cheer them on" she shrugs, resting importance to her answer. "Although, if you want my opinion, I think Louis deserves to be alone for a while. Put his thoughts in order and such. It will do him good, I think."
"I see…" she didn't expect that kind of answer from Kirche, but she likes it. She finds it, dare she say it, noble. She also agrees that Louis should better be left alone. Even though she's not sure he's going to back down from his decision, she still has the hope that, after a while, he will eventually come around and if not apologize, at least accept her back.
Besides, she has time to kill until Colbert is finally free to accompany her to Tarbes.
Taking a breath and letting a smile play at her lips, she looks up at Kirche. "Alright, let's do this!"
"Let's do what?"
The three of them, plus Flame and Verdandi, turn to look at the new presence that had just appeared at the entrance of the tent. Sachiko's face explodes in color upon seeing Shiro there, holding a small tray with a plate of cookies and a set of tea. His eyes are inquisitive, and he looks from Kirche to Guiche to Sachiko, an awkward smile appearing on his face.
"Um, am I interrupting something?"
Before Sachiko can even get a word out, Kirche is already prowling him. "So it's you! You are Sachiko's little boyfriend, aren't you?" her eyes get half-lidded, her smile and demeanor a combination of teasing and sultry. Sachiko chokes on her own saliva while Shiro's eyes open wide.
"Boyfriend…? Did Sachiko say that?" he looks curiously at the girl who's practically suffocating, but his attention snaps back to the redhead as she boldly steps into his personal space, her huge chest leaning on his right side while her hands caress his arm and shoulder.
"She didn't have to. And I was wrong, you're not little at all…" she says with a pleased smile. Shiro shifts a bit uncomfortably, but it's not like he can push her away. His hands are busy, plus, she's a noble. He looks at Sachiko for help, and this makes the girl finally snap back to reality.
"Hey, keep your hands off him!" she yells at Kirche, roughly grabbing her arm and tugging her away from him. The girl simply laughs, finding the whole situation extremely funny.
"Don't worry Sachiko, I would never dare to take your man from you, but don't be so stingy, there's nothing wrong with letting me take a small sample, is there?" she licks her lips while looking at Shiro. Sachiko's mouth falls open. Shiro closes his eyes, repressing a shudder.
"I'll… just leave this here and be on my way. Excuse me…" he places the tray on the foldable table and makes to run from the tent, but Kirche intercepts him again. He gulps nervously.
"Tell me one thing, before coming to work in the academy, were you part of the militia, by chance?"
"Kirche, what do you think you're…" Sachiko is feeling her patience run thin, but is surprised when Shiro blinks at the redhead, his nervous expression changing to one of surprise.
"Yes… how did you…?"
"Which service?"
"The Air Forces…"
"Shiro…" Sachiko says, taking a step forward. "You used to be… a soldier?"
"Um… I actually reached the rank of Lieutenant, but I guess…"
"Someone like you? Aren't you just a commoner?" Guiche asks with incredulity, but also a little bit of curiosity. Shiro purses his lips, trying not to look offended at the boy's question.
"The Air Forces are different from other services of the military. Even a commoner can become an officer if they achieve enough."
"And I can see you did just that" Kirche speaks again, looking him up and down with approval. "You want to know how I know you were in the military?" she doesn't wait for him to answer, she gets on with it with a big smile. "I can tell just by looking at you. You have the poise of someone who has fought and been hardened by war. Besides" she grabs his arm again and squeezes, her other arm running from his abdomen to his chest in a slow movement. "These can't be obtained just by cleaning up a few rooms…"
Before she can continue teasing Shiro, she's unwound from him and threw back with no delicacy at all, a panting Sachiko glaring at her with her face red from rage.
"I told you to stop bothering him!" now because of her she can't stop imagining Shiro dress up in a military uniform. Ugh, she had enough with butler, she doesn't need Lieutenant at that…
"Oh, Sachiko, that was rude" even if she says that, Kirche doesn't look particularly bothered by the other girl's rough treatment. She stands up and dusts herself, looking at Shiro again. Sachiko tenses in preparation to fight, but instead, Kirche finally goes back to her normal, unassuming self. "Anyway, before any of you think I was really trying to come into this handsome man here, though I wouldn't care to do that at all, there was a point to all my asking."
"What?" Sachiko is the one who asks, positioning herself in front of Shiro. She no longer trusts Kirche on her own.
The redhead laughs at this, something that doesn't sit well with Sachiko. "I was just going to suggest letting your sweetheart accompany us in our treasure hunting. None of us can cook, and besides, he looks strong enough to defend himself in case he needs to."
This statement leaves everyone present stunned to silence. Finally, Sachiko speaks.
"No."
"Oh, come on, don't be so…"
"You're going treasure hunting?" Shiro asks, unable to help himself. Sachiko blushes and looks down, so Kirche answers for her.
"Our objective is getting enough money to help Sachiko become a noble in my country. Now that she's no longer under Louis' care, she needs a new source of income. We wouldn't want her to live like this forever, do we?" she points at the tent with her hands. Shiro tilts his head, looking at Sachiko.
"Is that true?"
"I-It's just a sort of c-contingency plan… something to do in the meantime…"
"But why a noble? If you get money you don't need to try something so drastic. With that kind of money you could… I don't know, buy a vineyard and make wine… live comfortably without having to go to Germania"
"Making wine it's boring" Kirche says, her hands on her hips. "Where would she buy the land for that kind of thing, anyway?"
"She could do it in my village…" he says sheepishly, looking away. Sachiko blushes, staring at him with fascination. She opens her mouth to say something, but it's interrupted by Guiche, who stands up, catching everyone's attention.
"I suppose since the objective is to retrieve money for Sachiko, she'll decide what she wants to do with it later. Now, why don't we think where to go first?" he asks, grabbing one of the maps. Sachiko, Kirche and Shiro all stare at him in awe.
"You're going to accompany us?" Sachiko asks, perplexed. The blonde shrugs.
"Sure, it sounds fun and I'm pretty bored anyway. Though I doubt we'll actually find anything."
"Hold your enthusiasm, we're drowning…" Jerk.
"Anyway, what do you say, do you want to accompany us?" Kirche asks again. Sachiko huffs, getting a word before Shiro can talk.
"He can't do that! He has to work; he can't leave his responsibilities like the two of you!"
"That's a low blow Sachiko."
"Yeah, we're kind of doing this for you…"
"I actually would like to accompany you" Sachiko's head turns so fast in his direction he hears a snap. Ouch.
"What are you talking about? Marteau will…"
"If I tell him I'm doing something for you he'll let me go, you know how he is" he smiles, reaching forward and caressing her head. "If you're worried about me getting hurt, then don't. I don't plan on letting anything happen to me."
"Yeah, but…" it's not just the fear of something bad happening to him. They have yet to talk about their kiss. It's a conversation she's both excited and terrified to have, and if they leave the academy, they would have to be together in close proximity for days and days on end, maybe even weeks. And… well, she doesn't know if she's prepared for that.
"Alright, it's decided then!" Kirche takes control of the conversation once again, directing everyone's attention back at her. "Gather your things, we'll leave in approximately and hour! I have to tell Tabitha about this, we'll need Sylphid!" and with that she runs off, closely followed by Guiche and, after giving her a reassuring smile, Shiro.
Sachiko stays there, not having much to gather for herself, and lets out a long sigh. Guess she'll have to gather up her courage for the inevitable conversation with Shiro. In the meantime, she still has cookies and tea waiting for her.
N/A: I still can't believe I literally wrote +10,000 words of nothing but character introspection. It's important though, because I'm aware some people were confused because of Louis' attitude last chapter. There's one thing I want to say though: everything everyone does has a reason for being. I'm not making characters purposely inconsistent, and if it looks like that it's because the explanation will be given sometime in another chapter.
On another note, there's something that has been bothering me for a while. I know perfectly well that genderbent fanfiction it's one of the easiest things to do, you literally don't have to do anything but change the characters genders and a few situations, and you can go with the natural course of canon without thinking much. And I know that I'm not contributing anything to this fandom, it wasn't really my intention to do a masterpiece or explore the world to its full potential or anything like that. I only wanted to do a simple genderbent fanfiction. Changed a few things not to make it completely identical to the original and that's it. I do try to make it interesting, but I'm mostly writing something I like, and what I feel I would want to read. I know, deep down, it's not as good as it could be, and that there's probably someone out there who could do a work a thousand times better than what I'm doing, but unfortunately, that person didn't write a genderbent fanfiction to sate my need for one, and because of that we're stuck with my version. I'm still surprised this thing has as many follows and favs as it does. I literally was expecting 10 or so, at most, so I'm grateful. Knowing there's people who like what I write even if it isn't really good makes me very happy.
Now that we're talking about the story in general, let's clarify a few things: I'm following the light novels timeline, this means the invasion of Tarbes will be happening before the incident with the water spirit, since a few people were wondering. Also, I'm erasing the reset button reserved for comedy in the original, this means people learn of their mistakes, even if it doesn't look like it because we don't have the full version yet. I'm keeping the ecchi, because I'm a pervert, but the harem it's gone, mostly because of lack of males for Sachiko (sorry for you, I'm actually a fan of reversed harems).
I was actually going to get on with the visit to Tarbes in this chapter, but then I remembered there's still a whole month before the invasion, and what am I going to make the characters do in the meantime? So I included the treasure hunting subplot, but it's not going to take very long. And another funny thing someone asked me, and maybe you'd be interested in reading my response: why doesn't Louis hit Sachiko? It's not like male tsunderes can't do that. And here's the reason: double standard. In the original, Louise is especifically stated that she doesn't know how to act around boys because she was never with them while growing up. Louis, on the other hand, it's the contrary: he was only with girls while growing up, and the 'don't hit girls, don't make girls cry' it's too embedded in him to act on his feelings like that. He is still volatile, as you could see in the last chapter, but he is nowhere near Louise's level.
Anyway, it looks the A/N is longer than the chapter. If there's something you would like to ask, you can leave a review or PM and I'll answer. Thank you for reading!