Chapter 2
Not in Kansas Anymore
"Damn."
For the fifteenth time in the past hour, Kagura checked her phone for reception. It was a useless gesture, but it helped fight off the creeping feeling of helplessness. Maddeningly, the signal bar was still flat. She flipped it off, then, making a resolution not to touch it for at least another hour, stuffed it into her skirt pocket.
She was lost. Definitely, one hundred percent lost. She had been screaming from her seat behind Yukari when that madwoman ran headlong into a green neon sign. And then she woke up. Somewhere.
It was mid-afternoon. To her left, Kagura could spot snow-peaked mountains and thatches of trees in the distance. To her right were seemingly endless gently rolling land, clear sky, and knee-high grass. When she had come to, she started to head away from the trees on the idea that help wouldn't be found in a forest, but, really, any direction was the same to her. She utterly sucked at camping. She swore she'd learn how to use a compass or read a GPS when she got home. Maybe learn how to build a fire from rubbing sticks. And definitely first aid. If she ran across a bear, was she supposed to try to puff up and look intimidating or pretend she was dead?
It was an hour of aimless wandering before she came upon a road. It was little more than a bare patch of ground with trampled grass but a definite improvement from her re-enactment of the opening of the Sound of Music. Elated, she chose a random fork to jog down...
... and was completely taken by surprise by a man who jumped out from behind a large outcropping of rock.
"Good afternoon,missy," the man drawled, revealing yellow stained teeth (and lack thereof).
"Uh... Yeah?" Was this man supposed to be a beggar? He was grimy enough, but the sword he had in his hand was at odds with him being some ordinary vagrant. That, plus they were in the middle of nowhere. He wore a thick shirt belted at the waist over knee-length trousers. Boots, too. The ensemble was very rough and frayed, like a kid's first knitting project.
"I'd like you to kindly stand and deliver your purse, if you please."
"Stand and what? You're robbing me?"
"That I am, miss."
"You're kidding. What is this? Candid Camera?"
The man shrugged and aimed his sword lazily at Kagura. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."
"I don't have time for this," Kagura muttered, and tried to push her way past him. He smelled of liquor and urine. That should have tipped her off that he was no actor in gag show, but the cold hard blade pointed at her neck was far more convincing. Instinctively, she tried to bat the sword away, but the man used his free hand to grab her wrist and pressed the blade until it stung, likely drawing blood.
"And where are you going? Our business hasn't been finished yet."
Oh, crap, she was being mugged by a renaissance fair reject.
"What do you want?" she hissed.
"Ah, what does anyone want? A roof to call home, food to eat, wealth, love." What a windbag, Kagura thought. "But right now I'd appreciate it if you'd hand over the contents of your purse."
"I don't have a purse."
"So I see. Surely you must have some gold on you, fine clothes like yours."
Kagura pulled out her wallet. "Here, take it." Not wanting to offend the dangerous man, she handed him her wallet carefully. In the movies, the heroine would drop the wallet to the ground, then when the bad guy went to pick it up she'd kick his ass. What a load of crap. The situation was too scary to try something like that.
"What's this?" the man exclaimed and began to dump the contents. Yen, her ID, a couple of credit cards fluttered to the ground. "'Tis nothing but paper!"
Paper? "Its money! Just take it and leave me alone!"
"Its not money! I'm not stupid!" Gone was the veneer of flowery words. "You dumb bitch, where's your gold?"
"I don't h*ave any gold!"
"No gold, huh?" The man leered at her, turning her around so he could inspect her (from) behind. "Well, not a total loss. We could still have some fun."
Theft was one thing. Rape was quite another, and it strengthened Kagura's resolve, sword be damned. She knew how to fight. Or at least, she hoped she knew how to fight. Karate was one of the many sports she had immersed herself in, and while she was no black belt, she knew how to throw a punch and how to put her hip behind a kick. Which was what she did, flailing backward at the man's knee. He crashed to the ground with a satisfying thud and a curse, dropping his sword. Not waiting to admire her handiwork, Kagura snatched the sword and ran full-tilt down the road. The wallet she left behind; money and IDs could easily be replaced.
If the man gave chase the road would have been obvious direction to follow, but she dismissed the idea of going off-road in favor of the flat ground where she could put her speed and stamina to best use. Track and field, now that's what she was good at. Hopefully, she had dislocated the man's knee, but she didn't want to count on it. Roads also meant civilization, and with luck she would reach a town soon. The sword she kept just in case, even if it made running difficult.
Hmm, a real-life sword. She had never seen one in real life outside museums, not these straight, double-edged european kinds. It was much, much heavier than she expected for something that was wielded one-handed with a flourish in movies. A lot duller, too, although it didn't feel that way when it nicked her. She'd be barely able to swing it, but the next dweeb that tried to accost her will be getting the pointy end.
She ran as hard as she could for as long as she could. Green grass was soon replaced with golden wheat heads and an occasional cow, but she didn't stop. By the time she spotted what looked like a settlement with wood-and-stone huts it was nearly sundown. She was nauseous from exhaustion and her sides felt like they would explode. Her feet, she was sure, were blistered and bleeding in her leather school shoes.
"Help!" Kagura slammed her fist repeatedly on the first door she came across, then dropped the sword to bend over and retch.
The door flew open to reveal a dusky red haired man. "Now, who-"
"Please," Kagura gasped, "there's a man down the road that tried to rob me!"
The man's eyes narrowed and he went back into the house. When he came back out he was wielding a wicked-looking sickle. In the meantime, a portly woman took Kagura by the hand and led her inside.
"Damn footpad," the man muttered as he eyed the road. "I thought the guard had taken care of him."
"Are you hurt?" the woman asked as she gave Kagura a quick inspection once she was seated at their dining table.
"No," Kagura gasped, "just... just tired."
"Is she all right, Elmae?" the man asked from the door.
"She isn't wounded." The woman, Elmae, handed Kagura a wooden cup. "Can you drink?"
It slipped from Kagura's nerveless fingers. "I-I'm sorry," she sobbed.
"No, don't worry about it." Elmae refilled the cup, then helped Kagura bring it to her lips. "Here."
The liquid was dark, bitter, and alcoholic, and it burned a path down her throat. Kagura didn't care as she gulped it down and the next two cups greedily. When she finished she slumped back and closed her eyes. Her teeth were chattering. Adrenaline crash, right. More frightened that she had ever been, adrenaline kept her going past her normal limits, but now she suffered the after-effects. The fire helped.
She would have dozed off, but another man burst at the door just then, putting her back on alert.
"Father, what's wrong?"
"Get inside Jason. The footpad is abroad."
Jason, likely Joric's son if the age, build and facial features were indicative, cursed and picked up a sickle of his own from a rack beside the door.
"Who's our guest?"
"A poor girl that the footpad tried to rob," Elmae supplied.
"Won't he be coming after her?"
Jason, Kagura decided, was a dick.
Elmae clicked her tongue. "Even if he did we would still have taken her in."
Jason took the hint and grunted.
"Can you stand?" On the arrival of his son, Joric had come to a decision. "We'll have to see the mayor about this."
Authorities. Oh, ok. Kagura probably had to make a report or something. She wanted nothing more than just sleep and rest her feet, but meeting the police was probably for the best while the image of the man's face was still fresh in her memory.
"Can't this wait tomorrow, Joric?" Elmae asked.
"Its fine." Kagura grimaced as she got back up. Her knees threatened to buckle. "I'd better get this over with."
Joric tossed the sword on the table. "Do you have a scabbard for that?"
"No. I took it from the mugger."
"Bring it with you," the older man said, frowning.
"Can't I leave it here?" The sword was cumbersome and now that she had found help she had no more use for it.
"I don't want his weapons in my house. He might try to get it back."
In all likelihood, facial features weren't the only thing Jason inherited from Joric.
"Joric!" Elmae chided. "Why don't you carry it for her?"
"My hands are full with this-" Joric waved the sickle. "- and a lamp when it gets too dark out on the way back."
"Fine," Elmae conceded, then went to find a length of rope which she handed to Kagura. "Use this, dear."
Kagura wrapped the rope around her waist, making a loop for the sword. When she couldn't tie a knot Elmae gave her a hand. The naked blade slapped against her thigh and she would have to hold if she had to run again; it would turn her left leg into hamburger otherwise. Maybe she should just throw it away. She nodded to Joric.
"Bar the door, Elmae, until I get back. Jason-"
"Yes, father."
"Are you ready to go?"
Kagura took a deep breath. "No, but let's."
The first thing Kagura noticed in the dwindling sunlight was that the unpaved road had no street lamps. Likely that was why Joric wanted to meet the police as soon as possible, so that they wouldn't have to travel in complete darkness. Kagura hadn't seen any power lines nor telephone poles, either. The other houses they passed, wood, stone, and thatch single-room affairs like Joric's, were sparsely spaced. The air had an organic tang, no doubt from what looked like droppings from the horses and cows left roaming unattended.
Crap. She'd tear Tomo a new one when she got back home. Talk about being in the hicks.
A few of Joric's neighbors greeted him and asked him what he was doing with a sickle so late in the day. He'd reply along the lines of "the footpad has struck again, I'm going to see the mayor" and all their jovial nature disappeared.
They had walked about a kilometer when Joric announced that they had reached their destination, the mayor's office.
Kagura groaned. The "mayor's office" was a gazebo - a handful of thin logs keeping a rickety roof up, furnished with a couple of simple wooden benches and a desk. A man, dressed similarly to Joric, likely the supposed mayor (given how backwoods the entire town was, she wouldn't be surprised), was sitting at the desk and shuffling paper under candle light.
"Sir Mayor," Joric called, bowing slightly.
"Isn't it a bit late to be out, Joric?"
Joric went to the point quickly. "The footpad has struck again."
"Can't this wait until tomorrow? I'm already headed home."
"It could. But you promised to take care of for the footpad. Two weeks ago." Joric's tone was flat, but Kagura could see the mayor flinch at the words.
"All right. Did he try to get into your house? I know yours is nearest the northern road."
"No, he didn't. This girl -" Joric held the lamp over Kagura. "- was robbed. She knocked on our door for help."
The mayor faced Kagura. "Have a seat."
"I'll be heading home then," Joric excused himself.
"Give my respects to Elmae."
"I will."
"Thank you, Mr. Joric!" Kagura called after the man. He waved without looking back. "I'm sorry I was such a bother!"
The mayor was a bespectacled, middle-aged man of slight build. Compared to Joric and his son, both of whom were broad shouldered and sun-worn, this man's day job was obviously "bureaucrat". He spoke like one, too, back straight and looking at her straight in the eye, all business and formality. He reminded her of her teacher Kimura, minus the creepy open-mouthed expression.
"All right, what's your name?"
"Kagura."
"And where are you from, Kagura?"
"I'm from Tokyo."
"Tokyo, where is that?"
"You're speaking japanese!" Kagura exclaimed, perplexed. "How can you not know where..."
... Wait. The mayor wasn't speaking japanese. Reflecting back, neither did the family that helped her. The mugger didn't speak japanese either, yet she understood them perfectly. Very strange, given that engrish was the only other language she was familiar with. All of them, including herself, spoke a heavily nasal tongue with many smooth consonants that she should have been murdering.
What was going on here?
"Omelette du fromage?" she answered on a hunch.
"So, you're Tristainian then? There are of rumors of civil war in Albion that have the potential to spread to Tristain, but I didn't expect refugees so soon. Odd place, naming it after a cheese omelet. And no, I don't know where every forsaken hamlet is. Especially not in Tristain."
Civil war? Tristain? Was that somewhere in France? World geography and current events weren't her strong points. Even if she was somewhere in France, that still wouldn't explain why the mayor didn't know about Tokyo. No one was that ignorant. And how did she get to Europe from Japan?
Two new ones, Kagura swore. Tomo will get two torn two new ones.
"What brings you to this town?"
"I got lost."
"Lost? Where were you headed? The capital?"
"Home. We were on a field trip."
"So you were heading back to Omelette du Fromage? Not a refugee then?"
"Yes, we were heading home to (cough) Omelette du Fromage. Teacher lost control of the bus she was driving and then I woke up here."
"You were with others."
"Yeah, I was."
"Where are your companions now?"
"... I don't know. I tried calling them but there's no cell reception."
"How big was your party?"
"We were eight in the bus. Yukari-sensei, coach Kurosawa, Tomo, Yomi, Sakaki, Osaka, Chiyo and myself."
"I see." Not entirely, he didn't. Some of the girl's words were peculiar, but "bus" likely meant some sort of carriage if her teacher was driving it. The names were also very unusual to his ears.
"Oh no! They might run into the mugger!"
"The footpad avoids groups, and yours was a large one. Unless your friends have been separated from each other like you have been, they should be safe."
"You think so?" she asked worriedly. Nyamo wouldn't let anything bad happen to her classmates, but Tomo and Yukari couldn't be trusted not to make things worse.
"Hopefully, yes," he reassured her. "Will you be staying here for long?"
Not if she could help it, but with no signal and no idea where she was, she likely would be here for some time. That could be a problem. She didn't have any money (and given that the mayor didn't know where Tokyo was she had a feeling they wouldn't accept yen, anyway). She didn't have a place to sleep, nothing to eat, and her uniform was sticky with sweat and ice cream.
"Is there a bus out of town?"
Carriages, the mayor reminded himself. "No. The farmers make trips to market, but you'd have to ask them about that."
"At least a day, then, I think. Is there anywhere I could sleep?" Kagura dithered. "Er, for free?"
"Do you know how to use that?" The mayor motioned to Kagura's sword.
"No," she admitted then added quickly, "but I know how to fight barehanded!"
"I'm sure," the mayor said dryly. "There are currently two of Lord Zerbst's soldiers in town because of the footpad. We also organized a town militia."
Kagura shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Town Militia" sounded like a neighborhood watch. Boasting she knew karate was habitual bravado, but playing cops and robbers with real robbers was a bit much.
"No, you won't be expected to patrol with the soldiers. What you will do is their laundry."
"Laundry?"
"The town militia's task is to provide support for the soldiers. In this case, washing their clothes. Right now they're are doing their own laundry, and they're complaining."
Strange for a neighborhood watch, but sure, she could do laundry. Not tonight, though.
"You will not be paid. The town militia is voluntary. However, I will allow you to stay in the soldier's barracks for as long as they don't object, and you can share with the food provided for them."
"Wait, you mean sleep in their quarters?"
"Is there a problem with that? Are you married?"
"No! I'm only 16!"
The mayor raised an eyebrow. "Most peasant girls of age wouldn't mind the attention of a career soldier." Mobilized wherever they were needed, they tended to lead exciting, romantic lives. And if a girl played her cards right, having an affair, or better, being married to a soldier was a way out of working in a farm. All the girls currently taking turns cooking for the soldiers had that in mind when they volunteered.
"Well, I'm not a peasant girl," she huffed. The mayor's other eyebrow shot up. The possibility now brought to his attention, he noted that Kagura's teeth were unusually perfect and her hands were distressingly free of callouses. Her clothes, while simple, were of a finer weave than the woolen attire that commoners like himself wore.
"You're not some runaway noble, are you?"
"Noble? No, I'm not. But I'm not a peasant, either."
The mayor relaxed. She probably was a noble's personal servant of some sort rather than a farmer's daughter. Or she was the apprentice of a tradesman since she did mention having a teacher. "You are a stranger in town. Tristainian, as well. I doubt you will find find lodging anywhere here. You could try going to another town. It is a days walk to the north, a few hours by horse."
Night in a road with muggers on the loose? Not a good idea. Besides, if this was the nearest town, her friends could be showing up soon.
With a sigh of resignation, she agreed.
"For tonight, you can stay here. Just sleep on the bench. It doesn't look like its going to rain tonight. You'll be fine. And if it does rain, well..."
"Aren't you going to ask me about the mugger? I mean, like, describe him? Or look at mugshots?"
"Old, probably in his forties or fifties, thin, lacks teeth, likely drunk, short temper?"
"Yeah, that's him."
The mayor made a dismissive gesture. "He's been a problem for quite some time now, and enough people have seen him. You might want to talk to the soldiers when you meet them, though, in case there's some other detail you might remember that they'd find useful. Is there anything else?"
"... not really, no." She was hungry, but the mayor already said that she'd share with the soldiers' food. She could wait.
"Good. If you don't find the work to your liking, tell me so that I can find someone else. Don't just go up and leave town." He took out a parchment from his desk then wrote something (wow, a real-life quill!) that Kagura couldn't make out.
Huh and double huh. They were conversing in a different language, but she couldn't read the local writing. Yet another dose of weird.
"I need you to swear fealty to Lord John Augustos von Anhalt Zerbst," he said after stamping candle wax on the parchment.
"Swear what?"
"This town and the farmland around it belong to Lord Zerbst. If you're going to work here, you're going to have to swear to abide by his rules and pay his taxes and so on."
"Pay?"
The mayor sighed. "You." He pointed a finger at her. "Make promise." He held up his palm. "I..."
Kagura should have been insulted being talked to pedantically, but she was too tired to argue and her brain was rapid approaching shutdown for the day. "I..."
"Kagura."
"... Kagura..."
"Won't steal won't steal chickens, spit on the street, or get drunk while the sun is still out."
"Uh, sure. I, Kagura, won't steal chickens, spit, or (cough) drink." Elmae's beer didn't count because it was already dark out, no siree!
"That'll do. At dawn, follow the road to the right to a house with a flag with Lord Zerbst's crest." He tapped his fingers at what Kagura assumed to be the crest nailed to the front of his desk - three flaming lions on a red shield.
"Any other questions?"
Kagura shook her head. "No."
"Welcome to Germania then, Kagura of Omellette du Fromage."
The quarrel began as soon as Sakaki entered Louise' room.
"Where have you been?" Louise growled, brandishing a riding crop at her.
After escorting the girl (Miss Valliere was it?) to her afternoon classes, Sakaki had explored the rest of this Tristain Academy of Magic. It was a huge castle, easily well over three baseball fields in size. Shaped like a pentagon, five six-story towers served as dormitories for both students and faculty. The larger middle tower housed various lecture halls, a dining hall, laboratories, and what she learned was a vault in the upper floors.
She had found what was supposed to be the infirmary to get her burned hand examined, but the nurse/doctor/wizard cosplayer on duty was scandalized when she explained how she got injured and refused to treat her.
She had found the headmaster's office, although the secretary told her that he wasn't in at the moment.
What she didn't find was a landline. No one she ran across in the school who was willing to talk to her even knew what a telephone was. And, judging from the earnest expression on their faces when she had tried to explain, they weren't feigning their ignorance.
Faced with the prospect of no communication from the castle, she asked for directions. The nearest town (which supplied the school) could be reached by following the road from the castle gates, but the distance was too great to reach before nightfall on foot. Sakaki was quite willing to walk the distance even at night rather than deal with Valliere, but the road had no streetlights.
Resigned that she would have to stay the night at least, Sakaki went back to the girl's classroom only to find that classes had been dismissed for the day. A few questions later, Sakaki was pointed out a room on the third floor of what was the "Tower of Fire".
Valliere was not pleased on seeing her. She was out of her uniform and in a thin nightgown, ready for bed but waiting impatiently for Sakaki's arrival.
"Wh-What are you planning to do with that?".
"This -" Louise slapped the crop on her palm with an audible crack "- is to discipline you."
Sakaki cringed and began to back out of the room.
"Now, answer the question. Where have you been?"
"I was trying to find a... telephone." Maybe Valliere knew what a phone was (not that Sakaki was willing to endure a whipping even if she did). Most of the people Sakaki had spoken to that day had been what was likely just maintenance staff. Valliere, however, was well-off if her room an indication. It was very large and everything was made of highly polished and ornately carved wood - a four poster bed, a dresser, a round coffee table with chairs.
"A what?"
Ok, so she didn't know about phones more than anyone else had so far. Looking around the room again, Sakaki couldn't see a computer, nor a mini-fridge or even a TV, which she would have expected from a dorm room that size. The single lamp on the table had a wicker and tiny flame rather than a light bulb. Beside the bed on the floor was a laid-out blanket with hay underneath that she had a sneaking suspicion was supposed to be where she would sleep for the night. A covered metal cairn was tucked away in a corner that, if it went with the overall antique theme so far, she distressingly surmised to be a chamber pot. Ugh.
"Never mind. It must be a commoner thing."
It was a civilized thing, Sakaki wanted to say, unlike whipping people.
Louise sighed and put away the riding crop underneath her bed, much to Sakaki's relief. "I suppose its my fault for not informing you of your duties. You are, after all, only a commoner. Know this: unless given an order otherwise, you're to stay by my side at all times. Is that clear? I almost missed dinner waiting for you."
Sakaki nodded, not in agreement, but in an effort to stem any further argument.
"Wash these." Louise threw at Sakaki what looked like the clothes she had worn that afternoon - a blouse, a lacy camisole, a pleated skirt, panties and stockings. Sakaki fought the impulse to catch the items and let them fall to the ground at her feet.
Louise snarled. "Pick those up."
"But..." Sakaki swallowed, gathering courage. "Why should I?"
"You're my familiar. Do as I say."
"Um, but what, exactly, does a familiar do?"
"A familiar is supposed to be able to grant its master enhanced vision and hearing." Louise said mechanically, as if reciting from memory. One fist on her hip and a finger extended, she took an unbearably cute "lecture" pose that would have sent Sakaki squealing to herself were she in the mood.
"What do you mean?"
"What you can see and hear, I can also see and hear."
Was that even possible? If it was, Sakaki didn't like it. At all. It was an invasion of privacy the likes of which she couldn't deal with.
Louise's brows furrowed in concentration. "No, it doesn't work. I can't see anything through your eyes."
Sakaki breathed a silent thanks.
"Also, a familiar is supposed to be able to do small errands. Like retrieving reagents."
"Reagents?"
"Catalysts to be used when casting certain spells. Something like sulfur, or moss... At least that's something you can do. Even if you're just a commoner. I'll just describe what I want and you go get it."
"You want me to buy these reagents in a store for you?"
"No, no, no. Not buy. You're supposed to find them on your own. There's a forest near here and you can find many reagents there. If I wanted to buy reagents, any ordinary servant would do. You will forage so that I wouldn't have to spend gold."
If I'm being sent to a forest to gather these reagent things, wealthy she might be, this Valliere girl was still cheap, Sakaki thought.
"And this is most important of all... A familiar exists to protect its master! The task of protecting them from any and all enemies is a duty of the highest priority! But that might be a little bit problematic for you. A powerful magical beast would almost always defeat its enemies. And while you're certainly taller than any girl in the school -"
Sakaki blushed and slouched her shoulders, a habit that she thought she had long outgrown from the time she realized how tall she was compared to her peers.
"- you're still a commoner. You won't stand long against a mage, or against something like that Zerbst strumpet's salamander. You can't breath fire or fly, can you?"
"... No."
"That's why I'm only making you do things I'm fairly sure you can do: laundry, cleaning, and other miscellaneous tasks."
"I'm not your slave."
"Yes, you are," Louise insisted. "You're my familiar. See those runes? They bind you in contract to serve me."
"I - I refuse."
"You refuse? Who do you think you are?"
"Please, find another familiar."
"You think I want a commoner for a familiar? Didn't I just tell you that you can't do all the duties a familiar should? You're almost useless and I am stuck with you."
"Send me home then!"
"I can't."
"Cast that spell again that brought me here. It might send me back!" Despite having seen numerous inexplicable tricks throughout the day and the unusual animals that served as familiars, Sakaki didn't quite accept the idea that magic brought her to this castle nor that she was this girl's slave, but talking down to her level might work.
"I'd like be able to send you back from where you came. If I could, I'd be able to summon a new familiar. But the spell is one-way."
"Try it anyway!"
"The summoning spell doesn't work while the previous summon is still alive." There was another, much more compelling reason to not attempt the spell. While what she had just explained was true from what Mr. Colbert said that afternoon and from what she learned from her first year lessons on magical theory, Louise didn't see it necessary to inform her familiar of her spell casting failure rate. She narrowed her eyes. "You don't want to die, do you?" All right, that was fudging facts. She didn't know for certain that the familiar would die, just that a new summons wouldn't work if the previous one was around.
Defeated, at least for the time being, Sakaki replied, "no."
"I'm glad that is settled."
"I want to go home," Sakaki pleaded. "I want to be with my mother and father and my friends."
Louise softened at that, somewhat. While the girl was only a commoner, she could understand the sentiment. Being in school, she hadn't met her parents in months. She also missed her sisters, even that bully Eleanore. She had not considered that her familiar would have similar ties.
How troublesome. Why couldn't she have summoned something even as simple as a mouse? Animal familiars couldn't make her feel guilty with talk of longing for family.
Not that it mattered. Personally serving a noble was a fine job that many peasant girls aspired to, so she didn't see the problem that this Sakaki girl was going on about.
"Where is your family from, anyway?"
"I'm from Tokyo, Japan."
"Well, Sakaki of Tokyojapan (wherever that is), who do you think will take care of you? Obey me, and you will find me to be a generous master. You will be fed and housed. You will be given purpose. It is a lot in life better than most commoners."
"I was going to go to veterinary school after I graduated. I don't want to be a slave."
"A what school? You went to school?"
"Yes, I did. Do."
"Commoners don't go to school. They apprentice."
"Well, I went - go - to school. This is my school uniform." Sakaki tugged at her skirt. "See? Its like yours."
Louise humphed. "Well, that isn't important anymore. You're my familiar now."
"Please, send me home."
"For the last time, I can't."
And with that, the conversation was over. Louise snapped her fingers and the lamp extinguished itself, leaving the room in purplish moonlight. She then went to lie on the bed, punctuating the finality of her decision by turning her back to Sakaki.
Frustrated, Sakaki gathered the discarded clothing. For tonight, she needed a place to sleep. She would put up with Valliere and the straw bed, but tomorrow she'd find a way to town.
At the washroom nearest Louise's bedroom, Sakaki puzzled over the lack of faucets. It couldn't be any other kind of room - the tiles were marble rather than simple stone, a drain was on the damp floor, and small tubs were upended against a wall. But how did you turn on the water? She waved her hand over a lion's head set on the wall, like one would do in public restrooms with infrared faucets. When that didn't work, Sakaki tried pushing at the lion's eyes, nose, and ears, looking for a button. Still no water. Remembering how Valliere turned the lamp off, Sakaki snapped her fingers.
Warm water gushed forth from the lion's mouth.
Sakaki snapped her fingers again, then again. The water stopped and started on command.
Belatedly, she realized she could have accidentally turned the lamps in the washroom off. As an experiment, she snapped her fingers again, this time with the intent of controlling the lamps.
The lamps died. With another snap, they flickered on again. The water continued to flow uninterrupted.
Magic. Sakaki rolled her eyes. Of course.
As she bent to her task, Sakaki was tempted to shred Valliere's panties, or at least wear out the garter, but being petty would gain her nothing but a potential whipping. The only bit of revenge that she allowed herself was the fact that there was no soap in sight, so Valliere would have to be satisfied with a quick scrub and rinse.
She rubbed furiously at the strange writing on her hand. Not that she expected them to come off, but still.
"Oh, milady, you shouldn't be doing that here!"
Sakaki turned and faced an appalled maid. A real, honest to goodness maid about her age in a black, knee-length dress and frilly white apron. She had dark bob hair neatly held in place by a lacy headband, an unusual sight given that everyone Sakaki had seen so far in the school had red, brown, or blonde hair, one kid with a ridiculous blue dye job and the headmaster's secretary's outlandish moss-colored tresses (Mr. Colbert was balding and so didn't count).
"I'm sorry," Sakaki apologized, standing and bowing, "but I didn't know where to do these."
"These are the bathing rooms, milady. If you use up all the hot water, the other nobles will complain in the morning." The maid carefully wrung out the wet clothes and placed them in a tub. "Here, let me do these for you. We have running water on the ground floor. The water isn't warmed like it is here."
"I... t-thank you." Sakaki was torn from letting the maid do what was likely her job and stopping her. Valliere did tell her to do the laundry herself rather than order a maid to do so. She was as much a servant as this maid was. "But, please, I really should do it myself."
The maid smiled genuinely. "I will bring these up to your room later, milady. Pardon me for asking, but which room is yours? I'm afraid I don't recognize you. Have you just transferred here at the Academy?"
"I don't go to this... school."
"Eh?" The maid was still smiling, but her bewilderment was unmistakable.
"I'm Miss Valliere's..." Sakai fumbled with the word "...familiar."
The maid's eyes widened. "I haven't seen a human familiar before! Are you a noble?"
Sakai shook her head.
"You're a commoner?" the maid gasped.
Sakaki nodded, letting her hair hide the flush creeping to her cheeks. "That's what Miss Valliere said. I really should be doing that."
The maid gave a chuckle. "I'll still help you. You shouldn't be washing clothes here. I mean it. These are the nobles' baths. If they run out of hot water in the morning they'll get angry at someone, likely me since I'm on duty tonight. Come on."
Sharing the load, Sakaki and the maid left the bathroom.
"If you don't mind me asking, what should I call you? Miss familiar?"
"Sakaki."
"I'm Siesta."
Sakaki and the maid made small talk as they went down the tower. When the topic of their jobs came up (Siesta being intensely curious at what a familiar's tasks were; only a handful of familiars could talk, and those that could didn't pay attention to her), it naturally progressed to Siesta's own assignments, including the kitchen. Sakaki used the opportunity to ask where she could get something to eat. It was unusually forward of her, but she'd only had ice cream that afternoon. Valliere had claimed that she'd feed her, but Sakaki didn't quite take her word for it. Siesta told her that the staff had their meals at the kitchen after the nobles have had theirs. Familiars usually ate at the kennels at the same time their masters did, but their food wasn't fit for people. It would be better for Sakaki to just wait for the staff meal. Siesta assured her that it was no problem when Sakaki demurred (weakly) and offered to pay. The leftover food was free and plentiful, she explained, part of the benefits of working for the scions of the wealthiest families in Helkegenia. The uniforms were, too, so she could get Sakaki something tomorrow from the quartermaster, even if it was just a maid's outfit.
"Finding something in your size is going to be a challenge, though," Siesta teased.
Sakaki ducked her head in shame, not only at the jab at her height, but at also someone noticing that she needed something fresh to wear.
"The moons must be full tonight," Siesta commented when they neared the tower lobby on the ground floor.
Moons? "What do you mean?"
"Well, we've already passed two couples. Sir Gramont's the blond boy with the first year brunette, and Sir Dietrich was with Lady Zerbst, the Germanian girl."
Honestly, Sakaki didn't notice. Her mind was too preoccupied with the day's events and an empty stomach. "Dating?"
"Yes. We're so far away from town that when the students want a date they'd just use one of the courtyards, and the full moons are a popular time to dine under candlelight." Siesta leaned towards Sakaki conspiratorially. "Be careful of Sir Gramont. He was trying not to be too obvious, but I think he likes your looks. I think Sir Dietrich does too, but Sir Gramont is a bit of a skirt chaser. He's just a student so he won't try anything (much) with commoners, but, well, you know."
For what it seemed like the tenth time that day, Sakaki turned beet-red.
"I was right!" Siesta crowed as they stepped out of the tower. "Look! Jhuki and Bilwiss are both full. I'm so glad I'm not on kitchen duty tonight, ha! Nobles on dates can be very picky with their food. Miss Sakaki, what's wrong? Miss Sakaki? Miss Sakaki!"