"Um." Louise stared at Tabitha, who had latched herself to her foot.
Kirche was trying to rise without much success. "What did you doooo?"
"I just… cast a spell." Louise paused. "I just cast a spell." A large grin grew on her face. "I just cast a spell!"
"Congratulations, my lady."
Kirche managed to sit up. "Yeah, yeah, you did it. But really, what did the spell do?"
Louise danced ungracefully, caught up in her excitement. "I took everything I was thinking and I just… uh…" She stopped. "What did I do?"
"Far as I can tell," Musician said, "You did... some sort of… how would he have said it…? Empathic transferal? Make everyone feel what you're feeling."
"Praise the Lady Valliere," Tabitha intoned quietly. "She knows our pain and cares for us. She will tend our wounds and make us anew. And none shall hinder her, for her form is an illusion which conceals an unyielding will. She will show us kindness, and love us, and there is nothing to do but accept."
Everyone stared at her.
"Well," Kirche started uncertainly. "Well," she repeated.
"I think your song resonated with her," Musician said, grinning.
Louise looked at Kirche and frowned.
Kirche pointed up at herself. "Eh? Don't look at me. That was… an experience… but I'm not going to start prophesizing."
"Accept her into your heart, Kirche. It's the only way," came the voice from Louise's feet.
Musician got up and slapped his master on the back. "Your first priestess! I am so proud."
Louise barely kept herself from tripping over Tabitha's arms. "This is incredibly uncomfortable and a little embarrassing."
"That's what being worshipped is like."
Louise could normally relax in the Dining Hall. Everyone was busy with their own things there. They gossiped, ate, and relaxed. Confrontations rarely popped up, and no one really paid attention to her in particular.
'Normally' was the key word here.
"What the heck is wrong with her?" Malicorne asked.
Other students stared as a constantly-muttering Tabitha gathered Louise food, said some sort of benediction over it, and placed it in front of Louise's spot before gathering her own.
Kirche and Louise exchanged glances. "Do you want to explain?" Kirche asked.
"Nope." Louise started picking at her food. How did Tabitha know she liked peas?
"Well I'm not. I didn't sign on for this."
"I thought you enjoyed speaking of passion, Zerbst."
"Passion and zealotry are different things."
"Why is she acting like a servant? And why for her of all people?" Montmorency asked.
"Uh-"
Tabitha's muttering grew louder momentarily. "I have faith in her guidance. For out of the depths of the world's wrath can she make us anew."
"What the-"
"Is that a prayer?"
"Blasphemy?"
"Has she lost her mind?"
Louise sighed and pushed her food away. "Welp. It's out. The church is going to kill me."
"I mean, isn't this what you wanted?"
"I was hoping I'd have a few more deeds to my name before I started spreading the word of Me around."
"More deeds than destroying the entirety of Reconquista?"
Louise shuddered. "Different deeds. Ones that aren't about… slaughter."
Kirche winced. "Fair. However, this is what we're working with. I'm not sure what's gotten into Tabitha, but if we don't say or do something now, it's going to turn… bad."
Well, Kirche wasn't wrong. That said, Louise wasn't really prepared to make a speech, nor to endure the mockery that would likely result from declaring herself the second coming of Brimir. And Musician wasn't around to stop anyone who might decide to escalate to using magic to wipe out the blasphemer. Though as it was, Tabitha was currently in danger of that…
Louise stood. As all eyes fell on her, she took a deep breath. In… out…
"This world… is a terrible world. There are many wars, and monsters, and wrath. Nobles fight for power. Commoners fight for survival. Spirits watch uncaring. Brimir left to us an imperfect world."
She was gaining the attention of some, losing the attention of others. That wouldn't do… She raised her wand, and suddenly she had everyone's alarmed attention again. Carefully, she delved into that other part of her, the part that was empty, missing, that held something that wasn't truly real.
The sounds came easily. They were not words, for words would have restrained the essence of her element, forced it into a shape that did not come naturally. She let go of the preconception that a spell needed structure or materiality. She sang, and she guided that which was not into making itself known.
She showed them the images she was forced to see every day (The Storm, as it truly was). She let the illusions play out her worries (madness and wrath and melodies large and small).
"Imperfect," she said as her peers startled and whispered. "Not because of the elves. But because of ourselves. Our pride. Our anger. Our foolishness. Even our faith."
(Reconquista, zealots marching, blinded by that which should have led them straight.)
"We hate each other. We hate our servants. We hate our Queen. We hate ourselves."
(They weren't real nobles. They didn't treat the commoners with compassion. They gave no respect to the royalty. They barely gave respect to themselves. And she was chief among them, a failure whose existence was an insult to their way of life…)
"But we don't have to."
(…but she hadn't failed because she didn't fit in. Her failure was only that she hadn't known how to show mercy.)
"Montmorency sees herself as a genius, someone who will revive a failing clan. But she won't. She is too shortsighted. Too self-centered"
The blonde girl's mouth fell open.
"Malicorne wants to be the star, the protagonist, the one praised by everyone. But he won't. He doesn't put any effort into being better, as a noble, as a man, or as a person."
The rotund boy winced.
"Guiche thinks he is romantic, suave, brave. He is in truth dishonest, cowardly, and brash."
Guiche held up a finger, but then started thinking about it.
"I could go on. I won't. I myself am not one to judge. I am the lowest of all of you. Instead, I ask, to each and every one of you who thinks of yourselves as noble. Are you? Are you worthy of the Founder's magic? You know yourselves. You know your flaws, and prides, and wraths. You know when you are being unfair, when you are lying, when you are being cruel."
(Her regrets are there for them to see. All those moments of pride and anger, and for what? What were they compared to the world? Compared to the tragedies that were and were yet to come?)
"You don't have to be."
(She doesn't have hope. Not yet. Maybe if she could've remained ignorant.)
"We can be kind."
(But she does know what she wants.)
"We can be compassionate."
(She knows that things can be different.)
"We can be better."
(They just have to try.)
"Bravo," the Musician said, clapping slowly. "Good work."
Louise sighed, relaxing into her bed. "It wasn't that good. I was just… making it up. I don't even know if it worked. I even called out some of my classmates! Will what I said even do anything…?"
The door to their room slammed open. Kirche marched inside, Tabitha in tow. "What was that?!"
Louise slowly turned her head. "What was what?"
"Everyone was talking," Kirche said, waving her hands. "After you left. And it wasn't… It… It was different. Like, there were even people hugging, and whispering, and some people even got cushions to lay down on!"
"That not normal?" her familiar asked.
"Tristainian nobles do not NORMALLY start a cuddle pile, no!"
"They had not heard. Now they have. They reflect on their sins, and they reach out with a vulnerability they could never have shown others before they knew her," Tabitha said with some enthusiasm.
Kirche crossed her arms. "So she put on a show. And she told them where to shove their nobility. That doesn't translate to touchy-feeliness. I would know; I've done it before!"
"That is why you don't see. You wished them the worst. You did not want them to be happy. At least, not outside a bedroom."
"…Tabby, I never thought I would say this, but would you please shut up?!"
"One for her side," Musician said cheerfully. Kirche glared at him.
"Heh." The others looked over at Louise. "I did it. I actually did it. I got them to listen. For the first time. Ever. I don't know how…"
"I mean, that emotion-transfer thing does kind of make you pay attention," Kirche commented.
"…but I actually got them to listen. And… maybe…" She sniffled. "Maybe they won't hurt."
"…Hurt who?" Kirche asked.
"Anyone. Or on the inside. Maybe with them, there'll be less pain…" her sentence ended with a sob.
"Oh Founder! Louise!" Kirche ran forwards and wrapped the smaller girl in a hug. Moments later, Tabitha joined them. "Louise? You'll… you'll be okay!"
"W-Why did it have to be m-me? W-Why couldn't they see how much everyone hurt?!"
"Louise…"
"W-Why did they need my magic to s-see what they were doing?!"
Kirche and Tabitha hugged tighter.
"Why couldn't they see when they were hurting me before…?"