Endless Waltz
By: Daishi Prime
-06 – Alliances-
Walking down the hall behind Hayate, Tia-yu found herself repeatedly going through an old exercise on mental calm, trying to find some of the serenity her superior so easily displayed. She had done the same following in Master Adept Li's footsteps, on the way to any number of briefings, and part of her was amused to find similarities between her prior and current superiors. Most of her was just plain nervous, however.
Tai-yu was rapidly becoming accustomed to the students, however odd they were and however dangerous what they already knew or were learning. She was even fairly comfortable with Hayate, though the artificial nature of the other instructors still made her uncomfortable. So her nerves were not due to who she was going to be speaking in front of, but rather due to the simple fact of giving a presentation.
"Relaxi, Tai-yu," Hayate said without looking back, "they are just students. You've been watching over them for two weeks now, this will be even easier."
"I've been keeping an eye on the girls in the dorm," Tai-yu countered, "not standing in front of a class!"
"They aren't dangerous," Hayate said, glancing back to give her a smile, "they will listen politely, ask questions slightly less politely, but they will not attack your, or ridicule you, or even give you a hard time. You have nothing to fear, I promise."
"Except tripping on my own two feet, forgetting what I'm going to say, somehow damaging sixteen young minds, the list is endless, ma'am."
Hayate's smile widened slightly, "as I said, nothing. Now, here we are," she put a hand on the classroom door, "be calm."
Tai-yu followed her into the classroom, closing the door gently behind them and pausing there as Hayate continued to the center of the room. Looking over the students, Tai-yu felt her nerves singing, but managed to keep that off her face, finding once again the practiced non-expression Li had expected from her in such situations. She had gotten to know these children over the past weeks, and that actually helped somewhat, but she was never comfortable on any sort of stage.
"Children," Hayate began, "As I told you yesterday, today Tai-yu will be teaching the class. She has a unique and valuable perspective on magic, both ours and the Circles', which all of you can learn from. I understand she has a lecture prepared, and would ask that you hold any questions until after she has finished that presentation. Tai-yu?"
Holding on to her impassive expression like a shield, she strode across the front of the room, "Thank you, Hayate-sama," she said as she reached the podium. She gave Hayate a small bow, then turned to the students, "and good afternoon to all of you, students." A chorus of replies came back, then she proceeded, "Hayate-sama has asked me to enlighten you as to the differences and similarities between the Academy's forms of magic, and the Circles'. Despite what you may believe, those differences are both more and less than they appear.
"Before any of you get it into your heads that I don't know enough about your style of magic, please remember that I was the personal aide of Master Adept Li Quan, one of the foremost mages in the Circles prior to his death. I not only reviewed every report he received on you and your teachers, I helped research and write half of them. I am quite familiar with the Midchildan style all of you have been taught, and becoming more familiar with the Velka style some of you have begun to pursue.
"One of the first things our research determined is that, despite somatic variations, Midchildan, Velkan and Circle magic are all based on the same fundamentals. Our power comes from the same place, similar spells are functionally the same, even the runes used are the same once, taking into account a few thousand years of divergent evolution. It is in application, areas of expertise, and specific manifestations that our schools of thought differ. At its most basic, our differences stem from our refusal to rely on artificial enhancements, and your avid embrace of such things. You all know some of our history, I will not bore you with repeating that, but that difference has resulted in different approaches to similar problems. Differences which, while great enough at first appearance, are minor enough to allow our styles to directly affect one another as if there were no differences. This underlying sameness is what allowed us to gather so much information on you last year, and what allowed you to be so successful in countering us."
"In contrast with the difference between the actual styles and structures of our magic, our approach to teaching is radically different. Hayate has based much of her training here on Midchildan methods, modified slightly to accommodate Japan's national educational standards. The Circles, in contrast, rely entirely on individual instruction. Our apprentices are, quite literally, apprentices, though our standards of behavior from and treatment of those apprentices is significantly greater than traditional apprenticeships. A Circle apprentice your ages spends only an hour or two a day on magic, that amount slowly increasing until they either leave their training behind, or pass the test to Journeyman rank. While training, the Circles emphasize precision and perfection over breadth and depth. Where you are all being taught a little bit of everything all at once, Circle mages are taught to perfect a single spell, before learning another."
Just speaking, getting into the rhythm of her presentation, settled Tai-yu's nerves far more than the mental exercises had managed. The relaxing of physical and mental tension let her get more into the groove, and soon she was just as calm and comfortable as always, part of her mind running the lecture on automatic while she observed her audience. Paging through slides contrasting the rarely-used Circle runes with those generated by Academy device-wielders, or displaying graphic analysis of similar spells, took little attention, though she noticed such graphics riveted her audience. She was a little surprised to find that, just as Hayate had promised, the students listened attentively, barely stirring during the half hour or so she spoke.
She found herself winding down sooner than she planned, due to the utter lack of interruption, ending with, "I will be showing you specific examples in the practical course this afternoon, with Lotte-san and Aria-san. For now, however, I can see several of you have questions on just the theoretical side, so let's start in on those, shall we? Natalia?" Of all the students, Natalia was the only one that made Tai-yu uncomfortable, the sight of the tattoo below her eye waking all sorts of bad memories from a lifetime of Circle training. But the girl herself was only a little odd, and Tai-yu managed to keep from showing any discomfort.
"The graphic you showed of the runes," Natalia said, leaning forward on her elbows, "it's true that both come from the same source?"
Tai-yu nodded, bringing that image back up on the projector, "Yes, so far as we can tell. The Circles learned the runes from the Lords of Light in Atlantis, while according to Hayate-sama, Midchildan and Velkan runes are all descended from Al Hazred runes. The fact that both are recognizable, indeed interchangeable, is actually the single most glaring similarity between our styles of magic, and solid evidence that the Lords of Light were either a survivors of, or a colony from, the Bureau's Al Hazred. That similarity is also one of the major proofs that our magic is all derived from a common origin." Tai-yu waited a second, but Natalia just relaxed back in her seat, scribbling notes in her PDA, so she moved on, "Noriko?"
"You said you've been studying Midchildan and Velkan magic," the princess asked, "but what about Deva magic? Have you made any comparisons there?"
"Noriko," Hayate said, trying to sound repressive around a small smile, "I told you, no Deva magic until I'm ready to teach it to someone, if ever."
Noriko gave her an innocent look, "But Sensei, I wasn't asking to be taught Deva magic, just to see if Tai-yu-sensei has run a comparison."
"I have studied Hayate-sama's magic to some extent," Tai-yu replied, "but not enough for a definitive comparison. Suffice to say, whatever it is she does, it is very powerful, and very strange. As far as I can tell, Deva magic, and the attendant runes, are a completely unique creation. Luke, you had a question?"
Luke hesitated a moment, glanced at Yussef, then asked, "During your lecture, you kept referring to 'our' style of magic and 'your' style of magic. Are you still a Circle mage?"
Tai-yu felt Hayate start as much as saw it, but answered before she could, "Of course I am. I worked hard for my rank, and have no intention of relinquishing it. Regardless of what the Circles as a whole think of my actions, I remain true to the oaths I took. I am not, and never will be, a Midchildan or Velkan mage, I will never wield a device. Since I think you're asking about my loyalties, though, while I am still loyal to the Circles, I am not suicidal. No matter what effort I might make to redeem myself, to the Circles I am a traitor, and should I fall within their reach again, they will most likely execute me. That makes Hayate-sama my best bet for continued survival, and staying in her good graces means teaching you. At the same time, that will give me a chance to prevent any of you from falling as the Circles fear you will."
Before she could pick someone else out Yussef asked, "how likely is another Circle attack on the school?"
"Raise your hand first, Yussef," she reminded him. When he did, she deliberately turned away, "You had another question, Noriko?"
Noriko glanced at Yussef. When he just grimaced, she said, "Judgment of the Fallen."
"Ah, that is a complicated question," Tai-yu replied with a frown. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, "Keep in mind that I have not the strength, the skill, or the rank to have learned it, so my knowledge is entirely theoretical. What I do know is that the spell is likened to striking an electrical transformer with a lightning bolt. The spell essentially generates a self-sustaining overload in the target artifact, causing it to tear itself apart. As I said, however, I never learned it, so I am uncertain how, precisely, it goes about accomplishing that. Only Adepts and above were taught that spell, as only an Adept has the strength to accomplish it. Now, Yussef."
To his credit, he did not appear the least put out by her object lesson, merely asking, "How likely are the Circles to attack us again?"
"That is not exactly on topic, Yussef," Tai-yu chided.
"Maybe not," He agreed easily, "but you are the only Circle member we have to ask."
She watched him for a moment, thinking it over. "It is not likely, Yussef. It is certain. Whether the Moderns or Revenants win, in spite of Hayate-sama's warning, the Circles will attack again. The proper question is when, and who wins the civil war will determine that. If, through some misfortune, the Revenants win, they will attack the school within a few months, and will not let up until they are destroyed. If Hughes wins, that is an all together more dangerous proposition. Hughes will wait a few years, three or four I would guess, and make one attack in overwhelming force. Should that be turned back, he will retreat again and repeat."
"All of which we've told you before," Hayate added. "Tai-yu is here to discuss the Circles' magic, not their politics and strategies. Marcel, you had a question?"
"Is there any way to take down a wolfpack without fighting it directly? Those gave us more trouble last year than anything else."
Tia-yu rocked one hand, "Yes and no. If you know how to form a wolfpack, and I will show you that in the practical course this afternoon, there are certain methods you can use to disrupt the wolfpack. If the circle creating it is not skilled enough, those methods could permanently break the wolfpack, though a skilled circle could reduce or negate the interference. Grand Master Hughes unveiled a new method back in March, though I do not know how many mages know that spell, or even the basic theories as to how it works. If you can get at the circle creating the effect and break their concentration, the wolfpack will fail. If the mage at the focus of the spell is rendered unconscious, the spell will fail, also, of course, if the focal mage is killed. There are some who theorize that the wolfpack spell would be vulnerable to some sort of draining spell, drawing more energy through the spell than the circle can maintain, but I know of no successful attempts. From the Bureau side, a containment barrier of sufficient strength could sever the wolfpack from its focus, as could one of the bindings Signum-san mentioned to me, something called a 'Struggle Bind'.
"While all of those methods would work, keep in mind that wolfpacks are, by nature, focused on aggressive and skilled mages. They would not be sitting still while you tried to disassemble their support. You will only ever encounter a wolfpack under combat conditions, and whoever is chosen as the focus will be the best fighter in their circle. So, while there are ways of eliminating a wolfpack without fighting it, I'm afraid direct combat remains the most common and easiest method. I will show you some of the specific vulnerabilities this afternoon, mostly because anyone trained to create a wolfpack is trained to watch for those weaknesses, to protect themselves, if nothing else. Noah?"
"When we captured the mage back in February, the one who came into the workroom after Allison and I," he said slowly, "he was very surprised by how skilled we were. He seemed to think we'd barely be able to build a shield, and was completely floored by Allison's Cloak of Shades and my shields. Is that typical of Circle mages and expectations?"
Tai-yu nodded, "yes, in a general way. Oh, it won't be as great a shock to them now, not after February's demonstration, but it will be a long time before Circle mages in general adapt their thinking and expectations. For an easy example, take a look at the twins. I know for a fact that Laura has been deliberately disabusing them of the notion that they belong in the second-year magic classes, and she is right. They lack the range and depth of magical knowledge and skills to keep up with you. But Saeryn and Rhys are also right, because the skills they have are far better honed than any of yours were last December, better than any of their current classmates.
"As a slightly different example, I would be willing to bet that, in terms of actual spells known, each of you has a wider library than I do. But, I understand you have all had problems, both in February and in Yussef's Tactics course, casting those spells while 'under fire'. I have no such problems. I can honestly say that I cast my spells the exact same way, in exactly the same amount of time, with the same energy use and accuracy, whether I am in a workroom, or running for my life while dodging gunfire in the middle of a typhoon. I was part of a mission to retrieve some renegades in Hong Kong when a category three typhoon hit the city. So, you know more spells, but Circle mages are far more likely to get their spells off. Your flexibility and surprise will be your greatest assets, their's will be reliability and mutual support. Laura?"
"What about energy? How'll you Circle types match our devices, other than wolfpacks? You've gotta have more tricks up your sleeve."
"There is Hughes' new spell," Tai-yu reminded her, "which, if I understand it properly, disrupts all magic in its area of effect, though your devices will provide some hardening against that. There are also bindings, such as Gaia's Anchor and the like, possibly other unique spells such as Hughes'. If you prove resilient enough, and the Circles become desperate enough, there are even Atlantean machines still extant. Push the Circles hard enough, but don't eliminate them quickly enough, and someone may bring one out and attempt to use it. Your devices give you great power, or will once they are finished, but there are always ways around them. Skill, initiative, and ruthlessness will be your most reliable defenses."
"I'll leave that last one for the Circles, thanks," Laura quipped, then smirked, "and settle for just being better than all of them combined."
"Be careful, Laura," Hayate advised. "With a device, given her greater experience, Tai-yu would be able to stand against you. With a device, or a wolfpack, Hughes would give you a worse fight than Li did. Don't underestimate the Circles merely because their philosophy dispenses with artificial aides. Cid-chan, you had a question?"
"Rafiq does, actually," she replied, then asked, "about familiars. Do the Circles have anything like familiars?"
Tai-yu shook her head, trying to hide her own discomfort as the snake slid his head out of Cidela's shirt to stare at her. "No," she said after a moment, choosing her words carefully, "the Circles have nothing like familiars. To us, familiars are no different from your devices, artificial constructs using artificial magic. There is also the fact that, without some sort of augmentation, very few humans can sustain the energy necessary to maintain a familiar, let alone do anything else magical while sustaining the familiar. Most of you here could, but I could not."
"So they would destroy Rafiq, if they could?"
"I'm afraid so."
"We won't let them, Cid-chan," Noriko promised her, "we're better than that."
"Much better than that," Hayate agreed. "Even in the event the Circles prove able to defeat us, I have made arrangements for all of you, and your families, to be given safe haven by the Bureau. Not that you should need it, the Bureau will not react well to a Circle victory here, signatory world or not. You have another question, Natalia?"
Natalia visibly hesitated, but Tai-yu saw the girl was watching Hayate more than her. "Um... this probably won't go over well, but... do you have any examples of the Lords' writing? I was wondering how closely it matches Al Hazred's writing."
Ta-yu was surprised by that, having never given the writing any thought. The similarities in the modern forms of magic and runes were enough proof for her of their common origin. She glanced at Hayate, to find her giving Natalia a pensive frown. Reaching telepathically took an effort, it was still new to her, but she managed to ask, 'Should I tell her no, ma'am?'
'No, that won't be necessary,' Hayate replied slowly. 'I think the damage there has already been done. Go ahead.'
"I don't have any immediately available," Tai-yu answered Natalia, "but I can probably acquire a few samples. Give me a week or so, and I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, sensei," Natalia said, nodding to both Tai-yu and Hayate.
00000
Allison debated her options long and hard, before deciding on a course of action, waiting until the third week of classes. She knew generally what she wanted to do with her device, had known since before February. The problem was, as much detail as Hayate-sensei's reading assignments went into, she found herself desiring advice on the design as well as the construction and eventual use of it. What caused her dilemma was the fact that there were really only three people on campus who could provide that advice.
Signum and Vita were prime choices simply because of their long experience. But that same experience argued against them, as Allison was fairly certain that a lot of what she wanted to know was habit for them, instinct, because of how long they had been using their devices. Unfortunately, that meant her best bet for the sort of information she needed was... Laura. There were other considerations, including approachability and how busy the teachers appeared to be, but recent experience was the kicker for Allison.
Allison herself had no real problem with Laura. Sure, she was hyper, loud, and indiscriminate in her pranks, but she was indiscriminate, picking on everyone mostly equally, and undeniably skilled. But Laura had made it clear, without ever really saying so, that she was not the type to 'lend assistance'. Everyone had learned from Laura, but most of that had been at the hands of her pranks and leaps of logic, not from her advice or assistance. Watching Laura with the twins and Kaemon, however, demonstrated that she was actually capable of more traditional methods of sharing her knowledge, though even there it was plainly apparent she retained her old habits.
Which did not mean Allison was willing to attempt to bargain with Laura alone if she did not have to, so when, while tracking Laura down, she found Juliet first in the Library, Allison decided to dragoon her into the job as well. "Hey, Juliet, you talked to Laura yet?"
Looking up from her terminal, Juliet gave her a confused look. "About what?"
"Your device design. You told me you were going with a Velka device, right?"
Juliet nodded slowly, "Yeah, but... I wasn't going to ask Laura for help. I already talked to Vita-sensei."
"Gutsy," Allison complimented her, "but I'm looking for more recent experience, you know?"
"Sure," Juliet shrugged, "your funeral though."
"Our funeral," Allison countered, grinning at Juliet's sudden flat look. "Come on, lend me some moral support. You know Vita-sensei's going to send you to her eventually, anyhow."
Juliet grimaced at that, "Yeah, she's already suggested it. Only question is, how bad's it going to be?"
"Laura won't prank us," Allison said, trying to be reassuring, "not with the devices, at least."
"No, she's going to do to us just what she did to the twins," Juliet countered, then sighed. "Yeah, okay. You thinking of going now, or trying for safety in public and ask at dinner?"
"Now," Allison answered, "better to get it over with quick."
"Know where she is?"
Allison shook her head, "Found you on my way to find her."
Juliet snorted, "Yeah, just my luck. Hold on a second." She closed her eyes, and Allison caught just the faintest whisper of her voice, then Juliet was rising to her feet. "She's upstairs, in back. Aria-sensei's having her work on how she pulls in Hicho again."
Allison stood as well, falling into step with Juliet. "Still can't prove it's a wormhole, huh?"
Juliet shrugged, "Dunno. Laura has trouble remembering that two plus two equals four, let alone following that level of math long enough to prove or disprove what she's doing. On the other hand, she made it work, so there has to be something there."
"You know, Noah may be right," Allison mused. "Laura may be just what she named her device, a paradox. A living, breathing violation of the rules of Creation."
"Then why hasn't she gone boom?"
Allison flinched at that, remembering China, but nodded anyhow. China was perfectly understandable. "Paradox. Something that shouldn't exist, but does. You have to admit, that does describe a fair amount of what she pulls off."
"I don't have to admit anything," Juliet countered, "because I don't care how she pulls anything off, so long as she doesn't aim any of it in my direction. You see any of those reports on what she did to those photographers over the summer?" Juliet shuddered all over, "Man, that was mean."
Allison had seen the reports, and chuckled at the memory, "Oh, yeah, I saw lots of reports. Don't know what they're like in South Africa, but reports in the US think they're God's gift to God, that anything they want to do they're allowed to do and everyone should thank them for doing it. Did my heart good, seeing them get a taste of their own medicine. One of the few good things about the Reservation, most reporters are too scared of us weird natives to be really annoying."
"Yeah, none of them managed to find me over break," Juliet agreed, "I think Laura may have scared all of them, not just the American reporters." They continued debating the subject all the way to the back, only slightly curious if they were right, beyond their mutual relief at not having had to put up with media attention.
Laura herself was buried in the back of the second floor, right next to the restricted section in one of her preferred spots. She waved them over distractedly, scribbling notes on her PDA from the library terminal in front of her. "Just a sec, think I finally found the formula's Aria-sensei's looking for." She continued for another minute or so, then slumped back in her seat, reaching up to rub her eyes. "Gah, that woman's nuts! I've given her like ten different explanations, formulas and all, and every time, 'this isn't what you did, try again'. I'm going cross-eyed trying to figure out all these formulas after formulas!"
"You brought it on yourself, you know," Allison commented. "You keep going on about what an expert you are on physics, of course Aria-sensei's going to make you prove it."
"Physics I can do," Laura protested, then sneered at the terminal, "this is math, not physics." She straightened up, propping her elbows on the table, "so, what can I do for you girls? Juliet wasn't real specific when she asked for a minute of my oh so valuable time."
"Your idea," Juliet said, smirking just a little at Allison.
"Gee, thanks for your support," Allison muttered back, then mirrored Laura's pose. "I wanted to ask about your device," She waved one hand quickly as Laura's face darkened, "not any of the design particulars, just how you built it, how you use it. You know I want to put together a Velka device as well, and you built yours a lot more recently than anyone else around here."
Laura's face brightened into a full smile, "Oh, you're just looking for advice, huh? Slow-poke, you're falling behind."
Allison stared at her for a second before responding brilliantly, "Huh?"
"Shiro-chan already asked me as well, with Luke and Ichigo. Those three are thinking of building Velka devices, and wanted the same thing you do. They were quicker about it, though, asked me a couple days ago. You in as well, Julie-chan?"
"Only if you don't call me that," Juliet replied. "I've already got a session scheduled with Vita-sensei, but I wouldn't object to sitting in on Allison's."
Laura shook her head, "Nuh-uh, not 'Allison's'. All of you. I'm not up for a bunch of solo-sessions. I've got you kids, the twins, Kaemon, Sensei... if I tried to do solo-sessions for each of you, I'd go sane. You free Saturday afternoon? That's when I'm going to meet with the boys."
"Sure, I can be there," Allison agreed, smirking slightly as she pictured her parents' probable reaction to her easy agreement. Nothing else to do around here on a Saturday, anyhow, she thought.
"I'll think about it," Juliet told them, "depends on when Vita-sensei wants to get together, and if Yussef wants us to help embarrass the new kids again on Sunday."
"It's cool, we'll be in Workroom Eight, if you're free," Laura said. "Now comes the real question, though. What's in it for me?"
Allison blinked, then glanced at Juliet, only to find her giving Laura an equally incredulous look. "Since when are you taking lessons in mercenary?"
Laura giggled at the looks on their faces, "Man, I love getting that reaction! I'm not turning mercenary, I'm just offering a deal. I've got info you two want, and each of you has info I want. Same deal with the boys. Shiro-chan and Ichigo are going to let me in on their reactive shield, Luke's going to help me with math this year."
Allison tapped the table with a finger to get her attention, "I'm more confused than offended Laura. You're worlds away better than us at most classes, the only one I know you're having trouble with is math."
Laura nodded along, "Yes and no. I've got help for classes, but we're all cooking up craziness here. You, Juliet, have that trick you do to punch really hard. If it works sort of how I think, I want to see if I can adapt it to what I'm working on to replace Hicho."
"I thought you had that wooden naginata," Juliet half-said, half-argued.
"Oh, sure, I conned Dad into making it for me over the summer," Laura agreed. "That's fine as far as keeping myself in shape, keeping the forms up, but there's no way I'm taking that thing into battle. Too easy to hit too hard, or break it off and impale someone, or get it turned into a cloud of splinters that'll ruin everyone's day. No, I'm thinking of something magical, something pure energy, that I can tune to match what I'm hitting. I can generate a form, but that's all I can get right now. I want to see how you enhance your fists, to see if I can adapt it for what I'm doing so that when I hit something, it'll actually get hit. I'll share, if you'd like it, especially once you get your device up and running."
Allison listened to them go back and forth a few more times, only half paying attention. She was mostly dreading what Laura wanted from her, though she was morally certain what that was. When the questions turned to specifics about Juliet's spell, she interrupted, "What about me, Laura? What did you want me to help you with?"
Laura's smile became positively evil. "You already know that, Allison. I want to become invisible. I want to learn the Cloak of Shades."
Yup, that's what I was afraid of, Allison thought, Little Miss Chaos getting over her biggest weakness. But I need her help, and how much more dangerous can she be? Ah, well, at least I've already got new wrinkles for it, she doesn't have to know about those. Even as she thought it, Allison knew that would come back to haunt her, but she still answered, "You swear you'll never use it to prank me?"
Laura's smirk widened a little, "Sure, I swear I'll never use Cloak of Shades to prank you."
I'm going to regret this, aren't I? "All right, Laura, I'll show you Cloak of Shades. But you're helping me with every step of my design, all the way to learning how to use it."
"You've got yourself a deal, Wilderness Girl."
00000
"So you think you can handle it, Luke?"
Luke shrugged, then nodded slowly, still looking uncomfortable. "Yeah, I guess, mate. But age aside, I've never been one for taking charge."
Yussef chuckled at that, "Age is the last thing any of us are going to worry about, Luke. Look at our teachers. Our headmistress is barely out of her teens, four of them are an unknown number of centuries old, two are in their thirties or forties but are familiars, and the only 'normal' one of the bunch is in her mid-twenties. Then there's us. As for taking charge or not, that's what I want to find out. Marcel's a good lieutenant, but he's flat out refused to be anything more. I need to know who's best to give a job to. So, you'll take Second Squad on Sunday?"
Luke nodded again, "Yeah, I guess. Mariachi, Shiro and Noah I can handle. I don't suppose I can talk you into a little pre-class info?"
"Not in a million years," Yussef chuckled again. "Mostly because I'm not certain of specifics yet, other than figuring out a back-up leader."
Further comments were forestalled by Didier asking from across the table, "Ano, excuse me, Yussef-san? May I speak with you for a minute?"
Considering that was probably the longest sentence he had heard from the younger boy, Yussef, nodded, "Sure, Didier. Luke, you mind?"
"Nah, it's cool," Luke said, sliding the PDA and books he had been reviewing into a pile, "I can figure the rest of the homework myself. Thanks, Yussef, and I'll give it a shot Sunday, just don't go expecting miracles."
Yussef watched him go, then turned back to Didier, to find the boy still standing across the table, watching Luke's departure. "You can sit, you know. No rules against it." Didier jumped, then looked around sheepishly as he settled gingerly into a chair. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"
"Ab... about your class?"
"Sure, what's up?" Yussef had a fair idea what was up, but wanted to make sure of it. Hayate had told him quite a bit about the first years, so he could prepare for teaching his Sunday course, but she and Shamal had told him significantly more about Didier. What they had to say, about his background and circumstances, had been worrisome and depressing, though he thought Didier was doing a good job of at least controlling his fears.
However he was performing in class, Didier looked terrified right now, as if expecting Yussef to come across the table and attack him. "Is there... could I... not... take your class?"
Yup, dropping the class, Yussef thought. Where's Noriko when I need her? This is going to take some careful wording. "That is not a good idea, Didier. We learned the hard way last year that all of us have to be able to protect ourselves, and the best way to do that is protect each other."
"I... I know, but... I can't do it."
"Can't, or are too scared to try?"
Didier flinched, but Yussef just watched until the younger boy whispered, "Both."
"Can you tell me why? Is it something I'm doing, or something endemic to the course?"
"It... it reminds me of home. I don't like getting shot at, I don't like fighting. It..."
"I know about your mother," Yussef told him softly. Didier flinched, then stared at him with wide eyes, which rapidly narrowed into the first assertive emotion Yussef had ever seen on him – anger. "Relax," Yussef continued, "Hayate-sensei gave me the bare bones, she was worried my class would 'cause an adverse reaction', as she put it. I'm not asking about your mother, that is your personal loss and I will not intrude. What I am asking about is, are you having trouble because you're afraid of remembering it, or because you remember it too clearly? Depending on the problem, maybe I can fix it."
"The training stuff is fine," Didier said, "but the mazes... remind me of home. I get stuck there."
Yussef expected that, but still, "Funny, you do better there than anywhere else."
"It's habit, instinct," Didier answered. "You learn to duck quickly where I grew up, how to hide. It's not me, it's just reactions, things I don't want to remember."
Watching Didier shrink into himself, listening to his voice drop to a whisper, it was easy enough to make the decision. Now Yussef just had to figure out how to execute it. He's not pulling my leg, he really can't handle the class. At least I don't have to do this part on my own, he thought. Telepathy was still stubbornly impossible for him, but the communications spell was old hat. "Hayate-sensei? Are you busy right now? Didier and I need to talk to you."
'Come right up, Yussef,' she answered, 'I'm in my office.'
Yussef stood to go, but Didier just sat there, staring at him with wide eyes again. "Relax," Yussef ordered, "you're not in any trouble, Didier. But we can't just leave you to fend for yourself. My class won't work for you, so we're going to talk to Hayate-sensei about arranging something else for you."
"I don't want to fight," Didier reminded him.
Yussef snorted, then gestured across the Library, "See her? Cid-chan doesn't know the first thing about fighting. You throw a punch at her, she's going to fall over, then ask why you did it. Thing is, according to Rafiq and Shamal-baa-san, the only reason she was caught back in February was because she was too good a person to leave her enemies to die, after she showed them why she doesn't need to know how to fight. There are ways to defend yourself without fighting, Didier, even if it's just knowing how to find friends and cover. I'm not up for teaching that sort of thing, I teach small unit combat. So, we go talk to Hayate-sensei, see what we can put together for you. It's this, or you keep taking my class," Yussef narrowed his own eyes, giving Didier a hard look, "and if you're in my class, you will be there every class. Nobody ditches on me."
Didier followed him, however reluctantly, up stairs and around to Hayate's office, where they found her waiting in the open door. "Come on in, boys. Let's see what we can work out, shall we?"
Once they were settled, Yussef gave her a brief explanation – most of which she was already aware of – and ended with, "I was thinking of having him train with Shamal-sensei or Aria-sensei, but I'm not sure which would be better."
"I think Shamal would work best," Hayate said. "She's very good at shields, better than the rest of the Wolkenritter. Lotte would be better for building on his existing agility, however. Neither would employ the same methods you do, Yussef, but they can give him the skills he need."
"I don't want to fight," Didier repeated.
"We understand that," Hayate reassured, "but not everyone in the world is a pacifist, Didier. There are times when such people will attack you for any reason from your magecraft, to your religion, to simply having the opportunity. Escaping the situation is an option, one you prefer and we will train you to best accomplish, but that will include protecting yourself."
Didier nodded slowly, coming out of his sunken posture a little, "All right, Hayate-sensei, I can see that. Could... could it be Shamal-sensei? Aria-sensei is a little intense."
Yussef barely managed not to laugh at that, but he did manage to limit his reaction to asking, "Intense? Aria-sensei?"
"She was chasing Lotte-sensei the other day. I... I don't know what she was saying, but..."
Yussef did laugh at that, remembering the incident. He had not witnessed the beginning of it, but had seen Aria chasing Lotte out of the Boy's Wing. Apparently sharing a suite again was causing some friction between the Lieze twins, though Yussef thought it was minor. Lotte had certainly been laughing as she ran, and he had not thought Aria looked all that angry. "I think you're misreading her," Yussef said, "but Shamal-sensei will work fine. Don't be a stranger, though. I know some good shields, Noah knows some better ones, and between us all the Myrmidons know how to get out of trouble."
"I'll talk with Shamal tonight," Hayate promised, "she'll arrange something with you in a day or so, okay?"
"Okay," Didier softly, "I don't have to take Yussef-san's class anymore?"
Hayate shook her head, "No, you don't."
"Thank you," he said with surprising fervor, then looked embarrassed, "I'm sorry, really, but..."
Yussef cut him off with a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Didier. We can't change what's happened to us in the past, only deal with our present."
"You should probably go think of what you're going to say to Shamal, though," Hayate advised. "She's probably going to expect you to have a more concrete idea of what you want to learn than you have right now."
Didier rose to his feet, "Yes, sensei, thank you." He bowed, and disappeared out the door, visibly relieved to have all that behind him.
Once the door closed, Hayate asked, "How are you going to handle this, Yussef?"
He shrugged, "Didier's personal beliefs conflict too greatly with what I am teaching. If any of the others object, it's my class, my rules. There are plenty of people out there who do not believe in violence, some of whom object to it... violently."
Hayate ginned at his joke, but pressed on, "I didn't mean your class, Yussef. This is the first student you have had drop your class. Given the fact that I seem to keep collecting students with tragic and traumatic pasts, I do not think he will be the last."
"It doesn't do good things for my ego," Yussef allowed, "but if he was having as much trouble now as he claims, two months from now he'd be having a complete breakdown. I'd rather have him drop the course. Also, if he is that badly off, and exposure training isn't hardening him, he would never be able to pass the course, let alone help with protecting his classmates. Let Shamal-sensei teach him how to protect himself. Given her personality, he'll soon be better at protecting his classmates than anyone else, he just won't be doing anything offensive. Also, like you said, he probably won't be the last. I'd be willing to bet the twins will try to drop the course shortly, probably Kaemon too, now that all three of them are working with Laura."
"Kaemon I agree will, but the twins? I thought they would excel at your class. Is someone giving them trouble, or is it something else?"
"Not trouble, no, it's just... they're exceptionally good at working together, sure," Yussef told her, "but not with anyone else. I think I've caught them building a mutual spell once, but pair them off with anyone but each other, and they suddenly go all fumble-fingered. I think it's deliberate, they seriously dislike being separated. They'll do the exercises well enough, but only just the minimum, and that with a lot of resistance."
"Ah, that," Hayate said, visibly relaxing. "I thought they might be having trouble with Mercedes, after their part in Laura's prank."
Yussef shook his head, "No, Mercedes isn't one to blame the messenger. She's not friendly with the twins, mind you, but she's not angry at them, either. Not where I can see, at least."
"If they aren't having any special problems with Mercedes, I don't think we'll let them drop your class. More than the others, they need to learn what you're teaching."
That made him concerned momentarily, "Sensei? Is there a threat to them specifically?"
Hayate shook her head slowly, "No, no, I wasn't talking about threats, Yussef. They need to learn how to interact with people other than each other. Laura's doing some of that, of course, but I would prefer they learn it from you as well. So, they'll stay in your class. Don't let them be on the same team, at all. If they don't start doing their best when working with others, call them on it, push them. They've never had to deal with peers, your class will teach them how to at least manage working together, if not socializing. And speaking of socializing, how is Mercedes' and Laura's challenge going?"
Yussef grimaced at that reminder, dreading the incipient explosion he knew was going to occur any day now. "Nowhere, yet. I've given Mercedes a standing offer of advice and assistance, mostly to try and keep her from going overboard, but neither of them has done anything but plan, so far. Unless Laura's tried something since lunch, I should say. Knowing her..."
Hayate smiled, "Yes, knowing her, anything could have happened. But no fights or anything?"
"I don't think it'll go that far," Yussef said. "I'll keep Mercedes in hand, and I'm fairly certain Signum-sensei and Noriko will do the same with Laura. The hard part's going to be keeping collateral damage down."
"Yes, but I'm confident you and Noriko can manage it." The smile faded, and Hayate turned serious again, "Shamal will talk to Didier tomorrow afternoon. Can you make some time for her at lunch? I'd like her to have a better idea of where he is."
"Certainly, ma'am."
Hayate grimaced at him, "What is it with everyone and calling me 'ma'am' all of a sudden? I'm not that old!"
"It might have something to do with all those orders you keep giving, Hayate-sensei. Or those gray hairs Laura's giving you."
"You've given me just as many as she has," Hayate countered. "On your way, before Marcel figures out where you disappeared to and yells at me about messing up your schedule."
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Hayate was barely settled at her desk after showing Yussef out when the phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she quirked an eyebrow, then hit the speaker button. "Good afternoon, Grand Master, what can I do for you at this ridiculous hour? What is it there, almost midnight"
"Good evening to you, as well, Miss Yagami," Hughes replied. "It's not that bad, I was about to sack out. But one of my people has given me a plan for an attack on the Revenants, and I need to talk it over with you. Figured you'd be more likely to have time now, than earlier."
Hayate blinked at that, more than a little surprised. While the treaty Hughes had agreed to required him to keep her informed, that was normally handled through simple e-mails, reviewed by whichever of her staff had the watch. If he was calling her to discuss it, that meant it was either a major operation, aimed at Japan, or the result of an over-eager subordinate doing something without telling Hughes. "I'm listening, Colonel."
"Maunders delivered the latest appreciations, correct?"
"Yes, a few days ago."
"Have you read them? Specifically, the analysis of the Revenants' Shanghai facility?"
Hayate had to think for a minute before nodding, "I've scanned them. That is administrative, correct?"
"Actually, we have reason to believe it's Ghosts... some of the Intelligence people who went over to the Revenants. But it is exposed. It's the only facility they have in Shanghai, almost their only base on the Chinese coast. It's also one of their more public locations, there have been rumors in the local press about them, and in China, Shanghai's second only to Hong Kong for traffic in and out. All of that makes it a very risky place for the Revenants to have a facility, and one of my Ops people has put together a strike plan. I don't particularly care for it, he's banking too much on surprise and not planning for enough support, but that also means he can kick it off very quickly indeed. He wants authorization to make the strike the first week of October."
"That is fast," Hayate whispered, not at all happy with a Circle mage who was that efficient. "What precisely is he hoping to accomplish?"
"Prisoners. If the facility is mostly Ghosts, like we expect, they'll be able to provide us with near limitless intelligence on the Revenants. Even if it isn't, we should still be able to garner quite a lot of information."
Hayate thought it over carefully in silence for a few minutes. On the one hand, Shanghai was far too close to her children for her to be comfortable letting the Circles conduct the operation. It was painfully obvious where the attackers would route through, given that the entirety of China was Revenant territory. It would also give the Circles valuable experience in conducting more modern operations, hands-on experience that would make them exponentially more dangerous. On the other hand, it was a golden opportunity to damage and possibly cripple Revenant operations, would give Hughes and the other Moderns information they needed to help bring the civil war to a fast conclusion, which would thus reduce the bloodshed.
"I'll want observers," Hayate finally said, "they will watch from under stealth, but not interfere. If the mission turns sour, and your field commander requests it, they will extract your people, but that is all. Agreed?"
"Agreed, and thank you for the offer," Hughes answered. "I'm forwarding you the usual information, including the execute date. I'll include the contact information for the force commander, as well. Let me know if you have any objections, otherwise it will go off as scheduled."
"I appreciate this, Grand Master. Now go get some sleep, you need more of it, with all you are responsible for."
He chuckled at her, "Now if only those responsibilities would let me get that sleep. Good night, Miss Yagami."
He hung up, and Hayate reached for Signum. 'Hughes' people are getting ambitious,' she sent, then explained what Hughes had told her. 'Pick one of the children to take with you, please. Remember, and remind them, it will be observational only, but I want them to see how the Circles operate.'
'Yussef, I think,' Signum replied. 'This is more his area than Noriko's or Laura's. I'll review Hughes' notice, then inform him. Will this impact the trip to Kyoto?'
'Not unless they have to delay it, or it goes terribly wrong. If they do delay it, we will have to delay the trip. While you're gone, I'm going to want to be immediately available in case of problems.'
'Problems from a city full of Revenants? Whatever problems could they pose? Yussef and I can handle them, Mistress.'
'Forgive me if I worry,' Hayate told her, smiling at Signum's semi-sarcastic comment.
'Worry is bad for you, Mistress.' Signum's amusing teasing was quite plain in her tone, 'You need to learn to relax. Ah! Excuse me, Kaemon just surprised Laura, I need to rescue him.'
Hayate let the link fade, then brought up a display tuned to the sparring ring. Sure enough, Signum was holding the two students apart, though it was even odds, from what Hayate could tell, which of the children looked more surprised. "I wonder what he did," Hayate muttered, "and how he surprised her?"
Duty called, however, and she returned her attention to her work. Media questions, government questions, parent questions, random contacts the answering service wasn't sure how to handle, all of it wound up on her desk, on top of the same work from the year before making sure her school ran smoothly. Still, it was a far lighter load than some people she knew. Ah, Chrono-kun, Hughes, how I do not envy either of you your exalted positions.
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Author's Note: Okay, my bad. I thought this chapter would take me longer than it did to finish. Tai-yu's presentation just kinda wrote itself over the course of an afternoon, though I'm still not entirely happy about it. Questions that needed to be answered, but I'm not entirely happy with how it turned out, just can't think of how to do it better. Now you're all really in trouble, though, because I'm only just getting started on Chapter 07. So there!:)
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TheWhiteMonk: Hughes is definitely trying to play every side (there are more than two!), mostly because it's that or die. He has to deal with Revenants, Hayate, the Bureau, and several factions within the Moderns, such as the old regional and divisional hierarchies. Tai-yu's fairly open-minded, though you'll note from above she does have issues of her own. There will be more Circle members, but I won't vouch for their views. As for a Caslet or Yu, I'd argue that's what Hughes is! I'm thinking about national views, since several of you have asked, but they aren't currently supposed to become involved until later.
Eternal Longing: Apparently I spoke too soon... I know what you mean about getting bored with repeat villains, though Nanoha's always had good ones. As far as the music goes, I recommend all those songs, but trust me, I'm more than aware that my taste in music is frighteningly eclectic. And thanks for the PM on Ekavir, I also realized I forgot Tai-yu! There's nothing wrong with being a nit-picking perfectionist, we need all the company we can find.
Baughn: I like describing the new kids, it's part of what makes this fun for me. If I can pull of a plot as convoluted and complex as Jordan was working on, I will throw myself a massive party in celebration. Come on, last I heard he had half the series written, before his passing? He wasn't deliberately stringing everyone along, just writing a precedent-setting epic! You're right about how the maintenance links would not be active when the device isn't being fixed, but that's one of Allina's problems. The problem with what happened to Noriko is that it wasn't a programming attack, but a simple energy attack – good for destruction, but not for gaining control. Something similar might work, though, depending on the target mage.
Kell Shock: Yup, used the wrong name. Ulric was originally going to be his name, but Uriel fit better once I got his character figured out. Their similar enough, the original name keeps sneaking when I'm not paying attention. I'm afraid the Kobayashi's were just there as 'explanation', for how the mundane stuff was taken care of. Still not sure how big a part they'll play, but at least there's a name there now. With the Seed, remember their 'evolution' was pure myth, and their origin is mostly myth – the Circles know they were constructs, created by the Lords of Light, but the Circles never had (and were never interested in) specifics. But if I had a device, I'd be just as eager as Vita to take on a Seed – think of the challenge! Using mundane weapons, I think I'd prefer an M1 tank or a Hellfire missile – bazookas are too inaccurate for such a maneuverable target. You're right that dancers-as-mages is uncommon (and not happening here, I'm afraid), I'm actually rather fond of the idea. It wouldn't work well for combat, but it would be excellent for rituals, especially rituals with multiple mages. If I recall my pop-anthropology correctly, dance in general was started as magical rituals, anyhow. Lastly, no, I'm afraid Takashi can't fly as a dragon – If you'll remember back in Path of Vengeance, his wings were 'shredded', and Hayate can't heal that.
Natimus Prime: I'll do my best to keep the pranks fresh, but I'm rather fond of changing people's hair color:). The Seed should have known better than to jump in the null, but no one (available to Hughes and Hayate, at least) knows how they were controlled, so it may not have been willing. As far as Takashi visiting, he's a busy guy, and if you were him, would you go someplace you can't get out of in a hurry? Remember, even he and Hayate can't teleport through the school's barrier. And he did teach a course on magic, he taught Noriko and Yussef some of what they needed to build their devices!Allina and Niranjana are fun, and you're right about one route they will pursue, but that still runs into Baughn's objection – opening the repair port in the first place. Like I told Kell Shock, I like the idea of a dancer as a ritualist, since that's what dances were originally supposed to be. Won't necessarily see that, though, since Esmeralda doesn't have a refined talent like Mariachi. The Circles' understanding of the Bureau's scale is limited, yes, but remember, the Circles are stuck on one world. You're right about Hayate being the only one protecting them from the Bureau, but how much of that do they realize? Also, the only one talking about going after the Bureau is Uriel, and are you sure he doesn't just mean 'those Bureau personnel on Earth'?
notcroaker: Tai-yu's view of the US military is accurate, however, we do rely very heavily on our technological superiority, and that does require a greater degree of training and education than most other armies. I'm curious, though, I'm not sure what Hughes is 'harping' on?