Chapter 14: Bonds
The steady clop of horseshoes on the packed dirt of the road only served to help Guiche measure just how long the silence had lasted. Outside, the gentle hills had turned to sparse trees, which were only mildly more interesting. Turning from the window, he met the unabating gaze once more. "Well this is certainly uncomfortable." Guiche spoke with forced cheer, trying to lighten the mood. One could only look at passing trees so long.
The other passenger in the carriage merely raised an eyebrow. "I would hardly say a cushioned carriage ride is uncomfortable." Agnes frowned slightly in distaste and went back to studying Guiche.
Agnes' disregard for his point caused Guiche to let out a breath. Fine, if she wanted him to be more direct he was happy to oblige. "I was referring to the previous awkward silence. I still haven't figured out whether or not you are planning to throttle me." While stern distaste did seem to be Agnes' default expression, she was showing quite a bit of that to him. When Agnes made no effort to reply, Guiche elaborated for fear of more silence. "My appointment as your temporary replacement was an insult. We both know this." There, he had said it.
Nodding, Agnes confirmed, "Indeed. One that could have gotten my soldiers killed. However, my Lieutenant informed me you performed admirably during the war; I see no reason to chastise you." Despite her words, Agnes' eyes narrowed, "If given the opportunity, I might have words with whatever noble thought it was a good idea to put an unproven boy in charge of an all-female musketeer platoon." The venom that emanated from Agnes chilled Guiche's spine. Thank Brimir she was logical enough not to take it out on him.
"Still," Agnes said, her stoic face finally displaying a hint of curiosity. "From the looks of you, I'd say you were nothing but a foppish brat." Guiche deflated a little and looked down. "Not someone who would write, 'Mages in a Supporting Role.'"
Guiche's head snapped up to look at Agnes who was now holding a worn leather-bound book. "That's a working title - Wait, where did you get that?" Guiche reached for his work in progress, only for a glare to halt his advance.
Quirking an eyebrow, Agnes' lip curled into the faintest of smiles and flicked her wrist; popping open the book. "Chapter Seven: Mobile Trench Warfare." Guiche quelled the urge to mention chapter titles were also works in progress. "This is revolutionary stuff kid. Not in a good way." For a moment Guiche's breath caught, "Or at least that is what any one of your noble colleagues would say." With another snap of her wrist Agnes closed the book and handed back to Guiche.
His book safely back in his possession, Guiche answered the half-asked question. "The idea that soldiers should support the mage by protecting them while they cast spells is foolish. In most cases they are just sacrificing lives to let the noble play the hero." With a mild frown, Guiche remembered his old tactics instructor explaining how to use spells as battle-winning tide-turners. Such ideas were squashed out of his head rather quickly by the real world. "Heh," Guiche chuckled, "If I had tried that Mirabelle just might have skinned me alive."
For once, the taciturn Agnes returned the mild chuckle, "My Lieutenant can be a bit stern." Guiche was wise enough not mention the metaphor of kettles and pots. "That is one of the reasons I came on this trip with you." At Guiche's questioning look, Agnes elaborated, "I'll be resuming command of the musketeers in a week. I'm debating keeping you on."
Agnes waited for Guiche to process her proposal. With his brow furrowed, Guiche questioned, "I thought men weren't allowed in the Princess' personal guard." Not accepting or rejecting, Guiche evaluated the information.
With a smirk, Agnes responded, "We could simply geld you." The Chevalier chuckled as the color fled from the boy's face. "Relax; you just wouldn't be assigned as a personal guard. You'd be more of a… mage advisor." Guiche was unable to stifle the sigh of relief that followed. "You are proven in battle, and you have the right type of mind for my unit, but I still have yet to evaluate the quality of that mind." Once again Agnes received a questioning look. "You being assigned to my unit as sabotage is not out of the ordinary. As a squad of commoners led by a commoner who rose to the rank of Chevalier, my unit comes under heavy scrutiny and political attack." Her face became stern as she leaned forward and propped her chin upon folded hands. "I need to assess whether you have the smarts to deal with that scrutiny. You would be the first male and the first mage assigned to my unit in peacetime. More than that, you would be subordinate to a non-mage."
While his time as acting commander of the musketeers had given Guiche the standard distaste for politics that all soldiers bore, he understood the gravity of Agnes' words. "Well then, how would you test me?" The air of challenge did not fail to entice Guiche.
Apparently satisfied with his grit, Agnes leaned back and looked down at Guiche, appraising him. "Why were you sent on this mission?" The carriage rattled along the road, but Agnes' eyes remained on Guiche.
Across from Agnes, Guiche held his tongue, letting the question settle before he replied, "I could say I was chosen for sentimental value as I was both the Maiden's classmate for a spell and fought alongside her several times," Agnes' unwavering face offered no help, "but that is only the surface of it." Biting his lower lip, Guiche worked the problem out. "As the current leader of the musketeer corps, I am technically the Princess's direct subordinate." Guiche did not mention that he had only ever met the princess but a few times. "By sending me, it shows the Princess is directly acknowledging her slights without having to apologize for them."
"Go on." Agnes ordered, not satisfied.
Scratching his chin, Guiche continued, "Well, the crown stood aside for the inquisition. Officially they sided with the church rather than the Vallieres." Guiche nodded in confirmation of his own point, "Even with paladins combing his lands, Duke Valliere still raised his army for the crown's war without any resistance. Normally such fealty would be informally rewarded." Guiche grimaced as he came to the next part. "But instead, the Maiden was sacrificed to cover the army's retreat." Agnes nodded in reverence for the lost. "So by sending me, the Princess can informally recognize what she has put the Duke through without losing face with the church or the more pious nobles." Guiche watched Agnes as she evaluated his answer.
With a nod, Agnes spoke curtly, "Acceptable, you'll do." With a mild lurch, the carriage stopped, "Now, we have a job to do." Agnes jerked her head to the side, signaling Guiche to leave first.
An air of sobriety fell over the two as they prepared for somber business. Carefully, Guiche retrieved the folded royal army banner and stepped out of the carriage. His crisp formal boots were still stiff and unused. Offering a hand only for Agnes to reject it, Guiche waited for the woman to lower herself to the ground. Still weak from her old injuries, Agnes was slow, but methodical in her exit of the carriage. Her own formal attire did not help at all. Regardless of her discomfort, she managed without incident and fell in line next to Guiche. The two soldiers looked to the Valliere household in front of them, and the woman standing in the doorway waiting for them. With the banner held firmly, Guiche marched at a pace Agnes could manage safely.
As the two made the long trek down the cobblestone walkway, Guiche prepared himself for what was to come. How Lady Valliere knew when they would arrive was beyond him, but there she was, waiting next to the house. As he neared, he expected tears, screams of rage, any variety of extreme emotions. Yet the stern woman waiting for them didn't waver. She simply studied them and the banner they brought. "Lady Valliere, if the Duke might be summoned..." Guiche spoke mechanically, relying on his time with the musketeers to guide him in the harshly awkward situation.
The Lady Valliere looked to the banner Guiche bore, then for the first time truly looked into Guiche's eyes. If Agnes had been evaluating him as a subordinate, this woman was evaluating him as an ant. He was so far below her expectations it was laughable. Her sheer presence nearly distracted him from her order. "Leave that with me. Then go." Stunned by both her presence and disregard for what was obviously news of her daughter death, Guiche hesitated. "Now." The command had Guiche handing over the banner before he could remember he was supposed to hand it the duke in person. "Now leave."
"Yes ma'am." Guiche replied on instinct alone. As soon as his back was turned he heard the sound of a door close and the woman's presence disappeared. He didn't even bother repressing his sigh of relief, an action shared by Agnes as well. When the two were safely back in the carriage, Guiche nervously broke the silence, "Was it just me, or was she a little heartless about all this?"
Agnes shook her head. Normally, she prided herself on being unshakable, but that woman was inhuman. "Not heartless. I'm sure she already received the news from one of her house's spies. That, and I think she shares the same opinion as the Princess on the events surrounding the Maiden's last battle." That was enough to pique Guiche's interest once more. Agnes just shook her head, "Way above you kid. But enough about that, I'd say managing to maintain your composure despite all of that is the final bit of proof I need. You're in, kid."
Guiche quirked an eyebrow, remembering what they had been discussing before the Lady Valliere. "Wait, I never agreed to this." He half-heartedly protested.
It was Agnes's turn to quirk an eyebrow to accompany her knowing look. "Kid, you belong in my unit. We can work out how you'll split your time between training and finishing your schooling later. Tonight, we're taking the unit out to celebrate getting a new rookie."
Any protest caught in Guiche's throat. "I suppose you're right… Wait! What's this about me being a rookie!?" For the first time Guiche heard Agnes' laughter as the carriage clopped along through the woods back to the capital.
Louise wished she was in carriage. The bare wooden seats of the covered wagon were starting to wear on her. At least when she had been journeying on foot there was an element of danger that kept her mind active. The sun had fallen, leaving any hope of reading gone with the light. If she practiced her fire magic, the others were sure to complain about the smell in the enclosed space. Enviously, she looked to Tiffania and Cattleya practicing their void magic. Rather, Tiffania was practicing and Cattleya was still having trouble producing any kind of magic. How her elder sister stayed so positive was beyond Louise. If Louise had lost her magic for even a day she would be a wreck. Cattleya hadn't managed a spell in weeks.
As if to accentuate her elder sister's unshakable optimism, Cattleya and Tiffania broke into giggles at some remark of Siesta's. The maid had joined them to take a break from driving the wagon and left the reins with Tabitha. Aside the silent girl, a far less silent girl yawned without regard to her volume; an act that slightly irked Louise due to Kirche's close proximity to a sleeping Montmorency. The blonde in question remained still as a log. Mildly, Louise wondered how Montmorency could sleep at all. What with the jostling of the wagon and the less than quiet passengers. Speaking of less than quiet passengers, Kirche suddenly addressed Louise's familiar , "So why can I see you, furball? Weren't you supposed to be invisible?"
From his place next to Louise, Id looked to Kirche. "My current state has nothing to do with freeing up processing power to deal with Louise's interference." After a beat, Id swished his tail and looked up to meet Louise's eyes. Unflinching, Louise studied her familiar before it turned away.
With a tilt to her head, Kirche let the question go only partially answered. "Well, at least answer me this. You made Louise and Montmorency the way they are, and in exchange they each got a wish. Any wish?" The idle curiosity in Kirche's voice did little to keep Louise's hackles from rising at the touchy subject.
Seemingly unaware of Louise and any sort of tact, Id replied as if speaking to an ignorant child. "I only facilitated. It is the release of a magical girl's magic that grants a magical girl's wish." Another swish of its tail stirred the air.
Kirche yawned again, seemingly just curious in the information. In spite of that she pressed on, "But is there a limit to a wish? What if I wished for those girls and myself thereafter to change back to normal girls?"
"Eh?" Louise could not contain the surprise in her voice.
Despite the ridiculously grandiose idea, Kirche remained rather lax about the situation. "Impossible." The Kyuubey shook its head in almost a patronizing fashion; shutting down any hope before it could grow. "The limit of a magical girl's wish is dependent upon the accumulated unknown variable." At Kirche's questioning look, Id continued, "Normally the unknown variable can best be equated to despair. Usually such an approximation is made to facilitate comprehension for less than optimum intelligences." At that blatant insult Id looked back to Louise. When she blew off the insult with a deadpan expression, Id turned back to Kirche. "For any normal wish the standard candidate would have more than enough power, but going against direct causality such as reversing a death or in reversing another wish contract would require an inordinate amount of power. Accumulation of such would take at least several hundred of your lifetimes. A feat made even more unfeasible by those who have passed through their second major growth phase being ineligible for the transformation. From your body's current state, I would say you have finished, much like Siesta." If Louise didn't know better, she would say her familiar was talking down to Kirche. Did it enjoy this? Such an idea wasn't too far-fetched.
Kirche titled her head in confusion. "Second major growth phase?" She tested the foreign words.
Louise knew what her familiar was referencing. She was just a late bloomer. Soon enough she would grow. Just look at her sisters! "Girls can only make a contract during puberty." Id explained to Kirche, unaware of Louise's growing temper. "Just like when I checked Siesta I am sure you-" The Kyuubey paused as it did something unseen, "Surprising. I had assumed from your mature form that you had finished puberty, but it seems you are still growing." The Kyuubey's neutral tone did nothing to quell the steadily growing anger beside it.
"Oh?" Kirche spoke out with a smile as she looked down to her chest. "Still growing? Well maybe I'll be able to give that elf a run for her money someday."
Kirche's apparent satisfaction with her body only stoked the fire growing in Louise. "You are the second outlier I have found in this world. The possibility that your biology differs from earthlings should be considered. The second outlier, Louise, is even the complete reversal of you. Her second growth phase is almost over and she looks to not have even begun it by common standards."
"I'm a LATE BLOOMER!" Louise exploded in divine retribution. Though her fist found no Kyuubey as Id danced away.
"Success!" Id exclaimed as it easily dodged out of Louise's reach. "Wait, success? Louise, how did I anger you so?" Id shook his head hastily, "Never mind that for now, focus on uploading as much data as possible."
"I'll upload your data." Louise huffed as she failed to grab Id once more. The two scrambled about the dark confines of the covered cabin for a few moments.
Kirche giggled as Id hid behind her. That action was the last bit needed to settle Louise. Blushing at being laughed at by her one time enemy, Louise huffed and sat down across from a rousing Montmorency. The blonde groggily looked across at Louise with a tired yet annoyed glare. Louise timidly offered an apologetic smile, realizing that she had been the one to rouse her friend despite her earlier annoyance at half the wagon. Without a word, Montmorency closed her eyes and settled in to try and return to sleep.
Despite the ruckus, Kirche had one more question, "Any normal wish? So healing someone whose mind has been permanently damaged?"
"Kirche." Tabitha warned her friend not to press any more on the sensitive issue.
Even at that warning, Kirche pretended not to understand the unspoken meaning. "What, Tabitha? You'll have to elaborate." Kirche's teasing fell on surprisingly heavy tension.
Tabitha drew back the reigns harshly, abruptly stopping the wagon and jostling its passengers. "We're here." A sour look was shared between Kirche and Tabitha for the faintest of moments.
"We have arrived!?" The lighthearted glee of Cattleya washed away any hint of tension as she clamored out of the wagon. Second to follow was Tabitha, whistling for her dragon overhead to land. As Montmorency herself exited from the front of the wagon, Tiffania was lowered out the back by a waiting Saito. Louise stretched her legs, waking them from travel as she looked around while waiting for the rest to exit the wagon.
The cabin itself was more of a house really; two stories and brick rather than wood. As an earth mage, no doubt Eleanor preferred to be surrounded by her element. It definitely had Eleanor's sense of class. A sparse forest extended behind it and it overlooked a great lake. It was the model retreat home. Not too flashy but certainly not dull, the sensible looking house fit in nicely with the scenery; exactly as a noble's home away from home should be. Louise grimaced, remembering just how proper her eldest sister was. She had become lax in dealing with Cattleya; there was no telling what she would be in for with Eleanor. Dropping in unannounced with another lich, an elf, her renegade sister and not to mention several commoners; that was something Eleanor would disapprove of, to put it lightly.
The click of a musket hammer being pulled back snapped Louise's senses to her. Whipping around, she found that Saito had withdrawn his musket and placed himself between the forest and Tiffania. "Something's out there." His steeled voice spoke with a heavy worry.
That something did not remain hidden long. Striding out of the forest with grace seemingly impossible for its size strode a being of shadows. The entire party tensed as the moonlight slowly dispelled the shadows clinging to the beast. Standing nearly twice as tall as Sylphid with the body of lion, the wings of a bat and the tail of a scorpion strode the most massive manticore they had ever seen. Well, all except two. The two Vallieres had seen a manticore this size before. They had seen this manticore before. "Mr. Fluffles!" Cattleya shrieked with excitement as she slammed into the manticore's mane, gripping the fur and latching on to the massive animal like a leech. The ancient manticore's ominous presence was quickly dispelled as it tried and failed to gently let Cattleya down. Leaning down this way, bowing that way, each time the manticore lowered the portion of its mane Cattleya was clinging to she would simply climb until eventually she was atop the beast's head scratching that oh-so-wonderful place behind its ears.
Giving up, the manticore lay down and accepted the pleasurable sensation. "Hello, Alistair." Louise used the manticore's proper name as she place a hand on his massive snout. The huff of breath that followed teetered Louise on her feet. "Cattleya?" Louise questioned upward.
Cattleya popped out from beneath the field of fur, "Oh right! Everyone, this is our mother's familiar, Alistair the Manticore, but you can call him Mr. Fluffles." Alistair huffed at the nickname and gave a stern look to the group in front of him. Only his charges were given that privilege, not them.
"Cattleya," Louise interjected once again, "I meant that maybe we should go inside." There was no doubt in Louise's mind that sending Cattleya in ahead was the best course of action. Seeing Cattleya was sure to at least partially warm Eleanor's heart.
Hanging on to a tuft of hair, Cattleya's legs kicked about for a moment before she let go and fell to the ground. "Right then, everyone follow me!" Still eyeing the massive manticore warily, the group lined up to follow Cattleya. "Oh!" The girl clasped her hands remembering, "Tabitha, you can leave little Sylphid with Mr. Fluffles. He'll take good care of her." Tabitha responded with a blank look over her glasses to the idealistic woman. One Cattleya did not notice. "You hear that Mr. Fluffles, you look after little Sylphid okay?" Knowing the loyal manticore was not one to refuse an order, Cattleya ushered the group to the house. The bounce in her step showed no trace of the trepidation the others felt. Lich, half-elf, or commoner, they all knew it was possible they would be treated poorly or things would take a turn for the worse because of their lot in life.
Still oblivious, Cattleya knocked upon the cabin door before opening it. Not even phased by the unlocked door, Cattleya swung the door wide and walked in, ushering those behind her to follow. A mild light illuminated the lobby, or rather lobby-turned-ritual-room. A massive magic circle had been drawn upon the hardwood floor and there was no furniture to speak of. For a moment Louise studied the circle, she could find pieces of the summoning circle and binding circle, but only pieces. This was meant for something else. "Eleanor?" Slight worry tainted Cattleya's voice for once.
"In here." A familiar voice called from a room opposite the circle, the door slightly ajar. As the group journeyed around the circle Saito eyed it warily. Such situations screamed danger in most settings. They were going to find Louise's sister possessed by a demon, or she'd be undead, or both!
Despite any worries, Cattleya entered the room Eleanor had called from. The door swung wide with the faintest of creaks to reveal a study littered with books. Tomes were spread out chaotically. Several colored bookmarks peeked out from between the pages of every book. Some were left laying open and others sat haphazardly stacked cover to cover. Across the room, a woman sat at a desk. The lantern hanging above her provided the sole light in the dim room. Her frayed, long blond hair fell down the chair, blocking most of her body from view. "Eleanor?" It was Louise who spoke.
A hand rose, stopping her. With her hand still raised, Eleanor paused. It was only by the slight jostling of her shoulder that Louise could tell she was writing something. "There, done." Standing up, Eleanor turned around to meet the group. When her eyes finally fell on the group, she paused to take in the unexpected amount of people. Her eyes passed over Tabitha and Kirche with barely a pause. Then over Saito and Siesta without even that. They stopped on Tiffania "Elf." She spoke the word as a matter of fact. Tiffania flinched under the studying gaze.
Cattleya was quick to place herself between the harsh gaze and her friend. "My friend Tiffania has endured much as a half-elf. She-"
Eleanor sighed, "Half-elf. Then you haven't had much contact with elven culture?" Tiffania had no voice, so she merely managed a shake of her head. "Oh well." Wistfully depressed, Eleanor returned to the matter at hand. Despite her messy appearance, the woman stood straight and managed to emanate a proper, disapproving aura. "I expected the girl from the Montmorency house, but you brought along quite the gaggle, sisters." Eleanor adjusted her glasses and walked toward a hanging lantern.
Taken slightly aback, Louise asked, "You expected us?" This… unexciting welcome was not what she had expected.
"Eventually," Eleanor turned a knob on the lantern. Fire ignited within and blazed brighter and brighter until the room was fully lit. "Father's spies in the church were able to get your full description, including what was left out to the public. Just as Cattleya used that to surmise that it was the two of you at the Battle of Tarbes, I knew it was you who rescued her at Saxe-Gotha." Focusing on Cattleya, Eleanor studied her sister for a brief moment, "Cattleya knew I was working on some sort of cure for you, so she was sure to bring you here at one point or another." With a depressed shrug Eleanor turned back to the younger of her two sisters, "Not that I've managed mind you, but I have made strides in uncovering something grand." A slight hint of excitement leaked into Eleanor's voice in spite of her admission of no cure.
Due to her experience with Eleanor, Louise knew showing any form of excitement was a rare thing. When the other woman stopped and waited for someone to ask her to continue, Louise realized she had never seen Eleanor this excited. "What did you find?"
Still unabashedly smiling with her ever so slight hint of smugness, Eleanor replied, "Well first off I can tell you that you aren't a lich."
"Actually," Louise interjected, "Technically Montmorency and I are."
"Actually," Eleanor interjected, spitting Louise's word back at her, "Technically you aren't. The process of becoming a lich rots the flesh. Lich actually comes from the old tongue. The word means, 'moving decay,' and you seem to be in fine shape. Only elven liches retain their flesh." Louise was cut off before she could even begin to explain her status as a magical girl. "You may have separated your soul from your body; that much I believe. Really, Cardinal Torquemada being wrong about that would be less believable." Eleanor huffed her words out like what she was saying should be obvious. "Now, once I understood that you were only like a lich a whole new vein of research appeared. Several Paladins have researched ways to return lich souls to their bodies as a way of killing them."
"We found as much." Montmorency joined in, remembering their time in the Paladin library.
Eleanor briefly paused to look at what she had previously written off. "Indeed. But regardless, such a ritual would not be fatal to one whose body still maintains life." Eleanor gestured to Louise, or rather her body that currently wasn't in a state of decomposition. "Now, following those texts led me to the same conclusion all those old Paladins reached. A ritual like that would require magic of the soul. Void magic." Stopping for what could only be a dramatic pause, Eleanor continued, "Of course, finding a mage who could wield that lost power is but a fantasy, so instead, I set about modifying the summoning ritual to emulate Void magic. The circle is used to modify magic to allow for what is essentially a void spell after all."
"We have a void mage." Louise spoke plainly.
"Now, I had to be careful as liches were said to become the way they are by trying to replicate void magic and turning myself into a lich would only-" Eleanor paused, finally realizing what her sister had said. "Wait, what?"
Smirking, Louise explained, "We have a void mage, two actually. Cattleya and Tiffania are both capable of void magic." Eleanor closed her mouth, opened it, then settled on closing it again. "Like you, we found the texts of old paladins and came to the conclusion that void magic was needed." For the sake of feeling smarter than her know-it-all sister, Louise left out how she had only jumped to void magic on a fleeting hope rather than extensive study. "So we tracked down a void mage and then the Founder's Prayerbook, a spellbook for a void mage." Cattleya withdrew the Founder's Prayerbook from her satchel and waved it lightly. Taking the book, Louise walked over to Eleanor. "The problem is neither Cattleya nor Tiffania can read it on command. Apparently the words only appear in times of need."
Eleanor snatched the holy relic from Louise's hands abruptly. Her frustration showed as she began roughly flipping through the pages. "Probably more than standard privacy enchantments. Most likely void related." Eleanor peeked over the edge of the blank book. "You need me to get this to work on command for our sister and her friend." Louise nodded. "I'll see what I can do." The words were spoken with a slight hint of spite and an even smaller hint of excitement. There was nothing an academic hated more than being second place in an intellectual race, but the chance to dissect a relic from a bygone age was certainly an acceptable consolation prize. "There are rooms upstairs and food in the kitchen across the lobby. I'll speak with you in the morning." The statement lacked any courtesy, but it was dismissal enough. Even Cattleya was cowed from the room when Eleanor shot her an annoyed glare. Last out of the room, Louise stopped when her name was called. "Louise," Eleanor lift her eyes from the relic and met her sister's, "I'm glad you are safe."
For a moment, Louise just stood there. Had Eleanor opened with such a line, Louise would have known what to do. While more Cattleya's style, heartfelt reunions were something Eleanor and Louise understood. The more abrupt, business dedicated Eleanor had put Louise off center. The books strewn about only proved just how much Eleanor had been studying and researching. Studying for Louise, said magical girl realized. "Thank you Eleanor." Louise spoke softly before leaving her eldest sister to her work.
More hungry than tired, the group gathered in the kitchen and raided Eleanor's foodstuffs. Enjoying bread far fresher than what he had eaten while travelling, Saito spoke up. "Well Louise, one of your sisters is too nice, the other is too stern, but are you juuuussst right?" Silence greeted him. Louise quirked an eyebrow in confusion while Tiffania puffed out her cheeks. "You don't even have 'Three Little Bears'?"
Ignoring her familiar's failed reference, Tiffania spoke with her cheeks puffed out in defiance, "Cattleya isn't too nice. You can't be too nice, Saito." She leaned in and pouted at her familiar.
Saito gagged out what sounded like 'mo-hay,' more hay? Louise would never get that boy's random references to odd stories. Leaving the familiar to apologize to his master, Louise turned to the others. Tabitha and Kirche were already out the door, however. "Patrol." Tabitha spoke her one word explanation.
In a sing-song voice, Kirche elaborated, "She's worried about her familiar, so she is going out to check on Sylphid then take her for a ride to calm her nerves while at the same time making sure we weren't followed. Really, Tabitha, you need to elaborate on these things." Whatever Tabitha's reply was lost when the front door shut, cutting off any sound.
A patrol was probably a good idea, Louise surmised. While the chances of being followed were slim since they had Sylphid on lookout the entire trip, it was nice having a veteran like Tabitha along. She was useful in a way the others weren't. Said others involved Siesta cleaning the rather dirty kitchen while correcting Cattleya as the woman tried and failed to help. Tiffania was giggling as Saito got the better of her with puppy-dog eyes. Montmorency meanwhile was giving Louise a level gaze. Er… Louise stopped as she met Montmorency's disapproving look. "Louise and I will go prepare the rooms." Montmorency's voice was calm and neutral to all but the one who knew her best. The chorus of confirmations from the rest dissipated into idle chatter as Louise followed Montmorency out the kitchen and up the stairs.
As Montmorency walked down the upper hallway ignored several doors in favor of walking all the way to the room furthest from the kitchen. Once the two magical girls had entered, Montmorency closed the door and turned to Louise, or rather the familiar at her feet. For a moment Montmorency measured the Kyuubey in silence.
"Louise, I think Kirche is up to something." Montmorency's eyes met Louise's.
"Eh?" The severity of Montmorency's voice surprised Louise. "Up to something? I'll admit that Kirche teased me in school, but she had also risked her life to rescue me from Fouquet. Who, I may remind you, is now an ally."
"Is she now?" Montmorency cut her friend off. "Last I checked, we had agreed to more of a ceasefire than an alliance." Louise scoffed at the poor analogy.
"Louise," Montmorency's voice softened as she tried to be more diplomatic, "I'm not saying that Kirche is planning to betray us, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have an ulterior motive." Montmorency held out her hands in a pleading gesture when Louise looked away, "I know we have to stay in good spirits so we don't turn into nightmarish monsters, but I think you're using that as an excuse to try and think like Cattleya."
Think like her sister? Well, why shouldn't she? Cattleya was a great role model to live up to. Apparently Louise had been pouting because Montmorency was giving her a level gaze. Consciously keeping her face neutral, Louise began, "Cattleya is…" Montmorency's eyebrows rose as she waited for Louise to prove her point, "A little idealistic, I suppose." Louise relented that much. "That's not always a bad thing." It really wasn't.
Montmorency pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's true, Louise, but you can't be like that. You are the leader." When Louise looked disbelievingly Montmorency scoffed, "Don't even try to deny it." Louise swallowed her objections and relented to Montmorency's point. "You and I keep trusting people and getting almost killed because of it. We got tricked by Fouquet, put blind faith in the Pope, and then got poisoned by Dalzeel."
Not liking the patronizing tone of her friend, Louise shot back, "What about Professor Colbert? What about Tiffania? Are you saying they are going to betray us?"
"Louise." Montmorency scowled at her friend's tone of accusation. She could go on to point out the flaws in Louise's argument, but Montmorency trusted her friend's logical mind even when the girl in question refused to use it.
With no argument to get riled over, Louise's mind was forced to work in the awkward silence. First she frowned; then after fighting with herself she let out a sigh. "Alright." Louise relented, "I'll try to keep my wits about me." Montmorency had an overwhelming point; they did tend to trust the wrong people. "Do you really think Kirche plans to betray us?"
With a shrug, Montmorency rejected the idea, "I doubt it's anything like that. Kirche is loyal to a fault. When you got kidnapped she leapt at the chance to save you. What has me worried is that question about wishes." Louise thought back to the earlier scene. Wait, hadn't Montmorency been asleep? "Thanks to somebody, I was awake to hear her oddly specific question." Rolling her eyes at Louise's apologetic smile, Montmorency continued, "Heal someone who has had permanent damage done to her mind?" With eyebrows raised Montmorency once again waited for Louise's mind to work its logic.
"That is oddly specific." With a nod Louise let the puzzle stew in her mind. "You think Kirche has a loved one with a damaged mind and plans to become a magical girl to heal them?" Montmorency's nod did not stop Louise from digging into the puzzle further. "And you are worried Id will grant that wish." Again Montmorency nodded.
"I have agreed to not make any more contracts." Id interjected only to receive a disbelieving stare from Montmorency.
"Cutesy name or not, I still don't trust you." Id's tail swished twice in response to Montmorency's glare.
Stilling its tail, Louise's familiar informed, "As previously stated, I am unfamiliar with the concept of deception." Now Id was on the receiving end of two disbelieving sets of eyes. "Just because you humans inefficiently provide each other with corrupt data do not assume more advanced races do the same." The slight spike in garbage emotional data was noted. Once again it seemed situational modifiers play a large role in Louise's output.
A pause from her familiar spurred Louise to provide a rebuttal. "Even if you lack emotions, I find that hard to believe, familiar. You were quite adept at telling us all the great things about becoming magical girls and leaving out the tidbit about becoming witches." While Louise wouldn't call her familiar's slights against her forgiven, she certainly had learned not to stew on them. Naturally, that didn't mean she had forgotten them.
The swish of Id's tail and further silence told Louise her familiar was thinking hard; or processing garbage data as he would call it. "I will clarify for your sub-optimal intelligence." Louise noticed the obvious insult this time and disregarded it. "I provided you with the exact set of data to elicit the likeliest optimal response. Expending more energy and therefore creating more entropy to lessen the probability of preferable outcome is inefficient."
When Id paused to swish its tail once again, Louise quirked an eyebrow, "For one so obsessed with efficiency your little tail swishing habit certainly seems like wasted energy."
The swishing tail froze. "Maintaining muscular oxygenation is necessary for optimal body function." The tail remained noticeably still, "Furthermore, your modifications have given me perspective on your illogical negative reactions. However, this does not mean I have been degraded enough to contradict given performance parameters." Even after several tail-swishless beats Louise failed to translate the last bit of Kyuubey-speak. "Not that I consider your given parameters even the slightest bit efficient, but I still agreed to them." With that, Id turned and walked to the window, its tail still frozen in place. With a light hop, Id landed on the sill, "I will examine the surroundings." With a slight lean Id pushed open the window and slinked away along the outer edge.
"I'm not even going to pretend I understood half of that, but based on the fact you aren't chasing after him, I'm guessing we don't have to worry about him granting any wishes?" Montmorency peered at the window more than a little confused.
With a sigh, Louise walked over to the window and looked after her familiar. The white devil was currently scampering down a nearby tree. At least he wasn't stuck on the second story. Louise replied as she closed the window, "I'm fairly sure Id won't make any more magical girls without telling me first." At Montmorency's unsure look, Louise elaborated, "Whether it realizes it or not, its pride won't let it."
Apparently that satisfied Montmorency. "So even if we don't have to worry about Kirche contracting in secret, that still leaves her secret agenda."
"Possible unseen agenda." Louise corrected, "As for that, I say we just talk to her." Raising her hand, Louise showed the glimmering pink gem to her friend. "I honestly don't know how powerful my healing is, I just kind of feel it mend whatever is hurt. When I healed your head injury that the cardinal gave you, I felt my magic affect your brain, but I can't say for sure what my limits are." Turning her hand around, Louise studied her soul gem. "I know it'll expend some magic, and our grief seed has barely a use left in it, but I know what it's like to have a loved one plagued by something you can't fight."
In the silence, Louise's eyes unfocused and her mind drifted to long past thoughts. After taking a deep breath, Montmorency nodded, "Fair enough. As important as it is to look out for ourselves, we have to help Kirche if we can. We didn't give up our humanity at Tarbes, so I'm not about to do it for something like this." Louise's eyes refocused and met her friend's. In unison, the two agreed on their path with a silent nod.
When the two magical girls had only just been on their way upstairs, another pair of friends had exited to the night air. Kirche in tow, Tabitha strode to her familiar. Mewling in exaggerated pain, Sylphid called to her big sister. With a mighty surge of strength Sylphid tried and failed spectacularly to free herself of the manticore's hold. Not even bothered in the slightest, Alistair adjusted his weight and pinned Sylphid gently. Another lick of his massive tongue sent tens of dragon scales scattering to the forest floor.
Rather than fearful Tabitha actually raised an eyebrow in interest. As a young dragon, Sylphid's first molt usually would be assisted by an elder of her species. However, as Rhyme dragons were extinct, that had not been a possibility. Well, at least now she could stop researching esoteric wind spells and leave the manticore to the task. Another mewl sounded as Sylphid begged her sister to free her from discomfort. "Bear with it." Tabitha spoke to her familiar, and then nodded to the matronly manticore.
Kirche strode after her friend, only once looking over her shoulder to the dragon disappearing behind them. "Soooo…" Kirche drawled out, "Not that I don't enjoy evening strolls, but don't we need Sylphid?" When Tabitha didn't reply, Kirche knew she needed to press a little harder.
Tabitha's lips pursed when Kirche yawned with gusto behind her. Just grating enough to state that Kirche was willing to play the annoy Tabitha game if she was kept in the dark. "Not far." That was enough to calm Tabitha's flamboyant friend, or at least enough to get her to relent. The duo continued their walk though the ever darkening night, Tabitha seemingly knowing exactly where they were heading. It would be faster with Sylphid, but at least like this Tabitha would have a chance to speak, and she did. "Wishing wouldn't work." While the smaller girl's tone seemed neutral, Kirche knew the topic was a sensitive one and gave Tabitha the time she needed to continue. "She is well guarded." The slight twinge of sadness in Tabitha's voice caused Kirche to miss a step.
"Even if she is well guarded, together, we could bust her out." Kirche's tone was hopeful. She wanted, needed to help her friend find a better path then the one she was treading. "Then we find some way to heal her. Whether it's a miracle, a wish or a shot in the dark, we find a way." Tabitha stopped when she realized Kirche had stopped walking.
Rather than turn to face Kirche, Tabitha looked down to her feet. "Kirche, I am stronger than you." Kirche pursed her lips but didn't object. She knew her friend was the better fighter due to her experience. "I am not strong." Now that almost got an objection from Kirche. Tabitha was bad at many things, but fighting wasn't one of them.
"Oh?" A new voice startled the duo. Both their heads snapped to where a figure stood stood in the shadow of a tree. Her large, toothy smile gleamed in the night as she strode into the faint moonlight. "Since your famous rapport is breaking down, I'll explain for little Charlotte." Tabitha tensed at the name. "Her mother will die in days without our medication and she is guarded at all times by soldiers outclassing even you." Kirche clicked her tongue in disgust. This woman, Sheffield, even her name caused Kirche'e face to twist in distaste. Such disgust only amused Sheffield, "But please follow through with whatever dimwitted plan you concoct, I'm sure little Charlotte would love to be free of her mother." Sheffield's smile had morphed into a glare of challenge.
For a moment Kirche met the glare, and then turned away in submission. "Fine." She ground out.
Once again Sheffield's grin of superiority filled her face. "Good, good. Just as the Founder said, 'Obey thine liege and thou shall walk with my blessing' or something like that." Sheffield moved toward the still silent Tabitha.
Noticing her friend's white knuckles clenching her staff, Kirche intervened. "I didn't take you for the religious scholar."
Sheffield turned momentarily to the ingrate she had finished with. A taunt expression overcame her face as she thought back, "I've had a recent lesson." Though her words were neutral, her face soured. "Now, report." Turning back to Tabitha, Sheffield got down to business.
Tiffania was the first to awake, or so she thought, until she entered the kitchen to find Siesta cooking breakfast. "Oh, good morning Siesta." The greeting was spoken softly so as not to wake Saito on the couch a room over. The maid-turned-merchant looked over her shoulder and smiled a greeting to the half-elf. Each step as light as a whisper, Tiffania glided over to Siesta and looked over her shoulder. The girl had retrieved quite the assortment of ingredients with no discernible theme. "Eggs, fruit, bread, cheese… May I ask what you plan to make?" The curious elf smiled politely.
Said elf was surprised when Siesta sighed and deflated, "I have no idea." Siesta looked at the counter once again. "All these nobles, I have no idea what to make for each of them. So I thought I would take stock of my options." She gestured to the assortment before her.
Confused, Tiffania placed a finger to her lips and wondered aloud, "Why would a merchant cook for nobles?" The question was so innocent that Siesta realized it wasn't rhetorical; Tiffania was genuinely seeking an answer.
After a slight pause, Siesta replied, "Everyone is doing so much for me. Even if I can help out this little bit, I'd like to pitch in." Once again she gestured to the counter, "But I only helped out in the kitchen for afternoon and evening meals. I don't have as much experience cooking breakfast for nobles." Once again Siesta sighed anxiously.
A switch was flipped as Tiffania recognized the behavior. An earnest child was trying so hard to overachieve she was going to trip over her own frets. "We'll just make lost bread." She warmly smiled and wrapped an arm around Siesta.
Rather than be calmed, Siesta had to hold back her exclamation. "Lost bread? You can't make lost bread for nobles! It's commoner food."
Tiffania just kept smiling and poked Siesta's nose. "Good commoner food. Food that nobles have never tasted. We'll just call it what Saito does, French toast." With that, Tiffania began collecting what she needed from the counter and removing what they didn't need. Soon enough, Siesta began to help Tiffania cook.
Completely in her element, Tiffania hummed softly as she set about preparing breakfast. To some, cooking for an entire party might be a challenge, but this group would eat less than half of what she was used to cooking and she had an assistant to help her. That warm smile faltered as she remembered her children. Noticing her cooking partner slow to a halt, Siesta was able to surmise what was going through her head, "Also, I'm not a merchant." She blurted the sentence out to distract Tiffania from sad thoughts. Though Siesta hadn't thought it through she realized the sentence was true. "I mean, I know Miss Zerbst is teaching me, but I don't know if I'm cut out for it." Tiffania's attention was now fully on Siesta. "Haggling for prices, learning maths, figuring out what to buy and where to sell… it's all so strange for me. I liked being a maid…"
Siesta started and made to take back what she said, only to stop when Tiffania placed a hand on her head. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for Miss Zerbst's generosity. Tiffania drew Siesta's head to her bosom. It wasn't as if she regretted her decision to reject Mott. Tiffania rubbed Siesta's back as the maid teared up. Siesta sobbed lightly, letting the tears she had kept long unshed out. "It's more obvious now, but my life has always been ruled by the whims of nobles." Between light sobs Siesta let her thoughts flow. "Even with the others protecting me, it's still just nobles protecting me from nobles." Though her tears stopped, Siesta made no move to pull away from Tiffania's embrace. "I know it's silly, but I used to dream about being a maid for a noble that was actually noble. Like Miss Louise or Miss Cattleya." The maid chuckled at her old dream. Even in her dreams she just wanted to be of a little use to a person who could do actual good for the world. "Such small dreams."
"Hardly." Tiffania's cheerful, almost jesting voice forced Siesta to look up to the elf's smiling face. "Dedicating your all to others is something I understand well. I understand the satisfaction gained from supporting those you love." Though their situations were different, the two understood each other's hearts.
The two broke apart and Siesta wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you." Though her situation remained the same, a great weight had been lifted from Siesta.
Turning back to her work Tiffania sliced the loaf of bread evenly. "Now that you are feeling better, I'll offer a bit more practical advice."
Siesta smiled as she returned to her own work. Lifting an egg to crack against the side of the large mixing bowl she replied, "What would that be?"
Tiffania waited for Siesta to finish cracking the egg before she replied. "Oh it is just that you have become good friends with several nobles; two of which are with their sister who is still very much in contact with their main house. If you wished to remain a maid you could always ask them for a job." Siesta dropped the empty shell in surprise.
"Eh?!" Siesta stammered as she comprehended Tiffania's suggestion. "I could never impose!" Voice wavering she tried to keep quiet despite her fluttering heart.
With a mischievous, knowing smile Tiffania nodded along. "Then it's a good thing Miss Cattleya overheard the entire thing."
Once again Siesta let out a single, "Eh?" then turned to the back of the kitchen where a smiling Cattleya stood. The Valliere in question was absolutely bursting with glee despite the early hour. "Miss-"
Siesta's words were cut off when Cattleya whirled and scampered from the kitchen. "Eleanor!" She called, completely oblivious to common decency in her excitement.
"Wait Miss Cattleya, I don-" Siesta was halted by Tiffania harshly clearing her throat.
Halfway out the kitchen, Siesta looked back in a panic. "You can't leave this job half done. It would be a terrible first impression on your employer." Siesta's head whipped between Cattleya climbing the stairs and back to Tiffania at the counter.
Her decision was made for her when Saito entered the kitchen, his form blocking Siesta's view of Cattleya. The groggy boy drew a great breath through his nose. "Oh man, is that French toast?" His dreary eyes met Siesta's.
Though Saito was too groggy to see it, Siesta visibly calmed. "Yes, it will be ready shortly." Siesta returned to the counter with a slight bounce to her step. Tiffania smiled knowingly to Siesta, who blushed and smiled in thanks.
The large kitchen table barely supported the band of misfits around it. Looking even more tired and bedraggled, Eleanor sat at the head, eating her food with grace. She had been up late unraveling mysteries long since lost and her sister was asking her to hire a maid. The maid in question tried and failed to hide her interest as she kept stealing glances from the kitchen counter. Eleanor rubbed her temples, "I'll admit her skills are adequate, sister." Cattleya beamed only to get an annoyed glare from Eleanor. The blonde was still sore about being woken because her sister couldn't wait. Well, now might be a good enough time to teach a lesson in tact to her sister. "Cattleya, Count Mott would take it as an insult if mother hired Siesta." Said maid's breath caught in her throat.
"That doesn't matter." Cattleya's eyes shone as she leaned in. "Our family doesn't need his approval. We shouldn't even want to associate with men such as him."
Eleanor held up a hand to stop Cattleya before she began some tirade on justice. "Regardless, we are forced to associate with him as fellow nobles. While we could hire Siesta without much fear of reprise, why antagonize Mott when there is an alternative?" Cattleya tilted her head in confusion; something that elicited a sigh from Eleanor. "Mother directly oversees the hiring of all servants save…" Eleanor let her words trailed off as she waited for Cattleya to figure it out.
Moments passed and Louise let out a suppressed squeak. Despite Louise's realization, Cattleya took several more moments to piece together the suggestion. "Ah!" She planted her fist in her open palm, "I could hire her as my handmaiden!" It was Siesta's turn to let out a suppressed squeak.
Ignoring the maid's appropriate level of surprise, Eleanor nodded and continued her lesson on noble society. "Right, then if Mott raises Siesta in conversation, mother is free to insinuate her rebellious daughter went against her wishes." Cattleya had already hurried over to Siesta and was in the process of insisting the blushing maid accept. Eleanor sighed and shook her head. Hopefully at least some of the lesson stuck.
Across the table, Louise studied Kirche. The redhead was still waking up but that didn't stop her from leaning back to read over Tabitha's shoulder. How Tabitha put up with Kirche was ever a mystery. Louise stewed with the prospect of how to best bring up her idea to Kirche. If Montmorency was right, the topic was sure to be sensitive. Handling Kirche's feelings carefully would be paramount. Apparently Louise's troubled thoughts were apparent enough for Eleanor to notice. "As you can't seem to spit it out, sister, I'll answer your question. Yes, I have made some progress on your spellbook." Though Eleanor's assumption of what preoccupied Louise's thoughts was initially wrong, Louise was now fully focused on what her sister was saying. Eleanor dabbed her napkin to her mouth with methodical precision before proceeding. "If possible, I would like to borrow Tiffania after breakfast." Eleanor's eyes looked to the elf at the other end of the table.
Tiffania was just beginning her own meal and stilled under the evaluating gaze of Eleanor. Her eyes drifted to Louise and back as the table's occupants began to watch her with interest. "I, I would love to help in any way I can." Tiffania spoke politely if a bit softly.
Satisfied, Eleanor rose and exited the room. "I'll prepare the lobby." Though Eleanor was all business, her announcement spurred the others to finish quickly and assemble in the lobby. Even as Eleanor intentionally acted professional, Louise noted that the woman waited until the last of the group entered the lobby before she began her speech. "Now, as Void magic was created to replicate the miracles of God, it has often been viewed with religious piety." Eleanor held up her finger to accentuate her point, "That foolishness has obviously led to restrictions on void artifacts such as this one." Eleanor held out the Founder's Prayerbook with what could only be described as a flourish. "The book itself is extremely sensitive to void magic. It reacted even to the false void I created with this circle. Observe." Placing the book in the center of the circle, Eleanor walked to the edge, withdrew her wand and began to chant.
Mutely, Louise realized that what her sister was doing could be called heresy, but she dismissed that in favor of the hopes before her. Louise's breath hitched as she reigned in her hopes. Whatever Eleanor had found required a steady mind. A faint light illuminated the circle and countless etchings glowed to light in a tapestry of runes. In spite of her earlier decision, Louise's eyes widened in wonder when the book twitched. The light of the runes doubled their intensity as Eleanor's willpower flared. The book exploded into motion; its pages flipped rapidly as if a storm were raging around it. Louise's could taste the power in the air and though the only sound was Eleanor's whispered chanting; those words echoed within Louise's chest with deafening volume. Without so much as a flourish Eleanor finished her chant. Without any willpower feeding it, the circle grew dim and the book fell still in moments, leaving those assembled to merely stand in their own silence.
It took a moment to realize Eleanor was waiting for comments. The youngest sister obliged, "Sister Eleanor, did you just recreate the void?" Had she not seen it herself, Louise wouldn't have believed it.
Scoffing, Eleanor rejected the idea. "Hardly. My technique is merely a more advanced form of element emulation. Similar to how a fire mage would read a book created by a water mage, just a bit more complicated. However, I have only discovered how to trigger the book's magic. It refuses to accept any commands from me. I would assume actual void magic might achieve better results." Eleanor raised a hand to adjust her glasses as she inspected Tiffania. "Luckily, you have provided such an outlandish resource." Once again fretting under the studying gaze of Eleanor, Tiffania fidgeted.
Louise was still astounded. "You managed this in a single night?"
Once again Eleanor scoffed; thoroughly enjoying the praise without showing it, "Do not undervalue my effort Louise. I have been trying to emulate void magic for some time now. Applying it to this book was merely a fortuitous experiment." If she recognized the magnitude of her understatement, Eleanor refused to show it. "Now Sister Cattleya, Tiffania, if I might bother you for the day."
Raising her hand, Cattleya spoke up, "I am actually unable to cast any spells currently. I overextended my willpower."
Eleanor nodded along, "I have been informed. Nonetheless you may have valuable insight. The rest of you make yourselves scarce. I have work to do." When no one moved immediately, The blonde Vallière cowed them with a level gaze. "And do keep a lookout for the church. I moved close to the Gallian border to deter them, but there is still a possibility a paladin might investigate the sister of a supposed lich." With a task to complete and Eleanor's annoyed glare to motivate them, the others began to leave Eleanor to her work.
Siesta hummed softly to herself as she cleaned the kitchen, leaving the remaining five to plan their activities at the table. "I'll remain here to keep an eye on Tiffania." Saito spoke up as he checked his musket for any problems.
Derflinger was having none of it, "Like hell you will!" The sword rattled from his back. "We have an entire day to actually train beyond exercises." Saito groaned at the taskmaster's proclamation. "Hey! I said I wouldn't let up until you were worthy of wielding the great Derflinger! So suck it up and get ready!" Slinging his musket over his shoulder Saito looked to Louise with pleading eyes.
Rolling her eyes at the foreign boy, Louise rejected any hope of reprieve, "I'm sure the four of us are enough to scout the area and watch the house." Saito deflated and she continued, "I'm sure the day's training will be well worth it should you need to protect Tiffania." Sure enough, that kindled the boy's fighting spirit. Well, enough for him to drag his feet out the door with his sword yelling all the way.
Louise turned back to find that Tabitha had already risen with Kirche right behind. "Actually," Louise halted the pair, "Montmorency and I were hoping borrow each of you today." Tabitha raised an eyebrow. "Well, we are still mages and Montmorency could learn a lot from someone advanced in her element." While Tabitha evaluated the proposal with a discerning stare, Kirche's eyes exploded with passion. "And as a fire mage I am sure I could learn-"
"Of course, I would be honored to lend my advice to my junior in the element of passion!" Kirche interrupted with unrestrained enthusiasm. "Why, it is only proper for a Zerbst to instruct a Vallière. If one fell behind, our rivalry would hardly last." Louise barely kept from responding with her own passionate thoughts.
Tabitha remained silent before passing a look to Kirche, "Acceptable." Then Tabitha turned to Montmorency, "We'll patrol." Montmorency nodded and followed Tabitha out the kitchen side door, only turning back once to nod to Louise.
Even as Kirche continue to rant about every little thought that flitted through her head, Louise let out a breath of relief. This would give her the day to carefully bring up Kirche's wish. The woman in question latched onto Louise and embraced the smaller girl's head tightly between her breasts. Hopefully I don't kill her before then. Louise steamed as Kirche let her passions get the better of her.
Saito moved through the motions his sword dictated with increasing fluidity. Throughout the day, his forms began to resemble an odd dance. His feet glided upon the grassy plain as if it were a ballroom floor. In and out he continued to move to his sword's begrudging acceptance. A faint breeze trickled through the trees and rushed beyond the budding swordsman to the lake below.
While the duo sporadically devolved into insults and arguments, the time between their outbursts were surprisingly calm. Louise half wondered if her friendship with Kirche was similar. The girl still enjoyed teasing her, but it was as if she were seeking a challenge from Louise. Just as Saito and Derflinger were calm as they trained, Kirche was calm as she taught Louise. "I'll admit your control is fine, but you need to be more efficient with your magic. Willpower feeds on emotions. You are suppressing them to provide that control, but if you let your heart explode with passion it will magnify the heat of your burning will!" Well, calmer.
Still, the redhead had a point. It was well known that willpower was called such because it was intimately tied to one's will. One's emotions were related to a person's will as well. Still, Kirche was a bit better at expressing herself than Louise. To harness such emotion… Concentrating, Louise produced a flame. Emotions… From behind, Kirche's breasts pressed into Louise's back as the woman grabbed Louise's wrist to guide her. "Maybe if you can learn to harness your passion, you'll grow like me?" The last bit was whispered into Louise's ear.
The flame at the end of Louise's wand exploded outward in a massive gout of flame. "I'm a LATE BLOOMER!" Whirling on the giggling Kirche, Louise stalled when she realized Kirche's ploy. "Huh…" She looked to her wand, then back to the air where her fire and burned forth. That amount of flame for a relatively small amount of willpower.
Kirche fell in line next to Louise and studied the empty air where Louise's flame had been moments before. "See? Now manage those emotions and let them burst forth in ardent displays of your passionate heart and your willpower consumption will be far more efficient."
Louse stalled for a moment and looked at Kirche, "Don't use that word…" Kirche tilted her head in confusion and Louise let it go, "Never mind. My familiar can be a bit annoying. Just leave it at that." Idly Louise thought about the woman beside her. "What about your familiar, Kirche, is Flame back at school?" The great red salamander of Kirche's wasn't exactly portable.
Kirche shook her head, "I sent Flame to the red mountain." She gestured to one of the mountains on the horizon overlooking Gallia. "It's breeding season for salamanders and I would be quite the hypocrite to deny flame."
Louise blushed a little at Kirche's insinuation and decided to firmly change the subject. "You know, Kirche, if you teach me too well, I might just surpass you. It would be poor form for a Zerbst to lose to the Valliere she taught." Though Louise's tone was in jest, Kirche only weakly smiled in return.
Clenching a hand to her chest, Kirche nodded, "That would certainly be something." A slight wistfulness carried on the wind.
It was obvious that Kirche was stewing on whatever hidden thoughts that had Montmorency worried earlier. Okay, now to carefully bring up her healing. "Hey, Kirche," Louise pretended to be oblivious to Kirche's somber mood and strode a few steps forward. "You may have me beat on fire magic, but I have a trick up my sleeve you wouldn't expect." Louise paused until she was sure Kirche was listening.
Suddenly, the cabin door swung open, revealing Eleanor with her fist held high "Progress!" Louise bit back her annoyance at the interruption as she turned to find her elder sister actually smiling. "Come, come." She ushered the two inside. In the distance, Saito was chastised for missing a step when he tried to return as well.
Leaving the boy outside, Louise followed Kirche inside. While whatever progress Eleanor had made was no doubt good, Louise still found herself anxiously chewing her lower lip. She had been just about to broach the subject.
Inside the lobby, Tiffania sat against a wall looking thoroughly exhausted. Next to her, Cattleya used a hand fan to cool her worn out friend. "Now, Miss Tiffania. If you please." Eleanor summoned her research material, er, partner and turned to Louise. "Now, the trick is that the book isn't secured against the wrong people reading it. You need the Void to do so and only the Founder could wield it, so why bother with secrecy? No, the reason Cattleya couldn't read the book is because it was too helpful." Eleanor actually made a full happy smile. This was good news. "The Founder's Prayerbook contains more spells than one could fit in any single book, short of a massive tome. So the Founder enchanted a book that temporarily writes itself on command." Eleanor signaled to Tiffania and the girl held the book before her and concentrated.
Louise looked to Eleanor, then back to Tiffania. After a moment of concentration more, Tiffania spoke a word foreign to Louise's ear. "Estell." The pages of the book fluttered momentarily before settling. Rather than blank white pages, strange symbols glowed on the pages.
Eleanor turned to Louise, "Now you and I may see only blank pages, but I assure you Tiffania can see the incantation for the spell 'dispel' on those same pages. Cattleya confirms that it is, in fact, the correct incantation." Wait, those pages weren't blank. Louise furrowed her brow at her sister's contradictory statement. Eleanor did not notice in her academic enthusiasm. "See, the Founder knew that over time, languages change, so the real trick he performed was making the book able to read emotions, such as heightened stress, and provide spells to overcome whatever trials may plague its bearer. A little translating into the old tongue, a little degrading of the automatic searching enchantment," Eleanor all but flourished to Tiffania, "and voila, functional spellbook."
The sheer magnitude of what her sister had done dawned on Louise. "You deciphered one of the most ancient mysterious artifacts of the Founder in less than twenty four hours?" It was unreal.
It took but a moment for Eleanor to adjust her glasses while smiling proudly. "Hardly. Like I said, I have been researching this for some time, and I did have help. But yes, I do say this will put me in the history books." Eleanor's posturing was only degraded slightly by the panting elf behind her. "Still, don't get too worked up. The book responds to the exact name of a spell. So you would need to know the spell Brimir was going to use to restore the liches, and how to say it in the old tongue." With a breath, Eleanor let her smile subside into a more serious look. "Now, I will spend what time there is left in the day trying a few guesses with Tiffania, but the chances of that working are slim to none. What you will probably need is firsthand material from Brimir himself."
Louise was quick to understand, "Like his journal." Just as Tristain bore the Founder's Prayerbook in reverence to their prophet, Romalia bore the Founder's Round Mirror. Lesser known was the journal from the Founder the Pope was said to keep on his person at all times; holding the Founder's thoughts and intentions with him always.
Eleanor measured Louise a moment before her face softened. "Louise… It is possible we may get lucky." Internally Eleanor chastised herself for believing in ridiculously small hopes.
Such chastisement turned out to be unnecessary as Louise shook her head. "I knew it was very possible Montmorency and I would have to return and confront the Pope." Louise looked beyond Eleanor to where Tiffania had settled in next to Cattleya. The two had nodded off and were leaning peacefully against one another. Mildly, Louise thought a nap would be nice right around now.
The pinkette heard the sound of flapping wings outside, signaling Tabitha and Montmorency's return. Louise nodded to her sister, "I'll talk with her. You get some rest before you try those shots in the dark." Though Louise had the tact not to mention it, Eleanor was really becoming a mess. Even with all the proper airs she put on, the woman looked ready to fall over.
At Eleanor's weary nod of acceptance, Louise turned to go to Montmorency. The girl wouldn't like yet another leg added to their journey, but this time the end was in sight. Louise didn't wait for the hesitating Kirche, talking with the Zerbst would have to wait just a little longer.
Outside, the sun was just was hanging over the lake, ready to set within an hour or two. Tabitha was dismounting Sylphid, but with no Montmorency in sight. Curious, Louise looked around. The only other soul outside was Saito lying down in the field, no doubt driven to exhaustion by his taskmaster. If it weren't for the task at hand Louise would consider joining him. It was perfect weather for a midday nap. "Where is Montmorency?" Louise called out as Tabitha strode toward her.
Tabitha brushed the hair from her eyes when a breeze ruffled her bangs. "She found some rare reagents. She will be along shortly." Louise rolled her eyes; she could just imagine Montmorency kneeling in a field somewhere outlasting even the patience of Tabitha. The blue haired girl licked her lips at the extensive sentences.
Kirche was sure to enjoy that, Louise mused. Not quite elaboration, but a step in the right direction. Still, without Montmorency, Louise returned to the redhead. The wind hummed as if in song, ruffling the hair that had fallen in front of Kirche's face. Though her expression was obscured, Louise could tell it was melancholy. Good, her thoughts were still on her loved one. "You know, Kirche." Louise began a bit slow, "I was saying earlier you might be surprised." Once again the wind hummed melodiously to accompany Louise. She raised her arm and let her ring return to its natural egg shape. The pink gem glinted with refracting sunlight. "I can't promise it will work. But I have some pretty interesting healing magic." Kirche's wounded eyes met Louise's. Through blurred vision Louise spotted tears in Kirche's eyes. Odd, was she crying as well? Louise heard no sobs though; only the faint music carried on the wind…
Louise's soul gem hit the grass Louise's unconscious form hit the ground, she was still thinking, "I should pick that up."
A/N: So, little bit of cliffhanger but fear not! The next chapter is actually almost done. I figure two weeks give or take. A bit better than last chapter's wait…. Or the previous one…
I tend to do a little esoteric research each chapter when I hit an unexpected obstacle; such as the deck prism from chapter 10. This chapter I learned way too much about French toast, or should I say lost bread. Also, I made a crap ton of lost bread the morning after I finished this chapter. No relation at all there.