Kirche let out a yawn as she entered the classroom, already she was hoping for the end of the week again so that she could just stay in her room all day instead of heading to class.
But class was class, and even if it was Earth Magic lessons today, at least it wasn't Water lessons today. She'd do better with the former than the latter.
When she stepped into the classroom, she turned to where a petite mage was sitting.
With a pout on her face, and her arms crossed over her small chest, she looked like angry puppy that got poked in their nose.
"Louise," she called out to her, causing her to turn to her "You okay?"
For a moment she looked at her, pout still on her face. Then she sighed and nodded with a neutral look on her face "Yeah I'm fine, the exhaustion wore off after I got a good nap."
"That's good." Kirche then noticed that there was something missing. She pointed to the empty spot beside her, which usually held a small child-sized figure scribbling in a notebook and asked "Where Bug?"
The pout returned full force and Louise turned away from her with a 'Hump' "My Familiar," she stressed out the last word "Is currently outside with the larger Familiars."
Kirche raised an eyebrow "You still punishing it for almost letting you drown?" She asked.
"No," Louise shook her head in response "I already punished it for that, I didn't give it dinner for the night."
"Harsh." Kirche stated.
"It's what it deserves," Louise stated back. The Valliere let out a sigh "But that's not why he's outside today. The reason for being kicked out of the classroom is because when I came back from the bath yesterday I found out that it scratched my bed sheets," she let out a small growl "And it didn't even have the decency to look sorry."
There was pause as Kirche looked away with a questioning look on her face, she turned back to the smaller mage and asked "Can it look sorry? It's just a skull with a body of water right?"
Louise gave an irritated sigh "It's not like it can't talk to me, it can but when I asked it about the bedsheets it didn't even see anything wrong with what it did." Her eye twitched "It even had the audacity to say that the bed was wrong because it didn't bounce it high enough."
Kirche couldn't help but laugh "It seems to be reacted more violently to being denied dinner than you thought!"
"Oh shut up," Louise shot back "Before it didn't even want to eat, now that it's been denied dinner once because of a punishment its gone on a tantrum." She looked back at her desk "Besides, it's not like I'm gonna keep depriving it of food, it was just for last night," she muttered.
The Germanian, tired of standing, took a seat a couple chair away from her. Resting her face in her palm she asked "What does your Familiar even eat?"
"Water."
"Water?" Kirche's eyebrows furrowed. She paused, looking at her for a moment "Does a Water Spirit eat water? That be like, us eating humans."
"I don't know!" Louise replied "I mean tried feeding it cherries and fruit, but it didn't do anything according to Bug." She leaned back in her chair "I mean, if it's not water, then what does a Water Spirit?"
Kirche shrugged "I don't know, never seen one before your Familiar."
The two paused in their conversation as they thought about the implications of a Water Spirit having to eat water keep itself alive.
Kirche turned her eyes to a blonde sitting a couple seats away from them "Hey Montmorency?"
The Water Mage looked up from the book she was reading, placing it down she faced the Fire Mage "What is Kirche?"
Kirche pointed at the Valliere "Is what Louise says is true?" She asked "That Water Spirits eat water?"
"Huh?" Montmorency looked surprised at the question.
"Why are you asking Montmorency?" Louise turned to her "Does she know anything about Water Spirits?"
Kirche shrugged "Apparently she and her family made a pact with one, so I thought she'd know better than us."
The blonde blinked, looked at the two who were usually at each other's throats talking amicably between each other as they waited for her answer. The blonde coughed into her hand, getting their attention "W-Well, I don't really know about Water Spirit daily life so uh…" She looked at two and shrugged "I can't really tell, sorry."
The two let out a small 'Hmm' of disappointment.
Their conversation was cut short when Professor Chevreuse entered class. Everyone went quiet as the plump woman walked towards the professor's desk with an unlit lantern in her hands.
It was spherical in shape, with a metal hinged lid connected to a small hook. The students at the front noticed that within the spherical lantern was a small creature.
"Good morning everyone," she greeted the students with a friendly smile "Before I start class today, the principal told me to inform you all about something you've probably noticed by now." She placed the lantern on her desk and took out her wand "As you've seen on your way here, most of the torches around the academy have been replaced."
She gave the lantern a couple of taps, enough to jostle it a little but not enough to move it. In response a small bright glow began emanating from within the lantern, it was bright enough that even with the sunlight pouring in through the windows they could see the bright white light.
A couple of students let out an impressed 'Ohh'.
Chevreuse held up the lantern "This thing here is a Lumafly Lantern, and as you can guess, the bright light" she pointed her wand towards the lantern, the tip directed to the small bright creature that was currently flying around within "Is coming from the creature within called a Lumafly."
A hand was raised, and when she pointed at it Guiche stood up "Professor, aren't Lumafly Lanterns usually used by Miners and Commoners?" He gestured towards it "Why are we using these instead of the Enchanted Torches and Candles that we've already been using?"
"Professor Colbert was the one who asked the Principal to replace most of the torches that we had." She put the lantern on the table "He's requested it for quite some time, and he seemed rather fascinated by them when he brought it to the Principal's attention a couple weeks back."
Guiche's face fell a bit "But to use such a peasant's tool."
"Oh don't be like that," Chevreuse scolded with a frown. "Just because these are mainly used and sold by peasants doesn't mean it's not more effective that tools we have right now. Beside look at it now," she gestured to it "There's no heat, no smell, no melting wax, and no chance of it catching fire."
Her smile returned as she pointed at the small creature "And you have to admit, the Lumafly is rather adorable for what it is."
The creature within stopped flying and remained still in the middle of the lantern, still giving off a bright glow.
"Oh another thing, because the Lumaflies are obviously living creatures they require rest." On cue the glow from within began to dim at her words "Usually they sleep in the morning which turns off their glow." The glow dimmed even further, until it was gone entirely "So try not to wake them, they can handle sound but don't top their lanterns if you can." She held up a finger "Treat them as a pet if you will, or a Familiar."
Some of the students looked among each other, still a little unsure about lanterns.
"Oh speaking of Familiars, how're all of you handling yours after a week?" The professor asked.
There was a chorus of agreements, some of them holding out theirs to the professors with proud smiles. Louise rested her chin in the palm of her hands and exhaled through her nose.
"Good good," she nodded at the enthusiastic response "I hope you all maintain your bonds with your Familiars, they'll be with you for all your life." She held up a finger again "And, the day after tomorrow will be the Familiar Exhibition."
Louise's eyes widened.
"So make sure you have something prepared for then, because I hear that a special is coming." The plump woman waved her wand, and from within her cloak three pebbles slid out of her sleeves "Now that's over with, let me start with today's class."
[Scene]
"Bug!"
Louise called out to it the moment she stepped out of the tower, ignoring the glares thrown her way when she did. Her immediate thought to talk about the upcoming event came to a crushing halt when she saw what was currently happening to her Familiar.
Since she didn't really expect to catch sight of it currently having a stare down with a large blue dragon, that that Tabitha had summoned as her own Familiar.
The two Familiar were staring at each other, with the larger of the two seemingly ready to pounce at any moment. The larger beast was on all fours, head low to ground as their wings were unfurled behind them.
Bug seemed to be bracing itself, the arm that had been turned into a whip from yesterday was held out to the side.
The Dragon's head would occasionally rise and fall, as if it was sizing up a meal.
Bug stood unaffected by the breeze, the only sign of it being affected was its cloak billowing behind it.
If she didn't know that there was a chance of her Familiar getting eaten, she would've probably felt more than a little amused at the sight of something the size of a toddler looking ready to fight with a dragon.
Unfortunately, all she could feel now was panic!
"Hey get away from Bug!" She yelled to the dragon.
It turned its head her way for a moment, before facing her Familiar once more. And she felt her heart spike when it began to bare its teeth.
"Sylphid," A calm voice called out from behind her "No eating."
At the order the dragon got out of their hostile stance. It rose from its lowered stance, folded its wings to their back and then turned towards the source of the voice.
Louise was surprised to see Tabitha walk past her, staff in hand and her usual uninterested look in her eyes.
The dragon, or Sylphid, shook its head and received a bonk on the head as a response. It gave out a loud whine and pointed at her Familiar with its claw.
"No eating," Tabitha repeated, bonking the dragon with her staff again. The dragon let out one more whine, this time turning its head before turning back to her.
"Sylphid," she bonked the dragon's head a third time "Someone else's Familiar, not food." Her blue eyes turned towards it "Not a threat either."
Her Familiar relaxed when the dragon seemed to be finally cowed by her words. It trudged around her and sat up behind her.
"Thank you Tabitha," Louise said gratefully as she jogged up to the three, when she was close she gave a small bow.
"No problem," she received a curt response. There was pause as the stood facing each other, the Wind Mage continued to stare at her Familiar for a while longer.
Louise looked at Bug, her Familiar was looking at Sylphid head tilted upwards so that it could see the dragon's head, and then back to Tabitha.
Her blue eyes had narrowed behind her glasses, but then she turned away "Come Sylphid" she called to the dragon.
The blue dragon let out a whine as it stared down at her Familiar for a moment, before it turned and followed its master.
She simply stared at her back as she left. A moment later Bug walked up to her, and was now staring at her instead.
She glanced at it from the corner of her eye and then turned to face it completely "Just so you know, I'm still a little mad about the bed sheets." She told it directly "So I don't want you to repeat what you did, understand?"
It nodded its head.
"Good," her point made she placed her hands on her hip "Now onto the matter at hand." She pointed a finger at it "Bug, you know that spell you used yesterday?"
Its body shifted and its arm lengthened into a whip.
"Not that one," she shook her head, prompting it to returned to normal. "The other spell, the one that destroyed that pot."
It nodded its head, its body shifted. She didn't get to stop it before it casted the spell, the water blasted out of its body faster than she could keep track of.
She winced when she heard the sound of shattering ceramic and a panicked scream. She glared at her Familiar who shifted back into its normal form, and pointed in the direction where it had blasted its spell.
She turned and sucked in a breath through her teeth when she saw the shattered remains of a potted plant, as well as a noticeable crack in the wall from where it was leaning against. Not to mention the maid that was standing just beside the shattered pot.
A basket was in her hands, the clothes threatened to spill out as she was shaking in place. Her eyes were staring at their direction in fear.
In addition, she saw Tabitha had lingered behind long enough to see the whole thing. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses, glaring at her Familiar. Sylphid stood behind her, the dragon's teeth bared showing its fangs.
"Uh," Her eyes looked around in panic, darting from the potted plant, to the maid, and then to Tabitha and her dragon. She snapped to her Familiar "Let's go someplace else!" she grabbed its arm and quickly dragged it to a more secluded location.
[Scene]
"Here to…" Longueville muttered as she tapped her foot on the floor, a wand in her hands which allowed her to feel the thickness and strength of the stone beneath her.
Despite her tapping, Osmond continued to lie his head on his desk fast asleep. The workload for today had been boring enough to put him to bed, it wasn't a surprised considering that it was mostly just preparations for the upcoming Familiar Exhibition.
Damn it. She had spent here for too long, and from every angle that she could approach the magical vault the walls were too thick and were layered with magic to stop her own spells.
She paused, she turned to the old man still sleeping on the desk, and looked outside. The sun was starting to fall, and she figured she'd try to look at the doors again.
When she headed down the stairs to the vault, she was surprised to find Jean Colbert already there.
"Sir, are you sure you want me to leave my post for that day?" The guard asked.
"Of course," the bald professor nodded "The princess is coming, and we need to show off a bit for the academy."
The guard scratched the back of his head "Don't get me wrong sir, I'm flattered to be close to the princess," He let out a smile "but is it really wise to just leave the vault unguarded?"
"I agree," Longueville said as she descended the steps.
"Miss Longueville!"
"Oh it's you again."
She smiled "Don't you think it would be a bit too risky to relieve a guard from the vault?"
Jean let out a chuckle "So you think so as well Miss Longueville?" He shook his head "There's nothing much to worry about, especially with the palace guards coming over to help cover the entrances."
The guard shrugged "I'm just worried is all, but if you say that it'll be fine then I can't really complain."
Longueville tapped her chin "But what about that thief that's been going around here?" She turned to the bald professor "Fouqet was it?"
"Well he must be the bravest thief to ever exist if he plans to attack the academy," Jean retorted "The walls are magically enchanted by Square-Level mages that prevent any transmutation attempts weaker than their own."
Longueville rolled her eyes "I noticed."
"So the only way that he can really get through is by a direct assault." He looked at the door "And the only way to go through the magical enchantments are by brute force." A proud smile appeared on his face.
The guard let out a snort "If he tries to actually attack the academy while the palace guards are here, then I'd personally ask him out for a drink." He smiled "A mage that brave is bound to be handle his alcohol."
Longueville shrugged her shoulders "I'm just saying my concerns."
"Well in any case, hopefully the presence of the princess and the guards would be enough to dissuade the thief from attacking." Jean shook his head "Though I understand some of your concerns."
The secretary turned to the vault doors "What is inside the vault that you would think that Fouqet would be willing to attack the academy for?"
Jean turned to her "Would you be willing to walk and talk with me?" He offered with a nervous smile "I know a little about the items inside, though some of the item descriptions there might be a bit" his flicked to the door for a moment before turning back to her "Outdated."
Longueville giggled "Well, Osmond doesn't seem like he'd wake up anytime soon, so I can do so."
The guard scoffed and glanced at the bald professor "Lucky."
[Scene]
"Fire!"
Bug's body shifted and threw its head back. It stared into the air and from its body it expelled out a blast of pure black, firing upwards into the sky.
"Strike it!"
Still in its shifted state its right arm elongated into its whip like form and swung upwards.
It missed its target and the spell travelled higher and higher into the air, until it dispersed into the evening sky.
"Darn it," Louise stomped her feet "You just missed it."
Bug shifted its body back to its normal state and turned to its master.
"Maybe if you have the whip first and then you fire?" She suggested "Can you do that?"
It shook its head. Its Soul was depleted from the repeated firing of Vengeful Spirit attempts to strike the Vengeful Shade and failing.
"What do you mean you can't?" She asked it.
It stared at her, and wonder how many times she needed to be reminded o-
Her small hand poked its chest, her eyes were looking at it with an annoyed glare "Why can't you do it Bug?" She asked again.
I AM UNABLE TO CAST ANYMORE AT THE MOMENT
She let out a sigh "I guess we have been doing this for a while," she looked into its eyes "I'm surprised that you're out of casts already."
MY SOUL IS DEPLETED. A TRIP TO THE SPRINGS WOULD ALLOW ME TO RECOVER
She rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away "You just want an excuse to eat don't you?"
It stared back at her.
Groaning she turned "Fine, we can go eat." As she walked inside the building she called out behind her "But we're going to practise that routine until we get it right, tomorrow alright?"
Bug looked at her retreating figure and followed after her.