The town was alive with activity, its citizens bustling between the various shops and other establishments of wood and stone construction that lined the main street. Tommy was thankful that they had left the carriage at the checking station at the entrance of the town, riding down a bumpy dirt road was one thing but riding on the town's cobblestone streets would have been a nightmare. It seemed that Louise wasn't kidding about how big of a deal nobility was in this world, groups of people almost immediately stepped aside and gave space as soon as they saw her. She hadn't said a word since they had arrived, hadn't even looked in his direction, just exited the carriage and set off in a direction at a rather determined pace. It wasn't long before their destination became clear: he might not have been able to read the signage but the air of 'law enforcement' was hard to miss.

The interior certainly matched the exterior, a front desk manned by a guard as well as one that sat in a chair by the door, chairs off to the side of the admittedly rather spacious stone room, and a door with bars that presumably lead to the cells in the back. A small bell rang as they opened the front door and the desk sergeant immediately stood at attention, the quill in his hand having dropped at the sight of who just walked in.

"Good day, m'lady" he began, giving a courteous bow in the process, "How might I be able to serve you today?"

"I would like to report an attempted robbery," Louise replied, standing with a poise that was almost second nature, "My companion and I were accosted on our way into town."

"That's quite serious, where did this take place?"

"In the woods on the road leading to the academy, though the perpetrators have been incapacitated and are currently tied up on the side of the road."

Nodding, the desk sergeant reached behind his desk and produced two pieces of paper as well as two quills and two inkwells, handing one each to Louise and Tommy.

"And these are...?" Louise asked, a bit of impatience slipping into her voice.

"For your written testimony, m'lady. It's part of a new organizational system that the crown is implementing."

Nodding in understanding, Louise walked over to one of the side chairs as Tommy followed suit. As she dipped her quill into her inkwell, she noticed that Tommy wasn't doing so as well.

"What are you waiting for?" she whispered irritably, "We're only here because of you."

"I would but I don't know how to read or write in your language," he replied.

"The 'teacher' doesn't know how to read or write? Every word you speak makes you seem more the liar that you are. At least you speak well enough."

"That's the thing, I don't think I'm speaking it either. By some weird coincidence, our languages happen to be spoken identically. Either that or something happened to translate the spoken parts when you summoned me."

"Oh enough of your nonsense, just give it here."

Louise glanced up to see if the guards were looking there way and, finding that they weren't, reached over and quickly snatched Tommy's paper to begin filling it out. When she finished, she passed it back and quickly began to fill out her own. As he watched, Tommy noted that the sequence of characters was somewhat different from what she had written on his, almost as if to make them seem like she hadn't written his for him. He had heard that she was top of her class, at least in written work, but seeing it in action was something else entirely. Part of him wanted her to be in his class just to show the rest of his students how it's done. The reports now filled out, Louise and Tommy stood and handed them to the desk sergeant.

"Thank you very much," he said, accepting the papers, "We'll get these filed and the accused will be in custody before the day is out. Will this be all, m'lady?"

"Yes, that will be-..."

Louise paused, glancing over to Tommy, his face unreadable as always, and yet she could tell he was waiting for her decision. This shouldn't be hard, the law was the law and no one was exempt. And yet his question lingered in her mind, would she be so willing to pass judgment if those she loved were they in the same position? The thought of her sisters having to scrounge and beg was a nightmarish concept, admittedly she was often not too fond of Eleanore but she was still family, and the mere idea of Cattleya being forced into such a life was just unfathomable. And yet, if Louise continued her seemingly unbroken streak of failure, such an absurd reality might not be so impossible...

"M'lady? Will this be all?"

"N-no! No, there is one more thing..."

"Yes?"

"The bandits that attacked us...were merely children in a bad situation. Do try to be lenient, they did not understand what they were doing."

"We will see what we can do but if your testimony is true then I'm afraid we might not be able to go easy on them."

"That is all I ask."

Louise turned and walked out the door with Tommy not far behind, he watched as she was seemingly lost in thought as she walked.

"I had better not regret this," she stated evenly, "and you will owe me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good. Now, come along, Thomas.

At least she was using his name now.

-

Headmaster Osmand gazed contemplatively through the window of his office out to the midday horizon, his aged mind pondering a great many things. Things such as what the future may hold, the answer as to where much of the serving staff had disappeared to, and what color of undergarments his secretary was wearing today. He hoped it was red again, he had grown rather fond of that pair. He would have to ask his mouse familiar to make another attempt at reconnaissance. As he took a drag from his favorite pipe, the resulting smoke matching the color of his long hair and beard, a knock at the door roused him from his thoughts.

"Enter," he commanded, a glance into the nearby mirror revealing a familiar bald pate and spectacles crossing the threshold and closing the door behind him, "Ah, Colbert, right on time. What have you managed to discover?"

"Quite a bit, actually," the other man replied, a hint of excitement in his tone, "He had divulged a staggering amount knowledge! So many concepts that I never would have considered...!"

"Jean..." Osmand interjected, turning from the window to give his subordinate a knowing look.

"Oh! Right, my apologies, sir. As I said, he was quite forthcoming in terms of information but I gathered the impression that he wasn't telling me everything, or at least he wasn't telling me anything important. And if I may be candid, sir, the way that he carried himself... I was reminded of myself."

"I see," Osmand replied, taking his seat behind his desk and closing his eyes in contemplation.

"If I may be so bold, must we surveil him like this? He may be hiding something but at no point did he indicate ill intent of any sort."

"I do not wish to damage this budding friendship of yours, Jean, Founder knows you need it..."

"I have plenty of friends, Headmaster."

"How many have you spoken to in-person? With how many have you gone drinking or conducted an experiment? But we digress. For a human to be called forth by the Familiar Summoning Ritual is an omen, of that I can be certain. But whether it is one of good tidings or dark days ahead..."

A second knock brought the headmaster's words to a halt, he had hoped that they wouldn't be interrupted. Bidding them enter, the door swung open to reveal a bespectacled young woman, clad in the same long dark robes as the rest of faculty as well as long green hair tied in a professional manner, carrying a seemingly hefty stack of papers.

"Miss Longueville, what brings you around this day? It is the Day Of Void, you should be enjoying your time off."

"We've discussed this before, Headmaster. Paperwork waits for no one, not even on a holy day," she replied, lifting the stack onto his desk, "These are the weekly budget reports as well as the requisition forms for hiring new temporary servants."

"Of course, thank you, Miss Longueville."

As Osmand began to examine the sheet at the top of the stack, something caught his eye as his secretary made to exist his office.

"Is everything all right, Miss Longueville?"

"Of course, sir. Why do you ask?" she replied, turning back to face him.

"Your hands appear to be shaking."

Indeed, though it was slight, her hands did appear to tremble.

"It's nothing to be concerned about, sir," she replied, grasping one hand in the other to steady them, "Merely wrist cramps from writing and carrying that large stack of papers."

"Well see to it that you take the rest of the day off and rest your hands, I would hate to have to replace you as well."

"Of course. I bid you good day, Headmaster, Professor."

As the door clicked closed, Osmand could not stop himself from sighing. So much happening so quickly, his old bones wouldn't be able to take it much longer.

"What shall you have me do, Headmaster," Colbert asked.

"Continue your observations, I wish to learn everything that we can so that we might prepare accordingly should anything go awry."

"Of course, sir."

"Before you go, what of our other mystery?"

"No trace has been found, sir. No one has witnessed anything, there are no signs of struggle, they all seem to have decided to leave whilst no one was around. However, there have been reports from the remaining servants that some food and a large number of cooking knives have gone missing as well."

"A possible connection, can they be traced?"

"Theoretically yes, but I would have to converse with those more proficient with earth magic than myself."

"See to it, Jean. We must find them soon."

As the door closed behind Colbert, Osmand sighed again. He wished he could return to his earlier musings but alas, there was work to be done. He had grown to rather loath balancing budgets.

-

The taste of vomit was not an unfamiliar one to Matilda, she had many an opportunity over the course of her illustrious career to become acquainted with it. Not in her current 'profession' of course, for Mathilda Longueville was but an alias. She was really Fouquet The Crumbling Earth, the infamous thief known for stealing from even the most well guarded of nobility. And it would appear that her reputation was about to meet its match. It all began rather simply, a client with the offer of a job. Normally, Matilda preferred to work freelance but she wouldn't say no to the occasional outside job if it paid well. That was her first mistake.

The client, who remained anonymous via a cloak and mask, had requested, of all things, that she break into the Tristain Academy Of Magic and steal the fabled Staff Of Destruction. Naturally, she said yes, if only for the sheer challenge of it. The academy was arguably the most well-protected building in the country, next to the royal palace of course, and its vault even more so. But then came the catch, a stipulation by the client. Should entry to the vault prove difficult, she would use an item provided that would form the backup plan. An enchanted ring, rather plain-looking to the casual observer as it was made of brass with a simple red jewel, but enchanted all the same.

She regretted everything the moment that she put it on for the first time. That's not to say it didn't work, it actually worked wonders and she was making quite a bit of headway in the backup plan, but the side effects were rather insidious. It began rather subtly, a slight pressure in the back of her mind that she couldn't quite describe. The more she used the ring, the more the pressure grew, and the more her thoughts began to change. Where once her thoughts were focused on the hefty sum that awaited her success, she now began to care less for the money, and more on enjoying what she was doing. She, of course, wasn't one to shed a tear for her victims but this was different, it was a level of sadism that she never thought she was capable of.

She tried to resist the thoughts, tried to focus on her reward for a job well done, but in doing so, the pressure turned to pain. A pain that she could only compare to a migraine combined with a hangover while a blacksmith's anvil was dropped on her head. At first, she thought it would fade over time but when it didn't, she began seeking medicinal remedies. The potions provided by the matron in the infirmary had done the trick, for a time at least. But when they began to fail, she would sneak into the infirmary to snatch anything stronger. It was taking everything she had to not keel over from it all.

That's when she began to notice it, like the thinnest, coldest needle she could imagine. She could feel it slowly twisting, burrowing its way from her finger to her head, slowly trying to pierce her mind in the slowest, most agonizing fashion possible. She had tried to remove the ring numerous times, hoping that it would stop whatever this was but even while off, she could still feel its effects.

And so that's where she found herself, bent over a basin in the lavatory, retching and heaving in an attempt at gaining some relief. She couldn't go on much longer, she had to make her move soon, and then she would have what she sought. Then she would begin to take back what they had taken from her, she would crush them all beneath her feet with the power that she would soon possess. And most of all, she would put an end to that stupid, timid, insipid, knife-eared...!

If anyone had been nearby at that time, they would hear the sound of a head colliding with the edge a basin, as Matilda had to do something, anything, to drive the thoughts from her mind, if only for a moment. She looked up and saw herself in the mirror. She was pale, sickly so, with dark bags under her eyes and now a trickle of blood ran down her forehead. Soon wasn't enough, she had to act now.

-

The trip to the tailor was a much more pleasant one now that the air has seemingly been cleared. While Louise walked with a purpose, Tommy couldn't help but act the tourist. His eyes darted between the various buildings and shops to the people walking by, the designs of the various clothes and as well as the architecture made it seem like he had stepped into another century. Which was still a possibility as he was still unable to determine where he had been brought to, the two moons might have been a clue that this was indeed another planet but he couldn't discount time-travel. Who's to say that Earth didn't have two moons at some point in the very distant past? Or the distant future, now that he thought about it. In either case, as long as things stayed relatively sedate, he didn't see the harm in enjoying himself a bit before getting back to finding a way home.

As the unlikely pair turned a corner, Tommy couldn't help but notice a shift in his surroundings. The streets seemed cleaner, the facades of the various buildings much more ornate, and the people seemed to have a much more expensive taste in fashion. If he had to guess, they just walked into the rich part of town. The tailor shop soon came into view, or at least he assumed so as Louise picked up her pace and made a beeline for one shop in particular. That and the display at the front of the shop contained some rather nice clothes. On the left was what appeared to be a rather nice suit with a long robe draped over top, or at least he thought that's what it was. Tommy didn't really have much of an eye for fancy clothing. On the right, however, was unmistakably a very expensive looking gown, probably something only worn to very high-end social functions.

As they walked through the door, the sound of a bell rang out, and soon they were greeted by a series of maids if maids were allowed to wear much more expensive versions of the uniform. They proceeded to line up on either side of the entrance, five to a side, and bowed in greeting. Louise didn't seem fazed in the slightest by this, she instead seemed to react as though this kind of greeting was to be expected, even nodding as if judging for correct procedure. It was then that the proprietress walked out, an older woman, slightly older than Tommy, dressed in robes that he could only describe as paradoxically extravagant yet strictly professional. Adding to her perplexing ensemble were her glasses, seemingly simple at first glance but a closer look revealed they were encrusted with small jewels and while her graying hair was tied with the utmost professionalism in mind, the solid gold pin that held it in place further added to the overall contradiction.

"Good day, my lady," she began, addressing Louise with a deference that sounded somewhat put on to Tommy's ears though Louise either seemed to not notice or not care, "To what do we owe this most gracious visit?"

"I have recently acquired a new servant and he requires more appropriate attire," she replied, gesturing at Tommy offhandedly, "He's foreign and as you can see, what he has simply won't do."

Tommy felt a flash of annoyance but didn't show it, he was already in enough of a pickle and didn't need more trouble. On the other hand, he might not be the most fashionable person in the universe but there was nothing wrong with how he dressed. Was there?

"Yes, he does have rather poor taste, now that you mention it. How many sets of clothes will be required, my lady?"

"Three should suffice for the time being, and keep them as basic as possible. My personal funds are somewhat tight at the moment."

"Of course, my lady. We shall have your servant's wardrobe ready before the day is out."

The proprietress clapped twice, signaling for the assembled maids to get to work, some escorting them to what Tommy presumed would be a fitting room while the rest went ahead to prepare. Indeed, at the back of the shop was a large, old-fashioned-looking changing curtain that stretched a fair distance, most likely to allow the maids to do their job unimpeded. Taking this as his cue, Tommy stepped behind the curtains and soon found himself the center of attention for a bunch of younger women wielding various measuring tools. This wasn't the first time that he had been fitted for clothing of course, but he couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed.

As he took off his jacket, a light gasp and hushed whisper seemed to pass among the maids, with one seeming to rush from behind the curtain. Uncertain of what could have worried them, Tommy looked down to find that the side of his once completely white t-shirt was no longer the case, as it now played host to what could unmistakably be called a somewhat large splotch of blood. He brought his hand up and gingerly touched what he guessed was the site of the wound, followed by an all too familiar burning sting slicing through that part of his side. The kid with the knife must have got him after all.

"My lady, are you aware that your servant is wounded?"

"He's what?!"

Tommy only had a brief second to look up before Louise shot around the curtain, her eyes filled what looked like a mix of shock, concern, and fury.

"Why didn't you say anything?! We need to call a healer immediately!"

"I only just found out myself," he replied, the very picture of composed in comparison, "I'll be fine, this will heal up shortly."

"You'll be fine?! You're bleeding!"

"I guess I'm not as quick as I used to be," Tommy said, touching the wound once more and wincing slightly, "Besides, I've had much worse than this. At most, all it needs is a bit of cleaning and some bandages."

Louise could only sputter indignantly in response, giving him a look as if she couldn't be sure if he was genuine or just playing tough. Bandages and a cleaning solution were eventually procured and applied, the burning of the wound soon overtaken by the burning of the cleaning solution and eliciting a small hiss of pain from Tommy.

"I still say that we should call for a healer to ensure proper recovery occurs."

"I'm okay, this is just shallow cut at most."

"My lady," the proprietress interjected, seeming slightly irked that business had ground to a halt "shall we proceed with the fitting, or do you feel it best we reschedule?"

"We should finish with the fitting," Louise sighed, seemingly just as irked, "I don't believe we'll have time for a return trip in the near future."

"As you wish, my lady."

"Also, I believe that my funds should be able to cover one of the sets of clothing being somewhat finer than the rest. He may not have been in my service for long but my servant has earned a reward."