In the tradition of the hobbits of Shire, I give the gifts on my birthday! Well, technically my birthday was yesterday but I was dead tired last night so I didn't want to do the release a day early... And to celebrate such a milestone in my life, I present a chapter about our favorite traumatized half-alien child solider veteran!

Wow, I am very bad at choosing event uploads.

Anyways, enjoy! But first, I have to do this:

"It's over 9000!"

"Are you playing with that thing again?"

"Yes. And?"

Louise huffed before turning back to her assignment. "For a toy, it doesn't do much," she remarked.

"I suppose."

"And yet you're still fascinated by it."

"Yes. And?"

Louise lowered her quill and glared at her familiar, who was sitting on the floor, rolling his small blue cube across his fingers. "If you're going to be this much of a distraction, go somewhere else," she ordered.

"I'm minding my own business," Tobias pointed out. "Why are you getting all worked up?"

"Because you have creepy blank look on your face while playing with a weird toy! How am I supposed to focus on anything with you doing that?"

"By keeping your eyes on your papers instead of on me, obviously."

"Out."

"What?"

"Out. Out! Get out!"

Seeing Louise rise from her chair, Tobias took the hint. He stood up and escaped from the room, closing the door just as a book slammed into where his head would have been. "What's her problem?" he grumbled.

The Escafil Device, or morphing cube, in his hand hummed as he continued to roll it in his hand. Holding the cube was strangely therapeutic. Not because of the faint glow or soft hum it made, but because it reminded him of older, better times. Tobias refrained snorting. It said something when memories of fighting aliens on a near weekly basis made up the bulk of his better memories.

"Now, that's a face I don't see often."

Tobias's usual scowl crossed his face as he stuck the cube in his pocket and turned to face the speaker. Only when he realized who it was did his expression relax. "Oh, it's you, Anne," he greeted the maid cordially.

"Were you expecting one of my cousins?"

"Yes." Tobias's brow twitched in a rare show of irritation.

Anne sighed. "I'll ask that you excuse their behavior. They mean well."

"They're annoying."

"That they are," Anne easily agreed. "I'll ask them to stop bothering you, but I can't guarantee that they'll listen."

Tobias grunted in acknowledgement. He'd been running into Anne's near-identical cousins suspiciously often in the past few days. He suspected that the headmaster was behind it, the busybody geezer. By that theory, Anne probably was also spying on him, but at least she was polite and unobtrusive about it.

A thought sprung to Tobias's mind. "Where's Siesta?" he asked.

"Siesta? Hm… I believe she's on break right now. I think I saw her headed to her room."

"And where's that?"

Anne gave Tobias a measured look. "It is not proper for young men to enter the rooms of young women," she stated.

"I share a bed with Louise," Tobias deadpanned.

Anne did not seem surprised by the revelation, furthering Tobias's suspicion that she was involved in monitoring him. The maid met Tobias's dispassionate stare with her own stern glare, but eventually gave up with a sigh. "Well, I know you of all people wouldn't do anything unbecoming," she reasoned. "Take the door to the servant's quarters that faces the kitchens. Up the stairs, third door on your left."

"Thanks," Tobias said as he brushed past her.

"And please, when entering or exiting her room, keep your clothes on."

Tobias didn't bother to respond to that, though he did have to restrain a blush from coloring his face. Thanks to his half-hearted explanations of why he kept leaving his clothes behind during some of his "walks", the rumor of the academy was that he was an exhibitionist. Which, he most definitely was not. He just didn't put too much care in concealing his body. After six years of mostly living as a bird, clothes were mostly an afterthought. Besides, it wasn't like he was walking around naked or anything; he wore boxers which covered all the important bits!

No one asked any questions of Tobias as he made his way into the staff quarters. A few of the occupants gave him an odd glance, but most greeted him with a smile and politely moved on. As Tobias reached the second floor, he could tell by the smell that he was clearly in the woman's quarters. There was no one passing through the hall, but he still felt mildly self-conscious. He quickly scurried to Siesta's door and knocked twice.

"Who is it?" Siesta called from inside.

"Tobias."

A crash and following yelp from the other side of the door caused Tobias to wince. After several seconds of the sounds of frantic shuffling, Siesta opened the door with a flushed look on her face. "Hello!" she said far too enthusiastically.

"Hi…" Tobias responded, now sounding uncertain. "Is this a bad time?"

"Oh, no. Not at all," Siesta assured him. "I just had some, um, cleaning up to do. I wasn't expecting company. Come on in."

Tobias slowly nodded his head as he stepped inside. Siesta, despite her mature appearance, was still a teenager after all. Tobias could remember how his old friend Marco had kept his room in the contestant state of a pigsty. But to his surprise, Siesta's room was surprisingly clean. The floor was clear of random junk. A bed and dressed rested against opposite walls adjacent to the door. One bed was rumpled, like the occupant had been lying in it recently and gotten out in the clumsiest way possible. The other was fixed neatly, which he assumed meant that Siesta had a roommate who was still out on the academy grounds. There weren't much other furnishings, only a small table and a pair of chairs, much like what Louise had in her room, but clearly of inferior quality. There was a vase on the table, and another by the room's sole window, but otherwise the room was surprisingly spartan.

"You have a roommate?"

"Ah, yes. Only the senior staff have rooms to themselves," Siesta explained. "She won't be back for a while though, since we have our mid-day breaks on rotation."

"Right…" While Tobias knew Siesta had been acting… odd ever since he rescued her from Count Mott, the way she looked at him like an eager puppy was starting to creep him out. Still, she was the only person he could trust at the moment. "Siesta, I need you to do something—"

"Yes!"

"…"

Siesta blushed. "I-I mean, I'd be happy to help."

"I didn't even finish my sentence. Why would you agree before knowing what I need and why?"

"Well, I know you'd only come to me if it was something important. And I trust you, since you're a good person."

While it was intended as a compliment, Siesta's words stung. "Siesta," Tobias said seriously. "In the future, please, have better awareness and don't agree to things blindly. Blindly trusting anyone could get you killed."

"I don't blindly trust anyone," Siesta denied. "I trust you."

Tobias knew that she felt that way—it was clear by her actions that she'd do anything short of jumping off a cliff if he asked her—but hearing her say it out loud made it all the more impactful. He could feel his heart twisting into knots.

The boy exhaled loudly. "Just one question, first," he said. "Has the old geezer asked you to spy on me yet?"

"Yes."

Tobias blinked. That had been a very straightforward answer.

Without giving him time to recover, Siesta continued, "Of course, I declined. I made it very clear that I would not spy on one of my friends, and if he had a problem with it, he could fire me on the spot."

The fiery passion in Siesta's voice did not match the meek, puppy-like innocence of the girl Tobias was speaking to a minute ago. "I thought this job was important to you?" Tobias mentioned.

Siesta visibly deflated. "It is, but I wouldn't feel right about myself if I valued my job over the person who saved my life," she said. "Anyway, it all worked out in the end. Headmaster Osmond laughed for a while and told me to keep up the good work. He hasn't said anything about it since."

"That's good," Tobias said in relief. And confusing as well, since Tobias couldn't tell what was going on in the Headmaster's mind. Was Siesta's compliance a low concern for him? Was he confident in the other spies he had planted around the school? There were too many unknowns for Tobias to even venture a guess.

"So… what do you want me to do for you?" Siesta asked.

Right, that was what he came here to do. Tobias reached into his pocket and pulled out the morphing cube.

"What is that?" Siesta asked, staring at the faintly glowing blue object.

"A keepsake," said Tobias. "Something from my people. I…" He debated how much he should tell her, and decided she didn't need to know the details. "I've been keeping it on me for the past few days, but I know can't keep it safe forever. I'm guaranteed to lose it at some point."

"Because you keep taking your clothes off?"

"…yes," Tobias begrudgingly admitted. The boy was starting to regret letting that rumor grow out of control as a cover. He was not a perverted streaker! "So, I was hoping you would be able to hold on to it. Hopefully, out of sight, so no one knows you have it."

"If it's that important, why don't you ask the Headmaster to put in the Vault?"

"Hell, no!" was the immediate response. "I need it safe and in the hands of someone I can trust. Nothing about the Vault or that coot makes the cut."

Siesta beamed. "You trust me."

"I trust you to hide it and not lose it."

Despite Tobias's purposefully lukewarm response, Siesta looked absolutely giddy. "I won't let you down," she promised.

"I know." Tobias walked over to the table and set the cube down. Immediately, its glow faded and its faint humming ceased.

Siesta picked it up and examined it from all sides. "Why did it stop glowing?" she asked.

"It only glows when I hold it."

"Is it magic?"

Tobias snorted. "It might as well be." He moved towards the door. "I'll be going now. Later."

"Wait," Siesta said softly.

Tobias hesitated at the door and turned towards her. "Yes?"

Siesta approached him slowly. She clearly was trying to not scare him, which only made him more nervous about what she was going to do. Despite this, Tobias was confident that Siesta didn't have a malicious bone in her body. So, he remained perfectly still as the maid opened her arms and wrapped them around his body, pulling him into her.

Immediately, Tobias realized several things. First, it had been a long time since someone had tried to hug him. Second, due to his short stature, his face was now resting on the soft cushions of her chest. Third, she was holding him tightly while also holding the morphing cube.

Tobias jerked himself out of Siesta's grip. As he glanced at the cube, he saw that was thankfully still inert, which meant he hadn't accidentally activated it. While the Escafil device did nothing in the hands of someone who didn't already have the morphing power, if a person who could morph was touching it at the same time as someone else, the other person would gain the morphing ability. That would have been disastrous on so many levels.

Siesta, who didn't have the context for why Tobias had abruptly pulled away, came to her own conclusion. The maid shuffled away from him and apologized with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry! It's just, you always looked like you were hurting. I just wanted to help…"

"Please, don't cry."

Tobias was internally panicking. He may have avoided one potential disaster, but he had no clue what to do now. He didn't even know why Siesta was crying. It was obviously because he had pushed her away, but what about that action saddened her? Did he hurt her? No, she wasn't rubbing her arms or in any physical pain. Maybe it was rejecting her hug? Would someone cry if someone wouldn't hug them? Was it a cultural thing?

The boy wracked his brain for something he could say in this situation but came up with nothing. The only girls his age he had spent a considerable amount of time with were Rachel, who was more likely to punch someone than to cry, and Cassie, who was normally comforted by Rachel and/or Jake. Even if he extended those limits, his goddaughter, Toby, was an adult by her alien species and wasn't one to cry either. His mother cried occasionally when he visited her, but he mostly just stood still and let her hold him until she had gotten it out of her system.

For lack of a better option, Tobias approached Siesta with hesitant steps. Taking care to avoid skin contact with the morphing cube, he loosely draped his arms around her. He could feel his face turning red. This was the most out of character thing he had done in a long time. However, it seemed to work. Siesta gently sobbed as she also embraced him, making sure not to put a death grip on him this time.

When her tears finally dried up, Siesta once again apologized. "I'm sorry. I messed up your shirt."

"It's fine," Tobias said. Anything was better than having her crying, and he barely cared about his clothes in the first place. "But… could you let me go now?"

"Eep!" Siesta quickly released him and jumped away. "Sorry!"

"Please, stop apologizing," Tobias said wearily. "You didn't do anything wrong; I'm just not used to being touched by people."

"Didn't, um…" Siesta hesitated.

"I don't bite. Much," he added as an afterthought.

The deadpan half-joke got a giggle out Siesta. Looking more relaxed, she asked, "Didn't your mother hold you when you were little?"

An odd question in Tobias's opinion. "No. Or at least, I don't think so. I was separated from her shortly after birth, and only met her properly a few years ago."

"Oh, but then your father—"

Tobias shook his head. "Met him a couple of years before I met my mother. He died soon after."

Eaten alive in front of him, actually, but she didn't need to know that bit.

Even with Tobias's censored explanation, the maid looked horrified. "I'm sorry—" She cut herself off at Tobias's deadpan expression. "I mean, I thought someone who would have taken care of you when you were a child would have…" Her voice trailed off, then she blinked in confusion. "Wait, who raised you?"

"Technically, I was shuffled between an aunt and uncle who were responsible for me. Really, though? My friends showed more responsibility for me than any adult in my life." The last part came out as a growl.

"I see…" Siesta had wondered why Tobias had such an odd temperament. Now she could see why. In her eyes, he was the very image of a beaten puppy. Snappy only because he hadn't learned anything better in life. "I'm bringing up old wounds, aren't I?"

"Not really," Tobias replied casually. And that, surprisingly enough, was the truth. Normally, he didn't like talking about himself. Not due to the trauma of his life, he had long since accepted that, but because he was not used to being an open person. Aside from his very close friends, he couldn't remember anyone else he had opened up to.

However, there was something about Siesta that made him feel at ease enough to not have to hide everything about his life. Tobias considered that it was because she fiercely loyal to him, but that wasn't it. It was not just that she wouldn't betray him, but also as though she had a calming aura that allowed him to have total peace of mind around her. If it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't a mage, he would have suspected magic to be at work.

"The past is in the past," Tobias commented, realizing that the silence had been stretching for too long. He turned to the door, but not before giving some parting words. "My life might be odd to you, but for me, that's just how it is. As you've probably guessed by now, I'm not normal."

"M-maybe not," Siesta shyly admitted. "But you're kind and brave! And, well, that's why I like you." Siesta said the last part in a whisper.

Whisper or not, Tobias picked it up. That was bordering dangerously close to a confession. Siesta was definitely genuine, which only him feel worse. Tobias decided that it was best to pretend he hadn't heard a thing and make his escape. He opened the door and froze, seeing a hand reaching towards where the handle used to be. The person in the doorway was someone he did not want to deal with at the moment.

"Oh, it's you," he said flatly.

"Do you know who I am?" the person on the other side of the doorway teased.

"You're not Anne."

The near-identical cousin of Anne laughed. "You're not wrong," she said mirthly. "I'm Mary, try to remember me next time, 'kay?"

Tobias stared at her blankly. "Bye, Siesta," he called over his shoulder as he weaved around the obstacle in his path.

"Well, that was rude," Mary pouted as she stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her. "Would it hurt for him to loosen up a bit?"

"Maybe you could try being less… excited?" Siesta suggested. She subtly slid the cube Tobias had given her into her apron.

"I'm trying, but it's so hard," Mary complained. She flopped on her bed and looked at Siesta, eyes bright with curiosity. "So, what were you two doing while I was gone? Not checking out your book collection, I hope?"

"Mary!"

"Oh, so you hid them," Mary observed the books missing from the dressers. "And mine too. Smart move. You planning to ease him into the romance?" Mary ducked her head and laughed as Siesta's pillow hit the wall behind her.

"It's not like that," Siesta protested. "Tobias is very kind, but he doesn't like me like that…"

"But you do?" Mary caught the implication.

Siesta blushed. "It wouldn't work out."

"Why not? He might work for Miss Valliere, but she can't stop him from getting hitched, can she?" Mary asked. "He might be small, but I bet he's at least fifteen, maybe even sixteen. A little young for me, but perfect for you."

"Mary!"

Grinning, Mary only continued. "Not to mention, he looks like the type who'll be quite a looker once he gets past the gangly puberty stage."

"Please stop."

Tobias was already starting to miss the feel of having the Escafil Device in his hands. He knew that playing around with it was risky. All it would take was one unfortunate collision to give someone the morphing power. On top of that, he morphed at least once a day, which meant his clothes were often left unprotected. It was safer for the morphing cube to be out of his hands, but still at a place that he could retrieve it. As an added security, Siesta wouldn't say a word about having it, so he shouldn't have to worry about it being stolen.

Still, he almost wished he could keep it with him as a memento.

"There you are!"

Tobias turned his head sharply to see two girls approaching him. The first had blonde ringlets of hair, stern blue eyes, and wore a purple cloak. Her appearance reminded him almost of a female Guiche. The other girl was a brunette with amethyst eyes who wore a brown cloak, marking her as a first year.

"What?" Tobias asked brusquely. Noble students would often loudly whisper behind his back, but aside from Kirche and Louise, none had approached him directly before.

"Why haven't you forgiven Guiche yet?" the blonde asked aggressively.

"Don't you know how much pain you're causing him?" the brunette followed up.

Tobias face remained blank as he tried to figure out what the two were talking about. "Who are you?" he asked. "And what does Guiche have to do with anything?"

The girls at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

"I am Montmorency de Montmorency, Guiche's girlfriend" the blonde introduced herself.

"I am Katie de la Lotta," the brunette introduced herself shyly. "And I-I am also Guiche's girlfriend!"

Tobias winced at the sudden change in volume. "No need to shout," he grumbled. "I couldn't care less about your love life." If both girls had equally poor taste in guys, it wasn't his business.

Katie instantly deflated and shrunk to move behind Montmorency, who took a step forward. "We demand that you stop your petty mind games with Guiche!"

"…I still have no clue what you're talking about."

"Don't play innocent!" Katie piped up, sticking her head out from behind Montmorency. "Do you know how much pain Guiche is in because of you?"

"None, because I wasn't the coward using a metal puppet to smash someone's ribs." Tobias's glare sent Katie scurrying behind Montmorency yet again.

"Guiche acted disgracefully, but he's remorseful of his actions, and it's eating him up inside," said Montmorency. "He's been trying to atone, but you keep avoiding him!"

Tobias thought back to any times he had run into Guiche. He had seen the blond boy occasionally, but he usually avoided staying in the same area of pompous lout. Still, it wasn't like Tobias went out of his way to avoid Guiche specifically. Tobias put more effort into avoiding a certain germanian and Anne's annoying cousins—who he still couldn't tell apart—and they were still able to hunt him down on a near daily basis.

Apparently, Tobias had spent too much time in thought, because the blond girl was already in the middle of another tirade. "—overheard him talking with your master, and she was still going on about 'giving her time to think'. Do you think it's funny to keep Guiche waiting this long? He's taking the time to approach you, a mere commoner. Shouldn't you have the decency to acknowledge his efforts?"

Tobias let his face display the exact amount of care he felt.

The girl fumed, but before she could continue, a voice called out, "My dear Montmorency! Katie!"

Tobias sighed as he saw Guiche run up from where the girls had come. He coolly watched the noble boy as he skidded to a stop behind them, sweat causing the curls of hair to stick to his forehead.

It took Guiche a second to recover, but he stood up and flashed his signature winning smile. "My dear ladies, there's no need to trouble yourself on this matter," he placated the girls. "While I appreciate your concern, sometimes a man must face his own battles."

Tobias wasn't sure what annoyed him more: that Guiche was calling their verbal spat a battle, or that he referred to himself as a man.

The girls, however, ate up the act.

"Hmph, I suppose we will leave this to you then," said Montmorency, flouncing her hair over her shoulder.

"Bye, Guiche," said Katie shyly.

Once the girls were gone, Guiche did something that threw Tobias completely off guard. The noble bowed his head to Tobias and said, "Please excuse their behavior. They didn't mean any harm. Just like me, their passion sometimes blooms out of control, making them a prisoner to their own desires."

"You know the right words to brush of your own horniness," Tobias scoffed. Seeing Guiche still bowing, he said, "Fine. Whatever."

Guiche raised his head, looking confused. "Just like that? You don't even want to know why they were acting that way?" he asked.

"No." Tobias already had in his mind that anyone who was crazy enough to get into a relationship with Guiche wasn't worth the mental effort to understand. "Just get on with whatever you're bothering me for."

After taking a moment to clear his throat, Guiche began, "Tobias, familiar of Louise de la Valliere, I have wronged you in ways that words cannot express—"

"Nope. Stop," Tobias interrupted, raising his hand. "I don't have the time or energy to deal with your fancy talk. Stop being dramatic and get to the point."

Guiche sagged at the interruption, finally letting the pompous façade go. "I want to atone for what I did to you," he said. "I've been asking Louise what I could I do, but she hasn't given me a solid response. Most recently, she directed me to ask you. So, name a compensation within my power and it is yours!"

Tobias sighed. "Why would I want anything you have?"

"Surely there must be something you value!"

A snort. "Nothing you can give."

"Please," Guiche said desperately. "I can't have this stain on me."

Ah, there it was. Tobias narrowed his eyes. "So, that's what this is about. Your reputation is in jeopardy, so you want to make up so you can look good."

"No," Guiche denied immediately. "Well, my reputation also matters, but that's not why I came to you."

"Really?" Tobias's question was drowned in an ocean of skepticism.

"If I was solely interested in repairing my reputation, a formal apology to Louise would suffice," Guiche said. "However, I have had time to think about what I had done. Please, allow me to explain in full."

Tobias's shoulders slumped as he gave a loud exhale. "Fine," he said begrudgingly.

"As you should already know, I come from a military family," Guiche began. Once again, he was applying his bravado persona, but this time Tobias didn't call him out on it. As far as the familiar was concerned, the sooner Guiche finished, the better. "Not only are we taught the common laws of noble chivalry, but we are also expected to go above and beyond. Of course, being the fourth son meant that I had the weight of my family name behind me, but not much was expected of me. While I didn't have the natural talent of my older brothers, I did have my skill in golems, and my looks going for me."

'I didn't ask for your full backstory,' Tobias thought. Now he was regretting giving Guiche the opportunity to talk.

"Understandably, I was quite insulted by the words you spoke to me that day."

Tobias couldn't remember what he had said to Guiche, but he assumed it had been something crude.

"However, after hearing about your exploits against Fouquet, I came to a realization. You were not insulting me to be petty. Rather, you had witnessed the actions of a true noble before, and was driving the point to me that I was not acting as one should be for my position."

'I'm pretty sure I was making up things on the spot to make you angry enough to forget about Siesta,' Tobias mentally commentated.

"Despite your crude and odd tendencies, you serve Louise dutifully as a watcher and protector. Even though you are but an underprivileged commoner, you are able and willing to hunt down an international thief without a second thought. Clearly, you are the better man between the two of us."

The only response Tobias gave was a single blink. His face was an impassive as stone, giving no hints to the inordinate confusion going on in his mind. He wondered if Guiche was being serious or sarcastic with the backhanded insults. After a moment's consideration, he decided the former. Clearly, Guiche was neither intelligent nor eloquent enough to intentionally double-speak while staying in character.

"While I still am insulted by your remarks toward my family, I understand that they were said as a test against my character. A test that I surely failed in, and that's why you want nothing to do with me."

'Yes, but no.'

"However, if you could merely give me a way to repay you for what I have done, and for the lesson you taught, I will finally be able to be at peace, and better myself."

Seeing that Guiche appeared to be done, Tobias now struggled to find the right words to express himself. "…That's a lot of soul searching you've done," he finally spoke.

"Indeed," said Guiche, clasping his fist against his chest. "It took a long time, but I finally understand everything now."

"Right…" For now, Tobias would let him believe all that convoluted hullaballoo he came up with. That'd be a lot easier than explaining the truth. He sighed. "I guess I should apologize too. You were my target; insulting your family was going too far."

"Apology accepted."

"Good. In that case, I'll be going now—"

"Hang on!" Guiche interrupted. "I still have to pay you back!"

Tobias dropped the stone-cold expression to let the weariness show on his face. "Look, Guiche, there's nothing I really need," he said honestly. "I'm not a material person. I eat, sleep, and live my life. There's nothing I personally…" Tobias's voice trailed off as an idea came to his mind.

"You thought of something?" Guiche asked.

"Two things actually," Tobias said. "If that works for you."

"Of course," said Guiche confidently. Then, quieter, he added, "Do keep in mind that as the fourth son of my family, I don't have that much inheritance or power."

"Don't worry, this won't be costly," Tobias remarked dryly. So, it turned out that Guiche's bullying of Siesta was just idle talk. Go figure. Maybe Tobias wouldn't have intervened if he had known…

Nah, he would've done it anyway. Bullying was wrong regardless of whether or not the threats were acted on. "First, I need you to apologize to the maid you were publicly humiliating and blaming for your own issues," he said.

"The maid?" Guiche's face scrunched up in confusion. "Oh right, I had forgotten about her. What a pretty body, even if her face is a little strange. I can't believe what came over me."

Tobias glared, but decided to pointedly ignore the comment on Siesta's appearance. The last thing he wanted to do was drag this conversation out longer than it needed to be. "Second, if I tell you to take Louise and run, do it. Doesn't matter what she or anyone else says."

Guiche's confusion was now dialed up to eleven. "I don't understand. You mean kidnap her?"

"I predict that Louise and I will be getting into plenty of trouble before she graduates," Tobias explained. "I'm not strong enough to protect her, and she's too stubborn to use good sense. So, if I tell you to take Louise and run to safety, you grab her and go without argument. Can you do that?"

"I can," Guiche affirmed. "But what makes you think that Louise will be in danger while at the academy? It's perfectly safe."

"Fouquet," Tobias deadpanned.

"Aha… a fair point. But that was a one-time occurrence. Why would something like that happen again?"

"I exist to be the universe's punching bag in a long-running, time-bending, cosmic joke."

Guiche stared at Tobias. The familiar's expression was completely serious. The noble coughed nervously. "Well, in that case, I accept," Guiche declared. "If you give the call, I will protect Louise even if it costs me my life."

"NO."

Guiche jumped at the sudden leap in volume.

"You will not die protecting Louise," Tobias growled. "If you're going to get her to safety, you are going to do it alive even if it breaks every bone in your body! If you want to die, do it on your own actions in your own time! Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!" Guiche snapped to attention on instinct.

Tobias's expression relaxed into his neutral glare. "Glad we had this talk." He walked away, leaving Guiche with a slew of thoughts.

Tobias knew he was weak. The fight against Guiche's golem had showed as much, and the fight against Count Mott had confirmed it. A mage his age could defeat him with one of the most basic spells on the planet. An experienced mage with no sense of combat could handle one of his dangerous morphs with ease. If Tobias knew anything about his life, he knew that life-threatening danger would always be hovering around him. Since Louise was the one who had miraculously summoned him, he had no doubt that Louise would be in danger again, and next time, he might not be able to save her. It was best that he found other ways to keep her safe. Guiche wasn't the most reliable back up plan, but he was better than nothing, and Tobias trusted that the blond would honor the arrangement.

He wouldn't lose anyone else. Not this time.

Tobias had only managed to make it to the stairwell when he managed to run into someone else who he wanted to avoid.

"There you are, darling!"

Tobias immediately turned around and began walking in the other direction. Hurried footsteps followed after him.

"Don't be rude, darling. Most boys would love to have just a minute of my time."

"Then spend time with one of them instead of bothering me," Tobias snapped.

Kirche slid in front of Tobias, forcing him to focus his attention on her. "I already did," Kirche said, her inflated chest puffed out in pride. "But the first years haven't been very interesting, and the second and third-years I already did last year. So aside from a few of the strapping members of the staff, all I have left is you."

"So, I'm your leftovers?"

"You're the tasty-looking surprise dish." Kirche licked her lips.

"You have terrible taste."

"Don't sell yourself short," said Kirche as she leaned in close. "You still stand out, in your own way."

"Great," Tobias said in a voice as dry as a desert. "If you're done teasing me, leave me alone." He turned back to the staircase.

Kirche kept pace beside him. "How about I'll let you in a little secret?" Not hearing an immediate rejection, she continued, "You're the only boy who has looked at my body without showing any signs of attraction. Boys and men are supposed to be driven by their lust. I can see some resist, but most are so easy to break down."

"If you only hang around perverted morons then your generalizations are going to be wrong."

"Even in Germania, while I was still blossoming, grown men couldn't keep their eyes off of me," Kirche said. "Nobles, commoners, old, young, it made no difference."

Tobias was surprised that instead of bragging, she was stating at as a simple fact. It was uncharacteristically tame for Kirche. He said nothing.

As expected, Kirche filled the silence with her own voice, "You, however, don't look at me like that. You've seen my body; you're always staring. Still, you don't seem to be affected at all. It's interesting."

"And you're hanging around and teasing me because you like that I don't care about you?" Tobias guessed.

"Nope! I want to figure out your weakness so I can slip into your heart!"

Tobias made a full stop. He slowly rotated his head and stared into Kirche's eyes. "That's stupid," he stated flatly. "Nothing you do is going to make me change my mind that you're anything but a dangerous annoyance." As an afterthought he added, "Also, if you're going to try to seduce me, why would you tell me?"

"You already know what I'm doing, so it's not like it makes a difference. Besides," she said while licking her lips, "I like the challenge."

Tobias shook his head and resumed walking. As soon as he got to Louise's room, he was going to slam the door in Kirche's face. The girl couldn't take a hint.

"So, what's your secret?" Kirche asked.

Tobias ignored her.

"C'mon, you could at least play along."

Tobias kept walking.

Kirche moved to stand in front of him. "Why the silent treatment?"

"You're annoying and can't listen."

"Harsh."

Tobias's expression didn't shift in the slightest. He moved to walk around her, but Kirche intercepted him again.

"Okay, how about we make a deal?" Kirche suggested.

"Will you leave me alone?"

"If you win, yes."

Tobias sighed. The chance to get some peace was worth the time to listen. "Alright, what's the deal?"

"I have to be able to guess the reason you can resist my feminine charm by the time you make it back to Little Louise's room," Kirche declared. "I can say whatever I want, but I have to give a final answer before we reach her door. If I guess right, I'll get to ask you one question."

"And if you guess wrong, you'll leave me alone?"

"For one week."

Tobias glared.

"It's a fair trade," Kirche defended herself. "I get a little closer to you, or I lose some time with you. If we were betting all or nothing, I'd ask for your undying love."

Tobias exhaled loudly. "You clearly have no idea what love is."

"I'm Kirche the Ardent, my love is the passion behind my flames!" Kirche declared. Seeing that Tobias only gave her an exasperated glare, she leaned in close and asked, "So, want to play?"

Tobias considered his options. He could refuse to play, and she'd pester him as normal. He could lose, and he'd have to give up a secret (he had plenty of those to spare). Or, he could win, and not have to deal with Kirche for a week. Kirche was annoying, but she didn't seem like the type to cheat. Which meant she was rather desperate, or confident. But he hadn't given her any hints, and his poker face was solid. This gave him a clear advantage, which Kirche should know. If that was the case, why would she play a game with the deck stacked in his favor? Was that why she didn't make it an all or nothing? Was there a larger plan in work?

"That's a lot of thinking for a yes or no answer," Kirche commented.

Tobias shook his head. This was Kirche, after all. There was no way she had any complicated plan at work. Most likely, she thought of this on the spot and was treating it as another of her impromptu teasing games. "Fine," he agreed. "I'll play. Make your guesses." He resumed walking, and Kirche kept pace beside him.

"Hm…" Kirche hummed contemplatively. "You're not going to try running to the top?"

"Did you expect me to?"

"Not really, but anyone who was scared of losing would," said Kirche. She had a conniving grin. "You're confident. In everything you do, you face it head on without any hesitation. I like that in a man."

Tobias said nothing, but he was starting to feel slightly nervous. Kirche had gotten a feel for him based on his action, not his face like he expected. He'd need to be careful; the redhead was more perceptive than he gave her credit for.

"Normally, the guys that resist me the best already have plenty of hot women in their lives," said Kirche, thinking out loud. "But you strike me as the lone wolf type, which has its own appeal. Still, it's not like you've never interacted with people before. I've seen the sheltered types, nobles and commoners, and you don't fit the bill. You just don't like being around crowds. Someone who isolates themself wouldn't be hanging around crowds of smoking hot ladies like myself, so it can't be that."

"You flatter yourself too much."

"Thank you!" Kirche said with a wink. "Hm… so, how would a loner like yourself avoid getting pulled in by an alluring woman? I think you're too young to get married, so you don't have a wife that would beat you for looking at a girl the wrong way. You also never mentioned having a girlfriend, so there's no jealous girl watching over your shoulder."

Tobias said nothing. They were already at the second floor, which meant Kirche was starting to run short on time.

"Clergymen also hold themselves away from women, but you're too crude to be a man of the cloth, or any cloth for that matter."

Tobias had to refrain from growling at that.

"And then there's your face. It's cute, but oddly blank. Not vacant, just frozen in that cool, loner-boy scowl of yours," Kirche mused. "Were you born like that?" Hearing no response, she continued, "Occasionally your face twitches, so it's not like you can't make facial expressions. You glare all the time, but you rarely frown and never smile. I haven't heard of anyone born like that, so it must be something you picked up."

Fourth floor. Not much farther now.

"What would cause someone to stop smiling?" Kirche wondered. "Something tragic, emotional?"

Being stuck as a bird and forgetting how to use facial muscles was the correct answer, but Tobias doubted she would be able to guess that.

Kirche snapped her fingers. "Heartbreak!"

Tobias snorted, which caused Kirche to smile. "So that managed to get a reaction from you," she observed. "So not heartbreak, but it definitely had to deal with a girl."

They were finally on the fifth floor. Tobias walked down the hall.

"Here's my final answer: You were separated from the girl you love and you're still pining for her!"

Tobias opened his mouth to refute Kirche, but found he couldn't get the words out. While Kirche was thinking of the wrong scenario, she wasn't necessarily incorrect. Being stuck as a hawk had made it difficult to make facial expressions, but back during the war, he still could make lopsided smiles when he morphed back into a human. He could frown. He could laugh. The others had occasionally pointed out how he looked weird doing it, but he still could imitate the expressions.

Now, though? Even when he was angry, he barely moved his lips. When he was annoyed, he barely frowned. When he was pleased, he still didn't smile. All this had happened after Rachel had died. After he had stopped using his human form. After… he had given up.

Kirche might have been more correct than he thought.

"You look like you're a having a big revelation," said Kirche. "Did I get it right?"

Tobias blinked. "Partially," he conceded.

"Well, that puts us in a bind," said Kirche, putting a finger to her chin. "We didn't think of a condition if I only got a partial win."

"We could call it off as a draw," Tobias offered.

"But that would be boring," Kirche complained. "How about we both get what we want instead?"

"…"

"You want me to stop hovering around you, and I want to know more about you," said Kirche. "So if we both get what we want, we're both happier for it. Isn't that right?"

It was right, and that was the scary part. Tobias was being outmaneuvered in negotiations, but he didn't see a better option. "Fine. Ask away. Just make sure to keep your end of the bargain."

"I swear it on my family name."

Tobias sighed. While he didn't care for family names, Kirche was still a noble, so that must mean something her. "Ask away," he said.

"Hmm…"

"Well?"

"Hold on, I didn't actually expect to make it this far. I need to think of a good one."

Tobias stared at Kirche incredulously. She had outmaneuvered him entirely on a spur of the moment decision? No doubt, he had severely underestimated her intelligence. Or she was lucky enough to get the right answer with wrong premises…

"I got it!" Kirche declared. "Who is she?"

Ice crept up Tobias's veins. "Who?"

"The girl who claimed your heart before I could," said Kirche. "That's my question."

"Tsk." The question was personal. Tobias couldn't remember giving this information to anyone since he had arrived in Halkegenia. However, it wouldn't hurt to give a name. "Her name's Rachel."

"Rachel," Kirche said the name aloud. "What a nice name."

"Glad you're satisfied. Now leave."

"Oh, but I'm not," said Kirche.

Tobias narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"I asked, 'Who is she?' not, 'What's her name?'. There's a big difference," Kirche said matter-of-factly. "A name is nothing. I want to know who she is."

"Dirty trick."

Kirche winked. "Don't worry, darling. Remember, I'll leave you alone for a week after this."

"And you don't mean until the end of the week, right?"

"Nope. I mean a full week. No tricks, just the right words."

Tobias breathed harshly through his nose. "Fine," he conceded. She had bested him in the battle of words. He wasn't such a sore loser that he'd pull out now. "Rachel was smart, talented, and feisty. Out of all of our friends, she was the one to dive into things recklessly. A total adrenaline-junkie, and she would be the first to admit it. While we all had our hang ups and got discouraged, she was the one who stayed unstoppable. She was… everything." Tobias shook himself out of his thoughts. "Is that enough for you?"

"How do I compare to her?"

Tobias stared at her. "I'm pretty sure that's not related to who she is."

"True, but I am curious," said Kirche. "She sounds a lot like me."

"…You're not wrong," Tobias admitted. "You two act similar enough to be sisters. I feel like you would have been good friends."

"Do we look similar though?"

"You're both tall and have long hair, that's where the similarities end."

"I can dye it," Kirche declared.

Tobias raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"If I'm already this close to being your perfect girl, then I can make a few cosmetic changes to seal the deal," said Kirche. "It would be fun to go for a new look."

"Dying your hair and having similar personalities doesn't make you the same at all," Tobias pointed out. "You're a pain."

"But you don't hate me."

"And? You're not worth the effort of hating."

"I think it's something more than that." The confident smile on Kirche's face unnerved Tobias. "You avoid me, but you're still willing to talk when I find you. Which means you feel comfortable around me."

Tobias bristled. "Don't get any ideas."

"You're so cute when you're in denial." Kirche smiled in spite of Tobias's scowl. "You only show this side of you when you feel comfortable enough to be annoyed. Otherwise, you keep such a boring face."

Tobias forced himself into a neutral expression, but the damage was done. "Your point?" he growled.

Kirche leaned in, far too close for Tobias's comfort, and whispered seductively into his ear. "I think I'm you're type."

Tobias pulled away. "As if."

"You said it yourself, I'm close enough to be a sister to the girl of your dreams. And I've got my own personal charm, of course." She smirked, once again leaning far too much into Tobias's personal space. "Tell me, did Rachel have body like mine?"

"Stop it, Kirche."

"I don't do roleplay often, but if that's your kink, I can roll with that."

"Kirche."

"Such a shame that your relationship didn't work out. I would never let a catch like you go," Kirche pushed on despite the building anger in Tobias's eyes. "But don't worry, I'll make sure to fill that hole in your heart that your lover left behind. Honestly, who'd leave a cutie like you heartbroken? She should feel ashamed of herself—aieep!"

Kirche yelped as Tobias shoved her away. "That wasn't very nice," she protested.

When she met his eyes, she realized something was very wrong. Tobias wasn't just annoyed like usual. Behind the furious expression on his face, his eyes betrayed hidden pain. His arms were tense and locked to his sides. His fingers dug into his palms hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

"She's dead."

It took a Kirche a solid second to process the words that had been said through clenched teeth. Then, she gasped. "Oh, I didn't mean it!"

"Sure, you didn't," Tobias hissed sarcastically. "You never mean anything you say. You tease crowds of horny boys, you pester me every day, you've been bugging Louise since they day you two met, but it's all a game to you. Right? You're just playing around, having fun. Because treating everyone like toys is your sick and twisted idea of entertainment."

"Wait, Tobias, I—"

"Shut up!"

Kirche's jaw snapped shut at the visceral rage in Tobias's voice.

"You got what you wanted," Tobias said. His voice was now cold. Dead. Distant. "Now follow your end of the deal and leave me alone. Hopefully, that part of your word actually mattered to you." Tobias walked to Louise's room and slammed it hard enough to send a shudder all the way down the hall.

Kirche stared at the other side of the door. "I wasn't—I didn't know," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

Louise stepped into her room to find Tobias, near naked, sitting at the edge of the window. His clothes were strewn on the floor in a trail to his perch. "Seriously?" she asked. "I step out for an hour and you start acting like a degenerate?"

Tobias didn't answer or move.

"Stop ignoring me! You know, you've been very rude ever since we got back from the Vault," Louise noted. "Let me remind you, I am your master here. You should show me some respect."

Tobias still said nothing.

Now, Louise was starting to get concerned. While being rude or disobedient was normal for Tobias, being completely unresponsive was not. "Tobias," she said in a more level voice. "Come down from the window."

{No.}

Louise staggered in place. Tobias's mental messages were usually annoyingly intrusive, but this one felt different. This time, there was more than only words digging into her brain. Anger. Sadness. Regret. Longing. Emotions that clearly weren't hers were flooding her mind and making it hard for her to think coherently. Louise knew that familiars and masters could learn to share senses with each other, but this was something different from that.

After taking a moment to reorient herself, she asked, "Tobias, did something happen?"

{Nothing you need to worry about.}

The response caused Louise to wince. The same turbulent churn of emotions flowed into her head as Tobias's voice rang in her head. It made the girl feel nauseous.

"Stop with the head voice thing," she ordered, reeling from the unpleasant sensation. "If you need to talk, talk like a normal person."

Tobias said nothing.

Louise let out a long, calming breath. She had thought it was bad enough when he was brushing her off and being rude, but this was far worse. If she was right, and the storm of emotions she had felt were plaguing Tobias's mind, then he had a serious problem. It might even be connected to the nightmares he had practically every night. She was tempted to order him to tell her what was wrong. However, while she was his master in name, she knew that he didn't respect her nearly as much as a normal familiar would. It was unlikely that any number of orders would get him to open up when he was like this.

Instead, she tried to for a subtler approach. "I've been summoned by the princess to meet her at the Capital," Louise announced. "Of course, as my familiar, you will be accompanying me."

Tobias grunted. That was an improvement, at least.

"I'll have one of the servants prepare a small traveling bag for you," said Louise. "We might be staying overnight, so make sure to bring a change of clothes. I don't want the princess to think you're impoverished."

Tobias grunted again.

"Oh, and Guiche was looking for you earlier. He's been asking me what to do for reparations, so I decided to leave the decision up to you. He hurt you pretty badly, after all."

Finally, Tobias spoke, "The worst injuries aren't the one that can be seen."

Louise blinked. "Do we have to go to the water tower again?" she asked in alarm. "Is it your ribs? Internal bleeding?" She ran towards him and reached out to check his body.

Her familiar pulled away, shifting closer to the outside edge of the window. {Leave me alone.}

Again, that sea of emotions leaked into Louise's mind, but she swallowed her nausea and pushed through it. "I'm your master! I'm responsible for you. If there's something wrong, tell me so I can fix it!"

{This is not something you can fix.}

"Then I can get a healer or a teacher or—"

{Louise,} Tobias interrupted. {I appreciate the thought. But not now.} Tobias audibly sighed.

"…I want to help." Louise hated how weak and helpless she sounded in that moment.

{Please, for now, just leave me alone,} Tobias asked.

"…Okay." Louise dejected sat down at her table. The remaining homework for her classes lay in front of her, but for the rest of the day, she could only think about her familiar and the pain he felt.

And how useless she was.

Well... that was moderately depressing. Hm... but the word count is just under at 8.9k. I need another 100 words or so to make the above meme true...

Oh, wait, an Omake?

A Canon Omake?

Behold Chapter 9.5: Kirche's Mistake

The door to Tabitha's room slowly swung open. Tabitha, who was sitting on her bed reading a book, was surprised. Not by the intrusion—Kirche almost never knocked when entering her room—but by how slow Kirche's footsteps were. Normally, Kirche moved with more energy than a girl her age should have. The floor would be shuddering with every flouncing step she took. Instead, her feet crossed the space of the room in a soft pitter, almost as lightly as Tabitha would herself. The bluette had to raise her head to confirm that, indeed, it was Kirche who had entered her room, shut the door, and was now sitting on her bed.

While Tabitha wasn't a socially interactive person, let it not be said that she was apathetic to the plights of others. She put her book aside for later and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I messed up," Kirche said in a low voice.

Tabitha waited.

It didn't take five seconds for the redhead to crack. "I was teasing Tobias again, all in good fun, you know? He was being all broody and mysterious like usual, but I made some progress today. I even managed to get him to open up a bit about his life." A smile started to form, and then immediately disappeared. "And then I said something stupid."

"You always do."

Kirche snorted. "I do, but it was worse than usual," she said. "I may have insulted his deceased lover…"

The germanian girl could feel Tabitha's stare boring into the back of her head. "I know, I know. Of all people, I should know better than to speak ill of someone's loved one," she said. "I didn't mean it, really! And I didn't think she was dead! I was just trying to make a joke, but I spoke without thinking and now…" Kirche buried her face into her hands. "I should have been more careful. He probably thinks I'm a terrible person right now."

"Probably," Tabitha agreed.

Kirche turned around, pouting. "You're supposed to help me feel better, not bullying me," she complained.

"You did wrong. I'm not going to praise you," Tabitha stated. "Did you apologize?"

"I tried," said Kirche. "When I saw his face, how hurt and angry he was, I realized I made a mistake and tried to fix it. But he didn't want to hear it and left before I could get a word out."

"Hmm…"

"Help me out, please?" Kirche brought up Tabitha's hands in hers. "You seem to understand him; how do I apologize here? He always looks annoyed very time he sees me, but it'll probably be even worse now. He doesn't like gifts, so I don't know if there's anything I can buy to win him over. Is there a food he likes? Ah, but he's got a maid friend who probably would take care of that."

"Breathe," Tabitha advised gently.

Kirche took a several deep breaths. Then, she slapped her cheeks to get her mind back on track. "Thanks, Tabitha, I needed that. But what do I do now?"

Tabitha gave the matter some thought. While she felt like Tobias was of similar accord, it wasn't normal for her to be the one to give social advice. "Time," she finally said. "Give him time. Then, approach him. Be calm and sincere. No flattery, no tricks. Just be direct."

"Are you sure that'll work?"

Tabitha shrugged. "It would work for me," she answered honestly.

"Aww…" Kirche reached over and pulled Tabitha into a fierce cuddle. "You're the best best friend in Halkegenia, you know that?"

"I'd like to go back to reading."

"Just a little longer?"

"…Fine."

Tabitha's my favorite character and I never get to give her enough spotlight in my stories... :(

Anyway, this chapter was on the heavier side. With the Albion arc around the corner and a lot of character development skipped due to a lack of interactions, what better way to help Tobias adjust than to bombard him with literally everyone relevant? They help him open up, he changes him for the better, and they all live happily ever~

*pfft*

I almost feel bad for making Kirche the villain here, but it was about time for and Tobias to finally clash. While she had some of the best development of the canon cast in the original story, she also has a very… problematic temperament. I don't think she intends to really hurt anyone, but her "games" are not something anyone can handle on a daily basis. But she can learn from this with the help of best girl Tabitha, who also could use some help... c'mon Tobias... reach out to her at some point. Be socially proactive for once in your miserable life.

Speaking of Tobias, I've been wondering something. Is he more of a Tsundere or a Kuudere? He has traits of both and I can't decide which side he leans more too. Oh, and for those who aren't as familiar with Animorphs, did you get any surprises from his backstory? Even a basic summary of his life is pretty messed up. I even skipped the... well, that'll be revealed in a couple of months in the next chapter.

Time to kick the Albion Arc! With a totally non-mentally and emotionally compromised Tobias! How could anything go wrong? Am I torturing for no good reason? Well, he's had worse. Besides, conflict builds character. Or something.

And before I forget:

I'm not the only author who's currently active in Animorph crossovers. Butterfly Effect Elsewhere by StellarStylus is an ongoing Animorphs x Miraculous Ladybug fic. I personally love the story, and it's interesting that I'm writing Tobias as a summon while StellarStylus has Rachel as a reincarnate. Check it out. I guarantee it'll be worth your while.

This is one chapter where I really want to see people's reactions. Remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!