Well, she assumed that they were taking notes. From the time she'd glance at the notebook she had given it, all it had was the writing in its language, so she didn't know whether it was actually taking notes like she told it to, or it was just doodling into it.
But besides that, they had gone back to the normal routine of going to class and listening to the professor teach about their specific Element or just about Magic in general.
And going back to that routine, meant that the jeers and insults were back.
They even found new ones when she first brought Bug into class, calling her overcompensating for her lack of skills by making her Familiar come to class as well. She figured it was only because they saw her Familiar taking notes.
Besides that, the professors also seemed to avoid picking her to demonstrate most of the time. Which meant there was no chance of her messing up a spell if she wasn't chosen to cast it. Didn't help that if the professors were to call for her to step forward, the others would be very quick to tell them it was a bad idea or that someone else would take her place.
She was being recognised she supposed.
But for these two days, nothing really substantial happened. They simply followed the motions of waking up each morning, heading to class to learn until they had to go back to her room to sleep.
But this 'peaceful' routine, had to come to an end at some point.
[Scene]
"Good Morning Class," A rather rough looking man greeted the gathered students in the classroom. He had a map of brown hair and a pair green eyes, a scowl seemed to be permanently fixed on his face.
Despite that, he stood tall with his attire immaculate. This was their Water Mage professor for the year, Levi the Tide.
Louise and the other students returned his greeting, earning a nod. He held out his wand to the side, muttered something under his breath and levitated the chalk piece. "I'll be continuing my lesson from the last class," he spoke as he conducted the chalk to with his wand "I hope you all been reading up what you're supposed to do?"
There were a few murmurs among the students. Some of them looking away from his green eyes.
Louise herself was one of them, simply content to look down at her notes.
"I'll take the silence as a no," Levi sighed as the chalk finished writing. He lowered his wand before ducking under his desk, a moment later he brought up two jugs and placed them onto the table. He raised his wand and chanted "Ah Qah Vi" he flicked his wand upwards and a thin stream emerged from the jug on the left.
Just as before he moved his wand like a conductor, and the thin stream of water moved as if it were alive. He wasn't even looking at it, instead opting to stare at them all.
It moved in intricate patterns, zipping above the professor's head as he moved the stream effortlessly. Then with a downward flick, it entered the jug on the right with enough speed that it shook.
All the while he stared at them impassively.
"You've all learn how to push and pull water," he said to them "Some of you might even have learn to direct water." He flicked his wand, muttering under his breath, and the chalk began to move once more.
It wrote more information on the black board as he spoke "But that's all that you learned in your First Year, now you need to learn precise control over your spells. And this is why I will need you to remember and practise this Water Levitation spell."
A couple of hands were raised, he pointed at one of them.
"Professor," Montmorency stood up "Controlling water in such a fashion can't be a Dot level spell can it?"
"In a sense?" He raised an eyebrow "It is, that level of control can only be gained through practice, but the precision is not." He swiped his wand to the side, the chalk he was controlling followed drawing an underline at the last thing it wrote. "This spell and it derivatives sole purpose is provide fine control that even basic Levitation cannot provide."
"I see," The blonde sat back down.
Louise quickly wrote down what was said. While Bug, who was standing on its chair due its height, was simply copying the new information on the board.
"Professor!"
Louise eye twitched at Kirche's voice.
Standing up still with her hand raised, the Germanian asked "If this spell if for Water Levitation, how will it help with other Elements?"
"Because Water is the safest choice," Levi answered. He chanted under his breath and flicked his wand upwards, drawing the stream from the jug once more "Unlike Fire, if you fail to control it you won't set yourself ablaze. Unlike Wind, if you fail to contain it won't suddenly blow you away." He casually swung his wand to left, and the stream travelled in an arc towards the jug on the left "And unlike Earth, Water is relatively lighter."
They all watched as the stream of water kept its shape even as he seemingly relinquished control "Once you're learn to safely control an element that is safe and forgiving, you can then do the same for the more dangerous ones."
Kirche gave a nod and sat down.
Levi looked away from her and focused on the rest of the class "In your Second Year, you will learn what each Element excels in. Why Fire Mages are feared in a different capacity than Wind Mages," he placed his hands on his desk "And to repeat myself from my first class, I will be here to teach you all about Water Magic."
Louise paused in her note taking, staring at the Water Mage for a moment.
Such confidence, such assurance in his abilities. It was something forged from years of hard work and success to think so highly of themselves.
Her grip on the quill tightened.
"Now, I'm gonna ask one of you to give me a demonstration." His eyes immediately went to her "Specifically, you with the Familiar."
Louise's eyes widened, while Bug looked her way.
"Uh Professor!" One of the students stood up "We warned you about Louise last time."
"Yes yes, I remember you told me not to pick her because of her lack of ability," he nodded his head "But I asked around, and apparently she has a Water Spirit as a Familiar." His eyes went to Bug, "Any Water Mage that can summon one of those can't be too bad."
Once again her classmates murmured amongst each other, all of them looking her way. She gritted her teeth and stood up "I'll do it!"
"Louse, please!" Kirche stood up "It's been merely a week since the last time you blew something up, don't you think you've done enough damage?"
"You've done nothing but cause explosions!" Guiche was next, already leaning away from her general direction.
"Shut it!" She pointed at Bug "You heard what the professor said, I summoned my Familiar I can do this!"
"Can you though?!"
She growled and stomped down the steps, vaguely she was aware of Bug hopping off its chair and following her. But she was too angry to care.
She reached the bottom of the classroom, with her looking at the impassive face of the Water Mage that waited at his desk. He gestured at the jugs "Just cast the spell, and let your affinity help you. A Water Mage can perform this task easily."
"R-Right," Louise nodded her head, and held out her wand.
Everyone ducked under their desk, and from the corner of her eye she saw Bug seemingly brace itself in response to the panicked reaction of everyone.
Louise ignored them all, and instead focused. "Ah Qah Vi," she spoke the incantations.
Her magic filled through her. She recalled from before that a Mage that used their affinities could feel the magic within them when casting. It was how one could tell that they were connected to a particular element.
Louise felt nothing, and when she realised that, she barely had time to flinch.
The jug holding the water exploded outwards, the ceramic pieces went flying while the water inside splashed her entire body alongside anything else that was nearby. The force of the explosion knocked her back, as did the professor was nearly slammed into the black board behind him.
The explosion was smaller than her usual ones. Whether it was due to the nature spell, or the target of her magic was contained within the jug she didn't know. And frankly she didn't care.
"That's," Levi grunted as he pushed himself from the wall "New."
"We told you sir! That Louise is nothing but trouble!"
"She isn't just trouble, she's just nothing!"
"Summon a Familiar, yet she can't even use a spell!"
Louise stood there, shivering from both anger and from the cold water that had spilled on her. She turned her head to Bug, who was drenched but looked fine. It turned to her, and she felt her anger subside just a bit.
"That's enough," Levi waved his hand, silencing the mocking jeers. He looked at the shattered mug, and waved his wand. With a chant all the water that had spilled due to her mistake gathered and entered the remaining jug. He sighed "Try again, Miss Valliere. At the very least, bring it out of the jug."
She turned back to him, shocked.
"Again?!" Kirche stood up "Sir, if you make her try again she'll blow up the whole school."
"She failed once," he turned an eye to her "If that's enough for her to stop trying, then she might as well leave the school entirely." He turned his eye back to her "Try again, Miss Valliere and remember. Feel the affinity for your element, there is a reason you were able to summon your Familiar. Recall that feeling and cast the spell."
'Recall the feeling?'
Louise tried to remember when she had summoned Bug, or when she had summoned its skull. She remembered when she casted the Summoning Spell, her magic hummed stronger than it did before.
She looked at her wand, and tried to rekindle the feeling. Instead of simply thinking about moving the water, she thought about…
She thought about summoning Bug again, her desire to bring a Familiar to prove that she was a mage.
And as she did, her magic responded. She could feel it inside her, responding to her call.
She pointed her wand to the remaining jug, holding onto the feeling as much as she could. "Ah Qah Vi," she spoke the incantation, and wished nothing more than for the spell to work.
The jug shattered outwards, this time even more violently. She'd be aware of the piece that nearly cut her cheek, if she hadn't notice another thing.
When the jug broke, instead of smoke and a bright light, Louise could've sword that she saw black tendrils exploding outwards.
But the image lasted only for a split second, and a sudden force slammed into her chest and threw her onto her back.
When she landed on her back, she heard the sound of wood splitting. Then she heard the sound of a heavy slam, followed by a slow painful groan.
After that, she felt water splash onto her face.
Louise stared upwards at the ceiling of the classroom as the other students got up from their desk to check on their professor.
Her hand holding her wand tightened as she processed another failure. Her other hand went to wipe the water from her face, that was all there was.
Just spilled water from another mistake.
[Scene]
"I'm being sent to the Principal," it's Master told it as they left the classroom "So you don't have to follow me there."
Bug looked at her.
"After that is lunch," she informed it with a quiet mutter "So I'll see you after that, okay?"
She turned around without another word, her feet dragging behind her.
As she was walking away, Bug waited for the next order that she would've gave. When she left its sight, it realised that she hadn't told it to wait with the other Familiars.
With the lack of order given, Bug took out its map and walked away from where it usually waited after its Master had food.
Instead it proceeded to the incomplete areas of the map, hoping to not only complete it, but try to fight a way to higher ground.