Arc 1 Chapter 3: Dawn of the first day
Sendicard
Writer of Sakura
- Location
- New Mexico, USA
- Pronouns
- YouPick
Next chapter is already half written, we'll see. As of this post, we are caught up and I actually have to write things. I decided not to wait very long as I did accidentally keep people waiting an entire month for edit. *Sheepish*
Anyway! I'll try to have the next chapter written for sometime this week. Things are going to get a little... heavy. So this chapter's comedy is a really nice buffer between the fluff and chapter four.
I hope you enjoy some of the lines in this as much as I loved writing them, and as much as Adeline loved slinging them.
That being said, I once again warn about Adeline's sense of humor. It shouldn't ever really get much worse than it is in this chapter. They are after-all just jokes and there's not many places for them to go from here while still remaining jokes.
I also must warn you all that the first six hundred words or so are very serious, and show a very real occurrence. I'm honestly not even one hundred percent sure I did it justice. You'll understand when you see it, just, if it makes you uncomfortable I did my job. Continue on.
Anyway! I'll try to have the next chapter written for sometime this week. Things are going to get a little... heavy. So this chapter's comedy is a really nice buffer between the fluff and chapter four.
I hope you enjoy some of the lines in this as much as I loved writing them, and as much as Adeline loved slinging them.
That being said, I once again warn about Adeline's sense of humor. It shouldn't ever really get much worse than it is in this chapter. They are after-all just jokes and there's not many places for them to go from here while still remaining jokes.
I also must warn you all that the first six hundred words or so are very serious, and show a very real occurrence. I'm honestly not even one hundred percent sure I did it justice. You'll understand when you see it, just, if it makes you uncomfortable I did my job. Continue on.
As my shoulders shake along with the rhythm of whimpers and trembles coming from the small girl in my arms, I am glad that I already vowed to pay for the book, because I am going to burn the damn thing in the morning. Let it be damned to the same place as this girl's family, for it shall never misinform someone in this position again!
With a sound that is suspiciously like a squeak, her tremors double in intensity. Fear, it said, the book said they couldn't feel fear. If this isn't fear what is?
I know, as I return the favor this girl allowed me earlier, holding her close as any good master would, that I should feel pity. At the very least, empathy. I cannot, I do not have even the faintest clue what she is feeling, and trying contemplate it is well beyond my capabilities after having been woken up in the middle of the night. Instead, I am very angry. Only my efforts to retain what I hope is a comforting grip around the deceptively strong girl stop me from, how was it she said it, flying on my heels, and destroying something myself.
"No…" It comes quietly with another whimper, as if an unimportant afterthought, and yet the horror lacing it almost causes me to lose my grip. "Zeno!" This time I actually do lose my grip as she bursts forward, her eyes shooting open as she kneels forward, her form wracked with quick and heavy breaths. We both bear silence for a few agonizing minutes, she presumably wanting to avoid the topic, and I willing to let her have that.
Finally, after what feels like more time than I was asleep in the first place, she turns her head slightly, allowing me to see her purple eyes wet with tears. "I am sorry." She laments, and a strange feeling in my throat stops me from doing anything but nodding.
She moves, slowly slipping off the bed. "I will sleep elsewhere."
Suddenly, as if Brimir himself is whispering into my ear, I know with absolute certainty that I cannot allow her to leave this bed.
Before I even know what I'm doing I've moved forward and caught her arm. "I did not tell you to leave." I force out, and it comes out much more aggressive than I meant it. I expect her to try and rip her arm from my grasp, having proved herself stronger than me just a few moments before. Yet instead of even the most basic signs of defiance, she warily sits back down on the edge of the bed, allowing her eyes to trail to mine. Again, I am struck with a strange emotion I had not planned for. For with the moonlight reflecting off her wet face, she is insanely adorable. I narrowly avoid tackling her into a hug, and count the success in the new list I started yesterday.
Summoned a familiar, didn't tackle her in the dead of night while she cried after having night terrors. Soon this list will be massive.
"Would you like to talk about it?" I try, and she shakes her head instantly as if reflex. I will myself not to feel annoyed with her. Surely it will take more than one day to coax her to open up.
Yet, as I give up she opens her mouth and speaks anyway. "He... " She pauses for a moment, a slight hiccup in her breathing. "He was an idiot." There is no heat in her proclamation, cold sorrow replacing it like creeping frost.
"Who?" I will myself to ask, finding myself oddly fearful of the answer.
"Zeno." Noticing my confusion, and curiosity, she continues. "He took me in after I left home. He taught me what I needed to survive."
"Like how to use a sword?" I ask. "No." She shakes her head. "Zeno taught me how to run, how to hide, how to hunt. How to smile again." She makes the same smile she made earlier, toothless and innocent, the one when she made that 'joke,' and just like before it looks perfect, before it fades back to her solemn expression.
"Is he still in Germania? We could find him." I know using her vulnerability in the moonlight to dig for info is wrong, but at this moment I cannot even begin to feel bad.
She shakes her head. "No." She speaks with such certainty that I hardly even recognize my question before it has left my mouth. "He's dead?"
She nods, slowly. I feel a foreign twinge in my chest.
We sit in silence again for a long time, the twin moons outside mocking us as they shift position before I finally speak up. "Classes are canceled for us second-years tomorrow, so we can sleep in."
She gives me a reluctant nod, as if the very idea of going back to sleep is a bitter candy, and for her, it probably is. "Is there any way we could better your sleep?" I ask, reaching for anything really, and am surprised when she reluctantly nods again. We sit in silence for another few moments before I open my mouth to ask what and catch her gaze. Her weapons. Of course, a Child of War would feel more comfortable armed. It occurs to me that is probably the real reason she fought with me about sleeping in the bed. She couldn't ask me to allow her weapons in, how could I possibly understand she needs them? Though the fact that she didn't even try concerns me. Surely if she explained it I would be more open, I don't come off that stubborn, do I?
A day ago I would have called anyone was crazy for even implying the idea of bringing their weapons to bed, and perhaps I have lost some of my beloved sanity in my newfound success. For the unvoiced question on the tip of her tongue doesn't even escape before I've given the only answer I can imagine. "Grab them."
She moves, slowly off the bed, over to her green pack and weaponry, before coming back with them in hand. It is with great relief for me that she does not sleep with them directly attached to her. For even if that would help her sleep, I imagine I would be kept awake worrying. Instead, she rests the sword in its sheath between the wall and the bed. The pistol is, after apparently needing to double check it for something called a 'safety,' and 'magazine,' tied to the overhead piece of the bed in its holster.
"Thank you." She whispers as she lays back down.
"You're welcome," I whisper back after a moment. Though from her soft and slow breathing, she's already back to sleep.
Remarkable, that the one who had the night terror is already asleep, yet I lay awake, thinking about it.
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I have never been the lightest of sleepers, but that certainly isn't to say I am a heavy sleeper either. Normally I wouldn't wake up to a light rap on the door, but if you were to enter my room I should under pretty much any circumstances, buck right up.
Apparently, this doesn't extend towards thieves, as when I open my eyes on this morning, noting by the position of the sun that it actually isn't much later than I had originally intended to awaken, something appears to be missing.
I look around as I sit up, the natural light flooding the room and revealing every nook to me.
I sit on my bed for a minute or so, just taking it all in, trying to figure out what is missing. After a bit more of coming up without conclusion, I move to my dresser and start gathering my clothes for the day. As I begin to put them on, I am hit with a strange clarification, like what I'm missing has something to do with them. I allowing my confusion to show on my face animatedly, in the comfort of my own room my confusion cannot be a sign of weakness after all.
Am I missing a servant? That's crazy, why would I keep a servant in my room? Surely I would remember something like that.
It is as I finishing donning my mantle, and am about to set off for breakfast, that it hits me like a horseshoe. I am not particularly hungry.
My eyes dart to my desk and take in the destroyed book for the first time, remembering my promise to burn the damn thing I give it a glare. What I am missing is my familiar, a small girl who is more than likely currently getting into trouble.
As my heart rate booms, I rational to myself that while she is a small and strange girl wandering around noble property, she is also in-fact a noble. Or at the very least was. Then, my eyes lock onto what I was truly realizing was missing as I awoke. Not the girl, no, she'll be fine. I was noticing the lack of sword at the side of the bed, and gun in the overhead.
With this my mind catches up with my heart rate. I am clearly freaking out, not because there is a ten-year-old noble walking around more than likely causing trouble, but because there is an armed and likely paranoid ten year old noble walking around more than likely causing trouble.
I quickly prepare and throw my door open, only to be met with the sight of flaming red hair, but mostly, just huge tanned melons in my face. I quickly name the melons. "Kirche." Has she been waiting for me outside my door? How long has she been here?
"Good morning, Louise." She speaks, her voice filled with a charm that lulls me into a sense of deep annoyance.
"What do you want?" I groan.
"You know, your familiar at-least said good morning back." Probably because she didn't know to hate you yet, I'll have to rectify that at my nearest convenience. Or, perhaps she set up some grand joke only I will get. That would be nice, but perhaps far too much to ask after one day.
"How did that go, did the two of you exchange names before you decided to take her home?" That, came out far less insulting than I'd planned it…
"Actually no, she came around the corner head first into my chest, and exclaimed 'Good morning boobs!' Given who her master is I expected a someone less…"
Oddly energetic at complete random, crazy, perverted, Germanian? Wait, she didn't deny taking her 'home.' And her room is right there.
I swear to Brimir if she shamelessly seduced my new perverted familiar, I will take the child's sword and ram it through those massive bags of fat one inch at a time. I will burn and bury her corpse with the book on my desk, and hide the evidence of both righteous acts in the same ground! I will get away with it too, for the founder will surely shine his grace upon me for such an act of nobility!
"Tell me what you did to her," I order with as much authority in my tone as I can muster, and surprisingly, she answers clearly.
"You worry too much, I was a perfect lady. If anyone was aggressive in their approach it was her." She winks, and I am about half a second from opening an egg of explosion in her face when she explains.
"She wanted to talk about our homeland, it was nostalgic." Somehow I sincerely doubt Adeline found it as enjoyable as Kirche did.
"So I will not find her held captive if I blow open your door?" I ask as I take out my wand and point it at said door for effect.
"Shouldn't it be your job to keep track of your personal ex-noble servant?" Ex-noble? How did she get that out of her? It took me hours!
I give her my harshest on command glare, and her mocking grin doesn't lower even a little.
"I guess that would be expecting too much of you, Louise the Zero. She was last seen entering professor Colbert's lab, he said he wanted to study her runes."
I don't thank her as I walk away, taking a much more sedate pace than I originally was going when leaving my room. I know I can trust Colbert, he is the type to put others above himself, so there's no way he'll set off any strange behavior in the young girl.
Booooom I'm caught off guard as the ground below me shakes. Suddenly my sedate pace turns into a sprint as I throw myself around shocked and unnerved students. Even if Kirche hadn't just told me, I'd know where that came from.
As a small smoke cloud comes into view, I relax a little, both the professor and Adeline are safely outside of the workshop. Colbert is covered in soot but comparatively, it looks like Adeline stumbled onto the scene and fell over, more than was actually caught in the blast. The only real sign that she was even in there is a few coughs as she looks to Colbert with a grin.
"That," she coughs a few times into her left fist, her right one holding her up, "did not go as planned, eh professor?"
He chuckles lightly as if he didn't just explode. I wonder if his workshop, or as Kirche called it his 'lab', was designed to withstand whatever they just did.
"Explain yourselves," I demand as I close the gap.
"Well you see it all started when I woke up earlier, I am used to being rather active, so sleeping in just isn't something I can do." She begins, apparently thinking I want the story from the beginning. I choose not to correct her. "I decided not to disturb you, and felt I should use the time wisely. So after a minute to collect my things I was on my way. Shortly after that I met up with, I shit you not, a living, breathing, walking pair of-" "Ehem." I stop her. I don't exactly appreciate her speaking like that in front of other nobility to begin with, it's unbecoming. The fact that it is a teacher just makes it worse.
"Sorry. Long story short, I went on an adventure, met some people, eventually met the professor here, and agreed to go alone into his creepy lab." The indignant 'hey' from the professor is not lost on me.
"That doesn't explain the explosion."
"He has a ton of cool stuff in there, I might have gotten carried away and touched something I shouldn't have." I look to the professor, who is, jittery at the moment, to say the least.
"It's ok, it was just a simple prototype, what is important is that neither of us is hurt." He stands, and I take a moment to appreciate just how well he is taking my familiar blowing up his lab. I look to her, her expression wide and sheepish as she takes Colbert's example and stands.
"I only wish he had given me more warning before it exploded in my face." I'm not quite sure why, but Kirche, who I just now realize followed me here, apparently thinks that is the funniest thing she has ever heard. At-least, if her rather loud laughter in between gasps for air is any sign. I honestly don't get the joke, but judging by who Kirche is, and the pleased look on the small girl in front of me, I think I'm better off not knowing. Germanians perverts.
I decide to ignore the apparent joke, bowing my head slightly and apologizing to the professor, Adeline and Kirche follow my example. Though Kirche's motive is probably more to undermine mine than any legitimate apology. After-all, what would she have to apologize for?
My stomach growls slightly, and I realize the excitement so far must have tipped the balance into hunger. "We have the day off to communicate, let's start over breakfast." I smile warmly at Adeline, and she returns it, before giving me her hand and letting me pull her away from the two.
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The walk to the Alviss dining hall is rather uneventful. We get a few stares but, most of them appear to be directed at Adeline. In any other situation I would be happy to have a break, but here it just makes me wonder what the girl did before I woke up. It couldn't have been more than an hour or so, after-all. Then no-one would have been up to witness a scene.
Once we're there, I notice uneasy expressions gracing my familiar's face as she looks back and forth at the food. I briefly wonder if she has some sort of bad experience with dining halls.
When we get to our seats, she pulls out my chair without even having to be prompted. Her willingness to treat me as her master should reassure me, but really it just makes me question when she learned how to make serving seem so natural. She should be seething at the very idea.
I blow those thoughts away with the sight of the food. There will be time for that later. Today is about bonding.
After a moment I notice she hasn't sat down, and I glare at her, looking from her to the chair. She gets the message and sits down a moment later, but she is agonizingly slow about it. I find myself wanting to inform her the chair isn't going to bite her. "We're safe here." I whisper to her instead, holding back my snark, and she nods to signify she heard me. Sadly, this doesn't make her any less antsy, or stiff.
I decide to dig in, as much as a noble such as myself can 'dig in' anyway. A wonderful banquet before me. As I take my first few small bites, savoring the array of flavors ready, something small takes my attention.
Something small, and sitting next to me, staring at her food like it's going to grow claws and attack. Is she afraid of food? That would be nuts, but then, as far as I can tell she is nuts. A memory of last night arrives. "You didn't eat last night, did you?"
She looks up, subconsciously moving away from the evil contents of her plate as she replies. "I did."
"Prove it," I reply, gesturing towards her plate, and she shakes her head, slowly sliding her seat away. "I order you to eat."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"This is terrible." I grumble. My head leans upon a wall, and my forehead aches.
"You know most people use their palm, it is called a facepalm." The source of my current situation snidely remarks behind me.
"Most people's familiar aren't afraid of food!" I bite back.
"I am not afraid of food." She tries to enforce. "It simply caught me by surprise. Some would call it an ambush, or at the very least a flanking."
I allow my peripheral vision to take in my familiar standing in the grass. She is covered in food and what would be considered vomit if it had even properly made it down her throat. A clear reminder that when she started spewing projectile offensive, I fled to the cover of the outside.
"Couldn't you have at-least have given a better warning than shouting 'hydro pump' at the top of your lungs? What does that even mean?" I groan as I look down at my stained uniform. For I too, am covered in her food.
She giggles at that, actually giggles, before replying with a serious and stern voice well betrayed by her giddy expression. "It had to be done, milady."
"Shouldn't you be a little more mature?" I ask, and she shakes her head. "I'm ten."
"I get that, but…" I stop, not sure if I want to voice the term in front of her. What if she freaks out, or worse, she decides to cast 'hydro pump' again?
"But?" She tilts her head, making a show of examining me. "Well go on, leaving me hanging like that is kind of rude."
Right, because throwing up on your master with enthusiasm isn't rude. "Well you know, the whole child of war, thing."
"Child of war? That is rather dramatic, did you come up with that during my bath?"
I sputter. "Am I wrong?" I almost plead. Maybe it was a bear attack or something, that would be fantastic!
"No, it is accurate in definition. I would just prefer something like 'survivor.' 'Walker of the abyss.' Maybe, I don't know, at the very least something more memorable than 'chicken chaser.'
"What?"
"Legends are all about your titles you know? I feel I deserve a good one after all that, one that'll stick with me. 'Child of war' is probably going to stop sounding cool when my chest grows out in a few years. Besides, can you imagine if I ever got a government job? 'Hey, it's our mayor, Miss Child of War!' The PR backlash would be insane."
I blink, a few times. "Mayor? PR?"
"Sorry, it is a Germanian thing." As she says that her eyes dart back and forth, and I decide to just let her have this one.
"So you promise me you do eat, and you are not afraid of food?" I ask, and she nods enthusiastically. Not quite as enthusiastically as her previous mounted offense, but sure enough enthusiastic.
"I am just unable to process anything but meat." At my look, she shoves both her open palms in front of her for some reason. "I am not picky, it is a birth defect, I swear. I did eat last night, you were just too tired to notice."
"Strange, but stranger defects have occurred." I look to my wand with a tinge of shame. "Why didn't you inform me of this before you decided to unleash your vengeance upon my fellow nobles?"
"Well I tried, but then you gave an order, and-"
"So you're saying it's my fault?" My glimpse becomes a grasp as I pull out my wand.
"No, of course not. I just didn't…" She trails off before falling to a kneel. "I will accept punishment."
I roll my eyes. I'm dramatic, but when she decides to go full knight mode it's noble. "Well since you're afraid of food, I certainly can't starve you." Her face is priceless. "What would you find a fitting punishment?" I tease, and her eyes glint. I think I may have summoned a shameless masochist.
"I would force me to hunt down bandits and monsters in your name."
"Why do you want to hunt down bandits and monsters?" I ask.
"Punishment! Not want." I stare at her with the deepest glare of disbelief manageable, and she cracks rather quickly. "I'm bored."
"In the past day you have been summoned from your homeland, contracted as a familiar, read half a book on the basics of magic, gotten a new dress, somehow became known throughout the school, blew up a professor's lab, and then proceeded to ruin that new dress by discovering a new element and using it to attack my class!"
"Exactly, you get it." It's like she didn't even hear me. "I've had more fun in graveyards."
"Is this going to be a problem?" I ask.
"...No?" If only she sounded as sure as she looked.
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