The Steep Path Ahead [Familiar of Zero AU]

Actually, I'm curious. Since I'm bouncing between three other threads, an active game, and a YouTube video, mind restating his alternative option in detail? Just a step-by-step plan of what Saito could have or should have done from where he was at the academy before going out to save Siesta?
Keeping in mind that I don't necessarily agree with the plan, I believe an example that MinorGryphon was talking about involves no more preparation than they did, but when Siesta was taken hostage (along with Marteau) he could have taken a weapon (like the sword he was holding?) and hurled it at the one holding Siesta hostage. After supposedly taking him out, then they could gang up on the one holding Marteau while Louise used some explosions to keep the others at bey.

Sounds pretty risky, but I suppose it could work.
 
Sounds pretty risky, but I suppose it could work.
That's a bit of an understatement. Considering the mercenaries acted the way they did based on what Saito and Louise did earlier, it strikes me as odd that they'd let any such trick work twice. I mean, it could happen, but that might be even dumber to try... :(
 
Actually, I'm curious. Since I'm bouncing between three other threads, an active game, and a YouTube video, mind restating his alternative option in detail? Just a step-by-step plan of what Saito could have or should have done from where he was at the academy before going out to save Siesta?
1. attack now, aiming to free the hostages before they're harmed and rely on Louise/Gandalfr to defeat the mercs
2. retreat, plan to attack the mercs from stealth and/or while they are en-route to Mott
3. retreat, get tabitha and her fucking dragon

The risk in the plans is that they manage to kill the hostages. However, I feel like people forget that if the mercs kill Siesta they don't get paid. So I'm fairly confident they won't, as they have gone out of their way to recapture her alive on multiple occasions. And if they kill Marteau, what's to stop Saito and Louise from wrecking their shit a third time? The only reason they got the upper hand was because they had hostages, if they kill him while the enemy is running away from the fight they lose that leverage.

Furthermore, as the risk in surrendering was that the mercs then kill the hostages AND the defenseless Louise + Saito, I feel at least considering a different strategy than "give up" was in order. Saito's main failing, to me, is that he did not even attempt to do this, he gave up almost instantly when the mercs baited him. And look where that landed him; instead of maiming Siesta and beating Marteau they immediately began planning to maim "Louis", beat all of them to a pulp for revenge, and considered selling "Louis" into sexual slavery alongside Siesta. Then stated they would definitely kill them if Mott told them to, after saying he was probably annoyed. Gee whiz, who could possibly have seen that one coming! Those guys seemed so trustworthy! :V
 
Righto, let's look through the great plans people have developed to deal with this situation.

1. attack now, aiming to free the hostages before they're harmed and rely on Louise/Gandalfr to defeat the mercs
2. retreat, plan to attack the mercs from stealth and/or while they are en-route to Mott
3. retreat, get tabitha and her fucking dragon

... So much for great plans.

'Attack now'? That's your 'great plan'? Basically 'be Leroy Jenkins'?

Fuck's sake, and you call Saito an idiot. Yes, let's attack the guys who vastly outnumber you, have you locked down, have your friends as hostages, have bows trained on you ...

Oi Vey. This is basically suicide. Especially when the expansion to your plan boils down to 'have Saito throw a sword at the other guy'. Because clearly, Saito will be able to draw and prime a weapon for throwing with none of them moving (note that Gandalfr isn't the army-killer boost here as in several fanfics or even later canon, but a rather pathetic 'minor superhuman + weapon mastery' boost). Or that they won't actually react, or dodge, or fill him with holes when they have their weapons trained on them (as the prior update shows, the bows of the mercs are trained right on Saito and Louise).

You'd have far, far better chances relying on the mercy of the mercs than that. Especially since I reread the update, and they make it perfectly clear that they're not killing anyone if they co-operate. And at that point, they have no reason to lie - they have the party at their mercy. And even before Saito gives up the wand, they outright tell them that they have no interest in killing anyone they're not paid to kill, and their previous interactions - where they were willing to let Saito and Louise go on without harm - support it.

Basically, your plan is 'commit suicide', as opposed to 'buy time for a potential out'.

Then there are the other two plans, which rely on ... retreating. Because obviously you haven't even read the update, where Louise and Saito were caught by the mercs, had arrows trained on them, and were explicitly not going to be allowed to get away because - surprise, surprise - there are consequences to faking surrender, as Louise did earlier. No one will trust someone like that.

So no, all three of your plans are total shit, and you've summarily lost the right to call Saito an idiot for his choices, considering his plan at least ensures they have time to come up with a better plan, one to be made in better circumstances rather than having people with weapons right to their necks. Even if, by some miracle, they managed to get away from archers who had arrows trained on them? Marteau and Siesta would die.

The risk in the plans is that they manage to kill the hostages. However, I feel like people forget that if the mercs kill Siesta they don't get paid. So I'm fairly confident they won't, as they have gone out of their way to recapture her alive on multiple occasions.

... They have outright shown that they're completely fed up of Siesta and the resistance getting her requires, and pissed people aren't going to care for profit margins, particularly when they're under threat. This is a silly assumption.

And if they kill Marteau, what's to stop Saito and Louise from wrecking their shit a third time? The only reason they got the upper hand was because they had hostages, if they kill him while the enemy is running away from the fight they lose that leverage.

On the contrary - at the point where Saito made his decision, they had arrows trained on them and were completely caught. Also, you say that like they didn't think Louise and Saito weren't going to wreck their shit otherwise. They have no trust or faith in the two, remember? What with Louise faking surrender to chump them?

Furthermore, as the risk in surrendering was that the mercs then kill the hostages AND the defenseless Louise + Saito,

Yeah, something they've explicitly said they wouldn't do and which they have a history of not doing (as seen earlier) is the major risk here. Yep.

Logic, ladies and gentlemen. Not even once.

I feel at least considering a different strategy than "give up" was in order.

Clock's ticking. You have literal seconds before he goes beyond making Siesta bleed and cutting her throat, and he's clearly getting more and more pissed with Louise's attempts to trick him.

So no, wasting time considering a different strategy wouldn't work. I mentioned people seem to think this is an RPG or something, and I was right - apparently, you are completely unconcerned with time in this scenario.

Saito's main failing, to me, is that he did not even attempt to do this, he gave up almost instantly when the mercs baited him. And look where that landed him; instead of maiming Siesta and beating Marteau they immediately began planning to maim "Louis", beat all of them to a pulp for revenge, and considered selling "Louis" into sexual slavery alongside Siesta. Then stated they would definitely kill them if Mott told them to, after saying he was probably annoyed. Gee whiz, who could possibly have seen that one coming! Those guys seemed so trustworthy! :V

Oh look at that. So rather than getting killed where they stand in a moment, what they would have gotten was a beating, followed by a lengthy trip to Count Mott's estate, followed by being released to Count Mott who wouldn't be as wary of them as the mercs, and where their fate is up in the air - rather than an almost certain death.

Saito an idiot? Please. In this particular scenario, the idiots are those who think those plans had any chance of actually working.

EDIT: Sorry for the tone, BTW.
 
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While the general tone was relatively uncalled for, I think you summed up that side of the argument much better than I ever did.

Yeah, sorry. I first read the post while I was out, and it got stuck in my head till I was finally able to get home and post ...

... An hour later. A little frustration leaked in.:oops::p

Yes, I am in fact a little prone to getting stuck on something, why do you ask?
 
Just caught up to chapter 39. I hope the Cardinal dies a horribly painful death and his actions provoke a civil war. Okay, I'm not seriously hoping for the latter.
 
While I do enjoy thought-provoking comments and back and forth arguing -makes me fuzzy- do keep it civil guys.

There's no need to let the blood boil.

*Hugs everyone tight so they calm down*

"Soft kitty...warm kitty..."

Shade starts to sing as he rocks the readers back and forth.
 
but neither Saito nor Louise is a trained fighter

Neither am I. What Saito showed was a lack of common sense. He took the worst option of them all. It wasn't the safest or most humane. It was just the most likely to get everyone killed.

No, they were pretty violent and degrading on Louise's end even before that (eat on the floor like a dog, target practice for magic with Saito as the dummy, etc.), and later on got even more so as she got hopped up on magic. Like the shock collar for apparently spending time with another woman, or the time Louise got addicted to gambling and beat up Saito so he wouldn't safeguard their money from her, or even her randomly shocking him so that he'd know his place.

When you put it like it, she sounds like a sadist.

@Dimensionist maybe you should read through the thread instead of demanding a tl;dr post and then calling everyone you disagree with an idiot based on that one post.
 
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Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty

Marteau laughed loudly as he clapped Saito's back, even as he held a piece of raw meat to his face to cover the swollen eye. "Man, we showed them didn't we?!"

The kitchen was empty, and if not for a candle, it would have also been dark. It was late at night -considerably late- and Louise was sleeping soundly in her bed just like Siesta, both girls out like a light.

"Well, you'd better start packing up," Marteau sighed. "I'll do the same."

Saito blinked, "But-But why?"

Marteau snorted. "Really can't see it, kid? We did attack Count Mott's men. Seems like that Cardinal of yours didn't as much as say a word to the Count, and if he did, then the Count ignored him. You've got...I reckon, two days tops before they make their way back to the Count's mansion. We did leave them naked, and on foot." He swallowed noisily. "Listen boy, I don't know if you know, but your partner's appearance and magic-"

"It was the first time I saw him do that," Saito said awkwardly.

"Well-look, there are stories, lots of stories, but-ahhh how am I ever going to break this argument to you kid? I think you're travelling with pure-blood nobility. Like, your friend might be a long lost heir or something like that-how else can I put it?"

"You mean the Valliére heir?" Saito hazarded, receiving a nod from Marteau.

"Exactly! Well, glad I don't have to go at it in a roundabout way," the chef smiled, "I'm an old man, so I can tell you this. If she is, or if she isn't, going in front of the Duchess with her might be a very good idea, or a very bad one."

Saito looked down at his hands, "Why would you say that?"

"The moment the Duchess' daughter disappeared, countless 'fakes' started to spread. Sad thing was, some of them didn't even know they were fakes. The Duchess has a way to find out her real daughter, something secret, I guess. But-" Marteau grimaced, "Those poor girls-look, if you aren't sure, just drop the thought. I mean, she did a pretty convincing display of power, but for all I know she could be a powerful Square Mage. Or maybe she had a wand hidden in her wrist, or something-" Marteau pulled the steak off his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is...at most, you've got two days to leave. I'd suggest a peaceful place like Gallia, but whatever you do, don't get roped in the rebellion in Albion. War's not a place for kids like you."

"There's...There's a war going on?" Saito hazarded.

Marteau inclined his head to the side and then chuckled. "Can't believe you don't-you don't know about it! Course there's a war going on. It's in Albion, the flying continent. There are dozens of ships that sail from La Rochelle in Gallia to reach it-which is why, even if I suggest going to Gallia for work, I'm also telling you not to go to Albion."

Saito hesitated. "We still have to finish paying back our debt to Lady Charlotte. If we have two days-"

"Lady Charlotte will understand," Marteau said. "If you explain it to her properly, I am sure she will understand," the Chef added thoughtfully. "If you can manage to have her back you up though, perhaps you can avoid having to leave for Gallia."

Saito furrowed his brows as the Chef stood up and stretched, heading towards the larder to put the steak back in place. "What about you and Siesta?"

"I can't decide for the girl. Going in hiding might be the best, but she might just be found out. The Count's going to make this a point of personal pride now. She could leave the country, but how far she can make it depends on her." Marteau sighed. "Go to sleep for now, Saito. You have tomorrow morning to suffer through."

Saito chuckled nervously. "It won't be that bad."

"People have died because they touched the wand of a noble. You just broke the wand of your partner, and I don't think she's going to forgive you just like that."

"She?" Saito croaked out.

"I'm an old man," Marteau said with a chuckle. "Old men have keen eyes."

With a wink, the Chef walked off to his room in the servant quarters, leaving Saito behind at the table with the candle still flickering in front of him.

Really.

This was such a mess, and he had been the one to cause it.

He had wanted to play the Hero, and while he had saved Siesta, he had just made everyone else worse off. How was he going to explain things to Lady Charlotte? And when Louise woke up the next morning, what was she even going to do to him? He doubted she'd do much more than kick him, but-but he really should have thought it better.

He brought both hands to his face and took a deep breath.

In that moment, there was a knock at the door.

Saito breathed in sharply, and then stood up warily from the table, nearing the door. The Count couldn't have reached them this fast, and his men were probably still sleeping Louise's spell off in the middle of the forest.

As he opened the door, he was met with striking blue hair, and had to lower his gaze to meet the eyes of Lady Charlotte, who looked up quizzically at him, her trademark staff in hand. She was a few steps away from the door however, and had probably used her staff to knock on it.

"You went into the forest at night?" Lady Charlotte asked, staying clear of the doorway and with her feet firmly planted on the grass of the courtyard. "Looking for the Pixie dust?"

"Ah-no," Saito replied awkwardly. "Did-Did we wake you up while leaving with the horse? We must have woken up the whole academy-"

"No," Charlotte replied with a small shake of the head. "I was not asleep. I saw you leave from the top of the tower with the chef." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Saw the explosion in the distance. Pretty bright."

Saito chuckled nervously. "Well-Well that's Louis for you, he always makes flashy shows-"

"Training?" Charlotte asked.

"No, not really," Saito said, "Wouldn't you like to come inside, Lady Charlotte? It's a bit cold out-"

"No," the blue haired girl answered flatly, clutching her staff. "You can come outside."

Saito swallowed nervously as he did just that, closing the door behind him. Charlotte's shoulders seemed to slouch a bit, as if whatever tension she had in her body left her the moment the door was closed. Saito neared her and bowed, at least, he hoped he was bowing the right amount. Charlotte began to walk, and Saito started to walk by her side.

"What happened?" Charlotte asked. "You left in a hurry."

Saito hesitated only briefly, and then recounted the entire tale. Charlotte's eyes narrowed only slightly as she looked up at him from the side, and then giggled a little bit, covering her mouth with her hand at the end. "I can sympathize with your friend," she said softly, her fingers touching a lock of her light blue hair. "I would not want my hair dirty."

Saito awkwardly chuckled, "Yeah, Louis really cares about his hair to the point of having a meltdown."

"You do cherish him a lot," Charlotte said. "I think a gift to pacify him would be appropriate. A new wand-but you would not manage to reach the city and return by tomorrow morning, well...this morning," Charlotte added thoughtfully. "Follow me," as she ordered that with a kind voice, Saito did indeed follow the girl, like he was already doing, all the way into the familiar's courtyard where the blue scaled dragon was waiting for her.

"Climb," Charlotte said, and as she did so too, the dragon easily took them both up into the girl's room.

There were bubbling alembics and alchemy ingredients everywhere. Most of the stuff had been procured by Saito and Louise, but a lot more had come through other means. "By helping me procure the ingredients close by, I can concentrate on getting those far away," Charlotte said softly as she landed on a fur rug, which wasn't in fact covered in fur, but in scales. It was a dragon's skin, apparently.

"To prevent spillover in the room below," Charlotte said at Saito's surprised look. There were a couple of cauldrons so similar to those seen in cartoons with 'witches' and frankly, if Charlotte had a pointy black hat, and a black cat, then perhaps it would have made sense.

"You're an alchemist?" Saito asked, "No man-eating plants or large-sized rodents and spiders, I hope."

"No," Charlotte replied properly. She looked warily at Saito for a moment, and then said bluntly, "Antidotes."

"Well, I guess it makes sense with the amount of dangerous creatures out there," Saito said with a nod. Charlotte opened a drawer beneath her dresser, and after pushing aside a few clothes, brought out a large box that she settled nicely on the desk nearby. Opening it up, the box had an inner lining of soft silk pillows, as if whatever rested upon it was very important.

It was a set of wands.

"Here," Charlotte said, picking one. "You can give her this." She held the wand out for Saito to take. "It's a wand meant for a Knight of the North Parterre, my personal guard." She hesitated briefly. "It should also keep her safe from the Count's retribution."

Saito blinked as he looked at the wand, "But-but wouldn't that be a problem for you, Char-I mean, Lady Charlotte?"

"It is fine," Charlotte replied. "You did help me."

"But-but I mean, we're still paying you back for-"

Charlotte shook her head. "I would have helped even if you had been farmers, not expecting anything in return," she smiled softly as she said that. "You will need one too-not a wand, but a cloak."

Saito scratched the side of his face. "I-I mean, are you sure? We're just adventurers, Louis and I-we're not going to stick around for much, I mean-I mean if you need a hand with something of course we'll help, that's what adventurers do, but-but we're trying to head back home-so-"

Charlotte simply giggled. "It is fine," she said, opening the dresser next. There were at least a good dozen of cloaks, all with the same symbol upon their golden clasp of a wand crossed with a shield. "I am the one who decides who wears the cloak and who does not," she added as she looked up at Saito. "Could you kneel, please?"

Saito furrowed his brows, but dutifully obeyed.

Charlotte nodded, and brought her staff in front of her. "This is...the ceremony for knighting someone. I wanted to do this once, so-please stay still."

Saito awkwardly nodded as Charlotte began to speak, and once she was done with the strange words -probably 'Gallian' or whatever tongue it was that was her native tongue, she placed the mantle around Saito's neck, clasping it on for him. "Here," she said softly. "Now you are a knight of North Parterre, by my will as Charlotte Helene D'Orleans of Gallia. If any dare to question your worth, then let them know that the heir of the Crown of Gallia stands behind you."

Saito remained stiffly locked in place as the girl's staff went down first on his right shoulder, and then on his left.

'So Louise, I kind-of got knighted and got you a wand while you were asleep' would certainly work out well for the girl.

Probably. Now, if it weren't for the fact that Charlotte's door was outright melted into the wall, and he had to take the 'dragon-lift' to descend, maybe the nightly knighting would have been the strangest thing happening to him on that night.

As it was though, he hoped Louise liked the new wand.

Truth be told, he just hoped Louise wouldn't kill him when she woke up with her old wand broken.

He really liked being alive.

He really, really, liked that.
 
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Hmm, well on the one hand we now know Karin has a way to weed out fakes. But on the other... shes had to weed out fakes and their fate is unknown.
 
Is Charlotte in peril?

The way she talked to Saito is like she didn't believe she had long to live.
Her dor is blocked, she knows alchemy to brew antidotes... yes... she is the target of many assassination attempts.
 
Is Charlotte in peril?

The way she talked to Saito is like she didn't believe she had long to live.
Her dor is blocked, she knows alchemy to brew antidotes... yes... she is the target of many assassination attempts.
Mmm, door is blocked because she has a dragon as the only way in and pretty sure the antidotes were for her mother.
 
@Dimensionist maybe you should read through the thread instead of demanding a tl;dr post and then calling everyone you disagree with an idiot based on that one post.

If you'll read my post, you'll note that I called those who believed in those particular plans I quoted an idiot. Because if they think those would work, they are.

And you'll also note that I invited people to present plans they think would have worked. Getting annoyed at me asking for those plans and telling me to look through every post on the matter is rather meaningless when I asked for suggested plans, and the ones suggested were pretty poor. If you want to dispute my statement, suggest those plans which you think would have worked in that instance - after all, you've had all that discussion. Rather than bitching at me to look through all those posts, you could just suggest the plans I'm obviously missing which would work - after all, you all were the ones who suggested them, correct?

Incidentally, I read through the 'plans' people suggested. The only one really even suggesting them was the one whose post I quoted. His other plans, besides the ones mentioned here, were try and negotiate using Louise's ability to cast a sleep spell (yeah, because they can't casually take her out well before she even begins to get the chant going), throwing weapons at the hostage holder (except he's got someone covering him for just that, and there were multiple hostages) ... every single option suggested was dumb as heck. They were all gung-ho, cowboyish 'plans' that would have promptly gotten them killed, and didn't take into account the fact that Saito had people ready to kill him at the drop of a hat.

Here's the short gist of it - they. were. screwed. They had people covering them, the other party had hostages, they had no grounds for negotiation and they couldn't even appeal to the mercs' sense of honor or empathy because Louise, before this, had already faked a surrender to take them all out. Not only were all these plans horrible, they also were ruined further with Louise's continued attempts at trickery - the man's patience was going. Attempting to waffle at that point would have gotten them killed. Saito's actions saved their lives, not just for the Deus Ex Machina that was Louise's chantless, wandless casting, but also because it bought them time and a possibility for changed circumstances rather than certain death.

And that's about all I have to say on the matter - a new chapter's already been posted.
 
Something's off.

"People have died because they touched the wand of a noble. You just broke the wand of your partner, and I don't think she's going to forgive you just like that."

"She?" Saito croaked out.

"I'm an old man," Marteau said with a chuckle. "Old men have keen eyes."

He said this, alluding to him finding out about Louise. But ...

"Well-look, there are stories, lots of stories, but-ahhh how am I ever going to break this argument to you kid? I think you're travelling with pure-blood nobility. Like, your friend might be a long lost heir or something like that-how else can I put it?"

"You mean the Valliére heir?" Saito hazarded, receiving a nod from Marteau.

"Exactly! Well, glad I don't have to go at it in a roundabout way," the chef smiled, "I'm an old man, so I can tell you this. If she is, or if she isn't, going in front of the Duchess with her might be a very good idea, or a very bad one."

He said this before that. So Saito's surprise at Marteau saying 'she' doesn't make sense.
 
A minor thig but I seem to recall La Rochelle being in Tristain being its one of its three skyports and the closest one to the acadamy.
 
Something's off.

He said this, alluding to him finding out about Louise. But ...

He said this before that. So Saito's surprise at Marteau saying 'she' doesn't make sense.
Eh, I'll give this detail a pass. It's like going into a conversation and hearing something weird said again and again, but waiting until the tail end of it to call out the other party. That happens enough in fiction and reality that I barely noticed it here.
 
You know, one thing I noticed in this fanfic is that for once, Louise outpaced Gandalfr in power level development.
 
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-One

Louise woke up with a headache, and a sinking feeling that she had lost something very important to her. Her eyes focused after a short while on the figure sleeping peacefully by the other side of the bed and as the memory returned to her abruptly, she growled angrily. She was going to kick him so hard-but she stopped.

In that situation, she didn't know what she could have done of different. Maybe yes, there was another option. Perhaps if she had continued chanting-no, they would have just killed the hostage to spite them. And even if they didn't, it wasn't like Siesta could keep working at the academy anyway, not with the Count utterly fixed on the girl.

They had some time, of that Louise was sure. She didn't know how much, maybe a day or two at most, but in those days they'd have to quickly pay back their debts and leave. She'd kick Saito in the shins the moment he woke up, but she wasn't so cruel as to deprive him of his sleep.

She quickly stood up from her side of the bed and headed straight for the basin of water by the drawer, where the cold water would finish waking her up.

Louise took a deep breath as the memories of the night before returned. She had managed to throw a spell without a wand. She was sure the headmaster of the academy in Germania wouldn't just eat his hat, but also the hats of all the other professors.

She giggled at that and turned, moving to put on her socks and boots -Saito had actually learned his lesson and removed them before putting her to bed.

By her boots, a new wand rested with a message written on it. She blinked as she grabbed the wand in one hand in disbelief, and the message in the other. It had been written rather poorly, and frankly it showed just how much Saito had to improve in his writing -he could read now, if slowly.

'New wand. Please no beat.'

She stared at the wand for a brief moment, trying to think how he could have acquired one in the middle of the night. There was the symbol of Gallia's royalty on it -the descendants of Brimir's symbols had to be memorized to become a proper nun- so it was possible he had simply gone early in the morning to plead with Lady Charlotte for a new wand.

Seriously, the lengths Saito would go to right a wrong-well, she couldn't fault him that kindness.

"Fine," Louise said, "You're forgiven," she added to the sleeping boy, who simply grumbled a bit and hugged the pillow closer. When he slept, at least, he didn't look nor feel like a mass of perversion.

She finished putting her boots on and clasping her mask around her face, before stepping outside with a skip on her step.

"Ah, good morning lass!" Marteau said from the kitchen, "Woke up early, uh?" he added with a wink from his non-swollen eye. Louise nodded as she sat down at the table, a bowl of gruel in front of her within minutes. "Another day of gathering ingredients for Lady D'Orleans?" as the Chef asked that, Louise nodded awkwardly.

They'd have to leave without repaying the noble lady for everything she had done for them. It wasn't going to be easy to swallow, and Brimir would be displeased -just like the Gods. She'd have to repent a thousand times over for that terrible sin.

Saito stepped out of the room a few minutes later, yawning and stretching. "Hey, good news!" he said with a smile.

Louise blinked. Her eyes widened. She stared for a bit, and then she rushed towards Saito with both hands gripping the hem of his new cloak. "What did you do!?" Louise snapped, her face as white as a sheet. "What did you do!?"

"Louis?" Saito asked.

"You didn't-tell me you didn't," Louise continued angrily. "Tell me you just didn't do what I think you did, because I swear I'll rip you a new one you stupid, moronic, imbecilic-" she stopped beating his chest plate with her closed fists when the skin began to turn red, and instead simply looked away.

"Are congratulations in order?" Marteau asked, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"For what?" Saito asked once more, puzzled. "I mean-I wanted to say that we don't have to run from Count Mott's men because Char-Lady Charlotte said she'd protect us. I think it's because she knighted us or something-"

"Being a knight is no easy thing!" Louise snarled back, grabbing Saito by the scruff of the neck. "And what about going back home!? Are you going to drop that just because you wanted to avoid-" she began to throttle him, "You stupid boy! I leave you alone for a night and you ruin your entire future because-" she kept throttling him.

"Wait! Wait!" Saito pleaded, pushing Louise away. "Calm down! She said it was fine! I told her we weren't going to stick around for much longer and she was fine with it!"

Louise stopped trying to claw out Saito's eyes and took a deep breath. "She...She said that?"

"Yes," Saito nodded emphatically. "She said that."

"She didn't simply trick you by saying that, and then she'll renege on her word and have you arrested and confined as her boy toy, did she?" Louise hazarded.

Saito blinked. Saito frowned. Saito's nose dribbled a bit of blood which made Louise all the more pissed off. Louise's punch took care of the blood and of the smirk on Saito's face with blinding-fast speed. Well, mostly, since Saito dodged it.

"You moron!" Louise growled, fist still raised. "Can't believe you didn't know-normally, when someone takes a knight of the opposite sex in their personal guard it's just a way to keep them close as a lover!"

Louise took a deep breath next, trying to calm down. "Well, fine. The Lady D'Orleans is a nice noble lady. That's good, I guess. Just-Saito, try to keep your brain working, all right? It's not like everyone you meet is going to be a kind and understanding nun or an affable young man. Some people are going to smile at you even as they steal everything you have and leave you in the dirt. How many times will I have to explain this to you?"

Saito simply scratched the back of his head, chuckling lightly.

"So if you're a knight, and I'm a knight, where's my cloak?" Louise asked next.

Saito really didn't want to tell Louise there wasn't a cloak for a pint-sized boy.

On the other hand, he liked to live dangerously.

So he told her as he manly dashed for the forest sword in hand, ensuring that Louise would follow only after having completely boiled over her anger.

They had drake scales to recover and mandrakes to find.

It was going to be another long day, of that he was sure.
 
"If you can manage to have her back you up though, perhaps you can avoid having to leave Gallia."
Hmm? Why would they need to leave Gallia? Wouldn't this be 'leave to' Gallia, considering they're in Tristain presently?
Now, if it weren't for the fact that Charlotte's door was outright melted into the wall, and he had to take the 'dragon-lift' to descend, maybe the nightly knighting would have been the strangest thing happening to him on that night.
Oh my, Charlotte seems to be having a tough time. Her door certainly wasn't melted shut in canon, that's for sure. Assassins?

EDIT:
Oh, yes, another update as soon as I finish the first. Go Shade!

Interesting tidbit about opposing-gender knighthood, that. Would boytoy be a word used in medieval times, though?
 
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Hmm? Why would they need to leave Gallia? Wouldn't this be 'leave to' Gallia, considering they're in Tristain presently?

Oh my, Charlotte seems to be having a tough time. Her door certainly wasn't melted shut in canon, that's for sure. Assassins?

EDIT:
Oh, yes, another update as soon as I finish the first. Go Shade!

Interesting tidbit about opposing-gender knighthood, that. Would boytoy be a word used in medieval times, though?

It wasn't but women with the power to have boy toys weren't nearly as common as they are in Halk.

Halk's pretty anachronistic anyway.
 
"Being a knight is no easy thing!" Louise snarled back, grabbing Saito by the scruff of the neck. "And what about going back home!? Are you going to drop that just because you wanted to avoid-" she began to throttle him, "You stupid boy! I leave you alone for a night and you ruin your entire

Except, if he manages to get home, it will be... slightly difficult for any duties to be required, or for any oaths to be enforced.
 
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