Chapter 2 - Not in Kansas Anymore

Chapter 2
Not in Kansas Anymore

"Damn."

For the fifteenth time in the past hour, Kagura checked her phone for
reception. It was a useless gesture, but it helped fight off the
creeping feeling of helplessness. Maddeningly, the signal bar was still
flat. She flipped it off, then, making a resolution not to touch it for
at least another hour, stuffed it into her skirt pocket.She was
lost. Definitely, one hundred percent lost. She had been screaming from
her seat behind Yukari when that madwoman ran headlong into a green
neon sign. And then she woke up. Somewhere.It was mid-afternoon.
To her left, Kagura could spot snow-peaked mountains and thatches of
trees in the distance. To her right were seemingly endless gently
rolling land, clear sky, and knee-high grass. When she had come to,
started to head away from the trees on the idea that help wouldn't be
found in a forest, but, really, any direction was the same to her. She
utterly sucked at camping. She swore she'd learn how to use a compass
or read a GPS when she got home. Maybe learn how to build a fire from
rubbing sticks. And definitely first aid. If she ran across a bear, was
she supposed to try to puff up and look intimidating or pretend she was
dead?It was an hour of aimless wandering before she came upon a
road. It was little more than a bare patch of ground with trampled
grass but a definite improvement from her re-enactment of the opening
of the Sound of Music. Elated, she chose a random fork to jog down...... and was completely taken by surprise by a man who jumped out from behind a large outcropping of rock."Good afternoon,missy," the man drawled, revealing yellow stained teeth (and lack thereof)."Uh...
Yeah?" Was this man supposed to be a beggar? He was grimy enough, but
the sword he had in his hand was at odds with him being some ordinary
vagrant. That, plus they were in the middle of nowhere. He wore a thick
shirt belted at the waist over knee-length trousers. Boots, too. The
ensemble was very rough and frayed, like some kid's first knitting
project."I'd like you to kindly stand and deliver your purse, if you please.""Stand and what? You're robbing me?""That I am, miss.""You're kidding. What is this? Candid Camera?"The man shrugged and aimed his sword lazily at Kagura. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean.""I
don't have time for this," Kagura muttered, and tried to push her way
past him. He smelled of liquor and urine. That should have tipped her
off that he was no actor in gag show, but the cold hard blade pointed
at her neck was far more convincing. Instinctively, she tried to bat
the sword away, but the man used his free hand to grab her wrist and
pressed the blade until it stung, likely drawing blood."And where are you going? Our business hasn't been finished yet."Oh, crap, she was being mugged by a renaissance fair reject."What do you want?" she hissed."Ah, what does anyone want? A roof to call home, food to eat, wealth, love." What a windbag, Kagura thought. "But right now I'd appreciate it if you'd hand over the contents of your purse.""I don't have a purse.""So I see. Surely you must have some gold on you, fine clothes like yours."Kagura
pulled out her wallet. "Here, take it." Not wanting to offend the
dangerous man, she handed him her wallet carefully. In the movies, the
heroine would drop the wallet to the ground, then when the bad guy went
to pick it up she'd kick his @$$. What a load of crap. The situation
was too scary to try something like that."What's this?" the man
exclaimed and began to dump the contents. Yen, her ID, a couple of
credit cards fluttered to the ground. "'Tis nothing but paper!"Paper? "Its money! Just take it and leave me alone!""Its not money! I'm not stupid!" Gone was the veneer of flowery words. "You dumb dog, where's your gold?""I don't have any gold!""No
gold, huh?" The man leered at her, turning her around so he could
inspect her (from) behind. "Well, not a total loss. We could still have
some fun."Theft was one thing. Rape was quite another, and it
strengthened Kagura's resolve, sword be damned. She knew how to fight.
Or at least, she hoped she knew how to fight. Karate was one of the
many sports she had immersed herself in, and while she was no black
belt, she knew how to throw a punch and how to put her hip behind a
kick. Which was what she did, flailing backward at the man's knee. He
crashed to the ground with a satisfying thud and a curse, dropping his
sword when he tried to catch himself. Not waiting to admire her
handiwork, Kagura snatched the sword and ran full-tilt down the road.
The wallet she left behind; money and IDs could easily be replaced.If
the man gave chase the road would have been obvious direction to
follow, but she dismissed the idea of going off-road in favor of the
flat ground where she could put her speed and stamina to best use.
Track and field, now that's what she was good at. Hopefully, she
had dislocated the man's knee, but she didn't want to count on it.
Roads also meant civilization, and with luck she would reach a town
soon. The sword she kept just in case, even if it made running
difficult.Hmm, a real-life sword. She had never seen one in real
life outside museums, not these straight, double-edged european kinds.
It was much, much heavier than she expected for something that was
wielded one-handed with a flourish in movies. A lot duller, too,
although it didn't feel that way when it nicked her. She'd be barely
able to swing it, but the next dweeb that tried to accost her will be
getting the pointy end.She ran as hard as she could for as long
as she could. Green grass was soon replaced with golden wheat heads and
an occasional cow, but she didn't stop. By the time she spotted what
looked like a settlement with wood-and-stone huts it was nearly
sundown. She was nauseous from exhaustion and her sides felt like they
would explode. Her feet, she was sure, were blistered and bleeding in
her leather school shoes."Help!" Kagura slammed her fist repeatedly on the first door she came across, then dropped the sword to bend over and retch.The door flew open to reveal a dusky red haired man. "Now, who-""Please," Kagura gasped, "there's a man down the road that tried to rob me!"The
man's eyes narrowed and he went back into the house. When he came back
out he was wielding a wicked-looking sickle. In the meantime, a portly
woman took Kagura by the hand and led her inside."Damn footpad," the man muttered as he eyed the road. "I thought the guard had taken care of him.""Are you hurt?" the woman asked as she gave Kagura a quick inspection once she was seated at their dining table."No," Kagura gasped, "just... just tired.""Is she all right, Elmae?" the man asked from the door."She isn't wounded." The woman, Elmae, handed Kagura a wooden cup. "Can you drink?"It slipped from Kagura's nerveless fingers, spilling its contents. "I-I'm sorry," she sobbed."No, don't worry about it." Elmae refilled the cup, then helped Kagura bring it to her lips. "Here."The
liquid was dark, bitter, and alcoholic, and it burned a path down her
throat. Kagura didn't care as she gulped it down and the next two cups
greedily. When she finished she slumped back and closed her eyes. Her
teeth were chattering. Adrenaline crash, right. More frightened that
she had ever been, adrenaline kept her going past her normal limits,
but now she suffered the after-effects. The fire helped.She would have dozed off, but another man burst at the door just then, putting her back on alert."Father, what's wrong?""Get inside Jason. The footpad is abroad."Jason,
likely Joric's son if the age, build and facial features were
indicative, cursed and picked up a sickle of his own from a rack beside
the door."Who's our guest?""A poor girl that the footpad tried to rob," Elmae supplied."Won't he be coming after her?"Jason, Kagura decided, was a dick.Elmae clicked her tongue. "Even if he did _we_ would still have taken her in."Jason took the hint and grunted."Can you stand?" On the arrival of his son, Joric had come to a decision. "We'll have to see the mayor about this."Authorities.
Oh, ok. Kagura probably had to make a report or something. She wanted
nothing more than just sleep and rest her feet, but meeting the police
was probably for the best while the image of the man's face was still
fresh in her memory."Can't this wait tomorrow, Joric?" Elmae asked."Its fine." Kagura grimaced as she got back up. Her knees threatened to buckle. "I'd better get this over with."Joric tossed the sword on the table. "Do you have a scabbard for that?""No. I took it from the mugger.""Bring it with you," the older man said, frowning."Can't I leave it here?" The sword was cumbersome and now that she had found help she had no more use for it."I don't want his weapons in my house. He might try to get it back."In all likelihood, facial features weren't the only thing Jason inherited from Joric."Joric!" Elmae chided. "Why don't you carry it for her?""My hands are full with this-" Joric waved the sickle. "- and a lamp when it gets too dark out on the way back.""Fine," Elmae conceded, then went to find a length of rope which she handed to Kagura. "Use this, dear."Kagura
wrapped the rope around her waist, making a loop for the sword. When
she couldn't tie a knot Elmae gave her a hand. The naked blade slapped
against her thigh and she would have to hold if she had to run again;
it would turn her left leg into hamburger otherwise. Maybe she should
just throw it away. She nodded to Joric."Bar the door, Elmae, until I get back. Jason-""Yes, father.""Are you ready to go?"Kagura took a deep breath. "No, but let's."The
first thing Kagura noticed in the dwindling sunlight was that the
unpaved road had no street lamps. Likely that was why Joric wanted to
meet the police as soon as possible, so that they wouldn't have to
travel in complete darkness. Kagura hadn't seen any power lines nor
telephone poles, either. The other houses they passed, wood, stone, and
thatch single-room affairs like Joric's, were sparsely spaced. The air
had an organic tang, no doubt from what looked like droppings from the
horses and cows left roaming unattended.Crap. She'd tear Tomo a new one when she got back home. Talk about being in the hicks.A
few of Joric's neighbors greeted him and asked him what he was doing
with a sickle so late in the day. He'd reply along the lines of "the
footpad has struck again, I'm going to see the mayor" and all their
jovial nature disappeared.They had walked about a kilometer when Joric announced that they had reached their destination, the mayor's office.Kagura
groaned. The "mayor's office" was a gazebo - a handful of thin logs
keeping a rickety roof up, furnished with a couple of simple wooden
benches and a desk. A man, dressed similarly to Joric, likely the
supposed mayor (given how backwoods the entire town was, she wouldn't
be surprised), was sitting at the desk and shuffling paper under candle
light."Sir Mayor," Joric called, bowing slightly."Isn't it a bit late to be out, Joric?"Joric went to the point quickly. "The footpad has struck again.""Can't this wait until tomorrow? I'm already headed home.""It
could. But you promised to take care of for the footpad. Two weeks
ago." Joric's tone was flat, but Kagura could see the mayor flinch at
the words."All right. Did he try to get into your house? I know yours is nearest the northern road.""No, he didn't. This girl -" Joric held the lamp over Kagura. "- was robbed. She knocked on our door for help."The mayor faced Kagura. "Have a seat.""I'll be heading home then," Joric excused himself."Give my respects to Elmae.""I will.""Thank you, Mr. Joric!" Kagura called after the man. He waved without looking back. "I'm sorry I was such a bother!"The
mayor was a bespectacled, middle-aged man of slight build. Compared to
Joric and his son, both of whom were broad shouldered and sun-worn,
this man's day job was obviously "bureaucrat". He spoke like one, too,
back straight and looking at her straight in the eye, all business and
formality. He reminded her of Kimura, minus the creepy open-mouthed
expression."All right, what's your name?""Kagura.""And where are you from, Kagura?""I'm from Tokyo.""Tokyo, where is that?""You're speaking japanese!" Kagura exclaimed, perplexed. "How can you not know where..."... Wait. The mayor wasn't
speaking japanese. Reflecting back, neither did the family that helped
her. The mugger didn't speak japanese either, yet she understood them
perfectly. Very strange, given that engrish was the only other language
she was familiar with. All of them, including herself, spoke a heavily
nasal tongue with many smooth consonants that she should have been
murdering.What was going on here?"Omelette du fromage?" she answered on a hunch."So,
you're Tristainian then? There are of rumors of civil war in Albion
that have the potential to spread to Tristain, but I didn't expect
refugees so soon. Odd place, naming it after a cheese omelet. And no, I
don't know where every forsaken hamlet is. Especially not in Tristain."Civil
war? Tristain? Was that somewhere in France? World geography and
current events weren't her strong points. Even if she was somewhere in
France, that still wouldn't explain why the mayor didn't know about
Tokyo. No one was that ignorant. And how did she get to Europe from Japan?Two new ones, Kagura swore. Tomo will get two torn two new ones."What brings you to this town?""I got lost.""Lost? Where were you headed? The capital?""Home. We were on a field trip.""So you were heading back to Omelette du Fromage? Not a refugee then?""Yes,
we were heading home to (cough) Omelette du Fromage. Teacher lost
control of the bus she was driving and then I woke up here.""You were with others.""Yeah, I was.""Where are your companions now?""... I don't know. I tried calling them but there's no cell reception.""How big was your party?""We were eight in the bus. Yukari-sensei, coach Kurosawa, Tomo, Yomi, Sakaki, Osaka, Chiyo and myself.""I
see." Not entirely, he didn't. Some of the girl's words were peculiar,
but "bus" likely meant some sort of carriage if her teacher was driving
it. The names were also very unusual to his ears."Oh no! They might run into the mugger!""The
footpad avoids groups, and yours was a large one. Unless your friends
have been separated from each other like you have been, they should be
safe.""You think so?" she asked worriedly. Nyamo wouldn't let
anything bad happen to her classmates, but Tomo and Yukari couldn't be
trusted not to make things worse."Hopefully, yes," he reassured her. "Will you be staying here for long?"Not
if she could help it, but with no signal and no idea where she was, she
likely would be here for some time. That could be a problem. She didn't
have any money (and given that the mayor didn't know where
Tokyo was she had a feeling they wouldn't accept yen, anyway). She
didn't have a place to sleep, nothing to eat, and her uniform was
sticky with sweat and ice cream."Is there a bus out of town?"Carriages, the mayor reminded himself. "No. The farmers make trips to market, but you'd have to ask them about that.""At least a day, then, I think. Is there anywhere I could sleep?" Kagura dithered. "Er, for free?""Do you know how to use that?" The mayor motioned to Kagura's sword."No," she admitted then added quickly, "but I know how to fight barehanded!""I'm
sure," the mayor said dryly. "There are currently two of Lord Zerbst's
soldiers in town because of the footpad. We also organized a town
militia."Kagura shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Town
Militia" sounded like a neighborhood watch. Boasting she knew karate
was habitual bravado, but playing cops and robbers with real robbers
was a bit much."No, you won't be expected to patrol with the soldiers. What you will do is their laundry.""Laundry?""The
town militia's task is to provide support for them. In this case,
washing their clothes. Right now the soldiers are doing their own
laundry, and they're complaining."Strange for a militia, but sure, she could do laundry. Not tonight, though."You
will not be paid. The town militia is voluntary. However, I will allow
you to stay in the soldier's barracks for as long as they don't object,
and you can share with the food provided for them.""Wait, you mean sleep in their quarters?""Is there a problem with that? Are you married?""No! I'm only 16!"The
mayor raised an eyebrow. "Most peasant girls of age wouldn't mind the
attention of a career soldier." Mobilized wherever they were needed,
they tended to lead exciting, romantic lives. And if a girl played her
cards right, having an affair, or better, being married to a soldier
was a way out of working in a farm. All the girls currently taking
turns cooking for the soldiers had that in mind when they volunteered."Well,
I'm not a peasant girl," she huffed. The mayor's other eyebrow shot up.
The possibility now brought to his attention, he noted that Kagura's
teeth were unusually perfect and her hands were distressingly free of
callouses. Her clothes, while simple, were of a finer weave than the
woolen attire that commoners like himself wore."You're not some runaway noble, are you?""Noble? No, I'm not. But I'm not a peasant, either."The
mayor relaxed. She probably was a noble's personal servant of some sort
rather than a farmer's daughter. Or she was the apprentice of a
tradesman since she did mention having a teacher. "You are a stranger
in town. Tristainian, as well. I doubt you will find find lodging
anywhere here. You could try going to another town. It is a days walk
to the north, a few hours by horse."Night in a road with muggers
on the loose? Not a good idea. Besides, if this was the nearest town,
her friends could be showing up soon.With a sigh of resignation, she agreed."For
tonight, you can stay here. Just sleep on the bench. It doesn't look
like its going to rain tonight. You'll be fine. And if it does rain,
well...""Aren't you going to ask me about the mugger? I mean, like, describe him? Or look at mugshots?""Old, probably in his forties or fifties, thin, lacks teeth, likely drunk, short temper?""Yeah, that's him."The
mayor made a dismissive gesture. "He's been a problem for quite some
time now, and enough people have seen him. You might want to talk to
the soldiers when you meet them, though, in case there's some other
detail you might remember that they'd find useful. Is there anything
else?""... not really, no." She was hungry, but the mayor already said that she'd share with the soldiers' food. She could wait."Good.
If you don't find the work to your liking, tell me so that I can find
someone else. Don't just go up and leave town." He took out a parchment
from his desk then wrote something (wow, a real-life quill!) that Kagura couldn't make out.Huh
and double huh. They were conversing in a different language, but she
couldn't read the local writing. Yet another dose of weird."I need you to swear fealty to Lord John Augustos von Anhalt Zerbst," he said after stamping candle wax on the parchment."Swear what?""This
town and the farmland around it belong to Lord Zerbst. If you're going
to work here, you're going to have to swear to abide by his rules and
pay his taxes and so on.""Pay?"The mayor sighed. "You." He pointed a finger at her. "Make promise." He held up his palm. "I..."Kagura
should have been insulted being talked to pedantically, but she was too
tired to argue and her brain was rapid approaching shutdown for the
day. "I...""Kagura.""... Kagura...""Won't steal won't steal chickens, spit on the street, or get drunk while the sun is still out.""Uh,
sure. I, Kagura, won't steal chickens, spit, or (cough) drink." Elmae's
beer didn't count because it was already dark out, no siree!"That'll
do. At dawn, follow the road to the right to a house with a flag with
Lord Zerbst's crest." He tapped his fingers at what Kagura assumed to
be the crest nailed to the front of his desk - three flaming lions on a
red shield."Any other questions?"Kagura shook her head. "No.""Welcome to Germania then, Kagura of Omellette du Fromage."The quarrel began as soon as Sakaki entered Louise' room."Where have you been?" Louise growled, brandishing a riding crop at her.After
escorting the girl (Miss Valliere was it?) to her afternoon classes,
Sakaki had explored the rest of this Tristain Academy of Magic. It was huge
castle, easily well over three baseball fields in size. Shaped like a
pentagon, five six-story towers served as dormitories for both students
and faculty. The larger middle tower housed various lecture halls, a
dining hall, laboratories, and what she learned was a vault in the
upper floors.She had found what was supposed to be the infirmary
to get her burned hand examined, but the nurse/doctor/wizard cosplayer
on duty was scandalized when she explained how she got injured and
refused to treat her.She had found the headmaster's office, although the secretary told her that he wasn't in at the moment.What she didn't
find was a landline. No one she ran across in the school who was
willing to talk to her even knew what a telephone was. And, judging
from the earnest expression on their faces when she had tried to
explain, they weren't feigning their ignorance.Faced with the
prospect of no communication from the castle, she asked for directions.
The nearest town (which supplied the school) could be reached by
following the road from the castle gates, but the distance was too
great to reach before nightfall on foot. Sakaki was quite willing to
walk the distance even at night rather than deal with Valliere, but the
road had no streetlights.Resigned that she would have to stay
the night at least, Sakaki went back to the girl's classroom only to
find that classes had been dismissed for the day. A few questions
later, Sakaki was pointed out a room on the third floor of what was the
"Tower of Fire".Valliere was not pleased on seeing her. She was
out of her uniform and in a thin nightgown, ready for bed but waiting
impatiently for Sakaki's arrival."Wh-What are you planning to do with that?"."This -" Louise slapped the crop on her palm with an audible crack "- is to discipline you."Sakaki cringed and began to back out of the room."Now, answer the question. Where have you been?""I
was trying to find a... telephone." Maybe Valliere knew what a phone
was (not that Sakaki was willing to endure a whipping even if Valliere
did). Most of the people Sakaki had spoken to that day had been what
was likely just maintenance staff. Valliere, however, was well-off if
her room an indication. It was very large and everything was made of
highly polished and ornately carved wood - a four poster bed, a
dresser, a round coffee table with chairs."A what?"Ok, so
she didn't know about phones more than anyone else had so far. Looking
around the room again, Sakaki couldn't see a computer, nor a
mini-fridge or even a TV, which she would have expected from a dorm
room that size. The single lamp on the table had a wicker and tiny
flame rather than a light bulb. Beside the bed on the floor was a
laid-out blanket with hay underneath that she had a sneaking suspicion
was supposed to be where she would sleep for the night. A covered metal
cairn was tucked away in a corner that, if it went with the overall
antique theme so far, she distressingly surmised to be a chamber pot.
Ugh."Never mind. It must be a commoner thing."It was a civilized thing, Sakaki wanted to say, unlike whipping people.Louise
sighed and put away the riding crop underneath her bed, much to
Sakaki's relief. "I suppose its my fault for not informing you of your
duties. You are, after all, only a commoner. Know this: unless given an
order otherwise, you're to stay by my side at all times. Is that clear?
I almost missed dinner waiting for you."Sakaki nodded, not in agreement, but in an effort to stem any further argument."Wash
these." Louise threw at Sakaki what looked like the clothes she had
worn that afternoon - a blouse, a lacy camisole, a pleated skirt,
panties and stockings. Sakaki fought the impulse to catch the items and
let them fall to the ground at her feet.Louise snarled.."Pick those up.""But..." Sakaki swallowed, gathering courage. "Why should I?""You're my familiar. Do as I say.""Um, but what, exactly, does a familiar do?""A
familiar is supposed to be able to grant its master enhanced vision and
hearing." Louise said mechanically, as if reciting from memory. One
fist on her hip and a finger extended, she took an unbearably cute
"lecture" pose that would have sent Sakaki squealing to herself were
she in the mood."What do you mean?""What you can see and hear, I can also see and hear."Was
that even possible? If it was, Sakaki didn't like it. At all. It was an
invasion of privacy the likes of which she couldn't deal with.Louise's brows furrowed in concentration. "No, it doesn't work. I can't see anything through your eyes."Sakaki breathed a silent thanks."Also, a familiar is supposed to be able to do small errands. Like retrieving reagents.""Reagents?""Catalysts
to be used when casting certain spells. Something like sulfur, or
moss... At least that's something you can do. Even if you're just a
commoner. I'll just describe what I want and you go get it.""You want me to buy these reagents in a store for you?""No,
no, no. Not buy. You're supposed to find them on your own. There's a
forest near here and you can find many reagents there. If I wanted to
buy reagents, any ordinary servant would do. You will forage so that I wouldn't have to spend gold."If
she was being sent to a forest to gather these reagent things, wealthy
she might be, this Valliere girl was still cheap, Sakaki thought."And
this is most important of all... A familiar exists to protect its
master! The task of protecting them from any and all enemies is a duty
of the highest priority! But that might be a little bit problematic for
you. A powerful magical beast would almost always defeat its enemies.
And while you're certainly taller than any girl in the school -"Sakaki
blushed and slouched her shoulders, a habit that she thought she had
long outgrown from the time she realized how tall she was compared to
her peers."- you're still a commoner. You won't stand long
against a mage, or against something like that Zerbst strumpet's
salamander. You can't breath fire or fly, can you?""... No.""That's why I'm only making you do things I'm fairly sure you can do: laundry, cleaning, and other miscellaneous tasks.""I'm not your slave.""Yes, you are," Louise insisted. "You're my familiar. See those runes? They bind you in contract to serve me.""I - I refuse.""You refuse? Who do you think you are?""Please, find another familiar.""You
think I want a commoner for a familiar? Didn't I just tell you that you
can't do all the duties a familiar should? You're almost useless and I
am stuck with you.""Send me home then!""I can't.""Cast
that spell again that brought me here. It might send me back!" Despite
having seen numerous inexplicable tricks throughout the day and the
unusual animals that served as familiars, Sakaki didn't quite accept
the idea that magic brought her to this castle nor that she was this
girl's slave, but talking down to her level might work."I'd like
be able to send you back from where you came. If I could, I'd be able
to summon a new familiar. But the spell is one-way.""Try it anyway!""The
summoning spell doesn't work while the previous summon is still alive."
There was another, much more compelling reason to not attempt the
spell. While what she had just explained was true from what Mr. Colbert
said that afternoon and from what she learned from her first year
lessons on magical theory, Louise didn't see it necessary to inform her
familiar of her spell casting failure rate. She narrowed her eyes. "You
don't want to die, do you?" All right, that was fudging facts. She
didn't know for certain that the familiar would die, just that a new
summons wouldn't work if the previous one was around.Defeated, at least for the time being, Sakaki replied, "no.""I'm glad that is settled.""I want to go home," Sakaki pleaded. "I want to be with my mother and father and my friends."Louise
softened at that, somewhat. While the girl was only a commoner, she
could understand the sentiment. Being in school, she hadn't met her
parents in months. She also missed her sisters, even that bully
Eleanore. She had not considered that her familiar would have similar
ties.How troublesome. Why couldn't she have summoned something
even as simple as a mouse? Animal familiars couldn't make her feel
guilty with talk of longing for family.Not that it mattered.
Personally serving a noble was a fine job that many peasant girls
aspired to, so she didn't see the problem that this Sakaki girl was
going on about."Where is your family from, anyway?""I'm from Tokyo, Japan.""Well,
Sakaki of Tokyojapan (wherever that is), who do you think will take
care of you? Obey me, and you will find me to be a generous master. You
will be fed and housed. You will be given purpose. It is a lot in life better than most commoners.""I was going to go to veterinary school after I graduated. I don't want to be a slave.""A what school? You went to school?""Yes, I did. Do.""Commoners don't go to school. They apprentice.""Well, I went - go - to school. This is my school uniform." Sakaki tugged at her skirt. "See? Its like yours."Louise humphed. "Well, that isn't important anymore. You're my familiar now.""Please, send me home.""For the last time, I can't."And
with that, the conversation was over. Louise snapped her fingers and
the lamp extinguished itself, leaving the room in purplish moonlight.
She then went to lie on the bed, punctuating the finality of her
decision by turning her back to Sakaki.Frustrated, Sakaki
gathered the discarded clothing. For tonight, she needed a place to
sleep. She would put up with Valliere and the straw bed, but tomorrow
she'd find a way to town.At the
washroom nearest Louise's bedroom, Sakaki puzzled over the lack of
faucets. It couldn't be any other kind of room - the tiles were marble
rather than simple stone, a drain was on the damp floor, and small tubs
were upended against a wall. But how did you turn on the water? She
waved her hand over a lion's head set on the wall, like one would do in
public restrooms with infrared faucets. When that didn't work, Sakaki
tried pushing at the lion's eyes, nose, and ears, looking for a button.
Still no water. Remembering how Valliere turned the lamp off, Sakaki
snapped her fingers.Warm water gushed forth from the lion's mouth.Sakaki snapped her fingers again, then again. The water stopped and started on command.Belatedly,
she realized she could have accidentally turned the lamps in the
washroom off. As an experiment, she snapped her fingers again, this
time with the intent of controlling the lamps.The lamps died. With another snap, they flickered on again. The water continued to flow uninterrupted.Magic. Sakaki rolled her eyes. Of course.As
she bent to her task, Sakaki was tempted to shred Valliere's panties,
or at least wear out the garter, but being petty would gain her nothing
but a potential whipping. The only bit of revenge that she allowed
herself was the fact that there was no soap in sight, so Valliere would
have to be satisfied with a quick scrub and rinse.She rubbed furiously at the strange writing on her hand. Not that she expected them to come off, but still."Oh, milady, you shouldn't be doing that here."Sakaki
turned and faced an appalled maid. A real, honest to goodness maid
about her age in a black, knee-length dress and frilly white apron. She
had dark bob hair neatly held in place by a lacy headband, an unusual
sight given that everyone Sakaki had seen so far in the school had red,
brown, or blonde hair, one kid with a ridiculous blue dye job and the
headmaster's secretary outlandish moss-colored tresses (Mr. Colbert was
balding and so didn't count)."I'm sorry," Sakaki apologized, standing and bowing, "but I didn't know where to do these.""These
are the bathing rooms, milady. If you use up all the hot water, the
other nobles will complain in the morning." The maid carefully wrung
out the wet clothes and placed them in a tub. "Here, let me do these
for you. We have running water on the ground floor. The water isn't
warmed like it is here.""I... t-thank you." Sakaki was torn from letting the maid do what was likely her job and stopping her. Valliere did
tell her to do the laundry herself rather than order a maid to do so.
She was as much a servant as this maid was. "But, please, I really
should do it myself."The maid smiled genuinely. "I will bring
these up to your room later, milady. Pardon me for asking, but which
room is yours? I'm afraid I don't recognize you. Have you just
transferred here at the Academy?""I don't go to this... school.""Eh?" The maid was still smiling, but her bewilderment was unmistakable."I'm Miss Valliere's..." Sakai fumbled with the word "...familiar."The maid's eyes widened. "I haven't seen a human familiar before! Are you a noble?"Sakai shook her head."You're a commoner?"Sakaki
nodded, letting her hair hide the flush creeping to her cheeks. "That's
what Miss Valliere said. I really should be doing that."The maid
gave a chuckle. "I'll still help you. You shouldn't be washing clothes
here. I mean it. These are the nobles' baths. If they run out of hot
water in the morning they'll get angry at someone, likely me since I'm
on duty tonight. Come on."Sharing the load, Sakaki and the maid left the bathroom."If you don't mind me asking, what should I call you? Miss familiar?""Sakaki.""I'm Siesta."Sakaki
and the maid made small talk as they went down the tower. When the
topic of their jobs came up (Siesta being intensely curious at what a
familiar's tasks were; only a handful of familiars could talk, and
those that could didn't pay attention to her), it naturally progressed
to Siesta's own assignments, including the kitchen. Sakaki used the
opportunity to ask where she could get something to eat. It was
unusually forward of her, but she'd only had ice cream that afternoon.
Valliere had claimed that she'd feed her, but Sakaki didn't
quite take her word for it. Siesta told her that the staff had their
meals at the kitchen after the nobles have had theirs. Familiars
usually ate at the kennels at the same time their masters did, but
their food wasn't fit for people. It would be better for Sakaki to just
wait for the staff meal. Siesta assured her that it was no problem when
Sakaki demurred (weakly) and offered to pay. The leftover food was free
and plentiful, she explained, part of the benefits of working for the
scions of the wealthiest families in Helkegenia. The uniforms were,
too, so she could get Sakaki something tomorrow from the quartermaster,
even if it was just a maid's outfit."Finding something in your size is going to be a challenge, though," Siesta teased.Sakaki
ducked her head in shame, not only because of the jab at her height,
but also the fact that someone noticed that she needed something fresh
to wear."The moons must be full tonight," Siesta commented when they neared the tower lobby on the ground floor.Moons? "What do you mean?""Well,
we've already passed two couples. Sir Gramont's the blond boy with the
first year brunette, and Sir Dietrich was with Lady Zerbst, the
Germanian girl."Honestly, Sakaki didn't notice. Her mind was too preoccupied with the day's events and an empty stomach. "Dating?""Yes.
We're so far away from town that when the students want a date they'd
just use one of the courtyards, and the full moons are a popular time
to dine under candlelight." Siesta leaned towards Sakaki
conspiratorially. "Be careful of Sir Gramont. He was trying not to be
too obvious, but I think he likes your looks. I think Sir Dietrich does
too, but Sir Gramont is a bit of a skirt chaser. He's just a student so
he won't try anything (much) with commoners, but, well, you know."For what it seemed like the tenth time that day, Sakaki turned beet-red."I was right!" Siesta crowed as they stepped out of the tower. "Look! Jhuki and Bilwiss are both full. I'm so
glad I'm not on kitchen duty tonight, ha! Nobles on dates can be very
picky with their food. Miss Sakaki, what's wrong? Miss Sakaki? Miss
Sakaki!"

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