A/N: I realize that this is long overdue, and I fear, grossly inadequate. Getting back into the tone of this was difficult after such a long hiatus, and I'm unsure that I've done so well, but I wanted to get something out there, so here you have it. Hopefully, with resbang behind me, the following chapters will be more timely.

Chapter 5: In Which They Meet a Magician and Have a Conversation

When the door opened, there was a woman standing there, tall, curvy, and impossibly gorgeous. She had creamy skin and long black hair pulled up into a pony tail on top of her head, but for the two strands at either side of her face that framed wide, sea blue eyes. Maka had seen many a princess and was fairly certain she had never seen one this exotically beautiful. The woman smiled broadly upon spotting Maka and Soul, then frowned as her eyes rested on Black*Star. Whatever she was thinking, though, she did not reveal, but stepped aside and gestured welcomingly towards all of them.

"Please, come in," her smile was wide and genuine. Soul grabbed Maka'a forearm and when she turned her head questioningly towards him, shook it subtly.

"We should go," he muttered to her and might have been about to say more, but was interrupted by the woman.

"I'm Tsubaki. You are safe here, I promise." Since promises held weight in the forest, Soul visibly relaxed and nodded.

"Yeah, okay," he said more loudly to the Knight, and they both moved forward, with the Wizard muttering and kicking the ground ahead of him as he looked down at his feet,

"Yeah, 'bout time. Any dunce can see she wouldn't harm a fly." Maka caught Tsubaki's embarrassed frown but it was quickly replaced by another smile. Inside, the cottage was small but neat and cozy, with a kitchen area complete with a table and chairs, stove, and cabinets with counters, and a common room full of soft looking overstuffed chairs and cushions. Tsubaki gestured to the table ringed with four chairs.

"Sit, share a meal with me. I have a feeling you have questions and I may have some answers for you." Maka caught Soul's raised eyebrow and a scoffing noise from the Wizard, but did as she was bid, pulling back a chair and sitting awkwardly with a clanking noise. She hated the armor but it was necessary—it protected her, and she didn't know Soul well enough to trust him just yet. He wasn't a Prince or a Knight, so it was unlikely he'd try to 'rescue' her, and he seemed like a decent enough sort, but she'd only known him for a few hours and you just never could tell, especially not in a strange place like this. So she kept on her armor, uncomfortable or not, and waited for Tsubaki to continue. The other two sat as well, Black*Star next to Maka because the leash gave him little choice, and Soul across from her. There were three cats lounging atop the table, one bluish black with slit amber eyes just visible, one small and mousy brown, and one large, tawny, and sleek. Tsubaki shooed the cats off the table, who left slowly and grumpily, with the tawny one looking up at her with blue eyes and meowing, then looking straight at Maka.

"I'll keep that in mind," she told the cat quietly, then scooted over to a cabinet as the cats slunk away. A moment later, she brought out four cups and a pitcher. Soul looked at her questioningly, but Black*Star was already grinning and licking his lips.

"Lemonade?" she asked brightly.

"YOSH!" The Wizard yelled.

Soul shook his head as he eyed the Wizard, but then turned his gaze to Tsubaki and said, "Yes, thank you."

Tsubaki turned her gaze to the Knight and Maka shook her head.

"No, no thank you," she said quietly. She refused to remove the helmet to drink, to expose herself. The other woman looked about to say something, but just shook her head and poured three glasses, setting them in front of herself and the others, and then poured out a fourth and set it before Maka.

"In case you change your mind," she offered with a smile. "Now, as I said, I am Tsubaki, and I see you've already met my associate Black*Star?"

"Associate?" Soul sounded incredulous, managing to speak what Maka was thinking before she could.

"Well, yes," she nodded slowly. "Black*Star is my roommate and we study magic together. In truth, we both recently left Shibusen to settle here."

"The magic academy? But I thought they only taught Magicians," Maka blurted, awed. She had heard rumors of the school run by the Magician's Guild, but they were only rumors.

"They teach all forms of magic, actually. I am a Magician, and though much of the magic I use comes from the Witches school, I am adept in multiple forms. Black*Star is a Wizard, as I am sure he informed you. " Maka still didn't understand how that could be and couldn't help but to say as much.

"But he uses a sword. I've never heard of a Wizard who uses a sword before." Tsubaki smiled at this, giving Maka a long, knowing glance, and Black*Star just snorted. Soul remained quiet, thoughtful. Maka thought he looked troubled, though it was hard to say. She did not know him well.

"I'm going to surpass the gods! Staffs are for puny mortals—not immortals like me!" Black*Star finally bellowed in a voice that would have been loud enough to project to a field of hundreds, and as there were not hundreds but a scant three gathered around the roughhewn table, ended up practically blasting apart the poor would-be Knight's eardrum. Her response was almost involuntary as she thunked him with a book.

"OW! HEY! THAT IS NO WAY TO TREAT YOUR GOD!" This earned him a second thunk, and as Maka returned the book to her secret pouch, she went to rub her sore ear before realizing the helmet made it impossible, causing a loud clang to sound in its depths instead. This guy was already giving her a splitting headache and she'd known him all of an hour.

"Was that—entirely necessary?" Tsubaki asked mildly.

"Yes!" Soul and Maka said simultaneously before exchanging a glance. Soul looked more troubled than amused, but he smiled at her nonetheless and Maka found herself wishing that he could see her return smile. As it was, she gave him a slight nod, before looking back to Tsubaki, who was eying the now unconscious, slumped over Wizard in concern, a hand on one wrist, probably to check his pulse.

Maka felt a little bad, only because Tsubaki seemed nice enough and was slightly distraught, but only a little—Black*Star really had earned it.

"He'll be okay," Maka promised after a moment. "I only meant to quiet him, not to kill him. He should awaken soon enough." She went to rub her ear again, stopping just before she hit the helmet as she remembered the silliness of the action. She sincerely hoped it wasn't so very soon. "Honestly, I have no idea how you tolerate him. One would think you'd be deaf by now with all that screaming."

Maka heard a snort from Soul, and glancing his way, saw he was manfully attempting to hold in his chuckles of amusement, his wariness momentary wiped away.

"Really, he's not always like that," the Magician offered sheepishly. "Black*Star can be a little loud, a little boisterous, but he is also kind and loyal and always true to his word. Which reminds me," she went back to the no nonsense tone she had started with. "I would very much appreciate it if you would free him."

"What?" she knew she sounded incredulous.

"No," Soul said flatly across from her.

Tsubaki held up a hand before they could offer further protest. "Just hear me out. Black*Star is a man of his word. If you exact his promise, you will have no need to bind him."

"He stole the Queen's Sword," Soul gritted out. "A man who would steal from the Queen herself cannot be trusted."

Tsubaki let out something like a fond sigh. "Is that why you are holding him? I thought for certain he'd be stopped at the gates. He really managed to take it, then?" She was looking at Soul with wide, serious eyes. "It shouldn't have been possible, really. It's a Wizard's Bane. I'm shocked he could touch it."

Soul's eyes narrowed. "You know an awfully lot about the sword, and don't seem all that surprised or concerned that he tried to take it."

Maka watched the exchange with nervous curiosity, watched the tension mounting, suddenly fearing that there was going to be a fight. Letting out another sigh, the Magician shook her head.

"I know of the sword because it was one of many artifacts that came up in my studies when I was in school, and I knew he planned to take it because he told me. I didn't believe he would succeed, and if he had—" she eyed Soul speculatively, eyes resting on the hilt of his blade "—I would have made certain it was returned. You must understand, Black*Star means no harm by the sometimes heedless things he does. He has a big heart, but he also has a lofty goal and sometimes does not think in striving to obtain that goal. He believed the sword would help him, he saw it as a challenge, so he took that challenge."

"But—if it's a Wizard's Bane, as you said, how could it possibly—" Maka put in before being cut off.

"As I said, he often does not think things through." The look she turned in the Wizard's direction, one of exasperated fondness, spoke volumes, and Maka just nodded.

"So if I freed him and made him promise to, say, never take the sword again, he would follow through?" The Knight found herself asking, earning her a look of incredulity from her companion. Tsubaki nodded.

"As I said, he keeps his word. Always."

"He has to face the Queen," Soul said firmly.

"What if I make him promise to come with us to face and accept judgment without struggle in exchange for freeing him? He would do this?"

"Of course," Tsubaki said mildly. "I would even accompany you to help ensure you have no difficulty with him."

"You said he wouldn't give any if he promised." Soul challenged.

"I said he would keep his word, but as you have no doubt noticed already, my partner can be difficult without much trying."

The would-be Knight couldn't hold back her snort of laughter at this, and even Soul seemed to be biting his lip to hold down a smile of amusement. Black*Star started to stir next to the Knight, and her laughter died as she turned her attention back to her new companion.

"Look, it's your call," she said finally. "You know the forest. If you think it's a bad idea, I'll keep him bound."

Soul looked to Tsubaki, who had schooled her features into a mask of calm, and then back to the Knight.

"No, if he promises, and if," he said slowly, carefully, looking to the Magician again, "you will promise as well, to come with us and make sure he keeps his end of things, then I see no harm in freeing him. Only a fool would take any promise made within the Forest lightly."

All were startled by a loud proclamation of "YOSH!" from the groggy Wizard.

"What?" he looked between the three of them with a cocky grin.

"Black*Star," Tsubaki said sternly. "How long have you been awake?"

"Eh?" He looked like he wanted to do something with his hands, but of course, he couldn't. "Few minutes. Long enough, I guess. Look," he turned his gaze to Soul. "I'm not gonna run. You want me to see this Queen and let her pass judgment or whatever the heck, then fine, I took her sword, I'll do it. I won't try to run, and I won't try to fight you, I promise. That good enough for you?" he raised an eyebrow and Soul shrugged.

"What about you, buckethead?" he turned towards Maka and she was a bit stunned when she realized the Wizard was talking to her.

"Uh, yeah, I think—" she looked at Soul who offered a slight nod "—um, fine. Since you promised." She turned to the Magician, who was watching them all placidly. "And you—you promise too, right? To come with us and help keep him in line, make sure he keeps his promise?"

The other woman smiled serenely. "Of course. You have my word—I will accompany you to the castle and see that Black*Star keeps his word, and I will do no harm to you myself." Maka nodded and waved a hand, speaking the release word quietly, and suddenly, the Wizard's bonds were gone.

"YOSH!" He repeated, leaping up onto the table. "NOW BOW BEFORE YOUR GOD, MORTALS!"

"BLACK*STAR!" Tsubaki's exasperation was palpable. "Haven't you caused enough trouble for one day?"

"Yeah, right. I know." He rubbed his head sheepishly and climbed down from the table. Maka was shocked the man did sheepish, honestly. "I'll just—um—go get some things get ready for the trip to the castle." He shuffled off to a rear door, which opened up what appeared to be a neat and tidy bedroom, before closing it behind him.

"So," Tsubaki broke the silence that quickly settled over the room, eyeing the table still laden with four full glasses of lemonade then turning her eyes to look between her guests. "Anyone up for some rabbit stew? And then, perhaps, you will finally share your names."

The evening passed uneventfully. They introduced themselves, and then Tsubaki served some savory looking stew along with bread and cheese. Maka ate nothing, of course, because she couldn't, and Soul ate first cautiously then, as Tsubaki reiterated that she had promised no harm would come to them, voraciously, inhaling three bowls of stew and several full glasses of lemonade. Black*Star eventually returned, behaving as if they were all old friends, laughing and joking and pretending he wasn't about to go face trial, all the while inhaling his own four bowls of stew and half a dozen cups of sweet refreshment. Maka just watched in relative silence as her stomach rumbled, stunned speechless by the rapid turn of events. To have spent all night and much of the day escaping the dragon, to have been spotted at the edge of the forest, to have run into this strange Woodsman, then stranger Wizard, to have stumbled across a Magician's abode—it was almost unbelievable, and the Princess sat and tried to process it all, tried to sift through it. What was she even doing? All of this with Black*Star and the sword, it wasn't her problem, and with the Gorgon on her tail, she really had far bigger issues than bringing some idiot before the Queen. Yet, Soul had insisted that things happened for a reason in the Forest, had insisted they should figure out why she had run into him, and for her part, Maka couldn't help but to wonder herself how all this oddness would play out.

The problem was, she really didn't want to reveal herself. These people thought she was a Knight, not a Princess, and if they knew the truth, they would probably shoo her off, laughing at her presumption. Even if they didn't, there was always the danger one would decide to protect and therefore rescue her, knowing he could gain her hand, and that was really the bigger issue because not wanting to get rescued only to have to marry some random idiot was how she had ended up in this mess to begin with.

The armor had to stay. They had to think she was a Knight. Problem was, she couldn't eat in the full helmet, let alone sleep or obey nature's calling. Not only that, it ensured her safety. Maka had chosen her gear carefully from the dragon's hoard before she'd snuck out in the middle of the night. The armor granted her invulnerability, and the sword conferred upon its wielder all the fighting skill of every wielder who had held it, which was considerable. With this sword, this armor, Maka really was a Knight, a force to be reckoned with. Without it, she was just a lost little Princess, and that was something she refused to be.

Maybe she could manage. Maybe she could slink off to eat and do her business with some level of privacy. Surely she could manage. At this point, she had the sneaking suspicion she really had no choice. Maka was startled from her thoughts by a voice near her ear. She blinked, looking at Soul, who had crouched near her.

"Hey, earth to Max. You're really spacing out, you know? Almost thought that armor was empty for a second," he laughed. "You really should take it off soon. You've got to be starving. Anyway," the boy pulled up a chair next to hers. "Are you okay? I know this has been a lot to take in, and you had that dragon after you, and—" he was rubbing the back of his head, his eyes concerned.

"I'm fine," she said too brightly, wishing for the second time she could smile reassuringly. "Just a bit on my mind, is all."

"You are probably eager for rest, I'd imagine." Tsubaki walked over, drying her hands on a dishtowel before tossing into a basket. She had just finished washing the dinner things, a task Maka had wished to volunteer to aid in but, yet again, could not. "Allow me to show you to your room, Sir Max," she glanced at Black*Star. "Will you show Soul in a moment?"

The Wizard nodded. "Of course! The great me would never let down his Goddess!" The Magician blushed at this, but then, turned her gaze to the Knight.

"If you would follow me?" she inclined her head, a kind smile gracing her lips. One of the cats rubbed against her leg and moved off before her, and then, all three felines followed her to the same door Black*Star had been through earlier, the only other door in the small cabin. Maka looked confused but simply followed. Inside was a neat and tidy bedroom, as she had seen before, and she put up her hands in protest as Tsubaki shut the door softly behind them.

"Oh no, I can't take the only room. That wouldn't be—"

Tsubaki looked at her quizzically, then laughed, her voice soft and musical. "Oh, no, no, don't worry. This is a magical door. It goes to any number of rooms; this is merely one of them. Please," she smiled genuinely. "Do not concern yourself. To use it, you must only think of the room you wish to use, and you will be there. It also goes to the back porch, but I am thinking that you will need only this room." Maka nodded in agreement.

"Well, thank you, then. You have been very kind. I really do appreciate it." Maka stood awkwardly in the center of the room, unsure of what to do next. She couldn't very well sit on the bed in armor, nor was she willing to sit without it in front of another. Hopefully, the woman would leave soon. When the Magician made no move to do so, simply eying Maka speculatively, the would-be Knight cleared her throat.

"This is a nice house," Maka said, if only to fill the silence. "That door is quite the convenience!"

"Thank you! Though I really can't take credit. The cottage is very much as we found it a few months back."

"Found it?"

"I know it sounds odd, but the previous owner spelled it to stay pristine until the right person came along. I was that person, according to Blair."

"Blair?"

Tsubaki motioned to the bluish-black cat, but the Knight was still confused.

"Oh, but, how would the cat—"

"Know?"

Maka just nodded.

"Well, Mifune and Angela," she motioned to first the tawny then the brown cat, "came with me, but Blair came with the house."

It still made little sense, but then, most things so far made little sense in this strange forest, so Maka kept quiet. In any case, she was exhausted and really, really needed the other woman to leave so that she could lock the door, strip off this cursed armor, and eat something.

"Would you, mmm, mind if I went to bed? I'm quite exhausted. It's been—"

"I thought you might like some help removing your armor, Sir Max." The emphasis the other woman placed on her pseudonym made the Princess uncomfortable, and she was glad that her blush was invisible beneath the helmet.

"I don't think that would be appropriate, Lady Tsubaki."

"Just Tsubaki if you please, and I see no reason why one woman should not be able to aid another to remove something as wholly cumbersome as armor, do you?"

Maka let out a loud woosh of breath. "I.. I mean, how—UGH!" she held her head in hands in frustration.

"Don't worry, you didn't give yourself away. My cats simply have keen senses and your scent was not that of a man."

"Oh," Maka said in something like defeat. "I didn't realize Magicians kept familiars."

"Normally, they don't, but I am part Fire Witch and decided to do so."

"Ah," Maka looked surprised but said nothing further. After all, who was she to comment on the oddity of another?

"Don't worry," the other woman spoke softly against the awkward pause. "I have no intention of revealing this information to anyone if you wish it to remain quiet. I only wanted to offer you something that might help."

"Really?" Maka was surprised and couldn't keep it from her voice.

"Mmmhmm," the other woman held out a necklace on a silver chain with a small pearl charm. "This will allow you to remove or redon your armor through an extra dimensional space at a one word command."

"Oh—oh! That is useful. Are—are you sure?"

Tsubaki waved a hand dismissively. "After all of the trouble Black*Star caused you two, it's the least I can do. Aside from which, I know what it's like to want to be judged on your merits," her smile was sympathetic, knowing, and Maka felt oddly comforted by someone else knowing her secret. She hadn't laughed or told her to leave, so maybe it was okay.

Walking closer, Tsubaki eyed her speculatively. "If you wouldn't mind removing your helmet, I can help you to put it on."

"Oh, of course!" Maka exclaimed and then, removed her helmet. She knew her hair must look a mess, her pigtails growing sweaty and tangled shoved up beneath the armor for so long. The Magician smiled that soft smile again and fastened the helmet around the would-be Knight's neck, then instructed her to replace the helmet. As Tsubaki gave her the codeword and Maka spoke it, the metal monstrosity vanished, leaving her simply Maka, in breeches and tunic and belt with pouches, feeling suddenly very naked.

"Mmm…hello?" the Princess looked at the Magician and waved sheepishly.

"Hello, Max."

"Maka," she smiled shyly, feeling small and strange before this tall, elegant woman. "My name is Maka."