Chapter 5: Party Formation

It was a beautiful day. From atop a cloudless azure sky, the springtime sun radiated its gentle warmth down upon the citizens of Halkeginia as they hurried along; the men, women, and children of Tristain going about their daily business as the constant hustle and bustle of their fair capital of Tristania created a rather pleasant and ever-present thrum, not unlike a heartbeat, as if the city itself was proudly proclaiming that it was alive and well to all who would hear its unarticulated words. Birds sang in harmonious choir to the tune of Life, and a light breeze playfully tickled at the napes of passersby as they wandered to and fro, betwixt and between their fellow countrymen as they made for whatever odd or end they sought amongst the market traders that morning.

Yes, it was truly a beautiful day.

And Guiche de Gramont was absolutely miserable.

'Why am I here? Why must I accompany the Vallière failure and her miscreant of a familiar? Do they derive some sort of perverse joy from ignoring the social order?'

Ever since they had departed from the Academy after that morning's breakfast, Guiche had sullenly borne witness to the myriad interactions of that Adam boy and Louise as he drove the carriage to their capital city. He was glad for the day off from his frankly insulting new 'job' as that (admittedly attractive) Siesta girl's 'assistant', but the older boy's penchant for witty remarks, quite often at the expense of the nobility, was wearing on the young Gramont, and whereas he would've expected Vallière to at the very least assert control over her own familiar, she once more failed the expectations of others by simply smiling and laughing at his irreverent jokes. Laughing!

What in the name of Brimir was wrong with her!? She was a noble herself! Sure, many of the students joked that the 'Zero' couldn't use magic, but anyone who actually believed that had clearly never witnessed the woefully underdeveloped girl make an attempt. After all, no commoner in the world could make explosions just by pointing a wand at something. But in any case, by the time they finally made it to the city proper, Guiche would've sworn before the Queen herself that the two considered each-other to be equals, as astoundingly heretical as that sounded.

At the moment, the young earth mage's travelling companions were deep into excited conversation, Louise pointing out various market stalls and the wares their owners would hawk as Adam remarked that the scenery was reminiscent of something called a 'Renaissance Fair', whatever that was. Barrels of local wine, cheap knockoff jewelry and trinkets, clothing of both upper and lower class, fresh fruits and meats, books and scriptures for the more academically or spiritually minded, carved wooden figurines, everything they strolled past was witnessed relentlessly by the pair as the young girl explained all the various facets of life in their wonderful capital to her familiar.

"The street we're currently on is called Bourdonné Street. It's the city's widest avenue, and leads all the way up to the castle! You can see it right over there!" the young strawberry-blonde girl excitedly spoke, pointing off towards the far end of the promenade where a large structure of bleached-white stone stood like a silent sentinel over the city about two miles away.

"Oh, wow. Looks fancy." her partner responded with a grin, before following off to the side of the cobblestoned street as his companion fawned over an overpriced silver pendant set with a pink gemstone.

Guiche internally sighed at the sight of such shameful behavior from a mage and her sworn attendant, but remained silent so as not to incur the older boy's wrath. Guiche still had nightmares about that thrice-damned duel, of the shame of being made to look like a fool in front of nearly half the student body by someone who by all rights should have been nothing more than an amusing side-show for his classmates. He remembered the ease with which the older boy tore apart his beloved Valkyries. He remembered the crowd cheering not for their noble brethren, but for the commoner that had overstepped his bounds. He remembered the sharp sting he'd felt as the older boy's blade nipped at his cheek and cost him the duel. But by far, the worst memories were of those eyes. Guiche had no words to describe the eyes that had chilled him to his very core that day as their owner laid into him not with steel, but with words; words that no commoner would ever even think to voice to a noble if they valued their life.

Well, no normal commoner. Clearly the Vallière had summoned some sort of freak.

But then… why? Why would those words not leave him be? Even now, the heretical ramblings of that 'Adam' buzzed around in the back of his head like a fly that refused to afford him any peace of mind. It was maddening!

"You dare speak of honor when you have thrown yours to the dogs?"

"I look at you and see a sniveling, petulant child throwing a tantrum and lashing out at others because he isn't getting his way!"

"A real man owns up to his mistakes! A real man atones for his transgressions!"

Guiche shook his head in a futile attempt to rid himself of the ceaseless admonitions that lingered in his thoughts and colored his somber mood.

'What am I doing? This is not how a noble acts! All these pointless musings on the inane prattle of a commoner… perhaps I have fallen ill?'

Gradually, the stalls started to dwindle in number as Louise slowly guided them into the seedier part of town, small piles of refuse clearly visible in the gutters as they ventured onwards.

"I know it's somewhere around here… I remember it being close to Peyman's Potion Emporium…" the Vallière girl muttered to herself, before finally sighting a shop sign carved in the image of a shield and crossed swords.

"Ah-ha! Found it!"

'Ah yes, I'd almost forgotten the whole purpose behind this little 'field trip' of ours…'

Guiche sighed again and followed after the girl and her infuriating partner, hoping against hope that the rest of the day would prove to be at least somewhat more bearable than the needless exhibition of Halkeginian culture he'd already had to sit through.

Honestly, it was as if that familiar was from another world or something.

-)|(-

Dull sunlight lazily filtered in through the dirty windows of the back-alley weapons shop as Adam, Louise, and Guiche entered and were met with the sight of countless weapons in every shape, size, and style. Shortswords, longswords, broadswords, greatswords, rapiers, falchions, claymores, dirks and daggers, spears and halberds, axes, maces, and various other instruments of battle hung from the walls or sat on display, just waiting to be purchased. Suits of gleaming plate-armor stood sporadically about the place, as if to judge the worth of those who would seek to wear them as they passed by. Moving further towards the back of the poorly lit establishment, they spotted the owner as he gazed at his newest suckers-… customers with shifty eyes and a slight smirk from behind his wooden counter. At least, until he recognized the pentagram brooches that Louise and Guiche sported as being indicative of high social status.

"A-ah, noble customers! Welcome to André's Armaments! I assure you that absolutely nothing illegal is going on here!" the man quickly stammered out, bowing at the waist towards the two student mages.

"That's an awfully specific denial," Adam felt inclined to point out.

"It's true! All of my wares are real, and reasonably priced!" the man professed, raising his head to take stock of the tall, strangely dressed commoner boy who'd entered with the noble pair.

Louise sighed before turning away from the weapons display she was looking at and addressing the shop owner in an authoritative voice. "Calm down, we're not the Romalian Inquisition or anything like that. We're here to buy."

"A noble buying a sword? Isn't that a bit odd?"

"Why would that be odd?"

"Well, you know that old saying about priests and soldiers and nobles and such."

Louise nodded her head at the man's words, "True, but I'm not the one we're shopping for. It's for my familiar." she clarified, gesturing at her emerald-eyed companion.

"Ah, for the young man then?"

"Yes," Louise replied, "now show me the best weapon you have."

Adam didn't like the glint that appeared in the shop owner's eyes upon hearing those words, and after the man gleefully disappeared into the back room of his establishment he leaned down to whisper in Louise's ear.

"Let me handle this, okay?"

Louise regarded her friend with a raised eyebrow, but nodded all the same when he flashed her a reassuring grin. A few moments later, the shop owner returned with a smug smile and the most resplendent sword Adam had ever seen held in his hands.

It was solid gold with silver filigree and elegant rune-markings running along the length of the blade, with a beautifully sculpted crossguard set with expertly cut rubies that sparkled with a captivating crimson luster. To top it all off, the weapon sported a large jeweled pommel that nearly glowed in the dim lighting of the shop. Honestly, Adam couldn't help but feel that it would be far more at home in a fine art museum than on the field of battle. Louise and Guiche's eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the blade, and the shop owner grinned at their predictable reactions, launching into his well-rehearsed sales pitch.

"Tell me, have you fine noble folks heard of the infamous 'Fouquet the Shattered Earth', the master thief that breaks into the homes of nobility and makes off with the priceless treasures therein? Well, the rapscallion has been making quite the name for himself recently, and many of the nobles of our fair country have begun outfitting their guards to defend against the infamous burglar. And when they come seeking armaments, this is more often than not what they leave with." Lightly running his fingers down the length of the blade, a soft ringing sound accompanying the action, he continued "This is one of the finest blades ever crafted by the Germanian master alchemist Lord Shupei. The runes inscribed on the blade allow it to cut through iron like butter!"

Louise hungrily eyed the sword in the man's hands, "Yes, it's clearly an exquisite blade befitting of a noble's status. How much?"

"Three thousand écu." the man answered, causing Louise's face to fall in disbelief.

"Three thousand!? You can purchase an entire estate in the countryside for that much!"

The shop owner just clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"A good sword is worth a castle my Noble Lady, and I assure you that you shall not find a blade of this caliber for a lower price anywhere else."

Louise looked conflicted, her desire to appear impressive to other nobles warring with her natural frugality. She glanced at Adam, as if to call out for help.

Adam sighed at his young companion's naivety ('didn't I just tell her to let me handle this?'), but stepped forward anyway and motioned toward the sword.

"May I?"

"Of course!" the man replied, handing it over with a grin.

Adam grasped the blade in his right hand and took a few practice swings.

'Yeah, there's no way we're buying this overpriced piece of shit.'

Adam looked down at his left hand, confirming with his eyes what he already felt with his body- his runes weren't reacting to the blade at all. Slowly, he turned to face the three expectant faces eagerly awaiting his verdict.

"It's a fantastic looking sword…"

"Of course" André grinned even wider and took the blade from Adam's outstretched hand, "I told you that it was-"

"But I would only carry it into battle if I were actively looking to get myself killed."

Shocked expressions met his words as the shop owner, struggling to keep up his grin, gripped the sword's handle even tighter.

"I-I beg your pardon?"

"Only two types of people make a sword out of gold- idiots, and those who plan on selling it to idiots. Gold is one of the softest metals known to man; that thing would snap within the first few minutes of its first fight." Adam explained as the blood drained from the shop owner's face at the increasingly likely prospect of losing such a big sale.

"B-but the enchantment makes it so that it can-"

"Cut through iron like butter, yeah I heard you the first time." Adam cut the man off. "But what if I have to cut through something that isn't made of iron? Like, say, an earthen construct? I seem to recall you mentioning a certain earth magic-using thief. I'm afraid this sword would only serve as a liability in a fight like that."

Adam turned to face the more mundane weapons hanging from the wall, "Not to mention the fact that the balance is weird and the grip sucks. It may be a fantastic set-piece, but it's a terrible weapon. So if it's all the same to you, I think I'm just gonna browse for a bit."

At that, Adam walked over and began inspecting the assorted blades, bludgeons, and polearms that decorated the shop, leaving his two gobsmacked travelling companions to deal with the now nervous shopowner.

He had just taken a sword of medium length, not unlike the one he'd used in his duel against Guiche, off the wall when he heard what he could only describe as 'metallic snickering'.

'The hell is that noise?'

"You certainly showed him, huh? I don't think I've ever seen André quite that flustered before."

"Yeah… thanks…" Adam put the sword he was holding back and cautiously approached the bargain bin that the voice seemed to be echoing from. "Now who exactly am I speaking to?"

"What, are those eyes of yours just for show? Down here!"

Adam's focus followed the voice and was met with the sight of an old rusted blade poking out of a long sheath from among the discount weaponry.

"Yeah, right here!" a strange metal clasp on the blade spoke, opening and closing like a human mouth and causing Adam to freeze in place.

'Holy shit the sword is talking to me what do I do'

"Ah yes, of course. Please forgive me for not recognizing you sooner. It isn't every day that one comes across a talking sword, after all." Adam replied, his even tone belying the fact that he was currently having a conversation with a goddamn sword.

'Fuckin' Magic, I swear to god…'

"Eh, I'll forgive you this time. But only because you were able to recognize that gaudy piece of crap earlier for what it was."

Adam nodded and reached out his hand towards the talkative weapon, stopping just short of actually grabbing hold of it.

"Do you mind if I…?"

"Not at all. I welcome it, in fact. It's been too damn long since I've been properly wielded."

Clasping his fingers firmly around the sword's handle, Adam lifted it up and slid the blade out of its scabbard, dislodging a fair few flakes of rust in the process.

'Approximately forty-five inch blade, no curvature, and single-edged with a modest crossguard. No fuller, but I guess that's to be expected. Two hand-lengths grip, no pommel. Rusted to hell and back, but no other visible flaws or damage to structural integrity. It's also alive, apparently.'

Adam didn't even need to look down at his runes. He could feel the magical empowerment surging through his body, an odd-yet-pleasant tingly-warmth emanating from the brand on the back of his left hand as the blade practically hummed in his grip and its specifications revealed themselves to him. Adam shuddered with joy as a manic grin threatened to split his face in half.

'Oh, FUCK yes! I played Secret of Mana; I know exactly what this is! No way in HELL am I leaving this shop without this sword!'

The sapient weapon's steely baritone brought him out of his reverie, "Whoa, that's... huh..."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Say, that's a pretty nice grip you got there, kid. Tell me, are you a 'user'?"

"What, like Tron?"

"No not like Tron, you idiot!"

Adam laughed and re-sheathed most of the weapon, leaving it with just enough room for it to move its 'mouth'. "Calm down, I was just joking. And to answer your question- if you're talking about what I think you're talking about, then yeah, I'm pretty sure I am a 'user'."

It wasn't until then that the weapon's words registered in Adam's mind.

"Wait a minute, how the hell do you even know what Tr-"

"Derflinger! How many times do I have to tell you to stop harassing my customers!?"

Adam cut off and turned to face the shopkeeper, who was glaring at the sword in his hands with unconcealed disdain. The sapient blade just scoffed in response to the man's allegations.

"Harassing!? I'll have you know that we were having a rather pleasant conversation! Unlike you, this guy actually recognizes quality when he sees it!"

"Is that… a talking sword?" Guiche spoke up, glancing at the now-named Derflinger with a quizzical look.

"Yes, it's a talking sword." André sighed, holding his head in his hands. "But it's got a rotten tongue, and he usually just drives away my customers."

"As if! You've never needed my help to drive away customers!"

The shopkeep looked up with a snarl, "Keep talking like that and I'll melt you down, you worthless piece of rusted scrap!"

"HA! I'd like to see you try to melt down the mighty Derflinger!"

"That's it! You are slag you irreverent little-!"

"GENTLEMEN! Calm yourselves! I believe I have a solution to all of our problems." Adam raised his voice, grabbing everyone's attention. "We will purchase this sword" the young man declared, before looking down to address the weapon in his hands.

"Unless you have any objections?"

"No objections here, Partner! Just throw the man some cash and we'll be on our way!" Derflinger happily replied.

"Adam… are you certain? Surely you'd rather have something in better shape?" Louise asked, warily eyeing the sapient weapon.

"Well, I do prefer double-edged blades, but the length and weight are both suitable for my needs and other than the rust he seems to be in fine condition. I'll take him." Adam responded, turning to face the shopkeeper, "For a… reduced price, of course."

The shop owner gave a tired sigh and waved his hand dismissively. "You can have him for a hundred écu."

Louise was halfway through accepting the offer when Adam placed a hand over her mouth, interrupting her and answering the man himself.

"We'll give you twenty-five."

""What!?"" the shop owner and Derflinger both shouted before Adam forcibly shoved the sword back into its scabbard and offered the outraged shopkeep an amused grin.

"What's the matter? Didn't you just get through telling us that you were planning to melt him down anyway? You should consider yourself lucky that we're willing to offer even that much to take him off your hands."

"Fine, eighty-five écu!" the man angrily retorted.

"Eighty-five?" Adam gave the man an incredulous look, "Look, I realize that you're trying to make a living here, but there's a clear distinction between running a business and highway robbery. I'm afraid eighty-five is just too much. Thirty écu."

Of course, Adam had no actual idea of whether or not eighty-five écu was a reasonable asking price for a sword. There was no telling what the exchange rate between the American dollar and the Halkeginian écu might've been, and it wasn't as if he was often in the market for a sword anyway. Still, Adam was going to push the price as far down as he possibly could. After all, no self-respecting college student would ever spend a lot of money on something if they could get it for cheaper. Not to mention the fact that the shop owner had already tried to take advantage of them once already.

"Grrrrrrrrrr… seventy écu!"

Adam walked over to the counter and leaned forwards to whisper conspiratorially with the incensed shopkeep.

"Do you know who those kids are?" Adam asked in a low voice, covertly gesturing over to where Louise stood watching him with a wary eye and Guiche silently… glared at him? What was that about?

Well, whatever.

"No." the shop owner answered in a decidedly hostile tone.

"Scions of House Vallière and House Gramont. Very important people, you see."

The shopkeeper's eyes flew wide at that, "Are you serious?"

Adam nodded in response. "Yup. Now, can you imagine the kind of business you'll be able to drum up with names like those backing you? Plus, Derflinger won't be around anymore to annoy the customers. Catch my drift?"

Adam reached over and clapped his hand over the man's shoulders, pulling him into a one-armed embrace. "Look André, buddy, pal, I'm trying to help you out here. The choice is ultimately yours, but this is a prime opportunity for mutual benefit; I implore you, take the smart option."

A multitude of emotions played out across the shopkeeper's face- anger, suspicion, realization, eagerness, back to mild irritation, and finally settling on what could only be classified as 'exasperated resignation'.

"Fifty, and I'll not go an écu lower."

Adam grinned triumphantly. "If you throw in whatever I'll need to get this guy cleaned up and taken care of, we'll give you fifty-five."

"Sixty."

"Fifty-seven."

"…Deal."

-)|(-

After sorting out the issue of cost, it took all of about two minutes to finalize the sale itself. Adam strapped Derflinger's scabbard to his back as Louise handed the shopkeep fifty-seven écu coins and arranged for the additional items to be delivered directly to the Academy, while Guiche impatiently waited near the door, clearly not wanting to remain in the dirty shop any longer than he had to. Soon enough, the trio (now quartet) were outside once more, steadily making their way towards the less unsavory parts of the city.

"I can't believe you sold me out like that, Partner! I'm worth way more than a paltry fifty écu!"

Louise giggled as Adam's palm met his face and he released a sigh of exasperation at the sapient blade's inability to accept the fact that his new wielder had the gall to haggle for him. From the moment they'd exited the shop, Derflinger hadn't shut up about it.

"That may be true, but why the hell would I actually want to pay that much when I could easily get you for far less? Especially considering the fact that it was Louise's money that paid for you, not mine." The young man responded, to which Derflinger gave an annoyed 'hmph'.

"I actually thought that was rather impressive," the young amber-eyed mage commented before turning to look up at her summoned companion, "where did you learn to do that anyway?"

"Used car salesmen," Adam just shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, that and the fact that if there's one thing college has taught me, it's to never pay full price for anything if you can help it. Always pay as little as possible for as much as you possibly can."

"Hmm… that's a pretty good philosophy." Louise nodded in approval, "They say a fool and his money are quickly parted. I'm glad to see that your looks are not at all indicative of your economic sensibilities."

"Not bad, kid. You're learning well." Adam lightly nudged Louise with his elbow, "Also, hey!"

Louise met his light protestations with a smile, but soon turned to look up at the rusted blade, lingering reservations about her friend's choice of weapon clear on her face.

"Still, couldn't you have picked something a little more… dignified? Sure Derflinger may be interesting, possibly even unique, but he looks as if he might rust away at any moment. He must be decades, maybe even a century old!"

The sapient blade leveled the best approximation of a glare it was capable of at the young girl, "You're no prize yourself, half-pint. And just so you know, I'm six thousand years old."

Any scathing comeback for the slight against her short stature died on Louise's lips as the sword revealed its true age to the group. "Derflinger, are you serious? Six thousand?" Adam queried, his own shock plain to see. He'd figured the talking sword was old, but not quite that old. He'd been thinking in terms of centuries, not millennia.

"You bet, Partner! Your ol' pal Derf's been the best damn blade this side of the Rub al' Khali for quite some time now."

"Six thousand…" Louise echoed, before her eyes suddenly lit up, "Wait, that means you were around during Founder Brimir's time!"

"Yeah, I hung with the B-Man. What of it?"

"What was he like!? You have to tell me!"

"Can't. Don't really remember anything that happened back then too well. All I know is that I've at least met the guy."

Louise's jaw dropped in shocked disbelief, "What!? What do you mean you can't remember!? This is Founder Brimir we're talking about! How can you not remember the greatest mage to ever live!?"

"Hey, I think we've already established that I've lived a loooooooooooooong time. Can you even remember what you had for breakfast a month ago?"

Louise faltered, "Well… I…"

"Didn't think so. What about you, Partner?"

"Huh? Oh, I dunno. Probably pop-tarts or something?"

"And that's why you're my partner, Partner!" Derflinger happily exclaimed, "And FYI shortstack, I happen to think my rust makes me look distinguished."

"It makes you look cheap." Louise returned with a frosty glare.

"Why I oughtta-!"

"Is the middle of the street really the best place to be arguing?" Adam diplomatically intervened, "Derf, quit picking on Louise. And Louise, remember that not everything has immediately apparent worth. After all, even diamonds need to be properly cut and polished before they can really shine. Kind of like you and your magic." Adam finished with a grin, reaching over and tousling Louise's hair.

A light blush dusted Louise's cheeks as she looked away with a small smile. He was doing 'it' again, the 'trying to make her feel better about herself' thing. She still didn't understand why he went to such lengths to do so, but if she was being honest with herself she'd stopped caring entirely days ago. She might still be a useless mage, but because of Adam she felt better than she had in years. He was her first real friend since Princess Henrietta back when they were still children, and Louise relished the feeling of not being quite so alone anymore.

The duo quickly recommenced their stroll through Tristainia's back streets, but stopped before they had even reached the next intersection when they realized that Guiche had neglected to follow. Looking back, they were greeted with the sight of the blond boy shaking slightly, his face aimed at the ground and hands balled up into fists at his sides. Adam called out to the boy.

"Yo Guiche, you alright?"

"I …n't …and…"

"Guiche?"

"I SAID I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Adam and Louise shared a silent glance at each other before Louise turned back to the young earth mage and asked "What don't you understand?"

"HIM!" Guiche shouted, his arm snapping through the air to point squarely at Adam's chest, "I don't understand him at all! Nothing he does makes any sense!"

Louise narrowed her eyes at the blond boy, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean that he does not conduct himself in a way that follows any conventional logic or rationale! It's as if he gives absolutely no prior thought to his words and actions, but somehow manages to work everything to his advantage anyway!" Guiche angrily elaborated. "The day he made that bet with me, I thought he was just a delusional commoner who believed himself to be above the nobility for some unfathomable reason. But after he defeated me in that duel, his first command was to have me apologize to the people I had wronged, two of whom were nobles! Instead of rightfully celebrating his victory, or any of his victories for that matter, he teaches his challengers how to fight more effectively! Instead of simple humiliation, he punishes me by making me into an Academy employee, under the purview of Miss Siesta no less! And even then, he still offers me a day off to walk around town! He completely ignores the social mores of Halkeginia, he passed up the best looking weapon in that shop in favor of the worst ("Oi!"), and he likens your complete inability to produce anything other than those horrid explosions to a BRIMIR-DAMNED DIAMOND!" Guiche ranted, before turning to regard the older boy in question with a heated glare.

"Who ARE you!?"

Louise stared at the blond boy openmouthed, her shock at his uncharacteristically intense outburst temporarily overriding her noble's sense of decorum. Where had THAT come from? For as long as Louise had known Guiche, her classmate had always been far too focused on chasing skirts to appear as anything more dignified than a young lecher in the making. Granted, she'd generally tried to keep her socialization to a minimum after the other students caught wind of her myriad failed attempts at even the most basic spellwork, but it was still incredibly out-of-character for the womanizing earth mage. She had never seen him so serious before. Slowly, Louise turned to face her companion, his own visage mirroring her own. A small part of Louise wanted to tell Guiche off for yelling such disparaging things at her familiar, at her friend, but that part was swiftly overruled by a much larger part of her; a part that couldn't help but think that it was a really good question.

Just who was Adam?

It was a question that Louise herself had been silently pondering almost constantly since she had brought him forth from that blinding white light eleven days ago; a question that resounded all the more noticeably in her head, now that Guiche had given voice to it. She wanted to know the answer just as much as her classmate did, if not more. This strange boy from another world, who discounted the idea of nobility out of hand, and had asked not for power or pleasure, but for fairness instead. Who politely rebuffed Kirche's advances (he'd told her about his meeting with her the night before), and continually rose to her defense. Who'd freely offered her a shoulder when she'd needed one to cry on, and stood stalwart against any perceived injustice, regardless of its source. Who easily defeated mages in combat like it was nothing, even though he was just a (somewhat) normal commoner. This strange, strange boy who was so kind to a failure like her.

'Adam… who are you really?'

Louise glanced up as Adam grimaced and scratched the back of his neck in clear discomfort, before turning to face the younger boy with a serious expression.

"Well first of all, you're thinking about it all wrong. It was never intended to be a punishment. It was always supposed to be a lesson."

"A LESSON!? What exactly am I supposed to be learning by toiling away at a PLEBEIAN'S JOB every day!?" Guiche shouted, causing Louise to give silent thanks that they had yet to reach the more heavily populated regions of the city.

Adam just nonchalantly shrugged in response, "Lots of things. Humility, empathy, tolerance, respect for others, self-control, self-sufficiency, work ethic, ethics in general… you know, stuff like that. Basically, I'm trying to help you become a better person. To you it may seem as if there is no underlying reasoning behind my actions, but there are reasons. I stood up to you because you'd hurt my friend. I don't gloat about my duels because I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves. I compared Louise and her magic to a diamond-in-the-rough because I firmly believe that she has far more potential for greatness than anyone has ever given her credit for."

Adam slowly made his way towards the younger boy whose expression currently radiated shock and disbelief. "Like I said, this was never intended to be a punishment. If I'd wanted to humiliate you, I'd have just stuck you in a maid's uniform and paraded you around town. But that wouldn't have solved anything at all. So instead of something juvenile like that, I set you up as Siesta's assistant so that you could get a good look at what everyday life is like for commoners and gain an appreciation for what they go through on a daily basis. I forced you to walk a mile in their shoes, so-to-speak."

Adam placed a hand on the now dumbstruck Guiche's shoulder, "The world is far larger than you realize, and no matter where you go, you're going to run into people. A lot of people, from all walks of life. And if you continue to discount them just because they're different from you, like you do with commoners, then you are willfully denying yourself the privilege of having known them. You are depriving yourself of priceless life experience, and all because you refused to broaden your horizons and see the world from different points of view. You see everything through the lens of 'commoners vs. nobles', and it's doing nothing but holding you back. And I think that's just sad. So, instead of punishing you for the indoctrination you never had the chance to refuse, I decided that I wanted to try to help you."

Guiche looked up at the emerald eyes that had once frightened him so, and found only honest determination in their deepest recesses. But one question still remained.

"…Why? Why in the world would you try to do something like that… for me?"

Adam merely offered the boy a grin, "My own life experiences have taught me many things. One of those things is that no-one is beyond help, or 'not worth it'. Everyone is worth it. Even you, Guiche de Gramont."

Louise could only watch in astonishment as Adam turned away from her speechless classmate and back towards the small portion of street where she stood rooted to the spot, completely blown away by his words. She'd never heard him speak like that before, and the sheer conviction with which he denied the very foundation of her society and upbringing caused Louise to gulp in momentary panic.

'Oh dear Founder… He can NEVER meet Mother! She'd flat-out kill him for his way of thinking!'

There was no doubt in Louise's mind about that. The 'Rule of Steel' her mother held in such high regard necessitated nothing less than perfect adherence to Tristainian Law and the Brimiric Faith as a whole. Her mother would refuse to see her familiar's opinions as anything but the height of heresy, and would summarily execute him on the spot in the name of her Queen, her Country, and her fellow nobles everywhere. Then she would execute Louise for harboring such a person for so long, familiar or no familiar.

Yes, if Louise was to retain any semblance of happiness, then her familiar and her mother could never be allowed to meet.

Louise was pulled from her thoughts when Adam offered her a smile and began walking back towards the city's center, "And as for who I am… well, I suppose it is high-time Louise and I swapped life stories. Why don't we talk over lunch?"

-)|(-

Tabitha was somewhat frustrated.

Earlier that morning, she'd been having the most wonderful dream of her uncle Joseph being eaten alive by her familiar when Kirche burst into her room and woke her up on her day off, raving about her newest 'Darling' and asking to use Sylphid for the day. She'd barely had enough time to get dressed before the excitable Germanian literally dragged her through the Academy halls and out onto the grounds where Sylphid was napping in the morning sun. While it was true that Kirche may have been one of the very few people that Tabitha would consider a genuine friend, even she had trouble dealing with the vivacious redhead when she got like this.

Riding Sylphid into town, she'd been forced to endure a full play-by-play of Kirche's rendezvous the previous night with none other than Louise's familiar, Adam. She had to admit to actually being rather impressed that he had been able to resist Kirche's advances; she'd seen firsthand what her exotic friend could do to a man with nothing but a flutter of her eyelashes and a smile, and from the way she told it, Kirche had pulled out all the stops in her fervent attempts to get the young man to 'stay the night'. But as impressive as his sense of self-discipline was, it was still directly responsible for the fact that she was spending her day off standing in a dirty weapons shop, disinterestedly watching Kirche try to seduce the shopowner into giving her an overpriced sword so that she could give it as a gift and impress her newest amorous fixation. For that reason alone, she could do nothing but curse the older boy for not simply giving in to his baser desires and bedding her best friend, as admittedly odd as that sounded.

Tabitha honestly wasn't sure how she felt about the older boy. 'Guarded interest' would be an acceptable way to put it, she supposed. Even now, she wasn't entirely sure how he'd managed to elicit a conversation from her. She was well aware of the reputation she'd developed among her classmates as a result of her curt way of speaking, but what none of them realized was that her terse mannerisms weren't due to some overinflated sense of self-importance brought on by her magical skill (as some of her peers believed), or because of crippling shyness, or some other personality quirk. No, the truth was that she simply saw no point in building relationships with people she knew she would never be able to relate to. From childhood, she'd been forced into numerous life-or-death situations, constantly fighting for survival against insurmountable odds, and all at the whims of the man who'd poisoned her mother and killed her father over the throne of Gallia. 'Missions' they called them. More like SUICIDE missions. It had been obvious from the start that every task she was given was specifically designed to get her killed. Whether it was assassinating a highly protected target in a well-fortified area, or hunting dragons in the frigid wastes of northern Halkeginia, she knew that every time she left they were hoping that she would never return.

But she did return. Time and time again, against all odds, she would return triumphant. And Joseph hated it. Or, at least she thought he did. She honestly didn't know whether or not that man was even capable of feeling even the most basic of emotions.

Tabitha was strong; none who had met the girl would contest that. But hers was not a natural-born strength. No, it was a strength born of hardship, tempered and ground to a razor's edge in the forge of strife. She was strong because she had to be. To be weak was to be dead, and to be dead was to leave her mother abandoned, and her uncle Joseph with free reign. And she would not allow that under any circumstances. So she closed off her heart to all but a select few, and kept her interactions with others to the bare minimum. Her only real hobby was reading; a remnant of happier times, when her father would sit beside her at night and tell her stories until she eventually drifted off to sleep, blissfully unaware of the unfairness life had in store for her.

Compare all of that to the downright sheltered lives that most of her classmates had led up till that point, and it became very easy to understand why the bluenette just couldn't connect with people very well.

It wasn't until Adam showed up that she discovered that talking about books could be just as enjoyable as actually reading them yourself. The commoners generally kept to themselves and none of the other nobles were interested in her brand of escapism; but that familiar of Louise's seemed to be turning just about everything on its head as of late. His stalwart protection of his summoner from the jeers of the other students during classes, his spat with Guiche over the blond boy's treatment of a maid, his numerous duels with everyone that challenged him… that boy made waves just by being himself, and Tabitha had been surprised when she came to the realization that she'd actually enjoyed the conversation she'd shared with her fellow bibliophile. Yes, if she had to sum up what she thought of Adam in one word, 'interesting' would be that word. He was interesting.

But he was not a friend. Not yet, at least.

Fortunately for Tabitha, the shop owner wasn't nearly as disciplined as Adam, and in less than five minutes Kirche was giddily skipping down the boulevard in search of her precious 'Darling' with a cloth-bound sword nestled in her arms, leaving the diminutive bluenette to give a quiet sigh at her friend's shenanigans and silently follow after as she idly reminisced on the stories that the subject of their search had told her about.

'The Lord of the Rings... I wonder if it would be possible to get my hands on a copy…'

-)|(-

"Of all the places you could have picked to eat at, why in Brimir's name did you have to pick this one?"

"Because we spent almost an hour wandering through town looking for a place to eat when you refused all of the available choices. This place was close, and didn't seem too expensive. Thus, I made an executive decision and here we are."

Adam couldn't help but grin as he watched Louise openly glare at the rather well-endowed waitresses that passed by the table they were seated at every so often. Noticing the older boy's mirth at her expense, Louise instantly shifted her glare towards the emerald-eyed boy, "And you expect me to believe that your decision had absolutely nothing to do with the shamelessly dressed girls prancing around the place?"

Adam glanced over at one of the waitresses in question bending over to pour a glass of wine at another table, silently appreciating the skimpy backless maid outfit the owner had them working in, and grinned. "Well, they're certainly not a mark against the establishment…" he responded, to Louise's clear disdain.

Hey, he may not be a slave to his hormones like the teenagers he'd been keeping company with recently, but that in no way meant that he wasn't still in possession of a perfectly healthy libido. Or a functioning pair of eyes, for that matter.

It was called the Charming Faeries Inn. A quaint little bar-and-restaurant type deal with rentable rooms near the center of the capital city, the place had a surprisingly cozy feel to it and was clearly popular with the locals (the male ones at least). After Louise had led him and a now silent Guiche around town in search of food, Adam had finally lost patience with his young companion's absurd dining standards and simply strolled right into the next eating establishment they'd passed, forcing the other two to begrudgingly follow his lead. Upon sighting the attire of the employees, Louise had immediately turned bright red and attempted to walk right back out, only to be stopped by Adam's hand clamped around her wrist as he led (read: dragged) the two student mages over to one of the few unoccupied tables.

Turning to face his noticeably more cheerful companion, Adam watched as Guiche hungrily swept his eyes up and down every waitress that passed their table.

'Old habits die hard I guess.' The young man thought to himself before speaking up. "You can look all you want, Guiche. Just don't touch. I'd prefer not to get thrown out for sexually assaulting the employees."

Guiche's face fell at the admonishment, but the blond boy muttered a disheartened 'I know that...' all the same.

"Welcome to the Charming Faeries Inn!" a cheery voice from Adam's left called out as a pretty brunette with curly, shoulder length hair placed three menus on the table in front of them. "My name is Jeanne, and I'll be your waitress today. Go ahead and decide what you'd like, and I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order!" the waitress continued before rushing off to deal with the other patrons. Adam heard an angry huff from off to his side.

"How dare she treat us so flippantly? Doesn't she realize that we're nobles?" Louise indignantly grumbled once the waitress was out of earshot, her face taking on an affronted crimson coloring.

"She's not being flippant, Louise. They're just swamped right now."

"Swamped?"

"It means 'really busy'. Which is understandable, considering we showed up in the middle of the lunch-hour rush."

"So? That doesn't excuse her lack of regard for our station." Louise returned with a pout.

"I'm just saying that you should cut her a little slack. It's not really fair to get angry at her when she's only trying to do her job."

"But…"

Adam regarded the strawberry-blonde girl with a stern look, one that brokered no argument.

"No 'buts'. Patience is a virtue, Louise; just let it be."

Louise looked as if she was about to reply, but dejectedly lowered her head instead, causing a twinge of guilt to spike through Adam's stomach, which he swiftly ignored.

'She'll have to learn how to deal with people eventually. Might as well get the lessons in when I can.' Adam thought, though he had to admit that it would be a hell of a lot easier if Louise didn't have that damn 'kicked-puppy look' working in her favor. As much as it hurt his pride to acknowledge, he had no way to effectively defend against it.

"Shameful, a familiar talking back to their master like that…" Guiche muttered.

Adam turned to face him and raised an eyebrow, "Shameful? Really? Coming from the guy that hasn't stopped undressing people with his eyes since he sat down?"

Guiche tried to glare in response to the older boy's words, but quickly gave up in favor of burying his embarrassed face behind his menu, prompting the other two to emulate his actions lest the waitress return before they'd come to a decision.

'Oh shit. I can't believe I forgot that I can't read here.'

Or, at least try to emulate.

After first arriving in Tristain, it hadn't taken Adam very long to realize that while Colbert's translation spell may have allowed him to communicate with the locals verbally, the written language of Halkeginia might as well have been ancient hieroglyphics for all the reading comprehension he was suddenly incapable of. As such, he'd basically been relying on Louise to read everything for him, a task that she was oddly happy to undertake. He suspected it had something to do with the feeling of actually being needed for something, a feeling that she was most likely very unfamiliar with, considering her history of magical failures.

In any case, Adam was quick to lean over and ask Louise for a rough outline of his meal options, and quickly decided on a delicious-sounding lemon-zested baked salmon with a side of wild rice and spring greens.

After a few more minutes of waiting around, the waitress finally returned to take their orders. Funnily enough, it was only then that she seemed to realize that two of the patrons sitting at the table were nobles, at which point she began apologizing profusely for her apparent lack of manners. Adam valiantly tried to assuage her of her fears of punishment, but it wasn't until Louise gave a huff and told her to just go put in the orders that she sprinted off in relief.

For a little while afterwards, Adam simply sat and watched the people that surrounded him- the people who smiled, the people who laughed, the people who tried (and failed) to pick up the waitresses; pretty much everyone within his range of vision really.

People-watching had never exactly been a favorite hobby of his, but somehow it was a lot more appealing when the people he was watching were the denizens of an entirely different world.

The thought hit Adam like a freight train.

'That's right, I am in a different world now; they're not the aliens here, I am. I've been stuck here for almost two weeks now. My friends and family are gone, and I may never see any of them again…'

'I…'

'I wonder if my parents are doing okay…'

"Are you alright?"

Adam jolted back to awareness and saw Louise looking at him with concerned eyes, all traces of her earlier irritation having vanished completely. Suppressing his uncharacteristically morose train of thought, he offered his amber-eyed summoner a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinking about home."

"O-oh…" Louise responded, clearly still worried. "Would you like to… talk about it?"

"…Yeah, I suppose I did kinda promise to do that…" Adam sighed and sat back in his chair, "Alright, what do you want to know?"

Louise looked unsure for a moment and glanced over to where Guiche sat, receiving only a slight shrug from the blond boy. "Well… everything, I suppose. We really don't know anything about you other than the fact that you were brought here to be my familiar, and that you're uncommonly skilled when it comes to fighting." she hesitantly answered after turning back.

"Everything, huh? That's awfully vague." Adam responded with a slight teasing grin, "Well I guess in that case, I should start at the beginning."

Leaning forwards, Adam placed his elbows on the table, intertwined his hands beneath his chin, and cleared his throat. If he was going to give them his life story, the least he could do was make it interesting to listen to.

'And now I'm dramatizing my own life for the benefit of magical teenagers from another world. If only Nate could see me now…'

"My birth was un-extraordinary." he began, "It was at 2:16 in the afternoon on a Thursday. If I had to guess, it was, in all likelihood, a rather boring affair in the grand scheme of things. I entered the world in the usual way, to a loving mother and father, named Linda and Robert. My mom worked as a CPA, while-"

"What's a CPA?" Guiche interrupted with a questioning look.

"It stands for 'Certified Public Accountant'. Basically, she works with other people's money. Anyway, my mom was a CPA while my dad worked in online advertising. We lived in a fairly decent sized house in the suburbs, and because my parents both had good jobs we never really wanted for anything." Adam explained before turning to preempt the question already forming on Louise's lips, "And before you ask- it's hard to explain, and isn't actually all-that important. Just know that my dad worked from home, and that he was paid well for what he did."

Louise closed her mouth and nodded, signaling for him to resume his story.

Adam nodded back in acknowledgement before continuing, "So yeah, we were pretty well-off as far as middle-class families go. I don't really remember anything too clearly from back then, but I'm certain we were happy. At least, as far as my little toddler-sized mind could tell."

Slowly, Adam lowered his gaze to the table in front of him. "I was three years old when my mother gave birth again. Another boy, named Michael."

"…I take it this caused some sort of problem?" Guiche spoke up after more than a few moments of awkward silence.

Adam shook his head and smiled nostalgically at the earth mage's assumption, "On the contrary- never in my life have I not known that I wanted something so badly until I already had it as I did on the day my mom gave me a little brother. From the word 'go', we were inseparable."

Guiche gave a surprised look at the older boy's declaration, but Louise's reaction was far more visceral in nature. She gasped and raised her hands to cover her mouth as the blood drained from her face.

"B-back in the Headmaster's office… you said…"

Adam offered the girl a quizzical look before thinking back and remembering the conversation they'd shared with Osmond and Colbert the day they met-

"…Or did you think that you'd summoned someone who'd just give up everything to be your familiar if you asked them nicely? I was in University, working towards a successful career! My parents… oh god, my parents… I'll be the second child they've lost…"

"Ah," Adam realized with a pained expression, "yeah, I suppose you already know how this turns out, huh Louise?" Adam had completely forgotten that he'd already mentioned some of his family background to his amber-eyed friend, and internally winced at the realization that he'd basically used it as ammunition against her back when she still believed that she could claim dominion over him by right of birth alone.

Adam sighed and awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck as Guiche glanced back and forth between the older boy and his summoner in confusion.

"Well anyway," Adam continued, "like I said- my brother and I were inseparable. We went everywhere and did everything together, we liked almost all the same stuff; hell, our birthdays were less than a month apart."

Adam couldn't help the smile that formed on his face as he reminisced, "I remember getting up on multiple occasions to go take care of him when he would wake up and start crying in the middle of the night. Either my mom or my dad would show up a minute or two later, only to find that I already had the situation under control. Of course, then they'd send me back to bed because I was, like, FIVE at the time and shouldn't have been up that late..."

Louise regarded the older boy with a melancholic gaze, "You really loved your brother, didn't you?"

Adam gave a solemn nod in response to the girl's question.

"I did. Still do, really."

"What… what happened to him?"

Adam said nothing and just looked at Louise, who already appeared to regret having asked the question. She was fidgeting in her seat and averting her gaze from his own, which he supposed he could understand. After all, she already knew what kind of conversation this would be.

Adam released a pent-up sigh and spoke in an even tone.

"He got sick."

"Sick?" Guiche nervously asked, beginning to take notice of Louise's discomfort himself.

"Yup. When he was about four years old, he started getting really sick more and more frequently. After a particularly bad case of… I think it was pneumonia or something… anyway, my parents decided to get some proper tests done and see if there was something more seriously wrong with him."

Adam paused. "…I remember my mom coming home in tears after talking with the doctor."

Tiredly running a hand through his hair, Adam sighed again, "The name probably won't mean much to you, but it was called 'acute myelogenous leukemia', a serious degenerative condition that affects your blood cells. It's a type of cancer with a survival rate of about 35%, and the only real treatment for it is generally considered to be just as awful to go through as the condition itself."

All was silent in the group for a moment, before the steely baritone of Derflinger broke the spell.

"Damn… Partner, that's some heavy stuff."

"Trust me, it gets heavier." Adam responded in a solemn tone. "Anyway, to make a long story short, my younger brother started undergoing the treatment and ended up spending the next five years of his life bound to a hospital bed. I visited him whenever I could, which was usually just the weekends and holidays. I remember waking up every Saturday morning and packing my bag, and then either my mom or dad would ferry me over to the hospital, where I would spend the whole day just hanging out with my brother. I'd bring him all sorts of stuff, like card games, videogames, new movies to watch, new books to read; in fact, he's the reason I'm such a huge fantasy nerd. Stories about magic and knights and adventures were always his favorite. I guess his interests kinda rubbed off on me after a while."

Adam briefly considered explaining what movies and videogames were to the two student mages, but quickly decided that the contextual knowledge wasn't all that important to his story. If his discussions with Colbert were any indication, such topics would only lead to more questions, and eventually they'd move on to other subjects entirely. Instead, Adam leaned back and stared at the ceiling of the Charming Faeries Inn, balancing on the two back legs of his chair as his companions hung on his every word.

"Slowly, that became normal for me. I'd spend the week like an average kid- going to school, doing homework, playing with friends, and then spend the weekend hanging with my brother in the hospital. For years, that was my whole life."

The two airborne legs of Adam's chair hit the floor with an audible *thunk* as he sagged noticeably in his seat.

"Until one day, when it all fell apart."

He never did like talking about this part. Who in their right mind would? Still, he had promised to tell Louise everything she wanted to know about himself. It was only fair, and he'd be lying if he said that his brother's death hadn't played a direct role in shaping him into who he was today.

"I remember it was a Tuesday and sunny," he began, completely forgetting that Louise and Guiche probably had no idea what 'Tuesday' even was, "I was thirteen years old, and I had just come home from school. I walked through the front door, and I immediately knew something was up. I could hear my mother sobbing somewhere else in the house, and my dad… I'd never seen him look so old in my life. Being the stupid and innocent little thirteen year-old I was, I asked him what was wrong and… well, he told me."

Adam almost choked. It hurt, he'd expected it to hurt, but nevertheless he had to go through with this.

"He told me 'Michael is dead', and those three words almost broke our family."

"…How?"

Adam wasn't quite sure who'd asked the question. But then again, did it really matter?

"My mother buried herself in her job. She started working longer hours, she started working weekends, she spent more and more time out of the house; anything to distract herself from the unending worst nightmare of parents everywhere. My father, on the other hand, tried to numb the pain with alcohol. He never got belligerent or physical with us, but sometimes I'd come home from school and there he'd be- sitting in his office chair, empty bottle in hand and vacantly staring at the wall. And I could always tell that he'd been like that for hours. It got so bad that, for a while, it seemed like my folks might split up at any time."

Louise looked on in horror at her friend's tale, while a noticeably paler Guiche had stopped staring at the nearby waitresses entirely.

Adam forged on.

"But me? I was different. I didn't get sad. Instead, I got angry. I was only thirteen; I had no idea what was going on. I wasn't emotionally mature enough to really understand the concept of 'Death' or its permanence. All I knew was that my brother was gone, that something had unfairly taken him from me, and it made me mad. I began lashing out at everyone- my parents, my teachers, my friends, my schoolmates, total strangers; I was hurt and confused and angry, and I took it out on everyone. I started fights at school just to vent; I blew up at the smallest things. And funnily enough, my parents were the first to give me up as a lost cause. They eventually just stopped putting forth the effort required to keep me in line, opting instead to nurse their emotional wounds on their own, and in their own way. My friends were the next to go; they, understandably, decided that they no longer wanted to be around someone as genuinely unpleasant as I was."

"That's awful…" Louise spoke up in a quiet voice.

Adam offered her a pained smile. "Yeah, I was in a really bad place for a long time. After a while, the school administrators got fed up with me and kicked me out. I ended up switching into a local private school because nobody else would take me, and that was where I quickly became the main punching bag of one 'Nathaniel Hawthorne Bell' and his Merry Band of Bullies."

Guiche raised an eyebrow, "Merry Band of Bullies?"

"Yeah. His parents were rich, even owned a friggin' vineyard, so he thought he could throw his family's weight around and do whatever he wanted to the other kids. Naturally, this attracted a few of the bigger kids who thought that latching themselves onto the rich boy and leeching off of his influence was in their best interest. I'm told that they treated pretty much everyone like crap before I got there. Of course, as the 'new kid' I was already a target, but when I started fighting back it really sealed the deal. From that day forward, it was pretty much a given that I was coming home from school covered in bruises and blood, not all of which was my own."

"I see. I suppose it is no wonder you know how to fight the way you do." Guiche commented, before motioning for Adam to continue.

That wasn't completely true, but Adam nodded anyway. He wasn't sure what his crazy awesome runes were, but there was no sense in telling the boy about them right now.

'Though, I should probably mention them to Louise at some point…'

"And so it went; no friends left, emotionally damaged, if not outright absent parents, and the unfortunate attention of a group of jocks who didn't appreciate how I refused to quietly take my beatings. For a few years, it went on and on like that. It wasn't until my second year of high-school that anything of real significance happened."

Guiche spoke up once more, "And? What happened?"

"I have absolutely no idea how, but somehow Nathan found out about Michael."

"Oh no…" Louise whispered, her hands having long since returned to covering her mouth, a solitary tear tract running down the left side of her face.

"Oh yes. He found out about Michael, and he used it against me. That guy actually mocked the fact that I had a dead brother and, well… I snapped."

"What happened, Partner? What do you mean 'you snapped'?"

"I mean I lost control and put him in a coma." Adam intoned evenly, "He almost didn't make it."

Guiche gave a huff at the older boy's words and crossed his arms. "Well, if you ask me, that ruffian got exactly what he deserved. If any of my older brothers had been in your position I'm sure they would've done just the same as you did. Filth like that 'Nathaniel' boy doesn't deserve to even walk the same earth as someone who's gone through as much as you have."

Adam just looked at Guiche for a few moments before offering the blond boy a wry grin, "Wow, congratulations Guiche. You've learned how to express 'empathy'. I'm so proud."

Guiche's eyes widened in momentary realization before narrowing into a glare aimed at the commoner boy and his now-snickering sword.

At that, Adam's grin reshaped itself into a genuine smile, "In all seriousness though, thank you Guiche. I appreciate the thought, but try to refrain from passing judgement on Nathan till you've heard the whole story."

"Why? He sounds like an irredeemable brute."

Adam couldn't help but laugh at that, "Ahaahaahahha… yeah I suppose he does, doesn't he? But sometimes good people just do bad things. Believe it or not, Nathan eventually went on to become one of my closest friends. I didn't know it at the time, but angering me to the point that I actually blacked out and beat him to Death's doormat was the best thing he could've done for me."

Louise and Guiche offered the emerald-eyed boy a confused look as Derflinger spoke up again.

"Alright Partner, you're gonna have to explain that one."

Adam settled himself back into his seat before continuing with his story. "I'm not too sure how it works here, but back where I come from, you can't almost beat someone to death without the authorities taking a vested interest in you. They almost put me in juvenile detention for what I did to Nathan. Luckily however, it got out that I had only gone crazy because Nate had given me hell for having a dead brother. Nate's father, who incidentally had no idea what his son had been doing up to that point, ended up dropping the civil charges. But only on the condition that I begin anger management counseling. That, in turn, served as something of a wake-up call for my parents, and they started attending marriage counseling as a show of 'family solidarity'. My mom started working less and less, my dad threw out all of his booze, and I…"

A warm smile crept onto Adam's face as he paused for a brief moment.

"I met Rachel Warrens."

Guiche raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, "And that is…?"

"The girl that pulled me back from the ledge." Adam answered, "Not literally, mind you. Things never got that bad." he swiftly elaborated, much to Louise's visible relief.

"I see…" the strawberry-blonde girl spoke, "What was she like?"

"She was tall, only about an inch or so shorter than I am now, and athletic with fashionably-short brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was volunteering at the clinic that I went to for my therapy, and she actually ended up recognizing me from school. We started talking to each other, and I eventually found out that she'd lost her mother to breast cancer when she was five. After that, we talked more and more, opening up to each other, even spending time together outside of school and therapy, until eventually…"

"…You fell in love, didn't you?"

Adam sighed at the young girl's words and scratched at the back of his neck, a slight blush of embarrassment coloring his face.

"Yeah. I fell in love. Rachel kept me stable, acting as something of a 'calming influence' in my life, and helped to fill the hole that Michael's death had opened up. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was absolutely one-hundred-percent smitten with her. In fact, it was actually on her recommendation that I started visiting Nathan while he slept in the hospital."

"Why in Brimir's name would she suggest you do something like that?" Guiche asked with an incredulous look.

Adam responded with a nonchalant shrug, "Mostly for closure purposes. Or, at least, that's how she explained it to me. And believe it or not, it actually did kind of help. It sort of felt like visiting my brother again, and the quiet atmosphere was always nice. At least, until he finally woke up."

"How long had he been out for?" Louise asked.

Adam silently cupped his chin for a few moments before answering, "I think it was… three months and ten days, or something like that. Anyway, he was not happy to see me, and even less happy when he found out what had happened to him, which I suppose is understandable. But seeing as he was stuck in the hospital and I was more or less free to do whatever, he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. We refused to talk to each-other at first, so I just used his hospital room as a place to do my homework out of sheer force of habit. Eventually, he decided to try and threaten me into leaving him alone. I… did not respond well to that, and we ended up wrestling in the hallway, screaming obscenities at each other until the nurses finally managed to pry us apart. But after that, things started to gradually become more… well, I won't say we were 'friendly', but we were at least civil with each other. Cordial even. Eventually, we started talking about random stuff- school, sports, trends and pop culture… and after we'd mellowed out a bit, we were surprised to find that we actually had quite a few common interests. A little while after that and he was finally released from the hospital with a pair of crutches and an otherwise clean bill of health. A few weeks after that, and he was eating lunch with me and Rachel, who were openly dating at that point. By the time we graduated, you'd never know that, at one point, we had made a concerted effort to tear each other's throats out on the floor of a hospital hallway."

"You just… forgave him? Just like that? After everything he put you through?" Guiche asked, disbelief written in his features.

"I probably wouldn't have, if not for one thing."

"And that 'thing' was?"

Adam closed his eyes and smiled, "Halfway through our senior year of high-school, his parents had another kid. Nate had officially become an older sibling, and the day after getting to meet his own little brother, he approached me and apologized for what he'd said and done with regards to mine. Sincerely. And at that moment, everything that had gone on between the two of us was acknowledged, mutually forgiven, and put behind us."

Guiche didn't respond to the older boy's explanation, but regarded him with an inscrutable look as Derflinger threw in his two cents.

"…Wow. That's a pretty crazy story, Partner."

"It's not over yet." Adam replied, lightly drumming his fingers on the table at which they sat. "After high-school comes college."

"You kept mentioning that 'college' thing before." Louise spoke up, "Is it anything like the Academy?"

"Sort-of, but not really. College, or 'University', is just a general term for optional post-secondary education, where you take more specialized classes for the career field you've chosen." Adam answered, prompting Guiche to give the older boy an incredulous look.

"Now see here; I'm willing to believe that whatever strange land you hail from allows its commoners to receive a basic education, but specialized classes? Career fields? The nobles would never allow such a thing."

Slowly, Adam and Louise turned to each other in silent conversation.

'Do you think I should tell him?' Adam questioned with his eyes.

Louise subtly shook her head, 'Probably not a good idea. It's difficult to believe the whole other worlds thing in the first place, and we don't know how he'll react.'

Adam nodded and turned back to Guiche, who was once more glancing back and forth between Louise and her familiar in confusion, "Sorry Guiche, but you'll just have to go with it for now."

Guiche stared at Adam for a few moments, as if trying to glean some of the information they were obviously hiding from him, but eventually sighed in resignation.

"Very well, have it your way. What happened after you graduated from this 'high-school'?"

"All three of us ended up enrolling in the same local university," Adam stated, continuing from where he'd left off, "Nate and I became roommates, I was still going steady with Rachel, and the strangest thing happened."

Louise leaned forwards in anticipation, "And? What was it? What happened?"

Adam grinned, "I made friends."

Guiche and Louise's faces fell into deadpan stares that they wordlessly levelled at the older boy.

Adam returned with a disgruntled pout, "Hey, that was kind-of a big deal for me back then. Keep in mind that I hadn't really had 'friends' outside of Rachel and, later, Nathan for five years at that point. Being a loner sucks, and the chance to connect with other people who didn't already know me as 'that weird angry kid' was important to me."

Louise's eyes softened as she nodded in sympathetic understanding, but Guiche maintained his deadpan for a few more moments before relenting with a clipped "fine…", causing Louise and Derflinger to release a quiet giggle and snicker respectively.

"Anyway," Adam soldiered on, "I started making friends again, and for a while everything was great. My parents were closer than they'd been in years, I had a good group of friends, not to mention an awesome girlfriend, and my grades were… well, they weren't fantastic, but they were better than they'd been in a while."

Adam paused, wondering if he should skip the next part of the story, but Derflinger took that chance away from him by interrupting his thoughts.

"I sense a 'but…' coming. What happened next?"

Adam ran his hand through his hair again and didn't immediately answer. Did he really have to get into this? He'd had almost a decade to adjust to the death of his brother, but the event that his friends semi-seriously referred to as 'The Great Betrayal' had occurred less than two years ago. It was still something of a sore-point with him.

Adam released a deep sigh, "…About two months into our sophomore year, I found out Rachel was cheating on me… had been cheating on me for a while."

Louise's jaw dropped as Derflinger gave a wry chuckle, "Damn, Partner. You just can't catch a break, can you?"

"That's… how could… why…" Louise trailed off, unable to generate a coherent train of thought, before turning to look at Guiche, who was making a great effort to avoid the gaze of his two companions for the day.

"Well, I suppose that explains why you were so harsh on Guiche when he was cheating on Montmorency and Katie…" the diminutive girl finally managed to articulate, as Guiche cleared his throat in obvious discomfort.

*Ah-hem* "Yes, well, enough about that unpleasantness. I was under the impression that we were talking about your familiar instead of me, Zer-… Vallière."

Louise levelled a glare at her classmate's slipup, then turned back to face Adam with sadness and confusion in her eyes.

"But, why? Why would she do something like that? You sounded like you were so happy together!"

Adam responded with a sad smile, "Like I said before, sometimes good people do bad things. Human nature is screwy like that."

Louise quietly digested her friend's words as he continued on with his story, "So yeah, long-story-short, I found out Rachel was cheating on me with another guy, we broke up, and I was super awkward to be around for a few months. Luckily, my friends managed to keep me afloat this time. Nathan, Carol, Yosef and Jamal, Aisha, Greg, Mitchell… they were the support group that kept me from undergoing a total relapse."

Derflinger spoke up, "And Rachel?"

"We haven't spoken to each-other since I confronted her about it. Actually, I don't believe she's spoken to any of us since then. Hell, I had to physically restrain Nathan from going after her in retaliation when he found out."

"I see."

Guiche grimaced, but looked up to meet Adam's eyes, "So… how did you get over it?"

Adam chuckled slightly at the question.

"It's actually kind-of a funny story. A couple of months after the breakup, Nate got tired of me sitting around the apartment brooding all the time and dragged me out to an off-campus party. I drank way too much, passed out, woke up the next morning in bed next to a girl I didn't know, and decided that it was time to move on with my life."

All was silent at the table for the better part of a minute, until Louise's face flushed bright scarlet, Derflinger burst out into laughter, and Guiche nodded sagely.

"THAT'S IT!? ALCOHOL AND S-S-SEX FIXED ALL OF YOUR LIFE PROBLEMS!?" Louise shouted in mortified outrage, bursting upwards from her seated position and briefly attracting the attention of the other patrons of the Charming Faeries Inn before they turned away, deciding to ignore the loud noble girl and return to their drinks and merriment.

"Come now Vallière," Guiche began, giving the girl a patronizing look, "just because you don't understand adult relationships-"

"Shove it, Gramont." Louise interrupted with a hateful glare.

Adam pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Honestly, that girl had the absolute shortest fuse of anyone he'd ever met. Aside from himself when he was younger, of course. "Calm down, Louise. No, alcohol and sex did not fix my life problems. It was more of a… 'moment of clarity' that I experienced in the wake of alcohol and sex. When I woke up that morning, everything that had happened with Rachel and me just seemed so… insignificant for some reason. After the breakup, I had slowly been slipping back into my old habits of lashing out at other people, and while my friends may have understood and accepted the reasons behind my behavior, they certainly weren't just going to stand there and take it. They did their best to keep me positive, and since Nathan had already seen all of that crap play out with me once already, he ended up trying to essentially force me to cheer up. I guess it just wasn't until the morning after that party that their message finally sunk in."

"So it wasn't the alcohol and s-sex then?"

'Oh my god, she's so innocent. That's hilarious.' Adam thought to himself, taking note of Louise's repeated stuttering over the word 'sex'. "Nope, I just decided that I was tired of being miserable. So I stopped."

Louise's blush abated somewhat as she lowered herself back into her chair, but she continued to shoot scathing glances in Guiche's direction as the sword at Adam's side finally managed to reign in its laughter.

"Hahahahahehehehhh… oh man, you're shaping up to be a very interesting guy, Partner."

'…Am I supposed to take that as a compliment or…?'

"Thanks… I guess? So anyway, this story has gone on long enough so I'll skip to the end- fast forward about a year to one fateful morning when I accidentally fell through a strange green portal, and woke up in a crater in front of a certain someone…" Adam trailed off, sending a grin in Louise's direction and eliciting a smile in return, "…and, well… you know the rest."

Louise's smile gradually fell from her face as she gazed at Adam with concerned eyes.

"Do you… hate her?"

"Who, Rachel?"

Louise gave a small nod.

Adam thought for a few moments before answering, "Nah, I don't hate Rachel. Sure, things between us could've ended a lot better than they did; but what she did to me doesn't negate or take away from what she did for me. She accepted me for who I was and helped me become a better person. She took a bitter, maladjusted, and emotionally volatile kid and made him happy, if only for a little while. I wasn't kidding when I said that she pulled me back from the metaphorical ledge, and I'll always be grateful to her for that."

The group fell into a comfortable silence as Adam returned to his people-watching, while Louise and Guiche took their time thinking over the older boy's story.

Once more, Adam leaned back in his chair.

'How much longer is the food going to take?'

-)|(-

As the afternoon sun slowly crept ever closer to the distant horizon, Adam, Louise, and Guiche silently trudged onward through the waves of late-afternoon marketgoers, doggedly making their way through the still considerably crowded streets of Tristania towards the carriage depot at the edge of town where they could get a ride back to the Academy. All things considered, Louise could only think of the day (entertaining and enlightening as it was) as a total success. She'd gotten the chance to stroll around town and browse the many stalls of the Tristania Marketplace, just like she used to do with her older sisters before Cattleya fell ill and Eleanore became so high-strung; Adam had procured a sword that he was happy with (and for a far lower price than she'd expected to pay when they'd left the Academy that morning), and perhaps most importantly, she finally had a good idea of just who her summoned guardian really was as a person. She'd accomplished everything she'd set out to do that day, and more.

That fact should've made her happy, but instead she just felt… well, she actually wasn't really sure how she felt. 'Guilty' might've been close, but that wasn't quite it.

Glancing over at her friend, Louise watched him as he casually weaved back and forth between the locals, ears covered by his (reluctantly) returned head-phone thingies, and sporting a small smile as he lightly bobbed his head to music no-one else could hear. She was happy that Adam had decided to trust her with his past, Guiche's presence notwithstanding, and she'd decided to return the favor and share her own with him as they ate. She told him about her sisters Cattleya and Eleanore, about how she used to play with the princess when they were younger, and about how she used to be engaged. She told him about her mother and her 'Rule of Steel'. She even told him about how she used to hide from the servants when her mother or Eleanore would scold her for messing up another spell.

Louise was immensely thankful that they'd grown as close as they had in the short amount of time they'd been together; Adam really was starting to feel like the protective and supportive older brother she'd never had. But when she thought about what he'd told her, about everything he'd been through and overcome, about how he'd finally managed to achieve some measure of stability in his life… it just made the knowledge that she'd ripped all of that away from him cut that much deeper. She'd summoned him far away from his home and family to a world that was clearly nothing like his own, and Louise just couldn't help but worry- did he, on some level, resent her for it?

She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

'Back when we first met, he said that he didn't hold it against me because I hadn't planned on summoning him any more than he'd planned on being summoned. Does he still feel that way? Was he expecting to have already found a way home by now?'

Louise's gut feeling was that he wouldn't hate her, but still…

'I suppose I could just ask him… but would he even tell me the truth?'

She honestly couldn't say with any certainty whether he would or not. He'd already gone to great lengths in his attempts to boost her abysmal self-esteem. Would he do something like that if he were harboring some sort of bitterness towards her over his detainment in her world? She didn't think he would, but she had to admit that, were she in his position, she wouldn't be nearly as calm and accepting of the situation as her friend seemed to be. She knew that he was still searching for a way home, but considering the fact that he couldn't read any of the literature that the Academy had on the summoning ritual, it would certainly take longer than he'd initially hoped.

A small, traitorous part of Louise's mind whispered,'…Do you even want him to find a way home?'

Louise mercilessly crushed that train of thought as quickly as it had arisen in her mind. She couldn't deny that her life had drastically improved ever since she'd summoned Adam. Ever since he'd had his duel with Guiche, her classmates had stopped picking on her almost entirely. Now that she had a friend who was outspoken in his support of her, a partner and a guardian that she could proudly claim as her own, she didn't have to worry about people laughing at her as she walked through the hallway. She didn't have to worry about her classmates' jeers when she accidentally blew up another classroom. She didn't have to worry about never having a partner to work with when the professors had them practice new spells.

She didn't have to worry about being so godsdamned alone anymore.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, the ugly truth was that she didn't want Adam to leave. She didn't want him to find a way back home to his family and his friends and his life. She didn't want him to go and leave her all alone at the Academy again.

And that thought disgusted her.

Unseen by her companions, Louise's face twisted into a pained grimace. 'NO! I could never be so selfish! He has his life, and I have mine! It wouldn't be fair to force him to stay just because I screw everything up. I just have to stay positive! Everything is going to be okay! Everything will turn out alri-'

"DAAAAAARRRRRRLLLLLIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!"

Louise's internal monologue was abruptly cut short as a large red blur burst out of the remnants of the crowd that had previously surrounded them and launched itself at her summoned companion, wrapping its arms around his head and shoving his face in between it's breasts.

"It's so good to see you again Darling!"

'OH, SON OF A PROTESTANT WHORE!'

Louise had to grind her teeth together to prevent herself from vocalizing her less-than-refined response to the sight of that abominable Zerbst woman draping herself all over Adam like some kind of common floozy, her blue-haired friend arriving a few moments later with a large cloth-bound object held in her arms.

'Why!? Why is she here!? And what in the Founder's name is she doing to my familiar!?'

"Kirch… an't… eathe…!" Adam managed to choke out as the amorous Germanian's assets rapidly cut off his supply of precious oxygen. Kirche glanced towards her 'darling', noticed his face rapidly turning blue from lack of air, and promptly released him.

*GASP**huff**huff**huff**huff* Adam leaned over with his hands on his knees and gulped in lungful after lungful of air, "Sweet JESUS, girl... those things are lethal..."

"Eh heh heh... sorry about that!"

Slowly his breathing normalized, and with one final huff he stood up straight as he paused his music and slipped his headphones down around his neck.

"Kirche, Tabitha." He greeted the duo, "I'd comment on the odds of us running into each other like this, but I get the feeling it wasn't exactly a coincidence..."

"That's right, Darling!" Kirche answered, ignoring her fellow classmates entirely and addressing Adam with a smile. "I'd heard you were in need of a weapon, and I knew that Vallière would never purchase something sufficient for someone of your caliber. So, I decided to buy you the best weapon I could find myself!"

"You mean you spied on us, you harlot!" Louise seethed at the redhead, fists balled at her sides and hackles raised. "Well for your information, I already bought Adam a sword; the sword that he picked out for himself!"

Kirche tsk tsk'd at the young blonde and condescendingly glanced at the blade strapped to Adam's back, "Yes, and look what kind of blade he settled for. He's obviously too humble to ask for a weapon worthy of his skills, so he chose an old rusted piece of scrap that even you wouldn't deny him! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if-"

"OI, who the hell do ya think you're talkin' about!? You think that just because you've got big tits that you can start talkin' shit about an honest, hard-working blade like the mighty Derflinger, you big- GGMPFFF!"

Kirche stared dumbstruck at the foul-mouthed armament that Adam had just forcibly shoved back into its scabbard, her jaw hanging loosely as Louise silently revised her opinion of the sapient blade, now looking upon it in a far more positive light than before. Tabitha, composed as always, merely raised an eyebrow at the sword's outburst.

"It talks?"

Adam sighed and awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck, "Yeah, he talks. And on that note, I suppose this calls for introductions. Kirche, Tabitha, meet the newest addition to the group- Derflinger."

Tabitha gave a silent nod in the blade's direction, while Kirche valiantly attempted to get back on topic with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Okay, so maybe your sword is a little more interesting than I expected; it still can't compare to this."

With a flourish, Kirche took the object nestled in Tabitha's arms and removed the cloth wrapped around her gift, revealing the same golden sword that André had tried to sell them before, and nearly causing Louise to descend into a fit of apoplectic rage.

'How DARE she!? She's just trying to show me up by getting him the most expensive thing she can! She's trying to BRIBE Adam into liking her!'

Louise took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. 'No, Adam isn't nearly shallow enough for that to work. He said so himself- he would only carry that sword into battle if he were trying to get himself killed. He'll refuse the gift, and then I can rub Zerbst's smug face in it!'

The buxom redhead offered the older boy a beatific smile, "Well, Darling? What do you think?"

Adam gazed at the sword swaddled in her arms for a few moments before answering.

"As flagrant an attempt to get into my good graces, and by extension my pants, as this is... I do appreciate the thought." Adam responded, reaching out and taking the blade with a smile. "Thank you, Kirche."

'Just as I thought, there's no way he would- WAIT, WHAT!?'

"WHAT!? B-but I already bought you the sword you wanted!"

Kirche turned to her shocked schoolmate with a superior grin, "Sorry Vallière, but it looks like you're wrong about that; I'm the one who bought him the sword he really wanted."

"Actually, Kirche," Adam interrupted, "you're the one who's wrong."

"Huh?"

Adam turned to face his young companion staring at him with hurt and confused eyes.

"Yes Louise, you did purchase the sword I picked out, and I'm very grateful for that. However, Kirche has also decided to purchase a sword of her own free will, motivations aside, with the intention of giving it to me as a gift. Therefore, I will graciously accept it, as a gift."

Louise angrily stomped her foot into the cobblestone in response to the boy's words.

"No! I will never accept a gift from the Zerbst!"

Adam gave his young companion a slight scowl, "Then I suppose it's a good thing you're not the one receiving it, now isn't it?"

Kirche gave a haughty laugh and offered Louise a sly grin, "Now now, Vallière. Why don't we just let him choose which sword he likes best- the rusted scrap metal you bought him ("Oi!"), or the wonderful, masterfully crafted Germanian blade that I bought him."

"Fine!" Louise shouted, turning from the redhead to face the emerald-eyed boy at her side. "Tell us, Adam. Which sword do you like better- the useless wall ornament Zerbst bought you, or the incredibly rare ancient talking sword that I bought you?"

Adam frowned at the young Vallière girl. "You don't honestly expect me to answer that, do you?"

"Don't worry, Darling. Just tell us what you really think."

"Uhh, how about 'no'?" Adam turned his irritated gaze onto the Germanian girl, "I'm not 'choosing' which sword I like best. You're both being childish and petty."

Louise winced, as if his words were a physical blow. On one hand, she knew that Adam was right; she was being petty. After all, Adam had already all-but-admitted that he preferred Derflinger to the wall-ornament-at-best, liability-at-worst 'gift' that Zerbst had purchased. But on the other hand, she would rather die than let Kirche have her way!

Well, maybe not die. Not when her life was finally turning around. Still, a Vallière never gave up without a fight!

"But Adam, you said that sword was a terrible weapon!"

"Hey!" Kirche indignantly spoke up, "I'll have you know that this sword was made by-!"

"I did say it was a terrible weapon." Adam cut the redhead off, causing her to turn to him with a hurt look. "And it is a terrible weapon. However, I also said it was a fantastic set-piece."

That brought Louise up short. True, he had made such a comment about the blade, but she was having difficulty understanding why that would be relevant. Did he think that her room was too plain or something?

"So? For what reason could you possibly need something like a 'set-piece'?"

Adam pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, "Louise, think about it for a second- you are the daughter of a Duke. Your parents are very high up in the Tristainian sociopolitical spectrum. Therefore, it stands to reason that you're eventually going to have to attend some very formal events. If I haven't made it home by then, then as your summoned guardian I'm probably going to have to act as your escort to such things. Don't you think a sword like this would come in handy during times like that?"

"But… couldn't you just use Derflinger for that?"

Adam snorted, "Normally I would, but let's be real- Derflinger's not much to look at."

Derflinger rose from his scabbard in outrage. "What the hell, Partner!?"

"Shut up Derf, you know it's true. As cool as you are, you don't exactly turn heads. Not with your looks at least."

The sapient blade mumbled something unintelligible (and vaguely unflattering) as it begrudgingly sank back into its sheath, and Adam returned his attention to his young summoner.

"I realize that there's no love lost between you and Kirche, Louise; believe me, I get that. But look at it from a 'cost vs. benefit' perspective- there are clear benefits to accepting Kirche's gift, and the only real cost is the gold she herself used to pay for it. So what's the problem?"

Louise's mouth opened as if to refute the older boy's arguments, but seconds passed and still no rebuttal escaped her lips. Instead, she closed her mouth and offered her companion a small pout of annoyance. "…I hate it when you do that…"

Adam raised an eyebrow in response. "Do what?"

"Get all… 'logical' against me like that."

"Yeah, well get used to it. I'm a logical kinda guy." Adam answered the younger girl's half-hearted protestations with a teasing grin.

It was at that point that Guiche cleared his throat and broke his silence to interject into the conversation, jerking his thumb off to the side in order to point out the rapidly setting sun in the distance.

"Well if that's settled, then perhaps we can get a move on now? I don't know about you four, but I would prefer to arrive back at the Academy sometime before nightfall…"

-)|(-

"Let go of my familiar, Zerbst!"

"Buzz off Vallière. The adults are busy."

"I said to let him go, you tramp!"

"A tramp am I? Well I'd rather be a tramp than an unappealing Zero like you!"

Through sheer force of will alone, Adam just barely managed to hold in the sigh of long-time suffering that cried for sweet release as Louise and Kirche loudly argued with each other, pulling him back and forth in their determined attempts to both hog his attention and stonewall the other's efforts to do the same. For over an hour, the two girls had done nothing but bicker with each other over the smallest things. First, Louise had complained about the fact that Kirche and Tabitha had deigned to join them in the carriage at all, considering the fact that Sylphid (who now flew along with the carriage in the air above them) was still perfectly capable of ferrying them back to the Academy. Then she'd complained about how Kirche had chosen to sit down next to him, claiming that she was just using it as an opportunity to seduce him. To this, the redhead (unhelpfully) responded by wrapping herself around his right arm and sticking her tongue out at an increasingly furious Louise. In an attempt to prevent all-out war from breaking out inside the cramped carriage, Adam had quickly, and politely, asked Kirche to keep her hands to herself. However, while this seemed to mollify Louise somewhat, it also resulted in Kirche becoming more and more creative in her attempts to get at the older boy. She'd tried everything from engaging in footsies, to resting her head on his shoulder, to playing with the neckline of her top, and with each new attempt Louise would grow more and more incensed until, finally, the situation had devolved into the two of them tugging back and forth on his arms and screaming at each other as Guiche handled the carriage and Tabitha gazed on in awkward silence.

Adam was no fool; he was well aware of the fact that their argument had nothing to do with him specifically. Despite all her assurances to the contrary, he knew that Kirche didn't really love him. After all, her attempt to seduce him in her room had literally only been the second time they'd spoken to each other. However, Kirche was clearly the kind of girl that wasn't used to being told 'no', and he could only assume that his refusal of her advances the previous night had caused her to see him as some sort of challenge to be overcome. The fact that it provided her with an opportunity to keep up the family tradition of stealing away Vallière 'property' was just a bonus. Louise, on the other hand, was simply doing everything within her power to prevent Kirche from succeeding in her endeavors.

"LET GO!"

"NO, YOU LET GO!"

"NO, YOU!"

"YOU!"

"YOU!"

"YOU!"

'Alright, fuck this.'

"HOW ABOUT BOTH OF YOU LET GO BEFORE YOU RIP MY DAMN ARMS CLEAN OUT OF THEIR SOCKETS!?" the emerald-eyed boy angrily shouted, tearing his mistreated limbs from the unrelenting grips of the contentious schoolgirls. "I swear to God, if you keep arguing like this I'll kick you out of the damn carriage myself, and the two of you can walk back to the Academy!"

Adam's outburst was met with a chorus of shocked faces, but the desired effect had been achieved. Both Kirche and Louise placed their hands in their laps and looked down in embarrassment at their behavior. After a few moments of silence, both let out a quiet "sorry…", which caused Adam to tiredly run a hand through his hair.

"Apology accepted. But from now on, can you two at least try to keep the arguing to a minimum?"

"It's all her fault…"

Adam turned to his young summoner with a small frown, "No, it's both your faults. You shouldn't let the behavior of others influence your own actions, Louise. Remember what I said about 'feeding the trolls'?"

"And you, Kirche." Adam continued, tuning to his other side to address the resident Germanian girl, "YOU need to quit poking the lion. Louise has enough to deal with without you verbally harassing her, and next time I may not be here to pull you two apart."

Kirche scoffed at the older boy's admonishment. "Oh please, Vallière's harmless. If she could use some real magic then maybe things would be different, but as it is she's more of a danger to herself than anything."

Adam offered the redheaded girl a look somewhere between 'amused' and 'bewildered'. "…You do realize that she can blow things up with nothing but a word and a gesture, right?"

Kirche waved her hand dismissively in response, "That may be true, but she's got no control over it. She couldn't take out a dot mage like Guiche, much less a triangle mage like me."

Louise ground her teeth together and shook with rage at the busty redhead, but Adam merely raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Triangle mage? Aren't you, like, seventeen or something? I didn't think it was possible for someone that young to reach that level of ability."

"Oh yes, it's quite possible, and more common than you think." Kirche responded, fluttering her eyelashes at the older boy. "Not only am I a triangle mage, I'm not even the only triangle mage in this carriage!"

'Holy crap, is she serious? Damn, these are some powerful kids…' Adam thought to himself as he took stock of his fellow passengers. He knew Louise wasn't a triangle mage, and Kirche had just outed Guiche as dot level. By process of elimination, that left only Tabitha. Adam turned his head to face the diminutive bluenette that sat across from him.

"So Tabitha's a triangle mage too then?"

"Yep!" Kirche cheerily answered, beaming at Adam as she puffed out her chest with pride. "Just as I am a triangle mage that specializes in fire, Tabitha is a triangle mage that specializes in ice!"

'HA! FUCKING CALLED IT!'

"Ice huh?" Adam inquired, unable to fully conceal the amusement he felt, "So how does that work?"

Kirche responded with a confused look. "What do you mean 'how does it work'?"

"I mean, is ice just a sub-element of water as a whole? Or is it a combination of different elements, like water and fire?"

Instead of answering his question, the other inhabitants of the carriage (including Guiche, who really should've been paying attention to the road) all turned to stare at Adam as if he'd not only sprouted a second head, but proceeded to sing show-tunes with it as well.

"What? What'd I say?"

"Well… ice is a combination of different elements…" Louise finally answered the young man after a few more moments of awkward silence. "But it's a combination of water and wind. What in the world made you think that adding water and fire together would create ice?"

"Uhh… basic thermodynamics?"

"Thermowhatsit?" Kirche eloquently asked for clarification.

Adam just shrugged in his seat, "I just figured you'd start out with a standard water spell, and then use some sort of fire-based enchantment to alter the currents of thermal conduction in order to leech the heat from the spell until it hits thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit and solidifies into ice."

Again, the emerald-eyed boy's words were met with complete silence. He could practically hear the crickets chirping in the background.

Eventually, Kirche turned to address the other passengers, "Alright, hands-up if you understood even a word of what he just said."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, no-one raised their hands in answer to the redhead's call. No-one except…

"Tabitha?" Kirche looked at her friend's half-raised hand with eyes widened in surprise. "You actually understood that?"

The bluenette simply nodded as she slowly lowered her hand back into her lap before turning to regard Adam with a slightly intrigued expression.

"Not really complicated. Instead of adding cold, you just subtract heat. Different method, same result. Rather clever actually."

"Well, not exactly…" Adam corrected the girl, causing her brows to furrow in puzzlement. "In a thermal system, there's no such thing as 'cold', only 'absence of heat'. There's a finite amount of energy in the universe, so it's impossible to add the concept of 'cold' to anything. You can only shift the thermal energy that already exists within an object to something else. At least, I'm pretty sure that's how that works…" Adam amended, scratching at the back of his neck, "After all, I was in Chemistry, not Physics..."

Abruptly, Adam cupped his chin and looked down in deep contemplation. "But then again, do the laws of physics even matter when magic is brought into the equation? I suppose it's possible that you'd be able to circumvent them with a sufficiently powerful spell... but now that I think about it, would that even matter? Maybe magic itself could be considered a method of altering reality to suit the user's desires, regardless of any natural laws that may already be in place..."

Adam trailed off, muttering to himself under his breath, and this time Tabitha's was included in the group of blank faces that stared back at him.

"You lost me."

The girl's words broke through the boy's brief reverie, and he snapped up to attention.

"Hm? What?"

"I said you lost me."

"Oh, it's really not all that hard to understand." Adam continued as he tried to reassure the petite girl, "First you just need to have a basic grasp of the Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy, which states that-" the young man enthusiastically began to explain, only to be interrupted by the steely baritone of Derflinger as the sapient blade eased itself out of the scabbard strapped to his back.

"Whoa there Bill Nye, you might wanna ease up on the science lecture. These kids aren't nearly ready for that kind of advanced stuff."

Adam could only sigh in disappointment at the blade's observation. "Yeah, you're probably right. I was just trying to-"

'Wait a minute, WHAT did he just call me!?'

"Hold up a sec… Derf, how the hell do you even know who tha-*WHUMP*

He cut off as a large tremor hit the carriage and violently jostled its inhabitants, sending Adam himself careening to the floor and Louise sprawling on top of him with a cry of surprise.

*WHUMP*

Adam quickly sat up and rubbed the spot where his head hit the carriage's wooden floorboards with a pained wince, "What the hell is that?"

*WHUMP*

Louise looked up to face her partner with a fearful look in her eyes. "I don't know!"

*WHUMP*

"Maybe it's an earthquake! Is there a fault-line anywhere near here!?" Adam shouted as the carriage slammed to a stop, the horses that had been pulling it moments ago struck with fear and braying in terror at the mysterious tremors.

*WHUMP*

"What in Brimir's name is a fault-line!?" Guiche queried with a panicked shout as he yanked back on the reins, valiantly trying, and failing, to reassert control over the panicking steeds.

*WHUMP*

'Oh God, are we about to get Jurassic Park'd?'

Removing Louise from where she'd landed in his lap, Adam swiftly vaulted past Kirche's frozen form and over the side of the carriage, landing crouched in the dirt on the side of the road and drawing Derflinger all in one fluid motion. With the added benefit of the spatial awareness and mental clarity that accompanied his runes' effects, he quickly scanned the surrounding countryside, trying to prepare himself as best as he could for any sort of attack that could be headed their way.

*WHUMP*

*WHUMP*

Slowly, IT came into view, and Adam's jaw dropped upon sighting it. It was a giant of earth and stone (easily twice as large as Guiche's Mega-Valkyrie) silhouetted against the setting sun, stomping its way through the forest a half-mile away and heading in the opposite direction as their current destination. The chorus of shocked gasps behind him revealed that his travelling companions had finally noticed the behemoth as well, and that it most certainly was not a common or natural occurrence.

*WHUMP*

*WHUMP*

*WHUMP*

The colossus gradually receded into the distance, the tremors that accompanied it's gargantuan footsteps fading with it until silence reigned once more.

'Fuck... I've got a baaaad feeling about this...' Adam thought to himself as the adrenaline slowly wore off and he leaned up against the side of the carriage for support, a sinking feeling settling into his gut like a stone.

AN: Wow, over 70,000 words and we're only just now getting around to Fouquet. Guys, I think we can officially say that we're in this for the long haul. Anyway, hey everyone! How's it going? It's been a little while since this updated, but I suppose that can't be helped, what with the school semester in full swing and everything. (I've also been playing an excessive amount of Dark Souls and Undertale recently, but shhhhhhh… don't worry about that)

So not only does this chapter finally introduce Derflinger to the story (I have such plans for him…), it also gives us Adam's background and shows him interacting with various members of the cast a little more. It's kind of funny, because Adam didn't actually exist when I first sat down to start writing this story. Starting From Zero was originally supposed to be a crossover, with Louise summoning High School DxD's Kiba Yuuto as Gandálfr. Unfortunately, I realized that if I did that then there's no way it wouldn't end up as a harem story, which wasn't something I wanted to write (it still isn't, just so you know). So, I scrapped that idea and decided to make up my own character. I tried to make him seem as human as I could instead of just a plot device with a cool sword, but the jury's still out on whether or not it worked.

So yeah, I figure that this chapter will either make or break Adam as a character for most of you, so I'm curious as to what you think of him. Love him? Hate him? Couldn't care less about him? Let me know! Or don't. It's up to you really.

Anyway, you know the drill- if you have any criticism (constructive or otherwise), you know where to leave it.

And as always, thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: I own neither Zero no Tsukaima (aka Familiar of Zero) nor any of its associated characters and settings.