Author's note: To make up for the incredibly long wait, here's the longest chapter I've churned out in a while! Hopefully this time the next chapter won't take another year to update.

… I'm just jinxing myself now, aren't I?

Formatting:

"Example" - Regular dialogue. Understandable to both speaking parties.

'Example' - Thinking. Also the way Personae talk to Minato.

« Example » - Dialogue that the speaker understands but not necessarily the recipient. (French)

「Example」 - Dialogue that the speaker understands but not necessarily the recipient. (Japanese)

Important: I'm also kinda under the assumption that everyone can see the different speech marks (ie. the Guillemets and the CJK bracket-quotes). Let me know if they don't show up. Thanks~

It was fortunate for Minato in that he did not need to get very far to find someone who could help him with his task. He had set off along the corridor that the girl's room had connected to; arms loaded with clothes and having absolutely no idea where to even begin when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Excuse me… would you like some help with that?"

Behind Minato was a gentle-looking maid watching him in slight concern. He smiled disarmingly at her as he nodded in gratitude.

"Thank you. Would you happen to know where I could wash these? I need to have these cleaned by tomorrow."

"In that case, please follow me this way." As she turned to start walking, she paused as a sudden thought came to her. "Are you perhaps the one who became Miss Vallière's familiar…?"

Slightly puzzled at the question, Minato gave another nod in reply. "What gave it away?"

The maid indicated to the pile of clothing in his arms and giggled. He peered down to see that the camisole was peeking out of the pile.

Oh.

"Nobles never do their own laundry, especially with servants or commoners around," continued the maid with a shy smile. "You also look older than most of the students here, and I haven't seen you in the servants' quarters before. Is it true that you were summoned from somewhere far away? I have never seen such strange clothing…"

Minato gave himself a proper once-over for the first time since entering the world of the living.

The doctor from earlier had handed him a simple white t-shirt with black sleeves and a gray double-breasted jacket that closely resembled his old winter coat. It had the additional benefit of inner pockets, allowing him to use one of them as a concealed holster for his Evoker. Completing the ensemble was a pair of black jeans and some sneakers.

He was mildly pleased to discover that his 'death' did nothing to deter him from growing an additional inch or two. He also noted that his hair had grown longer, giving him a slightly more effeminate appearance.

"Um… Sir? Are you alright?"

Deciding that he had spaced out long enough, he answered, "Ah… yes. And to answer your other question, I came from a very distant place." Remembering the maid's choice in words regarding his social status, he gave a small frown before asking, "By the way, I noticed that you mentioned 'commoners' as well. What is the difference between a 'noble' and a 'commoner' here? Is it just a matter of riches, or something else?"

The maid stared at him oddly, "Oh? I thought that this was known throughout the countries… Nobles are called as such because they are able to use magic. Generally, thanks to this talent most noble families are naturally well off. Commoners like us can't use magic at all and because of that, we're usually looked down by the nobles." She paused, before finally remembering what she was supposed to be doing, "Oh! I forgot that I was supposed to show you where to do the laundry! Please follow me."

Within his mind, Forneus gave a small snort in disbelief as Minato quietly followed the maid.

'That was the reason why our new Mistress treats us so poorly? Because she presumes that we cannot use magic?'

'Well… to be fair, she's half-right,' pointed out Minato, 'I'd still need to summon you or the others if I wanted to use spells, and it's not as if the people here are ever going to need to shoot themselves in the head to do the same thing.'

'That may be so, but the Mistress is truly a naïve one if she merely judges others by appearance. Even a child such as she should have known that no ordinary humans can be summoned through magical means. The sheer amount of arrogance and foolishness I see in human nobility frightens even me sometimes…'

(Scene Break!)

…?

Minato found that he was no longer resting on a hard stone floor. From the soothing song in the distance and the encompassing blue theme around him, he rightly guessed that he was yet again back in the Velvet Room. This time, however, Elizabeth was the only other resident in the room – Igor, Margaret and Theodore were nowhere to be seen.

Minato stared quizzically at Elizabeth. She raised an eyebrow in equal confusion.

"I didn't expect you to be back here so soon," she said, "Was there something else you required from the Velvet Room?"

"Er, no… To be honest, I was wondering if you knew how I managed to get here. Also, where did the rest of the residents go?"

"I'm not quite sure… Both my master and my siblings temporarily left the room for reasons of their own. However, my sister once told me that nothing happens without a reason… Perhaps this is fate." Elizabeth smiled. "Perhaps it was your subconscious desire for us to speak privately?"

He smiled back, "If that's the case, how about a chat, then? I still don't think I've thanked you enough for saving me."

"There's hardly a need for the praise," she waved off, "Your friend and your successor provided the necessary components for your revival, after all. On the day after your sacrifice, I promised myself that I was going to bring you back – no matter how long it would take. Moreover…"

Elizabeth turned away, a tinge of red evident on her pale cheeks.

"I truly am glad that you have returned, Ari-… no, Minato-san."

...?!

A shattering noise echoed in Minato's mind. The image of a wheel with an upright sword in the center appeared above him as he heard a mysterious voice gently whisper to him.

'Thou art I… And I am thou.
Thou hast established a new bond…
Thou shalt once again have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana…'

Minato relaxed the death-grip he had on the left side of his chest when he realized that the shattering noise was due to an establishment of a new social link rather than his expected heart attack. The sudden shyness of the former elevator attendant was more damaging to him than any attack she had dealt him from the one-on-one fight two years ago.

He raised an eyebrow as a sudden thought occurred to him.

"… I thought I was supposed to make social links in the other world?"

"My master specifically said that they needed to be established in another world. The Velvet Room would fit this requirement, would it not?" replied Elizabeth, her golden eyes still not quite meeting his blue ones. She cleared her throat. "W-well, now that you seem to be settling into things, would you be willing to take up some of my requests again?"

"As long as it doesn't involve us trying to kill each other again, I'd be more than happy to."

Elizabeth giggled.

"Joking aside, my first request is for you to show me a talking sword. Will you accept?"

Minato sighed. "I was being serious… But sure, I accept."

"There is no deadline, but I suggest that you do not take too long to complete it. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

As he shook his head in the negative, Minato could already feel himself being gently pulled back to reality.

"Well then, I look forward to your next visit… Minato-san."

(Scene Break!)

Minato sluggishly rose from his resting place to glare at the stray beams of accursed sunshine that woke him up. It was a beautiful morning: not a cloud could be seen in the dazzling blue sky, and he could hear the cheery calls of various songbirds greeting each other. Normally, these songs would be soothing to him, refreshing and helping him prepare for the brilliant day ahead of him.

Today was not one of those mornings.

Small factors such as his body being unused to sudden movement, his crash landing into this world, time and effort spent in fusing Personae, washing Louise's laundry and the less than hospitable accommodations had left Minato feeling incredibly tired and a bit sick as a result. To his annoyance, it also appeared that his Spirit Points were not fully restored as a side effect, and the cacophony caused by the birds only served to worsen his mood.

He half-seriously considered whether or not it would be worth the SP drain to use Evil Smile in tandem with Ghastly Wail against the feathered pests. Or at least lightly singe them with a well-placed Agi spell (or three). He began to weigh in the pros and cons with such an idea, when some of his more outspoken Personae decided to add in their own thoughts.

'I am completely on board with this plan,' said Thanatos, 'Any excuse for us to kill things is great in my book.'

'Hee ho! Sounds like fun! I especially like the bit about fire!' Pyro Jack piped up.

'I would recommend against this endeavor. It is both foolish and an utter waste of our magic,' said Orpheus.

'Not to mention that doing so would be a gross misuse of our abilities,' added Power disapprovingly.

Minato placed his palm onto his face as he groaned. 'It was a joke. I wasn't really planning to kill them.'

'Don't kid a kidder. We are aspects of your psyche, y'know,' muttered Thanatos.

With a small 'click', Forneus was equipped in his mind to quell the voices. Minato sighed in relief as peace was once again restored to his head.

'Frankly, I am surprised to see that you were thinking so deeply on this matter in the first place.'

'Hush, you.'

As he stretched to try to get rid of the kinks in his body, he wished that he had the foresight to ask the maid for some blankets to use as a makeshift futon.

Come to think of it, he never had the chance to ask for her name, nor did he even manage to properly thank her. After instructing him in the ways of washing clothes in the correct manner when he admitted that he had no idea how, the maid had excused herself to return to her duties when she was confident that he would be able to do the job.

Resolving to do so later if he saw her again, Minato then turned his attention to his master, who quietly snuffled in her sleep.

'The first order of business would be to wake the mistress up. Considering that this is an Academy, I assume that she has classes to attend to,' advised Forneus, before adding bitterly, 'Besides that, there is no doubt that she has yet even more pointless tasks to give for us today.'

Minato sighed in agreement and gently shook Louise.

"Milady… It is morning. Please wake up."

Louise mumbled unintelligibly before lazily sitting up. She stared blankly at him for a moment, before she blearily shouted at him in confusion.

"Wai… Wait, who are you?!"

"Your familiar, Minato Arisato."

"Oh… Right. I summoned you yesterday, didn't I?" She yawned. "Clothes."

Minato handed her the freshly laundered uniform, then turned around as he saw that the girl began to undress.

"Underwear."

Hastily, he complied with her request without glancing. Once it was on, she murmured,

"Dress me."

"… Excuse me?"

"I said dress me, commoner. Nobles will not dress themselves if a servant is there."

Minato's eye began to twitch in irritation.

"Don't push your luck, milady," he smiled charmingly to slightly offset the alarming amount of venom in his voice. Louise frowned.

"Right, then. For being a disrespectful familiar, I forbid you from having breakfast."

… Perhaps song birds were not the real pests in this world. Minato quietly cursed to himself for not bringing along a Persona who could silence her with a Makajam as he picked up his master's blouse.

Deep within his mind, Forneus could not help but laugh at their misfortune.

(Scene Break!)

No sooner had the two left the room did one of the three doors along the wall open, showing a gorgeously tanned girl with flaming red hair.

She was tall – much taller than Louise and only slightly shorter than Minato. Her attractive face was half-covered by her long fringe. Possibly the most distinguishing feature of this girl was her rather generous bust size, emphasized by how the top two buttons of her blouse were undone.

The girl, upon seeing Louise, smiled widely.

"Good morning, Louise."

The petite girl returned the greeting in a less enthusiastic manner.

"Good morning… Kirche."

"So… This is your familiar?" asked Kirche as she stared at Minato appraisingly. "My, he's pretty cute for a commoner... How much did you pay him to show up when you realized that you couldn't summon anything with 'Summon Servant'?"

"For your information, he really did show up when I used the spell, so shut up," snapped Louise. She turned her attention to her familiar, who had been openly staring at Kirche in surprise with his uncovered eye. "What are you gawking at, familiar?"

Minato blinked, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. Of course this wasn't Mitsuru; she was still waiting for him back in his own world. In an attempt to try and salvage first impressions, Minato gave the most charming smile he could muster as he replied.

"Forgive me… I had thought you were someone else. I am Minato Arisato, familiar of Louise. It is a pleasure to meet you." He gracefully made a sweeping bow towards her in imitation of a butler he once saw on TV.

Kirche nodded with a slight blush, before returning her attention to Louise, who was looking a bit pink as well.

"Oh, he's good. Are you sureyou didn't just pay him to be a handsome attendant to… cater to your every whim?"

Louise stared at her in disbelief, before replying.

"You can't be serious! Certainly, a Zerbst might stoop as low to… mingle with commoners, but to even suggest that someone of my standing would—"

"Your standing? A commoner is perfect for a 'Zero' like you!" Kirche interrupted with a laugh. "In any case, I summoned one too – on my first try, no less. If you're going to have a familiar, it should be a good one, like this: Flame!"

At its master's call, a large dark-red creature slithered out. Upon closer inspection it was revealed to be a lizard almost as big as a tiger, with the tip of its tail alight and its mouth letting out the occasional spark or ember. The wave of heat that hit Minato was by no means strong, but it was amplified through Forneus' natural weakness to fire. He instinctively shielded his face with his arm to protect himself. Kirche laughed at his cautious reaction.

"Ohohoho! You've never seen a fire lizard before?" she winked, before adding, "Don't worry, as long as I order it not to, it won't attack."

"That's a salamander, isn't it?" asked Louise, her voice laced with envy.

"That's right! You can tell from its tail that it's from the Fire Dragon Mountains! Collectors can't even put a price on these!" Kirche affectionately stroked the salamander's head and it crooned in response.

"Must be nice," grounded out Louise.

"Oh, it is. It even perfectly matches my Fire affinity! After all, I am Kirche the Ardent – the ardent of gently smoldering passion. Everywhere I go, I have boys falling for me… Unlike you, right?" she puffed her chest out in triumph. Fuming, Louise hotly retorted,

"I don't have the time to go and flirt with everything that moves, unlike you."

Kirche only smiled in reply. She turned to face Minato and winked at him again.

"So… Minato, was it? Once you're done serving Louise the Zero over there, feel free to drop by for a chat. I'm sure that you and I will be great friends."

...?!

A shattering noise echoed in Minato's mind. The image of eyes above a flame held by a pair of hands appeared above him as he heard a mysterious voice gently whisper to him.

'Thou art I… And I am thou.
Thou hast established a new bond…
Thou shalt once again have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana…'

He had found his third social link.

"Hey!" shouted Louise in indignation.

"Well then, time to be off. Come along, Flame!"

Stroking her long red hair back Kirche strolled away, her familiar trailing after with a shuffling movement and still crooning at her.

… It was actually quite adorable.

'Right, definitely not Mitsuru,' thought Minato, 'She would never be that bold towards others. Not to mention that she was completely weak to fire.' Forneus chuckled, before replying,

'Oh? I would have thought she was rather brazen at times… In fact, she was quite a fiery-tempered one in the hot springs at Kyoto when she exe-'

'We are never discussing the Hot Springs incident. Never.'

Minato broke out of his potentially traumatic thoughts to see that Louise was glaring at him.

"… Yes?"

"It's not fair! Why did that girl get a strong looking salamander, while I got a useless love-struck commoner for a familiar?"

"Love-str…" Minato placed a palm to his face. He seemed to be doing that quite often recently. 'Just how long did I stare at this Kirche person?'

'Long enough for even our mistress to pick up on it, it seems.'

"You're just like a stray dog in heat - the moment you saw that idiot Kirche your tail started to wag and you try to flirt with her," she stated coldly.

"I was just trying to be polite," replied Minato stiffly, "Love or attraction had nothing to do with how I had acted."

"Nothing to do with... You were generating sparkles! You expect me to believe that the stupid grin on your face as you introduced yourself to her was out of politeness? Don't make me laugh!" Louise huffed as she crossed her arms. "I still can't believe that a useless commoner like you is supposed to be an indication of my true power as a mage..."

Minato's uncovered eye began to twitch. Biting back his first few responses, he eventually settled in saying, "That Kirche person just looks a lot like someone I know back home. It's probably the hair." Shaking his head, he decided to try and move to a safer topic. "By the way, I'm beginning to already see why she calls herself 'The Ardent', but why did she call you 'The Zero'? Does it have to do with your abilities?"

Perhaps it was similar to his status as a Wild Card?

However, almost immediately, he could tell he asked the wrong question. Louise angrily stormed down the corridor.

"… You don't need to know," she snapped. "Hurry up, familiar. I'm going to be late for breakfast."

...?

For the second time that morning, a shattering noise resounded in Minato's head. The image of the lightning-struck Tower appeared above him, but began to shift until it was in an upside-down position.

'The Social Link has become reversed!

Until you reconcile, your relationship cannot move forward...'

Minato blinked. A Social Link reversal? On the second day, no less? All he did was ask a simple question!

'... Well, shit.'

Sighing, Minato had little choice but to hurry after the petite mage.

(Scene Break!)

For what she had deemed to be 'inappropriate behavior', Louise had barred Minato from the dining hall.

"To begin with, familiars and lowly commoners aren't even allowed to set foot in the Alviss Dining Hall," she said airily. "I did get permission from the teachers to let you in as a special exception, but if you're going to act like a misbehaving dog, I might as well punish you like one. If you stay here and behave like a good familiar should, I might even reward you with a treat."

With a self-satisfied smirk, Louise turned and made her way to the middle table, where the other black-cloaked students were seated.

Minato shrugged. At the very least, he could use the time wisely and make up in lost sleep. With Forneus unequipped, he casually leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

...

…

….

« … Familier. »

Someone appeared to be calling out to Minato. He could already see the possible choice of actions in his mind.

…

Keep sleeping?

»Yes
No

It was still too early in the morning and he was tired, damn it!

« Réveilles-toi, Familier. »

The voice was growing louder. And becoming angrier in tone.

…

Keep sleeping?

»Yes
No

'You're really just pushing it this time,' muttered Thanatos.

'Indeed,' Forneus rumbled. 'You really should wake up before the Mistress does something we'll regret later.'

But his eyelids felt so heavy…

« Ah, vraiment ! RÈVEILLES-TOI, IMBECILE ! »

With a start, Minato opened his eyes to see his pink haired summoner glaring at him.

「… Ah. Souda, mada koko ni iru ka…」he yawned. While he shuffled his Persona around to equip Forneus again, Louise momentarily replaced her anger with confusion.

"… Did you say something about a coconut?"

"What?"

"… Nevermind."

(Scene Break!)

Having spent several minutes in trying to wake her familiar, Louise was secretly relieved that she had barely made it to the classroom in time. Thanks to the delay, there was no time for her classmates to point and laugh at the Zero and her failure of a familiar (or at least, not out loud). Scanning the room, she found that the only available seating was at the front.

She refrained from commenting when she noticed (to her dismay) that her familiar had seated himself next to her. Ignoring him, she gave her full attention to the kindly plump-faced mage in front of the room.

"Now then, since we're all here, let's begin the class," announced the mage. "I, Chevreuse, am glad to see that the Springtime Familiar Summoning was a great success. Although…"

Louise cast her gaze downward. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see her familiar quietly sighing, almost as tired as she was of all the attention they were getting.

That, or perhaps it really was just drowsiness and he was disguising a yawn.

"My, Miss Vallière… you seem to have summoned quite a… peculiar familiar," remarked Chevreuse. The whole class erupted in laughter.

"Louise the Zero, just because you couldn't summon anything, don't pick up commoners off the street!" one chortled.

Louise bristled in fury.

"Shut up, Malicorne the 'Common Cold'! He's all that came out when I performed the summoning!"

The one named Malicorne stood up in anger. "It's Malicorne the Windward and you know it!"

"Miss Vallière, Mister Grandple! Please, control yourselves!" called out Chevreuse. The middle-aged woman drew her wand and pointed it at them. The two immediately jerked about like puppets, then stiffly sat down.

Minato observed this carefully with his uncovered eye.

"Calling friends names like 'Common Cold' and 'Zero' is unacceptable. Are we clear?"

"But Miss Chevreuse," protested Malicorne, "I might be called the 'Common Cold' as a joke, but it's true for Louise!"

The few giggles that he got from the statement were immediately silenced when their mouths were filled with clay. Chevreuse lowered her wand.

"You people will continue with the lesson in that state," she said lightly. "Now then, let's begin."

With a wave of her wand, a small pile of pebbles appeared on her desk.

"My Runic name is 'Red Clay'. Chevreuse the Red Clay. This year, I will be teaching you all in the basics of the Earth element. Mister Gramont, can you name me the four great elements of magic?" she directed her attention to a blond student, who bowed gracefully as he stood.

"Certainly, Madame Chevreuse. They are Fire, Wind, Water, and of course, most importantly, Earth."

Chevreuse beamed.

"Excellent. And combining the now-lost element of Void, we have five elements in total. I also agree with Mister Gramont's assessment that Earth is important. It has nothing to do with how my elemental affinity is Earth nor is it that I have a personal preference for it."

She coughed heavily.

"Earth is important in that it governs the creation of all matter. We use it to produce and process metals that are used in our daily lives. With no Earth magic, we wouldn't be able to raise buildings out of boulders or harvest crops without putting in more time and effort. Therefore, Earth is intimately tied into everyone's life."

Minato pondered over the explanation with his Persona.

'The magic in this world is different as well as how they make it work. I suppose my ice magic is close enough to water… But lightning is the farthest you can get from earth. I suppose there are physical skills, but that's not the same, is it?'

'They also seem to lack classifications for support, almighty, light and dark skills,' added Forneus. 'As « Vide » can mean 'emptiness' or 'lack' of something, it is safe to guess that it equates roughly to our almighty or dark skills.'

They watched the mage whisper a spell as she twirled her wand over the pebbles. The pebbles shone brightly, before dimming slightly to reveal that they had turned into a single sparkling lump of yellow metal.

"Madame Chevreuse! I-is that… gold?" Kirche asked eagerly.

"It's only plain brass, I'm afraid. Only Square-class mages are able to transmute to gold. I'm only…" Chevreuse gave another cough. "A Triangle mage…"

Minato quietly tapped Louise on the shoulder.

"What?" the pink-haired girl hissed sharply. "If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a lesson here!"

"What does she mean by squares and triangles?"

"They correspond to the number of elements that can add to a spell. They also determine the rank of a mage. For example, a dot mage would only be able to use one element for a spell; a line mage can use two, and so on."

"So a triangle mage would mean that Madame Chevreuse can use three elements to a spell… What are the elements she used for the transmutation?"

"That would be Earth-Earth-Fire."

"Would I be right in assuming that stacking two of one element would reinforce it?"

"I suppose… I'm honestly impressed that you're managing to keep up with this, familiar," Louise grudgingly admitted.

"I'm pretty good with theory. That, and there's a couple of similarities in the magic system of this world to what I can use," Minato shrugged. In this world's terms, a single Agilao skill would be the same as chaining two fire-elemental Agi skills together. It certainly did explain why the SP usage was doubled.

"I see," she nodded sagely. She froze mid-nod when she fully processed what her familiar just said. "Wait, WHAT?!"

"Miss Vallière!" coughed Chevreuse. She indicated to a different pile of pebbles. "Perhaps if you have the time to chatter, you could demonstrate for me your transmutation."

"Eh? M-me?"

"Yes. Feel free to change these pebbles into whatever metal you wish."

Louise stayed rooted to the chair, fidgeting and occasionally darting her eyes to Minato in panic.

"Um… Madame Chevreuse?" said Kirche nervously. "I think it would be better if you didn't let her…"

"And why is that, Miss von Zerbst?" asked Chevreuse.

"It's dangerous," Kirche replied plainly. Many of her fellow classmates nodded.

"Is… Is it the first time that you're teaching Louise, Madame?" the blond boy asked fearfully.

"Well, yes… but I heard that Miss Vallière is a hard worker. Don't worry," smiled Chevreuse. "You won't be able to accomplish anything if you dread making mistakes."

Louise smiled back.

"I'll do it."

Minato felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine as he watched his summoner walk towards the center of the classroom. Each step she took filled him with a greater sense of dread.

"Minato."

Minato turned to where he heard the whisper to see Kirche motioning for him to take cover behind the desk, with most of her fellow classmates trying to retreat to the back of the room as quickly and subtly as possible. Judging from the glare piercing his back, however, Minato knew that there would be dire consequences to face if he listened to Louise's rival.

He decided to compromise and braced himself for the impact, equipping Thanatos for the endurance and magical resistance.

Out of the corner of his uncovered eye, he could see the tanned redhead staring at him with a mixture of pity and admiration.

« Mlle. Vallière, vous devez visualiser fortement dans votre esprit le métal en lequel vous désirez les transmuter, » said Chevreuse.

With a cute little nod, Louise raised her wand and began to chant. She pointed the wand at the pebbles.

The pebbles promptly exploded.

The sheer force of the explosion caused the room to shake wildly, causing some of the familiars to run amok. A manticore had managed to smash through one of the stone walls of the building to escape, with many of the less exotic-looking familiars following through the large hole that was created. Flame, Kirche's familiar, had stirred from his nap and began to breathe fire around his surroundings.

Had Minato been more aware of things, he would have been pleased to note that the salamander had succeeded (albeit accidentally) in setting some of the songbirds from the morning ablaze.

Fortunately, the number of casualties was minor, as the small-scale explosion had only mainly affected the front of the room.

Unfortunately, said casualties included Minato, Louise and Chevreuse.

From the occasional twitches from the plump witch, the latter was probably still alive.

Deeming the area to be safe once again, Kirche slowly approached the front of the classroom and patted Minato on the shoulder in sympathy. Forneus was placed at the forefront of his mind with a 'click'.

"This is why you never let Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière use magic. Ever. Her success at casting spells is at zero percent, hence the name."

Minato stared dumbly at Louise, who began to calmly dab at her soot-covered face.

"I guessed I messed up juuust a little," she said cutely.

The French and Japanese translations:

« … Familier. » - Familiar.

« Réveilles-toi, Familier. » - Wake up, Familiar.

« Ah, vraiment ! RÈVEILLES-TOI, IMBECILE ! » - Really, now! WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!

「… Ah. Souda, mada koko ni iru ka…」- Oh. Right, I'm still stuck here, aren't I?

(… I apologize for the terrible pun.)

« Mlle. Vallière, vous devez visualiser fortement dans votre esprit le métal en lequel vous désirez les transmuter. » - Miss Vallière, you have to strongly visualize the metal that you wish to transmute them into.

For those still reading these little notes, I have two questions:

- Is the gratuitous French/Japanese annoying? Now that I've (hopefully) got a system going that can distinguish between the different speaking patterns, I won't need to potentially embarrass myself and butcher a language. But if the majority of you don't mind it…

- How accurate is the French/Japanese? I admit that it's been a while since I last studied French seriously, so my grasp of that language is going to be more than a bit rusty. Feel free to nitpick away!