During the trip home, Maoin wondered briefly why Lady Sorcha wasn't talking with her mistresses new familiar. Her confusion was immediately dispelled however after about an hour of observing the crass, uncivilized, degenerate lizard. Why did Lady Lightsword even pick up this thing?
And as things fell to the ground due to the careless tail waving around the kitten felt her frustration boil, her skin reddened, and she began to prepare screaming at the incompetent thing for breaking her owner's things ... but that wasn't her job, and the creature was far too innocent to notice she was doing harm. And she'd probably cry, like after the first time Maoin got frustrated with her on the trip home.
Kill Me.A couple seconds and calm breaths passed as the cat gave a stare over in Lady Lightsword's direction before looking over at the dumb thing.
"That sounds like a great idea Avaline - Lady Lightsword, that would give me time to clean things up and get lunch ready! Stay out for a treat on the town? Maybe tell her how wonderful her tail is?" The cat's smile was obviously fake as her eyebrow twitched, hoping the more competent woman would get her meaning.
In a slightly but not incredibly subtle manner, the cat began to pick things up - first the breakable things to safer locations, then the things that fell on the ground - before retreating into the bathroom and pulling on her hair a little in hopes it would keep her frustration at a manageable level.
Calm yourself, kitten. After a brief moment of reflection Maoin turned the bath water on, took a few deep breaths, and returned out to the main room and shuffled over to Lady Sorcha, rubbing her shoulders a bit.
"Mistress, I've prepared the tub for us- you to relax in at your leisure. Your wings need a little polishing anyways." As she mentioned that, she moved her hands to massage at their base in a way she knew her owner liked.
Fia listened to most of the conversation, looking at the newcomer as she did so and frowning slightly as she introduced herself. As the ninja dissipated, the Headmistress would feel a slight tug on her sleeve as her familiar voiced those complaints.
"Livia ... something ... familiar ... not good?" It was rather apparent the Phoenix wasn't exactly sure why, and while the feeling wasn't nearly as strong as it had been with Sorcha - who she still needed to visit - it was still there.
She expected the woman not to expand much on the subject, and the Phoenix was fairly confident she already had the situation under control. For a couple of moments the girl waited before looking at the clock -
... is she off ...? Another tug on Livia's dress.
"Is Cynthia free today?"By now the headmistress would know that meant Fia wanted to be pampered a bit, and she'd also know this was the third day she'd asked in a row as the girl looked up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. It'd likely surprised Livia, given the girl's initial aversion to physical contact with anyone else - though outside of Livia, Cynthia, and Ritsa that remained unchanged.
That wasn't the only change in her though. She'd learned to read and study completely on her own by this point and had spent some time learning about her past in the library. She was also becoming more independent in other ways, willing to go out on her own more often - usually with a guardian spirit in tow. Her 'magic' still needed to be developed, but the girl seemed content with simply lighting the house's candles and snuffing them out at a distance and felt incredibly cool doing so, though she'd never admit it.
Her panic attacks while still frequent (for a normal person) would only be noticed by Livia - between her patience, the calm environment, and a little magical therapy, the familiar had learned to simply step out of the room a bit, find a quiet corner, and take deep breaths while focusing on the ring she had found in an effort to clear her mind. Chairs were still evil though and not to be sat in.
She wasn't following through on her end of the familiar bargain however, as paperwork had largely been neglected and left to the wayside. Even when she hung out with the headmistress in the office, she spent more time observing the conversations. Ritsa had made her more
slightly more talkative, but since she'd left it was obvious the phoenix felt a little down as her friend had left. And she'd been getting that attention elsewhere, such as from the maid who she hoped was free at this very moment.
"... if she is, could I borrow her?"From the outskirts of town a small wagon pulled by a cow slowly approached, with a peasant girl guiding the livestock using a lead - though it was hardly necessary as Cocoa was generally obedient and simply followed her around anyways like a lost puppy, cowbell ringing from her collar as she walked forward. Keeping her out of the house was a difficult enough task, and she always seemed to crave attention.
The peasant girl brushed some of her brown hair out of the way, adjusting her cap into a more suitable position as she smiled at her hardworking companion, rubbing her back a bit.
"I know it's been a while Cocoa, but they'd only let me bring you. I know the cart is heavy, but we are almost there! You wouldn't let me take anyone else for this anyways, so don't complain you silly thing." The cow let out a loud moo in response as she continued to pull the cart forward.
She spoke german, and was somewhat surprised she'd managed to travel this far without being mugged - though the gold in the cart was well hidden and wrapped with blankets to muffle any noise the loot would normally make and among more mundane goods - high quality wheat and ale for the student's consumption that some neighbors had traded to her.
This was the largest city she'd ever seen, and as she pulled into town Cocoa would feel her excitement. She'd been a little surprised when her parents had let her leave, but with the recent fortune her village had come across everyone was in a cheerful mood. For a few moments she panicked as she looked around at the tall buildings, but it wasn't hard to find an inn at the end of town that'd keep her and Cocoa for a while.
A slight frown crossed the peasant's face, though, as she ran her hand along Cocoa's back in the stables. The girl knew that she'd be enrolled in the academy for the next semester, and would need to start studying now to learn the basics of the french language and get an education she never had. That meant being busy, and she didn't have time to take care of her favorite animal companion - or afford keeping her in a stable. It had upset her initially, but the tears were long over - after the first few days of the journey she'd come to terms that she'd begin a new life once she arrived. Cocoa was a good cow, produced lots of milk, and would be easy to find a good home for at the market.
"You've been a good girl, you know that." A rub behind the ears.
"Now stay here - I mean it - and I'll be out in a bit, alr- Cocoa! Don't follow me into the tavern!"With a bit of difficulty, more attention, and some treats, Cocoa seemed satisfied to remain in the stable as the peasant went to the counter and ordered a drink in hopes of calming her nerves and relaxing before going to the Headmistress' office.
