Battle Hymn of the Republic

The Day Before Fall Semester

It was a Sunday. It was a warm day in September, but the winds carried warnings of an impending shift of seasons. It was the last day of Summer break, the last day before the fall semester. It was a day full of hopes and dreams and joys. In short, it was a Beautiful Day.

In the past, Safeholme typically hosted an open house for new and returning students, family, and friends. This year, Lady had suggested something bigger. The faculty and staff were expected to bring food or an activity, preferably both. Students were encouraged to bring their favorite foods or apply for an activity permit.

The day had been an absolute hit.

Games and activities were splayed all across the grounds. Tables were centrally organized near the rear door of the schoolhouse, and the patio had been overtaken by the drama club for their performance that would coincide with dinner. Spriggans patrolled the forest edge to keep folks wandering off into the woods. Aurus remained vigilant above the main gate.

Master Ruarc Flynn had carefully organized the day's events-- and firmly rejected some of the poorer suggestions from eager students. Skydiving provided by fledgling wind evokers? Absolutely not. He also had to turn some well-meaning students away: there was only so much space on Safeholme grounds.

The Porcelain Dove of Osaka, Laoise Flynn, coordinated a series of nature hikes earlier in the day, and was spearheading the drama clubs interactive vignettes of A Knight's Tale through the afternoon in preparation for the full show during dinner.

Jane "Calamity" Smith brought No Name for folks to ride and a proper Texas chili in two five-gallon cook pots. Jane had erected an ad hoc fence near Ruarc’s home earlier that weekend to demarcate No Name’s circuit. Or she would have, but Percival insisted on using his alchemical fence. “It’s simply more efficient, Miss Smith. Now we can put all that American muscle to better use.” Jane had frowned but seen sense. And it was wrong to hit another teacher in front of the students, even in jest.

Never one to ask more than she was willing to give, Lady Sumedha contributed a surprising quantity of gourmet sandwiches and a series of visual performances under the Lady of Lights nom de guerre. In proper mage fashion, she refused to explain how she accomplished her feats, and student theories on her magic continued to spiral.

A mixing stand, courtesy of Professor Percival Caxton, gave attendants the chance to make their own soft drinks. When students and faculty began sprouting unusual body parts, victims called upon Yokosuka “Kiki” Kikuyu- Safeholme’s divine healer. With a secretive grin she asked, “Have you had anything strange lately?” It wasn’t long before a crowd of students were gathered, trying to deduce which mixtures would produce furry ears, or bestial horns, or flightless wings. Coupled with young Hildegard Thalberg's glamorous hats, there were quite a few unique new anthromorphs running about the festival.

Tanuki Issei gained immediate notoriety by dressing up in her namesake costume and pilfering small items from anyone and everyone, and offering “tanuki wisdom” to anyone who caught her. By the time the evening meal was served, she’d only been caught thrice. Several teams of students had formed to organize the capture of this elusive bandit. While many adults disapproved-- largely on account of her never receiving or applying for a permit-- it was hard to complain when stolen items would suddenly reappear in a pocket later as if merely misplaced.

Another game that drew mixed reactions was Riley Erin Alstad's Game of Candies. For a small fee, attendants could acquire a bag of candy of any flavor a person could imagine. But there was a catch: you had to bring a partner who decided the flavor of the candies in your bag. Every half hour she also hosted the eponymous Game of Candies, where groups of students would compete to finish a bag of candy; each round, every competitor picked a new flavor and texture that all competitors had to consume, or else be disqualified.

On a milder note, "Ice Queen" Miyuki Kagami ran a shaved ice stand, flavors provided courtesy of the resident alchemist and Miyuki's fiancée. It was a welcome treat in the warmth and fervor of the afternoon. But the afternoon was waning, and the real food was about to be served.

As dinner was called, activities ceased and students gaggled or raced to get a good spot in line. Faculty and staff retreated to their tables and waited their turn. It was distinctly un-Japanese, but Lady had insisted the children eat first, and she was a difficult woman to argue with.

Picture it: mirth in the faces of even the hardest teachers. Unadulterated glee had infected students one and all. One table was of particular note: Jane Smith sat between Ruarc Flynn and Eryl Maelgwyn. Ruarc and Jane smiled at Eryl’s story— the former with exasperation at a bad joke, the latter with mild confusion— while Eryl bubbled with soft laughter at her own humor. Willow had finished unseating the final rider of No Name and sped toward this table with Drysi in tow, eager to beg Jane’s pardon and rejoin all her friends.

At the edge of the woods, far from the table of well-worn adults, stood a gaggle of students, spriggans eyeing them warily. Chuffy sat on his haunches and balanced a stick on his snout. Johann beamed with pride at this new trick and looked to his friends for their reactions: Vrey, Manon, and Katerina.

Most of the stalls near these students had already cleared out, leaving a quiet space for Lady, Miyuki, and Laoise to converse amicably about Laoise’s ventures in fashion and the public eye. Lady turned upon sensing a presence and found Riley standing beside her. Lady greeted her with a smile. “Just the person I wished to speak with. I’ll be just a moment ladies, don’t go anywhere.”

None of these things were witnessed by Percival. Though he intended to return to the festivities, his absentminded musings had led him to a likely solution for his latest experimentation and he had returned to his laboratory. Best to strike while the iron was hot. Or in this case, the ferrous liquids. So he was quite busy when a small girl in a tanuki suit, who had followed him from the festival, snuck in silently and timed the soft click of the door with Professor Caxton's louder activities.

“Pwah!” Willow expressed as she finished a long chug from a water bottle she held in one hand as she pulled Drysi along with her other. Feeling refreshed she clipped the bottle to her belt via a carabiner. Gaining a free hand, the teen reached up and pulled on the tie that kept her hair in an efficient ponytail. With a flick of her head her honey blonde locks bounced loose, accented by streaks of faint purple she’d added a couple weeks prior on a lark. Rejoining the gaggle friends in time to fawn over Chuffy’s impressive trick, Willow seemed to bask in the melange of fond memories being made and the end of summer melancholy.


Back at the table Ruarc watched the girls hurry off before turning back to his present company. He enjoyed his opportunities to chat and visit with his old friend Jane, but he still was getting used to Eryl’s company. As a professional courtesy, and for fairness of a trend he’d helped start, the Irishman welcomed on to the grounds; and even into his study to share a couple of texts. Now here at the waning of the day he found the situation a bit odd, but comfortable enough.

“Despite all ya got ‘er doing, Willow’s found even more energy to toss around,” Ruarc said in an aside to Jane.


Off to the side enjoying her own quiet conversation, Laoise nodded to Lady as the other woman excused herself. Left to herself and Miyuki, she sipped a fizzy drink in her hand as she reoriented to face the woman who had been her’s and Ruarc’s first real interaction in Japan. Idly, she realized she hadn’t seen the woman’s gem cat in a while.

“So, Miyuki, getting excited for your wedding?” the familiar asked.

“... and so when the druid Hugh finished the circle on the ground he turned to explain to us its purpose before a griffin snatched him up,” Eryl was already giggling by this point in the story, “Hugh was flailing about, trying to yell the instructions as the pride-bird flung him about, and I looked to Saveli and asked him, ‘Do you know what any of this runic circling on the ground means?”

The triclops took a sharp breath, pursing her chortling for the climax of the tale, “And he looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘I don’t know, he druid!’.”

Eryl laughed, trying to keep up with all that was going on in the festival. It had been the most overt she had participated with Safeholme’s events and she was doing her best to put a good foot forward. Originally, she had protested the idea of attending the festival, fearing she might serve as an easy reminder to the incident in Oahu, but she relished the opportunity to show she had changed to a few choice people. One of them sat on the other side of her personal buoy in all of this, a man she had yet to apologize to fully for everything she had done.

Uncomfortably enough, Eryl kept avoiding his gaze every time he looked her way, which made it even harder to come across well.

—-

“W-Willow! Slow down!” Drysi looked around at this very public place she was holding hands at. The triclops was draped in a simple dress in a flowing pattern that was restrained against her with her ever-present satchel. Unlike Willow, who was geared for adventure and festivals, Drysi had been prepared for a date. Her sandaled feet fumbled over the grass on the grounds, and her once well maintained golden locks were in disarray at all the activity. Being a druid now, she was getting used to being sweaty, but it didn’t mean she liked it.

“Ah hah! Manifique,” Manon clapped happily and Chuffy’s display. Festival’s like these were a second home for clown like herself. She hadn’t gotten many takers at her fortune-telling booth, but that was probably because the fortunes were bogus and the smoke and mirrors were the main draw.

She caught sight of Drysi just as Willow pulled her up, and she gave the two a sly smirk. “Hon hon, no shame these days, not even a chaperone, hm?”

“C'est beaucoup venant de toi,” grumbled Drysi as she kept up with her energetic girlfriend.

“Il semble que votre attitude commence à correspondre à vos dents,” Manon answered quickly, and tartly.

Over the last few weeks, there had been a strange tension between the two. Drysi couldn’t understand what it was, but it was almost as if Manon had become impatient with her. Despite the continuity of the exchanges, it never got past vague, catty remarks in French.

Vrey held Remarque away from his newly customary place against her chest as she allowed him to get a better chance to view the Great Chuffy at work. The gwyllgi puppy cocked his head to the side and then let out a single enthusiastic bark that made the connection between familiar and mage vibrate.

"Yes. You would need to be larger." The bald teen answered the bark with more enthusiasm than she reserved for almost anything else. Turning to Johann there was a clash of movement around Vrey as Remarque crawled his way up her shoulder and curled his paws around loops that had been added to the strap of the satchel the girl was wearing over he tracksuit jacket - all so that Vrey could reach her gauntlet covered hands into the satchel itself and pull out a pudding cup.

Holding the pudding cup out to Johann the other teen nodded confidently. "In appreciation for sharing Chuffy's secrets."

---

Riley had her hands laced behind her head and in their pockets as they had walked through the festival grounds with Lyra. All three of them were wearing black t-shirts with "SWEET MERCHANT" in multi-coloured impact font across the front. To add the mystery and appeal of the shop Riley was wearing two black and white checkered full face masks that were inversions of each other. Lyra's leather jacket and simple cap marking the braided woman as plain next to the company she was with despite the difference in size between them.

As the trio neared everyone else and Lady's attention turned to them the foremost Riley pulled her arms away from her head and tucked one against her body as she swept herself into a courtly bow. The other shook their head but spoke up anyway. "How can these knights errant assist you Doctor?"

Katerina cheered for Chuffy's new trick, quite pleased to see it, and to see her friends doing well. While she had only just met Vrey's new companion, she was pleased that they hadn't ben hurt, though she still felt extremely guilty for having not been around when that had all gone down, being instead on a business trip to monaco. Still, the trip had not been in vain and a small satchel sat at her side filled with gifts she had managed to pick up for her friends while she was away. It sat heavily, yet if one were to pick it up, it would weigh almost nothing. Perhaps, the weight was nothing more than the Blonde's guilt, and, she thought, it might lighten as she gave them out to those they were meant for. And yet, she wanted to wait. Wait for all of them to be here at once. Willow, Drysi, Eryk,and Chinami needed to join them, and then she could try...

---

Miyuki blushed at the sudden question; despite the fact that everyone already knew, she hadn't officially announced it yet, and hadn't prepared a good response. Instead, the ice queen averted her eyes, tenting her fingers in front of her face in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "W-Well, I suppose, however, let's not talk about it just yet. There's still time and lots of preparation, so getting excited just yet wouldn't be appropriate," she answered, trying to brush off the nosy familiar.

"I'm just here to make sure the school is safe, after all, what happened in Hawai'i may have been avoided if we had all been present from the start."

Deeper in the stalls of the festival, there was a booth that unlike most others, was run by neither students nor faculty, but rather the guild which shared a name and building with the Academy. Sitting at the booth as a last bastion of defense after most of the guild members had gotten bored and either gone home or back to the guild hall to drink and socialize, was someone who was of both worlds. Katerina Michizaki's cousin, and upperclassman, Reika Ookamichi. One of the few students whom had gained permission to take on quests from the Safeholme Guild that a significant portion of the faculty also belonged to, in a passing sense.

The young swordswoman sat in a folding chair, feet planted, back straight, with her two swords arranged so they would not interfere with her seat oversaw what was left of what had earlier been a rather impressive display of various pub foods from around the world, but had by now dwindled to only a few of the less popular dishes, though all were clearly European in style. The swordwoman, her hair up in a neat ponytail, sat with her eyes closed, as if in some vigil or meditation, but, she cracked one open as she heard an unfamiliar set of feet making their way to the booth. one of her swords stirred, the spirit within quite curious.

Experiencing such a blend of cultures and various stalls was something that Kitsueki was not accustomed to. Everything here is so vibrant and full of life, the Cherry Blossom forest she was used to was too but this was something completely different! As the festival looked like it was winding down her stomach growled as if it hadn't been given any food all day, probably because it hadn't, there were just so many new sights, smells and people to see and interact with! She knew Safeholme would be a better place than her family ever was she just didn't know how right she was.

Hastily looking through the various stalls all of them looked out of goods or packed up for the day until finally she saw a young woman looking bored sitting with a sword at each hip. [She is a student just like me, no need to be intimidated by the weapons.] Kitsueki rationalizes to herself. Bounding up to the stand like a new born kid learning it can jump comes a young Kitsueki in her school uniform. Her long blonde hair unkempt either from disregarding it this morning or from running around the festival all day, her deep purple eyes glistening staring at all the interesting food she has never before seen.

"Hiya! My name is Kitsueki what's yours and can I please sample some of this food? I'm starving!" She asks the sowrdswoman at the stall in a lower register than what was would be expected until the end of her speaking when her voice cracks into not quite a valley girl pitched voice.

The sole proprietress of the Guild stand opened her other eye as the new girl arrived, her face impassive despite the impassioned and energetic display put on by the other student. She calmly waited for Kitsueki to finish before nodding sagely and standing up into an introductory bow. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, My name is Reika Ookamichi. Feel free to try anything you desire, however, I would refrain from over-eating, as the main dinner of the festival will be starting soon."

From the girl's hip, Kitsueki would notice one of the swords quivering slightly, and could feel the faint presence of a fox spirit. when Reika pivoted to point out one of the remaining types of food, the Kitsune could have sworn she saw a tiny fox snout peeking through the gap between the sword and its sheath, though the phantom of a snout very quickly disappeared, if it had been there at all.

Kitsueki bowed respectively to the swordswoman after being told to pace herself on the snaking. "Thank you so much I will do my best to not overindulge, this day has just been great and knowing there is a legit dinner soon is reassuring that I made the right choice." Kitsueki continued to talk to Reika as long as the swordswoman would allow asking various questions about the school and if her swords had a name, not mentioning what she thought she saw with the fox spirit but being keenly aware of that sword in particular. In between bites of the various foods on display that is.

Through the amicable conversation, Reika continued to help this new girl, but was caught rather unaware by her question. Not that she wasn't used to being asked about the swords; they came up fairly often in conversation. The difference this time was of course that Kitsueki had asked if they had names. She blinked once, thinking about the answer. of course they had names, but, was it appropriate to tell this new person their names? Certainly, telling her every detail about what they could do was a no-go, but, she eventually decided, simply telling their names couldn't be too harmful.

"They do have names," Reika began, pausing, not for effect, but rather as she was somewhat unsure of just how much to say. "The sword with the white sheath and handle is Amatsuoken, and the other, sheathed and handled in black, is Kitsuneken. They are my weapons and companions, and have never had another master."