Chapter Text
“What? A city was attacked?” The general gasped, “by whom?”
“It seems to have been a dragon…” the brown haired girl responded, tugging at the ends of her uniform to make sure it wasn’t scrunched up like the accessory in her hair.
The other girl sighed as she slumped into her chair, “I really thought we’d be in the clear for a few years before another one. How bad was the damage?”
“Reports say only a few buildings were burned but no casualties, General Hinomori; eye witnesses said the dragon looked small, so it was probably young and unable to do too much damage before we started with counter measures.”
“Good work Honami, and you can call me Shiho even though this is a meeting you know.” Shiho said as she sat up.
“I know, Shiho,” Honami smiled as she leaned onto the wooden desk in front of her companion. “We think it could’ve been an attack by a witch or sorcerer, the dragon retreated toward the Hermit Wood after all…”
“Ok, then the candidates include my sister, the Gladiator, and the Mad Sorcerer… it wouldn’t have been Shizuku, she isn’t particularly fond of dragons, also she wouldn’t do that…”
Honami put a finger on her mouth, eyes deep in thought, “That just leaves the other two, their abodes are rather close based on what the scouts gathered on their last patrol in the area.”
“I guess this means the Chevaliers get another expedition, doesn’t it,” Shiho huffed as she stood up and tried to get the wrinkles out of her uniform. Creases don’t look good on white fitting tops and dark capes.
“Sure does,” the other girl responded as she smiled towards Shiho, “You get to go back in the field! Isn’t that so exciting?”
“If my subordinates weren’t total idiots, maybe it would be. Could you go fetch the rest of the police force for me? I need to talk to all of you in person.”
Honami stood up from the desk, her red bottomed heels making her slightly taller than when the two would go out for coffee normally. “It would be my pleasure,” she responded as she placed her star adorned black cap back on her head, sitting just above her ponytail. Her short tailcoat trailed after her as she reached the door opposite to the windows in the small room. “I’ll be back shortly,” she said as she whisked out of the door and quickly shut it behind her.
I’ll have to let them know. Last expedition was a total trash fire… I hope they’ll be able to behave themselves for once. The other members of the knights weren’t as… devoted as Shiho was. Don’t get it wrong, they were qualified but didn’t always take things seriously. Especially Akiyama, Shiho wondered how they ever were let out of training to become a full fledged Chevalier with their attitude.
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“Ok, I know that this is a tall task, but I believe in you all.”
The three other girls in the room held their breath and stared at the gray haired one in front of them.
Shiho lifted her chin a little higher and folded her hands behind her back. “I’m leaving the Knights' Regime in the Police Force’s care. That means each of you, Honami, Ichika, and Haruka, are going to have to regulate patrols, training, punishment, and meal plans along with your civil duties. I think you can do it while I'm gone. Can I put my trust in you?”
“Of course, general!” The two blue haired girls said in unison.
They all lifted their hands to their heads in a salute but also as a promise.
“We swear to take charge in the best way we can, despite never leading the regime before…” Honami stated, with that last part a little more hushed. She looked back towards Shiho. “You can count on us!”
“Good, now leave and let the knights in.”
“Yes ma’am!” They lowered their salute with determined expressions. They all turned in unison and made their way to the two large wooden doors as an entrance to the room. Shiho still stood above on the two steps in the middle of the room that the dark blue carpet trailed down. The large windows behind her light up the room without any need for oil lamps, their land was known for being rather sunny after all. As soon as the police trio left through the large doors, another more diverse group entered after them. It consisted of two young males, one ginger, the other blonde, and a feminine person with a long pink ponytail and a pair of horns, although one was broken off near its base.
“Shinonome, Tenma, and Akiyama, you’ve arrived. I see you’re already in your uniforms.”
Each of their outfits consisted of a white, gray and dark blue color scene. Akito’s suit-like look with a high necked cape suited him, with his parted hair complimenting the look even more. Tsukasa looked a little more extravagant, his gray long sleeve was practically hidden by his long indigo cape paired with shoulder armor and hair pushed back on the left side of his face. His cape was adorned with a small gold rose. Fitting for him to be in the middle. The last was Mizuki, on the left. Their hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with a blue ribbon; their uniform was more feminine with the long skirt like tailcoat on the end. They wore white shorts and tall blue laced boots; very fancy, they liked the embellishment, even if it was impractical. Mizuki didn’t like the original uniform, so they took it into their own hands and tailored it to be more “fashionable.”
“Well, I would hope so,” The person on the right said with a smirk. “I wasn’t sure if someone would even get ready.” They leaned down to look at the ginger on the other side of Tsukasa.
“I do put effort into things that require it. That does not include holding your bags when you go shopping.” He replied flat faced yet annoyed.
Mizuki looked hurt and shocked. “I thought you liked looking at all the clothes!”
“I do when we go to stores that have clothes in my style. Not yours.”
“Guys! Listen up!” Shiho had to yell over their bantering. “I called you here for a reason you know.”
“Sorry…” Mizuki responded.
“Ok, did you hear about the report in the Sihastru?”
“We most certainly did! I made sure to tell these two before we came in because they thought we were in trouble,” Tsukasa added loudly, clearly proud of himself for staying up to date with the news.
“Well I have good news for you all.”
They all seemed to lean on the edge of their non-existent seats.
“We get to go on an expedition.”
“WOOOHOOO!” “OH HELL NO.” “OOH YAY!”
“I know this is exciting for Tsukasa and Mizuki, but please try to be a little enthusiastic, Akito.” I know how you feel.
“Alright, what’s the plan?” Mizuki inquired.
“Right now, it’s to go to the Hermit Wood and investigate the Gladiator and the Mad Sorcerer, and possibly attack them. I think just the four of us will be good and I’m leaving the regime with the Police Force so we hopefully won’t have to worry about that. Somehow, you all are our most skilled knights, and I expect no less than your best. That’s why we’re the only ones going, I don’t think this will be a huge deal and we’ll get in and get out hopefully within a few days. Sounds good?” Shiho really had to sell this to them.
They all nodded.
“We’re going to leave tomorrow at dawn, so go ahead and pack. I’m not your mom so I am not giving you a packing list, I trust you can choose the right things to go in your bags.” She shot a glare at Mizuki.
“You got it!” Tsukasa said with much trust in his packing abilities.
“Dismissed.”
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“Why is your bag so… clumpy?” Akito asked.
“Listen. Shiho and I do not see necessities as the same thing. And you better not say ANYTHING to her about my bag.” Mizuki responded, closing their eyes as if they were placing their trust in Akito as they hooked the bulky bag to the side of their horse.
“Mizuki, I hope you at least packed food because I didn’t bring any extra food for you.” Tsukasa said, turning his head to face the other two.
They were saddling up their horses in the knights’ stable and putting their luggage in their places. Shiho wasn’t there, since she got up early to get ready and was currently giving additional directions to the Police Force on how to manage the Regime.
Ok, first expedition in a bit, we gotta make this count. I need to make sure Akito and specifically Mizuki don’t cause General Hinomori any extra trouble.
He didn’t think about the trouble he might cause her.
“We’ll be going to the Tea Society first to hopefully get directions from the Magic Witch, who also happens to be the General’s sister… huh, I never really made that connection till now…” Tsukasa mumbled off to the end, while Akito made a scoffing sound, and leaned on a wooden beam, clearly getting tired of the blonde’s yapping.
“Whatever, the point is that we aren’t going straight into the heart of the Hermit Wood but rather taking a detour so we don’t get lost looking for the perpetrators.”
“Oooo, so we get to visit the Tea Witches? That’ll be so fun! I bet they dress super cute~!” Mizuki excitedly added with a wink.
Akito shot them a look that clearly said “not the point” then actually said, “Can we just get going? You got the message across,” looking back at the knight in front of them.
Tsukasa was slightly taken aback by his rude straightforwardness, but it’s Akito, what can you expect.
“…Ok, let’s go see General Hinomori then…” his pride was a little hurt.
They all jumped up onto their individual steeds and trotted out of the stable. They chatted as they made their way to the city gates where Shiho was waiting for them.
“Took you guys long enough! The sun’s about to start rising.” She looked annoyed.
“Sorry, my hair was a little uncooperative this morning,” Mizuki responded, riding up beside her.
It looks the same as it always does… well maybe it’s a little bumpier than usual around the horns, what do I know though I’ve never had to put my hair in a ponytail.
“Let’s just go already.” Akito huffed.
“WAIT!” Tsukasa shouted extremely loudly. “LET’S HAVE A SEND OFF CHEER!”
They all judgingly looked over to him.
“Ok nevermind!”
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The horses' hooves clicked on the group as the group officially entered the Tea Society grounds. The journey had already taken half the day just to get there, but it was so worth it just to see the warm sunlight bounce off the gold of the vine gates. The light dappled the neatly laid cobblestones beneath as it shined through the tall trees surrounding the area.
A little ways ahead of them was a small building, with a beige and dark green exterior. The shingles were a light gray that looked like a warm brown in the sunlight.
The Tea Society was no less than something out of a fairytale. The sun bounced off every surface, sparkling like fairy dust. The aesthetic choices of the witches who lived there made it look like a homey chocolate shop, the bright pinks and yellows of the plants surrounding every building made the place pop. It must’ve been enchanted, every tree and flower looked as if they’d just bloomed in the height of spring. Any cloth on the buildings were either laced or very frilly, and you could find any kind of flower in the areas that weren’t paved with light gray stones leading into the small village.
The buildings continued after the first, all different light variants until the one in the center of the courtyard, which was an open air circular dome, white roses and curtains adorning the sides and top. In the middle was one big round table, and outside of the dome were small iron casts and ones. Tsukasa fondly remembered the times he’s visited previously to see his sister, yet the place seemed to look just as stunning each time he came.
There was a group of about four girls at the table in the middle of the dome, they each had very frilly outfits, complimenting their light and bright hair colors. The middle of the gathering was a cornucopia of sweets, little cakes and fruit of any kind could be found, much like the flowers surrounding the building. These ladies did not discriminate.
The clicking of the horses’ hooves on the ground grew close enough to alert the girls in the dome, as they all turned to face where the noise was coming from.
The one closest to them practically leaped out of her seat when she saw the group approaching, her long blonde pigtails flying up in unison.
“Tsukasa!” Her face expressed her joy far more than her words could. Her bright smile was just as charismatic as the boy’s was.
The knight dismounted his horse in a surprisingly orderly fashion for the speed it had to take, as the girl was rapidly approaching.
His feet landed on the ground just to have them fly out beneath him when she barreled into him with a bear hug.
Ouch. His eyes scrunched up a little from the pain of literally being tackled, but it was worth it.
“Good to see you, Saki,” he couldn’t keep the fondness from his voice, this was his little sister after all.
Akito couldn’t help but roll his eyes as the rest of the knights dismounted their horses and gathered around the fallen Tsukasa.
“IT’S BEEN MONTHS!” The girl loosened herself and rolled off of him, sitting on the ground. “How come you haven’t visited?” Her mood went from pure joy to sadness in a very small time frame, maybe that was something that ran in the family.
Tsukasa sighed, “I’ve been busy, but I’ve been sending you letters, that should be enough.”
She pouted as a response.
“I missed you too,” he sighed while standing up and holding his hand out to, which she took very happily as she stood, following her brother’s lead.
It used to always be Saki and Tsukasa, the two of them against the world. They were so close because they were all each other had when they were young since their mother had unfortunately passed away when Tsukasa was around eight years old. Tsukasa had an extra burden to bear along with training to become a Chevalier when they were children. That was taking care of Saki when she was ill, which happened very often due to her chronic illness. Eventually when Tsukasa was accepted into the Regime, he couldn’t take care of Saki anymore so she turned to witchcraft, which made her leave Curia Regis so she wouldn’t be condemned, but eventually found the Tea Society. All's well that ends well.
But, since they were siblings, the Ladies of the Tea Society were very familiar with Tsukasa due to his frequent visits, and he was more than welcome if it made Saki happy.
The other Ladies quickly trailed after Saki and took each of their hands as they led them to the elaborately laid table in their dome.
Shiho was kind of being dragged to her new chair, “I hope we aren’t interrupting any of you…”
The small pink haired girl pulling her smiled warmly, “Oh of course not! We love having visitors, Miss Shiho!”
The other pink haired girl was taking both Mizuki and Akito to the free chairs around the table. “And who are these two new and lovely faces?” She asked, keeping a welcome tone in her voice.
Mizuki was the first to take their seat, quite eagerly, “You can call me Mizuki Akiyama! It really is a pleasure to finally meet all of you!” Their eyes were practically hearts, this might as well have been a dream come true for them.
The girl who led them said, “The pleasure is all mine! My name is Airi, and this is Emu,” gesturing to the shorter girl next to Shiho who was making her way to her seat. “I’m sure you all already know Saki since Tsukasa is here, I bet he talks about her just as much as she does about him.”
Airi had a very charming smile, with her snaggle tooth protruding from her line of teeth. All of the Ladies had a very charismatic aura, and they smelled of nectar and sweet sugar. Anyone could tell that they were genuinely excited about their unexpected visit.
The Ladies also knew Shiho, obviously not as well as Tsukasa, but she still had connections to the Tea Society. Shiho’s older sister, Shizuku, actually started the Tea Society and was the Magic Witch that they needed to talk with. She communicated better through letters than actual visits, but did occasionally accompany Tsukasa when he saw Saki.
Which honestly just makes it weirder that Tsukasa never made the connection between Shiho and Shizuku even though he was literally in the same situation.
He took his seat, removing his cape and draping it over the back of the white iron cast chair, which was surprisingly comfortable for it being metal. Magic.
“My name is Akito Shinonome, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances, Ladies,” Akito took a bow to all of them as a form of respect.
Tsukasa chuckled a little, it was always funny to see Akito introduce himself to new people, since he acted drastically different from his normal self. Usually he was happy to meet new people though, so his slightly grouchy mood was a little out of the ordinary. It seemed to be directed towards Tsukasa and his sister since the knight glared in their direction as he took his seat, which was rather rude. Jealousy, perhaps? Tsukasa vaguely heard that something happened to his older sister a few years ago. Maybe he should talk to him about it later.
“Well, what brings you all here?” Saki asked, looking around at everyone around the table with a grin.
“We need to see Shizuku. Is she here right now?” Shiho really got straight to the point.
Airi, who was seated to the left of Shiho and the right of Mizuki leaned towards her, “Ooooo! What do you need her for?” All the Ladies looked towards the general wonderingly.
Now, feeling all the pink eyes on her, she fumbled, “Uh.. it’s- we need her to… wait.” The Ladies had quite the effect on anyone who they focused their attention on, whether that be good or bad.
Mizuki jumped in, putting a hand on the table, “We’re going on an expedition to the Hermit Wood!” Shiho let out a sigh of relief looking gratefully towards Mizuki. “We were wondering if we could get directions to the Gladiator and Mad Sorcerer's castles, so we wouldn’t get lost and have the whole expedition be in vain. We assumed the Magic Witch would know, since you’re all, you know, kind of in the same- how should I phrase this… You’re all magical and do sorcery and what not. We just thought you would know each other.” Mizuki handled that surprisingly well, they definitely fit in with the Ladies here.
From across the table Emu went, “Ooooohhhhh! I get what you mean! Nene often goes to see everyone in the Hermit Wood!”
The knights looked at her, expecting context. After a second of silence Emu finally understood what they were waiting for.
“Nene is another witch who’s in the Tea Society, I guess you guys haven’t met her yet,” she said, gesturing to Tsukasa and Shiho. “She goes out a lot, she’s actually up in the forest right now! So I guess you can’t ask her…”
“But we can bring you to Shizuku and ask! She’s up in her study right now,” Airi looked out towards the tall tower that was a little ways behind the dome.
“Ahh but can we finish the tea first? I would hate for all of this wonderful food to go to waste!” Saki reached across Shiho and put her hand on Airi's to stop her from starting to stand up.
“Ohhhh, you’re right.” Emu added.
All three of the Ladies looked around at the knights, searching for approval.
Mizuki was the first and quickest to respond, “Well I don’t see why we need to rush! I- We would love to finish this meal with all of you!” They smiled, clearly very excited for the tea party.
“Yeah, I don’t see why not.” Akito added, did he secretly love tea parties and/or pastries? No one would ever know because he would never tell anyone that kind of information.
This really pleased the Ladies and sealed their fondness of the knights other than Tsukasa and Shiho, tea parties were like a right of passage. Good thing that the knights accepted their invitation, otherwise they probably never would find what they were looking for. These are still mischievous witches after all.
“Shall we?” Saki asked, and with a snap of her finger, flower styled tea cups and plates appeared in front of each of them. Both Akito and Mizuki audibly gasped.
Airi stood, her dark pink and white dress puffed up after it was freed from the table.
“We can’t forget the most important part!” With a grin she magically revealed a small stir spoon, then leaned down and tapped a small box in the middle of a table that turned into a porcelain teapot, still matching the flower theme they had.
The last lady looked around and said, “How about some decoration?” With a cheeky grin Emu struck a pose with her finger pointed to the ceiling of the dome. Large vines burst from the open top of the skylight and rapidly grew, intertwining throughout the iron designs and blooming pretty little flowers. This earned some oos and aas from Mizuki and Tsukasa. The growth slowed to a stop as they hung under the arch.
All of the now standing witches looked at the knights as they each gave a small round of applause. In a practiced unison, the Ladies said, “Please, enjoy the tea!”