A Country Boy Can Survive

How to train your Aristocrat

     Kirche approached Dante as Louise finished scolding him for "being a stubborn idiot," as she put it. She swaggered over and had to restrain herself from licking her lips at the sight of him. Tabitha saw the look in her eyes and something stirred in her chest but she could not place it. in one arm she carried her book, the other her staff, but a green wool blanket was draped over her arm. She still had his coat in her room though as Kirche had been asking non stop about who she had been with and felt it would be too much trouble if she found out. She did want to give him back the blanket though. 

     "What do you want, Zerbst? Don't you have some perverted dogs to take care of?" Kirche ignored the jab and responded in a sultry tone. 

     "Why zero, I'm simply here to see this very impressive young man you've summoned. Already getting into trouble and coming out of a duel on top, no less. I like a man with some fight in him." The last comment made Dante's eyes shoot open. His brain took a second to register what she had said, and his only response was a weak one. 

     "Uh, Thanks?" He let out a nervous chuckle at the end. She was pretty, and had a nice figure, but the thing that stunned him was just how forward she was being. He wasn't used to women just coming onto him before. Normally, he'd jump at the chance to bed a girl like that, but he wasn't entirely sure how true the rumors about her were. He had just got there after all, and the second rumor he heard was she was very active. The hungry look in her eyes did not help her reputation either. He remembered that the Middle Ages had no real way to deal with STDs as well, so either the answer was magic or luck. He wasn't betting on luck. 

     "Don't even think about it, Zerbst. I won't have you trying to drag him into your bed." Kirche would almost look offended If not for the smile tugging at her lips. Dante's head swam for a moment but shook it off. Tabitha, however, noticed and stared at him. The two shared a look and gave her a grin, waving off her concerned look. She returned to her book but kept glancing at him occasionally. There was a shout heard on the outskirts of the gathering of students.

     "What is the meaning of this? Duels are forbidden on school grounds!" Professor Colbert Rounded the corner into the courtyard and stormed over furiously. When he saw Dante standing over four piles of dirt with a young man on his knees standing across from him, his anger lessened. He approached the group and realized Dante had not been given the rundown on many of their rules. Taking the man aside, Dante explained to Colbert that he had set up a sparring match to show how magic wasn't the answer to every encounter. 

     "That is a good point, Mr. Campbell. In a close-quarters situation, one must be able to rely on their own strength." Aside from the slight twitch at his last name being said aloud, Dante had no outward reaction. Before the professor could continue, Dante fished the empty shells out of his pocket and handed them to the balding man. 

     "These are the spent shells from my 12 gauge shotgun. Do you think you can make something similar to this out of brass?" The professor looked closely at the shell and the brass bottom half and was in awe at the detail and structure of the shell. Louise had joined them at this point, and as Dante turned to address her with an, I told you, his vision swam. It must have been obvious he was having issues with balance because Louise attempted to catch him when he began to fall. 

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     Dante was seeing flashes of old memories from Louise, he realized quickly. He saw a boat on a lake covered in a fog. Was it fog, or was it so long ago that it wasn't clear anymore? She was sobbing in the boat, and he was sitting across from her. She looked smaller, and before he could move to comfort her, the scene changed. She was in the dining hall of a mansion and being scolded by an older-looking woman with a perfectly etched poker face. Her long pink hair made it obvious that this was Louise's mother.