Last Exile Fan Fiction ❯ Pinwheel Libertines ❯ The Gardens of Ibildel ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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Chapter 2: The Gardens of Ibildel

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Delphine Eraclea hated chaos. The semblance of chaos, the illusion of
chaos, this was perhaps alright, but -actual- chaos always proved
infuriating. The world was ruled by certain laws, certain natural
orders, and those who went against nature were corruptions in the system.
Aberrant. Flaws to be plucked out and discarded. Rubbish.

And the scene on the transport ship could only be described as chaos.
Even though the rebellion was being slowly swayed under control, things
weren't secure, not yet.

"Maestro..."

Delphine didn't look up. She wasn't yet used to being addressed as
'Maestro'. She'd only passed Agoon a few months previous. Her father...
Her father was 'Maestro', even though she was to rule by his side.

Of course, she'd been trained, preened, groomed for her entire life for
the position. Yes, someone else might have passed the rigorous deathmatch
her father had concocted. But, not everyone had Eraclea breeding.

"Maestro Delphine..."

Delphine waved her hand laconically, indicating that the soldier should
continue.

"Luric has arrived by vanship. He has brought Lord Dio."

"Dio..." The corners of Delphine's mouth upturned. A smile, or what
passed for one in the world of Delphine Eraclea. "Bring them."

Luric arrived only moments later, carrying the small squirming package of
energy in his arms. The moment Dio saw his sister sitting on the raised
dais, he leapt down and tore across the room towards her.

"Delphine! Delphine! I was in a vanship!"

Dio came to a halt several paces from Delphine. The look on his sister's
face indicated that he should be good, he should be quiet. Something
important was happening, though Dio wasn't certain what it might be.
Perhaps it all had to do with the fact that they were leaving the palace
in the transport ship. Who traveled by transport ship? Nobody sensible,
as far as Dio knew. These old hunks of junk were most often used to tow
damaged Guild vessels back to port, or carrying other heavy cargo. Dio
wrinkled his nose a bit. The place smelled funny, like the time he
accidentally set Luric's hair on fire.

The smell must have been what put Delphine in a bad mood, Dio decided.

Quiet as a creeping skeemouse, Dio toddled up to Delphine's chair and
knelt beside it. He looked up at her, blue eyes full of wonder, and
waited to be acknowledged.

Delphine's hand moved off the armrest and pulled her brother's head onto
her knee. Dio sighed happily. He wasn't in trouble, after all.

"Dio, Dio, you don't understand at all, do you?"

"We went fast in the vanship, Luric and I."

"Yes, yes," Delphine replied absently. A terrible affair, her brother
having to be spirited away following her father's assassination and her
mother's suicide. Of course, it was her mother's inferior Lagolale blood
that had brought them all to such a situation. If only Father had gotten
rid of her in some discreet way, and married again into one of the
respectable houses... Father was a fool, when it came to social politics.
Well, they would have to put on a good show of mourning him. And she
would miss him, in her own way. He was, after all, the most brilliant
military tactician in the Guild.

But now, now she had the title of Maestro, and she had Dio. Her Dio. A
child she could mold, a pupil who believed the sun rose at her feet,
and set at her command. What things she had planned for them, what
conquests and glory. They would, together, create an Eraclea dynasty
which would continue throughout time, and if Delphine had her dithers,
throughout space.

Delphine smiled even wider as she brushed her fingers through her
brother's hair. So small and delicate. Like her roses, like her birds,
Dio needed so much care.

Something sticky attached itself to her fingers. Delphine looked down,
surprised. Blood? Dio was...hurt?

Luric allowed her brother to be hurt? What incompetence!

"Luric!"

Dio sat up a bit and looked at Delphine's fingers. They were dotted with
red liquid. Was it...some sort of candied glaze? A treat? Carefully, he
pulled at his sister's fingers so that he could lick them.

"Yes, Maestro?" Luric re-appeared from the dark recesses of the transport
ship, and bowed.

"Blood? You did not tell me that Dio was hurt! What is the meaning of
this?"

"Dio-sama was not injured, Maestro." That was, of course, the first thing
he'd checked when they got out of the vanship.

"Your blood, then?" Delphine gently pried Dio away from her fingers. He
made a face. The red stuff on Delphine's fingers didn't taste good at
all. He coughed slightly from the bitterness, and immediately was
presented with a glass of water by a nearby servant.

"Yes, Maestro. I was shot in the arm." The silver-haired servitor turned
to the side slightly to show Delphine the hole in his cloak, and the
massive blood slick that had begun to permeate the material. Any regular
person, or even any regular Guilder, would not be able to withstand such a
traumatic wound, and maneuver a vanship at the same time. Certainly, no
one normal would be able to continue standing and hold a decent
conversation while bleeding so profusely.

"Very good." Delphine smiled her 'forgiving' smile, though what trespass
Luric was being forgiven for was unclear. "Father always said that the
Gregor Legionnaires were quite sturdy."

"Thank you, Maestro." Quite a complement, Luric knew. He attempted to
wrap his cloak around his arm, so that he would not bleed too profusely
while being addressed by the Maestro.

"You always served my father well. And, you rescued my brother from
possible assassination. You will stay on, in a place of honor, as Dio's
tutor."

"I am honored to continue serving your family."

Delphine waved her hand to dismiss Luric, and looked back down at Dio, who
had begin to play with his water cup on her legs, rolling it back and
forth, and occasionally looking through the end like a spyglass.

"Do you think Father will come along soon, Delphine? I want to tell him
about the vanship."

"Our father, Dio..." How could she even explain it to her brother? He
knew nothing of death, understood nothing. Such utter simplicity, how she
adored it. Even though Dio himself had been present at the assassination,
he could not comprehend the implications. "Father has gone."

"Where?"

"To the gardens of Ibildel."

"I see..." Dio didn't know much about Ibildel, except that it was a place
farther away than you could go in any Guild ship. But, Ibildel was a
beautiful, grand place, a place of utter magnificence. Mother's
lady-in-waiting, Scarab, once said that all Guilders came from Ibildel,
and that it was a place all Guilders desired to go. But, why did Father
go so far without saying goodbye? Why didn't he ask Dio or Delphine to
come along? It didn't make any sense.

Dio sniffled a bit and pressed his face into Delphine's thigh.

"What's wrong, Dio?"

"I wanted to go to Ibildel, too. Can I?"

"Shhh." Delphine entwined her fingers into Dio's hair again. Too much
excitement for her brother for today. So delicate, like an orchid, he
was the rarest flower of her entire collection. "Dio. Dio. Come."

Dio climbed up onto his sister's lap, and curled himself until his head
rested upon her left breast.

"It is only us now, Dio." She stroked his back. Her Dio, no one would
ever take her Dio from her. Together... Together... She would not know
loneliness, because she had Dio. Loneliness? Did the thought of such
things trouble a creature as mighty as Delphine Eraclea? Surely not.
But, they were family, siblings. They had the same blood, the same
breeding. No one could ever be Delphine's equal, no one could ever sit
beside her, except Dio. "You must promise to be a good boy, and obey me
in everything, so that someday, you may become like your Delphine-sama.
Do you promise?"

Dio yawned against his sister's body. Of course he would! Delphine was
the best, beautiful and kind, and she cared for him, always. "I promise."


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"The Bashianus have retreated to the wastelands beyond Dusis. They have
taken the weather machine with them. It will be impossible for our ships
to penetrate..."

Delphine plucked out petal after petal from her bunch of roses and let
them fall softly on top of her sleeping brother. How nice, to have a
blanket of petals to soothe Dio in his sleep. She would commission a bed
to be made for him, a bed of petals. "And Hamilton?"

"Still missing," the soldier replied.

"I see." How? How were they hiding? No known Guild technology could
cloak a whole fleet of ships. But, more important was the fact that they
-were- hiding. They had proclaimed no involvement, but the mere fact that
they had disappeared solidified Delphine's theory that of all the major
houses, Hamilton was the most instrumental in the rebellion. Prisus
Hamilton, her father's arch-nemesis... He would not have sat this one
out.

"And Dagobel?"

"Scattered. Our reports say they've sought shelter among the human
populace."

How disgusting. Delphine contemplated for a moment letting them continue
to live on the surface, disgraced, fallen, forced to survive like animals.
Unfortunately, allowing them to survive would mean they could eventually
regroup and try to take the palace again. "Pull the units from any human
ship known to be harboring or assisting Dagobel forces. I want all of
Dagobel found, and brought to me. They've long been allied with
Bashianus. One of them has to know the codes to defeat the machine."

"Yes Maestro." The soldier bowed deeply as others skittered all around
him, moving hurriedly through nearby hallways to execute the Maestro's
orders. The soldier glanced to the left, and then added, "Maestro, the
servants which assassinated Prisus Lagolale have been brought, as per
your request."

Oh? Delphine sat up a bit. This was an entirely interesting affair.
Apparently, a group of guards and servants had taken it upon themselves to
execute the traitors. Delphine smiled widely, freely, and tilted her head
to the side. "Show them in."

"Maestro, I must recommend against..."

"Show. Them. In." Delphine tossed a rose at the soldier, smacking him
on the shoulder. She did not like it when her orders were disobeyed or
postponed due to some mere soldier's doubts.

"Yes, Maestro."

"Luric, take Dio."

The ex-servitor appeared from the wings and carefully lifted the small boy
from Delphine's lap, causing an abbreviated rain shower of petals to
dislodge and fall around the dais. Dio shifted in Luric's arms, twice
hitting exactly where Luric had been wounded. The ex-servitor appeared
to make no notice of the fact that he was being kicked in his injury.
Luric moved to stand slightly to the left of Delphine's makeshift throne
as other servants scurried off to prepare sleeping quarters for the boy.

A troop of guards led in the shackled group of ex-Lagolale servants, all
wearing the red insignia of the minor house on their cloaks. Five, in
all. No. Delphine tilted her head downwards. There were six.
One of them was just too small to be seen at first. A boy not much
older than Dio. He had been hidden behind the legs of the tallest one.

A child? Involved in a retaliatory assassination plot? Even more
interesting.

The Celestial Maestro approached them, her hands folded together as if in
prayer. All of the ex-Lagolale servants bowed their heads as Delphine
cooed, "Let's see. What have we here? Who is the leader of this group?
No, let me guess."

Delphine brushed past two of the shackled servants and stopped at the
third. The tallest one, with a dark countenance and chiseled, almost
marbled features. His posture was impeccable, proud. A house guard, but
not born of Lagolale's usual servant stock. No, Lagolale never bred
creatures like this. Lagolale bred cowards fit only for intrigue and
posturing.

She reached up and caught his chin between her fingers, tilting his head
to the side so that his bangs would fall away from his mark. Delphine
smirked. The mystery had been answered. "You're the leader, aren't you?"

"Yes, Maestro," Cicada replied, "I am the leader."

"Such a dark tone you have, as if your every syllable is imbued with the
specter of death." Delphine ran her fingertip along Cicada's jaw. "You
cover your mark. Are you ashamed of what you are?"

"No, Maestro." Cicada lifted his eyes and stared right into Delphine's
face. "But, others fear it."

"I see." It did make sense, after all. "I thought all of the Etele
Legionnaires were dead. How did you manage to survive? Hmm? Well, it is
of no consequence." Quite a specimen, indeed. These other guards must
have been swayed by this one's presence. They seemed to be typical sorts
of Lagolale servants. One of them was even trembling, but this one...

And the boy...

Tuck tried to remember not to look up. But, it was hard, very hard. He'd
never expected to -ever- be in the presence of the Celestial Maestro,
herself. Cicada... It all depended on Cicada, what would happen next.

Nonetheless, Tuck's eyes were drawn across the room, beyond Maestro
Delphine, to the servant standing next to the throne. He was holding a
little boy, a sleeping boy. Tuck didn't know much about House Eraclea,
but this boy...wasn't that the young lord of the House? He seemed much
smaller than Tuck had imagined, small and frail. Smaller even than Tuck,
himself. Tuck had always thought that all nobles were imposing, cruel
types, like Prisus Lagolale, but he didn't think this boy could ever be
imposing at all.

One of the other guards discreetly nudged Tuck to make him lower his gaze
again, but for some reason, Tuck just couldn't stop thinking about how
little that other boy was. Small and serene. Like he didn't even belong
in the real world.

"What do they call you?"

"Cicada."

"Cicada," Delphine purred, continuing to violate Cicada's personal space
by bringing her face far, far, too close to his. Every soldier in the
room had their guns trained on Cicada. "What possessed you to kill Prisus
Lagolale?"

Cicada didn't even blink at the question. "Elimination of the threats to
your Celestial Majesty is the duty of all Guild members."

One of the guards was shaking so hard, his chains rattled. Tuck did not
take this as a good sign. He bit his lip slightly. The extra pounding
from his heart was causing his shoulder to ache worse. After Tuck fell
out of the lift, before the Maestro's soldiers had arrived, Cicada had
shoved Tuck's shoulder back into the socket. After that, Tuck had
screamed in pain, and Cicada had slapped him for being weak. Tuck wasn't
quite sure which hurt more, having his arm shoved back into place, or
being slapped by his brother.

Delphine raised one exquisite eyebrow as her tone took on a sudden harsh
turn. "You do realize, Cicada, that the man you killed was my
grandfather?"

Cicada inclined his head, a nod, or what passed for one from the stoic
guard.

"And, by all rights, I should have you executed for your crime against
House Lagolale and House Eraclea."

Another almost imperceptible nod. Delphine tried to search Cicada's dark
eyes. Was it that he didn't care to continue living? A death wish? No,
something else was going on here.

Finally, Cicada spoke. "All of Lagolale would have been killed anyway,
the servants and guards as well. All death being equal, I prefer to die
showing my loyalty to the Maestro."

Delphine clapped her hands, slowly, rhythmically. Clap. Clap. Clap.
Nothing pleased her more than terminal dedication. "You shall have
another chance to die for me, Cicada. It would be a pity to waste such
devotion by having you beheaded just for doing what I would have done,
myself."

Tuck glanced up from the floor. Were they saved? The conversation
between the two adults was a bit hard to follow, but from what Tuck could
tell, Cicada was actually pulling it off.

"Maestro's mercy honors us," Cicada said, bowing crisply.

Delphine turned and flicked her hand at one of the nearby soldiers.
"Unshackle them. Abeille! Sybene!"

A lanky female servant with cropped black hair appeared from the wings,
followed by a shorter, but bustier, woman sporting blue coloring on her
lips. "Yes Maestro?" they asked in unison.

"Take Cicada get him situated. He is to be my servitor." Delphine looked
back at the other guards being freed. "The others can serve as palace
guards."

"And the boy, Maestro?"

Oh yes. The boy. Delphine moved to the side a bit, and touched his head,
indicating that he should look up. The eyes weren't as dark, or the face
as severe, but the family resemblance could not be mistaken. "You are
family to Cicada, yes? Brothers, perhaps?"

Tuck wasn't certain if he should respond vocally, and chance angering
either the Maestro or Cicada, so instead he just nodded and tried not to
be overwhelmed by how much the Maestro smelled of roses.

Delphine smiled. Not just one, but two Etele Legionnaires. Sure, this
small one was a bit underdeveloped, but if all of the rumors and gossip
about the Etele Legionnaires proved true, he'd someday be a most
extraordinary warrior.

"When we return to the palace, have him trained. I want to give him to
Dio as a gift."

A gift? Tuck would be...a gift...to the sleeping boy. He did not know
what to think of this. What position did a gift have? Was it better than
being a Lagolale guard, or worse? It seemed better, since the person who
would be his master would be the Maestro's brother. Still, would this
please Cicada, or anger him? His fate uncertain, Tuck bowed as cleanly
as he could, and moved to follow the female servant, Abeille.


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Abeille moved very deliberately, but her steps were not so quick that Tuck
had to run to keep up. Tuck wondered how he should address the woman he
was following. He decided that 'Abeille-san' would be appropriate enough,
until told differently.

From behind, he could see her fingers, which weren't as elegant as those
of a noble, but functional and neat, every fingernail trimmed with
precision.

"Is it true?" She said softly, stopping at a door, "You are an Etele
Legionnaire, and your brother as well?"

Tuck nodded, but then realized he was behind her, so she couldn't see his
answer. "Yes. Yes, we are."

People generally reacted fairly badly when they found this out. Tuck
could mostly get away with just not telling anyone, since he had not yet
manifested his mark. But, Cicada... Cicada didn't fool anyone, and as
far as Tuck could tell, besides wearing his hair down, Cicada didn't seem
to care to try.

"You're a Cordova Legionnaire, right?"

Abeille nodded and reached into a hidden pocket in her cloak. She pulled
out a silvery chain with small black beads, at the end of which hung a
small purple globe, about the size and consistency of a marble. "Fourth
generation in the service of House Eraclea," she replied, opening the door
and ushering Tuck inside. Another kitchen, Tuck realized. He'd just
left the kitchen back on the Lagolale Main, and now he'd ended up in yet
another kitchen. Life liked to move in depressing circles like that.

Abeille turned and bowed, holding the chain up so that the globe swung
back and forth in front of his face. "May I?"

Tuck nodded and stood still. He'd met many Cordova Legionnaires before,
and knew what was coming. As far as he could tell, their faith was fairly
harmless, even if some nobles scoffed at it.

"May your service to House Eraclea and the Maestro be strong, ceaseless,
and true," Abeille said quietly, holding the pendant over Tuck's head, so
that the marble swung in a circle, drawing a halo in the air. "And may
your deeds be reflected with grace in the eternal pools of Ibildel."

The Cordova, Tuck knew, were special favorites of nobles. Not because of
their faith, no, they generally hid that aspect of their personality as
much as possible. But, the Cordova made good servants because of their
family trait. They didn't need to sleep for more than an hour a day.
Their bodies were made for efficiency, so that they could continue working
without the need for rest. And they were, indeed, tireless workers.
Diligent and quietly serene. Perfectly suited for the role they served.

All of the Legionnaire families had some trait to make them useful to the
Guild, to give them their place within the society. The Pickerings had
lightning-fast reflexes, making them the best Etoile Fighter pilots. The
Samita were like ants, able to carry objects many times their weight,
which made them good shipyard workers. The Polibashi had tongues like
calculators, and an immunity to poisons, allowing them to discern the
worth and quality of any food or drink with a simple taste.

The Gregor Legionniares...had no ability to sense physical pain. This
caused them to be highly sought-after bodyguards.

And the Etele Legionnaires...every bone, every muscle, every inch of skin,
was wired to allow them to be agents of death. They were warriors, but
not just any warriors, flawlessly precise warriors. It was said that to
watch an Etele Legionnaire fight was to understand the phrase, 'Viewing
the Dance of Death". Until the Etele-Gregor skirmish, the Legionnaires
of Tuck's family had been sought after by nobles of every house, major
and minor, as assassins.

Abeille put her pendant away and nodded, apparently satisfied with her
blessing. Tuck figured that the Cordova spent so much time awake, they
just had to have something else to occupy their time, their thoughts, so
they chose religion. Maybe all that praying had somehow turned their
hair dark. Tuck couldn't remember seeing any Guilders except the Cordova
who had black hair.

"Come," Abeille said, her voice barely above a whisper, "There is food."

The Cordova Legionnaire turned and made herself immediately busy at
preparing a meal. Ginger soy, with roasted oat. Typical fare for
servants. Hardy, clean, and filling. Tuck sat on a nearby stool and
watched her work. Patience and humility, Tuck knew, were always good
choices when dealing with anyone of higher rank, so he decided to wait for
Abeille to speak first.

"Maestro is magnificent, is she not?" Abeille asked as she pushed the
sizzling oats back and forth with a long stick.

"Yes," Tuck replied. "She's very..." He couldn't think of another
good word to describe the experience of meeting Delphine-sama.
"Magnificent."

Abeille nodded silently. What else could really be said about the
Celestial Maestro? You could comment on her beauty, her grace, her wit,
but overall, the Maestro -was- the Guild. To think her anything less than
perfect was to leave a smear on their entire race.

"Abeille-san? Dio-sama, is he like his sister?"

"Oh no," Abeille replied, smiling softly. She scraped the oats on top of
the ginger soy, and turned to put the plate in front of Tuck. "Dio-sama
is a very free spirit. But, it is because he is young, and knows little
of the world. Dio-sama is curious, and inventive, and playful.
Sometimes, this gets him into much trouble."

So, this was the type of person Tuck was to serve...as a gift. Tuck
didn't know much about being curious, or inventive, or playful. He'd
spent most of his life training to be a warrior, like Cicada, or working
in a kitchen. Life, to him, was an elaborate ritual of avoiding
displeasing superiors or his brothers, and extremely hard work.

"How..." Tuck poked at his food, and then remembered his manners, and
stopped. "Abeille-san, how shall I serve Dio-sama? What things should I
do to please him?"

"This I do not know, Etele-kaja. You must figure it out for yourself.
But, if you train hard, and learn all the many protocols, lessons, and
graces which can be taught, you will have your best chance."

Tuck nodded slowly and then returned to eating. A chance... A chance for
what?

A better life? A life with some sort of purpose?

Or just a chance to avoid Delphine-sama's wrath?


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Cicada followed Sybene through the arched halls of the ship, glancing left
and right to scrutinize his surroundings. His plan had worked, and he was
now in the good graces of Delphine-sama. Not just her good graces, but
he had, within just a few hours, obtained one of the highest ranks a
Legionnaire could achieve, servitor to the Maestro.

If only his meddling brother had stayed in the cabinet. Ah, well, it was
of no consequence. Either Tuck would learn to live as an Etele
Legionnaire, or he would die as a fool due to his own careless foibles.
Either way, Cicada would not attempt to change the mind of the Celestial
Maestro.

"I do not require rest or quarters. I need only a proper uniform and
directions to the guard station of this transport vessel. I must to see
to the security of her Celestial Majesty," Cicada said to the woman in
front of him.

Sybene stopped walking, and tilted her head to the side, giving him a
curt nod of acquiescence. "As you wish."

Sybene led Cicada to a storage room containing uniforms, and opened the
door. She halted for a moment, and searched her cloak for an object. A
pendant, silver with black beads, and a purple sphere dangling from the
end.

She held it up to Cicada, "May I?"

Cicada scowled.

"Foolishness. You may not. Do not produce such items around me again."

"As you wish, Etele-bougu." Sybene bowed her head.

Cicada grabbed the woman by her chin and tilted her face up, in order to
get a better look at the blue color marking her lips. "You are
Delphine-sama's lady-in-waiting."

"Yes, Etele-bougu." Sybene blinked several times, but never pulled away.
Nonetheless, Cicada could feel her tremble. They always trembled, and
their eyes always strayed to his forehead. Cicada glared at the woman.
A typical Cordova, with dark hair and hollow eyes forever mired in the
murky frivolity of religion. The blue tattoo on her quaking lips
signified her station, and her dedication to the Maestro. The pain of
taking such a tattoo was meant to signify that she would forever keep the
Maestro's confidences, no matter what torture she would have to endure.
It was a rare marking for a Cordova to bear.

"I see." This one would be useful, very useful. Cicada eased his grip,
but didn't let go. "Tell me. Who is the man who stood upon
Delphine-sama's dais holding that child? The Gregor. Who is he? How
long has he served? This is something you can tell me, yes?"

"Yes, I can tell you this." Sybene turned her gaze away from Cicada's
face. "That is Luric-jikou, formerly Luric-bougu. He has been in
service to House Eraclea for thirty years, and was a faithful to servitor
to Maestro Orphael."

The old Maestro's servitor, but now merely a tutor. Cicada scoffed at the
idea of enduring such a ludicrous demotion. The old man should have been
killed for his inability to protect the former Maestro. Delphine-sama's
mercy was far too kind.

But, Cicada would not be so forgiving.

As soon as possible, he had to get rid of that disgusting Gregor.


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It was three days before the palace was deemed re-secured, and the
Celestial Maestro's transport ship could safely return. All of the major
houses which had participated in the rebellion were in hiding, and the
minor houses were each clamoring for mercy. They sent missive after
missive to the palace with excuses. They had been tricked. They had been
coerced. They would never turn against House Eraclea, not on purpose.
If they could be spared, they would pledge eternal allegiance to
Delphine.

Delphine accepted them all back with open arms, on one condition...

In one year's time, all Principals of all the houses which sought her
forgiveness would have to convene at the Celestial Palace and prove their
dedication in the manner of Delphine's own choosing.

Those who failed to please her, would be returned to their houses in
funerary urns.


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In Our Next Chapter: Delphine's sinister plan doesn't sit well with Dio,
and the pair argue. Tuck/Lucciola tries not to die from exhaustion. And
Cicada reveals a thing or two about his motives.

Author's Notes:

Ah! In my last Author's notes, I said that I would call him "Luciola",
but someone else pointed out that if I wanted to be in keeping with the
insect names, I should call him "Lucciola", which means firefly in
Italian, so I shall do that.

I apologize for all the wacky history in this chapter, but the structure I
am creating for the Guild is quite elaborate. I guess I threw too much
in, this time, but in subsequent chapters, there won't need to be quite as
much exposition, I promise. More character interaction, next time.

Just for reference:

Kaja - "Young servant" (Tuck/Lucciola)
Jijo - "Lady-in-waiting" (Sybene)
Toji - "Housekeeper" / "Head of household". (Abeille)
Bougu - "Protector/Servitor" (Cicada)
Jikou - "Imperial Tutor" (Luric)

In this story, it is common for the servants/Legionnaires to call each
other by their family name, followed by their position, if you do not
know their name, or wish to signify respect. This is why Tuck/Luccoila
doesn't know what to call Abeille, because he doesn't know her position.

Review Notes:

Thank you to all reviewers who have taken a chance on this new story. I
thank you for all your comments. So, thank you to: roguehobbit, Nikki,
Mun Pai, M.Helen, menecr, Loop E. Rabbit, Sybel Sayrah, Black-Inque2002,
MsCongeniality, Sailor-Earth13