Vivio turned the light off above her bed and slumped down so that she could get some sleep. Everything was perfect, the bed was soft, there were few lights in the room, everything was quiet, and she was quite exhausted. Still, she found herself unable to fall asleep. The answer was right in front of her, and she began to ponder about how she got to where she was right now.
Maybe it was all because she grew up with it. Then again others have grown up under those conditions as well and turned out “normal”. Maybe it was loneliness. Sure, she had a very loving family, had trustworthy close friends, and plenty of people at school interested in her, but she did not have the same, feelings, for them. Maybe she was just screwed up, something was wrong with her to begin with to have these desires of hers. All she knew was that there was this desire, love, and comfort that only those special people could bring out in her.
Zafria was Vivio’s first contact with a familiar, well, guardian beast. Despite her young age at the time she could remember clearly how scary he looked when she first met him. She was so terrified that he was going to eat her in one bite that for the first few days he made sure to look after her in his puppy form. Once she got use to his presence, she felt very secure around him. He was like a big fluffy puppy to her that she could always play with and yet he was also one of the first strong figures in her life that she knew would protect her from anything. Even to this day he would look over her, and would be there if she needed him.
Then there was Arf and oh was that always an adventure for her. That one was a handful to say the least. Now, Arf was a playful girl in her own way. When Vivio was younger Arf would always be in her puppy or child form, running around, doing tomboyish things, and causing some level of havoc. Many a day would Vivio and Arf would be sent to sit in the corner or the in their rooms because of the mischief they caused. Of course as Vivio grew older, so did Arf, and kind of acted like a big sister. Though she had understanding parents and friends to talk to, Vivio always found it easier to ask Arf more personal, feminine questions. Even if she was a familiar, she was still one of her best friends.
Vivio never thought of this as something wrong, many individuals formed some sort of bond with their familiar, but the girl started to realize later that something different about herself. She never could trace what when it was, but at some point the difference between familiar and person blurred. While the rest of the girls dreamed kissing their first boy, Vivio wondered what it would be like to kiss a familiar in human form. Her dreams of her family and friends when she was an adult would include familiars, but not as pets or someone to help her in combat. It was at this point that she started to search on the internet about familiars and their lifestyles. He disk space begin to fill with stories about the creatures (people in her book), pictures of them at work, play, shows and costume, and even a little bit of info on how to summon a familiar.
And as she began to mature, so did her feelings. She would wonder if familiars were just like humans. Unconsciously she started to take note of the two familiars she knew best. Every so often she would take sly peaks at Zafria’s more masculine features. Her questions to Arf about sex increased hoping she would share personal experiences. And as Zafria and Arf started to expand their relationship, Vivio paid more attention to the developments than did the others. She would not flaunt over the idea of getting the two together, but was more interested in their relationship itself. Her curiosity was focused on how the behaved during their dates, what nuances they had that where based on their animal sides and what they considered what romance was. Her picture folder also began to grow with more mature pictures as well, ones that she tried hard to keep Nanoha-mama from finding. Her tastes focused mostly on the romantic side of things, shunning all of those that would treat their familiars as sex objects. Every passing day her secret interest grew.
“What would it be like to have a familiar?” she pondered one night aloud in her room. “It would nice to have a partner I could trust in when I finally go into the military. That’s not to say I don’t want to work with Syn. I wouldn’t want to be partnered up with anyone else but… a familiar would be like an extension of myself. Nanoha-mama wouldn’t worry so much if someone trustworthy was watching my back. And its not like it would be someone just for combat, it would great to have another friend, someone I could room with, spend my extra time with, someone who would spend their nights….” That was the blush she would never forget, when she realized just what she wanted. “It’s not wrong, is it? To have someone you can softly breath on in your sleep, to have strong arms protecting you, to…” And at that moment her research took new light.
Hours upon hours where spend searching for information on familiar creation. The nuances, the requirements, even potential laws she might have to abide to. She began to spend time over at the infinite liberty getting hard to find resources. Of course with Nanoha-mama being the snoop that she is and Yunno-papa knowing nearly anything that was searched in the liberty hiding her interest became even more difficult. She became shaky and nervous about every single creek and bump outside of her room as she compiled more and more information on the subject. Every minuet she though about the subject the more she convinced herself that she could pull it off. “They would be a great help for in combat.” and “Once I do it Nanoha-mama wouldn’t be able to say no to me having a familiar.” And even “I am from the line of the Sankt Kaiser, I would have more than enough magical power to do it on my own.”
But her secret desire for a familiar who was more than just a combat partner was not able to be kept. She only wanted to leave her room for a two minutes, grab some snacks form the kitchen for her and Syn and return to watch some sort of movie or something with her. Unfortunately the best laid plans of mice, men and Vivio where washed away when Fate-mama caught her in the kitchen and began to talk her ear off by asking how she was doing in school, what was new, and some things that she had been up to at work. When she returned she noticed that Syn was staring intensely at something on her monitor. It took the girl a moment to realize what her friend was looking at.
“S S S SY SYN!” The girl dropped the snacks she had and turn beat red. A similarly red faced Syn looked in Vivio’s direction with a face of both “I got dirt on you” and “what the hell is this crap”.
The blue hair girl tried to get her composure and put on her best grin, “I didn’t know you were into this kind of stuff.” Syn tried to hide the fact that she was overly embarrassed by the content of her friend’s computer but was failing miserably at it.
”its its…”
“Its exactly what it looks like? I mean, wow, is this what gets you all wet. If I would have know that I would have wore fox ears a long time ago.”
“SYYYYYNNN!!!!!”
“And it looks like you have it for the guys and the girls”
Vivio blushed even darker
“But seriously, you are really thinking about this aren’t you.”
The rest of that night was spent in deep conversation. Syn was shocked about this side of Vivio that she never saw before, and yet she wanted to help her. They figured that between the two of them they could get all the supplies they would need. Finding space would not be an issue either, with so many important relatives there was no doubt they would be able to sneak into somewhere private to perform the ritual. But there was still on thing that they couldn’t decide on.
“Sooo,” Syn leaned forward to pick a snack off the bed, “what kind of familiar do you want?”
Vivio laid back on her bed and looked at the ceiling, “I don’t know, I don’t what its is that I really want.”
“How about a bird, a nice strong guy with wings…”
“umm, isn’t that kind of… a little too… How do I say this, exotic for a familiar?”
“That’s true Vi, that and if he has wings in humane forum that might make things uncomfortable as a screw buddy.”
“SYN!” The girl received a dirty look back. “Ok… maybe I do want someone that could be a little bit more… ferialinthatsortofthing but! I think that simple would be best. Besides,” Vivio pulled over some of her research, “this spell over here states that the form that the familiar takes can be representative of the masters inner self or inner wishes. I guess that means I’ll get what I really feel what is best for me, even if I don’t know it.”
“So then, what about gender?” Syn asked.
Vivio sat up to respond. “Sex…”
“Please?”
“Mou… you know what I mean.”
“I know Vi.”
“Well umm… I was thinking maybe…” Vivio pushed her fingers together, “Both?”
And for the umpteenth time that night Syn replied with a perverted look on her face.
“Two familiars Syn! I swear, if all pinked haired girls are dumber than bricks then blue haired ones have their minds permanently stuck in the landfill.”
“Soo, you want two then…”
“I should have enough mana.”
“Well then you be livening the dream then girl. Go Go Threeway!Vivio.”
“Mouuuu”
Things were not as simple as they seemed that night. Sneaking out all the items they needed without attracting any suspicion turn out to not be an easy task. They had to take the idea of the $3,000 toilet seat to a whole new level by checking out all the necessary books as well as purchasing the materials they needed along with other stuff they didn’t. If any questions were arouse they partners in crime felled back on school projects. Also, finding the right location proved difficult as well. The Mutibattlefield Training Simulator that was present on the base where Nanoha was stationed at proved to be the best option, but two girls showing up for just one night for training would look two suspicious. Many an evening was booked as training exercises so they would not look out of place. To make it look real they used their time training to scope out the various parts of the urban setting to find the best place to perform the ritual. In total, two months passed before they could get everything in order.
The night was a warm one, few people were on base, and no one thought twice about the duffle bags the two girls where carrying into the training field as it was normal by this time. After a half an hour the girls were convinced that no one was monitoring them so they went ahead and set up shop in one of the buildings they had scoped out. Once everything was in order Syn turned to her friend and asked her if everything was alright. With a nod from the blond she stepped back and watched from the sidelines as Vivio begin the ritual.
It was a strange yet comforting feeling that emerged when the rural started. Vivio felt as though her whole soul was expanding, flowing through the air and pulsing through the magic circle glowing on the ground. She poured over the lines of the spell each one increasing her excitement that her wish was finally coming true. But as the rite passed on, so did the fatigue. Each passing phrase became harder on the seventeen year old. Syn cried out to make her friend stop, but it was to know avail, Vivio breathed out the last words of the rite and felt a warmth flow through, then out of her.
She awoke to the cold white ceiling of the local infirmary, and judging by the lighting, it was well in the afternoon of some other day.
“Vivio, you are awake?”
Vivio rose slightly and looked at the woman standing off to the side of her bed.
“Mama?”
The girl was too exhausted to be worried about any kind of punishment, instead she focused on those that were in her room. Her eyes shifted from Nanoha to a worried Fate-mama getting up from her chair to Yunno-papa sitting next to the window reading through the notes she used for the summoning ritual. Then without warning a calico face invaded her view.
‘MISSTRESS!’ She heard a female voice resonate in her heart,
‘You’re awake’ This hyperactive cat then proceeded to nuzzle against Vivio’s face.
‘We were so worried about you.’
“ummm…” Looking downward she noticed that there was another feline laying at the base of her feet. It was much lager tabby that the calico now licking her cheek with dark gray fur. Slowly it looked over at her and nodded politely.
“Mistress.” A firm male voice echoed in her heart.
Vivio looked back at her mother, but before she could speak Yunno looked up from the notes.
“You seemed to have done your research here. This are rather complete and high level spell you have written down.”
“Vivio,” The girl turned back to Nanoha, “If you wanted to have a familiar, you could have asked us. You didn’t have to go behind our backs, we would have helped you.”
The poor blond was shocked, Nanoha was not angry at her.
“However, because you did go behind our backs you are grounded for four weeks.”
Vivio didn’t have it in her to fight her mother on that.
“Mou… I was worried about you.” Nanoha then decide to hug her daughter tightly and was quickly joined by Fate.
“un…. Thank you Mama…”
‘Mistress’s moms! I cant breath!’
The two older women retracted and looked down at the feline that was squished in their hugging.
“Oh um… Sorry umm…” Fate apologized. “ummm…. What’s your name?”
‘Name’ the calico looked at Vivio.
‘Mistress, what is my name?’
Vivio looked hard at the cat sitting against her chest. Slowly she picked her up getting a goofy grin out of her.
“Your name is…” She though about it for a second. “Stephanie”
“Yea! I like that name!”
Fate petted Stephanie “Quite the active one aren’t you?”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Active huh?” Vivio looked down at the tabby still sitting at her feet like he was keeping watch. “What about him?”
“Oh him,” Yunno sat up “When I got here he was so defensive around the doctors, he seemed to lighten up a bit more when one of us were around though…”
“Humm…” Vivio pondered again, prompting the male cat to look in her direction. “I will name you… Thorn”
“If that is what you wish for my Mistress, then I will accept that name.”
“Yes and umm…” Vivio started to get flush, “please don’t call me ‘Mistress’ it doesn’t really suite me… call me Vivio.”
“Ok” Stephanie exclaimed.
“Now then,” Nanoha used her motherly tone, “you need to get your rest, we will see you tomorrow sometime, ok dear.”
“Yes mama.”
“Good, have a good evening.”
“Ok…”
As the adults left Vivio looked at her familiars; Stephanie stretching out on top of her to get comfortable and Thorn still keeping lookout at the base of the bed. She now had part of what she always wanted, now she needed become not their “Mistress” but their friend.