I wanted to post fluff today given what's going on, but this is what I had that I could get postable. I hope it provides something else to think about for a bit.
The adorable cover illustration is by zvaize of tumblr, who I would like to thank very much!
Plastic bag full of snacks Yuna'd asked him to carry thrown over his shoulder, M-21 realized he'd gotten ahead of the kids and turned around to see Ikhan talking to Regis, looking up at M-24 as he said something excitedly. Both of the M-series knew a bit about hacking from trying to get into Union computers for information that would help them survive. Ikhan was a lot better at it than they were, but even if it was an advantage that everyone in the Union thought they were stupid and worthless, it was nice to see Ikhan's face light up as he realized they knew something about the kid's… Thing he did for fun?
He saw the craggy smile on his comrade's face and thought, "This isn't so bad."
M-21's enhanced hearing picked up Seira's little sound of disappointment before he rounded the corner into the living room. Urokai was home and had claimed the kitchen, so Seira wouldn't be able to cook tonight.
She glanced between the older noble and Shinwoo, but joined the students around the coffee table when Yuna waved to her.
"Come play with us too!" Shinwoo said as Seira sat down next to him.
M-21 bristled a bit when he saw that Regis was sitting next to M-24, but he still shook his head. "I got something else to do," he said, and went into the kitchen. "Hey," he said to the noble.
"Hmm?"
"The tea stuff you gave us helped M-24, so I want to learn about it."
Turning to him, the noble's face lit up, but he paused, visibly restraining himself from going into excited chatter. "There are books like the one I gave you, and online resources – I could pick out some more for you."
"I already looked into that." So even if M-21 would rather avoid having to spend time with the powerful nobles so he didn't have to worry about pissing them off, "They've just got what teas do for humans. We're not human anymore."
"Who told you that?" Urokai wondered. "The people who serve the Union willingly may have betrayed humanity, but you two haven't. I do hope I don't have to stab any of the children… Did they bother you two? Because if they have been insulting you like that, I really should get it taken care of before Frankenstein finds out some noble thought they had the right to decide who was and wasn't human. Stabbings heal, even ones from soul weapons. The last person Frankenstein gave a disappointed lecture is still too ashamed to show their face and it's been… four hundred years now? Something like that."
"They're all nice," M-21 said quickly, because he didn't want to get anyone in trouble with a scientist! "Too nice," he muttered under his breath, giving Regis a baleful look. M-24 was his comrade.
"He doesn't need to let the Landegre or the Ru adopt him." Urokai told him. "Humans are very cute once you get to know them, and nobles were forbidden to live among humans ages ago. But then we started rescuing more Union victims than could really fit in the manor, and Raskreia thought it would be a good idea to find out what happens if humans and nobles live together. But learning how to take care of yourself and your comrade without being dependent on anyone will also help restore your pride." He nodded to himself. "I'm not a Tradio or a human doctor, but I've picked up a lot of remedies, if I do say so myself. We'll have to do this in one of the underground kitchens – some of the herbs you'll want to know about can be dangerous to unenhanced humans."
That actually made M-21 relax a little. Even if downstairs was where the lab was, if there were dangerous things involved, that meant he'd be learning the real stuff.
…And M-24 would come with him if M-21 was going down there, which meant he wouldn't be hanging out with Regis.
Glancing at the little noble, M-21 wanted to bristle and yell at him to stop just being so close to M-24.
"If you're jealous, you should talk with your comrade about it."
Of course M-21 was jealous! Regis had all that power, Regis had a family, how was M-21 supposed to compete with that if M-24 would rather go with him?
"In the Union, the only people who were kind to you two were your comrades, most likely. I remember how jealous I was when…" Urokai caught himself. "In the Union, no one who wasn't a comrade would have been nice to M-24 without an ulterior motive."
"And enough pull, or permission for their scheme, to avoid getting reeducated for lowering themselves to talk to trash," M-21 agreed, staring at Regis without blinking.
"M-24 is a very loyal comrade. So you can understand why someone else would want him to be their comrade. But, M-21… has it ever occurred to you that you are also a very loyal comrade?"
That made M-21 blink and look at him.
"You have a very strong Will To Protect. Among nobles, that's considered far more praiseworthy and important than just power." Urokai gave an offhand wave, as though power was something annoying to shoo away instead of something precious to be pursued at all costs. It was stupid: even nobles really couldn't afford to think that way, or else the Union might catch up to him, but it still made it a little easier for M-21 to trust him. Urokai was crazy, but stupid-crazy instead of grabbing every advantage like the people at the Union. "It's only sensible: a Will To Protect will let you gain power, but power won't get you a strong will to protect. Regis thinks the two of you are very strong and admirable for not just surviving the Union, but protecting each other. He would be very flattered if you wanted to be his comrade."
That made M-21 stare at him. Someone… wanting to be M-21's comrade? Wanting to be part of the M-series, of any numbered series? "I don't get you people," he said instead, putting his hands in his jacket pockets.
Urokai looked thoughtful, stirring one of the pots on the stove. "That's a good thing, isn't it? Because what you 'get' is the place they took you."
Yeah, what M-21 understood was the Union. So these people really did work different? Not the Union, so it almost had to be work better.
"It's punishment time!" he heard from the sitting room, and turned around to see Shinwoo stand up and thwap the forehead of Raizel, the one the scientist liked. The scientist who was also the head of Shinwoo's school and therefore in charge of him? And now Shinwoo was laughing with his hands on his hips and everyone here was crazy.
M-24 was smiling, though. No. M-24 was alive to smile.
Stacks of multi-colored fabric were thrown at them. "Put these aprons on over your clothing to protect it – I'll put on yours," Urokai said, already pushing what turned out to be a smock over Raizel's head.
Somehow, the quiet noble had ended up coming downstairs with them. Maybe he'd picked up on M-24's worry about going down here?
Raizel pinched the fabric. It wasn't even white under the stains, which was a good thing (less like a labcoat), but Raizel was frowning slightly.
"What is it?" Urokai asked.
"It is not my style," Raizel confessed after a moment, very apologetic.
Urokai gasped and had it off Raizel in a second. "I'm so sorry Raizel! I'll get one of the plain sheets."
He hurried out of the room and that left M-21 and M-24 to look around. The cabinets weren't even locked. There was some equipment in there, some bottles with liquids in them, but mostly it was powders and plants and stuff that didn't look very much like science to M-21.
If they were back at the Union they would have kept a lookout, but here they wanted to see Urokai's reaction to them going through his stuff. He didn't seem to notice or care when he came in, just folded a sheet around Raizel and finally pinned in a few places. It seemed vaguely familiar to M-21, but he couldn't think of what it was called.
This time after looking down at himself Raizel nodded at Urokai.
"I'm so glad! Let's see, let's start with some of the things we've found out about since you went into sleep, Raizel! That way all of you can try them once you've made them!"
Sunlight streamed in through the window behind the desk, falling on the pile of paperwork. "And you'll be staying at my house for the duration, I expect?"
"That would allow me to spend more time with Regis, if you don't mind."
"Not at all," Chairman Lee said, smiling. "You may have your choice of the spare bedrooms."
Hmm? "I would be happy with the one I was in last time." It wasn't one of the three or four master bedrooms built into all of Frankenstein's houses in various parts of the world (he had to hide his lack of aging, so he had several not just safehouses but identities, and schools to go with them), but it was next to Regis' room.
"I'm afraid it's been taken."
"Taken?" Rousare asked, frowning for a moment. The clan leader's eyebrows rose. "I am pleased to see that you are looking well."
Frankenstein hid a frown. Was it that obvious? Of course, he socialized more with the Landegre than the other pureblooded families bar Kertia, and their loyalty was beyond reproach. It was just that he was hoping to surprise Rousare with Raizel's resurrection. If a clan leader could get as far as their living room without sensing Raizel's aura, it would prove that the shielding on the house (which he'd copied for the school) worked as well as Frankenstein hoped.
Or maybe it was his own fault his student knew him this well, really.
The Loyard and Landegre clan heirs along with Ximine Siriana kneeling to formally great the Landegre Clan Leader in the middle of the schoolgrounds drew some stares from the first-years, but the older students knew about those three being foreign nobility and had learned that it was rude to stare after attending his school, thankfully.
Like Gejutel, Rousare was certainly striking. Overall, he was far less severe than his father. Also less massive. Regis was attempting to emulate Gejutel to seem more grown-up. Probably because he, like Ikhan, was still quite short. Even Regis' father would have seemed like a half-grown colt standing next to Gejutel if it weren't for a noble's dignity and grace born of long practice (by human standards, at least).
Honestly, did the Landegre age like trees?
Frankenstein's thoughts were interrupted when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
"Have I mentioned that I'm a big fan of your work? Because I'm a big fan of your work," one of Urokai's two captives was saying when Frankenstein got close enough to hear. He landed on the roof, Raizel behind him and to his right.
"Good news – they were sent by an elder to investigate Crombel. He's made some trouble for the Union, so I don't think there will be too much reprisal when we kill him," Urokai told Frankenstein.
He smiled. "That is good news. And who might you be?" he asked the young – almost certainly doubly-young, without their memories – men.
"I'm Tao, and this is Takeo!"
The taller one with long hair's eyes widened. "Are you… They say you can cure anything. I have a sister."
"Oooh." Urokai nodded. "I thought this was too easy. That's why I called you," he looked at Frankenstein.
"You two haven't been mentally tampered with much beyond the usual," he could tell thanks to the power of the Noblesse he gained through the contract. "But they may have intended for us to capture you. Union victims aren't allowed siblings. Union 'culture' is designed to turn humans into useful tools but still helpless to defy their owners, and family bonds are a source of strength. It's so obviously that something's up that they may have put you in a position to be captured so that someone would investigate what is going in."
"They're using us as a trap for you?"
"Probably you," said Tao, tapping his fingers together thoughtfully. "They'd know that you're soft and try to spare people. I thought they hadn't gotten rid of you yet because Dr. Aris didn't want her experiment messed up, but…"
"Rousare just arrived – why don't we let him handle it?" Frankenstein asked Urokai.
Rousare's fellow clan leader nodded thoughtfully. "His birthday is coming up."
Frankenstein arched an eyebrow – Urokai was remembering birthdays now?
"Birthdays are always coming up, they're so close together."
"Not that it's a bad thing to spoil other people's children," Frankenstein said, smiling. Urokai enjoyed his position of favorite uncle to the rest of the clan leaders – not that it was hard to be the cool one who knew more about what the younger generation were going through when you were standing next to Gejutel.