Hope ya'll don't mind the long chapter! Lots to wrap up so we can get back to some sexy Levi time.
Blinding light spilled into the room. It reeked of stale air and depression, a lump in the center of the bed hidden beneath the winter felts, blonde knots laying on the silk pillow sheets. Sif placed her hands on her waist as she examined the mess from the night before- the Lady's dress on the floor, heels kicked messily to the foot of the bed, corset tossed blindly behind and hanging hazardously off the corner of her wooden paneled room divider. Elsie knew very well it was a sight for the maid and expected a tongue lashing. She burrowed further into her warm blankets, blocking out the day.
"Shall I draw a bath before rousing the beast?" Sif drawled although her short heels clicked around the bed before she'd finished. She plucked at the clothes, tutting the entire time, and Elsie did not breathe until she heard the tap turn on.
Elsie stared at the underside of the comforter. It was hot and stuffy beneath all the blankets but she couldn't bare the thought of facing the day. Here she could dream of Levi, could practically imagine his touch against the base of her spine, or his body in the bed beside her. If she dreamed real good she remembered snippets of times with him; tea in the late night, his lips against her own, the sight of his slanted eyes first thing when he woke up. She had one of those memories before Sif had rudely stomped into her room.
Levi held her the morning of Shiganshina. They'd laid in bed, watching the nature come to life through the open window. His fingers splayed across her naked body, following the structure of her bones, his lips against the back of her neck as he whispered maneuvering techniques to her. She'd giggled then, having it found hilarious he would talk of plans in bed, and turned to catch his lips. She hadn't seen his face; just when she'd turned to meet him Sif's clicking heels had drawn her out of her deep sleep.
"The tub is half filled, my Lady." Speak of the devil.
Elsie tossed the layers of blankets from her head, watching her hair frizz and fly upwards, and turned to take in the stony faced woman. Sif was always perfect with her hair tightened in a bun and eyes darkly lined with eyeliner. Her stockings kept her legs warm in the winter, the only new addition to her black and white attire, and before she entered the breakfast room where Porco Galliard sat, she'd spritz her favorite rosemary perfume. A rancid smell to Elsie, who found she hated the extravagant oils and perfume Marleyan women wore none to her liking. It was strange, when all she's ever wanted was to be back in the Twenty First Century. Now she held make up and bath bombs and shampoo, and fresh razors thank Freyja, at her disposal, and it all made her stick her nose up. She'd grown accustomed to going without and it would be no use to use them when she would be leaving soon.
"I said that I don't need you to come in here every morning." Elsie snapped. Her lavender nightgown fell to her knees when she stood, satin falling from her pale skin.
Sif eyed her, "And we both remember how you came out looking."
"No one said I had to wear a dress every day."
"There are rules to the court, my Lady, and it is best to follow them. You are an Ambassador in training after all," This is said with contempt. Elsie mocked the words as she passed and Sif huffed. "Honestly, you act more like a child than a Lady!"
The bathroom door slammed shut. Her dress slid to the floor and Elsie sunk into the steaming water without a side glance to her reflection. She couldn't bare it after his marks had disappeared. The purple skin had given into the fight and her skin laid flawless and untouched in weeks. She dipped her fingers into her collar bone, neck rolling back as she relaxed, the smell of rosemary following Sif's trail through out the tight room. A dress was picked for the day, hanging on the wall divider, and of course a soft shade of purple. Although Elsie may be an Ambassador in training, her Seer duties always came first and were represented in the color of Freyja. She and Priestess Catharina looked like purple water lily's gloating down Tybur Manor's halls.
A good time later Sif knocked on the door and berated, "We don't have all day! Unplug the tap and dry off!"
Perhaps Elsie could make both their day a little more difficult and lock herself in the bathroom. She'd done it once before. Sif had shouldered the door until it shook and wobbled and Elsie feared it would splint under her relentless attack.
However today was an important day. It was her test. The first of three for the Lady of Seer. She stared at her scarred palms beneath the rippling water before lacing her fingers over the finger prints on her forearms. Priestess Catharina kept Elsie in the church for hours, hunched over blue prints and diary entries that Taryn Seherin had left in memory, and hours spent over memorizing scriptures and prayers for Freyja. It was too fascinating for Elsie to forget. This was her family, she realized, when seeing Taryn's old portrait and seeing the fine features of Florence's father in him. The questions of if she'd imagined the show, if the nightmares from her childhood had always been from this world and Florence had told her it was just Elsie's wild imagination, had slowly faded over time as she focused on what was to come.
And what was to come didn't happen for another four years. Elsie had time, too much of it, and it chipped at her soul and memories. If she could make time move to her pace then she would be in Levi's arms tomorrow. If she could do as she pleased then all of this would be nothing but a distant memory.
"Lady Elisabeth, can you not do this today?" Sif ordered from outside. She kicked the door, it wobbled at the bottom foot, and Elsie's eyelids opened. "It makes me look like a poor worker when the Lady is late nearly every morning."
"You are a poor worker," Elsie called, draining the tub and towel drying. "You never smile nor say good morning. I feel an air of attitude every time you walk into the room."
"It is nothing compared to being greeted by your sour face." Sif promptly replied.
Elsie rolled her eyes and unlocked the golden knob. She poured into the room, grabbing the layered dress and unlacing the long tie for the corset. Elsie gazed dauntingly at the attire before letting the towel fall and stepping into the hole of fabric that Sif spread for her.
"Such a mess, honestly. It amazes me that you manage to make the bed by yourself." The maid chastised as she picked the damp towel and night gown from the stoned floor, making her way to the bedroom to put the garments away.
The tie swayed at Elsie's waist as she raised her hands to brush her hair, leaving it down over her shoulder, before grabbing her diamond choker that Willy had so graciously given her as a gift. The velvet fabric on the inside caressed her skin and the diamonds glittered dangerously in the sunlight, although the gift could've gone without Willy kissing the back of her hand and stating that it held nothing to Elsie's unwavering beauty. Levi would not take well to Willy, Elsie had decided over time when his friendly behavior had slowly transitioned to overly close. He reminded Elsie of Van, with his puppy dog way of following her around and trying to impress her with walks in the gardens or surprise shopping sprees when Elsie looked too vexed to continue a conversation.
"Do I look like the Lady Seer?" Elsie asked, turning in the soft pastel skirts, her hips wider than usual, breasts blossoming over the v-lined top. "Or shall I smile more?"
Sif appeared over her shoulder and began lacing with ease that only years could give, "What does a Lady Seer look like? I've heard either a mad drunk or a hopeless romantic, and you my Lady," Sif pulled tight, constricting Elsie's breathing, and doing the knot sharply. "Are neither."
"Hm, and I'm sure you call me something better than a mad drunk?" Elsie raised an eyebrow.
Sif grinned, "A raging bitch, my Lady."
"I wouldn't expect less." Elsie scoffed.
The maid badgered and hackled Elsie but she was the only one Elsie could let her emotions out on. She played pretend all day, fake smiling when Willy met her eyes, and laughing at the horribly dry jokes that Major Gross tried to make land, and she did dirty work in the dark hours of the evening before meeting Priestess Catharina for prayer. She did her part through out the twelve hours of daylight and Sif was the one, minute in and out, there to see Elsie go through all the switches of dealing with these people. She was the only one who could say who Elsie truly was beneath the dresses and titles.
Sif took one look out the window and tutted, "We're late."
"Nothing new to them," Elsie said and tried to dodge Sif's quick hands. But the maid held her still and wrapped Elsie's hair in thee separate ringlets to pin at the nape of her head. "I rather hate this look."
"I'd rather you finally appear to be a Marleyan woman." Sif dryly replied.
Elsie snorted at the ludicrous idea. She swayed out of the bathroom and swung open the double doors of her room. The chilly halls raised goose bumps along her exposed arms and back, the low cut of the dresses seeming to grow over the weeks, and her brisk walk did nothing to keep the frost away. Her bedroom of more than average size took residence on the second floor and she took the main spiraling staircase down, passing the closed library doors, and confidently walking through the L shaped hall before landing before the smoking room of food.
Major Gross laughed over a shaking cup of brandy, "And the kid had the audacity to ask what he did wrong!"
This had Orion Granfer and Willy Tybur in hysterics. They did not stand to greet her anymore. Long gone had her shininess worn off, the men continuing to laugh and light their next cigar for the morning, ignoring her as she sat to the left of Willy and gathered her sausage and eggs. Sif entered, slightly out of breath and flushed in the cheeks, and immediately fixed her hair before grabbing the pitcher of the Mid-East's best white wine. She poured it graciously into Elsie's goblet before stepping into the shadows with the other servants of Tybur Manor, rosemary following in her wake.
"And what are your plans for the day, Lady Seer?" Major Gross asked after the laughter had died down and they'd taken bites of food. She found it disdainful how they managed to eat and smoke at the same time but she guessed to each their own.
"I am taking my first test with Priestess Catharina and after that I plan to celebrate with a good book and a glass of wine." Elsie raised her goblet in salute and the men drank with her.
"A test? I wasn't aware that there was one to become Lady Seer. Why wasn't I told of this?" Granfer asked in insult, holding his tanned hand to his chest and red lips pouting between his thick beard. "I would've applied."
"You are more than welcome to take it in my place. You will have to build something of great technological impressment, or something along the lines of that." Elsie shrugged, not the least bit timid of the impending task.
He raised an eyebrow, "Of impressment? That is all for you. I can only tie an impressive knot."
"Do you have an idea of what to make?" Willy asked and leaned closer.
Elsie's fingers drummed a rhythm against the goblet, "Something. Or rather to improve on something I had brought with me. If it is a great success I shall show you it after." She promised with a tilt to her lips and a twinkle in her eye.
"I'm sure we are all excited to see what you come up with," Major Gross said. "Even if it is nothing more than a toilet paper stand."
"Your thoughts stray to the bathroom too much, old friend. Perhaps a shoe stand for my priceless boots?" Willy suggested instead.
Elsie laughed, "Or rather something to impress the High Priestess. I think a coat rack for all her cloaks?"
"Yes, it would be safe to make the examiner something they would need." Granfer agreed with a tilt of his mug.
The conversation flowed between them. Elsie fit in swell. Major Gross, as usual, was the first to leave with an airy excuse of someone waiting for him. It was then left to Willy to entrain Orion Granfer, and what the men did between all the hours they had apart, she never knew. Neither spoke of it and for all she cared they were probably gaining lung cancer with all those nifty cigars that Granfer seemed to have a surplus of.
"And what will you be doing, Mr. Granfer?" Elsie asked curiously, holding out her goblet for Sif to refill. The maid had a dismayed look about her that reminded Elsie of her father. She drank the rich liquor instead of thinking further on her missing family.
Granfer leaned back in his chair and pondered, "What will I do? I tend to hang around ol' Willy until he gets sick of me."
"Nonsense my good sir! Your company always brings a smile to my face." Willy pish-poshed with a wave of the hand.
The pirate snickered, "And that is why we sit here all hours of the day talking."
"Don't you have a job?" Elsie asked.
Major Gross' mustache twitched, "Hmph, it seems only you and I are the busy ones, Lady Seer."
"I do work!" Willy quickly rebutted. "Granfer and I discuss the trade capabilities between us and the Mid-East."
He just as fast wished that he hadn't said anything. His eyes, so expressive and pools of blue, glanced nervously at Elsie before Major Gross. It seemed the older man was just out of the loop as Elsie because he leaned forward, licking his lips like a dog with a bone, brandy forgotten on the edge of the table.
"Mid-East? Since when have we been in discussion with them?"
Elsie's fingers itched to reach for her goblet but she held control. Sif, the prude, would only allow her two at a meal. Three and she said Elsie couldn't handle it. Which was bullshit because Elsie only became a grand time when she drank. Willy and Granfer always tried to persuade her to stay up late and drink with them.
"I wasn't aware there was a Mid-East." Elsie said mildly. Mikasa's face, so fresh and sudden, flashed and she winced. She indulged on the last of her wine at the memory.
"Hizuru. It is the capital of the area, where there is more than one city surviving, but we have never been on friendly terms with them. In fact if I remember correctly they are desperately trying to become seen as a nation." Major Gross said without hesitation. It made Elsie think that he had no intention of letting Hizuru attempt such a sacrilege.
"Yes and they have exceptional produce that we could make profit off of. Granfer is one of the best procurers for shipping cartel," The man swelled at Willy's kind words. "He is in contact with the head of the Azumabito family, the main producers of the wine and brandy that we've been drinking for the past month."
"Has it really been that long since I arrived? Feels like a day ago." Granfer mused and met Elsie's eyes, having arrived only a day before she had.
"None the less, what is your intention with the Azumabito family? To have business with them?" Major Gross scoffed and turned his head, shaking and grabbing his forgotten brandy.
Elsie hummed, "It would be very impressive if you could pull it off, Willy. To have another nation added to Marley would be quite the feat."
He nodded along to her words, "Yes, yes, I agree completely, Lady Seer. Of course no one plans to let them become a nation, my dear Major, but we can still gain from them. The wine and brandy is just the beginning of a great friendship with Hizuru."
"It's not a good idea, Willy. Let them die with the past." Major Gross met Elsie's eyes at this. He meant Paradis as well.
"If it is fears of them declaring war I would not worry. They live nothing like you. In Hizuru they have huts made of wood, cobbled streets with carriages still led by horses, and have just began to do indoor plumbing. They are a world away from being able to do damage to Marley." Granfer soothed with ease.
Elsie wondered how many table conversations had turned against him for the people he dealt with. It wasn't the safest to be trading among every nation during war times. People like Gross didn't see the grey in life. He saw Marley or nothing at all, and sadly many Ambassadors for the nations saw in the same dark light he did.
"Isn't that how it was in Paradis, Lady Seer?" Willy asked a little too hastily. His eyes pleaded for Elsie to change the subject.
She sat back in the plush chair, her plate half finished and doubtful to be touched again, "Yes. We had indoor plumbing but only one shower to a building. The soldiers had to wait in line for a cold shower at the end of the day."
"A shower is far better than a bucket of water over the head." Granfer added.
Elsie lost herself in memory, "And the streets weren't exactly cobbled. They left it in dirt until you got into the inner parts of the city were the rich lived. No such technology like Marley exists there, horse and man do everything in Paradis."
"Rather impossible to imagine," Her words only spurred Major Gross into standing. "Willy, think of what giving Hizuru a taste of the good life could do to them. For now they live in huts but in time they will want more and we have it. Think wisely before doing business with those savages." He gave Willy a mean, long look that conveyed the seriousness of his decision before ambling out of the room.
"First out as always. Makes me wonder if he likes us." Granfer said loftily in the silence Major Gross had left.
Elsie clicked her tongue against her teeth, "We are his favorite people in the world. But on that note, gentlemen, I do have a test to begin."
"All the luck in the world to you, Lady Seer." Willy raised his glass of brandy, appearing to be more tired than when Elsie had first stepped in.
Granfer cocked his head to the side, "Come now, one drink before your doomed meeting with the High Priestess?"
Sif was already walking towards the door, wine pitcher hidden and long gone from Elsie's reach. She said as much to Granfer who's laughter followed her into the foyer and out of the smoke hazed room. Sif held out the fur cloak she would wear in the short walk to the church, one that Elsie had complained immediately upon seeing in the beginning of the month. But one step outside had proven frosty breezes and knee deep snow, so Elsie had spitefully retracted and buttoned the fur over her thin dress.
The snow clumped at the bottom of her dress, the air biting at her ankles when they were exposed, and her breath fogging on her cheeks as she stead fast made her way to the church. Freyja's nine pointed star towered high on the chapel for all to see across the land of Tybur, one door left creaked open for Elsie's entrance. Candle light flickered through the frosted windows and they swished out of life briefly from the cold wind when her pale hand pushed it open.
High Priestess Catharina glanced back. She kneeled beneath Freyja, surrounded by candles to keep warm and see in the cloudy sky, with a servant boy of no more than ten sitting bored on a pew. He rose at Elsie's entrance, as he did every morning, and gaped at her with an open mouth and fish eyes. Always in awe to be in the presence of the Lady Seer. Elsie flicked the brim of his hat when she passed. The boy flushed and hurriedly fixed it, smiling to himself as he returned to his mindless staring and Elsie stopped at Priestess Catharina's back.
"Once again you missed morning prayer." Priestess Catharina said tartly. She returned to closing her eyes, hands clasped loose at her navel. Freyja's hooded eyes stared lovingly down at her believer.
Elsie tilted her chin to stare the window, "I was busy practicing the wiring to light fixtures."
"Is this true, Sif?" Priestess Catharina did not open an eye nor turn to check to see if the maid had made it into the chapel.
Sif's gloating voice called, "No, High Priestess. She slept in and drank with the men."
"Snitch." Elsie sang.
The Priestess sighed and gathered herself to her full six feet. As giant as she was, Priestess Catharina was the sweetest woman on the land. Her strict features only softened as Elsie grew to know her.
"You haven't attended morning prayers in over a week. Please, try harder, Lady Elisabeth."
Her lip curled at the name but she stayed silent, allowing the Priestess to do her job in nagging Elsie. No matter how often the elder demanded that Elsie appear for morning prayer she wouldn't come. The mornings were her own time, for her to dream and to pretend that she wasn't alone in those heavy blankets, and no matter how impressive it would be of Elsie to show, she would not give up those moments. Not after what she'd seen last.
"Be grateful that I attend your dusk prayer," Elsie said in a finalizing tone and Priestess Catharina bowed her head. "Where will I be performing the test? I know what I want to work on."
"As we have gone over, you have all day to create something. Tybur Manor has a room full of tools that you can use. Do not stress if nothing comes to you, it is only a test to see where your power lies. Which I think we all know will be with your second test, Sight."
Priestess Catharina often reminded Elsie that she needn't worry over any of the tests. She had already proven where her gift laid, which was the point of being tested, but to know if she had an extra talent hidden was the idea. She prayed she did. All of her planning for this test laid on if something came to her when she touched the metal. She glanced at the portrait of Freyja and asked Taryn to assist her today. For the sake of Marley, she added as an after thought.
"I'm ready."
Priestess Catharina snapped her fingers and the little boy rose to clear the mug of drank rose tea. The women huddled close and exited the church, Elsie not looking back to the portrait of Freyja for help. The snow began to rain from the sky, as it did most days now, and Elsie lifted the furred hood to cover her ears. Tybur Manor lit the white landscape with its flickering warm windows and shadows passing on the third floor as servants cleaned and did their daily chores. By now Willy and Granfer would have moved from the breakfast room to the library, sitting cozily by the fire with cups of brandy being filled and cigars half smoked as they forgot it in their conversation.
High Priestess Catharina led the way past the spiraling staircases to a door in the far back of the hall, forgotten and kept shut for a long time by the squealing it gave when she pushed it open. Dust lifted as they entered and Elsie ran her hands down the barren wall tables, seeing Hange hunched over a steaming piece of skin, her glasses glinting from the light in the small window as she looked up- and just as fast as the scientist had been there, Elsie blinked and was alone in the stale tight room with Priestess Catharina and Sif.
"This should be well enough," The Priestess dusted off a hammer and twirled it uselessly in her hands, obviously having never touched one before. "I should hope it is everything you'd need."
Priestess Catharina held no expectation for Elsie. She planned to return in the late night, well after she'd ate and prayed surely, and would see Elsie just as she'd been left, in a dark room with nothing to show for. And as Priestess Catharina had said, she would not be upset and it would be a fact known that she didn't hold the gift for technology. But it was break Elsie's heart if she couldn't do anything with what she had planned.
"We'll leave you to it then." High Priestess Catharina glanced about before nodding and hustling past Sif in the doorway.
Sif raised an eyebrow, "Are you actually going to try?"
"Of course not." She said with her back turned, holding a dust covered mason jar full of mismatched nails for inspection to the light glimmering dimly through the square window.
The servant made a noise of no surprise before disappearing out of the door as well. Elsie took her time to pull apart the work benches, nailed to the three walls with an island in the center that took up all the space. It was not used often and had been made with the bare idea of what someone would need to craft anything. At the end of the hour Elsie was covered in dust but the work bench shined old red wood and the window had been forced open to allow fresh air into the room. With this new restoration there was no way that Elsie wouldn't be able to focus on working on the ODM gear.
It laid in the room with Florence's portrait. Over the month Elsie had gathered any and all information regarding the last Lady into shelves and spent a majority of her afternoon there before meeting the High Priestess. It was there that Elsie had instructed Zeke, not so kindly, to place her broken ODM gear atop a box with loose papers full of Florence's signature on them. She couldn't bare to part with the smallest thing that her mother had touched and therefor collected them to be saved for when she returned to Paradis. Hopefully. She would have to pick what to take with her.
What would she take in her return to Paradis? She lit the candles in the room, the portrait coming to life with the flames, and Elsie gazed into the green eyes for a brief moment before turning her back. There was a letter to an orphanage that Florence had written in 833 describing how her son used to stick carrots up his nose and it was rather becoming of all three year olds to do it and recommending the matron to change her punishing for such a thing. If the portrait was able to fit inside of Elsie's pocket she would bring it along. But at the moment, all she had were signed notaries and a few letters to Councilmen that were all about Marley and nothing about Florence. It was a tease on getting to know her.
But first, Elsie had to fix the wires of the ODM gear. She grabbed the chunky two-piece machine and hobbled down the hallway, relieved when Sif didn't appear out of the shadows and demand to know what she was doing. They had truly left her alone.
The metal clanged against the work bench and Elsie placed her hands on it, closing her eyes and waiting for blue prints to appear behind her eyelids. That's what happened to Johanna, from all that she gathered, and there weren't any of Taryn Seherin's laying around. The High Priestess had such little doubt in Elsie proving a gift in technology that she hadn't attempted to bring all that was necessary. Silly woman. She should know better than to doubt Elsie.
Fireworks and red went off and then a flash of grey eyes behind pesky black hair. Elsie sighed and looked down at the machine.
The wires were torn and frayed where Zeke had cut the metal. She frowned in confusion, reflecting on the dark material of the blade as she began the long task of manually pulling out the fifty meter length of wire. She made sure they were identical before putting her hands at her hips, finally ready to admit that she was at a lost on what to do.
If she could figure out a way to fix it, or even make it better, she could send it to them. Somehow, someway. She would bring it to them. Gods, this was the only thing she could do right now, and the frustration built like a balloon in her chest at her lack of invention. It swelled and swelled, tears springing to her eyes, and her fists curled so tight that her nails dug into her palms.
Get it together. She furiously wiped her under eyes before exhaling and grabbing the metal once more. She picked at the pockets with nails in it, and then grabbed screwdrivers she'd put away earlier, and pulled apart the device. Wires upon wires appeared beneath the metal trap door, so frail and thin like veins, and Elsie worriedly moved them aside before glancing at the cut ends. That should be her goal but if she could understand how the machine worked then she could make a new one. To attempt to find the wiring used for ODM gear in Tybur's Manor would prove fruitless - although with Orion Granfer hanging around there was a chance she could get some soon. For now, for today, she could look at the innards of the machine. Priestess Catharina didn't expect anything of her anyway.
The sun rose high and should've been sweltering by now. But the room stayed below temperature and Elsie's fur cloak stayed clasped as she endlessly plunged her hands into either thigh device. A band held them together to wrap around her waist, the very one she'd plucked off when Erwin had approached her in the trees of the castle. She smiled at the memory of playing Tag with the others. Eren's hunched back in the tree, Sasha's shout bouncing from tree bark to tree bark, the smell of the woods sticking to their clothes long after they were finished. It smelled different in Marley, more polluted, and lacked the aroma of oak and wild flowers. She felt like a wild thing, trapped in the buildings and stiff clothes, when all she wanted was to return to the trees and the horseback riding over rolling plains of green.
She glanced at the falling snow, still heavy and relentless, and not to stop until she closed her eyes. With the meters of snow growing there was no way she could travel to a port, let alone any one who took a ship out to Paradis. She couldn't travel by sea in winter by her self. Doing it alone during summer was enough of a risk but one that she could handle. Come summer time Elsie would know the sea like the back of her hand, she promised herself.
She wished Marley wasn't so cold and that the snow had held out until she could find a way back. She wanted to return before Levi's thirtieth birthday but it appeared that she would be spending it apart from him. It ached in her bones that she couldn't give him at least one good birthday, like she'd planned when it appeared she'd stay, and the days ticked horrifically closer to the end of the year. She tried to remember Astrological signs, his birthday being December Twenty Fifth would make him a... Capricorn. She wished she knew more than the signs and what their attributes were.
"What is that?"
Elsie's hand jerked at the sudden intrusion. She drew an accidental line across the wood, having grabbed a marker and written words upon words of instructions. Elsie dropped the marker and stepped back, hitting the island and jostling Sif. She gazed open mouthed at the scribble, looking wide back at Elsie.
"What does it say?"
"You can't read it?" Elsie asked in shock, clearly able to read her legible cursive. Ymir had said that no one could write like her inside the Walls. Sif should know how to read as well, she was too educated to go about without teaching herself over time.
"Of course not, that's complete loony right there," Sif stepped closer to peer at the words. Elsie blinked and rubbed her eyes but the words were still understandable to Elsie and a puzzlement to Sif. She poked the gutted ODM gear. "Did you make this in just seven hours?"
"It's been that long?" Elsie asked, dazed. A look through the dark window proved true. The sun had left Elsie to her work, the candles having been lit before dusk and not keeping her from focusing. Not that she had remembered grabbing a marker, or pulling out so much of the inner wires in the machine to where it did not resemble ODM gear.
"Dinner was served an hour ago. High Priestess Catharina told me to come get you for prayer. She didn't think to come." Sif glanced at the writing. She seemed to think it was important enough for the Priestess to make the trip.
"It's something I used in Paradis and was hoping to fix. I think I made more of a mess than fixed it," Elsie said softly, stepping up to push the white wires back into the pockets and grabbed the forgotten screwdriver. Her aimless writing glared from the wood, begging for attention, but she couldn't wrap her head around doing it in the first place. "It's a lost cause."
"What did you write?"
"I don't know. Instructions to fix it, it looks like," Elsie bit her lip as she scanned her writing. "I barely understand half of the words. I'll rewrite it so that you can read it."
"I don't recognize the writing. Perhaps the High Priestess has seen it before."
"We'll show her in the morning. I'm ready for bed."
"Not yet, no you don't," Sif used her body to block the door, cocking her finger in Elsie's exasperated face. "You have dusk prayer with High Priestess."
"As you can clearly see it is not dusk anymore and therefore should be saved for tomorrow," Elsie said with great punctuation so that it didn't get lost in translation. Sif did not move and the older woman groaned. "Fine, Sif, fine, let's get this over with."
"About time you learned to listen to me." Sif said smartly, grinning and shrugging one shoulder before turning and leading the way out of the castle.
Elsie huddled into her fur and rubbed her hands together, thankful that the cold winds had decided to take a break for the night. They howled in the latest hours and encouraged the tree outside of her room to repeatedly hit her window. She'd covered her head with a pillow before eventually learning to sleep with the thunk, thunk it gave every two seconds.
Priestess Catharina and the boy could be seen ahead, dark statures in the night as they stepped into the clanking doors. A moment later and the candles flared inside, glowing the windows, and Elsie sighed at the slow warmth growing once she and Sif entered.
"Get the tea, Eli." High Priestess Catharina said.
The ten year old produced the same white tea pot safely from his under coat. He was brave for holding the steaming cup to his chest the entire time, Elsie thought, as he walked to the steps to put the kettle down and pull dainty mugs from his big pockets. He fixed his faded orange cloak before finding a pew to his liking, this time in the middle instead of the front. Sif walked ahead and joined the boy, fixing her dress so that it covered her pale hands.
Elsie pushed her hood off as she knelt to the floor and poured the two mugs full of rose tea. The smell instantly filled the small chapel and the Priestess sighed as she joined Elsie, thanking her with curled lips.
"How did it go? Florence never could make anything." Priestess Catharina said warmly.
"Really?"
"Yes. She was given all the same materials that you had. She took one look in the room and said that she wouldn't be able to do anything. She ended up adding a shelf, which was swell, if it hadn't fallen later that night."
Elsie laughed, "Well, I didn't make a shelf. I pulled apart a device from Paradis and wrote some notes down. Tomorrow I will make more progress."
"You actually want to return to it? You might have a tad touch of the gift for it then." The Priestess eyed Elsie then, unsure, before the look disappeared and she closed her eyes, facing forward.
Elsie stared at Freyja. The red haired Goddess' iridescent skin glowed through her white sheet, appearing so gentle and loving. Yet Elsie stared and stared and felt nothing but deceit and belittlement kneeling under her. Here she was begging just for an inkling of an idea on how to fix problems and Freyja showed her only the terror of the world. Elsie could only handle so much before she didn't want to See anymore. The last vision had shaken her enough to keep her away for a while.
"Lady Elisabeth?" The Priestess glanced at her.
"Sorry." Elsie counted her breaths when she closed her eyes. The silence of the chapel filled her ears, the Priestess' breathing dissolving to background noise.
Perhaps it was her begging to not see Paradis for once that led her to standing on a dock. A black ship with white sails was anchored and voices roused Elsie, making her turn from the view of clear blue skies to Zeke Yeager standing behind her. His large shoulders blocked Elsie from seeing the woman he was speaking to but their voices floated over the seagulls and ocean, loud and encouraging.
"I swear, it has to be her. I saw her once on my trip to Paradis not so long ago." Zeke was saying energetically, beard grown thicker than what he currently had, and lacking the jacket for winter winds.
"Where? What was she doing? How are you so sure?"
Elsie stepped around Zeke and caught sight of the woman. Petite and barely meeting his pecs, the elderly woman had greying black hair and slanted eyes, a carbon copy of what Mikasa could look like when she was older. She dressed in a kimono, white and tightly wrapped, with severe men standing in identical attire behind her.
Zeke stood alone as he said, "I visited under disguise at the beginning of 851 to gain intel on the Attack titan. It was there I saw a girl who held a striking resemblance to your clan protecting him."
"851? That is over two years ago!"
"Well we haven't met until now, have we?" Zeke was annoyed at her outburst, his shoulders bunching. "You are the one who kept cancelling and was indecisive if you wanted to be a part of this."
"A man who says he wants to save the world usually only means his friends," The grandmother said dryly, keen eyes watching the twitch of the taller man's lips. "Even now I'm concerned that you say you've seen my granddaughter to gain the Azumabito support."
"Your support would mean a lot in the uprising against Tybur but I would not lie about family. After many years I have finally found my long lost brother. I understand the value of family," Elsie jerked, staring at the convincing look he held as he held her gaze. Steady voiced he continued. "We've talked about what we needed to and I only offer this as a good bye. I think your line continues in Paradis, take it as you will. I hope your decision changes, Kiyomi, I will write to you in a weeks time."
Kiyomi Azumabito watched Zeke board a small row boat and paddle himself into the deep, harsh ocean waters. Elsie noticed for the first time a boat waited for him in the depths. Faded gold and black striped sails. A man stepped forward and said something in her ear that the elder nodded at, frowning at Zeke's back before turning and heading to her own black ship.
Elsie returned to the chapel with a sharp intake of breath. Priestess Catharina sat on the front pew with a fresh cup of tea, blowing at the steam while she waited for Elsie to come back. She raised an eyebrow when their eyes met.
"You were gone for twenty minutes." The Priestess said to her questioning gaze.
She winced and stood, feeling the nerves pinch in her legs and rubbing at her red knees, "No nose bleeds, thank Freyja." She touched her upper lip just in case and sighed when she came back clean.
"What did you see?" The Priestess asked leisurely.
Elsie fixed her cloak to avoid meeting her eyes, "I don't know yet. I'm still trying to understand." Her trust didn't reach far in this band of kidnappers.
"It wasn't as bad as the last one."
Elsie flinched at the Priestess' words. The vision was still vivid, even days later, of Eren standing above a rioting Trost and the Walls falling to reveal the millions of titans held. He looked years older, long hair and goatee growing, alone and eyes a sightless blue as he said words of doom. His voice, so old and ancient, dead and monotone, echoed in Elsie's ears over the days as he demanded for all of the world to feel Paradis' wrath. She didn't know what happened between then and now to cause Eren to murder an entire civilization but she was determined to stop it. Who know if it was even Eren making those decisions with eyes the color of possession.
And now hearing that Zeke was going to return in four weeks time to Paradis made it possible for Elsie. It wouldn't be in time for Levi's birthday of course but she would be back in January and January was ten times better than four years. Four years, the number rang knowingly in her ear, until Eren crumbled the Walls. If she returned in January then she could prevent it from happening. She only needed to gather intel before she returned so that she could help.
"No. I don't know who the people were but it's three years from now." Elsie said.
Zeke didn't know about Eren. He would find out in January. She needed to be there when he returned. Whether she snuck onto his ship or clung to his back, Elsie would not let that ship leave without her.
"If you come to dawn prayer you could search for more." The Priestess hummed superiorly, as if she was so grand for getting out of bed and making something of herself as soon as the sun rose.
Elsie used to be like that but High Priestess Catharina wouldn't know. No one knew that Elsie once ran laps in the morning or knew how to wield a sword, that someone waited for her, and she could feel his anger across the sea for those who separated them. No one knew the truth.
"I'll see you at dusk." Elsie left with a flick of her hood.
Sif said nothing as they entered the warm foyer. They separated at the staircase, Elsie's hand holding the white railing as she headed for her sacred room, the double doors always looking so welcoming at the end of the day. She began to pull the bobby pins out of her hair before she pushed the doors open, her stiff hair falling to her shoulders, and she sighed as she tugged tiredly at the corset laces. She learned to undo the back without assistance and tossed the corset to the floor, kicking her skirts and bodice along with it before grabbing a silk gown to sleep in.
Sif returned with a knock and a tray of tea, sugar and milk, and leftover chicken soup from dinner. She placed the steaming platter on the edge of the desk that Elsie held most of her unused make up products on. She angrily toed the clothes on the floor before giving up and heading for the day, calling out a cheery good riddance before separating for the night.
Elsie opened the bedside drawer and pulled out the grey mug. She ran her thumb over the handle as she poured her tea and sugar into it, adding a dash of milk, before grabbing her bowl and curling into the chair. It faced an unlit fireplace for it became too hot in the night for Elsie. She ate in silence and sipped at her tea when she was done, lost in thought as to what Levi was doing. If it was snowing at the castle, or if he was dealing with Kenny still, and what he would do on his birthday. She sighed and placed the mug on her bedside to be cleaned tomorrow, pulling out her blankets to curl in the center of the bed.
She placed her hand at the nape of her neck, clenching her eyes shut and hoping sleep came easily. It never did. Beneath her pillow laid her precious vial and her hand sought it out, clinging to the warmth and listening to the low hums it gave through the fabric.
"Oh, hello there, Lady Seer."
She looked up from the book of nail uses to see Granfer standing in the doorway of the library, "You can come in. I don't own the place."
"Sorry, I didn't know if you preferred to be alone."
"On the contrary I am hoping to find someone with a great knowledge on wiring. It seems to be my only problem with this project."
"Wiring? Now that's something I can't help you with. Alcohol and fancy jewelry I could get you in the blink of an eye."
"Useless to me," Elsie frowned and tucked the book beneath her arm, searching through the other bent spines for something that would help with retracting devices. "I need a scientist."
"Sorry I don't deal in the sale of humans," Granfer made his way through the numerous lounge chairs to peer at the shelf of books that held Elsie's attention. She spared him a contemplative glance before moving around him to go further down. He kept a distance but followed. "Have you spoken to Lord Tybur? I'm sure he knows someone."
"Lord Tybur. I would think after all this time you would call him by Willy," Elsie teased and his lips twisted in disgust. "I guess the name is too much for you."
Speaking to Willy was the last thing she wanted to do. Zeke may have informed the Councilman about their flying devices, as Elsie had arrived with one latched to her hips, but to have one at their nations hands was not what she deemed smart. Marley had launched an unprovoked attack on Paradis first. To imagine what would happen if Willy had his hands on ODM gear was a guilt ridden thought path.
"It's good business etiquette to stay proper with your investors. No matter the drunk nights or good jokes, he's still Lord Tybur."
Elsie plucked a book with basic definitions of tools, one that surely would come in handy when deciphering her instructions, "Perhaps I will talk to Willy about having a scientist come and help me."
"It's a fine idea, Lady Seer." Granfer agreed.
Elsie stopped to watch him, "Do you really know the Azumabito family?"
"As well as I know Lord Tybur."
She nodded and turned to glance at the books, "Do you think that they would strike a deal with Willy?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. It all depends on money. The Lord may try to take advantage of their poverty and the head of the family is well on spotting it."
Why would Zeke speak to them then? What had he said? Against Tybur? She focused on the books. One thing at a time. Zeke wasn't due to visit the manor for another three days with Pieck. It was then, after their meeting with Willy, that Elsie would speak to Zeke. She's seen him the last seven Fridays, keeping it expectant with short conversation that led to nowhere. The Cart titan made it evident that she had no pleasure sitting at Tybur's table but arrived precisely at six o'clock with a constipated expression. Zeke and Willy obviously led conversation on Fridays.
Elsie bit her lip and randomly grabbed a book from the shelf. Granfer's laughter drew her attention to the collection of romance poems. She sighed, hurriedly replaced it, and moved on.
"You really need the help, Lady Seer. Is this all about that test you did yesterday? You didn't come to brag about your results. I'm sure it wasn't too bad."
"I'm still working on it. Once I think I understand something it suddenly slips from my mind, like fog," Elsie feebly tried to explain before shaking herself and turning to face the pirate. "If you have nothing better to do than smoke with Willy then you should come and have a see. Maybe by chance you'll know something."
"I highly doubt that, Lady Seer, but I shall try." Granfer liked to say her title, he often said it multiple times during conversation. She rolled her eyes, not liking it any better than Lady Elisabeth, but taking her grain of salt and running with it, she kept up with the pretense. A tiresome, lonely pretense.
Granfer stayed with Elsie in the dingy room until the sun set low and their stomachs growled. Sif made two trips to the kitchen - spitefully - to refill their wine glasses. He was of no help with the machine, as she suspected, but the confinement had led them to speaking. Without Willy to interrupt or Major Gross encouraging Granfer to smoke another, they were allowed to speak freely of their thoughts of the nation and the looming War. Tensions grew in the Mid-East over the Attack titan and Granfer's business was affected due to the money going to sons being drafted into the army.
"You don't see it much in Liberio but out in the West they're really struggling. A loaf of bread runs for five rupees and families are making kids to help around the farm without being able to feed them. It's a muck out there."
"I thought Marley was a thriving civilization."
"Doesn't every nation want to be the best? Things were more than great seven years ago but then tensions rose over the Eldian camps and other Ambassador's were starting to wonder where the Attack titan was. Given its name, you can see why they were nervous for its whereabouts."
"Didn't they know Grisha Yeager had it?"
"Only those who had been involved. They kept it tight lipped, and when they discovered that it was most likely in Paradis and about to expire, they sent out some kids to extract it. Shitty idea, if you ask me, but everyone seems to like to think kids can handle the worlds problems. It was a big scandal when everyone found out a year later."
Elsie caught on one word, "Expire?"
"Yeah. You know," Granfer leveled Elsie with an expectant look. "Once you take on a Titan you die in thirteen years. It's a whole fucked situation. Oh, sorry, Lady Seer, excuse my language."
She leaned on the table, thinking of Eren and Ymir, and said, "Call me Elisabeth. And yeah, it is fucked. More wine?"
Sif greeted Elsie and Granfer at the doors of the dining room as the sun set. At one point it had been aggravating to bend and pick at screws of the machine, taking more out until it laid out as it had been strategically configured before Elsie had taken a screwdriver to its guts. Her wine buzz made the task all the more interesting and it was Granfer who had reminded Elsie that she needed to eat for the day.
"And where have you two been off all day?" Willy pouted with batting eyes when they stepped into the room. It was strange to see the blond heir sitting alone at the long table.
Granfer instantly took his seat, "I was entranced by Lady Elisabeth's work."
"Do tell!" Willy clapped his hands together.
Sif poured Elsie her white wine and Granfer lit his cigar, the smoke rolling to Willy's sniffing nostrils. He clipped the head of his thick black one as Elsie spoke, "The machine I arrived with, actually. I wish to fix it."
Willy laughed, making Sif's arm jerk, "Hopefully not to run away! It would be quite an event trying to catch you on that," His eyes narrowed, suddenly not at ease, and his lips pulled tight over his teeth. "What do you plan to do with it?"
"It's fond to me," She'd been thrown beneath the metaphorical bus. As much as she wanted to keep the gear close to her heart she needed the help. She could still ship it off, a prototype if anything, to Paradis before more could be made. At least Hange would know what to expect. "The machine itself is fine however I want to make some modifications to the body. And don't worry about me leaving, the High Priestess would hunt me down if I missed my tests. I wouldn't make it very far."
"No, you quite possibly wouldn't," There was a joke behind his words that Elsie didn't understand and it made it all the more enjoyable for him. "I have a mechanic who works on the carriages now and again but he's rather helpless with anything else. I can call upon Mr. Thatcher. He helped on the blimps construction years back."
"I would greatly appreciate that." She would need to be careful around Mr. Thatcher. No doubt he would be a highly trusted employee of Willy's.
Hurried footsteps echoed down the foyer. Poor Sif barely had time to pinch blush into her cheeks before Porco Galliard rushed into the room. He brushed snow from the shoulder pads of his uniform, the nine stared band on his arm flashing when he raised his right arm. He grinned at the poured goblets, Elsie and Willy's flushed cheeks matching his cold state.
"Sorry for missing this morning, I got caught up in some work with Pieck and the squad." Porco said solemnly and taking no time to gather his bowl of stew.
Elsie sipped at her wine and asked, "How is Pieck?"
"Fine," Porco eyed Elsie, knowing that the two women did not get along well. "She is planning to add some guns to her Cart."
"Ah, since we've had to remake the last one she lost. That's the third one this year," Willy groaned into his hands. "She'll make us broke by summer with these new additions. The worst part is she knows I always like them in the end."
"Well, she's going full out with this one. I saw five machine guns being taken out of the artillery room."
Willy looked a little flustered, "I should probably telegram her in the morning."
"That's a good idea."
Elsie found this the best opportunity to ask, "What exactly does she need it for? Are you planning to return to Paradis Island?"
"Zeke plans to conduct his experiment."
"What exactly is this experiment? You mentioned it once when the Lady first arrived." Granfer asked, innocently curious.
Elsie worried where Zeke would choose. If he would delve deeper into the Walls and release the transforming mist over sleeping Trost, or Utopia, or straight to where the King's castle laid in the innermost wall. Zeke's future self said he went in disguise. Would he come face to face with Eren?
"It's top secret." Porco curtly said.
"Very interesting," Granfer replied. "I've only travelled near Paradis Island by accident. The waters were dark and vicious, I can only imagine the trip in winter winds."
Willy encouraged Sif to refill Elsie's goblet. The servant tried to keep the scowl in fear of Porco seeing but Elsie could feel the heat of anger across her cheek when she bent.
"It is nothing for the Eldians. They are trained for those conditions," Willy waved it off. Elsie barely remembered her trip to Marley, having been too busy starving herself while watching Zeke eat a sandwich. Perhaps the boat did have a little trouble getting here, the faintest memory of sea water hitting her cheek. "If you are interested in making the travel, I could give you some cargo to drop off to Hizuru as gratitude for letting us taste test their drinks."
"I would love to get back on my ship," Granfer said honestly, leaning forward and smiling the largest since his first day. "Of course since this mission is top secret I suspect I'm to drop Zeke off on Paradis."
"That would be for the best. If you do not chose to return him to Marley, that is, I'll send a vessel to retrieve him in two weeks."
Willy said it as if it were an option. Granfer peered into his brandy for the answer, frowning. Where had he lived before staying in Marley? He was too dark toned to be a citizen and well versed with the oceans. He probably never stayed in one place too long. Would the temptation of being part of something bigger keep the pirate at Willy's table?
"When will this trip happen?" Elsie asked.
"Probably when the snow lessens in a month. It comes heavy but doesn't stay long."
"My ship will only take a day to prepare." Granfer supplied, still on board, still curious.
Elsie desperately needed to be on that boat. She finished her wine and gestured for more. Under the beaming eyes of Willy and Porco, Sif could only bow her head and fill her fourth glass. The candles flickered over the table, casting dark shadows over the plates of half eaten, smoke heavy food, and the men laughed and Elsie giggled into her wine when Willy tickled the inside of her wrist.
Eventually the wine ran out and Elsie slowly made it to her bedroom without assistance. Sif disappeared without a word once Porco had stood, patting his pockets with glazed eyes and a dopey smile, and wished them good night. Elsie had stayed at the table longer, saying no to the brandy offered, and listened to Granfer retell his stories of teenage rebellion. He had no dad and his mom worked two jobs to put food on the table. He found himself learning to pick pocket to get extra cash in her pockets, and soon enough picked the wrong one and almost got his hand chopped for thievery by a pirate. His tell ended with a step father like bond and learning everything from the man, who died three years previous from a fever that flared and took him in a day.
Elsie left her dress in a pool of lilac in the center of the room and crawled, shivering, beneath the layers of blankets. The silence hung heavy on her shoulders and she reached beneath her pillow. The vial lit up the room like a cellphone, light blue hue caressing her red eyes. All that talk about thievery made Elsie think of Levi. He had stories like Granfer's, if not more exciting ones. She missed the way Levi didn't fill the table with talk about himself. And when she crawled into bed he opened his arms for her. She laid with her head on his chest most nights. His heart beat was a lullaby she couldn't seem to sleep without.
The steady hum of the vial kept her attention. She leaned it left and right, watching the thick substance move. Zeke had asked her about it on her first Friday. His eyebrows had scrunched in disbelief when Elsie said she'd poured it down the drain. He fixed his jacket and cracked his knuckles, upset, but told her how he could get more. Elsie wanted to know what this was, how it sang to her in a way that a fire drew her in from the cold. She feared asking Priestess Catharina incase she understood the importance of the vial. Elsie couldn't lose it, not at any chance.
She sighed and dropped her fist on the empty pillow, "How do I get home?" She turned her head to stare out the window.
Granfer and Zeke were the ones she needed to speak to. Granfer didn't seem all that bad, if the small talk over the last weeks were anything to go by. He had the background that would prove to be morally right and loyal. If she had to worry about anyone it would be Zeke Yeager. What would happen once he discovered Eren? Would it change the course of events to him uprising against Willy? All to save Eren?
Don't forget the brat crumbles the Walls.
Elsie clenched her eyes shut. The vision had left her shaken and coughing, having choked on the smell of dust as if she were back in the tunnel of Shiganshina. She'd stood behind Eren as he kneeled on the floor of a room, long haired and mad, and brought the Walls falling. In the orange haze of the sunset figures of over seventy meters lined the outskirts of Paradis. Life seemed to stop- the wind, birds flying, the sun setting. And then they stepped forward and houses crumbled. People were screaming from bellow. Priestess Catharina gripped her shoulders so hard that she'd left nail indents on her skin.
It was hard to imagine round faced Eren doing such a thing. She thought back to their talk in the stables at Trost. His profuse belief that Annie wasn't evil for fighting for what she believed in. Could Eren become so devoted to his father's legacy that he would murder everyone? Elsie turned in bed, restless.
She would stop Eren before he could become that monster.
The shadow of a seagull drew her gaze skywards. Its beak open and closed, in her head she could hear the faint echo of its knowing caw, yet nothing escaped. It flew and the shadow rippled over the crashing white ocean waves. They rammed angrily across the sixty meter wall Elsie stood upon. Empty blue skies sliced the horizon clearly, the seagull gone.
She knew this place. It was the wall Zeke and Pieck had dragged her over before disembarking on their little sail boat.
Levi!
Elsie turned and screamed. Freyja left a breath of space between them, gaunt white skin stark against the hazy background of green tree tops. Wild red hair fell over her long forehead, parting over her high nose, to glaze across her cracked lips. A smile slashed a crescent across her face, too wide for the average human, the corners of her lips breaking the apple of her cheeks. Her sightless brown eyes did not blink. Her smile did not crack.
Freyja raised her right arm like a stick. Goosebumps raised on Elsie's underarm at the slight breeze, a feeling that was too real to make her believe this was a dream. Her hand stays straight, raising until it is leveled with Elsie's chin, before continuing to rise.
The Goddess stares and smiles sinisterly as her arm windmills. It turns a hundred eighty, her shoulder blade rolling like a ball, fingers curling one by one until they formed a tight fist. Then her pointer finger slowly unfurls, pointing.
She pointed straight to Paradis. Elsie can't breathe, suddenly, and her hearing returns with the waves thrashing their currents against the cement wall. Freyja opened her mouth wide, still in the shape of a smile, and it continued to grow bigger, bigger, and its a dark, wet feeling of being eaten alive by a Titan.
Elsie woke herself screaming. She scrambled off of the bed, sheets dragging to the floor making a puddle of satin in her wake. Elsie stared at the mattress, the empty pillows, the curtains half pulled, her dress still lain on the floor. She's alone in the room but she felt the cold crawl of Freyja's touch along her underarm. She rubbed the skin, wishing to bring the feeling of warmth back, sniffing and staring pitifully at the quiet room.
She ran her own bath. No oils, no bubbles, no smells. She soaked herself in the burning water, still not warm enough, and refusing to close her eyes. Freyja's unwavering smile haunted her. Her right arm, unbroken, perfectly still as it pointed in the direction of the Walls. What was it supposed to mean? Why come to her outside of Prayer? This could be the beginning of becoming like Johanna.
And as Elsie leaned her head back in the tub, she thought of right arms and Paradis, disgustingly waking herself up thirty minutes later after a dream of Erwin, of all people.
"My, my, what a device this is!" Mr. Thatcher was a squat elderly man with thick rimmed glasses. They constantly fell down his thin nose, ruby cheeks giving away his excitement at seeing the ODM gear. "What is its use?"
"Optical maneuvering."
"Of your own creation?" Mr. Thatcher's brown eyes glimmered over the ridge of his wired glasses.
"An adaption of a friend's," Elsie casually said, pushing away from the workbench to grab the English version of her directions. She held the paper out to Mr. Thatcher. He glanced at the gear before slowly taking the instructions. He glanced and nodded at what he saw, so far agreeing with her blind writing. "I'm having trouble with finishing it. The wires in particular."
"Yes, yes. This material is not most common in Liberio," He glanced backwards at Elsie, looking her up and down and reevaluating the idea of a pretty face. "In fact I can't say that I've seen it before. However the idea of it is simple. What was at the end of the wires?"
"Grapple hooks."
"Hm, very interesting. It's a beast of a contraption." Mr. Thatcher lifted the gear with two hands, shaking and pursing his lips. A hiss like a train escaped and he released his hold, the gear thunking on the table along with his hands. He shook his head in impressment.
"If possible I would like to change the look of it."
"And how much do you know of mechanics, Lady Seer?"
Elsie grinned, "The bare minimum, Mr. Thatcher, but I'm a fast learner."
He fixed the lapel of his wool jacket. He looked at the machine and at Elsie, standing beneath the square window in a flattering maroon dress and hopeful hazel eyes.
"Nothing a weekend of poking at it can't do. Prepare for my arrival on Saturday morning," He glanced at the make shift workshop. "And have Lord Tybur send a boy by the shop to pay for the supplies. All you have are things to tear apart."
"Anything you need Lord Tybur will provide," Elsie curtsied to show her gratitude before holding her hand for the door. "Thank you so much, Mr. Thatcher. The boy will come tomorrow, I'm sure, and can bring the materials to the manor."
"My wife will be most displeased that I sold away another weekend. She planned a trip to the coast."
Elsie couldn't wait another weekend to get her hands on the ODM gear. As bad as she felt for ruining Mrs. Thatcher's romantic get away, she would not offer another date. She stopped in the foyer, skirts lapping at the floor, a servant slowly opening the doors for Mr. Thatcher's departure.
"Thank you, once more, for all of this, Mr. Thatcher. You have no idea how helpful this is to Marley."
"For Marley, of course." Mr. Thatcher quickly agreed and with a tip of his chin, he was on his way to tell Mrs. Thatcher most regrettably that they wouldn't be going to the coast.