26 February 2020: Hello faithful readers!

It's been a while. I know. Things have been a bit hectic around here for a little while, and I didn't think to calculate them into saying when the next chapter would be ready.

The past few months have been filled with getting things sorted for my latest visa application, so I can stay where I am currently living. I had to travel down to London at the beginning of the month to have fingerprints taken and submit all the documentary evidence about being married, our house, our income, and all that fun stuff. I managed to get this chapter up on AO3 before we left, but then just totally forgot to upload it over here after we got back. But I have my residence permit as of yesterday, and all is well weith that.

But also, I'm supposed to be having surgery sometime in the next few months. I don't have an exact date, just this window. So that will also probably affect the update schedule.

(Oh, and there's that bit where I'm actually writing a book as well as playing with this fic...)

I hope you all enjoy this addition to the story. There's rather a lot going on.

Chapter 28
In which Umi is let out of bed and Clef goes to town

Umi's second day in Mazda passed much the same as the first; she spent almost all of her time in bed. Hikaru and Papa returned to Tokyo while Mama stayed on in Mazda with her. Mama and Clef both sat by her bedside, talking to her while she was awake - and presumably to one another when she wasn't.

On the third day, Umi was already tired of being tired and cooped up in her bed. As comfortable as it was, she was bored of seeing the same four walls at all hours of the day and night. She'd never been very good at resting when she was ill.

When she complained about how irritating it was, Miura laughed and said she must be feeling better if she had enough energy to get bored. She gave her permission to get out of bed as long as she stayed on the same level of the house - she wasn't allowed to think about climbing stairs yet.

It was more exciting than it should have been to get dressed and have breakfast with Clef in the little sitting-room down the corridor.

Clef still had dark circles under his eyes, and Umi assumed he'd just be lounging with her in the sitting-room all day. But after breakfast, he said he needed to meet with Brisa at their house in the village.

"Can't she come here?" Umi asked. If Clef was still as ill as he looked, he should be resting, not trekking off to town.

"It's better if we meet in her office," Clef said. "There's a lot to discuss, and we may need access to her books."

Umi pulled a face. It was probably something complicated to do with the repeals, and she knew they had a pressing deadline for those. "Be careful," she said. "The exhaustion sneaks up on you."

Reaching across the table, Clef patted Umi's hand. "I know. This isn't the first time I've been fatigued, though it's the first time I've managed it so wholeheartedly."

Despite his reassurance, Umi stood in the sitting-room doorway watching him go down the stairs, staying there until she heard the front door shut behind him and trying not to worry.

He'd managed to hold the fragments of Cephiro together for most of a year. Holding her magic stable for several hours couldn't be harder on him than that, could it?

Even with Clef gone, her day was far from quiet. The children had decided to take it upon themselves to entertain her. Elysion read from a book of adventure stories for most of the morning, then Aygo spent over an hour teaching Umi how to play a complicated game he'd invented with cards he'd also made.

Every time he explained one of the endless and elaborate rules, Elysion accused him of having changed it from the last time she'd played. Rather than deny it, Aygo would just claim "It's better this way."

"If you keep changing the rules, how is anyone else supposed to learn how to play?" Elysion complained.

The convoluted rules didn't help Umi learn how to play, but not being able to read the cards made it virtually impossible. She tried to stick with it a few rounds, hoping to be able to decipher Aygo's drawings well enough, but she finally gave in and asked if she could translate the writing.

That involved Umi making the trek down to Clef's study for a pen herself, as she could get through the shield on the door. She returned with a handful of pens and a small pile of blank paper.

Translating the names of the characters on the cards and making a note of the rules she could remember for each had the kids both leaning over to watch.

"That's how you write where you're from?" Aygo asked, curious. "Why're some of the letters so much more complicated?"

"They aren't all letters," Umi explained and laughed at the look of confusion which the two children shared. "Look, here - these symbols relate to sounds. But these ones have meanings, and you can say them a couple of different ways." She wrote a few hiragana, then the same set of katakana, and then a couple of kanji.

"They have meanings? I think Fahren's writing has meanings," Elysion murmured, sounding fascinated. "How does it work?"

"So this is tree - it looks like one." She drew the kanji for 'tree'. "Then this one's the symbol for wood - and this one means forest."

"Because it's a lot of trees!" Aygo crowed. "So how do you write your name?"

"Like this- which is the symbol for 'ocean' - and if you want to write how to say it, you write it in hiragana like this."

"That doesn't look like the sea at all!" Aygo complained, and Umi tried very hard not to laugh. But Elysion was still fascinated and asked how Umi would write Clef's name - and then, shyly, how she would write Elysion's.

It was like being in primary school in Europe all over again when her classmates wanted her to write their names in Japanese because it was "so cool".

She was writing out the names of all the household in katakana when footsteps thundered up the stairs and she turned to see Caldina, of all people, standing in the sitting-room door.

.*.*.*.

Clef didn't know quite how to start the meeting with Brisa. He tried to find a good - or at least less bad - way of explaining why he'd asked to meet her at such short notice. In the end, he just sat down in the study, looked at her, and blurted out "I'm under investigation for gross misconduct. What should I do?"

"What?" Brisa stared at him across the table. "Gross misconduct? I thought it was treason you were committing."

"It is!"

"Okay. Tell me what's happened." Brisa poured him a cup of tea and sat back as he explained what Sandero had told him - and then asked him some questions about the workings of the Mages' Guild before sitting back.

"This is an investigation, not a trial. All you should do is be honest with the investigator, and agree to any measures the Guild needs to put in place in the meantime." Brisa poured Clef another cup of tea - like she thought it would help somehow. "With what happened with Corvair, it only makes sense that any rumours need to be closely scrutinised. But she isn't your student, and hasn't been. An investigation should prove that."

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Clef rubbed a hand over his face. "Umi doesn't need this sort of stress right now. I don't know if her heart could take it."

Brisa sighed. "They're going to have to talk to her. The investigation can't finish until they do, but she's under medical supervision. If there is any possibility it's dangerous to her health, you know as well as I do that Miura will make sure nothing happens until Umi's ready for it.

Clef nodded and picked up his cup. "True."

"How is Umi doing, anyway?" Brisa asked.

"Improved enough she's allowed out of bed today."

"That's good! Very good. I'd expected she'd be on bed-rest a lot longer." She paused with her cup halfway to her mouth before setting it down. "Oh! Before I forget -" Hopping out of her seat, she disappeared down the corridor before returning with an armful of paper that she dumped in front of Clef with a loud thump.

Clef wasn't sure what he expected. Something that might relate to the next round of repeals, perhaps? It wasn't. "Homeware catalogues? What am I supposed to do with these?"

"You could redecorate your wing of the house. Umi could plan her own apartments, for one thing. But, mostly, Kalos and I thought Umi might like to pick things out for the nursery you're going to be needing in a few months. It would give her something to do while she's stuck resting."

Dropping the catalogue, Clef pushed the stack away. "Aveo cut my spending off, remember. I can't pay for anything artisan, and Umi will be given everything she really needs when the baby is born. Maybe once the repeals are through - or I get removed as Guru - and I have access to my money again…"

Brisa scoffed. "Do you think Aveo hasn't been setting household money aside since you told her?"

Clef blinked at her. Brisa just laughed.

"Aveo's been itching for a new baby to dote on since the worst of the earthquakes settled. The fact she doesn't have to have sex to get one is a bonus. I'm not saying she approves of your timing, but she's definitely looking forward to welcoming the little one into the family when they arrive." Brisa pushed the catalogues back. "If you come by later this week, I can have a sample book put together for you - or, better yet, I can bring it up to the house."

"No, it's fine. I can do that," Clef said, disappearing the books into his ring with the wave of a hand. "Thank you."

Putting together a sample book would be a good distraction, after everything this week. And Brisa was right, it probably would amuse Umi for a while.

Getting into any of the shops he needed was a challenge, with Aveo's restrictions still firmly in place. Clef had barely walked through the first door when the shopkeeper tried to turn him away. But he still had a small bag of coins left from their holiday, which got him in for samples.

He made his way through relevant shops, collecting samples of furniture materials from the town smith, embroidery samples from the local seamstresses, and a few leaflets about the toy maker's newest projects, including a little mobile with motifs of the Mashin - Clef couldn't quite decide how he felt about that, but he'd show the sketch to Umi regardless.

When Clef ended his circle of the market square at the draper's shop, Ignis gave him the same sharp look all the others had.

"Before you tell me to go away, I do have money," he said, holding up the now half-empty bag.

Teana came out of the backroom and gave him a very similar look to her partner's. "You had better be here about some sort of trade agreement, not shopping."

"Sorry. Shopping." Clef shook his leftover travel money again. "I was wanting to look at some of your softer fabrics - like one might use for baby things?"

Both Ignis and Teana's expressions shifted, and then Teana was ducking under the counter to join him in the shop. "Has it already been eighteen weeks?" she asked, excitement in her voice as she looped her arm through his and led him further into the shop. "I've been saving just the perfect thing."

Clef choked on a laugh. "It's not quite that long yet. I'm just looking for samples right now. But if Umi likes it, would you agree to hold onto it a little longer?"

"Of course," Teana told him, smiling. "Just let us know what you decide."

.*.*.*.

Umi was climbing to her feet when Caldina charged into the room. She braced herself for the typical crushing embrace, but Caldina stopped short of grabbing her.

"LaFarga says you nearly died! Are you okay?" Caldina asked, looking Umi over.

"I'm well enough that Miura let me out of bed today," Umi told her before turning to the children, who were watching intently. "I want you two to go down and get someone to bring up some tea for Caldina and me."

Aygo looked suspiciously at Caldina, not moving. "You don't need both of us to go."

"I want to talk to Caldina without you listening." Umi prodded him in the shoulder. "I might want to swear, so I'd rather you weren't here, okay?"

"I've heard all that before," Aygo argued. "I'm not a baby."

"Are you sure you want us to go?" Elysion asked Umi, taking Aygo's hand as she glanced warily at Caldina.

"It's fine. Go on." Umi nodded and shooed them both out of the room before she waved Caldina toward the nearest armchair. "Come sit down. We may as well pretend we're not going to start arguing." Taking two more steps, Umi flopped onto the settee. "But don't think I won't throw you out if you start in about Clef again."

Sitting down, Caldina glanced around the room. "Where is that guy anyway?"

"In a meeting," Umi answered. "It's the first time he's left my side since Chizeta, so don't go accusing him of abandoning me. I'm fine."

"I wasn't gonna-" Caldina shook her head. "Are you sure you're doing okay?"

"I'm not going to collapse if we start arguing," Umi said, rolling her eyes.

Caldina sighed and looked down at the floor. "I'm not here to - Presea and I had a talk," she said, quietly.

"Oh? Did she tell you to be civil?"

"No! ...Well. Yeah, but not-" She waved a hand and looked up. "Umi, you know what this looks like, don't you? He buys you all these fancy presents, spending a fortune on you when he can't even acknowledge you as his partner in public - it looks like he's buying you, Bribing you - using you. Coercing a much younger person into his bed in secret."

Umi closed her eyes and took a breath before asking, "Why are you so fixated on this?"

"Because I don't want to see you end up like my best friend!" Caldina snapped, but she didn't sound angry - just very, very sad.

Studying Caldina for a long moment, Umi settled herself into her seat more comfortably. "Explain," she demanded.

"When I was basically your age - you know, just finishing off school - an older guy started courting my best friend. He was rich, powerful, and really handsome. He told her all sorts of lovely things, and bought her so many beautiful things - clothes, jewellery, and trinkets. I was the only one who knew they were in a relationship - we thought it was so romantic-" she spat the word out like it tasted foul "-being so secret. But then he turned out to be evil."

"What do you mean?"Umi asked, encouraging her to continue.

"He was an abusive arsehole who, once she'd been pledged to him, isolated her from all her friends and family and controlled everything she did. He just wanted a partner he could control, who would be what he wanted, nothing else. When I finally realised what was going on, I tried to help her get out, but I failed."

Caldina sank further into her seat, like a heavy weight was pressing her down. Umi watched, silently; she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Now she's in prison for his murder and the only reason I'm not there with her is because that scoundrel's rich and powerful family wanted her to go down for it as hard and as far as possible." Caldina paused for a long shaky breath. "Well, and because she didn't call me until she needed help trying to get rid of the body."

Umi leaned back in her seat and took a moment to think about what Caldina was saying before she let herself respond. "I guess I understand why all of this might be concerning." Umi waved a hand to gesture to the room, Clef's house, everything. "But you're wrong on one very crucial detail: our relationship is nothing like the one your friend was in."

Caldina opened her mouth to argue, but Umi stopped her with a raised hand.

"No. It's my turn to speak now," Umi told her. "Clef is nothing like the horrible arse your poor friend got tangled up with. He's been openly changing those laws so we can be together, and our relationship is not some dirty little secret. He's certainly not isolating me from anyone. In fact, he's insisted my parents have a room that's theirs to stay in when they visit, and encouraged them to stay as long as they want to."

"I guess," Caldina muttered.

"As far as controlling me, he has let me make all my own choices about everything. The only time he's tried to force me to do something was trying to get me to see the Healers, because he was worried about my health. Given I had a heart attack, he was probably right about that. But good job on stopping him."

"I thought-"

"I know," Umi sighed. "If anything, I'm the one who pushed him into things. Bed, for one."

They were both quiet for a long moment, then Caldina's quiet voice broke the silence. "I'm sorry."

Umi blinked. "Did you just apologise?"

"Maybe!" Caldina pulled a face. "But I'd be a shit friend if I was worried and I didn't do something - do you have any idea how much money he spent on you? That's not normal!"

"It was enough that Aveo cut him off and took away his access to his accounts," Umi said, snickering. "I still don't think he's been allowed them back."

Caldina relaxed a little and started to laugh too, then stiffened up again. "But he still got you pregnant, Umi, and now you're stuck with this kid - well, you're not stuck. You know that, right? There are things you can do."

"I know what my options are. And Clef even said he'll take the child on if I want to have it, but focus on my studies instead of raising it."

"That'll work so well when he's exiled for having a child!"

"If he's exiled, I'll just take him to Tokyo to live with my family. Then I'll be the one buying him stuff." Umi stopped and looked at Caldina, realising there was a detail in this whole arrangement that she might not be aware of. "Caldina, you do know my family's rich, right? Clef couldn't bribe me if he tried; I don't care about all that stuff. I mean, yeah, it's pretty, and I like that he thought of me enough to get it, but I could get it myself just as easily."

"Are you sure you actually know how much he spent? Because any one of those dresses is worth more than my salary for the year."

"I know." Umi nodded. "But I also know that my family's company employs more people than the entire population of Cephiro."

Caldina blinked, slowly. "So, you're not just a little well off?"

Shaking her head, Umi crossed her arms. "And my parents wouldn't hesitate to import enough things here to take a very expensive legal claim against anyone they felt deserved it."

Eyes widening in understanding, Caldina sputtered "But then why are you still having the kid?"

She sounded so bewildered that Umi was pretty sure that was a genuine spur-of-the-moment question. "Because I decided I wanted to!" Umi replied. "Why else?"

Caldina just stared at her as if waiting for a better answer. Umi wasn't sure she had one - not that Caldina would consider 'better', anyway.

"You know when you're little, and you ask your parents where babies come from? And they don't always give you the actual answer at first?" Umi said, knowing her explanation sounded childish. "Well, my parents told me that when two people love each other very much, that sometimes love overflows and makes a baby."

"Girlie, the only thing overflowing was body fluids."

"I know that! I'm just saying that idea stuck in my head, even after I knew that wasn't true. When I first saw the doctor back home, I was honestly thinking about ending it. It's bad timing; It wasn't planned, and the whole situation is so complicated."

Caldina pulled a face at her - they both knew complicated barely began to cover it.

Umi rubbed a hand over her belly. The baby was as restless as she felt. "When they showed me the screen and let me hear the heartbeat, all I could think was that this baby was proof Clef and I love one another. And I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted this child to exist."

Umi bit her lip, her eyes burning suddenly. She was still terrified of becoming a mother, but she still didn't regret her decision - silly as her initial reasoning was.

Caldina's arms unfolded as she pulled a handkerchief from somewhere, handing it over. "He still should have made sure you didn't get pregnant in the first place. A man in his position shouldn't have taken any chances."

"Well, I surprised Clef by inviting myself here, and he wasn't expecting me to seduce him, so he hadn't started anything. He warned me our contraception was still unreliable, probably a dozen times, and I was happy to take that risk. Then my protection broke because I used up all my magic grabbing the ocean." Umi shrugged. "That's probably the actual reason I ended up pregnant, so what could we have done differently?"

"Not had sex!" Caldina shook her head.

"That option sucked," Umi crossed her arms.

Of course, that would be right when Mama walked into the room with a tea tray. "Have you two talked things out?" she asked.

Umi's face flushed hotly as she tried very hard not to wonder what her mother had heard. It was so silly for her to be embarrassed about it - her parents definitely knew she'd been having sex.

Nodding, she glanced at Caldina. "I think so."

Mama sat down beside Umi on the settee and started pouring the tea. She passed a cup to Caldina with a polite smile. "So, Ms. Caldina, will you be staying here tonight?"

That seemed to catch Caldina off-guard. "I, um-"

"There's plenty of space," Umi said, taking the cup Mama offered her. "You could actually try getting to know Clef."

"It's a good thing there are so many rooms," Mama said. "Especially because I believe Hikaru and Fuu plan to stay as well."

Umi perked up at the mention of her other friends. "They're still here? Where are they?"

"Waiting downstairs so you two had space for a conversation. I'll go fetch them for you," Mama said, getting to her feet.

.*.*.*.

Clef was out of breath by the time he got through the door of his house and reached the stairs. That last bit of hill had taken a lot out of him. Swaying on his feet, he sat a moment on the bottom step.

If this was what Umi felt like the past several months, he couldn't understand how she had been able to seen so happy and energetic so much of the time. Maybe she was just better at hiding it. But she'd been obviously feeling awful on and off.

Miura said it would pass. That so long as they followed the rules, they'd both be fine.

He knew that - logically. But it hadn't been this bad after he'd spent most of a year holding Cephiro together.

Though, he had spent most of the weeks after the reformation sleeping, recovering from all the rest he'd missed in those long agonising months. And Hikaru's healing of the world had gone a long way to healing him, back then.

Since that harrowing ride back from Chizeta, he definitely hadn't slept well.

Pushing himself to his feet, Clef trudged up the stairs. As he ascended, he could hear Umi chattering happily, her voice drifting down the corridor.

He had to smile when he entered the room. Despite having nearly died only a few days ago, Umi was sitting on the floor, of all places. She was next to the low table, chatting merrily to her parents, Hikaru, Fuu, and...

Caldina?

Seeing her in his house, apparently relaxing with a drink rather than kidnapping Umi, made Clef stop to stare.

Umi stopped mid-sentence, concern on her face as she pushed herself onto her feet. "Clef, are you okay?"

Clef nodded, but the movement made the room spin before him. He braced himself on the doorframe.

"Mama, go get Getz," Umi said, crossing the floor until she reached Clef, carefully leading him into the room. She made a short gesture at Caldina, who moved so Clef could drop into the nearest seat. "Papa, a cup of water?"

She waited with her hand on Clef's shoulder until her father brought over the glass.

Clef obediently took it and drank, as Umi told him to "Stay there" and vanished out of the room. She returned a moment later with the jar of the candied fruit peel that lived on his desk.

"Eat some of these now," she said, thrusting a few pieces into his hand.

"I'm fine. Really," Clef tried to assure her.

"Where have I heard that before?" Umi scoffed. "Oh, yeah. I said that for months, and then I had a heart attack. Eat."

Clef carefully chewed on one. How long had it been since he'd eaten? He'd gotten so caught up with looking through the fabrics in Teana's shop, he hadn't even thought of food. "I'm fine. It's not been that long since breakfast."

"Clef, it's been ages since breakfast. Papa didn't even get here until after lunch."

"Oh." Clef's hands were shaking as he ate another.

Caldina stared. "What's wrong with him?"

"Magic exhaustion," Umi said, only turning her head. "Apparently, he nearly killed himself keeping me alive on the way back to Cephiro." She turned back to Clef. "Just because I'm more or less okay now, doesn't mean you can be irresponsible with your health."

"You didn't take your own health so seriously," Clef muttered, knowing she was right.

Umi crossed her arms and glared at him. "I didn't understand the consequences before."

Clef flinched. He hadn't done the best job of explaining what Umi had done, but then, he was no healer. He'd only known the illness from the other side - and he'd never been a very good patient.

Not only Getz, but also Miura came back upstairs with Umi's mother. Both healers looked at Clef with mingled concern and exasperation.

"What did you do?" Miura asked. Clef just shook his head. "Do you need to be on house-rest too?"

"I just walked about the village for a little while!"

"If he doesn't listen to sense, I'll put him on house-rest myself," Umi complained. She glared at Clef. "I thought you were supposed to be more sensible than me. You know, given the seven extra centuries."

Clef gave her a pained look. "If I were sensible, that wouldn't have happened." He waved a hand at the curve of her belly.

Umi rolled her eyes.

Miura checked him over, tutting. "You need to be more careful," she told him, the press of her magic was so startlingly similar to, and yet completely different to Umi's - the same strong water base, but absolutely no reaction with his power. That thought distracted him enough he nearly missed the rest of her words: "Or you will actually do yourself an injury."

"What were you doing anyway?" Umi asked. "Weren't you just supposed to be meeting with Brisa?"

Clef summoned the catalogues and sample book out of his ring with a small embarrassed shrug and held them out to Umi. "I got a little distracted in the market."

"You foolish old man." Umi took them from him, and flicked through one of the catalogues, glancing at it. "What is this? Clef, this looks like-"

"Options for the nursery," he confirmed.

Umi flushed, before shutting the catalogue briskly and setting the whole stack aside. "We can look at those later, maybe, but right now we're having a nap - unless there's anything else we should do?" she asked Miura, not Clef.

Miura waved her on. "He's not quite done any physical damage this time. Sleep is the best thing for him right now, and it would be good for you to get some rest, too."

"Come on, then. Everyone here can look after themselves for a while." Umi took his hand and pulled him along the corridor, and before he really knew what was happening she had him in nightclothes and curled up in bed with him.

.*.*.*.

With so many guests staying at the house more chairs had to be found for the little sitting-room. As well as Caldina, Hikaru, and Fuu, Ascot also turned up while Umi and Clef had been napping. He'd brought Caldina some extra clothing and things and ended up accepting an invitation to stay himself, as he was so obviously worried about both Umi and Clef.

Aveo converted one of the spare bedrooms into a dining room for them, so dinners could still be a household affair while Umi wasn't allowed to use the stairs.

Umi had been worried that having Caldina stay would be uncomfortable. It was, at first. But it actually ended up being a lot of fun having her around, even though, Caldina was definitely watching every interaction Clef had with Umi - or with Ascot, for that matter.

As she got to know Clef better, Caldina did eventually relax.

Perhaps it would have made everything easier if Umi had insisted Clef socialise with everyone else more over the past few years. It would have been good for him to get out of his office - get him to relax. She hadn't realised just how much time he spent working until she'd wound herself so tightly into his life.

They were in the middle of playing a silly parlour game when Caldina leaned over to Umi and said, "He's actually kind of fun, isn't he?"

Umi snorted and then properly burst out laughing. "You didn't really think that I only liked him for his looks, did you? If that were the case, why would I have been hanging out with him so much before he grew?"

Caldina looked at her sharply, and Umi just rolled her eyes.

"Don't tell me you didn't realise that I was spending every free evening hanging out in Clef's office." The look on Caldina's face made Umi feel a little guilty, but she knew it wasn't her fault Caldina had got the wrong impression. "When I said we were friends, I wasn't exaggerating! He's been one of my best friends for years."

Finally, if gradually, Caldina returned to her usual self - abrupt, but not aggressive. Umi wasn't sure if it was the conversations they'd had, the way Clef's household had quite obviously adopted Umi into the family, or even just the way Clef had taken such detailed notes while Umi stood in the middle of the room beside his bedroom making decorating suggestions.

Perhaps, it had even been how Miura - the only person here who had more neutrality - wasn't the least bit concerned about Umi's relationship, just her recovery.

Whatever had settled Caldina's concerns, Umi was happy to finally have her friend back.

.*.*.*.

Clef's scheduled 'holiday' did, unfortunately, have to end. And it did so unpleasantly.

It was too early to deserve the title 'morning' when Clef arrived at the Castle. Council meetings were bad enough on their own, but today he had back-to-back, pre-meeting meetings to get through.

The corridors were fortunately quiet, and he didn't see anyone else until he reached the Mages' Guild's confidential meeting room. There, however, he was faced by two glares and a worried expression as he dropped into a chair.

He'd taken part in a number of disciplinary meetings through the years, but it was his first time on this side of the table.

Neither Livina and Talbot were impressed, facing him across the table. Sandero was to one side, a heavy book in front of him - Clef recognised the ordinances of the guild, and raised an eyebrow. "You brought the whole book?"

"We didn't know which parts might be relevant," Livina said, primly.

Sandero shook his head. "And I am here just to turn pages and be a glorious bookmark, as I am recusing myself from any official role in this matter-"

"If you hadn't been quite so loud about your former relationship then you could be doing your job right now and helping deal with the biggest crisis this guild has seen in millennia!" Livina snapped

Sandero shrugged at her. "The relationship would still have existed, and I doubt the head of safeguarding concealing something so important would be a benefit to this process." He turned to Clef, frowning. "How did you get here this morning? Don't tell me you transported yourself, you look exhausted. You better not have summoned a ride, either."

"Aveo sent me by flying disc," Clef said, crossing his arms. "Though if you're about to suspend me, you could have done the decent thing and come to Mazda, saving me the trip."

Livina began to speak, only for Talbot to wave a hand, summoning a pot of tea onto the table and interrupting the argument before it could start. "This is going to be a difficult meeting, but it is necessary. There is no need to make it worse than you must," he announced, looking at none of them in particular and managing to make it clear he was talking to all of them.

He had a point, and Clef was more than happy to see the tea. Livina sighed and took her own cup with a nod of thanks. For a few minutes, there was silence as everyone drank and Sandero busied himself trying to add extra sweetener to Clef's cup whenever he put it down.

"Well," Talbot said, once the cups were empty. "Shall we start?"

Livina nodded - and then poured another round of tea for them all. "We aren't formally suspending you," she said, firmly. "The investigation is confidential, and suspending you at this moment - even given your health - would certainly bias public opinion before any potential court proceedings. And it would not do your or our reputation any good even if you are cleared in a week. Which is unlikely, for accusations of this magnitude."

"Not that you've done your reputation much good recently," Talbot told him.

"Yes! Are you trying to force our hand so we have to pull your post from you? Going on holiday with your Knight on an official visit! How loudly can you declare a relationship?" Livina glared at him - then snorted, shaking her head and looking at Sandero. "You didn't have to follow this one's bad lead."

"I'm not trying to force anyone to do anything-" Clef started.

"Yes, I can see your commitment to your post in every stitch you're wearing," Livina said, waving a hand at his warden's robes which screamed Mazda every way they could and nothing about his other job.

"-except to rescind a law which is harmful and wrong," Clef finished, wrapping his hands about the cup of tea.

"It's blatantly obvious to anyone with an ounce of sense that those laws need rescinding." Livina poured more tea into his cup; Clef had never been aggressively offered comforting tea before now. "But as that is the case, could you not have managed just another year without making such a blatant spectacle of yourself?"

Opening his mouth for a moment only to shut it again, Clef glanced at Sandero. Sandero tilted his head slightly, questioning, and Clef nodded. He stared into his tea as Sandero let the other two in on the very pressing reason for Clef's timescale.

"As it is not entirely unrelated to the gross misconduct charge, I feel you should possibly be aware that my student Ryuuzaki Umi is currently expecting a child."

Livina and Talbot looked at him, and then at Clef.

Talbot swore under his breath.

"Oh." Livina's eyes were wide, her voice almost without inflection. "That would…" her attention sharpened. "Was the medical emergency related to the child? Are they well?"

"Recovering, thank you," Clef said, hunching up on his chair. "It wasn't entirely related. She's been suffering from exhaustion for months since catching Honda. An unexpected allergic reaction kicked off a backlash, and Chizeta… Their healers don't understand Cephiran magic."

"He kept her alive long enough to get her back. Hence why he's currently wobbling in his chair," Sandero said, flicking his hand at Clef. "Are we sure it wouldn't be easier to put him on medical leave? Naru Miura's suggested it."

"That would invite even more interest into the Water Knight's health," Talbot said, shaking his head. "As things stand, with the landing so far from the Castle, the rumours have been fairly subdued - there isn't enough information coming out to keep them going. Medical leave for the Guru would invite further scrutiny. So long as the Naru is merely suggesting, rather than insisting, I feel moderated duties would be wiser."

Livina nodded. "The child's parentage…"

"Everyone knows I've been sleeping with Umi," Clef said, tiredly rubbing a hand over his face. "That's why we're having this meeting!" He looked up. "If you would just accept my resignation-"

"I couldn't if I wanted to, unless you have found your seal," Livina told him. "The rejection is on file, we can't just go ahead and accept it now. It would be a terrible breach of procedure."

"As is this meeting," Talbot said, sitting up straighter in his chair and setting his cup aside. "This is a disciplinary meeting, is it not? We should conduct it as one. The circumstances are unusual, but we are here to inform you of the charges against you and agree measures to be taken while the matter is investigated."

"Yes," Livina said, and she also came to attention - though she kept hold of her tea. "Guru Clef, as you have been made aware, an accusation of gross misconduct has been made against you, namely that you have abused your position and conducted a relationship with a student in your charge."

Clef nodded in acknowledgement.

"This meeting is not to discuss guilt or innocence - the matter has been handed over to the Priesthood to investigate," Livina continued. "But such a serious charge cannot, should not, and will not be ignored. So we must agree on reasonable measures to ensure that no further potential for misconduct exists while the investigation is ongoing."

"You currently have no registered students save extra reviews with one in your household - Aygo? You aren't teaching at the Academy this term, which is fortunate," Talbot said, pulling a sheet of paper from a stone on one of his rings. He'd obviously come with notes prepared. "Nor does your role actually require contact with any students."

"Especially not since the formation of the Academy," Livina murmured, sounding relieved there was at least one straightforward element to this.

Talbot nodded. "However, you do make decisions on the Guild's path and processes. While under investigation, it is not appropriate for you to use that power without scrutiny. The ordinances allow us to assign independent witnesses to monitor the work you do in your role as Guru."

Clef nodded. "I understand," he murmured. "But if that is for Guru, then for the post of Warden-"

"I have spoken with your Seneschal. She will take on the active part of the Warden's work - as she has done while you were absent," Livina said.

"But she's my niece," he pointed out.

"She has agreed your Clerk and an independent assigned to work with them will monitor and record all her actions. The post of Warden can also be conducted without working with students." Livina looked over at Talbot's notes. "There are several minors in your household, but they all have registered primary teachers, and you will be required to not teach or spend unsupervised time with them."

Well, that would make Aygo happy he wasn't getting extra homework. But there was another issue they hadn't raised. "Umi is currently resident in my home, with my family," Clef pointed out. "She's not well. She shouldn't be moved - and they are looking after her. If anyone has to move-"

"She's not currently your student, and this misconduct allegation merely suggests that you began relations while she was, not that there is an issue with your current status. So technically you're not required to move." Talbot pulled a face at the book in Sandero's hands. "That's a potential loophole we will need to fix once the current situation is over. But currently, her welfare is being monitored - and will continue to do so - and it has been concluded there is no current risk to her by her place in your household."

Clef looked between them. "Miura?" he guessed, some of the strange looks he'd been getting the past few days making more sense if she knew something was going on. "She's been making formal welfare checks?"

"As Naru Miura is the healer attending Umi, she had to be made aware anyway, but she seems to have been recording observations on Umi's welfare since she was called in - apparently that's always done in a backlash situation? The investigation will need to involve at least an interview with Umi, but the Naru will have to say she's in a fit state to be interviewed first." Talbot looked at Clef. "In the same way she has for your interview."

Clef hadn't known that. He had wondered a little about the delay.

"Until the investigation is concluded, you will still attend the regular meetings you have as Guru and as Warden, but practical work will be passed on - you'll need to tell us if there is something needed as Guru and we'll handle what we can," Livina told him. "We would need to do that in any case until you are well. We'll put a halt on any less important work for now; I'll go through your diary and see what can be delayed."

"Are you sure you don't want to accept my resignation?" Clef said, with a sigh. "It would make life far easier."

"It would make life easier for you, perhaps, but it would throw the Guild into even worse chaos than we're in already," Livina snapped. "We need you to get through this as smoothly as possible, or no one in Cephiro will have any faith left in us - and rightly so!"

"I have not committed gross misconduct!"

"No, you've committed treason! And in trying to keep that fact from being aired out, your conduct has been questionable enough that someone has submitted this accusation either from genuine concern or because they want to force investigation of your circumstances into the public. Neither is good!"

Clef bit his lip, holding back the retort that they should just go ahead and put him on trial if he was conducting himself so badly. He had a plan for exile - well, Umi did - and it was looking more tempting every day. In Tokyo, at least, he'd be spared the vexation of fortnightly Council meetings.

He was less impressed with Umi's plan to steal him from prison if it came to incarceration instead of exile. While he had no doubt she was perfectly capable of breaking him out, Umi didn't deserve to make herself an exile too. What she deserved was the freedom to study magic as she wanted.

Standing, he bowed his head to the room. "If you will excuse me," he said, stiffly, "I have another meeting to attend before Council, so if there's nothing else I need to know right now I should get going. Let me know the arrangements for monitoring me while this goes ahead."

They all three nodded. With that, he turned and walked out, headed for the second unpleasant meeting of the morning.

.*.*.*.

to be continued...