GREETINGS ADVENTUERES: Your faithful author here. I am doing my best to work on this story while implementing a buffer. That is, I do not release a chapter until I have completed (or nearly completed) the one to follow it. So far, it seems to be working out well and I get to go back and re-read the chapter before release for edits which helps keep past events lined up in my head for future chapters. Anyway, enough babbling and enjoy your new chapter!
The next morning, Ren looked up from his spot at the desk to see the laboratory doors open and Kyoko stumble inside. Her arms were full of what appeared to be wooden limbs and other various body parts. She dumped them unceremoniously in a pile on the floor and took a moment to catch her breath before greeting him properly. Noticing his quizzical glance at the heap near her feet, she smiled sheepishly.
"I got in touch with an acquaintance from the Framers guild that I met during my cross-training," she crouched down and started fitting the pieces together as she talked. "She agreed to lend me one of her mannequins in exchange for some fabric coloring drafts."
"And why did you think we need a mannequin in here?"
"I thought we should have a life-sized test subject for our prototypes," her voice was strained as she lifted the torso on to its stand. "And since you said confidentiality was important, this one will have no problems keeping its mouth shut."
"Good idea," he smiled at her. "I can see you thought carefully about a solution. This should work quite nicely."
Ignoring the blush that threatened to creep up her face, she continued attaching the arms to the torso. Never had she seen him smile that genuinely before; not that he never smiled. But it always seemed guarded and false. Kyoko took pride in the fact that she vowed to no longer be a frivolous woman but this particular smile needed to be accompanied by a warning label.
In a few minutes, she had it fully assembled on its stand and placed off to the side in the laboratory. She nodded in appraisal at her handiwork and turned towards the desk to retrieve the list they created the day before. When she picked it up, she noticed small notations had been made in the margin, each with lines drawn to several draft names.
"I took the liberty this morning of noting which books you'll need to retrieve to cover everything on our list," she heard his voice on the other side of the paper she was currently scrutinizing. "I thought it might help expedite your trip to the archives. Additionally, I've added my seal to the sheet to let Chief Scribe Sawara know you have my express permission to access those volumes."
She slowly lowered the sheet and gaped at him, "You mean you were able to just recall the names of all these books off the top of your head?"
"When you have spent as much time as I have on various research," he chuckled. "You will most likely know them all by heart as well."
"I suppose I should make my way down there now," she said, tucking the page into her cloak.
"If you can think of anything else we may need, be sure to save yourself a trip and get that as well," he suggested. "There is an Archweaver gathering in an hour so I may not be here when you return. I will leave you a note if there is anything important you should know."
She nodded briefly before gesturing to him and made her way back out the laboratory door. Ren sighed and smiled warmly at the door as it closed behind her. It had only been a day and she was already turning this project on its head with an enthusiasm he rarely saw anymore. It was no secret that the Grand Archweaver had his own reasons for this collaboration, but he was happy that he went along with his request all the same. She was the only one he wanted for this project.
He returned to the laboratory, late into the afternoon, to find Kyoko perched on a chair and frantically attaching copies of draft diagrams to any open space along the wall that she could find. The mannequin, now set up in the center of the room, was adorned in an old tunic and a pair of slacks. Both pieces appeared to have been colored an appalling shade of bright green. Redirecting his attention towards the petite girl, he saw she had hopped off of the chair on which she stood and was backing away from the wall while assessing what she had done.
"I am beginning to wonder if this is how your dormitory room looked in advance of your practical exams," he folded his arms and surveyed the wall full of diagrams.
Kyoko's entire body jolted at the surprise of suddenly hearing his voice. She was so engrossed, she never even heard the door open. Eyeing him warily as he slowly walked along the wall, looking at the papers hanging there, she awaited a sharp reprimand from him for carelessly cluttering up his research space.
"I am so sorry, Archweaver," she gestured towards him with a deep bow. "I was having trouble looking at the draft diagrams side-by-side that I may have gotten a bit carried away. They can all be taken down if you wish."
"No, leave them for now," his words stopped her mid-step as she made her way back towards the wall. "If you think this setup will be beneficial, I am not opposed to giving it a try. I am, however, quite curious to know why the mannequin is suddenly so… alarmingly dressed."
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I wanted to start with an obvious base color so we could clearly see whether or not the disguise layers were adequately covering each other and not showing through."
"You really have thought of everything, it seems," He said with a hint of admiration.
"I have found that the best way to tackle a problem like this is to prepare as much as possible for any contingencies," at that moment, her stomach chose to growl loudly. "I have also found that you should never tackle a problem on an empty stomach. Have you eaten yet, Archweaver?"
"I can have a meal brought up for you, if you would like, but I am not hungry."
"Oh, did you eat at the gathering?"
"No, I have not eaten since early this morning."
He noticed her looking at him oddly when he said that. Watching her walk to a side table towards the back of the room, he saw her pick up two brown paper packages. She turned around and walked towards him with the bundles. When she got closer, she offered him one with an outstretched hand.
"I picked these up earlier when I went to the Archives," her eyes were full of concern. "I know you said you were not hungry but you should not go so long without eating. We are taught that an effective Spellweaver takes care of both their mind and body."
"I would have picked up some bread on my way home this evening, but thank you," he said while slowly taking the package from her hand and placing it on the desk.
"Are drafts not as physically draining for you as they are for most Spellweavers?" she asked with her head cocked to one side.
"No, I believe they affect me the same as every one else," he answered, confused by her odd question.
"Then, perhaps you are restricting your caloric intake for health reasons?"
"I am not watching what I eat if that is what you mean," he wondered where she was going with this. "Why are you—"
"Then, if what I learned from the Healers is correct, you should be eating as frequently as I do, if not more so," her eyes were downcast and her fingers gripped her own parcel tighter as she spoke. "Please excuse my forwardness, Archweaver, but I really think you should eat something. I would never forgive myself if you collapsed from exhaustion."
When she looked back up, their eyes met; worry clearly evident on her face. He helplessly looked between the package on the desk and her, unsure of what to do next. It was not often when he would eat in the middle of the day as he had grown accustomed to steering clear of the dining hall altogether. Ever since the female Spellweavers began to frequent the hall just for the chance to see—and possibly eat with—him, he made himself scarce at meal times. The Grand Archweaver would jokingly refer to them as his 'adoring fan club' but Ren did not find it the least bit funny.
Compared to them, the woman who stood before him was quite different. She looked at him with genuine concern about his eating habits rather than the predatory leer that made him feel as if he were about to be the meal instead. Nonetheless, he could stomach a few bites since he knew there was no chance of her backing down. Perhaps he should have answered 'yes' to one of her questions. It would not be the first lie he ever told.
Sitting down at the desk, he carefully opened the brown paper wrapping to reveal a vegetable and egg tart of some sort. The flaky golden crust had crumbed a bit around the edges where the wrapping was too tight, but the filling remained pristine. Ren instantly felt hunger pangs in his stomach as the aroma of the tart hit his nose. He broke off a piece and shoved it quickly in his mouth. It was good; better than good. It was probably the best damn thing he had eaten all year.
"Pretty good, right?" she noticed the stunned look on his face.
"This is delicious," he admitted. "Wherever did you find this?"
"There's a small bakery nearby run by a couple I apprenticed for back when I thought about entering the Servers' guild. I figured I could get some food for us while paying them a quick visit at the same time," she unwrapped her own meal and took a bite.
"You were going to be a Server?" he asked, dubiously.
"I… considered it, yes, as I had some prior training," she answered carefully after swallowing. "But, that was a different time and I enjoy being a Spellweaver much more."
Noticing her guarded words, he abandoned his next question. She appeared to be uncomfortable with talking about her past before joining the guild. The enthusiasm she displayed while encouraging him to eat immediately dissipated upon this change of topic. It was almost as if a sudden chill had developed in the air around them. A tense silence settled in the room as they continued to eat. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she stared at the drafts on the wall between bites, her brow furrowed as if she were searching for a distraction from some unpleasant thoughts that invaded her mind.
"So," he cleared his throat, deciding to break the silence and refocus her on the task at hand. "Would you like to suggest how we should go about analyzing these drafts now that they are all here?"
"Perhaps we should categorize them between whether they are a physical alteration or a visual one," she mused while still looking towards the wall, her last bite of tart inches from her mouth. "And then go through the more complex drafts first, saving the simpler ones for last."
"Why not evaluate the simpler ones first?"
"The complex ones would be easier to eliminate, would they not?" she turned to him for confirmation. "Since they are the ones with the smallest capacity for changes."
"I suppose," he shrugged. "I have many of the simpler drafts memorized so those might be easiest for me to go through first."
"Of course," she exclaimed in self-admonishment. "I should have considered that. I am so sorry, Archweaver, please forgive my rashness. It will not ha—"
"Stop," his sudden commanding tone halted her in her tracks. "I may outrank you in title but, when we are in this laboratory, we are equal. We are both here to complete a job. Together. Understand?"
She opened her mouth to apologize again but the look in his eyes caused her to snap it shut and nod meekly.
"Good," his voice softened. "Now there is no need for any more apologies. If you make a mistake, simply admit it and we can start working on a solution. We only have a few days remaining so we cannot let ourselves get bogged down by formalities."
Realizing she was not being scolded, she nodded again more firmly, "You are absolutely right, Archweaver."
She felt a chill run up her spine as she saw his lips curl into a smile. It was the smile she dreaded seeing as it was the one that meant she had done something wrong. The atmosphere crackled like a static charge mere breaths away from release.
"What did we just get through establishing?" he prompted.
"That you and I are equals in this lab and there is no need for formalities," she confirmed.
"Yes, and what did you just call me after that?"
"Archweaver—oh," she noticed the inconsistency. "Then, what am I to call you? We are taught to respect the rank of those above us at all times."
"I have a name," he reminded. "And you are allowed to use it while we are in the confines of this space."
"Oh, I could never," she began, visibly flustered. "What—what if I accidentally use it elsewhere?"
"Someone as careful and prepared as you? I highly doubt it," his smile suddenly turned genuine and she almost winced at the brilliance of it.
"Alright," she said quietly, already planning in her head how to avoid ever having to use his name.
"Is it safe to assume that I am also allowed to call you by your given name?"
He watched as her face turned bright red and suddenly drained itself of all color. A slight smirk played at the edge of his lips. She took a deep breath before responding.
"You may do as you wish," she tried her best to keep an even tone despite the sudden onset of nervousness caused by his suggestion.
"Then let us finish eating and get started, shall we?"
Dividing their list equally between them, they each sat down to evaluate the drafts one by one. Kyoko had taken care to pin them to the wall in alphabetical order, thus making them easy to take down for further inspection and replace afterwards. As she worked her way through her half of the list, she carefully marked a star in the top left corner of each page so she knew she had already looked at it since she only made small notes on a select few. She made her way through nearly two dozen when she realized she had been neglecting to go to the restroom for the last hour. Rolling her eyes at her own foolishness, she abruptly rose from her seat and made her way to the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ren's head lift to see where she was going.
"I, um," she pointed at weakly towards the door, awkwardly avoiding his eyes, "I will be right back."
"If you are going to the restroom, you can just say so," he smiled and shrugged casually. "We are spending the week holed up in this laboratory together; it was bound to happen eventually."
A nervous, breathy laugh escaped her as she awkwardly stepped backwards pushed at the heavy wooden door to slip out into the hallway. Making her way down the hall, she was thankful for the late hour as it was nearly empty, allowing her to reach her destination swiftly without having to stop and gesture to her superiors every three feet. Being the only Class 1 on a floor typically inhabited by Master and Archweavers had many disadvantages. Case in point were the two Master Weavers exiting the ladies' lavatory just as she approached.
"Look, Miya, we found Archweaver Tsuruga's new pet," the taller woman jeered as Kyoko gestured towards them. "And she has been let off the leash, it seems."
"I bet he's probably grown tired of her yapping and following him around all day," the other one said with a snort.
Years of being the object of ridicule was not lost on Kyoko. She learned how to wisely pick her battles and when to back down. However, being accosted on her way to the restroom when she was already in a hurry somehow irked her enough that she could not ignore them. Opening her eyes as wide as they could go, she tilted her head to one side and looked at them with mock confusion.
"Is something wrong with you or do you only understand your master's commands?" the one named 'Miya' taunted, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Oh goodness, no, I heard you perfectly well," she shook her head slowly and brought a finger up to her chin and pouted innocently. "Though I cannot understand why you would try to insult when I do not value your opinion in any way."
The pair, visibly embarrassed, scoffed and quickly moved past her. Kyoko let out a breath she did not realize was still trapped in her chest and continued on her mission. Moments later, she carefully peered out into the hallway to make sure it was empty before heading back to the laboratory. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a second round with those two harpies.
She was nearly home free, a mere twenty steps away from the door at the end of the hall, when she heard a door open beside her. Stepping quickly, she moved past it in hopes she would not have to make eye contact with whoever was there and continue on her way. The last voice she expected to hear called out to her. She stopped, like a cornered animal, and her blood ran cold. Against her better judgement, she turned around to face the person behind her.
YOUR SOCIAL BUTTERFLY AUTHOR WANTS TO TALK AGAIN: Ooh, sassy Kyoko is sassy! And we have our first cliffhanger out of the way! My current progress with writing this has been fairly consistent so new chapters should come out faster.
Okay, so we've seen mention of several other guilds now in the story, so if you're having trouble getting the gist of what professions they would entail, here is a handy guide:
Framers: these are the 'makers' so they would include artists, designers, seamstress/tailors, etc.
Healers: medical professionals
Defenders: military
Scribes: clerical, documenting and organizational professionals; think secretaries, personal assistants, office managers, project managers, librarians, bookkeepers/accountants, et. al.
Servers: these include hospitality professionals such as chefs, restaurant owners, house keepers, innkeepers and shopkeepers.
Each guild has different sub-departments that are more specialized but you'll see some more of that as we go along. Well, that's enough chit-chat for now.
AUTHOR OUT!