A confused, vexed silence sank over Sir Gerson's office with its five inhabitants silently staring at the uninvited visitors down the lip of the opened window with a skitter of many black legs.
Truth of the matter was though that the many visitors weren't uninvited, for what they brought with them was indeed what one of the Royal Councilors had ordered.
A freshly made sandwich from the Spider Butcher down in Jarasevo.
The method of delivery, however, was what caught the Royal Councilors' eyes that blinked in the colloquial confusion. Across the curved table the silk-wrapped sandwich was carried like a funeral procession over to Cter sitting the furthest away from the window, naturally, giving the flow of spiders the longest stretch to deliver.
It was placed quite respectfully in front of the Fourth Monster Mage along with a note attached at the top signed with the symbol of the Spider Butcher's meat stand. It was a simple self portrait with six different meats in each of his outstretched hands.
"The bill?" perked Kurant with a small startle as her question prompted the many eyes of the spider flow to turn to her. Color drained from her for a moment.
"Seems that way," answered Cter while reading through the small note. Not entirely though, for there was a leading paragraph about how the Spider Butcher was worried that Cter hadn't come down to order the week prior. She had made a habit of heading down Castle Hill on a weekly basis to enjoy some time to be reminded of the people she was protecting after the letter from Soul's School had arrived.
A habit until she could not no more, that is.
According to the leading paragraph there had been some monsters heading past the Spider Butcher asking if he had seen her the week prior. The people of Jarasevo hadn't really been that face to face with a Monster Mage since Sund lost his life at Clinic Hill.
While not on a weekly basis, he had still taken care of the flowers at Time's Square at regular intervals, giving the monsters in Jarasevo a chance to talk to a Monster Mage. They had very much enjoyed the same with Cter, even more so since she seemed to be frequenting more frequent than Sund.
Which was why when she didn't show up for two weeks straight the Spider Butcher felt it was a good idea to do something for her then and deliver her a sandwich rather than her having to head down Castle Hill for one.
He still had some of the spiders she worked with years past, so them finding her did not prove be a problem wherever she was her in the castle up on the hill. If she had forgotten to come down to the city, then hopefully the sandwich would remind her. If she was busy protecting the monsters, then hopefully the sandwich would help her keep up the energy needed to keep protecting.
The people of Jarasevo were truly thankful for her. Forever and always.
"50 G added to the price for the sandwich to cover delivery costs," Cter finished reading with a small sigh. "I hope you understand."
Hidden among the spiders was brought forth a small sack which Cter filled with the necessary coinage. Once payment was received, the flow of spiders reversed back over the curved table, down its leg, up the wall to the window, then down the castle wall, and presumably back to the Spider Butcher too.
In its wake, the spider flow left behind not only the silk-wrapped sandwich and less coin in Cter's purse, but also an air of mystified bewilderment that took a while to clear out the open window. The silence that followed was broken up by a startled yelp from one of the Royal Guards below.
Kry was the one to break the silence with meaning though.
After cleaning his glasses on his robe's collar with his forehead raised as far as it could, he breathed out. "I think it's best to ignore that if we are planning to get back to what we were discussing anytime soon." He placed back his gold-rimmed glasses stoically on his strong nose, but through his fingers he was eyeing the silky package. "You wouldn't mind, Cter?"
She moved it to the tea tray sat on a drawer next to the simmering kettle, just the tiniest curious as to what the delivered sandwich actually was. She'd have to wait for it though.
Wait yet more.
Months it had taken for word to reach Jarasevo Castle that Dr. Fech had been employed at Noitaidarr Castle at the behest of the Hero of Xoff to heal the humans cursed by the fusion and given magical auras despite not being born with any magical potential. Great to hear, but the way it was worded was quite strongly, especially in the way it described the magical auras as curses brought upon the humans by the fusion. That Cter could not sense any magic to the writing, however faint, had her sure that it was penned by Rasliela.
"Dr. Fech, former apprentice of Dr. Sallus, the last survivor of Clinic Hill, has been given the title of Royal Physician, tasked with absolving what ails the humans that braved the magical fires of the fusion at Clinic Hill. He has managed to cure what the fusion gave him, and will be focusing on curing others the way he has been cured himself. The Hero of Xoff has insisted that those that were under his command and braved alongside him the destruction wrought by the fusion should be healed first. He will not dare declare the fusion's strife undone until he knows that everyone else around him has been freed of its hold over their souls. He will be the last. He will wait. General Shajuu, the Hero of Xoff, will wait, and once Dr. Fech, the last remaining apprentice of Dr. Sallus, has cured him too, this fear brought by the fusion will finally end!"
All well and good, one would read normally from that.
But that Priestess Frioke didn't.
"It doesn't say it outright, but the emphasis on the fusion and of its curse is to further remind the people of Xoff that the truth of the Cooperative Connection is still an unknown that should be cautioned about." Her long, blue ears curled down with the parchment in hand.
"They can not write it out directly, for that would be attacking their own monster population outright. I do not doubt for a second that they are discussing behind closed doors when to mention it publicly. This is them testing the waters as to how their population will react to Noitaidarr Castle, both monsters and humans living in the country."
Her voice was very restrained.
Sir Gerson's was too as he exhaled hard through his nose. "It is nothing similar to Soul's School, that's for certain." With one of his green fingers he tilted around a white knight standing on the b6 square on a chessboard next to his other game he kept in the middle of his desk. "And I am willing to assume that Fenkeep is reading and discussing this first official word from Noitaidarr Castle since the trial took place in order to figure out how they should formulate their first official word about the fusion and the Cooperative Connection."
The knight tipped over as Sir Gerson reacted to Priestess Frioke stopping just short of tearing a pair of claws through the Noitaidarr letter. Her ears tightened the same as her face did, hard and sourly. "Why can't they not understand?" she asked with a growl that indicated that she already knew why. "If they'd given us time to explain then they'd known why we kept it a lie. Things are moving too fast, and that is the exact damn reason we formulated the lie. Now that it's not in our hands the humans will–"
"We don't know what the humans will do," interrupted Sir Gerson out of necessity. "And pushing back on this now that they've said that they only want to heal what the fusion has hurt will make our case we presented at Noitaidarr confused. We wanted to have the fusion be the focal point to focus the anger and grief from Clinic Hill, and that is exactly what Noitaidarr has done here."
He tapped on his center-placed game board with the map of the three countries spread across over. "We need to let Noitaidarr know that we support them and Dr. Fech's efforts in curing the auras given to those Xoff soldiers by the fusion, and also remind and emphasize your part in helping Dr. Fech curing himself, Frioke." One piece stood on top of Jarasevo he moved further into the middle of the map before placing a finger across his lips, tapping at his cheek. "Yes, that will be our response."
The turtle monster stood up. "We will give Noitaidarr Castle our well wishes in curing the humans, whilst also offering the aide of Priestess Frioke should they want and need her help. We could also invite Fenkeep into the mix, asking them if they want to come study the curing process? That way we can show that we are still dedicated to keeping the power balance between the humans?"
A hum-filled percussion played out with the Leader of the Royal Guard walking to his office's window, stopping with a startle one step away from it, and deciding otherwise. "Cter," he instead pointed with his hand he'd drummed on his cheek with. "Would you please tell me who the two Royal Mages are, according to you?"
Sir Gerson sat down on the edge of his desk facing the curved table with the three Monster Mages sitting. His arms folded, waiting. "You've talked with both of them quite intimately before, no? Pray tell your view of the two, as best as you can, to help remind. In particular how you think we should formulate our response so that both of them read it in a way that is advantageous for us."
"Well," began Cter by leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms the same as Sir Gerson did. Her combined braid bounced behind her like a length of thick rope finding its end.
"The Royal Mage of Ice I can paint a rather detailed picture of, I think. We were in the same class at Soul's School, and because of that he was quite open to me when I visited Fenkeep Castle. To boot, I could also read a lot from his aura. Enough to detach how I saw him from how I wanted to see him and conjure up a representation of him and the Royal Butler at Fenkeep Castle to try and get to the bottom of how their Cooperative Connection worked." Her lips pouted to the side with slight annoyance. "It's the Royal Mage at Noitaidarr Castle, Rasliela, that I can only grasp vaguely at though."
Sir Gerson nodded for Cter to still continue even if she didn't have a lot to share with, like she said.
"Rasliela's magic is very...internal, same as her soul. If I were to try and conjure up how my soul saw her as." Cter made a motion of her sleeved arm, but didn't put any effort in it. "I'd only vaguely, and faintly, be able to detail her face and clothes, and not much more. Her magic is hiding her intentions from those around her, including me."
One of Frioke's ears flopped against the wall she was leaning on. "That so? Strange," she pondered. "When I gave her my blessing to become the Royal Mage at Noitaidarr Castle she demonstrated remarkable skill in conjuration magic, almost like mirages." The flopped ear fell down as Frioke descended into furrowed thought.
"She must have hid her true nature from me, now that I think about it. At first when you wrote in your report from the trial that she had a Boss Monster sleeve I chalked it up to her impressing me. I didn't think when I read it that she did not mention it when she proved herself worthy of being a Royal Mage."
The dust-white robe lined with deep-purple accents creased with the Monster Priestess' sinking down further into her lean. "She must be hiding it very well then if neither I noticed it back then and you couldn't read her aura when you were at Noitaidarr Castle." A quick tilt had her facing Cter again from her furrowed thinking. "And you did not manage to discern exactly why it was she was hiding the nature of her Cooperative Connection?"
Cter shook her head. "No, I did not manage to. If anything I was the one being read like a book when she offered to have tea with me." Thinking back on it, the Monster Mage felt the same dismay at not being able to read Rasliela's aura. It had her exhale a huff.
"So much so that I think that she revealed to me that she had a Boss Monster sleeve so that she could gauge my reaction at the news. She is very confident in that she can gain the upper hand and be the one in charge of the situation, and with a very good reason behind that confidence. I'm not sure that many know that she is both the Royal Mage at Noitaidarr Castle as well as its County General too. Secrecy and deception is her game."
"Which she plays well, apparently" added Kurant. "Also, to me at the trial it did feel like Rasliela was the one directing the human defense. Before the Field General took the floor once more he would always talk with her at some length before he made his stand. When you embraced him," Kurant then addressed to Kry sat next to her with a pointing finger that bounced a bit, "she looked up from under her large hat. Not enough to see her face, but it was the largest movement she had done throughout the entire trial."
Kry's glasses slid down a pair of folds down his strong nose as he curled it while lifting up his sleeved arm. "Are you assuming that she knew that I–"
"No," Kurant answered directly. "Heavens, no." Her thin eyes shut a bit harder. "If anything it took her off the path she wanted the trial to take with your burning off your sleeve, which I'm gonna assume was for our benefit." She shrugged. "Besides, her loyalty to her country must end somewhere, don't you think?"
The gold-rimmed glasses slid down another few folds. "How do you mean?"
"Well, she is a Royal Mage, and a powerful one at that, even if her specialized magic is hiding hers. What would she gain by emphasizing the negative of the truth of the Cooperative Connection? Xoff might have less monsters than Hjearta does, but there are still large part of its economy that are due in part by monsters, as we made the case for, right?"
"Right, yes."
"Which then must mean that there is something else driving her to prod at the Hero of Xoff to approve of this negative painting of the truth of the Cooperative Connection, for it sure isn't in her country's best interest."
"Something about her grandfather then?" asked Cter rhetorically. "It's...possible? She did speak of her grandfather quite highly, and she did hint that she believed that her connection was stronger than that of you two's with Toriel and Asgore." She could see the disdain grow on her Monster Mage colleagues faces. "That could have been her trying to extract a reaction out of me again though."
The office sank into silence as the Royal Councilors retreated into thinking. From outside the clock at Times' Square rang the start of a new hour, in particular the one after lunch. It reminded Cter that she hadn't had any yet, and that she also had a sandwich waiting for her from the Spider Butcher. She eyed it lying on the tea tray wrapped in spider silk with saliva building up in her mouth.
"How are they?" prompted Kry to the back of Cter's turned-away head. His question had the Fourth Monster Mage turning back to him, wiping her mouth real quick with the collar of her robe. "They doing well, according to you?"
Cter wasn't sure exactly who it was Kry talked about. "They who?" she asked to clarify, receiving a nod out the office window as an answer.
"The people in Jarasevo." Kry nodded again. "You've been visiting often lately down the hill like how..." He glanced behind him at the Monster Priestess.
Who sighed melancholy with a small shake to her head. "Like how Sund used to do." She looked down, her long ears following along her hanging head.
"I appreciate the thought, Kry, but don't hang up on his name for my sake, would you, please? It's getting better for me. Having tea with Dr. Fech helped put things into some perspective. Having tea in the Royal Garden with another one has made me think of Sund more as a good friend living far away. Not replacing him, but adding another, sort of." Frioke shook her head wider. "I won't lie and say the day after Dr. Fech traveled back to Xoff felt similar to when Sund..."
She bit her lip hard for a second, calming down the sudden flare in her aura. "But knowing that Dr. Fech was only traveling away has helped with telling myself that Sund has done the same, so..."
Her shrug was the end of that conversation which only she was a part of. With the quiver in her voice throughout it all it was clear that she had been looking for an opportunity to say it, however slim the opportunity was. She exhaled the last of her quivering voice, and nodded for Kry to continue where she had interrupted.
He was glad for her sake though, as were all in the office.
"Have you been able to read how the air is among the people down in the city?" Kry asked to Cter.
Besides the sharp stench of tar from the Green Monster's work? "There's something," Cter said rather reservedly. "I haven't quite managed to put my aura's finger on it just yet. A bit the same as with Rasliela, but vice versa."
With a small hop in her chair she straightened her back to help herself explain better. "With Rasliela I could not tell because of her hiding her magic, but with the people in Jarasevo I can't really tell because there's just so many."
There was also the actual answer...
"To be honest though, I've headed down to Jarasevo because I've been wanting to clear my head and get away from things." A smile thinned her lips from the vivid images of the warm welcome she had been given from the monsters down in the Monster Capital. "It's been nice to be walking the streets like I did years ago when I first arrived here from Soul's School. I..." Cter interrupted herself with a small scoff out her nose. "I even remember the first meal I had here."
Kry pushed up his glasses with an amused chuckle towards Cter's raised eyebrow at him. "I remember that first meal too," said he with a bit of chuckling still present. "To believe that I would come to ask that mage's advice, ey?"
"Must be quite some desperate times abound," Cter replied with a chuckle of hers, albeit a deflated one. "Which is all the more reason I want to remind myself of those we have sworn to protect. These last couple of months, or perhaps this last entire year, all I've done has been dealing with those at the top in their fields. Royal Mages, Field Generals turned Heroes of Xoff, the fusion, my magic, everything."
With a longing look Cter turned back over towards the silk-wrapped sandwich on the tea tray. "The same is now when we are dealing with the aftermath of the truth of the Cooperative Connection having been revealed to the world outside of our own plans and volition." Maybe it was her stomach talking? "It's...tiring."
"But we have to do it," added Sir Gerson. "We tire ourselves and our souls so that the people of Monster Country can be rested without any worry." He could see what Cter meant though.
"Perhaps this might just be me, but I see it the same as good exercise. The farmers out in the fields do not see manual labor as something to help break up the monotony of their daily life, but perhaps you can, Cter? I equate the tiredness I encounter from this last, heavy year and a half since the tragedy at Clinic Hill the same as I do after a good sparring match with King Asgore. Both have been me putting into practice what I as the Leader of the Royal Guard have been training and preparing myself for. It is the culmination of my duty, and the culmination of the skills that I have honed for so many years."
The turtle monster stood up from his lean against his desk with his intentions towards his office window once more. He did not pause his walk that time.
"I am still tired, the same as you all are, but I tell myself that this tired is proof of a job well done. Proof that I can succeeded as my title demands me to. I am tired because I have done the good I need. I'll get my rest, and I will do goodlier the next time. I am excited to do so. I am excited to put into more practice what has tired me so that one day I can tire myself out doing something beyond what I could ever believe that I would be capable of!"
Had Sir Gerson not stood at the office window he would have inhaled all the air in the room with how much his chest lifted and his shell seemed to straighten out. He heard the deafening silence that followed, and exhaled all that he had inhaled with a hearty laugh. "Just me then! Wah ha ha ha!" He turned with a smile brightened by the midday sun outside filtered through the light overcast.
"And don't you worry about me being too excited and declaring war upon the humans too! Wah ha ha! I'm only one monster, after all." A nod had his long shadow touching the tea tray on the other side of the office. "Have at it on your sandwich, Cter. I hope that it helps you with your tiredness, even though it might upset your friend in the kitchen that you need someone else's cooking to make you feel better."
"I did say the best in their fields, didn't I?" Cter teased back to Sir Gerson as she stood up.
"That you did, Cter."
Sir Gerson inhaled once more.
"That you did."
