Speech = "..."
Thoughts = [... ]
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"Grandiose place the New Institute... is it not? However I cant say in good conscience that it fully matches the aesthetics of the Palais Mermonia.."
Were the eloquent sweet words of her servant towards the very building they were now walking within, the interior of the building in question felt ancient yet rather nice to look at the same time though, which was more than she had thought she would given the imaginary idea in her mind of the place from in-game graphics.
Ample grand halls filled with booths showing samples of the work of previous engineers long time deceased, large corridors heavily decorated with all sorts of details and different artistic designs made it feel as if she was walking deeper into a museum, while with the soft, yet incessant whisper of gears and pistons echoing from all over the entire structure gave it the idea that one was actually inside a huge clock.
Perhaps she was…
It would probably meet the insanity required of the flair of this world when taking into consideration the fact that they mixed the courts with a theater for dramas sake.
Ha...drama.
See the pun there..?
"You may be right, however one should take into consideration what purpose they were given before judging them on by the aesthetics.."
She muttered, lazily batting her eyes at Gerard as she tried to pick up an imaginary speck of durst from them if only to try appear as cool and reserved as she ".should." be, earning a small nod in response.
"A rather pragmatic approach if there was one my lady..and one no less true for it."
"Perhaps…., though that is my opinion and nothing more" She said with a weak shrug, brushing away the loose strands of her hair from getting on the way of her sight "Also...is it always so empty?"
She asked, cocking her head left and right about the utter lack of human presence in the entire thing.
True, they had come across one or two souls here and there, like the Officers back at the main door leading to the premises or some or two workers unloading or packing boxes from and into the carriages that were stationed in an open and empty hall that looked more like a repair shop than anything else
There was...people.
But where was everyone else..? Where did they go? Bingo..?
Ha! Another referen-...ok, she would need to stop. This was getting out of hand. If worst came to be she would be telling dad jokes in a few weeks time.
The meta jokes would destroy this world. Though mostly at the thought of Celestia coming down to crack the earth at how cringe they would be than anything else.
Luckily for her, Gerard was too busy been himself to even notice anything out of the ordinary from her as he shook her head.
"No, it usually is not. It seems we were lucky this time around... "
[Lucky..? This time..? I have the feeling I am not aware of some much needed context my good sir...] She thought to herself.
"Oh, I see….then we better hope nothing blows up while we are here.."
"Don't worry madam Knave, as insane and reckless the people working behind these halls tend to be…they have proven more often than not to be at least serious enough to place safeguards for their own safety. Nothing will blow up"
She rubbed her chin in deep thought at that. "Because of hard line regulations issued by the court of Fontaine to keep a safe and healthy work area...?" She inquired.
"More like…. a late by product brought with the economic necessity to avoid repeating previous accidents. Messier Neuvillete can be rather ruthless when it comes to fine madmen into oblivion.."
She stared at Gerard with a dumbfounded look in her eyes. That wasn't really encouraging. Like...at all.
At least the mental image of the Lord of Justice of Fontaine tired of the shit the scientist came up each and every time was strangely funny.
The expression in her face must have been rather telling if her butler started wailing his arms left and right in a panic frenzy.
"D-do not worry my lady, the seal doors leading to the experiment sites are rather robust. If something does end up blowing, we will be rather safe even if the entire building were to be shaken by the blast.."
She looked at him, then the floor before she decided to sigh loudly and tiredly. A finger pointed at the ceiling above them.
"The huge cubes in the air from the previous Institute we saw before arriving speak otherwise.."
"I...well that's….point taken my lady"
Mumbled the old man, trying to come up with a response before giving up on the spot, his cheeks reddening with fluster and embarrassment that he tried to hide with a low bow.
The Fontaine Research Institute was a research center dedicated to the studying and developing of machines and energy for the entire nation of Hydro.
Going from the simple models of clockwork mechanism to the most convoluted of machines and kinetic cores, many of its inventions end up benefiting the greater populace of Fontaine one way or another, a stark contrast with the methods carried away by the fellow scientific nation of Sumeru and the ever knowledge hoarders that were the members of the Akademiya.
Perhaps the reason behind been mostly the fact that they were not there to educate the ignorant masses or exert any sort of control over it. Like, who thought that having only egg heads carrying the basket was a good idea?
True...if you ignored the floating cubes in the air hundreds of feet above the city landscape made out of elemental energy and rubble from what were once buildings, a product of a scientific experiment gone wrong….. then yes, the Fontaine style was far FAR better.
After all, sometimes you had to break some eggs to make an omelet. Yeah, no.., that wasn't a french pun.…
Or was it?
A few seconds later she found out she could not help but chuckle a little at her own joke.
"Madam...?"
Once more Gerard reminded her that she was not precisely basking in the pleasantries of her own company in order for her to goof around as much as she could, but instead forced to be the big bad girl he knew her to be.
Her lips pursed downwards at that, but not enough to darken the mood.
Taking a deep inward breath she shook her head, waving a placating hand to her left just like she had practiced.
"No, nothing at all….merely a thought coming to mind.."
Not very explanatory on itself, but it wasn't like she could just tell him what the joke was about anyway. No answer came back though, not verbally at least though…
However the listless eyes of the old man told that felt apprehensive for some reason.
Why? She did not know. Perhaps it had to do with the way he had been looking at each at every shadow, nook and cranny around them as they made their way into the building.
What had gotten his feathers so ruffled up she did not know…, but if he was not going to elaborate either then it probably wasn't something important anyway. Maybe he was just shy…? Yeah, probably not…. but one could dream right?
Little did she know that the worry of her servant was very much well warranted...
As they made their way inside her eyes found a floating orb encased in metal and gold, energy flickering at times with luminous sparks of elemental energy from a series of organized and color schemed tubes from the containment glass that held the otherwise volatile energy flowing inside the metallic contraction.
A simple thing for the people of Fontaine….but she could not help but marvel at it.
Perhaps it was similar to those electrode balls in science museums where people would get a snap from touching it….however the way the lights flowed and changed its shades as time went by was….oddly beautiful. Soothing her heart for some reason...like the tide waves of the sea...instead of just electricity just running amok inside a glass ball.
She had not realized that she had stopped walking...or that she had approach the thing in question.
Something that was not left unnoticed.
"Ah yes….the first Empyriam ocluss machine, its been a while since I last saw it."
The words broke her out of her awe as she slowly tilted her head to the side. Finding Gerard not glaring at her, but having his chin raise up as he too watched the strange light-show in-front of them.
"You know this machine..?"
She could not help herself but ask, still a bit too curious about the entire thing…..and much to her surprise, the man did not question her odd decision either as he took a step forward towards it.
"All too well I am afraid...´´ He muttered, pulling down his monocle and cleaning it with a hand-chief before placing it back in its place ``Not a practical or useful tool for any sort of production or labor other than show off its ability to contain the very elemental energies flowing all over Tevat in a small yet pure form.."
"Oh, I see..."
..
..
..
[Oh I see?]
[Just Oh I see...!?]
[For goods sake girl, would it kill you t say something far more elaborated than that...!?]
Unbeknownst to her internal monologue the old man continued on rambling.
"It was rumored to be said that the when it was made people thought that its success was a product of magic...hah, could you believe that?"
She put a hand on her hip, finding the strength to pull her eyes from the glowing ball of light and back to Gerard.
"Well…, it is said that science and magic can be mistaken by one another when people no know better. Still..I do doubt that the gods had anything to do with it.."
Gerard chuckled curtly. "All too true, my lady. Gods are fickle creatures who don't meddle with those they consider lower than them...not unless they wish their end"
A bead of sweat slid behind her head. [Well, that is...oddly specific and depressing..]
"Though as useless as this thing is….I can not help but admit that I am fond of this ball of rusty bolts,
Her curiosity peaked at that, making her tilt her head to the side..
"Oh? A rather peculiar choice of words to describe affection wouldn't you say?" She said, a small smile warping around her lips, perhaps almost teasingly.
Gerard merely shook his head, though the motion this time was more guarded, more….refined as the previous dread that had possessed him bled away into some sort of solemnity.
His weary eyes still focused on the glowing orb.
"Not affection perse my lady...more like a misguided sense of pride.." He mused out.
That rose an eyebrow from her. Gerard merely nodded to himself, as if speaking to a memory in his head before he continued to speak regardless of her lack of vocal response.
"What is there to not feel proud of when it represents that man kind can mimic the world around them with nothing but ingenuity, determination and with a bunch of scraps ….no need for vision holders or magic to do any of that when simple men can do better.."
[Wow, I never thought I would hear something as close as scientific pragmatic atheism in a fantasy world populated by gods….color me surprised]
She thought. Not in a bad way though, much to the contrary, it was...quite refreshing.
Though...should she tell him that for now the only humans in Fontaine were those who were not of Fontaine given a certain and already corporeally dead goddess that would be offed twenty years later from now on? Which... by proxy meant that until a certain dragon handsome man flicked the lights nothing made in Fontaine was done by "humans"?
Wait...she was from Fontaine. Did that mean she was not human..!? That she would dissolve and spent her days down an old rusty sewer in a communal relationship with spiritual communist..?
Urgh, her head hurt just by thinking of it…her feeble dented skull not capable of contemplating such existential question.
"Madam?"
"Nothing, just….just my head ringing bells.."
She muttered softly, wiping a stray of sweat from her forehead. Her eyes blinked for a moment unfocused, when had her skin turned so cold? It almost felt...dampened?
That was not good. Had the dose wear off already..?
She grimaced. It seemed that goofing around was gonna cost her dearly, again.
"If you are feeling unwell we can postpone this, no need to put your health in unnecessary risk.."
That….that sounded like a good idea, she did not understand why her body was starting to feel heavy and a good nap would do her we-she bit her lip, palming her face with both her hands.
No! For gods sake, right now it was not time to feel sick..! A camera and cute girls were waiting for her!
Ok.., that sounded quite wrong but you get the point..!
Without a word she stormed away from his side towards what appeared to be a reception isle in a smaller hall. It was empty, but she did not care as her attention was focused on the small reception bell left untenanted over the counter.
Which her right hand slammed right down once she was close enough to do so.
Once
Twice...
Thrice..
To be honest after the first few attempts she lost count of how many times she pressed the damn thing. The metallic chime lost in her mind as she just kept pressing like a Chinese lucky cat swinging its arm up and down.
And well…, soon enough someone did came by.
However, when her eyes first gazed up to take a measure of the man in question that had answered the call. The first thought that came to mind was….
[Wow, is it me or does he look like count Dooku..?]
Trimmed bear, short yet well taken care off silver hair at the top of his head and with an angular face and the eyes of a man done with existence was a rather well dressed and elegant looking bell man.
"Hmm...what a peculiar sight. I was not aware this halls would welcome more esteemed visitors to the Institute. Though I should remind that I am not that hard of hearing even at my age..."
She felt her cheeks fluster, pulling her hand away from the counter like a child caught stealing a cookie from the jar.
[Ok, I deserved that..]
"Now, with that out of the way is there something I could do for you madam..?"
[Oh god, he does.., he really does sounds like him...]
She shook her head, not willing to let such detail deter her from her objective just as Gerard finally reached her. However, just as she was opening her mouth to utter the right question…something else interrupted her.
"TALOSSSSSSSSSS…...!"
The raging voice of a man descending from the stairs to her right startled her rather than the reckless show of seeing someone literally sprint stairs down with heavy greasy boots over a polished and smooth floor.
Taking a better look the man in question was dressed in a sleeveless green vest with a white collared shirt, black trousers covered with belts and a bag of tools hanging from his hips, slapping against his posterior with each step he took and a pair of old yet oddly futuristic goggles at the top of his head.
Tall, slim and almost sickly depending on your opinion. He was young…., though that stupid goatee hanging from his chin did him no favors. Making him look more like a madman rather than a prestigious scientist...or whatever he was.
"Urgh, not this again…" Grunted the old man under his breath, slowly raising a hand in order to pinch the bridge of his nose.
[Ok...that is not good]
Turning around to meet the incoming guest she did not have the time to ask what it was all that about as the man reached them in a flash, literally barging in between her and the bell man.., slamming both of his gloved hands down the counter rather loudly.
"Talos, you old bastard. You have been dodging me all day-..!"
"You buffoon, what do you think you are doing..!? Lower your voice, we are not in a market!"
Snapped Dooku 2.0 sharply, annoyance clearly in his tone. However it was not a warning their new "friend" seemed willing to heed...or just notice.
"What I am doing? The nerve of you old man, quit your excuses..!"
"By the gods, why did it have to happen in front of guests. Such fatherless behavior wont be tolerated, young man.."
"What did yo-You littl-you know what? It doesn't matter. Now to the point: Do you have the slightest idea of what day is today?"
"A Monday, Marious?"
She almost laughed at the unimpressed tone of the old bell man.
Clearly a master of giving sass….
"Don't get cute with me" Croaked Marious through his clenched teeth before pointing an accusatory finger at Talos "If you have any semblance of honesty in your head I suggest you give me what I want. NOW, before he arrives.."
"Don't you see I am busy right now..?"
"With what?"
"Is not a what, but a who you blind milk toddler..or have you not notice the guest standing right NEXT to you?"
With a contentious huff Marious finally turned around to regard her and Gerard after having waltzed between a while ago. However if she was hoping to get a reaction from him remotely positive….then she was for a disappointment.
Specially with the way his eyes shrunk under that heavy scowl. Like a person watching a living cockroach wave its antennae at him.
However, she did not let that dissuade her. If she was gonna chick out because a creep looked at her funny then she was shit out of luck if she was ever to meet a real piece of work like Dottore.
And so, with a gentle smile and with her right arm pressed gently against her chest she extended her left arm for a handshake.
"Hello, my name is-"
"Who the fuck are you..?"
She could not help but flinch a little at such crude and brutish interruption.
[Ok, stellar start for a conversation. Neat..] And people thought that reality could not emulate after cartoons..?
Sighing to herself she slowly retracted the offered hand that had been so painfully ignored back to her side.
And tried again.
"Greetings, my name is Crucabena and its just as that fine gentleman said, we are guests visiting the institute.." She said softly.
Marious rose an eyebrow, his head angling a few grades to the left, however his expression did not soften in the slightest. In fact an ugly scowl started to warp on his lips.
Glancing between her, Gerard and then back at him he puffed his chest like some sort of exotic peacock before he crossed his arms against his chest. His chin raise up high while his eyes glared down on them.
"Huh? Tourists...? Don't you lot have better things to do than come here to gawk and bother everyone else..?"
One of her hands started to ball into a fist, her jaws clenching.
[Well, that was just rude... Did your mother never tough you some fucking decency? No? Too much to ask?]]
"Look sir, I know things are heated up and that you are clearly bothered by something, so why don't we start over again?"
Perhaps the third try was the charm…
She had to try.
He glared at her for a few seconds too long before crossing his arms against his chest.
"Hmm...is that so?"
"Yes.."
"Well, tell that to someone who cares.."
The cloth in which her gloves were made off started to creak under the inhuman pressure they were subjected to, knuckles turning a deadly shade of white underneath.
[Ok, he really is starting to piss me off...]
However, while she kept her anger to herself. Gerard took a more proactive stance to it. And by that she meant seeing his face incensed with anger as he graved the idiot by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the counter of the table with surprising ease by a man working a desk job at the Hearth.
Which….was pretty cool….and worrisome for equal reasons.
Why you ask? Well...it was rather simple.
One part of her was silently dreading what kind of repercussions would entail having a brawl in such a public place. The cunt was a dick, but with how the laws of Fontaine came and went she was way too young to be sent to prison.
The other reason however...well, it did not think that way. Not by a long shot.
What did she mean by that? Well….
[Yeah, YEAH! Get his ass Gerard. GET HIS FUCKING ASS….!]
She would never admit it, but it was kind of therapeutic seem an old man beat the shit out of a snob.
"W-what the fuck old man!? That's assault-..!"
Started to whine Marious only to find himself slap on the face by a fucking glove of all things before a fist dug itself into his guts for good measure. Drawing the air out from Marious lungs like one pops a balloon.
What was this..? A beating with class? If that was the case Gerard forgot the top hat….
Though not like she was arguing about it.
"Shut your trap, imbecile! The lady may have been kind enough to spare your insolence, but I wont allow this disrespect to continue any longer while I still draw breath. Now apologize to the madam."
"Wait, what-..?"
"Apologize..!"
"And what if I don't?"
She brought a hand to her face, trying to cover the grimace forming on her features. Look, she was all out to stop this from getting any worse than it was, hell, this was pretty bad as it was.
But the flippant tone of this walking piece of dirt that just killed the mood of been a good Samaritan.
[For gods sake, is this guy for real? Can there be people this petty...?]
Oh, wait...that was a dumb question. Of course there were..!
"That would be a bad idea, sir.." Growled Gerard, launching one of his arms forward, grabbing the engineer by the throat, and then started to lift him up.
..
..
..
..
[Wait….]
[Wait, wait, wait, WAIT WHAT..!? What is this...!?]
[Is everyone here overpowered or something...!?]
While she was having a mental breakdown about how a living fossil was able to lift a man many times his junior like nothing Marious closed his own hand around the wrists that were keeping him in place.
Perhaps thinking that he could pull those cold fingers away from his throat...only to find that they were far more sturdier than they seemed.
"Oh? A... threat? Are you…. going to scare me…. by folding down…. and die….old man?"
Gerards face turned even more rd, veins popping out on his features. "Why you-!"
"Besides... What are you? Her father... or something..?"
"What are you, a child or something..?"
She found herself spatting, taking a step or two closer without knowing while making Talos grin subtly and the idiot to flinch with rage at her insolence.
This was far away from what she envisioned her day would go...but what the hell was his problem? She had tried to be patient and friendly. And for what? A scummy behavior from daddies dearest boy?
Fuck that!
She was about to do more than just exchange petty words with the cretin..but the sound a boot stumping the floor put such thoughts on hold.
"That is enough, everyone. Marious, my answer is no.."
Though anger still flared in the young mans eyes, Marious turned his attention away from her.
"I haven't even told you in detail what I came here for…" He said, his voice cracking with animosity though.
"You did, and even if you hadn't I would have known all the same. You are a predictable creature..."
"Nonsense.."
"And the answer is still no. You are not ready for that.."
"How may times I must tell you this old man? My skills have double since last I presented my project…!"
"And my standards have doubled since last we met…, boy"
She was still angry...but a sly smirk cracked her lips.
[Ok, he is definitely the iseaki fantasy version of Count Dooku, there is no other way to explain this... ]
Like, what were the odds..?
"Come on old man, don't do this to me! I have been breaking my back to pull this off.."
"The last thing you actually broke were several safety regulations, nothing as grandiose as you put it.."
"Urgh, how am I to work with Indenmitium if I am to be subjected to such crippling rules...!? It works! I tell you that my prototype does!"
"Telling is not showing.."
"I will show you if you were not so stubborn about it.."
"Enough of this, you are making a bad habit of making a show of ridicule in public. Now leave" Talos then looked at her "Miss….tell your man to leave him be…"
A part of her wanted to refuse, to just let Gerard have a go at him and smack the stupid out of Marious.
In the other hand...it would be a poor way to start business on the institute.
...
..
.
With a heavy sigh, she conceded defeat.
"Gerard.., release him"
He looked at her confused, his eyes pleading for an explanation as if she had betrayed his trust.
Sadly there was none she could give him.
"Just do it.." She said, shaking her head, tired. Not really wanting to meet those eyes of his.
And so he did, begrudgingly though, but did what it was asked..
Freed from Gerard's grasp, Marious was not really all that thrilled about been spared from...whatever it could have gone down.
So no, he did not went out of his way to apologize or just ran away as fast as he could.
Nop, that would have been too convenient and boring.
We lived in Fontaine for archons sake!
Taking a step away, the inventor glared at them with murderous intent. Imprinting their faces to his memory before spitting at the floor in-front of them.
"This is not over old man.."
He then turned his head towards her..
"And you whore, I will make you rue the day you thought to stand in my way"
Snarled Marious through clenched teeth before he turned around and left with strident haste from where he came. The sound of his footsteps dimly echoing in the distance until they too...vanished from her ears.
However, gone as he was...her heart continued to throb painfully inside her chest.
For some reason she felt that she would be seeing that man sooner….rather than later one day. A rather ominous thing indeed...though one that she pushed away from her mind soon afterwards.
There were more important things to do right now….like talk shit behind his back.
"What a lovely person, so….does that usually happens..?"
She said bitterly, hands clutching her hips while still looking at the door from which the man had disappeared through.
"Sadly, it does...but please do not bother yourself with it. I have come to terms that reckless young men like him seem to have a short fuse when it comes to their work habits….and his less than stellar manners."
"Ha…that would be a good way to put it.."
She muttered weakly, averting her gaze to the side. If said behavior was considered reckless then she would hate to know what was considered life threatening.
"However..such a show of violence is ill advice or wanted in these halls. I suggest you keep to yourself and ignore the man if you ever meet him again...or I will be forced to contact the local authorities"
[Wait, what..!?] She took a step closer. "Why are you saying that as if we were the initiators. He started it!"
"Your man threw the first punch though..."
[FUCK!]
"However, I know Marious, which is why I am giving you a second chance...instead of doing the deed already. I tell you this, because I know that others would not be as kind as I am to your plight.."
"But-"
"However, I would suggest you don't bring Mr Gerard with you to the Institute again if you plan for future...visits. To keep the peace of course"
"And what about that dip-shit...?" She muttered through her teeth, crossing her arms against her chest.
She was liking the institute less and less by the minute.
"Marious..?"
[Who else..!?] She screamed internally.
"Is he going to be punished...?"
"No, the only thing I can do is what I have kept doing for a while now. Deny his requests to present publicly his experiment."
"So...he gets Scott free.., but Gerard is basically banished?"
"Basically.."
[Oh you litt-] She crossed her arms, glaring at Dooku 0.2 with a frown. "And if we bring this to the court..?"
People here brought up things out of proportion to the Lord of Justice himself, this would not be the first time.
"You could….but it would not end good enough for you to warrant it. More of a hazel of money and time than it is really worth, believe me..."
"You don't know that.."
"No…, but I do know that Marious has powerful backers even if you managed to pull the story your way.."
"And..? I have powerful friends too.."
Talos shrugged. "Then it would turn things messy if each other tries to mess with the other…, Fontaine power struggles and butt-hurt pride pissing competitions are way above my pay grade or my notice.."
[Nice way to say you don't care..]
It called into question what was all that about denying the idiot stuff…
"So...ignore him and be content with never seeing each other again with luck? Is that what you are saying?"
"I am saying nothing, just informing you in order for you to make an informed decision..."
She bit her lip.
It wasn't fair.. This wasn't fair, but she could understand where he was coming from. Still, she didn't like it.
"I... understand..."
"That's good to know-
"However I would rather want to make some adjustments to that deal. Gerard can come here if I sent him to take stuff for me."
Talos looked at her funny, like he had heard a rather strange joke that only he knew the punch line.
Oh, he was gonna know it real soon.
"Bargaining? Really..?"
She took a step closer, leaning over the counter as she placed both of her hands on the wooden edges of the table. Her eyes unblinking as they stared right into the soul of the aged bell man.
"Yes..do you got a problem with that?
"Well, let me think...like where do you think you a-"
A piece of table fell down to the floor, her fingers cracking the wood with ease. Spiderweb like cracks spreading further more at the same pace her knuckles started to turn white underneath her gloves.
"Do. We. Got. A. Deal..?"
..
..
..
..
..
After a few more awkward moments Talos rose both hands up in the air in utter exasperation. "Gods, I am not paid enough for this. Fine, as long as he does that then I have no problem.."
She closed her eyes in relief, taking a breath that she not known she had been holding as her shoulders slumped down in order to free the table from her iron grip.
"Good.."
"Now…., if it would be possible to stop breaking my stuff... what can I do for you?"
This time answered Gerard for her, his voice still a bit husky, but loud enough to be heard. "We came here to see a man named Lucas.."
"Him? Color me surprise.., that was not what I had expected you to say..."
"Well, we had acquire a meeting with the man to meet today at his office.."
"About what, if you don't mind me inquiring..?"
She rubbed the back of her head, though only stopped when she felt a pang of pain coursing through her skull because of it.
"Nothing too serious, sir, just a business opportunity about his findings…"
Talos eyes closed to a half lid. "So he found already an investor for his ideas, interesting...for someone that has more dreams than sense he does move fast.."
"More like a struck of luck that our path collided.." She answered with a nervous chuckle, earning a raise eyebrow from both elderly men.
"Hmm…, perhaps that would explain things. Strange enough I have not seen that fool come through the door this morning. Cant say I saw him leaving either yesterday…"
"…..?"
Talos eyes seemed to gaze at something past her, lost as they pondered something that only he seemed aware of. It did not last long though as he then shook his head.
"Still...we normally don't allow random visitors to come around for business opportunities with the members of the institute without warning the bureau itself, not even if the very engineer itself had said otherwise.."
The tone of his words was final.
She could feel her blood ran cold and her skin lose a few shades of color as she started to digest those words.
No…
NO!
Not her cameras! Anything but that..! Surely her dreams to embarrass old Arlecchino with compromising cute photos of her youth were not going to be denied just because some idiot forgot to do some paper work through the proper channels, not again-..!
An aura of depression starting to settle in around her.
"But given the poor show you were forced to witness….I am willing to let it slide. It would have been poor sport from me doing anything else.."
And just like that the morning sun shone bright above her head even though there was no window in sight while she felt her shoulders slump down with relief.
Gods, why did everyone had to give her a scare like that..?
IT WASN'T FUNNY..!
[I am not a vengeful person, but if you pull this stunt again I hope you get the OG treatment old man..]
After taking a moment to breath in and out her frustrations and the elevate blood pleasure bringing her to an early migraine she gave the aged bell man a small, though polite bow.
"Thank you kindly, sir..."
"Just doing my good deed for the day..."
[Good deeds my boot...]
"Anyway, here is a map of the institute. Don't worry, I have already underlined in red which direction you two should take to reach your destination.."
[Oh, that was nice of him...]
"If that ruffian of Lucas is still down there, make sure to remind him that the workshops are not living quarters.."
"Will do.."
She said, thanking in her mind whatever god was watching over her while happily shaking the Dooku look alike in eagerness before she went to drag Gerard along with her.
Not like he put much fight against it...
After a few change of directions they were led towards an elevator of sorts, because of course there were some of those in a fantasy setting. Though had someone told her earlier of them she would have been spared all those stairs from a while ago.
Well, beggars cant be choosers, could they?
Though by the shape of the thing it was more akin to a hoist than a proper elevator. The ride to the lower levels was smooth at least though...that was something.
She couldn't say the same about the new area in front of her though. Dark and humid, with an after taste in the air of burnt out powders. Nothing alike the clean and aesthetic pleasing designs from above.
Bare and to the bones would suit as fair description to this place.
"Madam Knave, I deeply apologize for what happened.."
She almost stumbled on her feet at the sudden sound of Gerards voice. "What, wait..what are you talking about now?"
She coed in bafflement, a little bit confused about what he was talking about right now. It was a bit hard to keep track
"If I had known we would come across such an individual I would have tied to make the meeting take place somewhere else..."
Oh..
That…
Well, if one thought about it he really had a hand on this little fuck up of a meeting of theirs with that cretin. Still, she was not that petty to tell him that. As far as she was aware he had been in the right.
That he had got in trouble for trying to defend her sucked, but she would not belittle him for that.
"Well, it was not something that you could expect to happen right? You are not a seer…"
"But I-"
"No buts…..you did nothing wrong."
She cut him off at last with a placating hand, though unlike last time there was no pretend annoyance in her tone. She understood somehow that he felt to blame...but he really was not.
They just had bad timing.
"You….are too kind my l-"
He started to say, yet the words halted on his throat, becoming stuck like a lump as he pressed a hand against his chest. fingers digging against the fabric, clutching it tightly
A pang of worry started creeping into her heart.
"Gerard? Is something wrong..?"
She asked, yet when she tried to place a hand on his shoulder he tried to gently brush her away.
"I...its nothing. Please, don't worry too much about me..." He muttered between the huffing sounds of his breaths as he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat from his forehead. "Its just that one is not as young as they used to be.."
His words were meant to be reassuring... but it only made her feel worse. Still, she was not going to bother him anymore if he did not wish for her aid.
One had to respect the bro code...
With an inward sigh she leaned back, allowing her arms to rest on her hips for a moment. "Well, if you insist then I suppose you are right"
"Thanks..."
"Still, what a strange bunch…guess that when you are a scientist you have to be a bit eccentric or else you don't make the cut…"
"...?"
Placing a finger under her chin she continued on with a sly smirk.
"Guess that soon we should be calling this place a madhouse if the entry rates keep getting lower and lower.."
A dry chuckle was her answer, which….made her smile.
It did not took them long before they were met with a particular door at the end of the corridor. The dim lit lights of the lower-floors giving the area a more shamble and humid appearance than it should have...or perhaps it was the peculiar choice of dark greens for the floor that it had to do with it.
Hanging on the wall right next to it an old plank with a crudely written name on it.
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-º...Photography….º-
-Lucas-
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..
..
..
..
"So...he is in there?"
She asked absentminded, more focused in inspecting the words engraved on the wooden plank.
You know, for been in a different world the words looked exactly like English. Perhaps it was that the same isekai magic that made Romans speak the same language of the Japanese without translators.
Yeah, probably not...but it was a curious thing to notice.
"Supposedly…?"
She turned around, a raise eyebrow.
"What is that suppose to mean? You don't know..?"
"I-I mean…..this is indeed the place where I found him last time.." Gerard tried to haste his reply.
However she was not yet sold on the idea.
"But you don't know if he is there now, is that it...?"
His silence was the only that she got. Shaking her head with a soft sigh of exasperation she shrug her shoulders.
"Oh, well...then what are we waiting for?"
She said rather cheerfully in order to lift up his mood as she approached the door, placing a hand around the rusted handle that stood between her and her goal, though she did not push it open yet.
Why? Well, truth be told she was feeling a little bit nervous at the fact that she was going to have a normal conversation for once instead of all of these attempts of people trying to please her for one reason or another.
Would the kamera be ready to pack and load...?
Would she need to actually spent time developing it?
Would this Lucas be an amenable character or just another dip-shit like someone that she knew about?
Would she be able to convince him to loan her or just down right give her what surely must have taken the man quite a long time to recreate?
..
..
Hmm….if one started to think about it there were an awful lot of ifs or what nots going by inside her mind of things that could potentially screw her entire trip here, not something that one would wish to keep a healthy line of thought.
Still...
[Well, nothing risked..nothing gained..] She mused to herself, shaking away her doubts as she clenched her hand over the handle and press it down all the way.
..
..
..
..
..
"Eh..?"
"Is there something wrong, madam Knave...?"
He heard Gerard ask, perhaps noticing that something was a miss though she could not really tell with her attention on the task at hand. His voice becoming nothing but noise lost in the distance.
Her hand tugged and tried to pull the lever down again and again, hearing the gears click inside the door frame with each and every attempt loud enough to be heard in her ears as something was been pulled and shoved somewhere…
And yet…
It didn't move.
[What its going on..?] "Is….is it stuck? Or perhaps he forgot we were coming…?"
She muttered confused as she stopped trying to press the lever anymore. Cocking her head to the side she was met with a similar look of confusion on the old man's face.
"I-I don't know, I don't think even a lowly engineer would not dare walk out of a meeting with you my lady.."
[Yeah, now if we had not met that guy from before I would totally believe you..]
"Then...the door is broken, is what you are trying to say..?"
"Perhaps? Still, is quite strange...….last I remember it was fully functioning.."
[You don't say…..] "Hm…, I see"
"Madam, should we try pulling harder?"
Gerard suggested, she was almost going to nod her head when the memories of the cookie incident came to mind, making her grimace on the spot.
Yeah, no…..she was not looking forward breaking another door handle and her back while at it.
Her pride would not survive it as it was...
"I-…..I would rather not..." She muttered weakly.
"Then, would you like for me to search for a manager back in the reception room so that we may open the door..?"
It was surely the most sensible choice.., but it did left a bad taste in her mouth to go up and bother the second coming of Dooku into searching for a key. Especially since she was not sure if she could count with him to be "nice" to them again.
For all she knew he could consider this beneath him.
No, there had to be something she could do. She just had to find it.
Surprisingly, she did.
"No Gerard, I think I can manage by myself…"
"Madam? What do you mean..?"
A bead of sweat started to slid down her forehead yet a devious smile warped on her lips.
It was a stupid plan..
But perhaps stupid enough to work just fine...
"Its rather simple, really. We only need a key to open this troublesome door…"
"Eh, yes? That would be most optimal...however...we don't have a key, madam"
She cracked her fists, one after the other before he started walking again towards the heavily reinforced door.
"Oh, we do. In fact I have a key in the shape of my boot..."
"Oh, ok….that sounds like a good-Wait-WHAT..!?"
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A/N
With a heatwave cooking my brain, work, projects and many other things keeping me busy I could not finish this chapter anytime sooner, I apologize if I made anyone wait too long than they should. I also tried to add to the chapter a lot more than the view point that its presented, but it was becoming way too long for my liking (7k+wordss), so the next chapter there will be all the point of views that were not included in this one…
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Ferb Ancos: "Neat chapter, but there are parts where words are just missing". I will see to it, in fact, for some reason I found that the text became damaged somehow as there are words that are glued with one another for some reason or another. I will have to check each and every chapter to fix those errors. Thanks for telling me of this.
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Fwwah meirin : I am glad to hear that, what part of the story caught your attention?
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Galaxy123: This story indeed has a romance plot and there could be several pairs in the making both towards girl on girl and girl on male. Why? Well, Genshin and Fontaine especially have rather pretty characters that could swoon this mothers heart. Though if you are expecting a Crucabena x Arle ship then I cant say it wont happen, or that it will. That is a secret that I will keep to myself for now :)
Although I already have the pairs in my head, I want to know what you think could be pairings for this story for Crucabaena.
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DDDXXX: When you are surrounded by pretty, cute children one cant help but dote on them. Bonus points in also making them love you and not want to kill you in the future too...so a win win.