Lancet twirled and threaded her fountain pen through her fingers. Pen still in hand she stood and walked to the window that loomed behind her throne. Spes Nova twinkled below, disparate stars of burning oil and gas radiating. It was so different from the shining sea of her home. Where the city’s lights shone so brightly they drowned the stars above.

She held the pen up to her eye and thought of the man who gave it o]to her. It was a thing of gold as was tradition, but two streams of colour wound round it. Coiling dragons, one blue and dark the sky moments before the sunset, the other a vibrant magenta that heralded the day. She’d laughed when her brother had explained it, thought it so silly he insisted on being dusk the sky looked no different at dawn.

Her office door cracked open. “It’s not like you too brood my Lady.” Evadney strode into the room and huffed at the state of her desk.

Lancet spoke without turning. “I’m just thinking.”

“Should I call the doctor?” the old maid drawled and began sorting the mess of papers. For a time she let the pepper’s ruffle smother her thoughts. “I need more ink, I think I gone through a litre of it just today. Order some from the capital.”

Evadney dropped the papers she was ordering with a thunk. “My Lady you can tell me what’s bothering you. Or are your concerns too grand for this humble servant?” Lancet chuckled and regarded her ‘humble servant’.

The woman wore a look of rank disapproval, quietly touting, as if she were the older of the two. Time had only sharpened their waspish ways. Lancet sighed, “I’m thinking of my brother, amongst other things.”

“Oh,” Yet time had softened them in others.

“I have a plan,” Lancet ignored Evandey’s cringe. “I it’ll take some doing. I need you to deliver a letter to emissary Ignis. It’s on my desk.”

Evadney stared at the mass of rolling hills and parchment mountains. The few neat piles were a great minority. “My lady it would be improper for me to sift through your work, much of it is confidential. I would hate to invade the privacy of the noble with which you entreat.”

“Nonsense Evadney, you are my chief of staff the most important of those in my employ. I have absolute faith in your discretion.” Lancet met the servant’s pointed stare with a bright smile. She fought down a laugh when the woman huffed.

“Fine.” She started with an upturned nose and soon turned to her task.

Two returned to staring at the pen. “Thank you, Evadney.” She said softly.

“It is my duty ma’am.” They said in an ornery but not unkind tone. “What’s the plan this time?”

“The new girl-“

“Two,” Evadney interrupted. They were protective of the snake. Would that change if they learned of what the girl had done?

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“Two, her report revealed something interesting. The angels have a method of removing taint through cultivation. While details are still uncertain, the experiment alone should be enough to get Rheviver out of his room.”

“Experiment? Lancet you can’t mean to spoil the girl, she’s rough around the edges but-” Lancet raised her hand and Evadney fell silent.

“I’m not spoiling anyone,” Lancet said calmly.

Emotions played across Evadney’s face as she stumbled from one realisation to the next. She settled on horror. Lancet chuckled. “My grandson.”

“Will be fine. She’d not contagious and won’t be for some time.” The old maid visibly relaxed and Lancet was heartened to know they trusted her that much.

“This… it is a travesty Lancet, a right travesty. I can’t say I understand what you mean to do but I can’t see this ending well for the girl. She already such a sad thing.”The woman sagged and her ears fell limp. The years seemed to grow on her. Lancet approached and placed a hand on the short woman’s shoulder.

“How many years have you known me, Evadney,” Lancet leaned down until their eyes met.

“Some six decades Lancett.”

“In that time have you ever known me to be cruel? Our work is hard, yes, but it paves the path to a better world, a kinder one.” Lancet held their gaze, Evadney’s eyes trembled but only for a moment.

They glared as Lancet straightened to tower over them. Shoulders set and voice firm “But you burn the present Lancet, you forget the small people under your boot. Years ago I told you about those orphanages and for years you had better things to do. Then you abolished the lot and left the slums lost children without anywhere to go, and now you’re going to use one of those kids?“

Lancet smiled wanly. This was an old subject, one of many. She never let Lancet forget her failures. It was one of the things she liked about her. “True, but eventually we found most of them. Gave them names of their own.”

“But not all.” They stressed.

“Not all.” She agreed.

Evadney sighed and the fight left her eyes. “Fine Lancet, but promise me something. Promise me you’ll be as kind as you can. Play your games but don’t use her up, don’t throw her away.”

It was a heavy oath but it was so rare that Evadney asked anything of her and… Lancet looked at the silver strands in their once-mat fur. She put on a smile she didn’t feel. “Of course, I’m nothing if not virtuous.”

Evadney did not look impressed. She huffed and returned to her search for the letter, organizing the desk as they went.

“Onto another subject Abery, you’ve been loitering for a while.”

There was a yelp from her waiting room and Abery shimmied in. They made a valiant effort to look innocent but couldn’t help the fact he was borne on his sleeve.

“Abery!.” Evadney snapped, and while Lancet would’ve loved the verbal dressing down to follow, Evadney was far too proper to that in front of her.

She’d have to settle for sating her curiosity.“Before your grandma chews you out. Tell what do you think of the girl?”

Abery flinched from his grandmother’s glare and turned to Lancet as if she were his salvation. She smiled indulgently and bid him to speak. “She’s nice, I thought she was scary at first. She snuck up on me in the dark and almost hit me in the head with a sac.” Evadney gasped, “but” Abery hurried. ”she was really patient after and helped me clean, apparently she didn’t know I’d be there.”

It was Lancet’s turn to be under Evadney’s glare. She squinted at the young mouse, he blinked guilessly. She couldn’t tell if that had been intentional. “You didn’t tell her.” They hissed, promising this wouldn’t be the end of this. Lancet was certain it would’ve been a scream if the boy wasn’t there.

Lancet waved her Evadney off and smiled at the boy. “Anything else?”

The little mouse’s ears twitched and deep concentration covered his small features. He was much cuter than Evadney had ever been. “Un, I don’t think she likes talking, she never really said anything unless she needed to. She’s a good listener thought.”

Lancet hummed and returned to her seat. “And you are here because?”

He looked sheepish. ”Because she asked me if I could find her old things. A cloak and knife, grandma would know where they are.”

“So you followed me and the gall to eavesdrop on our Lady.” Lancet resisted the urge to laugh at his expression, it would go against the mood Evadney was trying to set. “They will be in one of the storage rooms. Ask someone from logistics if you can’t find it.” The boy nodded along happily. “While you’re there you can help them do an inventory.” He froze, and a look of horror overcame him. Evadney had not forgotten his eavesdropping.

Lancet couldn’t contain her laughter. “Scuttle along no Abery before she decides to make it any worse.” He withered and trundled out of the room.

Lancet glanced at Evadney. “How do you even know where her stuff is?”

They huffed and rolled their eyes. “I don’t need to. Everything not explicitly labelled as trash is itemized and put somewhere. It’s how we deal with all the gifts you can’t be bothered to look at and make sure when a particularly stupid visiting noble loses their things it isn’t a problem.”

Lancet hummed and looked at the woman who plucked the letter from a disorganised stack of missives. She nodded to herself. “Aren’t I brilliant for hiring such competent people?”

Evadney gave her a flat look, “You are blessed by the ancestors, the mother and all the old gods that remain. How else could one explain your continued success.”

Lancet’s chortles rang throughout the room. There was more work to be done, and the night would be long. She had to make the most of it while the angels were still here. It would not be long until the academy arrived.