“Aren’t you too interested in your brother’s shenanigans? Do you want to be a couples therapist?” Velvet mocked him, trying to change the subject.

“No. I wanna be a doctor, like dad.” He made a disgusted face, “not an accountant like mom, that has too many numbers.”

“Doctors need to study too.”

Didn’t you say yesterday you wanted to be a detective?

“But the doctor's way of studying is more entertaining! You get to poke bodies! Dad lets me see the morgue sometimes!”

Grimacing, Velvet smiled, “Aren’t you too young for that?”

“No I’m not!” Losing at cards this time, he glared at Velvet. “Cheater. So, what about you? I don’t think being so bad at cards counts as a job.”

“Me? Oh, I’m just trying to make someone look at me.”

Now it was Niko’s turn to grimace. “Uhm. Mom says that if a person doesn’t value you, you should find someone else. There’s too many fishes in the sea and that…”

Velvet laughed, “Well, that one is my tiny little fish, all lonely.”

“Still! Living your life for someone else is bad!”

“Does your mom say that?”

“Yes! And she is right!”

“Well, it wasn’t always like that. At first, I wanted to replace the orphanage director when she retired. But that was impossible!”

“Why?” Now intrigued in someone else’s life, Niko paid attention.

“Where I live, there aren't that many kids, actually. The orphanage was only built after the catastrophe, and no one really wants to keep it standing after they grow up. Right now, it’s basically standing because the kids older than twelve start taking some jobs.”

“Even you?”

“Especially me,” she laughed, “I’m the oldest, I learned to mend clothes, clean fish, fix fishing nets, repair leaks… before being fourteen” She didn’t bother to name all the things she could do. “I wanted to be a teacher too. I am great with children, and great at teaching too!”

“But?”

“There’s not enough kids at Casrey to make a school.” Velvet was lucky she could read before the incident. Madam Dorna taught her the remaining stuff (having a blind teacher was hard, but they did manage), and then Velvet teached the other kids. Couger was there too, but he was bad at teaching.

“I spent a few years just waiting for something to happen and give me a goal. Nothing caught my attention, since I had no dreams or aspirations. And it happened.”

The first time she had the dream, she didn’t think too much about it. She recognized the chained man from that day, and assumed it was just a memory.

Then, the dream kept on happening. Every night. She was lucid during them, knowing she was dreaming.

So she chose that as her goal. There wasn’t anything else to it. It was just an everlasting dream, but it was enough for the dreamless girl.

“It happened… you met a man that ignored you and chose to go for him…?”

“Yes, something like that!”

“Are you an idiot?” He didn’t mean it in a bad way, more as in a ‘I can’t believe you’.

“Yes, something like that.” She heard Hyde say in her head.

“Yes, something like that.” Baraviodos joined in.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“It’s a matter of perspective! You are the one that wants to be a doctor because of his father!”

“I also like poking corpses.” Niko answered, all seriousness.

“How is that better than my reason?”

“It is better.” No hesitation on his answer.

I am sooo crushing you on the next game…

Someone knocked on the door, making Velvet flinch and almost pull out the revolver.

Then she sended a signal to the paper figurine in her room. Receiving a normal answer, she calmed down.

Velvet looked towards Niko, spelling with her mouth.

“Who is it?”

“Cornelius Graham. I want to talk to your companion.”

“My brother is not here.”

“Not him. The girl.”

“It’s Miss Velvet for you. Aren’t you a noble? Speak like it.” Getting up, she signaled Niko to stay there, before going out and closing the door behind her.

Cornelius was there, his hand behind his back, his posture straight.

Not waiting for him, she started walking away from Niko’s room.

He walked behind her, not changing his posture. “And where is Miss Velvet planning to go?”

“To the train’s kitchen. I'm planning to use your viscount privileges to get the meal I lost back.”

She expected her words to anger the man, provoking him to see his abilities, but he just hummed, going along.

“Shouldn’t he be angry? Rich kids are spoiled!” She asked Hyde and Baraviodos.

“It is different for mages. Intense emotions like anger make corrupting and losing control easier. No mage that flies off the handle fast lives long. Especially nobles, since their families are old enough to know how corruption works.”

“Tsk.”

Cornelius cleared his throat, calling for Velvet’s attention. “Miss Velvet, a train’s kitchen is called a galley, just so you know. If you’re a knowledge mage, you should speak like it.”

Velvet laughed, even when she didn’t find it funny in the slightest. “... Is that so?”

They arrived at the kit- galley, the staff leaving slowly upon seeing Cornelius, the rumors of a Viscount in the train doing their job.

She went to the counter, grabbing a piece of carrot cake (probably something the cooks did for the higher class rooms), and munching on it, while she waited for him to speak.

She cringed when she saw Cornelius also fixing a plate of cake for himself.

“Personally, I prefer whiskey cake.”

“I don’t want to do small talk with you. What do you want?”

“You didn’t kill Nathaniel.”

“I know.” Upon hearing that, she quickly checked on the paper figurine in her room. It was still working as normal.

Did Siberina tell him? Where is she now?

“Your paradigm is not focused on combat. Taking a chance when you can will save you from many problems.”

“I know.” If her paradigm could fight, Iren would be alive, not Nathaniel.

“How long have you had magic for?”

“A year.” Velvet lied.

“No. If you were a mage for a year, you would have killed him. A month, perhaps?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Yes, a month. A novice mage going to the Mergifari.”

Velvet took a step back, glaring at him, “So?”

“They won’t let you in. Guess Iren’s familiar didn’t tell you that, am I wrong?”

She flinched when he mentioned Baraviodos.

“You are gonna have to back up those claims, just so you know.”

“You picked the wrong paradigm. Knowledge is something all noble families need, so they already filled up those places long ago. And the ones that didn’t, they just simply can’t afford the time and effort to raise one.”

“A valuable knowledge mage belongs to a family where they at least can trade some of their secrets for an entrance to the Mergifari. But, Miss Velvet, you don’t belong to any mage family, right?”

“The magic knowledge you possess are scraps, barely worth noticing. The Doyle family won’t even bother with you after you return their belongings. Not because of coldness, but because they are the kind of family that cannot afford extra mages.”

Velvet didn’t answer, and neither did Baraviodos.

“You will go to the Mergifari to get stuck on the door, Miss Velvet.”

“Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“No, I want to offer you a deal.”

“I won’t join your family.”

“I don’t want you to. Our knowledge mage places are filled already.” He took a step towards Velvet, who took another step backwards. “I just want to make them better. Give me Iren’s familiar, and I’ll let you enter the Mergifari.”