The girls of women’s studies were barely able to contain their excitement as the day of Prince Duxton’s arrival drew closer. The halls of their study building were decorated with images full of love and matrimony. Not because of him, they insisted, but because it was that time of year for this sort of thing. After all, autumn was Eatha’s season. Valerie had finished stitching together all of the squares made during their quilting party, and had Tabitha help her hang it up in their class building’s hallway.
Sybil was also there but she was spacing out again. There were a group of men that had gathered outside. They were poking at a dog sized ant golem. It had broken down in front of the building and they were attempting to repair it instead of relocate it.
Every ill movement they made could be seen from the hallway’s window. The corner of Sybil’s eyes was twitching furiously. She had to restrain herself with every fiber of her being in order to stop from approaching that group of idiots and fixing the damn thing herself.
“Is something going on down there?” Valerie leaned out of the window so she could get a better look.
“It’s nothing important,” muttered Sybil quickly.
Valerie scoffed when she noticed what was happening. “Nothing important! On this day! We can’t have some discarded metal scrap be the first thing to greet the... Oh! Oh goodness!” She leaned so far out the window that Sybil almost grabbed her by the waist, fearing that she may fall out. “We have to go! We have to go now!” She jumped up and down and waved her hands to get Tabitha’s attention.
“No way!” Tabitha’s eyes widened with excitement. “Let’s go!” Valerie was already down the hall and Tabitha snatched up Sybil’s hand so the pair could race downstairs with her.
As soon as they were on the first floor, both Valerie and Tabitha began straightening the pleats in their skirts. Valerie took the middle position while Sybil and Tabitha flanked her on both sides, walking in formation as they approached the group. Though Sybil didn’t actually want to be out here, she was somewhat desperate to get a closer look at the golem.
Tabitha cleared her throat and raised her voice to get their attention. “I'm sorry, gentlemen, but you're blocking our walkway! We’re expecting an inspection today and we can’t allow a mess to be the first thing to greet our guest.”
One of the men raised a hand. “A cart is already coming. We’re working on moving it out of the way until then.”
Valerie looped her arm into Sybil's and quickly whispered in her ear. “The man who spoke is Patterfall Aconite, Duchess Elbellziara's son. He studies law here, but he’s also in the golem research club. Rumor has it that he’s very shy. He always avoids women and doesn’t talk to anyone outside of his study groups.”
Tabitha leaned in to whisper as well. “He’s not shy. Everyone says he’s a weirdo and he really hates the girls in women’s studies.”
“Well, maybe there was that time last year where he started a petition to abolish women’s studies,” clarified Valerie. “Genders should have ‘equal roles’ in society or some other nonsense like that. None of it makes sense, but he is always running from us so we can’t argue our side of the debate. And he isn’t a ‘weirdo,’ Tabitha, he’s simply one of the most boring individuals you’ll ever meet, but how often does one have a chance to speak to actual royalty?”
As they got closer, Patterfall brushed the sweaty locks of hair away from his face. His expression switched from a polite tone to one of absolute disdain. It was weird, because he looked like some strange cross between Gideon and Alton. Actually, that made sense. His father was Iofea's eldest brother. The face he made when he was annoyed were almost identical to Alton's. Why wouldn’t he be annoyed? These bridal dolls had come to gawk at him and he was especially displeased with the way Sybil was staring.
No one had told Sybil that her and Patterfall had so much in common. Equal rights among the genders and golem studies? People complained that he was weird or boring? Of all the ill things she had heard about the Aconite family, not once did they mention she nearly had a twin idling among them. Her face had gone completely red by the time they reached the group.
Patterfall, on the other hand, couldn’t be more disgusted by her fascination. Here was yet another girl enamored at the idea of royal blood. “You should return to your building. This golem is moving in an unpredictable manner and it might injure one of you.”
“Why not remove the legs? They come off easily enough,” muttered Duxton.
Neither Tabitha or Valerie had noticed the prince up until that very moment. Both of them froze up like statues when he seemingly poofed out of thin air. Even if neither had seen his face in person, the royal crest of a buttercup on his lapel was enough to identify who he was.
Duxton began to fidget with the leg he had yanked off, moving it this way and that. Patterfall had been forced to give him a university tour and had dragged Duxton to his golem club. He knew that Duxton found science to be incredibly boring and he was hoping that the prince would wander off somewhere else because of it. If that didn't work, Patterfall was going to show them the building where they held mock trials next. Listening to amatuers hold debates was enough to drive anyone insane.
Sybil was too distracted with the broken golem and had failed to notice that Duxton was standing there. “It’s navigational subroutines are experiencing errors due to the antennae being installed in the reverse order. The unit is unable to operate due to conflicting input signals.”
Paterfall’s jaw dropped. It took a moment to comprehend what she had just said, then he realized that he didn’t fully comprehend it at all. He dug into his ear with his pinky to make sure there wasn’t any wax stuck in it. “Apologies, what was that?”
Duxton bobbled the leg he had in his hand up and down like it was a puppet. “Ignore the airhead. Dolls never have anything impor...” He glanced over to Sybil and mimicked his cousin’s slack jawed expression. “...tant to say.” His gaze was becoming more and more judgmental with every passing moment.
“Apologies, cousin, but I want to know exactly why this girl thinks she knows more than me about the complexities of golem construction and programing.” Patterfall affirmed his stare at Sybil. This time, he was serious. “You. What did you say?”
Neither Valerie or Tabitha had paid attention to Sybil’s mutterings, but Valerie wasn’t going to let a precious under student get scolded by the future Duke of Violet. “Oh, Margret just… Well, she rambles to herself at times.”
“All time time,” clarified Tabitha. Hers was a much more honest tone than Valerie’s attempt to brush off Sybil’s behavior.
“That isn’t helping,” quickly whispered Valerie through her teeth. “Margret is from the countryside, and she isn’t very used to all of this… Well, any of this. Please forgive her intrusion, my lords.”
Sybil had only just now realized that it was Duxton standing there and her face became all the redder because of it. She clutched onto Valerie’s arm and shuffled slightly back so she was hiding somewhat behind her.
Patterfall wasn’t willing to let her get away that easily. “Then maybe she should mutter a little louder.”
“I didn’t say all that much,” muttered Sybil.
“Louder,” repeated Patterfall.
Sybil hesitated for a moment. She then put her hands up to her head. Aren't the little horns on its head backwards? I’ve seen several cows and their horns always go this way.” She curved her fingers outward. “But that bug's horns are going like this.” She curved them inward. “That just doesn't seem right to me at all, you know?”
Valerie bobbled her head in agreement. “One time I saw an ant at a picnic, and I do believe that she's correct. That's exactly how it's little horns looked.” She tilted her head as she looked down at the golem. “You’re so smart to have figured it out so fast, Margret. It just goes to show you how a variety of experiences can help you out in life. I would have never thought that growing up around animals could prove so useful.” Tabitha nodded along at the observation.
Patterfall’s original interest in Sybil had immediately rotted into disappointment. “I see.” He then gestured to Duxton. “Forgive my rudeness, ladies. This is my cousin, Prince Duxton. I was informed that he planned to visit your department at some point today.” Both Tabitha and Valerie stiffened up again, not knowing what to say.
Seeing the stunned looks on their faces made Sybil make a noticeably delayed sound of shock and awe. “O-oh my! A prince! Wow!” Her hands went to her mouth. “Forgive me for my lowborn way of speech, but it’s simply just so impressive and stuff!”
“Yes. He's the prince…. It's quite impressive… And stuff.” Patterfall rolled his eyes. “I can’t risk having him injured by a malfunctioning golem. Would you three do me the honor of keeping him company while myself and my fellow researchers continue our work? We promise to have the golem removed by the time you get back.”
“Yes.” Duxton was still staring directly at Sybil. “It would honor me if you three could do that.”
He knew she would be here, but he didn’t know what her disguise looked like. His staring made Sybil want to bury herself in the ground. Even if she had been abandoned here, she still dreaded the idea of meeting up with him. Valerie took the lead on guiding Duxton away from the golem research club, with Tabitha by her side. Sybil… Sort of lagged behind.
“Miss Tabitha, Miss Valerie, and Margo. What beautiful names all of you have.” Duxton flashed them a wide grin. There was a band of metal around his crooked tooth. A brace that would slowly put it where it was supposed to be.
“It's Margret,” muttered Sybil.
“Your voice is so meek, Margo, but it's a very sweet voice. Difficult to hear, yet quite endearing, all the same.” Duxton smiled all the wider. “Why don't you take the lead?” Sybil shook her head. “Go on. Why don't you do it?”
Sybil gulped. The way Tabitha and Valerie were glaring at her made her understand that she didn’t have a choice. “Alright... Would... W-would you like a tour of the women’s studies?”
Valerie leaned towards her and whispered loudly, “We're not ready to give him a tour yet.”
Tabitha leaned in on the other side. “Distract him. Get him out of here until it’s time for him to leave. Make him come back some other day. Figure something out.”
“I don't know what to do with him,” whispered a panicked Sybil.
“I know what to do with you,” quipped Duxton. He then looked between the two other women. “I hadn’t actually planned to visit today. My dear cousin was my priority, but I believe I can spare you an hour of my time. Might I whisk Margo away for a ride in my carriage? We’ll go up the cliffs and catch the sunset together.” Sybil gave a shake of her head. “There isn't a need to be afraid of me, Margo. I don't bite.”
Valerie nodded her head. “That's an excellent idea, my liege. I promise that the building will be fully prepared for your future visit.”
“And don’t worry about getting permission to leave the grounds, Margret,” added Tabitha. “We’ll handle everything.”
“I appreciate the love you show to your dear friend,” Duxton replied as he smiled down at Sybil.
The girls then waved her off eagerly. Duxton looped Sybil's arm with his own and dragged her off to his carriage. Once he ushered her inside, he didn't hesitate to make an attempt to pull her in his lap. An attempt that was quickly rebuked by Sybil wiggling out of his grasp.
“Duxton, no...” Sybil slapped his hand away as he slowly reached for her again. “Duxton.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “What is with this foolish disguise? At least take off the glasses when I’m talking to you.” Sybil begrudgingly took them off and set them down on her lap. “I've missed you... Is this a wig?”
“I really don’t want to start yet another argument about your inappropriate behavior.”
Duxton leaned forward in his seat. “I don’t like how stern you are about your interpretation of inappropriate.”
Sybil shifted into mist as Duxton reached for a lock of hair. She only reformed once he drew his hand back. “I’m not here to play games with you.”
“And what about that other girl?” Asked Duxton. “She seems like the type that loves to play.”
Sybil’s eyes shifted from gray to blue for a moment. She placed a set of fingers against her temple and concentrated until they shifted back. “It’s my body,” she whispered.
The grin on Duxton’s face grew. “Oh, now she does seem like a fun one.”
“Maybe,” muttered Sybil as she attempted to quell a rush of euphoria. That was the priestess’ way of trying to take control. “But she has to learn to ask permission without her vile bribes. I’ve tried every way possible to communicate but I don’t believe she’s whole enough to do anything useful. She has trouble understanding anything that isn’t murder or mating.”
Duxton leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. “Then you didn’t get the ‘Margret’ name from her?”
“It’s a name I pulled from one of my mother’s old journals,” muttered Sybil. She then held out her hand and summoned her shield. It was trailing mist along the edge, and had a pair of dancing shoes on them. “Can’t you find out who she is from this?”
“I asked around, but apparently priestesses can have shifting emblems. They’re personal ambitions instead of family crests and they change over time.” He pulled out a journal from his breast pocket and flipped through a few pages. Duxton had trouble memorizing this sort of drivel. “There should be runes along the edges that can be used to identify her family line, but your shield is missing those. Likely because she is, as you said, ‘not whole.’”
Another dead end. “What about my condition? Lady Blu never mentioned having a connection with the priestess used during the slave transition process. I don’t think she’s supposed to exist and a different entity. This goes against everything I know about blood iron.”
“Rebecca didn’t experience this either. She said that slavary was like being a pet. There were sensations of gratification if she succeeded, and agony if she refused. If there was something she truly didn’t wish to do, she always had been able to stop herself.”
Sybil clutched onto the back of her neck. She didn’t get the chance to stop herself from stabbing Veximarl or attacking Alton. The other girl simply took over. It felt like she was trapped in her own body. Did they process it differently? Were there runes she somehow didn’t see?
“Have you found out anything that can help me? Maybe like who Bastardweed was working for?”
Duxton winked at her. “I have a way of gaining a few leads now.”
“Now? Only now?”
He pouted. “I had to put in a lot of effort into figuring out who I could and couldn’t trust. Certainly not Shaw or Beat or any of your friends. No one who has political connections to Fogbloom but people who won’t cause suspicion if they were to wander about in the right places. Now that I have my team, I am expecting rapid results.”
Sybil buried her face in her hands. “Duxton, I’ve been here for weeks. I’ve been busting my ass off trying to pretend that I’m some sort of proper lady. I’m grateful that I sort of feel safe here, but I hate this. I just want all of this to be over so that I can go back to Braytons.” She then spread her fingers so that she could glare at him with a single eye. “And I know you’re not listening to me and are imagining dirty things again.”
“Only because you want to do dirty things with me,” he purred back.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Only because you’re wearing that stupid slave ring,” she spat back.
Duxton shrugged innocently. “I thought I could use it to find you at the university. How was I supposed to guess that your science obsessed head would completely ignore my beckons for the sake of… What was it again?” He put his hands up to his forehead. “Demonstrating how cow horns look?”
Sybil glared at him. She didn’t reply. She only glared.
“We both know what I’m thinking, Sybil.” Duxton leaned forward in his seat. “I’m not Alton. I do not love you. I’m not Buttonweed. I will not possess you. You know my intentions and you understand that my rage for whoever is pulling the strings of my kingdom far outweighs my joyful habit of annoying you. Until I have cut those strings, all other urges must be ignored.”
“If you really want me to trust you, take off the ring,” replied Sybil coldly.
“No,” retorted Duxton. “Because this ring creates the trust between us and that other girl. That wretched creature who murdered Sir Grimhawk…” He paused, and Sybil saw what almost seemed to be regret buried deep within his eyes. “I can’t trust her and neither should you. If this ring is what keeps her buried, I’m going to keep wearing it.”
Sybil didn’t reply. There was too much for her to deal with emotionally. Too much anger and too much heartbreak. She moved the curtain away from the carriage window so that she could see the sunset. Minutes passed where neither said anything and both were content to watch the sun disappear over the distant ocean.
“... Tell me about Margret,” said Duxton.
“She's a nice honest girl who is shy of men and she’s saving herself for marriage,” replied Sybil flatly.
“Is she now?” He grinned at the thought. “I look forward to getting to know her.”
“You should stay away before you get me into trouble,” grumbled Sybil.
“I don’t think so.” Duxton opened up the window and stuck his head out. “Take us back,” he called out to the driver.
Sybil sat in a huff. She folded her arms and scowled at him. “I really did put in a lot of work to keep myself hidden.”
Duxton, like he always had in the past, ignored her complaints. “I was supposed to have dinner with one of the generals tonight. Couldn’t be bothered to learn his name, but I suppose I have to waste some of my brain space learning names now that Shaw isn’t here to tell me.” He then folded his arms so he could silently mock the stance she had taken. “Once a week. I will attempt to report to you once a week, but don’t be surprised if I don’t often have something worthwhile to say.”
“Thank you,” replied Sybil sarcastically.
“Now tell me what your favorite gemstone is.”
Sybil blurted out the first gem that came to mind. “Alexandrite.” The two of them frowned at each other. “But I’ve always been a solid stone sort of person myself... Because of caves and… Stuff. Hematite is far prettier than stupid old alexandrite.”
“Hmm, honestly..?” He asked. Her head bobbled up and down. “... I see.”
He said that and nothing else for the next half hour. Sybil soon recognized the streets that they were going down. It wouldn’t be long now until they reached the dorms.
“If anyone asks what we talked about, simply mention that I gloated about my time at Braytons.” Duxton then let out a long, bored sigh. “You know what I’m like. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to make up something… Just be sure to make me sound good.”
The carriage rolled to a stop. “Alright,” replied Sybil.
She stood up and leaned towards Duxton. Her hand graced his cheek, and he leaned into it slightly. Sybil leaned in further, almost as though she were about to kiss him, and Duxton closed his eyes with anticipation.
Then Sybil pinched his cheeks and painfully yanked them outward. “Stop giving me half-assed orders to make out with you.”
“But it would be rude to skip out on the finale of our date simply because you are feeling like being a prude,” replied Duxton with a smile.
“This wasn’t a date,” she spat back. “Goodbye.” She opened the door, got out, then peeked her head back in. “... And I’ll see you later,” she muttered.
“I’ll look forward to it,” he whispered.
Stress. All that was was stress… Stress from not being able to work on golems, stress from learning that Duxton had done absolutely nothing, stress from knowing she was going to be stuck as Margret for possibly years at this rate. She was supposed to become a third year at Braytons next summer. How was that supposed to happen if she couldn’t find a way to escape Fogbloom?!
Sybil quietly opened the dorm’s entrance, only to find that chaos had taken over. Girls were running about in every direction. Some were jumping on chairs while screaming, while others stood there, paralyzed with fear. Between them all, something small and silver was skittering along the ground. Sybil stood in the doorway, not knowing if she should help or just walk away and pray that the problem solves itself.
“Is it a mouse?!”
“I don't care! Kill it!”
“I said that I’ll get it!” Tabitha was chasing after the object with a hammer. Judging from the dents in the wooden floor, she already had a few failed attempts.
Sybil pulled the hat off of one of the girls as they ran past and pounced on whatever that thing was. It bounced around the fabric a few times before becoming still. She quickly pulled it out and held onto it tightly. Apparently this mouse was actually some sort of beetle. Turning it over in her hands, she saw that it had runes scribbled on it… A golem? Here?
“I think it's a...” Sybil didn’t want to get in trouble for saying something too scientific. She frowned and tilted her head. “One of those bugs thingies that those disrespectful boys were working on?”
“A golem?” Valerie edged closer and shuddered with disgust. “Why are you touching it? What if it stings you?”
“I don’t believe it’s a real bug,” muttered Sybil. “It wouldn’t do that, right?”
“We should crush it up and send it back to them in pieces.” Tabitha twirled her hammer about.
Sybil winced at the idea of an innocent golem getting destroyed. “I have an empty jar in my room. We should put it in there and make a formal complaint. They might have been using this to spy on us.”
“How disappointing.” Valerie shook her head. “Lord Patterfall came by earlier to apologize for his behavior. Either it fell out of his pocket or he purposely let it escape. Either way, I just can't believe a proper nobleman would stoop so low!” She put a hand to her mouth. “But we mustn't report him! He'll be awfully vexed with the lot of us and we can’t risk upsetting the future duke.”
Sybil was only partially listening to Valerie’s excuses. She was more interested in studying these runes. “Then we should assume it was an accident and return it.” The other girls nodded in agreement. “I'll put it in a jar and we'll find a way to discreetly return it to him later.”
Tabitha disagreed. “We should smash it.” She let out a long sigh as Valerie sent a glare her way. “But I'm starving and my head doesn’t work right on an empty stomach. What do I know? Lock it up for now and we'll go have dinner.”
Dinner was suddenly the last thing on Sybil's mind. She ignored the others and carried the golem back to her room. A hiss escaped between her teeth when she noticed that two more beetles were crawling about. They had somehow managed to open her drawers and were attempting to pilfer one of her textbooks.
Sybil was quick to snatch them up and toss them in a jar. She then did a count to see what had gone missing... Two notebooks. One was a daily planner and the other contained her golem designs. Suddenly, she was in a worst case scenario, one that she had no way to prepare for.
Golems? Turning against her? Sybil, of all people?! Her frustration had her rushing to sharpen one of her quill nibs.
These vile machinations were riddled with novice mistakes. It was a miracle that they managed to grab anything useful. She rolled one about in her hands. Fogbloom was riddled with mist. Even ink was enough to have some magical charge in it, and she had a bad habit of scrawling in the corners of her planner whenever she had a sudden idea.
Each of these appeared to be rough prototypes. Find a marked book with runes, drag them back to a shelf, file them. The mistakes and misspellings in their runes were the only reason they had failed to escape, which gave Sybil a change to turn her bad luck into accidental fortune. Sybil was going to fix one of these dumb beetles and follow it back to her books.
She set to work scratching new runes into it with a quill nib. After a sudden groan of frustration, she tore off her wig and tossed it on her bed. It made her head hot and she couldn’t concentrate when that happened. What she needed to do was to be quick about her work and hunt down her books before anyone realized exactly who she was.
Cramming the beetle into her jacket, Sybil cast her mist step and snuck out of the dorms. It was unlikely that the golem would be going off campus and her time with Duxton hadn’t been all that long. Patterfall was likely in the dorms or at the golem club.
She placed the golem on the ground and watched it carefully. Wings unfurled from their casings, and it began to fly along the campus walkways. Eventually, she was led to a storage building. The windows were glowing faintly from a dim, inner light. A faded sign above the door was labeled with “Golem Research.”
Sybil placed her hand on the door and was relieved to find it unlocked. She was less happy to find out that someone had hung up some damn windchimes up on the other side. Patterfall clutched a book to his chest and sat up straight.
“Who is there?” He frantically looked around. “Hello..?”
No response. Was it his imagination or did a rat knock something over?
Either way, Patterfall was holding still. Sybil decided to sneak in and get a better look. She weaved her way past the worktables and projects. They were all small and plain in design, nothing like the factory where her father worked. This was the work of amateurs. The ant she saw earlier was the biggest golem they had and the idiots had taken the entire thing apart.
Patterfall held his hand off to the side, prepped to cast a spell, and started walking towards the door. “... Ah, it’s you.” He held out his hand and the golem beetle landed neatly on it. “You came back empty handed.” Its wing casing vibrated together, as though it were mad. “Sorry. Empty legged... Empty winged?” His eyes narrowed and he leaned in for a closer examination. The scratches Sybil had made were a bit crude due to her makeshift tool. Their jagged edges shone in the light. “... Who has been working on you?”
Sybil ignored the conversation, using the distraction to her advantage by examining what had been laid out before her. Patterfall had two journals open. One was his own and the other was hers. He had been copying her work and making his own comments. Rather than taking his time, everything was written in shorthand. Maybe he was hoping to return her books before she noticed they had gone missing?
As if the golems bouncing about her room wouldn’t clue her in that something was wrong.
If he was going to try to bugger off with her research, she might as well return the favor. She flipped through a few pages of his book. Nothing in his notes held any value to her. Did they even have a proper scientist here to teach them?
But he had a very strange series of runes on one of the back pages. Her head tilted to the side as she leaned against the table. The design and purpose were completely different from anything else he had written down… He had also written it sideways, likely on accident because he didn’t know the correct orientation. Not only was it not his work, it was far more complex than anything else here.
“Ahh! Why?!”
A great splash of water had suddenly struck Sybil’s back, forcing her to let out a cry of surprise. The shock had made her drop her mist step. Her sudden appearance out thin air made Patterfall drop his bucket and let out a horrified cry of his own. They then both stared at each other in shock. The only sound to be had was the drops of water coming off of Sybil’s clothes.
“You're... Y-you're Sybil Twist!” Patterfall finally spoke up as he shook a finger at her. “That nut managed to sneak you into Fogbloom?!”
“... Uhm, no?”
They glanced at the journals in unison and then at each other again. Patterfall lunged forward but slipped on the puddle between them. It was a mix of soap and water, meant for mopping up the area after he had finished his work. As he skidded along the ground, sparks of violet appeared around him. He was attempting to conjure anything that could slow his movements. Sybil fumbled to find a bag. With her clothes drenched, she didn't want to risk damaging the books.
“I'll r-report you for necromancy!” Patterfall stammered out as he struggled to stand. It wasn't going very well for him. His feet kept sliding out from underneath him as he attempted to use a staff he had conjured to prop himself up.
“I'm not a necromancer! I am but a simple miller's daughter, nothing more! No need to be alarmed!” She spotted Patterfall's bag next to the desk and stuffed the books in there before slinging the strap over her shoulder.
Patterfall braced himself against a nearby shelving unit. “Then I'll tell my grandfather that Sybil Twist is here! He'll have the guards drag you to the palace so you could be strung up as a criminal!”
Sybil froze in place and turned around. A strained look overtook over her face. What was with this family and blackmailing her? “... Why would you have me hung?”
Patterfall also froze. “...” He then pointed at her. “In court, that statement would be considered as confirmation of identity, Miss Twist.”
“Shit,” she spat back. “... Look, it’s been a long day, okay? I don’t want to deal with another crazy Aconite right now.”
Patterfall was hurt by the accusation. “I’m not crazy,” he said with a pout.
“You threatened to have me hanged,” she retorted.
“You’re the one ranting on about combining necromancy and golem technology.” He put his hands on his hips. “That is very illegal.” And he would know. Law student for the win.
“It isn’t really necromancy. I just happen to have a soul gem that was created by necromancy and I plan on using it to create an immortal weapons master for Braytons and… Uh...” Sybil couldn’t begin to put into words how much she hated Aconites. “... Okay, fine, whatever. It’s almost necromancy. What do you want?” She held up her hand before he could say anything. “And it better not be stupid.” Like literally every request that Alton and Duxton had for her.
“All I want is for you to teach me how to fix that.” Patterfall pointed to the ant golem. “In exchange, I won’t tell anyone that your here. Not even Duxton, though I suspect that he is the reason why you are here in the first place.”
“... Is that it?” Sybil was confused. Patterfall was also confused. She pointed to the golem. “You want me to fix that? That’s really it?”
“Yes. That would be it. If anyone in this city could do it, it would be you, correct? So… Shouldn’t I ask you for help?”
Her nose scrunched up. “Yeah, that’s a pretty simple fix, but why is it so important?”
Patterfall raised his hand and firmly pointed at her. His expression was the very definition of defiance. “Horses are a health hazard.” She blinked at the absurdity of his statement. “They poop everywhere and all we ever do is brush it off to the sides of the road. All that does is bring in rats and disease. What we need to modernize Fogbloom is the transportation tech that the core uses.”
“Then why don't you request the blueprints? The core has no want to covet their tech. We’ve always freely shared it when asked.”
“They banished Carapace technology from the university when Lady Larkin died. The two technicians who made the malfunctioning golem were students here. Officials confiscated their work and told the factory that they had to scrap any and all designs Stallis Twist had worked on. Students like me have been picking up the pieces ever since.”
“So are you expecting me to just blurt out everything from memory?” Sybil shook her head. “There’s only so much I can memorize. I would have to get the designs directly from my father.”
Patterfall’s eyes widened again. “You can do that?”
“No, because there are murderous villains who are after me.” Sybil gestured to all around them. “And working on projects like this is going to get me caught. I can’t be seen hanging around you or Duxton without someone becoming suspicious.”
“How is anyone going to see you if you have that invisibility spell?” Patterfall asked in a naive manner.
“I don’t know. How do the people after me know anything about me?” Sybil shifted into mist. The water that had been on her dropped to the ground and she reappeared next to the puddle. Why she hadn’t thought to do that earlier, she had no idea. “What do you know about me?”
Patterfall scratched at his temple. “... I know you married Alton, so you’re either trustworthy or you took advantage of him.”
She really didn’t want to hear Alton’s name right now. “We’re not married,” she replied flatly.
“Oh.” Patterfall then tapped at his temple. “... Have you met my aunt?”
“Miss Iofea?”
Patterfall nodded. “... Is she a good person?”
Sybil frowned. “... She’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”
Patterfall nodded as his thoughts became distant. “My father says that baking comes from the heart. You have to be a good person if you want to make good bread.”
Sybil looked down at the ground. “I’ve heard Miss Iofea say the same thing.”
Patterfall pointed to his bag, which was still on Sybil’s shoulder. “Open the container in there.”
She reached inside and pulled out a metal lunchbox. Inside was a bit of wax paper wrapped around...
Bread.
The girls at the dorms were always watching their weight, so Sybil rarely had access to anything made from flour. It didn’t matter if this small loaf of bread had several bites taken out of it, bread was bread. Even the faintest scent of sour years was enough to get her drooling.
Sybil gulped. “Mister Aconite, I understand that you have good intentions for this city, but my situation is very complicated. People have died protecting me. The reason I am here is because I wished to stop my friends from getting injured or worse. I cannot risk your life as well.”
“Miss Twist, I kindly ask that you take a bite of that roll.”
Well, he didn’t have to ask her twice. Sybil pretended to be hesitant when she picked up the roll. She took a bite so large that Patterfall was surprised by how much she could fit in her mouth at once. This happened to be a stuffed bread roll, full of sweet pulled pork and sour pickled radishes. Tears were instantly streaming down her face.
“Are… Are you alright, Miss Twist?”
Sybil took her time to chew her food and swallowed. “It’s just that I’ve missed,” (bread), “Miss Iofea’s baking so much… I haven’t had any,” (bread), “in what seems like forever.” Bread. Bread. Bread. Yummy, fluffy, only slightly stale bread.
Patterfall placed his hand to his chest. “My father was the one who had taught me to bake. Do you understand the kind of person I am now?”
She scarfed down the rest of the roll in a single bite. “More bread,” she muttered around a mouthful of food.
“I-I don’t have any more.”
Sybil glared at him. Her posture straightened up as she placed a hand to her hip. “Bring me more bread, and I shall give you all the calculations you desire.” Her other hand was slashed through the air as a gesture of her serious intent. “All you desire and more!”
“...” Patterfall blinked. “But what about…” The danger, the death, the risks. “... All you want is bread.”
“Yes,” replied Sybil with a firm nod. Finally! A useful lesson from Duxton. Who was doing the blackmailing now?!
Patterfall rubbed the back of his head. “Alright, I guess. I was already planning on making bagels in the morning.”
“Not tomorrow.” Sybil took out Patterfall’s notebook and quickly flipped through it. “Give me a few days. We’ll converse through notebooks. That way we won’t always have to meet in person.”
Which reminded her, where was her daily planner? She began to look around the drawers of his work desk until she found it. For a work desk, there weren’t any tools in here. How did he get any work done?
Patterfall understood what she meant. “Use the bottom drawer of my work desk. I’ll make sure to always keep it stocked with something for you to snack on. The door will be locked when no one is around? Can you find a way in without breaking anything?”
Sybil didn’t say anything. She flashed him a thumbs up while she fought back her tears. Freedom to do science and tasty baked goods? This was the simple lifestyle that she had always dreamed of. All she needed to do now was prevent Duxton from finding out.