Pekoe Academy, Shirogane ~ Approaching Midnight
Perspective: Seventh Heaven
"Of all the flowers my parents could have named me after, it had to be this one."
That thought always struck me every time I passed by the large bundle of Seventh Heaven in our Free Company's storeroom. In anticipation for the influx of new, the Headmaster and some of the other professors had stockpiled those flowers, along with Astral Moraine and bear's fat for the Astral Oil that was needed for the construction of Aetherial Wheels. While the influx came and went as expected, the stockpile far outstripped our needs, and now it was taking precious space inside our storeroom.
Initially, my plan was to restock the Free Company's supply of dyes, for both student and teacher were rather rapt followers of Masked Rose's weekly competition. But among the other sundries were materials for the multitude of company projects, from orchestrion restoration, gardening supplies and harvests, and the company's airship. Any space that we could spare was valuable, so even if the Astral Oil was not needed immediately, it would probably best to process the last batch for the sake of freeing up capacity for the rest of the company's plans.
We did have a workshop for Disciples of the Hand with various workstations inside the Academy, but that was reserved primarily for students. Most of the professors who had commissions either worked outside or in the downstairs lounge if their task allowed. And that was where I was headed this night, bag of reagents over my shoulder and portable alembic in hand. Despite how late at night it was, it seemed like I wasn't alone.
For sprawled about face-down on the tatami flooring was a white-haired Raen woman in the middle of a rather comically towering pile of books. Based on the way she was lying down, it looked like she was standing before suddenly passing out from exhausted, which was unsurprising. Fuyuki, or Fuu-chan as I called her, had the unfortunate curse of not knowing when to take a break, so this was far from the first time we had seen her like this. What was surprising was the garb she had on, an old Doman Shrine Maiden's attire. She had gotten herself a set when the first Domans arrived in Mor Dhona, but put it away after a while. Why? I wasn't inclined to ask.
With a tired groan, I set down my alembic in a free space in the lounge and started to prepare the first batch of Astral Oil. As I started the compressor, I said with a chuckle, "Hey, Fuu-chan, you know, we really ought to get you a proper room."
"Sev, please die twice in a fire."
Amused, I looked up from my hands. Fuyuki's voice was still muffled by how she was speaking right into the floor, though I could see her tail curling up ever so slightly. The fact that she had responded so quickly and with such amiable vitriol told me she was likely conscious even before I walked downstairs.
"Eh. I'll see if I can fit in into my schedule," I quipped in return. A huff and a chuckle was the reply I received as I looked back to my alembic. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Fuyuki sit back up again, shaking her head and knocking on the side of her left horn in frustration. "Lemme guess, even after your nap you're still stumped?" I asked.
"Mn...I have the theory down. I got several...possible things. But what I was thinking of using it for...probably won't work."
I looked up again to the books she was poring over. From what I could tell, it was related to something geomantic, mentions of 'kami' and such. It explained Fuyuki's outfit, but I still had to ask, "This for your demon-slaying project?" The white-haired girl nodded as she took a seat on a nearby sofa and stared into the wall across from her. About a month or so ago, I had noticed her oddly disappearing after classes were finished, only to explain it as part of some sensitive project for a friend. I knew better than to pry further at that time.
After a bit of awkward silence, punctuated by the press of my alembic, I asked, "So, what now?"
"I mean, the most I've lost is time," Fuyuki said, frowning more than usual and with a shrug. "I've learned a lot. I'm glad that I have. It's been a good nostalgia trip, I mean...I'm back in my old Shrine Maiden outfit." The white-haired girl chuckled and I chuckled with her as I poured out the oil from the alembic's chamber. "I'm just upset that this is the second time in short order where I've had an idea, pursued it, and now I really don't have anything useful for what I thought...would be useful."
"First time is your teleportation experiment gone awry?" I asked, capping off the bottle. Fuyuki sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, then nodded. Even at a distance and through her eyelids that were narrowed in frustration, I could see the one-white limbal rings of my friend glowing faintly blue, the last mark of evidence that she tried that absurd spell. Then those eyes looked right at me, then at the alembic that I was operating.
"Astral Oil?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah. Just wanted to clear up space." I responded, shrugging as a set up for the next batch. "I mean, eh....Headmaster Kaus hasn't set up anything for more Wheels, and at this point it may not even be worth making, but I figured...better to have it on hand now and never use it versus feeling regretful over not doing something when I had the chance."
I could feel the icy stare from the corner of my eye, though it broke off and looked contemplatively towards the mess of books, red ink, and strips of paper at the other end of the lounge. I shrugged it off and focused on my work until I heard the rustle of movement and Fuyuki muttering in a tone somewhere between impressed and annoyed. Pausing, I looked up to see her take a seat in front of a few strips of paper.
"That's the spirit, Fuu-chan" I said with a chuckle. Fuyuki grabbed a brush and tilted her head to look back towards me so that she could roll her eyes with a grin which I dared matched with my own.
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