It was almost a necessity for Marionetta to visit CK in order to wake her from sleep. Otherwise, CK would sleep until noon and the food would be Cold by then. That wasn't good, was it?
But Marionetta was patient as ever. She knew that CK's inability to wake early stems from busy nights and feverish work habits–quite like the master himself.
But Marionetta was close to surprised when CK trudged down the stairs, groggy and disoriented.
"Good morning, my lady. Breakfast is ready," Marionetta said, "I was just about to visit your bedchambers to wake you."
She placed freshly-baked bread on a plate and drizzled it with a generous amount of syrup. CK blinked slowly.
"Wake...? Ah, haha!" she giggled, "That's assuming I even slept, hahaha."
"I see," Marionetta wanted to sigh, "Forgive my bluntness, my lady, but you must go to the Academy in an hour. I'm afraid you won't be able to make for sleep."
"Sure I can," CK drank the glass of milk that Marionetta poured for her, "I'll just go a little later."
"As you wish," Marionetta said. "Thanks for the milk. Save the breakfast platter for later. I'll eat it before leaving," CK said.
"I'll be sure to heat it up, then," Marionetta said. "Perfect. Good night, Marionetta," CK said playfully and returned to her room.
Ssss!
The sizzling meat on the pan was loudest in the silence. With a barely audible sigh, the ever-patient maid delicately gathered the breakfast and saved it for the potential lunch of the young mistress.
CK went to the Academy four hours later. Just when the employees were on lunch break, CK was just clocking in at the research building. However, this was barely paid any attention to as researchers of varying fields often came in at unconventional times of day and night.
The free schedule was another encouragement. CK's been at the office for a few days now and Locke wasn't joking–the tinctures office have nothing to do. Nothing major, at least. If the offices of the potions department were genres of fiction, the tinctures office would be slice-of-life. That was how idle it was.
Not CK, though. Distracted by her little side quests, she often found herself getting familiar with the borrowed equipment at the laboratories or remedying the faulty concoctions stored away in the pitiful corner of the workspace.
Her teammates were also absorbed in their own thing, keeping themselves busy with whatever they could do. CK discovered that Frey made it her personal mission to create an oil-based perfume using extracts from fragrant herbs.
CK thought it was a cute thing to do and occasionally joins Frey on her experiments–mostly to rectify any steps that will cause the lab to explode during heat transfer.
CK also got acquainted with Toby, the little boy who opened the door first when CK went to be introduced. The little boy was not a 'boy' per se. His youthful appearance was thanks to his father's genes: a lineage of bonded humans and elves, and his mother's petite stature. The result was a son who was small in nature and an inclination to remain youthful regardless of age.
"That's fascinating. So, how old is Toby really?"
CK asked this question when the topic was brought up. Strangely enough, everyone in the room refused to answer. Even Frey, the darling chatterbox herself, was almost too fearful to answer the question.
The topic of discussion himself said nothing and merely giggled, leaving CK to wonder if their little teammate lived long enough to see the world's creation.
'You can sense people's life forces, can't you, Malphas? How old is this guy?' CK tried to drag her daemon familiar in her curious quest.
'Why not, you stupid bird?' CK was annoyed.
All in all, CK was having fun at the office. A little too much, in fact. By the time CK remembered she was supposed to be doing her assigned task, a few days already passed by and with several racks of tinctures already created at the lab.
Whoops.
CK knocked on the door to Locke's office and opened it when she heard his muffled approval.
Locke was sorting papers when he saw CK's head pop through the door first.
"Ah, so it was you, Miss CK," he said. She looked at him curiously.
"You look busy. Should I stop by another time?" she asked. "No, no. I was just finishing the last set of documents," Locke said, "Come in and take a seat."
CK shrugged and walked in. "I was wondering when you would stop by. It's been a while since you settled in," Locke said.
"Truthfully, I got a little distracted. There was so much to do at the office," CK admitted with a giggle, "I think it was time we had that conversation."
"You're right," Locke said and slid the documents to the side. He turned to CK, the friendliness in his demeanor dampened with seriousness.
"Has the Duchess told you about the circumstances of our partnership?" Locke asked. "The gist of it, yes. You want to investigate something and so does the Red Faction," CK replied.
"And our interests have something in common, which is the Academy," Locke said, "Truthfully, I'm not sure if there's anything inside the Academy that can help you with the phenomenon you are investigating...but I'll help you where I can."
"I appreciate that. Although, with the Academy's resources, I'm sure I could find something useful," CK said, "I know I'm only the Duchess' delegate in your arrangement, but if there's anything I can help you with your own objectives, I'm ready to help."
"That's assuring to hear from you. But I've yet to find anything remotely connected to them," Locke sighed, "I'm guessing the Duchess also told you about them?"
"Only that you are investigating something related to the Marchen," CK replied, her voice slightly hushed at the mention of Kelter's highest authorities.
"People would think I committed treason if they ever heard about it," Locke muttered. CK contemplated.
"I don't mean to pry, but don't you have Duke Tewdorn's support? Even I would admit that your family's influence is much more powerful than mine," CK said.
"I don't. My...The Duke and Duchess Tewdorn are dedicated subordinates of the Marchen. They'll be the first to oppose me, if anything. That is why I turned to the Red Faction for help," Locke smiled, "Luckily, they have you. Seeing your capabilities, I'm not ashamed to say I am at ease with your involvement."
"I think you overestimate me. I'm a good potioneer, but if you ask me to do anything related to dream magic, I'll have to say I'm pretty useless," CK giggled.
"So it's true that you are dreamless?" Locke asked. "If that's what you call people that didn't inherit the [Librarian]'s blessings, then yes," CK answered, "Quite the pity, isn't it?"
"I don't pity you. Frankly, I'm more inclined to sympathize with you," Locke replied. The office was silent for a while.
"Well, that took a depressing turn. What were we discussing again?" CK smiled. Locke chuckled, "Our respective missions, Miss CK."
"Right," CK said. "I'll personally testify that the potions department can't help you with investigating the strange alterations to written history. If I will make an educated guess, you have better chances checking the library of social sciences," Locke stated.
"Social sciences?" CK was confused. "Yes. Although the Academy of Dreams is focused on academic progress and magic, we are still dedicated to humanities. Social sciences is the branch dedicated to the storage of historical records of our civilization," Locke said.
"You'll find it at the student's main library. You'll be able to access special areas with your ID. Would you like me to accompany you?" he asked.
"No need. I'll let you know if I find anything," CK said. "If it's not too personal. I'd rather not be involved in things the Duchess does not permit," Locke chuckled.
"Right. Thanks again for the info. I'll check it out now," CK said. "Hope you find something useful," Locke nodded.
The smile on CK's lips faded when she exited and walked away from the office. She heard a taunting chuckle in the back of her mind.
'Shut up, you know it's not my plan to withhold information from him. I don't know how treasonous Locke thinks his goals are, but our Faction's intentions are definitely treason,' CK replied menacingly.
'Pfft, if I didn't know you, I'd assume you felt pity for him and wanted the best for him,' CK wanted to roll her eyes, 'Spit it out. What do you suggest I do with him?'
'I really hate it when you talk and act like some mysterious old geezer,' CK rolled her eyes, deliberately cutting off her conversation with Malphas.
He was just trying to find something to entertain him and thought that Locke Tewdorn would do the trick. But what if he was right? Maybe contrary to the Duchess' and Flavio's expectations, Locke Tewdorn should be invited to be a sincere ally.
But oh, well. That was just a passing thought.