Chapter 19 ~ Syncretizing

"What...? We're... not going to get in trouble? How can you say that so confidently?"

"Because of all the quacks the cops could have ended up being treated by, it was our favorite little apothecary! She slipped them a draught that addled their memory. They couldn't remember a thing! I was scared when I saw them bedridden right next to me, but they didn't recognize me at all. Irene really saved our hides."

"...I don't understand. How did she get two patients coming in and know she needed to protect us?"

"I dunno, actually. I'm guessing she heard reports and put two and two together. Then she fed officials false information, so no one would be able to connect things to us. I think she told them it was a large redheaded man and a small blonde girl, very much not us. We got real lucky there."

Kurai should have been relieved by the news. Instead, she only found questions plaguing her. It was already bad enough she was being watched by the constables without realizing it at the time. Was Miss Irene watching them too that whole time, or was all this really only a coincidence? Just how many things was she not seeing?

"What's that look for? You should be happy! This is great news!"

"It is, but it's just... that..." She bit her lip, before wiping away her concerns with a smile. "N-no, you're right. I'm glad things worked out so well. I'm guessing that's the real reason why Miss Irene got you to come over?"

"Mhm! Clever girl, that. Meus never suspected anything from such a simple message as she sent. Though he did hound me with questions when I got back because of something you said to him." He frowned, only for a moment. "Did you really have to cause a scene while I was gone? I managed to downplay things and get him off my back, but we could have left him completely unaware if you just did what I said."

"What was I supposed to do? It was so much pressure, Robin..."

"I don't know, keep it to yourself? Wait for me to get back? Write it in a diary?"

"I feel bad hiding things from Mr Meus, you know. It feels wrong to mistreat him like that."

"Don't look at it that way. It's for his own good. You don't want to make him worried and miserable for no good reason, right? The situation is already resolved, so what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"...Maybe." It felt like a cop out, but she deferred to Robin on these matters. It would be a lot more convenient if what he was saying was true. "At any rate, I'm glad it worked out."

"Mhm. Just please don't let this kind of thing happen again, okay? We got really lucky this time, but don't count on it happening again."

"Right, I was actually starting to study magic so I'd have other options than... how things went last time."

"I think you're missing the point. Setting the cops on fire isn't going to get better results than what you did."

"I didn't mean it like that! Besides, it's not fire I was thinking of, but wind. Surely it would be better if I merely pushed them away or knocked them over with a blast of air, wouldn't it?"

"...I mean, granted, there's some merit to that, but you'd be better off avoiding trouble in the first place. It's not like it's a good idea to spend months on a mediocre solution to a rare problem. We just got really unlucky when I was careless enough to take a break in the park. There are reasons you rarely see anybody else stopping for long. Loitering laws give the pigs carte blanche nowadays for anyone they don't like out in public."

"It's not just for physical altercations, Robin. I genuinely do enjoy the thought of wind magic. It's just so... mysterious, isn't it? Air is all around us always, but it's invisible and you only ever see or feel its effects as it's departing. It's beautiful in that way. It reminds me of lyrics to this one song..."

"I really don't see the appeal. Besides, what are you even going to do with it, outside of sending people tumbling? It's not as if it gives you so much control over the air to levitate things, unlike earth's magnetism. It's easily the least popular school if you ignore light."

"Well, who says I need to be pragmatic? I could use it for all sorts of things, from playing wind chimes like an instrument to vacuuming up things at a distance. Besides, humans don't need to make sense. Why do I?"

"...Heh. I guess if there were to be any reason to study wind magic, an... airheaded flight of fancy would be one of them." He snickered all the more at Kurai's look of disappointment at such a pun. "Best of luck, then. It will probably take a while until the master can get a tutor scheduled."

"Aha, I was actually meaning to ask... Do I really need another tutor when I have one right here?"

"...I only can do earth magic, Kurai. You do know that earth and wind are different things, yes?" This was one of the fastest ways Kurai had seen someone go from neutrality to looking at her like she was an idiot. There was more competition in this department than she cared to admit.

"Of course I know that! I mean... the foundational lessons are what I'd appreciate help with. In T.G. Hampshire's Compendium Volume 6, it states that the coalescing of latency into applicable states for spellcasting occurs with regards to the mana core, or dantian, of the user and its efficiency in processing power. Surely that much is the same regardless of what school you use, considering the energy intake and expulsion are of the same generalized methods regardless?"

"...That's a lot of words for a girl who barely understood a thing about magic before yesterday." He crossed his good arm over his bandaged one. "That's not entirely inaccurate though, no. It's usually a process that beginners stumble through awkwardly and obtain proficiency in as they go along. Even for non-adepts, it supposedly doesn't need training to start with it once you've read the basics. For me, it came as naturally as breathing, so I can't help you much with that step."

"So I've read, but I can't get any effect myself. I've tried and read a lot, and I don't know what I'm missing..." She bit her lip. "And that's what I need help with."

"Um... I guess I could try to talk you through the process, but I won't promise much. Like I said, I wouldn't know anything about how to overcome this kind of problem. The best I could give is a demonstration."

"While that would be helpful too, I had something else in mind." She looked slightly bashful underneath the burning curiosity in her eyes. "...Can I feel inside you?"

"..." He blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"I want to reach my hand... no, my arm inside you, so I can feel what you feel." There wasn't a hint of humor on her face.

"What in the seven Hells am I hearing...?" He seemed staggered just thinking about it. "...Kurai, you're a very pretty lady, but I would rather drop dead than feeling an entire arm inside me."

"It wouldn't be the entire arm! Just however much I need to touch your dantian. If you can tell me where you feel it the most strongly, I should be able to reach in closely and won't need to venture too deeply."

"...Had it anybody else in the world that said they want to put their hand inside me to 'touch my dantian'..." His sigh was that of complete exasperation. "Just what do you think you're trying to accomplish?"

"I feel like I'm getting no results because I may lack a mana core altogether. I copied human anatomy perfectly, but if this dantian is something beyond a physical part, then it may have slipped past my mimicry. It seems animals also lack a dantian, so I can't study on them. I feel like a living, breathing human would be the best way for me to learn what a dantian is on an experiential level." She softly smiled at the maid. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

"...Mmgh..." He couldn't stop himself from blushing at that last part. "I... wouldn't be opposed to helping you out, but I really think you're oversimplifying how hard this would be. The dantian is in the lower abdomen. There are no good options for shoving anything inside there without causing some serious damage my way..." Whether entering from the top, the bottom, or slicing through the center, the options all gave him a sense of dread just picturing.

"Ah, I already have that part figured out! I can pass myself through another's flesh harmlessly if I'm careful enough. It leaves no damage; even the mice's fur was all intact. And once inside, I can also shift my hand to the most pliable form you can imagine, so it would be able to avoid any pressure or damage to your internals. Really, I'll be the most harmless observer you've ever seen!"

The maid seemed conflicted, but it wasn't because of revulsion. No, it was quite the opposite. Something about this sounded novel to the point of being enticing. Maybe not something he'd want to do twice, but just once, to say he did it? The conflict was the rational part of his brain screaming how bad of an idea this was in every conceivable way, with absolutely zero benefits. At least, no benefits yet...

"...Mm, and... what do I get out of this? If you did press or squeeze the wrong part, I could be in serious trouble." His expression revealed a measured contemplation.

"Um... I guess I could do something for you. What do you want?" She tapped her chin in thought, but nothing was coming to mind. What would a boy like him want from her?

"Well, you know, things could get pretty sore if you touched the wrong parts. So, it would only be right if you were to try and help work out any soreness in the form a massage. Yes, I think that would do nicely." He smiled softly, but there was a glint of some deeper kind of eagerness in his eyes.

"Ohhhhhh... I've never done a massage before. Isn't it rubbing your back and shoulders to make them feel better?"

"Yes, that's one form of a massage. There are other forms too, for soothing any other parts that might happen to be sore. Of course I can't say what might end up aching until after we do your whole little experiment... But you'd be fine massaging anything for me, right?"

"Of course!" She beamed innocently. "I'll take full responsibility for anything that happens. Not that anything should, but... I'll massage anything you need afterwards, yes!"

"Hehe... Well then, I suppose I have no choice but to assist you in this little experiment. Where do we start?"

"Hm..." Kurai glanced around, not seeing any convenient places to sit comfortably. "Follow me!" she declared, leading him to her bedroom. The sole chair in there was not designed for multiple occupants, but her bed was far more lax in its restrictions. The maid initially sat down beside the novae, but he quickly found himself being pulled into her lap.

"The closer we are, the easier it will be," she explained, staring at him eye-to-eye with an innocent grin.

"...I-I'll trust your judgement on that," he responded without complaint. To actually allow access to his lower abdomen would be a tricky challenge in itself due to his maid dress being a singular garment, rather than having the top separated from his skirt. Thanks to his boyish hips being as slender as they were, it wasn't too difficult to simply pull the entire upper section down after getting the collar past his shoulders, exposing his torso in the process. It was less indecent than the inverse of lifting the skirt high enough. He didn't need that kind of excitement added to this procedure. Not yet.

Robin wasn't going to be completely passive, though. His momentary fluster quickly faded into a knowing glint in his eyes. He took hold of Kurai's hand and pressed it against his chest. She had a look of almost-wonder on her face as she could feel his heartbeat through his ribs. It was all the prompting she needed to give for him to answer the question she didn't ask.

"Need to warm your hands up, silly girl. You weren't planning on just shoving your cold fingers in me, now were you?"

"...Your chest is really warm," she thoughtlessly replied.

"I wonder if yours is too?" He seemed to want something with that welcoming smile on his lips. Kurai quickly shook her head. She couldn't let herself get distracted before such a delicate procedure, no matter how curious the maid was making her.

"A-Anyways, I think this is warm enough, yes?"

"...For now, yes," he acquiesced.

The novae pulled her hand out of his grasp, moving it down below his bellybutton. Her free arm pulled the boy in even closer, to the point their chins rested against each other's shoulders. Kurai closed her eyes and focused in on her sense of touch, particularly her hand. It pressed against his soft, smooth skin. Soon, it passed through him, gentle as an angel's kiss.

Robin groaned at the intrusion, but he kept his mouth shut. Kurai was concentrating too much to question it, as long as he wasn't protesting. All she needed to do was get a bit of latent energy flowing through him, then she'd no doubt find her mark...

"Now try to get your mana flowing. It doesn't need to be much, just keep it moving."

The maid didn't say anything beyond a hum, but his mana was flowing properly to affect a simple magnetic levitation on something out of the novae's line of sight. Kurai knew he was using mana properly and that the dantian had to be close to where she was. So why couldn't she feel anything? His organs were so fervid and slippery and tight-knit. She could feel so many sensations, but none of them were anything like a mana flow. Even the gentlest of rubbings against blood vessels showed no difference when he used mana versus beforehand.

The lack of results only spurred her on, leading to her becoming just a bit less careful as she felt around for any signs. Just the slightest inkling of something moving beyond typical organic function. The loss of caution was to the smallest degree imaginable, but even that was crucial in such a sensitive operation.

"Watch it..." Robin muttered into her ear. She could imagine how contorted his face must have been. It had to have been intense for him to risk speaking at a time like this, given his earlier silence. Kurai got ahold of herself and stopped moving around for the time being.

"Sorry. I'll be more careful. It's just that I still haven't felt anything yet," she admitted. "I feel like I should have had noticed something by now, but..."

"...Try using your own magic now..." He spoke slowly and softly, trying to avoid anything that could lead to movement in his midsection. "...With the hand not inside me..." he quickly added. It hopefully wasn't a necessary addendum even for the tactless novae. It would have been disastrous if it was. Kurai closed her eyes and tried to follow his advice.

Let the latency of the air serve as fuel. Let the currents of the world pass through you. Let your will form a dam, and your aspect the valve. Do not force circumstance; allow the world around you to form on its own into what you need. When the time is right, you will have no need to attempt any spell. Your very willpower will have already put it into motion. You merely need to maintain your focus to see it through, and keep your dignity to weather any consequences.

Kurai was not alone in this, however. Using only her own self was a futile effort when it came to gathering and transferring mana; more proof of that truth was worthless. Robin, however, was a pure vessel in every way. With their entwined shells, he was hers, entirely and irresistibly. All she needed to do was redirect her attempts at a mana flow through him, letting his unseen dantian do her bidding. She could not see nor feel any of the process. All she could do is have faith as she reached her free hand out, and...

"Let sight be failure. Let gravity be naught. Let every last matter be equal in their vanity before pure might. Surge, rage the roaring gales! From mine hands doth arise a storm unending!"

The gravitas of her chant was bookended by the crashing of furniture and decor into the walls of Kurai's room. A colossal blast of wind came out of her very fingertips, erupting as it slammed into the walls and refracted back into the duo still sitting on the bed. It was like a cannon firing in a cellar.

"Gah!" Robin jumped, startled by the thunder-like roar behind him. It really did him no favors when the novae was still inside him, squeezed between several organs that were now very much aware of their unnatural passenger. "Ow, ow, ow, ow! P-pull out of me already! Quickly!" He froze soon after, but couldn't stop himself from clenching tightly in every way. It didn't do much to impede Kurai as she exited his body, given just how pliable her hand was for the procedure.

"Ahaha... Sorry, I didn't know if it would work, so... I perhaps put a bit too much gusto into it." She sheepishly laughed with the tone of a girl who knew she'd made a huge mess by mistake.

"Sheesh... Congratulations on getting it to work, but you're not making it easy on me. Ahh... That last jump you gave me, I'm gonna be feeling that for a solid week..." He weakly rubbed his tummy, before quickly stopping. Even that was too much stimulation right now. It didn't seem anything was damaged, but that didn't make the aching any less unpleasant.

"I'm sorry..." she repeated. Eager to change the topic, she quickly added, "Well... other than that, how did it feel? Did you notice anything when I was casting?"

"Other than confusion at that little speech of yours, not really. Well, I did feel a bit of a tingle and some horripilation, now that you mention it. What the heck was that chanting for, though?"

"Ah, the guide suggested using words to assist with your magical focus! It didn't give any examples, but I think I came up with something cool." Her chest swelled with such unearned pride that the maid didn't want to tell her how dorky it really sounded.

The door abruptly swung open, revealing a very concerned professor. It was rare for him to not knock at all, even when he was paternally barging in without waiting for permission.

"What in the world is going on?! It sounded like a bomb went off!" Meus began. Whatever else he had to say, it quickly faded away as he saw Robin half-naked in Kurai's lap, them both pulled into a tight embrace. On her bed, no less.

"I was helping Kurai practice her magic—" the maid quickly began. He had a scant few seconds to act before he got hit with The Look. "It was a spell that went off, sir, due to too much latency being put into it. She had wanted to experiment using my mana, you see..." It wasn't the best explanation, but hopefully he could spark Meus's scientific curiosity enough to dampen anything else.

"Yes, I was reaching inside of our maid to touch his dantian." Of course she would keep using that phrasing. Little did Kurai realize that she ruined all progress Robin had made. There was no stopping it now. The professor was now giving him The Look.

Nobody ever misunderstood The Look.

Mercifully, Robin found himself being the one cleaning up the novae's room, as Kurai graciously took the onus of explaining things to the master. He would have rather cleaned up an entire banquet by himself than handling that talk on his own, after being caught with his figurative pants down like that, along with being caught with his literal dress down. The pain had quickly subsided, so it wasn't proving a hindrance at this point. Still, for all the trouble the little incident caused him...

No regrets. None at all.

Kurai meanwhile kept finding herself failing to curb her own excitement over managing to cast a spell. Her explanation to Meus took a few tries to make sense given her eagerness to drift off topic, but in the end she managed to convey enough of the innocence of the situation. At least enough to spare the maid from too much of a tongue lashing over it. Moreover, a few quick tests with the professor proved she had developed her own mana core from the process and was able to manage spellcasting by herself now.

"Perhaps it's related to the theory that the mana core is not inherent to life, but rather developed typically by contact with the mother's mana flow while in the womb," Meus pondered. "Allowing it to be passed down from the times of The Third to we descendants despite it being unnatural at its essence. As such, it would explain why animals incapable of it, and thusly nova vitae as well. And if it were to be granted to a novae such as yourself by a similarly intimate bond with a mana-using individual, as you did..."

"So it's like Robin is my mana mama now?" She tilted her head.

"...Please never say those words ever again." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Rather, he served as the catalyst to your own latency development." Did it not mean the same thing? That phrasing certainly caused less anguish for the older gentleman. "At any rate, I was already needing to scold you for carelessness, when I found this lying around while meeting with a guest." He produced a small packet, handing it over to the novae. "All the more so now that you caused such a ruckus with your little experiments..." He failed to hide a proud smile at the last word.

It felt nice to receive such praise, however muted it may have been. Kurai couldn't enjoy it for long as the packet took hold of her attention.

Kurai's secret diary
do not read!!!!

It was written in an unmistakably girly handwriting, very similar to the novae's own. It was also unmistakable to Kurai that it was not her handwriting. She had never made such a packet in her life, either.

"You will be more cautious going forward, yes?" Meus prompted her, seeming to pay no heed to her concern.

"...Yes, sir. I will." She kept her confusion to herself, wanting to find out what was going on before bringing any questions up. As soon as she was alone, she opened the packet up. There was a handful of loose-leaf paper, tightly bound by strings. The first few pages were generic nonsense one might expect out of a small child's thoughts. Then one page was abruptly addressed to the novae herself.

"Hello, Kurai. I hope you do not mind the circumspection. Had there been a simpler way of contacting you, I would have done so readily.

We have some important matters to discuss. Meet me before sunrise tomorrow morning. Don't tell either of the boys of the manor about this. Not until we have spoken; this is for your ears only. What you do with the knowledge afterwards is your own prerogative.

Sincerely, Irene Rellick"

Left alongside the letter was directions to a specific location: an abandoned church across the street from a prominent workhouse. Kurai stared at the letter for a long time, flipping through the rest of the packet to find nothing else of import. She set the papers down and adjusted her alarm clock to awaken her in the early hours of the morning, before the crack of dawn.