Chapter 34 ~ Squandering

Knock-knock, knock-knock-knock... knock-knock!

"Hellooo, is anybody in there?" She couldn't sense anyone through the bathroom door, but it was clearly still locked. There wasn't the sound of any movement, at least not inside there. Light, girly footfalls elsewhere made it clear where Robin was. It wouldn't be the first time a door was accidentally locked and shut, but she had her concerns.

"If you don't make a peep, I'm peepin' in!" she called out by way of warning. Still nothing. There was a master key shoved away somewhere hidden, but she didn't need that. Pressing her palm against the doorknob let her make a literal skeleton key. Inside, her confusion turned to horror.

The water was entirely still. There was no reaction at all. His head lay unmoving, tilted back in a discomfortable unnaturality over the rim of the tub. She couldn't even see any signs of him breathing. Bartholomeus Selland was as pale as a corpse.

"Mr Meus...!" Kurai shouted as she ran over to the older man, frantic to save him from... something. Whatever this was. If nothing else, she had to prop his head up so it stopped hanging over the side of the tub. As soon as she did so, his body limply began to slide down into the tub, but she easily held him up. She pulled the drain stopper for good measure.

"Mr Meus! Wake up!" She shook him by the shoulders, holding his head against her chest. "Robin! Irene! Come quick!"

The maid and the apothecary rushed over soon after, both horrified at the sight. Irene hurried to the man's side, while the maid stood frozen by the door.

"He's... really doing that bad..." the maid muttered, quiet enough only Kurai could hear him.

"What happened to him? How long has he been like this?" Irene questioned, placing two fingers on his wrist.

"I don't know. I just found him slumped over under a minute ago. Is he okay...?"

"...Lean him back, gently. Don't let go of his head."

As the novae did as instructed, a few tense moments passed before the man jolted back to consciousness, gasping and panting for air. He hardly seemed aware of his surroundings until several seconds had passed. Kurai was overjoyed, hugging him close. Irene was relieved and let go of a breath she'd unknowingly been holding. Robin could only gaze in fear.

"What... What in the...?" the man mumbled between heavy breaths. "Can't a man take a nap in privacy these days...?" He leaned into the cuddly novae to rest his head.

"With all due respect, sir, you were in a state of syncope," Irene explained, handing him a second towel after tossing the first one down to protect his dignity. "I don't know how long you were like that before Kurai found you, but it's lucky that she did."

"Oh, I had the worst shivers you ever did see, even with the warm water around me. I had just closed my eyes for but a moment..." He couldn't guess how long ago that moment was.

"And I had the worst pangs in my heart you ever did see! Don't you ever scare me like that again, you damn old fogey...!" Kurai still wasn't letting go of him, even as she was also handed a towel by Irene. Ostensibly for how soaked her dress was getting, but she only used it to wipe at her teary eyes.

"Oh, don't you start crying, my dear. You're just going to make me faint again to avoid seeing it." He forced a chuckle out, followed by a few coughs.

"Perhaps we should get you to bed before that can come to pass," Irene sagely remarked. She glanced over her shoulder to the doorway. There was nobody.

Kurai didn't need any help carrying the man, thankfully. She laid him down carefully, but his head still bounced against the pillow. He didn't say anything beyond a wince and a grunt.

"Is there anything else we can do...?"

"I can give him some more painkillers, but this will be the last dose he's allowed for the day..."

"Oh, don't you worry about me. I'm quite alright." The professor affected a nonchalant grin.

"In that case, I'll leave them on the nightstand in case you need them later."

"Mm..." Kurai stroked her chin in thought.

I wonder...
I don't think I've ever gotten sick,
despite how much my flesh has been exposed to.
Am I immune, or is it simply luck?
Could I metabolize that part of me that overcomes disease?
Could I share it with others?

A light double-knock at the door heralded the maid with a tea cart. His face was of a practiced calm.

"Ah, I... got some refreshments ready for everybody, if any of you would be so inclined."

"I think I could use a cup after all this, yes. Wouldn't you agree, Mr Meus?"

"Quite. I do find myself a bit parched."

The maid set out three cups, one for each of them, filling them all up. One sugar cube for the master, two for the novae, and none for the apothecary, just as they all liked it. He knew them well enough he didn't need to ask.

"Oh, you're the best, Robin! Thanks~."

Just as Kurai started to raise her cup to her lips, the apothecary grabbed her arm.

"Hold. Why didn't you get a cup for yourself, Robin?" Her voice was as cold as it had ever been.

"...Because I'm not thirsty?"

"And yet your first thought was to run off getting tea ready without doing anything to help our fainted lord."

"Well, I'm no medical worker, so I thought you and Kurai had it covered. What else could I do there?"

"So you went to make normal, unaltered tea. If that's the case, then surely you would be willing to drink from each of our cups first..."

"...No? Why would I want to do that? It surely would be unnecessary contamination of the cups."

"And poison isn't?"

The room went silent. Even the breeze in the treeline outside of the window was all but stilled.

"...Excuse me? What?"

"If there is no poison in the cups, then you can prove it by drinking it."

"Wh-where is this talk of poison coming from? Is this some kind of joke?"

"Lord Meus's condition has passed through undetected with every test I had on any diseases. At the same time, you've been acting very strangely around the topic every time it gets brought up. As if you know more about his condition than anybody else. You're also the one person who would be in the best position to slip any poison into his food or drink. Can you explain any of that?"

"...Aha... What are you even talking about? Why do I have to explain anything when you're the one making these wild accusations?"

"Then explain why you acted so knowingly about his condition when he looked deathly ill to the rest of us?"

"...Because I have faith, of course. I thought a nun would understand that much. Though perhaps that's not the case for a former nun." He was blatantly trying to get under her skin now. It was working.

"Robin." Meus's somber voice cut through the tension like a knife. "...Just humor me and take a drink from each. Surely you can do it and put all these concerns to rest."

"...Alright, fine, I will." He had the annoyed grin of one being challenged on a bluff. Even still, he boldly followed instructions, sipping from each of the cups with no effect at all taking place. "Hmph. How about that? The tea tastes like tea and that's all. I didn't put poison into these cups."

"...So you did put them into other cups."

"I didn't say that. I didn't poison anyone or anything! Where's your proof, huh? You're just blaming me because I'm an easy target. I haven't done anything." He was practically shaking as his voice teetered just below a shout.

"Um... Robin, I think you should take a deep breath and try to calm down."

"I am calm!" Even he could hear his voice echoing from the walls.

"...Fine, this tea isn't poisoned. Or perhaps it's so slow acting you wouldn't get caught with any signs in the moment... But I know what you're doing, Robin. Maybe I can't prove it right now, but one day you're going to slip up. We'll see how it goes then." With a suppressed snarl, the apothecary marched out of the room, with the front door of the manor audibly shutting a few minutes later.

"Pfft... Can you... Can you believe that? She really thinks she knows everything, huh. Maybe she should get... Yes, see how she likes that..." He was muttering to himself in an unstable, shaky voice. His teeth were clenched as tight as a mooring line.

"Uh..." Kurai cautiously patted the boy's shoulder. It got him to stop bearing his teeth, but he was still pouting.

"Forgive me, Robin, but as I'm unable to stand on my own two feet, would you be willing to come here for a moment?" The professor propped himself up on an elbow, but even that seemed to be straining him.

"Sure, yeah, because it's my fault. Everything's always my fault, isn't it? Just blame me, why don't you..." He sat on the side of the bed, arm locked straight down as his fingernails dug into the edge of the mattress.

"I'm not blaming you at all. I just thought you could use a moment." He leaned back against the headboard, and the maid followed suit by leaning into him.

"...Right, you want me as a good little doll to hold. I should be so lucky... It's better than how others treat me, like a mere scapegoat..."

"That's not the case either." Even in his weakened state, his voice still held a distinct sympathy rather than pity. "I just hope you feel better soon."

The maid's face scrunched up at those last words, and he soon rolled over to bury his head in the professor's shoulder. Try as he might to hide it, he couldn't silence his sobs and sniffles. It was a sorry sight indeed. And a very uncomfortable one for a certain novae, standing out like a sore thumb.

"...I should probably get back to... things. I'll give you boys some privacy."

"Oh, do stay for a minute, my dear," Meus called out, stroking the back of the maid's head. "I won't keep you for long, but I'd be remiss to not mention it. The old boy's brought up a few times about your instatement of citizenship. I'm sure he wanted to discuss it now too, had things not gotten out of hand."

"...What would you like to discuss about it, sir?"

"I have all the paperwork set. All I want to know is if you truly wish to go forward with this. It won't be an easy process, and once we commit, there will be no going back."

The novae raised a half-closed hand to her chest, and her gaze lowered to the floor in thought.

Why does it have to change?
Couldn't things stay the way they are now?
I feel like I've seen enough.
Life would be a lot simpler to accept the world outside is too much for me.
Let Mr Meus continue providing for the estate, Robin continue making the house a home, and I...
...
...
...The world has no place for me, does it?
And that's why it has to change.

"You don't have to if you don't want it, my dear. Don't think you're forced to go with this. We can always find something else if this doesn't work out."

"...This is what I want, sir. Whatever the future may bring, I've decided I no longer want to wait for it to affect me."

"Very well." His smile shone with fatherly pride. "We'll get the process started by the morrow. It may take quite some time, but we'll get through it. Together."

In his arms, the maid peered at Kurai over his shoulder. His eyes were bloodshot. His mouth never opened.