All in a Day's Work

◇ Day One ◇

There was someone waiting in front of his workshop, and that fact alone put Lilac in a terrible mood. It worsened when he recognized it was that annoying little princeling, Alberic. He never spoke to him before, in fact he avoided royals like a plague that they were, but he recognized the young man from the trial. He was one of the nuisances he genuinely needed to be polite to. Annoyed before the man could even open his mouth, Lilac ran his fingers through his short hair to calm himself down. "Your Highness, good morning," he said. He was already exhausted from last night. Did this man seriously need to be here now?
"Good morning, Mage Master," Alberic replied, perfectly prim and proper and far too bright for the time of day thanks to the four hour difference.
"Do you need me?" he directly asked. He unlocked his workshop, but waited with opening the door. His little space was none of the princeling's business.
"Yes, yes I do. You may be aware I am conducting an investigation of your brother... again. I would like to finally take this opportunity and formally meet you."
"You are investigating the work he does as the Governor, are you not? I do not get involved in those dealings, it is none of my business," Lilac replied. He had to try, right?
"I'd still enjoy a conversation with you. I've been looking forward to meeting you for some time now."
Right. The smiling prince was unstoppable. Fine! "Fine. Where would you like to speak to me, then?"
"Your workshop should suffice, should it not?"
"It is a rather dangerous place. I do not like it when people enter here, and I'd prefer a royal prince not get injured by accident."
"I will be sure tread very carefully."

Ah, wait. Was that a threat? Whatever. Fine. Hopefully when the princeling sees the absolute organized mess inside, he'll give up on the idea. He didn't have anything to offer him either, unless he wanted to become an experiment.

Unfortunately, Alberic was left unshaken. He managed to find a spot in the room where he was not in the way nor in any danger from his numerous little projects, so there really was no way to throw him out. How many people does it take to move a royal pound of flesh? It sounded like a start of one of Rose's bad jokes.

In any case, Lilac was impatient and had work to do. The lack of sleep last night only made his fuse even shorter. He didn't plan to wait around for the princeling to decide to speak up. "So? What do you want?" he asked directly.
Alberic raised his eyebrows. "To speak to you, nothing more," he innocently said. "For the longest time, I was curious about the elusive heir of the Earl. I wonder what is it that keeps you away from the Palace?"
"I am not a fan of social gatherings," Lilac said. "And I am far too busy to entertain the lords and ladies who would ask me for a dance. My work is more important than the frivolous events, and I'm sure you would agree considering the magnitude of requests we get from the Palace."
"Well, I suppose I cannot argue about the importance of the duties you perform for the Kingdom. However, is it really appropriate for you to have next to no presence among your peers?"
"I have no interest in my peers. If you'd prefer your orders to arrive late, however, I could arrange my time in a way that better suits my tastes. A man shouldn't only be dedicated to work at all times, right?"
"Hm. You are quite a bit more headstrong than I expected, I admit."
"Would you prefer the Honorable Alsop en la Dale to be weak-willed? I do not hide from the nobility, I simply do not care for them outside of work. And I fail to see how this is connected to your investigation of my brother."

Should he throw him out? There was no way this princeling was stronger than him, and he was really starting to get on his nerves now. Instead of answering him, Alberic started to carefully stroll around the room, peeking at his bottles, apparatuses, and other experiments from all angles. At least he wasn't touching them. Lilac was being ★ tolerant to the royal ★. This idiot wouldn't even know to appreciate his restraint.

"I must admit this was simply my personal curiosity. There are some concerning rumors going around the Capital, you see. Idle gossip is hardly something worth paying attention to, but occasionally, where there is smoke there is a fire, too..." He stopped in front of the wall that was burned by Lilac's first experiment with Vervain's hair. Lilac kept a perfectly neutral face when he looked back at him, tilting his head as if he expected an explanation. He gave him none, waiting for him to get to the point. Alberic gave him a smile. "Are you always this difficult to work with?"
"Do you expect me to ask what rumors you mean? Or did you mean to have me replying based on what I assumed first?" he asked. He spent his whole life around Rosamund, for crying out loud. Of course he knew to recognize an underhanded interrogation tactic.
He seemed delighted. "If I asked you what is it you assumed first, would you answer?"
"Are you asking me or not?"
"You are highly entertaining, I wish you weren't such a recluse. Yes, I'd like to hear your guess."
"I'd assume, considering the nature of your investigation, that you refer to the rumors of my brother being involved with the Pirate Queen."
"Is he?"
"No."
"Hm. And what do you think of her?"
"I hardly give a damn. I do not get involved in my brother's business. I am grateful she saved his life multiple times by now, but I'd barely call us acquaintances."
"Is there a reason why you are so averse to his work?"
"I have better things to do."
"Is that really all there is to it?" he asked.

There was a sympathetic tone in his voice. Lilac's hairs raised on ends. What the hell was happening right now? Wait, no. It was dawning to him. Perhaps he really should throw the princeling out. Through one of the boarded-up windows.

Lilac took a deep breath. Harming a royal unprovoked was marginally worse than harming him after provocation. He should at least be decent enough to let the man hang himself first. "Whatever do you mean?" he asked, trying to hit that innocent note with his voice.

"I am merely saying that I understand. It is very troublesome to have an older brother who would be the heir if it were not for you. If avoiding social gatherings and getting involved with his work are your ways to slip past unnoticed as much as possible... well, perhaps I could arrange something for you."
What the- oh Rose will have a field day with this. What an idiot. If this was a genuine show of his inner thoughts, all he could say was thank you. He could easily tolerate him for as long as necessary if this continues. Damn it, this was Rose's forte. Why wasn't he here? "It feels as if you speak from your personal experience."
"Perhaps. Our situation is similar, but hardly the same. For one, I am not the heir."
"Does Prince Ravenel give you trouble?"
"We aren't here to talk about me. I am offering you my genuine help, Mage Master."
"Is this misconception of yours the reason why you've hounded Rose for the past four or so years?"

Alberic's face closed again. Whatever his thoughts were, they were now hidden behind a small, somewhat nervous smile. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean to say that I don't know what sort of strange ideas you have about the relationship between my brother and I. I am neither being threatened or abused by him, and he'd never dream of trying to take my position for himself. In fact, I am grateful he is such a social person. His proper attendance of all the events spares me from going. We both have better things to do than interfere with the duties of the other one, unless we specifically ask each other for help. He didn't ask me for help so far. I was here only to draw the circle."
"I find it hard to believe. Both of you are highly ambitious men, are you not?"
"More or less, I suppose. But our ambitions take us in different directions. And even if they didn't, there are lines we shouldn't cross. He is my brother, my family. Nothing is more important. Status, fortune, title, and land all fade in comparison." For nearly three decades of him being alive, Rosamund - or Nicholas - was never anything less than a perfect brother. Even if he only played the part, even if he was a mess of a man torn between two lives he lived, the love he showed him was a constant in his life. Nobody was that great of an actor, and even if he was, Lilac still genuinely cared about him. He didn't give a damn, whichever it was.
"And you are sure he shares the same opinion?"
"Yes. I find it rather pitiful that you allowed your own little prejudices cloud your judgement. If I may make a suggestion, perhaps getting as far away from your brother might be of help to you."
"You are becoming presumptuous."
"You were equally outrageous with your questions to me. This is merely payback, Your Highness."
"Hm. I suppose I can tolerate this much, then."
"I am most grateful for your mercy, especially considering how long I tolerated you for," he replied. He motioned to the door with his head.

"Out."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"What can you tell me about the relationship between Lord Governor and the so-called Pirate Queen?"
"I'd say it is rather strained," Nivelir said. "She is quite difficult to get along with. I wouldn't think Lord Governor would tolerate her were she not his savior. I know I cannot tolerate her, so I mainly try to avoid dealing with her."
"What can you tell me about the educational project they started in the city?"
"It is a mashup of her desire to provide her men with more opportunities in life and his previous idea that we do not need punishment for criminals, but rather rehabilitation. A project you halted, if I recall correctly."
"I can hardly take all the credit for that debacle," the Prince replied.
"I suppose that is correct. Forgive me, Your Highness. Perhaps this can serve as a bit of a showcase, then. If it works out, why would the rest of the Kingdom not try to apply this method? Hanging criminals is a waste of manpower that could be used to, for example, grow crops."
"You seem to be rather pleased with yourself."
"I am, yes. I will consider it my good deed for this year. So far the pirates have all been well-behaved. Perhaps this idea succeeds. And if it doesn't, well, we have the Guard to handle them."
"What can you tell me about the incident with the Guard?"
"It is all written down in my official report. I am sure Lord Governor made it all accessible to you."
"So you have no other comments to add?"
"No."
"Where are the documents?"
"In his office and mine, of course."
"Are you not going to show me to the papers?"
"Your Highness," Nivelir said, finally setting down his teacup.

"I am on vacation."

And enjoying it, too.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They listened in overheard the conversations with the Alchemist and with Lord Secretary. They were also there when Master Nadir pulled him aside and showed him some papers. They couldn't see what it was or where it came from. They could only hear their hushed whispers, barely making out the conversation.
"Make me a copy of this... I will need to investigate," he said. "Put it back where you found it after, I don't need the original..."

They wanted to warn Rosamund about it, but he was still recovering from the attack from last night. He had his meals alone today instead of eating with everyone, and he was busy with moving to another room and cleaning up the traces of the attack. Lord Secretary was helping out with organization and sending some letters for him. They just couldn't catch him while making sure they weren't bothering. It made them fidgety, but that was just how it was.

So why did they feel as if something bad was coming?


◇ Day Two ◇

Teo decided not to interfere with the ongoing situation in the manor. Lord Governor had decided to employ help of two actual priests, which meant that the resident witch had to make himself scarce. He didn't mind him asking for their help, it made sense, but he couldn't just be there during it. Even if, while leaving the manor, he recognized one of the priests as a regular in the city's taverns.

In either case, he had classes to attend, he had things to do, he could make himself busy. He noticed there was a new man in his class. He looked like a nobleman, mainly because he had a straight, light, waist-long hair. His clothes were reasonably common other than that, and he wore no makeup either. Perhaps a new pirate... no, unlikely. A citizen? Nobles could afford proper tutors, though. No, the only way forward was to ask.

"Hey. You're new?" he asked.
"Good afternoon. Yes, I am."
Foreigner. Or, well, not a foreigner. His accent was easily identifiable as Bretonian, he was just a foreigner to Teo. "You're from around here?"
"Hm. No, I am new in every way. I simply heard there were classes one could freely attend here. I was curious."
"Anyone been bothering you?"
The handsome young man raised his eyebrows as he rested his chin on his hand, slightly smiling. "Are you perchance some sort of a leader around here?"
"Aye. Teo, I'm Capt'n Vervain's second in command."
"Goodness, I had no idea I was speaking to someone so distinguished."
"Flattery doesn't work on me. What's your name?"
"Hm. Alberic, nice to meet you."
"Alberic who?"
"Just Alberic. I didn't come here to bother anyone. Will you have me removed nonetheless?"
"Listen, I can see you're a noble. I know you can afford a tutor. Don't pester people here and don't gawk. We're not on display. We're here to learn something."
"So am I. I will be perfectly silent. If you'd like, you may sit by me and keep an eye on me during this lesson. And protect me, should anyone choose to bother me. What do you say?"

Something was wrong here. Teo had a feeling he was supposed to figure something out from this conversation- ah, Alberic was also the name of the Second Prince. Right. No way that a prince of anything would come and mingle with the pirates, so this man was probably just working for him. Kicking him out would be a bad look. They anticipated people would come investigate this place sooner or later, too... He didn't expect this to be so brazen, to be honest.

No matter. Teo took a seat next to him. There was nothing to hide here, just a recent history class. He didn't like the way the man was smiling, but he tolerated him. He truly was silent during the class, and asked him and their professor a few questions before quietly leaving.

That went well, right?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They followed the Prince again today. He spent most of the morning speaking with Hexkey and a few other guardsmen, discussing what happened when Cinda and Zaum got arrested. In the afternoon, he went to the school. They left to warn Teo, but they didn't expect he would attend the class, so they missed each other. They told him afterwards, which had him curse in multiple languages. He reassured them that nothing bad happened and that they were doing a good job before he marched off.

They continued to follow the man.

They wanted to warn Rosamund of what was happening, but he still wasn't joining them for meals. He was still recovering. They didn't want to bother... But they should take a few moments to make a small report, right? If they are a bother, they'll just leave.

He was still tired but he heard them out, letting them know it's normal to take some papers while investigating, and that the prince was an eccentric man who liked to do things his way. So it was fine, right? Nita and Alchemist were there, too, to let him know what was happening. He didn't rely on them anymore, right?

Right...


◇ Day Three ◇

They needed to make themself useful, otherwise Rosamund would forget all about them. They couldn't let that happen... he promised he'd hear them out, too...

Today, the prince arrived before dawn. The sudden warning light of the circle almost had them fall out of the tree they were napping on, but thanks to it they managed to hide before he arrived.

It was him, right? It had to be. His hair was as short as a commoner's this time, and his clothes were, well, of about the same quality as theirs. His face looked different too... but the way he held himself was unmistakable. And he really came here alone. He worked alone, but he never arrived alone before. The man looked around to see if anyone was there before walking away.

It had to be him.

Nobody else moved like that.

Ekliptik followed the man in total silence, keeping to the shadows. They left their hat in the tree and put up their hood, blending in the dark.

The prince marched off, walking the whole way to the city. They got there with the first rays of sun. The man headed for the poorer districts of the city, ignoring the inviting smell of fresh bread raising from the bakeries. Ekliptik was furious. They weren't ready for this, they were just keeping guard. The black cape they wore had them stand out like a sore thumb among the commoners. They looked exactly like a suspicious criminal that they were. And if they removed the hood, their very distinct hair would be out in the open, too. They didn't dye it recently.

This was the worst.

But at least the early crowd was helping somewhat, and once they were in the poor districts, they didn't stand out as much. The prince wasn't looking around too much, but he stopped a few times to chat with some beggars. He made his way into a small tavern, where he also spoke to the keeper. Ekliptik had to stay too far away, so they had no clue what was happening, but they did see one kid sneak out through the back and run away. The prince sat down at the table and ordered a drink.

He was waiting.

This wasn't their turf. They were getting fidgety again. What did a prince want from these people? Why was he here all alone? At least they were armed, but they needed to pretend they had something else to do, wandering around while trying to not let the prince slip away while they were trying to blend in. The man was defenseless, right? If something happened to him, that would be bad, right? Or maybe not. Would it be Rosamund's fault? Maybe.

A tall, strong-looking woman entered the tavern. The keeper nodded to the prince, and she sat down at his table. They followed in, sitting in a corner to try and disappear into the background while the two talked. They were tightly gripping on their daggers, still angry. They couldn't hear what the two were whispering about, but there were two more strong-looking people coming in. The prince quietly said something and the woman let out a genuine laugh.

"Get out."
"It was only a question," he protested.
"Karl, Luenn, throw him out."
"Hey!" he shouted, standing up as the two men approached. "Do not dare touch me. I am on my way out."

Well that ended quickly. The prince angrily marched out before the two could help him with it, and Ekliptik slipped away when they found their chance. They cursed to themself, hurrying after him and trying to not let him out of their sight. What the hell was going on? Did he try to find a woman? There were surely better places for that. And what was he doing now, slipping into narrow alleyways? The way he walked told them he was barely paying attention to his surroundings, which was honestly the one good thing today. There was nothing they could hide behind, no crowds to blend in in the silent and deteriorating streets. If people lived in these crumbling houses, they were trying their best to look as if they weren't there.

The prince was speeding up, they almost had to run after him. He went behind a house and Ekliptik followed.

There was a longsword waiting for them, the long blade right under their neck.

Careless.

They let out a quiet hiss, finally cursing out loud.
"Good morning to you too," he brightly said, walking around them with the sword still raised, forcing them into the dead-ended alley before they could try to get away. They were still armed, they could fight him. They just needed to get out of his strike range first.

Lie to him. They had to play the role of a common thug. Easy. "What d'ya think yer doin', huh?" they asked.
"My job, serah. It looks like I found what I was looking for. Take that hood off, why don't you?"
"Y'wanna fight?"
He let out a laugh. "Do I?"

Yes, he did.

He was close. Just a bit too close. Focused on their face and the hands they kept raised. They made a motion with their hand, dragging his attention away, and kicked him in the knee. Just enough time to put distance between them, barely enough to dodge his sword as he lashed out in return. He stood between them and the exit. They couldn't afford to kill the prince, but they could probably hurt him enough to escape. Right? That had to be allowed. One dagger in each hand, arms up defensively. Fighting to get away, not to maul. Right.

"Do you really think you can fight me with those?" he asked, easily holding the sword in one hand while getting into a proper stance.

"Aye."

Do or die. They threw a dagger at him.

He caught it with his free hand.


"Think again."