Price of Power

Her parents came with news that they managed to convince Lucian to give her some free time. They both had hoped to speak with their daughter again, but there was a lot to do and someone to do it was needed. Her father accepted to take over her duties. This way was better for everyone, her tracking skills were negligible and she still had wounds to heal.

The next day, after her daily routine that means breakfast and shower she had no idea what to do with herself since she had to give herself a break. Normally she would be training or try to do something with all this technology, in the end, it was the true purpose of it all. She was lying on bed and staring at the ceiling thinking about what has happened and what can happen as a result. Because of what she has heard, for the first time she was deeply pondering about that enterprise, rules. Now she knew that they were inspired by Sister. Lariska was young, but she knew that life this long is associated with consequences, renunciations. She didn’t know if she always was like this or did she took this weight on herself. For the majority, it was something obvious that she was and always will be like it was something natural, but for her thinking like this and such ignorance were unacceptable. There she stopped, maybe for that these rules were created.

She was lying like that on bed fighting with her thoughts till she heard someone knocking the door, she stood up and on the doorstep, she saw Laurie.

"Can I come in?" She asked, she had a small figure, and curled, waved hair. Just a student, but with her place among scientists.

"For what?"

"I just wanted to know if everything is alright, you weren’t today at the shooting range, which is weird since you never break your schedule."

"It’s alright, really. I would prefer to be alone right now." She said calmly.

"As always, but I think I can be worried a bit."

"Truly, you don’t have to, thank you but…"

"You are not very talkative I know!" She interrupted quickly.

"...I really would like to be alone with my thoughts right now." She finished. "Maybe later."

She closed the door before her nose and went back to bed.

In the evening Laurie visited her once again. That time Lariska promised that she will come to her herself if she will want to talk and yes, she knew where to find her.

The next day she got bored of sitting in her room, she did not know where, but she wanted to go somewhere, and vision of the next visit motivated her.

It was a sunny day, someone could say 'beautiful' sunny day. She was sitting before chocolaterie waiting for her order and observing passers. Observing, but she wasn’t thinking anything about them. She has seen couples, those arguing and those that rather decided to make their time more pleasant with each other's company. A man up there leaning out of the window smoking cigarette and looking into the distance. Parents with kids. Maybe someone else would be able to luxuriate in this charm of everyday life. Wandering her eyesight she finally saw a castle rising above the city and started to wonder if it everything would look different if not Sister. If instead per example there would be one mortal king or queen after which the rule is taken over by the descendant, or someone chosen by the people. Her reflections were interrupted by the waitress who have brought her her chocolate. Her name was Sapphire, at least that what her nameplate was saying. Lariska thanked her, but Sapphire didn’t want to go away.

"Yes?" Lariska asked.

"I just wanted to see… whatever, something else?"

"No, you can go. "

She was confused a bit by her odd behavior, she took a cup and sniffed. Hesitantly, but she took the first sip. Nevertheless, no one had a reason to poison her ...probably. Chocolate tasted surprisingly good. She looked once again on the waitress with an afro, who seeing that she enjoys it smiled and returned to her duties. Was it really all about it? She was completely confused already. When she was observing her walking from table to table she thought that Sapphire just wanted to be amiable. But then it raised the question if she was because she wanted to or because it was her job. She drank, paid and went ahead.

The problem was she did not know this city. Well, she knew it, extremely well. She remembered every street, every alley, but as a map, she couldn’t point a single place where she could spend time. Not thinking about it she finally came back to the place where she lost consciousness. She stopped and saw the size of the destruction of that night, but she couldn’t come too close because the area was already under supervision. It was fascinating for her that such a tiny device could cause so much damage leaving her with only a few bruises which were caused by collapsing buildings anyway. They could have clean up all this rubble already and start the reconstruction, but they probably had hoped to find something. Although, she really doubted it.

The next day she was lying on her bed wondering what was she thinking. Well, she had nothing to complain about, she enjoyed it, yet 'but' still remained. Namely, she thought that if she don’t know any places in which she could spend time, she could spend time with someone who knows them. So she ended up with Laurie, who had to make sure she was dealing with real Lariska when she heard this offer. With joy, she abandoned the laboratory and together they went out on the town, she didn’t even have to remind her to leave her musket.

Laurie at start proposed places like a library or a theatre, but since Lariska gave her free will at first they went shopping. Lariska honestly had enough after the second shop and her friend apparently was just starting, but she said that if she will choose something for herself she won't drag her no more. That’s how Lariska ended with a pair of emerald earrings. Then they came to the art gallery, and then a few smaller ones. So after spending almost three hours like that, they got hungry and she took her to the eastern restaurant. Supposedly it was one of few where you could actually eat well and even though it was standing out between buildings it was kinda hard to find it. Inside was dark and exotic, tables were separated by the walls and room screens lightened only by small lamps and candles. They sat in a corner, just there waiting for their meal Lariska had the courage to confess something that was bothering her for a long time.

"Everyone in this city looks like they think they are better than others." She muttered under her breath like she didn’t really want Laurie to hear her.

"Not everyone, but yes, they want to impress others with their look or just elegance. They’re snobs, they live in a capital, how to say it the most fancy city in the kingdom and right next to most important person in it. They want to show they are worthy of it, do you really want to blame them for it?"

"When you put it like that, no."

"And look around you now, what would you say?"

She turned and saw the same elegants, but this time they were different. They could take off their 'masks' worn every day. By and large, this whole place was different.

"So you see, they are so serious because they expect it from others, but when they have some space for themselves they can smile, maybe you too should."

Once they have eaten they went to the park with sculptures to spend there the rest of the afternoon. Laurie had to convince her for a long time that nothing bad will happen to them being this close to the castle. As they suspected there was no way to get even one seat in the theatre without at least a two-month reservation.

She was already in her place wondering if it was the foretaste of the normal life. For Laurie, all of this: learning, laboratories, was only an addition to everyday life. She knew that she was getting too much into it, but she didn’t knew if she could otherwise. In the end, there is a difference between carrying out research and taking lives.

A few days after the beginning of her vacation she went to see her father in his quarters which were assigned to him during the stay. He was hanging over papers and a map whispering something to himself. When he saw her he corrected glasses and invited her inside.

"Is it this hard to find him?" Daughter asked.

"I have found him a long time ago actually, but we have to let him go this time."

"What?"

"He is protected very well, he even received a new identity, but that is not the matter. The point is he was advised to leave the city, what he has done anyway. It means that Sister thinks that capital is not a safe place anymore, and we don’t want to make things worse. If he would be killed despite all her efforts, she could start making desperate and dumb decisions, maybe even get paranoid."

"So on what are you working?"

"Possible that someone was helping him… Nah. Possible even that this person convinced him to take the casket for himself, but I cannot find anything. Whoever that was, he knows how to hide."

Lariska already had suspicions who it could be, but she kept quiet.

"The worst is that I even don’t have an idea whether it could be someone from outside or inside. It can be even someone from the district."

"But apparently, he knew who should he ask, so we can suspect that… What is the name of the traitor anyway?"

"Old one? Dapper."

"That Dapper already had doubts before."

"It makes sense, but why didn’t he just left? After how you said it, you might think that he knew about something that we do not. We could ask him personally, but no one, especially Lucian could know."

"He could not know? But why?"

"I know what he will say, he will categorically refuse, he is new and he wants to curry favor with other Directors. Anyway, how is your break?"

"That is why I am here, I do not know. After recent events, especially when I am not doing anything I begin to think about things I was not attaching importance to. Before I was always busy with something, my thoughts were concentrated on the responsibilities of being a Cleric. Now when I say it, I think that by being busy all the time I was subconsciously fleeing from my thoughts."

"And maybe from yourself, that is why we suggested it to you, but it doesn’t mean you have to do nothing at all. You still can go to the shooting range, nothing will happen."

Lariska was connecting facts for a moment.

"So you have sent Laurie on me?"

"Well, not exactly, but if I remember good you were friends when you were little."

"She tries to have good relations with everybody."

"But friendship is something more than just good relations, don’t be indifferent."

"I have no idea how it can possibly help me."

"And I see you took seriously what I was talking about attachments. Nonetheless, they are not forbidden, sometimes you would need someone who would tell you 'stop' and maybe show you some things from a different angle."

"And she has to be this someone?"

"You will decide about it."

Lariska once again pondered and looked on the papers.

"What have Dapper’s district said about his betrayal?"

"Estremoz, Director it is, demanded his death, but when he learned about risks it can bring and alternative he agreed to wait."

"And if you won’t be able to find this instigator he will send someone himself."

"Probably, he is hot-headed."

"So looks like we do not have much of a choice anyway." Actually, she had a choice. She could tell him about her old mentor, but she preferred at least for that moment not to mention her. She only had hope that interrogating Dapper will be worth the candle.

"I wouldn’t ask you for it now, but since you came and want to do it yourself everything I managed to gather is at your disposal. Currently, they will notice my absence more than yours, but if something I will tell them that you have left for a day or two as a part of this vacation."

She looked over on things he had and took everything she thought might come in handy. She thanked him and after quick swang by her room, she went straight to the railway station.