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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 9.4, Legacy

Roland was glad for many reasons when Alvis parted ways with him. True, over the past few weeks he had come to respect and appreciate the scholar-in-training in ways he might never have if the Albatross had never been sabotaged but more than anything the Wolf-Dog just wanted some time alone with Joshew. He had no maladies or hallucinations that led him to believe that his lover was not dead but Roland simply thought of the half-dozen hallways that separated him from the men who would pull the Human apart as his final time with someone who had meant so much to him.

Once he was alone with the wheeled chest Roland let out a sigh, smiling bitter-sweet as he gazed down at the container. "Figures... you always planned on getting in the last word but now that I get it I'm still not sure what to say."

The Scholar took a side passage that would require more time to navigate but had less chance of him encountering anyone to ruin his moment. Roland recognized the Air Wing well enough but the alterations were beyond measure. Having once been more an afterthought than a course of study in equal standing with Earth, Fire, or Water, the Air discipline had never been as well funded or as glamorous as the others but in the scant few weeks he had been gone the 'lesser' wing of the University had gone through a dramatic change. Where once there was underfunded project and casual neglect the Wolf-Dog encountered opulence and verve.

Thinking for a moment that he chose the wrong path he had to do a double-take when he saw the carved marble column engraved with the Air Study heraldic; he was in the correct wing... it had simply become MUCH better funded. The scholars and students of the discipline had always been some of the most relaxed, outgoing, and collaborative of the different fields of study but to suddenly see his chosen science so prominently funded was a dream come true... until he realized who it was behind it all... and then it became a nightmare... a nightmare where Joshew was dead... a nightmare from which he would not awaken.

Unable to stand the juxtaposition between his emotions any longer the Wolf-Dog took a side corridor to the nearest lift; there were automated ones but the old fashioned rope-and-pulley wooden freight waiter would do well enough. It would give him time to think and allow him to burn off some of his thoughts through physical labor. He closed the doors after pulling Joshew's traveling chest in after him. "You used to hate these things... makes sense I guess since there was never an easy way to tell when you arrived at a floor."

Roland began tugging on the rope, using one arm to slowly lead the thick cable through the pulley while his free paw was used to help guide the descent as the lift went downward. Two floors later and he set the brake before opening the doors. A moment later he had the wheeled chest pushed out into the hall and he was once again on his way, drawing even closer to the end of their journey. "Not much further, Shew... we're almost there."

It had been a long road that took them from the day where the Albatross exploded to the point where he now found himself. He gazed down at the chest again, the wooden surface suddenly dampened by a salty teardrop. "Every hour we were out there I kept counting the days until we could be back here... and now that I am I can't help but feel that it isn't what I remembered. It's not the same, Shew. I don't know if I can do it."

Even as he said the words Roland realized that he would have to; everyone was depending on him to carry out the plan. He would bring Joshew to the examination room so the Professors and board would all be in a centralized area out of the way. There would be no muss... no fuss... everything would end cleanly with closure. The only problem was that when it all ended there would still be no Joshew. The Wolf-Dog continued pushing the chest, smiling slightly as he scolded his slain lover. "You never appreciated anything I did for you, you know."

He tried not to count the steps toward the end of the hall, continuing his monologue despite himself. "I'm NOT a Fire scholar, damn it... even though I know alchemy I'm still only half of the team. You can't blame me that you smell and you can't blame me that not all of the mixtures were right. You didn't even want to be embalmed and cut up anyway so nobody has a right to complain about the stench. Hell... for all I know I DID get everything right and through sheer force of will you're turning rancid just so you can stick it to these people... sounds like something you'd do, isn't it, Shew? Isn't it, you ass?"

The tears continued coming despite Roland's attempt at humor... or was it anger? He still couldn't figure it out-- still couldn't figure HIMSELF out. Perhaps he couldn't, and perhaps he didn't need to, but he found that he also couldn't stop his tears. As he approached the door at the end of the long hallway he began to wish ardently that he could... especially as the door opened as a tall, particularly ominous-looking Crane stepped out.

The man was dressed in the dark colors of a mortician but his clothing matched that of a scholar; it was a frightening combination. The Bird's feathers were charcoal gray and his eyes, excluding a faint ring of amber were fully black. The man did not bother greeting Roland which gave the Wolf-Dog just enough time to compose himself before he came to a stop right in front of the Crane. Only then did the man speak. "Name and title-- his, not yours."

Roland took a steadying breath, not sure whether to be insulted or relieved that their interaction would be so inconsequential to the Bird. "Joshew Helix. Fire Scholar."

The Crane pulled a mechanical quill out of his coat's breast pocket and clicked its ink reservoir before putting the tip to a piece of paper he carried stretched out on a clip board. "I see. And now YOURS."

"Roland Silverfang. Air Scholar."

The Crane looked up from the paperwork. "Air scholar? I see."

The Wolf-Dog felt his hackles raise slightly. "Is there a problem?"

Clicking his mechanical quill again the Bird marked down something else. "No, no problem, Mr. Silverfang. The council has already been alerted to your delivery. You may proceed through the doors and head down the hall. They are expecting you in the auditorium on the right."

Roland cleared his throat and smoothed out his hackles, brushing at the dampness on his face as well; he recoiled from the acrid stench still on his paws from the chemicals he had been using the previous night to prepare Joshew. he barely managed to avoid coughing as he lowered them, pushing the wheeled chest past the Crane. Roland had never actually had to mix the preparation for preserving scholars but, as with many other formulas, the full recipe was on a sheet carried by all alchemists and the Wolf-Dog was no exception.

Once the door had closed Roland continued chastising Joshew. "I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you-- three of the chemicals in the preparation react with Brimstone, Shew-- THREE! Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to-- and don't EVEN get me started on Sodium and Saltpetre..."

His rant trailed off as he approached the indicated door. Eventually he came to a stop, standing right outside it. "I know you wouldn't have wanted to be dissected, Shew. Maybe you didn't say it in so many words but I'd like to think I had an understanding of what you would or wouldn't approve of. I... I guess what I'm saying is thank you for helping."

With nothing more to be said, Roland pushed the wheeled chest in through the spring-loaded double-doors. They parted, folding inward as the container passed through them. The Wolf-Dog turned his head aside slightly as they closed behind the chest and opened again after slamming into him. He didn't so much as give them another thought as he stepped into a darkened room lit by only a single, powerful spotlight shining down into its center. Roland could see a large gathering of the deans and higher ranking board members; most of them were not familiar.

One Roland DID recognize, and perhaps the most important of all of them spoke up. Professor Milhoy stood with all the self-importance of a man who was used to getting his way and he addressed the Wolf-Dog. "That will be all, Mr. Silverfang. Please head to the UPU central grounds and I will have some men along shortly for your debriefing."

Not trusting himself to say anything to the man centrally responsible for all of his current strife, Roland only nodded and about-faced. He carefully counted off a slow tempo to his steps as he walked out of the room, fighting to appear as though he was not rushing as one of the council approached Joshew's traveling chest. They were going to dissect him so they could examine his organs... the only problem was that all of the Human's organs were in sealed up bags dropped into waste bins back in the hotel. The only thing they would find inside the body was a rather complex chemical concoction that would react to air the moment they cut the corpse open.

The instant Roland was outside the doors he broke into a run; the reaction would NOT be subtle. "You're welcome, Shew."