Headed by a Snake

⟬ Later... ⟭

Tycondrius opened his eyes. He'd just finished designing a Martial Skill. He called it ⌈Lock Tap⌋. He'd automated its mana activation and maximized its efficiency to an acceptable degree, considering the amount of time he'd spent.

He reached for the pocket watch on his desk and clicked it open. His two children, Lone and Coraline, had been bickering without breaks for thirty-seven minutes.

"--and THEN!" Coraline shouted, "we'll sit together and watch the FIREWORKS! And everyone around will think we're a COUPLE!!"

Tycon frowned. The current nature of their argument was already very... couple-like.

"PSH, fine! I wanted to watch the fireworks, ANYROAD!" Lone crossed his arms, looking far too unnerved for the conversational topic. "I heard they're the best free thing to see on the island-- next to the NATURE TRAIL!"

"I told you we'll TRY to get to the nature trail," The elf girl groaned. "But our schedule's already full. We decided to allot more time to the koi ponds, or did YOU FORGET?!"

"I didn't forget!" Lone scowled. "We already talked about that! And I already AGREED!"

"Because you finally saw how smart my idea was," The girl hmphed.

"Because I got to the SAME conclusion!" Lone insisted.

...Did he, really?

"Fine!" Coraline crossed her arms, turning her nose up, "We agree to disagree!"

"FINE, THEN!" Lone... mirrored the young lady's movements-- turning in the opposite direction.

"FFFFINE!" Coraline growled, "AaaAARGH!! FINE! I'll see you THEN!!"

She turned towards the door and began to walk away.

"Okay, GREAT!!" Lone shot back.

The young flustered elf opened the door and walked out of their room.

Lone let out an aggravated sigh... "Boss, I don't think I'm ever going to agree with Coraline on-- on anything!"

Tycon pursed his lips, deciding not to respond. Their back-and-forth conversation was... very *loud*. However, contrary to Lone's words, the two had very obviously reached a conclusion satisfactory to both parties.

However, Tycon kept his eyes on the door... "The young lady seemed to have forgotten her original purpose."

"Original... purpose?" Lone raised an eyebrow. "Oh! The formations!"

It seemed that Mister Lone... also forgot.

It was... baffling how well those two got along.

...

Stars and stones!

Coraline cursed in her mind as she fumbled with Sir Tychon's door lock. She was just so mad! That boy was infuriating!

She stomped back into the room, her face twisted in rekindled fury, "I just think it's funny, that--"

OW!! She hit her hand on the door... ARGH!! She was so CLUMSY!!!

Coraline cradled her reddening knuckles, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Hey, are you alright?" Lone frowned, "Let me see."

Without asking for permission, the cheek-scarred boy took her hand in his.

...He was... so... uncharacteristically gentle.

His hands were rough and calloused-- maybe from the rock climbing he said he did... or from wielding whatever weapons he used.

Coraline spent more time with a pen or casting spells than carrying a sword... and honestly, she neglected practice with her rapier for overlong periods of time. She needed stronger wrist muscles...

She looked into Lone's eyes... and was surprised to see how much... care she saw.

Her heart... was beating so quickly. It didn't make sense. It made NO sense. This had NEVER happened before.

LONE?! Making her heart beat the way it did?!

Why did it feel so nice? To have someone by her side... just asking if everything was okay?

She... wanted it to last just a bit longer.

Maybe... everything would be alright? Maybe she just had to give Lone a chance-- keep an open mind, like Sir Tychon was saying.

The boy held onto the tips of her fingers and lifted his gaze to meet hers... "You're..."

Yes?

"--really stupid."

Coraline spotted a blur of movement. Lone... collapsed to the ground.

Sir Tychon had struck the boy in the side of the neck with the flat of his forearm. He was also looking very upset... on her behalf, maybe?

"Oops," Tychon said in a neutral voice, "It looks like I slipped and precisely struck Mister Lone's carotid artery."

"Y-yeah," Coraline shook out her hurt hand and stood up straight. "S... slipped."

"I'm going to the ship's hold to check out the formations. Would you like to accompany me, young lady?"

Coraline frowned, looking to the groaning boy on the floor, "What about Mister Lone?"

Tychon nudged him with his boot, "Of course, he'll be coming as well. Get up, you."

...

"Young master... the Elemental Spirit is not to be trifled with," Olesya warned through the iron bars of her cell.

Coraline had accompanied Baron Tychon and Mister Lone to the ship's hold, where the blonde guardswoman was imprisoned. In the rooms adjacent were the vault and... the Engine Room.

"Noted. Thank you," Tychon nodded. He walked past the dragonblooded woman with barely a glance.

Olesya furrowed her scaled eyebrows in worry... "(Little star), the noble is going to get himself killed."

Coraline pursed her lips, "Yeah... That's what it looks like, doesn't it?"

"Young lady," Tychon called to her.

Grimacing, she waved to Olesya before hurrying to catch up, "Why do you keep calling me that? You can't be that much older than me."

"I am," Tychon rolled his eyes. "I find the term more respectful than 'sapling.'"

"...Fair."

She could appreciate that.

Sir Tychon was standing in front of a broad wood-paneled wall, upon which was a painted outline of the Engine Room beyond. It was a dizzying mess of diagrams and minuscule text, the paint faded and scratched away with age.

"This is the main anti-magic formation on the Golden Eagle," The noble explained. "Repeater formations are spread throughout the ship that essentially relay the functions of this one."

"Sir..." Coraline crossed her arms, "This is... a diagram of the ship's mana engine."

Tychon glanced up, "Oh."

"I can't believe this..." Coraline sighed, shaking her head.

Why did she think it was wise to put so much of her faith in this infuriating man?

"There. You should be able to see it now."