Intermediary Chemistry [Vanessa]

[Anton]

Ash 15, 115 Age of Steel

"Chemistry is the science of the physical world - what things are, and how they behave. It is a fundamental discipline, on top of which are built the wonders of Zaichaer," the professor at the front of the hall intoned to his audience of hundreds. They filled almost every seat within the hall, the students divided almost evenly between members of the College of the Sciences wearing stiff academic dress and the cadets of Eastpoint Academy garbed in their uniforms. Anton sat near the back, specifically near the doors, more for the convenience of his 'guest' than any particular dislike of classrooms.

"As we do every semester, we of the College greet the brave cadets of the Engineering Corps and trust that they shall find this class informative. However, let me say here and now, chemistry is not the science of explosions. In the following months I shall teach you how and why stupendously energetic reactions occur, as well as ones so slow that they make paint drying seem fast. I do not say this to dissuade any of you from your studies, merely to avoid the bi-annual cries of disappointment." Though the course was introductory for members of the College, the strict entrance criteria requiring any who wished to join it learn the rudiments on their own, the cadets were given the privilege of their own instructors for the first year of their studies in the science. Now however they were thrown into the mass, the Institute having seen no reason to run the same class twice.

"That being said, you shall leave this class at the end the semester with an understanding of how to safely use, store, and create the most common compounds used by the Corps. The study of explosion and combustion is an exciting one that further courses go into deeper detail on, but it is understood that for many of you this will be the last course upon the topic you take. We shall endeavor to convey the theory behind the practical application of your materiel." Anton listened listlessly to the seemingly never ending disclaimer at the lecture's start, his stylus tapping upon his desk as he waited for something to actually be worth risking his life for to write down.

[Vanessa Quill]

Wait, this was not going to be the study of explosions? Vanessa wilted under this new information, delivered so tediously that she had almost missed it. How could you teach chemistry only to positively ignore the only part of it anyone with any sense cared about! The professor spoke of avoiding disappointment, but all he had done was make it manifest now. She was not the only one in the class that was deflated by that, though most were admittedly the cadets.

Vanessa stood out plainly as she sat beside Anton, and not only because she was fifteen years older than most of the people here. She had no way of blending in with either academy students or cadets, and had opted instead to wear her usual fare. She was, at least, not armed. She had given up her sword only at Anton's repeat insistence, though she hardly understood why it was so important.

Getting Vanessa into the class had not been especially difficult. He was hardly the first noble to request a 'guest' be present to render assistance if needed. it was understood that she would take no notes and would otherwise not participate in the lectures. This understanding did not extend to Vanessa herself, who saw no reason why she ought to remain silent. She did at least understand that she should do her best not to be disruptive, but then again she never seemed to view herself as disrupting anything. Things instead got in her way.

Leaning over to the side, she spoke to her charge. "May as well get some sleep. It'll be sundown by the time he gets to his first point." She rolled her eyes and looked back towards the front of the lecture hall. If this so called 'expert of chemistry' thought that he was able to teach the subject without a significant amount of explosions, then he had another thing coming. She wanted to say as much, her leg bouncing irritably all the while. She was here to ensure he could make it to and from his classes safely and without attracting suspicion, and she intended to do just that for him. It was these damned times between that she was struggling with.

[Anton]

While it was true that Vanessa was far from the only servant in attendance in the lecture hall, there were a handful of others attending to their lords and ladies right before her very eyes, she was nonetheless distinct from the lot of them as well. For those houses which still clung to the ancient traditions, their sworn and hired hands alike were garbed in livery proudly proclaiming their employer, while the more modern simply had them dressed in semi-formal attire.

The pirate turned bodyguard wore none of these. Anton had attempted, and failed, to convince her of the necessity of proper dress. In the end, the lordling had simply given up after counting the fact that she did not bring her sword to class as more of a victory than he had any reason to expect attaining. Keeping her silent was judged impossible, and was therefore not even attempted. There were some fights that were best left not fought, and teaching her civility was one of those at the moment. This was one of several reasons why he had decided to sit themselves near the back after all.

Besides, she at least was only trying to talk to him. From the dull roar of murmuring between the students, far larger groups were conveying their disappointment, all of which no doubt thinking that they were being discrete. Luckily for them, the wizened professor didn't seem to notice or didn't seem to care, continuing to go on at length. Syllabus and required texts, experimental laboratories and relevant procedures for them, on and on it went.

"This is only an hour long lecture and he's spent at least ten minutes on this. Is this what first days are always like?" He didn't know why he asked Vanessa, for surely she knew far less about education than he, but for the first time Anton began to consider that he had been spoiled by his only educational experience being tutors. They had simply introduced themselves, evaluated where he was on a topic, and begun. The upkeep and boilerplate of a broad academic setting was beginning to bore even him.

And then the professor finally said something that both of them could find interesting. "-all of you have, by virtue of your entrance examination or in a prior course, conducted experiments under controlled conditions. As I mentioned, we are quite aware of the needs of the Corps for practical training for their cadets. As such, most experiments in this course will be under realistic conditions. This will reach its apex in your final project."

The cadets leaned forward in their seats as one, a sense of anticipation spreading through them, the lot clearly knowing something that the academic students did not. "By the end of Frost, you will all devise and create a chemical compound that does not contain Dragonshards. This compound will be placed into a cannon. The cannon will then be fired, and your grade determined on the results."

[Vanessa Quill]

"Ah yeah." Vanessa said, giving no indication she was joking. "Got a friend that told me he once skipped an entire term only to show up and pass the final by doing his own research. Shows how much these blowhards can teach you." While it was a common enough occurrence for Anton to learn Vanessa had friends in low places, it was perhaps more surprising that she had friends in high places, at least comparatively. "Might've even been this class, for all I know. Professor certainly seems old enough for it."

Vanessa had wanted to explain to Anton that she was getting an outfit made out of his family's colors and crest, but it was meant to be a surprise. That such a surprise would have been largely lost on Anton given that he did not exactly see had entered her mind, but had not been enough to sway her. She knew little of how Anton's magic worked, but knew enough that he would have been able to tell the difference between two different outfits if he studied long enough. It was such a small thing, but such small things had a way of being so drastically important to Vanesa.

Such small things like explosions, and her head snapped forward when she heard about the final. A projectile weapon fired by something other than dragon shards? Those were the things of dreams. Caster shells were damned expensive, cannonballs most of all. Even retired as she now was, Vanessa knew the sort of havoc that could have been wrought by such an advancement. She had heard whispers of such things, but none had ever come to fruition. If Zaichaer's best minds were upon the task, what hope did Vanessa have? A bit of practical knowledge, perhaps.

Leaning over to Anton, Vanessa spoke quietly, perhaps for the first time in years. "Heard a story, years back. This farmer, his land was fertile, see? So he collected his manure to sell to others. Damned fine little side gig, eh? Would be, except the story goes the entire barn was leveled after someone kicked up a spark." This was perhaps the hardest Vanessa had ever thought about something that was not drinking, fighting, or gambling in quite some time. "Wonder if there's somethin' to that? Ain't gonna shovel pig shit down a cannon, though. Even if it works."

Around her, the other students had begun to whisper between themselves as well. those that had been deflated by the original news now reanimated to discuss their ideas or general excitement with their fellow classmates.

[Anton]

"...who do you even know who... we'll talk about that later," Anton said, deciding that if he wanted any hope of paying attention to class today he could not start this particular conversation just now. He could not help but admit that he was incredibly curious though, Vanessa's life having somehow only become more mysterious the more he learned about her. But the professor had finally gotten around to saying something actually interesting, which at least removed his temptation.

"As I am certain you are aware, such a device has never been created, at least in any practical sense of the term. Do not fear, a passing - even a perfect - grade will not require you to craft such a marvel so early in your academic careers. Should, by some chance or stroke of genius, you do succeed, you shall most likely find yourself whisked away to the Hall of Inventors and never worry yourself about mundanities such as coursework again. For the rest of you however, the critiera is simple. You shall receive a perfect score if a projectile is fired clear of the cannon itself, and the cannon is not damanged in the firing," the professor explained.

A general murmuring filled the lecture hall as the students digested this information, the emerging consensus being that the project was essentially a bribe. In exchange for an entire semester of tedium and memorization, they would be permitted to blow something up. For many in attendance, that did not seem to be so rough of a deal. While the grading was lax, it was generally agreed that they were being asked to do the impossible, and so there was no shame in it. What came next only confirmed their desire to take what they could.

"...the demonstration will naturally take place after your final exam."

While a groan of disappointment rolled through the auditorium, Anton considered the chemistry of pig shit. "There must be a combustible of some sort within it. If we could isolate what that was, we could recreate the event in a purer form without having to use, ah, the raw source material."

[Vanessa Quill]

Vanessa let him drop the topic, and she too was pulled to the professor's words. She did her best not to look too interested, which wasn't very hard for Vanessa. The expression she held when she was passive still held within it the smallest shadows of anger. It was a mean mug that was perfect for her prior job and her current one. It kept people from staring too closely at Anton for fear of his guard dog, and at the same time kept enough attention on her that Anton himself could more easily blend in while she stood out.

"Hall of inventors, eh?" Vanessa nudged him. "What a way to fast-track your education, right?" She said as though it were all so easy. That Anton could simply create something that had not yet existed in history, and that he would want to even if he could. It was difficult for her to remember that Anton wanted to be normal, because nothing about him was. Nothing about either of them was, and she was not used to pretending otherwise.

She drummed her fingers against the table now, thinking about this mundanely powered cannon. It was difficult to imagine how anything else could have the power of dragonshards, but there simply had to be an alternative. The professor of this course would not have given them an impossible task, only an incredibly difficult one.

Before having their hopes dashed by the realization they would still have a final, many seemed to agree with Vanessa. Some were already sketching out ideas, while others placed their head in their hands and stared down at their desks. For many, this was a grand opportunity, but for some it was still a bit too much pressure even when taking into account the rather gentle grading scale.

"Isn't that a bit like trying to unbake a pie? Trying to get the explosive bit out, I mean." Vanessa asked Anton then. She of course knew that everything in the world was made up of other things, but her knowledge of chemistry was rudimentary. "Regardless, I think it's a good startin' point. I can even get us a cannon to test with." There was a pause that was a second too long to be planned before Vanessa added. "Legally, too."

[Anton]

Vanessa's unwavering and undeserved confidence in Anton always shocked, and no moreso than now. Whether men would listen or follow to him were subjective questions that she could wax poetic on and leave him befuddled, but the fact that she so matter-of-coursely suggested he would make an invention that had befuddled the greatest minds of Zaichaeri for generations on end was a different matter altogether. He knew how little he knew for once, and the creation of a nonmagical propellant was absolutely one of the things he did not know.

Still, he had to admit that the enthusiasm she had for even this impossible of a project cheered him beyond words. It was as if her belief in him made him think that he really could do the undoable. He had much higher expectations of their capability to get a perfect score however, even if most of the other students in the class seemed more preoccupied on how much trouble they would get into if they intentionally made their cannon explode.

"A bit, yes, which is why we're not going to do that. Instead we're going to find out just what goes inside of a pig that makes what comes out of it explode. I suppose we'll have to take trips out to farms when I get some free time," Anton replied with a smile, knowing all too well what Vanessa got up to on her excursions out of the city and wanting to join in himself. "Legally is good. I won't ask how, but... very good, Vanessa. Very good. Another thing to lug out too the country, no sense in testing it inside of the walls after all." He paused for a moment, as if something amused him, a slim smile crossing his features. "I don't think I expected to have so many field trips."

[Vanessa Quill]

"What, you thought I'd stand by and let you wander around your estate all day? This is the first time you've been free, lad. Go where you like, do what you like without a gaggle of attendants tripping over themselves to make sure you're right as rain." Vanessa said to Anton. "Of course you'll be taking trips to places you've never been. If the lordling wants to test his cannon, it's my job to make sure he can test the damned cannon." She snarked.

Truthfully though, she did think it would do him good to get out of the city. Her wanderlust had always been strong, and she could only imagine how intensely that fire would have burned had she been cloistered away from the world for her formative years. She did try to remind herself that his responsibilities as a noble were far different than the ones she had as a child in the Knob. Even still, she found it the life of nobles to be dreadfully boring, giving no credence to the notion that Anton might prefer boring over whatever she considered normal.

Shifting in her seat again, Vanessa spoke once more "Besides, I've been wanting to see that deadeye of yours. Your old man told me you crowned a bird on your first shot, and I can't be gettin' upstaged."

Her mind drifted back to the cannon. As she considered the options for propellant, her expression briefly darkened. She remembered towers of fire, and explosions so loud the very sky shuddered. She knew not what had fueled them, but instead that memory tugged her towards a conclusion that extended beyond herself. Was it right to invent such a weapon for Zaichaer, knowing what they might do with it, and whom it may one day be used against?

Thankfully, Vanessa had little room in her mind to consider the implications of the military-industrial complex, and so the thought was whisked away as she decided that if House Michaelis' name was on the patent, then it would all be worth it in the end.

[Anton]

There was, technically, more to the class. Over an hour of it in fact. But even the professor seemed to realize that any attempt to impose discipline or order upon the students after the announcements he had given were folly. He didn't even try, beyond a few perfunctory announcements of what texts to begin reading and a reminder of the first assignments that were due for the term. But once such bookkeeping was taken care of, he simply gave up for the day. "-the remainder of our time today shall be spent determining your working groups for the end of term project. Do not worry, you need not work alone. In my experience the collaborative experience makes the process of trial and error far more entertaining."

And then he simply sat down, opened up a book, and began to read, his responsibilities for the day completed. Every semester he got away with this, and no one dared to call him on it. Certainly none of his students would do so, for none of them would dare ask for more work to be put upon the class and earn the enmity of everyone else in it.

When Anton's hand shot up, the air was suddenly filled with tension. A palpable fear filled the scores of students at what anyone would dare to ask, and even the professor seemed upset to be bothered for anything or by anyone. [b}"Yes?"[/b]

"Professor, may we acquire assistance from those outside of the class?" he asked, and tension was almost replaced by a just as tangible wave of relief. Anton's fellow bluebloods even appraised the lord with grateful glances, more than a few of them having wanted to ask the same thing.

"Ah, of course, of course. You may request aid from anyone and everyone you so wish - so long as they are not further advanced in our field of study than yourselves. Porters, manservants, and the like are all quite acceptable as assistants, but hiring a chemist to do the job for you is right out. Understood?"

With that dire errand done, and nods of assent rippling through the room, Anton turned back to Vanessa. "I did get a bird. But to be clear, I wasn't supposed to be aiming at it."

[Vanessa Quill]

Wait, why was the professor sitting down? Vanessa looked at the nearest clock and then back to the instructor with an utterly baffled expression painted clear on her face. She looked then to the other students, none of whom seemed bothered by the fact that their professor wasn't, well, professing! Vanessa knew well the price of attending an institution like this, and did not understand how these students weren't either leaving the class right this instant, or at least bombarding the slacking leader with questions that might have helped them pass this exam. That everyone simply accepted the dullard's disrespect was proof that these bluebloods were timid as rabbits, despite any protests they might have made under their breath.

And so she was glad to see Anton had raised his hand. His blindness made him bold, even if he didn't know it. She looked to him with a nod of approval, and then looked out across the side-eyeing students, expression dark. A suitable reminder, she thought, for them to mind their tongues.

But then they all just... deflated once Anton spoke up and got his answer. This city had created a legion of followers, that's what Vanessa thought. She didn't see students merely trying to avoid looking like an ass on the first day of class. She saw weakness.

Turning her attention back to her charge, Vanessa snorted. "You do understand how that makes it more impressive, aye? Missin' shit is easy, so easy it makes you wonder why caster shells are so damn expensive if most go zippin' off into nowhere. Hittin' something you weren't even aiming for? Good omen if I've ever heard one." Vanessa then leaned forward in her chair, elbows resting on the table and fingers steepling. "Speaking of caster shells, I know a guy who might be able to help you out with the technical stuff. He's got a proper workshop n' everything. Might be good to pick his brain, get some ideas." She shifted in her seat, adding the next sentence pre-emptively to keep him from either worrying or assuming, "And he's even got a proper education. Nothin' sketchy, promise."

While no one could have ever claimed Vanessa had many friends, she did have a truly eclectic assortment.