prepared.”
“Indeed. Really, they should be honored that
the mighty Kwin spent twelve full hours preparing solely for their obliteration
when she doesn’t give most people the time of day,” Alastor nodded.
“Most people need to find their own clocks. And
before you say anything, I’m simply expanding on your idiom,” Kwin said
pointedly through a mouthful of crust.
When the night was still young, Kwin headed
off to her room, explaining that she needed to get to the city early to help
set things up. Kai spent the next few hours gaming with the others, deciding to
give up when Lindsay had beaten the three of them in almost every race. He
looked at the clock and realizing that they would be late if they didn’t get to
sleep soon, so he announced that he was going to bed, and the others quickly
followed suit.
The city was incredibly crowded, and from the
moment Kai entered he had to push his way through the crowds to find a decent
seat. As he was joined by Alastor and Ella it became much easier to move – much
of the crowd seemed eager to make way for Kwin’s friends. Kai felt a little
bad, as he usually did when he benefited from the privilege of knowing her, but
he wasn’t going to complain today.
They found a spot on one of the balconies
overlooking the city square, giving them a perfect view of the ground below. A
wide stage had been set up with a long table and a dozen chairs. The stage was
covered in an elegant rug that seemed to fit the exaggerated pomp of the
institution.
Ella stood on tiptoe and waved her arms,
spotting Lindsay not too far away. Lindsay quickly made her way over, standing
against a railing where there was more space.
“Thank goodness. This place is so crowded it’s
making me uneasy,” she gasped. “Look at this place. I didn’t think so many
people would turn out for a debate like this.”
“This is Kwin’s doing,” Alastor explained.
“This crowd would be just as big if everyone was told she would be doing
nothing more than sitting on stage reading a book. There would be gasps,
applause and cheers with every turn of the page. That’s the celebrity effect
for you.”
“Oh, look, here they come!” Ella announced
suddenly. “There’s Kwin at the very
back. Oh that’s cruel.”
“They look so full of themselves,” Lindsay
remarked irritably. “Look at them. You can just tell how much they think of
themselves.” Sure enough, the members of the institution strutted across the
stage dressed in important robes and carrying books. They took their seats,
leaving Kwin a chair at the very end of the table. It was clear that this was
an attempt to show Kwin her place, but Kwin’s placid smile remained.
Alastor laughed.
“Right now they think they’re getting an
endorsement from one of the most influential figures in the world. They think
they’ve got her. Let them believe it for now. It’ll make what happens next so
much sweeter.”
As everyone settled, the crowd became quiet as
the president stood up.
“Thank you for coming! My name is Professor
Lackthorpe, the president of Golden Capital’s finest and oldest research institution,
and I am honored that so many people are interested in our work. As most of you
know, we have kept a consistent record of how the Sanctum works, and most
people see that it is correct, but there are some who aren’t quite content with
the status quo. That is why I am delighted to announce that the infamous Kwin
now joins us here on stage! We do not always see eye to eye, but on this issue
she has discovered the truth, and we are happy to have her.”
The crowd applauded politely, but as Kai
looked around, he noticed that nearly everyone looked incredibly bored already.
The president seemed completely oblivious to this, and walked around the table
to the front of the stage as he continued speaking.
“Kwin discussed multiple theories with us in
the past, which were, if I may be honest, quite unusual. I will say that she
had us
“Indeed. Really, they should be honored that
the mighty Kwin spent twelve full hours preparing solely for their obliteration
when she doesn’t give most people the time of day,” Alastor nodded.
“Most people need to find their own clocks. And
before you say anything, I’m simply expanding on your idiom,” Kwin said
pointedly through a mouthful of crust.
When the night was still young, Kwin headed
off to her room, explaining that she needed to get to the city early to help
set things up. Kai spent the next few hours gaming with the others, deciding to
give up when Lindsay had beaten the three of them in almost every race. He
looked at the clock and realizing that they would be late if they didn’t get to
sleep soon, so he announced that he was going to bed, and the others quickly
followed suit.
The city was incredibly crowded, and from the
moment Kai entered he had to push his way through the crowds to find a decent
seat. As he was joined by Alastor and Ella it became much easier to move – much
of the crowd seemed eager to make way for Kwin’s friends. Kai felt a little
bad, as he usually did when he benefited from the privilege of knowing her, but
he wasn’t going to complain today.
They found a spot on one of the balconies
overlooking the city square, giving them a perfect view of the ground below. A
wide stage had been set up with a long table and a dozen chairs. The stage was
covered in an elegant rug that seemed to fit the exaggerated pomp of the
institution.
Ella stood on tiptoe and waved her arms,
spotting Lindsay not too far away. Lindsay quickly made her way over, standing
against a railing where there was more space.
“Thank goodness. This place is so crowded it’s
making me uneasy,” she gasped. “Look at this place. I didn’t think so many
people would turn out for a debate like this.”
“This is Kwin’s doing,” Alastor explained.
“This crowd would be just as big if everyone was told she would be doing
nothing more than sitting on stage reading a book. There would be gasps,
applause and cheers with every turn of the page. That’s the celebrity effect
for you.”
“Oh, look, here they come!” Ella announced
suddenly. “There’s Kwin at the very
back. Oh that’s cruel.”
“They look so full of themselves,” Lindsay
remarked irritably. “Look at them. You can just tell how much they think of
themselves.” Sure enough, the members of the institution strutted across the
stage dressed in important robes and carrying books. They took their seats,
leaving Kwin a chair at the very end of the table. It was clear that this was
an attempt to show Kwin her place, but Kwin’s placid smile remained.
Alastor laughed.
“Right now they think they’re getting an
endorsement from one of the most influential figures in the world. They think
they’ve got her. Let them believe it for now. It’ll make what happens next so
much sweeter.”
As everyone settled, the crowd became quiet as
the president stood up.
“Thank you for coming! My name is Professor
Lackthorpe, the president of Golden Capital’s finest and oldest research institution,
and I am honored that so many people are interested in our work. As most of you
know, we have kept a consistent record of how the Sanctum works, and most
people see that it is correct, but there are some who aren’t quite content with
the status quo. That is why I am delighted to announce that the infamous Kwin
now joins us here on stage! We do not always see eye to eye, but on this issue
she has discovered the truth, and we are happy to have her.”
The crowd applauded politely, but as Kai
looked around, he noticed that nearly everyone looked incredibly bored already.
The president seemed completely oblivious to this, and walked around the table
to the front of the stage as he continued speaking.
“Kwin discussed multiple theories with us in
the past, which were, if I may be honest, quite unusual. I will say that she
had us
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