3Count Volger's pen stalled once more against the paper beneath his hand as he furrowed his brow in thought. He'd been working to draft this letter – formal request, really, and only the first of many – for the better part of the week, and his progress was unbearably slow. It wasn't the English that troubled him. He was as fluent in that as in his native tongue.
But there was a poetry to begging that Volger had never quite mastered in all his years. It simply wasn't something that came naturally to him. Still, if he wished his efforts to protect the natural world against encroachment of invasive fabrications to succeed, it would require a great deal of support, cooperation, and most importantly, funds.
And in the end, that required begging.
"Late," said a voice near his elbow, in an impressive imitation of Dr. Barlow's accent.
Volger glanced up at the clock and let out a sigh. "I suppose we shall be," he said. He put down his pen and reached out to absently scratch the creature under its chin, his eyes still fixed on the unfinished words in front of him. "Well, your master could do with being made to wait from time to time."
It was only when the creature let out its strange giggle that he jerked his hand away, realizing suddenly that he had slipped into talking to the beast as though it were a person, just like everyone else seemed to do.
Dr. Barlow had found it surprising and mildly fascinating that he disliked this particular creation of hers just as much as any other fabricated abomination, telling him that they had been specially designed to be appealing and disarming to the vast majority of people in order to achieve their purpose. He had told her that only made the creatures more unsettling, not less.
Still, the years had softened him, he supposed. After so long in London spent so closely entwined with the Zoological Society, he had all but become a Darwinist himself, riding in taxis pulled by godless monsters and holding entire conversations via messenger lizard with barely a grimace. And, between the constant presence of Dr. Barlow's loris and frequent appearances from the other one that still clung close to Alek's side, even Volger had developed some slight affection for the beasts, much as he struggled against it.
It helped to no longer be at war. Even if the creature was a spy, he and Dr. Barlow had few secrets left from each other these days.
With a shake of his head, he held his hand back out. "Come on, then," he said, "before we're late enough to offend even boffin sensibilities."
The beast giggled again and scurried up his arm, and Volger repressed a shudder as it settled down on his shoulder.
Today's event was a smaller and quieter affair that many of the Society's more grand celebratory occasions, more scientifically focused and meant only for members and close associates working on current projects. The smaller attendance meant a smaller room, however, which left it feeling similarly crowded.
Volger frowned as he scanned the room for Dr. Barlow, hoping to pass the loris back on to her sooner rather than later. He now recognized nearly everyone in attendance at these events, which would make navigating across the room at any speed challenging. Better to have a target in mind from the start.
"Your princeliness," the creature muttered into his ear, and Volger looked up in surprise to see Alek and Deryn talking together near the opposite wall.
He had forgotten they were due back in time for this. It was strange that after so many years spent hovering over Alek and watching his every move, ever since the boy could walk and talk and get himself into trouble, Volger could now actually afford to forget which country he was even in.
Alek caught Volger's eye and turned to say something to Deryn, and then the two of them began to make their way across the hall.
They made an odd pair at any distance. Enough time had passed, enough slow and small changes had filtered through society, that Deryn Sharp's time in the Air Service could now be seen as a funny little novelty instead of an embarrassment, and she had reclaimed her old identity with first wariness and then obvious relief. She no longer had to hide parts herself behind strategic tailoring and carefully observed masculine posturing, constantly watching herself for even the smallest of errors. She was comfortable now in a way few had seen her before.
She still didn't look much like a lady at a glance, though.
Alek may not have had much in the way of lands or titles anymore, but he had found himself a fortunate little niche in the world: too little power to bother anyone and just enough influence not to be bothered. He was well-liked by most and considered generally harmless now by the rest, so no one much cared if his eccentric wife had an old soldier's posture and liked to wear trousers to formal events and scurry around the ratlines whenever they travelled by airship.
Even if it did earn them a few strange glances whenever they arrived arm-in-arm at a party.
But Alek was undeniably happy, almost annoyingly so. It wasn't what he had promised the boy's father, but Volger had a feeling he would have approved anyway.
He gave them each a nod as they approached. "Good to see you again," he said. "I trust you had an uneventful flight?"
"Well, Deryn gave the crew a fright when she insisted on joining them topside as always, but other than that…"
Deryn elbowed her husband playfully in the side, though his wince suggested she didn't temper her strength much for it. "Not my fault these civilian ships don't hire any men with some spine."
Volger shook his head. He supposed it was reassuring to know Deryn's attitude would always be an unchangeable constant in the world. "And did you enjoy finally seeing Austria from ground level, Mrs. Hohenberg?"
Deryn rolled her eyes a bit at the name, but there was a smile at the corner of her mouth. "Interesting place to visit," she said with a shrug. "Don't think I'd want to live there."
"Yes, well, none of us are at much risk of that any time soon."
Alek frowned at this. "It's been years, now. I'm certain you could return home if you wished."
"You underestimate the long memories of those in power," Volger said, but he shook his head and waved it off. He'd known the risks long before ever leaving and had spent the necessary time cutting ties and burning bridges. Any wistful longing for home was nothing more than that. "It's no matter. We're both quite thoroughly corrupted by Darwinist influences by now. I'm sure we'd find it a less comforting and familiar return than we hoped."
Alek gave a slight smile. "It's certainly a bigger world than it used to be."
"Yes, and you dragged us all kicking and screaming into it. It's far too late to regret that now."
Alek laughed at that, and it even got a grin from Deryn.
Volger spotted a familiar figure over their shoulders and gave another nod as he stepped back. "If you'll excuse me, I need to rid myself of this beast," he said, nudging the loris back onto his shoulder. It had slipped down to hang off his elbow to better converse in its chattering nonsense with its counterpart perched on Deryn's arm.
Alek laughed again. "Yes, I wasn't sure whether to mention your new friend."
Volger shook his head and bid them farewell, and then he made his way over to the small crowd that always gathered around Dr. Barlow at these sorts of events. He picked up the loris by the scruff of its neck and held it out at arm's length – where it giggled in delight as it dangled – and cleared his throat. "Yours, I believe."
Dr. Barlow turned, and her eyes lit up. "Ah, of course. I can see I was right to leave it to your capable hands." She accepted the creature, allowing it to clamber up onto her own shoulder. She turned briefly to excuse herself from her current conversational companions and then took a step closer. "I do appreciate this. My meeting today was rather sensitive; it wouldn't do to have certain things repeated afterward."
"Dr. Barlow admitting a flaw in her work?"
She blinked at him with clearly affected wide-eyed puzzlement. "Why, the perspicacious loris functions exactly as intended; it's simply a function ill-suited to certain situations." She paused to stroke the creature's head. "Is a land frigate flawed because it can't soar through the skies?"
He snorted dismissively but couldn't really argue. "Fine," he allowed. "That's a fair point."
"Besides, you know I'm quite happy to admit flaws when I see them. There's always a chance to improve, after all." She tapped the loris on the nose, which made it sneeze. "For instance, I do wish these little ones were a bit more selective in their bonding, though they at least seem to stick to only those very close to the person they first fixated on."
Volger said nothing to that. It was a little too close to acknowledging certain things the two of them were still dancing around.
Dr. Barlow's smile was one of fond amusement, but she mercifully broke the brief silence. "And how is your letter writing going?"
"Slowly," he said, "but it's coming together."
"That's good to hear. I always believed it was a good decision to leave that part in your hands. You are, after all, the politician of this effort."
He snorted again. "Yes, I know how much you struggle with politics."
"As with the fabrications, my skills are also more suited to certain situations over others," she said with a shrug.
Volger let out a sigh. Then he shook his head and held out his arm to her. "Shall we find a quieter corner of the room to discuss our progress?" he asked.
She smiled and put her hand over top of his. "Sounds delightful."
