Closer

Excellen knocked on the classroom door—calling out Giselle's name again, she entered once more. "Hey, teach, I've got something to tell you—"

She paused; what was in front of her was an unusual sight.

It was...well, Giselle actually utilizing modern technology; running her nimble fingers upon her iPad-like device. Without looking up at Excellen, she asked, "What do you want now?" While one could say that Giselle was too focused to give a damn about Excellen right now, she generally didn't give a crap about most people with the exception of her children.

"Sorry, but I was going to ask—" Excellen paused in thought. Maybe I should leave this to Tsuruko. She thought to herself. Earlier, Tsuruko asked – no, pleaded to- Excellen to let her tell her mother. About the precursor world and about Dzerve, about that "Klaus" guy, about everything. "...Never mind."

"Hm?" Giselle looked up briefly at Excellen. "Is something wrong? I'm somebody who's ill at ease and only knows how to create and fight, but I can tell when something's up."

Excellen let out a fake laugh. "Don't worry about it!" She leered downwards at Giselle's device. "What are you looking at, anyway?"

"I've decided to stop screwing around and try and find Hikari. I finally got a lead on where she is—she's at the council."

"Didn't Tsuruko tell you that the mysterious pharaoh guy took her?"

Giselle simply laughed in response. "I keep thinking something was going to come of that, but it didn't. I honestly thought that Tsuruko was going to travel the world searching for the gem fragments but I guess, we'll leave that for another time and place."

"Hmm," Excellen pressed her finger to her cheek, immersed in thought. "I'm going to the Magic Council to pick up a license to drive a magic vehicle. Do you want me to do some tactical espionage action?"

"What?" Giselle...didn't understand half of the pop-culture references that Tsuruko and her friends spewed out.

"You need to play video games."

"I don't have time for the idiot box." But Giselle did have time for bad parenting and doing absolutely nothing at all. "Anyway, do what you want. I can see this resulting in trekking across the globe to find the stupid kid."

"Notice how everything that has to do with Tsuruko and her family ends up extremely elaborate or convoluted?"

"And that is why I'm staying away from the Sejren side." Giselle grumbled to herself. "Anyway...thanks."

"No problem." Excellen smiled softly. "If you need anything, just ask me."

Heading towards the Magic Council's Hargeon branch, Excellen entered the front door. Before her was a mish-mash of old and new; a sliding electronic door was her gateway. Inside were numerous potted plants and a waiting room, with a marble floor. As Excellen went to sit down, a familiar figure greeted her.

"Hey, Excellen." Deen Lhant sat down next to her. "...What's with that confused face?"

Excellen paused momentarily. She'd never actually interacted with Deen, despite meeting him a few times. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here?"

"Don't tell me you forgot," Deen simply sighed. "I'm a Rune Knight."

"Well, you could have fooled me, since I don't see you doing any...rune knighty business."

"That's exactly what Alexis said." Deen glanced down at the cold floor, his neutral expression dipping slightly. "So I've been ordered to come back here; I'm not to go near you guys until further notice."

Excellen rested her hand on his shoulder. "That's rough, buddy."

Deen took a deep breath. "Anyway...is Tsuruko okay? It's been a while."

"I think so. Yesterday, she seemed happy. Also—" She was going to keep the whole 'Deus Machina' thing a secret until further notice, however. "Deen, can you do me a solid," Excellen handed Deen her survey for the rights to drive a magic vehicle. "Can you approve this?"

"Sure." Deen pulled out a ball-point-pen from his pocket, ticking it off. "What else are you here for?"

Excellen leaned in closer. "Promise not to rat?"

"Of course."

"Well, apparently the Magic Council's holding Giselle's other kid. I'm going to get her out."

"...Wait, what?" Deen looked absolutely flabbergasted. "What are you talking about?" He went on to say, "I know Alexis is a shitty boss, but she wouldn't hurt a kid. Trust me. I know these things."

"...Hmm," Excellen's train of thought departed. "...Maybe somebody else has to do with it."

"...Tell you what, let's go search the lower levels. I've got to direct a tour in ten minutes. Follow along, and after it's done we'll go to the Research and Development department."

With that, the die was cast.

"Aren't you worried about getting fired, Deen?" Excellen and Deen, with the latter having ended the tour, began to make their way down to the R&D department of the council. "I mean, you're not supposed to let non-staff into here."

"Pssh." Deen simply laughed. "Alexis has fired me five times today, I honestly don't give a damn."

The two wandered down the steps; it was like a spiralling staircase leading to the depths of the basement. Upon reaching their destination, Excellen's eyes scanned the area—she was always highly observant.

"So there's three doors. Which one do we go in?"

"Shit." Deen paused. "Okay, we'll have a rock-off."

....

"Really now?" Excellen glanced up at him—her head reached up to his chest. "You're willing to gamble on a silly game?"

Deen looked down at her incredulously. "Well, do you have any better ideas? We shouldn't split up—who knows what the hell is behind them?"

"Ahaha," Excellen's neutral expression formed a bit into a wily smirk. "So you do admit that your organization is corrupt?"

"Never said that it wasn't." Deen sighed. "I just work here to put food on the table, you know. It's just a job to me. But I know Alexis, we go way back. She wouldn't deliberately fuck the world around. Individual people, yes, but not an entire world."

"I see."

With a connection of hands smashing against each other, the two had decided to go through the front.

Excellen felt a chill ride up her spine. "...It's probably nothing."

Rule of fiction number fifty-five; it's never nothing.