Chapter 413 (1/2)
There were a few moments of silence between them, as Coppernicus examined his own situation, but physically and emotionally, while Sydney attempted to capture his lines. Eventually, Sydney leaned back, and if she wasn’t satisfied, she was at least found her work grudgingly acceptable.
”Until that duckling showed back up in my life. But this wasn't one of those stories where he had transformed into a swan after the intervening two years... no, if anything, he had doubled down on his stubborn dumpiness. It was confusing, but I would have walked away, too concerned with my world than to allow his to stain me, but...” Sydney sighed, remembering the sound of Randidly's father hitting him, in between those two SUVs. ”But... he was accused of never attempting to fly. Of never trying, and that's why he failed. I could accept that the world didn't respect his process... but not that it questioned him for taking it. He was on the right path. He worked hard.
”This time... it was like the world seemed to say that we were meant to be. We both tried our best... even if the way our attempts were received was so different, just by both struggling...”
Coppernicus grinned at Sydney. ”It is a very heady thing to know a secret that no one else seems privy to.”
Snorting, Sydney waved her hand. ”Say what you will. Circumstances conspired to encourage me to embrace the duckling once more. So for all of high school, I accepted the duckling. Then I told him... how I would leave him, and go on alone. Because... I wanted to find the world where I belong, where the calculus of life was simple.”
”That place doesn't exist...” Coppernicus said, breathing a rare sigh out, his eyes unfocusing to a place neither here nor there.
”Perhaps, but that was only because I hadn't created it yet,” Sydney said, eyes flashing. Then she leaned back in her chair, setting down the pencil. The jawline was broader and more smooth than a skull's should normally had been, but to Sydney's chagrin, she had relied on memories of another jaw to settle on a profile she was satisfied with. ”Either way, this time... after I left the duckling behind... he flew. Not high, and not high, but he had done it, through sheer stubbornness and ill will, as far as what I can tell.”
”And,” Sydney added, her eyes blazing as she ripped the sketch in half. ”This time, the duckling himself seemed to say that we belonged together. And there is nothing that makes you hate something more than if you've been told your whole life you belong together. Especially a teenage girl...”
Coppernicus' eyes were mild as he examined Sydney. Really examined her, not looking at the style and persona that she cultivated, but the body underneath it, looking at her eyes, her bearing, her age. It was a very nostalgic look, similar eyes to the way Mr. Ghosthound used to appraise her, not sexually, but also not as a person. Perhaps considering solely her value as a commodity. ”Yet I can't help but ask, what does this have to do with Drake?”
Sydney froze the scraps of paper, and then stood, turning away from Coppernicus. ”I had assumed this was a discussion about my fitness to lead, not an offhand comment to Drake.”
Every smile of Coppernicus' bared his teeth, but Sydney could sense that this particular brand of smile had some extra venom to it. ”I've never been a big picture fellow. I live in the details. Please settle my perturbed heart.”
Rolling her eyes, Sydney said. ”No, if you are wondering, I do not plan on going to war with Donnyton. Not only is it short sighted, it’s also rather pointless. In the future... if Donnyton is allowed to develop in the way it has been... it will become an industrial hub. That will be more beneficial to us than you know. Because we will offer services that they will desperately need, once they reach that certain size...”
”Ah, the special projects are rounding out nicely. Who knew that Vandal could be productive when not eating,” Copernicus said, chortling. Sydney smiled.
”But I think that after this Raid Dungeon situation is resolved... we will be connected to other Zones, yes? In that direction lies the war, as the powerhouses begin staking claims on the last bastion of humanity. And it is very hard now to doubt that the Ghosthound is heads and shoulders above everyone else...”
Trailing off, Sydney frowned for a long second, then sighed. ”And I can't deny that at this point, to finally see that ugly duckling grow into the stubborn monster he always was moving towards... I feel a certain amount of responsibility. I do not want to fight him.”
”As for Drake... this can be considered a test.” Sydney said, walking away towards her chambers. ”To see how much he will let his emotions cloud his judgement. I don't need liabilities for the coming war.”