Chapter 1476 (1/2)
Tatiana smiled at the five figures waiting at the meeting table while she and Commissioner Arrietti took their seats at opposite ends. Gertrude Collins sat with her hands folded on top of her legal pad, looking every bit the teacher's pet with her blue and pink post-its flanking her legal padlike two brightly colored watchtowers. Kharon's senior teacher, Mrs. Jane, sat similarly with her hands folded, but without any paper in front of her. Yet Tatiana had interacted with the mild seeming woman enough times to know that she was wickedly sharp; anything that she heard, she remembered.
Beside Mrs. Jane was Brethren Zod, the Weaver representative chosen amongst the non-human teachers that would be present at Kharon Academy. From their few interactions, Tatiana had found the Weaver surprisingly useful for planning, if a bit unpredictable. Oftentimes, the young spider provided a perspective that greatly challenged the human's preconceived notions about teaching. Naffur was currently out helping Vye with a Raid Boss problem, so Ajax was present to represent the interests of the Order Ducis, opposite the Weaver. Perhaps it was somewhat racist of her, but Tatiana found it very amusing how much the cockroach man and the spider detested each other. Even though Ajax was originally a human transported into a monster's body, the body seemed to have steadily influenced his behaviors. She made a mental note to be careful about letting the two argue.
The final figure at the table was the smallest ogre within Wolfram's cohort of scribes, hunching his shoulders to not take up more space than he needed. At two and a half meters, the act of him slipping through the door was mildly impressive.
As she sat and pulled her chair in behind her, Tatiana glanced one more time at Commissioner Arrietti. The man's face was creased in a deep frown. Inwardly, Tatiana shook her head. She didn't doubt that the man was even now examining his every memory to search for any evidence of the creeping corruption that Tatiana referenced as an example. she could have waited until after this meeting, but Tatiana had figured giving him some time to reflect was better than springing the issue on him once she had him in her office. But Tatiana hoped that he wouldn't now let the issue distract him from the meeting; the man simply took his work way too seriously.
He would probably kill me if he found out, but I wonder if I can secretly set him up with a woman to help him ease up a little... Tatiana organized the papers in front of her and then set them down on the table. Then she cast one last critical glance over Elmer Arrietti, making note of his attire and how he held himself. Heh, who would have thought that my experience running a high-end escort service would come in handy like this...
But she let those thoughts go for now. Instead, she cleared her throat. ”Alright, we all know why we are here. After his discussion with Miss Collins, the Ghosthound made it clear that we would need nine Keystones for Kharon Academy. We currently have six that fit the criteria that he set. Miss Collins, if you’d bring everyone up to speed?”
Gertrude Collins nodded smartly. ”As per the Ghosthound's instructions, the Keystones are to be ideological issues or outcomes that the student will spend their study at Kharon Academy learning to address. These will be more general than majors at a university. Although I communicated how focusing so much on the negative might not be a good thing...” Gertrude paused so Mrs. Jane next to her could press her lips together. ”...he remained firm.”
Honestly, I never understood a teacher’s need to frame everything positively. Tatiana dragged her fingers across the wooden table. We don’t live in a positive world. But luckily, Randidly gets to take the heat for this decision...hehe, and Mrs. Jane is the type to hold a grudge.
”So these are the six Keystones we now have: Indulgence, Ignorance, Weakness, Tragedy, Helplessness, and Emptiness. These are the issues that our students will address.”
”There is quite a bit of overlap between them,” Brethren Zod commented while his two front legs bobbed against the edge of the table. ”Should we not seek to make all of the different Keystones distinct?”
Tatiana nodded. ”Ideally, yes. But I don't think it's an issue as long as we keep it as minor a crossover as possible. After all, the same methods can be used to solve many of our world’s problems. But since their study will be informed by the whole of methods to address each issue, the Keystones should still shape distinct followings. But the fact is that we still need three more options. So if anyone has an idea-”
”There's another issue,” Gertrude added. She made a small note on a pink post-it and very purposefully stuck it to her pad before she continued to speak. ”It’s the creation of the Keystones. Randidly- excuse me, the Ghosthound, said that he wouldn't help with the details of their creation. So we will need nine individuals to help source the Engravings Neveah will be making for the Keystones. So...”
”So if you feel strongly about one flaw in our world, please feel free to take responsibility for a related Keystone,” Tatiana finished. Then she drummed her fingers against the table as she considered the issue. Her gaze touched on all of the people around the table. ”Don't force yourself; there are plenty of powerful image users on Kharon now. We can get outside assistance if we need it. But also, the people here are the ones who understand the spirit of Kharon Academy the best. We are the ones who can give the most insight into its shape.”
Then, as she considered the thoughtful expressions of the surrounding people, Tatiana noticed that Gertrude Collins was making several notes on a blue post it. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. ”Also, considering the fact that we need three more Keystones, anyone who has an idea should share. We can hopefully generate one or two more in preparation for the meeting with the Ghosthound at the end of the week.”
Commissioner Arrietti rubbed his chin. Tatiana made a mental note to gently press him later, to see if he had a concrete idea. And after toying with the post-it note in front of her, Gertrude looked up with a determined expression. ”Well actually... I did have an idea. I just... I don't know what word to use to sum it up. But if I had to pick one... I guess truth...?”
Everyone looked at her. The ogre scribe shifted slightly and spoke in a soft voice. ”Did you say truth?”
”Ah, yes. But... like I said, that's just... a stand-in.” Gertrude to speak more rapidly. ”What I'm really talking about is something like destiny. We have helplessness already, but a sense of helplessness toward your life. Loss of control and agency. Or maybe something like avoiding a destiny that you don't want. That Path doesn't have to be true for you.”
Mrs. Jane nodded very slowly. ”I think I see it. And I think the word you are searching for is Certainty. You want to combat certainty. It's... a good option.”
*****
They were standing about fifty meters away, but the sound of that ponderous volume of water crashing into the pool below had almost become ubiquitous at this distance. The crashing notes of water impacting water would have echoed outward to fill a larger space, if not for the fact that it was a constant production line of vibration. So the sound didn't echo, it just continued, constantly pushing against the eardrums of the listener. The noise pooled contentedly above like the water did below.