The Starry Sky - A Darkling/General Kirigan Prequel

9

Two weeks later the pair of them were sat next to each other at the dark wood table in the middle of the common room. Multiple papers and pots of ink and sketches were spread out in front of them, holding them from the snowy day outside. Not that the Heretic seemed particularly like a snow-day person. Anna massaged her temples, trying to comprehend the drawings and notes in front of her, all Materialki made, and all thoroughly confusing. The Black Heretic, on the other hand, was rifling through the reports Anna had taken from numerous Grisha in regards to Baghra, wading through the tens of contradictory opinions of his mother.

"I don't understand half of these names." Anna sighed, holding a sheet of paper out in front of him, pointing out a word.

"Ramie?" He asked after looking briefly up from his work, "I think it's Shu. Kind of like silk."

"Why in the names of the saints would you want a silk uniform?" He shrugged wearily, dismissing her question. The papers in front of her were all designs the Fabrikators had made once Anna had told them her plans to renovate and make uniforms just over a week before. Almost immediately the original plans of renovation were out of the window and Anna was receiving stacks of ideas daily. She might've assumed that they thought she was too naive to properly know how to handle the plans, but people had been more than willing to speak to her for hours about their ideas, and either way, she looked through every plan, and made it painstakingly clear that the Materialki would be doing all the hard work.

At that moment though, she was looking at plans for the uniforms. In all honesty it had been a passing remark, one she didn't expect the Black Heretic to think about again. But he had, and encouraged Anna to go and speak to the Materialki about starting on designs. Some of which had been awful: deep black pantaloons with coloured overcoats; fur-lined fatigues, somewhat like the Drüskelle uniform; and now this ramie one-piece, embellished with weird script around the cuffs (ancient Ravkan, she'd learned). As she looked at the monstrosities, she hoped that the creators were better at architecture.

"I think they're doing this to spite me." She murmured.

"They like you."

"They act like they like me. I think they're trying to put me in an early grave; I've looked at over a hundred designs, and they just seem to be getting worse. I didn't know there were this many options as to what a uniform could look like."

"Have you asked the girls about them? They are the ones who work with clothes." He was still not looking at her, making deft notes on a piece of cream-coloured parchment.

"I'll ask them later." She assumed it would be five bells soon, so she'd have to leave to speak to some of the Materialki who were working on redoing the Little Palace, "How's your work coming along?" A deep sigh parted his lips, and he tipped his head back, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. The light from one of the candles caught on his face, making him glow slightly. Making him look more ethereal than usual.

"Each statement contradicts the last. Some of them say she's a terror, and others say she's a saint-incarnate. I see no clear plan of action as to what to do."

"You're meeting with combat trainers soon, right? Maybe you could hold out until you meet them, and then see if Baghra is really needed for training. Assuming that she'd be staying here because she's your mother, and all."

"We'd still need someone to help the Grisha learn how to use their powers. I'm too busy, and I'm not sure if the more well trained Grisha would be willing to do it."

"Couldn't Ade try?"

"I think having to train people would test his patience too much, he works better in a unit anyway."