The Golden Vials [ dottolone ]

Chapter 1, The Letter

Two days before the Harbinger meeting, all the Fatui Harbingers returned to the Zapolyarny Palace. To a meeting called apon by Her Majesty the Tsaritsa herself.  Still that meeting was two days away so most of the Harbingers have resumed their work within the vicinity of the Palace.

Pantalone was in his office looking through his co-workers expenses. The banker, after all, was handling all of the organization's expenses personally. Well until one of his subordinates knocks on the office's door. The quiet noise disturbing the peace which had just established due to earlier commotion out in the hall. The Regrator quietly sighs as he readjusts his glasses.

"yes?", he speaks in a louder tone his signature smile on his lips before said door opens and a subordinate quietly walks in with a letter in their hands. "Ah yes, is this the last expenses letter of the week? Oh dont even answer that, just give it here.", he says as he unfolds his hands extending it to take the letter. With a swift move he grabs the envelope opener and opens it.

"Hmm? What's this.. can you be a darling and stay for a moment? You don't mind do you?" The Harbinger glances up at the one who delivered the letter. "Take a seat, don't be shy. I would just like to have some company while i open a letter from what seems to be directly from my colleague. What does Dottore what this time." Pantalone murmers as he unfolds the paper.

"you see, usually he, or one of his silly segments, comes asking for funds to my office 'personally'. But lately those segments of his, figured out that writing letters is also a thing. I do quite appreciate it since it's less trouble for me." The Fatuus infront Pantalone looks around the office as he "listens" to the supervisor's yapping.

"Say, this doesn't look like one of the segments handwriting. Did Il Dottore actually take his so called 'precious' time to personally handwrite a letter requesting funds?" The black haired man chuckles quietly, clearly amused.

Dottore never bothered to write letters, it's like his whole motto has always been, "why do it yourself when you have others to do so? " perhaps that's why he copy pasted his different stages of life so often. Or maybe its because he's getting old.

Pantalone finished reading the letter, side eyeing the subordinate who was merely tasked to deliver said letter. "Can you believe it? Dottore is asking for funding but he doesn't state the purpose of which he needs the mora for!" He huffs folding the letter in half before he places it down on a stack of other not so important documents.

"This man is going to be the death of me. You may leave, i might aswell just pay him a visit down in his laboratory later when i have the time." The yapper pinches the bridge of his nose while the one who delivered the letter quietly leaves.

On the other hand, down in the underground laboratory owned and used by the Doctor and his segments the Prime Il Dottore was walking past the huge water tanks, which hold different kinds of experiments as well as still developing segments, he was on his way to the more quiet part of his rather large space to get some rest.

Sleep deprived as Dottore is he had been overworking on a project not even 1/4 of his segments know about. Just as Dottore took off his mask, he froze in place. On his working desk's chair he saw one of his segments sat. For a moment the Doctor considered he might've forgotten to assign the segments to their duties.

Sitting on the work space it wasn't any segment. Its was the eight year old version of Zandik. Little Zandik is just sitting there, kicking his feet as he pokes a little tortoise which is sat on top of Prime Dottore's secret plans. The Doctor quietly sigh as he approches the segment, looking over his shoulder, "Zandik? What are you doing here? i thought i made myself clear earli- uh.."

Just as the taller starts to scold his segment he was interrupted by little Zandik picking up the tortoise and holding up towards Dottore's face. "look! I found this- uhm turtle!", Zandik spoke with a huge smile, a pure smile as any eight year old would.

Dottore crosses his arms as he looks at the tortoise, "that's a tortoise, not a turtle. That aside, where did you find this creature anyway?-" He speaks with irritation as little Zandik jumps up from the chair.

Just where did that tortoise come from? Not many animals can survive in the harsh snowy environment of Snezhnaya let alone tortoises wouldn't even survive for an hour. On top of that the segment of little Zandik isn't even allowed to ever leave the Zapolyarny Palace. The Doctor thought about it for a moment, meanwhile the little boy looks at said tortoise.

"I named it Sheldon! We can keep Sheldon right??" Zandik asked quietly before Dottore sighs. "Yes do whatever with it, just do me a favor and go back to the others alright?" He replied with an exhausted tone. As the segment leaves the room with the tortoise, the Doctor approches his desk looking down at the plan while also eyeing a letter which he hadn't seen laying there before he left his office.

It was a sleek black envelope held close by a golden wax sigil and there seems to be something written on it. Suddenly Dottore was fully wake again, like he was never tired in the first place. With his head tilted, he carefully takes the envelope. Written in beautiful cursive and golden ink there stood "by the Regrator, for the Doctor".

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969 words

That's it for the first chapter sorry for the cliff hanger. This is my first ever published fanfic so i hope the ones who read it like it.

Thanks for reading the first chapter the second one is already in work.