Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 26: Crafting a Column

Tessa took a few bowls herself, and Marlina carefully carried hers to the courtyard. Mordecai and the twins were racing across the large courtyard as she approached. Neterion was the fastest, Natashia next, and Mordecai just a step or two behind. They'd run to one edge of the courtyard and back multiple times.

While Neterion was already done, jogging over and panting as he approached Marlina to take a bowl, the other two still had half a lap to finish.

"Thanks. For last night too." Neterion pants as he sprawls on the cold ground to cool off, dropping all his slices of meat into his mouth once he catches his breath.

Once Natashia came over, she had to put her hands on her knees before grabbing a bowl. "Good morning Marlina. Thanks for bringing breakfast."

Mordecai was last to come, stretching his back and sitting with the other two on the ground. After he had a few bites, he looked at the twins. "Don't think you two are off the hook yet for roping Marlina into your snooping. I won't put you two in the hot sun, but I want each of those sleds polished and spotless, completely sand-free before I return from giving those gentlemen a ride back to the Colonies. And no asking for help from Marlina."

"Yes, Mordecai." The twins groan in unison.

It seemed pointless to Marlina for them to make the sleds spotless if they were used so often, but perhaps that is the point of the punishment.

Neterion then reaches into a small breast pocket, holding something to Marlina. "If you're going to Tessa, mind giving her this too? It's for your section in the Chronicle."

Marlina leaned to get a closer look, it was a well-done lead sketch of her. Though the expression was blank, it was well-detailed. She then remembered the skull he had the night before and wondered if he did the same for the remains that Elek had found. "You draw very well, Sir Neterion."

Neterion lightly waves his hand in response to her compliment, rolling and nestling the picture into one of her gaps so she doesn't lose it.

Leaving them to enjoy their meal, Marlina makes her way to the infirmary, peeking into Tessa and Elek's room where she sees Elek sitting on their bed and eating breakfast. Nodding to her in greeting as she passed, he pointed towards a room next door to tell her where Tessa was, knowing they had things to do. A door usually closed near their bedroom was open, and Marlina looked inside to find Tessa at some manually operated machine.

Its structure was made of wood and quite large, about the size of a bed, with a table that rested beneath a tall rectangular frame and crank. In front of her was a metal plate with hollowed sections which she placed in small cubes with letters embossed into them. With the table having dozens of drawers marked with a letter or symbol, she'd refer to sheets of paper nearby to count how many of one letter she'd need and take what was necessary. As she placed the letters, they were in reverse, it took Marlina a moment to see the top of the plate said 'Do you know me?'

"Ready to make your column Marlina?" Tessa asks as she takes the reference paper she had for Marlina, which has a fair amount of information about her already written down such as her hair color and height.

Marlina nods, holding out her arm with Neterion's drawing wedged into it, which Tessa took. "As I had decided when Sir Elek had suggested it, I wish to keep many details omitted."

"Like what kind of things?"

"I don't want people to see me as a construct. Some property that was lost."

Tessa nods in understanding. "So we'll keep your body and the purple flower out of it. Besides your general information, what else would you like to put?"

Marlina ponders this for a moment. "In the end, besides wanting a home, I want answers. Of course, I can't ask the questions I have in your newsletter without it being clear that I am a construct. I feel it's best to keep it vague, and whoever comes forth with information will be asked my questions."

Tessa nods and begins to write on the paper. "So I will only mention that you have been traveling through Urush for the past few years, with a case which I can only describe as amnesia, now here in Englias searching for her home and anyone who may know her. Does that work?"

"Yes, that should suffice. With Sir Neterion's sketch, anyone who knows me will recognize me. And all they must do is contact you?"

"They can send a letter through my contacts, or come here themselves if they really wanted to. But my guess is we'll take you to them so no one is put in danger. If you need one of us to stick around until you feel that whoever recognizes you is legitimate, we can."

Marlina smiles. "That would be deeply appreciated."

Tessa smiled in return, she asked Marlina to hold a segmented tray so that she could collect the letters she needed and have them organized. With each click and slide of the cubes, Marlina watched as Tessa constructed the entire column about her, using the drawing to leave the appropriate sized space to place it in later. Once completed, Tessa coated the plate with ink and locked it into the machine. Then using the crank to lower and press the plate down onto the paper, it was clean and legible once lifted. Taking a large envelope, she'd slide in the sheet and drawing with other information columns that she intended to send with Mordecai when he offered to take the Colonial gentlemen back home.

"I hope this will help me. It has not been the easiest navigating this world as I am." Marlina says.

"I'm sure it will," Tessa says encouragingly, placing her hand on her shoulder and giving her a little shake.

Elek then knocks on the door, peeking his head in with a look of shock. "You certainly weren't kidding when you said flower is gigantic."