Pride & Humility

XIII

Beta:TaintedLetter

(óヮò)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Later that night...

"Reversing a human transmutation into a chimaera?" Selim repeated back, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

The two sat in his bed later that night. They didn't sleep together often, but there were some nights that Elizabeth felt nervous to sleep on her own so she would crawl into his bed. For the most part Selim allowed this, only teasing her on occasion.

"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed. "It sounds like a really interesting problem, but... I don't know if I'll be able to solve it in time. I've never combined living things aside from plants and various parts of other creatures. To make an actual chimaera, though...? And to reverse it? It's an area I have no experience in."

"So? You didn't start off with experience in plants," Selim pointed out.

"Plants don't have nervous systems," Elizabeth retorted before she sighed again. "It would be nice if I had access to research about it... I'm sure I'll be able to get some of Tucker's notes, but he's only one person. When it comes to something as big as this, it'd be ideal to see multiple researcher's notes."

"Hmm..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to rant," Elizabeth apologized. "Do you want me to finish reading the T&I article tonight?"

"No," Selim said, his tone oddly thoughtful. "Get some rest, Ellie. I'll... see what I can do."

Elizabeth didn't see how he would be able to help her with the current problem, but she was grateful he was thinking about it. She smiled adoringly up at him, and said, "Thank you, Selim. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Ellie."

(óヮò)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

When Elizabeth woke up that morning she was surprised to find Selim out of the bed already. It was still very early in the morning, the sun had not even risen. She had to get up early to catch the first train out to Eastern City with Papa.

Selim was never the type to willingly get out of bed before the sun.

But lo and behold he sat on a stack of boxes in his room, giving Elizabeth a smirk. "Morning, Ellie."

"Morning, Selim," Elizabeth said, sitting up slowly and rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

"I told Father what you were doing," Selim said, hopping off the boxes, "and he said he was interested in what you could find out. Reversing never mattered, but if it can be done without the use of... help... that would be fascinating to see."

"Huh?" Elizabeth pushed back the covers, getting up out of bed. "Papa? What?"

Selim stepped over to her and put a finger over her lips. He smiled with dark sweetness. "Shh. Repeat this to no one, and let no one find out about what's in these boxes. They'll be kept in my room for safeguarding, and cannot be allowed to leave."

Elizabeth nodded mutely, still not certain what was going on, but accepting it regardless.

"The military has created chimaeras before," Selim said, smirking at Elizabeth's widening eyes. "But we've never tried reversing them. These are their notes on successful chimaera transmutation."