Chương 309: Leading Up

As usual, the days leading up to Fashion Week are a madhouse of last-minute preparations. I want to scam every free minute that I can get for this, making last-minute runs to Lady Hanje or sending off letters through my dispatch agency, conferences with my cousins, advice from Gedes, coordinating all the moving pieces that help expand Princess Natalie Harigold the Person into Princess Natalie Harigold the Institution.

It takes a lot of help from a lot of sources to make me so much bigger than any one person should ever be. Unlike previous events, I am not skimming any time from my Natural Philosophy class. I need to prove I'm serious about this TA position, after all. And I need to demonstrate to the various actual geniuses here that I'm invested in their education and their outcome. Down the road, having a real workshop of real scientists is going to be far more important than fabric swatches and seating charts.

In my honest evaluation of priorities, getting a proper invention house up and running is more important than winning the Rapier Revolt and all the down-the-road effects that depend on it. And, I'm learning a lot there. This isn't just about the facts I remember from my education, or the benefits of pushing my Intellect score up, or about the bits and pieces that I had gotten from Hearstwhile libraries that I had not already known for myself. It was the process, the underpinning logics.

I had casually mentioned the words "scientific method" in front of Ryichsur some time ago, and this has started a series of conversations. I had started stressing the need for peer review and repeatable methods, testing the same hypothesis using the same methods to confirm the conclusions, and only then move on to build the next steps. Experimental model, hypothesis-test-observation- hypothesis, using observed results to lead belief, using standardized testing methods and measurements.

Using evidence to form conclusions, rather than seeking out evidence to support conclusions. From my high school teacher this was all just words, but here it was showing real potential. Ryichsur is talking about making it part of the curriculum, or even publishing a monograph about The Scientific Method. I've been calling this my science class but that was always inaccurate. For years I just lumped it in together. The class where you learn stuff about chemistry and physics and biology is all science, right?

Well no. Learning and knowing that stuff is natural philosophy. Learning how to take those facts and draw next conclusions and derive something useful from knowing that information? That's science. Quethron had never corrected me. He just treated my unusual vocabulary as an affectation of mine. None of my other instructors had ever gainsaid me in anything, really.

This was the first time someone had enough of a foundation in the material to be able to show me the differences between the methods I took for granted and the way the rest of the world was working. And hopefully, if it takes hold, I'll get more reliable geniuses creating real products and fewer rogue intellects who electrocute themselves when I turn my back because they think you can become immortal by filling your body with magic lightning.

Additionally I'm not skimming any time off of my Developing Theories instruction period. Not because I'm just that faithful to the science of this new enlightenment, but because the workers in Byeview are laying track now, and they're moving faster and accomplishing more every single day. Their practice and experience is showing, and in about two more weeks they're going to connect Byeview to the first depot town to the north. I need to have a train ready to launch by then. I am extremely motivated by deadlines.

We have moved off of scale models and we are now building an actual test locomotive. And that means that we're testing it one piece at a time. And that means that every fifteen minutes we find something that needs to be fixed, redesigned, adjusted, rebalanced, or sorted out somehow. I did not ditch from my homeroom class, because I was now finally treating that as an opportunity to spy on Nathan.

The thought had occurred to me long ago, of course, that I could use my hidden senses to investigate him and his things, and pluck his secrets away one by one. But the problem is where to start? What is suspicious, what is worth notice? What is part of a code, and what is doodles? It is hard to get very detailed information like this, I'm sensing materials through affinities, that's miles away from "seeing through walls". Nearly impossible to read using this.

I can count the coins in someone's pockets, analyze the thread count of their jacket, and whether they have any cats. But when his whole deal is forgery, relationships and communication, I'm stumped. But now he's pulling together a fashion show. Fabrics, threads, needles, lace, accessories, dyes, brass buttons, silver findings. Swatches, samples, stitches, those are things I can study.

I am frankly shocked by how eager Lady Hanje is for advance notice of the materials being featured by a designer in this weekend's show. I'm giving her days of advance notice ahead of everyone else. Apparently, that advantage pays huge dividends. Especially since she immediately leaked the information to the other designers working on the show, which would not have occurred to me.

We've got four days until the first curtain goes up, I would have thought that there wasn't enough time for anyone to do anything with that information, but the people whose job it is to know better than me all disagree. It almost makes up for how annoyed she is that she is now responsible for the covert affairs of a coalition and not just a single House. My 'promotion' has given her more to do. I don't know where she gets the time to take care of it, I just take care of my own schedule when I can.

Some of my classes are easier to skip than others. My math teacher has stopped caring, since I'm retaking her class because there isn't a harder one available. My geography teacher has gotten annoyed with me correcting the textbook every time I do bother to pay attention in class. The music teacher has definitely noticed the absence of the third-chair flute but has not said anything about it, likely because I'm one of the worse players in the room and the medley sounds better when I'm absent.

Between those, and taking all my meals on the go, and skipping game with the girls before lights-out, I'm able to pull together several free hours per day, which I make good efficient use of thanks to my teleportation abilities. Fittings, seating, order of introductions, placement, refreshments, double-checking the staff, making sure that nobody has made any substitutions.

We can forego a lot of the usual security measures because I can detect blades and sigils and garotte wire at a decent range, and I can disarm them remotely. Have to talk to Zyco and Lia, regarding makeup. Wrapping up paperwork to deal with the new possibilities for Nathan to trap me in a trusteeship thanks to loopholes in the new regulations published by the board that is in charge of closing loopholes. Meeting several aunts, uncles and cousins I had only rarely spoken to, preparing our moves in advance.

I need people that can be around when I'm not able to make it. And it felt good. Because I was ahead of Nathan's move and I was making my preparations. This is not the very first time I've been out in front of his plans, but it seems like the most significant one. Thanks to my Popcorn Council. Belisa's spying, Quarl's insights, Rabert's plans, Kurumi's suggestions, Kimothy's help, Tiviti's expertise and Trazom's background. It has struck me as funny: I assembled my group because I need their ideas and skills.

My brother is assembling his love interests because he needs pretty girls that are willing to work as models and are available on his school schedule. I rely on my people for their brains, he only needs his coterie for their looks. I would make more of that, but I feel like I would be a hypocrite since I really enjoyed playing this video game with pretty girls. Because it's all built on the bones of romance-sim light novels, most of the love interests are outstandingly pretty.

Each of them are the prettiest girl in every room they're in- which is why they're not ever supposed to be in the same room! It invites comparison, and comparison turns "best girl" fans into internecine warfare. All the internecine warfare is supposed to be inside the game, after all. The girls are beautiful because that's how romance stories work. And the lead is so handsome that he can have his pick of the most beautiful women.

They've all got distinct appearances: Filly's bouncy blonde bob haircut, Zauria's long lush black mane- but it stands to reason that they can outshine professional models just on natural talent and canon attractiveness. It's a huge advantage that Nathan has put in his pocket, and it is sure to make his show one of the most impressive and therefore important parts of this weekend's show. But that's the problem that he's overlooked. Because he hasn't been in the gala crowd or high society events.

He's skimmed around them, attended a dozen or so functions. So he doesn't understand the limitations like he should. He doesn't see the problems that are obvious to me. His whole scheme here is hanging on such a tenuous thread that I barely need to bump it for things to fall apart. And he does not know, because he does not know aristocratic socialites as well as he should, and he doesn't understand fashion as well as he pretends to.

Because he's always wearing that same damn jacket, and the same selection of clothes in rotation. This time I get to watch him fall and fail, right when he thought he was the most secure. I can't wait. This weekend may belong to him, but it's only the opening night. He does not know it but the final weekend of Fashion Week is all that really matters.

"You're late."

"I am fifteen minutes early!" I protested hotly.

"I said what I said," Zyco the makeup artist said, wheeling over a tray-stand that looked like it should be full of dental tools but instead was powders, creams, drops, brushes, sponges and damp washcloths.

"What took you so long?"

"I had to assemble a train in Byeview, and then I went to get my hair done," I protested, following Lia to a chair that, again, really looked like a dentist's chair. Usually when I retain their services, I have agreed to neutral third-party grounds, or the Harigold residence, or at the party venue itself. So weird as it may be, for all the times I've retained these two this is the first time I've come to their place of business.

Early on it was because I was watching out for assassins, and later was for convenience. So I've never seen the full span of their gear, I've only ever seen what they would bring off-site.

"A train?" Zyco said.

"We discussed the dress. There is no train."

"Not that train," I said, chuckling. In this world, using that word as a noun refers to the trailing end of a gown. It would be years yet before the other meaning comes to be normalized.

"I mean, a locomotive. An engine to draw cars along a railway."

"I'm sure it's fascinating," Zyco said, uncapping something.

"Hmm, they seem to have done an acceptable job on your hair. Lady Hanje has a good eye for talent. Now then, it is time for us to make art against adversity."

"I am fifteen minutes earlier than our agreed-upon schedule," I said firmly, sitting back in the chair. My hands folded over my middle, he looks too serious right now for me to trust the armrests on this thing.

"Fifteen extra minutes may be enough," he said, as he began applying moisturizers to my neck.

"Hold still please, princess, thank you - because we're going to be working against the grain. I've made beautiful art with your canvas before. Sharp looks, striking looks. Dazzling danger and a searing coldness. Your coloration, your structure, unique opportunities. You have natural beauty, but it is the kind that I may enhance into something entirely amazing. For this I thank you.

And when I am done today, - lift your chin a bit, princess, thank you so much - I will likely thank you again for presenting me a challenge to my skills. But that is the grateful Zyco you will speak to later, and in the meantime you have the harried Zyco who has a limited timeframe to turn you, Natalie Harigold, into someone... soft and endearing." He hesitated before he said it, and I almost snorted a laugh through my nose. I know better than to move a millimeter while he's working though.

We have already entered the stage where I should not be speaking; his gentle touch on the underside of my chin informs me. Anyone who makes their living by touching other people's faces seems to learn a form of nonverbal communication that is all their own. I have good genes. After all, my twin brother is canonically handsome enough to pick and choose the most beautiful women of the realm. He had royal princesses at his beck and call before murder happened.

And with those very good genes, and my extremely striking coloration, I am always gorgeous and always memorable. I'm not going to bother acting modest about it. But now we're trying something entirely new: vulnerability. When Lady Hanje suggested it, I was skeptical. Zyco was even more unconvinced. But there is a plan, and if things go according to plan, we will outmaneuver Nathan to a degree he's never experienced. Right when it matters most.

With slightly warmer pigments, carefully measured liners, lash extensions and contouring, we're going to make me a damsel.