19 Chapter 19

They were nearing the classroom when Rathus noticed there was some separation occurring. Most of the younger children and the females were ushered into the classroom as usual, but the larger males were being pulled off to the side. It seemed they had a new project in the works. Inconspicuously as he could, Rathus nudged Emerick behind him and handed off Trixie's punch card. She never kept it on her person, trusting him to sign her in and out to keep their 'guardians' in the dark about her activities.

"Keep your head down," He mumbled. "Use that when they bring the stamp around. They never read it, so they won't know it's not yours."

"Where are we going?" Emerick whispered back. "Don't you have classes?"

"In a minute," Rathus shook his head. Emerick quieted, seeming to realize Rathus intended to enlighten him later.

The instructor separating the kids didn't even look their way as they shuffled to the growing crowd of males. Rathus watched as Titus, Dalek, and Sullivan all joined him. The latter two looked at Emerick, then to Rathus quizzically. He shook his head to ward off any questions, and they took the hint.

Once the procession of orphans was effectively sorted, they were ushered back towards the entrance. Rathus swore he saw Emerick give the bunny man some kind of salute, but decided not to dwell on it. They were both inspectors, so it only made sense they could be working together.

They were ushered outside to where three rickety looking handcarts waited. Sighing, Rathus moved to the handles of the one in the back, followed by Titus and Emerick. Rathus eyed him quizzically as the young noble took hold of the bar, standing between him and his brother. Normally, Dalek would've been the third, but he was ushered to the cart with the rest.

"They don't even hire proper carriages for you." It was a statement, and one that seemed to anger Emerick, though he carefully controlled it with a polite smile. Rathus only recognized his mask because of the one he himself wore so often.

"Waste of good coin," Rathus shrugged. "Or so they say. Trust me, this beats classes anyway."

"Just what do they teach you?" Emerick asked incredulously.

"Not much," Rathus replied. They had some time before they would start moving, so he took the opportunity to retrieve one of the rune sheets from the day before from his pocket and handed it off. "Give us whatever. This was our course work yesterday."

"Course work?" Emerick's brows knitted together as he inspected the paper. "What could they expect to do with this? This is nothing more than a thesis paper that was ultimately debunked a few months ago because the rune combinations were wildly volatile and destructive. Not a single one was in any way useful."

"I got that one to work," Titus said with pride as he tapped one in the center of the page. It was the most loopy and lacey of the visible runes, and vaguely reminded Rathus of a dance. That said, pretty as it was, Rathus was too angry to appreciate it. Reaching around Emerick was a challenge, but he managed to do so in order to effectively punch his brother in the side of the face.

"What was that for?" Titus exclaimed, holding his cheek as he glared at Rathus.

"There's a reason our SECRET experiments are a SECRET, Titus!" Rathus hissed, eyes roaming to the instructors as they waited for the boys to finish loading the carts. "I don't fancy getting caught."

"You made this work?" Emerick was still eyeing the sheet with interest. Titus winced as Rathus bared his tusks, and settled for a subtle nod. He may have been patient and passive, but he wasn't called 'Rathus' for nothing.

Emerick said nothing more, but studied him curiously. What Rathus wouldn't do to figure out the thoughts going through his head, but as he had since the moment he'd stepped into their lives out of the blue, Emerick remained an enigma.

They didn't talk on the long walk to the jobsite. He suspected that this was in large part due to amount of effort required to push the cart, though Emerick didn't seem half as strained as he or Titus. If it weren't for the fact that Rathus had been forced to push a cart without a third pair of hands before, he might've thought Emerick simply wasn't helping and just holding the bar. It was still hard work, but if anything, it seemed a little easier than it had in the past, and Rathus had the distinct impression Emerick was actually holding back.

Why the little lord wasn't bugging them with more of his penetrating question was beyond him, but at least Titus was quiet too. His jealous quips and showboating would land them in hot water if he didn't take the effort to rein it in, and Emerick would be the least of their troubles. If the instructors discovered the experiments and inventions he and his brother had been working on for years now, they were guaranteed a fate worse than death. By the time they finally arrived on the job site, Rathus had developed a headache from worry.

"What is all this?" Emerick frowned as he gazed at the plot. Rathus tried not to be annoyed at the fact they'd just pushed a cart full of burly guys several miles, a good chunk of which was uphill, and the guy was not only sweat free, he still looked like some handsome prince out of a fairy tale.

"Probably some fancy new apartment for the honey pot higher ups," Rathus shrugged. "Maybe a spa."

"How do they have the money to afford this?" Emerick questioned, though the look on his face told Rathus he already knew the answer.

"They get a lot of donations from the brothels and the occasional generous noble or merchant," Rathus replied. "They're supposed to be for us poor pathetic kiddos but… well…"

"Of course," Emerick growled. He could hear the teeth grinding as the young noble's eyes swept the sight. "All of this equipment is questionable at best, and there's not even a certified construction worker present. Do you do all the labor for these… projects?"

"Mostly," Rathus shrugged. "Once in a while there's a guy that comes to make sure we're doing everything right, but he doesn't do any of the actual work."

"I see," Emerick's teeth grounding got louder. "How many of these projects have you completed?"

They spent the next couple of hours discussing the long list of buildings and facilities Rathus and his fellows had worked over the years, laboring as they went. As he spoke, he observed those under him to verify their safety.

"You are very protective," Emerick observed. Rathus glanced at him, then looked back to where Dalek and Titus were lifting and moving logs from bundles to the foundation Sullivan and a few others prepared.

"Have a lot to protect," Rathus replied. "What of it?"

"Anyone looking out for you?" His brow raised. Rathus had no response, and gave none.

"Hey, careful," He said instead, moving to intercept another pair who were struggling with the weight of their own load. With a hand, he managed to hold the board steady while they fixed their grips and regained their balance. After directing them where to take it, and how to place it, he shook his head and turned back to what he was doing, only to find Emerick staring.

He suspected there were questions, but he hurried past him and focused on his own work, steadfastly ignoring those prying stares. Unlike Titus, he wouldn't be goaded into giving up his secrets, least of all to his rival for a love he could never hope to win. His dreams and his talents were for him to know, and nobody else. Not yet at least.

"Rathus is quite handy," Titus said proudly, noticing Emerick staring as he worked. Rathus sighed inwardly and turned to face his brother. He was worried where the conversation might lead.

"Yeah?" Emerick's brow rose as an amused smirk spread across his insufferable face. Rathus wasn't sure which one he wanted to hit more. Well, actually he did know. Titus. He wanted to hit Titus more.

"Better than you," Titus boasted. "Probably better than anyone else for that matter. You think this stuff is impressive? This is nothing! You should see some of his inventions! In fact, he has a music box-"

"Can you go two words without saying something stupid?" Rathus growled, elbowing Titus in the gut hard enough to wind the shorter brother. "I told you not to talk about it!"

"You know, I like you guys," Emerick said with a smile.

"You're fucking weird," Was the most polite response Rathus could muster. He was pretty sure one of his eyes were twitching.

"Indeed I am," he agreed with a broad smile. Rathus started massaging his temples. He was about to reply, when he subconsciously glanced around to check on the rest of his family.

"Shit!" He exclaimed, then took off in a run. A few hundred yards away, Sullivan was stooped to the ground, performing some kind of touch up work on the foundation beneath him. Above and behind him, something had happened to disrupt the top of the stack of logs, and they were toppling over towards him.