54- Seeds of Progress

  7/3/5/4353 M.A.C - Niwut- Early Afternoon

  "Good riddance! Mom, do you have any of that tea left? My legs are already starting to get pretty sore, and I still need to go see Scholar Atwut today."

  "Yeah, we have about enough for three doses. Let me get some water boilin'."

  "Since I am not actually injured this time, just brew me half a dose, please. I can always take the other half tonight if the first wasn't enough."

  "Shouldn't you be leaving soon?"

  Doro looked at his father and gave him a sheepish smile.

  "After this morning, I'm going to have to take it easy on the way there. If I'm going to be late anyway, no point in rushing."

  Khetep looked at his son dubiously, Doro's logic apparently not working out for him.

  "Don't worry, he has his own work to get along with until I get there, and I'm planning on making a small apology gift while Mom is making the tea; I was a bit harsh with him last decan."

  Khetep raised an eyebrow inquisitively at the mention of a gift, all worries over his son's punctuality apparently vanishing as his curiosity got piqued.

  "What are you making this time? Must be simple if you can make it in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."

  ***

  "You know you are my very favorite son, right?"

  Khetep's eyes gleamed with envy as Doro demonstrated the gift he had just made for Scholar Atwut.

  "So...You want one as well? You just had to ask, you know? No need for the theatrics."

  Khetep dipped his head forward and put a hand behind it.

  "I feel like I'm taking advantage of you. Between the lessons, the glassware, and the new metals you let me experiment with, it kind of makes me feel like a failure as a father."

  Doro blinked, his face blank, then chuckled before giving Khetep his perspective.

  "You do your part in providing for the family, you worried about me and helped take care of me after the accident, and you make time for me when I need you, like yesterday. I don't know what your idea of an ideal father is, but I couldn't ask for better. I'll be honest, I had a pretty cool dad in my previous life, and he cared about me, but we were such different people that I never felt as close to him as I do you, even though he was my father for a lot longer. You might be my father, but you are also the best friend I have in this life. Don't tell Mom or Sarima; they might get jealous."

  Doro had just been speaking his mind matter-of-factly, not realizing how his Father was getting affected by his words. Khetep wiped a tear away from his cheek, a pleased expression on his face, and then patted Doro's head.

  "Thank you for saying that. Our relationship also means more to me than you know. I lost my father when I wasn't much older than you are now. Since it was just the two of us, he had to work a lot and didn't have a lot of time for me, but he did his best. Up until now, I could look back and use him as an example. Now that you remember your previous life, it feels like you became a teenager early, and I was scared I was messing it up."

  Damn, didn't realize Dad was this worried. He never really spoke about his past before he came to Niwut as a young apprentice before, wonder what made him open up suddenly.

  "Don't worry Dad, you are doing great! Now, I can't promise I'll keep singing the same tune as I go through puberty again. I'm dreading the prospect myself, as it wasn't fun the first time around, but hopefully, I'll manage to keep a handle on it this time. Guess we'll have to find out together."

  Doro gave his father a thumbs-up and a wink before standing up from his stool.

  "Now let's go back to the kitchen, Mom must be done with the tea."

  Khetep's smile waned as Doro left the workshop for the kitchen.

  "Wait! Weren't you going to make one for me too?"

  Doro was already halfway through the door as he looked back and answered his father.

  "I'll make it tonight. I'm already pretty late, and I'd like to take more than a couple of minutes to make you a nicer one."

  ***

  "Should have asked Mom for a full dose...My calf muscles are already starting to ache."

  About halfway to their destination, the consequences of Doro's morning death-march were catching up to him; tea or no tea. Khetep stepped in front of his son and knelt down.

  "Hop on! I might not be as strong as your mother, but you are still light enough for me to carry you."

  As Doro tried to wrap his legs around his father's ribs, Khetep lowered himself further, and Doro found himself riding his shoulders. Doro looked ill at ease at first, the position making him feel like a toddler, but quickly his frown turned into a smile as he wondered over the sights. The many adults walking around the streets no longer obstructed his vision like large moving walls, letting him see much more than before.

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  "Uh, Dad. Can we stop?"

  "No need to feel ashamed. You just recovered from an injury, and you were basically tortured this morning. Just enjoy the ride."

  "No, that's fine. Honestly, I like the view better from up here. I asked you to stop because I think we've arrived at our destination."

  Doro raised a hand and waved it into the air from side to side.

  "What do you mean? We are only-"

  Scholar Atwut broke through the people in front of them, giving Khetep his answer before he could finish his question.

  "Oh.....Good.....I.....found you! Give me a moment."

  The scholar came to a stop, sweating profusely and hunching over forward, supporting himself with one hand on his knee as he tried to catch his breath.

  "Calm down, Professor; why are you here?"

  "You were late, and I got worried. I thought something had happened to you. You could have been in an accident, or worse, after how we left things last decan, I thought you might have given up on me!"

  "Uh, Professor...I think you got the order of those mixed."

  "Eh, at least he is being honest. You did say that you thought you'd been too harsh with him last time; maybe let this one slip."

  ***

  "So, she is the one I should thank for my near-death experience?"

  Is he seriously still holding a grudge?

  Doro scooted closer to the professor and whispered into his ear.

  "I wouldn't if I were you. She'll take complaints as a confirmation of a job well done. The more you let on how much it got to you, the more she'll want to mess with you again."

  Suyum looked up from her wheel and squinted at the man who had just walked in with her husband and son.

  "Back already? Who's the sweaty baldie?"

  Doro chuckled as Khetep pulled a grimace. Imperial enumerators were rather plentiful, and their position did not give them a lot of direct power, but as civil servants reporting directly to the Empire, they were used to a modicum of respect. In fact, even Suyum would have probably made a bit more of an effort had she realized who the man in front of her was, but Scholar Atwut had decided against wearing his robes and had shown up in some rather plain but high-quality clothing.

  "What did she just cal-"

  Better slip in and get the conversation moving in a better direction.

  "Mom, this is the esteemed Scholar Atwut. You know, the high-ranking Imperial Enumerator who is benevolently helping me out?"

  I'm hoping that was enough compliments to counteract Mom's insults.

  "All my excuses, your imperial eminence. Why don't you have a seat? Will a common stool suffice for the rear end of such an important man as yourself?"

  Doro and Khetep smacked their foreheads in unison.

  Damn it, I forgot how prickly Mom gets with rich or important folks. Guess I'll have to keep them separated as much as I can.

  "Please excuse her Professor. She is originally from the other side of the mountains, but even if it has been over ten years, she still has some peculiarities."

  Before Suyum could protest, Doro used his Abilities to pull on the door handle and close it shut, a little click confirming the door had been locked.

  "Don't worry, her workshop has large windows; she can easily get out. I just needed to make sure continuing this was enough of a hassle that she couldn't do it while working."

  Scholar Atwut eyed Khetep with a mixture of admiration and befuddlement.

  "Well, I'm not sure how such a gentile and scholarly man as yourself manages to survive being wed to a woman with so much...personality, but good job in doing your civic duty and helping increase the Empire's population. Since we'll be working together for the foreseeable future, feel free to drop the honorifics and just call me Atwut."

  Khetep looked unsure whether to take Scholar Atwut's words as a compliment or to get annoyed on his wife's behalf, but the friendly way in which the scholar had finished his remarks swayed him toward the former. Before Khetep had the chance to change his mind, the scholar unfastened the strap that was tied around his chest and put the long tube-like case that was attached to it on the kitchen table.

  "Here, I brought this so we could work on the plan for setting up the consortium."

  The scholar opened the case and produced two large sheets of paper, which he flattened onto the table, taking up the entirety of its surface. He then took out his dip pen and ink before looking down at the table.

  "Do you have another small table we could bring in? There isn't enough space for my writing supplies."

  Doro and Khetep shared a knowing look before smiling at the scholar in unison.

  "You can put those away; I have a small gift for you."

  Doro handed the scholar a shiny metal tube, one side ending in a cone with a hole at the end, the other with what appeared to be a rounded button of some sort. The Scholar inspected the gift closely, a puzzled look on his face.

  "What's this? Some sort of concealed weapon? What do I do? Aim the hole and press the end? Or does it need to be point-blank?"

  Yeah, sorry, bud, but you aren't an international man of mystery. This is just a prototype click ballpoint pen.

  "Professor, why would I give you a weapon? You don't really seem the type to have a use for one. This is a ballpoint pen. You press on the end, and a nib comes out."

  The scholar pressed the end down with his thumb and kept it there, then put down his inkwell on a stool and uncorked it.

  "Are you sure this works? The nib looks rounded and smooth, I'd have to dip it back in every letter or so...Also, I'm not sure this design is very convenient; if I want to press down on the end with my thumb, I'll have to write while grasping the pen like a toddler."

  "Yeah...give it back to me for a second, I'll show you how it actually works."

  Atwut handed the pen back to Doro, and as he released the pressure he exerted with his thumb, the nib retracted a fraction of an inch and lodged itself in position with a satisfying click.

  "Oh, I see, you don't need to keep pressing down on it. That doesn't solve the ink issue though."

  "Don't worry, the ball on the nib is a delivery mechanism, it doesn't need the surface area of a dip pen or the groove of a quill."

  Doro demonstrated by dragging the end of the pen parallel to the edge of the scroll, drawing one continuous line that extended well past what Atwut had expected.

  "It has its own reserve of ink inside. It will run out eventually, but we are talking multiple pages rather than sentences. If it runs out, I'll refill it for you as long as you bring me suitable ink. It'll work with most inks, but avoid the extremes in thickness. Too runny and it will leak often, too thick and it might clog up. Also, avoid running with it in your pocket, or it will likely leak. This is the first prototype after all; I still need to perfect it."

  Scholar Atwut looked at the pen and then back at Doro.

  "This...This is very kind of you apprentice."

  The scholar bashfully accepted the ballpoint pen as if it were an item of great value, a conflicted expression on his face.

  "I'm not sure I deserve it. I haven't really been of any help to you yet."

  "Look, you are one of only four people I let in on my secret. If things progress naturally, we are going to be in each other's lives for the foreseeable future. Yet, I think I pushed you a bit too far last week. It is fine if you profit from our relationship; in fact, it would make me happy if you did. I've been a bit too self-centered lately and haven't been looking at the big picture. I guess being a kid colors my perspective more than I thought. Just, if possible, be open with me about it. I don't like feeling tricked or manipulated; it brings the worst out of me."

  Doro expected his words to make the scholar smile, yet the expression on Atwut's face remained as conflicted as before.

  "That is kind of you to say, but I was indeed in the wrong. After you left, I realized that not only did I originally take you on as my apprentice for selfish reasons, but that the moment I found out about your otherwordly memories, I got blinded by greed and tried to profit even more from you without thinking about how it would make you feel. I'll accept this gift, but now it is my turn to produce some results!"

  Scholar Atwut brandished his new pen in front of him, a new sword ready for battle, and jumped into the fray.