Chapter 39: Negotiations

It’s the day.
The day we’re going to finish it.
I’m meeting up with Steel, Tin and Neon at Unebre University.
Fayatspaad offered to reserve us a classroom with the express message that they’re doing it for doll-kind, not for me.
Which is fine.
This isn’t about me anyway, this is about them.
Jaxogeras, Tiborah and Prishtoli are already walking ahead of me. Talking amongst themselves and enjoying the morning spring sun.
We considered other places of course, like Tungsten’s den and Bar-B.
But it quickly became apparent we needed a truly neutral place.
It feels almost poetic, that doll-fever gets to end where it started.
Now let’s hope it all goes well.

We pass the massive wrought iron gate and there looms the redbrick building. It feels so weird to be here again. But it also feels like perhaps it was always meant to be.
I step towards the steps.
Then pause, confused as the dolls turn away from the main entrance and head start walking around the building.
“Where are we going?” I ask stepping up to Jaxogeras.
“We’re going to greenhouse four.”
“Greenhouse?”
Jaxogeras nods “In the words of Fayatspaad ‘You try reserving a classroom one day ahead of time’.” they explain casually.
“Ah, I see.” That’s great…that’s just great. A greenhouse, why not?
They put a hand on my shoulder “It’s going to be okay. It’s mostly ceremonial by this point right?”
“Yes, I guess so.” but then why do I feel so damn tense?
Behind the buildings lie the massive gardens of the botany and biology department. A lot of the plants are still green at this time of year but I’m surprised to still see dots of colours spread throughout the greenery.
I wonder if I’ve been here during my time at the university. The school is divided up quite well when it comes down to the different departments. Meaning I had no reason to be here.
But that’s kind of a shame really.
It’s pretty here.
Somehow the sight of nature calms me down, it puts the world into a new perspective. I’ve been so focused these last days, I wonder when was the last time I just enjoyed being outside.
I reach my hand out to a large flower with thin red petals that look so delicate in the sunlight it’s almost like they’re glowing.
When a voice spooks the soul out of me “I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.”
My shoulders jump at the unfamiliar voice, I turn to find an old lady with big grey hair and a round set of spectacles. “Melaria Rossia has a photosensitive toxin in the leaves, touch it and you’ll end up scratching your hand for the rest of the day.” She points out the little signs identifying each species are painted in a nice curly script. “Toxic plants have a little skull in the corner, see?”
“Oh sorry miss, thank you.” I look behind me to the rest but they’re nowhere to be found.
Did I space out looking at flowers for that long!?
“I take it you’re a visitor?” The woman asks noting my distress.
“Yes, yes I am. Do you happen to know where greenhouse four is supposed to be?”
“It’s next to the pumpkin patch. Just keep walking straight ahead until you run into it. It’s fall-festival themed you can’t miss it.”
Fall festival? “But it’s spring.”
The woman chuckles “I know but the students have an odd sense of humour and I let them have fun with it.”
“Thank you miss…”
“Grace, and don’t worry about it. Just check the signs before touching anything.”
“I see, thank you…again.”
The woman smiles, then walks away in small but determined steps.
I wonder if I would have felt more at home here if I had run into people like her sooner.
Actually…
I think I did.
Fayatspaad was kind of me.
As were most of my teachers.
I was just too much of a brat to realise.
I rush down the path until I almost run into Tiborah’s back.
He turns around “Oh there you are.”
“I got distracted, I’m sorry.”
“It happens.” He shrugs then adds “Are you ready?”
“Yes, yes I think I am.”
“Good, because the alchemists are already here.”

“When I agreed to come I didn’t expect to get boiled for my crimes,” Tin calls out the moment he spots me coming in.
I bow apologetically “Apologies for the temperature. It’s a challenge to arrange accommodations at short notice.”
“Tin quit whining and let’s get this over with.” Steel huffs as he pulls the cocky alchemist back into his chair.
The greenhouse is fitted out with desks that got pushed to the sides to create a well in the middle of the room with a single desk for the mediator.
Who it turns out is me.
I’m not a doll, nor an alchemist, I can’t speak for either side so mediator is the only role I can fulfill at this point in the process.
“I’ll try to make it quick.” I take off my coat and hang it over the back of my chair while wishing I wore short sleeves today.
I just hope I don’t mess it up. The greenhouse isn’t helping and part of me and part of me can’t help but wonder if this is a jab from Fayatspaad since the alchemists and I are the only ones affected by the climate.
Well at least it’s pretty, I spot a spray of yellow flowers over my head, running past the beams keeping the greenhouse together and large pink butterflies making their way from bloom to bloom.
I bet this is an amazing place to have classes in.
Preferably in winter when it’s cold outside and toasty in.
But now I’d very much like to hurry.
“I’d like to open with the doll’s solution to the problem. Then there’s room for the alchemists to respond, is that acceptable?”
I look at Steel, he smiles and nods “Sure, go ahead.”
I nod at Tiborah. He gets up from his chair. “Hello, I’m Tiborah, I go by male pronouns and I’d like to start by saying I’m grateful to see all three of you have turned up. Thank you for that.
Secondly, we dolls have deliberated and discussed a lot of different angles and solutions while Inquiry was out trying to collect you all here. And the solution I’m about to present isn’t unanimously loved by the dolls. No solution would be, but it’s the solution that in our opinion is the most agreeable for both parties.
The three of you would like a heart to study in order to make dolls, correct?” After all that build-up the question feels abrupt, oddly placed.
Steel blinks for a moment “Yes, yes we do.”
“We don’t want the heart to be destroyed. But because of its glass casing, there’s no way to take it apart and look at its inner workings without breaking it.”
“So the heart is useless then?” Tin pipes up.
“No, no it’s not. In an attempt to lure your kind towards us my sibling Jaxogeras.” Tiborah gestures to Jaxogeras to get up. They do and make a little bow. “And Inquiry, whom you know, have made a facsimile that revealed interesting new findings that haven’t been accounted for before. And with the right help, a new, working heart can be made without breaking the old one. Jaxogeras has a business to run but Inquiry is willing to help, as am I. Back when my father was still alive I spent a lot of time in his workshop. I was there when I made some of us, and while I’m not an alchemist I have seen him work. And because the notes are incomplete is have information you will not find elsewhere. My experiences and help could speed up your research significantly”
Steel gets up and gestures to me.
“You can speak yes,” I assure him.
“That sounds great but against what price?”
“This was a difficult decision because there’s a lot we’d like to see differently about the way this was handled but there’s not much we can do about that now so instead we decided to look ahead as a way of preventing other incidents in the future. As such we’d like a veto right to be used against decisions that would be against doll ethical practises.”
“And who would receive that veto right?”
“I would, and any dolls who are appointed to the task of making dolls.”
“I see, and do you have an example?”
“Dolls created or existing cannot be sold or bartered. Dolls cannot be knocked out or imprisoned and no weapons or constructions may be created for that purpose-”
“But what if they go rogue?” Tin shoots up from his chair, an accusing finger pointed at Tiborah. “Your focus is solely on protecting the dolls but you discount the fact that dolls can kill humans with no effort whatsoever-”
I sigh, “Tin, Tiborah wasn’t done talk-”
“If even one of them decides it wants to kill all humans we need a way to protect-ow!” Tin rubs the back of his head while Steel sets the man down with a push on the shoulder. “His apologies.” he says “Do go on.”
Tiborah puts a finger to his wooden lips for a moment. “Actually your colleague is quite right. I don’t expect dolls to ‘go rogue’ as you call it. But I also cannot say for certain it will never happen and we have no idea how the new generation will behave or develop. Should such a thing happen of course measures need to be taken to prevent harm to humans as well as dolls. But the point I’ve been trying to make was not to lay down a list of restrictions, but rather to illustrate what sorts of things would warrant a veto if it were to be considered.”
“And what about that one then? She hates me, she’d kill me if she had the chance! She told me so herself.” Tin’s finger almost bends over backwards in strain as he points at Prishtoli “What assurance do I get that I don’t get torn to shreds like Mercury one day?”
I pull up my eyebrow at Prishtoli. She shrugs in response, then sighs and gets up to speak “Look I was pissed he just went and knocked out my siblings. But I also told him that I wasn’t going to.”
“See she admitted it!” Tin shrieks.
“You kidnapped me! I’m justified in being angry at you, you miserable little man! But you saw what happened to Stegarius, I’m not going to lay down my life just to get rid of someone as insignificant as you. I’ll outlive you anyway. Give it what, ten, twenty years until you die of natural causes? That’s nothing to me. I can wait that long to be rid of you! You’re not that important actually, got it?!”
Jaxogeras puts their hand on Prishtoli’s. She looks at it for a moment, then hangs her head down “I lost my temper, I apologise. But please know that while I do not like any of you, and I will not forgive the crimes you committed against me, I have no intention to harm any one of you. I’d rather look towards a solution than cause any more problems.”
She sits down and leans her head on Jaxogeras’ shoulder. They stroke her hair lovingly in return.
“Well uh, with that out of the way is there anything else that needs discussing?”
“I can live with a veto provided we get the help we need in return. And should the dolls stop working on the project I expect their veto right to be revoked.”
“Agreed.”
“Then I think we’re done?” Steel offers, Tin crosses his arms but doesn’t speak. Neon hasn’t spoken at all this whole time. I wonder if I needed to drag him along to this place after all.
“I think so too.” I hand around the document to be signed first the dolls, then the alchemists. As I arrive at Neon I ask “Are you okay?”
He looks up at me “Yeah I’m fine.”
“I noticed you didn’t speak.”
“There wasn’t much for me to add.”
“I see, that’s okay then.” I smile.
Collect the last signature.
And that’s it.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done these last few weeks,” Jaxogeras tells me as we exit the greenhouse. “Don’t worry about it, you all did plenty of work yourselves. And the whole mess wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for me, the least I could do was try and fix it.”
Then Prishtoli comes in and takes Jaxogeras’ hand “Come on, I could do with some music.” She tells them. Then she lets go for a moment and hugs me “You’ve grown a lot Inquiry, Stegarius would have been so proud.”
“Thank you.”
Then Tiborah joins the group “
“I’m grateful you want to help but are you sure?”
“The question has been lingering in my head since Stegarius visited me so I’ve had a long time to think about this. I’m sure.”
“Good.”
“Are you coming to Bar-B with us?”
“Actually I think I’ll be going back to the den and having a nap, it’s been a while since I got to sleep in peace.”
Tiborah nods, “Then have sweet dreams.”
I smile and watch them walk off for a bit. And then I find Tungsten loitering around the rose bed which is…odd.
“Tungsten? What are you doing here?”
“I’m, uh…?” The big man stammers like a child who got caught eating the last biscuit. “How did it go?”
“I feel like it was both tense as hell and quite anticlimactic if that makes sense?
“Uhu…” Tungsten says and I notice he’s looking past me. “And I can’t wait to go to bed.”
“I see.”
“And then the greenhouse exploded.”
“Uhu.”
I roll my eyes.
“I uh gotta go.” Tungsten strides off back to the greenhouse entrance and straight to Neon who’s making his way out.
The two of them talk out of earshot. But I notice Tungsten’s tail wagging hopefully.
I chuckle, I should have known really.
“Inquiry.” A heavy hand drops down on my shoulder. I look back to find Steel right behind me “So about that school of yours…”
“I was already wondering why you didn’t bring it up in there.”
“No need to bore the other right? Besides, do you want Tin in on this deal? He’s not business material, trust me.”
I shrug. Leave it up to an alchemist to try and get the best deal for themself and no one else.
But it’s good to be reminded.
“Sure, where do you wanna talk?”
“There’s a bat of Fleet Street that sells excellent beer.”
“Lead the way.”