"I don't see why you're so dead set on this. The instructor even told you that this was a dead end. Crystals can only ever output a fixed amount of energy, you can't add energy together."
"And like I told Instructor Trentor, I'm not trying to change how crystals work." We finally arrive at the first of the lab buildings, and I push my way through the door. "I'm just using a different kind of math."
"What in the world do you mean by that?"
"It's…complicated." I step up to the reception desk with a smile. There's a student sitting behind the desk, reading a book with a bored expression.
"Hey - I'd like to borrow some crystals? I'm trying to test something for my engineering project, and -"
The student doesn't even look up from his book as he interrupts me. "Just take an open bench inside. Crystals are on the left wall, sorted and labeled, and different types of connectors are on the right." He finally looks up to glare at me, and his eyes flash a dull orange.
"And only take what you need, Your Highness."
I nod, ignoring his barb. "Sweet. Thanks!" With that, I push through the door leading into the lab space, and-
"Whoa…"
There are rows upon rows of desks, each one fitted out with strange devices and contraptions. I honestly have no idea what I'm looking at…
"Your Highness…where do we even begin?"
"Well…with a desk." Finding an open desk is easy - only one or two of them have been claimed so far. The second I put my hands on an open desk, the nameplate shimmers, and suddenly has my name written on it!
"That's convenient."
"And rather concerning that it can identify you…"
I shrug. I'm used to my privacy being violated.
"Okay, so…let's see what we have here…"
I pick through the devices on the desk. Some of them are as simple as clamps, while others are bizarre-looking apparatuses with unknown function.
"Well…let's hope I don't need any of these yet, cus I've got no idea what the fuck they are."
"Then perhaps you should wait until you receive instruction from Instructor Trentor, Your Highness."
Pretending I didn't hear her, I immediately head to the left wall to examine the crystal types. There are Power Crystals, which I guess emit constant power, Light Crystals, which I assume emit light when powered, Heating and Cooling crystals, and finally, blank Crystals. Honestly, it's a surprisingly limited variety of crystals. I guess the field really is new.
I make my way over to the right wall to check the connectors. To my relief, there seem to be small brackets dedicated to holding a crystal, with an open spot for a wire of some kind. In fact, there are brackets with a whole number of ports, ranging from just one to as many as seven!
Next to the brackets are buckets of what are clearly wires. They each have a small clip that looks like it should fit perfectly into the port of a bracket. One of the buckets is labeled "bi-directional". The other is labeled "one-way."
"I really lucked out," I mutter. "Got everything I need to experiment."
"Your Highness…I've seen these devices during construction of amenities in the knight's quarters. What do you hope to do with them?"
"I'll pass power into a crystal, and then if the conditions are satisfied, the crystal will then pass power through the…the output…" As I say that, I grow a bit concerned. I pick up one of the brackets and turn it over in my hand. There doesn't seem to be a dedicated input and output. In fact…the three ports seem to be directly connected.
Working on a hunch, I quickly gather a few materials - a bracket with three ports, three brackets each with one port, two light crystals, one power crystal, and three one-way wires.
Once I'm back at my desk, I quickly assemble it, going by my experience from college, and my fears are realized.
"The brackets are just power splitters…"
The three-port bracket has nothing in it, but is connected to the power crystal and two light crystals. Both light crystals have turned on, despite the lack of a crystal in the three port bracket.
"Shit."
I sigh heavily, disassembling everything before returning the components to their rightful places.
"Your Highness…that was quite impressive. That you built such a circuit so easily, without any training, is no small feat."
"Impressive? That was a complete waste of time." I shake my head as I prepare to leave. "I'll have to figure out how to make them accept input and give output."
"How will you do that?"
"I'll ask Instructor Trentor. She said that they've been able to add one and zero - that must mean that there's a way to have two distinct inputs, and one output."
Dame Alex purses her lips. "So…what now? You don't have any lectures for the remainder of the day, but that doesn't mean that you should just laze around for the rest of the day."
I think for a moment, and eventually decide that if I can't work on this now, then I can work on something equally important. Some would say, even more important. And I'd be inclined to agree.
"I'm going to work on starting that club we talked about. I'll start with a flier - c'mon, let's go back to the dorm, and I can mock it up."
We leave the lab, and make our way back to the dorms. This time, we have to navigate a few crowds as we make our way through, but it’s nothing too bad.
When we get into my dorm, I sit at the small table in my half of the room and tear a piece of paper out of one of my notebooks. I quickly make a mock-up of what the flier could look like, and turn it around to show Alex, who is also seated at the table.
"What d'you think?"
She reads it out loud.
"Please join Eric Moore for an Open and Honest Discussion Regarding Sexual Health."
She looks me dead in the eye.
"Absolutely not."
"What?"
"I will not allow you to start a club focused on sex! The Headmaster said on the first night - this is a place of learning, not hedonism!" Dame Alex crosses her arms and frowns at me. Her eyes flash purple, but a little less lustrously than usual. "I was instructed to keep you in line, Your Highness. That still applies, no matter whose memories you possess."
I shake my head. This is exactly part of the problem. "Alex, what do you think I mean by sexual health?"
"I think you mean people engaging in sexual activity with the guise of it being for their health."
"Alex…" I sigh. This is going to be an uphill battle. "Sexual health is not about using sex to be healthy, it's about making sure that when someone does have sex, it's healthy, pleasurable, and safe. Among so many other things."
Dame Alex's frown deepens. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Your Highness."
I quickly run through a few of the finer points of sex ed with her to make my point. Some of the more common bits of knowledge from my world are completely novel to her, and I'm eventually able to bring her around to my train of thought.
"I…I understand, but…I don't think you should make a club." Something in her tone stops me from protesting.
"I think…you should instead write a book. And perhaps publish it under a pseudonym - to lend it more credence, and avoid scrutiny due to your past."
I stare at her for a long moment. This woman…This wonderful, amazing woman…
"I could kiss you right now, you absolute fucking genius."
She immediately begins to blush. "I…what? Your Highness, that…that is hardly appropriate!"
"Sorry - it's a saying from back home." I lean back in my chair with a sigh, and think about the other club I wanted to start.
"So, if I'm going to be getting sexual health out as a book…what if I start making good on my promise to the Spriggan we met on our way here?"
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