CONTENT WARNING: discussions of questioning gender might be rough if you experience dysphoria. More mentions of killing (it's a Divided staple), domestic violence, injury detail (bruising)
"Good afternoon, Sir! I'm Faiza, it's good to meet you. Anything specific you're looking for?"
"Oskar. A pleasure to meet you. Well, you see, I'm looking for a nice dress. Something that oozes class and femininity, something outrageous yet modest...perhaps in a monochrome palette?"
"For my...wife..."
"Yes, for my wife. It's her birthday and I'd like to spoil her."
"Ah, yes! I think I have the perfect dress. Hold on a second, let me grab it and I'll put it on the mannequin..."
"Well, what do you think? Screams outrageous-yet-modest to me. I think it'll really suit you- I mean, your wife!"
"Oh, yes! Perfect! Absolutely perfect for m...my lovely wife! She'll adore this! How much?"
"For you? One thousand Simoleons."
"Oh, no, that won't do. I'm paying you in full. In fact, have a little extra."
"One thousand five hundred? Sir, this is a massive overpayment!"
"You deserve it, Faiza. You've absolutely made my day- by making my wife's day. This means the world to me. Thank you for your time. I'd better head back with it...she's getting impatient!"
"Of course. Thank you very much for your kindness, Oskar. And I hope you- I mean, your wife- likes her lovely new dress."
"Oh, he's going to look so wonderful in that..."
* * *
"Well? What do you think, Ellie? This one..."
"Yes! I love it so much!"
"Or...this suit?"
"Oh, I can't choose! You just look so good in everything!"
"I appreciate the compliment, Ellie, but you're supposed to be helping me make a choice!"
"Well, how can I choose when you look amazing in everything? You could go in a potato sack and you'd still be the best looking one there. Why not...just pick which one you think will annoy Annorin the most?"
"I'm sure the thought of a woman wearing anything that isn't a skirt or a dress is enough to upset him. I'll stick with the suit."
"You do have a plan for this, right, Kat? I feel like it could go disastrously wrong..."
"Not exactly...but somehow, I will find a way to out him for who he really is to his rich friends. I have the letter he sent to Henry that Gideon gave me, signed by Annorin...that ought to suffice as evidence."
"Whatever happens, in some way, I will get back at Annorin for what he's done...and hopefully, with any luck, when the last of his support runs out...he'll be the one run out of Henford."
"Okay. And this man that's helping you...what's he like?"
* * *
"Why don't you just kill him?"
"I can't. I promised Katlego that I wouldn't."
"Killing him would solve most of Henford's problems- especially this Katlego's. Any reason why she's trying to be a pacifist with a man who'd happily throw her to the dogs?"
"I'm not sure. I suppose she's just not a violent person. I think I was a little strong with her."
"Don't feel bad. She'll learn the hard way someday that pacifism rarely ever wins the battle."
"Is Eli going?"
"I doubt it. He doesn't want to be within a foot of Samuel Annorin. I don't blame him."
"It makes my skin crawl to think of the man and yet I've never met him. Is this what it feels like to care about people?"
"Most likely, Violeta..."
"So...which of your many fanciful outfits are you going to be wearing?"
"A...dress."
"Oh?"
"...I bought a dress. It's black and silver. I know you probably think that's a strange surprise..."
"I've known you for years, Oskar. Nothing you could do would ever surprise me. Though I'm curious as to how you came to the decision to buy a dress."
"To put it as simply as possible, Violeta...I don't feel entirely male, but I don't feel entirely female either. I don't know if that makes sense. It barely makes sense to me."
"I don't see why not. Identity is never simple- we of all people should know that. You've been living between life and death for one hundred and sixty years, with a best friend who is not quite your best friend and not quite your mother. Who's to say someone can't live between male and female as well?"
"I was hoping you'd say that. That's what I told myself the other day...though I have a request. I know everyone's going to be wearing masquerade masks, but..."
"You want me to do your makeup, don't you?"
"...Yes, please..."
"Heh. I was hoping you'd ask me that. Don't worry- I'll make you the prettiest one there."
* * *
"How are your studies going, Eli?"
"I finally finished reading 'Woodworking for Dunces' and 'Splinters: The Woodworker's Enemy.'"
"Good to hear it."
"...Oskar? Can I ask something? It's a bit personal, but...I guess I'm concerned about you."
"I see. Go on."
"Well...Violeta told me that she turned you because you wanted more time to fulfill your goals. I guess I got worried that maybe it wasn't true, and that maybe you didn't ever want to be a vampire."
"Oh...I've asked too much, haven't I-"
"She's telling the truth, but not the whole truth. You see, Eli, I asked Violeta to turn me because I was dying of terminal illness. I don't like to talk about it, it's still a sore spot, but you're welcome to ask more if you'd like. I want you to be as comfortable with me as possible."
"That sounds so horrible. I'm sorry. I don't want to if it's a sore spot-"
"Eli...You broke the 'no apologising' rule."
"Okay, okay. Do you mind me asking what it was? The illness?"
* * *
"Yeah...I've heard of that one. My father has tried and failed multiple times to cure it, but I recall him once gloating to someone whose husband died of it that he held the only dose of the cure for it in the entire world. I don't know how true that is, or whether the cure even works."
"I told him he'd probably make more money if he worked with others to help sell his cures, instead of hoarding the knowledge for himself, but he didn't listen. My brother is no different."
"Your brother?"
"Owen. He's currently in San Myshuno, making crazy money off of his and Samuel's cures. The moment he comes back for a while...I'm going to attempt to talk him out of it again. I don't know if it'll work."
"Some people are unchangeable, Eli. Perhaps you ought to focus on your own future...Eli? Your eyes..."
"I'm so- No, I need to stop-"
"Eli? What's troubling you?"
"...Is there any chance that your illness might come back?"
"Now I'm a vampire? No, not in the slightest. Vampires don't get ill, not in the human sense. You don't need to worry."
"Ah, good. It's just...I'll be really honest, I kind of think of you as being less of my teacher and more as my..."
"Your father?"
"...Yeah. And I really don't want anything to happen to you. I hear stories all the time of people's masters dying on them-"
"I won't die, Eli. Immortality, remember? Now wipe your tears."
"I can't- I can't believe I just told you that-"
"You don't need to worry, Eli. This has happened plenty of times before. I meet someone whose fathers were terrible and hardly fathers, and became something of a father to them myself. And if that's what you need from me, Eli, then I'm happy to be there for you as a father as well as your teacher...considering your father didn't consider you worthy of his own teachings."
"I...I'd appreciate that, Oskar. Really. I'm glad that I'm here and that I'm lucky to get along well with my teacher...father...and that you actually think I'm capable of things."
"You're probably earning more than your father did when he was your age. Rub it into him next time you see him."
* * *
"Ah, Eli. I see you got my letter?"
"Why did you call me back here?"
"A few concerns about your teacher, Eli. I was just happy to get you out of my hair. I didn't care who you ended up with, but his story doesn't add up. What do you know about Herr Nivelheim?"
"I know he comes from a long line of well-known woodworkers from Windenburg, and that's it-"
"I don't believe that for a second. Explain to me, Eli- how does such a spectacular business go quiet for one hundred years and return out of the blue?"
"I don't know? Maybe the others weren't interested in-"
"I think you know more than you let on. Do you think it's wise to lie to your father-"
"Father? You've never been my father. Oskar's more of a father to me than you ever were."
"...I beg your pardon?"
"You've never cared about me. Oskar does, and he knows I'm capable of things. You didn't care about me at all. You've only ever cared about Owen, and that doesn't say much because you hardly even care about him!"
"All you've ever cared about is money. You don't care about people, you don't care about medicine. You hoard your research instead of sharing it and saving lives. I hate you!"
* * *
"Ah, Eli. I didn't expect you home so earl-"
"What on Earth happened? Where have you been?"
"I don't want to talk about-"
"Tell me what happened, Eli."
"I can't-"
"Eli..."
"I...My father asked to see me."
"Your father?!"
"I- he asked me about you. I- I"
"Asking you what about me?"
"I said I wouldn't tell him, and then- then he-"
"He did this to you, didn't he?"
"I- I told him everything, Oskar...Everything except the vampire thing..."
"You...what?"
"He didn't give me any choice! I kept telling him I wouldn't. Then I told him he was a terrible father, and that...you were a better father than- I'm sorry, Oskar. He gave me no choice, I..."
"I'm such a bad person. I'm such a bad apprentice. If you want to throw me out right now, I'd under-"
"It's not you I'm angry with, Eli. If he had an issue with me, he should've taken it up with me and not you...What kind of abysmal 'father' would do this to his own son?"
"Oskar, I don't want him to do the same thing to you."
"Your father couldn't hurt me if he tried, Eli. Don't worry about me- go and rest."
* * *
a week later
"Oh, someone else has arrived! Wonderful. The dress is gorgeous, by the way. A pleasure to meet you."
"Kat, we've already met..."
"No, I don't believe we have..."
"Ah, I see, I'll play along...Indeed, a pleasure to meet you also."