Ten of Them

[Bloble]

Y'know, you could always use some help building the snow castle...

Besides, she laughed, so she can't be a bad person! Let's be nice and say hello, and if she wants to help you out, the more the merrier!

[Grant]

Servants are useful for learning secrets and quicker ways of getting things done. Use them if you can but be careful of getting dragged into problems you don't know about. Allow your playful professor to do most of the talking and use the occasional question to learn more. Don't detain her too long however, she might be scolded for being tardy and if she secretly resents you for it that could cost you favors in the future.

[Tobias]

eh, well, I doubt she is working, unless I am wrong and thats not a picnic basket she is holding. unless someone asked her to bring it for them, I suppose.

[Verg Avesta]

"We're building a snowcastle!" I informed the maid, before looking at Proff with raised eyebrow. "Right, Ebha?"

Okay, that might have been bit sudden, but since she had already called me "Bedwyr", I figured I might as well call her by her real name. Going "Proff this" and "Proff that" in this kind of situations would have felt weird, since that was the name associated with her occupation as an inventor. But at least Ebha did not seem to mind, as she smiled at me, and waved her mitten at the maid.

"That's right. Bedwyr here introduced me to the fine art of building things from snow, and because of that, we've been here for hours already", she chuckled a bit to herself. "You should join us, Klara. It's not like you have anything better to do, right?"

Oh, that's right. This girl..................aw, crap. It's Klara van Witmeer. How didn't I recognize her immediately?

Yes, as I take a closer look, I realize it's the gossip-machine and the motor-mouth of our school. That white bobcut and maroon-colored eyes are a dead giveaway, especially when they are combined with the already mentioned maid uniform. Both a student and a part-time maid here in the school, she is pretty much the only one to actually live on this island. And for that reason, she is also one who knows most rumors and secrets about this island, competing with Ms. Rosalund about the knowledge of things both real and rumor.

"Wahahaha~. Unfortunately, I'm working right now", Klara said with an apologetic smile and raised the basket so we could see. "Since Ms. Verde did not show up to the breakfast once more, I was told to bring her something, as she's probably once again inside that moldy chapel, doing God knows what."

"Aah, I see...", Ebha finally got out of the pile of snow where she had fallen, dusting off her clothes. "I can somehow see that. Ms. Verde really does like to spend a lot of time there...hmm..."

There was a hard battle clearly going behind Ebha's eyes, as they darted from the basket Klara was holding to the still unifinished snow castle. It was clear that the girl had hard time deciding between the activity, and the good smell that eminated from the basket. Maybe she was hoping she'd get something if she decided to visit Verde with Klara?

Well, I guess I could give my input here, to help her decide. But from the looks of things, if we now go with Klara, we won't be finishing this snowcastle today. So it's either continue making this and enjoying the day with just the two of us, or get into a big group...........

[Tobias]

I am of the opinion that you shouldn't starve your date myself, though I don't know if there is enough food there, or if miss verde is the generous type.

[Bloble]

Hm... Miss Verde is spending this time alone? On a magical day such as this one? That just won't do!

Obviously Ebha wishes to keep Miss Verde company! What a nice thing to do! Why don't you tag along?

And if Miss Verde isn't able eat all that delicious smelling food by herself, you could always... volunteer to... help her out like the good person you are.

[RacingeR]

Yeah, it could be fun to be in a bigger group, after all. Go with them, boy.

[Hyarion]

Hmm, Ebha didn't seem to think too much of Verde earlier, did she? I'm not sure that's the best idea.

Besides, today is for building your relationship with Ebha. You want to show her a good time, and this all seems too risky.

Go ahead, ask if she's hungry. If she wants, you two could go find some lunch on your own terms.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

I agree with ^ this one ^, ask Ebha if she's hungry. You've been out here for hours already, so she must really be starving.

[Verg Avesta]

"Mm, this smell.......are you hungry at all, Ebha?" I asked from the girl. After all, her eyes were quite glued to the basket Klara was holding. "I mean, we have been here for quite some time already, and there's still few hours till lunch......should we head to the kitchen to see if there's something we could momentarily use to satisfy our stomachs?"

"O-oh, I didn't, I mean, I wasn't......muuu...." Ebha seemed surprisingly embarrassed that I had figured out she was hungry, despite the fact that it had been painfully obvious. "......................Sure. If you feel like getting something to eat."

"Well, it's not that much about me but..." I stopped after seeing a slight pout and puffed cheeks. "Alright, I admit. I'm hungry, so let's go eat something!"

Klara, seeing this rather silly conversation between us, burst into one of her trademark-laughters.

"Wahahahaha~! I'm sure that Ms. Challenger will have something ready in the kitchen! We just started preparing for the lunch, but sure, go try your luck. Wahahaha~" she informed us, made a small gesture of goodbye, and then headed towards the cleared path that led up to the small chapel not too far away. I, on the other hand, looked at Ebha, raising my eyebrows as a question if we should go already.

We were about to, when...

"Oh yeah. Enjoy your date, you two~, wahahahaha!"

We both flushed bright red on our faces, and during our walk back inside, we concentrated on announcing how ridiculous misunderstanding there could be.

In any event, when we got back inside, we were greeted by the warmth of the old, manor-like building, which was the complete opposite of the cool air outside. Here, it was bit stuffy, yet somewhat cozy. Perhaps it was the Christmas, or perhaps it was the simple fact that I had someone other than Ian with me at the moment, but right now, Tudor Boarding School seemed far nicer than usual. After dusting off most of the snow that had stuck to our clothing, we headed towards the kitchen, using the back door instead of going through the dining hall.

The loud shizzling noses of the frying pans and some low humming blasted out of the kitchen door as we opened it and slipped inside. The kitchen itself was very old in style, but there were lots of modern appliances to help with cooking, which came especially handy during times like Christmas, when there weren't that many people of the staff on the island. But, this was the year 1995 after all. In such a modern age and day, handling the food for a whole Boarding School (Or, at least fraction of its students) during Christmas could be handled by one housekeeper and one maid.

"Ooh. If it isn't Ebha and Bedwyr. What's up, you two? Never seen you two together before", came a frank voice from behind one of the ovens. In a second or two, the owner of the voice appeared, having previously been squatting behind the said oven, probably preparing some food.

Ms. Challenger. She was a woman with long hair on a ponytail, rather pretty face and never-ending, if bit sly, smile on her face. I'm not sure what her actual age was, but she seemed to be somewhere around her mid-twenties. However, her mind was pretty much always stuck as that of a 18 year old girl. She associated with us students more than any other member of the staff, always listening to our suggestions about the food or about improvements in the building generally. And she did more than just listen, she actually acted whenever she had chance. It was thanks to her that we had gotten radios in almost every dormitory room.

"W-wow......have you dyed your hair, Ms. Challenger?" Ebha asked, pointing out the obvious fact that I somehow missed. After all, Ms. Challenger's hair was now deep, deep violet, almost ot the point of resembling black. "It looks very good on you."

"Ehehehe~, you think so? Well, I was just trying to keep up with the current trends..." Ms. Challenger asked, but could not hide how satisfied she felt after being praised in such a way. "Judging by that flattery, however, I assume you're here for snacks?"

"Yeah.......something like that", I admitted, raising my hands like a criminal caught by a master detective. "We were so engrossed in building our snowcastle, we did not realize how fast the time was flying by. And when we snapped out of it, we realized our stomachs were rumbling."

"I see, I see...", Ms. Challenger kept nodding when I told the story, and finally slapped her hands together. "Alright! Leave it to me!"

Ms. Challenger went away for a bit, and when she came back, she was holding something behind her back. The mischievous smile on her face promised no good, making Ebha and I exchange a gaze that told we both knew something strange was coming up. Ms. Challenger had a bad reputation of rambling on about the strangest of things, usually spurred by whatever thick, complicated book she had borrowed from the library. She had a strange way of reading about all kinds of scientific dilemmas, and then parading around with them, as if trying to prove she knew more than the students here.

-------------- Looks like it was time for one of them again.

"Say, Bedwyr......." Ms. Challenger looked at me like the Cheshire Cat. "On my other hand, I've got a sweet, sweet cinnamon muffin I made extra large. And on my other hand, I've got a slice of Christmas cake. I promise I won't change what's in each hand after you've chosen, and even if I did, it would be easy to tell, and you could call me out on it."

Her eyes seemed to hold a strange glint.

"Now........which hand do you pick?"

[Hyarion]

*whistles* Bedwyr, you lucky dog. This is going down even more smoothly than I hoped.

So... left, right, I dunno -- all I know is that sharing a nice warm muffin on a snowy day like this sounds awesome.

Eheh, maybe I should take a peek?

[hero]

Wahaha, Wahahaha~!

I say left!

[Tobias]

Wahaha, Wahahaha~!

I dont really have a preference between the two, cake or cinnamon, either seem good, though whats amusing is I bet the professor actually knows whats in each hand, she is more observant then our boy is, why not differ to her?

[Bloble]

Christmas Cake if you're a Cake Eater. You can have muffins any day of the year but you only get Christmas Cake on that special day.

Go left.

[Verg Avesta]

Hmm....well, before I'm making any decision...

"Hey, Ebha? You got any suggestion? Which one I should choose, that is", I asked, turning my head to meet the gaze of the short girl. She adjusted her glasses, peering at Ms. Challenger who wore a mysterious smile.

It was a bit strange to watch those two. It was almost as if there had been some kind of secret conversation that happened only with their eyes. Was Ebha trying to ask what the answer was without actually revealing it to me? Before I could entertain this thought further, the purple-haired girl turned at me, with a giggle.

"Sorry, Bedwyr. I think I figured it out, but I'm not supposed to tell. If my guess is right, I act as a sort of "Lil-Predictor" here, so, no can do", she said with a smile that mimicked that of Ms. Challenger.

Well, so much for external help. I sigh and fold my arms, looking hard at the options laid before me. Finally, I give my decision, using democratic decision of the spirits in my head as a help.

"Left. I'll pick left."

"Alright~, Christmas cake it is~" Ms. Challenger congratulated me, and handed me the plate she was holding with her left hand. And indeed, it contained a large slice of delicious looking Christmas cake. As I took the said plate, Ms. Challenger handed the other plate, containing the previously mentioned muffin, to Ebha.

"Well, while you're eating that, might I get you to listen to me?" Ms. Challenger asked, and as I nodded, she continued. "Okay. Good. I guess you're having no idea why you I made you chose between those two things beforehand. After all, only I knew exactly which hand held which plate. Before all this had happened, when I went to get the plates, I actually made a prediction about which plate you would take. Not that it matters what me, the mere mortal, guessed, but what if I had been a some kind of omnipotent being, predicting your answer? The type of being that could not be wrong. Now, if that were true, what would that mean for your dilemma of choosing the plates?"

For a moment, I just stopped and stared at this woman. What the hell was she blabbering about?

"I have no idea", I answered with a deadpan voice, causing Ms. Challenger to sigh heavily.

"Haven't you've been reading fatalism? Idle argument? No?" As I shrugged, she apparently gave up. "Well, in that case, allow me to explain. If I, an omnipotent Predictor, had correctly predicted what plate you would pick, would it matter at all which plate you did pick? After all, in that case, whichever plate you would pick would have been already predicted, and thus, the "result" would already be there. That means that there is no reason for you to even bother thinking about, as your decision does not matter. That is the basic premise of the "kitchen version" of Idle Argument."

..............What?

"If you'd want to put it in layman's terms, hmm......I guess: "I cannot change the past event, thus I cannot determine the future event" would be about right? It's a bit of a paradox, isn't it?" Suddenly, Ms. Challenger eyes lit up dangerously, like cat's. "Now what if.......what if we were to turn that sentence around? Because wouldn't what I just said mean, in opposite, that: "I can determine the future event, thus I can change the past event? So, if you can determine what will happen in the future, you could change what you do in the past. Think about it. You did not know what I had predicted before giving you the chance to choose between the plates, and thus, it was just a big unknown mystery to you. Wouldn't that mean that, for you, there was no prediction, and whichever plate you took would actually determine my prediction? In other words, you would be affecting the past by making a decision in the future."

For a moment, the shiny-eyed Ms. Challenger falls silent, begore looking at me.

"So, did you get what I'm trying to say?"

So, basically, if I'm getting this right...

"If the result of my action is tied to the past, by changing the result in the future, I can also change the past? Is that right?" I ask, and enthusiastically, both Ebha and Ms. Challenger nod.

"That is what we call Newcomb's paradox. It is an interesting little game of thought I read about yesterday, don't you think?" Ms. Challenger asked me with a wide smile.

"I-I see......" As usual, I'm having hard time following her thought-process. I think it's best to steer this conversation to clearer waters. "Though, speaking of paradoxes........how come your food always looks so great, but if it's not done with any of the other maids, it tastes rather bland?"

Crack!

A vein popped in Ms. Challenger's head, and she gave me a rather dangerous look.

C-crap.....I went and spoke too much again. From the looks of it, she's getting ready to blow. After all, I both told the truth about her cooking, and managed to ruin the atmosphere left by her "smart-talk". ......What should I do....?

[Tobias]

follow my instructions to the letter boy.

Draw out the silence for just a few seconds, enough to let the silence get akward, the repeat after me.


"Well, now, I actually was hoping I would get the cake, I like it more and your cakes are always delicious. Right now you are mad at me, right? so, if you were capable of determining what it was I would receive, wouldn't I now be holding the roll?"

then have a small bite and smile at her. to diffuse the tension.

you also might want to keep that thought with you boy, if you have the mind for it. assuming she isn't just a crazy kitchen lady, and something like that would exist, effecting the past by modifying a prediction would be possible by coercing the predictor

[Twelveseal]

Oooh, oi. Foot in Mouth Syndrome. Get thy toes off they tongue. A "just kidding" might suffice, but that'll make you seem immature, and maybe leave hard feelings... Buu. Your best bet is the previous spirit's suggestion, augmented a bit. Point out that you were trying to see if you understood the clearly enlightened, ingenius process she just proposed by attempting to apply it. Flatter her intellect within reason, since that's where she's looking for accolades. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered with the game in the first place... Be playful about it as well, since you don't want it to seem like you were serious about her cooking.

Also, should you manage to get both snacks out of this, remember to ask Ebha which one she wants before you chow down. Making a sacrifice of your own preference here may be needed, but in this case it's much better to keep her interests in mind.

[RacingeR]

"Oh, lookie, a bird!"

And then run the hell away.

Talking seriously, I suggest the same than those other two spirits. Just try to not be... obvious at it, boy.

[Verg Avesta]

What the hell, I got the cake, so why would I say some nonsense like that? Sometimes these spirits just don't make sense...

Anyways:

"D-don't look so serious, I was just joking! I wanted to give an example to see if I got the theory you just proposed right, see?" I tried to convince Ms. Challenger, who seemed still rather unconvinced. So, to aid the situation more... "You know how much I like to hear these things, and so, it should be obvious I try to take them to the heart. I apologize if the example was in bit of a bad taste, but I was just trying to be humorous..."

After listening to my words, Ms. Challengever gives a loud sigh, placing her hands on her hips. To my relief, when she looks at me again, she has a broad smile on her lips.

"Gosh, whatever am I going to do with you?", she responded, shaking her head. "If you keep talking like that with girls, you'll end up in trouble fast. That is, if Ebha is not planning on keeping your reins tightly in her hands from the very start."

"Ghhh! *cough!*cough!*cough*!"

To my left, it seems that after hearing that last sentence, Ebha nearly chokes in her over-sized muffin. Speaking of which, she has done short work of that muffin quite quickly. I suppose I should be doing the same to my christmas cake, now that I've managed to defuse that dangerous situation.

"M-Ms. Challenger, stop that! I hate it when you tease people like that!" Ebha complained, only to turn the said woman's low chuckle into a roaring laughter.

Eventually, we said goodbye to Ms. Challenger, promising we would speak with her more during the lunch. Having finished our quick snack, we headed back outside, pumped up about finishing our snowcastle. The sky outside was still bright, but few rather ominous clouds could already be seen in the horizon. And so we braved the cold air and decided to finish what we had started. In the midst of the building, we talked about irrelevant things, like what we both would be doing during the summer, what were our favorite subjects, how much we both were afraid of the old man Holmes, the caretaker of the Tudor Boarding School.

And so, time passed quite nicely, in an atmosphere that was certainly pleasant...

.....................

"....The wind's picking up. I guess we should head inside, huh, Bedwyr?"

Ebha asked me this as we were putting finishing touches on our snowcastle. We had finished it a quite some time ago, but there was always some tweaking to be done. And it was really almost as if neither of us wanted to really end the task. I knew that I didn't want to. After all, right now, it was the only "real" reason why we were hanging out together. But still..........Ebha was right. Now that the clouds had almost completely taken over the sky, and since the wind was getting colder and colder, the right idea would have definitely been going back inside.

"Yeah. I mean, they are serving the lunch in less than ten minutes. Let's go."

We both headed towards the main building after giving the fruit of our labour a one, last satisfied look. While heading inside, we were chatting about the possibilities of what had been prepared for lunch, and what crazy theory would Ms. Challenger teach us next time. As we kept chatting, I almost missed something strange that was definitely out of place in the Tudor Island. It was only thanks to Ebha, someone who was always looking for something new and interesting, that I noticed it.

"Huh? ........What's that?" she asked, pointing near the wall of the manor. "See those? Are those........footprints of somesort?"

She was right. There, crystal clear on the snow, was a set of footprints that lead along the wall of the manor, to the shadow of the Bird Tower and around it. Someone had clearly walked over there just few moments ago since the footprints seemed rather fresh. However.....that was a bit strange. After all, both Ebha and I had been near the manor the whole time, and I definitely had not seen anyone walking over here. And since Ebha had pointed them out, it was most probable she hadn't either.

So, who had left these footprints? If they even were footprings. I mean, when looking at them close, they seemed a bit too.....strangely-shaped to have been left by a human foot.

What should we do? I glanced at Ebha, who was already looking at me, as if searching for an answer.

[RacingeR]

Hmm... this sounds... interesting, boy.

Follow the footprints, it is just way too intriguing to leave alone.