[color=f7976a][b]LÊ BẰNG KIỀU[/b][/color][hr]The door closed behind Bang with a soft click. He waited a few moments by that station, listening. Altering his listening. Vessels and membranes within his ear canals shifted at his bidding, going off of practiced muscle memory at this point. His range shifted to the dorm, checking James’ nightly routine. Nothing unusual as far as he could sense. To the rest of the building next. Many students rustling their sheets, preparing for sleep. Some ever-diligent Technologists still tinkering, no doubt into the quietest hours of the night. And—

[i]CLANGGGG.[/i]

As if someone had slapped both his ears with a cricket bat, an aural blast assaulted his enhanced hearing, leaving him to barely muffle a scream of pain with his hand. The Egoist collapsed to one knee and rubbed at his ears, working to correct his hearing before the remainder of the ringings collapsed him. But before he shut it off, there was another sound beneath the chimes that caught his attention.

…Whalesong? 

Close but far away. Almost lamenting. Bang had not the slightest clue what that could have been. It wasn’t an auditory hallucination; his bodily functions would not allow that. Perhaps another strange resonance from the clock tower?

That train of thought didn’t continue long before he noticed something strange about the dorm. Even with his rudimentary Technologist knowledge he could see the Formulae and put a name to them. Starsteel, was it?

Bang took this as his cue to finally get to bed. More tiredly than he would have expected, he pulled the covers over him, and as he lay there staring at the ceiling, he finally allowed his mind to wander. 

The beating of his heart, the blood pumping through every vein, every organ. The contractions of his lungs. The suction of his intestines. All these sensations were as familiar as breathing to him now, and just as conscious.

He closed his eyes and sharpened his hearing once more, letting the range flow more gradually this time for fear of another blast from that accursed clock.

He did not dream that night, as he had not done for many years now.

He thought of whalesongs.
[hr]
Bang stifled a frown at this examination-turned-spectacle. As much as he hesitated to admit it, the Mesmerologist loon made a valid point. And Ryuuko, volunteering so easily…

Well, it made sense. She seemed a go-getter. Everything she did seemed to forge her reputation into something brighter, more fearsome. What did Bang have exactly? A pitiful story and fatigue. Antiquated Formulae that would leave him at the mercy of anyone here with decent aim. He’d made some decent traction at the ball but it wouldn’t be enough to catch the eye of his target. He needed to forge something of his own.

The sharp clack of a cane punctuated Bang’s entrance as he took a step forward.

[color=f7976a]“Ah. I think what Mister Schr… er. What [i]he[/i] means to say is that this ‘examination’ may have been a bit too much. With respects to the justice system, this demonstration seems a surefire way to throw away any hopes of an impartial jury. A-And in addition to that!”[/color]

He coughed. Ah, he usually had his own Amp for these sorts of speeches. Bang looked at the girl he knew only by name and saw something familiar in the resentment. Something preventable.

[color=f7976a]“I don’t believe in punitive justice. Although much knowledge has been lost last night, is that not why we’ve all gathered to this island? To prosper through cooperation and create even greater tomes of Formulae than any single nation could achieve on its own? What do we gain from crushing brilliance underfoot instead of allowing it to blossom?”[/color]

The Egoist glanced at the Austrian boy for a moment before looking right back at Robespierre.

[color=f7976a]“Miss du Bordeaux does not gain anything from being strung up like a market goat. Neither does this academy, unless its intent was to display cruelty and intolerance for the justice process. What she needs is rehabilitation and an environment of understanding. So I… I also volunteer to supervise her for three days as preparations for the trials are made.”[/color]

He’d have to brew a lifetime’s worth of coffee for James as apology after this.