The collection of circus performers all wished Tessa well before Donny, Lonny, and Marcus saw her to the street. She, after all, had to be in place before everyone else.
As Marcus waved down a carriage, Lonny reassured Tessa, giving her a big hug. "Alright, love, tear down that curtain."
"Lonny's right; put on a show they will never forget," Donny encouraged, patting her shoulder. Though the twins both were using old theater idioms, chiefly because circus and theater performers were a superstitious lot, she understood their true intent; do your best, and best of luck. If anything, they all needed luck tonight. If things did not work out, she shuddered to think what would become of her adopted family.
After a short ride in a carriage (the earlier protests had since been disbanded), Tessa arrived back at the university grounds at a quarter past seven. She went to the science wing to ensure everything was still in position. There, she found Professor Cornwall in his classroom. He was busy arbitrating with several students as they argued over some form of semantics involving presentation order.
"Ah! Miss. Copperfield, there you are." he said, looking pleased at her arrival.
"Good to see you too, professor," Tessa said, bowing, noting that the skylight was still ajar and the room was still warm. She also noted with some amusement that the glass from the window she broke had already been cleaned up, but the window itself remained open and exposed.
Rummaging through her bag, Tessa withdrew the sign-up form that she had quickly scribbled out on the way. "Here you are, professor." She handed him the signup sheet.
"Excellent," he said, taking the document and sliding it into a folder with several others before addressing the three students, "Now, gentlemen, if you would please excuse me, I have work to do."
The three young men bowed and left the room as the door shut behind them. Professor Cornwall rubbed his head, "entitled little pricks."
"Why?" Tessa asked, looking after the boys with an amused expression, "Who were they?"
"The sons of nobles from Avalon and Missidith," he griped.
"I see. Amazing how some well-placed coin can open doors for you."
"Honestly," the Professor said, heading for his desk, "if I had even half as many students like you who got on here on merit, I would be a very happy man."
"Now what?" Professor Cornwall huffed as he turned around for the door he had just shut, opening it. His expression went from irritated to surprise, "Maxwell? What are you doing back here, old boy? I thought you had an airship to catch?"
"We did! But wouldn't you know it? I've misplaced my wallet, and they wouldn't let us on." A man from out in the hall said with a particularly heavy Avalonian accent.
"You've lost your wallet? I swear if your head wasn't attached, you would lose that too." Professor Cornwall laughed, "Can you just go buy another ticket?"
"No," the other spat, "apparently, they're sold out. We either must take a train all the way down to Gailsong and double back or catch a steamer all the way around down through the Grace Archipelago. So much for getting there early."
"That is unfortunate." the professor said apologetically, "When do you leave?"
"Not for a couple days."
"Well, old Chap, I am sorry to hear that. I am afraid I do not have much time to entertain you or your grievances, but if you wish to come in for a minute while I pack, you could come with me and see the school's science expo. I know it will not be nearly as grand or as useful to you as the event at that city of tomorrow, but at least it will prove amusing."
Two well-dressed people stepped into the classroom; the first, to Tessa's alarm, was the man from outside that she had stolen from. The man's eyes fell on the broken window, "I dare say, this is rather unexpected. What happened? was there a brake in?"
Tessa felt her face flush red with embarrassment and prayed that the professor would keep up the ruse. But her worry was for nothing, for he stated, rather meekly,
"A blunder on my part. I was in the process of experimenting with some rather volatile compounds, including a nasty little—
But Sir Cornwall only rolled his eyes and barked with laughter, "Of course, you blew something up. Why would I expect anything less from you, brother." he smiled before asking, "Was there anything of importance that was lost in the accident?"
"Oh, no, no, everything of high value was locked up at the time." Professor Cornwall cleared his throat, offering, "Maxwell, Miss Briggs, this is one of my old students, miss Tessa Copperfield. Miss Copperfield, this is my brother, Maxwell, and his assistant miss Briggs."
"Your brother?" It took Tessa a moment to see the resemblance, but there were notable similarities besides the apparent stature differences. "Nice to meet you," Tessa felt notably aware of her lack of refinement compared to the gentlemen and lady. Though Lonny had helped her arrange suitable attire for the occasion, it was not nearly as expensive as there's.
The stout man with Miss Briggs gave a well-practiced courtly bow. "Sir Maxwell Cornelius Cornwall the third, ambassador for the royal crown of Avalon, military adviser for the naval shipyards, head of the officer's academy of Britannia, and member of the board for the Royal School of Research and Development, at your service."
"Well, now. Um, that is quite the title. It doesn't happen to fit on a business card, does it?" Tessa asked, even more alarmed that she had pit pocketed such a notable individual.
"Ha! You would be correct. It does not fit very easily," he then produced from his pocket an artistically organized slip of paper with all the titles and accolades he had just rattled off in fine lettering.
Tessa took the card; the weight of the situation made her feel like the bottom of her gut was about to drop out. Still, she thought the long list of titles was a bit ostentatious. Putting on a confident demeanor, Tessa observed with a measured cadence, "I see that your family keeps themselves busy."
"Ha! Overachievers, each one of us in the Cornwall line." the representative's cheeks brightened with mirth as he twirled his mustache, "Still, a pleasure, all the same, to meet you, Miss Copperfield. I too was an alumnus of this prestigious institution. But that was years ago, back when this place was still a Naval Academy for the Kingdom of Avalon; gods save the queen."
"Gods save the queen," Miss Briggs said with an equally clipped and pronounced way of speaking.
As the Professor and Maxwell continued to talk, Tessa set down her bag ruffling through her tools, ensuring that she had everything ready for the presentation.
"Those tools, are they yours? Or do they belong to the professor?"
Tessa glanced up to find miss Briggs hovering nearby, watching her with an analytical gaze. She looked stiff, if not outright uncomfortable, which seemed odd to Tessa; the woman could not be much older than herself. "they're mine," Tessa said politely while she worked. As she did so, she looked over the woman; Tessa thought that the rigid demeanor of Miss Briggs was complimented by her striking and orderly looks. Pinned up in a courtly braided bun, her hair matched her wire-rim glasses, expensive gray traveling coat, and cold blue dress. Her buckled boots shined with meticulous polish.
"I see." Miss Briggs said, with her hands clasped at her waste. "So, tell me, miss Copperfield, when did you graduate?"
"I graduated in 72 when I was sixteen," Tessa said. She had the impression that she was talking to a no-nonsense school teacher who would rap her wrists with a ruler.
"You are a local denizen of Kenton, correct?" miss Briggs politely pressed. "Your accent. It would suggest as much."
"You would be correct there as well. I grew up here," Tessa acknowledged, resoldering her bag and straightening her dress.
"Intriguing," miss Briggs glanced at the brothers. Maxwell was guffawing at something Cornwall said covertly. Adjusting her glasses with her long thin fingers, the regal woman nodded to Tessa's things. "And do pardon my inquiry, but I could not help but notice that flyer for the Grand Spire opining in Utopia. Do you plan to attend?"
Tessa looked down, seeing the flyer sticking out of the side pocket with the words 'congratulations' and 'grand opening and the world of tomorrow' at the top. She had forgotten she had stuffed the flyer in there the other day when she ripped it down, "Yes, I am attending."
Miss Briggs gave a small smile, a strange thing on an otherwise cold and calculative face. "As you may have heard when we first came in, we are attending as well." Noting the two men, she cleared her throat.
"I apologize. Did you say something, Miss Briggs?" Sir Cornwall asked.
The prim assistant closed her eyes with a sigh, only briefly giving away her annoyance before offering, "Miss Copperfield and I were just discussing how she will be attending the same event as we are. The opening of the grand spider."
"Oh, really? As in Utopia? Marvelous!" Sir Cornwall exclaimed. "And what takes you to such a prestigious event?"
Tessa shrugged, "I was invited by an old colleague of mine."
Miss Briggs inquired, "Does that mean you worked at Utopia in some capacity? Some form of assistant, perhaps?"
"Indeed," Professor Cornwall stated, "in fact, miss Copperfield here was the assistant to the man behind the whole idea—"
"Oh! look at the time." Tessa said, ignoring the assistant comment, as she pulled out her watch, "Shall we head out then? We do not wish to be late." She could not bear the idea of talking about Meriwether.
"Oh, right, I suppose you are correct." Professor Cornwall said as he opened the door, "Now, as I was saying...."
To Tessa's annoyance, the Professor continued to explain how he had taught Tessa and the famed Gray Merriweather as he led them all down the hall of the science wing toward the auditoriums. Tessa bit her tongue and did not say much as he told his brother specifically about Gray's accomplishments under his tutelage, including the electric light bulb, the telegraph, and other modern wonders.
As they walked along, Miss Briggs asked, "And what was your part in all of this, Miss Copperfield? You where Mr. Merriweather's assistant? Correct?"
"Hardly," Tessa felt a spike of emotion, "I would have you know I was the chief engineer and designer of the wireless power grid. Not Mayweather."
"Truly?" Mss. Briggs asked, amused by the intrigue, "I was under the impression that Mr. Meriwether was the mind behind the power grid."
"I was his partner, not assistant. And he did help with the design, but in the end, the pretentious prick took all the credit for himself."
"Oh my," Professor Cornwall said with wide eyes, "I see. I had wondered what had happened."
"Yes, well..." Tessa took a deep breath, feeling a subdued anger. "I felt I should correct your misgivings about who did what."
"But if that is the case," Maxwell asked, "Why are you not included in the acknowledgments or the press relicenses?"
"Because those treacherous backstabbers unceremoniously kicked me out of my own project—" realizing what she was saying, Tessa stammered and tried to recover, "I mean, over petty bureaucracy, of all things."
Professor Cornwall shifted uncomfortably, "I wouldn't say that too loudly. You wouldn't want the Dean of students to hear that would you?"
"I'm sorry, professor," Tessa said sheepishly, "but these last few years have been difficult because of him."
Miss Briggs, who appeared altogether unfazed by Tessa's verbal outburst, put a finger to her cheek. "So then, am I to assume that the colleague who invited you to the event was Mr. Meriwether?"
Tessa shot a glance at her.
The woman smiled when she noted Tessa's expression, "But if you were removed, then why would he invite you back at all?"
Tessa, a bit put off by Miss Briggs's uncanny accuracy, admitted, "He sent a letter expressing that he wanted to make amends."
"If I didn't know better," Miss Briggs said, clasping her hands behind her back as they walked, "it would appear that you do not believe the claim."
"Truthfully, I can't see him putting aside his pride and prejudice toward me to do such a thing. Knowing him, he probably wants to brag about his runaway success to my face."
Sir Cornwall twisted the end of his mustache. "Then why, dear girl, would you attend at all?"
Tessa sighed as she took another step, "I wish I knew."
Stepping into the auditorium, Tessa was met with a throng of people all lined up. At the end, there was a man taking tickets, a Mer to be precise, dressed up in a tailored suit that matched his blue skin tone.
"Who's that?" Tessa asked, surprised to see a Mir this far north.
Professor Cornwall smiled, "That is U-ti. he's the school's newest professor-- indigenous studies." he then frowned, "Unfortunately, not all of the faculty and students treat him with the most respect. I've heard on more than one occasion people call him siren."
"Really? Some people are just so inconsiderate." Tessa grimaced. It was annoying to her that such prejudices existed. Most of the time, the colonists were the worst offenders, calling the more exotic natives, such as the Oni, anything from horn heads, demons, and devils.
The Mir did not fare much better, being berated as sirens and fish guts.
The Jotnar, particularly the purebloods, were especially targeted by colonial prejudice. Everything from tar-bloods, half-breeds, coal face, and worse were used to label the giants of the south.
Even the Omale, who were arguably the most like the colonists in terms of looks and size, were often referred to in less than flattering terms.
In each case, the terms were meant to be demeaning and derogatory, designed to debase and dehumanize the targeted groups.
However, Tessa had seen ample examples of discrimination going the other way too. On one occasion during a performance, a particularly drunk Omale patron at the circus had heckled her for her red hair and freckles, a distinct characteristic of colonists whose ancestors haled from the defunct kingdom of Albion.
The inebriated man whistled at her before calling out "hay, fire-crotch" and offering a less-than-appropriate gesture. The man was quickly beaten and dragged out of the tent before being thrown into the mud.
Tessa eyed the Mir professor before admitting, "I'm shocked that the old guard here at the school would admit any of the natives as a professor, least of all a Mir."
"A junior professor," A calm, cold voice came from behind, "but one all the same."
Tessa's heart sank. She turned to find herself face to face with the Dean of the school, Chapel Merriweather. A shiver ran down Tessa's spine as she was confronted with him, memories flooding back of her less-than-welcome interactions with the man.
"Miss Copperfield, I am surprised to see you here. To what end have you returned to my respected institution?"
Putting up with the slight, Tessa played the game as she smiled cheerfully and gave a slight bow to the headmaster, "Good evening, Mr. Merriweather. I'm excited to say I have a new invention I'll be presenting tonight."
"Will you now?" The Dean's thick brow shut up, "should I have the staff prepare the fire extinguisher?"
Professor Cornwall stepped in at this point, maintaining his brother Sir Cornwall and his secretary Miss Briggs.
Chapel Meriweather bowed, "I'm surprised to still see you here, Sir Cornwall. Were you not departing?"
"We were, but we had a bit of a delay. My pocketbook was stolen."
"Stolen?" Professor Cornwall asked, alarmed, "I thought you said you lost it?"
"I did. But unless there is some sort of temporal rift in my apartment, we assume it was stolen. We turn that place upside down for hours, searching for it with no luck."
Professor Cornwall and the headmaster glanced at one another for a moment before locking eyes with Tessa, the professor looking concerned, Chapel Meriwether with disdain and suspicion.
Tessa subtly shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck, doing her best to look innocent.
Luckily for Tessa, Sir Cornwall was obvious to the tension in the air as he asked, "So then, Merriweather, tell me, how proud are you of your son's latest achievements?" Sir Cornwall said.
"As much as one parent can be," he said coolly. At the mention of his son, he seemed to be drawn away from his suspicion.
"Do you intend to see the grand opening?" Miss Briggs asked, looking over her shoulder at the crowd as they dispersed amongst the auditorium and the various stands and presentations.
The Dean of Students, "I was not planning on such."
"This seems quite the crowning achievement; wouldn't he want you present for something like this?"
"Good Sir, if I had taken time to go to every single one of his grand achievements, I would never be able to run this school. Furthermore, if you've seen one of his grand inventions, you've seen them all. At any rate, professor, I expect you to keep a close eye on tonight's entries and ensure that nothing goes awry." he glanced a final time at Tessa.
"Of course," Professor Cornwall said with a cheery grin, "as always. and hopefully, we see some good work tonight from our students and our alumni," he said this as he made a slight gesture to Tessa, indicating that he at least, believed in her abilities.
It made Tessa's heart twinge again with regret as she imagined the others getting into position for the heist. The fact was, she was playing a role in potentially ruining his career.
Chapel Merriweather gave a thin smile before nodding towards the doors, "Speaking of which, I have many more guests to inquire of." he sighed, "So much to do and so little time left to do it. If you would excuse me, Sir Cornwall, Professor Cornwall, Miss Briggs," he bowed to each expressly skipping over Tessa, before saying, "good evening." the Dean of students disappeared into the throng of students.
Tessa's blood boiled as she watched the man walk away.
A round of applause rose amongst the crowd as the first student approached the stage.
Professor Cornwall told Tessa, "If you would please excuse me, I must go turn in your form so you can present at the end with the other alumni."
"Please. Thank you again very much," Tessa said, checking her watch. She imagined Marcus and his team were probably just heading out from the circus with all of their gear. She wished she was with them instead of here in her stuffy dress. Still, with nothing else really better to do, and upon their invitation, Tessa joined Sir Cornwall at their table. At least this is an excellent opportunity to improve my alibi Tessa thought as she sat down with the two delegates.