"What does it say," Levi hovered over me.

GIVE ME A SECOND IM STILL READING

"She was interested in the magical beasts that inhabited the forest-" I scanned the pages for anything interesting, "specifically the regenerative properties of certain creatures."

nothing about body swapping so far

"Lifespan extension-" Levi read something from further down the page, "do you think?"

"That's insane," I looked up at him, "but also- I looked at the date of birth listed on her record- if we want to talk to her we'd better hope she managed to extend her life somehow."

she'd be 193 years old-

"When was her last experiment? We can try and find out who worked with her- maybe one of them has a relative that's still alive," Levi began to flip through the pages.

good luck-

"I'm not sure if that will work," I continued looking over the pages I held, "I mean- clearly she was talented- her name is credited to several different projects- and yet- I've never heard of her."

"Unsurprising," Levi shrugged, "your family has been trying to erase knowledge of this shit for generations."

"Well yeah but-" I frowned, "it's still the foundation of our power- I know about researchers like Moblit Berner- and-" an interesting detail caught my eye, "from the look of these papers he was her assistant."

what happened to her

"Perhaps-"

"There must be a reason why she in particular has been forgotten- I mean look at this- she was a genius-"

who's to say that she didn't achieve immortality

"We need to find the rest of her research," Levi noted, "this is just a general overview of all of her projects."

"I don't know where they would keep those notes," I hesitated, "do the records leave any mention of when she died? Any children?"

"No children," Levi continued to read. "What the fuck?"

"Hmm?" I leaned over to get a look at what he was reading- "she disappeared?"

"She walked into the forest and disappeared-" Levi read aloud.

HUH

"Did they give a reason?"

"Apparently an 'ethical disagreement.'"

hmmm

"She sounds kinda dangerous doesn't she?"

"She's probably dead."

"They never found a body," I pointed out. "At the time there were still frequent expeditions into the forest- they would've found a body."

"Are you suggesting that she succeeded?"

"All I'm saying is that we switched bodies- she seems to be the only person who knows how to do anything about that- I'd like to be hopeful."

"I'd say you were stupid but-" Levi continued reading, "it's a lead. Do you think that someone could survive out there?"

"Sure," I shrugged, "it's dangerous but if you're smart and avoid heading too far in you'll avoid most of the more dangerous creatures."

i've wandered in a couple times

"Wouldn't someone have seen her if she lived on the outskirts?"

"Probably but-" I frowned, recollecting a memory, "there have always been stories about people living alone there- children who get lost and claim that a mysterious person rescued them."

i mean- maybe someone else would remember this better but-

i swear there was a time-

i got yelled at enough about it that i stopped telling the story

"What's wrong dumbass?"

"Huh?"

"You got quiet."

"I was just thinking- maybe we should find one of the guards- I have something to ask them."

"What were you thinking about?"

"I want to check with one of them to make sure I'm not misremembering-"

"What could you be forgetting?"

"Well- when I was younger- like around five or six I got lost in the forest for a couple days- I don't remember much of it- but I do remember being brought out of the woods by a woman."

"Why the fuck wouldn't you say something about that before?"

"Because- everyone insists that I was found by my father- I was told that it was a product of dehydration."

"What the fuck is wrong with this place?"

"Things aren't exactly relaxed when you grow up on the border of a massive dangerous forest," I muttered, "and he was a good father- strict sure- but good."

"He's still alive."

"Something like that," I nodded. "He's the only one who knows the truth- I don't think we'll ever get a solid answer."

"It's worth a shot."

"Levi- it would be best if we gave him space- I don't want to explain this to him."

"We don't have to."

i know what you're implying but

"Let's not," I said, firmly, "I don't want to."

"Alright," he nodded after a moment of silence, his hand coming to rest next to mine a breath away from touching. "We can find another way."

"Thank you," I glanced back down at the paper. "We should be celebrating- it's a lead! And hey- if worst comes to worst-" I looked up at him grinning a bit, "I'm sure you would jump at the opportunity to explore the woods a little bit."

"You're right," he nodded. "We should start by talking to anyone else who was around when you disappeared."

"Interrogating the entire estate? Fun," I nodded. "There's something more important to do before that-"

"What?"

"Thanks to your lie we now have to leave this building appropriately disheveled-"

"Fuck."

"Uh-" I gestured for him to turn around- "let me loosen the dress a bit."

"Undo the cravat," Levi nodded- aggressively avoiding my eyes, "and a couple buttons."

"All done," I stepped away from him, pulling a pin out of his hair for good measure, "how do I look?"

"I can't believe this."

"No grumbling- you're the one who got us into this mess."

"Whatever."

"Let's go."

"Right behind you."

____________________________

hanji is the love of my life

- awmi