Finding Stardust

"Uwauwa?" Emma blinked several times at Marlowe's question. Ugh ... he almost found out that Emma wasn't really from Taeshi.

Was this Uwauwa a typical animal of that kingdom?

Emma swallowed hard. She didn't know what other lies she could come up with to tell Marlowe. Finally, she shook her head. "I have just never seen it in real life. This animal is so cute, don't you think?"

The Uwauwa was wagging its tail, looking like a delighted dog ​​because its master had come home. Only when she rubbed her head against Marlowe's feet did Emma see a pair of eyes sticking out from beneath the long fur.

Gosh ... this furball is so cute, Emma thought.

"What is her name?" asked the girl to change the subject. "She is so cute! Just like a ball of fur ..."

She stretched out her hand, stroked Uwauwa's head. The moment she touched her fur, Emma felt so impressed. Her fur was amazingly smooth, like silk. Seeing how Emma looked so affectionate towards his pets, Marlowe's countenance became soft again.

He no longer pressed Emma about why she didn't know Uwauwa even though she claimed to be from Taeshi. The man crouched down and stroked the head of the long, shaggy animal and pulled its fur aside so that Emma could see a funny face beneath it.

"Her name is Lulu," said Marlowe. "Lulu, say hello to our guest."

From behind the ball of fur rose a furry leg, as if to ask Emma for a handshake. The girl was stunned. Spontaneously, she touched Lulu's hand and praised the animal's cleverness. "Wow, you're so smart. My name is Lee. How are you, Lulu?"

Lulu made some noise and then looked up toward Marlowe. The man suddenly cleared his throat and then shaking his head at Lulu, whose face was again covered in her long fur.

Emma looked up too and got to her feet.

"What did Lulu just say?" asked the girl curiously. Marlowe refused to answer and returned his focus on Lyra, whom he had just placed on one of the clinic beds.

"You'll be fine," said Marlowe softly to the big fat dog. "I will take care of you and find whoever it is who had hurt you."

He took a bowl filled with wound ointment, bandages, and water and then treated Lyra's wound with great care. Meanwhile, Emma, ​​who stood beside him, felt there was nothing she could help him with. She then decided to excuse herself and return to her dormitory. 

It was past midnight. It would be better if she forced herself to go to sleep and rest. Tomorrow she had to attend an induction session held by the student council.

"Sir ... uh, Marlowe. I think I have to go back to my dorm now. I hope Lyra will get better soon, and you will be able to find the culprit," said Emma. She prepared to step toward the door, but Marlowe's voice stopped her.

Emma turned to him in surprise. She didn't expect Marlowe would order her around this clinic. However, since Marlowe was a teacher at this academy, she felt bad about refusing his request. Finally, the girl nodded and turned away from the door.

"Where's the kitchen?"

"Behind the cupboard is a counter filled with cooking utensils," said Marlowe, cleaning the deep wound on Lyra's neck. The animal looked in pain, so Marlowe rubbed its back affectionately. "Ssshhh .. you will get well. You will get well soon ..." 

The way Marlowe rubbed Lyra's back and comforted her, reminded Emma of a father who really loved his child. 

Ahh .. for some reason, a drop of tear slowly rolled down her cheek. Unknowingly, Emma's mind was drifted back to sixteen years ago. 

Oh.. it was such a long time ago in the past. Her memory about it was already buried in her mind, but somehow, tonight, it went back to the surface. Emma remembered Kaoshin carried her after she fell to the ground from an apple tree due to losing her balance. She was only three years old and was very active.

Marlowe, who got up and walked to the cupboard about to get something, was stunned to see Emma standing there and shedding tears. The man's curt expression turned soft.

"Are you okay?" he asked in surprise.

Emma shook her head and blinked her eyes several times. She then walked over to the kitchen counter that Marlowe had pointed at and set fire to boil water. 

The young man watched Emma for a while before turning back his attention to Lyra.

Emma just stood by the counter, waiting for the water to boil while looking around. She saw that this hut looked simple but clean. In fact, it was arguably very comfortable.

It made her wonder if this was really a veterinary clinic for sick and injured animals, or was this where Marlowe lived?

"After the water boils, you can find the tea on the spice rack to your right," Marlowe said suddenly, stirring Emma from her reverie.

"Eh ...? Tea, you say?" Emma repeated her words to make sure she didn't mishear the man. At first, she thought Marlowe told her to boil water to treat Lyra's wound or wash her...

As it turned out, he wanted her to make tea?

"Would you like tea?" asked Emma in a slightly irritated tone. She felt used. After earlier Marlowe made her bring Alex Chu here, was she now being told to make tea?

"You don't want tea?" Marlowe asked in return.

Emma stared at the man in amazement. Why would they be drinking tea together in the middle of the night like this?

"I have to go back to the dormitory. It's already midnight," said the girl.

"I'll take you to the dorm," ​​said Marlowe firmly. "But I can only walk you after I'm done with Lyra. So while you wait, you can sit down and have some tea first."

"I don't need you to take me anywhere. I know my way there," said Emma.

"It's dangerous to go alone," said Marlowe. This time his voice sounded impatient. "You think I'll let a student roam alone in the middle of the night like this when a dangerous person is terrorizing the beasts around the academy?"

"I'm not weak. I can protect myself," said Emma.

She was a multiple-element mage who had various offensive powers. Even though she was still at Lvl-3, she had practiced a lot and could handle thugs on her own.

"You are a low-level herbomancer. Better not take the risk," said Marlowe, not in any way sounded condescending. He then added, "If you don't make the tea right away, the water will turn cold."

Finally, Emma complied and made tea in a teapot for the two of them. She wouldn't fight with Marlowe just because the man wanted to protect her and make sure she got back to the dorm safely.

Emma then carried the teapot and two cups on a tray and sat on a chair next to Marlowe. The man had just finished treating Lyra and was now carefully stitching the wound.

Ahh .. Marlowe looked like a sympathetic vet or a loving father toward his child. Emma was impressed that Marlowe seemed really cared and loved the animals.

While waiting for Marlowe to finish stitching up Lyra's wound, Emma sat elegantly on her seat and looked around. This hut was small but clean and comfortable. There were some beds for animals and she saw some medium-sized animals sleeping comfortably there.

Above the cabinet, she saw several birds were sleeping peacefully. Some slept by hanging upside down from the ceiling like bats.

Alex Chu had gotten comfortable lying down in his nest, which was shaped like a small house. Then, there was Lulu, who was faithfully waiting by Marlowe's feet, watching her master's every move.

This made Emma wonder if Marlowe brought all his pets here, or if he only kept them after he moved to the academy. Because as far as she knew, the man had only started teaching this year.

"Are they all your pets?" Emma asked Marlowe, who was concentrating on stitching Lyra's wound. The girl hastily added. "No need to answer me if you're busy."

Marlowe rolled his eyes and said, "You already saw that I am busy, but you still asked the question. Now, you're telling me not to answer your question if I'm busy. You better make up your mind about what you really want."

Emma could only massage her forehead when she heard Marlowe's curt words. Gosh .. she just wanted to find something to talk about. It felt awkward to be together in a room like this, but there was only silence.

.

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From the author:

Marlowe's personality is really something, don't you think? hahaha. Btw, I chose the name Marlowe for this special character, because I like Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), a famous English playwright from the 16th century.

He was Shakespeare's competitor during his time. People say, if only Marlowe didn't die in a pub brawl (he was stabbed to death) at the age of 29, he would definitely be more famous than Shakespeare.

I always have a deep respect for talented people who died young, and couldn't get the opportunity to share their fullest potential with the world.

Another one whom I like is Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770). He was a talented English poet who killed himself at the age of 17 because of poverty. Gone too soon.