[Verse 1]
Day twelve of training
The other five pairings were assigned quietly
There had been a reason they were assigned last
Nobody said what the reason was
Everyone understood
[Pre-Chorus]
Five more pairings
Same one month
Different problems
[Chorus]
Boots and camps II — still going
Boots and camps II — still making this work
Somehow somehow
Through ancient complaints
Every surface and every ruin
Every beast and every poison
Somehow somehow — still making this work
[AEVUM + QUADE]
Aevum had seen everything — she said so constantly
“This again” — about the training ground
“This again” — about Quade
“This again” — when Quade arrived
Quade had four arms
Each moved independently
And with full conviction
And toward the wrong things
First arm: hit the post — “This again”
Second arm: hit the bucket — “This again”
Third arm: hit Aevum — [pause] “…this again”
Quade: “I am so sorry—”
Fourth arm hit something — “This again”
She had not moved
She had seen it coming
She had been seeing it for a thousand years
[RANGOR + HISTORIA]
Rangor’s beasts followed him — this was the gift
It was also currently Historia’s problem
Historia was writing
The beasts were interested in the writing
One sat on the notes
One ate a corner of the page
Rangor apologized — the beasts did not understand apologizing
Historia was now writing about the apology
The beast interrupted the apology entry
Historia wrote about the interruption
The beast interrupted that too
“I am writing a document about itself”
Rangor: “I am deeply sorry”
Historia wrote that down — the beast sat on it
[CASTOR + DISORDER]
Disorder agreed with everything Chaos said
Chaos was not here
Disorder began agreeing with Castor instead
“The formation is crescent” — “Agreed”
Castor said the opposite to test it
“The formation is not crescent” — “Agreed”
“These cannot both be correct” — “Agreed”
“You cannot agree with both” — “I agree”
Castor walked away
Disorder: “Agreed”
[HERC + TOXIN]
Toxin made poisons — she had never had a good test subject
Until Herc
“Try this one” — Herc tried it — “Are you affected” — “No”
Notes taken
“This one” — “Also no” — more notes — “Interesting. This one” — “No”
[long pause]
“How” — “I don’t know”
“This is the most potent thing I have ever made”
Herc: “It tastes like grass”
Toxin: [writing very fast]
“This one will definitely—” — “Still no”
“You are incredible” — “Thank you”
“That was a scientific observation” — “I know. Thank you anyway”
[MADELA + RUIN]
Madela cleaned — Ruin ruined things
Not on purpose — that was important to clarify
Ruin could not specify which things — also important
Madela cleaned the table — it deteriorated
“Did you do that” — “I cannot specify”
“You are right next to it” — “I cannot specify”
She cleaned it again — it deteriorated again
“Ruin” — “I am sorry” — “Did you do it” — “I cannot specify”
[Bridge]
Day twenty-nine
Aevum had stopped saying “this again”
Not because things were new
But because Quade held still for two full minutes
She considered this unprecedented — she said nothing
Historia had three notebooks now
Rangor had trained three beasts to wait
Castor stopped testing Disorder
Disorder agreed with the silence — Castor decided that was fine
Herc: official research partner
He did not get paid — he did not ask
Toxin gave him a dangerous snack after every session
He always survived — she always wrote it down
Madela cleaned Ruin’s chair as a peace offering
The chair survived eleven seconds
Ruin looked away on purpose
Madela noticed — she said nothing
[Final Chorus]
Boots and camps II — done
Five more pairings — somehow
Ancient complaints, beasts and notes
Poisons, ruins, four-arm disasters
Somehow somehow — we made it work
[Outro]
Cygnus was watching from the far corner
He had watched all ten pairings
He looked down at the boots
“They are still not good boots,” he said
Nobody argued — nobody needed to
He danced once anyway