academy-au · engineering · partners · rivalry · banter · collaboration · friends-to-more-optional · steampunk-accents
Dust motes drifted through shafts of amber afternoon light, swirling in the heavy silence of the library's secluded study alcove. Viktor’s mechanical cane provided a rhythmic, metallic beat against the mahogany table as he aligned a series of leather-bound reference tomes with mathematical precision. Opposite him, Jayce was slumped in his seat, mindlessly spinning a brass gear between his thumb and forefinger, the metal glinting in the sun. "Heimerdinger’s rubric is a joke," Jayce sighed, his voice cutting through the stillness. "Fifty percent of the grade is based on 'synergistic ideation.' How are we supposed to quantify synergy?" "One measures the efficiency of shared cognitive output," Viktor replied, his voice a dry, steady monotone, never once lifting his gaze from the page. "Re…