Тейлор Поттер и философский виал / Taylor Potter and the Philosophical Vial: Глава 12. Муки выбора

Chapter 12. The Agony of Choice
*

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 13:05

After Valentine's Day, things slowly began to improve. The attacks and mysterious electronic glitches accompanied by the appearance of faces no longer recurred, and the events of Christmas were gradually forgotten. It wasn't that fans and admirers flocked to Taylor again, but Potter was now ready to settle for less. The absence of hostile glances and shouts in her back, and the interaction with her friends—minimal, but interaction nonetheless—were already bringing peace to her life. Finding herself in a situation similar to her home life, peering into the abyss of loneliness, Taylor reassessed some things, suddenly filled with worldly wisdom.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 13:14

True, that wisdom didn't last long, and the situation as a whole remained unpleasant, but the boundaries shifted, and time sped. Lessons and homework ate up the lion's share of her time, as she had to reclaim what had been lost! Quidditch, much to Taylor's chagrin, never resumed; the pitch needed major repairs, which would have required, albeit temporarily, shutting down half of Wormwarts' systems, so everything was postponed until summer. Lisa regularly disappeared somewhere in the lower levels, refusing to explain anything, while Amy assisted Ray Sprout in his greenhouses and Doctor Pomfrey in the infirmary. Taylor, to distract herself, began setting up her own "insect farms" on the outskirts of the Sphere.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 15:58

The project wasn't progressing well. In Potter's absence, the insects were eager to scatter, eating each other and fighting with their neighbors. Taylor also feared that the Sphere's guardians—the mannequins—would interfere and ravage her farms, but these fears proved unfounded. The robots, while guarding the Forest, were otherwise almost entirely busy working on some project in the center and rarely showed up on the Sphere's outskirts.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:01

"They're either building something," Hagrid said angrily, taking the kettle off the stove, "or they're breaking it. The Inkwell got damaged, she tried to play with it—she was still young, after all—and those oval freaks turned into blades straight away! And then Brutus got hurt, he got into a fight with the duckbear and ran into a team of mannequins.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:02

"What are they building?" Taylor asked quietly, holding a huge cup with both hands. "The Sphere is a closed system, right?"

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:44

"So someone unlocked something," Rachel shrugged her powerful shoulders. "That guy, what's his name, Lockhart, was hanging around there too!"

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:45

“Oh, well then, everything’s fine,” Taylor calmed down and took a sip of hot tea.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:45

Outside Hagrid's hut, dogs barked, and birds chirped, rejoicing at the arrival of spring and the end of the cold weather. In fact, the warming and revival had begun a couple of weeks earlier, in mid-March, prompting Taylor to take up her "insect farms" and resume her visits to Rachel.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:47

"I don't like him," Hagrid grumbled.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:47

"Why?"

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:47

"I just don't like."

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:47

Taylor put down her teacup and considered it. It would be one thing if Niceguy disliked Hagrid because she understood dogs far better than people. It would be quite another if she instinctively, so to speak, sensed something wrong with him. Like a dog, driven by instinct but unable to express its feelings in words. Taylor wouldn't have focused on it if it weren't for the fact that Amy had expressed something similar. And the Sphere. Hadn't the events of the end of last year taken place under the Sphere?

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:55

"He helped me," Potter said.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 17:55

He really did help, didn't he? Things picked up after Valentine's Day, and Professor Niceguy chatted so animatedly with everyone at the party, even with Headmistress Dumbledore. It's possible he was simply consulting with Alan Gramm on the Sphere's defenses, since Professor Lockhart taught Defense Against the Dark Powers. Perhaps they decided to strengthen the defenses after last year's events?

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 18:05

"And Fang doesn't like him," Hagrid added.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 18:05

Taylor didn't feel like arguing, so she just shrugged, deciding to change the subject.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 18:06

"Rachel, can I use your connection to the Parahuman Forum?"

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 18:07

"Why do you need this hotbed of smart-ass assholes?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:17

"Read the materials, ask for advice. I need to choose two subjects out of five for next year, but I still can't decide which ones."

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 18:08

"Well, read it, but it’s unlikely they’ll help you there."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:17

Three hours later, Taylor admitted Hagrid had a point. Reading the multi-page exchanges hadn't helped, and her questions only generated advice from all sides, each comment categorically, without argument or reasoning, simply ordering Taylor to do this or that. Wherever arguments were presented, new squabbles and flud immediately erupted, and the comments multiplied so quickly that Potter couldn't keep up. The only benefit was that she reread the subjects themselves, in expanded descriptions, and now she could reflect on them.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 18:09

"Team Jedi is back in action!" Taylor declared.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:18

"Why is that?" Amy, Lisa, and Victoria were indignant in unison.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:19

Then Amy and Lisa exchanged an angry glance. The air between them no longer sparkled as it had in the old days, but their friendship hadn't returned either. Something had happened over Christmas, something Taylor hadn't known about and had decided not to find out, so as not to poke a hornet's nest, so to speak. Fortunately, the warm weather of mid-April and the mini-holiday, the so-called Easter holiday, were conducive to peace and kindness.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:19

"What, why?" Taylor asked.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:20

"Why is Jedi?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:20

"We can be Team Avatar," Potter suggested. "Who wants to be Toph?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:21

"That's not an answer," Amy pouted.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 18:29

"Great Founders!" Lisa couldn't resist. "Why should you be pouting, Weasley? You're going to be Princess Leia, and Victoria will be Luke!"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:21

"Hey, I want to be a princess!" Victoria said indignantly.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 18:10

"You don't want to be a princess," Lisa said, drawing a horizontal line in the air with her hand. "All that's left is to decide which of us will be Han Solo and which will be Chewbacca."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:29

"I'll be Chewbacca," Taylor smiled weakly.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:02

She could see that Lisa had already grasped the idea that they were a team that would defeat the Death Star and, in general, save the entire galaxy.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:22

"Let's make Lisa into Chewbacca instead, my fingers have been itching to add hair to her for a long time," Amy cracked her knuckles.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:28

"Only if, after you've finished, you scratch behind my ear," Granger retorted.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:28

The air, of course, wasn't filled with tension, and there wasn't a desire to tear each other's throats apart, but still, the squabble was far from friendly.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:27

"I was trying to defuse the situation, and you decided to start a fight again! Let's just get down to business, then," Taylor sighed, gesturing with her hand. "It's none of Victoria's business, but I think she could benefit from listening."

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:02

"Why is it none of my business?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:26

"Because you'll have a choice of additional subjects next year," Lisa intervened. "Right?"

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:03

"Right," Taylor nodded. "Five subjects: Social Studies, Tinkering, Devination, Bestiary, and Linguistics. Essentially, by choosing them, a cape is already, to a certain extent, choosing their future, so it's important to approach the matter responsibly."

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:04

"They're all in demand on the job market," Amy said quietly, "at least that's what Carol said."

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:05

"The job market is always in demand for specialists," Lisa interjected, "and becoming a specialist in any of these fields will require considerable effort. However, Taylor is right — this is a matter of specialization, since it's impossible to learn everything."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:25

"Even if you're Thinker?" Amy quipped.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:07

"Especially if you're a Thinker," Lisa retorted, "because everyone wants one thing from Thinkers — access to their luxurious brains, and no one cares if those brains hurt! At the famous St. Riley's Hospital, Thinkers have a separate floor, just like that!"

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:08

"A saint?" Taylor asked, confused.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:08

Lisa waved her hand in the air, as if to say, don't pay attention, it's a figure of speech.

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:09

"Taylor, you and Amy have one of the subjects that is, so to speak, predetermined, and that is the Bestiary," Lisa continued.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:22

"We'll figure it out without the smart asses," Amy snorted.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 11:23

"But Amy, she's right," Taylor said as softly and calmly as she could, trying not to growl. "The Bestiary's subject matter encompasses all living beings, the Masters' servants, the Biotinkers' chimeras, artificially bred creatures, and their work, care, and understanding. Who else but us should take it? Our powers predetermined this choice, but Victoria and Lisa wouldn't take the Bestiary."

Camrad_RIP 23.01.26 в 19:10