The Green Prefects widen their circle, keeping Alan and Patrick contained without crowding them. The senior prefect remains near the open notebook, while the boundary hedge offers a little privacy.
Patrick walks to the hedge with lowered shoulders, still sore and subdued from the private punishment. He waits until the nearest prefects turn aside before speaking quietly.
Patrick Mermagen
Defending you in public has made me a target, Alan. They heard every interruption, and now they know I will not simply stand aside.
He keeps his gaze on the school wall rather than Alan. Beyond the hedge, the prefects pretend to attend to the Green, though several listen for any raised voice.
Patrick Mermagen
But silence would leave you isolated, and they would call that agreement. I can wait to be recognized, but I will not pretend that weak evidence is strong.
The senior prefect glances toward them but does not interrupt. His hand rests beside the notebook, ready only if the quiet exchange becomes openly defiant.
Patrick Mermagen
I am asking you to remember the distinction: I was punished for my interruptions, not because your science, the packet, or Angel’s report proved anything against you.
“Ask where Morcom’s devices are currently held”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +1)
Alan Turing
Where are Morcom’s devices currently held?
The question cuts through the hedge-side quiet. Patrick turns toward Alan, while the Green Prefects glance over and the senior prefect closes his notebook halfway.
The Senior Prefect
The two devices Morcom surrendered are held by the county inspector, under seal, at the county office. They were defused and secured as evidence; neither the packet nor the devices is here.
Patrick Mermagen
So the school has no physical custody of them, and cannot examine them merely because Angel’s report has renewed suspicion.
The Senior Prefect
Correct. The county inspector retains them. The Head Boy may request information through proper authority, but these prefects cannot seize, open, or relocate that evidence.
The answer fixes the devices outside Sherborne’s immediate reach. Patrick’s shoulders ease slightly, while the Green Prefects remain confined to questions about reports rather than the evidence itself.
✓ Quest Accepted
Persuade Mermagen to display a properly humble and respectful demeanour to the prefects
“I express sympathy and interest in the caning that Mermagen just received, and I ask him to describe in detail how it compares to other canings that he has earned in the past.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -2)
Alan Turing
I am sorry you were hurt, Patrick. Please describe how this caning compares with the other canings you have earned, in as much detail as you can.
Patrick studies Alan, wary of the request. The Green Prefects remain within earshot, and their attention makes the hedge-side conversation less private than it appears.
Patrick Mermagen
This one was authorized for my interruptions, and it was private, measured, and witnessed. Compared with earlier canings, it was not the most severe, but it lasted long enough to leave me subdued.
Patrick Mermagen
Some earlier punishments followed cricket or House mistakes and felt more sudden. This one was worse in another way: I knew every stroke was being used to make an example of my speaking.
He pauses, searching memory rather than exaggerating. The exact number and force of earlier punishments are uncertain to him, because no reliable record was kept and several occasions blur together.
Patrick Mermagen
I can compare the circumstances more accurately than the sensations. This punishment was properly limited, but it still taught me that speaking for fairness can carry a cost.
“I persuade Mermagen to accept that the caning was entirely deserved, and that he should have known better than to repeatedly and impertinently interrupt, after being warned about it.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -1)
Alan Turing
Patrick, the caning was entirely deserved. You had been warned, and you should have known better than to keep interrupting impertinently.
Patrick lowers his eyes. The Green Prefects remain within earshot, but Alan’s plainly stated judgment leaves little room for him to mistake the argument.
Patrick Mermagen
Yes. I was warned, and I continued. The punishment was deserved because I chose impertinence after being told to stop.
Patrick Mermagen
I still believe the evidence needed defending, but that does not excuse my manner or erase the warning I ignored.
His shoulders settle into reluctant acceptance. He does not call the punishment unjust, and he separates his concern for fairness from his responsibility for interrupting.
Patrick Mermagen
I accept that account, Alan. I should have waited to be recognized, and I should have known better after the senior prefect warned me.
The concession is quiet but complete. Patrick remains wary of the prefects’ authority, yet he now accepts that this particular caning was deserved for his repeated, impertinent interruptions.
Quest Complete
Persuade Mermagen to display a properly humble and respectful demeanour to the prefects
Skill Upgrade: Etiquette Mediocre