The library gives way to the stair landing, but the green-shaded quiet follows them. Parsley carries the shared copy against his chest. Porridge carries the prefects' records beneath one arm.
Parsley
Hear the whole of it before you answer. The marks began after Fribble learned about our company, and every marked boy had crossed his path that day.
Porridge opens the ledger on the landing's broad sill. Beside a list of errands, a blot of green-black ink stains the margin, shaped like the mark on Parsley's pebble.
Porridge
The ink was issued to Fribble for prefect notices. He signed for it three times. The marks appeared three times, always on boys he had recently ordered about.
Parsley
Then it is Fribble. Not a ghost, not a random trick. He has been tagging us, so that the marks can be mistaken for evidence against us.
Porridge
I will enter the finding in the official record. No private accusation, no mob. But Fribble will answer before the Housemaster, and this ledger will answer with him.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have Fribble answer for the ink marks
“Lewis nods to them both and eases back into his chair. Waiting for them to speak.”
Lewis nods to them both and eases back into his chair. The landing grows quiet for a moment.
Parsley
I saw Fribble carry that ink after each order. I should have said so sooner.
Porridge
You have said it now, Parsley. It belongs in the record.
Quest Complete
Identify who is making the ink marks
Skill Upgrade: Stealth Mediocre
“Lewis stays silent and keeps listening as he waits for them to make the decisions.”
Porridge records Parsley’s observation beneath the ledger entry, leaving a clear space for his name.
Parsley
Then I will stand by it, and answer for what I saw.
Porridge
Good. Your account strengthens the record. It does not merely follow someone else’s.
“Lewis nods and asks what he should do now.”
SUCCESS (Superb Etiquette, rolled +0)
Lewis nods from his chair, then asks what he should do now.
Porridge
You should do nothing in secret. Come with us to the Housemaster, and answer only for what you know.
Parsley
He asks before acting. That matters.
Porridge closes the ledger, but leaves the fresh entry visible until the ink dries.
Porridge
Parsley's observation will be read aloud with the rest. No one will make him stand behind your account, Lewis, nor yours behind his.
Footsteps sound below the landing. Porridge turns toward the stair, carrying the ledger under his arm, while the official summons remains ahead.
Porridge
The Housemaster is waiting. Shall we bring Fribble before him now?
“Lewis follows their lead, keeping quiet.”
Lewis follows quietly down the stairs. At the Housemaster’s study, Porridge presents the ledger, while Parsley stands beside him, ready to confirm his own observation.
The Housemaster of School House
Then we shall hear each account separately, and record both.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have Parsley’s corroborating testimony formally recorded
“Lewis stands next to Parsley and lets the process play out in silence.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Lewis takes his place beside Parsley and keeps silent. The Housemaster opens the ledger across his desk, leaving the landing's tension outside the room.
The Housemaster of School House
Parsley, give your account first. I will enter it as your own testimony.
Parsley
I saw Fribble carrying the green-black ink after each order. The marks appeared afterward.
The Housemaster writes the account in a firm hand, then turns the ledger so Parsley can see the entry. Parsley adds his name without looking to Lewis for permission.
Porridge
The record now contains both accounts, separately given.
Footsteps stop outside. Fribble enters under Porridge's watch, and the Housemaster closes the ledger only after Parsley's signature is dry.
The Housemaster of School House
Fribble, you will answer for the ink marks before this record and these witnesses. Begin.
Quest Complete
Have Parsley’s corroborating testimony formally recorded
“Lewis briefly meets Fribble's eyes but looks away to maintain his composure and wait.”
Lewis meets Fribble’s eyes for one brief instant, then looks down, leaving the silence to belong to the hearing rather than the accusation.
Fribble
He is not seizing the moment.
Parsley
He is letting me stand beside him.
“Lewis stays still as the process plays out in full. Keeping to himself as he waits.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
The silence holds. Lewis remains beside the desk, hands folded, while the Housemaster waits without rescuing Fribble from the question.
The Housemaster of School House
Fribble, you have heard the accounts. Did you take the green-black ink after ordering these boys about?
Fribble crosses the room to the chair set before the desk. He does not look toward Lewis. The ledger lies open between them, with Parsley’s signed testimony beneath Lewis’s account.
Fribble
I took the ink, sir. I marked their cuffs and sleeves. I meant to frighten them into obedience.
Parsley
He said it plainly. No one had to speak for me.
The admission settles over the study. The Housemaster writes it into the record, then turns the ledger so Fribble can see the entry before the ink dries.
The Housemaster of School House
You will sign this answer. Afterward, Porridge will read the company’s account of what follows, and Parsley will be present when it is considered.
Fribble takes the pen. Lewis’s stillness has left the hearing its proper shape: Parsley’s evidence stands, Fribble has answered, and the next decision belongs to the record.
Quest Complete
Have Fribble answer for the ink marks
Skill Upgrade: Trade Mediocre
“By the end of the hearing, Lewis still hasn't moved or spoken. He stands passive as they hear out the verdict.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Fribble signs beneath his admission. The Housemaster sands the page, folds the ledger shut, and looks first to Parsley, not Lewis.
The Housemaster of School House
Parsley’s account stands independently. No one is to treat it as an echo of Lewis’s testimony.
Parsley straightens. The distinction is entered into the record, giving his observation its own weight before the room.
Porridge
Then the company’s account follows. Fribble marked the boys after issuing private orders, and the marks were meant to enforce obedience outside the proper rules.
The Housemaster opens the ledger again and reads the combined finding aloud. Fribble’s admission confirms the marks, while Parsley’s testimony confirms the pattern.
Fribble
I accept that I did it. I do not accept that the company gets to judge me.
The Housemaster of School House
It does not judge you. I do. But the company may state what repair it requires, publicly and without coercion.
The verdict settles the offence, but not its remedy. The Housemaster turns toward Porridge and Parsley, leaving the next account in their hands.
“Lewis stays silent and lets Parsley choose this for himself.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Lewis keeps his silence. He does not reach for the ledger, supply a remedy, or turn Parsley’s testimony into his own command.
Parsley
He is leaving this with me.
Parsley steps from the desk and lays one finger beside the two entries, joining them without confusing them.
Parsley
I want the marks acknowledged before the company. Fribble should say what he did, and why it was outside the rules. Then he should help preserve the record, so this cannot be quietly repeated.
The Housemaster of School House
That is a proportionate remedy. You are asking for public truth, not private humiliation, and for responsibility rather than submission.
Porridge
I will witness the statement, and Parsley will keep the company’s copy. No single boy will own the account.
Fribble looks from the ledger to Parsley. The room gives him no crowd to overpower and no private corner in which to bargain.
Fribble
I will state it. But I will not pretend you ordered me to do it.
Parsley
I would not ask you to pretend. I want the truth kept straight.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have Fribble’s admission acknowledged before Phoenix Company and preserved in its record