Something of his own

ㅤ Guy chased the oinking Luke fruitlessly. The emperor's pet seemed to be laughing at him. Just like his master, watching everything from the sidelines… Pausing to catch his breath, Guy gave him a disapproving look. "Since you're back, maybe you could help me tame your" he emphasized the problem "pet." "And what makes you think I can do it? He's no less spoiled than your Luke, and he doesn't listen to anyone," Peony said joyfully, shamelessly and unapologetically, as if this were the norm. "My Luke isn't a pet and hasn't been selfish for a long time," Guy hastened to point out, grumbling. "Mine just hasn't had time to develop yet! There's still time!" 'Jade will roast him and feed him to you for dinner before…' Guy almost blurted out, but stopped himself in time, not wanting to hear complaints about Jade once again. About how bad he was and the cruel ways he made people work. "Come on, isn't it great that you have a friendly relationship with the emperor himself?" "Sometimes I think it would be so much easier if our relationship was purely official…" Guy sighed resignedly. "But then you wouldn't dare be so rude to me!" Peony grinned broadly, knowing full well how much his whims sometimes got on Guy's nerves. The only people he enjoyed annoying more were Jade and Saphir. "But then you wouldn't trust me with your rappigs, and I wouldn't have to do this work." "Oh!" Peony slapped his fist on his palm, realizing. "Exactly! But what would you do then?" the Emperor inquired seriously. "I don't know. I'd probably open my own workshop." "A count tinkering with machinery?" Peony was surprised. "So the fact that the count is engaged in shepherding work doesn’t bother you at all?" Guy gave him a reproachful look. "So, looking after my rappigs—that's a special honor!" Peony laughed proudly, eliciting a quiet groan of frustration from Guy. But he quickly calmed down, speaking seriously: "If you want, I can set you up with a workshop and provide the funds." "Oh, really?" Guy was incredulous. "No need," he said, declining, just in case. "Jade will not forgive you if you waste the treasury on something like this." But the idea had firmly taken root in his mind. He dreamily imagined people bringing him fonic mechanisms to his small, sunlit workshop, which he would disassemble and study. Immerse himself in their history. He truly wanted to make his dream come true. 'A dream… Maybe I won't be able to create something of my own, but I'll get to learn about the workings of a wide variety of mechanisms.' "You won't pester me with your rappigs anymore if I open a workshop, will you?" Guy saw another advantage. "I will," Peony disappointed him. "But less often! So how much do you need?" he said, ready to offer his full support. This time, however, Guy disappointed Peony with his answer: "I'll try to manage on my own. But I wouldn't mind," Guy smiled good-naturedly, "if you'd do me the honor of being present at the opening. If it happens…" "Of course! I'll be your first customer!" "Do you have anything to fix?" "Yeah, I've got it lying around somewhere." "So why not show me now?" Guy said, excited. Not for long… Because: "Oh, no! If you fix everything now, what should I bring you to the opening?" Peony winked, sincerely wishing Guy luck. He was ready to help him at any moment, despite the risk of being scolded by Jade. Unaware that he'd already helped more than he realized: he'd conceived this idea and given it impetus. Now Guy had something of his own, something he could nurture into his life's work. ㅤ